Alekhine's Defence [B0205]

Written by GMs Gawain Jones, Jonathan Rowson, Nigel Davies, Neil

McDonald, IMs John Watson & Andrew Martin
Last updated Tuesday, July 19, 2011

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lekhine's Defence is one of Black's most dynamic reactions to 1 e4. Rarely

played at superGM level, it remains however a dangerous weapon for club and
international players alike. Black gives White the opportunity to set up a

massive pawn centre, which he or she will then attempt to destroy.

The Four Pawns Attack is White's most direct option but at present Black's
counterplay seems sufficient. Many White players are currently opting for safe lines with c4
and exd6, with prospects of a slight edge. The Chase Variation is rarely played and
probably better than its reputation. The main line remains 4 f3 where White is doing fairly
well, but there remains much room for debate.
An opening for the enterprising player!

All the game references highlighted in blue have been annotated and can be downloaded in
PGN form using the PGN Games Archive on www.chesspublishing.com.

Contents

1 e4 f6 2 e5
2 c3, 2 d3 Alekhine's DefenceNot 2 e5, & 2 e5 without 3 d4 [B02]

2...d5
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3 d4
3 c4 Alekhine's DefenceNot 2 e5, & 2 e5 without 3 d4 [B02]

3...d6 4 f3
4 c4 b6 5 f4 (5 exd6 Alekhine's DefenceExchange (5 exd6),+ other 3rd moves [B03])
5...dxe5 6 fxe5 Alekhine's DefenceFour Pawns Attack [B03]

4...g4
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4...dxe5 Alekhine's Defence4 Nf3 without 4...Bg4 [B04]

5 e2 e6 6 0-0
Alekhine's Defence4 Nf3 Bg4 [B05]

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Alekhine's Defence Not 2 e5, & 2 e5

without 3 d4 [B02]
Last updated: 10/09/06 by Andy Martin

1 e4 f6

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2 e5
2 c3 This is not a very popular move. But as we shall see, Black has to solve a lot of
problems after 2...d5 (The main drawback of this line is that Black can transpose into
a Vienna with 2...e5 this has turned it into a nogo area for all but Vienna players,
which also explains why there are so few GM games with it. Having said that, the
two Viennawielding GMs that I know of (Balashov and Hector) both go 2 c3
against the Alekhine, and Hector in particular has notched up tremendous results for
White and his games bristle with new ideas.) 3 e5 (3 exd5 xd5 4 c4 (4 ge2 is a
type of Centre Counter, see Keres,PMikenas,V/URS 1968., 4 g3 xc3 5 bxc3 d7 6
g2 c6 isn't very dangerous at all for Black. Neutralising the g2 Bishop in this way
guarantees a good game. 7 f3 g6 8 0-0 g7 9 e1 0-0= Novitzkij,D
Kupreichik,V/Minsk BLR 2004) 4...c6 5 f3!? a few years ago a young Galkin tried
to defend this line three times as Black against Skatchkov and lost each time. Now
increased popularity has led to Black's resources being better understood, see
Markovic,MAndonov,B/Belgrade YUG 2002.) 3...fd7

a) 3...d4 4 exf6 (if instead 4 ce2 Black has nothing better than 4...e4 transposing
to 3...Ne4, as (4...d3 5 f4! dxc2 6 xc2 leads to a serious advantage for White.) )
4...dxc3 5 fxg7 cxd2+ 6 xd2 xg7 Hector,JKengis,E/Haninge (Sweden) 1992.
b) 3...e4 4 ce2! The critical move, aiming to gain time against Black's errant
knight. 4...f6 (The other method of disrupting White's plans is with 4...d4 5 c3 White
should undermine the d4 pawn as soon as possible, otherwise Black will strengthen
it, with a comfortable game. (5 f3!?N c6 6 c3 g4 7 exd4 xe5 8 e2 d5 9 b5 0-0-0
10 c4 e6 11 d4 g6 12 d5 f5 13 bd4 a remarkable mess where White has the upper
hand in view of Black's hanging pieces, Schmaltz,RGikas,B/Bundesliga 2002.)
5...c6! 6 cxd4 g5 7 f4 e6 8 f3 Nisipeanu,LBagirov,V/Cuxhaven 1994.) 5 d3
g5 6 xg5! White gives up his Bishop, but gets strong pressure on the hfile.
6...fxg5 7 h4 g4 (7...gxh4 8 f4 g6 9 xh4 Vorotnikov,VKengis,E/Tallinn 1983, which
has to be seen to be believed. White launches a sharp theoretical attack. Black has to
reply with a string of only moves, eventually sacrificing his queen for a minor piece
to reach a drawn ending queen for bishop down!) 8 f4 f5 9 ge2 Hector,JVan
Der Werf,M/Berlin (Germany) 1993.
4 e6 This pawn sac is White's sharpest option. (After 4 d4 there is 4...c5!? (4...e6 5 f4 c5 6 f3
we get a Steinitz variation of the French.) 5 f3 e6 6 dxc5 c6 7 f4 xc5 which
transposed into a Steinitz variation of the French in Cherniaev Baburin, 10th
Monarch Assurance 2001) 4...fxe6 5 d4 c5 (5...g6 6 h4 g7 7 h5 Hector,J
Maus,S/Copenhagen (Denmark) 1990.) 6 f3 c6 7 b5!? Hector's move, fighting
for control of the d4 and e5 squares, (7 dxc5 Rudd,JPalliser,R/Nottingham ENG
2005) 7...g6 8 dxc5 (8 e2 g7 9 xe6?? cxd4 10 xc6 bxc6 11 xc6 dxc3 12 f4 cxb2 13
d1 a6-+ was the unfortunate course of Dolshkova,KPavlov,S/Ukraine 2005)
8...g7 9 e3 a5 10 0-0 Hector,JSergeev,V/Berlin 1995.
2 d3 is a quiet but far from innocuous line to which the best answer may be 2...c5 (2...e5 3
f3 c6 4 e2 e7 5 c3 0-0 6 0-0 d5 7 c2 a5 8 bd2 e8 9 e1 f8 10 b3 b6 11 a3 b7 12
b2 b8 13 f1 dxe4 14 dxe4 bd7 15 b4 was better for White in Csom,ICooper,J/Nice
1974, 2...d5 3 e5 fd7 4 f4 e6 5 f3 c5 6 g3 c6 7 g2 e7 8 0-0 0-0 9 c4 gave White a
favourable pawn structure in Zaichik,GDreev,A/Lvov 1987) 3 f4 c6 4 f3 g6 5
e2 (and now 5 g3 leads to positions akin to a Closed Sicilian) 5...g7 6 bd2? d5 7

0-0 0-0 8 h1 b6 9 exd5 was good for Black in Thomas,GAlekhine,A/Baden

Baden 1925.

2...d5 3 c4
3 c3

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An old line favoured by Keres. White accepts some flaws in his pawn structure but in return
obtains free piece play. 3...xc3 this natural move is definitely the best, (3...e6 4 xd5
exd5 and now 5 f3!? is a relatively recent idea. The queen intends to pressurize the
black kingside early in the game, Oral,TPribyl,J/Pardubice CZE 2002) 4 dxc3 This
move contradicts the wellknown principle of capturing "towards the centre". But it
has its points. White tries to gain an advantage in development, and maybe create
pressure on the dfile. (4 bxc3 This old line is not so popular nowadays, however the
Ukranian GM Vladimir Baklan plays it with great success. 4...d5 5 d4 c5 6 f3 c6
Baklan,VMiroshnichenko,E/Alushta 1999.) 4...d6 (4...g6?! Uncommon, and to
encourage an early blast with h2h4 seems far too risky: 5 f4 g7 6 e2 c6 7 0-0-0
a5 8 b1 0-0 9 f3 a6 10 d4 b5 11 h4 Huebner,RJunge,K/Bundesliga GER 2005
Black scarcely has a defence.) 5 f3 The main line, the alternatives are harmless.
5...dxe5 (5...c6 6 f4?! After this Black can transpose into what is probably a
favourable endgame. 6...g6 (6...dxe5!) 7 c4 Toothill,JDavies,N/Birmingham 4NCL
2001.) 6 xd8+ xd8 7 xe5 e6! (7...e8 Rozentalis,EVolzhin,A/Poland 2000) 8
e3 d7 9 0-0-0 e8 (9...c8!=) 10 f3 g4 Ashton,ABaburin,A/Nottingham
ENG 2005.
3 f3 d6 4 c3!? this is unusual, but not bad. Not threatening either. 4...dxe5 5 xe5 xc3
6 f3 (6 bxc3 d7!=) 6...d5 7 xc3 d7= Nagy,BKahn,E/Budapest HUN 2006.

3...b6 4 c5
The Chase Variation is infrequently played but is a direct challenge to the Alekhine's and
Black must know how to react to it. This is one of the sharpest attempts to "refute"
Alekhine's Defence, advancing his central pawns White obtains a space advantage.
The main expert in this line is the Russian GM Evgeny Sveshnikov who invariably
plays it against the Alekhine's.

4...d5 5 c4

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Or 5 c3 e6 (5...c6 6 c4 d6 7 b3 White has to play this move, if he wants to fight for the
advantage, Sveshnikov,EKnezevic,M/Dubna 1979. Here White plays an interesting
trade of a piece for four pawns, then wins the piece back for three pawns. Semi
obscure and easy to fall for if you don't know it., 5...xc3 is not good, as it helps
White's development: 6 dxc3! d6 7 cxd6 exd6 8 c4 e7 9 f4 with an obvious advantage
for White.) 6 d4 xc3 7 bxc3 b6! Black immediately undermines the White pawn
chain and intends ...Ba6 (not obligatory). 8 g4! White's play is consistent: pursuing
the initiative at any cost. Now very interesting complications arise, with chances for
both sides, Sveshnikov,ESolozhenkin,E/Russia 1998.

5...e6
5...c6 6 c3 (6 f3!? e6 7 d4 b6 8 cxb6 axb6 9 h3 a6 Rose,MDavies,N/4NCL Birmingham
2001.) 6...e6 7 d4 b6 8 cxb6 axb6 9 g4 xc3 10 bxc3 a6 11 xa6 xa6 12 e2
c7 13 0-0 g6?! Black is being intimidated by the Queen on g4. 13...g6 is very
compliant. Instead, if he sticks to his guns and goes for counterplay with (13...d5! he
gets a good game.) 14 g3 h5 15 f3 b5 16 e4 e7 17 g5 0-0 18 f6+
Sevillano,EBego,N/North American Open, Las Vegas USA 2002.

6 c3
6 d4 b6!? (after 6...d6 7 cxd6 cxd6 suddenly we have a position from the 2.c3 Sicilian!) 7 cxb6
axb6 8 e2 Potkin,VNeverov,V/St Petersburg 2000.
6 g4!? is unusual, but Nurkic has played this before, Nurkic,SLeventic,I/Neum BIH
2002.

6...xc3 7 dxc3 c6 8 f4
After 8 f3 Black can take the pawn 8...xc5, and 9 g4 is illegal now.

8...h4!?

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A very interesting idea of the Romanian GM Mikhai Suba. This move wins a pawn by
force, and White has to prove he has sufficient compensation for it.

9 g3 e7
Now White has to choose which pawn (e5 or c5) to sacrifice.

10 b4

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10 f3 leaves Black comfortable, 10...b6 11 cxb6 axb6 12 0-0 h6 13 e2 g5 14 d2 g7
Black's pieces are remarkably effective remarkably quickly, Tavoularis,N
Cox,J/Gothenburg SWE 2005.

10...g5 11 e3 xe5 12 d4!?

Black is okay but has to be careful, as White has many dangerous attacking possibilities
which Alekhine players need to study, Posch,WBaburin,A/Wien 1995.

Alekhine's Defence Four Pawns Attack

[B03]
Last updated: 19/07/11 by Gawain Jones

One of the most interesting lines in the Alekhine's is the Four Pawns Attack. Some experts
believe it's the most dangerous for Black. But in practice White chooses it rather
infrequently, probably due to the necessity of knowing mountains of variations.

1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4

Vitolins and Kupreichik have championed the immediate 4.f4

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4...dxe5 (4...f5 5.f3 e6 6.d3 xd3 7.xd3 was Vitolinsh,AShmit,A/USSR 1976) 5.fxe5 c5
(5...f5 6.f3 c5?! 7.b5+ c6 8.c4 c7 9.0-0 e6 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.a4 was unpleasant for
Black in Kupreichik,VAlburt,L/Ashkhabad 1978) 6.f3 cxd4 7.xd4 c6 8.b5
a5+ (8...f5! looked very good for Black in a recent game: 9.c3 e6 10.a4 db4
11.xc6+ bxc6 12.e3 xc2 13.b3 d3 Pelikian,JMilos,G/Sao Paulo BRA 2004 Black
has a tremendous initiative.) 9.c3 xc3 10.xc6+ bxc6 11.d2 b5 12.xa5
xd4 brought about a complex and doubleedged endgame in Kupreichik,V
Kengis,E/Podolsk 1990.

4...b6 5.f4

10

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5...dxe5
5...f5!? 6.c3 e6 This move order isn't all that common, but it causes no harm to Black,
and can even give White a few extra opportunities to make a false step. 7.f3 (7.e3
is the main alternative, after which 7...dxe5 8.fxe5 transposes to one of the main lines.)
7...a6 8.d3 xd3 9.xd3 c5 10.d5! (10.dxc5?! Djurhuus,RAgdestein,S/ Asker
NOR 2000. Although the game looks quite devastating, a closer inspection reveals
that White might have been able to defend. Nonetheless, Black triumphed elegantly
in this game.) 10...exd5 11.cxd5 e7 12.0-0 0-0 13.e4 White should have some
advantage with his greater space, Jones,GBaburin,A/Bunratty IRL 2011.
5...g6!? is another playable possibility for Black. This line is played rather seldom, but
obviously it deserves more attention. 6.c3 g7 7.e3 BrenerPushkin/USSR
1988.
5...g5!? 6.exd6 xd6 7.e2 c5! was messy in Kornilovich,DDeviatkin,A/Smolensk RUS
2005.

6.fxe5 c6
6...c5!?

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11

This move leads to a very sharp game. This is why it is often played by such brilliant
tacticians as Lubomir Ljubojevic and Alex Shabalov. Although a lot of games have
been played in this line, the theoretical assessment is still not clear. 7.d5 e6
According to Luther the last word was said on this in his two games against Bryson
and Movsessian, (7...g6 is a line that is not very often seen in modern practice, but is
by no means bad. It leads to sharp and complicated play exactly what Black aims
for by playing the Alekhine's. 8.f4 g7 9.c3 0-0 10.d2 e6 11.0-0-0 exd5
12.cxd5 e8 my feeling is that this improves upon older theory, (12...g4 13.e1 c4
14.h3 f5 15.g4 d3 16.xd3 cxd3 17.xd3 a6 18.d6 c8 19.b1 c4 (19...b4
Movsesian,SVarga,Z/Czech Rep CZE 2005) 20.d5 a5 Volzhin,A
Svechnikov,L/Russia 1988) 13.e1 (13.f3 g4 14.b5 Riedel,F
Schneizer,R/Germany 1994) 13...a6 14.f3 b4 15.g5! f6 Smith,B
Shabalov,A/King of Prussia USA 2007 (15...c7!? Shabalov Four PawnsAnalysis
Continued/2008) 16.exf6) 8.c3 (The seemingly strong 8.d6 has a tactical refutation:
8...h4+ 9.g3 e4+ 10.e2 xh1 11.f3 White hopes to trap Black's Queen, but Black
has good chances to escape. 11...c6! 12.bd2 d7! 13.f2 dxe5! 14.xe5 xh2+
15.g2 d4 16.d1 xd6 17.f1 Now the Queen really is trapped, but White has paid
too high a price for it! 17...xg2+ 18.xg2 xe5 with a decisive advantage for Black.
Bent Larsen once opined that he didn't like lengthy variations, as they always
contain mistakes. I tend to share his scepticism, but sometimes we can't do without
them!) 8...exd5 9.cxd5 c4

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The critical position. White has a wide choice of continuations. 10.d6!
a) 10.a3 c5 The first achievement for Black: White cannot castle kingside. 11.f3
0-0 12.e2 Vetemaa,YShabalov,A/USSR 1986, which shows how Black can crush
an unprepared opponent in twenty moves. Black's winning move is a must see.
b) 10.f3 The Main line. 10...b4! The move which rehabilitated this line for
Black in the main line it leads to an endgame in which Black gets excellent
positional compensation for a pawn. (10...g4 11.d4! xf3 12.gxf3 Gruenfeld,Y
Ljubojevic,L/Riga 1979.) 11.xc4 xc3+ 12.bxc3 xc4 13.a4+ d7 14.xc4
Shulman,YBaburin,A/San Francisco USA 2001.
10...c6 (10...e6!? considered best by Cox, 11.f3 c6 12.b5 critical, (12.e2 d7!
Esserman,MYermolinsky,A/Mesa USA 2009) 12...c8 13.g5 Movsesian,S
Luther,T/4th IECC, Istanbul TUR 2003) 11.f3 (11.b5 not the only move to cause
12

Black some sticky moments as White probably stands well after the alternatives, see
Bender,IRogulj,B/Velika Gorica CRO 2002.) 11...g4 12.f4 g5 13.e4 gxf4
14.f6+ xf6 15.exf6 0-0-0 16.c1 e8+ 17.f2 xd6 Bryson,D
Luther,T/Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002 eventually, White had to bale out!
This is another moment at which Black has tried a kingside fianchetto 6...g6

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7.c3 (7.f3!? g7 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 c5 10.d5 Pinchon,HTimmermans,D/Val Thorens 1989)
7...g7 8.c5 (8.e3 0-0 9.f3 c5 10.d5 g4 was good for Black in Fish,A
Sharp,P/Birmingham 4NCL 1999, 8.f3 g4 9.c5 d5 10.c4 e6 Parma,P
Schiffer,K/Berlin 1971) 8...d5 9.c4 xc3 10.bxc3 0-0 11.f3 b6 with double
edged play in Rigo,JAndruet,G/Wuppertal 1986.
6...f5 7.c3 e6 8.e3 b4 9.f3 (9.f3?! c6 10.f4 a4 Collins,SBaburin,A/ENG
2005) 9...c5 10.d2?! is a very poor novelty, Boroday,SMoliboga,V/Independence
Cup, Kyiv UKR 2003, (10.a3 is better.)

7.e3 f5
7...e6? is poor, blocking in the c8bishop quite unnecessarily: 8.c3 b4 9.g4 g6 10.a3
xc3+ 11.bxc3 h6 12.f3 White has the initiative and a tremendously powerful
darksquared bishop, Milenkovic,MFarago,S/Budapest HUN 2005.

8.c3 e6 9.f3 e7

13

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This is the main line.
9...g4 10.e2 xf3 (10...d7 11.0-0 xf3 (11...d8 is examined in New analysis 4 Pawns
Attack/2009, and, 11...0-0-0 in New Notes on 4 Ps Alekhine/2009.) 12.xf3! 0-0-0
13.f4 Stopa,JRamirez,A/Richardson USA 2008) 11.gxf3 h4+ (11...d7 is another
possibility, putting pressure on d4.) 12.f2 f4 is a line that is supposed to be OK
for Black but in fact may leave him with some problems. Two bishops are worth
something in the endgame and a few canny exponents of the White pieces have
cottoned on to this, 13.c5 d5 (13...d7 14.c1 xc1+ 15.xc1 White should have the
advantage here with more space and the bishop pair, Jones,GShort,N/Bunratty IRL
2011) 14.xd5 exd5 15.d2 xd2+ 16.xd2 g6 (16...e7 17.b5+ c6 18.d3 White
can make good use of his bishop pair whilst preparing a queenside pawn storm,
Bologan,VRozentalis,E/Mulhouse 2010) 17.e3! ECO mentions this with
approval. (17.f4 risks making the darksquared bishop less effective 17...h6
18.e3 e7 19.d3 f5 20.xf5 gxf5 21.hg1 d7 22.g3 ag8 23.b4 xg3
(23...g6 24.e2 f8 25.g5 see Timman,JDe Firmian,N/Malmoe SWE 2001) 24.hxg3
f8 White's extra space should count for something, although perhaps Black doesn't
agree, see Atalik,SDe Firmian,N/San Francisco USA 2002) 17...f6 18.exf6 f7
19.b5 d8 20.d7 xf6 21.f4 e7 22.h3 c6 23.he1+ White has two bishops
and substantially the more active pieces, Black's d8 knight being a particular
eyesore, see Illescas Cordoba,MBaburin,A/Gothenburg SWE 2005.
9...d7?! An older variation, wheeled out for surprise by Nigel Short. 10.e2 0-0-0 11.0-0
f6 12.d5 xe5 13.xe5 fxe5 14.a4 a5 15.b5 b4 16.d6 a8 Black's position gives
cause for concern, Kotronias,VShort,N/Gibraltar Masters, Catalan Bay ENG 2003.
9...b4 is slightly off the beaten track, 10.e2 d7!? (10...0-0 11.0-0 a5 12.d2 Kobese,W
Bouah,L/chRSA, Kempton Park RSA 2003) 11.0-0 a5!? Bromberger,S
Kremenietsky,A/Gausdal NOR 2008.

10.d5
This is considered to be White's main weapon.
10.e2 this seems to be a very good move, perhaps better than its ancient reputation. 10...00 11.0-0 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.d2 e7 14.ad1 ad8 15.c1 (I think 15.h1!?
strongly deserves attention.) 15...e5!
14

a) 15...h6 16.h1 (I suggested and analysed 16.f2 (!), which I think should give
White an edge., 16.h3 is Yudasin,LKengis,E/Minsk 1985) 16...h8 17.h3 with a
plus, 17...g6 (17...h7 Kondenko,AVolkov,A/Voronezh RUS 2011.) 18.b3
Zilberstein,DBaburin,A/San Fransisco USA 2007.
b) 15...g4 16.e4 this simply looks good for White, Moser,EBaburin,A/Arvier
ITA 2007.
16.d5 d4 17.xd4 (17.xd4 exd4 18.xd4 g5 19.a1 c5 20.f2 c2 21.de1 xf2! Black seems
to be have enough compensation for the pawn, Dushin,ASiewert,W/ICCF Email
2003) 17...exd4 18.xd4 c8! and again it seems that Black has enough play, see
Andresen,TGilmore,A/corr 1995.

10...exd5
10...b4!? A discredited move which may or may not be due for a revival, 11.d4 g6
12.a3 a6 13.dxe6 0-0!? Black has at the very least dangerous compensation over
the board, see Melnikova,YRozentalis,E/Kavala GRE 2005.

11.cxd5
11.xb6?! axb6 12.cxd5 b4 13.d4 g6 Velimirovic,DCmilyte,V/Marianske Lazne
CZE 2010.

11...b4 12.d4 d7 13.f3

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wqk+-tr0
9zppzplvlpzpp0
9-sn-+-+-+0
9+-+PzP-+-0
9-sn-sN-+-+0
9+-sN-vLQ+-0
9PzP-+-+PzP0
9tR-+-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
13.e6!? is the most dangerous continuation, which leads to unfathomable complications.
Theoretically crucial and tremendous fun to boot this is real chess! 13...fxe6
14.dxe6 c6 15.g4 h4+ 16.g3 xh1 (16...f6?? Pommeret,JPhilippe,C/Gap FRA
2008) 17.gxh4 0-0 18.0-0-0 f6 19.b5 e5 20.g5! unclear, Klinger,J
Herndl,H/AUTch 1985.

13...c5 14.dxc6 bxc6 15.e2

Simple development.
15

15.e6 Pegoraro,GHenderson,J/Ischia 1996. This game shows the dangers White faces in
the Four Pawns Attack. A stunning innovation on move 18 followed by a Queen
sacrifice improves on old theory. The White King has no chance of escaping from
the crossfire of enemy pieces. An obscure masterpiece.

15...0-0
15...c5 16.0-0 menaces mate on f7.

16.0-0 4d5 17.f2 c7 18.g3 xc3 19.bxc3 c8 20.d3

White has more space, and attacking chances, Dominguez,LAlmeida,O/Santa Clara 2005.

16

Alekhine's Defence Exchange 5...cxd6

+ other 3rd moves [B03]
Last updated: 15/08/10 by Gawain Jones

There is quite a bit of interest in the Exchange Variation nowadays. As we concluded

earlier, it's quite unpleasant for Black as he has no active counterplay and White has
had very good results. But recently Black has found new resources both with 5...cd
and 5...ed.

1 e4 f6 2 e5 d5 3 d4 d6
3...g6?! is inviting a disaster. To play such rubbish against a strong grandmaster is not
exactly the best solution. Probably Black believed that the move order is not
important here and hoped to play ...d7d6 later. Of course, White should play very
energetically and creatively to refute this provocative play. 4 c4 b6 5 c5! d5 6
c4 The transformation to the Chase Variation is quite the thing here, as g7g6 in
this line is just a waste of time and weakens Black's position. As we saw earlier,
Black should undermine White's pawn chain (...d7d6 or ...b7b6) prior to
developing his kingside, Sutovsky,EVarga,Z/European Club Cup 1999.

4 c4
4 c4 b6 5 b3 f5! a clever idea of GM Bagirov's, 6 f3 c8 7 e2 Conquest,S
Baburin,A/Dublin IRL 2008.

4...b6
Some White players don't like the wild complications that are unavoidable in the Four
Pawns Attack. I can recommend the following system to them.

5 exd6
Currently this harmless looking move is very popular. Black has two possible recaptures.

5...cxd6

17

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0
9zpp+-zppzpp0
9-sn-zp-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
This move is much more popular than the alternative, but it would be too easy to draw any
conclusions about the relative strengths of the moves from that!
5...exd6 is covered in another Roadmap.

6 c3
6 a4!? As long as White doesn't ABSOLUTELY insist on originality this may be playable,
6...a5 7 d3 (7 c3!) 7...g6 8 f3 g7 9 e3 0-0 10 c1? c6 11 h6 b4 12 a3
xd3+ 13 xd3 f5 Relatively straightforward play by Black has produced an
excellent position, Prelevic,MDragasevic,S/Sutomore SCG 2004.
6 d5!? is a rather unusual move which attempts to nail down the pawn on e7. Black must
react immediately. 6...8d7 (6...e5! is the mainline., 6...e6!, 6...g6 7 d4 g8 8 h4 h5
was not very clear in Hoffmann,PKhenkin,I/Dresden GER 2010) 7 b3 f6 8 b2
g6 9 d3 g7 10 e2 0-0 11 0-0 Landa,KDe Jonghe,B/BEL 2005.

6...g6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0
9zpp+-zpp+p0
9-sn-zp-+p+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
6...c6 sees another version of the early ...c6 setup going through choppy waters: 7 e3
g6 8 a4 (8 d5! is without doubt best: 8...e5 9 d4 h6 10 c5 bd7 11 c6 f6 12 f3)

18

8...g7 9 a5 d7 10 f3 0-0 11 d5 xa5 Marechal,ARozentalis,E/Cappelle la

Grande FRA 2005.

7 e3
7 h3 is Nataf,IKonopka,M/Pardubice CZE 2002, in [B04].
7 a4 was recommended by Soltis in one of his opening books. White disrupts Black's
natural plan of development. a reaction in the centre is appropriate but how best to
organise it? 7...g7 8 a5 6d7 9 f3 0-0 10 e2 e5 11 0-0 e8N 12 b5 e4
Buescu,NGrunberg,M/chROM, Satu Mare ROM 2003 A very doubleedged
position has arisen.
7 f3 g7 8 e3 0-0 9 e2 c6 10 0-0 g4 11 b3 xf3 (11...d5) 12 xf3 f5 Smolin,D
Pervakov,S/Alushta UKR 2006, when 13 d2! would have been best, allowing
Black to execute his 'threat': 13...f4 14 xf4 xd4 (14...xd4 15 xc6 xc3 16 xc3 bxc6
17 h6 f7 18 ad1) 15 xb7 b8 16 e4

7...g7 8 c1
A very clever decision: first of all White develops his queenside, overprotecting the knight
on c3.

8...0-0 9 b3!?

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-trk+0
9zpp+-zppvlp0
9-sn-zp-+p+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+PsN-vL-+-0
9P+-+-zPPzP0
9+-tRQmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
9 e2 Refreshing to see someone playing another move here, 9...d5 (9...c6 10 b3 f5 11
f3!? (11 d5!) 11...d5! Now Black has something to play for, Narayanan,S
Nakamura,H/Catalan Bay ENG 2007) 10 c5 c4 11 xc4 dxc4 12 ge2 f5 13 0-0
d3 Kobalia,MIkonnikov,V/Port Erin IOM 2005.

9...e5
The main line of the Voronezh Variation.

19

9...f5!? is an interesting attempt to create counterplay. 10 f3!? Other moves are possible,
also with a slight advantage for White (10 g3 Voronezh question/2009) 10...f4 11 d2
c6 12 d5 Ivanov,VChekhov,V/Moscow 1995.
9...c6!? 10 d5 (10 f3!? g4 11 e2 d5! Black resorts to a standard Alekhine plan he has
everything in the right place for it, Szoen,DRozentalis,E/Karpacz POL 2008)
10...e5 11 e2 probably the most accurate. (11 h3 I don't like this move, because if
and when White plays f4 he will really have a lot of weaknesses on his kingside, and
if he doesn't play f4, then h3 doesn't have much point, see Socko,B
Rozentalis,E/Warsaw POL 2006) 11...f5 The pawn structure is now similar to a
Leningrad Dutch mainline. Thus Black has a backward pawn on e7 and a hole on e6.
On the other hand, the white bishop is on e2, which is a worse square than its typical
post on g2 in the Dutch. Furthermore, there is no pawn on g3 as part of a fianchetto
to deter a black kingside pawn advance. (11...ed7 12 f3 f6 13 h3 d7 Black's
position is prospectless, Lie,KLie,E/Hamar NOR 2007) 12 f4!? (12 h3 develops
and covers key squares, perhaps 12...g4 13 xg4 fxg4 14 g5 would follow., 12 f3!? is
a calm move, and not bad, 12...h6 13 d2 Boric,ERakic,M/Sibenik CRO 2008)
12...g4 (12...f7 this just doesn't work out, 13 f3 with more space, Stepanov,N
Tukhvatullin,T/Kazan RUS 2008) 13 xg4 (13 d4 e5 14 dxe6 xe6 15 f3 Black has
problems, Howell,JPanchenko,A/Hamburg 1995) 13...fxg4 14 ge2 e5! Breaking
up the centre and so gaining dynamic counterplay. (Inferior is 14...f5 15 0-0 h5 16 d4
f6 17 xf6 exf6 18 d4 with total domination, Skorchenko,DTkachenko,G/Lugansk
UKR 2007. ) 15 dxe6 xe6 Black has counterplay, Milliet,SMirzoev,A/Basel SUI
2010.
9...a5!? is an awfully slow move, 10 e2 a6 11 f3 d7 12 0-0 c8 13 d2 a4 if Black
has to play this (threatening nothing), things have gone badly, Leko,P
Ivanchuk,V/Odessa UKR 2007.
9...e6 10 f3 d7 11 e2 c6 12 0-0 Horvath,GChetverik,M/Zalakaros 2005.

10 dxe5 dxe5 11 xd8

I don't believe the alternative:
11 c5 6d7 12 c4 Up to now this is all wellknown theory. 12...a5! A novelty,
according to my database. This move seems quite risky and ambitious, but it
provides a good chance for Black to fight for the initiative. 13 ge2 c6 14 a3
Rowson,JBaburin,A/Isle of Man 1999.

11...xd8 12 c5
12 b5?! is too optimistic, as Black obtains excellent counterplay after 12...c6! 13 xa7
d4! and White is in big trouble.

12...6d7 13 f3!

20

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnltr-+k+0
9zpp+n+pvlp0
9-+-+-+p+0
9+-zP-zp-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+PsN-vLN+-0
9P+-+-zPPzP0
9+-tR-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
13 c4 One would think this would be fine for Black but a several times US Champion lost
without making an obvious error in Dzindzichashvili,RAlburt,L/Parsippany 1996.

13...c6 14 c4 h6
14...a5!? 15 e2 (15 b5!? this may be best, 15...f8 (15...c6 16 e4 see FORUM
analysis/2009) 16 0-0 (16 e4 is also promising.) 16...h6 17 e4 d7 Hanley,J
Summerscale,A/London ENG 2007, when I like 18 e2! with the idea 18...e6 19
d6) 15...b6 (15...h6 this move is worse, Moreno Carnero,JSchulze,U/Katernberg
GER 2005., 15...c6 is Li Chao2Hoang Canh Huan/Beijing CHN 2008) 16 cxb6 (16
b4 c6 17 b5 d4 18 c6 is actually considered relatively harmless, Daulyte,DNguyen
Thu Giang/Dresden GER 2008, 16 a4 xc5 17 xc5 bxc5 18 xc5 e4 Hamdouchi,H
Fernandez Garcia,J/Donostia ESP 2009) 16...xb6 this position has been considered
equal. 17 0-0 (17 b5 d5?! Gara,AGrunberg,S/Mako HUN 2009 (17...b7!) )
17...b7 18 fd1 c6? Alekhine's is still considered an opening in which both sides
can play by instinct, but here you have to know your stuff. (18...xd1+ 19 xd1 c8 20
b5 d5 is fine according to Cox) 19 b5 xd1+ (19...d5!? 20 xd5! xd5 21 c7
with advantage, Zubarev,AAloma Vidal,R/Athens GRE 2008) 20 xd1 b4 21
d6 (21 c5 see Martin,KCox,J/Port Erin IOM 2005, Here Cox claims that 21 a4
"would have left White decidedly better.") 21...c6 Yandemirov,V
Konnov,O/Kazan RUS 2008, and now 22 a4!

15 e4!
15 0-0 f8 (15...d4?! 16 e4! White simply allows doubled pawns in order to occupy
Black's interior weaknesses, Luther,TPajeken,W/Dresden GER 2007) 16 e4 e6
17 d6 Adams,PCrocker,P/Manchester 2002, when 17...ab8 is probably good
enough for equality.
15 b5 This looks more promising than has previously been thought, and apparently
somewhat advantageous. 15...d4?! (15...e4) 16 d6! Li Chao2Garma,C/Beijing
CHN 2008.

15...e8
21

15...a5 16 e2 (16 b5!?) 16...f5 17 d6 Andrews,TSchmidt,L/ICC INT 2007.

16 0-0 e7 17 d6 f8 18 xc8 xc8 19 d2

White has a nagging edge and the two Bishops, Adams,MSanto Roman,M/France 2004.

22

Alekhine's Defence Exchange 5...exd6

[B03]
Last updated: 15/08/10 by Gawain Jones

1 e4 f6 2 e5 d5 3 d4 d6 4 c4 b6 5 exd6 exd6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0
9zppzp-+pzpp0
9-sn-zp-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
Taking back with the epawn tends to lead to more balanced positions, while 5...cxd6 leads
to more dynamic positions.

6 c3
6 d3 e7 7 e2 0-0 8 bc3 transposes to 7 d3

6...e7
6...c6!? A relatively new idea. This move looks provocative, but it is by no means bad!
The idea behind the text is to prevent White's setup with d3 and ge2. 7 e3
a) 7 d5 e5 8 f4 ed7 9 d4 By playing this move White hoped to put the brakes
on Black's normal development. However an unpleasant surprise awaits him, see
Minasian,AMinasian,A/chARM, Yerevan 1999.
b) 7 h3 f5 8 e3 (8 f3 e7 9 d3 is less critical, (9 a3 Smeets,J
Reinderman,D/Eindhoven 2010) 9...d7 Leko,PShort,N/Wijk aan Zee NED 2010)
8...e7 9 f3 0-0 (9...f6 10 b3 h6 Zaragatski,IBaburin,A/Kemer TUR 2007) 10 d5

23

e5 11 d4 g6 12 b3 c6 with counterplay, Sarakauskas,GBaburin,A/Cork IRL

2005
7...e7 8 f3 (8 d3 0-0 9 ge2!? b4 White's important lightsquared bishop is exchanged,
Hou YifanShort,N/Wijk aan Zee NED 2009) 8...0-0 9 e2 g4 (9...e8 10 0-0 g4 11
b3 f6= Pedersen,OWohl,A/Oslo NOR 2004 leads to a traditional position. With
pawn jabs such as ...a5a4 or...d6d5 available, Black is comfortable. ) 10 b3 f5!?
11 0-0 (11 d2! is a sterner test, delaying ...f5f4 for the time being.) 11...f4 12 c1
f6 13 b2 h8 14 e4 d5 15 xf6 xf6 16 c1 ad8 17 c5 c8 18 d2 8e7
19 b4 f5 Shukurova,MMamedyarov,S/Baku AZE 2006.

7 d3!

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqk+-tr0
9zppzp-vlpzpp0
9-sn-zp-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-sNL+-+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmK-sNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
This is one of White's better tries against 5...exd6.
Alternatives:
7 f3!? is losing novelty value. As the line has become more popular so antidotes have
been discovered. 7...c6 (7...0-0 8 e3 c6 9 0-0-0 d5 is good, but,) 8 e3 0-0 9 0-0-0
g5 (9...f5!? Kortschnoj,VMiles,A/Biel 1992, 9...e6 10 c5! Caruana,F
Genocchio,D/Martina Franca ITA 2007) 10 h3 xe3+ 11 fxe3 h4 12 g3 g4!
might be even better, Smolovic,MDrazic,S/Belgrade 2003.
7 f3 0-0 8 e2 g4 9 0-0 c6 (9...c5!? Dvoirys,SZilberman,Y/Dieren NED 2000) 10 d5
xf3 11 xf3 e5 Belkhodja,SVaganian,R/Moscow RUS 2001.
7 h3 stops the pin, 7...0-0 (7...f5 8 f3 0-0 9 e2 f6 10 0-0 c6 Schubert,SKopylov,M/Oslo
NOR 2001) 8 f3 (8 d3 e8 9 ge2 g5 10 0-0 xc1 11 xc1 c6 12 a3 d7 13 b4 f6 14
c2 d7 15 fd1 e7 16 d5 g6 17 d4 h5 18 d2 e5 19 f1 h4 Volokitin,A
Nogueiras,J/Calvia ESP 2004.) 8...f6 (Or 8...f5 9 e3 Evidently White hopes to
prosper by avoiding e2 for a couple of moves. A characteristic Alekhine
counterattack in the centre based on ...d6d5 and answering c4c5 with ...c4 is
deterred if White can play xc4 in reply 'in one go'. 9...c6 10 c1 e8 11 d5 ruling out
...d6d5 ideas for good, MacKinnon,KKraai,J/Edmonton CAN 2009.) 9 e2 e6!?
Volokitin,AIvanchuk,V/Foros UKR 2006

7...0-0

24

Black sometimes prefers 7...c6 8 ge2 g4 (8...a5!? 9 0-0 a4?! is awfully slow and can also
expose the apawn to attack, see Leko,PIvanchuk,V/Mukachevo UKR 2007, 8...f6
9 e3 0-0 10 b3 transposes below) 9 f3 h5 10 0-0 g6 (10...0-0 11 b3 (11 f4! g6 12
xg6 hxg6 13 d5 e5 14 b3 f6 15 b2 with a small advantage for White) 11...f6
Simons,MBaburin,A/10th Monarch Assurance 2001.) 11 b3 (11 xg6 hxg6 12 d5 e5
13 b3 is Davies,NSinha,K/Calcutta 1990.) 11...0-0 12 e3 e8 13 xg6 hxg6 14
d2 White will simply develop and use his space advantage, Leko,P
Ivanchuk,V/Odessa UKR 2007.

8 ge2 c6 9 0-0

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9zppzp-vlpzpp0
9-snnzp-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-sNL+-+-0
9PzP-+NzPPzP0
9tR-vLQ+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
9 b3!? first, is Aroshidze,LChigladze,I/European GP, Izmir TUR 2003.

9...e8
Black occupies the efile and doesn't commit his minor pieces for the time being.
9...f6 10 b3 carefully played before committing the bishop to e3, (10 e3 b4 11 b3 xd3 12
xd3 g4 Sermek,DZelcic,R/Makarska (Croatia) 1994, 10 c5!?) 10...g4 11 e3 e8
12 d2 d5!? (12...b4?! 13 b1 White retains his central predominance, Naiditsch,A
Timman,J/Dortmund GER 2002.) 13 c5 xe2 14 xe2 c8 15 fe1 8e7 16 g4!
and White made his spatial plus count in Ivanchuk,VCarlsen,M/Moscow RUS
2007.

10 b3
10 a3 f6 Shaw,JDavies,N/4NCL 2002.

10...f8
See Emms,JDavies,N/Redbus rd1 2002.

25

Alekhine's Defence 4 Nf3 without

4...Bg4 [B04]
Last updated: 15/08/10 by Gawain Jones

1 e4 f6 2 e5 d5 3 d4 d6 4 f3

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0
9zppzp-zppzpp0
9-+-zp-+-+0
9+-+nzP-+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9+-+-+N+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
4...dxe5
An old move, revived by Bent Larsen.
4...g6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0
9zppzp-zpp+p0
9-+-zp-+p+0
9+-+nzP-+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9+-+-+N+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
26

This line is thought of as ultrasolid, but the Pawn on e5 can be a permanent thorn in
Black's side. 5 c4 b6 (5...c6!? 6 exd6 (6 0-0 g7 7 h3 dxe5 8 xe5 d7 9 f3 It makes
sense to decline the exchange on d7 as it would unclutter the black position. 9...0-0 10
e1 e6 Black is solid, Zeberski,JRozentalis,E/Warsaw POL 2009) 6...xd6 7 0-0
g7 8 h3 a promising continuation for White as Black's bishop is denied it's most
active square, see Svidler,PAkopian,V/Halkidiki GRE 2002 (8 bd2 is an old line
that has always been considered somewhat better for White, Fedorchuk,S
Genocchio,D/Conegliano ITA 2008) ) 6 b3 g7 (6...d5!? a speciality of the
Hungarian Grandmaster Zoltan Varga, 7 h3 a5 8 a4 g7 9 0-0 0-0 10 e1 with an edge,
Corrales Jimenez,FNogueiras Santiago,J/Havana CUB 2010) 7 a4!

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqk+-tr0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-sn-zp-+p+0
9+-+-zP-+-0
9P+-zP-+-+0
9+L+-+N+-0
9-zPP+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
The most dangerous line for Black.
a) 7 e2!? c6 8 bd2 (8 0-0 0-0 9 h3 a5 (9...dxe5 10 dxe5 d4 11 xd4 xd4 12 e1
with a nice space advantage, Colovic,APesotsky,V/Plovdiv BUL 2008, 9...a5 10
c3 xb3 11 axb3 f5 Adams,MZhukova,N/Caleta ENG 2010) 10 a4 dxe5 11 dxe5
d4 12 xd4 xd4 13 e1 e6 (13...d7?! Tregubov,PMcShane,L/Muelheim Nord
GER 2006) 14 d2 Short,NTimman,J/Tilburg 1991.) 8...0-0 (8...g4? is simply bad
on account of the tactical trick 9 xf7+ intending 9...xf7 10 g5+ followed by 11
xg4.) 9 h3 Now White does take a prophylactic measure to stop ...g4, which
really is a threat after Black has castled. 9...h6?! 10 c3! This not only supports
White's central pawnchain, but also allows White's lightsquared bishop to drop
back to c2 if attacked by ...a5. 10...h7 11 h4! Motwani,PTan,K/Tilburg Eksakt
Weekender, Holl 2000.
b) The immediate 7 g5 has also been played, but this move is not as strong since
the addition of the moves 7.a2a4 a7a5 favours White, as we'll see later. 7...e6 this
move of Alburt's is the best way for Black to continue. (7...d5?! 8 f4 f6 9 f3
Ishkhamov,TChernin,O/Las Vegas 2002.) 8 f4 (8 f3 d7!? 9 e4 with advantage,
Reyniers,PMarin,M/Arinsal AND 2009) 8...dxe5 9 fxe5 c5 10 c3 cxd4 11 0-0 0-0
12 cxd4 c6 13 f3 f6 14 c3 fxe5 15 g5 d7 16 dxe5 xd1 (16...xe5 is also
good.) 17 axd1 xe5 18 xe5 xf1+ 19 xf1 xe5 Radulski,J
Laketic,G/Vrnjacka Banja SCG 2005, a fragment which confirms the earlier
assessment that Black is fine after 7...e6.
7...a5 This natural move is Black's most frequent choice. (7...dxe5!? is a very sharp move
which leads to wild complications. 8 a5 (8 xe5 is harmless: 8...xe5! 9 dxe5 xd1+ 10
27

xd1 c6 and in this ending Black has no real problems.) 8...6d7 9 xf7+! This

sharp combo is the only way to fight for an opening advantage. The alternatives are
absolutely harmless. 9...xf7 10 g5+ g8 11 e6 e8 12 xc7 d8! This move
was introduced by American GM Lev Alburt in the early nineties. (This line had
previously been discredited because of a game in which Black had played 12...f7,
but did not get enough for the exchange. Alburt's move is a significant improvement.
Now White's Knight can't escape from a8.) 13 xa8 (White can take a draw: 13 e6
e8 14 c7 as he did in SvidlerKhalifman 1995, however White can hardly be
happy with this result.) 13...exd4 14 0-0!? The latest development. (In my opinion,
this move is more precise than the immediate 14 c3 c5 15 cxd4 xd4 16 e3 e5 Oral,T
De Firmian,N/Reykjavik 2000.) 14...c6 15 c3 c5 (15...h6 seems worse,
Dgebuadze,ASadkowsky,D/Ghent BEL 2010) 16 b4 The critical position for the
whole line, Almasi,ZDe la Villa Garcia,J/Pamplona 2000. (Although 16 cxd4 xd4
17 e3 is possible, and my suggestion for White.) ) 8 g5! This move still remains
one of White's main weapons. 8...e6 9 f4 dxe5 The only way for Black to obtain
counterplay is to challenge the centre. 10 fxe5 c5 11 c3! (11 0-0 is less precise,
11...0-0? (Black could have exploited this inaccuracy by playing 11...xd4+!
Volzhin 12 xd4 cxd4 with excellent prospects: 13 xf7 (or 13 xf7 xe5) 13...0-0!)
12 c3 c6?! Black doesn't want to give White's knight the c3square after the
exchange on d4. 13 e4! White is not forced to protect the d4 pawn at all!
Kasparov,GPalatnik,S/Duagavpils 1978.) 11...cxd4 12 0-0! 0-0 13 cxd4
Grischuk,APonomariov,R/Torshavn 2000.
4...c6

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwqkvl-tr0
9zppzp-zppzpp0
9-+nzp-+-+0
9+-+nzP-+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9+-+-+N+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
5 c4 This move drives back Black's knight from the centre. 5...b6 6 exd6 (6 e6!? This
must be critical for the theoretical standing of 4...c6. 6...fxe6 7 c3 g6 8 h4 g7 9
e3 0-0 10 h5 e5 11 d5 d4 12 xd4 exd4 13 xd4 xd4 14 xd4 e5 15 dxe6 (15
e3 4...Nc6 Analysis/2009) 15...f6 16 0-0-0 with an edge, Kobalia,MNarciso
Dublan,M/Rijeka CRO 2010) 6...exd6 (6...cxd6 7 e2 g6?! 8 d5! Motwani,P
Pedersen,D/Vordingborg, Denmark 1980.) 7 h3 (7 e2 e7 8 0-0 0-0 9 d5 Adams,M
Porper,E/Edmonton CAN 2009) 7...e7 8 e2 0-0 9 0-0 f6 10 c3 f5 (10...e8 11
b3 Adams,MNakamura,H/Tripoli LBA 2004. Perhaps White is a shade better,
certainly he should not lose this position.) 11 f4 e8 12 e1 (12 c1 first is more

28

accurate) 12...b4 13 c1 xe2! at least equal, Degraeve,JBauer,C/Cannes FRA

2005.
4...c6 5 c4 (5 e2!? c7!? 6 0-0 dxe5 7 xe5 g6 8 c4 g7 9 f4 Space. Karjakin,S
Karttunen,M/Kemer TUR 2007) 5...c7!? even though the knight eyes e6, and may
even come there at some point, Black's pieces never seem to coordinate after this
move. 6 c3 (6 exd6 exd6 7 c3 g4 8 h3 h5 9 e3 e7 10 g4 g6 11 b3 c8 led to
sharp play in Gallagher,JBaburin,A/Monarch Assurance 2001.) 6...g6 7 f4 g4 8
exd6 exd6 9 e2 e7 10 h6 Socko,BEfimov,I/Kallithea GRE 2008.

5 xe5 g6
This move, the Kengis Variation, is solid and reliable. It was revived by the Latvian GM
Vladimir Bagirov, and, of course, his compatriot GM Edvins Kengis is an old
adherent of this line too.
5...c6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvl-tr0
9zpp+-zppzpp0
9-+p+-+-+0
9+-+nsN-+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
This, Tony Miles' pet line, is actually quite an interesting idea.
Black wants to challenge White's knight on e5 with ...d7 without having to worry about
that nasty piece sac that occurs after 5...d7 (6.xf7!). Unlike the Kengis variation
(5...g6) Black is not committed to a kingside fianchetto and can often develop his
queen's bishop actively on either g4 or f5. Having said that, I believe that White
must be able to preserve at least a tiny edge. 6 c4 Arguably White's most natural
move. Others:
a) 6 c4 c7 (Black has also played the naivelooking 6...b4 and perhaps it isn't bad.
7 e3 f5 8 d3 e5 9 xb4 xb4+ 10 c3 a5 11 b3 exd4 12 xd4 0-0 just looks very
good for Black.) 7 c3 d7 8 xd7 xd7 9 e3 Short,NMiles,A/Ohrid MKD
2001.
b) 6 e2! This would be my choice. Develop, castle, rook to e1 and then look for the
right moment to play c2c4! 6...f5
b1) 6...d7 7 f3 7f6 (7...g6 8 c4 (8 0-0 g7 9 c4 5f6 (9...c7 is better, and
transposes) 10 c3 Efimenko,ZNisipeanu,L/Rijeka CRO 2010) 8...c7 9 c3 g7
10 0-0 0-0 11 g5 (11 f4 Degraeve,JMiles,A/Mondariz ESP 2000) 11...e6 12
e3 f6 13 h3 b6 14 b3 c7 15 fe1 b7 Bauer,CMamedyarov,S/Merida ESP
2005) 8 0-0 f5 (8...g4 9 h3 xf3 10 xf3 Karjakin,SCarlsen,M/Nice FRA 2008) 9
29

h4! g6 10 c4 b6 11 c3 e6 12 g3! this protects the knight on h4 from

discovered attacks, and restricts the influence of a bishop on d6, Anand,V
Carlsen,M/Nice FRA 2008.
b2) 6...g6 7 0-0 g7 8 f3 g4 9 e1 0-0 10 h3 xf3 11 xf3 d7 12 c4 5b6 13
c5 c8 14 c3 e5 15 e3 an uninspiring position for Black in view of White's two
Bishops and potential pawn breakthrough on the queenside, Hunt,H
Skripchenko,A/Calvia ESP 2004
7 0-0 (7 g4!? Kasparov hopes to use his advanced knight for this active thrust, but had he
really calculated the consequences of Black's ninth? 7...e6 8 c4!? c7 (8...b6 9
b3!? was a pawn sac in Kasparov,GShort,N/Moscow RUS 2002) 9 g1!? d7 10
f3 g6 11 c3 g7 12 e3 0-0 13 d2 b5! a typical light square grab via a pawn
sacrifice, Anand,VCarlsen,M/Moscow RUS 2007.) 7...d7 8 g4!? (8 f3 e6 9 a3
e7 10 c4 5f6 11 c3 h6 12 f4 0-0 13 d5! an instructive positional break, Rublevsky,S
Carlsen,M/Moscow RUS 2007, 8 g4!? xg4 9 xg4 e6 10 d1 Adams,MZhao
Xue/Edmonton CAN 2009, 8 d3 e6 9 c4 5f6 10 f4 b6 11 e3 c7 12 c3 d6 Black
is solid, Fedorchuk,SShchekachev,A/Ghent BEL 2010) 8...e6 (8...7f6 9 c4 won
quickly in Kosten,AFerguson,M/Nottingham ENG 2005) 9 c4 5f6 (9...b4!? 10
e3! xb1 11 xb1 xa2 12 d2 b4 13 d5! is the tactical point, with a nice attack for
the pawn, Lupulescu,CGrunberg,M/Bucharest ROM 2007) 10 e3 g6 11 c3 (11
d5!? may be premature, 11...c7 12 c3 d6 with good play, Hague,BCox,J/4NCL
2005) 11...d6! Grischuk,ACarlsen,M/Moscow RUS 2007.
c) 6 d2 White aims to maintain his knight on e5, hoping that this will guarantee a
slight space advantage. But with a pair of minor pieces exchanged this won't mean
very much. 6...d7 7 df3 (7 d3 g6 8 f3 g7 9 e2 c5! is fine for Black,
Tiviakov,SCox,J/Port Erin IOM 2005) 7...xe5 8 xe5 g6 (8...f5 9 f3 White
must try to exploit the exposed bishop, ArakhamiaBaburin/4NCL 2004) 9 f3
Tiviakov,SVan der Werf,M/Leeuwarden NED 2001.
d) 6 d3 is rather quiet but White may be able to work up a small nagging edge.
6...d7 7 0-0!
d1) 7 f3 7f6 8 h3 b4! The Bishop has been used as a target to facilitate Black
counterplay. 9 c4 f5 10 a3 (10 e5 e6 11 a3 d6 12 0-0 h6 13 c3 bd5 14 c2 c7
15 d3 xe5 16 dxe5 xd3 17 xd3 xe5 DelRioAngelis,SConquest,S/4th IECC,
Istanbul TUR 2003 Black went on to consolidate and win.) 10...e6 11 c3 bd5 12
c2 e7 13 e3 g6 14 e5 gaining the bishop pair, Adams,M
Carlsen,M/Moscow RUS 2007.
d2) 7 xd7 has been played by Adams among other GMs, but I find it very hard to
believe that White can hope for much by trading his active knight like this for
Black's passive one, 7...xd7 8 0-0 g6 9 e1 (9 c4 it looks a little strange to weaken
d4, Zhigalko,ARozentalis,E/Cappelle la Grande FRA 2006) 9...g7 10 c3 0-0 11
g5 b6!? Cuijpers,FCox,J/Amsterdam NED 2006.
7...xe5 8 dxe5 b4 (8...g6 this creates a slightly odd impression in conjunction with
...xe5, Sutovsky,EMamedyarov,S/Gothenburg SWE 2005) 9 e4 xd1 10 xd1
f5 11 a3 a6 12 f3 g6 13 d2 e6 14 e2 c7 15 f3 d5 16 d4 g7 17 c4
f7 18 f4! Sutovsky,ECarlsen,M/ECC, Rethymnon GRE 2003 Black has some
problems to solve.

30

6...d7 (6...f5 7 d2 (7 f3! is a problem, when Black has no easy way to level things in
view of 7...e6 8 xf7) 7...d7 8 df3 e6 9 c3 d6 10 e2 0-0? Walking straight into
a big White attack. Black should wait a while with his King: (10...xe5 11 xe5 c7)
11 g4! xe5 12 xe5 xe5 13 dxe5 g6 14 h4 h6 15 h5 h7 16 g1 b6 17 g5
xc4 18 xc4 d3 19 f4 Direct play certainly pays dividends! Potkin,V
Kopylov,M/Bad Wiessee GER 2004) 7 f3 7b6 This allows Black to develop his
bishop to g4.
a) 7...b5 might not be too bad. 8 b3 e6 9 0-0 b7 10 bd2 c5 11 c4 bxc4 12 xc4
e7 13 g5 0-0 14 xe7 xe7 15 d6 xf3 16 xf3 cxd4 17 xf7 Gallagher,J
Wohl,A/4NCL, Telford ENG 2003 Randomising!
b) 7...e6 8 0-0 e7 (8...b5 9 d3 a6 10 b3 e7 this hinges on whether Black can time
...c6c5 successfully. If he cannot, then White surely holds the advantage, 11 c4 5b6
12 c3 b4 13 e4 f6 14 c2 Kasimdzhanov,RBrochet,P/Belfort FRA 2004 ) 9 b3
b5 10 e1 0-0 11 a4 7f6 12 e2 b4 13 e5 b7 14 a5 Skripchenko,A
Conquest,S/Pulvermuehle GER 2004
c) 7...7f6 8 h3 f5 9 0-0 e6 (9...h6 10 b3 e6 11 c4 b6 12 c3 e7 13 e2 0-0 14 f4
Ledger,APalliser,R/Scarborough ENG 2004 Simple chess is enough for an edge.)
10 g5 this doesn't achieve much, 10...e7 11 bd2 h6 12 xf6 xf6 White only
has a space advantage in return for the bishops, and it is shaky. I already prefer
Black, Shirov,ACarlsen,M/Moscow RUS 2007.
8 e2! this seems a good, safe way to keep an edge: (8 b3 g4 9 bd2 e6 10 0-0 Van der
Weide,KMiles,A/Saint Vincent ITA 2000.) 8...g4 9 0-0 e6 10 h3 (10 e1 e7 11 h3
h5 12 e5 xe2 13 xe2 0-0 14 c4 Quillan,GCox,J/Birmingham ENG 2005)
10...h5 11 e5 xe2 12 xe2 notice how utterly safe White's setup is. He retains a
central pull while exposing nothing to attack, see Jakovenko,DBu
Xiangzhi/Nizhniy Novgorod RUS 2007.
5...d7!? This move was introduced by the Danish Viking Bent Larsen in one of his
candidates matches against Mikhail Tal. Tal didn't dare take on f7, afraid that he
would have to settle for a draw. However, for many years xf7 was considered the
refutation of 5...d7, although this is no longer the case. 6 xf7!? (6 f3 If White
isn't up to the challenge of 6 xf7, this is an excellent alternative. Videki &
Krizsany consider this White's best option after 5...d7. 6...e6 7 g3 The positional
treatment. (White can also opt for the more aggressive 7 c4 ) 7...e7 8 g2
Groszpeter,APitschka,K/Pardubice CZE 2000.) 6...xf7 7 h5+ e6 The king has
to go to the centre. 8 c4 (8 g3! This is probably the best move here. 8...b5 9 a4 c6 10
c3? (10 h3+! is essential, driving the black king to d6) 10...g6 Navara,D
Miroshnichenko,E/Antalya TUR 2004.) 8...5f6 9 d5+ d6 10 f7 e5!? After
considering different knight moves the conclusion is obvious: the knight should go
to the centre! (10...b8?! didn't work too well in Mutschnik,IPitschka,K/Stuttgart
GER 2005) 11 f4 Now 12.c5 is threatened, so Black's next move is forced. 11...c5
12 c3 a6 13 b4 Currently considered to be White's best try, and hairraising
complications ensue. (13 0-0-0 This old main line has fallen into disuse, but do you
fancy the Black position circa move 15? 13...g6! This is the point. 14...h6 is
threatened. 14 xe5+ xe5 15 d6 Rozentalis,ESokolov,A/Bern 1992.) 13...b6! This
move seems to be the only chance for defence. Alternatives are insufficient. 14 0-0-0
(14 bxc5+ was thought to be a winning move, but recent games have changed the
31

evaluation of this position.) 14...cxb4! A very important novelty, the notes to the
game Mysliwiec,EKrzyzanowski,A/corr 1995, reveal the current theoretical
evaluation of this line, and things are looking good for Black. Take a risk and win!

6 c4
At the present time this looks like the most dangerous continuation. White takes bags of
space, putting the onus on Black to find counterplay.
6 f3 looks quite interesting and I don't know why its played so rarely. 6...e6 (In 'The
Complete Alekhine' (1992) Burgess opined that 6...f6 was probably necessary but
then reconsidered this view in 1996 ('New Ideas in the Alekhine Defence'). My view
is that if Black has to play the ugly 6 ...f6 the Kengis variation would be put out of
business.) 7 c4 b4 The only move. 8 xb7 xd4! (Burgess and his trusty computer
award this move a '?!' and give some convoluted lines based on 8...c2+ 9 d1
xa1 10 xa8 g7 11 d2 (or 11 b7 Fleck) 11...c5!?, "all of which requires
careful analysis". I'd prefer to skip the 'careful analysis' and go down the pub. Taking
on d4 feels right to me.) 9 xa8 xe5+ (Burgess only gives 9...c2+ which feels all
wrong to me. I like my knights where they are, bringing 'Dobbin' (the one on b4)
back to c6 keeps White's queen out of play. Meanwhile Black will race ahead with
the rest of his development good compensation for the exchange as White's king is
in the middle. This is the kind of factor that materialistic computers tend to
underestimate. Let us see some analysis of Volzhin: 10 e2 xe5+ 11 d1 d4+ 12
d2 The few previous moves were forced, 12...xa1 13 xb8+ d7 14 b5+ d8 15
b8+ d7 16 b5+ It seems this line is a sufficient defence for Black although I
suspect either side may improve here. This line needs practical tests.) 10 d1 4c6
11 c3 g7 12 e3 0-0 Ernst,TJosefsson,K/Sweden 1983.
6 c4 Currently the most popular continuation. 6...c6 7 0-0 (7 d2 White intends to
reinforce e5 with his other knight. 7...g7 8 df3 Nijboer,FVaganian,R/NED 2001.)
7...g7 8 e1 (8 d2 0-0 9 df3 d7 10 h3 Movsesian,SSvidler,P/Odessa UKR 2009)
8...0-0 9 b3 (9 c3 e6 10 d2 d7 11 xd7 xd7 12 e4 gives White an edge,
Krylov,SSuder,R/Durham ENG 2007) 9...d7!? Adams deviates from the next
note. Unfortunately this stops us seeing the improvement Kasparov had prepared
against 9...e6. The text is an attempt to relieve Black's slight cramp by exchanging
pieces. (9...e6 10 c3 (10 d2 c7 11 c3 d5? Poor. Black forgets that he has a King
to defend. Naturally, 11...d7 had to be played. 12 g4! a5 13 df3 a4 14 c2 xf3 15
xf3 d7 16 h4 e6 17 g5 f6 18 h6 a5 19 h4 e8 20 e4 Lane,G
Wallace,J/Canberra 2003 White has marshalled his forces excellently for the
imminent winning attack.) 10...d7 11 f3 c7 Now the exchange on e6 is forced,
Howell,JKengis,E/London 1991.) 10 f3! White, who has a space advantage,
should
avoid
any
exchanges.
10...7f6
(10...e8
Sharma,D
Miroshnichenko,E/Mumbai IND 2009) 11 c4 c7 12 h3 Otherwise Black starts
pressurising the d4square (...g4, ...e6). Now the bishop on c8 lacks good
squares: Kasparov,GAdams,M/Linares 1997. White's accurate manoeuvres here
seem to give his world class opponent no chance at all. A game worthy of study for
two reasons: firstly, to see the current state of theory in a main line and secondly, to
see the World Champion at his best.
32

6 d2 For reasons known best to himself, Miles awarded this move two exclamation marks
in Informator 67 and splattered more exclamation marks over the rest of the game. I
suspect he was being ironic, especially in view of the fact that he later changed sides.
6...g7 7 df3 0-0 8 c4 b6 9 e2 Miles,APons,S/Andorra 1996.

6...b6 7 c3 g7 8 e3
8 f4 0-0 9 e2 a5!? 10 h4?! Quite a dubious move, as White has no real attacking
chances, Gallagher,JKengis,E/Bern 1992, (The simple 10 0-0 should be preferred,
although I doubt whether White has any advantage.)

8...c5

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqk+-tr0
9zpp+-zppvlp0
9-sn-+-+p+0
9+-zp-sN-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+-sN-vL-+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+QmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
The 'critical' line, but one which seems to leave Black fighting for a draw.

9 dxc5 xd1+ 10 xd1 xe5 11 cxb6

Ernst,TBagirov,V/Helsinki (Finland) 1992.

33

Alekhine's Defence 4 Nf3 Bg4 [B05]

Last updated: 16/05/11 by Gawain Jones

1.e4 f6 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.f3 g4

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wqkvl-tr0
9zppzp-zppzpp0
9-+-zp-+-+0
9+-+nzP-+-0
9-+-zP-+l+0
9+-+-+N+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tRNvLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
The Main line of the Alekhine's, and Black is currently having serious problems certainly
the statistics are very poor for him. In many lines White enjoys a small but steady
edge, while Black is compelled to passive defence without serious chances of
counterplay. Clearly Black urgently needs new ideas, otherwise it's time to switch to
another variation.

5.e2
5.c4 b6 6.exd6 (6.e2 e6 transposes below) 6...exd6 7.h3 Sahl,BMamedyarov,S/Saint
Vincent 2005.

5...e6
The alternative is Flohr's line: 5...c6 6.0-0 (6.c4 has been considered testing, but in the
following snippet, Black gets a good game: 6...b6 7.bd2 8d7 8.0-0 dxe5 9.xe5 xe5
10.dxe5 f5 11.b3 e6 12.d1 c7 13.g3 0-0-0 14.b3 h5 Greet,A
Baburin,A/Birmingham 2006, 6.g5!? is the line that originally deterred everyone
from 5...c6, Baburin calls it the most critical, 6...xe2 7.xe2 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 this much
tested position is probably satisfactory for Black, see Jonkman,H
Krasenkow,M/Wijk aan Zee NED 2007) 6...xf3 (6...d7!? 7.g5 Ivanov,O
Derbenev,A/Lipetsk RUS 2009) 7.xf3 dxe5 8.dxe5 e6 9.e1

34

a) 9.e2!? is considered inferior but everyone seems to play it! 9...d7 10.c4
(10.d2 e7 11.b3? xe5! Garcia Pantoja,RFernandez Garcia,J/Havana CUB 2009)
10...e7 11.d2 White's idea is to play c3 and e1, (11.g4!? is an idea of
Botvinnik, see Arakhamia,KBaburin,A/Triesen LIE 2007) 11...g6 (11...c7 12.e1
g6 transposes) 12.c3 c7 13.e1 0-0-0 (13...f4? 14.e3!) 14.b4?! this just exposes
White's position, 14...e7 now the threat is a triple capture on e5 followed by ...f6.
15.b2 (15.a4? is losing, Ibarra Chami,LFernandez Garcia,J/Havana CUB 2007,
15.g3?! Illijin,NHorn,P/Biel 1990) 15...f6
b) 9.c4 is considered completely harmless, but it may have some poison in it,
9...e7 10.xd8+ xd8 Bilic,VGavric,M/Vogosca BIH 2007, and now 11.d2!
(11.b3?! Verbruggen,SKrasenkow,M/Vlissingen NED 2007) 11...d7 12.c3 g6
13.e1 with two bishops and more space.
c) 9.b3 Thinking in the abstract this sounds like a good idea the white queen, rook
and bishop will 'overprotect e5 in good Nimzowitschian style' as the phrase goes
but the problem is it doesn't seem to work! Once the bishop goes to b2 the black
knight on d5 can exploit the undefended f4 square to reach g6, and then the e5 pawn
is surprisingly fragile. 9...d7 10.b2 c7 11.e2 f4 12.e4 g6 Black has at
least equal chances through targeting e5, Breznik,KRogulj,B/Sentjur SLO 2009
9...d7 10.d2 c7 (10...b8?! is an attempt at an improvement, 11.c4 b5 Now Gufeld's
combination doesn't work. 12.d6+ This pawn sacrifice is forced but strong!
Cmilyte,VZhukova,N/Istanbul Olympiad 2000., 10...e7 11.c4! 0-0 12.a4 a5 13.d2
Baklan,VKosikov,A/Kiev 2000., 10...h6!? Black prevents g5 and prepares ...g5 in
some lines, Karjakin,SShort,N/Kiev UKR 2008) 11.c4 7b6! The only move.
(11...b5? This optimistic move allows a brilliant combination. 12.xd5! cxd5 13.d6+
xd6 14.xd5!! a lovely but easy to miss Queen sacrifice, Gufeld,EGoh,C/Penang
1991.) 12.d4!? xc4 13.xc4 White is slightly better due to the Bishop pair and
space advantage. On the other hand, Black's position is very solid, with no
weaknesses or bad pieces. 13...0-0-0 14.a3 (Instead 14.a4!? intends to throw all the
pawns forward on the queenside. This is a rather obvious attempt at an
improvement, 14...h5 15.c3 e7 16.b4 and White had the superior attack in
Vuckovic,BBogut,Z/Sarajevo BIH 2009.) 14...h6 an ambitious move, trying to
attack on the kingside! (14...a5?! Malakhov,VSedina,E/Porto San Giorgio 1999)
15.b4 g5 Senff,MKrasenkow,M/Muelheim Nord GER 2007.
5...g6!? is an odd mix of systems, 6.g5! f5!? 7.e6!? Popovic,DZubak,Z/Bizovac CRO
2008.
5...c6 6.c4 b6 7.exd6 exd6 8.0-0 e7 9.b3 0-0 10.c3 f6 11.e3 d5 12.c5 c8 is all
standard stuff, played hundreds of times before, Mok Tze Meng
Hernandez,G/Dresden GER 2008.

6.0-0
6.h3 h5 (6...xf3 attempts to exploit the early h3, 7.xf3 c6 8.0-0?! dxe5! Libiszewski,F
Rozentalis,E/Cappelle la Grande FRA 2005, 6...f5!? Ni HuaTorre,E/Cebu City PHI
2007) 7.c4 b6 8.exd6 cxd6 9.c3 e7 10.d5!

35

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wqk+-tr0
9zpp+-vlpzpp0
9-sn-zpp+-+0
9+-+P+-+l0
9-+P+-+-+0
9+-sN-+N+P0
9PzP-+LzPP+0
9tR-vLQmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
This natural move seems to be a novelty. Now White obtains a space advantage and
prospects of a queenside attack. 10...e5 11.g4!? This is the most ambitious. It was
introduced by Bologan. (11.e3 xf3!? 12.xf3 8d7 13.e2 Black has a solid position
(although White is slightly better), Bologan,VTischbierek,R/Wien 1996.) 11...g6
12.h4 h5 13.g5 8d7 14.e3 The critical position for the whole line, see
Hamdouchi,HBaburin,A/Saint Vincent 2000.
6.c4 b6 7.exd6 (or 7.h3, when 7...h5 8.exd6 transposes to the above line, 7.c3?! dxe5 8.xe5
xe2 9.xe2?! xd4 with a pawn more, Arnold,LRozentalis,E/Augsburg GER 2005.)
7...cxd6 8.0-0 e7 9.h3 h5 10.c3 Najer,EYermolinsky,A/Philadelphia USA
2008.

6...e7 7.c4 b6 8.c3

It is still not clear if White should interpolate 8.h3 h5 or not. Both variations have their
merits and drawbacks.
8.h3 h5 9.c3 0-0 (9...a6!? is an interesting little move which has been popular with the
highrated players who have taken Black's position in recent times, see Motylev,A
Yermolinsky,A/Moscow RUS 2005) 10.e3 d5 11.c5 xf3 (11...6d7!? 12.b4 f6!?
Abdulyazanov,MTukhvatullin,T/Kazan RUS 2008) 12.gxf3!? This move became
popular when it became clear, that (12.xf3 offers nothing. The position after the text
is a "tabia" of the 4...Bg4 line. It has occurred in hundreds of games.) 12...c8 13.f4
c6 14.f5!? White takes the first opportunity to break in the centre. It is a very
interesting, but probably somewhat premature, decision, (14.b4 Fedorowicz,J
Baburin,A/San Francisco USA 2002) 14...exf5 15.f3 This is the idea behind 14. f5:
the d5pawn is defenceless. Now Black has to find counterplay, otherwise he'll be
smashed by White's strong central pawns Aseev,KBagirov,V/Berlin 1990.

8...0-0 9.e3
9.h3 h5 10.e3 a6!? A curious semiwaiting move. 11.exd6 cxd6 12.b3 (12.d5 Becerra
Rivero,JYermolinsky,A/Ledyard USA 2009) 12...8d7 (12...c7 13.f4 c6) 13.a4
xf3 14.gxf3 b8 15.h1 g5 16.g1 xe3 17.fxe3 h4 Hoepfl,T
Tischbierek,R/Osterburg GER 2006 Black has very acceptable play.
36

9...d5 10.c5 xf3 11.gxf3 c8 12.f4

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnnwq-trk+0
9zppzp-vlpzpp0
9-+-+p+-+0
9+-zPpzP-+-0
9-+-zP-zP-+0
9+-sN-vL-+-0
9PzP-+LzP-zP0
9tR-+Q+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy
We have suggested this line as the most dangerous for Black.

12...c6
12...h4?! 13.d3 g6?! Another inaccuracy. (13...f5 is obligatory here. White is clearly
better on both sides of the board, but Black's defensive resources should not be
underestimated.) 14.f5! exf5 15.f3! Kobalija,MNalbandian,T/Moscow 1999.

13.b4
I believe this move is much more to the point than 13.f5

13...h4 14.b5
Ulibin,MMorovic Fernandez,I/Las Palmas 1992.

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