Starting Out: Slav & Semi-Slav (Starting Out - Everyman Chess) [1 ed.] 1857443934, 9781857443936

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slav ana semi-slav GLENN

Gloucester Publishers pic www.everymanchess.com

First published in 2005 by Gloucester Publishers plc (formerly Everyman Publishers plc), Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V OAT Copyright© 2005 Glenn Flear The right of Glenn Flear to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 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, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 1 85744 393 4 Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O Box 4SO, 246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480. All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V OAT tel: 020 7253 7887; fax: 020 7490 3708 email: [email protected] website: www.everymanchess.com Everyman is the registered trade mark of Random House Inc. and is used in this work under licence from Random House Inc.

(formerly Cadogan Chess) Chief Advisor: Garry Kasparov Commissioning editor: Byron Jacobs General editor: John Emms

EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES

Typeset and edited by First Rank Publishing, Brighton. Cover design by Horatio Monteverde. Production by Navigator Guides. Printed and bound in the US by Versa Press.

Contents Bibliography Introduction

4 5

Part 1: The Slav

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5 Black's Fifth Move Alternatives _ Gambit Lines: 5 e4, 5 Ne5 and 5 e3 The Quiet 4 e3 The· Exchange Variation The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6 The Slav with ... g7-g6

9

35 49 66 78 90 106

Part 2: The Semi-Slav 8

9 10 11 12 13

~

c--.t

-.., Cf)

z ::::.

The Botvinnik Variation: 5 Bg5 dxc4 The Moscow Variation: 5 Bg5 h6 The Meran Variation Black avoids the Meran White avoids the Meran Early Deviations

120 138 159 183 201 223

Quick Quiz Index of Variations Index of Complete Games

245 249 252

Bibliography Books Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings Volume D, 4th Edition [Sahovski Informator 2004] Nunn's Chess Openings, Nunn, Burgess, Emms & Gallagher [Gambit/Everyman 1999] The Complete Semi-Slav, Peter Wells [Batsford 1994] Semi-Slav: Non-Meran Variations, John Donaldson & Jeremy Silman [Summit 1988] Play the Noteboom, Mark VanderWerf & Teun Vander Vorm [Cadogan 1996] Slawisch, Egon Varnusz [Schachverlag 1991] Winning with the Slav, Yuri Markov & Boris Schipkov [Batsford 1994] The ... a6 Slav, Glenn Flear [Everyman 2003]

Periodicals New in Chess Yearbook 1-73 Informator 1-90

Software ChessBase 9 Deep Fritz 8

'.

Introduction This book lays the groundwork for those interested in trying out the Slav or Semi-Slav in some form or other. So those positions arising after 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 are examined with the inexperienced in mind. By inexperienced I mean either those fairly new to chess who are looking for an opening against 1 d4, or for stronger players tempted to try out the Slav (or Semi-Slav). At first, more modest players should not try to learn too much theory until they have understood the basic ideas. Indeed, even stronger players who are thinking of switching openings should give a priority to first sorting out their aims for development and early middlegame plans. Throughout the following pages the games are mainly illustrative and give only a brief look at theory. The chapters discuss all the principal systems and their strategies, but cannot go too deeply into specific variations. Think of the book as the first step in the exciting world of Slav/Semi-Slav adventures. If you become an aficionado then more advanced material will be necessary down the line.

What are the Slav and Semi-Slav? The Slav Defence and the Semi-Slav Defence are often considered to be two distinct openings. They have their own unique personalities but have much in common, almost like two brothers. In both cases we are really looking at developments from Diagrams 1 and 2: By playing 2 ... c6 (rather than 2 ... e6) Black retains the option of developing his queen's bishop along the c8-h3 diagonal. The Slav can be thought of as those variations where Black delays playing ... e7 -e6, usually because he will try and bring his bishop out early, even if it· means delaying kingside development or at some point having to relinquish some central control with ... d5xc4.

5

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Diagram 1 Defending the d-pawn

Diagram 2 Developing the c8-bishop

In the Semi-Slav Black plays an early ... e7-e6 before bringing out the lightsquared bishop. He has other priorities. The problem piece (as Black's queen's bishop is often called in queen's pawn openings) will be dealt with later, possibly coming to b7 after the b-pawn has moved out of the way.

Diagram 3 The bishop stays at home

Diagram 4 Black has three main moves

Who plays the Slav and Semi-Slav? Just about all the top players in the world play these openings, many with both colours. Some prefer the Slav, others stick to the Semi-Slav, but it's hard to name anyone who hasn't tried at least one of.them out at some time in their career! 6

Introduction

Although there are earlier references these openings started to be played with some frequency in the 1920's and 30's, in order to obtain a more dynamic game than the main d-pawn opening of the epoch, the Queen's Gambit Declined. Their popularity has grown ever since and the recent exponential growth in the Slav with ... a 7-a6 suggests that these openings will continue to fascinate the chess world. There are other defences to choose from after 1 d4, but many top players keep the Slav/Semi-Slav complex firmly in their repertoires. Why is this?

Why play the Slav and Semi-Slav? The fact that l...d5 and 2 ... c6 together build a solid foundation, appeals to many a classically-minded player who prefers to have a sturdy foothold in the central arena from the word go. The thinking goes that as Black, if you have a fair share of the centre, not only will you be able to develop, but you can look forward to the middlegame with confidence. It's not just solidity that Black is seeking, as the threat of playing ... d5xc4 (sometimes grabbing a pawn) or modifying the central pawn structure in other ways keeps White on his toes. Experienced players know that the Slav and Semi-Slav give the potential to seek active piece-play without making early concessions.

The Structure of the book The first five chapters deal with the pure Slav and Chapters 8-12 with the main body of the Semi-Slav. The other three chapters, 6, 7 and 13 focus on newer or offbeat ideas. The idea of playing an early ... a7-a6 in both the Slav or Semi-Slav is fashionable, and this gets coverage in Chapter 6 and is also touched on in Chapters 5, 7 and 11. It's a good idea to read through all of the book to see which variations suit your own style. If you opt to play the Slav then be aware of certain moveorders which White players employ to steer the game into a Semi-Slav, see Chapter 13. Each section includes illustrative games to show how play may proceed. The theory is admittedly skimpy to say the least, but I have aimed to recommend which lines are in my opinion the most promising, so that you have an idea where to concentrate further research. Each section also tries to give an idea of the main plans for both sides, plus a rough idea of whether the lines are theoretical or not. The word theoretical really refers to book knowledge, so a very theoretical line will require the player to do more memory work, etc. Statistics and Summaries help indicate how well the lines are performing in practice and, finally, in Chapter 14 there are a few exercises. They are there to test what you have managed to pick up in the first thirteen!

7

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Statistics, Damn Lies and Statistics After 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 (Diagram 4) The three principal moves are: the main line Slav with 4... dxc4, the a6-Slav following 4 ... a6, and 4 ... e6- the Semi-Slav. As a bit of fun I have compared some statistics: In the main lines of the Slav (Chapter 1) Black scores 42%. Black scores 44% after 4 ... a6 (see Chapter 6). After 4 ... e6, the two principal variations are the Botvinnik (Chapter 8) and the Meran (Chapter 10); in both of these Black scores 46%. So the stats give a slight preference to the Semi-Slav. The statistics at the end of each significant variation are only pointers, so don't make the mistake of taking them too seriously, but they do help in building an overall picture. So now it's time to read the book and decide which you prefer! Glenn Flear Baillargues, France June 2005

8

Chapter One

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

m m m

Introduction The Dutch Variation White plays his knight to h4

m The Central Variation: 6 Ne5 e6 m The Central Variation: 6 Ne5 Nbd7

Starting Out: Slav and Semi"Siav

Introduction In the Slav Black aims to develop his queen's bishop early and in most lines he will do so as soon as possible. However, there are limits since if he were to play the immediate 4 ... Bf5?!, then 5 cxd5 cxd5 6 Qb3 would put pressure on the light squares, such as b7 and d5. Instead, after 4 ... Bf5?! 5 cxd5 the alternative recapture 5 ... Nxd5 leads to other problems, as 6 Nd2!? followed by e2-e4 gives White a fine centre. So if Black really would like to develop his bishop, he has to find better circumstances. The standard method is to do so in an indirect way. First of all he captures the c4-pawn that is en prise for the time being. If White takes the necessary steps to recapture this pawn, then Black obtains enough time to get his bishop out and about. The position in Diagram 1 is the subject of Chapter 1 and, statistically speaking, the most significant chapter in this book. White has two principal ways of reacting: 1. 6 e3 with Bxc4 to follow, which is sometimes called the Dutch Variation; 2. 6 Ne5 with two ideas in mind Nxc4 and f2-f3 followed by e2-e4, known as the Central Variation. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 Black captures the gambit pawn at a moment when the threat to support it with ... b7-b5 forces White to make a decision. 5 a4 White essentially prevents ... b7-b5 thus allowing him to pick off the c-pawn in the near future. Drawbacks are the weakened b4-square and loss of time. 5 ... Bf5 (Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 The main line Slav

10

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

While White is getting ready to restore material equality Black takes the opportunity to develop his queen's bishop. By choosing the f5-square White's desirable e2-e4 advance is hindered for the time being.

The Dutch Variation Here White contents himself with recapturing the pawn and castling kingside before seeking central expansion. 6 e3

This natural move enabling and preparing the recapture on c4 with the bishop is the beginning of the Dutch Variation. It's known as such as it featured several times in the World Championship matches of 1935 and 1937 between Max Euwe and Alexander Alekhine which both took place in Holland. 6 ... e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 Using the hole on b4 created by White's early advance of the a-pawn. 8 0-0 0-0 Castling at this point is normal as one naturally wants to get the king to safety. However, another popular idea is to bring the last minor piece into play with 8 ... Nbd7, and although this often transposes, there are some lines when Black's king stays in the centre or even castles queenside! White then has three significant independent ideas: a) 9 Qe2 Bg6 10 e4!? Bxc3 11 bxc3 Nxe4 12 Ba3 Qc7 13 Rfc1 (see Game 3) constitutes a sharp gambit. Black captures the important e-pawn, but in return he has had to cede his dark-squared bishop and is unable to castle kingside. He'll have to live with some dark square holes and castle queenside, but it's playable. b) 9 Qb3 a5 10 Na2 Be7 11 Nh4 (here 11 Qxb7 Rb8 is immediately drawn as White's queen can't escape the perpetual attack) 1l...Bg6 12 g3 Qb6 13 Nxg6 hxg6 14 Rd1 0-0 15 Qc2 c5!, G.Kasparov-A.Beliavsky, Tilburg 1981, and Black doesn't fear the bishop pair as ... c6-c5 guarantees a fair share of the centre. c) 9 Nh4, hitting the bishop, is covered in the next section (see Game 4).

Preparing e3-e4 with 9 Qe2 White is now ready for thee-pawn to start advancing. Black has to decide whether to live with less space and then later hit back in the centre, or go for a risky pawn grab. 9 Qe2 (Diagram 2) . White signals his intention to advance in the centre in order to gain space and give his dark-squared bishop more influence. 9 ... Nbd7 9 ... Bg4 restrains thee-pawn ·advance for one more move, but after 10 Rd1 (not

11

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

10 e4? Bxf3 11 Qxf3 Qxd4 etc.) 10 ... Nbd7 11 e4 Qe7 12 h3 Bxf3 13 Qxf3 White keeps a pull, L.Polugaevsky-G.Agzamov, USSR Championship 1983.

Diagram 2 White plans e3-e4

Diagram 3 White occupies the centre

10 e4 Bg6 10 ... Bxc3? is bad after 11 exf5. 11 Bd3 (Diagram 3) White supports his e-pawn and prepares to complete his development, hoping to keep his fine-looking centre intact. The most popular move now is ... 11...Bh5 ... when Black retains the light-squared bishops for now in order to keep up the pressure on White's centre. Black is hoping to provoke White forward.

Strategies At some point White will have to decide how and when to advance in the centre. In the main line White follows up his e3-e4 advance with e4-e5 obtaining a wedge which lends itself to pressing on the kingside. Black's plan depends on how White resolves the central tension, but he'll need to keep White occupied in the centre before the first player gets an attack.

Theoretical? Even though it's been played umpteen times, most of the variations can be handled with general principles. A few of the sharper lines will require delving a little deeper into theory, especially the gambit line in Game 3.

Statistics With 9188 games this is the most popular chapter in the book, and so referring

12

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

to it as 'The Main Line Slav' seems appropriate. Top players such as Anand, Bareev, Shirov, Kramnik, Morozevich and, in his time, Smyslov tend to score about 50%. However, overall Black only manages a disappointing 42%. Of White's options, 6 e3 (5406 games) scores an average 56%. Game 1

D C.Gabriel • V.Akopian Germany vs. Armenia match, Baden Baden 1996

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 0-0 Nbd7 9 Qe2 Bg6 10 e4 0-0 Transposing back to the main line. The most common move order is 8 ... 0-0 9 Qe2 Nbd7 10 e4 Bg6. 11 Bd3 Bh5 12 e5 Nd5 13 Ne4 (Diagram 4)

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

e4 vs. d5 outposts

Hitting back in the centre

White uses the e4-square for his knight but allows Black in return to keep control of d5. The alternative plan 13 Nxd5 cxd5 14 Qe3leads to a 'French Defence style' centre. Black's light-squared bishop being outside the pawn chain which is a plus for him, but even so Black will need to react to White's space advantage at some point, probably with a timely ... f7-f5. He can implement this almost immediately or redeploy his pieces first, e.g. 14 ... h6 15 Ne1 f5 16 exf6 Qxf6, B.Gelfand-J.Lautier, Horgen 1994, or 14 ... Be7 15 Bd2 NbS 16 Ne1 Bg6 17 f4 Nc6 18 g4 f5, A.Beliavsky-Z.Ribli, Slovenia 2001, and in both cases Black can look forward to the middlegame with confidence. Another example of this pawn structure can be seen in Game 2. 13 ... Be7 14 Ng3 Bg6 15 Bxg6 hxg6 The alternative 15 .. .fxg6 would enable Black to have influence on the f-file and

13

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

keep his king snug behind the pawn mass. However, the e6-pawn would then be weak and the doubled g-pawns will be devalued in the endgame. 16 Ne4 With the threat of planting a knight on g5 followed by bringing the queen to the h-file. So it's imperative that Black opens the centre to create counterplay. 16 ... c5! (Diagram 5) 17 Rdl 17 Nc3 is probably better, to eliminate the d5-knight, e.g. 17 ... Qb6 18 Nxd5 exd5 19 dxc5 Nxc5 20 Be3 Qe6, Xu Jun-V.Akopian, Moscow Olympiad 1994 with chances for both sides. Black has achieved a fair share of the centre. Instead Hubner points out that White can't simply play for mate with 17 Nfg5?, because of 17 ... cxd4 18 Qg4 Nxe5 19 Qh4 Bxg5 20 Nxg5 Nf6 and White's bravado has just cost him two pawns. 17 ... cxd4 18 Rxd4 ReS White's attacking ideas are no longer realistic and he will have to pay for his weaknesses at e5, b3 and b4. 19 Be3 Qc7 20 Rcl Qb8 Thee-pawn cannot be defended. 21 Nc3 Nxc3 22 bxc3 Nxe5 23 Bf4 Nxf3+ 24 Qxf3 Qa8 Black has a clear extra pawn and only needs to play ... Rfd8 and ... b7-b6 to tidy up, so White must try and force the issue. 25 Rd7 Bf6 26 Qxb7 Qxb7 27 Rxb7 Rc4! The long forcing line has left Black on top. 28 Bd6 Instead 28 Be3 a5 29 Ra7 Rxa4 30 c4 might be a better chance. 28 ... Rd8 29 Bb4 Bxc3! Exploiting the back rank. 30 Bxc3 Rxc3 31 Rcbl a5 32 Ra7 Rcd3 33 g3 Rdl+ 34 Rxd1 Rxdl+ 35 Kg2 Rd5 36 Ra8+ Kh7 37 h4 g5 Black exchanges his front g-pawn to improve his structure and free his king. 38 hxg5 Rxg5 39 Kf3 Rf5+ 40 Ke3 g5 41 Ra7? Giving too much ground on the kingside. 41 f3 was better. 41 ... g4 42 Rc7 Kg6 43 Rc4 Kg5 44 Rc7 Kg6 45 Ke2 Re5+ 46 Kd3 f6 47 Ra7 f5 48 Kd2 Rc5 49 Ke3 Kf6 50 Kd3 Ke5 51 Ra6 Kd5 52 Ra8 Kd6 53 Ra6+ Ke5 54 Rb6 Kf6 55 Ra6 Rd5+ 56 Ke3 Re5+ 57 Kd3 Ke7 58 Ra7+ Kd6 59 Ra6+Kd7 Bringing the king over to harass the opposing rook. 60 Kd4 Re4+ 61 Kc5 Rxa4 62 Ra7+ Ke8 63 Kd6 Re4 64 Rxa5 Kf7 Although all the pawns are on one small front, White's king is cut off and cannot help out as Black converts his extra pawn. 14

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

65 Ra2 Kf6 66 Rd2 f4 67 gxf4 Kf5 68 Ke7 Rxf4 69 Kd6 e5 70 Re2 Rd4+ 71 Ke7 e4 72 Ra2 e3 0-1 Game2 D R.Hi.ibner • D.Mastrovasilis Germany vs. Greece match, Corfu 1999

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 c6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 0-0 Nbd7 9 Qe2 Bg6 10 e4 0-0 11 Bd3 Bh5 12 Bf4 Qe7 The favoured move these days. Instead the sharp 12 ... e5 is met by 13 dxe5 Ng4 14 Qc2 when Black hasn't been able to equalise, e.g. 14 ... Qa5 15 Na2! RfeS 16 Be2 Bg6 17 Bg3! and Black has problems getting his pawn back, B.Kouatly-E.Meduna, Trnava 19S7. Once upon a time they used to play 12 ... ReS, but the text (which links the rooks) is considered to be slightly more flexible. Play could then continue 13 e5 Nd5 14 Nxd5 cxd5 and we obtain the same central pawn formation as in the next diagram. Continuing further with 15 h3 a6 16 Rfc1 NbS! (redeploying to c6 is a typical manoeuvre in this line and represents a better option than 16 ... Be7 17 Rc3!? Bxf3 1S Qxf3 NbS?, as after 19 Bxh7+ Kxh7 20 Qh5+ KgS 21 Rg3 Black was in trouble in L.Polugaevsky-E.Torre, London 19S4) 17 g4 Bg6 1S h4 Nc6 19 h5 Bxd3 20 Qxd3 f6 21 Kg2, L.Polugaevsky-J.Gomez Baillo, Lucerne 19S5, and now Black should switch back to the f-file with 2l...RfS. 13 e5 Nd5 14 N~d5 cxd5 (Diagram 6)

Diagram 6

Diagram 7

... Bg6 defends the kingside

Attacking Black's king

15 Rfc1 The continuation of L.Gofshtein-M.Sadler, Ischia 1996, was instructive: 15 Qe3 RfcS 16 a5Bg6 17 Ra4 Bxd3 1S Qxd3 Rc4 19 h4? (White should play something like 19 Bg5 QfS 20 Bd2 Bxd2 21 Rxc4 dxc4 22 Qxd2 to hold the hal-

15

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

ance) 19 .. :h6 20 h5 Nc5! (a surprise!) 21 dxc5 Rxf4 and Black had the advantage. 15 ... Nb8 The sensible 15 ... Rfc8! is playable, when (if need be) Black can play ... Nf8 to. defend. .

C)

'W/

TIP: Taking time to improve your pieces is commendable, but don't forget to look after your king!

16 Qe3 Nc6!? Mter 16 ... Bxf3 17 Qxf3 Nc6 Black's king would be too vulnerable. 17 Ng5 (Diagram 7) 17 ... Bg6 18 Bxg6 fxg6 19 Qh3 Forking e6 and h7, but it's far from over ... 19 ... h6 20 Qxe6+ Qxe6 21 Nxe6 Rfe8? Black misses a reasonable chance of saving the game with 21...Nxd4! 22 Nxf8 (22 Nxd4 Rxf4 23 Ne6 Rf7 is equal) 22 ... Rxf8 23 Be3 Nb3 24 Bxa7 Ra8 25 Bb6 Nxc1 26 Rxc1 Rxa4 27 Kf1 with only a small pull for White. 22 Nc7 Nxd4 23 Rd1 Ne2+ 24 Kfl Nxf4 25 Nxe8 Rxe8 26 Rd4 Black had probably overlooked this fork when playing 21...Rfe8, so now he loses the exchange and with it any hopes of saving the game. 26 ... a5 27 Rxf4 Rxe5 28 Rd1 Threatening Rfd4. 28 ... Bc5 29 Re1 Rh5 30 h3 b6 31 ReS+ Kh7 32 Ke2 d4 33 Kd3 Rd5 34 Rf7 g5 35 Rb8 Rd6 36 Rbb7 Rg6 37 Ke4 d3 38 Kxd3 Rd6+ 39 Kc4 Bd4 40 Rfd7 Rxd7 41 Rxd7 1-0 Game3 D V.lvanchuk • J.Lautier

Linares 1994

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 0-0 Nbd7 9 Qe2 Bg6 10 e4 Bxc3 Taking the plunge! 11 bxc3 Nxe4 12 Ba3 Qc7 (Diagram 8) White's bishop pair combined with Black's shaky king give problems for the defender. Nevertheless, if Black walks a fine line he can obtain a reasonable game. Getting too greedy, however, isn't the way: 12 ... Nxc3 13 Qb2 Nxa4, for instance yields White a vicious attack with 14 Qb3 Nab6 15 Bxe6. 13 Rfc1 The most popular, but White has other tries: a) 13 Nd2 an.d then:

16

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

Diagram 8 White has good compensation

Diagram 9 White has the safer king

a1) 13 ... Nxc3?! 14 Qe3 Nd5 15 Bxd5 cxd5 16 Rfcl is very unpleasant for Black's stranded king. a2) 13 ... Ndf6!? isn't that clear, e.g. 14 Nxe4 Nxe4 15 Rfe1 0-0-0 16 Qb2 Rhe8 17 f3 Nd6 18 Bfl Kb8, when Black has enough time to get organised, though the latent pressure persists. G.Kasparov-E.Bareev, Tilburg 1991, then continued 19 a5 Nc8 20 Bc5 f6, whereupon Kasparov proposes 21 Qb4 e5 22 dxe5 fxe5 23 Bf2 as offering White more than enough compensation. a3) 13 ... Nxd2 14 Qxd2 c5 15 dxc5 0-0-0 16 Qe3 Ne5 17 Be2 Bd3, E.Magerramov-S.Ionov, Cheliabinsk 1991, is generally considered to be unclear. b) 13 Rfe1 Nxc3 14 Qe3 Ne4 15 Ne5 Nxe5 16 dxe5 Qb6 17 Qf4 0-0-0! is Ftacnik's suggested improvement. Instead 17 ... Qd4? 18 Qh4! led to a win for White in C.Lutz-E.Bareev, Munich 1994. 13 ... 0-0-0 14 a5 Nd6 After 14 ... Rhe8, White has tried several ideas but the most dangerous is 15 a6 b6 16 Nh4 Nd6 17 Bb3 e5 18 Nxg6 hxg6 19 Qg4, when White had a strong initiative in Y.Razuvaev-G.Schwartzman, Dortmund 1993. Another option is 14 ... Kb8, when there could follow 15 Be7!? Rde8 16 Bh4, aiming for chances on the b8-h2 diagonal, but then 16 ... f5! (Y.RazuvaevV.Tukmakov, Rostov 1993) with ... e6-e5 to follow, hits back in the centre with satisfactory play for Black. 15 Bb3 Bh5 16 h3 Rhe8 17 a6 Again this move, leaving a thorn in Black's side for the duration. 17 ... b6 18 c4 c5 After 18 ... e5, Black would have to be ready to face 19 c5!. 17

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

19 Ba4 e5 20 dxc5 bxc5 21 Qe3 (Diagram 9) 21 ... Re6?! Lautier has defended well so far, but now makes an imprecision. Here Ftacnik suggests 21...£5, as 22 Bxd7+ Rxd7 23 Nxe5? Nf7 favours Black, but White can improve on this with 23 Bxc5! f4 24 Qa3 with complications and I prefer White due to his safer king. 22 Ng5 Rf6 23 Bb2 h6 24 Ne4 Nxe4 25 Qxe4 Re6 26 Rel Bg6 The pressure is intensifying so Lautier seeks solace in an ending. 27 Qa8+ Qb8 28 Bxd7+ Rxd7 29 Qxb8+ Kxb8 30 Rxe5 Rdd6 31 Rxc5 Rxa6 32 Rxa6 Rxa6 33 Bxg7 White finally comes out a pawn up, but Black is no longer under attack and opposite-coloured bishops will give him realistic hopes for a draw. 33 ... h5 34 f4 f5 35 Be5+ Kb7 36 Rc7+ Kb6 37 Kh2! The start of an instructive manoeuvre. 37 ... Ka5 38 Kg3 Be8 39 Kh4 Kb4 40 g3 Rg6 Black is virtually running out of moves and doesn't want to allow Kg5. 41 Rxa7 Kxc4 42 Ra8 Bc6 43 Ra3 Be8 44 Re3 Kd5 45 Bf6! Bd7 Alternatives are no better: 45 ... Rxf6 46 RxeS is hopeless with Black's king cut off from the kingside, while if 45 ... Bf7 then 46 Re5+ Kd6 4 7 Bg5 Be6 48 Kxh5. 46 Bc3 Be6 47 Bb4 Bd7 48 Kxh5 Rg8 Now White has to squeeze Black's pieces away so that he can advance his gpawn. 49 Bc3 Kd6 50 Kh6 Be6 51 Kh7 Ra8 52 Bb4+ Kd7 53 Kg7 Ra4 54 Kf6 Bd5 55 Bc3 Be4 56 g4 fxg4 57 hxg4 Bc2 58 Re7+ Kd8 59 Be5 Ra6+ 60 Re6 Rxe6+ 61 Kxe6 Ke8 62 Bd6 Bdl 63 g5 Bc2 64 f5 1-0 WARNING: When grabbing pawns for the cost of a persistent initiative, remember that you might have to defend a long time, and even then you might not even win the ending. Meanwhile even small mistakes can be fatal!

White plays his knight to h4 Instead of primarily advancing with e3-e4 White decides to harass the lightsquared bishop. He is still interested in expanding in the centre, but he may take the bishop along the way. While White is temporarily distracted, Black's strategy is to find a satisfactory way of ceding the bishop pair, to dig in and then be good and ready for any line opening by White. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 Another move order that has become popular in recent years is 6 Nh4 e6 7 Nxf5 exf5 8 e3 'Bb4 9 Bxc4 0-0 10 0-0 Nbd7 which transposes to the position after Black's lOth move. There are alternatives for Black in this line such as 18

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

6 ... Bc8 (playable but a tad negative in my opinion) or later on 8 ... Bd6 9 Bxc4 00 10 Qf3 g6 11 h3 h5! which is respectable, but I prefer sticking to the same plan as in the main game. 6 ... e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 0-0 0-0 If ,Black plays 8 ... Nbd7 instead play will frequently transpose, e.g. 8 ... Nbd7 9 Nh4 Bg6 10 f4 0-0 11 Nxg6 hxg6 12 Qf3 ReS 13 Rd1 Qb6, V.Tukmakov-Z.Ribli, Germany 1988, Black has a solid structure and is ready to hit back at White's centre with ... c6-c5. 9 Nh4 (Diagram 10)

Diagram 10 White wants the bishop

Diagram 11 A tense middlegame

White decides to harass the light-squared bishop before committing his centre. 9 ... Nbd7 Nonchalantly leaving the bishop where it is! Instead 9 ... Bg4 10 f3 Bh5 (10 ... Nd5leaves White with some chances for an advantage after 11 fxg4 Qxh4 12 Qf3 Nd7 13 Bd2 a5 14 Rad1, V.Tukmakov-V.Kupreichik, USSR Championship 1981) 11 g4 (risky-looking but Black doesn't seem to be able to exploit this apparently loosening move at the moment) 1l...Bg6 12 e4 Nbd7 13 g5 Ne8 14 Nxg6 hxg615 Be3, L.Polugaevsky-E.Torre, Biel1989, and White's space advantage supported by the bishop pair gives him the better prospects. 10 Nxf5 White takes the opportunity to capture the bishop when Black has to recapture away from the centre. Keeping the tension is sometimes tried: a) 10 f3 Bg6 11 Nxg6 hxg6 12 e4 e5 13 Be3 Qb6 14 Kh1 Rad8 with adequate counter-pressure on the white centre, I.Sokolov-C.Horvath, Stary Smokovec 1991.

19

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

b) 10 h3 ReS 11 Qe2 Nb6 12 Bb3 Nbd5 13 Bd2 Qe7 14 Rfc1 Rfd8 when Black achieves full development, G.Kasparov-V.Kramnik, Paris (rapid) 1994, and after 15 Qf3 Ne4! the forced simplification leads to equality. 10 ... exf5 11 Qc2 g6 Black tries to maintain a grip on the light squares with his pawns. Note that despite having doubled f-pawns, the front one makes any e3-e4 advance less appetising. 12 f3 ReS 13 Qf2 c5 (Diagram 11) I.Sokolov-D.De Vreugt, Amsterdam 2001. A tense middlegame is in prospect.

Strategies At all times the move Nf3-h4 has the same attitude in mind: hit the bishop and punish him for daring to poke his nose out so early! In any case Black can leave the bishop in place and isn't too concerned about ceding the bishop pair. By completing development and using his pawn on f5 and knight on f6 to keep an eye on the e4-square, he keeps White's desired expansion in check. Apart from ... c6-c5 Black also conducts a provocative/restraining approach almost daring White to open up the game for his bishops. Open positions may favour bishops in general, but White can't expand in the centre without careful reflection as Black's pieces are well placed to pounce on weaknesses.

Theoretical? General principles are still the most important despite the popularity of the Nh4idea.

Statistics The position after ten moves for both sides scores· a respectable 4 7% for Black. Against 6 Nh4 (against which Black has achieved only 36%) Black should aim for transposition with 6 ... e6 (see note to White's sixth) followed by ... Bb4, as experimental play has cost him dear in the past. Game4 0 J.Lautier • E.Bareev Enghien-les-Bains 2003

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Bb4 8 0-0 00 9 Nh4 Nbd7 10 Nxf5 exf5 11 Qc2 Nb6 Black avoids ... g7-g6 which is discussed in the intrbductory text. 12 Bb3 Qd7 13 a5 Nbd5 14 f3 (Diagram 12) , White prepares for e3-e4, Black gets ready to react. 14 ... Rfe8 15 Nxd5 Nxd5 Black must not fall for 15 ... cxd5? 16 Ba4.

20

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

16 e4 Nf6!

Diagram 12 Preparing to play e3-e4

Diagram 13 Where should the a8-rook go?

Instead the tame 16 ... Nc7 allows White to consolidate his centre, e.g. 17 Be3 a6 18 Bf2 Rad8 19 Kh1 Nb5 20 Qc4left White on top in L.Ortega-D.Vismara, Saint Vincent 2002. 17 Qc4 Bf8 18 Bg5 Mter 18 exf5 Rad8 19 Kh1 Re7 20 Qc2 a draw was agreed in V.KramnikV.Anand, Linares 2000- a sign that Black is OK after he captures on d4. 18 ... fxe419 fxe4 Rxe4 20 Bxf6 gxf6

· 0

NOTE: Opposite-coloured bishops can be a drawish factor in . endgames, but in middlegames can boost a player's attacking potential.

21 Rad1 (Diagram 13) 21...Rae8! Only this is new! Black escaped after 21...Rd8 22 Rxf6 Rxd4 23 Rxd4 Qxd4+ 24 Qxd4 Rxd4 25 Rxf7 Rb4 (the only move!) 26 Rxb7+ Kh8 27 a6 Bc5+ 28 Kh1 Bb6 29 Bc2 Rxb2 30 Bxh7 c5, A.Rustemov-I.Rogers, Germany 2000, as the strong c-pawn compensates for the couplet on the kingside. 22 Rxf6 Rel+ 23 Rxe1?! The superior 23 Rfl! Rxfl+ 24 Qxfl would be about equal. 23 ... Rxe1 + 24 Kf2 Now if 24 Rfl, then 24 ... Rxfl + 25 Kxfl Bg7 26 d5 Bxb2 would net Black a pawn. 24 ... Re7 25 Kgl Bg7 26 Rf4 Bh6 27 Rfl The unfortunate 27 Rh4? embarrasses White's king after 27 ... Qf5!.

21

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

27 ... Be3+ 28 Khl Bxd4 Black picks off the d-pawn. Now White is helpless as Black gradually takes control. 29 Qcl a6 30 h3 Kh8 31 Qf4 f6 32 Qd2 Qd6 33 Qh6 Qb8 34 Qd2 Qe5 35 Qh6 Rg7 36 Qd2 Re7 37 Qh6 Qb8 38 Qd2 c5 There's no hurry to commit oneself when your opponent can't undertake anything positive. However, it's necessary to avoid a repetition, so don't overdo the 'passing' strategy! 39 Bc4 Qg3 40 Qh6 ReS 41 Qh5 Here 41 Rf3 Qe1 + 42 Rfl Qxa5 43 Rxf6 is met by 43 ... Qe1 + 44 Rf1 Bg7 45 Qb6 Qb4 and Black retains the advantage. 41...Rb8 Threatening ... Be5. 42 Rf3 Qel+ 43 Rfl Qxa5 Cheeky! 44 Qf7 Qd8 45 Bd5 Bxb2 Very cheeky! White has lost his whole queensidel Lautier is able to generate some counterplay that at least allows him to continue the struggle into a pure opposite-coloured bishop ending. 46 Rbl If 46 Bxb7 Ftacnik points out that 46 ... Qd3! leads to a decisive attack: 47 Rxf6 Be5 48 Rfl Qg3 49 Kg1 Qh2+ 50 K£2 Bd4+ 51 K£3 Rg8 52 Ke2 Qe5+ 53 Kdl Rd8. 46 ... Be5 4 7 Rxb7 The desperate 4 7 Be4 Qg8 48 Rxb7 Qxf7 49 Rxf7 ·gives White no hope after 49 ... h5 50 Rh7+ Kg8 51 Rxh5 c4 52 Rh7 c3 53 Ra7 Rb2 54 Ra8+ Kg7 55 Rc8 Re2. 47 ... Rxb7 48 Qxb7 c4! 49 Qa8 Qxa8 50 Bxa8 f5 51 Bd5 c3 52 Bb3 Bd4 53 g3 Here 53 g4!? f4 54 Kg2 Kg7 55 Kf3 Be5 56 Ke4 Kf6 is the more active way to try and defend, but according to Ftacnik Black should nevertheless be able to Will.

53 ... Kg7 54 Kg2 h5 55 Kf3 Kf6 56 Kf4 Be5+ 57 Kf3 a5 58 Bc2 Bd6 59 Bb3 Bc5 60 Kf4 Bf2 61 Bc2 Bel 62 Kf3 ,· Instead, after both 62 g4 fxg4 63 hxg4 h4, and 62 Bxf5 a4 63 Bb1 a3, the passed pawns are too strong. 62 ... Ke5 63 h4 Kd4 64 Kf4 Bxg3+! 0-1 A nice finale. The bishop is sacrificed to allow the black king to invade decisively, e.g. 65 Kxg3 Ke3 66 Bxf5 a4 67 Bb1 a3.

22

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

The Central Variation: 6 Ne5 e6 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5 This is known as the Central Variation. Not a particularly imaginative name, but accurate in that it does suggest that the action of the next few moves will be geared towards central control. 6 ... e6 Black prepares to bring out his king's bishop and isn't unduly concerned by the knight on e5. White will take the opportunity to try and build a strong centre. The important alternative 6 ... Nbd 7 is considered in the next section (see Games 7-9). 7 f3 (Diagram 14)

Diagram 14 White enforces e2-e4

Diagram 15 Three pawns for a piece

7 ... Bb4

The logical-looking 7 ... c5 hits immediately at d4 before White can get in his desired e2-e4 advance. However, it seems that by ignoring Black's idea and getting on with his own White can keep an edge: 8 e4! cxd4 9 exf5 NeG 10 Nxc6 bxc6 11 fxe6 fxe6 12 Bxc4! (giving back the piece is clearest) 12 ... dxc3 13 Qe2 Bb4 14 Qxe6+ Qe7 15 0-0 and the bishop pair in the open position gives White the better chances.

8 e4 Constructing the centre, against which Black really has to sacrifice a piece in order to avoid becoming too passive. White has tried to avoid these complications but Black reacts quickly with ... c6-c5 to obtain full equality, e.g. 8 Bg5 h6 9 Bh4 c5! 10 dxc5 Qa5, or 8 Nxc4 0-0 9 Bg5 h6 10 Bh4 c5.

23

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

8 ... Bxe4

Inferior is 8 ... Bg6?! as 9 Bxc4 Nbd7 10 h4 Qa5 11 Qb3 0-0-0 12 Bf4leaves Black with serious difficulties, M.Petursson- E.Meduna, Gausdal 1988. 9 fxe4 Nxe4 10 Bd2 10 Qf3 leads to a forced draw after 10 ... Qxd4 11 Qxf7+ Kd8 12 Bg5+ Nxg5 13 Qxg7 Bxc3+ 14 bxc3 Qxc3+ 15 Ke2 Qc2+ 16 Ke1 Qc3+, A.BeliavskyM.Steinberg, Sukhumi 1971. 10 ... Qxd4 11 Nxe4 Qxe4+ 12 Qe2 Bxd2+ 13 Kxd2 Qd5+ 14 Kc2 Na6 15 Nxc4 (Diagram 15) Black has three solid pawns for the piece. Many games have started this way and experience suggests that Black has just about enough solidity to fend off the extra piece.

Strategy The story so far: White builds the centre and Black has to avoid giving too much ground, so he sacrifices a piece for three pawns. Mter the early tactical flurry things settle down to a period where White probes away at the pawn front with his extra piece, whilst Black hopes to keep formation and eventually advance further up the board.

Theoretical? The diagram above has been the 'starting point' for numerous games and the theory goes quite deep into the.game.

Statistics Black hasn't done that well with the piece sacrifice line, only managing 37%. Nevertheless 6 ... e6 has remained more popular than 6 ... Nbd7 (1596 games compared to 1079). Game 5 D G.Vescovi • B.Gelfand Bermuda 2004

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5 e6 7 f3 Bb4 8 e4 Bxe4 9 fxe4 Nxe4 10 Bd2 Qxd4 11 Nxe4 Qxe4+ 12 Qe2 Bxd2+ 13 Kxd2 Qd5+ 14 Kc2 Na6 15 Nxc4 0-0 16 Qe5 (Diagram 16)

..

16 ... Rab8 With ... b7"b5 in the air. Instead, after 16 ... Rac8 White cannot exchange queens due to the opening of the c-file, but after 17 Be2 f6 18 Qe3 Qf5+ 19 Kb3 White keeps control of events. In K.Sakaev-E.Solozhenkin, St. Petersburg 1995, Black tried 19 ... b5 20 axb5 cxb5 21 Rxa6 bxc4+ 22 Ka2 but this proved to be better for White. Russian analysis has investigated the alternative 19 ... Nc5+, when 20 Ka2 Nxa4 21

24

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

Rhfl Qc5 22 Qxe6+ Kh8 23 Rf5 Qb4 24 Qd6 c5 25 Qd2 is perhaps best play leading to a small edge for White. Often these three pawns for a piece positions are difficult to judge, but here none of Black's remaining pawns are passed and White's pieces can easily keep out of trouble after the exchange of queens.

Diagram 16 Three pawns for a piece

Diagram 17 Dynamic equilibrium

17 a5 If 17 Be2, then 17 ... Nb4+ 18 Kb3 b5 gives counterplay for Black, V.BabulaP.Haba, Czech Championship 2003. 17 ... f6 18 Qxd5 cxd5 19 Nd2 Rfc8+ 20 Kb1 Nb4 21 Ra4 Nc6 22 Nb3 Black has a fine pawn mass for the piece, but White's pieces try to play around them. 22 ... Kf7 23 Be2 Ke7 (Diagram 17) A dynamic equilibrium as lhe pawn phalanx balances the bishop. 24 Rg4 g5 A sign that Gelfand is playing ambitiously, otherwise he would have settled for the more solid 24 ... g6. 25 Rg3 Kd6 Moving the king away from the kingside proves to be risky. 26 Rfl Rf8 27 Rh3 f5 28 Rxh7?! After this Black is able to organise himself and shouldn't really be worse. Later Vescovi suggested the paradoxical 28 Rh6! g4 29 Bd3 just concentrating on putting Black's pawns under pressure. 28 ... Rh8 29 Rg7 Rhg8 30 Rxg8 Rxg8 31 a6 bxa6 32 Bxa6 Rh8 33 h3 f4 34 Rd1 e5 35 Bd3 Nb4 36 Be4 Ke6 37 Nc5+ Kd6 38 Nb3 Ke6

25

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Black's pawns create the impression of an impenetrable wall. 39 Bf3!? e4 40 Nc5+ Ke5 41 Rel Kd6 Vescovi considers 4l...e3 to be equal, e.g. 42 Rdl Rd8 43 Nd3+ Nxd3 44 Rxd3 d4 45 Kc2 ReS+ 46 Kdl Rb8 47 Kc2. 42 Nxe4+ Sacrificing back the material leads to an endgame where White should never lose. 42 ... dxe4 43 Rxe4 Rb8 A mistake! The straightforward 43 ... a5 should hold. Now White takes the chance to create some problems. 44 h4! gxh4 45 Rxf4 Kc5 46 b3 a5 Unfortunately for Black the h-pawn falls, as 46 ... Rh8loses a piece to 47 Rc4+ Kb5 48 Be2 Ka5 49 Rc5+ Kb6 50 Rb5+. 4 7 Rxh4 Rd8 48 Rh5+ Kb6 49 Kb2 ReS? These endings can be notoriously difficult to play, especially with limited time. Gelfand could still apparently hold with 49 ... Rd2+ 50 Kc3 Rc2+ 51 Kd4 Rd2+ 52 Ke4 Rb2 53 g4 Rxb3 54 g5 Rbl! as Vescovi has analysed this position out to a draw. 50 Rh6+ Kc5 51 Ka3! The a-pawn comes under pressure and is ultimately lost. Despite Black's best spoiling efforts he can't save the game. 51...Nc2+ 52 Ka4 Nd4 53 Ra6 Rf8 54 Rxa5+ Kb6 55 Ra8 Rf5 56 Be4 Re5 57 Bd3 Nc6 58 b4 Rel 59 Rg8 Ne5 60 Bf5 Rfl 61 Rg5 Rf4 62 g3 Rd4 63 Rh5 Nc6 64 Rh4 Rd8 65 Be4 Nd4 66 Rh6+ Kc7 67 b5 Rb8 68 Bd3 ReS 69 Rh4 Rd8 70 Kb4 Rd6 71 Rh7+ Kb6 72 Be4 Nxb5 73 Rb7+ Ka6 74 Rxb5 Rd4+ 75 Kc5 Rxe4 76 Rb3 . The black king is too far away to hold. 76 ... Rg4 77 Kd5 Ka5 78 Ke5 Rg8 79 Kf6 Ka6 80 Kf7 Rg4 81 Ke6 Rg8 82 Kf6 Ka5 83 Kf7 Rg4 84 Rf3 Kb5 85 Kf6 Kc6 Here 85 ... Rg8 is met by 86 Rf5+ KeG 87 Rg5, and the g-pawn can start to move forward. 86 Kf5 Rg8 87 g4 Kd7 Or 87 ... Rf8+ 88 Ke4 ReS+ 89 Kf4 RfS+ 90 Kg3 Rg8 91 Rd3 and White will eventually win with the king cut off by three files ... 88 Rd3+ Ke7 89 g5 Ra8 90 Kg6 Kf8 91 Kh7 Ra7+ 92 Kh8 Kf7 93 Rd6 1-0 Game 6 D D.Rogozenko • A.Murariu Bucharest 2002

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 c6 3 d4 d5 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5 e6 7 f3 Bb4 8 e4

26

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

Bxe4 9 fxe4 Nxe4 10 Bd2 Qxd4 11 Nxe4 Qxe4+ 12 Qe2 Bxd2+ 13 Kxd2 Qd5+ 14 Kc2 Na6 15 Nxc4 0-0-0 16 Qe3 (Diagram 18)

Diagram 18 A complex middl~game

Diagram 19 The knight has no targets

The continuation 16 Qe5 f6 17 Qxd5 cxd5 18 Na3 Nb4+ 19 Kd2 Kd7 yields a similar pawn structure to the previous game, while 17 Qe3is analogous to the main game except that Black has the f-pawn on f6. The best response is to use this characteristic positively by playing 17 ... Kb8 18 Be2 e5, when a number of games have reached the conclusion that Black is fine. 16 ... c5 Here 16 ... Nc5 17 Be2 Qxg2 18 Rhg1 Qxh2 19 Rxg7!, V.Kramnik-A.Shirov, Dortmund 1996, seems to be better for White. 17 Kb3 17 Be2 Nb4+ 18 Kb3 Nc6 has been played a few times without reaching an overall conclusion. The text seems to be more dangerous. · 17 ... Nb4 18 Rc1 Nc6 19 Ka3 Nd4 Compared to the line starting 17 Be2, Black is not hitting the bishop and White can prepare to develop differently. 20 Rg1 f6 21 g4 Qc6 22 Bg2 (Diagram 19) Seizing the initiative as Black's 'well-placed' knight on d4 doesn't have any targets. NOTE: A fine-looking outpostfor a knight is one thing, but if it doesn't influence play?

22 ... Qa6 23 b3 Kb8 24 Kb2 e5?1 Black should probably play 24 ... h6, as at least White wouldn't then be so ready

27

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

to open the g-file. 25 g5 Rhe8 26 Reel Ne6 27 gxf6 gxf6 28 Qe4 Nf4 29 Bfl Ng6 30 h4? A bit random. Instead the calm 30 Qc2 Qc6 31 Bd3 should win the h-pawn and leave White in control. 30 ... Rd4 31 Qc2 Rxh4 32 Qf2 32 Nxe5? fails to 32 ... Qd6, as ... Qd4+ is in the air. 32 ... Rd4? Here 32 ... Qc6 represents a better chance, but White keeps some advantage with 33 Nxe5 Rxe5 34 Rxe5 fxe5 35 Rxg6 hxg6 36 Qxh4. 33 Nxe5 Qd6 34 Nc4 Qd8 35 Rxe8 Qxe8 36 Qxf6 Qel 37 Rxg6! Rd2+ 37 ... hxg6 is hopeless after 38 Qf8+ Kc7 39 Qxc5+. 38 Nxd2 Qxd2+ 39 Ka3 Qb4+ 40 Ka2 Qd2+ 41 Qb2 No, there's no perpetual! 41...Qxb2+ 42 Kxb2 hxg6 43 Kc3 Kc7 44 Kc4 b6 45 Kb5 1-0

The Central Variation: 6 Ne5 Nbd7 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5 Nbd7 (Diagram 20) Black doesn't want to give White a free hand in the centre, so first of all he challenges the white knight and then follows up with ... Qc7 and ... e7-e5.

Diagram 20 Challenging the knight

7 Nxc4 Qc7 Preparing to hit back in the centre with ... e7 -e5. 8 g3

28

..

Diagram 21 An amazing pawn thrust

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

Helping in the development of both bishops as one goes to g2, the other to f4. Instead 8 Bg5 e5 9 Bxf6 gxf6 10 e3 Rg8 gives Black dynamic counterplay in compensation for the doubled pawns, J.Timman-H.Bouwmeester, Husum 1982. 8 ... e5 9 dxe5 Nxe5 10 Bf4 Nfd7 Although 10 ... Rd8 11 Qc1 Bd6 has been frequently played over the years, theory tends to prefer White after a continuation such as 12 Nxd6+ Qxd6 13 Bg2 0-0 14 a5 a6 15 0-0 as the bishop pair is an important asset. 11 Bg2 g5! (Diagram 21) Morozevich's amazing move that seems to give Black enough chances after ... 12 Ne3 gxf4 13 Nxf5 0-0-0! with double-edged play, V.Kramnik-A.Morozevich, Astana 2001. The older line 1l...Rd8 12 Qc1 f6 13 0-0 Be6 14 Ne4! Be7 (14 ... Bxc4?! 15 Qxc4!) 15 a5 gives White small but persistent pressure, M.Taimanov-F.Ignatiev, USSR 1971. A viable alternative to 1l...g5, however, is 1l...f6 12 0-0 Nc5, leading to sharp play that offers chances for both sides (see Game 8).

Strategy As Black reacts quickly with ... e6-e5 the centre opens up and active piece play comes to the fore. Black has then to continue in a positive frame of mind, as if he is too hesitant he will be worse, so he needs to react aggressively, even riskily.

Theoretical? Basically, yes. Black has to have some theoretical knowledge otherwise he'll probably just end up with a passive game.

Statistics Statistically it seems that 6 ... Nbd7 is Black's most promising choice in the Central Variation obtaining 40% (compared to the 37% achieved by 6 ... e6). Morozevich's contributions score even better: 1l...g5 manages 42%, and 11...£6 12 0-0 Nc5 as much as 45%. Game 7 D M.Euwe • A.Aiekhine

World Championship match, Netherlands 1937 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5 Nbd7 7 Nxc4 Qc7 8 g3 e5 9 dxe5 Nxe5 10 Bf4 Nfd7 11 Bg2 f6 12 0-0 Rd8 13 Qc1 Be6 14 Ne4! The knight is well placed on e4 and Black cannot easily release the tension, e.g. 14 ... Bxc4?! 15 Qxc4 Nxc4 16 Bxc7 ReS 17 Bf4 and White has the advan-

29

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

tage of the two bishops, and the further 17 ... Nxb2? 18 Rfb1 Nc4 19 Rxb7 would already ruin Black's position. 14 ... Bb4 A lesser evil was 14 ... Be7 15 a5 a6 (people have since learnt that this is necessary!) 16 Nxe5 Nxe5 17 Nc5 Bc8 18 Qc3, M.Taimanov-F.Ignatiev, USSR 1971, with pleasant pressure for White. 15 a5 0-0 16 a6 (Diagram 22)

Diagram 22 Softening up the queenside

Diagram 23 A weakening move

16 ... bxa6? Kasparov describes 16 ... b6 as more natural, although he points out that with 17 Qc2 White will keep up the pressure. 17 Nxe5 Nxe5 18 Nc5 Bxc5 19 Qxc5 g5? (Diagram 23) Weaknesses on the kingside will help White in the later stages. The patient 19 ... Qb6 was better, although Black's structure would still be creaking on the queenside, e.g. after 20 Qc3.

0

NOTE: When under pressure, keeping one's pawns solid can make it hard for your opponent to find a way through.

20 Be3 Bd5 21 Rxa6 Bxg2 22 Kxg2 Rf7 23 Rfa1 Qd6 24 Qxd6 Rxd6 25 Rxa7 Rxa7 26 Rxa7 Nc4 27 Bc5 Re6 28 Bd4 28 b3 Nd2 29 Be3 tidies up and retains the extra: pawn as 29 ... Nxb3? drops the knight to 30 Ra3. 28 ... Rxe2 29 Bxf6 g4 Mter 29 ... Nxb2? then 30 Ra2 illustrates another way to trap a piece! 30 Kfl Rc2 31 Rg7+ Kf8 32 Rxg4 Nxb2 33 Bxb2

..

30

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

Simplest. At World Championship level such endings are converted into wins. 33 ... Rxb2 34 Rc4 Rb6 35 Ke2 Kf7 36 Rh4 Kg6 37 Rf4 Rb3 38 Rc4 Rb6 39 Ke3 Kf5 40 g4+ Ke6 41 f4 Kd5 42 Rd4+ Ke6 43 f5+ Ke7 44 Re4+ Kf7 45 h4 Rb1 46 Kf4 Rc1 47 Ra4 h6 48 Ra7+ Kg8 49 g5 Rc4+ 50 Ke5 1-0 Game 8 0 D.Rogozenko • J.Hector Hamburg 2001

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5 Nbd7 7 Nxc4 Qc7 8 g3 e5 9 dxe5 Nxe5 10 Bf4 Nfd7 11 Bg2 f6 12 0-0 Nc5!? 13 Ne3 At one point 13 e4 was the height of fashion, but now it seems that White players are no longer keen, due largely to the complications resulting from 13 ... Be6 14 Qe2 Nb3 15 Rad1 Bc5, S.Ivanov-V.Popov, Russia 1998. 13 ... Be6 (Diagram 24)

Diagram 24 Provoking White forward!

Diagram 25 Black has piece play

Also worthy of serious consideration is 13 ... Rd8, e.g. 14 Ncd5 Qd7 15 Nxf5 Qxf5 16 Ne3 Rxd1 17 Nxf5 Rxa1 18 Rxa1 a5! with a balanced game, H.Banikas-M.Gagunashvili, Athens 2003. White's bishop pair is compensated for by Black's grip on the queenside. 14 b4 Rd8 15 Qc2 Na6 16 b5 Nb4 17 Qe4 Bc5 (Diagram 25) Black aims for good piece play to counter any problems arising from pawn weaknesses on the queenside. 18 bxc6 Instead 18 Rad1 0-0 19 Nc4 Rxd1 20 Rxd1 Bd5 21 Nxd5 cxd5 22 Rxd5 Nxd5 23 Qxd5+ was played in V.Anand-A.Morozevich, Wijk aan Zee 2000. White had enough for the exchange but no more.

31

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

18 ... bxc6 (Diagram 26) In my database this position has been reached on four occasions at a high level with White trying four different moves! Suffice to say that the best path has yet to crystallise! 19 Nc4 Bd4 20 Nxe5 fxe5 21 Rac1 0-0 22 Nb5 Qf7 23 Nxd4 exd4

Diagram 26 What should White play?

Diagram 27 It's getting messy

White obtains the bishop pair in an open position. However, Black's forces are well placed to cover the centre and queen's wing and White's kingside pawns are hard to make much of for the moment. So it's still 'unclear'. 24 Bg5 Rd7 25 Qh4 a5 26 Bd2 Bd5 27 Bh3 d3!? A provocative move aimed at getting White to cmmit himself. 28 e4 28 Bxd7?? loses on the spot to 28 ... dxe2 29 Rfel Qxf2 mate. 28 ... Be6 29 Bg2 Nc2 30 f4 Rd4 31 f5 (Diagram 27) White pushes his pawns forward and Black bites back where he can. 31. .. Bd5? Better is 31...Qa7 32 Khl Bxf5 according to Hector. 32 Rf4 Bb3 33 Rcfl Here 33 f6! is slightly unpleasant for Black. 33 ... Rxa4 34 e5 Rxf4 35 Qxf4 Bd5 36 Qf2 Bxg2 37 e6! Qf6 38 Kxg2 Qe5 Black has three passed pawns but White's strong e-pawn keeps him in the game. 39 g4 a4 40 Bf4? Fortieth moves are notorious! White should try 40 Qf4! Qxf4 41 Rxf4 Ra8 42

32

The Main Line Slav: 5 a4 Bf5

f6! gxf6 43 Rxf6, with enough play to keep the balance. Mter the text move White's position is hopeless. 40 ... Qe4+ 41 Kg3 a3 42 Qa7 d2! Passed pawns must be pushed, or so they say. 43, Qd7 43 Bxd2 drops the bishop to 43 ... Qd3+. 43 ... Ne3 44 Bxe3 Qxe3+ 45 Kg2 Qe2+ 46 Kgl Qxg4+ 47 Khl Qe4+ 48 Kgl Qd5 49 Rdl Qxf5 50 Qxd2 Qg4+ 51 Khl Qxe6 52 Ral Qb3 53 Kgl Rb8 54 Qd6 a2 55 Qe5 Qbl+ 0-1 Game9 D J.Piket • L.Van Wely Dutch League 2002

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 dxc4 5 a4 Bf5 6 Ne5 Nbd7 7 Nxc4 Qc7 8 g3 e5 9 dxe5 Nxe5 10 Bf4 Nfd7 11 Bg2 g5!? 12 Nxe5 Another try is 12 Ne3 gxf4 13 Nxf5 0-0-0 14 0-0 Nc5 15 Qc2 Ne6 16 Rad1 Bc5, V.Kramnik-A.Morozevich, Astana 2001, when Black has completed development, his king seems safe enough, and a tense game is in prospect. 12 ... gxf4 13 Nxd7 0-0-0 Although this elegant move seems to be best, 13 ... Bxd7 14 Qd4 Rg8 15 Qe4+ Be7, B.Gelfand-E.Bareev, Wijk aan Zee 2002, wasn't that clear either. 14 Qd4 Qxd7 (Diagram 28)

Diagram 28 What should White take?

Diagram 29 Black has compensation

White now has to choose between capturing a pawn or a rook. 15 Qxf4 Mter 15 Qxh8, the continuation 15 ... Qd2+ 16 Kf1 Qxb2 17 Re1 Bb4 18 Qf6 Qc2 33

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

is given.in some books (helpfully!) as 'unclear'. The further 19 Ne4 Bxe4 20 Qxf4 Bxg2+ 21 Kxg2 Bxe1 22 Rxe1 is equal. 15 ... Bd6 16 Qh6 Bc7 (Diagram 29)

0

NOTE: Two bishops in such an open position are typically adequate compensation for a pawn deficit.

17 a5?! Putting this pawn on a dark square is positionally suspect. Instead 17 Rd1 Qe6 18 Qxe6+ Bxe6 19 Be4 would be balanced. It's hard to imagine White getting enough control to be able to use the extra pawn. 17 ... a6 18 0-0 Qe6 19 Qh4 h5? 19 ... Qe5!? is correct as the text allows a trick. 20 Rfc1? Missing his chance! After 20 e4 Bg6 21 Bh3 f5 22 Rfe1 Black is in trouble. 20 ... Bg4 21 Qg5 h4 22 Ne4 hxg3 23 hxg3 Bxe2 Regaining the pawn. Although it's tricky Black now gradually takes control. 24 Re1 Rh5 25 Qc1? Underestimating Black's attack. He should really keep his queen active with 25 Qf6, when something like 25 ... Bg4 26 b4 probably favours Black, but White is still in the game. 25 ... Bb5 26 Nc3 Qf6 27 Qe3 After 27 Nxb5 Rxb5, White's a5, b2 and f2 pawns are all weak. 27 ... Rdh8 28 b4 Bc4 29 Ne4 Qg6 30 Rad1 Bd5 31 Qc3 Qh6 The tripled major pieces mean business! 32 f4 Kb8 33 Qf6 Qh7 34 Rd2 Rh1 + 35 Kf2 35 Bxh1 allows mate in three, but the text is almost as hopeless. 35 ... Rxe1 36 Ng5 Qh2 37 Kxe1 Qgl+ 38 Bfl ReS+ 39 Re2 Qxg3+ 40 Kd1 Bb3+ 0-1

Summary The main line of the Slav with 5 ... Bf5 is very rich in possibilities for both sides. The 6 e3 variation is largely positional with Black being well placed to cope with White's inevitable expansion. Despite extensive practical tests many of the key lines are considered to be strategically unclear. The 6 Ne5 e6 variation leads to the unbalanced material situation of a piece for three pawns. Theory considers Black to be just about OK, but I have a personal preference for White. Instead 6 ... Nbd7 has been revived by Morozevich in recent years and I consider Black to be fine if he knows his stuff.

34

Chapter Two

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives -

Introduction

B

Bronstein (Steiner) Variation: 5... Bg4

B

Smyslov Variation: 5... Na6

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Introduction With 5 ... Bg4 or 5 ... Na6 Black seeks to create slightly different problems for White than those encountered in the 5 ... Bf5 lines. Although these fifth move alternatives have again dropped out of favour, they do give Black an intetesting game. Nevertheless, against best play they probably fail to equalise.

Bronstein {Steiner) Variation: 5... Bg4 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bg4 Black immediately develops his light-squared bishop as in Chapter 1. However, here he prefers to come to g4 where it's on the same diagonal as White's queen. Although White can now move his e-pawn forward he would then be pinned along the d1-h5 diagonal. 6 Ne5 Bh5 (Diagram

H

Diagram 1 The e-pawn is pinned!

Diagram 2 White keeps a pull

White now has three ways to counter Black's prophylactic idea. 7 f3 Threatening to build the centre with e2-e4. The other two important moves are 7 g3 and 7 h3: '. a) 7 g3 Gust getting on with development by fianchettoing the light-squared bishop and aiming for early castling) 7 ... e6 8 Bg2 Bb4 and then: a1) 9 Nxc4 Nd5 10 Qb3 0-0 11 Bd2 a5 12 e4 Nb6 13 Nxb6 Qxb6 14 Be3 c5! and Black is OK, R.Leitao-A.Beliavsky, Yerevan Olympiad 1996. If then 15 dxc5?!, Black has 15 ... Qa6 16 Bfl Qc6. a2) 9 0-0 Nd5 10 Qc2 0-0 11 Rd1 Be7(dropping back to free the b4-square for a

36

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives

knight) 12 Nxc4 Na6, H.Mecking-P.Nikolic, Sao Paulo match 1991. Both sides have completed the first phase of their development and Black is well dug in. b) 7 h3 (intending to push back Black's bishop with a gain of time) 7 ... Na6 8 g4 Bg6 9 Bg2 Nb4 (with the idea of accessing c2) 10 0-0 (the exchange 10 Nxg6?! hxg6 in general isn't worrying for Black, and here he has an extra pawn to boot) 10 ... Bc2 11 Qd2 Bb3 12 Ne4 Nc2 13 Nc5 with wild complications. One example: 13 ... Rc8 14 Rb1 e6 15 Nxb7 Qb6 16 Na5 Bb4 17 Naxc4 Qxd4 18 Qxd4 Nxd4 19 e3 Bc2 20 exd4 Bxb1 21 Bd2 Bxd2 22 Nd6+ Ke7 23 Nxc8+ Rxc8 24 Rxb1 Nd5 with calm equality! I.Farago-C.Pitschka, Salzburg 1999. 7 ... Nfd7 8 Nxc4 e5 9 Ne4 The threat of a knight coming to d6 leaves Black with little choice. Instead 9 g3!? stops any ... Qh4 tricks and prepares to bring the bishop to h3. This is another promising way for White to fight for an advantage, e.g. 9 ... Bb4 10 dxe5 0-0 11 Bh3 Qe7 12 f4. 9 ... Bb4+ 10 Bd2 Qe7 11 Bxb4 Qxb4+ 12 Qd2 Qxd2+ 12 ... Qxc4?? loses immediately to 13 Nd6+. 13 Kxd2 exd4 14 Ned6+ (Diagram 2) This ending has been tested on many occasions. Black will lose either the bpawn or the d-pawn and then material will be equal. Although this line is playable for Black most observers prefer White.

Strategies Black hopes to disrupt his opponent with ... d5xc4 and the annoying pin, but· must stay flexible to react accordingly to White's choice of plan. White must quickly decide how to nullify Black's light-squared bishop in order to obtain a grip on the centre.

Theoretical? There are a few sharp lines that need good theoretical knowledge, but these are fairly well established. As there haven't been many recent developments, once knows the basic theory there isn't much need to update it very often.

Statistics In 1341 games Black has managed 43% which is on a par with 5 ... Bf5 or 5... Na6, Mter a period of popularity in the 80's and 90's the line has dropped out of fashion. White's most successful line has been 6 Ne5 Bh5 7 h3 which scores as high as 62% .. Game 10

· D V.Kramnik • B.Damljanovic Moscow Olympiad 1994

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 dxc4 4 Nc3 c6 5 a4 Bg4 6 Ne5 Bh5 7 f3 Nfd7 8

37

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Nxc4 e5 9 Ne4 Bb4+ 10 Bd2 Qe7 11 Bxb4 Qxb4+ 12 Qd2 Qxd2+ 13 Kxd2 exd4 14 Ned6+ Ke7 (Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 Which pawn to go for?

Diagram 4 The h5-bishop is offside

White can now chose which pawn to go for. 15 Nf5+ Mter 15 Nxb7 Na6 16 e3 Ndc5 17 Nxc5 Nxc5 18 Na5 dxe3+ 19 Kxe3 Rhe8, White has the slightly better pawn structure. The further moves 20 Bc4 Rad8 21 Kf4 (21 Nxc6+?? of course loses a piece to the discovered check 21...Kd6+) 2l...Rd4+ 22 Kg3 Kf6 yield a complex position where White may have a slight pull, A.Adorjan-G.Flear, Szirak 1986. 15 ... Kf6 16 Nxd4 Rd8 17 e4! (Diagram 4) Building the centre and shutting the bishop on h5 out of play. There follows a tactical sequence, but at the end of it White maintains his central control. 17 ... Nc5 18 Kc3 Rxd4 If Black proceeds more slowly with 18 ... Nbd7 then White can simply consolidate his slight but persistent grip with 19 Be2, followed by Rhd1 etc. 19 Kxd4 Nb3+ 20 Kc3 Nxa1 21 Be2 White is temporarily a piece down but the knight on a1 will not be able to escape. 21. .. Ke7 Lashing out with 2l. .. b5?! is calmly met with 22 Ne3 and Black's queenside is weakened. Mter 21...Nd7 22 Rxa1 Nc5, as in L.Polugaevsky-R.Hubner, Tilburg 1985, White obtains a clear advantage, according to Polugaevsky, by expanding his space advantage and putting Black under pressure with 23 g4! Bg6 24 h4 h6 25 b4 Ne6 26 Na5.

..

38

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives

22 Rxa1 Nd7 23 b4! f6 24 Rd1! Nb6 25 Na5! The b7 and c6 pawns come under scrutiny. 25 ... Nxa4+ Preferring to avoid becoming too passive with 25 ... Rb8 26 Kb3 Bf7+ 27 Ka3 Be8, although it's not clear how White would then try to make progress. 26 Kb3 Nb6 27 Nxb7 Bf7+ 28 Kc3 Rb8 29 Ba6 Be8 30 Ra1 Nd7 31 h4 Black's weak queenside pawns and tangled pieces cannot be exploited immediately, so Kramnik just plays a useful space-gaining move. An instructive way to reinforce the bind. 31...Nb6 32 Nc5 Nd7 33 Nb3 Exchanging White's knight would ease the defence. 33 ... g6 34 Nd4 Nb6 35 Bc4 Rb7 Black now intends to simplify with 36 ... c5 37 bxc5 Na4+, so Kramnik puts a stop to that. Instead 35 ... Nxc4? loses a pawn to 36 Rxa7+. 36 Bb3! Bd7 37 Ra5! Na8 38 Ba4 Rc7 39 Rc5 Nb6 1-0 I presume that Black lost on time as it's a bit early to resign. However, after the logical sequence 40 Bxc6 Bxc6 41 Rxc6 Rd7 42 Ne6 Rdl 43 Nc5 Rcl + 44 Kd2 Rc4 45 Rc7+ Kd6 46 Rxa7 Rxb4 47 Nd3, Black loses a second pawn. Game 11 D A.Shirov • P.Nikolic

Manila lnterzonal1990

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bg4 6 Ne5 Bh5 7 g3 Fianchettoing the bishop is the most cautious of White's options. 7 ... e6 8 Bg2 Bb4 9 0-0 Nd5 10 Qc2 0-0 (Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 Should White recapture?

Diagram 6 Black strikes back

39

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Following 10 ... Be7 11 Nxc4 Nb4, A.Yusupov-P.Nikolic, Hastings 1989/90, an interesting idea for White is 12 Qd2 in order to follow up with e2-e4. 11 Nxc4?! More precise is 11 Rd1 to defend the d-pawn first. 11...Nb6 With both the d-pawn and the knight en prise, White has little choice. 12 Nxb6 axb6 13 Be3 After 13 e3 Nd7 14 Bd2, the thematic 14 ... e5! gave Black a comfortable game in A.Shneider-L.Oll, Podolsk 1993. 13 ... Na6 14 f4 f6 15 Bf2 Kh8 16 e4?! Premature. White should complete development with 16 Rad1 with a more or less satisfactory position. The text allows Black to seize the initiative. 16 ... e5! (Diagram 6) 17 dxe5 fxe5 18 fxe5 Rxf2! 19 Rxf2 19 Kxf2 allows mate in three starting with 19 ... Qd4+. 19 ... Bc5 20 Kh1 If 20 Na2 (to stop ... Nb4) then 20 ... Bf7! 21 b4 Be3 looks shaky for White. 20 ... Nb4 21 Qb3 The alternative 21 Qd2 Bxf2 22 Qxf2 Nd3 is also favourable for Black, e.g. 23 Qc2 Qd4 24 Rfl Nxe5 with the better pieces and a blockade on e5. 21. .. Bxf2 22 Qxb4 Bc5 23 Qc4 Qg8 Cautious. More aggressive players would prefer 23 ... Qd2 which looks unpleasant for White. 24 Qxg8+ Kxg8 25 Rfl Bg4 26 h3 Be6 27 Rd1 Kf8 28 Bf3 Ke7 29 Kg2 Rf8 Although Black is a pawn down, the extra doubled e-pawn has little value. In fact the power of the two bishops combined with weaknesses in White's camp are more important considerations. So Black is on top.

0

NOTE: A material 'advantage' is only an advantage if it's likely to be of any use!

30 h4 Bb3 As this doesn't give anything Black should consider 30 ... Bh3+! 31 Kxh3 Rxf3 32 Rd2 Ke6 33 Kg4 Rf7 and Black regains the pawn with an edge. 31 Rd2 Ke6 32 Ne2 Kxe5 33 Nf4 g6 34 Rd7 Or here 34 Nd3+ Kf6 35 Nxc5 bxc5 36 Rd7 should also be OK for White. 34 ... Rf7 35 Nd3+ Kf6 36 e5+ Kg7 37 Nxc5 bxc5 38 Rxf7+ Kxf7 39 a5 Bd5 40 Kf2 Ke6 After 40 ... Bxf3 41 Kxf3 Ke6 White holds onto his pawn with 42 Ke4. 41 Bg4+ Kxe5 42 Bc8 h6 43 Bxb7 Kd6 44 Ke3 g5 45 Ba6 Ke7 46 Be2 Kd6

..

40

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives

47 Kd3 Bg2 48 Kc3 Bh3 49 a6 Kc7 50 a7 Kb7 51 Kc4 gxh4 52 gxh4 Kxa7 53 Kxc5 Bg2 54 h5 Bd5 55 Bdl Ka6 56 Bg4 Kb7 57 Kd6 Kb6 58 Be2 Bb3 59 Ke5 Kc5 60 Kf6 Kd4 61 Kg6 c5 62 Bg4 Bd5 63 Kxh6 Bf7 64 Bf5 Bxh5 65 Kxh5 c4 %-% Mter 66 Kg4 Ke3 White cannot retain his last pawn. Game 12

0 J.Levitt • G.Fiear British Championship, Plymouth 1989

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Bg4 6 Ne5 Bh5 7 h3 Na6 8 g4 Bg6 9 Bg2 My opponent makes it apparent that he's not afraid of complications! Safer is 9 e3 Nb4 10 Bxc4, but it can still go wrong, e.g. 10 ... Nd7 (10 ... Nc2+?? 11 Qxc2) 11 Nxg6 hxg6 12 Qf3 e6 13 K£1 Be7 14 Kg2 g5, followed by ... Nd7-f8g6 gave Black an edge in L.Van Wely-P.Nikolic, Wijk aan Zee 1993. According to Nikolic, 14 Ne4 followed by Bd2 with equality is better. It makes sense to complete development of the minor pieces and decide where to put the king later, but White still has to be careful as he has the worse pawn structure with weaknesses on both wings and his bishop pair is not easy to get going. 9 ... Nb4 Going for the c2-square. 10 0-0 Bc2 Black has to take up the gauntlet, as following 10 ... Nd7?! 11 Nxc4, B.GelfandA.Huzman, USSR Championship 1987, Black has a poor position, e.g. after 1l...e6 12 e4 Be7 13 Ne3, as Gelfand points out, White just builds a big centre. 11 Qd2 Bb3 (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 Hanging onto the pawn

Diagram 8 White has good compensation

41

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Defending the c-pawn, but provoking White's fury. 12 Qf4 This was one of the first games with this line and Levitt goes immediately for the throat with latent threats against f7. Nowadays 12 Ne4 Nc2 13 Nc5 is considered the main line, as in the introductory notes. Another way of stokiilg the fire is with 12 a5!? e6 (12 ... a6 can be met by 13 Na4!?, whereas 12 ... Nc2? is bad after 13 a6) 13 a6 Qc7 14 axb7 Qxb7 15 Ne4 Nxe4 16 Bxe4 Nd5, which was messy in I.Zakharevich-A.Ignatiev, St. Petersburg 1999. 12 ... h6 Mter 12 ... Nc2 13 g5 Nxa114 gxf6 gxf6 15 Nxc6 the position is complex. 13 Be3 e6 S.Krichevsky-I.Dolgov, corr. 1991 showed how Black could diffuse the attack: 13 ... Nbd5 14 Qf3 Nxc3 15 bxc3 Qd5 16 Qf5 Qd6 17 Bf4 e6 18 Qb1 Qd8 19 e4 Be7, when White has practical compensation but nothing concrete. Note that upon 20 a5!, Black has 20 ... Rc8 keeping the game balanced. 14 Ne4 Nbd5 15 Qf3 Bd6 16 Nxd6+ Qxd6 17 Rac1 (Diagram 8) White has enough compensation. 17 ... Nxe3? A serious mistake. Black should first prepare to castle long with 17 ... Qc7, e.g. 18 Nxc4 Bxc4 19 Rxc4 Nxe3 with a reasonable game. However, I don't like 17 ... Qb4 as White obtains a strong initiative with 18 g5 hxg5 19 Bxg5 Rf8 20 e4 Ne7 21 Bxf6 gxf6 22 Qxf6. 18 fxe3 Bxa4? Na'ive (I was young!). Instead 18 ... Rf8 would be more cautious. 19 h4! The f7-pawn falls and with it Black's defences. 19... Qc7 20 g5 hxg5 21 hxg5 Nd5 22 e4 Nb6 23 Nxf7 Qh2+ 24 Kf2 Rh4 25 Ke3 White's king finds some safety. Now Black has to be worried about his own! 25 ... Qc7 26 b4? My opponent misses the beautiful26 Nd8!!, after which 26 ... Qe7 (or 26 ... Rxd8 27 Qf8+ Kd7 28 Rf7+ Kc8 29 Rxc7+ Kxc7 30 Qxg7+) 27 Nxe6! leaves Black in dire straits. 26 ... cxb3 27 Rc5 Nd7 Black even has winning chances with 27 ... b2!, but in such a crazy position in time trouble anything could happen! 28 e5 Qb6 29 Nd6+ Kd8 30 Qf8+ :YVh White finds a neat perpetual, as after 30 ... Nxf8 31 Rf8+ Kd7 32 Rf7+ Kd8 33 Rf8+ neither side dare avoid the draw.

42

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives

Smyslov Variation: 5... Na6 Smyslov's 5 ... Na6 is not particularly ambitious. Black avoids any immediate conflict and heads for the b4-outpost. He just develops his pieces sensibly, although this does allow his opponent to construct a useful-looking pawn front with central pawns on d4 and e4. Black then hopes to chip away at the centre with ... Bg4 and ... c6-c5. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Na6 (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 Smyslov's Variation

Diagram 10 White has an edge

Bringing the knight to a6 at this point is known universally as Smyslov's variation. Murey's 5 ... a5!? should also be met by occupying the centre with pawns, e.g. 6 e4 Bg4 7 Bxc4 e6 8 0-0 Bb4 9 Re1 Bxf3 (White has to accept the inconvenience of doubled pawns, but as Black is not that well developed, this isn't a major problem) 10 gxf3 Nb(l7 11 f4! 0-0 12 Qf3, and in Sosonko's opinion White is somewhat better. 6 e4 6 e3 Bg4 7 Bxc4 e6 8 h3 Bh5 9 0-0 Nb4 10 Qe2 Be7 11 Rd1 0-0 12 g4 (only now that White is good and ready) 12 ... Bg613 e4, V.Kramnik-N.Short, Moscow (rapid) 1996, and Black's position retains its solidity despite White's space advantage. Ovetchkin suggests that best is now 13 ... Nd7 14 Bf4 ReS 15 Bg3 Qa5 16 Nh4 with a small edge. Some players who like to give their opponent doubled pawns would be tempted by 9 Bxa6, or 9 g4 Bg6 10 Bxa6. However, in return for an ugly structure, Black would not only have the bishop pair but also be handed easy play on the light squares and along the b-file. So best for White is to develop normally and keep some central control.

43

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav TIP: Before getting carried away with 'static' weaknesses such as doubled or isolated pawns, remember to first check for dynamic potential.

6 ... Bg4 7 Bxc4 e6 Black can also try 7 ... Bxf3!? immediately: 8 gxf3 e6 9 0-0 Be7 10 Khl (an instructive plan that involves using the g-file as well as putting the king safely in the corner) 10 ... 0-0 11 Rgl Kh8 12 Be3 Nb4 13 Qe2 with a slight preference for White, I.Sokolov-S.Conquest, Reykjavik 2000. 8 Be3 Bb4 Otherwise 8 ... Nb4 also leads to White keeping a pull due to his extra space, e.g. 9 0-0 Be7 10 Be2 0-0 11 h3 Bh5 12 Ne5, Y.Razuvaev-J.Plachetka, Keszthely 1981. 9 Qd3 Bx£3 10 gx£3 Qa5 11 Ke2 (Diagram 10) This position is from M.Cebalo-B.Ivkov, Yugoslav Championship 1981. White decides that his king will be safest here and hopes to use his bishops, the g-file and a central preponderance to keep an edge.

Strategies Black may wish to double White's pawns and use the b4-square, but these are not enough. At some point he'll need to hit back with ... c6-c5 or ... e6-e5 to stop White taking control. White will look for ways to find chinks in Black's armour, for instance by advancing pawns to get open diagonals for his bishops.

Theoretical? Not really; it's possible to play this way without any major problems to get developed. However, White can also develop fairly naturally without knowing reams of theory and still keep a pull due to his space and central edge. Bear in mind, however, that in practice it's not easy to turn the central space edge into anything more concrete.

Statistics From the 617 games in the database Black made 42%, which is slightly less than average. Relatively speaking, 5 ... Na6 was at its most popular in the 1960's and has declined ever since. Game13 0 L.Van Wely • D.De Vreugt Dutch Championship, Rotterdam 2000

'.

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 dxc4 5 a4 Na6 6 e4 Bg4 7 Bxc4 e6 8 Be3 Be7 Although this keeps the b4-square available for the knight, I prefer 8 ... Bb4

44

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives

putting pressure on e4. Then after 9 Qd3 or 9 Qc2, at least Black can double the white pawns with ... Bxf3. In the game Black doesn't have this opportunity. 9 0-0 0-0 10 h3 10 Be2 is more solid. 10 ... Bh5 Now 10 ... Bxf3 11 Qxf3 would be ideal for White. 11 g4!? Bg6 12 Ne5 (Diagram 11)

Diagram 11 Pushing on the kingside

Diagram 12 Black loses material

12 ... Nb4 The most popular move, improving the knight, but the immediate 12 ... c5!? hitting back at the centre is logical. M.Taimanov-V.Smyslov, USSR Championship 1969, then continued 13 Bxa6 Gustifiable here as White how snatches a pawn) 13 ... bxa6 14 dxc5 Qc7 15 Nxg6 hxg6 16 Rcl Rfc8 17 b4 a5 with equal chances. Note that Black cannot capture on e4 either way as he loses material: 12 ... Bxe4?? 13 g5 Bd5 14 gxf6, or 12 ... Nxe4?? 13 Nxg6 Nxc3 14 Nxe7+ Qxe7 15 bxc3. 13 Qe2 Qa5? Underestimating the danger to his kingside. 13 ... c5 is correct, hitting back at White's centre and not giving him the time or space .to get too excited. Then 14 dxc5 Qc7 15 Nxg6 hxg6 16 Rac1 a6 17 Rfd1 Rfd8 18 Kg2 Bxc5 was agreed drawn in J.Speelman-W.Hartston, Morecambe 1981. WARNING: When your opponent has a big centre, don't delay your pawn breaks too long. 45

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

14 g5 Ne8? The only chance is 14... Nh5 holding up the kingside advance at the risk of having an offside knight. 15 Bb3 There's more to chess than simply grabbing material! Although 15 Nd7 nets the exchange, after 15 ... Nd6 16 Nxf8 RxfS 17 Bd3 Bxg5 Black has reasonable practical compensation. White's king is the more exposed of the two and his rooks are not that impressive. 15 ... Nd6 16 Qg4 It's already too late for Black to deflect White from his single-minded intentions. 16 ... Na6 Now 16 ... c5 is bad after 17 dxc5. 17 h4 (Diagram 12) 17 ... c5 Four moves overdue! 18 h5 cxd4 19 Bxd4 Nf5 Desperate stuff. Here 19 ... Qb4 could well have been Black's intended move, forking the white bishops. But then 20 hxg6 hxg6? (20 ... Qxb3 21 gxh7+ Kh8 22 Qh5 allows Black to struggle on in a miserable position) 21 Nxg6 Rfe8 22 Qh3! leads to mate. 20 exf5 Bxf5 21 Qg3 Rad8 Black remains a piece down for nothing as 21...Qb4 is met by 22 Bc4 or by 22 Nb5. 22 Nb5 Qb4 23 Qc3 f6 24 Nf3 fxg5 25 Qxb4 Nxb4 26 Bxa7 Nc6 27 Nfd4 Be4 28 Nxe6 Rd3 29 Bc4 1-0 Game 14 0 Z.Varga • L.Portisch

Hungarian Championship, Heviz 2003

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 a4 Na6 6 e3 This modest move hopes to avoid counterplay against the centre, so allowing White to develop further and support the centre before expanding. 6 ... Bg4 7 Bxc4 e6 8 h3 Bh5 (Diagram 13) 9 g4!? When faced with this position Kramnik preferred to include 0-0, Qe2 and Rd1 before playing g2-g4. }. · 9 ... Bg610 Qe2 Or 10 Ne5 Nb4 11 Nxg6 hxg6 12 Kf1 c5, W.Uhlmann-V.Hort, Marianske Lazne 1965, with a type of position that can be found throughout the book: White's bishops are compensated for by Black's better pawns and general solidity.

46

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives

Diagram 13

Diagram 14

Should White play g4?

Black has counterplay

10 ... Nb4 11 e4 Nd7! In S.Skembris-P.Velikov, Xanthi 1990, Black played the routine l l ... Be7 and, after 12 h4 h5 13 g5 Nd7 14 Be3 0-0 15 0-0 Qc7, had to face 16 Ne5! (a fine pawn sacrifice to clear the way for the £-pawn advance). Mter the further moves 16 ... Nxe5 17 dxe5 Qxe5 18 £4 Qa5 19 R£2, Velikov was in big trouble after Raf1 followed by f4-f5.

0

NOTE: Castling is not the only way to keep your king safe, an- · other is to nip your opponent's attack in the bud, before committing your king.

12 Bf4 If 12 h4, then 12 ... h5 13 g5 Bd6 14 0-0 Qe7 looks more flexible than the premature castling of Skembris-Velikov above.

12 ... h5!? (Diagram 14) An interesting idea to take the sting out of White's kingside advance. 13 0-0-0 hxg4 14 hxg4 Rxh1 15 Rxh1 Qe7 Preparing to castle long, but he never does as more pressing events take over. 16 Nh4 e5! Another point behind ... Qe7! 17 dxe5 Nxe5 18 Bxe5 Qxe5 19 Nxg6 fxg6 Although White has managed to double his opponent's pawns, Black's darksquared control gives him a comfortable game. Now the experienced Portisch gives his opponent a fine lesson in technique. 20 Rd1 Bd6 21 Qe3

47

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Stopping Black castling because a7 would fall, but Black doesn't need to bother any more after the exchange of queens. 21...Qf4 22 Qxf4 Bxf4+ 23 Kb1 Ke7 24 Na2 Nxa2 25 Kxa2 Rh8 The h-file is quite rightly Black's property (he made the effort to open it with ... h7-h5 and ... h5xg4) and White will suffer as a result. · 26 e5?! This attempt at activating his bishop and avoid being passive ultimately fails. If 26 Rd3 Rh2 27 Rb3 b6 28 f3, then 28 ... Be5 leaves White tied down and the plan of ... Ke7-f6-g5-f4 will be unpleasant to face. 26 ... Bxe5 27 Bd3 Rf8 28 Re1 Kd6 29 Re2 Rf4 30 Be4 Rxg4 31 f3 Rg1 32 Rd2+ Kc7 33 Re2 White has a solid defensive formation, but it's cost him two pawns to achieve. 33 ... a5 34 Kb3 Bf6 35 Ka2 Rfl 36 Rg2 g5 37 Kb3 g4! 38 fxg4 Mter 38 Rxg4, then simply 38 ... Rf2 wins either the b-pawn or the f-pawn. 38 ... Rf4 39 Bf5 Rb4+ 40 Ka3 Be7 41 Ka2 Rxa4+ 42 Kb1 Rf4 43 Kc2 Bf6 0-1 Enough is enough. White can't do anything, while Black just advances on the queenside.

Summary Black's alternatives to 5 ... Bf5 have surprise value but are not good enough to equalise. Bronstein's 5 ... Bg4 creates tension, about which White needs to make a difficult decision. The unprepared can easily go astray but, unfortunately for Black, the main line after 7 f3 has been worked ~ut to an ending virtually by force where White keeps a small but persistent edge. Smyslov's 5 ... Na6 is perhaps more solid but allows White an easy time in constructing his centre. Black is well dug in and White may have difficulty using his space advantage if Black seeks timely counterplay with ... c6-c5 or ... e6-e5.

'.

48

Chapter Three

Gambit Lines: 5 e4, 5 Ne5 and 5 e3 R R R R

Introduction The Geller Gambit 5 Ne5 Gambit 5 e3 Gambit

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Introduction After White's most popular move 5 a4, he normally recuperates the loose cpawn fairly quickly, as we have seen in the first two chapters. Here we will look at the consequences of three alternatives, all of which allow Black to defend the forward c-pawn with ... b7-b5. They are all types of gambit, the most notorious of which is Geller's 5 e4. These lines are not highly rated by the top echelon and the statistics show that Black scores well in practice.

The Geller Gambit An aggressive attempt by White to build up a strong centre and get on with a kingside attack, whilst his opponent is consolidating the extra pawn. Black has to try and catch up in development and be particularly careful about his king's future. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 e4 (Diagram 1)

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

The Geller Gambit

Going for the jugular!

White doesn't want to delay expanding in the centre even if it costs a pawn. 5 ...b5 6 e5 Nd5 7 a4 By battering away at the queenside edifice, White hopes to obtain a concession from Black. · 7 ... e6 8 axb5 Nxc3 Black releases the pressure on b5 but now White solidifies his centre. 9 bxc3 cxb5 10 Ng5 Bb7 11 Qh5 (Diagram 2) White uses his slight lead in development to develop some threats against Black's king. Nevertheless there are two solid defences that enable Black to

50

Gambit Lines: 5 e4, 5 Ne5 and 5 e3

obtain satisfactory chances in a complex middlegame: a) Mter 11 ... g6, gaining a tempo to push the queen back at the risk of some fragility on the dark squares, 12 Qg4 Be7 13 Be2 Bd5 14 Bf3 Nc6, Black can look forward to the middlegame with confidence (see Game 15). b) Qtherwise Black has ... 11...Qd7 ... keeping the kingside pawns intact. 12 Be2 It's premature to play 12 Nxh7?! Nc6 13 Be3 (13 Nxf8?, G.KasparovV.Kupreichik, USSR Championship 1979, is bad for White after the sensational13 ... Qxd4!) 13 ... 0-0-0 14 Be2 Be7, E.Budovic-V.Melnichenko, Dnepropetrovsk 1966. 12 ... Bd5 13 Nxh7 Nc6 14 Nf6+ G.Flear-J.Delaney, Bath 1987, with interesting complications where both sides have chances, as Black has enough activity for the exchange. Also possible is 14 Nxf8 Rxf8 15 Qg5 a5, which can also be described as murky. It will come down to a unusual pawn race in the middlegame!

Strategy The late opening/early middlegame can often be summarised as White aiming to land something nasty against Black's king. Black hopes to survive and counts on his queenside pawns to see him home later.

Theoretical? Less than the main lines but sufficiently so to make it dangerous for the unprepared.

Statistics Over 1114 games White manages only 50%. There is a low percentage of draws (22%) which is typical of sharper lines. The line has lost the popularity it had in the 50's, and again in the SO's, as Black's defences have been worked out. Game15 D E.Kahn • L.Portisch

Hungarian Team Championship 2003

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 c6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 e4 b5 6 e5 Nd5 7 a4 e6 8 axb5 Mter 8 Ng5!? h6 9 Nge4 b4 10 Nb1 Ba6 11 Nbd2 Nf4 12 Qg4 Nd3+ 13 Bxd3 cxd3, the game becomes very sharp: 14 0-0 (14 Nd6+ Bxd6 15 Qxg7 has been discredited due to 15 ... Bf8! 16 Qxh8 Qxd4 17 0-0 Nd7 18 Nf3 Qg4! when Black was on top, L.Van Wely-P.Van der Sterren, Dutch Championship 1991) 14 ... h5 15 Qf4 Be7 16 Nc5 Bxc5 17 dxc5, I.Zakharevich-V.Ivanov, Moscow 1999, when 17 ... Qd5, with ... 0-0 and ... Nd7 to follow, should be fine for Black.

51

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

8 ... Nxc3 Another way of defending is 8 ... Bb4 9 Bd2 Bxc3 10 bxc3 cxb5, e.g. 11 Ng5 Nc6 12 Qh5 Qe7 13 Be2 b4 with a double-edged game in prospect, I.ZakharevichE.Sveshnikov, Russian Championship 1995. Black's king lacks security but White doesn't have it all his own way in the centre. 9 bxc3 cxb5 10 Ng5 Again this move to prepare direct threats against Black's king. 10 ... Bb7 11 Qh5 g6 For l l ... Qd7 see the introductory notes. 12 Qg4 Be7 13 Be2 Bd5 (Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 A great outpost

Diagram 4 Where to seek compensation?

This fine move occupying the d5-outpost solidifies the centre and prepares ... Nc6. However, over the years 13 ... Nd7 has been more popular (see the next game). 14 Bf3 Nc6 15 0-0 Mter 15 Ne4 h5 16 Qf4 a5! 17 0-0 Ra7 18 Re1 Kf8 Black was favourite, E.Magerramov-K.Sasikiran, Dubai 2002. 15 ... a5 16 Ne4 h6 (Diagram 4) 17 Nd6+? Premature and smacking of desperation in the face of Black's intended ... Kf8·· g7 and ... b5-b4. Instead 17 Re1 is correct, as after 17 ... Ra7?!, then 18 Nd6+! works, e.g. 18 ... Bxd6 19 Bxd5 exd5 20 exd6+ Kf8 21 Bf4 Rd7 22 Be5, which led to a White win in S.Guliev-O.Maiorov, Moscow 1996. Black should meet 17 Re1 with 17 ... Kf8!, when 18 Bf4 would leave the tussle hanging in the balance. 17 ... Bxd6 18 Bxd5 exd5 19 exd6 Qx.d6 20 Ba3 b4 21 cxb4 Nxb4

52

Gambit Lines: 5 e4, 5 Ne5 and 5 e3

There's nothing really to show for the two pawn deficit. 22 Bxb4 Qxb4 23 Rab1 Qd2 24 Rfd1 Qg5 25 Rel+ Kf8 26 Qd7 Kg7 27 Rb7 Rhf8 28 h4 Qf5 29 Qb5 White is ready to play Re5 but Portisch stays calm. 29•.. c3! 30 Re5 c2! 31 Rc7 Rac8 0-1 Mter 32 Rxf5 Rxc7 White's position is hopeless. Game 16 0 T.Petrosian • V.Smyslov USSR Championship, Moscow 1951

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 c6 5 e4 Petrosian playing the Geller Gambit would surprise more than a few! 5 ... b5 6 e5 Nd5 7 a4 e6 8 axb5 Nxc3 9 bxc3 cxb5 10 Ng5 Bb7 11 Qh5 g6 12 Qg4 Be7 13 Be2 Nd7 14 h4!? White has also tried 14 Bf3 (14 Rbi!? a6 15 Bxc4 Qc7 16 Bxe6 fxe6 17 Qxe6 Rf8led to a Black win in A.Wojtkiewicz-J.Donaldson, Las Vegas 2001) 14 ... Qc8 (an unusual try was 14 ... h5 15 Qg3 Bxg5 16 Bxb7 Bxc1 17 Bxa8 Qxa8 18 Rxc1 Nb6 19 0-0 Nd5, S.Guliev-K.Miton, Ohrid 1997, with enough compensation as Black's king is now safe and the centre and queenside are relatively secure) 15 Bxb7 (15 h4?! is bad after 15 ... h5 16 Qf4 Bxg5 17 hxg5 Bxf3 18 Qxf3 Nb6 when Black is on top, and 15 Ne4 f5! 16 exf6 Nxf6 17 Nxf6+ Bxf6 18 Bxb7 Qxb7 19 Qxe6+ Qe7 gave Black an edge in L.Szabo-T.Petrosian, Moscow vs. Budapest 1955) 15 ... Qxb7 16 Ne4, S.Kindermann-A.Duer, Graz 1981, when it's unclear if White has more than tricks for the pawn. 14 ... h5 15 Qg3 Nb6 16 0-0 a5! (Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 Black has queenside ambitions

Diagram 6 Which way to castle?

53

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Getting ready for ... b5-b4 so White must react fast. 17 d5!? Almost outrageous. White gifts a second pawn to open the d-file.

17 ... Nxd5 Although 17 ... Bxd5! 18 Rd1 Qc7 19 Bf3 is given as 'unclear' by various sources, Black must be better after 19 ... Bxf3 20 Qxf3 0-0. If instead 19 Rd4, then 19 ... Bxg5 20 Bxg5 Kd7 21 Bf3 Kc6 is given by Lukacs as better for Black. 18 Rdl Qc7 19 Ne4 (Diagram 6) Black now has to decide what to do with his king. 19 ... 0-0-0 Going short with 19 ... 0-0!? 20 Bxh5 Kh7 is interesting but risky for Black's king. 19 ... K£8! is more normal in such positions these days. The king is not easy to attack here and the inconvenience of not linking rooks can be lived with. TIP: Your king's future is always important, so don't automatically castle. Instead ask yourself: 'Am I castling away from trouble or into it?'

20 Bg5! Exchanging the dark-squared bishops earns the d6-square for the knight. 20 ... Bxg5 21 Qxg5 a4 22 Qg3 f5 23 Nd6+ Rxd6 24 exd6 f4 Instead 24 ... Qg7 25 Bf3 Rd8 has been suggested, but 26 Bxd5 Bxd5 27 Qe3 then gives Black some headaches. 25 Qxg6 Qxd6 26 Bf3 Bc6 27 Rel Re8 28 Bxd5 Qxd5 29 Radl! Qf5 30 Qxf5 exf5 31 Rxe8+ Bxe8 32 f3 Kc7 33 Kf2 K~6 34 Ke2 Ka5 35 Rbl If Black does nothing White will win by bringing his king to c2, play Rb4 and Ka3, then recycle the rook to invade behind Black's lines to pick off pawns. 35 ... a3 36 Kd2 The king arrives in time to stop the a-pawn. 36 ... b4 Or 36 ... Ka4 37 Rb4+ Ka5 38 Kc2 and Black is helpless as a2 falls. 37 cxb4+ Ka4 38 Kc3 a2 39 Ral Ka3 40 Kxc4! A nice touch! 40 ... Kb2 41 Rdl alQ 42 Rxal Kxal 43 b5 Bd7 44 b6 Bc8 45 Kd4 Kb2 46 Ke5 Kc3 47 Kxf4 Kd4 48 Kg5 Ke5 49 Kxh5 Kf6 50 g4 Bb7 51 Kh6 1-0 For those unconvinced I suggest the following plausible continuation: 51...fxg4 52 fxg4 Be4 53 g5+ Kf7 54 g6+ Kg8 (or 54... Kf6 55 g7 Kf7 56 b7 Bxb7 57 Kh7 Be4+ 58 Kh8) 55 h5 Bf3 56 Kg5 Be4 57 Kf6 Bf3 58 h6 Bd5 59 Ke7 Be4 60 h7+ Kg7 61 h8Q+ Kxh8 62 Kf8 Bd5 63 g7+ Kh7 64 g8Q+ Bxg8 65 b7.

54

Gambit Lines: 5 e4, 5 Ne5 and 5 e3

5 Ne5 Gambit 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 Ne5 (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 The 5 Ne5 Gambit

Diagram 8 How should Black respond?

Another gambit idea where White tempts Black to hold onto the c-pawn. The Catalan-style gambit 5 g3 can also be met by 5 ... b5, for instance 6 Bg2 Bb7 which transposes back to the main game after 7 Ne5. 5 ... b5 Black has good chances to equalise after 5 ... Nbd7 6 Nxc4 (6 f4 b5! gave Black a comfortable game in O.Romanishin-V.Akopian, Linares 1996, see Game 18) 6 ... b5, e.g. 7 Nd2 (or 7 Ne3 Bb7 8 g3 c5 9 d5 a6 10 Bg2 g6 11 0-0 Bg7 12 a4 b4 13 Nb1 a5 14 Qc2 Nb6 with chances for both sides, O.RomanishinA.Morozevich, Elista Olympiad 1998) 7 ... e5 8 e3 exd4 9 exd4 Nb6 10 Nf3 b4 11 Na4 Bd6 when Black is OK, J.Tifuman-M.Illescas Cordoba, Pamplona 1999. 6 g3 Bb7 7 Bg2 (Diagram 8) 7... Nbd7!? Black has such a big choice apart from the text move. a) 7 ... Qc8 8 0-0 e6 is a safe way to hold onto the booty, J.Stocek-E.Meduna, Lazne Bohdanec 1996, when White has some pressure but nothing concrete. b) 7 ... Qb6 8 a4 a6 is possible, as after 9 0-0 e6 we reach a position that often arises via the Catalan Opening (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3 dxc4 5 Bg2 b5!? etc.). Then 10 e4 Nbd7 (Black soon liberated after 10 ... Bb4!? 11 Be3 0-0 12 Na2 Be7 13 b3 cxb3 14 Qxb3 c5 in P.H.Nielsen-P.Jaracz, Warsaw (rapid) 2003, and went on to win) 11 Nxd7 Nxd7 12 d5 Bc5 13 dxe6 fxe6 14 Bh3 Nf8 15 Qh5+ g6 16 Qh6 yields compensation for the pawn according to Raetsky & Chetverik. c) The modest move 7 ... a6 consolidates the extra pawn before continuing de-

55

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

velopment. Mter 8 a4 e6 9 0-0 Nd5, we reach a position that can occur from various move-orders, again including the Catalan (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 g3 dxc4 5 Bg2 b5 6 Ne5 Nd5 etc.), or an ... a6-Slav (1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 5 g3 dxc4 etc.), e.g. 10 e4 Nxc3 11 bxc3 Nd7 12 f4 Be7 13 Ng4 0-0, M.Maciejewski-M.Matlak, Polish Championship 1987, when White has aggressive intentions but nothing that should worry Black too much.

8Nxc6 8 Nxb5? is tempting, but it loses to 8 ... Nxe5 9 dxe5 Qxd1 + 10 Kxd1 0-0-0+, and then the knight on b5 can be safely captured. 8 ... Qb6 9 d5 e6 10 a4 Probing Black's defences, as in V.Ivanchuk-A.Shirov, Dos Hermanas 1996 (see Game 17). Now after... ' 10 ... exd5 11 axb5 d4 (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9

Black is not worse ... as suggested by Har Zvi, Black isn't worse.

Strategy Black can hold onto the pawn at the risk of allowing White an early initiative, or give it back in order to catch up in development. White will generally press along the long diagonal as in some gambit lines from the Catalan .

.

.

Theoretic.al? Not .really; it has never been popular enough.

Statistics In a smallish poll of 117 games White has scored an average 53%.

56

Gambit Lines: 5 e4, 5 Ne5 and 5 e3

Game 17 0 V.lvanchuk • A.Shirov Dos Hermanas 1996

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 dxc4 5 g3 Note the move order! 5 ... b5 6 Bg2 Bb7 7 Ne5 Nbd7!? Provoking sharp complications. For several calmer alternatives, see the introductory notes. 8 Nxc6 Qb6 9 d5 e6 10 a4 (Diagram 10)

Diagram 10 A critical moment

Diagram 11 Black loses material

10 ... Bc5? Shirov is tempted by hitting f2, but this turns out to be dubious. Black has a difficult choice here. For instance, Hubner demonstrates that 10 ... b4? is tempting but also seem~to be inadequate: 11 Be3 Bc5 12 a5 Qa6 13 Bxc5 bxc3 (13 ... Nxc5 14 Nxb4 is also somewhat better for White) 14 dxe6 cxb2 15 exd7+ Nxd7 16 Rb1 Bxc6 (16 ... Nxc5 17 Qd6 is curtains) 17 Qd6 Qxa5+ 18 Bb4 and White is winning. I think 10 ... a6 is OK, e.g. 11 Be3 Bc5 12 Bxc5 Qxc5! 13 axb5 axb5 14 Na5 Qb6 15 Nxb7 Rxa1 16 Qxa1 Qxb7 17 0-0 exd5 18 Rd1 0-0 with equal chances. White will have the bishop in the open position, but Black has a useful queenside majority. \ The Israeli player, Har Zvi, points out another good defence: 10 ... exd5 11 axb5 d4! 12 Na4 Qxb5 13 Nxd4 Qb4+ 14 Kf1 (14 Bd2? is met by 14 ... Bxg2! with lots of wood for the queen) 14 ... Bxg2+ 15 Kxg2 Qb7+ 16 f3 Bb4 and Black is doing fine.

57

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

~

X

WARNING: Getting involved in tactical mi lEes when behind in development is fraught with danger.

11 axb5 Bxf2+ 12 Kfl Bc5 Mter the high of getting to capture on f2 with check, Black has to come down to earth and lose time bringing his bishop to safety. Instead 12 ... 0-0 lose~ prosaically to 13 Na4 Qxb5 14 Kxf2, and 12 ... exd5 to 13 e3 Bxe3 14 Qe2 d4 15 Bxe3 dxe3 16 Na4 Qxb5 17 Qxe3+ (now it's Black's king in trouble- in fact, serious trouble!) 17 ... Kf8 18 Qa3+ Kg8 19 Ne7+ K£8 20 Ng6+ Kg8 21 Qf8+ Rxf8 22 Ne7 mate! 13 Na5 Bxd5?! A sign that things have already gone badly wrong. 13 ... e5 was a more sober way to put up resistance, and although 14 Nxc4 Qc7 15 Na5! is unpleasant for Black, it is by no means lost. 14 e4 (Diagram 11) 14 ... Bb4? In this difficult position 14 ... Bb7? is no improvement as 15 Nxb7 Qxb7 16 e5 Nd5 17 Nxd5 exd5 18 Bxd5 Qc8 19 Bc6 is also hopeless for Black. In fact ditching a piece with 14 ... Nxe4! represents the best hope: 15 Nxe4! (15 Nxd5 is less clear after 15 ... exd5 16 Qxd5 Qf6+ 17 Bf4 0-0 18 Nxc4 Nf2) 15 ... Bb4 16 Nc6 Qxb5 17 Nxb4 Qxb4 18 Bd2 gives White a strong initiative and a piece, but Black has three pawns and chances to resist. 15 exd5 Bxa5 16 Rxa5! Deflecting the queen. 16 ... Qxa5 17 dxe6 Nb6 17 .. .fxe6 18 Bxa8 0-0 19 Bf3 leaves White virtually a whole piece up. 18 Qd6! ReS 19 Bc6+ Rxc6 20 Qxc6+ Ke7 21 Qc7+ Kxe6 22 Kg2 1-0 The threat of Re1 +is decisive. Game 18 D O.Romanishin • V.Akopian

Linares 1996

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 Ne5 Nbd7 6 f4?! 6 Nxc4 is objectively better, but after 6 ... b5 Black obtains a reasonable game (see the introductory notes). 6 ... b5! Holding onto the c4-pawn at the expense of c6. White loses time in regaining the material and Black hopes to punish White for his shaky pawn front. 7 Nxc6 Qb6 8 Ne5 e6 9 e3 Bb7 (Diagram 12) White has a problem developing normally (g2 is under attack) and has a hole on e4. Black also has a queenside majority, so he's better already. 10 Bd2 Be7 11 a4 a6 12 axb5 axb5 13 Rxa8+ Bxa8 14 Be2 0-0

58

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives

Diagram 12 Black develops more easily

Diagram 13 The queenside advances

Keeping things simple is often the best practical approach when you're guaranteed an edge anyway, but 14 ... Bxg2 must have been tempting! In fact Akopian analyses 14 ... Bxg2 15 Rg1 Qb7 16 Kf2 Nxe5 17 fxe5 Ne4+ 18 Kxg2 Nxd2+ 19 Bf3! as leading to equality. However, after the superior 17 ... Ng4+! 18 Kg3 (or 18 Bxg4 Bh4+ 19 Ke2 h5! which is good for Black) he must have overlooked 18 ... Nf2! 19 Qe1 Nhl+ winning for him. So 14 ... Bxg2 is both playable and probably good.

0

NOTE: Most Grandmasters will opt for a safe advantage rather than dabble in risky complication~.

15 0-0 Nxe5 16 fxe5 Ne4 17 Bf3 Nxd2 Black could also opt for 17 ... Nxc3 18 bxc3, but that helps White consolidate his pawn structure somewhat. 18 Qxd2 Bxf3 19 Rxf3 b4 (Diagram 13) 20 Ne4 Qc6 21 Qc2 Ra8 22 Rfl h6 Safety first, giving his king some 'luft'. Black now intends to play ... Ra2 without being worried by any ideas of Qf2 hitting f7. For instance, if immediately 22 ... Ra2 then 23 Qf2 is annoying, whereas now ... Ra2 is threatened. 23 Nd6 Bxd6 24 exd6 ReS 25 Qf2 f6! Here 25 .. .f5? is unnecessarily weakening, as after 26 Qg3 Rd8 White gets enough activity to draw, e.g. 27 Ra1! Qxd6 28 Qxd6 Rxd6 29 Ra8+ Kf7 30 ReS. 26 Qg3 c3 27 bxc3 bxc3 28 Rc1 Kf7! 29 h3? 29 h4! is more active, when 29 ... Qb5! 30 h5! Qxh5 31 d7 Rd8 32 Qc7 Ke7 33 Qg3! will give Black big technical headaches despite the extra pawn. 29 ... c2 30 Qf2 Ke8 31 Qg3 g5 32 Qf2 f5 33 Qd2 Kd7? According to Akopian he should have preferred 33 ... Qc3!, e.g. 34 Qxc3 Rxc3 35

59

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Kf2 Kd7 36 Ke2 Kxd6 37 Kd2 Rc4 38 Rxc2 Rxc2+ 39 Kxc2 Kd5 40 Kd3 h5 41 g3 h4 42 gxh4 gxh4 and wins. Romanishin puts up tremendous resistance, but can't quite save the game. 34 d5! exd5 Better than 34 ... Qxd5 35 Rxc2 which would be tough to win. 35 Qd3 Ke6! 36 d7 Kxd7 37 Qxf5+ Qe6 38 Qh7+ Kd6 39 Rxc2 Qxe3+ 40 Kh2 Qe5+ 41 g3 Rxc2+ 42 Qxc2 d4 43 Qd3 Qe3 44 Qa6+ Kc5 45 Kg2 Kb4 46 Qxh6 d3 47 Qd6+ Kb3 48 Qd5+ Kb2 49 Qb5+ Kcl 50 Qc4+ Kdl 51 Qb3+ Ke2 52 Qb2+ Qd2 53 Qf6! Kdl + As Akopian pointed out later, the most precise is 53 ... Ke3+! 54 Kg1 Qd1 + 55 Kg2 Qe2+ 56 Kg1 Qf3 57 Qxg5+ Ke2 58 Qb5 (or 58 Qe5+ Qe3+ 59 Qxe3+ Kxe3 60 Kf1 d2) 58 ... Qxg3+ 59 Kh1 Qxh3+ with a book win. 54 Kfl Qel+ 55 Kg2 Qe4+ 56 Kf2 Kc2 There are no checks! 57 Qf7 Qd4+ 58 Kg2 Qe4+ 59 Kf2 Qe2+ 60 Kgl Qe3+ 61 Kg2 Kd1 62 Qb3+ Ke2 63 Qb2+ Qd2 64 Qd4? 64 Qf6! would get back to the position after move 53! 64 ... Kd1 + 65 Kgl Qe1 + 66 Kg2 Qe2+ 67 Kg1 Qf3! 68 Qe5 g4! Disrupting White's defences in a unique way. 69 hxg4 d2 It's actually zugzwang! 70 g5 Natural but ... 70 ...Kc2 71 Qc5+ Qc3 72 Qf5+ Kb2 73 Qf2 Kb_1 74 Qf5+ Qc2 0~1 After 75 Qb5+ Kc1 White is denied access to the pinning square g5!

5 e3 Gambit 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 e3 (Diagram 14) A positional gambit. White keeps his centre solid while he prepares to hit back at the queenside. A few strong players have tried it once or twice, but not with any regularity. 5 ... b5 6 a4 b4 7 Nb1 White hopes to regain the pawn and in the meant'iine leave Black with an inferior pawn structure. This knight hopes to come to c4 via d2. After 7 N a2, the knight will struggle to get to a useful square before Black has time to free himself, e.g. 7 ... e6 8 Bxc4 Bb7 9 0-0 c5! (the standard freeing break in this quasi Semi-Slav) 10 Qe2 Nbd7 11 Rd1 Qc7 and Black has a fine game, R.Vera-M.Illescas Cordoba, Linares 1994.

60

Black's Fifth Move Alternatives

Diagram 14

Diagram 15

The 5 e3 Gambit

Black should equalise

7... Ba6 8 Be2 White's queen's knight worked overtime in the next example: 8 Nbd2 c3 9 bxc3 Bxf110 Nxf1 bxc3 11 Ng3 (five moves out of eleven!- no wonder Black has time to get ... c6-c5 in!) 1l...e6 12 0-0 c5 13 Ba3 Nbd7 14 Rc1 Qa5 and in A.Shirov-J.Granda Zuniga, Moscow Olympiad 1994, White couldn't find any way for an advantage. 8 ... e6 9 0-0 c5 Similar is 9 ... Be7 10 Nbd2 c3! 11 bxc3 bxc3 12 Nb1 Qa5 13 Ba3 c5, and again Black can claim equality, P.N:ikolic-E.Bareev, Pula 1997 (see Game 20). 10 Nbd2 c3! Frustrating White's development. 11 bxc3 bxc3 12 Nb1 cxd4 13 exd4 Bb4 (Diagram 15) S.Halkias-M.Gurevich, Silivri 2003. Although Black won't be able to hold onto his c-pawn for very long, he'll catch up in development and should equalise.

Strategy White aims to win back his pawn and leave Black with a compromised structure. Black aims to oblige White to lose time in order to regain material equality, and react with ... c6-c5 liquidating to a comfortable game.

Theoretical? Not really. It won't take long to learn the essential lines for either colour.

Statistics The heyday of 5 e3 was really in the early years of the Slav before 1950. Since

61

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

then ifs been used occasionally as a surprise weapon and has scored an average 54% from 790 games. In the main line after 5 ... b5 6 a4 b4 7 Nb1 Ba6 White has a modest 52% from 179 games. Game 19 D V.Salov • R.Hubner Dortmund 1992

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 dxc4 4 Nc3 c6 5 e3 b5 6 a4 b4 7 Nb1 Ba6 8 Be2 e6 9 0-0 c5! Attacking White's centre is best 10 Nbd2 c3 Mter 10 ... Nc6, the mass simplification of Z.Franco Ocampos-V.Smyslov, Barcelona 1990, led to easy equality: 11 dxc5 Bxc5 12 Bxc4 Bxc4 13 Nxc4 Qxd1 14 Rxd1 Ke7. Instead 10 ... Qd5? is just bad in view of 11 Ne5. 11 bxc3 bxc3 12 Nb1 (Diagram 16)

Diagram 16 How should Black continue?

Diagram 17 White has a strong threat

12 ... Nd5? Underestimating White's next. Instead Black has a couple of ways to equalise: 12 ... cxd4 13 Nxd4 Bb4 14 Bb5+ Bxb5 15 axb5 0-0 16 Qb3 a5 17 Nxc3 e5, S.Halkias-M.Gurevich, Silivri 2003, and 12 ... Qa5! which is featured in the next game. .· 13 Bb5+! Bxb5 14 axb5 It's really a nuisance for Black that his queen's knight is denied both the a6 and c6-squares and that the a-pawn is backward. The b-pawn has a cramping effect that just won't go away. 14 ... cxd4

62

Gambit Lines: 5 e4, 5 Ne5 and 5 e3

If 14 ... Nd7, Anand proposes 15 e4 N5f6 16 Nxc3 cxd4 17 Nxd4 with a pleasant edge, especially as the c6-outpost is just asking to be occupied! 15 Qxd4 Be7 16 e4 Naturally White doesn't fall for 16 Qxg7? Bf6 17 Qh6 c2 and Black wins. 16.:.c2 Trying to disorientate his opponent's pieces. 16 ... Nf6 is tame due to 17 Nxc3, and 16 ... Bf6 is met by 17 e5 Be7 18 Nxc3 Nxc3 19 Qxc3 0-0 20 Be3! leaving Black under significant pressure. 17 Na3 Bf6 18 e5 Be7 19 Nxc2 Qd7 Commentators have suggested alternatives but already nothing is really satisfactory. 20 Qg41 g6 21 Ncd4 0-0 22 Ba31 Exchanging off Black's best defensive piece. 22 ... Rc8 23 h4 Rc4 24 Bxe7 Qxe7 25 Rfc1 Again seeking to exchange a pair of rooks as this leaves White in control of the c-file. 25 ... Rxcl+ 26 Rxc1 Nd7 27 h5 Kg7 28 Rc6 Nf8 29 Rd61 (Diagram 17) 29 ... £5 Not exactly what Black wants to play but it's too late to find a defence of any value! A move such as 29 ... Rc8? allows the main threat of 30 Rxd5! Rcl+ 31 Kh2 exd5 32 Nf5+, while 29 ... Qc7 goes down to 30 h6+!, e.g. a) 30 ... Kxh6 31 Qg5+ Kg7 32 Rxd5 exd5 33 Nf5+ Kg8 34 Ne7+ Kg7 35 Qf6+ Kh6 36 Nf5+ Kh5 37 Qg5 mate. b) 30 ... Kg8 31 Qg5 Qe7 32 Nc6 Qxg5 33 Nxg5 (when Black is short of moves) 33 ... Re8 34 Nxa7 and the rest is easy. 30 Qg51 Rb8 31 h6+ Kf7 32 Rxd51 exd5 33 Qxe7+ 1-0 After 33 ... Kxe7 34 Nc6+ wins the rook. Game 20 D P.Nikolic • E.Bareev European Team Championship, Pula 1997

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4 5 e3 b5 6 a4 b4 7 Nb1 Ba6 8 Be2 e6 9 0-0 Be7 10 Nbd2 c3 11 bxc3 bxc312 Nb1 Qa5 13 Ba3 c5 H.Olsen-G.Kasparov, Torshavn (simul) 2001, continued with 13 ... Be7 14 Bxa6 Nxa6 15 Qd3 Nd5 16 Rc1 Nab4 17 Qc4 c2 18 Bxb4 Nxb4 19 Na3 0-0 20 Nxc2 and a draw was soon agreed. 14 Bxa6 Nxa6 15 Ne5 Here 15 Qd3 is about equal, see the introductory notes. 15 ... Rc8 (Diagram 18) 16 Qb3? This proves to be the wrong. plan. Instead 16 Nc4 is recommended by Hubner,

63

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

who goes on to give 16 ... Qd8 17 Qb3 0-0 18 Rd1 as unclear. Perhaps Black could then continue with 18 ... Rb8 19 Qxc3 Nd5 20 Qc1 cxd4 21 Bxe7 Qxe7 22 Rxd4 Rfc8 when he has an edge due to his slightly better development.

Diagram 18 The critical moment

Diagram 19 The c-pawn is strong

16 ... cxd4 17 Qb7 If 17 Bxe7 Kxe7 first, then 18 Qb7+ is well met by 18 ... Qc7 19 Qxa6 Qxe5. 17 ... Rc7 18 Qa8+ Bd8 19 Bd6 Qd5! Well judged! Bareev sacrifices the exchange to dissolve White's threats and obtain a good ending due to his advanced c-pa,wn. 20 Qxd5 Nxd5 21 Bxc7 Bxc7 22 exd4 Bxe5 23 dxe5 Ke7 (Diagram 19) The problem for White is that the mega-passed pawn stymies his pieces. 24 Na3 Nab4 25 Rabl ReS 26 Rfc1 Nf4 27 Rxb4 27 Kfl Nfd3 is even worse. 27 ... Ne2+ 28 Kfl Nxc1 29 Rb7+ Kf8 30 Nc2 Rd8 31 Ne3 Not 31 Rc7? which loses on the spot to 3l...Rdl + 32 Ne1 Nd3. 31...Rc8 32 Nc2 a6 33 g3 Rd8 34 Ne3 It's now a better moment to try 34 Rc7, but it's still pretty grim. 34 ... Rc8 35 Nc2 Rd8 36 Ne3 Na2 37 a5 Rd1 + 38 Kg2 Rd3 39 Rc7 Ke8 40 Kf3 Kd8 41 Rc4 Kd7 Slowly but surely Black improves his pieces. 42 h4 Rd2 43 Rc5 Rb2 44 Nc4 Kd8 45 Nb6 A valiant attempt to counter-attack. Instead after 45 Ne3 Rb5 46 Rxb5 axb5 4 7 a6 Kc7 or 45 Nxb2 cxb2, White can resign. 45 ... g5

..

64

Gambit Lines: 5 e4, 5 Ne5 and 5 e3

Giving himself a flight square for his king. WARNING: When close to winning you should keep your guard up. Your desperate opponent almost certainly has one final trick up his sleeve.

46, ReS+ Ke7 47 Re7+ Kd8 48 ~e8+ Ke7 49 Re7+ Kf8 50 ReS+ Kg7 51 Nd7 g4+ The imprudent 51...c2? falls into White's trap: 52 Nf6 g4+ 53 Kg2 and perpetual is on the cards, e.g. 53 ... clQ 54 Rg8+ Kh6 55 Nxg4+ Kh5 56 Nf6+. 52 Kg2 Unfortunately for White, 52 Kxg4 takes away the valuable g4-square from his knight, and so after 52 ... c2, White cannot create the perpetual net of the previous note. 52 ... Rb5! Now Nf6 is always met by capturing thee-pawn, so the win is nigh. 53 h5 Rd5 54 h6+ Kg6 55 Nf6 Rxe5 56 Nxg4 Rg5 57 f3 Or 57 Rg8+ Kh5 58 Nf6+ Kxh6 59 Ng4+ Rxg4 60 Rxg4 c2 etc. 57 ... Rb5 58 Rg8+ Kf5 59 Rg7 e2 60 Rxf7+ 60 Ne3+ K£6 61 Nxc2 finally picks off the c-pawn but, after 61...;Rb2, only at the cost of a piece. 60 ... Kg6 61 Rg7+ Kh5 62 Rg8 Rg5! 0-1

Summary The Geller Gambit with 5 e4 can be best described as speculative. White has chances for an attack but with best play Black shouldn't be worse. The 5 Ne5 Gambit is often followed up by fianchettoing the king's bishop with g2-g3 and Bg2. Not only does play seem akin to certain lines of the Catalan Opening, some lines actually transpose. White seeks general activity, pressure on the long diagonal and better harmony for the pawn. Black can obtain a good game by picking his moment to return the pawn to achieve rapid development or even hold onto his loot for the duration. The more positional 5 e3 has been tried at the top level on occasion, but has now been more or less abandoned as Black's routes to equality have been fathomed out.

65

Chapter Four

The Quiet 4 e3 -

Introduction

-

Black plays 4... Bg4

-

Black plays 4... Bf5

The Quiet 4 e3

Introduction 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 (Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 The quiet 4 e3

This doesn't apply any particular pressure. White defends his c4-pawn and intends solid development. A practical choice for those seeking quiet positions with little theory. Black has to decide where to place his queen's bishop.

Black plays 4... Bg4 4 ... Bg4!? (Diagram 2) Black develops his bishop and at the same time pins the knight.

Diagram 2 A provocative pin ·

Diagram 3 White plays aggressively

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

A more provocative move than the more common ... Bf5. White will now have to find a solution to the pin on the d1-h5 diagonal. 5 h3 Bxf3 5 ... Bh5 is also possible, provoking White to take a risk with g2-g4. 6 Qx£3 e6 7 Nc3 Nbd7 8 Bd2 Bd6 9 g4!? (Diagram 3) White's most aggressive continuation requires careful handling by Black.

Theoretical? No. Natural development is generally enough to get by.

Statistics In a total of 982 games Black has scored an average 45%. White's best try seems to be 5 h3 when Black only gets 40%. Game 21 D A.Dreev • S.Movsesian Sarajevo 2002

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 N£6 4 e3 Bg4 5 Nc3 The other main idea is 5 cxd5 Bxf3! (safe and ultra-solid) 6 Qxf3 cxd5 7 Nc3 e6 8 Bd3 Nc6 9 0-0 Be7 10 Qe2 0-0 which permits Black a comfmtable game. It's not clear that the bishop pair constitutes an asset as the bishop on c1 will have some difficulty in becoming active. 5 ... e6 6 h3 Bxf3 7 Qxf3 Nbd 7 8 Bd2 Bd6 9 g4!? An aggressive idea, aiming for g4-g5 pushing the knight back and gaining space. 9 ... Bb4 The bishop changes its mind! Now if White plays g4-g5 Black aims to use the e4-square. Although the rule of 'not moving a piece twice in the opening' is widely respected, there are always exceptions! White's g2-g4 is his extra tempo, which contains a direct positional threat, but from Black's point of view such early machismo by White could just self~ weaken the aggressor ..

0

NOTE: Moving a piece twice (or more) in the opening is acceptable if there is a logical reason. In particular, if the opponent does not gain a 'free' move for development in return.

..

10 Bd3 Renewing the threat of g4-g5. If 10 g5 here, then 10 ... Bxc3 11 Bxc3 Ne4 is satisfactory for Black. 10 ... e5!? (Diagram 4) A surprising early counter in the centre. 11 cxd5 Bxc3

68

The Quiet 4 e3

Better than ll ... cxd5?!, which lets White take the initiative with 12 dxe5 Nxe5 13 Bb5+.

Diagram 4 An active counter-blow

Diagram 5 Black has the initiative

12 Bxc3 A later try, 12 bxc3 cxd5 13 Qf5 g6 14 Qg5 Qe7 15 f3 0-0-0 16 Bb5 Qe6, turned out in Black's favour in A.Onischuk-R.Vasquez, Buenos Aires 2003. 12 ... Nxd5 13 Bc4 N7b6 14 Bxd5 White has also tried to keep the tension with 14 Bb3, e.g. 14 ... 0-0 15 0-0 (if 15 dxe5 Nxc3 16 bxc3, then 16 ... Qd3! is awkward) 15 ... Qe7 16 Qe4 Qh4 17 Kg2 f5! gave Black interesting counterplay in S.Anapolsky-S.Krivoshey, Ukrainian Championship 2003. 14 ... Nxd5 15 Qe4 0-0 16 dxe5 Mter 16 Qxe5, Movsesian intended 16 ... Qh4 17 Qh5 Nxe3! 18 Qxh4 Ng2+, recuperating the material with an equal game. 16 ... Qh4 17 Bd4 Rad8 18 Qf3 Qe7! A timely switch-back to threaten ... c6-c5. 19 Rc1 19 b3?! looks fishy after 19 ... c5 20 Bb2 c4!. 19 ...b6! (Diagram 5) 20 0-0 Mter this the game fizzles out into a draw. But Movsesian points out that White doesn't have anything better, e.g. 20 b3 c5 21 Ba1 Nb4 22 0-0 Nxa2 when Black regains the Pi:\Wn with a good game, while in the case of 20 Rxc6 Qb4+ 21 Kd1 Qa4+ 22 Rc2 Qxa2, White's king is a problem. 20 ... c5 21 Bc3 Nxc3 22 bxc3 Qxe5 23 Rfd1 Rxdl+ 24 Qxd1 f5 25 c4 fxg4 26 hxg4 Kh8 27 Qe2 h5 ~-~

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Black plays 4... Bf5 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 Bf5 (Diagram 6)

Diagram 6 Black plays 4 ... Bf5

The most common way for Black to meet 4 e3 is with 4 ... Bf5. There are then three principal approaches for White, each with its own characteristics: 1. Simplifying by exchanging bishops with Bf1-d3; 2. Trying to press on the queenside with c4xd5 followed by Qd1-b3; 3. Harassing the bishop with Nf3-h4. 5 Nc3 White intends to follow up with Nh4, but let's first have a look at how play may develop if White's tries the other two approaches. a) 5 Bd3 is rather tame, as the early exchange of light-squared bishops eases Black's development, e.g. 5 ... Bxd3 (if Black prefers to keep more tension he could try 5 ... Bg6!? when a continuation such as 6 0-0 e6 7 Nc3 Nbd7 8 b3 Bd6 9 Bb2 Ne4 10 Qc2 f5, G.Tunik-E.Bareev, Russian Championship 1995, creates chances for both sides) 6 Qxd3 e6 7 0-0 Nbd7 8 Nc3 Be7 (I quite like 8 .. :Bb4!? as a dynamic try to play for more than dull equality, e.g. 9 Bd2 a5 10 a3 Be7 11 e4 Nc5! and Black was already slightly better, P.Lafuente-A.Wojtkiewicz, Buenos Aires 2003) 9 e4 dxe4 10 Nxe4 Nxe4 11 Q;xe4 0-0 12 Bf4, when the simplified position is about equal. White's extra space is of no real practical benefit against such a solid set-up. b) 5 cxd5 cxd5 6 Qb3 (as Black has undertaken the early development of his bishop, White puts pressure on b7) 6 ... Qc7 7 Bd2 (7 Nc3 e6 8 Bd2 Nc6 9 Bb5 Bd6 10 Rc1 Rb8!? 11 Nh4 Be4left play rather unclear, M.Gurevich-V.Anand, Reggio Emilia 1991/92) 7 ... Nc6 8 Bb5 e6 9 Bb4 (Diagram 7)

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The Quiet 4 e3

Diagram 7 Exchanging bishops

Diagram 8 Black is solid

White hopes to exchange off his 'inferior bishop' and then obtain a nagging edge. But Black can play the following ending with little cause for concern, e.g. 9 ... Bxb4+ 10 Qxb4 Qe7 11 Bxc6+ bxc6 12 Qxe7+ Kxe7 13 Nc3 Nd7 14 Na4 Rhc8 15 Rc1 Be4 16 Ng5 Bg6 17 Kd2 Kd6 18 Rc3 e5 with equal chances, as pointed out by Khenkin. 5 ... e6 6 Nh4 Harassing the bishop on f5 is perhaps the most critical plan, but Black has several ways to equality. 6 ... Be41? I like this move, getting White to play the following double-edged reply. The natural alternative 6 ... Bg6 is straightforward, when after the typical 7 Nxg6 hxg6 8 g3 Nbd7 9 Qd3, Black can fight for space and influence with 9 ... dxc4 10 Qxc4 e5. 7 f3 Pushing back the bishop but creating s,ome looseness on the b8-h2 diagonal. 7 ... Bg6 8 Qb3 Qb6 9 Nxg6 hxg6 10 Bd2 Nbd7 11 0-0-0 Qxb3 12 axb3 Bd6 13 h3 Nh5 (Diagram 8) V.Kramnik-A.Shirov, Astana 2001. White has the bishop pair but Black has a very solid position. Chances are equal.

Theoretical? No. Early play relies on logical development rather than memory testing.

Statistics A grand total of 3052 games shows that 4 ... Bf5 has been extensively played 71

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

over the years. Overall Black manages an average 46%, but 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nh4 has recently come to the fore in the last five years, against which Black has struggled. For instance, 6 ... Bg6 scores only 39% and 6 ... Be4 7 f3 Bg6 a slightly better 43%. The strongest grandmasters (Dreev, M.Gurevich, Shirov etc.), however, seem to handle Black's game well and obtain better than 50%. It seems to me that for the top echelon 4 e3 doesn't give anything for White/but lesser players struggle in lines such as this one where there isn't always an obvious plan for Black. Game 22 D P.Lafuente • A.Wojtkiewicz

Pan American Championship, Buenos Aires 2003

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 e3 Bf5 4 Nc3 e6 5 Nf3 Nd7 6 Bd3 A solid line. One of those where White would like to play for a win 'without risk'. Believe me though, there is always a risk of something going wrong! 6 ... Bxd3 7 Qxd3 Ngf6 8 0-0 Bb4!? 9 Bd2 a5 10 a3 Be7 11 e4?! (Diagram 9) It's better to complete development with 11 Radl.

Diagram 9 Black to play

Diagram 10 Black's majority is healthier

11...Nc5! A nice trap to obtain the advantage. 12 dxc5 dxe4 13 Qxd8+ Rxd8 Now if the knight on f3 moves the bishop on d2 is left en prise. 14 Nxe4 Nxe4 15 Bxa5 Ra8 16 Bb4 Bxc5 17 Bxc5 Nxc5 The smoke clears and material equality is restored. In such cases (if time permits) it's always a good idea to take stock and judge the important factors in a position. Here neither side has an advantage in development and they each

..

72

The Quiet 4 e3

have clear pawn majorities. Black's structure (as usual in this line) is very solid whereas, in comparison, White has some holes around his queenside which makes his majority hard to get going.

·Cjj

TIP: Once a tactical flurry has calmed down, if you have the time, take a few minutes to switch back into positional mode.

18 Rad1 18 b4 comes into consideration, but the a-pawn is then backward. 18 ... Ke7 19 Rd2 Rhd8 20 Rfd1 Rxd2 21 Rxd2 f6 22 Kfl e5 23 Ke2 Nb3 24 Rd1 Ra4! (Diagram 10) The c-pawn becomes a serious matter for concern. 25 Kd3 Nc5+ 26 Kc3 Ne4+ 27 Kb3 Ra8 28 Rfl For now Lafuente holds onto his pawns, but loses the fight for the d-file. 28 ... Rd8 29 Kc2 g5! 30 h3 h5 The threat of ... g5-g4 followed by invading on d2 is becoming dangerous. 31 Kc1 Mter 31 g4 Ke6 White is close to being in zugzwang. 31. .. Ke6 32 Ng1 Rd4 33 Ne2 Rxc4+ 34 Kd1 Rc5 35 f3 Nd6 36 Rf2 Nc4 37 Ng3 Rd5+ 38 Kc1 Ne3 White isn't only a pawn down, he's still under just as much pressure. 39 Kb1 Rdl+ 40 Ka2 Rg1 41 Ne4 Rxg2 42 Nc5+ Kd5 43 Rxg2 Nxg2 44 Nxb7 Ne1 45 a4 Nxf3 46 a5 Nd4 0-1 Black stops the a-pawn and then his flood ofkingside pawns rush forward. Game 23 D V.Salov • E.Bareev Dortmund 1992

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 Bf5 5 cxd5 cxd5 This version of an 'exchange variation' leaves White's queen's bishop inside the pawn chain, but he has an idea to solve that problem. 6 Qb3 Qc7 7 Bd2 e6 8 Bb5+ Nc6 9 Bb4 (Diagram 11) White exchanges off his potentially 'bad' bishop and hopes that Black's minor pieces will be inferior to his own in the following simplified position. 9 ... Bxb4+ Similar, but slightly more precise, is 9 ... Bd6 10 Qa3 Ke7! 11 Bxc6 bxc6 12 Nc3 Nd7 13 Rc1 Rab8 14 Bxd6+ Qxd6 15 Qxd6+ Kxd6, S.Mohr-G.Hertneck, Bundesliga 1992. The king is of course well placed on d6. 10 Qxb4 Qe7 Another way to a good game starts with 10 ... Nd7!, e.g. 11 Bxc6 (11 Qa3 Nxd4! 12 exd4 Qc1 +isn't totally clear, but Black wins material and White's attack

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

isn't worth more than a draw) 11...Qxc6 12 Nc3 a5 (to resolve the problem of the a3-f8 diagonal) 13 Qb5 (13 Qa3 is well met by 13 ... b5) 13 ... Qxb5 14 Nxb5 Ke7 15 Kd2 Rhc8, and a draw was agreed in E.Solozhenkin-V.Bagirov, Jyvaskyla 1991.

Diagram 11 Exchanging bishops

Diagram 12 Controlling c5

11 Bxc6+ bxc6 12 Qxe7+ Kxe7 13 Nc3 Nd7 14 Na4 (Diagram 12) Black will at some point have to play for ... c6-c5 or ... e6-e5. With this in mind, the sequence above (in the note to Black's 9th) leads to an analogous position where the black king is on the more useful d6-square rather than e7. 14 ... f6?! This proves to be a little slow and leads to some problems. Better is 14 ... Rhc8 15 Rc1 Be4! (instead 15 ... Rab8 16 b3 Rb5 17 Nh4 Bg4 18 h3 Bh5 19 f4! f6 20 g4 Be8 21 Rh2 was unpleasant for Black in T.Pahtz-A.Dreev, Berlin 1991; being stuck with a backward c-pawn and no counterplay is exactly what Black would like to avoid) 16 Ng5 (16 Ke2 is met by 16 ... Bxf3+ 17 Kxf3 e5), M.Illescas Cordoba-I.Khenkin, Chalkidiki 1992, and now 16 ... Bg6! 17 Ke2 Kd6 18 Rc3 e5 is given by Khenkin as equal. The immediate 14 ... Be4 also comes into consideration. 15 Rc1 Nb6?! First 15 ... Rhc8 is sounder. 16 Nc5 a5 17 Nh4 Bg4? A blunder, but it's already difficult. 17 ... Rhc8 is the lesser evil, though as Dautov points out, White still has a nice endgame advantage after 18 Nxf5+ exf5 19 a4 Nd7 20 b3 Rab8 21 Nxd7 Kxd7 22 Rc3.

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The Quiet 4 e3

18 h3 Bh5 19 Nxe6! Kxe6 20 Rxc6+ Kd7 21 Rxb6 Rhb8 22 Rxb8 Rxb8 23 b3 a4 Black regains one pawn but he's not able to save the game. 24 g4 axb3 25 axb3 Rxb3 26 Ke2 Rb2+ 27 Kf3 Bf7 28 Nf5 g6 29 Nh6 Be6 30, Ra1 Rb7 31 h4 g5 32 hxg5 fxg5 33 Rh1 1-0 Here's a plausible continuation to clarify Black's resignation: 33 ... Ke7 34 Nf5+ Bxf5 35 gxf5 K£6 36 Kg4 Rb2 and now White has varies ways, a logical one being 37 Rh6+ Kg7 38 Kxg5 Rxf2 39 Rd6 h6+ 40 Kg4 h5+ 41 Kg5 Rf3 42 Rd7+ Kg8 43 Rxd5 Rxe3 44 Kxh5 with a technical win. Game 24 D V.Tkachiev • A.Shirov Bastia 2003

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 Bf5 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nh4 Be4!? (Diagram 13)

Diagram 13 Provoking f2-f3

Diagram 14 A dynamic approach

Shirov provokes his opponent to play f2-f3 before retreating. It's a moot point whether this is a plus for Black, as the pawn on f3 may become useful to support e3-e4, but it does loosen White's,kingside structure somewhat, particularly along the b8-h2 diagonal.

0

NOTE: Pawn moves should be considered very carefully. They can never be retracted!

There are some subtle differences between all three bishop moves, but the other two should also lead to equal chances; for instance: a) 6 ... Bg6 7 Nxg6 hxg6 8 g3 Nbd7 9 Qd3 dxc4 10 Qxc4 e5 11 Bg2 Nb6 12 Qe2 exd4 13 exd4+ Be7, A.Karpov-E.Bareev, Cannes 2002; b) 6 ... Bg4 7 Qb3 Qb6 8 h3 Bh5 9 g4 Bg6 10 Nxg6 hxg6 11 g5 Nfd7 12 e4 dxe4

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

13 Be3.e5, J.Ehlvest-M.Gurevich, Saraybahce 2002. 7 f3 Bg6 8 Qb3 Qc7!? For mention of the solid alternative 8 ... Qb6, see the introductory notes. 9 Bd2 Nbd7 10 cxd5 How to recapture? 10 ... Nxd5!? The other way, 10 ... exd5, followed by 11 0-0-0 0-0-0 12 e4 dxe4 13 Nxg6 hxg6 14 fxe4 Nb6 15 Bg5, has been seen several times in games with Tregubov as White. He has shown that White keeps an edge. The text is less clear, so for practical purposes is probably better. 11 0-0-0 There is a case for expansion with 11 e4, e.g. 1l...N5b6 12 g3 Be7 13 Be2 Qd6 14 Be3 Qb4, as in E.Bacrot-P.Varga, French League 2001, left White with a minimal edge due to his extra space. 11...a5! (Diagram 14) True to his nature Shirov can sense chances for play against White's king. 12 Nxg6 hxg6 13 Kb1 Nxc3+ 14 Bxc3 a4 15 Qc2 a3 The initiative is more important than the loose h-pawn, for instance after 15 ... Rxh2?! 16 Rxh2 Qxh2 17 e4 Nf6 18 d5!, Black's king becomes very exposed. 16 b3 Be7 17 g3 Nb6 18 e4 0-0 Shirov tidies up at the back knowing that the white king will suffer from chronic insecurity once things open up. 19 f4 Rfd8 20 Bg2 c5 (Diagram 15)

Diagram 15 A double-edged position

76

Diagram 16 Is Black in trouble?

The Quiet 4 e3

21 dxe5? Tkachiev is in too much of a hurry to exchange queens. Instead 21 h4! is critical with double-edged play. Black should then reply 2l...Rdc8! (the alternatives 2l...cxd4 22 Bxd4 Qxc2+ 23 Kxc2 Rac8+ 24 Kbl, a:qd 2l...Rac8 22 d5! exd5 23 exd5 c4 24 b4 Bf6 25 Bxf6 gxf6 26 h5 Qd6 27 hxg6 Qxb4+ 28 Kal Qb2+ 29 Qxb2 axb2+ 30 Kxb2 fxg6 31 d6, yield an edge to White) 22 Qd2 c4 23 b4 Na4, with chances for both sides. 21...Qxe5 22 Be5 Qb5! Retaining the queens renders White's queenside somewhat shaky. 23 Rxd8+ Rxd8 24 Rel ReS 25 Qdl Rxel+ 26 Kxel Nd7 27 Bal Ne5 White has both the worse king and a number of soft spots in his camp. 28 Bf3? 28 Kbl is better, just keeping things as safe as possible. 28 ... Qe6 29 Kbl Nxe4 30 Qd4 (Diagram 16) 30 ... Nd2+! Tkachiev must have overlooked this resource and now finds himself a pawn down. 31 Qxd2 Qxf3 32 Be5 f6 33 Be3 Be5 34 Ke2 Bgl 35 b4 Qd5 When a pawn up, look for opportunities to exchange pieces. 36 Qxd5 exd5 37 h3 Bf2 38 g4 f5 Fixing White's f4-pawn on a dark square. 39 Kb3 d4 40 Bd2 Kf7 41 Ke2 Here 41 Kxa3 allows 4l...Be3. 41...Ke6 42 Kd3 Kd5 43 Bel Bg3 44 Bxa3 Otherwise after 44 gxf5 gxf5 45 Bd2, Black can win with 45 ... Bf2 46 Bel Be3 4 7 Bxe3 dxe3 48 Kxe3 Kc4 49 h4 b5 50 h5 Kc3. 44 ... Bxf4 45 Bb2 Be5 46 Bel f4 4 7 Bd2 f3 48 a4 Bg3 49 a5 f2 50 Ke2 Ke4 51 Kfl d3 52 Kg2 Bd6 53 b5 Kxb5 54 Kxf2 Bb4 55 Bf4 Bxa5 56 Ke3 Ke4 57 Be5 0-1 Black has 57 ... Bc3 followed by the advance of the b-pawn.

Summary The quiet approach with 4 e3 tests Black's general positional understanding rather than his theoretical knowledge. Black should be able to achieve equal chances even against the most critical move 6 Nh4. It's necessary for Black to be ready to adapt to White's choice of approach, as 5 cxd5, 5 Bd3 and 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nh4 are all rather different.

77

Chapter Five

The Exchange Variation -

Introduction

-

White Plays Ng1-f3

-

White Delays or Avoids Ng1-f3

The Exchange Variation

Introduction The Slav Defence has a good reputation, but one of the reasons that some players don't want to play it is the Exchange Variation. Virtually all openings , have their notoriously dull lines, but if you are motivated and armed with one or two ideas you can get interesting games and winning chances. Remember that, although the pawn structure is symmetrical, there are nevertheless 30 bits of wood left on the chessboard and with so many pieces a lot can happen. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 cxd5 cxd5 (Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 The Exchange Variation

The Exchange Variation shouldn't be underestimated, however, as in expert hands White's extra tempo canbe transformed into a lasting pull. On the other hand, in practice Black scores fairly well as some White players think that 3 cxd5 should guarantee them at least a draw and drift planlessly. They try and exchange a few pieces and assume that the draw will occur soon enough. Well nearly a quarter of them have been proved wrong! Indeed statistically Black is more likely to win against the Exchange Variation than in some sharper lines, where one thinks it should be easier for him to generate 'winning chances'. So the variation should be taken seriously- by both Black and White! I am recommending that Black plays a plan involving an early ... a7-a6 and have not covered other plans. This has scored well in practice and is a favourite of some of the world's elite.

White plays Ng1-f3 4 Nc3 Nf6 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bf4 a6 (Diagram 2)

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

An early ... a7-a6 is multi-functional: It cuts out one of White's most promising plans involving Bfl-b5 pinning the knight, and prepares an eventual ...b7-b5 gaining space on the wing. I also like to think of ... a7-a6 as a useful waiting move, so that Black can decide a move later (depending on circumstances) whether the bishop belongs on f5 or g4. From a practical point of view Black has to stop copying his opponent eventually and now is as good a time as any.

Diagram 2 Breaking the symmetry

Diagram 3 Black has good chances

7 e3 The most testing is 7 Ne5, as in the two illustrative games that follow.

a) 7 ... Bf5?! is less good here, e.g. 8 e3 e6 9 g4! Bg6 10 h4!, with the initiative R.Schlindwein-G.Beikert, Viernheim 1995. b) 7 ... e6 (solid but not very ambitious) 8 e3 Nxe5 9 Bxe5 Be7 10 Bd3 Bd7 11 00 0-0 12 Qb3 BeG (although the bishop is inside the pawn chain this seems to be a useful square) 13 Rfc1 Ng4 14 Bg3 Bh4 and Black has equalised, D.Zagorskis-M.Gurevich, Bonn 1996. 7... Bg4 The pin is appropriate here as White will eventually have to do something about it! 8 Bd3 e6 9 h3 '. Look how things go wrong for White in the following game. 9 0-0 (it's probably better to force a decision from Black's bishop before castling) 9 ... Bd6 10 h3 Bh5!? (keeping the tension; does White want to risk g2-g4?) 11 Bxd6 Qxd6 12 Rc1 0-0 13 a3 (13 Be2 is safest, but even so after 13 ... Rac8 14 Ne1 Bxe2 15 Qxe2 Nd7 16 Nd3 Nb4 Black had at least equality, R.Hiibner-Kr.Georgiev, Bundesliga 1995) 13 ... Rac8 14 Na4 Ne4! 15 Re1 Na5 16 g4 (risky) 16 ... Bg6 17

80

The Exchange Variation

Ne5 Nxf2! 18 Kxf2 Rxc1 19 Qxcl Bxd3 20 Nxd3 Qh2+ 21 Kf1 Nb3 (threatening the queen and ... Nd2+) 22 Nf2 Nxc1 23 Rxc1 f5 24 g5 f4 0-1 AamchampT.Luther, Internet (blitz) 2003. Yes I know that it was only a blitz game, but the pin shouldn't be underestimated!. Instead 9 Qb3!? Bxf3 10 gxf3 (10 Qxb7 loses material after 10 ... Na5) 10 ... Na5 11 Qc2 Be7 12 Rg1 g6 13 Ke2 b5 14 Rac1 Rc8 15 Qb1 Nc4, was adequate for Black in A.Yusupov-A.Shirov, Bundesliga 1993. 9 ... Bh5 Otherwise 9 ... Bxf3!? is possible. Black is not so worried about exchanging his light-squared bishop for a knight as his remaining pieces should be able to find good moorings, e.g. 10 Qxf3 h6 (the most solid, preventing Bg5) 11 Rc1 Bd6 12 0-0 0-0 13 a3 Rc8, with equality as in P.Nikolic-L.Fressinet, Selfoss 2003. 10 g4!? Bg6 11 Ne5 Nxe5 12 Bxe5 Bd6 13 Bxd6 Qxd6 14 Qa4+ Ke7 (Diagram 3) E.G haem Maghami-R.Shetty, Mumbai 2003. The loss of castling is not important here. White's aggressive g2-g4 has just weakened himself and Black has good chances.

Theoretical? Despite being a popular choice amongst cautious players, the Exchange Variation can basically be played with little theory. In order to obtain a comfortable game, and even some possibilities of playing for a win, it makes sense to have a robust method for developing one's pieces. The ... a7-a6 idea is flexible, relatively dynamic and even less theoretical than some of the older lines.

Statistics There are an astonishing 6301 games with 3 cxd5. White manages 52% which is nothing special, but the most notable figures concern draws. A very high 53% of Exchange Slavs are drawn, of which more than half are in less than 20 moves. However, don't dismiss this line as just dull and rock-solid, Black wins 22% of these, compared with White's 26%. The real figure for win percentages is even higher as the Exchange Variation is often used by players who have tacitly agreed to a draw before the game (which, I should add, is technically illegal), and should explain away a fair number of these 10-15 move draws. The lines with ... a7-a6 score even better for Black; for instance the position after 7 ... Bg4 scores 53% for Black. So 3 cxd5 scores less well than most other White variations, and if Black wants to play for a win then ... a7-a6 gives him as good a chance as White of getting the full point.

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Game 25

D A.Wojtkiewicz •

A.Shirov

Manila Olympiad 1992

1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 c6 3 c4 Nf6 4 cxd5 cxd5 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Bf4 a6 7 Ne5!? The most testing. Instead after 7 e3 Bg4 Black seems to be well on the way to equality. 7 ... Qb6!? 8 Nxc6 bxc6 9 Qd2 Bf5 10 f3! e6 11 e3?! Shirov prefers 11 Rc1! (see the introductory notes). 11...Nd7 12 Rc1 Be7 13 Be2 0-0 14 0-0 Rfc8 15 a3 (Diagram 4)

Diagram 4 Black aims for ... c6-c5

Diagram 5 Threatening to come to b3

15 ... Qb7 Black prepares to play the freeing move ... c6-c5. Shirov preferred to avoid the immediate 15 ... c5, as he then prefers White after 16 e4! Bg6 (better than 16 ... dxe4 17 fxe4 Bg6 18 d5, and 16 ... cxd4 17 Na4) 17 exd5, but this looks about equal to me after 17 ... cxd4 18 Na4 Qb3 19 dxe6 Qxe6. 16 Na4 Rather negative and not even holding Black's play back. 16 e4 Bg6 17 Rfd1 would be better, with balanced chances. 16 ... c5 17 dxc5 Bxc5!? 18 Nxc5 Nxc5 (Diagram 5) 19 Qb4?! Exchanging queens and hoping that opposite-coloured bishops will lead to a draw. However, this weakens the queenside majority unnecessarily. I suggest instead 19 b4 Nb3 20 Rxc8+ Rxc8 21 Qb2 Rc2 22 Qxb3 Rxe2 23 Rc1 with a balanced position.

82

The Exchange Variation

'

X

WARNING: Trying to exchange everything isn't the way to draw. Your opponent who will sense that you are scared!

19 ... Qxb4 20 axb4 Nd3 21 Rxc8+?! Giving up the c-file up is another concession. 2l'. .. Rxc8 22 Bxd3 Bxd3 23 Rd1 Bb5 24 Be5 Rc2 25 Bc3 f6 26 Rd2 Rc1 + 27 Kf2 White can't do a great deal as Black tries to improve his position. The white queenside is devalued to the extent that he is in essence playing a pawn down. 27 ... Kf7 28 g4 Bc4 29 f4 Kg6 30 Kg2 h5 31 h3 h4! Fixing the weakness on h3. 32 Kf3?! Shirov points out how Black is able to make progress against 32 Kh2, i.e. 32 ... Rel 33 Bd4 Be2 34 Kg2 Bfl + 35 Kh2 (35 Kf2 loses the h-pawn after 35 ... Rcl) 35 ... e5 (35 ... Kf7 36 Rc2 Ke8 37 Rc7 e5 38 fxe5 fxe5 39 Bc5 Re2+ 40 Kgl Bxh3 would be another try) 36 fxe5 fxe5 37 Bxe5 Rxe3 38 Rxd5 Re2+ 39 Kgl Bxh3 with reasonable winning chances. 32 ... Bb3 Intending ... Bc2-e4, followed by picking up the h-pawn. 33 e4 Rfl + 34 Ke3 dxe4 35 Rf2 Rh1 36 Kxe4 Rxh3 37 Bd2 Rg3 38 g5 Bd5+ 39 Kd4 Kf5 40 gxf6 gxf6 0-1 Game 26 D S.Kasparov • S.Vysochin Pavlograd 2000

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 cxd5 cxd5 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Bf4 a6 7 Ne5 Qb6 8 Nxc6 bxc6 9 a3 (Diagram 6)

Diagram 6 Should Black take on b2?

Diagram 7 White gets the b-file

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

White leaves the b-pawn to its fate! 9 ... Bf5 This turns out to be too slow. Sometimes in books one reads that the best way of testing a gambit is to take the material. I don't always agree, but here it's probably true! The courageous 9 ... Qxb2 has been played a few times, though Black has to be careful. After 10 Na4 Qb5 (the only decent square) 11 Bc7 Qb7 12 Ba5 Bf5 13 Nc5 Qb2! (after 13 ... Qc8 14 Rc1, White's bind offered him plenty of compensation in S.Kasparov-V.Borovikov, Kiev 2001) 14 e3 e6 (Hubner suggests 14 ... e5!?) 15 Qc1 Qxcl+ 16 Rxc1 Bxc5 17 Rxc5 Kd7 18 Bb4 Kc7 and Black shouldn't be worse, J.Hodgson-J.Waitzkin, Bermuda 1997. 10 Na4! White now has a strong grip on the queenside as Black is unable to free himself in time. 10 ... Qb7 11 e3 e6 12 Be2 Nd7 13 0-0 Be7 The break 13 ... c5? falls short, i.e. 14 dxc5 Nxc5 15 Rc1 Nxa4 16 Qxa4+ Qd7 17 Qd4 and Black is in trouble. 14 b4 0-0 15 Qd2 Rfc8 16 Nc5! An interesting decision. The standard plan would be to double on the c-file with pressure, but although Black is rather passive he would probably be able to hold. Sergei Kasparov instead aims for play on the b-file. 16 ... Nxc5 17 bxc5 Bd8 18 Ra2 (Diagram 7) 18 ... Qb3 18 ... Bc7 19 Rb2 Qa7 20 Bxc7 Qxc7 21 Rb6 would also be unpleasant for Black. 19 Rfa1 Ra7 20 Rb2 Qa4 21 Rb4 Qa5 22 Qb2 g5 23 Bd6 Black hasn't lost any material, but is helpless again§t the b-file squeeze. 23 ... Bc7 24 Rb7 Raa8 Mter 24 ... Rxb7 25 Qxb7 e5, White picks up an important pawn with 26 Qxc6. 25 Bxc7 Rxc7 26 Rb6 Naturally avoiding exchanges that would ease the defender's task. White now threatens 27 Qb4, whereupon 27 ... Qxb4 28 axb4 would leave Black facing the loss of at least the a-pawn. 26 ... Qa4 27 Rc1 Kg7 28 Qc3 a5 29 Qb2 1-0 Black has no answer to the intended 30 Bd1 trapping the queen. '.

White delays or avoids Ng1-f3 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 cxd5 cxd5 4 Nc3 Nf6 5 Bf4 Nc6 6 e3 White doesn't want to commit his king's knight to f3 yet, as he would like to see first what Black intends to do with his light-squared bishop.

84

The Exchange Variation

6 ... a6!? (Diagram 8)

Diagram 8.· A useful waiting move·

Diagram 9 Black is comfortable

Black waits for White to show his hand. 7 Bd3 If 7 Be2, .then Black places his bishop on the other diagonal with 7 ... Bf5 (the tricky 7 ... Ne4!?, mixing things up has its followers; if White then tries f2-f3 or Nxe4 then the knight on gl is short of squares) 8 g4!? (the only way to try and disrupt Black's harmony) 8 ... Bg6 9 Qb3 e6! (development first!) 10 Qxb7 Na5 11 Qc7 Qxc712 Bxc7 Bb4, and Black had enough play for the pawn, Z.Azmaiparashvili-V.Akopian, Wijk aan Zee 1993. The only other serious option is 7 Rcl. This time 7 ... Bg4 is called for, e.g. 8 Qb3 Na5 9 Qa4+ b5 and then: a) The ambitious 10 Nxb5? fails dismally as after 10 ... axb5 11 Bxb5+ Black can bring his bishop back: 11...Bd7 12 Bc7 Bxb5 13 Qxb5+ Qd7 and White is seriously short of compensation. The idea of sacrificing on b5 becomes more dangerous after Black's light-squared bishop is locked out of the pawn chain once ... e7-e6 has been played. In that case the move ... b7-b5 requires serious reflection. b) 10 Qc2 e6 11 Bd3 Bd6 12 Nge2 Bxe2 (this exchange is typical with such a solid pawn structure, where knights are not inferior to bishops if they have interesting squares to go to; here Black has c4 for instance) 13 Nxe2 Bb4+ 14 Nc3 0-0 15 0-0 Rc8 with balanced chances, Z.Azmaiparashvili-E.Bareev, Russia vs. Rest ofthe World (rapid) 2002. 7 ... Bg4 8 Nge2 Although 8 f3 is tempting, it's pushing the bishop where it wants to go, e.g. 8 ... Bh5 9 Nge2 e6 10 0-0 Be7 11 Rcl 0-0 12 Na4 Nd7 13 a3 Bg6 (neutralising

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

White's best bishop) 14 b4 ReS 15 Nc5 Nxc5 16 bxc5 Qa5 17 Bxg6 hxg6 lS Qb3 e5, P.Van der Sterren-A.Shirov, Bundesliga 2000. S... e6 9 Qb3 Or here 9 0-0 Be7 10 Rcl ReS 11 a3 Nd7 12 Rc2 Bh5, as in A.VaisserM.Gurevich, Andorra 199S. 12 ... Bh5 is notable: a careful move where the bishop drops back voluntarily to be able to come to g6 at leisure. 9 ... Nb4 I suppose that 9 ... Na5 10 Qa4+ Nc6 is solid enough, but it's not such a great idea if you want to try and win as Black! Z.Azmaiparashvili-E.Bacrot, Cap d'Agde 2003, then continued 11 Rcl Be7 12 Ng3 Bh5 with no particular problems for Black. 10 Bb1 Bxe2 11 Nxe2 After 11 Kxe2, Black could try ll...b5!?. Instead Z.Azmaiparashvili-E.Bareev, Montecatini Terme 2000, continued with ll...Bd6 (see Game 2S). 11 ... Qd7 12 0-0 ReS (Diagram 9) with a comfortable position.

Theoretical? Not really; it's more important to concentrate on sensible development and watch the move order.

Statistics The position after S Nge2 scores a below average 51% for White. Game 27 D S.Halkias • I.Sokolov

Bled Olympiad 2002

1 d4 d5 2 e4 e6 3 exd5 exd5 4 Ne3 Nf6 5 Bf4 Ne6 6 e3 a6 7 Bd3 Stopping the bishop going to f5, so the bishop heads for g4. 7 ... Bg4 S f3 Bh5 9 Nge2 e6 10 0-0 Be7 11 Re1 0-0 12 Bg3 ReS 13 Nf4 Bg6 14 Na4 After completing development White tries to press on to c5 and b6. Black naturally covers these squares to make it hard for White to make progress. 14 ... Nd7 15 Bxg6 hxg6 16 Nd3 Nb4 Exchanging one pair of knights limits White's optiQns. 17 Nxb4 Bxb4 1S a3 Be7 19 Qd2 Re4! (Diagram 10) A slightly annoying move (for White!) that threatens to take the initiative. 20 b4 QaS 21 Nb2 Rxe1 22 Rxe1 ReS 23 Be7?! The idea is to stop ... a6-a5 softening up the queenside. 23 ... a5! 86

The Exchange Variation

Diagram 10 Fighting for the initiative

Diagram 11 White is pinned down

A surprise! Black generates play with this move anyway. By provoking b2-b4 on move 19 Black has created some soft spots that he starts to probe in earnest.

~

TIP: It's often a great psychological blow if you can play a move that your opponent is hell bent on stopping.

24 Nd3 Capturing the a-pawn isn't on: 24 bxa5?! Bxa3 is awkward for White, whereas 24 Bxa5? b6 is downright bad! 24 ... axb4 25 axb4 Qa4 26 h3 Qb5 27 Kf2 Just temporising. 27 ... Ra8 28 Qc3 ReS 29 Qa3 Nf6 30 Ke2?! (Diagram 11) Correct is 30 Rc3, which would keep Black's initiative in check. 30 ... Bxb4! A clever way to win a pawn. Halkias is finally punished for occupying the strange c7-square with his bishop. 31 Qxb4 Qxb4 32 Nxb4 Ne8 33 Ral Rxc7 34 Ra8 Kf8 35 Rb8 White is somewhat tangled up though not yet lost. Sokolov now demonstrates excellent technique in reorganising his pieces and making the extra pawn tell. 35 ... g5 36 e4 Halkias could have considered 36 Kd3, and after 36 ... Ke7, only then 37 e4. 36... dxe4 37 fxe4 Rc4 38 Rxb7 Rxd4 39 Kf3 Rc4 40 e5 All the pawns are on the same wing. Despite that, slowly but surely Black improves his pieces and winning chances.

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

40 ... Nc7 41 Rb6 Rf4+ 42 Kg3 g6 43 Nd3 Rd4 44 Rb3 Kg7 45 Kf3 Nd5 46 Kf2 g4 The doubled pawn is exchanged leaving White with a second isolated pawn. 47 hxg4 Rxg4 48 Kf3 Rd4 49 g3 Ne7 50 Ra3 Nc6 51 Ke3 Rd5 52 Ke4 g5 53 Rc3 Nxe51 A neat combination that clarifies the result once and for all. 54 Nxe5 f5+ 55 Kf3 Rxe5 56 ReS Ra5 57 Rc6 Kf6 58 Rb6 Ra2 59 Ke3 g4 0-1 Game 28 D Z.Azmaiparashvili • E.Bareev Montecatini Terme 2000

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 cxd5 cxd5 5 Bf4 Nc6 6 e3 a6 7 Bd3 Bg4 8 Nge2 e6 9 Qb3 Nb4 10 Bbl Bxe2 (Diagram 12)

Diagram 12 Trading off the bishop

Diagram 13 Black attacks

White doesn't have a particularly convenient recapture. 11 Kxe2 11 Nxe2looks fine for Black after l l ... Qd7 12 0-0 ReS. ll...Bd6 12 Bxd6 Qxd6 13 Na4 The greedy 13 a3 Nc6 14 Qxb7?? loses to 14 ... Rb8 15 Qxa6 Nxd4+. 13 ... 0-0 14 f4 If 14 Nc5!?, then 14 ... a5 15 a3 Na6 16 Nxb7 Qc7 17 Rc1 Qxh2 is wild. 14 ... Rac8 15 Nc5 b6 16 Nd3 Nc61? More ambitious than the equalising 16 ... Nxd3 17 Bxd3 a5. With 16 ... Nc6 Bareev offers a pawn for promising piece play. Note how the

88

The Exchange Variation

bishop on b1locks in the queen's rook and thus leaves White disorganised. 17 Qxb6 Rb8 18 Qc5 Qd7 19 Rc1 Rfc8 20 Qa3 e5! (Diagram 13) Bareev goes for the attack. White's king is poorly defended and his queen is out of touch on the queenside. 21 dxe5 Ne4 22 Kfl Nb4 Black has great play, but the deficit is two pawns. Does he have enough? 23 Re1 Nd2+ 24 Kgl Qg4 Creating further threats. Alternatively, White has enough pawns for the exchange after 24 ... Nxb1 25 Raxb1 Nc2 26 Qxa6. 25 Nf2 Or if 25 Nxb4, then after 25 ... Nf3+ 26 Kf1 Nxe1 27 Bxh7+ Kxh7 28 Rxe1 Kh8! Black has the safer king. With that in mind he still has the better game due to his attacking chances. 25 ... Nf3+ 26 Kfl Nd2+ 27 Kgl Nf3+ 28 Kfl Nxh2+ 29 Kg1 Nf3+ 30 Kfl %-%

If Bareev had had more time he would surely have played on with 30 ... Nd2+ 32 Kg1 Qg3 with strong pressure.

Summary The plan with ... a7-a6 is perfectly viable and adds a little spice to the game. Black has good results with this line.

89

Chapter Six

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6 B

Introduction

B B B

White Plays 5 e3 White Plays 5 c5 White Plays 5 a4

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6

Introduction Older books hardly cover this idea at all, as it only started to hit the scene 15 years ago, and the developments continue at a rapid rate. The big idea for Black is to be flexible. The move ... a7-a6 invests a tempo on a modest pawn move instead of spending the time on routine development. Why is that? First of all the immediate threat to capture the c-pawn and then hold onto it with ... b7-b5 gives White something to think about. Gambiting the cpawn has been shown to be risky so the main tendency is to handle the game positionally by meeting this threat. Once White has shown which way he intends to proceed Black will organise his development accordingly. Some of the lines are positional and general understanding will do, whereas the sharper stuff would require some book knowledge. The most popular replies for White are: 5 e3 (defending the c4-pawn), 5 c5 (moving the c-pawn out of danger and gaining space at the same time) and 5 a4 (which renders ... d5xc4less attractive and has a cramping effect). For Black, it's not yet clear how he will develop his queen's bishop. He may simply play ... e7-e6, as in a Semi-Slav, or aim for ... Bf5 or ... Bg4 as in a Slav. A typical theme in some lines is for Black to play ... b7-b5 gaining space on the queenside. This system has been aptly called the Chameleon in some quarters because of this ability to change its aspect so rapidly. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 This move enables Black to play ... b7-b5. Indeed the threat of ... d5xc4 followed by ... b7-b5 requires White to pay immediate attention.

White plays 5 e3

.Diagram 1 White plays 5 e3 ·

Diagram 2 Challenging the e5-knight

91

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

5 e3 (Diagram 1) Black's 4 ... a6 is met with a fairly cautious reaction by White. The c4-pawn is now defended by the king's bishop, though its compatriot on c1 will have to remain inside the pawn chain for now. Black now takes the opportunity to gain some queenside space before getting his bishop into action. 5 ... b5 6 b3 White can try to take the tension out of the central pawns with 6 cxd5 cxd5, and then use his slight lead in development to get things going on the kingside with 7 Ne5 e6 8 Bd3 Bb7 9 0-0 Nbd7 10 f4 (consolidating e5 but weakening e4) 10 ... Be7 11 Bd2 0-0 12 Qf3, but Black has adequate play after 12 ... b4! 13 Na4 Ne4, A.Karpov-V.Hort, Biel1990. 6 ... Bg4 7 Be2 After 7 h3 Bxf3, White does best to recapture with the pawn as 8 Qxf3?! e5l 9 dxe5 Bb4 10 Bd2 Bxc3 11 Bxc3 Ne4 12 Bb4 bxc4 13 bxc4 Qb6 gives Black excellent chances. Then 8 gxf3 Nbd7 9 Bb2!? (9 f4 is discussed in Game 31) 9 ... dxc4 10 bxc4 e5 11 cxb5 axb5 12 dxe5 Nxe5 13 f4 was tried in E.BareevI.Sokolov, Sarajevo 2003, when 13 ... Qxd1 + 14 Kxd1 Ned7 was later pointed out by I.Sokolov as the way to equalise. 7 ... e6 8 0-0 Nbd7 9 h3 Bh5 10 Bb2 Bd6 The best square as 10 ... Be7 has been shown to be a shade too passive. 11 Ne5 Bxe2 12 Nxe2 Qc7 13 cxd5 cxd5 14 Rei Qb8 (Diagram 2) If 14 ... Qb7?!, then 15 Qc2 followed by invading on the c-file is unpleasant. By putting the queen on b8, Black forces White to make a decision about the knight on e5.

Theoretical? Although the Slav with ... a7-a6 has only recently become popular, some lines have already been well investigated. The main line can be considered to be 5 e3, which is becoming more and more theoretical these days.

Statistics Of 1568 games played following 5 e3, almost all were played in the last 15 years and its popularity is still increasing. White has achieved 55% overall, but in the key main line (5 ... b5 6 b3 Bg4 7 Be2 e6 8 h3 Bh5 9 0-0 Nbd7 10 Bb2 Bd6) an even better 59%, with draws as high as 60%. Game 29 D I.Morovic Fernandez • R.Leitao Santos 2004

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e3 a6 5 Nf3 b5 6 b3 Bg4 7 Be2 e6 8 0-0 Nbd7 9 h3 Bh5 10 Bb2 Bd6 11 Ne5 Bxe2 12 Nxe2 Qc7 13 cxd5 cxd5 14 Rc1 Qb8

92

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6

15 Nxd7 (Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 How to recapture?

Diagram 4 Blasting open the centre

Instead 15 f4 is risky as the hole on e4 is at least as important as the firm support of the e5-point, e.g. 15 ... 0-0 16 Rc6 ReS 17 Qc2 Rxc6 18 Qxc6 Ra7 19 Rc1 Nb6 and Black had comfortable equality and can even play for more due to the chronic weakness of e4, B.Avrukh-R.Dautov, Istanbul Olympiad 2000. Trying to retain the knights with 15 Nc6 Qb6 16 Qd2, is met by 16 ... b4! keeping White out, e.g. 17 Rc2 0-0 18 Ne5 RfcS 19 Rfc1 Qb7 with balanced chances, I.Morovic Fernandez-P.Charbonneau, Buenos Aires 2003. 15 ... Nxd7 It looks odd to capture with the king, but Black can just about get away with it, e.g. 15 ... Kxd7 16 f3 Qb7 17 Nf4 Bxf4 18 exf4 Nh5 19 f5 exf5 20 Qd2 f4 21 Ba3 b4! (stopping any attacking ideas with Qb4) 22 Bxb4 Rhe8 with equality, A.Khalifman-V.Malakhov, Russian Team Championship 2004. 16 e4! It's necessary to smash open the position before Black is fully organised. 16 ... dxe4 17 d5! (Diagram 4) Blasting open the centre. 17 ... 0-0 18 dxe6 Nc5 19 Nf4! Ra7 The inferior 19 ... fxe6 20 Qg4 e5 21 Ne6 Nxe6 22 Qxe6+ Kh8 23 Rc6left Black under pressure in K.Sasikiran-K.Sakaev, Copenhagen 2003. 20Nh5 Otherwise 20 Bd4 Bxf4 21 Bxc5 Bxc1 22 Bxa7 Qxa7 23 exf7+ Rxf7 24 Qxc1led to a draw in Z.Gyimesi-S.Movsesian, Croatian Team Championship 2004. 20 ... Nxe6 21 Nf6+! gxf6 22 Qg4+ Ng5 23 Bxf6 h6 24 Rc6 Bh2+

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Only this move is new! Instead 24 ... Be5 25 h4 Bh2+ 26 Kh1 Qf4 27 Qh5 Nh7 28 Bd4left Black on the brink of defeat in P.Acs-S.Movsesian, FIDE World Championship, Tripoli 2004. 25 Kh1 Be5 26 h4 Bxf6 27 Rxf6 Qc8 28 Qg3 Qb8 29 Qg4 Y,-Y, This game illustrates the state of play in the key variation after 5 e3, which shows just how theoretical it's become. Game 30 0 E.Mochalov • S.Berezjuk

Belarus Championship, Minsk 1993

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 e3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 5 Nf3 b5 6 b3 Bg4 7 Be2 Nbd7 8 h3 Bh5 9 0-0 e6 10 Bb2 Be7 (Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 Black plays passively

Diagram 6 The moment of truth

Too passive, whereas the bishop placed on the more dynamic d6 (see the previous game) helps cover the e5-square. 11 Ne5 Bxe2 12 Qxe2!? This recapture enhances White's chances of obtaining an attack. If the bishop were on d6 then this active move wouldn't be possible and White would have to recapture with the knight, as in Game 29. Of course 12 Nxe2 is still possible here, e.g. 12 ... Nxe5 13 dxe5 Nd7 14 cxd5 cxd5 15 Rc1 ReS 16 Nd4 Bc5 17 f4 0-0 18 Qg4 with pressure for White, A.Dreev-Zhu Chen, Dubai (rapid) 2002. 12 ... Nxe5 13 dxe5 Nd7 14 Rfd1 Bc5 ·. The nai:ve 14 ... Nxe5? is refuted by 15 cxd5 cxd5 16 Nxd5. 15 Qg4 Qe7 The desirable 15 ... 0-0 goes down to 16 cxd5 cxd5 17 Nxd5 exd5 18 Rxd5. 16 cxd5 cxd5 17 Rac1

94

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6

17 Qxg7 0-0-0 is almost certainly good for White, but allowing Black counterplay down the g-file would give him some practical chances. 17 ... 0-0 (Diagram 6) White now finds a way to break through. 18 Nxd5! exd5 19 Rxd5 Rfd8 Nor does 19 .. .£5 solve Black's problems, e.g. 20 exf6 Nxf6 21 Bxf6 Qxf6 22 Rcxc5 Qxf2+ 23 Kh2 Qxe3, when material is equal but White's attack isn't over yet: 24 Rc7 g6 25 Rxh 7! and White wins. 20 e6! fxe6 21 Bxg7! Qxg7 22 Rg5 Black's king is now too open to resist for long. 22 ... Bf8 23 Qxe6+ Kh8 24 Rxg7 Bxg7 25 Rc7 Nf6 26 g4 h6 27 h4 Rd1 + 28 Kg2 Rd2 29 Rxg7! Kxg7 30 Qe7+ Kg8 Or here 30 ... Kg6loses the knight under worse circumstances after 31 h5+ Kg5 32 Qg7+ Kh4 33 Qxf6+. 31 Qxf6 Rf8 32 Qg6+ Kh8 33 Qxh6+ Kg8 34 Qg6+ Kh8 35 Kg3 Rdxf2 36 Qh6+ Kg8 37 Qg5+ Kh7 38 Qh5+ Kg8 39 Qg6+ Kh8 40 Qh5+ Kg8 41 Qd5+ Kh8 42 h5 Rxa2 43 Qe5+ 1-0 43 ... Kg8 44 h6 Rf7 (or 44 ... Kf7 45 h7) 45 Qe8+ and Black loses at least a rook. Game 31 D F. Vallejo Pons • I.Sokolov Mainz 2003

1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 Nf6 3 c4 c6 4 Nc3 a6 5 e3 b5 6 b3 Bg4 7 h3 Bxf3 8 gxf3 Nbd7 9 f4 (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 White stops ... e7-e5

Diagram 8 Black holds firm

The most popular move, cutting out the freeing ... e7-e5.

95

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

9 ... e6 Black ~an also open the game (despite his opponent's bishops!) with 9 ... bxc4 10 bxc4 dxc4 11 Bxc4 e6 12 Bd2. This was P.Van der Sterren-A.Shirov, Biel1993, when I suggest 12 ... Nb6! 13 Be2 c5 to obtain full equality. White has the bishops but Black will obtain reasonable development and the better structure. 10 c5 Ne4!? A double-edged way of trying to get some activity. Instead 10 ... g6 11 Bb2 Bg7 12 Qc2 NgS! 13 Bd3 Ne7 is another approach, where Black basically tries to keep everything blocked up and defies White to take risks to break through. Not everyone wants to just wait and hope nothing horrible will happen, so the text is more interesting! 11 Nxe4 dxe4 12 Bg2 f5 13 f3 Nf6!? A previous encounter between the same two players continued 13 ... exf3 14 Bxf3 ReS 15 Qe2 Nf6 16 Bd2 Nd5 17 e4leading to wild complications, F.Vallejo Pons-I.Sokolov, Selfoss 2003. 14 fxe4 fxe4 15 Qc2 Qd5 (Diagram 8) White has the bishop pair, but Black's queen on the central d5 outpost holds the fort. 16 a4 b4 17 Bd2 g5?! A lot more fun than the routine 17 ... a5, but not as sound. 18 Rfl Rg8 19 fxg5 Rxg5 20 Bxb4 White finally gets to take this pawn. However, in such a complex position piece activity and king safety are more important than the odd pawn or two. 20 ... Be7 21 Ba5? The exchange sacrifice 21 Rxf6! Bxf6 22 Bxe4 is more to the point, taking control of the central arena, as after 22 ... Qd 7 23 0-0-0 White must be better: his king is safer and his light square domination is worth more than the exchange. 21. .. Rg3 22 0-0-0 Rxe3 23 Kb2 Rb8 24 Bb6 Kd7 25 Ka2 Rg8 26 Rb1 26 Rfe1? loses to 26 ... Rxg2!. 26 ... Rgg3 27 Rfc1 If 27 Rfd1, then 27 ... Rc3 is very awkward. 27 ... Qxd4 28 Bfl Nd5 White's efforts to protect the neighbourhood of his king has led to Black taking control of the rest of the board. '. 29 Ba5 B£6 30 Bc4 Ref3 31 Rfl 31 Rd1 would lose more slowly but just as surely after 31...Qxc5. 31...Ne3 32 Rxf3 Nxc2 33 Rxg3 Qf2 Moving in for the kill. 34 Rfl Nb4+ 35 Ka3 Bb2+ 36 Kxb4 Qd2+ 0-1

96

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6

White plays 5 c5 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 5 c5 (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 White plays 5 c5

Diagram 10 Black is OK

White gains space, cuts out ... d5xc4 and hopes to make ... b7-b5less attractive. Against this Black should prepare his retaliation with a timely ... e7-e5, ... b7b6 or a combination of both. 5 ... Nbd7 Solid development with 5 ... Bf5 is also respectable, but I prefer the more dynamic text move. 6 Bf4 Otherwise ... e7-e5 comes very quickly. 6 ... Nh5 Hitting the bishop before White can secure its place on the b8-h2 diagonal with h2-h3. 7 e3

Following 7 Bd2, Black most often retreats with 7 ... Nhf6 (for those with positive intentions the best way to avoid a repetition is 7 ... g6). If, however, 7 Bg5 h6 8 Bd2, Black has to take into account the slight loosening of his pawn structure, e.g. one of the points of provoking ... h 7-h6 can be seen after 8 ... Nhf6 9 Qc2 e5?! 10 dxe5 Ng4 11 e6! and the weakness of the g6square leads to some difficulties for Black. Instead of 8 ... Nhf6, I suggest 8 ... Qc7!? 9 e4 dxe4 10 Nxe4 Ndf6 11 Nc3 Be6 12 Ne5 Rd8 and, although White has more space, Black has an excellent square on d5 to help keep his defences firm. 97

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

7 ... g6 8 Bd3 Bg7 9 0-0 0-0 10 h3 Nxf4 Capturing the bishop before it withdraws to h2. 11 exf4 Qc7 With 11...b6 Black hopes to put pressure on the dark squares, but after 12 cxb6 Qxb6 13 Na4 Qa7 14 Rc1! Bxd4 15 Bxg6! White had a strong initiativl=l in V.Topalov-Ki.Georgiev, Sarajevo 2001. 12 g3 b6 13 cxb6 Nxb6 (Diagram 10) Black wins a tempo against the loose h3-pawn and has adequate play after ... 14 Kg2c5! S.Halkias-S.Volkov, Panormo (rapid) 2002.

Strategy White's space advantage can be used for play on j,ust about any front. Black needs to hit back with either ... e7-e5 or ... b7-b6 before White can consolidate.

Theoretical? '

The large number of games being played with 5 c5 is starting to make it that way, despite it being a largely positional choice.

Statistics With 5 c5 White has scored 57% which is fairly good, but it's a dangerous weapon in the hands of some top grandmasters, who have scored more heavily with White. Many of the 906 games were played in recent years, as 5 c5 only really came to be used regularly ten years ago and particularly in the last five. Game 32 D M.Krasenkow • S.Movsesian Polanica Zdroj 2000

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 d5 4 d4 a6 5 c5 Nbd7 6 Bf4 Nh5 7 Bd2 Nhf6 8 b4 White finds a way to avoid repeating with Bf4. He gains space on the queenside, but it's important to remember that the centre is more important! 8 ... g6 9 Qc1 h6 To prevent White playing his bishop to h6. 10 e3 Bg7 11 Bd3 0-0 12 0-0 e5! (Diagram 11) The logical counter-punch against White's centre. 13 Nxe5 Mter 13 dxe5 Ng4 14 e6 fxe6 15 Bxg6 Rxf3! Black obtains a strong attack, as after 16 gxf3 Nge5 17 Bc2 Nxf3+ 18 Kg2 Qf6, White's position is a shambles. 13 ... Nxe5 14 dxe5 Ng4 15 Na4 Instead 15 f4 is strongly met by 15 ... d4!.

98

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6

Diagram 11 A thematic break

Diagram 12 Black has all the chances

15 ... Qh4 16 h3 Nxe5 17 Be2 (Diagram 12) 17 ... Bxh3! A powerful sacrifice. White's pieces can't easily come to the aid of their denuded king. 18 gxh3 Qxh3 19 f4 Hoping that Black has nothing better than a draw. Instead 19 Qdl? allows mate with 19 ... Nf3+! 20 Bxf3 Be5 21 Re1 Bh2+ 22 Khl Bg3+ 23 Kgl Qh2+ 24 Kfl Qxf2. Otherwise 19 Bc3 hopes to counter Black's control of the al-h8 di-. agonal, but after 19 ... Rae8! 20 Qd1 Nf3+! (again!) 21 Bxf3 Re5! 22 Bg4 Rg5 23 f3 f5, Black's attack crashes through. 19 ... Qg3+ 20 Kh1 d4! 21 Qe1 There is nothing better: 21 fxe5 Bxe5 22 Rf4 dxe3 23 Bxe3 Rae8, or 21 exd4 Qh3+ 22 Kg1 Ng4 23 Bxg4 Bxd4+ 24 Rf2 Qxg4+, and finally 2i Nb2 Qh3+ 22 Kg1 N g4 23 Bxg4 Qxg4+ 24 Kf2 Bf6 all leave Black with a winning attack. 21...Qh3+ 22 Kg1 dxe3 23 Bc3 Ng4 24 Bxg4 Qxg4+ 25 Kh2 Rfe8 Black has excellent compensation with three pawns and White's king so open; he can even take his time to slitpport his advanced e-pawn. 26 Qg3 Qf5 27 Bxg7 Kxg7 28 Nb6 Rad8 29 Rae1 Rd2+ 30 Kgl Re4 31 a3 Qf6 32 Nc8 Qd4 33 Rf3 Mter 33 Nd6, Black can continue in flamboyant style with 33 ... e2+ 34 Rf2 Rd1! which virtually forces a winning rook ending, e.g. 35 Nf5+ Kh7 36 Nxd4 Rxe1 + 37 Kh2 Rhl+ 38 Kxh1 e1Q+ 39 Qg1 Qxgl+ 40 Kxg1 Rxd4. 33 ... e2+? Correct was 33 ... Rd1 34 Rxd1 Qxdl+ 35 Rfl e2 with an easy win. 34 Kg2?

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Missing his chance! Instead 34 Qf2! would hold. 34 ... Rd1 35 Nd6 Qa1! 0-1 Now after 36 Nxe4 Rxe1 37 Qf2, Black wins easily with 37 ... Rg1 + 38 Qxg1 Qxg1 + 39 Kxg1 e1Q+. Game33 0 V.Topalov • Ki.Georgiev

Sarajevo 2001

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 c6 3 d4 d5 4 Nc3 a6 5 c5 Nbd7 6 Bf4 Nh5 7 e3 g6 8 Bd3 Bg7 9 0-0 0-0 10 h3 Nxf4 11 exf4 b6 (Diagram 13)

Diagram 13 Gnawing at the queenside

Diagram 14 Black's king is exposed

For the alternative l l ... Qc7, see the introductory notes. 12 cxb6 Qxb6 13 Na4 Qa7?! Instead 13 ... Qc7! seems adequate for Black: a) If 14 g3, simply 14 ... Nb6 forces the exchange of knights as Black is also hitting the h3-pawn. b) Mter 14 f5 e5 15 fxe6 fxe6 16 Ng5 Qd6 17 Qg4 Nf6 18 Qh4 Rb8, Black obtained counterplay in C.Pritchett-T.Engqvist, Gausdal 1993. c) Following 14 Qd2 Bh6 15 g3, as in Z.Gyimesi-B.Avrukh, Andorra 2001, I suggest 15 ... f6! (as an improvement on the slower 15 ... Rb8), e.g. 16 Qe2 e5! 17 fxe5 fxe5 18 dxe5 Rxf3! 19 Qxf3 Nxe5 20 Qe2 Bxli3 21 Rfe1 Bg7 with advantage to Black. 14 Rc1 Bxd4 15 Bxg6! The following complications leave Black's king very exposed. 15 ... Bxf2+ 16 Rxf2 hxg6 17 Nd4 Bb7 18 f5 (Diagram 14) 18 ... Qb8?! Too sluggish. Instead 18 ... c5 is better: 19 fxg6 fxg6 20 Qg4 cxd4 21 Qxg6+ Kh8 100

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6

22 Qh6t Kg8 23 Qe6+ Kh8 24 Qxd7!? (White could still take a draw) 24 .. Rxf2 25 Kxf2 Rf8+ is unclear. 19 fxg6 fxg6 20 Qg4 Rxf2 21 Qxg6+ Kh8 22 Qh6+ Kg8 23 Qg6+ Kh8 24 Qh5+ Kg8 25 Qg5+ Kf7 26 Qh5+ Kg8 27 Qg4+ Kf7 28 Kxf2 Qd6 29 Nf5 Qg6 30 Qxg6+?! Apparently 30 Rel! would keep an edge in the ending. 30 ... Kxg6 31 g4 Kf6?! It was better to free up the aS-square for the bishop with 3l...Rf8 32 Rel e5 33 Kg3 c5, leading to a double-edged struggle. 32 Kg3 a5 33 h4 e6 34 Nd6 Ba6 35 Rxc6 Ne5 36 Rb6?! White would retain winning chances with the flashy 36 Ne8+! Rxe8 (or 36 ... Kf7 37 Rxe6! Kxe6 38 Nc7+) 37 Rxa6. 36 ... N d 7 3 7 Rc6 %-%

White plays 5 a4 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 5 a4 (Diagram 15)

Diagram 15 White plays 5 a4

Diagram 16 White has hanging pawns

Another way for White to gain space. The other point is that it limits Black's options on the queenside. If, for instance, Black were now to play 5 ... dxc4, then after 6 e4 Black cannot get away with 6 ... b5(?) due to 7 axb5 cxb5 8 e5 Nd5 9 Nxb5 with advantage to White. Black has to settle for a more positional game and play is often akin to various other Queen's Gambits or Semi-Slav variations, except that White has the extra move a2-a4 and Black ... a7-a6. 5 ... e6 6 e3 The slow 6 a5 is met by central action 6 ... c5!, when the continuation 7 cxd5

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Nxd5 8 Ne5 Nc6 9 Nxc6 bxc6 10 e3 cxd4 11 Qxd4 c5 12 Qd1 Be7 was fine for Black in Z.Azmaiparashvili-V.Epishin, Elenite 1994. Another possibility is 6 Bg5 a5!? (6 ... Nbd7 is analogous to the Queen's Gambit Declined, but the text is simplest) 7 e3 Be7 8 Bd3 Na6! 9 Rc1 Nb4 10 Bb1 b6 11 b3 Ba6, O.Gladyszev-E.Prie, Creon 2003, and Black has solved the problem of how to develop his queen's bishop effectively. 6 ... c5 This is reminiscent of a position from the Semi-Tarrasch Defence where the apawns wouldn't have moved. There a typical plan for White is to play dxc5, a2a3 and b2-b4. This is not available here. 7 Be2 Nc6 Instead 7 ... dxc4 8 Bxc4 Be7 9 0-0 0-0 gives Black a typical Queen's Gambit Accepted position. There are a variety of plausible pawn structures depending on taste, another one being a typical isolated queen's pawn position after 7 ... cxd4 8 exd4 dxc4.

8 0-0 Be7 9 b3 0-0 10 Bb2 cxd4 11 exd4 Bd7 12 Ne5 dxc4 13 bxc4 Be8 (Diagram 16) P.Kiriakov-A.Alavkin, Russian Championship 2002. White has 'hanging pawns' which is the name given to White's central couplet. These pawns have a positive side: space, limiting Black's minor pieces and the potential to advance at an awkward moment. However, they also have a downside: they can only be defended by pieces not pawns and thus require constant attention. Play is complex .and gives chances for both sides.

Theoretical? Much less so than 5 e3 or 5 c5. Rather than requiring loads of theory it's more useful to have generalknowledge about similar queen's pawn openings.

Statistics With 680 games 5 a4 is another popular line against the Chameleon. White scores 58% overall, but a lesser 56% against the recommended 5 ... e6. Game34 D M.Gagunashvili • A.Morozevich

Moscow 2003

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 5 a4 e6 6 Bg5 a5 7 e3 Be7 8 Bd3 (Diagram 17) 8 ... Nbd7?! ' This move doesn't fit in that well with the early .... a6-a5. Instead Black should play 8 ... Na6 (or 8 .. 0-0 and 9 ... Na6) as mentioned in the introductory notes. 9 0-0 0-0 10 Qe2 dxc4 Mter 10 ... b6 11 cxd5 exd5 12 e4 dxe4 13 Nxe4 Bb7 14 Ne5 White has pressure, as pointed out by Gagunashvili.

102

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6

11 Bxc4 Nd5 12 Bf4!? Trying to keep more tension than after the obvious exchange of bishops. 12 ... Nxf4 13 exf4 Nb6 14 Bb3, Nd5 15 g3 (Diagram 1S) In return for the doubled pawns White has a bind that leaves Black with passive pieces. Black decides on a plan without ... b7-b6 which Morozevich must have adjudged to be too weakening.

Diagram 17 ... Nbd7 or ... Na6c?

Diagram 18 White. has a bind

15 ... f5!? 16 Rfe1 Bf6 17 Rad1 Bd7 1S Ne5 ReS 19 Na2 With Black not going anywhere Gagunashvili decides to bring this knight to d3 where it bears down on c5 and e5. 19 ... Re7 20 Nc1 BeS 21 Ncd3 h6?! This weakens the b1-h7 diagonal. In passive positions the potential weakening of even minor pawn moves shouldn't be underestimated. 22 h4 Kh7 23 Nc5 b6 24 Ncd3 ReS 25 h5 Rcc7 26 Bc2 White is ready to switch to. attacking mode with g3-g4. Black tries to mix things in the centre but it's too late to make any real difference. 26 ... c5 27 dxc5 bxc5 2S g4 c4 29 Nc1 KgS 30 gxf5 QcS 31 fxe6 Nxf4 32 Qg4 Nxe6 33 Bf5 Rc5 34 Rd6 Qc7 Or if 34 ... Bxe5, then 35 Bxe6+ Rxe6 36 Qxe6+ Qxe6 37 Rxe6 and wins. 35 Bxe6+ KfS 36 Qd4 Rxe5 37 Rxe5 Bxh5 3S Rf5 Rf7 39 Qd5 Bg6 40 QaS+ 1-0 Game35 D S.Skembris • V.Georgiev Saint Vincent 2003

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6. 5 e3 e6 6 a4 c5 7 Be2

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

By first including 7 cxd5 exd5, and only now playing 8 Be2, Black's d-pawn is on the verge of becoming isolated. Isolated pawns can become weaknesses if there aren't compensating factors. However, after 8 ... Nc6 9 0-0 Bd6 10 b3 cxd4 11 Nxd4 Qc7 12 Nf3 Be6, Black's lively pieces compensate for the isolani, E.Grivas-G.Giorgadze, Ankara 1995. 7 ... Nc6 8 0-0 (Diagram 19)

Diagram 19 A fluid centre

Diagram .20 Chances are balanced

8 ... Bd6 One of the features of this line is the wide choice for both sides as to the possible central pawn structure. Indeed Black can also release the tension, e.g. 8 ... cxd4 9 exd4 Be7 10 b3 0-0 11 Be3 Bd7 12 Ne5 dxc4 13 bxc4 Be8, as in I.Efimov-R.Kasimdzhanov, Istanbul Olympiad 2000, led to another example of 'hanging pawns' versus a solid defence. White is temporarily more active but his pawns may become vulnerable. 9 b3 0-0 10 Ba3 b6 11 Qd3 Bb7 12 Rfd1 cxd4 13 Bxd6 Qxd6 14 Nxd4 dxc4 15 bxc4 15 Qxc4?? would be rather unfortunate after 15 ... Ne5. 15 ... Rad8 (Diagram 20) Black has comfortable development. The isolated c- and b-pawns are equally weak, so chances are about equal. 16 Qb1 Qc5?! 16 ... Qc7! is more solid. 17 a5! Instigating interesting complications. 17 ... Nxa5 18 Na4 Qg5 19 g3 e5? Too optimistic. Instead 19 ... b5 should equalise. 104

The Chameleon Slav: 4... a6

20 h4! The players are competing vigorously for the initiative. 20 ... Qg6 21 Nf5 Rxd1 + 22 Bxd1 ReS 23 Nd6 Skembris points out that he could have obtained an advantage with 23 h5! Nxh5 24 Nxb6, when Black's pieces lack harmony, e.g. 24 ... Nc6 (24 ... Nb3? loses nicely to 25 Nd5! Bxd5 26 cxd5 Nxal 27 Ne7+! as Black's back rank is exposed) 25 Nd5 Bc8 26 Nh4 Qg5 27 Qb6 and White is close to winning. 23 ... Qxb1 24 Rxbl Rd8 25 Nxb7 If 25 Rxb6?, then 25 ... Nxc4!. 25 ... Nxb7 26 Nxb6 Nc5 27 Na4 Nfe4 Material is equal, but there is still plenty of life in the position. 28 Bc2 Kf8 Note how Vladimir Georgiev gradually improves his pieces, especially his king who comes to the centre to play an active role in the ending. 29 Bxe4 Nxe4 30 c5 The c-pawn is not that dangerous. Black's king is in the vicinity and the white knight is far from the centre and kingside. 30 ... Ke7 31 Rb7+ Ke6 32 c6? White could still hold with 32 g4!, as 32 ... Rdl + 33 Kg2 Rd2 can be met by 34 Rb6+ Ke7! (but not 34 ... Kd5? which falls for a trick: 35 Nc3+! Nxc3 36 Rd6+) 35 Rb7+ Ke6 36 Rb6+. 32 ... Rdl+ 33 Kg2 Rd2 34 Rb4 Nxf2 35 c7 Nd3+ 36 Kfl Rf2+ 37 Kgl Rc2 38 Rb7 Kd6 White's one redeeming asset (his c-pawn) is lost. Now Black finishes off the game using fine technique. 39 c8Q Rxc8 40 Rxf7 Rc7 41 Rf8 Kd5 42 Kg2 Ke4 43 h5 Kxe3 44 h6 gxh6 45 Rf6 Rc2+ 46 Kg1 Nel 0-1

Summary The Chameleon or ... a6-Slav is a new and exciting development. Much of the theory is still developing so there is plenty of scope for individual interpretation. Black is generally quite solid and has a choice of how to react to each White approach. The danger for him, however, is not finding a good plan and ending up with a passive game. White can probably count on the tiniest of edges, but finds it hard to create a chink in Black's armour. Statistically speaking White's chances are not really better here than in the main lines of the Slav.

105

Chapter Seven

The Slav with ... g7-g6 B

Introduction

B

The Schlechter System

B

Combining ... a7-a6 with ... g7-g6

The Slav with ... g7-g6

Introduction In some lines Black opts to fianchetto his king's bishop at an early stage. Here we shall look at this idea in various circumstances, but the actual move order is less important than the concept. The Schlechter System is really a hybrid between the Slav and the Griinfeld, from where it can also arise. Black aims to avoid mainstream theory and yet obtain a solid position. The problem is that the line can be somewhat passive with limited opportunities for counterplay.

The Schlechter System This generally occurs via a Slav Defence where White plays an early Nc3 followed by e3 (hoping to steer the game into the Semi-Slav) and Black wants to avoid being so compliant. So Black plays 4 ... g6 rather than the most popular 4... e6. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3!? After 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3, both ... Bf5 and ... Bg4 have sound reputations and there is less incentive to play 4 ... g6, but if Black really wants to go ahead with 4 ... g6 then this will generally transpose to the main line after 5 Nc3 Bg7 etc. An early deviation for White arises when, after 3 e3 Nf6 4 Bd3 g6 5 Nc3 Bg7, White opts for 6 Nge2!? (rather than the standard 6 Nf3 which transposes to the main game). Then 6 ... 0-0 7 0-0 dxc4 (7 ... Nbd7 is less precise, as after 8 cxd5 cxd5 the knight would really prefer to be on c6; the further 9 Qb3 Nb6 10 a4 gave White an edge in L.Oll-R.Kuczynski, Manila Olympiad 1992) 8 Bxc4 Nbd7 9 e4 e5 (or 9 ... b5!? 10 Bd3 e5) 10 d5 occurred in S.Yuferov-V.Kuporosov, Moscow 1999, when 10 ... cxd5 11 exd5 Ne8 would give Black an interesting game as his knight heads for d6. 3 ... Nf6 4 e3 Black can also meet 4 Nf3 with 4 ... g6, but White then has some promising options as his dark-squared bishop can be developed outside of the pawn chain. After 4 ... g6: a) ECO recommends 5 cxd5 cxd5 6 Bf4 Bg7 7 e3 0-0 8 h3 Nc6 9 Be2 Ne4 10 Rc1 Bf5 11 Qb3 Nxc3 12 Rxc3 Qd7, K.Spraggett-A.Lein, Montreal1986, as offering an edge to White, but this doesn't look like much to me. b) Instead White can try 5 Bg5!?, e.g. 5 ... Ne4 6 Bh4 Bg7 (grabbing the pawn with 6 ... Nxc3 7 bxc3 dxc4!? 8 e4 b5 is more combative) 7 e3 0-0 8 Bd3 Nxc3 9 bxc3 Nd7 10 0-0 Nf6 11 cxd5 cxd5 12 c4 offering White an edge, Zsu.PolgarV.Korchnoi, Brussels 1985. c) My personal preference is to combine the two ideas: 5 cxd5 cxd5 6 Bg5! Bg7

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

and then play 7 Qb3 to force 7 ... eG out of Black, e.g. 8 e3 0-0 9 Bd3 NeG 10 0-0 hG 11 BxfG BxfG 12 Rfc1 Qe7 13 a3 Rd8 14 Rc2, with a small pull in J.PiketG.Kamsky, Monaco (blindfold) 1985. 4 ... g6 (Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 The Schlechter System

Diagram 2 A Slav-Gr, nfeld hybrid

5 Nf3 Bg7 This variation is often considered to be a Grunfeld, but actually arises more often from the Slav move order. 6 Be2 Of the alternatives, G cxd5 cxd5 7 Bb5+ leads to exchanges where Black has to . be on his toes: 7 ... Bd7 8 Qb3 Bxb5 9 Qxb5+ Qd7 10 Ne5 Qxb5 11 Nxb5 NaG 12 b3 Ne4 13 Ba3 fG 14 Nd3 Kd7! and Black's king proved to be well placed in B.Kurajica-S.Djuric, Yugoslav Championship 1984. The other bishop development, G Bd3, is sometimes preferred to the text move. This transposes to the main line if Black plays a quick ... d5xc4. Instead G... 0-0 7 0-0 Bg4 8 h3 Bxf3 9 Qxf3 eG 10 Rd1 Nbd7leads us to Diagram 2. It's not that exciting for Black (see Korchnoi-Yusupov below), but it's rocksolid and White's bishop pair are not easy to get going. The further 11 b3 Re8 12 Bfl aG 13 Bd2 Qe7, as in Y.Seirawan-O.Panno, Mar del Plata 1982, doesn't leave Black under that much pressure, despite him having little counterplay in sight. '.

6 ... 0-0 7 0-0 (Diagram 3) Now Black has to decide how to get his queenside activated. 7 ... dxc4 The sharpest idea, but perhaps not the best. Some alternatives which give a rough idea of how play may continue ifBlack retains the tension: 108

The Slav with ... g7-g6

a) 7 ... Bg4 8 cxd5 cxd5 9 Qb3 b6 10 h3 Bxf3 11 Bxf3 e6, I.Stohl-P.Haba, Budapest 1993, allows White a pull. Black is likely to be a little sensitive on his queenside light squares.

Diagram 3 Decision time for Black

Diagram 4 A risky pawn offer

b) Mter 7 ... Nbd7 8 cxd5 cxd5 9 Qb3 e6 10 Bd2 Ne4 11 Rfc1, White has a slight lead in development but it's probably nothing significant, Y.ZimmermanS.Farago, Budapest 1999. c) Solid is 7 ... Be6 8 cxd5 cxd5 9 Qb3 Qb6 10 Qxb6 axb6, when the doubled bpawns are compensated for by the potential activity on the a- and c-files. d) 7 ... a6 is perhaps Black's most dynamic try, with ideas of playing for ... b7-b5 (see the next section). 8 Bxc4. Bg4 9 h3 Bxf3 10 Qxf3 Nbd7 11 Rd1 e5 12 d5 e4!? (Diagram 4) An interesting pawn sacrifice for some activity. However, this probably isn't quite enough against precise play.

Theoretical? Much less so than 4 ... e6. Over the years 4 ... g6 has been used by people who just want to play a solid game with natural moves. The plus side is that Black gets out of the opening in one piece, even if he doesn't know that much theory. The downside is that White tends to keep a slight pull even if he doesn't know a great deal either!

Statistics Not great for Black. Over 2965 games White manages 63% with 40% draws. Smyslov was, at one time, Black's greatest practitioner, but even he failed to get near to 50% as Black. The main line with 7 ... dxc4 8 Bxc4 Bg4 scores a convincing 70% for White. 109

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav Game 36 · D E.Bareev • V.Kramnik Novgorod 1994

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e3 g6 5 Nf3 Bg7 6 Be2 0-0 7 0-0 dxc4 8 Bxc4 Bg4 9 h3 Bxf3 10 Qxf3 Nbd7 11 Rd1 e5 12 d5 e4 · Kramnik goes for the sharp pawn sacrifice variation. 13 Nxe4 Nxe4 14 Qxe4 Nb6 15 Bb3 cxd5 16 Bxd5 Nxd5 17 Rxd5 Qb6 (Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 White needs to develop

Diagram 6 How should Black defend?

Now White has to find a way to solve the problem of completing his development. 18 Qd3!? Rad8 19 e4! This gives White the option of recapturing on d5 with the pawn, thus creating a passed pawn, as well as preparing his bishop's entry into the game.

~

TIP: When a pawn up but under pressure, the best approach is often to give the material back for the initiative.

19 ... Bd4 If instead 19 ... Bxb2, then 20 Rbl Rxd5 21 exd5 Qd4 also favours White. 20 Kh1 Bxf2 21 Bh6 Rxd5! ·· After 21...Rfe8 22 Rfl Rxd5 23 Qxd5! White goes for an attack. 22 exd5 Rd8 23 Rd1 Qd6 Kramnik avoids 23 ... Qxb2?! 24 d6, as the d-pawn will be too hot to handle. 24 Qc3 f6 25 Rfl Bh4 26 Qb3! (Diagram 6) 26 ... Bg5? According to Bareev, Black's best chance is 26 ... Qb6! 27 Qc4 Qa6! 28 Qf4 Bg3 110

The Slav with ... g7-g6

29 Qxf6 Qxf6 30 Rxf6 Be5 31 Rf2 Bg7 32 Bxg7 Kxg7 and, despite having a pawn less, Black would then have excellent drawing chances. It's an important factor that his king is much closer to the centre than White's. 27 Bxg5 fxg5 28 Qxb7 Qxd5 29 Qxa7 Ra8 30 Qe3 Qxa2?! A better practical try is to break up White's pawns first with 30 ... g4! 31 hxg4, and only then capture the pawn with 31...Qxa2. 31 Qxg5 Rb8 32 b4 Qc4 33 Rf4 Qe6 34 Rd4 Rxb4? Losing immediately. Instead after 34 ... Kg7 35 b5, White would still have to work to convert his advantage. 35 Qd8+ Kg7 36 Qc7+ Kh6 37 Qc1 + 1-0 White can now safely capture the rook. Game 37 D V.Korchnoi • A.Yusupov Lone Pine 1981

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 Bg4 So this game transposes from a line normally associated with Chapter 4! 5 h3 Bxf3 6 Qxf3 e6 7 Bd3 Nbd7 8 Nc3 g6 9 0-0 Bg7 10 Rd1 0-0 (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 Black is rock-solid

Diagram 8 Patience is a virtue

The more normal move order is outlined in the introductory notes (see the note to 6 Be2 concerning 6 Bd3). Black has a very solid looking position, but White hopes to eventually get the bishops going. 11 Qe2 Premature is 11 e4?! dxe4 12 Nxe4 Nxe4 13 Bxe4 Nb6 14 Qd3?! (defending both c4 and d4 but placing the queen on a poor square; after 14 b3 Black can get away with cheekily snatching the d-pawn, e.g. 14 ... Bxd4 15 Bb2 e5 16 111

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Bxd4 exd4 17 c5 Nd7 18 Rxd4 Qf6 with approximate equality) 14 ... Qh4! (intending ... Rad8; open lines don't always favour bishops but they almost always favour the better organised!) 15 c5 Nd7 16 Bf3 Rfd8 17 Qc3 e5!, striking while the iron is hot and putting White on the defensive, Liang Shuai-Wu Wenjin, Qingdao 1999. ll ... Qe7 The most precise way for Black seems to be ll...Re8! 12 Bd2 Qe7 13 Bel a6! 14 b3 e5!, with a satisfactory game for Black, Zsu.Polgar-J.Piket, Dutch League 1994. White's pieces are not well placed to be able to take control in the resulting 'isolated queen's pawn' position, e.g. 15 cxd5 cxd5 16 dxe5 Nxe5 17 Racl Rad8 18 Na4 d4! with full equality. 12 Bd2 Now it's possible to play the direct 12 e4 dxe4 13 Nxe4 Nxe4 14 Bxe4, which may also leave White with a pull.

0

NOTE: Central pawn breaks require adequate support if the resulting line opening is to be favourable.

12 ... RadS 13 Rael QbS 14 Bel (DiagramS) Korchnoi cautiously improves his pieces before aiming for any line-opening. The bishop pair isn't anything special yet, but once the centre cracks open they may come into their own. 14 ... RfeS 15 Qe2 ReS 15 ... Bf8 would be more prudent, restraining the b-pawn's advance. 16 b4 With White ready to start pushing up on the wing Yusupov decides that the time is right for counter-action in the centre. 16 ... e5 17 dxe5 Nxe5 IS exd5 Nxd5 19 Be2! The choice for Black is to take the pawn, or just wait while the pressure builds up after White plays Qb3 next move. 19 ... Nxb4 20 Qb3 Nd5 21 Nxd5 exd5 22 Qxd5 Rxel 23 Rxel ReS 24 Rdl Ne6?! A poor practical choice, as White now gets his light-squared bishop to a strong diagonal. Instead 24 ... Qc7 25 Bb4 Qb6 makes sense, activating the queen. The bishops would still offer White chances of an edge but nothing concrete. 25 Be4 Qe7 26 Qe4 (Diagram 9) ·· Now the light square pressure starts to tell. 26 ... Ne5 27 Bb3 b5 2S Qd5 a6 29 a4! By reducing Black's queenside to one isolated pawn it's easier to control. 29 ... Bf6 30 Qe4 Ne4 31 axb5 axb5 32 Rd5 RaS 33 Kfl! Excellent. The king is safe on e2 and then Black's counterplay is nullified. 112

The Slav with ... g7-g6

Diagram 9 White has strong pressure

Diagram 10 Time for a combination

33 ... Ra1? The rook will be missed from the defence. Instead 33 ... Rb8 34 Rxb5 Rxb5 35 Qe8+ Kg7 36 Qxb5 would give the defender chances to hold, as all the remaining pawns are on the same side. 34 Ke2! Kg7 35 Bb4 Threatening Qe8. 35 ... Nb6 36 Rd6 Rc1 (Diagram 10) 37 Rxf6! Extricating the black king out from his defences and into a mating net. 37 ... Kxf6 38 Qd4+ Kg5 39 Be7+! A fine sacrifice decoying the black queen from its view of f4. 39 ... Qxe7 40 Q£4+ 1-0 It's mate in two.

Combining ... a7-a6 with ... g7-g6 Although Black rarely employs ... a7-a6 in the Schlechter System, he is starting to play ... g7 -g6 in a popular line of the Chameleon. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 N£6 4 e3 a6 Even after 4 ... g6 5 Nf3 Bg7 6 Be2 0-0 7 0-0 (i.e. the Schlechter System), Black can try 7... a6!, when: a) 8 c5 is not effective with White's bishop on c1, e.g. 8 ... Bg4 9 h3 Bxf3, with ... e7-e5 to follow, V.Malakhov-Bu Xiangzhi, Russia vs. China 2004. b) 8 b3 yields nothing special after 8 ... Bg4 9 h3 Bxf3 10 Bxf3 b5, L.Bernal Moro-M.Illescas Cordoba, Spanish Team Championship 1993.

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Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

c) 8 Qb3 dxc4 9 Bxc4 b5 10 Be2 can be met by 10 ... Bf5 (rather than 10 ... c5, when 11 dxc5 Qc7 12 a4! yields an advantage, A.Karpov-L.Ljubojevic, Amsterdam 1988) 11 a4 Nbd7 with fine development, S.Mohr-R.Tischbierek, Bundesliga 1992. 5 Qc2 One of Black's most popular ways of meeting White's system is ... 5 ... g6!? (Diagram 11)

Diagram 11

Diagram 12

Combining .. a7-a6 and ... g7-g6

The bishop sits well on e6

This makes a change from 5 ... b5 6 b3 Bg4, which after 7 Nge2 Nbd7 8 h3 Bh5 9 Nf4 gives Black a playable, albeit stodgy position. 6 Bd3 Bg7 7 Nf3 0-0 8 0-0 Bg4 The bishop develops now that it has something to bite on. 9 Ne5 Be6 (Diagram 12) Dropping back to a square that greatly influences the centre. The bishop sits well on e6, as White cannot chase it away with his knight now that it has been provoked to e5. White has a space advantage but Black has no real weaknesses. White now has to make a decision about his c-pawn. 10 Bd2!? Keeping the tension. There are three alternatives\vith varying characteristics: a) 10 c5 aims for space but takes the pressure off Black's centre. Black will organise ... b6-b6 or an eventual ... e7-e5 for counterplay. b) 10 b3 hopes to maintain a pawn on c4, but weakens the long diagonal. c) 10 cxd5 simplifies but hopes that a slightly more active disposition will lead to a pull. 114

The Slav with ... g7-g6

Theoretical? Not particularly. The ... a7-a6 plus ... g7-g6 idea is relatively young and the theory hasn't been tested as deeply as some of the more traditional variations.

Statistics This line has only really come to the fore in the last few years. Over 117 games White scores well with 64% with 42% draws and long games in general. It's a grind for White with few winning chances for Black. Game 38

D G.Fiear • E.Prie Creon 1998

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e3 a6 5 Qc2 g6 6 Bd3 Bg7 7 Nf3 0-0 8 0-0 Bg4 9 Ne5 Be6 10 Bd2 White just continues development. Instead 10 c5 has recently become a focus of interest: 10 ... Nbd7 11 Nxd7 Qxd7!? 12 Bd2 RaeS 13 b4 Bf5 is then very solid for Black, V.Papadopolou-E.Sedina, European Championship 2002. 10 ... Nbd7 10 ... c5!? is possible, e.g. 11 dxc5 Qc7! (but not 11...Ne4? 12 cxd5 Nxd2 13 dxe6 Nxf114 Nxf7 Qc7 15 Rxfl Qxc5 16 Bxg6! with a winning attack as in G.FlearR.Fontaine, Aix-en-Provence 2004). But the most respected approach is to open the game with 10 ... dxc4! 11 Nxc4 b5 12 Ne5 c5! (Diagram 13)

Diagram 13 Black's game is fine

Diagram 14 White maintains a bind

Black liberates his position and equalises, e.g. 13 dxc5 Qc7 14 Nf3 Qxc5 when Black has a satisfactory game, L.Ftacnik-L.Fressinet, Bundesliga 2002.

115

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

11 cxd5 cxd5 12 f4 (Diagram 14) By maintaining the strong point on e5 White keeps up the pressure. 12 ... Rc8 More precise is the immediate 12 ... Nxe5 13 fxe5 Nd7, but I still prefer Wl;tite after 14 Ne2, heading for f4. · 13 Qb3 Nxe5!? Gambiting a pawn for some freedom. My opponent didn't want to go too passive with 13 ... Rc7 14 Ne2 Qb8.

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NOTE: It's always a critical decision: staying solid but passive, or making a bold attempt at freedom.

14 fxe5 Nd7 15 Qxb7 Rb8 Prie rejected 15 ... Bxe5 because of the simple 16 Qxa6. 16 Qxa6 Rxb2 17 Bel Rb8 18 Qa3 White now requires some time to reorganise and exploit the extra pawn, so it's natural for Black to get a move on ... 18 ... Nxe5!? 19 dxe5 Bxe5 20 Rbl Qc7 By hitting both c3 and h2 Black is able to at least soften up the white king. 21 Rxb8 Rxb8 22 Nb5 Bxh2+ 23 Khl Qe5 (Diagram 15)

Diagram 15 The threat is 24 ... Qh5

Diagram 16 Qisrupt Black's defences!

At first it looks hard to see how White avoids getting into trouble after the threatened ... Qh5. 24 Qb2!! The only good move. Now if 24 ... Qh5, White has 25 g4! Bxg4 26 Qxh2.

116

The Slav with ... g7-g6

24 ... d4 25 exd4 Qh5 26 Be2 Qh4 27 Bg5! Qxg5 28 Kxh2 Qh6+ 29 Kgl Qe3+ 30 Rf2 ReS 31 Bfl Rcl White is somewhat tangled up, but the extra piece should see him home to victory. The threat is 32 ... Bc4. 32,Na3 Bf5 33 Nc4 Giving back some material in order to release the annoying pins. 33 ... Rxfl+ 34 Kxfl Qd3+ 35 Kgl Qxc4 36 a3 h5 37 Qb4 Qcl+ 38 Rfl Qe3+ 39 Kh2 There is still much work to do to convert the material advantage as the white king lacks cover. 39 ... Kg7 40 Rf3 Qe4 41 Qd2 Qd5 42 Qf4 f6 43 Re3 Qd7 44 d5 g5 45 Qb4 Kf8 46 a4 Bg6 4 7 a5 Bf7 (Diagram 16) 48 d6! This disrupts Black's defences. 48 ... exd6 49 a6 Kg7 50 Qd4 d5 51 a7 Qc7+ 52 Kgl Qcl+ 53 Kf2 Qc2+ 54 Re2 QcS 55 Ra2 Qf5+ 56 Ke3 Qbl 57 Ral Qb3+ 58 Kf2 h4 59 aSQ Qg3+ 60 Kgl h3 61 Qa2 1-0 Game 39 D M.Gurevich • I.Sokolov Dos Hermanas 2001

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 d5 4 e3 a6 5 Qc2 g6 6 Bd3 Bg7 7 Nf3 0-0 8 0-0 Bg4 9 Ne5 Be6 10 b3 c5! (Diagram 17)

Diagram 17 The freeing move

Diagram 18 How should Black continue?

The logical reaction now that the long diagonal is temporarily vulnerable. 11 Ne2 The complications after 11 cxd5 Nxd5 12 Nxd5 Bxd5 13 Qxc5 Bxe5 14 dxe5 117

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Bxg2 lead to an equal game, and otherwise 11 dxc5 Qc7 is fine for Black. 11...cxd4 Another reasonable method is 11...dxc4 12bxc4 Nfd7 13 Nxd7 Bxd7! 14 Rb1 Nc6 15 dxc5 Rb8 with chances for both sides, R.Dautov-J.Hodgson, Istanbul Olympiad 2000. In such positions the extra pawn shouldn't last for long. 12 exd4 Nc6 13 Nxc6 bxc6 14 Bf4 (Diagram 18) 14 ... Nh5?! Now Ivan Sokolov considers the most precise way to be 14 ... dxc4 15 bxc4 (15 Bxc4 is met by the rock-solid 15 ... Nd5) 15 ... Nh5 16 Be3 c5, when White has nothing better than 17 d5 Bxa1 18 Rxa1 Bg4 19 f3 Bd7 20 Bxc5 ReS, with an unclear game in prospect. 15 Be5 dxc4 Something of a concession with the knight no longer ready to come to d5. Instead 15 .. .f6 16 Nf4 Nxf4 17 Bxf4 Bf7 may be better. 16 Bxc4 Bf5 17 Qc3 Nf6 18 Ng3 Bd7 19 Rfe1 White's pieces are the more active, so Black tries to stir up the waters. 19 ... Bh6! 20 h3 Nd5 21 Qf3 a5!? 22 Ne4! The pawn grab with 22 Bxd5 cxd5 23 Qxd5 Be6 would give practical chances for Black with his bishop pair and the minority attack on the queenside. White decides instead to try and keep control. 22 ... Nb6 23 Nc5 Bd2! 24 Re2 Bb4 25 Bd3 Nd5 26 a3?! It's better to try and recapture with a piece on c5 and, furthermore, the text weakens the queenside. Instead 26 Rc2 is better, but Black's position is anyway a tough one to break down. 26 ... Bxc5 27 dxc5 f6 28 Bb2 e5 29 Bc4 Be6 (Diagram 19)

Diagram 19 A fine knight outpost

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Diagram 20 Can White defend?

The Slav with ... g7-g6

The strong pivotal point on d5 makes Black's position the easier one to play. 30 Rd2 Qe7 31 Rel Rfd8 32 g3 Rd7 33 h4 Kg7 34 Qe2 Rad8 35 Qel Bg4 36 Bfl Qe6 37 b4 axb4 38 axb4 Bf3 39 Kh2 Rb8! 40 b5! Creating a passed pawn. 40:.. exb5 41 Bh3 Qe6 42 Bxd7 42 Bxe5 is met by 42 ... Re7. 42 ... Qxd7 43 e6?! I prefer 43 Rd3! e4 44 Ra3, when White has provoked the opening of the long al-hS diagonal. Then it's not clear if Black has enough overall control to set about attacking. 43 ... Qf5! 44 e7 ReS (Diagram 20) 45 Re5? White can still hold with 45 Qfl! N£4 46 Kgl! (a clever resource) 46 ... Nh3+ 47 Kh2 N£4, with an amusing repetition. 45 ... Nf4 46 Qfl b4? 46 ... Bg2! wins as in the game. 47 Re4? Missing his chance! 47 Kgl! draws as in the notes to move 45. 47 ... Bg2 48 Qxg2 Nxg2 49 Kxg2 Qe6 50 Rel Qf7 51 Rde2 Qd5+ 52 Kgl h6 53 Re4 Qd2 54 R4e2 Qd 7 55 Re4 g5 Slowly but surely Black creates additional threats. 56 hxg5 hxg5 57 Rxb4 Rxe7 58 Rxe7 Qxe7 59 Ba3 Qe3 60 Ra4 Kg6 61 Ra6 Qd3 62 Ra7 Qdl+ 63 Kg2 Qd5+ 64 Kgl Qd4 65 Re7 Qal+ 66 Bel f5 67 Kg2 Qa8+ 68 Kgl f4 69 gxf4 gxf4 70 Re3 Kf5 71 Kfl Qal 72 Re7 Qa6+ 73 Kg2 Qa8+ 74 f3 Qa2+ 75 Kfl Qa6+! 0-1 White loses the rook or the £-pawn.

Summary The Schlechter System with ... g7-g6 isn't very dynamic or ambitious for Black. White tends to keep an edge and Black lacks counterplay, unless he tries the violent pawn sacrifice line that, however, seems to fall short. Against the 3 Nc3 and 4 e3 move order, Black can consider 4 ... a6, and then only play 5 ... g6 in the case of 5 Qc2. Again it's not that exciting for the second player, but it avoids the Semi-Slav and the need to learn reams of theory. Overall ... g7 -g6 combined with a Slav suggests that Black is seeking solidity rather than dynamism, but there is a risk that he may just end up passive and planless.

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Chapter Eight

The Botvinnik Variation:

5 Bg5 dxc4 -

Introduction

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Early Deviations and the Anti-Meran

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Deviations from the Main Line

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The Main Line. Botvinnik

The Botvinnik Variation: 5 Bg5 dxc4

Introduction 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6 (Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 The Semi-Slav

Diagram 2 The Botvinnik Variation

The defining position for the Semi-Slav. Black decides to consolidate his centre and prepares his king's bishop for development. His light-squared bishop will have to wait patiently for now. 5 Bg5 An ambitious development. The pin along the h4-d8 diagonal is the subject of this and the following chapter. By playing 5 Bg5, White sets a challenge to Black. He intends to play e2-e3, and continue developing in a natural way (for instance Bd3, 0-0, Qc2 etc.). If Black just develops 'solidly', as in some lines of the Queen's Gambit Declined (with moves such as ... Be7, ... Nbd7, ... 0-0 etc.), he will soon face the problem of how to get his queen's bishop into the game. In the Semi-Slav Black plays more dynamically with 5 ... dxc4 (snatching the cpawn which White 'forgot' to defend) or 5 ... h6 (putting the question to the bishop immediately and reserving the option of ... d5xc4, see Chapter 9). The main alternative, 5 e3, as in Chapters 10-12, has the advantage of defending the c-pawn but leaves the bishop inside the pawn chain.

5 ... dxc4 (Diagram 2) Capturing the gambited pawn leads to great complications and is not for the faint-hearted. Black's big idea is to play ... b7-b5 holding onto the booty and at some point ... Bb7, getting the bishop posted onto a potentially important long diagonal. White tends to play e2-e4-e5 with the threat of winning a piece.

121

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

The mqve 5 ... dxc4 may or may not lead to the win of a pawn, but it certainly upsets White's plan of smooth development and sends a message to him that Black is ready for a fight! 6 e4 With two threats: e4-e5 exploiting the pin, and simply Bxc4 regaining the pawn with a central advantage. 6... b5 Holding onto the c-pawn but allowing the seemingly stronger threat! White can consider a2-a4, either here, or on the next few moves, with the intention of loosening Black's queenside grip. However, the main move is ... 7 e5 Black has only one way to avoid losing a piece. 7... h6 8 Bh4 g5 Now White has three moves: 9Nxg5 A temporary piece sacrifice. The other capture 9 exf6 gxh4 10 Ne5 Qxf611 a4 is also double-edged. White hopes that an early initiative will enable him to create pressure against Black's loose structure and undeveloped position. Black relies on the bishop pair to keep him afloat. The final option 9 Bg3 should be compared to play in the next chapter. White keeps his bishop and hopes to he able to gain compensation for the pawn, due to Black's lack of development and advanced pawns. 9... hxg5 The wild 9 ... Nd5?! is considered to be more or less refuted. 10 Bxg5 Nbd7 (Diagram 3)

122

Diagram3

Diagram4

White regains the piece

Weird and wonderful

The Botvinnik Variation: 5 Bg5 dxc4

The powerful pin enables White to regain the piece and have a clear preponderance of pawns on the kingside. In return Black has his queenside phalanx, but needs to generate counterplay. Although White's main move in the diagram position is 11 exf6, regaining the piece immediately, a large minority prefer 11 g3 with the intention of getting the' bishop to the long a8-h1 diagonal as soon as possible. Against 11 g3, I recommend that Black plays 11.. ..Qa5, and after 12 exf6 b4 13 Ne4 Ba6 14 Qf3, continue with the strong centralisation 14 ... Qd5 (see Game 44). The main line continues as follows ... 11 exf6 From Black's point of view, the f6-pawn is now best left alone, as recapturing would leave Black in a debilitating pin. Instead the second player aims to complete queenside development, including castling long. 11...Bb7 12 g3 c5 The light-squared bishop comes of age! There has also been a recent flurry of interest in 12 ... Qc7 where Black prepares to castle long (see Game 43). 13 d5 Qb6 The older try 13 ... Bh6 is under a cloud since, although he generally picks off the f-pawn, Black struggles to contain White's initiative. 14 Bg2 0-0-0 15 0-0 b4 (Diagram 4) Weird and wonderful play is in prospect. The fact that one player has an extra pawn is less relevant here than the initiative, over which the coming battle will be fought.

Strategy This variation is known for the amazing complications that occur from very double-edged play. So it's tactical play that dominates events despite any strategic thoughts. As for the strategy: Black snatches the c-pawn and supports .this with ... b7-b5 enabling his problem-piece at some point to come to b7 and, after a further ... c6-c5, to have influence on the long .diagonal. So Black's pawn-grabbing can be thought of a means towards the worthy end of harmonious development. In the meantime White will try and punish Black for the time spent on the queenside with e4-e5, which leads to Black's kingside getting messed up as a direct consequence of the need to avoid losing a piece. So White then has extra pawns on the kingside and Black on the queenside. Black's king has the most difficulty finding pawn cover in the fight for the initiative that seems to dominate middlegame play. Later on, endgames can come down to a pawn race between the respective majorities.

123

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

Theoretical? The forcing lines have led over the years to some frighteningly complex and detailed theory. This is the most theoretical chapter in this book since the variation requires detailed book knowledge to be able to play it with any confi· dence.

Statistics I found 3677 games where Black replied to 5 Bg5 with 5 ... dxc4. Overall, Black scored a reasonable 46%, with draws a modest 25% which reflects the sharpness of the variation. About half the games reach the position after 10 ... Nbd7 (Diagram 3) where White has scored particularly well with 11 g3 (63%), but Black scores about average (45%) in his best defensive line: 11...Qa512 exf6 b4 13 Ne4 Ba6 14 Qf3 Qd5!.

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NOTE: Even razor-sharp tactical variations require strategic thinking.

Early Deviations and the Anti-Meran Game40 D Z.Azmaiparashvili • A.Chernin Neum (rapid) 2000

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 e6 5 Bg5 dxc4 6 e4 b5 7 a4 White makes an early challenge to Black's queenside structure. 7 ... Bb7 Pinning with 7 ... Bb4 is the major alternative, but this allows White to take the initiative with 8 e5 h6 9 exf6 hxg5 10 fxg7, as Black must lose time to recapture this pawn, e.g. 10 ... Rg8.11 h4 g4 12 Ne5 Rxg7 13 h5! and the h-pawn will be a nuisance. 8 e5 If White really does insist on demolishing the queenside with 8 axb5 cxb5 9 Nxb5 Bxe4 10 Bxc4, Black strikes back with 10 ... Bb4+ 11 Nc3 Nc6 12 0-0 Bxf3 13 Qxf3 Nxd4. 8 ... h6 9 Bh4 g5 10 exf6 gxh4 11 Ne5 (Diagrall\ 5) 11. .. Qxf6?! Kramnik chose 1l...Nd7! when faced with this position. The critical continuation seems to be 12 axb5 cxb5 13 Nxb5 Bb4+ 14 Nc3 Nxe5 15 dxe5 Qb6, with an unclear position. 12 axb5 c5 13 Be2 Bg7

124

The Botvinnik Variation: 5 Bg5 dxc4

The disruptive 13 ... h3!? (a common theme) has been suggested, but this can be met by 14 Bf3 after which I prefer White, e.g. 14 ... hxg2 (if 14 ... Bxf3 then 15 gxf3!) 15 Bxb7 gxh1Q+ .16 Bxhl. The best try could well be the immediate 13 ... Bxg2. 14 Nxc4 0-0 (Diagram 6)

Diagram 5 What should Black play?

Diagram 6 Black loses the queenside

Black gets his king to relative safety (something of an achievement in this chapter!) but loses control of the queenside. 15 dxc5 Bxg2 16 Rg1 h3 17 c6 With the knight on b8 and the rook on aS locked out of action, Black is clearly in trouble. 17 ... Qf418 Qd6 The queenside pawns become more of a factor after the exchange of queens. 18 ... Qxd6 19 Nxd6 Be5 20 0-0-0 Kh8 20 ... Bxh2 21 Bf3 Bxg1 22 Rxg1 is no better. Winning the exchange won't compensate for Black's paralysed queenside. 21 Bfl Bxh2 22 Rxg2 hxg2 23 Bxg2 Nxc6 24 bxc6 Kg7 25 Ncb5 a6 26 c7 Bxd6 27 Nxd6 Ra7 28 Bb7 1-0 Game 41 D l.lvanisevic • M.Zivanic Herceg Novi 2001

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 e6 5 Bg5 h6 6 Bh4 dxc4 7 e4 b5!? Transposing to the Botvinnik. The main alternative 7 ... g5 8 Bg3 b5 is considered in Chapter 9. 8 e5 g5 9 exf6 125

Starting Out: Slav and Semi-Slav

The Anti-Meran gambit. 9 ... gxh4 10 Ne5 Qxf6 11 a4 Bb7 The relatively quiet option. Instead 1l...c5 leads to crazy complications. 12 Be2 Nd7 13 Nxd7 Kxd7 (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 Black's king is OK

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