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Hello chess friends,The new issue of Modern Chess Magazine is here! We present four articles thatcombine opening, middlegame, endgame, strategy and psychology in chess. In the second part of “Endgame Series” GM Davorin Kuljasevic explainsimportance of pawns in endgames through interesting examples from bothclassical and modern Grandmaster practice. Start with the impersonation of thefamous movie “Searching for Bobby Fischer”, go through the classicaltheoretical positions from 70’s and 80’s and find out how Polish GM Bartel usedimpeccable endgame technique to defeat World #28 Navara. And, of course, makesure to “Test Yourself” at the end of the article. GM Boris Chatalbashev continues analyzing the initiative in different stages ofthe chess game. In this issue he pays attention to initiative in middlegame andsuggests how to find the best move in complex middlegame positions relying onchess logic. He subtly explains how to let go of the “materialistic mindset” in chessand rather look for dynamic solutions that pose, sometimes insurmountable,practical problems to opponent. GM Petar Arnaudov launches a new roubric for the 1.e4 fans – full repertoire forWhite pieces. The first article features Alapin Variation of Sicilian Defence. Oneof Black’s main answers 2…d5 is analyzed in-depth with a plenty of freshexamples from grandmaster practice. You will find a good mix of importantforced lines and typical ideas, plans and motifs. Those of You who prefer more aggressive and attacking style of play will enjoythe second part of Dragon Variation in Sicilian Defence. IM Spas Kozhuharovprepared a sharp and double-edged repertoire for Black pieces against the mainlines 9. 0-0-0 and 9. g4. In addition to presenting typical attacking ideas,Kozhuharov proves that certain lines are unjustifiably neglected by themainstream theory by analyzing improvements that contain a lot of venom.
Viktor Gavrikov’s strategical tips will boost Your attacking abilities in positionswith an isolated pawn. He visualizes three important plans: transferring the rookon the third horizontal, movement of the isolated plan and knight sacrifice on “f7”.Enjoy reading!
Table of content
Endgame Series – Part II (GM Davorin Kuljasevic)……………………….………............………....3Searching for Bobby Fischer.........................................................…………………………………..............………..…………..4Alcazar Jimenez – Kuljasevic/ Oropesa del Mar 1998…………....................................................................................5Shkril, 1979.............……………………………................................................………………………………………..………………..8Navara – Bartel/ Israel, 2015..........................................……..............................……………………………………………..12Beier – Polasek/ Luxembourg, 1986..................................................................................................................................13Test yourself.................................................................................................................................................................................15
Fighting for the initiative – Part II (GM Boris Chatalbashev) ....................................16Cifuentes - Zvjaginsev/ Hoogovens op Wijk aan Zee, 1995.....................................................................................17Karjakin – Nezad/ Tromsoe, 2014......................................................................................................................................20Korchnoi – Georgiev/ Lugano, 1986..................................................................................................................................22Marin - Steffansson/ Istanbul, 2000...................................................................................................................................26
Alapin Variation of Sicilian Defence – Part I (GM Petar Arnaudov)………………28Variations with 4...f6.............................................................................................................................................................29Variations without 4...f6......................................................................................................................................................38
Dragon Variation of Sicilian Defence – Part II (IM Spas Kozhuharov)…………47
Attack with an isolated pawn – (GM Viktor Gavrikov)……………………………………….…61Transfer of the rook on the third horizontal....................................................................................................................62Movement of the isolated pawn.............................................................................................................................................66Knight sacrifice on “f7”…………................................................................................................................................................69
Editor: GM Davorin Kuljasevic
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Endgame Series – Part II(GM Davorin Kuljasevic)
Among many existing definitions of theendgame, I have recently encountered aninteresting one by Romanian GrandmasterMihai Suba. In his interesting book „DynamicChess Strategy“, Suba suggests that „Theendgame is a part of the game where temporaryplacement of pieces is not of primaryimportance.“ He then elaborates:„More significant are:1) Material advantage2) Promotion races between pawns3) Qualitative advantage in pawnstructure or pieces4) The possibility to bring the king intothe fight“There are some interesting points aboutSuba's definition. Chess theoreticians havegenerally agreed upon a broad definition ofthe endgame, although some grey areas stillremain. For example, positions such as
Kramnik-Kasparov/ Wch London, 2000
and Aronian – Anand/ Bilbao 2014
are on the borderline between middlegameand endgame. Both endgame and middlegameprinciples may apply in such positions.Our goal here is not to indulge into aphilosophical discussion about the nature ofendgames. The reason I brought up Suba'sdefinition is that it definitely points out two
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key features of the endgame that I would like tofocus on. These are:1) Increased value of pawns due to theirpromotion ability („Promotion racesbetween pawns“ - Suba), and2) Increased value of the king due to hisability to actively join the fight („Thepossibility to bring the king into the fight“ -Suba)One can easily make a distinction between theendgame and the middlegame based on thesetwo factors. In the middlegame, pawns and theking are the most vulnerable pieces, while in theendgame, their strength (or lack thereof) oftendecides the outcome of the game. In this issue,we will specifically deal with the pawns.
Increased value of pawns in theendgameHave you seen the movie „Searching for BobbyFischer“? If you have, the story that I am aboutto tell will be familiar. If you haven't, I wouldwarmly suggest you to see it.In this famous chess movie, a young andtalented chess player from New York (JoshuaWaitzkin) is making his first chess steps as hetries to win the National Championship in theyoungest age category. In his pursuit of the title,in the final round he meets with anothersimilarly talented boy, who is also his nemesis.In the final scene of the movie boys reach apawn endgame where both of them have
passed pawns on a- and h-files:
Searching for Bobby Fischer - final[GM Davorin Kuljasevic]
As the young movie hero playing Black quicklypushes the pawn forward1...a5 it becomes obvious that none of thekings are able to catch the passed pawns andthat the pawn race is inevitable. The dramaticmoment is amplified by both players quicklypushing their pawns to the end of the board...2.h5 a4 3.h6 a3 4.h7 a2
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...and putting queens in their places.5.h8 a1+
At this point White player wants to give checkwith his queen, but he is warned that his ownking is in check. Only then he realizes thatblack pawn was promoted with a deadly checkalong the diagonal. He reluctantly moves hisking6.f5 and Black happily takes the queen6...xh8 and the game.When I saw this movie as a kid, I wasfascinated by the pawn race and the finalcombination winning the queen by a skeweralong the diagonal.Little did I know that a few years latersomething similar would happen to me.In 1998, as a 11-year old I played in my firstWorld Youth Championship in Oropesa del Mar,Spain. In the penultimate round, for a longtime I defended a pretty much lost endgameagainst a Spanish player Victor
Alcazar. However, after a long struggle, aglimmer of hope appeared:Alcazar Jimenez,V – Kuljasevic,D [B45]Wch U12 Oropesa del Mar (10), 1998
Naturally, I pushed the pawn forward57...h3 Young and naive as I was, I got excitedabout the possibility of a drawn endgame after"forced move" 58.a6. However, my opponentcompletely surprised me with58.e5!
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What a shock this was! "Is white trying tolose?", I thought to myself at first.58.a6 h2 59.a7 h1 60.a8 would be a dreamcome trueI confidently played58...g3 trying to figure out why myopponent allowed me to promote my pawnbefore him, when the cold shower came...59.f3!
The only winning move for white, stopping theh-pawn and at the same time luring the kingonto the long diagonal. Is this "Searching forBobby Fischer" deja vu?59...xf3 60.a6 h2 61.a7
"OK, I will not fall for that trick", I thought."But, isn't the endgame with the h-pawn againstthe queen drawn?" – another light in the darkappeared. I proceeded to play the nextsequence of moves with a new-foundconfidence.61...g2 62.a8+
62...g1 63.a1+ g2 64.b2+ g165.c1+ g2 66.d2+ g1 67.e1+ g268.e2+g1 69.g4+h1
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Standard stuff – now Black gets a draw bystalemate, right?70.g3! The second cold shower. Only now Icame to realize that I was not gettingstalemated, but rather checkmated thanks tomy extra g-pawn. This, of course, is a theoreticalposition that I was not aware of at the time.70...g5 71.f2
and with f1 checkmate on the next move, I hadto resign after all.1–0
Despite sentimental, this endgame also holdseducational value. It shows how important it isfor a chess player to learn all aspects ofendgame – the principles, the theoreticalpositions and the standard winning methods.Obviously my opponent was more proficient inthese aspects at that point and he deservedlywon the game.Pawn races with single passed pawns, as thosethat we have just seen, are a trademark of pawnendgames. Naturally, when there are morepieces on the board, these passed pawns are lessdangerous as pieces can catch them more easilythan the king can. For example, the bishop cancatch a single passed pawn in one move. Eventhe short-legged knight can be very effective incatching a passed pawn, like in the nextendgame study:
Shkril 1979
In this tense position white has a singlewinning move:
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1.b2! This is a well-known method withknights - they are better at defending passedpawns from the back than the front.A clear example of this is 1.b6? h5 2.a4 b4and black will force the knight to abandondefence of a-pawn, so the game is drawn.1...h5 The most consistent approach.Obviously with 1...xb2 black king steps outof the square of white pawn and white winsthe familiar pawn race after: 2.a4 h5 3.a5 h44.a6 h3 5.a7 h2 6.a8 controlling thepromotion square h1.; 1...b3 just loses thetempo, so after 2.a4 b4 white steps into thesquare of h-pawn 3.e6 h5 4.f5 and the restis a matter of technique. Notice how whiteknight and pawn are "untouchable".2.a4b4 Again, the most stubborn defence.If black attempts to win the pawn race with2...h4 3.a5 h3 4.a6 h2 he is in for adisappointment as white knight joins thebattle: 5.d1+! d2 6.f2 Right on time.6...e2 7.h1 f1 8.a7 g1 9.a8 Again,right on time. The queen protects the knight.(Funnily enough, the only otherunderpromotion that wins is 9.a8 (a8 is adraw!) Of course, white would need to apply hisknowledge of checkmating the king with+!)3.c6
Obviously threatening to step into the squareof the h-pawn so the following move is forced3...h4 3...a5 4.d5 is simply won.4.b6! The key move! White king and knightare switching their roles.4...h3 5.a5 h2 6.d3+
Essential check. The knight proves to be anamazing piece once again.6...c3 7.f2 d2 8.a6 e2 9.h1 f1
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10.a7g1 11.a8
and white wins.A beautiful example that not only shows themiracle of knight jump, but also exemplifies animportant winning strategy in endgames (that wewill talk about in depth in later issues) – „thedistribution of work load“. To clarify thisdefinition, let me summarize how it playedout in this example: The knight has done awonderful job of protecting white's passed a-pawn at first and then white king stepped in bythreatening to catch black h- pawn. But at theappropriate moment, white pieces switchedtheir roles and white king took guard of the a-pawn, while the knight used its power to reachfrom b2 to h1 and catch the h-pawn.In conclusion, single passed pawns are usuallydealt with (caught or blocked) by pieces relativelyeasily. But even strong pieces such as rook canbe defenceless against connected passed pawns.The classical example is:
Passed pawns v. Rook
In this position it is white's move, but he hasno answer to black's threat of pawn promotion.An important rule to remember is that rook cannot stop two connected pawns if they have bothadvanced to the 3rd rank.1.b8 Similarly 1.c8 b2 2.b8 c2 3.xb2c1The attempt to stop them from the front alsodoesn't work 1.d1 c2 2.c1 b2 3.xc2 b11...c2 2.c8 b2 3.xc2 b1
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and black reaches a theoretically won v.endgame.Endgames with connected passed pawns comein all shapes and colors and they definitely deservea chapter of their own. We will return to themlater. Before we do that, we need to attend toseveral elementary principles relating to passedpawns. The first one of them is breakthrough. Letus first look at the textbook example:
Breakthrough 1
White wins with a double pawn sacrifice:1.b6! axb6 or 1...cxb6 2.a6 bxa6 3.c62.c6!
Clearing the way for the a-pawn.2...bxc62...bxa5 3.cxb73.a6
and white gets the queen in 2 moves.We can see another typical breakthroughmotive in the following position:
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Breakthrough 2
In order to win this game, white will use thethreat of the breakthrough.1.d5d8 Black has to give waybecause with 1...f6
he would step out of the square of the c6–pawn and white would use his sacrificial lamb2.b6! cxb6 to promote the c-pawn. 3.c72.e6c8
Giving way againSince the attempt at opposition again fails to2...e8 3.b6! d8 (3...cxb6 4.c7) 4.b7 andwhite promotes the queen with checkmate.3.e7b8 4.d7
and white wins by simple means.Let's now see the breakthrough in practice. Afresh game Navara – Bartel, Jerusalem, 2015,features an instructive moment in same-colored bishops endgame:
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Navara,D (2735) – Bartel,M (2631) [C07]16th ch-EUR Indiv 2015 Jerusalem ISR (6.2),02.03.2015
Black completely dominates and he only needsto find where to break through. Pushing c3would be premature as it would allow whiteking to get to b3. White b-pawn presentsanother distraction. Bartel fixes white's pawnstructure with54...f4! This move also puts white in somesort of zugzwang.54...c3 55.b355.b2 Forced.55.g1 loses the h-pawn to 55...e1; while55.b6 loses the b-pawn in 2 moves. 55...c656.d4a555...c5 56.e1d4+ The king was lured tob2 so this important move comes with a check.57.a3c5 58.b6xb6 59.b4 c3!
This is the point that Bartel predicted when heplayed 54...f4. White is forced to enter the pawnendgame60.xc3 xc3+ 61.xc3 which blackdecides with...61...c5 62.d3d5 63.c3 g5!
... breakthrough! White resigned because after64.hxg5 h4 65.g6e6
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Black king is in the square of the passed pawn,but the same can not be said about his colleagueon the other side of the board.0–1
In rook endgames, breakthrough is just asimportant. Let's see how white used it to winthe following position:Beier – Polasek/ Luxembourg, 1986
In this rook endgame, white achieved the best
possible setup for his pieces and now he needsto break through1.g6+ 1.f6? would be the wrong breakthroughon the account of 1...gxf6 2.g6+ g7 3.b7+g8 4.h6 a8! and black draws according tothe rule that even "passive defence" (rook oneight rank) draws against the g- and h- pawns.Active defence is required with f- and e-pawns.1...f6 1...e7 only postpones the inevitable2.g8 f6 3.f8+ and we reach the gameposition2.f8+e5 3.f6!
An intelligent breakthrough.It seems that 3.f7 is winning on the spot, butBlack has counterattack 3...a1 and it wouldbe a huge mistake to play 4.xg7? becausewhite is checkmated out of the blue after4...f4!; Neither does 3.g5 bring victory.Again, black switches to active defence with3...a1! and achieves a draw by checking theking from behind 4.e8+ d6 5.e4 g1+6.g4f1 7.f4g1+=
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3...xf6 4.f7!
The key move that puts black in zugzwang! Hecan not stretch his rook to the first rank as hedid before.4...e6 In case of 4...f5+ white wins by"triangulation" 5.g4 f6 6.g5!+– and the g-pawn finally falls.5.xg7 f1 Now it is too late for checks fromthe behind because white king hides on g7 after6.a7h1+ 7.g5 g1+ 8.h6 h1+8...f6 is insufficient due to 9.f7+! e610.g79.g7
and winning this position is a matter oftechnique (read: knowing the "bridgetechnique").With this nice example we complete Endgameseries for this issue. The most importantlesson to take away is that the importance ofpawns in endgames rises significantlycompared to the middlegame. In the „Testyourself“ section you can find puzzlesinvolving pawn races and breakthroughmotives to test your understanding of theseprinciples.In the next issue, join us for furtherelaboration on importance of pawns inendgames, including themes of „electricpawns“, the common square of passed pawns,and connected passed pawns.
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Test yourselfPuzzle 1
White to movePuzzle 2
Black to move
Puzzle 3
White to movePuzzle 4
White to move
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Puzzle 5
White to move
Fighting for the initiative – PartII
(GM Boris Chatalbashev)
Initiative in the middlegameThe fight for initiative is most often associatedwith the middlegame. With many pieces onthe board, dynamic factors tend to be moreimportant than positional ones (but notalways!). In addition to piece placement,safety of the king plays an important role. Soin many positions when the kings are underattack every tempo is critically important -you must be the first one to take the initiative!You can see excellent examples of initiative inthe article of my colleague on Dragonvariation, which is perfect for young players tolearn the dynamic play and how to attack theking! For such attacks to be successful, needlessto say, your pieces must be active.
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Cifuentes Parada,Roberto (2535) –Zvjaginsev,Vadim (2585) [D45]Hoogovens op Wijk aan Zee (1), 01.1995
I find the following game, although a littleunknown, to be quite instructive. It is a nicedisplay of how Black gets active and thenexecutes a direct assault, mating the enemy'sking.17.d2?!
The position is complex, but more or lessbalanced. White has a passed pawn which canbecome dangerous in future, though it is a
little weak now. Also he has some ideas withf5, trying to use the weaknesses around theopponent's king. Black pieces are well placed,he will try to play b5 and ad8 targeting thecentral pawn. White's last move is not verygood, though; he should have played theprophylactic 17. a4 first. The text threatens18.f5, but Black's energetic play did not givehim time for that!17...d6 18.g3 18.f5 is possible, but justnot quite enough 18...xh2+ 19.h1 e520.d6b8
(20...d8 21.e7+ xe7 22.dxe7xe7)
18...b5 19.f3Again 19.f5 b4 20.xd6 xd6 21.a4xd5
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19...b4 20.e2 e4 21.c2 df6 22.g2d7 23.e3 ad8 Black has improved hisposition a lot. You may take a note how he hastaken over the initiative – attacking on h2,then the knight on c3, going forward with bothhis knights, the queen is ready to jump on h3in some lines and finally the last piece comesinto play - the rook on d8. Sometimes to beactive you do not need to sacrifice material -just do not be shy and go forward!24.g2?
This move looks quite normal, but leads to adisaster. Just for the innocuous reason of
leaving g4 insufficiently protected... But this iswhat happens when you put your opponentunder pressure. He has to decide which ofyour threats are real and which are fake – andhe usually blunders.24.a324...xf2! 25.xf2 xe3!
26.xe3
Objectively 26.xe3 was better, but theposition after 26...g4+ 27.d2 xh6 is nofun for White - his king is left floating in themiddle of the board and black pieces are stillactive.
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26...g4+ 27.f3xh2+ Before consideringhow to proceed, it is always useful to take apawn.28.f2g4+ 29.f3e6!
A neat move! The black queen attacks on e3and is still defending the knight on g4.30.f4 This allows a brilliant finish, but thereis no escape.30.e4 xe4+ 31.xe4 e8+ 32.d3xe3–+; 30.d2e830...e8 31.c4e3+!!
Very beautiful – this excellent game iscompleted with queen sacrifice!32.xe3 xe3+ 33.xg4 c8+ 34.g534.h4e7
34...h6+ 35.xh6 e5
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White is queen and a rook up, but there is nodefence to the threats off8# and h5#!0–1
Karjakin,S (2786) – Nezad,H (2365)41st Olympiad Open 2014 Tromso NOR (2.1),03.08.2014Sometimes the initiative play comes more outof necessity. That is when the strategical factorsare not in favour of the player and he searchesfor dynamic solutions, even if he feels theyare not that convincing.
Here Karjakin has not played a great game andif he plays naturally exchanging the bishops anddefending the pawn on e3, he is just slightlyworse. But in this case, he is doomed topassive defence till the end of the game. Hehas two weak pawns - on e3 and c5, and Blackonly one - c6. To make things worse, thepressure on e file and knight jumps on e4 arevery annoying. So instead, he decides tosacrifice the pawn in order to cut the Black`sbishop out of play. The engines, of course, donot approve, but from practical point of viewit is the only decision possible. And most GMswould play that way.28.f5
28...xe3 29.xe3 xe3 30.bxc6 bxc631.b8+g831...e8 32.d632.f1 e4 33.d1 h5 The computersfavour 33...e8
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preventing d6. Even if it is the best move(not quite sure about that), it is the one that istoo difficult for humans to make. The bishopon g8 is already funnily placed and now theknight goes to passivity too. Yes, White does nothave any threat, but he can calmly improvewith 34.a4. Generally Black's choice in thegame is reasonable as he is also looking for theinitiative!34.d6b7 35.xc6b2?
Now this is a serious mistake. With his nextmove White frees his c pawn, the queen goesback into defence and the knight on d4 is strongenough. The pin does not matter at all.
35...b4 was much stronger,
when Black manages to reach the weaksquares around White's king. In that case he isimmune to loss, having at least perpetual inmany variations. For example: 36.f3 c3(36...a3)) 36...e1 37.xe1xe136.a4 e3 37.c6 c3 38.xa7 e439.e2 xc6 40.xd5 c2 41.e3 f642.a5
White consolidated and went on to convertthe extra pawn.42...c8 43.d4 b1 44.c3 e145.c5 xc5 46.xc5 h4 47.e2 e4
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48.d4 d2 49.f2 xf2+ 50.xf2 f651.a4 c4 52.g4 hxg3+ 53.xg3 xf154.xf1 g6 55.e3 d3 56.fxg6 xg657.d5g7 58.e3e8 59.a5g6 60.a6
The opening has finished and both sides haveplaced their pieces perfectly for the givenpawn structure. Neither White nor Black cantry some active idea immediately. In chess, suchsituations happen very often. Then, usuallyafter some manoeuvering, one side triesregrouping and executing a certain plan. Butmeanwhile, his opponent can also try grabbingthe initiative, using the temporary disharmonywhich comes with the change of pieceplacements and plans.15...a7 The idea is to play b5 thusprovoking White to answer with a4, then theknight simply goes back. In future the weaknessof b4 square might become very useful forBlack.
1–0
Korchnoi,V - Georgiev,Kir [A14]Lugano, 198616.d4!? First it might look like White has losta tempo - playing d3 and the next move d4.But in fact he tries to take the initiative onlybecause Black's knight is misplaced on a7,feeling the complications will turn in hisfavour.16…cxd4?!
1.f3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 f6 4.g2e7 5.0–0 0–0 6.b3 b6 7.b2 b7 8.e3 c5 9.c3dxc4 10.bxc4c6 11.e2 a6 12.fd1c713.ab1 ab8 14.Ba1 fd8 15.d3
A natural move, but not the best. Black shouldhave continued with his plan of playing b5immediately. In that case a future d5 break
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would not amount to much as e file is closed.16...b5!
17.cxb5 axb5 18.dxc5 (18.xb5?! xb519.xb5a6) 18...xc5=17.exd4 b5 Fighting for d5 square.18.d5!
18...exd5 18...xc4 looks very dangerous,though it is not losing 19.xc4 bxc4 20.dxe6fxe6 21.xd8+ xd8 22.g5 (22.Bh3)22...b5 23.a4
19.cxd5xd5 20.xd5 xd5 21.e1!
21...f8 22.e5d6 23.xd623.bc1 was even stronger
but the proof is rather in computer-style:23...c6 (23...d8 24.cd1!) 24.xg7!!
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24...xg7 25.e4 c5 26.xc5 xc527.g5 with decisive attack. I suppose it ishard even for someone like Kasparov to findsuch possibilities. It just shows how powerfulWhite's initiative really is! Kortchnoi simply didnot want to let Black's knight back into thegame.23...xd6 23...xd6??
24.e8+ with checkmate.24.h4?!
Again there was a better move, but the textsurely looks more natural, more human-like.Objectively the advantage is slipping away,but White still has a pressure.24.e5! d4 (24...d8 25.c4! f826.xd5 xd5 27.e3±) 25.xf7! xf726.xb7 g8 (26...xb7? 27.f3+)27.g2±24...g5 24...h6!
One of the ways for Black to use White'sinaccuracies and equalise. But the good thingabout having the initiative is that even if it is noteasy to attack, it is even tougher to defend!
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25.bd1!? (25.xd5 xd5 26.f3 g5 27.g2c6) 25...xd1 26.xd1 e6 27.xe6 fxe628.d6 Bxg2 29.xg2 a5=25.bd1 xd1 25...gxh4? 26.xd5 xd527.h5d8 28.e5+–
(28.g5+)
26.xd1e6 27.d2f6?! 27...gxh4!
was the only way to keep the balance.28.g5+ g6 29.e5 c6! 30.xc6 xc631.xb8+g7
28.xb7 xb7 29.d5 b8 30.f5Now even though Black's position is not lost,practically it is all over. Full domination plusweak king, White's play is easy and Black mustfind only moves all the time. Virtuallyimpossible.30...c6 31.e4 e6 32.g4 h833.d6 e5 34.e4 e8 35.f4 gxf4?!Losing.Even after 35...g4 Black must be ready tosuffer a long time... 36.e7 (36.d4+ f637.fxg5 c8 38.d2±).
36...f8 37.h3 e8 38.d4+ f6 39.f5 e1+40.g2 e3+ 41.xe3 xe3 42.d8 e843.xe8xe8 44.xf6+g8 45.xg5+±
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36.gxf4 g4 37.d4+ f6 38.xf6 e1+39.g2e2+ 40.g3
40...xh2+ 41.xg4g2+ 42.g3 h5+ 43.g5xg3+ 44.h6
A nice game by a great player!1–0
Marin,M (2557) – Stefansson,H (2557)Istanbul ol (Men) Istanbul (7.1), 04.11.2000Often fighting for the initiative is not directlyconnected with an attack on the enemy's king.Sometimes it is just domination all over theboard.17.a1!
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17...a2 It is not clear whether Stefanssonconsidered last White's move as a blunder ornot, but he should have been more careful.Next several moves are forced and for theminimal material advantage he has to partwith both bishops, the central pawn and sometempis...Instead 17...b6 was interesting – with the idea18.c2 (Both 18.d2; and 18.e3 are better.White should not be greedy also!) 18...c519.xc5 xc5 20.xa8 xa8 – we saw somesimilar sacrifices in the first issue of themagazine. With the control of the white squaresall over the board it is Black who has theinitiative.18.c2 xb1 19.xb1 b6 20.c5 xc521.xc5 b8 22.xd4
22...d7 23.c3 a4 24.a5 fe8 25.f325.d4 was beter h8 (25...xe2? 26.xb6cxb6 27.c4+ e6 28.d5) 26.e3 achieving avery nice setup in the center.25...e5 26.b4e6? 26...e7!
and nothing would be clear.27.xb6 27.d4!
is even more convincing.27...xb6 28.d4 ee8 29.xa4
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29...a8 30.c4+h8 31.a4ed8 32.e3
Full domination. And Black has not an evensingle active idea! In such positions White cando whatever he wants, but he should betternot hurry. For example h4–h5, g2 looksgood for beginning. The game went ondifferently, but still White converted withease...1–0
Alapin Variation of SicilianDefence
(GM Petar Arnaudov)
Dear chess friends,I’m GM Petar Arnaudov and I will present arepertoire for White pieces against the sopopular Sicilian Defence. My choice is AlapinVariation (1.e4 c5 2.c3). Nowadays, more andmore people avoid complicated lines after theopen Sicilian 2.f3, followed by 3.d4, becausethey are analyzed in-depth by many books andcomputer databases, where the opening battlegoes on after move 20 and even 30.My idea is not to give you 20 moves in everysubline but rather introduce the strategy ofthe position, so that you can feel the AlapinVariation better and play the forthcomingpositions with understanding and pleasure.The 2.c3 variation fits my conception perfectlywell. The arising positions are playable, thereare no forced draws and it’s more importantto understand the opening than to memorizeplenty of variations.
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Game 1 – Variations with 4...f6[B22]
1.e4 c5 2.c3
White’s idea is 3.d4, struggling for the centre.Black has many possibilities and I will splitthem in three parts. The first contains the sidelines 2...b6, 2...g6, 2...a5, 2...d6. All thesemoves do not attack the e4-pawn directly andleave the center in White’s hands. They will beanalyzed in details in the third part of article,which will be published in August.The second part of the article will deal withone of the main moves in the position 2...f6.This attacking continuation provokes "e4–e5"and doesn’t allow White to fully control thecenter.In this issue I will analyze in-depth the centralbreakthrough 2...d5, where positions with IQP(isolated queen pawn) arise. Such IQPpositions were analyzed in detail by GM ViktorGavrikov in the previous issues of the magazine.2...d5
3.exd5 xd5 Black’s struggle for centersucceeded but the queen is exposed on d5,thus White can gain some tempi.3...f6
This move is less popular, because it leads toan inferior position after 4.a4+ bd7 5.c4e6 6.dxe6 fxe6 7.c3 d6 8.d3. Black had nosufficient compensation for the sacrificedmaterial in the game Howell,D (2614)-Ivanisevic,I (2629) Kallithea 2009, 1–0 (46)4.d4f6
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The first part of the article will deal with thelines arising after 4...f6.5.f3 Black is on the crossroads. He caneither develop the bishop 5...f5, 5...g4, orleave it defending the queenside and hurry upwith the kingside development by 5…e6. Allthese possibilities deserve attention.5...g4 Maybe the most popular system after2…d5, played quite often by the former Worldchampion Garry Kasparov. Black goes for anideal setup – first developing the light-squaredbishop and later …e6, followed by e7 andcastling. Nevertheless, this choice can be risky,since the bishop does not protect thequeenside anymore. I will offer a not so popularline, starting with 6.d2.5...f5
A relatively new move that gained popularitylately. 6.e3c6 7.bd2? This natural lookingmove is a mistake, in view of 7.a3!
The outcome of the tactical battle will favorWhite. 7...cxd4 7...e6 8.a4!
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It’s obvious that the French GM analyzed thevariation in-depth, so his two victories againstplayers with Elo rating 2700+ are not anaccident. In both games he showed greatunderstanding of the position’s nuances.8...0–0–0 9.c4 e4 10.0–0 h3 At the firstglance Black gets the initiative but theforthcoming move dispenses the illusion.11.e1!
11...d5? Krasenkow overestimates hisattacking resources. 12.gxh3 cxd4 13.cxd4xe3 14.fxe3 xe3+ 15.h1 xa3 16.bxa3xd4 17.f3+– Black has no compensationfor the sacrificed piece in the game Vachier
Lagrave,M (2758)-Krasenkow,M (2635) SaintQuentin 2014, 1–0 (36) 8.c4! a5 9.xd4xd4 10.xd4 e5 11.b5+ d7 12.xd7+xd7 13.c4 d5 14.e2 e7 (14...f6 15.0–0 e7 16.ad1 e6 17.f4 with initiative)15.xe5 xe5 16xe5 White wins a pawn16..xg2 17.b5+ f8 (17.c6 18xc6+bxc6 19.xg7 With a clear extra pawn in theendgame) 18.0–0–0 g5+ 19.xg5 xg5+20.c2e7 21.he1 f6? A blunder in a difficultposition. 22.xa7!
22...d8 (22...xa7 23.d7+–) 23.c5 Evenplayers from Club “2700+” are in danger in theSicilian Alapin Variation if they don’t playcarefully. This was exactly the case in thegame Vachier Lagrave,M (2719)-Moiseenko,A(2699) Biel 2013, 1–0 (23) 7...cxd4 8.c4(8.xd4!? It’s not yet too late to save the daywith 8...xd4 9.cxd4 c8. It’s obvious thatBlack stands better but the position is more orless level.) 8...dxe3!!
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Even the computer engines need time toestimate the queen sacrifice precisely.9.xd5 exd2+ 10.xd2 0–0–0 11.xc6?(11.c4!? e6 12.f4d6 13.g5b4+ 14.f1d3+ 15.g1 exd5
Black has a very good position and alas, this isthe best possibility for White.) 11...xd212.xb7+ xb7 13.xd2 e6 with decisivematerial advantage for Black. 14.e2 d615.hd1 c7 16.d4 e4 17.g3 g6 18.c4h5 19.d2 h4 20.g1 hxg3 21.hxg3 h222.f1e4 23.e2b6
A shocking loss in a 20-move miniature gamefor Sergei Tiviakov, who is one of the “knights”of the variation 0–1 (23) Tiviakov,S (2652)-Ruiz Sanchez,O (2420) Panama City 2013.5...e6 is the other main line. Black keeps thelight-squared bishop on "c8". Black’s positionremains solid, but there is no pressure at thecenter, which give us tempo for an attack.6.a3! This is the best square for the knight.From here it can be re-routed either to "c4", orto "b5". Black has a couple of possibilities butneither of them leads to full equality. 6...d8a) 6...cxd4 7.b5!
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The knight on “b5” bothers Black. (Of coursenot 7.cxd4? xa3) 7...a6 8.xd4 c59...xd5 xd5 10.c4 (10.a3) 10...0–011.xd5 exd5 12.0–0e8 13.f4
White can hope for advantage due to thebetter pawn structure and moer active pieces.13...g4 14.fd4 xd4 15.xd4 c5 16.f3d7 17.g3 e6 18.f5 1/2 (58) Tiviakov,S(2668)-Matnadze,A (2361) Banyoles 2006;
a) 6...a6 7.c4!
The “b5” square is out of reach, but now theweakness of “b6” becomes significant.
7...bd7 8.e2 e7 9.0–0 0–0 10.a4 c6Black has difficulties to develop. 11.fe5xe5 12.xe5 c7 13.f4 d6 14.f3 d815.dxc5 xc5 16.e2 White has developmentadvantage and strong bishop pair. Furtherplan is to advance “b” and “c” pawns.16...e7 17.fd1 e8 18.c4 d7 19.d6h4 20.xc5xc5 21.b6
A true opening catastrophe! Black’s queensideremained undeveloped until the end of thegame 1–0 (21) Tiviakov,S (2656)-Pires,G(2145) Porto 2013;b) 6...c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.b5 d7 Theidea of the move is to defend the c6-knight
8...d8 9.bxd4 White returns the pawncomfortably and has an easy play. 9...d510.g5 b6 11.c4 xd4 12.xd4 c513.xd5xd4 14.0–0c5 15.e2 h6 16.f40–0 17.c4
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The position looks equal but actually Whitehas a huge advantage. Black’s king is notdefended by any piece, while White can easilyregroup his pieces for an attack. Tiviakovcontinued brilliantly to become the Europeanchampion in the following game.17...d7 18.ad1ad8 19.d3
Bringing the rook to the third rank is animportant attacking motif.19...c8 20.g3d6 21.g4 g6 22.xh6!
Pretty good calculation, White remains a pawnup. 22...xg3 23.xg3 c5 (23...fe824.e5+–
With an inevitable checkmate!) 24.xf8 xf825.b3 Tiviakov converted his advantageslowly but methodically 1–0 (59) Tiviakov,S(2635)-Sutovsky,E (2630) Plovdiv 2008)9.bxd4 d5 10.d2 d6 11.xc6 xc6?!This move loses an important tempo(11...bxc6!? 12.c4 f6 13.d3 with a minimaladvantage for White.) 12.d4 b6 13.b5+Black cannot castle anymore, it’s obvious thathe lost the opening battle. 13...f8 14.0–0
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c7 15.c4 f6 16.c5 (The simple move 16.h3keeps the advantage) 16...xh2+ 17.h1
with a double-edged game: 1–0 (50) SalgadoLopez,I (2622)-Wojtaszek,R (2715) Dubai2014;7.c4!
I think that this move is more active and givesmore chances for an opening advantage than7.c2 c6 8.ce5 cxd4 (8...xe5 9.xe5 a610.e3 c7 11.a4+ d7 12.xd7 xd713.xd7+ xd7 14.0–0–0 cxd4 15.xd4 1/2(21) Tkachiev,V (2657)-Malakhov,V (2689)Dagomys 2008) 9.b5d7 10.xd7!
10...xd7 (10...xd7 11.xd4xd4 12.xd4a6 13.a4 b5 14.c2f6 15.xd8+ (15.h4!
White has a bishop pair and good chances foran attack.15...xd8 16.e2І 1–0 (50) Tiviakov,S (2650)-Quparadze,G (2489) Nakhchivan 2013)11.xd4 c5 12.xc6 bxc6 13.f3 d514.a4 0–0 15.0–0ab8 16.d
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Here too, the bishop pair and better pawnstructure promise White long-term advantage1–0 (36) Berkes,F (2677)-Horvath,C (2537)Gyula 20136.bd2 c6 6...cxd4 7.c4 h5?! After thismove Black’s queenside remains unprotected.(7...d7!? 8.b3 e6 9.e5 c7 10.b5+ c611.dc4 with an initiative: 1–0 (40)Gaponenko,I (2428)-Belic,J (2320) Pozarevac2009) 8.b3 bd7 9.cxd4 e6 10.xb7 b811.c6 White has an extra pawn and anattack. 11...b4 12.e5 0–0 13.xd7 xd714.xd7 Black resigned only a couple ofmoves later because the compensation for thesacrificed piece is insufficient 1–0 (26)Sveshnikov,E (2580)-Belikov,V (2480) Elista19957.c4xf3 8.b3!
8.a4? Unfortunately, this move is a blunder.8...d1!
(8...g5? looks tempting but loses almost byforce after: 9.xf3 xg2 10.e2 xh1 11.d5c8 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.a6 White crushed hisopponent in the game Tseshkovsky,V (2500)-Istratescu,A (2550) Niksic 1997, 1-0, (19))9.xd1 xg2 10.f3 xf3 11.xf3 andWhite should work hard for a draw; 8.xf3xf3 9.xf3 cxd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.cxd4 a6Black’s future is optimistic.8...a5 The only move, but good enough.9.b5+ 9.xd5?! xb3 10.xb3 (10.xf3!?
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14.b5+14.a4+14...d717.xb5
15.xf6 gxf6 16.0–0–0 xb5
xd5 11.axb3 cxd4 12.xd4 a6 Black reachesa comfortable equality.) 10...xg2 11.a4+d7 12.g1d59...d7 10.xf3 xc4 11.xc4 cxd412.xd4 This is the key position of the6.d2 variation. I think that White retains aminimal advantage. The queenside majoritypromises an advantage. White should developthe dark-squared bishop and centralize therooks on d1, e1. Only after this can he advancethe pawn majority. Besides, Black king is stillin the center, which is a good pre-requisite foradditional tactical motifs.12...e6 12...e5 This apparently active movegives White a subject of attack 13.c2 d514.e3 xc4 15.xc4 White seized theinitiative in the endgame 1–0 (62) Tiviakov,S(2648)-Aveskulov,V (2539) Ottawa 200713.g5 The most active square for the bishop.13...d5 [13...c8 14.e2 d5 15.d1 h61–0 (36) Tiviakov,S (2663)-Spoelman,W(2428) Hilversum 2007 16.c1!N
White’s rook is already developed and thebishop can comfortably return to “c1”, fromwhere it controls both wings. 16...e7
(16...c5 17.g4 xd4 18.xd4 f5 19.c4 f620.xd7+xd7 21.b3. and White has a stableadvantage in the ending because thecombination is stronger than +whenfighting on both flanks!) 17.0–0 0–0 18.c4 f619.f5e8 20.xh6+ gxh6 21.xh6
With a promising attacking position.
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White’s advantage is microscopic but stable.In the following game the better pawn structureand more active pieces gave the opportunity fora clear winning plan. After almost 100(!) movesWhite converted the advantage into a full point.I leave the rest of the game withoutcommentaries but you can enjoy the filigreetechnique of the Alapin Variation maestroEvgeny Sveshnikov.17...b8 18.xa7 c5 19.b5 xf220.hf1 e3+ 21.b1 e7 22.d3 b623.df3 hg8 24.xf6 bf8 25.g3 h526.h6 h8 27.xh8 xh8 28.b4 h4 29.c4hxg3 30.hxg3 e3 31.c5 f5 32.f3 g133.a4 a8 34.a5 xc5 35.bxc5 xa536.d4 xc5 37.e3 f6 38.xe6+ g539.e3g4 40.e2 c4 41.f4 b5 42.d3g5 43.f2 f6 44.b3 b4 45.f3 g546.b2 d4 47.c2 d5 48.b3 d449.a4 c4 50.b3 d4 51.c2 d852.f4 c8+ 53.d2 b8 54.d3 b355.c3 e8 56.d2 b8 57.b2 e858.c4 b8 59.c3 b5 60.b2 b461.h4 f6 62.d4 g5 63.f4 b564.d2 b8 65.f3+ h5 66.d4 b467.e6 b5 68.h4+ g6 69.f4+ g570.h3+ g6 71.f4 f6 72.f2 e573.d3+ f6 74.f3 b8 75.e3 b576.f4 g5 77.h3+ f6 78.f2 e579.f3 g5 80.xb3 a5 81.c2 a2+82.d1 b2 83.e1 a2 84.f1 b285.g2 a2 86.c3 b2 87.f3 b488.d3 a4 89.f4 b4 90.h3+ h591.d3 a4 92.f4+ g5 93.g2 a694.e3 g6 95.b3 c6 96.b5 c397.f4
1–0 (97) Sveshnikov,E (2517)-Nunn,J (2602)Katerini 2014Game 2 – Variations without 4...f6
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 Thesecond part of the article will deal with thealternatives: 4...е5, 4...g6, 4...e6, 4...cxd4 andthe most important 4...c6.4...c6
4...g6
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This move gained popularity lately. Black’s ideais to put pressure on “d” pawn and develop hispieces without playing е7. Black must playactively in search for dynamics, otherwise he risksto fall into a strategically worse position!5.a3! 5.f3!? The most natural move givessatisfying results, as the latest two games of GMAnton Korobov show: 5...g7 6.a3h6 (6...cxd47.c4 e4+ 8.e3 h6 9.cxd4 0–0 10.0–0 f511.e1 xe3 12.xe3f4 13.e5c6 White wasthe one to fight for equality in the game 0–1 (38)Potapov,P (2477)-Korobov,A (2708) Sochi2015) 7.b5 a6 8.e2 0–0 9.0–0 f5 10.c4d8 11.d5 d7 12.c3 e5 13.dxe6 xe6=Zhigalko,S (2678)-Korobov,A (2680) Dubai2014, 0–1 (30)) 5...cxd4 (5...g7 6.b5 The threatof с7 forces Black to develop the knight on arelatively unpromising square a6! 6...a6 7.e3forces Black to take on d4. 7...cxd4 8.f3 f69.xd4 b6?! 9...0–0 10.xa7!?
White must accept the sacrifice. 10...e611.b5 h5 12.e5 xe5 13.xe5 d514.d4 and the compensation has yet to beproved) 10.c4 b7 11.0–0 0–0 12.h4White has already developed his pieces, so hisposition was naturally better in the gameSmirin,I (2663)-Kanter,E (2417) Baku 2013,1–0 (27)) 6.b5 d8 7.f4 a6 8.e5(8.xd4xd4) 8...f6 9.xd4 xd4 10.xd4g7 11.xa7 e5 12.e3 (12.xc8 exd413.b6d8) 12...e6 13.b5e7
Black is better developed, but this is hardlyenough compensation for the lack of a pawn. Ifthe counterplay is not organized fast, White
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will soon convert the extra pawn.14.f3 d5 15.d2 c5 16.c4 b6 17.b4hc8 18.d2
1–0 (34) Berkes,F (2665)-Donchenko,A (2498)Zalakaros 2014; 4...e6!? 5.f3 After the moves5...с6 and 5...f6 the game transposes tothe above-mentioned variations. (5.a3White can try using the move order in hisfavor. 5...cxd4 6.b5 a6 7.xd4 f6 8.e3c5??
(8...e7! 9.f3 0–0 10.c4=) 9.xc5! xc510.xc5xc5 11.c7++–
With a decisive advantage in the gameSveshnikov,E (2555)-Osnos,V (2440) Rostovon Don 1993, 1–0 (25));4...cxd4 After this move, the game cantranspose to already known variations. Onlythe move 6...е5 has an independent value:5.cxd4c6 6.f3 e5!? Black tries to attack thecenter as faster as possible. 7.c3b4 8.d2xc3 9.xc3 e4 10.e5 xe5 11.dxe5 e712.e2! After this quiet move there is noequality for Black. 12...d7 13.0–0 c614.c1 The queen offers the “d1” square to itscollege – the “a1” rook and goes for "g5" itself14...e6 15.d1d6 is an unpleasant threat.15...d5 16.c4±
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1–0 (45) Gharamian,T (2615)-Draftian,A(2333) Belgium 2009; 4...e5
5.f3 exd4 (5...c6) 6.cxd4 cxd47.xd4xd4 8.xd4
Despite the queen exchange, White retains anadvantage. He is a tempo up and threatensb5+, followed by 0–0 and е1+. 8...a6(8...b4+ 9.c3 f6 10.db5 a6 11.a3xc3+ 12.xc3 White has a bishop pair in anopen position, which is a huge advantage. 1–0(91) Bedouin,X (2328)-Oger,C (2007)Elancourt 2007) 9.c3 b4 10.e2 e711.0–0 xc3 12.bxc3 0–0 13.a3 e814.f3±
The bishops on a3 and f3 control the wholeboard, thus it’s hard to suggest any constructiveidea for Black. 1–0 (39)
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Pavasovic,D (2475)-Maccapani,M (2245)Elista 1998]5.f3 Black is on the croassroads. He has atleast four continuations worth mentioning.5...e6 5...f6 6.e3 e6 (6...cxd4 7.cxd4 e68.c3 d6 A classical IQP position is on theboard. 9.a3e7 10.d3 0–0 11.0–0 b6 12.e2b7 13.ad1 h6 14.b1 Adams prepares abattery along the b1-h7 diagonal. 14...fd815.c2ac8 16.d5!
Remember this central breakthrough. Theknight on f6 should protect the “h7” square, sothis is the perfect moment to open up theposition.16...e5 17.xe5 xe5 18.d4 g5 19.xf6xf6 20.h7+ White has an advantage. 1–0(59) Adams,M (2660)-Poluljahov,A (2480)New York 1996)7.a3
Once again following the familiar itinerarywith the knight: – b1–a3–b5–d4 7...cxd48.b5 d8 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 e711.d3 c7 (11...0–0 12.e2 d5 13.0–0d7 14.e4 g6 15.e5 f5 16.f3±
White has more active pieces and a cleartarget in sight – the “e6” pawn: 1–0 (32)Brandenburg,D (2527)-Schut,L (2290) Wijkaan Zee 2012) 12.0–0 0–0 13.e1 d714.g
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With initiative. 14...g6 15.f3 c6 16.e2fd8 17.e5 d5 18.f4 h6 19.f3 g7 20.e4b5 21.a4 a6 22.b4 xa4 23.e5ac8 24.h4 h5 25.g4 hxg4 26.h2
1–0 (26) Almasi,Z (2663)-Ronchetti,N (2414)Reggio Emilia 2008;5...f5 This move is extremely popularnowadays. 6.e3 cxd4 (6...f6 leads to aposition which is analyzed in-depth in the firstgame. 7.xd4 xd4?! This is the beginning ofa wrong idea. (7...e6 8.d2!
8...ge7 (8...xd4!? 9.xd4 e7 10.c4 c611.e3 a5 12.xf5 xf5 13.d3 with aminimal advantage for White) 9.b3?!(9.a4!d8 10.e2 a6 11.d1±
It is not easy to suggest a continuation forBlack.) 9...xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e2 c612.xd5 exd5 13.b6 d6 14.0–0 0–015.fd1
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White’s position is easier to play and containsno risks 1–0 (75) Gormally,D (2504)-Jones,G(2648) England 2014) 8.cxd4 xb1? (8...a69.c3 d7 10.a4 d8 11.e2? (11.c5!c7 12.c1+– with a huge developmentadvantage and a winning position.) 11...e612.0–0 f6 13.b6 c6 14.c4 d6 15.c10–0= 1/2 (34) Zhigalko,S (2661)-Korobov,A(2715) Kiev 2013) 9.a4+!
Black’s king remains in the center 9...d810.xb1 f6 11.f3 e6 12.c4 c6 13.b5d6 14.d2± 1/2 (43) Zhigalko,S (2660)-Guseinov,G (2623) Legnica 2013; 5...g4
6.e2 cxd4 7.cxd4 e6 8.c3 a5 (8...b49.0–0a5 10.d5!?
A typical idea, aiming to open lines anddiagonals against the enemy’s king! (10.e3ge7 11.b3 0–0 12.fd1 fd8 13.h3 h514.ac1 with an interesting double-edgedposition 1–0 (34) Ghaem Maghami,E (2594)-Leon Hoyos,M (2579) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010)10...exd5 (10...d8 11.d2 exd5 12.a3 e713.h3 xf3 14.xf3 with huge compensationfor the pawn.) 11.xd5 (11.d2 f6 12.a3(12.d4) 12...e7 13.b4 d8 14.b5 xf315.xf3e5 16.f4xf3+ 17.xf3
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White’s active pieces are sufficientcompensation for the sacrificed pawn, buthardly more than that.) 11...f6 12.xa5xa5 13.e3=) 9.h3 h5 10.d5! Whitesacrifices a pawn for an initiative. As a result, heseizes an open “e” file and deprives Black ofcastling. It is more than enough compensationand the theory considers this variation as adubious for Black. 10...exd5 Here White has twomethods to fight for the initiative. (10...0–0–011.d2! exd5 12.c1 Underlines theweakness of Black’s king. 12...d4 13.b5 b414.c5? This is an inaccuracy which spoils theadvantage and even leads to a better positionfor Black. (14.xa7+!N xa7 15.xb4 d316.xd3g6 17.e5+–
14...d3 15.xh5 dxe2 16.xe2 xd2+17.xd2 b4 18.a3 xb2 19.g4+ d720.d6+c7 21.f4
Black is 400 Elo rating points “lighter” thanWhite, but this is not a justification foraccepting a draw in a winning position. 1/2(21) Pavasovic,D (2595)-Makaj,M (2266)Sibenik 2008 21...c1+ 22.e2 xh123.b5+ d8–+) 11.0–0 (11.d4 xe212.xe2+ e7 13.xc6 bxc6 14.0–0 f815.d2 f6 16.fe1 d8 17.ac1 h6 18.f4with more than enough compensation for thepawn.) 11...d8 12.d4xe2 13.xe2+e714.cb5xd4 15.xd4f8 16.e3
Black’s position is very unpleasant and hard todefend. White’s rooks will seize the open filessoon, the knight will take the “f5” outpost,
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while the bishop will be re-routed to "d4" or"f4". 1–0 (35) Mammadov,Z (2432)-Plischki,S(2440) Marianske Lazne 20146.a3d86...f6 transposes to 5...f67.c2 f6 8.f4 cxd4 9.cxd4 xd410.xd4xd4 11.xd4
Once again it’s a typical position for thevariation. No queens on the board, moreactive white pieces and pawn majority on thequeenside. It can be evaluated as +=11...a6 12.e2e7 13.0–0–0Sveshnikov prefers 13.0–0–0, but the planwith 13.0–0 and pawn advance on thequeenside looks more logical.[13.0–0 0–0 14.f3±]13...0–0 14.f3 d5 15.g3 b5 16.c6g5+ 17.b1 a5 18.d6 e8 19.he1d720.b8 A beautiful move.20...d8 21.xd5 exd5 22.xd7 xd723.xd5 ad8 24.xg5 xd6 25.xb5 d2
26.be5
1–0 (26) Sveshnikov,E (2570)-Batsanin,D(2360) St Petersburg 1997Easy win for the eminent Grandmaster. Youcan see how dangerous the middlegame canbe without queens.Conclusion: I hope you enjoyed theintroduction to 2.c3 2...d5 Variation of SicilianDefence.I do not pretend to prove that White has adefinite advantage in every line, but I tried toshowcase modern treatment of the variationwith plenty of plans, ideas, manoeuvres andtactical blows. The variation is perfectlyplayable and can be used equally well againstamateurs and grandmasters. The next issue willcover other possibilities for Black and Iwish you many victories until then!
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Dragon Variation of SicilianDefence – Part II
(IM Spas Kozhuharov)
Hello dear friends of “Modern Chess”Magazine. The second part of the DragonVariation article is in front of you. Here I willshow the ambitious continuations 9.0–0–0and 9.g4 and I will suggest how to fightagainst them.1.e4 c5 2.f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 f65.c3 g6 6.e3 g7 7.f3 0–0 8d2 c69.0–0–0
This is our starting position. White’s idea is tostart an immediate kingside attack withoutlosing any tempi for c4. The thematic play…d7, …c8, …e5–c4 will lead to aposition from the 9.c4 variation, but withtwo extra tempi for White, which can bedecisive in such types of positions. Fortunately,the Dragon player has alternatives. Forexample: 9...e6 or 9...xd4. Althoughplayable, these moves are quite risky. That’swhy I’m suggesting the most ambicious andpopular continuation 9...d5.9.g4
This move avoids the long theoretical linesafter 9.c4 and the arising positions aresimilar to those after 9.0–0–0. 9...e6 This isthe main move. (9...d5? is a big mistake afterwhich White will have a material advantage:10.g5h5 11.xd5±)
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10.0–0–0 White’s hopes for an advantage restwith this continuation. (10.xe6 fxe6 11.0–0–0 The attack on the “e6” is not effective, so it’stime to take a look at the other main line forWhite. (11.c4c8 12.b3 (12.0–0–0?e5!)12...a5 13.0–0–0 xb3+ With a comfortableposition for Black. 14.axb3 (14.cxb3 d715.hf1 xc3 16.bxc3 e5 17.f4 d3+ Theposition is close to equal, but still I would preferto play with black pieces here.)14...d7 15.df1 (15.hf1 xc3! 16.bxc3 a5!White rook left the “h1” square, so White willneed much time to organize any attack alongthe “h” file, while in the meantime Black isready to crush the shield of the enemy’s kingby ...a5-a4.) 15...xc3 16.bxc3 e5 with theidea 17.f4 xf4! 18xf4 xc3 19.b1c4!!
20.bxc4c8 21c1xc4–+
With a decisive attack.) 11...e5 Black attacks“f3” and threatensc4. 12.e2c8!?
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A very interesting move which I suggestinstead of the main line (c8). 13.h4 Thepawn race starts. White’s attack is in progress.(13.b1c4 14.xc4xc4 Black stands goodin this position. Further possibilities are …c8,…d7, …b5–b4.; 13.h6 xh6 14xh6 c515.h4ac8 with counterplay. 16.h5
The main attacking mechanism doesn’t workwell for White here. 16...gxh5 17.g5??f7–+
13...fd7 14.f4 c4 15.xc4 xc4 16.e5 Theposition remains very sharp. 16...ad8! Thebest move. 17.exd6 f6! The idea of theprevious move becomes clear now. (17...exd6?!18.h5! White has a dangerous attack.) 18g2xd6 19.xd6 exd6 20.d1 d5 21.b1 b5with a promising position for Black in thegame Zhou,Yang Fan 2475-Pert,Richard 2430/2014, 0–1) 10...xd4 11.xd4 a5 Black isforced to play …d8 – …c7 – …a5 inplenty of other variations, but here he is aclear tempo up, immediately activating thequeen in one move (…d8 -a5) 12.a3 This anecessary move, although White tried also12.b1 (12.b1 fc8 13.h4?! This is themost natural move, but Black has a typicalcombination to obtain advantage.
a) 13.d5
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Thematic idea, basically transposing directlyfrom opening into the endgame. In such typesof endgames Black stands more than fine.13...xd2 14.xd2 xd5 15.xg7 (15.exd5xd5!) 15...b4!;b) 13.g5 h5 14.xg7 xg7 15.d5 xd216.xd2 After 16...f8 or 16...xd5 Blackhas equal play.; 13...xc3! 14xc3 xa2+15.c1 xg4! 16.fxg4 a1+ 17.d2 xe4+18.e1 xc3 19.xa1 xd4 Only Black canbe better in this position.) 12...ab8 Blackprepares …b5–b4 and White is forced to entera level endgame. 13.h4 The most logicalcontinuation.a) 13.d5? This move is a blunder in thisparticular moment of the game. 13...xd2+14.xd2 xd5 15.exd5 h6 Black is winningmaterial and obtaining a decisive advantage.;b) 13.b1fc8 14.h4b1) 14.xf6 xf6 15.d5 xd2 16.xf6+g7!
The last subtlety:b2) 14.g5 h5 15.d5 xd2 16.xd2 xd517.exd5 xd4 18.xd4 This position was metseveral times so far and the practice showsthat Black has enough counterplay. 18...f6;b3) 14.d5xd2 15.xd2xd5 but not …d5?16.xg7 (16.exd5?xd5!
17.xg7xf3) 16...e3 17.d4 xf1 18.xf1with a level game.; 14...b5 15.d5 This moveis compulsory, because after 15.h5 b4!,Black’s attack is faster. 15...xd2 16.xd2xd5 17.exd5 a5 It’s also possible 17...c7,but the text move is more active. 18.c3 It gives
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Black more chances, because not thecontinuation …b5–b4 is even stronger. (18.g5h5 19.xg7 xg7 20.h3 c4! 21.g4f422.e1 f5!? 23.gxf6+xf6
This endgame looks preferable for Black.)18...d7 19.f4 c5 Despite queen exchange,Black retains enough counterplay, connectedto …b5-b4 advance. This happened in thegame Baadur Jobava – Le Quang Liem/Moscow 2008 0–1;13...b5 White is practically forced to enter afutureless ending. 14.d5 xd2+ 15.xd2xd5 16.exd5 a5 with a comfortable position.9...d5
An immediate counter-attack in the center isnecessary, even if connected to a pawnsacrifice. In positions with opposite-sidecastling opening files for the rooks anddiagonals for the bishops is more importantthan material.10.exd510e1
The other main line in the position: Whitetries to get advantage of the X-Ray attack (d1– d8) 10...e5 There are other continuations
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as well, but this one is the most ambitious.11.xc6 bxc6 12.exd5 cxd5
I think that this move is unreasonablyunderestimated. The most common reply is12...xd5 13.g5 and both central pawns arein danger. 13...e6 14.c4 (14xe5?!
It’s dangerous for White to open up the a1-h8diagonal for black’s monsterous bishop. 14...h615.h4 g5 16.e1 e4 Suddenly, whitequeen is trapped in the center of the boardand Black gets material advantage.) 14...c715.xf6 (15.xd5 xd5 16.xd5 xd5
17.xd5 c4 18.a5 c7 (18...fc8 19.e4)19.b5 c4 20.b3 a5 21.e4 e6 22.b1)15...dxc4 16.xg7xg7
White’s hopes for an advantage are connectedwith controlling the “d” file. However, Blackhas a very solid position and counterplayalong “b” file.Please follow the commentaries below closely,so that you can get deeper into the characterof the position and its nuances.17.d5a) 17.e4 ad8 18c3 d5 19.de1 fe8Black didn’t have any difficulties in the game R.Mainka-A.Kalka/ Dortmund, 1999.;b) 17e3 ab8 18.he1 f6 19.e4 (19.f4b7 20.b3 cxb3 21.axb3 b4 Gives a verystrong attack. For example: 22.fxe5 a3+23.d2bd8+ 24.e2g4+) 19...b6 20.c5c8 21.xe6+ xe6 22c3 d6 23.xd6xd6 1/2–1/2 was M.Mьller-S.Berndt,German League 1998.;17...xd5 18.xd5
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White cannot expect any advantage after thequeen exchange. 18...fe8 19c3 g820a5 This major pieces endgame didn’t giveany trouble to the future World champion, just18 years old at the time: Leko- Carlsen rapidmatch 2008;10.b1
An ambitious move. The idea is that 10...dxe4is impossible due to10...xd4 (10...dxe4??11.xc6 xd2 12.xe7++–) 11.e5 (11.xd4This move doesn’t set any problems for Black11...dxe4 Black has at least equal game.)11...f5 12.exf6 exf6!
The dark-squared bishop is just temporarilyclosed. Meanwhile, Black opens the “e” file.(12...xf6 This is the alternative 13.xd5xe3?? (13...xd5! 14xd5 xe3 15d2xd1 16xd1 The position is close to equal,but I would rather have the queen. If you likepositions with material imbalance, this is acompletely playable option.) 14.xf6++–)13.c5 (13.xd5xe3 14xe3e6 followedby …f5. Black has more than enoughcompensation for the sacrificed pawn, due tothe open files and diagonals.) 13...d4 Thepowerful bishop pair and the extra pawn aresufficient compensation for the exchange.(Flabby 13...e8 leads to a position with a pawnless and no compensation 14.xd5)14.xf8 xf8 15.b5 e3 16.c1 h617xd4 f5 18c3 xc1 19.xc1 d720.d3c8 21d2xb5 22.xb5c5
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Black had a comfortable position in the game1/2 (71) Short,N (2707)-Carlsen,M (2801)London 200910...xd5 11.xc6 bxc6 12.d4
This positional suggestion is the main line ofthe variation nowadays.12.xd5
White can accept the pawn sacrifice but itgives Black an easy play and an attack.12...cxd5 13xd5c7!
Black can even leave the rook on “a8”undefended, because of his active pieces andrelatively exposed white king. a8 14c5This continuatioin is more logical than14.xa8. White goes for a queen exchange,where the extra pawn will be more valuableand Black’s attack will be less dangerous.(14xa8?! Accepting the “Greek gift” leads to
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a dangerous position for White. 14...f515xf8+ xf8 16.d2 (16.d3?e5) 16...h5!
An important move which doesn’t allow 17.g4,frees another escape route for the king andconsolidates the position of the light-squaredbishop on “f5”. Black has impressionablestatistics in this position. Let me show you arecent example: 17.e2 f6 18.g3 b7 19.c4b4! С идея (19…a6 20.a3 a4 21.g4 hxg422.fxg4 xg4! 23.xg4 xc4+ 24.c2 xg425.xa7 Despite the equal material, White’sposition is very unpleasant because his piecesare not coordinated. 25...d7! 26.c5xb2+!27.xb2 (27.xb2b7+) 27…c6 Black has awinning position in the game E. Kislik – S.Husari/ 0–1 Budapest, 2010) 20.d4 xd421.xd4a4!‚
Attacking the “a2” pawn and threatening c2.)14...b7 Of course, Black’s plan is different.The real threat is b2. White has a fewpossibilities, but each of them leads to enoughcounterplay for Black. 15.a3 Finally, themain move in the position.a) 15b5?xb5 16.xb5b8
Black returns the pawn and the enemy’s kingfeels even more unsecure without queens onthe board.;b) 15.c3f5
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Pay attention to how each black piece pointsat the enemy’s king. After including the lastreinforcements in attack (c8 and b8) Whitewill be demolished. 16.a3 ab8 17.a6c618.d3 d5 19.c2 b5 White retains theextra pawn but the position is hard to defend.Ruiz C,Joshua Daniel 2366–Arenas,David 2436½ - ½, 2014;c) 15.d4 f5 with the idea of fc8 withdangerous attack
b) 15.b3 This move significaly weakensthe black squares around white king.15...f5 16.d3ac8!
17.a5 (17.xa7 xd3 (In case you want toavoid a draw result, you can try 17...d5!? andblack active pieces neutralize the materialdeficit.) 18.xd3 (18xb7 xc2+ 19.b1b2+ with perpetual check.) 18...c6 19.c4f6 leads to a draw but White should becareful. For example: 20.d4 is a mistake,which leads to a difficult position. 20.d4(20.d4? g5+!) 20...a6 21.a7 f622d4=) 17...c3! 18.xf5 xe3 19.e4b8 20.g3c8
The position is very typical for the variation.White is a pawn up, while Black’s pieces aremore active and attack along the dark squaresindeed looks menacing. The position waspractically examined in the last few years andBlack proved to have at least equal chances.15...f5 16.d3a) 16.c4 fc8 17.b3 a5 gives Blackexcellent chances.b) 16.b1? ab8 17.c1 xc2+! 18.xc2fc8+ 19.b1xc1+!–+
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c) 16.a6 c7 17c5 b6! 18xb6 axb619.c4 (19.d3 xd3 20.xd3 xa2 Blackhas a preferable ending.) 19...fc8 20.b3xa2! 21.d8+ xd8 22.xa2 h5! Black has atleast equality.;16...ab8 with the idea to provoke 17.b3.17.b3 c6! The threat is 18...c3 18.xf5(18xe7? Taking poisoned pawns can be toogreedy in such kind of positions, where eachtempo matters. 18…c3!–+ is immediatelywinning for Black.; 18.c4f6 19.d2 xc220.c1f5 21.e2 The material is equal, butit’s obvious that white king is insecure in thecenter of the board.; 18.a5 f6 19.xf5b2+ 20.d2 gxf5 21.e2 fc8 22.c1 xc2+23.xc2 xc2+ 24d2 c7 25.f4 e5 Thislong variation leads to a relatively equal game.;18.c4? Such a move can only weaken the darksquares around the king. 18...f6 19.xf5c3+ 20.b1xe3 Remember that the attackis even stronger with the presence ofopposite-coloured bishops. It’s like attackingwith a piece up. For example, compare the g7-monster to his colleague.) 18...c3!!
This fantastic move was found byGrandmaster Golubev. Black sacrifices a piecebut the attack is so strong that White shouldbe very careful in order to survive. 19.c5The only move which keeps the game tense.(19.d3? A very popular mistake. 19...bc8with the idea …fd8 – …xd3 and …xc2#20.hf1 planning to bring the rook into defence(f2) 20...fd8 21.f2 xd3! 22.xd3xd3 The material balance is restored butBlack’s attack is going on.23xa7 (23xe7 c3 24.d1 f8! 25e4c5! 26.xc5d8+–+
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A splendid end of the game is approaching:27.e2 d2+ 28.e1 xc2+ 29.d1 c1+30.e2e1#) 23…c3 24.d1 a1+ 25.e2(25.d2 d8+) 25...xc2+ 26.d2 c327.d3d1–+
19...b2+ 20.d2 gxf5 21.e2 (21xf5? Asusual, taking poisoned pawns is notrecommendable. 21...e6 22e4 f5 23xe6+h8 with plenty of threats.) 21...bc8!22xf5 e6 23d3 c3 24d7 xc2+25.d2 xa2 26d3 xd2+ 27.xd2 c8(27...b2!?) 28.c1= with a drawish end in thegame G.Morrais – G.Walter, correspondance200912...xc3
I decided to recommend this variationbecause it’s a solid one and there is not so muchtheory to remember compared to the mainlines.13xc3h6+ 14.e314.b1? e5 This is the end of many blitz games.14...xe3+ 15xe3 b6 It’s important toactivate the pieces as soon as possible, even atthe cost of a pawn sometimes.16xe716xb6 axb6 with a dead drawn position;16c3 e6 17.h4 ad8 18.d3 d5 19.h5c5 20e1b8 21.b3b4
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And Black simplifies the position right on time,just before White’s attack increases.16…e6 17.d3 17.a3 This move retainsthe extra pawn but the practice shows thatBlack has sufficient compensation for it.17...ad8 18.d3d5!
This strong manoeuvre keeps Black’s chances.The idea behind it is to double the rooks on “d”file, meanwhile threatening …а5 19.b3 fd8.White has a couple of equally goodcontinuations but none of them leads toadvantage. 20.he1
a) 20.de1!? This move was tried on the toplevel. 20...c5?! with the idea …с4 (20...d4!?21.e58d5 22.xd5xd5 23.e1f2 with alevel game: 1/2 (31) Alekseev,E (2688)-Lintchevski,D (2539) Olginka 2011) 21.c4d2 22.xe6 fxe6 23.d1? this move leads toa balanced position. (23.g3 f2 24.d1 d425.f4 d6 26a5 White managed toconsolidate the position and retained theextra pawn in the game Volokitin,A (2687)-Pavlidis,A (2338)/ 1–0 (46), Rijeka 2010)23...xd1+ 24.xd1 xd1+ 25.xd1 c426e7g1+ with perpetual check.;b) 20b2 f2!N with the idea to meet21.d2? (21.hg1 f5 and White will be theone who will fight for a draw.) with 21...e3!22.hd1 c5!
Black has a strong initiative.; 20...f5! andBlack is out of any danger.17…e3+ This move has been consideredweak for a long time, but AustralianGrandmaster Smerdon proved that Black is noworse after it.18.d2
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18.b1?xa2+18...fe8! This is the improvement of thevariation.
19f619h4?! xa2! 20f2 e5 21.e4 e6!22d4 a5 23.b4 a4 Black has dangerousattack – …b8 and …a5 and White is in trouble.;19a3 ad8 20.hd1 f5 21c3xd3 22.cxd3 c5!19...ad8 20.h4f5 21g5e6 22.b122.xf5??e1+22...xd3 23.cxd3 d5
It seems that Black has more than enoughcompensation for the sacrificed pawn.Conclusion: The variations 9.c4 and 9. 0–0–0 have been analyzed in-depth in the firstand the second part of the article. I hope that Imanaged to awaken the Dragon inside You!The positions are dangerous, but sharp anddouble-edged and both players play for a win.Now You are armed with enough theory and areserve of tactical and strategical ideas, whichYou can successfully implement in practice.Good luck!
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The attack with an isolated pawn(GM Viktor Gavrikov)
Dear chess friends, this article marks thebeginning of a training course designed toacquaint the readers of the magazine "ModernChess" with one of the most important type ofpositions in middlegame - isolated pawn.The importance of this topic is related to the factthat it can arise from a huge number of openings.Several examples are Queen’s Gambit, SlavDefense, Tarrasch Defense, New Indian Defense,Nimzowitsch Defense, Sicilian Defense and manyother openings. Therefore, good knowledge ofthese positions is necessary for any chess player,regardless of his repertoire.Our magazine provides a full course of study onthe isolated pawn, which contains three logicallylinked articles. The first two published materialsfocus on the methods of playing with an isolator.This article will explain in depth the three mostimportant attacking ideas for the side playing with an“isolani”, which are – the transfer of the rook on thirdhorizontal (rank), the movement of the isolated pawn,and the sacrifice of the knight on “f7”. No lessimportant are the positional and attacking techniques,which will be discussed in the second article of our
series – the switch to a symmetric pawn structureafter the exchange on “d5”, the movement of “f”pawn and the movement of “h” pawn. Once ourreaders are familiar with the offensive potentialof the isolated pawn, they can move forward tothe closing article of the course, which stressesthe methods of playing against such a pawn.
1) The transfer of the rook on thirdhorizontalFor a better understanding of this manoeuvre, itis necessary to make some generalclarifications.The main advantage of the isolated pawn is thatit provides spatial advantage. While the isolanicontrols the “e5” and “c5” squares ( “e4” and“c4” for black, respectively), they can be perfectoutpost for the knights. Another essentialadvantage is the possession of the semi-open “e”file which is often used as a springboard for thedevelopment of an attack against the enemy’sking.Taking into consideration the above-mentionedadvantages, the side playing with an isolatedpawn should seek for attack on the kingside andavoid pieces exchanges. The readers shouldknow that in endgame such a pawn is aweakness rather than a strength.One of the classic methods of attack is thetransfer of the rook to the kingside. This ismaneoeuvre is possible due to the spatialadvantage provided by the isolated pawn. Wecan say that quite often the isolani acts as a“screen”, behind which the regrouping of thepieces is performed, aiming to start an offensiveagainst the king. A relevant example, which fullyillustrates the idea of the transfer of the rook onthe third rank, is the classical game between thetwo Russian Grandmasters, Lev Polugaevskyand Anatoli Lutikov, played back in 1957.
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Polugaevsky,L – Lutikov, А [D37]URS-ch sf Sverdlovsk (15), 19571.d4f6 2.c4 e6 3.f3 c5 4.e3e7 5.c3 0–06.d3Move d4-d5 deserves attention, leading toBenoni’s pawn structure, favorable for white: 6.d5exd5 7.cxd5 d6 8.e4 White’s advantage is due tothe fact that the “e7” square is not suitable for thebishop – in this type of structures the best placefor it is on the big diagonal (a1-h8).6...d5 7.0–0 dxc4 8.xc4bd7
Very crucial moment! When Black develops theknight on “d7”, they seek for harmoniousdevelopment of the queenside. Their plan includesmoves а7–а6, b7–b5, b7, b6, ac8 и fd8.However, the early development of the knight on“d7” is premature, because White can oppose a7-a6 with a2-a4. In that situation, the black knightwill be far from the weakened square “b4”.Therefore, the modern theory recommendsstarting with 8...a6, which aims to provoke a2-a4and thus weaken the square “b4”. The differencehere is that the black knight is still on “b8” andmay move easily to “b4”, from where it does notonly control the “d5” square, but also preventsoffensive ideas of white queen – bishop battery on
the “b1- h7” diagonal and the transfer of therook to the third rank through “d3”. 9.a4c6
9e2 A typical move for queen’s structure
It is obvious that soon enough this will lead to aposition with an isolated pawn and White willstart to place its pieces on the best squares. Thequeen occupies the “e” file, which will becomesemi-open after the inevitable pawn exchangeon d4, while the rook should be placed on “d1”,where it will create a dangerous confrontationagainst black queen.9...a6 10.a4 cxd4 11.exd4b6 12.b3
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Тhe best place for the bishop in this kind ofposition. The control of the “d5” square is crucialwhen the black knight is on “b6”.12...d7 13.e5
13...e8? A very instructive mistake.
The bishop on “e8” disturbs the coordinationbetween the heavy black pieces and limits themovement of the rook from “f8”.Black should prefer the following option: 13...c614.xc6 bxc6
The position that occurred is very interestingand popular, but often incorrectly evaluated.The “c6” + “e6” structure, against “d4” is called a“saw”. It is important to know that this type ofstructure is favorable for Black, only if the light-squared bishop is not on “c8”, otherwise it willbecome the prisoner of his own pawns. Blackalso controls the semi-opened “b” file, whichfully compensates for white’s pair of bishops.This would lead to a very interesting andcomplex game.14.d1bd5
15.d3! White chose the best moment to swingthe rook over to the kingside. Where exactly the
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rook should be placed next, on “g3” or “h3”, willdepend on black’s subsequent actions.15...c8 16.g3! An important moment from apractical point of view. When we transfer the rookto the third horizontal in positions with isolatedpawn, it is necessary to choose the square fromwhich the rook confronts the black king. Whitethreatensh6.16...h8 17.g5b4 18.d1After this move all white pieces are in play. Thus,it is time to trigger an attack on the kingside.18...c7 19.h3!
Reader would do well to pay attention to thepositioning of white rook against black king. A realstorm will start soon on the kingside!19...g6With his last move, Black caused irreparableweaknesses around his king. However, it shouldbe noticed that it is not easy to find a better movein the absence of black counterplay in the centeror the queenside.Obviously, 19...g8 stumbles upon a typical movefor this type of position 20.e4
White’s idea is logical. He seeks to exchangef6, the only piece defending the kingside. Hereis how it could develop: 20...bd5 21.xf6+xf6 22d3 …h6 (after 22...g6 23.h6 blackrook is blocked.) 23.xh6! gxh6 24e3+–
Checkmate is inevitable.20f3!
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White not only highlights the unstable position ofthe knight on “f6”, but also prepares thebreakthrough d4-d5.20...g8? A serious mistake in a very difficultposition.20...c6 would not save black either, because of21e3. After the exchange on “f6”, white queenmoves to the “h6” square.21.e4 Undoubtedly, the most natural move.White, however, missed a more elegant and quickwin: 21.d5!
21...exd5 22.xd5 bxd5 23.xd5! …xd524.xh7+!xh7 25h3+g7 26h6#
A picturesque position!21...h5 Black tries to close down the “h” line,but now the “f7” became terribly weak.21...xe4? 22.xh7+! xh7 23h3+ g724h6#22xf7!
The last shot! Black’s position is falling apart.The rest does not need any comments.22...c6 22...xf7 23.xf7+ g7 24.xd8xd8 25.g4 f6 26.h6+ h8 27.g5+–;22...xg5 23.xg5+–
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23xe6 g7 24.d5 d7 25.xe7 xe726d6e8 27.f6xf6 28xf6+ g7 29.d6
1–0
2) The movement of the isolated pawnConsidering the spatial advantage and thereference squares, the isolated pawn providesmany other dynamic possibilities, linked to themovement of the isolani. Here, it is crucial to ask abasic question, the answer to which confuses eventhe experienced chess players: In whichcircumstances is necessary to push the isolatedpawn? Although the answer to this question is notobvious, we will try to give a general rule, easy tounderstand for everyone: The isolated pawnshould be moved forward, when the side playingwith it has development advantage. This rule isbased on the fact that the player, whose pieces arebetter developed, seeks to open the position andseize the initiative. Despite this, there arepositions in which the isolated pawn is a weaknessand the side playing with it tries to get rid of it bymeans of pushing it forward and trading it for theadjacent pawn. This usually happens in theendgame. Now, we would like to give you anexample of a game, played by one of the greatestHungarian theoretician Lajos Portish.Portisch,L (2625) – Sosonko,G (2505) [E57]Biel Interzonal Biel (18), 04.08.1976
1.d4f6 2.c4 e6 3.c3b4 4.e3 0–0 5.d3 d56.f3 c5 7.0–0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.xc4 b610.g5b7 11.e1c6
This is one of the most popular positions inRubinstein system of the Nimzo-Indian defense.By placing the knight on “c6”, Black seeks to putpressure on the isolated pawn. However, theknight is not very well placed on “c6”, becausethe black’s light-squared bishop cannot controlthe “d5” square. All these facts contribute to theplan of moving the isolani forward.It is safer to play: 11...xc3 12.bxc3 bd7followed by c7. This is a different type ofmiddlegame position – a pair of isolated pawns“c3”+”d4”. Please notice that this specific pawnstructure will be subject to a separate topic inour magazine.12.a3 A key move! White prepares to playd3,while preventing b4. Once the queen is on“d3”, White intends to play аd1, in order toprepare the d4-d5 move or to build a battery onthe diagonal “b1-h7”, usingа2 - b1 maneuvrе.12...e7 13d3
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13...h5?! Black made a typical mistake for suchpositions. With his last move, Black seeks toexchange the dark-squared bishops with 14.xe714...xe7. Afterwards, the knight from “h5”, goesto “f6” and Black would completely totally controlthe key square “d5”. It should be also noted thatthe exchange of the dark-squared bishopsdiminishes white’s offensive potential and as weknow, the side playing against the isolated pawnseeks for the exchange in order to get to theendgame. However, the move 13...h5 ispremature, because White is not obliged toexchange the bishop – instead he can put it on“d2”!Therefore, it was better for Black to choose thismove order: 13...h6 14.h4 h5 15.xe7 xe7followed byf6. Black has a normal game ahead.14.d2! This is the difference! Black not onlyfailed to exchange the dark-squared bishops, butalso removed his knight from the center. “d4-d5”threat begins to take real shape.14...f6 The gain of the pawn also lookedattractive: 14...a5 15.a2xf3? 16xf3!xd4
The knight on “h5” is under attack, but so iswhite bishop on “d2”. However, Black losesbecause of the limited mobility of the otherknight on the rim (а5). 17.ad1f6 18.b4!!+–and Black is defenseless as the knight hasnowhere to go - 18...с4 is followed by 19.f4.15.ad1a5?! The beginning of a wrong plan– Black neglects the development of his heavypieces, while helping White to implement hisidea (a2–b1). It is necessary to point out thatby putting the knight on “a5”, grandmasterSosonko intended to strengthen the control overthe strategically important square “d5”.However, as we will see later, White has a veryconvincing antidote.More recommended: 15...c816.a2d5?
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Black continues to follow his wrong plan – inpursuing his strategical goals, he forgets about thetactical resources of his opponent. The problem isthat we cannot block an isolated pawn with apiece.Again, it was better to develop the rook16...c8.17.b4! This particular move escaped Sosonko’sattention.17...xc3?
The third and last mistake. Now, the only passivewhite piece (d2) steps on the big diagonal.White has a huge advantage in development andhe is ready to push d4-d5.
It was necessary to play: 17...c6 18.xd5 exd5
The position has changed from the structuralpoint of view. We have the so-called“symmetrical pawn structure” on the board,which will be discussed in details in the nextissue of our magazine. For now, we will say thatin this type of middlegame, the side that has abetter piece development has also theadvantage. In the position on the diagram, Whitehas a very typical attacking idea: 19.h4!? at hisdisposal, intending to playb1 and to confrontg7-g6 with h4-h5. Of course, before pushing the“h” pawn, it is advisable to use new weaknesseson the dark squares withh6. It is important tonote that the pawn cannot be won: 19...xh420.b5a5 21.b4
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18.xc3c6 19.d5!
When your pieces are in their optimal squares, asis the case in this position, it is a sign that themoment is ripe to push the isolated pawn! TheBlack’s position is falling apart.19...exd5 20.xd5c720...f6 21c4+–21.b5! a5 22.e5! The last accurate move -now material losses are for black inevitable.22..c5 [22..c8 23.xg7+–; 22..d8 23.xb7xb7 (23..xd3 24.xd3 xb7 25.d7+–)24d7d6 25g4 g6 26f4+–]23.xb7xb7 24d7a5 25.d4
1–0
3) The sacrifice of the knight on “f7”The sacrifice on “f7” is the last attacking ideawhich will be discussed in this issue of ourmagazine. Of course, such a blow on black’sposition cannot come from nowhere - there arecertain premises. Our readers should rememberthat the sacrifice on “f7” is always followed by thegain of the pawn on “e6”. In order to achieve thisscenario, two conditions need to be met:
The white light-squared bishop must be put onthe “a2-g8” diagonal;The black light-squared bishop must have leftthe “c8-h3” diagonal.To understand the practical application of thetheoretical concepts mentioned above, wepropose to your attention the game betweenRubinstein – Burn, played in Ostend, in 1906.The position that we are interested in aroseafter the moves:Rubinstein,A - Burn,A [D40]Ostend, 1906
1.d4 d5 2.f3 f6 3.c4 e6 4.c3 bd7 5.e3e7 6.d3 0–0 7.0–0 dxc4 8.xc4 c5 9e2b6 10.b3 cxd4 11.exd4d7
With his last move, Black clearly shows theintention to place his light-squared bishop onthe “a8-h1” diagonal. It is obvious that thebishop situated on “c6” will exert a stablecontrol over the “d5” square. Along with itsadvantages, this maneuver hides its own risks.As already mentioned, the abandonment of the“c8-h3” diagonal weakens the “e6” pawn, whichis under attack by the white bishop on “b3”. Thisis why Black has to be extremely careful.
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12.e1! A great idea of Akiba Rubinstein. Some ofthe keenest readers, probably already noticed thatas in previous games, White always places therook on “d1”. However, the polish chess virtuosodid not play as usual. Anticipating the futurevulnerability of the “e6” pawn, he decided to placehis heavy pieces on the “e” file.12...c6 13.e5! Now, on any move, Blackshould consider the sacrifice of the knight on “f7”.13...d5 Black tries to neutralize the pressure onthe “a2-g8” diagonal. However, the move 13...d5gives White the opportunity to take the bishopwith the knight. In this situation, b3 remainedwithout an opponent and now the sacrifice on “f7”becomes even more dangerous. It was better toplay 13...bd5.The tempting gain of the pawn 13..xd4 can beconfronted with the thematic sacrifice on “f7”.14.xf7!
14...xf7 15xe6 d5 (15...bd5?! 16.e3 b417.xd5 xd5 18.xd5 xd5 19xd5±)16.xd5 bxd5 (16...fxd5? 17.e3+–) 17.e3xb2 18.ab1a3 19.xd5xd5 20xd5d821xb7 xa2 22xa7 xa7 23.xa7 b424.xb4xa7
Although this position looks drawish at firstsight, in practice Black has to work hard in orderto make a draw.14.xd5 bxd5 Black took with the rightknight. It is necessary to notice that in this kindof position with an isolated pawn, the removalof the “f6” from the kingside usually invitesproblems for his monarch.Here is one of the variations: 14...fxd5 15g4A typical move.
From the “g4” square, the queen not onlythreatens black king, but also intensifies thepressure on the “e6” pawn. Now, it is already too
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late for the black knight to come back to “f6”:15...f6? 16.xf7!
16...xf7 (16...xg4 17.xd8±) 17xe6 fd5(17...bd5 18.e5±) 18.e5±15.g5 c8?
A very serious mistake, Burn completely ignoreswhite’s tactical threats. Had he predicted white’snext move, Black would have defended the pawnon “e6” by playing 15...d6.
16.xf6! A known rule – if you exchange one ofthe interconnected knights, the other one lossesits support. Now, after any black’s move, Whitesacrifices on “f7”.
16...xf6
16...xf6? 17.xf7!; 16...gxf6? 17g4+ h818.xf7+! xf7 19xe6f8 20.xd517.xf7! The logical conclusion of Rubinstein’sstrategy. The pressure along the “a2-g8”diagonal is crushing.
The rest of the game does not need anycomments.17...xf7 18xe6 xd4 19.xd5 xf2+20.h1 f8 21.f1 c2 22.ac1 xc123.xc1
1–0
