Centre Counter [B01]

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

McDonald, IMs John Watson & Andrew Martin
Last updated Friday, June 24, 2011

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he Centre Counter or Scandinavian Defence is an excellent weapon particularly at

club level, as it is sound and solid yet rarely encountered, henceforth many of
your opponents will be unable to hit you with theory, increasing your chances of

success.

Black has many dangerous gambit lines with which to surprise the opponent, and
White can so easily be blown away before move 20. Black can of course play safely and
solidly with 2...xd5 but dynamic options are plentiful in this exciting and relatively
uncharted opening.

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 d5 2 exd5 xd5
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2...f6 Centre Counter 2...Nf6 [B01]
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3 c3 a5 Centre Counter 2...Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qa5 [B01]

3...d6, 3...d8 3...e5+ Centre Counter 2...Qxd5 not 3...Qa5 [B01]

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2

Centre Counter 2...Nf6 [B01]

Last updated: 24/06/11 by Gawain Jones

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 f6

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2...c6?! Total rubbish but it works a treat in our featured game. 3.dxc6 xc6 4.f3 (4.c3!)
4...e5 5.b5 d6 Vela Ignacio,JRazmyslov,A/Coria del Rio ESP 2004, Black won,
but White played rather nervously...

3.d4
Others: 3.c4 e6!? The socalled "Icelandic Gambit", (3...c6 4.d4 cxd5 is a Panov CaroKann)
4.dxe6 xe6 5.f3 (5.d4 b4+ Zarnicki,PFiorito,F/Buenos Aires Zonal Tournament
2000) 5...e7 6.e2 c6 7.d4 g4 8.e3 0-0-0 9.d5 e5 10.c3 fd7 11.h3
xf3+ 12.gxf3 h5 Very calm Black plays for structural advantage regaining
the pawn can come later, Kosmo,SSmerdon,D/41st WJun, Goa IND 2002.
3.e2! This calmly develops the kingside and certainly prevents any 3...g4 nonsense.
White intends to follow up with f3, d2d4 and 0-0 after which his d4 pawn gives
him a small space advantage. 3...xd5 now, 4.d4 transposes to a main line, whilst
cuttingout the possibility of Black's gambit line with 3... Bg4 and is, in my opinion,
more precise.
3.c3 Of course, in playing this way White can hardly obtain an opening advantage and the
whole line is considered as quite harmless for Black. However it has occurred a few
times at top level. Even Paul Keres has tried it once and with great success!
3...xd5 4.ge2 Keres,PMikenas,V/URS 1968 (see B02) contains a summary of
this line.

3.b5+ d7 (3...bd7! This move leads to a very sharp and interesting game. It allows
White to keep an extra pawn but Black has good prospects for gaining the initiative,
4.c4 a6 5.a4 (5.xd7+ xd7 6.d4 Movsesian,SDamaso,R/Pula 1997.) 5...b5 6.cxb5
xd5 with compensation, Velicka,PDausch,R/Boeblingen GER 2009.) 4.e2
xd5 5.d4 f5 The most popular move. (5...b6 6.c4 e5!? A rare but very interesting
gambit line. Black's ideas are similar to those in the wellknown line 3.d4 xd5
4.c4 b6 5. c3 e5 which we have considered already (see Remizov Bezgodov)
Movsesian,SBiolek,R/Olomouc 1997., 5...g6?! Black plays in a similar fashion to
the main line with 3.d4, but this is a different position! The difference will become
clear after White's 8th move, Bronstein,DLutikov,A/ USSR (ch) 1960., 5...g6 6.c4!
b6 7.c3 g7 8.e3 0-0 9.d2 f5 10.g4 c8 11.0-0-0 c6 12.h4 Becquart,J
Sacliez,A/6th St Quentin Open, Elancourt FRA 2003. If this is the best that Black
can do 5...g6 is heading for the scrapheap., 5...b5!? an original idea, to prevent c4,
Blesic,VKaraklajic,N/Belgrade SRB 2008) 6.f3 e6 7.0-0 e7 8.a3 (8.c4!? is
Rybka's suggestion) 8...0-0 (8...h6 9.c4 f6 10.b3 c8 11.c3 0-0 12.d5 exd5 13.cxd5 c6
Black's position cannot be taken by storm. 14.d4 g6 15.dxc6 xc6 16.xc6 bxc6
17.c4 d5 18.e4 e6 19.d3 ad8 20.c2 fe8 Collutiis,DGenocchio,D/chITA,
Montecatini Terme ITA 2002, activity towers over structure!) 9.c4 b6 10.c3 f6
(10...g4 Kosintseva,NMohota,N/Dresden GER 2008.) 11.e3 c6 12.h3 The
"tabia" of this line. White has a certain advantage in space while Black has
counterchances due to his pressure on the d4pawn. By the way the position looks
like one from the Alekhine Four Pawns Attack, (without the f2 and f7 pawns it's just
a position from Yudasin Kengis!) and the ideas of both sides are very similar,
Kaminski,MGipslis,A/Cappelle la Grande 1998.
3.f3 xd5 4.d4 transposes.

3...xd5
3...g4

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A very interesting but dubious line. Black sacrifices a pawn hoping to get active piece play,
but White's defensive resources are huge and it's quite difficult to get full
compensation. On the other hand White has to tread very carefully, otherwise
Black's initiative may become extremely dangerous. 4.f3
4

a) 4.f3 is a good move here, (as is 4 b5+) 4...xd5 5.e2 c6 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3
d7 8.c3 e5 the sharpest response (8...0-0-0 9.b3 e5 10.dxe5 d3 a sacrifice which
simply doesn't work, Spangenberg,HLlanos,G/II American Continental, Buenos
Aires A 2003) 9.d5 e7 10.c4 g6 11.0-0 c5 with counterplay, Nabaty,T
Chatalbashev,B/Eforie Nord ROU 2010
b) 4.e2?! by contrast, is rather innocuous: 4...xe2 5.xe2 xd5 6.f3 e6 7.0-0
c6 8.e3 0-0-0 9.c4 h5 10.c3 g8 11.fd1 g5! Black's chances of a successful
attack are rather higher than White, Sonter,MSmerdon,D/Mount Buller AUS 2005
c) 4.b5+ is a very interesting approach, helping Black's development but hurting
his piece coordination, 4...bd7 5.e2 xe2 6.xe2 xd5 7.f3 with more central
control, Ahn,MRosse,S/Kallithea GRE 2008
4...f5 5.b5+ In my opinion only by playing this move can White hope for an opening
advantage. (5.c4 is very natural but probably far from best. It may seem that now
Black is in trouble as White has an extra pawn and a very strong pawn centre. But
Black has something in mind! 5...e6! 6.dxe6 c6! The point. 7.e2 (White couldn't
solve his problems with 7.e3 because of 7...b4+ 8.c3 e7!, Dutreeuw,M
Rocha,S/Batumi 1999, for only a pawn Black has a huge advantage in development
and great activity for all his pieces. It's extremely difficult to find a sufficient
defence for White.) 7...b4! Aiming at the c2 and d3 squares, Burovic,I
Monange,S/Torcy 1991.) 5...bd7 6.c4 The position is somewhat similar to
Movsesian Damaso. But compared to that game White has gained some tempi
here, so it's not so easy for Black to prove he has something for a pawn. 6...a6 (Black
has also tried 6...e6 7.dxe6 xe6 8.d5 f5 9.c3 b4 (9...c5 10.e2+ f8 11.g4 xg4!
Goh Wei MingDarwin Laylo/Duty Free Fiesta Mall, Philip 2008) 10.ge2 In my
view this line calls 6...e6 into question, 10...0-0 11.xd7 xd7 12.0-0 e8!?N
(12...c5 Agnos,DSantos,C/Pula 1997) 13.g3 g6 14.ce4 f5 15.g5 b8
16.a4! Martin,ALalic,S/Correspondence 2005) 7.xd7+ xd7 8.e2 e6 9.dxe6
xe6 10.b3 0-0-0 11.0-0 c5 12.h1 xd4 13.xd4 d7 14.b2 c5 15.b4! cxd4
16.b5 he8!? A very interesting attempt to improve Black's play. (After 16...axb5?!
White obtained crushing attack with 17.a3! Lanka,ZHauchard,A/Torcy 1991.)
17.bxa6 bxa6 18.d2 Volzhin,AGausel,E/Bergen 2000.

4.c4

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4.f3 g4
a) 4...g6 5.c4 is a relatively slow line, (5.c4 transposes to the mainline) 5...g7 6.0-0
0-0 7.e1 Adams,MPechenkin,V/Edmonton CAN 2009.
b) 4...f5 A rather rare move, Black's simple reply shows why: 5.d3 xd3 6.xd3
e6 7.0-0 c6 (7...d7 8.c4 5f6 9.c3 Wan Yunguo ScandiLaylo,D/Subic Bay PHI
2009) 8.c4 b6 9.c3 e7 10.f4 White has achieved an effortless advantage with
simple moves, TopalovKamsky/Wijk aan Zee 2006 .
5.h3 (5.e2 c6 6.0-0 DeFirmian,NSchroer,J/New York (USA) 1984.) 5...h5 (5...xf3
6.xf3 c6 7.e2 g6 8.0-0 with the bishop pair and a space advantage, Carlsen,M
Short,N/Wijk aan Zee NED 2010) 6.c4 I like this move order, 6...b6 7.c3 e6
(7...e5?! Svidler,PDreev,A/Elista 1997.) 8.g4 g6 9.e5 Tzermiadianos,AShen
Siyuan/Budapest HUN 2009.
4.e2! g6 (4...f5 5.f3 e6 6.0-0 Degraeve,JDe Wolf,J/Belgium 1996.) 5.f3 g7 6.0-0 0-0
7.e1! Kotronias,VThorhallsson,T/Reykjavik (Iceland) 1988.

4...b6
4...b4?! 5.a4+ 8c6 and now, rather than 6.d5? RohdeTsitevic/1971, which leads to a
nice trick, White should play (6.a3)

5.f3
5.c3 This move order prevents the 5. f3 g4 line but allows an interesting counterblow
in the centre. 5...e5!? (5...g6 6.c5! is the idea behind an early Nc3. 6...6d7 7.c4 g7
8.f3 0-0 9.0-0 b6 10.g5 f6 11.b3 e6 12.d5 h6 13.dxe6 hxg5 14.exf7+ h7 15.xg5 with a
tremendous attack for White, Strikovic,ATissir,M/Dos Hermanas 2004) 6.e2!
This 'gambit' appears to be the most promising course.
a) 6.d5!? A continuation which deserves serious attention, Bielczyk,J
Slabek,G/Katowice 1992.
b) Let's see how Black might develop his attack against White's unpromising sixth
move 6.dxe5?! In my opinion this is a dubious move, 6...xd1+ 7.xd1 (7.xd1?!
Remizov,JBezgodov,A/St.Petersburg 1994) 7...c6 8.f4 f6! 9.exf6 gxf6 10.f3
g4 11.e3 xf3 12.gxf3 d4 13.f2 c5 Belaska,PSikora Lerch,J/TChCZE
6

2002 Already White's position is very difficult and he went on to lose quite
effortlessly.
c) 6.f3 g4 7.e2 Frolov,DVshivkov,K/Perm 1997.
6...xd4 7.f3 g4!? Sarenac,DScepanovic,L/Senta SRB 2009, 8.xe5+

5...g6
5...g4 is the alternative.

6.c3
6.e2 g7 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3 c6 (8...g4 is the main alternative to the text, Rusanov,M
Alekseev,E/St Petersburg RUS 1999.) 9.d5 e5 10.c5! This move is the most
serious attempt to fight for an opening advantage, Solovjov,SAlekseev,E/St
Petersburg 1999. (10.xe5 Polgar,JStefansson,H/Egilsstadir 1988.)
6.a4!? a5 7.c3 g7 8.c5 is like 7.c5, below, except that Black has the b4square, see Ni
HuaMuzychuk,A/Wijk aan Zee NED 2010.

6...g7 7.e3
7.c5! looks very impressive if the evidence of the following games is anything to go by.
White harries Black and gets good squares for his pieces, 7...d5 8.c4 c6 (8...xc3
9.bxc3 0-0 10.0-0 c6 11.e1 g4 12.g5 Kovalev,APluemer,D/Dresden GER 2009.)
9.0-0 e6!? a speciality of Jacek Tomczak, (9...0-0 10.e1! White threatens g5,
which is hard to parry without making a major concession. 10...h6 (Black has fallen
for a trap after 10...b6? 11.g5 e6 12.xd5 cxd5 13.xe7! Friedel,J
Pechenkin,V/Edmonton CAN 2009.) 11.b3 Vuckovic,BVukanovic,S/Bar SCG
2005.) 10.g5 (10.b3 has scored much better for White.) 10...xc3 11.xe6 xd1
12.xd8 xb2 13.xb2 xd8 14.xf7 Brkic,AMuzychuk,A/AixlesBains FRA
2011.

7...0-0 8.h3 c6 9.d2

9.e2 e5 10.d5 e7 11.g4!? This line should become more and more popular as recent
practice proves Black has difficult problems to solve here. 11...e8!? Psakhis,L
Manor,I/Israel 2000, the alternative (11...a5 was played in Varavin,V
Terekhin,A/Perm 1998, where Black failed to equalise)

9...e5 10.d5 e7

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Nowadays the old move 10...a5!? is becoming more and more popular Grischuk,A
Malakhov,V/Lausanne 2000.

11.g4
Very typical for this kind of position. White prevents Ne7f5 and prepares a kingside
attack.

11...f5 12.0-0-0 fxg4 13.g5 g3!?

13...f5 Gipslis,AMaric,R/Erevan 1971.

14.c5
Milos,GSapis,W/Cappelle La Grande 2000.

Centre Counter 2...Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qa5

[B01]
Last updated: 24/06/11 by Gawain Jones

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5

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3.c3
3.f3 intends to keep c4 as an option: 3...g4
a) 3...g6 4.c3 (4.d4 f6 5.c3 d6 6.e5 g7 Zakharstov,VEpishin,V/Elista RUS
2001) 4...d8 (4...d6 5.c4 f6 6.d3 Okrajek,AEpishin,V/Werther GER 2002.) 5.d4
(5.c4 g7 6.d4 h6 7.f4 f5 this is a very risky, timeconsuming idea for Black
which can only be recommended for experimentation. 8.e5 0-0 9.xg7 xg7 10.e2
d6 11.h4 g4 12.h5 d7 13.d3 f6 14.e5! HinksEdwards,TMartin,A/England T/T
2003 and White has a strong initiative.) 5...h6 6.f4 f5 7.e5 g8 is an odd line
which might not be too bad for Black. The d4 pawn will come under pressure.
b) 3...f6 4.d4 g4 (4...g6 5.c4 d8 Tal,MBronstein,D/Moscow 1967, 4...f5!? an
unusual move which sets up a durable position. if you are looking for something
very solid, this may well be a sensible choice. 5.e2 c6 6.0-0 e6 7.e1 b4!? 8.c3 e7
9.e5 d8= It is not clear to me whether White has even the slightest edge here,
Drljevic,LMilovanov,O/Budva SCG 2004) 5.e2 e6 (5...c6?! 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3
e6+ 8.e3 0-0-0 9.0-0 d5 (I think I prefer 9...d7 attempting to unravel, but
White is better anyway.) 10.e2 xe3 11.fxe3 d7 12.xc6 xc6 13.xf7
9

Lee,GLedger,S/Scarborough ENG 2004) 6.0-0 e7 7.f4 (7.h3 h5 8.c4

Degraeve,JKovarcik,G/SaintAffrique (France) 1999 and Rowson,J
Martin,A/Southend 2002.) 7...d8 8.c4 0-0 9.b3 c8 10.c3 bd7 11.ad1 a6
12.fe1 e8 13.e5 White is surely better but if Black is rational he should be able
to minimise his disadvantage, Ferguson,MMartin,A/4NCL Telford 2003.
4.e2 c6! I like this move, which directly challenges the key square d4, (4...c6!? Tiviakov
5.d4 f6 6.c4 d8 7.c3 e6 8.h3 h5 9.0-0 d6?! (Simply 9...e7 is indicated, with
a solid game for Black, albeit a little passive.) 10.g5 h6 11.xf6 gxf6? (She simply
had to play 11...xf6 12.e4 e7 13.xd6+ xd6 14.b3 b6 15.c5 and take her chances.)
12.d5 e7 13.e1 with a big plus, Kaidanov,GZatonskih,A/San Diego 2006.) 5.d4
(Or 5.c3 d7 6.h3 xf3 7.xf3 0-0-0 8.d3 d4 (8...e5 Black establishes a grip on
d4, which should equalise, Van den Doel,ETiviakov,S/Dresden GER 2007.) 9.0-0
e6 10.e3 e7 Vachier Lagrave,MTiviakov,S/Hoogeveen NED 2010) 5...0-0-0
Direct, vigorous attacking play by Black. It intimidates lower rated opponents and
doesn't allow a higher rated player a calm positional advantage. 6.c4 (6.e3 e5
(6...f6 7.c4 h5 8.bd2 Morozevich,ARogers,I/Germany 1999.) 7.c4 a5+ 8.d2
b4 9.d5 with sharp play in Bologan,VGrafl,F/Warsaw POL 2009) 6...f5 7.e3
xf3 (7...f6 resulted in a quick White win in De Firmian,NWaitzkin,J/New York
(USA) 1996.) 8.xf3 xd4 9.xd4 e6+ 10.e2 c5!? (10...e4 11.0-0 xd4 12.a4
with a strong initiative for the pawn, Bruzon Batista,LKurajica,B/La Laguna ESP
2010.) 11.a4 cxd4 12.xa7 ses Baron,TKurajica,B/Rijeka CRO 2010.
3.d4?! Inaccurate. 3...e5! Clearly the best move. (3...c6 4.f3 g4 transposes to 3 f3,
below) 4.f3 c6 5.c3 b4 6.d2 xc3 7.xc3 e4 8.e5 xe5 9.dxe5 e7
10.xd5 xd5 11.d4 b4 12.b5+ c6 13.a4 e6= Fernandez Garcia,J
Karpov,A/Basque Country vs. World Advanced, Sant 2003 Black has a very free
and easy game. The two bishops will never get to show their strength.

3...a5

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4.d4

10

The move 4.g3!? represents a much quieter way of playing this opening for White, aiming
to complete his development and hopefully develop pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal:
4...f6 5.g2 c6 (5...g4 6.ge2 c6 7.h3 h5 8.d3 Rozentalis,EMilos,G/Tilburg
1992) 6.f3 (6.ge2 g6 7.0-0 g7 8.b1 0-0 9.b4 d8 10.a4 e8 11.b5 d6 12.d3 c5
Casper,TSpeelman,J/Bundesliga 2002, note the careful delay in developing the
queenside, giving Black the maximum chance to defend against b4b5.) 6...g4 7.00 e6 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 e7 (9...bd7 Tiviakov,SHansen,C/Wijk aan Zee 1994)
10.a3 0-0 11.b1 c7 12.b4 Rozentalis,EKhalifman,A/Germany 1993.
4.f3 f6 (4...g4 5.h3 h5 6.g4 g6 7.g2 Chiburdanidze,MKlaric,Z/Banja Luka 1985)
5.c4 (5.h3 c6 6.d3!? Suetin,ASteiner,G/Velden op 1996) 5...g4 (5...c6 6.e2!? anti
...f5 strategy according to Speelman, 6...f5 7.e5 an approach which seemed
dangerous at the time, but I believe Black defused White's tricks with accurate play,
Speelman,JMartin,A/4NCL (2) Birmingham 2004) 6.h3 h5 7.e2 bd7 8.g4 g6
9.b4!? Rohde,MSeirawan,Y/USA 1976.
4.c4 f6 5.ge2 c6 6.0-0 g4 7.d3 e6 Zinchenko,YBauer,C/Metz FRA 2010.

4...f6
4...e5 A rare continuation which can confuse the White player if he does not know what to
do, RitovSkuya/USSR 1971.
4...c6! A good move order, sidestepping a number of attacking ideas. 5.c4 (5.f3 f5
6.c4 d7 (6...e6! also seems good: 7.0-0 f6 8.e2 b4 9.b3 0-0 10.d2 bd7 11.a3
xc3 12.xc3 c7 13.d2 c5!= Kosintseva,NZhukova,N/Elista RUS 2004, a good
moment to begin active play with the Bishop on b3 unimpressive. Black is fully
equal.) 7.d2 e6 8.e4 c7 9.g3 g6 10.h4 h6 11.h5 h7 12.e2 xc2!
Heinatz,TKeitlinghaus,L/Stuttgart GER 2004 Why not? After this coldblooded
capture, White never proved that he had enough compensation. ) 5...f5 6.d2 e6
(6...f6 may transpose to a later line) 7.g4 (7.d5 suggested by Eric Pri, 7...cxd5 8.xd5
d8 9.e2 f6 transposes to 5.d2 below.) 7...g6 8.e2 (8.h4 h5 9.d5! Leyva,R
Matamoros,C/Capablanca Mem Premier II, Var 2000.) 8...b4 9.0-0-0 e7 10.h3
d5 11.xd5 cxd5 12.f4 c6 13.fxd5 xc2! 14.de1 0-0 15.xb4 xb4
Handke,FZill,C/7th BayEM, Bad Wiessee GER 2003, Black has a virtually
winning attack.

5.f3

11

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5.c4!? is a dangerous move, directed against an early ...f5. In that case White will play
ge2g3 and probably f4f5. 5...g4! Black tries to sidestep that plan, (5...c6
6.ge2 this poses a real challenge to Black's development, 6...f5 7.d2 (7.g3 is
similar, 7...g6 8.0-0 bd7 9.f4 e6 10.f5 with an attack, Heinemann,ESieber,H/Apolda
GER 2007) 7...e6 8.g3 g6 9.h4 Erturan,YExizoglou,D/Athens GRE 2007, and
now 9...h6 is best) 6.f3 (6.f3?! is well met by 6...c6! 7.h3 (7.d2? 0-0-0! and
White is already in trouble! Vaklinov,APri,E/Saint Vincent 2004) 7...h5
(7...xf3?! 8.xf3 xd4 9.xb7) 8.g4 g6 9.d2 0-0-0! 10.g5 xd4! White is again
flirting with disaster, Kotlyar,DPri,E/Bad Kreuznach 2004.) 6...f5 (6...h5
7.ge2 c6 8.d2 0-0-0 9.b5 b6 10.a4 xd4 (10...a5) 11.bxd4 xd4!? an
interesting exchange sac, Sprenger,JMartyn,R/Open, Vienna AUT 2003.) 7.ge2
bd7! 8.g4 (8.0-0 g6 9.f4 e6 10.g3 0-0-0 with direct pressure against the enemy d4
pawn, 11.e3? b6! Schoucair,HPri,E/Rochefort 2005, 8.d2! c6 9.g4 g6 10.h4 is
strongest) 8...g6 9.h4 h6 10.f4 e5! with adequate play, see Cornette,M
Pri,E/Saint Vincent 2004.
5.d2 is dangerous 5...g4!
a) 5...f5? a mistake as the f3 square is left vacant for the white queen! 6.f3
Kvisla,JJakobsen,M/Prague 2006
b) 5...c6 6.c4 f5 7.e2 e6 8.d5 (8.d5!? cxd5 9.xd5 d8 10.xf6+ xf6
(10...gxf6?! 11.0-0-0 c7 12.g4! g6 13.h3! d6 14.f4 and Black was quickly overrun in
Solodovnichenko,YPantioukhine,S/Rochefort 2005.) 11.0-0-0 the most dangerous,
(11.f3 c6= Handke,FMotwani,P/12th Monarch Assurance, Port Erin IOM 2003.)
11...c6 12.c3! offering a hot pawn, Muzychuk,ARepkova,E/Lille FRA 2011.)
8...d8 9.xf6+ when 9...xf6 lost quickly in Hamdouchi,HBoe,M/Plovdiv BUL
2010.
6.f3 h5 (I prefer 6...f5 ) 7.g4 g6 8.f4! the critical line, 8...e6 9.f5 consistent, 9...exf5
10.g5 fd7 11.e2+ d8! 12.0-0-0 (12.g2 c6 13.xc6 bxc6 14.0-0-0 is Golubev,M
Kislinsky,A/Kharkiv UKR 2006) 12...f4! 13.g2 c6 14.xf4 b4! with a violent
counter attack, Koepke,CKislinsky,A/Kharkiv UKR 2006.

5...c6

12

This is the most common move here, because if necessary Black's queen can later retreat to
c7 or d8.
5...c6 6.d2 (6.b5 d7 7.d5!? Kalegin,EGalkin,S/Perm 1997.) 6...a6?! (6...g4 is better,
but 7.b5 (7.d5!? Kristensen,BBern,I/Gausdal 1993) 7...b6 8.c4! b8 (Or 8...xf3
9.xf3 with advantage to White, Spassky,BPrie,E/Coupe de France Fin 1992) 9.c5
and Black is in lethal trouble, Strikovic,ALarino Nieto,D/Mondariz ESP 2009.)
7.c4 threatening d5 trapping the Black queen, 7...f5 (7...h5 8.e5! Filipovic,B
Furrer,M/Basel SUI 2006, 7...b6 8.a4! a7 9.e3 g4 10.g5! led to a nice win in
Zawadzka,JSocha,A/Straszecin 1999) 8.h3 e4 is a very fishy way to handle
Black's position which cannot be recommended. 9.d5 d7 10.f4 d6 11.e2 e6
12.0-0 e7 13.xe7 xe7 14.b3 Li ShilongMariano,N/Tagaytay City PHI 2004
White has two good Bishops and excellent development.
5...g4!? 6.h3 (6.e3?! c6 7.b5 e4 8.d2 xd2 9.xd2 xf3 10.gxf3 e6 Black has no
particular problems, Perez Ferris,MHernando Rodrigo,J/VII Pablo Gorbea, Madrid
ESP 2003) 6...h5 7.g4 (7.e2 is a safe move where White counts upon a small space
advantage, Maze,SBauer,C/Pau FRA 2008) 7...g6 8.e5 e6 9.h4
a) 9.g2 c6 10.h4 bd7 11.xd7 xd7 12.d2 h6 Wynn ZhawRogers,I/Bangkok
2004 and now I think that 13.g5 hxg5 14.hxg5 xh1+ 15.xh1 e8 16.d5 is rather
dangerous.
b) 9.d2 b6 (9...c6?? 10.b5 Diringer,BLink,M/Wurttemberg 1990.) 10.e2
c6! Rivera,DBauer,C/Ourense ESP 2009.
9...b4 10.h3 c6 11.d2 b6 12.h5 e4 13.e3 Karpov,ARogers,I/Bath 1983.
5...e4!? is an interesting idea of Reprintsev: Black tries to damage White's structure and
then hunker down to eke out his longterm advantages. If any good, it provides a
good reason why White should play 5 c4 instead. 6.d3! natural development is
best,
a) 6.d3 xc3 7.xc3 xc3+ 8.bxc3 e6 9.b2 d7 10.c4 b4+ 11.c3 e7 12.d3
b6= Russell,MSulskis,S/Mallorca 2004 is nothing special for White at all.
b) 6.d2 xd2 7.xd2 e6 8.g3 b4 9.a3 (9.g2 d7 10.0-0 0-0 11.d3 xc3 12.bxc3 b8
13.ab1 b6 14.c4 h5 15.b5 g6 16.c3 b7 17.fb1 c5= It is clear that White is the one
fighting for equality! Ponizil,CBombek,P/Frydek Mistek CZE 2006) 9...b6 10.g2
b7 11.0-0 xc3 12.xc3 xc3 13.bxc3 c6 14.d2 a5 15.a4 0-0-0= Once again
Black equalizes effortlessly and maybe a bit more! Howell,DSulskis,S/Catalan Bay
ENG 2004
c) 6.c4 xc3 7.d2 b6 8.bxc3 a6 Karpatchev,APrie,E/Rochefort 2005
6...xc3 7.bxc3 g6 (7...xc3+?! is suicidal, Chomet,PCollas,D/Chartres 2005, and 7...g4
8.0-0 e6 9.h3 h5 10.e2 c6 11.f4 d7 12.ab1 g5 13.g3 xf3 14.xf3 xc3 15.xb7
Sanchez,LMarchal,N/Le Touquet 2002, is not inspiring for Black either.) 8.0-0 g7
9.e1 0-0 (9...c6 10.h3!? f5 11.b1! Nevednichy,VAfek,Y/La Fere FRA 2006)

10.d2 is an attempted recent improvement: (10.xe7 c6 11.e3 xc3 is the

critical test and now 12.d2 (12.b1! looks best.) 12...b2 Groszpeter,A
Reprintsev,A/Pardubice 1998 13.c3 with a plus.) 10...c6 the fact that Black has to
play this move, thus blocking his cpawn in order to defend e7, is an alarming sign
for the line, (10...e8? 11.b1! Perelshteyn,EGonzalez,R/Las Vegas USA 2006, 10...c5
Palliser,RMajer,C/Port Erin IOM 2006 11.g5!) 11.h3 Eric gave this refutation "of
Black's optimistic 5th move" one year ago, but it seems to have gone unnoticed...
13

(11.e4 g4 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 e5 14.d5 e7 15.c4 a4 Black approached the problem

in exactly the right manner, aiming for active counterplay rather than the hoarding of
unimportant pawns, Lacasa Diaz,JSanchez Guirado,F/Merida ESP 2005) 11...a3
(11...f5 12.c4 a4 13.d5) 12.c1! xc1 13.axc1 e6 14.g5! Trabert,B
Fakhiridou,E/Ermioni GRE 2006.
5...f5 6.c4 e4!? Thipsay,PTiwari,A/Gurgon IND 2009.

6.c4
6.d2 f5!? This way Black inherits doubled pawns. I am not sure that this is altogether
wise: (6...b6 7.c4 f5 (7...xb2? Saiboulatov,DGeirnaert,S/Namur BEL 2006)
8.0-0 e6 9.e1 e7 10.b3 0-0 11.g5 bd7= Myhrvold,RPedersen,L/Oslo NOR
2004, effortless equality for Black against a bogstandard, routine White setup.)
7.e4 c7 (7...b6! 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.c4 (Or 9.b4 White tries to make a virtue out
of the necessity of defending b2 by clearing the way for the rook on a1 to enter the
game via b3. But this timeconsuming plan doesn't work out well as White lags
behind with the development of his kingside, 9...g8!? Starostits,I
Hamdouchi,H/Seville ESP 2010) 9...g8!? Renet,OPri,E/Clichy catX 1995 (9...e6
is more solid and transposes to the note to move 8) ) 8.xf6+ gxf6 9.g3 e6 (9...d7
10.g2 0-0-0 11.0-0 e5 (11...e6 is safer, transposing to 9...e6.) 12.c4 Pikula,D
Saric,S/Kragujevac SRB 2011.) 10.g2 d7 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.e1 (12.h4!?) 12...d6
13.c4 Glek,INakamura,H/Minneapolis USA 2005
After 6.e5 f5! seems pretty reliable: (6...e6) 7.d3 xd3 8.xd3 bd7 9.f4 e6
(9...xe5 10.dxe5 (10.xe5 d7 11.g3 e6=) 10...d5=) 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 bd5
12.xd5 cxd5 13.b4 a4 14.c4 dxc4 15.xc4 d7 16.e5 e7 17.f4 0-0 18.f5 g4
Gormally,DNakamura,H/Caleta ENG 2005. Perhaps White has a faint edge, but the
Black position is solid and entirely manageable.

6...f5
6...g4 7.h3 h5 (7...xf3 Black gets rid of his bad bishop and establishes the kind of
position in which White can't make progress without allowing Black's knights to
become effective, 8.xf3 e6 9.0-0 bd7 10.b3 e7 11.e4 0-0 12.c3 with a classic battle
between White's bishop pair and Black's pawn structure, Senff,M
Mann,C/Muelheim GER 2007) 8.g4 g6 Roth,PRogers,I/Baden 1999.

7.d2
7.e5 is the main alternative, 7...e6 8.g4 (8.e2 bd7 9.0-0 b4 10.d2 0-0 11.a3 xc3 12.xc3
with 0-0 instead of 0-0-0, White doesn't have to worry about queenside onslaughts
and so can take his time and try to use the bishop pair, Cuartas,JMohota,N/Barbera
del Valles ESP 2007) 8...g6 9.h4 bd7!

14

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+kvl-tr0
9zpp+n+pzpp0
9-+p+psnl+0
9wq-+-sN-+-0
9-+LzP-+PzP0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzPP+-zP-+0
9tR-vLQmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
The best line 10.xd7 xd7 11.h5 e4 12.h3 g2 The idea of this move is that if White
plays g3, then Black will gain a tempo with a later ...d6. 13.e3! (Stronger than
13.g3 d5 Fedorov,AHauchard,A/Belfort FRA 1999.) 13...c7! It now seems that
this novelty from Eric Pri should replace all other moves. Black prevents f2f3 and
is ready to prod at the overextended White pawn chain: (13...b6 Anand,V
Lautier,J/Biel 1997.) 14.f4 b6 15.b3 0-0-0 16.f2 d5 17.xd5 xd5 18.f3
f6 19.g3 g6 Moriuchi,TPri,E/San Sebastian ESP 2005.

7...e6 8.d5

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-+kvl-tr0
9zpp+-+pzpp0
9-+p+psn-+0
9wq-+N+l+-0
9-+LzP-+-+0
9+-+-+N+-0
9PzPPvL-zPPzP0
9tR-+QmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
8.e4 is a similar try, 8...d8
a) 8...c7 Votava,JMueller,K/Hamburg 2002.
b) 8...b6!? Eric considers it important to gain counterplay against the d and b
pawns in such positions, 9.xf6+ gxf6 10.b3 (10.e2 is a possible improvement:
10...xb2 11.0-0 xc2 12.fe1 d7 (For better or worse Black has to play 12...a3
) 13.ac1 b2 14.h4 g6 15.xe6 Nisipeanu,LPrie,E/Montpellier FRA 2006)
10...a5! (10...d7 11.e2 Popovic,PSavic,M/Subotica SRB 2008) 11.a4 a6! with
strong play, Tan,DPri,E/West Bromwich 2005

15

9.g3!? (9.xf6+ transposes to the mainline) 9...g4 10.c3 bd7 11.h3 xf3 12.xf3 e7
Cheparinov,ILorenzini,M/Linares ESP 2005 (I prefer 12...d6! when I think that
Black has equalized.)
8.e2 b4 (8...bd7?! Vaibhav,SYu Ruiyuan/Mashhad IRI 2011, 9.d5!) 9.0-0-0 bd7
10.a3 xc3 (10...b6 Chytilek,RKonopka,M/Ostrava CZE 2002.) 11.xc3 c7
12.e5 b5 (12...xe5 is logical, but it does give White a permanent space advantage,
13.dxe5 d5 14.d2 0-0-0 Black is solid, Lemos,DFlores,D/San Luis ARG 2007)
13.d3 xd3 (13...0-0 14.xf5 exf5 Brynell,SHodgson,J/Hamburg GER 2002)
14.xd3 xe5 15.dxe5 d5 equal, Pavlogianni,DMakropoulou,M/Aghia Pelagia
GRE 2004.

8...d8 9.xf6+ xf6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-+kvl-tr0
9zpp+-+pzpp0
9-+p+pwq-+0
9+-+-+l+-0
9-+LzP-+-+0
9+-+-+N+-0
9PzPPvL-zPPzP0
9tR-+QmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
After 9...gxf6!? the position is similar to a CaroKann line: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4
4.xe4 f6 5.xf6 gxf6. In my opinion White has the better chances here. 10.b3
the main move,
a) 10.c3 d6!? a simple move that retains the active character of Black's position,
(10...c7 11.h4 g6 12.f3 d7 13.h3 with uncomfortable pressure, 10...d7 is
noncommittal, Zhigalko,STomczak,J/Warsaw POL 2008) 11.e2!? d7 12.h4
(12.0-0 Hungaski,RDi Diego,O/Mar del Plata ARG 2007.) 12...g6 13.0-0-0 with a
plus, Haznedaroglu,KGogolis,A/Athens GRE 2007.
b) 10.0-0 Gashimov,VHamdouchi,H/Ourense ESP 2009, 10...d7
10...a5!? 11.a4 Hagen,ABoe,M/Denmark DEN 2011.

10.e2!?
Shirov's try.

10...g4!
This is probably best,

16

10...d7 11.0-0-0 (11.d5 David,ATkachiev,V/Cannes 1999.) 11...b6 12.e5 This hardly

seems testing. Black obtains comfortable play: 12...xc4 13.xc4 d6 Jaulin,P
Pri,E/2nd Open, Nantes FRA 2003.

11.0-0-0 d7 12.d5!
An important move, creating some fluidity in the position.

12...xf3 13.gxf3 cxd5 14.xd5

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+kvl-tr0
9zpp+n+pzpp0
9-+-+pwq-+0
9+-+L+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+P+-0
9PzPPvLQzP-zP0
9+-mKR+-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
White has managed to get in the d4d5 push (dangerously opening the play for his better
developed pieces) and the doubled fpawns (usually so crippling when Black could
hold onto the d5 square) prove to be irrelevant as he is going to castle queenside
anyway. In addition, the opening of the gfile seems to serve him well combined
with the further harassment of the Black queen, more exposed than ever!

14...0-0-0!
14...a3 Shirov,ASalov,V/Madrid 1997.

15.e4
15.xb7+ leads to a draw, as in Ye JiangchuanMalakhov/Moscow 2004.

15...e5! 16.c3
16.e3 c5 and Black is OK, Shirov,AMueller,K/Nordhorn 2005.

16...c7 17.b1 f6 18.f4!

This appears to be a novelty and it is probably quite a good one, see Shirov,A
Bauer,C/Pamplona ESP 2006.

17

Centre Counter 2...Qxd5 not 3...Qa5

[B01]
Last updated: 24/06/11 by Gawain Jones

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 xd5 3.c3

Here we will discuss the other black queen moves, which have become rather fashionable
recently.

3...d6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnl+kvlntr0
9zppzp-zppzpp0
9-+-wq-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzPPzP-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
Recently this move became quite popular in tournament practice it is not clear how White
conclusively demonstrates any advantage and the statistics of this line are improving
rapidly from the Black side of the board.
Alternatives:
3...d8

18

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqkvlntr0
9zppzp-zppzpp0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzPPzP-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
The BANKER variation, completely underestimated in my opinion. From time to time it
occurs even at the very highest level, mainly in the games of Michael Adams. 4.d4
The initial position of the variation. Now Black has two different plans. One
possibility is the fianchetto of his darksquared Bishop, and the other is to play the
lightsquared Bishop to f5 when the position looks like a typical CaroKann. The
latter plan is the most reliable. (4.c4 e6 5.d4 c6 Ridiculously passive. 6.f3 f6 7.0-0
e7 8.e1 0-0 9.g5 bd7 10.e2 b6 11.d3 bd5 12.xd5 cxd5 13.c3 d7 14.e5

Ristic,NMarkovic,M/chSerbia, Dimitrovgrad YUG 2003 White is in total control

and has more than a chance to win with direct attack against the Black King., 4.f3
g4 5.h3 xf3 6.xf3 c6 is Glek's simplistic solution. That said, it will be difficult to
break Black down: 7.b4 a6 8.b1 f6 9.a4 e6 10.b5 c7 11.d3 bd7 12.e4 e5
Gabrielian,AGlek,I/Moscow RUS 2006) 4...f6
a) 4...g6 5.f4! (5.e3?! h6 6.d2 f5 7.d3 g7 8.xf5 xf5 9.h3 was nice for Black in
Winawer,SBlackburne,J/Nuremberg 1883) 5...g7 6.d2! Fischer,R
Robatsch,K/Varna 1962.
b) 4...c6 5.g5 f6 6.c4 f5 7.f3 e6 8.e2 b4 9.0-0 0-0 10.ad1 White has
decided that simple development will do but this will not provide enough impetus to
contest the advantage, 10...bd7 11.e5 xc3 12.bxc3 a5 Ibragimov,IFierro
Baquero,M/North American Open, Las Vegas USA 2003. The game soon took a
downhill turn from White's point of view.
5.f3 c6 6.c4 (6.g5 h6?! (6...g4! is much better or indeed, 6...f5) 7.xf6 exf6 8.c4
b4 9.0-0 0-0 10.d3 Stellwagen,DBartel,M/Istanbul TUR 2005) 6...f5 (6...b5 is
weakening, but may be playable: 7.b3 e6 8.0-0 bd7 9.g5 c7 10.e2 d6 11.e4 f4
12.xf6+ xf6 13.xf4 xf4 14.e5 xe5 15.xe5 Zorko,JVukovic,Z/24th Open, Bled
SLO 2003 White approached the problem sensibly and has a slightly better ending.)
7.e5! This move is the only way to fight for any real opening advantage. 7...e6
8.g4!? g6 9.h4 b4 (9...b5?! is too weakening, 10.b3 b4 11.f3! Black has problems
with his lightsquared bishop, Najer,EKruchev,B/Olginka RUS 2011.) 10.f3!? is
the most ambitious continuation. White hopes to trap the Bishop (11 h5), (10.h3!?
An interesting attempt to fight for an opening advantage. White intends transferring
the rook to the e3square threatening h4h5, and meanwhile the Knight on c3 is
"overprotected" which is important in many lines (for example, ...Bxc2 will never
work), Ponomariov,RGarcia Ilundain,D/ Pamplona 1996.) 10...d5 (10...xc2?! A
19

striking blow but does it really favor Black? 11.xc2 xd4 Perez,LLopez
Martinez,J/ Varadero 2000, when 12.f4! is best) 11.xd5 cxd5 12.e2 c8?
(12...xc3+ 13.bxc3 a5 gives Black excellent counterplay.) 13.d2 c6 14.b5 e7
15.f4 xe5 16.xe5 f6 17.c7+ f7 18.f4 Kotronias,VCandela Perez,J/X
Anibal Open, Linares ESP 2003. Cool control.
3...e5+

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnl+kvlntr0
9zppzp-zppzpp0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-wq-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzPPzP-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy
is a very unusual line which I have developed and christened the 'Patzer Variation', 4.e2
c6 5.f3 c7 6.d4 f5 7.e5! this is the most testing, (7.d5 is not dangerous. Black
continues developing calmly: 7...f6! 8.dxc6 xc6 9.b5 b8 10.bd4 d7 11.0-0 e5
12.xc6 xc6 13.e1 d6 14.d3 0-0 15.g5 c7 16.e4 xe4 17.xe4 ad8 18.e2 xe4
19.xe4 f5 Webb,RBuckley,S/Open, Portsmouth ENG 2003 The central pawns are
about to take a walk towards the White King., 7.0-0 e6 8.g5 d7 9.h4 d6 See the
Dec 02 Update for theoretical notes.) 7...d7 8.f4 xe5 9.xe5 b6 10.a4 a5+

11.c3 f6 12.b4 d5 13.g3 with a critical position, Shaw,JZeidler,S/EuTCh,

Plovdiv BUL 2003. Black has some serious work to do if he wishes to rehabilitate
this line.

4.d4
4.g3!? f6 5.g2 c6 6.d4 g6 7.f4 b4 8.ge2 g7 Black has near equality, Topalov,V
Nisipeanu,L/Sofia BUL 2007.

4...f6
4...c6 5.f3 g4!? is an interesting new idea. By delaying the entry of the g8knight into
the game Black hopes to talk White out of playing the more aggressive systems of
development. 6.h3 (6.e3 f6 is Fressinet,LBauer,C, below) 6...xf3 (6...h5)
7.xf3 f6 8.e3 see 5...c6, below.

5.f3

20

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnl+kvl-tr0
9zppzp-zppzpp0
9-+-wq-sn-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
The most natural, but there are others:
5.e2 a6 6.f3 c6 (6...h6 7.ge2 g5!? Solak,DNadanian,A/Saint Vincent ITA 2000)
7.ge2 f5 8.f4 d7 9.d2 0-0-0 10.d1 e6 11.a3 h6 12.h3 g5 13.g3 d6
14.xd6 xd6 15.xc6 xc6 16.0-0 e4 17.xe4 xe4 18.f3 f5 19.c3 h5
20.xg5 xh3 21.c5 xc5 22.dxc5 f5 Rosandic,DZelcic,R/9th Open,
Bosnjaci CRO 2003 In order to beat back the Black attack, White has to accept a
slightly worse ending.
5.d3 is favoured by Kasparov. 5...g4 (5...c6 6.ge2 e6!? 7.0-0 e7 8.e4 xe4 9.xe4 0-0
10.d3 g6 11.h6 e8 12.ad1 d7 13.fe1 f6 14.f3 b6 15.c3 b7 16.g3 ad8=

Stripunsky,ALein,A/chUSA, Seattle USA 2003 Lein knows how to handle his

manageable disadvantage.) 6.f3 h5 7.ge2 a6 Perhaps 7...c6 is most appropriate.
8.f4 d7 9.d5! Kasparov,GRogers,I/EURASIA Rapid Match, Batumi GEO
2001.
5.c4 a6 (5...g4!? is an interesting aside. The position of the Black queen on d6 means that
f2f3 isn't that useful for White. 6.f3 f5 7.ge2 Makropoulou,M
Papadopoulou,V/Athens GRE 2004, and now just the modest 7...c6 to be followed by
...bd7b6 is OK for Black.) 6.ge2!? c6!? The Poisoned Pawn variation of the
Scandinavian. Very risky, although unrefuted, (6...b5! seems most straightforward:
7.b3 b7 8.f4 b6 (8...d8 9.0-0 e6 10.d2 d6 also looks good for equality) 9.f3
e6 10.d2 c5! Black is in fine shape, Chulivska,VStanislavskaya,K/Alushta 2005)
7.b3 xg2 8.g1 h3 (For me, learn the lines after 8...xh2 and go the whole hog!)
9.f4 d7 10.d3 c6 11.a3 e6 12.0-0-0 e7 13.e5 g6 14.xf6 gxf6 15.d5!
McShane,LLalic,B/Gibraltar Masters, Catalan Bay ENG 2003. Some might like the
Black position, I don't.
5.ge2 is examined in the notes to Saric Milanovic.
5.e3 a6 6.g3 is a reasonable way to proceed. White may castle long and prepares d2 and
maybe f4, 6...c6 7.g2 f5 8.f3 e6 9.0-0 bd7 10.h4 g6 11.f4 b4 12.a3
b6 13.xg6 hxg6 White should be a touch better in these structures, Zhang
ZhongDreev,A/Ergun CHN 2006.
5.b5!? b6 6.c4 c6 7.c3 g6 8.h3 g7 9.f3 Najer,EAjrapetian,G/Olginka RUS 2011.

5...a6
21

5...c6 6.e5 This strikes me as the most critical option.

a) 6.g5!? Campos,RTiviakov,S/Alajuela CRC 2008
b) 6.e2 f5 7.e5 bd7 8.f4!? now g4 is becoming a major theme, Amin,B
Sengupta,D/Gaziantep TUR 2008
c) 6.e3 this apparently passive move is actually rather hard to contend with, others:
6...g4 7.h3 xf3?! (7...h5 8.g4 g6 9.e5 bd7 is better, in my opinion, see
Fressinet,LBauer,C/Pau FRA 2008) 8.xf3 bd7 (8...e6 9.0-0-0 e7 10.b1 with a
plus, Vorobiov,EHasangatin,R/Cappelle la Grande FRA 2006.) 9.0-0-0 e6 10.b1
c7 11.g4! preventing long castles, while gaining space, Fressinet,L
Feygin,M/Emsdetten GER 2008.
d) 6.g3 g4 7.g2 e6 8.0-0 e7 9.h3 (9.f4 keeps an edge, Macieja,B
Tiviakov,S/Wolvega NED 2008) 9...xf3 10.xf3 0-0 Black is solid, Socko,B
Tiviakov,S/Eppingen GER 2008.
6...bd7 this natural move seems a bit shaky after White's reply, 7.f4
a) 7.f4!? is the most aggressive line, 7...b6 8.g4!? creating maximum imbalance,
8...bd5 (8...e6 Shirov,ATiviakov,S/Benidorm ESP 2008) 9.g2 g6 10.g5 xc3
11.bxc3 d7 my suggested improvement, (11...d5?! Shirov,A
Tiviakov,S/Hoogeveen NED 2010.) 12.0-0 h6 13.f3! Svidler,P
Zolotukhin,V/Olginka RUS 2011.
b) 7.c4 c7 8.f3 is a very direct plan, 8...b6 9.f4 d8 (9...d7 10.h3!?
Bologan,VTiviakov,S/Sibenik CRO 2010.) 10.e5 g4 11.g3 h5 12.h3 h4
13.e3! Huschenbeth,NDranov,A/Bonn GER 2011.
7...d5 8.xd5 xd5 (8...xe5 9.xe5 (9.e3 d3+ 10.xd3 xf4 11.d5!? with an attack,
Gashimov,VTiviakov,S/Reggio Emilia ITA 2008) 9...xd5 10.c4 a5+ 11.d2
xd2+ 12.xd2 White has a little something, based upon his greater control of
territory, Nakamura,HVallejo Pons,F/Donostia ESP 2009) 9.f3! clear and logical,
emphasising White's space advantage, (9.e2!? this pawn sacrifice is the way Anand
played against Tiviakov in Wijk aan Zee 2006, 9...xe5 10.xe5 xg2 11.f3 g6
12.e2 h5 (12...e6 13.d5 cxd5 14.0-0-0 with a strong initiative, Bulski,K
Stopa,J/Warsaw POL 2010) 13.0-0-0 g4 see Caruana,FMilanovic,D/Budva MNE
2009.) 9...f6 10.e2 g4 11.0-0 e6 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 d7 14.c4 with a plus, Ni
HuaTiviakov,S/Reggio Emilia ITA 2008.
5...g4!? 6.h3 h5 7.g4 g6 8.e5 The most challenging move, and I think best. 8...bd7
9.b5 (9.f4 d5!? Kosten,AGovciyan,P/Pau FRA 2008.) 9...b6 10.c4!
Najer,EKovalenko,I/Moscow RUS 2010.
5...g6 is the 'Czebe Variation', 6.b5!? the critical test, (6.g3 g7 7.g2 see Fedorchuk,S
Tiviakov,S/Ohrid MKD 2009.) 6...b6 7.f4 d5 8.e5 (8.d2 Boros,D
Motylev,A/Rijeka CRO 2010) 8...f6 9.g3 a6 10.c4 axb5 11.cxd5 both sides' pawn
structures are compromised, see Petrosian,TKurajica,B/Plovdiv BUL 2010.

6.g3
This introduces a plan which permits f4 but at the same time puts pressure on Black's
queenside. It seems effective against an early ....a6. Others:
6.c4 e6 (6...bd7 7.0-0 b5 8.b3 b7 9.g5! Ponomariov,RFressinet,L/Batumi 1999, 6...b5
7.b3 b7 led to a quick Black knockout in Keserovic,MLajthajm,B/Vrnjacka
22

Banja SCG 2006, 6...g6?! 7.g5! forces 7...e6 see READER Question/2009) 7.e2 b5
8.b3 b7 9.g5 bd7 10.0-0-0 d5 11.e4 b6 12.b1 h6 13.c1 e7 14.he1
0-0-0 15.c4?! With this move, Zelcic is more or less saying that he isn't satisfied.
Safer and equal was (15.c3 7f6 16.xf6 xf6 17.c2 he8 18.g3=) 15...bxc4 16.xc4
7f6 17.xd5 xd5 18.a1 b4 19.a3 c6 20.e3 b5! Zelcic,R
Kurajica,B/Salona Rapid 1hr, SolinSpilt CRO 2002.
6.e5 c6 7.f4 Arakhamia,KMashinskaya,I/Varna BUL 2002.
6.e3 f5 (6...b5 7.d3 b7 8.0-0 bd7 9.e2 e6 10.g5 e7 11.a4 b4 12.e4 d5! equalized in
Goldin,AStripunsky,A/San Diego USA 2004. If White wants to get rid of the
strongly posted Black Queen, he will have to make a positional concession.) 7.d2
e6 8.0-0-0 Golubev,MJirovsky,M/Bundesliga 2002.
6.e2 e6 7.0-0 bd7 8.g3!? obviously planning f4. Black must be modest in his
ambitions: 8...c5 A little too sharp. Safer was 8...e7 or 8...b6 9.f4 c6 10.e1
b5? 11.d5! Bologan,VGofshtein,Z/playchess.com INT 2004.
6.d3 (sets a little trap, in that 6...b5 is poor due to 7 a4 b4 8 e4!) 6...g4 (6...g6!? 7.h3 g7
Saric,IMilanovic,D/Sarajevo BIH 2006) 7.h3 xf3? But this is equally poor.
(7...h5! intending ...c6 and 0-0-0 is OK for Black.) 8.xf3 c6 9.e3 0-0-0 10.00-0 b4 11.a3 xd3+ 12.xd3 e6 13.e1 e7 14.g5 d7 15.d5! Ansell,S
Martin,A/4NCL West Bromwich 2005.
6.g5 should be met by 6...b5 (although 6...c6 7.d5 e5 8.e2 xf3+ 9.xf3 f5 10.0-0 h6
11.h4 0-0-0 is possible too, but not perhaps to everyone's taste, Collins,S
McPhillips,K/Bunratty IRL 2006) 7.d3 b7 8.e2 bd7

6...g4

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-+kvl-tr0
9+pzp-zppzpp0
9p+-wq-sn-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-zP-+l+0
9+-sN-+NzP-0
9PzPP+-zP-zP0
9tR-vLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
Fortunately, this is a good alternative to 6 ...b5. Black develops quickly and targets the
pawn on d4.
6...g6 7.f4 d8 8.e5 g7 9.g2 0-0 10.0-0 c6 11.d2 e6 12.fe1 Sakaev,K
Kurajica,B/4th IECC, Istanbul TUR 2003.
6...b5 7.f4 b6 Black's most interesting option, 8.g2 b7 9.0-0 e6 10.a4 b4 (Brustkern
has also played 10...d6 and to me this seems more effective.) 11.a5 a7 12.e2 d5
13.c4 (13.g5 intending f4, is more to the point.) 13...bxc3 14.bxc3 d6 15.xd6

23

cxd6 16.f4 e4 Fairly equal, Steiner,BBrustkern,J/FSIM September, Budapest

HUN 2003.
6...c6 7.f4 d8 (Almost automatic, but Melts analyses 7...e6+ at some length, for
example, 8.e2 d5 9.xd5 xd5 10.xc7 h3 with compensation.) 8.g2 e6 9.0-0 e7
10.e2 0-0 11.ad1 White's development should give him a big edge, but...
11...d5! see Spasov,VKurajica,B/La Laguna ESP 2007.

7.h3!

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-+kvl-tr0
9+pzp-zppzpp0
9p+-wq-sn-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-zP-+l+0
9+-sN-+NzPP0
9PzPP+-zP-+0
9tR-vLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy
The advantage of playing this now is that when things liven up, White is ready to play g4 to
keep the knight on f3 controlling the centre.
However, there is also something to be said for keeping the bishop on g4, 7.g2 c6!? is
Tiviakov's new idea. Black envisages a coherent setup, with pawns and pieces
complimenting one another, (7...c6 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.d5 b4 10.f4 c5 11.e3 d6 12.c1
Already
White
is
struggling
for
moves.
12...bxd5
Glek,I
Muhammad,S/Minneapolis USA 2005.) 8.f4 (8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 e6 10.f4 d8 11.d3
d6 Black regains the time he lost with his queen, Haslinger,SParker,J/Swansea
WLS 2006.) 8...d8 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 xd4 (10...e6 11.0-0 is So,W
Bosboom,M/Wijk aan Zee NED 2009) 11.0-0 e6 12.ad1 b6 Al Modiahki,M
Tiviakov,S/Amsterdam NED 2006.

7...h5 8.g2
8.e2 c6 9.e3 0-0-0 10.g2 e6 11.0-0 e7 12.a3 d5 13.e4 d7 14.b4 f5 15.c5
xc5 16.bxc5 f4 17.gxf4 hf8 Zelcic,RSermek,D/Sibenik 2005 does not impress
from the White side.

8...c6 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.f4 b4 11.g4! g6 12.a3 xb2

12...c4!? and Black was suffering, Svidler,PTiviakov,S/Wijk aan Zee NED 2007.

13.e1! e6! 14.b1 xc2 15.e5

24

White's compensation is clearly visible, Caruana,FStrikovic,A/Lorca 2005.

25