A Complete Opening Repertoire for Black after 1.e4 e5! [1 ed.] 9492510847, 9789492510846

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Table of Contents Title page

PART I – Rare Openings and Gambits Chapter 1 – Odd 2nd Moves Chapter 2 – Scotch Gambit Chapter 3 – King’s Gambit Chapter 4 – Bishop’s Opening Chapter 5 – Vienna Game Chapter 6 – Ponziani PART II – The Scotch Chapter 7 – Classical Variation PART III – The Four Knights Chapter 8 – Scotch Four Knights Chapter 9 – Spanish Four Knights PART IV – The Giuoco Piano Chapter 10 – Aggressive Italians Chapter 11 – Classical Italians PART V – The Ruy Lopez Chapter 12 – Exchange Variation Chapter 13 – Sidelines on Move 5 Chapter 14 – Open Spanish PART VI – Test Your Knowledge Chapter 15 – Exercises

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A Complete Repertoire for Black after 1.e4 e5! by Yuriy Krykun Thinkers Publishing 2020

www.thinkerspublishing.com First edition 2020 by Thinkers Publishing First published as a Chessable Course 2020 Copyright © 2020 Yuriy Krykun All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher. All sales or enquiries should be directed to Thinkers Publishing, 9850 Landegem, Belgium. Email: [email protected] Website: www.thinkerspublishing.com

Managing Editor: Romain Edouard Assistant Editor: Daniël Vanheirzeele Typesetting: Mark Haast Proofreading: Bob Holliman Software: Hub van de Laar Cover Design: Iwan Kerkhof Graphic Artist: Philippe Tonnard Production: BESTinGraphics ISBN: 9789492510846 D/2020/13730/25 3

Part I Rare Openings and Gambits Chapter 1 Odd 2nd Moves 1.e4 e5

1.e4 e5 2.d4 A) 2.Qh5

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Position after: 2.Qh5 This is a silly move that I did not want to cover. However, since Nakamura has played this on a few occasions I have included it in the book. Of course, Nakamura could have played 1.h4 or 1.a4 and won as well simply because he is a better player. In fact, this simply loses a lot of time. 2...Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 And Black is already ahead in development. The white queen on f3 takes away the best square for the g1-knight. 5.Ne2 Bg7 6.Nbc3 d6 7.d3

Position after: 7.d3

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And now I would suggest taking White’s bishop 7...Na5! 8.Bb5+ c6 9.Ba4 b5 10.Bb3. Black does not need to capture it right now (even though he can), he will take the bishop at a moment of his choosing. B) 2.Bc4

Position after: 2.Bc4 We are studying the Bishop’s Opening in the corresponding chapter but here I would like to show you one fine idea which quickly neutralizes the Urusov Gambit, a pesky sideline. 2...Nf6 3.Nf3!? [3.d3 – see chapter 4.] 3...Nxe4 4.Nc3 Some players choose this line occasionally looking for interesting compensation if Black decides to take on c3 and try to hold on to his extra pawn. But we have a lovely solution here! 4...Nc6!.

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Position after: 4...Nc6! Wait, what is that? Did the author just forget about the e4-knight? Not exactly. I would like you to think or play through the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4. White’s last move is a typical opening mistake which many club players commit. Now the most effective solution is well-known: 4...Nxe4! 5.Nxe4 d5, regaining the piece and obtaining a significant return on investment as the White center gets shattered. Why am I referring to some odd Four Knights line though? Well, because after 5.Nxe4 d5 this is simply a transposition and we reach that famous position which is known to be great for Black! 2...exd4

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Position after: 2...exd4 3.Qxd4 It is well-known that Black has a good game here. Fortunately, in such a rare/ innocent line you can simply use well-known solutions, it is not necessary to come up with striking novelties. A) 3.Nf3 Nc6 is a direct transposition to the Scotch Game after 4.Nxd4. However, it is also worth checking the Scotch Gambit, which arises after 4.Bc4 which is in the next subchapter. B) 3.c3 d5! It is possible to take on c3 but why would you do that if there is a simple way to solve all of our problems?

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Position after: 3...d5! B1) 4.Qxd4 Is a weird move as White will lose a lot of time with his queen; 4...dxe4 5.Qxe4+ Be7 just preparing Nf6. 6.Bg5 Nd7.

Position after: 6...Nd7 ...Nf6 without ...Nd7 would not be good because of Bxf6!. 7.Nf3 Ngf6 with a clear advantage as the position is symmetrical, and White is behind in development B2) 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Nf3 does not make sense as after 5...Nc6 the only reasonable move 6.cxd4 would just transpose. 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 [7.Nc3 Now 7...Bb4 8.Be2 is a direct transposition to the main line.] 7...Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qc4!

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Position after: 9...Qc4! This key move prevents White from castling. 10.Qb3 [10.Bxc6+ bxc6! It is desirable not to allow White to castle so Black takes with the pawn 11.Qe2+ Qxe2+ 12.Kxe2 0-0-0 13.Be3 Ne7. The endgame is roughly balanced as White has a weak pawn on d4, Black has a great outpost on d5, but his queenside pawns are somewhat loose. We will simply play ...Rhe8 followed by ...Nf5 or ...Nd5.] 10...Qxb3 [10...Qxd4? gives White a strong initiative after 11.Be3!, then Rd1 etc.] 11.axb3 Now we reach a balanced endgame where I believe White needs to be careful. After 11...Nge7 12.Be3 0-0-0 Black is attacking the d4-pawn, but his a7-pawn is hanging as well, 13.0-0 and now both ...a7-a6 and ...a7-a5 look good to me. It is not particularly important which move you choose but I like ...a7-a6!? which ensures this pawn will always be protected. 13...a6=

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Position after: 13...a6= The position is very solid and suitable for playing for a win as we have no weaknesses while White’s bishop pair is not particularly useful. Our next moves are ...Rhe8 and ...Nf5. White also needs to watch out for his weak d4-pawn. 3...Nc6 4.Qe3

Position after: 4.Qe3

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The main idea of this variation for White is to develop fast via Nc3, Bd2, castle long, put the queen on g3 and get some attacking ideas. However, one simple line for Black makes all of this questionable. 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 0-0 7.0-0-0 Re8

Position after: 7...Re8 So far everything was forced as both sides were just developing. Now Black is keeping an eye on the e4-pawn. 8.Qg3 8.f3 runs into a typical idea: 8...d5µ when Black gets a big advantage instantly. 8...Nxe4 9.Nxe4 Rxe4

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Position after: 9...Rxe4 10.c3 This is the main line of this variation if we can call something a main line in such an offbeat opening. 10.Bxb4 Nxb4 11.a3 Nc6 12.Bd3 Re8

Position after: 12...Re8 To me it is not obvious at all why White gave up a pawn but that is something he does sometimes in 13

this line hoping to develop quickly. 13.Nf3 d6 14.Rhe1 White is trying to trade Black’s developed pieces and claim that since he has all of his pieces in the game, he can get some attacking chances. Now I would just suggest a calm defensive move 14...h6! which takes the g5-square under control.

Position after: 14...h6! Then we continue with ...Be6, ...Qf6 and I do not see any compensation for White. 10...Be7!

Position after: 10...Be7! 14

There is one fine point which you should remember which will be addressed at move 12. 11.f4 11.Bd3 Now it is possible to retreat, but the key move that gives us great play is 11...Bh4! 12.Qf3 Re8 And Black is doing great. Now I believe that the White knight on g1 feels bad. We are going to play ...d7-d6, develop the queen to f6, the bishop to e6 and that is it! 11...d5 12.Bd3 It is crucial to learn the following strong idea. 12...Bf5!

Position after: 12...Bf5! 13.Bxe4 Bxe4 Instead of retreating, we seize the initiative ourselves by paying a small material price! Black is clearly the strongest side as White’s king is quite weak along with the b1-h7 diagonal. One of the attacking ideas I want to mention is ...Qd7, ...Bg6 followed by ...Qf5 and White will have hard time defending from the mating threats.

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Chapter 2 Scotch Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 The Scotch Gambit. 4...Bc5

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Position after: 4...Bc5 I like this move better than 4...Nf6 for the purposes of our repertoire because after 4...Nf6 5.e5 we end up in the Two Knights variation of the Italian which we will not play. It also arises after 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.e5. 5.0-0 White may hope for 5...Nf6 which will transpose to one of the Italian gambits which we will not play. After 5...d6! he is not going to get an Italian gambit and he will not recover the pawn. A) 5.c3 Nf6 is a direct transposition to the Italian line 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4. B) 5.Ng5 This line leads to some fun complications which soon result in massive simplifications. 5...Nh6. The knight looks a bit ugly here, but it serves the key purpose of protecting f7 which is all that matters.

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Position after: 5...Nh6 B1) 6.Bxf7+ transposes to 6.Nxf7. B2) 6.Qh5? This is simply bad, as after 6...Qf6! White does not regain his material. It is crucial to understand why 7.Nxf7? does not work here. 7.Nxf7? Bb4+! 8.c3

Position after: 8.c3 8...dxc3! [8...Nxf7 9.cxb4 Nxb4µ is also clearly better for Black but the move in the text is a lot more ambitious, even though it is more complex.] 9.Nd6+ Kd8 10.bxc3 Bxc3+ 11.Ke2 cxd6 12.Bg5 18

Bxa1 13.Bxf6+ Bxf6–+ this is slightly messy, and you are not obliged to enter this line unless you want to. At the end of the day Black’s position is absolutely winning. Black has a rook, two minor pieces and a pawn for the queen. Black might need to sacrifice a pawn or two to finish his development swiftly but with such material odds he can afford it. B3) 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5

Position after: 9.Qxc5 After this forcing variation we can slow down and take a deep breath. Here is where Black stands. The black king might seem somewhat insecure, but it is not a problem by any means. After ...d7-d6, ...Be6, ...Rf8 and ...Kg8 Black’s pieces will join the game very smoothly. It is also worth mentioning that instead of the main move ...d7-d6, Black also has an interesting option of 9...d5!.

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Position after: 9...d5! I think this is the cleanest solution by far. Black takes advantage of the fact that White’s king is still on e1 and opens the game. [9...d6 10.Qc4+ Be6 11.Qe2 Re8 12.0-0 Qf6 This position is okay for Black, yet I suspect White might hope for a slight edge.] 10.0-0 [After 10.Qxd5+? Qxd5 11.exd5 Nb4µ White is clearly in trouble. 10.exd5? Re8+ 11.Kd1 Re5!–+ After taking on d5 Black will clearly be winning.] 10...dxe4 at this point several continuations are possible but let us look at the one that has established itself as an absolute main line. 11.c3 Qd6! 12.Qxd6 cxd6 13.cxd4 Nxd4 14.Nc3 Bg4!

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Position after: 14...Bg4! The most ambitious move. Black is a pawn up and he wants to make it tough on White to get the e4pawn back. The idea is revealed after 15.Nxe4 [15.h3N 15...Ne2+ 16.Kh2 Nxc3 17.hxg4 Na4= White should be able to eventually regain the pawn and reach equality. It looks like White’s path here has been rockier than ours!] 15...Nc2!

Position after: 15...Nc2! 16.Rb1? [16.f3 Nxa1 17.fxg4+ Ke6³ White has some compensation, but Black’s position was clearly more promising. 0-1 (32) Mamedov, R (2650) – Dominguez Perez, L (2750) Hengshui 2019.] 16...Be2!³ And suddenly White’s f1-rook is trapped! 5...d6! 6.c3

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Position after: 6.c3 Now it is possible to capture on c3, but I like the following move even better 6...Bg4! Now 7.cxd4 Nxd4 is simply horrible for White, but he has the following forcing attempt. 7.Qb3 Bxf3 8.Bxf7+ Kf8 9.gxf3 Now Black should not worry about the fact that he lost a pawn on f7 and the right to castle because the white king is permanently weak, and our development is great. 9...dxc3!

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Position after: 9...dxc3! This is the most forcing solution. 10.Bxg8 10.Nxc3 Nd4 wins immediately for Black because the f3-pawn is attacked along with the bishop on f7. 11.Qc4 Nxf3+ 12.Kg2 Ne5–+ and Black wins the bishop. 10...Rxg8 11.Nxc3 Qd7 Black has a great position. Our king is not weak, but the white one is, just as several squares in his position such as d4.

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Chapter 3 King’s Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.f4

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4

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Position after: 2...exf4 3.Nf3 This is the main line. White hopes to play d2-d4 to recover his pawn and enjoy greater control of the center. Black has many good choices, but I am confident about the one I am suggesting as it is easy to learn and rather rare. A) 3.Bc4 Nf6! In my opinion this is the most solid and reliable continuation.

Position after: 3...Nf6! 3...Qh4+ is also good but eventually White will get to develop with tempi (Nf3 will attack the queen), so I prefer another continuation. This is by no means a critical line, and just like other variations in this book the emphasis will be on the most critical continuations. We will not try to analyze every single possible move by White but rather try to understand the key ideas. 4.Nc3 c6!

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Position after: 4...c6! Black will now play ...d7-d5 destroying the White center and making sure his bishop on c4, which is often a dangerous attacking piece, will be restricted. A1) 5.d4 d5 6.exd5 cxd5 7.Bb3 is a transposition to Bb3. 7.Bb5+ Nc6 8.Bxf4 Be7 9.Nf3 0-0 10.0-0 Ne4!?

Position after: 10...Ne4!? Initiating active play in the center immediately. This is great for Black because his pieces are already putting pressure on White’s position. In the ensuing middlegame our extra f-pawn is more valuable than White’s c-pawn because we can use it either to support the knight with ...f7-f5 or to kick the White knight from e5 with ...f7-f6. We could even think of some ideas like ...f7-f5, ...g7-g5!? which 26

grab additional space on the kingside and kick White’s pieces away. A2) 5.Bb3 Some strong players have tried this mainly in rapid and blitz. White does not hurry to place his pawn on d4 in order to not weaken the e4-square and to keep more flexibility. However, our solution remains pretty much the same. 5...d5

Position after: 5...d5 6.exd5 [6.e5 Ne4 threatens ...Qh4+. 7.Nf3 the engine yells that Black is winning after 5 continuations including: ...Be7 and ...a7-a5!?. But most of all, I like the simple ...g7-g5 which supports our f4-pawn and creates a threat of ...g5-g4. 7...g5–+ White’s position is a disaster.] 6...cxd5 7.d4 Otherwise Black could go ...d5-d4 himself kicking White’s knight with a tempo. In another line we have a similar position where the white bishop does not retreat to b3 but moves to b5. Here we can develop in the same manner, even though there are a few good ways. 7...Bb4!?

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Position after: 7...Bb4!? This is the move I like most. The reason is that Black pins the knight and prepares ...Ne4 ideas. Meanwhile, we are getting ready to develop the rest of the pieces and castle. But, if you ever forget how to play here, bear in mind that any setup, whether you put the bishop on d6, e7 or b4, followed by reasonable moves like ...Nc6 and ...Be6/f5/g4 should give you a good position and most likely, you would have an advantage. 8.Bxf4 0-0 9.Nf3 Nc6 10.0-0 Bxc3!? I think it would be really nice to play ...Ne4, however it was not possible as the d5-pawn was hanging. That is why we can trade and now play ...Ne4. 11.bxc3 Ne4.

Position after: 11...Ne4 Black is ready to stabilize the position and secure his positional advantage with ...Na5, then he 28

develops the bishop and goes ...Rc8, ...Nc4. Or he can play ...Be6 preventing c3-c4 ideas. That is why White should hurry with c3-c4. 12.c4!? dxc4 13.Bxc4 Bg4

Position after: 13...Bg4 Black has a good game here although the position remains within the framework of equality. I think we could even emerge with an advantage in this line, but I believe that it is most important to have a secure way to reach a good position, just like after my suggestion. You do not want to remember dozens of transpositions, move orders and so forth to get a slight edge in a very rare line. Most likely, all the subtle nuances will be forgotten by the time the position appears on the board. That is why we play a simple variation and reach a firm equality. Now, about the position: here the pawn structure is somewhat unbalanced. White has weak light squares such as d5 and c4. Our next task is to go ...Rc8, ...Na5, ...Nc4. Then even ...Qd5 could be a nice blockading move. If we manage that we will be better. I think in such a position we do not mind trading some pieces either because we will be better in the endgame due to White’s weak squares in the center. By the way, I believe you will encounter the same pattern and structure in a few other lines I am suggesting in this book such as the Scotch Four Knights, we are pursuing the same structural goals there. B) 3.d4 This was played in an online blitz game by Ian Nepomniachtchi. In my opinion 3...Qh4+! is the cleanest solution taking full advantage of the fact that the h4-square is unprotected. 4.Ke2 d5!

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Position after: 4...d5! White is already in a bad way. For instance, after 5.exd5 Bg4+ 6.Nf3 Bxf3+ 7.gxf3 [7.Kxf3?? Qh5+– + wins the white queen.] 7...Nd7µ Black is going to castle long, possibly continue with moves like ...Ne7-f5, ...Bd6, ...Re8 and so on. White’s king is not having fun on e2. C) 3.Nc3

Position after: 3.Nc3 This is the type of move that they played back in the 19th century. Occasionally you might encounter 30

this today. For example, Kasparov gave this a try in a blitz game versus Karjakin. Some other adepts on the White side include Carlsen, Rapport, McShane, Mista and a few other notable players. But, obviously, this move is nothing more than a surprise weapon and if we react precisely, we will simply get the advantage. 3...Qh4+! Again, if there is no knight on f3, the queen check is extremely attractive! 4.Ke2 g5! This is the most principled move and the way to go. We will hold on to our extra material. 5.Nf3 Qh5 6.d4 d6 A few moves have been tried at this point but the main one has been 7.Kf2.

Position after: 6...d6 7.Kf2 Nf6 now ...g5-g4 or even ...Ng4 are highly annoying threats. 8.h4 g4 9.Ng1 g3+ Black forces the queen trade reaching a better endgame. For reasons which I fail to understand some players went here twice(!) with White in two correspondence games. Apparently, many people use correspondence to test weird ideas hoping to hold worse endgames thanks to the machine. But whatever their reason may be we are happy about the way our opening goes. 10.Ke1 Qxd1+ 11.Kxd1

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Position after: 11.Kxd1 At this point Black can keep the advantage in many ways but I would like to suggest the novelty 11...Nc6!µ. We are immediately pressuring the d4-pawn, hoping to either provoke d4-d5, which gives us the fantastic outpost on e5, or forcing White to play Nf3 which is highly unfavourable. [11...Bg4+ was also absolutely okay and led to Black’s edge in the following correspondence encounter. 12.Be2 Bh6 ½-½ (52) Kireev, V (2203) – Volkov, A (2227) ICCF email 2009.] 12.Nf3? Bg4–+ The d4-pawn is hanging, Black might choose to hold to his key f4-pawn with ...Bh6, this is just absolutely disgusting for White whose opening has proved a total failure. 3...Ne7

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Position after: 3...Ne7 This is an exceedingly rare move, but it was played by GM Bacrot in 7 or 8 games when he was Black! I tend to trust this player in his opening choices, and it was in his games where I found this idea. Black simply wants to go ...Ng6 and keep the pawn. In some lines though, the knight can go to d5 and then e3 when Black will return the pawn to get a stable positional edge or a solid position. Crucially, we will deprive White of his typical nasty attacking ideas which are precisely the reason why he would use the King’s Gambit. 3...d5 and 3...g5 are the main moves which White should be prepared to meet. 4.d4 4.Bc4 was tried by some players and we will follow Bacrot’s footsteps.

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Position after: 4.Bc4 4...d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 and now I want to suggest the following improvement over 7...Be6 or 7...0-0. We will play 7...c6! Why do I believe this is a better move? For example, after ...Be6 White can trade on d5, take the pawn on f4, and then try to play b3-c4 getting a nice center. On the other hand, c6 is the move we make to anticipate Bxd5 and meet it with ...cxd5. Why would we want to create an additional pawn island? Because that will prevent White from playing c2-c4 and will basically give us an extra pawn with more influence in the center! Then our development should be very easy just as we saw in some previous lines. We will go ...Nc6, ...0-0, develop the bishop to one of several good squares (e6, f5, g4) and then ...Rc8. If White does not take, we always have this nice idea of ...Ne3 which sacrifices the pawn back but ensures Black of the bishop pair and makes White part with his darksquared bishop! 7...c6!?

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Position after: 7...c6!? A) 8.Bb3!? 0-0 9.c4 This is exactly what I had mentioned earlier where White tries to get the center by not taking on d5 but chases the knight away. 9...Ne3! 10.Bxe3 fxe3 11.Qd3 now we have many good moves, but I like to worsen the position of the white queen a bit: 11...e2! 12.Qxe2 Bf6 13.Qf2 Bg4 which attacks the white knight and threatens the d4-pawn as well. 14.Nbd2 Nd7³ Black has a great game with his bishop pair and pressure on the center.

Position after: 14...Nd7³

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White’s bishop on b3 is not well placed. White will never have attacking chances here. One more cool idea for Black is to play ...b7-b5!? trying to win the d5-square after both sides exchange on b5 or White plays c4-c5. That is something we can do at some point, no need to hurry right now. B) 8.Bxd5 cxd5 9.Bxf4 Nc6 10.Nc3 0-0 following with ...Be6/g4, ...Rc8, ...Na5-Nc4, ...Bf6 and Black cannot be worse. 4...d5

Position after: 4...d5 5.Nc3 This is the most popular move. A) 5.Bd3 Is another try for White but again I am quite sceptical about White’s chances. After 5...dxe4 6.Bxe4 we see this ...Nd5 idea in the main line where the knight is heading towards e3. Here it is fine as well, but it seems to me that the most challenging move is ...Ng6, just keeping the pawn on f4 alive for now. 6...Ng6 7.0-0 Bd6 in one game White took on g6 and when Black captured back it turned out White was just a pawn down. Therefore, we should not be worried about this move. The only other reasonable move that has been tried in this position is 8.c4. Let us talk about it! 8.c4 c6! White just created a threat of c4-c5 to kick the bishop away, take on g6 and get his pawn on f4 back.

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Position after: 8...c6! We just prevent this idea. I do not think you should study anything in this position, let us just make a few natural moves and reach conclusions. 9.Nc3 0-0 10.c5 I do not find this move appealing but 1) White does not have other attractive options 2) this is the only move people have tried in this position. 10...Bc7 11.d5!?

Position after: 11.d5!? Now ...Na6!? is an interesting and ambitious choice which allows White d5-d6 and we try to win the c5-pawn later. But it is not a part of our plan to analyze some extremely rare King’s Gambit line to get 37

a small edge. The reasonable approach is to play a simple equalizer 11...cxd5 12.Nxd5 Nc6 13.Nxc7 Qxc7. White still needs a few precise moves to get his pawn back. 14.Qd6! Qxd6 15.cxd6 Bg4 16.b3!? Somehow trying to develop this bishop [16.Bxg6? fxg6! and the f4-pawn is defended! Black is better.] 16...Rfe8!? forcing White to either retreat, which is a bit weird, or take the pawn. 17.Bxg6 hxg6 18.Bxf4 f6

Position after: 18...f6 Then we play ...Rad8, ...g6-g5 and ...Kf7. If the white bishop is not on f4 please do not blunder ...Kf7?? Nxg5+. Black is a little better as White’s d6-pawn is pretty weak but objectively this should be roughly equal. B) 5.e5?! Ng6 6.Bd3 c5 7.c3 Nc6 Now Black has a great position and very easy development. The only way for White to get his pawn back is to give up the bishop for the g6-knight.

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Position after: 7...Nc6 8.Bxg6 hxg6 9.Bxf4 Bg4µ Black has the two bishops, strong pressure in the center and a semi-open hfile which will prove useful if White castles short. All in all, this is a big advantage for Black. Your next move can be ...Qd7 or ...Qb6, you can castle long then develop the f8-bishop. 5...dxe4 6.Nxe4

Position after: 6.Nxe4

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Now initially Bacrot went ...Ng6, but then in the further games realized that ...Nd5 is a better move heading to e3. 6...Nd5! We will see a few moves later what happens if White pushes c2-c4. If he did it now you would be able to react in the same way so please just go ahead and look at this line. 7.Bd3 Let us suppose both sides are simply developing for now. 7...Be7

Position after: 7...Be7 8.0-0 8.c4 It is also possible to chase the knight immediately, but all the same ideas will apply and hold true. Let us follow the game of someone who plays the 3...Ne7 system! 8...Ne3 9.Qe2 0-0

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Position after: 9...0-0 Again, as we see in the main line, Black does not mind returning that extra pawn to secure the bishop pair and easy development. 10.Bxe3 fxe3 11.0-0-0 Bg4 12.Qxe3 Nc6! That d4-pawn is under some rather heavy pressure! 13.d5 Nb4

Position after: 13...Nb4 At this point White has essayed several moves such as 14.Bb1 or 14.a3 but Black was clearly having a good time in all those cases due to the bishop pair and his very firm control over the central squares.

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Please note now that the White pawn is on d5 it would not be easy by any means to defend the h8-a1 diagonal once our dark-squared bishop finds its way there! [½-½ (55) Rapport, R (2693) – Bacrot, E (2686) Ashdod 2015.] 8...0-0 Now that both sides have castled what happens? White would like to get his pawn back, so he kicks the Black knight. 8...Bg4!? was another interesting decision, chosen by our model player Bacrot. [0-1 (45) Gharamian, T (2661) – Bacrot, E (2705) Bastia 2012.] 9.c4 Ne3! We are not retreating! 10.Bxe3 fxe3 11.Qe2

Position after: 11.Qe2 11...Bg4! Rather than trying to hold our extra material we happily part with it to get a clear positional edge. 11...f5?! is the engine’s first choice. I do not like it as the best we will do is make a draw. 12.Nc3 f4 13.Qc2!

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Position after: 13.Qc2! 13...h6 [13...g6! 14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.Qxg6+ Kh8 16.Qh6+ Kg8 17.Qg6+=] 14.Bh7+ Kh8 15.Ne5 and White’s attack is very strong. 12.Qxe3 Bxf3 13.Rxf3 Nc6!

Position after: 13...Nc6! Now let us compare the bishops. It is an illusion that White has a good bishop because Black easily 43

tames it by playing ...g7-g6 and ...f7-f5 at a moment of his choosing. On the other hand, Black’s bishop will be tremendously strong on a square such as f6 once Black kicks the white knight. Our bishop will put pressure on the d4-pawn and over the long diagonal. Let us see a sample line. 14.d5 Ne5 15.Rf5 Nxd3 16.Qxd3 g6 17.Rf3 f5! Finally, we kick his knight away! 18.Nd2 Bf6³

Position after: 18...Bf6³ With a clear positional advantage for Black. The next moves are very simple provided we do not get to pick up any material for free such as the pawn on b2. We go ...Qd6 and maybe ...Qc5 if it is worth it because of concrete reasons. Then we simply place our rooks on the e-file, we can consider ...c7-c6. This undermines and trades White’s d5-pawn which is his key space-grabbing pawn. Black’s advantage is indisputable.

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Chapter 4 Bishop’s Opening 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4

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Position after: 2.Bc4 The Bishop’s Opening is our next subject. It is an interesting variation which is mostly used because of two reasons: 1) Some players are trying to avoid well-known theoretical positions or 2) Many players actually use this move order to reach the Italian Game while avoiding, for example, the Petroff 2.Nf3 Nf6. This is one of the parts of the repertoire I am extremely happy about because of the simplicity of my recommendation. I would like to credit a fellow Ukrainian player for showing this idea to me, but I do not feel entitled to disclose his name. It turns out that White really cannot avoid a transposition into the Italian Game after 3...Bc5! What if White tries to pursue the Bishop’s Opening as an independent opening system? Let us delve into the variations! 2...Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 As I have mentioned 4.Nf3 Nc6 is a transposition to the Italian. The only independent attempt, really, is to play 4.Nc3 and try to push f2-f4. 4.Nc3 0-0!

Position after: 4...0-0! This is a really nice move order and we allow White to play f2-f4. 5.f4?! Although White can keep equality after this move it is much easier to play with Black. Therefore, it 46

does not seem like a smart practical choice for White. However, many players would go for it as it is very logical to play this way if you want a pure Bishop’s Opening on the board instead of an Italian Game! Get ready to collect your points! 5...d5!!

Position after: 5...d5!! This the whole point of Black’s move order. We are trying to prove that we have developed enough to punish White’s premature activity. Now, White has many possibilities at his disposal, but at best he may aspire to reach equality. 6.Nxd5! This is the best move and it should equalize for White. You need to know our key answer. A) 6.exd5? This is just bad as Black has some great choices in ...Bg4 or ...exf4 as well as some others. I am picking the easiest answer 6...Ng4.

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Position after: 6...Ng4 Creating the obvious threat of ...Nf2. 7.Ne4 [7.Nh3? Qh4+ 8.Kf1 Nf2 9.Qe1 Bxh3 and Black is winning without sacrificing anything, White’s king is horribly weak.] 7...exf4 8.Bxf4 Re8 now ...f7f5! is one concern for White but the bigger one is ...Nf2 because now the White knight is pinned! 9.Kf1 Rxe4! 10.dxe4 Nf2 11.Qd2 Nxh1

Position after: 11...Nxh1 Because of the powerful bishop on c5 White will have an extremely hard time capturing the knight on 48

h1. Meanwhile, he has a pawn for a piece. Unfortunately for White, ...Nf2 is always a threat along with such ideas as ...Qf6 to pin the bishop and threaten ...g7-g5. Another good developing move for Black is ...Bg4. A1) 12.Be3 Bd6 13.g3 Now we could gain two pawns for the knight by taking on g3, but I want to show you a beautiful idea: 13...Qf6+ 14.Kg2 Nxg3 15.hxg3 Qe5! We are attacking g3 and e4 besides the obvious target on b2. Black seems to have quite a large choice for the queen’s dinner! Black will emerge with a lot of extra material. A2) 12.Nf3 Nf2 the knight escapes if White just develops naturally. B) 6.fxe5? Common chess sense is screaming that this is not a good move! But we must know how to punish White’s centralized king. 6...Nxe4!

Position after: 6...Nxe4! B1) After 7.Nxe4 dxe4 the obvious threats are ...Qh4+ and ...Qd4 and are simply devastating. Black is nearly winning. 8.c3 This is the only move that allows White to play a little longer. We do not need to go into detail as a few moves should be sufficient. [8.dxe4?? Qh4+ 9.Ke2 and after 9...Qf2+ you have many choices that win: ...Qd4+, ...Rd8+ or many other moves.] 8...Nc6 9.d4 Nxe5! 10.dxe5 Bf2+ 11.Ke2 Bg4+ and Black wins all the material. ☺ B2) 7.dxe4 dxc4 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Nf3 c6!µ taking d5 and b5 under control. The material is equal but White has weak pawns on the e-file which have a fair chance of being captured after ...Re8, ...Bg4, ...Nd7, ...Bb6-c7 and so on. Black is much better. C) 6.Bxd5 This is not a good move either because of both tactical and positional reasons. Why give up an important developed bishop? 6...Ng4!

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Position after: 6...Ng4! The threat is strong and obvious, but things are not so simple this time. Of course, Nh3 is a bad move because of ...Qh4+, we saw that in another line, but White has a strong sacrificial idea here. 7.Qe2 Nf2 8.Na4 Black cannot leave the g1-a7 diagonal now as the f2-knight would hang thus 8...Bd4 9.c3 Nxh1 10.cxd4 exd4 is forced.

Position after: 10...exd4 What is different between this position and some possible situation where Black lets White take the

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c5-bishop with the knight? The a4-knight is horrible, and it is trapped after ...Qe7/d6 followed by ...b7-b5. This is why Black has great counterplay here. He is an exchange up but what matters in such positions is time and initiative so even if White ever wins the h1-knight, Black will be in time to get counterplay. 11.Bd2 c6 12.Bb3 Nd7!

Position after: 12...Nd7! Creating the threat of ...b7-b5! 13.Rc1 Qe7! Black keeps insisting. You may be surprised but there is no way White can prevent ...b5 winning the a4-knight. The position remains extremely complicated, but it is definitely a great one for Black. You will simply end up with an extra rook and while White will be trying to get the h1-knight, you will continue to develop. This is a position with many possibilities but the fact that you are going to be a rook up should be convincing. 6...Be6!

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Position after: 6...Be6! Now the point is that Black is about to take on d5, and surprisingly there is not much that White can do. 7.Nf3 A) 7.fxe5? Nxe4! 8.dxe4 Qh4+ 9.Kd2 Qxe4 Black attacks both pieces, gains one of them back and gets a winning position. B) 7.Nxf6+ It seems logical to trade pieces while a pawn down! But this exchange accelerates our development. 7...Qxf6 8.Bxe6 fxe6 Now the f-file is an issue. 9.Nf3 it is best to return the pawn in order to finish development. 9...exf4 10.d4 Bb6

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Position after: 10...Bb6 White has almost equalized. Now he should take care and play Qd3, c3 or something, but not castle. 11.Qd3 [After 11.0-0? Black has another trap up his sleeve: 11...Nc6 12.c3 e5! and Black breaks through in the center while his b6-bishop proves extremely useful! White simply loses material now.] 11...c5 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.e5 Qf5 14.Qxf5 Rxf5 15.Bd2 This is just a possible sequence out of many good choices. Now we will just have a roughly balanced endgame with White having a slightly weak pawn on e5 which will be an issue after ...Nc6, ...Bb6-c7 etc. Most importantly, we have a clear plan, while White does not. 7...Nxd5 8.exd5 Bxd5 9.Bxd5 Qxd5 10.fxe5 Nc6

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Position after: 10...Nc6 This is the best sequence I could find for White. We will get our material back while White will, at least, finish his development. 11.c3! Preparing d3-d4, otherwise White cannot castle. 11...Nxe5 12.d4 Nxf3+ 13.Qxf3 To insert a check with ...Re8 is possible but it does not change much as Black’s queen and bishop are hanging so Black will trade queens and in the upcoming endgame the position of the white king does not matter whether it is on e1, f1 or d1. 13...Qxf3 14.gxf3 Bd6

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Position after: 14...Bd6 White has a slightly weak kingside and while the optimist may claim a small edge for Black I would say this should not be too dangerous for White, it is about equal. But we have nothing to worry about here! We will just keep developing and making good moves in the center ...Rfe8, maybe ...Rad8 followed by ...c7-c5 or ...c7-c6 to gain more control over some central squares. Activating the king with ...f6/f5 followed by ...Kf7 is also nice.

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Chapter 5 Vienna Game 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6

Chapter Guide Chapter 5 – Vienna Game 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 a) 3.Bc4 b) 3.f4

a) 3.Bc4 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4

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Position after: 3.Bc4 This is one of the interesting lines in the Vienna Game. After 3...Bc5 White may consider 4.f4!? which is a better version of what we saw in the Bishop’s Opening chapter as Black cannot challenge White in the center. Fortunately, we have a well-known equalizer. 3...Nxe4! A very typical idea. 4.Qh5! This is the key point behind White’s setup. A) 4.Nxe4 d5 gives Black a comfortable game. 5.Bd3 dxe4 6.Bxe4

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Position after: 6.Bxe4 Black has many good moves, but I will suggest the simplest yet the most aggressive option. 6...f5! 7.Bf3 Bd6 followed by ...0-0, then perhaps ...Nd7-f6, ...c6, ...Be6 etc. Black is somewhat better as he already has more space, easier development and White’s pieces are somewhat clumsy. B) 4.Bxf7+ Some players may fear this answer to ...Nxe4 as Black loses the right to castle. However, the center and the bishop pair more than compensate for this factor. 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe4 d5 The white knight can retreat anywhere, but our play remains the same. 6.Nc3 c6

Position after: 6...c6 58

Next we develop the bishop, most likely to c5, play ...Rf8, ...Kg8 and complete the artificial castling. The remaining queenside pieces will easily find good spots. For example, the knight can go to d7-f6, the bishop may go to g4 or e6, then a possible continuation is ...Qd6 followed by ...Rae8. All of Black’s pieces will be centralized! Black has more space, the bishop pair and is clearly better. 4...Nd6

Position after: 4...Nd6 5.Qxe5+ 5.Bb3 White tries to benefit from delaying the capture on e5 while also seducing Black into ...Nc6 defending the pawn. We do not do that! 5...Be7! This may look like a natural developing move, but it is an important one! [5...Nc6 6.Nb5! Gives White some interesting attacking options, I strongly suggest that you do not play 5...Nc6!] 6.Qxe5 0-0

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Position after: 6...0-0 7.d4!? This is the move Caruana used to get a slight edge against Giri. The whole line does not look dangerous to me, but this is clearly an idea we should know about. [7.Nf3 Nc6 8.Qf4 Na5! And Black gets to trade the strong b3-bishop, he is clearly doing okay here.] 7...Nc6 8.Qf4

Position after: 8.Qf4 8...Re8! [8...Na5 9.Bd5 Ne8 10.Bf3 c6 Black intends to go ...d7-d5 with a great position. 11.d5 b5!? This looks a bit artificial for Black as his queenside development is scarce. That is why I prefer the text

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as our bishop seems to have a nice spot on a6.] I like the following setup for Black as the immediate ...Na5 proved a bit problematic for Black in the game between Caruana and Giri played in 2014. 9.Nge2 the point of ...Re8 is that White cannot develop his knight to f3 as ... Bg5+ would win the White queen. 9...b6 10.0-0 Na5 Now that White castled, Black goes after the bishop. Of course, White can part with it and immediately give us a great position but let us look at the principled attempt to save the bishop 11.Bd5 c6 12.Bf3 Ba6!

Position after: 12...Ba6! The point of our development is that White’s pieces are rather misplaced. Please note why the a5knight is so useful. 13.Be3 will be effectively parried with 13...Nac4 or 13...Ndc4 while 13.Re1 is met with 13...g6! Now the knight is coming to f5! The position is somewhat non-standard, but it looks good to me. Black’s idea may be primitive, but it is simple: develop easily and win tempi while attacking the poorly placed white queen. The next moves can be ...Nf5, ...d7-d5, ...Bd6 etc. The white knights and the bishop on f3 are not doing much. 5...Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Bxe7 7.Bb3 It is going to be an equal position, but we need to understand that White now has one positional threat: to play d4-d5! grabbing a space advantage. That is why our next moves make perfect sense. 7...Nf5! 7...c6 8.d4 Nf5 9.d5! I do not think it is a huge deal if White gets to play d4-d5 but why allow that? This is exactly what the opponent is striving for.

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Position after: 7...Nf5! 8.Nf3 A normal developing move. There is nothing to fear after 8.Nd5 as we see in the following line. 8.Nd5 Bd8! This might look a bit ugly but in fact it even helps Black. The reason why it is beneficial for Black to have the White knight on d5 is because we will play ...c6! with a tempo, followed by ...d5. Later on, our bishop might find a good spot for itself on c7. 9.Nf3 Let us make a few developing moves for both sides and then discuss plans and setups. 9...c6 10.Nf4 d5 11.0-0 0-0 12.d4

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Position after: 12.d4 Now remember the following interesting way to untangle 12...Nd6! The idea now is to play ...Bf5, fighting for the b1-h7 diagonal. Black would not mind trading the light-squared bishops as his central pawns are on the light squares. However, our bishop is not bad so if we keep it on the board it is also fine. 13.c3 Now let us see how the game can develop if both sides play reasonable chess. 13...Re8 It is a good idea to fight for the only open file. 14.Bc2 the white bishop has nothing to do on b3 so White improves it. 14...Bf5 as planned, we trade immediately. 15.Bxf5 Nxf5 16.Nd3

Position after: 16.Nd3 The white knight retreats to prepare the move Bf4 which develops the bishop and enables Re1. 16...Bc7 it is possible to let White have the diagonal, but it also does not hurt to prevent it and trade. 17.Bf4 Bxf4 18.Nxf4 f6!?=

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Position after: 18...f6!?= getting more room for our king. I put !? because this is a conceptual idea. The king should be active in the endgame! But many other good moves were possible as well. The position is equal but there is still play left here. 8...c6 9.0-0 d5 10.Re1

Position after: 10.Re1

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And now I think there is an important move for us to learn. Of course, it is possible to castle, but it is an endgame so the king may prove good in the center. Perhaps we could keep it on f7 after ...f7-f6. I found the next move in a masterpiece by Ntirlis, “Playing e4 e5”. His explanations throughout the book are lucid and this is a great idea as well. 10...Na6! We will either go ...Nc5 to grab the bishop or play ...Nc7-e6 if White prevents ...Nc5. 11.d4 Nc7

Position after: 11...Nc7 I think Black is doing well. The next moves can be: ...f6-Kf7, ...Nd6 and ...Bf5 to trade the bishops/fight for the e4-square. Then we can simply get our rooks to the e-file and prepare to trade. The position is balanced but there is still plenty of room to outplay the opponent. I would like to offer the following idea: sooner or later we can go ...f6 and then ...g7-g5! to grab more space on the kingside! This is a typical aggressive positional idea which would enable us to play for a win.

b) 3.f4 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 This is an aggressive way to play the Vienna for White, as opposed to the calm positional option 3.Bc4. Now Black needs to know his way but as a reward he will have a great position. 3...d5 65

Position after: 3...d5 4.fxe5 The main move and the most dangerous one. 4.exd5 Even though this move was occasionally tried by some good players it cannot be good as White is helping Black’s development. 4...Nxd5 5.fxe5 this is the only justification as White is trying to be as greedy as possible. 5...Nxc3 6.bxc3 Qh4+ of course we do not miss a chance to disrupt White’s development. 7.Ke2 Bg4+ 8.Nf3 Nc6

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Position after: 8...Nc6 All the moves have come very naturally. Now, White has mostly tried to trade queens with Qe1, but d4 has been played although it was usually followed by Qe1 as well, which makes it more or less the same thing. A) 9.Qe1 We will use the same methods as in the 9.d4 line, keeping the queens on the board and continue our development. 9...Qh5 10.Kd1 Bxf3+ 11.gxf3 Qxf3+ Black regains his pawn. Now White has the bishop pair but it is completely irrelevant when you realize that the king is on d1. 12.Be2 Qd5 Black has great pieces.

Position after: 12...Qd5 He is ready to castle and then develop the bishop after which the ...f6-break would look like a great idea. I also feel it would be hard for White to handle this position in a practical game. B) 9.d4 0-0-0! Now the threat is ...Nxe5 as the white knight is pinned and the d-pawn is pinned as well 10.Qe1 Qh5 of course Black keeps the queens on the board. 11.Kf2 White should try to run away although he cannot. 11...f6!

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Position after: 11...f6! When you are ahead in development, it is crucial to open up the position! Let us see an illustrative line. 12.exf6 gxf6 13.Bd3 Re8 this is an interesting move as it makes the white queen retreat again. 14.Qd1 Bd6 we simply keep developing pieces. Now note that the h2-pawn is always under attack which makes it difficult to develop the rook. 15.h3 Bd7 and now the g3 square is a new weakness in White’s position. 16.Re1 Reg8! Black keeps all the pieces on the board and prepares the deadly check ...Bg3. White cannot hide on g1 as ...Qxh3 or ...Bxh3 would be devastating. White’s position is simply falling apart. 4...Nxe4

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Position after: 4...Nxe4 5.Nf3 5.Qf3 This move looks rather dubious as it neglects all the rules of chess development. It was recently tried by some good players which is why we should definitely understand how to deal with it. 5...Nc6

Position after: 5...Nc6 A) 6.Nxe4? This is something White should not do. 6...Nd4! 7.Qd3? A better try would be Qc3, but this is a principled move as White wants to win a pawn. 7...dxe4 8.Qxe4 Bf5! White did win a pawn 69

only to realize that after ...Nxc2 his position is lost. B) 6.Bb5 This is pretty much the only answer, otherwise it is hard to defend the pawn on e5. 6...Nxc3

Position after: 6...Nxc3 B1) 7.dxc3 was chosen by Naka in 2007, back when he was playing some fun dicey chess. Sveshnikov, Ibarra Jerez and a few other titled players also tried it. At this point, I think that the correct solution is identical to the one we use after 7.bxc3. 7...Qh4+! 8.g3 Qe4+! 9.Qxe4 dxe4. Please carefully study the annotations and explanations of the position and mutual ideas in the 7.bxc3 line as all those thoughts hold true here. B2) 7.bxc3 Qh4+ Naturally we take the chance to disorganize White’s position and provoke g2-g3 which weakens some squares. But ...Qh4+ has more than that in mind as we will trade queens into a favorable endgame. 8.g3 Qe4+ 9.Qxe4 dxe4

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Position after: 9...dxe4 Now White’s pawn on e5 is separated from its colleagues and there is no good way to defend it. That is why White trades on c6. 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 now Black has a pair of amazing bishops. Most importantly, our c8-bishop has a great diagonal after we play ...Ba6. The bishop on the f1-a6 diagonal will most likely irritate White for a long time since d2-d3 is not possible due to our pawn on e4. The rest of the pieces have great squares to go to as well. We put the other bishop on c5, we can play ... Kd7 followed by ...Re8 to collect the e5-pawn. 5...Be7

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Position after: 5...Be7 6.Qe2 Now, we will use a rare idea. I believe that the main move ...Nxc3 also gives Black a great game, but I think my suggestion is even easier to learn and use over the board. A) 6.d3 leads to the same kind of thing as Qe2, just without a tempo. 6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 0-0 8.d4 c5 next we go ...Nc6 and try to undermine the center with ...f7-f6 and Black is simply better. B) 6.Be2

Position after: 6.Be2 It does not make much sense to study such moves in detail as they do not change the general nature of the position nor do they force us into a specific plan. The only reason why we look at it is because I would love to introduce one positional pattern that I find rather beautiful and attractive from an aesthetical perspective. 6...Bh4+! 7.g3 Be7 Why did we waste two(!) tempi to provoke g2-g3? The point is shown after 8.0-0 Bh3!

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Position after: 8...Bh3! The bishop makes itself extremely comfortable on h3 where it really feels like home! The white rook will not be able to take advantage of the semi-open f-file for the foreseeable future. That is the idea I wanted to share with you! Meanwhile, Black will simply continue his development with natural moves like ...0-0, ...c7-c5 and ... Nc6. C) 6.d4 At this point several good continuations are possible. It is still possible to stick to the plan with ...f7-f5 but it makes less sense as White just deprived himself of the possibility to play d2-d3 challenging our key e4-knight.

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Position after: 6.d4 C1) 6...f5!? Is also decent. Perhaps White will not want to tolerate our knight on e4. After something like 7.exf6 Nxf6 8.Bd3 0-0 9.0-0 we reach a rather equal position. I personally find the plan with ...c7-c5 more appropriate here than the one with ...f7-f5 as I am afraid White is able to keep some slight pressure here due to his somewhat more active pieces. Is this a big deal? Perhaps not but let us avoid this! C2) 6...c5! The easiest. 7.Bd3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Now I would like to introduce another important positional idea we should know about.

Position after: 8.bxc3 8...c4! The reason why it is so good to release the tension lies in the fact White does not have the c2square for his bishop. White must abandon the b1-h7 diagonal. After finishing our development, we will continue with the simple plan of queenside expansion: ...b7-b5, ...a7-a5, ...b5-b4. 9.Be2 0-0 10.0-0 Nc6 [10...Na6!? This is another funky idea which re-routes the knight to the outpost on e6 via c7! I will stop here as Black’s position is extremely promising.] 11.Be3 b5 12.a4 b4 13.cxb4 Nxb4

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Position after: 13...Nxb4 This is exactly the plan the great Karpov went for thus not much should be wrong with it! I will stop the game score here but do look it up and study it deeper. Not only for the opening’s sake but also to take advantage of another chance to enjoy the great 12th World Champion’s games! [0-1 (49) Spangenberg, H (2510) – Karpov, A (2740) Buenos Aires 1994.] 6...f5!

Position after: 6...f5! 75

Now the e4-knight is strong and annoys White. 7.d3 7.exf6 Nxf6 Reaches a symmetrical position where Black is about to castle, while White has a queen on e2. I hope no further commentary is needed as we simply have a few extra tempi in an otherwise equal position, which makes it not so equal anymore. ☺ 7...Nxc3 8.bxc3 0-0 Now White mostly finishes his development with g3-Bg2 in the games that reached this position. 9.g3 c5 10.Bg2 Nc6 11.0-0 Be6

Position after: 11...Be6 Black has achieved a perfect blockade. It is worth noting that h2-h4 here, as well as a move or two earlier, does not yield White anything because we will simply reply ...h7-h6 to prevent Ng5. Now what is our plan? Again, I have good news for you as it is quite simple and straightforward! We will go ...Rb8, then ...b7-b5, ...a7-a5 and ...b5-b4 with excellent play on the queenside. On the other hand, it is hard to come up with a plan for White which is why I prefer Black’s position here.

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Chapter 6 Ponziani 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 The Ponziani is a rare but interesting opening. In a way it reminds me of the Alapin variation of the Sicilian which starts with 1.e4 1...c5 2.c3. White deprives himself of the ability of developing the knight to the c3-square, instead he puts a pawn there hoping to play d2-d4 and emerge with a beautiful pawn center. However, now that the knight cannot go to c3 Black’s typical ...d7-d5 break gains a lot of strength. 3...d5!

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Position after: 3...d5! I believe that the arising positions are roughly balanced but White must be careful as he can walk into a lot of pitfalls. 4.Qa4! This is the only move that justifies the Ponziani. A) 4.d3 This is a passive move and while White may not be worse it is simply unambitious. Now Black has many good choices, including 4...Nf6, which is my preference. However, I like the simple 4...dxe4! 5.dxe4 Qxd1+ 6.Kxd1 Bc5=.

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Position after: 6...Bc5= White can no longer castle. The position resembles a reversed Philidor 1.e4 1...d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8 Kxd8. White is a tempo up here so he should not be worse. But, of course, we have no reasons to complain. From here we will simply continue with logical development such as ...Nf6 or ...Ne7, ...Be6 or ...Bg4. B) 4.Bb5?!

Position after: 4.Bb5?!

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This move might look somewhat dangerous as it threatens 5.Nxe5 but White’s center is not stable enough to afford such a move. Black now plays 4...dxe4! not fearing any ghosts allowing White to take on e5 if he wishes to. 5.Nxe5 Qg5!

Position after: 5...Qg5! Attacking the knight and g2-pawn. 6.Qa4™ This is the most principled move. However, Black comes out on top from the arising complications. [6.Nxc6? Qxb5µ Is just terrible for White as he gave up his key bishop and cannot even castle. 6.Bxc6+? bxc6µ The knight on e5 is hanging, so is the g2-pawn. White is just losing.] 6...Qxg2! 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.Qxc6+ Kd8

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Position after: 8...Kd8 It seems that White has several checks at his disposal, but a closer look reveals there is no danger. Once the smoke clears White finds himself lost. 9.Rf1 [9.Nxf7+ Ke7 10.Qxc7+ Ke8! The black king escapes the check and White must soon resign: 11.Rf1 Bh3–+ and there is no way to save the f1rook.] 9...Bh3 10.Qxa8+ Ke7µ White will lose the f1-rook ending up in a lot of trouble. His king is much weaker than ours. C) 4.exd5? Makes no sense for White as after 4...Qxd5 the white knight cannot come to c3, the white pawn on d2 or on d3 will be backward and weak and right now ...e5-e4! is a threat as it would kick the White knight away with tempo. Black is already better. 4...f6!

Position after: 4...f6! This is the key move to remember. The e5-pawn was under pressure, so we simply protect it. Now the plan is to simply develop and castle. Maybe we can take on e4 if White does not come up with any direct threats. 5.Bb5 With 5.d3 White protects the e4-pawn but loses the ability to play Bb5 pinning our knight. Thus, all the tactical wrinkles he could hope for disappear and we get a great position with simple developing moves. 5...Be6

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Position after: 5...Be6 A) 6.Nbd2 White can also choose to keep the tension in the center resulting in a calm, non-forcing game where the better player would win. While I cannot guarantee you an instant win or a draw, I can definitely promise a nice position after the opening. White is playing as if he were Black! Or he simply wants to avoid theory and we are fine with either of the two reasons for these timid moves. 6...Qd7 7.Be2 At this point we have several options.

Position after: 7.Be2

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It is interesting to play ...Bd6 preparing ...Nge7 and short castling but the immediate ...Nge7 also makes sense possibly intending to castle long! It is up to you whether you are willing to enter some murky play with mutual chances or if you are looking for calm and reliable equality. After 7...Nge7 8.0-0 g5!?∞ We can even play ...Ng6 and ...g5-g4. You might be surprised why am I showing these ideas. I have no doubt that you, dear reader, will easily see that you can just castle or make other natural moves, so I wanted to suggest some things you might not notice that fast/naturally! Let us stop here, feel free to investigate this rare position deeper yourself. B) 6.Be2 Bd6= after ...Nge7 and ...0-0 Black is doing excellently. 5...Nge7 6.exd5 Qxd5

Position after: 6...Qxd5 This is the most central tabiya of the 3...d5 Ponziani. Now White mostly castles even though it makes sense to consider 7.d4. 7.0-0 Somehow this has been the main line, but I fail to see what is so good about White’s position. 7.d4 Bg4 Many other good moves exist as well but I prefer to immediately attack the f3-knight. Again, White has several moves, but since this is a rare line I would prefer to simply show what the main variation looks like. 8.c4 Qe4+ 9.Be3 Bxf3 10.Nd2!

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Position after: 10.Nd2! This is the key idea White is relying on. He does get his piece back but ends up with a spoiled structure. 10...Qg6 11.gxf3 [11.Nxf3 Sacrifices a pawn without much compensation. 11...Qxg2µ] 11...exd4 12.Bxd4 a6! Black is not threatening to take the bishop as the a8-rook is hanging but it suddenly turns out that we just trapped the White b5-bishop! 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.Be3 Nb8! And the White bishop on b5 has no escape. 7...e4

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Position after: 7...e4 8.Nd4 The most natural move. 8.c4 Is the main continuation. Now I would like to suggest a rare continuation, which has been played only twice before. 8...Qh5µ

Position after: 8...Qh5µ Whatever White does, he ends up with clearly inferior development and a worse position. There is no positional or dynamic compensation for all the concessions he made. 8...Bd7 9.Nxc6 Nxc6 10.Re1 0-0-0µ

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Position after: 10...0-0-0µ Black is much better as his development is clearly superior. Now ...Bd6 followed by ...Rhe8 is coming while White is struggling to finish his development. Critically, White cannot win the pawn. 11.Bxc6? Bxc6 12.Qxa7 e3–+

Position after: 12...e3–+ Black threatens mate on g2. Another threat is ...exd2, winning a piece. White is already dead lost. 86

Part II The Scotch Chapter 7 Classical Variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5

Chapter Guide Chapter 7 – Classical Variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 a) 5.Nxc6 b) 5.Nb3 c) 5.Be3 Bxd4 d) 5.Be3 Qf6

a) 5.Nxc6 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5!?

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Position after: 4...Bc5!? I have made 4...Bc5 my repertoire choice as I have a lot of experience with this move. It really fits with the 3...Bc5 Italian whereas 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 would have thrown us out of our repertoire. 5.Nxc6 I feel this is the move most club players will encounter. White is trying to reach a slightly better endgame if Black plays 5...Qf6 where after 6.Qf3 Qxf3 7.gxf3 we normally get a position which should be equal but White is pushing a bit without much risk. I have decided to recommend an option which I have used myself against a strong Ukrainian GM in an OTB game and which has been gaining in popularity recently. 5...bxc6

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Position after: 5...bxc6 6.Bd3 A) 6.Nc3 is a possibility but it does not really fit with normal Scotch play. Now Black can obtain a good position in a few ways but I want to stick with development which is similar to the main line.

Position after: 6.Nc3 A1) 6...Qf6 7.Qf3 d6 8.Na4 Bd4 If you are willing to reach a complex middlegame or endgame without queens, this continuation might also suit you well. The statistics have also been great for 89

Black. At the 2600+ level Black scored 2/3, drawing two games and winning the one you are seeing right now. 9.Bd2

Position after: 9.Bd2 9...a5 [9...Qxf3 10.gxf3 f5!? looks interesting. As you can see there are so many ways to handle these structures!] 10.Be2 Qxf3 11.gxf3? White should have taken with the bishop. Taking with the pawn is not a good decision because of the following highly typical positional idea 11...f5!

Position after: 11...f5!

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Now the White pawn mass in the center is by no means advantageous or beneficial. Instead, it is a significant problem. 12.Bc3 Bxc3+ 13.Nxc3 Ne7 14.Bc4 Ng6 Now Black’s huge positional threat is to push ...f5-f4 and to install the knight on e5. It is also possible to play ...Ne5, later take on e4 and apply some pressure down the f-file. Anyway, White’s way of treating the opening has not proved successful. 15.exf5 Bxf5 later Black, known for his amazing endgame technique, went on to convert this clearly advantageous position into a full point [0-1 (42) Yu, R (2571) – Yu, Y (2724) China 2015.] A2) 6...Qh4 Threatening no less than mate in one! While I like this move best, alternatives such as 6...d6 or 6...Nf6 are also perfectly viable. 7.Qf3 Nf6 8.g3!?

Position after: 8.g3!? To develop with other moves such as Bd3 is also possible but it does not change the picture of the position that much. White needs to watch out for Ng4 ideas, that is why most players propose a queen trade here. 8...Qg4 9.Be2 Qxf3 10.Bxf3 0-0 11.0-0 Re8 12.Bf4 Rb8!? 13.b3 d6= B) 6.Bc4? Qh4

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Position after: 6...Qh4 B1) 7.Qf3 d5! [7...Nf6 was my game where Black was a bit better.] 8.Bd3 Nf6 9.Nc3 [9.Qg3 Qxg3 10.hxg3 dxe4µ may well be White’s best choice since without Qg3 his position is even worse.] 9...Ng4! 10.g3 Qh3µ White has tremendous problems protecting the f2-square. B2) 7.0-0 Nf6 8.g3 Qh3 9.Qf3 0-0 10.Nc3 d6³

Position after: 10...d6³ This position was reached in Plat – Navara. The punishment for White’s opening sins was rather 92

severe! [10...d5!?] 11.Qg2 Qh5 12.Be2 Bg4 13.Bxg4 Nxg4 14.Kh1 f5! While I absolutely love Navara’s games which are full of imaginative and inventive ideas, for the sake of this work it is best to stop here and say Black’s opening has clearly been a huge success. He is much better, and his play is a lot easier. [0-1 (38) Plat, V (2470) – Navara, D (2708) Brno 2013.] 6...Qh4!?

Position after: 6...Qh4!? 7.Qe2 This has been one of the most popular possibilities, as it seems White prevents ...d7-d5. Does he? Let us find out! A) 7.0-0 Again, we have this dangerous ...Nf6-g4 idea which will, sooner or later (most likely sooner!), force White to seek to trade queens or to play h2-h3. 7...Nf6 8.Qf3 0-0

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Position after: 8...0-0 A1) 9.Bf4 d6 10.h3 People mostly play h3 here since ...Ng4 and ...Bg4 ideas are annoying. However, now we can unleash a truly brilliant positional idea. 10...Nh5 11.Bh2 g5!!

Position after: 11...g5!! Intending to install the knight on f4! It is not scary at all to weaken the kingside like this here because White does not have any pieces there. Another lesson from this? Study Efimenko’s games and opening ideas, as he has been Kramnik’s second for years! [½-½ (29) Nakhapetiane, P (2495) – Efimenko, Z (2708) Olginka 2011.] 94

A2) 9.Qf4 Qxf4 10.Bxf4 d6

Position after: 10...d6 Typical development here is ...Re8 to put pressure on the e4-pawn and ...Rb8 to operate down the bfile. We can consider ...Nd7-e5, sometimes followed by ...f7-f5. While ...Nh5!? might make sense in some positions, especially after Nd2? As the bishop will not have many squares, while after ...h7-h6 and ...g7-g5 play would become rather promising. B) 7.Qf3 Nf6 8.0-0 transposes. 7...Nf6

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Position after: 7...Nf6 8.h3 Preventing all the ...Ng4 ideas. This is the main move by far. Here it is possible to continue normally with ...0-0 which keeps equality. But I really like the following aggressive and forcing approach: 8.Be3 Now trading is possible, but I would prefer to keep the tension with 8...Bb6!? 9.Nd2 0-0 10.h3 [If 10.0-0 Re8 then we continue with typical moves like ...d6, ...Ng4. However, ...d7-d5! ideas or even ...Nd5!? ideas are possible. For example, 11.f3 Nd5! 12.Bxb6 axb6 13.Qf2 Qxf2+ 14.Kxf2 Nf4=.] 10...Re8 Again, you have flexibility. Instead of ...Re8, ...d7-d6 or ...d7-d5 was possible as well. 8...d5!!

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Position after: 8...d5!! Does this not seem completely counterintuitive? This is one of my beloved moves in this book. 9.exd5+ 9.g3 Qh5 10.Qxh5 Nxh5 Is just an equal endgame. In some games such as Ivanchuk – Malakhov or Nataf – Fressinet, Black went on to win from here.

Position after: 10...Nxh5

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11.e5?! [11.Nc3 would have kept a balanced position.] 11...Bd4! 12.g4?? Nf4!! Perhaps this is what Nataf missed as he simply loses material.

Position after: 12...Nf4!! 13.Bxf4 Bxb2 14.Kd2 Bxa1 This is a good stopping point as Black is an exchange and a pawn up and simply winning. The bishop on a1 is never in danger as we always have ...d5-d4!, just in case. [0-1 (32) Nataf, I (2534) – Fressinet, L (2673) Pau 2008.] 9...Kd8 Threatening ...Re8, so White should castle. 10.0-0 Bxh3

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Position after: 10...Bxh3 11.Qe5™ 11.gxh3 Allows for a perpetual, but Black would like to win! 11...Qg3+ 12.Kh1 Qxh3+ 13.Kg1 Re8! 14.Be3 Ng4–+ with checkmate to come.

Position after: 11.Qe5™ 11...Bxg2

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11...Bxf2+!? 12.Rxf2 Qxf2+ 13.Kxf2 Ng4+ 14.Kg3 Nxe5 15.Kxh3 cxd5 If you want to avoid the draw at all costs, here is your choice.

Position after: 15...cxd5 You have a rook and two pawns for two pieces which is perfectly playable. I think White is somewhat better as the position is not open enough for the rooks to prove as useful as the minor pieces, but you can definitely consider going here. 12.Kxg2 Bd6

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Position after: 12...Bd6 13.Qf5 13.Qg5? fails to 13...Qh2+ 14.Kf3 h6!

Position after: 14...h6! with the idea 15.Qxg7 Qh5+! 16.Kg2 [16.Ke3 Re8+ 17.Kd2 Bf4+ 18.Kc3 Qe5+ 19.Kb3 Rb8+ 20.Ka3 Qd6+ with checkmate] 16...Rg8–+. 13...Qh2+ 14.Kf3 Re8! Threatening ...Re5 and now the draw is imminent.

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Position after: 14...Re8! 15.Bg5! Qh5+ 16.Kg2 Qh2+ Now 16...Re5?? fails to 17.Bxf6+ gxf6 18.Qxh5 Rxh5 19.dxc6+–. 17.Kf3 This flashy draw was seen in only one game so far, Nataf – Istratescu, 2014. As we can see, Nataf learned from his previous game with Fressinet, having improved his result by half a point! Still, Black should be extremely content with the opening outcome in both games.

b) 5.Nb3 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5!? 5.Nb3

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Position after: 5.Nb3 An aggressive choice. White players are usually trying to go for checkmate when they choose to play Nb3. However, I believe we also get a full share of chances. 5...Bb6 6.Nc3 6.Qe2 Nge7 Vallejo’s game which we analyze later in the chapter started with this move order only to later transpose into the main line. I am bringing this up as I want you to understand that our setup is incredibly universal and does not depend much on White’s move orders [1-0 (78) Vallejo Pons, F (2678) – Sosa, T (2508) Linares 2019.] 6...Nge7!? Another rare move. I am not trying to make us delve into the main lines! This move is one I have had success with. To give it even more credibility I would like to mention that this move was used by such big names as Kamsky, Xiong, Inarkiev, Grandelius, Ni Hua and many others.

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Position after: 6...Nge7!? 7.Qe2 Normally White goes Qe2 in this position, his idea is to develop the bishop and castle long. A) 7.Bg5 is a transposition to 7.Qe2 after 7...0-0 8.Qd2 f6 9.Bc4+ Kh8 10.Be3 f5 11.0-0-0 Bxe3 12.Qxe3. B) 7.Bd3 This gets tried once in a while at the club level, but I think this way of developing the pieces is clearly innocuous as the bishop is not doing much on d3. 7...0-0 8.0-0 d6

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Position after: 8...d6 Now the plan is to push ...f7-f5 just like in many other lines. It is also possible to insert ...a7-a5 to weaken the b4-square after a2-a4. White’s most frequent try is then is 9.Na4 as there are not many other possible moves in this position that White would be tempted to try. For example, developing the bishop to e3 is not possible while moving it to d2, f4 or g5 is rather pointless. White goes after the bishop on b6. 9...f5! 10.Nxb6 axb6 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.Bg5 Qd7 13.Bb5 h6 14.Bh4

Position after: 14.Bh4 Black has a very comfortable position out of the opening. [0-1 (86) Gusarov, G (2320) – Domogaev, S (2431) Sochi 2017.] Here I would like to suggest an improvement 14...Bg6!N This frees up the f5square for the knight where it will be well placed. The h4-bishop will mostly likely be traded soon which will provide us with a fantastic position. C) 7.Bf4!? This is not a popular move at the time of my writing. It has been seen in only 8 games. It has been tried by Vallejo Pons and Heimann which is an indicator that we need to investigate this in more detail. 7...0-0 8.Qd2 d6 9.0-0-0

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Position after: 9.0-0-0 At this point we have a few possible continuations but in my opinion the simplest is ...Be6 preparing ...f7-f5. C1) 9...f5 It is also possible to play this active pawn break right now, but I am slightly concerned by the fact that after 10.Bc4+ Kh8 11.e5! dxe5 12.Qxd8 Rxd8 13.Bxe5 Rxd1+ 14.Rxd1

Position after: 14.Rxd1 White keeps a slight initiative thanks to his better development. While this does not look like a big 106

deal it is always advisable to avoid one-sided positions where we need to be equalizing with careful moves while the opponent does not have any risk. Still, we have equality here, it is just that I find this continuation a little too passive overall. 14...Bxf2 15.Bxc7 Be3+ 16.Kb1 f4= Black eventually finds a way to activate his pieces. C2) 9...Be6 Now the idea is to push ...f7-f5 and I do not see any reasons why Black would not be happy with his position. In my opinion, White’s bishop is not terribly impressive on f4. One high profile game saw 10.Be3 but it is clearly weird to go Bf4 and then return to e3. 10...f5 11.Bxb6 axb6= The positions are similar to the ones we will analyze later in the main line where White takes on b6. 7...0-0 8.Be3 8.Bg5 f6 9.Be3 is very likely to transpose especially if Black plays ...f7-f5 soon. [9.Bh4!? does have an independent flavour but does not seem to make that much sense to me after 9...Ng6 10.Bg3 f5.] 8...f5!?

Position after: 8...f5!? Not the most frequent move but a very reasonable one in my opinion. 9.0-0-0 My game with the Russian GM Danin went 9...Bxe3 10.Qxe3 f4!? and I equalized comfortably. However, I feel there are a few convenient ways to continue in this position, so I offer a few options. A) 9.exf5!? I do not think releasing the tension voluntarily is a great idea. 9...Bxe3 10.Qxe3 Nxf5 107

Position after: 10...Nxf5 A1) 11.Qd2 It is also possible to delay playing Bc4+ intending to meet ...Re8+ with Be2. But then we quickly obtain counterplay by the typical advance of the a-pawn to a5. 11...a5!N [11...Qe8+?! the queen does not belong here; this is an example of what should be avoided. 12.Be2 d6 13.0-0-0 Be6 14.f4± White stabilized the position and stopped Black’s counterplay winning a nice game. 1-0 (78) Vallejo Pons, F (2678) – Sosa, T (2508) Linares 2019.] 12.a4 Nb4! Now White can again insert the check on c4 or castle first.

Position after: 12...Nb4! 108

We will not analyze every single option, but it makes sense to look at some ideas. 13.0-0-0 c6! We are preparing ...d7-d5. 14.g4! The position is so murky and fun here! [14.Be2?! d5³ Black is already clearly for choice thanks to his powerful control over the center.] 14...Nh4 15.f4 d5 16.f5 g6∞

Position after: 16...g6∞ We again reach an unexplored position, which is both objectively and practically attractive for us. Please note how helpful it is to have the moves a2-a4 and ...a7-a5 played and how beautiful that beast on b4 is! We might continue with ...Qf6, or possibly even with ...Nf3 and ...Qg5, going for a complex endgame with mutual chances. A2) 11.Bc4+ Kh8 12.Qd2

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Position after: 12.Qd2 Some natural moves were played and now we could go ...Re8 but that does not really yield much. Instead, we would be happy if White kept his bishop on c4 as it is rather misplaced there and can get attacked in the future with various ...Ne5, ...Na5, ...c6-d5 or ...c6-b5 ideas. After 12...a5!? White faces an important choice: whether to play a4 himself, which stops Black’s plan but weakens the b4square, or to allow the pawn to move up 13.0-0-0 a4 14.Nc5 a3 15.b3 Ncd4!

Position after: 15...Ncd4!

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The next moves are going to be ...c6 and ...d5. The a3-pawn makes sure White’s king will never feel safe especially because Black can go ...Qf6 at some point keeping an eye on the lovely diagonal. 16.Rhe1 [16.g4?! tries to trap/win our knights but it appears Black is ready for such a turn of events. 16...Nf3 17.Qd3 N5d4 and after a tiny bit of manoeuvring the knights are very well placed, while White’s structure has been weakened.] 16...d6 17.N5e4 c6

Position after: 17...c6 following with ...d5, Black will be better. Then ...Qf6 is a good move, you can develop the bishop and go ...Rae8, or instead pursue ...b5-b4 ideas. B) 9.Bxb6 axb6 is another possibility, which is initially strongly supported by the engine, but I think giving Black an open file for his rook is quite a double-edged decision. 10.0-0-0

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Position after: 10.0-0-0 You now have several good solutions. Rather than long variations it is more important for us to discuss the important ideas. B1) 10...f4!? This is the most ambitious move from the positional standpoint. Why is this the case? Because Black takes the key e5-square under control. Black then continues with ...d6 then ...Ne5 and the knight is well placed. However, White has some attacking ideas as such as g2-g3 and if we cannot support the f4-pawn sufficiently Black may end up in a dangerous situation. B1.1) 11.Qd2 d6 12.Kb1

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Position after: 12.Kb1 Just a healthy useful move. The position is not yet concrete as both sides have plenty of options. 12...Ne5 13.h4!? Be6 14.h5 White would like to keep the g6-square under control in order to prevent ...Ng6 defending the f4-pawn. However, he may also push h5-h6, but I am not sure what h5-h6 achieves so I believe this is perfectly playable for Black. B1.2) 11.f3 It is worth taking a look at this game as it saw two extremely skilled and well-prepared opponents. 11...d6 12.a3 Be6 13.Qd2

Position after: 13.Qd2 13...Bxb3 This was an interesting decision that led to a fascinating game, but I feel that Black was under pressure, so I do not want to hurry with this move. [13...Ng6!?N would have improved the knight and prepared ...Ne5. This is clearly the type of a position you want to go for as Black!] 14.cxb3 Ne5 15.Kb1 Rf6 [½-½ (43) Gabuzyan, H (2616) – Xiong, J (2712) Saint Louis 2019.] B2) 10...fxe4 11.Qxe4 [11.Nxe4 Rxa2µ] 11...d6 12.f4!? Bf5

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Position after: 12...Bf5 B2.1) 13.Bc4+ Kh8 14.Qe3 b5!

Position after: 14...b5! 15.Bxb5! The point is revealed after Black’s move [15.Nxb5 Rxa2∞] 15...Nb4! with a double attack on c2 and a2. For example, after 16.a3 Bxc2! with a huge mess! Now the only move is 17.Nc5 after which 17...Bxd1 18.Rxd1 keeps the position very unclear but Black is doing well. 17.Nc5 Bxd1 18.Rxd1 c6!? 19.Ne6 Qc8 20.Nxf8 Nbd5!? 21.Nxd5 Nxd5 22.Qb3 cxb5+ 23.Kb1 114

Nxf4³

Position after: 23...Nxf4³ While it appears that Black ends up in a better situation than White improvements were possible along the way. The position is rich in possibilities. Anyway, I really feel confident about Black’s chances here and if you are feeling adventurous go here, if you want calmer chess go for the ...f4!? variation. B2.2) 13.Qe3 White does not need to hurry with the check on c4. In this case we can continue in a few decent ways but most of all I like the idea that was used in the only game that featured this position. 13...Qe8!

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Position after: 13...Qe8! The queen is now coming to g6 to put pressure on c2. 14.Bc4+ Kh8 15.a3 White is taking care of the possible problems with the a2-pawn. 15...Qg6 16.Rd2 Rae8 Black simply centralizes one more piece. 17.Qf2 Bd7!

Position after: 17...Bd7! This is a very nice manoeuvre which enables ...Nf5 in many lines while also opening the f-file to attack the f4-pawn. 18.h3 Qh6! as stated above, f4 is a target. 19.g3 g5!µ 20.Ne2 gxf4 21.Nxf4 116

Ng6 22.Nxg6+ hxg6 23.Qg1 Ne5

Position after: 23...Ne5 White clearly got outplayed. He did not make any progress on the kingside, while Black is clearly dominating in the center due to the fantastic knight on e5. There is no wonder that Black soon went on to convert his massive advantage! [0-1 (29) Bontempi, P (2332) – Arnaudov, P (2476) Zagreb 2012.]

Position after: 9.0-0-0

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9...Bxe3+ A) 9...fxe4 10.Nxe4 Bxe3+ 11.Qxe3 a5!? Again, this typical pattern.

Position after: 11...a5!? We are threatening to destroy the white king’s shelter by ...a4-a3. Here I mostly concentrated on the most natural move Bc4, which feels best to me. 12.Bc4+ [12.a4 d5! 13.Bc4?! Nb4!µ The next move will be ...c6. Here we get to appreciate the importance of the inclusion of ...a5 and a4 as our knight has a very stable position on b4!] 12...Kh8 13.Rhe1 a4! 14.Nd4 Nxd4 15.Qxd4 a3!? 16.b3 Nc6 17.Qc3 d6∞

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Position after: 17...d6∞ I think it would be nice to develop with ...Bf5, maybe trade on e4 and play ...Qf6!? or even follow up with ...Qh4 after ...Bf5. On the other hand, where will White play? The engine claims a small White advantage at first but after thinking for a while it changes its mind agreeing that the position is roughly balanced. B) 9...f4 10.Bxb6 transposes to 9.Bxb6. 10.Qxe3 f4 11.Bc4+ Kh8 12.Qe2 d6

Position after: 12...d6 This position has a striking similarity with the similar line where White trades on b6. This is exactly what I played OTB versus a GM when I faced this. I feel Black is alright. Next we develop with ...Ne5, kick the bishop from c4 and play ...Be6. The only thing to watch out for is g2-g3. We can end up in a lot of trouble if White eliminates the f4-pawn. My game went 13.f3 13.Rd2 in this game I faced my teammate who is an extremely capable player. Apparently he did not expect this position to appear on the board as he was preparing for the game and ended up making several unfortunate moves. Knowing how gifted this player is I sense that White’s position is extremely tough to handle over the board. Black enjoys a fantastic outpost for the knight and possibilities to develop his play on the queenside, while White’s play on the kingside is non-existent. 13...Ne5 14.Nd4 a6 15.Rhd1 b5

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Position after: 15...b5 16.Ne6? [16.Be6 Would have maintained a complicated position as the direct 16...c5!? does not win a piece due to 17.Nf3! Nxf3 18.Rxd6∞ with a rather murky position.] 16...Bxe6 17.Bxe6 Qe8? [17...f3! Would have been even cleaner.] 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.Bxd5 Rb8 20.g3 f3 21.Qe3 a5 22.a3 b4µ

Position after: 22...b4µ Black is much better as the knight on e5 is a monster, while the f3-pawn is holstering the kingside making it impossible for White to ever chase the knight or develop real threats. Black may take his time

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and consider several interesting attacking continuations. Unfortunately, I could not see anything direct and having burned many precious minutes on the clock I ended up taking a repetition as it nearly guaranteed me an IM-norm. 23.Ba2 Qc6 24.Bd5 Qd7 25.Ba2 Qc6 26.Bd5 Qd7 27.Ba2 [½-½ (28) Burke, J (2551) – Krykun, Y (2350) Saint Louis 2019.] 13...Ne5 14.Kb1 a6 15.Nd4 b5 16.Bb3

Position after: 16.Bb3 In my game with GM Danin, (European Championship, Minsk 2017) I continued with ...b4 while ...c5! would be an improvement. For unknown reasons, this game did not make it to the database. 16...c5!N 17.Ne6 Bxe6 18.Bxe6 b4 19.Nd5 a5„

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Position after: 19...a5„ It feels like the d6-pawn is not that weak and can be protected easily while Black has chances on the queenside. However, I will provide another line as well should you want a game with a different character.

c) 5.Be3 Bxd4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5!? 5.Be3 Bxd4!?

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Position after: 5...Bxd4!? The main advantage of this line is that it is rare and can easily equalize especially if White is not wellprepared. I do not feel like delving into a lot of complications after ...Qf6 because the Be3 line is so rare. I hope you will be happy with this suggestion as I have enjoyed this line myself and no one so far has played the most challenging move against me. While I think 5...Bxd4 is a solid move it may be difficult to win after the exchange as it leads to further simplifications. Therefore, I am happy to provide you with another back-up line you can use to get a sharper game while still not delving into the main theoretical developments after 5...Qf6 followed by the very rare 6...Qg6 (see the next subchapter). 6.Bxd4 Nxd4 7.Qxd4 Qf6

Position after: 7...Qf6 This is when people usually delve into deep thought. White can count on a slight edge provided he is precise, but I think it is a good idea to take risks at some point. I would like to again say that this book is supposed to be a good balance between suggesting objectively good, sound lines and keeping it user-friendly, as opposed to some GM repertoire books which are of extremely high quality but must feel like a foreign language to most players below 20002100. 8.e5! A) 8.Qxf6 Nxf6 9.Nc3 d6 10.Bd3 Be6 11.0-0 0-0-0

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Position after: 11...0-0-0 A1) 12.f3 g5!? This is how White can get slowly outplayed. Next we can play ...h7-h5 to grab even more space on the kingside, ...Nd7, ...Ne5, maybe ...f7-f5. Meanwhile White does not have a clear plan. A2) 12.f4 Rhe8= We follow up with c6, Kc7 when the e4-pawn is a bit loose. This might not be the most fun line to use to play for a win, but it does save a lot of time and is very easy to play with Black. B) 8.c3!? I believe this is a rather dangerous attempt. Now we need to be quite precise.

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Position after: 8.c3!? B1) 8...d6 is a possibility, but we will not discuss it as it is not possible to cover multiple alternatives for every single sideline. But now that I have pointed at it, you know in which direction to dig. B2) 8...Qxd4 9.cxd4 c6! 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.Bc4 d6 12.0-0 0-0 13.Rfe1 b5 14.Bd3 a5

Position after: 14...a5 I think this is one of the critical variations in this line and that Black is doing fine. He can continue with ...f7-f6, ...Be6, then consider his options on the queenside which might involve playing ...d6-d5 or maybe ...b5-b4. Pay attention to the extremely flexible position of the e7-knight which protects the slightly weak c6-pawn. I do agree that it seems White has a little push here, but there is no clear path for him to make any progress. 8...Qb6! 9.Qxb6 axb6 And now the only thing we need to achieve is to eliminate the key e5-pawn. 10.Nc3 f6!

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Position after: 10...f6! Now White can try direct attacking jumps at our position with Nd5/ Nb5 or he can capture on f6 or play f4!?. 11.exf6 The most popular choice but I think the more dangerous possibility is the cunning c3! after ...Qf6. Here we can equalize without much trouble. A) 11.f4 This move creates a weak pawn on e5, on the other hand that pawn controls a lot of space and restricts Black. I do not think this is a challenging continuation from the theoretical perspective, but you need to be a bit careful and recall a few important ideas 11...fxe5 12.fxe5 Nh6!?

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Position after: 12...Nh6!? The knight proves handy here because it can jump to g4 in some positions intending the ...Nf2 fork (when White castles long), but also it is ready to go to f7 hitting the e5-pawn. 13.0-0-0 and now I would like to suggest a weird looking way of developing our pieces although it makes perfect sense: 13...Kd8!?. What is the threat? 14...Re8 tackling the pawn! 14.e6 other moves are possible but after Re8 the pawn would become a liability, so it makes sense to trade it. 14...Re8 15.exd7 Bxd7 16.Bd3 g6 17.h3

Position after: 17.h3 127

Now we have many good ways to finish our development. For example, ...c7-c6 followed by ...Kc7 is a good option but I really want to demonstrate the use of the open a-file. 17...Ra5! The rook is coming over on the 5th rank where it can go to e5. Black is not worse at all. Now you have plenty of chances to outplay your opponent. B) 11.Nd5 You might be concerned about this move as it appears you lose the right to castle and opponent’s knight is very annoying, but we will soon trade it. 11...Kd8! now ...fxe5 and ...Ra5! are threats which forces White to take on f6. 12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Nxf6 gxf6

Position after: 13...gxf6 White cannot castle as the a2-pawn would hang. Now it is time to discuss a few features of this position. Our kingside pawns are isolated and represent two pawn islands which might somewhat discourage you. However, White does not have the right set of pieces to tackle the pawns, a white knight could be a nightmare for us while we have an extra central pawn. I think the best setup, if you can achieve it, is pawns on c6 and d5 with the king coming to d6. The only thing I do not like about that setup is that you will not be able to activate your rook via a5. That is why the modest ...d6 approach is fine in many positions. This position could be a bit hard in terms of pushing for a win but that is okay as there are such variations where you are Black, and you have equality. On a positive note, the whole approach where we trade on d4 and trade queens is quite easy to learn and execute. Here I will give a sample line as both sides obviously have many possibilities. 14.Bd3 d6 15.Kd2 Ra5 16.a3 Bf5

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Position after: 16...Bf5 17.Rae1 [17.Bxf5?! This cannot be good as it helps activate the black rook. 17...Rxf5 18.f3 Rg8 19.Rhg1 Rh5 20.h3 Rd5+ 21.Kc3 Re5³ and things clearly went wrong for White who needs to defend carefully.] 17...Bxd3 18.Kxd3 Rd5+ 19.Kc3 Rf5 20.Rhf1 Rh5 21.Rh1 Rf5= It is possible to avoid the repetition, for instance ...h7-h5 is a good idea trying to grab some space. The game is even which is a fair and reasonable outcome! 11...Nxf6 12.Bd3 c6 13.0-0-0 d5=

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Position after: 13...d5= The position is equal. We simply play ...Kf7 and can pursue idea of ...b5-b4, play ...Bd7 and ...Re8 and play in the center.

d) 5.Be3 Qf6 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6

Position after: 5...Qf6 The main line. 6.c3 6.Nb5? This is not a good move, but Black should know how to react. 6...Bxe3 7.fxe3 Qh4+!

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Position after: 7...Qh4+! This check is instrumental, provoking g2-g3 is key. 8.g3 Qd8 9.Qg4 g6 10.Qf4 d6³ Black has a clear advantage thanks to the outpost on e5 as well as the weak pawns on the e-file. 6...Qg6!?

Position after: 6...Qg6!? This is the somewhat offbeat weapon against the 5.Be3 Scotch. We do have our main stuff idea 131

5...Bxd4 but I wanted to present this at least briefly as an additional option to reach a more complicated position. While there will not be the same level of detail as in the main lines the following will still prove useful. 7.Qf3! The second most popular move and I think it is the most dangerous. White protects the e3-bishop with the piece while also preparing Nd2 and long castling. A) 7.Nxc6? Bxe3 8.Nd4 Bh6µ we have the bishop pair for which White has no compensation. B) 7.Nd2 This is the most popular move but now Black’s play pays off immediately. 7...Nf6

Position after: 7...Nf6 B1) 8.Qf3 Ng4! Now we immediately get a good game. White’s bishop cannot retreat as he will lose the d4-knight’s defender while after Nf5 or Nc2 (both lead to the same position) we are clearly fine. 9.Nc2 Nxe3 10.Nxe3 0-0 11.Nd5 White’s only chance to equalize lies in this immediate attack. 11...Ne5 12.Qf5 Qxf5 13.exf5 c6 Black will follow up with ...d7-d5 with a great position. B2) 8.f3 d5!

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Position after: 8...d5! The center is getting dismantled, Black is clearly better. 9.Qc2 This is the most popular move, but Black maintains his edge. [9.exd5? Nxd5 10.Bf2 Bxd4 11.cxd4 0-0–+ White’s position is already simply lost as ...Re8+ is coming with devastating effect while White’s development is clearly subpar.] 9...Bxd4! 10.Bxd4 Nxd4 11.cxd4 0-0

Position after: 11...0-0 Now White cannot develop the bishop as g2 is hanging while c7 is untouchable because the e4-pawn

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would drop and the center would collapse, White should castle long. 12.0-0-0 dxe4 13.fxe4 Rd8µ the pressure on the center is too strong and soon Black will win some material. 7...d6 7...Ne5 is also possible but after 8.Qe2² I am not sure how to equalize or how to get a worse position with counter chances. This just looks passive and unattractive. [8.Qf4 is also attractive.] 8.Nb5! The only challenging move, targeting c7 immediately.

Position after: 8.Nb5! 8...Bg4! Black ignores the threat, choosing to counterattack instead. Now it does not matter where the white queen goes as it transposes. 9.Qf4 Bxe3 10.Qxe3 Rc8 11.Nd2 a6 12.Nd4 Bd7

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Position after: 12...Bd7 Black will continue with ...Nf6 or with ...Nge7 followed by castling. We could study this deeper, but this is a new position that has not been seen in practice. Here there is room to explore and since this is an alternative line we will not investigate this too deeply, but all results are possible!

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Part III The Four Knights Chapter 8 Scotch Four Knights 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4

Chapter Guide Chapter 8 – Scotch Four Knights 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4 a) 5.dxe5, 5.d5 b) 5.Nxe5

a) 5.dxe5, 5.d5 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6

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Position after: 3...Nf6 4.d4 I have decided to cover the Scotch Four Knights as this is something club players face a lot. The simplicity of the arising positions and straightforwardness of White’s plan have contributed to the popularity of this variation as well as some good books such as Keep It Simple, published by a fellow Chessable author IM Christof Sielecki. I have decided to come up with a slightly offbeat approach which should enable you to get rather complex and fighting positions where White will not be able to just make the first 15 moves automatically, but will have to solve some new tasks. While I cannot promise you an advantage as Black we will try to present the opponent with some new challenges. 4.Be2!?

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Position after: 4.Be2!? Grischuk has played this many times and it is trickier than it appears. We will need to examine the ideas behind this modest bishop move. A) 4...Bd6!? is a fun idea intending to meet 5.d4 with 5...exd4 6.Nxd4 0-0 7.0-0 Nxd4! 8.Qxd4 Re8

Position after: 8...Re8 Now the Black rook is not only putting pressure on the e4-pawn, but it also helps us control the e5square which is where we want to place our bishop. After 9.Bg5 Be5 10.Qd3 h6! Black forces the 138

trade and gets the bishop pair as 11.Bh4? is highly suspicious because of 11...Bxc3 12.bxc3 g5! 13.Bg3 Nxe4µ. We gain a free pawn for a slightly shattered king position, but White does not have the pieces to exploit this weakness. We are about to continue with ...d7-d5, ...c7-c6, ...Bf5. Then we can always trade off the g3-bishop at a moment of our choosing. B) 4...Bc5? This is an example of how quickly things can go wrong for Black. 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Bd6 7.dxe5 Bxe5 8.Nb5! 0-0 9.f4 Nxe4 10.Qd5 Bf6 11.Qxe4+– White won a piece and converted it in a 16-move miniature! [1-0 (16) Grischuk, A (2779) – Ponomariov, R (2743) Khanty – Mansiysk 2013.] 4...Bb4!?

Position after: 4...Bb4!? This is the move that suits our task best. 5.d5?! This might seem very reasonable to many players as this move gains space. But in this closed position which is very similar to the Nimzo Indian, the bishop pair does not matter, and Black can try to play a long-term game versus White’s worse structure. For any 1.e4 player this is a very unpleasant scenario to face! For the critical move 5.Nxe5, see the next subchapter. After 5.dxe5? Nxe4 Black is already better. I would like to teach to you one important positional idea. 6.Bd2

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Position after: 6.Bd2 Here comes the key move. Many continuations such as ...Nxd2 or ...Nxc3 are good. But the best way to go is 6...Bxc3! Why? Because we trade many pieces and make sure White has a bad structure! Things are not as clear after 6...Nxc3 7.bxc3!? where White has a modest space advantage thanks to his e5-pawn. 7.Bxc3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 0-0

Position after: 8...0-0 9.Be2 [9.Bc4 d6! 10.exd6 Re8+ 11.Be2 Qf6! now numerous threats force White to castle. After 12.0-0 140

we have many good moves but most of all I like 12...Rd8!³. We will capture on d6 with the rook and keep a clear structural edge.] 9...Re8 10.Qd5 Qe7µ Black wins a pawn. 5...Ne7

Position after: 5...Ne7 6.Nxe5 6.Bd3 d6 7.0-0 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Nd7

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Position after: 8...Nd7 I think Black can play for a win as White has long-term weaknesses. After trading some pieces White’s space advantage will matter less while his weaknesses will become more noticeable. What is interesting is that the position is very fresh having been reached in only one game so far. I will give a few possible variations of how the game may develop but I strongly suggest that you study this typical Nimzo-Indian structure which arises in the so-called Huebner Wall variation. Black would like to push ...f7-f5 while White can try for g3/f4. First, we will see what happens if White just plays without a plan and then we will study variations which seem more active to me for White. However, I have realized that it is almost impossible for White to get to play g3/f4 thus these seemingly active variations are rather bad! A) 9.Nd2 0-0 10.g3 Nc5 11.f4 This seems more principled but does not work because of concrete reasons. 11...exf4 12.gxf4 (12.Rxf4 concedes the key e5-square after ...Ng6-e5!) 12...f5!

Position after: 12...f5! The key idea that ensures we crush White’s center. 13.Qf3 fxe4 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Bf5µ Black is almost winning as White’s bishop is useless and all of White’s pawns are weak. B) 9.Nh4 0-0 10.g3 Nc5 Black just continues to pursue his plan: ...Nxd3 and ...f7-f5 is about to follow. 11.Be3 b6

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Position after: 11...b6 A typical move so that after Bxc5 we recapture with ...dxc5 but this is not good for White. 12.f4? exf4! 13.gxf4? While this is positionally justified it is refuted tactically! 13...Nxd5 14.exd5! Qxh4µ C) 9.Be3?! 0-0 10.c4 This will demonstrate Black’s plan, provided White is passive. 10...b6 11.Qe2 Nc5 12.Rab1 Nxd3 13.cxd3 f5! It is obvious that Black has seized the initiative.

Position after: 13...f5! The f-file is going to open while Black’s pieces are ideally placed. The knight can go to g6, the bishop 143

to g4 then we will develop our queen and then ...Rf7 and ...Raf8. 6...d6 7.Bb5+ 7.Nf3 Nxe4 8.Bb5+ While 8...Kf8 just transposes 8...c6! is even better: 9.dxc6 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxc3+ 11.Bd2 Bxd2+ 12.Qxd2 bxc6µ with a healthy extra pawn. 7...Kf8 8.Nf3 Nxe4

Position after: 8...Nxe4 Black has a clearly better structure while loss of castling should not cause any difficulty. Let us study a few lines to understand the arising position better. 9.Qd4 This has been the main move – White forks our pieces. This does not work as we have a tactical trick using the exposed position of the b5-bishop. A) 9.0-0!?

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Position after: 9.0-0!? It makes sense to sacrifice a pawn, considering that Black cannot castle. A1) 9...Bxc3 This is another solution which seems quite easy and practical if you do not like the positions in the main line after the knight recapture. 10.bxc3 Nxc3 11.Qd3 Nxb5 12.Qxb5 f6!

Position after: 12...f6! I know it might seem unpleasant to make such a move, but White does not have a light-squared bishop and only one knight. We can control the e6-square with our bishop. We are taking the crucial 145

g5-square under control while also restricting the dark-squared bishop over the long diagonal. This position deserves additional investigation but there is no need to spend much paper and ink on this clearly innocuous option as we have two convincing solutions. A2) 9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxc3 11.Rb1

Position after: 11.Rb1 The bishop is well-placed on c3 as it prevents White from playing Re1. Of course, White can chase it with Qd3, but it will cost him time. 11...h6 12.Qd3 Bf6 13.Re1 a6 14.Bc4 b5 15.Bb3 Bf5 16.Qd2 Kg8µ The king will walk to h7 and Black is clearly better. What did White gain for the sacrificed pawn? B) 9.Bd2 Bxc3! A typical idea where we make sure we trade two pairs of pieces. 10.Bxc3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Bg4!

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Position after: 11...Bg4! Another key trade after which White will find his remaining bishop quite useless. 12.0-0 Ng6 Now ...Qf6 and ...Ne5 are our ideas. We can finish artificial castling with ...h5 and ...Rh6 in many positions! Or if the pieces get traded, ...g6 and ...Kg7 is the way to go. I already prefer Black’s position. 13.h3 While it is possible to just capture on f3, which is a good move, please note the following idea 13...h5!? Now White would rather not take 14.hxg4 hxg4 15.Nh2 Qh4–+. This is a pattern from the Exchange Spanish which you might already know. But it is always nice to see it again! 9...Nxc3

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Position after: 9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 10.Qxb4 Nxb5 11.Qxb5 Here comes the key move, which secures Black’s serious edge. 11...Qe8! We threaten discovered check while also offering to trade queens.

Position after: 11...Qe8! This is too frightening an offer to turn down as otherwise the discovered check would result in devastating consequences. 12.Qxe8+ Kxe8 now the d5-pawn is weak! 13.c4 b5! 14.b3 Ba6!µ Black is 148

completely ruining the opponent’s structure. White is in a bad way here. 10...Bc5 11.Qd2

Position after: 11.Qd2 11...Nxd5!? 11...Bg4! In my opinion this move seems to give us an edge. For example, the only game that saw this position continued 12.Be2 Ng6 13.0-0

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Position after: 13.0-0 13...h6 [13...Qf6!?N Also makes sense. 14.h3 h5!?³ We can afford to continue in this classic Exchange Spanish style. Again, Black is clearly better.] 14.Rb1 Rb8 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Qh4!?N This seems to be a very reasonable novelty taking control over many squares on the 4th rank. White’s bishop pair gives him nothing while the pawn weaknesses will inevitably tell in the long run. [16...Kg8 Later they drew but in my opinion Black was clearly pushing. ½-½ (48) Keskowski, T (2116) – Bulthaupt, F (2203) Berlin 2001.] 12.Qxd5 c6 13.Qd3 cxb5 14.0-0

Position after: 14.0-0 14...Be6 Black is giving White too easy of a life, letting him escape with half a point so early. 14...Bd7³ Trying to hold on to the extra pawn would have at least been more principled! 15.Qxb5 Qc7 16.Kh1 a6 17.Qd3 Here the game ended as the players decided to split the point. In my opinion this decision was rather premature as Black could have claimed the advantage in many ways. For example, 17...f6! looks good taking the g5-square under control [½-½ (17) Ochoa de Echaguen, F (2400) – Arandia, J Spain 1990.] 17...f6³

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Position after: 17...f6³ Now ...Kf7 and ...Re8 will follow. We have the bishop pair; I would take Black!

b) 5.Nxe5 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4!? 5.Nxe5!

Position after: 5.Nxe5!

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Clearly the most challenging move and the reason why many players are afraid to play 4...Bb4. 5...Bxc3+!? 5...Qe7!? 6.Qd3! Does not let us play the desired line. 6.bxc3 Qe7!

Position after: 6...Qe7! This is a very interesting variation which yields a rather non-standard position although in many lines White keeps a solid position. Now, a few continuations are possible which lead to similar positions. When I first examined this position, I was sure it was a combative line where White could get an edge with some precise moves. However, I could not find this edge even after many hours of analysis and with the help of an engine! That is why I definitely feel good about recommending it. 7.Nxc6 A) 7.f3 Nxe5 8.dxe5 Qxe5

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Position after: 8...Qxe5 A1) 9.Bd2 Is passive and the best way to exploit it is 9...d5! 10.Bd3 dxe4 11.fxe4 Bg4 12.Qc1 0-0 13.0-0 Rfe8µ. All of Black’s pieces are in great blockading positions and he is about to win the e4pawn unless White plays very passive moves such as Re1 or Rf4. Here we clearly have nothing to fear and enjoy a better position. A2) 9.Qd4! d6!

Position after: 9...d6!

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The simplest. The endgame is fine for us as White’s queenside pawns are rather vulnerable in any simplified position. 10.Qxe5+ [White can also keep the tension. What then? 10.Bd3 0-0 11.0-0 Re8!? intending ...Bd7, ...Bc6 maybe ...b6 and ...a5. It is very hard for White to make progress. Further, f3-f4 is not possible. 12.f4? Qxd4+ 13.cxd4 Nxe4µ with a healthy extra central pawn.] 10...dxe5 11.Bc4

Position after: 11.Bc4 I think there are a few good possibilities here, but I find the following idea most appealing 11...Be6! Trading the bishop pair instantly. You might be afraid of the new pawn structure after White captures, but it is good for Black as we shall see. 12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.Ke2 0-0-0 14.Be3 Rd6!? The a7pawn is taboo because of ...b6, now we can simply double up on the d-file or start annoying White with ...Rc6 or ...Ra6 ideas. Objectively, this is equal, but it took White some decent moves to get here. You can still play for a win and most importantly, you made him enter a type of position which is likely to be new for White, so the probability of mistakes is clearly higher. B) 7.Bd3 Nxe5 8.dxe5 Qxe5 9.0-0 Here I would refrain from capturing on c3 as Rb1-Bb2 yields White a strong initiative. Just castling is fine after which we have an interesting way to develop in ...b6 and ...Bb7!? putting pressure on the e4-pawn. Then we might opt for the quick ...d7-d5, according to circumstances. 9...b6!?

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Position after: 9...b6!? B1) 10.Rb1 Now we are going to see something which I consider a rather impressive win. 10...Bb7 11.c4 d6 asserting additional control over the e5 and c5-squares! 12.Bb2 Qg5 this move is not necessarily the best one, but Black wants to castle and take on e4! Besides that, maybe ideas like ...Nd7-c5 or ...Nd7-e5 are also coming. Also, he can castle and follow up with ... Rae8, ...Nd7 and ...f7-f5! 13.f4? Qc5+ 14.Kh1 0-0-0!

Position after: 14...0-0-0!

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Where is our king the safest? Definitely not on the kingside where the White b2-bishop is raging all over the place and where White is intending some possible actions. Since White has weakened his own king we might create some counterplay on the kingside as well as in the center. Just look at that e4-pawn which has now became so weak! 15.Qf3 Rde8! 16.Qh3+ Kb8 17.e5? White realizes there is no way to save the pawn and pushes it, but now things get even worse. 17...Ne4 18.Bxe4 Bxe4 19.Ba3 Qxc4 20.exd6 cxd6 21.Bxd6+ Ka8–+ Just compare the difference in the bishops’ activity and the kings’ safety.

Position after: 21...Ka8–+ After we play something like ...Bb7, ...Qd5 and ...Re2 the white king’s days will be numbered. 22.Rfc1 Bb7 23.a4 Re2 24.Rg1 Rhe8 25.Be5 f6 26.Qd7 Bc6 27.Qd4 Qa6 an impressive win over a rather strong opponent! This clearly shows how interesting and complicated these fresh positions are. [0-1 (27) Hoffmann, H (2320) – Slobodjan, R (2532) Leutersdorf 2001.] B2) 10.f3 0-0 11.Re1 Bb7 12.Bd2 If Be3 Black can already consider taking! 12...Rfe8 then maybe ...d6 or ...Rad8 and ...d5!

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Position after: 12...Rfe8 This is a good position where you have plenty of chances to outplay the opponent. 7...Qxe4+

Position after: 7...Qxe4+ Now I believe White is more likely to trade queens. However, Be2 is a good move it is just more counterintuitive. 157

8.Qe2 8.Be2 This is a rather ambitious choice: White prefers to keep the queens on the board. Importantly, the g2-pawn cannot be taken as Bf3! would win the game for White. 8...Qxc6 9.0-0

Position after: 9.0-0 A) 9...Qxc3!? It is actually possible to take this pawn, but I would be somewhat scared of White’s initiative. However, you can definitely take it. When would it be a smart choice? I think it is a good decision versus opponents who play the Scotch Four Knights to trade pieces and make a draw as they will need to prove compensation. 10.Rb1 0-0 Please investigate this yourself as we need to concentrate on another line. B) 9...0-0 Black’s cherished dream is to play ...d7-d5, trade light-squared bishops and queens. Then his knight and better structure would ensure the advantage. However, things are not yet this simple as White has two bishops and the center. His main move is 10.c4 as it restrains our ...d5-idea. 10.c4 d5! Nevertheless!

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Position after: 10...d5! B1) 11.Qd3 dxc4 12.Qxc4 Qxc4 13.Bxc4 Bf5 (13...Be6/13...Rd8 are good moves as well.) 14.c3 c6

Position after: 14...c6 This is a great position for Black and there are no further simplifications. The structure is unbalanced enough for us to have winning chances. We can play ...Rfe8, ...Rad8 and try to trade pieces or ...Nd5 could be a good move as well attacking the weak c3-pawn. If White ever trades Bxd5, we will just have a slight edge in the position with opposite-coloured bishops and rooks due to Black’s superior pawn structure. Another idea to prevent White’s c3-c4 plan is ...b7-b5!? at some point. This ensures 159

the d5-square for the knight. All in all, this seems like a lot of fun for Black! B2) 11.cxd5 Nxd5 clearly threatening ...Nc3. Now Bd3? runs into the sudden ...Nb4! where Black gets to trade the bishop pair while keeping the better structure. The only right move is the surprising 12.Qd2!?

Position after: 12.Qd2!? Here there is a rather strange idea in 12...b5!? I think that ...Qc3 is another good choice forcing an endgame which is similar to the previous note where White met ...d5 with Qd3. 12...Qc3!? 13.Rb1 c6 14.Rb3 Qxd2 15.Bxd2 b5„ 8...dxc6

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Position after: 8...dxc6 9.f3 9.Qxe4+ Nxe4 10.c4 [10.Bd2 Shows that White does not appreciate his bishop pair. Both ...Nxd2 or some other move like ...Bf5 which allows for ...Nxd2 later while developing a piece look good to me.] 10...Be6

Position after: 10...Be6 11.f3 [11.Bd3 Nd6 12.c5 Nf5 Is the same sort of thing as the following variations.] 11...Nd6! 12.c5 161

Nf5 13.c3 b6!? Trying to destroy White’s structure. We could castle short or long instead. I feel it is better to castle long then go ...Rfe8 and just play in the center trying to undermine White’s pawns. 9...Qxe2+ 10.Bxe2 Bf5

Position after: 10...Bf5 The final crossroads. White can try to improve his pawn structure at the cost of the bishop pair or play Kd2. 11.Bd3 11.Kd2 0-0-0 Now Bd3 transposes to what we are going to see. The only alternative which develops pieces is 12.Ba3 Rhe8 13.Rhe1 Be6!?.

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Position after: 13...Be6!? The c4-square is weak so we will play ...Nd7 and ...Nb6, then install one of the pieces on c4 with a fabulous position. Again, it is roughly balanced but very easy to play with Black. 11...Bxd3 12.cxd3 0-0-0 13.Kd2! 13.Kf2 c5! With the better chances. 13...Rhe8 14.Ba3 Rd5!?∞

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Position after: 14...Rd5!?∞ The rook is very active and the typical idea of ...Ra5!? may cause White a lot of concern, especially if he goes Re1 now. We would just trade and play ...Ra5 winning a pawn. In fact, just a couple of weeks after writing this chapter, I had this position in an OTB game and went on to win easily – you can find the game in the database! This is another proof of how much I trust the variations I am presenting to you, dear readers!

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Chapter 9 Spanish Four Knights 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5

Chapter Guide Chapter 9 – Spanish Four Knights 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 a) 5.Nxe5 b) 5.Nxd4 c) 5.Bc4 d) 5.Ba4

a) 5.Nxe5 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5

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Position after: 4.Bb5 The Spanish Four Knights is an ancient opening which is not as popular as the Ruy Lopez, Italian Game or others. The Four Knights is used by players who want to get less explored positions involving slow manoeuvring. 4...Nd4!? I have chosen this forcing move as opposed to the positional and symmetrical 4...Bb4. There are several reasons behind this choice. 1) One must know a lot of theory to play 4...Bb4. While Black does need precise knowledge with 4...Nd4 there are only a few concrete lines, and if White does not enter the sharp lines Black gets very good positions. 2) This move is more likely to surprise your opponents; they may be less aware of this variation. 3) I like to prevent my opponents from getting the type of positions they want! Namely, 4.Bb5 clearly indicates White wants a positional struggle with all the pieces on the board. Thus, I am trying to involve him in something more tactical. It is possible for White to avoid tactical lines here but then it will be much easier for us to equalize on the spot. 4) If White does go for complications we will have excellent attacking chances and will be happy to sacrifice material for a tremendous initiative in many lines. 5.Nxe5 Let us first see what happens if White captures the hanging pawn. 5...Qe7

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Position after: 5...Qe7 We are immediately attacking the knight while also x-raying the e-pawn. 6.f4!? I do not think that White’s position is good at the end of this variation but at least this is a principled attempt. 6.Nf3 This retreat is toothless as we now get the bishop pair and a better endgame. 6...Nxb5 7.Nxb5 Qxe4+ 8.Kf1 [8.Qe2 Qxe2+ 9.Kxe2 transposes.] 8...Qc4+ 9.Qe2+ Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2

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Position after: 10.Kxe2 Now we just need to stop the threat of Nxc7+. 10...Nd5 We are about to go ...a7-a6 and chase the White knight away. [10...Kd8? This way of defending would prove wrong because of 11.Ne5! and Black is in trouble. Even though it is not yet a decisive advantage for White there is no need for us to blunder like that.] 11.Re1 f6 While ...a6 might have been good I prefer to first get a nice spot on f7 for our king. 12.c4 It is important to realize that we are always on time with our counterplay based on ...a7a6. 12...a6³. Once we chase the White knight away all of his hopes will vanish, and we will get a clearly better endgame. This is definitely not what White should be looking for in the opening. 6...Nxb5 7.Nxb5 d6 8.Nf3 Qxe4+

Position after: 8...Qxe4+ 9.Kf2 Now White threatens Re1 winning the queen because of the pin and Nxc7 forking the king and the rook. 9.Qe2 the queen trade, as usual in this line, just gives Black a better endgame thanks to his bishop pair. 9...Qxe2+ 10.Kxe2 Kd7³ 9...Ng4+

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Position after: 9...Ng4+ We need to get involved in forcing play in order to stop White’s threats. 10.Kg3 No matter how dangerous this looks, this is the only move that make sense for White as he keeps the threat of Re1 in hand. 10.Kg1? Is pointless as after 10...Qc6 White no longer has the Re1-idea and we deal with the other threat easily while keeping the bishop pair, the better structure because of White’s pawn on f4 and the safer king. 11.a4 a6³ White’s previous play did not justify itself as he is worse. 10...Qg6 We now threaten with ...Ne3+, winning the White queen. If White gives any check like Re1+ or Qe2+, we will comfortably hide on d8 with the king. White’s king, on the other hand, will remain exposed and vulnerable. 11.Nh4

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Position after: 11.Nh4 11...Qf6 11...Qh5!? Is also a good continuation, feel free to explore it yourself! I will just give one funny line. 12.Nxc7+ Kd8 13.h3 Nf6 14.Nxa8

Position after: 14.Nxa8 14...Qxh4+!! This was seen in 7 games. White’s king is in a mating net, he needs to counter-sacrifice his queen is order not to get mated immediately. After 15.Kxh4 Ne4µ the threat of ...Be7 mate forces 170

White to part with his queen. 16.Qh5 Be7+ 17.Qg5 Bxg5+ 18.fxg5 h6! The attack is still underway. Now ...hxg5 is a threat of mate in one! 19.g6 fxg6 20.Rf1 g5+ 21.Kh5 Look at that king!

Position after: 21.Kh5 21...Ng3+ 22.Kg6 Nxf1 23.Kxg7 Re8–+ Okay, we have seen enough. The a8-knight is not impressive and while the white king is not a weakness but a greedy asset gobbling our kingside pawns Black is going to win a piece and keep a huge advantage. [½-½ (72) Ravichandran, S (2372) – Babujian, L (2510) Chennai 2013.] 12.Nxc7+ Kd8–+

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Position after: 12...Kd8–+ Black’s initiative has become overwhelming. For example, if White shows more greed, the game will be finished instantly. 13.Nxa8? g5! 14.d4 This move at least helps White get some development, but it is too late. 14.fxg5?? results in a forced checkmate: 14...Qf2+ 15.Kh3 Ne3+. 14...gxh4+ 15.Kf3 b6

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Position after: 15...b6 The simplest. We will now protect the g4-knight with ...Rg8 and will win the a8-knight with ...Bb7+ reaching a completely winning position where we have the overwhelming initiative as well as a material advantage. 16.d5 Rg8!–+ ...Bb7 cannot be stopped while we also have ...Nxh2+ with the idea of Rxh2 Bg4+! winning the white queen.

b) 5.Nxd4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4!?

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Position after: 4...Nd4!? 5.Nxd4 A sad move to face provided you are unhappy with simplifications as White sometimes manages to trade numerous pieces by force. 5...exd4 6.e5 dxc3 7.exf6

Position after: 7.exf6 174

7...Qxf6 7...cxd2+ 8.Bxd2 Qxf6 9.0-0 Be7 and now 10.Bc3! gives White an overwhelming initiative. Further, 10.Re1! is strong as well so do not grab such a pawn. 8.dxc3 8.Qe2+ allows Black to play 8...Qe7 more or less transposing to the main line (8.dxc3 Qe5+ 9.Qe2 Qxe2+), or to go 8...Be7!? keeping more tension. 8...Qe5+

Position after: 8...Qe5+ Just to mention, 8...Bc5 is a possibility to explore on your own. We will concentrate on another move. 9.Qe2 Normally White would trade queens here. 9.Be2 is also possible and we will take a look at it. 9.Be2 Now the queens are not getting traded and we simply continue our development. This variation does not deserve much attention, in my opinion, so we will satisfy ourselves with some ballpark moves. 9...Bc5 Just putting the bishop on an active square. ...Be7 is okay as well but active moves are better. 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 White develops his rook on the open file, and he is ready to play Bf3 trying to pressure our queenside a little bit. Fortunately, this is just a little bit indeed. 11...Qf6 Reminding White that he has weak spots in his position as well. 12.Bf3 c6!

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Position after: 12...c6! Preparing ...d7-d5. Now I cannot see many good moves for White. Perhaps Be3 is good for White. Another idea is to play c2-c4 and prevent ...d7-d5 but this does not work out well. A) 13.c4 d6 Now White will need to spend time on c2-c3 as his b2-pawn is hanging which prevents him from developing the bishop on c1. 14.c3 Be6 attacking once again 15.Qe2 a5!?³ Intending to seize space with ...a5-a4 which will make the c4-pawn a bit weak for a long time as it will be hard for White to play b2-b3 to protect the c4-pawn but if he does this we will have favourable tension over the a-file. Overall, what White did to his queenside structure was not good at all. The pawns should have stayed on their initial squares.

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Position after: 15...a5!?³ A crazy but good idea could be to play 15...g5!?, intending ...g5-g4 as we are keeping an eye on his f2-pawn. But it does not make sense to analyze it as the idea is not typical of these positions and White needs to make quite a lot of mistakes (like in this line) for it to ever start making sense. So just simplify your life by making reasonable moves! B) 13.Be3

Position after: 13.Be3 B1) 13...Bxe3 14.Rxe3 d5= With complete equality. Next we develop the bishop and trade pieces over the e-file. B2) 13...d6 is another possible way to handle this. In the following game between two rising stars not much happened from now on. 14.Bd4 Bxd4 15.Qxd4 Qxd4 16.cxd4 Bf5 17.Be4 Bxe4 18.Rxe4 Rfe8 19.Rae1 Kf8= 20.Kf1 d5 21.R4e3 Rxe3 22.Rxe3 Re8

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Position after: 22...Re8 The remaining moves were more of a formality, there is nothing to play for. I understand some of you might feel disappointed about the possibility of a likely draw. Yet, I do not think that it a concern. If your opponent is clearly weaker you can still win. If he is of your level or higher rated, he would not want to beg for a draw as White. And, even if you draw a weaker player occasionally, you will have many other fighting games in the other lines. Some players prefer the approach of fearing the draw, playing 1...g6 or something else and having a lousy position during the entire game. In my opinion, the best way of maximizing your chances to win is by equalizing immediately as opposed to going for a bad position hoping to create chances! [½-½ (30) Praggnanandhaa, R (2517) – Gledura, B (2613) Stockholm 2017.] 9...Qxe2+ Now some concrete moves do not matter at all. Whether White takes with his king or bishop the character of the game remains the same. But we will try to discuss a few typical ideas and our setup while going through next ballpark variation. 10.Bxe2 d5

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Position after: 10...d5 It is crucial to fight for the center and the position is not as dull as it seems. If we play passively White could try to get an edge by playing c3-c4 (which prevents ...d7-d5), then Bf3! (keeping an eye on our queenside) when our life could become tough. However, after the simple 10...d5! we are doing great. Now, the simple plan is Bf5 to attack the c2-pawn or ...Be6 to defend the pawn on d5 once again and prevent c3-c4 ideas while we have ...c7-c6. Then we can develop the dark-squared bishop to e7, d6 or c5 and then castle. But it also makes a lot of sense not to castle short as you can play ...f7-f6 followed by ...Kf7 or castle long so that the king is closer to the center. 11.Bf4 c6

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Position after: 11...c6 12.0-0-0 A good move. Objectively it remains very equal after both ...0-0 and ...0-0-0, but somehow short castling by White strikes me as misunderstanding the basics of endgame culture. I do not want to be too harsh as the evaluation does not change much regardless of what both sides do. The position is very solid for both sides. 12.0-0?! While this move does not spoil much, I tend to dislike it as White moves his king far from the center without much need. 12...Be6 13.Rfe1 0-0-0 14.Rad1 Bd6 15.Bxd6 Rxd6 16.c4 Kc7= With simple equality. 12...Be6 13.Rhe1 0-0-0=

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Position after: 13...0-0-0= Again, we play ...Bd6 to swap bishops, go ...Rhe8 and ...Kc7. This is a quite simple and equal position. A draw is very likely but either side could play for a win.

c) 5.Bc4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4!? 5.Bc4 Back in the day this move was considered a dangerous one, but the following strong answer proved good enough to solve Black’s problems. I would consider 5.Bc4 as our main line because both sides are entering dangerous waters and need to know a lot in this extraordinarily complex position. 5...Bc5!

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Position after: 5...Bc5! Steering the game in a rather forcing direction. Unless White takes the pawn, Black equalizes immediately. 6.Nxe5 After 6.d3 d6 Black already has easy development: 7.Nxd4 Bxd4 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qf3 Be6 10.Bxe6 fxe6= There is absolutely nothing for him to be afraid of. He has a very solid structure in the center, a semiopen f-file, no bad pieces and pressure on f2. He can follow up with ...Qd7, ...Rf7, ...Raf8. Another route for the queen is ...Qe8-g6 or ...Qe8-h5. Black is simply doing great here. 6...Qe7!

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Position after: 6...Qe7! This basically solves all the problems by force. Now it may appear as if White has many tempting options but in fact many of them can be instantly discarded as bad. 7.Nf3 Finally, we will look at White’s best attempt. White does not fall into any traps related with taking on f7 nor does he place his knight on d3 which obstructs his development. A) 7.Nd3 This may seem like a solid move as White does not get into any complications after taking on f7, but Black will have a very strong initiative! 7...d5 8.Nxd5 Qxe4+ 9.Ne3 Bd6

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Position after: 9...Bd6 All of our pieces are looking at the White king while the knight on d3 prevents White from developing his queenside pieces. The position is definitely good for Black! However, a pawn is a pawn, so we need to look at some variations more closely. A1) 10.0-0? The most natural move is a big mistake! 10...b5!

Position after: 10...b5! Why is this move so important? Because our c8-bishop has a brighter future on b7 than on the c8-h3 184

diagonal! 11.Bb3 0-0µ I would already evaluate the position as horrible for White as he does not have a way to develop his pieces and Black has ...Bb7 and ...Rae8 as very natural and strong moves. 12.f3 Qg6! the queen will feel comfortable here. 13.Ne1 trying to play d3 and somehow develop. Now we have many good moves such as ...Bb7 and ...Re8. But most of all I like the active forcing move ...a7-a5! which creates the strong threat of ...a5-a4. Black enjoys a strong initiative all over the board. A2) 10.f3! as opposed to 10.0-0 is ugly but helps White defend. 10...Qh4+ 11.Nf2 0-0„

Position after: 11...0-0„ I definitely think Black has good play here. The white pieces are very passive and misplaced. It is not really clear how White should finish his development as 12.0-0 is impossible because the h2pawn is hanging. A move such as 12.g3 would weaken White’s kingside even more. I could stop the analysis here, but I think you may like an illustrative line to see how Black develops so let us see. A2.1) 12.c3 Let us look at another example. We will not discuss theory that much. I would say that it is even rather harmful to try and memorize everything in some rare lines, yet it is very useful to see how even a 2500+ player was not able to handle this with White. 12...Nf5 13.Qb3

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Position after: 13.Qb3 13...b5?! I am not sure about the objective merits of this move, but I do give the Dutch player full credit for his boldness and fighting spirit! [13...Bxh2! looks greedy but there is no way for White to ever take advantage of the pin on the h-file. As a matter of fact, after ...Qf4 and ...Bg3 Black will be completely winning.] 14.Qxb5 Nxe3 15.dxe3 Bd7 16.Qa6 Rab8 as you can see, Black could not care less about material, he is simply going for it!

Position after: 16...Rab8

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The engine might scream White is a little better here but in a practical game even an extremely strong player could not find the right approach. 17.Be2?! Rfe8?! [Again, 17...Bxh2! makes tons of sense preparing ...Qg3!.] 18.Qa5? [18.g3! Qh5 19.e4! would have allowed White to stabilize his position. Things remain unclear but objectively White is better.] 18...Bxh2! Finally, he took it!

Position after: 18...Bxh2! Now White’s position is starting to rapidly collapse. 19.e4 h6 20.Qxa7 Qg3 21.Bd2? It is clearly unpleasant and wrong to sacrifice the b2-pawn, but apparently White could not find a better way to finally finish his development and do something about his king. After 21...Rxb2 22.0-0-0 Reb8 the game continued for a while but both sides were happy at this point. White must have thought castling was a large accomplishment while Black was objectively winning. Later his attack succeeded. [0-1 (40) Jonkman, H (2520) – Ernst, S (2462) Leeuwarden 2002.] A2.2) 12.g3 Qh5

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Position after: 12...Qh5 13.g4 [13.0-0?? Nxf3+–+] 13...Qe5!ƒ Now the h2-b8 diagonal is tremendously weak and While lacks a good move. B) 7.Nxf7?! This does not lead to an immediate disaster or a horrible position, but I tend to believe Black’s position is somewhat better now and it is easier to play with the Black pieces. 7...d5

Position after: 7...d5 B1) 8.Nxd5 Qxf7 9.Nxf6+ Qxf6 10.Qh5+ Qg6! [10...g6 11.Qxc5 Nxc2+ leads to complications 188

without clear consequences which I would rather avoid.] 11.Qxc5 Qxe4+

Position after: 11...Qxe4+ 12.Kf1 [12.Kd1 runs into a forced checkmate: 12...Bg4+ 13.f3 Bxf3+ 14.gxf3 Qxf3+ 15.Ke1 Nxc2#. A lovely end to this forcing variation!] 12...Nxc2 The difference between the previous line with ...g6 instead of ...Qg6, which I suggested we avoid, is that we are threatening not only the rook but also mate in one. This makes White lose time making clumsy moves such as Be2 when he simply loses his rook and has no compensation at all. Black is simply winning. B2) 8.Nxh8 dxc4

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Position after: 8...dxc4 Now we would love to develop the bishop, castle long and simply eat the White knight. It would be best to play ...Bg4! as this move will make White go f2-f3 which weakens the g1-a7 diagonal. That is why White would normally prevent ...Bg4. 9.h3 Be6 Now we just develop. 10.d3 0-0-0 11.Be3 cxd3 12.cxd3 Rxh8³

Position after: 12...Rxh8³ Black has two pieces for a rook and two pawns which might look like a material disadvantage. However, the pieces are obviously better in the middlegame as the white rooks lack open files. On top of that White has weak squares in the center such as d4 where the black knight is already sitting comfortably. That is why I would definitely prefer to be Black. C) 7.Bxf7+ Kf8

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Position after: 7...Kf8 Both pieces are hanging and White inevitably loses one of them. 8.f4 d6–+ 7...d5!

Position after: 7...d5! 8.Bxd5! This seems to be the best attempt for White. 191

8.Nxd5 Qxe4+ 9.Ne3 This is a remarkably similar position to the one we saw after 7.Nd3 but now White’s queenside is not blocked. On the other hand, we have convenient development after 9...Bg4!

Position after: 9...Bg4! 10.Be2 the only move. Otherwise Black wins material. 10...Nxe2 11.Qxe2 0-0-0 I think this should suffice to get a good position. Again, the white pieces are very passive. We keep White pinned all over the board, we took his key defender the light-squared bishop and we have already developed all the pieces. While there were only 5 games that reached this position OTB, in correspondence there were many more and Black achieved tremendous results. 12.d3 Qe6

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Position after: 12...Qe6 A) 13.Nxg4 This is another important line where we should know the precise solution. 13...Qxe2+ 14.Kxe2 Nxg4 15.Be3 Rhe8!

Position after: 15...Rhe8! Okay, that is enough. Being a pawn down in the endgame was not going to be appealing but now we are getting it back and, obviously, have no problems. 16.Rhe1 Nxe3 17.fxe3 Bxe3 18.Kf1 f6= The game continued a little longer and later was drawn. I think it is clear that Black has equalized by now and I would already be thinking of getting more ambitious as our bishop might prove more useful than that white knight. There is always at least a tiny bit of hope! [½-½ (25) Theodorou, N (2541) – Oparin, G (2654) Columbia 2019.] B) 13.Ng5 Although this important move was only played in one game we cannot ignore it. 13...Qc6!? 14.Nxg4 Qxg2 Now we are entering a bit of Russian Roulette as the arising position is rather sharp and the line is quite forcing. 15.Nxf6 Qxh1+ 16.Qf1 Qc6 We keep the queens on as the white king is rather weak. 17.Nfe4

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Position after: 17.Nfe4 Up to this point Black has played a great game. Now, unfortunately, he makes a mistake and later loses. By the way I would like to direct your attention to Yu’s preparation: he has played these lines at the World Blitz Championship! They might not be too dangerous, objectively, but finding the right reaction with the short time control is by no means a pleasant task, so we should do our homework diligently! 17...Rhe8! Pinning the knight and preparing ...f7-f5 is the most effective solution. [17...Bb4+? 18.c3 f5 19.cxb4 fxe4 20.Nxe4± 1-0 (36) Yu, Y (2738) – Sychev, K (2563) Moscow 2019.] 18.Qh3+™

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Position after: 18.Qh3+™ I do not want to get into too much detail here as this is an extremely rare line and you can easily work out the rest. We are already exploring a new position. Discussing such positions too deeply creates a risk of making this book five times larger than it currently is, thus ruining the point of having a practical, manageable repertoire. But, let me run you through the correct line. 18...Kb8 19.Bd2! White wants to castle and if he does he is winning with his two pieces for our rook. 19...h6! 20.Nxf7 Rd7! The knight is now trapped on f7! 21.0-0-0 Bd4! Black avoids the pitfall shown after ...Rxf7 and is now ready to grab that knight, reaching an interesting and unbalanced position. [21...Rxf7?! 22.Qh5! is a double attack on the f7-rook and the c5-bishop. Shoot!] C) 13.0-0 Rhe8 14.Qd1 [14.h3 Bh5 does not resolve White’s problems.] 14...Bh5!? I like this unexpected move as Black simply anticipates that White can play h3. This move suggests that White does not have a useful move here!

Position after: 14...Bh5!? C1) 15.Bd2 Nd5 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 Would have been White’s best bet. Now perhaps he should have tried Re1. Black is in full control. He can play ...Re6 or ...Rd6 followed by ...Rf6 or ...Rg6. Also, even ideas like ...g7-g5 make sense. C2) 15.a4? Ne4! The knight is coming to g5! 16.Qe2

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Position after: 16.Qe2 16...Qa6! Another pin after all. It is pleasant to analyze correspondence games! [16...Ng5? 17.Nxg5! Bxe2 18.Nxe6] 17.h4 Another weakening move by White. I would not want to give White advise here as his position is quite bad. After 17...f5 Black already had a decisive initiative and went on to win 18.Re1 Qg6 19.Kf1 Nf6 20.Qd2 Bxf3 21.gxf3 Qh5 22.Qa5 b6 23.Qd2 Qxf3 [0-1 Von Rosenberg, C – Wittal, W email 2008.] 8...Bg4 9.d3 0-0-0!

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Position after: 9...0-0-0! Black has already given up two(!) central pawns and he simply continues his development as if nothing happened. Now there is already a large threat to take on d5 and win a piece as White’s e-pawn is pinned while Black’s rook is also attacking d5. 10.Be3 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Now comes the brilliancy 11...Rxd5!! 12.exd5 Re8!

Position after: 12...Re8! Again, we care only about activity! 13.0-0 13.c3 Is a forced draw after all the fireworks, many top-level games have been drawn this way. 13...Nxf3+ 14.gxf3 Qh4!

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Position after: 14...Qh4! The threat of ...Rxe3+ is devastating and forces White to find the only move which is quite a clumsy one. 15.Kd2 Rxe3! 16.fxe3 Qf2+ 17.Kc1 [17.Qe2 Bxe3+ 18.Kd1 Bxf3–+] 17...Bxf3 Now White can move his queen wherever, the result is the same. 18.Qe1 Bxe3+ 19.Kb1 Bxh1 20.Qxh1 Qe2!

Position after: 20...Qe2! There is no defense to Qxd3 with a perpetual. For example, 21.a4 Qxd3+ 22.Ka2 Qc4+ 23.Kb1 Qd3+ ‰ I am sorry for this long forcing line; it might be a bit annoying to need to learn it! However, I think 198

most of Black’s moves are very intuitive and natural. We are playing for the initiative and the opponent must defend with only moves in many positions. The games between Wei Yi and Ding, Hera and Gledura, Motylev and Karjakin and some others have reached this picturesque perpetual check. The only question I have is whether all these games were actually intended to be played, or whether they were friendly draws. However, that is another story which is none of our business. Opening-wise, we are doing great! 13...Bxf3 14.gxf3 Bd6! Intending the nasty ...Qh4. 15.f4 Qh4 Besides the obvious ...Qh3, Black also threatens ...g7-g5! and it seems to me that with best play there should be a forced draw. Of course, over the board it is not easy to deal with such pressure.

Position after: 15...Qh4 16.Kh1 Defending from all the ...g7-g5 ideas in advance. 16.Bxd4 Surprisingly, White can afford such a move. It appears to be a forced draw and quite a weird one at that. We are in a situation where you need to learn a long line. However, I believe this knowledge is rewarding. 16...Bxf4 17.Kg2 Qg5+ 18.Kh1 Qh4 19.Kg2 Qg5+„

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Position after: 19...Qg5+„ 20.Kf3 the only attempt to play for a win. 20...Qh5+! 21.Kxf4 Qxh2+ 22.Kf3 Qh3+ 23.Kf4 Qh2+ 24.Kf5 g6+ 25.Kf6 Qf4+ 26.Kg7 Qxd4+ 27.Kh6

Position after: 27.Kh6 Now Black can secure a perpetual with 27...Qh4+ 28.Kg7 Qd4+ but my engine is already suspicious of White’s position claiming that after the cold-blooded 27...f5!? Black is better. Whatever, this is by no means an obligatory line to study which is why I will stop here. You always have a perpetual and can

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look for more if you are willing to. 16...Qh3

Position after: 16...Qh3 Threatening ...Nf3. 17.Rg1 Preparing the defensive ideas Rg3 or Rg2. 17...Nf3 18.Rg2 g5!

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Position after: 18...g5! And Black went on to win a brilliant attacking game 19.c4 gxf4 20.Qa4 20.Bd2 Nxd2 21.Qxd2 f3 and Black wins. 20...Kd8 Calmly protecting the rook. 21.c5 Nh4 22.Rag1 Be5 Now the threat of ...f4-f3 forces White to capture. 23.Bxf4 Nxg2 24.Rxg2 Qf3!

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Position after: 24...Qf3! Black regains the exchange; his king is much safer on d8 and soon White made some decisive mistakes. 25.Bxe5? 25.Bg3 would allow White to keep defending while after this capture the Black rook joins the attack. White’s position is just hopeless. Enjoy the rest of this masterpiece by Radjabov. 25...Rxe5 26.Qh4+ f6 27.h3 Rg5 28.Qe4 Qxh3+ 29.Kg1 f5 30.Rxg5 fxe4

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Position after: 30...fxe4 [0-1 (42) Motylev, A (2694) – Radjabov, T (2748) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.]

d) 5.Ba4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4!? 5.Ba4 Bc5!

Position after: 5...Bc5! Same story again. We develop the same therefore it is easy to remember! White is invited to take the same e5-pawn. 5...c6!? is an interesting alternative that is both sharp and less explored. I can wholeheartedly recommend this idea. Do take a look yourself if you wish to enhance your repertoire against this variation! 6.Nxe5 6.d3 0-0 7.0-0 [7.Nxe5 d6 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.Be3 d5 with strong initiative. The position is very similar to the one we are about to study and to those we have studied after 4...Nd4 5.Bc4.] 7...d6= with easy development. Now ...Bg4 is a threat. 8.Nxd4 Bxd4 9.Bg5 c6 Taking the d5-square under control. Black is doing fine here. 6...0-0

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Position after: 6...0-0 7.Nd3 A) 7.d3 d6 8.Nf3 transposes to 6.d3 0-0 7.Nxe5. B) 7.0-0 d6 8.Nd3 Bg4! Black’s initiative is too strong, White will need to part with material soon. 9.Qe1 b5!

Position after: 9...b5!

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B1) 10.Nxb5? It is worth seeing why this move loses as the idea is extremely instructive. 10...Nf3+!! 11.gxf3 Bxf3–+ All we need to do now is bring our queen somewhere close to White’s king: ...Qd7-g4 looks good. Or ...Ng4 followed by ...Qh4. There is simply no escape for White. B2) 10.Bb3 a5 Threatening ...a5-a4. Black will inevitably collect the c2-pawn as far as I can see. 11.a3 a4–+ 7...Bb6

Position after: 7...Bb6 This is the critical position of the whole 5.Ba4 system. White’s pieces are obviously very clumsy. He can try to untangle in a few ways. 8.e5 8.0-0? d5!ƒ

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Position after: 8...d5!ƒ As we know Black’s play in this variation is very aggressive and straightforward. This move is not just an attempt to trade pawns. We are preparing the deadly ...Bg4! A) 9.Nxd5 Nxd5 10.exd5 Now ...Qd5 is good but I like 10...Qh4! Threatening ...Bg4, ...Re8 (after the cunning ...c7-c6 move), maybe even our f7-pawn can run all the way up. White is in deep trouble. Just look at his knight on d3, bishop on c1 and rook on a1. Everything will become clear without further comment. 11.c4?? White does not have the time for such luxury. But, a strong player chose this move in the only existing game, so it is worth seeing how we refute it! 11...Bg4!

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Position after: 11...Bg4! 12.Qe1 [12.f3?? Nxf3+ 13.Kh1 Qxh2# This short line requires no explanations. 12.g3 here we have many wins but the easiest is 12...Bxd1 13.gxh4 Bxa4–+ winning a piece. It will not take too much time to close this out.] 12...Bf3!

Position after: 12...Bf3! We have seen this pattern in the line with 5.Ba4, 7.0-0. This is a highly instructive attacking pattern! 13.h3 [13.a3 If White makes a random move to let us our threat then we play 13...Ne2+ 14.Kh1 Bxg2+ 15.Kxg2 Qg4+ and it is quite a bummer for the White player!] 13...Qg5 14.g3 Be2 15.f4 Nf3+ White resigned as he is losing material. This demonstrates once again how difficult it can be for White to handle the arising positions. He is defending while suffering with his extra pawn and often having to run for his life. [0-1 Olaizola Ortega, L (2240) – Izeta Txabarri, F (2475) Subijana de Alava 1998.] B) 9.exd5? Bg4! 10.Qe1 c6! What is the purpose of this unexpected move?

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Position after: 10...c6! It is to prevent White’s bishop on a4 from controlling e8! 11.dxc6 Re8 12.Ne5 Ne2+ 13.Nxe2 Rxe5– + Black will win the e2-knight and the game. 8...Ne8

Position after: 8...Ne8 The d3-knight is a huge problem for White which is why after ...0-0 Black is able to sacrifice a pawn 209

and do well. 9.Nd5! 9.0-0 d6! 10.exd6 Nf6!? We sacrifice one more! 11.dxc7 Bxc7

Position after: 11...Bxc7 Then the queen goes to d6, the bishop to g4 and ideas like ...b7-b5 and ...b5-b4 are very dangerous. Even the greedy engine confirms that Black is already winning! 9...d6 10.Ne3 c6 Taking the d5-square under control, preparing to play ...Bc7 and look at h2. 11.exd6 Qxd6

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Position after: 11...Qxd6 12.c3 12.0-0 Bc7! Attacking immediately. 13.g3 b5 14.Bb3 a5–+

Position after: 14...a5–+ This is an idea you should already be familiar with. Here another problem for White is that his d3knight is hanging so he cannot play c3.

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15.c3?? Nxb3 16.axb3 Qxd3–+ wins a piece. 12...Nf5 13.Bc2 Before committing to ...0-0, White is trying to improve his queenside situation a bit which is very reasonable. 13...Nf6 14.0-0 Nxe3 15.dxe3 Bf5

Position after: 15...Bf5 Continuing with ...Rad8, ...Bc7, Black cannot have any problems.

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Part IV The Giuoco Piano Chapter 10 Aggressive Italians 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

Chapter Guide Chapter 10 – Aggressive Italians 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 a) 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.0-0, 6.cxd4 b) 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 c) 4.b4 (Evans Gambit) d) 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4 (Max Lange Gambit)

a) 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.0-0, 6.cxd4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

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Position after: 3...Bc5 For me, the Italian Game was the toughest nut to crack for this book. The reason is not theoretical problems Black encounters but a tremendous amount of transpositions. If we choose 3...Bc5, in the quiet Italian White can play: 1) d3 without c3, 2) d3 with c3, 3) advance the pawn on a4 with d3-a4 or d3-c3-a4 or 4) Try to place the pawn on b4. The gambits and side-lines were not an issue as it is quite easy to handle them provided you study the suggested lines carefully. On the other hand, 3...Nf6 is better in terms of being more straightforward but I did not want you to learn several forcing lines in the Two Knights. True, most players do not go there, but you should know everything! Finally, I have decided to stick to 3...Bc5 as the main repertoire choice as I felt it would be easier for me to rely on ideas after this move rather than variations and keep it more user friendly. My approach here is to cover in detail the side lines such as the Evans Gambit, the c3-d4 lines and explain the key ideas in the Quiet Italian. It is quite possible that we will not touch base regarding some particular move order as every player seems to have a move order of his own. But if we understand how to develop our pieces and what the typical manoeuvres are we will do well. This approach had always worked for me. I hope you will be understanding regarding this matter and that the material will be useful for you, dear friends! 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 This move shows White’s willingness to enter gambits or dynamic lines. We will deal with them without much trouble, but they do require accurate handling. 5...exd4

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Position after: 5...exd4 6.cxd4 A) 6.e5! – see the next subchapter. B) 6.0-0!? A move I had never seen before. Someone played it against me OTB and I did spend a lot of time but reacted perfectly 6...Nxe4 7.cxd4

Position after: 7.cxd4 What is the key move for Black now? 7...d5! Now the game is developing in a forcing way 8.dxc5 215

dxc4 White’s idea was not to trade queens. We take with the king, then develop with ...Be6 or ...Bd7, the king can hide on c8 if needed while the c5-pawn is very weak. 9.Qe2 Qd3 10.Re1 f5 11.Nbd2 0-0 12.Nxe4 fxe4 13.Qxe4 Bf5 the position is within the frame of equality, but I think it is a bit easier to play with Black. Later on, I went on to win a dead-equal endgame versus an opponent, who seemed very willing to make a draw. [0-1 (65) Ugroczky, P (2197) – Krykun, Y (2338) Zalakaros 2018.] 6...Bb4+

Position after: 6...Bb4+ Now we delve into the fun world of gambits and variations which were played in 18th century. Now that computers have appeared it becomes obvious most lines are fun only for Black. 7.Bd2 Is what people go for if they want to make a draw. A) 7.Nbd2 Nxe4 8.d5!

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Position after: 8.d5! That is the key idea of the line. White wants to get compensation for his pawn(s), but we have something cunning in mind 8...Nxd2 9.Bxd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 Ne7 11.d6! cxd6 12.0-0 Let us now be VERY careful.

Position after: 12.0-0 You are two pawns up, but you are not winning. Our development is very difficult as the doubled dpawns block our queenside. That is why the key move idea here is 12...d5! 13.Bxd5 0-0 14.Rad1 Nxd5 There were many games like this, and after 15.Qxd5 d6! 217

Position after: 15...d6! This is the simplest way to go. We give up another pawn and reach a symmetrical position. After 16.Qxd6 Qxd6 17.Rxd6 Be6 18.b3 Rad8 19.Rfd1 Rxd6 20.Rxd6 Rc8 I still feel it could be possible (even though it is very difficult) to play for a win. Especially if White does not exchange the knight for the bishop immediately because in the long run our bishop is better! B) 7.Nc3 an old gambit line. It does require a bit of patience during the studying process and attention while handling, but theoretically Black’s route is very easy and well-known. 7...Nxe4 8.0-0 Bxc3

Position after: 8...Bxc3 218

9.d5! The key stab for White in these positions. [9.bxc3 d5! and there is nothing to be afraid of, you are just a pawn up.] 9...Bf6 10.Re1 [10.dxc6 bxc6 and Black is almost winning, it is just two free pawns and we follow with ...d7-d5.] 10...Ne7 11.Rxe4 d6 12.Bg5 Bxg5 13.Nxg5 h6

Position after: 13...h6 Over time White has tried many moves here but I am just giving the crucial try and how to handle it. The rest lead to bad positions or near losses for White so he plays 14.Qe2! hxg5 15.Re1 and now the key idea, which is a well-known solution for Black, is 15...Be6 16.dxe6 f6µ. It may appear as though Black is in danger or that the e6-pawn is about to promote, but Black is going to play ...c6, ...Qc7, ...d5 and then he can easily long castle. White is doomed to defend an awful position where Black has the center and extra material.

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Position after: 7.Bd2 7...Nxe4!? I have decided to briefly analyze this so that you do have an option to play for a win vs the Bd2 variation. Please do investigate the details yourself if you feel this line appeals to you. Now 8.Bxf7+ more or less transposes to the main line or leads to very similar positions. 7...Bxd2+ 8.Nbxd2 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5

Position after: 9...Nxd5 220

A) 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 Bg4 12.h3 Bh5= Is a great position for Black as all of his pieces are active. Then you can go ...Nf4 in some situations or centralize the queen and rooks by means of ...Qd7/...Qd6, ...Rfe8 and ...Rad8. B) 10.Qb3 Na5 11.Qa4+ Nc6 now 12.Qb3 Na5 forces a repetition if Black wants. If you are looking to avoid this, on move 10 or 12 you can instead play ...Nce7, which leads to a slightly passive, yet completely playable position as White has an isolated pawn and you can outplay your lower-rated opponent in the long-run. 8.Bxb4 Nxb4 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qb3+

Position after: 10.Qb3+ 10...Kf8 10...d5 Is playable I just do not feel like weakening the e5-square. But that is a good move as well! 11.Qxb4+ Qe7 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 13.0-0

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Position after: 13.0-0 And now the following game will give you an idea of how you can slowly outplay your opponent in this equal endgame. 13...Kd8 14.Re1 Nf6 15.Ng5 Rf8 16.Nc3 h6

Position after: 16...h6 We have a few long-term assets such as the bishop which we hope will prove the more useful piece 222

than the White knight as well as the better pawn structure. However, White is somewhat better developed so it is rather crucial to extinguish his activity as our trumps are long-lasting. Once White runs out of active moves or threats his position is going to be clearly worse. 17.Nge4 Ne8 18.Re3 d6 19.Rc1 Bd7 20.d5 a5!? A nice and remarkable manoeuvre. Black wants the a8-rook to participate in the game but activating it via e8 or a different path is not a very realistic thing to strive for! Now the rook is entering the game very smoothly. 21.Ne2 a4!

Position after: 21...a4! Black is taking space and preparing ...Ra5. Please note that now the d5-pawn is becoming a bit of a nuisance for White! 22.Nd4? Just a blunder. 22.N2c3! would have still maintained the balance. 22...Ra5! 23.Nc3 Nf6! Shoot, now that d5-pawn is a real issue! 24.Ne6+ Bxe6 25.dxe6 Re8

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Position after: 25...Re8 Okay, Black did not manage to win that pawn immediately but now the e6-pawn is weak while we have this incredibly useful pawn mass in the center. Black has moves such as ...d6-d5, ...c7-c5 and ...d5-d4 coming! Black already has a clear edge and went on to demonstrate his fine technique in a game that I would highly suggest you fully study as this line is something many players find problematic in practical settings. Study it and you will beat a countless number of weaker opponents who crave for a draw! [0-1 (54) Kosteniuk, A (2541) – Kramnik, V (2760) Sochi 2014.]

b) 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5! This is the critical choice and a really promising line for White. 6...d5

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Position after: 6...d5 The main move has always been Bb5, but Be2 has become rather trendy of late. 7.Bb5 7.Be2 and now while ...Ne4 is clearly a good move, there are some reasons which make me prefer another continuation partially because it is very forcing and clarifies the position immediately. 7...d3! now 8.Qxd3? Ng4! is bad for White so 8.exf6 dxe2 9.Qxe2+ Kf8

Position after: 9...Kf8 225

This was played in several games. After both Bg5 and fxg7+ Black did well. Let us see a few brief examples: A) 10.Bg5 Qd6! 11.0-0 Bg4! [11...gxf6?? 12.Bh6+ Kg8 13.Qe8++–] 12.Nbd2 h6! 13.fxg7+ Kxg7 14.Be3 Rae8 the same story repeats itself where the two bishops provide Black with a great position along with his extra central pawn. B) 10.fxg7+ Kxg7 11.0-0 Re8 12.Qd2 Kg8 13.Qd3 Ne7!? Then ...c6, ...Bd6, ...Bf5.

Position after: 13...Ne7!? Black’s king is completely safe while White really misses that light-squared bishop! Black has the bishop pair thus in any endgame he will have a large advantage. Right now, White maintains equality thanks to the presence of queens. 7...Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6

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Position after: 8...Bb6 Now the position gets tricky due to transpositions. White can castle with either Be3 or h3 coming. Our ideas are very straightforward so you should not get in trouble as long as you are careful. 9.Nc3 9.0-0 0-0 10.h3 Baadur Jobava has been a hero of this variation for White having played it 6-7 times with wins in most games. He even played it against Kramnik! But I think noted coach and theoretician Sakaev reacted quite well in the following encounter 10...Bd7 11.Ba4 Ne7!

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Position after: 11...Ne7! The same idea as one we encounter in other lines of this variation. 12.Bc2 c5 13.Nc3 Bf5 14.Re1?? Nxf2!! 15.Kxf2 cxd4

Position after: 15...cxd4 Black gets his piece back. He is completely winning but unfortunately later lost the thread and even went on to lose despite having some extra pawns. While that is a pity our opening repertoire contains a great solution! 16.Kg3 dxc3 17.bxc3 Rc8 18.Bg5 Bxc2 19.Qxc2 Qd7–+ At this point Black had the much better position as well as extra material. The result does not impact the fact that the opening was handled very smoothly and instructively. [1-0 (45) Jobava, B (2673) – Sakaev, K (2594) Minsk 2015.] 9...0-0

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Position after: 9...0-0 10.Be3 10.0-0? It is not a good idea to castle without first playing h3 as now ...Bg4 is quite annoying. This is the only case where we deviate from our favourite ...Ne7 setups as they are less favorable now since White did not commit to Be3. Here is a simple reply and a more aggressive solution. 10...f6 11.exf6 Nxf6 intending ...Ne4, ...Bg4, ...Qd6, maybe ...Ne7-g6/f5, ...c6-Bc7. It is a great position. The only interesting try for White I can see is 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.h3!? preventing ...Bg4, this is the only challenging idea.

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Position after: 13.h3!? It is not a problem, but it is now crucial to understand how to arrange the pieces. [13.Ne5?! c5!³ The white knight on e5 in fact is very unstable as the d4-pawn will be eliminated on the next move. I believe Black is simply better.] A) 13...c5!? It is not a bad move, but it initiates a tactical mess which I would not want you to be forced into. Feel free to investigate this though if you feel like going for complicated stuff. 14.dxc5 Bxc5 15.Bg5 c6 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Nxd5!?

Position after: 17.Nxd5!? 17...Qg6 [17...cxd5? 18.Qxd5+ Be6 19.Qxc5±] 18.Rc1 Bxh3 19.Nh4 with a mess which peters out into a quiet position after something like 19...Qh6 20.Rxc5 Qxh4 21.Ne3² B) 13...Bf5!? 14.Bg5 Qd6 There is absolutely no need for complications! Simple moves such as ...Rae8 and ...Ne4 will do the job of providing a great position. 10...Ne7!?

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Position after: 10...Ne7!? 10...Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 is the main line where White can castle or play Qc2. The latter option has been all the rage among top players as of late. I am not sure how much I like this line. The reason is that it is rather forcing, while I prefer to base the repertoire on ideas instead of memorization. 11.Bd3 This may be White’s most testing move. Now some strong players have tried taking on c3 or going f5, but I trust Harikrishna’s choice. Is my trust because he is a top player or a Chessable author? ☺ Whatever the reason we follow his play. 11.0-0 Lets Black reveal one of his major ideas 11...f6! 12.exf6 Nxf6= then we go c6, trade bishops with ...Bf5 as a response to Bd3 or play ...Nf5/ ...Ng6, ...Bc7, ...Nf4, the queen can go to d6 in some positions or to e8-g6/h5 in others. Black’s position is simply great here. 11...Bf5! 12.0-0 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Qd7

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Position after: 13...Qd7 Speaking of this position, I need to mention the following ideas. White has an extra pawn in the center while ours is on the queenside. In some positions our ideas may include ...f7-f6 but sometimes we can go for ...Rc8-c5 which helps activate our bishop and create certain pressure on White’s center. The engine tends to prefer White slightly here because of space but I have a lot of trust in Black’s position as it is very flexible while containing active ideas and we have no weaknesses. I think the best move for White is 14.Nh4! when we continue 14...Bxd3 15.Qxd3 and now Hari chose the interesting blockading plan ...f7-f5!? but I think another good solution would be 15...f6

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Position after: 15...f6 16.f4 16.exf6 Rxf6∞ gives great counter play on the f-file. 16...Qa4!? A very unexpected move. The queen is going to ...c4! If White trades we will get the fantastic d5square for the knight. If he does not trade then the queen is well placed there as it controls even the f1square which comes in handy if the f-file opens up. Lastly, with the queen on c4 it keeps an eye on the queenside.

c) 4.b4 (Evans Gambit) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 One significant upside of 3...Bc5 is the absence of dangerous gambit lines. After 3...Nf6 both 4.Ng5 and 4.d4 are serious and challenging options. Instead after 3...Bc5 while White does have such attempts as the Evans gambit or the old lines that people used to go for back in 19th century, it is well-known that Black not only does not have any theoretical concerns but also he does not need to know all that much and that in the overwhelming majority of cases the moves we make are very natural and seem to be called for. It is especially important to study the variations below carefully as we definitely don not want to fall victim to some of those unsophisticated pitfalls! 4.b4

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Position after: 4.b4 The Evans Gambit is not threatening from the theoretical perspective, but it definitely can make you feel uncomfortable if you face it unprepared. It is worth studying the arising positions in some detail. You would do well if you learn the first 10-12 moves by heart and go over the explanations/ideas in further variations. However, if you want to learn more it would not hurt. 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Be7! The simplest continuation in my opinion. Black should not try to hold on to his extra material. As in many gambits the simplest solution is to return the material and get a good position and/or structure. 6.d4 Na5

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Position after: 6...Na5 7.Be2 A) 7.Nxe5 was rendered harmless a long time ago. Black simply returns the pawn to get the bishop pair and a better structure. White does gain some time, but his long-term weaknesses remain very noticeable. 7...Nxc4 8.Nxc4 d5 9.exd5 Qxd5 10.Ne3 Qa5 11.0-0 Nf6 12.c4 0-0 Now that Black has castled it is time to turn our attention toward White’s somewhat weak central pawns.

Position after: 12...0-0

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After 13.Bb2 c6! restricts the d4-pawn and prevents any d4-d5 related ideas. Black will now continue with ...Be6 and ...Rad8 to start applying pressure on d4. 14.Nd2 Be6 15.Nf3 Rad8. As you can see this is exactly what has happened. Our moves are extremely easy and intuitive. At this point White is already just worse and most importantly, he does not have any counter play! Black went on to win a lovely game. We will leave it here as we need to keep the size of this work manageable! [0-1 (38) Munoz Pantoja, M (2441) – Van Foreest, J (2548) Berlin 2015.] B) 7.Bd3!? This line is similar to Be2. While I would ask you to commit it to memory, do try to understand the similar ideas that work in all these lines. I will present one new tactical pattern for now. 7...d6 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Nxe5 Nf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nd2

Position after: 11.Nd2 11...Ng4!? Black can benefit from the hanging d3-bishop. Here we can stop as we have the better structure. Our goal is to trade a few minor pieces, reach an endgame and use our superior queenside structure. 7...d6!

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Position after: 7...d6! Instead of keeping the pawn and giving White the initiative, I prefer to return one pawn to reach a comfortable situation where the opponent cannot create any pressure. Now, White mostly tries two moves: 8.Qa4+ and 8.dxe5. A transposition can be 8.dxe5 dxe5 Qa4+ which is the same line. 7...exd4 and now both 8.Qxd4 and 8.cxd4 provide White active piece play as compensation for the pawn. 8.Qa4+ 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Qxd8+ [9.Qa4+ c6 is a direct transposition to the main line.] 9...Bxd8 10.Nxe5 Nf6 11.f3

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Position after: 11.f3 A) 11...Nd7 This game is quite a good demonstration of what Black should aim for. 12.Bf4 Nxe5 13.Bxe5 0-0 14.Nd2 Re8 15.Bg3 Be6 16.0-0 c6

Position after: 16...c6 17.Rfb1?! clearly opting for the wrong plan. 17...Bf6 18.e5 Be7 19.Ne4 Red8 20.Nd6 It may seem as though White has achieved something as the d6-knight is beautiful. However, it does not attack anything as it is easy to protect the queenside pawns, particularly b7, but also Black can easily

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undermine the knight’s position with ...f7-f6. After 20...Rd7 Black went on to win a good game. [0-1 (65) Braeuning, R (2285) – Stein, R (2318) Magdeburg 2019.] B) 11...0-0!? This is a good move but not obligatory. Here we can stop. White has an extra pawn in the center while Black has one on the queenside and his structure is a bit better. Normally an extra pawn on the queenside tends to matter more as we approach the endgame, that is why the right plan is to trade a few pieces here. For example, White’s active knight on e5. What I would suggest as a follow-up is ...Be6, ...Nd7 (trading/chasing the knight). Then we will centralize the rooks with ...Rad8, maybe ...Rfe8 or ...f7-f5 with the rook on f8. The a5-knight can either return to c6 or go to c4 if possible which is a great outpost. This is definitely a good position. 8...c6 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Nxe5 Nf6 11.0-0

Position after: 11.0-0 This position arises more or less by force. It seems Black has a few attractive options such as ...b5, ...Qc7, ...0-0. I will suggest one of them but feel free to investigate others if you wish. I do not believe Black has any issues in our main line. 11...Qc7! Now White can either commit to some upcoming kingside play with f2-f4 which does grab space but can weaken the position, so it is a rather committal decision, or retreat with Nf3. There are some other moves such as Nd3, but we cannot analyze every single move in a not so topical position. 12.Nf3 This has been the main choice of most players. 239

12.f4 0-0 13.Nd2 Be6 14.Ndf3 White may consider f4-f5, which he could not do a move ago as his knight was hanging. Also, he can aim for Nd4.

Position after: 14.Ndf3 That is why we make the prophylactical move 14...Bd6!³ I think Black is simply better. The next moves are ...b7-b6 (so the a7-pawn never hangs after Be3), ...Rad8 then maybe ...c6-c5. 12...0-0 13.Bg5 Re8 14.Nbd2 And now the following idea, which is typical of many Italian positions, appeals to me 14...h6!

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Position after: 14...h6! 15.Bh4 Of course, other moves are worse: A) 15.Bxf6 Bxf6³ B) 15.Be3 Ng4µ 16.Bd4?! Bd7 and ...c6-c5 will come with huge effect. 15...Nh5 16.Bxe7 Nf4!

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Position after: 16...Nf4! Better than 16...Rxe7?! 17.e5! Whatever White does now, Black simply takes the bishop. Please do not blunder the a5-knight!

d) 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4 (Max Lange Gambit) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4

Position after: 5.d4 We have nearly reached the slow Italian Game lines, but we must delve back into the world of gambits for just a bit longer. The gambit with 5.d4 is especially popular at the youth championships and it enjoys popularity with the club players but do not take it too lightly as sometimes it can also be used at the highest level! To give you an example, Dubov played it against Radjabov at a Grand Prix event in the summer of 2019. White sacrifices the central pawn to develop his pieces rapidly and to get a new asset, the bishop pair with the unique unopposed dark-squared bishop since we took on d4 with our dark squared bishop. There are two variations: (1) the old one where White hurries to play f2-f4 and (2) the more modern one where White keeps the pawn on f2 for a while. I suggest that you pay significant attention to the latter option as it is rather easy to go wrong and get an uncomfortable position. You will need to keep a few specific ideas in mind. The bright side is that Black’s ideas are not that unnatural or difficult to understand and keep in mind. You just need to study them carefully. The reward for this study is likely to be a better position after the opening. 5...Bxd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4

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Position after: 6...Nxd4 7.f4 7.Bg5 This move is significantly less frequent than 7.f4 but lately it has been catching up in popularity. 7...h6

Position after: 7...h6 I believe it is important to include ...h6 to always have ...g7-g5 eliminating the pin.

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A) 8.f4 This is another attempt which is wrong because of the following principled reply. 8...hxg5! 9.fxe5 Nc6 10.exf6 gxf6µ

Position after: 10...gxf6µ Black is simply a pawn up although his kingside structure looks a bit ugly. We have another important asset besides our material advantage which is the e5-square for the knight! With the knight on e5 we do not need to fear any ghosts. Let us take a more detailed look. 11.Nc3 it is logical to get the knight into the game and to prepare Nd5. 11...Ne5 12.Be2 d6 13.Nd5 Rh6!µ Another key defensive move. Black will continue with ...c6 and ...Be6. Then he will develop the queen and prepare long castling. Also, instead of castling he can just go ...Ke7, as the king would be extremely secure there thanks to the powerful e5-knight and pawns on d6 and on the f-file. B) 8.Bh4 B1) 8...g5? 9.f4!! This is White’s big idea, but we will not analyze it in this book. Suffice it to say that White’s initiative is not only dangerous, but it is also objectively strong. White keeps the advantage here. B2) 8...Qe7!

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Position after: 8...Qe7! Key move! However, this defensive idea is rather typical, we also use it after 7.f4. The point is simple as we prepare to meet f2-f4 with ...Qc5! 9.f4! White must take the bait and go for the complications. Otherwise his previous play would not be justified. [9.Nc3?! Let us look at this move, and we will learn how to react to pretty much any other move but 9.f4. 9...g5! Black simply gets rid of the pin. 10.Bg3 d6µ Now White will never be able to go f2-f4 and his g3-bishop is useless. Soon Black will play ...Be6 then he can choose what to do with his king. Black may castle short, but it also makes sense to keep it in the center or castle long which allows Black to try to launch a kingside attack with ...h5-h4.] 9...Qc5

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Position after: 9...Qc5 Black attacks the bishop and threatens a discovered check such as ...Nf3 attacking the h4-bishop. Now a very forcing line begins. 10.fxe5™ [10.Bd3?? This move, just as any other one, simply loses the bishop. 10...Nf3+ 11.Kh1 Nxh4–+] 10...Nf3+ 11.Kh1 Nxh4 12.exf6 Qxc4 13.fxg7 Rg8

Position after: 13...Rg8 Now it is time to stop and evaluate the consequences of the complications. White is a piece down, he has just one pawn for it and it looks like this pawn is about to be lost. However, Black’s king is not very comfortable in the center and Black will need quite a lot of time to develop his queenside pieces. I believe that White has definite compensation here. However, with a few precise moves Black will extinguish White’s initiative reaching a position where White’s compensation will only be enough to fight for equality. 14.Nc3 c6! This is another crucial move as it prevents Nd5. 15.Qh5 Ng6 I believe that at this point White’s initiative is already vanishing.

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Position after: 15...Ng6 Now the engine suggests Rae1 giving up the g7-pawn. However, it still thinks that Black is better so I will not analyze this position in detail any further. Instead, I will just show how to continue after White’s most natural (and wrong!) move. 16.Qxh6? d6 17.Qh7 Ne7 Now it turns out that White’s g7-pawn does not help him in any way. We will just go ...Be6 to prepare long castling. Later, Black will try to win the g7-pawn by means of ...Qd4, or ...Qc5-g5. Most likely, White will give it up even earlier as keeping the queen on h7 does not seem to be the right thing to do. 7...d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Bg5 Qe7!

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Position after: 9...Qe7! 10.Na3 10.c3 Ne6 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Na3 Rg8µ

Position after: 12...Rg8µ Black simply goes ...Bd7, ...0-0-0. Now he can either install the knight on f4 to create pressure on g2 or push the h-pawn all the way up if White ever goes g2-g3. We are the one with the initiative and a pawn! 10...Rg8!?

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Position after: 10...Rg8!? This might seem like a mysterious move but in fact Black is simply getting ready to go ...Ne6 forcing White to take and obtain the same position as in the previous line. Now c3 just transposes. Other attempts could be something like Qd3 or Kh1. Rather than delve deeply into all of this I will give one possible line. 11.Kh1 Bd7 12.Qe1 0-0-0 13.Qf2 Be6!

Position after: 13...Be6! 249

And now remember the key idea: 14.Bxe6+ Nxe6 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Qxf6? Qxf6 17.Rxf6 Rd2!µ

Position after: 17...Rd2!µ In this line the last thing White wants is to trade queens by regaining the pawn as this normally gives Black a tremendous initiative. Here Black happily invades on the 2nd rank and makes a shambles of White’s position.

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Chapter 11 Classical Italians 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6

Chapter Guide Chapter 11 – Classical Italians 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6 a) 7.Bb3 (Traditional approach) b) 7.a4 Ba7 8.-- (Modern approach) c) 7.a4 Ba7 8.Bg5, 8.Re1 0-0 9.Bg5

a) 7.Bb3 (Traditional approach) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

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Position after: 3...Bc5 By first playing 4.d3 or 4.c3 followed by 5.d3 we will reach the same positions. 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6 Lately the ...a7-a5-approach has been really popular with top GMs, but I think placing the pawn on a6 entails easier ideas and can be applied almost universally. Why do we make this move? Most importantly, we prepare the a7-square for our bishop to retreat to should it be attacked with b2-b4. Now, it would be normal for White to develop with Bb3, Nbd2 and a4. All these moves can transpose one into another. Let us first take a look at d3-d4. This may seem illogical on the one hand as White achieves d2-d4 in two moves, but on the other hand might be attractive for some White players as it seems to be opening the game up when the Black king still is not castled. 7.Bb3 7.d4 Ba7 8.dxe5 Nxe5 Of course the only idea that makes sense for White is to trade and go for forcing play 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8

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Position after: 10...Kxd8 A) 11.Bxf7 This initiates the following forcing sequence: 11...Rf8 12.Bc4 Nxe4 (the f2-pawn cannot be defended so White should trade) 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.fxe3 Rxf1+ 15.Kxf1 Ke7.

Position after: 15...Ke7 Now playing 16.Na3 is silly, so it is logical to prepare Nd2. 16.Ke1 Bf5 Black simply keeps developing 17.Nd2 Nxd2 18.Kxd2 Rd8+ 19.Ke1 Be4 Now after 20.g3 Black can try 20...Bf3 or 20...Rd6 then the rook can go to h6, b6 or another square. Or if you are satisfied with equality simply 253

trade rooks and shake hands. This is not a line to fear. B) 11.Nd2 might be objectively better as White does not attain anything in the forcing variation, but after the simple 11...Ke7 12.Nf3 Be6 Black is doing great. Pay attention to Black’s hidden treasure which is the bishop on a7! 13.Nxe5 [13.Bxe6 Kxe6³] 13...Nxe4

Position after: 13...Nxe4 B1) 14.Bf4 I thought it would make sense to include this high-level game with this line. I do not think we have any issues here, but it would be nice to see another example of how this position was handled. 14...Rhe8 Black simply centralizes the rook. All the pieces should be active! 15.Bd3 Nf6 16.Rfe1 Kf8 It is nice to escape the pin down the e-file so that we can later move this bishop and avoid any potential inconveniences.

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Position after: 16...Kf8 17.Bc4 Rad8 now the threat is to take on c4 and jump to e4 with the knight attacking f2! White already needs to be somewhat careful. 18.Bxe6 Rxe6 19.Nf3 Ne4 This is going to be a draw, but Black is the one pressing for an edge. 20.Kf1

Position after: 20.Kf1 20...Bb6 [20...Bxf2!? could have been a way to push for the win. After 21.Bxc7 Rd7 White needs to be extremely precise as both the c7-bishop as well as the e1-rook are hanging. 22.Ne5™ 22...Rxc7 255

23.Rxe4 Ba7³ This should remain within the contours of equality, but any strong player would pick the side with the bishop versus a knight. Black is not risking anything and can keep trying to squeeze the full point for a little longer.] 21.Ng5 Apparently Black was not that keen on winning and considered an easy draw a good result with the Black pieces. Fair enough! Our opening outcome was a clear success, but I wish Black obtained even more. [½-½ Savchenko, B (2615) – Nielsen, P (2681) Helsingor 2011.] B2) 14.Bxe6 Kxe6 15.Nf3 Rhe8 16.Bf4 Bb6 17.Rae1 Kf5!?

Position after: 17...Kf5!? I could have stopped the line earlier, but I like this fun and active move. In endgames the king is the key piece! 18.Be3 Bxe3 19.Rxe3 Nd6 20.Rfe1 Rxe3 21.Rxe3 Re8 22.Rxe8 Nxe8= Of course it was possible for both sides to keep more pieces on the board, but it is rather balanced. If you want you can keep pushing for a win in any position of this kind. Also, even here Black’s king is a bit more active! We are also analyzing the trendy plans with a2-a4 but let us also see what happens if White plays this old, classic manner. He is likely to continue with Nbd2, h2-h3, Re1, and so on. 7...Ba7

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Position after: 7...Ba7 We almost always make this move which avoids any potential trouble related to d3-d4 or b2-b4 where White could win a tempo on our bishop. Then we will almost automatically continue with the quiet little move ...h7-h6. Quiet? In this chapter we will try to extract the best out of the typical modern chess ideas to give White as hard of a time as possible! I have tried to keep things clear and simple. In some principled variations we do need to react in direct ways and if we do the reward will be extremely high! White has several options such as 8.Nbd2, 8.Re1, 8.h3. While these moves are likely to end up transposing into each other I would like to go as far as to claim that h2-h3 is a rather serious mistake in most of these positions which immediately gives Black the upper hand! 8.Nbd2 This is arguably the most natural move in the position as well as the most frequent one. A) 8.Re1 h6

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Position after: 8...h6 9.h3? As we know h2-h3 is a mistake because it provides a hook for our upcoming attack. The ...g7g5 plan is extremely fresh though so it is no surprise that even some of the best players such as Nepo and Leko have made this mistake which allows Black to play ... g7-g5 under even better circumstances! [9.Nbd2 g5 and we transpose to the 8.Nbd2 lines.] 9...g5

Position after: 9...g5 I think White’s position is already bad.

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A1) 10.Be3? g4 11.hxg4 Bxe3 12.Rxe3 Nxg4 13.Re1 Qf6 Learn from Anand as he plays it absolutely perfectly! So does Wei Yi. 14.Nbd2 Bd7 [14...h5!?N Was also very interesting but Black needs to develop the bishop and castle so it is logical to do that first.] 15.Nf1 0-0-0 16.Ne3 Rdg8

Position after: 16...Rdg8 Annotations are not needed, just enjoy the slaughter. Oh, sorry, I meant to say enjoy the show. 17.Nd5 Qg7 ideas like ...Nxf2 are already hanging in the air 18.g3 h5! 19.Kf1 h4! 20.gxh4 f5!. Even the machine could not handle it better than Vishy! 21.exf5 Bxf5 [21...Rf8! was even more brutal, preparing to take on f5 with the rook and to double/triple down the f-file.] 22.Qd2 Rf8 23.Ne3 Bd7 24.Bd5 Nf6 25.Bxc6 Bxc6 26.Ng5 Qg6 27.Ke2 Rxh4

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Position after: 27...Rxh4 The white king has not found any peace even in the center. 28.Rg1 Qh5+ 29.Ke1 Ng4 30.Nxg4 Rxg4 31.Rxg4 Qxg4

Position after: 31...Qxg4 I am sorry, but I could not have cut this game short at any point it is simply too impressive! By the way, this is definitely not something White is expecting when he plays 3.Bc4 heading for the calm Italian battles! [0-1 (31) Khanin, S (2514) – Anand, V (2773) St Petersburg 2018.]

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A2) 10.d4? g4 11.hxg4

Position after: 11.hxg4 11...Nxg4 was very strong and quickly lead Black to a winning position in the game Srinath – Kantans, even though he later lost. [11...Rg8!?N Is also very interesting but we do not need to discuss multiple ways to obtain an advantage. One good continuation will do!] 12.Na3 Qf6 13.Nc2 Rg8 14.Bd5 Bd7 15.Bxc6

Position after: 15.Bxc6

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15...bxc6?! I am not sure about this recapture. [15...Bxc6 16.Qd3 0-0-0–+ Would have been a lot cleaner securing the king’s safety before preparing to finish off White on the kingside.] 16.Qd3 Ke7 17.Be3 Black was still somewhat better, but it is definitely a lot less clear with this slightly messed up structure and with the king on e7 than it would have been after ...Bxc6 and long castling. What happened later is a pity as Black handled the opening extraordinarily well! [1-0 (32) Srinath, R (2363) – Kantans, T (2510) Stockholm 2018.] A3) 10.Nh2 Rg8 [10...g4 11.hxg4 Rg8 would be equally good, transposing.] 11.Be3 g4 12.hxg4 Nxg4 13.Qf3

Position after: 13.Qf3 13...Rg7 [13...Qe7!?µ I like this move a lot as well, preparing the typical ...Bd7 and long castling. Again, Black has a free attack!] 14.Bxa7 Nxh2 15.Kxh2 Qh4+ 16.Kg1 Bg4 17.Qe3 [17.Qg3! Would have been White’s best chance reaching a slightly worse endgame. 17...Qxg3 18.fxg3 Nxa7³] 17...Nxa7 18.Nd2 Nc6 19.g3 Qh3 Black was clearly in the driver’s seat even though later the tricky Nepo managed to bail out with half a point. ½-½ [(35) Nepomniachtchi, I (2775) – Karjakin, S (2748) Zagreb 2019.] B) 8.h3 h6 is going to transpose to what we study after 8.Re1 or 8.Nbd2. C) 8.Be3 This is a very different type of structure.

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Position after: 8.Be3 At this point I think that Black has two good ways of handling this. He can take on e3 as I love those structures for Black. But, it also makes sense to simply castle inviting White to capture. 8...Bxe3 [8...0-0 9.Nbd2 h6 10.h3 Na5 11.Bc2 c5!? is also very interesting, feel free to check this out yourself!] 9.fxe3 Ne7 Now our plan is crystal clear: we will castle, continue with ...Ng6, ...c7-c6 and ...d7-d5.

Position after: 9...Ne7

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Only one game has reached this position and the weird 10.Nh4 was played there. The more natural way to go is something like h2-h3 or Nbd2 when we would simply stick to the aforementioned plan. 10.Nbd2 [10.Nh4 Ng6 11.Nf5 0-0 12.Nd2 c6 13.Qf3 d5 Black had no problems and eventually won. 0-1 (80) Bojkov, D (2475) – Korneev, O (2583) Bethune 2004.] 10...Ng6 Again, we will simply castle and play ...c7-c6 and ...d6-d5 restricting the b3-bishop and grabbing space in the center. Later, ideas like ...Bd7, ...Qc7, ...Rad8 and ..Rfe8 would make sense. Black is doing great. 8...h6!

Position after: 8...h6! A little quiet move taking the g5-square under control. Why do we play this? Now most White players have continued 9.Re1 but 9.h3 and 9.Nc4 also make sense. 8...0-0 9.h3 h6 10.Re1 Re8 11.Nf1 Be6 12.Ng3 d5 13.Qe2 Qd7 14.Bc2 9.Re1 This has been White’s main move. It is a very natural continuation and importantly, it does not weaken White’s king, which proves crucial especially against our hyper-aggressive ...g7-g5-g4 plan. A) 9.h3? g5!

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Position after: 9...g5! There you go! Black has not committed to short castling now the plan is to push ...g5-g4, move the bishop there and follow with ...Rg8, ...Nh5, ...Qe7/d7/f6, ...0-0-0 and slaughter the white king! A1) 10.Nh2 This defensive move has also been essayed but after 10...g4! 11.hxg4 Rg8!

Position after: 11...Rg8! Black develops a tremendously powerful initiative and is already a lot better. 12.Qf3 at this point several moves make sense but the best one is the calm prophylactic 12...Rg7! which has only been 265

seen in one game.

Position after: 12...Rg7! What is the idea behind this continuation? We want to capture the g4-pawn with the knight without blundering mate on f7, so we just protect that f7 square. White is already in deep trouble even though he managed to win the game. 13.g5 hxg5 14.g4 Nh7 [14...Be6! 15.Nc4 Nd7 16.Ne3 Bxe3 17.fxe3 Qe7µ would have led to a nearly winning position where Black would castle long and continue with moves like ...Rh8, ...Rgh7 and ...Nf8-g6-h4 developing a rather decisive attack without needing to sacrifice a mere pawn!] 15.Nc4 Nf8 16.Ne3 Ng6? In my opinion, it was necessary to take on e3. Now White manages to stabilize the situation thanks to the powerful knight and later he even managed to win. Anyway, the way Black handled the opening was absolutely magnificent! [1-0 (27) Stukopin, A (2556) – Berczes, D (2501) Richardson 2014.] A2) 10.Nc4 g4 11.hxg4 Bxg4

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Position after: 11...Bxg4 Now the typical plan is ...Nh7-g5, bringing one more piece to the attack. 12.Be3 Nh7!N While this move was tried 8 times in correspondence games it is a novelty in OTB play. The idea behind it is absolutely lovely. 13.Bxa7 Ng5!!

Position after: 13...Ng5!! We could not care less about that bishop on a7, the attack is what we go for! 14.Ncd2 [The idea is revealed after 14.Be3?? Nxf3+ 15.gxf3 Bh3 there is no defense to ...Qh4, ...Rg8+ White is already 267

dead lost, the touchdown will come soon.] 14...Nxa7!

Position after: 14...Nxa7! It is very important that we capture with the knight to preserve our castling rights. After the knight recapture, we continue with ...Qf6 and long castling, getting our king to a safe spot while also setting up the attack against its White counterpart. 15.Qe2 Qf6‚ Black’s advantage is undeniable, even though all the correspondence games ended in a draw. It is rather difficult to beat those engines! B) 9.Nc4

Position after: 9.Nc4 268

While this move is not challenging by any means, it is highly important to mention it as this is one of the very situations where we need to stick to a different plan rather than the usual attacking one! B1) 9...g5?! does not work out as well here as in other lines. After 10.Be3 the White knight can even return back to d2 and his setup is rather harmonious at this point. B2) 9...0-0 is also good but that would lead us into some standard Italian positions that we have been trying to avoid. B3) 9...Ne7!? The knight is quickly getting re-routed to g6. This is the easiest way to get a good game. For example: B3.1) 10.d4 This is a direct attempt to take the bull by the horns that was essayed twice in correspondence games, but we do not have any problems here. 10...exd4 11.e5! [11.cxd4? Nxe4 is just a free pawn.] 11...dxe5 12.Ncxe5 0-0 13.Nxd4

Position after: 13.Nxd4 At this point I would like to suggest an improvement over 13...c5, which was seen in both games. [½-½ (57) Pommerel Brouwer, W (2416) – Burri, P (2066) ICCF email 2009.] 13...Bxd4!?N 14.cxd4 Nf5 We immediately put pressure on the isolated White pawn reaching an even more promising position. For example, after 15.Nf3 Re8 16.Re1 Rxe1+ 17.Qxe1 Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Qxd4³ White might find compensation for the missing pawn, but Black is clearly the one pushing for the win. B3.2) 10.Be3N 10...b5!? 11.Ncd2 Bxe3 12.fxe3 Ng6„ Following with ...0-0, possibly ...c7-c6 and ...d6-d5, or ...a6-a5, ...Rb8 and ...b5-b4. Black has no problems whatsoever. 9...g5!

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Position after: 9...g5! Nevertheless! 10.Nf1 This has been the absolute main move, and that is what Adams, Gledura, Andriasian and Amin did with White. Yet, the list of the Black players is by no means less impressive: McShane, Alekseenko, Fedoseev, Naiditsch, Vitiugov, Bachmann and many others trusted this aggressive setup which should say a word or two about its objective value. 10.Nc4 after this I am suggesting another novelty. 10...Bd7!?N Black prepares ...Qe7 and long castling. [10...g4 is also possible but I prefer not to commit yet regarding this move. 11.Nfd2 Bd7 12.Nf1! This is something I somewhat dislike as the White knight wants to be on f1.] As I explained in the annotations to 10...g4, there is no need to encourage White to transfer his knight on f1. Now the manoeuvre Nf3-d2-f1 is rather dumb as Black has not spent any time on the ...g5-g4 move. We have a brand-new position where one possible reasonable continuation would be 11.Ne3 g4 12.Nd2

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Position after: 12.Nd2 12...Bxe3!? [12...h5!? Is another sensible idea. Please note that in this position while the White knight can come to f1, White’s other one is already on e3 which makes ideas like Bc1-e3 impossible.] 13.Rxe3 Nh5 14.Re1 Qf6 15.Nc4 0-0-0∞ This is clearly a very interesting position. Some of the ideas that we are not seeing elsewhere in the chapter include ...Qg6 and even ...f7-f5-f4! of course the usual ...Nf4 and ... h5-h4-related moves are always there for us. The very strong engines at a high depth even think Black is already better! 10...g4 11.N3d2 11.Nh4? Nxe4 12.dxe4 Qxh4 is no good for White who just lost a pawn for nothing.

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Position after: 11.N3d2 11...Nh5!? We are preparing ...Qf6 and ...Nf4 followed either by the immediate pawn storm with ...h5-h4 or by the calm ...Bd7 and long castling where Black would take his time and only attack a few moves later. 11...h5 Is another very interesting move, and it is the main line. But I am extremely excited about showing you an even less explored continuation. 12.Nc4 h4 13.Be3∞

Position after: 13.Be3∞ 272

At this point Black has several exciting continuations, such as ...Nh5, ...h4-h3, ...Bxe3 or ...Qe7. This shows how rich and interesting this position is which means even if one continuation fails you there are several others to try! But, let us go back to 11...Nh5. 12.Nc4

Position after: 12.Nc4 Only this move has been tried which makes sense: White needs to either bring this knight to e3 or make room for the bishop on c1 which can also go to e3. 12...Qf6 Black attacks the f2-pawn and forces some action. 13.Be3 has been played in both games. By the way, these are rather old games played in 1988 and 2000. Further, Nce3 also makes sense. 12...Rg8?! A) Alekseenko tried this move but I do not have that much trust in it especially after the precise 13.g3! Qf6 14.Be3±. B) 13.Be3 was also quite decent and should have promised White the better game. 13...Bxe3 14.Ncxe3 Nf4

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Position after: 14...Nf4 15.Ng3 [15.d4! would have been the right way to go in a classical manner meeting the flank actions with counterplay in the center. White would have kept an edge even though the position clearly remains very complex.] 15...h5! 16.Ngf5 Bxf5 17.Nxf5 Qf6∞ Now Black has obtained a decent amount of counterplay and later went on to win. This is another illustration that the arising positions are not easy at all for the White players to handle! [0-1 (37) Andriasian, Z (2611) – Alekseenko, K (2704) Moscow 2019.] 13.Be3 13.Nce3 now the f1-knight and the c1-bishop make a rather weird impression. 13...Nf4 14.Ng3 Bd7 Black is about to castle long and start pushing with the ...h5-h4 ideas. I have a hard time understanding what this knights’ roundabout was all about. 13...Nf4 14.Bxa7

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Position after: 14.Bxa7 14...Nxa7!N As I keep emphasizing throughout the entire chapter, it is extremely important to take with the knight because Black retains his right to long castle. 14...Rxa7 15.Nce3 Ne7 16.d4 h5 This was by all means an interesting position but Black clearly wishes he could have castled long! This is another example of why the knight recapture is a lot more precise. [½-½ (55) Hort, V (2590) – Bastian, H (2335) Germany 1988.] 15.Nce3 15.d4 If White tries to act in the center which is a fair idea, we do not react. 15...Bd7 again, the plan is to castle long, play ....h5-h4 or maybe ....Qg5-Nh3+ and throw the kitchen sink at White and see what happens. Not only is this a fresh and original position where White is facing a very different type of challenge than in the classic Italian positions, but it is also cloud engine approved. The strongest computers out there firmly believe in Black’s chances which is extremely important as we want to play not only fun chess but also play sound chess! 15...Nc6

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Position after: 15...Nc6 Now we reach a rather critical position where White needs to understand what his plan should be. This is some very new stuff with no games, and it is not easy to predict what the theoretical developments would look like. But, it makes sense to look at a few continuations. As I understand it, it is crucial for White to try and get counterplay in the center because if Black had played ...Bd7 and ...0-0-0, White’s business would be about to close down. 16.Nd5 16.d4 exd4 17.Nd5 Is a direct transposition. 16...Nxd5 17.exd5 Ne7 18.d4 exd4

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Position after: 18...exd4 At this point, White should demonstrate a rather inhuman desire and willingness to ignore that d4pawn. 19.Rc1 19.cxd4 Bd7 Is about to transpose but it cancels out some of White’s options. Interestingly, Black’s is not willing to castle long anymore. Instead, our king will stay on d8! For instance, after 20.Ng3 Kd8∞

Position after: 20...Kd8∞ 277

we unpin and prepare ...Qg5, ...h5-h4, ...Nf5 while the king is doing just great over there! 19...Bd7 20.Ng3 h5 21.cxd4 Eventually White will transpose into the 19.cxd4 line but he has kept his options open for a little longer. 21...Kd8!

Position after: 21...Kd8! It is always exciting and challenging to end the analysis with such a move. The thing is that we need to escape that nasty pin down the e-file, but there is no desire or need to castle long as something like Qc2 will quickly slaughter the black king. Now Black enjoys multiple fun attacking ideas such as ... h5-h4, ...Nf5, ...Qg5 and ...f7-f5-f4-f3! If the queens get traded at some point our king will easily enter the game via d7 or e7, and we will have a very nice position because the White structure is not that impressive by any means. Conclusion: the plan with ...h7-h6 and ...g7-g5 is a great opportunity to create murky positions with mutual chances while also playing in an objectively sound way. In my opinion, one big goal in the opening should also be to get your opponent out of his comfort zone and this line does exactly that for two reasons: for one, no one likes to be under attack, secondly, these positions are highly atypical of the standard boring manoeuvring stuff we normally see in the quiet Italian! This plan is guaranteed to make White’s life difficult. And, it is approved by both the best engines as well as by the correspondence players, who usually play chess of an extremely high quality.

b) 7.a4 Ba7 8.-- (Modern approach) 278

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6 7.a4 I will now show you a brand new and exciting idea. But please do note that because of many transpositions you will need to play around with the variations yourself to make sure all the ideas work in these slightly different positions whether White’s pawn is on a2, a4; c2 or c3. Most games currently do feature a4 though, as this grabs space on the queenside. 7...Ba7

Position after: 7...Ba7 8.Re1 A) 8.Nbd2 This transposes to 8.Re1 0-0 9.h3, please see the game later in the chapter. And that is another proof of how transpositional it gets in the Italian! 8...0-0 9.h3 Kh8 [0-1 (58) Vokhidov, S (2480) – Sargissian, G (2689) St Petersburg 2018.] B) 8.Na3

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Position after: 8.Na3 This is another move which has always been fairly trendy. Why is the knight going to a3? White wants to route it to e3 via c2. Possibly he will go Nc2 and then offer the bishop trade with Be3, followed by Nxe3. 8...Ne7!? We can continue in many ways but here it is best to refrain from the plan of castling followed by ...Kh8 and ...f7-f5, as the pride and joy of our position, the a7 bishop, is about to be traded. We are routing our knight to g6 which is a very typical theme in the Italian. 9.Nc2 Ng6 [9...0-0 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Nxe3 ½-½ (48) Dronov, A (2671) – Lecroq, M (2594) ICCF email 2016.] 10.Be3

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Position after: 10.Be3 10...Bxe3!? Most games saw castling which is also possible, but I find the idea of allowing White to take on a7 and force our rook to that pretty clumsy square rather odd. 11.Nxe3 0-0 12.a5 Here comes an interesting moment. Black undoubtedly has many decent continuations. You might think it would be a good idea to copy Anand’s play who got here and went ...Ng4, or Xiong’s game with ..b7-b5. While these are fairly interesting moves I think the cleanest is 12...c6! which prepares ...d6-d5. This was already seen in several games, mostly of 2400 – 2600-rated players. [12...b5 13.axb6 cxb6 14.Re1 Bb7 ½-½ (79) Duda, J (2758) – Xiong, J (2712) Wijk aan Zee 2020.] 13.Bb3 Rb8!?

Position after: 13...Rb8!? A mysterious move... correspondence chess is too different a game and while it is interesting to study their ideas, delving into such intricacies and subtleties as ...Rb8 might not be the most practical thing! Still, I love the way Black handled the position so let us see a few more moves. 14.Re1 Re8 it is always useful to overprotect the e5-pawn. 15.g3 d5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.d4 e4 18.Nd2 h5!? Black has started showing ambitions on the kingside which is justified by his space advantage, ensured by the e4-pawn. Later, which is expected as this is a correspondence game, the game was drawn. Yet, we just got to see a perfect example of handling this position with the Black pieces! We just route the knight to g6, trade on e3 and push ...c7-c6 and ...d6-d5. Life made easy! [½-½ (48) Dronov, A (2671) – Lecroq, M (2594) ICCF email 2016.] 8...0-0

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Position after: 8...0-0 9.h3 Finally, we have made it to the position and the idea for which I made the entire chapter around the Italian! I would really love to present the following recent finding of Aronian and many other strong GMs. The idea itself is not new, it is typical of these positions, but this variation has only recently gained in popularity. 9.b4 we cannot analyze every single possible line here, but I can say that you can pursue a few plans and that b2-b4 has a typical disadvantage: should Black achieve ...d6-d5 the c3-pawn is weak! Imagine your knight on d5. How will White develop his queenside pieces? Things are not that simple though as ...d6-d5 is not possible now. However, plans you can rely on include: 1) ...Ne7-g6 followed by ...Re8, ...c7-c6, ...d6-d5, I call this the Central Approach while 2) ...h6, ...Nh5, ...Qf6, ...Nf4 is more aggressive. I will give one line to illustrate what I mean. 9...h6 10.Nbd2 Nh5 11.Nf1 Qf6 12.Be3 Bxe3 13.Nxe3 Nf4 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Bxd5 Ne7 16.Bb3 Bg4= This was not forced, but it clearly gives a good demonstration of what Black’s idea can be. 9...Kh8!?

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Position after: 9...Kh8!? 10.d4 This has been established as the most solid reaction for White as far as I can tell. However, now the problem for the White players is that after Black’s next move it is not so easy for White to find a good follow up. As harsh as it might sound he is nearly in zugzwang. If White plays Nbd2 he drops the d4pawn while Be3 would drop one on e4. A) 10.Nbd2 has not been played much because after 10...Ng8 11.Nf1 f5! (I think this move was quite predictable J) the f-file will now open up: 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.Ng3 Bg6.

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Position after: 13...Bg6 Black clearly has no problems. He has an open f-file, easy development, pressure on the f2-pawn, ideas like ...Qd7, ...Rae8 or he can double the rooks over the f-file with ...Rf6 and ...Raf8 and he may even sacrifice an exchange on f3 at some point. Such ideas as ...d5 and ...e4 should be considered very seriously, too. Please, take a look at this recent game by Aronian’s lifelong second 14.Bd5 Nf6 15.Bxc6?! I would just highlight a very crucial point of this game. I think White would do better if he just went Bb3 or something else. Giving this bishop up is a questionable idea. 15...bxc6 16.d4 exd4 17.Nxd4 Qd7 18.a5 Nd5 19.Qa4

Position after: 19.Qa4 ...Qf7 followed by ...Re8 might be better as I would not want to give up my strong bishop. 19...Bxd4 20.Qxd4 Qf7 21.b4 Kg8 22.Bd2 Nf6 23.f3 Nd7 24.Bg5 Rfe8 25.Bf4 Nf8 26.Be3 Nd7 27.Nh1 Ne5 28.Nf2 Qc4 29.Qd2 Qd5 30.Bd4 Nc4 31.Qf4 Qf7 32.Qg3 Nd2 33.Rad1 Nb3

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Position after: 33...Nb3 Now perhaps, 34.Ne4 would be the right choice just keeping tension. White starts going wrong at this point and soon ends up in a horrible situation. 34.Ng4 Nxd4 35.Rxd4 Qb3! The overextended queenside starts to tell. 36.f4 Rxe1+ 37.Qxe1 Re8 38.Qd2 Qb1+ 39.Kf2 Qf5 40.Ne3 Qf6 41.f5 Bf7 42.c4 h5 43.c5 d5 44.Qd3 Qe5 45.g3 Qf6 46.Rf4 Qb2+

Position after: 46...Qb2+ 47.Qe2?? [47.Qc2 would have maintained roughly equal chances] 47...Qc3 the d5-pawn suddenly 285

decides the issue! 48.Qf3 d4 49.Nf1 Qc2+ 50.Kg1 Bd5 51.f6 Bxf3 52.f7+ Kf8 53.fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 54.Rxf3 Qb2 55.Rd3 Qxb4 56.Nd2 Qxc5 57.Nf3 Qc1+ 58.Kf2 c5 [0-1 (58) Vokhidov, S (2480) – Sargissian, G (2689) St Petersburg 2018.] B) 10.b4!? Ng8!

Position after: 10...Ng8! White is grabbing space on the queenside, but Black feels free to ignore it as his focus is somewhere else! White has essayed several moves here but Black always did well. Take a look at the following recent examples all from 2018 and 2019! B1) 11.Ng5 Preparing a neat move Qh5. 11...Qf6 12.Qf3 [12.Qh5? Qxf2+ 13.Kh2 Nf6µ 14.Nxf7+?? Rxf7 15.Qxf7 Ng4+! 16.hxg4 Qh4# I think each of you dreams of declaring such a checkmate!] 12...Qxf3 13.Nxf3 f5

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Position after: 13...f5 This idea is quite powerful as active kingside play exists even without queens on the board! 14.Be3 fxe4 15.dxe4 Bxe3 16.Rxe3 Nf6 17.a5 h6 18.Nbd2 g5!? [0-1 (70) Grischuk, A (2775) – Aronian, L (2752) Stavanger 2019.] Black grabbed a bit more space on the kingside with this resolute move and went on to win a great game. Feel free to study it to increase your chess understanding overall! B2) 11.Bg5!? Qe8 [11...f6!? is possible as well, intending ...f5 if the bishop goes back so Bh4 is the only critical move. 12.Bh4 g5!? 13.Bg3 f5∞ I think Black is doing really well here but the text solution is also convincing.] 12.Nbd2 f5 13.exf5 Bxf5 14.Be3 Bxe3 This draw was agreed rather prematurely. The fact that elite player Karjakin offered to split the point so early meant he was not entirely happy with the position after the opening. He may have even considered his position somewhat inferior. Had White continued with 15.Rxe3, we would do just great after natural moves such as ...Nf6, ...Qg6, ...Rae8 [½-½ Karjakin, S (2753) – Sargissian, G (2689) St Petersburg 2018.] C) 10.Be3 Usually this trade does not promise White that much. This is not an exception in this position either. 10...Bxe3 11.Rxe3 d5!? 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Re1

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Position after: 13.Re1 Now ...Qd6 is a simple and good solution, just as ...f7-f6 but ...Nf4 is even better if you are looking for a mess. 13...Nf4 I think it is possible to stop here as Black is clearly doing well. However, for the sake of your overall chess development as well as simple entertainment I will show another beautiful idea 14.Nxe5 Bxh3!?∞. Please, investigate some of the lines here if you want to play for a win upon reaching this position. This is getting really crazy which is why I do not want to cover it here. After all, the point of this book is to serve as a practical weapon, and not look for a forced win in some weird variations! 10...h6 10...Nxe4 This may seem to be a natural choice however it is important to realize that this move does not work because of the following reason. 11.Rxe4 d5 12.Nxe5! [12.Re1? dxc4 Is what Black is dreaming of.]

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Position after: 12.Nxe5! A) 12...dxe4? 13.Nxf7+! White gets back the sacrificed exchange and obtains a large positional advantage: 13...Rxf7 14.Bxf7 Qf6 15.Ba2± White is a pawn up and his position is also better as Black’s a7-bishop is absolutely terrible. B) 12...dxc4 13.Nxc4± With a healthy extra pawn for White. 11.dxe5

Position after: 11.dxe5 289

11.dxe5 is the only move that has ever been played and it is the only sensible continuation. But, I would like to say that White cannot easily play anything different since 11.Nbd2 would lose the d4-pawn while 11.Be3 would blunder the one on e4! 11...Nxe5 12.Nxe5 dxe5 13.Qxd8 Rxd8

Position after: 13...Rxd8 A pretty dry position is about to be reached while the f7-pawn is not hanging as we will see. This position was reached in two top level games: Anand – Aronian at the 2018 Olympiad and Muzychuk – Tan at Women’s Candidates, both games were drawn quickly. True, it might not seem enough of a fighting choice, but I am giving you objectively sound lines where with the best play from both sides you reach equality and draws later on. But our opponents are not Anand and Muzychuk, they will make mistakes later if not earlier! 14.Nd2 14.Bxf7? Nxe4! Black’s initiative is pretty strong. For example: 15.Be3 [15.Rxe4?? Rd1+ 16.Kh2 Rxc1–+ White’s pieces on the first rank are stuck and can never get out, Black is simply winning. Our next moves can be ...Bd7 and ...Rf8 with a devastating attack.] 15...Bxe3

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Position after: 15...Bxe3 16.fxe3 [16.Rxe3?? Rd1+ 17.Kh2 Bf5–+ White faces the same problem as his pieces are stuck on the first rank thus he is dead lost.] Now many good solutions exist but I especially like the tempting 16...g5!?

Position after: 16...g5!? Making room to improve our king’s position with ... Kg7 as well as ...g5-g4!? while trying to activate our bishop quickly by bringing it to g4. White still has development problems so he must be somewhat worse although our advantage is by no means large here. 291

14...Kg8 15.Nf3 Re8 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Rxe3 Be6 18.Nxe5 Bxc4 19.Nxc4 Rxe4 20.Rxe4 Nxe4=

Position after: 20...Nxe4= The position is absolutely balanced at this point and soon the peace treaty was signed. Not a bad opening outcome for Black at all as all of our problems were resolved easily!

c) 7.a4 Ba7 8.Bg5, 8.Re1 0-0 9.Bg5 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6 Congratulations! You have made it through the main lines in the Italian Game. I have heard from so many students, friends, and random people that they find the Italian the most difficult thing for Black after 1.e4 e5 because, while Ruy Lopez is, arguably, more challenging theoretically, it is rather straightforward. While the Italian lines are less direct and require a great deal of careful handling so that you do not get “move-ordered”. The good news is that we have dealt with two of White’s main plans, one classical and one modern, but I need a little more of your patience for this short chapter. Why did I write it and what is it about? I just know that many players find it unpleasant and intimidating that White can pin the knight with Bg5, especially after they castle, as they do not know precisely when to fear the famous sacrifice on g5 that hits Black’s position after ...h7-h6 and ...g7-g5, and when it is harmless or clearly unsound. I believe the main purpose of this chapter is not as much to discover some new theoretical playgrounds but to dismantle all those fears and ghosts you might think of whenever you see White’s bishop can land on g5. We will look at several situations where White does that and hopefully master all the ins and outs of how to handle those situations with the Black pieces! Now, you must be tired of me talking of abstract things so let us dive in. 7.a4 Ba7 292

Position after: 7...Ba7 It does not make sense to play Bg5 before Black has castled as the simple ...h7-h6 followed by ...g7-g5 would kick the bishop away and Black’s king would not even be weakened. That is why we consider Bg5 on move 9 for White, where it makes sense. 8.Re1 8.Bg5 is not dangerous but here is a sample line to see what Black does. 8...h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Now 10...0-0 is a good choice, but I would like to show you some different ideas. 10...h5!? Threatening ...h5h4.

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Position after: 10...h5!? [10...Ne7!? is a safe alternative which was tried by the amazing Mr. Caruana as well as by Inarkiev and many other strong players. If you feel the arising positions in the main line are too complicated and murky, feel free to investigate this deeper!] A) 11.Nxg5!? Things get really complicated now, but in a few moves the dust will settle. This is a really important line to at least look at because if you do not know, you might have a hard time making all those precise moves in a practical setting. By the way, this is another very fresh position as only one correspondence game has reached it! 11...h4 12.Nxf7 [12.Bxf7+?? Ke7–+ White just loses a piece and the game.] 12...Qe7 13.Nxh8 hxg3

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Position after: 13...hxg3 Up to this point everything was really forced but now we need to look at a few options White could essay. A1) 14.Nf7?! Bxf2+ 15.Kh1 d5! Breaking the coordination between the c4-bishop and f7-knight results in a winning position. For example, after 16.exd5 Qxf7 17.dxc6 Qh7! 18.h3 Bxh3–+ winning at once. A2) 14.Ng6?? It is important that White cannot save his knight like this due to a lovely double attack. 14...Qh7!

Position after: 14...Qh7! Attacking the knight and threatening mate on h2, White is lost. 15.hxg3 Qxg6–+ White may have an even position in the material count, but Black is developing a steamrolling attack. Black threatens ...Qxg3! and also ...Bg4, castling long and placing our queen and rook on the h-file and checkmating White on h2 or h1! Please note how useful the a7-bishop is for these purposes. A3) 14.Qf3! We now have several good options! But one good solution is all we need. 14...gxf2+ 15.Kh1 Qg7 16.Nf7 Bg4 17.Qg3 Nh5

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Position after: 17...Nh5 Strangely, a weird draw now occurs. 18.Qh4 Nf4 19.Qg3 Nh5 Fortunately or not, both parties have to take this funny repetition. The problem is that the f7-knight, while it is nearly trapped, is doing an important job of stopping us from castling long so we need to repeat this way. B) 11.h4 Nh7!?

Position after: 11...Nh7!? The idea is ...g5-g4. We have taken the g5-square under control. Now we can simply castle and get 296

this typical great position with White’s horrible g3-bishop and h2-knight. We can also experiment a little with weird ideas such as ...Rf8 and ...f7-f5 with the king on e8! What if White opens up the position with 12.hxg5?!? Nxg5 13.Nh4 the only move, otherwise ...Bc8-g4 followed by ...h5-h4 is devastating 13...Bg4 14.Qd2 Qf6³. Next we can go ...Rg8 or ... 0-0-0 and ...Rdg8. Also, ...Ne6-f4 is a useful manoeuvre. All in all, I love being Black here! 8...0-0 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4 While Be3 is possible it does not fit in with the typical Bg5 plans. 10...g5!

Position after: 10...g5! Breaking the pin and initiating some play on the kingside ourselves. 11.Bg3 11.Nxg5 Is an idea you always need to watch out for! Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. It is especially dangerous if the White knight is on c3 as White goes Nd5 very quickly. Also, White has dangerous ideas with the rook on f1 after this sacrifice such as Kh1 followed by f2-f4 opening the f-file to attack the f6-knight. Here White clearly lacks attacking resources. 11...hxg5 12.Bxg5 Actually, I have praised Black’s position a bit too much. He is truly much better, but he needs to find a very strong move now which requires calculation or White will have compensation on account of Qf3. 12...Bg4!

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Position after: 12...Bg4! A) 13.Qxg4 Nxg4 14.Bxd8 Bxf2+ B) 13.Qd2 Kh7µ Intending ...Rg8, Black has dealt with the pressure and should emerge on top. Also, the position of the queen on d2 makes matters worse for White as now his b1-knight does not seem to have a bright future. C) 13.Bxf6 Bxf2+™ Otherwise White will regain his piece 14.Kh1 [14.Kxf2 Qxf6+ 15.Kg1 Bxd1–+] 14...Bxd1 15.Bxd8 Bxe1 and Black wins. 11...Nh7! Opening up the route for the f7-pawn. Now we will play ...Kg7 and ...f7-f5. But including ...h6-h5 could be useful as White will also need to move his h-pawn which can weaken his kingside. 12.Nbd2 h5

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Position after: 12...h5 13.h3 13.h4 g4! Forcing the white knight to a clumsy position. 14.Nh2 Ne7! Another move I really like.

Position after: 14...Ne7! Black will unpin the f7-pawn by playing ...Kg7 or ...Kh8, he will push ...f7-f5 and the e7-knight will prove really handy on g6 or f5. 15.Ndf1 (15.d4! would be a better bet for White trying to swap queens. Even then White’s bishop on g3 and knight on h2 are horribly placed). 15...Kg7 16.d4 f5 17.exf5 299

[17.dxe5 f4! wins the knight] 17...Nxf5 18.Bd3

Position after: 18.Bd3 18...Nxg3! seems to be an improvement over an otherwise well-played game by a Romanian GM. [18...exd4 was played in Barski, R (2458) – Deac, B (2603) Gibraltar 2019, 0-1 (38).] Now, Ng3 loses a pawn to ...Qh4 while fxg3 loses to ...exd4. 19.fxg3 exd4 20.cxd4 Bxd4+ 21.Ne3 Re8 the game is not over yet, but it is really bad for White as he is a pawn down and his pieces are very passive. And now I would like to suggest a novelty 13...h4N 14.Bh2 g4! 15.hxg4 Bxg4

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Position after: 15...Bxg4 Intending an unexpected idea of ...Kh8, ...Rg8, ...Ng5, ...h4-h3 with a tremendous initiative.

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Part V The Ruy Lopez Chapter 12 Exchange Variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6

Chapter Guide Chapter 12 – Exchange Variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 a) 5.Nxe5, 5.d4 b) 5.0-0

a) 5.Nxe5, 5.d4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 This move signifies the Exchange Ruy Lopez. The idea is to double the black pawns and play d4 at some point while Black’s extra doubled pawn is not as important, then trade pieces and win the endgame with an extra kingside pawn. However, Black has his own trumps, such as the bishop pair. 4...dxc6

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Position after: 4...dxc6 Here the main move is 5.0-0 which we will study in the next subchapter. 5.d4 Please take a look at this line first to understand the ideas behind ...Qf6 in the main line. This is the way people used to play back in the day. The idea is very simple: trade all the pieces and win the pawn endgame. White wants to castle queenside, so that 1) when he advances the pawn on the kingside his king is safe as it is not being opened up. 2) It is faster to get to the center from c1 rather than g1. As theory developed these ideas were neutralized and people switched to 5.0-0. 5.Nxe5?! The key thing that makes it possible for the Ruy Lopez to exist is that White does not win a pawn this way. Why? Because Black can get it back by counterattacking the White knight and his pawn immediately. 5...Qd4! 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ and Black is doing very well as he has opened up the position a bit more which is great for his bishops while regaining his pawn. For example, 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8.Kxe2 Bf5 9.d3 0-0-0³ the Black pieces come into the game easily as the knight goes to ...f6, bishop to ...d6 or ...c5, the h8-rook to e8. Everyone is centralized! 5...exd4

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Position after: 5...exd4 6.Qxd4 6.Nxd4? Is not a good idea since White will simply get the same type of positions but lose the right to castle. After 6...c5! 7.Ne2 (it could have gone anywhere), Black will trade queens to deprive White of castling. 7...Qxd1+ 8.Kxd1 Bd7³. The white king is an issue as the board is still full of pieces. The king will be getting attacked and disturbed all the time. 6...Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7

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Position after: 7...Bd7 We prepare long castling and the pieces go to reasonable squares: ...Bd6, ...Ne7, ...Rhe8. Sometimes we push ...f7-f5, sometimes we keep more tension with ...Ne7-g6, ...f6, ...h7-h5. This is pretty much all you need to know. ☺ 8.Nc3 0-0-0 9.Be3 And now, I believe Black can develop his pieces in a few reasonable ways. While the move orders can be different, the setup is essentially going to be the same.

Position after: 9.Be3 9...Ne7!? 9...Bd6 is another completely reasonable move order. 10.0-0-0 Ne7 11.f3 [11.Nb3 Ng6 12.f3 f5„] 11...f5

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Position after: 11...f5 This is a possibility even here, but you need to watch out for 12.Bg5!? fxe4 13.Nxe4 Rde8 14.Nxd6+ cxd6 and I see no problems whatsoever for Black here so I can definitely suggest this simplifying approach to those who want a very solid position. 10.0-0-0 Ng6 Preparing to develop the bishop. 11.f3 Bd6

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Position after: 11...Bd6 And now I do not see an easy way for White to continue. Your next move can easily be ...Rhe8 or ...h5h4. This idea will be seen in many upcoming lines the point being that we control more space on the kingside which prevents ideas such as g2-g3 or g2-g4 by White. 12.Nde2 Rhe8„ If you want to keep the tension and get more winning chances do not play ...f5 soon, as in the other line, rather develop your pieces this way and try to outplay the opponent later on.

b) 5.0-0 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 This has become the absolute main line as of late. In order to understand the reasons why this is the case, and why my recommendation is ...Qf6, please study the 5.d4 line first. 5...Qf6!?

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Position after: 5...Qf6!? This is not a huge surprise anymore. Previously this move was really rare, but it is still seen less frequently than ...Bg4 or ...f6 which I find too dull and well-studied. The idea will be revealed in the next annotation 6.d4 The only other way to develop his queenside pieces is 6.d3. However, I do not consider it challenging in any way. The problem is that we have the two bishops so in the long run our position is even better. We will just continue developing here. A few good ways exist, and I will provide at least one. 6...Ne7 Preparing to put the knight on the g6-square.

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Position after: 6...Ne7 A) 7.d4 Is a weird idea. Did White forget that the pawns can move two squares on the first move? He is trying to prove that our knight is placed weird. But after the simple 7...exd4 8.Bg5 is a logical tempo winning move. 8...Qd6 9.Nxd4 Bd7„ we get the same type of positions and will play ...0-0-0, then perhaps ...f7-f6 getting rid of the pin so we have ...Ng6 followed by developing the bishop and the remaining rook. B) 7.Nc3 What if White continues to develop calmly? 7...Bg4! with a very unpleasant pin! 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Qxf3 10.gxf3 Ng6!

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Position after: 10...Ng6! This move intends to prevent White from ever undoubling his pawns with f3-f4 so that he cannot get rid of his problem. Black will continue his development and will keep a clear advantage. His next moves can be ...0-0-0, ...Bd6, ...Rf8 (either rook) with ...f7-f5! intending to open the f-file. 6...exd4

Position after: 6...exd4 7.Bg5! Why not win another tempo on the Black queen? A) 7.Nxd4 Does not disturb us so we continue to develop: ...Bd7, ...0-0-0, ...Bd6/c5, ...Ne7-g6. Black is better! B) 7.Qxd4 and now let us see the point. 7...Qxd4 8.Nxd4

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Position after: 8.Nxd4 We have the same position as after 5.d4 (see the previous subchapter) but White was gifted an extra tempo (free castling) which proves “extra” indeed. As we have previously discussed the king is needed on the queenside. Therefore, Black does not have any issues, but he can count on some advantage in the ensuing battle. The next moves are very typical and easy to understand. 8...Bd7 9.Be3 0-0-0 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.Rad1 Ng6

Position after: 11...Ng6

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Both sides have accomplished their development. Now it is possible to simply go ...Bd6 then ...h5!?. This is an important positional idea which grabs space on the kingside while we see what White does. Actually, the opponent sort of lacks an active plan at this point. B1) 12.f4?! is too committal a move as White weakens the e4-pawn. After 12...f6! We have a great position that is very easy to play with Black. Our bishop might move to b4, c5 or d6, it has plenty of choices, the rook from h8 goes to e8. Everything is under pressure in White’s camp: the pawn on e4 is a weakness now because it cannot be protected by the other white pawns. B2) 12.f3 Ne5 13.b3

Position after: 13.b3 13...f6 the arising position is very similar to the one we are studying below; it is time to stop our analysis here. Black will finish his development and, as I said earlier, his bishop can get developed on b4, c5 or d6. He will centralize his other rook and start grabbing space on the kingside. We are just perfectly fine here! [13...h5!?N Grabbing more space on the kingside. Black is very comfortable here!] 7...Qd6

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Position after: 7...Qd6 8.Nxd4! The most problematic path. 8.Qxd4 Qxd4 9.Nxd4 Bd7 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.Rad1 0-0-0 12.Rd2 f6! Let us not repeat the same words but it is just very similar to 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 without Bg5. The move ...f6! gains back the tempo White won a few moves ago. 13.Rfd1

Position after: 13.Rfd1 313

And I just wanted to mention a little sweet detail. What was the idea behind White’s last move and how to parry it? A) 13...Re8! is the prophylactical move I really like. Black anticipates the threat of Ne6! that just was created and seems to just be better off after the opening as White’s rooks appear to be doubled on the d-file just to look at the middle of nowhere. We will just play ...Ng6, ...Bd6 just our typical moves. B) 13...Bg4!? This was another possible move that eventually brought Black a full point. After 14.f3 some forcing variations arise. 14...fxg5 15.fxg4 Ng6 16.Ne6 Rxd2 17.Rxd2 Bb4 18.a3 Bxc3 19.bxc3 Re8³

Position after: 19...Re8³ Okay, this was all more or less forced but now it is possible to slow down and take a breath. As a result of the simplifications we get an endgame where Black is clearly preferred as White’s structure is absolutely horrendous. While Black’s advantage might not be the largest one out there it is very stable and eventually he went on to bring home a full point. [0-1 (34) Vykouk, J (2424) – Krejci, J (2520) Ostrava 2017.] 8...Be7

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Position after: 8...Be7 Now we will study both the attempt to trade Black’s bishop pair as well as the continuation where White keeps the dark-squared bishops on the board. 9.Bxe7 9.Be3!? A recent try by Meier 9...Nh6 [9...Nf6 10.f3 0-0 11.Nc3 Black could play this way too, but White’s setup makes more sense here as Black suffers quite a bit from a lack of space!] 10.Qd2 g5! Typical modern chess. A really pretty idea by Fabiano! 11.Nf3 Rg8 12.h4

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Position after: 12.h4 A) 12...f6 was possible, as the pawn is untouchable. I suggest that you cut the theoretical learning here and just enjoy the lovely masterpiece by Caruana (see variation B). 13.hxg5 fxg5

Position after: 13...fxg5 14.Bxg5? [14.Nxg5 Qxd2 15.Bxd2 Bxg5–+; 14.Qxd6 cxd6= I would definitely pick Black here, no matter what the engine says. By the way it says 0.00 ☺] 14...Qg6!–+ B) 12...Qg6!? Black tries to open up the kingside. Now the obvious threat is to take on h4 while if White captures on g5 we can later play ...h7-h6 or ...f7-f6 trading that pawn and opening up the files for our pieces. 13.hxg5 Ng4

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Position after: 13...Ng4 B1) 14.Bf4! would be the more critical approach. White, as naively as it looks, is just eyeing down the c7-pawn, getting at least something in return for Black’s kingside play! 14...h6 15.Bxc7 hxg5 16.Nd4∞

Position after: 16.Nd4∞ Black’s play is very easy here: he can go ...Rh8 and ...Qh7, maybe move the knight and grab space on the kingside with ...g5-g4. But White also has counterplay: he can offer his extra pawn back with 317

Nf5 at some point or with Qh3 if Black doubles up on the h-file. So, the position would have remained more complicated. B2) 14.Nc3?! I am not sure about this move. Now Black’s initiative is becoming rather strong. His play is also very natural which is important from the practical perspective. 14...h6! Black keeps pursuing his plan. He is already objectively better. 15.Bf4 Be6 16.Bxc7 Rc8 17.Bb6 hxg5 18.Ne2 c5!? Black is spending a valuable move and cutting off the b6-bishop. This is an interesting decision, but I cannot say it is the best one. [18...Rh8!? looks like an interesting alternative, threatening the obvious ...Qh6.] 19.Ng3 Rh8 20.Rfd1 Qh6

Position after: 20...Qh6 Black’s pieces are lined up dangerously on the h-file. It may look as though White is safe as his knights are guarding all the squares on the h-file but ideas like ...Nh2! are always hanging in the air. 21.b4? The decisive mistake by Meier. White’s position was, actually alright while Black’s play was a lot more intuitive. Now, however, Black is simply winning. [21.b3 Any reasonable move would keep White in the game as Black has no direct way of breaking through. For instance, after 21...Nh2 White can defend with 22.Ne5!. And there can arise a funny repetition after 22...Ng4 23.Nf3 Nh2 24.Ne5 Ng4 25.Nf3

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Position after: 25.Nf3 At this point, Caruana would have undoubtedly tried to play for a win. He could consider moves like ...Bf6 or something else but the position would have remained objectively balanced.] 21...cxb4 22.Bd4 f6 23.c3

Position after: 23.c3 23...bxc3 [23...Nh2! would have won in a clearer way since White does not have the e5 square for the knight.] 24.Bxc3 Kf7? [24...Nh2! would have been strong again, for instance 25.Ne1 Bg4!

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taking the e2-square under control and creating an insanely powerful threat of ...Nf1!! which can barely be dealt with.] 25.Rac1∞

Position after: 25.Rac1∞ Now the position got messy but eventually Fabiano went on to win. Have a look at the game: 25...Rc4 26.Bd4 b5 27.Qa5 Nh2 28.Qxa6 Nxf3+ 29.gxf3 g4 30.f4 Qxf4 31.Rxc4 bxc4 32.Be3 Qf3 33.Rd6 Rh3 34.Rxe6 Rxg3+ 35.fxg3 Qxe3+ 36.Kh2 Qf2+ 37.Kh1 Qf1+ [0-1 Meier, G (2648) – Caruana, F (2784) Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden 2018.] 9...Nxe7 10.Nc3 Bd7

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Position after: 10...Bd7 11.Nb3!? This was tried by no less a player than Leko who is an amazing, fantastic technical player who perhaps wanted to squeeze the young Magnus in some slightly better endgame. That is not what happed though. 11.Nde2 This is another popular move that many grandmasters have tried. I believe, though, that there is no reason to get concerned as our plan remains identical anyway. Let us follow a lovely game won by Svidler in a very recent tournament. 11...0-0-0 12.Qc1!? This is the only interesting idea that justifies the move 11.Nde2.

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Position after: 12.Qc1!? Otherwise, the knight would have been placed even worse than on b3. The point is that White is looking for a more complicated position where he can keep the queens on the board. 12...Ng6 13.Qe3 now the threat is Qa7! 13...Kb8 Black takes care of the a7-square. 14.Rad1 Qe7 15.f4 Bc8

Position after: 15...Bc8 Now a very interesting position arises. Even though White seemingly made progress with f2-f4, things are not that simple. He cannot easily advance these pawns as f4-f5 would weaken the e5-square while e4-e5 would weaken f5. On the other hand, if some pieces get traded, White’s advanced pawns can become a bit of a liability, as the pawns will always need protection. Now, Black always has ideas such as ...f7-f5 in the cards. 16.Nc1 Rxd1 17.Rxd1 b6 18.Nd3 a5! The Black bishop is coming out to a6. 19.Re1 Ba6 20.Nf2 Re8 21.a3 f6

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Position after: 21...f6 To put it mildly, the White pieces are not occupying the most optimal positions. Black has prevented e4-e5 for good and is ready to play ...Nf8-e6 which could possibly be followed by ...c7-c5 and ...Ne6d4. 22.Ne2 Bb7 23.Ng3 c5 24.Nf5 Qf7 25.Rd1 Nf8! Finally, this knight is getting re-rerouted to a better spot. 26.c3 a4 27.h3 Ne6 28.Ng3 Bc6 29.Rd2

Position after: 29.Rd2 Both sides have manoeuvred a bit. It was possible to suggest some minor improvements and other

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continuations along the way but most likely the evaluation would have remained the same as Black is pushing. Now Svidler finds another brilliant route for the knight. 29...Nd8! 30.Qd3 Nb7! 31.Kh2 Nd6! The knight has now reached a perfect position, the e4-pawn is under a lot of pressure and the white pieces are all passive. 32.Rd1 h5! Kicking the g3-knight away to win the e4-pawn. 33.Re1 h4 34.Nf1 Qb3–+

Position after: 34...Qb3–+ Soon White’s position collapsed. 35.e5 fxe5 36.fxe5 Qxb2 37.Re2 Qb5 38.Qc2 Nc4 39.e6 Nxa3 [0-1 Naiditsch, A (2695) – Svidler, P (2735) Karlsruhe/Baden Baden 2019.] 11...Qxd1 12.Raxd1 b6 13.Rd2 0-0-0 14.Rfd1 c5 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.Rxd5

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Position after: 16.Rxd5 Please, find the move for Black. 16...f5! 16...Be6 17.Rxd8+ Rxd8 18.Rxd8+ Kxd8 19.f3 would be okay for Black but I like the text even more as it opens up the Black bishop even more! 17.exf5 Bxf5 18.Rxd8+ Rxd8 19.Rxd8+ Kxd8 20.c3 Be6 21.Kf1 a5 22.Nc1 Kd7 23.Ke2 Kc6 24.Kd2 a4 25.a3 Kd5 26.Nd3 Kc4 27.Ne5+ Kd5 28.Nd3

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Position after: 28.Nd3 Here the players went for a repetition of moves. Black’s position even seems a tiny bit better thanks to his great bishop. So, no theoretical problems at all! 28...Kc4 29.Ne5+ Kd5 30.Nd3 [½-½ Leko, P (2755) – Carlsen, M (2714) Moscow 2007.]

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Chapter 13 Sidelines on Move 5 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

Chapter Guide Chapter 13 – Sidelines on Move 5 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 a) 5.Nc3, 5.Qe2 b) 5.Bxc6, 5.d4 c) 5.d3 d6 6.c4 d) 5.d3 d6 6.c3

a) 5.Nc3, 5.Qe2 In this chapter we will study side-lines on move 5. They are by no means challenging from the theoretical perspective, but it is important to know how to deal with them. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

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Position after: 4...Nf6 5.Qe2 5.Nc3!? This is a reasonable move that many strong players have tried but I believe it is only due to its surprise value. However, you can definitely expect the less experienced opponents to consider playing this as it is natural to protect the e4-pawn with the knight. I do not consider this to be a dangerous or theoretically challenging option by any means so I think we can do without much theory. I will just quote one game and a typical plan that I believe you should be aware of to have success with the black pieces. 5...b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.d3 d6 Please pay specific attention to this move.

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Position after: 7...d6 Just as in the lines with 5.d3 we protect the e5-pawn and prepare the move ...Na5. This is where the downsides of 5.Nc3 become obvious as the White bishop cannot retreat to c2 which is exactly what White normally does in the slow Ruy Lopez positions. A) 8.a3 This is the modern continuation which attempts to transpose to the 6.d3 Spanish. 8...Nd4! [8...0-0 What is wrong with the most natural move in the position, short castling? Nothing! However, after 9.0-0 we transpose into a tabiya of the slow Ruy Lopez with 6.d3 which is outside of the scope of this book, so this is something to avoid! Obviously, if you have experience in those positions from the Black side by all means go there, but I think the solution I am suggesting is even easier.] 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Ne2 c5 11.0-0 Only one game has reached this position. Sanan Sjugirov, who is known as a savvy theoretician castled against Alekseev and eventually won. However, I like a slightly different approach which is brand-new. 11...d5!?N

Position after: 11...d5!?N Black is immediately challenging White’s e4-pawn. 12.e5 [12.exd5 0-0 13.c3 dxc3 14.Nxc3 Bb7 Black will easily capture the d5-pawn and have no issues.] 12...Ng4 This is a fresh position so it is hard to predict what White will do but the most logical continuation appears to be 13.Bf4 now Black gets a chance to initiate an incredible mess with 13...g5! 14.Bg3 h5 15.h3 h4 16.hxg4 hxg3 17.Nxg3 c4! 18.Ba2 Qb6©

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Position after: 18...Qb6© I cut the analysis short after this series of forcing moves as it makes no sense to analyze further. This position is already perfectly comfortable for Black and it is too rare to go any deeper. For the sacrificed pawn we have obtained fantastic compensation as the a2-bishop is simply dead, we have the bishop pair and ideas over the h-file such as ...Qh6. Obviously, Black has no reasons to be concerned here! B) 8.Nd5 Na5 9.Nxe7 Qxe7

Position after: 9...Qxe7 330

White has tried several moves here, but we will follow the game continuation. 10.0-0 0-0 The b3bishop is not escaping any time soon so it makes no sense to capture immediately as we can do that whenever we want. 11.Bd2 Now, please, remember the plan: we trade on b3, remove the knight to make way for the f-pawn, develop the bishop on the long h1-a8 diagonal and push ...f7-f5. Very simple! 11...Nxb3 Step one. 12.axb3 Nd7 Step two: the f7-pawn is ready to go. 13.Re1 Bb7 the bishop is on the right spot. 14.d4?!

Position after: 14.d4?! This action in the center is not timed well but White’s position was already sub-par. 14...f5! Finally! Now Black’s position is simply preferable and later he went on to win. 15.exf5 Rxf5 16.dxe5 Rxf3! With this nice exchange sacrifice Black firmly seizes the initiative. 17.gxf3 Nxe5 18.Bf4 Nxf3+ 19.Qxf3 Qxe1+ 20.Rxe1 Bxf3 21.Re7 Rc8µ

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Position after: 21...Rc8µ Now we have an endgame with a healthy extra pawn for Black. It could be debated whether White could defend more stubbornly, but coverage of this endgame lies outside the scope of this work so let us stop at this point reaching an obvious conclusion that our opening was a success. [0-1 (37) Spassky, B (2560) – Jussupow, A (2615) Linares 1990.] 5...b5!

Position after: 5...b5! 332

I really like the idea of inserting ...b7-b5 as soon as possible because it deprives White of flexibility in the future. For example, in the future he will not be able to play c2-c3 and go Ba4-c2 in one move. The bishop will need to go to b3 now. I think that 6...Be7 setups are good as well but since we are going for an Open Spanish there is no need for us to know such lines as 5.0-0 Be7 6.Qe2. Our options are open, and we will develop the bishop to the active c5-square. This is what I did recently in a very important game for my IM norm versus the strong GM Sulskis who was Lithuania’s top player for many years. 6.Bb3 Bc5 Of course, White can try to go d2-d3 but in my opinion this is quite inconsistent with the move Qe2. What is the whole idea behind Qe2? I think it is reasonable only if White tries to keep the pawn on d2, go Rd1 and then c2-c3 followed by the quick d2-d4. In this case his rook is quite annoyingly aimed at the black queen. On the other hand, if White never plays d4, his setup is sort of toothless. 7.c3 I think this is the line we must concentrate on as 5.Qe2 is a very rare line. I want to provide you with a general understanding of the ideas and plans as opposed to the coverage of every single little move order which you will never see in your games. 7...0-0

Position after: 7...0-0 As I have said, changing the roles of the queen and the rook could be beneficial for White because sometimes the black queen might be hit down the d-file. However, this setup has cons as well. One of them is that it is easier for Black to go ...d7-d5 right now and play in Marshall Gambit style. The point 333

is that in many lines when White captures on e5 with the queen it is rather exposed. Now White has tried 8.0-0 and 8.d3. 8.d3 The ideas may include Bg5 which prevents ...d7-d5. As I have previously noted it is now hard for White to opt for d3-d4 as it is a clearly less attractive idea without a tempo. Here I would like to suggest a dynamic solution which I have used in my aforementioned game. 8.0-0 Another popular move. White keeps his options open as he can play both d3 and d4. 8...d5!

Position after: 8...d5! I like this active approach. I think many other moves such as 8...d6 are possible, but we follow the same setup for the sake of clarity and simplicity. A) 9.exd5 and now follows an idea new to us 9...e4! White has to take on c6 as retreating allows ...Bg4 when the queen has no squares. 10.dxc6 [10.Ne1?? Bg4! Suddenly wins the queen!] 10...exf3 11.Qxf3 Bg4 Now the queen can retreat to g3 or to f4. The former is the much better option for White.

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Position after: 11...Bg4 A1) 12.Qf4 Qd3! Creates the threat of ...Be2 followed by ...Ne4. The problem for White now is that his queenside pieces are all stuck and cannot get out. I think it is quite a depressing picture! Qg3 is the only move now as otherwise ...Be2 wins on the spot but it is clearly bad as White just lost a crucial tempo. 13.Qg3 Be2 14.Qxd3 Bxd3 15.Re1 Ng4µ White has to go Re3 giving up the exchange, but with such a strong bishop on d3 there is no compensation at all, White is just lost. A2) 12.Qg3 Be2!

Position after: 12...Be2! 335

I think this is a more forcing move than ...Bd6. As we saw from the trap line, White needs to give up an exchange. 13.d4 [13.Re1? Ne4! and f2 is hanging and Black simply wins!] 13...Bd6 14.Qh3 Bxf1 15.Kxf1 Re8 I like Black who is an exchange up. True, White has decent compensation as he has a pawn on c6 for the exchange and his b3-bishop is quite strong. On the other hand, I think material is rather important here. B) 9.d3 dxe4 Again, I suggest taking the same approach of capturing on e4 as the one we choose in the case of 8.d3 d5 9.Bg5 dxe4. This structure is very comfortable for us, particularly due to the idea of ... Nh5-f4 which is really powerful in many situations. 10.dxe4 Qe7 [10...h6 Is an interesting alternative but I do not think we need this move especially because we do not fear Bg5 as this only misplaces the bishop as shown in the aforementioned line with Bg5.]

Position after: 10...Qe7 B1) 11.Nbd2 If White does not try to pin us I think we should immediately activate the knight via h5. 11...Nh5 the knight is coming to f4 12.g3 Bh3 13.Re1 Nf6 the move g2-g3 just weakened White’s position. More important is the fact that he does not have any good follow-up as the pieces lack good squares. We can continue with ...Ng4, threatening the f2-pawn and asking White a question that is tough to answer. Another idea is to play ...Na5, ...Bb6, ...c5-c4 getting an outpost on d3. We are doing just great here! B2) 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 Rb8!N

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Position after: 12...Rb8!N This is an important detail. Why are we making this move? Are we afraid of some problems over the b-file? Are we trying to do something on the b-file? No, we are stopping the Bd5 idea which could be rather unpleasant as the f6-knight is pinned and there would arise an irritating pin over the d5-a8 diagonal. This is my novelty so there are no games. I think that White’s most logical move by far is 13.Nbd2 now comes the typical strong idea which was actually used in a game that arrived at this position via a different move order. 13...g5! 14.Bg3 Nh5 the bishop is extremely passive on g3 which is a rather frequent occurrence in this line and in this book. One possible plan is to continue with ...g5-g4 and ...Qg5. We could also continue with ...Nd8-e6 getting closer to the f4-square with another knight. Black enjoys an extremely comfortable position here. 8...d5!

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Position after: 8...d5! My opponent took about 30 minutes before making his next move. White can either ignore Black’s active play or try to refute it. If White just castles, we will transpose to the line 8.0-0 d5! 9.d3 9.exd5 Clearly the most critical choice, even if not the best one. 9.Bg5 This is the most popular move in the position. Now I like to release the tension and kick the White bishop back. 9...dxe4 10.dxe4 h6! 11.Bh4 Qd6 Black unpins the knight. We will see the point of this on the next move after pretty much whatever White does: Nd2, 0-0 or anything else. 12.0-0 Nh5! The knight is coming to f4. Black’s position is already more comfortable here. 9...Nxd5

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Position after: 9...Nxd5 10.Qe4! It is interesting that the e5-pawn is often not protected well enough in this line so it might look like White’s target. But if White takes the pawn immediately then after the recapture followed by ...Re8 Black wins the White queen because of the pin on the e-file. Now, if Black were to play ...Be6, White would definitely consider taking the e5-pawn because the bishop on e6 would stop us from playing ...Re8 and pinning the White queen so we retreat with the knight. 10...Nde7!

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Position after: 10...Nde7! Black is doing well here. White can try to take the pawn or just develop. 11.Bg5 This is what my opponent played. 11.Nxe5 Nxe5

Position after: 11...Nxe5 340

12.Qxe5 [12.Qxa8?? Nxd3+ And there is no good reply for White as Kd1/d2 allows a discovery, Kf1 loses the bishop on c1 while 13.Ke2 Bg4+ and Black wins the white queen.] 12...Bd6 13.Qe2 Bb7 14.0-0 Ng6‚ Black has better compensation than in the Marshall Gambit as his pieces are much better developed. He soon regained material while keeping the initiative. 15.Re1? Ne5! 16.Be3

Position after: 16.Be3 And now find the move for Black! 16...Nxd3 17.Rd1 Qh4! Provoking further concessions 18.g3 Qh3 19.f3 Ne5 the black bishop on b7 and the e5-knight leave White with no chances. Now the remaining rook joins the game. 20.Nd2 Rae8 21.Bc2 Qh5 22.Rf1

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Position after: 22.Rf1 Again Black has a nice tactical solution 22...Nxf3+! the point is that 23.Nxf3 loses to 23...Bc5, pinning the bishop. 23.Rxf3 Bxf3 in my opinion Black’s play in this game was very impressive. [0-1 (30) Hedrera, M (2432) – Bericat, A (2507) Argentina 1995.] 11...Bf5 12.Qxf5 Nxf5 13.Bxd8 Raxd8

Position after: 13...Raxd8 Black had a comfortable endgame. [½-½ (43) Sulskis, S (2528) – Krykun, Y (2342) Panevezys 2019.] Things are not so easy here as White’s bishop is very powerful on b3 and White’s weakness on d3 can easily be protected. However, Black has strong ideas like ...g6, ...Kg7, in order to move the knight from f5 and follow up with ...f7-f5!. This should totally compensate for White’s plusses. Another powerful idea I was thinking about in the game was ...Nf5-d6-b7-c5!, the point being to attack the weak d3pawn. Of course, we will remove the bishop with ...Bb6 first.

b) 5.Bxc6, 5.d4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

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Position after: 4...Nf6 5.d4 A rather aggressive line. White plans to avoid the slow Ruy Lopez manoeuvring opting to open up the position and play sharp sacrificial chess. But I do not believe he is ready to put pressure on Black’s position. In my opinion 5.0-0 Be7 6.Bxc6 is quite a reasonable line because White wins a tempo when the black bishop goes to e7 as it must later go to d6. However, this variation is not within our repertoire as we play the Open Spanish and meet 5.0-0 with 5...Nxe4. That is why we will only study the 5.Bxc6 line. I believe Black should be very happy to see this variation. 5...dxc6 6.d3 White’s idea is to calmly develop, castle, go Nb1-d2-c4, remove the f3-knight and prepare the eventual f2-f4. I do not think we need to know concrete stuff here. However, I would like to introduce you to some plans.

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Position after: 6.d3 Why did White take on c6 on move 5 instead of move 4? How is this line different from the Exchange Spanish? The answer is our f6-knight. Now that it is developed to f6 it is rather misplaced and we will need to improve it. Eventually the best square for it is d4 so the route is ...Nd7, then it goes to f8 and e6 or c5-e6 to end up on d4. However, it also stands well on e6 as it prevents f2-f4 ideas. Our bishop belongs on d6 because it helps protect the e5-pawn. Let us see how Black develops, keeping these ideas in mind. Again, forcing lines do not exist here it is understanding that matters. 6...Nd7! Immediately starting to execute our plan. 7.0-0 Bd6 8.Nbd2 0-0 9.Nc4 Re8 10.b3!? It makes sense to develop the bishop to b2 to put more pressure on the e5-pawn, but Black can easily defend it. 10...Nf8 11.Bb2 f6!

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Position after: 11...f6! 11...Ng6 was possible but it is inconsistent as we want our knight on e6. Please enjoy the following masterpiece by Ukrainian GM Alexander Beliavsky who is a living legend and former top 5 player in the world. 12.Nfd2 Ne6 now that Black has the knight on e6, f2-f4 is not possible. White starts playing without a plan. 13.Kh1 b5! starting active actions on the queenside 14.Ne3 c5! taking control over d4. 15.a4 Rb8 16.Nf5 Bf8

Position after: 16...Bf8 We do not let White trade the bishop. It is not that this bishop is super-strong right now, instead Black rather hopes to use his space advantage. As we know, the rule if we have space advantage is not to trade pieces! 17.axb5 axb5 18.Qg4 Kh8 White’s play on the kingside is not dangerous as Black has many more defenders. 19.Qh4 Nd4 Attacking c2 and trading the White f5-knight. 20.Ne3??

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Position after: 20.Ne3?? Please stop for a second and find a winning tactical idea for Black! 20...Nxc2! 21.Nxc2 Qxd3–+ Black gets two pawns for a piece and attacks two pieces. However, you had to see more than this as White has a defensive idea now! 22.Qh5! Is the only challenging move even though it still loses. White attacks the rook and goes Qd1 next. If you had not seen this, stop and think! 22...Be6! 23.Qd1 Red8 24.Nf3 Qxe4–+

Position after: 24...Qxe4–+

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Black did not get a piece back, but he has three pawns and will take the fourth one on b3. White’s c2knight and b2-bishop are very passive. There is no salvation for White. 25.Qc1 Bxb3 26.Ne3 Bg8 and Black won a really inspiring game [0-1 (39) Baratosi, D (2407) – Beliavsky, A (2630) Plovdiv 2012.] 5...exd4

Position after: 5...exd4 White normally castles here but 6.e5 is also a possibility we need to look at. 6.0-0 6.e5 Ne4 the knight belongs on c5, later it can also go to e6. The move 6...Nd5 looks pretty good but we do not want White to win time by attacking this knight with 7.Bb3 or anything else.

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Position after: 6...Ne4 A) 7.c3 dxc3 8.Nxc3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Be7 Black now has a healthy extra pawn. However, if we play passively White will count on ideas like Bc2 and Qd3. That is why we need a few more precise moves to confidently claim the advantage. 10.0-0 0-0 11.Bc2 d6! 12.Qd3 g6 13.Bh6

Position after: 13.Bh6 13...Re8! Now 14...Bf5 is a big positional threat which cannot be stopped. White can obviously retreat with his bishop or queen, but the e5-pawn is hanging as well, and White is simply a pawn down. [A 348

mistake would be 13...Bf5? as the rook is still hanging and after 14.Qe2∞ White is not worse. He wants to spoil our structure with Bxd5 which is something that should not be allowed.] B) 7.Nxd4? This is a blunder, a gift you are unlikely to receive, but please see how we punish this 7...Nxf2! [7...Bc5 8.c3 Qh4ƒ is the safer option, feel free to investigate it yourself.] 8.Kxf2 [8.Nxc6 bxc6µ as ...Qh4+ will attack the a4-bishop!] 8...Qh4+! 9.Ke3? Bc5 10.c3 b5 11.Bc2 Bb7

Position after: 11...Bb7 And now the problem for White is that he cannot develop his pieces! If 12.Nd2? White loses control over e4. I will give a sample line here. Our ideas are very simple as we castle, put the rook on e8 and crush the king on e3! Further ...Ne5-g4 or ...Ne5-c4 are huge threats. 12.Be4 the best defense, trying to keep the long diagonal safe. 12...0-0-0 Now ...Rae8, ...f7-f5, ...Nxe5 are big threats. 13.Qe1 Trying to trade queens which is something we do not do. 13...Qh5

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Position after: 13...Qh5 The threats are so strong that White would rather sacrifice back the material just to get to safety. 14.Kd2 Bxd4! 15.cxd4 Nxd4 16.Bxb7+ A logical attempt to trade pieces. 16...Kxb7 17.Qe4+ Nc6 Black is ready to follow up with ...Rhe8 or ...d7-d5! 18.Nc3 Rhe8µ Black will collect the e5 pawn and is just winning with three pawns for a piece plus the attack. The white king on d2 is clearly not something White was planning to have. C) 7.0-0 And now the simplest move is 7...Be7 transposing to the mainline with 6.0-0 Be7 7.e5. 6...Be7

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Position after: 6...Be7 The safest. Now White has a choice between 7.Re1 and 7.e5. 6...Nxe4 Is a possibility for those who want to transpose to subchapter b) of chapter 14! It usually arises after 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 exd4. However, the line is risky so if you do not use it play a safe move which we will study here. 7.Re1 7.e5 Ne4 8.Nxd4 This is rather innocuous in my opinion. The problem for White is that his bishop on a4 is likely to be traded as after the eventual ... Nc5 it cannot escape. 8...Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Nc5 10.Nc3 00!

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Position after: 10...0-0! There is no need to hurry with ...Nxa4, the bishop is not running away! In my opinion after the logical ...d7-d6 Black simplifies the situation in the center and is doing great. Let us see a sample line. 11.Nd5 d6 12.Nxe7+ It makes sense for White to try to create a weakness on d6. 12...Qxe7 13.exd6 Qxd6 If White does not take he will lose time with his queen and cannot claim any special advantage. 14.Qxd6 cxd6 15.Bb3 the only move as the bishop was hanging. 15...Nxb3 16.axb3 Be6= I am sorry as I was trying to be too thorough and almost reached a draw as a result of good play by both sides!

Position after: 16...Be6= 352

Now we have a position with opposite-coloured bishops which is drawish. Black has nothing to worry about since after ...d6-d5 White will never get this pawn. Your next moves can be just logical ones in the center like ...Rfe8, ...f6 and improve your king with ...Kf7. We have no problems from the opening! 7...b5

Position after: 7...b5 8.Bb3 8.e5 Nxe5! The bishop on a4 is hanging so we can afford this. 9.Rxe5 bxa4 [9...d6 is another strong possibility but here you need to be ready to play with a rook and pawns vs two pieces after 10.Rxe7+!] 10.Nxd4

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Position after: 10.Nxd4 Otherwise ...d7-d6 would have been very strong. 10...0-0 [Now 10...d6?? loses to 11.Nc6+–.] 11.Nf5 Of course, White’s chances can only be dynamic otherwise ...d7-d6 gives Black a clear advantage so he tries to pursue some kingside ideas. 11...Re8 Simply dealing with White’s threats. 12.Bg5! The only challenging move. Black will need to spoil his pawn structure but in return he gets great dynamic potential. If White played something else the simple ...d7-d6 would attack the White rook and his f5knight (the c8-bishop springs to life!). 12...d6 13.Nxe7+ Rxe7 14.Bxf6 gxf6

Position after: 14...gxf6 354

This might look a bit scary but actually Black is already somewhat better. He is a pawn up (although it may be temporary), White’s pieces are not developed while ours join the game quickly. Our bishop goes to b7, then we develop the rook to e8 or sometimes to g8 after ...Kh8 to attack the white king! 15.Rxe7 [15.Rh5 Re5! Favours Black who can use his strong bishop and the newly opened g-file to generate attacking chances.] 15...Qxe7 16.Nc3 Bb7 17.Qd3 Just a normal developing move. [17.Nxa4?? Qe4! With a double attack on a4 and g2!] 17...Re8 18.Nxa4 Qe5! I like Black’s chances as all of his pieces are very active and centralized. On the other hand, White’s knight and rook lack good squares and cannot get active. Black is just better here. 8...d6

Position after: 8...d6 And now the final tricky line you need to know. 9.Bd5?! Trying to pin the knight and take on d4. It looks scary to open the e-file but that is what we do, and it works thanks to a well-known tactical trick! 9...Nxd5 10.exd5 Ne5 11.Nxd4 11.Nxe5? dxe5 12.Rxe5 0-0 Almost loses for White as the d4-pawn is not hanging right now because ...Bf6 would be a winning pin. Otherwise ...Bf6 followed by ...Qxd5 yields Black an extra pawn and a much better position. 11...0-0! 12.f4? 355

Position after: 12.f4? It looks like we are in trouble. If the knight retreats 13.Nc6! is strong. But we refute White’s idea by means of 12...Bg4! 13.Qd2 Nc4! Everything comes with a tempo! 14.Qd3 Bh4! We could just go ...Bf6 but I like to either worsen the position of White’s rook or provoke g2-g3. Why is it so good for us? Because after g3 the light squares are going to be very weak and White does not have a light-squared bishop! 15.Rf1 Bf6µ

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Position after: 15...Bf6µ Black keeps a serious advantage. He has the bishop pair and all of his pieces are better developed and very active. White has nothing to boast of here.

c) 5.d3 d6 6.c4 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3

Position after: 5.d3 357

Now it is time to consider this little pawn move. Just as 6.d3 it is usually used by people who would like to play calm positional chess and avoid analyzing forcing lines which we will study later in this book. However, everything comes at price as Black gets to develop in a very smooth way and I am about to explain the subtleties of the setup. 5...d6 6.c4!?

Position after: 6.c4!? This is an interesting line which is rather popular. It has clear advantages and downsides including: 1) White grabs space and wants to play d3-d4 in the future achieving a large spatial advantage. 2) White takes the d5-square under control making it easier for him to plan such ideas as Nc3, Bg5, Nd5. 3) White makes it more difficult for us to ever play ...d6-d5 or ...b7-b5. However, the disadvantages are rather obvious as well, the key one being the fact that the d4-square is much weaker now and ...Bg4 followed by ...Nd4 can be a very unpleasant strategic threat in many situations. Besides that, the a1-h8 diagonal also gets weaker which is especially important because Black’s bishop will come to g7 putting pressure all over it. The main move 6.c3 will be covered in the next subchapter. 6.0-0? Even though this move was played by many strong players it is actually a positional MISTAKE! Why? Black will execute a very strong positional threat now. 6...b5! 7.Bb3 Na5!

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Position after: 7...Na5! This move is possible because the black pawn on e5 is now protected. Black will take the bishop when he wants. But do not hurry, keep White nervous and keep the tension. You can first go ...Be7, ...0-0 and see what the opponent does. Should he ever attempt to save the bishop with c2-c3 or a2-a3, take immediately. 8.Nc3 Be7 9.Be3 0-0 10.h3 Bb7

Position after: 10...Bb7 Now you take the bishop to continue with ...Nf6-d7 and ...f7-f5!, which activates both your rook on f8

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and the b7-bishop. 6...g6 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.h3 White stops ...Bg4 ideas. 8...0-0 9.Be3 Nd7 I removed my knight from f6 as it was not doing much there and hindered ...f7-f5 and also impeded the g7-bishop from controlling the d4-square. One of the useful strategic ideas Black may want to pursue is ...Nc5-e6-d4, bringing this knight over to the best spot in the position.

Position after: 9...Nd7 However, as we will see this plan should be executed extremely carefully as White has a very nice strategic trap along the way. 10.Bxc6 This is the main move in the position, but we need to understand how to react after other continuations. 10.Qd2? That is definitely not the right plan for White and we get a good position easily. However, I want you to be aware of the following positional pitfall.

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Position after: 10.Qd2? A) 10...Nc5? It seems that there is nothing wrong with ...Ne6-d4 as this strategic manoeuvre is called for. Unfortunately, White obtains a nearly decisive positional advantage by means of 11.Bxc5! dxc5 12.Bxc6! bxc6± Our structure is terrible, the bishops are locked in and useless.

Position after: 12...bxc6± Now White will go Na4, Qe3, Nd2-b3 and our queenside pawns will eventually be lost while our counterplay does not materialize. Do not ever allow this double bishop trade! 361

B) 10...Nd4! Now ...Nc5 would be a good continuation, Black is just better as short castling is not an option for White anymore as we will take on f3 leaving White worse off due to his horrible structure and weak king. And, it is not so easy to suggest a good idea for White here instead of castling. 10...bxc6 11.d4?! White gave up the bishop pair and now is opening up the position. The white king is also still in the center, so these actions do not look right. Instead, 11.Qd2 could be a normal continuation getting a rich position with mutual chances. 11...Rb8 The bishop on g7 is already keeping an eye all over the dark diagonal so it makes sense to weaken it a bit more. 12.b3 f5!

Position after: 12...f5! We need to open up the game as we are better developed and have the bishop pair. 13.dxe5? I think that many moves are decent here. Either 13...fxe4 or 13...Nxe5 would both have been decent alternatives to what I did. 13.exf5 gxf5ƒ

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13...f4 14.Bd2 14.Bd4?? dxe5 15.Ba7 Rb7 Suddenly the white bishop is trapped!

Position after: 14.Bd2 Here I made an inexplicable positional mistake. The logic behind it was very simple: I thought that if I take with the knight, I would be clearly better, but I was not sure if that was the right way to capitalize on opponent’s previous mistakes. That is why I preferred another recapture intending the ambitious plan of ...Nc5-e6-d4 followed by ... c6-c5 with a monster knight on d4. However, as soon as I played my move I realized how bad of a decision it was. 14...dxe5? 15.Na4!ƒ

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Position after: 15.Na4!ƒ Since White has prevented ...Nc5 my position is simply worse. 15...Qe7 16.Bc3 Re8 17.Qe2 c5 18.0-0-0 Bb7 19.Ne1 Bc6 20.Nb2

Position after: 20.Nb2 After some mutual inaccuracies we reached the diagram position. Now a few continuations were possible, but besides the move in the text, I would especially like to mention the lovely idea 20...a5!. 364

20...Nf6!? Another idea was really good but at this point I was already totally focused on and thrilled by the upcoming sacrifice. 20...a5! As I always teach my students, in positions with opposite castling it is necessary to attack the opponent’s king. Using pawns to weaken and dismantle the king’s shelter helps a lot! 21.Bxa5? And now the following interesting position is reached. 21...Ra8 22.Qd2 Bxe4 23.Qxd7 Qxd7 24.Rxd7 Rxa5 25.a4 Bf5 26.Rxc7 e4µ

Position after: 26...e4µ The black bishops are dominating the board, Black is much better despite the fact that he is a pawn down. The white king is also weak. 21.f3 Nh5 22.Qf2 Ng3 23.Rg1

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Position after: 23.Rg1 What should Black do here? The knight on g3 will be an absolutely dreadful piece unless we use it right now. That is why the right solution comes to mind instantly 23...Bxe4™ 24.Na4?? My opponent collapses immediately. Declining the sacrifice in this position is well worth immediate resignation. 24.fxe4™ was absolutely needed and after 24...Nxe4 25.Qc2 Nxc3 26.Qxc3 e4 27.Qc2

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Position after: 27.Qc2 we reach a very picturesque position that I wanted to show to you. Black is a piece down for two pawns, but his bishop is simply dominating the board. Let us see a few more moves which look very logical. 27...Rbd8! if 27...Qe5, then 28.Rd5 could be somewhat irritating, that is what our last move prevents. 28.Rxd8 Rxd8 29.Rf1 Qe5

Position after: 29...Qe5 This is one of the coolest positions I encountered in my analysis that year! It looks like Black’s position is absolutely overwhelming, but the machine is ruthless stating that after 30.Rf2! Black has about 15 – 20(!) equally good moves but the evaluation would remain 0.00 after any of them. Fortunately, neither my opponent nor I could evaluate that precisely over the board! 24...Bf5 25.Kb2 e4 26.Ka3 e3–+

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Position after: 26...e3–+ And I soon converted my advantage. Hopefully, this interesting game gives you an idea of how to handle positions after 6.c4. I thought it would be especially crucial to present this variation by demonstrating a game rather than just raw analysis as the structure is highly atypical of normal Ruy Lopez positions which means that it is absolutely crucial to get acquainted with some typical patterns, plans, manoeuvres and pitfalls. [0-1 (35) Makka, I (2178) – Krykun, Y (2351) Corund 2017.]

d) 5.d3 d6 6.c3 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 g6!

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Position after: 6...g6! This is the reason why 5.d3 is less dangerous than its “older sibling”, the 6.d3 line (which we do not examine in this repertoire). Why is this move so good and so important? Because in the main Ruy Lopez very often Black plays ...Bf8-e7 and then tries to defend his king with such manoeuvres as ...Rf8-e8, ...Be7-f8, then ...g7-g6 and ...Bf8-g7! How many tempi did we just save? This is why I think that 5.d3 gives Black such an easy game. The next moves do not matter that much. White can play Nbd2, 0-0, Re1, Nf1, Ng3, h3 these are all typical Ruy Lopez moves to get more presence on the kingside. We will play ...Bg7, ...0-0, then a few options are possible. Let us proceed with the line and discuss them. 7.Nbd2 Bg7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Re1 b5

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Position after: 9...b5 Now this is the interesting point. White can retreat his bishop to two different squares, and we will react differently to each. 10.Bb3 10.Bc2 Nb8!? Is a typical Breyer regrouping which I really like as I have played around 20 classical games in the Breyer so far and have not lost one yet even against many GMs. This setup is so flexible! Your next moves include ...Nbd7, ...Bb7, ...Re8 then often pawn to ...c5 and pawn to ...d5. The point of removing the knight is that on c6 it was not doing much. It could not go to many squares and was also obstructing the bishop on b7. Now from ...d7 it can often go to c5 or b6, for example. 11.d4 Nbd7 12.Nf1 Bb7 13.Ng3 Re8

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Position after: 13...Re8 This is a direct transposition to the Breyer variation of the Ruy Lopez where White is two tempi down! That is because d2-d4 was played in two moves and he has yet to play h2-h3. Black has already established his bishop on g7 and did it without losing time. You can consider the simplifying ...d6-d5 break on the next move or play a tense game with ...c7-c5 which keeps the tension. 10...Na5 All these moves are very logical. Both sides have simply been developing. 11.Bc2 c5 12.Nf1 h6!

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Position after: 12...h6! Please remember the key idea ...h7-h6 is very important! Why? By playing ...c7-c5 we have just grabbed space at the cost of weakening the d5-square and we can no longer control it with pawns. Now White wants to play Bg5, take the knight thereby eliminating the only defender of the d5-square and then occupy it with his own knight after Nf1-e3-d5. We do not want that, so we go ...h6 as soon as this threat appears. White just created it by going Nf1 as his bishop was blocked by the knight a move ago! 13.Ne3 Does not make as much sense now because our knight controls d5 as well. 13.Ng3 Re8 Overall, I feel that at this point we can stop. However, I want to show a few ideas on how to meet White’s d3-d4 attempts.

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Position after: 13...Re8 A) 14.h3 Nc6 15.d4? Again, it is tough to get d3-d4 in, Black is just better here after 15...cxd4 16.cxd4 Nxd4 17.Nxd4 exd4 18.Qxd4?

Position after: 18.Qxd4? 18...Nxe4! A typical blow which is possible thanks to the g7-bishop. It happens a lot in the King’s Indian and Ruy Lopez. Black simply wins a pawn and has a winning position. B) 14.d4 exd4 15.cxd4 Bg4! 373

Position after: 15...Bg4! This is where we make use of all the pieces. Even the hidden bishop on g7 can soon prove very useful over the long diagonal. Also, please note that if White decides to close the center with 16.d5. Then 16...Nc4! is a very strong continuation. The knight on the rim proved to be a good piece! 13...Nc6 Improving the position of our knight on the rim. 14.h3 Re8

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Position after: 14...Re8 This seems to be a mysterious move. Why place the rook on the e-file? Because we want to play ...d6d5 at some point, for example after ...Bc8-e6. After that, the rook is very likely to prove useful for the defense of the pawn on e5 or some active actions down the e-file such as the ...e5-e4 break. You have a good position and are ready to go!

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Chapter 14 Open Spanish 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4

Chapter Guide Chapter 14 – Open Spanish 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 Be7 7.Re1 b5 8.Rxe4 d5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Rxe5 bxa4 a) 6.Re1 alternative b) 6...exd4 alternative c) 11.Qe2, 11.Qe1 d) 11.c4, 11.b3, 11.Qf3 e) 11.Nc3

a) 6.Re1 alternative 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4

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Position after: 5...Nxe4 Now we reach the Open Spanish – the main meat of this book and a very interesting and rich variation in itself. The history of the line goes back in the days where Korchnoi used it in the World Championship matches versus Karpov. Currently, several top players employ this variation as one of their main weapons including the Azeri super-GM Mamedyarov who has brought several brilliant ideas to the public’s attention such as our main line 6...Be7. Now White has a couple choices. If he feels well prepared and ambitious, he has to play 6.d4! accepting the challenge. However, if you are not a titled player chances are you will be facing the lame 6.Re1 a lot and we will cover that move in great detail as well. Speaking of the very main position that arises after 6.d4, I have decided to give two possibilities. The move 6...exd4 is the so-called Riga variation, named after the city for which I cherish wonderful memories. Objectively, it is a little dubious as it leads by force to an endgame where White is somewhat better. However, I consider it a very practical choice for all the non-titled players and definitely for all the players below 2000. Your opponents are not going to be well prepared so this move will allow you to cut down on theoretical learning. For the more ambitious players I am suggesting the interesting and fresh 6...Be7. This move received a lot of attention after Mamedyarov’s victory over Aronian at the Olympiad of 2018. Since then, it has been used hundreds of times by the biggest names including Carlsen and Caruana and many others. It is a rather sharp, yet a very sound line as you can judge based on the people who chose to stand behind it. I am very excited about recommending it! I hope you enjoy this part of the book as this is, by all means, the most challenging part of it. Having a good solution against the main Ruy Lopez is particularly crucial. 6.Re1 377

White just gave up a pawn and with this move he wants to get it back. There is nothing wrong in this logic but for it to work he will have to part with the light square bishop. 6...Nc5 7.Bxc6! 7.Nxe5?! Nxe5 8.Rxe5+ Be7 traps the a4-bishop. After 9.Bb3 Nxb3 10.axb3 d5 Black is clearly better because he has the bishop pair for which White has no compensation. 7...dxc6 8.Nxe5 Be7 9.d4 Ne6

Position after: 9...Ne6 10.c3 10.Be3!? is another interesting move order. 10...0-0 Now 11.c3 is a transposition but White also has an additional interesting option. A) 11.c4!? This is the move that we have got to investigate in more depth as White tries to get more space. Here I like the somewhat weird idea of getting another pair of doubled pawns! 11...f6 12.Nf3 Ng5!?N

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Position after: 12...Ng5!?N The underlying reason for this move is that it is still a novelty in over the board play, but multiple correspondence games have used this idea which suggests that the move has some merit. If White does not trade I might want to trade as we have less space. Black can also re-route his knight to f7! If White trades our bishop gets a nice spot on f6 while the f-file also opens up. A1) 13.Nbd2 Nxf3+ This is the most logical continuation because we have less space therefore trades should benefit us. [13...Nf7!? Is also interesting.] 14.Qxf3 Be6 the plan is to follow up with ...Bf7, ...Qd7, ...Rad8, ...Rfe8 and ...Bf8. There is no way we can have any problems here. In fact, I would be looking for ways to put pressure on White’s position and not let him escape too early with half a point, and the position allows for that! A2) 13.Nxg5 fxg5 14.Nc3 h6!? Depending on what White does we might react a bit differently.

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Position after: 14...h6!? In general, we want to go ...Qe8-f7, ...Bf6, ...Bf5 and ...Rad8 reaching a perfect setup. One direct attempt here is 15.d5!? but then after 15...Bf5 16.dxc6 Qxd1 17.Raxd1 bxc6∞ Black clearly gets a lot of counterplay as his bishops are going to be incredibly active. The doubled pawns do not really make a big difference. B) 11.Nc3 is another possible move but I do not see any reason why we would not have a comfortable life continuing in the same manner as in the main line: ...f7-f6 with...Re8 ideas make sense.

Position after: 11.Nc3 380

11...f6 12.Nf3 Re8 the same ideas with ...Bf8, ...b7-b6 and ...Bb7 hold true. 10...0-0

Position after: 10...0-0 We have just made a few reasonable developing moves. Now it is time to talk about the plan. Black would love to somehow play ...c7-c5 and trade his doubled pawn. It is not always possible though so in those cases we go ... f7-f6, kick the annoying knight out and then activate our bishop in a spectacular way via ...b6, ...Bb7 then ...c5! However, please do not blunder your e6-knight. 11.Be3 You do not really need to know any variations by heart here. Simply by examining the following game and gaining an understanding of the ideas and the way Black wants to develop is highly beneficial. 11.Nd2? A mistake because it proves ignorant of Black’s key desire. 11...c5! Black’s key idea is to trade this doubled pawn after which he is undoubtedly better thanks to his bishop pair. 11...f6! 12.Nd3

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Position after: 12.Nd3 12...Re8 12...b6 Intending ...Bb7, ...Qd5, ...c5 looks good and convincing to me as well. Please take a look at the following sample game by Nabaty which clearly demonstrates the potential of the bishop pair. 13.Nd2 Bf8 14.Nf1 Qd7 15.Ng3 Qf7 16.Qb3 Nd8

Position after: 16...Nd8 382

17.Qxf7+?! I do not like this decision as it is exactly in the endgame that the black bishops will prove extremely useful. 17.Qc2„ Keeping the queens on the board would have been the better decision. 17...Kxf7 18.Bf4 Rxe1+ 19.Rxe1 Ne6 20.Bc1 b6³

Position after: 20...b6³ Black is about to continue with ... Bd6, ...Bb7, then possibly ...c7-c6. Or, he can first consider ideas like ...a6-a5-a4, grabbing space and possibly even preparing the rook lift by means of ...Ra8-a5! Objectively White’s position should be holdable even though in practice this is not the most pleasant thing to handle. Just as a reminder how uncomfortable it is to defend these passive positions for many moves White immediately makes a mistake. 21.f4?µ It is not worth seeking active play in positions where your pieces are not placed well and are not capable of supporting pawn play. Overall, it is extremely important to be rather considerate with pawn moves as the pawns do not go backward and the weaknesses White just created in his position, such as the e4-square, are not ever going to disappear. 21...Nd8 22.f5 Nb7!

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Position after: 22...Nb7! Now it is time to improve the knight, develop the bishop to d7 and make room for the rook to come to e8. This offers a trade which White cannot turn down as giving up the e-file is extremely undesirable. 23.Nf4 Bd7 24.d5 Bc5+ 25.Be3 Re8 26.Kf2 Bd6 The knight is now ready to come to c5. Just look how skilfully Black has improved his position within the last ten moves or so! 27.Bd2 Rxe1 28.Kxe1 Nc5 29.dxc6 Bxc6µ

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Position after: 29...Bxc6µ Now all the Black minor pieces are absolutely gorgeous, and he went on to win. For the purposes of this work it is unreasonable to give the text of the entire game here but I highly recommend that you study it to witness an example of impeccable endgame technique by the Israeli GM. [0-1 (56) Stojanovic, D (2501) – Nabaty, T (2603) Belgrade 2015.]

b) 6...exd4 alternative 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4

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Position after: 6.d4 The best move in the Open Spanish. Here my recommendation is 6...Be7, but in this chapter we will discuss another opportunity for Black. 6...exd4 7.Re1 d5

Position after: 7...d5 8.Nxd4 386

It seems that Black is in massive trouble as c6 is attacked twice while f3! is a serious threat as well. However, I think we have a pretty way of dealing with our problems. A) 8.Bg5 is a reasonable move but Black should not encounter any objective problems. 8...f6 9.Nxd4 Bc5 10.Nxc6 [10.Be3?!N 10...Bxd4 11.Bxd4 0-0³ With a healthy extra pawn. There might be some compensation, but a pawn is a pawn.] 10...Bxf2+

Position after: 10...Bxf2+ A1) 11.Kh1N 11...Qd6! All the pieces are under attack! Black is completely fine. For example: 12.Na5+! [12.Nd4+? Kf7µ] 12...Kf7 13.Rxe4! dxe4 14.Qe2 fxg5 15.Qxf2+ Kg6 Have you seen a position like this?

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Position after: 15...Kg6 I believe that it is a great choice to fight for a win. Not to mention that White’s path to here is rather narrow. A2) 11.Kf1! Qd7 12.Nc3! The only move. [12.Rxe4+ dxe4µ And all the white pieces are hanging.] 12...bxc6 13.Nxe4 Bxe1

Position after: 13...Bxe1 14.Nxf6+! [14.Qxe1 0-0–+ And Black is simply winning as too many pieces are hanging.] 14...gxf6 388

15.Qh5+! Kf8 16.Bh6+ Ke7 17.Rxe1+ Kd8 Please do not try to remember all these variations. Just know that Black is alright and that our typical ideas are ...Rb8, intending ...Rb4, as well as a check on f5 which trades queens. Now something like 18.Qf3 Qf5 19.Qxf5 Bxf5 20.Bxc6

Position after: 20.Bxc6 looks very reasonable and forcing with all the complications leading to a peaceful outcome after 20...Rb8 21.Bg7 Rg8 22.Bxf6+ Kc8 23.Bxd5 Rf8 24.Be7 Re8∞. Black wants to get out with ...Kd7. Should he be able to trade a pair of rooks he will end up with a huge advantage. I will show a few more moves even though we are already extremely deep in the analysis. 25.Bf7! Rh8

Position after: 25...Rh8 Now both pawns are hanging and White should part with one of them. 26.c4 Rxb2 27.Bf6! Rf8 389

28.Bxb2 Rxf7= Black is a pawn down in an opposite coloured bishop ending. Here White will not have a single chance to convert even if his pieces were better placed. In this very situation Black even has threats such as ...Bd3+ or ...Kb7-c6-c5 attacking the pawn. Our king is much better! The game will end in a draw very soon. 29.Kg1 Kb7 B) 8.c4!? Might be a more dangerous sideline but I believe, we are alright here as well. However, the position is very sharp so please study the following lines in detail. 8...Bb4 Requires extremely precise play from White [8...Be6!? Is also interesting 9.cxd5 Qxd5 and a sharp position arises. Check it out yourself!]

Position after: 8...Bb4 B1) 9.Bg5!?N 9...f6 10.Bd2! Bxd2 11.Nbxd2 0-0 12.cxd5 Nxd2 13.dxc6 Nxf3+ 14.Qxf3 bxc6 15.Qxc6 Bf5

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Position after: 15...Bf5 The position is quite unbalanced and objectively White might be a tiny bit better. The variation itself is rather risky for Black. But at the same time even such a position is completely playable for Black who at the moment is a pawn up and does not have any direct problems. B2) 9.cxd5!? Bxe1 10.Qxe1 0-0 11.dxc6 Nc5∞

Position after: 11...Nc5∞ It looks extremely messy, for instance 12.Bd1 Re8 13.Qd2 Qf6!? and White has two pieces for 391

Black’s rook and pawn but it is not that easy for him to develop! Once again, I do not really believe in White’s capacity to find all these moves over the board should he be below the level of a titled player. C) 8.c3!? Was tried once against me in some internet blitz but after the simple

Position after: 8.c3!? 8...b5 [8...dxc3? 9.Nxc3 gives White a dangerous initiative.] 9.Bb3 Be7 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 [11.cxd4 0-0³ Results in a position where Black is clearly better as he is just a healthy pawn up!] 11...Nf6³ Black is fine. 8...Bd6!

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Position after: 8...Bd6! Now White has two testing moves and one of them almost loses. 9.Nxc6! The real test of Black’s setup. A) 9.f3? This might seem to be a reasonable try, but it shows ignorance of the idea behind Black’s last move. Let us study the variations to get a feel for how strong Black’s attack can suddenly become. How should Black continue right now? A1) 9...Bxh2+ is an immediate draw:

393

Position after: 9...Bxh2+ 10.Kxh2 [10.Kh1?? Bg3! 11.fxe4 Qh4+ 12.Kg1 Bxe1–+; 10.Kf1? 0-0! transposes.] 10...Qh4+ 11.Kg1 Qf2+ 12.Kh1 Qh4+ A2) 9...0-0! Black is winning here.

Position after: 9...0-0! Let us study a few lines to see how powerful the attack is. 10.fxe4 [10.Nxc6? Qh4! 11.fxe4 Qxh2+ 12.Kf1 Qh1+ 13.Ke2 Qxg2+ 14.Kd3 dxe4+ 15.Rxe4 Bf5 Is a nice illustration of Black’s attack. Let 394

us not spend too much ink on this non-critical position. Just remember that the move f3? puts White on edge. Remember that you castle, sacrifice the piece and then go ...Qh4 and you will do well over the board.] 10...Nxd4! An important detail to remember 11.Qxd4 Qh4 The position of the white queen proves very, very unfortunate.

Position after: 11...Qh4 The black queen on h4 though serves countless purposes: it is attacking the e1-rook, threatening checkmate in one; it is also attacking the h2-pawn while simultaneously keeping an eye on the 4th rank and pinning the e4-pawn. 12.g3 It is barely possible to defend without this move. But now Black’s attack proves very strong anyway. 12...Bxg3 13.hxg3 Qxg3+ 14.Kf1 Bh3+ 15.Ke2 Bg4+ 16.Kf1 Qh3+ 17.Kf2 Qh2+ 18.Ke3 dxe4

395

Position after: 18...dxe4 Black’s attack is absolutely decisive. B) 9.Nc3 To develop in this way is possible albeit not threatening.

Position after: 9.Nc3 Now we can again achieve a draw immediately or just play a normal, equal position. B1) 9...0-0 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Nxc6 Qe8!

396

Position after: 11...Qe8! Pins the knight then after say 12.Qd5 Bd7 13.Qxe4 Bxc6 14.Bxc6 Qxc6 15.Qxc6 bxc6 We get a level endgame. Perhaps White is a touch better. This works if you are keen to avoid the 9...Bxh2+ drawing line at any cost. B2) 9...Bxh2+ 10.Kxh2 Qh4+ 11.Kg1 Qxf2+= Is a draw straight away. 9...Bxh2+™

Position after: 9...Bxh2+™ 397

10.Kh1! The critical move. A) 10.Kxh2 This is a bit of a problem if you are in a fighting mood. Objectively I think a draw with Black in one line is an acceptable result. You can use the variation against higher rated players so it will not be a disappointment. 10...Qh4+ 11.Kg1 Qxf2+ 12.Kh2 Qh4+= With a perpetual check. B) 10.Kf1? Qh4! This move should not be any surprise by now. ☺

Position after: 10...Qh4! 11.Nd4+ [11.Re2 Bd6 and the game is over because of the threat of mate on h1.] 11...b5 12.Be3 [12.Bb3?? Qxf2#] 12...Bg4! [12...bxa4? 13.Nf3!] 13.Nf3 Qh5 14.Bb3 0-0-0!–+ 10...Qh4

398

Position after: 10...Qh4 White needs to solve quite an uneasy task. I always ask my students to think for the opponent too and in such a position to try to solve the task of your adversary. How should White continue? 11.Rxe4+!! The combination White needs to find is rather beautiful. 11...dxe4 11...Qxe4? Is a mistake 12.Nd4+! b5 13.Kxh2 bxa4 14.Nc3 Qh4+ 15.Kg1 0-0± White’s king is safe, and his pieces are much better. Do not go here. 12.Qd8+! Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2 Be6

399

Position after: 14...Be6 Now it is time to stop and evaluate the position. Black has a rook and two pawns for the bishop and a knight which seems great in the endgame. However, the problem lies in the position of our pawn on e4. As it moved there it opened up the h2-b8 diagonal and the a1-h8 diagonal creating weaknesses which White’s bishop can benefit from as well as the enemy knight should it ever come to some squares. I do agree that objectively White is better in this ending which is why I will propose another solid opening variation as well. However, first of all, even GMs went for this position and successfully held it versus other GMs. White’s advantage is small. Secondly, you should understand that the chances that the opponent will make it here are not that large. Now I will provide a few thoughts on how to better arrange the pieces, what to be aware of and possible traps. Hopefully, this will suffice! 15.Be3! A) 15.Nc3? Another trap! One of the most obvious moves for White actually hands the advantage to Black due to the unexpected powerful reply 15...c5!

400

Position after: 15...c5! Threatening to trap the bishop with ...b7-b5 and ...c5-c4. Black is already better! [15...b5? 16.Bb3!] A1) 16.a3 It is important to also consider this move because White is trying to prepare the spot on a2 to rescue his bishop. Unfortunately, this does not quite work. 16...c4! and Black wins the piece for two pawns as 17...b5 is unstoppable. [16...b5 17.Bb3 c4 is also interesting as after 18.Ba2 the bishop is clearly very passive and restricted, but it does not win the material back.] A2) 16.Bg5+ Kc8 17.Nxe4 b5 18.Rd1 bxa4µ [½-½ (101) Sanal, V (2418) – Sulskis, S (2567) Nakhchivan 2013.] This is something one of the best youth Turkish players fell into, you can hope your opponent will as well! B) 15.Bf4! f5 16.Nd2

401

Position after: 16.Nd2 B1) 16...g6? was tried in one game that reached this position, but I believe after 17.g4 [17.Nb3! b5 18.Nc5!± White is clearly better as we have too many weak squares.] 17...Kc8 18.g5 Rd8 19.Kg3±

Position after: 19.Kg3± White was much better in the game but soon he lost the thread and as a result did not convert the advantage possibly due to the rating difference of more than 300 points. 19...Rd4 20.Bb3?! [20.c4! would have been the right plan intending Be3 to kick the rook away and re-routing the a4-bishop to 402

e2 via d1.] 20...Bxb3 21.axb3 b6 22.f3 exf3 Later the players split the point but not before a few adventures! [½-½ (46) Palac, M (2576) – Hofmann, T (2223) Schwarzach 2015.] B2) 16...Kc8! is my suggested improvement. The point being that our kingside can manage itself while the king protects the queenside pawns. 17.c3

Position after: 17.c3 B2.1) 17...h6 18.g4! [18.Bb3 Bxb3 19.axb3 g5 20.Be3 b6] 18...g5? 19.Be3 the bishop is now coming to d4. 19...f4 20.Bd4 Rd8 21.Nxe4 Bxg4² To be honest even here things are far from being obvious, but we have a better path. B2.2) 17...Rd8 is also possible intending ...h7-h6 and ...g7-g5. In the event of 18.g4 both 18...g6 and 18...fxg4 make sense. As I honestly admit in many places of this chapter the entire line 6...exd4 is not the best variation from an objective standpoint. But, it does give ample practical counter chances. So, if White plays perfectly we get this position which is not lost, and it is not equal, just somewhat worse. The game is going on! B2.3) 17...g6!? 18.g4 fxg4 19.Nxe4 Rf8 20.Bg3²

403

Position after: 20.Bg3² Is a possibility. The computer overestimates White’s chances but the problem is that even if White wins all three Black kingside pawns for his one pawn, especially if some pieces such as the rooks are traded, it is an easy fortress! This is something you must understand instead of concrete lines. 15...f5

Position after: 15...f5

404

16.Nc3 16.Nd2 Ke7² White is better. But that was achieved after some 15 perfect moves in a very rare line. I would consider this to be a calculated risk. However, if you do not agree please study the next chapter to see an objectively very good line which does require more work. I would like to mention that you do not need to remember all these lines. In my opinion, the attacking ideas at Black’s disposal are rather straightforward so to play over the board should be pretty easy for you. 16...Ke7

Position after: 16...Ke7 Now we will see the highest-rated battle in this line: a 2700-rated GM, who has been Kramnik’s second for many years, did not break through. Hopefully, this says something about Black’s position! 17.Bb3 Kf7 18.g4 g6 19.g5 Rad8 20.Kg3 Rhe8 21.Rh1 Kg8 22.Kf4 Bxb3 23.axb3 Re6 24.Ra1 Kg7 25.Kg3 Rc6 26.Ra5 Kf7 27.Ra1 Rd7 28.Rh1 Kg8 29.Ra1 Kf7 30.Rh1 Kg8 31.Ra1 Kf7

405

Position after: 31...Kf7 [½-½ (31) Efimenko, Z (2689) – Drenchev, P (2496) Golden Sands 2012.] As a conclusion I think we can say that while objectively White might be able to obtain some advantage this line poses the first player a lot of problems which might not be a piece of cake over the board. Another great piece of news is that since this variation is rare most players up to 2200 or so would not be ready to face it and even if they would find many good moves while the clock is ticking it will come at a cost of burning a lot of time and nerves. You can also consider using this line in blitz and rapid where it is even more challenging for the opponents to be refuting such variations due to the time constraints and where the surprise value is even higher. Objectively, though, I am not happy enough with this variation to present it as my main suggestion so if you are looking for a sounder option please study 6...Be7 below!

c) 11.Qe2, 11.Qe1 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 Be7!?

406

Position after: 6...Be7!? This idea has been known for years but was not taken seriously by top level players until Mamedyarov defeated Aronian with it at the 2018 Olympiad. White now has quite a number of good moves but only one of them is a dangerous choice. 7.Re1 A) 7.d5?! Nc5³ 8.Nc3 [8.dxc6 Nxa4 9.cxd7+ Qxd7 10.Qxd7+ Bxd7 11.Nxe5 Bf5µ With a clear advantage thanks to the bishop pair in an open position] 8...Na5 9.Nxe5 0-0³ B) 7.dxe5? Nc5!

407

Position after: 7...Nc5! Again, poor White must surrender his important light square bishop and Black is better again. 8.Bxc6 dxc6 9.Qxd8+ Bxd8³ Resembles a sort of Berlin/Exchange Spanish structure. Even worse for White is that with his e-pawn on e5 the f5-square and the b1-h7 diagonal are now weakened! C) 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.dxe5 Nc5³ Same story as White has to trade his bishop. 7...b5

Position after: 7...b5 408

8.Rxe4 8.Bb3 d5 is a possibility. Black’s point is very simple: in the Open Spanish no one really plays Re1?! as this move is not threatening at all. With this line we have sidestepped tons and tons of dangerous tries for White in the Open Spanish and have reduced our research to just one sideline. Here is a ballpark variation. 9.dxe5 Be6

Position after: 9...Be6 A) 10.c3 0-0 11.Nbd2 Nc5 12.Bc2 [12.Nd4 Nxd4 13.cxd4 Nd3 14.Re3 Nxc1 15.Rxc1 Rc8 16.Rec3 c5! 17.dxc5 d4!∞] 12...d4 13.cxd4 [13.Nb3 dxc3³] 13...Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Qxd4 15.Nf3 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Rad8= Usually White wants to get such endgames with an extra tempo. He would love for Be3 to have already been played with the move Rd1 to have been made in one move. Here we are very comfortable. B) 10.Nbd2 Nc5! allows Black to either transpose to the normal c3 lines or take the bishop if he desires. C) 10.Be3 Na5 11.Nbd2 Nxd2 12.Qxd2 c5 13.c3 Nxb3 14.axb3 a5= Obviously, we do not have any issues whatsoever. Let us concentrate on the main line though as it is more difficult. 8...d5

409

Position after: 8...d5 9.Nxe5 9.Re1 Now I am satisfied with both of Black’s choices but Re1 is by no means a principled continuation for White which is why I will not go into great detail. 9...bxa4!? [9...e4!? 10.Bb3 exf3∞] 10.dxe5 0-0 The position is wild so numerous moves are possible, but I will just give one possible line.

Position after: 10...0-0 Black has two bishops, and you need to know that the ...Bg4 pin will be extremely annoying in the 410

future. 11.Nc3 Bb4 12.Bd2 Bg4 13.h3!? [13.Nxa4 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Bxd2 15.Qxd2 Qh4„] 13...Bh5 14.g4 Bg6 15.Nxa4∞ 9...Nxe5 10.Rxe5 bxa4

Position after: 10...bxa4 We get this position almost by force. We are at a crossroads with a huge list of possibilities for White with the main one undoubtedly being 11.Nc3 which we will study later in this chapter. 11.Qe1 Out of respect for Levon Aronian, one of my favourite players nowadays, we are analyzing Qe1. This was his choice when he faced this line against Mamedyarov at the 2018 Olympiad. The latter won this game in brilliant style after some sacrifices. I would definitely suggest that you study it! 11.Qe2 f6 12.Re3 c5 13.dxc5 Kf7 would simply be the same sort of thing as Qe1 instead of Qe2. 11...f6! Please understand one of the key things: often our king finds safety on f7 as we do not really have to castle in many positions. 12.Re3 c5!

411

Position after: 12...c5! Now that the White pieces are rather unorganized and decentralized it is time to deliver a shot in the center. 13.Qd1 13.dxc5 Kf7©

Position after: 13...Kf7©

412

A very important detail which I would like you to pay attention to and understand although not a highly typical thing in chess is that Black does not need to castle here and the king is perfectly safe in the center. It helps control the squares and cannot be attacked as White does not have any piece nearby our king. He would especially love to have the light squared bishop which was traded earlier. 14.Qb4 Qc7 15.Rc3 Qe5 16.Re3 Qc7 17.Rc3

Position after: 17.Rc3 Here, as you can see, we can already force the repetition of moves. However, especially in the analysis, I would like to provide some variations that demonstrate that we can actually play for more or at least try to! Obviously, in a game you would have already made your choice whether to continue or not should you reach this position. After 17...d4!? the material does not seem to matter in this line. What does matter is the initiative and, of course, the diagonals for our bishops. Please understand that we are not counting pawns because all the White queenside pieces are pretty much stuck on the initial squares. 18.Qxd4 Rd8 19.Qc4+ Be6 20.Qf1 Rac8∞

413

Position after: 20...Rac8∞ A) 21.Nd2? Qb7 22.Nf3 Bxc5µ We are still a pawn down but our development and tremendous activity more than compensate for it. Further, White’s bishop cannot get out as the b2-pawn is targeted by our queen. There is no telling how White should finish his development. B) 21.Be3 Qb7 22.Na3 [22.b3 f5!? Does it not seem that Black’s game is more straightforward?] 22...Qxb2∞ With another complicated position where Black’s play seems a lot easier as he is just gobbling White’s queenside. 13...0-0 14.Nc3

414

Position after: 14.Nc3 14...a3 A very typical pattern in this variation: the a4-pawn is doomed pretty much anyways so it makes sense to give it up in a way that deforms White’s pawn structure. Now White’s extra a-pawn is not of any significance. I believe this is the best continuation from a theoretical standpoint. However, it is interesting to analyze Mamedyarov’s game just because it was an exciting thriller and because we can grasp some typical tactical ideas for our repertoire. 14...Rb8!? was played by Mamedyarov. This may not equalize but the position definitely remains very complex offering both sides plenty of chances. 15.b3 cxd4 16.Qxd4

415

Position after: 16.Qxd4 16...Bd6!? Very creative even if not very sound. [16...axb3!? 17.axb3 Bb7 would be a sounder continuation even though White seems to be enjoying a tiny advantage thanks to Black’s inferior structure. It is nice that Black has bishops, but they are not active at the moment so White has the better chances.] 17.Qxd5+ Kh8 White wins a pawn... 18.Rd3 Qe8 19.Bb2 Be5 20.Nxa4

Position after: 20.Nxa4 ...and another pawn. However, now Black’s bishops finally start awakening and will soon dominate the

416

position! 20...Rb5 [20...Bb7!? Would also be a good way to handle the position. 21.Qd7 Qg6 and now White needs to continue with either f2-f3, which weakens his king’s shelter a bit or Qh3 which does solve the problem of protecting g2 but misplaces the white queen. Perhaps White is better anyway as two pawns is a lot of material, but Black is rather active.] 21.Qf3?! Aronian starts losing control. This may still keep White in a better position but now Mamedyarov finds a brilliant counter chance. [21.Qc4! Bb7 22.Re3! would be the right way of handling this position. White slowly but surely neutralizes Black’s activity and should eventually convert his pawns.

Position after: 22.Re3! For example, 22...Qg6 23.g3 Bxb2 24.Nxb2+– and White is winning. The weakened long diagonal does not matter as Black cannot really use it. White always has f2-f3 if things are getting really bad over that diagonal.] 21...Bb7 22.Qe3 Be4 23.Rd2 Bxg2!!

417

Position after: 23...Bxg2!! Completely destroying the white king’s shelter. A) 24.Kxg2 Qg6+ 25.Kf1 Bxh2 Now Black has full compensation for the missing piece. 26.Re1 Rg5

Position after: 26...Rg5 27.Ke2? [27.Nc3! Is a better try as it brings the knight over to defend while maintaining a complex position.] 27...Re8! 28.Kd1 White must have counted on this idea as Black cannot take the queen. However, there is a decisive move available at Black’s disposal. 28...Rg1! Now it is over. 29.Be5 418

Bxe5

Position after: 29...Bxe5 [0-1 (48) Aronian, L (2780) – Mamedyarov, S (2820) Batumi 2018.] After further inaccuracies by both sides Black eventually won. Please do not think I intend any disrespect when I highlight that both sides made several mistakes as the position is just extremely complicated and hard to navigate. The fact that it was a team event and this game was a decisive one for the match outcome did not make things easier. B) 24.f4! would still keep White in a better position. However, some variations require a lot of precise calculation. 24...Ba8!? is probably what Aronian was worried about. [24...Bxb2 25.Qxe8 Rxe8 26.Nxb2± The good news for Black is that he regained one of his pawns. The bad news is that he is still a pawn down and will need to fight hard to save his life in this clearly bad endgame.] 25.fxe5 Qc6

419

Position after: 25...Qc6 White is a piece up, but his king is entirely naked and ...Qh1+ is a really scary threat. Now White has only one path to happiness. 26.Qf4!! Calmly protecting the h2-pawn and showing Black that he cannot ever play ...fxe5 as the f8-rook is not protected. [26.Kf1 Allows a perpetual 26...fxe5+! 27.Rf2 Qg2+ 28.Ke1 Qg1+ 29.Ke2 Qg4+ 30.Ke1 Qg1+= with a draw.] 26...Rbb8! Protecting the rook and threatening ...fxe5 followed by Qh1. 27.exf6! Qh1+ 28.Kf2 Qg2+ 29.Ke3± White’s king is surprisingly safe in the center as ...Re8+ can always be met with Be5. No wonder Aronian did not go here, the variations seem absolutely impossible to find over the board! 15.bxa3 Bf5=

420

Position after: 15...Bf5= We just continue our development. White can never take on c5 because ...d5-d4! is a nasty fork. Black has managed to destroy White’s structure now he is simply developing pieces. Please note how inconvenient it is for White to have a rook on e3. The c1-bishop and the a1-rook feel really bad. It is very important to understand one huge benefit from removing White’s b2-pawn. The c3-knight is rather insecure and unstable so ...Rc8 comes with a fairly strong impact. 16.Re1 This move might seem to be losing time, but it is very logical as White wants to finally develop his queenside bishop and the rest of the pieces. 16.Nxd5 White can definitely simplify the position this way, but he does not achieve more than that. 16...Qxd5 17.Rxe7 cxd4=

421

Position after: 17...cxd4= Black has pressure on the c2-pawn while White’s extra pawn on the a-file does not count at all. Now all the normal moves such as Bd2, h2-h3 or whatever, keep equality. However, White has a chance to blunder and lose in one move. Please note this trap. 18.Be3?? Qd8!–+ White’s last move was hinting that our queen was unprotected, so we defend it. Now both the rook and bishop are hanging. It is game over. 16...Rc8 Of course, we keep developing. 17.Qf3

422

Position after: 17.Qf3 This might be a slightly tricky moment so I would like to direct your attention to a few things here. Why does White make such a weird move as 17.Qf3? Of course, it would be natural to play something like 17.Be3 here instead but then Black can at least start getting his material back. I do not want to overload this book with additional sublines, so the reason White does not play 17.Be3? is that this hangs the a3-pawn after 17...cxd4! followed by 18...Bxa3!. I believe you do not really need to know much more than that to have a very comfortable life with this line. Just remember that White has developmental issues related to the weakness of his pawns. Now after 17.Qf3 quite a forcing line begins. 17...Bxc2 18.Nxd5 Re8 If White does something else than 19.Nxe7+, Black is ready to simply retreat the bishop. Or, for instance, after 19.dxc5 Bxc5 he has a great position. We are a pawn down, but we have the bishop pair. Is this extra pawn that useful? Not really as it is a doubled a-pawn! Instead, our bishops have limitless opportunities in this position. 19.Nxe7+ Rxe7 20.Rxe7 Qxe7

423

Position after: 20...Qxe7 Again, you should be considerate about the amount of lines you need to learn by heart. When the forcing play ends the rest is not something to memorize. For example: here White can play 21.Bb2, 21.Bd2, 21.Be3 intending to regain the pawn after 21...cxd4 with 22.Qd5+. This does not change the evaluation. It is just equal since this is a doubled a-pawn which is absolutely useless. 21.Qc3 Bf5 22.dxc5 Qxc5 23.Qxc5 Rxc5=

Position after: 23...Rxc5= 424

White can boast of having this extra pawn, but this is all he had achieved. There is simply no position where this pawn would matter. The opposite coloured bishops favor us as well as they make it impossible for White to ever aspire for any advantage here.

d) 11.c4, 11.b3, 11.Qf3 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 Be7!? 7.Re1 b5 8.Rxe4 d5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Rxe5 bxa4

Position after: 10...bxa4 11.Qf3 A novelty to which we need to know how to respond. The problem with this move is that the most obvious 11...Be6 might actually leave us in a rather cramped position. A) 11.c4 Quite a weird idea which however requires that we know a thing or two otherwise it is easy to be left without sufficient compensation. 11...0-0!? [11...dxc4 12.Qxa4+ Bd7 13.Qxc4 0-0² This is also interesting, but I do not believe that it is sufficient.] 12.Rxd5 Bd6 13.Bg5 [13.Nc3 Be6 14.Rh5 Bxc4 15.Qxa4 Bd3∞ With great compensation as White’s rook on h5 is very misplaced and Black enjoys the bishop pair.] 13...f6 14.Bd2

425

Position after: 14.Bd2 14...f5! [14...c6!? 15.Rh5 g6 16.Rh4 f5 17.Rf4„ Bxf4 18.Bxf4 Re8 19.Nc3 a3 20.bxa3 Ra7!? This is also playable for Black, but I would rather take White as the dark squares in our camp look too weak.] 15.Nc3 Bb7 16.Qxa4 Bxd5 17.Nxd5 Qh4 18.h3

Position after: 18.h3 18...Qxd4 [18...Rae8!? 19.c5 Bxc5 20.Qc4 Qxd4 21.Nf6+ Kh8 22.Qxd4 Bxd4 23.Nxe8 Rxe8= With clear equality.] 19.Bc3 Qa7!?∞

426

B) 11.b3!? Makes sense positionally as White wants to play for the “bad” black bishop on c8. Unfortunately for him, this costs too much time. 11...0-0 12.Ba3 Bxa3 13.Nxa3 Re8 14.Rxe8+ Qxe8 15.Nb1 axb3 16.axb3 Bf5 17.Nc3 Qe6= 18.Na4 Qg6!

Position after: 18...Qg6! If White could easily install the knight on c5 Black might have ended up worse but this is not the case as we are just in time to start creating counterplay with ...Bxc2 and ...Be4! ideas. 19.Rc1!? Re8! Again, there is no 20.Nc5 due to 20...Bxc2!µ.

Position after: 11.Qf3 427

11...Bb7!? 11...Be6 12.Nc3 Bf6 13.Bg5! Bxg5 14.Qh5! Not an easy thing to find with the White pieces but the threats of Rxe6+ and Rxg5 make us give one of the pieces back and after 14...0-0 15.Rxg5 Qd6=.

Position after: 15...Qd6= The engine suggests it is equal here, but I would rather play White as our bishop does not seem great at the moment. White has ideas such as Na4-c5 which might ultimately lead to the typical unpleasant endgame “good knight versus bad bishop”. That is why instead of 11...Be6 I recommend 11...Bb7!? However, if you are either not afraid of this position or simply do not believe the opponent would find the trick which allows him to reach this position, by all means go here! A) 16.a3 Qb6! We are immediately creating counterplay against d4 and b2. 17.Qd1

428

Position after: 17.Qd1 17...Qxb2 [17...h6 is also possible, for example: 18.Rg3 Qxb2 19.Nxa4 Qb5 20.Nc5 Bf5„. White’s knight on c5 looks good but it is fairly difficult to say what exactly it is doing over there. The position is roughly balanced.] 18.Nxa4 Qb5 with another roughly balanced situation where we have the b-file and where White’s rook proves rather misplaced on g5. On the other hand, his minor piece is a little more active, so the chances are fairly even. B) 16.Nxa4 Qb4∞ Black counterattacks the knight on a4 as well as the pawns on d4 and b2 and gets more than sufficient counterplay. The white pieces on the kingside are unable to generate any serious attack and seem really misplaced as the real action is taking place somewhere else.

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Position after: 11...Bb7!? 12.Qe2 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Nxd5 Bd6 14.Rh5 f5 15.Rxf5 Qh4 16.Rh5 Bxh2+ 17.Kf1 Rxf3 18.Rxh4 Bg3 19.Rf4 Rxf2+ 20.Rxf2 Bxf2 21.Kxf2 Bxd5= There is no way such a line would appear on the board! 12...f6 13.Re3 c5 14.dxc5 Kf7

Position after: 14...Kf7 15.Nc3!? 15.b4 axb3 16.Rxb3!? [16.axb3 Bxc5³] 16...Bc6 17.Ba3 d4 18.Qh5+ g6 19.Qh4 Qd5 20.Qg3 Bxc5= [20...Rhe8!?=] 15...Bxc5 16.Rd3 Re8 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.Rxe3 Rxe3 19.fxe3 Qa5∞

430

Position after: 19...Qa5∞ The position remains complex, but Black has ideas like ...a4-a3, ...Qb4, ...d5-d4 and ...Re8. In my opinion this is something rather easy to play as Black.

e) 11.Nc3 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 Be7!? 7.Re1 b5 8.Rxe4 d5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Rxe5 bxa4 11.Nc3

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Position after: 11.Nc3 The most popular move by far and I believe the best one. 11...0-0! Now I would like to introduce a few ideas which make the line attractive to me. 1) When White takes the pawn his rook usually proves extremely misplaced on d5 as it will take two moves to bring it back and this is a significant amount of time. Meanwhile Black, who enjoys the two bishops, the newly opened h1-a8 diagonal and the b and e-files, gets counterplay. 2) We do have the weird pawn on a4, but we can use it for the ...a4-a3 break which spoils the White queenside. 3) We also have the open b-file. I believe that these factors are the foundation of Black’s hopes and provide Black with tremendous counterplay. Please see how these ideas are used in the following variations 11...c6? 12.Nxa4± was not really the point of Black’s play.

Position after: 11...0-0! 12.Rxd5 A) 12.Nxd5!? This does not seem critical at first. However, the resulting positions do require accuracy as White might opt for some middlegame or endgame with a slightly more useful bishop. But there is an important manoeuvre that seems to provide sufficient counterplay. 12...Bd6 13.Re3 Bxh2+ 14.Kxh2 Qxd5 15.Re5 Qd7 This might look like a worse position for Black but please study the following lines, especially remembering the idea ...Rb8-b5! which trades the key White piece.

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Position after: 15...Qd7 16.Bf4 Rb8! 17.b3 Rb5! Black is totally fine; a sample line could be 18.c4 Rxe5 19.Bxe5 Rd8 20.Qh5 f6 21.Bg3 axb3 22.axb3 Qxd4=. B) 12.Re1 If White does not take the pawn, Black simply gets everything he wants. 12...Bd6 [12...Bb4!? could be another alternative.] 13.Qh5 a3 [13...c6!?] 14.Nxd5 axb2 15.Bxb2 Rb8 16.Rab1

Position after: 16.Rab1 16...Be6!N Improving on the game Caruana – Carlsen where the World Champion had to struggle 433

quite a bit. [16...Re8 ½-½ (68) Caruana, F (2819) – Carlsen, M (2875) Zagreb 2019.] 17.c4 g6 18.Qe2 Bxd5 19.cxd5 in this position even though we are a pawn down only the opponent might have problems since our bishop is so much better! The doubled pawns are obvious targets. 19...Bb4 20.Rec1 Qxd5 21.Qxa6 Bd6 22.h3 Ra8 23.Qd3 Rxa2= The dust has finally settled, and Black is a tiny bit better thanks to his slightly more active bishop, but it should be a draw. 12...Bd6

Position after: 12...Bd6 13.Bg5 The critical attempt. Here I will be suggesting two possibilities. Since this is the main position of the whole variation it is nice to have choices. First I would like to mention the disadvantages of both moves which might worrisome so please pay attention to the following idea as it is very important. What are the disadvantages of the move 13...f6? It can prove bad because White simply retreats Bf4 and we get the 13.Bf4 line with an ‘extra’ ...f7-f6 move. But it proves an actual ‘extra’ move because in many lines we are deprived of the important idea ...Qd8-g5! However, such verbal explanations require lines that prove the mentioned disadvantages. Here I would like to describe the moves 13...Qe8 and 13...f6 from the practical perspective. I believe that both are good, and both give equality, but there is way less to learn after 13...Qe8. Both also give positions complex enough to play for a win. But in case White is familiar with the line, or manages to find good moves over the board, I think that the 13...f6 lines enable us to play for a win anyway, while in the 13...Qe8 ones White can actually have possibilities to arrive at some drawish scenarios. This is how I feel about it and this is why I give you both moves and analyze both in detail, but feel free to choose yourself! 13.Bf4 Be6 434

Position after: 13...Be6 A) 14.Rxd6!? cxd6 15.Ne4 [15.Nxa4 Re8„ Same story with this exchange sacrifice as both sides seem to have chances.] 15...d5 16.Nc5 Re8= [16...Bd7!? 17.Qf3 Bc6∞] B) 14.Bxd6?! cxd6µ Black is extremely comfortable while the white rook is almost out of squares! 15.Rh5 g6 16.Rh6 a3 17.bxa3 Rc8 Black keeps increasing the pressure. As you can see in all these lines, the c-file is another highly useful asset we take advantage of. 18.Qd2 [18.Ne2 Qg5 19.Qc1 f6µ] 18...Qa5!

Position after: 18...Qa5! 435

Oops, now trouble knocks at White’s doors from a different side! 19.Ne4 Qxd2 20.Nxd2 d5!? A touch of class. Taking on c2 immediately would have also been strong, but Black prefers to prevent White from any fun related with the activation of his knight. 21.c4 dxc4 22.Ne4 Kg7 23.Rh4 c3–+

Position after: 23...c3–+ The c-pawn is about to give White much love, while the h4-rook, no matter how hard White has tried to activate it, still keeps observing the battle as a spectator! Joking aside, it is hard to play an endgame where you are a rook down no matter how amazing of a player you are! 24.Nc5 c2 25.Rc1 Rb8 26.Re4 Rb1 27.Ree1 Finally White managed to return his bloody son, the h4-rook, to the game but it is too late. 27...Rxc1 28.Rxc1 Rb8 29.Nd3 Rb1

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Position after: 29...Rb1 ....Bc4 or ...Bf5 is about to win the knight, rook, and game so White called it a day. A really illustrative display of how things can go wrong for White despite some of the extra pawns he gets to win early on! [0-1 (29) Sidorenko, I (2395) – Mikhalevski, V (2581) Israel 2019.]

Position after: 13.Bg5 13...f6! 13...Qe8!? We can also go for this move! I am suggesting Qd3 as White’s main attempt to develop his pieces. 14.Qd3 Rb8 you should already recognize this idea if you have studied some of the previous lines, especially ones where White takes Nxd5 early, and we reach the position with an open b-file where we go ...Rb8-b5! Now we again are using the b-file 15.b3 White would not go 15.Rb1, it would be too miserable. 15...axb3 16.axb3 Bb7 17.Rf5 Going to a5 is possible too, but I do not want to overload you with variations that are not needed at all. In short the rook is useless on a5 as it does nothing but attack the a6-pawn which is protected by the bishop.

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Position after: 17.Rf5 A) 17...f6!? One more important idea for us to learn! The queen is coming to g6 which is very handy. Remember, I told you not to play ...f6 earlier on but in this position things are already different as we did not lose any time and now our queen has this nice route. However, I have an alternative idea as well! 18.Bh4 Again, let us not focus on too many concrete lines but just in case you were wondering, 18.Bf4 transposes after 18...Qg6 19.Bg3. 18...Qg6 19.Bg3. We now arrive at a very exciting position. I hope you are thrilled to try it out!

Position after: 19.Bg3 438

Here you have many possibilities: 19...Bc8!? might be an interesting move, then after 20.Rf3 you can trade queens and go ...Bf5! But I like another move a lot as well. 19...Rbe8. The point is very simple, we improve the worst piece! The rook went to b8 to use the open file. Now that the file is closed we reposition it! 20.Nd5 Bxg3 21.hxg3 Bxd5 22.Rxd5 Qxd3 23.cxd3 Re6² The endgame is a simple draw because White’s doubled d-pawns are not that useful. The worst you can get if you misplay it is a position where you have 3 vs 3 on the kingside and White has a d-pawn but this a draw as well. By the way, this is where I would like to reach out to you and encourage you to work on rook endgames. I hope you will not be disappointed to read such a note in an opening book, but I strongly believe that it is important to concentrate on all the aspects of chess. B) 17...Qe6!? is another interesting possibility, trying not to go ...f6. 18.Bf4 Qg6 19.Bg3 h5!?

Position after: 19...h5!? This is one more pattern I wanted to show to you. The bishop on b7 is extremely powerful and Black is able to create a very direct threat of ...h5-h4 with the threat of mate on g2. 20.h4 White absolutely has to stop our idea. 20...Rfe8 We are just bringing another rook in the game. 21.d5 Bc8!? Now that White closed the long diagonal it makes sense to re-route the bishop as it has nothing more to do on b7. 22.Rf3 Qxd3 23.Rxd3 Bf5=

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Position after: 23...Bf5= Now White has to be very careful as 24.Rd2? runs into 24...Bb4! Black’s bishops are extremely active so White should return the pawn on c2, take on a6, lose the b3-pawn and soon it should simplify to a drawn endgame. I understand we want to win but if White plays well we cannot objectively count on reaching a win after the opening!

Position after: 13...f6! 14.Bf4

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This is not a move any opponent will make as it leads to tremendous complications and may imply the exchange sacrifice as we will see in this example. However, White can shy away from sacrificing as well. A) 14.Bh4? Is just wrong as the bishop takes an important square away from the rook 14...a3 Again, this is a very typical pattern you must be aware of by now. The pawn was about to perish so we try to destroy the opponent’s structure. 15.b3 (The same problems arise after 15.bxa3.) 15...Be6

Position after: 15...Be6 A1) 16.Rh5 Bf7 17.Rf5 Be6 18.Rh5 Qd7 the fantastic activity of the bishops and our queen combined with a horrible situation with his rook on h5 and his misplaced bishop grant us a chance to go ...g5!? disrupting his position completely. 19.Qd3 g5 20.Bg3 Bg4µ

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Position after: 20...Bg4µ And Black is just winning, as White loses material. A2) 16.Rxd6 might be White’s best chance but he will not have enough for the sacrificed exchange as we are just better after 16...cxd6³. B) 14.Be3 Lets Black organize counterplay in an interesting way 14...a3! First, as usual, we get rid of the weak pawn. 15.bxa3 f5!

Position after: 15...f5! Black has the bishop pair, the h1-a8 diagonal is open, the White rook is somewhat misplaced. Black does have counterplay! 16.Qf3 Rb8 17.Ra5 Bb7 18.d5 c6 19.Bc5 cxd5 20.Bxd6 Qxd6 21.Nxd5 Qd8! 22.Rc5 Qd6!= 442

14...Be6

Position after: 14...Be6 15.Bxd6 Once again we examine what happens if White is unwilling to sacrifice the exchange. 15.Rxd6 cxd6 16.Nxa4 Such an exchange sacrifice does deserve attention. This is one of the problematic ideas for the whole line. However, Black has a full share of chances as well. 16...Re8 17.b3 Bd7! (forcing the knight all the way back to b2 makes sense!) and both sides have chances. Because 13...f6 was already a novelty it does not make sense to investigate this position too far as it is brand new and, objectively, roughly balanced. But the great news is that it is definitely a fight with mutual chances! 15...cxd6 16.Rh5 As a careful reader might have noticed by now, White’s main problem consists of the clumsy rook. 16...a3 17.bxa3 Rc8 18.Qd3 h6= I am giving the next moves to better illustrate the ideas Black has. 19.Re1 Re8

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Position after: 19...Re8 How will White get the h5-rook back into the game? Do not count the pawns, look at that rook! I think we can stop here but it would be nice to take a look at a few sample lines which show the pitfalls White has to be cautious about. 20.Qd2 A) 20.Rh4? Bf5 21.Qd2 g5!µ And all of a sudden the rook is trapped! B) 20.d5?? Bg4 the back-rank threat decides the game! 21.Rxe8+ Qxe8–+. 20...Qc7 21.Re3 Bg4 22.Rxe8+ Rxe8 23.Rh4 Rc8!? 24.Rxg4 Qxc3 25.Qxc3 Rxc3 26.d5 Rxc2 27.g3 Rc5 28.Rd4 Kf7=

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Position after: 28...Kf7= With an absolutely equal endgame as an extra doubled a-pawn is useless and Black’s rook is very active. A draw will soon be agreed.

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Show in Text Mode

Part VI Test Your Knowledge Chapter 15 Exercises While my main goal is to provide you with a sound, bulletproof repertoire that will serve you for years, I believe in one’s all-round development. Your ultimate goal is not to get a good position out of the opening. It is not to get a good one in the middlegame or not to be half an hour ahead on the clock. I hope you remember your ultimate goal should be to win the game, to collect the full point and take it home. That is why you can find the analysis of the middlegame positions and ideas in this book and, once in a while, we even discuss the endgame ideas. I hope now you understand the point of sharing these exercises with you. They are mostly taken from the chapters and theoretical lines, but a few positions are not covered anywhere in this book. You can solve them before you study the theory. Write down your thoughts and then put that sheet of paper aside. Solve them again after you have read the book and compare them. Hopefully, your answers will look somewhat different or perhaps not if you got them all right on the first attempt! Or you can just solve them after reading and check how well you retained the information and how well you understand some of the core tactical patterns we encountered in the pages devoted to theory. I hope these puzzles are ink well spent. Solving fun positions and challenging yourself never hurts! More importantly chess should always be fun. Why do we study chess if not for fun? So, go and have your own share of fun! Good luck! 1 Duda, J. – Karjakin, S.

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■ Black has a clear advantage here as he has made tremendous progress on the queenside, while White did nothing on the other flank.Please compare two moves.Would you go ...Kc7 or ...Na5? Show/Hide Solution

27...Kc7!µ This avoids the pitfall and keeps a big advantage. 27...Na5?? 28.Nxb4!

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Position after: 28.Nxb4! Duda – Karjakin, chess.com 2018, and White suddenly equalized! 28...axb3 [28...cxb4? 29.Bxb6++–] 29.axb3 Nxb3 30.Nd5=

2 Sokolovsky, Y. – Krykun, Y.

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■ Compare the moves ...Qg4 and ...Qd3.Choose one of them and evaluate the position. Show/Hide Solution

28...Qg4! Keeps a huge advantage. 28...Qd3?? 29.Rd2 and the queen is suddenly trapped! This, unfortunately, is not a random puzzle as it happened in Sokolovsky – Krykun, Vilnius 2018. Do not fall for traps!

3 Vachier Lagrave, M. – Carlsen, M.

■ Punish White’s last move (0-0). Show/Hide Solution

6...b5! 7.Bb3 Na5! And Black grabs the key Spanish bishop with a better position. Vachier Lagrave – Carlsen, Paris (blitz) 2016.

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4 Titus, A. – Swiercz, D.

■ White just went d3-d4.How do you punish him? Show/Hide Solution

15...cxd4 16.cxd4 exd4 It would be better for White not to take on d4 but then he just lost a pawn for nothing. 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4 Nxe4!

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Position after: 18...Nxe4! And Black wins a pawn under even better circumstances, he is just winning. Titus – Swiercz, chess.com 2017.

5 Analysis Chapter 14

■ How does Black get a winning attack? Show/Hide Solution

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10...Qh4! 11.fxe4 Qxh2+ 12.Kf1 Qh1+ 13.Ke2 Qxg2+–+ With a winning attack. Check the theoretical chapter for all the details!

6 Sanal, V. – Sulskis, S. (I)

□ Find the only way for White to stay in the game. Show/Hide Solution

11.Rxe4+! dxe4 12.Qd8+!! Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2 And we reach the familiar endgame. Please check the relevant variations in the theoretical chapter to recall the ideas. Sanal – Sulskis, Nakhchivan 2013.

7 Sanal, V. – Sulskis, S. (II)

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■ White just went Nc3.Why is it bad? Show/Hide Solution

15...c5! Dealing with the threat of ...b5 and ...c4 would cost White dearly: Sanal – Sulskis, Nakhchivan 2013. It is barely possible to avoid losing material. Please check the theoretical chapter for more details.

8 Analysis Chapter 14

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□ Why are both dxe5 and d5 bad? Show/Hide Solution

7.d5 Nc5!³ 7.dxe5 Nc5! Wins the important bishop, Black is better! Check the theoretical chapter to refresh your knowledge!

9 Analysis Chapter 14

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■ How does Black get his material back? Show/Hide Solution

13...Bxh2+! 14.Kxh2 Qxd5 Check the next puzzle to review one of the key ideas in this variation and please check the corresponding lines in chapter 14 to review the whole line with Nxd5.

10 Analysis Chapter 14

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■ What is the key idea for Black to prevent White from installing the rook on c5 giving him pressure against our pawns? Show/Hide Solution

16...Rb8! It is crucial to use the b-file and to later trade off the white rook. 17.b3 Rb5!=

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Position after: 17...Rb5!= 18.c4 18.bxa4 Rxe5 19.Bxe5 Now 19...Rd8 is possible or 19...Re8 intending ...c5 later on. Again, in this line we are happy to be a pawn down for a while as our bishop is very active After 19...Qxa4 20.Bxc7 Bb7© we install the bishop on d5, the rook goes to c8 and our position is great. White cannot utilize his extra pawn. 18...Rxe5 19.Bxe5 Rd8=

11 Sidorenko, I. – Mikhalevski, V.

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■ What is Black’s key positional idea in these types of positions? Show/Hide Solution

16...a3! A very precise move which allows us to get rid of our weak pawn under the best possible circumstances. We also create doubled pawns for White, open up the c-file and make the position of White’s knight very unstable on c3 making ideas like ...Qd8-a5-g5!? very powerful. 17.bxa3 Rc8 Whatever White does, Black is fine. As we know from the model game White quickly went wrong. Please see Sidorenko – Mikhalevski, Israel 2019 to review those patterns.

12 Analysis Chapter 14

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■ How does Black arrange his pieces and what is the key pattern to know? Show/Hide Solution

13...Kf7! White’s pieces are placed in a way that is best for preventing us from castling, so we do not castle! The king is placed very safely on f7 and now the questionable position of all the white pieces starts to tell. He does not control the center well and our d-pawn somehow prevents the queenside pieces from getting to good squares.

13 Aronian, L. – Mamedyarov, S.

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■ How did Black continue here? No hints such as find a win, a draw or equality.Just try to find a good move. Show/Hide Solution

23...Bxg2!? Black is down some pawns, so he initiates a tactical mess and it works out! This puzzle is designed to rather improve your imagination and fantasy in chess. 24.Kxg2?! 24.f4! Would have kept the position under control. Black’s best bet is still 23...Bxg2. After 24...Bxb2 25.Qxe8 Rxe8 26.Nxb2 Bc6± White is a pawn up with a clear advantage. In fact, Mamedyarov’s idea was not without any flaws. His play could have been improved earlier. This position is not an easy win for White as his knight is not yet placed well while our bishop is great, and White’s king is a bit opened up. But it is obvious that White is the only side that can claim an advantage and play for a win. 24...Qg6+ 25.Kf1 25.Kh1 runs into 25...Bxh2! when 26.Kxh2 Rh5 is mate. 25...Bxh2∞

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The g-file is opened as well as the e-file which provides Black with great compensation and soon the player having the white pieces (no less than the great Aronian!) went on to make mistakes and lose. Aronian – Mamedyarov, Batumi 2018.

14 Analysis Chapter 14

□ An unusual task for our repertoire’s purposes.How can White restore the material balance and secure equality by force? Show/Hide Solution

19.c5! Other moves keep a playable position with compensation, but only Black can be better. 19...Bxc5 20.Qc4! Qxd4 21.Nf6+ Kh8 22.Qxd4 Bxd4 23.Nxe8 Rxe8= And finally, the dust settles in a completely equal endgame.

15 Analysis Chapter 14 461

□ Find a strong positional idea for White that secures his advantage, at least in human’s eyes. Show/Hide Solution

13.Bg5!! Bxg5 14.Qh5! The threats are Rxg5 as well as Rxe6+, so after 14...0-0 15.Rxg5 the engine says it is equal. But as I had stated in the book, I think White is clearly better in a practical game as our bishop’s scope is limited and, on top of that, we have rather weak queenside pawns. We do have counterplay over the b-file but such ideas as Na4-c5 are very unpleasant to see coming. So please avoid this position or go for it intentionally taking the risk and hoping White will not find this sequence!

16 Analysis Chapter 14

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■ Little tactics.What is wrong with White’s last move Na4 to c5? Show/Hide Solution

20...Bxc2! And we simply win a pawn since 21.Rxc2 Qxc2 22.Qxc2 Re1# is mate on the first rank.

17 Analysis Chapter 14

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■ Repetition is the key to learning.We saw this position in the theoretical chapter but let us look at it more than once.Why was White’s Rh4 bad? How do you punish it? Show/Hide Solution

20...Bf5! 21.Qd2 g5!

Position after: 21...g5! 464

White is already in trouble and has to give up the exchange by means of Re4 since taking the pawn is even worse. 22.Rxh6 Kg7 23.Rh5 Rxe1+ 24.Qxe1 Bg4 The rook is trapped, White loses the game.

18 Analysis Chapter 14

■ d4-d5 was a logical idea to shut down the black bishop.Why does it lose? Show/Hide Solution

20...Bg4! 21.Rxe8+ Qxe8 ...Qe1 mate and ...Bxh5 are decisive threats which cannot be concurrently defended.

19 Makka, I. – Krykun, Y. (I)

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■ These last two atypical positions come from my own game in the d3 Spanish.I consider these to be rather interesting positional ideas.What should Black do? Show/Hide Solution

13...f4! 13...fxe4 14.Nxe4 Nxe5 should also give a big advantage but I would be concerned about the following idea 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.0-0!? And now to take on a1 is a bit risky. 16...Bxa1 17.Qxa1 White enjoys amazing compensation with such a weak black king. 13...f4! 14.Bd2 14.Ba7 Ra8! 15.Bd4 dxe5 traps the bishop. Instead of ...f4, ...Nxe5 was possible too. I just like the idea of securing the e5-square which is so typical of the KID or Benoni. 14...Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 With a huge advantage as we threaten ...f4-f3, ...Qh4 and so on. Makka – Krykun, Corund 2017.

20 Makka, I. – Krykun, Y. (II)

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■ What did I do here in my game? Show/Hide Solution

23...Bxe4! 24.fxe4 Nxe4 25.Qc2 Nxc3 26.Qxc3 e4 A very powerful piece sacrifice as now all our pieces spring to life. In the game Makka – Krykun, Corund 2017, after ...Bxe4 my opponent refused to take and lost immediately. She should have accepted the sacrifice but even then White’s life is tough as can be seen from the next lines. 27.Qc2

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Position after: 27.Qc2 Look at the black bishop! 27...Qe5 would be an attractive move but 28.Rd5 is annoying so... 27...Rbd8! 28.Rf1 Qe5 The position remains objectively balanced but is so much easier for Black to play. We have tremendous compensation for the piece and White can also easily fall into a trap like... 29.Rxd8 Rxd8 30.Kb1?? Rd1+! 31.Nxd1 Qa1# Congratulations, you have made it to the very last page! I hope this book was an enjoyable experience, dear readers, and students, and I look forward to seeing you soon! Authoring this book was a huge honor and pleasure for me so I hope you have learned a lot and had plenty of fun along the way!

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Spis treści Title page Chapter 1 – Odd 2nd Moves Chapter 2 – Scotch Gambit Chapter 3 – King’s Gambit Chapter 4 – Bishop’s Opening Chapter 5 – Vienna Game Chapter 6 – Ponziani Chapter 7 – Classical Variation Chapter 8 – Scotch Four Knights Chapter 9 – Spanish Four Knights Chapter 10 – Aggressive Italians Chapter 11 – Classical Italians Chapter 12 – Exchange Variation Chapter 13 – Sidelines on Move 5 Chapter 14 – Open Spanish Chapter 15 – Exercises

3 4 16 24 45 56 77 87 136 165 213 251 302 327 376 446

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