27/9/2016

JohnWatsonBookReview#112King'sIndianPartI|TheWeekinChess

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HomeBookReviewsJohnWatsonBookReview#112King'sIndianPartI
JohnWatsonBookReview(113)

JohnWatsonBookReview#112King'sIndianPartI
IMJohnWatsonTuesday1stJuly2014
IMJohnWatsonlooksatnewKing'sIndian
literature.Watsontakesashisstartingpoint
DejanBojkov'sModernized:TheKing'sIndian
Defense"asasortofleadintothediscussion
ofseveralvariations,butalsocompare
selectedlinesfromotherworks".
Watsonnotonlyexaminesdetailedworksbut
alsosuggestionsinmoregeneralrepertoire
books.
Thisisahugereviewandthisisthefirstpart
oftwo.
JohnWatsontakestheKing'sIndianModerizedby
DejanBojkovasthestartingpointtolookatahuge
newliterature.Photo|
http://www.theweekinchess.com/

TheKing'sIndianDefenseLives!Part1
Modernized:TheKing'sIndianDefenseDejanBojkov365pagesMetropolitanChess
Publishing2014
AModernWaytoPlaytheKing'sIndian(DVD)DejanBojkovChessbase
KotroniasontheKing'sIndian:VolumeOne:FianchettoSystemsVassiliosKotronias720
pagesQualityChess2013
APracticalWhiteRepertoirewith1d4and2c4,Volume2AlexeiKornev287pages
ChessStars2013
SabotagetheGrnfeldLarryKaufman187pagesNewinChess2014
TheUltimateAntiGrnfeldDmitrySvetushkin232pagesChessStars2013
PlaytheKing'sIndianDefencewithg3in60minutes!(DVD)AdrianMikhalchishin
ChessBase
DominateWhitewiththeKing'sIndianDefense6...Na6System(DVD)EugenePerelshteyn
EmpireChess
TheKaufmanRepertoireforBlackandWhiteLarryKaufman496pagesNewinChess
2012
AttackingChess:TheKing'sIndian,VolumeIDavidVigorito368pagesEveryman2010
AttackingChess:TheKing'sIndian,Volume2DavidVigorito368pagesEveryman2011
GrandmasterRepertoire2:1.d4VolumeTwoBorisAvrukh616pagesQualityChess2010
DangerousWeapons:TheKing'sIndianRichardPalliser,GlennFlearandYelenaDembo
pagesEveryman2009
KillKID1SemkoSemkov140pagesChessStars2009

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TheKing'sIndian:ACompleteBlackRepertoireVictorBologan356pagesChessStars
2009

Electronicbooks
Beforegoinganyfurther,IwanttocorrectsomethingIwroteinmypreviousreviewof
booksaboutMagnusCarlsen.ItturnsoutthatboththebooksAttackontheThrone(by
Kotronias&Logothetis)andHowMagnusCarlsenBecametheYoungestGrandmasterinthe
World:TheStoryandtheGames(byAgdestein)areavailableinplayableebookformat
fromForwardChess,whichreproducesexistingbooksfromvariouschesspublishersfor
usewiththeirmobileApp.TheAppitselfisavailableforbothIos(IPadandiPhone)and
Android.I'llbediscussingForwardChessandotherchessAppsinthefuture,sincethisis
onedirectionchesspublishingisdefinitelytakingaselectronicmediabecomemore
important.It'sworthnotingthattheAgdesteinbookisalsoavailableasanebookonNew
InChess'sownmobileApp,aswellasfromEPlus,whoseexcellentchessAppisreviewed
incolumn#107.

King'sIndianDefenseoverview
Thisreviewcolumnbeganasafirstinstallmentonanoverviewofopeningbooks.Inearlier
reviewsofopeningbooks,I'vedoneconsiderableworkcomparingoneauthor'sanalysison
thesamevariationstoanother's,feelingthatthiswasafairerwayofcomparingbooks,
ratherthansimplystatingmyopinionofthebooks.Thishasbeenunrewarding,tosaythe
least:I'vespenduntoldhoursandseldomgottenanyfeedbackwhenIhave,it'soften
beennegativecommentsfrompurportedlyoffendedparties.Soforthiscolumn,I'ddecided
todowhatmostotherreviewersdoandgivemygeneralimpressionsand/orassessments
oftheopeningbooks,leavingituptothereaderwhethertotrustmeornot.Istillintendto
takethatapproach(otherwiseI'dendupignoringtoomanyworthybooks),butnotthis
time.OnceIstartedworkonDejanBojkov'snewKing'sIndianbook,Iinevitablybeganto
compareitsanalysiswithotherbooksandDVDsfromthelastfiveyears,includingquite
recentones.SoonIwasintheanalyst'strapoflookingatneverendingvariationsand
assessmentsofKing'sIndianvariations,untilfinallyIhadanunwieldymassofmaterial
thatmightfitintoasmallpamphlet.Aselectionofthatfollows.
SincemyoriginalintentwastoreviewBojkov'sbook,I'mgoingtousethatasasortof
leadintothediscussionofseveralvariations,butalsocompareselectedlinesfromother
works,soastoatleastalertreaderstotheexistenceofavarietyofbooksthatdealwith
theKing'sIndian,insomecasessimplysuggestingalineforWhiteaspartofageneral
repertoire.I'llsometimesrefertotheKing'sIndianDefenceas'KID'.Asthiscolumngot
furtherandfurtheroutofhand,Idecidedtosplititintotwoparts.Themainline
(Orthodox),Saemisch,andMakogonov/Bagirov(earlyh3)systemsarefairlylengthyand
willcomeinPart2.IshouldaddthatalloftheabovebooksandDVDsarewelldone,some
ofthemparticularlyimpressive.Allhavesomemistakesorfailings(asdomyownbooks),
whichisinevitableinspiteofthepowerfulhelpweauthorshavethesedaysfrom
computers.Butinterestingly,fewofthemoverlapintermsoftheirpotentialfunctionfor
theplayer/reader.Thatis,wehaveawiderangeofKIDcoveragefromthebroadesttothe
mostspecializedworks,recommendationsfrombothWhite'sandBlack'spointofview,and
formatsfrombookstoebookstoDVDstoMP4files.

DejanBojkov'sModernized:TheKing'sIndianDefense
DejanBojkovisbecomingoneourmostprominentwriters/presentersonthechessscene.
I'vealreadydiscussedinthiscolumnBojkov'sReversedDragonDVD,whichtypically
featuresimportantimprovementsuponcurrenttheory(inthatcaseMarin'sEnglishOpening
book).HewritesforChessBaseMagazine,haswrittenabookACourseonChessTacticsfor
Gambit,andhasputoutanumberofDVDsforChessBase,includingChessHighways!
(aboutfilesanddiagonals),andTheTruevalueofthePieces.Recentlyhehasdoneaseries
oftheoreticalDVDs,includingonesontheScandinavianDefence,EnglishDefence,Pirc
Defence,SicilianKalashnikov,andAlekhineDefence.BojkovhasaDVDontheKID
featuringsystemswith...Na6,andI'llbereferringtothatDVDalongwithhisnewbook
Modernized:TheKing'sIndianDefense.ThelattercoversrecommendedKIDsystemsin
admirabledepth,whileBojkovrevivesneglectedoldervariationswithfreshinterpretations.
ItisthefirstbookpublishedbythenewcompanyMetropolitanChessPublishing.Thebook
resemblestheDVDinthatmanyoftherecommendationsarethesame,butitcoversthose
variationlinesinfar,farmoredetail.Thatisofcoursetrueofalmosteverybookin
comparisonwithevenlengthyDVDs.Andtherearenumerousfreshrepertoire
recommendationsintherecentbook,asyou'llsee.

ContactMarkCrowther(TWIC)ifyouwish
toadvertisehere.

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mdcrowth@btinternet.com)I'llsendyouan
addressforacbvfileofmypersonalcopy
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HereareafewcomparisonsofsomeoftheworkslistedaboveinmajorKIDvariations.I'll
trytoincludeallofthelistinatleastoneexamplebythetimeIcompletePart2:

1.Theg3FianchettoSystem
ManystrongplayersuseakingsidefianchettotocrampBlack'sgameandhangontoa
smallbutsafeadvantage.After,forexample,1d4Nf62c4g63Nf3Bg74g3d65Bg2
00600,wegetabasicposition.HereBokjkovrecommends6...c67Nc3Qa5(the
KavalekVariation)inbothhisbookandDVD.TheanalysisontheDVDisexpandedand
updatedinthetexttothebook.Animportantoriginalcontributioncomesintheline
1.d4Nf62.c4g63.g3Bg74.Bg2005.Nc3d66.Nf3c67.00Qa58.e4e59.h3
Nbd710.Re1exd4

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BorisAvrukhinGrandmasterRepertoire2,atwovolumerepertoirewith1d4,isoneofthe
fewauthorswhotacklesthissystemheadonfromWhite'spointofview.Hedoeshisusual
thoroughjob,butatthispointheseemstohaveleftalargeandimportantgap.AsBojkov
coversinsomedetail,10...Nb6isavalidalternativewhichheindeedsuggestsequalizes.
I'llleaveittothecuriousreadertoinvestigate,ideallybybuyingBojkov'sbook!

Tweetsby@MarkTWIC
MarkCrowther
@MarkTWIC

11.Nxd4Ne512.Bf1Re813.Be3

Anandwentontoconverthisadvantagevs
MameyarovinTalMemRound2.Kramnik
grindingawaywithaminimaledgevsLiChao
2h

MarkCrowther
@MarkTWIC

GiribeatsGelfandinacomplexgameof
calculation.Anandapiecefor3pawnsup.Still
muchworktodoifheistoconvertvs
Mamedyarov.
2h

Positionafter13.Be3

MarkCrowtherRetweeted
chess24.com
@chess24com

FEN:
r1b1r1k1/pp3pbp/2pp1np1/q3n3/2PNP3/2N1B1PP/PP3P2/R2QRBK1b013

Gelfand01Giri:chess24.com/en/watch/live
#c24live#TalMemorial

13...c5!
Themostdynamicmove.13...Be6istheolderline(Iusedtoplaythis),arguably
underratedandworthinvestigatingifyoudon'tlike13...c5.Theideaisthatafter14Nxe6
Rxe6,Blackdoublesontheefilewiththreats,andifneedbe,hecanplaysolidly
thereafter,beginningwithsomecombinationof...a6,...Qc7,andperhaps...b5.

MarkCrowtherRetweeted

14.Nb3Qb415.a3
ThisisAvrukh'smovefromhis1d4repertoirebook(Volume1waspreviouslyreviewedin
thiscolumn)hegives15a3an'!'.OthermovesapparentlygiveBlackequality,aslaidout
insomedetailbyBojkov.

2h

Embed

ViewonTwitter

15...Qb616.Nd2
andhereBojkovshowsthat16...Qd8isplayable,buthethinksthatthebestsequenceis:
16...Nc617.Rb1
ThusfarAvrukh.
17...Qd8!

Positionafter17...Qd8!
FEN:
r1bqr1k1/pp3pbp/2np1np1/2p5/2P1P3/P1N1B1PP/1P1N1P2/1R1QRBK1w018
Bojkovdevotesconsiderableanalysistothisoriginalidea,oneimportantlinegoing18.Bg2
Be619.f4h5!withbothpositionalandtacticalideasbaseduponcontrolofd4andinsome
casesatimely...h4.

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Positionafter1.d4Nf62.c4g63.g3Bg7
4.Bg2OO5.Nc3d66.Nf3
FEN:
rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/2PP4/2N2NP1/PP2PPBP/R1BQK2RbKQ06
Whataboutothersources?AdrianMikhalchishin'sChessBaseDVDisarepertoireforWhite
calledPlaytheKing'sIndianDefensewithg3in60minutes!.Intheabovevariation,he
analysesonly6...c6700Qa58e4Bg4,sowedon'tknowwhathewouldplayversus
Bojkov'srepertoire,whichuses8...e5.IntheotherorderthatmighttransposetoBojkov's
mainline,6...Nbd7700e58e4c6,Mikhalchishindoesn'tuse9h3(when9..Qa5
transposestoBojkov'svariation),butrather9Rb1.Thusthereaderdoesn'tgetasolution
toBojkov'ssetupbutit'saskingtoomuchforalecturertocovereverymoveorderina
60minuteDVDformat,sothisisnotaknockontheDVD.Itispresumablymainlyaimedat
playerswhoenjoyavisualpresentationwithanemphasisonideas.
Ontheotherendofthespectrum,Kotronias'bookontheKing'sIndianfianchettosystem
(fromBlack'spointofview)issimplyamonstrouswork,withnolessthan720pages.No,
notontheKIDfianchettosystemasawhole,butonmerelyonewayforBlacktocounter
it!Herecommendsthemoveorder6...Nbd7700e58e4c6,butwith9...Qb6afterthe
mainmove9h3(9...Qa5wouldtransposebacktoBojkov'svariation).Kotroniashas
importantandoriginalanalysisintheoncediscreditedline(forWhite)9Be3Ng410Bg5,
when10...Qb6,madefamousbyawonderfulwinbySmyslovasBlack(andplayedby
Kasparov),isnowconsideredinferior.Hesuggests10...f6!insteadandanalysesitatgreat
length.

Positionafter1.d4Nf62.c4g63.g3Bg7
4.Bg2OO5.Nc3d66.Nf3Nbd77.OOe5
8.Qc2
FEN:
r1bq1rk1/pppn1pbp/3p1np1/4p3/2PP4/2N2NP1/PPQ1PPBP/R1B2RK1b08
KotroniasisproposingacompleterepertoirefortheKing'sIndian,andonecangetafeel
forthepotentiallengthofthisprojectbythefactthatthemodest8Qc2alonetakesup110
pages.RememberthatthisislimitedtoonlyoneofBlack'spossiblesetups(hegives2
pageson8...exd4,butalltherestareabouttherecommended8...c6).Whendiscussing8
Qc2c69Rd1Qe710b3Re811e4exd412Nxd4Nc513f3,whichhehasleadingtoa
drawinatleastonemainline,Kotroniasmakestheboldclaim'Ibelievethatthefinalword
onthislinehasbeensaid'!

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Positionafter13.f3
FEN:
r1b1r1k1/pp2qpbp/2pp1np1/2n5/2PNP3/1PN2PP1/P1Q3BP/R1BR2K1b013
That'salwaysariskystatement,butit'suptosomecleverplayerofWhitetoprovehim
wrong.It'snoteworthythatBorisAvrukh'srecommendationforWhiteinhisGrandmaster
Repertoire2repertoirebookconflictswithKotronias'forBlackintheoldmainline.

Positionafter1.d4Nf62.c4g63.g3Bg7
4.Bg2OO5.Nc3d66.Nf3Nbd77.OOe5
8.e4c69.h3Qb610.Re1exd411.Nxd4
FEN:
r1b2rk1/pp1n1pbp/1qpp1np1/8/2PNP3/2N3PP/PP3PB1/R1BQR1K1b011
Thispositionisarrivedatby6...Nbd7700e58e4c69h3Qb610Re1(10c5isa
popularmodernchoice,althoughKotroniasshowsthatitposesnothreattoBlack)
10...exd411Nxd4

Positionafter11.Nxd4
FEN:
r1b2rk1/pp1n1pbp/1qpp1np1/8/2PNP3/2N3PP/PP3PB1/R1BQR1K1b011
11...Re8(incidentally,IbelievethatAvrukh'sanalysisof11...Ne8alsofallsshortof
establishingevenasmallWhiteadvantagebecauseofonedistinctlyoveroptimistic
assessmenthemakessorry,you'llhavetogolookforyourself!)
12Re2Qb413Rc2Nc514Bd2(thelastfewmovesareeffectivelyforced)14...Qb6(by
theway,hereeven14...Qxc4!?15Ncb5cxb516Rxc4bxc4endsinapositionwhich
Avrukhcalls'adefiniteedge'forWhite,butIthinkyou'llfindthatit'satmostaverysmall
advantage)15Be3Qc716f3a517Qd2,andhereinsteadof17...Bd7,Kotronias
recommends17...a4!,witharatherconvincinganalysisindicatingthatBlackcanholdhis
own.Animpressiveeffort.

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Positionafter17...a4!
FEN:
r1b1r1k1/1pq2pbp/2pp1np1/2n5/p1PNP3/2N1BPPP/PPRQ2B1/R5K1w018
Fortherecord,Bologan(inhisbookandDVD)andVigorito(inhistwovolumeworklisted
above)bothusethePannoSystem6...Nc6700a6systemversusWhite'sg3mainline.
VigoritodoesagoodjobofdefusingAvrukh'srecommendedlineswith8Qd3,andshows
thatBlackcangetsatisfactoryplayafter8h3Rb8aswell.

2.AverbachVariation

TheAverbachVariation:1.d4Nf62.c4g63.
Nc3Bg74.e4d65.Be2OO6.Bg5
FEN:
rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/6B1/2PPP3/2N5/PP2BPPP/R2QK1NRbKQ06
AlexeiKornev'sAPracticalWhiteRepertoirewith1d4and2c4,Volume2issubtitled'The
King'sFianchettoDefences'.Hisbookisathreevolumeworkoutliningarepertoirefor
White.Kornev'sweaponforWhiteversustheKIDistheAverbachVariationwith5Be200
6Bg5.Thisisanunderratedvariationwhichmaybeduearevival.InoticethatVigorito
saysthatitwasoneofthemostdifficultlinesforhimtofindasolutionto.Againstthe
Averbach,Bojkovrecommends(naturally)6...Na6,asdoesBologan,whenKornev'smain
lineisthenononsense7f4.AfterBojkovandBologan'srecommendedsolution7...c6,they
analysevariousmoves,butneitheraddressesKornev'srecommendation8Qd2Nc79Bf3.

TheAverbachVariation:1.d4Nf62.c4g63.
Nc3Bg74.e4d65.Be2OO6.Bg5Na67.
f4c68.Qd2Nc79.Bf3
FEN:
r1bq1rk1/ppn1ppbp/2pp1np1/6B1/2PPPP2/2N2B2/PP1Q2PP/R3K1NRbKQ09

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That'sunderstandable,since9Bf3isunusual.ButIrememberthissequencewell,since
Kaidanovusedittogettheadvantageanddefeatmeinagame20yearsagoI'dnever
seenthemoveinanybook.Infact,amazingly,todayIstillfindnoexampleswith8Qd2
Nc79Bf3untilthelastfewyears(andonlyafewwiththesimilar8Bf3)eventhen,
that'sonlybecauseIvanchukuseditin2011.Nowit'sstartingtogainsomeattentionfrom
strongplayersandhasscorednicely,butisstillnota'mainline',soit'sperfectfora
repertoirebook.Kornev'sbook,bytheway,isdifferentinhavingveryfewgame
references,evenwhenhisrecommendationfollowsawelltroddenpath.Inpart,thisis
admirable,indicatingthathe'sprobablydoingmoreofhisownanalysisthanmostauthors
ontheotherhand,itwouldbeniceifhecitedmoremainstreamtheoryandgameswhen
appropriate.I'llbelookingathis1d4/2c4seriesinfuturecolumnsasIreviewbooksand
DVDsaboutotherdpawndefences.
AnothermainlineintheAverbachVariationgoes:
1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg74.e4d65.Be2006.Bg5c5
ThisistheclassicalmethodofmeetingtheAverbach.
7.d5h68.Bf4e69.dxe6Bxe610.Qd2Qb6

Positionafter10...Qb6
FEN:
rn3rk1/pp3pb1/1q1pbnpp/2p5/2P1PB2/2N5/PP1QBPPP/R3K1NRwKQ011
11.Nf3
DavidVigorito'stwovolumemasterpiecesAttackingChess:TheKing'sIndianisarguably
thebestworkavailableontheKing'sIndianDefence.Itiscertainlythemostdetailed
repertoirefromBlack'spointofview,andforthemostpartVigoritochooseswell
established,soundlineswhichwillservethereaderformanyyearstocome.Atthispoint
hedoesanexcellentandthoroughjobofanalysingWhite'soption11.Bxh6Bxh612.Qxh6
Qxb213.Rc1,whichhasbeenapopularandwelltestedWhiteattackingtry.Vigorito's
analysisindicatesthatBlackhasseveralsafelines.
11...Nc612.00

Positionafter12.00
FEN:
r4rk1/pp3pb1/1qnpbnpp/2p5/2P1PB2/2N2N2/PP1QBPPP/R4RK1b012
12...Nd4
Kornevanalyses
12...Kh713.Nd5Bxd514.exd5andnow14...Ne5,14...Ne7,and14...Nd4,alltoWhite's
advantage,butinastrangeomissionhedoesn'tmentionmycomputerengine'sfirsttwo

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choices.Itturnsoutthattheymayalsobethebestmoves.I'llgivealittleanalysistoget
youstarted:

Positionafter14.exd5
FEN:
r4r2/pp3pbk/1qnp1npp/2pP4/2P2B2/5N2/PP1QBPPP/R4RK1b014
a)14...Ne415.Qc2(15.Qe3Nb416.Bd1f517.a3Na6=)15...Nb4!withtheidea16.Qb1
(16.Qxe4Rae817.Qb1Rxe2=)16...Rfe817.a3Nxd5!,forexample,18.cxd5Bxb219.Bc4
Nc320.Qc2Bxa121.Rxa1Re4!22.Bxd6Rxc4=I'vetruncatedthisanalysisconsiderably,
butBlackdoesseemtohavesufficientplay.
b)14...Nb415.a3(15.Bd3!?Rae816.a3Nxd317.Qxd3Re4!=)15...Ne4(15...Na6)16.Qe3
Nc217.Qxe4Nxa118.Rxa1Rfe8and...Qxb2isunclearandIthinksatisfactoryforBlack,in
spiteofhishavingonlyapawnandrookforthetwopieces.
13.Nxd4cxd414.Nd5Bxd515.exd5Ne416.Qc2Rfe817.Bd3Nc5

Positionafter1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg7
4.e4d65.Be2OO6.Bg5c57.d5h68.
Bf4e69.dxe6Bxe610.Qd2Qb611.Nf3
Nc612.OONd413.Nxd4cxd414.Nd5
Bxd515.exd5Ne416.Qc2Rfe817.Bd3
Nc5
FEN:
r3r1k1/pp3pb1/1q1p2pp/2nP4/2Pp1B2/3B4/PPQ2PPP/R4RK1w018
AccordingtoVigorito,this"wasfineforBlackinA.AleksandrovY.Shulman,Ohrid2001."
Kornevcontinueswiththisgame:
18.Bd2a5
18...Rac819.b3Qc720.Rfe1Qd7isprettysolid.Whitearguablyhasamodestpositional
edgeinthissituation.
19.b3

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Positionafter19.b3
FEN:
r3r1k1/1p3pb1/1q1p2pp/p1nP4/2Pp4/1P1B4/P1QB1PPP/R4RK1b019
19...Kh7
KornevcitesacorrespondencegameHouptRubioDoblas,chessfriend.com2004:19...Re7
20.Rfe1Rae821.Rxe7Rxe722.Re1!?(22.Rb1)22...Rxe1+23.Bxe1withanedge,the
ideabeingthatBlack'spawnsondarksquaresconstitutetargetsifWhitecapturesond3.
I'llleaveittoyoutodecidewhetherthisoffersrealisticwinningchancesitisslightly
awkwardforBlack,whoIthinkshouldplay...h5beforeWhiteinitiatesageneralkingside
advance.
20.Rfe1Bf621.g3Kg722.Kg2Qc7
22...h5!?
23.Rad1b624.Bc1a425.Bf1

Positionafter25.Bf1
FEN:
r3r3/2q2pk1/1p1p1bpp/2nP4/p1Pp4/1P4P1/P1Q2PKP/2BRRB2b025
AgainWhitehasamodestedgewiththeideasofh4andb4.IsuspectthatBlackcanlive
withthat,butfromWhite'spointofviewyoumightarguethatit'scomfortable,andasgood
asonegetsfromanywellplayedopening.
AthirddefencethatBologanrecommendsashisalternatesolutionbeginswith6...h6:
1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg74.e4d65.Be2006.Bg5h67.Be3c58.dxc5

Positionafter1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg7
4.e4d65.Be2OO6.Bg5h67.Be3c58.
dxc5
FEN:
rnbq1rk1/pp2ppb1/3p1npp/2P5/2P1P3/2N1B3/PP2BPPP/R2QK1NRbKQ08
Kornevacknowledgesthatthisistheonlyserioustryforadvantage.

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8...Qa59.Bd2Qxc510.Nf3Bg411.00Bxf312.Bxf3Nc613.Be2Qe514.f3g5
15.Be3Nh516.Qd2Nf417.Bd1
BothauthorsfollowthisgameYakovichInarkiev,Novokuznetsk2008,butdisagreeabout
itsassessment.Here17.Rac1mightbemetby17...f5!?18.Bd3(18.exf5?!Qxe3+19.Qxe3
Bd4)18...Nxd319.Qxd3fxe420.fxe4Qa521.Qd5+Kh7=.

Positionafter1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg7
4.e4d65.Be2OO6.Bg5h67.Be3c58.
dxc5Qa59.Bd2Qxc510.Nf3Bg411.OO
Bxf312.Bxf3Nc613.Be2Qe514.f3g515.
Be3Nh516.Qd2Nf417.Bd1
FEN:
r4rk1/pp2ppb1/2np3p/4q1p1/2P1Pn2/2N1BP2/PP1Q2PP/R2B1RK1b017
NowBlackplayed17...Ne6andIthinkstoodsomewhatworse,asKornevsuggests.But
simply17...Na5!seemsfinetome,e.g.,18.Bb3Kh8!withtheidea19.g3Ne620.f4gxf4
21.gxf4Qh5=,stillhittingc4.SoWhiteshouldadd6...h6tohislistoflinestoprepare
carefullyifheistoemploytheAverbach.

3.FourPawnsAttack

FourPawnsAttack
FEN:
rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/2PPPP2/2N5/PP4PP/R1BQKBNRwKQ06
Thisgoes:
1d4Nf62c4g63Nc3Bg74e4d65f400.
Inhisbook,Bojkovrecommendstwomovesafter6Nf3(hedoesn'tcoveranyuniquelines
after6Be2,butpresumably6...e5!?isjustasvalid,and6...Na6willprobablytranspose).
Oneis6...e5!?,untilrecentlyaneccentricchoice,butnowgainingrespectability.6...e5was
previouslyfeaturedinDangerousWeapons:TheKing'sIndian,amultiauthorbookwiththis
sectionwrittenbyRichardPalliser.Asanalternative,Bojkovanalyses6...Na6,whichhasa
longerhistory.Havingplayedbothsidesof7Bd3e58fxe5dxe59d5,Itendtoprefer
White'schancesandfindhimplayingratherpoorlyinBojkov'sexamples,butontheflip
sideheoffersthreeessentiallyindependentwaysforBlacktosetuphispieces,allgiving
atanyrateaplayablegame.OnhisKIDDVD,Bojkovnaturallyagainuses6Nf3Na6,since
themove..Na6isfeaturedasthebasisoftheDVDrepertoire.
VigoritointhemeantimetacklesthetraditionalFourPawnsmainlinewith6...c5,which
hasalwaysbeentheoreticallysatisfactory,andstillis.After7d5e68Be2(Iusedtoplay
8Bd3!?,whichIthinkdeservedamention,notthatothersourcespayitmuchattention
either)8...exd59cxd5,hestickswiththesafer9...Bg4,agoodpracticalchoicemyown
experienceisthatBlackhasabetterchanceforanactualadvantagewith9...Re8,butthat

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iscertainlyriskier.Anyway,after9...Bg4,letmecompareVigorito'sanalysiswithSemko
Semkov'sKillKIDbook,anentertainingrepertoirebookpromotingtheFourPawnswhichI
reviewedinthiscolumnalongtimeago.It'simportanttounderstandthatVigoritohadthe
useofSemkov'sbookandreferstoit.
1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg74.e4d65.f4006.Nf3c57.d5e68.Be2exd59.cxd5
Bg410.00Nbd7

FourPawnsAttack:1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3
Bg74.e4d65.f4006.Nf3c57.d5e68.Be2
exd59.cxd5Bg410.00Nbd7
FEN:
r2q1rk1/pp1n1pbp/3p1np1/2pP4/4PPb1/2N2N2/PP2B1PP/R1BQ1RK1w011
11.h3
Semkovrecommendsthismove,insteadofthemostfrequentlyplayedone,11.Re1.
11...Bxf312.Bxf3Re813.g4h614.Qc2
ThisisSemkov'schoice,ratherthan14.h4or14g5hxg515e5,amongothers.
14...a615.Be3b516.Rae1Rc8
ThemoveSemkovanalyses.Vigoritogivestheimportantalternative16...Nb6

FourPawnsAttack:1.d4Nf62.c4g63.
Nc3Bg74.e4d65.f4OO6.Nf3c57.d5
e68.Be2exd59.cxd5Bg410.OONbd7
11.h3Bxf312.Bxf3Re813.g4h614.Qc2
a615.Be3b516.Rae1Nb6
FEN:
r2qr1k1/5pb1/pn1p1npp/1ppP4/4PPP1/2N1BB1P/PPQ5/4RRK1w017
HereareafewpossibilitiesI'veexamined,withnopretensionsofcompleteness:
a)17.Bf2withtheideaBh4isn'tmentionedbyVigorito,butmightbethebesttryinview
ofthefactthatothermoreaggressivemovesseemtogiveequalityatbest:
b)17.h4Nc418.Bc1h5!19.g5(19.gxh5Nxh520.Bxh5gxh521.Qh2Bd4+22.Kh1Kh8with
anunclearpositionVigorito)19...Ng4(Vigorito).Thenpossibleis20.e5!Ra7(or20...dxe5
21.Bxg4hxg422.f5e423.fxg6Bd4+24.Kg2fxg625.Rxe4Bxc326.Rxe8+Qxe827.bxc3
Rd8=)21.Bxg4hxg422.e6f5!23.h5(23.gxf6Qxf624.f5gxf525.Qxf5Qxh4!26.Qf7+!Kh7
27.Qxa7Qg3+28.Kh1Rh829.Qf7=)23...Bd4+24.Kg2Qa8!25.hxg6Bxc326.Qxc3Qxd5+
27.Kg3b4unclear,withadrawintheline28.Qf6Qd3+29.Kg2Qh3+30.Kg1Qg3+etc.
(jw)

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c)17.g5hxg518.e5dxe519.f5e4(19...b4!?)20.Nxe4gxf521.Nxg5Nbxd5'decimates
White'scentre'(Vigorito).Thenapossiblecontinuationis(jw:)22.Bxc5Rc823.Rxe8+Qxe8
24.Bxd5Nxd525.Qxf5Rxc526.Qh7+Kf827.Rxf7+Qxf728.Nxf7Kxf7withanedgefor
Black.
d)17.e5dxe518.d6(jw:18.f5e419.Nxe4Nxe420.Bxe4gxf521.gxf5Qh422.Bxc5Nd7
23.Bf2Qxh324.Bg2Qg4,aboutequal)18...e419.Nxe4Nxe420.Bxe4Rc821.Rd1Bd4!
'looksfineforBlack'(Vigorito).
17.h4h5
17...b418.Nd1c419.g5mayfavourWhitethisisapromisingpawnstructureforhimin
mostlines,althoughconcreteanalysisisneeded.
18.g5Ng419.Bxg4hxg420.e5!

Positionafter1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg7
4.e4d65.f4OO6.Nf3c57.d5e68.Be2
exd59.cxd5Bg410.OONbd711.h3Bxf3
12.Bxf3Re813.g4h614.Qc2a615.Be3
b516.Rae1Rc817.h4h518.g5Ng419.
Bxg4hxg420.e5
FEN:
2rqr1k1/3n1pb1/p2p2p1/1ppPP1P1/5PpP/2N1B3/PPQ5/4RRK1b020
ThisisSemkov'srecommendationforWhite,whichmightyieldasmalladvantage,for
example,
20...Nb6
Semkovgives20...dxe521.f5!e422.fxg6fxg623.Nxe4withanedge,althoughperhaps
23...Ne5!24.Nf6+Bxf625.Rxf6Qxd5holdsthebalance.
21.e6
Morepromisingthan21.f5Rxe5,e.g.,22.fxg6fxg623.Ne4Nxd524.Nf6+Bxf625.Qxg6+
Bg726.Rf7Qf827.Rxf8+Rxf828.Bd2Nf429.Qxd6Ne2+30.Kg2Rf3=.
21...Qe722.f5gxf523.Qxf5fxe624.Qg6
andWhitekeepsanedge,forexample,24...Nd725.Bf4!
Ishouldpointthatmostofthebooksabovedon'tprovideacompleteKing'sIndian
repertoirethatis,theyarelimitedtothetraditionallymostimportantlines(inthecaseof
Bojkov),orlineswhichinvolveWhiteplayingbothd4andc4(Vigorito),oraspecialized
variation(Kotronias).OnlyBologan'srepertoire,whichisnotasintenselyspecialized,
coverswiderground.Foronethingexample,hesuggestsacompletesystemversus1c4
withthestandardKing'sIndianmovesforBlack,aswellaslinessuchas1Nf3Nf62g3
g63b3Bg74Bb2.Healsoexamineslineswithd4butnotc4,notably,1d4Nf62Nf3
g63g3Bg74Bg2d650000andalongwithslowmoveslike6c3and6Re1,he
includesthemoveadvocatedbyGrahamBurgessinhisACunningChessOpening
RepertoireforWhite:6.a4

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Positionafter1.d4Nf62.Nf3g63.g3Bg7
4.Bg2d65.OOOO6.a4
FEN:
rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/P2P4/5NP1/1PP1PPBP/RNBQ1RK1b06
Againstthismove,Burgess'andBologan'srepertoiresfollowthesamelineformany
moves,divergingonlyafter6...Nbd77a5(Burgessalsoanalyses7d5!?,areversedReti
OpeningBologan'smainlinebeginswith7Nc3)7...c68Nc3Qc79e4e510h3
(Burgessmentions10b3)10...Re811Rb1Rgb812Be3b513axb6axb614d5Bb7
(14...b5iscoveredbyBurgessandseemsunclear),15Nd2b5l6.dxc6Bxc6.Atthispoint
Bologanfollowsagamewith17.b4Nb618Qe2Na4=,when,hesays,therehasarisen,
inanamazingfashion,averyfavourablepositionforBlackfromtheNajdorfvariationof
theSicilianDefencewithg3,BelikovChadaev,Miass2007.Illustratingthedepthoftheory
eveninsuchsidelines,Burgess'scontinuationis17.Ra7Rb7ofRomanishinCuHansen,
Groningen1991,whenhesuggests18.Ra6(insteadof18.Rxb7=)18...Nb619.Na2d5
20.c3Bf821.Qb3atthispoint,21...Nxe4stilllooksequaltome,butobviouslyboth
sideshavenumerouswaystohandlethisvariation.
InthenextcolumnI'llcontinuewiththiscomparison,citingdifferentsources,andcover
theSaemischVariation,theMainLine(Orthodox)Variation,andtheMakogonov/Bagirov
systems.

AllmaterialTheWeekInChess

EmailMarkCrowtherTWIC

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