JOHAN HELLSTEN

EVERYMAN CHESS
JOHAN HELLSTEN

EVERYMAN
www"everymanchess"com
First published in 2012 by Gloucester Publishers Limited, North burgh House, 10
Northburgh Street, London EC1V OAT

Copyright 2012 Johan Hellsten

The right of Johan Hellsten to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in
accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

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sion of the publisher.

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ISBN: 978 1 85744 692 0

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Everyman is the registered trade mark of Random House Inc. and is used in this work under
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Thanks to my parents, Lotti and Sverker Hellsten

Everyman Chess Series

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Typeset and edited by First Rank Publishing, Brighton.

Cover design by Horatio Monteverde.
Contents

Bibliography 5

Introduction 7

1 The Nature of Development 9

Introduction 9
The king and other weak points 10

Pawn advances 16

Causes of a delayed development 22

The development factor after mutual castling 36

A defender's perspective 41
Exercises 47
Solutions 70

2 Crime and Punishment 90

Introduction 90

Early pawn-grabbing 91

Early queen raids 96

Multiple moves with the same piece 100

Exposure of the king 105

Premature attacks 110

Extravagance 1 13

Ignorance and indifference 1 19

Exercises 129

Solutions 1 49
3 The Battle for the Centre 166

Introduction 1 66

Pawn centre 166

Centre controlled by a piece 1 80

Centre controlled at distance 198

Pawn breaks 210

Flank advances 217

The role of the centre 224

Exercises 2 35

Solutions 25 7

4 Restriction 286

Introduction 286

Restriction of castling 286

Restriction of specific pieces 296

More restriction methods 3 03

Restriction of plans 3 10
Exercises 31 7
Solutions 33 1

5 A Few Words on Opening Preparation 34 7

Building an opening repertoire 34 7

Plans, set-ups, guidelines and move orders 35 0

Maintaining your repertoire 352

Preparing for your opponents 353

Index of players 355

Index of openings 3 64
Books
Aagaard.J, Excelling at Chess (Everyman Chess 2001)
Aagaard.J, Excelling at Positional Chess (Everyman Chess 2003)
Adams.Mi & Adams.B, Chess in the Fast Lane (Cadogan 1996}
Agrest.E & Hall.J, 90 Schacklektioner (Sveriges Schackforbund 2002)
Anand.V, My Best Games of Chess (Gambit 1998}
Bartashnikov.A, Chess Strategy Course (ChessBase 1999)
Bronstein .D. Mezhdunarodniy Turnir Grossmeisterov (Fizkultura i Sport 1960}
Dvoretsky.M, Shkola Vyshego Masterstva 1-4 (Folio 1998}
Dvoretsky.M & Yusupov.A, Opening Preparation (Batsford 1994)
Dvoretsky.M & Yusupov.A, Training for the Tournament Player (Batsford 1993)
Dydyshko.V, Logika Sovremennyh Shahmat (Polymia 1989}
Estrin.Y, Tratado de A jedrez Superior (Martinez Roca 1981}
Euwe.M & Kramer H, The Middlegame (Hays 2001)
Fischer.R.J, My 60 Memorable Games (Batsford 1995)
Geller.E & Damsky.E, Grossmeister Geller (Fizkultura i Sport 1976}
Gligoric.S, I Play Against Pieces (Batsford 2002)
Grahn.L & Westberg J, Stormiistare (Bonniers 1979)
Hall.J, Triina schack med Jesper Hall (Natur & Kultur 2001)
Hellsten.J, Descubriendo los conceptos en ajedrez (Esfera Editorial 2007)
Hellsten.J, Play the Sicilian Kan (Everyman Chess 2008}
Hellsten.J, Mastering Chess Strategy (Everyman Chess 2010)
Hillarp Persson.T, Tiger's Modern (Quality Chess 2005)
Karpov.A, Mis Mejores Partidas (Paidotribo 2000}
Larsen.B, Testa din spelstyrka (Prisma 1977)
Johansson.G, Schackgeniet Anatolij Karpov (Prisma 1976}
Marin.M, Learn from the Legends (Quality Chess 2004)
Neishtadt.l, Winning Quickly with Black (Cadogan 1996}
Neishtadt.l, Winning Quickly with White (Cadogan 1996}
Nesis.G, Tactical Chess Exchanges (Batsford 1991)
Pozharsky.V, Sovremenniy Shahmatniy Samouchitel Tom 2 (1999)

5
M a s t e ring Op e n ing S trategy

Romanovsky.P, Chess Middlegame Planning (ACP 1990)

Shereshevsky.M, Endgame Strategy (Pergamon 1985)
Suba.M, Dynamic Chess Strategy (Pergamon 1991)
Suetin.A, Middlegame Laboratory (Chess Digest 1974)
Suetin.A, Schachtraining (5portverlag Berlin 1988)
Taimanov.M, Gewinnen mit Sizilianisch (Sportverlag Berlin 1989)
Tal.M, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal (Cadogan 1997)
Watson.J, Los Secretos de la Estrategia Moderna en Ajedrez (Gambit 2002)
Yermolinsky.A, El Camino Hacia el Progreso en A jedrez (Gambit 2002)
Yusupov.A, Build Up Your Chess 1: The Fundamentals (Quality Chess 2008)
Zlotnik.B, Chess: Knowledge, Training, Mastery (Danko Bokan 2001)

Periodicals
Chess Informant 1-110
ChessBase MegaBase 2011
Tidsskrift for Schack 2004-08
The Week in Chess 1-860
Chess Today 1-4050

Websites
www.chessbase.com
www.larsgrahn.blogspot.com

6
 Introduction

Within chess literature there is a huge amount of publications dedicated to different open
ings. It goes without saying that every opening, system or variation has its specific charac
teristics, but even so there are a few general concepts which can claim validity in most
opening positions. Which are these concepts? Let's see a few quotes from Artur Yusupov's
Build Up Your Chess 1, The Fundamentals:

.t "Thefirst principle of opening play is rapid development of all the pieces. "
.t "The second principle of opening play is to strugglefor the centre. "
.t "The third principle of opening play is to struggle against our opponent's ideas, in or
der to make his development more difficult and to prevent him from achieving control
over the centre".

Moreover, in his earlier work Opening Preparation co-written with Mark Dvoretsky, Yu
supov also outlines a few simple rules regarding opening play, such as "don't move the
same piece twice" and "don't bring the queen out too early" etc, unless there is a serious
justification.
The present book is structured around these principles and rules, in the following way:

.t Chapter One investigates the role of development in the opening .

.t Chapter Two touches upon some of the most typical dubious actions in the opening
phase, such as early pawn-grabbing, moving the same piece twice etc.
.t Chapter Three takes a look at some different ways of fighting for the centre and its
role as such .
.t Finally, Chapter Four is dedicated to the concept of restriction in its different facets.

What, then, is the need for studying these concepts, if we can already find in books and
electronic publications most of the specific opening information that we need? Well, on
the one hand it will be easier for us to grasp the contents of existing opening theory if we
already have a basic understanding of the general concepts that underlie opening play. On
the other hand, in every game we leave the territory of our opening repertoire at some
point, we are surprised by a "new" move from our opponent, or we simply forget or mix up

7
M a s tering Open ing Strategy

something. In any of these cases, knowledge of opening strategy will help our orientation
in the new or unfamiliar position that arises.
In terms of style and format, this book is quite similar to my preceding work Mastering
Chess Strategy. I have not tried to cover the intricacies of every game by extensive analytical
variations in Chess Informant style, despite the fact that you can easily achieve that nowa
days thanks to the chess database programs and engines. In contrast, my emphasis has
been on explanatory text, combined with some key variations and assessments. The space
gained by such a priority has permitted me to include quite a large number of games, thus
adding to the variety of topics, structures and opening lines featured in this book.
In each game I have dedicated a few words to the specific line involved, while also men
tioning other options, main lines etc. You could use i t a s a first step t o further investiga
tion, if there is something that catches your eye. Some openings, such as the Sicilian, occur
more frequently in this book than others, let's say the Scotch. This might seem unfair but,
after all, the aim of the book is to cover the general concepts already mentioned, inde
pendently of the opening in which they occur.
At the end of each chapter there is a section with related exercises, where the reader
should try to find the best continuation, usually 1-3 moves, sometimes together with a
short plan. The time required oscillates roughly between 3 and 15 minutes, depending on
the exercise (they are presented in order of difficulty) and the level of the student. The ex
ercises are also mostly complete games so any lazy reader could just treat them as such.
As for the sources used when writing this book, I have mainly relied on Chess Informant,
ChessBase Megabase 2011 and Chess Today. Among the written publications that have as
sisted me, I would like to emphasize Winning Quickly With White and Winning Quickly
With Black by lakov Neishtadt, which contain a lot of instructive and, at the same time, en
tertaining games. My technological tools have been Chess Assistant 11 and Deep Rybka 4.
Most games in the book are from the modern period, let's say from 1990 and onwards,
but I have also included a number of "classics" when their instructional value justified it.
Some of my own games are also featured, for the simple reason that these are the games
that I know best.
I should mention that the concepts covered in this book are often intertwined in one sin
gle game, so you can easily find games in Chapter One that illustrate, say, the principles of
Chapter Four, and vice versa. Nevertheless, the chapters are rather independent, even if I
sometimes make references to earlier games. Chapter Two is probably the lightest in content
and could even be examined before Chapter One. The book ends with a short discussion
about opening preparation, building an opening repertoire and other practical matters.
I hope and think that this book will help you in improving your skills within opening
strategy, and at the same time provide you with some entertainment.
Thanks to my students in Riobamba for all the valuable input to this book.

Johan Hellsten,
Riobamba, March 2012.

8
 Cha:pter One>
The Nature of Development

Introd uction White has already brought all his pieces

Quick development of the pieces is a key into the battle; in contrast Black still hasn't
condition in the opening, in order to exploit mobilized either rook and he has failed to
their power to the maximum and secure secure his king. Take it for sure that he will
the king. Leaving aside other positional fac have a hard time defending this position.
tors such as material, space and structure,
the time factor plays a crucial role in the
initial phase of the game. A player left be
hind in development might face serious
problems when some of his pieces, such as
the rooks, can't easily take part in the bat
tle. Consider the following positions which
we will soon come back to in this chapter:

White to Play

Nominally White is a piece up, but the

difference in activity between both sides'
forces is simply overwhelming. When teach
ing young players, who tend to have big re
spect for the nominal value of the pieces, in
such a position I make them observe that
White to Play White has ten points out of the game! For

9
M a s tering Open ing Strategy
example, the rook on al hardly has the same
value as the one on e8, and this is, after all,
what development is all about.
Black to Play
This position is actually from the next
chapter, but it suits our discussion. Black
h as won a pawn, but his poor kingside de
velopment will leave him suffering badly
once White achieves d4-d5, and that will
come on the next move! In contrast, if Black
h ad an extra tempo, i.e. if ... e7-e6 was al
ready on the board, then after ... i.b4! his
chances would increase dramatically. One
single tempo makes a huge difference in
the opening battle, as we will often see.
So who suffered in these depressing posi
tions? Dolmatov, Topalov and Timman, in
games contested in 2004, 1999 and 2002 -
which makes it clear that the concept of de
velopment is present in battles even at the
highest level. By the way, observe the impor
tance of the queens' presence in the above
positions - if these are removed, then Black
would probably be okay in the first one,
White would be winning in the second one,
and his compensation for the pawn in the
third one would be much less convincing.
10
A few principles to bear in mind:
1 The imbalance between attacking
and defending pieces is a key factor in
any attack, and this certainly applies
to positions where one side is better
developed than the other, as in the
three positions above.
1 The opening or sharpening of the po
sition almost always favours the bet
ter developed side, which makes this
a key method when exploiting a lead
in development.
1 The conversion of a lead in develop
ment into a more stable advantage
often requires a heavy usage of tac
tics, sacrifices etc. Throughout the
book I often use the term "punish
ment" when referring to such actions,
including such standard methods as
opening the position, attacking weak
points in the enemy camp, keeping
the opponent's king in the centre,
swapping his active pieces, etc.
The king a n d other wea k points
One typical consequence of a delay in de
velopment is that the king becomes ex
posed to an attack. When the enemy pieces
start gathering around the monarch, and
his fellow forces remain immobilized, the
battle usually turns into "play against one
goal" (to use soccer language).
Gamel
Ma.Carl$ens.Dolmatov
Moscow2004
Reti's Opening
1 tiJf3 fs 2 d3!?

Instead of entering the Dutch Defence
with 2 d4, White prepares e2-e4, striking at
the light squares.
2 ... d6
The natural 2 ...lbf6 can be met by the
gambit 3 e4! fxe4 4 dxe4 lbxe4 5 Ji.d3 CLJf6 6
lbg5 with attacking prospects.
3 e4 es 4 CLJc3 lbc6
Black appears to be in a safe position;
however...
s exfs Ji.xfs
6 d4!
A key move that clears the centre before
Black gets castled. Now the king's bishop
can be developed actively to c4 or b5.
6 .lbxd4?!
..
6 ... e4 seems preferable, trying to keep
the position closed when behind in devel
opment. Here White can choose between 7
d5 ! ? and 7 lbg 5 d5 8 f3 ! , hitting the black
pawn chain, with interesting prospects in
both cases.
7 CLJxd4 exd4 8 'iixd4 lbf6
The greedy 8 ...Ji.xc2?! probably wasn't
even considered by Dolmatov, since 9 Ji.c4
followed by 0-0 and l:te1 looks extremely
dangerous for Black.
9 Ji.c4!
Th e Na ture of Developmen t
The best diagonal for this bishop, where
it complicates Black's short casting.
9...c6 10 ii.gs bs
Thanks to White's previous move, he can
now meet the logical 10 ... d5 by 11 0-0-0!
intending 11 ... dxc4? 12 'iie 5+. Black is also
in trouble after 11 ...Ji.e7 12 l:the1 0-0?! 13
'iie 5!.
11 Ji.b3 Ji.e7 12 o-o-o 'iid 7 13 l:the1!
Carlsen's play in this game reminds me
of Morphy's simple but effective treatment
of the opening phase. In just 13 moves he
h as mobilized all his pieces and now cre
ates the concrete threat of 14 Ji.xf6 gxf6 15
'iixf6. On his part, Dolmatov would be fine
if his king and h8-rook changed places, but
that will never prove possible.
13 ...'it>d8
An awkward place for the king, but
13 ... 0-0-0? was impossible due to 14 g4!
Ji.xg4 (or 14...Ji.g6? 15 Ji.e6) 15 J:txe7 'iix e7
16 'iixg4+ with material gains.
Throughout the book we will see many
positions where a lead in development has
to be exploited by concrete means; i.e. by
tactical blows, sacrifices etc. Here is a first
case.
14 J:txe7!
11
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy
Initiating a decisive combination to
wards the king on d8. In positions with un
balanced development we should get used
to considering the relative value of the
pieces. The bishop on e7 is Black's key de
fender, covering vital squares such as d6
and f6. Conversely, White has so many
pieces in action that losing one of them,
even one having a greater nominal value
than the enemy piece being captured, isn't
really a big deal. With such rooks on a8 on
h8, how is Black supposed to save his king ?
14.. .'xe7
Or 14 .. .'.t>xe7 15 xf6+ gxf6 16 l:i.e1+ fol
lowed by 17 'iixf6+.
15 'iif4! d7 16 '2le4!
Intensifying the attack. In contrast, 16
l:i.xd6? ! c8 lets Black hang on for a while.
16 ... d5
Or 16 ...l:i.f8 17 '2lxd6 with ideas like 'iWb4-
aS+. With such an exposed king Black can
hardly resist the attack.
11 '2lxf6 h6 18 h4 g5 19 'iid 4! 1-o
A nice final touch directed at the rook on
h8. Now if 19 ... gxh4, then 20 lt:Jxds cxds 21
'iixh8+, while other 20th moves run into 21
'2lf6, in both cases with an easy win for
White. Not much better is 19 ...l:i.f8 20 lt:Jxd7
12
'iixd7 2 1 g3 with an overwhelming ad
vantage, so Black resigned.
In closed or semi-open positions, a lead
in development tends to make itself some
what less felt. In such positions, a key idea
for the better developed side is to identify a
weak point in the enemy camp, on which
he can focus his attacking efforts.
Game2
M.Tal-G.Ttingov
Atnsterda m Interzonal 1964
Modern Defence
1 e4 g6 2 d4 g7
Launching the Modern Defence, charac
terized by a flexible development of Black's
minor pieces. However, at some moment he
will have to bring them out; otherwise he
can end up as in this game!
3 '2lc3 d6 4 '2lf3 c6 5 g5!? 'ii b 6?!
A risky attack on the b2-pawn. A better
reply to White's unusual fifth move is
s ...lt:Jf6, transposing to the Pirc, or s ...g4,
fighting for the dark squares.
6 'iid 2!
Tal doesn't care about the pawn and
just continues development. In fact, mod
ern opening theory is full of similar cases,
where the b2-pawn is sacrificed for the sake
of rapid development. Now 6 ... g4 is less
effective due to 7 0-0-0, so Tringov accepts
the challenge.
6 ...'iix b2 7 l:i.b1 'iia 3 8 c4
The best diagonal for the bishop, where
it eyes the sensitive f7-pawn.
8 ...'iia 5?!
Too many queen moves. 8 ...'2lf6, prepar
ing 9 ... 0-0, looks like a better choice, waiting

with the queen retreat until White plays
.i:i.b3. A long time ago Znosko-Borovsky ob
served that, in positions of this nature, the
queen should stay as long as possible in
enemy territory. At this moment 9 es dxes
10 dxes l2Jg4 is quite okay for Black, e.g. 11
.i:i.b3 ? ! cs, so the flexible 9 o-o is probably
White's best choice, with ample compensa
tion for the pawn.
9 0-0
9.. e6
. sensitive d6-square. Now 13 ...exf4 runs into
Now 9 ... 4Jf6?! 10 es dxes 11 dxes l2Jg4
fails to 12 ..ixe7! rJlxe7 13 ctJdS+, winning
the queen, so Tringov intends developing
the knight via e7 instead.
10 Ufe1 a6
Unfortunately for Black, 10 ... t2Je7? runs
into the same trick: 11 ..ixe7 rJlxe7 12 ctJdS+
etc.
11 ..if4!
Hitting the vulnerable d6-pawn. As I
mentioned before the game, the attack at
weak points in the enemy camp is a key
method when exploiting a lead in devel
opment.
11...es?
When you are behind in development,
the more closed the position the better for
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
you, so don't even think about opening it!
After that, it will be much easier for the op
ponent to make use of his more active
pieces. For better or worse, 11...d8 or
11 ... c7 had to be tried, when 12 es can be
met by 12 ... ds and 12 ds by 12 ... es, respec
tively.
12 dxes dxes
13 d6!!
A terrible blow that again exploits the
14 CZJds !, when 14... cxds 1S exdS+ ..ie6 16
dxe6 is disastrous for Black, while other
14th moves let the knight reach C7. On the
other hand, 13 ... d8? fails to 14 .ixf7+, and
13 ... ..if8 14 xes+ xes 1S CZJxes is decisive
as well, since 1S ... ..ie6 runs into 16 Uxb7. As
for the knight on c3, Tal has a simple reply
prepared...
13 ...xc3 14 Ued1! 4Jd7
Covering the mate on d8 but weakening
the light squares, a fact that White imme
diately exploits. Then again, after 14...as
1S CZJxes Black is completely helpless, e.g.
1s ...l2Jh6 16 .ig s.
15 .ixf7+! rJlxf7 16 ttJgS+ rJle8 17 e6+ 1-0
In view of the quick mate, Black re
signed.
13
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
Here is a more complex case of exploit
ing the weakest point in the enemy camp
when ahead in development.
Gomes
S;.Movsesian-R.. Tibensky
Slovakian Championship,
Kaskady 2002
Fr:enth Defen(e
1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 es b6
A rather slow reply to the Advance
Variation. Black prepares ...i.a6 in order to
exchange his "bad" bishop, but also loses
some time and activity compared to the
usual 3 ... cs, hitting the white pawn chain.
4 C3
Strengthening the pawn chain and pre
venting the immediate 4 ... i.a6?? on ac
count of 5 .ixa6 lt:Jxa6 6 'iVa4+.
4 ... 'iVd7 5 h4!?
At first sight a rather surprising move,
why not just s li:Jf3, 6 .id3 and 7 o-o, simply
bringing out the pieces? Well, closed posi
tions have their particular nature. Since
nothing is really going on in the centre
White can spend a few tempi on this flank
advance, which gains space and enhances
future kingside actions, in particular the
knight manoeuvre li:Jh3-f4.
s ....ia6
Perhaps the restrictive s ...h s ! ? was better,
when White could consider 6 .ie2 g6 7 .igs
preparing li:Jd2-f3 and li:Jh3-f4 - Movsesian.
6 .ixa6 lt:Jxa6 7 hS cs
Black finally launches this standard ad
vance, although the absence of a knight on
c6 makes it less powerful than in the main
line with 3 ... cs.
8 li:Je2
14
Leaving the f3-square for the other
knight.
8 ...f6?!
A risky attempt at counterplay, since
White can complete development much
sooner, after which the opening of the e-file
will turn to his favour. Besides, the earlier
exchange of the light-squared bishops left
the e6-pawn more exposed. Safer was the
developing 8 ...lt:Je7, followed by ...lt:Jc6, be
fore taking further actions.
9 .if4 lt:Je7 10 lt:Jd2 lt:Jc6
Another effect of White's early h2-h4-h 5
is that ...lt:Je7-g6 proves impossible. More
over, as the typical... lt:Je7-f5 plan cannot be
supported by ... h 7-h 5, the knight can be
dislodged easily by g2-g4.
11 li:Jf3
Just like in the old games of
Nimzowitsch, White gives maximum prior
ity to the e s-square.
11...l:rc8
Perhaps 11 ... 0-0-0! ? followed by ... 'iii>b 7
was a safer choice - Psakhis. In this case the
knight on a6 would prove useful in the
king's defence, whereas in the game it will
struggle to find a proper destiny.
12 o-o lt:Jab8 13 J:re1

13 exf6 gxf6 14 .l:i.e1 might have been
even stronger, forcing the kind of play that
occurs in the game.
13 ...ii.e7?
Tibensky doesn't sense the danger. After
13 .. .f5 ! 14 ii.g 5 ii.e7 1 5 ll'lf4 White keeps a
pleasant advantage, but at least the posi
tion remains closed, which gives Black time
to conclude development.
14 exf6!
Initiating an attack on the e6-pawn, just
before Black gets castled.
14...gxf6
With hindsight 14 ...ii.xf6 should have
been preferred; e.g. 15 ii.xb8 .l:i.xb8 16 ll'lf4
0-0! 17 lbxe6 .l:i.fe8 18 ll'lf4 .l:i.e4 with some
compensation for the pawn.
15 ii.xb8!
White has no objections to swapping
the passive knight on b8 if this helps his
attack in the centre.
15 ....l:i.xb8
Or 15 ...ll'lxb8 16 ll'lf4 .l:i.c6 17 c4!, intend
ing 17 ... dxc4 18 d5 with strong pressure.
16ll'lf4ll'ld8 17 'iVe2 f7
If 17 ... cxd4 then 18 ll'lxd4!, when 18 ... e5
19 'iVf3 ! exf4 20 'iVxf4 leaves Black helpless
against the threats at b8, f5 and f6.
Th e Na ture of Deve lopme n t
After the text, how can White step up
the pressure?
18 C4!
An intuitive advance that further opens
the position towards Black's vulnerable
king.
18...ii.d6 19 'iVd2 'iVc7 20ll'lh3
The idea of 'iVh6 is added to White's
menu.
20...dxc4 21 .l:i.ad1
The last piece joins the battle, which
makes Black's position very difficult to de
fend, since virtually any tactical complica
tions will favour White due to his superior
development.
21....l:i.f8 22 .l:i.e4!
Heading for g4, before Black achieves an
artificial castling with ... g8-h8.
22 ...g8 23 dxcs ..txcs 24 .l:i.g4+ f7
Unfortunately for Black, after 24 ...h8
25 'iVh6 f5 (the threat was ll'lf4-g6+) 26
.l:i.xc4 the tactics work in White's favour; e.g.
26 .....txf2+? 2 7ll'lxf2 'iVxc4 28 'iVxf8 mate, or
26 ...'iVg7 2 7 'iVxg7+ xg7 28 b4 ii.e7 29 .l:i.d7
f6 30 .l:i.ce7 winning.
25 'iVc2! e8 26 .l:i.xc4
With the black king back on e8, the rest
is easy.
15
M a s t e ring Op e n ing S trategy
26 .. .'iVe7 27 b4 ..id6 28 J:!.cd4 lZ'lb7 29 lZ'ld2!
The knight's reaches e4 or c4 with great
effect.
29 lZ'ld8
. fighting for the centre.
This makes no sense but the alternatives
were hardly better; e.g. 29 .. .f5 30 lZ'lc4 ..ie7
31 'iVa4+ or 29 ... .l:!.d8 30 lZ'le4 ..ib8 31 'iVc6+,
in both cases followed by a fatal 32 .l:!.d7.
30 'iVd3 lZ'lb7 31 lZ'le4 1-o
In view of 31.. . ..ies 32 'iVbs+ 'it>f7 33 .l:!.d7
Black resigned.
Pawn adva nces
Another key method for the better devel
oped side is a pawn advance, if necessary in
the shape of a sacrifice, that opens the posi
tion and clears new lines towards the en
emy camp. Actually Movsesian did just that
with 18 c4! in the previous game. Here are a
few more examples.
Game4
v.Topalov..V.Ivanchuk
Linares 1999
English Opening
1 lZ'lf3 cs 2 c4 lZ'lc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lZ'lxd4 e6
16
In this variation of the English, White
enjoys more space but Black is ready to cre
ate counterplay with his queen and king's
bishop on the g 1-a7 and e1-a5 diagonals.
5 g3
More common is 5 lZ'lc3. The text keeps
the option of meeting s .....ib4+ with 6 ..id2,
although Topalov never makes use of this
idea in the game.
s .....ib4+ 6 lZ'lc3 'iVas
As beginners we are taught not to bring
out the queen too early, but here it helps
Black in interfering with White's develop
ment.
7 lZ'ldbs ds!
Ruling out the knight check on d6 and
8 a3
Consistent with White's previous play, if
rather slow. Stohl suggests 8 ..if4!? es (or
8 ... d4 9 a3) 9 ..id2, when both 9 ... d4 10 lZ'lds
and 9 ... dxc4 10 a3 ..ixc3 11 lZ'ld6+! 'it>f8 12
..ixc3 'iVcs 13 ..ig2 lead to an interesting
battle.
8 .....ixc3+ 9 bxc3
In the event of 9 lZ'lxc3 Black may choose
between the simple 9 ... dxc4, now that the
knight check on d6 is no longer possible,

and the riskier 9 ... d4! ? 10 b4 t2Jxb4 11 axb4
"ii'xa1 12 tLlb5 with unclear play.
9...t2Jf6!
lvanchuk quickly brings out the pieces,
unworried about 10 t2Jd6+ <Jle7 11 t2Jxc8
=:axc8, after which Black already enjoys a
significant lead in development.
10 .ig2 0-0
Now White's dilemma is that 11 0-0
dxc4 loses a pawn, while 11 cxd5 t2Jxd5
leaves his pieces hanging on b5 and c3. To
palov finds a third option: safeguarding his
queenside with the queen, at the cost of
delaying development.
11 "ib3 dxc4 12 "ixc4 es!
Simple and strong: now 13 ....ie6 is com
ing up.
13 lLld6 .ie6 14 "id3
By tactical means White h as managed
to stay above water. H ere 14...l';[ad8? and
14...fd8? fail to 15 t2Jxb7, but lvanchuk has
a much stronger move in reserve ...
l4...e4!
Another typical punishment method
when the opponent h as delayed his devel
opment: open the position. Now the e-file
will be of great use in the attack towards
White's king, and the annoying knight on
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
d6 leaves the board.
15 t2Jxe4
Queen moves all had their drawbacks:
15 "ic2 l2Jd4! or 15 "ie3 l2Jg4! or 15 "id2
ad8. As for 15 .ixe4, Black can reply
15 ...t2Jxe4 16 t2Jxe4 ad8 with a strong ini
tiative just like in the game - lvanchuk.
15 ... t2Jxe4 16 .ixe4 adS 17 "ic2
After 17 "ie3 fe8 White is also in big
trouble.
17 ... t2Jd4! 18 "ib2
Topalov has defended well and is just
one move away from the desired 0-0; how
ever...
18 ...t2Jxe2!!
One more sacrifice to force the white
king to stay in the centre. Less promising
was 18 ....ic4 19 "ih4! or 18 ...fe8 19 0-0!
.ih3 20 cxd4 .ixf1 21 .if3. In both these
short lines White applies a common
method when behind in development: re
turn the material invested in order to bring
out the pieces.
19 <Jlxe2
If 19 "ih4, trying to apply the method
described in the previous note, then
19 ... t2Jxc3! with heavy material gains thanks
to the mating threat on d1.
17
M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy
19 .. J'tfe8!
A flexible move typical of many attacks.
If we look at the two pieces on f8 and e6, it
is obvious that the rook is heading for e8,
whereas the bishop has so many possible
destinies that it shouldn't be committed
yet. Less promising is 19 ... .i.c4+ 20 'it>f3 f5
21 .i.xb7 .i.d5+ 22 '1t>e2 .i.xb7 23 11Vxb711Y'xc3
24 .i.e3 11Yc4+ 25 '1t>e1 11Yc3+ with a draw -
lvanchuk.
2011Y'b4
After 20 f3 f5 White is also in deep trou
ble, while 20 J:te1 is met by 20 ... 11Yh5+! 21
'1t>f1 .i.h 3+ 22 'lt>g1 J:txe4! - lvanchuk.
2o ...1\Yh5+ 21 f3 f5!
Finally crashing through White's de
fence, who can only resort to desperate
moves.
22 g411Y'h3
The threat 23 ...11Vg2+ is added to the
menu.
23 gxf5 .i.xf5!
Another option was 23 ... 11Vg 2+ 24 'lt>e3
11Yxh 1 25 fxe6 l:td1, but a direct attack on
the white king is more tempting.
A typical pattern in games with unbal
anced development: the attacker has less
material but overwhelmingly more activity.
18
With his king stranded on e2, there is no
hope for White.
24 11Yc4+ 'lt>h8 25 l:te1 J:txe4+! 0-1
The most elegant finish. White resigned
in view of 26 fxe4 .i.g4+ 27 'it>f211Y'xh2+ with
mate on the next move.
Games
R.Nezhrnetdinov-A.Chistiakov
Kharkov 1956
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 'Llc3 'Llf6 4 .i.g5 .i.b4 5 e5
h6 6 .i.d2 li'lfd7?!
Very passive. Nowadays, adherents of
the McCutcheon Variation play 6 ....i.xc3
and 7 ... 'Lle4 without much thinking.
7 'iVg4 .i.f8
In closed positions like this, such retreats
are usually justified. In contrast, 7 ... g6?! 8
.i.d3 would have yielded White a target on
g6, just as later occurs in the game.
8 'Llf3 C5
A standard advance in the French, but
8 ...a6 first was safer in order to prevent
White's next move in the game.
g li'lb5!

Apart from threatening ti:Jd6+, this move
comes with a more long-term idea - can
you spot it?
9 ...g6?
Too slow. 9 ... ti:Jc6? 10 ti:Jd6+ i.xd6 11
xg7 was very bad for Black, but 9 ... cxd4 10
ti:Jd6+ .txd6 11 xg7 .txe5! 12 tt:Jxe5 f6
looks quite okay for him. White should
probably try 11 exd6 instead, with some
initiative.
10 i.d3!
Development with tempo, as 11 .txg6 is
threatened.
10 ....l:!.g8
Black managed to cover all the enemy
threats but now suffers a serious delay in
development. Thus White's next move sug
gests itself.
11 c4!
A key advance in order to open the posi
tion before Black closes it by ...c5-C4, mak
ing White's lead in development a less rele
vant factor.
11 ...cxd4 12 cxds tt:Jcs
Or 12 ... a6 13 dxe6 axb5 14 exf7+ 'it>xf7
1 5 e6+! with a fierce attack.
13 xd4 exds?
Black omits the intermediate move
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
1 3 ...tt:Jc6!, when 14 e3 tt:Jxd3+ 1 5 xd3
exd5 yields him a slightly superior version
of the game.
14 ti:Jd6+!
White h ad this option for several moves,
but only uses it now when the centre has
been cleared, which makes Black's dark
squared bishop a key defender. The pawn
invested in this operation is irrelevant.
14 ... .txd6 15 exd6 xd6 16 0-0
White's position plays itself.
16...ti:Jxd3 17 xd3 ti:Jc6 18 .l:!.fe1+ i.e6
19 ctJd4!
In chess strategy, exchanges can be car
ried out for a variety of reasons. One of
them is facilitating an attack, as in this
case, where White aims at eliminating one
of the defenders on e6 and c6. Note that
after 19 ...ti:Jxd4 20 xd4 the presence of
opposite-coloured bishops favours White,
since the opponent will have a difficult task
covering the dark squares.
19 ...gs
After 19 ...0-0-0 20 .l:!.ac1 the black king is
in big trouble. In the game he tries to hide it
on d7, but White has enough material for a
successful attack.
20 .l:!.ac1 'it>d7 21 tt:Jfs!
19
M a s tering Op e n ing Stra tegy
After mobilizing all his pieces, White ini
tiates concrete actions.
21...\i'f8 22 'ii'b 5! .Uc8 23 'ii'x b7+ .Uc7 24
'ii'b 5 a6
Obviously 24 ....ixf5 runs into 25 'ii'x d5+.
25 'ii'd 3 'ii' b8 26 4Jxh6 .Ug6 27 4Jxf7!
The final blow which destroys the black
king's shelter.
21 ....ixf7 28 'ii'f5+ d8
Or 28 ...d6 29 .ixg 5 with decisive
threats.
29 .Uxc6! .Ucxc6 30 .ia5+ 'ii'c 7 31 'ii'xf7 1-0
Game6
K.Miton ....J.Sammour Hasbun
Stratton Mauntain 1999
SlavDefence
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 4Jc3 ctJf6 4 e3 a6
The Chebanenko Slav became very
popular in the nineties, thanks to its flexi
bility and great room for creativity. One
merit of this system is that Black can play
4 ... a6 against virtually any white move or
der.
5 .td3
Development and at the same time re-
20
striction of Black's ....if5. other options are
5 ctJf3, 5 'ii'c 2 and 5 a4.
5 ....ig4
Perhaps 5 ... b5 6 b3 .ig4 is a more pre
cise move order, avoiding White's queen
sortie to b3.
6 'ii'b 3 .Ua7
The safest way of dealing with the
threat at b7. The rook is temporarily out of
play but can later return to the eighth rank
once the b-pawn has been protected by an
other piece, e.g. by ... 'ii'C 7.
1 h3 .ih5 8 tt:Jge2 .ig6
Black is anxious to exchange the oppo
nent's "good" bishop, but loses precious
time. 8 ... e6 seems preferable, speeding up
development; e.g. 9 ctJf4 .ig6 10 tt:Jxg6 hxg6
11 0-0 .id6 followed by ...0-0.
9 .txg6 hxg6 10 0-0 e6
At this point it is not clear how to exploit
the slight lead in development, but Miton
finds a surprisingly simple solution.
11 e4! dxc4
The safest reply. White's idea was that
both 11...4Jxe4?! 12 tt:Jxe4 dxe4 13 .ie3 ! and
11...dxe4 12 .ie3 would leave Black strug
gling to find a defence against d4-d5.
12 \i'xc4 b5 13 'ii'b 3! b4?!

Having seen the rest of the game it is
easy to suggest 13 ....i.e7 14 .i.e3 l:td7 fol
lowed by ... 0-0 in order to conclude devel
opment. Sammour probably felt that 13 ...b4
was justified by the enemy queen's retreat
to b3 instead of d3, but this is not so.
14 e5
By trading the knight on c3 for the one
on f6 White manages to clear lines, in par
ticular the b-file, towards Black's underde
veloped camp.
14... bxc3 15 exf6 cxb2?
Black grabs a pawn when it is ill
afforded. The simple 1S ...gxf6 16 bxc3 .i.d6
followed by ... 0-0 was called for. White's
superior structure implies some advantage
in the middlegame, but at least all Black's
pieces get into play.
16 .i.xb2 gxf6
By now there is only one move that can
justify White's previous play...
17 dS!
The key move of the game, which clears
several new lines towards the enemy king.
At this point, the strong threat of 18 .i.xf6
xf6 19 xb8+ leaves Black with practi
cally a single reply.
17 ... es 18 dxc6 c8?
Th e Na ture of Developmen t
This i s an early resignation, since the
advanced c-pawn will just make White's
attack even more powerful. For better or
worse, the bold 18 ...ttJxc6 had to be tried.
Then 19 a4 is tempting - alas, after
19 ... d7, both 20 l:tac1 ttJd8! and 20 l:tfd1
ttJd4!, returning the pawn in order to swap
queens, keep Black in the game. A more
critical try is 19 J:tac1 l:tc7 20 f3 ! ?, when
20 ...c8! 21 xf6 l:th s followed by ... .i.e7
seems survivable for Black. As will be seen
more evidently in the final games of this
chapter, difficult positions call for unusual
solutions!
19 J:tac1 l:tc7 20 ttJf4!
An aesthetic follow-up to the attack,
creating the the threat of 21 ttJdS. Perhaps
20 ttJc3 !? was even more efficient, with the
additional idea of 21 ttJe4.
20 ... .i.h6
20 ... exf4 21 .i.xf6 followed by J:tfe1+ and
4 is terminal for Black, while after
20 ...J:txc6 21 ttJdS he lacks a proper defence
of the f6-pawn; e.g. 21 ... .i.g7 22 .i.a3! pre
venting ... 0-0 and threatening a fork on e7,
or 21 ...ttJd7 22 ttJxf6+! ttJxf6 23 a4 d7 24
J:tfd1+ .i.d6 25 .i.xes with a decisive attack.
21 ttJdS .i.xc1
21
M a s tering Op e n ing Stra tegy
How to continue the attack? None of 22
ttJxf6+ 'it>f8, or 22 .l::!.x cl .l::!.x c6 2 3 lt:Jxf6+ 'it>f8,
or 22 tt:Jxc7+ "VIilxc7 23 .l::!.x cl 0-0 is com
pletely convincing. However, Miton has a
much stronger move prepared ...
22 "VIilb4!!
While denying Black from castling,
White sets up the devastating threat of 22
"VIild6. In the same spirit 22 "VIila3 ! was also
strong.
22 "VIild8
..
Giving back material in order to save the
king. 22 ...Ags 23 "VIild6 .l::!.a7 24 c7! wins eas
ily, while after 22 ....ixb2 23 "VIi!d6! Black
can't cope with the double threat at f6 and
C7, e.g. 23 ... .l::!.xc6 24 "VIile7 mate.
23 lt:Jxc7+ "VIilxc7 24 .l::!.xc1 as
In the event of 24...4Jxc6 one of several
winning lines is 25 "VIilc4 'it>d7 26 "VIilxf7+ 'it>c8
27 "VIilxf6 etc.
25 "VIilcs
Thanks to the strong passed pawn and
Black's badly placed king, the rest is easy.
2s ... gs 26 Aa3 lt:Ja6 27 "VIilbs lt:Jb4 28 .ixb4
axb4 29 "VIilxb4 .l::!. h4 30 "VIilb7!
The c-pawn finally takes its toll.
30...'it>d8 31 .l::!.d 1+ .l::!.d 4 32 .l::!.xd4+ exd4 33
'it>f1 1-0
22
There follows 'it>e2-d3xd4 with an easy
win, so Black resigned.
Causes of delayed development
Nobody likes to get behind in development,
so why does this happen? Well, two typical
causes can be identified:
t One player grabs a pawn or two, thus
slowing down his development.
t One player pursues strategical goals
(the bishop pair, gain of space etc) at
the cost of delaying his development.
These causes have a dual nature, in the
sense that the side with a lead in develop
ment might also force his opponent to take
a pawn (e.g. 14 ... e4! in Topalov-lvanchuk) or
offer him the bishop pair, a doubling of
pawns etc. In other words, the better devel
oped player could consider both material
and strategic concessions when exploiting
his lead in development.
The following game neatly illustrates
the first cause above, and it is one of my
favourites on the topic of development.
Game7
M.Dvoretsky-Wf.Schmidt
Wijk aan Zee 1975
Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation
1 e4 cs 2 lt:Jf3 e6 3 c3
The Alapin Variation in a delayed ver
sion. Thanks to Black having already played
e7-e6, White avoids some set-ups, such as
the ones with ... Ag4.
3 ...4Jf6 4 es tt:Jds 5 d4 cxd4 6 cxd4 d6 7 a3
Preparing .id3 without having to bother
about ... 4Jb4.

1 . ..lbc6 8 i..d 3 dxes 9 dxes c7?!
Black initiates an attack on the es-pawn
at the cost of delaying development. A safer
try is 9 ... g6 followed by ...i..g 7 and ...0-0,
which I have played myself in a few games.
10 0-0!
White doesn't worry about the pawn
and just continues development. Of course
10 e2 ? iZ:Jd4! 11 iZ:Jxd4 xc1+ had to be
avoided.
10...tZ:lxes?!
It wasn't yet too late for 10 ... g6 or
10 ... i..e 7 with a safe game.
11 tZ:lxes xes
12 i.. b s+!
Th e Na ture of Deve lopme n t
A typical punishment method in posi
tions with a lead in development: give a
check in order to deprive the opponent of
castling.
12 ...i..d 7 13 i..x d7+ xd7
When playing 10...iZ:Jxes, Schmidt per
haps reckoned that his king would be quite
safe on d7, thanks to the strong knight on
dS and the two previous piece exchanges.
However, Dvoretsky's determined and logi
cal play that follows will show us that this is
not so.
14 .l:!.e1!
This natural rook move should be ef
fected right away, since other moves like 14
iZ:Jc3 and 14 f3 permit 14 ...i.. d 6! when
Black, thanks to the mating threat on h2,
gains an important tempo for his develop
ment.
14...d6 15 f3
Developing the queen with tempo, and
vacating the d-file for the rooks.
1S ...e8
In the event of 1S ... i..e 7 White should
avoid 16 xf7? .l:!.af8 with counterplay, and
continue just as in the game.
16 iZ:lc3!
An excellent move to eliminate the de-
23
M a s tering Open ing Stra tegy
fender on ds. "When your opponent is be
hind in development, exchange his devel
oped pieces" goes another principle of
opening play, which I think belongs to Yu
supov.
16 .. J:d8
After 16 ... i.e7 17 i.d2 d8 18 ad1
Black is definitely sad about h aving lost his
castling rights.
17 i.gs!
Such moves, developing the pieces with
tempo, are rarely wrong.
17...f6
Or 17 ... i.e7 18 i.xe7, followed by ad1,
with strong pressure.
18 ad1!
Another power move. The last piece en
ters the game with tempo thanks to the
threat of xds. Note that due to Black's un
fortunate tenth move, not only is his king
stranded in the centre, he also has one
fewer rook in the battle than White.
18 ...'it>f7 19 lt:Jxds exds 20 i.f4!
After the timely swap on ds, when Black
could no longer recapture with a piece,
White identifies the weakest spot in the
enemy camp: c7.
20...ifb6 21 C1
24
O f course not 21 xds? i.cs and Black
h as more hope of salvation. N ow, on the
other hand, 21 ...i.cs? is useless due to 22
b4. Don't forget that activity is often worth
more than material in positions with un
balanced development.
21 ...d7 22 c8!
Such pins are of great use in restricting
the opponent's development.
22 ...g6 23 ife2!
The final touch. 23 ee8 might seem
tempting, but after 23 ...ifxb2 the battle
continues. Whereas now Black can't in any
way prevent the queen's arrival at e8, since
23 ...e7? fails to 24 xf8+ and 2 5 ifxe7.
23 ...'it>g7 24 ife8 f7 25 i.h6+! 'it>xh6 26
ifxf7
The rest is easy.
26...i.cs 27 xh8 i.xf2+ 28 'it>h1 i.xe1 29
h4 'it>hs 30 ifxdS+ 1-o
In this utterly hopeless position, Black
resigned.
Now let's see an example of the second
cause. White gives priority to certain posi
tional aims such as space and a strong cen
tre, at the cost of normal development, and
duly pays for it.

Game8
L.Psakhis.-LOofshtein
lsr:aeli Team Championship 1996
English Opening
1 c4 d6 2 d4 es
3ctJC3
The queenless middlegame arising after
3 dxes?! dxes 4 1Wxd8+ 'it>xd8, followed by
... c7-c6 and ... 'it>C7, is considered excellent for
Black, but 3 lt:Jf3 makes quite some sense, in
order to be able to recapture with the knight
on d4. The pawn structure that arises after
an exchange on d4 implies a space advan
tage for White, so Black should get some
thing in return for it. In the game, he wins a
tempo by attacking the white queen.
3 ..exd4 4 1Wxd4ctJc6 5 1Wd2
.
In this line White intends b2-b3 and
Ji.b2, after which the queen will turn out to
be well placed on d2.
s...lt:Jf6 6 g3
More consistent seems 6 b3 iLe6 7 e4
followed by 8 Ji.b2; but not 7 Ji.b2?! dS!,
when the move ...iLb4 might soon become
unpleasant for White.
6 1Le6!
menu.
Th e Na ture of Deve lopme n t
Development with tempo. W e can now
spot a slight drawback to 6 g3: the c4-pawn
loses its natural defence.
7 e4?!
White gains space but will soon have a
vulnerable centre to worry about. 7 lt:Jds
followed by 8 b3 was preferable - again not
7 b3?! ds! with similar play as in the note to
White's sixth move.
1 1Le1 8 f3
This shows that something has already
gone wrong for White in the opening. Un
fortunately, the natural 8 b3?! was again
risky due to 8 ... lt:Jxe4! 9 lt:Jxe4 ds and Black
regains the material by a timely ... iLb4.
8 .o-o gct:Jds
..
Seizing the centre, but losing more time.
9 b3 was better, when Black could just react
as in the game.
So Black has already a distinct lead in
development, but how to make use of it?
9 ...lt:Jd7!
A great move with various purposes.
Gofshtein prepares the pawn break .. .f7-f5,
hitting the white centre and clearing lines
towards the enemy camp. Moreover, an
annoying ...lt:Jes or ...ct:Jcs is added to the
25
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
10 ..ig2 fs 11 exfs ..ixfs 12 tt:le3?!
The problem with moving this knight
will soon be revealed. A lesser evil was 12
tt:le2 tt:lde5 13 o-o! tt:lxc4 14 'iVc3 followed by
tt:lef4. White has lost a pawn but at least
managed to bring his king into safety.
12 ...i.e6 13 f4
White has prevented ...tt:le5, and
13 ... tt:lc5 no longer makes much sense. So
how is Black supposed to punish the oppo
nent for his slow development?
13...ds!!
A strong pawn sacrifice that clears lines
towards the white monarch. White's next
move is forced, since it is the only capture
that prevents 14... i.b4.
14 tt:lxds lieS! 15 tt:lf3
After 15 'L'lxe7+ 'iVxe7 or 15 'L'le2 i.g4
White is suffering heavily along the e-file.
1s ...i.cs!
Another typical method when enjoying
a lead in development: prevent the oppo
nent's castling. It can be effected by a check
(see 12 i.b5+! in Game 7), as well as by a
bishop move to the a3-f8 (f1-a6) or a2-g8
(g1-a7) diagonal as in this case, while the
deployment of a knight on e6 (e3) is yet an
other variation on the theme.
26
16 '>t>f1 tt:lb6 17 tt:lgs!
Psakhis avoids 17 b3 tt:lxd5 18 cxd5
i.xd5 with a sad position to look at, and
sets a little trap.
11 . .i.fs!
.
Gofshtein doesn't fall for 17 ... tt:lxc4? 18
'iYd3 ! with double threats at h 7 and c4. Now
White must cover the c4-pawn, since 18
tt:lxb6+? fails to 18 .....id3+ with mate.
18 b3
18...ctJb4!
To eliminate the defender on d5, just
like Dvoretsky's 16 tt:lc3 in the previous
game.
19 i.f3
19 tt:lxb4 i.xb4 20 'iVxd8 (or 20 'iVxb4
'iYd1+ 21 '>t>f2 .l:!.e2+ with mate) 20 ... .l:!.axd8 is
a simple but instructive line. White man
aged to swap a few pieces, including the
queens, but even so his delay in develop
ment makes it impossible for him to cope
with the multiple threats at c3, d3 and d1.
19...tt:l6xds 20 i.xdS+
After 20 cxd5 tt:lc2 the knight doesn't
just aim at a1, but also at e3.
2o...tt:lxds 21 'iVxds+
Or 21 cxd5 'iYf6! 22 ..ib2 'iYa6+! winning
- Gofshtein.

21 ..:iixds 22 cxds .i.d4 0-1
Obviously, keeping the king in the cen
tre doesn't mean automatic defeat. In some
openings, like the Open Sicilian, Black occa
sionally delays castling for a while, await
ing a safe moment or simply giving priority
to other actions. Before continuing our in
vestigation on the causes of a delayed de
velopment, let's see an example of a suc
cessful king in the centre.
Gameg
S.Conquest-A.Sokolov
Clichy 1991
Sicilian Defence,
Taimanov Variation
1 e4 cs 2 f4CDc6 3lt:lf3 e6 4CDC3 a6
Thus Black prevents .i.f1-b5, a move
typical of White's Grand Prix Attack, and at
the same time enables a future ...b7-b5.
5 d4
White reverts to the Open Sicilian. A dif
ferent kind of play emerges after 5 g3 d5 6
.i.g2 lt:lf6 7 e5 lt:ld7 followed by ....i.e?, ...b7-
b5, ....i.b7 etc.
s ...cxd4 6lt:lxd4lt:lxd4
Usually Black doesn't hurry to carry out
this exchange, but here it helps him in
achieving ...b7-b5 without having to worry
about lt:lxc6.
7 'iixd4 bs 8 .i.e 2 .i.b7
A great place for the bishop, where it
puts pressure on the e4-pawn and might
even assist in a future attack on the white
king.
9 o-o c8
Within the first nine moves, Black has
just made one single movement on the
Th e Na ture of Developmen t
kingside! When Taimanov introduced such
a set-up into practice many years ago, the
fact that the black queenside is developed
before the kingside caused surprise and
even suspicion.
However, Black's play is perfectly logical.
The queen's rook and bishop have rather
obvious destinies on b7 and c8, so they are
developed straight away. In contrast, the
king's bishop has both c5 and e7 at its dis
posal, so it could wait a few moves, until
White's set-up is more defined. Finally, the
knight would like to settle at f6, but only if
e4-e5 can be coped with, otherwise it will
prefer the route ... lt:le7-c6(g6).
10 h1
Parrying the threat 10 ....i.c5. An earlier
game of Sokolov's saw 10 'iid3 b4 11 lt:ld1
lt:lf6 12 e5 lt:ld5 13 f5 'iih 4!? 14 h1 .i.c5 15
.i.f3 0-0 and Black had a more active posi
tion, A.Martin Gonzalez-A.Sokolov, Biel ln
terzonal 1985.
10...lt:lf6
Now, on the other hand, 10...b4?! 11
lt:la4 xc2 12 .i.d3 c8 13 .i.d2 yields White
a dangerous lead in development - Sokolov.
11 eslt:lds 12 .i.f3
The desirable 12 lt:le4 fails to 12 ... l1xc2
27
M as t e ring Open ing S trategy
13 ii.d3 l:tc8 followed by ...'iYb6.
12 ...l:tc4! 13 'iff2 'ifa8!
Thanks to this and the previous move,
Black stays in charge of the long diagonal.
14 ct:Jxds .txds 15 b3l:tc7 16 .txds 'ifxds 17
ii.b2
Considering Black's slow development
on the kingside, 17 fs would seem like a
logical choice. H owever, after 17 ...exfs 18
'ifxfs g 6 ! ? Black can meet 19 'iff6 with
19 ... l:txc2 20 Ug1 l:txg2 ! 21 l:txg2 'ifd1+ se
curing a perpetual; the flexible 17 ...b4 ! ?
doesn't seem bad either.
17 ... e7
18l:tad1
28
On this occasion, 18 fs proves even less
dangerous after 18 ... exfs 19 'ifxfs o-o fol
lowed by ... 'ife6.
18 ...'ife4 19 1:td2 o-o
Ten moves later Black finally gets castled
and has a minimal edge thanks to his supe
rior pawn structure and more active
bishop. The game continued 20 l:te1 'iffs 21
J:ted1 b4! 22 C3 XC3 23 XC3 J:txc3 24
l:txd7 h s ! 25 h3 Uc2 26 U1d2 l:tfc8 with a
slight initiative, although it eventually
ended in a draw.
The following game shows the use of
positional concessions, such as accepting
weaknesses or exchanging "good" pieces, in
order to exploit a lead in development.
Game10
N.Firman..;BItlds
lvov2003
CaroKann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d4 ds 3 es cs
A modern alternative to the traditional
3 ... fs. Compared with the Advance Varia
tion in the French (1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 es cs)

Black is a tempo down, but the h 3-c8 di
agonal remains open for the bishop.
4 lZ'lf3
The main line is 4 dxc5, hanging on to
the pawn, but the text is viable as well.
4...CZ'lc6 5 c4!
A logical choice: White aims to open the
centre, considering the tempo loss involved
in ... c7-c6 and ... c6-c5. In contrast, after 5
c3?! ii.g4 followed by ... e7-e6, Black obtains
an excellent game.
5 ...e6 6 cxd5 exd5 1 ii.b5 ii.d7 8 o-o
Speeding up development; whereas the
greedy 8 dxc5 ii.xc5 9 iVxd5?! permits
9 ... iVb6 ! with a nasty double attack.
8 ... cxd4 g lbxd4 ii.c5 10 CZ'lb3 ii.b6 11CZ'lc3!
Again White prefers development to
material. After 11 iVxd5 lbge7 12 iVe4 o-o,
preparing ... .tf5, Black would enjoy quite a
bit of activity for the pawn.
11...ii.e6 12 CZ'la4CZ'lge7
Black also gives priority to development.
The attempt to keep the "good" bishop by
12 ... ii.C7? ! permits 13 CZ'lac5 CZ'lge7 14 CZ'ld4
iVc8 15 CZ'lcxe6 fxe6 16 iVg4, when White
has a clear advantage - Firman.
13CZ'lxb6 iVxb6?
Surprisingly enough, this natural move
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
proves to b e a serious mistake after White's
strong follow-up. Correct was 13 ... axb6,
followed by ... 0-0, with just a slight disad
vantage.
How to exploit the minimal lead in de
velopment?
14 .txc6+!
In the opening phase, time is money!
Losing the "good" bishop and indirectly the
bishop pair is not a big deal if it can help us
keep the enemy king in the centre.
14...CZ'lxc6
The following piece of analysis by Fir
man illustrates Black's problems if he re
captures with the pawn or the queen :
14... bxc6 15 ii.e3 iVc7 16 ii.c5 ! iVxe5 (oth
erwise the bishop settles on d6) 17 CZ'ld4
iVC7 18 .l:te1 0-0 19 CZ'lxe6 fxe6 20 .l:txe6 .l:tf7
21 iVa4 with a clear advantage, or 14...iVxc6
15 .tg 5 ! (preventing ... o-o) 15 ... CZ'lg6 16 .l:tc1
iVa4 17 f4! h6 18 f5 hxg5 19 fxg6 iVh4 20
gxf7+ ii.xf7 21 h3 o-o 22 CZ'ld4 iVg3 23 .l:te1
and the passed e-pawn spells trouble for
Black.
15 ii.e3 iVc7 16 .tc5!
A key move to prevent the opponent's
castling, just like Gofshtein's 15 ....tc5 !
against Psakhis (Game 8).
29
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy
16 ...'ixes
Black isn't really happy about accepting
this gift, since the absence of the e5-pawn
will allow White to use the e-file for the
attack, but the bishop would have become
unbearable on d6.
11 .Ue1 'iYgs
The greedy 17 ... 'ixb2 is answered in the
same way.
18 tLld4!
An aggressive exchange directed at the
defenders on e6 and c6. We saw Nezhmet
dinov carry out a similar idea against Chis
tiakov (Game 5).
18 ...tt:Jxd4?
The last chance was 18 ... d7, although
after 19 'iYh3 .Uab8 20 .Uacl White's pres
sure is overwhelming.
19 'ixd4 a6
Defending against the threat of 20
'ia4+, but now White crashes through on
the opposite flank.
20 f4! 'iYfs 21 .Ues 1-o
Renewing the threat of f4-f5. At this
moment Black resigned, a possible conclu
sion of the game being 21 ...'ig4 22 'ixd5
(of course 22 f5 is also fine) 22 ....Ud8 23
'ixb7 .Udl+ 24 .Ue1! .Ud7 25 'ia8+ .Ud8 26
30
'ic6+ .Ud7 2 7 .Uad1! and the last piece en
ters the attack with devastating effect.
Let's see a few more games illustrating
the risks of pursuing strategic goals at the
expense of development. Mikhail Tal was a
true maestro at exploiting a lead in devel
opment, as we already saw against Tringov
(Game 2). In the next example, his oppo
nent is simply demolished after a few mis
guided positional considerations.
Game11
M.Tai-Z.Milev
Munich Olympiad 1958
SemiTarrasch Defence
1 C4 cs 2 tLlc3 tLlc6 3 tLlf3 tLlf6 4 e3 e6 5 d4
ds 6 cxds tt:Jxds 7 ilc4
From a rather innocent English Opening,
the game has transposed into a more deli
cate Semi-Tarrasch.
7 ...4Jb6?!
Such a knight retreat is typical of some
openings like the Alekhine, but here it is not
really necessary, and rather implies a loss of
time. Preferable was 7 ... cxd4 8 exd4 ite7,
followed by 9 ...0-0, with a normal IQP bat
tle.
8 itbs
other reasonable options were 8 ild3
and 8 ilb3, but Tal chooses the most active
move. The threat of 9 tLle5 must already be
taken into account.
8... a6?!
Anxious about releasing the pin, Milev
keeps delaying his development. 8 ... itd7
was better, bringing out the bishop and at
the same time preventing 9 tLle5.
9 itxc6+ bxc6 10 0-0

In exchange for the bishop pair, White
enjoys a sounder pawn structure and a lead
in development.
10....tb7?
Yet one more unnecessary move. In view
of the possible 11 tbe5 Milev protects the c6-
pawn in advance, but he should rather have
accelerated the development on the oppo
site flank by 10...cxd4 11 exd4 .te7. Here 12
tbe5 .tb7 13 'Yi'f3 proves inoffensive after
13 ... 0-0 14 tt:Jxc6 .tf6! with decent compen
sation for the pawn; e.g. 15 tbe4 .txc6 16
tt:Jxf6+ 'Yi'xf6 17 'Yi'xc6 tt:Jd5 followed by
18 .. J::tfc8 . Probably Tal would have opted for
something like 13 'Yi'h5 ! ? o-o 14 d1, intend
ing d3-h 3, with attacking prospects.
11 tt:Je4!
Provoking ... c5xd4 to clear both the c1-
h6 diagonal and the e-file.
11...tbd7?
In order to prevent White's intentions,
Black moves the knight for the fourth time.
Admittedly after 11...cxd4 12 exd4 .te7 13
.tg5 ! ? f6 14 .te3 tt:Jd5 (not 14 ...0-0?! 15
'ih3!) 15 c1, followed by 16 tbc5, White
has the upper hand, yet Black's position is
entirely fightable.
12 'Yi'c2 'Yi'b6
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
12 ... cxd4 was the lesser evil, but Black i s
consistent. Now how t o step up the pres
sure?
13 tt:Jes!
A strong blow that either wins the battle
for the c5-square or forces the black king to
stay in the centre.
13 ...cxd4
Black opts for the latter, since after
13 ...tbxe5 14 dxe5, followed by b2-b3, .ta3
and ac1, he would be strategically
doomed.
14 tt:Jxd7 xd7 15 exd4!
White's main priority is to clear the c1-
h6 diagonal for the bishop. Less promising
is 15 d1?! d8 16 xd4+ c8 and Black
stays alive.
1S . e8
..
Intending .. .f7-f6 and f7 to safeguard
the king. The attempt at artificial castling
by 15 ...d8 is well met by 16 .te3 'Yi'c7 17
'Yi'd2 ! c8 18 .tf4 'Yi'b6 19 fd1, with ideas
like c1-c3-b3 and .tg 3 followed by 'Yi'f4.
16 .te3!
Development with tempo. Due to the
threat of 17 d5, Black must waste a move
on retreating his queen.
16...'Yi'c7
31
M a s t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
11 ds!
Anyway! Now the e-file is cleared with
great effect.
11 ... exds 18 l:rfe1! <J;?ds
After 18 ... dxe4 19 'li'xe4+ .i.e7 20 .i.cs
Black is definitely missing his right to cas
tling, and 19 ...'li'e7 20 'li'c4 followed by
.i.cs(+) is also fatal for him. As for 18 ... .i.e7,
White breaks through by 19 l2'ld6+! <J;?f8 (or
19 ... 'li'xd6 20 .i.cs) 20 lL'lfs .i.f6 21 .i.cs+
<J;?g8 22 l:re7! and 23 l:rae1 next.
19 'li'b3 cs
Losing on the spot, though the bishop's
arrival on b6 spelled big trouble in any case;
e.g. 19 ...<J;?c8 20 .i.b6 'li'd7 21 lL'lcs .i.xcs 22
.i.xcs l:re8 23 l:rxe8+ 'li'xe8 24 'li'c3, followed
by 25 l:re1, when Black's lagging develop
ment finally takes its toll.
20 lL'lxcs! .i.xcs 21 .i.xcs 'li'xcs 22 'li'xb7 1-0
22 ...l:rc8 23 l:rad1 is hopeless.
Come 12
J.Hellsten-N.G.Renman
Norrkoping 1994
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 l2'lc3 .i.b4 4 'li'd3!?
32
This early queen sortie is hardly a critical
test of the Winawer, but the unorthodox
positions that often follow may not please
every French player. Moreover, at the time
of this game I was inspired by some White
victories in this line by my countryman GM
Jonny Hector.
4...dxe4
One of several logical replies, aiming to
gain a tempo by s ...l2'lf6 on the next move.
5 'li'xe4 l2'lf6 6 'li'h4 cs 7 dxcs 'li'as?!
The correct move order is 7 ....i.xc3+ 8
bxc3 'li'as; e.g. 9 'li'b4 'li'c7 10 l2'lf3 l2'lc6 11
'li'h4 'li'as 12 .i.d2 'li'xcs with mutual
chan ces, J.Hellsten-L.Karlsson, Gothenburg
(rapid) 1996.
8 .i.d2
In contrast to 7 ....i.xc3+ above, here
White keeps his pawn structure intact, thus
making a future 0-0-0 possible. Besides
which, a2-a3 might now prove unpleasant
for Black at any moment.
8 ...l2'lc6 9 .i.d3
9 ...l2'les?
Anxious about swapping White's "good"
bishop, Black moves the knight twice (soon
thrice), which will cost him duly. The simple
9 ... 'li'xcs was called for; e.g. 10 a3 .i.xc3 11

i.xc3 es, followed by ... o-o, with much bet
ter prospects than in the game.
10 a3! i.xc3 11 i.xc3 'Yi'xcs
Perhaps 11 .. .'Jxd3+ 12 cxd3 'Yi'xcs 13
i.xf6 gxf6 14 'Yi'xf6 l:tg8 was a lesser evil,
sacrificing a pawn in order to prevent
White's 14th move in the game, although
after 15 lbf3 ! l:txg2 16 lbes the latter keeps
the initiative.
12 0-0-0
Speeding up development; Black can't
do the same with 12 ... 0-0? due to 13 i.b4.
12 ...i.d7 13 lbf3!
Development with tempo. Now
13 ...lbxf3?! 14 gxf3, followed by l:thgl, leads
to unbearable pressure on the dark
squares, whereas the doubled pawns are a
less serious matter. 13 'Yi'g3 ! ? was interest
ing as well.
13 ...lbxd3+ 14 l:txd3 l:tc8
Since 14... 0-0-0? fails to 15 i.xf6 gxf6 16
l:tc3, Black opts for a useful move.
1S l:thd1
A familiar picture in this chapter: one
player h as mobilized all his pieces, with an
advantage in activity that leaves the oppo
nent under a dark cloud. Note that Black's
delayed castling doesn't just jeopardize his
Th e Na ture of De ve lopme n t
king, it also means that he is playing with a
rook less.
1s ...'Yi'fs
This move doesn't achieve much, but
what to do? The desirable 15 ...0-0? fails to
the simple 16 l:txd7 lbxd7 17 l:txd7, while
1S ...lbds 16 lbes also has a bad aspect for
Black; e.g. 16 ...lbxc3? 17 l:txc3 'Yi'xes 18
l:txc8+ i.xc8 19 l::td 8 m ate, or 16 ...i.bs 17
l:txds! exds 18 'Yi'g3 with the double threat
of 19 'Yi'xg7 and 19 l:tel. At this point,
18 ... 0-0 fails to 19 l"bd3.
16 'Yi'g3!
Heading for d6 with tempo. Less clear is
16 i.xf6?! gxf6 when 17 Rxd7?? fails to mate.
16 ...lbhs
Or 16 ... 0-0? 17 i.xf6 'Yi'xf6 18 l:txd7.
11 'Yi'd6 i.c6 18 lbes!
Now the threat of 19 lbxc6 bxc6 20
'Yi'd7+ forces Black to enter a lost endgame.
18 ...'Yi'g5+
Or 18 ... lbf6? 19 'Yi'd8+! with mate in two.
19 b1 'Yi'e7 20 'Yi'xe7+ xe7 21 lbxc6+
bxc6 22 l:td7+
The rest is easy:
22 ...e8 23 i.b4! cs 24 i.xcs l:txcs 2S l:td8+
e7 26 J::tx h8 h6 27 l:thd8 l:tc7 28 g3 lbf6 29
l:t8d2 gs 30 h3 hs 31 1:te1 l:tcs 32 b3 1-0
33
M a s tering Open ing Strategy
The following game was played just a
few months after my battle with Renman,
which confirms the fact that you learn
more from your defeats than from your
victories!
Game 13
C.Niklasson-J.HeUsten
Malmo 1994
Bird's Opening
1 g3 ds 2 f4
Adherents of Bird's Opening can use this
move order to avoid From's G ambit (1 f4
e5).
2...Ci'Jc6
Launching a rather aggressive set-up.
With 2 ... g6, followed by 3 ... i.g7, Black could
have entered the Dutch Leningrad with re
versed colours, where the minus tempo is
no great issue.
3 CLJf3 i.g4 4 i.g2 "fid7 5 h3
While 5 0-0?! i.h 3 plays in Black's hands,
5 c4! ? might be a more critical test of his
set-up.
s ...i.xf3 6 exf3!
After 6 i.xf3?! e5! followed by ... Ci'Jf6,
34
...i.d6 and ...0-0-0, Black obtains a great
game. Now, in contrast, 6 ... e5 can be met by
7 fxe5 Ci'Jxe5 8 d4 with a slight edge due to
the bishop pair.
6 ..."fie6+?!
Before playing ... e7-e6 Black aims to de
ploy the queen at g6 where it will hit the
g3-pawn and seize the b1-h7 diagonal. The
downside to this creative idea is the time
loss involved. A normal continuation was
6 ... e6 7 d4 i.d6 8 0-0 Ci'Jge7, followed by
... 0-0, with approximate equality. A later
plan might be ... Ci'Jf5, ... Ci'Jce7 and ... C7-c5,
hitting the enemy centre.
7 f2
White of course avoids 7 "fie2 ? "fig6 with
a double attack at g 3 and c2.
7 ..."fig6 8 d4
Fighting for the centre and ruling out
any ideas of ...i.c5.
8 ..CLJb4?
.
Black prepares ... C7-c5, striking at the
enemy centre. Structurally speaking this is
not a bad idea, and it is even utilized by
White in a similar structure in the Trom
powsky. Once ... C7-c5 is achieved, if White
replies d4xc5 then Black obtains two pawns
against none in the centre, whereas if he

supports the d4-pawn by c2-C3, then the
double pawn capture on d4 produces an
isolated white pawn on the same square.
The problem with 8 ...iLlb4 is the same one
as two moves ago: Black neglects develop
ment. Again 8 ... e6 was called for.
9 tLla3
Of course 9 c3? tLld3+ had to be avoided,
while a knight jump to b5 might soon prove
useful. Now 9 ... e6 was, once more, Black's
lesser evil, but I am consistent with my pre
vious play.
9 cs 10 .i.f1
...
The bishop was idle on g2 and now
helps in pushing back the knight by c2-c3.
10 dxc5?! e5 is less clear.
10...tLlc6
Or 10 ... cxd4 11 tLlb5 ! 'iVxc2+ 12 .i.d2
'iVxd1 13 l:txd1 tt'la6 14 tLJxd4, with ideas
like .i.b5+ and f4-f5, when White's lead in
development more than compensates for
the pawn.
11 iLlbs
Well, how to defend against the fork on
C7?
11 ...l:tc8?
The decisive mistake, leaving the king
stranded in the centre. I discarded 11 ... 0-0-0
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
due to 1 2 dxc5 e 6 1 3 .i.e3. However, after
13 ... d4! 14 iLlxd4 .i.xc5 15 c3 lLlge7 Black
may claim some compensation for the
pawn. The development he achieves in this
line will remain an illusion for the rest of
the game.
12 dxcs a6
H ere 12 ... e6 fails to 13 .i.e3, so Black has
to spend more time to recover the c5-pawn.
13 tLlc3 tLlb4
After 13 ... e6?! 14 tLla4 White hangs on to
the pawn.
14 .i.d3!
Niklasson has nothing against swapping
his "good" bishop for my only developed
minor piece. Indeed, after 14 ... tLJxd3+ 15
cxd3 Black's position is hopeless; e.g.
15 ...l:txc5 16 .i.e3, winning the d-pawn, or
15 ... d4 16 'ii'a4+ with the same effect. Thus
Black has to spend one more tempo on
moving his queen.
14 ...'iVc6 15 a3 'iVxcs+ 16 .i.e3!
Development with tempo. Now 16 ...d4
fails to 17 .i.b5+! axb5 18 .i.xd4, recovering
the piece with interest; e.g. 18 ... 'ii'c 4 19
axb4 l:td8 (or 19 ...'iVxb4 20 'iVd3) 20 .i.b6!
l:txd1 21 l:ta8+ d7 22 l:txd1+, followed by
23 l:txf8. Remember, tactical complications
35
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
usually favour the side with a lead in devel
opment.
16-.lrucd3+ 17 cxd3!
Clearing the c-file for future operations.
In contrast, after 17 'i!Vxd3?! 'i!fc4 18 .l::!.h d1
e6 Black has much better chances for resis
tance, since there is no open file where
White can exploit his lead in development.
17...'i!fd6
Obviously 17 ... d4? fails to 18 'i!fa4+.
So, Black finally got what h e wanted: a
superior pawn structure. Unfortunately,
this is irrelevant when most of his pieces
are still in their initial positions. Note that
White needs just one move to connect his
rooks, while Black needs four - thus the
latter won't have a chance in resisting on
the open file.
18 .l::!.c 1! J::i.d 8
Surrendering the c-file in order to avoid
tactical surprises. After 18 ... e6 19 'i!fa4+ (19
lbbs is also interesting) 19 ....l::!.c 6 (both
queen moves fail to the tactical shot 20
tbxds!} 20 tbe2, followed by tbd4, Black's
queenside defence is soon destroyed;
18 ... tbf6 can be met in the same way.
19 ..id4 e6 20 tba4!
Exploiting the vulnerable squares cs and
36
b6, while clearing the c-file for the rook.
20 ...tbe7?
This tactical oversight loses the queen,
but after 20...bs 21 tbcs .l::!.a 8 (there was the
threat of 22 lbb7} 22 a4! White breaks
through anyway.
21 ..ie5 'i!fd7 22 .l::!.c 7 'i!Vb5 23 .l::!.c 5! f6
Or 23 ...'i!fd7 24 lbb6.
24 ..ic7 .l::!.c 8 25 J::i.x b5 axb5 26 tbc3 .l::!.x c7 27
lbxb5
White soon materialized his huge ad
vantage.
The development factor
after m utua l castling
So far in this chapter, leaving aside the
"atypical" game Conquest-Sokolov (Game
9), the side lagging in development never
managed to castle ! The next two games will
show us that the development factor re
mains relevant even after castling.
Game l'.f.
VaJ Wer-"S.Guliev
EuropJn t:hampionship,
' Ohid 2001
Dutch Dejt:Qt;
1 d4 f5 2 g3 tbf6 3 ..ig2 g6 4 'bf3 ..ig7 5 b4
An interesting sideline against the Len
ingrad Dutch. White prepares ..ib2, in order
to neutralize the enemy bishop on g7, and
grabs some space on the queenside.
5 ...d6 6 ..ib2 o-o 1 o-o 'i!fe8 8 c4 h6 9 'bbd2
g5
A typical move in this defence, but the
more restrained 9 ...'i!ff7 10 'i!fc2 c6 followed
by .....ie6 and ... 'bbd7 might have been
preferable, completing development before
taking further actions.

10 e3
A sensible piece of prophylaxis as soon
as .. .f5-f4 appears on Black's agenda.
10 ...f4?
Black just can't wait to attack on the
kingside, but this lets White open the posi
tion to the benefit of his better developed
forces. Again 10...'iff7 11 'ifc2 c6, followed
by ... i.e6, made sense.
11 exf4!
The virtue of 10 e3 becomes evident:
White manages to open the e-file towards
the backward pawn on e7, while his king
remains completely safe.
11 ...gxf4 12 J::!.e 1 fxg3 13 hxg3 i.g4
Black quickly brings out his remaining
forces, but his position is already dubious.
14 'ifc2 lZ'lc6
Other moves, such as 14 ... c6 and
14 ... 'iff7, are well met by 15 CLJh4! just like in
the game - Tyomkin.
15 bS lZ'ldS 16 lZ'lh4!
Heading for the weak light squares on
g6 and f5. By now Black's aspirations of a
kingside attack are definitely outdated, and
it is White who is thinking in such terms.
16 'ifd7 17 CLJf1
The other knight joins the battle for the
Th e Na ture of De ve lopme n t
kingside. Less flexible i s 1 7 lZ'lg6 J::i.f7, when
White has to look out for ...i.f5.
17 ...J::i.f7 18 lZ'le3 .i.h3 19 'ifg6! .i.xg2 20
xg2 e6
21 dS!
White's game plays itself. This advance
softens up the f5-square and includes the
bishop in the attack, since 21 ... e5? 22 lZ'lef5
would be fatal for Black.
21 ... lZ'lh7
If 21 ...h8 White has the strong sacrifice
22 lZ'lef5 ! exf5 23 lZ'lxf5 with irresistible
threats; e.g. 23 ... lZ'lh5 24 lZ'lxg7 lZ'lxg7 25
'ifxh6+ g8 26 J::!.h 1 winning - Tyomkin.
22 CLJg4 f8
Black wasn't eager to enter the nice line
22 ...h8 23 'ifxg7+! ! J::!.x g7 24 CLJg6+ g8 25
lZ'lxh6 mate - Tyomkin .
23 'ifxh7 i.xb2 24 CLJg6+ 1-0
In view of 24 ...e8 25 'ifg8+.
Gam 15
Jellsten..H&.apet Sitv,a
Pinmr 2004
Bencnr Defence
1 d4 cs 2 ds lZ'lf6
37
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy
In this type of accelerated Benoni, an
other direction is 2 ... es 3 lbc3 d6 4 e4 !!d.e7,
intending 5 lbf3 !!d.g4 followed by ...id.xf3
and ...!!d.g s at the appropriate moment.
3 lbc3
This is the downside to 1 ...cs compared
with the standard 1 ... lbf6 2 c4 cs. White
skips c2-c4 in order to speed up develop
ment and enable a future lbf3-d2-c4.
3 ... e5
I am no expert on this defence, but 3 ... d6
4 e4 g6 seems more promising to me, keep
ing the long diagonal open for the bishop.
4 e4 d6 5 lbf3 g6 6 lbd2 !!d.g7 7 !!d.e2 0-0 8
o-o 'fie7
Another idea is 8 ... a6 9 a4 lbbd7 10 lbc4
lbb6, when White could try 11 lbe3 or 11
lba3, preparing 12 as and the return of the
knight to c4.
9 a4 lbbd7 10 lbc4 lbe8 11 .l:!.a3!
A useful move, bringing the last piece
into play while awaiting Black's next step.
In contrast, after 11 f4?! exf4 12 id.xf4 l2Jes,
followed by ...id.d7, the latter has nothing to
complain about.
11 ...f5?!
A natural advance in the present pawn
structure; however, on this occasion White
38
is soon able to open the position for his bet
ter developed pieces. Black should have
looked for play on the other flank with
11 ... .l:!.b8, preparing ...b7-b6, ... a7-a6 and
...b6-bS.
12 exf5 gxf5 13 f4!
A key move in order to put pressure on
Black's centre before his pieces on a8 and
c8 are able to join the battle.
13 ...exf4?!
13 ... e4 was preferable, keeping the posi
tion closed, although after 14 h3!, followed
by g2-g4, White takes the initiative anyway.
14 id.xf4 l2Je5 15 .l:!.e1 id.d7
Now the pressure at es becomes intol
erable, but after 1S ...lbg6 16 id.h S!, followed
by !!d.xg6 and lbbs, or 1S ... lbxc4 16 !!d.xc4
'f/f6 17 .l:!.b3!, preparing lbe2-g3, White is
also much better.
16 fd.f1 .l:!.f7 17 lbb5!
Creating the threat of 18 lbbxd6 and
clearing the third rank for the rook. The dif
ference in activity between White's and
Black's pieces is striking.
17...!/d.xb5 18 axb5 a6 19 bxa6 bxa6
20 !!d.xe5
Initiating a winning sequence. The re
strained 20 .l:!.ae3 was also strong.

2o .ixes
. up with that bishop at home.
Or 20 ... dxe5 21 d6 e6 22 ti:Jb6!, fol
lowed by .ic4.
21 tt:Jxes dxes 22 d6! ti:Jxd6
Forced, in view of 22 ...xd6 23 .ic4.
23 ds .l:tds
Or 23 ....l:te8 24 .l:txa6 ti:Je4 25 .ic4 etc.
24 .l:txe5 1-0
With his position in ruins, Black re
signed. There could have followed 24 ...f6
25 .l:txa6 with fatal pins, or 24... c7 25 .l:txa6
ti:Je4 26 .l:ta8 .l:txa8 27 xa8+ 'it>g7 28 d5,
when both 28 ... c4 29 d4! and 28 ... a7 29
c4 should win easily for White.
The next game is a good example on
how to work on a lead in a development
even after the opening phase has con
cluded. In clear contrast to the previous two
games, when Black finally makes it to cas
tling he is already beyond salvation.
Game 16
E.Berg-P.Velicka
Stock hoi m 2006
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 ti:Jf3 ds 3 exds cxds 4 tt:Jes
A curious reply to the Caro-Kann, one
that can claim a remote relation to the more
familiar variation 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 .id3
ti:Jc6 5 c3. In the latter case White has a slight
problem with the development of his king's
knight, in the sense that ti:Jf3 might run into
....ig4. With the early knight jump to e5 he
avoids that pin, while he can speculate with
the idea of .ib5(+) at some moment.
4...ti:Jd7 5 d4 ti:Jxes 6 dxes e6
Considering that 6 ... .if5? fails to 7 .ib5+
.id7 8 xd5, Black applies a French-like set-
Th e Na ture of Deve lopmen t
7 .id3 c7?!
This attack on the e5-pawn loses its
sense after White's reply. 7 ... ti:Je7! was pref
erable, followed by ... ti:Jc6 or ...ti:Jg6, speed
ing up development.
8 0-0!
Just like in Dvoretsky-Schmidt (Game 7),
White doesn't lose any time on defending
the pawn, aware that 8 ...xe5?! 9 .ib5+!
.id7 10 .ixd7+ 'it>xd7 11 .l:te1, followed by
12 c4, would leave the black king in serious
danger - Golubev.
8 ... ti:Je7 9 ti:Jc3! .id7
Black gets ready to swap off the white
knight if it jumps to b5. Again 9 ... xe5?! is
too risky; e.g. 10 .l:te1 c7 11 ti:Jb5 8 12
f3 ! (threatening 13 .if4) 12 ... e5 13 ti:Jc3 d4
14 .ib5+ with huge compensation for the
pawn. On the other hand, 9 ... a6! ? made
some sense, in order to prevent ti:Jb5 once
and for all.
10 f4
Finally White secures the e5-pawn and
also adds the advance f4-f5 to his agenda, a
fact that explains Black's next move.
10 ... g6 11 .ie3 hs?!
Prophylaxis against g2-g4, but swift de-
39
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
velopment by 11 .. .lt:Jf5 12 i.f2 i.c5 was
more to the point. Black could then con
sider both castling options, depending on
White's play.
How can White exploit his clear lead in
development?
12 tLlb5!
Berg prepares the crucial c2-c4 break in
order to open lines on the queenside. The
fact that Black now manages to exchange
his "bad" bishop is less relevant.
12 ... i.xb5 13 i.xb5+ tLlc6 14 c4!
The d- and c-files are cleared before
Black manages to castle.
14...a6
Forcing the trade of the active enemy
bishop, but losing more time. Also unsatis
factory was 14...dxc4 15 'ifa4!, followed by
ac1 and xc4. Instead, the radical
14 ... 0-0-0! ? deserved attention; e.g. 15 cxd5
xd5 16 'ifa4 i.c5 with more resistance
than in the game.
15 i.xc6+ bxc6 16 cxd5 cxd5
Or 16 ...exd5?! 17 f5 with a big initiative.
17 C1 'ifd7 18 f2!
Another power move, which prepares
fc2 with an invasion down the c-file. As
Golubev observes, Black has a great pawn
40
structure and the "better" bishop, but his
delay in development prevents these long
term factors from taking effect.
18 ...i.e7?!
A vulnerable square for the bishop.
18 ...c8?! failed to 19 xc8+ 'ifxc8 20 'ifa4+!
(Golubev), but 18 ... i.h6 was a more tena
cious choice, intending 19 i.c5 i.f8 ! 20
i.xf8?! xf8 and ...g7. In turn White
should prefer 20 i.b6, followed by c7 and
fc2, with a somewhat inferior version of
the game.
19 fc2 o-o
The attempt to prevent the invasion at
c7 by 19 ... i.d8 runs into 20 i.c5!, denying
Black's castling.
20 c7 'ifd8 21 'ifa4!
With the simple idea of d7. Black can't
do anything to stop this.
21...e8 22 d7 'ifb8 23 cc7 'ifxb2
This desperate shot is easily refuted, but
after 23 ...'ifh4 24 'ifxb4 i.xb4 25 xf7 i.f8
26 f6 Black is done - Golubev.
24 xe7 xe7 25 xe7 'ife2 26 i.f2
Black's attack is already over, since
26 ...b8 fails to 27 e8+. Velicka could have
resigned at this point, but keeps on fighting
until the bitter end.

26 ... 1Vd2 21 h3 Wg7 28 .i.h4 gs 29 .i.xgs
1Ve1+ 30 Wh2 h4 31 l:txf7+!
The most elegant finish.
31...Wxf7 32 'iVd7+ Wg8 33 1Vxe6+ Wg7 34
.i.f6+ 1-0
Black lost on time when the mate was
around the corner; e.g. 34 ...Wh6 35 .i.e7+
Wg7 36 1Vf6+ Wh7 37 1Vf7+ Wh6 38 .i.g5
mate.
A defender's perspective
Well, what to do when behind in develop
ment? Here are some simple recommenda
tions:
tConsider giving (back} material, usu
ally a pawn, in order to gain time for
development.
t Look for exchanges, in particular of
the queens.
t Consider unusual ways of developing
the pieces.
t Keep the tactical possibilities of both
sides constantly supervised - under
such circumstances, just one small er
ror might be sufficient to lose the
game.
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
The next two games will show these
ideas in action.
Game 17
VA.and-S.miviakov
Wijk a an Zee 1006
Scancllnavian Defence
1 e4 ds 2 exds 'iVxds 3 ct:lc3 1Vd6
Over the last decade, this has become a
popular alternative to the traditional
3 ... 1Va5, with Tiviakov as its main protago
nist. On d6 the queen seizes the h2-b8 di
agonal, while keeping an eye on the white
d-pawn.
4 d4 tt:lf6
An alternate move order is 4 ...c6 5 tt:lf3
.i.g4, with the merit that White's sixth
move in the game is avoided.
s tt:lf3 c6 6 tt:les
White immediately seizes the centre
and prepares .i.f4 in order to harass the
black queen.
6 ...tt:lbd7 7 .i.f4
Another direction is 7 ct:lc4 1Vc7 8 1Vf3,
preparing i.f4.
7 ... tt:lds 8 ct:lxds 'iVxds 9 i.e2!?
41
M as t e ring Open ing S t ra tegy
White offers a pawn to speed up devel
opment and keep bothering the black
queen.
9 ...lt:Jxes 10 .i.xes 'ii'x g2!
Accepting the challenge is the best
choice on this occasion. After 10....i.f5? ! 11
o-o e6 12 c4 'ii'd7 13 'ii'b 3, preparing I:!.ad1
and d4-d5, White obtains a small advan
tage at no risk.
11 .i.f3 'ii'g6 12 dS?!
Logically enough, White tries to open
the position for his better developed forces,
but Black counts on a strong reply. The pre
paratory 12 'ii'e 2 was more flexible; e.g.
12 ....i.f5 13 o-o-o, intending d4-d5, or
12 ...'ii'e 6 13 d5! cxd5 14 o-o-o f6 15 .i.xd5!
'ii'xe5 16 'ii'c4 e6 17 I:!.he1 with strong pres
sure, J.M.Degraeve-1.5mirnov, Cappelle la
Grande 2009.
12 ....i.g4!
By tactical means (13 .i.xg4? 'ii'e 4+)
Black manages to exchange the dangerous
bishop on f3. Moreover, he enables a quick
...I:!.d8 or even ...0-0-0, possibilities that An
and hurries to prevent with his next move.
13 dxc6 bxc6 14 'ii'e 2
Not 14 I:!.g1?? .i.xf3 15 'ii'xf3 'ii'xg1+ 16
e2 'ii'g 6 and Black wins.
42
14 ... .i.xf3 15 'ii'xf3 I:!.d8!
At first sight, 15 ...'ii'e 6, intending 16 'ii'e 2
f6 with simplifications, seems tempting.
However, White has the much stronger 16
0-0-0!, speeding up development, and the
bishop is untouchable because of mate.
Thus Tiviakov first rules out the opponent's
long castling, which obliges White to hide
his king on the more exposed kingside.
16 .l::!.d 1 'ii'e 6
After 16 ...'ii'x c2 17 I:!.xd8+ xd8 18 0-0
White has compensation for the two pawns
- Anand. Another idea is 16 ...I:!.xd1+ 17
xd1 'ii'e 6 18 I:!.e1 'ii'd 5+, forcing the ex
change of queens, although after 19 'ii'xd5
cxd5 20 I:i.e3, heading for a3 or b3, White
keeps the initiative even into the endgame.
17 0-0 I:!.xd1 18 I:!.xd1
Black is now left with a single defender
and his last rank has become vulnerable.
Fortunately, White doesn't have too many
attacking pieces either - even so, the for
mer should proceed with care.
1s ... hs!
A great idea. Since his remaining pieces
can't be developed in a normal way, Tivia
kov prepares to bring out the rook via h6. In
contrast, after 18 .. .f6?! 19 .i.c3 f7 20 .l::!.d 4!,

followed by lb4, White keeps the initiative.
19 'ifd3 'ii'c 8
Of course not 19 .. .f6?? 20 'ifg6+ 'iff7 21
.Md8+! .
20 h4!
By blocking the black h-pawn White pre
pares 'it>h2 and i.g3 with improved safety
for his king.
20....Mh6 21 'it>h2 .Mg6 22 i.g3 l:i.g4
Now that his rook has joined the battle,
Black hardly has anything to worry about.
The game continued 23 a3 a6 24 .Mel cs
{according to Anand, 24.. .fs produced a
slight advantage) 25 c3 .Mg6 {retreating the
rook in order to swap its more active white
Th e Na ture of De ve lopme n t
counterpart, even at the cost of a pawn) 26
.Mes e6 27 .Mxh s .Mh6! 28 .Mxh6 gxh6 29 'iff3
c4 and the roughly equal endgame later
ended in a draw.
If, by chance, you felt that Tiviakov's play
was not that difficult, then in the following
game Black faces a much more complex
task.
Ciame 18
A.NaiditschV.Belov
" , , , ,,
Moscow 2001
Sicilian Defence, NajdorfVariation
1 e4 cs 2 'Llf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 'Llxd4 'Llf6 5
'Llc3 a6 6 i.e3 e6 7 g4
With 6 i.e3 White usually signals an
English Attack by 7 f3, 'ifd2, 0-0-0 etc; in
thi s game he opts for a sharper line.
7 ...es
The most principled reply, which virtu
ally forces White to sacrifice a piece in order
to keep the balance. A safer choice is 7 ...h6
with more standard Sicilian play.
8 'Llfs g6 9 gS gxfS 10 exfs
The meek 10 gxf6?! f4 11 i.d2 i.e6
43
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
would go against the spirit of the variation.
1o...ds
This pawn advance is Black's only prom
Jsmg choice. After the materialistic
10 ...lt:Jfd7?! 11 'ii'h 5, with ideas like o-o-o,
.ic4, g 5-g6 etc, his king gets under too
much pressure, while the seemingly prag
matic 10....ixf5?! fails to 11 gxf6, followed
by lt:Jd5 or f3, with a clear grip on the light
squares.
11 gxf6 d4
Black is ready to charge the piece,
though it goes without saying that White's
compensation will be enormous.
12 .ic4 c7
White's previous clever move rendered
both captures on e3 and c3 impossible due
to the tactical blow 13 .ixf7+, while
12 ...xf6 13 lt:Jd5 c6 14 .ixd4! has yielded
him excellent results in practice. After the
text he will have to hand over the piece un
der less favourable circumstances.
13 d3 dxe3
This is currently regarded as the best
choice. Several older games saw the con
tinuation 13 ...dxc3 14 0-0-0 cxb2+ 15 '.i?b1
lt:Jc6 16 f4! with a strong white initiative.
14 f4!?
44
A rare try i n this sharp position, with the
obvious intention of clearing the e-file to
wards Black's king. The main line goes 14
o-o-o exf2 15 .ixf7+ '.i?xf7 16 d5+ '.i?xf6 17
lt:Je4+ '.i?e7 with great complications .
14....ib4!
Black hurries to swap the dangerous en
emy knight on c3, exploiting the fact that,
contrary to the main line with 14 0-0-0,
White's king is still on e1.
15 0-0-0 .ixc3 16 bxc3
A chaotic position has occurred. White is
a whole piece down and his pawn structure
has been ruined. On the other hand, Black's
development is minimal and his king is al
ready being targeted by the active enemy
pieces, in complicity with the strong f6-
pawn. Needless to say, calculation abilities
are essential to handle such a position with
either colour.
16 ...lt:Jc6
Development first, and support of the
crucial e5-pawn. The greedy 16 ...exf4?
failed to 17 e4+ '.i?f8 18 xf4! with deci
sive threats.
17 M.hg1!
The last piece joins the battle, with focus
on the g7-square. The attempts to clear the

e-file were less convincing : 17 iVxe3?! i.xf5,
17 fxe5?! iVxe5, or 17 .U.he1?! exf4 18 iVe4+
iVe5 all help Black.
17 ....U.f8!
Reinforcing the kingside defence. The
earlier game E.Van Den Doel-L.Van Wely,
Dieren 1999, saw 17 ...e2?! 18 iVxe2 i.xf5 19
iVh 5 i.e4 (or 19 ...i.g6 20 .U.xg6! fxg6 2 1 f7+
We7 22 iVg5+ Wf8 23 iVf6, winning) 20 fxe5
l2la5 21 i.e6! .U.f8 22 i.d7+ iVxd7 23 .U.xd7
Wxd7 24 iVg4+ and Black resigned.
18 iVxe3
In the event of 18 fxe5?! iVxe5 19 .U.g 3
i.xf5 20 iVe2 Black is saved by the oppor
tune 20 ... .U.d8! ; e.g. 21 .U.xd8? Wxd8, leaving
the e-file, or 2 1 .U.xe3 .U.xd1+ 22 Wb2 (not 22
Wxd1? i.g4! 23 iVxg4 iVxe3 24 iVc8+ l2ld8
and Black wins) 22 ... iVxe3 23 iVxe3+ i.e6 24
i.xe6 fxe6 25 iVxe6+ Wd8 with a clear ad
vantage - Naiditsch.
18 ...i.xfs 19 iVcs
Restricting the knight on c6. Naiditsch
also indicates the curious line 19 fxe5 l2ld8!
20 i.xf7+!? .U.xf7! (both 20 ... iVxf7? 21 .U.g7
and 20 ...l2lxf7? 21 e6 had to be avoided) 21
.U.g8+ .U.f8 22 .U.g7 .U.f7 with a perpetual.
19 ....U.d8
The last piece is brought into the game.
Th e Na ture of Deve lopme n t
After 19 ...b 6 2 0 iVa3 White keeps the initia
tive; e.g. 20 ... l2la5 21 i.b3 l2lxb3+ 22 axb3
i.e6 23 .U.g 5!, intending 23 ... exf4?! 24 iVa4+!
b5 25 .U.xb5 axb5 26 iVxa8+ iVc8 27 iYa7
with a decisive attack.
20 i.ds
2o .U.xds!
.
Black returns some of the material in
order to retain his valuable knight, whose
departure would leave him very weak on
the dark squares; e.g. 20 ... i.e6?! 21 i.xc6+
bxc6 22 .U.xd8+ iVxd8 23 iVxc6+ i.d7 24
iVxa6 e4 25 .U.e1 with a decisive attack -
Naiditsch.
As for the attempt to castle artificially
with 20 ... Wd7!?, Naiditsch indicates 21
i.e4+ (of course not 21 i.xc6+? Wc8)
21 ... We6 22 i.xf5+ Wxf5 23 fxe5 .U.xd1+ 24
.U.xd1 .U.d8 (not 24 ... iVxe5? 25 .U.d5) 25 .U.f1+
We6 26 iVc4+ Wd7 27 iVg4+! We8 28 e6 with
a clear advantage.
21 .U.xds i.e6 22 .U.d6 exf4 23 .U.g7 i.d7
The only move, in view of the threat 24
.U.xe6+.
24 .U.d1
Redirecting the rook to a better destiny,
such as e1 or g1.
24...i.e6 25 .U.e1?
45
M a s t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
The materialistic 25 l:txh 7 ! was called
for. Now the threat of 26 "iYxf8+ forces Black
to play 2S ... l:tg8, and after 26 l:tg7! (26
"iYg s ! ? llle 7! is less promising) 26 ...l:tf8 27
l:te1 "iYc8 28 "iYd6 "iYd7 29 "iYxf4 White h as a
clear edge - Naiditsch. The passed h-pawn
makes a big difference compared with the
position arising after White's 27th move in
the game.
25 "iYc8
. 32 l:t7g3!
The desirable 2S ... "iYd8? failed to 26
l:txe6+! fxe6 27 "iYh s+.
26 "iYd6 "iYd7 27 "iYxf4 "iYd8!
Heading for as, with some counterplay
against the enemy king.
28 l:teg1?!
White should have settled for 28 l:txh7
"iYas 29 l:txe6+! fxe6 30 "iYd6 "iYg s+ 31 b2
"iYhs+ with a draw by perpetual - Naiditsch.
28 "iYb8 29 "iYh6
..
46
This time, 29 "iYxb8+ lllxb8 30 l:txh7 llld 7
31 l:tf1 seems preferable, with an unclear
endgame.
29 "iYd6 30 l:t1g2 "iYa3+ 31 d1
..
31..."iYxc3?
In apparent time-trouble both players
missed the strong 31 ... d7!, escaping with
the king to c7, after which only Black would
have real attacking prospects.
Now Black has to look out for the threat
of "iYxf8+.
32 ... "iYa1+ 33 d2 "iYd4+ 34 c1 "iYa1+ 35
d2 "iYd4+ 36 c1 "iYcs 37 l:td2!
Preventing ...d7-C7.
37 ..."iYes 38 c3 "iYcs 39 "iYf4 "iYes 40 "iYf2 "iYas
41 "iYf4 "iYes Yz-Yz
It is difficult for either side to make pro
gress, besides which both players must
have been really tired at this point.
 Th e Na ture of Developme n t

Exercises

Ga me 1 9
Po.Carlsson-E. B iomqvist
Stockholm 2008
Defence,
Sicilian
Richter-Rauzer Variation
1 e4 c5 2 i2lc3 i2lc6 3 i2lf3 d6 4 d4 cxd4 5
i2lxd4 i2lf6 6 .ltg5 .ltd7
In this Richter-Rauzer sideline, Black
gives priority to his queenside develop
ment, without fearing the doubled f
pawns. The main line is 6 ...e6.
7 'iid 2 Itc8 8 i2lxc6!? bxc6 Your move ...
This recapture leaves both pieces on d7
and c8 somewhat awkwardly placed.
8 ... .1txc6 was a more natural reaction to Game 2o
White's surprising eighth move. PAcs-A.Belezky
9 .ltc4 e6 10 o-o-o .lte7 11 Ithe1 Germa n league 2011
After just 11 moves, White has brought French Defence
all his pieces into play. On the other hand,
Black enjoys a strong pawn centre, which is 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 i2lc3 dxe4 4 i2lxe4 iL:ld7
a typical feature of this Sicilian system. The Rubinstein French is quite popular
11 d5?!
... these days, despite a rather cramped game
A dangerous choice, considering Black's for Black. 4 ....ltd7, followed by ....ltc6, is a
slight delay in development. Probably there different approach.
was nothing wrong with 11... 0-0; e.g. 12 es 5 i2lf3 i2lgf6 6 .ltd3 c5 7 o-o cxd4
iL:lds or 12 .ltxf6 gxf6 13 'iih 6 h8, followed After the logical 7 ... i2lxe4 8 .ltxe4 i2lf6
by ... Itg8-g7. Black also remains under some pressure;
12 .ltxf6 gxf6? e.g. 9 .tg s cxd4 10 'iie 2!?, preparing
12 ....txf6 was correct; e.g. 13 exds cxds Itad1xd4.
14 .ltxds (not 14 iL:lxds? Itxc4) 14 ....txc3 1 5 8 iL:lxd4 i2lc5?!
bxc3 0-0 16 .ltb3 Ite7 with just a slight edge Black somehow wishes to swap the
for White. bishop on d3, but wastes time. 8 ... .lte7, pre
paring ...0-0, made much more sense - Ba
(seefollowing diagram) burin.

47
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy

1 c4 tt'lf6 2 tt'lc3 e6 3 d4 i.b4 4 e3 b6 5 tt'lge2

9 i.g5
Swift development. 9 tt'lxf6+ gxf6 (not
9 .. :xf6?! 10 tt'lb5!) 10 i.b5+ i.d7 11 'iie 2
looked promising as well.
9 ... h6?
This is one tempo loss too much. Correct
was 9 ... tt'lcxe4 10 i.xe4 i.e7 - Baburin.
i.a6 6 tt'lg3 i.xc3+ 7 bxc3 d5 8 'iif3 o-o 9 e4
The current game cast doubt on this
gambit. Nowadays 9 cxd5 is more popular.
9 ... dxc4 10 i.g5 h6 11 i.d2
11 e5 seems more consistent; e.g.
11 ...'iUd5 12 i.xf6 'iixf3 13 gxf3 gxf6 14 exf6
tt'ld7 15 tt'le4 with an unclear endgame.
11 ...tbbd1 12 e5 tt'ld5 13 tt'lf5?!
Too optimistic - in the ensuing compli
cations Black's superior development
speaks in his favour. Preferable was 13 i.e2
and o-o in order to conclude development.
13 ... exf5 14 'iixd5 .nes 15 i.xc4
White is just one move away from o-o
with a normal game; however...

Your move ...

Game 22
Your move ... R.Mogranzini-F.Bentivegna
PortoSan G i o rg i o 2011
English Opening
Game 21
A.Saidy.:R.J Fischer
.. 1 c4 b6 2 tt'lc3 i.b7 3 e4 e6 4 tt'lge2
US Champ ionshi p. New York 1965 White avoids the line 4 d4 i.b4 5 i.d3 f5
Nimzo-lndian Defence and takes the game into English waters.
4 ...tt'lf6 5 d3 c5 6 g3 d5?!

48
 Th e Na t u re of Developme n t

Opening the position when behind in Very passive. Nowadays 8 ...b5, followed
development is always a risky decision. by ... .ltb7, is Black's main choice.
Safer was 6 ...d6 7 .ltg2 .lte7 8 0-0 lLJc6, fol 9 o-o-o lLJc6 10 g4 h6 11 .1te2 b5?
lowed by ... 0-0, with a standard Hedgehog A careless advance. Black should have
game. preferred 11 ...lLJxd4, followed by 12 ... e5.
7 exd5 exd5 8 .ltg2 d7
An awkward move, but 9 lLJf4 was
threatening.
9 lLJf4 dxc4 10 .ltxb7 xb7 11 0-0!
Getting the rook to e1 is White's main
priority.
11...cxd3?
The tempo loss involved in this capture
will cost Black dearly. 11 ... .\te7 was called
for; e.g. 12 lLJfd5 ! ? lLJxd5 13 f3 lLJc6 14
lLJxd5 0-0-0! and Black defends.
12 I:!.e1+ .lte7

White h as a clear lead in development.

Your move ...

Game24
M.Bogusl.avsky A.Bazhin
..

USSR 1990
Benoni Defence

1 d4 tt::lf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt::lc 3 c5 4 d 5 exd5 5 cxd5

d6 6 e4 g6 7 f4 .ltg7 8 e5
This is a very principled approach
Your move ... against the Modern Benoni. 8 .ltb5+, check
ing Black's reply before going e4-e5, is the
main line.
Game 23 8...dxe5 9 fxe5 tt::lfd7 10 e6 fxe6 11 dxe6
A.Suetin-L.Barczay e7 12 tt::ld 5 xe6+ 13 e2!
Budapest 1976 Interestingly, the queen exchange fa
Sicilian Defence, vours White, whereas 13 .lte2?! lLJa6 is less
Scheveningen Variation promising.
13 ...xe2+ 14 .ltxe2 .lte5?!
1 e4 c5 2 lLJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLJxd4 lLJf6 5 While 14...tt::la 6? now fails to 15 .ltxa6
lLJc3 e6 6 .lte3 a6 7 f4 c7 8 f3 .ltd7?! bxa6 16 lLJc7+, the active 14... 0-0! 15 tt::le 7

49
M a s t e ring Open ing S trategy

li'lc6 16 li'lxa8 li'lb4 was called for, with
counterplay - Yusupov.
15 li'lf3 li'lf6 16 .i.c4 li'lxd5 17 .i.xd5 .i.f6 18
o-o li'lc6
....i.f4+, prepares li'lxes followed by .i.f4,
and enables .i.g2, seizing the long diagonal.
In contrast, 11 cxd7+?! .i.xd7 would just
have helped Black with his development.
11 .i.d6 12 .i.g2 dxc6

Your move ...

Your move ...

Game 25
V.Seirawan-P.Zarnicki Game 26
Buen os Aires 1993 H.Nakamura-A.Cioldin
Nimzo-lndicm.Defence Buenos Aires 2003
Scotch Game
1 d4 li'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 li'lf3 b6 4 li'lc3 .i.b4 5
b3 1 e4 e5 2 li'lf3 li'lc6 3 d4 exd4 4 li'lxd4 .i.b4+
Preparing to meet ....i.xc3+ at any mo A sideline in the Scotch, by which Black
ment with xc3, thus keeping the pawn provokes c2-c3 in order to avoid White's
structure intact. li'lc3 later on.
5 ... c5 6 a3 .i.a5 7 .i.g5 li'lc6 5 C3
Nowadays, 7 ... h6 8 .i.h4 g S, followed by After 5 li'lc3 li'lf6 the game transposes to
9 ... g4 or 9 ... li'le4, enjoys more popularity. an old variation which is currently consid
8 0-0-0 .i.xc3 9 d5! ered as harmless, and s ...li'lge7!? is possible
A strong intermediate move. too.
9 ....i.e5 10 dxc6 c7?! 5 ....i.c5 6 .i.e3 .i.b6 1 g4
Losing time, since the bishop will have Exploiting the fact that ... li'lf6 is not yet
to retreat on the next move anyway. on the board, White launches an attack on
10... .i.C7 was preferable. the g7-pawn. There are many other options
11 g3! here; for example, 7 .i.c4 and 7 li'lfs .i.xe3 8
A move with various virtues: it avoids li'lxe3.

so
 Th e Na t u re of De ve lopme n t

Black has slight lead i n development.

Your move ...

Game 2 7
A.Onischuk-A.Volokitin
German League .2010
Queen 's Indian Defence

1 d4 C2Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 CLJf3 b6 4 g3 itb7 5 .ig2

.ib4+ 6 .id2 .ixd2+ 7 l2Jbxd2 cs
In this apparently quiet Queen's Indian
line, Black usually continues 7 ... 0-0. The text
7 .. .'iVf6 8 'iYg3 'iYg6 aims at achieving a H edgehog position by
Not 8 ...C2Jxd4?! 9 cxd4 .ixd4 10 .ixd4 means of ... csxd4 and ...d7-d6; however,
'iYxd4 11 CLJc3 with dangerous compensa White has a dangerous reply prepared.
tion for the pawn. 8 e4! C2Jxe4?!
9 CLJfS d6! 10 .ixb6 A risky decision. 8 ... cxd4 9 es l2Jg4 was
Black's point is that 10 C2Jxg7+?! 'it>f8 just safer, when the knight can always retreat to
leads to trouble for White; e.g. 11 CZJfs .ixfs h6 if necessary.
12 exfs 'iYxg3 13 hxg3 .ixe3 14 fxe3 lLlf6
with excellent play for the pawn - Postny.
10 ... axb6 11 C2Je3 CLJf6 12 f3?!
Weakening the dark squares, a fact that
Black immediately exploits. 12 C2Jd2 was a
better defence of the e4-pawn, developing
a piece in the process.
12 ...'iYh6! 13 'iYf2

9 CZJes! ds
Unfortunately for Black, 9 ...CLJc3 fails to
10 'iYh s g6 11 'iYh3 ! , a trick familiar from
the 4 ....ia6 5 C2Jbd2 variation in the same
opening.
1o cxds exds
After 10. .C2Jxd2 11 C2Jxf7! 'it>xf7 12 dxe6+
.

'it>xe6 13 .ixb7 White wins - Golubev. Now

51
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy
Black is about to castle; however...
11 'ii'a 4+! <#;;e7
Or 11 .. .'Jd7 12 lZ:Jxe4 dxe4 13 J.h3 ! with
a decisive pin.
12 lbxe4 dxe4 13 l::td 1
The apparently natural 13 dxc5 runs
into 13 ...'ii'd 5!, so White prepares it.
13 ... 'ii'd s 14 o-o fs?
The attempt to castle artificially by
14...l::t d 8?! fails to 15 J::tfe1 f5 16 f3 !, clearing
too many lines towards the Black's camp.
His last chance was 14 ... cxd4 15 J::txd4
'ii'x e5 16 J.xe4 lZ:Jc6!, returning the piece in
order to bring out the pieces. After 17 J.xc6
J.xc6 18 'ii'xc6 l::th c8! 19 l::td 7+ <#;;f8 20 'ii'f3
'ii'e 6 21 l::tfd1 White has a clear, though not
yet decisive advantage - Golubev.
Now, on the other hand, he manages to
launch a decisive attack.
Your move ...
Game 28
S"'MamedyarovT.Nedev
Dresden Otympiad 2008
Trompowsky's Opening
1 d4 lZ:Jf6 2 J.gs lZ:Je4 3 J.f4 cs 4 f3 lZ:Jf6 s
52
dxcs
Another main direction is 5 d5 with Be
noni-like play.
s ... b6!?
Instead of recovering the pawn by
5 ...'ii'a 5+ and 6 ...'ii'x c5, Black gambits.
6 e4!
White turns down the offer, giving pri
ority to swift development. Less enterpris
ing is 6 cxb6?! 'ii'xb6 7 'ii'c 1 d5, when the f2-
f3 move does more harm than good.
6 ...bxcs 1 es
The flexible 7 lbc3 is also reasonable.
7 ...lZ:Jg8?!
Black's only developed piece returns
home. 7 ...'ii'c 7 seems more logical, as played
in few games. H ere 8 J.g3? lZ:Jh 5 proves use
less for White, who could try 8 J.c4 or 8 lZ:Jc3
instead, with a complex battle.
8 lZ:Jc3 lZ:Jc6 9 J.bs lZ:Jd4 10 lZ:Jge2!
White keeps bringing out more pieces
and invites the exchange of Black's only
developed piece. In this context, the bishop
pair is a much less relevant factor.
1o ... lZ:Jxbs u lZ:Jxbs 'ii'a s+
This won't turn out well, but Black al
ready had a difficult task, considering the
abysmal difference in development.

12 lt:Jec3 a6
Your move ...
Game 29
T.V .Petros ian-V.Ko rc h n oi
Curacao Candidates 1962
English Opening
1 c4 cs 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jf6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lt:Jxd4 g6 5
lt:Jc3 ds 6 .igs dxc4 7 e3 ifas
7 ... .ig7, followed by ... 0-0, is safer.
8 .ixf6! exf6 9 .ixc4 .ib4 10 c1 a6?!
And here 10...0-0 is preferable - Suetin.
11 o-o lt:Jd7 12 a3 .ie7 13 b4! ifes
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
Black has neglected development. Your
move ...
Game JO
Be.Umlberg-Ax.Smith
Swed ish Championshipt
Stockholm 2007
Sicilian Defence,
Rossolimo Variation
1 e4 cs 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jc6 3 .ibs g6 4 .ixc6 dxc6 5
d3
A popular line of the Rossolimo Sicilian.
s ....ig7 6 h3 es 1 o-o 'ife7
The natural 7 ...lt:Je7 permits 8 .ie3 b6 9
'ifd2, when Black either has to accept the
exchange of his fianchettoed bishop after
9 ...0-0 10 .ih6, or postpone castling by
9 ...h6.
8 a3 as
Otherwise the b2-b4 break might be
come unpleasant.
9 .ie3 b6 10 lt:Jbd2 'ifc7?
An unfortunate loss of time. After the
correct 10 ..lt:Jf6 Black could always rely on
.
the defensive resource ... lt:Jd7 if needed.
Your move ...
53
M a s te ring Ope n ing S t ra tegy

1 c4 e5 2 e3 iLlf6 3 iLlc3 tt:Jc6 4 iLlf3 il.b4 5

Game 31. tt:Jd5
M.Taimanov-L.Polugaevsky In this English variation, similar to a
USSR Championship, Rossolimo Sicilian with reversed colours, 5
leningrad 1960 c2, preventing ... e5-e4, is White's main
Queen's Gambit Accepted choice.
5 ...e4 6 t2Jg1 0-0 7 C2 J::!.e8 8 t2Je2 b5!?
1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 iLlf3 tt:Jf6 4 a4+
An interesting sideline. Black can now
transpose to the Slav by 4 ...c6, or launch a
Chigorin-like set-up with 4 ... tt:Jc6.
4...tt:Jbd7 5 tt:Jc3 e6 6 e4 c5?!
Handing over the centre. 6 ...a6 7 il.xc4
J::!.b 8 is preferable, preparing ... b7-b5.
7 d5! exd5 8 e5 d4 9 il.xc4!
The position is already starting to have a
bad aspect for Black. 9 exf6 dxc3 10 il.xc4,
transposing, is also possible.
9 .. dxc3 10 exf6 xf6 11 il.g5 c6
.

This pawn sacrifice become popular

when Gelfand launched it one move later
(8 ... il.d6 9 a3 b 5 ! ?) against Salov at Linares
1992.
9 iLlg3
Both 9 cxb5 tt:Jxd5 10 bxc6 il.d6 and 9
tt:Jxf6+ xf6 10 cxb5 tLle5 11 xe4 il.b7!
yield Black plenty of compensation for the
pawn.
9 ...il.b7
Insisting on the gam bit. In contrast, the
unadventurous line 9 ...bxc4?! 10 il.xc4
Your move ... would just help White with his develop
ment.
10 a3 il.d6 11 b3 tLle5 12 il.b2 bxc4 13 bxc4
Game 32 The attempt to speed up development
Di.Fiores..R.Felgaer by the continuation 13 tt:Jxf6+ xf6 14
Argentine Championship il.xc4 runs into 14...iLld3+!, when both 15
Mendoza 2008 il.xd3 exd3 and 15 xd3 xb2 favour
English Opening Black.
13 ...tt:Jxd5 14 cxd5 il.xd5 15 tt:Jxe4

54

Your move ...
Game 33
Ci.Hertneck-H.Cirooten
Salzburg 2004
Queen 's Indian Defence
1 d4 lt'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 lt'lf3 b6 4 g3 i,a6
The Queen's Indian is one of the open
ings where the principle "don't move the
same piece twice" is most frequently in
fringed. Any defence of the c4-pawn now
has its drawbacks, after which the bishop
settles on its natural square b7, at least in a
majority of cases.
s lt'lbd2 i,b7 6 i,g2 cs 7 e4 cxd4
Taking the pawn with 7 ... lt'lxe4?! proves
very risky after 8 lt'les; e.g. 8 ... lt'lc3 9 5 ! g6
10 3, winning material.
8 0-0 d6 g lt'lxd4 lt'lbd7
In the H edgehog position that now
emerges, the tempo loss caused by ...i,a6-
b7 implies that Black is one move further
away from castling, so he should choose the
move order with some care. Perhaps 9 .. .'i!Vc8
makes more sense; e.g. 10 J::i.e 1 i,e7 11 a4
0-0 12 as lt'la6 13 ctJ2b3 lt'ld7 14 Ji,f4 lt'les
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
with counterplay, P.Tregubov-V.Baklan,
European Championship (rapid playoff),
Plovdiv 2008.
10 J::i.e1 c7?!
Defending against the tactical shot e4-
es, but the queen gets exposed on this
square. Perhaps 10...8 or 10 ...c8 was
safer, although in either case 11 a4!, in
tending 12 as bxas 13 ctJ2b3 followed by
lt'lxas, yields White a certain initiative.
u lt'lbs b8
Preparing a consolidation by ... a7-a6,
... i,e7, ... 0-0 etc.
Your move ...
Game 34
S.Mirf(ovic"-Z l)jp,kic
..
Yugoslavia :1991
Benko Gam bit
1 d4 lt'lf6 2 ltJf3 g6 3 c4 cs 4 d s bs s cxbs a6
6 e4!?
Instead of accepting the Benko with 6
bxa6, or handing over the pawn by 6 b6,
White launches his own gambit.
6 ...lt'lxe4 7 c2 fs?!
A risky move due to the weakening of
55
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy

the light squares around Black's king. Black initiates active operations in the
7 .. ::t:Jf6 8 iixcs d6 9 'id4 .ig7, followed by centre.
...0-0, seems preferable, in the same spirit of 9 cxd5 cxd5 10 dxe5 ltJxe5 11 .ie2
development above material.
8 ctJbd2 lLlf6
Aware that 8 ...ltJxd2?! 9 .ixd2 d6 10 .ic3
is horrible for him, Black surrenders the cs
pawn and starts pressurizing the one on ds.
9 iixc5 d6 10 'id4 .ib7 11 .ic4 axb5 12
.ixb5+ ltJbd7 13 0-0!
It is White's turn to give up a pawn in
exchange for quick development.
13 ....ixd5

Your move ...

GomeJ;6
B.Abramovic:-M.Bertok
Yugoslav Team
Cha mpionship 1979
Sicilian Defence,
Sc.heveningen Variation

White is ahead in development. Your 1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5

move ... lLlc3 d6 6 .ie2 a6 1 o-o b5?!
This line has a bad reputation due
White's strong reply. 7 ... 'ic7 or 7 ...ltJbd7
Game .35 first is safer.
V.Korhnof..JL.eliav$ky 8 .if3! ltJfd7?
leon1994 This ends badly. 8 ...a7 was mandatory.
Semi-Slav Defence 9 e5 d 5 10 ltJxd5!
In the spirit of the position, destroying
1 c4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e3 ltJf6 4 ltJc3 e6 5 lLlf3 Black's centre before he manages to castle.
ltJbd7 6 iic2 .id6 1 b3 o-o 8 .ib2 10...exd5 u .ixd5 lLlb6
More flexible is 8 .ie2, followed by 0-0, After 11...a7 12 .ixf7+!? xf7 13 e6+
not yet defining the destiny of the queen's Black is also in big trouble; e.g. 13 ... g8 14
bishop. ltJxb s ! axbs 15 'iVds, winning.
8 ... e5 12 .txa8 ltJxa8 13 e6!

56
 Th e Na ture of Deve lopme n t

Clearing the e-file towards the black
king; e.g. 13 ... i.xe6 14 l:'te1.
13 ..Jlid5
'ifh 5+ d8 1 6 i.xe6 with a devastating at
tack.
12 tt:ld5!
Tal doesn't waste time on retreating the
knight, preferring to exchange Black's only
developed minor piece.
12 ...tt:lxd5 13 exd5 i.e7 14 fxe5 dxe5

Your move ...

Game 3.7
M.Ja,II.Bilek Your move ...
Amsterdam lnterzorilal 1964
Sicilian Defence, Najdor;{Variation

1 e4 c5 2 tt:lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:lxd4 tt:lf6 5 Game38

tt:lc3 a6 6 i.g5 tt:lbd7 VDydysbkA.YermQilnsky
A rather unpopular sideline in the 6 Minsk 1980
i.g 5 Najdorf. Budapest Gambit
7 i.c4 h6?!
A dangerous loss of time, which even in 1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 tt:lg4 4 i.f4 g5 5
volves a weakening of the light squares on i.g3
the kingside. 7 ...e6 is safer. In this sideline of the Budapest Gambit,
8 i.xf6! tt:lxf6 9 'ife2 e6 10 o-o-o another option is 5 i.d2, followed by i.c3.
White develops with lightning speed 5 ...i.g7 6 tt:lf3 tt:lc6 7 e3 tt:lgxe5 8 tt:lxe5
and 11 e5 is already a threat. tt:lxe5 9 h4!?
10...'1lic7 11 f4 e5 Trying to punish Black's fourth move
Preventing e4-e5, but also weakening straight away. Today 9 tt:lc3 is more popu
several light squares. Safer was 11...i.e7 12 lar.
e5 dxe5 13 fxe5 tt:lh7! 14 l:'thf1 o-o, as in the 9 ... tt:lg6
game A.Deviatkin-R.Kempinski, Moscow Installing the double threat of 10 ... i.xb2
2004; but not 13 ... tt:ld7? 14 tt:lxe6! fxe6 1 5 and 10... gxh4.

57
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy

Trading pawns in order to speed up de

velopment.
8 ...l2Jxe4 9 l2Jgxe4 J.xe4 10 J.xc4 J.c6
Not 10 ... J.xg2? 11 'iVg4 and White wins.
11 'iVhs e6!?
Returning a pawn to facilitate the king
side development.
12 J.xe6 'iVc7 13 J.h3 lba6?
A serious mistake. Black should have
preferred 13 ... 'iVe7+! 14 dl 'iVf6 15 Mel+
J.e7, when the pawn minus is compen
sated by White's badly placed king -
Huzman.
Your move ... 14 o-o J.xcs 15 Me1+ J.e7
Black is just one move away from cas
tling; however. ..
Game39
D.GurevichA.Soltis
San francisco 1998
Queen's Gambit Accepted

1 d4 ds 2 c4 dxc4 3 lbf3 l2Jf6 4 e3 J.e6

A risky sideline. The main line goes 4 ...e6
5 J.xc4 c5 and 6 ... a6.
s l2Jbd2 cs 6 dxcs 'iVas 7 lbgs
Exploiting the unstable position of the
bishop on e6.
7 ...J.ds 8 e4!

Your move ...

Gome 40
V.Bologan-E.Dizdarevic
Sarajevo 2005
Caro-Kann Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 ds 3 es J.fs 4 l2Jf3
An interesting line against the Caro
Kann, where White can hit the enemy pawn
chain on both the queenside (c2-c4) and the

58

kingside (f2-f4, g2-g4) depending on Black's
play. But in the first place White aims at
completing his kingside development.
4...e6 5 i.e2 ti'Je7 6 o-o i.g6 7 ti'Jbd2 ti'Jf5 8
g4
An advance that gains space and time,
but slightly weakens the kingside structure.
8 ti'Jb3 and 8 c3 are more flexible continua
tions.
8 tbe7
.
After 8 ...ti'Jh4 9 ti'Jxh4 'ifxh4 10 f4 fS 11
ti'Jf3 ! 'ifxg4+ 12 'ii7h 1 White has compensa
tion - Bologan.
9 ti'Jh4 h5!?
A risky choice. Black aims to liberate the
fs-square for his knight, but delays devel
opment. 9 ... cs is safer; e.g. 10 c3 ti'Jec6 11
ti'Jxg6 hxg6 12 ti'Jf3 ti'Jd7 13 i.f4 i.e7 14
'ifd2 a6 15 l7g2 l:.c8, preparing ...ti'Jas-c4,
with balanced chances in K.Lahno-B.Jobava,
Wijk aan Zee 2006.
10 gxh5 i.h7 11 ti'Jdf3 ti'Jf5 12 ti'Jg2!
Thus White leaves the black knight
blocking the bishop on h7 and prepares a
future ti'Jf4.
12 ... c5 13 i.g5
Development with tempo.
13 ...'ifb6?!
Th e Na t u re of Developme n t
Playing with fire: now the delay in de
velopment will make itself strongly felt.
13 ... i.e7 14 i.xe7 'ifxe7, preparing ... 0-0,
was safer; e.g. 15 c4! ? dxc4 16 dS exds 17
ti'Jf4 ti'Jd4!, when both 18 ti'Jxd4 'ifg S+ and
18 ti'Jxds ti'Jxe2+ 19 'ifxe2 i.d3 seem okay
for Black.
Your move ...
Game 41
V.TopalovE.Rozentalis
European Team Championsh ip,
Batumi 1 999
English Opening
1 c4 e6 2 ti'Jc3 ti'Jf6 3 e4
This particular English variation often
leads to sharp battles.
3 ...d 5 4 e5 ti'Je4 5 ti'Jf3 i.e7 6 h4!?
A curious advance aimed at the simpli
fying manoeuvre ...ti'Je4-g 5. Besides, the h
pawn might prove useful in a future attack.
6 ...ti'Jxc3
Also possible is 6 ... ti'Jc6 7 d4 f6 8 i.d3
with just a slight edge for White - Topalov.
7 dxc3 dxc4 8 'ifa4+!
Declining the queen exchange and ena-
59
M a s tering Op e n ing Strategy
bling a future queen transfer to g4.
8 ...1td7 9 iVxc4 .itc6 10 iVg4! .itxf3
Both here and later, 10 ...0-0? runs into
11 .ith6.
11 gxf3!
Activity above structure. After 11 iVxf3?!
iVd5 !, followed by ...lbc6 and ...0-0-0, Black
is fine.
11 ....itf8
Bringing the pieces home is rarely a
good idea in the opening, unless the posi
tion is closed. However, Rozentalis's sugges
tion 11 ... g6 12 h5 iVd5 doesn't convince
either after 13 hxg6 iVxe5+ 14 .ite3 fxg6 (or
14...hxg6? 15 iVe4!} 15 .itc4, followed by
60
0-0-0, with strong pressure.
12 f4 lLld7
Now 12 ...iVd5 is met by 13 .itg2, so Black
tries a different set-up.
13 .ite3 c6 14 o-o-o iVas
Black is just one move from ... 0-0-0,
bringing the king into safety; however ...
Your move ...
Game 42
P.Svidler..svolkov
Russian Championship,
Krasnoyarsk 2003
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 es cs 4 c3 iVb6 5 lLlf3 .itd7
A flexible line in the Advance French. By
postponing ...lbc6 Black keeps the option of
a later ... .itb5, swapping his "bad" bishop.
6 a3 as
White is denied the space-gaining b2-
b4.
7 b3
Preparing to meet ... a5-a4 by b3-b4,
keeping the pawn structure intact.
1 lba6 8 .ite3 .l::tc 8 9 .itd3 lLle7
...
Having overprotected the sensitive c5-

pawn, Black starts bringing out his king side
pieces.
10 0-0
Or 10 dxcs tt:Jxcs 11 i.c2 a6!, prevent
ing White's castling - Svidler.
1o ...tt:Jfs 11 i.xfs exfs 12 I:te1 c4?
The prophylactic 12 ... i.e6 was prefer
able.
Your move...
G;ame 43
E.Bareev-V.Ivanchuk
N ovgorod 1994
Nimzo-Jndian Defence
1 d4 tt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt:Jc3 i.b4 4 c2 dS 5 a3
i.xc3+ 6 xc3 tt:Je4
A topical line of the Classical Nimzo
lndian, where White counts on the bishop
pair, but Black is ahead in development and
will do everything possible to exploit it.
7 c2 cs 8 dxcs tt:Jc6 9 t2Jf3
A natural choice, but practice has shown
both 9 e3 and 9 cxds exds 10 t2Jf3 to be
more promising.
9...a5+ 10 t2Jd2
More ambitious than 10 i.d2 xes with
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
equality. Had 9 cxds exds been inserted,
then White could now swap the active
black queen.
10...t2Jd4!
Activity above material; the pawn can
wait.
11 d3 es!
Gaining space and preparing ...i.fs.
Now 12 cxds? tt:Jxcs is bad for White.
12 b4 a4
Setting up the threat of 13 ...t2Jc2+.
13 I:ta2 tt:Jxd2
More promising than 13 ...i.fs 14 cxds!
tt:Jxcs 15 c3 with e2-e3 or e2-e4 coming
up.
14 I:txd2?
This recapture allows Black to develop
his remaining pieces with great speed. 14
i.xd2? i.fs is equally bad, with similar play
as in the game. Instead, 14 xd2!, leaving
the vulnerable b1-h7 diagonal at the price
of a mere pawn, was called for. Now
14 ... i.fs?! 15 e 3 ! t2Jc2+ 16 l':txc2, followed by
17 cxds, favours White; so the old game
D.Bronstein-I.Boleslavsky, Saltsjobaden In
terzonal 1948, continued 14...dxc4 15 e3
t2Jb3 16 c3 i.e6 17 i.xc4 i.xc4 18 xc4
tt:Jxc1 19 xc1 as! and a draw was agreed.
61
M a s tering Open ing Stra tegy
14 ... .if5! 15 'ife3 o-o-o!
A move with various virtues: securing
the king, mobilizing the rook, and defend
ing the dS-pawn. 1S ...lbc2+?! 16 l:Ixc2 ifxc2
17 cxds is less clear.
16 g4!?
Aware that both 16 cxds l:Ixds, followed
by ... lbc2+, and 16 ifxes lbc2+ 17 l:Ixc2
ifxc2 leave his king in big trouble, White
employs radical measures to speed up de
velopment. Now 16 ... .ixg4?! lets White es
cape by 17 cxds l:Ixds 18 .ig2, followed by
0-0, but Black has a much stronger option
at his disposal...
Your move ...
Gome 44
sVolkov-R.Kem pinski
European Championship,
Dresden 2001
Semi-Slav Defence
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lLlc3 c6 4 e4 dxe4
The variation that now arises has a huge
body of theory, so 4 ....ib4, followed by
...lbge7, makes sense for Slav players wish
ing to leave the "book" at an early stage.
62
5 lbxe4 .ib4+ 6 .id2 ifxd4 7 .ixb4 ifxe4+
The initial position of Marshall's Gam
bit. Black is a pawn up, but White enjoys
the bishop pair and a lead in development,
so a tense battle can be expected.
8 .ie2 lba6
After 8 ...ifxg2 9 .if3 ifg s 10 lbe2, fol
lowed by l:Ig1, White's compensation is du
plicated.
9 .ia5
By means of the threat 10 'ifd8+ White
aims to provoke a minor weakness in
Black's camp. Another direction is 9 .id6.
9 .f6 10 lLlf3
..
The straightforward 10 'ifd8+ f7 11
0-0-0 is also possible, whereas the text
keeps both castling options open.
10... b6 11 lLld2
Preparing .if3 in order to attack the
fresh weakness on c6.
11...'iff4 12 .ih5+
Curiously, the provocation measure ef
fected on move 9 is repeated on the oppo
site flank.
12 ... g6 13 .if3 lbe7 14 .ic3 lbc5
So far Black has played well, but now he
starts delaying development. This was a
good moment for 14 ... 0-0 - Krasenkow.
 Th e Na t u re of Deve lopme n t

Your move ...

Game 4 5
Ci Kamsky-V.Anand
.

Sa n ghi Naga,r
(10th matchgame 1 994
Torre's Opening

1 d4 l2lf6 2 ct.:Jt3 c5 3 c3 g6 4 ..tg5 b6 5 b3

l2le4 6 ..tf4 4Jc6?!
A strange loss of time. 6 ... ..tg7 must be
better.
15 g3 f5 16 o-o e5?! 7 d5 4Jd8 8 4Jbd2 4Jf6 9 e4 d6 10 ..tb5+ ..td7
Again 16 ... 0-0 was more to the point - 11 a4 c7 12 0-0
Krasenkow.
17 b4 ctJb7
Perhaps Kempinski had planned
17 ...4Je6? and only now discovered the line
18 ct.:Je4 0-0 19 g4! f4 20 ..td2 and White
wins.
18 b5!
Finally White is able to create concrete
threats. Black should now have played
18 ... ..td7, preparing ... 0-0, in order to com
plete development. Instead, he commits a
new inaccuracy...
18 ...c5?
Evaluate the options 12 .....tg7 and
12 ... es.

Game 46
A.VovkwM.Kowara
Warsaw (rap1d) 2009
Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation

1 e4 c5 2 ctJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 4Jxd4 a6 5 ctJc3

c7 6 ..te2 4Jf6
In this branch of the Sicilian Kan, 6 ...bs,
followed by ..tb7, is a safe option, delaying

63
M a s tering Ope n ing Stra tegy
...'Llf6 until the right moment. We saw a
similar case in Conquest-Sokolov (Game 9).
7 o-o b5?!
A well-known inaccuracy due to White's
next move. If Black wants to keep on delay
ing ... d7-d6, then 7 ...'Llc6, 7 ...e7 or 7 ... b4
were better options.
8 f3!
Suddenly 9 es is a strong threat.
8...b7
If 8 ...'Llc6 then White plays 9 es anyway,
while 8 ...e s 9 'Llfs also favours him.
9 e5 'Llg8 10 f4 'Llc6
The queenside should be developed first.
After 10 ... 'Lle7? 11 'Lldxb s ! axbs 12 'Llxbs
the check on d6 decides.
11 'Llxc6 dxc6 12 a4!?
White tries to open the position in order
to exploit his lead in development. The
simple 12 'Lle4, heading for d6, looked
strong as well.
12 ...tt:Je7 13 axb5 cxb5?!
It seems that 13 ...d8 ! ? 14 e2 cxbs
kept the material balance, whereas in the
game White wins a pawn.
14 'Llxb5! axb5 15 xa8+ xa8 16 xa8
'Llg6 17 g5?!
Correct was 17 g3, hanging on to the
64
pawn, but the fact that this was a rapid
game perhaps made White choose a more
active move.
In this tense position, how d o you con
tinue with Black?
Game 47
M.Parligras-J.Melero Fidalgo
seviUe 2005
Sicilian Defence, Kan Variat;on
1 e4 c5 2 'Llf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 'Llxd4 a6 5 'Llc3
b5
Just as in Game 9, Black develops his
queenside first. A more classical approach
in this branch of the Sicilian Kan is S ... C7
followed by ...'Llf6.
6 d3 b7 7 o-o b6 8 e3 c5 9 g4!?
Instead of protecting his knight, White
launches a counterattack at g7. Perhaps 9
'Llce2 is objectively stronger, preparing b2-
b4, just like later on in the game.
9 ...'Lle7
Preparing ... 'Llg6, but the simplifying
9 ...xd4! 10 es 'Llh6 11 xd4 xd4 12
xd4 'Llc6 was a safer choice - Parligras.
10 'Llce2 'Llg6 11 b4!

An excellent advance that helps clear
the sensitive b-file towards Black's camp.
11 ....ixb4 12 lZ'lxbs .ics 13 lZ'lbd4!
Having a lead in development White
keeps as many pieces as possible on the
board. For the same reason, the tension
along the g 1-a7 diagonal favours him.
13 ...d6 14 J:Iab1 'iiq
Black is just about to castle; however...
Your move ...
Game 48
N*Kalesis..J..HeUsten
Corinth 1.997
Slav Defence
1 d4 ds 2 c4 c6 3 lZ'lc3 lZ'lf6 4 e3 a6 s a4 .ifs
6 'iib 3 l:Ia7
We saw a similar pattern in Game 6 {Mi
ton-Sammour): 'iib 3, attacking Black's
Achilles' heel in the Slav, the b7-pawn, and
the awkward, but safe reply ... l:Ia7.
7 lZ'lf3 e6 8 .ie2 as
Thus Black creates a stronghold on b4
and prevents a cramping a4-a5, which
would have been an interesting option for
White on the previous two moves.
Th e Na t u re of Deve lopme n t
9 0-0 lZ'lbd7 10 lZ'lh4
After a rather modest opening White
starts fighting for the initiative. The ex
change of the enemy bishop will facilitate
the e3-e4 advance, a key idea in such posi
tions.
10....ig6 11 lZ'lxg6 hxg6 12 .if3 lZ:Je4?
Somehow I thought the tactical motif 13
lbxe4? dxe4 14 .ixe4 'iih 4 justified this at
tempt to seize the centre, but it soon proves
to be a loss of time. A sounder choice was
12 ... .ib4, complicating e3-e4, and prepar-
ing ... 0-0 in order to conclude development.
13 g3 lZ'lgs?!
13 ...lZ'ldf6 seems more natural, although
after 14 .ig2, followed by f2-f3, the knight
will have to leave its prominent post any
way. In contrast, 13 .. .f5?! is strongly met by
14 lZ'lxe4! fxe4 15 .ig2, followed by f2-f3.
14 .ig2 lZ'lh3+ 15 .ixh3
Probably there was nothing wrong with
15 h1, but the text gains time and elimi
nates the only active enemy piece.
1S ...J:Ixh3? (seefollowing diagram)
15 ... dxc4! 16 'iixc4 J:Ixh3 was preferable,
keeping the position somewhat more
closed, but I still wasn't aware of the dan
ger awaiting me.
65
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
Your move...
Game 49
S.Palatnik-S.Lputian
I rkutsk 1983
English Opening
1 c4 es 2 t2Jc3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 iVxd4 t2Jc6 5
iVd2 t2Jf6 6 g3 i.e6 7 e4 as
We are already familiar with this line
from the game Psakhis-Gofshtein (Game 8),
where the latter preferred 7 ...i.e7, speeding
up his development. As for the text, Black
enables an annoying ... a5-a4 whenever
White plays b2-b3. In conclusion, this line
seems rather demanding for the first
player, who should probably prefer 7 t2Jd5
instead.
8 b3 a4
The temporary sacrifice 8 ... t2Jxe4! 9
t2Jxe4 d5 was even stronger, followed by an
opportune ... i.b4.
9 l:rb1 axb3 10 axb3 t2Jxe4!
On the second occasion Black takes his
chance, although this time the piece can't
be recovered immediately.
66
11 t2Jxe4 d s 12 cxds
In the event of 12 t2Jc3 Black can trans
pose to the game by 12 ...i.b4 13 cxd5
i.xd5, though 12 ... d4! ? seems even
stronger; e.g. 13 t2Ja2 i.f5 14 l:rb2 J:rxa2! 15
iVe2+ (not 15 J:rxa2? i.b4) 15 .. .'d7! 16
l:rxa2 i.b4+ with 17 ... l:re8 next.
12 ... i.b4 13 t2Jc3 i.xds
In return for his material deficit Black
enjoys excellent piece activity, and the en
emy king is stranded in the centre.
14 f3 0-0?!
This natural move seems inaccurate due
to White's strong reply. Later the improve
ment 14 ...iVe7+!, preparing ... iVc5, was dis
covered; e.g. 15 i.e2 iVc5 16 i.b2 o-o-o 17
f1 i.xf3 18 iVxd8+ l:rxd8 19 t2Jxf3, as in
the game P.Poobalasingam-C.McNab, Ux
bridge 2009, where 19 ...t2Jd4! would have
yielded Black a crushing advantage.
15 f2!
Suddenly the pin on the d-file has be
come more serious than the one on the e1-
a5 diagonal.
1s...J:ras 16 i.c4 t2Jd4
After 16 ... i.xc4 17 bxc4, both 17 ... iVe7 18
t2Jge2 and 17 ...iVf6 18 l:rxb4! t2Jxb4 19 t2Jd5
t2Jxd5 20 iVxa5 are dubious for Black.
 Th e Na ture of Developme n t

In this tense position, how do you con 1 1 dxes 'Llds 1 2 'Llc3 .ib4 1 3 .id2 .ixc3
tinue with White? Keeping the active knight. After
Your move ... 13 ... 'Llxc3 14 bxc3 .ie7 15 f4 White is
slightly better - Ftacnik.
14 .ixc3 'Llc6 15 d2 b6?
Game 50 A natural move, in order to prevent 0-0
G.Sosonko-J.Tim man and enable ... 'Lle3, but White possesses a
Tilburg 1977 strong reply. Preferable was 1S ... .ixb3 16
Catalan Opening axb3 'Llxc3 17 xc3 and only now 17 ... b6,
with sufficient compensation for the pawn.
1 d4 'bf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 cs 4 'Llf3 cxd4 5 'bxd4 16 'bas! 'Lle3
ds 6 .ig2 es 7 'Llb3 Or 16 ...'Llxas 17 .ixas cs 18 f4 o-o 19
In this Catalan line, White usually pre .Mel, with the strong threat of l:txc4.
fers 7 'Llf3 these days, with immediate pres 17 'bxc4 'Llxc4 18 f2 'Lle3
sure on Black's centre.
7 ...d4 8 e3 .ig4!?
Practice has mostly seen the continua
tion 8 ... as 9 exd4 a4, but the text has its
logic: Black provokes f2-f3 in order to
weaken the opponent's dark squares and
limit the bishop on g2.
9 f3 .ie6 10 exd4 .ixc4
At the cost of a pawn, Black manages to
keep the enemy king in the centre. 10... exd4
11 'Llxd4 .ixc4 was probably fine as well,
since 12 a4+?! bs 13 'bxbs fails to
13 ...e7+! , followed by a deadly check on
e2. Your move ...

67
M a s tering Ope n ing Strategy
Game.51
G.Reehltfi.Avrukh
Israeli tem championshJp laos
Srctlion Qejence,
Rossolimo Variation
1 e4 cs 2 lZ'lf3 lt:Jc6 3 .i.bs d6 4 .i.xc6+
Nowadays, the early .i.xc6(+) capture is
seen rather often in different lines of the
Rossolimo Sicilian . The old main line is 4 0-0
followed by 5 l:::te 1 or 5 c3.
4... bxc6 5 o-o es 6 c3
White immediately prepares the d2-d4
break, even at the cost of a pawn, as we will
see next.
6 ... .i.g4 7 d4 cxd4 8 cxd4 .i.xf3 9 xf3 exd4
10 l:::te 1
Preparing e4-e5. The immediate 10 e5?!
is less promising due to 10...d5! 11 l:::td1
lZ'le7, followed by ... lt:Jg6 - Avrukh.
10....i.e7
Another, perhaps safer option was
10 ...ttJf6 11 e5 dxe5 12 xc6+ ttJd7 13
J:::tx e5+ .i.e7, followed by ...l:::tc 8 and ...o-o
- In this tense position, how do you con
Avrukh.
11 es dxes
Black agrees to do without castling,
68
since 11...d5?! 1 2 g4 would just make
things worse for him with the knight de
prived of its natural destiny on f6.
12 xc6+ Wf8 13 ttJd2
Time to resume development, as 13
J:::txe5 ? ? runs into 13 ...l:::tc 8.
13 ...l:::tc 8 14 f3?!
14 a6! was stronger, so that the queen
keeps on interfering with Black's play; e.g.
14...C7 15 J:::tx e5 or 14.. .f6 15 xa7 d5 16
lt:Je4 f5 17 lt:Jg5 ! with the initiative -
Avrukh.
14...c7 15 b3
Now that the f3-square is occupied, pre
parin g the move 16 lt:Jc4 makes good sense
for White.
1S ...lt:Jf6
At first sight, 15 ...C3. swapping the
queens, seems logical; however, White is
better after 16 xc3 dxc3 17 lt:Jc4 f6 18 .i.e3
a6 19 J:::te c1 - Avrukh.
16 lt:Jc4 e4 17 fs
Preparing 18 .i.f4, with increased pres
sure at the enemy camp.
tinue with Black?
Your move ...
 Th e Na ture of Developmen t

1 3 ii.a3
Game .52 The tempting 13 CLJe5 LLlgf6 14 1i'd6 is re
G.Fiear.;R.V:era Gonzalez futed by 14 ... 1i'g5+! 15 f4 1Wxf4+ 16 b1
E lgoibar 1994 lt:Jg8 ! - Vera.
Semf;.Sfav Defence 13 ... Lt:le7?
Black speeds up development, but he
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Lt:lc3 c6 4 e4 dxe4 5 lt:Jxe4 had more efficient possibilities at hand. as
ii.b4+ 6 ii.d2 1i'xd4 7 ii.xb4 1Wxe4+ 8 ii.e2 Vera himself indicates: after 13 ...1Wxf2 14
We already came across this line in lt:Je5 1Wxh 2 ! 15 lt:Jxd7 1i'h6 White is lost;
Volkov-Kempinski (Game 44}, where Black while 13 ... a5, preparing ... a6, would also
preferred the modern 8 ...Lt:la6. have refuted the enemy attack.
s ... cs 14 CLJeS
Returning the pawn so as to enable Obviously this knight is untouchable be
... Lt:ld7 with tempo in the complications that cause of mate.
now follow.
9 ii.xcs 1Wxg2 10 1i'd2?!
A dubious choice, since White will have
difficulties in recovering the material sacri
ficed. Either 10 ii.f3 or 10 1i'd6 CLJd7 11 o-o-o
is preferred nowadays.
10 ... 1Wxh1 11 0-0-0 Lt:ld7 12 CLJf3
White brings more pieces into the bat
tle, but objectively his compensation is in
sufficient. In contrast, with his queen on d6
(cf. 10 1i'd6 above) at this point 12 ii.f3
would have been decisive, while here it fails
simply to 12 ...1Wxh2.
12 ...1i'g2! In this tense position, how do you con
Not 12 ... 1i'xd1+? 13 1i'xd1 CLJxc5 14 1i'd4! tinue with Black?
and White recovers the material with some
initiative. Your move ...

69
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
Sol ution s
Game 19 (continued)
13 exds cxds 14 i.xds!
With all the white pieces in ideal loca
tions, and the black king stranded in the
centre, the position begs for this kind of
sacrifice.
14...exds 15 .Mxe7+!
A second sacrifice in order to eliminate
Black's main defender. In contrast, 15
xd5? C7 or 15 l2Jxd5?! i.e6 was less
clear.
1S .. .';;i;?xe7
Or in instead 15 ... xe7 then 16 l2Jxd5
e6 17 .Me1 o-o 18 .Mxe6 i.xe6 19 ctJe7+ and
wins.
16 l2'lxdS+ e6
Both alternatives 16 ...f8 17 h6+ and
16 ... e8 17 l2Jxf6+! were equally terminal
for Black.
17 e3+ d6 18 ctJe7+! 1-0
In view of 18 ... c7 19 xa7 mate, Black
resigned.
70
Game 20 (continued)
10 i.bS+!
This simple check disrupts Black's devel
opment and leaves his king stuck in the
centre. 10 i.xf6 gxf6 11 i.b5+!, with a
transposition, is equally strong.
10...l2Jcd7
Or 10 ...i.d7 11 i.xf6 gxf6 12 l2Jxe6! fxe6
13 5+ and wins - Baburin.
11 i.xf6 gxf6 12 hs!
Creating the lethal threat of 13 l2Jxe6
while clearing the first rank for the rooks. In
the words of GM Baburin: "The game is over
- Black has only one piece developed - and
even that piece can't move! "
1 2...e7 1 3 .Mad1 c7 1 4 .Mfe1
The imbalance between attacking and
defending pieces is astonishing.
14...4Jes 15 h4 i.g7 16 l2Jxf6!
A little combination that destroys Black.
16 ...i.xf6 17 ctJfS+ exfs 18 .Mxes+! xes 19
b4+ e6 20 i.c4+ ds 21 i.xds+ es 22
f4 mate
 Th e Na t u re of Develop m e n t

Game 21 (continued)

1 3 LDxds 14 "iVf3 'iiifs?

.

1s ...LDxes! This loses on the spot, but Black had a

A strong blow that exploits the position hard time anyway; e.g. 14 ... tDc6 15 tDxdS
of the white king in order to force a supe o-o-o 16 LDxe7+ LDxe7 17 "iVxb7+ 'iiixb7 18
rior endgame. Less promising is 1S ... .txc4?! xe7+ 'iiic 6 19 .id2 with a winning end
16 "iVxc4 cs 17 .ie3, followed by 0-0. game for White.
16 "iVxd8 15 LDxds .td6 16 .l:Ie8+! 1-0
Or 16 dxes ? "iVxds 17 .txds .l:IxeS+, re In view of 16 ... 'iiix e8 17 tDf6+ gxf6 18
gaining the piece with interest. "iVxb7, Black resigned.
16 ...LDxc4+ 17 "iVxe8+ .l:Ixe8+ 18 'iiid 1 tDxd2!
19 'iiix d2 .l:Ie2+ 20 'iiic 1 xf2 Game 23 (continued)
Material is about equal, but the differ
ence in activity is devastating.
21 g3 .tb7 22 .l:Ie1 .te4!
Restricting the white rook is Black's
main priority.
23 .l:Ie3 .l:Ixh2 24 a4 hs
Intending ... g7-g5 and ...hS-h4, in order
to create a passed pawn. Black won without
any difficulty.

Game 22 (continued)
(seefollowing diagram)
13 tDfds!
Exploiting the pin on the h 1-a8 diago 12 es!
nal, White manages to keep the enemy king Opening the position towards the en
in the centre. 13 "iVxd3 ?! o-o 14 LDcdS tDc6 emy king. Now it becomes clear that the
was much less convincing. black queen's bishop should have been at

71
M a s tering Ope n ing Stra tegy
b7 instead.
12 ...dxe5 13 fxe5 b4
Now 14 exf6 bxc3 or 14 lt:le4 lt:lds is
quite acceptable for Black; however...
14 lt:ldb5! axb5 15 lt:lxb5 c8 16 exf6 b3
This counterattack is bound to fail,
though after 16 ... gxf6 17 i.b6 Black was in
big trouble anyway.
17 fxg7 lt:lb4
The pawn was untouchable due to 18
lt:ld6+.
18 lt:lc7+!
Simplest.
18 ...xc7 19 xa8+ cJJe 1 20 .l::i.x d7+! cJJx d7
21 i.b5+ 1-o
In view of 21...cJJ e 7 22 e8+ cJJd6 23
.l::i.d1+, Black resigned.
Game 24 (continued)
19 i.g5!
A powerful move, which helps to mobi
lize the queen's rook and invites the ex
change of the active enemy bishop on f6.
19 i.xb2
. main defender and facilitates an attack on
After 19 ....ixg 5 20 lt:lxgs Black is also in
trouble; e.g. 20 ....ifs 21 g4! i.xg4 22 lt:lf7
.l::i.f8 23 i.xc6+ bxc6 24 .l::i.a e1+ cJJd7 2 S lt:les+,
winning.
72
20 i.xc6+!
This and the 22nd move follow the same
policy of swapping the opponent's active
pieces, thus increasing one's advantage in
activity.
20 bxc6 21 .l::i.a e1+ cJJd 7 22 lt:le5+!
..
22 .l::i.e 7+ cJJd6 23 .l::i. d 1+ i.d4+ is less pre
cise - Yusupov.
22 ... i.xe5 23 .l::i.xe5 cJJc 7 24 .l::i.e 7+ i.d7 25
.l::i.d 1 .l::i.a d8 26 i.f4+
White could have won the exchange
with 26 .l::i.g 7 but prefers to keep up the at
tack.
26 cJJ b6 27 .l::i. b1+!
..
Again activity above material - there is a
mate coming up.
21 ... cJJa 5 28 i.d2+ cJJa 4 29 .l::i.e4+ c4 30
.l::i.xc4+ cJJa 3 31 .ic1+ cJJx a2 32 .l::i.b 2+ a3 3 3
.l::i. b7+ 1-0
Game 25 (continued)
13 .l::i.x d6!
A strong sacrifice that eliminates Black's
his Achilles' heel on c6.
13 ...xd6 14 .l::i.d 1 c7?
14...lt:lds was preferable, returning the
material in order to secure the king, al-
 Th e Na ture of Developme n t

though after 15 e4 o-o 16 exd5 exd5 17 Creating new weaknesses. 1 7 f4 at once

cxd5 cxd5 18 .Mxd5 White keeps a clear was better.
edge - Ftacnik. 11 ... .Mhs 18 f4 l2lg4
15 i.f4 b7 16 lbes! i.d7 17 .Mxd7! lbxd7
18 i.xc6 a6 19 l2lxd7 c8 20 i.a4
An even faster win was achieved by 20
lbb8+! f8 21 i.xa8.
20...e7 21 d3 f6 22 d6+ f7 23 l2les+!
Vacating the d7-square for the bishop.
23 .. .fxes 24 i.d7 d8 25 xe6+ f8 26
i.xes g6 27 i.f6 1-0

Game 26 (continued}

19 g3
After 19 l2lxg4?! i.xg4 it is far from clear
where White's king should hide. In the
game he sacrifices a pawn to castle long.
19 . ..CLixh2 20 0-0-0 lbxf1 21 .Mhxf1 l2lxb4!
By a simple trick Black wins another
pawn.
22 cxb4 c6+ 23 b2 xc7
Black later converted his strategic and
material superiority into victory.
13 ...ds!
An excellent pawn break, exploiting the Game 27 (continued}
fact that any move with the knight on e3
runs into ...c1+.
14 lba3!
Finally White starts bringing out his
pieces. After 14 exd5?! lbxd5! 15 lbxd5
c1+ 16 e2 0-0 he is indeed in deep trou
ble; e.g. 17 lbxe7 xb2+ 18 lbd2 xa1 19
lbxa8 .Me8+ 20 lbe4 xa2+, regaining the
piece with a decisive advantage - Postny.
14...dxe4 15 l2lbs o-o 16 lbxc7 .Mas
Possibly 16 ... exf3 ! ? 17 lbxa8 .Me8 was
even stronger - Postny.
17 b4?!

73
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy
15 f3!
Clearing the e-file and the long diagonal
towards Black's camp.
15 ... e3
Now in the event of 15 ... cxd4 16 fxe4
"Vlixe5, White has 17 .U.xf5 "Vlie6 18 "Vlixd4
with the double threat of "Vlixg7+ and .U.e5.
16 .U.fe1 'it>f6
Or 16 ... cxd4 17 .U.xd4 "Vlixe5 18 f4, win
ning - Golubev.
11 dxc5 "Vlixe5 18 .U.d6+ 'it>e7 19 "Vlih4+! 'it>f7
20 "Vlic4+ 1-0
In view of 20 ... 'it>e7 21 f4 "Vlixc5 22 "Vlie6+
'it>f8 23 .U.d8 mate, Black resigned.
Game 28 (continued)
13 ttJd6+!
A strong sacrifice that opens the gates
to Black's king.
13 ...exd6 14 exd6 "Vlib4 15 "Vlie2+ 'it>d8 16
.id2 .ib7
Unfortunately for Black, 16 ....ixd6 runs
into 17 CLle4 "Vlib6 18 CL:lxd6 "Vlixd6 19 .ias+.
17 0-0-0 CL:lf6 18 .U.he1 .ixd6?!
This virtually means returning the piece,
making White's practical task considerably
easier. For better or worse, 18 ...-vlib6 had to
be tried, when Rybka suggests the curious
74
continuation 19 CLla4 "Vlih5 20 "Vlie5 ! "Vlixa4 21
"Vlixcs "Vlic6 22 .ias+ 'it>c8 23 "Vlie5 .ixd6 24
.U.xd6 "Vlih5 25 .U.d5 ! d6! (not 2S ...CL:lxd5? 26
"Vlie8+) 26 .U.xd6 "Vlixe5 27 .U.xe5 with a strong
initiative even into the endgame.
19 tLle4 .if4
Obviously 19 ...-vlib6? 20 CL:lxd6 "Vlixd6
failed to 21 .ia5+.
20 .ixf4 CL:lxe4 21 fxe4 .U.e8 22 "Vlig4!
This double attack breaks through
Black's defences.
22 ....U.e6 23 "Vlixg7 .ic6 24 "Vlif8+ .U.e8 25
"Vlixf7 1-0
In this hopeless position, Black resigned.
Game 29 (continued)
14 f4!
By diverting the queen from the centre,
White prepares a sacrifice on f7. A little less
convincing is 14 CL:lds o-o 15 f4 "V!id6 and
Black stays alive.
14...-vlib8
Or 14 ... -vlixe3+ 15 'it>h1 with multiple
threats, such as 16 .U.f3, 16 tLld5 and 16 .U.e1
- 5uetin.
15 .ixf7+! 'it>xf7 16 "Vlib3+ 'it>e8
Or 16 ... 'it>g7 17 CL:le6+ 'it>h6 18 .U.f3 with a
mating net - Horowitz.

1 7 lZ'ld5 .td6 1 8 lt:Je6l b 5 1 9 lt:Jdc7+ We7 20
tLld4l
With double threats at c6 and e6.
20...Wf8 21 tLlxa8 1-o
In view of 21...xa8 22 e6 8 23 tLlc6
c7 24 tLle7, Black resigned.
Game 30 (continued)
11 b4l
Opening the position to attack Black on
the dark squares before he gets castled. 11
tLlc4?! is less promising due to 11 ... .te6,
with ....txc4 as a future resource.
11...axb4 12 axb4 xal 13 xal cxb4 14
lt:Jc4 c5 15 a4+l
A strong intermediate check in order to
liberate the a6-square for the queen. Less
effective is 15 a8?! tLle7, followed by ... 0-0.
15... .td7 16 a6 .th6
This won't end well, but after 16 ... tLle7
17 lt:Jxb6 o-o 18 lt:Jxd7 xd7 19 .txc5 the
game is virtually over anyway.
17 lt:Jfxe5 .txe3 18 ttJxd7l .tf4 19 tLlcxb6 g5
20 b5 g4 21 all
The last piece joins the attack.
21 ... f5 22 c4 xd7 23 lt:Jxd7 Wxd7 24
d5+ 1-0
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
Game 31 (contin ued)
12 0-0-0l
Setting up the threat of 13 he1+ and at
the same time seizing the d-file. Less prom
ising is 12 .tb5 ? ! e6+ 13 .te3 cxb2 or 12
tLle5 lt:Jxe5 ! 13 .tb5 .td7 14 .txc6 .txc6 15
c2 cxb2 16 b1 .txg2 with counterplay -
Taimanov.
12 ...cxb2+
After 12 ...xa4 13 he1+ .te7 14 xe7+
Wf8 15 xf7+ Wg8 16 fxd7+ xc4 17
d8+ rj)f7 18 tLle5+ White wins.
13 Wxb2
13 Wb1 ! ? e4+ 14 Wxb2 is another good
option.
13 ....te7 14 hel f6 15 .tb5
The pressure at d7 is unbearable; e.g.
15 ...C7 16 .tf4!.
15...b6 16 Well fxg5 17 .txd7+ Wf8 18
xe7l rj;xe7 19 e4+ Wd8
19 ...Wf7 20 lt:Jxg 5+ or 19 ...Wf6 20 e5+ is
equally bad.
20 .tf5+ Wc7 21 e5+ Wc6 22 d6+ Wb5 23
b2+ 1-0
Black resigned in view of the line
23 ...Wa5 24 a3+ Wb5 25 lZ'ld4+! cxd4 26
.td3 mate.
75
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy

Game 32 (continued)

22 iVxds
15 ...l:tb8! Or 22 lt>xc3 l:tb3+ 23 lt>c2 iVd4 with deci
Black increases the pressure at the en sive threats.
emy camp, unworried about 16 lbxd6, de 22 ...l:tc5 23 iVd3 l:tb2+ 24 lt>d1 iYa4+!
priving him of the bishop pair and damag The same "long" queen check that we
ing his pawn structure. Either 15 ...i.xe4?! witnessed in Onischuk-Volokitin (Game 27),
16 iVxe4 l:tb8 17 i.c3 or 15 ... lbg4?! 16 'bxd6 with colours and flanks reversed.
cxd6 17 iVf5 ! was less promising; but 25 lt>e1 iVas+ o-1
15 ...i.f8 also made sense, when 16 i.xe5 ! ? In view of 26 lt>d1 l:td5, White resigned.
l:txe5 1 7 i.d3, preparing o-o, might be
White's best try. Game 33 (continued)
16 lbxd6 cxd6 17 i.c3 iVh4!
The last piece enters the battle, creating
the strong threat of 18 ...lbg4.
18 h3 'bg4! 19 iVfs
This runs into a strong sacrifice, but af
ter 19 g 3 iVh6 White was also suffering
badly.
19 ...lbxe3! 20 dxe3 l:txe3+ 21 lt>d2
Or if instead 21 i.e2 l:txe2+! 22 lt>xe2
iVc4+, when both 23 iVd3 l:te8+ 24 lt>d2
iVf4+ 25 lt>c2 i.e4 and 23 lt>d2 i.e4 24 iVa5
iVd3+ 25 lt>e1 l:te8! win for Black - De
Dovitiis.
21 ...l:txc3! 12 cs!
A second sacrifice that eliminates the A strong sacrifice, which prepares lbc4
key defender of the dark squares in White's with the focus on Black's weak point d6.
camp. 12 ...dxcs

76

On 12 ...bxc5 or 12 .. .lbxc5 there follows
the same reply.
13 l2lc4 e5 14 f4!
Striking while the iron is hot. The check
on d6 can wait.
14....ic6?
This bishop will be fatally diverted from
the long diagonal. The last chance was
14 ... a6! 15 l2lbd6+ .txd6 16 l2lxd6+ r:Ji?e7 and
Black is still alive.
15 fxe5! .txb5 16 exf6 .txc4 17 e5
White's game plays itself. The threat is
18 f3 winning the exchange.
17 ...a6 18 g4! gxf6
Unfortunately for Black, 18 ....te6 runs
into 19 fxg7.
19 xc4 fxe5 20 .l:tf1 f6 21 e6+ r:Ji?d8 22
.l:td1 1-0
In view of the double threats at d7 and
f6, Black resigned.
Game 34 (continued)
14 l2lc4!
Unconcerned about the doubling of the
f-pawns, White creates the threat of 15
l2lb6 and clears the way for the queen's
bishop.
14....txf3 15 gxf3 .l:tb8
Th e Na ture of D evelopme n t
If 1 5 ....tg7, then 1 6 l2lxd6+! exd6 17
.l:te1+ '>t>f7 18 .ic4+ d5 19 .txd5+ l2lxd5 20
xd5+ r:Ji?f8 21 .if4 with a winning advan
tage - Mirkovic.
16 .l:te1! .ig7?!
A misguided sacrifice of the d6-pawn.
Obviously 16 ... .l:txb5?? failed to 17 l2lxd6
mate, but the prophylactic 16 ...r:Ji?f7 made
some sense, when 17 a4 keeps the advan
tage - Mirkovic.
17 l2lxd6+ r:Ji?f8 18 .if4!
The last piece joins the battle, securing
the knight on d6.
18 ...l2le8
19 b4!
The right square for the queen, where it
supports both pieces on d6 and b5 without
exposing herself to the black knights. 19
.ih6 l2ldf6! is less clear, while the game
went 19 d3?! l2lc5 ! 20 d5 l2lxd6 21 .l:txe7!
r:Ji?xe7 22 .l:te1+ l2lce4! 23 fxe4 l2lxb5 24 exf5+
r:Ji?f8 25 c5+ r:Ji?f7 and Black had a defend
able position.
19 l2le5
.
An unsuccessful try for complications,
but the alternatives where no better; e.g.
19 ... exd6? 20 .txd6+ with mate, or
19 ...l2lxd6 20 .txd6 .tf6 21 .txb8 l2lxb8 2 2
77
M a s t e ring Op e n ing S trategy

a4 and the passed a-pawn soon decides.

20 lL'lxe8 lL'lxf3+ 21 h1 J:txb5 22 'ifxb5
lL'lxe1 23 ctJc7!
With decisive threats at e6 and e1. But
not 23 ctJxg7?? 'ifa8+.

Game 35 (continued)

20 a4 J:tac8 21 f3 J:txc3 22 .ixc3 l:te3 !

Now that 23 'ifd2 ? runs into 23 . . .J:txf3+!,
White loses both his queen side pawns.

Game 36 (continued)

11...lL'lxf3+! 12 i.xf3 d4!

An intuitive pawn sacrifice to clear the
e-file.
13 exd4?
Much better was 13 ctJe4! lL'lxe4 14 i.xe4
dxe3 15 0-0 exf2+ 16 'ifxf2 with compensa
tion - Beliavsky.
13 ... l:te8+ 14 f1
After 14 CZJe2 i.b4+ 15 i.c3 i.f5 ! Black
also enjoys a strong initiative. Instead, 14
i.e2 i.g4 15 f3 i.h 5 16 o-o, securing the
king, seems preferable, although 16 ... 'ifc7 14 c4!
17 h 3 i.g6 18 i.d3 ctJh5 keeps the initiative Clearing either the a4-e8 or the h 1-a8
for Black - Korchnoi. diagonal for the queen. 14 exf7+?! xf7 is
14 'ifa5 15 'ifd1 i.b4 16 J:tc1 i.d7 17 a3
.. less promising - Abramovic.
i.xc3 18 J:txc3 ctJd5 19 i.xd5 14...bxc4
Not 19 l:tc5? .ib5+ 20 g 1 l:te1+ and Or 14 ... 'ifxc4 15 'iff3 with a nasty double
wins - Beliavsky. attack.
19 'ifxd5
. 15 'ifa4+ e7 16 .ig5+! 'ifxg5 17 'ifb4+
Despite the simplifications Black keeps a There follows 18 'ifxb8 with a devastat
clear initiative thanks to superior activity. ing advantage.

78
 Th e Na t u re of Developme n t

Game 37 (continued) speed up White's development and elimi

nates Black's active fianchettoed bishop. 10
lL'lc3?! gxh4 and 10 h 5 ? ! lL'le5 11 h6 i.f6 12
tt:Jc3 o-o! are less promising.
10 i.xb2?!
.

10 ...'iVxg5 11 lL'ld2 d6! was a lesser evil,

not even touching the b2-pawn - Dydyshko.
11 ctJd2 i.xa1
Dydysh ko also analyses 11 ...'iVxg5 12
i.xc7 i.xa1 13 lL'le4! 'iVe7 14 lL'ld6+ <Jif8 15
'iVxa1 with magnificent compensation.
12 'iVxa1 'iVxgs 13 i.d3!
Development with tempo.
13 .Mf8 14 lL'le4 'iVaS+ 15 <Jif1 d6 16 lL'lf6+

15 lL'le6! 'iVd6 <Jid8 17 lL'lxh7 .Me8?

After 15 ...fxe6 16 'iVh 5+ <Jif8 17 dxe6 i.f6 This loses on the spot. 17 ... .Mg8 was bet
18 e7+! White gives mate in two, while ter, although 18 i.h4+ tt:Jxh4 19 'iVf6+ <Jie8
16 ... <Jid7 17 'iVg4 also looks grim for Black. 20 'iVxh4 puts Black under a strong attack.
16 tt:Jxg7+ <Jif8 17 tt:Je6+! <Jie8
Or 17 .. .fxe6 18 .Mhf1+ <Jig8 19 'iVh 5.
18 .Mhf1 .tgs+ 19 <Jtb1 bs 20 'iVhs! i.f4 21
i.b3 aS 22 ctJC7+! 'iVxc7 23 d6! 1-0
In view of 23 ... 'iVd7 24 .Mxf4! exf4 25
'iVe5+, Black resigned.

Game 38 (continued)

18 i.xg6! fxg6 19 'iVf6+ .Me7

Or 19 ... <Jid7 20 'iVf7+ .Me7 21 lL'lf6+, win
ning.
20 i.h4 'iVes 21 'iVf8+ <Jid7 22 i.xe7 <Jic6
After 22 ...'iVxe7 23 lL'lf6+ <Jie6 24 'iVxe7+
<Jixe7 25 lL'ld5+ Black soon loses, while
22 ... 'iVa1+ 23 <Jie2 'iVxh1 24 lL'lf6+ <Jic6 25
'iVe8+ or 24...<Jie6 25 'iVg8+! <Jixe7 26 lL'ld5+
10 hxgs! <Jid7 27 'iVf7+ leads to mate - Dydyshko.
A strong exchange sacrifice that helps 23 'iVf6 'iVe4 24 'iVf3 1-0

79
M a s t e ring Op e n ing S trategy

Game 39 (continued)

16 b4!
An ingenious advance with the double
idea of 17 b5 and 17 .i.b2. The straightfor
ward 16 'ii'g 5?! f8 17 'ii'h 5 l:td8 is less
promising.
16 ...0-0
After 16 ... 'Llxb4 17 .i.b2 o-o 18 .i.f5 !
White obtains a strong attack; e.g. 18 ... g6
19 'ii'h 6 f6 20 .i.xg6 ! or 18 ...h6 19 'ii'g 4 g 5 20
'ii'h 5 ! 'ii'd6 21 l:te6 ! - Huzman.
17 bs .i.f6
Or 17 ...g6 18 'ii'e 2 .i.f6 19 l:tb1 with simi
lar play.
18 l:tb1 'ii'a s 19 'ii'f s!
Unpinning the pawn, with decisive ma
terial gains.
19 ....i.c3 20 bxc6 .i.xd2 21 .i.xd2 'ii'x d2 22
cxb7 l:tad8 23 'ii'b s
White soon won.
14...cxd4
After 14... dxc4 15 d5 ! or 14... 'Llxd4 15
'Llxd4 cxd4 16 cxd5 exd5 17 'Llf4 Black is
also in trouble.
15 cxds 'Lld7
Or 15 ...exd5 16 'Llf4 and the knight en
ters with great effect.
16 ctJf4
Note that White doesn't hurry with the
tempting d5-d6, since the attack on Black's
king is aided by the tense centre.
16 ... .i.e7 17 'ii'a4!
Black is not allowed to castle.
11 ...l:td8 18 .i.bs! a6 19 .i.xd7+ l:txd7 20
l:tfc1

Game 40 (continued)
(seefollowing diagram)
14 C4!
Clearing the centre and preparing ac
tions on the a4-e8 diagonal before Black
manages to castle.

80

Creating new threats with every move.
Now Black is unable to cover the c8-square,
since 20 ...iVd8 fails to 2 1 dxe6.
20...iVb5 21 iVxb5 axb5 22 iLxe7 xe7
Or 22 ... !1Jxe7 23 dxe6 fxe6 24 !1Jxe6, win
ning.
23 d6+ !1Jxd6
Desperation, but 23 ... e8 24 .Mc8+ .Md8
25 .Mac1 was fatal for Black.
24 exd6+ xd6 25 !1Jxd4 e5 26 !1Jxb5+ e7
27 !1Jg2
White soon materialized his extra piece.
Game 4 1 (continued)
15 f5!
Opening the position at all cost, consid
ering Black's lack of development. 15 b1?!
0-0-0 is much less promising.
15... iVxa2
After 15 ...!1Jxe5 16 iVe4 exf5 17 iVxf5
White's lead in development and strong
bishop pair speak in his favour.
16 fxe6 iVxe6
Or 16 ...!1Jxe5 17 exf7+ iVxf7 18 iVe4, win
ning - Rozentalis.
17 iVf4!
A key move that enables iLh3 should
Black castle long or capture the e5-pawn.
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
17... .Md8
Both 17 ... iVxe5 ? 18 iLh3 ! and 17 ... !1Jxe5
18 iLh3 iVe7 19 .Mhe1 f6 20 iVg 3!, preparing
f2-f4, are fatal for Black. In the latter line,
note that White's attack actually becomes
much swifter once the e5-pawn leaves the
board.
18 iLc4 iVe1 19 .Mhe1
By now White's lead in development is
decisive; again we have the typical "play
against one goal" situation.
19 ... h5
Or 19 ...!1Jxe5 20 iLd4 !1Jxc4 21 .Mxe7+
iLxe7 22 .Mel etc.
20 iVg3
Preventing 20....Mh6 and preparing to
meet 20 ... g6 by 21 e6!. The immediate 20 e6
fxe6 21 iLxe6 was also strong.
20 ...!1Jxe5
Suicide, but there were no good alterna
tives anymore.
21 .Mxd8+ xd8 22 iLf4
Avoiding the trap 22 iLg5 ? f6 23 .Mxe5
iVd6!.
22...!1Jxc4 23 .Mxe7 xe7 24 iVd31 1-0
The queen enters on d6 with devastat
ing effect and 24 ... b5 2 5 b3 doesn't change
much, so Black resigned.
81
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
Game 42 (continued)
13 bxc4! .l:!.xc4
Not 13 ... dxc4?! 14 d5 i.c5 15 e6! fxe6 16
tZ:le5, intending 17 5+, with a huge ini
tiative.
14 e6! i.xe6 15 tZ:le5
For the price of a mere pawn, White has
obtained a strong knight in the centre and
cleared the e-file for a future attack.
15 ... .l:!.c7 16 'i!Va4+
An annoying check that forces Black to
leave his king stranded in the centre. 16 c4
f6! 17 5+ li?d8 was less promising -
Svidler.
16...\i?dS 17 C4
82
A tempting advance, but the simple 17
tZ:ld2! was even stronger; e.g. 17 ....l:!.xc3 18
tt:Jdf3, followed by i.d2, or 17 .. .f6 18 .l:!.ab1
'i!Vd6 19 tZ:ld3 iYxa3 20 'i!Vb5 ! with moves like
i.f4 and tZ:lf4 hanging in the air.
11 ...f6 18 c5 iYb2 19 tZ:ld3 iYxa1 20 'i\Vxa5
20...1\Va2?
Black returns the favour. By 20...i.c8!,
preparing ...b7-b6, he could have kept the
balance; e.g. 21 tZ:ld2 b6! 22 cxb6 iYxa3 23
bxc7+ tZ:lxc7 24 'i!Vb6 'i!Va6 2 5 'i!Vb3 and White
has compensation for the pawn, but noth
ing more - Svidler.
21 i.f4 'i!Vc4 22 tZ:lb4! li?e8
Black correctly returns the rook in order
to save his king.
23 i.xc7 'iiff7 24 iYb6 i.c8 25 tt:Jxa6 'i\Vxa6?!
The ensuing endgame is lost for Black,
so the capture 25 ...bxa6 was the last
chance.
26 'i\Vxa6 bxa6 27 tZ:lc3 i.e6 28 .l:!.b1!
Preparing .l:!.b7, with a decisive advan
tage thanks to the strong passed pawn and
the superior activity. The game continued
28 ...i.e7 29 .l:!.b7 .l:!.e8 30 f3 g5 31 .l:!.a7 f4 32
i.d6 li?f8 33 .l:!.xa6 i.xd6 34 .l:!.xd6 i.f7 3 5
tt:Jxd5 .l:!.e1+ 36 li?f2 and White went o n to
win.

Game 43 (continued)
16 .. :c2!!
A spectacular move, and the only one
that does the job! In contrast, after
16 .. .Ci'lc2+?! 17 .l:!.xc2 i.xc2 18 i.g2 or
17 .. .'xc2 18 gxfs dxc4 19 i.d2 'ifh1+ 20
i.c1, White is alive.
17 .l:!.xd4
Entering an inferior endgame, but the
alternatives were no better; e.g. 17 gxfs ??
'ixc1+ 18 .l:!.d1 l2lc2 mate, or 17 .l:!.xc2 l2lxc2+
18 d2 dxc4+! 19 c3 l2lxe3 20 gxfs l2lxf1
21 .l:!.xfl .l:!.d4 with a clear advantage for
Black.
17 ...exd4 18 'id2 'ixd2+ 19 i.xd2 i.e4!
Th e Na ture of De ve lopme n t
Obstructing the enemy development;
19 ... i.xg4?! would invite the white rook
into the battle after 20 cxds .l:!.xds 21 .l:!.g1.
20 f3 i.g6 21 cxds .l:!.xds 22 i.g2 f6 23 f2
hs 24 .i.f4 i.c2!
Redirecting the bishop to a more prom
ising diagonal, where it prevents .l:!.d1.
25 h4 .l:!.e8 26 .l:!.c1 i.a4 27 gxhs .l:!.xhs 28
i.g3 .l:!.e3! 29 .l:!.c4 .l:!.ds 30 i.d6?
An oversight, though after 30 .l:!.xd4
.l:!.xe2+ 31 xe2 .l:!.xd4 Black is much better.
30 ... .l:!.c3! 31 f4 .l:!.xd6 0-1
In view of 32 .l:!.xc3 dxc3 33 cxd6 c2.
Game 44 (continued)
83
M as t e ring Open ing S trategy
19 1Le4!
Clearing the way for the f-pawn and
enabling a future f3 with increased pres
sure on the long diagonal.
19 ...e6 20 f4!
A strong advance opening several lines
towards Black's underdeveloped camp.
20 .. J:!.b8
This leads to unsolvable problems on the
queenside, but the alternatives weren't
much better. 20 ...exf4 21 f3 fxg3 22 .Mae1
wins for White (Krasenkow), while after
20 ... 0-o 21 fxes Black is practically lost since
21 .. .fxes ? fails to 22 .Mxf8+ xf8 23 f3+.
Now let's suppose that, instead of 18 ...cs?,
Black had played the correct 18 ...1Ld7. In
that case, after the analogous continuation
19 1Le4 e6 20 f4 o-o 21 fxes fxes he
would be just fine, with the rooks con
nected and the long diagonal sufficiently
defended. One tempo in development can
indeed make an enormous difference.
21 a4! tbas 22 JLxas 1-0
In view of the horrible position arising
after 22 ...bxas 23 b6+ .1Ld7 24 bxa7! .Mc8 2 5
xas .1Lc6 26 fxes, Black resigned.
Game 45 (continued)
84
12 ...1Lg7?
12 ...e s ! 13 dxe6 l2Jxe6 was a lesser evil,
justifying the knight on d8. After 14 es
l2Jxf4 15 exf6 l2Je6 16 .Mfe1 0-0-0 Black still
has chances of salvation. In contrast, the
text lets White clear the h 2-b8 diagonal
with decisive effect.
13 es! lbhs
Or 13 ...dxes 14 tbxes c8 15 l2Je4! with
irresistible pressure.
14 exd6 exd6 15 .Mfe1+ 'lt>f8 16 .1Lxd7 xd7
11 bs! 1-o
A strong blow that finishes off Black's
resistance. In view of his desperate position
after 17 ... xbs 18 .1Lxd6+ g8 19 axbs,
Black resigned.
Game 46 (continued)
17 ...1Le7!
Speeding up development while neu
tralizing White's mating idea. 17 ....1Lcs?, in
the same spirit, fails to 18 .1Lc6+! and the
bishop is untouchable because of mate,
whereas the game continued 17 ... l2Jxes? 18
e2 8? (the last chance was 18 ...f6 19
xbS+ f7, followed by ....1Ld6) 19 xes !
and Black resigned i n view of 1 9 ...xes 2 0
.1Lc6 mate o r 1 9...xa8 20 xbS+.
 Th e Na ture of Developmen t

18 f.xe7 xe7! 1 8 exd6 'i:Vc6

Clearing the back rank for the rook.
Black has nothing to worry about; e.g. 19
'ikf3 lbxe5 20 'ifa3+ 'ikd6 21 'i:Va7+ f6 fol
lowed by ....Md8.

Game 47 (continued)

19 .l:'i.xb7!
Eliminating one of Black's most active
pieces.
19 ...'ikxb7 20 !.e4 'ifa7 21 !.xa8 'i:Vxa8 22
!.xes lbxcs 23 'ifc4!
New threats with every move. Now
15 es! 23 ...'i:Vc6 runs into 24 lbd4 'i:Vxd6 25 'i:Vxc5!,
A strong blow that opens the position simplifying to a won endgame.
for White's forces and undermines the 23 ...'i:Vc8 24 lbd4 .Me8
bishop on c5. Less convincing was 15 lbxe6 Black parries the threat of 25 'i:Vxc5 and
fxe6 16 'i:Vxe6+ lbe7 17 !.c4 .Mf8 with un 26 lbe6+.
clear play - Parligras.
1S ...lbd7
After 15 ... dxe5? 16 lbxe6! fxe6 17 !.xg6+
hxg6 18 'i:Vxg6+ White soon regains the
piece with a huge advantage. 15 ... lbc6
might be a better try, although after 16
lbxe6! fxe6 17 f.xg6+ hxg6 18 'i:Vxg6+ f8
19 lbf4 White keeps a strong initiative -
Chess Today.
16 lbxe6!
A typical sacrifice to keep the enemy
king in the centre.
16...fxe6 17 'i:Vxe6+ d8
Or 17 ... lbe7 18 .Mxb7! 'i:Vxb7 19 exd6 lbf8 25 d7!
20 'ife5 !.xd6 21 'ikxd6 with a clear edge - An ingenious move to expose the black
Parligras. king along the d-file.

85
M a s te ring Open ing Stra tegy
2S :it>xd7
Or 2 S .. .<:t:Jxd7 26 4Jc6+ r!;c7 27 4Je7+ and
wins - Parligras.
26 ds+ r!;e7 27 4JfS+! r!;f8 28 4Jd6
Finally White recovers the material,
while Black's king remains exposed.
28 ...c7 29 4Jxe8 r!;xe8 30 .l:i.e1+ 1-0
In view of the continuation 30 ... 4Je7 31
g8+ r!;d7 32 xg7 d6 33 xh7, Black
resigned.
Game 48 (continued)
16 cxds!
Before pushing the e-pawn White rules
out ...dsxc4 as in the previous subvariation ;
e.g. 16 e4?! dxc4! 17 xc4 4Jb6, followed by
...b4, with much more resistance than in
the game.
16 ...cxds 17 e4!
The key move of the game, which clears
the position towards the uncastled black
king. Note that both black rooks prove awk
wardly placed once the game is opened.
17 ... dxe4 18 4Jbs
After 18 4Jxe4?! 4Jf6 19 g s e7 Black
defends, though 18 e3 or even 18 d s ! ?
looked strong a s well.
18 ....l:!.a6 19 f4 .l:i.c6 20 ds!
86
I n the same aggressive spirit, clearing
more lines towards Black's king.
20...exds
The tempting 20 ... 4Jcs failed to 21 dxc6!
4Jxb3 22 cxb7.
21 xds e7 22 .l:i.ad1 gs
After 22 ... 4Jf6 23 es ! Black is also in
deep trouble.
23 4Jd6+ xd6 24 xd6 .l:i.h6 25 a3
The bishop is kept on its best diagonal.
Of course 25 xe4+? .l:i.e6 had to be
avoided.
2S ....l:!.he6 26 .l:i.fe1 c7 27 .l:!.xe4
A good alternative was 27 xgs es (or
27 ... 4Jes 28 xg7 4Jf3+ 29 r!;h 1 with irre
sistible threats) 28 4! .l:i.h6 29 xe4,
transposing to a endgame with a decisive
extra pawn.
27 4Jes
..
At this point the game continued 28
r!;g2 4Jc4 29 .l:i.xc4?! (29 .l:!.de1 was correct,
keeping up the pressure) 29 ... .l:i.xc4 30 xgS
c6+ 31 r!;g 1 .l:i.d4! and Black later saved a
draw. In contrast, the simple 28 .l:i.ed4!
would have left him defenceless against the
mating threat; e.g. 28 ...f6 29 f4 gxf4 30 gxf4
4Jf7 31 .l:i.e4! c8 32 .l:i.de1 4Jd8 33 fs and
White wins.

Game 49 (continued)
17 'ifxd4!
Giving back some material in order to
repel the enemy attack. Both 17 J.xd5
.Mxd5, preparing ... .Me8, and 17 'ifd3 J.c6 18
J.e3 lL'lf5! 19 'ifxd8 .Mxd8, with the threat of
20 ...b5, would have let Black retain the ini
tiative.
11 ... J.cs 18 'ifxcs .Mxcs 19 lL'lxds
19 bs!
. .Mg4?! h5 25 .Me4 'lt>e6 26 a3 .Mad8, followed
Stronger than 19 ....Mxd5?! 20 J.xd5
'ifxd5, when White manages to consolidate
his slight material plus by 21 lL'le2 followed
by 22 .Mel.
20 J.a3 ! bxc4 21 J.xcs 'ifxds 22 J.xf8
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
The winning attempt 22 b4?! proves
risky after 22 ... 'ifd2+ 23 l2le2 .Me8 24 .Mhel
h6!, preparing 25 ... c3; but not 24... c3? 25
.Mbdl!, when 25 ....Mxe2+? fails to 26 .Mxe2
'ifxdl 27 .Me8 mate.
22 'ifd4+ 23 'lt>g2 Yz-Yz
..
Draw agreed, in view of 23 ... 'ifd2+ 24
'lt>h3 'ifh6+ 25 'lt>g2 'ifd2+ etc.
Game so (continued)
19 'lt>e2!
Forcing favourable simplifications.
19 l2lxg2
.
After 19 ... 'ifb5+ 20 'lt>xe3 o-o-o 21 J.fl!
Black's compensation is insufficient; e.g.
21 ...'ifb6+ 22 'lt>e2 lL'ld4+ 23 'lt>e1 .Mhe8 24
J.d3 .Mxe5+ 25 'lt>f1, followed by 'lt>g2.
20 'ifxb6! axb6 21 'lt>f2
White regains the piece and emerges a
sound pawn up in the endgame.
21 ...lL'lh4 22 gxh4 'lt>e7 23 .Mhg1 .Mhg8
At this point, the game continued 24
by ... lL'le7-d5, and Black finally saved a draw.
By 24 a3, preparing .Madl, White could have
maintained his advantage; e.g. 24 ....l:i.a4 25
'lt>g3 'lt>e6 26 .Madl!, when 26 ...l2lxe5? fails to
27 .Mge1 f6 28 f4.
87
M as te ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy

Game 51 (continued) longer preventing the mate on h8, this

counterblow becomes possible.

11... hs!
A key move, which prepares ... g 7-g6 26...Wg8 27 .l::txe7 l2'lc3!
without having to bother about .ih6+ and An ingenious defence that keeps Black
lets Black develop his last piece by ...h S -h4 in the game.
and ....l::th s later on. In contrast, 17 ... g6?! was 28 'ii'xc3 'ii'xd6 29 .l::te 8+! .l::txe8 30 lLlxd6
risky because of 18 .th6+ Wg8 19 'ii'g S ! .l::td8 .l::td s! 31 h3 .l::txd6
20 .l::ta c1, intending l2Jes-c6 - Avrukh. An approximately equal endgame has
18 .tf4 g6! 19 'ii'g s arisen, and the game later ended in a draw.
After 19 'ii'h 3 'ii'xf4 20 'ii'x c8+ Wg7 2 1
'ii'h 3 .l::td8 Black enjoys excellent compensa Game 52 (continued)
tion for the exchange, while 19 'ii'xf6 .txf6
20 .ixC7 .l::tx c7 21 .l::txe4 Wg7 leads to an
equal endgame - Avrukh.
19 ... 'ii'd 8 20 .tes h4!
Black is just in time to bring the rook
into play before his centre crumbles.
21 .l::ta d1 .l::t h s 22 'ii'f4 l2'lds! 23 'ii'g4
Of course not 23 'ii'x e4? Which is met by
23 ...l2'lc3.
23 ....:gs
Avrukh is not satisfied with the equality
arising after 23 ....l::txc4 24 bxc4 .l::tx es 2 5
cxds 'ii'x ds 26 f3 ! exf3 27 'ii'xf3 .l::tx e1+ 28
.l::tx e1 'ii'd7 and goes for more. But also 14...0-0!
White has his trumps, as we will see next. Returning some of the material in order
24 'ii'xe4! l2'lc3 25 'ii'xd4 l2'lxd1 26 .id6! to secure the king. Less practical was
Now that the black king's rook is no 14 ... 'ii'xh2?! 1S lLlxd7 'ii'c 7 16 .ixe7 'ii'xd7 17

88

i.d6! and Black's king stays in the centre,
while 14 .. .li:Jd5?! 15 cxd5 l2Jxe5 16 4!
'ifg 5+ 17 f4 'ifd8 18 fxe5 seems even less
appealing for him.
15 i.xe7
After 15 l2Jxd7?! i.xd7 16 'ifxd7 l2Jf5 17
i.xf8 .S.xf8 only Black can be better.
1s ... l2Jxes 16 i.xf8 i.d7!
Bringing out the pieces. By now Black's
safer king and extra pawn compensate for
Th e Na ture of Developme n t
White's bishop pair and superior activity.
17 i.b4 i.e8
Vera suggests 17 ...'ifxf2 ! 18 i.c3 f6 19
i.xe5 fxe5 20 'ifxd7 'ifxe2 21 'ifxe6+ h8
with a slight advantage, so probably 17 i.c5
was more accurate on the previous move.
18 'ife3 l2Jc6 19 i.d6 .S.ds 20 h4 es Yz-Yz
Draw agreed, in view of 21 i.xe5 .S.xd1+
22 i.xd1 l2Jxe5 23 'ifxe5 'ifc6 with an equal
endgame.
89
 Chapter Two
C ri me a n d Pu n is h m e nt
Introd uction
The title of Dostoyevsky's classic novel gives
us a good hint about what this chapter is
about. When a game is decided already in
the opening phase, the scenario tends to be
one and the same: either of the players has
committed one of the "crimes" associated
with this stage of the game, and is duly
punished by the opponent.
Which are the crimes in question? To
start with, I would like to replace the term
"crime" by the less categorical "dubious
action", justified only in the case of a good
reason. Here are some typical actions of
this nature:
t Early pawn-grabbing.
t Early queen raids.
t Multiple moves with the same piece.
t Exposure of the king.
t Premature attacks.
t Extravagance.
t Ignorance and indifference.
The defect they all have in common is
that development and the battle for the
90
centre are dangerously delayed. The rest of
the chapter is dedicated to these actions, in
the above order, although any single game
will often contain several of them.
Before moving over to the games, let's
observe that there are actually innumerable
cases of openings or opening lines where
one side deliberately takes such actions. In
the Alekhine, for example, Black usually has
to move his king's knight several times, al
lowing White to take temporary command
of the centre. The King's Gambit jeopardizes
the safety of both monarchs in several of its
lines. Early pawn-grabbing and queen raids
are combined in lines such as the Poisoned
Pawn Variation in the Sicilian Najdorf {1 e4
c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lbf6 5 lbc3 a6
6 i.g5 e6 7 f4 'irb6 8 -v&'d2 -v&'xb2) and Mar
shall's Gambit in the Slav {1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3
lbc3 c6 4 e4 dxe4 5 lbxe4 i.b4+ 6 i.d2 -v&'xd4
7 i.xb4 -v&'xe4+). As John Watson mentions
several times in Secrets of Modern Chess
Strategy, practice is the ultimate judge of the
correctness of every opening idea, which
can't be accepted or discarded automatically
due to general principles.

Just to mention one more case, the Che
banenko Slav (1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 lL'lf3 tt'lf6 4
tt'lc3 a6 and similar lines with 4 ... a6) was met
with scepticism at its invention due to the
odd move with the rook pawn - it doesn't
develop anything, nor does it fight for the
centre or restrict any enemy plan, at least for
the moment. However, some twenty years
later it is still not clear how to get an advan
tage against this system, and many world
class players, including Kasparov, have used
it in their games. Ironically, contemporary
practice sees the equally "suspicious" 5 h3
among its antidotes!
Thus we should keep an open mind
when discussing what is "right" and
"wrong" in the opening. Nevertheless, the
early defeats and difficulties in the opening
phase are invariably related to the actions
in the above list.
What about the punishment methods?
Well, we are already quite familiar with
them from the previous chapter; for exam
ple: pawn breaks, prevention of castling,
attack at weak points, exchange of defend
ers and, most importantly, a heavy use of
tactics.
Ea rly pawn-gra bbing
We already saw one related case in Dvoret
sky-Schmidt (Game 7). Here are a few more
games where one side suffers badly from
early pawn-grabbing.
Game 53
P.H.Nielsen-J.Timman
Malmo 2002
Slav Defence
1 d4 ds 2 c4 c6 3 lL'lf3 tt'lf6 4 tt'lc3 dxc4 5 a4
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
.i.fs 6 tt'les
6 e3 is another direction in this Slav
main line. Black, for his part, could opt for
the sharp 6 ... e6 7 f3 .i.b4 8 e4 .i.xe4! 9 fxe4
tt'lxe4 on his next move.
6 ...tt'lbd7 7 tt'lxc4 tt'lb6
Black used to play 7 ... 'iic 7 exclusively
here, preparing ... e7-e5, but nowadays the
text is equally popular.
8 tt'les as 9 g3 tt'lfd7
Again challenging the active enemy
knight. Another option is 9 ... e6 10 .i.g2
.i.b4, speeding up development and com
plicating the e2-e4 thrust.
10 lt:lxd7
With this capture White gains a tempo
for development.
10...'iix d7 11 e4 .i.g4?!
Black somehow wants to provoke f2-f3
but, as the remainder of the game will
show us, it is rather White who is helped by
that move. 11 ....i.h3 at once was correct;
e.g. 12 .i.xh3 'iixh3 13 'iib 3 .l::i.a6 14 .i.e3 e6,
when both 15 d5 and 15 0-0-0 can be met
by 15 ... .i.b4.
12 f3 .i.h3 13 .i.xh3 'iix h3 14 'iib 3!
Attacking Black's vulnerable queenside
and preparing 0-0-0.
91
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
14...l:i,a6
Or 14.. .'g2 15 J:i,f1 l:i,a6 16 d5 with a
clear advantage - I.Sokolov. It is indeed dif
ficult to see how Black can cope with the
threat 17 .ie3, whereas 16 .. .'iixh2 17 .if4,
followed by 0-0-0, also looks grim for him.
15 .ie3
15 ...\\1ig2?
When behind in development, don't
hunt pawns! The fact that a player of Tim
man's calibre infringes this principle tells
us something about its relevance. The last
chance was 15 ... e6, intending 16 d5 .ib4 -
I .Sokolov, who instead advocates 16 'it>f2!
.ib4 17 tt'le2 with a clear initiative now that
Black's queen proves dangerously exposed
to 18 tt'lf4 on the next move. In retrospec
tive, that powerful king move would not
have been available after the immediate
11 ....ih 3.
16 0-0-0! \\1ixf3 17 l:i,he1
White brings his last piece into the bat
tle, setting up the irresistible threat of 18
d5.
17 ... g6
This practically loses a piece, though af
ter 17 ...\\1if6 18 d5 cxds 19 exds, followed by
tt'lbs, or 17 ... e6 18 dS ! .ib4 19 dxe6 Black is
92
also done; e.g. 1 9...0-0 2 0 .ixb6 l:i,xb6 2 1 e7!
l:i,e8 22 l:i,d8, winning - Hubner.
18 d5! .ig7 19 .ixb6 0-0 20 .id4
With an extra piece the rest is easy.
20 ... .ixd4 21 l:i,xd4 \\1if2 22 l:i,ed1 \\1ixh2 23
\\1ixb7 1-0
Game 54
A.Vaisser-M.IIIescas Cordoba
Spa nish Team
Championsh ip 1996
Torrosch Defence
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 tt'lc3 c5 4 e3
4 cxds exds 5 tt'lf3 is a more popular re
action to the Tarrasch Defence, followed by
g2-g3 and .ig2, eyeing the potential iso
lated pawn on dS.
4...tt'lf6 5 tt'lf3 tt'lc6 6 cxd5 exd5 7 .ib5 .id6
8 tt'le5?!
We will soon see the drawbacks of this
early attack on c6. A normal continuation
was 8 o-o o-o 9 dxc5 .ixcs 10 b3 and .ib2
in order to complete development, al
though I suspect that the king's bishop
would be better off at e2.
8 ...\\1ic7

Here and on the next move, Black
doesn't hand over the bishop pair by
8 ... .id7?! 9 CDxd7, but keeps the tension.
9 11Va4
With hindsight, 9 lbxc6 bxc6 10 dxcs
.ixcs 11 .ie2, followed by 12 o-o, was pref
erable.
9 ...0-0!
A key decision. Black sacrifices a pawn in
order to speed up development.
10 lbxc6 bxc6 11 .ixc6 cxd4
lllescas immediately clears the centre,
aware that 12 .ixa8? now fails to 12 ... dxc3
13 .ic6 .lies 14 J:i,b1 .ifs.
12 lbxds?!
H ere 12 exd4 .l:i,b8 13 .ibs a6 14 .ie2,
preparing 0-0, was preferable - lllescas,
even though Black keeps the pressure after
14....l:i,e8. At this point, White should proba
bly just bite the apple by 1S 0-0! .ixh2+ 16
'it>h1, since the materialistic 1S h3? runs
into 1S ... .ib4! with strong threats. Indeed,
when ahead in material but behind in de
velopment, giving back a pawn tends to be
a sensible idea.
12 ...lL\xds 13 .ixds J:i,b8
14 11Vxd4?
Taking a second pawn is far too greedy.
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
After 14 0-0! .ixh2+ 1S 'it>h 1 .id6, with
....l:i,b4 coming up, Black has a great position
with certain attacking prospects, but at
least White has managed to castle.
14... .ia6!
Of course. Now White is denied castling,
and his two extra pawns hardly help the
defence. On the contrary, the absence of
black pawns on the b- and e-files lets Black
use his heavy artillery more efficiently in
the attack.
15 .id2 .lies
Parrying the threat of 16 .ic3.
16 11Va4 11Vd6!
Stepping up the pressure. In contrast,
16 ... .ixb2? would be a strategic error in
view of 17 11Vxa6! .ixa1 18 o-o .lies 19 g3,
followed by e3-e4. White is the exchange
down but Black's attack has disappeared
completely and the bishop is a giant on dS.
17 e4 .l:i,xb2 18 .l:i,d1
After 18 1l:Vc6 .l:i,xd2! 19 'it>xd2 (or 19
11Vxd6 .l:i,e2+) 19 ....if4+ 20 'it>d1 11Vb4 the
white king succumbs.
18 ....l:i,c8!
The last piece joins the battle, adding
new tactical themes to the menu.
19 g3
93
M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy
White's position was already beyond
salvation. The text prevents 19 ... iJ4, but
Black is now able to land another tactical
blow.
19 ..J:!,xd2! 20 llxd2
Or 20 xd2 6+ 21 f4 i.xf4+ with a
quick mate on e3.
20...llc1+
With the idea 21 lld1 i.c3 mate. White
is completely lost, though he keeps on
fighting until the bitter end.
21 'ifd1 'ifa3 22 i.c4 llxd1+ 23 xd1 'iff3+
24 c2 'ifc3+ 25 d1 'ifa1+ 0-1
Game 55
A.Moiseenko-S.Dvoirys
European Cup, Fugen 2006
Grunfeld Defence
1 d4 CLJf6 2 c4 g6 3 ct:Jc3 d5 4 i.g5
This line against the Grilnfeld became
increasingly popular during the new cen
tury, with fresh ideas for White being dis
covered, particularly by Georgian players.
4 ... CLJe4 5 i.h4 ct:Jxc3 6 bxc3 dxc4
The most principled reply. 6 ... cs and
6 ...i.g7 are other options.
94
1 e3 'ifd5
This defence of the c4-pawn has the evi
dent drawback of exposing the queen.
7 ...i.e6 is the main line here.
8 i.e2
By developing the bishop first, White
enables i.f3 on some occasions, e.g. if Black
launches a set-up with ... b7-b5 and ... i.b7.
Obviously 8 ... 'ifxg2?? now fails to 9 i.f3.
s ...'ifa5?!
Black goes for a second pawn when his
development is almost zero. 8 ...CLJd7 9 CLJf3
CLJb6 10 0-0 i.g7 seems much sounder,
bringing out the pieces and preparing ... 0-0.
B.Jobava-P.Svidler, Dortmund 2006, contin
ued 11 a4 as 12 CLJd2 'iic 6, and here Svidler
recommends 13 i.f3 ! 'iid7 14 'ife2, eventu
ally leading to a white advantage. A key
factor in the whole 4 i.g s variation is the
bishop on h4 which exerts annoying pres
sure at e7.
9 CLJf3!
White ignores the threat at c3 and just
continues development.
9 ...'ifxc3+ 10 CLJd2 c6
Clearing a retreat route for the queen
via aS-d8. Hanging on to the pawn with
10...bs? proves disastrous after 11 a4 i.b7

12 o-o a6 13 .if3! - Moiseenko. The devel
oping 10....ig7 seems more reasonable,
although after 11 o-o \ijfa5 12 'Llxc4 \ijfd5 13
\ijfb3 'Llc6 14 .if3 \ijff5 15 .Mac1 o-o 16 .Mfd1!,
preparing d4-d5, White had a distinct ini
tiative in Z.lzoria-V.Mikhalevski, Minneapo
lis 2005.
11 0-0 \ijfa5 12 CLJXC4 \ijfdS
In the event of 12 ...\ijfc7 White could
choose between the game continuation
and 13 .ig3 ! ? followed by 14 .ie5.
13 \ijfb3!
Moiseenko has observed a great square
for his queen on a3.
13 ....ig7 14 \ijfa3
From a3 the queen increases the pres
sure at the e7-pawn, just before Black is
able to castle. Moreover, a tactical shot with
'Llb6 is enabled on some occasions.
14....if8?
Returning the pieces to their initial posi
tions is rarely correct in the opening, but
Dvoirys probably didn't expect White's next
move. A better choice was 14...f6 15 .l:!.ab1
'Lld7 (parrying the threat of 16 'Llb6), al
though by 16 .ig4! White keeps the pres
sure. At this point, after 16 ... 0-0 17 .ixd7,
both 17 ... .ixd7 18 .Mxb7 and 17... \ijfxd7 18
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
'Llb6 lose material for Black - Moiseenko,
who also analyses 14 ... b5 15 'Lla5 (not 15
'Llb6?? b4!) 15 ...\ijfd6 16 \ijfxd6 exd6 17 .Mac1,
followed by .if3 and .ig3, with strong pres
sure. Nevertheless, either of these lines was
preferable to the text, as we will see next.
15 dS!
A well-calculated pawn break that clears
several new lines towards Black's camp.
15 ...cxd5
1 5 .. .'iVxd5? obviously failed to 16 'Llb6,
while after 15 ... b5 16 \ijfc3! f6 17 'Lla5 cxd5
18 .ixb5+ Wf7 19 .l:!.fd1 White keeps a
strong initiative - Moiseenko.
16 \ijfc3! f6
The apparently clever 16 ...d4 17 exd4
.ig7, giving back a pawn to bring out the
pieces, fails to 18 'Lld6+!, and 16 ... .l:!.g8 has
the same flaw. By the text Black prepares
... .ig7 on the next move, but runs into a
new tactical problem. Let's remember the
fact that tactical complications tend to fa
vour the side with better development.
17 'Lld6+! \ijfxd6
Black has to accept the enemy intrusion,
since 17 ... exd6 18 .ixf6 would make things
even worse.
18 \ijfxc8+ Wf7 19 .ibs!
95
M a s tering Ope n ing Strategy
Enabling a check on e8, while limiting
both the black queen and knight. 19 'iYxb7
'iYc6 20 ..ia6! was another good option.
19...1tg7
Now White recovers the material with
heavy interest, but 19 ... 'iYb6 20 ..ie8+ g7
21 J:!.ab1 was also terminal.
20 'iYxb7 J:!.d8 21 'iYxa8 'iYb4 22 J:!.ab1 'iYxh4
23 ..te2 fs 24 g3! 1-0
Ea rly q ueen ra ids
One of the first things taught to beginners
is to be careful with the queen, bringing her
out only when the rest of the pieces have
been developed. Although the validity of
this "rule" obviously varies from case to
case, we just witnessed an affirmative one
in Moiseenko-Dvoirys. Here are two more
games where early queen sorties led to big
difficulties for the involved side.
Game 56
T .HiUarp Persson-K.Nygren
Sweden 2004
Owen's Defence
1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 a3
96
A sensible reply to Owen's Defence, in
which Black often tries to get rid of his
king's bishop on b4.
3 ...1tb7 4 lZJc3
4 ...'iYh4?
This early sortie with the queen doesn't
fulfil any particular function and rather
exposes her to the enemy pieces. Normal
continuations are 4 .. .fs and 4....:t'Jf6, taking
control of the key square e4.
s lZ:lf3
The most natural reply, though 5 e4! ?
was possible too, since s .....ixe4? loses the
bishop after 6 g 3 .
s ...'iYhs
Or s .....ixf3 6 exf3, followed by g2-g3
and ..ig2, when the location of the queen
on h4 just helps White.
6 e4
Gaining space and preparing the tempt
ing ..ie2.
6 ...fs
Despite the lack of development Black
opens the game, as this was probably the
only way to justify his previous play.
7 ..ie2!
Relying on some simple tactics White
ignores the threat to e4 and just speeds up

development. other continuations were
less promising; e.g. 7 ds?! fxe4 8 lbxe4 exds
or 7 es?! ..txf3 8 gxf3 lbc6 and the queen is
no longer that badly placed on the h-file.
7 ...'flf7
A sad necessity, but after 7 .. .fxe4? 8 lL'lg5
Black can't defend his queen properly; e.g.
8 ...'fih4 9 g 3 'flh6 10 lbgxe4 'flh3 11 ..tg4!
'f/g2 12 ..tf3 'fih 3 13 CDg 5 etc.
s lbes
8 CDg 5 ! ? seems even stronger: 8 ...'fle7 (or
8 ...'fig6? 9 ..ths) 9 exfS ! exfs 10 o-o, fol
lowed by !tel+, with a devastating lead in
development.
8 ...'flf6
At this point there are several tempting
continuations such as 9 ..tf3 and 9 exfs
'fixfs 10 ..td3, but Hillarp finds an even
more enterprising one.
9 h4!
In order to bring the last minor piece
into play via g S . Black can't stop this idea by
9 ...h6? due to 10 ..th s+, while 9 .. .fxe4? fails
fatally to 10 ..tgs 'flfs 11 ..tg4.
9 .....te7 10 ..tgs 'f/fs
Hardly the square that the queen was
dreaming of when she left the camp on
move 4.
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
1 1 exfs!
Simple but strong - in order to exploit
the great lead in development White
should open the position. The fact that the
bishop on b7 wakes up becomes irrelevant
after the next move.
11 ... exfs
Unfortunately for Black, 11...'fixfs fails
tactically to 12 ..td3 'fif8 13 'fih s+!, whereas
11...-txg s 12 hxgs would just activate the
rook on hi.
12 ..tf3!
Another logical move in order to swap
the only active enemy piece.
12 ...lbc6 13 lL'lbs!
Stepping up the pressure, now that
Black no longer can protect the C7-pawn by
...lba6.
13 .. 0-0-0
.
This won't end well, but what else? For
example, 13 ... ..td8 allows the nice blow 14
..th s+ g6 15 lL'lxg6!.
14 CDxc6 ..txc6 15 CDxa7+ b7 16 dS!
The most forceful follow-up.
16 .....txg5
Obviously 16 ... xa7 runs into 17 dxc6
dxc6 18 'fla4+.
17 dxc6+ dxc6 18 'fla4!
97
M a s t e ring Open ing Strategy

but also because i n this system Black often

needs considerable time to develop his re
maining minor pieces, thus the absence of
that knight might be strongly felt.

More precise than 18 .i,xc6+ b8. Now

Black has to give a piece in order to repel
the attack.
18 .. .'e8+ 19 f1 t:De7 20 hxgs l:!.a8 21 l:!.e1!
l:!.xa7 22 b4
Finally White wins material.
22 ... ti'Jg6 23 l:!.xe8 l:!.xe8 24 .i,xc6+! 1-0
In view of 24 ... xc6 25 b5+.
Game s?
E.Postny-T .Abergel
Europea n Cha m pions h i p,
Warsaw 2005
Benko Gambit
4...ti'Je4
Black also frequently plays 4 ... 6 and
4...d6, not opposing the exchange on f6.
5 .i,f4
Even the odd 5 d3 ! ? has been tried
here, insisting on the bishop vs. knight ex
change.
s ....i,b7 6 a4
A typical idea: before carrying on with
his development White softens up the light
squares on the queenside.

1 d4 t:Df6 2 ti'Jf3 cs 3 d s bs
By this advance Black stays in the waters
of the Benko and Blumenfeld Gambits.
3 ... e6, heading for the Benoni, is a main al
ternative.
4 .i,gs
At first sight, a surprising move - is
White about to exchange his "good" bishop
and surrender the bishop pair? The answer
is yes, mainly since the knight on f6 exerts
unpleasant pressure on his centre (i.e.
4....i,b7, hitting the d5-pawn, is coming up),

98

6 .. Ji'b6?
An unfortunate decision. Black assigns
the defence of the bS-pawn to the queen,
but now she becomes dangerously exposed
to the enemy pieces, just like 4.. .'iVh4 in the
previous game.
6 ...'tiaS+ is a more justified queen sortie to
disrupt White's development, although after
7 CL:lbd2 .i.xds 8 axbs 'ib6 (not 8 .. :vixbs? 9
c4!} 9 CL:lxe4 .i.xe4 10 CLJd2, followed by e2-e4
and CLlc4, White has had excellent results in
practice. Perhaps the modest 6...b4 is Black's
best choice here; e.g. 7 c4 e6 8 'iVd3 CLJf6 9 e4
exds 10 exds d6 with just a slight disadvan
tage in D.Komarov-J.M.Degraeve, French
Team Championship 2002.
7 axbs 'iVxbs
8 CL:lbd2!
Speeding up development and swap
ping the opponent's most active piece for
an undeveloped one. We saw a similar case
with 13 CLJf3 ! in Hellsten-Renman {Game
12).
8...CL:lxd2
8 ....i.xds? loses a piece to 9 c4, while the
provocative 8 ...'ih4 is well met by 9 c4
CL:lxd2 {the threat was 10 l!a4) 10 CL:lxd2,
with ideas like l!a3-b3.
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
9 CL:lxd2 d6
Black resumes development, noticing
that both pawns are immune: 9 ....i.xds?
this time runs into 10 e4, whereas 9 ...'iVxb2?
fails to 10 .Mb1 'iVf6 11 e3! - Postny.
10 e4 'iVd7
The queen takes the square intended for
the knight, since 10 ... 'ib6 would just give
White another extra tempo with 11 CLlc4.
11 CLJc4 g6
Now if Black manages to play ... .i.g7 and
... 0-0 the worst would be over for him; how
ever. ..
12 es!
Just in time, hitting the opponent's
pawn chain before he is fully developed.
12 .i.g7!
..
Abergel sacrifices a pawn, after seeing
that 12 ... dxes ? 13 CL:lxes 'iVxds fails fatally to
14 .i.bS+!.
13 exd6 0-0 14 .i.e2 exd6 15 0-0!
The straightforward 15 CL:lxd6?! permits
1S ... .i.xb2 16 l!b1 .i.c3+ 17 fl .i.a6 with
some counterplay - Postny. The text lets
Black save the pawn, but only by making a
serious positional concession.
15 .i.a6
..
Or 1S ... .i.es 16 CL:lxes dxes 17 .i.h6, fol-
99
M a s te ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy
lowed by c2-c4 and f2-f4, with a huge posi
tional plus.
16 lt:Jxd6
Postny is happy to trade the d6- and b2-
pawns, anticipating a great future for his
queen's rook.
16 ... .llxe2 17 'ifxe2 .llxb2 18 .l:i.ab1 .llg 7 19
.l:i.b7
Material is even, but White's active
pieces spell big trouble for Black.
19 ...'ifa4 20 .lle s!
White exchanges the main defender of
the enemy king, exploiting the fact that
... .l:i.e8 isn't available.
20...'ifh4
Instead, 20 ...lt:Jd7 runs into 21 .l:i.a1!,
while after 20....llx es 21 'ifxes both
21 ... lt:Jd7 22 'ife7 .l:i.ad8 23 lt:Jxf7 and
21 ... 'ifd4 22 lt:Jxf7! 'ifxes 23 lt:Jxes win for
White.
21 .llxg7 xg7 22 'ifes+ g8 23 lt:Je8! 1-0
In view of the multiple threats at g 7, f6
and c7, Black resigned.
Mu ltiple moves with
the same piece
It is simple logic that if we move the same
piece several times, the development of its
100
colleagues i s delayed. H ere are some games
that illustrate this problem.
Game 58
lHracek-U.Illinsch
Oeriman Ee,IJ.Je 2008
Sicilian Defeltce,
Sche-ve.nirJge.n.va.riation
1 e4 cs 2 lt:Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lt:Jxd4 lt:Jf6 5
lt:Jc3 e6 6 g4
The famous Keres Attack, which has
made many devotees of the Sicilian
Scheveningen adjust their move order.
White discourages Black's ... 0-0, prepares
g4-g5 pushing away the enemy knight from
the centre and, for the longer term, gains
space on kingside.
6 ... h6
The most popular reply, neutralizing g4-
g 5 so that the knight can stay on f6, at least
for a while.
7 h4 a6 8 .ll g2 lt:Jfd7
The knight moves away before g4-g5 is
actually played. Such prophylactic retreats
are frequent in the middlegame battle;
however, in the opening we should keep a

certain focus on developing moves. Both
8 .. .lt:lc6 and 8 ... g6 hold better reputations.
9 i.e3
A logical reaction to 8 ... 4Jfd7. White re
frains from g4-g 5 and prefers to continue
development.
9...tt:Jes?!
The knight again ! The later game
D.Rogic-U.Bonsch, Austrian Team Champi
onship 2009, saw the possible improve
ment 9 ... b s ! ?, and after 10 es ds 11 f4 'W/c7
12 o-o i.cs 13 'Wif3 tt:Jc6 14 tt:Jce2 i.b7 Black
had no real problems. His minor pieces are
well developed and he is ready to castle to
either side at the appropriate moment. In
our main game, all this will remain a dream
for him !
10 'W/e2
Before harassing the knight with f2-f4,
Hracek enables 0-0-0.
10 ...'iVc7 11 f4 lt:lc4 12 o-o-o!
White isn't concerned about losing the
bishop pair, and just keeps on bringing out
his pieces.
12 ...4Jxe3?!
After such a long journey, it doesn't
seem right to swap the knight. Perhaps
Black could have tried 12 ... bs, preparing
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
...i.b7, and keeping the active knight for a
while - although after 13 i.f2, preparing
l:the1 and tt:Jds ! ?, White enjoys a dangerous
initiative.
13 'iVxe3 tt:Jc6
Finally Black starts bringing out the rest
of his pieces, but it is already too late ... Can
you spot the punishment?
14 e5!
Of course! With such a colossal differ
ence in activity on the board, White should
hurry to open the position before Black
consolidates with ... i.d7 and ... 0-0-0.
14 ...4Jxd4
In the event of 14...ds, hoping to keep
the position closed, White could try 15
i.xdS ! ? exds 16 tt:Jxds 'Wib8 17 tt:Jf6+!? gxf6
18 exf6+ with a fierce attack.
15 'W/xd4 dxes
Again, 1S ... ds runs into 16 i.xdS!, when
16 ... exds? 17 tt:Jxds 'ifas 18 tt:Jb6 is very bad
for Black.
16 fxes i.cs?
A tactical slip, though Black's position
was difficult anyway; e.g. 16 ... i.d7 17 tt:Je4
0-0-0 18 4Jd6+ with l:th3-b3 as a future re-
source, or 16 ... i.e7 17 lZ:Je4 0-0 18 gS with
ideas like 18 ... h s 19 4Jf6+!.
101
M as te ring Open ing Strategy
17 ii..c 6+! bxc6
17 .. .'ifxc6 failed to 18 d8 mate.
18 XC5 1-0
With the devastating plan ctJc3-e4-d6(+),
targeting the enemy king who can't leave
the centre, so Black resigned.
Game 59
R.Vera Gonzalez
A.Romero Holmes
leon 1996
Colle's Opening
1 d4 e6 2 ctJf3 cs 3 c3 l2Jf6 4 e3
White sets up the Colle, an apparently
modest opening but with great attacking
potential, as in this game!
4...b6 5 l2Jbd2 .ib7 6 ii..d 3 cxd4
A logical capture now that White can no
longer play l2Jc3, but Black had many other
options; e.g. 6 ... ds, gaining space, or 6 ... l2Jc6,
preparing to meet 7 e4?! at any moment
with 7 ... cxd4 8 cxd4 ctJb4!.
7 cxd4
7 exd4 is more popular, clearing the c1-
h6 diagonal for the bishop, whereas the
text has the merit of enabling e3-e4 later.
1 02
7 ...l2Jds?!
With bishops on gs and e7 this is a
common feature in openings like the
Queen's Gambit Declined and Torre's Open
ing, in order to release the tension by ex
changes. Here, on the other hand, Black's
intention is rather to meet e3-e4 by ...ctJb4
or ... ctJf4, but we will soon see that this idea
doesn't justify a second move with the
knight. Preferable was 7 ...d5 or 7 ...ii.e7 8 0-0
d6 9 e4 ctJbd7 in Hedgehog style.
s o-o ts?!
Directed against e3-e4, but now the
black king is dangerously exposed. 8 ...ii.. e 7,
bringing out the pieces, was more prudent,
although after 9 e4 ctJb4 (9 ... ctJf4 10 ii..c 2
ii.. a6 11 .l:i,e1 ctJd3 comes to the same thing)
10 ii..b 1 ii.. a6 11 .l:i,e1 ctJd3 12 J.xd3 ! J.xd3 13
ds!, with the threat of 14 l2Jb3 and 15 d6,
Black still has some difficulties to resolve.
9 e4!
The same old story: the side with a lead
in development opens the position. Black
could now delay .. .fsxe4 for one move by
9 ...ctJb4 or 9 ... ctJf4, yet after 10 ii..b 1 or 10
ii.. c2 respectively, it is not clear what he has
achieved.
9 ...fxe4 10 l2Jxe4 g6?
Romero takes precautions against the
emerging threats on the b1-h7 and h S-e8
diagonals, but also delays development for
the third time in ten moves. Instead,
10 ... ii..e 7 11 lLJeg S ! ?, with ideas like 11 ... g6
12 l2Jxh7! and 11 ...l2Jf6 12 lLJes o-o 13 c2 !,
looks extremely dangerous for him; so the
radical 10...l2Jc6, preparing ...C7 and
... 0-0-0, seems like his last chance; e.g. 11
lLJegS c7! 12 l2Jxh7 o-o-o with some slight
compensation for the pawn. Remember,
difficult situations call for unusual solu
tions!
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

bishop o n g 7 just before White's 12th

move, would have a similar effect.
13 CLJf6+! Cbxf6 14 xf6 l:i.g8 1S dS!
Exploitin g the pin along the c-file, Vera
manages to clear the e-file towards the
black monarch.
1S ...exdS 16 l:i.e1+
The white pieces are cooperating beau
tifully.
16.. .'f7 17 es 'ii'd 8

In GM Baburin's words: "Black has been

ignoring the principles of development and
the punishment is swift! "
11 gs!
Development with tempo. Now
11 ...e7? runs into 12 CLJd6+, so Black has to
move his queen, thus giving the opponent
another extra tempo.
11 'ii'c 7 12 l:i.c1 Cbc6
.

18 CLJgS+! 1-0
An elegant way of including the last
piece in the attack. In view of 18 ...'ii'x gs 19
'ii'f 3+ e6 20 f4+ 'ii'e s 21 l:i.xc6+! dxc6 22
l:i.xes+, Black resigned.

Game 6a
MiAdams..M.Ciurevich
FIDFWorld Cup,
KhantyMansiysk 2007
French Defence
With the bishop already on g 7 Black
would be quite fine here, but now White is 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 CLJd2 cs 4 CLJgf3
able to launch a deadly strike. Indeed, one A flexible move, by which White post
tempo plays a gigantic role in the opening pones e4xds until the moment seems right.
battle. A similar "cheating" experiment in 4 exds is the main option in this French
Postny-Abergel (Game 5 7), placing the Tarrasch.

1 03
M as t e ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy
4...cxd4 5 exd5 'ifxd5 6 i.c4 'ik'd8
Black deviates from the main line
6 ...'ifd6 7 0-0 tl:lf6 8 tLlb3 tl:lc6 9 tl:lbxd4 with
a heavy theoretical battle. The text permits
a more flexible development, since ... tl:lf6,
preventing White's tl:le4 harassing the
queen, is no longer mandatory.
7 o-o tl:lc6 8 tl:lb3 a6
9 'ife2!?
Before taking the pawn White wants to
play .l:!.d1 in order to control the d-file. After
9 tl:lbxd4 tl:lxd4 10 tl:lxd4 'ifc7 11 11e2 i.d6,
followed by ...tl:le7, Black has less to worry
about.
9 ... b5
Thus Black delays White's recapture on
d4 and provides the bishop with the great
b7-square. On the downside, his queenside
pawns become vulnerable to a future a2-
a4. A safer choice was 9 ...i.d6 10 .l:!.d1 tl:lge7
11 tl:lbxd4 tl:lxd4 12 .l:!.xd4 with just a slight
edge for White - Grivas.
10 i.d3 tl:lf6
By now, the set-up with ...tl:lf6 makes
sense, in order to prevent i.e4 or 11e4.
11 .l:!.d1 i.e7 12 tl:lbxd4 tl:lxd4 13 tl:lxd4 'ifc7
14 C3
The immediate 14 a4 permits the
1 04
cramping 14 ... b4, so White prepares it.
14 ...i.c5?
Black g ets ready to meet 15 a4 by
15 ... b4. Unfortunately, moving the bishop
again also implies the loss of a vital tempo
for development. Gurevich obviously re
jected 14 ... 0-0 due to 15 a4, when both
15 ... bxa4 16 .l:!.xa4, hitting the a6-pawn, and
15 ... b4 16 cxb4 i.xb4 17 i.g 5!, followed by
.l:!.ac1, yield White the upper hand.
However, a simple solution was
14 ... i.d7!, complicating a2-a4 while getting
on with development. Admittedly this
bishop was heading for b7, but in demand
ing situations you need to be flexible. After
15 tLlf3 o-o 16 tLle5 .l:!.fd8, followed by ... i.e8,
Black is okay, and he could even consider
15 ... i.c6 16 tl:le5 i.d5 17 i.f4 'ifh7 with un
clear play - Adams.
15 i.g5!
White immediately changes his focus to
the kingside, exploiting the absence of the
bishop on e7.
15 ...i.b7?!
Underestimating the dang er. 15 ...i.xd4
16 cxd4 tLld5 was essential, with some kind
of blockade, although after 17 .l:!.ac1 'ifd6 (or
17 ...'ifd7 18 'ifh 5!) 18 'ifg4!, intending

18 ...0-0? 19 .1i.h6, Black has definite prob
lems in completing his development.
16 .1i.xf6 gxf6 17 .1i.e4!
After destroying the black king's shelter,
White proceeds with the exchange of the
active bishop on b7.
17 ....1i.xe4
17 ...l:td8? fails to 18 .1i.xb7 llVxb7 19
lZ:Jxe6! fxe6 20 llVh s+, while after 17 ... 0-0-0
18 b4 .1i.xd4 19 cxd4 llVd7 20 a4 White has a
clear initiative - Adams.
18 llVxe4 0-0
19 llVh4!
Hitting the vulnerable f6-pawn.
19 l:tfd8
Black just hands over the pawn, seeing
that both 19 ....1i.e7 and 19 ...llVes run into 20
l:td3 !, heading for h3 or g3, while 19 .. .fs 20
llVgS+ <Jih8 21 llVf6+ <Jig8 22 l:td3 ! is also
dangerous for him.
20 llVxf6 .1i.f8 21 l:td3!
The rook gets ready for action along the
third rank, while its colleague reaches the
d1- and e1-squares. For a player of Adams'
calibre, the rest is a matter of technique.
21....tg1 22 llVg5
Of course not 22 l:tg3 ? llVxg 3 ! . Con
versely, Black should now avoid 22 ... J::td s?
Crime and Pun ishme n t
23 lZ:lxe6!.
22 llVe5 23 llVg4 l:td6 24 l:tg3 l:tc8 25 llVh4
..
<Jih8 26 llVe7! llVc5
Or 26 ... llVds 27 llVxf7 .1i.xd4 28 cxd4
llVxd4 29 h 3 ! llVxb2 30 l:te1 J::tdc6 3 1 <Jih2 etc
- Adams.
27 l:te1 l:tf8 28 lZ:lxe6
28 l:txg 7 ! <Jixg7 29 l:te3 was even
stronger - Adams.
28 llVe5 29 J::tge3! 1-0
..
Exposure of the ki ng
Another recommendation to beginners is to
castle quickly in order to secure the king
and activate one of the rooks. H owever, in
practice things are far from being that sim
ple, and sometimes one side delays castling
for one or another reason - to avoid an en
emy attack, develop other pieces, fight for
the centre, etc.
Next, let's see two games where Black's
decision to delay castling was less justified,
and cost him dearly.
Game 61
U .Andersson L.Portisch
..
Skopje Olympiaq 197 2
Sicilian Defence,
Rossolimo. Variation
1 e4 c5 2 lZ:lf3 d6 3 .ltb5+
You might think of the Rossolimo Sicil
ian as a quiet, solid, opening line, yet it of
ten produces miniatures, perhaps due to
White's typically rapid development.
3 ...lZ:Jc6 4 o-o .1i.d7 5 l:te1 lZ:lf6 6 c3
A main idea of the Rossolimo is to build
a pawn centre by c2-c3 and d2-d4.
6... a6 7 .1i.f1 e5
Nowadays, the disruptive 7... .1i.g4! is
1 05
M a s tering Ope n ing S t ra tegy
much more popular; e.g. 8 d3 e6 9 lLlbd2
i.e7 10 h3 .i.hs 11 g4 i.g6 12 lLlh4 lLld7
with a complex game.
8 h3
A useful piece of restriction: before
launching d2-d4, White prevents ...i.g4.
8 ... h6?!
In contrast, Black's corresponding pawn
move makes little, if no sense at all. He
should have preferred 8 ...i.e7 9 d4 0-0 in
order to speed up development.
9 d4 "W/c7 10 a4!
Typical preparation for the lLla3{d2}-c4
manoeuvre.
10...g6?
Portisch must have decided that this
bishop belongs on g 7; unfortunately, he
now loses one more tempo for his devel
opment. After 10 ... i.e7 11 lLla3 o-o 12 dxcs
dxcs 13 lLlc4, with ideas like a4-a5 and
lLle3-dS, White is a bit better, but at least
Black has managed to castle.
11 lLla3 i.g7 12 dxcs dxcs 13 lLlc4!
Simple and strong, spotting the fresh
weakness at d6.
13 ... .l:,b8?
A fatal misevaluation. Portisch probably
didn't like the look of 13 ... 0-0 14 "Wid6! "W/xd6
106
1 5 etJxd6 .l:,fb8 {both 1 S ...b6 1 6 lLlc4 and
1S ... .l:,ab8 16 i.e3! shed a pawn) 16 i.c4
i.e8 with a passive position for Black. How
ever, worse things will happen to him in the
game.
At this point there is of course 14
lLld6+?!, depriving Black of castling - yet
after 14...'>t>e7, followed by ....l:,hd8, things
aren't that clear. Andersson finds a much
stronger solution. Remember, when ahead
in development, open the position !
14 b4!
An ingenious sacrifice that aims to ex
ploit the a3-f8 diagonal with the bishop.
14...cxb4 15 cxb4 i.e6
Unfortunately for Black, the desired
15 ... 0-0 now loses material after 16 bs, fol
lowed by i.a3{-d6}. Even worse is
1S ...etJxb4? 16 i.b2 ! with overwhelming
pressure; e.g. 16 ...lLlc6 17 i.a3 followed by
lLld6+. With the text Portisch prepares
...i.xc4 as well as ... .l:,d8, but Andersson is
just in time to complete the punishment.
16 lLld6+ '>t>e7 11 i.a3!
The move order matters - after 17 bs?!
lLlb4 18 i.a3 as Black can put up a better
defence.
11 ...lbe8

After 17 .. ."ixd6 18 bS b4 19 xd6+
xd6 20 .ixb4+ c7 21 l:!.ac1+ the location
of the black king decides.
18 xb7!
The most effective follow-up, which
helps to clear the c-file for the attack.
18...xb7
After 18 ... l:!.xb7 19 bS+ d6 20 bxc6
xc6 21 l:!.c1 d7 22 .ixa6 Black is also
helpless.
19 bS+ f6 20 bxc6 c7
Or 20 ... xc6 21 xe s ! , inviting the king
to a fatal walk.
21 xes! 1-0
In view of 21 ... xes 22 f3+ or
21 ...xes 22 f4+! xf4 23 es, followed by
mate, Black resigned.
Game 62
R.Ovetchldn-N.Efanov
Nizhl1ij TagH 2007
Semi-Slav Defence
1 f3 dS 2 C4 c6 3 d4 f6 4 b3
A flexible sideline against the Slav. By de
fending the c4-pawn with his queen, White
keeps any other development issues open.
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
4...e6
4...dxc4 5 xc4 .i.fs, followed by ...e7-e6,
is one of many alternatives.
S C3
White opts for a classical set-up. 5 g 3
with Catalan-like play is also possible.
s ...bd7
Black finally reverts to some kind of
Queen's Gambit Declined. A more active
choice was a Meran set-up with s ...dxc4 6
xc4 bS, followed by ... bd7, ... a7-a6 and
... c6-cS.
6 .if4 .ie7 7 e3
This was a natural moment to castle,
but Black prefers to challenge the bishop on
f4.
7 hs s .ies! xes
...
White's previous move forced Black to
make some minor concession in order to
swap the bishop. After the text his knight
becomes temporarily misplaced on hs,
whereas 8 .. .f6 9 .i.g3 xg 3 10 hxg3 fs 11
.id3 leaves him with a somewhat passive
position.
9 dxes g6
Parryin g the threat of 10 g4.
10 .ie2 b6 11 c2!
White correctly estimates that his space
107
M a s te ring Open ing S t ra tegy
advantage and slight lead in development
will be more efficiently exploited with the
queens still on the board.
11 . .lt:Jg7 12 o-o fs?!
. 17 ... cxds 18 c4!
This was another good moment for
12 ...0-0. Black somehow wants to prevent
e3-e4 but, as we will see next, the effect of
his move is quite the opposite.
13 exf6!
Opening the position is usually correct
when ahead in development.
13 ... .i.xf6
14 e4!
A key move that creates new threats be
fore Black manages to castle.
14..:as?
Moving the queen again does very little
to resist White's initiative; and neither does
14... d4?! 15 e5! .i.e7 16 lt:Je4, nor 14... dxe4?!
15 lt:Jxe4 xb2 16 d3 !. So Black should
have tried 14... 0-0! 15 cxd5 exd5 16 exd5
.i.f5 with some compensation for the pawn
thanks to the bishop pair. As we will see
next, it was definitely worth a pawn to get
castled.
15 exds exds 16 cxdS .i.xc3
Practically forced in view of 16 ... cxd5 17
.i.b5+!, displacing Black's king.
108
17 bxc3
The intermediate 17 e4+!? was inter
esting as well.
Just like four moves ago, White hurries
to install new threats before Black castles
away. Now 18 ... 0-0 19 cxd5 xd5?? obvi
ously fails to 20 .i.c4, while after 19 ....i.f5 20
3 Black's compensation for the pawn is
much less convincing than in the 14 ... 0-0
subvariation above. On the other hand,
18 ... dxc4? 19 .i.xc4 would leave his king
fatally exposed in the centre, so he decides
to reinforce that diagonal with the bishop.
18 ....i.e6 19 .l:!.ab1!
An accurate move, bringing a new piece
to the battle with tempo. In contrast, 19
lt:Jg 5 ? ! lets Black escape by 19 ... 0-0 20 lt:Jxe6
lt:Jxe6 21 cxd5 lt:Jd4, while 19 cxd5 .i.xd5
also moves him a bit closer to castling.
19...C7
The only defence of the b7-pawn, since
19 ....l:!.b8? loses after 20 cxd5 .i.xd5 21 .l:!.b5
or 21 .i.b5+.
Again Black is just one move from get
ting castled, but the following ingenious
manoeuvre puts an end to any illusions .
20 a4+! c6
 Crime a n d Pun is hme n t

20 ... i.d7 is met with the same reply. 11 lDd1!?

21 'ifa3 A curious idea. White spends two tempi
Now Black can definitely forget about on transferring the knight to f2, where it
castling, and the rest is play against one can't be bothered by ... b5-b4.
goal. u .. tZ:Jcs
.

21 ...dxc4 22 lZ:Jd4 'ifd7 23 lZ:Jxe6 lZ:Jxe6 24 Another sensible option is 11 ... g6 12 lZ:Jf2
i.xc4 <:J';f7 1-0 i.g7; e.g. 13 l:tac1 e5 14 lZ:Jb3 d5 ! with coun
At the same time, Black resigned. 2 5 terplay in Wang Zili-Xu Jun, Shenzhen 1992.
'iff3+, followed by l:txb7, is one of several 12 lZ:Jf2 i.e7 13 l:tae1 g6
winning options. Black prepares ... e6-e5 without having to
worry about lZ:Jf5, but also weakens his
The next game shows another unfortu kingside. The simple 13 ...0-0, followed by
nate decision regarding the king : castling ... l:te8 and ...i.f8, was perfectly possible; e.g.
to the "wrong" side. 14 a3 l:tfe8 15 b4 lZ:Jxd3 16 cxd3 i.f8 with
. .. g7-g6 and .....ltg7 next.
14 a3
Game 63 Preparing b2-b4, or just a clever waiting
A.Sokolov-LSandler move...
USSR 1991
Sicilian Defence, Najdoif Variation
1 e4 cs 2 lZ:Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lZ:Jxd4 lZ:Jf6 5
lZ:Jc3 a6 6 i.e3 e6 7 f4
Twenty years ago set-ups with f2-f4
were quite popular in the Sicilian, whereas
nowadays, the English Attack starting with
7 f3 is far more common in practice.
7 ...lZ:Jbd7 8 'iff3 'ifc7 9 i.d3 bS 10 o-o i.b7

14...0-0-0?
A fatal decision. Sandler must have
thought that with most enemy pieces lo
cated on the kingside, his king would be
safe on the opposite flank, but this is far
from being the case.
Again there was nothing wrong with
14... 0-0; e.g. 15 g4 e 5 ! 16 fxe5 (or 16 lZ:Je2
d5!) 16 ...dxe5 with a solid game. At this
point 17 lZ:Je2 lZ:Je6 18 g 5 ? backfires after

1 09
M a s t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
18 .. .lbh s 19 h4 fs ! with a strong initiative.
Black could also delay castling for a while, a
typical feature of some open Sicilians in
order to frustrate White's attack. One idea
in this sense is 14... ds 15 es ctJfe4; e.g. 16 b4
'bxf2 17 xf2 ctJe4 with balanced play.
15 b4!
It makes sense to start the attack right
away, before Black consolidates with ...'.tb8
and ... .Mc8.
1S ...ct:Jxd3
After 1S ...ctJa4 16 c4! White also man
ages to clear the c-file.
16 cxd3 '>tb8 17 a4!
Opening more lines towards the black
monarch.
11 ... es
Black tries a counterstrike, aware that
17 ... bxa4? would just play in White's hands
after 18 b s ! es 19 .Mc1 as 20 'bc6+ etc -
Sokolov.
18 .Mc1 d7 19 fxes dxes 20 'bb3
The knight has found a great destiny on
cs. Apart from the clouds gathering around
his king, Black has a serious problem with
the unstable knight on f6.
2o ... bxa4 21 ct:Jcs il.xcs
Or 2 1...5 22 il.g s .Md6 23 d4 with a
110
clear edge - Sokolov.
22 bxcs!
The right recapture, to clear the b-file
and create a dangerous passed pawn.
22 ...'be8 23 g3 '.ta8
Black just hands over the pawn since
23 ...f6 24 d4! followed by 25 dS is terminal .
2 4 xes f6 25 c3
By now White's game plays itself.
2s ... il.c6 26 .Mb1 il.bs 27 .Mfc1 c6 28 d4!
'bc7
29 as
After 29 ds 'bxds 30 exds .Mxds things
might get a little more complicated. In fact
there is no hurry with d4-d5, since Black is
short of active plans. Thus Sokolov just im
proves his pieces until the position be
comes ripe for a tactical shot.
29 ... .Mhe8 30 il.f4 '>tb7 31 il.xc7 xc7 32 c6+
'>tc8 3 3 .MxbS! axbs 34 a6+ '>tb8 35 xbS+
'.ta8 36 .Mc4! 1-0
Premature attacks
"Don't be rushed into a premature, unpre
pared attack" says one of Yusupov's rules in
Opening Preparation. The following two
games illustrate rather well the risks in
volved in such action.

Game. 64
I.Csom-V.Korchnoi
Gyula 1965
Kings lndian Defence
1 d4 ti:lf6 2 c4 g6 3 ds?!
This move is usually effected only after
Black's ... C7-c5 or ... e7-e5. By playing it at
this early stage White sidesteps the Griln
feld (3 tiJC3 dS) but also loses a tempo and
weakens the dark squares, in particular cs.
3 ...i.g7 4 ti:lc3 o-o 5 e4 d6 6 i.e2 c6
The opponent's third move made Black's
planning a bit easier, and he now starts
actions on the queenside.
7 i.e3 a6 8 a4
8 ti:lf3 bs 9 tt:ld2, preparing o-o, was
quite reasonable.
s ...as!
The conclusion of a typical trick in open
ing s like the King's Indian . First, Black sets
up the "threat" ...b7-b5 in order to provoke
White's a2-a4, then he plays ... a6-as, fixing
the dark squares on cs and b4 as future
outposts.
9 g4?
The beginning of an absurd plan. lgnor-
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
ing factors such as the tense centre and a
certain delay in development, White initi
ates an attack on the black king. The mod
est 9 ti:lf3, followed by 0-0, was called for.
9 tt:la6 10 f4
On 10 h4 Black could just react as in the
game.
10...tt:ld7!
Simple but strong. Black redirects the
knight to cs and clears the long diagonal
for the bishop.
11 h4 ti:ldcs 12 i.f3?
Fatally diverting the bishop from the de
fence of d3 and c4. White had to be consis
tent and continue 12 h S, when 12 ...i.xc3+?!
13 bxc3 tt:lxe4 14 i.f3 yields him some com
pensation for the pawn. In turn Black
should avoid this line and continue as in
the game.
12 .. .1\Vb6!
A severe punishment that practically
decides the game. The method of attacking
the weakest spot in the enemy camp, in this
case b2 and its neighbouring squares, is
familiar to us from Tal-Tringov (Game 2)
and Movsesian-Tibensky (Game 3).
13 d2
This fails to a simple trick, but after 13
111
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy
.Ubi 4! 14 Ci:Jge2 'ii'xc4 White is suffering
anyway.
13...'ii'x b2! 14 'ii'xb2 CDd3+ 15 '>t>d2 Ci:Jxb2 16
.lte2
Trying to trap the knight; however...
16 ....ltxg4! 0-1
A second blow directed at the over
loaded bishop on e2. White resigned, since
both 17 .ltxg4 Ci:Jxc4+ 18 '>t>d3 Ci:Jxe3 and 17
.ltfl cxds 18 cxds .Uac8 are hopeless for him
- Neishtadt.
Game 65
R.Milu"'I.Zaitsev
Bucharest 1994
Modem Defence
1 e4 g6 2 d4 .ltg7 3 Ci:Jc3 d6
One of the main protagonists in the
Modern Defence with 4... a6 is my country
man GM Tiger Hillarp Persson. The present
game is referenced in Tiger's Modern, his
entertaining work on this opening system.
4 .ltg5
4 .lte3 is far more popular, followed by
'ii'd2 and 0-0-0. With the text White tries to
provoke ...h 7-h6, but if Black refrains from
112
that move, then the bishop might prove
somewhat misplaced on gs.
4...a6 5 'ii'd 2 b5 6 f3 Ci:Jd7
One merit of the Modern is its flexible
development. By delaying 6 ...Ci:Jf6 Black
avoids an annoying 7 .lth6; neither has he
to worry about e4-es.
7 h4?!
Such an early kingside expansion is not
uncommon in this system, but here White
doesn't have sufficient central control for it
to work properly. A more sustained ap
proach was 7 a4! ? b4 8 Ci:Jdl as 9 c3 with a
queen side focus.
7 ...c5!
In accordance with classical principles,
Black responds to the flank attack with ac
tions in the centre. Note that in a similar
position arising after 4 .lte3 a6 5 'ii'd2 bS 6
o-o-o Ci:Jd7 7 h4, the analogous 7 ... cs? would
fail to 8 dxcs dxcs 9 .ltxcs!.
8 dxc5
If 8 dS, trying to keep the centre closed,
then Black could react by 8 ... h6 9 .lte3 Ci:Jgf6;
e.g. 10 g4 b4 11 Ci:Jd1 ct:Jes 12 Ci:Jf2 e6! in Be
noni-style, with excellent counterplay in
the centre.
8 ...ct:Jxc5 9 h5 .lte6!

Black simply gets on with his develop
ment, avoiding double-edged lines like
9 ... b4 10 'bds ,txb2 11 I:l,b1. From now on,
with the bishop on e6, it is sometimes pos
sible to swap a knight on ds.
10 h6?
This advance only makes sense when
the reply ...,tf8 is forced. Preferable was 10
tbge2 b4 11 'bd1, keeping the tension on
the h-file.
1o...,tes
The bishop is of course happy to stay on
the long diagonal. By now it is hard to find
a justification for the time spent on the h4-
h S-h6 advance.
11 'bge2
Or 11 f4 ,txc3 12 xc3 'bf6!, followed by
... 0-0, with a clear lead in development.
11 'bf6
..
Black brings his last minor piece into the
battle and prepares to meet 12 f4? by
12 ... 'bfxe4.
12 ,tf4?!
The following bishop exchange will just
open the d-file for Black's better developed
forces. 12 'bf4, followed by ,te2 and 0-0,
was probably a lesser evil.
12 ... c7 13 ,txes?! dxes 14 'bc1
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
14...0-0!
Of course. With the h-file closed forever,
Black's king is completely safe on g8.
15 tZ'ld3 I:,fds 16 gs I:,d4
Simple and strong, in order to double
rooks on the open file.
11 ,te2
Or 17 'bxe s 'bfxe4! 18 fxe4 f6, recover
ing the pawn with a huge positional plus.
11 ...,tc4 18 'bxes?
White makes a tactical slip in a difficult
position.
18 ...'be6 19 g3 b4!
Finally Black breaks through on the
queen side.
20 ,txc4 I:l,xc4 21 'be2 I:l,xc2
Unable to castle, White is rendered help
less.
22 f1 I:l,d8! 0-1
Short of a proper defence against the
threatened 23 ... I:I,dd2, White resigned.
Extravaga nce
Some opening lines challenge the logic of
opening play, usually by neglecting devel
opment or the fight for the centre. Often
they are associated with play on the flanks,
as in the next three examples.
113
M a s tering Open ing Strategy
Game 66
G.Kaidanc)v-D.Ciurevich
US Championship, Chandler 1997
Jrre.gular defence
1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 a6?!
With this offbeat move Black tries to ob
tain an improved version of the Benko. This
game will give us a hint about why his idea
is not seen more often in practice.
3 ctJC3 C5
We should compare this position with
the one arising after 1 d4 ctJf6 2 C4 c5. In the
latter case, White usually continues 3 d5,
aware that 3 dxc5?! lt:Ja6 or 3 ... e6 yields
Black an easy road to equality. As we will
see next, the inclusion of ctJb1-c3 and ... a7-
a6 changes things a great deal.
4 dxcs!
H ere the natural 4 d5 permits 4...b 5 ! 5
cxb5 axb5 6 lt:Jxb5 'iVa5+!? (6 ...i.a6 7 lt:Jc3
transposes to the Benko} 7 lt:Jc3 i.b7 8 i.d2
'iVb6 9 e4 e6 with interesting compensation
for the pawn. The text is much strong er -
White gains an important tempo that will
help him seize the centre by e2-e4 on the
next move.
114
4...e6
After 4...'iVa5 5 e4! 'iVxc5 (or 5 ...lt:Jxe4?! 6
'iVa4! 'iVxa4 7 lt:Jxa4 lt:Jc6 8 i.d3 with a firm
grip on the queenside} 6 i.e3 'iVa5 7 i.d3
Black's opening hardly impresses, but in the
game he will actually face more serious
problems.
5 e4 'iVc7
The immediate 5 ... i.xc5 runs into 6 e5,
so Black prepares it.
6 b4!
There was nothing wrong with 6 f4
i.xc5 7 e5 and 8 lt:Je4 next, but the text is
more ambitious.
6 ...lt:Jxe4
Kaidanov also indicates that 6 ... a5 7
lt:Jb5 'iVe5 8 i.e3 or 6 ... b6 7 cxb6 'iVe5 8 i.d2
i.xb4 9 lt:Jf3 'iVc5 10 .l::!.b 1 leads Black into
big difficulties. The text lets him regain the
pawn, at the cost of a serious delay in de
velopment.
7 ctJxe4 'iVes 8 i.e3 'iVxe4 9 ctJf3 b6
Trying somehow to release White's
queenside bind, and providing the queen
with a retreat square on b7. 9 ...lt:Jc6? failed
fatally to 10 i.d3 'iVg4 11 h 3 ! , trapping the
queen after 11...'iVxg2 12 .l::!.h 2 or 11...'iVh 5
1 2 g4.

10 .td3 11Yb7
The opening experiment has turned into
a nightmare for Black - the open centre
suggests a tactical battle, in which his bad
development will be severely felt.
11 tLlgS!
Exploiting the absence of a knight on f6,
Kaidanov takes the first step to an attack on
the black king, and creates the threat of 12
.te4 tLlc6 13 bs.
11...bxcs 12 bxcs fs
Or 12 ... 11Yh4+ 13 f1 4Jc6 14 11Yf3 fs 15
4Jxe6 etc - Kaidanov. The text parries most
of White's threats but creates new weak
nesses on the kingside.
13 o-o 11Yc6
After 13 ... tLlc6 14 J:te1 .te7 15 l:tb1 11Ye7
16 .txfs ! exfs 17 11Yds l:tf8 18 4Jxh7, fol
lowed by .tg s, Black is also in big trouble.
14 .td4!
This move doesn't just prepare to meet
14 ... .txcs by 15 .txg7, it also installs the
irresistible threat of 11Yh s+. Black is already
beyond salvation.
14....tb7 1S 11Yhs+ g6 16 11Vh3 l:tg8 11 .te4!
A nice piece of obstruction.
17 ... fxe4 18 11Yxh7 l:tg7 19 .txg7 11Yxcs 20
.tf6! 1-0
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
In view of the imminent mate, Black re
signed.
Gome 67
lcheparinov-I.. Salgado Lopez
Moscow 2011
Blumenfeld Gambit
1 d4 4Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 4Jf3 cs 4 dS bS
In contrast to Black's nameless defence
in the previous game, the Blumenfeld
Gambit is a fully respectable opening,
which has been used by many strong play
ers over the years. On the other hand, its
treatment in the present game could be
regarded as truly extravagant. How often
do you make four of your first eleven moves
with a rook?
s .tgs
As we already discussed in Game 57
(Postny-Abergel), in such lines White is
generally happy to swap his "good" bishop
for the active knight on f6.
s ...11Yas+
The sharpest reply, unpinning the
knight in order to increase the pressure on
White's centre. The Benoni-style s ... exds 6
115
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
cxds d6 is also playable.
6 'Libd2!?
Curiously, this natural move is nowhere
near as popular as 6 d2 or 6 'Lic3. White
temporarily gives up a pawn to speed up
development.
6 ... bxc4
The tempting 6 ... '2ie4 runs into 7 b4!
xb4 8 I:i.b1, a trick familiar from a similar
Benko line (i.e. 1 d4 'Lif6 2 c4 cs 3 dS bS 4
'2id2 as S e4 'Lixe4?! 6 b4!). There can fol
low 8 . . c3 9 I:i.b3 as 10 I:i.xbs c3 11 I:i.b3
.
as 12 .if4, and 13 1 next, with a clear
initiative.
7 .ixf6 gxf6 8 e4 I:i.g8
Exploiting the semi-open file to compli
cate the recapture .ixc4. Capitalizing on
the pawn with 8 ... C3?! yields White a dan
g erous initiative after 9 bxc3 xc3 10 I:i.c1
as 11 .ic4, followed by o-o.
9 g3
9 ....l::i.g4?!
A fancy rook raid, though move 9 is a bit
too early for it! Much sounder was 9 ... .ia6,
starting to bring out the minor pieces; e.g.
10 c2 .ih6 11 .ixc4 .ixc4 12 xc4 'Lia6 as
tried in a few earlier games, with rather
unclear play.
116
10 .te2!
Simple and strong. White just hands
over the e4-pawn in order to castle, after
which his lead in development will be
overwhelming. In contrast, after 10 c2 fs !
11 .ixc4 I:i.xe4+ 12 <;t>f1 .l::i.g 4, followed by
....ib7, Black gets the kind of play he was
looking for.
10...I:i.xe4 11 0-0
11 ...I:i.xe2?!
This exchange sacrifice doesn't really
ease Black's defence - rather, it helps White
to seize the central files with his major
pieces. After 11 ... .l::i. g 4 12 'Lixc4 c7 13 I:i.e1,
or even 13 a4!? intending 'Lid6+, White
has a huge initiative for the pawn, but the
battle goes on.
12 'Lixc4! a6 13 xe2
An amusing picture - of Black's pieces,
everyone except the queen is still in its ini
tial position ! With several open files at
White's disposal, the black king is practi
cally doomed.
13 ....ib7 14 I:i.ad1 xa2 15 I:i.fe1! a4
Unfortunately for Black, 1S ...'Lia6 loses a
piece after 16 I:i.a1 3 17 'Lias.
16 b3
Exploiting the trick 16 ...xb3 ? 17 I:i.b1,
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

White gives his knight some extra protec iVg6 mate, Black resigned.
tion, thus liberating the queen.
16.. Jib4 17 iVd3 a6 Game 68
17 .. .<:t:Ja6? fails to 18 dxe6, threatening K.Hutak..I.Saric
mate. The text prepares ....l:b7 reinforcing Croatlan Team
the defence, though it is already too late. Championship 2007
Benoni Defence

1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e5 4 tt:lc3 d6 5 e4
In this initial position of the Czech Benoni,
Black usually continues 5 ...i.e7, followed by
...0-0, with ...tt:le8, ...g7-g6 and ...tt:lg7 as a fu
ture idea. Saric's next move looks like a trans
position to the King's Indian, but we will soon
see that he has other intentions.
5 ... g6 6 i.e2 h5?!

Having placed his pieces in ideal posi

tions, Cheparinov is ready for a decisive
combination.
18 dxe6 fxe6 19 .Mxe6+!
Opening the gates to Black's king. On
the previous move, 18 iVxh7, intending 19
tt:lfe 5 ! fxe5 20 tt:lxe5, was another strong
option.
19 ...dxe6 20 'iVd8+ r:Jlf7 21 tt:lg5+! r:Jlg6
Or 21 .. .fxg 5 22 tt:le5+! r:Jlg8 23 iVxg5+
with mate - Golubev. Thus Black prepares ...i.h6 in order to
22 tt:lxe6 'iVxb3 swap the "bad" bishop. This might seem
If 22 ... tt:lc6, White wins by 23 tt:lxf8+ r:Jlf7 like a clever strategic idea; unfortunately, it
24 tt:ld6+ r:Jlg8 2 5 'iVd7! .Mxf8 26 tt:lf5 .Mf7 27 implies a certain time loss and also rules
tt:lh6+ - Golubev. out short castling. Moreover, as Watson
23 tt:lxf8+ r:Jlh5 24 tt:le5! pointed out several times in Secrets of Mod
Avoiding any tricks with ...iVf3 and cre ern Chess Strategy, such "bad" bishops can
ating the threat 25 g4+. Obviously the actually be missed once the position is
knight is immune because of mate. opened. The simple 6 ...i.g7 was preferable
24 i.f3 25 tt:lxf3 'iVxf3 26 .Md5+ r:Jlh6 27
.. here.
'iVe7! 1-0 7 f4!
In view of 27 ...'iVxd5 28 'iVxh7+ r:Jlg 5 29 Anticipating the absence of dark-

117
M a s t ering Open ing Strategy
squared bishops, Hulak clears lines towards
the vulnerable points at d6 and f6.
7 ...exf4 8 .i.xf4 'ile7
Preventing e4-e5 and preparing ... tt:lbd7-
es. After 8 ... .i.h6?! 9 .i.xh6 .l:!.xh6 10 'ild2
.l:!.h8 11 'ilf4! a6 (the threat was 12 tt:lbs} 12
tt:lf3, followed by 13 es, White develops a
strong initiative.
9 'ila4+!
A clever restrictive move. Now the de
sired 9 ... tt:lbd7 runs into 10 tt:lbs; e.g.
10 ...'W/xe4 11 tt:lh 3 ! 'W/xg2 12 0-0-0 with a
dangerous initiative. Thus Saric prefers to
parry the check with the bishop.
g ....i.d7 10 'W/c2 .i.h6
The pragmatic 10 ... .i.g7 11 tt:lf3 tt:lg4
might have been worth a shot, but Black
gets on with his plan.
11 .i.xh6 .l:!.xh6 12 tt:lf3 tt:lg4
With the queen's knight deprived of the
intended route d7-e5, Saric uses the other
knight to control the crucial es-square.
13 0-0 f6?!
Strategically well-founded but too slow
in this position. 13 ... tt:le3? obviously failed
to 14 'ild2, so the developing 13 ...tt:la6 was
called for. There can follow 14 'W/d2 .l:!.h8 15
h 3 tt:les 16 'ilf4! tt:lxf3+ 17 .l:!.xf3 g s 18 'Wif6!
118
and Black is under pressure, but the text
leads to worse sufferings for him.
14 'ild2 g5
Black's dark square blockade looks im
pressive, but Hulak's next move puts an
end to any illusions.
15 es!
A timely blow, clearing the centre before
Black gets castled. Now it is White who will
enjoy a great blockading square on e4.
15 ... dxes
This implies a knight sacrifice on g4, but
alternatives were even worse: 1S .. .fxes ? ! 16
tt:lxg s leaves Black's king exposed to ideas
like .l:!.f7 and tt:lce4, while after 1S ... tt:lxes 16
tt:lxes, both 16 ... dxes 17 d6 and 16 ...'W/xes
17 .i.d3 preparing 18 .l:!.ae1+ is terminal for
him, while 16 .. .fxes is no improvement in
view of 17 tt:le4 with the irresistible threats
18 tt:lxg s and 18 .i.xh S+ .l:!.xh s 19 tt:lf6+. In
these lines the "missing" tempo in Black's
queenside development is strongly felt,
preventing him from a relieving ...0-0-0.
16 tt:le4!
The tempting 16 d6 permits 16 ...'W/e6 17
h3 tt:lc6! with similar play to the game, but
with Black's queen's knight more actively
placed on c6.

16 ... tba6 17 h3 0-0-0 18 hxg4
White correctly estimates that he can
cope with the enemy attack on the h-file.
Otherwise 18 b4! ? was a different idea,
when both 18 ... cxb4 19 cs and 18 ... tbxb4 19
d6 'ii'g 7 20 tbxcs lead to interesting attack
ing prospects.
18 ... hxg4 19 tbh2 fS
Or 19 .. J:txh2 20 'it>xh2 'ii'h 7+ 21 Wg1
'ti'xe4 22 l:txf6 g3 23 l:th6!, repelling the at
tack with a clear advantage.
20 tbxg4
A practical choice, giving back the piece
in exchange for positional superiority.
20...fxg4 21 'ti'xgs 'ii' h 7?!
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
After 2 1 ...'ti'xgs 2 2 tbxg s the endgame
favours White, but the text lets him launch
a decisive counterattack.
22 tbf6! l:th1+ 23 f2 1:txf1+ 24 l:txf1 'ti'c2 25
'ti'xes g3+ 26 'it>g1 l:tf8 27 'ti'e7! 1-0
Ignorance and indifference
A common reason for opening failures is
insufficient attention to details in the posi
tion; for example, when a player doesn't
pay attention to a tactical or positional
threat that was just created by his oppo
nent. Another, related situation is when a
player goes against the logic of the particu
lar opening or opening position; for exam
ple, by a pawn advance that doesn't form
part of his set-up, or by developing the
"wrong" piece. Finally, a third cause of early
defeats or difficulties is simply when a
player doesn't know or remember a vital
move, move order or idea in the particular
opening. Let's see some examples.
Game 69
LAronin-Kantorovich
USSR Team Cha mpionship 1960
Sicilian Defence, Aiapin Variation
1 e4 cs 2 tbf3 g6 3 c3
White steers the game into the Alapin,
now that Black's second move has ruled out
some of his more popular set-ups against
that system, such as 2 ...tbf6.
3 ... b6
Generally speaking, in the opening
phase it makes sense to conclude a fi
anchetto right away; i.e. 3 ....ig7 in this
case, when 4 d4 cxd4 5 cxd4 dS leads to a
well-known theoretical position. In the
game Black initiates a second fianchetto,
119
M a s t e ring Open ing S trategy
which is not that bad an idea in itself - the
problem is that he never finishes the first
one with ...iig7.
4 d4 itb7 5 iic4!
After S iid3 iig7 6 o-o White also has an
easier game, but the text is more ambi
tious.
In fact, after just five moves, Black's ex
travagant opening already exposes him to
some danger; e.g. s ... iixe4? 6 tt:Jgs ! dS 7
JibS+ lbd7 8 dxcs bxcs 9 f3 iixb1 10 ifxds!
with decisive threats; or s ...iig7?! 6 dxcs,
when 6 ...bxcs? fails to 7 ifh3. Learning from
the last line, s ...cxd4 6 cxd4 iig7 could be
suggested; while s ... e6, preparing ... iig7, is
another option, tried in the game
J.Timman-L.Ljubojevic, Wijk aan Zee 1972.
Instead, Kantorovich found a "simpler" so
lution to White's threats.
5 ... d5?
This counter-logical move, opening the
position when behind in development,
proves to have fatal consequences.
6 exd5 itxd5?
The automatic recapture implies that
Black hasn't yet sensed the danger. The last
chance was 6 ...tt:Jf6 7 JibS+ lbbd7 8 c4 iig7
with a rather suspicious gambit.
120
7 "ifa4+!
Punishing the opponent on his most vul
nerable spot: the a4-e8 diagonal.
7 ...itc6?!
This loses outright, though after 7 ...tt:Jc6
8 tt:Jes (or 8 Jibs followed by 9 c4) 8 ....Mc8 9
Jibs "ife7 10 o-o, preparing 11 c4, Black is
also in enormous trouble.
8 lLle5! 1-o
Black resigned, in view of 8 ...iixa4 9
iixf7 mate or 8 ...ifd6 9 lbxc6 lbxc6 10 dS -
Neishtadt.
Game 70
J.Hellsten-J.Calderon
Riobamba 2008
Tarrasch Defence
1 lLlf3 e6 2 d4 d5 3 c4 c5 4 lLlc3 tt:Jc6 5 cxd5
exd5 6 g3
Reaching an initial position of the Tar
rasch.
6 ...ite6
Somewhat premature - in this defence
the queen's bishop tends to be the last mi
nor piece to leave the house, simply be
cause its colleagues have more or less pre-
 Crime a n d Pun is hme n t

defined squares. The main line goes 6 ...Cbf6 fore h e i s fully developed. Evidently this blow
7 .ig2 .ie7 8 0-0 0-0, when White is at a would not have worked after 8 ... Cbf6 instead
major junction between 9 .tg s and 9 dxcs. of 8 ... .id6. In conclusion, not every develop
7 .ig2 a6?! ment move comes to the same thing.
This move, preventing CZJbs, is a com
mon feature in the Tarrasch - but not this
early! Black could still get a normal game
with 7 ...Cbf6.
8 0-0

9 ...CZJge7
After 9 ... cxd4 10 CZJxd4 or 9 ... dxe4 10
CZJxe4 Black is also in deep trouble.
10 exds
As usual, opening the position makes
8....td6? sense when ahead in development. 10 eS?!
This third inaccuracy leads to fatal con .to would be a relief for Black.
sequences. 8 ...Cbf6 was again vital, although 10...CZJxds 11 CZJgs!
after 9 .tg s .ie7 10 dxcs .ixcs 11 .txf6! With irresistible pressure on the light
Black can't play 11..J&'xf6 12 CZJxdS 11Vxb2 squares.
due to 13 Cbc7+, so he is forced into the hor 11...CZJxc3 12 bxc3 .ic4 13 l:te1+
rible 11...gxf6. (Interestingly, if we replace
... a7-a6 by ... 0-0 in this line, then 11...11Vxf6
12 CZJxdS 11Vxb2 is indeed possible, and has
actually been tried hundreds of times in
practice!) As for the alternative 9 ...cxd4 10
CZJxd4 .ie7, White could try something like
11 Cbxc6 bxc6 12 J:tc1 0-0 13 lba4 with a
stable advantage, now that ...a7-a6 doesn't
contribute to Black's game at all. However,
much worse things will happen to him af
ter the careless move played in the game.
9 e4!
Of course - hitting Black in the centre be-

121
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
13 ...i.e7
This loses material, though after
13 ...Wf8 14 llb1 Black can't defend properly
either; e.g. 14...llb8 15 dxcs i.xcs 16 i.f4.
14 d5 o-o 15 dxc6 i.xg5 16 'Vixd8 1-0
In view of 16 ... i.xd8 17 cxb7 llb8 18 i.f4,
Black resigned.
Game 71
R.J.Fischer-M.Tal
Bled 1961
Sicilian Defence,
Taimanov Variation
1 e4 c5 2 l2Jf3 l2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 e6 5
l2Jc3 'Vic7 6 g3
This fianchetto line is one of the main
replies to the Sicilian Taimanov. Play usu
ally continues 6 ... a6 7 i.g2 l2Jf6 8 0-0, when
Black has several choices such as 8 ... d6,
8 ... i.cs and 8 ...l2Jxd4 9 Vixd4 i.cs. Instead,
with his next move Tal "modifies" the move
order and is severely punished for the rest
of the game.
6...l2Jf6?
"Probably the losing move ! " - Fischer.
Interestingly, against 6 i.e3 or 6 i.e2 there
122
i s nothing wrong with playing 6 ...l2Jf6 be
fore ... a7-a6, but here it proves to be a seri
ous inaccuracy, as we will see next.
7 l2Jdb5! Vib8 8 i.f4!
From now on Fischer will never let his
opponent rest, creating new threats on
every move, with a particular focus on the
d6-square.
8... l2Je5
Later it was discovered that the ugly
8 ... es offers more resistance. There can fol
low 9 i.g s a6 10 i.xf6 gxf6 11 l2Ja3 i.xa3
12 bxa3 l2Je7 13 Vif3 ! ? 'Vic7 14 i.g2 d6 15
0-0, intending l2Jd1-e3, with a more com
fortable game for White in Alexa. lvanov
I.V.Ivanov, US Championship, Long Beach
1989. But if Black is aiming at such kind of
play, I guess he should rather go for the
Sveshnikov (1 e4 cs 2 l2Jf3 l2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4
l2Jxd4 l2Jf6 s lLic3 es) straight away!
9 i.e2!
From here the bishop covers the f3-
square, thus creatin g the threat of 10 'Vid4.
9 ...i.c5
On most other moves 10 Vid4 is trouble
some for Black; e.g. 9 ... a6? 10 Vid4! d6 11
lld1! axbs 12 i.xes with a huge edge, now
that the bishop is untouchable due to mate.

10 i.xe5!
This exchange isn't favourable by itself
but, together with the following two pawn
moves, it lets White take a firm grip on the
centre.
10 .'iVxe5 11 f4 iYb8 12 e5
. 19 ... l:txa2 20 'i?b1 l:ta6
Right on time, before Black consolidates
with ...d7-d6.
12 ...a6
Aware that 12 ...Ct:Jg8 13 Ct:Je4, followed by
Ct:Jbd6+, would be terrible for him, Tal opts
to complicate the game.
13 exf6 axb5 14 fxg7
14 Ct:Je4 i.f8 15 'iYd4 was another good
option - Keres.
14...l:tg8 15 Ct:Je4 i.e7 16 'iYd4!
A move with several virtues: it protects
the important g7-pawn, speeds up devel
opment and enables a future check on f6.
The b5-pawn can of course wait.
16 ... l:ta4
This inventive move won't solve Black's
problems, but he was already short of a
good defence. On 16 ...'iYc7 White could con
sider 17 0-0-0!? J::txa2 18 'i?b1, with similar
play to later on in the game.
17 Ct:Jf6+ i.xf6 18 iYxf6 'iYc7
19 0-0-0!
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
Fischer has observed that his king will be
safe on b1, irrespective of the capture on
a2. In contrast, 19 i.xb5? failed to
19 ...iYa5+, while both 19 i.h 5 d5 and 19
i.d3 iYc5 give Black more hope of survival.
Or 20 ...iVa5 21 b3! with the strong
threat of 22 i.h 5.
21 i.xb5
Another good option was 21 i.h 5 d6 (or
21 ...d5 22 J::tx d5 !) 22 J::th e1 'iYe7 23 'iYh6 'i?d7
24 iYxh7 with a quick win - Fischer.
21...l:tb6 22 i.d3 e5
Tal tries to reach an inferior endgame
after 23 iYxe5+ iYxe5 24 fxe5 J::txg7, but in
vain ...
23 fxe5! J::txf6 24 exf6
Now the threat of 25 i.xh7 proves irre
sistible.
24...iYc5
If 24 ... iYb6, then 25 l:thfl! - Fischer.
25 i.xh7 iYg5 26 i.xg8 iYxf6 27 l:thf1 iYxg7
28 i.xf7+
With such a material advantage, the
rest is easy.
28 ... 'i?d8 29 i.e6 'iYh6 30 i.xd7! i.xd7 31
l:tf7 iYxh2 32 l:tdxd7+
White soon won.
Game 72
G.RavinskyE.Bebchuk
Moscow 1964
Scandinavian Defence
1 e4 d5 2 exd5 iYxd5 3 Ct:Jc3 'iYd8 4 d4 g6
An interesting way of treating the Scan
dinavian. From g7 the bishop will exert
pressure on the d4-pawn, possibly joined by
the knight via h6-f5.
5 i.f4!
1 23
M a s te ring Ope n ing S t ra tegy
A move popularized by Fischer after his
instructive win against Robatsch at the
1962 Varna Olympiad.
s .ig7 6 lZ'lf3
. that his king's knight is still on g8. As for
Fischer played 6 "iYd2, speeding up the
plan of o-o-o and .ih6, though the text is
equally reasonable.
How should Black continue his devel
opment?
6 .. .ig4?
.
Difficult to believe, but after this natural
move White is close to winning ! Either
6 ... CZ'lh6 ! ?, heading for f5, or the simple
6 ...CZ'lf6, followed by ...0-0, should have been
tried - Neishtadt. Having browsed through
many short games lately, I have observed
that one cause of opening disasters is the
development of low-priority pieces; e.g.
bringing out the queenside pieces when
you are going to castle kingside, as in this
case.
7 .ic4! e6
Parrying the threat of 8 .ixf7+. Instead,
7 ...CZ'lf6? obviously failed to 8 .ixf7+ <Jixf7 9
CZ'le5+, while the prophylactic 7 ... "iYc8 is
strongly met by 8 lZ'ld5.
8 h3 .ixf3 9 "iVxf3 CZ'lc6
This is like sending an invitation card to
1 24
White's d4-d5. Unfortunately, the desirable
9 ... c6 failed to 10 CZ'le4!, heading for d6,
when Black is definitely regretting the fact
the brave 9 ... "iVxd4, after 10 "iVxb7 "iYxc4 11
"iVxa8 Black's slow kingside development
again speaks against him; e.g. 11 ... .ixc3+
12 bxc3 "iYxc3+ 13 <Jie2 "iYxc2+ 14 <Jif3 "iYd3+
15 .ie3 and the checks are soon over.
10 0-0-0!
The quickest way to conclude develop
ment and enhance the punishing d4-d5
advance. In contrast, after 10 d5 CZ'ld4
things might get more complicated.
10...CZ'lge7
Both 10...CZ'lxd4 11 "iVxb7 and 10....ixd4
11 ctJb5 were fatal for Black - Neishtadt.
11 d5!
Right on time, clearing both central files
before Black castles away.
11 ...exds 12 lZ'lxds lZ'lxds 13 .Mhe1+!
More efficient than 13 .ixd5 0-0 14
.ixf7+ (not 14 .ixc6? "iYf6!) 14....Mxf7 15
.Mxd8+ .Mxd8, when Black could play on for a
while in the lost endgame.
13 ...<Jif8
Or 13 ...CZ'lce7 14 .ixd5 o-o 15 .ixb7 with
heavy material gains.

14 l':i.xd5 'iff6 15 'ifa3+!
A final accuracy, defending the b2-pawn
with tempo and liberating the bishop on f4.
15 ... \t>gs 16 il.g5 'ifxf2 11 l':i.f1 1-o
In view of 17 ... 'iVb6 18 l':!.b5 or 17 ... 'ifxg2
18 l':!.d2 'ifxg 5 19 il.xf7 mate, Black resigned.
Game 73
EGU:feldT..V.Petrosian
USSR Championship,
Moscow 1969
Three Knights Game
1 e4 e5 2 li:Jf3 lt:Jc6 3 li:Jc3 g6
This variation has quite an old record,
with several World Champions taking on
Black's position.
4 d4 exd4 5 lt:Jd5
The sharpest choice, though 5 lt:Jxd4
il.g7 6 il.e3, followed by 'tlfd2 and o-o-o, is
probably a more critical test of Black's
opening.
5 ...il.g7 6 il.g5
6 ... lt:Jce7!
With that knight, since 6 ...lt:Jge7? runs
into the trap 7 lt:Jxd4! il.xd4 8 'tlfxd4 lt:Jxd4 9
li:Jf6+ f8 10 il.h6 mate.
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
7 lt:Jxd4 c6 8 lt:Jc3
After 8 lt:Jxe7 lt:lxe7 9 'tlfd2 h6 10 il.e3 d5!
or 10 il.h4 d5 ! Black has had few problems
in practice.
8 ... h6 9 il.e3
9 il.h4, maintaining the pin, seems more
logical.
9 ...lt:Jf6 10 il.c4 o-o
The immediate 10 ... d5 looks strong as
well.
By now Black already enjoys a slight lead
in development and ... d7-d5 is in the air, so
White should proceed with care. Here 11
o-o?! d5 12 exd5 lt:Jfxd5 is hardly in his fa
vour, but by 11 e 5 ! ? lt:Je8 12 o-o he could
obtain a decent game; e.g. 12 ... il.xe5?! 13
il.xh6 or 12 ... d5 13 Jl.e2 c5 14 li:Jb3 d4 15
il.f4, followed by lt:Je4. Instead, the game
took a completely different turn ...
11 'iff3?
A seemingly active move, which, how
ever, leads to huge difficulties due to the
exposed position of the queen. I suspect
that Gufeld simply didn't foresee Black's
12th move, or else miscalculated some
thing.
11...d5! 12 exd5 c5!
Cramping the enemy pieces and gaining
125
M a s tering Op e n ing S t ra tegy

the f5-square for the knight. In contrast, exchange down. After the text, Black's pres
after 12 ... i.g4 13 'iVg3 l2Jexd5 14 i.xd5! sure soon becomes unbearable.
cxd5 15 o-o White is okay. 18 b5! 19 i.d5 .l:!ad8 20 f3 b4! 21 'iVxg6
.

13 l2'ldb5 Desperation in a lost position.

After 13 l2'lb3 i.g4 14 'iVf4 g5 15 'iVe5 21 ...'lt>h8 22 'iVd3 bxc3 23 fxg4 'iVb6 24 b3
l2'lf5, preparing ....l:!e8, Black obtain s a 'iVb4! 0-1
strong attack; e.g. 16 h 3 .l:!e8 17 'iVh2 l2'lxe3
18 fxe3 .l:!xe3+ 19 'lt>d2 .l:!xc3 ! 20 bxc3 i.d7
with ideas like 21 ... l2Je4+ and 21 ... b5. Even Game 74
worse is 13 l2Jde2? i.g4 14 'iVf4 g5 15 'iVe5 T.NabatyNI.Khairullin
l2'lh 5 ! 16 'iVe4 i.f5 17 'iVf3 g4 and the queen Europea n Championship,
is trapped at last. Rijeka 2010
13 a6!
.. Caro-Kann Defence
13 ...i.g4?! 14 'iVg3 l2'lf5 permits 15 'iVc7,
so Petrosian eliminates that possibility, 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d 5 3 f3
leaving White with a single reply. One of the most aggressive replies to the
14 d6 l2'lf5 15 l2'lc7 Caro-Kann, which has become quite popu
lar in recent years.
3 ... g6
other main options are 3 ... e6 with
French-like play, and 3 ... dxe4 4 fxe4 e5 5
l2'lf3 i.e6!, preventing the dangerous 6 i.c4.
4 l2'lc3 i.g7 5 i.e3 'iVb6

15 l2Jxd6!
.

A final finesse. Now after 16 l2'lxa8 l2Jxc4,

followed by ... i.d7, Black recovers the mate
rial with a huge positional plus, so White
starts fishing in muddy waters.
16 0-0-0 'iVxc7 17 i.f4 i.g4!
The most practical choice, in order to Thus Black interferes with the oppo
simplify the game. nent's plan of 'iVd2 and 0-0-0, but also ex
18 'iVd3?! poses his queen and delays development.
18 i.xd6 i.xf3 19 i.xe7 i.xd1 20 .l:!xd1 Perhaps 5 ...dxe4 6 fxe4 e5 or 6 ...l2Jf6 offers
was marginally better, when White is an better chances for equality.

126

6 a3!?
A tricky defence of the b2-pawn - both
here and later, 6 .. .'xb2?? fails to 7 l2la4.
6 ...dxe4
The immediate 6 ...e s is well met by 7
l2Jge2! 'iVxb2 8 dxes i.xes 9 f2!, intending
9 ...i.xc3 10 l2Jxc3 'iVxc3 11 i.d4 - Postny.
7 fxe4 es
This counterblow leads to a favourable
pawn structure, but slows down Black's
development even further; the simple
7 ... l2Jf6 might have been preferable.
8 l2lf3 exd4 9 l2Jxd4
A tense position has emerged. If Black
manages to castle he will have a great
game thanks to the weak points on e4 and
es, but White do make everything possible
to prevent that, even by means of sacrifices.
To start with, Black has to cope with the
threat of 10 lLlfs.
9 ... i.h6?
In my opinion, this move is completely
opposed to the nature of the position. Black
moves his only developed minor piece away
from its natural place on g7, where it was
controlling the crucial es-square, among
other things. I guess Khairullin simply
wanted to prevent 0-0-0 but, as we will see
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
next, h e pays too high a price for that.
A sounder option was 9 ...'iVc7, on which
Postny analyses 10 lLldb S ! ? cxbs 11 lLlxbs
'iVes 12 l2ld6+ f8 13 l2Jxc8 l2Jc6 14 'iVd6+
'iVxd6 15 l2Jxd6 i.xb2 16 l::t d1 with just a
slight advantage for White. Even the para
doxical 9 ...'iVd8 ! ?, intending ...l2Jf6 and ...0-0,
seems much better than the text.
10 i.f2!
Nabaty surrenders the plan of long cas
tling to maintain dark square pressure.
10...'iVd8
If 10 ... 'iVC7, White has 11 lLldb S ! ? cxbs 12
lLlxbs, followed by 13 l2Jd6+, with a strong
attack - Da Costa Junior; and 12 'iVd4!? f6
13 lLlxbS, followed by l::td 1, is another idea
in the same spirit. With the text Black
avoids any such sacrifices but soon runs
into new problems.
11 e5!
A key move that exploits the absence of
the bishop on g7 in order to seize the cen
tre. Now 12 l2le4 is coming up.
11 'iVe7?!
.
This direct attack on the es-pawn won't
work out well. 11 ... l2le7, preparing ... 0-0,
seems more reasonable, although after 12
i.c4 0-0 13 0-0, intending es-e6, White
127
M as t e ring Ope n ing Strategy
keeps a strong initiative.
12 Cbe4 CLJd7
Or 12 .. .'xe5 13 e2 ! with devastating
threats; e.g. 13 ...CLJe7 14 CLJf3 e6 15 .l:!.d1
0-0 16 .l:!.d6!, followed by 17 Cbf6+ and 18
xe7 - Postny.
13 CLJf3!
Seeing that 13 Cbd6+?! Wf8 leads no
where, White prepares the knight check.
13 ...Cbgf6
Both 13 ...Cbxe5 ? 14 i.c5! and 13 ...i.g7 14
i.c4! i.xe5 15 o-o are fatal for Black - Da
Costa Junior. With the text he again pre
pares to meet 14 CLJd6+ by 14 ...Wf8, but Na
baty has a strong intermediate move pre
pared.
14 i.h4!
By provoking ... g6-g5 White creates a
weakness on f5 and limits the bishop on h6.
14...gs 15 Cbd6+ Wf8
16 i.g3!
Reinforcing the e5-pawn while creating
the threat 17 Cbf5. Black's game is by now
very difficult due to his exposed king. 16
CLJf5?! e6 was less clear.
16 Cbb6 17 i.e2 Cbfds 18 o-o!
..
A nice decision in these computer days.
White doesn't mind losing the exchange,
128
his main priority being the swift exploita
tion of the f-file towards Black's king.
18...CLJe3 19 d3 Cbxf1 20 .l:!.xf1 CLJdS
The only move, in order to keep White's
rook from f4.
21 CLJd4 CLJf4 22 i.xf4 gxf4 23 Cbxc8 xes
Black finally has to give up material,
since 23 ... .l:!.xc8? fails to 24 3 ! .
24 CLJfS .l:!.xc8 2S CLJxh6 .l:!.e8 26 c4!
A new sacrifice to intensify the attack.
26 ... .l:!.e6 27 CLJg4 xe2 28 xf4 .l:!.e7
This lets White recover the material at
once, though after 28 .. .f5 29 xfS+ We7 30
g S+ Wd6 31 f4+ Wd7 32 d4+ We? 33
xh8 xg4 34 xh7+ Black is also lost -
Postny.
29 h6+ We8 30 g7! Wd7
Seeing that 30 ....l:!.f8 fails to 31 Cbf6+,
Black prepares a final counterattack, but
Nabaty has everything under control.
31 CLJf6+ Wc7 32 xh8 e3+ 33 Wh1 f2
34 CLJdS+!
With the idea 34...cxd5 35 c3+ and the
queen covers e1. By his next move Black
avoids this, but runs into a new intermedi
ate check.
34...Wd7 35 c8+! 1-0
If 3S ... Wxc8 36 CLJxe7+ d7 37 .l:!.xf2.
 .
Crime a n d P u m s hme n t

Ext rcises

The first dozen o of the following exer-

cises (Games 7 5 ) are games by my stu- Ggfn:f: 76
.
dents. In my opmion, such games, despite l).llnto.. IA ,.,.le
, J
.
bein g of a l ower tech meal level th an the Riob. a mba
. .
2op9

custom ary encounters b etween titled p l ay- Reti's Opening

.
ers, can often h ave a great mstructive
value.
;;
1 ctJf3 C5 2 g3 ttJ 6 .ig2 g6 4 o-o .ig7 5 d 3
d6 6 e4 .ig4 7 h xf3 8 xf3 1ilh6
Simpler andr:-. better was 8 ... .!t:Jf6 or 8 ... e6
'
Ga. e 75 foll owed by ..."Z.Jge7
m
.

K. Noboa0' [) Jrunill o
9 c3 f5?
.
M s 2 0 10 A really counter-l ogJCal move, weaken-
n '. . a. ca. . . V.otiaJion .
Sicilia De:;:ence' A'"" ,..,.pm mg the light s quares just after swapping
the b lS
" h op of that coloUr.
1 e4 c5 2 c3 d 5 3 exd5 'iVxd5 4 ctJf3 r:-.
"Z.JC6 5 d4
e6 6 g3
.
A rare move but perhaps not th at rllogi-
'
cal now th at Black can no l onger pl ay
...g4.
6 ... cxd4 7 cxd4 r:-. >
"Z..lXd4?

E xtre me materialism.

.
H ow to p umsh Black?

.
How to pumsh Black)

129
M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy

This is a rare move against the Tarrasch

- and with good reason ! Game 79
H.LiamucaD.Usca
Riobamba 2011
Sicilian Defence, Closed Variation

How to punish White?
Game 78
A.Cardenas-P.Parra
Riobamba 2009
Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation
1 e4 cs 2 c3 'Llc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 cxd4 g6?
Not every developing move is of equal
value. 4 ... ds was better.
1 e4 cs 2 'Llc3 e6 3 f4 a6
A sensible move, ruling out .tb s, which
is a typical feature in White's set-up.
4 'Llf3 bS 5 g3
The game has now transposed from a
Grand Prix Attack to the Closed Sicilian
variation.
s ....tb7 6 d3 "W/c7
Another approach is 6 ... b4 7 'Lle2 ds, hit
ting the light squares.
7 .tg2 d6 8 o-o 'Lld7 9 fS
The most straightforward choice,
though the flexible 9 "W/e2 might be more
promising; e.g. 9 ... 'Llgf6 10 e s ! .
9 ...'Llgf6?
Complete indifference. 9 ... es was cor
rect, keeping the position closed; e.g. 10 g4
h 6 11 h 4 'Llgf6 12 'Llh 2 b4 13 'Lle2 C4 with
counterplay, P.Dankert-B. Kurajica, H am
burg 1977.

How to punish Black? How to punish Black?

130
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

i s better than the text.

Game 8o
J.Sanaguano-C.Castillo
Za ruma 2010
Irregular defence
1 e4 d6 2 d4 f5?
A highly suspect idea. Black weaken s the
position of his king without any worthwhile
purpose.
3 tl:Jc3
White responds with simple develop
ment.
3 ...tl:Jf6
How to punish White?

Game 82
A.Aguiar-J.Bejar
Riobamba 2010
Queen's Gambit Declined

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 tl:Jc3 tl:Jf6 4 cxd5 tl:Jxd5 5 e4

tl:Jf6?
This loses an important tempo. Better is
5 ... tl:Jxc3 6 bxc3 c5 with an initial position of
the Semi-Tarrasch.
How to punish Black? 6 .ig5
Another good set-up is 6 tLlf3, followed
by .id3, 0-0, "iile 2, .l:!.d1 etc, as we will see in
Game 81 the next chapter.
D.Usca-J.Hellsten 6 .ie7 7 tLlf3 c5?!
.

Riobamba 2010 A risky counterstrike, in view of White's

Nimzo-lndian Defence superior development. First 7 ... 0-0 was
preferable.
1 d4 tl:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 tl:Jc3 .ib4 4 .ig5 c5 5 e3? 8 e5
8 dxc5 ! "iilxd1+ 9 .l:!.xd1 .ixc5 10 e5 was
(seefollowing diagram) even stronger; e.g. 10 ...tLlfd7 11 tLlb 5 ! tl:Ja6
12 tl:Jd6+ .ixd6 13 .l:!.xd6 with a clear edge in
A natural move, but a bad one on this the endgame.
occasion. 5 d5 was correct, and even 5 tLlf3 8...tl:Jfd7?

131
M a st e ring Open ing Stra tegy
Here 8 ...cxd4 was preferable; e.g. 9 exf6
gxf6 or 9 liJbs a6 10 liJbxd4 liJds 11 i.xe7
'fixe? with just a slight disadvantage.
How to punish Black?
on:e:83
tN.,eM.Morales
Ri:Pbarnba 2010
Slcililin Defen t.e,Aiapin Variotit:Jn
1 e4 c5 2 ctJf3 ctJc6 3 c3 g6?!
This is not the same thing as 2 c3 g6,
and we will soon see why.
4 d4 cxd4 5 cxd4 d 5 6 liJc3?!
The obvious punishment for Black's sus
picious opening was 6 exd S ! 'f/xds 7 liJc3,
followed by d4-d5; e.g. 7 ... 'f/d8 8 ds liJb8
i.bS + i.d7 10 o-o and l::t e 1 next with a clear
plus.
6 ...dxe4 7 ctJxe4 .tg4?!
It m ade more sense to develop the king -
side first; i.e. 7. . .liJf6! 8 liJxf6+ exf6, foll owed
by ... .tb4+ and ... 0-0.
8 d5!
O n t h e second occasion, White finds the
correct plan.
8 ....txf3?!
132
This ruins White's pawn structure but,
more importantly, decreases Black's light
square control . Obviously 8 ...l2Je s ? fail ed to
9 liJxes i.xd1 10 .tbs+, so 8 ... 'f/as+ 9 liJc3
0-0-0! ? was more in the spirit of the posi
tion.
9 gxf3 l2Je5 10 'fla4+! liJd7
How to punish Black?
Game :84
J.sa.-gu_..ovaca
Riobamba. 2010
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5
The Exchange Variation is h ardly a criti
9 cal test of the French, and the way in which
White treats it in this game is probably
more suited against the Caro-Kann.
3 ...exd5 4 .td3 liJf6 5 h3 .te7 6 liJf3 o-o 7
0-0 liJbd7
Another good option was 7 ... cs, foll owed
by ... liJc6.
8 l::te 1 c5 9 dxc5?!
Liberating the black pieces. 9 c3, stabiliz
ing the centre, was preferable.
9 ...l2Jxc5 10 .tf1?!

In the IQP structure almost any ex
change favours the side playing against it,
so 10 .tg s or 10 !Dc3 was better, not fearing
10...!Dxd3.
10...i.d7 11 i.g5 i.c6 12 Cbd4?
Of course the idea of blocking the IQP
isn 't bad, but in this particular position 12
lbc3 or 1 2 lbbd2 made more sense, in order
to play with all the pieces.
12 ...lLlce4 13 i.h4?
A rather indifferent move. The correct
retreat was 13 i.e3, and we will soon see
the difference.
How to punish White?
Game 85
A.Uamuc:aK.Tipero
Riobamba .2010
Sicilian Defence Alapifl Variation
1 e4 c5 2 c3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 cxd4 g6
A rather relaxed approach against the
Alapin.
5 h3!
A good restrictive m ove, leaving the
bishop on c8 short of a good destiny.
5 ... .tg7 6 lLlf3 i.d7?
Crime and Pun ishme n t
Here the bishop does not contribute to
Black ' s position in any way, and rather ob
structs the other pieces. Not without rea
son, we are taught to bring out the knights
before the bishops, for example with 6 ...!Df6
in this case.
1 CDc3 !Dc6 8 i.e2 e6?
Seeing th at 8 ... !Df6 permits the annoy
ing 9 e S ! , Bl ack prepares ... lbge7. We will
soon see the flaw to this idea.
9 o-o !Dge7
How to punish Black?
Game 86
J.Sanasuano..B.Rlvera
Macas lOOt .
SiciAian I!J.efne#
R.QiS:oimO: V.aritti
1 e4 c5 2 !Df3 !Dc6 3 i.b5 g6 4 o-o i.g7 5
1:'1e1 !De5?
Moving the knight again serves no par
ticular purpose here, and rather slows
down Black' s development.
6 Cbxe5 i.xe5 1 c3!
The inherent plan of the Rossolimo: cre
ate a pawn centre with d2-d4.
133
M as te ring Ope n ing Strategy

7 ...a6 8 i.f1 d6 9 d4 cxd4 10 cxd4 i.g7 11

t2Jc3 t2Jf6 12 i.g5 o-o?!
By the admittedly unsound 12 ... h6 13
i.h4 gS 14 i.g 3 o-o Bl ack could h ave
reached a safer version of the game.

How to punish Black?

Game 88
E.Perez-l.Paredes
How to punish Black? Riobamba 2010
English Opening

Game 87 1 l2Jf3 t2Jc6

H.Liamuca-A.Briceno Offering a transposition into the Chi
Santo Domi ngo 2010 gorin variation.
Bishop's Opening 2 g3 d6 3 c4 t2Jf6 4 i.g2 i.e6
A peculiar idea, aiming to swap the
1 e4 e5 2 i.c4 t2Jf6 3 d3 d5?! light-squared bishops as soon as possible.
A rather risky reply to the Bishop's Open Instead, by 4... es followed by ... g 7-g6 and
ing. Either 3 ...t2Jc6 or 3 ... c6, preparing ... d7- ... i.g7, he could h ave steered the game into
d5, is more common. a standard English.
4 exd5 t2Jxd5 5 lLlf3 t2Jc6 6 o-o i.e6?! 5 d3 'iVc8 6 o-o
Black should prefer the gambit line Both here and on the next move, the in
8 i.b3 i.g4 9 h3 i.h s 10
6 ...i.e7 7 e1 t2Jb6 terfering 6 i.g s was interesting as well,
g4 i.g6 11 tLlxes tLlxes 12 xes o-o, when while 6 h3 would also cast some doubts on
White's weakened kingside structure at Bl ack's idea.
least implies some compensation for the 6 ... i.h3 7 t2Jc3 i.xg2 8 xg2 h6 9 b1 e5 10
pawn . b4 l2Jd4?
7 e1 Without any obvious need, Black moves
Preparing a direct attack on es. 7 tLlg s the knight again. 10 ... i.e7, followed by
was another good option. ... 0-0, was much better, waiting with the
7 ... i.d6 knight move until White goes b4-b5.

134
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

7 h3
The immediate 7 0-0 would permit the
annoying 7 ...h s .
7 ....t h s 8 o-o e 6 9 d3 .txf3?
An incomprehensive exchange; the sim
ple 9 ....te7, followed by ...0-0, was much
better.
10 xf3 .te7 11 .td2 cs
Of course there was nothing wrong with
11 ...0-0. Chang somehow forgets about cas
tling in this game.
12 .te3 d6 13 a3 as 14 .l:tad1 es?
Black doesn 't sense the danger. 14...0-0
Well, how to punish Black? was called for.

Game 89
J.Calderon-A.Chang
Tena 2008
Scandinavian Defence

1 e4 ds 2 exds xds 3 lL1c3 as

How to punish Black?

Game go
J .Sanaguano--A.Vallejo
Riobamba 2010
Caro-Kann Defence

4 g3 1 e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 exds cxds 4 .td3 lZJc6 s c3

An interesting sideline against the Scan
dinavian, which leaves the bishop rather
well placed on g2.
4...lZJf6 S .tg2 .tg4 6 lLif3 lZJc6
6 ... c6 is a more solid choice.
'bf6 6 h3
In this, Fischer ' s old pet line against the
Caro, 6 .tf4 is considered the most accurate
move, in order to avoid Black's next.
6... es 1 dxes lZJxes

135
M as te ring Op e n ing Stra tegy

In exchange for the IQP, Black has quite the game. 6 tLlf3 was better of course.
an easy development for his minor pieces. 6 ...tt:la6! 7 iVxb7? tLlb4 8 tt:la3 .Mb8 9 iVxa7
8 .i.c2 .MaS 10 'ib7
A more critical try is 8 iVe2 iVe7 9 .i.b5+
in order to swap pieces. In the game White
applies this idea one move later, which will
make a big difference.
8 ... .i.e6 9 iVe2?!
Better was 9 tLlf3, speeding up develop
ment, but White is on a m aterial hunt.
9 ... .i.d6! 10 f4?!
Consistent with his plan. Again 10 tLlf3
was called for.

How to punish White?

Gam 9
HCaro Ern Lasker
.. ..

Berlin l890
Baltic Defence

1 tLlf3 d s 2 d4 .i.fs 3 c4 c6?!

How to punish White?

Gem 91.
J.SeketyG.Bteyer
.Bydapst t913
'Slav Defence

1 d4 ds 2 c4 c6 3 tt:lc3 es 4 dxes d4 s tt:lb1?!

Returning home doesn't seem right in
this fluid position. Nowadays, 5 tLle4 is a
much more popular way of meeting Black ' s
gambit. Later, 3 ... e6 was discovered to be the
s ...i.fs 6 iVb3? right move; e.g. 4 iVb3 tt:lc6! 5 .i.d2 (or 5
Hunting pawns at a very early stage of iVxb7 tLlb4) 5 ... .Mb8 with complex play.

136
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

4 "Vlib3?! "Vlic8?! 1 .tg5!?

Correct was 4 ... ifb6! 5 cxd5 .ixbl! 6
l:r.xbl "Vlixb3 7 axb3 cxd5 with equality -
Neishtadt. For this reason, 4 cxd 5 ! cxd5 5
ifh3 was a more precise move order for
White, when 5 ...ifb6 simply drops a pawn
to 6 "Vlixd5.
5 cxd5 cxd5 6 'bc3 e6 7 .if4 a6?!
Both 7 ...'bf6 8 ctJb5 and 7 ...'ba6 8 e4!, fol
lowed by 9 .ib5+, were disastrous for Black
- Neishtadt. Instead, 7 ... 'bc6 8 'bb5 .ib4+ 9
'it>d1! 'it>f8 ! would perhaps offer more resis
tance, although 10 l:r.c1 keeps a clear initia
tive for White.
Setting up the dangerous threat of 7
'bb5 . A more methodical choice is 7 'bc2,
followed by .id3.
7 ..."Vlib6?
Aware that both 7 ... h 6 ? and 7 ... cxd4? run
into 8 'bb5, Black unpins his knight, but this
soon leads him into new difficulties. 7 ... a6,
preventing 'bb5, was correct; e.g. 8 dxc5
"Vlic7 9 .if4 'bg6 - Neishtadt.

How to punish Black?

Game 94
How to punish Black? B.Lalic-.B.Laurent
Metz 2007
Benoni Defence
Game 93
Atanasov-Rodriguez 1 d4 'bf6 2 c4 e6 3 'bc3 c5 4 d5 d6 5 e4 exd5
correspondence 1982 6 cxd5
French Defence At this point, most Benoni pl ayers play
6 ... g6 without any thinking, but Laurent has
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d 5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 'bc6 5 ctJf3 'bge7 an independent idea in mind.
6 ctJa3 .id7 6 ... a6?!
This bishop move oft en m akes sense in By means of the "threat" of ... b7-b5
the Advance Variation, although on the Black aims to provoke 7 a4, when aft er
present occasion, 6 ... cxd4 7 cxd4 'bf5 is 7 ... g6 he has managed to sidestep the sharp
more usual . line 7 f4 .ig 7 8 .ib 5+. However, Lalic has

13 7
M a s t e ring Op e n ing Strategy

other intentions. 8 '>t>f2 ct:Jc6 9 CLJf3 0-0 10 i.e2

1 f4! bs?! With his l ast two moves White is finally
7 .. :fie7 was preferable, trying to stop e4- taking care of his development, but it is a
e5 - Baburin. bit too l ate.
8 es b4?
A fatal miscalculation. For better or
worse, Black had to try 8 .. ."iVe7 9 'iVe2 CLJfd7.

How to punish White?

How to punish Black? Game 96

W.La.nge-E.JDiemer
Weidenau 193 7
Game!'S Dutch Defem::e
Wlomba.rdyV,.Smysfov
Teesside 197.5 1 d4 fs 2 c4 e6 3 e3
Vienna Game A rather passive set-up against the
Dutch. More popular is 3 g3 and 4 i.g2, tak
1 e4 es 2 CLJc3 CLJf6 3 f4 d s 4 d3?! ing command of the long diagonal, while
An insipid version of the Vienna Game. 4 the c1-h6 diagonal remains open for the
fxe5 ct:Jxe4 5 CLJf3 or 5 'iff3 is more to the other bishop.
point. 3 ...d s
4 ...exf4 5 es? Setting up the Stonewall . Another good
A lesser evil was 5 i.xf4, speeding up option was 3 ...ct:Jf6, followed by ... b7-b6 and
development. ... i.b7, exploiting the fact that with his
s ...d4! third move White practically discarded a
By this counterblow Black grabs the ini kingside fianchetto.
tiative. 5 ...CLJg4 6 i.xf4 was less ambitious. 4 i.d3 c6 S CLJf3 i.d6 6 o-o 'iff6
6 CLJce2 ct:Jd s 1 CDxf4 i.b4+! 6 ...CLJf6 seems more natural, enabling a
An annoying check, now that the natu future ... CLJe4, which is a key idea in the pre
ral 8 i.d2 runs into 8 ...CLJe3. sent structure.

138
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

7 lLlc3 lt:Je7? 1 2 .ixf6

Not every developing move is of equal
value. 7 ... li:Jh6 was preferable.
Exchanging a main defender and gain
ing time for the attack.
12 ...lt:Jxf6?
A big mistake. After 12 ... gxf6 13 3, in
tending 14 li:Jxe6, Black is under some pres
sure, but the game will present him with
worse problems.

How to punish Black?

Game 97
G"'Bastrikov-I.Kogan
Minsk 1971 How to punish Black?
Sicilian Defence NajdmfVoriotion

1 e4 c5 2 li:Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 li:Jxd4 li:Jf6 5 Ciome 98

..

li:Jc3 a6 6 .ig5 e6 7 f3 BusayMalkin

Preparing a quick 0-0-0. The main op Baranovichi 1971
tion in this heavily debated Naj dorf line is 7 Sicilian Defence,
f4. Toimanov Variation
7 ...li:Jbd7
There is an argument in favour of in 1 c4 e6 2 li:Jc3 c5 3 e4 li:Jc6 4 li:Jf3 li:Jf6 5 d4
cluding 7... h6 8 .ih4 - then White's ninth cxd4 6 li:Jxd4 .ib4
move in the game becomes impossible due The most active choice, immediately
to ...g7-g 5 . challenging White's Maroczy Bind.
8 o-o-o c7 9 g3 b5 10 .id3 .ib7 11 he1 7 f3?!
After just 11 moves, White h as con Bugay proceeds as if nothing had hap
cluded development and is now ready for pened. 7 lt:Jxc6 bxc6 8 .id3, followed by 0-0,
an attack on Black's king. is preferable in order to speed up develop
11...h6? ment.
This move is badly timed. 11 ... .ie7, get 7 ...d5!
ting on with development, was preferable. Refuting White's opening play.

139
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy

8 cxd5 exd5 9 1Lb5 move 1 1 - otherwise h e would h ave no rea

After 9 iLg s h 6 10 1Lh4 dxe4 11 '2lxc6 son to refrain from the natural 9 ...0-0.
'iVxd1+ and 12 ... bxc6 Bl ack also h as an ex 10 '2lxe5 1Lxe2 11 'iVxe2!
cellent game. White h as seen that the d4-pawn is poi
9 ...0-0! soned. 11 '2lxe2?! was less inspiring.
Sacrificing a pawn to speed up devel 11...'iVxd4?
opment. 9 ... 1Ld7 ? ! 10 1Lxc6 bxc6 11 es is Consistent, but... losing. Bl ack should
l ess promising . h ave settled for 11...0-0, foll owed by
10 '2lxc6?! ... '2l8d7, with a cramped but solid position.
Too m aterialistic. 10 0-0 was called for;
e.g. 10 ... 1Lcs 11 1Lxc6 dxe4 12 1Le3 bxc6 13
'2lxe4 and White is still alive.
10... bxc6 11 1Lxc6

How to punish Black?

Game 100
How to punish White? I.BoJeslavskyG.Stoltz
Saltsjobaden lnterzonal 1948
Spanish Opening
Game 99
G.Sa-L.Hazai 1 e4 e5 2 '2lf3 '2lc6 3 1Lb5 a6 4 1La4 '2lf6 5
Hungarian Championship, o-o '2lxe4 6 d4 b5 7 1Lb3 d5 8 dxe5 1Le6
Budapest 1974 We h ave reached an initial position of
Alekhlne."s Defence the Open Spanish.
9 'iVe2
1 e4 '2lf6 2 e5 '2ld5 3 d4 d6 4 '2lf3 1Lg4 5 A somewhat outdated line. Nowadays
1Le2 e6 White usually continues either 9 '2lbd2 or 9
Quite a solid branch of the Alekhine. C3. After the text, 9 ... 1Le7 or 9 ... 1Lcs, with
6 o-o 1Le7 7 h3 1Lh5 8 c4 '2lb6 9 '2lc3 dxe5?! 10 ... 0-0 next, yields Black a solid game, but
At this point Black must already h ave Stoltz finds a more "active" idea ...
been thinking about snatching a pawn on 9 .. g5?
.

140
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

Gaining space and preparing ... g 5-g4
with a fight for the centre, but the king is
irreparably weakened by this flank advance.
Black takes the first step to a Hedgehog
formation with ....tb7, ... d7-d6, ...lt:Jbd7 etc,
but in this case s ... d6 or s ... a6 was more
advisable.
How to punish Bl ack?

aa:me 10
E.Sutov5kyA.a,khov5ky
Tef Aviv 1995
C<;rq-Karm Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 ds 3 lt:Jd2 dxe4 4 lt:Jxe4 lt:Jd7 5

.tc4 lt:Jgf6

How to punish Black?

Game 101
P.Rh::anliH.Lopez Silva
Pi nama r 2004
English Opening

1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 lt:Jc3 cs 4 lt:Jf3

White turn s down the invitation to a
Benoni with 4 dS, and heads for the English.
4...cxd4 s lt:Jxd4 b6?
6 lt:Jxf6+
A somewhat l ess aggressive continua
tion than the usual 6 lt:Jg s e6 7 'iVe2, when
both knights are kept on the board for a
future attack.
6 ...lt:Jxf6 7 c3 e6
With this move, the game takes upon a
French -like character. While 7 ....tfs? or
7 ... .tg4? failed to 8 3, the elastic 7 ...'iVC7
is a more popular choice, delaying ... e7-e6
or ....tfs (g4) in accordance with White 's
next move.
8 lt:Jf3 cs 9 o-o a6
A useful m ove on m any occasions. For

141
M as t e ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy
example, after a l ater ...c5xd4, lbxd4, Black
can pl ay ... flic7 without worrying about
lLlb5 .
10 i.g5 cxd4 11 lLlxd4 i.c5?
This apparently active move turns out to
h ave a serious flaw. 11 ... i.e7 12 flie2 0-0 13
.l:!.ad1 flic7 was preferable, although White
seems to be a tempo up compared with
analogous positions in the French Tarrasch
with 3 ... c5 4 exd5 flixd5 .
H o w t o punish Black?
Game 103
V.lvanchuk-A.Shirov
Wij k a an .Zee 2001
Sicilian Defence, Najdoif:Variation
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lLlf6 5
lbc3 a6 6 i.e3 lbg4
A very popular way of interfering with
White's English Attack.
1 i.g5 h6 8 i.h4 g5 9 i.g3 i.g7
In exchange for his exposed kingside
structure Black enjoys decent dark-square
control.
10 h3 lbf6
10 ...lbe5 is a popular altern ative, pre-
142
venting White's next move in the game.
11 i.c4 flib6 12 0-0 lbxe4?
This pawn soon turns out to be poi
soned. lvanchuk analyses 12 ... 0-o 13 lLlf5 ! ?
i.xf5 1 4 exf5 flixb2 1 5 lbd5 lbxd5 16 flixd5
with compensation for the pawn, but this
certainly looks like a better deal for Black
than the game continuation . As for snatch
ing the other pawn by 12 ... flixb2, after 13
flid3 flia3 14 .l:!.ad1 i.d7 15 e 5 ! dxe5 16
i.xe5 lbc6 17 lbxc6 ! ? i.xc6 18 .l:!.fe1 White
counts on a clear initiative - Pikula.
13 lbxe4 flixd4
Or 13 ... i.xd4 14 flih 5 ! winning - lvan
chuk.
How to punish Bl ack?
Game 104
M.OratovskyN.Sulava
Biel 1996
Sicilian Defence$ Kan Variation
1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 e6 3 c4 b6 4 lLlc3 i.b7 5 d4
White finally agrees to an Open Sicilian.
5 ...cxd4 6 lLlxd4 a6 7 i.e2 flic7 8 f4!?
Quite an aggressive choice. With 8 i.e3
lLlf6 9 f3 White could h ave set up a stan-
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

dard Maroczy Bind. xds iLe7, followed by .. . o-o and d7-d6,

8 il.b4
would have been a normal continuation.
8 ...CL:lf6 9 es CLJe4 10 CL:lxe4 iLxe4, fol - 5 il.d2 bs? 6 CLJe4!
lowed by ... CL:lc6, was safer, not yet defining
the destiny of the other bishop.
9 o-o il.xc3 10 bxc3 d6?
This indifferent move will be violently
refuted in the game. 10 ... il.xe4 11 il.a3 also
looks promising for White, whereas by
10 .. .'Jf6 ! ? 11 e5 CLJe4, followed by .. .'JC6,
Black could have obtained some counter
pl ay on the light squares.

White parries the threat of 6 ... b4 in ad

vance and prepares the exchange of Black's
only active minor piece.
6 ... b6 7 CL:lxf6+ gxf6 8 e4!
Reinforcing the centre and enabling fur
ther kingside development.

How to punish Black?

Game 105
St.Schneider-C.Oisson
Swedish Team
Cha m pionship 2006
Benoni Defence

1 d4 CL:lf6 2 CLJf3 cs 3 dS e6 4 CLJc3

Aft er 4 c4 the game would h ave trans 8 .l::!.g8 9 c4 bxc4

posed to the Benoni, but White prefers a
set-up based on swift development.
4..:as?!
This and Black's following move make a
strange impression. 4... exd5 5 CL:lxds CL:lxds 6
Or 9 ...b4 10 g 3, followed by il.g2 and 0-0,
with a comfortable game for White.
10 iLc3!
An excellent post for the bishop now
that ... b5-b4 is no l onger possible.

143
M as t e ring Open ing S t ra tegy

10 ....ia6 agonal are opened for his pieces. More

This deprives the knight of its supposed
destiny, but after 10 ... .ib7 11 g3 tiJa6 1 2
.ixc4 tiJ C 7 13 0-0 White also h a s the upper
hand.
11 g3 fs?
Suicide - despite a lagging development
and the king in the centre, Black opens the
position.
flexible continuations are 9 ... .ie7 10 .U.d1
"i'c7 and 9 ...ttJas 10 .ic2 .ib7.
10 .U.d1 .ib7?
A natural move, but one that soon leads
Black into huge difficulties. 10... d3 11 .U.xd3
"i'C7 12 e4 .ie7 13 tiJdS! is known to favour
White, so 10 ...tDas was a safer choice, har
assing the dangerous bishop on b3.
11 exd4 liJb4
An attempt to overprotect the vital ds
square. 11.. ..ie7 runs into 12 dS!, while af
ter 1 1...ttJas 12 d S ! tiJxb3 13 dxe6 "i'xd1+ 14
tiJxd1 ttJxa1 15 exf7+ xf7 16 tiJgS+ White ' s
attack was decisive in P.H . Nielsen-E. Bent
zen, Danish Team Championship 2001.

How to punish Black?

Came l;06
B.Spassky Avtonomov
..

leningrad 1949
Queents CambltAccepted
H ow to punish Bl ack?
1 d4 d s 2 c4 dxc4 3 tiJf3 tiJf6 4 e3 a6 5 .ixc4
e6 6 0-0 cs
An standard position of the Queen ' s Game 107
Gambit Accepted has been reached. B.Lalic-K.Hulak
7 "i'e2 tiJc6 Pula 1996
Nowadays, 7 ... bs 8 .ib3 .ib7 is more English Open;ng
popular, with the queen ' s knight heading
for d7. 1 tiJf3 tiJf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 dS 4 .i g2 dxc4
8 tDc3 bs 9 .ib3 cxd4?! Another option is 4 ... .ie7 5 0-0 0 -0,
This capture facilitates White ' s plans, when White can play a Reti with 6 b3 or
now that both the e-file and the c1-h6 di - enter the Catalan after 6 d4.

1 44
 Crime a n d P u n is h m e n t

5 't!Va4+ tt'lbd7 1 . . .o-o 8 tt:Je2 g 6 9 't!Vh6 .if5!

The alternative was a Meran set-up with
s ... c6 6 't!Vxc4 bS 7 't!Vc2 .ib7, followed by
... 4Jbd7 and ...c6-cS.
6 't!Vxc4 c5 7 't!Vb3 l:!.b8 8 d3 .id6 9 a4 b6
After preparing twice for this move
(both 7 ... b6? 8 tt'les and 8 ... b6? 9 .if4 were
premature) Black is finally ready to deploy
the queen's bishop on the long diagonal.
10 tt'lc3 a6 11 tt'lg5!? .ib7
Black avoids the trap 11 ... 0-0? 12 tt'lxe6.
12 tt'lce4
Starting active operations with both
knights.
Development with tempo.
10 .ib3
After 10 c3 l:!.e8 11 .ie3 .if8 12 't!Vh4 bs
13 .ib3 tt'ld7, followed by ...tt'lb6-dS, Black is
also fine.
1o... c5!
Being slightly ahead in development,
Black is happy to open up the game. Now
11 dxcs tt'la6, followed by ... tt:Jxcs, just helps
his case, so White prefers to bring one more
piece into the battle.
11 .ie3 tt'lc6

Evaluate 12 0-0-0.
How do you defend with Black?

Gome 109
Game 1.08 EPostny-J.$hahade
E.Mnatsakanian-V.Simagin Budapest 2003
Kiev 1965 King's Indian Defence
Caro-Kann Defence
1 d4 4Jf6 2 C4 g6 3 f3
1 e4 c6 2 tt'lc3 d5 3 d4 dxe4 4 tt'lxe4 tt'lf6 5 White avoids the mainline Grilnfeld
tt'lxf6+ exf6 6 .ic4 .ie7 arising after 3 tt'lc3 dS and invites a
6 ... .id6 is more active. Samisch King's Indian.
7 't!Vh5 3 ... .ig7
Quite a straightforward approach. 7 Black accepts the proposal. By 3 ... d5 he
tt'le2 is more flexible. could have stayed in Grilnfeld waters, while

145
M a s tering Open ing Strategy

the gambit 3 ...e s ! ? 4 dxes ti:Jhs has its sup

porters too.
4 e4 d6 5 ti:Jc3 ti:Jbd7 6 .te3 c6 7 1'id2 h5

Game 110
A double-edged advance - Black rules NMikkelsen-A.Mohammadi
out .te3-h6 but also weakens his kingside Lund 2005
structure. 7 ... es is more common, or 7 ... a6, Sicilian Defence,
preparing ... b7-bS. Scheveningen Variation
8 o-o-o 'i'ia5 9 b1 a6 10 ti:Jh3 b5 11 ti:Jf2
.tb7?! 1 e4 c5 2 ti:Jf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:Jxd4 ti:Jf6 5
11 ...ti:Jb6! ? was more active - Postny. ti:Jc3 d6 6 g4 h6 7 h4 ti:Jc6 8 .Mg1 d 5
12 f4! A logical reply t o the Keres Attack -
The time is right for central expansion, Black responds to the flank aggression with
now that Black's reply 12 ...tt:Jg4 has been action in the centre.
neutralized. 9 .tb5 .td7 10 exd5 tt:Jxd5 11 tt:Jxd5 exd5 12
12 ... b4 13 ti:Je2 c5 14 d 5 .te3 .tb4+!?
1 4 es?! tt:Je4 and Black is fine - Postny.
14...'i'ic7 15 ti:Jg1!
A nice regrouping. The knight is heading
for f3 in order to support the e4-e5 ad
vance, while the bishop reaches d3.
15 ...ti:Jb6 16 .td3 ti:Jfd7
Now the immediate 17 ti:Jf3? permits
17 ... tt:Ja4, so White first enables the prophy
lactic retreat .tel.
17 'i'ie2 (seefollowing diagram)
Which do you prefer, 17 ...0-0-0 or
17 .. 0-0, and for what reason?
.

146

It is not really clear what Black gains by
provoking c2-c3, but it worked well for him
in the game! 12 ....ie7 is the main option in
this rather well-researched position.
13 c3 .ie7
14 CLJf3?!
Retreating the knight from its great post
in the centre. More logical was 14 g S, get
ting on with the kingside expansion, or 14
1id2 preparing 0-0-0, without bothering
about the h4-pawn.
14...a6 15 .ia4 1ia5
Protecting the ds-pawn and enabling a
future ... 0-0-0.
16 b4?!
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
When White starts pushing his pawns
on both flanks in the Sicilian, he often ends
up being punished in the centre. Preferable
was 16 .ib3 .ie6 17 1ic2, followed by 0-0-0,
in order to conclude development - Eriks
son.
16 ...1ic7 17 .l:!.b1
After 17 'iVxds?! o-o-o, followed by
....l:!.he8, Black has great compensation for
the pawn.
How do you continue with Black?
Game 111
S.Ernst-R.Miedema
Dutch Championship,
Haaksbergen 2009
Ragozin Defence
1 CLJf3 lL'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 CLJc3 d 5 4 d4 .ib4
Reaching an initial position of the
Ragozin Defence.
5 cxd5 exd5 6 .ig5 h6
Immediately challenging the enemy
bishop. Another way to play the Ragozin is
6 ...tt:Jbd7 7 e3 cs 8 .id3 'iVas 9 1ic2 c4 10
.ifs o-o 11 o-o .l:!.e8, intending ....ixc3 and
... CLJe4.
147
M as te ring Op e n ing S trategy

7 .ih4 gS 8 .ig3 ctJe4 9 ctJd2! 13 e4! dxe4?!

Being behind in development Black
shouldn't open the position. Either 13 ... ctJd7
or 13 ....ig7 was preferable - Baburin.
14 0-0-0 lt:Jd7 15 .ic4!?
Instead of recovering the pawn at once,
White looks for a bishop exchange that will
strengthen his control of the light squares.
1S ...e3?
An unfortunate intermediate move.
1S ... 'ife7, preparing ... 0-0-0, was Black's last
chance - Baburin.

Sacrificing a pawn in order to challenge

the knight on e4. In contrast, after 9 l::t c 1?!
hs! Black is even playing for an advantage.
9 ...4:Jxg3
Black turns down the offer. After
9 ... 4:Jxc3 10 bxc3 .ixc3 11 l::t c 1 a sharp posi
tion arises, which has been heavily debated
in recent games.
10 hxg3 .ie6 11 'ifc2 c6 12 a3 .if8
The idea of regrouping the bishop to g7
is rather slow. 12 ....ie7 might have been
better. How to punish Black?

148
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

Sol utions

Game 75 (continued) 1 0 .ixh6!

The game continued 10 exfs?! tbxfs and
Black had fewer problems.
10...i.xh6 11 exfs
With a huge advantage, now that
11 ... gxfs? loses a piece after 12 i.xc6+! bxc6
13 'iVh s+.

Game 77 (continued)

8 'i<Vxd4 'i<Vxf3 9 .ibS+!

The black king is invited to a fatal walk.
9 ... e7 10 'i<Vcs+ f6
Or 10 ... d8 11 'i<Vxf8+. At this point
White played 11 i.gs+? and went on to lose
the game. But he could have mated his op
ponent with 11 'i<Vg s.

Game 76 (continued) 4...cxd4!

Fighting for the centre. In contrast, the
game saw 4 ... dxc4?! 5 e3, followed by i.xc4,
with equal chances.
5 'i<Vxd4 tbc6 6 'i<Vd1 d4!
Black is clearly better; e.g. 7 tbe4 eS 8
i.d2 fs 9 tbg 3 tbf6 with the strong threat
10 .. .f4.

Game 78 (continued)

(see following diagram)

149
M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy
5 d5! tLlbs 6 d4!
The game went 6 l2'lc3?! ii.g7 and Black
had fewer troubles.
6...l2'lf6
Or 6 .. .f6 7 l2'lc3, followed by l2'lf3, ii.c4,
o-o etc.
1 e5 l2'lh5 s l2'lf3
With a pleasant advantage; e.g. 8 .. .f6 9
exf6 l2'lxf6 10 ii.c4 ii.g7 11 0-0 0-0 12 l2'lc3 a6
13 a4 <J;rh8 14 4 d6 15 l:!e1 ii.g4 16 tLlgs
ii.fs 17 l2'lce4, intensifying the attack, as in the
game D.Rosandic-Z.Matanovic, Bosnjaci 2003.
Game 79 (continued)
10 fxe6 fxe6 11 l2'lg5!
150
The knight reaches e6 with devastating
effect.
11...e5
11 ...<J;re7?! 12 ii.h3 is even worse for
Black.
12 l2'le6 c8 13 l2'ld5
With a huge advantage thanks to the
powerful knight on e6, which paralyses the
enemy camp. White later won.
Game 80 (contin ued)
4 exf5!
This, admittedly, helps Black's develop
ment but, more importantly, it facilitates
an attack on the weakened light squares in
his camp. In the same spirit, 4 ii.d3 is also
strong. In contrast the game saw 4 es? dxes
5 dxes xd1+ 6 l2'lxd1 l2'lfd7 7 l2'lf3 l2'lc6 with
rough equality.
4 ... ii.xf5 5 ii.d3!
Simple and strong : the exchange of
these bishops will make the weakness on e6
more strongly felt.
5 ...d7 6 l2'lf3
Preparing 0-0 and l:!e1. Black's position
already looks difficult; e.g. 6 ... l2Jc6 7 0-0
o-o-o 8 ds ! l2'lb4 9 ii.xfs xfs 10 l2'ld4, head
ing for e6.

Game 81 (continued)
s ...'ifas!
Creating threats of 6 ...iLxc3+ and 6 ...'Lle4.
6 il.xf6
After 6 'it'c2 cxd4 7 iLxf6 dxc3 8 il.xc3
iLxc3+ 9 'ifxc3 'ifxc3+ 10 bxc3 d6 the end-
game is clearly favourable for Black.
6 il.xc3+ 7 bxc3 'ifxc3+ 8 e2 gxf6 9 .l:tc1
Game 83 (continued)
'ifas
Thanks to the extra pawn and the ex
posed white king, Black is clearly better. The
game continued 10 'ifc2 cxd4 11 exd4 'Llc6
12 'Llf3 dS 13 g3 eS! with a strong initiative.
Game 82 (continued)
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
9 iLxe7 'ifxe7
Or 9 ... xe7 10 dS! with a clear initiative.
10 'Llbs!
With a nasty double threat at C7 and d6.
This idea is also seen in some lines of the
French; e.g. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 'Llc3 'Llf6 4
iLg s iLe7 5 es ltlfd7 6 iLxe7 'ifxe7 7 f4 cS?!
8 'Llbs ! .
In contrast, the game continued 10
il.bs?! a6 11 il.xd7+ il.xd7 12 'Lle4 cxd4 13
'Lld6+ f8 14 0-0 'Llc6 with rather unclear
play.
10...'Lla6
Or 10 ... 0-0 11 'Lle7 'Llxes 12 'Llxa8 'Llxf3+
13 'ifxf3 cxd4 14 'ifa3 !, neutralizing Black's
counterplay.
11 'Lld6+ f8 12 iLxa6 bxa6 13 dxcs
With a huge advantage, now that
13 ... 'Llxcs? fails to 14 J:tc1.
11 iLh3!
One of several good choices, increasing
the pressure at d7.
Also interesting was 11 iLg s ! ? setting up
the threat 12 'Lld6; e.g. 11 ...iLg7 12 'Lld6+
f8 13 'Llxb7 'ifc7 14 'it'c6 with some ad
vantage; as well as 11 d6! ? exd6 12 iLc4
151
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy

iLe7 13 0-0, when 13 .. .':Jgf6? fails to 14 With decisive threats at f2 and b2. Black
tt:lxf6+ iLxf6 15 ii.h6, followed by fe1+. soon won the game.
In contrast, the game went 11 iLb5 a6!
12 iLg 5?? (12 iLxd7+ 'iVxd7 13 'iVd4! was Game 85 (continued)
correct, keeping the initiative) 12 ... axb5 13
tt:ld6+ exd6 14 iLxd8 bxa4 and Black won.
11. .fs
.

It is difficult to find a defence; e.g.

11 ...iLg7 12 tt:lc5 tt:lgf6 13 iLg 5 winning ma-
terial, while both 11 ... a6 12 o-o b5 13 'iVd4
tt:ldf6 14 d6! and 11 ... tt:lgf6 12 tt:lxf6+ exf6
13 0-0, preparing e1(+), are equally bad
for Black.
12 tt:lgs
Intending tt:le6 with a huge advantage.

Game 84 (continued)
10 tt:lbs!
Attacking Black's weak point, the d6-
pawn. By the way, this was already a good
option on the ninth move. In contrast, the
game went 10 iLe3 ?! o-o 11 a3 d5 12 e5
tt:lf5 with balanced chances.
10 iVb8
...

Or 10 ... tt:lc8 11 iLf4 e5 12 dxe5 ! dxe5 13

iLg 5 ! f6 14 iLe3 with a strong initiative,
now that 14 ... 0-0? fails to 15 iVd5+! h8 16
ad1.

13 ...iVb6!
Hitting the vulnerable b2-pawn, while
preparing ...iLc5 with strong pressure on
the g 1-a7 diagonal. Now the absence of
White's queen's knight in the battle is
strongly felt.
14 tt:lfs?
A fatal error. 14 tt:lxc6 was essential, al
though after 14 ... bxc6 15 tt:lc3 iLc5 Black
keeps a clear advantage.
14 ... iLcs!

1 52
 Crime a n d P u n is h m e n t

11 .11.f4! l2Jc8 dark squares.

Obviously 11 ... es runs into 12 dxes dxes 13 ... dxes 14 dxes iLld7 15 e6!?
13 iLld6+. 1S iLldS ! was another good option, when
both 1S .. .f6 16 l2Jxe7+! ifxe7 17 exf6 and
1S ... l::e 8 16 e6 fxe6 17 lLlxe7+! J::: x e7 18
J:::x e6 .11.f8 19 ifd6! win for White.
1S .. .fxe6 16 J:::xe6 .11.f6?!
After 16 ... i2Jf6 17 ifxd8 J:::xd8 18 J:::x e7
Black is a pawn down, but the text leaves
his king severely exposed.
17 .11. c4 h8
At this point White played 18 .11.h 6?!,
permitting the salvaging ' 18...lLles ! . In con
trast, after 18 l2Je4! his attack would have
been irresistible; e.g. 18 ... .txg s 19 lLlxg s
ifc7 20 J:::x e7! ifxc4 2 1 J:::xh7+ g8 22 J:::c 1,
12 dS! followed by a decisive check on the a2-g8
White hurries to clear the centre before diagonal.
Black castles.
12 ...exds 13 ifxds o-o Game 87 (continued)
There is nothing better.
14 iLlxd6
Winning a pawn, with a huge advan
tage.

Game 86 (continued)

8 d4!
Hitting Black on the e-file just before he
castles away. 8 lLlg s also made sense,
whereas the game went 8 c3?! 0-0 9 i2Jbd2,
when 9 ... iLlf4 10 .11.x e6 l2Jxe6 11 l2Jc4 iff6
would have led to rather equal play.
13 es! 8 ... o-o
A strong advance that hits Black on the There is nothing better; e.g. 8 ... exd4?? 9

153
M a s tering Op e n ing Strategy

.ixdS or 8 .. .f6 9 .ib3 ! with the strong threat Clearing new lines with a strong initia-
of c2-c4. tive.
9 dxes
White is a healthy pawn up; e.g. 9 ... .ics Game 89 {continued)
10 .igs 'ii'd 7 11 'bbd2 'bas 12 .if1 .ie7 13
'bc4 with a clear edge, J.Breukelman-J.De
Groote, Hengelo 2004.

Game 88 (continued)

1s 'bbs!
Preparing a central break with d3-d4 be
fore the opponent castles away. Another
good option was 15 d4! ? exd4 16 'bbs 'ii'd7
17 'bxd4 with irresistible threats.
u 'bxd4 exd4 12 'bbs! 1S ...'ii'd 7 16 d4! e4 17 'ii'e2 .idS?!
Gaining a vital tempo by attacking the This over-careful move lets White's d
weak d4-pawn. In contrast, the game went pawn reach the sixth rank. Again 17 ...0-0
12 'be4?! 'bxe4? (Black is not attentive ei was preferable.
ther; keeping the position closed by
12 ....ie7 was essential for him) 13 dxe4 cs
14 bxcs dxcs 15 'ii'a4+! (at last, a punish
ment) 1S ...'ii'c6 16 'ii'x c6+ bxc6 17 l:Id1 l:Id8
18 l:Ib7! l:Id7 and at this point the simple 19
l:Ixd7 xd7 20 e3 would have produced an
endgame with an extra pawn.
12 ... cs 13 bxcs dxcs 14 .if4!
Just in time, creating the threat 'bc7+
before Black consolidates with ....ie7 and
...0-0.
14...'ii'c6+ 15 g1 d7
The only way of avoiding material
losses. 18 dS! 'bb8 19 d6 c6 20 'bc3
16 e3! With a decisive advantage thanks to the

1 54
 Crime a n d Pun is hme n t

powerful passed pawn. The game con Game 9 1 (continued)

cluded 20 ...0-0 21 tt:Jxe4 tt:Jxe4 22 xe4
'iixh3 23 'iid3 g6 24 d7! c7 25 g s f6 26
xf6! .l:txf6 27 d8iV+ xd8 28 'iixd8+ .l:tf8
29 'iie 7 'iic 8 30 .l:tfe1 .l:ta6 31 .l:td6! and Black
resigned in view of the inevitable and
overwhelming xg6.

Game 90 (continued)

1o ...'iia s!
Installing the double threat of 11 ...iLld3+
and 11 ...c8. Less promising is 10...nxa3 11
bxa3 tLlc2+ 12 d1 tt:Jxa1 13 'iix c6+ d7 14
'iia6 with unclear play.
11 d2 c8
The rest is easy.
12 'iixc6+ tt:Jxc6 13 xas .l:txas 14 tt:Jbs
10...tLlc6! b4+ 15 d1 tt:Jxes
Preparing a counterstrike on the weak Black went on to win .
ened e1-h4 diagonal. 10 ...tt:Jg6 11 fs tt:Je4! in
the same spirit is also strong. In contrast, Game 92 (continued)
the game went 10 ... iVC7? 11 fxes xes 12
a4+ and White went on to win.
11 fs tLle4!
Setting up the mortal threat of
12 ... 'iih 4+. Also interesting is 11 ... g3+ 12
f1 o-o 13 fxe6 fxe6 14 iLlf3 es with ample
compensation.
12 xe4
Or 12 fxe6 'iih 4+ 13 d1 iLlf2+ 14 d2
f4+ and wins.
12 ...g3+ 13 f1 dxe4 14 fxe6 fxe6
By 15 ... 0-0+ next, Black recovers the
piece while keeping the attack. Obviously
15 'iix e4?? at this point fails to the reply 8 tLla4!
1S ... 'iid 1+. Exploiting the fresh weakness on b6. In-

155
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy

stead, 8 llc1 t'bc6 9 t'ba4 is less accurate due Of course not 12 J.xd4? ds 13 c4 e4+
to 9 ...J.b4+ with ... J.as as an extra resource. and Black is alive. After the text, he had in
8 ....lla 7 stead to resign, in view of 12 ...xd4 13
This won't end well, but after 8...t'bd7 9 J.xbS+ .
.llc 1 d8 10 xb7 Black's game is also ter
rible. Game 94 (continued)
9 t'bb6 d8 10 J.xb8!
The immediate 10 a4+ failed to
10...t'bc6, so White prepares it.
10...xb8 11 a4+ e7 12 .llc 1 gs
Desperation in a lost position.
13 t'bes! t'bh6 14 t'bc8+ 1-0
In view of 14 ...f6 15 t'bd7+, Black re
signed.

Game 93 (continued)

9 exf6 bxc3 10 e2+!

This nasty check wins material.
10...d7 11 fxg7 1-0
In view of 11 ... J.xg7 12 g4+, Black re
signed.

Game 95 (continued)

8 dxcs!
Initiating favourable complications. In
contrast, after 8 t'bbs?! t'bg6 Black is per
fectly ok.
s ...xcs
Or 8 ...xb2 ? 9 t'bbs with decisive
threats.
9 t'bbs! t'bxes
This won't end well, but Black had no
other defence against the double threat at
c7 and d6. 10...tbe3!
10 t'bxes J.xbs 11 J.e3 d4 12 xd4! 1-0 At the cost of a mere pawn Black breaks

156
 Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

through o n the dark squares. 10 ...e8 11 Game 96 (contin ued)

lt:Jxds xds 12 i.f4 was somewhat less
promising.
11 i.xe3 dxe3+ 12 xe3
Or 12 g 1 lt:Jxe s ! 13 lt:Jxes d4 - Smys-
lov.
12 ... .tcs+ 13 d4
On 13 d2 the sacrifice 13 ...lt:Jxe s ! 14
lt:Jxes d4 again works fine.
13 ...lt:Jxd4!
An elegant sacrifice directed at White's
unsafe king.
14 lt:Jxd4 gs! 15 c3 xeS+ 16 f3 d8 17
g3
17 d2 is met by 17 ... g S 18 ad1 f6! 8 e4!
19 g3 i.d6, getting on with the attack - Exploiting the tactical motif 8 ...dxe4 9
Smyslov. i.xe4 fxe4? 10 lt:Jxe4, White achieves a fa
17 ... i.xd4 18 g2 vourable opening of the centre.
After 18 cxd4 J::!.xd4 19 3 gS Black also 8... dxe4 9 i.xe4 es?
regains the material. This further opening of the position is
18 ...i.fs 19 cxd4 J::!.xd4 20 e1 gS! definitely not to Black's benefit, considering
his delay in development. Instead, after
9 ...lbg6 10 i.c2 0-0 11 J::!.e 1 White enjoys a
clear plus thanks to his superior pawn
structure, but the battle goes on.

21 i.f3
Holding on to the piece by 2 1 lt:Jh s fails
to the crushing pin 21...J::!.e 4 22 f2 J::!. e 8 -
Smyslov.
21...xe1 22 J::!. hxe1 gxf4 23 gxf4 J::!.xf4 10 dxes i.xes 11 i.gs!
Black later converted his extra pawns Development with tempo.
into victory. 11...d6 12 lt:Jxes xd1

157
M a s tering Open ing S trategy

Or 12 ...'ixe5 13 f3, followed by 14 1:te1 14 tt:Jcxb5! 'ib6

- Neishtadt. Or 14... axb5 15 xb5+, when both at
13 l:taxd1 fxe4 14 tt:Jxe4 tempts to defend: 15 ... e7 16 tLlf5+! exf5
The rest is just agony for Black. 17 l:txe5+ and 15 ...ltJd7 16 tt:Jxe6 fxe6 17
14...ltJd7 15 tt:Jd6+ f8 16 xe7+ xe7 17 'ig6+ e7 18 l:txd7+ win for White -
tt:Jxc8+ 1-0 Neishtadt.
15 tt:Jxe6! fxe6 16 g6+ e7 17 'ia3+! 'ic5
Game 97 (continued) 18 'ixc5 mate

Game 98 (continued)

13 e5!
A key move, opening the gates to Black's
king before he manages to castle. 11 tt:Jxe4!
..

13 ...dxe5 A strong sacrifice, exploiting the vulner

After 13 ... ltJd5 14 tt:Jxe6! fxe6 15 exd6 able e1-h4 diagonal as well as White's lack
'ixd6 16 'ig6+ d7 17 l:txe6 ! White's at of development.
tack is decisive. 12 fxe4
Or 12 xa8 'ih4+ 13 g 3 tt:Jxg3 with
overwhelming threats.
12 'ih4+ 13 d2

Both 13 g3 'ixe4+ and 13 f1 'if6+, fol

lowed by ...'ixc6, were equally bad for
White.
13 ...g4!
Another piece joins the party, with deci
sive effect.
14 'ia4 'if2+ 15 d3 dxe4+ 16 c4 l:tab8!
0-1
In view of the multiple threats, White
resigned.

158

Game 99 (continued)
12 lld1!
More precise than 12 CLlb5?! 'iid8 13 'iif3
.1f6 14 lld1 'iic 8 and Black is alive.
12 ...'iic s?!
Now White wins on the spot, though af
ter 12 ...4 13 'Llb5 i.d8 (or 13 ...'Lla6 14
d4! 'iif6 15 llf4 - the bishop move vacates
e7 for the queen) 14 'iif3 0-0 15 'iixb7
Black's game is also difficult.
13 b4!
A key move that wins a tempo by divert
ing the queen from the defence of the c7-
pawn, and clears the a3-f8 diagonal for the
bishop.
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
13 ...'iixb4 14 CLJbS CLJa6
Obviously 14...'iic 5? failed to 15 i.a3.
15 'iif3! llf8
Unfortunately for Black, 15 ...0-0 drops
the bishop after 16 i.a3.
16 'iixb7 1-0
In view of 16 ...'iic 5 17 i.e3 ! 'iix e5 18
'iic 6+, Black resigned.
Game 100 (continued)
10 c4!
Meeting the flank aggression with a
strong counterstrike in the centre. In con
trast, after 10 'Llbd2?! g4 or 10 lld1?! g4 11
'Lle1 llg8, Black's ninth move would prove
more justified.
10... bxc4
Or 10 ... g4 11 cxd5!, when both 11...gxf3?
12 'iixe4 and 11...i.xd5 12 lld1! gxf3 13
'iixf3 'Llxe5 14 'iie 2 c6 15 'Llc3 leave White
on top.
11 i.a4 i.d7 12 e6!
Another ingenious advance that clears
the e5-square and h 5-e8 diagonal for an
attack on Black's king. Otherwise, 12 'Llc3,
challenging the active knight on e4, also
made sense.
12 ... fxe6 13 i.xc6 i.xc6 14 'Lles
1 59
M a s tering Ope n ing Stra tegy
14.. .''idi' 6?
Saving the bishop but fatally exposing
the king. By the sacrifice 14.. :iVf6! 1S 'Llxc6
'it>d7, followed by ... lies, Black could have
complicated the opponent's task in practice.
15 hS+ 'it>e7 16 .ixgS+ 'Llxgs 17 xgS+
'it>e8 18 hS+ 'it>e7 19 f7+ 'it>d8 20 f6+
'it>c8 21 xh8
White later won.
Game 101 (continued)
6 '2ldbs!
Immediately fighting for the d6-square,
in similar fashion to Fischer-Tal (Game 71).
6....ics
160
The lesser of evils, since 6 ... d6? 7 .if4!
just makes things worse for Black; e.g. 7 ... es
8 Jigs a6 9 .ixf6 gxf6 10 ds ! and White
wins material.
7 .i.f4
7 'Lld6+ rJiJe7 8 .if4, followed by 9 e3,
was more precise.
7 ... '2la6?!
This lets White take a firm grip on the
d6-square. Preferable was 7 ...0-0! 8 ltc7
(not 8 '2lc7?! es! 9 .ixes 'Llg4) 8 ...e7 9 .id6
.ixd6 10 xd6 '2lc6 with just a slight disad
vantage in the endgame.
8 .id6! .ixd6 9 '2lxd6+ 'it>e7 10 d2!
To reinforce the strong knight on d6.
1o...c7 11 J:td1 cs
After 11 ... '2lcs 12 e4 .ib7 13 f3 Black also
has a difficult time. One of his problems is
that 13 ...a6, denying either 'Llbs, runs into
14 b4.
12 a3 'Llc7 13 b4 c6 14 e4
Seizing the centre with a big edge. There
followed 14.. .'=2Jce8 1S 'Llxe8 J:txe8 16 .id3
d6 17 f4! es 18 0-0 .ie6 19 'Llds+ .ixds 20
exds c7 21 fxes dxes 22 gS ! and White
soon converted his advantage into a full
point, now that 22 ...'it>f8 fails to 23 J:txf6!
gxf6 24 xf6.

Game 102 (continued)
12 ii.xf6! gxf6
Unfortunately for Black, the desirable
12 ... 'ifxf6? drops a pawn after 13 tt:Jxe6!
ii.xe6 14 ii.xe6 fxe6 (or 14 ... 'ifxe6? 15 l:!:e1)
15 'ifh 5+.
13 'ifg4!
A move with several virtues: it prevents
13 ...0-0, prepares 14 l:!:ad1, and installs the
threat of 14 'ifg7.
13 ...ii.xd4 14 cxd4 h5
After 14 ... b5 15 .ib3 ii.b7 16 d5 ! ..ixd5
17 l:!:ad1 Black also has a difficult game.
15 'ifg7 e7 16 d5! 'ifg8
Both 16 ... e5 17 d6+! and 16 ... exd5 17
Crime a n d Pun ishme n t
ii.xd5! 'ifxd5 18 'ifxh8 ..ih 3 19 'ifg7 win for
White - Blatny.
17 d6+! xd6 18 'ifxf6
Black's king has become fatally exposed.
18 ...ii.d7 19 l:!:fd1+ c7 20 ii.e2! 1-0
A quiet but powerful move. In view of
20 ...ii.c6 21 ii.f3 ii.xf3 22 'ifxf3, with threats
like l:!:ac1+ and 'iff4+, Black resigned.
Game 103 (continued)
14 tt:Jxd6+!
A strong sacrifice with the aim of keep-
ing Black's king in the centre.
14...exd6 15 'ife2+ ii.e6
Both 15 ... .ie5 16 l:!:ad1, followed by
161
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy
.l:!.xd6, and 1S ...\t>d7 16 .l:!.ad1 11Vf6 17 .l:!.xd6+
11Yxd6 18 .l:!.d1! win for White - lvanchuk.
16 .ltxe6 fxe6
The game went 16 ... 0-0 17 .l:!.ad1 11Vf6 18
.ltds '2lc6 19 c3 with a huge positional plus
for White.
17 11Yxe6+ \t>d8 18 .l:!.ad1 .l:!.e8 19 11Yg6!
Black is doomed; e.g. 19 ... 11Vxb2 20
11Yxd6+ with mate on the next move.
Game 104 (continued)
11 .th5!
A surprising attack on the black king,
exploiting the absence of a knight on f6.
Both 11 fs?! es and 11 es dxes 12 fxes
'2ld7! were less promising.
11...g6
11 ... '2lf6? obviously failed to 12 '2lxe6,
while after 11 ...11Ye7 12 fs es 13 f6! '2lxf6 14
CiJfs White develops a deadly attack.
12 f5!
Intensifying the attack before Black gets
his pieces into the game.
12 ... exf5
12 ... gxh 5 ? 13 fxe6 is even worse, with
the queen heading for hS.
13 '2lxf5! gxf5 14 .l:!.xf5 \t>d8 15 11Yd4
With a tremendous initiative for the
1 62
piece. Rather curiously for a Sicilian, on
move 15 Black has not yet developed either
of his knights!
15 .. .f6 16 .l:!.xf6!
Transposing to a superior endgame.
16 ...'2lxf6 17 11Yxf6+ 11Ye7 18 .ltg5 11Yxf6 19
.ltxf6+ \t>c7 20 .ltxh8 '2ld7 21 .ltd4 .ltxe4 22
.l:!.e1 .ltc6 23 .l:!.e7
White soon won.
Game 105 (continued)
12 .ltg2!
Simple but strong. White brings his last
minor piece into play and seizes the long
diagonal, which became a more relevant
factor after Black's previous move. Less
convincing was 12 dxe6?! 11Yxe6 or 12 exfs
exds 13 11Yxds .ltb7.
12 ...fxe4 13 '2le5 d6?!
This runs into a strong sacrifice, though
after 13 ... .ltg7 14 .ltxe4 Black's position also
makes a sad impression.
14 dxe6! dxe5
Or 14.. .fxe6 15 11Yh 5+ winning.
15 exf7+ \t>xf7 16 .ltxe4 1-0
In view of 16 ... .\tb7 17 11Yf3+ or 16 ... '2lc6
17 11Yds+ \t>g7 18 11Yd7+! .lte7 19 .ltxc6, Black
resigned.
 Cri m e a n d Pun i s h m e n t

Game 106 (continued) 1 7 ...0-0? obviously failed t o 1 8 Cbc6,

while after 17 ...'iVd7 18 .l:'!,e1 .l:'!,a7 19 .l:'!,ac1
the threat of 20 Ct::Jc 6 decides.
18 Ct::Jfs hS?!
This loses at once, though Black was al
ready short of a good defence.
19 .l:'!,xds! 'iVxds 20 1Vxe7+ g8 21 1Vxf6 1-0

Game 107 (continued)

12 dS!
Anyway! In the same spirit, 12 .ig s .ie7
13 .ixf6 gxf6 14 ds! is also strong. In fact,
the d4-d5 break tends to work well in a
wide range of IQP positions.
12 ...Ct::J bxd5
12 ...Ct::Jfxds ? 13 a3 or 12 ... .ixds 13 .igs is
even worse.
13 .igs! .ie7
Black manages to keep the ds-square
under control, but now his pawn structure
is ruined.
14 .ixf6 gxf6 15 Ct::Jx ds .ixds 16 .ixds exds
17 CLJd4! f8
12 ... Ct::Jxe4!
Exchanging a pair of knights in order to
avoid any tactical shots at e6 or f7. Instead,
12 ... 0-0? again failed to 13 Ct::Jx e6, while the
game continued 12 ....ie7? 13 Ct::Jxf7! xf7
14 Ct::Jg s+ g6 ? (a lesser evil was 14... e8 15
Ct::Jx e6 .ixg2 16 Ct::Jxd8 .l:'!,xd8 17 .l:'!,g1 .ids 18
1Vc2 with just a clear advantage for White
Lalic) 15 .ixb7 M.xb7 16 d4! eS (17 'iVd3+
was threatened) 17 'iVf7+ fs 18 e4+ and
Black resigned in view of mate on the next
move.
13 Ct::Jxe4 o-o
Exploiting the pin on the h 1-a8 diago
nal, Black finally manages to castle. The
alternative 13 ... .ies at once should be fine
as well.
14 o-o .ies
Black has no problems.

1 63
M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy
Game 108 (continued)
12 0-0-0?
On this flank the king becomes severely
exposed to Black's forces. 12 ds? lt:lb4 is just
as bad, while 12 J::td l?! runs into the same
reply as in the game. In contrast, the simple
12 dxcs held the balance; e.g. 12 ....ixcs 13
J.xcs aS+ 14 c3 xes 1S o-o!.
12 ...c4!
This strong sacrifice was perhaps over-
looked by White.
13 J.xc4 lt:Jb4 14 .ib3 J::t c 8
Neishtadt also suggests 14... as!?, when
1S a4 is strongly met by lS ...bS!.
15 lt:lc3 as 16 '>t>b1?
1 64
This loses at once. 16 .id2 was essential,
when Black could try 16 ... J::tx c3 anyway; e.g.
17 .ixc3 lt:Jxa2+ 18 .ixa2 xa2 with inter
esting compensation for the exchange.
16 ...J::tx c3! 17 bxc3 ..txc2+ 0-1
In view of 18 .ixc2 xa2+ 19 '>tel xc2
mate or 18 '>tel .ixb3 19 axb3 a2 !, White
resigned.
Game 109 (continued)
11 ...0-0?
This leaves the king fatally exposed to
an attack. 17 ...0-0-0 was a much better
choice - Postny.
18 .ic1 J::ta e8 19 lt:lf3 e6
A logical try to create counterplay in the
centre. Unfortunately White won't capture
on e6, nor will he recapture on dS with the
c-pawn in Benoni-style, but with the e
pawn, after which most of the black pieces
will remain in the margins of the battle.
20 c2 J::te 7 21 h3 exds 22 exds! J::tfe8
The control of the open file is irrelevant
in this case, and White can just keep on
attacking.
23 fs! gxfs
Or 23 ...ctJf8 24 fxg6 fxg6 2S ctJh4, win-
ning - Postny.

24 'Llh4 tt'les 25 'Llxfs .Md7 26 tt'lxg7!
Swapping a main defender of Black's
kingside.
26...Wxg7 27 11id2 .Mh8 28 11ig5+ 'Llg6 29 b3!
1-0
In view of 30 i.b2+ coming up.
Game 110 (continued)
17 ...0-0!
Black has noticed that his king will be
quite safe on this flank. In contrast,
17 ... 0-o-o?! permits 18 bs with some attack
ing prospects, though the flexible
17 ... i.e6 ! ? was reasonable too.
18 g5
After 18 hs i.f6 19 .Mc1 .Mfe8 White's
king is in more danger than Black's; e.g. 20
g s ? hxg s 21 tt'lxg s .Mxe3+! 22 fxe3 llies, re
covering the material with interest.
18 ... h5 19 ..tc2
Or 19 llixds .Mad8 20 1We4 g6 21 i.f4
i.d6, preparing ....Mfe8 with a strong initia-
Crime a n d Pun is h m e n t
tive.
19...g6
By now Black is strategically winning
thanks to White's unsafe king. There fol
lowed 20 Wf1(?) i.h3+ 21 We1 .Mfe8 22 .Mg3
i.d7 23 i.b3 i.d6 24 .Mg1 tt'les ! 25 i.xds
1Wxc3+ 26 'Lld2 'Lld3+ 27 Wfl i.bs 28 Wg2
llies !, heading for h 2, and Black's attack
soon took its toll.
Game 111 (continued)
16 i.xe6!
This sacrifice decides the game. Obvi
ously 16 fxe3?! 1We7 would be less powerful.
16 ... exd2+ 17 .Mxd2 fxe6 18 1Wg6+ 1i;e7 19
.Me1 Wd6
Heading for c7, but in vain ...
20 d5! 1-0
A timely advance that includes the sec
ond rook in the attack. In view of 20 ...cxds
21 .Mxe6+ We? 22 tt'lxdS+ Wc8 23 .Me8, Black
resigned.
1 65
 Cha pte r T h re e
Th e B att le fo r t h e Centre
I ntrod uction
The centre is the most important part of
the board, and the side that dominates it
will have more possibilities on the whole
battlefield. In Opening Preparation, Yusu
pov makes the following observation: "The
centre may be called the commanding
summit of chess strategy; whoever gains
control of it will afterwards have the better
prospects. "
As a consequence, both players fight for
this area - traditionally defined as the set
of the e4, d4, es and dS squares - from the
very first move. Here are some typical
methods of fighting for the centre:
t Create a pawn centre.
t Occupy a central square with a piece.
t Control the centre at distance.
Moreover, the enemy centre can be un
dermined by:
t Pawn breaks.
t Pawn advances on the flanks.
166
In the following sections, we will inves
tigate these methods together with some
related games. In the final part of the chap
ter we will also discuss the role of the cen
tre in more general terms. It goes without
saying that this chapter has more of a mid
dlegame flavour than the previous ones,
due to the long-term importance of the
centre.
Pawn centre
A pawn centre is usually a big asset in the
opening and middlegame battle. Apart
from controlling a set of important squares,
the central pawns also work as a shield for
their fellow pieces. When the pawn centre
remains unchallenged, the side that pos
sesses it can consider either an attack on
the flanks or an advance by the pawn cen
tre itself.
In the following five games we will see
both of these ideas being applied with
great success, partly helped by rather indif
ferent play from the opponents in these
encounters.

Gome 112
Z.AndriasianM.Litwiniec
European Rapid Championship,
Warsaw 2010
Ita/ion Game
1 e4 e5 2 lZ:lf3 lZ:lc6 3 .ic4 .ic5 4 c3
An inherent plan of the Italian - create a
pawn centre by d2-d4.
4...d6?!
This move doesn't challenge White's in
tentions in any way. The standard 4...lZ:lf6 is
preferable, when 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 .ib4+
forces White either to sacrifice a pawn by 7
lZ:lc3 lZ:lxe4, or permit the destruction of his
pawn centre after 7 .id2 .ixd2+ 8 lZ:lbxd2
d5!. Thus practice often sees the more
flexible 5 d3, delaying d3-d4 until the mo
ment is right.
5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4
6....ib4+?!
Now this check proves rather useless
since White was going to play lZ:lc3 anyway,
besides which the bishop becomes mis
placed on this square. 6 ....ib6, keeping the
pressure on d4, was called for.
7 lLlc3 h6?
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
One more inaccuracy. Black wants to
play ...lZ:lf6 without bothering about .ig5,
but now she loses an important tempo.
7 ....ig4 seemed more active; e.g. 8 o-o .ixc3
9 bxc3 lZ:lf6, when 10 .ig 5 can be met by
10 ... h6 11 .ih4 g5 12 .ig 3 lZ:lxe4.
8 'iYb3!
It transpires that the f7-pawn has no
comfortable defence.
8 ....ixc3+ 9 bxc3 'iYe7?
The last chance was 9 ...'iYf6, preparing
...lZ:lge7. In the game Black deploys these
two pieces in the opposite way, with fatal
consequences.
10 0-0 lZ:lf6
11 e5!
A key method for the side possessing a
pawn centre: its advance. The possible
benefits are several: gain of space, creation
of a passed pawn, or clearance of lines for
the fellow pieces, as in this case. 11 .l:!.e1,
preparing e4-e5, was also strong.
11 ...dxe5 12 .ia3! 'iYd7 13 lZ:lxe5
By now Black's exposed king makes her
game hopeless. 13 dxe5 and 13 .l:!.fe1 were
good as well.
13 ...lZ:lxe5 14 dxe5 lZ:le4 15 .l:!.ad1 'iYf5 16
.ixf7+!
167
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
A little combination that concludes the
battle at once.
16...xf7 17 .Md8+ 1-0
Gnme.:t.:I,r3
J.Hellsten-M.Howe
.. .. Gtherr:burg 989
5iciHon .Defence, Alapln V:oriotipn
1 e4 cs 2 l2lf3 d6 3 c3
At that time I was 13 years old and my
team-mate, GM (back then, IM) Stellan Bry
nell, h ad just taught me this sideline
against the Sicilian. Similarly to the previ
ous game, White aims to set up a pawn
centre with d2-d4.
3 ...t2lf6 4 ..ie2 tbc6
The most straightforward reaction,
eliminating the queen check on a4
(4...tbxe4?? S a4+). Another common op
tion is 4 ... g6 S 0-0 ..ig7, when White can
choose between 6 .Mel, followed by ..if1,
and 6 ..ibS+, followed by .Mel or e2, with
the desired d2-d4 next.
5 d4 cxd4 6 cxd4
6 .....ig4?!
Just like 4 ... d6 in the previous game,
1 68
Black does little to challenge the enemy
pawn centre. The main line goes 6 ...tbxe4 7
dS aS+! 8 tbc3 tbxc3 9 bxc3 tbes 10 tbxes
xc3+ 11 ..id2 xes 12 o-o with a sharp
battle.
7 o-o g6 8 ..ie3
Interestingly, rather few opening sys
tems for Black tend to tolerate such a pawn
structure. In contrast, with the c-pawns still
on the board it is a main feature of the
King's Indian and the Pirc, among others.
8 .....ig7 9 h3
Possibly 9 tbc3 0-0 10 t2ld2 ..ixe2 11
xe2 was more promising, speeding up
development.
g .. ..ixf3 10 ..ixf3 o-o 11 l2lc3 as?!
.
Hitting thin air. Black could have fought
for the centre by 11 ...es!, when 12 ds l2ld4!
13 ..ixd4 exd4 14 xd4 l2ld7 yields him
good compensation for the pawn. White
should rather react by 12 dxes dxes 13 ..ie2
tbd4 14 ..ic4 .Mc8 1S b3 with a slight advan
tage.
12 a3 .Mac8 13 b4 d8 14 b3
Overprotecting the knight and ceding
dl to the rooks.
14... b6?!
An unnecessary weakening of the light
squares. 14... a6 1S .Mfdl e6 was preferable,
followed by 16 ...e7 and 17 ....Mfd8, with a
passive but safe position. In contrast,
14 ... es?! was no longer feasible due to 1S
dxes dxes 16 lbbs ! with ideas like .Mfdl and
..lies.
15 .Mac1 tbd7 16 .Mfd1
White's development is complete. With
the centre firmly in his control, he can now
start looking for possibilities on the whole
board, in particular on the queen side where
Black's unfortunate 14th move left targets
on c6 and a6.
 Th e Battle fo r t h e Cen tre

16 ...<Jlh8?
My opponent perhaps dreamed about a
kingside attack, or simply didn't know what Game 114
to do. The lesser evil was 16 ... a6 17 a4 R.OrtegaV.Korchnoi
t2Jcb8, resisting on the queenside. Havan,a .963
17 a4 Sicilian Defente,
With ideas like 18 l2Jb5 and i.e2-a6. Taimanov Variation
Moreover, Black has to look out for the e4-
e5 advance. 1 e4 cs 2 t2Jf3 t2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 t2Jxd4 e6 5
17 ...es 18 dxes! i.e2
Of course not 18 d5? l2Jd4 with counter 5 t2Jc3 is more flexible; and 5 l2Jb5, pre
play. In contrast, the text clears the d-file paring a Maroczy Bind with c2-c4, is also
for the rooks and establishes a new weak possible.
ness on d6. s ...t2Jf6
18 ... t2Jdxes
Both 18 ... dxe5 19 .l:!.d6! and 18 ... t2Jcxe5
19 i.e2 l2Jc4 20 i.xc4 .l:!.xc4 21 .l:!.xd6 were
equally bad for Black.
19 i.e2
Setting up the strong threat of 20 f4.
Black's next move leads to instant defeat,
but his problems were unsolvable anyway.
19 ... e7? 20 t2Jds d7 21 i.a6! 1-0
Avoiding the trap 21 f4? l2Jd4! 22 xd7
t2Jxe2+ 23 <Jlf2 t2Jxd7 24 <Jlxe2 i.b2 and the
battle goes on - whereas now, Black can't
avoid heavy material losses; e.g. 21.. ..l:!.cd8
22 f4, so he resigned. 6 t2Jxc6?!

1 69
M a s tering O p e n i n g Strategy
Strengthening the enemy centre with
out any obvious reason. Again 6 t'Llc3 is
preferable, when Black can stay in Tai
manov waters with 6 .. .'fic7, switch to the
Scheveningen by 6 ... d6, or enter the gam bit
line 6 ...i.b4 7 0-0! i.xc3 8 bxc3 t'Llxe4 9 d3,
followed by i.a3.
6... bxc6 7 i.d3
Of course 7 t'Lld2 or 7 t'Llc3 was more logi
cal, avoiding a second bishop move.
1 ...d s
Black starts fighting for the centre. Now
either 8 es or 8 t'Lld2 was a reasonable reply;
instead, White commits a new inaccuracy,
one that will leave the centre in the oppo
nent's hands.
8 exds?! cxds!
The correct recapture, which leaves
Black with two pawns against none in the
centre.
9 0-0 i.d6
Development first. The tempting 9 ... es?!
would be premature in view of 10 i.gs i.e7
11 i.bS+!, intending 11...i.d7 12 i.xf6 i.xf6
13 xds.
10 t'Lld2
With hindsight, 10 c4, fighting against
the enemy centre seems like a lesser evil;
1 70
e.g. 10... dxc4 11 a4+ (not 11 i.xc4?
i.xh2+) 11 ... i.d7 12 xc4 .Uc8 13 4. fol
lowed by t'Llc3 and i.g s.
10...0-0 11 .Ue1
11 ... es!
Of course. The central pawns start roll
ing, with great effect.
12 t'Llf1 e4 13 i.e2 d4!
Thanks to the tactical trick 14 xd4??
i.xh2+, both pawns reach the fourth rank.
Before advancing ... eS-e4 Black had to as
sure this follow-up, as otherwise White
could now have blocked the central pawns
by 14 i.e3 and i.d4.
14 t2Jg3 as!
This time minor tactics help Black bring
his queen to a great post on dS, where she
will support the central pawns and, at the
same time, use them as a shield.
15 i.d2 d5 16 C1 i.b7 17 i.f4?
A tactical oversight. After 17 i.fl .Uac8
Black keeps a clear advantage, but at least
the g2-pawn becomes safe.
17 ... d3!
A carefully calculated blow. The pre
paratory 17 ... i.cs looked strong as well,
whereas the obvious 17 ... e3?! proves less
powerful after 18 i.f3.

18 cxd3
18 ... e3! 19 i.f3 exf2+
Thanks to the intermediate 17 ... d3, Black
managed to clear the g 1-a7 diagonal to
wards the enemy king.
20 xf2 lL:lg4+!
One more accuracy. In contrast, after
20 ...i.cs+? 21 i.e3 ! lL:lg4+ 22 g1 White
defends.
21 g1
Or 21 i.xg4? iYxg2+ 22 e3 i.xf4+ 23
xf4 'iif2+ with mate to come.
21...'iid4+ 22 i.e3 lL:lxe3 23 iYxe3 iYxe3+ 24
.S.xe3 i.cs
Finally Black wins the exchange and
transposes to a clearly superior endgame.
There followed 25 i.xb7 .i.xe3+ 26 h1 .S.ab8
27 i.f3 .S.xb2 and Korchnoi went on to win.
Game 115
M.Grabarczyk-P.Podlesny
Karvina 1994
Queen's Gambit Declined
1 d4 ds 2 c4 lL:lf6?!
A well-known inaccuracy that leaves the
centre in White's hands. If Black is aiming
The Battle for th e C e n tre
for the Queen's Gambit Declined, he should
play 2 ... e6 first.
3 cxds! lL:lxds 4 e4 lL:lf6 s lLlc3
s ... e6?!
This leads to a rather cramped game. Af
ter s ... es 6 lLlf3 exd4 7 iYxd4 iYxd4 8 lL:lxd4
i.b4 9 f3 White has also had good results in
practice, but Black enjoys more activity
than with the text. Anyway, by playing 4
lL:lf3 first White could have sidestepped that
line.
6 lL:lf3 .i.e7 7 .i.d3 o-o 8 o-o a6
Unfortunately for Black, 8 ... cs? runs into
9 dxcs i.xcs 10 es lL:lds 11 i.xh7+! xh7 12
lLlgS+ with the Greek gift working perfectly.
The text prepares ...b7-b5, but the modest
8 ... b6, followed by ... i.b7, was probably
more to the point, speeding up develop
ment and exerting some pressure on the
h 1-a8 diagonal.
9 iYe2! lL:lbd7 10 .S.d1
Such a set-up is often used in similar
positions in the Queen's Gambit Accepted.
On e2 the queen avoids exposure to the
black pieces and enables the attacking idea
e4-e5, followed by 'iie4, while the rook on
d1 discourages Black's ... C7-c5.
10...c6
1 71
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy
Again very passive, but the desired
10 ... bs ran into 11 es 'bds 12 e4! fS 13
exf6 'b7xf6 14 4 with a huge edge.
11 j_g5 l:,e8 12 l:,ac1 h6 13 j,h4 'bf8
Time for White to convert his central
control into something more tangible.
14 e5!
A typical idea. In exchange for weaken
ing the ds-square, Grabarczyk manages to
swap Black's "good" bishop, something that
will yield him a grip on the dark squares
and, indirectly, attacking prospects on the
king side.
14...'bd5 15 j,xe7 xe7
Or 1S ... 'bxc3 16 l:,xc3 xe7 17 'bd2 !
with similar play.
16 'be4! 'bf4
This exchange doesn't help Black's case
in any way, but it was already difficult to
give him good advice.
17 e3 'bxd3 18 l:,xd3 l:,d8 19 'bfd2!
White doesn't even want to allow 19
'bd6 l:,xd6! 20 exd6 xd6, so directs the
other knight to d6 as well.
19 ...'bg6 20 'bc4 c7 21 'bcd6
In strategic terms, the game is already
over - Black will never be able to get rid of
that knight, which deprives him of any
1 72
counterplay and makes White's kingside
attack child's play.
21 ... ltJe7 22 f4 'bd5 23 g4 e7 24 l:,f3
l:,f8 25 'bf6+!
Enhancing the attack and eliminating
any attempts at .. .f7-fs.
25 ... \t>h8 26 h5 l:,b8 27 l:,e1!
The last piece joins the party with devas
tating effect.
27 ... j,d7 28 l:,e4 'bxf6 29 l:,xf6 \t>h7 30 l:,h4!
xf6 31 exf6 l:,h8 32 xf7 1-0
Game 116
L.Polugaevsky-J.DOtfman
USSR Cha mpionship, Tbifisi 1978
Grunfeld Defence
1 d4 d 5 2 'bf3 'bf6 3 C4 g6?!
This leads to an inferior version of the
Grunfeld. 3 ... c6, 3 ... e6 and 3 ...dxc4 are nor
mal continuations.
4 cxd5 'bxd5 5 e4
White sets up the pawn centre, and
forces Black to spend a tempo on withdraw
ing his knight, in similar fashion to the pre
vious game. Note that this doesn't happen
in the mainstream Grunfeld arising after 1

d4 tLlf6 2 c4 g6 3 tL:lc3 d5 4 cxd5 tt:Jxd5 5 e4,
where Black has 5 ... tL:lxc3 at his disposal.
s ...tt:Jb6 6 h3!
A simple measure of restriction directed
at 6 ... .ig4, which would leave the d4-pawn
somewhat exposed.
6 ... .ig7 7 tL:lc3 o-o 8 .ie2 .ie6?!
After White's annoying sixth move,
Dorfman decides to get rid of his problem
bishop via c4. The drawback to this idea is
that it doesn't put any pressure on the en
emy centre, something that he could have
achieved by 8 ... tt:Jc6 9 .ie3 f5 !. Probably
White is a bit better after 10 exf5 .ixf5 11
3+ h8 12 l:i.d1, but Black has much
more counterplay than in the game.
9 0-0 .ic4 10 .ixc4 tt:Jxc4 11 e2
Development with tempo. From e2 the
queen supports the e4-pawn and cedes d1
to the rooks.
11 ...tL:lb6 12 l:i.d1 tLl8d7 13 .igs
The most active square for the bishop.
Now 13 ... h6 14 .ih4 doesn't help Black too
much.
13 ... c6 14 a4!
There was nothing wrong with 14 l:i.ac1,
but Polugaevsky's move is stronger. By the
threat a4-a5 he tries to provoke the weak-
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
ening 14... a5.
14...e8?
This lets White effect a strong advance
in the centre. 14... a5 was a lesser evil; e.g.
15 d5 cxd5 16 tt:Jxd5 tt:Jxd5 17 l:i.xd5 e8 18
l:i.b5 b6 with better defensive chances than
in the game.
15 as tL:lc8 16 ds!
Just at the right moment, when
16 ... cxd5 17 tt:Jxd5 creates the annoying
threat of 18 tLle7.
16 ...a6
Practically the only move, in order to
prevent 17 a6 demolishing the black queen
side.
17 es!
In strategic terms, White is already win
ning - the centre is totally in his control,
while Black's pieces are getting short of
space.
17 ... h6 18 .ih4 e6
This leads to a powerful passed pawn on
d6, but it was difficult to see any other lib
erating attempt.
19 d6 gs 20 .ig3 fs 21 exf6 l:i.xf6 22 l:i.a4!
A nice way of integrating the rook into
the coming kingside attack.
22 ... tt:Ja7 23 h4 gxh4 24 l:i.xh4 tt:Jbs 25 .ies!
1 73
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy
Black is forced to swap one of two im
portant pieces - either the blocker of the
passed pawn or the main defender of his
king.
25 ....l:!.g6
After 2 s .. .Ci'lxes 26 lt'lxes, followed by d6-
d7, the passed pawn will be decisive.
26 xg7 xg7 27 CtJe5!
The clouds are starting to gather around
the black king.
27...lt'lxc3 28 bxc3 .l:!.g5
In the event of 28 ...lt'lxes 29 xeS+ h7
White wins by 30 d7 e7 31 .l:!.b4.
29 f4 .l:!.f5 3o g4+ h7 31 h3 .l:!.f6 32 liJg4
Polugaevsky finally converts his posi
tional advantage into material gains.
32 ...f8
An early surrender, but after 32 ....l:!.g6 33
lt'lxh6 g7 34 fs Black is also helpless.
33 lt'lxf6+ xf6 34 .l:!.e1 lt'lf8 35 .l:!.e5 g7
36 .l:!.eh5 1-0
The next three games show a more con
cerned approach from the side playing
against the pawn centre. Even so, its pos
sessor triumphs in the end, after effecting a
central advance to support the attack on
the enemy king.
1 74
Game 1 1 7
zsuPolgarU.&ansch
Dortmund 1990
Queen 's Gambit Declined
1 d4 CtJf6 2 C4 e6 3 CtJC3 d 5
By transposition w e have reached an ini
tial position of the Queen's Gambit De
clined. With her next move Polgar initiates
the venomous Exchange Variation with
lt'lge2, which was popularized by Botvinnik
in the middle of the 20th century.
4 cxd5 exd5 5 g5 c6 6 e3 e7 1 c2 g4
Black prepares the exchange of his
"bad" bishop, but also wastes time. The
main line goes 7 ... 0-0 8 d3 lt'lbd7 9 lt'lge2
.l:!.e8 10 o-o lt'lf8, when White usually con
tinues 11 f3, preparing an opportune e3-e4,
just as in the game.
8 lt'lge2 xe2 9 xe2 lt'lbd7 10 0-0 0-0 11
d3 .l:!.e8
12 f3!
White prevents the simplifying ...CtJ4
and prepares e3-e4, setting up a pawn cen
tre. This is the reason why the king's knight
is deployed at e2 instead of f3 in this sys
tem.

12 ... ctJf8 13 h4
Black's last move enabled another sim
plifier with ...Cbhs, which can now be met
by f2.
13 ... a6
Seeing that 13 ... cs?J runs into the an
noying 14 bS!, Black prepares it. On the
previous move 12 ...cs?J was also dubious
due to 13 dxcs Cbxcs 14 bs, followed by
J::i. ad1, with pressure on the weak ds-pawn.
14 J::i.a d1!
A "mysterious" rook move that gives ex
tra support to the d4-pawn and discour
ages Black from ... c6-cS; e.g. 14...cs?! 15
xf6 xf6 16 dxcs J::i.x e3 17 Cbxds, winning
a pawn.
14 ... Cbg6 15 f2 d6
Again the counterstrike 1S ... c s ? is tacti
cally flawed, this time due to 16 xg6 hxg6
17 dxcs xes 18 CbxdS! - Polgar.
16 e4!
White finally pursues her plan of creat
ing a pawn centre. In contrast to the previ
ous two games, here she also achieves a
semi-open f-file, which will come handy in
a future attack on the black king.
16 ...dxe4 17 fxe4 ctJg4 18 e5! C7
Unfortunately for Black, after 18 ... Cbxf2?
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
19 'ifxf2 the f7-pawn falls.
19 C4!
Increasing the pressure on f7. At this
point Black is probably missing his "bad"
bishop, which would have been doing a
good defensive job at e6.
19...l::i.e7 20 'it>h1 Cbxf2+
Reacting to White's intention of g1
and h2-h3.
21 'ifxf2 'ifd7 22 ctJe4!
The knight is heading for gS or cs, in
creasing the pressure on Black's camp. By
now White's central control is remarkable -
practically all the four central squares are
dominated by her, a fact that facilitates her
king side attack to great extent.
22 ...J::i.f8 23 'iff3 !
Seeing that the f7-pawn is rather well
protected, Polgar switches her focus to the
one on h7.
23 ...'ife8 24 'ifh5 'it>h8
In view of the line 24... h6?? 25 'ifxg6,
Bonsch unpins the f-pawn.
25 J::i.d 3!
Keeping up the attack. After 2 5 Cbgs h6
26 Cbxf7+ J::i.exf7 27 J::i.xf7 J::i.xf7 28 'ifxg6 J::i.f 8!
Black could pin some hopes on the oppo
site-coloured bishops.
1 75
M a s te ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy
2S ... h6
Or 2S .. .f5 26 .l::th 3 h6 27 lL:lf6! with the
mortal threat of 28 iVxh6+ - Polgar.
26 .l::tdf3 lL:lxes
Desperation, but the threat 27 iVxg6
was irresistible.
27 dxes .l::txes 28 .l::txf7! .l::txf7 29 iY'xf7 1-0
In view of 29 ... iVxf7 30 .l::txf7 .l::txe4 31
.l::tf8+ <Jih7 32 .i.d3 or 29....l::tx e4 30 iVf8+!
with similar consequences, Black resigned.
Ga:me :U8
w.Browne E.Martz
..
Philadelphia 1980
Griinfeld Defence
1 d4 lL:lf6 2 lL:lf3 g6 3 c4 .i.g7 4 lL:lc3 ds s cxds
lL:lxdS 6 e4 lL:lxc3 7 bxc3
One of the starting positions of the Ex
change Grunfeld has been reached. White
enjoys a pawn centre, whereas Black is
ready to undermine it by ... c7-c5, ...lL:lc6 etc,
exploiting the strong bishop on g7. Interest
ingly, at the time of its invention in the
1920s, the Grunfeld was regarded with
suspicion due to the temporary surrender
of the central squares. Nowadays, in con-
1 76
trast, it is definitely one of the hardest nuts
for the 1 d4 players to crack.
7 ...0-0
These days Black usually plays 7 ... cs
straight away, one explanation being that
after 8 .i.e2 lL:lc6 9 .i.e3 .i.g4 White can't
safeguard his centre properly. As a result,
the approaches with 8 .l::tb 1 and 8 .i.e3 are
more popular in practice.
8 ke2 cs 9 o-o b6
In contrast to the previous note, after
9 ... lL:lc6 10 ke3 kg4 11 ds! or 10 ... cxd4 11
cxd4 kg4 12 dS! White can still hope for an
advantage; e.g. 12 ... .i.xa1 13 iVxa1 lL:las 14
kh6, recovering the exchange with a prom
ising central grip.
1o kgs
The most active post for the bishop,
where it puts some pressure on the e7-
pawn and complicates ... e7-e6.
10...cxd4 11 cxd4 .i.b7 12 iVd3
12 ...iY'd7
Black enables ... e7-e6 again, but the
queen will soon have to move again in or
der to vacate d7 for the knight. 12 ...lL:ld7 13
.l::tad1 lLlf6 14 ds should also be a bit better
for White, so Black should prefer 12 ... lL:lc6
13 .l::tad1 h 6 ! ? 14 ke3 (after 14 kh4 gS 15

j,g3 g4 the d4-pawn falls) 14... e6 with just
a slight disadvantage. Instead of 13 ... h6 in
this line, O.Gladyszev-Z.J.Szabo, Gyongyos
1995, took an instructive course: 13 ... d7?!
14 ds! tt:Jes 15 tt:Jxes j,xes 16 f4 j,g7 17
j,h4! {the immediate 17 es allows 17...f6)
17 ...fc8 18 e s ! cs 19 j,f3 e8 20 fe1 fe8 or 18 C3+?! tt:Jf6 isn't convincing.
f6?! 21 exf6 j,xf6 22 j,xf6 exf6 23 xe8+
xe8 24 d6! j,xf3 25 d7! d8 26 xf3 as
27 3+ 'it>f8 28 e6! and Black resigned in
view of 29 e1 next. Quite an impressive
march by the white central pawns!
13 ad1 e6 14 e3!
Using the central pawns as a shield for
his queen, White prepares .lth6, swapping
the Grunfeld bishop. In contrast, the appar
ently natural 14 dS?! runs into 14...tt:Ja6!,
followed by ...tt:Jcs with counterplay.
14...a4 15 j,h6 tZ:ld7
In the event of 1S ... xa2 one tempting
option is 16 h4!?, followed by j,xg7 and h5-
h6, a plan that Black is now ready to
counter by ...tt:Jf6.
16 j,xg7 'it>xg7
17 ds!
The key move of the game. White isn't
really trying to create a passed pawn, he is
rather launching a positional pawn sacri-
Th e Ba ttle fo r th e Cen tre
fice, whose benefits will become evident
two moves later.
17 ... exd5 18 d4!
An important intermediate move. After
18 eS?! e4! Black manages to interfere
with the enemy attack, while 18 exds?!
18...xa2 19 es!
Now we can clearly appreciate Browne's
idea. At the cost of one pawn the bishop on
b7 has been severely restricted, a great
blockading square has emerged on d4 for
White's pieces, and the black kingside has
become exposed. By the way, a similar
pawn sacrifice also appears in the Benoni
(e4-e5, ...d6xes, f4-f5), and by Black in the
King's Indian ( ...eS-e4, f3xe4, .. .fS-f4).
19 ...ae8
After 19 ... h6 20 h4 h8 21 e6 ae8 22
tZ:ld4 White also enjoys a strong initiative.
20 h4 h8
On 20... hs there follows 21 xh s ! gxh s
22 g S+ 'it>h8 23 xhS+ 'it>g7 24 g S+ 'it>h8
25 j,d3 fS 26 j,xfs with a decisive attack.
21 j,bs!
The check on h6 can wait until the op
timum moment.
21 ...e7 22 e6!
1 77
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
22 ...CLJf6
Or 22 ...fxe6? 23 itxd7 I:txd7 24 Wi'eS+
g8 25 Wi'xe6+, winning - Browne.
23 Wi'h6+ g8 24 exf7+ I:txf7 25 CLJe5 Wi'b2
Desperation, but 2S ... l1e7 26 Wi'gs or
2S ... l1g7 26 Wi'gs was equally fatal.
26 CLJxf7 xf7 27 itd3! I:te8
There was the threat of 28 itxg6+, and
27 ... CLJe4 failed to 28 I:txe4! dxe4 29 .ltc4+
e8 30 Wi'f4! - Browne.
28 I:tf4! I:tf8
Ignoring the enemy threat, though
28 ... e6 29 I:te1+ and 28 ... g8 29 itxg6
were losing as well.
29 Wi'xh7+ 1-0
Game 119
P.Tregubov-P..Van der Sterren
Amsterda m 2000
Slav Defence
1 d4 d 5 2 CLJf3 CLJf6 3 c4 c6 4 CLJc3 dxc4 5 a4
itf5 6 tLlh4
We shouldn't move our pieces twice in
the opening - unless there is a good reason,
of course. Here White immediately chal
lenges the Slav bishop, one benefit being
1 78
that after the lazy 6 ...itg6 7 tt:Jxg6 hxg6, he
could go 8 e4 in one single move. Other
main options are 6 e3 and 6 tt:Jes.
6 ...e6
Black doesn't care about the doubled
pawns and simply continues development.
The pawn structure that now arises might
seem dubious at first sight, but practice has
shown Black's position to be perfectly play
able, with the fs-pawn being useful in ob
structing White's e2-e4 advance.
7 tt:Jxf5 exf5 8 e3 itd6
8 ....\tb4 is more popular, further compli
cating the e3-e4 plan; e.g. 9 itxc4 0-0 10
Wi'c2 g6 11 o-o CLJbd7, preparing ...I:tc8 and
... c6-cs.
9 itxc4 g6
A useful move, though not really a prior
ity at this early stage. Van der Sterren per
haps refrained from the natural 9 ... 0-0 in
view of 10 h3 followed by g2-g4, a danger
ous plan that has been launched several
times in practice. Even so, Black's position is
not without resources; e.g. 10 ... CLJbd7 11 g4
CLJe4! 12 gxfs Wi'as 13 Wi'c2 tt:Jdf6 14 itd3
I:tfe8 with counterplay in V.Filippov
l.lbragimov, New York Open 1998.
10 f3!

Tregubov immediately starts building a
pawn centre, before Black gets in ... 0-0 and
... l:te8.
10 'i'c7?!
cates 16 'iVxh S o-o-o 17 tZ:le2 l:thg8 18 l:ta3 !
A flawed attempt at restricting White's
plan. Again 10 ... 0-0 was called for; e.g. 11 e4
fxe4 12 fxe4 cs!, immediately striking at the
enemy centre. Tregubov indicates the sharp
line 13 e s ! cxd4 14 exd6 (not 14 'iVxd4?
xes) 14 ... dxc3 15 o-o! 'iVb6+ 16 h1 cxb2
17 h6 tZ:lbd7! 18 l:tb1 l:tfe8 19 'iVd2 with a
clear advantage. However, by 19 ...l:te4! 20
l:txb2 'i'd4 Black seems to hold his own.
11 e4!
Anyway! White doesn't bother about the
h2-pawn and just continues the battle for
the centre.
11 ... xh2
After 11...fxe4? 12 fxe4 xh2 13 eS
g3+ 14 f1 tZ:lh s 15 'iVf3 Black has no de
fence against l:txh s and 'iVxg 3.
12 es g3+ 13 f1 tZ:lhs
Or 13 ...tZ:lfd7? 14 f4! with the strong
threat of 15 tZ:le2.
14 l:txhs!
A second sacrifice, one that will leave
Black's king side structure in ruins and let
White establish a strong grip on the centre.
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e C e n tre
14 tZ:le2?! f4 was less convincing.
14...gxhs 15 f4 h4
In the event of 1S ...tZ:ld7, Tregubov indi
and White wins.
16 'iVhs tZ:la6
Since 16 ...'i'd7 runs into 17 e6 or even
17 dS !?, Black surrenders the fS-pawn and
gives priority to development.
17 'iVxfs l:tdS 18 e3 tZ:lb4 19 tZ:le4!
By now White's central control is really
impressive, with the double threat of 20
tZ:ld6+ and 20 tZ:lf6+ spelling the end for
Black.
19 ... tt:Jds 20 xds cxds 21 l:tc1! 'iVxc1+
There is nothing better; e.g. 21...'iVe7 22
tZ:lf6+ f8 23 'iVhs h6 24 fs g7 2 5 'i'g4+
f8 26 xh6+! or 21...'iVb6 22 tZ:ld6+! ? l:txd6
23 exd6 0-0 24 d7, followed by l:tc8 -
Tregubov.
22 xc1 dxe4 23 e6!
The quickest way to victory, opening the
gates to the black monarch. Now 23 .. .fxe6
drops a rook after the reply 24 iVxe6+ f8
2 5 'iVf6+.
23 ...l:tf8 24 d2! 1-0
In view of the devastating 25 b4, Black
resigned.
1 79
M a s tering O p e n ing Stra tegy
Centre control led by a piece
Another key method when fighting for the
centre is the occupation of a central square
with a piece, usually a knight. Such a piece
can become a real headache for the oppo
nent, as we will see in the following games.
Game 120
J.Fries NielsenJHellsten
Copenhagen 1996
Colle's Opening
1 d4 tt:lf6 2 tt:lf3 e6 3 e3 cs 4 i.d3
The Colle, a venomous opening despite
its modest appearance, as we already saw
in Game 59 (Vera-Romero).
4...ds s o-o tt:lc6 6 b3 i.d6 1 i.b2 o-o s
tt:lbd2
Quite a sensible set-up - both bishops
enjoy good perspectives and a future
knight jump to e s is enabled.
8 ...'iVe7?!
Black wants to push ... e6-eS, but 8 ... .Ue8
was a better way of preparing this idea; e.g.
9 tt:les 'iVc7! 10 f4 (or 10 tt:ldf3 cxd4 11 exd4
tt:lb4! with similar play) 10 ... cxd4 11 exd4
tt:lb4! 12 i.bs i.d7 with a favourable minor
1 80
piece exchange and approximately even
chances.
g tt:les!
White installs the knight on a great post
in the centre, exploiting the fact that
9 ... tt:lxes ? isn't tactically possible. This
method, once popularized by Pillsbury, is
frequent in many opening systems, particu
larly in the queen's pawn openings. On es
the knight will have a huge impact on the
battle, cramping Black's ... e6-es advance
and supporting a future king side attack.
9 ....Ud8?
Indifference. I could have given some
justice to my previous move by 9 ...cxd4 10
exd4 i.a3 !, swapping the attacker on b2.
There can follow 11 'iVc1 i.xb2 12 'iVxb2
i.d7 13 a3 .Uac8 14 f4 'iVd8 15 c4! with a
distinct initiative for White, J.Nogueiras
Santiago-J.Gonzalez Zamora, Cuban Cham
pionship, Holguin 1991, but even so Black is
better off than in the game.
10 a3!
Preventing both ...i.a3 and ...tt:lb4.
10...tt:ld7 11 f4!
Backing up the knight, in good old Pills
bury style. 11 lLldf3 ?! f6 was less promising.
11...tt:lf8

During the g ame I thought that things
were going well - by ...ctJd7-f8 I reinforced
the sensitive h7-pawn, and now I would
be ready for .. .f7-f6, pushing the knight
away from e5. Then, by ... e6-e5 I would
take control of the centre, with my queen
and rook ideally located. But my oppo
nent played with worrying speed and I
soon woke up from my illusions. As for
the immediate 11 .. .f6, after 12 'ifh 5 ! g6
(12 ...'2Jf8 13 l:If3 leads to the g ame) 13
ct:Jxg6 hxg6 14 .ltxg6 'ifg7 15 l:If3 White
obtains a strong attack.
12 ifhs f6
13 l:If3!
A key decision of the game. Nielsen
doesn't move the knight away but just gets
on with the attack.
13 ... 'ife8
Vacating the e7-square for the knight or
the bishop. At this moment 13 .. .fxe5 ? 14
fxe5 .lte7 is refuted immediately by 15
l:Ixf8+! xf8 16 l:If1+ with mate.
14 'ifh4 cxd4 15 exd4 hs?
Eliminating the tactical idea of l:Ixf8+
and ifxh7, so that the piece on e5 can fi
nally be captured. However, after White's
reply Black will just have weakened his
Th e Ba ttle fo r the Cen tre
kingside. Had I been a bit more pragmatic, I
would have played 15 .. .f5 !, surrendering
the e5-square but, more importantly, ham
pering White's attack. There can follow 16
ct:Jxc6 bxc6 17 l:Ie1 with a clear positional
advantage, but at least Black has saved his
king.
16 l:Iaf1!
White ignores the threat at his knight
again and brings the last piece to the at
tack.
16 ...fxes?!
Rather foolhardily, Black accepts the
challenge. Instead, 16 ...ctJe7 was correct,
sending the knight to the defence; e.g. 17
g4!? hxg4 18 ct:Jxg4 ct:Jfg6! 19 'ifh 5 '2Jf5 20
l:Ih 3 'iff7 and despite a promising white
attack, Black is alive.
17 fxes .lte7 18 'ifg3 .ltd7 19 l:If4!
Nielsen takes his time, aware that Black
can't coordinate his forces properly. The
text prepares ctJf3-g5 (or ctJh4), enhancing
the attack.
19 ... l:Idc8 20 '2Jf3 ifds 21 ct:Jgs! 'ib6?
Losing at once, though after 21 ... .ltxg 5
22 l:Ixf8+ ifxf8 23 l:Ixf8+ l:Ixf8 24 ifxg 5
White is also winning.
22 l:If7 g6
181
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
23 'Llxe6!
Finally Black's kingside crumbles.
23 ...'Llxes
Or 23 ....ixe6 24 .Mxf8+ with mate.
24 xes 'Llxe6 2S .ixg6 'Llf4 26 g7 mate
Game 121
J.HellstenkR.Akesson
Sweden 1996
Queen1s Indian Defence
1 d4 'Llf6 2 c4 e6 3 'Llf3 b6 4 e3
A perfectly playable line, even if 4 g3
and 4 a3 are considered as more critical
tests of the Queen's Indian.
4....ib7 S .id3 dS 6 b3 .id6
Launching a similar set-up to White's in
the previous game.
7 o-o o-o 8 'Llc3 'Llbd7 9 .ib2 'Lle4
This time it is Black who applies Pills
bury's method.
10 .Mc1?!
A rather mechanical move. 10 c2 was
more ambitious, fighting for the e4-square;
e.g. 10...f5 11 cxd5 exd5 12 'Llb5!, swapping
the dangerous bishop on d6, or 10...'Llxc3 11
.ixc3 dxc4 12 .ixh7+! (avoiding the perpetual
1 82
after 12 bxc4 .ixf3 13 gxf3 .ixh2+) 12...<J;lh8
13 .ie4 cxb3 14 axb3 with a slight edge,
J.Fries Nielsen-J.Stanke, German League 2003.
10...a6!
An essential move in Black's set-up, so
as to rule out the same 'Llb5 that we saw in
the previous note.
11 cxds exds 12 'Lle2 e7 13 'Llg3 fs!
Black reinforces his central knight and
at the same time prevents 14 'Llf5. With the
centre more or less secured, he is now ready
for a kingside attack.
14 MC2 c6!
Akesson is well aware of the enemy in
tentions and takes prophylactic measures.
Both 14....Mf6 and 14... g5 would have run
into 15 a1!, followed by 'Lle5; e.g. 14....Mf6
15 a1 .Me8 16 'Lle5!, and after multiple
captures on e5, White snatches the c7-
pawn in the end. As for the impulsive
14.. .f4, after 15 exf4 .ixf4 16 .Mel the e-file
is opened to White's benefit.
1S e2 as
A useful move that secures the a-pawn
and enables the ... a5-a4 pinprick, a fact that
explains my next move.
16 a4 .Mf6!
Time to get on with the king side attack.

17 I!fc1 I!af8 18 a6 a8 19 d1?
A useless retreat, which leaves White in
a very passive position. Much better was 19
lLJf1, followed by tt:Je1 and f2-f3, with
chances for a successful defence.
19 I!h6 20 lLJf1
.
2o...gs!
With such a firm grip on the centre,
nothing speaks against a full-scale advance
on the kingside. Less precise was 20...lLJdf6
21 tt:Jes ! with some interference.
21 g3 f4 22 exf4 gxf4 23 e2 tt:Jdf6!
Finally Black permits tt:Jes, when he has
created sufficient threats on the kingside.
Otherwise, 23 .. .fxg3 24 fxg3 g7 2S d3
I!hf6 also looked strong.
24 tt:Jes tt:Jxf2!
The position was begging for this sacrifice,
which opens the gates to the white king.
25 cJ:?xf2 fxg3+ 26 hxg3
After 26 cJ:?g1 gxh2+ 27 tt:Jxh2 xes 28
dxes I!g6+ 29 cJ:?h 1 tt:Je4 Black's attack is
also irresistible.
26 ...lLJe4+ 27 cJ:?g1
In heavy time-trouble I just chose the
most obvious retreat, but 27 cJ:?g2 ! ? was
worth considering, since 27 ... I!f2+?! 28 cJ:?g1
actually helps White more than Black. The
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e C e n tre
latter should rather continue 27 ...xes 28
dxes cs! 29 f3 d7 with strong pressure;
e.g. 30 g4 d4! 31 xd7 lLJd2+, regaining
the queen with heavy interest.
27 ...xes 28 dxes
28...lLJf2!
With the simple plan of ... c6-cS and ... ds
d4, including the last piece in the assault.
29 d2 e6!
Defending the rook and creating the
threat of 30 ...I!h1+ 31 cJ:?g2 3 mate (or
simply 30 ...3) at the same time.
30 gS+ cJ:?h8 0-1
Since 31 f3 saves the king but not the
queen, White resigned.
It is no wonder that after such painful
defeats, I became interested in applying the
same idea myself. Here is one example.
Game 122
J.HellstenC;Viuma
lin ares, Chile 2003
Slav Defence
1 d4 dS 2 c4 c6 3 lLJc3 tt:Jf6 4 e3
In comparison with the more common 4
1 83
M a s tering Open ing Strategy
lt:Jf3, White rules out 4...dxc4 at this early
stage, at the cost of restricting his bishop
on c1.
4 ...i.f5?!
A natural move in the Slav, but slightly
inappropriate on this occasion, which
White will show with his next two moves.
More usual are 4... e6, 4... a6 and 4... g6.
5 cxd5 cxd5 6 b3!
A typical idea in this opening - after the
bishop's departure from c8, White hurries
to attack the vulnerable b7-pawn. In con
trast, 5 3?! at once was less accurate due
to s ...6.
6 ...i.c8
The least of evils, now that 6 ... 6?!
runs into 7 lt:Jxds lt:Jxds 8 xds 4+ 9
i.d2 xb2 10 .l:!.c1 with a clear advantage,
while 6 ... b6? drops a pawn after 7 i.bS+
and 8 lt:lxds.
7 f4!?
An interesting way of seizing the centre
- the ensuing weakness on e4 hardly makes
itself felt here. Otherwise, White could con
sider the simple 7 CDf3 lt:Jc6 8 i.d3 e6 9 o-o,
followed by i.d2, .l:!.fc1 and d1, or even e3-
e4!?, transposing to an IQP structure.
7 ...e6 8 CDf3 lt:Jc6 9 i.d3 a6 10 o-o i.d7
1 84
After 10... i.e7 11 lt:les o-o 12 i.d2 lt:Jxes
13 fxe s lt:ld7 14 e4! White also keeps the
initiative.
11 lt:le5!
By now this idea is well familiar to us.
Incidentally, 11 xb7?? lt:las obviously had
to be avoided.
u ... b5 12 dl i.d6?!
12 ... i.e7 was better, enabling a future
... Cbxes. Admittedly the other knight could
no longer retreat to d7 as in the note with
10 ... i.e7 above, but in the game Black will
suffer worse problems.
13 i.d2 b6 14 .tel
Such a bishop transfer is well known
from the Stonewall Dutch.
14... h5?
A pseudo-active move, which just makes
it more difficult for Black to castle. It was
not yet too late for 14 ... i.e7 admitting the
mistake on move 12.
15 i.h4 i.e7 16 .l:!.cl!
The fact that Black can't connect his
rooks will play heavily against him in the
dispute for the open c-file.
16 ... g6
Or 16 ... .l:!.c8 17 f3 8 18 g3!, intend
ing 18 ... g6? 19 CDxf7.

17 iff3 lt:ig4?
This counterstrike won't work out well,
though after 17 ... c8 18 ifg 3 g8 19 a3 !,
with the simple plan of c2 and fc1, Black
is also in trouble.
18 ctJxd7
The proud knight finally leaves the board
in order to keep Black's king in the centre,
thus enhancing the following sacrifice.
18...'.t>xd7 19 CLlxd5! exd5 20 ifxd5+
Black's position falls apart completely
and the rest is relatively easy.
20 ... .id6 21 ifxf7+ lt:ie7 22 f5! hf8
Or 22 ....ixh 2+ 23 '.t>h1 ae8 24 fxg6 with
irresistible threats.
23 ife6+ '.t>e8 24 'i!th1!
Prophylaxis in the attack. Now both 25
.ixe7 and 25 f6 are threatened, neither of
which worked at this moment due to
24....ixh2+.
24...ifd8 25 f6 lt:ixf6 26 .ixg6+ 1-0
From the previous three games, one
could get the impression that once a knight
is installed on es or e4, the other player is
doomed to defeat. Of course this is not the
case, and here is an example on how to
fight against a " Pillsbury" knight.
Th e Battle for th e C e n tre
Game 123
L.Van Wely-S.Karjakin
Spanish Team
Championshi p 2005
Slav Defence
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 lt:ic3 lt:if6 4 ctJf3 a6
The Chebanenko system, which we al
ready saw in Miton-Sammour (Game 6}.
5 a4
One of the most critical replies, ruling
out any attempt at ...b7-b5, at the cost of
slightly weakening the b4-square.
5 ... e6 6 .ii.g 5 lt:ibd7 7 ifc2
White could also play 7 e3 at once,
though the text tends to be a useful move
in such positions.
7... h6 8 .ih4 ifa5
An ambitious choice in the spirit of the
Cambridge Springs variation (4... e6 5 .ig s
lt:ibd7 6 e3 ifas etc). The simple 8 ....ie7 was
possible as well; e.g. 9 e3 o-o 10 as c s ! 11
dxcs lt:ixcs 12 cxds lt:ixds 13 lt:ixds exds 14
.ixe7 ifxe7 15 .ie2 .ig4 16 0-0 ac8 with
counterplay in L.Van Wely-V.Ivanchuk,
Monte Carlo (rapid} 2006.
9 e3
1 85
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy
9 ...lt:Je4?!
Karjakin hurries to install a knight on e4
at the cost of delaying development.
9 ...ii.b4, followed by ... 0-0, was a safer
choice.
10 ii.d3 fS
Reinforcing the knight in Pillsbury style.
Less appealing is 10 ...ii.b4 11 ii.xe4 dxe4 12
lt:Jd2 fS 13 cs!, followed by lt:Jc4, when Black
faces severe problems on the dark squares.
11 0-0 ii.d6
At first sight Black's position seems
rather promising. He just needs a few
tempi to get castled and activate his
queenside pieces, after which his central
grip would motivate a kingside attack, just
as in the previous games. However, Van
Wely has a strong antidote prepared.
12 cs!
Before taking charge of the knight on e4,
Van Wely fixes the queenside pawn struc
ture, in order to rule out a possible ... c6-cs
break, and enables a future lt:Jd2-c4 ma
noeuvre. In effect, after 12 ii.xe4?! dxe4! 13
lt:Jd2 cs Black wouldn't have anything to
complain about.
12 ... ii.b8 13 ii.xe4!
Swapping the least active minor piece
186
for the strong enemy knight.
13 ...fxe4
By now, 13 ... dxe4? 14 lt:Jd2, followed by
'bc4 and ii.g3, would yield White a clear
grip on the dark squares.
14 LLld2 0-0 15 f3!
A key move to break the enemy pawn
chain and clear the f-file before Black's
queen side pieces join the battle.
1S ...exf3 16 lt:Jxf3 .Mf7
Preparing ... lt:Jf8 to reinforce the king
side defence. In contrast, the active 16 ... es
permits 17 'ifg6 ! exd4 (or 17...e4 18 lt:Jd2
with the strong threat 19 ii.e7) 18 exd4 lt:Jf6
19 .Mae1 with a colossal lead in develop
ment.
17 .Mf2!
The most logical choice, in order to in
clude the queen's rook in the battle.
17 ...lt:Jf8
This time 17 ... es is strongly met by 18
.Maf1 e4 19 LLlxe4! dxe4 20 'iVh3; e.g. 20...lt:Jf6
21 ii.xf6 gxf6 22 lt:Jg S ! hxgs 23 .Mxf6 and
White wins.
18 b4!
Exploiting the tactical twist 18 ...'ifxb4?
19 aS, followed by .Ma4, Van Wely lures the
black queen to c7, thus enabling lt:Jes on
 The B a ttle for t h e Cen tre

the next move. The simple 18 .Maf1! ? d7 central squares being subject to the same
19 g3!, preparing lZ:les after the exchange idea.
of bishops, looked strong too.
18 ...'iYc7 19 lZ:Jes .Mxf2 20 iVxf2 gS
Practically the only move, so as to get Game 124
some breathing space. K.Haznedaroglu-M.Gurevich
21 g3 'iVg7 lzmir 2002
Pirc Defence

1 e4 d6 2 d4 lZ:lf6 3 lZ:Jc3 g6 4 lZ:lf3 g7 5 e2

A quiet approach against the Pirc. These
days, the Austrian Attack (4 f4) and the
flexible 4 e3 are probably more demand
ing lines for Black.
s ...o-o 6 o-o g4
Black surrenders the bishop pair in order
to start working on the dark squares, in
particular d4. H e has many other options
here, such as 6 ... c6, preparing ... lZ:lbd7 and
... e7-e5.
22 .Mf1! 7 h3
The triumph of White's strategy. The Another direction is 7 e3 lZ:Jc6 8 dS
knight on es is a giant, and Black can hardly xf3 9 .ixf3 lZ:les 10 e2 c6! 11 f4 lZ:Jed7
save his king with the rook and queen's with a complex strategical battle.
bishop still out of play. 7 ...xf3 8 xf3 lZ:lc6
22 ...C7
Seeing that 22 ... d7? runs into 23
iVxf8+!, Karjakin prepares the bishop move.
23 lLlg4!
Hitting the vulnerable dark squares on
f6 and h6.
23 ...es
This loses outright, though Black was
short of a defence anyway; e.g. 23 ...xg3 24
iVxg3 d7 25 lZ:lf6+ 'ith8 26 lZ:lh s, followed
by 27 iVes+.
24 lLlf6+! 1-0
In view of the material losses after
24 ... 'ith8 2 S lLle8, Black resigned. 9 e3
Considering the dark square problems
Now let's see some examples of other faced by White later on, 9 lZ:Je2 es 10 c3

187
M a s tering Ope n ing Stra tegy
might be a more promising approach, safe
guarding the d4-pawn. He could also con
template 9 i.g 5 in order to provoke ...h 7-h6,
so that a later d2 gains a tempo by attack
ing h6.
9..J1e8
An odd move at first sight - why doesn't
Black just play 9 ... e5 straight away; e.g. 10
d5 tbe7, followed by ...ti'Jd7 and .. .f7-f5 - ?
Well, Gurevich has quite a different idea in
mind, one that will become evident on the
next move.
10 d2
On moves like 10 l::te 1 or 10 ti'Je2 Black
could react in similar fashion; e.g. 10 ti'Je2
e5 11 d5 ti'Jd4! 12 ti'Jxd4 exd4 13 xd4 (or
13 i.xd4 ti'Jxe4 14 J::t e 1 ti'Jg5) 13 ... tbg4!? 14
d2 ti'Jxe3 15 xe3 i.xb2 16 l::t ab1 f6 17
3 i.e5 18 xb7 f4 with clear compen
sation for the pawn, N.Guliev-M.Gurevich,
French Team Championship 2004.
10 ... es 11 ds ti'Jd4!
By now Black's strategy is easily appre
ciated. The knight on d4 is very annoying
for the opponent, and removing it by 12
i.xd4 exd4 13 xd4 fails to 13 ...ti'Jxe4, cred
iting the prophylactic 9 ...l::te 8.
12 i.d1 c6!
1 88
Such a knight supports action on the
whole board, and here Gurevich has esti
mated that the queenside is his best battle
field.
13 dxc6
The active 13 f4 runs into 13 ... cxd5 14
exd5 ti'Jf5 !, followed by ...e5-e4 or ...i.h6,
with strong pressure on the dark squares.
13 ... bxc6 14 i.e2?!
But here, 14 f4, followed by f2, seems
like a better shot, creating some counter
play on the f-file. The text prepares the
bishop transfer i.c4-b3 but, as we will see
next, it won't work tactically.
14 ... l::tb 8 15 i.c4?
15 J::tab1 was a lesser evil, keeping the
material balance.
1s ...ds!
Black sets up a pawn centre, exploiting
the fact that 16 i.b3? now fails to 16 ...ti'Jxb3
17 axb3 d4. In contrast, 15 ... l::txb2?! 16 i.b3
would make things unnecessarily compli
cated.
16 i.d3 ti'Je6
Probably there was nothing wrong with
16 ...l::tx b2, but the text has the merit of in
stalling the additional threat 17 ... d4.
17 ti'Jd1 ti'Jxe4 18 i.xe4 dxe4 19 xd8

l:texd8 20 i.xa7
Despite the material balance, White is
seriously worse in this endgame due to
Black's active pieces and central control.
2o...l:tb7 21 i.e3 fs! 22 b3
22... 'Lld4!
The knight returns to its preferred posi
tion, increasing the pressure on White's
camp. In the same spirit, 22 .. .f4!? 23 i.c1
'Lld4 was interesting too.
23 i.xd4?
This just helps Black in creating a passed
pawn, though after 23 c3 'Lle2+ 24 'it>h 1
l:ta8! White is suffering anyway.
23 ... exd4 24 l:tb1 l:ta8 2S l:tb2 cS!
Th e B a ttle for t h e Cen tre
One more pawn starts rolling, while
White remains badly coordinated.
26 c3 l:tba7 27 cxd4 i.xd4
There was nothing wrong with 27 ... cxd4,
but Gurevich prefers to take a pawn.
28 l:tb1 l:txa2 29 'Lle3 l:te2 0-1
In view of the double threat of 30 ... i.xe3
and 30 ... l:taa2, White resigned.
Game :1.25
Y.Nikolaevsky-V.Mikhalevsld
Kiev 1995
English Opening
1 c4 'Llf6 2 lt:Jc3 ds
Black responds to the English in Grun
feld style.
3 cxds 'Llxds 4 g3 g6 s i.g2 lt:Jb6 6 d3
Another option was 6 d4 i.g7 7 'Llf3,
transposing to the Fianchetto variation of
the Grunfeld.
6 ... i.g7 7 'Llf3 'Llc6
A typical English structure has emerged,
similar to the Sicilian Dragon with reversed
colours. White has an extra pawn in the
centre and also possesses a semi-open c
file. On the other hand, Black enjoys more
1 89
M as te ring Open ing Strategy
space and easy development.
8 i.d2
White prepares 'iic 1 and i.h6 in order to
exchange the bishop on g 7, aware that the
absence of pawns on the central squares
makes both fianchettoed bishops rather
valuable. If Black tries to prevent this by
8 ...h6, then after 9 'iic 1 he can't easily cas
tle, which is why Mikhalevski prefers just to
continue development.
8...0-0 9 'iic 1 b8!?
An interesting piece of prophylaxis.
Black overprotects the b7-pawn, so that his
knight can move away from c6 later on. In
contrast, after 9 ...e8 10 i.h6 i.h8 11 h4!?,
followed by 12 h s , White develops an initia
tive on the kingside.
10 i.h6 i.g4 11 i.xg7 'it>xg7 12 h3?!
Perhaps Nikolaevsky wanted to avoid 12
0-0 'iid 7, followed by ...i.h 3, but the text
just accelerates Black's plan.
12 ...i.xf3 13 i.xf3
13 ...tt:Jd4!
Thanks to the 9 ...b8 move, Black can
centralize his knight straight away. From
now on, whenever White plays e2-e3, he
will be left with a slight weakness on d3.
14 i.g2 es
190
Just in time, before White achieves an
ideal pawn structure by 15 e3 and 16 d4.
15 o-o 'iie 7 16 \t>h2?!
This and White's following moves are
rather passive. 16 e3 tt:Je6 17 'iic 2 seems
preferable, intending b1 and b2-b4 with
some queenside play. The slight weakness
on d3 can be lived with.
16...c6 17 'iVd2 bd8 18 ac1?!
Again White refrains from e2-e3 and
'iic 2, preferring a rather cryptic rook move.
By now he even has to watch out for ...tt:Jc4.
1s ...fs!
With the centre more or less controlled,
Mikhalevski starts active operations on the
kingside. Less useful was 18 ... tt:Jc4 19 'iie 1,
when 19 ...tt:Jxb2? 20 b1 'iia3 21 'iic 1 leaves
the knight trapped.
19 f4?
A serious oversight that lets Black estab
lish a firm grip on the dark squares by tacti
cal means. 19 e3? no longer worked due to
19 ... tt:Jc4! 20 'iie 1 tt:Jxb2 21 exd4 tt:Jxd3 22
'iie 3 tt:Jxc1 23 xc1 xd4 (Ribli}, so 19 b3
was more cautious and only then 20 e3.
Perhaps Black could react by 19 ...h s ! ?, in
tending ...hS-h4; e.g. 20 h4 e4! 21 'iie 3 f4 22
'iixe4 'iid6 with attacking prospects.
 Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre

19 ...l2Jc4!
Exploiting the tactical twist 20 dxc4? Game.126
4Jf3+, Black sends his knight to a great des DBocharovA.Tjurin
tiny on e3. Khanty-.Mans.iysk 2008
20 1We1 4Je3 21 .l::i.f2 exf4 22 gxf4 Budapest Gambit
Or if 22 .l::!.xf4 Black replies 22 ...g 5 23 .l::!.f2
1We5 ! , intending ...h 5-h4 with a strong at 1 d4 4Jf6 2 c4 es 3 dxes l2Jg4 4 e3
tack - Ribli. An interesting sideline against the Bu
dapest Gam bit, in which White skips 4Jf3 in
order to develop this knight via h3 instead.
The main moves are 4 .if4 and 4 4Jf3.
4 4Jxes 5 l2Jc3
..

The immediate 5 l2Jh 3 permits the gam

bit 5 ...d5!?.
s ...g6
Black opts for a King's Indian-like set-up.
In the event of the more Budapest-spirited
5 ... 4Jbc6 White can proceed in similar fash
ion to the game; i.e. 6 4Jh 3! .ib4 7 .id2 d6 8
l2Jf4 .ig4 9 .ie2 .ixe2 10 1Wxe2 0-0 11 0-0
with a slight edge.
22 ...1Wh4! 6 4Jh3!
With the centre completely in his hands,
Black intensifies his attack and now threat
ens 23 ...l2Jg4+.
23 h1 .l::!.fe8
The last piece joins the battle, creating
the unpleasant threat of 24. ..lbxg2 25 xg2
.l::!.e 3.
24 .l::!.f1 1Wh6 25 1Wg3
White offers the exchange in order to re
lieve his defence, but Mikhalevski just ig
nores it and keeps on attacking.
2S ...l2Jxg2! 26 1Wxg2 .l::i.e 3 27 h2 l2Je6!
The concrete idea behind 25 ... 4Jxg2 -
the f4-pawn now falls. The knight heads for a pleasant destiny
28 .l::i.f3 l2Jxf4 29 1Wg3 0-1 on f4, from where it can later reach the key
At the same time White resigned, with square on d5.
out waiting for the reply 29 ....l::!.xf3 30 1Wxf3 6 ....ig7 7 l2Jf4 o-o 8 .ie2 as
l2Jxh3!, discovering an attack on the rook on Preparing ...4Ja6-c5 without having to
C1. bother about b2-b4.

191
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
9 o-o d6 10 e4!
Gaining space and preparing .ie3. In
similar King's Indian positions the e4-pawn
often becomes exposed to Black's pieces;
here, in contrast, it is somehow helped by
the location of the black knight on es.
Moreover, the fact that both white knights
can quickly reach the ds-square also speaks
in his favour.
10...tZ:la6 11 .ie3 t"Llcs 12 'iVd2
Before installing a knight on dS, it
makes sense to put a few major pieces on
the d-file in order to discourage Black from
...C7-c6.
12 ... b6 13 b3 h8 14 ad1 fs
Otherwise Black is left too passive.
15 exfs .ixfs
16 t"Llfds!
Finally. Now if Black expels the knight by
... c7-c6, then the d6-pawn becomes weak, a
subject that we just came across with re
versed colours in the previous game.
16 ...f7
Or 16 ... t"Llg4 17 .ixg4! .ixg4 18 f3 .ifs 19
.id4! with favourable exchanges. Basically,
White is happy to exchange about every
piece on the board, except for the proud
knight on ds.
192
1 7 f3
Taking the g4- and e4-squares from
Black's pieces. Another good option was 17
h3, followed by f2-f4, a plan that is soon
carried out in the game.
17 ...'iVf8
Black just gets on with the mobilization
of his pieces to the king side; unfortunately,
he has no real targets there to work on. In
retrospect one gets the impression that he
should have tried ...c7-c6 at some point,
accepting a weak pawn on d6 just to get rid
of the annoying knight on ds. However,
both here and on the previous move, 17 ... c6
runs into 18 .ig s !, with the knight eyeing
b6 and e7 at the same time.
18 h3 e8 19 f4! t"Llc6 20 .if3
Little by little White improves his posi
tion.
20...t"Lle4 21 tt::lxe4 .ixe4 22 .ixe4 xe4 23
fe1
Despite the exchanges Black is still in
difficulties due the strong knight on dS,
which ties at least one of his pieces to de
fence of the C7-pawn.
23 ...e8 24 g3!
When you are aware that you have a
long-term advantage, don't hurry things.

The text provides the king with a safer
square on g2 and gives the f4-pawn some
extra support.
24 ... 'ii?g8 25 'ii?g2 .l:!.e6 26 il.f2!
Bocharov disputes the open file, aware
that Black can't easily resist there due to his
problem with the c7-pawn.
26 ...'c8 27 a3
Preparing b3-b4 with a new front on the
queenside. The obvious 27 .l:!.xe6 xe6 28
.l:!.e1 can wait, since Black can't bring his
second rook to the e-file anyway; e.g.
27 ....l:!.f8? 28 .l:!.xe6 xe6 29 ti'Jxc7.
27 ...'ii?f8 28 b4 axb4 29 axb4 .l:!.xe1 30 .l:!.xe1
as 31 'ii?g 1!
Protecting the knight from exchange by
...ti'Je7. By now Black is doomed to passive
defence.
31 ...c8 32 e2 il.d4 33 'ii?g2 il.g7 34 e4
d7?
A tactical oversight, but after 34...d8
3 5 g4!, followed by b4-b5, Black is also in
big trouble, with 3 5 ... ti'Je7 failing to 36 il.h4!
at any moment.
35 ti'Jxc7! .l:!.e7
Obviously the knight was untouchable
because of mate.
36 ti'Je6+ 'ii?g8 37 b5 ti'Jd8 38 ti'Jc5! 1-0
Th e Battle for th e C e n tre
In view of the lost endgame arising after
38 ... .l:!.xe4 39 ti'Jxd7, Black resigned. In effect,
a great technical game by White.
(jam l'7
R. .-Epiirt
Germart Ta tu;p 200
5icili(iln DejeJ)(e. r;lr;Jed: Vo,ri(ilian '
1 e4 c5 2 ti'Jc3 e6 3 g3 d 5
A solid reply t o the Closed Sicilian. Obvi
ously Black also had to be ready for 3 ti'Jf3
and 4 d4, transposing to the Open Sicilian .
4 d3 il.e7
By bringing out the bishop first, Black
avoids 4...ti'Jf6 5 e5 .
5 il.g2 dxe4
The simplest. Now 6 ti'Jxe4 ti'Jf6 leaves
White without any trace of an advantage,
but neither does the queenless middle
game that arises after the text, so he should
probably have preferred e4xd5, followed by
il.g2, either on the fourth or fifth move.
6 dxe4 xd1+ 7 ti'Jxd1 il.d7!
Heading for c6 to neutralize the bishop
on g2 and put some initial pressure on the
e4-pawn.
1 93
M as te ring Ope n ing Strategy
8 tt:Je3 .ic6 9 tt:Je2 etJd7 10 .id2 tt:Jgf6 11 f3
0-0 12 tt:Jc4
With the dual intention of 13 tt:Jas and
13 es. Slower moves like 12 rJ;?f2 permit
12 ...bs!, gaining space and taking the c4-
square from White's pieces. Actually Black
could already have considered 11...b5 on
the previous move.
12 ....ibS
Immediately preventing both enemy
ideas. 12 ...b5?! 13 tt:Jas or 12 ...b6 13 es tt:Jds
14 f4 was less promising - Bangiev.
13 tt:Ja3 .ic6 14 tt:Jc4 .ibs 15 tt:Je3 .ic6
At this point White could have taken a
three-fold repetition by 16 etJc4, but he de
cides to play for a win. Black, on his part,
could have avoided the repetition by
15 ....Mfd8 at this moment, or by 13 ....ia6
earlier on.
16 a4 .Mfd8
Black is finally ready to start fighting for
the open file.
17 etJc3
The immediate 17 tt:Jc4 would have run
into 17 ....ixa4! 18 .Mxa4 bS - Bangiev, so
White prepares it.
17 ...etJeS!
The key move of this game, by which
194
Black seizes the centre and, at the same
time, prevents 18 etJc4.
18 rJ;?e2?!
As the remainder of the game will show
us, White shouldn't have let the knight stay
on es. Preferable was 18 f4 tt:Jeg4 19 tt:Jxg4
tt:Jxg4 20 h3 tt:Jf6 21 .Mh2!, preparing e4-e5;
e.g. 21...c4 22 es tt:Jds 23 tt:Jxds .ixds 24 .ie3
with just a slight disadvantage. When you
are defending, a key task is to choose be
tween different inferiorities, find the least of
evils, so to speak. In the position after 24
.ie3 White has slightly exposed his pawn
structure and his dark-squared bishop might
not be such a great piece, whereas in the
game he will face more serious problems.
18 ...gs!
A strong move that reinforces the cen
tral knight and enables a future pinprick by
...g5-g4. Now if 19 f4, then 19 ... gxf4 20 gxf4
tt:Jg6, with the knight eyeing both f4 and h4.
19 .Mhd1 .Md4!
One more central field is occupied by
the black forces.
20 b3
Unfortunately for White, the desirable
20 tt:Jbs ? fails to 20 ... .Mxa4!, so he prepares
it, though his idea is easily prevented by
Black's next move.
20... a6 21 .ie1 hS 22 tt:Jf1 g4!
A timely undermining of the e4-pawn,
before White pushes away the rook by 22
.if2.
23 fxg4
Or 23 f4 etJf3 ! 24 .ixf3 gxf3+ 25 rJ;?xf3
tt:Jxe4 with a clear advantage - Bangiev.
23 ... hxg4
A triumph of Black's strategy - the pow
erful knight on es can no longer be ex-
pelled, and the e4-pawn has become a long-
term weakness.

24 lLld2
After 24 .if2 .Mxd1 2S .Mxdl bS!, with the
threat 26 ...b4, Black keeps his grip.
24...g7!
Epishin now directs his attention to the
h2-pawn and will even be ready to give up
the exchange for it.
25 .if2 .Mh8! 26 .ig1
After 26 .ixd4?! cxd4 27 lba2 .Mxh2 28
fl .Mh6!, followed by ... lbh s {but not
28 ...lbh s? 29 g1), White is in deep trouble.
26....Mh5!
The tempting 26 ...b s allows 27 axbs
axbs 28 .Ma7 with some counterplay, so Ep
ishin first makes a useful move safeguard
ing the fifth rank.
27 lLlf1
If 27 aS, preventing ...b7-bS, then
27 ....Md8, preparing ... cS-c4 and ....ib4, looks
interesting for Black.
21 ... .Mxd1 28 .Mxd1 b5!
Right on time. Now White again h as to
take care of the e4-pawn, considering the
threat of ... bS-b4.
29 axb5 axb5 30 lbd2 b4 31 lLlcb1 lLlfd7!
Preparing .. .f7-fs, with a final stroke
against the e4-pawn.
32 f2 f5 33 .Me1
Th e B a ttle for th e C e n tre
Since 33 exfs? drops a piece after
33 ... .MxfS+, White is doomed to passivity.
3 3 ...lbf6 34 e3
34 ... f7!
This is not the only winning option, but
the most elegant, preparing ....if8-h6+.
35 .Mf1 .if8 36 .Md1 fxe4 37 lbc4 0-1
37 ....ih6+ 38 e2 lbxc4 39 bxc4 .ia4 is
just one possible winning path. As for the
knight on es, it never actually moved again
after getting there. Still, its presence in the
battle was quite strongly felt.
When we talk about seizing the centre
with a piece, we usually refer to knights.
The following game will show us that, occa
sionally, the job can be carried out by bish
ops too.
Game 128
Joe.Benjamin-A.Wagener
US Championship, Seattle 2002
Sicilian Defence,
Rossolimo Variation
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 .ib5 e6
195
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy
A popular reply to the Rossolimo, by
which Black prepares ...tLlge7 and ...a7-a6 in
similar fashion to White's play in some
lines of the Rubinstein Nimzo-lndian (1 d4
tLlf6 2 c4 e6 3 tLlc3 .ib4 4 e3).
4 o-o tLlge7 5 l:!.e1
Reinforcing the e4-pawn and providing
a shelter for the bishop on fl. Another di
rection is 5 c3 a6 6 .ia4 b5 7 .ic2, followed
by an opportune d2-d4.
s ... a6 6 .if1 ds
Black immediately strikes at the centre,
before White achieves the standard plan of
c2-c3 and d2-d4, building a pawn centre.
7 exds 1!Vxds
196
After 7 ... exd5?! 8 d4 Black has a problem
with her development, but 7 ... tLlxd5 was
fully possible; e.g. 8 d4 tLlf6 (replying to c2-
c4 in advance) 9 .ie3 .ie7 10 c4 o-o 11 tLlc3
cxd4 12 tLlxd4 .id7 with roughly equal play,
L.Totsky-V.Golod, Cappelle la Grande 2007.
8 .id3!
Quite an unnatural move, but rather
strong. White aims to install the bishop on
e4, where it can't be easily chased away by
the black knights. Less promising was 8 tLlc3
1!Vd8, followed by ... tLlf5, ... .ie7 and ... o-o.
8 ...tLlg6
8 ... tLlf5?? drops a piece after 9 .ie4, but
8 ... g6 was another way of resolving the
kingside development. M.Ulibin
A.Galliamova, Russian Team Championship
1996, continued in curious fashion: 9 b4!
cxb4 (or 9 ... .ig7 10 tLlc3) 10 .ib2 l:!.g8 11 a3!
.ig7 (or 11...bxa3 12 tLlxa3, heading for c4)
12 .ixg7 l:!.xg7 13 axb4 tLlxb4 14 .ie4 iid6
15 d4 with interesting compensation for
the pawn.
9 .ie4 iid6 10 c3
Benjamin aims at an IQP structure with
d2-d4, where the black king's knight would
have been much better off on f6.
10....ie7 11 d4 0-0 12 .ie3 cxd4 13 cxd4

From now on White's plan is rather sim
ple: bring out the remaining pieces and
launch the d4-dS break.
13 ...d7?!
13 ...tZ:lb4 seems more active, fighting for
the crucial ds-square; e.g. 14 tZ:lc3 tZ:lds l S
b3 .l:i.d8 o r 1S . . .tZ:lf6.
14 tZ:lc3 .MadS 15 .Mc1 f5
Black pushes away the powerful bishop
and complicates the d4-dS plan, at the cost
of long-term weaknesses on es and e6. Per
haps the modest 1S ... c8, intending 16 dS
tZ:lb4!?, was a lesser evil.
16 c2!
Heading for b3 to attack the fresh
weakness on e6.
16...f4?!
The ensuing complications hardly fa
vour Black, so the restrained 16 ...tZ:lb4 17
b3 c6 would have been a better choice,
even if by 18 g S ! White keeps the advan
tage.
11 tZ:le4 d5
After 17 ...4 18 d2 xb2 19 .l:i.bl
Black is also in big trouble; e.g. 19 ...xa2?
20 b3 a3 21 .Mal 2 22 c3, trapping
the queen, or 19 ...a3 20 .l:i.xb7 c8 21 .l:i.c7
tZ:lxd4 22 tZ:lxd4 .l:i.xd4 23 all with the
The Ba ttle fo r th e Cen tre
strong threat of 24 .l:i.c3 as 2S .Mxc8 - Ger
shon.
18 d2 tZ:lb4
Or 18 ... tZ:lxd4 19 tZ:lxd4 xd4 20 as ! , re
covering the pawn with interest.
19 b3 h5
20 tZ:leg5!
White intensifies the attack at the e6-
pawn, exploiting the fact that the bishop
on e7 is overloaded. 20 .l:i.c7 was also strong.
20 i.xg5 21 xb4 e7 22 xe7 tZ:lxe7 23
.l:i.c7!
Benjamin refrains from the obvious 23
xe6+ xe6 24 .Mxe6, aware that the e6-
pawn won't disappear from the board, and
instead seizes the seventh rank.
23 ...tZ:ld5 24 .l:i.xb7 c8 25 .l:i.a7
On top of all his positional advantages
White now has an extra pawn, and the rest
is easy.
25 .. .'h8 26 .Me5 e8 27 h3 tZ:lf6 28 e2
.l:i.d6 29 .Mc5!
Heading for c7, while vacating es for the
fellow pieces.
29...g6 30 c2 e8 31 e5 .l:i.b6?
A blunder in a completely hopeless posi
tion.
32 c7! 1-o
197
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
Centre controlled at distance
Returning to the subject of the pawn cen
tre, most openings actually don't permit its
creation. For example, the two main reac
tions to 1 d4 (1 ...lt:lf6 and 1 ... ds) both pre
vent 2 e4, while the Sicilian Alapin (1 e4 cs
2 c3) is usually met by either 2 ... ds or
2 ....:t:Jf6, ruling out 3 d4 in both cases.
Nevertheless, there are a number of
openings, such as the Pirc, the Modern, the
King's Indian and the Grunfeld, where
White is indeed allowed to create a pawn
centre. However, in these defences Black
will sooner or later try to undermine the
enemy centre by means of pawn breaks
(e.g . ... c7-c5 or ... e?-eS in the first three), or
by piece pressure on the central pawns (e.g.
...Ag4, ...tt'lc6, ...as etc in the Grunfeld).
From White's perspective, openings such as
the Reti and the English permit similar
ideas with reversed colours.
Such an approach, with the centre be
ing controlled "at distance", was champi
oned by Reti and Nimzowitsch, among
others, and maintains a fundamental role
within opening strategy. Let's see some
examples.
Game 129
J.Van der Wlei-R.Vaganian
Ter Apel 1993
Alekhine's Defence
1 e4 tt'lf6 2 es tt'lds 3 c4 tt'lb6 4 d4 d6 s f4
The fearsome Four Pawns Attack, one of
White's main weapons against the
Alekhine.
s ...dxes 6 fxes tt'lc6 1 Ae3
The seemingly natural 7 tt'lf3?! is impre
cise due to 7 ... Ag4 8 Ae3 e6 and Black has
198
won a tempo on the game continuation.
1 ...Ats 8 tt'lc3 e6 9 tt'lf3
9 ...Ag4
An established exception from the rule
that the same piece shouldn't move twice
in the opening. Here it serves the purpose
of putting pressure on White's pawn cen
tre. Another direction is 9 ... Ae7 10 ds exds
11 cxds tt:lb4 12 tt'ld4 with sharp play.
10 Ae2 Axf3
By swapping on f3 at this very moment,
Black exploits the fact that 11 Axf3? fails to
11 ... tt:Jxc4.
11 gxf3 d7
Preparing ... l:td8 or ... 0-0-0 with in
creased pressure on d4. The alternative is
11 ...h4+ 12 .i.f2 f4 13 cs tt'ld7 with dou
ble-edged play.
12 f4?!
A logical move at first sight, but now the
d4-pawn becomes rather exposed. The re
strained 12 d2, followed by 0-0-0, is con
sidered a better option.
12 ...l:td8 13 ds
After 13 cs tt'lds 14 tt'lxds xds 15 Af3
d7 the problem with the d4-pawn still
persists.
At this point White was probably hoping

for 13 ... exds 14 .lig4! with some initiative,
but Black has a much stronger move at his
disposal, which will leave the enemy pawn
centre in a rather shaky state.
13 ... .\ib4!
Exploiting the tactical twist 14 dxc6?
xc6 with a double attack at d1 and h 1,
Black speeds up development and increases
the pressure on the d-file.
14 .lixb6 axb6 15 iif3
By surrendering the bishop pair White
managed to keep his pawn centre intact;
unfortunately, his king will now be subject
to a strong counterattack.
15 ... exd5 16 cxd5 h3!
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
17 e2
An awkward move, but the desirable 17
e2 ? failed to 17 .. .<:t'ld4.
17 .. 0-0
.
By now White's unsafe king makes his
game very difficult.
18 d3
Both 18 lt:Je4 .lies!, intending ... lt:Jd4+,
and 18 lt:Jbs .Ufe8!, preparing ... lt:Jxes, keep
up the attack - Ftacnik.
18 ...lt:Je7 19 c4 .\ixc3 20 bxc3
2o... b5!
An ingenious way of clearing new lines
towards the white monarch. Now 21 cs or
21 3 is strongly met by 21 ...lt:Jg6, so Van
der Wiel accepts the offer.
21 xb5 c6! 22 dxc6
Or 22 xb7 lt:Jxds with multiple threats.
22 ... bxc6 23 c4
After 23 .\ixc6? xc3 White collapses.
23 ...lt:Jg6 24 .Uag1 f5!
A final detail, by which Black installs the
double threat of ...lt:Jxf4+ and ...c2+.
25 .Ug4 c2+ 26 e3
Or 26 f1 .Ud1+!, winning a piece.
26...d2+ 27 e4 .Ud5! o-1
Unable to parry the threat of 28 .. .fS+ 29
exf6 .Ue8 mate, White resigned.
199
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
In the previous game, Black's pressure on
the enemy centre was basically conducted
via the semi-open d-file. However, the most
typical way of "long distance" central control
is by means of a fianchetto, or even two of
them, as in the following games.
Game .1 3:0
D.Rosandk.oA.Delchev
Zadar. 2001
Modem Defence
1 e4 g6 2 d4 .i.g7 3 lt:lc3 d6 4 .i.e3
One of the most dangerous set-ups
against the Modern, by which White pre
pares either Wid2 and 0-0-0, followed by a
kingside attack, or f2-f4, supporting future
expansion in the centre.
4 ... a6 s f4 bs 6 .te2
Preparing .i.f3 to reinforce the light
squares. 6 .i.d3 is also frequently seen in
practice.
6 ... b4 7 ctJb1
7 lt:Ja4 is more critical - Hillarp Persson,
who also suggests the flexible 6 ...ctJd7 on
the previous move.
7 ....i.b7
200
As beginners we are taught to bring the
knights out before the bishops, since the
destiny of the former tends to be a bit more
evident. However, in this defence it is the
other way around - the bishops are rather
predestined for g7 and b7, while the
knights, in particular the one on g8, have
more squares to consider.
8 .i.f3 lt:lf6 9 Wid3
Neither 9 es lt:lds, nor g lt:ld2 lt:lbd7 10 c3
as 11 lt:Je2 0-0 12 0-0 cS promises White
any advantage - Hillarp.
9 ... lt:lbd7 10 lt:Je2
Black is also fine after 10 lt:ld2 o-o 11 c4
bxc3 12 bxc3 c S ! ; e.g. 13 lt:Je2 cxd4 14 cxd4
e s ! 15 .l:i,b1 .i.c6, followed by ... .tbs, with
counterplay in A.Galkin-R.Ponomariov,
Lausanne 2000. Note that the tempting 15
fxes dxes 16 ds would have backfired after
16 ... .i.xds! 17 exds e4, when the bishop on
g7 makes itself remembered.
10...0-o 11 o-o es
Supported by his powerful fianchettoed
bishops, Delchev begins striking at the
white pawn centre. 11 ... cs, in the same
spirit, was also possible.
12 ctJg3
Reinforcing the e4-pawn. In the event of
12 fxes dxes 13 dS Black could consider
13 ... as, just as in the game; e.g. 14 lt:Jd2
.i.a6 15 lt:Jc4 Wie7, followed by ... ct:Jcs with
counterplay.
12 ...as!
Preparing a pinprick by ....i.a6.
13 .l:i,e1 lt:lb6 14 c4
By advancing one more pawn to the
fourth rank White takes precautions
against ... .i.a6, but also further weakens the
dark squares, in particular d4. Instead, 14
lt:Jd2 was preferable - Hillarp, when Black
could try 14 ... .i.a6 15 c4 exf4 16 .i.xf4 ds ! ?

with some initiative; e.g. 17 b3 dxc4 18
bxc4 lLJh5 ! 19 ..ie3 lbxg 3 20 hxg3 c5!, ex
ploiting the double pin.
14...lLJfd7!
A key move of the game, by which the
knight takes prophylactic control of the
dark squares on c5 and e5, while clearing
the long diagonal for the bishop on g7.
15 fxes
After 15 dxe5 dxe5 16 f5 W/e7, preparing
...lbc5, or 15 lLJd2 exf4 16 ..ixf4 c5! Black
also enjoys a clear positional plus; e.g. 17
..ixd6?! ..ixd4+ 18 'lt>h1 lLJe5 with a terrible
game for White.
1s ... cs!
An impressive pawn break which demol
ishes the enemy centre. The modest
15 ... dxe5 16 d5 W/e7 and ... lLJc5 was also
possible, but the text promises more.
16 e6
Rather pointless, but after 16 dxc5?
lbxe5, followed by 17 ...lLJbxc4, or 16 exd6
cxd4 17 ..ixd4 lLJe5 18 ..ixe5 ..ixe5 19 c5
lbd7 Black also has a huge advantage -
Hillarp. At this point, hanging on to the c5-
pawn with 20 W/e3 is refuted by 20....Mc8 21
.Mc1 Wif6! with multiple threats.
16 ... cxd4 17 ..ixd4 lLJes 18 exf7+ .Mxf7 19
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
..ixes
A strategic capitulation, though 19 W/d1
lLJbxc4, preparing ... d6-d5, was equally
troublesome for White, who by now is re
gretting his slow queen side development.
19 ... ..ixes 20 W/c2 a4!
Just in time, enabling ... a4-a3 before the
rook leaves a1.
21 lbd2 a3 22 .Mab1 axb2 23 .Mxb2 ..ixb2 24
W/xb2 tLld7!
Even after winning the exchange, Del
chev keeps his grip on the dark squares.
25 ..ig4 lLJcs 26 "iid 4 Wigs 27 ..ih3 .Mxa2
28 tLlf3 "iif4 0-1
In this desperate position, White re
signed.
<Jame 131
J.G.Ciallaghtr:-RPonomariov
Biel 2000
Modern Dejence
1 e4 g6 2 d4 ..ig7 3 lLJc3 d6 4 ..ie3 a6 5 Wid2
White opts for the first of the set-ups
outlined in the previous game .
s ... lLJd7 6 a4
Preventing ... b7-b5, but the advance
201
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
with the a-pawn also means that long cas
tling becomes unadvisable. 6 0-0-0 bS 7 h4
is a more critical option.
6 ... b6
On his part, Black prevents the cramping
a4-a5 and enables ....i.b7, thus giving rise to
an opening system that is known as the
Hippopotamus.
7 l2lf3 e6
The immediate 7 ... .i.b7 would yield
White the additional option of 8 dS, prepar
ing lt:ld4. Now, on the other hand, 8 ds can
be confidently met by 8 ... es.
8 .i.c4
On other moves Black can react in simi
lar fashion as in the game; e.g. 8 .i.e2 .i.b7 9
h 3 h6! 10 o-o lt:le7 11 l:.ad1 g S ! 12 l2lh2 lt:lg6
13 .i.h s lt:lf6 14 .i.xg6 fxg6, followed by
...0-0 with balanced chances in M.Rogovoi
N.Nikolaev, St Petersburg 2000.
8 ... h6!
Seeing that the immediate 8 ... lt:le7?! per
mits 9 .i.h6!, swapping the valuable king's
bishop, Black prepares it.
9 h3 lt:le7 10 o-o .i.b7
The Hippopotamus is complete. White
h as more space but it is not easy for him to
improve his position; e.g. 11 ds?! leads no-
202
where after 11 ...e s ! , when Black can even
grab the initiative by a later .. .f7-f5. In simi
lar fashion, e4-e5 often runs into ...d6-dS,
followed by ... c7-c5. Black, on his part, is
mainly awaiting the right moment for a
pawn break, in which virtually any of his
pawns from the c- to the g-file can partici
pate.
11 l:.fe1
Now Black can't castle due to 12 .i.xh6,
so what to do?
u ... gs!
A typical "Hippo" move that enables
. ..lt:lg6 with a grip on the dark squares.
12 l2lh2 lt:lg6
Just in time, before White strikes with
f2-f4.
13 l2lf1
At this point 13 dS! ? eS 14 lt:lf1, prepar
ing lt:lg3-f5, favours White, so the flexible
13 ... lt:ldes 14 .i.b3 Vi'f6, followed by ... o-o, is
probably a better choice.
13 ...lt:lf6 14 lt:lg3 0-0
Despite the slightly weakening ... g6-g5,
the king is quite safe here.
15 .i.d3
On 15 f3 Black is ready for 1S ... d5! 16
exds lt:lxds 17 lt:lxds .i.xds with rough

equality. The text makes 1S ...dS?! unfeasi
ble due to 16 es, but invites another pawn
break.
15 ...c5!
An excellent advance, which softens up
the a1-h8 diagonal for the bishop on g7,
and also disputes the es-square for the
knight on g6.
16 dxc5?!
A passive reaction that hands over the
initiative to Black. 16 ds tt'les 17 .i.fl, fol
lowed by .l:i.ad1 and f2-f4, was preferable -
Finkel.
16 ... bxc5
Now White's pawn centre is gone and
Black enjoys an extra central pawn, a fact
that he soon exploits. 16 ...dxcs?! 17 as was
less advisable.
17 .l:i.ad1 "ilic7 18 "i!ie2 d5! 19 exd5 exd5 20
.i.c1
A necessary retreat in view of the threat
ened 20 ... d4.
20....l:tae8 21 "i!id2 'Llh4!
Before advancing the c- or d-pawns
Black eliminates the possibilities of .i.xg6
and tt'lfs, while eyeing the g2-pawn.
21 ...'Llf4 22 .i.fl d4 looked strong as well.
22 .l:i.xe8 .l:i.xe8 23 .l:i.e1
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
Exchanges often favour the defender,
but here Black keeps all his trumps even
after the rooks' departure.
23 ... .l:i.xe1+ 24 "i/ixe1 c4!
Move order matters: 24...d4 25 tt'lce4!
was less clear.
25 .i.f1 d4
A dream position for Black. All his pieces,
in particular the bishops, upstage their
white counterparts, and a passed pawn can
quickly emerge on the d-file.
26 tt'lce2
Or 26 tt'lce4 tt'lxe4 27 tt'lxe4 "i/ies!, prepar
ing .. .f7-f5 - Finkel.
26 ..."ilic5
Again there is no hurry with advancing
the pawns - after 26 ... d3 27 cxd3 cxd3 28
'Llc3 the d3-pawn becomes a bit exposed.
27 "ilid1 'Lle4 28 tt'lxe4 .i.xe4 29 'Llg3 .i.g6
A timely diagonal shift, which makes
30 ... d3 inevitable. White's next move accel
erates the end, though it was not easy to
give him good advice.
30 "ilie2?! d3! 31 cxd3 cxd3 32 "i!ie8+ h7 3 3
.i.e 3 "illd 5
Installing the queen in the centre tends
to be an excellent idea in the endgame, and
here it forces White to shed a pawn in order
203
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy
to stop ...d3-d2.
34 .i.d2 .i.xb2 35 f3 .i.e5!
Ponomariov avoids the "strategical trap"
3S .. .'es?! 36 iVxes .i.xes 37 '2le4! and
White unexpectedly stays in the game.
36 '2le4 .i.xe4 37 fxe4 iVd4+ 38 h1 iVf2!
0-1
Attack and defence at the same time.
Faced with multiple threats, White resigned.
Game 132
A.Beliavsky-V.Ana nd
Munich 1991
Pirc Defence
1 d4 d6 2 e4 '2lf6 3 '2lc3 g6 4 f4 .i.g7 5 '2lf3
0-0
The traditional way of meeting White's
Austrian Attack. The sharp s ... cs is also
popular.
6 .i.e3
The main direction here is 6 .i.d3, fol
lowed by 0-0, after which White often starts
a kingside attack with moves like iVe1-h4,
f4-f5 etc. The text prepares quite a different
set-up with iVd2 and 0-0-0; moreover, it
enhances the central e4-e5 advance now
that after ... d6xes, d4xes, White is ready to
recapture on d1 with the rook.
6 ... b6
A move with two functions: enabling
... .i.b7 and facilitating the c7-c5 thrust.
1 e5
White gains space in the centre, but also
exposes his central pawns at quite an early
stage of the game. Nowadays, 7 iVd2, fol
lowed by 0-0-0, is more frequently played.
1 ...'2lg4 8 .i.g1 c5! 9 h3
The greedy 9 dxcs bxcs 10 iVds?! back
fires after 10 ... 'iVb6!, intending 11 iVxa8?
2 04
.i.b7 12 CiJds iVxb2 with decisive threats -
Anand.
9 . .'2lh6 10 d 5
.
Thus White maintains h i s pawn centre,
and now enjoys a considerable space ad
vantage. On the other hand, he is rather
behind in development, a fact that Anand
will exploit vigorously during the rest of the
game.
10....i.b7 11 iVd2
Preparing 0-0-0. If 11 iVe2, in the same
spirit, Black could react by 11 ....i.a6 12 iVf2
.i.xf1 13 iVxf1 CLJfS with counterplay; e.g. 14
.i.f2 dxes 15 fxes '2ld7 16 g4 '2ld4!, destroy
ing the enemy centre. As for 11 g4, prevent
ing ...CiJfs, after 11 ... dxes 12 fxes e6!, fol
lowed by 13 ... '2ld7, White's centre again
comes under strong pressure.
11 ... C2Jf5 12 .i.h2
Anand also indicates 12 .i.f2 dxes 13
fxes e6!, when 14 o-o-o? fails to 14....i.h6.
With the text White enables .i.f4 at the end
of this line.
12 ...dxe5 13 fxe5 e6!
A key move in order to challenge White's
pawn centre before he is comfortably de
veloped. At this point both 14 g4? '2lh4 and
14 d6?! '2ld7 leave the es-pawn doomed,

while 14 i.c4 bS! also favours Black. As a
consequence, Beliavsky just gets on with
development.
14 o-o-o exd5 15 tt::Jxd5 tt:lc6 16 c3
Now if White just manages to play i.c4
and l::!.h e1 he would be considerably better
- Anand. But he has no time for that; e.g. 16
i.c4?! tt:lcd4! 17 tt::Jxd4 cxd4, with ... tt:le3
coming up. The text aims at preventing an
annoying ... tt:lcd4, but in vain.
16 ...tt::Jcd4! 17 tt:lf6+
The best try, since 17 cxd4?! xds 18
b1 J::!. ad8 would leave White under un
bearable pressure.
17 ... i.xf6 18 cxd4 i.g7 19 d 5
By a precise sequence of moves Be
liavsky has managed to rebuild his pawn
centre, and now intends to reinforce it by
20 i.c4. Anand finds a great reply.
19 ...c4!
Exploiting some simple tactics (20
i.xc4? J::!.c 8 and 21 ...bs) Black prevents the
enemy plan and enables a future ...c4-c3 as
well. 19 ... i.h6?! 20 i.f4 i.xf4 21 xf4 i.xds
22 i.c4 was less convincing.
20 i.e2?
Practically dropping a pawn. The pro
phylactic 20 b1! was called for, when
Th e B a ttle fo r th e Cen tre
20 ...J::!.c8 21 d6 .i.h6 can be met by 22 i.f4
without losing the d-pawn as in the game.
Black should rather try 21 ...b5, followed by
... a7-a5 and ...bS-b4 with some initiative.
20 ... J::!.c8 21 b1
Or 21 g4?! tt:le7! 22 d6 tt::J d s, when 23 ... c3
next proves inevitable.
21...i.h6 22 i.f4 i.xf4 23 xf4 i.xd5!
After some calculating Anand accepts
the gift, convinced that White can't exploit
the ensuing pin .
2 4 h4
In a difficult position, Beliavsky goes for a
desperate attack. A key variation was 24 g4
tt:lg7 25 6 tt:le6 26 h4 c3!, when 27 tt::Jg s
fails to 27 ...c2+ 2 8 a1 tt::Jx gs 2 9 hxg s i.xh1
30 J::!.xh1 c1+, while after 27 bxc3 i.e4+ 28
b2 c7, Black's attack is the more convinc
ing one - Anand. As for 24 tt:ld4, trying to
exploit the pin, then 24...4!.
24...c3
As the remainder of the game will show
us, Black's attack is faster.
25 bxc3 J::!.x c3 26 h5
26...tt:le3!
The knight joins the attack and at the
same time liberates the queen from the
defence of the bishop.
2 05
M as t e ring Op e n ing S trategy
21 ct:Jgs
27 hxg6 fxg6 28 6 Wic7 leaves only
Black's attack intact, while 27 6 is re
futed by 27 ...ct:Jxd1 28 hxg6 .ie4+ 29 'it>a1
.ixg6 30 xd1 W/e7 - Anand.
27 ...W/c7 28 ct:Jxh7
28 ...b3+! 0-1
An elegant finish. In view of 29 axb3
Wic2+ 30 'it>a1 Wic3+ 31 'it>b1 W/xb3+ 32 'it>a1
ct:Jc2 mate, White resigned.
As I mentioned in the introduction to
this section, controlling the centre at long
distance is also possible with the white
pieces. Here are two examples.
Garne 1.3'3
M.TaimanovV.Hort
Tallinn 19'/5
fl')fl}ish Openin9
1 C4 e5 2 CLJC3 CLJc6 3 g3 CLJf6 4 .ig2 .ic5
Another option is 4....ib4, although in
that case the reply 5 CLJdS gains in strength.
5 e3
White chooses a set-up with e2-e3 and
ct:Jge2 in order to restrict the bishop on cs.
206
s .. d 6 6 a3 .ie6
.
6 ... as or 6 ... a6 was more precise, provid
ing the bishop with a shelter on a7.
7 b4 .ib6 8 d3
Aware that the desirable 8 ... ds? fails to 9
cs, White just continues development. In
contrast, with the black bishop on a7 he
would probably have preferred 8 ct:Jds at
this point.
8 ...W/d7
9 h3!
Before playing ct:Jge2 Taimanov prevents
... .ih3, in identical fashion to Ponomariov's
8 ... h6 against Gallagher (Game 131). In fact,
White's treatment of the English in this
game has great similarities to the Hippo
potamus.
9 ... 0-0 10 ct:Jge2 CLJd8?!
Hort prepares ... c7-c6 and ....ic7, but this
plan is easily refuted by White's next move.
Perhaps 10 ... as was more to the point; e.g.
11 bS CLJe7 ! ? 12 .ixb7 ab8 13 .ig2 ds, fol
lowed by ... fd8, with quite some counter
play for the pawn. Even the simple
10 ...ab8, preparing ...CLJe7-g6 to improve
the knight, seems like a better choice - in
the game, that piece becomes a problem
child on d8.

11 tZ:la4! c6 12 tt:Jxb6 axb6 13 .ib2
An excellent deployment of the bishop,
and renewed restriction of Black's ... d6-ds.
13 ... 4Je8
Preparing .. .f7-f6 and ...tZ:lf7, after which
the ... d6-dS thrust would at last become
possible, but White has a strong reply pre
pared.
14 f4!
A key move, striking at the enemy centre
and softening up the long diagonal for the
bishop on b2.
14...f6 15 g4!
With the centre under control, nothing
speaks against this flank advance, which
enables castling and also prevents 1S ... tZ:lf7?
on account of 16 fS.
1S ...'Jlh8?!
Preparing ....ig8, but Black has over
looked the pin that soon emerges on the f
file. 1S ...tZ:lc7 was better, intending ...b6-bS
- Taimanov.
16 o-o 'ille 7
Since 16 ....ig8? runs into 17 fxes dxes
18 .ixes!, Black has to adjust his plans.
17 'ille 1 .if7 18 tZ:lg3
Step by step White brings more pieces to
the kingside.
The Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
18....ig6 19 .l:!,d1 tZ:lc7 20 'illf2 bs
This facilitates White's further task,
though it was already difficult to suggest a
constructive plan for Black.
21 cs!
A new pawn thrust in order to soften up
the enemy centre. Now neither 21...tZ:lf7? 22
fS, nor 21...d5? 22 fxes works for Black, so
he has finally to swap the proud es-pawn.
21 ...exf4 22 exf4 h6
On 22 ...dxcs Taimanov had prepared 23
.l:!,fe1 'illd7 24 fs .if7 25 gS! with a strong
attack; e.g. 2S .. .fxg s 26 f6 g6 27 .l:!,e7.
23 .ie4!
Exchanging the defender of the light
squares in the enemy camp.
23 ....ixe4 24 cxd6 'il/xd6 25 dxe4 'il/e6 26
es!
For the third time in the game White
softens up the long diagonal for his bishop,
on this occasion with decisive effect.
26...fxes 27 .ixes tt:Jds 28 'il/b2
Taimanov once mentioned that the fi
anchettoed queen's bishop was his favour
ite piece, both with White and Black. It
definitely didn't let him down in this game,
and you can find many other games of his
where this piece plays the main role.
207
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy
2s .. :f1 29 l2:lhs!
More exact than 29 l2Jf5 ?! l2Je6 30 l2Jxh6
g6 with complications. Now, on the other
hand, 29 ...l2Je6? fails to 30 f5.
29 ....l:!.gB 3o fs b6
Obviously 30...l2Je3? runs into 31 c1!,
x-raying the h6-pawn.
31 Z1fe1 l2:lb7
This loses material, though Black was
beyond salvation anyway.
32 c1! h7 33 xc6 1-0
In this terrible position, Black resigned.
Gome 134
A.Kundin-Kosta,novich
Israeli Tea rn Championship 1998
FtenchDefence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 l2Jd2 cs 4 l2:lgf3
We are already familiar with this line
from Game 60 (Adams-Gurevich).
4...cxd4 5 l2Jxd4
That game went 5 exd5 xd5 6 i.c4,
transposing to one of the main lines of the
French Tarrasch. With the text White keeps
the central tension, and takes the game
into less explored terrain.
2 08
s ...l2Jc6
After 5 ... e5?! 6 l2J4f3 dxe4 7 l2Jxe5 or
6 ...l2Jc6 7 exd5 xd5 8 i.c4 White obtains a
clear lead in development, but 5 ...l2Jf6 was a
valid alternative.
6 i.bs i.d7 7 l2:lxc6 bxc6
Another direction is 7 ... i.xc6 8 i.xc6+
bxc6 9 c4!, preparing a4.
8 i.d 3
s ...es?!
A very ambitious move. Black achieves a
pawn centre, but the delay in development
will make it difficult for him to support it
adequately. 8 ..i.d6 was safer, followed by
.
...l2Je7.
9 0-0 l2Jf6
After 9 ... i.d6 10 .l:!.e1 l2Je7 11 exd5 cxd5
12 c4! Black's centre is successfully under
mined; e.g. 12 ... d4?! 13 c5 !, preparing 14
l2Jc4, or 12 ... 0-o 13 cxd5 l2Jxd5 14 l2Jc4 i.e6
15 i.d2 with a slight edge - Kundin.
10 Z1e1 i.d6
Aware that 10... d4 invites 11 l2Jc4, Black
accepts the clearance of the e-file.
11 exds cxds 12 l2Jf3!
Supported by his lead in development,
White starts concrete actions against
Black's pawn centre. 12 c4 was also possi-

ble; e.g. 12 ...0-0 13 cxd5 lLlxd5 14 CLJc4 trans-
posing to the 9 ... .i.d6 subvariation given
above.
12 ...e7
After other moves White prevails tacti
cally; e.g. 12 ... e4 13 .i.xe4! lLlxe4 14 xd5,
recovering the piece with interest, or
12 ... .i.g4 13 lLlxe5! .i.xd1 14 lLlc6+ d7 15
lLlxd8 .i.xc2 16 .i.xc2 .l:!.hxd8 17 .i.d2! with
.i.a4+ next - Kundin; finally, 12 ...c7 runs
into 13 lLlxe5 ! .i.xe5 14 .i.f4 lLle4 1 5 .i.xe4
dxe4 16 .l:!.xe4 f6 17 .i.xe5 fxe5 18 d5 ! with
twin threats at a8 and e5.
13 .i.f4
The correct follow-up, now that 13
lLlxe5? no longer works due to 13 ....i.xe5 14
.i.f4 .i.xf4 15 .l:!.xe7+ xe7.
13 ... .i.g4
The only viable defence; unfortunately,
Black will be left without castling after the
opponent's next move.
14 .i.bs+! fs 15 .i.gs
White now directs his attention to the
d5-pawn. 15 .i.c6?! .l:!.d8 or 15 c4 C7 16
.i.g 5 a6 was less convincing - Kundin.
15 ...b7 16 .i.c4!
Increasing the pressure. 16 h3?! .i.xf3 17
xf3 CLJe4! would be much less clear.
Th e Battle fo r th e Cen tre
16 ...d4
After the alternative 16 ....i.xf3 17 xf3
e4 18 f5 or 18 3 White also remains on
top - Kundin.
17 .i.e2!
An ingenious retreat which creates new
threats, such as the captures 18 lLlxe5 and
18 CLJxd4.
17 ...lLle4 18 .i.h4 .i.e6?
A logical defensive try, but it will lead to
the collapse of Black's centre. 18 ....i.f5? ! 19
.i.d3, preparing e2, is equally bad for him,
so the active 18...h 5 !, reinforcing the
bishop, was probably the last chance to stay
alive - Kundin, whose sample line 19 h 3
.l:!.e8 2 0 hxg4 hxg4 21 CLJg5 ? ! .l:!.xh4 22 lLlxe4
xe4 23 .i.b5 7! illustrates Black's idea.
White should rather prefer .i.d3 either on
the 20th or 21st move, keeping the pres
sure.
19 .i.d3 .i.ds
Or 19 .. .f5 20 c3!, exploiting the loose
bishop on d6, just like White's next move in
the game.
20 c4! .i.c6
Black can't reply 20... dxC3 21 .i.x4 .i.xe4
due to 22 xd6+, while 21 ... cxb2 22 .l:!.b1
doesn't change much.
209
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
21 tbxd4!
By tactical means White finally liqui
dates the enemy centre. In fact this sacrifice
was already available on the previous
move.
21...tbc5
An early resignation, though 21 ...exd4
22 .ltxe4 .ltxe4 23 'iVxd4 was equally bad for
Black; e.g. 23 ....\txh2+ 24 xh2 .ltxg2 25
t!.g1 winning - Kundin.
22 tLlf5 'iVc7
Now the es-pawn falls as well, but
22 ....\tc7? was impossible due to 23 .lte7+.
23 .ltf1 tbb7 24 tbxd6 'iVxd6 25 'iVxd6+ tbxd6
26 t!.xe5
White is completely winning and the
rest is easy.
26 ...t!.e8 27 t!.ae1 f6 28 t!.xe8+ tbxe8 29 .ltg3
f7 30 c5 .td5 31 .Ud1 1-o
In view of 31.. ..\txa2 32 c6.
Pawn breaks
By the term "pawn break" I refer to the ad
vance of a pawn that puts it in contact with
an enemy pawn. This is an important stra
tegic idea in the middlegame as well, for
example in the context of pawn chains.
In the opening battle, a pawn break of-
210
ten proves useful in order to put pressure
on the enemy centre, apart from its inher
ent function of opening a file. We already
saw several pawn breaks in the previous
section (Games 130-133); e.g. 11 ... es and
1S ... cs in Rosandic-Delchev, 1S ... cs in Galla
gher-Ponomariov, 13 ... e6 in Beliavsky
Anand, as well as 14 f4 and 2 1 cs in Tai
manov-Hort. Here are some more exam
ples.
Game 135
J . Herlsten..M.Mora les
Riobamba 2010
Queen's Gambit Declined
1 d4 d 5 2 c4 e6 3 tbc3 tbf6 4 cxd5 exd5 5
.ltg5
A topical line against the Queen's Gam
bit Declined, which we already came across
in Polgar-Bonsch (Game 117).
5 ....1te7 6 e3 0-0 7 .ltd3 c6 8 'iVc2 h6
In the present structure, this move often
makes Black's kingside a bit more vulner
able. 8 ...tbbd7, followed by ...t!.e8 and ...tbf8,
is the main continuation here.
9 .lth4 t!.e8 10 tbge2

Just like in Polgar-Bonsch, the knight
goes to e2 in order to enable the future
plan of f2-f3 and e3-e4.
10...tl:Je4?!
A typical idea to seize the centre, but
here it is somewhat premature as Black will
lack the support of a knight on f6 later on.
For this reason, 10 ...ll:Jbd7 11 0-0 ll:Je4 was a
better move order, although White could
consider inserting 11 f3 !? before castling.
11 iLxe7 'iVxe7 12 iLxe4
Creating a target on e4. An alternative
approach is 12 0-0 ll:Jd7 13 .l:i.ae1, preparing
f2-f3 and e3-e4.
12 ...dxe4 13 ll:Jg3 fS
With the rook on e8 this move looks a bit
odd, but there was no other defence of the
e4-pawn available.
14 o-o ll:Ja6
In the event of 14...iLe6, preparing
... ll:Jd7, then 15 f3 ! looks just as strong as in
the game.
15 a3
Quite a lazy move. The immediate 15 f3 !
was called for; e.g. 15 ...ll:Jb4 16 'iVd2 ll:Jd5 17
fxe4 ll:Jxc3 18 'iVxc3 fxe4 19 .l:i.f4!, winning a
pawn, as occurred in M.Kantorik-J.Veselsky,
Czech League 2007.
The Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
1S ...'i>t>h7?
Black perhaps regarded this as a piece of
prophylaxis, but he is in fact putting his
king right into the line of fire. 15 ...ll:Jc7 16 f3
ll:Jd5 ! was correct, with just a slight initia
tive for White after 17 .l:i.ae1.
16 f3!
A key strike, in order to soften up Black's
grip on the centre and enable a future
kingside attack. We saw a similar idea in
Van Wely-Karjakin (Game 123).
16... exf3
Or 16 ...'iVg 5 17 fxe4 'iVxe3+ 18 'i>t>h1 and
the black king remains exposed along the
b1-h7 diagonal, just as in the game.
17 .l:i.xf3 g6 18 e4!
One more pawn break to clear more
lines towards the enemy king. 18 .l:i.afl! ?,
followed by e3-e4, looked strong as well.
18 ...fxe4 19 ll:Jcxe4 iLfs 20 ll:Jxfs 'iVxe4
Black seems to be defending quite well;
however, when deciding upon 18 e4 I had
already calculated the following sacrifice
that exploits the weak seventh rank in the
enemy camp.
21 'iVb3! gxfs 22 'iff7+
Of course 22 'iVxb7+? 'i>t>h8 23 'iVxa6
.l:i.ab8 was not White's idea.
211
M a s te ring Ope n ing Strategy
22 .. :.t>h8 23 'iYf6+ <t>h7 24 l:i.h3!
The point. Black's queen is now forced to
f4, which lets White's second rook join the
battle with tempo. In contrast, 24 l:i.g3? l:i.g8
leads nowhere.
24 'iYf4 2S l:i.f1 'iYd2 26 'iYxfS+ <t>h8
.
At this point, for White's attack to pros
per he must activate the other rook, and
this is achieved by the following sequence.
27 'iYf6+ <t>h7 28 J:i.g3!
Diverting Black's rook from the e-file so
that the queen can give check on e?.
28 ...J:i.g8 29 'iYe7+ <t>h8 30 iYeS+ 1-0
In view of 30...<t>h7 31 l:i.f7+, Black re
signed.
Ciame :1.36
M.Uiescas Cordoba
J.Moreno Cainero
Spanish Cha mpionship,
SeviUe.2004
Benoni Defence
1 d4 e6 2 c4 cs 3 d s exds 4 cxds d6 s tZ:lc3 g6
Here, and on the following two moves,
with s ...tZ:lf6 Black could have entered stan
dard Benoni waters.
212
6 e4 i.g7 7 tZ:lf3 tZ:le7
The point of Black's unusual move order.
On e? the knight doesn't block the fianchet
toed bishop, while the .. .f7-f5 advance can
be achieved much earlier than in a usual
Benoni. On the other hand, White does not
have to worry about the customary pres
sure on his e4-pawn from a knight on f6
and a subsequent ...l:i.e8.
8 i.bS+!?
This check, in conjunction with White's
next move, aims at disorganizing Black's
minor pieces. Another idea was 8 i.f4; e.g.
8 ...0-0 9 i.e2 a6 (by now, 9 ...fs at any mo
ment runs into 10 es) 10 a4, followed by
0-0. In fact, Black could have considered
... a7-a6 even earlier; e.g. ? ... a6 8 a4 tZ:le7,
thus avoiding the check on bs.
8 ...tZ:ld7?!
This natural reply soon proves to have
its flaws. 8 ... i.d7 was preferable; e.g. 9 a4
a6 10 i.e2 i.g4!, with ... tZ:ld7 next, and all
Black's minor pieces are satisfactorily de
veloped.
9 i.f4! a6
No simple defence of the d6-pawn was
available; e.g. 9 ... 'iYc??! 10 es!, when
10 ... dxes ? 11 d6 is fatal for Black, or 9 ... 'iVb6

10 b3, renewing the threat. With the text
Moreno secures the pawn once and for all,
at the cost of temporarily misplacing his
queen.
10 .i.xd7+ xd7 11 0-0 0-0
12 es!
This pawn break is a main idea for
White in the Benoni, and he rarely has the
luck of achieving it at such an early point.
Its benefits are several: increased central
control, the creation of a passed pawn on
the d-file, and a possible exchange of the
strong bishop on g7.
12 ...dxes 13 .i.xes
Of course not 13 ctJxe5? f5. In any case,
the text is also preferable from a strategical
perspective, since it facilitates the ex
change of the dark-squared bishops.
13 ... bs
A useful move that enables both ... .i.b7
and ...b5-b4. After other moves White also
keeps the initiative; e.g. 13 .. J:td8 14 .i.xg7
'it>xg7 15 b3, followed by .Mad1, or 13 .. .f6
14 .i.g3 'bf5 15 d6, preparing 'bd5 or d5 -
Postny.
14 d6 4Jfs 1s 'be4!
White reinforces the d6-pawn and in
creases his central grip at the same time.
Th e Ba ttle fo r th e C e n tre
15 ...c6 16 .i.xg7 'it>xg7 17 .Me1 .i.b7
Or 17 ... .Me8?! 18 c2, with the unpleas
ant threat 19 c3+.
18 .Mc1
The last piece joins the battle, making
Black's position critical.
18 ....Mad8?
Either by desperation or miscalculation,
Black gives up material. The cold-blooded
18 ...c4! was called for, when White seems
unable to exploit the opponent's dark
square weaknesses in any decisive way; e.g.
19 'bd4 (or 19 g4?! .Mae8!) 19 ...d5 20
'bxf5+ gxf5 ! 21 xd5 .i.xd5 22 'bc5 .Mfd8
(but not 22 ....Mac8? 23 d7! .Mxc5 24 .Me8 etc)
23 d7 .i.c6 24 .Mcd1 .Ma7 25 .Md6 .Mc7 26
.Med1 'it>f8 with an inferior but holdable
endgame for Black - Postny. Obviously, for
humans it is not easy to decide upon such
lines over the board, and we often prefer
"active" defence like Moreno's choice in the
game.
19 ctJXC5
But not 19 .Mxc5?! b6, soon recovering
the material with counterplay.
19 .. Jbd6
There is nothing better; e.g. 19 ...xd6?
20 'bxb7 or 19 ... 6?! 20 d7.
213
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
20 'Lle6+ fxe6
Or 20 .. J.xe6 2 1 .l:!.xc6 .l:!.xc6 22 CLld4 with
a technical win - Postny.
21 .l:!.xc6 .l:!.xd1 22 .l:!.c7+
Perhaps Black had overlooked this in
termediate check, which secures an extra
exchange for White.
22 ...h6 23 .l:!.xd1 .txf3
After 23 ... .tds 24 'Lles White's task is
also very trivial.
24 gxf3 'Llh4 25 .l:!.dd7! 'Llxf3+ 26 g2 g5
27 .l:!.f7 1-0
Game 137
L.Ljubojevic-S.Gligoric
Belgrade (3rd matchgame) 1979
English Opening
1 c4 cs 2 'Llf3 'Llf6 3 'Llc3 e6 4 d4 cxd4 5
'Llxd4 .tb4 6 b3
Thus White avoids doubled c-pawns, but
also misplaces his queen. More promising is
6 'LldbS, preparing a2-a3, or 6 g3, transpos
ing to the Nimzo-lndian with g2-g3.
6....tcs!
Exploiting the fact that the knight on d4
is now undefended, Black forces a minor
214
concession from the opponent.
7 .te3
Setting up the threat of 8 'Llxe6, but Gli
goric finds a clever antidote. Perhaps the
modest 7 e3 was a better choice.
7 ...b6! 8 'Llc2?!
This retreat leaves the queen in a really
awkward position, and complicates further
development. By 8 f3 0-0 9 .tf2 White could
still hope for a normal game.
8 ... 'Lla6
Just as on the previous move, Black
combines development with tactical con
siderations. Now White is discouraged from
taking on cs.
9 .l:!.d1 o-o 10 .td4 .tb7 11 e3 .te7!
With the threat of ...'Llcs, punishing
White for his dubious eighth move.
12 a3 'Llcs 13 a2 as 14 f3
A slightly weakening move, but essential
for White's further development.
14...b8!
The standard break 14... d5 would have
yielded Black at least equality, but by now
Gligoric is looking for more. With the text
he seizes the h2-b8 diagonal and enhances
future kingside aggression.
15 e4

Ljubojevic finally achieves some kind of
Maroczy structure and also parries the
threat of 1S ... e5; however, Gligoric has a
strong reply prepared.
1s ...lt:Jhs!
With the dual idea of ...ctJf4 and .. .f7-f5,
punishing White for his slow development.
16 i.e2
Correctly speeding up development. 16
g 3 ? fS would be horrible for White.
16 ...lt:Jf4 17 o-o fs!
This pawn break puts some pressure on
the enemy centre, and helps clearing the
h 1-a8 diagonal and the f-file for Black's
forces. The exchange on e2 can wait until a
more optimal moment.
18 e5
After 18 exfs .Uxfs Black also has a
strong initiative.
18 ...d6!
Another pawn break, which clears the
h2-b8 diagonal towards White's king, and
creates a pawn majority in the centre.
19 exd6 i.xd6 20 h1 es!
Of course not 20...lt:Jxe2 21 lt:Jxe2 i.xh2?
22 f4 etc - Gligoric. With the text, he in
stead prepares one more pawn break with
... eS-e4 to soften up the long diagonal for
The Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
the bishop on b7.
21 i.g1 e4! 22 fxe4 ctJxe2
Just at the right moment, in order to ex
ploit the long diagonal to the maximum.
Both 22 .. .fxe4 23 ctJe3 and 22 ...lt:Jxe4 23
i.f3 ! were somewhat less promising.
23 lt:Jxe2 i.xe4 24 ctJcd4 .Uf6!
More pieces to the attack. Meanwhile,
White has considerable difficulties in orga
nizing counterplay, partly due to his badly
placed queen.
2S ctJf3
Or 25 lt:Jc3 .Uh6 26 lt:Jxe4 i.xh2 ! 27 lt:Jxfs
.Uh s with a strong attack.
25 ... l:th6 26 h3 'iYb7 27 lt:Jed4
27 ...gs!
From now on, the threat of ... g 5-g4
hangs like the sword of Damocles over
White.
28 i.e3 f4 29 ctJb5 i.f8
29 .. .fxe3 30 lt:Jxd6 .Uxd6! 31 .Uxd6 e2 32
.Ue1 i.xf3 33 gxf3 'iVxf3+ etc was another
winning line.
30 i.xcs i.xcs 31 b4!? g4!
Consequent and strong. In contrast, af
ter 31 ... axb4?! 32 ctJxg s White stays alive.
32 bxcs gxf3 33 h2 'iYg7!
Instead of 33 ... fxg 2?! 34 .Uxf4 with
215
M a s tering Op e n ing Stra tegy
rather unclear play, Gligoric, by means of
the threat of ... 11Vg3+, forces White to ob
struct his rook with his queen.
34 1lff2 fxg2 35 fe1 1lfg4! 0-1
An elegant finishing move. White re
signed.
Game 1.38
G.Mateuta-J.Hellsten
Kavafa 2003
Slav Defence
1 d4 d 5 2 t2Jf3 l2Jf6 3 c4 c6 4 e3 a6 5 t2Jbd2
A rather passive choice. S t2Jc3 and S
.id3 are the main continuations in this Slav
line.
5 ... .iJ5
Black refrains from the standard s ...bs,
as after 6 cxds cxds, White could try to ex
ploit the early weakening of cs by lDb3-cS
at some moment.
6 l2Jh4
The most ambitious choice. In the event
of 6 1lfh3 Black could simply reply 6 ...1lfc7,
exploiting the fact that White has no knight
on c3 attacking the ds-pawn.
6....ie4!
216
Before accepting the exchange of his
bishop, Black provokes f2-f3 so that White's
remaining knight can't move to f3.
7 f3
Black is also fine after 7 t2Jxe4?! dxe4 8
g 3 e6 or 7 1lfh3 a7 8 a4 e6 9 as c s ! 10 f3
.ig6 11 cxds exds 12 l2Jxg6 hxg6, preparing
...tbc6, as in Bu Xiangzhi-A.Morozevich, Bled
Olympiad 2002.
7 ....ig6 8 l2Jxg6 hxg6 9 f4
Vacating f3 for the knight, at the cost of
a weakened e4-square.
9 . .e6 10 11Vb3
.
The attempt to restrict Black by 10 cs?!
backfires after 10...b6! 11 b4 aS; e.g. 12 11Va4
bS 13 1lfh3 lbh s ! with ideas like ..1lfh4+ and
.
...tbg3.
10...1lfc7 11 t2Jf3
Or 11 cs t2Jbd7 12 1lfc3 a s ! ? 13 a3 a4!,
followed by ...b7-b6, breaking the enemy
pawn chain and enabling a future counter
strike with ... c6-cs.
11...c5!
Instead of standard Slav development
with 11 ...t2Jbd7, Black immediately strikes
at the enemy centre, and provides the
knight with a more active destiny on c6.
The fact that mutual pawn captures on ds

and c5 would leave him with an isolated
pawn on d5 is less relevant now that White
has weakened his own structure by f2-f4.
12 cxd5 exd5 13 .td2?!
13 .te2 seems more natural, though af
ter 13 .. .lt:Jc6 Black has an excellent game
anyway.
13 . ..l2Jc6 14 .te2
Or 14 .l::!.c 1?! c4 15 'iVd1 lLle4 with a clear
initiative. After the text 14... c4 is entirely
possible too; however, I don't want to take
off the tension on White's pawn centre yet,
preferring a tempting pawn sacrifice.
14...lbe4!? 15 'iVxd5
Seeing that 15 0-0?! drops a pawn after
15 ... cxd4, Mateuta accepts the challenge.
15 ...lLlxd2 16 l2Jxd2 cxd4 17 'iVe4+ .te7 18
exd4?!
Too greedy. After 18 o-o 0-0 Black h as a
pleasant edge thanks to the dark square
weaknesses in White's camp, who probably
would have liked to have his f-pawn back
on f2. But the text has the clear drawback
of leaving the king stranded in the centre.
18 ... o-o-o 19 d5
After 19 o-o l2Jxd4 20 .l::!. ac1 .tc5 Black
enjoys a strong initiative.
19 ....l::!. h e8!
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
The last piece joins the party, creating
the threat of ....th4+, and preventing 20
0-0? on account of 20....tc5+.
20 'iVc4 lbb4
Even after the exchange of queens
Black's attack will be quite strong. 20 ... .tb4
was interesting as well.
21 .l::!.c 1
21 'iVxe7+ r.!ixc? 22 .l::!.c 1+ r.!ib8 is similar.
21 ...'iVxc4 22 .l::!.xc4+?
A fatal mistake, which leaves both the
rook and the knight tactically exposed. 22
l2Jxc4 was essential, when both 22 ...l2Jxa2
23 .l::!. d1 and 22 ...r.!ib8 23 .l::!. d1 l2Jxd5 24 g 3
offer White some hope o f salvation.
22 ... r.!ib8 23 .l::!.e4 l2Jxd5 24 r.!id1
An early surrender, but 24 0-0? was im
possible due to 24...lbf6.
24...f5 25 .l::!.e 5 lLlxf4 26 .tc4? .l::!.x d2+! 0-1
In view of 27 xd2 .i.b4+ 28 r.!te3 .l::!. x e5+
29 r.!txf4 .l::!. e4+, White resigned.
Fla n k adva nces
The flank advance is a modern addition to
the methods in the fight for the centre. By
moving a pawn forward on the flank, we
can indirectly undermine the opponent's
centre, as shown in the following examples.
Game 139
V.Salov-R.Hiibner
Barce1ona 1989
English Opening
1 lbf3 d5 2 c4 d4
A principled reply. Black enters some
kind of Benoni with reversed colours, albeit
with one tempo less, something that can be
strongly felt in this opening. 2 ... e6 and 2 ... c6
are other frequent options.
21 7
M a s tering Op e n ing S t ra tegy
3 g3 li'lc6
Aware of his minus tempo, Black saves
on 3 ... c5 for the sake of development.
4 .ltg2 e5 5 d3 .lte7 6 0-0 li'lf6?!
A well-known inaccuracy. 6 ... a5 first was
correct, for reasons that soon become evi
dent. Interestingly, with reversed colours
White would just have castled at this point;
i.e. 1 d4 c5 2 d5 li'lf6 3 li'lc3 d6 4 e4 g6 5 li'lf3
.ltg7 6 .lte2 0-0 7 0-0, thus avoiding the trick
that now follows.
7 b4!
A strong flank advance, by which White
puts unpleasant pressure on the enemy
centre. You can find this idea in several
other opening lines, such as the Four Pawns
Attack in the King's Indian (1 d4 li'lf6 2 c4 g6
3 li'lc3 .ltg7 4 e4 d6 5 f4 o-o 6 li'lf3 c5 7 d5 e6
8 .ltd3 ?! exd5 9 cxd5 b5!) and the Sicilian
Dragon (1 e4 c5 2 li'lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 li'lxd4
li'lf6 5 li'lc3 g6 6 .\te2 .ltg7 7 0-0 li'lc6 8 li'lb3
o-o 9 f4 b5!). It displays a kind of relation
between the b4 and e5 (or b5 and e4 from
Black's perspective) squares, regarding
which the knight on c6 proves overloaded.
7 ... e4?!
Hubner replies with a pawn break similar
to 12 e5 in lllescas-Moreno (Game 136), but
218
on this occasion it lacks support from fellow
pieces. Instead, 7 ...li'lxb4 8 li'lxe5 favours
White thanks to the extra central pawn and
semi-open b-file, while 7 ... .\txb4?! 8 li'lxe5!
li'lxe5 9 a4+ li'lc6 10 .ltxc6+ bxc6 11 xb4,
preparing .lta3, would be even worse. Black's
best option is rather 7 ... li'ld7, trying to keep
the pawn centre intact, even though after 8
a3 0-0 9 e3 White enjoys some initiative .
Having achieved b2-b4 so early on is quite a
success - in similar Benoni positions with
reversed colours, White usually does any
thing he can to prevent Black's ...b7-b5.
8 dxe4 .\txb4
Obviously 8 .. li'lxe4? ! 9 b5, followed by
.
10 li'lxd4, was not in Black's favour.
9 .ltb2!
Simple and strong - White focuses on
the fresh weakness at d4.
9 ...\tc5 10 li'lbd2 e7
.
This leads to unfavourable simplifica
tions, though it is hard to suggest anything
better.
11 li'lb3 li'lxe4 12 li'lfxd4 li'lxd4 13 li'lxc5!
Securing the bishop pair, which will play
a huge role now that there are no pawns
left in the centre.
13 ... li'lxc5 14 xd4 li'le6 15 e3 o-o 16 .J:!,fd1

White has emerged with a dream posi
tion - his bishops control the whole board,
and Black can't easily conclude his queen
side development.
16 ...J:te8 17 J:tab1 c6
The simplifying 17 ...'ib'cs drops a pawn
after 18 'ib'xcs tLlxcs 19 j,a3 - Salov.
18 j,a3!
The bishop leaves the long diagonal in
order to exploit the fresh weakness at d6.
18 ... 'ib'c7 19 j,d6 'ib'a5 20 J:tb2
More energetic was 20 f4! - Salov, with
f4-f5 coming up.
20...'ib'a4 21 'ib'b3
It is not easy to suggest a plan for Black
after 21 J:tc1, but Salov, being a renowned
endgame expert, prefers a more technical
approach.
21 ...'ib'xb3 22 J:txb3 f6!
Hubner prepares a clever regrouping of
his pieces by ...tLld8, ...j,e6 and ...tLlf7.
23 f4 tLld8 24 j,c7 tLle6 25 j,d6 tLld8 26 c;t>f2
j,e6 27 l:td4 J:tc8
After 27 ...tLlf7 28 J:txb7 tLlxd6 29 J:txd6
j,xc4 30 j,f3 Black is also suffering - Salov.
28 l:ta3 c5?
This leads to tactical problems on the
light squares. 28 ... a6 was called for.
Th e B a ttle fo r th e Cen tre
29 l:te4! f5
White also breaks through after 29...J:tc6
30 j,b8! or 29 ...tLlf7 30 J:tae3 tLlxd6 31 J:txe6
l:txe6 32 J:txe6 l:td8 33 l:te7.
30 J:txe6! J:txe6
Or 30 ... tLlxe6 31 j,xb7 l:tcd8 32 j,c6, re
gaining the material with interest.
31 j,d5 a6
If 31 ...J:tc6 then 32 j,e7! - Salov.
32 l:tb3 c;t>f7
3 3 e4!
Just when it seemed that Black h as man
aged to consolidate, White brings more
pieces into the battle.
3 3 ... c;t>g6
Seeing that 33 ... g6 34 es would leave
him terribly restricted, Hubner goes for ac
tive defence.
34 j,xe6 tLlxe6 35 g4!
Very nice. Now 3S ... tLld8 36 gxfS+ is just
depressing for Black, so Hubner gives up his
knight.
35 ...fxe4 36 f5+ c;t>f6 37 fxe6 b5
Or 37 ...c;t>xe6 38 l:tb6! with an easy win,
just as in the game.
38 cxb5 c;t>xe6 39 j,f4 c4 40 l:tb1 axb5 41
J:txb5 l:ta8 42 l:te5+ c;t>f6 43 l:tc5 J:txa2+ 44
c;t>e3 J:tg2 45 j,g3 1-o
219
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
Game 140
B.Predojevic-A.Morozevich
Sarajevo 2008
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 iLlc3 iLlf6 4 es iL:lfd7 s f4 cs
6 iLlf3 iL:lc6 7 .ite3
An initial position of the Classical French
has been reached. White enjoys more space
but Black has many dynamic resources at
his disposal, some of which we will see in
this game.
1 a6
...
Preparing queenside expansion with
...b7-bS. other common options are 7 ... cxd4
8 iL:lxd4 .itcs, 7 ....ite7 and 7 ...ifu6.
8 iLle2
White enables c2-c3 to strengthen his
centre. On the other hand, his queenside is
now left somewhat unattended, a fact that
Black immediately exploits. The flexible 8
'id2 is much more popular in practice.
8 ...'ib6
A key move in many variations of the
French, and rather natural here as White
can no longer reply 9 iL:la4.
9 'ic1
220
At this point 9 ...cxd4 1 0 iL:lexd4 .itcs 11
c3 might yield White a slight advantage;
however, Morozevich has a much more
challenging idea in mind.
9 . gs!?
..
An energetic pawn advance, which ex
ists in several French lines and related
structures. Black tries to soften up the en
emy centre, exploiting the fact that any
capture on gS would weaken the d4-pawn
and, indirectly, its colleague on es.
10 C3
The most solid reply. Both 10 iL:lxg s ? !
cxd4 11 .itf2 .itcs and 1 0 fxg s cxd4 1 1
iL:lexd4 iL:lcxes ! look promising for Black,
while the greedy 10 dxcs .itxcs 11 .itxcs
iL:lxcs 12 iL:lxgs is well met by 12 ... h6, pre
paring 13 ...iL:le4, with great compensation
for the pawn.
10 ... cxd4 11 cxd4
After 11 iL:lexd4 gxf4! 12 .itxf4 .itg7 Black
has some pressure on the es-pawn. Even so,
this might be White's lesser evil, in view of
what follows in the game.
11....itb4+!
Now that both 12 iLlc3 and 12 .itd2 drop
the d4-pawn after 12 ... g4, White's king is
forced to a more dangerous location.

12 f2 f6!
Another typical French pawn advance,
which further destabilizes White's centre
and lets Black open the f-file towards the
enemy king.
13 g3
Predojevic tries to keep his pawn chain
intact, aware that 13 exf6?! Ci:ixf6 would
just help Black in activating his knight.
13 ... g4
An improvement on the earlier game
V.Topalov-A.Morozevich, Morelia/Linares
2007, which continued 13 ....l:!.f8 14 g2 g4
15 ctJh4 and White managed to consolidate.
14 lt:ih4 fxes 15 fxes
Forced, since 15 dxes ? fails to 1S ....i.. c s!
(but not 1S ...d4? 16 Ci:ixd4 Ci:ixd4 17 c4) 16
.i..x cs (otherwise 16 ... d4 follows) 16 ...Ci:ixcs,
with ...ctJd3+ next - Erenburg.
1s ... Ci:idxes!
A strong positional sacrifice that blows
up the enemy centre and clears new lines
towards the white monarch. In contrast,
both 1S ... .l:!.f8+?! and 15 ... 0-0+?! would just
help White to secure his king by 16 g2.
16 dxes d4 17 .i..f4 .l:!.fS
With this and his next move, Black
brings more pieces to the battle, whereas
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
White has considerable difficulties in doing
the same thing due to the poor coordina
tion of his forces. Of course 17 ... d3+? 18
.i.. e 3 was less to the point.
18 g2 .i..d 7 19 h3
Clearing some space for the king. 19
c2 ? was impossible due to 19 ...Ci:ixe s ! 20
.i.. x es .i..c 6+ 21 g1 d3+ 22 .i..d4 xd4+ 23
Ci:ixd4 dxc2, with ....i.. c s next - Erenburg.
19 ... d3 20 hxg4
White gives the piece back in order to
relieve his defence to some extent. Instead,
20 ctJC3 was strongly met by 20 ... Ci:ixes!, pre
paring ... .i.. c 6+, while after 20 .i..e 3 as 21
ctJf4 Ci:ixes 22 h2 .l:!.c8 Black's initiative is
overwhelming; e.g. 23 d1 .l:!.c2+ 24 .i..g 2
.l:!.xf4! 25 .i..xf4 Ci:if3+ 26 Ci:ixf3 gxf3 2 7 .l:!.g 1
dS with a clear advantage - Erenburg .
20 ... dxe2 21 .i..xe2 lt:id4
Black has emerged with a pleasant ad
vantage - his pieces are more active and
the white king remains exposed.
22 e3?
A bad place for the queen, as Black's
next move will show. More resilient was 22
.i..f3 !, not shying away from the exchange
of the "good" bishop; e.g. 22 ...Ci:ixf3 23 Ci:ixf3
.i..c 6 24 .l:!.h6! with counterplay - Erenburg,
221
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
who suggests 22 ....l::tc 8, followed by ....l::tc 2+,
as a better choice.
22 ...1Lc5! 23 b4
The only defence against the multiple
threats: 23 ... iVxb2, 23 ...itc6+ and 23 .. .lbc2.
23 ...iVxb4 24 .l::t h b1?
This leaves the other rook badly placed
on a1. After 24 .l::tab1 itc6+ 25 h3 lbxe2 26
iVxe2 iVe4 Black will end up with a clearly
better endgame - Erenburg, but the text
lets him go for more.
24...iVa5 25 h3
Or 25 .l::td1 0-0-0 26 .l::tac1 iia4!, when 27
.l::txd4 .l::txd4 28 iVxd4 fails to 28 ...itc6+. The
text avoids any such checks but, unfortu
nately, also lets Black win material.
25 lbxe2 26 iVxe2 itd4
..
The drawback of White's 24th move be
comes evident.
27 ith6 .l::tf2 28 iVe4 itxa1 29 .l::tx a1 0-0-0
With the black king secured and ... itc6
coming up, the game is practically over.
30 itg5 itc6 31 .l::tc 1 iVd5!
Obstructing any attempts with .l::tx c6+.
32 iVxh7 iVxa2
Installing a decisive mating threat.
33 .l::txc6+ bxc6 34 lbf3 .l::txf3 3 5 itxd8 xd8
0-1
222
Seeing that the black king easily escapes
from the checks via C7-b6, White resigned.
Game 141
Ru.SadykovE.Sveshnikov
Cheliabi nsk 2004
Semi--Slav Defence
1 d4 d 5 2 c4 e6 3 lbc3 lbf6
The idea carried out by White on the
seventh move in this game can be found in
various openings, such as the Queen's
Gambit: 3 ...ite7 4 cxds exds s iif4 lbf6 6 e3
itfs 7 iVh3 lbc6 8 g4!? as played in
L.Aronian-V.Kramnik, Monte Carlo (blind
fold rapid) 2011, or 3 ... ite7 4 lbf3 lbf6 5 g4!?
as in S.Mamedyarov-R.Ponomariov, Dort
mund 2010. In the Open Sicilian there are
many lines with an early g2-g4, as we al
ready witnessed in Naiditsch-Belov (Game
18) and Hracek-Bonsch (Game 58). Even in
the Open Games there are cases of this ad
vance; e.g. 1 e4 e s 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 lbf6 4 lbc3
lbbd7 5 g4!? as introduced by Shirov. You
can also find it in the English - 1 ctJf3 lbf6 2
c4 e6 3 ctJC3 itb4 4 g4!? - and in several In
dian Defences.
4 lbf3 c6 5 e3 lbbd7 6 iVc2
In this standard position of the Semi
Slav, 6 itd3 is another direction, when Black
usually replies 6 ... dxc4 7 itxc4 bS, followed
by ... a7-a6 and ... c6-cS, giving rise to the
Meran System. In contrast, 6 iVc2 can be
regarded as a useful move while awaiting
Black's next step.
6 ...itd6 7 g4
Just as in the previous games, White
launches a flank advance at quite an early
stage of the battle. This move caused aston
ishment at the time of its invention by Shi-

rov and Shabalov in the early nineties, but
twenty years later it has an established
place in opening theory.
Although White seems, at first sight, to be
intending a quick kingside attack, the main
idea behind 7 g4 is quite another: to dislodge
the knight on f6 by ...g4-g5, and then exploit
its absence with a timely e3-e4 break.
By the way, the immediate 7 e4 has
proved less promising after 7 ...dxe4 8 lZ'lxe4
l2Jxe4 9 xe4 il.b4+ or 9 ... c5. We will soon
see that things are a bit different when e3-
e4 is effected without a black knight on f6.
7...l2Jxg4
A principled reaction. other common
replies are: 7 ...h6, preventing g4-g 5;
7...il.b4, preparing to meet g4-g5 by ...lZ'le4;
and 7 ... dxc4 8 il.xc4 e5 striking back in the
centre. In the last case, play often continues
9 g5 lZ'ld5 10 il.d2, followed by 11 lZ'le4, or
even the immediate 10 lZ'le4, with a fierce
battle for the central squares.
8 l:t,g 1
One key circumstance which makes the 7
g4 line work is that 6 ... il.d6 has left the g7-
pawn undefended. Here, 8 ...l2Jxh2 and 8 .. .f5
are Black's main choices, but Sveshnikov's
next move is fully playable as well.
The B a ttle for t h e Cen tre
8 ...f 6 g l:t,xg4 xf3 10 l:t,xg7 lZ'lf8
The natural 10...l2Jf6 permits 11 l:t,g5,
with the threat 12 il.g2, while the simple 11
h 3 h as also had good results in practice.
Now, on the other hand, the threat of
11...l2Jg 6 makes White withdraw his rook on
less voluntary terms.
11 l:t,g1 il.xh2?!
Black grabs a pawn, at the cost of delay
ing development. Safer was 11 ... l2Jg6 12
il.e2 f6 13 il.d2 il.d7 with complex play.
12 il.e2 f6 13 l:t,h1 il.d6
14 e4!
An energetic pawn advance that hands
the initiative to White. As seen in the fol
lowing subvariations, his choice is tactically
well-founded.
14...il.b4
After 14 ... xd4?! 15 il.e3 f6 16 0-0-0
Black is already under strong pressure; e.g.
16 ...d4 17 e 5 ! il.xe5 18 lZ'le4 d8 19 f4! il.g7
20 c5, preparing lZ'ld6+ {Sadykov). And
14 ... dxe4 15 l2Jxe4 d8 {or 15 ... xd4? 16
il.d2 ! - Sadykov) 16 l2Jxd6+ 'ifxd6 17 il.e3,
followed by 0-0-0, also gives White plenty of
compensation for the pawn.
15 il.e3!
The most appealing solution. White just
223
M a s te ring Open ing Stra tegy
keeps on bringing his pieces out, aware
that Black's king has no safe destiny any
where on the board.
1S ...dxe4 16 0-0-0 .i.xc3 17 'ifxc3 .Mg8
Activating the rook and avoiding any
skewers on the a1-h8 diagonal. In the event
of 17 ... .i.d7 White could consider 18 .Mdg1,
enabling a future .i.gs.
18 'ifb3!
White prevents ....i.d7 and prepares d4-
ds at the same time.
18... b6
19 dS!
The position was begging for this move,
which clears new lines for White's pieces
towards the enemy king.
19 ....i.d7
After 19 ... cs 20 'ifc2 White also keeps up
the pressure; e.g. 20...exds 21 cxds 'ifes 22
.Mh4 fs 23 d6 with compensation - Sadykov.
20 dxc6 .i.xc6 21 cs!
White just keeps on attacking, not car
ing about the possible exposure of his king
on the c-file.
21...tL:ld7 22 .Md6 .Mc8 23 .i.bs! .i.xbs 24
'ifxbs .Mc7 25 .Mhd1 .Mgs?
After this pseudo-active move, Black's
position falls apart immediately. 2S ... 'ife7
224
was critical, on which Sadykov's main line
goes 26 b4! .Mg6! 27 .Mc6 'ifd8 28 cxb6
.Mxc6+ 29 'ifxc6 axb6 30 'ifxe4 'ifc7+ 31 b1
hs 32 b s ! ? .Mg4 33 f4 with compensation for
the pawn, but nothing more.
26 b1!
Now the double threat at d7 and gS
proves irresistible and Black is just left with
desperate moves.
26...a6 27 'ifxa6 .Mgxcs 28 .i.xcs bxcs 29
'ifbs 'ifd8 30 a4!
A new player enters the field, exhaust
ing the enemy defences.
30...'ifc8 31 as e7 32 a6 'Llf6 33 .Md8! 1-0
The role of the centre
By now we are well aware of the fact that
the centre is not an element of the opening
phase exclusively, but keeps its relevance in
the middlegame battle as well. Here I
would like to repeat a few strategic princi
ples with relation to the centre:
t The side that controls the centre has a
greater freedom of actions on the
whole board.
t An attack on the flank is often well
met by a counterstrike in the centre.

1 Without sufficient control of the cen
tre, an attack on the flank is less likely
to succeed.
Note that these are not absolute truths,
but just principles, which nevertheless have
kept their validity over the years. In the next
five games we will see them in action
again.
Game :t42
V.Bologan li;.Westerinen
..
Gausdal 1991
Italian Game
1 e4 es 2 CLJf3 CLJc6 3 .tc4 CLJf6 4 d3
Nowadays, this is the most popular way
of treating the Italian. Adherents of open
positions can consider 4 ct:Jgs and 4 d4 in
stead.
4...-tcs s c3 a6 6 .tb3
A typical prophylactic measure in this
line, and Black actually makes a similar one
three moves later.
6 ...d6 7 ct:Jbd2 o-o 8 h3 il.a7 9 'Llf1
One key feature in this opening system,
designed by Moldavian trainer Chebanenko
Th e Battle fo r t h e Cen tre
and frequently used by his students such as
Bologan, is that the knight manoeuvre
'Llbd2-f1-g3 is executed before castling.
Thus White saves on the .l:te1 move, com
pared with similar positions in the Spanish.
9...CLJe7
Black "copies" the opponent's idea. An
other option is 9 .. ds, when White usually
.
replies 10 'ilVe2, keeping the light square
control while avoiding the exchange of
queens.
10 CLJg3 'Llg6 11 0-0 h6 12 d4
With the knight on g6 hindering the
standard attacking plan of 'Llh4, 'Llgfs, 'ilVf3
etc, White prefers to set up a pawn centre.
12 ... exd4?!
This capture leaves White with an extra
pawn in the centre, a common situation in
defences characterized by a strong fi
anchetto bishop such as the Grunfeld and
Benoni, but less advisable in the current
structure. 12 ... .l:te8 and 12 ... .td7 were rea
sonable options, keeping the tension while
getting on with development.
13 cxd4 dS 14 es 'Lle4
This was probably Black's point when
deciding upon 12 ... exd4. Unfortunately, the
centralized knight will have to depart at
225
M as te ring Open ing Strategy
once after White's next move.
15 .ic2! l2:Jh4?!
15 .. .f5? obviously drops a pawn after 16
exf6, but 15 ... l2:Jxg 3 16 fxg3 c5! was a lesser
evil, putting some pressure on White's cen
tre, even if the latter keeps the advantage
after 17 .ie3. The text has the drawback of
leaving the centre completely in White's
hands.
16 l2:Jxe4 dxe4 17 .ixe4 l2:Jxf3+ 18 'iVxf3
'iVxd4
19 .if4!
Bologan gets on with development and,
at the same time, reinforces his central
grip. After l:!.ad1 on the next move he will in
fact be controlling all four central squares,
which leaves him ready to take action on
the whole board. Of course 19 .ixb7? .ixb7
20 'iVxb7 'iVxe5 was less to the point.
19... c6
In the event of 19 ...'iVxb2 White has 20
l:!.fb1 'iVd4 21 l:!.d1 'iVa4 22 .ixh6! gxh6 23
'iVg3+ 'it>h8 24 'iVf4 'it>g7 25 l:!.d3 with a deci
sive attack, just like later on in the game.
20 l:!.ad1 'iVb4
This time 20 ...'iVxb2 is strongly met by 21
'iVg3 'it>h8 22 e6!, intending .ie5.
226
21 .ixh6!
With the centre completely under his
control, White launches a strong attack on
Black's king, in which the pawn on e5 plays
a crucial role by shielding its fellow pieces
and controlling the key square on f6.
21 ...gxh6 22 'iVg3+ 'it>h8 23 'iVf4 g7 24
l:!.d3! l:!.e8
Or 24.. .f5 25 exf6+ l:!.xf6 26 l:!.g3+ 'it>f7 27
.ig6+, winning the queen.
2S l:!.g3+ 'it>f8 26 'iVxh6+ 'it>e7 27 'iVh4+!
A clever check that obliges the retreat of
Black's king, now that 27 ... 'it>d7? fails to 28
.if5+.
27 ...'it>f8 28 a3!
One more intermediate move to force
Black's queen to a rather less favourable
square.
28...'iVd4
The only move, since 28 ... 'iVxb2 runs into
29 'iVh6+ 'it>e7 30 'iVd6 mate, while 28 ... 'iVc5
is met by 29 .ih7 ! - Cu.Hansen.
29 'iVh6+ 'it>e7 30 'iVf6+ 'it>d7
This loses the queen, but 30 ...'it>f8 31
.ih7 was terminal anyway.
31 l:!.d3 'iVxd3 32 .ixd3 1-0
In this hopeless position, Black resigned.

Game 143
P.Eijanov-V.Akopian
European Cup, Ohrid 2009
Catalan Opening
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Cbf3 Cbf6 4 Cbc3 e6 5 g3
Instead of entering a Semi-Slav battle
with 5 .i.g5 or 5 e3, White takes the game
into Catalan waters.
5 ...dxc4
A principled reaction, exploiting the fact
that with CDc3 already on the board White
can't easily recover the pawn. The flexible
5 ... Cbbd7 is popular as well.
6 .i.g2 b5 1 Cbe5 Cbd5
Black can also consider 7 ... a6, when 8
Cbxc6 'iib 6! is quite inoffensive for him.
8 a4
Immediately attacking the enemy pawn
phalanx, before Black consolidates by ....i.b7
and ... a7-a6.
8 ....i.b4
9 0-0!
More energetic than the obvious 9 .i.d2.
In Eljanov's own words, "a real Catalan
player should be ready to prefer to sac a
second pawn to win a few tempi!".
Th e B a ttle fo r the Cen tre
9 ...0-0
Eljanov analyses 9 ... Cbxc3 10 bxc3 .i.xc3
11 lia3 !, when both 11 ....i.b4 12 axb5 .i.xa3
13 .i.xa3 and 11 ...b4 12 lixc3! bxc3 13 .i.a3
lead to an overwhelming initiative for
White, as does 9 ....i.xc3 10 e4! .i.xb2 11
.i.xb2 Cbe7 12 d5 !?.
On the other hand, 9 .. .f6! 10 e4 Cbe7 was
quite a reasonable choice; e.g. 11 Cbf3 0-0
12 axb5 .i.xC3 13 bxc3 cxb5 14 .i.a3 lif7
with unclear play in M.Ulibin-I.Salgado Lo
pez, Cappelle la Grande 2009. In effect, po
sitions of a double-edged nature often re
quire non-standard moves, such as 9 ...f6 in
this case. In contrast, the text lets White
retain his powerful central knight on e5 for
the rest of the game.
10 axbs .i.xc3 11 bxc3 cxb5
After 11 ... Cbxc3?! 12 iYc2 Cbxb5 13 e3
White soon recovers the pawns with a clear
positional plus.
12 .i.a3 lie8 13 e4! Cbf6
This time 13 ...Cbxc3?! is strongly met by
14 iYf3.
14 iYb1!?
A rare, but good place for the queen,
where she overprotects the e4-pawn and
exerts some pressure along the b-file. 14 f4
at once was also possible, whereas the
tempting 14 Cbxf7 doesn't yield more than
a draw after 14...<.toxf7 15 e5 Cbd5 16 iYh 5+
<.tog8 17 .i.e4 g6 18 .i.xg6 hxg6 19 iYxg6+
<.toh8 20 life1 Cbxc3 21 lie3 .i.b7, since both
22 lixc3 Cbc6 23 g4 iYh4! and 22 g4 Cbe2+!
23 lixe2 Cbc6 24 lie3 iYh4 let Black parry the
mate on the h-file - Eljanov.
14 ... a6 15 f4 iYc7
The immediate 15 ....i.b7? fails to 16
CDXC4.
White has achieved an unusually strong
grip on the centre, combining a centralized
22 7
M as t e ring Open ing Stra tegy
knight with a heavy pawn centre.
In consequence, nothing speaks against
a full-scale attack on the kingside, where
Black is rather short of defenders.
16 g4! i.b7 11 gs lt:lfd7 18 Ita2!
A neat way of including the second rook
in the attack by preparing to swing along
the second rank.
18 ...lt:lc6 19 Itaf2 !tabS
For his part, Black prepares the only pos
sible attempt for counterplay, the ...b5-b4
advance.
20 d1 as 21 hs lt:ldxes?
Thus Black assures ...b5-b4 on the next
move, but the clearance of the f-file will
play heavily against him in the further
course of the game. Instead, 21 ... g6 22 6
b 4 23 f5 ! leads to a crushing attack after
23 ...exf5 24 exf5 lt:lf8 25 lt:lg4 - Eljanov, so
the awkward-looking 21 ...lt:ld8! was the
only way to keep up the fight, when White
could consider 22 lt:lg4, preparing the ad
vance f4-f5.
22 fxes b4 23 i.b2 !tbd8 24 Itf3!
White refrains from the materialistic 24
Itxf7?! Ite7 25 It7f4 6 with unclear play,
and simply sends the rook to h3. By the
way, had Black opted for 21...lt:ld8!, then the
228
analogous 2 2 Itf3? would have failed to
22 ....txe4.
24...g6
Or 24...bxc3 25 Ith3 (25 .txc3 is also pos
sible}, when both 25 ...cxb2 26 xh7+ f8
27 8+ e7 28 Itxf7+ xf7 29 g6+! and
25 ... h6 26 gxh6 g6 27 g5 e7 28 h7+ h8
29 .tel! are fatal for Black - Eljanov. With
the text Akopian prepares a light square
blockade at the cost of a pawn, but it soon
proves insufficient.
25 h6 fs 26 gxf6 f7
27 e3!
Supporting the d4-pawn and preparing
a final assault with h4-h5.
27...Itd7 28 h4! Ited8 29 hs bxc3 30 .txc3
lt:lxd4 31 Itg3
Now the g6-pawn falls, and the rest is
rather easy for White.
31 ... lt:lbs 32 hxg6 hxg6 33 h6 h7 34
Itxg6+ h8 35 .txas Ita8 36 gs Itg8 37 f7!
A nice intermediate move to divert the
black queen from the h-file.
37 ...Itxf7 38 Itxf7 Itxg6
Obviously 38 ... xf7 runs into the reply
39 !th6+.
39 d8+ Itg8 40 Itxh7+ xh7 41 h4+ g6
42 i.d2 1-0

vQme 144
A KotovI.BoleslavS:ky
..
USSRCh.ll'lpionhip,
Moscow. 1945
Trompowsky's . Opening
1 d4 tZ:lf6 2 .igs tt:Je4 3 .if4 d6
A modest, but fully playable reply to the
Trompowsky. Nowadays, 3 ...c5 and 3 ...d5
are more frequent options.
4 f3 tZ:lf6 5 e4 g6 6 d2 tt:Jbd7
Aware that .ih6 might be in the air,
Boleslavsky delays 6 ....ig7 and develops the
queenside first. The same idea is often ap
plied by Black in the Pirc; e.g. 1 e4 d6 2 d4
tt:Jf6 3 tZ:lc3 g6 4 .ie3 c6 5 d2 b5 6 .id3
tZ:lbd7, delaying ... .ig7 until the moment is
right, such as when White castles short.
7 .ih6?!
White is eager to start a king side attack,
but it made sense to bring out a few more
pieces first; e.g. starting with 7 tZ:lc3.
7 ....ixh6 8 xh6
s ...cs!
Black responds to the flank attack with a
counterstrike at White's centre. We saw a
similar case in Milu-Zaitsev (Game 65).
The Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
9 c3?!
This attempt to maintain the pawn cen
tre is strongly punished by the opponent's
next move. After 9 d5?! 6 and an oppor
tune ... e7-e6 Black grabs the initiative too,
but the developing 9 dxc5 tt:Jxc5 (or
9 ... a5+) 10 tZ:lc3 was reasonable.
9 ... b6! 10 d2
A sad retreat for White, but due to his
lagging development it was the only way to
avoid material losses. In contrast, with his
queen's knight already on d2 or a3, he
could have played 10 tZ:lc4 at this point.
10 cxd4 11 cxd4 es!
...
Kotov gets no time to rest. Now the ab
sence of his dark-squared bishop is strongly
felt.
12 tZ:la3
12 d5?! o-o, preparing ...tZ:lh5 and .. .f7-f5,
yields Black a definite initiative, while in
the event of 12 tt:Jc3 he could try 12 ... d5 ! ? as
in the game; e.g. 13 dxe5 tZ:lxe5 14 exd5 o-o
with interesting compensation for the
pawn. With the text White was probably
hoping for 12 ... exd4?! 13 tZ:lc4 c5 14 b4,
followed by 15 xd4, but Black has a much
stronger move at his disposal.
12 ... ds!
229
M as te ring Op e n ing S trategy
One more central strike, preventing li:Jc4
and clearing the e-file for future actions
towards the enemy king.
13 dxe5
After 13 exd5 li:Jxd5 14 dxe5 li:Je3 15 li:Jc4
li:Jxc4 16 i.xc4 li:Jxe5 17 'ife2 'ifb4+, fol
lowed by ... 0-0, White is also in trouble -
Ftacnik.
13 ...li:Jxe5 14 i.b5+
Seeing that 14 exd5 o-o, followed by
....l:!.e8(+), yields Black a strong attack, Kotov
tries to bring out his pieces quickly.
14...f8!?
There was nothing wrong with 14...i.d7
15 i.xd7+ li:Jexd7, followed by ... 0-0 and
....l:!.fe8(+), but Boleslavsky wants the bishop
on b5 as a future target.
15 exd5 g7 16 li:Je2
Or 16 o-o-o i.f5, followed by ... .l:!.ac8+
with a great attack.
16 ... a6 17 i.c4
Both 17 i.a4?! i.f5, preparing ... li:Jd3+,
and 17 i.d3? 'ifxb2! cause White even big
ger problems.
11 ...l:!.e8 18 .l:!.d1?
This lets Black land a strong tactical
blow. 18 fl i.f5 19 .l:!.d1 was essential -
Ftacnik, although after 19 ... .1:!.ac8 it is in fact
230
not easy to save White; e.g. 2 0 b 3 ? 'ifd6! 21
'iVb2 fails to 21 ...b5.
18...i.h3 !
White's dubious opening strategy re
ceives its final punishment.
19 f1
Ftacnik also analyses 19 f4 i.xg2 20 fxe5
.l:!.xe5 21 .l:!.f1 i.xfl 22 xfl .l:!.f5+ with a de
cisive attack.
19 ... li:Jxf3 20 'iff4
The attempt to prevent Black's next
move in the game by 20 'iVC3 fails to
20 ....l:!.e3 ! .
2 0...li:Jg4! 21 'ifxf3 li:Je3+ 2 2 e1 i.xg2 2 3
'iff2 i.xh1
With an extra exchange and the attack
still intact, the rest is easy for Black.
24 .l:!.d3 'ifb4+ 25 .l:!.d2 .l:!.ac8 26 i.b3 i.xd5 27
i.xd5 li:Jxd5 28 'ifd4+ 'ifxd4 29 .l:!.xd4 li:Jf6 0-1
Game 145
IGiek-Ch.Lutz
German league 1992
Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation
1 e4 c5 2 li:Jf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 li:Jxd4 a6 5 li:Jc3
'ifc7

This encounter is taken from my book
Play the Sicilian Kan and can be regarded as
a model game for that opening variation.
Just like most other Open Sicilians, White
has to play aggressively to aspire at any
advantage, a fact that often leads to his
centre being exposed to a counterblow, as
on move 18 in this game.
6 i.d3
A typical deployment in the Kan, which
was possible on the previous move as well.
6 ...tt:lf6 7 f4 d6
Black opts for a Hedgehog set-up. The
sharper 7 ... b5 8 e5 b4 is also popular in
practice.
8 o-o bs 9 'iVe2 i.b7 10 <J.th1 tt:lbd7 11 i.d2
i.e7 12 l:tae1
A natural choice, by which White brings
his last piece into play, thus getting ready
for actions in the centre and on the king
side. Even so, 12 b4! ?, preparing a2-a4 to
establish a queenside grip, is probably a
more critical try.
12 ...tt:Jcs
A clever move with several functions: an
exchange on d3 is enabled; the threat of
13 ... b4 winning a pawn is created; and the
d7-square is vacated for the other knight in
The B a t t l e fo r t h e Cen tre
the event of e4-e5. In contrast, the immedi
ate 12 ...0-o?! would invite 13 e5.
13 b4
White forces the swap on d3 in order to
stabilize his centre. Instead, 13 e5 is well
met by the discrete 13 ... tt:lfd7!, while after
13 a3 0-0 14 l:tf3 l:tfe8 15 l:th3 g6, preparing
...i.f8-g7, Black has no major problems.
13 ...tt:lxd3 14 cxd3 0-0
An approximately equal position has
emerged. Admittedly the exchange on d3
reinforced White's centre, but on the other
hand he will miss that bishop in a future
kingside attack.
1S l:tc1
The further course of the game suggests
that 15 g4!? at once might be more precise.
H ere Black should avoid both 15 ... d5?! 16 e5
and 15 ... e5?! 16 tt:lf5, followed by 17 g5, in
favour of the prophylactic 15 ...l:tfe8 16 g5
tt:ld7; e.g. 17 f5 i.f8 18 fxe6 fxe6 19 l:tc1
'ifd8, intending ...tt:le5 and ...l:tc8 with a
compact position.
1S ...'id7 16 g4?!
A tempting flank advance, but Black
turns out to be well prepared. 16 tt:lb3 l:tac8
17 i.e3, followed by i.d4, was a safer
choice.
231
M a s te ring Op e n ing Stra tegy
16 ...es! 17 li:Jfs
Or 17 fxes dxes 18 li:Jfs l:tfd8! 19 g s lt:Je8
with counterplay against d3 and b4.
17 ... exf4 18 l:txf4
18 g s ? obviously failed to 18 .. .'iVxfs,
while after 18 g1 i.d8!, both 19 gS i.b6+
20 d4 lt:Jxe4! and 19 i.xf4 ds 20 es d4! 2 1
exf6 dxc3, followed by 22 . . .l:te8, favour
Black. Finally, 18 i.xf4 can be met in the
same way as the text.
1s ...ds!
A key move of the game, by which Black
secures a lot of counterplay along the cen
tral files and the h 1-a8 diagonal, with a dis
tracting effect upon White's attack. In fact,
the idea of responding to g2-g4 with ... d7-
ds at some moment has quite an old record
in the Sicilian, and Dvoretsky covered the
subject rather extensively in Opening
Preparation.
19 g5 dxe4 20 dxe4
The consistent 20 gxf6 failed to
20 ...exd3+ 21 lt:Je4 'iVxfs ! 22 l:txfs dxe2 2 3
fxe7 i.xe4+ 2 4 g 1 i.xfs 25 exf8'iV+ xf8,
while 20 lt:Jxe7+ 'iVxe7 21 gxf6 exd3+ 22
lt:Je4 'iVxf6! yields Black a strong initiative;
e.g. 23 'iVxd3? 'iVd8! with .. .f7-f5 coming up.
20...lt:Jxe4!
232
An intuitive sacrifice that proves to be
tactically well-founded.
21 li:Jxe7+
After 21 lt:Jxe4 i.xg S White will soon
have to return more material; e.g. 22 l:tg1 f6
23 h4 l:tae8! 24 hxg s l:txe4 2 S l:txe4 'iVxfs 26
l:tgg4 l:te8 etc.
21...'iVxe7 22 li:Jxe4 l:tae8 23 g1
Or 23 l:te1 fS ! 24 gxf6 l:txf6 and the
knight is doomed.
23 ...i.xe4 24 l:te1
Glek had put his hopes in this new pin,
but it is not nearly as effective as the previ
ous one.
24...'iVxg5+ 25 l:tg4 i.d3 !
Black maintains h i s material advantage.
26 i.xgs .ixe2 27 l:tg3 i.hs 28 i.e7 fs! 29
l:tge3 l:tf7 30 i.cs l:txe3 31 l:txe3
Opposite-coloured bishops are famous
for their drawing effect, but with one pair
of rooks still on the board, White should be
helpless against the connected passed
pawns.
31 ...l:td7 32 l:ta3 l:td2
By 32 ...l:td1+! 33 f2 l:td2+ or 33 .. .f4
Black would have made significant pro
gress. At this point both players probably
suffered from time trouble.

33 xa6 f3 34 h4 h6 35 a4!
Exchanging more pawns.
3 S ... bxa4 36 xa4 g2+ 37 'iitf1 g4 38 e7
e4 39 a7 f4 40 d6 0-1
Despite reasonable chances for a draw,
the official scoresheet indicates that White
lost at this moment. In any case, the turbu
lent conclusion of the game doesn't take
away its instructive merits.
Game 146
L.D.Nisipeanu-R.Dautov
German League 2003
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d3
The King's Indian Attack, a practical
choice when you are not up to a heavy
theoretical discussion.
2 ... ds 3 tt:ld2 es 4 tt:lgf3 d6
A logical set-up, which exploits the sup
port that ... c7-c6 gives to the pawn centre.
5 g3 tLlf6 6 g2 o-o 7 o-o e8 8 e1 g4
other main options are 8 ... tt:lbd7 and
8 ... as, preparing ... tt:la6-cs, in both cases
waiting with the queen's bishop until the
moment is right.
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
9 C3
Here and on the following two moves, 9
h3 was more precise, in order to force the
bishop to h s - Dautov.
9 ... tt:Jbd7 10 C2 C7 11 tLJfl?!
This was White's last chance for 11 h3,
when 11 ...e6 12 tt:Jg s gains the bishop
pair, while 11 ...h s 12 tt:lh4, heading for fs,
also yields him a minimal initiative.
11 ... h6!
Black prevents tt:Jg s, so that the bishop
can retreat to e6 without any risk of being
exchanged.
12 tt:le3 e6 13 tt:lh4 as
A useful move which gains some space
while awaiting the opponent's next step.
14 e2
Aware that 14 tt:JhfS yields little after
14 ...f8, followed by ... g7-g6, White prefers
to reinforce his future kingside attack with
a queen transfer to f3.
14... ad8 15 f3 f8 16 f1
Both sides are using considerable pro
phylaxis. The immediate 16 tt:lhfs?! back
fires after 16 ... g6 17 g4 tt:Jcs ! , hitting d3 -
Dautov.
16 'iit h 7
.
Black has defended his kingside rather
23 3
M a s t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
carefully, his two last moves fulfilling the
purpose of overprotecting the h 6-pawn, so
that l2Je(h)-f5 can be met by ... g7-g6.
17 g4?!
White gets on with the attack, but we
will soon see that his position doesn't sup
port such aggression. The modest 17 h3,
preparing lLle3-g4, was a better choice -
Dautov.
17 ...g6
Covering the vital f5-square. In contrast,
the impulsive 17 ... dxe4 18 dxe4 lLlc5?!,
heading for d3, runs into 19 l2Jef5 g 6 20
l2Jxh 6 ! lLlfxe4 21 3 with an attack -
Dautov.
18 l2Jefs
The only way to justify the previous
move. Now there appear ideas l ike 19 3
and 19 l2Jxh6 .txh6 20 g 5, so Black must
react with care.
18 ...dxe4 19 dxe4 gxfs 20 gxfs .tds!
A key decision, which was probably al
ready foreseen by Dautov when making his
17th move. By returning the piece in this
way, Black obtains a firm grip on the centre,
and both his rooks will prove ideally placed.
21 exds cxds 22 "V!Vh3 e4!
Parrying the threat of lLlf3-g5 and vacat
ing the e5-square for the knight, from
where it can reach several interesting des
tinies such as g4, f3 and d3.
23 h1?
A natural move; however, the unde
fended f2-pawn wil l soon play against
White tactically. 23 .te2 l2Je5 24 l2Jg2 was
correct, improving the passive knight, when
24 ... .tg7 25 .tf4 "V!Vb6 26 "Vlig3 l2Jfd7!, head
ing for c5, keeps Black's advantage -
Dautov.
23 ... l2Jes 24 .tf4 .td6!
234
By now the merits of Black's 20th move
are clearly appreciated. His strong pawn
centre, well supported by the rest of his
pieces, gives him a very dominant position,
whereas White's kingside attack has
reached a dead end.
25 .te2
The aggressive alternative 25 l2Jf3?
failed fatally to 25 ...l2Jeg4!, so Nisipeanu
opts to prevent ... l2Jeg4. Unfortunately for
him, the knight has another great destiny
at its disposal.
2S ... lLld3! 26 .txd6?
A tactical oversight in time trouble. Af
ter 26 .txd3 .txf4 27 .tb5 .l::!.g 8 White's
game is strategically very difficult, but the
text l oses material.
26...l2Jxf2+ 27 g2 "V!Vb6!
A clever intermediate move which l ets
Black simplify to an endgame with a sound
extra pawn.
28 "Vlig3
Or 28 .to .l::!.g 8+! 29 l2Jg6 "V!Vxc7 30 xf2
fxg6, winning - Dautov.
28 ... .l::!.g8 29 lLlg6 .S.xd6 30 "V!Vxf2 fxg6 0-1
A pawn down and worse on the whole
board, White resigned.

Exe rcises
Oame 1:4 7
H.DoboszF.Landleiter
Nurem berg 1999
Queen's Gambit Declined
1 d4 l2'lf6 2 c4 d 5?! 3 cxd5 xd5?!
Black's second move surrendered the
centre without getting anything in return,
and here 3 ... l2Jxds was more to the point,
avoiding the early exposure of the queen.
4 l2'lc3 d8 5 l2'lf3 e6 6 e4 j_e7 7 j_c4 c6 8
o-o l2'lbd7 9 .l:te1 o-o 10 a3 b5 11 j_a2 a6 12
j_g5 j_b7 13 .l:tc1 h6 14 j_h4 .l:te8
Your move ... (+ short plan)
Game 148
A.Strikevic-R.Mascarina$
Geneva 1991
Sicilian Defence,
King 's Indian Attack
Th e B a ttle for th e C e n tre
1 e4 c5 2 d3
The King's Indian Attack can be used
against a variety of defences, including the
Sicilian. Another popular way of launching
it is with 2 ctJf3 and only then 3 d3.
2 l2Jc6 3 g3 d5 4 l2'ld2 dxe4 5 dxe4 g6 6
.
j_g2 j_g7 7 l2Jgf3 l2Jf6 8 0-0 0-0 9 .l:te1
Probably the most exact choice, since 9
c3 permits 9 ... d3, while 9 e2 j_g4, fol-
lowed by 10 ...l2Jd4 or 10...l2Jes, also makes
life a bit easier for Black. Now, on the other
h and, 9 ... j_g4 can be met by 10 h3.
9 C7 10 C3 .l:td8 11 e2 ctJg4
...
Just in time, before White goes e4-e5. A
different approach is 11 ... es.
12 l2'lc4 l2'lge5
12 ... b6 13 j_f4 lLlges 14 lLlfxes lLlxes is
more precise, as in L.Vogt-M.Petursson,
Brocco 1990, although by 15 l2'le3 ! ? e6 16
j_xes j_xes 17 f4 j_g7 18 es j_b7 19 .l:tad1
White could have achieved a slight plus.
13 ctJfxe5 lLlxe5 14 j_f4 j_e6
Your move ... (+ short plan)
235
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
Game 149
.A.Zapata-M.Tat
Subotlca l nterzona l 1987
Alekhine's Defence
1 e4 tbf6 2 es tbds 3 d4 d6 4 f4
Quite a rare, but far from insipid line
against the Alekhine.
4...dxes s fxes cs 6 c4?!
But this pawn advance is badly timed, in
contrast to the Four Pawns Attack which we
saw in Van der Wiel-Vaganian (Game 129).
Instead, with 6 tbf3 cxd4 7 xd4 lbc6 8
e4!, White could still fight for an edge.
6 ...lbb4! 1 ds?!
One more inaccuracy. 7 a3 tb4c6 8 e6!?
was more in the spirit of the variation.
7 ... .iUS 8 tba3
Your move ...
Game 1so
J..Heflsten-M.LJevtic
Befgrade 2002
Queen's Gambit Declined
1 d4 ds 2 c4 tbf6?! 3 cxds xdS?! 4 tbc3
236
d8 5 lbf3 e6 6 e4 i,e7 1 i,d3 h6?
A loss of time as well as a weakening of
Black's kingside structure. 7 ...b6 at once
was a lesser evil.
8 o-o b6 9 e2 i,b7 10 .Md1
Such a set-up is quite logical in this
structure, in order to support the pawn
centre with two major pieces and compli
cate Black's ... C7-cS.
10...lbbd7
The immediate 10...0-o? would have run
into 11 e s tbds 12 e4. when Black's inac
curacy on move seven makes itself felt.
11 i,c2 c6 12 i,f4 lbhs?!
This won't end well, but it was already
hard to give Black good advice.
13 i,e3 c7
Your move...
Game 151
Mat.BarteJ-B.Macieja
Polish Championship,
Warsa w 2011
Ragozin Defence
1 d4 l2:Jf6 2 C4 e6 3 t2:Jf3 dS 4 i,g5
By this move order White avoids the

sharp Botvinnik Variation ansmg after 4
lbc3 c6 5 itg 5 dxc4, since 4...c6 can now be
met by 5 lbbd2 or 5 e3, securing the c4-
pawn.
4 ... h6 5 .ltxf6 xf6 6 lbc3 .ltb4
On his part, Black refrains from transpos
ing to the Moscow Variation with 6 ... c6 and
takes the game to the Ragozin Defence. Who
benefited from these move order tricks is
only known by the players themselves.
7 e3 o-o 8 .ie2
More flexible than 8 .id3, when 8 ... dxc4
forces White to reply 9 .ltxc4. Incidentally, 8
l:tc1 and 8 3 are also possible.
8 ...dxc4 9 0-0 b6?!
9 ... c5 was preferable - Bartel, immedi
ately putting some pressure on White's
centre.
Your move ... (+ short plan)
Game 152
A.Lilienthai-V.Korchnoi
USSR Cha mpionship, Kiev 19 54
Griinfe/d Defence
1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 g6 3 lLlc3 d 5 4 cxd5 lbxd5 5 e4
lbxc3 6 bxc3 .ltg7 7 .ltc4 0-0 8 lbe2 lbc6
The B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
Quite a popular deviation from the
thematic 8 ... c5. Black aims at light square
play with ...lba5, ...b7-b6, ... itb7 etc, while
the central break ... e7-e5 can also be con-
sidered.
9 0-0 d7
An awkward move at first sight, but
since the queen's bishop is heading for b7,
the queen will prove well placed on d7.
10 .ia3?!
The bishop isn't doing much there. 10
.ie3, followed by d2, is a more popular
choice.
10 ...tZJa5 11 .id3 b6 12 tZJf4?!
12 l:tb1 .ltb7 13 d5 c6 14 c4 was prefer
able - Moiseev.
12 ... .ltb7 13 e2 l:tfd8 14 l:tad1 e6 15 e5?!
Exposing the central pawns. The modest
15 .ib4 lbc6 16 i.a3 was better - Moiseev.
Your move ...
Game 153
V.Antoshin-B.Ivkov
Polanka Zdroj 1970
Beno ni Defence
1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 c5 3 d 5 e5 4 lbc3 d6 5 e4 ite7
23 7
M a s te ring Op e n ing S trategy
The Czech Benoni, an ideal opening for
players who like closed positions and aren't
bothered by a space disadvantage.
6 h3
With this and his next move, White aims
at frustrating the typical plan .. . 0-0, ....be8,
... g7-g6, ....:lg 7 and . ..f7-f5. Another popular
approach is 6 g3, followed by i.g2, lbge2,
0-0 and f2-f4, with completely different
play.
6 ... 0-0 7 g4 a6
Black signals that he might be consider
ing ... b7-b5 at some moment.
8 lbf3 lbbd7 9 i.d3 lbe8 10 a3
Copying the opponent's idea from three
moves ago.
10...g6
Another idea was 10...lDC7, preparing
...b7-b5, but the text is more efficient, since
it soon lets Black complete the develop
ment of all his minor pieces.
11 i.h6 lbg7 12 d2 lbf6 13 b4
A parallel attack on both flanks can be a
risky business {cf. the game Gurevich-Piket
in Mastering Chess Strategy), but Black is
also fine after 13 lbe2 'it>h8! 14 lbg3 lbg8 15
i.e3 b5! as in L.Pachman-V.Ciocaltea, Har
rachov 1966; e.g. 16 cxb5 axb5 17 i.xb5 f5 !
238
with a strong initiative.
13 ... b6 14 'it>e2
14 'it>f1! ? seems safer, followed by 'it>g2,
and this is in fact how Gurevich dealt with
the royal problem.
14...'it>h8
Stepping off the g-file and enabling
... lbg8 if needed.
15 J:l.ag1 i.d7 16 l:l.g3 c7 17 J:l.hg1
Your move ...
Game 1.54
M.:Mrndzic-M.Pejic
Zupanja 2007
Queen's Gambit Declined
1 d4 ds 2 c4 lbf6?!
I am sorry about bringing up this lousy
line in yet another game, but it does have a
tendency to produce instructive battles.
3 cxds lbxds 4 e4 lbf6 s lbc3 e6
As we already discussed in Grabarczyk
Podlesny {Game 115), 5 ... e5 is a more active
choice here, which White could have
avoided by playing 4 lbf3 first.
6 lbf3 i.e7 7 i.d3 o-o 8 o-o b6 9 e2 i.b7
10 l:l.d1

Applying the same set-up as in the
abovementioned game.
10...1\VcS?!
An odd move. 10 ... 4Jbd7, followed by
....Me8 and possibly ...lbf8-g6, was probably a
better choice.
11 i.g5 .Me8 12 .Mac1!
The last piece joins the party, discourag
ing Black from the liberating ... C7-c5 ad
vance.
12 ...4Jbd7
Your move...
Game 155
K.Kachiani Gersinska..P.Cramling
German League 2003
Slav Defence
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 lbf3 lbf6 4 e3 i.g4
Black takes the opportunity to bring out
the queen's bishop. other popular options
are: 4...i.f5 in the same spirit, 4...a6 as in
Mateuta-Hellsten (Game 138}, and 4...e6
with a Semi-Slav.
5 lbc3 e6 6 h3 i.xf3 1 11Vxf3 lbbd7 8 i.d2
i.b4
A rare move in the Slav, but here it is
Th e Ba ttle fo r the Cen tre
useful for preventing e3-e4 - besides, in the
event of g2-g4 in similar fashion to
Sadykov-Sveshnikov (Game 141}, Black can
always rely on ... i.xc3 and ...lbe4 if it is
needed.
9 a3 i.a5 10 i.d3 o-o 11 .Md1
The natural 11 e4? backfires after
11 ... e5! - Cram ling.
11 ....Me8 12 cxd5
This leaves Black with an easy game,
though after 12 o-o e5!, intending 13 cxd5?
i.xc3 and ...e5-e4, her opening problems
are over too. As for 12 b4 i.c7 13 0-0, again
13 ... e5! works rather well; e.g. 14 cxd5 cxd5
15 lbxd5? e4.
12 ...exd5 13 b4 i.c7 14 o-o
Your move ... (+ short plan)
Game 156
R.Letelier Martner-R.J.Fischer
Leipzig Olympiad 1960
King's Indian Defence
1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 g6 3 lbc3 i.g7 4 e4 o-o 5 e5
Quite a risky advance, which exposes
the central pawns to a black counterstrike.
Standard moves like 5 lbf3 and 5 f3 are
239
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy
preferable, depending on White's reper
toire.
s ... 'Lle8 6 f4 d6 7 .ie3
Your move ...
Game 157
S.Giigoric-B.Rabar
Zagreb 1939
Nimzo-lndian Defence
1 d4 'Llf6 2 c4 e6 3 'Llc3 .ib4 4 e3 o-o 5 .id3
d6
Quite a modest choice, at least in con
junction with Black's next move. Nowadays
he usually prefers s ... ds or s ... cs, immedi
ately challenging the enemy centre.
6 tt'lge2 e5 7 0-0 "fie7 8 'Llg3
After 8 a3 .ixc3 9 tt'lxc3 e4 10 .ie2 .ifs
and ...tt'lbd7 next, Black obtains a better ver
sion of the game. With the text White de
prives the opponent of ... .ifs and prepares
'Llfs on some occasions.
8 ....ixc3 9 bxc3 e4 10 .ie2 g6?!
Preparing ...hS-h4, at the cost of delay
ing development. The more solid 10 ...b6,
followed by ....ib7, was preferable - Gli
goric.
240
Your move ...
Game :l58
L.JavakhishviU-J.Avalos Parra
Gi bra lta r 2010
Slav Defence
1 d4 d 5 2 c4 c6 3 'Llf3 'Llf6 4 e3 .if5 5 'Llc3 e6
6 'Llh4
A popular variation over the last decade.
White aims to gain the bishop pair and also
enjoys more space, though Black's position
remains solid.
6 ....ie4
Provoking f2-f3 before accepting the
swap on g6, just as in Mateuta-Hellsten
(Game 138).
7 f3 .ig6 8 "fib3 "ffc 7 9 .id2 .id6?!
A seemingly active place for the bishop,
but this move is probably inaccurate here.
9 ....ie7 and 9 ...tt'lbd7 are more usual op
tions.
10 cxds exds
Unfortunately, 10... cxds?, preparing
... tt'lc6, now runs into 11 tt'lbs, which is why
the bishop would have been better off at
e7. White also has a slight edge after

10 .. /t'lxds 11 e4, but this might have been
the least of Black's evils.
11 0-0-0 l2Jbd7?!
A natural developing move, but in fact it
does nothing to interfere with the enemy
plans. In the event of 11 ...0-0 White can just
reply as in the game, so 11 .. .'ii'b 6 ! ?, looking
for a queen exchange, might be worth a try.
Your move ...
Game 159
A.KosteniukDVoc:aturo
Moscow . 2011
Spanish Opening
1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 l2Jc6 3 .tb5 a6 4 .ta4 l2Jf6 5
o-o .te7 6 .Mel b5 7 .tb3 d6 8 c3 o-o 9 h3
An initial position of the Closed Spanish
has been reached. The apparently natural 9
d4 is seen much less frequently in practice
due to 9 . .tg4.
..
9 ... h6 10 d4 .Me8 11 l2Jbd2 .tf8
Smyslov's Variation, in which Black hur
ries to apply some pressure down the e-file.
12 l2Jf1 .td7 13 l2Jg3
A standard knight manoeuvre in this
opening.
The B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
13 ...l2Ja5 14 .tc2 l2Jc4
The immediate 14... cs is also popular in
practice, with the point that the knight can
sometimes retreat to c6.
15 b3 lLlb6 16 .tb2 c5 17 dxc5 dxc5 18 c4!
With both black knights having a long
journey to d4, this advance makes a lot of
sense. Now both the e s-pawn and the ds
square become targets for White.
18.. ."ii'c 7 19 .td3 l2Jc8
Preparing ... l2Ja7-c6-d4.
Your move ... (+ short plan)
Game 160
S.Estremera Panos.;E Relange
..
Andorra 1998
Queen's Pawn Opening
1 d4 l2Jf6 2 CtJf3 g6 3 g3 .tg7 4 .tg2 0-0 5 0-0
d6 6 a4
A curious line, at least the first time that
you see it. White gains some space on the
queenside, while awaiting the opponent's
set-up.
6 a5
Parrying any ideas of a4-a5(-a6}. 6...l2Ja6,
preparing ... C7-c5, is another idea.
241
M a s tering Ope n ing S t ra tegy
7 C3 CLJbd7 8 CLJbd2
After the inclusion of a2-a4 and ... a7-a5,
the c4-square has become a good destiny
for this knight. In this sense 8 ... ds could
now have been considered, but Black pre
fers a typical King's Indian set-up.
8 ... e5 9 dxe5 dxe5 10 CZJc4 'iie 7
The pressure at es is making itself felt.
10 .. J::te 8? failed to 11 lLlfxes, while 10 ... e4
11 ctJd4 also yields White a slight initiative,
with 11 ... cs?! running into 12 lLlbs at any
moment.
Your move ... (+ short plan)
Game 1 61.
A.Serras Uria-F.Peralta
San Sebastian 2005
Pirc Defence
1 e4 d6 2 d4 lLlf6 3 lLlc3 g6 4 f4 iig7 5 lLlf3
o-o 6 iie3
Quite an aggressive line, familiar to us
from Game 132 (Beliavsky-Anand).
6 ... b6 7 'iid 2
A more flexible choice than Beliavsky's 7
es.
7 ...itb7 8 iid3
242
Probably 8 es lLlg4 9 o-o-o is more criti
cal, when the gambit 9 ... c s ! 10 dxcs bxcs 11
iixcs Wias leads to a sharp battle.
8 ...lLla6 9 a3 c5!
A typical counterstrike in the Austrian
Attack, after which the game takes on a
Benoni character.
10 d5 CLJC7 11 h3
A useful move that rules out ...CLJg4 be
fore castling short. In contrast, 11 0-0-0?!
bS! yields Black a promising attack.
11 ... b5!
Highlighting the relationship between
the bs- and e4-squares, a subject that we
touched upon in Salov-Hi.i.bner (Game 139)
with reversed colours.
12 g4?!
A careless advance. 12 0-0 was called for.
Your move ...
Game 1 62
R.FineH.Steiner
Hollywood 1945
Queen1S Gambit Accepted
1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 lLlf3 lLlf6 4 e3 e6 5 iixc4
c5 6 o-o a6 7 Wie2

7 a4, preventing ... b7-b5, is another di
rection in this m ain branch of the Queen's
Gambit Accepted.
1 ... bs 8 .i.b3 .i.b7 9 a4 c4?!
A dubious choice, since releasing the
tension at d4 implies that White will have
free hands in the centre. 9 ... b4, followed by
... tLlbd7, was better.
10 .i.c2 tLlc6 11 axbs
As usual, clearing lines is a good strat
egy for the better developed side.
11 ...axbs 12 .Uxa8 xa8 13 t2Jc3
Not 13 e4?! tLlb4! with counterplay. With
the text White wins a tempo for his devel
opment, exploiting the fact that 13 ...b4?! 14
tLlbs produces a double threat at c4 and C7.
13 ...as
Your move...
Game 163
I.Herrera-J.Becerra Rivero
Cuba n Champions h i p,
Las Tunas 1996
Caro.:.Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 tiJd2 dxe4 4 t2Jxe4 .i.fs 5
tLlg3 .i.g6 6 tLlf3 tLlf6
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
A modern alternative to 6 ...tLld7, by
which B1ac1<. "keeps the o-ption of ...c6-c5 and
...tLlc6 on some occasions.
7 h4 h6 8 hS
White proceeds like in the main line with
6 ... tLld7. Probably 8 tLles is more critical.
8 ... .i.h7 9 .i.d3 .i.xd3 10 xd3 aS+?!
A dubious queen excursion. Both
10 ... tLlbd7 and 10 ... e6 were more to the
point, speeding up development.
11 .i.d2 a6 12 c4!
Simple and strong. Both .i.d2 and c2-c4
are often useful moves for White in the
Classical Caro-Kann anyway, so by now he
has a slight lead in development.
12 ... e6 13 o-o .i.d6
Your move ...
Game 164
Di.Fiores-C.lujan
Buenos Aires 2006
English Opening
1 tiJf3 tiJf6 2 C4 g6 3 b4!?
A kind of improved fianchetto, which
gains some extra space on the queenside.
We came across a similar idea in Van Wely-
243
M a s te ring Open ing S t ra tegy
Guliev (Game 14), and it can also be used by
Black; e.g. 1 d4 ttJf6 2 tLlf3 e6 3 g 3 bS!?, in
stead of the more established 3 ...b6.
3 ....ltg7 4 .ltb2 o-o s g3 c6 6 .tg2 as 1 bs ds
7 ...cxbs 8 cxbs a4! seems more conse
quent, followed by ... d7-d5, leaving the bs
pawn somewhat loose.
8 tLla3!
8 bxc6 tt:Jxc6 just helps Black.
8 ... cxb5 9 cxbs tt:Jbd7 10 o-o .Me8
Preparing ...e7-es.
Your move ... (+ short plan)
Came 165
H.Lope2 Silva-JHellsten
Santiago 2005
Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation
1 e4 cs 2 tLlf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:Jxd4 a6 5 tLlc3
bs 6 g3 .ltb7 1 .ltg2 tt:Je7
An interesting deviation from the usual
7 ...tt:Jf6. On e7 the knight exerts less pres
sure on White's centre; on the other hand,
any tactical motifs with e4-e5 are avoided.
8 0-0 tt:Jec6
At first sight, 8 ... tt:Jbc6 appears more
natural; however, after 9 tLlb3 ! the knight
244
o n e 7 lacks a good destiny. S uch a restric
tive retreat is rather common in the Open
S icilian - also when Black has played ... .ltd7,
preparing ... tt:Jxd4 and ... .ltc6. In contrast,
after the text he is ready for ... d7-d6 and
... tLld7 if White goes 9 tLlb3.
9 es
White gains space but exposes his e
pawn. Perhaps 9 tt:Jxc6 tt:Jxc6 10 .Mel, intend
ing 10....\te7?! 11 tt:Jds!, was more critical.
9 :VJJJc 7 10 .Me1 tt:Jxd4 11 .ltxb7 "it'xb7 12
"it'xd4 ttJc6 13 "it'f4 .lte7 14 .lte3?!
Passive. Black is fine after 14 tLle4 0-0 15
tt:Jf6+ h8 ! 16 tt:Jhs f6 17 "it'g4 .Mf7, but 14
"it'g4!, intending 14... 0-0? 15 .lth6, was more
to the point, when Black could choose be
tween the cautious 14... g6 and the more
enterprising 14...h s ! ? 15 "it'xg7 0-0-0.
14 . 0-0 15 tLle4
. .
Your move ...
Game 1 66
R.Knaak-J.Piachetka
Bratislava 1983
Nimzo-lndian Defence
1 d4 ttJf6 2 c4 e6 3 tLlc3 .ltb4 4 e3 b6 5 tt:Jge2

.ia6 6 tLlg3 .ixc3+ 7 bxc3 d5 8 "iVf3
In this double-edged line of the Rubin
stein Nimzo-lndian, 8 .ia3, sacrificing a
pawn in order to stop Black castling, is
more popular nowadays.
8 ... o-o 9 cxd5 exd5
9 ....txf1? 10 dxe6 wins a pawn for
White, but 9 ..."iVxd5 might be a more prom
ising choice; e.g. 10 e4 iVa5 11 .ixa6 "iVxa6,
preparing ... t2Jbd7 and ... C7-c5, with roughly
equal play.
10 .txa6 t2Jxa6 11 "iYe2 t2Jb8 12 0-0 c5
Your move ... (+ short plan)
Game 167
A.Aiekhine-f.MarshaiJ
New York 1927
Irregular defence
1 d4 tLlf6 2 c4 e6 3 lLlf3 t2Je4?!
Quite an optimistic move, which is con
vincingly dealt with by Alekhine in this
game.
4 t2Jfd2!
4 g3 also made sense, whereas 4 t2Jbd2
f5 5 t2Jxe4 fxe4, with 6 ... d5 next, is less am
bitious.
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
4....ib4
In contrast, 4...f5 5 t2Jxe4 fxe4 6 tLlc3 d5 7
.if4 now yields White a pleasant advan
tage. With the text Marshall accelerates his
development and also sets the little trap 5
a3 ?? "iVf6.
5 "iVc2!
Increasing the pressure on e4 and ena
bling 6 tLlc3.
5 ... d5 6 lLlc3 f5
Your move ... (+ short plan)
Game 168
V.Golod;.E.Rozentalis
Eu ropean Cu p, Neum 2000
Nimzo"lndian Defence
1 d4 t2Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 tLlc3 .ib4 4 f3 d 5 5 a3
.ixc3+ 6 bxc3 c6!?
An interesting reply to the sharp 4 f3
variation. Black prepares to meet c4xd5 by
... c6xd5 at any moment, thus maintaining
an excellent pawn structure. As for the
"bad" bishop on c8, it can be activated by
...b7-b6 and ....ia6.
7 "iVc2
An ambitious try, preparing e2-e4. An-
24 5
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy

other direction is 7 e3 0-0 8 Jtd3 b6 9 tt:le2 been more prudent.

Jta6 with a complex battle.
1 .. 0-0 8 cxd5
.

The immediate 8 e4 can be dealt with in

the same way as in the game, starting with
8 ... dxe4.
8 cxd5 9 e4 dxe4 10 fxe4
...

Your move...

Game 110
M.Gurevich-S.Vega Gutierrez
Spanish Team
Your move ... Championship 2006
Slav Defence

Game 169 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 tt:lf3 c6 4 c2

S.Vuferov-G.Chepukaitis A solid reply to Black's accelerated
St Petersburg 1996 Meran System.
Modern Defnce 4...dxc4 5 xc4 tt:lf6 6 Jtg5 Jte7
This is quite a passive approach. The al
1 d4 g6 2 e4 Jtg7 3 tLlf3 d6 4 tLlc3 a6 5 a4 b6 ternative 6 ... bs 7 c2 Jtb7, with the plan
6 h3 e6 1 Jtg5?! ... tt:lbd7, ... a7-a6 and ... c6-c5, is more popu
Probably not an ideal move against the lar in practice.
Hippopotamus, since a later ...h 7-h6 will be 7 tt:lbd2 b6 8 e4 Jta6 9 c2 Jtxf1 10 tt:lxf1
effected with tempo. o-o 11 tLlg3 tt:la6?!
7 ...tLle7 8 d2 h6! Again overly passive. 11 ... cs, challenging
Of course, before White plays 9 Jth6. the white centre, was essential; e.g. 12 dxcs
Now 9 Jte3 was probably called for, since bxcs 13 o-o tt:lfd7 14 Jtxe7 xe7 with just a
the text just encourages Black's ... g6-g5 - slight disadvantage in A.Delchev
Hillarp. D.Pavasovic, European Team Champion
9 Jtf4 Jtb7 10 Jte2 tt:ld7 11 .l:!.d1 g5! 12 ship, Batumi 1999.
Jte3?! 12 o-o c7 13 e2 b7?
As we will see next, 12 Jth2 would have The sad 13 ...tt:lb8 was mandatory.

246
 The Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre

i.b1 ct::Jf8 15 b4?! as! with counterplay in

L.Psakhis-E.Pigusov, Novosibirsk 1993.
12 0-0!
More ambitious than 12 i.g3 ct::Jx c3 13
'tffx c3 with a slight edge - Kramnik. The
doubled pawns that now emerge will yield
White dynamic assets such as a semi-open
e-file and increased control of the crucial
es-square.
12 Cbxf4 13 exf4 'tffc 7 14 CLJe5! ct::Jf6
..

Or 14...c s 15 ds! ct::Jx es 16 fxe s 'tffx es 17

.l:i.fe1 with a strong initiative - Kramnik.

Your move ...

Game 111
V.Kramnik-S.Lputian
Europea n Team Championship,
Debrecen 1992
Queen's Gambit Declined

1 d4 ct::Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 CLJf3 d5 4 CLJc3 i.e7 5 i.f4

In the nineties, this move became a
popular alternative to the more explored 5
i.g s. Your move... (+ short plan)
5 ...0-o 6 e3 c6
Another main reply is 6 ... cs, exploiting
the fact that with the bishop on f4 White Game 1 72
exerts less pressure on the dS-pawn. H.AI H adarani-Ma.Carlsen
7 'tffc 2 Dubai 2004
White delays i.d3 so that ...dsxc4 can be Sicilfan Defence,
met by i.xc4 in one go. Rossolimo Variation
7 ...ct::J bd7 8 h3 a6 9 .l:i.d1 h6 10 a3 dxc4
Kramnik's suggestion 10 ... .l:i.e8! ? seems 1 e4 c5 2 Cbf3 Cbc6 3 i.b5 g6 4 o-o i.g7 5
more flexible. .l:!.e1 CLJf6 6 c3
11 i.xc4 CLJd5?! Another main direction is 6 es ct::J d s 7
A common simplification method in this CLJc3, a line that makes some Black players
opening, but here it leads to a rather pas prefer s ...e s instead.
sive game for Black. Perhaps 11 ... bs 12 i.a2 6 ... o-o 7 d4 d5 8 exd5
i.b7 was more logical; e.g. 13 e4 .l:i.e8 14 8 es CLJe4 9 i.xc6 bxc6 10 ct::Jbd2 is more

24 7
M as te ring Op e n ing S trategy
ambitious, trying to get a grip on the dark
squares.
8 J:Uxd5 9 c4 'iVd6 10 d5 l2Jd4!
..
The most active choice, exploiting the
fact that 11 t2Jxd4 cxd4 12 'iVxd4? runs into
12 ...l2Jg4!.
11 t2Jxd4 cxd4 12 h3?!
White will soon have to pay for his slow
development. 12 tZ:ld2, followed by tZ:lf3, was
essential, when Black could react just like in
the game.
Your move...
Game 1 73
S.Dolmatov-N.Rashkovsky
USSR Championshipt Minsk 1979
Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation
1 e4 c5 2 tZ:lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tZ:lxd4 tZ:lf6 5
tZ:lc3 a6 6 f4
In the previous century this line was
quite popular against the Najdorf, whereas
nowadays White tends to prefer 6 ..te3 or 6
..tgs.
6 'iVc7 7 ..te2
. idea on the shelf, but even so White ends
After this move the battle becomes simi
lar to the 6 ..te2 variation. 7 ..td3 was more
248
in the spirit of the set-up with f2-f4, while
the restrictive 7 a4 can also be considered.
7 ...e5 8 tZ:lb3 b5 9 a3 ..tb7 10 ..tf3 t2Jbd7 11
o-o ..te7 12 h1 o-o 13 g4
After standard moves from both sides,
White finally commences actions on the
kingside. 13 'iVe1, heading for g3, was also
possible.
Your move ...
Game 1 74
G.Kasparov-L.Yurtaev
Moscow 1981
Nimzo-lndian Defence
1 d4 tZ:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 t2Jc3 ..tb4 4 e3 o-o 5 ..td3
d5 6 cxd5 exd5 7 t2Jge2 l2Jbd7
The more flexible 7 ...l:i.e8 is preferred
nowadays.
8 0-0 c6 9 f3
Just as in the Queen's Gambit Exchange
Variation with tZ:lge2, White takes the first
step towards the creation of a pawn centre
with e3-e4. Black's next two moves put this
up in a more comfortable position.
9 c5 10 a3 cxd4
...
 The Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre

Or if instead 10...i.as 11 b4! ? cxb4 12

axb4 i.xb4 13 e4 with the initiative - Kas
parov.
11 exd4 i.e7 12 lt:Jf4
In positions with a fixed pawn centre
the placement of the minor pieces is a key
factor, and here most of the white pieces
are already more active than their black
counterparts.
12 ...4Jb8
A time-consuming rearrangement, but
12 ...4Jb6?! would leave Black deprived of
any counterplay.
7 ...c6
Although practice favours 7 ...lt:Jc6, the
text is quite logical, in order to support a
central break with ...d6-d5 later on.
8 h3 lt:Ja6 9 o-o lt:Jc7
With this knight manoeuvre Black gets a
bit closer to achieving ... d6-ds.

Your move ...

Game 175
S.Nyysti-O.Sepp
Tallinn 2001
English Opening
10 f4
1 C4 g6 2 g3 i.g7 3 i.g2 lt:Jf6 4 lt:JC3 0-0 5 d3 In the event of 10 d4 one simple reply is
es 6 e4 d6 7 lt:Jge2 10...exd4 11 lt:Jxd4 .l:i.e8, preparing ... d6-d5;
In the English Opening White usually while 10...i.e6 ! ?, intending 11 dS cxds 12
aims at queenside play, but here we have cxds i.d7 and ...b6-b5 next, can also be con
an exception. After castling he will try to sidered.
build a kingside attack with h2-h3 and f2- 10...exf4 11 lt:Jxf4
f4. On 11 i.xf4 Black could just react as in

24 9
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
the game, whereas 11 gxf4 is well met by
11...'Jh 5, followed by .. .f7-fS. At this point,
12 fs proves quite harmless after 12 ... gxfs
13 exfs h8!, followed by ... t'tg8.
11 .. J!Ve7
With the simple idea of concluding de
velopment by ...i.d7 and ... t'tae8.
12 h2 i.d7 13 'if3 t'tae8 14 i.e3
Your move ...
Game 1 76
J.Hjartarson-M.Ballmann
Winterth ur 1996
Benko Gambit
1 c4 g6 2 d4 c5 3 d 5 b5?!
This version of the Benko Gambit
doesn't work too well, as we will see next.
4 cxb5 a6 5 e4!
A natural move that yields White swift
development. In a normal Benko after 1 d4
'Llf6 2 c4 cs 3 ds bs 4 cxbs a6, it would ob
viously have failed to s ... 'Llxe4.
5 ... axb5
s ... i.g7 was more flexible, waiting with
... a6xbs until White moves his king's bishop
- Hjartarson.
250
6 i.xb5 i.g7 7 'Lle2!
The best destiny for this knight, now
that 7 'Llf3? fails to 7 ...'ias+.
7...'ia5+ 8 'Llbc3 i.a6 9 i.xa6 'Llxa6 10 0-0 d6
Your move... (+ short plan)
Game 1 77
Peng XiaominN.McDonald
England-China match,
london 1997
French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 'Llc6 5 'Llf3 i.d7
6 i.e2 'Llge7
Now that the white bishop has settled
on e2, it makes sense to bring the knight to
fs. In contrast, against 6 i.d3 Black usually
prefers 6 ... cxd4 7 cxd4 'ib6, exploiting
White's lessened defence of the d4-pawn.
As for 6 a3, one popular reply is 6 .. .f6 with a
king side focus.
7 o-o cxd4 8 cxd4 'Llf5 9 'Llc3 t'tc8
Just like s ...i.d7, a useful move while
awaiting White's next step.
10 h1
Some prophylaxis before launching g2-
g4. The immediate 10 g4 is well met by

10 .. .<:Jh4 11 tt:Jxh4 "Vixh4 12 Jte3 f6! , un
dermining the enemy centre.
10 -vib6!?
..
Distracting White from his intended
kingside advance. 10...Jte7 11 g4 lZ:Jh4 12
tt:Jxh4 Jtxh4 13 Jie3 0-0, followed by .. .f7-f6,
has also done well in practice.
11 tt:Ja4 "Vias 12 Jtd2 "Vid8 13 Jte1?!
A rather passive solution to the problem
with the d4-pawn, which became unde
fended after Black's queen sortie. Instead,
Psakhis suggests 13 Jie3, although in that
case, Black will always be able to meet by
g2-g4 by ...tt:Jxe3.
13 ... hs! 14 a3
Now that Black's previous rendered the
g2-g4 plan impossible, White prepares
queenside play with b2-b4 and tt:Jcs.
Your move ...
Game 1 78
M.Dvoretsky-J.Kiovans
USSR Cham pionship,
Yereva n 197 5
Vienna Game
1 e4 es 2 lZ:Jc3 tt:Jf6 3 g3
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
Compared with the main line with 3 f4,
this branch of the Vienna leads to a strate
gically more complex battle, not remote
from some English variations.
3 ...ds
The most principled reaction, by which
Black exploits White's temporary surrender
of the centre.
4 exds tt:Jxds 5 Jtg2 tt:Jxc3 6 bxc3 Jtd6 7 b1
c6 8 lZ:Jf3 o-o
Here and later, 8 ... e4 9 lZ:Jd4 causes Black
a slight problem with the e-pawn.
9 o-o lZ:Jd7 10 e1 fs
A risky approach, considering that Black
hasn't yet finished development. 10 ... -viC7
or 10 ...e8 was safer.
11 "Vie2!
Before getting on with his development,
White prepares "Vic4+ in order to exploit the
weakened a2-g8 diagonal.
11... h6 12 "Vic4+ <;t>h7 13 d3 "Vif6 14 a4
With the black knight evidently heading
for b6, it makes sense to push this pawn
forward.
14 tt:Jb6 15 "Vib3 f4
..
After 1S ...Jte6 16 c4, followed by Jib2,
White also has a more active game.
Your move ...
251
M a s tering Open ing Strategy
Game 179
A.Beliavsky-A.Vusupov
USSR Champions hi p, Minsk 198 7
Dutch Defence
1 d4 f5 2 c4 CLJf6 3 g3 e6 4 i.g2 d 5 5 CLJf3
Another popular approach is 5 CLJh 3 c6 6
0-0 i.d6 7 i.f4, followed by CLJd2-f3.
5 ...c6 6 0-0 i.d6 7 b3 'iie 7
Black prevents 8 i.a3, swapping off his
"good" bishop. Now White plays 8 a4,
insisting with this idea, then 8 ... as fixes a
stronghold on b4. Thus White prefers to
leave the bishop on b2 for the moment.
8 i.b2 0-0 9 CLJc3
Apparently this natural move doesn't fit
in too well with i.b2. Both 9 'iic 1, followed
by i.a3, and 9 CLJbd2, preparing tbes and
CLJdf3, are more popular options in practice.
9 ...i.d7
The bishop manoeuvre ...i.d7-e8-h 5 is
thematic for the Stonewall, and it some
times occurs in the French as well.
10 CLJe5 i.e8 11 CLJd3
11 e3, preparing CLJe2-f4-d3, seems better.
11 ...tt:Jbd7 12 e3
Your move ...
252
Game 180
W .Browne-F.Gheorgh iu
Wi k a an Zee 1981
Queen's Indian Defence
1 d4 CLJf6 2 c4 e6 3 CLJf3 b6 4 CLJc3 i.b7 5 a3
By transposition we have reached the
Petrosian Variation of the Queen's Indian.
5 ...d5 6 cxd5 tt:Jxd5
This leads to a more dynamic battle
than 6 ... exds and could be regarded as
Black's main reply to the Petrosian.
7 e3
Another option is 7 'iic 2, in order to play
e2-e4 in a single move.
1 ...i.e7 8 i.b5+ c6 9 i.d3 tt:Jxc3 10 bxc3 c5
11 e4
Finally, White is able to set up a pawn
centre.
11 ... CLJc6 12 i.b2 .Mc8 13 'iie 2
From now on, whenever needed, the d4-
pawn can be reinforced by a rook move to
d1.
13 ...cxd4 14 cxd4 0-0 15 0-0 i.f6 16 .Mad1
tt:Ja5
Some prophylaxis in view of the possible
d4-dS. In contrast, 16 ...CLJxd4?! 17 i.xd4
 Th e B a ttle for t h e Cen tre

.lixd4 18 .libs es 19 'Llxes yields White a timely swap on b3.

clear initiative. 10 .lig5 d5 11 C3
17 .U.fe1 .1ic6?
Black intends ... .lia4, but now runs into
an unpleasant surprise. Again, prophylactic
action was called for, either by 17 ... .U.e8 or
17 ... g6.

Your move...

Game 182
S.Bryneii-J.Hellsten
Your move ... Malmo 1997
Sicilian DefetJce, AlapitJ Variat;on

Game 181 1 e4 c5 2 'Llf3 e6 3 c3 'Llf6 4 e5 'Lld5 5 d4

A\.Khachiyan-H.Nakamura
la s Vegas 2006
Alekhine's Defence
1 e4 'Llf6 2 e5 'Lld5 3 d4 d6 4 'Llf3 g6 5 .lic4
'Llb6 6 .lib3 .lig7 7 0-0
7 'Llgs, followed by f3 or f2-f4, is a
more aggressive approach.
7 ...0-0 8 h3
Preventing 8 ... .1ig4, a move that didn't
work last turn due to 8 .lixf7+. In contrast, 8
e2 .lig4 9 e6?! is strongly met by 9 ... dS! 10
exf7+ .U.xf7 11 'Llbd2 'Llc6 12 c3 es and Black
seizes the initiative.
8 ... '2lc6 9 e2 'Lla5
A typical idea in the Alekhine, in order to
reduce White's attacking potential by a
cxd4 6 cxd4 d6 7 a3
We already came across this line in
Game 7 (Dvoretsky-Schmidt).
7 ...'2lc6 8 .lid3 dxe5 9 dxe5 g6!?
Quite a logical set-up against the 7 a3
line, in order to restrict the bishop on d3
and put some pressure on the es-pawn.
10 o-o .lig7 11 .U.e1 o-o 12 e2
In later games I had to face 12 b4 and 12
.lie4, both of which might be more critical.
12 ... .1id7
Practice has seen 12 ... c7 and 12 ... b6
more often, but I like my move, which keeps
maximum flexibility.
13 h4?!
Preparing a kingside attack with h4-h 5,
but Black has a strong reply at his disposal.

2 53
M a s te ring Op e n ing S trategy
13 e4 !1Jce7, preparing ...tJJfs and ....ic6,
also looks fine for him, so 13 .id2, followed
by !1Jc3, might have been White's best
choice.
Your move ...
Game 183
S.SulskisA.Gatkin
Europea n Cha m pionship,
Batumi 2002
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 c4 dS 3 cxds cxds 4 exds !1Jf6
Since 4...xds 5 !1Jc3, followed by d2-d4,
yields White a favourable version of main
stream IQP positions, Black prepares to re
capture on dS with the knight.
s a4+
This check obstructs Black so that he
can't easily recover the ds-pawn. In the
same spirit, 5 .ibS+ is also possible.
s ...!1Jbd7 6 !1Jc3 g6 7 g4!?
A highly aggressive way of treating this
system. More common is 7 !1Jf3 .ig7 8 .ic4
0-0 9 d3, hanging on to the pawn.
1 ....ig1 s gs 'Llhs 9 'Llge2 o-o 10 'Llg3
White doesn't hide his intentions: clear
2 54
the h-file for a future attack on the enemy
king, supported by a timely 4.
Your move ...
Game 184
A.Dreev-S.Volkov
Samara 1998
Slav Defence
1 d4 ds 2 c4 c6 3 !1Jc3 !1Jf6 4 !1Jf3 a6 5 cs
A logical reply to the Chebanenko Slav,
now that s ... b6 6 cxb6 axb6 isn't available
for Black. As a consequence, he prepares the
central break ... e7-e5 instead.
s ... !1Jbd7 6 .if4 tlJhs!
Just in time: before White plays h2-h3,
providing the bishop with a shelter on h2.
1 .id2 !1Jhf6 8 h3 es! 9 b4
Black's point is that after 9 dxes !1Je4,
the attempt to hang on to the pawn by 10
b4? fails to 10 ... !1Jxd2 11 xd2 as!, while 10
!1Jxe4 dxe4 11 tJJg s tlJxcs 12 b4 !1Je6 13
!1Jxe4 d4 14 !1Jd6+ .ixd6 15 exd6 0-0! is
about equal - Volkov.
9 ...e7
After 9 ... e4 10 !1Jg1, followed by .if4 and
e2-e3, White might be slightly better, so

Black prefers to maintain the central ten
sion. Next he could consider ...g 7-g6, fol
lowed by ... i.g7, with pressure along the a1-
h8 diagonal.
10 dxes?!
10 i.e3 seems safer, followed by g2-g3
and i.g2.
10.. .li'lxes 11 ii'lxes xes 12 ii'la4
With the dual idea of ii'lb6 and i.c3, but
Black has a strong reply prepared.
12 ...ii'le4!
When one knight leaves, another ar
rives. This phenomenon appears in many
different openings; for example, in the IQP
structures when Black plays ... ii'las or ... ii'lb4
The B a ttle for t h e Cen tre
and White replies ttJe s.
13 i.e3
Not 13 ii'lb6? f6! 14 i.e3 c3+ etc.
13 ... i.e7!
Very nice. Now the intended 14 i.d4?
runs into 14 ... i.h4! with the deadly threat
of ... (x)g3.
14 d4 fs! 15 d3 i.f6 16 g4?!
This helps Black's queen to a better
square. 16 J:!.c1 was preferable - Volkov.
16 ...e5 17 J:!.d1
Your move...
Game 185
R.Palliser-R.Pert
Ed inburgh 1997
Queen 7s Gambit Declined
1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 ii'lc3 ii'lf6 4 cxds exds s
i.gs i.e7 6 e3 c6 7 i.d3 ii'lbd7 8 c2 o-o 9
ii'lge2 l:!.e8 10 o-o ii'lf8 11 f3 ii'lg6
We have reached a main position in the
Exchange Variation with ii'lge2 against the
Queen's Gambit. At this point White usu
ally continues 12 l:!.ad1, supporting an op
portune e3-e4, but In this game he prefers
to set up the pawn centre at once.
255
M as tering Open ing Stra tegy

reply 16 lDC7.
14 ad1

12 e4 dxe4 13 fxe4 i.e6

13 . . cs is less appropriate due to 14 i.xf6
.

i.xf6 15 lbds !, when 1S .. cxd4 runs into the

. Your move...

256

Solutions
Game 147 (continued)
15 e5!
This is a powerful advance that clears
the b1-h7 diagonal for an attack, and cre
ates a stronghold on the d6-square, just like
in the game Grabarczyk-Podlesny (Game
115). The preparatory 15 b1! ? looks strong
as well.
15 ... CLld5 16 xe7 'iVxe7 17 ctJe4! ctJ7b6 18
ct:Jc5
18 ct:Jd6! l:i.ed8 19 'iVc2, was even
stronger, hitting the c6-pawn while prepar
ing b1.
18 l:i.ac8 19 l:i.e4!
. Preparing h 3. Thanks to the bishop
With the centre secured, White proceeds
with a kingside attack.
19 ... l:i.c7 20 'iWc2 l:i.ec8 21 b1 g6 22 l:i.g4
White is preparing the advance h4-h 5.
This was the last move on the official score
sheet; independently of the conclusion of
the game, White now enjoys a strong at
tack.
Th e Battle for th e C e n tre
Game 148 (continued)
15 CLle3!
Redirecting the knight to the central
post on d5.
15 .. :a5 16 ct:Jd5 l:i.d7
Unable to accomplish ... e7-e6, Black opts
for a few useful moves.
11 h3 l:i.c8 18 g5!
An annoying move for Black since any
defence of the e7-pawn implies some kind
of concession, besides which f2-f4 might be
in the air.
18 ... xd5 19 exd5 c4 20 h4!
pair and the semi-open e-file, White al
ready possesses a slight advantage.
20 l:i.e8 21 'iWe4 h6?!
..
This leads to unfavourable complica
tions. 21 ... b5, preparing ... CLld3, was proba
bly a lesser evil.
22 xh6! CLld3 23 xg7 ct:Jxe1 24 d4 CLJd3
25 h5!
257
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
Initiating a strong attack. The game con
tinued 25 ...'ifa6 26 'ifh4 f5 27 hxg6 'H#xg6 28
i.f3 !, preparing i.h 5, and White went on to
win.
Game 149 (continued)
8 ...e6!
By means of the double threat of
... e4xd5 and ...'ifh4+, Black destroys the en
emy centre.
9 'Mia4+
There is nothing better; e.g. 9 d6? 'Mih4+,
followed by one more queen check.
9 'Mid7 10 'Mixd7+ 4Jxd7 11 4Jf3
Or 11 dxe6 4Jxe5 12 exf7+ c;t>xf7, fol-
258
lowed by ...4Jed3+, with a huge lead in de
velopment.
11 ... exds 12 cxds ttJxds 13 i.c4 lZJ7b6 14
i.bS+ i.d7
Having a sound extra pawn, Black went
on to win.
Game 150 (continued)
14 d5!
A strong advance that opens the posi
tion to the benefit of White's better devel
oped forces. 14 e5?! g6 15 g4 l2Jg7 was
rather less promising.
14...4Jhf6
After 14... e5 15 l::!. ac1 or 14... exd5 15
exd5 cxd5 16 l2Jd4! Black is also in trouble.
15 dxe6 fxe6 16 es!
The most forcing choice, although the
methodical 16 l2Jd4 4Jf8 17 i.b3 'H#c8 18
J::!. ac1 was strong as well. The text has the
point that 16 ...4Jd5 runs into 17 i.g6+, so
Black accepts the offer.
16 ...4Jxes 17 l2Jd4
With the dual threat of 18 t2Jxe6 and 18
i.f4.
17 ... 'H#c8 18 i.f4 cs 19 ttJdbs 4Jf7
Or 19 ...'H#c6? 20 4Jd6+! i.xd6 21 i.a4 etc.
20 4Jc7+
 The Ba ttle for th e Cen tre

The rest is easy.

20 ...'lt>f8 21 l2lxe6+ 'lt>g8 22 l2lc7 'lt>f8 23 M.e1!
d7 24 .ia4 g4 25 xe7+ 'lt>g8 26 .ig3
l2lg5 27 lZ'le6 lZ'lf3+ 28 gxf3 .ixf3 29 h3 1-0

Game 151 (continued)

22 d5?!
After 22 M.fs ! gs 23 M.xes White has a big
advantage - Bartel, and 22 ...4 23 M.h 3
g4 24 M.xes is similar.
22 ...M.fe8?
For his part, Black misses 22 ... e4! 23
10 l2le5! xe4 M.ad8 with counterplay.
This and the following move give White 23 e4 'lt>h7 24 d2 g5 25 M.f5 M.g8?
a firm grip on the centre. 2S ... 'lt>g6 was the last chance - Bartel.
10 ... .i.b7 11 f4! e7 26 M.xe5 g6 27 M.exg5! xg5 28 M.xg5
Black opts for a careful approach. In the M.xg5 29 d6 M.d8 30 d7 b5 31 d6 b4 32 e7
event of 11 . . cs White could try 12 .if3 e7
. bxc3 33 xd8 c2 34 h8+ 'lt>xh8 3 5 d8+
13 dS! with some initiative. 'lt>h7 36 d2 1-0
12 .if3 c6 13 c2
A developing move with the additional Game 152 (continued)
merit of enabling f4-f5.
13 ... .ixc3 14 bxc3 c5 15 f5!?
White doesn't care about recovering the
pawn, and tries to create opportunities on
the king side before Black is fully developed.
15 ....ixf3 16 M.xf3 l2ld7?!
This accelerates White's attack. 16 ... exfs
17 xfs e6 ! was preferable - Bartel.
17 l2lxd7 xd7 18 f6!
Of course. Now 18 ... g6 runs into 19 e4!,
preparing d2 while preventing 19 ...d5,
so Black opts for active defence.
18...e5 19 M.af1 g6 20 M.h3 g4 21 M.g3 h5

259
M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy
1s ...cs!
A strong counterstrike to soften up the
enemy centre.
16 dxcs?!
White gets rid of the backward pawn on
d4, but now the one on es turns into a tar
get for Black's pieces. 16 bs 'ito 17 h4
was a lesser evil, when 17 ... a6 18 a4 cxd4
19 cxd4 'fkc4! keeps Black's advantage -
Moiseev.
16 ...'fkc7! 17 cxb6
Or 17 l:i.fe1 l2Jc6 and the pawn falls any
way.
17 ... 11Vxes 18 'ftxes xes 19 l2Je2 axb6
Thanks to his sounder pawn structure
and more active pieces, Black is clearly bet
ter in the endgame. There followed 20 c1
ds 21 g s f6 22 f4 fxg s 23 fxe s l2Jc4 24
xc4 xc4 2S l:i.xd8+ l:i.xd8 26 l:i.e1 l:i.d2 and
Korchnoi went on to win.
Game 153 (continued)
11 ... bs!
An excellent counterstrike, exploiting
the fact that the knight on c3 is tied to the
e4-pawn. 17 ...cxb4 18 axb4 bS is less dy
namic, when 19 cxbs axbs 20 l:i.c1 keeps the
balance.
260
18 h4
Since 18 cxbs axbs 19 xbs ? xbS+ 20
lZ:lxbs lZ:lxe4 is completely impossible, White
just ignores Black's queenside expansion
and carries on with his attack, even at the
cost of a pawn.
18...bxc4 19 c2 cxb4 20 axb4 l:i.ab8
Now it is evident that Black's attack is
faster.
21 hs l:i.xb4 22 hxg6 fxg6 23 l:i.h1 l:i.b2!
Wisely enough, both here and on the
next move Black avoids 23 ...l2Jxg4? 24
xg7+ xg7 25 l:i.xg4, followed by 26
6+.
24 d1 'itas 2S lLlgs lLlxg4!
lvkov has seen that receiving a check on
h7 isn't a serious matter when his own at
tack is close to success.
26 xg7+ xg7 27 l:i.xh7+ g8 28 'fkc1
xgs 29 'ftxgs 'fka1+! 0-1
Game 154 (continued)
13 lLlbs!
The start of an excellent strategical op
eration, with the objective of installing a
knight on d6. 13 es lLlds was rather less
convincing.
13 ...c6

In the event of 13 ...cs White can just re-
act as in the game.
14 es! lt:Jds 15 'ife4
15 xe7 l':txe7 16 4Jd6 first was even
simpler.
1S ... lt:Jf8
Or 1S .. .fs 16 'ifh4! f8 17 4Jd6 xd6 18
exd6, followed by lt:Jes, with a huge initia
tive.
16 xe7 l':txe7 17 4Jd6 'ifd7 18 lt:Jgs!
White gets on with the attack, exploit
ing the fact that 18 ... h6 now runs into 19
lt:Jh7 lt:Jg6 20 lt:Jxf7! l':txf7 21 'ifxg6 with an
overwhelming position.
18 ...4Jg6 19 h4! fs 20 'iff3 ttb8?
Overlooking the enemy threat.
20 ... lt:Jxh4 21 'ifhs h6 2 2 'ifxh4 hxg s 23
'ifxg s doesn't help Black's defence much
either, so in this case 20 ...lt:Jf8 was the least
of the evils.
21 lt:Jxh7! lt:Jxes
21...'it>xh7 is met by 22 'ifh S+ and White
wins easily.
22 dxes 'it>xh7 23 lt:Jxfs!
This simple shot decides the game at
once.
23 ...l':tf7 24 4Jd6+ 'it>g8 25 lt:Jxf7 'ifxf7 26
h7+ 'it>f8 27 'ifxf7+ 'it>xf7 28 e4 1-0
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
Game 1 5 5 (contin ued}
14...'ife7!
Preparing ...lt:Je4 to seize the centre.
1S l':tfe1 lt:Je4! 16 g3 4Jdf6 17 'it>g2 aS!
A pinprick on the queenside, just when
White had reinforced her defences on the
opposite flank.
18 xe4
The pawn that now emerges on e4 will
enhance Black's attack, but after 18 'ife2
axb4 19 axb4 'ife6!, with ideas like ... lt:Jg s,
White is also under pressure.
18 ... dxe4 19 'ife2 hs!
Preparing ...hS-h4 to soften up the h 2-b8
diagonal.
20 h4 d6 21 l':tb1 axb4 22 axb4 'ife6!
Aiming at the light square weaknesses
in White's camp.
23 bS cs 24 b6
Or 24 dxcs xes, with the plan ... 'iffs
and ...lt:Jg4.
24 ... cxd4 25 exd4 l':tac8 26 'ifbs 'ifg4 27 'ife2
'ife6 28 'ifbs?!
28 l':tbs, followed by l:tg s, seems prefer
able, interfering with the enemy attack.
28 ...l':tc4!
Intercepting the white queen from the
king side defence.
261
M as te ring Op e n ing S trategy
29 ds i\i'c8 30 .l::i. bc1 e3!
A key move that destroys the white
king's shelter and brings the rook on c4 into
the attack.
31 .Mxe3
31 i.xe3? failed to 31.. ..Mxc3, while on 31
fxe3 there follows 31....Mxh4! 32 gxh4 i\i'g4+
in similar fashion to the game, with White
soon receiving mate.
31 ... .Mxe3 32 fxe3 .Mxh4! 33 gxh4 i\i'g4+ 0-1
In view of 34 'it>f2 i.g3+ 35 'it>g2 i.xh4+
36 'it>h2 i\i'g3+ 37 'it>h1 i\lff3+ with mate to
come, White resigned.
Game 156 (continued)
2 62
7 ...cs!
Softening up White's centre before it
gets support from its fellow pieces. Black
might lose a pawn in the process, but once
the position is opened his superior devel
opment will be a telling factor. In contrast,
7 ... dxe5?! 8 dxe5 plays into White's hands.
8 dxcs
After 8 CLJf3 cxd4 9 i\i'xd4 Cbc6 10 i\i'd2
i.g4 Black grabs the initiative.
8 ...Cbc6 9 cxd6 exd6
10 CLJe4?!
Moving that knight again seems rather
dubious in this tense position. 10 CLJf3 was
more natural, when 10 ...i.e6 or 10...i.g4,
followed by ...i\i'a5, keeps Black's initiative.
1o ... i.fs!
Development with tempo. 10... dxe5?! 11
i\i'xd8 Cbxd8 12 i.c5 was less clear.
11 CLJg3
Or 11 Cbxd6 Cbxd6 12 i\i'xd6 i\i'e8 !, pre
paring .. .f7-f6 with a strong initiative.
11 ... i.e6 12 CLJf3 i\i'c7 13 i\i'b1
Awkward, but after 13 exd6 Cbxd6
Black's compensation is also excellent.
13 ... dxes 14 fs e4! 15 fxe6
15 Cbxe4 i.xf5 or 15 i\i'xe4 i.xb2 is not
much better.

1S ...exf3 16 gxf3 fS!
The e6-pawn should be recaptured by...
the rook!
17 f4 ct:'Jf6 18 .Jte2 .l:Ue8 19 'iitf2
After 19 o-o .l:txe6 20 .Jtcs .l:td8 White's
game is also very difficult.
19 ....l:txe6 20 .l:te1 .l:tae8 21 .Jtf3
21 ....l:txe3!
The start of an elegant combination.
22 .l:txe3 .l:txe3 23 'iitx e3 xf4+! 0-1
In view of 24 'iitxf4 .Jth6 mate, or 24 'iitf2
ct:'Jg4+ 25 'iitg 2 ctJe3+ 26 'iitf2 ct:'Jd4.
Game 157 (continued)
11 f3!
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
A strong pawn break that undermines
Black's central control and clears the f-file
for the major pieces.
u ... hs?
A useless move since the knight on g3 is
about to leave the board anyway. With
11 ...exf3 12 .Jtxf3 h S Black could still get a
decent game; e.g. 13 e4 h4 14 ct:'Jh 1 ctJh7!,
heading for gs.
12 ct:'Jxe4 ct:'Jxe4 13 fxe4 xe4 14 .Jtd3! e7
1S e4
Thanks to his lead in development and
Black's weak kingside, White is already
much better.
1s 'iitg7 16 .Jtf4 f6 17 d2 gs?!
.
The passive 17 ....l:th8 was called for, al
though Black's position remains difficult.
18 .Jte3 h4 19 es!
Of course. Relying on his huge lead in
development, White opens the position
towards the enemy king.
19 ...dxes 20 dxes xes 21 Ad4 as 22 cs!
With the threat 23 xg S+.
22 ...'iit h 6 23 Axf6 xes+ 24 Ad4 d6 2S
.l:txf8 xf8 26 .l:tf1
"Never again would I be able to win
games so easily" - Gligoric.
26 ... e7 27 .l:tf6+ 'iit h s 28 Ae2+ 1-0
2 63
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy

Game 158 (continued) With certain prospects for an attack,

12 e4!
Of course, creating a strong pawn cen
tre.
12 ...dxe4 13 li:lxg6 hxg6 14 fxe4
Unable to prevent e4-e5, Black is already
in serious trouble.
14...li:lg4
Or 14 ...i.f4 15 es li:lh s 16 i.c4 with
strong pressure.
15 e5 i.e7 16 i.e2! li:lh6
After 16 ...li:lf2 17 l::thfl li:lxd1 18 'ixf7+
d8 19 'ixg7 l::tf8 20 J::txd1 White has a
crushing advantage.
17 g4 o-o-o 18 b1 'ib6 19 'ia4!
White avoids the queen's exchange. Now
Black should probably have copied his op
ponent's previous move by 19 ... b8, mak
ing life a bit safer for his king. Instead, he
tries to free himself by a knight manoeuvre,
thereby forgetting about the potential of
the white pawn centre.
19 ...li:lf8? 20 d5! i.b4
Or 20...cxds ?! 21 i.xh6, followed by 22
li:lxds etc.
21 dxc6 bxc6 22 li:ld5!
A temporary sacrifice that opens the
gates to Black's king. 22 i.e3 ! ? was also
strong, intending 22 ...'ixe3 23 'ixc6+.
22 ...J::txd5 23 i.xb4 J::tx d1+ 24 J::tx d1 li:le6 25
i.a5 'ib7 26 l::td6 b8 27 'id1!
White doesn't content herself with the
c6-pawn, but goes for a final attack.
27 ... c5 28 l::td 7 'ic6 29 i.f3 'ia6 30 'ib3+
1-0
Game 159 (continued)

20 li:lf1!
Heading for ds in order to seize the cen
tre. Interestingly, the same idea had already
been used by Tal: 19 ...J::t ad8 20 'ic2 b4 21
li:lfl! li:lh s 22 li:le3 li:lf4 23 i.fl 'id6 24 h4

2 64

'iWf6?! 25 g 3 ! l2Jd3 26 .i.xd3 'iVxf3 27 a3 bxa3
28 l:i.xa3 .i.c8 29 .i.e2 'iWf6 30 l2Jd5 l2Jxd5 31
cxd5! c4 3 2 bxc4 .i.xa3 33 .i.xa3, followed
by c4-c5 with a huge advantage, M.Tal
I.Zaitsev, USSR Championship, Alma Ata
1968.
20...l2Ja7 21 t2Je3 b4
Since 2 1 ... l2Jc6? fails to 22 cxb5 -
Golubev, Black must waste a tempo on se
curing the b-pawn.
22 tZJds 'iWd6
Not 22 ... t2Jxds? 23 exd5 .i.d6 24 l2Jh4
with a strong initiative for White.
23 .i.c2 .i.c8?!
23 ... l2Jc6 was more logical, reintegrating
the knight into the battle, although the sac
rifice 24 l2Jxe 5 ! ? l2Jxe5 25 f4 seems rather
promising for White, just like in the game.
24 lZJxes! l:i.xes 25 f4! l:i.xds
The only move, since 25 ...l:i.e8? 26 e5 is
disastrous for Black.
26 cxds 'iWxf4 27 es
Despite his material advantage Black is
in trouble due to White's great activity. At
this point the counter-sacrifice 27 ...c4! ? 28
exf6 c3 was perhaps worth a try, since
Black's next move exposes him to a strong
attack.
Th e B a ttle fo r th e Cen tre
27 l2Jh7?! 28 'iWd3 tZJgs 29 l:i.f1! 'iWh4 30 e6!
..
tZJbs
Or 30 ...f6 31 l:i.ae1, winning - Golubev.
31 l:i.xf7! l2Jd6 32 'iWg6! l2Jxh3+
On 32 ...l2Jdxf7 there follows 33 exf7+
'it>h8 34 'iWxg 7+! .i.xg7 35 f8'iW mate -
Golubev.
3 3 'it>f1 tZJfs 34 l:i.xf8+! 1-o
Game 160 (continued)
11 b3!
Preparing .i.a3 with increased pressure
on the enemy camp.
11 ...e4
After 11 ... l:i.d8 12 .i.a3 'iWe8 13 'iWc2, pre
paring l:i.ad1, White keeps the initiative; e.g.
13 ...l2Jd5 14 l:i.ad1 l2J7b6 15 t2Jcxe5 ! .i.xe5 16
l2Jxe5 lWxe5 17 c4 .i.f5 18 e4 i.g4 19 cxd5!
.i.xd1 20 l:i.xd1 with a big edge in D.Garcia
lllundain-D.Del Rey, Saragossa 1998.
12 .i.a3 tZJcs
Or 12 ... c5 13 l2Jd4!, heading for the great
square on b5.
13 l2Jd4 b6 14 b4!
Clearing the a3-f8 diagonal for the
bishop.
14...axb4 15 cxb4 l2Je6
Since 1S ...t2Jxa4? loses material after 16
2 65
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy
b5 Lt:ic5 17 i.xc5, Black has to accept the
entrance of the other knight at c6.
16 Lt:ic6 d7 17 b5 J::te 8 18 c21
Simple and strong, preparing J::t ad1.
18 ... Lt:ig5 19 J::ta d1 Lt:ih3+ 20 h1 e6 21
Lt:id8
Tempting, though the prophylactic 21
Lt:ie3 might have been even stronger.
21 ... f5 22 LLie31 LLixf2+ 23 g1
23 Lt:ih3+?
..
Black defended very well up to this
point, but here he goes astray. After
23 ...Lt:ixd1! 24 Lt:ixf5 i.xf5 25 J::tx d1 J::t axd8
the game is far from over.
24 i.xh3 g5
266
Or 24...xh 3 2 5 c6! with double
threats at a8 and f6.
25 b31
Defence and attack at the same time.
The rest is easy.
25 ... i.xh3 26 xf7+ h8 27 xe8+1 Lt:ixe8
28 LLif7+ g8 29 Lt:ixg5 i.xf1 30 xf1 1-o
Having a piece less, Black resigned.
Game 161 (continued}
12 ... e6l
This central counterstrike practically re
futes White's flank advance. 12 ... b4 is
somewhat less precise due to 13 axb4 cxb4
14 lt:ie2, when 14 ... e6?! fails to 15 xb4.
13 dxe6 fxe6 14 0-0-0
This won't end well, but after 14 g5 LLih 5
White's position is also starting to crack.
14...a5!
There was nothing wrong with 14...c4 or
14 ... b4 either, but the text is more powerful.
15 g5 LLih5 16 h2 c4 17 i.e2 b41
Black's attack is almost automatic, and
the rest is easy.
18 lt:ia4 bxa3 19 bxa3 i.xe4 20 Lt:ib6 Lt:id51
Simplest, clearing the b-file.
21 Lt:ixd5 exd5 22 d2 d7 23 e1 J::ta e8
0-1

Game 162 (continued)
14 e4!
The central pawns start rolling before
Black makes it to castling. 14 i.d2 ? ! i.b4
was less promising.
14.. .lZ'ld7
Perhaps 14...b4! ? was more to the point,
although after 15 ds! bxc3 16 dxc6 i.xc6 17
lt:Jd4!?, followed by xc4, White keeps the
initiative.
15 dS! lt:Jd8
On 1S ...lt:Jb4 White can react in the same
way as in the game.
16 lZ'ld4 b4 17 lt:Jcbs es 18 xc4!
Of course. Now Black's king is under a
big cloud. 18 d6! in the same spirit was pos
sible as well.
18...exd4 19 lZ'lc7+ r!Je7 20 es!
A clever pawn sacrifice to clear more
space for the attack.
20...lt:Jxes 21 .l:!.e1 f6 22 d6+! xd6
Again Black has to accept the gift, since
22 ...r!Jd7 runs into 23 i.fS+ r!Jxd6 24 lt:JbS+
r!Je7 25 .l:!.xes+! fxes 26 i.gS+ etc.
23 lZ'lbs+ xbs
Or 23 ...r!Jd7 24 i.fs+ with similar play as
in the previous note.
24 xbs r!Jc7 25 aS+ 1-0
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
Game 163 (continued)
14 lt:Jes!
A typical idea in such structures. On es
the knight dominates the centre and facili
tates an attack on the kingside.
14... cs?!
A risky counterstrike given Black's lag
ging development. 14...i.xes 15 dxes lt:Jfd7
16 lt:Je4! is also dangerous for him, whereas
both 14...lt:Jbd7 and 14 ... 0-0 looks like safer
choices, with just a slight edge for White
after 15 i.C3.
15 .l:!.fe1!
Supporting the central knight and get
ting ready for future actions on the king
side.
15 ... 0-0 16 lt:Je4!
A standard attacking method - the ex
change of defending pieces.
16 ...i.xes?
This will just help the white rook join
the attack with decisive effect. While
16 ... lt:Jbd7? failed to 17 lZ'lxd7 lZ'lxd7 18 dxcs,
correct was 16 ...lt:Jxe4 17 .l:!.xe4 cxd4 18
xd4 i.xes 19 xes lt:Jc6! 20 g3 lt:Je7,
heading for fs, with chances for a success
ful defence.
17 dxes lt:Jxe4 18 .l:!.xe4 lt:Jc6
267
M a s te ring Open ing S t ra tegy
Too late, but White's following blow was
difficult to parry anyway.
19 .txh6! f5
Or 19 ... gxh6 20 .S.g4+ h8 21 'ife3 ! 'it>h7
22 'ife4+ 'it>h8 23 'iff4 'it>h7 24 'iff6 .S.g8 25
'ifxf7+ 'it>h8 26 .S.g6! etc.
20 exf6 .S.xf6
21 .l:tg4!
An elegant and well-calculated follow
up.
21 ... .S.xh6 22 'ifd7 .S.h7 23 h6! g5 24 'ifxe6+
'it>f8 25 'iff6+ e8 26 'ifg6+ 1-0
In view of 26 ....l:tf7 27 h 7, Black resigned.
Game 164 (continued)
268
11 .S.c1!
Seizing the open file and preparing 'ifc2-
c7. As for Black's intended pawn centre, it
might actually become a burden for her later
on. In contrast, 11 'Lles?! 'Lle4! 12 d4 'Llxes
13 dxes .te6 leads to rather unclear play.
11 ... e5 12 d 3 b6?!
Probably 12 ....tf8 at once was better,
avoiding the weak square on c6.
13 'ife2! .tf8 14 'ifc7
Without queens on the board, White's
guerrilla strategy will be easier to conduct.
14 ... 'ifxc7 15 .S.xc7 .td6 16 .S.c6 .tb8 17 .S.fc1
.tb7 18 .th3!
An elegant way of increasing the pres
sure at Black's camp. Now after 18 ....txc6
19 bxc6 'Llcs 20 'Llbs .S.e7 21 .ta3 White's
activity and strong passed pawn more than
compensate for the exchange, so Lujan in
stead prepares ...'Llg4 to limit the annoying
bishop.
18 ... h5 19 d4!
A typical counterstrike softening up the
dark squares, familiar from the ancient
game R.Reti-F.Yates, New York 1924.
19...CLJg4?!
Curiously, from now on it is very diffi
cult to defend Black's position. 19 ... e4?! 20

'Lle5 doesn't favour her either, so the prag
matic 19 ... exd4 20 .ixd4 'Llg4 seems like a
better choice, accepting an inferior pawn
structure in order to liberate the pieces.
20 dxe5 .ixc6 21 bxc6 'Llc5 22 'Llb5! .Uc8
There was the threat of 23 c7, and
22 ... .ixe5 failed to 23 'Llxe5 'Llxe5 24 .ixe5
.Uxe5 25 c7 .Uee8 26 'Lld6 etc.
23 .ig2!
White shifts his focus to the long diago
nal.
23 ....Uxc6 24 h3 'Llh6 25 'Llg5!
More precise than 25 'Llfd4? ! .ixe5 26
'Llxc6 .ixb2.
25 ....Uc8 26 .ixd5 .Ua7
If 26 ....Ua6, then both 27 e6 and 27 .ib7
win for White.
27 'Llxa7 .ixa7 28 e6! 1-0
In view of more material losses, Black re
signed.
Game 165 (continued)
15 ...f6!
By this pawn break Black fights against
the enemy centre and clears the f-file for a
future attack. 15 .. ."e7?! was less promising
due to 16 .ic5 .ixc5 17 'Llxc5 'Lle7 18 b4!.
16 exf6 .ixf6 17 'Llxf6+ .Uxf6 18 d6?!
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
White prepares .Uad1, but Black's reply
finishes off this idea at once. 18 e4 was
correct, when 18 ... d5 19 g2 'Lle5 20 .if4
'Llg6 21 .ig5 .Uf5, preparing ... e5-e4 and
... 'Lle5, keeps the initiative.
18....Uf5!
With the dual intention of 19 ...'Lle5 and
19 ....Ud5.
19 .if4?
Now the knight enters on d4 instead
with strong effect. 19 f4 .Ud5 20 a3 was
more solid.
19 ....Ud5 20 a3
Or 20 c7? xc7 21 .ixc7 .Uc8 with
... 'Lle5 or ...'Lld4 next.
20 ...'Lld4 21 d3 .Uf8 22 .Ue4?
Overlooking Black's next move. The last
chance was 22 e4, when 22 ... g5 23 c3 'Llc6
24 .ie3 'Lle5 keeps the initiative.
22 ... e5! 23 c4
Both 23 .ixe5 and 23 .Ud1 lose straight
away to 23 ...CDf3+, while 23 .Uxe5 .Uxe5 24
xd4 .Ue2 is also hopeless for White - Atlas.
23 ... bxc4 24 xc4 .Uc8 25 a4 .Ud6! 0-1
In view of the imminent material losses,
White resigned.
Game 166 (continued)
2 69
M a s tering Ope n ing Strategy
13 f3!
The plan of creating a pawn centre re
mains viable in positions with less material
on the board.
13 ... tt:Jc6 14 .Jtb2 'id7
Or 14 ... .l:te8 15 e4!, when 15 ... dxe4 16
fxe4 cxd4 17 cxd4 tt:Jxd4?! fails to 18 'ic4!
tt:Je6 19 .Jtxf6 gxf6 20 tLlh 5 with a strong
initiative.
15 e4! cxd4 16 cxd4 'iVe6
Just as in the previous note, the central
expansion is tactically justified; i.e.
16 ... dxe4 17 fxe4 tt:Jxd4 18 'if2! tt:Je6 {or
18 ....l:tad8 19 .l:tad1} 19 .Jtxf6 gxf6 20 tLlf5 !
h8 21 'iVb2 with a decisive attack - Wat
son. By the text Black instead prepares a
light square blockade.
17 e5! tLld7 18 tLlh5
After 18 f4?! f5 Black nears his goal.
18 ....l:tfd8 19 .l:tad1
The last piece joins the battle. 19 tt:Jf4?!
'iVh6 20 tt:Jxd5 tt:Jdxe5 ! etc was less convinc
ing.
19 tt:Jf8 20 f4
..
Seeing that he can challenge Black's
blockade on the next move, White finally
advances his pawn majority.
2o...f5
2 70
21 g4! tt:Jg6?!
21 .. .fxg4? 22 f5 was terrible for Black, so
perhaps he should h ave tried 21 ...tt:Je7 22
.Jta3 tt:Jfg6 23 tLlg3 .l:tf8 ! ? 24 gxf5 .l:txf5 25
tt:Jxf5 tt:Jxf5 in Petrosian style, as after the
text White breaks through on the kingside.
22 gxf5 'iVxf5 23 .Jtc1 .l:tf8 24 tt:Jg3 'ih3 25 f5
Apart from its strategic benefits, this
advance leaves Black's queen trapped on
h3.
25 tt:Jh4 26 .l:td3 ! .l:tae8 27 .Jtb2
..
The immediate 27 tLlh 5 was also strong,
but White is in no hurry.
27 ... tt:Jb4 28 .l:tb3 tt:Jxa2 29 .l:ta3 .l:tc8
Or 29 ...tt:Jb4 30 tLlh 5 etc.
30 .l:txa2 tt:Jxf5 31 .l:ta3 tt:Jh4? 32 tLlf5! 1-0
Game 167 (continued)
7 tt:Jdxe4!
White eliminates the active enemy
knight, and prepares a swift development
with .Jtf4, e2-e3, .Jte2 and 0-0, after which
he will be able to strike at the enemy centre
with f2-f3. Obviously 7 f3?? 'iYh4+ was less
suitable.
7 .. .fxe4 8 .Jtf4! o-o 9 e3 c6
The active 9 ... c5 can be met by 10 a3 !
.Jtxc3+ 11 bxc3, keeping the central control.
 Th e Ba ttle fo r th e C e n tre

10 i.e2 lt:Jd7 11 a3 i.e7 12 o-o i.g5 Intending 2 3 e6 lt:Jf6 24 e5 lt:Jh7, but

A logical attempt to swap the active en- Alekhine has a stronger move prepared.
emy bishop, but White has a strong reply
prepared.

23 i.h5!
Mobilization is another basic attacking
13 f3! method. Now Black can hardly move.
A powerful pawn break in the same 23 ... a5 24 e6 g6
spirit as in Van Wely-Karjakin (Game 123), Or 24...lt:Jf6 25 i.f7 7 26 l::txf6! gxf6 27
gaining central control and clearing the f f8+.
file towards Black's underdeveloped camp. 25 exd7 i.xd7 26 l::tf 7! 1-0
13 ... i.xf4 14 exf4 l::txf4 In view of the coming queen check.
Or 14... e3 15 g 3 ! dxc4 16 i.xc4 lt:Jb6 17
d3 and the e3-pawn is doomed. Game 168 (continued)
15 fxe4 l::txf1+ 16 l::txf1 e5?
When you are behind in development,
don't open the position! The restrained
16 ... dxc4 17 i.xc4 lt:Jb6 18 f2! e7!, fol
lowed by ... i.d7, was called for.
17 d2!
The queen joins the battle for the king
side. By now Black's defensive task is very
difficult.
17 ... c5 18 dxe5 d4 19 f4! dxc3 20 f7+
h8 21 bxc3!
Simple and strong, keeping all the
threats. In contrast, after 21 e6 lt:Jf6 22 e7
g8 things get more complicated; e.g. 23 1o...e5!
J::t xf6 i.e6! 24 xg8+ xg8 25 J::tx e6? c2!. A strong advance that destabilizes
21...g8 22 e7 h6 White before he is properly developed.

2 71
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy
11 d 5
Leaving Black with a stronghold o n cs,
but it was hard to find anything better; e.g.
11 lbf3 exd4 12 cxd4 l:i.e8 13 .id3 lbc6 14
ii.e3 .ifs ! and White loses a central pawn.
11 ... lbbd7 12 .id3
12 lbh 3 lZJcs 13 lbf2 seems more solid,
when Black can choose between the simple
13 ...lbg4 14 lbxg4 .ixg4 15 .ie3 l:i.c8, keep
ing some advantage, and the more complex
13 ...lZJfxe4 14 lZJxe4 .ifs 15 1i'f2! lZJxe4 16
1i'xfs 4+ etc - Golod.
12 ...lbc5 13 .ig5
There is nothing better; e.g. 13 .ie3
lbfxe4! 14 .ixe4 4+ or 13 lZJf3 lZJfxe4! 14
.ixe4 fs regaining the piece with a clear
advantage - Rozentalis.
13 ... h6 14 .ih4 1i'd6 15 lbe2?!
This runs into a strong reply. 15 lDf3
lZJxe4! again works well for Black, so the
uninspiring 15 .ixf6 1i'xf6 16 lDf3 had to be
played either here or on the previous move.
15 ...lbg4!
With the double idea of ... lbe3 and .. .f7-
fS. All of a sudden, White's position is very
difficult to defend.
16 lbc1 f5! 17 h3 fxe4 18 hxg4 exd3 19
lZJxd3 1i'xd5
2 72
With an extra pawn, safer king and su
perior pawn structure, Black is winning.
20 lDf2 .ixg4! 21 0-0
Or 2 1 lZJxg4 lbd3+ and the next check is
decisive. The text leaves Black with a second
extra pawn, making the win a matter of
technique.
21 ... .if5 22 1i'e2 l:i.ae8 23 l:i.fe1 b6 24 a4 .ic8
25 l:i.ed1 1i'c6 26 1i'c4+ h8 27 lbd3 .ib7 28
l:i.d2 .ia6 29 lbb4 .ixc4 30 lZJxc6 lZJb3 0-1
Game 169 (continued)
12...f5!
An excellent pawn break that under
mines the enemy centre while clearing the
f-file and the long diagonal for Black's
pieces.
13 exf5
If 13 dS, then 13 ....ixc3! 14 1i'xc3 eS is
rather strong, but 13 1i'd3 might have been
a lesser evil - Hillarp.
13 ... lbxf5
Stronger than 13 ... exfs 14 dS! f4 15 .id4
etc.
14 1i'd3 o-o 15 .ic1?
Wasting a vital tempo. 15 o-o was bet
ter, not fearing the exchange on e3.
15 ...c5!
 Th e Battle for th e Cen tre

The story is repeated on the opposite Game 170 (continued)

flank. I guess that anyone who sees this
game will be tempted to try out the Hippo
potamus.
16 dxcs
There is nothing better, since 16 d5
.ixc3+ 17 "iVxc3 .ixd5 leaves White without
any compensation at all for the pawn -
Hillarp.
16. ..li'lxcs 17 "iYc4 .l:tc8 18 h4?!
Admittedly Black is h aving a dream po
sition, but this desperate attack will just
make his task easier. 18 0-0 must have been
better, when 18 ... "iYd7, with the idea of
... lbe4, keeps the initiative. 14 d S !
18 ....ixf3 19 gxf3 lbxh4 20 "iYg4 lbg6 21 An unexpected blow, based o n the fact
lZJe4 lZJes 22 "iYh3? that both 14 ... cxd5? and 14 ... exd5? drop a
A tactical error, though after 22 "iYg 3 piece after 15 e5. In contrast, 14 e5?! lbd5
lbxe4 23 fxe4 .ttx c2 Black is also much bet- leads nowhere for White.
ter - Hillarp. 14 ... cs 15 .tta d1
Another good option was 15 d6! ? .id8
16 .ixf6 .ixf6 17 e5 with a huge strategic
plus.
1S ... h6 16 .ixf6 .ixf6

22 ...g4! 23 "iVhs lZJxe4 24 fxe4 "iYf6!

With double threats at f2 and c2, Black
is winning. The game concluded 25 .tth 2
.ttx c2 26 .ixh6 .ttx e2+! 27 'it>xe2 "iYf3+ 28
'it>e1 g3 29 .ixg7 gxh 2 ! ? 30 "iYh8+ 'iiif7 31 11 lDhs!
"iVxf8+ 'it>g6 32 'it>d2 "iVxf8 33 .ixf8 liJf3+ 34 An unpleasant move for Black, who now
'iiie 3 lbg1 35 .ttxd6 h 1"iY and here White re has to hand over the e5-square in order to
signed. keep her king side pawn structure intact.

2 73
M a s t ering Open ing Strategy
17 ....td8 18 dxe6 fxe6 19 tt:Je5!
With the irresistible threat of 20 l:td7.
19....if6 20 l:td7 'i!Vb8 21 tt:lg4 .id4 22 e5!
1-0
22 'i!Vxa6 'iie 8 was less convincing. After
the text Black resigned, seeing that after
2 2 ...l:tf7 23 tt:Jxh6+ gxh6 24 tt:lf6+ 'it>f8 2 5
'iig 4 she is soon mated.
Game 171 (continued)
15 .ta2!
With the centre completely dominated
by the strong knight on e5, Kramnik initi
ates a kingside attack.
15 ... .td7 16 .ib1 .te8?
16 ... l:tfd8 was correct, preparing the
evacuation of the king; e.g. 17 tt:Je4 'it>f8 18
tt:Jxf6 .txf6 19 'i!Vh7 'it>e7 and Black is still
alive.
11 d5!
An aesthetic blow, which exploits sev
eral tactical motifs at the same time. Now
both 17 ... cxd5? and 17 ... exd5? run into 18
tt:Jxd5! with material gains, besides which
there appears the threat of 18 d6 .txd6 19
tt:lg4, a fact that explains Black's next move
in the game.
17 ...l:td8 18 l:tfe1
2 74
Simple and strong, bringing the last
piece into the battle.
18...\t>hS 19 dxe6
Black was ready for 19 ... cxd5, so White
finally fixes a favourable pawn structure.
19 ... l:txd1 20 l:txd1 fxe6 21 tt:Je4 g6 22 tt:Jc5!
.txc5
A positional capitulation, but 22 ... 'i!Vc8
loses material after 23 tt:Jxg6+! .txg6 24
'i!Vxg6 .txc5 25 'i!Vxh6+ 'it>g8 26 'iig 5+ 'it>h8
27 'i!Vxc5 - Kramnik.
23 'i!Vxc5 l:tg8 24 .ta2! 'it>g7
There is nothing better; e.g. 24....tf7? 2 5
'i!Vd6! o r 24. . .tt:Jd5 2 5 .txd5 exd5 26 l:txd5.
25 .txe6 l:tf8 26 tt:ld7! 1-0
Interestingly, this is the first move with
the knight since it settled on e5. 26 ...tt:Jxd7
27 l:txd7+! .ixd7 28 'iie 7+ is hopeless.
Game 172 (continued)
12 ... a6!
Preparing ...b7-b5 in order to destroy the
enemy centre.
13 .ta4 b5! 14 cxb5 axb5 15 .txb5 'i!Vxd5
Already at this point Black is much bet
ter - he has two mobile pawns against
none in the centre, and White is far from
completing his development.

16 a4
Obviously 16 i.e2 e5 17 i.f3? failed to
17 ... e4.
16 ... i.b7 11 ..tf1 es!
The central pawns start rolling, sup
ported by both fianchettoed bishops. White
now opts for a similar idea on the queen
side; unfortunately, his pawn majority will
play a less important role until the end
game phase is reached, and Black probably
won't let that happen.
18 b4 e4 19 bs
19 ... tt::ld 7!
A move with several virtues: the a1-h8 di
agonal is cleared for the bishop, the knight is
improved, and a future .. .f5-f4 is enabled.
20 l:ta3?
A weird move, refusing to develop the
minor pieces. With 20 i.b2 tt::lc 5 21 tt::ld 2
White could still put up some resistance.
20 ... d3
On top of all his other advantages, Black
now controls the a1-h8 diagonal, and his
position plays itself.
21 tt::ld 2 fs 22 b3 J:tfc8!
The last piece joins the battle with dev
astating effect.
23 xds+ i.xds 24 as i.f8 25 l:ta4 tt::l b 6!
Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
Finishing off any of White's illusions
with the passed pawns.
26 l:ta1 i.b4 27 a6 J:tc2 28 l:td1 i.c3 29 l:ta3
J:txc1 30 J:txc1 i.xd2 0-1
Game 173 (continued)
13 ... ds!
A thematic counterstrike in the Open Si
cilian, which makes White's kingside attack
less likely to succeed. The pawn possibly
lost in this operation is usually well in
vested.
14 exds
Black is also fine after 14 g5 dxe4! ? 15
i.g 2 tt::le 8, followed by ...tt::l d 6.
14...e4! 15 i.g2
After 15 tt::lx e4?! tt::l xe4 16 i.xe4 tt::lf6 17
i.f3 J:tad8 and ...tt::lxd5 next, Black obtains a
better version of the game.
1s ...tt::l b6 16 gs tt::lfxds 17 tt::lxe4 J:tad8
In exchange for the pawn, Black enjoys
excellent piece activity.
18 tt::l d4 J:tfe8 19 c3
After 19 g4 i.f8 20 f5 e5 ! 21 tt::lb 3
tt::lc 4 22 g6 tt::l de3 Black again had counter
play in L.Psakhis-Z.Azmaiparashvili, Riga
1980.
19 ...i.f8 20 g4
2 75
M as t e ring O p e n ing Strategy
20...'Llxc3!
Rybka 's suggestion. In contrast, the
game went 20 ...h8?! 21 f5 ! 'Llc4 22 g6
with attacking prospects for White.
21 ctJf6+
Both 21 bxc3 ?! .ixe4 and 2 1 'Llxc3 .Mxd4
let Black restore the material balance with
a pleasant advantage.
21...gxf6 22 gxf6+ h8 23 bxc3 'Llds
With threats at f6 and c3, Black is better
- Rybka.
Game 174 (continued)
13 g4!
A timely flank advance which prepares
2 76
g4-g5 undermining d5, while creating at
tacking opportunities on the king side.
13 ....id6?!
13 ...h6?! leaves the king exposed after
14 .ic2 and 15 d3, so 13 ... 'Llc6 14 .ic2
.ie6 15 d3 g6 16 .ie3 was preferable,
with just a slight edge - Kasparov.
14 h1 .Me8
Or 14 ... 'Llc6 15 g5 .ixf4 16 gxf6! .ixc1 17
fxg7 .Me8, when 18 .Mxc1, followed by .Mg1,
looks like the simplest way of keeping the
initiative. The text avoids such play by re
moving the rook from f8 in advance.
15 gs .ixf4 16 .ixf4 'Llhs 17 .ixb8!
Time is money - by giving up the bishop
pair White accelerates his king side attack.
17 ... .Mxb8 18 f4 g6 19 f3 b6?
19 ... 'Llg7 was essential, preventing f4-f5.
At this point, 20 'Llxd5? runs into 20 ... .ig4!
21 g2 .ih 3, so White should prefer 20
.ib5 ! .id7 2 1 .ixd7 xd7 22 'Llxd5 'Llh 5 23
.Mad1 with a clear advantage - Kasparov.
20 f5! .Mb7
Parrying the threat of 21 fxg6, though
after White's next move the black king be
comes severely exposed anyway.
21 f6! .ie6 22 .Mae1 d6 23 .Mes! .Md8 24
e3

With the simple but inevitable plan of
i.e2xh 5.
24... bs 25 i.e2 b4
Removing the rook from the seventh
rank will soon play against Black, though he
was short of good advice.
26 axb4 Itxb4 27 i.xhs gxhs 28 g6! hxg6 29
Itxe6! fxe6
Obviously 29 ..."ii'x e6 fails to 30 "ii'h 6.
30 "ii'h 6 Itb7 1-0
At the same time Black resigned, with
out waiting for 31 "ii'x g6+ \t>h8 32 f7 "ii'f8 33
"ii'xh 5+ \t>g7 34 Itg1+ \t>f6 35 "ii'h4+ etc -
Kasparov.
Game 175 (continued)
14...ds!
Exploiting the pin on the e-file, Black
manages to break in the centre despite six
enemy pieces controlling the d5-square.
15 cxds?!
This runs into a strong reply. 15 i.xa7
g 5 ! ? 16 tbh 5 tbxh5 17 "ii'x h5 d4! 18 tbe2
tbe6, followed by ...i.e5, yields Black inter
esting compensation for the pawn, so 15
"ii'f2 !, with the threat of i.c5, was a safer
choice; e.g. 15 ... b6 16 cxd5 cxd5 (contrary to
the game, 16 ...l'iJfxd5? fails to 17 exd5 "ii'x e3
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
18 dxc6 etc) 17 i.d4 with roughly equal
play.
1s ...tbfxds!
Of course, clearing the long diagonal for
the bishop.
16 i.xa7
Or 16 tbcxd5 tt:Jxd5 17 tbxd5 cxd5 and it
is White who is fighting for equality.
16 ... tt:Jxc3 17 bxc3 tt:Jbs! 18 "ii'f2 tt:Jxa7 19
"ii'xa7 .l:ta8 20 "ii'b6
Obviously 20 "ii'xb7? fails to 20 ... i:tfb8 21
"ii'c 7 i.e5.
20...i.xc3 21 ltac1 i.es
By now Black has a more active game.
There followed 22 d4 i.xf4 23 Itxf4 Itxa2 24
"iVb3 "ii'e 6! and the threat of ..."ii'xh3+ forced
White to enter the endgame a pawn down,
which Sepp went on to win.
Game 176 (continued)
11 f4!
Preparing a pawn break with e4-e5, in
order to open the position before Black is
properly developed.
11 ...tbf6 12 es dxes
Or 12 ... tbd7 13 e6! fxe6 14 dxe6 tbf6 15
f5 with a strong attack - Hjartarson.
13 fxes tbd7
27 7
M as t e ring O p e n i n g S t ra tegy
In the event of 13 .. .'=2Jg4, Hjartarson h ad
planned 14 e6 fxe6 15 lt:lf4! i.d4+ 16 h 1
lt:lf2+ 17 .Mxf2 i.xf2 18 lt:lxe6 lbo 19 Vif3
with strong threats.
14 e6! fxe6 15 i.g5!
Some mobilization before capturing on
e6. Less convincing was 15 dxe6?! lt:lf6, fol
lowed by ... 0-0, or 1S lt:lf4?! i.d4+ 16 h1 0-0.
15 ...lt:lf6 16 lt:lf4!
Again White is attentive to the oppo
nent's castling. Now 16 ... 0-0? runs into 17
lt:lxe6 .Mf7 18 d6! with decisive threats.
16 ...lt:lc7 17 d6! exd6
18 lt:lxe6!
A strong temporary sacrifice that fur
ther exposes Black's king. 18 Vixd6?! .Ma6
was less clear.
18 ...lt:lxe6 19 Vie2
Of course not 19 i.xf6? 0-0. Now, on the
other hand, 19 ...0-0? drops a piece after 20
Vixe6+, so Black's king is forced to stay in
the centre.
19 ...d7 20 i.xf6 .Mhf8 21 lt:le4! c7 22
i.xg7 lt:lxg7 23 .Mxf8 .Mxf8 24 lt:lxd6!
Luring the king to a decisive double at
tack.
24 ...xd6 25 .Md1+ c6 26 Vie4+ 'lt>b5 27
Vi'd3+ c4 28 Vid5+ 1-0
2 78
In view of 28 ...b6 29 Vi'd6+ or 28 ... a6
29 Vixc4+ b6 30 .Md6+ b7 31 .Md7+ b8
32 Vih3+ with mate, Black resigned - Hjar
tarson.
Game 177 (continued)
14... g5!
An excellent flank advance to gain space
and undermine the d4-pawn by ... g5-g4.
15 i.c3 g4 16 lt:le1 f6!
A timely pawn break, by which Black ex
ploits the fact that 17 exf6 Vixf6 leads to
strong pressure at d4.
17 i.d3 fxe5 18 i.xf5
18 dxes d4 19 i.xfs exfs comes to the
same thing.
18... exf5 19 dxe5 d4
Thanks to his superior activity Black is
already a bit better, since 20 i.xd4? fails
fatally to 20...lt:lxd4 21 Vixd4 i.bs ! .
2 0 i.b4 lt:lxb4 2 1 axb4 i.b5! 22 .Mg1 b6
Restricting the knight on a4. 22 ... i.xb4?!
23 lt:lc2 was less clear.
23 lLlc2 d3 24 lt:le3 f4 25 lLlxg4?
Desperation. After 25 lt:lfs Vi'd7 26 lt:ld6+
i.xd6 27 exd6 Vixd6 28 lt:lc3 i.c6 Black
keeps the initiative, but the battle goes on.
25 ... hxg4 26 Vixg4
 Th e B a ttle fo r th e Cen tre

also weakens the light squares in his camp.

16 ... i.xa3 17 'iixa3 fxg3 18 fxg3 i.h3 ! was
preferable - Dvoretsky, although after the
simple 19 l:tf1 i.xg2 20 xg2, followed by
l:tbe1, White keeps some advantage thanks
to his superior pawn structure.

26 ...l:tc7!
With the idea 27 'iig 6+ l:tf7 28 e6?
l:txh2+! and mate.
27 h3 l:th6 28 ctJc3 i.c6
The rest is easy.
29 f3 'iih4 30 'iifs i.d7 31 e6 i.xe6 32 'iib s+
f7 33 J::.a e1 'iig 3! 0-1 17 aS C4
Just as on the previous move, 17 ...i.e6?!
Game 178 (continued) 18 c4 only yields Black an additional prob
lem with the b7-pawn, while 17 ... ctJd7 18
ctJh4!, preparing i.e4(+}, is also awkward
for him.
18 'iia 2 i.xa3 19 'iixa3 ctJd7 20 'iib4
20 d4! exd4 21 l2Jxd4 was even stronger
- Zlotnik.
20...cxd3 21 cxd3
By now White's superiority in piece ac
tivity is striking.
21...h8 22 'ii b s!
More technical than 22 lLlxes?! lLlxes 23
J::.x es fxg3 24 fxg3 i.h3 ! - Zlotnik.
22 ...l:tb8 23 lLlxes lLlxes 24 'iix es fxg3 25
16 i.a3! fxg3
By an indirect attack on the es-pawn, With a sound extra pawn and more ac
White makes the enemy attack less likely to tive pieces, White is winning. There fol
succeed. lowed 2S ...'iif2+ 26 h1 i.d7 27 J::.f1 'iic 2 28
16 ... cs?! 'iid 6! l:tfd8 29 J::.xb7 l:txb7 30 i.xb7 and
Black prevents the bishop exchange but Black resigned.

2 79
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
Game 179 (continued)
12 ...g5J
"If you don't have the central position
under control, it is better to avoid this kind
of undertaking; otherwise you risk suffer
ing a counterblow in the centre and coming
away empty-handed. But there is no danger
of this in the present case, since Black
firmly controls the entire complex of cen
tral squares." - Yusupov.
12 .. .''le4?! 13 f3 was less convincing,
when 13 .. .''lxg3? 14 hxg3 xg 3 fails to 15
tLle2.
13 a4
Resuming the plan of 'iic 1 and a3. As
280
for 13 f3, preparing e3-e4, 13 ...g6, intend-
ing ...hS-h4, looks promising for Black.
13 ... g6 14 f4
Weakening the e4-square, but 14 'iic 1 at
once permitted 14 .. .f4.
14...h5 15 'iic1 tLle4!
A Stonewall expert knows to wait with
this move until the optimal moment. Here
it helps him prevent 18 a3 once again.
16 fxg5 tt'lxc3!
Preparing a favourable exchange on e2.
In contrast, 16 ...'iixg s?! 17 tt'lxe4 fxe4 18
tLlf4 helps White - Yusupov.
17 'iix c3 e2! 18 .Mfe1 xd3 19 'iix d3 'iixg5
By now Black has a comfortable game,
with his minor pieces superior to their
white counterparts.
20 a3 xa3 21 .Mxa3 tt'lf6 22 'iif1 h5!
The pinprick ...hS-h4 is enabled, a fact
that motivates White to exchange queens.
23 'iif4 'iixf4 24 gxf4
Or 24 exf4 r;t>f7, followed by ...hS-h4,
... .Mh8, ... .Mag8 etc.
24 ...r;t>f7 25 .Ma2 .Mg8
Preparing ... .Mg7 and ... .Mag8, with ... tLle4
as a later option. Thanks to his superior mi-
nor piece Black has a stable edge in this
endgame, and Yusupov went on to win .

Game 180 (continued}
18 dS!
A thematic pawn sacrifice, which we al
ready saw in Browne-Martz (Game 118). 18
es?! i.e7 is less convincing.
18... exds
19 es! i.e7 20 e6
Tempting and strong, in order to clear
lines against the black king.
20...i.a4?!
20 ...i.e8 was more logical, bringing a
defender to the kingside, although after 21
exf7+ J:Ixf7 2 2 tt:les White keeps a clear ini
tiative.
21 exf7+ l:txf7 22 'ife6! i.xd1
Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre
Black accepts the sacrifice, since
22 ...J:Ic6?! 23 i.xh7+ 'it>f8 24 ctJd4! makes
things even worse for him.
23 i.xh7+! 'it>xh7
or 23 ...'it>f8 24 i.g6 l:tf4 25 tt:lg s ! i.xg s
2 6 i.es with deadly threats.
24 'ifxf7 'iff8 25 'ifh5+ 'it>g8 26 'ifxds+ 'iff7
27 'ifxd1
With an extra pawn and safer king,
White won without major difficulty.
Game 181 (continued}
11 ...f6!
A strong pawn break that increases
Black's central control and complicates
White's intended attack. Also possible is
11...tt:lxb3 12 axb3 f6 with similar play,
whereas 12 ...i.fs?! permits 13 'ife3 ! , fol
lowed by i.h6, keeping some attacking
prospects.
12 i.f4
Obviously 12 exf6?! exf6, followed by
...J:Ie8, would play into Black's hands.
12 ... gs!
Gaining some space on the king side. The
slight weakening of the light squares is not
too serious, now that the bishop on b3 will
soon leave the board.
281
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy
13 .ig3 'Lixb3 14 axb3 .tf5 15 'Lih2
15 'Libd2, followed by .l:!ae1, seems more
natural.
15 ... c6 16 ct:id2 'ife8 17 exf6
The clearance of the centre will make
Black's bishop pair even stronger, but
White must have feared the plan of ...'ifg6
and ....id3.
17...exf6 18 'ifxe8 .l:!fxe8 19 f4 .id3 20 .l:!f2
h6!
Black gets ready to meet f4xg5 by
...h6xg s, thus preventing the arrival of any
white piece at es. Nakamura later con
verted his slight advantage into victory.
Game 182 (continued)
13 ...'iVb6!
Responding to the flank attack with ac
tion in the centre. Now 14...CLld4 is enabled,
while the queen's rook can quickly join the
battle. Evidently, after 12 ... b6 this queen
sortie would not have been available,
whereas in the event of 12 ...'iVC7 Black
would be one tempo down by now. By the
way, 13 ... 'Lias causes White fewer worries
after 14 .tgs 'iVb6 15 'Lic3.
14 'ife4
Black is also better after 14 h s 'Lid4 15
282
'Lixd4 'ifxd4, followed by ....l:!ac8, or 14 'Lic3
'Lid4 15 'Lixd4 'ifxd4 16 ct:ixds exds! with
....l:!fe8 next.
14.. .f5!
Another key move, which enables a
counterattack along the f-file, exploiting
the lead in development. The damage to
the pawn structure is less relevant.
15 exf6 'Lixf6 16 'ife3 'ifc7 17 'Libd2?
A slow move that exposes White to a
deadly attack. 17 'iff4!, insisting on the
queen exchange, was essential; e.g.
17 ...'ifd8 18 'iVd6!, followed by 'Lic3, or
17 ...'ifxf4 18 .ixf4 'Lids 19 .id6 .l:!fd8 20
ct:ibd2! .ixb2 21 .l:!ab1 .ig7 22 'Lie4 with
some counterplay for the pawn.
17 ...'Lig4 18 'ife2
Other squares were no better; e.g. 18
'ifcs .id4, or 18 'ife4 .l:!f4, followed by
....l:!af8, or 18 'ifg s es! and the queen is
trapped by ....ih6 or ....tf6 on the next
move.
18...'Lid4 19 'iVd1 .ic6
Black's pieces coordinate perfectly.
20 .ie4 .l:!ad8 21 .txc6 bxc6 22 'it>f1
Or 22 'ifa4 .l:!xf3 ! and the queen finally
enters on h2.
22...'Lixf3 23 gxf3 'ifh2 0-1
 Th e B a ttle for t h e Cen tre

Game 183 (continued) 12 ...lbxg3!

Now that White can't easily mount an
attack down the h-file, Black decides to
keep his pawn structure intact.
13 hxg3 exd5 14 .i.e3?!
14 .i.g 2 e8+ 15 fl was preferable, al
though after 15 ... .i.e6! ?, intending ...c8-c4
as well as .. .f7-f6, Black h as counterplay -
Galkin.
14...es 15 d2 .i.f5!?
The greedy 15 ...xg 5 was also possible;
e.g. 16 o-o-o e7 17 .i.h6 .i.h8 18 .i.b5 .i.d7
with a clear edge - Lukacs.
16 .i.b5 CDc4 17 .i.xc4 dxc4 1S 0-0-0
10...e6!
Responding to White's flank attack with
action in the centre. 10...l2le5?! 11 .i.e2 or
10 ... lbxg3?! 11 hxg3, followed by 'iVh4, was
less accurate, while 10 ... l2lb6?! 11 'iVh4 lbxd5
12 lbxh5 gxh 5 13 .i.g2! also favours White
Lukacs. But 10 ... l2lc5 ! ? 11 'iVh4 .i.xc3 12 bxc3
xd5 was possible; e.g. 13 d4 d8! ? 14 .i.e2
lba4 15 .i.d2 l2lg7 16 o-o l2lf5 - Galkin.
11 d4
If 11 lbxh5?! gxh5 12 'iVh4 l2le5, both 13
xh5 exd5, preparing ....i.g4(f5), and 13 .i.g2
lbg6, intending 14 xh5 l2lf4, favour Black.
11 ... l2lb6 12 d1 1s... b5!
Black hurries to start his own attack,
even at the cost of a pawn.
19 l2lxb5 bS 20 l2lc3 e7 21 .i.f4
Disrupting the plan of ...eb7.
21 ...b6 22 de1
White's only chance is to use the e-file
for counterplay.
22 ... eb7 23 e3 .i.xd4 24 eS+ xeS 25
xeS+ g7 26 l2la4 xb2!
Of course not 26 ...b4? 27 .i.d6! -
Galkin.
27 l2lxb2 c3?
A tempting idea, but White can defend

283
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy

after this. 27 ....l:i.xb2 was correct; e.g. 28 Game 185 (continued}

.l:i.he1 .l:i.b1+!? 29 d2 c3+ 30 e2 .l:i.b2+ 31
d1 .l:i.xa2 ! ? 32 .id6 h5 33 gxh6+ h7 and
Black keeps the advantage - Galkin.
28 tl::ld 3! .ixd3 29 .l:i.b8 .l:i.b2 30 .l:i.d1 .l:i.c2+ 31
b1 .l:i.d2+
Black has to settle for a draw, since
31 ....iJ5 ? fails t o 32 .l:i.xd4 .l:i.xf2+ 33 c1
.l:i.fl+ 34 .l:i.d1 etc.
32 c1 .l:i.c2+ 33 b1 .l:i.d2+ 34 c1 Yz-Yz

Game 184 (continued}

14...tl:Jg4!
Black wishes to soften up White's centre
by ... c6-c5, but seeing that the immediate
14... c5?! permits 15 .ltxf6! .ltxf6 16 e5 .ig5
17 .ib5 .l:i.e7 18 d5 and 19 e6 with an initia
tive, he first removes the knight from f6. In
retrospect, White should have preferred 14
h3 and then mobilized the queen's rook.
15 .ltxe7
Or 15 .\tel c5! 16 .ltb5 'ic7 17 g3 .l:i.ed8
18 d5 .ltc8 with a slight edge for Black
11 ...as! thanks to his control of the dark squares,
With the centre under complete com V.Neverov-B.Gelfand, Uzhgorod 1987.
mand, Black launches an attack on the frag 1S ...'ixe7
ile enemy queen side.
18 .ig2
This leads to a soon collapse of White's
position, but 18 tl::lb 6 'ic3+ 19 .id2 tl:Jxd2 20
'ixd2 .l:i.b8 - Volkov, or 18 b5 cxb5 19
'ixb5+ .id7 was also bad for him.
18...axb4 19 tl::l b6 .l:i.a3! 20 'ic2 .l:i.xe3!
A final detail, which leaves White with
out protection on the dark squares.
21 tl:Jxc8 .l:i.c3 22 'ib1 0-0 23 tl::l b6 tl:Jxf2! 24
xf2 .ih4+ 0-1
In view of 25 fl 'if4+ 26 .if3 .l:i.xf3+ or
26 ... 'ig3, White resigned.

2 84
 The Ba ttle fo r t h e C e n tre

16 Wid2 23 .ic8 24 .l:!.fe1 Wih6 25 Wid2 Wih4 26 .l:!.f1

.

In view of the threat ... ctJe3 White has no

time for the desirable 16 es.
16...cs!
A key move which fixes a favourable
pawn structure, since neither 17 h3?! cxd4,
nor 17 .ibs cxd4 18 lbxd4 .l:!.ed8 works at all
well for White.
17 dS .id7 18 h3 ctJ4eS
Thanks to his stronghold on es and the
bad bishop on d3, Black is already a bit bet
ter.
19 ctJf4 Wigs 20 lbxg6 Wixg6!
Pert has observed that he can soon mo
bilize for an attack on the enemy kingside, 26....l:!.d6!
whereas White has no obvious plan to fol A nice rook lift that enhances the com
low. ing attack.
21 c;t>h1 .l:!.ad8 22 Wif2 b6 23 .ib1?! 27 Wit2 Wihs 28 CZJbs .l:!.h6 29 Wig3 .l:!.g6 30
A sad place for the bishop. Perhaps Wih2 .ia6 31 a4 .ixbs! 32 axbs Wie2
White should have tried 23 .ibs ! ? instead; Black wins a pawn, while maintaining
e.g. 23 ... .ixbs 24 ctJxbs Wixe4 25 lbc7!, with his huge positional plus.
ideas like 2S ... .l:!.e7 26 d6 and 2 S ... .l:!.f8 26 33 d6?! .l:!.xd6 34 .l:!.xd6 Wixf1+ 35 Wig1 Wixbs
.l:!.de1. 36 Wid1 h6 37 Wids? Wif1+ o-1

2 85
 Cha pter Fo u r
Rest rict i o n
I ntrod uction
Just like the battle for the centre, the con
cept of restriction isn't exclusive to the
opening phase, and I covered its role in the
middlegame quite extensively in Mastering
Chess Strategy.
Basically, restriction means that you
don't let your opponent carry out the
moves or plans that he is aiming for. In the
context of opening play, we can divide the
restrictive measures into three distinct
types:
t Restriction of the opponent's devel
opment (including castling).
t Restriction of a specific enemy piece.
t Restriction of the opponent's general
plans.
Evidently, the two latter types are rele
vant during middlegame and endgame
play as well, whereas the first type is exclu
sive to the opening. In this chapter we will
come across restrictive measures of all
three types, sometimes even intertwined
within the same game.
286
Restriction of castling
Throughout this book we have seen many
games where the prevention of the oppo
nent's castling had a huge effect on the
battle; e.g. Dvoretsky-Schmidt (Game 7; 12
i.b5+!), Psakhis-Gofshtein (Game 8;
15 ... i.c5!), Firman-ltkis (Game 10; 16 i.c5!),
Vaisser-lllescas (Game 54; 14...i.a6!),
Ovetchkin-Efanov (Game 62; 20 iVa4+!, 21
iVa3), and Kundin-Kostanovich (Game 134;
14 i.b5+!). Here are some more examples
on the subject.
Game 186
A.Vusupov-T.Wedberg
Stockholm 2003
Colle's Opening
1 d4 lbf6 2 lbf3 e6 3 e3 cs 4 i.d3 b6 5 o-o
i.b7 6 c4 i.e7 7 lDc3
As mentioned in Game 59 (Vera
Romero), the Colle is by no means an in
sipid opening, despite its peaceful looks. By
playing 7 lbc3 at this moment, White pre
pares to meet 7 ... 0-0 with 8 d5!, when

8 ... exds 9 cxds li:Jxds 10 li:Jxds xds 11
xh7+ xh7 12 'iVxds yields him a pleasant
advantage, whereas other Black 9th moves
produces some kind of inferior Benoni due
to the placement of the black bishops.
1 ... d s
7. . .cxd4 8 exd4 d S is more popular, when
play usually continues 9 cxds li:Jxds 10
li:Jes ! (10 bS+ c6 is less promising)
10...0-0 11 'iVh s or 11 'iVg4 with a sharp bat
tle. The drawback to the immediate 7 ... d5
will be well displayed by this game.
8 cxds exds
While 8 ... cxd4?! 9 bS+! is annoying for
Res triction
Black, 8 ...4:Jxds 9 e4 li:Jxc3 10 bxc3 o-o was
probably a lesser evil. Similar positions of
ten arise in the Petrosian Variation of the
Queen's Indian (1 d4 li:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 li:Jf3 b6 4
a3), but there White h as wasted a move on
a2-a3, so he should be slightly better here.
9 bS+!
White violates the principle of not mov
ing the same piece twice in the opening,
but with good reason. This check either
leaves Black without castling or under
mines the d5-pawn.
9 ... f8
Wedberg opts for the former. 9 ...4:Jc6? 10
li:Jes .l:!.c8 11 'iVa4 'iVc7 12 'iVxa7 is just disas
trous for Black, while the natural 9 ... 4:Jbd7
runs into 10 dxcs bxc5 11 li:Jes ! with the
idea 11 ...0-0 12 li:Jxd7 li:Jxd7 13 li:Jxd5. Fi-
nally, 9 ...c6 is strongly met by 10 'iVa4!
xb5 11 'iVxb5+, when 11 ... 4:Jbd7 12 dxc5
bxc5 13 .l:!.d1 again leads to a problem with
the d5-pawn, and 11 ...'iVd7 12 li:Je5 'iVxbs 13
li:Jxb5 li:Ja6 14 .l:!.d1 also favours White; e.g.
14...0-0 15 li:Jc6 .l:!.fe8 16 b3! f8 17 b2
with strong pressure in N.Sulava-C.Debray,
French Team Championship 2009.
10 e2
Prophylaxis against an annoying ... c5-c4,
i.e. 10 b3 c4!? 11 bxc4 a6 12 a4 dxc4, and
13 ... b5 next, with some queenside activity
for Black.
10 ... 4:Jbd7 11 b3!
Of course. On b2 the other bishop will
control the long diagonal and discourage
Black's natural plan of ... g7-g6 and ...g7.
11 ...a6 12 b2 .l:!.c8 13 .l:!.c1 hs!? 14 h3!
With his last move Black probably hoped
for 14 li:Je5 li:Jxes 15 dxe5 li:Jg4!, when 16
xg4 hxg4 17 'iVxg4 d4, intending ....l:!.h4,
yields him some counterplay, but Yusupov
prevents that idea.
28 7
M as t e ring O p e n ing Strategy
14...'it>g8
15 ctJe5!
Activating the knight and preparing .i.f3,
with increased pressure on the hanging
pawns. Due to his badly placed king, it is al
ready difficult to find a good plan for Black
15 ... cxd4 16 iVxd4
The right recapture, so as to keep the
long diagonal open.
16....1l.c5 11 iVf4 lLlf8
Both 17 ....i.d6 18 ctJxf7! and 17 ...ltJxeS 18
iVxes d4 19 exd4 ixd4 20 iVgs ! favour
White.
18 .i.f3 lDe6 19 'if5! g6
Doing a favour to the bishop on b2, but
the queen was annoying on fs.
20 'id3 lDg5 21 l:td1!
Yusupov isn't bothered about the ex
change on f3, and brings the last piece into
the battle.
21 ...ctJxf3+
Or 21 ....1l.d6 22 .i.xds! lbxds 23 lbxds
l:xc1 24 l:xc1 .ll. x es 25 .ll.x es .ll.xds 26
iVxds! etc.
22 ctJxf3
With the rook on e8 instead of h 8, this
would be a normal fighting position. Here,
in contrast, Black's disconnected rooks and
288
the tactical motifs along the a1-h8 diagonal
spell big problems for him.
22 ...'ie7?
Black's first tactical mistake in the
game, and a decisive one. The prophylactic
22 ... .1l.e7 was called for, when 23 ctJa4, fol
lowed by .ll.d4, is one possible way for
White to work on his advantage.
23 b4!
A nice strike, which exploits the fact that
22 ...'ie7 l eft the bishop on b7 overloaded to
the defence of c8 and ds.
23 ....i.xb4 24 lbxd5 lbxd5 25 l:xc8+ .ll.xc8
26 iVxd5!
Even simpler than 26 .ll.xh8.
26 ...l:h7 27 'jfd8+ 'jff8 28 iVxf8+ .ll.xf8 29
l:d8 1-0
In view of 29 ....i.fs 30 .ll.a3, Black resigned.
Game 187
P. RicardiJ.Hellsten
Sa ntiago 2006
Cotafan Opening
1 d4 lDf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 .ll.g 2 dxc4 5 lDf3
a6
With this and the following move, Black

declares his intention to hang on to the c4-
pawn. A calmer approach is s ... .ie7 6 o-o
o-o 7 c2 a6, when Black resolves the de
velopment of his queen's bishop after both
8 XC4 bS 9 C2 .ib7 and 8 a4 .id7! 9
xc4 .ic6.
6 o-o tZ:lc6 7 tZ:lc3
Also possible is 7 e3, followed by e2,
.U.d1 and e3-e4.
7 ....ib4
In my search for a reply to the Catalan,
this rare move had attracted my attention.
7 ... .U.b8, preparing ... b7-b5, is much more
popular; e.g. 8 e4 .ie7 9 e2 bs 10 .U.d1 o-o
11 dS exds 12 es tZ:lb4! 13 exf6 .ixf6 with a
double-edged battle, as occurred in several
games.
8 e4!?
Ricardi plays just the move that I was
trying to prevent! An earlier game of mine
went 8 c2 0-0 9 .U.d1 .ie7 (vacating the
b4-square for the knight) 10 e4 b S 11 e2
.U.e8 12 .if4 tZ:lb4! 13 tZ:le1 and a draw was
agreed in J.Gustafsson-J.Hellsten, European
Team Championship, Gothenburg 2005.
8 .ixc3
...
Accepting the challenge. The simple
8 ...0-o was also reasonable; e.g. 9 es tZ:lds or
Restriction
9 dS exds 10 exds tZ:le7, with unclear play in
both cases.
9 bxc3 tZ:lxe4 10 tZ:les!
Being two pawns down, White should of
course act energetically. After 10 c2?!
tZ:ld6, followed by ...0-0, Black has no prob
lems.
10 tZ:lxes
.
Not 10 ...tZ:lxc3? 11 .ixc6+ bxc6 12 f3
etc.
11 .ixe4 tZ:ld7?!
Here I definitely underestimated my op
ponent's next move. By 11 ...tZ:ld3 12 .ia3 c s !
Black could h ave tried t o return the pawns
to facilitate his development, a common
strategy when facing gambits. At this point,
13 .ixd3 cxd3 14 .ixcs b6! 15 .ia3 .ib7 16
xd3 ds 17 f3 .U.c8, preparing .. .f7-f6 and
...c/J;f7, seems about equal; while 13 s ! ?
h 6 ! , insisting o n the idea of ...o-o, o r 13 dxcs
as 14 .ib4 C7! 15 c6 tZ:lxb4 16 cxb4 o-o
also looks okay for Black.
12 .ia3!
A typical restriction method, that we al
ready came across in Vaisser-lllescas {Game
54) with reversed colours, among others.
12 tZ:lf6
.
Despite the two extra pawns and the
289
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy
absence of direct enemy threats, it is not
easy to find a plan for Black here. With the
text I transfer the knight to the good d5-
square, though that doesn't solve the prob
lem of the uncastled king, of course.
An alternative was 12 ... c 5 ! ? 13 dxc5 lt'lf6
in the spirit of the note to Black's 11th
move, although after 14 .i.f3 'iVxd1 15
lbxd1 lt'ld5 16 J:i.fe1! White keeps the pres
sure; e.g. 16 ...lt'lxc3 17 c6! lt'Jxd1 18 cxb7
l:i.b8 19 bxc8'iV+ J:i.xc8 20 .i.xd1 with a fa
vourable endgame.
13 .i.g2 lt'lds 14 'iVg4 'iVf6
15 'iVe2!
Having lured the black queen to f6,
White now creates the double threat of
.i.xd5 and 'iVxc4. Less to the point was 15
.i.xd5?! exd5 16 l:i.ae1+ .i.e6 17 f4 g6 18 f5
gxf5 19 J:i.xf5 o-o-o! and Black defends.
15 ...lt'Jxc3
The ensuing complications favour White
thanks to his better development, but
15 ... c6 16 'iVxc4 was depressing for Black.
16 'iVxc4 lt'lbs 17 .i.b4!
Of course, keeping ... 0-0 out of the ques
tion.
17 ... 'iVxd4?
An oversight in a difficult position.
290
1 7...lt'lxd4? was equally bad due t o 18 l:i.ad1
e5 19 J:i.xd4! exd4 20 'iVxc7 with decisive
threats, while after 17 ... .i.d7 ! ? 18 a4! 'iVxd4
19 l:i.fc1! 'iVxc4 20 l:i.xc4 lt'ld6 21 l:i.xe7 White
keeps a huge advantage.
18 .i.c6+!
A nice blow which converts White's ini
tiative into something more tangible.
18 ....i.d7
Or 18 ...bxc6 19 'iVxc6+ 'iVd7 20 'iVxa8
lt'ld6 2 1 l:i.ac1 0-0 22 'iVb8 with an easy win.
19 .i.xbs 'iVxc4 20 .i.xc4
Material is about even, but Black's
pawns are rather unfortunately distributed
to put up much resistance to White's
mighty bishop pair.
20... 0-0-0?
I was already a bit disillusioned with the
course of events and overlooked 20... c5!,
preparing ...b7-b5 and ...c5-c4, with some
minimal counterplay.
21 l:i.fc1 .i.a4 22 .i.c3 l:i.hg8 23 J:i.ab1 hS 24
h4 l:i.d7?
A useless move which lets White break
through on the queenside. 24... c6 and
....i.b5 was the last chance.
25 .i.e2! g6 26 .i.f3 c6 27 l:i.b4 .i.bs 28 a4 as
Or 28 ....i.d3 29 .i.e5 l:i.e7 30 .i.xc6 etc.

29 .Uxbs! 1-0
In view of 29 ... cxb5 30 i.e5+ <J;ld8 3 1
i.f6+, Black resigned.
Gome 188
Ma.Carlsen
C.Deepan Chakkravarthy
Dubai 2004
Sicilian Defence,
Rossolimo Variation
1 e4 cs 2 lLlf3 tbc6 3 tbc3 lLlf6
By his last move White sidestepped the
Sveshnikov, whose adherents can also play
3 ... e5 here.
4 i.bs
Finally White settles for a Rossolimo,
and now intends 5 e5. In this sense, 4.. .'C7
is the most frequent choice in practice,
while the game move invites the opponent
to surrender the bishop pair to gain a lead
in development.
4...es 5 i.xc6 dxc6 6 tbxes tbxe4
The only way of recovering the pawn.
7 tbxe4 'iVd4 8 o-o
Another direction is 8 'iVe2 'iVxe5 9 f4, or
even 9 d4, with complex play.
Restriction
s...'iVxes
Give Black two extra tempi and he will
be just fine after ... i.e7 and ... 0-0. Thus Carl
sen invests a pawn to increase his lead in
development.
9 d4! cxd4?!
It seems that 9 ... 'iVxd4 was preferable;
e.g. 10 'iVf3 i.e7 11 i.g 5 f6 12 .Uad1 'iVxb2
13 tbd6+ i.xd6 14 .Ufe1+ <J;lf7 15 .Uxd6 .Uf8!,
preparing ...<J;lg8, and Black was okay in
R.Ovetchkin-D.Kokarev, Voronezh 2003.
Perhaps 10 'iVe2!? i.e6 11 i.g5 could be
tried instead, in similar fashion to the
game.
10 .Ue1 i.e6
After 10 ... i.e7 11 i.g 5 ! o-o! 12 tLlf6+
i.xf6 13 .Uxe5 i.xe5 14 'iVe2 White keeps an
initiative in the endgame, but this was
probably a lesser evil for Black, as we will
see next.
11 i.gs!
Simple and strong - White prevents the
opponent's ...0-0-0 and also creates the
threat of 12 lLlf6+. other moves fail to pose
any problems for Black; e.g. 11 f4?! 'iVd5 12
tbg5 o-o-o, or 11 tLlg 5 'iVd5 12 'iVg4 <J;ld7! ? as
in N.Ristic-P.Kovacevic, Yugoslav Team
Championship 1994.
291
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
11 ...i..e 7
The natural 11 ...'ifd5 is strongly met by
12 i..f6!, paralysing Black's game; e.g. 12 ...c5
13 c3 d3 14 c4!, intending 14...'ifxc4 15
i..xg7! - Postny, or 12 ...d3 13 c4! 'ifa5 14
i..c 3 'ifd8 15 .Me3 'ifh4 16 'ifxd3 .Md8 17 'ife2
with a dangerous initiative in O.Kurmann
J .Markos, Zurich 2010.
12 f4!
By 12 l2lf6+ i..xf6 13 .Mxe5 i.. x e5 14 f4
i.. C 7 15 f5 !, intending 15 ...i..xf5 16 'ife1+!
i..e 6 17 'ifb4, White could have secured an
advantage in the endgame, but Carlsen
goes for more.
12 ... 'ifds
Unfortunately for Black, after 12 ...'ife7
13 i..x e7 Wxe7 14 'ifxd4 'ifb6 White has 15
l2lc5 ! .
13- i..xe7 Wxe7
14 f5!
Now that 14...i..xf5? runs into 15 lbc3+,
Black has to accept the trade of the f- and d
pawns, which lets White's queen onto the
stage with devastating effect.
14 ...'ifxfs 15 'ifxd4 'ifds
Or 15 ... .Mhd8 16 'ifb4+ <Jte8 17 .Mad1 with
lbd6+ next - Postny. The text aims at a
queen's exchange, but White easily avoids
292
that and keeps his attack going.
16 'ifb4+ cs 17 lbxcs as 18 'ifa3 'ifd4+ 19
Wh1 'ifb4 20 'ife3! 1-0
In this hopeless position Black resigned.
There could have followed 20 ...'ifg4 21 h3
'ifg6 22 'ifa3 We8 23 'ifh3 ! with decisive
threats.
Game 189
sBryneii;.J.Barkhagen
Swedish Tearn
Championsh i p 2008
Queen 's Indian Defence
1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 e6 3 l2lf3 b6 4 g3 i..a 6 s b3 bs
A interesting alternative to the more
common 5 ... i..b4+ or 5 ... i..e 7. At the cost of
a few tempi, Black achieves the exchange of
the influential c4-pawn.
6 cxbs i..x bs 7 i..g 2 ds 8 o-o lbbd7
The most accurate choice, since both
8 ...i..d6 and 8 ... i.. e 7 give White the addi
tional option of g lbc3 i.. a6 10 b4! ?, cramp
ing Black on the queen side - Avrukh.
g lbc3
g ..i..c 6?!
.
But this is misguided, as the bishop had

no reason to leave the active f1-a6 diagonal
yet. Several games saw 9 ....i.a6 10 .Mel .i.b4
{or .i.e7 I.i.d6), followed by ...0-0.
10 .i.b2 .i.b7
Black prepares ... c7-c5, a structurally
sound idea but risky on this occasion due to
White's lead in development. 10 ... .i.e7 was
safer, both here and on the next move.
11 .Mel es 12 CZ'la4!
Forcing the the exchange of pawns on
White's terms, which will yield him consid
erable activity. 12 dxc5?! .i.xc5 was less
ambitious.
12 ... exd4
Or 12 ... .Mc8 13 dxc5 CZ'lxc5 14 'ilfd4!, keep
ing the pressure.
13 CDxd4 .Me8 14 'ilfd3!
Natural and strong - White connects his
rooks for the battle of the c-file, and also
enables an annoying 'ilfb5 or 'ilfe3 later on.
14... a6?!
Preventing 15 'i1Vh5, but this additional
tempo loss will be strongly felt in the fur
ther course of the game. After 14 ....i.e7 15
'i1Vh5 ! .Mb8 16 CZ'lc6 .i.xc6 17 'ilfxc6 o-o 18
'ilfa6 CZ'lb6 ! Black is still worse, but at least
his king has reached safety.
15 .Mxe8 'ilfxe8 16 .Mel 'ilfa8
Res triction
Just as in the previous game, if Black is
given two tempi he will have no problems
after ....i.e? and ...0-0. How can White pre
vent that?
17 'ilfe3!
A key move that prepares a sacrifice on
e6. The alternative 17 .Me??! .i.d6 was less
constructive.
17 ....i.e7
Or 17 ....i.d6? 18 CZ'lxe6! fxe6 19 'ilfxe6+
.i.e7 20 .Me7 with the devastating threat 21
.i.xf6.
18 .i.h3!
The threat is stronger than its execution
- after 18 CZ'lxe6 fxe6 19 'ilfxe6 CZ'lf8 Black can
still defend.
18 ...CZ'le4
Seeing that 18 ... 0-0 runs into 19 CZ'lxe6!
fxe6 20 .i.xe6+ .Mf7 21 .Mc7 with huge mate
rial losses, Black intercepts the enemy
queen.
19 CDxe6! fxe6 20 .i.xe6
By means of a minimal sacrifice White
has managed to open the gates to Black's
king, and prevent ... 0-0. Actually, the occu
pation of the e6-square {or e3 with reversed
colours) with a minor piece tends to have a
strong restrictive effect on the opponent's
293
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy
development, a fact that motivates similar
sacrifices in the Open Sicilian, among oth
ers.
20. ./bfS
Inviting the white knight to the party,
but the threat of 2 1 .i.xd7+ xd7 22 lt:ib6+
had to be parried, and 20...lt:idf6 21 '11c 7,
preparing 'ifb6, was also grim for Black.
21 lt:ib6 'iia 7
Both 21...'iib 8 and 21...'iid8 were
strongly met by 22 .i.xds!. Now, in contrast,
the capture on dS would let Black swap the
queens, so Brynell adjusts his plans.
22 '11c 7! 'iib8
Or 22 ... lt:ixe6 23 11xe7+! xe7 24 CtJxdS+
.i.xds 25 'iix a7+ d6 26 .i.a3+ es 27 f3
with an easy win.
23 '11x b7! 'iixb7 24 .i.xds
Black's camp is being completely demol
ished.
24...'iic 7 25 .i.xe4
2s ...lt:ie6
2 S ... .i.cs 26 .i.g6+ leads to mate, while
after 2S ... 'iic s 26 .i.d4 'iig s 27 .i.c6+ d8 28
'iic 3 the black king is doomed.
26 .i.ds 1-o
In view of 26 ... lt:ics 27 .i.xg7, Black re
signed.
294
Game :J.90
N.ShortL.OIJ
Parnu 1996
Scandinavian Defence
1 e4 dS 2 exds 'iixds 3 CtJc3 'iia s 4 .i.e2
Short opts for a modest set-up, delaying
the fight for the initiative until a later stage
of the game. 4 d4, followed by lt:if3 and
.i.c4, is the main line here.
4...lt:if6 s lt:if3 c6 6 h3 .i.fs 7 0-0 lt:ibd7
A simple alternative was 7 ... e6 8 d4 .i.d6
and ...0-0 next.
8 d4 e6 9 CtJh4 .i.g6 10 lt:ixg6 hxg6 11 .i.f4!
Depriving the black queen and bishop of
their standard posts on c7 and d6.
11 ...'11d 8?!
A natural move in this structure, but
here it has the drawback of taking a vital
retreat square from the queen, a fact that
White immediately exploits. 11.. . .i.e7 was
preferable, or even 11.. . .i.b4!? 12 'iid 3 'iifs
Short.
12 a3! lt:ib6?!
This runs into a strong reply. After
12 ... .i.e7 13 b4 'iifs 14 'iid2! Black is also in
trouble, since 14...lt:ids? 15 lt:ixds cxds 16 g4

'Yi'f6 17 g5 'Yi'f5 18 i.g4 leaves his queen
trapped, and 14 ... e5 15 dxe5 l2Jxe5 16 'Yi'e3
is equally unpleasant for him. In contrast,
the pragmatic 12 ... .l::i.c 8!? 13 b4 'Yi'd8 looked
quite acceptable, with ... i.e7 and ... 0-0 just
around the corner.
13 i.es!
Intercepting the black queen from the
f5-square, which means that 14 b4 h as be
come a mortal threat.
13 ... lLlbdS 14 lLlxds exds?!
A third inaccuracy, which yields White
an open e-file to operate on. The usual re
capture 14 ... cxd5?! was also dubious due to
15 b4 ifb6 16 c4! dxc4 17 'Yi'a4+! - Khalif
man; thus 14 ... ifxd5 ! 15 c4 'Yi'd7 should
h ave been preferred - Short.
15 b4 'Yi'b6
Without any intention to bore the
reader, here we have one more case where
Black is about to reach safety by ... i.e7 and
... 0-0. How can White prevent that from
happening?
16 c4!
By means of the threat of c4-c5, Short
manages to clear new lines towards the
enemy king. The isolated pawn that now
arises on d4 is a less relevant factor.
Res triction
16...dxc4
Forced, since 16 ....l::i.d7 17 c5 'Yi'd8 18 b5,
followed by 'Yi'a4, .l::i.ab1 etc, leads to a crush
ing white initiative on the queenside.
17 i.xc4 i.e7
After 17 ... i.d6 18 'ife2 ! i.xes 19 dxes
lLld5 White is just in time for 20 e6! -
Khalifman.
18 'Yi'C2!
A key move, which stops 18 ... 0-0? on ac
count of 19 ifxg6. Thus Black is forced onto
the defensive.
18 ...f8 19 .l::i.a e1 lLlds 20 .l::i.e 2?!
The idea of doubling rooks on the open
file is very logical, but 20 .l::i.e4 was a more
active way of doing it - Short. On the other
h and, the concrete 20 i.xds .l::i.xds 21
i.xg7+! xg7 22 .l::i.x e7 .l::i.xd4 23 'Yi'C3 .l::i.h d8
24 .l::i.fe1 might have been even more prom
ising - in this major piece endgame White
is far more active, and he has the safer king.
20...i.f6 21 .l::i.fe1 g8!
Providing the king with a flight square
on h7, so that 22 i.xd5 can be met by
22 ....l::i.xd5 from now on. In contrast,
21 ... i.xes? 22 dxe5 lLlf4 {otherwise 23 e6)
23 .l::td2 'Yi'C7 24 'Yi'd1! ? e7 25 .l::i.d6 ! yields
White a huge advantage.
295
M as te ring Open ing Strategy
22 !:te4
Admitting the inaccuracy two moves
ago.
22 ...l::t h4?
After a tenacious defence, 011 finally
goes astray. Khalifman suggests 22 ... as as
an improvement, while 22 ... '>i?h7, preparing
...l::th e8, seems possible as well, keeping up
the fight.
23 .txd5! cxd5
Perhaps Black had planned 23 ...l::txds 24
i.xf6 l::txe4 25 xe4 gxf6, only to discover
that 26 e8+ '>i?g7 27 l::t e 7 wins for White;
e.g. 27 ... xd4 28 h4! - Khalifman.
24 l::tx h4 i.xh4 25 i.c7 l::tc 8
Or 2S ... i.xf2+ 26 '>i?xf2 xd4+ 27 '>i?f1
l::tc 8 28 i.es!, keeping the extra m aterial.
26 l::te 8+! l::txe8 27 i.xb6 axb6 28 '>i?f1
In this endgame Black's weak queenside
pawns make it impossible for him to set up
a fortress, so White is winning.
28 ...l::ta 8 29 b3 l::td 8 30 '>i?e2 i.f6 31 '>i?d3
'>i?f8 32 a4 1-0
In view of 33 a7 next, Black resigned.
Restriction of specific pieces
As we saw in the previous games, the re
striction of an opponent's castling h ad
296
quite a radical impact on the battle. I n con
trast, the restriction of a specific enemy
piece tends to have a more long-term effect
on the game, one that can leave the af
fected side suffering even into the end
game. Let's start with a basic method of
this type .
Game 1.91
T.RadjabovEu..Torre
Caivia.Oiyrnpiad 2004
Pirc &e.fence
1 e4 d6 2 d4 tZ'lf6 3 tt:Jc3 g6 4 f4 i.g7 5 tZ'lf3
o-o 6 i.d3 tt:Ja6
A common reply to the Austrian Attack,
by which Black prepares ... c7-c5 without
obstructing the bishop on c8.
1 es!?
An aggressive choice. The main line goes
7 0-0 cs 8 dS i.g4, preparing ...t2JC7, ...l::tb 8
and, if possible, ...b7-b5.
7 ...dxe5
This and the next move provide an easy
solution to the problem with the threat
ened knight, but also leaves White with an
extra pawn in the centre. The restrained
] ...tbd7, insisting on the ... c7-c5 idea, is
more common in practice.
8 fxes tt:Jd5 9 tt:Jxds
The most ambitious try, to gain some
space before Black gets ... c7-c5 in.
9 ...xds 10 c4 d8 11 h3!
A typical restriction method, which
leaves the bishop on c8 short of a good des
tiny. It is used in many different openings
and in fact we already came across it in
Andersson-Portisch (Game 61) and Po
lugaevsky-Dorfman (Game 116). In con
trast, after 11 o-o i.g4 Black has an easier

task; e.g. 12 .i.e4 c6 13 h 3 .i.xf3 14 .i.xf3
"ifb6 or 14... 'ilk7, followed by ....l::!.ad8 and
possibly ... c7-c5.
11 ...f6
A sensible pawn break, reducing some
of White's space advantage. 11 ... c5 12 d5
'iiie 7 13 'iiie 2 '2lb4 14 .i.b1 was less convinc
ing.
12 exf6 exf6 13 0-0 c6
Preparing ...'2lc7 in order to get the off
side knight into play. After 13 ...c5 14 d5 or
13 .. .f5 14 .i.c2 White should also be slightly
better, while the flexible 13 ... .l::!.e 8 can be
met by 14 h1 ! ?, intending 14.. .f5 15 .i.g 5.
14 .i.f4 '2lc7 15 'iiib 3!
Another sensible developing move, with
the additional merit of again restricting the
bishop on c8.
15 ...h8 16 .l::!.a d1 '2le6 17 .i.e3 'iiic 7 18 .l::!.fe1
White brings the last piece into the bat
tle, and prepares to meet ...'2lf4 by .i.f1.
18 ...'2lf4?!
On this square the knight will just be
come exposed. Preferable was 18 ...'2lg 5 ! 19
'2lh2 ! 'iiig 3 20 h1 with only a slight white
advantage - Erenburg, who also suggests
18 d5!? on the previous move.
19 .i.f1 b6?
Restriction
With d4-d5 hanging in the air, Black
should have taken prophylactic measures.
After 19 ....l::!.d8 20 d5 cxd5 21 cxd5 'iiid6 22
.l::!.d4 White remains on top - Erenburg, but
in the game he will obtain an even bigger
advantage.
20 d5!
Finally, the time is ripe for the inherent
plan in the position: converting the pawn
majority into a passed pawn.
20 ... cxd5 21 cxd5 'iiid 6 22 'iiic4!
An accurate follow-up, which attacks
the knight and threatens 'iiic 6 at the same
time.
22... ttJh5?
This loses material, but after 22 ... g5 23
'iiic 6 'iiixc6 24 dxc6 Black's game is also dif
ficult due to the dangerous passed pawn
and White's clearly more active pieces.
23 g4! b5
Since 23 ... '2lg3 fails to 24 .i.f4, Black's
fate is practically decided.
24 'iiic6 'iiig 3+
Or 24...'iiix c6 25 dxc6 '2lg3 26 .i.c5 .l::!.g 8
27 .i.xb5 etc - Erenburg.
25 .i.g2 .i.xg4 26 .i.f2 'iiif4 27 hxg4 'iiixg4 28
'iiie 6!
The rest is easy.
29 7
M as te ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy
28 ...fs 29 ttJes 'ifgs 30 l2Jf7+ lixf7 31 'ifxf7
h6 32 'ife7 'ifg4 3 3 'ifh4! 1-0
In the previous game we saw Radjabov
successfully restricting the opponent's
light-squared bishop, while in the following
encounter, Geller directs his attention to
the queen's knight. Moreover, the second
half of the game will show us a great deal
about restriction in general.
Game 1.92
E.OellerH.Meddng
Palma de Mallorca
lnterzonal 1970
Spanish Opening
1 e4 es 2 C2Jf3 l2Jc6 3 i.bs a6 4 i.a4 l2Jf6 5
0-0 i.e1 6 lie1 bS 7 i.b3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3
ttJas
The Chigorin Variation, just as popular
today as 100 years ago!
10 i.c2 cs 11 d4 'ifc7 12 C2Jbd2 l2Jc6
Nowadays, 12 ... cxd4 13 cxd4 l2Jc6 is a
more frequent continuation, with Black
securing some counterplay along the c-file.
This has even made 12 ds a popular choice,
in order to close the centre at once.
13 ds ttJas
The knight returns, but the remainder of
the game will show us the drawbacks to
this decision. 13 ... l2Jd8 is much more com
mon, with the future plan of ...l2Je8, ...g 7-g6,
...CLJg7, f7-f6 and ...ctJf7, discovered by
Rubinstein at the beginning of the previous
century.
14 b3!
A clever piece of restriction directed at
the knight on as. From now on, the typical
idea of ... cS-c4 and ...ctJb7-cS will be met by
298
b3-b4!, exploiting the fact that ...c4xb3 en
passant is no longer available. Moreover, a
regrouping with ... ctJc4-b6 is now also im
possible. The immediate 14 l2Jf1 gives Black
fewer worries after 14 ... CLJc4, or 14 ... c4 with
...CLJb7-cS next.
14...i.d7
14... g6!?, preparing ...CLJh S, is a different
idea analysed by A.Filippov.
15 CLJf1
White gets on with his intended king
side attack.
1S ... CLJb7 16 CLJg3 C4 17 b4! lifc8?!
A rather cooperative move. By 17 ... g6
Black could have complicated the oppo
nent's attack to a considerable extent; e.g.
18 l2Jh2 as 19 i.h6 lifc8 20 'iff3 lia6 2 1 a3
lica8 22 CLJfS i.d8! with a tense battle in
M.Zufic-B.Lengyel, Budapest 2002.
18 ttJfs i.f8 19 l2Jh2 as 20 lie3 !
The rook joins the kingside attack and
also eyes the sensitive c3-square.
20 ... axb4 21 cxb4 i.xfs?!
Geller writes that Black could h ave
waited with this exchange, but also men
tions that the doubling of rooks on the a
file would not have made much sense due
to a2-a3. In any case, 21 ... g6 22 lig 3 'lt>h8 23

C2Jh6 .ie8, or perhaps 2 1...h 8 ! ?, followed
by ... CZJg8 and g 7-g6, seems more tenacious
than the text, with a slight hope of reinte
grating the knight in Rubinstein style by
.. .f7-f6 and ... C2Jd8-f7 later on.
22 exf5 c3
23 l2Jg4!
The exchange of knights will liberate the
e4-square for the rook, where it will prevent
Black's intended ... c4.
23 ... .ie7 24 CZJxf6+ .ixf6 25 .Ue4!
Before resuming his kingside attack,
White prevents 25 ....ig 5 as well as a posi
tional sacrifice with ... e5-e4. As a conse
quence, Black is limited to passive defence.
25 ..JVd7 26 f3 .Uc7 27 h4 e7
Parrying the threat of g4-g 5.
28 g3 C2Jd8?!
As Geller says, on d8 the knight has a
single destiny: back to b7! 28 ....Uac8, fol
lowed by 29 ....Uc4, seems preferable, al
though strategically speaking Black's task
remains very difficult due to his passive
knight.
29 a3
This and the following moves aim at
creating a "second front" on the queenside.
29....Ucc8 30 .Ub1 .Uc7 31 e2!
Restriction
By a simultaneous attack at the b5- and
c3-pawns, White aims at diverting the black
queen from the h4-d8 diagonal, so that g3-
g4 can be launched later on.
31....Ub8 32 .Ub3 d7 33 f3 .ie7 34 .Ue3
After 34 .Uxc3 .Uxc3 35 xc3 .Uc8 Black
obtains some minimal counterplay.
34 ....if6 35 .Ue4!
Of course not 35 .Ubxc3? .Uxc3 36 .Uxc3 e4.
3 5 ... .ie7 36 g4! f6
Practically forced, in view of the threat
37 g 5, but this means the end for the c3-
pawn now that the bishop can no longer
settle at f6. Of course 36 ....ixh4? failed to
37 g 5 .
37 .Ue3 CLlf7 38 .Ubxc3 .Ubc8
39 .ie4!
Finishing off Black's last hope of coun
terplay: ... e5-e4 followed by ... CZJe5. By now
White's extra pawn and attacking potential
make the win a matter of time.
39....id8 40 .id2 MC4 41 MXC4 MXC4
In the event of 41 ... bxc4 Geller had pre
pared 42 .Uc3, followed by .ib1-a2 and e4.
besieging the c4-pawn.
42 .Uc3 .ib6 43 .Uxc4 bxc4 44 g5 fxg5 45
hxg5 .ids 46 h5 c3 47 .ie3! h6
With 47 ...C2Jh8 48 g6 h6 Black could have
299
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
avoided an direct assault at his king, but
that would be a cruelty to the poor knight,
which has already suffered enough in this
game.
48 f6! 1-0
In view of 48 ... ct'lxgs 49 .i.xg s hxgs so
iYh7+ with a quick mate, Black resigned.
Here is one more game from older
times, where Black's queen's knight again
falls victim to restrictive measures.
Game 193
A.Suetin-l.Shamkovich
USSR Championship, Kiev 1964
Sct:mdinavian Defence
1 e4 d s 2 exds ct'lf6 3 d4 ct'lxds 4 ct'lf3 .i.g4
4... g6 is another direction in this Scan
dinavian line (with an Alekhine flavour).
5 C4 ct'lb6 6 cs .i.xf3?!
This early exchange yields White a clear
initiative. Today, the more elastic 6 ...CLJ6d7
is preferred; e.g. 7 'ih3 i.xf3 8 'ifxf3 ct'lc6
with a sharp battle.
1 'ifxf3 ct'lds
8 'ifb3!
3 00
Provoking light square weaknesses on
the enemy queen side. Such a "punishment"
with 'ih3 is rather common in openings
with an early development of the black
queen's bishop, such as the Slav. In con
trast, 8 .i.c4 c6 9 ctJc3 e6 is less dangerous
for Black.
8 ... b6
The active 8 ... ct'lc6? fails to 9 'ifxb7 ct'lxd4
10 .i.bs+ ct'lxbs 11 'ifc6+! - Suetin.
9 .i.gs!
Restricting the opponent's development
with ... e7-e6.
9 'ifd7
...
Perhaps Black should have tried 9 ...h6 10
.i.c4 c6 11 .i.h4 gs 12 .i.g3 e6 instead, ac
cepting a slight weakening of his kingside
structure in order to speed up develop
ment.
10 ct'lc3 e6 11 ct'lxds!
At this moment, Suetin must have al
ready had his strong 13th move in mind.
Again, 11 .i.c4 c6 was less promising.
11 'ifxd s
...
Or 11 ... exds?! 12 0-0-0, followed by
l:te1(+) with a strong initiative.
12 'ifxds exds
13 c6!

A key move that paralyses the enemy
queenside. Now 13 ...l2Jxc6? obviously fails
to 14 .ib5 d7 15 .l:!.c1, so Black will have to
develop the opposite flank first.
13 .ie7 14 .ie3 !
.
1 4 .ixe7? xe7 15 .l:!.c1 d6 o r 1 4 .if4?!
.if6 were inferior - Suetin .
14...d8 15 .l:!.c1 .l:!.e8
16 g3!
By 16 .ie2 .ib4+ 17 d1 .l:!.e6 18 .if3
.l:!.xc6 19 .ixd5 .l:!.xc1+ 20 xc1 c6 21 .ixf7
White could reach an endgame with a
sound extra pawn, but Suetin wants more.
Now the analogous 16 ... .ib4+?! is met by 17
e2 ! , intending 17 ....l:!.e6 18 .ig2 .l:!.xc6 19
.l:!.xc6 lbxc6 20 .ixd5 d7 21 .l:!.c1 etc.
16 ....igs 11 .ig2!
White's main priority is to keep the c6-
pawn on the board. After 17 d2?! .ixe3+
18 fxe3 e7 19 .ig2 d6 20 .l:!.hf1 lbxc6 21
.l:!.xf7 .l:!.f8! Black defends.
17 ....ixe3 18 fxe3 .l:!.xe3+ 19 d2 .l:!.e6 20
.l:!.hf1!
Exploiting the fact that both captures on
c6 lose material, White brings the last piece
into the battle. Less accurate was 20 .ixd5 ?!
.l:!.d6, followed by ....l:!.xd4+, when the knight
could be developed via a6-c5 later on.
Restriction
2o...f6 21 .l:!.fs! .l:!.d6
Or 21 ...l2Jxc6 22 .l:!.xd5+ e7 23 .l:!.h 5 etc.
22 .l:!.xds .l:!.xds 23 .ixds
By skilful play Suetin has managed to
swap off the opponent's active pieces, while
keeping his c6-pawn alive. Over the follow
ing moves Black manages to activate his
rook, but not the knight, whose absence in
the battle proves fatal for him.
23 ...e7
The immediate 23 ...lba6? fails to 24 .l:!.e1!
and 25 .if7.
24 .ig2 lba6 25 a3!
A last piece of restriction aimed at the
poor knight.
2S ....l:!.d8 26 .l:!.e1+ d6?
Moving the king into a mating net, but
after 26 ...f8 27 c3 .l:!.e8 28 .l:!.xe8+ xe8
29 c4 and 30 d5 Black is also lost due to
his absent knight.
27 b4!
With the inevitable threat of 38 d5 and
39 .l:!.e6 mate.
21 ... bs 28 d s lbcs 29 bxcs+ xes 30 .l:!.e7 1-0
In the next game, White, by some clever
pawn play, manages to isolate both a rook
and a bishop from the battle.
301
M a s te ring Open ing S trategy

for ...e6-es, it makes sense to enable lt:Jfs,

Game 194 depriving him of his "good" bishop.
V.Milov-V.Kotronias g ...as?!
G i braltar 2009 Again 9 ...c6, preparing ...b7-b6, ... a7-a5,
Nimzo-lndian Defence ...i.a6 etc, was more to the point, but Black
follows his outlined plan.
1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 lt:Jc3 i.b4 4 e3 0-0 5 lt:Jge2 10 bs!
dS 6 a3 i.d6 The space gained by this advance will be
of great value later on in the game.
10...es 11 i.e2
Now it turns out that 11 lt:Jfs? drops a
pawn after 11 ... exd4 12 exd4 lt:Jxcs!, so
White just gets on with his development.
11...exd4 12 exd4 lieS 13 0-0 b6
Liberating the d6-square. In the event of
13 ... lt:Jf8 at once, White could proceed as in
the game, starting with 14 f4.
14 c6 lt:Jf8

A provocative reply, by which Black de

clares that he is not bothered about c4-cS.
This move has lately become a popular al
ternative to the main line with 6 ... i.e7.
7 cs i.e7 8 b4
Reinforcing the pawn chain is not in
vain, as Black might be about to play ... b7-
b6 or ... a7-aS.
8 ...lt:Jbd7
Black prepares ... e6-es, hitting the base
of the opponent's pawn chain. However, Black prepares ...lt:Jg6, ... i.d6 etc, with
practice has shown that, in this particular some kingside activity; however ...
line, an attack at its edge tends to be more 1S f4!
efficient; e.g. 8 ... b6! 9 ctJg3 c6 10 i.e2 as! 11 A cold shower for the opponent. White
llb1 lt:Jbd7 12 0-0 axb4 13 axb4 i.a6 with intends f4-f5 which will leave the bishop on
approximate equality, E.Bareev-V.Kramnik, c8, and indirectly the rook on a8, terribly
Monte Carlo (rapid} 2003. restricted.
9 ctJg3 1S...lt:Je6
9 ctJf4 is also possible, heading for d3 if If Black tries to avoid such a scenario by
needed, but with Black apparently aiming 1S ...g6, then after 16 fs i.xfs 17 lt:Jxfs gxfs

3 02

18 .l:lxf5 tt:lg6 19 .i.d3 he is clearly worse
anyway - Scherbakov.
16 <i?h1
The immediate 16 f5? obviously failed to
16 ...tt:lxd4.
16 ...tt:le4
Otherwise Black will be asphyxiated by
f4-f5.
17 tt:lcxe4 dxe4 18 .i.e3
Not 18 d5 tt:ld4!? with unnecessary com
plications.
18 ....i.f6 19 fs!
White sticks to his plan, without bother
ing about the d4-pawn.
19 ... tt:lxd4 20 .i.c4 a4
The prophylactic 20 ....l:lf8 is well met by
21 .l:lc1 <i?h8 22 iVe1 iVe7 23 iVf2 iVe5 24
.l:lcd1 .l:ld8 25 .l:ld2, preparing .l:lfd1, when
"Black is helpless as he is playing without
two pieces" - Scherbakov.
21 iVhs iVe7
22 .i.xd4!
Milov's play in this game is very logical,
and teaches us something about priorities
in chess. Three moves ago it was worth a
pawn to keep restricting the opponent's
forces, whereas on this occasion, he has no
concern about surrendering the bishop pair
R e s t riction
in order to eliminate the opponent's most
active piece. 22 .l:lad1 tt:lc2 was less convinc
ing.
22 ....i.xd4 23 .l:lae1 e3 24 .l:lf4! .l:ld8
Or 24....i.c3 25 .l:le4 .i.xe1 26 iVxf7+! etc.
25 h3
2 5 .l:ld1 was another good option -
Scherbakov, but White is not in a hurry, and
first rules out any back rank surprises.
2S ....i.c3
After 25 ...<i?h8 26 tt:le4 g6 27 iVh6
White's attack is also decisive; e.g. 27 ....i.xf5
28 tt:lg 5 or 27 ....i.g7 28 iVxg7+! <i?xg7 29 f6+
- Scherbakov.
26 .l:le4! iVf6 27 .l:l1xe3
With the inevitable threat of 28 .l:le8+.
The rest is just agony for Black.
27 ... g6 28 fxg6 <i?f8
28 ... hxg6 29 .l:le8+ mates, while
28 ...iVxg6 fails to 29 .l:lxc3.
29 gxf7 1-0
More restriction methods
The number of possible restriction methods
in chess is practically unlimited, just like
the number of possible plans. The next two
games feature methods of a more defen
sive nature.
Game 195
A.Ardeleanu-R.Zeldc
Schwa rzach 2005
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 tt:lc3 d s 3 iVf3!? dxe4
Faced with a curious sideline, Zelcic opts
for a typical pawn structure of the Caro-
Kann. Both 3 ...tt:lf6 and 3 ...e6 are possible
too, whereas 3 ...d4 4 .i.c4! probably favours
White.
3 03
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy

4 ct:Jxe4 ctJd7 5 d4 ct:Jgf6 6 c3

After 6 J.c4 ct:Jb6 ! 7 ct:Jxf6+ gxf6 8 J.b3
'ifxd4 White might not have enough com
pensation for the pawn.
6 ct:Jxe4 7 'ifxe4 ct:Jf6 8 'ifc2
.

12 J.f4
Just like Game 190 (Short-011), White
hurries to complicate Black's typical set-up
with ... 'ife7 and ... J.d6.
12 e6 13 'ifb3 J.d6!
...

8 ...J.g4! Admittedly there was nothing wrong

Black secures an active post for his about 13 ... 'ifh6, but the text is more ambi
bishop and, more importantly, interferes tious.
with the opponent's ct:Jg1-f3. Interestingly,
Petrosian had already played like this in
1960.
9 ct:Je2
The knight has to content himself with a
different route. After 9 h 3 J.h 5 10 J.d3?!
'ifd5 ! 11 f3 e6, followed by ...J.d6, Black was
even a bit better in M.Szymanski
A.Deviatkin, Warsaw (rapid) 2005.
9 J.h5
...

Securing the bishop in advance from a

possible CL\g3, although 9 ... e6 10 CL\g3 'ifd5 !
should b e fine a s well; e.g. 11 h 3 J.h 5 1 2
ct:Jxh 5 'ifxh 5 13 J. e 2 'ifg6 with a solid game 14 J.xd6 'ifxd6 15 g3
for Black. It transpires that after 15 'ifxb7 .l:l.b8 16
10 ct:Jf4 J.g6 11 ct:Jxg6 'ifxa7 .l:l.xb2, Black's active pieces and the
After 11 'ifh3 'ife7 12 ct:Jxg6 hxg6 13 g3 exposed enemy king more than compen
e6 14 J.f4 'i!Vh6 Black has also been doing sate for the pawn.
fine in practice. 15 o-o-o 16 J.g2 .l:l.h5!
...

11 hxg6
... 16 ... e5 17 o-o-o! was less promising.

3 04

With the text Zelcic seizes the fifth rank,
and prepares to meet 17 0-0-0 by 17 .. .'!i:Jg4,
a fact that explains White's next move.
17 h3 M.f5!
The opponent's 0-0-0 is again frus
trated.
18 M.f1?
An unfortunate defence of the f2-pawn.
18 'ii'c 2 was called for.
18 ...M.e5+!
Exploiting the tactical motif 19 dxes?
'ii'd 2 mate, Zelcic revokes White's right to
castling, in similar fashion to 9 i.bS+ in
Yusupov-Wedberg (Game 186).
19 d2 M.b5 20 iYc2 e5
Of course. Now White seems to be com
pletely lost, but Ardeleanu finds the only
sensible defence.
21 M.ad1! exd4 22 c1 d3 23 'ii'd 2
The loss of a pawn could not be avoided,
but at least the king feels a bit safer after
the artificial castling.
23 ...'ii'e6
23 ... cs, preparing ... c5-c4, was an inter
esting alternative.
24 b3 M.e5 25 M.fe1 'Lle4 26 i.xe4 M.xe4 27
M.xe4 'ii'xe4 28 'ii'e 3 'ii'x e3+?
This exchange yields White reasonable
Restriction
drawing chances in the rook endgame. By
28 ...'ii'fs ! Black would have kept a clear ad
vantage, since 29 'ii'x a7? 'ii'e s! wins on the
spot.
29 fxe3 M.d5 30 d2 M.f5 31 xd3 M.f3 32
M.g1
White is still worse, but he eventually
saved a draw.
Game 196
6!Sveshnik.,v.-M.RytJhagov
TaHi.nn (raptd} 2002
Sicilan Defence, Alapin Variation
1 e4 c5 2 c3 'Llf6 3 e5 'bd5 4 'Llf3 'bc6 5 i.c4
'Llb6 6 i.b3
6 ...d6
The dynamic 6 ...c4 7 i.c2 'ii'c 7 8 'ii'e 2 g S !
is another option i n this topical branch of
the Alapin Sicilian.
7 exd6 'ii'x d6 8 0-0
Currently 8 'Lla3 i.e6 9 d4 is a more
popular choice, when 9 ...cxd4 is met by 10
'Llbs 'ii'd7 11 i.xe6 'ii'x e6+ 12 i.e3 ! and
'bbxd4 next, with a lead in development.
8 ...i.e6
A typical idea in this line, in order to
3 05
M a s te ring Open ing Stra tegy
swap the active enemy bishop.
g lt'la3
The Alapin has its own logics, and this
odd move is important in several of its
variations. The stereotyped 9 iLxe6?! 'ifxe6
10 .Mel offers less after 10 ... 'ifd7, followed
by ... e7-e6.
g ...iLxb3 10 axb3
On 10 'ifxb3 Black can just proceed as in
the game.
10...'ifd3!
A well-known restriction method, that
dates back to the ancient game L.Paulsen
P.Morphy, New York (6th matchgame) 1857.
Black obstructs the white d-pawn, at least
for the moment, and also avoids an annoy
ing knight jump to b5 or c4.
In contrast, on 10 ... e6 there can follow
11 d4! cxd4 12 lt'lb5 'ifd7 13 iLf4! lt'ld5 14
iLg3 l:tc8 (or 14... a6? 15 c4, winning a piece)
15 lt'lbxd4 lt'lxd4 16 'ifxd4 f6 17 l:tfdl! iLc5
18 'ife4 with a clear advantage for White -
Rogozenco.
11 l:te1
Or 11 lt'le1 'ifd7! 12 lt'lc4 lt'lxc4 13 bxc4
e6 with similar play to the game.
11...e6 12 l:te3 'ifd7
Over the last few moves, Black moved
306
his queen to a safer square on d7 and, with
... e7-e6, got one step closer to completing
his development. On the other hand,
White's position wasn't substantially im
proved by the rook manoeuvre to e3.
13 lt'lc4 lt'lxc4 14 bxc4 l:td8
Rogozenco also suggests the simple
14... iLe7 ! ?, when 15 d4 l:td8 16 l:td3 cxd4 17
cxd4 0-0 looks fine for Black, while 15 'ifa4
0-0 16 l:tb1, copying 5 veshnikov's play in the
game, can be met by 16 ...'ifd6, frustrating
the b2-b4 advance.
15 'ifa4
Instead of 15 d4 iLe7, with similar play
to the previous note, Sveshnikov prepares
b2-b4.
1S ... iLe7 16 l:tb1 o-o 17 b4 b6
Even simpler was 17 ... cxb4 18 cxb4 lt'le5 !
19 b5 lt'lxf3+ 2 0 l:txf3 iLc5 with equality -
Rogozenco. After the text White should
probably have tried 18 b5, gaining some
space, since his next move is tactically
flawed.
18 bxcs? iLxcs!
Black takes the initiative, exploiting the
fact that 19 d4? is impossible due to
19 ...lt'lxd4.
19 .Me1
 Restriction

19 ...es?!
Black misses 19 .. .'=i'le5 ! 20 xd7 ll:Jxf3+
21 gxf3 l:txd7 with a favourable endgame;
even 19 ...d3 ! ?, repeating our main theme,
was interesting for him.
20 .ia3
White is just in time to simplify the po
sition.
20....ixa3 21 xa3 l:tfe8 22 d4! Yz-Yz
In view of 22 ... exd4 23 cxd4 l:txe1+ 24
l:txe1 ll:Jxd4 25 ll:Jxd4 xd4 26 xa7 xc4
27 xb6, the players agreed to a draw.

Another common restriction method is 8 0-0 a6?

a pawn sacrifice on a central file. This is the Too ambitious - Black should have pri
subject of the next two games. oritized development over the bishop pair.
8 ... e6 was called for; e.g. 9 a4 b6 10
ll:Jxe4 (otherwise 10...ll:Jc5 is possible)
Game 197 10 ... .txe4 11 ll:Jd4 I:tc8 12 .ie3 .tcs 13 c3 a6!
P.Keres-L.Schmid 14 .ixc6+ bxc6 15 b4 .ixd4 16 .ixd4 5!
Ba mberg 1968 with approximate equality.
Sicilian Defence, Morra Gambit 9 .txc6+ bxc6 10 a4!
Keres hurries to exploit his lead in de
1 d4 cs 2 e4 cxd4 3 ll:Jf3 velopment.
After an irregular opening sequence, a 10 ... d7 11 ll:Jxe4 .txe4
kind of delayed Morra Gam bit has been
reached. At this point, 3 ... d6, 3 ... e6 and
3 ... ll:Jc6 should all lead to a standard Sicilian
battle; instead, Schmid tries a more ambi
tious move.
3 ...ll:Jf6 4 es ll:Je4
Black's point - the knight is installed on
a good central post, and he is ready to meet
5 ll:Jxd4? by 5 ... a5+.
s xd4 ds 6 l2:lbd2
Practice has also seen 6 exd6 ll:Jxd6 7
.if4 ll:Jc6 8 d2 with a slight initiative.
6 ... ll:Jc6 1 .tbs .tfs
In Caro-Kann style, Schmid activates the Or 11...dxe4 12 ll:Jg5 ! , winning a pawn,
bishop before closing the pawn chain with since 12 ... d5? runs into 13 c4. After the
...e7-e6. text Black was perhaps hoping for 12 ll:Jd4?!

307
M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy
cs or 12 tt:lgS?! .ltfs, followed by ... e7-e6, but
Keres h as a much stronger move prepared.
12 e6!
A key move. At the price of a mere pawn,
White obstructs the opponent's develop
ment. Moreover, he forces a minor piece
exchange on e4, which will clear the d-file
to the benefit of his better developed
forces.
This sort of es-e6 sacrifice occurs in a
variety of opening lines: the Alekhine (1 e4
tt:lf6 2 es tt:lds 3 d4 d6 4 tt:lf3 tt:lc6 s c4 tt:lb6 6
e6); the Rossolimo Sicilian (1 e4 cs 2 tt:lf3
tt:lc6 3 .ltbs d6 4 o-o .ltd7 s l:te1 tt:lf6 6 c3 a6
7 .ltf1 .ltg4 8 d4 cxd4 9 cxd4 dS 10 es tt:lg8
(or 10 ...tt:ld7) 11 e6}; the Slav (1 d4 dS 2 tt:lf3
tt:lf6 3 c4 dxc4 4 tt:lc3 a6 s e4 bs 6 es tt:lds 7
a4 .ltb7 8 e6}; and the Grunfeld (1 d4 tt:lf6 2
c4 g6 3 tt:lc3 ds 4 tt:lf3 .ltg7 5 3 dxc4 6
xc4 o-o 7 e4 a6 8 es bS 9 3 tt:lfd7 10
e6}. Occasionally it is Black who effects it;
e.g. 1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 .i.g7 4 .ltg2 o-o 5
tt:lf3 d6 6 0-0 tt:lbd7 7 tt:lc3 es 8 c2 l:te8 9
l:td1 e4 10 tt:ld2 (or 10 tt:lgs) 10 ... e3.
12 ...xe6
Or 12 .. .fxe6 13 tt:les 7 14 l:te1 5 15
l:txe4!? dxe4 16 xe4 with huge compensa
tion for the exchange.
3 08
1 3 tt:lgs g6?!
Moving the queen away from the vul
nerable queenside. After 13 ...d7 14 tt:lxe4
dxe4 15 .ltf4! e6 16 l:tad1 7 17 xe4 .lte7
18 l:td3 White's advantage is indisputable,
but in the game Black will suffer worse
problems.
14 tt:lxe4 dxe4 15 .i.f4!
Development and prevention of ... e7-e5.
1s ...fs
Hanging on to the e4-pawn while pre
paring ... Wf7, an idea that White restricts
with his next move.
16 c4! cs!? 17 l:tad1!
More mobilization. In contrast, 17
xes?! e6, followed by 18 ...g6 or 18 ...l:tg8,
yields Black some slight hope of concluding
development.
17 ...c6
18 f3!
A decisive blow. As soon as the second
white rook enters the battle, Black will be
doomed.
18 ... h6
18 ... exf3 19 l:txf3 just helps White, while
on 18 ... e6 Keres had prepared 19 l:td6!
.ltxd6 20 xe6+ Wd8 21 l:td1 with a deadly
attack.
 R e s triction

19 fxe4 xe4 20 xes e6 One of the oldest Spanish variations,

Or 20 ... es 21 c7!, eyeing d7, just like in which was sometimes used by Steinitz in
the game. his time.
21 c7 e7 22 .l:!.d7 d8 4 C3 b6
4 ...4Jf6 and the sharp 4...fs are more
popular options.
5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 CL:lce7
Preparing ... c7-c6 and ... d7-d5, an idea
which White prevents with his next move.
1 ds! CL:lf6
After 7 ... c6 8 a4 d6 9 CL:lc3 CL:lf6 10 g s
White also has a more active game.
8 CL:lc3 a6 9 a4!
The correct retreat square, so as to keep
preventing ... d7-d6.
9 ...0-0

23 .l:!.xd8+!
This temporary sacrifice finally converts
White's strong initiative into something
more tangible.
23 .l:!.xd8 24 xg7 .l:!.f8

Obviously 24... d4+? failed to 25 xd4

.l:!.xd4 26 es.
25 xh6 d4+
The only move, since 2 S ... .l:!.f7 runs into
26 g8+ <tle7 27 gS+.
26 xd4 .l:!.xd4 27 c3 .l:!.d6 28 xf8 <tlxf8 29
.l:!.e1!
Restricting the black rook. With two ex At this point, both 10 o-o d6 and 10 gS
tra pawns, Keres easily won the rook end CL:lg6, followed by ...h 7-h6, should be fine for
game after 29 ... <tlf7 30 <tlf2 <tlf6 31 <tle2 es Black, but Nijboer has a stronger move pre
32 .l:!.d1 .l:!.b6 33 b3 <tlgs 34 c4 etc. pared.
10 d6!
A key advance that severely obstructs
Qame 198 Black's queenside development.
F.Nijboer-J Hector
.. 10 ...cxd6 11 gs
Wijk aan Zee 200.3 Of course, 11 xd6? c7 and 12 ... ds
Spa nih Opening next wasn't White's intention.
11 ...CL:lg4?
1 e4 es 2 CL:lf3 CL:lc6 3 bs cs Preparing .. .f7-f6 in order to release the

309
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
annoying pin, but this will leave the king
side more vulnerable; besides which, it does
nothing to solve the problem with the
queenside pieces.
Nijboer indicates 11 ... d5 12 i.xf6 gxf6
13 exd5 d6 14 o-o with a clear advantage
for White; even so Black would have much
more activity than in the game after, let's
say, 14...h8 and 15 .. J.g8 next.
12 o-o f6 13 i.f4 lL'les 14 .Mel
White keeps ignoring the d6-pawn, and
just brings more pieces to the battle.
14... i.c1 15 lL'lds lL'l7c6
Or 15 ...lL'lxd5 16 i.b3!, followed by i.xd5
- Wedberg.
16 lL'lxc7 "f/xc7 17 lL'ld4!
By means of the threat of 18 lL'lf5 White
provokes a further weakening in Black's
kingside.
17 ...g6 18 i.h6 .Me8 19 i.b3+ lL'lf7
This looks awkward, but 19 ... h8 failed
to 20 f4! "fib6 21 fxe5, when both 21 ...dxe5
22 .Mxf6 and 21 ...lL'lxd4 22 exf6! are fatal for
Black - Nijboer.
20 lL'lfs!
A strong sacrifice, motivated by the fact
that Black is still one rook and one bishop
down in the battle.
310
20....Me6
Practically forced, since 20 ... gxf5 21 exf5,
followed by 22 "fih 5, is terminal.
21 i.f4
Now Black has no other choice than to
accept the "gift".
21 ...gxfs 22 exfs f8
An early resignation, but 22 ....Me7 23
"fig4+ led to a decisive attack; e.g. 23 ...f8
24 i.xf7 .Mxf7 25 i.h6+ e7 26 .Mfe1+, or
23 ... h8 24 "fih4 lL'lg 5 (24 ...g7 runs into 25
.Mc3 !} 25 i.xg 5 fxg5 26 "flh6! "fid8 27 f6 -
Nijboer.
23 fxe6 dxe6 24 "fihs lL'lfes
25 .Mfdl!
The last piece joins the party, and pre
vents the consolidating 25 ... "fff7.
2s ... ds 26 i.xes fxes 27 .Mc3 e7 28 i.xds!
1-0
In view of 28 ... exd5 29 "fixh7+ and 30
.Mxd5+ next, Black resigned.
Restriction of plans
Finally, let us see two positional master
pieces by Karpov and Petrosian, which fea
ture all three types of restriction mentioned
at the beginning of this chapter, with em
phasis on preventing the opponent's plans.

Game 1.99
A.Karpov-V.Smyslov
USSR Team Championship 1972
Petroff's Defence
1 e4 es 2 lL'lf3 lL'lf6 3 lL'lxes d6 4 lL'lf3 lL'lxe4 5
d4 i,e7 6 i,d3 lL'lf6
Quite a passive way of treating the Pet
roff. 6 ... ds is the main line, either here or on
the previous move.
7 h3!
A simple piece of restriction directed at
the bishop on c8, and one which we already
saw in Radjabov-Torre (Game 191).
1 ...o-o s o-o cs?!
This advance doesn't contribute a lot to
Black's position and might even harm his
pawn structure. 8 .. J::te 8, followed by
...lbbd7-f8, was a more solid choice.
9 lbc3 lbc6 10 J:le1
White maintains the central tension,
aware that after 10 ...cxd4?! 11 lbbs, fol
lowed by 12 lbbxd4, Black doesn't have suf
ficient activity to compensate for the IQP on
d6. Less promising was 10 dS?! lbb4 11 i,c4
i,fs etc.
10... a6
Res triction
Black prepares ...b7-b5, an idea that
Karpov will prevent with great fervour over
the following moves.
11 dS!
First the knight should be dislodged
from c6, since the immediate 11 a4?! per
mits the annoying 11 ...lbb4.
11 ...lL'la7?!
Here this piece will be a problem child
for the rest of the game. 11 ...lbb4 was more
active, although after 12 i,fl i,fs 13 J:le2
as (a sad necessity in view of the threat of
14 a3) 14 i,f4 J:le8 15 a3 lba6 16 lbd2, pre
paring lbc4, White has a pleasant edge
anyway.
12 a4! i,d7 13 as! J:le8
Or 13 ... lbbs 14 lba4!, seizing the b6-
square and leaving the enemy knight use
less on bs. At this point, neither 14.. .'ii'x as?
15 J:lxe7, nor 14...lbxds? 15 c4 works for
Black.
14 i,f1
This and the subsequent moves with the
other bishop are rather typical in the pre
sent structure. On f1 and h2, the bishops
are active and, at the same time, protected
from any enemy threats.
14... h6
311
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy
Smyslov intends 1S ... .tf8 in order to
swap rooks, and first rules out an annoying
pin with .tgs. Unfortunately, the problem
with the queen's knight will become more
evident the fewer pieces remain on the
board. In this sense, 14.. .'Jb 5 ! ? seems pref
erable, redirecting it to c7, now that 15 tba4
no longer works due to 1S .. .'xas.
15 .if4 .if8 16 .Mxe8
Obviously 16 iVd2 .Mxe1 17 .Mxe1? failed
to 17 ... iVxas.
16 ...iVxe8 17 .ih2 iVd8 18 tbd2 'iVc7
Some prophylaxis against the imminent
19 tbc4, but Karpov has other plans.
19 tbde4!
Swapping the opponent's most active
piece, consistent with the note to Black's
14th move.
19 ...tbxe4 20 tbxe4 .tf5 21 tbd2 .Me8 22 c3
Seeing that Black can't undertake much,
White takes his time.
22 ...'iVd8 23 iVb3 'iVd7
24 C4!
After 24 tbc4 tbc8 White doesn't really
make progress on the queenside, and
Black's bad knight would actually be doing
a good defensive job on c8, protecting the
weak points at d6 and b6. With the text
312
Karpov instead prepares a breakthrough on
the queenside, an idea which will become
evident five moves later.
24...tbc8 25 g4!
A useful prelude to the next move, in
creasing White's light square control and
providing the king with a flight square on
g2.
25 ....th7
26 .id3!
Black has to accept the exchange of an
other active piece, since 26 .. .fs ?! 27 iVc2
doesn't favour him.
26 ....txd3 27 iVxd3 g6 28 .Mb1!
Finally, the rook gained access to b1, and
now b2-b4, clearing its way towards the b7-
pawn, can't be prevented.
28 ....ig7 29 b4 cxb4 30 .Mxb4 'iVc7 31 tDb3
Protecting the as-pawn and preventing
...iVcs at the same time. By the way, the fact
that Black can't get his knight to cs had to
be considered when playing b2-b4.
31... .te5
A liberating attempt with 31 ... b6? fails
to 32 axb6 tbxb6 3 3 cS!, so Smyslov opts to
swap the powerful bishop on h2.
32 .txe5 .Mxe5 33 g2 g5?
Preparing ...tbe7-g6-f4, but this idea is

powerfully prevented by Karpov's next
move. Black should have preferred either
33 .. Jie7 34 lLld4 Wic7, with a waiting game,
or 33 ...b6, trying to improve the knight,
when 34 .Ma4! keeps the advantage.
34 Wid4!
With this small move White gets ready
to meet 34 ...lLle7? by 3 5 Wib6!, winning a
pawn and forcing the exchange of queens
at the same time. Thus Smyslov is limited to
passive defence, which would have been
easier to conduct with the g-pawn still on
g6.
34...'fie7 3 5 lLld2 .Mel 36 .Mb3 .Me2 37 f3!
.Me 5
In view of the threat 38 l2Je4, the rook
has to retreat.
38 .Me3 f6
After 3 8 ....Mxe3+?! 39 fxe3 ! , followed by
40 l2Je4, the black knight is badly missed on
d7.
39 lLle4 g7 40 g2!
Creating the threat of 41 lLlg 3 .Mxe3 42
lLlfs+. Another good option was 40 lLlg 3
.Mxe3+ 41 fxe3 and 42 lLlfS(+) next.
40...'fic7?
This loses on the spot, though after
40... g 8 41 lLlg 3, heading for fs, or even 41
Res triction
fl! ?, intending e2-d3 and .Mf3, Black's
task also remains very difficult.
41 .Mf3! b5 42 axb6 1-0
In view of 42 ...Wixb6 43 Wixb6 l2Jxb6 44
l2Jxd6 with a hopeless endgame, or
42 ... l2Jxb6 43 l2Jxf6, heading for e 8.
Game200
T.V.Petrosian-E.Gufeld
USSR Championship,
Moscow 1961
King's Indian Defence
1 c4 g6 2 d4 .tg7 3 lLlc3 lLlf6 4 e4 o-o 5 .tg5
d6 6 Wid2
At first sight, White appears to be pre
paring a kingside attack with .th6 and h4-
hs, but the idea behind his set-up is quite
different: to restrict Black's typical counter
play with ... e7-e5, ... lLlh S, .. .f7-f5 etc, now
that the bishop on g S can't be easily chased
away.
Incidentally, had Black played s ... h6 on
the previous move, then after 6 .te3, fol
lowed by f2-f3 and Wid2, White gains a
tempo for his development thanks to the
attack on h6.
313
M a st ering Op e n ing Strategy
6 ...cs
A natural reaction, which takes the
game into Benoni or Benko waters, depend
ing on Black's preferences.
1 ds as
7 ... e6 and 7 ... b5 are more popular op
tions, in accordance with the previous note.
8 .i.d3 a6 9 l2Jge2 es?!
Such a closure of the centre will leave
Black rather short of counterplay. A more
modern approach is 9 ... b5 in Benko style, or
the flexible 9 ... 4:Jbd7 first.
10 o-o 4:Jbd7 11 a3
The first step to a future queenside ex
pansion with b2-b4.
11...lLlhs
With his last move Black signalled the
plan of .. .f7-f5, to which Petrosian finds a
subtle antidote.
12 f3!
Thus White enables the idea of a king
side grip by g2-g4 and ttJg3 while, more
importantly, preparing to meet 12 ...f5 by 13
exf5 gxf5 14 c2 ! with an annoying attack
on f5, now that the f2-f3 move has ruled
out the reply 14 ... e4. In contrast, 12 .i.e7
.l:!.e8 13 J.xd6? failed to 13 ...6 Chess
- into 19 a4. In contrast, 15 a4?! would be less
Base.
314
12 ...J.f6
Gufeld vacates g 7 for the knight in ad
vance of g 2-g4, but now his kingside pieces
become a bit awkwardly placed.
Perhaps 12 ... C7! ? was more promising,
when 13 g4 ttJhf6 14 ttJg3 can be met by
14...b 5 ! 15 cxb5 c4, recovering the pawn on
the next move with some counterplay.
Probably Petrosian wouldn't have pro
ceeded so straightforwardly, perhaps pre
ferring another useful move like 13 'it>h1 ! ?
while awaiting Black's next step.
13 .i.h6 ttJg7
14 g3!
No hurry. White keeps the option of g3-
g4, and also enables the f3-f4 break
through, depending on Black's coming play.
14 ... .l:!.b8 15 'it>h1!
Another piece of restriction, or prophy
laxis if you prefer. With his king safe from
any checks on the g 1-a7 diagonal, White
gets ready to meet the intended 15 ...b5 by
16 cxb5 axb5 17 b4!, when 17 ... cxb4 18
axb4 xb4? 19 .i.e3!, followed by 20 .l:!.fb1,
traps the black queen, while 17 ... a6 18
4:Jxb5! win s a pawn since 18 ....l:!.xb5? runs
flexible.

15 ....C7
16 b3!
Preventing the idea of 16 ...b5 17 cxb5 c4.
As a result, Black has to forget about queen
side counterplay, and now turns his atten
tion to the opposite flank.
16 ... i.e7 17 .l:tab1 h8
Just like five moves ago, 17 .. .f5? ! is
strongly met by 18 exf5 gxf5 19 ifc2 !, so
Gufeld takes preparatory actions.
18 .l:tb2!
The immediate 18 b4 permits 18 ...b 5 ! ?
19 cxb5 c4.
18 . ..lZ'lf6 19 b4!
With the black knight having just left
the queenside, the time is right to strike
there.
19 ...tt:lg8 20 i.e3 fS
At last. After the more cautious 20 ... b6
21 bxc5 bxc5 22 .l:txb8 ifxb8 23 .l:tb1, and
ifb2 next, White is clearly better Chess -
Base.
21 bxcs dxcs 22 .l:tfb1 tt:lf6
At this point, 22 ...b6?! is strongly met by
23 tt:la4, while 22 .. .fxe4 23 tt:lxe4!? .l:txf3 24
.l:tb6 tt:lf5 2 5 i.g 5 leads to a clear initiative
for White.
23 .l:tb6! i.d6
R es triction
In view of lines like 23 ...tt:ld7? 24 d6!
i.xd6 2 5 tt:ld5, Black decides to blockade the
d-pawn.
24 i.h6 .l:tf7
Unpinning the knight in order to enable
a later ... tt:lf5. If 24...fxe4 25 tt:lxe4 tt:Jxe4 26
i.xe4 .l:tf7 in the same spirit, then White has
the restrictive 27 g4! ChessBase, whereas
-
it is not clear what Black gains from
24 ... tt:ld7 2 5 .l:t6b2.
25 tt:lg1
Thus White prepares tt:lh3-g5 on some
occasions. The prophylactic 25 g2 was
interesting too; e.g. 25 .. .fxe4 26 i.xg7+!
(ruling out ...tt:lf5) 26 ...xg7 27 tt:Jxe4 tt:Jxe4
28 i.xe4, intending tt:lc3, i.d3 and tt:le4,
with a pleasant advantage.
25 ...f4?
A suicidal attack. 2 5 .. .fxe4 was called for,
when 26 tt:Jxe4 tt:Jxe4 27 i.xe4 tt:lf5 28 tt:lh3 !
keeps a clear initiative.
26 gxf4 tt:ld7
Perhaps Gufeld had overlooked some
thing in the line 26 ...exf4 27 .l:txd6! ifxd6 28
i.xf4 tt:lxe4 29 i.xd6 tt:lxd2 30 i.xb8 tt:lxb1
31 i.xb1 with a huge edge for White in the
endgame.
27 fxes! i.xes
315
M a s t e ring Op e n ing S trategy
Or 27 .. .<:Jxb6? 28 exd6 xd6 29 es! d8
30 i.g s c7 31 d6 c6 32 i.e4 etc.
At this point Black perhaps expected 28
.M6b3 tt:Jhs ! with some dark square play in
exchange for the pawn; however...
316
28 .Me6!
Surprising, and very strong. On e6 the
rook severely obstructs Black's play and is
ready to sacrifice itself on es whenever the
knight leaves d7; e.g. 28 ...tt:Jf6? 29 .Mxe s !
xes 3 0 i.f4, o r 28. . .tt:Jf8 2 9 .Mxes! xes 3 0
f4 s 3 1 fs ! gxfs 32 i.e2 g6 33 tZ:lf3 !
with a crushing advantage.
28 ... bs?!
This counterattack is bound to fail, but
it was difficult to give Black good advice.
29 cxbs c4 30 .Mc6! d8 31 i.xc4
With three extra pawns and superior ac
tivity, the rest is easy for White.
31 ...h4 32 .Mc1 tt:Jhs 33 i.gs!
Forcing Black into a useless sacrifice.
33 ...tLlg3+ 34 'it>g2 tt:Jxe4 35 tt:Jxe4 xh2+ 36
'it>f1 .Mxf3+ 37 tt:Jxf3 h1+ 38 'it>f2 1-0
 Res triction

Exerci ses

10 eS!
Game 201 Clearing lines towards the enemy king.
P .Morphy-C.H.Stan ley 10 g s h6 was less convincing.
New York (blindfold match) 1857 10...dxes
Evans Gambit

1 e4 es 2 l2'lf3 l2'lc6 3 c4 cs 4 b4 xb4 5

c3 as
s ... e7 6 d4 lLlas is another popular re
ply to the Evans Gambit.
6 d4 exd4 7 0-0 d6
7 ...lbge7, followed by 8 ... ds, is supposed
to be Black's best try, whereas 7 ... dxc3?! 8
ifu3 Wife7 9 lbxc3 l2'lf6 10 e s ! yields White a
crushing attack.
8 cxd4 b6 9 l2'lc3

Your move ...

Game 202
R.J.Fischer..M.Matulovic
Palrna de Mal lorca
lnterzonal 1970
Sicilian Defence,
Rossolimo Variation

g, ..lbf6?!
Quite an indifferent move, as if this was
a quiet Italian. After 9 ...l2Jge7?! 10 lLlg S ! ,
with the idea 1 0... 0-o? 11 Wiih s, Black is also
in great danger; so 9 ... l2Jas was called for,
when 10 d3 l2'le7, followed by ...0-0,
should be playable for him.
1 e4 cs 2 lLlf3 l2Jc6 3 bs g6 4 c3
4 0-0 is more flexible, when the plan of
c2-c3 and d2-d4 is sometimes discarded in
favour of other set-ups; e.g. after 4...g7 5
.l:te1 es 6 xc6 dxc6 7 d3, followed by
l2Jbd2-C4.
4 ...l2'lf6 s Wi!e2 g7 6 es lLlds 7 Wifc4?!
This early pawn-grabbing runs into a
strong antidote. 7 o-o 0-0 8 d4 seems more

31 7
M as t e ring Open ing S t ra tegy
natural, although Black has few problems
after 8 ... cxd4 9 cxd4 d6, so White should
rather prefer 6 o-o 0-0 7 d4, or even the
flexible 7 .l:i.d1 ! ? first.
7 . ..ti:Jc7 8 .i.xc6
After 8 'iix cs? ! b6 9 'iic4 ct:Jxes the pawn
trade clearly favours Black - Matulovic.
8 ...dxc6 9 'iixcs
Your move ...
Game 203
M.T.Arnold,.A.Stamnov
Chicago 2008
Caro-Karm Oefence
1 c4 c6 2 e4 dS 3 exds cxds 4 d4 '2lf6 s '2lc3
From the English we have transposed to
the Panov Attack in the Caro-Kann.
s ...ct:Jc6 6 .i.gs dxc4
A risky, but quite popular choice. 6 ... e6
and 6 ... .i.e6 are safer options.
1 ds
A gambit with 7 .i.xc4 is possible as well.
1 ...ct:Jes 8 'iid 4 '2ld3+?!
"Don't swap a developed piece for an
undeveloped one" is a possible addition to
the existing opening principles. Practice
318
favours 8 .. h6! 9 .i.h4 '2lg6, when both 10
.
.i.xf6 exf6 11 .i.xc4 .i.d6, followed by ...0-0,
and 10 .i.g 3 es! should be okay for Black.
9 .i.xd3 cxd3 10 CLJf3!
Speeding up development, the pawn
can wait. After 10 'iix d3?! g6 11 .i.xf6 exf6
12 '2lf3 .i.d6 13 o-o o-o Black has less to
worry about.
10 ... g6 11 .i.xf6 exf6 12 0-0 .i.g7
With the white queen still on d4,
12 ... .i.d6? clearly fails to 13 '2le4.
Your move ...
Game 204
F.Nijboer-S.E mst
G roningen 2004
Petroffs Defence
1 e4 es 2 '2lf3 '2lf6 3 ct:Jxes d6 4 '2lf3 ct:Jxe4 5
d4 d s 6 .i.d3 .i.d6 1 o-o o-o 8 c4 '2lf6
A surprising retreat of Black's most ac
tive piece. Practice sees 8 ... c6 almost in
variably here, keeping the presence in the
centre.
9 cs .i.e7 10 'iic 2
Preparing to meet 10 ....i.g4 by 11 ct:Jes.
other logical reactions are 10 ct:Jes, seizing

the centre, and the restrictive 10 h3.
10... b6?!
A badly timed attack on White's pawn
chain. 10 .. .<:Jc6, speeding up development,
was preferable.
Your move...
Game 205
K.Kulaots-E..Aiekseev
Moscow 2004
Queen's .Indian Defence
1 d4 li'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 li'lf3 b6 4 g3 .i.a6 5 'ifb3
A viable alternative to the main line
with 5 b3. The gambit 5 'ifc2 .i.b7 6 .i.g2 cs
7 dS!? has recently also become very popu
lar in practice.
5 ...c6
An interesting reaction - Black plans to
recapture on dS with the c-pawn after ... d7-
d5, thus reaching a Slav structure where his
light-squared bishop would outstrip its
white counterpart.
6 .i.g5
6 .i.f4 is more popular, when Black often
delays ... d7-d5 for a few moves, starting
with 6... .i.e7.
Res triction
6 ...d5 7 cxd5 cxd5 8 .i.xf6
White hurries to swap on f6 before
... .i.e7xf6 is possible.
8 ...'ifxf6 g li'lc3 'iVdS
Rather passive. S.Halkias-E.Postny,
Mureck 1998, saw the inventive 9 ... 'ife7! ?,
heading for b4 or b7, and after 10 a3 'ifb7
11 .i.g2 li'ld7 12 0-0 .i.e7 13 J::tfe1 0-0 Black
had little to worry about.
10 li'le5!
Seizing the centre and eyeing the oppo
nent's Achilles' heel on c6.
10....i.d6?!
Your move ...
Game 206
J.HeBsten-O.Panno
Mendoza 2004
Modem Defence
1 d4 g6 2 c4 .i.g7 3 li'lc3 c5 4 d 5 .i.xc3+ 5
bxc3 f5
A double-edged variation that has
gained popularity in recent years. White's
pawn structure has been damaged and,
while the position remains closed, his
bishop pair won't be much of an asset, a
319
M as tering Op e n ing Strategy

fact that explains my next move. 11 ..\txf3 dxe6

Or 11 ... xe6+ 12 f2 ! 0-0 13 e1 xc4
14 g1 ds 15 ..ltg s ! tt:lbd7 16 tt:lf4 with a
strong initiative.
12 0-0 tt:lbd7
After 12 ... 0-0?! 13 ..\th6 d8 14 e2 eS
15 ..ltg s Black is again under strong pres
sure.

6 e4!? fxe4 7 f3 es
7 ... exf3 ?! 8 tt:lxf3, followed by 9 i.d3 and
10 o-o, would fully justify White's gambit,
but 7 ... d6 8 fxe4 tt:lf6 was a safer choice,
with complex play.
8 dxe6
Sticking to the idea of opening the posi
tion for the bishops. Obviously 8 fxe4? Your move ...
failed to 8 ...iVh4+, while 8 d6 tt:lc6 9 tt:lh 3
as didn't please me either.
8 e7
... Game 2D7
A sharp choice. After 8 ... dxe6 9 xd8+ J.Helfsten-N.De Firm ian
xd8 10 ..ltgS+ e8 11 0-0-0 White should Bermuda 1997
be slightly better, whereas 8 ... tt:lc6!? is well Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation
met by 9 tt:lh 3 tt:lf6 10 fxe4, when both
10 ...tt:lxe4 11 d3 and 10 ... 0-0 11 ..\th6 e8 1 e4 cs 2 tt:lf3 d6 3 c3 tt:lf6 4 ..\te2 g6 5 o-o
12 ..ltd3, followed by 13 0-0, yield him a ..ltg7 6 ..ltbS+
slight initiative. In order to set up a pawn centre quickly,
9 tt:lh3 ! White moves the bishop again. 6 e1, fol
Development first. After 9 exd7+?! lowed by ..\tfl, is another option.
..\txd7, followed by 10...tt:lc6 and 11 ...0-0-0, it 6 tt:lc6
...

is Black who is ahead in development. 6 ... ..\td7 is much more common, when,
9 tt:lf6 10 ..\te2 exf3?!
. after the swap on d7, White can prepare
Much safer was 10... dxe6 11 o-o es 12 d2-d4 by either e1 or e2.
tt:lf2 0-0! 13 tt:lxe4 tt:lxe4 14 dS+ g7 15 7 d4 a6
xe4 ..ltfs 16 e3 with just a minimal edge 7 ...tt:lxe4? obviously fails to 8 ds a6 9
for White. ..\td3, but 7 ... 0-0 8 dS tt:lb8 is interesting,

320

followed by ...e7-e6, with some kind of Be
noni battle where Black might have more
counterplay than in the game.
8 .ixc6+ bxc6 9 e1 cxd4 10 cxd4 0-0
Or 10 ....ig4 11 CDbd2! 0-0 12 h3 .ixf3 13
l2Jxf3 with a slight advantage.
Your move ...
Game 208
G.Marocy-H.Pillsbury
Nuremberg 1896
Four Knights Game
1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 l2Jf6 3 l2Jc3 l2Jc6 4 .ib5 .ic5
4 ....ib4 and 4...CDd4 are more frequent
reactions to the Four Knights Game.
5 o-o o-o 6 l2Jxe5 e8
After 6 ... l2Jxes 7 d4 .id6 8 f4! White soon
regains the piece, with some initiative.
7 ctJf3
7 l2Jxc6?! dxc6 is quite risky; e.g. 8 .ic4
l2Jxe4!? 9 l2Jxe4 xe4 10 .ixf7+ Wh8 ! with
some initiative for the pawn.
7 ...l2Jxe4 8 d4 CDxc3 9 bxc3 .ie7
9 ....if8 is more natural, keeping the e
file clear for the rook.
10 d5!
Res triction
The only way to fight for an advantage -
White gains some space and expels the
black knight from the centre.
10...l2Jb8 11 .if4 a6 12 .ia4! .if6?!
12 ... b5 13 .ib3 d6 seems preferable, fol
lowed by ... l2Jd7 to reactivate the knight,
although after 14 CDd4 .ib7 15 c4 bxc4 16
.ia4!? f8 17 lLlfs .if6 18 b1 White had
some initiative in S.Conquest-J.Garriga Nu
alart, Olot 1994.
Your move ...
Game 209
V.Anand-G.Kamsky
Las Pal mas
(11th matchgame) 1995
Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation
1 e4 c5 2 CDf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 lLlf6 5
l2Jc3 a6 6 .ie3 e6 7 .ie2
The point of such a move order might be
to sidestep the 6 .ie2 es variation.
7 ....ie7 8 f4 CDc6 9 'ii'd 2!?
Preparing 0-0-0, quite an unusual idea
in connection with f2-f4. In contrast, 9 0-0
0-0 leads to a basic position of the Classical
Scheveningen.
321
M a s t e ring Op e n ing S trategy
9 ...tt:lxd4
By this capture Black enables a quick
...b7-b5 later on.
10 'ifxd4 o-o 11 o-o-o 'ifa5?
In the event of 11 ...bs at once, 12 es is a
bit annoying, so Kamsky prepares this ad
vance. However, the prophylactic 11 ...'Lld7
was a better idea in this sense, with rather
encouraging results for Black in practice.
Your move ...
Game 210
DRojas-A.Lema
Tena 2008
Tarrasch Defence
1 d4 d 5 2 c4 e6 3 'Llc3 c5 4 'Llf3 'Llc6
A sharper battle arises after 4...cxd4 5
'Llxd4 es 6 'LldbS a6 7 'ifa4 or 6 ... d4 7 'Llds.
5 .if4 'Llf6 6 e3
White is applying a modest, but fully
playable line against the Tarrasch.
6 ...cxd4 7 'Llxd4 'Llxd4
7 ... .ie7 or 7 ... .\tb4 was preferable, speed
ing up development, since 8 tt:lxc6 bxc6 at
any moment just helps Black in reinforcing
her centre.
322
8 'ifxd4 .ie7 9 .l:!.d1
Stepping up the pressure at ds. A good
alternative was 9 cxds exds 10 .ibS+! .id7
11 .ixd7+ 'ifxd7 12 0-0, with a slight but
enduring advantage in this simplified IQP
position.
Your move ...
Game 21l
E.Bareev-A.Mikhalchishin
Eu ropean Team Cha mpionship,
Plovd iv 2003
Queen's Gambit Accepted
1 d4 d 5 2 c4 dxc4 3 e4
The most straightforward reaction to
the Queen's Gambit Accepted.
3 ... 'Llf6
A popular reply, which leads to play
reminiscent of the Alekhine's Defence, but
with a stronghold on dS for Black. 3 ... es is
the other main direction.
4 e5 'Lld5 5 .ixc4 'Llb6 6 .id3
In the event of 6 .ib3 Black usually con
tinues 6 ...'Llc6 7 .ie3 .ifs, exploiting the
opponent's absence on the b1-h7 diagonal.
6 ...'Llc6 7 'Lle2
 Restriction

Since 7 l2lf3 ?! is well met by 7 ... .ig4, kept its popularity to modern times, in par
White brings the knight to e2. 7 .ie3 l2lb4 8 ticular at club level. 7 .id2 .ixd2+ 8 l2lbxd2
.ie4 fs 9 exf6 exf6, followed by .. .f6-fS, is dS leads to quieter play.
another frequently played line. 7 d s?!
...

7 .ig4
...
Before settling with the bishop on e6,
Black provokes f2-f3.
8 f3 .ie6 9 l2lbc3 .ids
Preparing ...e7-e6. Practice also sees
9 ....ic4 with the same purpose, while
9 ...'id7 10 l2le4 .ids 11 ttJcs 'ic8, followed
by ... e7-e6, is yet another option.
10 ttJxds iVxds
Or lO ...ttJxdS 11 a3 e6 12 o-o with a
slight white advantage - Bareev, though
this may be Black's safest choice.
11 .ie4 'id7
This counterstrike will just accelerate
White's attack. The main line goes 7 ... l2lxe4
8 0-0 .ixc3 9 dS .if6 10 .Mel l2le7 11 .Mxe4
d6 with a heavy theoretical battle.
8 exds tLlxds 9 o-o .ie6
Or 9 ... l2lxc3?! 10 bxc3 .ixc3? 11 'ib3 !
.ixa1 12 .ixf7+ \t>f8 13 .ia3+ l2le7 14 .Mxal,
followed by .Mel, and White wins.
10 .tgs!
Development with tempo. At this point
10 ...'iVd7 11 .ixds .ixds 12 .Mel+ \t>f8! was
Black's safest choice, but he prefers a more
obvious reply.
10 .ie7?!
...

Your move ...

Your move ...

Game 212
W.Steinitz-C.Von Bardeleben Game 213
Hastings 1895 H.WesterinenK.Rasmussen
Italian Game Malaga 2003
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 es 2 l2lf3 l2lc6 3 .ic4 .ics 4 c3 l2lf6 s d4
exd4 6 cxd4 .ib4+ 7 l2lc3 1 e4 c6 2 d4 ds 3 l2lc3 dxe4 4 l2lxe4 .ifs 5
A sharp version of the Italian, which has l2lg3 .ig6 6 .ic4

323
M as tering Op e n ing S t ra tegy

An aggressive line against the Classical 4...b6 5 C5

Caro-Kann. White intends ctJ1e2(h 3)-f4 5 'bc3 is more flexible. After the text
next, after which he could either harass the Black had a good alternative in 5 ... C7. but
bishop on g6 by h 2-h4, or prepare a sacri he prefers a queen less middlegame.
fice on e6, while this game features a third 5 ...xb3 6 axb3 i.f5 7 e3?!
plan with f2-f4. The main line goes 6 h4 h6 7 ctJC3 is more powerful, keeping the op
7 'bf3 'bd7 8 h5 i.h7 9 i.d3 with a heavy tion of i.f4 later on.
theoretical battle. 7 ...'iJbd7 8 ctJC3
6 ...e6 7 'b1e2 'bf6 8 o-o
8 'bf4 is another option, when Black of
ten replies 8 ... i.d6, followed by 9 .. Yille 7, in
order to challenge the knight on f4.
8 ... 'bbd7 9 f4
Intending f4-f5 to clear the f-file and the
a2-g8 diagonal towards Black's king.
9 . . .'bb6 10 i.d3 i.xd3 11 xd3

Your move ...

Game 215
J.Lundin..Th.Ernst
Karlstad 2010
Grilnfeld Defence

Your move ... 1 d4 'bf6 2 c4 g6 3 'bc3

White's set-up in this game can also be
initiated by 3 g3, with the point that after
Game 214 3 ... d5 4 cxd5 'bxd5 5 i.g2 i.g7 6 e4 Black
E.Lobron-G.Hertneck lacks the option of 6 ... 'bxc3.
Nu remberg (rapid) 1990 3 ...d5 4 cxd5 'bxd5 5 g3 i.g7 6 i.g2 'bxc3
Slav Defence Anyway, 6 ... 'bb6 is perfectly possible as
well.
1 d4 d5 2 C4 c6 3 ctJf3 ctJf6 4 b3 7 bxc3 c5 8 e3 'bc6
An interesting sideline against the Slav, 8 ... a5 9 i.d2 o-o 10 'be2 'bc6 11 o-o
which we already came across in Game 62 l:i.d8 is another popular set-up.
(Ovetchkin-Efanov). 9 'be2 i.d7

324

Black hurries to start action on the
queenside, his traditional battlefield in the
Grilnfeld. Of course, 9 ... 0-0 is also possible.
10 o-o l:tc8 11 l:tb1 cxd4?!
11...b6 or 11..,.:t:Jas was preferable -
Lundin. We will soon see the difference.
12 cxd4 b6
Your move ...
Game 216
A.Khalifman-V.Filippov
Russia n Team Cha m pionsh i p 199 5
Semi-Slav Defence
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 tLlc3 e6 4 e4 dxe4 5 tt:Jxe4
i.b4+ 6 i.d2 xd4 7 i.xb4 xe4+
A sharp branch of the Slav, that we saw
earlier in Volkov-Kempinski (Game 44) and
Flear-Vera (Game 52).
8 i.e2 tLle7
Quite a rare alternative to the more fre
quent 8 ...tt:Ja6.
9 d2
The main idea behind Black's previous
move was to meet 9 tLlf3 by 9 ... tt:Jds, but
even so, after 10 tLld2 d4 11 i.a3 tLlf4 12
0-0 White has had good results in practice.
Res triction
Anyway, the text rules out this idea by pro
tecting the bishop on b4.
9... tt:Jg6
Both 9 ... xg2?! 10 0-0-0 tLld7 11 tLlf3
and 9 ... cs?! 10 i.xcs tt:Jbc6 11 tLlf3 o-o 12
o-o-o! clearly favour White - Khalifman.
Your move ...
Game 21 7
A.Shirov-P.Eijanov
Moscow 201o
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 i.f5 4 tLlf3 e6 5 i.e2 c5
We already came across this line in
Game 40 (Bologan-Dizdarevic). There Black
preferred s ...tLle7, followed by ...i.g6 and
...tt:Jfs, whereas on this occasion he strikes
immediately at the white pawn chain.
6 i.e3 tLld7 7 0-0 tLle7
Here and on the previous move, 7 ... cxd4
8 tt:Jxd4 i.g6 9 c4! yields White some initia
tive.
8 C4
This is indeed a key advance in the cur
rent variation, in order to open the position
for White's better developed forces. In con-
325
M as t e ring Open ing Strategy
trast, 8 c3 l2Jc6, followed by ...Yl.e7 and ...o-o,
yields Black fewer problems.
8 ...dxc4 g l2Ja3 c3 10 l2Jb5
Not 10 bxc3?! lbds, when Black wins a
tempo by attacking the c3-pawn, but a
gambit with 10 Yl.g s was interesting as
well.
10 ...l2'ld5 11 l2'lxc3 l2'lxc3
11 ...l2Jxe3 12 fxe3 Yl.e7 seems safer, as in
A.Morozevich-G.Kamsky, Moscow 2008,
which continued 13 3 0-0! 14 'ifxb7 :l,b8
and it was actually Black who decided
whether or not to repeat moves.
12 bxc3 Yl.e7 13 dxc5 Yl.xc5?!
"Big mistake" - Shirov. 13 ...0-0 14 l2Jd4
was a lesser evil, with just a slight white
advantage - Golubev.
Your move ...
Game 218
Ci.Sosonko-R.Hiibner
Tilburg1979
Catalan Opening
1 d4 l2'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 Yl.g2 dxc4 5 l2'lf3
a6 6 o-o b5
6 ... l2Jc6 is more popular, familiar to us
326
from Ricardi-Hellsten (Game 187).
7 lbe 5 lbd 5
An alternative is 7 ...c6; e.g. 8 l2Jxc6 'ib6
or 8 b3 cxb3 9 l2Jxc6 6 10 lLlas :l,a7 11
l2Jxb3 :l,d7! 12 e4 Yl.b7 13 'ife2 Yl.e7 as seen
a few times in practice.
8 l2'lc3
Nowadays, 8 a4 Yl.b7 9 b3 is more fre
quent here.
8... c6?!
A rather slow move that lets White take
a clear initiative. 8 ... Yl.b7 is much more
popular, when 9 lLJxdS exds 10 e4 dxe4 11
'ifhs g6! 12 l2Jxg6 fxg6 13 'ifes+ 'ife7 14
'ifxh8 l2'ld7 leads to a double-edged battle.
g lLJxds exds
Or 9 ... cxds 10 e4 Yl.b7 11 'ifh s!, when
11 ... g6 runs into 12 l2'lxg6! fxg6 13 'ifes, and
11 ... 'ifc7 12 exds Yl.xds 13 Yl.xds exds 14
:l,e1 is equally bad for Black - Sosonko.
10 e4 Yl.e6 11 a4!
A typical Catalan advance, which softens
up the black pawn phalanx.
11 ... b4
The desirable 11 ... Yl.e7? fails to 12 axbs
cxbs 13 exds Yl.xds 14 l2'lxf7! xf7 15 'ifh s+
etc. - Sosonko.
12 exds Yl.xds?!
 R e s triction

Too materialistic. For better or worse dark-squared bishops is usually an

12 ... cxds 13 tt:Jxc4 e7, followed by ... 0-0, achievement for White.
had to be tried, although the sharper 13 12 ... xh6 13 xh6 b4?!
f4! ? can also be considered - Sosonko. Since the immediate 13 ... f6 is strongly
Your move ... met by 14 e s ! dxes 15 tt:Je4 - Franco, Black
first expels the enemy knight from c3, but
in doing so creates an outpost for White on
Game 2:1.9 c4. The flexible 13 ... ctJd7 was preferable -
A.Yusupov-S.Dolmatov Yusupov.
USSR Championsh1p, Minsk 1987 14 ctJd1 f6 15 ctJd2!
Benoni Defence With the dual intention of 16 tt:Jc4 and
16 g3, restricting the knight on h s .
1 d4 tt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt:Jf3 c5 4 d5 exd5 5 cxd5 15 ...d7?!
d6 6 ctJc3 g6 7 f4 Again 1S ... ctJd7 seems more natural, al
though after 16 g3 tt:Jes 17 e2! tt:Jg4 18
xg4 xg4 19 ctJe3 White keeps the advan
tage - Yusupov.

1 ... a6
In most opening variations a fianchetto
is completed immediately, but here 7 ... g7
permits 8 a4+! d7 9 3 with good re Your move ...
sults for White in practice.
8 e4
The most ambitious, trying to break in Game 220
the centre before Black is developed. After 8 A.Vajda-C.Fiorescu
a4 g7 normal Benoni play is reached. Rumanian Team
s ... b5 9 e2 tt:Jh5 Championshi p 2004
White's previous move made 10 es a Sicilian Defence,
real threat, so Black takes preventive action. Scheveningen Variation
10 g5 e7 11 h6 f8 12 e3!
In this opening, the exchange of the 1 e4 c5 2 ctJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:Jxd4 tt:Jf6 5

32 7
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy
tt:ic3 d6 6 .lte2 a6 7 o-o bs?!
As mentioned elsewhere in the book,
this is a rather risky line for Black, whose
...b7-b5 advance works better if prepared by
7 .. :'ilic7 or 7 ...tt:ibd7.
8 .ltf3! .S.a7
9 a4
Immediately hitting Black's fragile
queenside before he is comfortably devel
oped.
9 ... b4 10 tt:ia2 ds
Securing the b4-pawn, at the cost of al
lowing White a certain dominance in the
centre. Perhaps 10 ... e5 11 tt:ib3 .S.b7 was
more promising, although after 12 c3 bxc3
13 tt:ixc3 .lte6 14 tt:id5 .ltxd5 15 exd5 "iiib 6?!
16 tt:id2, heading for c4(-a5}, White had the
initiative in S.Vajda-C.Florescu, Bucharest
2000.
11 es tt:ifd7 12 .ltf4 .lte7 13 .ltg4!?
Creating the threat of 14 .ltxe6 fxe6 15
tt:ixe6.
13 .. ."'ilib6
13 ...tt:ic5? obviously failed to 14 tt:ixb4,
but 13 ... 0-0 was safer, when both 14 .ltxe6
fxe6 15 tt:ixe6 "iiia 5 16 tt:ixf8 tt:ixf8 and 14
"iiid2 "iiib 6 15 .lte3 .ltc5 seem to be okay for
Black.
328
Your move ...
Game 221
S.Kindermann-A.Vuckovic
Germ a n League 2004
Defence,
Sicilian
Rossolimo Variation
1 e4 cs 2 tt:if3 tt:ic6 3 .ltbs g6 4 .ltxc6
Quite a popular choice in contemporary
practice, in order to find out straight away
how Black is going to recapture on c6.
4...dxc6 5 d3
If White is bothered by a bishop move to
g4 then he could play 5 h3 here, although in
that case Black obtains the additional op
tion of 5 ... e5, when 6 tt:ixe5?! runs into
6 ..."iiid4. In contrast, after the text Black
would have to prepare ... e7-e5 by ... .ltg7.
s ....tg4 6 tt:ibd2
Another option is 6 h3 .txf3 7 "iiixf3, fol
lowed by tt:id2-c4.
6....th6
A curious deviation from the normal
6 ... .\tg7. Black aims at equalizing by ex
changes, but the remainder of the game
shows us that things aren't that simple.
 Restriction

7 h3 .ixf3 8 tt:lxf3 .ixc1 9 xc1 aS+ 5 c2 .ib7 6 tt:lc3 cs

If 9 ...tt:lf6, then 10 6! is a bit annoying
- Finkel.
10 C3 l:f.d8
The point of Black's previous move -
now after 11 e3 tt:lf6, thanks to the pres
sure at d3, he would manage to castle.
However...
11 0-0!
An intuitive pawn sacrifice motivated by
the lead in development.
11 ... l:!.xd3

If his queen was still on d1, White could

now have reached a favourable Benoni by 7
ds. H ere, in contrast, he has to accept the
exchange of his d-pawn, which gives rise to
a H edgehog structure.
7 e4 cxd4 8 tt:lxd4 .ics
other options are 8 ...tt:lc6 and 8 ...d6.
9 tt:lb3 tt:lc6 10 .igs
White can also play 10 .if4, fingering
the crucial d6-square, whereas 10 tt:Jxcs
bxcs has shown to be less useful for him,
Your move ... both here and later.

Game 222
G.Kasparov-J.Van Der Wiel
Amsterd a m 1988
Queen 's Indian Defence

1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt:lf3 b6 4 a3
The Petrosian Variation, in which White
rules out ... .ib4 before further action.
4....ia6
Just like in the classical line with 4 g3 (cf.
Game 189, Brynell-Barkhagen), this attack
on the c4-pawn provokes a minor conces- 10...a6
sion from the opponent. Preparing a Hedgehog set-up with ... c7

329
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy

and ...d7-d6. The simplifying 10 ...h6 11 .ih4 14 f3 h6 15 .if4 'Lles

'Lld4 is more popular; e.g. 12 'Llxd4 .ixd4 13
.id3 WV'b8! 14 iig3 .ies and Black is okay.
11 0-0-0
The most energetic reaction, giving jus
tice to the early 'iVc2.
11 'iVc7 12 b1 o-o-o?!
...

An awkward place for the king in this

structure. By 12 ....ie7 and ... d7-d6 next
Black could still get a normal, albeit some
what delayed Hedgehog.
13 'iVd2 d6
Again 13 ....ie7, preparing ... d7-d6, was
reasonable, although after 14 MC1 Black
must look out for a possible 'Llds or 'Llbs . Your move ...

330

Solutions
Game 201 (continued}
11 i.a3!
Preventing Black's castling is White's
main priority here. 11 I.t.e1 o-o and 11 d5
tt:la5 are less powerful.
11 ...i.xd4
After 11 ...tt:Jxd4 12 tt:lxe5 i.e6 13 I.t.e1 c5
14 'iia4+ 'iiif8 15 l.t.ad1 White had a strong
initiative in J.Blackburne-NN, Great Britain
(simul) 1872.
12 'ii b 3 i.e6?!
An early surrender, but 12 ...'iid 7 13 tt:lg5
tt:ld8 14 I.t.ad1 is also depressing for Black.
13 i.xe6 fxe6 14 'iixe6+ tt:le7 15 tt:lxd4 exd4
16 I.t.fe1 tt:JfgS 17 tt:ld5
Recovering the material with a clear ad-
vantage. The game continued 17 ...'iid 7 18
i.xe7 (18 'iie 5! won outright) 18 ...'iix e6 19
I.t.xe6 'iiid7 20 l.t.ae1 (20 i.c5! won a pawn)
20 ... I.t.e8 21 I.t.6e4 c6 22 I.t.xd4 cxd5 23 I.t.xd5+
'it'c6 24 l.t.d6+ 'iiie 7 25 I.t.c1+ 'it'b8 26 i.h4
tt:lh6 27 i.g3 'it'a8 28 h3 tt:lf5 29 l.t.d7 and
White went on to win.
Res triction
Game 202 (continued}
9 ...'iid 3!
Of course, immobilizing White's queen
side forces and preventing 10 0-0.
10 'iie 3 i.f5! 11 'iixd3 i.xd3
Despite the exchange of queens White is
still under pressure due to his cramped de
velopment. In the following moves, Fischer
finds the only way of challenging the an
noying bishop on d3.
12 'it'd1! tt:le6 13 tt:le1 tt:lf4 14 tt:lxd3
Avoiding 14 g3? i.e2+ 15 'it'c2 tt:lh3 ! ,
when White must even b e careful of a mate
on d1.
14 ... tt:lxd3 15 f4!?
Seeing that both 15 'it'c2 and 15 'it'e2 are
well met by 15 ... 0-0-0, Fischer tries a radical
solution.
15 ...i.h6
Matulovic turns down the offer. After
15 ...tt:lf2+ 16 'it'e2 tt:lxh1 17 d4, preparing
i.e3, tt:ld2 etc, the position is far from clear.
16 'it'c2 tt:lxc1 17 I.t.e1!
331
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
A clever intermediate move. In contrast,
17 xc1? .ixf4 wins a pawn for Black.
17 ...0-0-0
17 ... .ixf4 18 g3 probably leads to the
game, while 17 .. .'Jxa2 18 g 3 ! li:Jxc3 19 bxc3
yields White compensation for the pawn -
Matulovic,
18 xc1 .ixf4 19 g3 .ih6 20 c2 l:tds
Intending 21 d4 c5!. After inventive play
from both sides Black has ended up with a
slight initiative in the endgame, which later
finished in a draw.
Game 203 (continued)
13 ifb4!
332
Keeping the enemy king in the centre.
13 l:tfe1+?! f8, followed by ... g8, is less
convincing, though 13 ifc5 ! is a good alter
native; e.g. 13 ... ifd7 14 l:tfe1+ d8 15 d6
ifc6 16 ifd4 with a huge advantage - Bot
vinnik.
13 ...ifd7
A clumsy move, but the d8-square was
badly needed by the king.
14 li:Jbs d8 15 l:tac1!
With the devastating threat of 16 l:te7.
1s ...as
Neither 15 ...ifxd5? 16 li:Je7 nor 15 ....if8
16 ifd4 was any better for Black.
16 ifcs l:ta6 17 li:Ja7!
A technical choice, by which White se
cures a decisive material advantage.
17 ...l:txa7 18 ifb6+ e8 19 l:tfe1+ f8 20
ifxa7 .ih6 21 ifcs+ g7 22 l:tcd1
There followed 22 ...ifa4 23 l:txd3 ifxa2
24 ifd4 l:td8 25 d6 b5 26 iVb6 l:td7 27 ifxb5
and Black resigned, in view of 27 ... l:tb7 28
ifxb7! .ixb7 29 d7.
Game 204 (continued)
11 c6!
Severely restricting the enemy queen
side. Contrary to Suetin-Shamkovich (Game

193) here Black is able to liquidate the c6-
pawn, but only at the cost of permitting
White a strong initiative on the kingside.
11 ...1iVd6 12 'Lies 'Lig4 13 Jif4!
13 'Lixg4 Jixg4 14 Jixh7+ rJih8 15 Jif5
Jixf5 16 11Vxf5 'Lixc6 is less effective -
Huzman.
13 ...'Lixes 14 Jixes 11Vxc6 1S 'Lic3!
Stronger than the obvious 15 Jixh7+,
since now Black can't avoid the capture on
h7 anyway due to the additional threat of
16 'Lixd5 11Vxd5 17 Jie4.
1S Jie6 16 Jixh7+ rJih8 17 Jid3
..
With the strong threat of 11Ve2(d1}-h 5.
17 ...CLld7?!
17 ...11Vd7 was more tenacious, although
after 18 11Ve2 rJig8 19 11Vh 5 f5 20 .Mfel White
keeps a strong initiative.
18 11Ve2 rJig8 19 Jibs! 11Vb7
20 Jixg7!
This temporary sacrifice leads to an ex
tra pawn for White, and further exposure
of the enemy king.
20...rJixg7 21 Jixd7 Jixd7 22 11Vxe7 c6 23
.Mae1
23 f4 .Mfe8 24 11Vg5+ rJif8 25 f5 was a
good alternative - Huzman.
23 .Mae8 24 11VgS+ rJih7 2S .Me3 !
. 16 Jixds Jixd4 17 o-o-o!? Jixf2 18 Jixa8
R e s triction
With a crushing advantage. There fol
lowed 25 ....Mg8 26 11Vh 5+ rJig7 27 .Mg3+ rJif8
28 11Vh6+ rJie7 29 .Mel+ rJid8 30 .Mxg8 .Mxg8
31 11Vf6+ rJic8 32 11Vxf7 .Mxg2+ 33 rJih l! .Mg4
34 f3 .Mxd4 35 .Me8+ rJic7 36 11Ve7 c5 37
11Ve5+ and Black resigned, in view of the
imminent mate.
Game 205 (continued)
11 11Va4+!
A timely check that deprives Black of
castling. For this reason, 10 ... 'Lid7 was pref
erable last turn, when 11 11Va4 Jib7, prepar
ing ... a7-a6 and ... b6-b5, is quite acceptable
for h im - Gershon.
11...rJif8 12 e4!
With the enemy king stuck in the centre,
it makes sense to the open the position.
12 ...11Ve8?
Quite a desperate choice - Black sacri
fices the d5-pawn in order to swap queens.
12 ...Jixf1 13 rJixfl Jixe5 14 dxe5 'Lid7 was
preferable, although White keeps the pres
sure after 15 exd5 'Lixe5 16 .Md1 - Gershon.
13 11Vxe8+ rJixe8 14 exds exds 1S Jig2!
Jixes
Or 15 ...Jib7 16 'Lixd5, followed by 'Lic4.
333
M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy
With both a material and positional su
periority White is winning. There followed
18 ...f6 19 'lt>b1 (19 tbe4, heading for d6, was
stronger - Gershon) 19 ... .tcs 20 .tds g6 21
.i.b3 'lt>f8 22 l'be4 .i.e? 23 he1 and Black's
position remained very difficult, although
incredibly enough, he eventually won the
game!
Game 206 (continued}
13 .th6!
A key move that prevents Black from
castling while connecting the major pieces.
13 ... es?
Black aims at liberating himself by ...es
e4 and ...l'bes, but after White's reply he will
hardly be able to move. The last chance was
13 ... l'bg8! 14 .tg s l'bgf6, insisting on the
castling - Giardelli, when 1S l'bf4 0-0 16
e2 keeps a strong initiative.
14 a4! 'lt>d8
There is nothing better; e.g. 14 ... e4?! 1S
ae1, followed by 16 l'bf2, or 14...l'bg8? 1S
.tg s l'bgf6 16 .txb7!.
1S aS+!
Provoking new weaknesses.
1s ... b6 16 a4 e4 17 c6 b8 18 .tf4 l'bes?
This loses outright. 18 ...exf3 ? drops the
334
queen after 1 9 .tc7+ 'lt>e8 2 0 ae1, but
18 ... .tb7 was more tenacious, when one
good reply is 19 c7+ 'lt>e8 20 ae1 h6 2 1
tbf2 e6 22 .td6!, with the devastating
threat of 23 l'bxe4 tbxe4 24 .txe4 .txe4 2 S
f4.
19 ad1+ .i.d7 20 .txes xes 21 .tg4! 1-0
In view of heavy material losses, Black
resigned.
Game 207 (continued}
11 h3!
Restricting the bishop on c8. In contrast,
after 11 l'bc3 .i.g4! 12 .i.e3 l'bd7, preparing
... 6 and ... c6-cS, Black obtains counter
play.
11...l'bd7
After 11 ....td7 12 l'bc3 b8 13 b3 as 14
.i.d2 S?! 1S es! White took the initiative
in R.Kaula-B.Wilk, Polish Team Champion
ship 1999.
12 l'bc3 cs 13 .te3
13 dS?! is less appropriate due to
13 ...b8 with some black pressure along
the a1-h8 diagonal.
13 ...b8 14 d2 cxd4 1S .txd4 .txd4
Such an exchange rarely favours Black,
but after 1S ... l'bes 16 .txes dxes 17 e2,
 Res triction

preparing b2-b3 and 'Lld2-c4, White has a the endgame, although after a series of er
pleasant advantage. rors I finally had to concede a draw.
16 tt'lxd4 .ib7 17 .J:'lad1 'Llf6 18 gs
With the dual intention of 19 es and 19 Game 208 (continued)
'Llfs.
18...e6
Thus Black responds to both enemy
ideas, since 19 es can now be met by
19 ...'Llds. On the other hand, the d6-pawn
becomes rather weak. Anyway, after
18 ... c7 19 'Llfs White also has the initia
tive.
19 'Llb3!
Clearing the d-file towards the d6-pawn,
while preparing 'Lla5-c4 later on.
19 ... e7 20 .l:'ld2 .l:'lfd8 21 tt'las g7 22 .l:'led1
h6?!
Helping the white queen to a better 13 d6!
square. After 22 ....ia8 23 'Llc4 dS! 24 exds A powerful advance that severely re
.ixds Black would just be minimally worse. stricts Black's queenside pieces, in particu
23 e3 .ia8 24 'Llc4 tt'le8 25 b3 h7 26 lar the bishop on c8. It is for this reason that
.l:'ld3! 12 .ia4! was essential on the previous
move, in order to keep preventing ... d7-d6,
just like in Nijboer-Hector (Game 198).

Preparing d2 with increased pressure

on d6. There followed 26 ... c7 27 h4 .ic6?!
(losing a pawn, but 27 ....l:'lbc8 28 hs also
favoured White) 28 d2 .ibs 29 tt'lxbs axbs
30 'Llxd6 tt'lxd6 31 .l:'lxd6 .l:'lxd6 32 xd6
xd6 3 3 .l:'lxd6 with a sound extra pawn in
13 ...c6?!
Now the knight on b8 becomes re
stricted too. A lesser evil was 13 ... cxd6,
when White could consider 14 xd6! ?

335
M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy
.i.xc3 15 .l:i.ad1 followed by .i.b3, with excel
lent compensation for the pawn.
14 .i.b3 bs 1s 'ifd2 .i.b7 16 lZ'lgs!
Maroczy utilizes the threat at f7 to bring
his knight to e4, where it will complicate
Black's intended ... c6-c5.
16 ....l:i.f8 17 lZ'le4 as 18 a3 lZ'la6 19 .l:i.ae1
Since Black can't easily connect his
rooks, it makes sense to work on the open
file.
19... cs 20 .ids .i.xds 21 'ifxds b4
22 .l:i.e3!
White just ignores the enemy attack on
the queenside, and starts preparing a final
assault on the opposite flank.
22 ... .i.xc3?
A serious mistake - without this bishop
there will be nobody defending the king. For
better or worse, 22 ...bxa3 had to be tried.
23 .l:i.xc3
23 l2Jxc3 bxc3 24 .i.g 5 ! was another
good option, followed by a deadly i.f6; e.g.
24...'ifc8 25 .i.f6! gxf6 26 .l:i.g3+ 'it>h8 27 'iff5
'ifd8 28 .l:i.h3 with mate.
23 ... bxc3 24 .i.gs l2Jc7
Forced, since any queen move, such as
24...'ifc8, runs into 25 lZ'lf6+!, when both
25 ... gxf6 26 .i.xf6 h6 27 'iff5 and 25 ... 'it>h8
336
26 'iff5 g6 27 'ifh3 h 5 28 l2Jxh5 lead to a
quick mate.
2S 'ifc4!? 'ife8 26 dxc7
Again 26 lZ'lf6+! was possible, though the
text wins easily as well.
26...'ifes 27 .l:i.d1 .l:i.fe8 28 .l:i.xd7 'it>h8 29
'ifxf7 'ifxgs 30 f4! 'ifg4 31 h3 'ifxd7 32 'ifxd7
.l:i.xe4 33 c8'if+ 1-0
Game 209 (continued)
12 'ifb6!
A key move that prevents ...b7-b5,
Black's only active plan, and leaves the en
emy pieces rather cramped.
12 ...'ifxb6 13 .i.xb6 lZ'le8
Parrying the threat of 14 .i.e?. Neither
13 ... lZ'ld7? 14 .i.e?, nor 13 ... e5?! 14 f5 was
any good for Black, while 13 ... .i.d7 14 e5!
dxe5 15 fxe5 lZ'ld5 16 l2Jxd5 exd5 17 .i.f3
.l:i.ac8 18 .i.xd5 .i.f5 19 .i.b3 clearly favours
White - Anand.
14 eS!
Increasing the pressure on Black's camp
and, for the long term, restricting his knight
on e8.
14...ds 1s fs! i.d7 16 .i.g4!
More precise than 16 fxe6 fxe6 17 .i.g4,
when 17 ... .i.c8, followed by ... g7-g6 and

.. .li'lg7, lets Black liberate himself to some
extent. Now in contrast, ... g7-g6 will always
fail to fS-f6.
16 ....i.c8
Retreating the bishop doesn't seem
right, but the threat of 17 fxe6 fxe6 18
tt:lxds had to parried. Instead, 16 ... exfs 17
.i.f3 and tt:lxds next clearly favours White,
while 16 ... .i.b4 is strongly met by 17 fxe6
.i.xe6 18 tt:lxds .i.xg4 19 l:td4!, recovering
the piece with a clear advantage due to the
miserable knight on e8.
17 J:thf1 as
Perhaps preparing ... aS-a4 and ...J:ta6 in
order to expel the annoying bishop, but
White easily prevents this idea with his
next move.
18 tt:la4! f6
Complicating the game when behind in
development tends to be a bad idea,
though Black was short of good alterna
tives; e.g. 18 ... J:ta6? ! 19 .i.e2 or 18 ...exfs 19
.i.xfs .i.e6 20 tt:lcs and White wins material.
19 fxe6 fxes 20 tt:lc3!
2o....i.gs+
On the natural 20...J:txf1 21 J:txfl tt:lf6
Anand had prepared the nice blow 22
J:txf6!, when 22 ... gxf6 23 tt:lxds f8 24
Restriction
tt:lxe7! Wxe7 2 5 .i.cs+ leads to a new white
queen, while after 22 ....i.xf6 23 tt:lxds a4 24
c4 the black pieces prove decisively re
stricted.
21 b1 tt:lf6 22 tt:lxds!
A well-calculated temporary sacrifice.
22 ...tt:lxg4 23 J:txf8+ xf8 24 tt:lc7 J:ta6 25
.i.cs+!
A key part of White's combination,
which moves the black king away from the
e-pawn, now that 2 S ....i.e7? runs into 26
J:td8 mate.
2S ...g8 26 tt:lxa6 .i.xe6
Or 26 ... bxa6 27 e7 f7 28 J:td8 etc.
27 CLJC7
Anand later converted his extra ex
change into a full point.
Game 210 (continued)
9 ...0-0!
Black simply continues with the devel
opment, seeing that if White takes the
pawn, then her king will be subject to an
annoying check on b4.
Instead, 9 ... dxc4?! 10 'it'xc4 is less ap
pealing, whereas the game continued
9 ... 'it'as?! 10 cxds exds (even worse is
10 ...0-o 11 d6 or 10...tt:lxds 11 'it'xg7 .i.f6 12
337
M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy
.tbs+! <Jle7 13 .tgs etc) 11 .1i.bS+! (exploit
ing the fact that after 11 ... .1i.d7 12 .1i.xd7+
Black has no good recapture) 11 ... <Jlf8 12
o-o .1i.e6 13 .tes with a clear advantage due
to Black's badly placed king.
10 cxds exds 11 tt::lxds?!
11 .1i.e2 .1i.e6 12 0-0 with a slight advan
tage is objectively better.
11 ... tt::lxds 12 'iY'xd s .1i.b4+!
A key move that severely exposes the
white king.
13 <Jle2 'ib6
In order to meet 14 'id4 by 14 ... .1i.cs.
With 14....1i.e6 coming up next, Black has
excellent compensation for the pawn.
Game 211 (continued)
12 e6!
A timely pawn sacrifice that complicates
Black's kingside development. Obviously
12 ... 'ixe6? now fails to 13 ds.
12 .. .fxe6 13 .1i.xc6!
A surprising exchange, but it helps
White in quickly installing the other bishop
on eS, thus keeping his central grip. other
moves, such as 13 'ic2, permit 13 ... g6 and
14 ... .1i.g7 with normal development.
13 ...'ixc6 14 .1i.f4 tt::l d s 15 .l:!.c1 'ib6 16 .tes!
338
16 . ...l:!.g8
Bareev was ready to sacrifice another
pawn in order to keep the initiative, but
Mikhalchishin gives priority to his devel
opment. Instead, 16 ...'ib4+ 17 <Jlf2 or
16 ...tt::le 3 17 'ia4+ c6 18 <Jlf2 leads nowhere
for Black, while after 16 ... 'ixb2 17 0-0 tt::le 3
18 'ia4+, both 18 ...c6 19 .l:!.fe1, followed by
20 .l:!.ab1, and 18 ...bs 19 'ia6 tt:Jxf1 20 'ic6+
<Jlf7 21 <Jlxf1, preparing tLlf4, offer White
excellent compensation for the material.
17 tt::lc 3 c6
Again, 17 ... 'ixb2 yields White clear com
pensation after 18 tt:Jxds exds 19 o-o c6 20
.l:!.b1 'ixa2 21 .l:!.xb7 - Bareev.
18 'ie2 gs 19 o-o .l:!.g6
Reinforcing the kingside. White also
keeps the initiative after 19 ....1i.g7 20 .1i.xg7
.l:!.xg7 21 'iY'es <Jlf7 22 tt::le 4! or 19 ...tLlf4 20
'ie4 .1i.g7 21 .1i.xg7 .l:!.xg7 22 g3 tt:Jds 23 tt::la4,
with 24 tt:Jcs next - Bareev.
20 <Jlh1 tt::lf4 21 'ic2 .1i.g7 22 tt::la 4!
Heading for the excellent square on cs.
There followed 22 ...'ibs 23 .1i.xg7 .l:!.xg7 24
tt:Jcs .l:!.g6 2 5 .l:!.fe1 b6 26 a4 'ib4 27 tt:Jxe6
'id6 28 tt::lxf4 gxf4 29 .l:!.e4 with a slight but
enduring advantage, which Bareev later
converted into a win.

Game 212 (continued}
11 kxds!
Clearing the e-file is White's main prior
ity. Of course, 11 kxe7? ttJcxe7 was less
powerful.
11...kxds
After 11 ...kxg 5 12 kxe6 fxe6 13 d5 !
exd5 14 ttJxg 5 xg 5 15 .l:'te1+, intending
15 ...tiJe7, 16 ttJxd5 Black is also in big trou
ble.
12 ttJxds xds
Or 12 ...kxg5 13 .l:'te1+ ke7 14 ttJxe7
ttJxe7 15 e2 ! with an improved version of
the game.
13 kxe7 tiJxe7 14 .l:'te1! f6 15 e2 d7
Restriction
White has managed to keep Black's king
in the centre, and should now act quickly
before the latter consolidates with ...r.Jlf7
and ... .l:'the8.
16 .l:'tad1!
Zaitsev's suggestion, which aims at a
quick d4-d5. In contrast, the game contin
ued 16 .l:'tac1?! c6? 17 d5! cxd5 18 tiJd4 r.Jlf7
19 ttJe6! and Steinitz went on to win, with a
final combination that has become a clas
sic. However, by 16 ... r.Jlf7!, Black would have
obtained excellent chances of survival.
16 ...r.Jlf7
Or 16 ... c6 17 d5 ! cxd5 18 .l:'txd5 etc.
17 c4+ ttJds 18 ttJes+! fxes 19 dxes
With double threats at d5 and e6, and
19 ... r.Jle6 failing to 20 g4+, White is win
ning.
Game 213 (contin ued}
11...g6!
Simple and strong, preventing the en
emy plan of f4-f5 while providing the
bishop with a good destiny on g7. By the
way, had White preferred 10 kb3 two
moves ago, then 10...d7! would have been
Black's best choice, in the same spirit of
preventing f4-f5.
339
M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy
12 b3 '2lbd5
The immediate 12 ....ig7 permits 13
.i.a3 ! ?, complicating ...0-0.
13 c4 '2le7
A good square for the knight, from
where it could move on to f5 one day.
14 .i.b2 .i.g7 15 ad1 o-o
Black has more or less equalized, and
now intends ... 'iVa5, ... ad8, ... d7, ...fd8
etc, with pressure on the d4-pawn. There
followed 16 'Lle4 'Llxe4 17 'iVxe4 'iVa5 ! 18
'iVc2 fd8 19 d3 d7 20 .i.C3 'iVc7 21 fd1
ad8 22 \t>h1 'Llf5, preparing ...c6-c5, with
an excellent game for Black, who went on
to win.
Game 214 (continued)
8 ...a6!
An essential move that parries the dan
gerous plan of b4-b5. In contrast, 8 ... e6?! 9
b4! iLe7 10 b5 o-o 11 b4, intending 12 bxc6
and 13 b5, yields White a favourable struc
ture on the queenside, and even 8 ... e5!? is
well met by 9 b4.
By the way, in the event of 8 b4 on the
previous move, Black could have resorted to
8 ... .ixb1! 9 xb1 a6 10 a1 c8 with simi
lar play as in the game.
340
9 '2lh4
Now if 9 b4, then simply 9 ...c8 or
9 ... d8, finishing off the b4-b5 idea.
9 ...iLc2 10 b4 dS! 11 \t>d2 .ig6
Black has nothing to worry about. There
followed 12 f4 e6 13 'Llxg6 hxg6 14 .ie2
.ie7 15 \t>c2 'Lle4!? 16 'Llxe4 dxe4 17 iLd2
'Llf6 18 h4 '2ld5 19 g3 \t>d7 20 a3?! g 5 ! 21
fxg5 iLxg 5 22 fl iLf6, intending ...\t>e7 and
... g5, with a slight initiative that Hertneck
later converted into a win.
Game 215 (continued)
13 .id2!
Restricting ...'Lla5-c4 is White's main pri
ority here. Less to the point was 13 e4?! 0-0
14 .ie3 '2la5 with ...'Llc4 next.
13 ...0-0 14 C1
The rook had fulfilled its duty on b1 and
now helps White in disputing the open file.
14...e6
After 14 ... e5 15 d5 'Lla5 16 .ib4!, fol
lowed by d5-d6, White has the initiative.
15 'iVb3 b5?!
A typical idea, but here it is badly timed
due to White's strong reply. 15 ...11Vf6, con
necting the rooks, seems preferable, but
not 15 ...'iVe7? 16 .ixc6 iLxc6 17 .i.b4 etc.

16 .l:!.cs! a6 17 c3 b6 18 .Mel tiJa7?
A bad location for the knight, where it
even becomes a target on the next move.
18 ... tiJe7 was called for, when White could
proceed as in the game.
19 .l:!.c7!
As often happens, the victory in the fight
for the open file leads to the seizure of the
seventh rank.
19 ....if6
The ... .id8 plan is one tempo too slow,
though Black was short of good options
anyway.
20 cs
This wins material, but 20 as ! xas 2 1
.ixas was even stronger, when Black loses a
whole piece.
20...xcs 21 .l:!.1xcs .ie7 22 .l:!.xa7 ii.xcs 23
dxcs .ic6 24 .l:!.xa6
At this point, 24 ... .ixg2 25 xg2 .l:!.xcs?
fails to 26 .ib4. White later converted his
material advantage into victory.
Game 216 (continued)
10 tiJh3!
An excellent move that takes the f4-
square from the enemy pieces, while con
tinuing development. In contrast, 10 0-0-0?!
Res triction
f4 lets Black swap queens, and 10 tiJf3
tiJf4 isn't convincing either.
10 ...f6!?
Creating a haven for the king on f7.
Most other moves like 10 ... xg2 are well
met by 11 0-0-0, just as in the game.
11 0-0-0 f7 12 f3 h4
Or 12 ...es?! 13 f4 c7 14 Ji.d6 d8 15
cs with a clear edge - Khalifman.
13 .ics!
Enabling the powerful knight manoeu
vre tiJf2-e4.
13 ... es 14 tlJf2 fs 15 g3 f6
After 1S ...h6 16 .ie3 f4 17 gxf4, both
17 ...exf4 18 .id4 and 17 ...tiJxf4 18 tiJd3 !
clearly favour White - Khalifman.
16 .l:!.hf1!
A "mysterious" rook move that aims at
bringing the knight to e4 anyway.
16...tiJa6?!
16 ... tiJd7 was safer, enabling a later
...tiJf6, although 17 .ia3 e6 18 c2 !, with
the double idea of 19 .l:!.d6 and 19 .id3,
maintains excellent compensation for
White.
17 .ia3 .ie6 18 tiJe4! fxe4
Or 18 ...d8 19 tiJgS+ f6 20 c3 6
21 f4, winning - Khalifman .
341
M as te ring Op e n ing S trategy
19 fxe4 tt'lf4 20 gxf4 .S.hd8 21 i.d6 g8 22
fxes h4
At this point, there followed 23 f4?!
xf4 24 .S.xf4 with a superior endgame,
which White went on to win. However, the
simple 23 e3!, preparing .S.f2 and .S.df1,
would have left Black with a hopeless posi
tion at once - Khalifman.
Game 217 (continued)
14 a4!
Preventing 14 ... 0-0 on account of 1S
.S.a(f)d1. In this sense 14 i.bS ? ! i.xe3 1S
fxe3 a6 was less convincing.
14...i.xe3
342
The attempt to castle queenside by
14... C7 1S .S.fd1 0-0-0 runs into 16 tt'ld4!
tt'lxes 17 tt'lbs 6 18 i.xcs xes 19 as !
Golubev. After the text Black was perhaps
hoping for 1S fxe3 0-0 16 .S.ad1 tt'lcs!, but
Shirov has a much stronger move prepared.
15 .S.ad1! a6
Black parries the threat of 16 .S.xd7
xd7 17 i.bs, but the troublesome pin
along the d-file remains.
16 fxe3 bs 17 f4 c7
Or 17 ...0-0 18 g4! i.g6 19 h4 with a
strong king side attack, just like the game.
18 g4! i.g6 19 h4 hs
After 19 ...h6 20 hs i.h7 21 g S ! i.fs 22 e4
Black is also under pressure.
20 .S.d6! hxg4 21 tt'ld4 tt'lcs
By his clever 20th move White secured
the vital es-pawn, and the attempt to at
tack it by 21 ... cs? now fails to 22 tt'lxe6
fxe6 2 3 .S.xe6+, followed by .S.xg6. Instead,
21 ... 0-0 seems preferable, when 22 i.xg4
maintains the attack - Golubev.
22 xg4 e7?
Eljanov must have missed White's next.
For better or worse, 22 ... 0-o 23 h S i.e4 24
h6 i.g6 had to be tried.
23 i.f3!

Not just attacking the rook, also creating
the threat of 24 i.c6+ f8 25 iVxg6. Black's
next move fails fatally, though after 23 ... 0-0
24 i.xa8 .l:'txa8 25 h5 i.e4 26 h6 he would
be lost anyway.
23 ... !'1xh4? 24 i.c6+ f8 25 iVxg6 1-0
Game 218 (continued)
13 iVg4!
A power move that restricts the bishop
on f8, thus complicating Black's resistance
on the e-file. 13 .l:'te1?! i.e7 14 i.g 5 .l:'ta7!
was less convincing.
13 ... hS
After 13 ...i.xg2 14 .l:'te1! or 13 ...i.e6 14
iVh5 i.e7 15 tt:Jxc6 Black is also in deep
trouble - Sosonko.
14 i.xd5! cxd5
Or 14...hxg4 15 i.xf7+ e7 16 i.g5+ etc.
15 iVf5
With the black king fatally trapped in
the centre, the rest is easy.
15 !'1a7 16 .l:'te1 !'1e7 17 i.g5 g6
..
Obviously 17 .. .f6? failed to 18 iVg6+.
18 il.xe7 1-0
In view of 18 ... gxf5 19 i.xd8 xd8 20
tt:Jxf7+, Black resigned.
Restriction
Game 219 (continued)
16 a4!
White is aware that the opponent in
tends 16 ...i.b5, and so prevents it. Now the
knight on b8 becomes a problem for Black,
since after 16 ... bxa3 17 .l:'txa3 he can't play
17 ... i.b5 anyway.
16 ...d8
Preparing to meet 17 ttJc4 with 17 ... !'1e8,
but Yusupov sticks to his original plan.
17 g3 i.g4 18 ti:Je3 i.f3 19 e5!
Clearing the long diagonal for the
bishop.
19 ... dxe5 20 tt:Jxf3 iVxf3 21 i.g2 iVf6 22 d6
.l:'ta7 23 o-o
By now Black is in big trouble due to his
uncoordinated forces and the exposed king
on d8.
23 ...ttJg7
Or 23 ... ttJd7 24 ttJd5 ! ?, when both
24...iVxd6 2 5 .l:'tfd1 and 24 ... iYg7 2 5 iVe3,
preparing 26 ttJe7, clearly favour White.
24 .l:'tac1! ttJd7 25 .l:'tfd1 ti:Jf5
After 25 ... tt:Je6 26 ttJd5 iVg 5 27 iVxg5+
tt:Jxg 5 28 ttJe7, with the threat of ti:Jc6+,
Black is done - Yusupov.
26 ttJxf5 iVxf5 27 iVe3!
343
M a s te ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy
The threat of 28 l:txcs proves decisive.
27 ...e4 28 .i.xe4 es 29 l:tds e6 30 l:tdxcs
tt:Jxcs 31 xes 1-0
Game 220 (contin ued}
14 aS!
Diverting the black queen from the sixth
rank so that a sacrifice with .i.xe6 or tt:Jxe6
becomes possible.
14...xas
14...c7?! is strongly met by 15 .i.xe6 !,
while after 14...7 15 tt:Jxe6!? fxe6 16
.i.xe6 d4! 17 xd4 tt:Jc6 18 d2 tt:Jdxes 19
.idS !, followed by l:tfe1, White also enjoys a
strong initiative.
344
1 S .i.xe6! fxe6 1 6 tt:Jxe6 g6?!
Now the second white knight joins the
battle with great effect. A lesser evil was
16 ...<.t>f7 17 i2Jd4 tt:Jcs 18 f3 with compen
sation for White - Nisipeanu/Stoica.
17 i2Jc3! xa1
Or 17 ... 6 18 iLlg7+ <.t>f7 19 tt:Jxds d8
20 tt:Jfs! gxfs 21 h S+, when both 21 ... <.t>g8
22 e6 and 21 ... <.t>e6 22 tt:Jxe7 xe7 23 l:tad1,
followed by l:td6+, lead to a devastating
attack.
18 xa1 bxc3 19 as! i2Jc6
After 19 ... cxb2 20 iLlC7+ l:txc7 21 xc7
o-o 22 e6 White is also winning.
20 xds iLlb4 21 d4 l:tb7 22 bxc3
With Black's forces in disorder and his
king still exposed, the rest is easy for White.
22 tt:Jxc2 23 c4 iLlb6 24 iLlc7+ <.t>d8 2S
..
l:td1+ .i.d7 26 e4 l:txc7 27 e6! 1-0
Game 221 (continued}
12 es!
With the simple, but powerful idea of
preventing ... tt:Jf6. As a result, Black's devel
opment is seriously hampered. In contrast,
12 ttJes l:td8 13 f4 i2Jf6 or 12 f4 etJf6! 13
8+ l:td8 14 xb7 6 is less convincing .
12 ...d8?!

12 ... e6, preparing a quick ...ti'Je7, was
preferable, despite the weakening of the
d6- and f6-squares. There can follow 13
ti'Jg 5 'Wic7 14 'Wif4 .Ud5 ! 15 .Ufe1 h6 16 li'Je4
g 5 17 'Wig 3 'Wixe5 ! 18 'Wixe5 .Uxe5 19 ti'Jd6+
ctle7 20 .Uxe5 ctixd6 21 .Ue2 with just a slight
edge for White in the endgame - Finkel.
13 'Wif4!
Threatening both 14 e6 and 14 ti'Jg 5.
13 'Wid7 14 e6!
..
The e-file and the h2-b8 diagonal are
cleared for the major pieces, and the knight
gets access to e5.
14...'Wixe6 15 .Ufe1 'Wif5
Or 15 ...'Wid6? 16 ti'Je5, winning - Finkel.
16 'Wib8+ .Ud8 17 'Wixb7 'Wid7 18 'Wib3! ti'Jh6
Overprotecting the f7-pawn. After
18 ...ti'Jf6? 19 ti'Je5 'Wid5 20 'Wia4, the double
threat of 2 1 ti'Jxc6 and 21 .Uad1 is more
than Black can take.
19 .Uad1 'Wic7 20 .Uxd8+ 'Wixd8
21 'Wib7!
Finally, White regains the material, with
some interest.
21 ...0-0 22 'Wixa7 'Wid5 23 'Wixe7 'Wixa2 24
ti'Jg5!
Eyeing both the h 7-pawn and the e4-
square. The straightforward 24 'Wixc5 'Wixb2
Res triction
25 'Wixc6 was less ambitious.
24 ti'Jf5 25 'Wixc5 'Wixb2 26 ti'Jxh7! .Ua8 27
..
ti'Jf6+ ctlg7 28 'Wixc6
White later converted his two extra
pawns into victory.
Game 222 (continued)
16 h4!
Before taking aggressive action, Kas
parov limits the opponent's intended plan
of ... g7-g5. 1n contrast, after 16 ..ie2?! g 5 ! 17
..ig3 ti'Jh 5 Black obtains some counterplay
on the dark squares.
16 ... ctib8 17 h5!
17 ..ie2 ?! ti'Jh5 18 ..ih2 ..if2! was less pre
cise - Kasparov.
17 ... .Ud7
A typical Hedgehog pawn break with
17 ... d5? fails to 18 exd5 exd5 19 ti'Jxc5 bxc5
20 'Wie1! .Uhe8 21 cxd5 - Kasparov, so Black
can only wait while the opponent improves
his position little by little.
18 .Uc1 .Uc8 19 ..ie2 ctla7 20 .Uhd1 .Udd8 21
g4
By now White is better across the whole
board.
21 ... ti'Jg8 22 ..ig3 ti'Je7 23 f4! ti'J5c6 24 ..if3
.Ub8 25 ..ih4 .Ud7?
345
M a s tering Op e n ing Stra tegy
This lets White launch a spectacular
346
combination. 2 S .. J:tbc8 was more solid, af
ter which Kasparov intended the space
gaining 26 gS.
26 li:JbS+! axbs 27 cxbs tt:Jas?
Losing outright, but after 27 ...l:l.c8 28
bxc6 lt:Jxc6 29 es Black is also in huge trou
ble.
28 lt:Jxas bxas 29 l:l.xcs!
The drawback to Black's 25th move be
comes evident.
29...dxcs 30 V!xd7 V!xf4 31 l:l.d6! 1-0
In view of 3 1...a8 32 '!c7 ! .ixe4+ 3 3
.ixe4+ V!xe4+ 3 4 al, renewing the threat
of 3 S l:l.a6 mate, Black resigned.
 Ch a pter Five

A Few Words on
O pe n ing Prepa ration

In this short chapter, I would like to share some general thoughts about opening prepara
tion.

Bu ilding a n opening repertoire

Let's reflect for a while on the nature of knowledge in chess. Middlegame and endgame
knowledge is generic, shared by all players - in the middlegame, we must all know how to
fight for an open column, create a passed pawn, exploit a weak square etc, while in the
endgame, a player who isn't familiar with the concepts of opposition, rear attacks with the
rook, the principle of two weaknesses etc, is doomed to failure. As for the knowledge of
tactics, we are simply obliged to master forks, pins, discovered checks etc, in order to have
success in chess.
In contrast, the opening phase holds much more room for personal style and tastes. You
don't have to know anything about the French Defence or Albin's Counter-Gambit in order
to become a GM, if these aren't part of your repertoire ( although extra knowledge never
hurts, of course) . If you are a fanatic of the English, then knowledge of the king's pawn
openings becomes less necessary, except for your defence ( s ) against 1 e4, obviously. Thus,
opening knowledge is quite a personal matter, originated by the preferences of each
player. For this reason, you probably won't find two players with exactly the same reper
toire, unless they are under strong influence of the same trainer, and haven't yet started to
work independently.
As a consequence, we should exploit the room for personal preferences in the opening
by building an opening repertoire that corresponds to our style and tastes. A favourable
fact in this sense is the existence of openings and defences with structural and style fac
tors in common. Below I have grouped some openings in two different tables, the first one

34 7
M a s tering Open ing Stra tegy

according to structural similarities, and the second one according to general "style" simi
larities. Note that some openings and defences appear more than once, due to their diver
sity and the variety of fashions in which they can be played.

Openings with structural similarities

Openings and defences Factor(s) in common

Slav, Ca ro-Ka nn, Sca ndinavian, Torre, London Pawn structure, q ueen's bishop
outside the chain

Dutch Stonewa ll, French, Open Spa n ish Pawn structu re, opposing pawns in
the centre

Benoni, Pirc, Closed Spa n ish Pawn structu re, dark sq u a re play

Nimzo-l ndian, Queen's I ndian, Bogo-lndian, Pawn structure, q u eenside fi-

Sicilia n Scheveni ngen, Taima nov a n d Kan a n chetto

King's I ndian, Pi rc, Modern, Sicilian Dragon Pawn structu re, kingside fia nchetto

Queen's Gam bit Accepted, Petroff Pawn structu re, open ga me

Gru nfeld, Cata l a n (some lin es) Pawn structu re, kingside fia nchetto

Sicilian Dragon Accelerated, E nglish with g3, Pawn structu re, kingside fia nchetto
Sym metrica l English (with Black)

Sicilia n Rossolimo, English with 1...e5 and Pawn structure

... b4 (with Black)

Col le, Sem i-Slav Pawn structure

King's Indian Attack, King's I nd ian, Pirc, Old Pawn structure

Indian

Ta rrasch, Petroff, Sicilian Ala pin, Queen's Pawn structure (IQP)

Gam bit Accepted, Ca ro-Ka n n Pa nov Attack

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 A Fe w Wo rds on Op e n ing Prep ara tion

Openings with general "style" similarities

Openings and defences Factor(s) in common

Queen's Gam bit Accepted, Petroff, Spanish Solidity, piece excha nges, endga me
Berli n, Sicilian Alapin, Spa nish Exchange, perspective
French Tarrasch

Ki ng's I nd ian, Sicilian Dragon, Dutch Aggressiveness, closed or

Len ingrad, French 3 tt:lc3, Open Sicilian semi-open positions

Sem i-Slav, Spa n ish Mars h a l l, Arkhangelsk Aggressiveness, open or semi-open

and Sch liemann, Ca ro-Ka n n with 3 f3, positions
Open Sicilian

French, King's Indian, Czech Benoni Closed positions, pawn chain battle

Queen's Gam bit Declined, French Solidity, closed position s

Dutch Stonewa l l, Sici lian Svesh ni kov Weak poi nts, activity

Sicilian Najdorf, Grunfe ld, Sicilian Dragon, Theoretica l battle, s h a rp play

Semi-Slav Botvi n n i k var.

Ni mzo-l ndian, French Winawer, Sicilian Surrender of the king's bishop,

Rossolimo, E nglish with l...eS and ...j,b4 dou bled e nemy pawns

Cata lan, Benko Gam bit, other ga mbits Pawn sacrifices, activity

Sici lian Scheveningen, Ka n a n d Taima nov, Space disadva ntage, flexi bility, few
Alekhine, Pirc, English Hedgehog piece excha nges

Trom powsky, Ch igori n S u rrender of the q u een's bishop,

i m balanced play

King's Indian Samisch, Classical N imzo-lndian Space adva ntage, slow

development

Consider these tables as a simple reference, not as an attempt to classify all openings
and defences according to their respective characteristics. By now I notice that I have been
more generous with Black's openings for some reason. In any case, you get a brief idea
about the directions in which to think when building your repertoire.
Finally, don't forget that an opening to which you never paid much attention, might ac
tually be well suited for you. In my case, I "discovered" the Sicilian Kan some twelve years
after starting with chess, and at the same moment I also switched from 1 e4 to 1 d4. Both

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M a s tering Open ing Strategy

these modifications of the opening repertoire had a rather positive impact on my tourna
ment results, apart from a few initial setbacks.

Pla ns, set-u ps, guidelines a n d move orders

Every opening has its particular logic, which can be translated into plans, set-ups and mi
nor guidelines. These should be carefully studied alongside with the "theory" moves, in
order to obtain a complete picture of the opening involved. In Strategia, Mark Dvoretsky
advocates the study of typical positions, with a similar pawn structure, piece configura
tion, etc. Such a task is easily accomplished by examining complete, annotated games with
a certain typical position in common.
An additional, interesting approach is to study a certain opening using the games of a
specific player; for example, the Grunfeld by Svidler or the Open Sicilian by Anand. You can
then gradually "copy" their repertoire, seeing how Svidler responds to 4 i.f4, the way An
and handles the Sveshnikov, etc.

When studying openings, we should pay special attention to their inherent, basic plans.
Some examples:

t The .. .f7-f5 advance in the King's Indian.

t The d4-d5 break in IQP positions.
t The .. .f7-f6 break in the French.
t The lt:lbd2-f1-h2 manoeuvre in the King's Indian Attack.
t The minority attack with b4-b5 in the Queen's Gambit Exchange Variation.

Having acquired some basic knowledge about the opening in question, you will start
noticing the "right" and "wrong" moments for the application of these plans. For example,
the .. .f7-f5 advance in the King's Indian often works better when White has castled short,
and it tends to lose some of its power when the d-file is open, just to name a few cases. The
lt:lbd2-f1-h2 manoeuvre in the King's Indian Attack is often powerful when White has
achieved the e4-es advance, but not so much when it is Black who has a pawn on es.

Another important issue is the choice of set-ups within a particular opening. For exam
ple, in the classical Benoni lines Black is often happy to develop his queen's bishop to g4,
and then follow up with ... lt:lbd7. However, this proves impossible if White chooses a set-up
with an early h2-h3 or f2-f3. On such occasions, Black could instead consider a set-up with
... lt:\a6-e7 and ... i.d7.
In the King's Indian Samisch with an early ...c7-c5, d4-d5, White has a slight problem with
the king's knight. Thus he might keep it on g1 for a while, waiting to see whether Black plays
... lt:lbd7, on which he could reply lt:lh3 followed by lt:\f2, exploiting the fact that ... i.xh3 is un
available for the moment. In contrast, if Black prefers a set-up with ... lt:\a6, as in the previous
Benoni example, then the white knight could choose the e2-g3 route instead.

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 A Fe w Wo rds on Open ing Prep a r a t i o n

Again, talking about the King's Indian Samisch with White, an aggressive set-up with
'ifd2, 0-0-0, lbge2, g2-g4 and lbg3 can be very effective if Black h as played ...e7-e5 (and
White has responded d4-d5). In contrast, after ... c7-c5, White usually avoids such a set-up
due to Black's menacing bishop on g 7, and opts for short castling instead.
In some Slav lines with e2-e3 White restricts Black's intended ...iJ5 by an early i.d3,
thus the black bishop often goes to g4 instead. In similar fashion, if White plays h 2-h3 early
on in the Scandinavian, Black's intention of ... i.g4 can be modified with ... i.f5.
In the Pirc with 4 i.e3 White h as a ready-made, dangerous plan in 'ifd2, f2-f3, 0-0-0,
i.h6, h4-h 5 etc. Thus Black often delays the natural ... i.g7 and ... 0-0 until a later stage of
the game, starting with 4 ... c6. In contrast, against the classical set-ups with 4 'bf3 he rarely
waits with ... i.g7, since a white attack along the h-file becomes less feasible once the
knight settles on f3.

When studying new opening lines, try to establish "mini-rules" or simple guidelines
that facilitate your understanding of them. For example, in the Classical Variation (4... i.f5)
of the Caro-Kann, Black should usually react to h 2-h4 with ...h7-h6, and very rarely with
... h 7-h 5. On the other hand, in the Advance Variation (3 e5) of the same defence, h2-h4 is
often more efficiently met by ...h 7-h 5, than by ...h 7-h6.
With Black in the Classical Philidor (1 e4 e5 2 'bf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 lbxd4 'bf6), playing
...c7(c6)-c5 is normally a dubious idea from a structural point of view, but once White sig
nals his attacking intentions by advancing f2-f4, then ...c7(c6)-c5 becomes much more rea
sonable, in order to organize quick counterplay.
As for playing White in IQP positions, if Black hurries to block the d4-pawn by ... lbb4-d5,
then the typical plan of d4-d5 h as to be discarded, and we could consider a king side attack
instead, with moves like lbe5, .l:t.d3-h 3 etc. On the other hand, if Black keeps the knight on
c6 and continues his queen side development by ... b7-b5, ... i.b7 etc, then his control of the
e5-square makes the previous plan less feasible, while the d4-d5 advance becomes relevant
again.

When building your repertoire, also be careful with move-orders. For example, if you
enjoy playing the Slav against 1 d4, then you could consider 1 ...c6 as a reply to 1 c4, al
though in that case you must also be ready for 2 e4. Now, if by chance you like the Old In
dian too, then 2 ... e5 is a possible choice; e.g. 3 'bf3 d6 4 d4 'bd7, transposing to that open
ing. otherwise you should continue 2 ... d5, when it is White who has to think about move
orders. If he plays 3 exd5 here, then Black could consider 3 ...'bf6, transposing to a sideline
of the Scandinavian, where 4 dxc6 lbxc6 is regarded as risky for White - who is left with 4
d4, when after 4...exd5 we have finally ended up in an initial position of the Panov Attack
of the Caro-Kann. However, if this is not to White's taste, then he should prefer 3 cxd5, af
ter which Black has nothing better than 3 ... exd5 4 exd5 'bf6, entering a kind of accelerated
Panov Attack, where White often continues 5 i.b5+ or 5 'ifa4+, trying to hang on to the d5-
pawn.

351
M a s tering Ope n ing Strategy

Now let's presume that you didn't like the look of this line and that, by coincidence,
with the white pieces you enjoy playing the Rossolimo Sicilian . In that case, you could con
sider meeting 1 c4 by 1 ... e5 instead, followed by a quick ....ib4, getting you into familiar
territory, albeit with reversed colours.
However, White could also start his English opening with 1 'Llf3, ruling out 1 ... e5. The
attempt to prepare it by 1 ... 'Llc6 unfortunately permits 2 d4, when a Chigorin with 2 ... d5
seems like the best choice, and that might not be part of your repertoire. White could also
play 2 e4, when 2 ... e5 is probably the best reply, but now you must be prepared for a Span
ish or Italian, among others. Fortunately, there is a much simpler solution at hand: 1 ... d5,
followed by 2 ... c6, by which you easily reach the Slav structure that we talked about in the
first place!
Considering the situation from the English player's perspective, if he likes the positions
arising after 1 c4 e5, then 1 c4 is clearly the right way for him to start the game. In the op
posite case, he could play 1 'Llf3 first and only then c2-c4, thus sidestepping Black's 1 ... e5.
However, this also means that a set-up with g2-g3, .ig2, e2-e3 and 'Llg1-e2 will no longer
be available for him, among other things. Time for him to check his priorities.
Summing up, move orders play an important role when building an opening repertoire.

Ma inta ining you r repertoire

When referring to work on our opening repertoire, we could distinguish between three,
different preparation processes:

a) General preparation. This is the major part of the work and consists of different tasks,
such as defining your repertoire, gathering information, updating your lines with new
games, analysing critical positions, etc. It is my sincere advice that you do this process at
home, and not at the tournament, where time is limited and energy reserves are vital.
How can this work be carried out, in concrete terms? Well, every player has his personal
habits and working methods, and I can only tell from my own ones. Here is a possible work
ing plan, to be executed within a chess database program, such as ChessBase or Chess Assis
tant:
a1) Create a new game, in which you elaborate a simple tree of moves for the opening
in question. For example, in the case of the Pirc Defence with Black, the main branch might
be 1 e4 d6 2 d4 'Llf6 3 'Llc3 g6 4 'Llf3 .ig7 5 .ie2 0-0 6 0-0 .ig4, with sub-branches such as 3
f3 'Llbd7, 3 .id3 e5, 4 .ie3 c6, 4 f4 .ig7 5 'Llf3 o-o 6 .id3 'Lla6 etc. When finished you will
have an empty tree game, so to speak.
a2) Using books and periodicals, start feeding your tree game with variations and
comments. As for electronic sources, cutting game fragments and pasting them into your
tree game will facilitate the process. Also add your own pieces of analysis, and analyse
critical positions. At the beginning of the tree game, attach a few general guidelines simi
lar to the ones mentioned previously in this section - they will prove useful later during
tournament preparation.

352
 A Fe w Wo rds on O p e n ing Prepa ra tion

a3) Repeat steps a1-a2 for each opening in your repertoire.

a41) Update your repertoire periodically. This can be achieved by creating a filter (in
Chess Assistant, this is called "classifier") containing the initial positions within your reper
toire; for example, the "stub" positions in the Pirc example above. This filter can then be
stored as a template (I am now referring to the process in Chess Assistant), and once you
have new games to examine (e.g. a new issue of The Week in Chess, a new monthly data
base of Chess Today, or a new volume of Chess Informant), attach a new filter - based on
the template - to the database in question. Finally, execute the filter (i.e. "Search for all
nodes" in Chess Assistant) and all the games that coincide with the initial positions of your
repertoire will be automatically retrieved in separate datasets, ready for your examination.
a42) Practice your opening lines whenever and wherever you can ! Even blitz games on
the internet suit this purpose, and you can easily feed them afterwards into the corre
sponding tree game. For example, in the Blitzin interface you can mark the "Store my
games" option and later access the associated PG N file.

b) Specific preparation. Contrary to "a", this process takes place during the tournament.
Here you focus on the opening lines that are likely to occur on the board against your next
opponent. Perhaps these lines weren't sufficiently covered in your corresponding tree
games - in that case you will have to follow the procedure outlined in step "a2" above. The
good thing about this is that, when you are about to face the same lines in a new game,
the work has already been done. Obviously, the more effort you put into the general prepa
ration, the less is needed for the specific preparation.

c) Quick scans. Just like "b", this process is carried out during the tournament. With
"quick scan" I refer to a rather superficial examination of one or several tree games, with
the simple purpose of refreshing your memory. This kind of preparation is useful when you
are not really sure about the opening or opening line to occur on the board. You could
compare it to the computer's transfer of data from the hard disk to its RAM memory.

Prepa ring for you r opponents

From my tournament experience, I recall three main types of opening repertoires among
my opponents:

i) narrow but well-researched.

ii) wide and flexible.
iii) a mixture of "i" and "ii''.

The "i" type makes the pre-game preparation quite an easy task, since you usually know
in advance which opening or opening line will appear on the board. Thus you can limit
yourself to that opening (see "b" above), which makes the preparation a bit more profound
and complete. On the other hand, if you manage to surprise your opponent with some new

353
M a s t e ring Op e n ing Strategy

move or idea, he will often be able to find a good solution anyway due to his experience in
that particular type of position.
In contrast, the "ii" type makes preparation much more difficult, and it is quite prob
able that he will base his opening choice on .. your repertoire. When facing such "chame
.

leon" players, the quick scans (see "c" above) make a lot of sense, with focus on the varia
tions where you have had problems lately, which tend to be the typical targets for such
players. In any case, facing chameleon players can have the advantage that their opening
knowledge is a bit superficial (in contrast to the "i" type}, a fact that is often revealed once
the early middlegame is reached.
Finally, the "iii" type of repertoire implies that the player has some customary openings
to rely on, but is also ready to make adjustments in accordance with your repertoire; for
example, if you have used a dubious line on several occasions. Basically, you again have to
perform a number of quick scans, and then focus on a few lines that are the most likely to
occur in the game.

Some final pieces of advice:

t Aim for a flexible repertoire; e.g. by mastering different subvariations within a single
opening. Such flexibility makes the opponent's preparation a bit more demanding.
t Be psychologically prepared for surprises. It is possible that your next opponent is
about to try out a new opening line, or the games where he played a specific opening
didn't make it to the major databases such as ChessBase Mega base.
t A quick glance at your opponent's games with the "wrong" colour can establish
whether he plays a particular line with both colours - there is at least one such line in
the repertoire of any player. The way he treats it with the other colour is definitely
relevant for your preparation. Obviously he will be well-acquainted with the line in
question, but on the other hand, a player can become a bit confused when his own
lines are used against him.
t When preparing for your next opponent, you could also consider his style and prefer
ences in the later stages of the game. Is he a superb attacker, does he swap pieces as
soon as he can, are tactical complexities problematic for him, does he get bored in
closed positions, or desperate in defending positions, is he great or not that great in
endgames, and so on. Your observations can then be borne in mind during the game
and aid your decision-making. If this approach sounds interesting to you, then don't
forget to check his games with the "wrong" colour as well.

Good luck with your preparation.

3 54
 Index of Pl ayers

The index corresponds to page numbers. The white games are in bold.

Abergel T. 98
Abramovic B. 56
Acs P. 47
Adams Mi. 103
Aguiar A. 131
Akesson R. 182
Akopian V. 227
Alekhine A. 245
Alekseev E. 319
Al Hadarani H. 247
Anand V. 41, 63, 204, 321
Andersson U. 105
Andriasian Z. 167
Antoshin V. 237
Ardeleanu A. 303
Arnold M.T. 318
Aronin L. 119
Atanasov 137
Avalos Parra J. 240
Avrukh B. 68
Avtonomov 144
Ballmann M. 250
Barczay L. 49
Bareev E. 61, 322
Barkhagen J. 292
Bartel Mat. 236
Bastrikov G . 139
Bazhin A. 49

355
M as te ring Open ing Stra tegy

Bebchuk E. 123
Becerra Rivero J . 243
Bejar J. 131
Belezky A. 47
Beliavsky A. 56, 204, 252
Belov V. 43
Benjamin Joe. 195
Bentivegna F. 48
Berg E. 39
Bertok M. 56
Bilek I. 57
Blomqvist E. 47
Bocharov D. 191
Bonsch u . 100, 174
Boguslavsky M. 49
Boleslavsky I. 140, 229
Bologan V. 58, 225
Breyer G . 136
Briceno A. 134
Brito D. 129
Browne W. 176, 252
Brynell S. 253, 292
Bugay 139
Bykhovsky A. 141
Calderon J. 120, 135
Cardenas A. 130
Carlsen Ma. 10, 247, 291
Carlsson Po. 47
Caro H. 136
Castillo C. 131
Chang A. 135
Cheparinov I. 115
Chepukaitis G. 246
Chistiakov A. 18
Conquest S. 27
Cram ling P. 239
Csom 1. 111
Dautov R. 2 3 3
Deepan Chakkravarthy C. 291
Delchev A. 200
De Firmian N. 320

356
 I n dex of Players

Diemer E.J. 138

Dizdarevic E. 58
Djukic Z. 55
Dobosz H. 235
Dolmatov 5. 10, 248, 327
Dorfman J. 172
Dreev A. 254
Dvoirys 5. 94
Dvoretsky M. 22, 251
Dydyshko V. 57
Efanov N. 107
Eljanov P. 227, 3 2 5
Epishin V . 193
Ernst S. 147, 318
Ernst Th. 324
Estremera Panos S. 241
Felgaer R. 54
Filippov V. 3 2 5
Fine R. 242
Firman N. 28
Rscher RJ. 4 122, 239, 317
Flear G. 69
Flores Di. 54, 243
Florescu C. 327
Fries Nielsen J. 180
Galkin A. 254
Gallagher J.G. 201
Geller E. 298
Gheorghiu F. 2 5 2
Glek I. 230
Gligoric S. 214, 240
Gofshtein L. 2 5
Goldin A . so
Golod V. 245
Grabarczyk M. 171
Grooten H. 5 5
Gufeld E. 125, 313
Guliev S. 36
Gurevich D. 58, 114
Gurevich M. 103, 187, 246
Hazai L. 140

357
M a s t e ring Op e n ing Strategy

Haznedaroglu K. 187
Hector J . 309
Hellsten J. 32, 34, 37, 65, 120, 131, 168, 180, 182, 183, 210, 216, 236, 244, 253, 288, 319
Herrera I. 243
Hertneck G. 55, 324
Hillarp Persson T. 96
Hjartarson J. 250
Hort V. 206
Howe M. 168
Hracek Z. 100
Hubner R. 217, 326
Hulak K. 117, 144
lllescas Cordoba M. 92, 212
ltkis B. 28
lvanchuk V. 16, 61, 142
lvkov B. 237
Jaramillo D. 129
Javakhishvili L. 240
Jevtic M.L. 236
Kachiani Gersinska K. 239
Kaidanov G. 114
Kalesis N. 65
Kamsky G. 63, 321
Kantorovich 119
Karjakin S. 185
Karpov A. 311
Kasparov G. 248, 329
Kempinski R. 62
Keres P. 307
Khachiyan M. 253
Khairullin I. 126
Khalifman A. 325
Kindermann S. 328
Klovans J. 251
Knaak R. 244
Kogan I . 139
Korchnoi V. 53, 56, 111, 169, 2 3 7
Kostanovich 208
Kosteniuk A. 241
Kotov A. 229
Kotronias V. 302

358
 In dex of Players

Kowara M. 63
Kramnik V. 247
Kulaots K. 319
Kundin A. 208
Lalic B. 137, 144
Landleiter F. 2 3 5
Lange W. 138
Lasker Em. 136
Laurent B. 137
Lema A. 322
Letelier Martner R. 239
Lilienthal A. 237
Lindberg Be. 53
Litwiniec M. 167
Ljubojevic L. 214
Llamuca A. 133
Llamuca H. 130, 134
Lobron E. 324
Lombardy W. 138
Lopez Silva H. 37, 141, 244
Lputian 5. 66, 247
Lujan C. 243
Lundin J. 324
Lutz Ch. 230
Macieja B. 236
Malkin 139
Mamedyarov 5. 52
Maroczy G. 321
Marshall F. 245
Martz E. 176
Mascarinas R. 2 3 5
Mateuta G. 216
Matulovic M. 317
McDonald N. 2 50
Mecking H. 298
Melero Fidalgo J. 64
Miedema R. 147
Mikhalchishin A. 322
Mikhalevski V. 189
Mikkelsen N. 146
Milev Z. 30

359
M a s te ring Open ing Strategy

Milov V. 302
Milu R. 112
Mirkovic 5. 55
Miton K. 20
Mnatsakanian E. 145
Mogranzini R. 48
Mohammadi A. 146
Moiseenko A. 94
Morales M. 129, 132, 210
Moreno Camero J. 212
Morozevich A. 220
Morphy P. 317
Movsesian 5. 14
Mrndzic M. 238
Nabaty T. 126
Naiditsch A. 43
Nakamura H . so, 2 5 3
Nedev T. 5 2
Nezhmetdinov R . 18
Nielsen P.H. 91
Nijboer F. 309, 318
Niklasson C. 34
Nikolaevsky V. 189
Nisipeanu L.D. 233
Noboa K. 129
Nygren K. 96
Nyysti 5. 249
011 L. 294
Olsson C. 143
Onischuk A. 51
Oratovsky M. 142
Ortega R. 169
Ovetchkin R. 107
Palatnik 5. 66
Palliser R. 255
Panno 0. 319
Paredes l. 132, 134
Parligras M. 64
Parra P. 130
Pasto J. 129
Pejic M. 238

360
 In dex of Players

Peng Xiaomin 250

Peralta F. 242
Perez E. 134
Pert R. 2 5 5
Petrosian T.V. 5 3 , 1 2 5 , 313
Pillsbury H. 321
Plachetka J. 244
Podlesny P. 171
Polgar Zsu. 174
Polugaevsky L. 54, 172
Ponomariov R. 201
Portisch L. 105
Postny E. 98, 145
Predojevic B. 220
Psakhis L. 25
Rabar B. 240
Radjabov T. 296
Rashkovsky N. 248
Rasmussen K. 3 2 3
Ravinsky G. 123
Rechlis G. 68
Relange E. 241
Renman N.G. 32
Ricardi P. 141, 288
Rivera B. 133
Rodriguez 137
Rojas D. 322
Romero Holmes A. 102
Rosandic D. 200
Rozentis E. S9, 245
Rytshagov M. 305
Sadykov Ru. 222
Saidy A. 48
Salgado Lopez L. 115
Salov V. 217
Sammour Hasbun J. 20
Sanaguano J. 131, 132, 133, 135
Sandler L. 109
Saric I. 117
Sax G. 140
Schmidt Wl. 22

361
M a s tering O p e n ing Stra tegy

Schmid L. 307
Schneider St. 143
Seirawan Y. 50
Sepp 0. 249
Serras Uri a A. 242
Shahade J. 145
Shamkovich L. 300
Shirov A. 142, 325
Short N. 294
Simagin V. 145
Slobodjan R. 193
Smith Ax. 53
Smyslov V. 138, 311
Sokolov A. 27, 109
Soltis A. 58
Sosonko G. 67, 326
Spassky B. 144
Stamnov A. 318
Stanley C.H. 317
Steiner H. 242
Steinitz W. 323
Stoltz G. 140
Strikovic A. 235
Suetin A. 49, 300
Sulava N. 142
Sulskis S. 254
Sutovsky E. 141
Sveshnikov E. 222, 305
Svidler P. 60
Szekely J. 136
Taimanov M. 54, 206
Tal M. 12, 30, 57, 122, 236
Tibensky R. 14
Tigrero K. 133
Timman J . 36, 46
Tiviakov S. 41
Tjurin A. 191
Topalov V. 16, 59
Torre Eu. 296
Tregubov P. 178
Tringov G. 12

3 62
 In dex of Players

Usca D. 129, 130, 131

Vaca 0. 132
Vaganian R. 198
Vaisser A. 92
Vajda A. 327
Vallejo A. 135
Van der Sterren P. 178
Van der Wiel J . 198, 329
Van Wely L. 36, 185
Vega Gutierrez S. 246
Velicka P. 39
Vera Gonzalez R. 69, 102
Vizama C. 183
Vocaturo D. 241
Volkov S. 60, 62, 254
Volokitin A. 5 1
Von Bardeleben C . 3 2 3
Vovk A. 63
Vuckovic A. 328
Wagener A. 195
Wedberg T. 286
Westerinen H. 225, 323
Yermolinsky A. 57
Yuferov S. 246
Yurtaev L. 248
Yusupov A. 2 52, 286, 327
Zaitsev I. 112
Zapata A. 236
Zarnicki P. so
Zelcic R. 303

3 63
 Ind ex of O pe n i n gs

The index corresponds to page numbers.

Alekhine's Defence 140, 198, 2 3 6, 253

Baltic Defence 136
Benko Gambit 55, 98, 250
Benoni Defence 3 7, 49, 117, 137, 143, 212, 237, 327
Bird's Opening 34
Bishop's Opening 134
Blumenfeld Gambit 115
Budapest Gambit 5 7, 191
Caro-Kann Defence 28, 39, 5 8, 126, 135, 141, 145, 233, 243, 254, 303, 318, 323, 325
Catalan Opening 67, 227, 288, 326
Colle's Opening 102, 180, 286
Dutch Defence 36, 138, 252
English Opening 16, 2 5, 48, 53, 54, 59, 66, 134, 141, 144, 189, 206, 214, 217, 243, 249
Evans Gambit 317
Four Knights Game 321
French Defence 14, 18, 32, 47, 60, 103, 132, 137, 208, 220, 250
Grunfeld Defence 94, 172, 176, 237, 324
Irregular defences 114, 131, 245
Italian Game 167, 225, 323
King's Indian Defence 111, 145, 239, 313
Modern Defence 12, 112, 200, 201, 246, 3 19
Nimzo-lndian Defence 48, so, 61, 131, 240, 244, 245, 248, 302
Owen's Defence 96
Pirc Defence 187, 204, 242, 296
Queen's Gambit Accepted 54, 58, 144, 242, 232
Queen's Gambit Declined 131, 171, 174, 2 10, 2 3 5, 236, 238, 247, 2 5 5
Queen's Indian Defence 51, 55, 182, 252, 292, 3 19, 3 2 9
Queen's Pawn Opening 241
Ragozin Defence 147, 236

3 64
 Index of Op e n ings

Reti's Opening 10, 129

Petroff's Defence 311, 318
Scandinavian Defence 41, 123, 135, 294, 300
Scotch Game so
Semi-Slav Defence 56, 62, 69, 107, 222, 325
Semi-Tarrasch Defence 30
Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation 22, 119, 129, 130, 132, 133, 168, 2 5 3, 305, 320
Sicilian Defence, Closed Variation 130, 193
Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation 63, 64, 142, 230, 244
Sicilian Defence, King's Indian Attack 2 3 5
Sicilian Defence, Morra Gambit 307
Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation 43, 5 7, 109, 139, 142, 248, 321
Sicilian Defence, Rossolimo Variation 53, 68, 105, 133, 195, 247, 291, 3 17, 328
Sicilian Defence, Richter-Rauzer Variation 47
Sicilian Defence, Scheveningen Variation 49, 56, 100, 146, 327
Sicilian Defence, Taimanov Variation 27, 122, 139, 169
Slav Defence 20, 65, 91, 136, 178, 183, 185, 216, 2 39, 240, 246, 254, 324
Spanish Opening 140, 241, 298, 309
Tarrasch Defence 92, 120, 129, 3 2 2
Three Knights Game 1 2 5
Torre's Opening 6 3
Trompowsky's Opening 5 2 , 229
Vienna Game 138, 251

3 65