Current Theory and Practice Series

Challenging the Sicilian with 2.a3!

Editorial Panel: 1M S.Soloviov

Technical Editor: 1M Semko Semkov

Translation by: GM Evgeny Ermenkov

Cover design by Kalojan Nachev

Copyright 2004 by Alexei Bezgodov

Printed in Bulgaria by "Chess Stars" Ltd. - Sofia

ISBN 9548782 375
Challenging the Sicilian with 2.a3!

1.e4 c5 2.a3

Alexei Bezgodov

Chess Stars
Contents

Intoduction ..................................... 9
1 2... eS 3.lDc3 .............................. 10
2 2... eS 3.f4 ..............................19
3 2... lDc6 3.b4 .............................. 37
4 2... lDc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lDxb4 SJ!a4 .......... .4S
5 2... lDc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lDxb4 S.d4 ............. 70
6 2... dS 3.ed ............................... 80
7 2... lDf6 3.eS .............................. 91
8 2 ...g6 3.d4; 3.b4 .......................... 116
9 2... g6 3.c3 ............................... 139
10 2... e6 3.b4 dS 4.ed; 3 ... b6 4.ib2 ........... 14S
11 2... e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ........................ 163
12 2 ... d6 3.b4 .............................. 197
13 Rare lines .............................. 204

5
 I
I

I
I
 Preface

By the year 2002 I was already fed up with playing the old routine
long theoretical lines of the Sicilian Defence with White. It was not that
I had bad positions. No, not at all! I began to have the feeling that the
universally familiar position after La.4 u5 should not necessarily lead
to the thoroughly analysed theoretical lines. Was not there any other
way for White to fight for an opening advantage? I began to think that
there might be some new original and untried ideas at White's disposal.
I usually play sharp tactical chess and I do not avoid complications
at all. I was not attracted by timid solutions. I wanted to find a way to
attack right at the very beginning of the game. I was thinking about the
gambit 2.b4, but that was a bit too much and unfortunately that gambit
would not withstand the analytical test successfully.
It came to my mind then "Why not prepare the move b2-b4?! This
in fact has a very reasonable positional idea - to eliminate the annoy-
ing enemy c5-pawn! But not with the help of the usual d2-d4, but in
some other way, so that White's d-pawn remained on the board. Why
notthen2.a3!?
At first it was immediately clear that White at least should not be
worse after that move. Secondly the arising positions are so unusual
and non-standard that practically every player might get confused right
in the opening!
I shared my concepts with the chess-master and publisher Sergey
Soloviov. He became immediately interested and so I began to write
the first book in the world about that opening variation.
This however proved to be a really difficult task! This line is quite
rare and naturally the attitude towards it not quite serious. Therefore
there happened to be quite few practical examples with substantial theo-
retical value. It became a complex task to create new theoretical con-
cepts right out ofthe blue ... !

7
 The most difficult problem was not so much to invent new lines.
You are not going to impress anybody with that nowadays! The really
challenging task was to create a logical and also really dangerous at-
tacking system. I found a lot of new and original ideas, but all that hap-
pened after weeks and months of strenuous analytical work. As a result
I became convinced that by playing in such non-standard fashion White
can really obtain and preserve an opening advantage! Besides
Black sometimes may get checkmated rather quickly!
In general I am content with the quality of my analytical work. I
hope not to disappoint my readers with my book and I believe that my
practical recommendations will bring them plenty of victories. I tried
to comment verbally the games and lines in such way as to be maxi-
mally helpful to my readers.
This book was designed for whom?
At first I was planning to devote that book to the blitz-players. This
is quite understandable, since White's chances are just excellent in an
original super-unexpected opening variation in a situation with a re-
duced time-limit. It came to my mind only later that the variation might
withstand the test of more serious tournaments. There are plenty of
beautiful variations and the practical players can use that line quite
successfully. Now I cannot even say for sure that Black can equalize
after the opening. Generally speaking this is a chess-book for all
players.
The book is now ready and you are holding it in your hands. In case
you find something arguable or difficult to understand you can always
test it in a blitz-game, or in a friendly game, or in a serious tournament.
I would also like to ask a favour from my readers. Please be as kind
as to send me your games in the l.e4 cS 2.a3 variation to my E-mail
address: alexsvet@mail.raid.ru. I would like to use them in the next
editions of that opening monograph. Naturally, all that depends en-
tirely on the future interest of the readers.
I wish you success with all my heart as an author of the book!

A.Bezgodov
Perm, June 2004

8
Introduction
One might ask "Why is White
wasting time and in such strange
way at that? My answer to that
question is: "This waste oftime is
in fact an illusion! White is prepar-
ing the double-edged pawn-strike
b2-b4! It is far from being harm-
less for Black. White attacks the
c5-pawn, the bishop on cl is ready
to spring into action and the
queen's rook will soon be activated
too!"
This modest or maybe in fact
not so modest move is capable of
causing turmoil for your opponent
psychics. He will surely be sur-
prised and maybe even amazed.
He might feel something like
"How is it possible that I, being
such a strong player, am presently
treated like a beginner with such
weak and even ridiculous moves?"
He might lose his composure and
get confused. He might like to have
spent some more time studying
that move at home. It is not so
important what your adversary
would think after all You are go-
l.e4 c5 2.a3!
ing to gain plenty of time on the
clock before he makes up his mind
what move to play! Meanwhile it
would be quite probable that his
choice might turn out to be wrong
after all!
You are going to be convinced,
after you have studied that book,
how difficult it is to find a defen-
sive scheme for Black that will pro-
vide for him complete safety.
The move 2.a3 - is the begin-
ning of a new purposeful and quite
logical system of development! I
am not going to assert that the idea
is superior to the main lines of the
Sicilian Defence for White. No, not
at all! I am only saying that the
system must no doubt be assured
of a place under the sun!
White's tactical resources
guarantee for him a quite non-
standard aggressive play. I would
not be surprised if the interest to-
wards the 2.a3 system increases
dramatically in the nearest future
thanks to the appearance of this
book.
9
Chapterl
This is not Black's most popu-
lar move, but it is not quite rare
ei ther. It is in principle very
favourable for White. He needs the
least of efforts to obtain a wonder-
ful position in comparison to the
other lines for Black!
We will deal with the move
3.ct:lc3 in this chapter and then the
really interesting gambit line
3.f4!? will be analysed in Chapter
2.
3.lLlc3
White is better, because he has
an excellent outpost on d5 and he
can prepare some active play later
with f2-f4. The arising positions
resemble the Vienna Game (1.e4
e5 2.ct:lc3), but in a much more
favourable situation for White.
The move c7-c5 weakened Black's
position considerably. Black is in-
capable of exploiting a lot of ideas
that are typical for the Vienna
Game. For example his bishop
cannot go to c5, his knight cannot
go after White's bishop on c4 with
ct:lc6-a5, because White has the
a2-square to retreat to ... Well, I
am not writing a book on the
Vienna Game, so I will stop here.
10
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e5
To make a long story short - White
is OK!
I would like to explain to you
the strategical advantages of
White's position and the justifica-
tion of his further plans.
There is a line of the Sicilian
Defence that has become incred-
ibly popular lately: l.e4 c5 2.
ct:lf3 ct:lc6 3.ct:lc3 e5 4.~c4. Have a
look for example at the game
Anand - Van Wely, Monaco
2003: 4 ... ~e7 5.d3 d6 6.0-0 ct:lf6
7.ct:lg5 0-0 8.f4 ~g4 9.ct:lf3 exf4
1O.~xf4
You might ask: "What is all this
about?" Just be patient and you
will understand everything quite
soon.
The game Kroshk - shasa,
Internet 2004 followed with: l.e4

cS 2.a3 eS 3.lLlc3 lLlc6 4.~c4 d6
S.d3 ~e7 6.f4 exf4 7.~xf4 lLlf6
8.lLlf3 0-0 9.0-0 ~g4
Can you notice the differences
between the two positions? This is
not a very difficult task, of course,
but my opinion is that White has a
couple of definite advantages in
the position on the second dia-
gram in comparison to the first
i.e.:
LIt is White to play and not
Black!
2.White's pawn is already on a3
(and not on a2). The plan with b7-
bS for Black that Van Wely used
later can be countered easily by
White with the retreat of the
bishop to a2.
Therefore we now see a con-
vincing proof of the usefulness of
the early a2-a3 move. I can add
jokingly "In case you wish to get a
better position with White than
Anand, you only need to play
2.a3!"
Having seen a couple of
instructive examples of the
games of some of the greatest
players of our times we should
now go back to our games and
analyses.
l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.lLlc3
Let us check now what is go-
ing to happen if Black is not in a
hurry to develop his king's knight
a) 3 .. tt:lc6. Later we will deal with
the move b) 3 ... tt:lf6.
a) 3 ... tt:lc6 4.~c4 d6
White must now choose be-
tween the sharp line al) 5.f4 and
the more timid, but not less strong
a2) 5.d3 (also with the idea to fol-
low with 6.f4, butthen the f4-pawn
will be defended). I cannot tell you
right now what I consider as best,
therefore we will analyse both of
them.
al) 5.f4!?
This move is a bit risky, but
White gets a quite sufficient com-
pensation for the pawn.
5 ... g6
Black's other playable possibil-
ity S... exf4 6.lLlf3 gS 7.0-0~ leads
11
Chapter 1

to very sharp positions in the spirit obvious that if Black captures

ofthe King's Gambit. I will advise on e5 with his knight, White re-
you to study carefully Chapter 2 in mains with only a slight advan-
order to get well acquainted with tage. 9.~xf7+! <>e710.GtJd5+ <>d6
the prospects of both sides. l1.iI,xgS ElxgS 12.c3+- Kroshk -
6 . .!bf3 ~g4 BrettPitt, Internet 2004) S ... ~xf7
6 ... exf4 7.d4! (White has sacri- 9.GtJg5+ <>eSlO.'ffxg4+-.
ficed a pawn and he should play
energetically to compensate the
material deficit. Black is not well
developed and cannot offer stub-
born resistance because of that.)
7... ~g7 S.~xf4! (White must open
the f-file and he does not need
his d4-pawn so much. Moreover
its disappearance from the board
might even be favourable for
White, since it will be easier for 8.d4! .!bxd4 9.~4!
him to create threats along the Unfortunately White's attempt
d-file without it. He will organize to finish the game off with a spec-
an attack against the enemy tacular combination like the fa-
king faster because of that.) S ... mous "Legalle - checkmate" does
GtJxd4 9.GtJxd4 cxd4 (9 ... ~xd4 10. not work: 9.GtJxd4?! ~xdllO.~b5
GtJb5 'fff6 11.'ffd2 hb2 12.Elbl+-) 'ffd7!. This counter sacrifice ofthe
1O.GtJb5! (White has created really queen for Black is necessary; oth-
dangerous threats against the erwise he will really get check-
critical d6-square with his pawn mated spectacularly by the white
sacrifice.) 1O ... ~e5 11.0-0 ~e6 knight from the d5-square! 11.
12.he6 fxe6 13.'fff3 <>d714.~xe5 Elxdl cxd4 12.Elxd4 g5 13.~xd7+
dxe5 15.'ffg3 'ffbS 16.Elf7+ GtJe7 <>xd'7+.
17.'ffg5 EleS IS.Eldl a6 19.GtJxd4 9 ... hf3
'ffd6 20.'fff6 EladS 21.Eld3 <>cS
22.'ffxe6+-.
7.0-0
Black's defence is already far
from easy!
7 ... exf4
7 ... ~g7?! Black overlooks a
simple tactical strike after which
he is in a big trouble. S.~xf7 +!
(Note that it is less effective for
White to play S.fxe5?! dxe5? It is 10J;xf3!!

12

This exchange sacrifice is the
fastest way to emphasize the de-
fects of Black's position. 10 ...
lLlxf3+ (l0 ... .th6 11.tDb5 .txf4
12.i=lxf4 tDxb513.'1Wd5 V:'1c714. i=lxf7
tDe7 15 ..txb5+ ~dS 16.V:'1e6 c4
17.i=ld1 V:'1b6+ 1S.~hl+-) 11. V:'1xf3
.tg7 12.e5+-. 12.lLlb5+- wins for
White as well. We will consider for
now the move 5.f4 to have been
analysed sufficiently, so we will try
to cover the other possibilities for
White too.
a2) 5.d3
This is a calm and solid move.
Black's defensive problems do not
diminish because of that at all.
White plans to push f2-f4 without
a pawn sacrifice.
We will deal with two possibili-
ties: a2a) 5 .. .te6 and a2b) 5 ...
lLlge7.
a2a) 5 . .te6
Black hopes to exchange the
dangerous bishop on c4 and to
solve some of his defensive prob-
lems like that. White preserves
better chances in both cases, after
the exchange as well as ifhe avoids
it.
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e5 3.tDC3
6.lLlf3
That is a quiet developing
move. White presumes that the
exchange on c4 will only improve
his set-up in the centre and that is
quite reasonable!
Meanwhile there are two other
moves that promise White the ad-
vantage too:
6.tDd5!? (White prevents the
exchange of the bishops with the
idea that the bishop on c4 is too
valuable and the exchanges will
only facilitate Black's defence.)
6 ... tDf6 7.f4 exf4 S ..txf4 .te7 9.tDf3
0-0 10.0-0 V:'1d7 11. V:'1d2 i=laeS
12.i=lae1 .tdS 13.~ha. White is
planning a kingside assault under
very comfortable circumstances
and Black can hardly counter that
simple plan;
6.f4 (This move might seem too
direct and straightforward, but
White pursues his plan methodi-
cally and Black's defence is very
difficult!) 6 ... .txc4 7.dxc4 exf4 S.
~f4 tDf6 9.tDf3 .te7 10. 0-0 0-0
11.V:'1d3t. White has a lasting posi-
tional edge, because of his domi-
nance along the light squares. The
minute weakening of his pawn
structure is almost irrelevant.
6 ... .te7 7.lLld5 lLlf6 8.c3
13
Chapter 1
0-09.0-0 h610.b4!?
Note the various attacking pos-
sibilities for White in this line! He
can play on the queenside on or-
der to create weaknesses for the
opponent there. This plan is dan-
gerous for Black too.
10 ... a6 1l.bxc5 dxc5 12.
li'lxf6+ i.xf6 13.,ixe6 fxe6 14.
a4 lMfd6 15.i.e3 gadS 16.lMfb3
gd7
17.gfdl
Kroshk - rakot18, Internet
2004. Black has too many weak-
nesses to worry about all over the
board.
a2b)5 ... li'lge7
It is quite doubtful that Black
can counter White's aggressive
play with such a timid develop-
ing move! I think that White's ad-
14
vantage is already too great.
Black's choice is only between
moves that provide White with a
clear edge! That is not much of a
choice, is it?
6.f4
We will now deal with a2bl)
6 ... i.e6 and a2b2) 6 ... exf4.
a2b1) 6 ... i.e6
Black trades off White's aggres-
sive bishop and so he does not
need to worry about the annoying
tactical possibilities of attack
against the V-square. His prob-
lems are not over at all, though ...
They tend to multiply instead!
7.,ixe6 fxe6
Black's pawn chain has been
weakened a bit after the exchange,
but that is not so important. White
can easily organize some active
play along the Hile.
S.fxe5! li'lxe5
8 ... dxeS 9.ctJh3!? ctJg6 1O.ctJgS
ctJd4 11.0-0 ctJf4 12.ctJf3 i.d6 13.
ctJxeS! i.xeS 14.i.xf4.
9.li'lf3 li'lxf3+ 10.1Mfxf3
White enjoys a considerable
lead in development and he does
not need to look for any too so-
phisticated ways of playing. He

can act simply and create a
straightforward attack against
the black king, or in the worst
possible case - to exchange queens
and transfer into an endgame with
a great positional advantage for
him.
10 ....~d7
1O ... CLJc6 11.0-0 Wld7 12.~e3
g6 13.8:f2 ~g7 14.8:afl CLJd4 15.
Wlf7 +!. The exchange of the queens
happens often to be a nasty sur-
prise for the defending side par-
ticularly when it is initiated by
the attacking side! White wins in
this position in this instructive
fashion: 15 ... Wlxf7 16.8:xf7 CLJxc2
17.CLJb5!. Everything has suddenly
become clear now. Black is going
to lose plenty of material even
if White fails to checkmate in
the next few moves. 17 ... CLJxe3
lS.CLJc7+ \tJdSI9.CLJxe6+ \tJeS (19 ...
\tJcS 20.8:c7+ \tJbS 21.8:ff7 CLJd5
22.8:xb7+ \tJcS 23.exd5+-) 20.
CLJxg7+ \tJdS 21.CLJe6+ \tJeS 22.
8: If6 +-.
11.~e3 e5
Naturally this move weakens
the d5-square irrevocably, but
Black has no choice.
12.0-0 0-0-0 13.b4!
1.e4 c5 2.a3 e53.CLJc3
White can proceed is another
fashion too: 13.Wlf7 CLJc6 14.Wlc4
(He prefers to preserve the queens
with the hope to finish the game
off with a direct attack. This deci-
sion seems to be reasonable, but
it is also possible to trade the
queens: 14.b4 Wlxf7 15.8:xf7 8:d7
16.m2 ~e7 17.CLJd5 h6 lS.b5 CLJd4
19.b6 a6 20.c3 CLJe6 21.8:afl)
14 ... ~e715.b4 (15.8:f7 Wlg416.CLJd5
8:d7 17.h3 Wlg6 lS.h4!) 15 ... 8:dfS
16.G2Jd5 CLJd4 17.~xd4 exd4 lS.c3!.
White continues to destroy me-
thodically Black's defensive forti-
fications on the queenside. IS ...
dxc3 19.Wlxc3 ~f6 20.CLJxf6 8:xf6
21.bxc5 dxc5 22.Wlxc5+ 8:c6 23.
Wlxa7 8:dS 24.8:abl 8:c7?? (24 ...
Wld4+ 25. Wlxd4 8:xd4 26.8:fS+-)
25.WlaS# 1-0 Kroshk - darkod,
Internet 2004.
13 ... d5
13 ... CLJc614.CLJd5.
14.hc5!
This is the simplest - White
wins a pawn and he preserves
a great positional advantage.
(The transfer to an endgame is
promising less and Black has some
chances to save the game after:
14.exd5 CLJxd5 15.G2Jxd5 ~xd5 16.
15
Chapter 1
W'xd5 Elxd5 17.Elf7 cxb4 18.axb4
a6 19.~d2 Eld7 20.Elafl ~e7!:f;)
14 ... d4 15.~xe7 ~xe7 16.~d5
EldfS 17.Wfg3+-. White must win
this position with an extra pawn,
moreover that his attack contin-
ues.
a2b2) 6 ... exf4
7.~f3
I believe that the simple cap-
ture of the pawn is also good
enough: 7.~xf4 ~g6 8.~g3 ~e7
9.~f3 ~f6 10.0-0 0-0 1l.Elb1 ~g4
12.~d5~h413.Wfe1~xg314. W'xg3
~xf315.gxf3!' White's pawn chain
on the kingside becomes very
powerful and elastic after that
move. 15 ... ~d416.Elf2 b517.~a2.
It is enjoyable that the bishop can
retreat to such a comfortable
square! I am sure that line will be
tested in practice in the nearest
future.
7 ... ~g6 8.0-0 ~e7 9.~d5
0-0
9 ... ~g4 1O.~xf4 ~d4 11.~e3
~xf3 12.gxf3 0-0 13.c3 ~c6 14.f4
(Black's aggressive knight was re-
pelled from the centre and Black
has now the difficult defence of his
kingside to worry about.) 14 ... ~f6
16
15.~h1 ~h8 16.W'h5 Elb8 17.m3
Elg8 18.Elh3 ~f8 19.W'xf7 b5 20.
~xf6 1-0 Kroshk - shasa, Internet
2004.
1 0 .~xf4 ~g4 11.~xg6 hxg6
12.~e3 ~e5
This move seems natural and
attractive, but it provokes sharp
tactical complications that might
end quite tragically for Black!
13.~xe5!?
Such a sudden queen-sacrifice
is capable of confusing even a very
strong and experienced opponent!
I t is very easy to play that position
with White and he does not in fact
risk losing it at all.
13.~d5 is also very good for
White: 13 ... CtJxf3+ 14.gxf3 ~h3
15.Elf2 ~f6 16.c3 ~h4 17.Eld2 g5
18.~xb7 Elb8 19.~d5 Kroshk -
shasa, Internet 2004, but the
queen-sacrifice is more beautiful
and possibly stronger!
13 ... ~xdl
14.~xf7!
What should Black do now?
He has a huge material advantage,
but it is not enough even for
equality. 14... Wfa5 (This develop-
ing move is quite reasonable,
but White can patiently prepare

his attack after it too. Black's
other moves do not help him much
either: 14 .. J'1xf7 lS.i.xf7+ ~h7
16.l"Iaxdl; 14 ... 'Wb61S.l"Iaxd1 ~h7
16.b4 l"IaeS17.bxcS dxcS1S.l"If3 gS
19.1"Ih3+ ~g6 20.CUeS+ ~f6 21.
cud7+-) IS. l"Iaxdl ~h716.13f3 gS
17.i.xgS 13xf7 18.13h3+ ~g6
19.i.d2 'We7 20.13g3+ ~h7 21.
i.xf7 i.h4 22.i.g6+ ~g8 23.13f3
i.f6 (23 .. J'lfS 24.i.h7+ ~xh7 2S.
l"IxfS+-) 24. l"Idf1+-.
b) 3 . cuf6
4.i.e4 CUe6
The typical combination with
a knight-sacrifice does not work
for Black: 4 ... CUxe4?? S.CUxe4 dS
6.i.bS+-, because White's bishop
avoids the double attack with a
check!
S.d3 d6
If Black chooses to develop his
bishop with S... i.e7 the arising
positions are more or less similar.
6.f4 exf4 7.i.xf4 d6 S.cuf3 0-0
(Black cannot change the evalua-
tion of the position as favourable
for White after: S ... i.e6 9.cudS;I:;)
9.0-0 i.g4 10.'Wd2 a6 1U''1ae1
(White is concentrating his forces
on the kingside and they will all
l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.cuc3
soon be where they are needed
most!) 11...i.xf3 12.gxf3 cuhS 13.
i.e3 i.f6 14.f4 ~hS lS.'We2 g6
16.'Wg2 i.d417. i.xd4+ CUxd41S.fS
(Note how easy, simple and logi-
cal it is to play that position with
White! All that is not so much due
to some grave mistakes by Black -
in fact he has played rather well.
I believe that Black's troubles
are mostly caused by his quite
dubious ... second move!) IS ...
'Wh4 19.'Wf2 'Wh3 20.l"Ie3 'Wg4+
21.~h1 'WgS 22.cudS bS 23.i.a2
l"IaeS. All that was played in the
game Kroshk - shasa, Internet
2004. White had to continue with:
24.l"Ih3 with a quite dangerous
attack.
6.f4 i.e7 7.CUf3 0-0
8.fS
Black cannot do much in the
centre, so White can afford to
acquire some space on the king-
side.
It is also good for him to
play S.O-O (This logical move
is enough to preserve White's
advantage.) S ... i.g4 9.h3 i.xf3
10.'Wxf3 cud4 11.'Wf2 l"IeS 12.g4!
(This method of gaining space
seems to be very effective and
17
Chapter 1

Black is forced to new conces-

sions.) 12 ... exf413.i.xf4 h614.i.e3
tLlc6 IS.tLldS. White has the two
bishop advantage and Black's
pieces are very passive, so the
position is clearly in White's
favour.
S ... ttJd4 9.0-0 i.d710.ttJdS
bS
This attempt at counterplay is 16.b3
not effective at all. White remains with a solid ex-
1l.ttJxf6+ i.xf6 12.i.dS i.c6 tra pawn and excellent winning
13.ttJxd4 i.xdS 14.ttJxbS i.c6 chances, Kroshk - thotep, Internet
lS.ttJc3 gbS 2004.

Conclusions
White canfightfor an opening advantage in several different ways
after 2 ... e5. He can play in the spirit of the Vienna Game and his main
attacking idea is to prepare f2-f4 with an assault on the kingside. I
think that Black's counterplay is insufficient to equalize.

18
Chapter 2
This position resembles a lot
the King's Gambit except for the
inclusion of the moves a2-a3 and
c7-cS. I consider that to be in
favour of White. The basic differ-
ence between this position and the
other one after l.e4 eS 2.f4 is that
Black controls not quite reliably
the d4-square, but he has weak-
ened the dS-square irrevocably.
His bishop on fS will not be able
to come to the wonderful cS-
square because his pawn is already
there. Meanwhile White's bishop
might become a real force to
reckon with along the a2-gS diago-
nal!
It will now be interesting to
check whether Black's attempts to
defend according to the methods
in the classical King's Gambit
would be effective after the move:
3 ... exf4
Accepting the gambit should be
Black's best method of playing -
no doubt about that. Therefore we
will deal with that move in details.
Should Black decide to decline
the gambit we can expect a move
like 3 ... d6, particularly from a
player with a tentative defensive
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e5 3.f4
style. White can follow that with
4.CUf3! (It is also good for him to
play 4.~c4!? exf4 S.d4 1Wh4+ 6. ~f1
~g4 7.CUf3~) 4 ... ~g4 (White has
also tried here S.b4?! but without
too much of a success. I do not
think that to be the best move for
him. S... CUc6 6.~bS 1Wb6 7.hc6+
1Wxc6 S.CUc3 CUf6 9.fxeS dxeS 10.
CUxeS ~xd111.CUxc6 ~xc2+ Kroshk
- Litti, Internet 2004; 6.bxcS!?
dxcS=) S.~bS+! (This is the best!
White develops a piece with tempo
and can rely on obtaining a last-
ing advantage later.) S... CUc6 6.d3
exf4 7.hf4 1Wf6 S.1Wc1! (This is a
good, despite a non-standard way
to defend simultaneously the
bishop on f4 as well as the pawn
on b2.) S ... ~xf3 9.gxf3 White's po-
sition has not become worse after
the exchange of the pawns on the
kingside. On the contrary he can
organize his attack even easier
now. In addition he has the two-
bishop advantage. The only thing
White cannot exploit is the f-file,
because it has been closed. This
however is hardly any great con-
solation for Black: 9 ... g6 1O.CUc3
~h6 1l.CUdS! 1Wh4+ 12.~g3 1WdS
19
Chapter 2
13.f4. White's pawn structure is
excellent; he has the bishop pair
and good prospects to attack on
the kingside. He has a lasting ad-
vantage. It is of course too early to
tell whether Black's difficulties, if
he declines the gambit, are insur-
mountable, but his defence is evi-
dently not easy at all. White com-
pletes his development effort-
lessly, while Black has no extra
material to brag about.
After 3 ... exf4 we will analyse
for White: a) 4.d4?! and b)
4.tbc3?! (these two possibilities
are rather arguable) as well as the
two moves that create most prob-
lems for Black i.e.: c) 4.tbf3 and
d)4.~c4.
I have already defined the
moves: a)4.d4?! andb) 4.tbc3?!
as not too good for White. I am not
trying to say that if White plays
them he should necessarily lose
outright (although I would not be
surprised if some high authority
player tries to prove that defi-
nitely... !). I am in fact convinced
that White is in trouble after play-
ing them and quite unnecessarily
so! It happens that the choice of
lines in the opening is often a mat-
20
ter of style. Moreover it is quite
possible that some of the readers
of this book might be interested in
the 2.a3 variation from Black's
point of view. Therefore I have
decided to analyse these moves
too, since there are plenty of inter-
esting dynamic possibilities for
both side after them.
a) 4.d4?!
This idea seems to be too risky,
but nevertheless it can be tested at
least in active chess tournaments.
White has plenty of chances to
confuse the opponent with some
confident aggressive play. I advise
my readers to choose the 4.ltJf3
and 4.~c4 lines in regular time-
control games, since these moves
are much more solid and reliable!
Black's best move is no doubt
the queen-check on h4 and we will
analyse it in details:
4 ... ~h4+!
This move is not only the stron-
gest but it is the most natural too.
Black should deprive his opponent
of the right to castle. White does
not have a good square to retreat
with the king and the choice be-
tween the d2 and e2-squares can

hardly be too enjoyable ... !
5.me2
This is a "solid" decision if of
course we can talk about "solidity"
in a position like that! It is defi-
nitely stronger than the retreat to
d2 for sure.
S. c;t>d2 - is a bit too brave move,
almost on the border of reckless-
ness. Black has plenty of possibili-
ties to obtain an excellent position,
for example:
S ... lLlc6 6.lLlf3 ~f2+ 7.~e2
~xe2+ S.mxe2 cxd4 9.~xf4lLlf6+.
Black has no problems to preserve
his solid extra pawn in a calm po-
sition without queens;
S... ~f2+ 6.~e2 ~xe2+! (This is
the simplest. Black has a clearly
better endgame after the exchange
of queens. He does not need to
complicate the game in order to
capture a pawn with check after:
6 ... ~xd4+?! 7.mel because that
presents White with the chance to
prevail in the complications, for
example: 7... lLlf6 S.lLlc3 c4 9.lLlf3
~b6 10.eS lLlg4 11.~xc4 ~f2+
12.c;t>dl ~cS 13.lLle4 dS 14.exd6
~xc4 IS.~xc4 fS 16.lLlc3 lLlf2+
17.c;t>e2lLlxhllS.hf4lLlc619.CLlbS
md7 20.1'1xh1+-, and White has a
considerable edge, despite Black's
ongoing attack. Or 7 ... gS S.lLlf3
~g7 9.lLlc3 lLlc6 lO.lLldS ~d6 II.
~d2 CLlge7 12.~c3 lLld4 13.1'1dl
lLlec614.~f2 ~eSlS.h4 g416.lLlxeS
~xeS 17.~d3 f3 IS.gxf3 gxf3 19.
md2 1'1gS 20.1'1dgl 1'1g6 2I.hS 1'1xgl
22.1'1xgl mfS 23.~e3lLle7 24.~h6+
meS 2S.lLlf6+ mdS 26.c;t>dl f2 27.
1'1fl mc7 2S.1'1xf2 d6 29.lLleS+ mc6
I.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.f4
30.~bS+ c;t>xbS 3I.CLlxd6+-; 17 ... g3
IS.~xf4 ~xf419.CLlxf4 d6 20.lLlhS
~e6 2I.lLlxg3 1'1gS 22.c;t>f2;!;. The
position has clarified a bit after the
super-dynamic developments in
the opening and White's chances
are definitely preferable.) 7.lLlxe2
lLlf6 S.lLlbc3 cxd4 9.CLlxd4lLlc6+;
S... cxd4 (This simple capture is
also very good for Black.) 6.lLlf3
(6.~e2 lLlc6 7.lLlf3 ~e7 S.c3 gS
9.lLlxd4 ~g7 lO.CLlfS ~eS lI.c;t>c2
~f6 12.lLld2 dS 13.lLlf3 ~xe4+
14.~xe4+ dxe4 IS.lLld6+ mfS 16.
lLlxe4 ~fS 17.~d3~; S ... dxc3+ 9.
lLlxc3 lLlf6 lO.eS lLlg4 1l.CLldS ~dS
12.mc2 lLlgxeS 13.~xf4 d6-+; 12.
mel ~cS 13.b4 ~f2+ 14.md1 ~e3
IS.lLlxe3 fxe3 16.~xe3 0-0 17.
~cS 1'1eS lS.~d6 lLlgxeS 19.1LlxeS
~f6-+) 6 ... ~f2+ 7.~e2 (White
loses spectacularly after 7.~e2lLlf6
S.1'1fl lLlxe4+ 9.c;t>d3 dS! lO.~xf4
~d6 11.~xd6 ~e3#) 7 ... ~xe2+
S.~xe2 lLlf6 9.eS lLlg4 lO.lLlxd4
lLlxeS 1l.lLlc3 lLlbc6 12.lLldbS 1'1bS
13.c;t>d1 gS 14.lLle4 a6 lS.lLlbd6+
hd616.lLlxd6+ me717.lLle4 h6-+.
We can safely assume that the
move S.md2 is practically un-
playable for White.
5".lLlc6!?
It is important and also good
for Black to control the d4-square.
He can also play S... dS!? and
this counterstrike is quite typical
for the classical King's Gambit.
Black solves his problems and can
rely at least on equality. 6.exdS
~e7+ 7.mf2 ~h4+ S.g3!? (It is
quite possible that White's most
prudent decision might be to agree
21
Chapter 2

to a draw by a perpetual after: ~xdS axbS 16.~xf4 ~cS 17.l"i:e1+

8.'>t>e2 iMre7=) B... fxg3+ 9.'>t>g2 gxh2
10.l"i:xh2 iMre4+ 11.lLlf3 cxd412.l"i:h4
~g413.lLlbd2 hf3+ 14.lLlxf3 iMrxdS
lS.l"i:xd4 iMraS+.
'>t>dB 1BJ'lac1 d6 19.b4 ~b6 20.
~xf7~) 11.~xd1 lLlxf3 12 .~xf3 d6
13.l"i:e1+ '>t>d714.~xf4lLlf6+.
6 . ttJd4+ 7.'>t>d3 ttJf6 8.ttJf3
~f2 9.hf4 c4+ 10.@xc4lLlxc2
1l.l"i:a2 ttJxe4 12.iMre2 b5+ 13.
@d3 ~xe2+ 14.he2 ttJf2+ 15.
@xc2 ttJxhl

6.d5
This is probably White's best
move, but he cannot even think
about an advantage after it.
6.lLlf3 iMre7. What should White 16.ttJc3~
do now? His important central As a conclusion we must admit
pawn is under attack! 7.dS (7.'>t>d3? that after 4.d4 it is White who
is a move that White simply can- might be in danger and not Black!
not afford. 7 ... lLlf6 B.eSlLlg4 9.iMre1 Nevertheless White can play like
d6-+; 7.'>t>f2 cxd4 B.~xf4 iMrxe4 that particularly if he is in an ad-
9.iMrc1lLlf61O.~d3 iMrdS11.l"i:e1 + ~e7 venturous mood!
12.lLlbd2 0-0 13.lLle4lLlg4+ 14.'>t>gl
d6+; 7.lLlc3 lLlf6 B.dxcS lLlxe4-+; b) 4.ttJc3?!
B.'>t>f2 cxd4 9.lLlbSlLlxe4+ 1O.'>t>gl
d611.hf4 gS!+; B.eSlLlxd4+ 9.'>t>f2
lLlg4+ 10. '>t>gl lLlxf3+ 11. iMrxf3 c4
12.~e2 iMrcS+ 13. '>t>f1lLle3+ 14.he3
fxe3+; 14 ... iMrxe3 lS.iMrxe3 fxe3
16.lLldS '>t>dB 17.lLlxe3 c3 1B.bxc3
~cS 19.1Llc4 f6 20.~f3 l"i:fB 21.exf6
l"i:xf6 22.'>t>e2 l"i:bB 23.a4 b6+) 7 ...
iMrxe4+ B.'>t>f2 lLld4!. Black forces
favourable simplifications after
having acquired a material advan- This is also a dubious decision!
tage. 9.lLlc3 iMrxc2+ 1O.~e2 iMrxd1 Black can preserve his extra pawn
(l0 ... lLlf6 1l.lLlxd4 iMrxd1 12.l"i:xd1 and he can organize a powerful
cxd4 13.lLlbS lLlxdS 14.~f3 a6 lS. attack against the white king. The

22

last move with the knight is suit-
able only for players who want to
test their nerves, or feel like play-
ing some "Russian roulette"! The
arising positions are quite inter-
esting, though ...
4 ... Wlh4+! 5.r;!;>e2lDc6!
That is Black's best bet on
creating problems for the white
king!
6.lDd5!?
This counterattacking move
presents White with some practi-
cal chances to organize some seri-
ous counterplay. After the other
moves his prospects are not very
bright in case Black plays energeti-
cally:
6.lDf3 - is a natural move, but
it puts White on the verge of an
immediate defeat after: 6 ... lDd4+!
7. r;!;>d3 (7.lDxd4 is only facilitating
Black's attack after: 7... cxd4 S.lDdS
lDf6!. This rook-sacrifice is deadly
for White! 9. lDc7+ mdS 1O.lDxaS
dS!~+ I will refrain from showing
you what might follow, because I
take pity on White and I also hope
that White will not get pathetic
positions like that in any opening
ever!) 7...Wff2! Black's queen has
l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.f4
occupied a very comfortable posi-
tion and White is in a big trouble!
S.b4 lDf6 9.eS dS!-+; S.lDxd4
Wlxd4+ 9.me2 dS! 1O.me1 dxe4
11.~bS+ ~d7 12.~xd7+ Wlxd7 13.
lDxe4 0-0-0-+; S.lDdS ~d6 9.c3
ttJxf3 10.gxf3 (10.Wlxf3 Wlxf3+
1l.gxf3 lDe7 12.lDxe7 he7 13. mc4
gS 14.b4 d6 lS.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4
~e6-+) 1O ... b6 11. r;!;>c2 ~b712.~c4
lDe7-+. It looks like 6.lDf310ses by
force.
6 lDf6!
This is the simplest and maybe
the only way to get an advantage
for Black - to sacrifice his rook
on as. This idea is well familiar
and has been quite successful in
many lines of the King's Gambit. I
must add that Black cannot make
such a move so easily - it is a
whole rook after all, but after the
sacrifice White is headed for disas-
ter ... !
6 ... lDd4+?!. This natural move
enables White to preserve the ten-
sion on the board. 7.md3 lDe6
(7 ... ~d6 S.c3 lDe6 9.lDf3 \&f2 10.
mc2lDf611.lDxf6+ gxf612.mb1 b6
13.d3 lDgS 14.lDxgS fxgS lS.h4
gxh4 16.~d2 ~e7 17.~e1 Wle3 IS.
E1h3 Wlg1 19.Wle2 f3 20.gxf3 dS
21.~f2 \&g6 22.E1h1;t) S.lDf3 WlhS
9.b4 lDe7 10.c4 fS n.eS lDxdS
12.cxdSlDgS 13.d6lDe4 14.Wfe1 b6
lS.mc2ii5.
7.lDc7+
7.lDf3 lDd4+ S.lDxd4 cxd4 9.
lDxf6+ Wlxf6-+.
7 .@dS S.tlJf3 tlJd4+ 9.lDxd4
cxd410.tlJxaS
23
Chapter 2
lO ... d5!-+
Black's threats are simply irre-
sistible.
The conclusion is simple:
Dear readers! Please refrain from
playing 4.d4 or 4.tbc3 - you
might get crushed quickly and
spectacularly!
c) 4.ttJf3
This move is stronger and more
reliable - White develops his
kingside first. Still I think that
Black's chances in this line are bet-
ter in comparison to the classical
King's Gambit. He controls the all-
important central d4-square al-
though not quite completely yet.
What can Black do now? I think
that we have to analyse mostly the
moves that resemble Black's pos-
sibilities in the "classical" King's
Gambit. I have in mind: cl) 4 ... d5
24
and c2) 4 ... g5. About 4 ... lLlc6
5.~c4g5 - see d) 4.~c4.
cl) 4 ... d5
This central counterstrike is
quite enough to ensure active
game prospects for Black.
5.exd5 ttJf6
5... Wxd5 (This possibility is not
to be recommended in the "tradi-
tional" King's Gambit, but here it
is quite possible. The point is that
Black controls the d4-square and
that facilitates his defence. Never-
theless White has some chances to
fight for the advantage!) 6.lLlc3
We6+ 7.~e2! (The move 7.~f2?!
seems artificial and weak. White
wants to bring into action the rook
as quickly as possible along the e-
file. Black equalizes easily. 7... c4!.
This move solves two problems si-
multaneously - White is deprived
of the dangerous check from the
b5-square and the black bishop
has the excellent c5-square. S.d4
cxd3 9.~xd3 ~c5+ 1O.~f1 ~e3! 11.
~xe3 fxe3 12.~b5+ lLlc6 13.lLld5
Wd7 14.lLlxe3 lLlge7=.) 7... lLlc6 S.
0-0 ~d6 9.d4! (This energetic
opening of the position is timely
and strong, because Black has not
completed his development yet.)
9 ... cxd41O.lLlb5~bS11.lLlfxd4 Wh6
12.lLlxc6 bxc613.Wd4l1:Je714.~xf4
~xf415J~xf4 0-0 (Black somehow
managed to castle, but his prob-
lems have not diminished at all.
White's initiative is getting stron-
ger. Black's weaknesses on the
queenside are complicating his
defence even more.) 16.l1:Jc7! 8:bS
 l.e4 c5 2.a3 e53.f4

17.:i:'lafl f5 IB.ii.c4+ ~hB 19.:i:'le4 gant but not bad at all! The black
CZlg6 20.:i:'leB i'fig5 21.b4 h6 22. king might be comfortable enough
:i:'lxfB+ CZlxfB 23.i'fid6+-. White wins without castling in a situation
material unavoidably and his po- like that. The advantages of the
sition remains more active. move are quite evident - the rook
on hB is joining the action imme-
diately.
After 7 ... i'fie7 White can obtain
a considerable edge in the end-
game rather quickly with: 8.d4
CZlbd7 9.b4 i'fixe2+ 1O.ii.xe2 cxb4
11.c5 ii.bB 12.d6 bxa3 13.ii.xf4 CZld5
14.ii.d2 0-0 15.CZlxa3 :i:'leB 16.CZlc4
CZl7f617.CZlce5. The activity of the
black pieces is not quite enough to
6.c4! equalize.
This is definitely White's best
move. The reason is that Black
does not have the possibility to
activate his pieces with the move
c7-c6! His first (!!) move has de-
prived him of that opportunity and
I am going to try to mention jok-
ingly that to be one of the draw-
backs ofthe Sicilian defence ... !
6.ii.b5 - this is a logical devel-
oping move for White, but he has 8.d4!
no advantage after it. The arising That is the most principled
positions are approximately equal move - White is fighting for the
and rather calm. 6 ... CZlbd7 7. i'fie 2 + centre! He will need to consider
i'fie7. The simplifications are un- seriously Black's active counter-
avoidable now. (7 ... ii.e7?? 8.d6+-) play along the open e-file.
8.c4 (B.CZlc3 i'fixe2+ 9.~xe2 a6 White can try to obtain some
1O.ii.xd7+ ii.xd7 1l.d4 :i:'ldB 12.:i:'lel advantage successfully with a
cxd4 13.CZlxd4 ii.e7 14.~f1 ii.cB strange king move of his own too
15.ii.xf4 CZlxd5 16.CZlxd5 :i:'lxd5 17. B.~dl!? He takes his king away
:i:'ladl f6=) B... a6 9.ii.xd7+ ii.xd7 from the dangerous open e-file
1O.d4 cxd4 1l.CZlxd4 :i:'lcB 12.CZld2 and tries to ensure the safety of his
i'fixe2+ 13.CZlxe2 CZlg4 14.CZlxf4 CZle3 queen. The travels of both kings
15.~f2 CZlxc416.:i:'le1+ ~dB=. towards the queenside make the
6 ...ii.d6 7.Wfe2+~d7!? arising positions quite original and
This decision is a bit extrava- beautiful too. 8 .. .:1!e8 9.i'fif2 CZle4

25
Chapter 2
1O.~gl ~b611.<;t>c2 <;t>c712.d3 tiJf6
13.tiJc3 (The later developments
on the board resemble a race and
the point is - who is going to get
at the enemy king first!) 13 ... td7
14.td2 tiJa6 lS.tiJgS Ele7 16.tiJge4
tiJxe4 17.dxe4 fS 1B.td3 fxe4 19.
tiJxe4 ElaeB 20. tiJxd6 (Now it looks
like White is winning the race, but
he still needs to play very pre-
cisely.) 20 ... ta4+ (20 ... ~xd6 21.
~f2 gS 22.g3;t) 21.<;t>b1 ~xd6 22.
~f2 gS 23.g3! (Black's hopes are
based on the beautiful tactical line:
23.b4? Ele2!!-+) 23 ... ElfS 24.gxf4
gxf4 2S.~f3 teS 26.<;t>a2 tg6 27.
txg6 hxg6 2S.Elhgl. White's king
is completely safe now and he can
attack successfully the weaknesses
of the enemy at leisure.
8 .. J~e8!
This is the best for Black. Black
steers the game into wild, concrete
tactical play in order to obtain
equal chances.
S ... cxd4?! (This is a positional
concession by Black, because now
White's pawn chain on the queen-
side becomes very powerful.)
9.~d3! (The d4-pawn is doomed
anyway, so White takes quite
timely his queen away from the
dangerous open file.) 9 ... EleB+
10.te2 tiJa6U.b4! txb4+ (11...~e7
12.tiJxd4 teS 13.Ela2! This is one
more merit of the move 2.a3 - the
white rook can support his pieces
from the a2-square! Had the white
pawn been on a2 - the whole idea
of creation of such powerful pawn
chain would have been unthink-
able! 13 ... <;t>dS 14.0-0+-) 12.axb4
26
tiJxb4 13.~d1 d3 14.~a4+ tiJc6
lS.tiJc3+-.
9.tiJe5+ <;t>c710.tiJc3
It is a disaster for White to play
1O.txf4? tg4 l1.tiJxf7 Elxe2+ 12.
txe2 ~eS13.txd6+ <;t>d714.tiJeS+
<;t>xd6-+.
10 tg4 11.tDb5+ <;t>b6
White is faced with a choice. He
can comply with Black achieving
a beautiful draw by a perpetual
after a series of precise moves and
checks on the c7 and as-squares!
I have in mind the 12.~d3line), or
he can prefer the arguable, but
strikingly beautiful queen-sacri-
fice for only two light pieces (I am
talking about the 12.tiJxd6!? line).
12.~d3 txeS 13.dxeS ElxeS+
14.<;t>f2 tiJe4+ lS.<;t>gl ~h4 16.g3
fxg3 17.tiJc7 g2! (it is weaker for
Black to play 17... <;t>xc7 lS.tf4 g2
19.txeS+ <;t>cS 20.~xe4 gxh1~+
21.<;t>xh1 ~hS 22.tg2 fS 23.~e3
tiJd7 24.txg7) IB.tiJxaS+ <;t>a6
19.tiJc7+ <;t>b6!=.
12.tDxd6!?
I would not like to force my
opinion on you, but I think that it
is a sin not to realize such a beau-
tiful tactical idea!
12 . he2

13.~dxf7!
I am not planning to analyse
this position extensively, but I will
mention the consequences of the
most natural retreats of the black
queen:
13 ... 1Mfe7
13 ... 1Mfc714.,be2 cxd415.b4 a6
16.i.b2 \ila7 17.d6 1Mfc8 18.i.xd4+
b6 19.c5 ~bd7 20.0-0 bxc5 2l.
bxc5 ~xe5 22.c6 \ilb8 23J'1abl+-.
14.,he2 ~fd715.i.xf4 cxd4
16.0-0 gfB 17.h4 a6 18.i.g4
~f6 19.i.e6 ~e4 20.gae1 g5
21.i.c1 ~c3 22.,hg5 1Mfe8
23.~d6+-
The "weak" white light pieces
together with the white pawns
simply crushed enemy's position
despite Black's material advan-
tage!
We came to the end of our
study of the move 4 ... d5. White can
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e5 3.f4
obtain an excellent game after
some precise play.
c2) 4 ... g5!?
This move happens to be one
of Black's main resources of de-
fence in the classical King's Gam-
bit. He is defending his f4-pawn
and prepares to attack subse-
quently the white knight on f3 with
g5-g4. There arise rather complex
positions in which White should
be prepared to sacrifice even more
material, while Black must be pre-
pared to face numerous tactical
threats.
I think that White has two main
lines at his disposal in this posi-
tion: c2a) 5.h4 and c2h) 5 ..ic4.
c2a) 5.h4
White tries to eliminate Black's
g5-pawn immediately and hopes
to exploit the weakness of the f4
and g4-pawns later. Meanwhile
the black queen is deprived ofthe
possibility to check from the h4-
square.
5 .. g4
This is Black's only reasonable
move otherwise his position will
quickly be in ruins.
27
Chapter 2
6.lLle5
This is the best and most prin-
cipled retreat of the knight.
6 .. .'~e7
Black could have chosen some
other moves too:
6 ... dS 7.1bS+! (This check is
very powerful mostly because
Black cannot play c7-c6 with
tempo. His c-pawn was pushed
two squares forward on the first
move rather frivolously ... !) 7... lLld7
(7 ... 1d7 S.lLlxd7 lLlxd7 9.'&xg4
lLlgf6 1O.'&xf4lLlxe4 11.0-0. It be-
comes evident now that Black has
a lot of problems. 11...'&e7 12.Ele1
197 13.d3 1d4+ 14.1e3 1xb2
1S.Ela2 1eS 16.1xd7+ ~dS 17.
'&h6+-; 1S ... 1c3 16.Elf1 1eS 17.
1xd7+ ~xd7 1S.'&fS+ ~eS 19.
dxe4+-) S.d4! (This is a nice and
beautiful move to play. White
completes his development and
threatens to create new dangerous
threats. Black will be forced to de-
fend a very unpleasant position.)
S... dxe4 9.1xf4 a61O.1xd7+ 1xd7
11.lLlc31fS 12.'&e2 lLlf6 (12 ... f6 13.
dxcS! fxeS 14.1xeSlLlf61S.Elf1 lLlhS
16.lLlxe4 1xe4 17.'&xe4 '&xh4+
1S.g3 '&e7 19.0-0-0 '&e6 20.
'&xb7+-) 13.dxcS 1xcS 14.lLlxf7
2S
'&b6. This counterstrike enables
White to try a striking idea to at-
tack by sacrificing both his rooks:
ls.lLlxhS '&xb2 16.'&c4 '&xa1+ 17.
~e2 '&xh11S.'&f7+ ~dS19.'&xf6+
1e7 20.lLlf7+ ~eS 21.lLld6+1xd6
22.1xd6 '&xg2+ 23.~e3 '&f3+
24.~d4 ,&f2+ 2S.~eS ,&h2+ 26.
~xfS ,&f2+ 27.1f4+-. The amazing
expedition of the white king has
come to a successful end!;
6 ... lLlc6 7.d4! (This is the only
move that preserves White's lead
in development! This is quite es-
sential in every sharp opening
variation!) 7... '&e7 (Mter 7... lLlf6
S.1c4! White manages to get at the
enemy king: S ... dS 9.exdS lLlxdS
10.0-0 1e611.1bS '&b612.c4lLlc7
13.dSlLlxbS14.lLlxc6 bxc61S.dxe6
lLld4 16.exf7+ ~xf717.Elxf4+ ~eS
18.Ele4+ 1e719.1gSlLlfS 20.'&xg4
ElfS 21.lLlc3+-) S.1c4lLlxeS 9.dxeS
'&xeS 10.lLlc3! f3 l1.'&dS! (Black
will not be able to complicate mat-
ters after the trade of the queens.
The endgame will be very difficult
for him.) 11 ... '&xdS 12.lLlxdS fxg2
13.Elg11d6 14.Elxg2 hS 1S.eS1bS
16.1f4 b6 17.0-0-0 1b7 1S.Elf2
1c6 19.1gS Elh7 20.1d3 Elg7 21.
lLlf6+ lLlxf6 22.1xf6 g3 23.1xg7
gxf2 24.Elfl d6 2S.Elxf2 dxeS 26.
1c4. Black's past material gains
are not very comforting for him
now. White regains the sacrificed
material and has excellent end-
game prospects;
6 ... lLlf6 7.1c4 '&e7 S.d4! d6 9.
1xf7+ ~dS1O.1xf4lLlbd711.0-0!
(This knight-sacrifice is quite typi-
cal for similar positions. It is even

more standard than a tactical
combination. White does not mind
sacrificing a piece because the de-
fence of the black king is very
problematic!) 11...dxeS 12. dxeS
Vf1xf7 13.exf6 (Black cannot get rid
of the all-powerful white f6-pawn
without decisive material losses.
His attempts to coordinate his
pieces are now doomed to fail.)
13 ... c4 14.ltJc3 ~cS+ lS.~h1 Vf1hS
16.~g3 b617.2:fS Vf1f71S.ltJbS (Note
the ease with which all white
pieces are joining in the attack and
Black has nothing to do against
that!) 18 ... Vf1e6 19.1tJc7 Vf1xe4 20.
2:eS+-.
7.d4d6
7... cxd4 8.Vf1xd4 ~g7 9.~xf4 (It
is amazing that Black is incapable
of exploiting the pin of the white
knight on eS along the long diago-
nal.) 9 ... d6 (9 ... ltJc61O.ltJxc6 hd4
1l.ltJxe7 CiJxe712.c3 ~g713.~d6 hS
14.~c4 2:h6 lS.eS f6 16.0-0 ltJc6
17.exf6 2:xf6 18.2:xf6 ~xf6 19.1tJd2
~xh4 20.g3 ~e7 21.2:e1 ~dS 22.
~xe7+ ltJxe7 23.2:eS) 1O.Vf1a4+
ltJd7 11.CiJxg4 ~xb2 12.2:a2 ~eS
13.ltJxeS dxeS14.~e3t - White can
exploit Black's weaknesses at his
leisure.
8.~b5+ CiJd7
l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.f4
9 ..b:f4!
White does not pay attention to
"trifles" like a loss of a knight!
9 ... ~h6
9 ... dxeS 1O.dxeS (10.~xeS??
f6-+) 1O ... a6 11.CiJc3 axbS 12.CiJdS
Vf1dS 13.e6 Vf1aS+ 14.b4 cxb4 lS.
exd7+ ~xd716.Vf1d4 bxa3+ 17.~f1
f61S.ltJc7+ ~dS19.2:d1+-.
10.~xh6 CiJxh6
1l.CiJc3!!
White's most urgent task is to
complete the development of his
pieces! The moment all white
pieces join in the attack against the
black king the game will be over
and Black's extra knight will be
immaterial!
1l ... dxe5 12.CiJd5 ~d6
The other retreat of the black
queen is too passive: 12 ... Vf1dS
13.dxeSltJgS 14.Wxg4 ~f8 lS.Vf1f4
ltJb6 16.0-0-0 ~e6 17.2:hf1 c4
lS.CiJxb6 Vf1xb6 19.2:d7!!. This tac-
tical strike is very spectacular and
Black is beyond salvation! He can-
not capture the rook because of a
checkmate in one. 19 ... ltJe7 20.
2:xe7 ~xe7 21.Wf6+ ~f8 22.Vf1xhS+
~e7 23.~xa8 Vf1xbS 24.2:d1+-.
13.dxc5 Wxc5 14.~d2!
White completes calmly his
29
Chapter 2
development since his bishop is
indirectly defended.
14 ... ~d6 15.0-0-0 f516.
~c3 @dS 17.ttJf4 'lWe7
17... iWb818j~xd7+ hd719J'l:dl
@e7 20.iWcS+ @f6 21.E&d6+ @g7
22.iWxeS+-.
IS.ttJd3 ttJf7 19.ttJc5 ttJd6
20.i.xd7 i.xd7 21.E&xd6 E&cS
22.E&hdl @eS 23.E&xd7 ~xc5
24. iWxc5 E&xc5
25.E&dS+-
White's dynamic beautiful at-
tack has led to a bit dull, but in fact
totally winning endgame for him.
This happens so often in chess. We
can assume that White preserves
the advantage in the S.h4 varia-
tion.
I like a lot the other possibility
for White - the move with which
he simply ignores Black's threats!
I am talking about the simple
move 5.i.c4!, which is as natural
as it is aggressive.
c2b) 5.i.c4
(diagram)
5 ... g4
Black's other moves are less
logical. We will not deal with them
30
here, because we have already de-
voted too many pages in our book
to the "New King's Gambit" It is
quite evident that Black can hardly
find anything better here than to
attack the knight on g4 immedi-
ately.
6.0-0!?
6.ttJeS (It is not easy to evalu-
ate that move definitely. I do not
like the fact that White's knight
runs away from attack risking the
safety of the king in the process.
That does not necessarily mean
that the move is bad, though. It is
all a matter of style. I do not mind
sacrificing material for attack, or
even for attacking chances only...
It is quite possible however that I
might play like that sometimes. It
might all depend on my mood that
day... Black is trying to organize a
counterattack, bit it is difficult to
tell whether it might be success-
ful.) 6 ... iWh4+ 7.@f1f3 (This is one
of the standard methods of coun-
terattack for Black in similar
situations in the King's Gambit.
White's position is solid enough
and will not crumble so easily!)
8.d4! fxg2+ 9.@xg2 ttJh6 (9 ... lLlf6
1O.hf7+ @d811.i.b3lLlxe412.iWel
iWh3+ 13.@gl+-) 1O.i.f4 f611.lLld3

1Wh3+ 12.mg1 cxd4 13 ..ig3 1Wh5
14.e5 .ig715.C2Jf41Wf516.exf6 .ixf6
17.C2Jd5 d318.1Wxd3+-.
6 ... gxf3 7.1Wxf3 1Wf6 8.e5!
1Wxe59.d3
Can you imagine the amaze-
ment of some ardent fan of the
King's Gambit if he looks at this
diagram? What is so strange about
it? It is really simple - if only you
put the pawns on a3 and c5 to their
original places we will have one of
the most popular and extensively
analysed positions of the King's
Gambit. It had been dealt with
back in the 70ies of the 19 th cen-
tury if my memory was serving
me right. So that King's Gambit
fan might ask - where and how
have these a3 and c5-pawns come
from? It will be time consuming to
analyse exhaustively in whose
favour it is the inclusion of the
pawn moves. I might do that some
day in the future, but for now I will
show you some lines that illustrate
White's excellent prospects:
9 ....ih6 10 .C2Je3 C2Je711.iod2
ltJbe612J~ae1
White's attack is very powerful.
12 ... ~d4+ 13.mh1 ltJe5 14.
~h5 ltJxe4 15.dxe4 .ig7
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e53.f4
15 ... 1Wg7 16.C2Jd5 f3 17.1Wxf3
.ixd2 18.l'l:xe7+ cj;Jd8 19.1'l:xf7+-.
16.l'l:xf4 ~xd217.'~xf7+ md8
18.VNxe7+ me7 19.1tJd5+ me6
20.l'l:e6+ dxe6 21.~e7#.
Conclusions about the 4. f)t3
line
White's prospects are slightly bet-
ter, but he needs to play creatively
and enterprisingly in order to
bring his attack to a victorious
end even at the expense of consid-
erable risk.
Finally we are going to analyse
White's most promising possibil-
ity if my opinion is correct -
d) 4 ..ie4!?
White's bishop on c4 is even
more comfortable now than after
l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3 ..ic4. The differ-
ence is that Black can hardly
organize the d7-d5 counterstrike
which parries the activity of that
bishop. Moreover the bishop
might retreat to the comfortable
a2-square just in case.
We will analyse in details dl)
4 ... f5 and d2) 4 ... VNh4.
White's task is much easier af-
ter some other moves:
31
Chapter 2
4 ... d5 (This counterstrike en-
joys a good reputation in the "clas-
sical Bishop's Gambit", but here
White preserves excellent chances
and might even end up with an
extra pawn. The reason is that
Black is deprived of the active pos-
sibility to play ib4 at some point!)
5.ixd5 lLlf6 6.lLlc3 lLlxd5 7.lLlxd5
~h4+ 8.~f1 id6 9.lLlf3 ~g41O.h3
~e6 11.d3 0-0 12.ixf4 ixf4 13.
lLlxf4 ~f6 14.lLld5;
4 ... lLlf6 5.lLlc3lLlc6 (The routine
exchange combination 5 ... lLlxe4??
does not work here. The culprit is
- Black's move 1. .. ! After 6.lLlxe4
d5 the fork is harmless for White
because of 7.ib5+- and after the
retreat of the bishop with check
White remains with an extra piece
since Black cannot interpose with
his c-pawn anymore ... ) 6.d3 (Black
naturally would like to protect his
f4-pawn.) 6 ... id6. Black tries to
defend the pawn, but White solves
that mini-problem easily. (6 ... g5.
This idea is also quite dubious.
Black defends his f4-pawn indeed,
but after White's next simple move
Black's pawn structure crumbles
with disastrous consequences
7.h4! :Sg8 - Naturally it is bad for
Black to play 7... h6? 8.hxg5+-, and
the rook on h8 is hanging - 8.hxg5
:Sxg5 9.lLlh3!. White wins several
tempi for development with this
unusual move. 9 ... :Sxg2 1O.lLlxf4
:Sg7 1l.lLlh5! lLlxh5 12.~xh5 lLld4
13.ih6! lLlxc2+ 14.~d1 lLlxa1 15.
ixg7+-. Black's material loses are
just catastrophic.) 7.lLlh3! (White
regains his pawn now with a bet-
32
ter position.) 7... 0-0 8.lLlxf4 ie5
9.0-0 d6 1O.h3. White has
achieved a considerable positional
advantage. The position is calm
but favourable for him and he can
patiently prepare a kingside as-
sault. Black's counterplay is quite
insufficient;
4 ... d6 (This cautious move is
not enough to equalize for Black.)
5.lLlf3 g5 (Black can hardly defend
his position without that move, for
example: 5 ... ie7 6.0-0 if6 7.d4
cxd4 8.hf4lLlc6 9.c3!. White con-
tinues to sacrifice material as be-
fore ... 9 ... ~b61O.~h1 ~xb211.:sa2.
The rook joins the action comfort-
ablynow.11...~b612.hd6) 6.h4!
(The piece sacrifice is also prom-
ising for White: 6.0-0 ig7 7.d4 g4
8.ixf4 gxf3 9.~xf3 ixd4+ 10.
~h1~) 6 ... g4 7.lLlg5lLlh6 8.d4 ig7
9.ixf4 ixd4 1O.lLlc3 lLlc6 1l.lLlb5
lLle512.ie2 hb2 13.:Sb1 id414.c3
f6 15.cxd4+-;
4 ... lLlc6 5.lLlf3 g5 (This position
might also arise after 4.lLlf3 -
naturally by transposition of
moves.) 6.0-0 g4 7.d4! (This
knight-sacrifice might seem risky
for White, but in fact Black is on
he verge of disaster very quickly af-
ter accepting it!) 7... gxf3 8.~xf3
ig7 9 .hf7 +!! (The sacrifice of the
second piece is a logical part of
White's idea. I have seen plenty of
games in the classical King's Gam-
bit in which White wins beautifully
and swiftly like that.) 9 ... ~xf7
1O.~h5+ ~e711.e5!' It is amazing
that Black is completely lost de-
spite his huge material advantage:

11...cxd4 12.ibxf4 '2lxe5 13.ibxe5
lLlf6 14. ~g5 Wf7 15.lLld2 Ei:e8 16.
ibxf6 ibxf6 17.Ei:xf6 ~xf6 18.Ei:f1+-.
White's brilliant attack with sac-
rifices of two pieces resembles the
best samples of the classical tra-
ditions ofthe 19 th century games!
dl) 4 ... f5!?
This original counterstrike is
based on geometrical motives.
White has no reasons to worry
right now!
5.llJc3!
This is certainly the simplest
solution of the problem with the
move 4 ... f5. It becomes clear now
that Black has only weakened his
position with his last move and
quite unnecessarily so. White's
other moves are weaker:
5.'We2 (This move does not look
too good. It was simpler and much
more convincing to develop the
queen's knight. There is a hidden
trap in this position and Black
must be on the alert.) 5 ... lLlc6!.
This knight might cause some
trouble to the white queen. (5 ...
fxe4?! 6.'lMrh5+! g6. Otherwise
White checkmates! 7.~e5+ ~e7
8.~xh8. Black has some counter-
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e53.f4
play indeed, but this is not enough
to compensate a whole rook. 8 ...
lLlf6 9.lLlc3 lLlc6 1O.lLlge2 f3 11.Ei:fl
lLle5 12.lLld5 '2lxd5 13.ibxd5 lLlg4
14.h3 ~h4+ 15.g3 'Mrxh3 16.ibxe4
f2 + 17.Ei:xf2 lLlxf2 18. Wxf2+-. It is
also possible for White to play
11.0-0 fxe2 12.ibxe2 ~g713.~xg7
ibxg714.d3) 6.exf5+ (6.lLlf3. This
is a natural developing move.
White preserves excellent com-
pensation for the pawn, despite
the exchanges and Black's tempo-
rary material advantage. 6 ... fxe4
7.'lMrxe4+ 'lMre7 8.d3 lLlf6 9.~xe7+
ibxe71O.lLlc3 ibd611.0-0 h612.b4!
cxb4 13.axb4~) 6 ... ~e7! (Black
cannot interpose with a light
piece: 6 ... ibe7? 7.~h5+-; 6 ...
lLlge7?! 7.~h5+ g6 8.fxg6! - It is
important for White not to fall into
the amusing trap: 8.f6? d5!. That
was Black's only defence against
the pawn-checkmate, but White's
position became terrible after the
last move. 9.fxe7 ~xe7+ 1O.~e2
dxc4-+ - 8 ... lLlxg6 9.lLle2 ibd6
10.0-0 ~f6 11.d4!. White's task
is simple - to attack Black's
weaknesses on the kingside and
destroy them. Black's position will
crumble soon after that! 11...lLlxd4
12.lLlxf4 bf413.bf4lLle614.be6
dxe6 15.lLlc3 ~d4+ 16.Wh1 0-0
17.ibh6 Ei:f5 18.Ei:xf5 exf5 19.Ei:d1
~h4. Black was risking to get
checkmated after the other re-
treats of the queen. White now
wins a piece rather quickly. 20.
'Mrxh4 lLlxh4 21.Ei:d8+ ~f7 22.lLlb5
Wg6 23.ibd2 b6 24.ltJd6 ibb7 25.
lLlxb7+-) 7.lLlf3 'lMrxe2+ (7 ... lLlf6
33
Chapter 2
8.lIJc3;!;) 8.~xe2 dS 9.lIJc3 ~xfS
1O.lIJxdS 0-0-0 l1.lIJxf4 ~xc2
12.b4 lIJf6 13.~b2 cxb4 14.axb4
~xb4 IS.0-0ii':;
S.exfS (This move is also pos-
sible and White preserves some
initiative after it. Black can equal-
ize after a precise play, though.)
S... W'h4+ 6.i>f1 f3!. This was the
essence of Black's idea. He is now
inflicting a double attack against
c4 and g2. White must push now
his d2-pawn one or two squares
forward. We are going to check
both possibilities:
7.d3 fxg2+ S.i>xg2 d5!. Black
cannot afford not reacting
immediately! (The following line
is very instructive: S ... lIJe7 9.lIJh3
ctJxfS 1O.Ei:el + ~e7 1l.~gS W'd4 12.
lIJc3 W'd6 13.lIJdS lIJc6 14.W'g4+-)
9.~xdS lIJe7 10.W'e2 lIJbc6 11.
~xc6+ bxc6 12.lIJc3 ~xfS 13.lIJe4
O-O-O!oo;
7.d4 fxg2+ S.i>xg2 lIJc6 (S ...
W'xd4 9.W'xd4 cxd4 1O.lIJf3 lIJc6
11.Ei:el+ ~e7 12.~f4 d6 13.~xd6
~xfSI4.~xgS Ei:xgS1S.lIJxd4l1Jxd4
16.Ei:xe7+ i>dS 17.CUc3 ~d71S.Ei:d1
lIJfS oo ) 9.cuf3 W'g4+ 1O.i>f2 cuf6
(1O ... lIJxd411.Ei:eU) 1l.Ei:e1 + lIJe4+
12.i>f1! W'h3+ (12 ... W'xfS 13.CUc3
lIJxd4 14.Ei:xe4+-) 13.i>gl W'g4+
14.i>hl ~e7 15.W'e2 cud6 16.Ei:g1
W'hS 17.Ei:xg7 lIJxc4 lS.f6 cxd4
19J''\xe7+ i>dS (19 ... i>fS 20.lIJeS
W'xe2 21.~h6+ i>gS 22.f7#) 20.
lIJgS!. This is White's best decision.
He trades queens and enters a
quite favourable endgame. 20 ...
W'xe2 21.Ei:xe2 CU4e5 22.~f4 d6
23.lIJd2 Ei:fS 24.CUde4 h6 2S.lIJh7
34
~g4 26.lIJxfS ~xe2 27.i>gl i>eS
28.~xh6. 1l ... ~e7! 12.lIJc3 lIJxd4
13.lIJxd4 cxd4 14.W'xg4 lIJxg4+
IS.i>g3 dxc3 16.i>xg4 i>dS 17.
bxc3oo. Now we know that Black
has counterplay after S.exf5.
S W'h4+ 6.i>f1lL\f6
6 ... fxe4 7.lIJxe4l1Jf6 S.lIJf3 W'h6
9.W'e2 lIJxe4 1O.W'xe4+ ~e7 11.d4
g5 12.h4! (This powerful strike
emphasizes the vulnerability of
Black's fortifications on the king-
side. He is now forced to comply
with a quite unfavourable ex-
change of queens.) 12 ... W'g6 13.
lIJxg5 W'xe4 14.lIJxe4 cxd4 lS.~xf4
Ei:fS16.g3l1Jc617.i>g2.
7.cu31!f1hS S.d3 gS 9.h4!
Both opponents should bear in
mind the possibility of that move!
Black is again forced to comply
with considerable positional con-
cessions.
9 ... fxe4
It is hopeless for Black to play
9 ... g4? 1O.lIJgS dS 1l.lL\xdS+-.
10.dxe4lL\c611.eSlL\g4
12.~e2!
(12.lIJdS i>dS 13.e6 lIJgeS 14.
lIJf6 W'g61S.exd7l1Jxc416.dxcSW'+
i>xcS17.W'd7+ i>bS1S.hxgSlIJe3+
19.~xe3 fxe3 20.Ei:e1 W'xc2 21.

Elxe3;1;.) 12 ... i.g7 (12 ... lUe3+ 13.
i.xe3 fxe3 14.lUxg5+-) 13.lUd5
0-0 14.@gl d6 15.exd6 lUd4
16.c3 lLlxe2+ 17.Wxe2 lUe5 18.
hxg5 lLlxf3+ 19.Wxf3+-. So,
Black is too far from equality after
the counterstrike 4 ... fS.
d2) 4 .. \Mfh4+
Black succeeds to deprive
White of the right to castle after
that move for sure. This is hardly
so important in this position,
though.
5.@f1
I doubt that Black will manage
to exploit the fact that White can-
not castle. Moreover White can
attack the enemy queen and gain
tempi for development. Black's
extra pawn is presently immate-
rial.
5 .. g5
S... lLlc6 6.lLlf3 \MfhS 7.lLlc3 lLlf6
B.d4!? ttJxd4 9.i.xf4 ttJxf3 10.\Mfxf3
\Mfxf3+ 11.gxf3 (White is a pawn
down in this endgame, but he has
more than sufficient compensa-
tion for it. Black has problems to
parry the numerous threats of the
excellently developed opponent's
pieces.) 11...a6 (Black must waste
l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.f4
one more tempo to defend against
the annoying threat of a move like
ttJbS.) 12.Eld1 bS 13.ttJdS Ela7 14.
lUxf6+ gxf6 lS.i.dS d6 16.Elg1ii5.
White's chances are definitely bet-
ter, but since he is not yet winning
by force I would only qualify what
he has as "compensation"!
S... lLlf6 6.ttJf3 \MfhS 7.ttJc3 ttJc6
B.b4!? (The possibility of this
sharp tactical strike on the side
reminds us once again how useful
it is for White to have played a2-
a3 in the first place! It is too slow
for him to play instead B.d3
i.d6!?oo) B... ttJeS (B ... cxb4 9.ttJdS
i.d6 1O.lUxf6+ gxf6 1l.axb4 i.xb4
12.i.b2 ElgB 13.d4 bS 14.i.dS i.b7
lS.\Mfe2 a616.c4 bxc417.hc4 \Mfg6
1B.Elg1ii5) 9.ttJxeS ~xeS 1O.i.b2
cxb4 11.axb4 (11.d4?? \Mfc7!-+)
11. .. i.xb4 12.Ela4 ~cS 13.~e2ii5.
6.ttJf3 \Mfh5 7.h4!
This powerful and quite timely
strike does not let Black consoli-
date and fortify his kingside.
7 g4
7 ... ttJf6 B.lUc3. White could
have taken on gS neither with the
knight nor with the pawn. (His
queen as well as his rook on h1
were defenceless). Now the cap-
ture with the knight becomes pos-
sible, but not forced at all! B... ttJc6
9.eS! (White could have recap-
tured his pawn immediately with
9.ttJxgS, but after 9 ... ~xd1+ 10.
ttJxd1 he was losing something
much more important - the initia-
tive!) 9 ... ttJg4 10.lLldS @dB 1l.i.e2
\Mfg612.hxgSlUgxeS (Black cannot
change anything with 12 ... ttJcxeS
3S
Chapter 2

13.cuxe5 - see 12 ... cugxe5) 13.CUxe5 9 ... cxd4 1O.~xd4 Elg8 11.cuxh7
CUxe5 14.d4 cxd4 15.~xd4 1i.g7 1i.e712.1i.xf4+-.
16.1i.xf4 d6 (16 ... 11h'xc2 17J'1c1 ~f5 10.cuh3 \Wxh4
18.~c3!+-) 17.cuf61i.xf618.~xd6+ 1O .. .f3?? 1l.cuf4+-.
1i.d719.gxf6 Elg8 20.Elh2+-.
7... h6. White can (with the help
of a strikingly elegant exchange
combination) transfer to a favour-
able endgame with: 8.1i.xf7 +!! ~xf7
(Black loses his queen after 8 ...
@xf7?? 9.cue5+ @e61O.~xh5+-) 9.
cue5 ~g7 1O.~h5+ @e7 1l.cug6+
@d8 12.ctlxh8 ~xh8 13.hxg5 ~e5
14.gxh6 ~xh5 15.Elxh51i.xh6 16.d3
d6 17.g3. This endgame is very 1l.g3!!
favourable for White if we have in This move is unbelievably
mind the material ratio. He has a strong and worth remembering.
rook and two pawns for a couple The pawn comes under a double
oflight pieces. Black will be forced attack! 11 .. ~xg3 (l1...fxg3 12.
to fight for a draw for a long time cuf2!+-) 12.hf4 \Wf3+ (12 ... ~h4
and most probably he will suc- 13.cuf2+-) 13.\Wxf3 gxf3 14.cuc3
cumb at the end. d6 (14 ... CUg4 15.cud5+-) 15.cub5
8.cug5 cuh6 9.d4 f6 @d716.dxc5.

Conclusions
The "new King's Gambit" that we have dealt with in this chapter is
very interesting. You can have the experience of playing many beau-
tiful games and exciting combinations if you try it in practice. The
evaluation of the "ordinary" King's Gambit (after 1. e4 e52.j4) isfar
from clear presently, so it is more than evident that you can expect to
make plenty of interesting discoveries in the "new gambit"! If you wish
to experiment in a quite new field - play the "new King's Gambit" and
try to do your best!
The psychological aspect is quite essential too. People who play
the Sicilian Defence usually have a very vague idea about the meth-
ods of defence in the King's Gambit. That is hardly surprising - no
one can know everything, can he? You can serve your opponent with
a nasty surprise if you master the methods of attack for White. He
will have to solve quite unfamiliar problems in wild tactical positions
that are so very differentfrom his beloved Sicilian Defence.
You should notforget the old wisdom of the great army command-
ers of the past: "To surprise means to conquer!"

36
Chapter 3
This is the most popular
choice! Well, a logical move like
that cannot be weak indeed. It has
a certain drawback, though; White
can play b2-b4, sacrificing a pawn.
The black knight on c6 will have
to lose tempi and White's develop-
ment will be speeded up.
3.b4!
Black's most principled reply-
3 ... c5xb4 will be analysed in Chap-
ters 4-5, while Black has tried nu-
merous times to play prudently
without accepting the gambit: a)
3 ... e6, b) 3 ... d6 and c) 3 ... eS.
We are going to have a look in
short at some other moves that are
not particularly important:
3 ... CtJf6 4.b5 CtJe5 5.~b2 d6
6.CtJc3;!;;;
3 ... d5?! (This counterstrike is
only helping White's develop-
ment.) 4.exd5 ~xd5 5.CtJc3 ~e6+
6.~e2 cxb4 7.CtJb5 vtie5 8.d4 ~b8
9.d5 CtJe5 1O.axb4 ~d7 11.~f4 a6
12.~d2 ~xb5 13.~xb5+ axb5 14.
E1xa8 ~xa8 15.~xe5+-;
3 ... g6?! 4.bxc5 ~g7 and after
the calm move 5.c3 Black will
hardly be able to recapture his
pawn.
l.e4 cS 2.a3 lLlc6
a) 3 ... e6
This move is not so bad in prin-
ciple, but it is too tentative and
slow. White has several excellent
possibilities at his disposal.
4.~b2
This is White's most energetic
move. In Chapter 10-11 (in which
we analyse the 2 ... e6 defensive
scheme) White's strategy is mostly
based on the power of this bishop
and its pressure on the g7 square.
It is also very good for White
to follow with 4.b5CtJe5 (4 ... CtJd4??
5.c3+-) 5.~b2 CtJg6 6.d4 cxd4
7.~xd4 d5 8.exd5 exd5 9.~d3CtJf6
1O.CtJf3 ~e711.0-0 0-0 12.CtJbd2;!;;.
4 ... cxb4 S.axb4lLlxb4 6.lLlf3
dS
7.exdS!
White preserves a powerful ini-
37
Chapter 3
tiative after all possible captures
on dS.
7 .. lLlxd5
7... exdS 8.ibS+ id79.ixd7+
lWxd71O.0-0 lLlf6 1Ufe1+ ie712.
ixf6 gxf613.d4 2:g8 14.lLlbd2 2:c8
lS.2:xa7 lLlxc2 16.2:e2:i5; 7... lWxdS
8.lLlc3lWfS 9.ibS+ id71O.ixd7+
<tilxd711.0-0! The defencelessness
of the c2-pawn is only superficial
and White usually pays no at-
tention to it. 11. .. tt'lxc2 (1l ... iWxc2
12.lLleS <tile813.iWf3+-) 12.2:c1 tt'lb4
13.iWa4+ tt'lc6 14.2:fe1 <tild8 IS.
tt'ld4+-.
S.lLle5 lLlgf6
8 ... iWb6 9.iWhS g6 1O.iWf3 f6
11.tt'lc4 iWc612.ie2 eS13.0-0 tt'lf4?
14.tt'lxeS fxeS1S.ixeS+-.
9.lLla3ie710.ib5+ .id711.
lLlxd7 lLlxd7 12 ..ixg7 2:gS 13.
.ib22:xg2
14.iWf3:i5
The activity of the white bish-
ops is evidently more than enough
to compensate the pawn deficit.
b) 3 d6
(diagram)
Black ignores White's b4-pawn
and awaits developments.
4.f4!?
38
This is another interesting line
with a pawn-sacrifice. White's
chances to confuse the opponent
after it are considerable.
It is also good and quite logical
for him toplay4.bS - ifBlackdem-
onstrates his reluctance to accept
the pawn sacrifice then White can
use the same pawn to harrass the
enemy knight. He wins tempi in
that fashion after all! 4 ... tt'laS (The
knight on as is only seldom placed
well. I think however that the
other retreats are even worse. For
example after the provocative
move 4 ... tt'ld4 - White can repel
the knight and occupy the centre
with tempo: S.c3 tt'le6 6.d4 cxd4
7.cxd4 dS 8.eS g6 9.tt'lf3 tt'lh6
1O ..id3 tt'lfS 11.lWa4ig7 12.0-0::1;.
The passive retreat 4 ... tt'lb8 en-
ables White to act at ease all
over the whole board. s.ib2 tt'ld7
6.f4 eS Mazuchowski - Triplett,
Lansing 1989, 7.iWf3! It is impor-
tant that Black cannot attack the
white queen with anything at all.
Therefore, White defends his f4-
pawn and completes calmly his de-
velopment preparing his attack
patiently. 7... tt'lgf6 8.tt'lc3 .ie7 9.
tt'lh3 0-0 1O.ie2 exf411.0-0 tt'leS
12.iWxf4 ixh3 13.gxh3. White

should not mind having his pawns
doubled like that - this is in fact
more dangerous for Black's king
than for its white counterpart!
13 ... Wfd7 14.Wfg3 1'i:feS lS.1'i:f2 Wfe6
16.1'i:af1 ~hS 17.1'i:g2 cug6 lS.d3;!:;.
White can create some problems
for his opponent on the kingside.)
S.c4 cuf6 6.cuc3 g6 7.ii.e2!? ii.g7
S.1'i:b1 (This move is easy to explain
- White's e4-pawn was under at-
tack.) S ... O-O 9.g4!? (This is a
quite original idea! White starts an
offensive on the kingside even be-
fore completing his development.
This seems to be rather dangerous
for Black.) 9 ... cueS 1O.h4 f6 11.hS
g5 12.h6 ii.hS 13.f3 ii.e6 14.cudS
ii.xdS lS.cxdS;!:; Suttles - Van der
Weide, Vancouver 1979.
4 ... cuf6
4 ... dS (Black loses a tempo
with that move indeed, but he is
trying to exploit the fact that
White has played f2-f4. His hopes
are not quite justified, though.
White can preserve his advan-
tage.) S.exdS WfxdS 6.cuc3 Wfe6+
(6 ... WffS 7.cuf3 cud4 S.ii.bS+ cuxbS
9.cuxbS Wfxf4 1O.d4 11-lfe4+ 11.~f2
Wfc6 12.c4 a6 13.dS 11-lfb6 14.cuc3
cxb4+ lS.ii.e3 WfaS 16.axb4 Wfxb4
l.e4 c5 2.a3 cuc63.b4
17.lubS Wfxc41S.Wfe2! After the ex-
change of Black's only active piece
- the queen, he is practically help-
less and suffers decisive material
losses immediately. lS ... Wfxe2+
19.~xe2 1'i:bS 20.cuc7+ ~dS 2I.
ii.b6+-; 20 ... ~d7 21.1'i:hc1+-) 7.ii.e2
cxb4 S.cubS ~dS 9.d4ltJf6 1O.cuf3
ltJdS 1l.axb4 cucxb4 12.c4 ltJe3
13.ii.xe3 Wfxe3 14.cueS ii.fS lS.cuxf7
~eS 16.1'i:a3 cuc2+ (16 ... Wfxf4 17.
1'i:f3+-) 17.Wfxc2 hc2 lS.1'i:xe3 ~xf7
19.ii.f3.
4 ... cxb4 S.axb4 ltJxb4 6.d4 d5
7.c3 ltJc6 S.exd5 WfxdS 9.cua3!
(This flank development of the
white knight is very dangerous for
Black! It is interesting that he
could have obtained the same
position, but with a white pawn
on f2, instead of on f4, if he had
played 3 ... cxb4. I am not going
to assert definitely that White
has profited so much by this quite
non-standard win of a tempo in
the opening, but his position did
not become worse because of it
either. Black now must consider
White's knight penetration on eS.)
9 ... e6 (9 ... cuf6 1O.ltJbS Wfe4+ II.
ii.e2 ~dS12.cuf3 ii.g413.0-0 e614.
c4 ii.b4 lS.ii.d3 ii.xf3 16.gxf3!+-;
1O ... WfdS 11.dS ii.g4 12.11-lfb3 CUbS
13.Wfc4+-; 9 ... ii.fS 10.ltJc4 e6 II.
cue3! It becomes clear now that
White's knight can also go to
other squares, besides b6! 11 ... Wfe4
12.Wfb3 b6 13.ii.a6 ltJge7 14.cue2.
Black's centralized queen is sud-
denly endangered. 14 ... ii.g6 IS.
0-0 ltJf5 16.ltJxfS ii.xfS 17.cug3+-;
16 ... exfS 17.1'i:f3+-) 1O.ltJc4 WfdS
39
Chapter 3
(l0 ... ClJf6? It is amazing, but after
that seemingly natural move Black
loses at least the exchange and he
is on the verge of defeat. 11.ClJb6
'lWe4+ 12.lt>f2 E'1b813.~d3! It turns
out now that White's main object
for attack was Black's queen and
not the rook on as! Black manages
to save it, but he is faced with an-
other problem, which causes his
demise. 13 ... ClJg4+ 14.lt>g3 ClJe3
lS.~xe4 ClJxd1 16.~xc6+ bxc6 17.
ClJxcS E1xcS lS.ClJe2+- Black loses
his unfortunate knight now. The
other possibility for Black is more
or less based on the same motives:
10 ... 'lWe4+ 1l.lt>f2 ClJf612.~d3 ClJg4
13.lt>g3+-; 12 ... 'lWdS 13.ClJb6 axb6
14.E1xaS+-) l1.ClJf3 ClJf6 12.~d3
(White's powerful pressure in the
centre and on the kingside is more
than compensating the pawn defi-
cit.) 12 ... ~e7 (12 ... ClJdS13.~d2 ~e7
14.0-0 0-0 lS.ClJceS) 13.0-0
0-0 14.ClJceS 'lWc7 lS.~d2 b6 16.
'lWc2 ~b717.ClJgS g6 (That is Black's
best defence! White checkmates
immediately after the careless
17... h6?? lS.~h7+-) lS.hg6! hxg6
19.ClJexf7 E1xf7 20.ClJxe6! 'lWcS 21.
'lWxg6+ It>hS 22.'lWxf7.
4 ... eS S.ClJf3! (This is played
again in the already familiar gam-
bit spirit.) S... exf4 (S ... cxb4 6.axb4
exf4 7.d4 gS S.bS ClJbS 9.~c4 g4
10.0-0! This knight-sacrifice is
much more typical for the King's
Gambit than for the Sicilian De-
fence. 1O ... gxf3 11.'Wxf3 ~g7 12.
~xf4! ~xd4+ 13.i>h1 hal14.~eS!
f6 lS.ha1 White is a whole rook
down and he has not created any
40
decisive threats yet, but I still pre-
fer his position! lS ... 'lWe7 16.ClJc3
~e6 17.~xe6 'lWxe6 lS.ClJdS It>dS
19.'lWc3) 6.d4! ClJxd4 7.ClJc3!! (The
development is the most impor-
tant factor here! White has already
sacrificed two pawns, but he has
plenty of aggressive possibilities.)
7 ... ~g4 (7 ... ClJxf3+ S.'lWxf3'IWh4+ 9.
g3 fxg3 1O.hxg3 'lWf6 l1.~bS+ ~d7
12.hd7+ It>xd7 13.~f4 E1cS 14.eS
'lWe6 lS.0-0-0+-; 11...lt>dS 12.
~f4 gS13.eS! 'lWg714.~e3'IWxeS1S.
0-0-0 ~g4 16.'lWxb7 'lWxe3+ 17.
It>b2 E1c81S.E1he1 cxb419.E'1xe3+-;
lS ... g4 16.~f4! gxf3 17.~xeS f6 18.
~xd6 ~xd619.bxcS ~g4 20.E1he1!
and White manages to create pow-
erful threats, despite the early ex-
change of the queens.) S.bxcS
ClJxf3+ (S ... ~xf3 9.'lWxd4; 8 ... dxcS
9.ClJxd4 hd11O.~bS+ It>e711.ClJdS
i>d6?? 12.hf4#; 1l...'lWxdS12.exdS
cxd4 13.lt>xd1ro; 9 ... 'lWh4+ 1O.g3
fxg311.ClJf3 g2+ 12.ClJxh4 gxh1'IW 13.
'lWxg4; 9 ... 'lWxd4 1O.'lWxd4 cxd4
1l.ClJbS E1cS 12.~xf4 E'1xc2 13.ClJxd4
E1cS 14.~bS+ ~d71S.~xd7+ i>xd7
16.E'1b1 b617.ClJbS a618.E1d1+ It>c6?
19.ClJa7+ i>b7 20.E'1d7+ It>aS 21.
ClJxcS+-; lS ... lt>e7 19.~d6+ It>e6
20.ClJc7+ It>f6 21.0-0+ i>g6 22.
~xfS E1xc7 23.E1d3 f6 24.E1g3+ i>h6
2S.E1ff3!! Black is totally helpless.
2S .. .fS 26.E1xg7! E1xg7 27.E1g3!+-.
This endgame combination is just
exquisite.) 9.gxf3'IWh4+ 1O.i>e2 (It
is not dangerous for White that his
king has not castled yet. Black has
no time to attack it, since he has
plenty of defensive problems of his
own!) 1O ... ~e6 l1.ClJdS 0-0-0

12.c6! bxc6 13.c4!! (It becomes
clear now that Black's castled king
is defended much worse than
White's king.) 13 .. J'1d7 (13 ... cxdS
might lead by transposition to the
line 13 ... Eld7 -14.cxdS .ih31S.Elbl
.ixf1+ 16.Elxfl Eld717.~b3 rj;>dB1B.
~bB+ rj;>e719.eS etc.) 14.Elb1 cxdS
lS.cxdS .ih3 16. ~b3 hf1 + 17.Elxf1
rj;>dB 1B.~bB+ rj;>e7 19.eS ~xh2+
20.Elf2 ~h6 21.Elb4! (White has
nothing better than a draw after
the attractive: 21.Elb7? Elxb7 22.
~xb7+ rj;>eB=) 21...EldB 22.~xa7+
Eld7 23.exd6+ ~xd6 24.Ele4+ rj;>dB
2S:~aB+ @c7 26.Elc4+-.
5.tDc3
S.bS CLlaS 6.CLlc3 dS 7.eS d4!=.
5 cxb4
S ... eS 6.CLlf3 exf4 7.d4 cxd4
B.CLlxd4 CLlxe4!? 9.CLlxe4 ~e7 10.
CLlbS! ~xe4+ 11.~e2 ~xe2+ 12.
he2 @dB 13.hf4;!;.
6.ax:b4 tDxb4
7.Ela4!
It is not easy to conceive of any
other opening in which White can
make use of his rook so early and
so effectively at that! This might
be a nasty surprise for the oppo-
nent!
7 . tDc6
1.e4 cS 2.a3 CLlc63.b4
Black would be reluctant to re-
treat with this knight, but the other
moves are even more dangerous
for him:
7 ... aS 8 ..ibS+ .id7 9.~e2!?
CLlxc2+ 1O.~d1 CLlb411..ia3 CLlc612.
eS (White's attack is very unusual!
Black's lag in development is so
great that White is not ham pre red
even by the "strange" placement of
his king on d1.) 12 ... .ig4 13.CLlf3
dxeS 14.fxeS CLldS lS.CLlxdS ~xdS
16.Elxg4 Wfb3+ 17.@e1 ~b1+ (17 ...
~xa3 1B ..ixc6+ bxc6 19.~c4 @d7
20.e6+ @c7 21.CLld4 ~a1+ 22.@e2
~xh1 23.~xc6+ @bB 24.CLlbS+-)
1B.@f2 ~xhl19.Elc4! ~b120.Elxc6
bxc6 21.hc6+ @dB 22.haB ~b6+
23.d4;
7 ... .ig4 B.CLlf3 CLlc6 9.eS dxe5
10.fxeS CLlxeS 1l.CLlxeS! .ixd1 12.
.ibS+ CLld7 13 ..ixd7+ ~xd7 14.
CLlxd7.ixc2 lS.Ela2. White wins a
piece and Black's pawns are not
sufficient to compensate for it.
8.tDf3 d5
B... g6 (This move is too slow
and White manages to complicate
the game quite favourably. His
rook on a4 is the key-piece of the
operation.) 9.e5 dxe5 1O.fxe5 CLldS
11. CLlxd5 WfxdS 12 ..ic4 Wfe4+ 13. @f2
(Black should be very careful,
since White is threatening to
sacrifice on f7 and Black might
lose his queen in a flash!) 13 ...
~fS 14 ..ib2 .ig7 lS ..id3 ~e6 16.
CLlg5 ~d5 (16 ... ~d7? 17.e6 fxe61B.
.ixg7+-) 17.tc4 ~cS+ 1B.d4 ~b6
19 ..ixf7+ @f8 20 ..ib3 CLlxeS 21.Elf1
.if6 22.@gl \t>g723.CLle4.
B... e6 9.eS dxeS 1O.fxeS CLld7
41
Chapter 3
11.~bS lLlb612J:'\g4!? (This attack-
ing resource is really non-stan-
dard!) 12 ... a6 13.~xc6+ bxc6 14.
0-0 as lS.lLle4 ~a6 16.d3 a4 17.
lLlfgSl"Ia71S.l"Igf4 (White's power-
ful pressure against the fl-square
turns out to be more important
than Black's passed pawn on the
a-file.) lS .. .'&d4+ 19.~h1 WxeS
20.lLlxfl l"Ixfl 21.l"Ixfl+-.
9.e5 ttJd7
9 .. .':tJg41O.Cbd4 a611.Wf3 Cbxd4
12.l"Ixd4 Wb6 13.l"IxdS ~e6 14.l"Id3
l"IcS (14 ... ~c4?? lS.~xg4+-) lS.h3
Cbh6 16.g4 ~c4 17.l"Ie3 (White's
manoeuvers with this rook are
quite amazing and also very dan-
gerous for Black!) 17... ~xf11S.l"Ixf1
e6 19.fS ~cS 20.l"Id3 Wc7 21.Wf4
0-0 22.f6+-.
10.e6!
This standard pawn-sacrifice is
with the idea to disrupt Black's
kingside development.
10 f:xe6 1l.d4 g6
White is quite well prepared
against Black's counterstrike:
ll ... eS 12.CtJxeS CtJdxeS 13.fxeS e6
14.Wg4 ~b4 lS.l"Ixb4! (White sac-
rifices the exchange in order to
prevent Black from castling and
42
gains time to create decisive
threats later.) lS ... Cbxb4 16.~bS+
lLlc6 17.Wxg7 l"IfS lS.~a3 l"If4 19.
l"If1!! (This sudden offer of ex-
changing rooks leads to a situation
in which Black's king is left almost
defenceless! His pieces on the
queenside fail to join in the ac-
tion.) 19 ... Wh4+ 20.g3l"1xf1+ (20 ...
l"le4+ 21.Cbxe4 Wxe4+ 22.~d2
~xd4+ 23.~d3+-) 21.~xf1 Wh3+
22.~gl+-.
12.h4!
This attacking move is quite
justified, because Black's g6-pawn
is an attractive target.
12 ~g713.h5 ttJc5
13 ... Cbb6 14.l"Ia1 0-0 lS.hxg6
hxg6 16.~d3 Cbxd4 17.~xg6~.
14.l"la3 ttJe4 15.hxg6 ttJxc3
lS ... hxg6 16.l"IxhS+ ~xhS 17.
~d3 CtJxc3 lS.l"Ixc3 ~fl 19.~xg6+
~xg6 20.lLleS+ heS 21.l"Ig3+ ~fl
22.WhS+ ~fS 23.fxeS WaS+ 24.
~dl+-.
16.l"lxc3 hxg6 17.l"lxhS+
hhS lS.~d3 ~f7
19.~xg6+ c.t>xg6 20.ttJe5+
~xe5 21.l"lg3+ ~f7 22.Wh5+
~:f8 23.f:xe5+-, and White check-
mates in three!

c) 3 ... e5
4.b5
White prefers not to sacrifice a
pawn.
4.f4?! (This strike is quite ar-
guable! The chance that Black
might get confused and fail to find
the best defence in this sharp po-
sition is quite considerable. Still I
do not recommend playing that
move more than once or twice,
since Black would be then pre-
pared and could at least equalize!)
4 ... dS!? (4 ... exf4 S.lLlf3 cxb4 6.
axb4 .ixb4 7.c3 .ie7 8.d4 .ih4+
9.me2 d6 w.hf4ii6) S.exdS1ftfxdS
6.lLlc3 (6.lLlf3 1ftfe4+ 7..ie2 1ftfxf4
8.d4 1ftff6 9 ..igS 1ftfg6 10.0-0 e4
1l.lLleS 1ftfxgS 12.lLlxf7 1ftfe3+ 13.
mh1ii6) 6 ...1ftfe6 7.lLlbS exf4+ 8 ..ie2
1ftfeS 9.~b1 a6 W.lLlf3 1ftfb8 11.lLlc3
cxb4 12.axb4 .ixb4 13.lLldS .iaS
14..ib2 f6 lS.0-0 1ftfd6 16.c4lLlge7
17.1ftfb3 1ftfd8 18.lLlxf4 1ftfb6+ 19.
1ftfxb6 hb6+ 20.d4ii6.
4.lLlf3 (This is a good move.
White's compensation for the sac-
rificed pawn is sufficient if Black
captures it.) 4 ... cxb4 S.axb4 hb4
6.c3 (This position is a bit similar
to the famous Evans Gambit,
which was a powerful weapon for
l.e4 cS 2.a3 lLlc63.b4
several generations of attacking
players! It is not a surprise that
White can create plenty of prob-
lems for his opponent rather
soon.) 6 ....\tcS 7.~c4 (It is also very
good for White to play 7.d4 exd4
8 ..ic4 dxc3 9.hf7+ mxf7W.1ftfdS+
mf8 11.1ftfxcS+ d6 12.1ftfxc3 lLlf6
13.0-0 lLlxe4 14.1ftfa3 as lS.lLlc3
lLlxc3 16:~xc3 .ig4 17.~b2 1ftfd7
18.~a4! hf319J':\f4+ mg8 20.1ftfxf3
1ftfe6 21..ixg7 <;t>xg7 22.~g4+-;
8 ...1ftff6 9.0-0 lLlge7 W.eS lLlxeS
1l.lLlxeS 1ftfxeS 12.~e1 1ftff6 13.lLld2
dxc3 14.lLle4 1ftfd4 lS.lLlxcS 1ftfxcS
16 ..ia3 1ftfxc4 17.1ftfd6! 0-0 18.
'.Wxe7+-) 7 ... lLlf6 8.0-0 0-0 9.d4
.ie7 W.E1e1 '.Wc7 11..id3 d6 12 ..ie3
.ig4 13.lLlbd2 exd4 14.cxd4 ~fe8
lS.'.Wc2 1ftfd7 (lS ... h6?? 16.dS 1-0
Carson - Powe, corr. 1990) 16.
1ftfb1!ii6.
4 ... lLla5
4 ... lLlce7 S.lLlf3 f6 (Black's other
possibility leads to a calm position
quite favourable for White: S... d6
6 ..ic4 lLlf6 7.d3t. It is essential
that White has already obtained
some advantage on the queen-
side.) 6 ..ic4 (White can also try the
aggressive pawn-sacrifice: 6.d4!?
cxd4 7.c3 dS 8.exdS1ftfxdS 9.cxd4oo;
6 ... exd4 7.c3 dS 8.exdS 1ftfxdS
9.cxd4 cxd41O.lLlxd4lLlfSll ..ib2oo.
White can also play here in the
spirit of the English opening: 6.c4
d6 7.lLlc3 fS 8.g3! lLlf6 9.d3t) 6 ... dS
7.exdS lLlxdS 8.0-0 .ie6 9.~e1
(Black fails to consolidate his po-
sition in the centre.) 9 ....id6 (9 ...
lLle3 1O.fxe3 .ixc4 11.lLlc3 1ftfaS
12.a4 0-0-0 13.lLlxeS fxeS 14.
43
Chapter 3
'%Vg4+ <;1:;>bS1S.'%Vxc4; 12 .. .tIJh613.
il.b2 EldS14.d3 ie61S.t2le4;!;) 1O.d4
cxd4 11.lIJxd4 il.f7 12.il.xdS ixdS
13.lIJc3 if714.lIJfS il.fS1S.'%Vf3 '%Vc7
16.Eld1 ig6 17.ib2 '%VcS lS.lIJd6+
il.xd6 19.Elxd6 lIJh6 (19 ... lIJe7 20.
Eld2 0-0 21.Elad1 il.fS 22.lIJe4 Wie6
23.h3 ElacS 24.lIJd6 Elc7 2S.c4
Crafty 16.2 - Crafty 16.1/1, Notts
1999) 20.Elad1 0-0 21.El6d2 lIJfS
22.lIJdS Wics 23.a4 Crafty 16.2 -
Crafty 16.3/1, Notts 1999.
4 ... lIJd4 S.c3 lIJe6, Shchukin -
Arutiunov, Kiev 2002, 6.il.c4!
(White's control over the dS-
square is essential in this posi-
tion!) 6 ... '%VgS 7.g3 '%Vg6 S.d3 d6
9.f4! exf41O.gxf4 fS (This counter-
attacking move is definitely the
most principled, but Black's diffi-
culties after it are quickly going to
be unsurmountable. It was pos-
sible that he had better comply
with the inferior endgame after the
queen trade: 1O ... Wig211.'%Vf3 Wixf3
12.lIJxf3;!;. Black's attempts to
avoid that exchange are in favour
of White: 11...Wic2 12.lIJe2 ie7
13.0-0 il.f6 14.eS il.e7 lS.lIJd2;
13 ... lIJf614.eS lIJd71S.lIJd2! dxeS??
16.il.b3+-; lS ... Wia4 16.Wie4) 11.
lIJe2 fxe4 12.lIJg3 Wif6 13.fS e3!?
14.il.xe3 lIJc7 lS.WihS+ g6 16.'%Ve2
ie7 17.lIJe4! '%VeS lS.Elfl! il.h4+
19.<;1:;>d1 <;1:;>dS (19 ... ixfS 20.id4
cxd4 21.lIJxd6+-) 20.il.f4+-.
S.c4 d6 6.d3 fS 7.ltJc3 il.e7
S.g3!
44
Whenever Black places his
pawns on the cS-d6-eS squares in
the opening - White should think
about fianchettoing his bishop on
g2. It usually becomes very pow-
erful after opening ofthe game.
S llJf6 9.il.g2 fxe41 0 .lIJxe4
il.fS l1.ltJc3 a6 12.a4 0 - 0 13.
ltJge2 '%VeS 14.ltJdS il.dS IS.ltJe3
il.g6 16.0 - 0 e4
We have reached a position
from the game Kuipers - Ikon-
nikov, Vlissingen 1995. White has
managed to outplay his formi-
dable opponent and he could have
obtained an almost decisive ad-
vantage after: 17.dxe4! il.xe4
IS.3 il.g6 19.1tJf4 il.f7 20.Elel
b6 21.il.b2 Wid7 22.il.h3 (White
has an overwhelming edge on the
kingside as well as in the centre.
All that happened because Black's
knight was essentially out of play
on as.) 22 . Wib7 23.ltJe6 EleS
24.bxa6 Elxa6 2S.ltJxdS ElxdS
26.hf6 gxf6 27.ltJfS ltJc6 2S.
'%Vd2 hc4 29.'%Vxd6!! ~xd6 30.
~eS+ 1!If7 31.ltJxd6+-.
Chapter 4
Capturing the pawn is Black's
most principled decision. He
should take that pawn indeed, why
not?
4.axb4
White has been provided with
a quite active fighting unit - the
rook on a1!
4 .. .lbxb4
Black is naturally forced to cap-
ture that pawn; otherwise White's
advantage is practically undis-
puted!
4 ... a6?! (Black will be forced to
comply with White's lasting ad-
vantage after that weak move.)
S.bS tLlbB 6.d4 e6 7.i.d3 dS B.eS
iWb6 9.tLlf3 i.d71O.iWe2 tLle711.i.d2
iWdB 12. h4! (This is a quite appro-
priate way to emphasize White's
advantage along the dark squares.
White's play in that game is very
instructive and it resembles the
classical samples of French De-
fence strategy. It is in fact a quite
different opening, but there is cer-
tain similarity.) 12 ... aS13.tLlc3 tLlcB
14.tLla4 b61S.tLlgS i.e716.iWf3 i,xgS
17.hxgS g61B.iWf6! iWxf619.gxf6 hS
20.g4 h4 21.i.gS h3 22.E1h2+-
Wege - Haase, Hessen 1991.
1.e4 c5 2.a3 lbc6 3.b4 cb
4 ... eS?! S.bS tLlbB 6.d4 i.b4+
7.c3 i.d6 B.tLlf3 iWc7 9.E1a4 tLlf6
1O.E1c4 iWdB 1l.dxeS1-0 Kroshk-
Vrusimov, Internet 2004.
4 ... dS (This is Black's best
method of playing in case he wants
to avoid accepting the pawn-sac-
rifice. It is still insufficient to
equalize, though ... ) S.bS! (This
gain of a tempo is quite logical and
it provides White with a lasting
positional advantage. It is also
good for him to follow with: S.exdS
tLlxb4 6.c4 tLlf6?? 7.iWa4+- and
White won a knight, Kroshk -
Desp, Internet 2004. Black had
to play instead 6 ... e6!, with good
chances for a successful defence.)
S... tLld4 (S ... tLleS?! After that risky
move, White has the pleasant
choice between two promising
lines: 6.f4 tLlg6 7.fS! e6!? B.fxg6!
This might seem to be a mistake,
but in fact, it is the most prin-
cipled refutation of Black's inter-
esting combination: B... iWh4+ 9.g3
iWxe4+ 1O.iWe2 iWxh111.gxf7+ ~xf7
12.tLlf3. Black's queen is beyond
salvation now! 12 ... eS 13.tLlxeS+
~f6 14.i.b2 iWe4 lS.iWxe4 dxe4
16.i.c4 i.e617.tLld7 + ~f71B.i.xe6+
45
Chapter 4
~xe6 19.'2lxfB+ l"1xfB 20.1xg7+-;
12 ... '2lf6 13.1b21b4 14.'2lc31xc3
1S.1xc3 eS 16.0-0-0 e4 17.1g2
exf3 1B.1xf3 ~xf3 19.~xf3 194
20.~f4hd1 21.~xdl, or White
can try the calmer: 6.d4 '2lc4 7.
exdS ~xdS B.'2lc3 ~e6+ 9.1e2 '2lb6
1O.'2lf3 '2lf6 11.0-0 g6 12.l"1e11g7
13.1a3 0-0 14.1d3+-; 6 ... '2lg6 7.
exdS ~xdS B.c4 ~e4+ 9.1e3 eSlO.
'2lc3 1b4 11.~d2 i.xc3 12.~xc3.
Black loses after 9 ... 1fS 1O.'2lc3
~e6 11.'2ldS! ~cB 12.b6!+-; 10 ...
~c2 11.~xc2 1xc2 12.'2ldS :bB
13.l"1xa7+-) 6.c3 '2le6 7.exdS ~xdS
B.d4 (It is obvious that the black
knight on e6 is misplaced and
it stands in the way of its own
pieces.) B... '2lf6 9.'2lf3 g6 (9 ... '2lc7
- this attempt to find a better
square for the knight did not bring
Black any success at all: 1O.c4
~e4+ 11.1e2 194 12.0-0 e6 13.
'2lc3 ~g6 14.'2leS 1xe2 IS.'2lxe2
~e416.'2lg3 ~h417.ltJf3 ~g41B.h3
~g6 19.'2leS 1-0 Kroshk - Grind,
Internet 2004) 1O.c4 ~dB (Black's
queen is in grave danger after: 10 ...
~e4+ 11.1e2 197 12.'2lc3 ~g4 13.
h3! ~xg2 14.l"1h2+-; 13 ... ~hS 14.
ltJgS ~h4 IS.ltJxe6 he6 16.g3+-)
11.1e2 197 12.ltJc3 0-0 13.0-0
ltJhS 14.ltJdS b6 IS.ltJeS (White's
centralized knights are very pow-
erful. Black is incapable to cope
with them.) IS ... 1b7 16.1f3 ~d6
17.1a3ltJcS1B.l"1e1 heSl9.l"1xeS e6
20.l"1xhS exdS 21.dxcS bxcs 22.
1xdS gxhS 23.hf7+ :xf7 24.~xd6
l"1afB 2S.1xcS :xf2 26.1xf2 1-0
Kroshk - delorme, Internet 2004.
After Black captures the sacri-
46
ficed pawn with 4 ... '2lxb4, White
can proceed with the development
of his initiative in several ways. We
will analyse two of them - S.l"1a4
in this chapter and S.d4 in the next
chapter.
5.l3a4!?
This idea is interesting, but a
bit arguable, though ... That non-
standard move forces Black to
solve immediately rather unusual
problems. White's rook goes quite
rarely to the a4-square on move
five in the game of chess, indeed!
This move however demands a
rather creative approach not only
from Black, but from White too!
The rook might turn out to be a
target for attack for Black's pieces
and pawns if White fails to utilize
it as an active attacking piece af-
ter some imprecision.
Black has to make a choice be-
tween numerous possibilities: a)
5 ... aS, b) S ... ltJa6, c) S ... eS, d)
S ... ~b6, e) S ... ltJc6 and f) S ...
e6.
a) S ... aS
I am going to qualify that move
as a positional mistake. Why is
that? White can try to exploit
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 tLJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab tLJb4 SJ'1a4
the weakening of the bS and b6
squares and penetrate with some
of his pieces there.
It is not so simple, though ...
One 9hould not forget that the as-
pawn is a passed pawn and White's
rook on a4 might feel a bit uncom-
fortable after that move.
6.tLJc3
White's other possibility 6.tLJf3
is also interesting. White can con-
tinue with his development calmly
and avoid the immediate occupa-
tion of the centre with his pawns.
This plan has certain attractive
features, for example, his knight
can be manoeuvred quickly to the
eS-square with a great effect and
his rook can go to the d4-square.
This idea looks quite efficient.
6 ... dS 7.tLJeS tLJf6 8 ..ibS+ .id7
9.tLJxd7 tLJxd7 10.c3 tLJa6 11.exdS
tLJc7 12.tLJa3 tLJxdS 13.'Wf3 e6 14.
tLJc4 f6 (14 ... tLJc7 lS.tLJeS+-) IS.
0-0 .ie7 16.'WhS+ g6 17.'Wh3 @f7
18.d4 tLJ7b619.ElxaS;t;.
It is also good for White to play
6.c3, for example: 6 ... tLJc6 7.d4 d6
8.dS ctJeS 9.f4 tLJg6 1O.tLJf3 .id7
(White can simply ignore this il-
lusory attack against the rook.)
11.eS! bs (l1.. ..ixa4?? 12.'Wxa4+
'Wd7 13 ..ibS+-) 12.Ele4 (White's
rook is perfectly placed on that
quite unusual square!) 12 ... 'Wc7
13 ..id3 fS (Black's position is
cramped and this move is sup-
posed to be played as the least of
evils.) 14.Ele2 dxeS lS.fxeS e6 16.
tLJd4 (16.dxe6 he617.tLJd4 .ic418.
tLJxbS 'WcS19.tLJd6 .ixd6 20.exd6+
@d8 21..ie3 'Wc6 22.0-0 .ixd3
23.'Wxd3 tLJf6 24J''1xfS+-) 16 ... exdS
17.e6 .ic6 18 ..ixbS tLJ8e7 19.'Wa4
Elc8 20.0-0 f4 21.@h1(Whitewins
too after: 21..ia3 .ixbS 22.'WxbS+
tLJc6 23.e7 ctJgxe7 24 . .ixe7 .ixe7
2S.Ele6+-) 2l...Elg8 22 ..ixf4 tLJxf4
23.tLJxc6 ItJxc6 24 ..ixc6+ 'Wxc6
2S.'Wxf4 Elc7 26.'Wf7+-.
6 d5 7.exd5 tLJxd5
8.Eld4!
It is easy to overlook an idea
like that with White! He recap-
tures his pawn with clearly better
chances.
8 ... e6
White wins immediately after
8 ... tLJgf6?? 9.tLJxdS tLJxdSlO ..ibS+
.id711.ElxdS+-.
9.tLJxd5 exd5 10 .ib5+ .id7
11. Elxd5
White's rook is strikingly mo-
bile and powerful. It has already
captured a vitally important en-
emy pawn and it is ready now for
new exploits.
11 ... We7+ 12.ctJe2 hb5
Black will not be able to com-
plete his development without
material losses after: 12 ... tLJf6
13.hd7+ ctJxd714.0-0 tLJf61S.Eld3
'Wc7 16.tLJd4 .id6 17.ctJbS .ixh2+
18.@h1 'Wf4 19 ..ia3 tLJe4 20.'We2
47
Chapter 4
'We5 21.ltJc7+ 'Wxc7 22.'Wxe4+ 1i.e5
23.1i.d6+-.
13.gxb5 'We7 14.0- 0 1i.d6
15.ttlg3 ttle7 16. ~f3 0 - 0 - 0
17.'Wxf7+-.
b) 5 . ttla6
This unusual move is not bad
at all. It is of course too difficultto
find a forced win for White yet.
Meanwhile I think that you will
hardly confront such an ugly re-
treat of the knight in a practical
game anytime soon.
6.d4
That is the most natural move.
White occupies the centre and has
an excellent compensation for the
pawn. He can also try a positional
solution to the problems: 6.1i.xa6!?
bxa6 7.ltJc3 e6 S.l2Jf3 1i.b7 9.0-0
ltJf6lO.e5ltJdSll.ltJe4ltJb612J'ld4
gcS 13.d31i.xe414J'1xe4 d515.exd6
1i.xd6 16.1i.b2 0-0 17.'Wa1 g6 IS.
c4~. The game will develop calmly
now and I am reluctant to say that
White has the advantage.
6 . d6
The other possibility for Black
seems to be too risky: 6 ... d5?!
7.exdS 'WxdS S.ltJc3 'We6+ 9.1i.e3
1i.d7lO.dS 'WeS 11.liJb5 ltJf6 12.ltJf3
4S
'Wxd5 13.Elxa6 'Wxd1+ 14.Wxd1
bxa6 15.liJc7+ WdS 16.liJxaS WcS
17.1i.xa6+ wbS lS.We2! WxaS 19.
Elb1. Black has succeeded to do
what he was after - he exchanged
queens and he recaptured his
piece ... His position is however
hopeless as a result! 19 ... 1i.c6
20.ltJe5 ltJd5 21. wd2 ltJc7 22.1i.cS
1i.d523.ltJd7+-.
7.ttle3 ttlf6 8.f4!
This resolute move is most
probably the best. White takes
under control the all-important
e5-square and plans to play soon
e4-e5 himself. Note that the black
knight on a6 cannot do anything
about that.
It is too slow for White to
play: S.1i.b21i.d7 9.Ela3 (The attrac-
tive exchange sacrifice is unfortu-
natelyincorrect after: 9.'Wa1? 1i.xa4
lO.'Wxa4+ ltJd711.ltJf3ltJc712.1i.c4
a6-+) 9 ... ltJb4 lO.e5 dxe511.dxe5
ltJg412.ltJf31i.c6 13.'We2 e6o.
8 i.d79.ga3
White's rook is forced to re-
treat, but its activity is not over
yet!
9 . ttlc710.gb3 ~c8 1l.1i.d3
e612.ttlf3 i.e713.i.a3
13 . a5
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 tiJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab tiJb4 S.E1a4
Black is trying to organize
some counterplay with the help of
his passed pawn.
He might like to castle, but that
would hardly guarantee the safety
of his king. Check the line: 13 ...
0-0 14.eS! (White makes use of
the defenceless bishop on e7, since
Black cannot capture on eS be-
cause of it.) 14 ... tiJfeS lS.h4! (This
attacking motive is well familiar-
White exploits the fact that Black
has not castled yet and so the swift
offensive along the h-file becomes
effective.) lS ... i.c6 16.tiJgS! (The
classical bishop-sacrifice on h7
seems attractive, but it is not good
enough after: 16.i.xh7+? <j;>xh7
17.tiJgS+ <j;>h6 lS.fS exfS 19.i.c1
dxeS-+) 16 .. .fS17.'MfhS h61S.'Mfg6!!
(White forces Black to capture
on gS and thus opens the h-file.
His rooks have long been ready
for such developments.) IS ...
hxgS 19.hxgS i.xgS 20.fxgS tiJdS
21.tiJxdS i.xdS 22.i.c4! This is a
simple combination based on the
motive of deflection. 22 ... 'Mfxc4
23J!bh3+-.
14.eS!
White's advance in the centre
is very effective, because Black has
not castled yet.
14 . a4 IS.gb2 lLlcd5 16.
lLlxdS lLlxd517.c4! lLlxf4
White can now exploit the f-file
to attack, after this forced captur-
ing of the f-pawn by Black.
18.exd6
White's d6-pawn is a powerful
force. Black's pieces are discoor-
dina ted because of it and they can-
not cooperate harmoniously.
18 ... i.f6 19.0-0 0-0 20.
lLle5 lLlxd3 21.'Mfxd3 %'1a7
This move enables White to
sacrifice the exchange quite
favourably. It would not have been
easy for Black to defend the posi-
tion after 21...i.xeS 22.dxeS -
Black has no good prospects and
White is totally dominant all over
the board. The opposite coloured
bishops contribute to his strong
initiative.
22.gxf6! gxf6 23.lLlg4!
(White must comply with a draw
after the premature: 23.'Mfg3+?
<j;>hS 24.'Mff4 24 ... fxeS 2S.'Mff6+
<j;>gS 26.~gS=, or 24.'Mfh4 fxeS
2S.'Mff6+ <j;>gS=) 23 .. ~d8 24.gf2
fS 2S.lLlh6+ <j;>h8 26.dS! ~f6
(Black does not save the day after:
26 .. .f6 27.dxe6 i.xe6 2S.'Mfe3+-
with a double attack against a7 and
e6.) 27.i.b2 eS 28.~e3 ge8
29.'Mfxa7 '\?;Yxh6 30.~xb7 ~xd6
31.cS 'Mfe7 32.c6 .tc8 33.~xe7
gxe734.d6+-.
c) 5 .. e5 6.lLlf3
This simple move might turn
out to be the best after all. Black
cannot defend his eS-pawn natu-
49
Chapter 4
rally (with the move d7-d6), be-
cause the knight on b4 will be
hanging. He will have to lose pre-
cious time to retreat it, or else he
must find some other means of
defending the eS-pawn.
It is weaker for White to play
6.c3lLlc6 7.d4 and it becomes clear
that Black is well prepared for ac-
tions in the centre: 7 ... dS! 8.ibS
lLlf6 9.lLlf3 ig4 10.dxeS lLlxe4
11.c4o. White has failed to obtain
any advantage at all.
After 6.lLlf3 we are going the
analyse the following possibilities
for Black: el) 6 li:le6, e2) 6 . f6,
e3) 6 d5 and e4) 6 . li:lf6.
el) 6 li:le6 7.ib5 li:lge7
7 ... ics 8.0-0 lLlf6 9.lLlxeS!
(This exchange combination is
quite routine and it has been tried
in numerous openings. White does
not win material indeed, but the
activity of his pieces increases con-
siderably.) 9 ... ixf2+ (White is
clearly better after another pos-
sible exchange: 9 ... li:lxeS 1O.d4
11ijb6 1l.dxeS 11ijxbs 12.tt:lc3) 10.
E1xf2 lLlxeS 11.d4 tt:lxe4 12.11ije2!
(This move refutes Black's idea.)
12 ... lLlxf2 13.11ijxeS+ 11ije7 14.11ijxg7
so
11ije1+ 1S.if111ijxc116.11ijxh8+ <>e7
17.11ijeS+ <>f8 18.tt:lc3! (White's at-
tack is quite enough to secure the
win and he should of course avoid
the draw by a perpetual.) 18 ... tt:lg4
19.11ijh8+ <>e7 20.tt:ldS+ <>d6 21.c4
11ijd2 22.E1a2!! (This combination
based on the motive of deflection
is very spectacular.) 22 ... 11ijxa2
23.11ijf8+ <>e6 (23 ... <>c6 24.11ijcS#)
24.11ije7+ <>fS 2s.id3#
8.d4exd4
8 ... a6 9.0-0 11ijb6 1O.ixc6!
(White is of course reluctant to
trade his active bishop, but he
solves his main problem in that
fashion. His lead in development
becomes a telling factor after it! It
was also possible to play the at-
tractive line: 1O.tt:la3!? exd4 11.c3
lLlg6 12.ixc6 dxc6 13.cxd4 ig4
14.h3 ixf3 1S.11ijxf3 ie7 oo ; 10 ...
lLlxd4 11.tt:lxd4 exd4 12.E1e1 tt:lg6
13.eS! This is a piece sacrifice and
Black's king might be in a real
trouble if he accepts it. 13 ... ics
14.lLlc4 11ijxbS 1S.lLld6+ ixd6 16.
exd6+ tt:leS 17.E1xd4 0-0 18.E1dS
11ijc6 19.E1dxeS bS 20.ih6 gxh6
21.E1Se3 <>h8 22.E1g3 ib7 23.11ijg4
E1g8 24.11ijd4+-; 23 ... 11ijxg2+ 24.
E1xg2 ixg2 2S.11ijd4+-; 13 ... ixa3
14.ixa3 11ijxbS 1S.E1xd4 b6 16.f4
ib7 17.fS tt:lxeS 18.c4 11ijc6 19.
E1xeS+ <>d8 20.11ijg4 E1g8 21.E1e7 hS
22.E1exd7+ 11ijxd7 23.E1xd7+ <>xd7
24.11ijxhS E1ad8 2S.11ijxi7+ <>c8 26.
id6+-) 1O ... 11ijxc6 11.c4! (This ex-
cellent positional move defends
the rook on a4 too!) 11...11ijxe4
(11. .. exd4 12.lLlxd4 11ijxe4 13.tt:lc3
11ijg6 14.lLldbS <>d8 1S.if4 axbS
 l.e4 c5 2.a3 lIJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lIJb4 5.E!a4

16.E!xaS Wif6 17.Wid2 bxc4 lS.lIJd5 12.eS!

lIJxd5 19 ..ig5+-) 12.lIJc3 Wic6 (12 ...
Wif513.E!e1 f614.dxe5 fxe515.E!xe5
Wig6 16.lIJd5 WdS 17 ..ig5+-) 13.
lIJxe5 Wie614.E!e1 d615.d5 Wixe516.
E!xe5 dxe5 17.lIJb5 wd71S.c5+-.
. 15 ..ib6 Wid7 16.lIJxe7+ lIJgxe7 17.
White has acquired numerous
positional advantages, but he
wishes to open additionally the e-
file. Black can of course avoid ac-
cepting that sacrifice too, but
White can penetrate to the b6-
square then.
12 tLlcxeS
12 ....ie713.lIJd5 0-0 14 ..ie3 d6
exd6;;.
13.tLlxe5 tLlxe5 14J~~e1 f6

9.c3!
This is the only way for White
to prove the effectiveness of his
opening idea. The common cap-
ture on d4 might lead him into
swift and decisive material losses
after: 9.lIJxd4?! Wib61O.lIJc3l1Jxd4
11.E!xd4 lIJc6 12.E!d5 .ib4 13 ..ib2 15.E!xe5+!
lIJe714.0-0 .ixc3-+; 1O.lIJa3l1Jxd4 This combination wins for
11.E!xd4l1Jc6 12.E!d5 .ixa3 13 ..ixa3 White. 15 fxeS 16.~h5+ g6
Wia5+ 14.Wid2'IWxa3-+. 17Jbe5+ ~e7 18:~xh8 ~e1+
9 dxc3 19 .if1'IWxc1 20.E!e4+ wf7 21.
Black cannot equalize either tLld5+-.
after he recaptures his pawn with
9 ... d3. The idea to refrain from c2) 6 f6
accepting a pawn-sacrifice is usu-
ally connected with the attempt to
avoid opening lines for the oppo-
nent. In this position, however
White has already opened some
lines and Black has nothing to do
about it anymore. 10.'lWxd3 d5
11.0-0 a612.E!e1.id713.exd5 axb5
14.E!xaS 'lWxa8 15.lIJg5 f5 16 ..ia3
'lWa4 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.'lWd6+-.
10.tiJxc3 a6 11. 0 - 0 tLlg6 Black defends his e5-pawn with

51
Chapter 4
this ugly move. A move like that
in the opening cannot be recom-
mended as a rule. This position is
however rather extraordinary. The
usual standard rules of opening
development do not exclude it, but
some exact reasoning applies too.
We should also not forget that
Black enjoys some material advan-
tage!
7.d4
White needs that pawn break
in the centre immediately. He
should not be so much in a hurry
to castle. The really important is-
sue right now is what is going to
happen in the centre.
7 ... exd4
7... dS 8 ..b3! (The fate of the
black knight on b4 becomes criti-
cal now. It was not good for White
to play 8.dxeS?! dxe4 9.~bS+ ~d7
1O.liJd4 ~xbS 1l.liJxbS Wxd1+ 12.
~xd1 0-0-0+ 13.liJd2 a614.liJd6+
~xd6 lS.exd6 liJc6 16.liJxe4 fS
17.~b2 liJf6+) 8 ... aS (8 ... ~d7 9.
:gxb4 WaSlO.c3 dxe411.liJfd2 ~b4
12.~xb4 WdS 13.~c4 Wc6 14.dS
Wc7 lS.liJxe4+-; S ... Wd7 9.:gxb4
~b4+ 10.~b4 dxe411.liJc3! exf3?
12.~bS+-) 9.exdS! (White has no
advantage after 9.c3 liJc6 1O.dxeS
~xa3 11.liJxa3 dxe4 12.WxdS+
~xdS 13.:gxe4 ~fS 14.:ge3=) 9 ...
WxdS (9 ... ~fS 10.ibS+ ~f7 11.
dxeS! ixc212.e6+ ~g613.Wd2 hS
14.ixb4 ixb4 lS.:gxb4 axb4 16.
liJh4+ ~h7 17.Wxc2+-) 1O.liJc3
(Black's queen is an excellent tar-
get for attack.) 10 ... We611.liJbS! (It
is important for White to create
threats continuously. This is the
S2
only way to fight for a win if you
have sacrificed material early in
the opening.) 11. .. exd4+ 12.~e2
Wb6 13.liJfxd4 ~d7 14.0-0 icS
lS.c3 liJa6 16.:ge1 liJe7 17.ic4!
(Black should now forget about his
dream of castling.) 17 ... ixa3 lS.
:gxa3 ~fS19.WhSliJg6 20.WdS ieS
21.:gxe8+ ~xeS 22.liJd6+ ~d7 23.
We6+ ~d8 24.liJf7+ ~c7 2S.liJbS+
WxbS 26.Wd6+ ~cS 27.ie6+ Wd7
2S.ixd7#
S.liJxd4
White's prospects are better,
because Black's position has been
quite evidently weakened.
S ... d5
S ... Wb6 9.ie3 icS 1O.c3 liJc6
1l.liJd2 liJxd4 12.cxd4 ~b4 13.~c4
~xd2+ 14.ixd2! liJe7 (14 ... Wxd4?
lS.~f7+ ~xf7 16.:gxd4+-) lS.0-0
dS16.exdS id717.~aS Wd61S.~b4
Wc7 (lS ... Wf4 19.:gel+-) 19.Ele1
Wxc4 20.:gxe7+ ~dS 21.iaS+-.
White has here another way of
playing which is more complex
and even more convincing, de-
spite being longer: 21.:gxd7+ ~xd7
22.Wg4+ ~dS 23.ie7+ ~xe7 24.
Wxg7 ~d6 2S.Wxf6+ ~xdS 26.
WeS+-.
9.ib5+ ~d7
 I.e4 c5 2.a3 'Oc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab 'Ob4 5.Ela4
9 ... <j;Jf7 10.c3 CLla6 11.Elxa6!
bxa612 ..ic6 ElbB13 ..ixd5+ <j;Jg614.
CLlc6 Vf1c7 15.f4 h6 16.f5+ <j;Jh7 17.
Vf1h5+-.
10.exd5hb5
Black loses a piece after 10 ...
CLlxd5? 1I.Vf1h5+ (or 1I.CLle6 Vf1cB
12.Vf1xd5+-) 11...g612.Vf1xd5+-.
His other possibility leads to a
similar result: 1O ... Vf1e7+ 11 ..ie3 a6
12.0-0 CLlxd513.Vf1h5+ g614.Vf1xd5
.ixb5 15.CLlxb5 EldB 16.Vf1f3 axb5
17.Ele4+-.
1l.CLlxb5.ic5
12.0-0
(White can win in anotherfash-
ion too: 12.d6 <j;JfB 13.CLlC7 Vf1d714.
CLlxaB Vf1xa415.d7'Oxc2+ 16. Vf1xc2
Vf1xc2 17.dBVf1+ <j;Jf7 1B.0-0 .ixf2+
19.Elxf2 Vf1xcl+ 20.Elf1 Vf1e3+ 2I.
<j;Jhl. White's extra piece is decisive
now. 21...Vf1e2 22.CLld2 b5 23.CLlC7
b4 24.Vf1d5+ <j;Jg6 25.CLle6 Vf1g4 26.
Vf1d7 <j;Jh6 27.Elf3 CLle7 2B.Vf1xe7+-)
12 .. <j;Jf8 13 .ia3 a514.lt:Hc3 b6
15)ijd4 <j;Jf7 16.tlJe6 Vf1d6 17.
Vf1h5+ g6 1S.~f3 tlJxc2 19.1Oe4
Vf1d7 (19 ... ~xd5 20.'04g5+-) 20.
.ixc5 bxc5 21.tlJ6xc5 Vf1a7 22.
Elb1 gbS 23.lOd6+ <j;Jf8 (23 ... <j;Jg7
24.'Oe6+ <j;Jh6 25.~h3#; 25.Elh4#)
24.gxbS+-.
c3) 6 ... d5
The counterstrike in the centre
is one of the most popular defen-
sive resources for Black in numer-
ous sharp opening gambit varia-
tions. It is however not sufficient
in this position. The reason for
that is the vulnerable placement of
the black king. It becomes even
more endangered after Black's last
move!
7.lOxe5.id6
7 ... Vf1c7 B..ib5+ <j;JdB 9 ..ib2!
dxe4 (9 ... 'Oxc2+ 1O.<j;Jf1 dxe4 11.
Elc4+-; 1O ... d4 11.lOxf7+ Vf1xf7 12.
Vf1xc2+-) 10.0-0 lOf6 11.d3 exd3
12.'Oxd3 lOxd3 13.Vf1xd3+ .id6
(13 ... 'Od7 14.Eld1+-; 13 ... .id7 14.
.ixf6+ gxf615.Eld4+-) 14.Eld4'OeB
15 ..ixeB+-; 14 ... <j;Je715.Elxd6 Vf1xd6
16 ..ia3+-.
S .ib5+ <j;JfS 9 .ia3!
It is not so good for White to
play 9.d4 dxe4 10 ..ia3 'OdS II.
0-0 .ixa3 12.Elxa3~.
9 ~e710.f4!
White consolidates his central-
ized knight. This idea is not so
standard and you are going to
understand its fine point quite
soon!
10 f6
53
Chapter 4
11.0-0!
White's rook on f1 is now sup-
porting the knight! Black cannot
capture on e5 as before. 11 ... dxe4
12.Wfh5! a6 (Black loses quicklier
after 12 ... liJh6 13J'%xb4! ixb4 14.
ixb4 Wfxb415.WfeB#) 13.c3 (White
has another road to victory at his
disposal: 13.lLlc3 ~bB 14.lLldS g6
lS.lLlxe7 gxh5 16.lLlxcB ~xcB 17.
id7 b5 1B.ixb4+-; 17... ~xc2 lB.
ixb4 ixb4 19.~xb4 bS 20.lLlc6
~xd2 21.~d4+-) 13 .. ie6 14.
cxb4 lLlh6 15.lLlc3 e3 16.'~e2
.if5 17.d4 ~cS lS.lLld5 Wfe6 19.
.ic4 b5 20.l':1xa6 bxc4 21.b5
ha3 22.~xe6he6 23.Wfxe3+-
c4) 6 tLlf6 14.ia3lLlh6 15.g4 Wfe6 16.i.c4 Wg6
7.tLlc3 d5
7...Wfc7 (Black's queen might be
attacked by White's knight on this
square. His other possibilities on
54
move seven are not too attractive
either.) B.ia3 lLlc6 9.Wfa1 (It is
quite often in this opening line that
White's queen is most effective
right on this corner-square.) 9 ... a6
1O.lLlb5 WfbB 1l.ixfB ~xfB 12.Wfa3
liJxe4 13.id3 lLlc5 14.Wxc5 axb5
15.~xaB WfxaB 16.0-0 Wa717.Wd5
f61B.ixh7b419.Wd6.
7... id6 (This move is a bit un-
natural and ugly too. It is still
possible and playable, because
Black must defend an important
pawn!) B.ia3! a5 9.lLlb5 ie71O.c3
liJc611.lLld6+! This is White's sim-
plest way to acquire a big advan-
tage. Black is now deprived of his
bishop. He loses his control over
the dark squares altogether and
his position is without any good
prospects. 11...ixd6 (Black loses
immediately after 11...i>fB? 12.
Wfb3 ixd6 13.ixd6+ lLle714.liJxeS
WfeB ls.ic4+-) 12.ixd6 (White's
advantage is evident. He can in-
crease it and materialize it in nu-
merous ways.) 12 ... liJg413.h3 Wf6
17.Wfe2 f6 1B.d4 b6 19.ic1 ib7
20.liJh4 lLlxd4 21.cxd4 Wfxe4 22.
~gl Wfxe2+ 23.ixe2.
S.tLlxe5 Wfc7
B... dxe4 9.ib5+ lLld7 (9 ... id7
1O.lLlxd7lLlxd7 1l.Wfg4 a5 12.0-0!
Wfe7 13.liJd5 lLlxd5 14.~xe4+-)
1O.Wfg4! (This is the right decision
for White! His queen controls now
several very important squares:
e4, d7 and g7.) 1O ... id6 1l.Wfxg7
~fB 12.lLlxe4 Wfe7 13.ixd7+ ixd7
14.tLlf6+ i>dB 15.lLlfxd7 ~eB (IS ...
lLlxc2+ 16.i>dl+-) 16.0-0+-.
 l.e4 c5 2.a3 tt'lc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab 4:Jb4 5.Ela4
9.f4
White can also play the logical
move - 9 ..ib5+. Black loses his
right to castle immediately.
9 ... ~d8 10. tt'ld3 .ig4 1l.f3 tt'lxd3
12.cxd3 (The pawn structure is so
very unusual! It might seem to
you that Black's extra a and b-
pawns are providing him with an
advantage, but that is just an illu-
sion.) 12 ... .ie6 13.d4 a6 14 ..ie2
~b6 15.e5 tt'ld716.f4 f517 ..if3 ~c6
18.~b3 b5 19.Ela5 tt'lb6 20.d3 .ie7
21..id2 ~d7 22.0-0. White has a
solid positional edge, but he has
still a long way to go on the road
to victory.
9 ... dxe4 10 ..ib5+ .id7 11.
~e2 .ic6
12.lL'lxe4 lL'lxe4 13.tt'lxc6
bxc6 14.~xe4+ <.!?d8 15 . .ie2
lL'ld5 (15 ... .ic5? 16 ..ia3 Ele8 17.
~c4+-) 16.0-0 .ic5+ 17.~h1
Ele8 18.~d3 Wfd6 19 . .if3 h6
20 ..ib2 (White's two bishop ad-
vantage in this open position is
decisive. He wins material rather
quickly.) 20 ... f6 21..id4 ~e7
22 ..ih5 E1eb8 23.%Yh7 ~d8 24.
hc5 Wfxc5 25.Wfxg7+-.
d) 5 .. Wfb6
Such early introduction of the
queen into the game is often risky
and this position is no exception.
White's advantage in development
increases, since he can attack it
additionally. We are going to
analyse dl) 6.tt'lf3 and d2) 6.
lL'lc3.
d1) 6.lL'lf3
White preserves a long-lasting
initiative after that calm develop-
ing move.
6 ... d6
This move is quite restrained.
Black complies with White's space
advantage and he only wishes to
complete calmly his development.
White should not let him have any
respite and he should act precisely
and resolutely!
6 ... d5 (Black tries to seize the
initiative with that move. It is how-
ever not dangerous for White,
moreover Black might end up in a
losing position after it.) 7.c3! (This
is to remind Black of the unstable
position of his knight. It becomes
clear now that Black's counterplay
is non-existent and he has to solve
plenty of difficult defensive prob-
lems instead.) 7 ... 4:Ja2 (This idea is
attractive only because it is brave.
55
Chapter 4
Unfortunately for Black, the move
has no other merits besides that.
I t will be fair to note that the more
prudent line 7... tUa6 is not any bet-
ter after: S.tUa3tLJcS 9 ..ibS+ 'it>dS
1OJ;;:d4! It is not often that White's
rook is placed in front of the d4-
pawn and in the opening at that!
The rook is creating some really
dangerous threats! 1O ... tUxe4 11.
E1xdS+ 'it>c712.d4 .ig413 ..if4+ 'it>cs
14.tUgS!! This is a spectacular com-
bination with a queen-sacrifice. It
is untouchable, because of a swift
checkmate. 14 ... .ixdl IS ..id7+
'it>dSI6.tUxf7#; 14 ... tUgf61S.~xg4!
e6 16.tUc4 tUxg4 17.tUxb6+ axb6
IS ..id7+ 'it>dS 19 ..ixe6+ 'it>eS 20.
.id7+ 'it>e7 21.tUxe4 E1al+ 22.'it>e2
E1xhl 23 ..ixg4+-) S ..ia3! (This
bishop-move is the most prin-
cipled. White wishes to capture the
knight on a2, which came to that
square in such unordinaryfashion.
It is weaker for him to follow with
S.E1xa2 ~xbl 9.E1a4 e6! Black needs
to control the b4-square. 10 .exdS
exdSll.E1aS. White has compensa-
tion for the pawn and Black's at-
tempts to preserve his material ad-
vantage can be promptly pun-
ished. For example: 1l ... tUf6 12.
.ibS+ .id713 ..ixd7+ 'it>xd7? Black
had better capture on d7 with his
knight giving the pawn back.
14.~a4+ 'it>c7 IS.0-0 ~e4 16.d4
.id6 17 ..ia3 E1hdS IS.E1xa7 E1xa7
19.~xa7 .if4 20.E1el ~g6 21..ie7
E1eS 22.~cS+ 'it>d7 23.g3 .ic7 24.
tUeS+ .ixeS 2S.E1xeS+-) S ... dxe4
9.E1xe4 .ifS 1O.~a4+! (This check
refutes Black's idea. White obtains
S6
at least two pieces for a rook and
additionally Black's king position
remains quite unsafe.) 1O ... .id7
11.~c2 tUf6 (11.. ..ifS 12 ..ic4 .ixe4
13.~xe4 tUf614.~c2 tUxc31S.tUxc3
e6 16 ..ibS+ 'it>dS 17.~d3+ 'it>cS
IS.,ixfS E1xfS 19.0-0 'it>bS 20.E1bl
~cS 21..ia6 b6 22.tUd4+-) 12.E1d4
eS 13.tUxeS ~e6 14.f4 .ixa3 IS.
tUxa3 0-0 16 ..ic4 ~e717.~xa2+-.
It is also enough for White to win
by playing: 12.E1c4 ~e6+ 13 ..ie2
.ic6 (13 ... bS 14.E1cS ~b6 IS.~xa2
e616.d4,ixcSI7.,ixcS+-) 14.~xa2
(White should avoid 14.tUd4?! ~e4
IS.E1xc6 ~xc216.tUxc2 bxc617 ..ic4
tUxc3 IS.tUxc3 e6o, because Black
has a good position after the trade
of the queens, since his king is
safe.) 14 ... bS (14 ... .ibS IS.E1cS+
E1xcS 16.~xe6 fxe6 17..ixbS+ 'it>dS
IS.tUgS+-) IS. tUgS ~dS 16 ..if3
~eS+ 17.E1e4 .ixe4 IS.~xf7+ 'it>dS
(IS ... 'it>d719.tUxe4 tUxe4 20.d4+-)
19.tUxe4 tUxe4 20.d4+-.
7.tUc3.id7
7 ... tUf6 provokes complications
that are unfavourable for Black:
S.eS! It becomes evident that
Black will hardly manage to com-
plete his development unevent-
fully. S ... tUg4 9 ..ibS+ .id71O.,ixd7
'it>xd7 (Black has lost his right to
castle, but that is not his real prob-
lem. He is absolutely incapable to
coordinate his pieces. Under these
circumstances, White's attack is
victorious without any proper re-
sistance.) l1.d4 dxeS 12.h3 E1cS
13 ..ib2 e4 14.tUgS tUh6 IS.0-0! fS
16.dS! (White is occupying the im-
portant e6-square.) 16 ... tUd3!?
 l.e4 c5 2.a3 Ct:lc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab Ct:lb4 5.Ela4
(This is an interesting attempt by
Black to exchange the aggressive
white bishop. Nevertheless the
rest of the white pieces are much
more effective than Black's, so the
trade does not solve any problems
for him!) 17.cxd3 '<Mfxb21S.Ct:le2 Elc2
19.Ct:lf4 Eld2 20.'<Mfe1 a6 21.dxe4 '<Mfc2
22.Elb4 I!Ics 23.Ct:lf3 e5 24.'<Mfxd2
'<Mfxd2 25.Elc4+ I!IbS 26.Ct:lxd2 exf4
27.e5+-.
8.i.b5!
White's rook is not forced to
abandon the a4-square at all!
8 ... i.xb5
The good book says that ex-
changes facilitate the defence in
general. That is true in most of the
cases, but here Black cannot solve
his problems even after some ex-
changes. See what might happen
ifhe refrains from capturing on b5:
S ... Ct:lc6 9.Ct:ld5 '<MfdS 10.0-0 e6
(Black repels the knight and hopes
to acquire enough breathing space
for his pieces. However White's
knight is not obliged to retreat at
all.) 11.Ele1! (The positional sacri-
fice of the knight on that square is
a typical motive in numerous
openings. It is still most popular
in the Sicilian Defence. White en-
joys plenty of attacking possibili-
ties as a compensation after it.)
11.. .exd512 .exd5+ Ct:lce713 ..bd7 +
'<Mfxd7 14.c4 b5 15.cxb5 '<Mfxb5 16.
i.a3! (The d6-square is in danger
now.) 16 .. :~xd5 17.Eld4! '<Mfb5 lS.
Elxd6 ElbS 19.Ct:ld4 (Black has a
material advantage, but he is help-
less, since all white pieces partici-
pate actively in the attack.) 19 ...
'<Mfa5 20.'<Mfc1 f6 21.Ct:lc6 '<Mfc7 22.
Ct:lxbS '<MfxbS 23.'<Mfc6+ 1!It7 24.'<Mfc4+
l!IeS 25.Elc6 I!Id7 (25 ... l!IdS 26.1Wf7
I!Id7 27.Elc3+-) 26.'<Mfe6+ I!IdS
27. '<Mff7 I!Id7 2S.Elc3+-; 24 ... l!Ig6
25.'<Mfd3+ 1!If7 26.EldS '<Mfc7 27.'<Mfb3+
I!Ig62S.ElxfS+-.
9.Elxb4 a6
Black can force the exchange of
queens with a rather unusual
move: 9 ... i.e2!? 10.Elxb6 i.xd1
11.Elxb7 i.xc2 12.Ct:ld4 i.d3 13.
Ct:ldb5! (Black is temporarily with
a pawn up, but his positional prob-
lems are now even greater than
before the trade of the queens.)
13 ... l!IdS (13 ... 0-0-0 14.Elxa7 Ct:lf6
15.f3 Eld7 16.Ela5 e6 17.i.a3 I!Ib7
lS.l!If2 d519.hfS ElxfS 20.e51!1b6
21.Elha1 d4 22.exf6 dxc3 23.fxg7
ElgS 24.Ct:lxc3 Elxg7 25.g3. White
has won a pawn with good winning
chances. 25 ... i.c4 26.El5a4 Elxd2+
27.l!Ie1 Elxh2 2S.Elb1+ I!>c5 29.
Ct:le4+ I!Id4 30.Eld1 + l!Ie3 31.Ela3+
i.d3 32.Elaxd3#; 30 ... l!>e5 31.Elxc4
Elh1+ 32.l!>e2 Elxd1 33.l!>xd1 f5
34.Ct:lf2 Elxg3 35.l!Ie2; 26 ... i.d3
27.l!Ie3) 14.Ct:lxa7 Ct:lf6 15.f3 i.a6
16.Ct:lc6+ I!>cS 17.Elb2 e6 lS.d4.
White completes calmly his devel-
opment and the black king will
57
Chapter 4
soon be in trouble after that.
Black's attempt to repel White's
powerful knight is refuted beauti-
fully: lS ... ib7 19.ttJdS! (This is a
strong move! White occupies the
seventh rank permanently and
that is decisive.) 19 ... ~xdS 20.
Elxb7 ie7 21.~e2 d5 22.if4 ElcS
23.Ela1 Elxc3 24.ElaS+ ElcS 25.
ElxcS+ ~xcS 26.ElbS+! (White
should be victorious quickly after
the win of the exchange. He should
however avoid 26.Elxe7 ElfS 27.
~e3, although his advantage is
considerable in that case too.)
26 ... ~d7 27.ElxhS dxe4 2S.fxe4
ttJxe429.Elxh7+-.
10)Zld5!?
This sharp move shows that
White has ambitions to attack. It
was also possible to play more tim-
idly: 1O.ttJd4 ttJf6 1l.ttJdxb5 axb5
12.Elxb5'<!ffc613.'<!ffe2 e614.ib2 ie7
15.0-00-0 16.Elb1 Elan. White is
slightly better indeed, but it would
not be easy for him to win that
position at all.
10 ... '<!ffd811.c4! ic612.0-0
e613.Elel!
Black was hoping that the
white knight would retreat. He
would have then some space for
5S
his pieces and a possibility to
continue with his development.
White's knight is not forced to re-
treat at all however! He is ready
to sacrifice it instead. White is go-
ing to have powerful threats along
the open e-file after the capture on
d5. I am going to add that the idea
of such sacrifice is not new. More-
over, it is a typical resource in the
Sicilian Defence in order to create
attacking chances in many of the
variations of that opening.
13 ... ttJe7
14.ib2!
Now White's piece-sacrifice is
for real,_ since he cannot hope to
recapture it. 14 ... exd5 15.exd5
a5 (15 ... id7 16.ttJg5 ~iWh5) 16.
dxc6 axb4 17.cxb7 :Bb8 18.c5
(M9.cxd6 '<!ffxd6 20.ie5) 18 ...
Elxb7 (1S .. .f619.c6 ~f7 20.'<!ffe2 h6
21.id4 '<!ffc7 22.ia7 Elxb7 23.'<!ffe6
~g6 24.cxb7 '<!ffxb7 25.id4) 19.
'<!ffa4+ Eld7 (19 ... '<!ffd7 20.c6+-; 20.
'<!ffaS+ '<!ffdS 21. '<!ffxb7 f6 22. Elal+-)
2 O.cxd6f6 21.ltJd4 ~f7 22.'<!ffb3
~g6 23.ltJe6 '<!ffe8 (23 ... '<!ffb6 24.
ttJf4 ~f5 25.'<!ffh3 ~xf4 26.Ele4!
~xe4 27.'<!fff3#) 24.ltJf4+ ~f5 25.
h4! '<!ffa8 26.'<!ffh3+ ~xf4 27.g3+
~f3 28.Ele3#.
 I.e4 c5 2.a3 ltJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ltJb4 5J''!a4
d2) 6.~c3
This is a good decision by
White.
6 ... ~f6
6 ... e5 (Generally speaking,
natural moves like that are seldom
bad in the opening. That position
is an exception, though ... White
has a simple and straightforward
plan to develop his initiative. The
point is that the position is very
similar to some very old lines
of the open games of the past.
White's strategical aim here is as
old as the game itself and that is
the enemy king! His most direct
way to a successful attack is the 0-
square.) 7..tc4 .tc5 S.ltJf3! (It is far
from easy to playa move like that
over the board! It seems that
White should not treat with igno-
minya threat to have a pawn cap-
tured with a check and to lose his
right to castle as a result. More-
over, it would be Black's second
extra pawn! It is all quite logical
in fact. White loses a pawn and his
castling rights, but he solves some
other more important problems.
He completes successfully his de-
velopment and he manages to co-
ordinate all his pieces. Meanwhile
the f-file might be of use to the
white rook that is presently on hI.)
S... i.xf2+ 9.~e2! id4W.ia3 ct:Ja6
(Black can now disrupt White's
pawn structure once again: 10 ...
i.xc3 1I.dxc3 ct:Jc6. There are how-
ever kings on the board, besides
pawns! After the evident line:
12.'lWd5 ltJh6 13.ct:Jxe5 ltJdS 14 .
.tb5 'lWe6 1S.ltJc4 'lWxd5 16.exd5+-
Black's king is in dire straits.)
11.tLld5 'lWg6 12. cj;lfl! (This is the
simplest. White should not be dis-
tracted by calculating the abso-
lutely unclear consequences of the
capturing on g2.) 12 ... 'lWc6 (Black
would have probably liked to have
captured White's central pawn:
12 ... 'lWxe413.d3 'lWf5, but White can
compensate that amply after:
14,l'!xa6! bxa6 15.ltJc7+ ~dS 16.
ct:JxaS. It becomes clear now that
Black cannot recapture his piece,
for example: 16 ....tb717.'lWb1 cj;lcs
1S.id6 'lWf6 19.ixa6! 'lWxd6. Black
cannot take the other bishop, be-
cause of the checkmate in one.
20.'lWxb7+ cj;ldS 21.'lWcS+ cj;le7 22.
ltJc7 tLlf6 23.'lWxhS 'lWxc7 24.ic4 d5
25.ib3+-) 13.c3 (Black's central-
ized bishop is in real danger now.
It cannot retreat because of the
loss of the e5-pawn and if it re-
mains where it is, it will simply be
captured. The problems of the
bishop reflect a more serious prob-
lem for Black and that is the safety
of his king!) 13 ....tc5 (This is rela-
tively Black's best. He is com-
pletely lost after: 13 ... ltJc514.cxd4
ltJxa4 15.tLlxe5+-; 13 ... b5 14.cxd4
bxc4 15.tLlxe5 'lWh6 16.'lWf3 f6 17.
59
Chapter 4
lIJxc4+-; 14 ... bxa4 lS.lIJxeS ~e6
16.lIJc7+-; lS ... ~h6 16.lIJxf7 ~xf7
17.~f3+ lIJf6 lS.lIJxf6+ ~g6 19.
~fS#; lS ... dS 19.1IJgS+ ~xgS 20.
~fS#; 19 ... ~g6 20.lIJxh6+-; 20.
~xdS ~e6 21.~xe6+-) 14.lIJxeS
~d6 lS.~xa6 (This is White's sim-
plest solution of the problems. He
could have sacrificed his knight,
but that was hardly necessary:
lS.lIJxf7 ~xf7 16.eS ~xeS 17.~f3+
~eS lS.d4 ~gS 19.dxcS lIJe7 20.
Elxa6+-) lS ... bxa6 16.~xcS ~xeS
(16 ... ~xcS 17.Elc4 ~d6 lS.lIJc7+
~e7 19.1IJxaS+-) 17.~d4 ~xe4
(17 ... ~gSlS.lIJc7 ~dS19.lIJxaS+-)
lS.lIJc7+ ~dS 19.1IJxaS ~xaS 20.
~xg7+-.
7.eS tlJfdS
8.lIJbS!
White avoids the premature
exchange of the knight with that
unusual move. The point is that
Black cannot repel that piece with
a move like a7-a6, because of the
pin along the a-file, since his rook
on as is not defended.
8 ... ~c6
This is Black's only move! He
loses immediately after S... lIJc6? 9.
c4 lIJf4 10.d4 (but not 10.cS?
lIJxg211.hg2 ~xbS12.d4l1Jb4-+)
60
1O ... lIJe6 11.~e3 lIJcdS 12.cS ~c6
13 .dS+-. It is also too bad for Black
to play S ... ~cS 9.c4l1Jf4 1O.d4+-.
9.c4 a6!
This is an ingenious defensive
resource for Black.
10.ttJ:f3!
Naturally White cannot cap-
ture the knight on dS - after the
check on c2 he wiUlose much more
than a mere knight!
10 ... tlJb6
1O ... axbS 1l.ElxaS.
1l.Elxb4 axbS
12.:SxbS
12.cxbs (This move is less risky
than the capture of the rook.
White's chances are better after
that too.) 12 ... ~g613.~e2! (White
must sacrifice the g2-pawn. If
Black refrains from accepting the
sacrifice he will stand clearly
worse, and without any extra ma-
terial at that. White can then at-
tack at ease, risking nothing.)
13 ... ~xg2 14.Elg1 (The open g-file
is a powerful asset of White's at-
tack!) 14 ... ~h31S.~b2 ~fS (Black
loses his queen immediately after:
lS ... e6?! 16.Elh4 ~fS 17.ElgS+-)
16.~c1! f6 (This move seems to be
very ugly, but it enables Black to
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 tDc6 3.M cb 4.ab tDb4 5.:ga4
reduce slightly the activity of the
bishop on b2 and secures the
safety of his queen.) 17.:gb3 d6
18.exd6 e5 (Black is trying to hold
the position preserving the com-
pactness of his pawn chain. Cap-
turing on d6 is out of question,
since his position would be in
shambles after that.) 19.d4! (It
now proves to be wonderful for
White that he has two d-pawns!)
19 ... ibe6 20.:ga3 :gxa3 21..ba3 ibd5
22.CtJxe5!? (This is the tactical so-
lution to the problem. White's po-
sition is so good that he could have
played calmly too and quite suc-
cessfully at that: 22.tDd2 exd4
23:~c7tDd7 24.ibg4 ~e5+ 25.wd1
ibe6 26.ibxe6 ~xe6 27.:ge1 tDe5
2S.f4 ~g4+ 29.Wcl+-) 22 ... fxe5
23.:gg5 ~h3 24.ibg4 ~d3 25.d7+
(or 25.:gxe5+ Wf7 26.~f4+ WgS
27.:gxd5 ~b1+ 2S.ibc1 ~b4+ 29.
ibd2 ~b1+ 30.We2+-) 25 ... Wf7
26.:gf5+ ~xf5 27.ibxf5+-.
12 ... tDxe4 13.gb3 d6 14.ge3
~e4+ 15.ibe2 tDxe5
16.0-0!
White has sacrificed two
pawns, but he has completed his
development. Black is far from
being safe. There are plenty of
open files and and White can
quickly create dangerous threats
against the black king. 16 ... tDxf3+
17.i.xf3 ~f5 18.~b3 ~d7 19.
'We2 ~f5 20 .1e4 'We6 21.1b2 f5
22.1f3 1d7 23.1xb7 gb8 24.
ge7 gg8 25.gxd7! (White cap-
tures that bishop, which was one
of the main defenders of the black
king and he achieves a swift suc-
cess after that.) 25 ... Wxd7 (25 ...
~xd7 26.1c6+-) 26.We6+ wd8
27.~b6+ wd7 28.1e6+ We8
29.Wa6+ We7 (29 ... wdS 30.~aS+
WcS 31.:gcl+-) 30.'Wa7+ (It was
quite enough for White to play
30.:gcl+- in order to win.) 30 ...
Wxe6 31.ge1+ wb5 (31...wdS
32.~d4#) 32.~xb8+-.
e) 5 ... tDe6
This move is quite possible and
it has been tested numerous times
in practice. It is worth analysing it
extensively.
The black knight retreated
from the dangerous b4-square and
that looks quite acceptable for
Black. On the other hand, it can be
attacked in a rather simple fash-
ion with d2-d4-d5 and that is quite
dangerous for Black!
61
Chapter 4
6.d4d6
This is a very tentative move.
Black complies with the fact that
his opponent has a space advan-
tage. He hopes to complete his
development and to equalize sub-
sequently.
The counterstrike 6 ... dS in the
centre seems logical, but it is still
quite dangerous for Black. White's
attacking prospects are so rich that
I was really amazed! 7.exdS! ~xd5
8.ttJc3 ~d8 (It is even worse for
Black to play 8 ... ~d6, because
White wins an important tempo
with: 9.d5 ttJeS 1O.ttJbS! This is it
- the tempo! 10 ... ~b8 11.~f4 a6
12.ttJf3 ttJd3+ 13.~xd3 axbS 14.
bb5+ 1-0 Kroshk - thotep, Inter-
net 2004; 1l ... g6 12.ttJf3 ~g7 13.
E1c4 ~d7 14.ttJc7+ @f8 IS.~xe5
beSI6.ttJxeS+- Kroshk - Kiserov,
Internet 2004) 9.d5 ttJb8 (Black is
also beyond salvation in the line:
9 ... ttJeS 1O.~d4 ttJg6 11.E1xa7 E1xa7
12.~xa7 ttJf613.~bS+ ~d714.~xb7
e6 IS.dxe6 ~e7 16.~xd7+ ttJxd7
17.~xd7+ ~xd7 18.exd7+ @xd7
19.ttJf3 1-0 Kroshk - RedHaven,
Internet 2004; 1O ... ttJd711.~f4 eS
12.dxe6 fxe6 13.ttJbS eS 14.~xeS
ttJxeSlS.~xeS+ ~e716.ttJc7+ 1-0
Kroshk - darkod, Internet 2004)
1O.~f4 ~d7 (1O ... ttJf6 1l.ttJbS ~d7
12.ttJc7+ ~xc7 13.~xc7 ~xa4 14.
~bl! Black's compensation for the
queen is quite insufficient after:
14 ... b6 15.~bS+ ~xbS 16.~xbS+
ttJbd7 17.~c6 E1c8 18.~b7 E1xc7
19.~xc7 1-0 Kroshk - Bosha,
Internet 2004) 11.ttJbS ~xb5 12.
bbS+ ttJd713.ttJf3 tiJgf614.0-0 a6
62
15.~xd7+ ~xd7 16.c4 g6 17.ttJeS
~f5 18.E1a3 ~xf4 19.~a4+ bS 20.
~xbS+ @d8 21.~b6+ @c8 22. ~c6
@d8, Kroshk - TheBigDaan2,
Internet 2004, 23.tiJxf7#.
6 ... ttJf6 (This move is quite pro-
vocative. Black's knights are just
tempting White to attack them
with his pawns.) 7.dS! (White
should naturally not shun from
such wonderful possibility. He win
gain a lot of space in case he fails
to win a piece. That will be quite
favourable for White anyway.)
7... ttJeS (It is too passive for Black
to follow with: 7... ttJb8 8.eS ttJg8.
Have a look at that amusing varia-
tion: 9.~bS a6 1O.ttJf3 ~b6 11.~e3
~xbSI2.c4 ~b2?! 13.~d4+-) 8.f4
ttJg6 9.eS ttJg8 (This position is a
disaster for Black. White's enor-
mous space advantage can be ma-
terialized in numerous ways.)
10.tiJf3 (This is probably the sim-
plest. I will not overburden the
readers with the other possibili-
ties. They are all very attractive for
White.) 1O ... d6 11.~d4 a6 12.~d3
tiJh6 13.0-0 ttJfS 14.~f2! (This
move has been played with the
conviction that the f-file will be
opened quite soon.) 14 ... dxeS
IS.fxeS ~xd5 16.tiJc3 ~c6 17.E1c4
~d718.bfS ~xfS 19.ttJdS+-.
6 ... e6 (This move does not
seem bad. White obtains an excel-
lent chance to push his pawn
all the way up to d6. This might
be disastrous for Black.) 7.dS
ttJb8 (7 ... tiJe5 8.f4 ttJg6 9.~e3 ttJf6
1O.ttJc3 as 1l.d6 b6 12.tiJb5 1-0
Kroshk - darthweber, Internet
 1.e4 cS 2.a3 tLlc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab tLlb4 SJ''\a4
2003) S.d6 (White's d6-pawn
is Black's worst enemy. White
should try to preserve that pawn
by all means and if he succeeds,
Black is just doomed!) S ... bS!?
This is an interesting defensive re-
source for Black. (S ... tLlf6 9.tLlc3
tLla6 lO.tLlbS g6 1U'\xa6+-; 9 ... a5
lO.eS tLlgS l1.tLlbS tLla6 12.f4 b6
13.V~H3 l!bS 14.l!c4! fS lS.l!c7!
White's rook has occupied a rather
unusual square in a very extraor-
dinary fashion. Black must com-
ply with certain positional conces-
sions ifhe wishes to exchange that
dangerous rook. lS ... tLlcS 16.~e3
~b717.l!xb7! Black's bishop on the
long diagonal was capable of
creating plenty of problems for
White. Therefore, he is not sacri-
ficing the exchange, but makes
only a favourable exchange com-
bination instead. 17 ... tLlxb7 IS.
tLlc7+ mf7 19.tLla6 tLlcS 20.tLlxbS
~xbS 21.~b5 ~cS 22.tLlh3 h6 23.
O-O! tLle4 24.c4 g6 2S.tLlf2 tLlcS
26.~xcS ~xc5 27.~b7+-; 26 ... bxcS
27.tLld3 l!h7 2S.l!al+-. White can
fall into an amusing trap ifhe is in
a hurry to exchange pieces: 23.
~xcS?! ~xcS! 24.~xd7 ~xd6! This
positional piece-sacrifice is just
essential for Black's survival and
White's win is highly problematic
in the position after: 2S.exd6
tLlf6ii6.) 9.l!a3! (Otherwise White is
hardly any better, for example af-
ter 9.~bS ~b6 he loses the impor-
tant d6-pawn.) 9 ... b4lO.l!a4! tLlc6
(After lO ... aS, White manages to
consolidate his central pawns:
H.eS tLlc6 12.f4 tLlh6 13.tLlf3 ~b6
14.~d3~a61S.We2 ~d316.~xd3.
Black preserves his extra pawn in-
deed, but White's prospects are
better. Black's pieces have prob-
lems to join in the action. 16 ... ~a6
17.c4! bxc31S.Wxa6l!xa619.tLlxc3
l!b6 20.0-0 fS 21.~e3 l!b3 22.l!c1
tLlg4 23.~c5 g6 24.h3 tLlh6 25.tLle2
tLlf7 26.tLlfd4 tLlxd4 27.~xd4 E'lbS
2S.E'lxaS+-; 26 ... l!b2 27.tLlxc6 E'lxe2
2S.E'lxaS dxc6 29.l!aS+ md7 30.
l!a7+ meS 31.d7+ mdS 32.~b6+
me7 33.dS~#) 11.f4 e5 (This pre-
vents White to get a positional
bind with e4-eS.) 12.tLlf3 exf4
13.~xf4 as 14.eS ~b6 lS.c3! (This
undermines Black's pawn chain
on the queenside. White enables
his pieces to attack the weaknesses
of his opponent subsequently.)
lS ... l!bS 16.~c4 ~a6 17.~dS ~xc4
lS.~xc4 bxc3 (lS ... b3 19.tLld4
tLlxd4 20.cxd4 b2 21.0-0 ~bS
22.~c7 ~b6 23.'lWxb6 l!xb6 24.
l!xaS+-) 19.tLlxc3 ~b3 20.0-0
(White's advantage does not de-
crease after the trade of the
queens. His pieces remain much
more active.) 20 ... ~xc4 21.l!xc4
l!b4 22.l!xb4 axb4 23.tLldS f6 24.
~g3 fxeS 2S.tLlc7+! mf7 26.tLlxeS#;
2S ... mdS 26.tLlxe5 tLlh6 27.tLlxc6+
dxc6 2S.tLle6+ meS 29.tLlxfS l!xfS
30.d7+-; 26 ... ~xd6 27.tLlf7+ mxc7
2S.~d6+ @b6 29.tLlxhS+-; 24 ...
mf7 25.tLlb6 me6 26.exf6 tLlxf6??
27.tLlg5#; 26 ... gxf6 27.l!e1+ mfS
2S.tLlxd7+-.
(diagram)
7.d5!
White should be in a hurry! It
is enough for him to make one
63
Chapter 4
mistake and the opponent might
get a respite and equalize gradu-
ally.
Have a look at an example of a
unsatisfactory play by White, who
acted experimentally out of only
common sense: 7.LUf3?! g6 S.fi.bS
fi.d7 9.fi.e3 fi.g7 W.'lWd2 a6 1l.fi.e2
LUf6 12.dS LUeS 13J'lb4 as 14.Elxb7
LUxe4 IS.'lWcl 0-0 16.0-0 e6 17.
LUxeS dxeSlS.fi.b6 'lWcS19.Elc7'IWbS
20.Elxd7 'lWxb6 21.dxe6 'lWxe6 22.
Elfdl ElabS 23.c4 ElfcS 24.fi.f3 LUcS
2S.Ela7 e4 26.fi.e2 LUd3 27.fi.xd3
exd3 2S.LUa3 fi.b2 0-1 Kroshk -
TheBigDaan2, Internet 2004.
7 .. tlJe5
This is an active move, but
White can repel that knight with
f2-f4 and therefore he should not
develop his knight prematurely to
f3 in similar positions.
It was more prudent for Black,
but also too passive to play 7... ttJbS
S.ttJc3 ttJf6 9.f4! (This is an impor-
tant resource. Black should now
exercise permanent control over
the eS-square in order to prevent
the possible advance e4-eS.) 9 ...
fi.d7 W.Ela3 e6 1l.ttJf3 fi.e7 12.fi.d3
0-0 13.0-0 exdS 14.ttJxdS ttJxdS
IS.exdS fi.f616.fi.e3 a617.c4. White
has obtained a wonderful com pen-
64
sation for the pawn and he has ex-
cellent attacking prospects. This is
partially because the black knight
on bS is out of play. The following
variation is quite indicative: 17...
EleSlS.'lWbl! This is a double attack
against b7 and h7. IS ... h6 19.
'lWxb7+-.
8.'lWd4
White has good prospects too
after S.f4. I cannot make up my
mind which of these two moves is
better. S ... ttJd7 9.fi.bS a6 W.ttJf3!
(White's bishop is untouchable!)
10 ...ElbS 11.fi.e2 (Black's rook has
left the as-square and Black is
threatening to take on bS. White
must retreat. The loss of time how-
ever is immaterial in that position.
White is perfectly prepared for
decisive actions in the centre.)
1l ... ttJcS 12.Eld4 ttJf6 13.eS ttJfe4
14.0-0 bSlS.ttJfd2 ttJxd2 16.LUxd2
fi.b7 17.c4 b4 lS.ttJb3 ttJxb3 19.
'lWxb3 as 20.'lWa4+-.
8 ... a6
Black defends the attacked a7-
pawn. Naturally, he cannot try to
exchange queens from the b6-
square, since he loses a rook after
that.
Black can return his extra
pawn, but is that good indeed?!
S ... ttJf6 9.Elxa7 Elxa7 W.'lWxa7 'lWc7
(but not W ... ttJxe4?? 1l.'lWa4+ fi.d7
12.'lWxe4+-) 1l.fi.bS+ fi.d712.'lWaS+
'lWdS 13.'lWxb7 ttJxe4 (13 ... 'lWaS+?!
14.fi.d2 'lWxbS?? IS.'lWaS+-) 14.
fi.xd7+ ttJxd7 (14 ... 'lWxd7?? 15. 'lWaS
'lWdS 16.'lWa4+ 'lWd7 17.'lWxe4+-)
IS.ttJf3 ttJecSl6.'lWc6 e617.0-0 fi.e7
18.dxe6t.
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 ct:Jc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ct:Jb4 S.l"la4
9.f4lUd7
10.eS!
Black has no space at all. His
attempt to solve part of the prob-
lems by winning a second pawn
would backfire: 10 \l;!fe711 .ib2 .ixgS l"lxgS 17.l"le1+ c;t>dS lS.l"le4
\l;!fxe2 12.lUa3 \l;!fg6 13.lUf3 lUeS
14 . .ibS+ 'it>d8 1S. 0 - 0 lUxa4
(Unfortunately, it is a disaster for
Black to play: lS ... .ih3 16.lUgS
.ixg2 17.'it>xg2 h6 lS ..id3 ct:Jxd3
19.\l;!fb6+ 'it>eS 20.\l;!fxb7 ct:Jxf4+
2U''laxf4 \l;!fxgS+ 22.'it>hll"ldS 23.
e6+-) 16.ha4 'it>e717 .l"le1 + 'it>b8
18.\l;!fb6+-.
t) S ... e6
This natural move is very flex-
ible too. It is quite possible that
it may become Black's main de-
fence in the near future. We will
analyse the lines fl) 6.ct:Je3 and
f2) 6. ia3.
fl) 6.ct:Jc3!?
White develops his knight in
this quite natural fashion and
Black may soon become the victim
of plenty of beautiful tactical lines.
6 . lUf6
6 ... dS 7.Jta3 as S.exdS id7 9.
dxe6! (This exchange-sacrifice is
quite promising.) 9 ....ixa41O.exf7
c;t>xf711.ic4+ c;t>eS12.ct:Jxa4 ct:Jxc2+
13.~xc2 .ixa3 14.ct:Jf3 (White's
compensation is excellent.) 14 ...
~e7+ 15.c;t>dl ~b4 16.l"lel+ (16.
~b5 19.ct:Jd4 ~f1+ 20.l"le1 ~xg2
21.ct:Je6+ c;t>d7 22.~c7+ c;t>eS 23.
ct:Jg5+-) 16 ... ct:Je7 17.l"le4 \l;!fd6 lS.
l"le6 \l;!fb4 (lS ... \l;!fdS 19.ct:Jb6 c;t>fS
20.~e4l"lbS 21.\l;!ff4+ c;t>eS 22 ..ib5+
\l;!fd7 23 ..ixd7+ c;t>dS 24.\l;!fxbS+
ct:JcS 2S.\l;!fxcS#) 19.1"lb6+-.
7.eS ct:JfdS 8.lUbS!
White's active knight avoids
being exchanged in this instructive
fashion.
8 ... a6
Black practically forces his op-
ponent to sacrifice the exchange
in addition. White can and even
must be ready to refute the insidi-
ous intentions of his opponent.
This is because Black falls quickly
into trouble after he wins the ex-
change!
S ... ttJb6 9.l"la3 a6 10.ctJd6+
.ixd6 11.exd6 (White's activity
along the dark squares promises
him an excellent compensation for
the pawn.) 11...~g5 12.l"lg3 ~e5+
13 ..ie2 0-0 14.d4 \l;!fxd4 15 ..ih6
65
Chapter 4
Wlxd1+ 16.<;l:;>xd1 g6 17.h4! (White
can afford not to accept the ex-
change-sacrifice, since his king-
side attack will definitely yield
even more!) 17 ... EleS lS.h5 e5
19.iid2lLJ4d5 20.hxg6 fxg6 21.Elb3
as 22.c4 lLJb4 (22 ... a4 23.Elbl+-)
23.c5 lLJ6d5 24.Elbh3! (White's
attack is not victorious after:
24.iixb4 lLJxb4 25.Elbh3 h5 26.
g4 a4 27.gxh5 a3 2S.hxg6 a2 29.
iic4+ <;l:;>g7 30.Elh7 + <;l:;>f6-+) 24 ...
h5 25.g4lLJf6 26.gxh5lLJe4 27.El3h2
g5 2S.lLJf3 g4 29.Elg1 g3 30.fxg3 b6
31.iic4 <;l:;>hS 32.iif7 lLJxd2 33.
<;l:;>xd2+~.
9.iia3! lLJb6 10.hb4 ttJxa4
11. ttJd6 + ! hd6 12.hd6
White's bishop is very power-
ful now. The moment the white
queen manages to support its ac-
tions Black's defence will just
crumble.
12 ttJb6
12 ... Wlh4 13.Wlf3! ttJb6 14.lLJh3
ttJd5 15.c4 lLJe7 16.iid3 0-0 17.
iixe7 Wlxe7 lS.hh7+ <;l:;>xh7 (1S ...
<;l:;>hS 19.Wlh5+-) 19.Wlh5+ <;l:;>gS
20.lLJg5 Wlxg5 21.Wlxg5.
13.~g4 Elg8 14.iid3 g6 IS.
~f4
Whute's pieces have occupied
66
tremendously active positions.
The arising variations are quite
spectacular. White can even afford
to sacrifice his last rook as well!
IS ... ttJdS
15 ... g5 16.Wlg4lLJd5 17.Wlh5! g4
(17 ... Wla5 lS.g3 Wla1+ 19.<;l:;>e2 Wlb2
20.Wlxh7 ElfS 21.Wlg7lLJe7 22.Wlxg5
f6 23.Wlg7 Elf7 24.iig6 lLJxg6 25.
Wlxg6 Wlb5+ 26.d3+-) lS.Wlxh7
Wlg5 19.h4 Wlg7 20.Wlxg7 Elxg7
21.h5 ElgS 22.h6 f5 23.exf6 <;l:;>f7
(23 ... lLJxf6 24.h7 ElhS 25.iie5 <;l:;>f7
26.Elh6+-) 24.h7 ElhS 25.Elh6 as
(25 ... lLJxf6 26.iie5+-) 26.iie5 Ela6
27.iig6+ <;l:;>fS 2S.f7+-.
16.~h6 ~aSI7:~xh7 ttJe7
17 ... ElfS lS.lLJh3 Wla1+ 19.<;l:;>e2
Wlxh1 20.iixg6! lLJe7 (20 ... fxg6
21.Wlg7!+-) 21.iixf7+ Elxf7 22.
WlhS+ ElfS 23.~h5+ <;l:;>dS (23 ... Elf7
24.ttJg5 lLJg6 25.Wlxg6+-) 24.~h4
EleS 25.lLJg5 ElfS 26.lLJxe6+ dxe6
27.Wlxe7#
18.ttJf3!! ~a1+ 19.1!ie2 Wlxhl
20 .ttJgS (Black's rooks are a mis-
erable sight.) 20 .. JU8 21.ttJe4
ttJfS (21...lLJc6 22.c3 Wlxg2 23.lLJf6+
I!idS 24.iie4 Wlg5 25.Wlg7 EleS 26.
Wlxf7 ElhS 27.iixc6+-) 22.ttJf6+
I!id8 23.hfS gxfS 24.Wlg7 E1e8
2S.~xf7+-.
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 lLlc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lLlb4 S.~a4
f2) 6 . .ia3!
I admit that I was quite hesi-
tant about what the best idea
for White was. He has an ample
choice and that makes the right
decision difficult. Finally, I de-
cided that the bishop-move must
be preferred.
6 .. lLlc6 7.hf8 ~xf8 8.lLlf3!
The idea of this quite ordinary
move is that White wishes to pre-
serve the possibility to occupy the
d4-square with a piece and not
with a pawn!
I believe that after 8.d4 dS
(Kroshk - Bosha, Internet 2004)
Black's position is at least equal.
This is not surprising at all.
White's activity is neutralized,
since he is incapable to use the d4-
square for his pieces and the
long a1-h8 diagonal has been
blocked.
8 ... d6
8 ... dS 9 ..ibS! (This is White's
best way to fight for the all-impor-
tant central squares. The other
possibilities are weaker.) 9 ... dxe4
(9 ... lLlge7 10.0-0 dxe4 1U'lxe4 b6
12.lLlc3 .ib7 13.'Wa1 lLlfS 14 ..ia6!
Black's bishop has become danger-
ous, so it must be exchanged.
14 ... .ixa6 15.'lh'xa6 lLlcd4 16.lLlxd4
lLlxd4 17.'Wb7! White has obtaind
a powerful initiative. The game
might follow with: 17 ... lLlxc2 18.
~f4 f6 19.c4 'lh'b8 20.Wfe4 lLla3
21.a4+-) 1O ..ixc6 bxc6 11.~xe4
(Black's king position remains un-
safe and that is almost decisive.
His pieces are too difficult to co-
ordinate in this pawn structure.)
11...lLlf6 12.~d4 Wfb6 13.0-0 eS
14.a4 .ig4 lS.h3 .ixf3 16.Wfxf3
Wfc5 17.lLlc3 ~d8 18J'lfa1 xd2
19.xa7Wfc4 20.~a8+ lLle8 21.lLle4
l"1d4 22.lLlgS WfdS 23.'WfS e4 (23 ...
l"1d1+ 24.~xd1 'lh'xd1+ 2S.~h2 WfdS
26.c4 Wfxc4 27.WfxeS+-) 24.lLlxh7+
l"1xh7 2s.Wfxh7l"1d1+ 26.~h2 l"1xa1
27.'Wh8+! (27.l"1xa1?? WfeS-+) 27...
~e7 28.Wfxe8+ ~f6 29.xal+-.
9.d4!
This is the right move now. Its
idea is that Black intended to sta-
bilize his position with the move
9 ... eS. White needs to play flexibly
and counter the intentions of the
opponent deftly. The arising posi-
tion resembles some lines of the
Volga Gambit with colours re-
versed.
It was weaker for White to play
9.lLlc3 eS10.'lh'a1.ig4+; 9 ..ibS .id7
67
Chapter 4

10.tLJc3 a6 11.~a1 ElcS 12.~xc6 White solidifies the position of

~xc6 13.ElaS (13.Eld4 tLJf6 14.0-0
~c7 lS.~a3 'itigS+) 13 ... tLJf6 14.eS
dxeS lS.tLJxeS ~xg2 16.Elg1 ~dS+.
9 ... ttJf6
9 ... ~f61O.~bS eS11.~c6 bxc6
12.tLJbd2 exd4 13.Elxd4 ~a6 14.c4
gSlS.~a4 cS16.~c6 EldS17.eS ~e7
lS.Elxd6 Elxd6 19.~xd6 ~xd6 20.
exd6 f6 21.'itie2 g4 22.tLJh4 ~cS
23.ct'Je4+-.
9 ... g61O.tLJbd2 'itig711.~a1 tLJf6
12.~d3 ~d7 13.0-0 eS 14.dS tLJd4
lS.Elxa7 (The consequences of the
positional exchange-sacrifice are
rather unclear: lS.Elxd4 exd4 16.
~xd4 EleS 17.tLJc4~) lS ... Elxa7 16.
~xa7 tLJxf3+ 17.tLJxf3 ~cS lS.tLJd2
tLJhS19.g3, and Black will hardly
be able to defend his weaknesses
on the queenside. Meanwhile his
counterplay on the kingside is evi-
dently insufficient.
10.J.d3 e5
1O ... g611.ct'Jbd2 'itig712.~a1! eS
(12 ... EleS 13.0-0 'itigS 14.eS dxeS
lS.dxeS tLJd7 16.tLJe4) 13.dxeS
dxeS 14.ct'JxeS tLJxeS lS.~xeS EleS
16.~al.
11. ttJbd2!
his knight on f3 quite timely.
11 ... ~g4
12.Wi'a1!
It is evident now that the same
queen-manoeuvre would have
looked ridiculous with a white
knight on c3, instead of on d2.
12 ... ~xf3 (12 ... exd4 13.tLJxd4;!:;)
13.ttJxf3 exd4 14.ttJxd4 d5 15.
ttJxc6 bxc6 16.e5 ttJd7 17.0-0
Wi'c7 1S.f4 (Black's extra pawn is
almost immaterial. He has several
weaknesses to worry about, but
his main problem remains to be
the safety of his king.) 1S ... ttJc5
19.Wi'a3 Wi'e7 20J~la5 ttJxd3 21.
Wi'xd3 g6 22. Wi'c3 'itig7 23.f5 gxf5
24J;xf5 ElhcS 25.Ela4 Wi'e6 26.
Elf6+-.

Conclusion
We got acquainted with one of the strangest and even confusing
lines of the amazing 2.a3 system. The early development of the white
rook requires subtlety and precision of both opponents right at the
very beginning of the game. One mistake may often lead to disas-
trous consequences.
Some of the merits of the move 5. Ela4 are that the rook creates the
threat to capture the knight and depending on the further develop-
ments, it can occupy some squares along the fourth rank quite advan-
tageously. This is not a bluff - you can find plenty of lines with that
motive in our analyses.

6S
 l.e4 c5 2.a3 ttJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ttJb4 5J':&a4

White's queen gains access to the promising aJ-square that often

turns out to be the best for it in this position. There are some other
advantages of the rook-move, but maybe it is time to pay some atten-
tion to the drawbacks too ...
The basic defect of the move is possibly thefact that White might
have to lose time while retreating the rook from the a4-square. White
is already a pawn down, so the loss of the initiative might lead him
into a bad position. Therefore, I am strongly advising my readers to
study the variations in this chapter quite thoroughly! You can play
these lines and experiment successfully only after you have acquired
the necessary theoretical knowledge.

69
ChapterS
My analysis shows - that is the
best move. We will deal now in
details with a) S .. dS, b) S d6 14.0-0 ltJh6 IS.d6) 9.eS ltJb3
and c) S . e6.
The other possibilities are not
satisfactory for Black:
S ... eS?! This move was sug-
gested by a computer programme!
Human players do not come up
often with moves like that. White
cannot regain his pawn immedi-
ately, but he has excellent attack-
ing chances. 6.dxeS VlJc7 7.c3 VlJxeS
B..te2! ltJc6 9.ltJf3 VlJxe41O.0-0 dS
1l ..tbS ltJge7 12J'lel VfffS 13.ltJd4
VlJf6 14.ltJxc6 bxc6 IS.VffxdS .td7
16.Vffe4 ElbB 17..td3 Elb71B.ElaS h6
19 ..te3 Vffe6 20.ha7Vffxe4 21.he4
f6 22.ltJd2 @f7 23 ..te3 g6 24.Ela6;
Black can ignore completely
White's threats with the move:
S... g6. White obtains a great ad-
vantage with simple moves: 6.c3
ltJc6 7.dS ltJaS (7 ... ltJeS?? B.f4+-;
7 ... ltJbB B.Vffd4 f6 9.Elxa7 Elxa7
1O.Vffxa7 ltJa6 l1.ltJf3 .tg7 12 ..td3
ltJh6 13 ..te3 VffaS 14.0-0 0-0 15.
.tb6 Vffa2 16 ..td4ltJf717.VlJb6ltJd6
IB.ltJbd2 ltJf7 19.1tJb3 d6 20.Elal
VlJb2 21.c4+- Kroshk - chenxi-
nyuan, Internet 2003.) B.VlJd4ltJf6
70
l.e4 cS 2.a3 lbc6 3.b4 cxb4
4.axb4 lbxb4 S.d4
(B .. .f6 9.Vffa4 b61O.ltJf3ltJb711 ..ta3
ltJcS 12 ..txcS bxcS 13 ..tc4 .tg7
lO.Vffa4 ltJxal (lO ... ltJxcl l1.exf6
Vffc7 12.ltJf3 exf6 13.VlJc2 .th6 14.
ltJbd2+-) l1.exf6 VlJb6 12.Vffxal. I
thought about another quite un-
usual way of playing with White in
answer to the S... g6 move: 6.Ela4
ltJc6 (6 ... aS 7..ta3 ltJc6 B.dS ltJa7
9.Vffd4 ltJf6 lO.eS ltJgB 11..tcS!
White wins a knight and he can
easily parry Black's harmless
threats. 1l ...Vffc712.ha7bS 13 ..tb6
Vffxc214.Elal Vffcl+ IS.Vffdl+-) 7.dS
ltJaS B..tb2 ltJf6 (B .. .f6 9.ltJf3 b6
lO.eS .tg7 l1.d6 .tb7 12.ltJc3 ltJh6
13.dxe7 Vffxe7 14 ..ta3 Vffe6 IS.ltJbS
ItldB 16.ltJbd4 VffdS 17.c4 Vffe4+
IB ..te2 Vffg4 19.exf6 .txf6 20.ltJeS
Vffxg2 21.ltJe6+ ItlcB 22.Vffxd7+ @bB
23 ..td6#) 9.eS ltJhS 1O ..te2 ltJg7
1l.ltJf3 b6 12.0-0 ltJb7 13.ltJgS h6
(13 ... ltJcS 14.Elf4 f6 IS.exf6 exf6
16.Elel fxgS 17..tf3+ .te7 IB.d6+-)
14.ltJe4ltJcS IS.ltJxcS bxcS 16.ltJd2
.tb7 17.ltJb3 e6 IB.d6 Vffb6 19 ..tf3
ElbB 20 ..txb7 Vffxb7 21.Vffal c4
22.Elxa7 VlJbS 23.ltJd4! VffxeS (23 ...
Vffxb2 24.Vffxb2 Elxb2 2S.ElaB+ ElbB
26.ElxbB#) 24.ltJc6+-;
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 ctJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab l/Jb4 S.d4
S... ctJf6 (This move is challeng-
ing even provocative! It helps
Black's development indeed, but
both his knights are rather mis-
placed after it.) 6.eS ctJfdS (6 ...
ctJe4? 7.f3+-) 7.c4 ctJb6 S.~b3
e6 9.ctJf3 as 10.ctJc3 a4 (Black's
main problem is that he cannot
play d7-dS (or d7-d6), because
after White captures en pass ant
he has the decisive resource of
playing c4-cS then.) 11.~bl ie7
12.ia3 l/Jc6 13.icS! (Black's b6-
knight has been trapped in an
amusing way!) 13 ... Ela6 14.ixe7
~xe7 IS.cS! (Black's rook and
knight are hanging now.) 15 ...
ctJxd4 16.ctJe4 ctJxf3+ 17.gxf3 ctJdS
IS.ixa6 1-0 Kroshk - arcanine,
Internet 2004;
S... ctJc6 (Black should be really
cold-blooded to playa move like
that! The knight loses additional
time retreating under the attack of
White's advancing pawn-chain.
White must play energetically oth-
erwise his initiative might evapo-
rate.) 6.dS ctJbS 7.eS! (White must
immediately seize the opportunity
to cramp the enemy position maxi-
mally.) 7 ... d6 (It is too bad for
Black to play 7 ... e6? S.d6+-, fol-
lowed simply by ctJbl-c3-bS-c7.)
S.ctJf3 g6 (S ... dxeS 9.ctJxeS ctJd7
10.ibS ctJgf6 1l.ib2! White has a
powerful initiative and Black can
hardly complete his development
naturally. 11...~b6 12.ctJc3 a6
13.~e2 Ei:bS 14.ctJc4 ~cS IS.ia3!
~d4 16.0-0 axbS 17.ctJd6+ cj;>dS
IS.ctJxV+ cj;>eS 19.ctJxbS ~e4 20.
~xe4 ctJxe4 21.l/JxhS ctJdf6 22.ib2
id7 23.ctJc7 + cj;>dS 24.ctJe6+ cj;>eS
2S.etJc7+ cj;>dS 26.ieS ElcS 27.ctJf7#
1-0 Kroshk - Diablos, Internet
2004) 9.ie3 a6 1O.ibS+! (White
begins an operation with the idea
to occupy the all-important e6-
square, with that check.) 1O ... id7
Il.ixd7+ ctJxd7 (1l...~xd712.~d4!
f6 - Black loses immediately a
piece after the natural move 12 ...
ig713.e6!+- - 13.e6 ~cS 14.~c3!
White's most direct road to victory
is the trade of the queens. The rest
of the black pieces left on the board
are too passive. 14 ... ~xc3+ 15.
ctJxc3 ih6 16.ib6 as 17.0-0 ctJa6
IS.Ei:fbl ElcS 19.ixaS ctJcS 20.ib6
cj;>fS 21.ixcS Ei:xcS 22.Ei:a3+-; 15 ...
ctJh6 16.ctJbS cj;>dS 17.ib6+ cj;>cS
IS.ctJc7 Ei:a719.Ei:a4 ig7 20.Ei:c4+-)
12.e6 fxe6 (12 ... ctJeSI3.ctJxeS dxeS
14.exf7+ cj;>xf71S.c4 cj;>g716.0-0 bS
17.cxbS axbSlS.ib6! ~eSI9.Ei:xaS
~xaS 20.ic7 e4 21.ieS+ ctJf6
22.ctJc3 cj;>f7 23.ctJxe4 ih6 24.~d4
~dS 2S.Ei:bl+-; IS ... ig7 16.~b3
~d7 17.0-0 l/Jf6 IS.ctJc3 ~hcS
19.ctJa4; IS ... Ei:hfS 19.1/Ja4 ~c7
20.ctJcS l"i:fcS 21.Ei:fcl ctJg4 22.ctJe6
~d7 23.Ei:abl bS 24.cS l/Jxe3 25.
fxe3 cj;>gS 26.c6 ~d6 27.ctJgS)
13.dxe6 ctJdf6 14.c4 ~cS (14 ... ~cS
IS.~a4+ Ei:c6 16.ctJd4+-) IS.ctJd4
~xc4 16.ctJd2 ~dS 17.~a4+ cj;>dS
(17 ... bS?! IS.ctJxbS+-) IS.ctJbS
~xe6 19.~aS+ cj;>d7 20.ctJc7 b6
21.~xb6 ~e5 (21...ctJdS 22.ctJxe6
ctJxb6 23.ctJxfS+ Ei:xfS 24.hb6+-)
22J:kl Ei:cS 23.~b7 Ei:xc7 24.~xc7+
cj;>e8 2S.ctJf3 ~dS 26.ctJgS ~aS
27.~cS+ ~xcS 2S.Ei:xcS+ cj;>d7
29.~xfS+-.
71
Chapter S
a) S ... dS
This move is logical. The
counterstrike in the centre can of-
ten facilitate Black's defence.
White's resources however are too
great in this position.
6.c3
White can also try here the al-
ready familiar idea: 6.l=i:a4!? It is
not as effective now on move six,
as it was on move five, though ... :
6 ... e6 7.~a3 as (The idea of that
move is to activate the passed
pawn immediately. It is also good
for Black to play 7 ... lUc6 S.~xfS
~xfS) S.c3 lUc6 9.~xfS ~xfS (It is
quite useful for White to trade
these bishops from the point of
view of strategy. Still Black has
an extra pawn and his position
is solid enough.) 1O.eS ~d7 (10 ...
fS 1l.lUf3 lUge7 12.~d3 g6 13.h4
h6+ Kroshk - ent, Internet 2004;
10 ... hS 11.f4 lUh6?! 12.~xhSt
Kroshk - Suspender, Internet
2004; 1l ... g612.lUf32i5) 11.lUf3lUge7
12.~d3 lUg6 13.0-0 lUf4 14.l=i:a3
lUxd3 lS.~xd3 g6 16.lUbd2 ~g7
17.l=i:b1 ~c71S.~e3 h619.~f4 (This
is the type of position that White
should be after in this quite un-
clear variation. The black king will
72
be unsafe in this pawn structure,
no matter how Black plays.) 19 ...
lUdS 20.~f6+ ~h7 21.~e7 l=i:cS
22.l=i:ba1l=i:eS (22 ... lUc6?? 23.~xf7#
Kroshk - bierund, Internet 2004;
22 ... ~c6 23.~xc7 nxc7 24.l=i:xaS)
23.~h42i5 White's knight is better
than the black bishop. This posi-
tion is the ideal example of the
correctness of the famous rule:
"Queen and knight are better than
Queen and bishop".
6 ... tLlc6 7.exdS ~xdS
8.tLla3!
This surprising knight-ma-
noeuvre is extremely dangerous
for Black.
S.lUf3?! (This move is solid, but
a bit too slow.) S ... eS! (This is the
most resolute answer. Black re-
turns the extra pawn, but equal-
izes easily.) 9.lUxeS lUxeS 10.~e2
~e611.~xeS ~xeS+ 12.dxeSlUe7=
Hoogendoorn - De Winter, Vlis-
singen 1997.
8 ... e6
It is dubious for black to play
S ... ~fS, Shchukin - Kruglyakov,
Kiev 2002. White has the non-
standard manoeuvre 9.lUc4! with
the powerful threat 1O.lUe3!, repel-
ling the black queen away from the
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 CiJc6 3.M cb 4.ab CiJb4 S.d4
centre. White follows that with d4-
dS and Black's position crumbles.
S ... ct:lf6 (This developing move
seems good, but it is not enough
to solve Black's problems in this
sharp position.) 9.lijbS ~dS 10.
dS! CiJeS (Capturing on dS was los-
ing a piece for Black after: 10 ...
CiJxdS? l1.~xdS ~xdS 12.CiJc7+-)
11..~f4 CiJfd7 (The possibility of
Black playing that move was the
reason for the retreat of the queen
to dS and not on d7. Nevertheless
White's initiative increases.) 12.
CiJf3 f6 (This is Black's only way to
preserve his knight on eS. It was
hopeless for him to play 12 ...
CiJxf3+? 13.~xf3+-) 13.CiJfd4 CiJcS
(Otherwise White's knight pen-
etrates to the e6-square.) 14.heS
fxeS lS.~hS+ g6 16.~xeS ElgS
17.CiJc7+ <j;>f71S.CiJxaS+- Kroshk-
tituli, Internet 2004.
S ... eS 9.CiJbS id61O.~f3! (This
is an excellent idea. Black's de-
fence is quite problematic after the
surprising trade of the queens.
White had other ways to seize the
initiative as well: 1O.ic4!? ~e4+
11.CiJe2 ibS 12.0-0 CiJf6 13.~b3
~g6 14.dS CiJe7 lS.ia3iC; 12 ... a6
13.CiJg3 ~g6 14.f4 CiJge7 lS.fxeS
axbS 16.hf7+ ~xf7 17.Elxf7 Elxa1
lS.Elxg7 ifS 19.CiJxfS CiJxfS 20.
~hS+ <j;>dS 21.~xfS Elxc1+ 22.<j;>f2
CiJe7 23.Elxe7 <j;>xe7 24.~f6+ <j;>d7
2S.~xhB ia7 26.~xh7+ <j;>c6 27.
~h6+ <j;>dS 28.~xc1 b4 29.g41-0
Kroshk - delorme, Internet 2004.
The choice between these lines is
mostly a matter of style. White has
an overwhelming advantage in
both cases.) 10 ... ~xf3 (W ... e4
11..~c4 exf3 12.ixdS ibS13.hf3)
11.CLlxd6+ Ii>d7 12.CiJxf3 <j;>xd6
13.i.a3+ We6 14.dS+! (The black
king now is the target of an irre-
sistible attack.) 14 ... li>xdS lS.CiJgS
i.e6 16.Eldl+ CiJd4 17.cxd4 exd4
lS.i.b2+-.
B... WaS (Black is attacking the
c3-pawn.) 9.CiJc2 (This is a sacri-
fice of a second pawn and it is at-
tractive, but a bit risky. White
could have played another line,
but after: 9.dS ~xc3+ 10.id2
WeS+ 1l.ie3, Black has to repeat
moves in order to avoid the worst
and the game should end in a
draw after 11...~c3+. If White
wishes to fight for a win without
sacrificing a second pawn, he
should try 9.id2 with a good com-
pensation for the pawn.) 9 ... Wxc3+
1O.id2 ~b3 (1O ... Wb2 H.dS CiJd4
12.CLlxd4 ~xd4 13.ibS+ id7 14.
ixd7+ <j;>xd71S.CiJf3 ~xdS 16.0-0
Black has already three extra
pawns, but that is not enough even
for a draw. His king is too weak!
16 ... e6 17.''a4+ bS lS.~a6 <j;>eS
19.Elfb1 ElbS 20.if4 Elb6 21.WcS+
~dS 22. ~xdS+ <j;>xdS 23.Elxa7 <j;>eS
24.Elcl i.e7 2S.ElcS+ idS 26.ic7
Elc6 27 .ElxdS + <j;>e7 2B.Eldl+-)
11.Elb1 ~e6+ 12.CiJe3 CLlxd4 (12 ...
CiJf613.ic4 W'e414.dS CLld41S.ic3
eS 16.dxe6 ~cS 17.exf7+ <j;>fB IS.
ElbS b6 19.1iJe2 CLlxbS 20.~dS+
CiJeS 21.fxe8~+ ~xeB 22.~xeS+
<j;>xeS 23.i.xg7! CiJa3 24.idS+-)
13.ic4 ~g6 14.CLlf3 CiJxf3+ IS.
~xf3!! (This move might seem to
you to be impossible, because
73
Chapter 5

White loses two rooks, but in fact ~xb5+-) 15.~a3+ CUb4 16.~xb4#
Black is immediately beyond sal- 1-0 Kroshk - Traumtanzer, Inter-
vation after it. The reason for that net 2004.
is White's enormous lead in devel- 10.~f4 e5
opment.) 15 ... ~xbl+ (Black's at- 1O ... i>e711 ..id6+ i>d712.hf8
tempt to remain with three extra ~xf8 13.d5 CUe5 14.dxe6+ i>c6
pawns and defend just fails after: 15.CUxa7+-.
15 ... CUf6 16.E1:xb7 ~xb7 17.~b5+
i>d8 18.~xb7 ~bl+ 19.i>e2+-)
16.i>e2 ~xhl (16 ... ~g6 17.~b5+
i>d8 18.~a5+ b6 19.E1:dl+ i>c7
20.E1:cl+ i>b8 21.E1:xc8+ i>xc8 22.
~xa8+ i>c7 23.~xa7+ i>d6 24.
~d7+ i>e5 25.~d5+ i>f4 26.g3+
~xg3 27.hxg3#; 16 ... ~b617.~xf7+
i>d718.~xf8 ~f619.~b5+ i>e6 20.
~e8! a5 21.E1:bl+-) 17.~b5+ ~d718.
~xd7+ i>xd7 19.~xb7+ i>d6 20. This position was reached in
~b4+ i>e5 21.~d5+ i>f6 22.~f5#. the game Kroshk - Long-Dong,
9 . .!L\b5~d8 Internet 2004.
9 ... ~d6 (The bishop has left its 1l.dxe5! (This simple move is
place in order to defend the c7- definitely the strongest.) 1l... ~e6
square, but Black has suddenly 12.~xd8+ gxd8 (12 ... i>xd8 13.
another problem to solve. His g7- CUf3 CUge7 14.gdl+ i>c8 15.CUd6+
pawn needs defending badly!) i>c7 16.CUxf7 ~xf7 17.e6+-) 13.
1O.~g4! i>f8? (1O ... CUce7 11.~xg7 CUc7+ i>d7 14 . .!L\xe6 i>xe6 15.
CUg6 12.CUf3 ~d7 13.~c4 ~e4+ ~c4+ i>f516 ..!L\e2 .!L\xe517.he5
14.~e3 ~b815.~xf7+ i>xf716.CUg5 i>xe518.gxa7.
i>g7 17.CUxe4 ~c6 18.CUc5+-; 10 ...
g6 11.~c4 CUf6 12.~xd5 CUxg4 13. b) 5 ... d6
CUxd6+-) 1l.CUxd6 1-0 Kramps -
Funke, Germany 1989. Black de-
cided to resign in view of the line
1l ... ~xd6 12.~a3+-.
9 ... ~d71O.~f4 e511.dxe5 ~xdl
12.E1:xdl i>e7 13.CUc7 E1:b8 14.~c1!
This sudden retreat of the bishop
to its initial square creates the ir-
resistible threat of the check from
the a3-square. Black is outright
lost. 14 ... ~g4 (14 ... f6 15.~a3+ i>f7 6.c3 .!L\c6 7.~a4!
16.~c4+ i>g617.hf8+-; 14... b515. That move is not so easy to find

74
 l.e4 c5 2.a3 lDc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lDb4 5.d4
and it is the only one to secure the
initiative for White!
7 ... ~d7
This looks like a simple and
quite satisfactory solution to the
problems. Black is not afraid to
lose his knight anymore. Still
White wanted to maime the black
bishop to d7 and you will now see
why!
Black's attempt to oppose
White in the centre with the move
7... d5 is refuted by the powerful
resource S.c4! (White is threaten-
ing the simple capture 9.cxd5.)
S ... e6 9.cxd5 exd5 1O.~b5 lDge7
11.exd5 11:Ifxd5 12.lDf3 a6 13.lDc3
11:Ifd714.0-0 ElbS (It might seem to
you that Black has solved his ba-
sic problems and his position is
easily defendable, but that is an
illusion.) 15.~f4! (White must
sacrifice a piece in order to suc-
ceed.) 15 ... axb516.lDxb5 lDd5 (16 ...
lDg617.d5! lDxf41S.11:Ifxf4! ~e719.
dxc6+-) 17.~xbS lDxbS 1S.lDe5
lDb6 19JI,Xib3 11:Ife7 20.lDxf7! ~e6
(20 ... 11:Ifxf7 21.Elfe1 ~e7 22.lDd6+-)
21.lDbd6+ ~d7 22.11:Ifxb6+-.
B.d5 lDe5
9.11:Ifd4!
The essence of White's idea is
that Black's bishop on d7 is quite
misplaced. It is blocking that
square for the retreat of the knight
on e5; moreover Black might lose
his b7-pawn because of that.
It is weaker for White to play
9.1Wb3 due to 9 ... lDf6!+.
9 ... a6
In case of 9 ... lDf6, White's of-
fensive in the centre is quite suc-
cessful: 1O.f4 lDg6 11.e5 lDg4 12.
lDf3 11:IfbS. Black is trying to ex-
change, or capture the annoying
white e5-pawn in this awkward
fashion. White should not trade
that pawn, but just sacrifice it in
order to disrupt the natural devel-
opment of his opponent! 13.e6!
fxe6 14.dxe6 he6 15.~b5+ ~dS
16.0-0 lDh617.lDg5 ~f51S.~e3 a6
19.~c4 b5 20.~d5.
10 .f4 ~g6 11. ~f3 e6 12.
dxe6! fxe6
12 ... he6?? 13.f5+-.
13.f5
(White has promising attack-
ing possibilities too after: 13.~d3
~f6 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 lDd5 16.
hg6+ hxg617.1Wg4 ~f71S.0-0ii3)
13 ... ~h414.fxe6 he615.~g5
~e7 (15 ... ib3 16.11:Ifb4 ~c2 17.
11:Ifxb7+-) 16. ~xe6 ~xe6 17.
75
Chapter S

.ib5+ 'i!;>d8 (17 ... 'i!;>e7 lS ..igS+-; queens is typical for the variation.
17 ... 'i!;>f7 lS ..ic4+-) 18.0-0 'i!;>c7 That is Black's most active piece
19 .ie3 tL'lf6 20.e5 Wfg4 21.Wfb6 and White will be better despite
'i!;>c8 22 . .ic6 bxc6 23.Wfxc6+ the material advantage of his op-
'i!;>b8 24J~~a2!!+-. ponent.) 12 ... Wfxd4 (12 ... b6 13.c4
1Mixd414.hd4l1Jc61S.hb6+ axb6
c) 5 ... e6 16J''1xaS lIJxe4 17.lIJf3 lIJxd6 lS.
lIJgS! Otherwise Black will have
good compensation for the ex-
change. lS ... lIJxbS 19.1IJxf7+ 'i!;>c7
20.lIJxhS .ib4+ 21.<j;>d1l1Jba7 22 .
.id3 <j;>b7 23J'1xcS lIJxcS 24 ..ixh7
lIJd6 2S ..id3 lIJeS 26. <j;>c2) 13.
cxd4 lIJc6 14.eS lIJdS lS.lIJf3 (It is
evident that White is clearly bet-
ter, nevertheless Black still has an
extra pawn and we are going to
6.c3 tL'lc6 7.tL'la3! deal with this position in details.)
This move conceals beautiful lS ... h6 16 ..ic4 lIJdb4 17.0-0 lIJa6
tactical ideas. Black has serious (17 ... a61S.lIJc7 E1bS 19.dS exdS 20.
problems to counter it! lIJxdS bS 21.lIJxb4 lIJxb4 22 ..ixf7
7 ... d5 .ib7 23.lIJh4 gS 24.lIJg6 E1h7 2S.
7 ... WfaS? S.tL'lbS! Wfxa1 9.tL'lc7+ .ib3 .ig7 26 ..igS+-; 2S ... <j;>eS 26.
'i!;>dS10 ..igS+ f611.Wfxa1+- Kroshk f4+-; 21...bxc4 22.lIJxc6+ dxc6
- petzowitsch, Internet 2004. 23 ..ic3) lS.E1fc1 gS 19.dS lIJcb4
7... ltJf6?! (White obtains a pow- 20.E1a4 g4 21.lIJd2 exdS 22.e6 dxe6
erful attack and great chances of a 23 ..ixhS dxc4 24 ..if6+ <j;>eS 2S.
quick victory after that natural E1xb4l1Jxb4 26.lIJc7+ <j;>d7 27.lIJxaS
move.) S.dS! lIJeS (Black's other bS 2S.E1a1 lIJa6 (2S ... lIJc6 29.lIJe4
possibilities are weaker: S ... lIJbS b4 30.E1d1+-) 29.E1aS .ib7 30.E1xbS
9.d6 lIJxe4 10.lIJbS lIJa6 11.Wff3 .ixaS 31.lIJxc4 .ixd6 32.lIJxd6
lIJxd612.lIJxd6+ hd613.ha6 .ieS <j;>xd6 33.E1aS .ib7 34 ..id4.
14.lIJe2. White's knight is clearly 7 ... d6 S.dS lIJeS (S ... exdS 9.
stronger than Black's pawns; exdS lIJeS 1O.lIJbS a6 l1.f4 lIJg6
S ... exdS? 9.exdS lIJeS 1O.d6 lIJe4 12.Wfa4!; 11.. ..id7 12.fxeS axbS
1l.lIJbS+-) 9.d6 1MiaS! (Otherwise 13.E1xaS WfxaS 14.e6 fxe6 lS.dxe6
White's knight goes immediately .ic6 16 ..ixbS! hbS 17.1MihS; lS ...
to bS. 9 ... lIJxe41O.lIJbS+-) 10 ..ib2 .ixe6 16 ..ixbS+ <j;>dS 17.lIJf3 lIJf6
(White is again threatening lIJbS. lS.0-0~; 1O ...1Mie7 l1..ie2 .ifS 12.
The black queen must abandon the 1Mia4l1Jd3+ 13.<j;>f1l1Jxcl14.lIJxd6+
as-square.) 1O ... WfcS l1.lIJbS <j;>dS <j;>dS lS.lIJxfS1MigS16.lIJd4l1Jxe217.
12.1Mid4! (This exchange of the lIJgxe2 1MixdS lS.E1d1 <j;>cS 19.1IJbS

76
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 CLlc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab Ct:Jb4 5.d4
Vf1c6 20.Ct:Jxa7+ l'l:xa7 21.Vf1xa7+-;
17 ... Ct:Jf6 lS.Vf1aS+ ~d7 19.Vf1bS;
lS ... b6 19.Ct:Jc6+ ~c7?? 20.d6+
~xc6 21.Vf1xgS+-; 19 ... ~d7 20.'Ihlra6
Ct:JxdS 21.Vf1b7+ Ct:Jc7 22.Ct:JbS+ l'l:xbS
23.'IhlrxbS+-) 9.f4 Ct:Jg6 (The attrac-
tive combination for Black does
not work after: 9 ... exdS 10.fxeS
Vf1h4+ 1l.g3 Vf1xe4+ 12.~f2 Vf1xhl.
Black has won the exchange, but
that is only a symbolic consolation,
since White manages to trap eas-
ily Black's queen which is stranded
at the corner. 13.Ct:Jf3 itd7. White
was threatening a check from the
bS-square. 14.Vf1xdS itc6 lS.itbS
Ct:Je7 16.itxc6+ bxc6 17.Vf1b3 dxeS
lS.itb2+-) 1O.itbS+ itd7 1l.dxe6!
(The pawn-shelter of the black
king has been destroyed and it is
now much easier for White to at-
tack.) 1l... fxe6 (1l ... itxbS12.exf7+
~xf7 13.Vf1dS+ ~eS 14.Ct:JxbS)
12.Vf1b3 Vf1e7 13.Ct:Jc4 l'l:dS 14.l'l:xa7
Ct:Jf6 lS.itxd7 + Vf1xd7 (IS ... l'l:xd7
16.Ct:Jb6l'l:dS 17.Ct:Je2) 16.eS.
7 ... itxa3 (Black exchanges
White's knight, because it would
have been very dangerous. White
obtains an excellent compensation
though - his dark squared bishop
becomes a powerful force to
reckon with.) S.itxa3! d6 9.Vf1g4
Vf1f6! (This is a surprising and in-
genious resource for Black! He
must return the pawn and comply
with White's slight, but lasting
advantage. He could have lost
really quickly after his other pos-
sibilities, for example: 9 ... Vf1a51O.
itb2 Vf1b6 11.l'l:b1 g6 12.itd3 e5
13.Vf1h4! exd4 14.Ct:Jf3 dxc3?? 15.
itxc3+-; 14 ... Ct:JeS lS.Ct:Jxe5 dxe5
16.0-0 ie6 17.ita1! Vf1d6 lS.cxd4
exd4 19.1'l:fdl; 17 ... Vf1cs lS.cxd4
exd4 19.1'l:fc1 Vf1d6 20.l'l:xb7, or
9 ... g6 1O.itbS Vf1aS 11.hc6+ bxc6
12.4Je2. White has a powerful
pressure on the dark squares and
that provides him with an edge
despite the pawn deficit. 12 ... Ct:Jf6
13.'Ihlrf4 'Wd8 14.itxd6 Ct:Jxe41S.ia3
Ct:Jf6 16.0-0 ita6 17.l'l:fe1 Ct:Jd5 IS.
Vf1eS 'Ihlrf6 19.Vf1d6! E:cS 20.Ct:Jg3
Ct:Jxc3 21.itb4 Ct:Jb5 22.Ct:Je4 Ct:Jxd6
23.4Jxf6+ ~e7 24.E:xa6 ~xf6 2S.
itxd6+-; lS ... l'l:gS 19.Ct:Jg3 itd3
20.E:ad1 ic2 21.E:d2 itfS 22.c4 Ct:Jb6
23.Vf1cS l'l:cS 24.itb4; 12 ... eS 13.
Vf1f3 hS 14.0-0 itg4 lS.Vf1e3 he2
16.Vf1xe2 'Wxc317.Vf1a6l'l:dS1S.dxeS
'WxeS 19.'Ihlrxc6+ ~fS 20.E:fd1 ~g7
21.itxd6; 13 ... ita6 14.0-0 itxe2
lS.Vf1xe2 Vf1xc3 16.Vf1a6! Ct:Je7 17.
ixd6 Vf1xd41S.'Ihlrb7+) 1O.itxd6 eS!
(White must simplify the position
and that is quite favourable for
him!) 11.dxeS 'Wxf2+ (11...itxg4
12.exf6 4Jxf6 13.f3; l1...Ct:JxeS
12.ibS 4Jc613.Vf1g3 Vf1g614.Ct:Je2)
12.~xf2 itxg4 13.Ct:Jf3 Ct:Jge7 14.
Ct:Jd4.
8.exd5!
White must exchange here.
77
Chapter 5
Black can easily counter
White's attempt to penetrate with
his knight to c7: 8.cub5 dxe4! 9.~f4
e5 1O.dxe5 ~e6 1I.'&a4 a6 12.cud4
~d5 13.~b5 '&b6 14.cuge2 ~c5
15.0-0 cuge7 16.Ei:ab1 0-0 17.
hc6 hc618.Ei:xb6 ~xa419.Ei:xb7
cud5o.
8 ... exd5
About 8 ... '&xd5 9.cub5 - see
5... d5.
9.cub5 a6
9 ... ~d6. This move enables
White to exchange the bishop
favourably: 1O.cuxd6+! '&xd6 II.
~a3 '&e6+ 12.~e2 cuge7 (12 ... cuf6
13.cuf3 cue4 14.'&b3 b5 15.0-0 a6
16.Ei:fel) 13.cuf3 0-0 14.0-0 '&f6
(14 ... Ei:d8 15.Ei:e1 '&f6 16.cue5:i5)
15.Ei:e1 Ei:d8 16.cue5 cuxe5 17.dxe5
'&e618.~d6 cuf519.~g4:i5; 1l... '&g6
12.cuf3 cuf6 13.~b5 a6 14.~xc6+
bxc6 15.0-0 cue4 16.cue5. Black
can hardly defend against White's
threats along the e-file.
9 ... cuf6 (Black shows that he is
not afraid of the penetration of the
white knight to c7.) 10.~f4 '&e7+
1I.~e2! '&e4 12.~g3! (12.cuc7+ is
not so good for White after: 12 ...
@d8 13.~g3 Ei:b8 14.cuf3 ~f5 15.
0-0 Ei:c8 16.cub5 a6 17.cua7 cuxa7
18.cue5 Ei:xc319.~f3 '&c2 20.cuxf7+
@e8 21.cuxh8 '&xd1 22.Ei:fxd1 oo )
12 ... @d8 (12 ... @d7?! 13.cuf3 a6
14.0-0 cue815.Ei:e1! '&g616.~d3 f5
17.'&b3+-) 13.cuf3 a6 14.0-0 ~g4
(14 ... ~f5 15.cug5 '&e7 16.cud6 ~g6
17.'&b3 '&d7 18.'&b6+ @e7 19.
Ei:fel+-) 15.Ei:e1 '&f5 (15 .. J'1c8 16.
~d3 hf317.gxf3!+-) 16.cue5 cuxe5
(16 ... ~xe2 17.cuxf7+ @d718.'&xe2
78
Ei:e8 19.'&b2 Ei:xe1+ 20.Elxe1 axb5
21.'&xb5 @c8 22.Ela1! '&h5 23.
cuxh8+-) 17.dxe5 ~xe2 18.Elxe2
'&d719.exf6 '&xb5 20.Ei:e5+-.
10.~f4
White's simple threat to check
from the c7-square is quite annoy-
ing for Black.
10 . ~g4
This original counters trike
does not save Black.
1O ... @e7 (It is quite interesting
how many players might venture
to play so bravely with the king! It
is risky indeed, but Black can hope
to save the day with some precise
defence.) 1I.~c7! (11.~d6+ @f6
12.'&f3+ ~f513.g4 ~xd6 14.'&xf5+
@e7+) 1l... '&e8! (1l ... '&d712.'&e2+
@f6 13.~e5+ cuxe5 14.'&xe5+ @g6
15.cuc7 Ela7 16.cuxd5; 15 ... ~d6
16.~d3+! f5 17.~xf5+ '&xf5 18.
'&xd6) 12.'&e2+ @d7 (12 ... ~e613.
~d6+ @d7 14.cuc7 '&d8 15.hf8)
13.'&xe8+ @xe8 14.~b6 @d7 15.
cuc7 Elb8 16.cuxd5 ~d6 17.~c4
cuge718.cue2;1;;.
11.Wfa4!
Capturing on g4 was good
enough only for equality.
1l... Wfe7+ 12.~e2 he2
12 ... 0-0-0 13.cud6+! Ei:xd614.
 l.e4 c5 2.a3 tUc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab tUb4 5.d4

~xd6 ~xd615.~xg4+ mb8 16.tUe2 This intermediate move is es-

tUf6 17.~f3. sential for White in order to fight
for the advantage. 13 ... md8 (13 ...
md7 14. tUxe2 Eld8 15.tUxd5 ~e4
16.tUb6+ me817.d5 ~xa418J'lxa4
~c5 19. dxc6 ~xb6 20.cxb7 ia7
2U'lxa6 ~b8 22.~xb8 Elxb8 23.
Ela8+-) 14.ti)xe2 Ela7 15.ttJxd5
~e4 16.ttJe3 b5 17.~a2 ttJf6
18.d5 ttJe7 19.~a5+ me8 20.
~b6 Eld7 21.Elxa6 ~bl + 22.ttJdl
Eld8 23.d6 ~d3 24.c4 ttJd7 25.
13.tUc7+! ~xb5+-.

Conclusion
The move 2 ... tUc6 - is the most natural for Black and the most
probable for someone who has to play against the surprising 2.a3
ideafor thefirst time. It might seem to you that Black prevents 3.b4 in
thatfashion. We already know that to befalse, though ... ! White sacri-
fices a pawn and possibly a second one and creates powerful and an-
noying threats for his opponent. It is quite possible that the most es-
sentialfeature of this original gambit is that it leads to non-standard
original positions.
The opponent will have enourmous difficulties to cope with his
opening problems without special extensive analytical preparation,
particularly if he had not studied this monograph beforehand.

79
Chapter 6
This counterstrike in the cen-
tre seems to be the natural reac-
tion. It is quite probable that Black
might play just like that! Here
however, contrary to the 2.c3 sys-
tem, White can attack the black
queen immediately and gain some
tempi in the process. He has ex-
cellent chances to get the advan-
tage because of that.
3.exd5
This capture is necessary. Black
should simply take back the pawn
in order to avoid the worst. Nev-
ertheless besides the natural move
a) 3 ... ~xd5, we are going to have
a look at the rare gambit line b)
3 ... tt:lf6.
a) 3 ... ~xd5 4.tt:lc3
We will analyze the retreats of
the queen to e5, d6 and dS. The
rest of the moves are clearly worse
and the retreat to c6 just loses the
queen.
al)4 ... ~e5+
That check looks very suspi-
cious; moreover it is evident that
White will soon gain additional
tempi attacking the queen. Black
has played like that plenty of times
so
l.e4 c5 2.a3 d5
in the tournament practice and
that should tell you that you must
be well prepared for it too!
5.~e2
This is the most sensible move.
White does not need to exchange
queens yet (although he is better
in that case too, you can easily
check that if you wish ... ). White's
knight on gl will soon be devel-
oped to f3 with tempo and Black's
queen will have to look for a safe
haven again.
5 ... tt:lc6
Black can try to prevent the
move lDf3 by playing 5 ... ~g4, but
that will hardly be helpful for
him. 6.b4!? (I suggest you played
that seemingly shocking strike
on the queenside, which has not
been tested in practice yet. It is
very much in the aggressive spirit
of this dynamic, attacking and
nearly fantastic variation!) 6 ... e6
(6 ... lDc6 7.f4 ~e6 S.bxc5 lDd4
9.::bl 0-0-0 1O.h3 ~f5 1l.d3)
7.~b2 ~xe2 S.tt:lgxe2. Look at the
final position of this line and ob-
serve the quantity of the developed
pieces of both sides. That should
be more than enough for you to

prefer White's position and that
would be the correct evaluation
too!
6.liJf3
Black's evident lag in develop-
ment should be rather worrisome
for him.
6 ~d6
7.b4! cxb4 8.axb4 liJxb4
9 ..ia3!
Black's king will hardly be able
to escape from the centre of the
board after that move, which is
definitely the best right now.
White can effectively exploit the
a3-fB diagonal as well as the "b"
file.
The other possibility for White
does not seem to be so convincing
9.liJbS 'MrdB (Black should better
play 9 ... 'Mrb6! 1O.c3 .id7 11.~a4
4:lc6 12.d4 a6 13.dS 4:laTt) 10.
d4 4:lc6 1l ..if4 eS 12.4:lxeS .id7
13.4:lxd7 ~xd7 14.4:lc7+ @dB IS.
4:lxaB+- Kroshk - Thomas Elbern,
Internet 2004.
9 e610 .ib5+ .id7
lO ... @dB 11.0-0 4:lf6 12 ..bb4
~xb413.4:leS ~e7 (13 ... @e714.'Mrf3
'Mrd4 IS.E1fe1 11Qfxd2 16.E1edl! 'Mrxc2
17.4:la4!+-. Black is helpless to
defend against the deadly check
l.e4 cS 2.a3 dS 3.exdS
from the a3-square without con-
siderable material losses.) 14.'Mrf3
~c7 IS.'Mrf4 ~cS 16.4:le4! .id4 17.
4:lxf7+! 'Mrxf7 IB.4:lgS ~xf2+ (1B ...
'Mre7 19.'Mrxd4+ 4:ldS 20.4:le4 @c7
21.E1xa7+-) 19.E!xf2'Mre7 20.~d4+
@c7 21.'MreS+! @dB 22.E1a4! ~d7
23.E1d4 @cB 24.~xd7+ 4:lxd7 2S.
E!c4+ @dB 26.4:lxe6+ @eB 27.
4:lxg7+ @dB 2B.'Mrc7#.
11.~xb4 ~xb4 12 .ixd7+
@xd713.E1bl ~f4
13 ... 'MrcS14.E!xb7+ @cB ISJ~xf7
4:lh6 16.E1f4!+-. White's exquisite
rook maneuvers all over the board
brought him quickly an over-
whelming advantage.
14.~e2!
White does not need to capture
the b7-pawn with check notwith-
standing its attractiveness: 14.
E1xb7+ @cB lS.'Mrbl E1bB 16.E1xbB+
~xbB 17.~xbB+ @xbB=. 14 ... ~c7
(14 ... @c7 lS.4:leS! E1dB 16.g3 'MrfS
17.Wfc4+ @bB IB.4:lc6+ @aB 19.
4:lxdB+-; IS ... b6 16.4:lbS+ @bB 17.
g3 WffS IB.liJd4! 11Qfh3 19.4:lxf7+-)
15.liJe5+@e8(1S... @e716.4:lg6+!!
hxg6 17.4:ld5+-; lS ... @cB 16.4:lbS!
Wfxc2 17.0-0+-; 16 ... 11Qfe7 17.~f3
4:lh6 1B.4:ld6+ 'Mrxd6 19.~xb7+
@d8 20.'MrxaB+-) 16.~b5+ @d8
Bl
Chapter 6
17.f4 tLlh618.'Wd3+ \tle819.'We4
gb8 20.'Wa4+ \tle7 21.tLlb5 'Wb6
22.tLld7! !+-.
a2) 4 ... 'Wd6
That retreat might seem to be
quite reliable to you at first sight.
In fact Black's queen on d6 pro-
vokes White to reasonably justi-
fied activity.
5.b4!
White must exploit the oppor-
tune moment immediately other-
wise the lucky bird might flyaway!
We will analyze now a2a)
5 ... tLlf6, a2b) 5 ... tLld7 and a2c)
5 ... cxb4.
a2a) 5 ... tLlf6 6.tLlf3 ~g4 7.
bxc5 'Wxc5
8.gb1!
Black has problems defending
S2
his b7-pawn.
8 ... 'Wc8
S ... b6. Black's pawn is safe af-
ter that move, but his position is
definitely not! 9.~bS+ tLlbd71O.h3
~fS 11.0-0 a6 12.~xa6! ~xh3
(12 .. J''lxa6 13.ElbS ~xc2?? Natu-
rally Black had to comply with the
loss of a pawn, but his position was
desperate anyway. 14.ElxcS hd1?
1S.ElcS#) 13.~bS ~fS (13 ... ~g4
14.lLla4! W1c71S.lLlxb6!) 14.Ele1 e6
(14 ... lLlg4 1S.W1e2 hc2 16.~xd7+
\tlxd7 17J'lbS+-) 1S.tLleS ~d6 16.
W1f3 ElcS 17.lLlxd7lLlxd71S.hd7+
\tlxd7 19.tLla4 W1xc2 20.CtJxb6+-;
16 ... EldS 17.d4! W1c7 1S.~xd7+
CtJxd7 19.CtJbS W1bS 20.CtJc6+-)
1S.CtJc6 W1h419.g3.
9.h3~h5
9 ... ~xf3 1O.W1xf3 CtJc6 11.~bS
e6 12.~a4!! CtJd7 13.gxb7 CtJdeS
14.~xc6+ CtJxc6?? C14 ... W1xc6 1S.
Wlxc6+ lLlxc616.CtJbS ElcS17.\tle2)
1S.W1xf7+ \tldS 16.d3 CtJeS?! 17.
~gS+ 1-0 Kroshk - DXM, Internet
2004.
10 .g4 ~g6 1l.tLle5
White has a considerable lead
in development. His task now is to
transfer that temporary advantage
into decisive material gains.

1l ... e6
1l...~e6 12.~e2 .bc2 13.Ei:xb7
CLlc6 14.CLlxc6 ~xc6 15.~b5 ~xb5
16.i.xbS+ i>d8 17.d3 i.b3 18.gS
CLlhS 19.i.d2 eS 20.i.c6 i.e6 21.
CLlbS+-.
12.~f3 ltJc6 13.i.b5 a6 14.
i.xc6+ bxc6 15.Ei:b6 i.xc2 16.
Ei:xc6 ~b8 17.d4 h6
17... i.e718.gS+-.
18.Ei:c7!
White forces the super
favourable trade of the rooks in
this quite extraordinary fashion.
18 ~xc7 19.~xa8+ i>e7 20.
a4!! (Black is now forced to accept
the knight sacrifice, moreover
with check, since the threat of a
check from the a3-square is really
frightening!) 20 ~xc3+ 21.i.d2
~a1+ 22.i>e2 ~xa4 23.i.b4+!
~xb4 24.lbc6+ i>d7 25.lbxb4
i.e4 26.~a7+ i>e8 27.Ei:cl+-.
a2b) 5 lbd7
(diagram)
6.lbf3 lbgf6 7.i.b2 cxb4 8.
ltJb5
The move 8.axb4!?, deserves
a thorough analytical attention
too, for example, 8 ... ~xb4 (8 ...
eS 9. ~e2 i.e7 10.CLlbS; 8 ... e6 9.
l.e4 c5 2.a3 dS 3.exdS
bS i.e7 1O.i.a3! ~c7 1l.i.xe7 Wxe7
12.Ei:a3 eS 13.~al) 9.CLlbS ~xb2
(9 ... CLldS 10.c4 ~xb2 11.cxdS wd8
12.CLlxa7 CLlb6 13.Ei:b1 ~f6 14.CLlxc8
CLlxd51S.i.c4 ~e6+ 16.~e2 ~xe2+
17.Wxe2 CLlf4+ 18. i>e3 CLlxg2 19.
i>e4 Ei:xc8 20 .i.f1+-) 10. CLlc7 + wd8
ll.CLlxa8 e6 (1l ... a6 12.c3! bS 13.
CLlgS CLleS14.f4 i.g41S.~b1 ~xb1+
16.Ei:xb1+-) 12.c3 i.cs 13.CLlgS We7
14.i.c4! (Black was planning to
trap White's knight on a8. Surpris-
ingly everything turns the other
way around. White's knight on a8
helps him to trap the black queen
controlling the vital b6-square!)
14 ... CLleS1S.Ei:a2+-.
8 . ~b8
8 ... ~e6+?! 9.i.e2.
9.axb4 a610.lba3 e6
1O ... eS ll.CLlc4 i.xb4 (11...e4
12.CLlfe5! .bb4 13.lbxd7 .bd7 14.
CLlb6 Ei:a7 lS.i.xf6 gxf6 16.CLlxd7
Wxd7 17.~g4+ wd8 18.~g7 We7
19.c3 i.d6 20.Ei:a4! f5 21.~g5+-)
12.CLlfxeS 0-0 13.i.e2 Ei:e8 14.CLlxd7
CLlxd71S.0-0 b5 16.CLle3::1;.
1l.b5 axb5
ll ... i.e7! 12.i.e2 0-0 13.0-0::1;.
12.hb5
(diagram)
The material is equal indeed,
but Black has a lot of problems to
83
Chapter 6
solve with the development of his
pieces and the neutralization of
White's activity.
12 ... id6
12 ... ie713.ie5! id614.ixd7+
~xd7 (14 ... ixd7 15.ixd6 ~xd6
16.lLlb5!+-) 15.lLlc4 Elxa1 16.~xa1
ixe517.lLlfxe5+ ~e8 18.~d4lLld5
19.~c5 f6 20.lLld6+ ~d8 21.lLldf7+
~e8 22.~b5+! ~f8 (22 ... ~e7 23.
lLlc6+ bxc6 24.~xb8+-) 23.lLld7+
hd7 24.~xd7 Elg8?! 25.lLld6+-.
13.lLlc4 Elxa1?
13 ... ic7 14.Elxa8 ~xa8 15.0-0
0-0 16.~a1 ~xal17.Elxa1t.
14.'~xa1
Black is totally helpless! 14 ...
0-0 (14 ... ~e7?! 15.~e5 1-0
Kroshk - Brunico, Internet 2004.)
15.lLlxd6 ~xd6 16.~a3 ~d5
17.hd7! (17.~xf8? ~xb5!t) 17...
~e4+ 18.~d1 ~xd7 19. ~xf8
~xf8 20.~a3+ ~e8 21. Ele1 ~g4
84
22.'~a8+ ~e7 23.~xb7 ~xg2
24.~b4+ ~e8 25.~b8+ ~e7
26.~g3+-.
a2c) 5 ... cxb4 6.axb4
6 ....~xb4
It is quite possible that your
opponent might like to snatch en-
emy pawns. He will probably
gobble that one as well. It is a well
known fact that affections usually
require sacrifices! Meanwhile the
most probable sacrificial goat in
this position will probably be the
black king at the end.
If your opponent decides to
refrain from accepting the pawn
sacrifice - then what? I admit
that I cannot give you all the
right answers in my short analyti-
cal work and I don't even think
that I should. Just see an instruc-
tive illustration of White's vast
possibilities in this amazing po-
sition: 6 ... lLlf6 7.lLlf3 e6 8.lLlb5
~b6 9.~b2 ~xb41O.~e5! (White's
brave knight is threatening to pen-
etrate to the c7-square and that is
not surprising at all. It is not clear
how Black can parry that threat.)
1O ... lLlg4 (1O ... 0-0!? It is not easy
to go for such a desperate move

over the board. Black's ingenuity
will not be rewarded however if
White finds the cold-blooded re-
action 1l.c3!! This is the only refu-
tation - otherwise after 11.ct'lc7?!
Black's position will be satisfac-
tory. -1l ... ct'le412.~e2+-; 1l ... ct'lg4
12.i.g3+-; 1l...ic5 12.d4+-; 10 ...
ct'ld5 Il.c4 id7 12.cxd5 i.xb5 13.
id4 i.c5 14.hc5 ~xc5 15J'kl+-,
White's rook goes to cS and col-
lects Black's unfortunate rook.
Black remains a piece down with-
out any compensation after: 11 ...
i.c512.cxd5 hf2+ 13.'it>e2 ~xb5+
14.'it>xf2 ~xd515.hg7+-) 11.ct'lc7+
'it>dS 12.i.g3 liJxf2 13.ct'lxaS. This
position is exquisitely beautiful!
Both queens are hanging and it
is Black's move. He can run away
with his queen with check at that,
but White's extra rook will defi-
nitely decide the issue. 13 ... ~e3+
14.~e2 ~xe2+ 15.i.xe2 ct'lxh1 16.
hbS+-.
7.liJbSliJa6
8.~f3!
White is threatening to capture
on a6 and later on as too. Black's
only move is not so easy to find.
8 ... ~c5!
White now should not overlook
l.e4 c5 2.a3 d5 3.exd5
the possible check on e5, because
he would be beyond any salvation
then. Therefore his rook on a1
must retreat from the dangerous
aI-square and where? Naturally to
a6, of course!
9J'!xa6!
I t is quite amusing that I found
unbelievably interesting prospects
for that rook throughout my work
over this book. It is capable of
performing miracles in many
lines creating difficult and some-
times unsolvable problems for
Black!
9 ... bxa6
In case Black tries to capture
the c2-pawn, then White wins im-
mediately with a surprising and
quite effective retreat of the rook:
9 ... ~xc2? 1OJ'!a1!+-.
10.~xa8 axbS 1l.i.xbS+
'it>d8
The line 11... ~xb5?? 12.~xcS#
hardly deserves any comments.
12.c4 eS 13.lilf3 i.d6
14.lilgS!
This move is very powerful and
Black's position is hopeless now.
14 ... lilh6 (14 ... ~c7 15.~d5!+-)
lS.lile4 ~b4 16.liJxd6 ~xd6
17Jlfxa7+-.
S5
Chapter 6
a3} 4 ... Wfd8
5.~f3!
White would like to play 5.b4
in general, but he should better
maim the black knight to c6 first.
He is threatening to play d2-d4
now and Black must prevent this.
5 ... ~c6
5 ... ~f6. After this move White
can play the routine line 6.d4 cxd4
7.Wfxd4 Wfxd4 8.tDxd4;1;. The end-
game is evidently better for White.
5 ... e6 6.g3!? This is a quite
original idea! White plans to treat
the position in a rather calm fash-
ion and his bishop on g2 will be
ideally placed. Black lost the logi-
cal thread of the play and was de-
feated quickly. 6 ... b6 7.~e5 a6?
This was a decisive mistake! It is
not easy to criticize somebody for
a blunder in a desperate time-
trouble! (Black's best defence was
the not so evident 7 ... ib7! 8.ib5+
me7 9.0-0 00 ) 8.tDxf7! (8.Wff3?
l"1aTt) 8 ... mxf7 9.Wff3+ ~f6 10.
Wfxa8 Wfc7 11.ig2 id6 12.d3 l"1f8
13.ig5 id7 14.ixf6 gxf6 15.Wff3
tDc6 16.Wfh5+ mg8 17.0-0-0 1-0
Kroshk - Dragoneye, Internet
2003.
6.b4!
86
Black should now be aware of
White's b-pawn, since it can attack
the black knight!
6 ... cxb4
6 ... e6 7.b5 tDd4 8.ib2 tDf6
9.id3 (This is an interesting idea
- the white bishop is placed quite
comfortably in front of its own
pawn!) 9 ... b6 1O.tDxd4 cxd4 11.
lLle4 ib712.Wff3 (The position has
become rather complicated and
small wonder Black got quite con-
fused!) 12 ... tDxe4 (12 ... l"1b8 13.
tDxf6+ gxf6 14.ie4 ixe4 15.Wfxe4
ic5 16.0-0;1;; 13 ... Wfxf6 14.Wfxf6
gxf6 15.ixd4 e5 16.ie3 l"1g8 17.
l"1g1 e4 18.ie2 id6 19.93; 16 ...
ixg2 17.l"1g1 if3 18.ie2 ie4 19.
c4;1;) 13.ixe4 ixe414.Wfxe4l"1c8?!
(14 ... ic5! 15.Wfc6+ mf8 16.0-0;1;)
15.ixd4 id6?! 16.ixg7 l"1g8 17.
Wfxh7+- Kroshk - artus, Internet
2003.
7.axb4 ~xb4 8.~e5!
White has sacrificed a pawn
and what did he achieve to com-
pensate for it? He has plenty of
various attacking possibilities.
Most of them are quite unusual
and non-standard and because of
that they are very unpleasant for
Black. Trust my experience - all

that is more than compensating
the minute material deficit of a
mere pawn.
S ... tt:le6
8 ... tt:lf6 9.ib5+ id7 (You
should also have in mind the pos-
sibility 9 ... ltJd7?! 1O.Wf3! f6? II.
'lWh5+ g6 12.ltJxg6+-) 10.ltJxd7
CDxd7 1l.0-0~, and Black has yet
to complete the development of
his kingside while White's bishops
and the rook on al are dangerously
active.
9.ltJxe6 bxe610.Wf3
10 ... ib7
We need to see the conse-
quences of: 1O ... Wd7 1l.ic4 ItJf6
12.0-0 e6 13.ib2 id6 14.ltJb5!!
Now comes an elegant tactical
strike! Black was just hoping to
castle and sigh with relief and sud-
denly this: 14 ... cxb5 (14 ... ie7
15.ie5! cxb516.Wxa8 bxc417.~xa7
~d8 18.ic7 Wd7 19.ia5+-) 15.
~xa8 bxc4 16.~xa7 ic7 17.ie5
ItJd5 18.~fal f6 19.ixc7 ItJxc7 20.
~b8 ~d8 2I.d3!. Black is totally
squeezed and pinned all over the
board and his position is utterly
helpless. The game might proceed
in the following fashion: 21...~e8
22.dxc4 ~e7 23.~7a3 Wc6 24.~dl+
l.e4 c5 2.a3 d53.exd5
~d7 25. ~xd7+ ~xd7 26.~d3+ ItJd5
27.cxd5 'lWxc2 28.dxe6+ ~xe6
29.~e3+ c;t>f5 30.h3+-.
1l.ia6 WeS 12.ixb7 Wxb7
13.l'!b1 Wd7
14.ia3!
This is an excellent idea.
White's knight is going to have re-
markable prospects after the ex-
change of the bishops. White's
move 14 is very instructive and you
should better remember it because
it might come around quite handy
some other time!
14 ... e6 15.ixfS ~xfS 16.
ltJe4!ttJh6
16 ... ltJe7 17.0-0 Wd5 18.~b7
Wf519.~a3! c5 20.ltJxc5+-.
17.0-0 ttJf5 IS.e3 h6 19.94
ttJh4 20.~g3 ttJg6 21.~bS+
White has also tested here
21.~fel. 1M S.Soloviov played a
game which continued 21...~c8
(21...e5!? 22.d4 h5 oo ) 22.ltJd6 ~d8
23.ltJb7 ~c8 24.c4 Wxd2 25.ltJd6~,
and White had a good compensa-
tion for the two sacrificed pawns
but not more than that. He can
instead try to get something more
than just compensation, though ... !
21. .. ~e7 22.ttJe5 Wd5 23.
~b7+ ~fS 24.~xa7 ~xa7 25.
87
Chapter 6
Wfb8+ rJ:Je7 26.Wfxa7+ rJ:Jf6
27.f4
White has already created
plenty of dangerous threats.
Conclusions about 3 ... f:f!xd5
3 ... Wfxd5 is not good enough to
equalize for Black. Moreover
White has the opportunity to seize
the initiative with the typical tac-
tical strike b2-b4 in the very early
stages of the game. The line re-
sembles very much the Scandina-
vian Defence l.e4 d52.exd5 Wfxd5,
in a definitely worsened situation
for Black.
b)3 ... ~f6
This move was played for the
first time in the game Kuipers -
Van Beek, Leiden 1997. White now
can try to protect his extra pawn
88
and not give it back at all! (I am
now going to make a remark ad-
dressed to the fans of comparing
positions from different openings.
The arising positions now re-
semble very much the rare line of
the Scandinavian Defence: 1.e4 d5
2.exd5 ct:lf6 3.i.b5+!? I believe that
line to be quite favourable for
White as well.)
4.i.b5+!
Black is now faced once again
with the difficult problem how to
defend his king.
4 tLlbd7
It is weaker for Black to play
4 ... i.d7. The point is that after the
exchange of the bishops Black
does not have the possibility to fol-
low with a7-a6 and later eventu-
ally b7-b5 with tempo in order to
create some counterplay, and ob-
tain the two bishops advantage.
Therefore White is going to have
to solve fewer problems in a posi-
tion with an extra pawn. 5.i.xd7+
~xd7 6.c4 e6 (6 ... g6 7.ct:lf3 i.g7
8.0-0; 7 ... ~g4 8.~b3! ~e4+
9.@dl; 6 ...b5 7.d3 e6 8.~e2 i.e7
9.dxe6 fxe6 10.ct:lf3 ct:lc6 11.0-0
ct:ld4 12.ct:lxd4 cxd4 13J~e1 @f7
14.cxb5 ~he815.ct:ld2 i.d616.ct:lc4
Kroshk - Gertel, Internet 2004)

7.Wle2!' This is better than the
simple capture on e6. White man-
ages to compromise Black's pawn
structure. 7 ... fJ.e7 8.dxe6 fxe6
9.'Llf3. Black is now a pawn down
and he has no compensation for it
whatsoever. 9 ... 'Llc6 10.0-0 0-0
11.~el e5!? Black is now sacrific-
ing a second pawn but White
should not accept it. (He can how-
ever capture the pawn after 11 ...
~ad8 12.Wlxe6+ Wlxe6 13.~xe6 h6
14.'Llc3 mf7 15.~el g5 16.h3 ~fe8
17.b3 fJ.d6 18.fJ.b2 fJ.f4 19.~xe8
~xe8 20.~dl h5 21.g3 g4 22.hxg4
hxg4 23.'Llh4 fJ.e5 24.'Llf5 ~d8
25.1t>f1lt>g6 26.'Lle3 'Lld4 27.'Llcd5
'Llxd5 28.'Llxd5 ~f8 29.~g2 ~f3
30.'Lle3 It>g5 31.~hl ~f7 32.~h4+
Kroshk - rakot18, Internet 2004)
12.d3! (12.'Llxe5?! 'Llxe5 13.Wlxe5,
derecha - flashlight, ICC 2004,
fJ.d6! 14.Wle6+ Wlxe615.~xe6 ~ae8!'
Black can equalize now because
he has a great lead in development.
16.~xe8 ~xe8 17.~f1 'Llg4 18.g3
'Lle519.'Llc3 'Lld3 20.'Lle2 fJ.e5 2l.f4
fJ.f6:x5) 12 ... 'Lld4 (Black can trans-
pose to the same position after
12 ... ~ae8 13.'Llbd2 'Lld4 14.'Llxd4
exd4 15.Wle6+ - see 12 ... 'Lld4)
13.'Llxd4 exd414.'Lld2 ~ae815.Wle6
Wlxe6 16.~xe6 ~f7 17.~el fJ.d6
18.~xe8 ~xe8 19.'Llf3 a6 (Black's
attempt to place his rook on the
second rank unfortunately fails
after: 19 ... ~e2 20. ~fl ~c2?? 21.
'Llel+-) 20.1t>f1 b5 21.b3. White
remained with an extra pawn and
he was supposed to gradually win
the clearly superior endgame.
5.c4a6
1.e4 c5 2.a3 d53.exd5
5 ... g6 6.b4! (It is essential that
White should refrain from 6.d4?!
cxd4 7.'Llf3 fJ.g7 8.0-00-0 9.'Llxd4
'Llb61O.b3 a6. The white bishop on
b5 looks really pathetic! 11.fJ.a4
'Llxa412.bxa4 W!c7!'t) 6...fJ.g7 7.fJ.b2
0-0 8.'Llf3 cxb4 9.axb4 'Llb61O.d3
a6 11.fJ.a4.
6.fJ.a4!?
To take or not to take on d7? It
is mostly a matter of choice.
6.fJ.xd7+. This is evidentlysim-
pIer than the retreat to a4, but that
does not necessarily mean that it
is better too. In fact Black obtains
the two bishops advantage and can
hope to save the game because of
that. It is still more enjoyable to
play with White, though ... 6 ... fJ.xd7
(6 ... Wlxd7 7.'Llc3 e6 8.Wle2;;!;)7.d4
cxd4 (7 ... e6 8.dxe6 fxe6 9.'Llf3
cxd4 1O.0-0; 8 ...fJ.xe6 9.d5 fJ.g4
1O.'Llf3) 8.Wlxd4 g6 (8 ...Wlc7 9.fJ.f4
e5 1O.dxe6 ~a5+ 11.fJ.d2+- 1-0
Kroshk - Mattyy, Internet 2004)
9.'Llf3 fJ.g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.~el.
6 ... b5
Black can hardly create
counterplay in any other fashion.
7.cxb5 tlJxd5
7... 'Llb68.lt:lc3.
S.li.::lc3 li.J5b6 9.i.c2 axb5
89
Chapter 6
10 .ttJxbS .ia6
1O ... eSll.<t:lf3 .ia6 12.lWe2 <t:ldS
13.lWe4.ixbS14.lWxdS;
10 ... <t:leS 1l.d4 cxd4 12.lWxd4
IWxd4 13.<t:lxd4 .ib714.<t:lgf3.
1l.lWe2 ttJf612.a4 '\1;lfd7
13.ga3!
White must resort to this non-
standard resource in order to neu-
tralize Black's initiative. The rook
seemed to be passive until now but
it was still capable of being quite
Conclusion
Black can hardly equalize in the line 2 ... dS. White is perfectly ca-
pable of neutralizing this premature activity in the centre.
90
troublesome for Black. 13 ... c4
14.ttJf3 e6 lS.ttJeS IWb7 16.gg3
ttJxa417.ttJd6+ hd618 ..ixa4+
@f8 19 ..ic6IWb8 20 .has heS
21.ga3 '\1;lfxa8 22.'\1;lfxeS '\1;lfxg2
23.gfllWc624.gg1.
Conclusions about 3 .. AJf6
White preserves excellent win-
ning chances due to the extra ex-
change. He can also keep his ex-
tra pawn and the better position.
On the other hand he must play
inventively in order to parry
Black's possible activity. We must
emphasize once again that Black
usually avoids the risky pawn
sacrifice 3 ... <t:lf6. We believe that
your present knowledge after
having read this chapter is quite
sufficient to play successfully with
White.
Chapter 7 l.e4 c5 2.a311Jf6

The position on the board re- move repetition like - tLlgB-f6-gB?

sembles some other opening, does No, I do not think that people will
it not? We have now a situation play chess like that.
quite similar to the Alekhine De- After 3 ... tLld5 White has three
fence (l.e4 tLlf6) after Black's last moves that promise him good
interesting and quite acceptable prospects: a) 4.ttJf3, b) 4.c4 and
move. There is some essential dif- c) 4.d4.
ference, though ... Black can fight
for the centre more effectively with a) 4.11Jf3 ttJc6
the presence of his pawn on c5, but
White has the possibility to play
b2-b4, which is just unthinkable
for the Alekhine Defence. The de-
velopment of the game is going to
be quite original and unpredict-
able, just like in the rest of the lines
of the l.e4 c5 2.a3 system.
3.e5
White should play like that, of
course. After 3.tLlc3 tLlc6, or 3 ... d6, 5.i.c4
or even 3 ... dS it will only turn out This is a calm move that re-
that White has just presented quires precise play from Black to
Black with an extra tempo with his reach equality.
move two. It is also good for White to play
3 ... ttJd5 S.liJc3!? tLJxc3 (S ... e6 6.i.b5 fie7
3 ... tLle4?? loses a piece after 7.0-0 0-0 B.i.xc6 dxc6 9.tLJe4 c4
4.d3+-, and we are not going to 1O.d3 cxd3 11.Wxd3:t; B... tLJxc3
deal with the retreat to gB simply 9.dxc3 dxc6 - after 9 ... bxc6 10.
because it is without any construc- fif4 the weakness of the d6-
tive idea. I do not believe that a square and the backward d7-pawn
player might be attracted by a promise White a considerable

91
Chapter 7
edge - 1O.1!?ie2;t Black cannot ac-
tivate easily his bishops, or 5 ... lLlc7
6.~c4 d5 7.exd6 exd6 S.d4 d5
9.~e2 cxd41O.lLlxd4lLle611.~e3t;
9 ... c4 1O.~g5 ~e7 11.~xe7 lLlxe7
12.0-0 0-0 13.Ei:e1;;; 11. .. 1!?ixe7
12.0-0 0-0 13.Ei:e1 Vl1f6 14.lLle5t.
White's other possibility leads to
a very complicated position after:
6.b3 d5 7.exd61!?ixd6 S.~b2 ~g4 9.
~e2 e6 1O.h3 ~h5 11.0-0 0-0-0
12.d3 Ei:gS 13.b4 cxb414.lLle41!?id5
15.axb4 hb4 16.c4 Vl1d7 17.1!?ia4~,
and White's attack triumphed at
the end in the game Noire - Cham-
bers, IECG 2001) 6.dxc3! (This is
the better capture. White needs
the d-file more than the b-file.) 6 ...
d5 7.exd61!?ixd6 (7 ... e5 S.~c41!?ixd6
9.0-0 1!?ixd11O.Ei:xd1 ~g411.~e3t;
7 ... exd6 S.~c4 ~e7 9.0-0 0-0
1O.~f4 ~e611.~d5t) S.~e3 (White
can trade queens immediately pre-
serving better chances after: S.
1!?ixd6 exd6 9.~f4 ~e6 10.0-0-0
d5 11.~b5 ~e7 12.lLle5 Ei:cS 13.
Ei:he1t; 11...a6 12.~xc6+ bxc6 13.
Ei:he1 ~e7 14.lLle5 Ei:cS 15.~g3t)
S ... ~g4 9.~b5 0-0-0 1O.1!?ixd6
exd611.lLlg5 ~h512.lLlh3 d513.lLlf4
~g4 14.f3 d4 15.cxd4 cxd4 16.~f2
~f517.0-0-0t. White still has the
initiative despite the exchange of
queens.
5 ... tt:lb6
The retreat of the knight from
the central square is a partial po-
sitional concession for Black. It
might not seem to you so impor-
tant, but sometimes small advan-
tages tend to accumulate and lead
to grave consequences.
92
5 ... e6 6.0-0 d6 7.exd6 ~xd6
S.lLlc3 lLlxc3 (S ... lLlb6 9.~a2 0-0
1O.d3 e5 11.lLle4 ~g4 12.h3 ~h5
13.lLlg3 ~g6 14.Ei:e1 Ei:eS 15.~e3t)
9.dxc3!? (9.bxc3 0-0 10.d4oo )
9 ... 0-0 1O.1!?ie2 (This is one ofthe
critical positions. Black must
play very carefully otherwise he
might soon have to face insur-
mountable difficulties.) 1O ... e5?!
(l0 ... h6!? 11.Ei:d1t) 11.tt:lg5! h6
12.lLle4 ~e713.~e3 b614.Ei:ad11!?ic7
15.f4! ~b7 (15 ... ~f5 16.lLlg3 ~e6
17.~xe6 fxe6 lS.1!?ig4 ~h7 19.f5
exf5 20.lLlxf5+-) 16.1!?ig4 Ei:adS
17.f5 ~hS lS.Ei:xdS Ei:xdS 19.f6+-.
White's attack was immediately
decisive.
6.oia2
White's bishop is excellently
placed on the a2-square as a rule
in this opening system. That is
one of the numerous proofs that
White's second move is strong.
White's other try is not so logi-
cal: 6.~b5 1!?ic7 7.1!?ie2 a6 S.~xc6
1!?ixc6 9.0-0 d5 10.exd6 1!?ixd6
11.lLlc3 ~f5 12.d3 e6 13.lLle4 1!?id5
14.Ei:e1 ~e7=.
6 ... d57.exd6
White trades pawns so that the
bishop on a2 participates actively
in the further operations.
7 ... 1!?ixd6
7 ... e6 S.lLlc3 ~xd6 9.d3 0-0
1O.~e3 e5 11.lLle4 1!?ie7 12.lLlfg5
~f5?! (White wins now with a
beautiful and not so obvious com-
bination! Black's play until now
seemed to be quite natural, so you
might be able to make that combi-
nation in some of your games quite

soon.) 13.ixf7+!! l"1xf7 14.CDxf7
Wxf7 (Black loses his d6-bishop
after the other captures.) 15.\Mff3
We6 (15 ... g616.g4+-) 16.CDg5+ Wf6
17.g4+-.
S.ltlc3
Black now has the possibility
of White playing CDe4 to worry
about, so he must control this
square.
S ... if5
8 ... ig4? 9.ixf7+! Wxf7 10.
CDg5+ \ilg811.~xg4 CDd412.\ildl.
9.d3 e610.ie3l"1dSll.0-0
ie7 12.ltJe4 he4
13.dxe4;!;
White's two bishop advantage
promises him excellent prospects
in this position.
b) 4.c4!?
White's immediate chase of the
l.e4 c5 2.a3 CDf6 3.e5 CDd5
black knight has certain advan-
tages. We will analyse three re-
treats ofthis knight: bl) 4 ... ltlf4,
b2) 4 ... ltlb6 and b3) 4 ... ltlc7.
bl) 4 .. ltlf4
This move seems to be quite
eccentric, but the position is not
simple at all! White must play very
precisely in order to get the advan-
tage.
5.d4
This double attack against the
knight and the c5-pawn seems to
be very natural.
5 ... ltJe6
5 ... CDg6 6.dxc5! (Black can now
capture the important white e5-
pawn, and that might have pro-
vided him with an excellent game
under somewhat different circum-
stances. He wasted too many
moves on maneuvers with the
knight and White can use that time
to organize a dangerous attack.)
6 ... ~c7 (6 ... ctJxe5 7.b4 d6 8.ib2
ig4 9.ie2 ixe2 1O.\Mfxe2 CDbc6
11.b5 ctJa5 12.CDd2 CDg6 13.l"1dl e6
14.CDe4) 7.CDc3 ~xe5+ 8.ie3 CDc6
9.ltlf3 \Mfb8 (Black's queen is safe
here, but tile white knight can pen-
etrate to the c7-square in some
93
Chapter 7
lines with a decisive effect. The
black rook on aB will have no-
where to run to then.) 1O.b4lLlgeS
11.~e2 g6 (11. .. lLlxf3+ 12.hf3lLleS
13.0-0 lLlxc4 14.~d4 lLleS IS.E1el
lLlxf3+ 16.~xf3. White's consider-
able lead in development will soon
prove to be decisive, for example:
16 .. .f617.lLle4 c;t>dBIB.lLld6! This is
a beautiful tactical strike! You now
can only take pity on Black, be-
cause White's attack is developing
effortlessly. IB ... exd6 19.~xf6+
gxf6 20.~xf6+ c;t>c7 21.~xhB+-,
and Black loses his bishop on fB;
21...~h6 22.cxd6+ c;t>xd6 23.~eS+
c;t>c6 24.~cS#; 19 ... c;t>c7 20.cxd6+
hd6 21.~c3+ c;t>b6 22.~d4+ c;t>a6
23.bS+ c;t>xbS 24.E1eS+ ~xeS 2S.
~b4+ c;t>c6 26.~cS#; 2S ... c;t>a6
26.~a4#) 12.lLld4! fS (This is not
an attempt to attack, but a prepa-
ration of an eventual retreat of the
knight on eS to the V-square.)
13.bSlLlxd414.hd4~h6 (14 ... E1gB
IS.lLldS ~g716.f4lLlVI7.hg7 E1xg7
IB.~d4 eSl9.fxeSlLlxeS 20.b6+-)
IS.lLldS e6 (1S .. .f4 16.b6 0-0 17.
lLlxe7+ c;t>hB IB.lLldS+-; 17.lLlc7
lLlc6 IB.~c3+-) 16.f4 lLlV 17.hhB
lLlxhB IB.Wd4 lLlV 19.1Llf6+ c;t>dB
20.0-0 ~g7 21.c6 bxc6 22.bxc6
c;t>e7 23.cxd7 hf6 24.WcS+ lLld6
(24 ... c;t>xd7 2S.~f3 Wc7 26.E1adl+
lLld6 27.E1xd6+ Wxd6 2B.E1dl Wxdl
29.hdl+-) 2S.E1abl Black's queen
is almost trapped! 2S ...~b7 26.
E1fdl c;t>xd7 (26 ... c;t>dB 27.E1xd6
~e7 2B.E1bdl ~dS 29.~aS+! Wc7
30.Wxc7+ c;t>xc7 31.E1a6 ~b7 32.
E1xe6+-) 27.E1xd6 c;t>eB (27... ~xd6?
2B.E1xb7+, c;t>eB 29.Wxd6+-) 2B.
94
E1xe6+ c;t>f7 29.~f3 c;t>xe6 30J3Xb7
Wxb7 31.~xb7 E1dB 32.~dS+ E1xdS
33.WxdS+-. Are you curious what
might happen after the natural
move 12 ... ~g7? (instead o12 .. .fS)?
See what: 13.f4! gS!? (13 ... 0-0
14.bS!+-, and Black loses his
knight. But not 14.fxeS?! ~xeS<X:),
and Black regains his piece in this
extraordinary fashion.) 14.fxgS!
White can also play here: 14.fxeS!?
WxeSlS.lLldSlLlxd416.Wxd4 Wxd4
17.~xd4 ~xd4 IB.E1dl ~eS 19.~hS
e6 20.0-0 exdS 21.E1del. White
has regained his piece and his ad-
vantage in the endgame is almost
decisive.
6.d5!
White manages to occupy the
centre and the black knight that
took so many tempi to wander
around is exchanged to White's
favour.
6 ... ltJd4 7.ltJf3ltJxf3+ 8.Wxf3
d69.exd6
9 ... ~xd6
9 ... exd6 1O.~d3 ~e7 (Is it pos-
sible to punish Black for the frivo-
lous check 1O ... ~e7+? - yes it is
possible! Black is faced with prob-
lems along the open file after: 11.
c;t>dl!! lLld7 12.E1ellLleS 13.~g3+-,

and Black loses his knight after the
unavoidable f2-f4.) 11.0-0 0-0
12.tiJc3 ttJd7 13.if4 a6 (13 ... ttJeS
14.ixeS dxeS lS.'lWe4 White wins
a pawn after this double attack and
Black has no sufficient compensa-
tion for it. lS .. .fS 16.'lWxeS .1d6
17.'lWe3) 14.Elfe1 ttJf6 lS.Ele3 EleS
16.Elae1 .1g4 (16 ... id7 17.h3)
17.~g3.
10.1L1c3
White plans to attack the vul-
nerable c7-square and presently
Black could only manage to bring
his queen into action. Meanwhile
it was not even clear whether that
was good for him.
10 .. 1L1d7
1O ... a6 (Black defends the bS
square reliably but White has
plenty of other possibilities.)
11.if4 (Black now must make a
choice between several unattrac-
tive lines. His position remains
bad after everyone of them.)
11...eS (1l ... 'lWb6 12.0-0-0 ttJd7
13.id3 ttJf614.h3! This simple and
effective prophylactic move pre-
vents the annoying pin ig4 and
prepares the possible cramping of
the opponent later with the move
g2-g4. 14 ... .1d7 lS.Elhe1 0-0-0
16. Wc2) 12 ..1e3 fS13.g4! This po-
sitional pawn-sacrifice is quite
typical for the King's Indian De-
fence. White occupies a lot of im-
portant outposts, particularly the
e4-square. 13 ... fxg4 14.'lWg3 ifS
15.h3 gxh3 16.hh3 ixh3 17.Elxh3
ttld7 lS.ttJe4 ~b6 19.b4 0-0-0
20.Eldl.
1l.lLlb5 ~e5+ 12 ..1e2 a6
l.e4 cS 2.a3 ttJf6 3.eS ttJdS
13 ..1f4!
This is the most resolute move.
Black lags behind in development
and that will be the decisive factor
after the play gets sharpened.
13 ... 'lWxb2 14.1L1c7+ Wd8 15.
lLlxa8 'lWxal + 16 ..1dl
White's possible material
losses would be immaterial. After
castling Black's king will fall an
easy prey to the combined efforts
of the white pieces.
16 ... 1L1e5
16 ... 'lWd4 17.0-0 'lWxc4 lS.'lWg3
'lWxdS19.ic7+ \t>eS 20 ..1bS!! (This
is a very beautiful and original re-
source! White is three pawns down
and the knight on as as well as the
bishop on bS are rather awkwardly
placed ... Nevertheless he must win
this position. Chess tends to be a
quite unusual game at times ... !)
20 ... ~fS (20 ... 'lWc6 21.if3 ~f6
22.ttJc7+ WdS 23.ttJdS 'lWc6 24.
4:Jxe7 'lWe6 2S.4:JxcS+-) 21.4:Jc7+
\t>dS 22.4:Je6+ fxe6 (22 ... \t>eS 23.
'lWc7 fxe6 - see 22 ... fxe6) 23.~c7+
WeS 24.'lWxcS+ Wf7 2S.~xd7 ~dS
26.'lWc7+-, and White's super-ac-
tive bishop pair will just take apart
Black's position quickly and eas-
ily.
17.~e31L1xc418.~xc5'IWc3+
9S
Chapter 7
19.~e2!
The king must retreat exactly
here! Retreating to other squares
might lead to disaster: 19. ~f1??
ttJd2+ 20.hd2 ~xc5-+, and White
10seshisqueen.19 ..ig4+ 20.f3
e5 (20 ... ~b2+ 21.~f1+-, and the
white king avoids the checks eas-
ily.) 21.lMrc7+ ~e8 22 . .ig5 f6
23.fxg41Mrb2+ 24.~f1lMrbl 25.
~f2 ~b2+ 26.~g3 ~c3+ 27..if3
.id6!? (This counterstrike is beau-
tiful, indeed, but White is quite
well prepared for it!) 28Jkl e4+
(28 ... ~xc129.~c8+ ~e7 30.~e6+
~f8 31..ixc1+-) 29.lMrxd6 lLIxd6
30.l"lxc3 exf3 31.l"le3+ ~f7 32.
~f4lL1c4 33.l"lc3 g5 34 ..ic7lL1d2
35.gxf3 l"lxa8 36.d6 ~e6 37.
l"ld3 lLIc4 38.d7+-.
b2) 4 .. lLIb6
This is Black's most natural re-
96
treat of the knight.
5.b4d6
About the other possibility
5 ... d5 6.exd6;!; - see 5 ... d6.
6.exd6exd6
6 ... ~xd6 7.ttJf3 e5 8.lLIc3! leads
to a powerful initiative for White
- his knight can go to b5 or to e4.
7.d4lL1c6
7 ... cxd4 8.ttJf3! (White intends
to capture the d4-pawn with his
knight and not with the queen.)
8 ... ~e7+ (It is possible that Black
had better prefer the slightly
inferior endgame after: 8 ... .ig4
9.~xd4 .ixf3 10.gxf3 ~e7+ 11 .
.ie3lLlc612.~e4 f513.~xe7+ he7
14.ttJc3.if615.l"lc1.ixc316.l"lxc3;!;)
9 ..ie2 .ie6 1O.0-0! (White is not
obliged to defend the c4-pawn.)
1O ... ttJxc4 11.lLlxd4 ~f6 12.lLlxe6
fxe6 (12 ... ~xe613.l"le1.ie714.ttJc3
0-0 15.lLld5+-) 13 ..ixc4 ~xa1
14.~h5+ g615.~b5+ lLld716.he6
l"ld8 17.~d5 ~e5 18 ..if7+ ~e7
19 ..ig5+ ttJf6 20.~xb7+ l"ld7 21.
M6+ ~xf6 22.l"le1 + ~xf7 23.~xd7
.ie7 24.ttJc3 l"ld8 25.~xa7+-.
8.d5!
Black is incapable to exploit his
insignificant lead in development.
White has some extra space and

that is an important factor in this
position.
8 .. .'~f6
8 ... lLJd4 9.lLJe2 Wie7 1O ..ib2!
lLJxc4 11..ixd4 cxd4 12.Wxd4 lLJe5
13.lLJbc3 .if514.f4lLJd315.~d2+-;
8 ... lLJe5 9.bxc5 dxc5 10.f4 lLJg6
1l.Wie2+ ~d7!?;!;.
9.13a2 lLld4 10 ..id3! .if5 11.
lLle2 lLlxc4
Black is trying to win a pawn
in order to compensate the draw-
backs of his position.
After 11...0-0-0 12.0-0,
White is clearly better, because the
black king is seriously endangered.
12.0-0! hd313.Wxd3 lLle5
14.Widl! lLlef3+ 15.gxf3 Wg6+
16.~hl Wixbl
17.lLlxd4!
(White sacrifices the exchange
to get at the enemy king.) 17.
exa218.13el+ ~d819.ea4i.e7
20.'l!;Ya5+ b6 21.lLlc6+ ~e8 22.
ea6 exd5 23. ee2 ~d7 24.
lLlxe7 'l!;Yb7 (24 ... Wie6 25.eb5+-)
25.lLlf5 13he8 26.'l!;Ye7+ 13xe7
27.13xe7+ ~c6 28.b5+ ~xb5
29.13xb7+-.
b3) 4 . lLlc7
This is a wise manoeuvre, be-
l.e4 c5 2.a3 lLJf6 3.e5 lLJd5
cause the knight can join the ac-
tions quickly via the c7-square.
5.b4!
This is the right way for White
to continue the fight for the cen-
tre. We will now analyse b3a)
5 ... d6 and b3b) 5 . cxb4.
b3a) 5 . d6
This is a logical move. White
should be ready to sacrifice a pawn
in his fight to seize the initiative
as it is often quite typical for this
variation.
6.exd6exd6
6 ... exd6 7 ..ib2 lLJc6 (7 ... .if5
8.ef3 Wc8 9.b5 .ig6 1O.lLJh3 lLJd7
1l.lLJf4 lLJe5 12.We3 fie7 13.lLJxg6
hxg6 14 ..ie2 Wif515.0-0;:!; Kroshk
- bierund, Internet 2004) 8.lLJf3
cxb4 9.axb4 lLJxb4 1O.Wia4+ lLJc6
11.fie2 d512.0-0 (Black has failed
to develop his bishop on f8 and
that presents White with good at-
tacking chances.) 12 ... We7 (12 ...
fie7 13.fixg7 13g8 14.fieS! fih3
15.fig3) 13.cxd5 lLJxd5 14.fibS
ec7 lSJ'~e1+ lLJde7 16.d4 fie6 17.
lLJc3 (White now has the threat d4-
d5 as the "Damocles' sword" over
Black's position!) 17 ... Wif4 (17 ...
13d8 18.Wxa7+-) 18.dS exa4 19.
97
Chapter 7

ixa4+-.
7.ll:rf3!
Do not overlook the threat of a
check from the eS-square - win-
ning the rook!

bishop after: 1S ... b4 16.ltJc4 'lf1cS+

17.d4+-) 16.d4 as 17..ieS.

b3b) S .. exb4

7 ... exb4
Black could have tried the cen-
tral move 7... eS, but his defence is
difficult after thattoo. 8.bxcS 'lf1xcS
9.ib2 ltJc6 (9 ... e4 1O.'lf1e2 'lf1e7 1I.
ltJd4 ltJc6 12.ltJbS ltJxbS 13.cxbS
ltJaS 14.ltJc3 ltJb3 1SJ'J:b1 ifS16.b6
ltJd417.'lf1c4 'lf1cs 18.ltJdS 'lf1xc4 19.
ixc4 ltJe6 20.0-0 axb6 2I.ltJxb6
Ei:aS 22.a4 e3 23.fxe3 ixb1 24.
Ei:xb1;!:;. White's prospects are bet-
ter in this quite original endgame,
since his play is much easier.)
1O.ltJxeS!? ltJxeS 1l.'lf1e2 id6 (11 ...
'lf1xc4 12.'lf1xeS+ 'lf1e6 13.ie2 'lf1xeS
14.heSltJe61S.0-0;!:;) 12.d4 'lf1xc4
(12 ... WiaS+ 13.ic3 'lf1a6 14.dxeS)
13.dxeS 'lf1xe2+ 14.ixe2 ie7 1S.
ltJc3;!:;.
8.axb4 'lf1xb4 9.ltJe3 e6 10.
.ia3 Wib6
(diagram)
H.eS! heS (ll ... 'lf1aS 12.ltJeS
ixcS13.ltJc4 ixf2+ 14.c;:t>xf2 'lf1fS+
1S.c;:t>e1+-) 12.tlJa4.txf2+ 13.~e2
~aS 14.~xf2 bS lS.tlJb2 'lf1b6+
(Black has no chances to trap the
This move cannot be easily
qualified as good or bad! White
activates his pieces much easier
after it, but Black wins a pawn af-
ter all!
6.axb4 tlJe6
This is the most logical move.
Black had to shun the capturing
of the b4-pawn in case he did
not wish to accept the pawn-
sacrifice. He inflicted a double-at-
tack on the eS and b4-pawns with
his last move. White had to sacri-
fice one of them, but which one?
The central pawn is more impor-
tant and it should be preserved,
while the b4-pawn can be sacri-
ficed.
We can be easily convinced

98
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 'tJf6 3.eS 'tJdS

that Black cannot equalize even if S.tLle4! 0-0 (The development of

he refrains from playing 6 ... ltJc6, the game is rather different, but
for example: also quite favourable for White af-
6 ... dS 7.ttJf3 tg4 (7 ... dxc4 S. ter: S ... d6 9.Wa4+ ltJc6 1O.ta3
txc4 ltJc6 9.bS ltJb4 1O.Wb3 e6 txa3 11.Wxa3 O-O! 12.exd6 'tJa6
1l.ta3 liJbdS 12.txfS :8:xfS 13.0-0 13.cS 'tJab4+; 9.'tJxd6+! The ex-
f6 14.d4 ltJf4 lS.ltJbd2 ltJcdS 16. change of Black's dark-squared
ltJe4 and the white knight is bishop is very advantageous for
headed for the wonderful d6 - White. His own dark-squared
square.) S.tb2 e6 9.cS te7 bishop will become then a power-
(Kroshk - Valeanu_eduard, Inter- ful force to reckon with. 9 ... hd6
net 2004) 1O.d4 0-0 1l.ltJbd2;t; 1O.exd6 Wxd6 11.ta3 Wd7 12.d4
9 ... ltJc6 1O.bSltJb411.b6. The pur- 'tJc613.'tJf3 b614.td3~; ll ... WeS+
poseful assault of the white pawns 12.te2 'tJc6 13.'tJf3 Wf6 14.d4~)
is very impressive: 1l ... axb6 12. 9.WhS 'tJc6 (9 .. .fS 10.exf6 gxf6
cxb6 ltJca6 13.Wa4+ Wd7 14.tbS 1l.td3 fS12.tb2! Itturns out now
ltJc6 lS.Wxg4+- Kroshk - Dani- that the white knight can easily be
San, Internet 2003; sacrificed. His queen is co-acting
6 ... e6 7.ltJc3!? (White obtains with the bishops so effectively that
dangerous attacking possibilities White's threats are almost impos-
after this interesting pawn sacri- sible to parry. 12 ... fxe413.he4 :8:f7
fice.) 7... txb4 (7 ... ltJc6 S.ltJe4!? 14.txh7+ :8:xh7 lS.Wg6+ \t>fS 16.
hb4 9.tb2~; S... ltJxeS 9.cS! White Wxh7 WgS 17.'tJf3 WfSoo; 14.tg6
must dominate over the d6-square We7 lS.hf7+ Wxf7 16.WeS! Wg6
otherwise his compensation for 17.Wxc7+-; 14 ... :8:e7 lS.WeS hxg6
the pawn would not be sufficient. 16.WhS+ \t>f7 17.Wg7+ ~eS IS.
9 ... dS1O.cxd6 hd611.Wa4+. This WgS#; 13 ... :8:fS 14.txfS exfS 15.
important check deprives Black of 'tJe2! White completes his devel-
the right to castle. His king now opment calmly. Black can win a
might quickly fall into trouble. couple of more pawns, but he
l1...~fS 12.ltJxd6 Wxd6 13.tb2 cannot defend against White's
ltJdS 14.bS ~gS lS.We4 f6 16.ltJf3 all-powerful assault. lS ... dS 16.
ltJxf3+ 17.Wxf3~; 9 ... ltJdS 1O.tb2 0-0 dxc4 17.'tJd4 hd2 lS.:8:a3 c3
ltJg6 11.1&b3 as 12.bxaS :8:xaS 13. 19.txc3 WgS 20.We2 txc3 21.
:8:xaS WxaS 14.ltJf3 fS lS.ltJd6+ :8:xc3+-; 19 ... Wd6 20.tb2 f4 21.
txd6 16.cxd6 0-0 17.tbS Wb4 WgS+ ~f8 22.:8:d3 tb4 23.'tJbS
lS.Wxb4 tiJxb4 19.0-0~; 1O ... Wh4 Wxd3 24.1&g7+ \t>eS 2S.'tJxc7+
11.d3 ltJc4 12.td4 eS 13.g3 We7 ~d8 26.tf6+ te7 27.Wxe7#) 10.
14.tc3ltJxc31S.ltJxc3+-; 12 ... ltJce3 td3! h6 (lO ... 'tJeS 1l.tb2 h6 12.
13.ltJf3 ltlxdl14.ltJxh4 fS lS.ltJd6+ 'tJf6+ gxf6 13.Wxh6 fS14.'tJf3 Wb6
txd6 16.cxd6 ltJlc3 17.txg7 :8:gS lS.g4 tcs 16.'tJgS+-; 14 ... We7
lS.teS1":lg419.'tJf3 :8:xb4 20.:8:c1~) lS.g4 'tJxeS16.'tJxeS Wf617.We3 d6

99
Chapter 7
18.gxfS+-; lS ... f6 16.gxfS ~h7
17Jl:g1+ ~h8 18.~xh7+ ~xh7 19.
fxe6+ ~h8 20.lLlh4 lLle7 21.i.g6
dxe6 22.i.xe8 fS 23.i.a3 i.xa3
24.El:xa3 El:xe8 2S.El:h3+-; 19 ... ~h6
20.exf6 dxe6 21.El:g6+ ~hS 22.~e2
lLld6 23.El:agl+-; 21...~h7 22.lLlgS+
~h8 23.El:h6+ ~g8 24.f7+ El:xf7
2S.El:h8#) 1l.lLlf3 dS 12.lLlf6+ ~h8
13.lLlg4 ~g8 14.lLlxh6+! gxh6 15.
~xh6 fS 16.g4! ~f7 (l6 .. Jl:f7 17.
gxfSi.f818.El:g1+ El:g719.El:g6lLlxeS
20.lLlxeS exfS 21.i.b2 ~e8 22.
El:xg7+ i.xg7 23.~gS dxc4 24.i.xc4
i.e6 2S.El:c1 i.xc4 26.El:xc4 lLle6
27.~xfS as 28.El:h4 lLlf8 29.El:g4
lLle6 30.~d1 El:a6 31.lLld7+-) 17.
gxfS exfS 18.El:g1 i.e6 19.i.xfS ~e7
(19 ... i.xfS 20.El:g7 ~e8 21.~hS+-)
20.El:g7+ i.f7 21.e6+-.
7.d4!
White sacrifices his b4-pawn.
If White loses his eS-pawn he
cannot even hope to equalize: 7.
bS?! lLlxeS 8.i.b2 d6 9.f4 lLld7 10.
~f3 e6 11.lLlc3 i.e7 (It is nowobvi-
ous that White has failed to orga-
nize any attack whatsoever.) 12.
i.d3 i.f6 13.lLlge2 dS 14.~e3 dxc4
lS.i.xc4 lLlb6 16.i.b3 0-0 17.0-0
lLlxbS 18.ttJxbS hb2 19.El:a2 i.f6
20.El:c1 i.d7-+ Schepel- Chumfwa,
100
Istanbul 2000.
7 ... ttJxb4
Capturing the sacrificed pawn
is Black's best and most principled
decision.
7... dS?! 8.bSlLlb8 (This retreat
looks pathetic, but Black has noth-
ing better.) 9.cS i.fS 1O.ttJc3 ttJe6
(l0 ... e6 1l.lLlf3 i.e7 12.i.e2 0-0
13.0-0 lLld7 14.i.a3 f6 lS.exf6
lLlxf6 16.El:el) 11.lLlf3 h6 12.El:a4
i.g4 13.~b3 i.xf3 14.gxf3 lLlc7
lS.b6 axb6 16.cxb6 lLlca6 (16 ...
El:xa4 17.~xa4+-) 17.lLlxdS e6 18.
i.bS+ lLld719.ttJc7+ ttJxc7 20.bxc7
~c8 21.El:xa8 ~xa8 22.~a4 ~xa4
(22 ... ~c8 23.i.xd7+ ~xd7 24.
c8~+ ~e7 2S.~axd7#) 23.c8~+
~e7 24.~xd7#
Black loses a piece and the
game after: 8 ... ttJb4? 9.~a4! e6
(9 ... aS 1O.b6+-. The knight on c7
is lost.) 1O.cS! (It is not so convinc-
ing for White to playlO.b6+?! i.d7
1l.bxc7 ~h4! This is an excellent
resource for Black. 12.~d1 ~e4+
13.i.e3 ttJc2+ 14. ~d2 ttJxa11S.lLlc3
i.b4 oo ) 1O ... aS 1l.b6+ i.d7 12.bxc7
~xc7 13.i.bS (l3.~xb4 axb4 14.
El:xa8+ ~e7 lS.i.d2+-) 13 ... lLld3+
14.~e2 ttJxc1+ lS.~d2+-. Black's
knight on c1 is lost and White wins
easily.
S.dS ttJba6
8 ... e6 9.d6 (This powerful
pawn is like a wedge in Black's
position It is as if it cuts Black's
position in two parts. He cannot
coordinate his pieces at all.) 9 ...
lLlca6 1O.ttJf3 b6 1l.i.gS f6 12.exf6
gxf6 13.lLleS! This powerful ma-
noeuvre is worth remembering.
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 tLlf6 3.eS tLldS

13 ... hS (This is the only move. choice now is only between the
13 ... fxg5?? 14.1WhS#; 13 ... ixd6 least of evils: 12 .. J'\gS (12 ... ig7?
14.1WhS+ ~f8 lS.1Wf7#) 14.ie2! 13.exd6+-; 12 ... f6 13.e6 ig7 14.
~xd6 15.ixhS+ ~f8 16.1Wxd6+ tLlc3 0-0 lS.h4 tLl7xe6 16.dxe6
~g717.ltJf71Wc71S.1We7+-. ixe6 17.h5 ixc4 lS.hxg6 hxg6
9.~d3 ttJc5 10 .i.c2 d6 19.ixg6+-; lS ... h6 19.tLlge2;
17... gS lS.ltJdS h6 19.1We2 fS 20.
ixg7 ~xg7 21.tLlf3 id7 22.0-0 e6
23.tLlb4 as 24.tLld3 tLle4 2S.tLld2
ic6 26.tLlxe4 fxe4 27.ltJb2 dS 2S.
ia4 1Wf6 29J:;:ad1:j;) 13.tLlf3 ifS
14.0-0 hc2 lS.1Wxc2 (Black's po-
sition is too cramped and the ex-
change of the knights is not help-
ing him much ... ) lS ... ig7 16.1Wb2
(White is threatening the b7-
1l.~e3! pawn.) 16 ... b6 17.tLlbd2 (17.e6
This strong and difficult to find ixd41S.exf7+ ~xf719.tLlxd41Wd7
move provides White with a last- 20.tLlc6 eS 21.tLlc31Wg4=) 17 ... tLld3
ing advantage. Black has great lS.~c3ltJf419.E1fe1 dxeS 20.ltJxeS
problems to complete his develop- e6 21.tLldf3 1Wd6 22.tLlc6 (White
ment. provoked the advance of Black's b-
1l.e6!? White can play like that pawn and now has the wonderful
and sacrifice a pawn if he likes c6-square for his knight.) 22 ...
non-standard positions with wild ixd4 23.1Wxd4 E1fS 24.E1xa7 E1xa7
tactical possibilities and unclear 2S.ltJxa7+-.
chances. 1l ... fxe6 12.1Wh5+ g6 It is better for Black to play
(12 ... ~d7) 13.hg6+ hxg614.1WxhS 12 ... f6! (after 11...g6 12.id4), but
ltJd3+ lS.~f1 ltJxc1 16.1Wc3 ih6 this also enables White to push
17.~hS+ ifS lS.1Wh7!? (1S.1Wc3=) his pawn to the fearsome e6-
lS ... ~d719.ltJd2ltJd3 20.tLle4 tLleS square: 13.e6 ig7 14.ltJc3 0-0
21.dxe6+ ~c7 22.1Wxg6fZ lS.h4! tLl7xe6! This is Black's
1l ... e6 only chance to offer some resis-
1l ... tLld7?! 12.e6 fxe6? 13.1WhS+ tance. He sacrifices a piece for
g6 14.~xg6+ hxg6 lS.1Wxg6#; 12 ... three pawns and has some minute
tLlf6 13.ia4+ b5 14.cxbS+-; chances to save the game. 16.dxe6
1l ... b612.e6 fxe613.1WhS+ ~d7 ixe6 17.hS ~xc4 (17 ... gS lS.tLldS
14.ixc5 dxc5 lS.dxe6+ tLlxe6 16. h619.~e2 fS 20.hg7 ~xg7 21.tLlf3
1Wd5+ ~c717.~xaS+-; ~d7 22.0-0 e6 23.tLlb4 as 24.tLld3
Black cannot complete his de- tLle4 2S.ltJd2 ~c6 26.tLlxe4 fxe4
velopment ifhe tries to fianchetto 27.tLlb2 dS 2S.ia41Wf6 29.E1aCU)
his bishop: 11...g6 12.id4, Black's IS.hxg6 h6 (18 ... hxg619 ..bg6+-)

101
Chapter 7
19.LUge2.
12 ..b::c5!
White is of course not happy
to exchange his powerful bishop,
but he obtains now a very danger-
ous pawn on d6. It practically di-
vides Black's position in two parts
that do not communicate with
each other at all. His defence be-
comes highly problematic after
that!
12 ... dxc5 13.d6 ttJa6 14.ttJf3
Black's bishop on fS is inca-
pable of joining the action. That
means that Black cannot castle
and he fails to activate his rook on
hS too.
14 ... ttJb4
The character of the game re-
mains more or less the same after:
14 ... id7 IS.ie4 ~b6 16.0-0 fS
17.ic2 g61S.ia4 ~dSI9.LUgS! ig7
20.LUxe6 ixeS 21.~el ixal 22.
LUgS+ i'fS (22 ... ieS 23.~dS!+-)
23.~dS i'g7 24.~e7+ i'h6 (24 ...
i'f6 2S.LUe4+! fxe4 26.~f7#) 2S.
LUf7+ i'g7 (2S ... i'hS 26.~f3+ i'h4
27.~h3#) 26.ttJxdS+ i'h6 (26 ...
i'f6 27.~f7+ i'gS 2S.~d2+ f4
29.~xf4+ i'hS 30.idl+ ig4 31.
ixg4+ i'h4 32.g3#) 27.~d2+ gS
(27 ... i'hS 2S.idl+ i'h4 29.~f4#)
102
2S.LUf7+ i'g7 29.ct:lc3 i'fS 30.
LUxhS+-.
15.ia4+ ~d7
Is ... LUc6 16.LUc3 ~d7 17.ttJbS
i'dSlS.0-0 a619.LUc7 ~a7 20.~b3
(White is threatening to penetrate
to the b6-square.) 20 ... bS 21.cxbS
axbS 22.~xbshd6 23.exd6 ~xd6
24.~fdl LUd4 2S.LUxd4 cxd4 26.
LUeS!+-.
16.ct:lc3 a6
16 ... g617.ct:le4! (This is a double
attack against the important cS
and f6-squares.) 17 ... ig7 (Black
has nothing better.) IS.ct:lxcS ha4
(1S ... LUc6 19.LUxb7 ~b6 20.~bl
~a6 21.0-0 ~xc4 22.~cl ~b4 23.
ixc6 ixc6 24.~xc6 ~xb7 2S.~c7
~b4 26.d7+ i'dS 27.~c2 ~b6
2S.~c6 ~b7 29.~dl f6 30.~cS+
and White has the deadly threat to
check from the cS-square.) 19.
~xa4+ ttJc6 20.ct:lxb7 ~b6 (20 ...
~cS 21.LUaS i'd7 22.~bl+-; 22.
LUd4+-) 21.LUaS ~xaS+ 22.~xaS
LUxaS 23.~xaS i'd7 24. i'd2 ~hbS
2S.~hal ~b7 26.~a6 ~abS 27.cS
~b2+ 2S.i'el ~bl+ 29.~xbl ~xbl+
30.i'e2 ~b2+ 31.i'd3+-.
17.0-0
17 ... gb8 18.ixd7+ ~xd7
19.~e2 h6 20.gfdl b6 21.ttJa2
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 ltJf63.eSltJdS

lLle6 22.lLlel lLlb4 23.lLld3 (TheWhite than the move Wf3! This is
knight must be exchanged.) 23 ... because the black pieces are de-
a5 24.lLlxb4 exb4 25.c5 bxc5 prived of the important b4-square.
26.gxa5. Black's whole kingside Secondly White can support his
is out of action now. e5-pawn with the simple f2-f4. I
must admit that I failed to appre-
Conclusions about 4. f'Jf3 ciate immediately White's idea
and4.c4 and it seemed to me that Black's
Both moves enable White to at- position is satisfactory. Neverthe-
tack in the centre. His actions less the analysis showed that Black
there are often supported by the has serious problems to solve in
strike b2-b4. Moreover White can this line and White is clearly bet-
repel easily Black's knight from ter!
the center. He must play inven- Let us first see the considerable
tively and aggressively in order drawbacks of the developing move
to succeed and he should be ready 4 ... ltJc6?! Black only loses a pawn
to risk considerably ifnecessary. with this seemingly active move
Both sides are often deprived of and he does not get anything in
the right to castle! return: 5.dxc5! Wa5+ 6.c3! This is
the right move! (It is not good for
c) 4.d4! White to play 6.b4?! ltJdxb4 7.
~d2?! Wxc5!-+) 6 ... e6 (but not
6 ... Wxc5 7.b4+-, and Black loses
his knight) 7.b4 Wc7 8.f4.
We are also going to analyse in
details: el) 4 ... e6, c2) 4 ... d6,
and c3) 4 ... exd4.

This move might seem to a
knowledgeable theoretician a bit
paradoxical and not so strong too.
The point is that in the well-known
line: l.e4 cS 2.lLlf3 ltJf6 3.eS ltJdS
4.d4 cxd4 S.Wxd4 e6 Black solves
easily his problems in the opening
and White usually plays some
other lines on move 4. It is not so
easy to believe that the a3 pawn-
move is presently more useful to
el) 4 ... e6
This move is quite possible and
it seems logical, but White obtains
quickly a huge advantage. This is
mostly due to the weakness of the
d6-square. White has excellent
prospects on the kingside too.
5.c4lLlb6 6.dxe5 hc5 7.lLlc3
It is good for White to play
7.Wg4 as well, since Black cannot
castle, because he loses the ex-
change. I will not analyse that
move, because after 7.ltJc3 White
has a great advantage.

103
Chapter 7

Wxe6 21.fih3 Wxh3 22.We5+ rJldB

23.lLlf4 Wg4 24.lLle6+ rJle7 2S.lLlg5
rJlfB 26.0-0+ rJlgB 27.WdS+-.
9 .. rJlf8
9 ... 0-0 1O.fih6 g611.lLlf6+ rJlhB
12.Wh3! This is better and simpler
than winning the eXj::hange 12 ...
l"lgB 13.lLlxh7+-.
10.tLlxc5 tLlxc5 11.fie3 ~c7
7 ... a5 12.tLlf3 tLlb313.l"ldl tLla414.fie2
7... 0-0 B.M fie7 9.c5 (White b6
now wins a pawn by force and he
has a great positional advantage.)
9 ... Wc7 (9 ... lLld5 1O.lLlxd5 exd5
l1.WxdS as 12.bS! a4 13.lLlf3 Wc7
14.fie3 Wa5+ 15.fid2 Wc716.Ek1 h6
17.fid3+-) 10.lLlf3 a6 (10 .. .f6 11.
lLl b5+-) 11.fie3! (11.fib2?! lLldS
12.lLlxdS exd5 13.Wxd5 a5 14.fid3
axb4 1S.axb4 l"lxa1+ 16.fixa1 b6
17.We4 g6~) 11...lLld5 12.lLlxd5
exdS 13.Wxd5 lLlc6 14.fid3+-. 15.tLlg5 fib7 (1S ... WxeS 16.
S.tbe4 tLla6 9.~g4 Wf3+-) 16.~h5 g6 17.tLlxh7+
White's position is so good that rJlgS (17 ... rJlg7 1B.Wh6+ rJlgB 19.
I can even recommend to you an- lLlf6#) lS.tLlf6+ rJlg719.~g5+-.
other way to achieve a great (and
possibly decisive) advantage. c2) 4 ... d6
9.fie3 (This is a quite reason-
able positional decision. Black will
be incapable to defend his dark
squares after the exchange of the
bishops. Moreover the f-file is
opened and White's attack is even
more powerful after that.) 9 ...fixe3
1O.lLld6+ rJle7 11.fxe3 f6 12.~d4
fxe5 13.Wxe5 WfB 14.l"ld1 Wf6 15.
Wb5 lLldS (This piece sacrifice is
forced and Black's chances to sur- The idea of that move is very
vive are not too great after it. His attractive for Black; he leaves the
position was already lost anyway.) d4-pawn under threat and attacks
16.lLlxcB+ l"laxcB 17.cxd5 Wh4+ immediately the other central
1B.g3 We419.dxe6 Wxe3+ 20.lLle2 pawn of the opponent. White can

104

however achieve an excellent po-
sition with some aggressive play.
S.c4!
It becomes clear now that the
black knight has only two squares
to retreat - c7 and b6. Both of
them are quite unsatisfactory,
though ...
c2a) S ... lLlc7 6.exd6!
This exchange is important and
quite favourable for White. It is
weaker for him to play 6.dxcS?!
dxeS! 7.lMfxdS+ WxdSoo.
c2al) 6 . 'Wxd6
7.dS!
This move creates a powerful
outpost in the centre. The seem-
ingly attractive line 7.dxcSlMfxd1 +!
promises less, because Black
sacrifices a pawn and obtains
counterplay that is sufficient for
equality. (White's advantage is
considerable after 7... lMfxcS?! S.
1e3 lMfc6 9.ttJf3 1fS 1O.ttJd4 lMfg6
l1.ttJxfS WixfS 12.'Wb3 lMfcS 13.lLlc3
eS 14.0-0-0 ttJc6 lS.wbl lLle6
16.lLldS1cS 17.1xcS lLlxcs lS.Wie3
lLle619.g3 0-0 20.f4) S.Wxd1 as
9.1e3 lLlba6 10.lLlc3 eS 11.lLldS
lLlxdS 12.cxdS lLlxcs 13J'i:c1 b6
14.lLlf31d61S.1bS+ We7=.
l.e4 c5 2.a3 lLlf6 3.eSlLld5
7 ... e6 S.lLlc3 exdS 9.cxdS
White's central pawn may be-
come very powerful soon.
9 ... lLlSd7
After 9 ...1e7 1O.Wif3! White is
threatening to play the dangerous
move 11.~f4. 10 ... 0-0 (l0 ... g5.
This move might seem to you a
bit anti-positional, but it has a
substantial merit - White cannot
place his bishop on f4, at least
for a while. He should try to en-
ter a favourable endgame after:
11.h4 g4 12.Wif4 Wixf4 13.1xf4
lLlba6 14.d6lLle6 15.1eS f6 16.1g3
lLld4 17.0-0-0 1fS lS.1d3 1e6
19.1Llge2 0-0-0 20.lLlxd4 cxd4 21.
lLlbS wbS 22.lLlc7+-) 11.1f4 (The
black queen must now abandon
the blocking d6-square. White's
dS-pawn can quickly spring to ac-
tion after that. Black is very likely
to suffer some material losses, be-
cause of the misplacement of his
knights.) 11...lMfb6 (l1...lMfdS 12.
lMfg3 ~h4!? This is an interesting
resource. White cannot win mate-
rial indeed, but he can transfer to
a favourable endgame. 13.~xc7
lMfe7+ 14.Wie5 l"1eS lS.~xbS lMfdS
16.1e2 l"1xeS 17.1xeS lMfb6 IS.
lLlf3+-; 15.lMfxe7 l"1xe7+ 16.1e2
l"1xc7 17.d6 l"1d7 lS.lLlf3 1f6 19.
0-0-0 1xc3 20.bxc3 wfS 21.l"1he1
f6 22.1c4l"1dS 23.l"1e7 ttJc6 24.l"1f7+
wgS 2s.d7 bs 26.1dS 1b7 27.
l"1xf6+ whS 2S ..hc6 gxf6 29.1xb7
l"1abS 30.1cS+-; 14 ... iWxeS+ 15.
ixeS l"1eS 16.ttJf3 1f6 17.1bS 1d7
lS.0-0-0 ~xeS 19.ttJxe5 l"1xe5
20.l"1he1 l"1xe1 21.l"1xe1 wfS 22.~d3
h6 23.lLlb5 ttJa6 24.ttJd6 l"1bS 25.
105
Chapter 7
lLlxb7 ~xb7 26.ixa6 ~b6 27.ic4)
12.mrg3 if6 13.0-0-0! (This is
White's simplest method to defend
the b2-pawn. The placement of
the white king might seem risky,
but Black cannot create any real
threats against it.) 13 ... lLlba6 14.
ic4 id7 lS.lLlge2 lLl bS 16.~he1
~feB 17.d6 lLlxc3 1B.lLlxc3 ~xe1
(lB ... id419.ieS! This trade is very
advantageous for White. Black
should forget about his hopes of
creating counterplay and White's
passed pawn is quite likely to de-
cide the issue. 19 ... ~xeS 20.~xeS
ixeS 21.mrxeS ~eB 22.mrhS ie6
23.ixe6 ~xe6 24.mrh4 ~xd6 2S.
lLldS+-; 24.d7 ~d6 2S.~xd6 mrxd6
26.mrdS+-; 24 ... mrdB 2S.mrh4 f6
26.mrc4 ~f7 27.lLlbS ~e7 2B.lLlxa7
lLlc7 29.lLlcB+ ~f8 30.mrxcS+ ~gB
31.~bl+-; 29 ... ~f7 30.lLld6+ ~e7
31.lLlxb7+-) 19.~xe1 ~eB 20.~xeB+
ixeB 21.ieS ixeS 22.mrxeS mrdB
23.lLldS (This knight-move wins
even faster than 23.ixa6 bxa6
24.mrxcS+-) 23 ... bS 24.id3 h6
2S.lLlc7lLlxc7 26.dxc7 mrcB 27.mre7
mrd72B.mrdB+-.
10.g3!! tiJe5 (l0 ... ie7 11.if4
ttJe5 12.ttJb5 iWbB 13.d6; 12.ttJe4!?
mrg6 13.mre2 f6 14.d6 ifS 15.ig2
106
lLle6 16.ixeS fxeS 17.mrbS+ ~f7
1B.mrxb7 ~aeB 19.1Llf3 ixe4 20.
lLlxeS+ ~gB 21.lLlxg6 ixb7 22.
lLlxe7+ ~f7 23.ixb7+-; 22 ... ~xe7
23.dxe7+-) 1l ..if4 .ig4 (About
1l ... ie7 - see 1O ... ie7.) 12.ie2
ixe2 (l2 ... ifS 13.iWa4+ id7 14.
mre4 f61S.ttJf3 0-0-0 16.ttJxeS fxe5
17.ixe5 mrb6 1B.0-0-0+-) 13.
iWxe2 f6 14.tiJf3 tiJxd5 15.he5!
fxe5 16.mrb5+ iWc6 (16 ... ~f7
17.~dl+-) 17.tiJxd5! White wins a
piece with this simple combina-
tion. 17 ... iWxb5 18.tiJc7+ ~d7
19. tiJxb5+-.
c2al) 6 ... exd6
7.dxc5!
White should not avoid the ex-
change of the queens in this posi-
tion. After the trade on dB, White
can attack simultaneously along
two open files, instead of one!
7 ... iWe7+
Thus Black preserves the
queens on the board, but he pays
a dear price for it - White gains a
healthy lead in development.
7 ... dxc5 B.mrxdB+ ~xd8 9.ttJc3
(Black can hardly hold this posi-
tion. I will venture to qualify
endgames ofthis type as hopeless

for Black. The difference between
the activity of the pieces and
the placement of the kings is
just too great for Black to compen-
sate.) 9 ... !e6 (9 ... lLlc6 1O.!gS+ f6
11.0-0-0+ !d7 12.!e3 lLle6 13.
lLlf3 lLleS 14.lLlxeS fxeS lS.EldS !e7
16.!e2 rj;;c7 17.Elhd1 lLld4 18.ElxeS
lLlxe2+ 19.1Llxe2 Elae8 20.lLlc3+-;
13 ... lLled4 14.lLlxd4 cxd4 lS.!xd4
lLlxd4 16.Elxd4 !cS 17.Eld2 Ele8
18.g3 Ele1+ 19.rj;;c2+-. It is also
good for White to play 14.lLlbS!?
lLlxbS lS.cxbS lLleS 16.lLlxeS fxeS
17.EldS rj;;c718.ElxeS !d619.ElgS g6
20.!d3; 9 ...!fS 10.lLlf3 lLlc6 11.
!e3 rj;;c8 12.0-0-0 lLlaS 13.lLld2
!e7 14.h3 hS lS.!e2 h4 16.!g4
hg417.hxg4 b618.rj;;c2 rj;;b719.b3
Elad8 20.lLlf3 Elxd1 21.Elxd1 h3
22.Eld7 lLlc6 23.lLlbS !d8 24.gxh3
Elxh3 2S.lLlgS Elh6 26.lLlxf7 rj;;c8
27.Elxd8+ lLlxd8 28.lLlxh6 gxh6
29.lLlxc7 rj;;xc7 30.!xh6+-; 10 ...
!d6 l1.!gS+ f6 12.0-0-0 rj;;e7
13.!e3 lLld7 14.lLlh4 !g4 lS.!e2
,be2 16.lLlfS+! This intermediate
move wins. 16 ... rj;;d817.Elxd6hc4
18.Elhd1 !e6 19.1Llxg7 !g4 20.f3
E1g8 21.!h6+-; 17...!g4 18.lLlxg7
@e7 19.Eld2 Elhg8 20.h3 E1xg7 21.
hxg4+-; 20 ...!xh3 21.gxh3 Elxg7
22.Elhd1 rj;;e8 23.lLle4+-) 1O.!f4
IiJd711.0-0-0 !e712.lLlf3 h6 (This
is important in order to deprive
the white knight of the gS-square.)
13.!d3 Ele8 14.Elhe1 gSlS.!g3 rj;;c8
16.h4 g417.lLld2 lLlb618.b3 (White
should not be in a hurry, because
his opponent has practically no
useful moves. His attempts at ac-
tivity can only bring swifter disas-
1.e4 cS 2.a3 lLlf6 3.eS lLldS
ter.) 18 .. ,i.d7 19.1Llde4 lLle6 20.
lLld6+ !xd6 21.!xd6 lLld4 22.rj;;b2
Elxel 23J'!:xe1 lLle6 24.lLle4 ~d8
2S.lLlxcS lLlxcS 26.hcs Elc8 27.!e3
hS 28.!g5+ ~c7 29.!f4+ ~d8
30.EleS+-. Naturally Black could
have tried to defend in some other
ways, but his difficulties would
have been too great anyway.
8.!e3 dxc5 9.lLlc3 g6
9 ... lLlc6 1O.lLldS lLlxdS l1.cxdS
lLld4 12.Elc1 !fS 13.lLle2 lLlxe2 14.
!xe2 b6 lS.0-0 g6 16.Ele1! ~d8
17.!bS !g718.!xcS+-.
10.Wle2! b6
1O ...!g711.!xcS.
1l.!f4! ~xe2+
11...lLlba6 12.!eS Elg8 13.lLle4!
(This spectacular move just em-
phasizes Black's great defensive
problems. The bishop is evidently
untouchable, because of the loss of
the queen.) 13 ... !g7 (13 .. .fS 14.
lLlf6+ ~f71S.lLlf3 !h6 16.lLlxg8+-)
14.!f6!! ~e6 lS.Eldl rj;;f8 16.Eld6!
Wle8 17.Eld8.
12 .txe2 ttJe6
Black is simply forced to sacri-
fice the exchange. White should
not hurry though; he can try
to achieve even more in that posi-
tion!
107
Chapter 7
13.i.e5!
13.i.f3?! lLlxf4 14.i.xaS lLld3+
15. ~f1 lLlxb2 16.i.d5 i.e6 17.E1e1
~droo.
13 ... ggS 14.i.f3 lLld7
15 .ic6!
(Just like before, White should
avoid accepting the exchange sac-
rifice: 15.haS lLlxe5;t.) 15 . ltJdS
16.i.xd7+ ~xd7 17.0-0-0+
l!?e6 (17 ... ~eS1S.ltJd5 i.h6+ 19.f4
i.b7 20.ltJf6+ ~fS 2l.lLlxh7+ ~e7
22.i.d6+ ~e6 23.ltJf3 ixf3 24.
gxf3+-) lS.ltJf3 ib7 19.9he1
i.xf3 20.gxf3 I!?f5 21.gd5! g5
(Black could have been check-
mated spectacularly after: 21...
ltJe6 22.id4+ ~f4 23.ie3 ~xf3 24.
E1g1!+-) 22.i.bSl!?g6 23.E1xdS+-
c2b) 5 ltJb6
6.exd6!
lOS
White does not have much in
the endgame after: 6.dxc5 dxc5
7.'<iWxdS+ ~xdS S.ltJc3 ltJc6 9.f4
ltJd4!+.
6 ... Wxd6
6 ... exd6 7.dxc5! dxc5 S.WxdS+
~xdS 9.lLlf3 (White has a consid-
erable edge in this position. He can
now attack along two open files
and Black should worry about his
king!) 9 ... lLlc6 (9 .. .f6 1O.lLlc3 ie6
11.b3lLlc612.ie3lLla513.0-0-0+
~cS 14. ~b2 ie715.id3 g6 16.E1he1
if7 17.if4 E1eS lS.lLlb5 ifS 19.
E1xeS+ ixeS 20.lLlc7+-; 9 ... ie6
1O.lLlg5lLlc611.lLlxe6+ fxe612.ie3
lLld4 13.ixd4 cxd4 14.lLld2 a5
15.lLlf3 ic5 16.id3 ~e7 17.~d2
E1hfS lS.E1he1 h6 19.E1e4 E1adS 20.
E1ae1 E1f6 2l.h4 g6 22.E11e2; 9 ...
lLl6d7 1O.lLlc3 b6 1l.if4 lLlc6 12.
0-0-0 ib713.lLlg5!+-. Black loses
at least a pawn.) 1O.ie3 ig4 11.
lLlc3 hf3 12.gxf3lLle5 13.0-0-0+
~c7 14.if4 f6 15.lLlb5+ ~c6 16.
i.xe5 fxe5 17.id3 lLlcS lS.ie4+
~b6 19.E1d7 E1bS 20.E1hd1 a6 2l.
lLlc7 g6 22.@c2! (White can start
playing for a checkmate, because
Black has been reduced to total
passivity.) 22 ... ~a5 (22 ... ~a7
23.lLle6 ie7 24.E1c7 a5 25.E1dd7
id6 26.E1xcS E1hxcS 27.E1xd6+-)
23.E1dS ig7 24.lLld5! E1xdS 25.b4+
~a4 26.~c3! b5 27. ic2+ ~xa3
2S.E1a1#.
7.d5!
Now, just like in the line c2a)
5 ltJc7, it is not good for White
to play 7.dxc5?! Wxd1+! S.~xd1
ltJa4 9.b4 a5. Black regains quickly
his pawn with an excellent game

afterwards.
7 ... e6 S.lLlc3 exd5 9.cxd5
1J.e7 10 .tDb5!
White obtains a considerable
edge exploiting the weakness of
the c7-square.
10 .. Wfe5+
This check is forced, otherwise
White could have played 11.1J.f4, or
1l.d6.
1l.1J.e2 0 - 0
1l ... tDa6 12.d6 if6 13.4Jf3 WfdS
14.0-0 0-0 lS.~xdS 4JxdS 16.~d1
ie6 17.4JgS! ixgS 1S.ixgS f6 19.
if3! (This powerful intermediate
move forces some exchanges that
are quite favourable for White.)
19 ... fxgS 20.1J.xdS1J.xdS 21.~xdSh6
22.~e1 ~feS 23.~e7 ~xe7 24.dxe7
~eS 2S.~eS+-.
12.tDf3
(The black queen cannot de-
fend the important c7-square any-
more after that attack. The posi-
tion was not so clear had White
played: 12.d6 idS 13.4Jf3 WfdS! 14.
ie3 4Ja61S.0-0 ~eSoo) 12 ... Wfxd5
13.tDc7 (White wins the exchange.
Black gets a pawn for it indeed,
with some drawing chances too.)
13 ... Wfxdl+ 14.1J.xdl if5 15.
lLlxaS tDxaS 16.1J.e3t.
l.e4 cS 2.a3 4Jf6 3.eS 4JdS
c3) 4 .. cxd4
Capturing that pawn is Black's
simplest and most probable move.
5.Wfxd4!
This early development of
the queen is not looked upon
favourably by the classical rules of
opening principles. There are no
rules without exceptions, though.
White's queen is very active in this
position and creates plenty of
problems for Black.
We will deal now with the
moves c3a) 5 ... tDb6 and c3b)
5 ... e6.
c3a) 5 ... tDb6
The retreat of that knight from
the centre only facilitates White's
task.
6.tDf3 lLlc6 7.Wfe4
This is the best square for the
white queen.
7 ... d5 S.exd6 Wfxd6 9.lLlc3 f5
This is a serious weakening of
Black's position.
9 ... eS 1O.1J.bS f6 11.ie3 ie6
(11...Wfc7 12.1J.xb6! axb6 13.4JdS
WfdS14.0-0-0 id71S.~d2! This is
the simplest for White. Black's
chances of survival are non-exis-
tent after White doubles his rooks
109
Chapter 7
along the open file. 15 ... Ei:a516. ~e2
1c5 17.Ei:hdl 0-0 18.<'2le7+ tiJxe7
19.Ei:xd7+-) 12.1xb6 axb6 13.Eld1
~c5 14.tiJd4!! (This sudden tacti-
cal strike emphasizes the ques-
tionable reliability of Black's po-
sition.) 14 ... exd4 (14 ...1d715.tiJb3
~e7 16.tiJd5 ~d8 17.~e3+-) 15.
~xe6+ 1e7 16.tiJe4 ~e5 17.1xc6+
bxc6 18.~xc6+ wf7 19.~c4+ Wg6
20.~xd4 ~xd4 21.Elxd4 f5 22.tiJc3
1f623.Eld3+-.
10.~h4!
Black will fail to safety his king
now irrelevant of how he plays.
lO ... a6
The important b5-square is
now defended from the activities
of knight, but White's possibilities
are not exhausted yet. Moreover
Black's knight on b6 is not de-
fended anymore.
1O ... g6 l1.tiJb5 ~b8 12.1f4 e5
13.~f6! exf4 14.0-0-0! (This is
White's most energetic and con-
vincing road to victory. He is play-
ing to checkmate disregarding fur-
ther material gains. Naturally the
simple 14.~xh8+- was winning
too.) 14 ... Elg8 15.tiJg5 Elg7 16.Elel +
tiJe7 17.tiJd6+ wd7 18.Eldl tiJbd5
19.Elxd5! tiJxd5 20.1b5+ Wc7 21.
110
tiJe8#.
1O ... e5 11.1g51e6 12.Eld1 ~c7
13.tiJb5 ~f7 14.Eld6! (After this
non-standard penetration of the
rook, White is threatening to cap-
ture on e6 and Black is absolutely
helpless after it.) 15 ... Elc8 15.Elxc6!
(Black's position crumbles after
the loss of the e5-outpost.) 15 ...
bxc6 (15 ... Elxc6 16.tiJxe5 ~g8 17.
~d4 1d7 18.tiJxc6 bxc6 19.~e5+
1e6 20.tiJd4+-; 17 ... Elc8. White
can now checkmate in two differ-
ent fashions: 18.~d8+ Elxd8 19.
tiJc7#, or 18.tiJc7+ Elxc7 19.~d8#)
16.tiJxe5 ~g8 (16 ... ~b7 17.tiJd4
tiJd7 18.tiJxe6 tiJxe5 19.~d4 tiJf7
20.tiJxg7+ hg7 21.~xg7. White's
bishops are strikingly effective. He
can win in several ways: 21...Elf8
22.1c4 Elc7 23.1h4 tiJd6 24.~e5+
Ei:e7 25.~xe7+ ~xe7+ 26.1xe7
Wxe7 27.1d3+-) 17.tiJxa7 Ei:c7 18.
tiJaxc61d6 19.1d8 Elc8 (19 ... <'2ld5
20.hc7+-) 20.hb6+-.
1l.1e3 tt\e5
It is usually considered that
exchanges favour the defending
side, but the trade of the knight in
this position does not stop White's
offensive at all.
11 ... tiJd5 12.0-0-0 e6 13.1c4
1e7 14.tiJg5 tiJe5 15.1xd5 exd5
16.tiJxd5 h6 17.tiJb6 ~b8 (17 ...
~xb6 18.1xb6 1xg5+ 19.~xg5
hxg5 20.Eld8+ wf7 21.Elxh8+-)
18.~a4+ tiJc6 19.tiJf3+-;
11...~c7 12.0-0-0 e5 13.1b5!
White completes his development
in the quickest possible way, mak-
ing use of the fact that his bishop
is indirectly defended. 13 ...1e6 14.

Elhel C2ld71S.C2lgS ~gS (IS ... mrdSI6.
~c4 hc417.1Ixc4 mrf6 IS.C2ldS+-)
16.~c4 hc4 17.mrxc4 C2lf6 IS.~b6
mre7 19.~cS 1Ic7 20.mre6+ ~e7
21.mrf7#; 17... 0-0-0 IS.C2le6 C2lb6
19.mrb3+-; 19.ElxdS+ mrxdS 20.
mrxc6+ bxc6 21.C2lxdS+- or 13 ...
axbSI4.C2lxbS1If71S.C2lxeS Ela416.
C2lxc6 mrf6 17.1Ixf6 gxf6 IS.C2lc7+
cjJf7 19.C2ldS+ cjJg6 20.~xb6+-;
14 ... mre71S.C2ld6+! 1Ixd6 (1S ... cjJd7
16.C2lxfS+-) 16.Elxd6 ~xd6 17.
~xb6+-.
12.C2lxe5 1Ixe5 13.0-0-0
mrc7 14.mrb4 C2ld7 15.tLld5 mrc6
16.~c4! mrxc4 17.~xc4 Elb8
18.tLlc7+ cjJd8 19.tLle6+ cjJe8
20.~b6!
Black is in zugzwang.) 20
cjJt7 (20 ... C2lxb6 21.C2lc7#) 21.tLlcS+
me8 22.~c7 b5 23.~e6+-.
c3b) 5 . e6
l.e4 cS 2.a3 C2lf6 3.eS C2ldS
That is Black's best and most
principled move too - since his
centralized knight on dS preserves
its place! White needs to resort to
tactical measures now.
6.c4 tLlc6 7.mre4!
This is the best square for the
queen. The other retreats do not
pose any problems to Black: 7.
mrdl? C2lde7 S.f4 (S.C2lf3 C2lxeS-+)
S ... C2lg6 9.lLlf3 d6 lO.~d3 dxeS
l1.hg6 'i{gxdl+ 12.cjJxdl hxg6 13.
fxeS f6+; 7.mrd2?! C2lde7 S.f4 f6
9.exf6 gxf61O.~e2 C2lg611.lLlc3 fSoo.
7 ... f5!
Black organizes some interest-
ing counterplay with this move,
which happens to be the best. He
just refuses to succumb to his op-
ponents' will.
7 ... lLlb6 S.~e3 dS 9.exd6 mrxd6
lO.cS!? mrdS 1l.mrc2! (This is the
essence of White's idea. It turns
out now that the "too active" black
queen is dangerously misplaced. I
must add that Black would not
have had any problems after the
trade of the queens.) 11...C2ld7
12.lLlc3 mrhS 13.lLlbS! (The black
king must defend the c7-square
now.) 13 ... cjJdS14.~e2 'i{gg61S.mrd2
mrxg2 16.~f3 mrg6 17.0-0-0 eS
IS.C2le2 e419.Elhgl! (Black's com-
pensation for the queen seems to
be more than sufficient. His nu-
merous pieces are in fact so mis-
placed that they fail to help the
defence of the king effectively.)
19 ... exf3 20.Elxg6 fxe2 21.mrxe2
hxg6 (21...fxg6 22.~f4 ~e7 23.mre6
cjJeS 24.lLld6+ cjJdS 2S.lLlxcS+-)
22.~f4 ~e7 23.~c7+ cjJeS 24.~d6
111
Chapter 7
\tldS 25.ixe7+ CiJxe7 26.i"lre5! CiJc6
(26 ... CiJf5 27.i"lrc7+ \tle7 2S.c6 bxc6
29J'1e1+ \tlf6 30.i"lrxc6+ \tlg5 3l.
i"lrxaS+-) 27.i"lrc7+ \tle7 2S.i"lrd6+
\tldS 29J:!el+-.
White can now continue devel-
oping effortlessly - 1O.CiJf3!? (in-
stead oflO.c5!?). Black cannot feel
safe after that at all. 1O ... CiJd7 (This
knight is headed to the f6-square
in order to oust White's queen
away from the centre. That idea is
quite unconvincing, because of
the great loss of time on knight-
moves. It is however difficult to say
whether Black had anything bet-
ter. 1O ... f5 1l.i"lrc2 CiJe5 12.CiJbd2
CiJxf3+ 13.CiJxf3 i"lrc7 14.~d3 ie7
15.0-0-0 0-0 16.id4~f617.ixf6
Elxf6 lS.Elhe1 id7 19.CiJe5 ElcS
20.g4. White can try a less ambi-
tious line that is also rather un-
pleasant for Black i.e.: 15.0-0
0-0 16.Elfe1 id7 17.id4 EladS;!;)
1l.CiJc3 CiJf6 12.i"lrh4 CiJe5 (12 ... e5
13.Eld1 i"lrb8 14.ig5 ~e7 15.CiJd5
CiJgS. This retreat is just pathetic,
but Black loses a lot of material
otherwise! 16.id3 f617.i"lrh5+ \tlfS
lS.ie3 ie6 19.CiJh4 if7 20.CiJg6+
\tleS 2l.i"lrh4 ixg6 22.ixg6+ \tlfS
23.if5+-; 20 ... ixg6 2l.ixg6)
13.c5 CiJxf3+ 14.gxf3 i"lre515.f4 i"lrf5
16.CiJb5 CiJd5 17.Eld1 ~e7 lS.CiJd6+
ixd6 19.cxd6 i"lrf6 (19 .. .f6 20.Elg1
\tlf7 2l.id3 CiJxe3 22.ixf5 CiJxf5
23.i"lrh5+ g6 24.Elxg6+-; 23 ... \tlfS
24.d7+-) 20.i"lrxf6 (The exchange
of the queens is the fastest way to
terminate Black's resistance. He is
incapable to cope with the per-
fectly coordinated pieces of the op-
112
ponent. The role of the d6 pawn is
quite essential too.) 20 ... gxf6
(20 ... CiJxf6 2l.Elg1 0-0 22.id4 \tlh8
23.d7+-; 23.ixf6 gxf6 24.d7+-)
2l.Elg1 \tld7 22.Elg7 \tlxd6 23.Elxf7
id7 24.f5 Elaf8 25.fxe6 ixe6 26.
Elxb7 Elf7 27.Elb5 ElgS 2S.if4+ \tlc6
29.Elc1+ \tld7 30.Elb7+ \tleS 3l.
ib5+ (It is equally strong for
White to play 3l.Elb8+ \tle7 32.
ElxgS CiJxf4 33.Elc7+ \tld6 34.Elxf7
!xf7 35.Elg7+-) 31... \tldS 32.ElbS+-
8.i"lre2
It was futile for White to cap-
ture en pass ant, because that
would forfeit all his chances to
obtain an opening advantage.
Black is faced with a difficult
choice now. If he removes his
knight from the central d5-square
- White obtains a long-lasting po-
sitional advantage. There is a way
for the knight to remain on d5-
though ... !
8,..i"lra5+!
Black organizes an interesting,
but rather risky counterplay.
White is now forced to sacrifice the
exchange, but his compensation
for it is quite sufficient.
The retreat of the knight S ...
CiJde7 is illogical. Black has already

played the enterprising move
7 ... fS, which has created plenty of
weaknesses in his position. Now
he must try to create concrete
threats in order to compensate
these weaknesses and White will
have no problems if Black starts
defending.) 9.ct:Jf3 Wic7 1O.b4 ct:Jg6
11.~b2 d6 12.exd6 ~xd6 13.ct:Jc3
0-0 (Black cannot afford to play
the prophylactic move 13 ... a6, be-
cause the white knights become
suddenly dangerously active after:
14.ct:JdS Wif7 IS.ct:JgS WigS 16.ct:Jb6
E1bSI7.ct:JxcS E1xcSlS.Wixe6+ Wixe6
19.ct:Jxe6+-; 13 ... ct:Jf4 14.Wie3 a6
IS.g3 ct:Jg616.ct:Jd5 Wif717.ct:JgS WigS
IS.c5 ~bS 19.ct:Jb6+-; IS ... ~eS
19.~xeS+-; IS ... e5 19.~c4+-; 19.
ct:Jb6+-) 14.ct:Jb5 WibS IS.ct:Jxd6
Wixd6 16.h4! (It is important not
to let Black have a minute of rest.
White attacks the knight on g6
with the advance of the h-pawn
and he activates his rook on hI and
opens the long diagonal too. His
bishop on b2 becomes a very pow-
erful piece in the process.) 16 ... E1dS
17.b5 ct:JaSlS.h5 ct:Jf419.Wic2 b6 20.
h6 g6 21.'lWc3 e5 (Black has noth-
ing better. He parries the check-
mating threats and hopes to ex-
ploit the e-file. White's threats are
much more effective, though ... )
22.ct:Jxe5 ~b7 (22 ... E1eS 23.E1dl Wic5
24.E1d2 gS 25. <tt>dl+-) 23.ct:Jg4 E1eS
24.ct:Je3 ct:Jxg2+ 2S.~xg2 E1xe3+
26.fxe3 Wig3+ 27.@dl 'lWg4+ (27 ...
EldS+ 2S.@cl+-) 2S.@cl ct:Jb3+
29.@bl ct:Jd2+ 30.@a2+-.
S ... ct:Jb6 (Black's knight is not
too well placed on this square ei-
l.e4 cS 2.a3 ct:Jf6 3.e5 ct:JdS
ther. The position remains very
complicated and White needs to
play very precisely in order to get
some real edge.) 9.~e3! (The eS-
pawn is defended indirectly, so
White takes the knight on b6 "un-
der observation". However the
main idea of the last move is that
Black cannot play d7-d6 as well as
d7 -dS. Why? There is a simple tac-
tical reason for that. White ex-
changes pawns on d6 and plays c4-
cS winning a piece.) 9 ...Wic7 (Black
also loses a piece without suffi-
cient compensation after: 9 ...
ct:JxeS? 1O.bb6 Wixb611.'lWxeS ~cS
12.Wie2+-) 1O.f4 ct:Ja4 11.Wic2 ct:JcS
12.ct:Jc3 Wia5 (This is Black's only
chance to obtain some satisfactory
game. White has however a move
that marks the end of Black's fu-
tile dreams. It was equally hope-
less for him to play 12 ... aS, due to
some purely positional reasons
after: 13.ct:Jbs WibS 14.E1dl gS 15.
~e2 gxf4 16.~xf4 hS 17.ct:Jf3 ct:Je4
IS.ct:Jd2; 16.~hS+ @dS 17.~xf4
ct:JxeS IS.ct:Jh3 ~e7 19.ct:Jg5 ElfS 20.
0-0 h6 21.ct:Jf7+ E1xf7 22.~xf7+-;
21.Wie2 ~f6 22.ct:Jh7+-; 21...hxg5
22.~xeS d6 23.ct:Jxd6+-) 13.@f2!
(This is the right move. White's
king is removed away from the
dangerous el-square and that is
the end of Black's initiative. It was
not good for White to play: 13.~d2
ct:Jb4 14.Wibl ct:Jb3 15.axb4 Wixal
16.Wixal ct:JxaI17.ct:Jb5 @f7 IS.ct:Jd4
b619.~c3 as 20.bxaS bxa5 21.ct:Jgf3
a4 22.~d3 ct:Jb3-+; 13.E1a2 ct:Je4
14.ct:Jge2 dS 15.b4 ~xb4 16.axb4
ct:Jxb4+; 15.exd6 ~xd6 16.b4 'lWc7
113
Chapter 7
17.'2lxe4 fxe4 18.'Wxe4 0-0 19.c5
~e7 20.'2lg3 e5 21.~c4+ ~h8 22.
0-0+-; 16 ... ~xb4 17.axb4 '2lxb4
18.'Wxe4 '2lxa2 19.'Wc2 '2lxc3 20.
'Wxc3 'Wxc3+ 21.'2lxc3 ~d7+) 13 ...
d6 14.exd6! (In case of 14.~d1
Black can try the interesting piece
sacrifice: 14 ... dxe5 15.b4 'Wxa3 oo )
14 ... ~xd6 15.~d1 'Wc7 16.b4! (16.
'2lb5 '2le4+ 17.'Wxe4 fxe418.'2lxc7 +
~xc719.g3 e5 20.'2le2 0-0 21.~g2
exf4 22.gxf4 '2le5! 23.~xe4 '2lg4+
24.~f3 '2lxe3 25.~xe3 ~g4=) 16 ...
'2le4+ 17.'2lxe4 fxe4 18.'Wxe4 0-0
19.'2lh3 ~xf4 20.'2lxf4 e5 21.~d3
~f5 22.'Wd5+ ~h8 23.~c5 ~xd3
24.~xf8 ~xf8 25.~xd3 '2le7 (25 ...
~xf4+ 26.~f3+-) 26.'Wc5+-.
9.~d2 tildb4
Black could have tried here
also: 9 ... 'Wa41O.'2lc3, White has no
other move! (He was losing plenty
of material after 1O.cxd5? '2ld4-+
or 1O.f4? '2ld4 1l.'Wh5+ g6 12.'Wd1
tilc2+ 13.~f2 ~c5+ 14.~g3 'Wb3+
15.'2lc3 '2lxal-+) 1O ... '2lxc3 (It is
worse for Black to play 1O ... 'Wb3
11. '2lb5!, because it becomes clear
that he loses a piece after that. He
gets some material and positional
compensation for it, indeed. White
must play very actively after that.
I continued my analysis with:
11...'Wxb2 12.~dl a6 13.cxd5 axb5
14.dxc6 bxc615.g4! White starts a
kingside attack. 15 .. .fxg4 16.h3!
White must open files on the
kingside! 16 ... g3 17.'2lf3 gxf2+
18.'Wxf2 ~xa3 19.~d3 0-0 20.~gl
d5 21.~xg7+! ~xg7 22.'Wh4 ~h8
23.~bl 'Wa2 24.'Wf6+ ~g8 25.~h6
'Wg2 26.'Wd8+ ~f7 27.'2lg5+ 'Wxg5
114
28.'Wxg5+-; 16 ... gxh3 17.~xh3
~xa3 18.~g2 ~xh3 19.'2lxh3 g6
20.'2lg5 ~g7 21.'2lxe6 dxe6 22.
~xc6+ ~f7 23.'Wf3+ ~g8 24.~c3
'Wa3 25.~d8+ ~f8 26.~e8 'We7
27.~xc8+-) 11.~xc3 b612.'2lf3 ~a6
13.'2ld2 ~b4 14.'Wh5+ g6 15.'Wf3
~b816.~c1 hc317.'Wxc3 'Wa518.f4
'Wxc319.~xc3 g5 20.g3 ~g8 21.~e2
@e7 22.~f2;t. The endgame is
clearly better for White due to his
space advantage.
1 0 .~c3 tild4 H.axb4
This decision is forced, but
quite satisfactory.
H ... 1/ba1
So, Black has won the ex-
change. I am not sure however that
he has equalized and we cannot
even think about him having the
advantage. The point is that the al-
square is hardly the best for the
black queen and it cannot be re-
moved easily from there without
material losses! Generally speak-
ing, the position is really compli-
cated and White's initiative is
quite noticeable.
12.'Wd1!?
It is also interesting for White
to play 12.'Wh5+!? g6 (12 ... ~d8
13.~d3 '2lc614.'2lf3 '2lxb415.~g5+

rllc7 16.~d2 1i'Jfa4 17.0-0 ct:lxd3
1B.~xd3ii5. White has lost another
pawn, but he can attack the black
king quite effectively as a result.)
13.~d1 ct:lc614.bS ct:lb41S.ct:lf3 ct:la2
16.~d4 ~b4+ 17.rlle2 0-0 1B.ct:le1
~xel19.rllxe1 ttJb4 20.~c3 as 21.
~e2 b6 22.f3 f4 23.rllf2 (Do not
forget that White has lost his
rights to castle according to the
rules of chess!) 23 ... ElbB 24.~d6
Elb7 2S.Eldl ~a4 26.~d4 ttJc2 27.
~xb6 ct:le3 2B.~cS EleB 29.~xe3
fxe3+ 30.rllxe3 ~b3+ 31.ttJc3 ~xb2
32.ttJe4 ElfB 33.cS a4 34.Eld2 ~a1
3S.rllf2 a3 36.b6 a2 37.~c4+-.
I2 ... lDe6
Black can quickly lose a piece
after: 12 ... ttJb3? 13.~d3 ~a2 14.
ttJa3 ttJal lS.ttJe2 ~xb4 16.~xb4
~xb2 17.~d6+-.
I3.b5 ttJb4
After 13 ... lDaS, Black's queen
can escape away from the corner
only at the cost of losing the
knight: 14.~d3 ~a2 lS.ttJd2 b616.
ttJe2 dS 17.~b1 ~a11B.b4 ~a3 19.
bxaS bxaS 20.cxdS exdS 21.ttJf3
~b4 22.0-0 hc3 23.~xdS ElbB 24.
Eld1 ~e7 2S.ct:lxc3 ~b7 26.~d6+-.
I4.~d3 d5
About 14 ... d6 lS.exd6 - see
14 ... dS.
I5.exd6 hd6 I6.b3 Wfa2
16 ... ttJxd3+ 17.Wfxd3 ~a2 lB.
ttJe2 ~cS 19.0-0 ~xb3 20.ttJd2
~a3 21.Ela1 .txf2+ 22.rllxf2 ~e7
23.lDf3 0-0 24.~e3.
I7.lDe2 0-0 IS.lDeI ~a5
I9.~xf5 Wfb6 20.~d4 ~e5 21.
~xh7+ @xh7 22.'\~Yh5+ @gS
1.e4 cS 2.a3 ttJf6 3.eS ttJdS
23.~xe5 Wfa5 24.0-0 Elt7
25.gdI
White has obtained more than
sufficient compensation for the
exchange.
Conclusions about the 4.d4
This move is very dangerous for
Black and that makes me very
happy, because I am the author
of this line. Black has problems to
equalize even after he plays the
best. The 2. a3 system is still no
too popular and that is the only
possible explanation that the line
4.d4 has not been tested in prac-
tice yet.
Thefact that the b4-square is un-
der control is a very important
detail that provides White with a
certain edge in that position.
Black's light pieces - the knight
and the bishop are deprived of
this square and Black lacks space
as a result in almost all lines.
Black's knight on d5 has no good
prospects there. Moreover Whitf
can quickly and effectively acti-
vate his queenside with the move
b2-b4, which is so typicalfor the
whole system.
11S
ChapterS
This move is quite logical. The
black bishop will be very active af-
ter its development to g7.
3.b4
This is one of the basic ideas for
White in almost all variations of
the 2.a3 system.
White has another possibility
at his disposal and it is very inter-
esting although it has not been
tested in practice yet: 3.d4!? (I
presume that Black should be able
to equalize at the end, but he will
have to play very precisely start-
ing with his move three!) 3 ... cxd4
(This is the best for Black. It is
quite dubious for him to play:
3 ... i.g7?! 4.dxcS! WfaS+? S.b4!;
4 ... Wfc7 S.'Llc3 WfxcS 6.'LldS! 'Llf6
7.b4 Wfd6 B.i.b2 eS 9.c4 'Llxe4??
10.cS! 'LlxcS 11.bxcS+-; 10 ...Wfc6
11.i.bS!+-; 9 ... 'LlxdS 1O.'Llf3 0-0
11.cS Wfc7 12.WfxdS; 11. .. Wfe6 12.
exdS Wff6 13.d6; 3 ... b6?! 4.dxcS
bxcS S.WfdS 'Llc6 6.WfxcS. White is
already a pawn up and his position
is very good too! After the tenta-
tive move 3 ... d6 White should bet-
ter trade queens, because that is
the best way for him to preserve
his advantage: 4.dxcS! dxcS S.
116
l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6
WfxdB+ 'tt>xdB 6.i.c4 i.e6? 7.i.xe6
fxe6 B.'Llf3; 6 ... e6 7.eS i.g7 B.'Llf3
'Llc6 9.i.f4 i.d7 1O.'Llc3 h6 11.h4
'Llge712.0-0-0 'LlfS13.'Lle4 b614.
c3 'tt>c71S.g4 'Llfe716.'Llf6t; 6 ... 'Llf6
7.'Llc3 e6 B.i.gS i.e7 9.0-0-0+
'Llbd7 1O.h3 h6 11.i.e3 a6 12.eS
'LleB13.i.d3 bS14.i.e4 E1bB1S.f4 b4
16.axb4 E1xb4 17.'Llf3t) 4.c3!?
(White sacrifices a pawn in order
to seize the initiative. The position
is a bit similar to the popular gam-
bit: l.e4 cS 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3!? It is
partially different, though ... It is
not easy to tell immediately in
whose favour it is the inclusion of
the moves a2-a3 and g7-g6. It will
be a hard task for Black to parry
White's attack anyway.) 4 ... dxc3
(4 ... d3. This is an attempt to de-
prive White of attacking prospects
by returning the pawn. He still
has better chances and Black's
counterplay is difficult. S.i.xd3
i.g7 6.'Llf3 d6 7.0-0 'Llf6 B.i.gS
'Llc6 9.'Llbd2 0-0 1O.E1e1 Wfc711.h3
i.e6 12.'Lld4t; 1O ... h6 11.~h4lUhS
12.'Llc4 gS 13.i.g3 'Llxg3 14.hxg3
i.e6 lS.'Lle3 E1cB 16.'LlfS ~xfS 17.
exfS dS 1B.~c2 d4 19.f6 exf6 20.
Wfd3 E1eB 21.E1xeB+ WfxeB 22.E1e1

WldS 23.cxd4 g4 24.~h7+ i>fS
2S.CDh4 CDxd4 26.~b3! CDxb3 27.
CDfS+-; IS ... CiJeS 16.CDxeS ~xeS
17.WlhS ~g7 lSJl:e2! gcS 19.9ael
Wld7 20.f4) 5.CDxc3
This position is sort of amusing
variety of the Sicilian Gambit. It
might look like White has lost a
tempo for the move a2-a3, butthat
is not harmful to him. The point is
that the development of the bishop
to g7 is not to be recommended for
Black in the Morra Gambit l.e4 cS
2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.CDxc3. Ac-
cordingly, White obtains more
than a sufficient compensation for
the pawn as a result.) 5 ... CDc6
(S ... ~g7 6.CDf3. Now, some of the
natural moves for Black can be
countered with powerful tactical
refutations, for example: 6 ... CDf6
7.eS CDg4 S.~c4 0-0 9.0-0 CDc610.
~gS!? CDgxeS I1.CDxeS CDxeS 12.
CDdS! f6 13.CDxf6+ i>hS 14.CDdS
CDxc4 lS.~xe7 WleS 16.gel CDeS 17.
~d6 ~f7 IS.~xeS ~xeS 19.9xeS
Wlxf2+ 20. i>hl Wlxb2 21.ge2 Wlg7
22.ge7 Elf7 23.geS+ gfS 24.CDc7!
gxeS 2S. CDxeS WleS 26.CiJd6 Wlf6
27.gcl WlfS 2S.Wld4+ 'it>gS 29.
gel+-; 24 ... gbS 2s.Wlf1! ggS 26.
gael h6 27.g1e7 gxeS 2S.Elxg7+-;
l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.M ~g7 4.CDc3
2S ... 'it>gS 26.Elael dS 27.gxfS+
WlxfS 2S.geS+-, or 6 ... d6 7.~c4
CDf6 S.eS CDg4 9.e6 he6 1O.he61
fxe6 11.~a4+ CDc612.Wlxg4+-; 9 ...
fSlO.0-0~; 9 ... fxe61O.CDgS hc3+
Il.bxc3 CDeS12.~b3 Wlc713.0-0 dS
14.~f4 0-0 IS.~g3 gfS 16.h4 h6
17.CDh3 i>g7 IS.CiJf4 ~d719.~c2;
S ... dxeS 9.~xdS+! White does not
need to avoid the exchange of
queens. His prospects in the end-
game are better. 9 ... 'it>xdSlO.CDxeS
gfS 11.CDxf7+ 'it>eS 12.CDgS;t, or
6 ... e6?! 7.CDbS dS S.exdS a6 9.
Wla4!; S ... exdS 9. WlxdS WlxdS
1O.CDc7+ i>fS I1.CDxdS CDc6=; 9.
~f4! Wle7+ 1O.~e2 CDa611.gclCDf6
12.CDd6+ i>fS 13. CDxcS+-; 12 ...
'it>dS 13.Wlb3 CDhS 14.~eS ~xeS
IS.CDxeS+-; 14 ... CDc7 IS.CDgS!+-)
6.~c4 ~g7 7.tDf3
7 tDf6 (7 ... d6 S.Wb3! White is
attacking the f7-pawn and that
prevents Black's harmonious de-
velopment. S ... e6 9.~f4 CDf6 10.
gdl 0-0 11.~xd6, White has re-
gained his pawn. 11 ... geS 12.~fS!
~d7 13.~xg7 i>xg7 14.eS CDg4 IS.
Wlxb7 CDcxeSl6.CDxeS CDxeSI7.~bS
ge7 IS.Wle4 WlbS 19.0-0!;t) 8.e5
tDg4 (S ... CDgS 9.~f4 CDh6 1O.Wld2
CDg4 11.h3 CDgxeS 12.CDxeS CDxeS
117
ChapterB
13.1xeS 1xeS 14.1xf7+ @fB IS.
1a2~; 14 ... @xf7 IS.1MI'dS+ e6 16.
1MI'xeS d6 17.1MI'f4+ @gB IB.O-O eS
19.1MI'b4 as 20.1MI'b3+ @g7 21.f4~)
9.~xf7+ IDxf7 10.tLlg5+ @g8
11.'Wxg4 (This combination is not
winning anything substantial yet,
but it still gives White excellent
attacking prospects.) 1l ... tLlxe5
12.'Wd1!? 'Wb6 (12 ... h6 13.'WdS+
@fB?? 14.CLle6+-; 13 ... e6 14.CLlxe6
'We7 IS.CLlxg7+ @xg7 16.1e3 d6
17.1MI'd4! @h7 IB.CLldS 1MI'f7 19J'1cl
gdB 20.0-0 1e6 2l.CLlc7 gacB
22.CLlxe61M1'xe6 23.1MI'xa7) 13.0-0
e614.~e3 'Wc6 (14 ...1MI'xb21S.1d4
h6 16.CLlxe6! dxe6 17.ga2+-) 15.
~d4 b5 16.f41b7 17.tLlge4 d5
18.tLlc5 tLld719.hg7 @xg7 20.
tLlxd7 'Wxd7 21.'Wd4+ IDg8 22.
gac1;t;. We can now conclude that
after 3.d4 White obtains excellent
compensation for the sacrificed
pawn. This gambit idea deserves
extensive practical testing.
3 ... ~g7
It is in favour of White if Black
plays 3 ... cxb4?! 4.axb4::!:. We are
going to deal later with positions
in which Black lets the white rook
on al go free so early - see line a1.
As for this position - White domi-
11B
nates in the centre after 4 ...1g7
S.d4.
3 ... b6?! (This move has been
tested in practice and it enables
White's bishop to become tremen-
dously active.) 4.1b2 f6 (This is the
only move and naturally Black is
quite unhappy to play like that.
You might think that Black had
better play simply 4 ... CLlf6? It is
amazing, but he loses by force af-
ter that move! The reason for that
is the quite vulnerable placement
of both black rooks: S.eS CLldS 6.
1MI'f3! CLlc7 7.1c4 e6 B.CLlc3 CLlc6 9.
CLle41b71O.CLld61xd611.exd6+-;
S... CLlgB 6.1MI'f3CLlc6 7.bS+-; S... CLlh5
6.1MI'f3 CLlc6 7.bS+-; S... CLle4 6.1MI'g4
1b7 7.d3 hS B.1MI'h4 gS 9.1MI'h3 g4
1O.1MI'h4+-; 6 ...dS 7.1bS+ 1d7 B.e6!
1xbS 9.exf7+ @xf7 10.1xhB+-;
6 ... fS 7.1MI'f41g7 B.d3CLld6 9.exd6!
Black loses quickly a piece after
that move. 9 ...1xb2 1O.ga2 197
11.1MI'f3CLlc612.bS+-. I recommend
to you to study all these lines very
carefully! It is quite probable that
your future opponents might like
to develop their bishops on the
long diagonals and they would fall
into this trap quite easily.) 5.CLlf3
197 (S ... eS. Black's position has
been weakened and White can af-
ford to play sharply and sacrifice
material bravely: 6.1c4! 1b7 7.
O-O! 1xe4 B.CLlxe5! fxe5 9.gel! ds
1O.1xeS 1MI'g5 ll.gxe4 dxe4 12.
1xhB+-; 9 ... 1g7 10.gxe4 CLlc6
1l.1MI'f3! CLlh6 12.1d5 gfB 13.1MI'e2
gcB 14.1xc6 gxc6 15.1xeS+-;
6 ... CLlc6 7.0-0 cxb4 B.d4 d6 9.axb4
CLlxb4 10.dxe5 dxe5 1l.1MI'xdB+!

z;t,xdBI2.ct:Jxe5! fxe513.~xe5 ct:Jxc2
14J'l:a2+-; 1O ... fxe5 Il.c3 ct:Jc6
12.~xgB! ElxgBI3.'lWd5+-; 6 ... cxb4
7.d4! d6? B.~d5!+-; 7 ... bxa3 B.
tLlxa3 ~b4+. White's bishop on b2
would have been tremendously
active along the al-hB diagonal
after Black's other moves. Black's
defence now is difficult as well,
though ... 9.c3 ~e71O.dxe5 ~b711.
ct:Jb5 a6 12.ct:Jd6+ ~xd6 13.'lWxd6
~xe4 14.~a3 ct:Jh6 15.exf6 ct:Jc6 16.
ct:Je5+-; 11 ... ~xe412.hgS ElxgS13.
exf6 ~c5 14.ct:Jg5+-; 13 ... ~c6 14.
fxe7 'lWxe7+ 15.z;t,d2!+-; 1O ... ct:Jc6
11.'lWd5 ct:Jh6 12.~cl g5 13.ct:Jb5 a6
14.exf6 hf615.ct:Jd6 z;t,fBI6.e5 ~e7
17.ct:Jf7+-; 16 ... ~g717.hg5+-. The
exchange on a3 is quite unfavour-
able for Black too: 9 ... ~xa3 10.
~xa3 'lWc7 11.'lWb3 ct:Je7 12.dxe5
fxe5 13.tLlg5 ~b7 14.~f7+ z;t,fS
15.~gS!+-; 14 ... z;t,dB 15.Eldl z;t,cB
16 ..be7+-; 15 ... 'lWc616.Eld6+-).
White can obtain an excellent
game now in two different ways:
6.d4 (This move is quite routine
for the Sicilian Defence, is it not?
It promises White wonderful pros-
pects in this position as well!)
6... cxd4 (6 ... ~b7 7.ct:Jc3) 7.ct:Jxd4
~b7 8.~c4!? (This pawn sacrifice
l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ig7 4.ct:Jc3
is quite in harmony with the spirit
of the position. White obtains a
magnificent compensation. Nev-
ertheless his position is so good
that he can continue even without
sacrificing a pawn with: S.ct:Jc3 -
this move is more "solid", but
strong enough. B... ct:Jc6 9.ic4 ct:Jh6.
Unfortunately Black has no other
available square for this knight!
10.0-0 f511.ct:Jd5 ct:Jxd412.hd4 e5
13.~b2 ElcS 14.'lWd3 fxe4 15.'lWxe4
ct:Jf7 16.~b3 0-0 17.f4! d6 IB.f5
gxf5 19.Elxf5 z;t,hB 20.Elafl) Boo.
ixe4 (You can expect a move like
that from Black, since he needs to
have some material compensation
for his inferiour position. It is quite
usual to grab pawns in situations
like that, regardless of the poten-
tial dangers.) 9.0-0 'lWcS 1O.'lWe2
~b7 (1000.'lWb7 I1.Elel id5 12.ct:Jd2
z;t,f7 13.Eladl ixc4 14.ct:Jxc4 ifS
15.ct:Jf5! This is an exquisite com-
bination! It almost looks like
Black's position is a fortress, but
White destroys it with a spectacu-
lar non-standard combination
sacrificing knights and rooks. It
turns out that sometimes success-
ful attacks are possible without the
participation of pawns. 1500.gxf5
16.'lWh5+ z;t,g717.Eld3 f4. This is the
only way for Black to stop the ma-
noeuvre of the white rook to the
g3-square. It now has another at-
tractive outpost: IS .Eld5! h6 19.
ct:Je5!! fxe5 20.Elexe5 tLlf6 21.Elg5+
hxg5 22.Elxg5#; 21...z;t,h7 22.'lWg6#)
11.Elel z;t,fS (Black crumbles
quickly after 11...ct:Jc6? 12.~xgS! It
becomes clear now that he loses a
119
Chapter S
piece due to the checkmating
threat from the e7-square. 12 ...
E1xgS 13.tLlxc6+-. It is not satisfac-
tory for White to follow tha same
idea with: 12.tLlxc6? ~xc6+, since
Black is already threatening to
checkmate from the g2-square.)
12.tLlc3 (Black cannot complete his
development now without losing
material.) 12 ... e6 (12 ... eS13.tLldbS
tLle7 14.tLld6 fIc6 lS.tLlce4 tLlfS 16.
bS! fIc717.tLlxb7fIxb71S.gadl+-;
12 ... tLlc6 13.E1ad1 tLlxd414.gxd4 fS
lS.tLldS! b:d4 16.b:d4+-; lS ... e6
16.tLlf4 eS 17.E1xd7! ~xd71S.tLle6+
cJ:]e7 19.tLlxg7 i.e4 20.i.xeS tLlf6
21.f3+-) 13.b:e6! (This powerful
piece sacrifice is paving the way for
White for a successful kingside at-
tack.) 13 ... dxe6 14.tLlxe6+ cJ:]f7 IS.
E1ad1 tLlc6 (1S ... tLla6 16.tLle4 b:e4
17.fIxe4 i.fS lS.fIdS i.e719.tLldS+
cJ:]g7 20.fIf7+ cJ:]h6 21.i.c1+ cJ:]hS
22.tLle6+-; 21...gS 22.E1e4+-) 16.
tLle4! cJ:]xe6 (16 ... cJ:]e7 17. tLld6+-)
17.fIc4+ cJ:]e7 (17 ... cJ:]fS IS. tLlg3+!
cJ:]gS 19.i.c1# The final checkmat-
ing position is strikingly beauti-
ful!) lS.tLlgS+ tLleS19.fIf7#;
6.h4 (This is a very good idea!
Black's position on the kingside
has been weakened considerably
and his g6-pawn is a juicy target.
The easiest way for White to attack
it is with the h-pawn!) 6 ... i.b7 (Af-
ter 6 ... hS, Black's g6-pawn is
weakened additionally. 7.i.c4 tLlh6
S.O-O e6 9.d4 0-0 10.dxcS bxcS
1l.fId6 tLlc612.fIxcS tLlg413.b:e6
dxe6 14.fIxc6+- Kroshk - Gabel-
bissen, Internet 2004) 7.tLlc3
(7.hS!? This pawn sacrifice is quite
120
justified. 7 ... i.xe4 S.tLlc3 i.b7 9.
hxg6 hxg6 1O.E1xhS i.xhS 1l.tLlh4!
cxb4 12.axb4 cJ:]f7 13. fIg 4 fIeS
14.fIxg6+ cJ:]fS lS.fIh7 i.g7 16.
tLlg6+ cJ:]f717.i.c4+ dS1S.tLlxdS+-;
17 ... e6 lS.tLlbS!+-; S ... i.fS 9.hxg6
i.xg6 1O.tLlh4 tLlh6 l1.g3 tLlc6 12.
i.g2 E1bS 13.tLlxg6 hxg6 14.tLldS e6
lS.tLlf4 tLle7 16.fIe2; 10 ... cxb4
l1.axb4 tLlc6 12.tLlxg6 hxg6 13.
gxhS b:hS 14.i.d3 cJ:]f71S.bS tLleS
16.i.e4 E1cS 17.E1xa7; 14 ... tLleS
lS.i.e4 E1cS 16.d4 tLlc4 17.i.xg6+
cJ:]fS lS.i.cl; 14 .. .fS lS.b:fS! gxfS
16.fIhS+ cJ:]fS 17.fIxhS) 7 ... tLlc6
S.d4 fS (S ... cxb4 9.axb4 tLlxb4
1O.i.c4 as l1.hS tLlh6 12.i.b3)
9.exfS! (9.dS tLld4 1O.tLlxd4 i.xd4
1l.exfS fIbS!? 12.fIe2 b:dS13.E1h3
i.f7oo) 9 ... cxb4 (9 ... gxfS1O.dS cxb4
l1.tLla4! b:b212.dxc6b:a113.cxb7
E1bS 14.fIxa1 tLlf6 lS.axb4) 10.
axb4 gxfS l1.bS tLlb4 (ll...tLlaS
12.hS e6 13.E1h3) 12.E1a4! as 13.
bxa6 tLlxa6 14.hS tLlh6 lS.i.c4 e6
16.tLlbS tLlf7 17.tLleS b:g2 1B.tLlxf7
cJ:]xf7 19.E1g1 dS 20.E1xg2 dxc4
21.E1xg7+ cJ:]xg7 22.dS+ cJ:]h6 23.
fId2+ cJ:]xhS 24.~e2+ cJ:]gS 2S.f4+
cJ:]h4 26.ga3! geB 27.fIh2+ cJ:]g4 2S.
gg3+ cJ:]xf4 29.fIf2+ cJ:]e4 30.fId4#
4.tLlc3!
 l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ig7 4.ltlc3

This is the only way for White 9.~xd8+ ~xd8 10.ie3 cxb4
to preserve good prospects for the 11.axb4 a6 12.ic4 ie6 13.ixe6
future. The exchange on c3 is defi- fxe614.2:a5 e415.2:e5 ltlf616.2:xe6
nitely in his favour. ~d717.2:e5 2:hc818.id4. White's
White's other possibilities are bishop is much stronger than
harmless for Black: Black's knight in this endgame.
4.c3. This move is too slow!
Black can obtain an excellent game at) 4 ... cxb4?!
immediately with: 4 ... d5! 5.exd5
~xd5 6.bxc5 (6.~f3 ~e6+ 7.~e3
~xe3+ 8.fxe3 lLld7 9.lLlf3 lLlgf6
1O.d4 b611.id3 ib712.0-0 1'k8+)
6 ... e5=;
4.2:a2 - is not convincing at all
- the rook has nothing to do on a2.
Black can equalize easily in several
ways, for example: 4 ... d5 5.ib2
ixb2 6.2:xb2 cxb4 7.2:xb4 lLlc6
8.~b5 dxe4 9'2:xe4 id7 1O.lLlf3 This move is quite possible, but
lLlf6=. White's rook has made so it has many drawbacks. Black does
many moves, but that has not not control the d4-square any-
helped him to achieve anything at more and White's rook can be-
all. Black has no problems. come very active along the open a-
After 4.lLlc3 we are going to file. Moreover White's b4-pawn
analyse in details: at) 4 ... cxb4?!, can create some threats going for-
a2) 4 ... lLlf6, a3) 4 ... b6 and a4) ward to b5 and even to b6 subse-
4 ... d6. quently.
I do not expect many players 5.axb4 lLlc6
to venture 4 ... ixc3?! (Black dis- 5 ... d6 6.d4 (White's centre has
rupts the pawn structure of his become very powerful and the rea-
opponent indeed, but White's son for that is the absence of the
pieces join the action very quickly. black c5-pawn!) 6 ... ~b6?! This is
White's bishop pair is very active a very dubious idea, since Black
and he does not need to be really loses a lot of time. He wins a pawn
afraid of the trade on c3.) 5.dxc3 indeed, but his position becomes
lLlc6 (5 ... cxb4?! 6.cxb4. White got very difficult after that. (6 ... lLlf6 7.
rid of his doubled pawns and his ltlf3 0-0 8.ie2 ig4 9.0-0 lLlbd7,
bishop has the excellent long a1- Kroshk - Gabelbissen, Internet
h8 diagonal at his disposal.) 6.ltlf3 2004, 1O.h3 hf3 1l.hf3 ~b6 12.
d6 7.e5! (White sacrifices a pawn b5;!;) 7.lLld5! ~xd4 8.~xd4 ixd4,
temporarily in order to activate his White can now fight for the advan-
pieces.) 7 ... lLlxe5 8.lLlxe5 dxe5 tage in two different ways:

121
Chapter 8
9.l':i:a3 c;t>d8 (Black defends the
c7-square.) 1O.cuf3 cuc6 (1O ... ig7
- Black loses control over the b6-
square: l1.cub6 axb6 12.l':i:xa8+-)
1l.cuxd4 cuxd4 12.id3 (White has
defended the threat of a knight-
fork CUxc2+ and Black is in trouble
now.) 12 ... a6 (12 ...cuc6 13.ib2 f6
14.b5 cue5 15.cub6 l':i:b8 16.l':i:xa7
cuh6 17.0-0 CUxd3 18.cxd3 id7
19.1':i:cl e5 20.d4 ixb5 21.CUd5 l':i:f8
22.ia3 cuf7 23.ib4 b6 24.cuxb6
l':i:xb6 25.ia5+-) 13.ie3 e5 14.c3
cuc6 15.b5 cuce7 16.cub6 l':i:b8 17.
CUc4 c;t>d718.ia7!+-;
White has excellent prospects
too, after the immediate attack
against the bishop 9.c3, for ex-
ample: 9 ... e6 (9 ... ig7 10.id2.
Black cannot defend simulta-
neously the c7 and b6-square
against the assault of the white
knight. He is suffering decisive
material losses because of that.
1O ... c;t>d811.cub6 axb612.l':i:xa8+-)
1O.cuc7+! c;t>d7 l1.cxd4 c;t>xc7 12.
cuf3 (Black's extra pawn is imma-
terial and White is clearly better.)
12 ... cuf6 13.id3 cuc6 14.ia3 d5
15.e5 cuh5 16.b5 cuf4 17.ifl cud8
18.id6+ c;t>d7 19.93 cuh5 20.l':i:c1
c;t>e8 21.id3 a6 22.l':i:c7.
6.b5!
This immediate attack against
the knight is the most aggressive
attempt to seize the initiative for
White. His rook on al is also very
active and it paralyzes Black's ac-
tions.
Look at an example confirming
that: 6.l':i:bl?! White should not
take the rook away from the open
122
file. 6 ... e6 7.cuf3 cuge7 8.d4 d5 9.e5
0-0 10.b5 cua511.if4 id712.'&d2
'&c7 13.id3 cuc4 14.'&cl CUxe5!
15.cuxe5 '&xc3-+ Van Veen - Snu-
verink, Hengelo 1996 - White had
no compensation for the sacrificed
pawn.
6 ... ltJd4
This is Black's best retreat for
the knight.
The other moves - CUe5 and
CUb410se outright:
6 ... CUe5? 7.d4+- (7.f4+- is good
enough too.). Black's knight is
trapped!;
6 ... cub4? White obtains a deci-
sive advantage immediately after
that! 7.ia3! '&a5 (7... a5. This is in
effect something like a rook-sac-
rifice. 8.ixb4 axb4 9.l':i:xa8 bxc3
1O.d4+-) 8. '&b1 hc3 9.dxc3 cud5.
Black is trying to organize some
counterplay. 1O.exd5 ~xc3+ 11.
c;t>d1 '&d4+ 12.id3 ~xf2 13.~b2
cuf614.c4+-;
I t is too passive for Black to
play 6 ... cub8 7.d4 d6 8.cuf3 cuf6
9.id3 a51O.0-0 0-0 1l.ib2 cubd7
12.~e2. White is dominating in
the centre and Black's defence will
be rather difficult.
7.ltJf3 d6

7... lLlxf3+ S.Wxf3 d6, Kroshk-
iannis, Internet 2004, 9.ib2 lLlf6
(9 ... lLlh6 1O.ic4 0-0 11.0-0 lLlg4
12.ib3 ieS13.g3 id414J'la4 lLleS
lS.Wf4 ctJd7 16Jhd4 eS 17.We3
exd4 lS.Wxd4 Wf6 19.ctJdS Wxd4
20.ixd4 %'1eS 2l.f3+-. Black has
failed to complete his develop-
ment. White is threatening the
knight-fork 22.ctJc7.) 1O.ctJdS ig4
(lO ... ctJxdS 11.ixg7 %'1gS 12.id4
ctJb6 13.We3 id7 (This is an at-
tempt to connect the heavy
pieces.) 14.Wh6 eS lS.ie3 %'1fS
16.ie2 as 17.0-0) l1.Wb3 0-0
12.ctJxf6+ hf613.hf6 exf614.ic4
We71S.idS ie6 16.0-0;t
8.ctJxd4 hd4
9J:'~a4! .ig7
You might be curious to know
whether Black might try to keep
his bishop in the centre instead of
retreating it. What are the draw-
backs of the seemingly solid and
reliable move 9 ... eS? White should
be ready to sacrifice the exchange
on the d4-square after that move.
Re is going to have a pawn as an
additional compensation and
great activity along the dark
squares. The element of risk after
that sacrifice is quite minimal in-
l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ig7 4.ctJc3
deed! 10.ib2 ctJf6 11.id3! ctJg4
01...0-0 12.0-0 ig4 13.Wa1 ctJd7
14.%'1xd4 exd41S.ctJdS ctJb616.hd4
etJxdS 17.exdS;t) 12.%'1xd4 exd4 13.
etJdS 0-0 14.hd4ie61S.0-0 %'1eS
(lS ... ixdS 16.Wxg4 ie6 17.Wf4 f6
lS.%'1a1 b6 19.c3 We7 20.h4) 16.
lWf3 Wh417.Wf4 hdS1S.exdS WhS
19.f3 ctJeS 20.Wf6 gS 21.f4 gxf4
22.%'1xf4 Wd1+ 23.%'1f1 WhS 24.%'1fS
lWd1+ 2S.if1 Wxc2 26.%'1gS+-.
9 ... Wb61O.Wf3 ctJf6 l1.h3! This
is a good prophylactic move that
prevents Black's pieces from the
access to the g4-square. Moreover
it is a well disguised trap! 11 ... id7
(Black would have fallen right into
the trap after: 11 ... 0-0?? 12.ctJe2
icS13.d4 'WxbS14.ctJc3!+-, and he
loses his bishop) 12.ib2 WcS (12 ...
0-0 13.ctJdS! ctJxdS 14.ixd4 Wc7
lS.exdS 'Wxc2 16.%'1al+-) 13.id3
%'1cS 14.0-0 0-0 lS.%'1fa1 WeS 16.
%'1aS! We6 17.ctJa4 hb2 lS.ctJxb2.
10 ..ib2 ctJf6
1l.'Wal!
This powerful positional re-
source is quite typical for the
whole system. White has all the
chances to materialize his extra
pawn. 1l... .ie6 12.l::1xa7 l::1xa7
13.'Wxa7 ctJxe4 14.'Wxb7 ttJxc3
123
Chapter S
15.~xc3 0 - 0 16.~xg7 @xg7
17.~e2 ~a5 18.~a6 ~b4 19.
~a1+ f6 20 .c3 ~e4 21.3 ~e5
22.@f2 Kroshk - Bilacska, Inter-
net 2004.
a2) 4 ... ttJf6
This is an interesting "provoca-
tive" move. White's edge after it is
only slight, but good enough!
5.e5!
Black obtains quickly an excel-
lent game after White's other
moves. For example: S.1''1bl (White
parries Black's threat to capture on
e4.) S... dS!oo and Black's counter-
play is quite sufficient.
5 ... ttJh5
S... liJgS 6.bxcS! (It is weakerfor
White to play 6.f4 d6 7.liJf3 ig4
S.h3 ixf3 9.~xf3 ttJc61O.ibS1"lcS
11.0-0 lDh6= Kroshk - ritschi,
Internet 2004) 6 ... ixeS 7.d4 ig7
S.lDf3 liJf6 9.ie2 0-0 10.0-0 b6
1l.cxb6 axb612.1"lelliJc613.liJbS;I;.
6.bxc5!
White cannot protect his eS-
pawn anyway, but he does not
need it either. He can use instead
the open e-file to his advantage.
6 ... ~xe5 7.d4 ~g7 8.ttJf3
0-0 9.~bl d610.cxd6 exd6
124
1O ... ~xd611.ie2liJc6 (1l ... lDf4
12.lDbSliJxg2+ 13.@f1 ih3!? This
interesting queen-sacrifice is still
not good enough to equalize.
14.lDxd6 liJe3+ lS.@el liJxdl 16.
liJe4 ig2 17.1"lgl fS ISJ''1xg2 fxe4
19.~c4+ @hS 20.lDgSliJc3 21.1"lxb7
liJc6 22.liJf7+ ~xf7 23.~xf7 lDxd4
24.1"lxe7 lDxc2+ 2S.@f11"ldS 26.
1"leS+ ~xeS 27.ixeS ~d4 2S.~c6)
12.0-0! (White should complete
his development quickly and avoid
losing time defending his d4-
pawn.) 12 ... lDf4 (Can Black grab
the central pawn? Yes, he can, but
White regains his pawn and pre-
serves his advantage. 12 ... liJxd4
13.lDxd4 ~xd4 14.lDdS ~eS IS.
ixhS ~xhS 16.lDxe7+ @hS 17.
~xhS gxhSlS.lDxcS ~fxcSI9.1"lxb7
1"lxc2 20.~xf7;1;; lS ... gxhS 16.1"lel
~g4 17.Wifd2; 17.f3 Wifd4+ IS.~e3
~xd119.~exdlie6 20.lDxe7+ ~hS
21.1"lxb7 as 22.id4 ~fbS 23.1"lxbS+
1"lxbS 24.lDc6 ixd4+ 2S.1"lxd4 ~b2
26.c4 ~a2 27.lDxaS ~xa3 2S.liJb7)
13.~c4 a6 (13 ... lDxd4 14.liJxd4
~xd41S.lDbS ~c616.ixf4+-; IS ...
ixf2+ 16.~xf2 WifcS+ 17.Wifd4+-;
14 ... ~xd4 lS.Wifxd4 ixd4 16.lDbS
ieS 17.1"le1;l;; 16 ... ie6 17.lDxd4
ixc4 IS.ixf4 ixfI19.~xfl1"lfdS
20.lDf3;1;) 14.1"lel bS lS.lDe4! Wifc7
16.~a2 1"ldS 17.lDfgS (White starts
a kingside attack in this way and
it is quite dangerous for Black.)
17 ... e6 (17 ... liJdS IS.lDxf7! ~xf7
19.1Dc3! White easily regains his
material thanks to the displace-
ment of Black's pieces. 19 ... e6
20.liJxdS exdS 21.~f3+ ~g8 22.
ixdS+ ~hS 23.if4 Wifb6 24.ixc6

l"i:a7 25.d5+-; 21...~f5 22.~xd5+
@f8 23.~xc6 Elac8 24.d5+-; 22 ...
l"i:xd5 23.~xd5+ @f8 24.a4 l"i:d8
25.~c5+ ~d6 26.~xd6+ l"i:xd6
27.~a3 b4 28.Elxb4+-) 18.c3 tt:ld5
19.~f3 h6 20.tt:lh3 g5 21.i.d2 e5
(21...f5 22.tt:lexg5 hxg5 23.i.xg5
l"i:d6 24.~g3 ~b7 25.i.xd5 exd5
26.~f4 l"i:ad8 27.l"i:e6+-) 22.~xd5
l"i:xd523.tt:lexg5.
11.~e2 Ele812.0-0 tt:lc613.
~g5! ~f6
13 ... tt:lf6?! 14.tt:ld5 ~e6 (14 ...
l"i:e6? 15.tt:lxf6+ ~xf6 16.d5 l"i:xe2
17.dxc6+-; 14 ... tt:lxd5? 15.~xd8
tt:lc3 16.~d2tt:lxe2+ 17.@h1tt:lxd8
18.l"i:fel+-; 14 ... b6 15.i.b5 ~d7
16.c4 l"i:c8 17.~a4 l"i:e6 18.l"i:fdH)
15.tt:lxf6+ ~xf6 16.~xf6 ~xf6 17.
l"i:xb7 ~d5 18.l"i:b1! l"i:e7 19.c3 l"i:ae8
20.i.d3.
14.i.e3!
(Black has serious problems
after that retreat. 14.i.xf6 tt:lxf6=)
14 ... tt:lg715.tt:ld5 tt:lf5 16.tt:lxf6+
~xf6 17.i.g5 ~g7 18.d5 tt:lcd4
19.tL\xd4 tL\xd4 20 ..id3;!;.
a3) 4 ... b6
This is a solid line. Black
avoids risky tactical skirmishes
and builds a flexible and reliable
l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ~g7 4.tt:lc3
defensive set-up.
5.tL\f3 tt:lc6
The immediate development of
the bishop to b7 has its drawbacks
too: 5... i.b7 6.bxc5 bxc5 7.l"i:b1, and
the black bishop cannot be de-
fended by the rook. Black will be
forced to either retreat it, or play
7... ~c8. White will have an excel-
lent game in that case after 8 ..ic4.
6.Elbl
This is a very timely move. The
b4-pawn was under attack and
what was even more important -
White prevented the development
ofthe black bishop to b7. (6 ....ib7?
- is simply blundering a pawn,
since after 7.bxc5, Black cannot
recapture on c5, because of the
loss of the bishop; 6 ... l"i:b8 7.~c4
~b7 8.0-0 lLlf6 9.l"i:e1 0-0 1O.bxc5
bxc511.~b2::t). Black's natural de-
velopment has been hampered in
that way. We are going to analyse
the following moves: a3a) 6 ...
tL\f6, a3b) 6 ... d6, a3c) 6 ... a5
and a3d) 6 ... e6.
a3a) 6 ... tL\f6
This logical move has not been
tested in practice yet. White must
play calmly avoiding sharp tacti-
125
ChapterS
cal lines.
7.h3!
That move deprives the black
pieces of the g4-square. Moreover
White can attack on the kings ide
under favourable circumstances
and the placement ofthe h3-pawn
might turn out handy. It was also
possible for White to play 7.bxcS
bxcS S.h3 with quite similar ideas.
7 ... 0-0 8.bxc5 bxc5 9.i.c4
d6
Black cannot try the standard
combination 9 ... ttJxe4? here, be-
cause the knight on c6 is de-
fenceless: 1O.ttJxe4 dS 1l.i.bS j"1bS
12.ttJc3 i.xc3 13.dxc3 a6 14.ih6!
axbS ls.ixfS @xfS 16.0-0, and
Black's compensation for the ex-
change is quite insifficient.
10.0-0
White's advantage in this posi-
tion is not so great, but it is still
quite real. His pieces are much
more active and Black must de-
fend very carefully.
10 ... ttJa5
The exchange of the rooks
helps Black not to waste efforts to
defend the only open file, but he is
too far from having solved all his
problems yet. For example: 10 ...
126
j"1bS 11.j"1xbS ttJxbS 12.j"1e1 ttJc6 13.
~b2 ~b714.d3 e61S.IWa1! This is a
powerful resource for White in the
positional battle! He is not only
creating a strong pressure along
the a1-hS diagonal, but he intends
to occupy again the open b-file at
the first opportune moment. There
are still a couple of rooks left on
the board! lS ... eS (lS ... ttJeS? 16.
ttJxeS dxeS 17.ttJa4 ttJd7 lS.~bS;
17 ... IWaS lS.~xeS IWxa4 19.~xf6
~xf6 20.IWxf6 IWxc2 21.IWe7 IWc3
22.@f1! ~aS 23.IWxa7) 16.ttJdS
ttJd4 (16 ... IWd7 17.~bS;t) 17.ttJxd4
cxd4 lS.ttJxf6+ IWxf6 19.j"1b1 ~c6
20.c3 dxc3 21.~xc3 j"1dS 22.IWa2
~fS. The arising position might
seem to be simple, but Black still
has a lot more problems to solve.
White can gradually prepare a de-
cisive penetration on the queen-
side. Black's counterplay is quite
minimal: 23.~d2! l"kS 24.~e3.
1l.i.a2 ~b7
Black can try to prevent
White's advance in the centre with
the move 1l ... eS, but that only in-
creases the scope of action of the
bishop on a2. 12.d3 ~e6 (Black
now exchanges the dangerous
white bishop, but his pawns be-
come very weak.) 13.~xe6 fxe6
14.~gS ttJc6 lS.ttJd2 IWaS 16.ttJc4!
Black is faced with a difficult
choice. He can either retreat his
queen and comply with White's
great positional advantage, or sac-
rifice the queen after: 16 ... Wxc3
17.j"1b3 ttJxe41S.j"1xc3 ttJxc319:~g4
ttJd4 20.ttJxd6 hS 21.IWh4.
12.j"1e1 j"1b8 13.e5
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.M i.g7 4.tLlc3

14.Wi'xf3 dxeS 1S.E!:xeS E!:xb1

16.ttJxb1 Wfd617.E!:e1tLlc618.d3
tLld4

13 .,bf3
Black exchanges White's pow-
erful knight and the attack is not
as dangerous as after 13 ... dxeS (see
later). This is however a consider- 19.Wi'd1
able positional concession and White is retreating, but that is
Black is going to suffer because of only temporary. Black cannot sta-
that in the ensuing battle. White's bilize in the centre for long. 19 .
two bishop advantage provides e6 20.c3 tUc6 21.a4! E!:d8 22.
him with a lasting positional edge i.a3 Wfxd3 23.Wfxd3 ~xd3 24.
and excellent winning chances. i.c4 E!:d8 2S.i.bS tUb8 26.,bcS
I3 ... dxeS I4.tLlxeS e6 lS.tLlxf7! a6 27.i.f1t.
(White is perfectly prepared for
this typical sacrifice. Black must a3b) 6 .. d6
either comply with White's mate-
rial advantage, or endanger his
king considerably.) lS ... <>xf7
(Black's defence is very difficult
after IS .. J'hf7 16.i.xe6 tLlc6 17.
ixf7+ <>xf7 18.d3 ia8 19.E!:xb8
Wi'xb8 20.tLle4. White can afford
to patiently exchange pieces, be-
cause his rook and two pawns will
prevail over Black's couple oflight
pieces in every possible endgame.) This is a sort of an excessive
16.ixe6+ <>e7 (16 ... <>e8 I7.Wi'e2 defence of the cS-pawn. This move
ILic6 18.ic8!+-; 17... E!:f7 I8.Wi'bS+ however has one seemingly incon-
It>f8 I9.ixf7 ~xf7 20.iWxcS+-) spicuous defect - Black has weak-
17.iWe2 E!:e8 I8.~bS ~c7 I9.id7+ ened the long hI-a8 diagonal a bit!
1t>i8 20.i.xe8 E!:xe8 21.i.b2 E!:xeI+ That means that White must de-
22.E!:xe1 iWc6 23. ~xc6 hc6 24.tLldl velop his bishop on g2! He cannot
i>f7 (24 ... tLlc4?? 2S.i.xf6 i.xf6 rely on obtaining any quick advan-
26Jl:e6+-) 2S.tLJe3. tage and he should be prepared for

127
Chapter S
a tough positional battle.
7.g3! ttJf6 8 . .ig2 0-0 9.
0-0 .ib7 10.gel a6 1l.bxe5!
dxe5 l2.e5 ttJd7
12 ... ttJg4 13.h3 tDh6 (13 ...
ttJgxeS?? 14.ttJxeS+-) 14.tDa4! ttJd4
lS.gxb6 .ic616J'~xc6! (White's best
chance to preserve his advantage
is to sacrifice the exchange. This
is in fact not exactly even a sacri-
fice, because White remains with
two extra pawns.) 16 ... tDxc6 17.
tLlxcs tLlfS lS.g4! tLlh6 (lS .. .'&dS?
19.tLlb3! tLlh6 20.tLlfd4+-) I9.d4
Wa5 20 ..ie3! f5 21.exf6 exf6 22.Wc1
tLlf7 23 ..id2! Wc7 24.tLle6+-.
l3.e6!he3
It was not an easy decision for
Black to exchange his powerful
bishop.
He was not going to fare any
better after 13 ... fxe6 14.tLlg5 .id4
lS.tLlxe6! It becomes clear now
that Black's counterattack against
the f2-square is not strong enough:
ls ... hf2+ (lS ... gxf216 ..idS! gf7+
17.@h1 WbS1S.tLlg5 tLlce519.ttJxf7
.ixdS+ 20.tLlxdS @xf7 21.We2 e6
22.gf1+ @g723.tLlf4 Wb7+ 24.Wg2
Wxg2+ 2S.@xg2+-) 16.@h1 WcS
17.tLlxfS tLlxfS (17 ... WxfS1S.gfl+-)
lS.gfl.id419.tLld5+-.
12S
l4.dxe3 fxe6
14 ... tLldbS1S.exf7+ j"1xf716.tLlgS
Wxdl17.j"1xd1 j"1f61S.j"1xb6 j"1a719.
.if4 eS 20.heS tLlxe5 21.j"1xf6+-.
l5.ttJg5 gf5 l6 .ih3
White has another way at his
disposal to obtain a decisive ad-
vantage -16.tLlxe6 WcS (16 ... WeS?
17.tLlc7+-) 17.tLlf4 j"1e5 lS.tLldS
j"1xe1+ 19.Wxe1 WdS 20 ..igS @f7
21.tLlxe7 tLlxe7 22 ..ixb7 j"1a7 23.
.idS+-.
l6 ... ttJee5 l7 .ixf5 exf5 18.
.if4 Vge7
lS ... h6 19.tLle6 tLlf3+ 20.Wxf3
.ixf3 21.tLlxdS+-.
19.f3!
White must deprive Black of
the possibility to create threats
along the hI-aS diagonal! 19 h6
20.he5! (20.We2? presents sud-
denly Black with excellent chances
after: 20 ... hxg5 21..ixe5 Wc6! and
his counterplay is very effective!) .
20 ... ttJxe5 21.~e2 hxg5 22.
Wxe5 ~xe5 (22 ... Wc6 23.Vge6+-)
23.gxe5+
a3e) 6 ... a5
(diagram)
This move seems logical too.
Black starts fighting for domina-
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.b4 i.g7 4.'I:lc3

tack in another fashion i.e.: 11 ...

~g4, but that move was weaker:
12.~e2 ~xg213.l"lgl ~h314.~bS+
i.d7 lS.~xaS! i.c6 (1S ... ~xf3??
16.~a8+ i.c8 17.~xc8#) 16.l"lg3
~d7 17.d3+-.
12.'I:lc3 hc313.dxc3 V;l[xe4+
14.i.e3 'I:lf6
14 ... i.g4 lS.0-0 i.xf3 16.~xf3!
tion on the queenside. The essen- (White enjoys a huge lead in de-
tial drawback of this move is that. velopment and he will win at least
it weakens the bS-square in the a pawn after the trade of the
process. queens.) 16 ... ~xf317.gxf3 White's
7.bxc5 bxc5 S.i.b5 pawns are a miserable sight, nev-
8.i.c4 'I:lf6 9.0-0 0-0 lOJ'l:e1 ertheless the endgame is evidently
d611.h3 i.a612.1Mfe2 hc413.~xc4 in his favour! The difference of the
l"lb8 14.i.b2 e61S.i.aU;. activity of the pieces is too great
S ... l"lbS9.hc6 for Black to compensate. 17 ... c4
White starts an exchange op- 18.l"ld1 'I:lf619.i.b6 'I:ld7 20.i.xaS.
eration with this move and it 15.0-0 V;l[c6 16.lLle5 V;l[c7
might seem to you that he simpli- 17.i.f4 ~b7
fies unnecessarily the position. In
fact White obtains excellent pros-
pects after it.
The other line for him is much
calmer and the game proceeds
slowly: 9.0-0 'I:ld4 1O.i.b2 'I:lf6
11.eS 'I:lhS12.a4 i.b713.'I:lxd4 cxd4
14.'I:le2 i.xeS lS.i.xd4 i.xd4 16.
'I:lxd4 0-0 17.~g4;!:;.
9 l"lxb110.hd7+
White wins a pawn only tem- 1S.i.h6! l"lgS (Black fails to
porarily - Black can regain his castle anyway.) 19.~d3 ~c7 20.
pawn immediately. The point is l"ld1! i.f5 (20 ... ~xeS?? 21.~d8#)
that he does not equalize after bal- 21.V;I[b5+ i.d7 (21...lLld7 22.i.f4
ancing the material. ~b6 23.~a4 ~b7 24.lLlxd7 i.xd7
It is simpler for White to play 2S.~xaS) 22.'I:lxd7 'I:lxd7 23.
1O.'I:lxbU;, but he achieves less too. i.e3 c4 24J!d4.
10 .. :~xd711.lLlxb1 V;l[b7
This is a double attack against a3d) 6 .. e6
the knight and the e4-pawn. He You can qualify this as the main
could have inflicted a double at- line in this rare and unusual sys-

129
Chapter 8
tem. Black has been defending this
position quite successfully until
now. I have managed to find some
improvements for White, though ...
7.d4!
This is a beautiful idea and I
have been trying to discover it
for a long time! It is definitely go-
ing to cause some unrest even to
quite calm and balanced players.
White gets the advantage even af-
ter Black's best defence. The point
is that White opens files and ob-
tains excellent attacking prospects
against the enemy king. Black is in
fact too far from completing his
development and his king might
get stranded in the centre indefi-
nitely!
It is also possible for White to
play 7.~b2 (This calm move has
been tested in some games be-
tween strong players and White
preserves good chances too.) 7... d6
8.~bSttJge7 9.ttJdS! (This is a beau-
tiful tactical idea.) 9 ... 0-0 (That is
Black's only move. It is too bad for
him to play 9 ... ~xb2 10.ttJxe7!
~xa3 11.ttJxc6 Vlic7 12.bxcS bxcS
13.ttJxa7+ ~d7 14.~xd7+ Vlixd7
lS.ttJbS+-) 1O.ttJf6+ <;t>h8 (Black
can hardly be satisfied with 10 ...
130
~xf6 11.~xf6) l1.ttJgS!? (I think
White must continue his attack
in that exact fashion, since his
knight must be headed to the h7-
square! White has also tested the
attractive possibility 11.h4. The
reknowned expert of the system
GM Varavin failed to win however
after: 11...ttJd4! This enterprising
move proves that Black's position
is not bad at all. 12.ttJxd4 cxd4
13.Vlif3 - Black's successful de-
fence is based on the line 13.hd4?
eS!-+ White must lose one of his
pieces - 13 ... ttJg8! White's attack
is not so dangerous anymore after
the exchange of the knights. 14.
ttJxg8 <;t>xg8 lS.hS Vlic7 16.Vlid3 eS
17.hxg6 fxg6 18.~c4+ <;t>h8 19.c3
dxc3 20.dxc3 ~b7 2U!d1 as 22.
~e6;!;; 16 ... dS17.hd4 dxe418.Vlic3
Vlixc3 19.hc3 ~xc3 20.dxc3 ~b7
2U'ld1l"lfd8 22.~d7 ~dS 23.~b5=;
17.hxg6 fxg6 18.~xd4 ~xd4 19.
Vlixd4l"lf4oo ; 16J'lc1 dS17.exdS exdS
18.0-0 ~e6 19.c3 dxc3 20.~xc3
~xc3 2U'lxc3 VlieS 22.hxg6 hxg6
23.Vlie3 Vlixe3 24.dxe3, and the op-
ponents agreed to a draw some
twenty moves later, Varavin -
Glotov, Serpukhov 2002.) 11...h6
(White is better too after: ll ... cxM
12.axb4 h6 13.ttJgh7 ~xf6 14.ttJxf6
eS lS.f4 a6 16.~xc6 ttJxc6 17.fxeS
dxeS 18.0-0 ~fS 19.exfS Vlixf6
20.fxg6 Vlixg6 21.Vlif3;!;. Black is
clearly worse after 11...ttJd4?!
12.hd4 cxd413.lt:Jfxh7f614.lt:Jxf8
Vlixf8 lS.lt:Jf3+-) 12.lt:Jgh7! ~xf6
13.ttJxf6 (The exchange of the dark
squared bishops is a considerable
positional achievement for White.

His initiative is much more dan-
gerous now.) 13 ... eS 14.f4 a6 IS.
ixc6 ctJxc6 16.fxeS dxeS 17.0-0
cxb418.axb4 ifS!? (This is in prin-
ciple a good idea, because Black
gets rid of the dangerous white
knight on f6. He weakens however
the position of his king in the pro-
cess and White can continue fight-
ing for a win.) 19.exfS ~xf6 20.fxg6
~xg6 21.~f3 ~acS 22.~f6+ ~h7
23.ic3 ~xf6 24.~xf6 ~g7 2S.~d6
as 26.bS ltJd4 27.~f2! (Black was
threatening a knight-fork on the
e2-square.) 27 ... ~bS 2S.ixd4 exd4
29.~xd4 and White remained
with an extra pawn in the rook and
pawn endgame.
7 tLlxd4
Black is not safe at all after:
7 ... cxd4 S.ltJbS eS (S ... dS 9.exdS!
exdSlO.if4) 9.c3! (White should
continue to open files in order to
attack the black king with all his
forces.) 9 ... a6 (This is possibly
Black's best defence; otherwise he
risks being checkmated rather
soon. White must now comply
with the exchange of his powerful
knight.) 1O.ltJd6+ ~e7 1l.ltJxcS+
~xcS 12.ic4 ltJf6 13.igs dxc3
14.Wd5 ~eS ISJ'lc1 h6 16.ixf6+
ixf6 17.~xc3 bS IS.ib3::!;. (Black's
defence is quite difficult and his
extra pawn is immaterial; 7 ...
ltJge7!? Black continues calmly his
development disregarding the ag-
gressiveattempts of his opponent.
I liked that move mostly because
of its cold-bloodedness! White
should probably give up the idea
of a swift kingside attack after it,
l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ig7 4.ltJc3
since Black can castle immedi-
ately. White can try to win the cS-
pawn, or depending on the future
actions of the adversary, he can try
to occupy the center and that will
be a considerable achievement
too!) S.ltJbS! dS (S ... O-O 9.dxcS
bxcS 1O.bxcS::!;) 9.dxcS bxcS 10.
bxcS 0-0 l1.exdS ltJxdS 12.igS!
WaS+ 13.id2 ltJc3 14.ltJxc3 ixc3
IS.ibS ib7 16.0-0 ixd2 (16 ...
~fdS 17.id3 ~abS IS.~bS ~xa3
19.~b3 Wxb3 20.cxb3 ~xd3 21.~c2
ltJb4 22.~cl ltJdS 23.ixc3 ~xc3
24.~a3 ~cS 2S.~cl ~SxcS 26.~xcS
~xcS 27.~xcS+-) 17.~xd2 ~xa3
(17... ~xd21S.ltJxd2) IS.~h6 ~c3
19.~fdl ~fdS 20.~d6 ~xcS 21.ltJgS
~xgS 22.WxgS ~xd6 23.ie2 ltJd4
24.~xb7 ltJxe2 2S. ~fl ltJc3 26.g3.
8.bxc5!
This is another surprising de-
cision, and quite correct at that.
White plays a strange move de-
spite Black's centralized knight.
8 . tLlxf3+
S ... bxcS 9.ltJxd4 cxd4 1O.ltJbS
~b611.ie3! (That excellent move
enables White to recapture his
pawn and enter a favourable end-
game.) 11...ltJe7 12.ixd4 ixd4
13.~xd4 Wxd414.tLlxd4::!;.
131
Chapter S

9.~xf3 bxc5
Black's attempts to avoid that
capture are doomed to failure: 9 ...
~c7? 1O.cub5! ~xc5 ll.e5! (It be-
comes evident that Black will sud-
denly suffer decisive material
losses. He cannot protect his rook
on as!) 11. .. ~xe5+ (ll .. J'l:bS 12.
cud6+ ~dS 13.~g5+! This is sim-
pler than the capture on f7. 13 ... f6 13J:%b3! ~d8 14.lbd6 ~c7
- White checkmates spectacularly 15J'!xb8 ~xb8 16.~e3 ~b2 (16 ...
after: 13 ... ~c7?? 14.cueS#! - 14. cuf6 17.'t:lxf7+ ~e71S.'t:lxhS hhS
exf6 ~fS15.cuf7+ ~c716.!l:b5 ~xc2 19.f3+-) 17.lbxt7+ ~e818.lbxh8
17.!l:b3 ~c5 lS.~f4+ d6 19.hd6+ ~xh8 19.ie2 ~c3+ 20.~d2
~d6 20.!l:c3+-; 19 ... ~d7 20.ib5#) ~a1 + 21. ~c1 ~c3+ 22.~d2 ~d4
ll ... ~xe5+ 12.ie2 ~bS (12 ... ~b7 23.0 - 0 lbf6 24.ie3 ~xe4 25.
13.~xb7+-. After 12 ... d5 White has ~b2 d6 26.~d1 ~e7 27.~b8
numerous ways leading to victory: ~c6 28.~xd6 ~xd6 29.~xc8
13.~b2! ~xb2 14.!l:xb2 ~xb2 15. lbd7 30.~xh8+-.
cuc7+-, or 13.~f4 ~f6 14.cuc7+
~dS 15.cuxaS+-; 15.cuxd5 exd5 a4)4 ... d6
16.~xd5+ ~eS 17.~xaS cue7 IS.
~d2+-) 13.if4 e5 (13 ... ib7 14.
~xb7! ~xb715.cud6+ ~f816.cuxb7
ic3+ 17.~f1 d5 lS.cud6 cue7 19.
cub5+-) 14.~d5! exf4 (14 ... ~e7
15.ic4! exf4 16.~xf7+ ~dS 17.
~xg7+-) 15.'t:ld6+ ~dS 16.'t:lxf7 +
~e7 17.cuxhS ic3+ lS.~fl 't:lf6
19.~f7+ ~dS 20.~c4 ia5 21.if3
~b7 22.~d4+-.
10.lbb5 ~b6 This is a strong move. Black
1O ... ie5 ll.if4 ~a5+ 12.~d1! defends the c5-pawn.
f6 13.ixe5 fxe5 14.'t:ld6+ ~e7 The position is rather compli-
15.cuf7 ia6 16.cuxhS lbf6 17.ha6 cated. White has plenty of inter-
~xa6 lS.'t:lxg6+ hxg6 19.!l:e1 !l:hS esting possibilities and he must
20.h3 !l:h4 21.g4+-. make up his mind what to choose.
11.~f4 e512.~d1 ~b8 His best bet probably is the fian-
12 ... ~c613.ie3 ifS14.ic4cuf6 chetto of his light squared bishop
15.id5 't:lxd5 16.exd5 ~b7 17.d6 and quiet positional play to follow.
~xg218.~d5!! ~xd519.'t:lc7+ ~dS We will analyse three promising
20.ig5+ f6 2l.hf6+ ie7 22.he7# schemes for him: a4a) 5.bxc5,

132

a4b) 5.g3 and a4c) 5.1'~b1.
a4a) 5.bxc5
This move clarifies the situa-
tion more or less and it becomes
easier for both sides to play that
position after it.
5 ... dxc5
5 ... ~xc3?! (This is a very
argueable decision. White's two
bishop advantage provides him
with good prospects. His weak-
nesses on the queenside are pres-
ently almost irrelevant.) 6.dxc3
dxc5 7.~xd8+! (What do you think
- is this exchange to be recom-
mended for White? I like it and I
think that White's pieces can get
at the black king easily despite the
trade of the queens.) 7 ... ~xd8
8.~c4
8 ... lLJf6 (Black must be prepared to
defend this position patiently and
stubbornly. His every attempt to
show some activity will only back-
fire: 8 .. .f5? 9.lLJf3 lLlf61O.lLle5 ~c7
11.~f4 lLlh5 12.lLlxg6+ lLlxf4 13.
lLlxh8, or 13.lLJxf4; 8 ... ~e6?
White is now deprived of his two
bishop advantage, but Black pays
a dear price for that. 9.he6 fxe6,
Black's pawns are very weak now
l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ~g7 4.lLlc3
and White can win one of them
rather quickly. 1O.lLlf3 lLJf6 11.lLJg5
~d7 12.f3! White fortifies his e4-
pawn. 12 ... h6?! 13.lLlf7 l"1h7 14.
lLJe5+! ~e8 15.lLlxg6+-; 12 ... lLlc6
13.~e3 b614.l"1d1+ ~e815.lLlxe6)
9.f3 ~e8 (9 ... ~e6 10. ~xe6 fxe6
11.lLJh3!. I would like to remind
you that Black cannot castle to the
end of that game, according to the
rules!) 1O.lLJe2 lLlc6 11.0-0 lLle5
(This attempt by Black to repel the
bishop does not bring the desired
result. His other moves are also
advantageous for White, for ex-
ample: 11 ... e512.~g5 lLJd713.l"1ad1
h614.~e3 ~e715.~d5! f516.f4! g5
17.fxg5 f4 18.g6 fxe3 19.97+-;
18 ... ~f6 19.93 ~xg6 20.gxf4+-;
15 .. .f6 16.f4! exf4 17.lLlxf4 Black is
suddenly beyond salvation. 17 ...
lLJce5 18.~a2 White's powerful
threat to check from the d5-square
settles the issue immediately.
18 ...b6 19.1LJd5+ ~f8 20. ~f4 ~g7
21.lLJxf6! This spectacular combi-
nation with a knight-sacrifice is
White's most direct road to vic-
tory. 21...~xf6 22.~xh6+ ~e7 23.
~g5+ ~e8 24.l"1d6!+-) 12.~b3 b6
13.f4! lLJed7 (13 ... lLlc6 14.e5 lLJd7
15.lLJg3 lLJf8 16.f5 lLlxe517.~d5 E1b8
18.~h6; 15 ... ~a6 16.~d5 E1c8
17.E1d1 lLJdb8 18.f5 lLJxe5 19.~f4
lLlc4 20.f6 exf6 21.lLle4 f5 22.lLJg5
f6 23.lLJf7) 14.e5 lLlh5 15.a4 ~a6
(15 ... a5 16.~d5 E1b8 17.l"1d1 lLJf8
18.~e3 ~g4 19.h3 ~xe2 20.~c6+
lLJd7 21.E1xd7 l"1c8 22.E1b7+! ~f8
23.E1xb6+-; 22 ... E1xc6 23.E1b8+
~d7 24.l"1xh8+-; 18 ... ~d719.l"1db1!
White increases the pressure on
133
ChapterB
the queenside and he is threaten-
ing to capture on cS too. 19 ....tg4
20.CUc1 cud7 21.CUa2 It>dB 22.c4 .tfS
23.Elb2 cug7 24.CUc3 f6 2S.exf6 exf6
26 ..tc6 CUe6 27.Eldl+-) 16.c4 gS17.
fxgS CUxeS IB ..tb2 f6 19.9xf6 exf6
20.ElfS (20 ..txeS was also good
enough to win the game: 20 ... fxeS
21.ElfS CUg7 22.ElxeS+ It>d7 23.Eldl +
It>c6 24.aS EladB 2S.ElxdB ElxdB
26.Ele7+-) 20 ... CUg7 21.Elxf6 tLlxc4
22 ..tc3 ElfB 23.ElxfB+ It>xfB 24.Elfl+
It>gB 2S.Elf4 EleB 26.CUg3+-.
6 .tb5+
6 ....td7!
This is the right move for Black.
White has a powerful initiative af-
ter the other possibilities:
6 ... CUc6 7 ..txc6+! bxc6 B.Wff3
(Black's pawn chain has been dis-
rupted and that is more important
than his two bishop advantage.
White is clearly better.) B.. ,ElbB
9.CUge2 CUf6 1O.h3! 0-0 11.0-0
cud712.d3 WfaSI3 ..td2 Elb214.Elfc1
CUeSlS.Wfe3;
6 ... CUd7 (White has a long-last-
ing domination after that tentative
move.) 7.a4! (This is to prevent
Black's eventual activity on the
queenside after a7-a6 and b7-bS,
moreover White's bishop now has
134
the wonderful a3-square at his dis-
posal.) 7... a6 B..te2 CUgf6 9 ..ta3
WfaS 1O.tLlf3 0-0 11.0-0 CUhS 12.
CUdS! (This exchange sacrifice is
quite promising.) 12 ... .txal 13.
CUxe7+ It>g7 14.Wfxal+ f6 IS.CUdS
Wfxa4 16.tLlgS It>h6 (16 ... lt>gB 17.
Wfc3 fxgS IB ..tc4 CUeS 19.WfxeS
Wfxc4 20 ..tb2 bS 21.WfhB+ 1t>f7
22.Wfxh7+ CUg7 23.Wfxg7+ It>e6
24.Wfe7#) 17.CUe6 Wfxe4 IB.tLldc7
Wfxe2 19.CUxfB CUf4 20.tLlfe6 tLlxe6
21.CUxaB tLlf4 22.Wfdl! Wfe4 23.f3
Wfd4+ 24.lt>hl Wfd6 2S.d4! WbB
26 ..tcl gS 27 ..txf4 gxf4 2B.Wfd2
cxd4 29.Elel WfxaB 30.Wfxf4+ It>g6
31.Wfg4+ It>h6 32.Ele7+-; 12 ... EleB
(It is understandable that Black
prefers not to accept the sacrifice,
but he cannot organize any effec-
tive counterplay in that position
with material equality.) 13.c3 e6
14.CUe3 CUf4 IS ..tc4 cub6 16 ..tb3
.td7 17.d4! (White's pawn centre
advances.) 17... cxd41B.cxd4 ElacB
19 ..td6! (Black's active knight has
been repelled and White occupies
the centre.) 19 ... cuhS 20.tLleS cuf6
21..tc2 .tc6 22.Wff3 cubd7 23.Elfbl
Wfc3 24J'!dl! tLlxeS 2S ..txeS cuhS
(2S ... tLld7 26 ..txg7 It>xg7 27.tLlfS+
exfS 2B.Wfxc3 he4 29.Wfb4 Elxc2
30.dS+-) 26 ..txg7 tLlxg7 27.Elac1
Wfa3 2B.dS exdS 29.exdS .txa4
30.Elal WfxaI31.~xal.txc2 32.tLlg4
tLlhS 33.d6+-.
7.i.xd7+ ~xd7
7... tLlxd7 B.CUge2 cugf6 9.Elbl b6
10.0-0 0-0 Il.d3 a6 12.a4 e6
13.h3 Wfc714 ..tf4 Wfc61S.Wd2 tLlhS
16 ..th6 ~abB 17.hg7 It>xg7 IB.f4
bSl9.axbS axbs 20.eS b4 21.tLle4.

8.ttJge2 ttJc6
This position was played in the
game Kroshk - ritschi, Internet
2004.
9.0-0 ttJf610.!!bl 0-0
1l.d3;t.
This is a complicated position
in which White should prepare a
kingside advance: f2-f4-fS. Black
must try to organize some
counterplay in the centre and on
the queenside. It is not so easy
to evaluate the chances of both
sides quite precisely, but I would
still prefer to play with White.
Why? The reason is that it has al-
ways been more rewarding to play
against the enemy king!
a4b) 5.g3
This move leads to complicated
positions without early tactical
l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.M ~g7 4.tiJc3
clashes. White is slightly better,
because he has already made some
progress on the queenside. White's
bishop will soon be placed on g2
and it will be very useful for
White's further operations on that
side of the board. We are soon go-
ing to see that he has some other
actions in mind as well.
5 . ttJc6 6.!!bl
White has prepared a quite
original queenside offensive and it
might be rather troublesome for
Black.
6 ... e5
The natural move 6 ... ttJf6 is
definitely in favour of White:
7.~g2 0-0 S.ttJge2 Wld7 (This de-
cision seems strange, but it is rela-
tively the best. Black has no com-
pensation for the pawn after:
S... ~g4? 9.bxcS dxcS10.Ei:xb7. He
can also try a move that creates
tension for both sides: S ... b6?
9.eS! ttJxeS. White must find the
not so obvious tactical strike -
1O.f4!+-; White might get into big
trouble should he capture the
black rook: 1O.~xaS? ~h3! 11.~b7
WlcS!! 12.ibccS ttJf3#; 12.~dS ttJxdS
13.f4 Wlc6--+) 9.0-0 (Black's pieces
are misplaced and White has ac-
tive prospects all over the board.)
9 ... ttJg4 (9 ... b6? 1O.bs ttJeS 1l.f4
ttJc4 12.eS+-) 1O.h3 ttJgeS 11.f4
ttJc412.d3 ttJb613.bxcS dxcS14.eS
Ei:dS lS.~e3 c4 16.d4 e6 17.Wld2
ttJdS (17 ... Ei:bS lS.g4) lS.ttJxdS
exdS19.fS! gxfS 20.~gS Ei:eS 21.ttJf4
h6 22.ttJh5! Wle6 (22 ... hxgS?! 23.
~xgS+-) 23.~f6 ~fS 24.ttJf4 Wld7
2S.ttJxdS+-.
13S
Chapter S
7.h4!
This is probably White's most
promising idea! His attack with
the h-pawn will be very effective,
since Black's pawn on g6 is a juicy
target.
7.~g2 (This calm development
is not causing too many problems
for Black.) 7... ltJge7 S.ltJge2 0-09.
0-0 (9.f4 fS 1O.bxcS dxcs 11.0-0
exf4 12.ltJxf4 fxe4 13.ltJxe4 b6 14.
'it>hl ~fSoo) 9 ... fS 1O.d3 (1O.f4 exf4
l1.ltJxf4 fxe412.ltJxe4 cxb413.axb4
dSl4.ltJgS Wd600; 1O.bxcS dxcS 11.
exfS ltJxfSl2.d3 Wd713.ltJe4 b614.
f4 00 ) 1O ... f4 (White cannot capture
the black f4-pawn and so Black
seizes the initiative.) l1.bS (l1.gxf4
efI2.hf4? ~xc313.ltJxc3 gxf4-+)
1l ... ltJbS (1l ... ltJd4 12.gxf4 ~g4 13.
f3 ~e6 14.ltJxd4 cxd4 IS.ltJe2 EkS
16.~d2 Wd700 Stertenbrink - Hant-
ke, Germany 1976) 12.f3 (12.gxf4
exf413.f3 gS+) 12 ... gS (12 ... ~e613.
gxf4 exf414.d4 ~c4 IS.gf2 WaS 16.
dxcS dxcS 17. Wd6 ltJcS 18.~xcS
ltJb6 19.Wb4 Wxb4 20.gxb4ltJSd7
21.a4!;\;) 13.gf2 (13.a4ltJg614.ltJdS
hSlS.b6 ltJc616.c3 ~d717.d4 cxd4
IS.cxd4 ltJxd4 19.1tJxd4 exd4 20.
~b2 axb6 21.hd4~xa4 22.Wd2+)
13 ... ~e6 14.Wfl Wd7 IS.a4 a6 16.
~b2 ltJg6 17.ltJdSoo.
136
7.~h3 ~xh3 S.ltJxh3 Wd7 9.ltJgS
ltJf6 10.0-0 0-0 1l.bxcS (l1.d3 h6
12.ltJf3 cxb4 13.axb4 gacS 14.bS
ltJd41S.ltJxd4 gxc3 16.ltJe2 gcSl7.
c4 Wh3 IS.f3;\;; IS ... exd4 16.ltJe2
dS17.f3 dxe41S.dxe4 gc419.Wd3
gfcS=) ll...dxcSI2.d3 gadS 13.ltJf3
b6 (13 ... c4 14.~gS cxd3 IS.cxd3
Wxd3 16.hf6 Wxdl17.gfxdl gxdl
IS.ltJxdl hf6 19.9xb7 gb8=) 14.
~gS h6 IS.hf6 ~xf6 16.ltJdS ~g7
17.c4 fS=. White's active knight on
dS is incapable of creating any
dangerous threats yet.
7 . .ttjge7
7... ltJf6 S.d3 0-0 9.~h3 ~xh3
1O.ltJxh3 cxb4 1l.axb4 dS 12.~gS
d413.ltJdSWd614.hf6~xf61S.hS
ltJe7 16.ltJxf6+ Wxf6 17.f4 gfcS
IS.gh2;\;.
S.h5 0-0 9.bxc5 dxc5 10.
hxg6fxg6
Black cannot solve his prob-
lems with: 10 ... hxg6 11.~c4 a6
12.a4 ltJd4 13.d3 gbS 14.~gS WaS
(14 ... geSlS.Wd2 WaS 16.he7 gxe7
17.ltJdS Wxd2+ IS.'it>xd2 ge619.c3
ltJc6 20.ltJf3 ltJaS 21.~a2 ~d7 22.
ltJgS gd6 23.f4 exf4 24.gxf4 ha4
2S.eS gd7 26.ltJb6+-) IS.~xe7
Wxc3+ 16.'it>fl geS 17.~xcS ~e6
IS.~a7 gbcSl9.hd4 exd4 20.ltJe2
WaS 21.~xe6 gxe6 22.ltJf4 and
White's attack continues and he
has a material advantage too.
1l.~c4+ 'it>hS 12.ltJf3
White's threats along the h-file
are quite dangerous!
12 .. ltJa5
12 ... ~g4?? loses plenty of ma-
terial outright: 13.gxh7+ 'it>xh714.
ltJgS+ 'it>hS (14 ... 'it>h61S.Wxg4~hS

16.lLle6+-) 15.~xg4 ~h6 16.~h3
lLlg8 17.d3 ~d4 18.lLld1! lLlce7
19.1Lle6+-. White wins quickly
after 13.lLlg5 as well: 13 ... ~h514.g4
~d4 15. ~e2 lLla5 16.~a2 ~h6
17.lLlf7+ ~xf718.hf7 ~f8 19.9xh5
Elxf7 20.hxg6+-.
13 . .ia2 llJec6 14.llJh4 ~f6
15.~f3llJe716.~xf6 .ixf6
16 ... ~xf6 17.d3 lLlac6 18.~g5
~d6 19.tt:lb5 ~d7 20.~e6 ~d8 21.
~f7!+-.
17.tt:ld5 llJac6 1S.llJxf6 ~xf6
19.d3
Black's king is endangered, he
has plenty of weaknesses and
White has a couple of very power-
ful bishops. Black's defence is
doomed to fail.
a4c) 5.gb1
This line resembles the previ-
1.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ~g7 4.tUc3
ous one very much. There are
some transpositions possible and
the arising positions will look very
familiar. The only symbolic draw-
back of White's rook-move is that
Black cannot make now the mis-
take to present him with the a-file
after the trade of the pawns on b4.
That is hardly too important,
though ...
5 .. llJf6
5 ... tt:ld7 6.g3 (6.tUf3 tt:lgf6 7.~c4
0-0 8.~e2 e5 9.0-0 a6 10.b5 a5
1l.d3 h612.tt:lh4 Wh713.g3 tt:lb614.
~a2 ~g41S.f3 ~e616.he6 fxe617.
tUdt!; Becx - Tolhuizen, Roosen-
daa11983) 6 ... tUgf6 7.~g2 0-0 8.
tUge2 ~b8 9.0-0 b61O.~b2 ~b711.
~a1 eS (1l ... tUe5 12.d3 ~d7 13.h3
~a814.f4 tt:lc615.b5 tUd416.llJxd4
cxd417.tUe2 eS18.c3 dxc319.hc3
~fe8 20.1Wd2) 12.d3;:!;;
S ... tUc6 6.g3;:!; - and now if
Black plays e7-eS followed by llJg8-
e7, see the line a4b) 5.g3, while
if Black tries tUg8-f6 - that trans-
poses to the main line.
6.g3 0-0 7.~g2 llJc6 S.
llJge2 gbS
This position has been tested
numerous times in games between
Kroshk - Gabelbissen, Internet
137
ChapterS

2004. White kept winning every Gabelbissen, Internet 2004.

game with ease. (S ... eS 9.0-0;!;) You are now more enlightened
9.d3 to make up your mind what to play
That move seems to me to be on move nine.
the most logical. 9 ... ttJd710.f4! cxb4
It is also good for White to fol- 10 ... ttJd4 11.0-0 bS 12.bxcS
low with: 9.bxcS dxcS 10.0-0. He dxcS 13.eS a6 14 ..ie3 ttJb6 lS.h3
has a lasting initiative in this com- .ib716.ttJe4 ttJdS17 ..id2 ~c71S.c4
plicated position. White had excel- bxc4 19.dxc4 ttJb6 20.ttJxd4 cxd4
lent prospects in all games that 21..iaS .ixe4 22.he4 d3 (22 ... ~cS
had been played until now. He has 23 ..ib4 ~xc4 24 ..ixe7 ~feS 2S.
strong pressure on the queenside .id6+-) 23.~h2 ~xc4 24.~xd3.
and he can also try a pawn-offen- 1l.axb4 ttJd4 12 ..ie3 e5
sive on the kingside. It is not easy 12 ... ttJxe2 13.ttJxe2 as 14.bxaS
at all for Black to find a reliable ~xaS+ lS.~d2;!;.
defensive plan, for example: 10 ... 13.0-0 ttJb6
b6 (l0 ....ig4 11.f3 .ie6 12.f4 .ig4
13.eS ttJhS 14.h3 .ixe2 lS.ttJxe2
ttJd4 16.~h2 .ih6 17.~xb7 ~xb7
lS.hb7+- Kroshk - Gabelbissen,
Internet 2004) 11.4 ttJd4 12.eS
ttJg4 (12 ... ttJeS 13 ..ib2 .ib714.ttJe4
ttJxe2+ lS.~xe2 ttJc7 16.fS gxfS
17.~xfS ttJe61S.~hS h619.d3 ttJd4
20.~f2 ~c7 21.c3 ttJe6 22.d4 cxd4
23.cxd4 ~c4 24.~c1 ~a4 2S.dS
.ixdS 26.ttJc3 ~b3 27.ttJxdSl-0 14.~d2 .ig4 (14 ... fS lS.fxeS
Kroshk - jamato, Internet 2004; dxeS 16.ttJdS;!;) 15.h3 .ixe2 16.
13.h3 ttJh6 14 ..ib2 ttJhfS lS.ttJe4 ttJxe2 ~c8 17.c4 f5 18.ttJxd4
.ib7 16.~h2 ~c7 17.g4 ttJh6 lS. (White could have also played
ttJxd4 cxd419 ..ixd4 ~bdS 20.c3 fS instead: lS.hd4 exd419.exfS ~xfS
21.~b3+ .idS 22.ttJf6+ exf6 23. 20.~a1 ~c7 21.~xa7 dS 22.cS+-)
hdS+ ~hS 24.exf6 M6 2S.hf6+ 18 .. exd4 19 .if2 fxe4 20 .
~xf6 26.gS ~fd6 27.c4 ttJgS 2S. .ixe4 Kroshk - Gabelbissen,
~be1 ttJe7 29.~c3+ 1-0 Kroshk- Internet 2004.
Conclusion
After 2 ... g6 3.b4, the game might develop relatively calmly. White
should not start attacking immediately, since there are not enough
strategical prerequisitesfor that yet. He must complete his develop-
mentfirst and exert lasting pressure only later, seizing the initiative
all over the board. I believe that the opening knowledge and erudi-
tion is not as essential in this line as the real practical playing strength.

13S
Chapter 9
In case you enjoy playing non-
standard positions with plenty of
tactical possibilities, I am going to
suggest to you a line that leads to
a quite lively play starting from the
very beginning of the game.
3.c3 seems to be illogical.
White suddenly changes his plan
and starts preparing the routine
d2-d4 instead of the habitual play
on the queenside. It is important
for us to know whether White loses
his chances to obtain an advantage
after the opening due to his incon-
sistency. I did a lot of analytical
work and I have to tell you: it is
much more enjoyable to play with
White and he preserves the advan-
tage! There is an essential differ-
ence in comparison to the varia-
tion l.e4 cS 2.c3, and that is the in-
clusion of the moves a2-a3 for
White and g7-g6 for Black. It is
amazing, but that is in favour of
White in many positions. Why is
that? This is because Black is de-
prived of many comfortable ways
of development that he is used to
in the lines after 2.c3, for example
2 ... tLlf6 and 2 ... dS. The culprit is
the placement of the black pawn
1.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.c3
ong6.
We will analyse the important
answers for Black a) 3 ... .tg7 and
b) 3 ... d5
a) 3 ....tg7 4.ttJf3
This move is more precise than
the immediate 4.d4, because after
the latter Black can quickly equal-
ize with: 4 ... cxd4 S.cxd4 dS 6.eS
(6.ed tLlf6! and there arises a posi-
tion from the Panov Attack of the
Caro-Kann Defence in which Black
has no problems anyway, more-
over here White has lost a tempo
for the not necessarily useful move
a3.) 6 ... tLlc6. Now after 7.tLlf3,
Black plays 7....tg4, and in case of
7.h3 he undermines White's cen-
tre with the move 7... f6.
4 ttJc6
Black cannot play now dS and
after capturing with the pawn
(S.exdS) to follow with S... tLlf6,
because after 6.c4 his compensa-
tion will be quite problematic. If
he had played 4 ... dS in spite of all,
then after S.exdS WxdS 6.d4 we
reach positions that we are deal-
ing with in the line b) 3 ... dS.
After 4 ... d6 S.d4 tLlf6 6 ..td3 cd
139
Chapter 9

7.cd 0-0 8.lLlc3lLlc6 9.h3 e51O.de ing.

de 11.0-0 ie6 12.ie3 there arise About 6 ... dS 7.ed tfdS - see the
quite familiar positions, which line b) 3 ... d5, while after 6 ... d6
have been well analysed. They usu- 7.lLlc3 lLlf6 8.id3 0-0 9.h3 e5
ally appear after other move-or- 1O.de de 11.ie3 ie6 12.lLlc3 - you
ders, for example: l.e4 c5 2.c3 g6 should see the notes to the line
3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 ig7 5.lLlf3 d6 4 ... d6.
6.id3 lLlf6 7.h3 0-0 (or after: 7.lLIc3!
7 ... e5 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.0-0 0-0 The fine point here is that
1O.ie3 lLlc6 11.lLlc3) 8.0-0 lLlc6 White can and should sacrifice a
9.lLlc3 e5 1O.dxe5 dxeS 11.ie3. pawn to obtain attacking chances.
There have been plenty of games 7 ... lLIxd4
played in these variations and they Black loses immediately if he
prove that White has considerable captures with the bishop: 7 ...
opening edge. If we make a com- hd4?? 8.lLldS tfa5+ 9.id2 tfd8
parison with our position, we can 1O.lLlxd4 lLIxd4 11.ic3 eS 12.ixd4
mention that White has lost a exd4 13.tfxd4 f614.gcl+-.
tempo indeed on the move 2.a3, 8.lLId5! lLIxf3+ 9.tfxf3
but on the other hand, he has
forced Black to playa position that
is considered not so favourable for
him. Therefore, the transposition
might be not bad at all for White.
The future tournament prac-
tice will show whether Black can
make use of the seemingly slow
play by White and equalize after
all.
In the game K.Landa - Sili- The black queen must retreat,
vanov, St. Petersburg 2004, Black but where? It is not easy to answer,
chose a plan with dS (instead of since White can attack energeti-
9 ... eS), but he was dearly worse cally with excellent chances for
after: 9 ... dSl0.eSlLle811.0-0 lLlc7 success after every possible re-
12.gel lLle6 13.ie3 b6 14.b4 ib7 treat.
lS.'lt,lj'b3 gc8 16.gac1 ge8 17.ib1 I would like to change the sub-
lLlc718.ia2 e619.tfb2 h6 20.tfd2 ject for a while. Have a look at a
'it>h7 21.ib1lLle7 22.h4lLlf5 23.hS. position that arises in the English
5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 ~b6 Opening.
This attack of the d4-pawn There is a line that goes like
seems to be quite logical. It looks that: l.c4 eS 2.g3 c6 3.ig2 (theory
like Black can punish his opponent considers that move too risky for
for the tentative play in the open- White) 3 ... dS 4.cxdS cxdS S.lLlc3

140

'Llf6 6.iMIb3 'Llc6! 7.'Llxd5 'Lld4!
8.'Llxf6+ WIxf6 (Black can also cap-
ture here with the pawn 8 ... gxf6,
with excellent prospects too.).
Compare now that position with
the position that we are analyzing
after 9. ~xf3. It is in factthe same,
except with colours reversed! The
only difference being that White's
pawn is already on a3. This is
probably even better for White's
attacking prospects!
9 ... 'Wd6
9 ... 'Wc6 1O.~b5!; 9 ... 'lWd8 10.
~f4 d6 1U'k1 ~f8 12.~c4! White
should not waste time to protect
the b2-pawn. His great lead in de-
velopment should be enough to
settle the issue! 12 ... ~xb2 13.1'k2
~g7 14.0-0 e6 15.'Llc7 WIxc7 16.
~xe6! 'lWe7 (16 ... 'lWxc2 17.~xd6+
~e818.WIxf7+ ~d819.~c7+ WIxc7
20.:1!d1 + ~d7 2Ul:xd7+-) 17.l'l:xc8+
l'l:xc818.hd6+-.
10.~f4~e5
1O ... e511.~g5 h6 12.~d2 f513.
l'l:c1 fxe414.WIxe4 ~d815.~a5+! b6
16.~b4 WIe6 (16 ... 'lWb817.'lWxg6+-)
17.'Llc7+-.
1l . .id2 .ixb2 12.gb1 .ig7
13 .ic4 e614 ..ib4 ~b8
15.0-0!!
l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.c3 .ig7 4.d4
White must be prepared to sac-
rifice his knight in order to open
the e-file! 15 . exdS 16.exdS d6
17 ..ib5+ @fS 1S.WIf4 @e7 19.
gfe1+ .ie6 20.dxe6 fxe6 21.
l'l:bd1+-. Black's position is quickly
in ruins. It is quite evident that
capturing the d4-pawn is too dan-
gerous for Black!
b) 3 .. dS
This counterstrike in the cen-
tre is logical, but it is not enough
to solve all opening problems for
Black!
4.exd5 ~xd5 S.d4
There arose a position similar
to the variation: l.e4 c5 2.c3 d5
3.exdS ~xdS 4.d4, but with an es-
sential difference - the moves a2-
a3 and g7-g6 have been included.
It is not quite clear, in whose
favour that is, but you should note
that in the 2.c3line of the Sicilian
Defence the development of the
bishop to g7 is not popular at all. I
believe that White preserves some
advantage.
5 ...ig7
Black's idea to counterattack
White's centre with S... eS will be
hardly effective. He does not need
141
Chapter 9
the move g7-g6 for his actions in
the centre. The game will be irre-
vocably opened and White will ei-
ther remain with an extra pawn,
or he will get a considerable lead
in development. 6.dxeS! (White
should not be afraid to lose his
right to castle, because his oppo-
nent cannot create any real threats
against his king.) 6 ... WxeS+ (6 ...
'@'xd1+ 7. Wxd1 ct:Jc6 8.f4 i.g4+
9.i.e2 0-0-0+ 1O.ct:Jd2 i.xe2+
11.Wxe2 f6 12.ct:Jgf3 ~e8 13.~e1 gS
14.fxgS fxeS lS.ct:Je4; 13 ... fxeS
14.Wflct:Jh61S.ct:JxeSct:JxeS16.fxeS
ct:JfS 17.ct:Jf3 i.g7 18.g4 ct:Je7 19.
Wg2) 7.i.e2 (it is quite clear that
the black queen is misplaced on eS.
White can attack it in numerous
ways gaining tempi for develop-
ment.) 7 ... i.g4 (otherwise White
would follow with 8.ct:Jf3) 8.h3
i.xe2 9.ct:Jxe2 ct:Jc6 1O.i.f4 '@'e6 11.
0-0 ~d8 12.ct:Jd2 i.g713.Ei:e1ct:Jge7
14.ct:Jd4 '@'f6 lS.ct:Jxc6 '@'xc6 16.'@'f3
'@'xf3 17.ct:Jxf3. Black is not out of
the woods despite the exchange of
the queens. His king is not safe and
White's pieces can easily attack
Black's queenside pawns. 17... f6
lS.ct:Jd2 Wf7 19.ct:Je4 b6 20.ct:Jd6+
WfS 21.~e6 gS 22.i.g3 hS 23.~ae1
~d7 24.h4 ~g8 2S.hxgS fxgS 26.
ct:Je4 h4 27.i.d6 i.h8 28.ct:JxcS bxcS
29.i.xe7+ Wf7 30.i.xcS+-.
There is another possible mo-
dification of the same idea for
Black: S ... cxd4 6.cxd4 eS 7.i.e3
exd4 8.ct:Jc3! (You can now see the
advantages of the early a2-a3
move - Black cannot develop his
bishop on b4 with tempo! That
142
means he will need to retreat with
his queen. This promises White a
considerable and long-lasting lead
in development.) 8 ... '@'dS (It is
weaker for Black to play S ... '@'eS?!
9.ct:Jf3! White gains additional time
thanks to this simple tactical trick!
9 ... '@'aS 1O.'@'xd4) 9.'@'xd4 ct:Jf6
1O.'@'xdS+ WxdS 11.i.c4 i.e6 12.
i.xe6 fxe6 13.ct:Jf3 ct:Jbd7 14.ct:JgS
We71S.0-0t. The pawn on e6 is a
chronic weakness in Black's posi-
tion.
6.lLlf3 lLlf6 7.i.e2 cxd4
Black can of course avoid that
exchange. In that case, he will have
to bear in mind continuously
White's possibility to play c3-c4.
8.cxd4 0-0 9.lLlc3
9 ... '@'d8
This is the best retreat of the
black queen, but he has some other
possibilities too:
9 ... ,@,d6 10.0-0 ct:Jc6 l1.dSct:JeS
(This exchange of the knights is in
favour of Black, but it is still not
enough to solve all his defensive
problems. Black's other moves
however are clearly worse.) 12.
ct:JxeS '@'xeS13.i.f3 Wd614.Ei:e1 i.fS
lS.i.gS h6 (This move is weaken-
ing Black's position, but otherwise

White would follow with ~d2 with
a better game.) 16.~h4 l"1fe8 17.
l"1el;!;. Black has no acceptable ac-
tive plan to continue the game. The
only thing he has left to do is de-
fend patiently his difficult posi-
tion.
9 ... '@f51O.0-0 ltJc611.d5! (This
move is very favourable for White.
Generally speaking, in positions
with an isolated pawn the good
book says: "If the isolated pawn
can move forward - it should and
that enriches the prospects of its
owner".) 11...l"1d8 12.~d3 ~d7
13.~c4! ltJa5 14.~a2 (White once
again makes good use of the move
2.a2-a3! His bishop is magnifi-
cently placed on the a2-square. It
becomes clear now that Black
fails to capture, or exchange the
dangerous white d5-pawn.) 14 ...
b6 15.l"1e1 ~a6 16.ltJe5 (White's
threats are becoming irresistible.)
16 ... ~f5. This is an enterprising
and seemingly risky, but quite
effective idea: (16 ... ~e8 17.~g5
l"1ac8 18.~f3 ltJc4 19.1tJc6 l"1d7 20.
ltJb4ltJxa3 21.l"1acl+-) 17.g4! ~c8
18.~f3 l"1f8 19.~f4 h5 20.h3 hxg4
21.hxg4lLld7 22.lLlc6ltJxc6 23.dxc6
lLlf6 24.g5+-.
10.0-0
l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.c3 ~g7 4.d4
This is the critical position of
the variation.
10 ... ltJbd7
Black would like to develop his
knight to a more active position,
but that fails. After 1O ... ltJc6 11.d5
Black must retreat 1l ... ltJb8 (11 ...
ltJa5? 12.b4, Black's knight is
trapped and he has nothing better
than a quite unfavourable ex-
change: 12 ... lLlxd5 13.ltJxd5 ~xa1
14.bxa5 ~g715.~f4 ~e6 16.lLlc7)
12.~f4 ltJbd7 13.~c4! ltJb6 14.~a2
~g4 15.h3 ~xf3 16.~xf3 l"1c8 17.
l"1fe1 ltJc4 18.~xc4 l"1xc4 19.1"1ad1
l"1e8 20.~e5;!;. Black still has some
difficulties despite the exchanges.
His pieces are passive and his e7-
pawn requires permanent defend-
ing.
It was quite possible that Black
had better prepare the develop-
ment of the knight to c6 with
1O ... ~e6.
1l.~f4 ltJh5
1l ... ltJb612.~d2lLlbd513.~e5;!;.
12.~e3 ltJb6 13.ltJe5 ltJf6 14.
~d2 ltJbd5 15.~f3 ltJxe3 16.
V;Yxe3 ~e6 17.l"1acl
White is simply increasing the
pressure. It was also possible for
him to play: 17.~xb7 l"1b8 18.~f3!
l"1xb2 19.1Llc6;!;. But not 18.lLlc6?
~c719.ltJxb8 ~xb7+.
17 ... ltJd5 18.~e4 ltJxc3 19.
bxc3 l"1b8
(diagram)
20.c4
White's powerful pawns are
stronger than Black's bishop pair.
The game K.Landa - S.Soloviov,
St. Petersburg 2004, followed
143
Chapter 9

with:
20 ... ~a5 21.d5.if5 22.~e3
h5 23.c5 gbcS 24.gfel c,!>h7
25.c6! .ih6 26.~c5 ~xc5 27.
gxc5 f6 2S.llJd7 gfeS and here
White could have finished the
game off immediately with the
simple move 29.cxb7.

Conclusion
My analyses show that White has good prospects after the modest
move 3.c3. Black's logical response 3 ... d5 leads to an approximately
equal game, but still White preserves some advantage. In case of the
quite probable reaction by Black: 3 ... .ig74.liJj3 liJc6 5.d4 cd 6.cd ~b6,
White can hope to win beautifully and quickly with effective tactical
play.
It is important to note that the move a2-a3 proves to be quite use-
ful for White in many positions!

144
Chapter 10
3.b4!
This pawn sacrifice is quite
logical and promises White a
good compensation. The relative
weakness of the g7-square is one
of the main motives of White's
play. Some more tentative players
would naturally decline the gam-
bit and quite justifiably so.
Black's basic replies are: 3 ... b6
- and that move is dealt with in
this chapter, while 3 ... cxb4 - is
the subject ofthe next chapter.
We should not leave Black's
counterstrike in the centre 3 ... d5
aside. We will analyse it now in
short. This is a solid move with a
sound positional basis. Black
tries to occupy the centre despite
White's tactical tricks. 4.exd5!
(This is the right decision. It is not
favourable for White to close the
centre because he will be incapable
then to exploit his numerous tac-
tical resources. The e-file must re-
main open!) 4 ... exd5 (It is not
good for Black to play 4 ... cxb4?! S.
ibS+ id7 6.dxe6!. This important
tactical fine point provides White
with a long lasting advantage.
6 ... .txbS?! 7.exf7+ 'it>xf7 8.~hS+ g6
1.e4 c5 2.a3 e6
9.~xbS+-; 6 ... fxe6 7.~hS+ g6
8.~eS ~f6 9.ib2. White attacks
along the diagonal. 9 .. :~xeS+?
1O.ixeS ixbS 11.ixh8+-; 9 ... ig7
10.1Mfxf6 ixf6 11.ixf6 lbxf6 12.
ixd7+ lbbxd713.axb4. White has
won a pawn and he has good win-
ning chances in the endgame.
13 ... lbdS 14.c3 lbf4 1S.g3 lbd3+
16.'it>e2 lb7eS 17.f4 lbc1+ 18.'it>d1
lbed3 19.1bh3 eS 20.'it>c2+-; 14 ...
:gf81S.lbf3lbf416.g3lbd3+ 17.'it>e2
lbxf2 18.'it>xf2lbeS19.'it>g2 :gxf3??
20.d4+-; 19 ... lbxf3 20.:gf1 lbeS
21.:ge1lbc6 22.:gxe6+ 'it>d7 23.:ge3
:gfS 24.g4 :gf4 2S.h3 :gaf8 26.bS
:gf2+ 27.'it>g3 lbd8 28.:gxa7 hS
29.lba3+-; 26 ... lbd8 27.:gxa7 :gf1
28.lba3 :glf2+ 29.'it>g3 :gxd2 30.
lbc4 :gd1 31.:ga2; 20 ... lbgS 21.
:gxf8+ 'it>xf8 22.d4'it>e7 23.lbd2 a6
24.:gaSlbf7 2S.:gcS :gd8 26.lbe4 b6
27.:gc6lbd6 28.'it>f3 h6 29.'it>e3 as
30.bxaS bxaS 31.:ga6lbc4+ 32.'it>d3
lbeS+ 33.'it>c2; 26 ... :gd7 27.'it>f3 eS
28.dS! bS 29.h4 :gd8 30.'it>e3.
White has excellent prospects to
materialize his positional advan-
tage. The other possibility for
Black - to capture the central
pawn with his queen is also argu-
14S
Chapter 10
able: 4 .. .'~xd5. You can get better
acquainted with the drawbacks of
such early queen development in
our Chapter 6 (2 ... d5). 5.liJc31Mfe5+
6 ..lie2 cxb4 7.axb4! - It is weaker
for White to play 7.liJf3 1Mfa5! and
the position is quite unclear. -
7 ... .lixb4 S ..lib2 CLlf6 9.liJf3 1Mfd6
1O.liJb51Mfb6 11..lie5 CLlg4 12.liJc7+
<;t>dS 13 ..lig3+-; ll...liJd5 12.c4 .lid7
13 ..lid4 .lic5 14.cxd5! .lixd4 15.
CLlbxd4+-; 14 ... .lixb5 15 ..lixb5+
1Mfxb5 16 ..lixc5 1Mfxc5 17Jkl+-;
9 ... 1Mff4 1O.g3 1Mfc7 1l.liJb5 1Mfb6
12.i.e5 0-0 13.CLlc7 CLlg4 14.0-0
liJxe5 15.CLlxaS CLlxf3+ 16 ..lixf3;
12 ... liJg4 13.CLlc7+ <;t>fS 14.0-0
CLlxe515.CLlxaS CLlxf3+ 16.i.xf31Mfd6
17.c3 i.c5 IS.d4+-; 16 ... 1MfdS 17.
l'%xa7liJa61S.d4 i.c319.1Mfd3 hd4
20.l'%dl e5 21.c3 CLlc5 22.1Mfc4+-;
19 ...1Mfxd4 20.l'%dl1Mfxa7? 21.1MfdS#;
20 ...1Mfxd3 21.l'%xd3+-)
5.i.b2! (It is essential for White
to take the important long diago-
nal under control. It is weaker for
him to play 5.CLlf3 cxb4 6.axb4
.lixb4 7.i.b2 CLlf6 S ..lib5+ CLlc6 9.
1Mfe2+ <;t>fS 10.0-0 i.g4 1l.l'%a4 as
12.1Mfe3 h6 13.1Mff4 .lie6 14.liJd4
CLlxd4 15 ..lixd4 i.d6 16.i.xf6 gxf6
17.1Mff3~ Vlasveld - Berclaz, ICCF
146
1995) 5 ... ftJf6 (Concerning 5 ...
cxb4 - see 3 ... cxb4. It seems logi-
cal for Black to play 5 ... CLlc6 6 ..lib5!
liJf6 7.liJf31Mfe7+. This attempt by
Black to prevent White from cas-
tling will not be successful. S.liJe5!
White enjoys a considerable lead
in development and he can afford
to play sharply. S ... i.g4 9.f3 liJd7
10.0-0 CLldxe5 1l.f:xg4 0-0-0 12 .
.lixc6 liJxc6 13.1Mff3 f6 14.liJc3 CLld4
15.1Mfh3 1Mfd700 ; 11.i.xe5 0-0-0
12 ..lig3 i.f513.liJc3 ftJd414.l'%e11Mfg5
15.bxc5 .lixc5 16.<;t>h1 i.d6+; 13.
.lixc6!. This is an important posi-
tional decision! White's prospects
to finish the game off by an effec-
tive kingside attack are based on
this exchange. 13 ... bxc614.liJc3 h5
15.l'%e11Mfg5 16.1Mfe2 c4 17.1Mff2 l'%d7
IS.l'%eS+ <;t>b719.l'%bS+ <;t>a6 20.CLla4
d4 21.l'%xfS l'%xfS 22.CLlc5+ <;t>b5
23.a4+ <;t>xb4 24.liJxd7 .lixd7 25.
1Mfxd4 1Mfc5 26.l'%bl+-) 6.i.b5+.
Black can try to counter White's
bishop-check in numerous ways:
6 ... liJbd7 7.1Mfe2+! (White
makes use of the opportune mo-
ment to disrupt Black's pawn
structure on the kingside.) 7 ... .lie7
S.i.xf6 (S.bxc5 O-O!oo) S ... gxf6
9.bxc5 0-0 1O.liJf3!. White should
castle quickly disregarding the c5-
pawn otherwise his queen and
king might be in trouble because
of the juxtaposition of the black
rook on eS. 10 ... l'%e8 11.0-0 a6
12.hd7 hd713.liJc3 hc514.1Mfd3
.lie6 15.liJd4t. White's knights
have excellent outposts and they
are superior to Black's bishops;
6 ... i.d7 7.1Mfe2+! .lie7 S.i.xf6

gxf6 9.tLlc3! (White's development
has been slowed down a bit, but
that defect of his position can eas-
ily be corrected soon. Therefore it
is weaker for him to play: 9.bxcS
0-0 1O.tLlf3 l"IeB 11.0-0 hcS 12.
~d3 d4=) 9 ... d4 1O.tLle4! (White
does not fare too well after: 10.
tLldS'it>fB 1l.tLlxe7 ~xe7 12.~xe7+
'it>xe7 13 ..hd7 tLlxd7 14.tLlf3 l"IhgB
lS.g3 'it>d6=) 10 ... 0-0 11.tLlf3 l"IeB
12.0-0 tLlc6 13.bxcS fS (13 ... i.xcS
14.~d3 i.fS lS.l"Ife1 l"IcB 16.tLlh4
i.xe4 17.l"Ixe4 l"Ixe4 1B.~xe4 tLleS
19.tLlfS d3 20.hd3 tLlxd3 21.~g4+
'it>fB 22.cxd3 ~xd3 23.l"Iel+-; 16.
l"Ie2 a6 17.i.xc6 l"Ixc6 1B.tLlh4 i.g4
19.~g3 hS 20.h3 d3 21.cxd3 i.d4
22.l"Iae1 i.eS 23.tLlxf6+ ~xf6 24.
l"IxeS+-) 14.tLlg3 f4 (14 ... i.xcs
lS.~d3 ~f6 16.l"Ife1 a6 17.i.c4 i.e6
1B.tLlhS ~h619.l"Ixe6 fxe6 20.~xfS
i.fB 21.tLlf4'it>hB 22.tLlxe6) lS.tLle4
hcS (lS ... i.fS 16.l"Ife1 .ifB 17.d3!
i.xcS 1B.~d2 he4 19.dxe4) 16.
l"Ife1 (White is not well prepared
for the sharp tactical fight on the
kingside after: 16.tLlfgS?! i.fS 17.
tLlxf7 l"Ixe4 1B.~hS ~dS 19.tLlh6+
ct>hB 20.d3 l"IeS 21.tLlf7+ ct>g722.
'Wh6+ 'it>xf7 23.i.c4 ~xc4 24.dxc4
hc2+) 16 ... i.fS 17.hc6 bxc6 lB.
'Wc4he419.~xcshf3 20.l"IxeB+
'WxeB 21.~gS+ 'it>fB 22.gxf3 ~e6
23.1MfcS+ 'it>g7 24~~xd4+ ~f6 2S.
'Wxf6+ 'it>xf6 26.l"Ibl;
6 ... tLlc6 7.1Mfe2+ .ie6 B.tLlh3!?
(This move is enough for White to
obtain a slight advantage. It is also
interesting for him to play the less
creative move B.tLlf3, which pre-
serves some initiative too.) B...i.e7
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e63.b4
9.tLlf4 ~d6 1O.tLlxe6 ~xe6 l1.bxcS
.ixcS12 ..ixf6! (This is a wise prac-
tical solution. You can qualify that
as "transformation of advantages".
White has decided that the two
bishop advantage might be insuf-
ficient to win. He now compro-
mises the pawn structure of the
opponent by exchanging his bi-
shop for the knight. There remain
bishops of opposite colour on the
board indeed, but Black has a high
mountain to climb before making
a draw!) 12 ... gxf6 13.c3 0-0-0
14.d4 l"IheB lS.~xe6+ l"Ixe6+ 16.
'it>d2 Kroshka - Guest, Internet
2004.
3 ... b6
This is a small concession by
Black. The famous grandmaster
and writer D.Bronstein used to
play the gambit l.e4 c5 2 .b4!? quite
often. It was amazing that he con-
sidered the calm 2... b6 move to be
Black's best reply. He even thought
that Black was already slightly bet-
ter after that! I am however not
quite inclined to agree with that
assumption ...
I remembered all that, because
the arising positions there are
rather similar to the line 3 ...b6 that
147
Chapter 10
we are going to deal with right
now.
We will analyse two attractive
possibilities for White - the cal-
mer a) 4.bxc5 and b) 4.~b2
after which White nearly always
follows with a pawn-sacrifice.
a) 4.bxc5
This is probably White's best
move! He can continue without
sacrificing a pawn and still pre-
serve good chances for initiative ...
4 ...bxcS
4 ... ~xc5?! This capture is quite
unfavourable for Black - he sur-
renders his control over the cen-
tre and loses valuable time: 5.d4
~e7 (5 ... ~fS 6.c4) 6.Wg4 '2lf6
7.Wxg7 ElgS S.Wh6 '2lxe4 9.Wxh7
'2lf6W.Wh3;!;.
S.lLlf3!
That is the right way for White!
He should temporarily refrain
from developing his queenside and
await developments. Later, de-
pending on the actions of Black, he
should choose the right plan for
actions, for example, he can play
along the open files, or along the
a1-hS diagonal.
5 ... ~b7
14S
Naturally it is not good for
Black to play 5... g6?! due to 6.~b2
f6 (6 ... lLlf6 7.e5 '2ld5 S.c4 '2lb6
9.'2lc3) 7.'2lc3.
6.lLlc3 lLlc6
Black is prepared to counter
Elb1 with the move ElbS. He should
in principle try to play d7-d5, but
right now the move 6 ... d5?! does
not work, because White makes
use of the defencelessness of the
black bishop and obtains an ad-
vantage after: 7.Elb1 ~c6 (7 ... Wc7
S.exd5 exd5 9.'2lb5 We7 + W.~e2)
S.exd5 exd5 9.'2le5 Wd6 (9 ... ~d6?
10.ElxbS WxbS 1l.'2lxc6+-) W.d4
'2lf6 11.~f4.
6 ... '2lf6 7.e5 '2le4 S.Elb1!? '2lxc3
(S ... WcS 9.~c4!? d5W.'2lxe4 dxc4
11.'2lfg5t) 9.dxc3 tic7 10.~f4.
White prevents Black from push-
ing the d7-pawn and preserves
some edge, for example: W ... '2lc6
(It is too dangerous for Black to
win a pawn with: W ... ~c6 11.~e2
Wa5 12.0-0 Wxa3 13.Wd3 Wa5
14.'2lg5 h6. White wins now with
the sacrifice: 15.'2lxf7! ~xf7 16.
~h5+ rJJe717.Wd6+ ~dS1S.ElxbS+
ElxbS 19.WxbS+ ~e7 20.WeS#;
16 ... ~gS 17.Wg6 Wxc3 lS.Wf7+
~h7 19.~g6#; 17 ... ~e4 lS.tixe4
'2lc6 19.Wg6 '2ldS 20.Elfd1 tia4
21.~e3 a5 22.WeS+-) 1l.h4!? ~e7
12.h5 EldS 13.h6 g5 14.'2lxg5 ~xg5
15.~xg5 Wxe5+ 16.~e3 ElbS 17.Elh5
tixc3+ lS.~d2 Wxa3 19.Elb3 Wa4
20.Elxc5t with an initiative for
White.
7.Elbl Elb8
Should Black try to continue
without the move ElbS, like with

7...Wic7, then after S.~e2 CUf6 9.
0-0 his attempt to organize some
active counterplay with 9LlCUd4
might end up pathetically: 10.
tt:lxd4 cxd4 1l.tt:lbS WicS 12.d3 !'l:bS
13.a4 e5 (13 ... dS 14.eS ttJd7 IS.
~b2!) 14.f4 d61S.~a3t
8.~c4!?
White keeps on preventing the
freeing move for Black d7-dS.
8 ... liJge7
It is not good for Black to de-
velop his knight on f6 - S ... tt:lf6,
because after 9.0-0 dS (9 ... tt:laS
1O.~a2) the open e-file is decisive:
1O.exdS tt:lxdS (lO ... exdS ll.!'l:el+
~e7 12.~bS O-O?? 13.~xc6 hc6
14.!'l:xbS WixbS IS.!'l:xe7+-; 12 ... !'l:cS
13.Wie2) 11.~xdS exdS 12.!'l:el+
~e713.d4 0-0 14.~f4 ~d61S.hd6
Wixd6 16.CUbS Wif417.dxcS.
9.d4
9.0-0 CUg6 (9 ... dS?! 10.exdS
exdS 11.~a2 and Black is pinned
all over the board) W.d4 cxd4
1l.CUxd4 ~e7 (llLl~cS 12.ie3!?
Vlie7 13.tt:la4 ixa3 14.liJxc6 dxc6
IS.Vlid4 0-0 16.Vlixa7;!;). This posi-
tion arose in the game V.Orlov -
K.Landa, St. Petersburg 2004.
White could have used the weak-
ness of the d6-square in the fol-
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e63.b4
lowing fashion: 12.tt:ldbS!? d6
13.igS! a6 (13 ... ~xgS 14.tt:lxd6+
rJJe7 IS.CUxb7) 14.ixe7 rJJxe7 IS.
CUd4t. If Black however plays the
cold-blooded 12LlO-0! 13.tt:ld6
iaS the position will remain ex-
tremely complicated. It would not
be good for White to follow with
14.ib2? !'l:xb2! IS.!'l:xb2 WiaS, be-
cause he will have problems with
his knights on c3 and d6.
9 ... cxd4
10.liJxd4
In the game Golovchenko -
Landa, St. Petersburg 2004, White
played 1O.CUbS, but after 1O ... CUg6
Black had an excellent game.
10 ... liJxd4 11.Wixd4 liJc6 (12 ...
CUg6?! 13.Wixa7) 12.Vlie3t, and if
12LlVliaS, then simply 13.0-0 and
it is too dangerous for Black to
capture the pawn 13Ll~xa3, be-
cause of 14.~a3 (14.!'l:al? ~cS!)
14LlWixa3 IS.!'l:b3 Vlie7 16.!'l:fbl.
Black should better complete his
development.
12 ~e7 13.0- 0 0 - O. Still
after 14.!'l:fd1 White is better. He
has prevented Black from playing
d7 -dS and he is ready to exploit the
weakness of the d6-square with
the move CUbS.
149
Chapter 10
b) 4 ..\tb2 .\tb7 5.tbc3!
White has other possibilities to
fight for the initiative but I think
this is the most appropriate. White
must be ready to sacrifice the b4-
pawn although it is a bit risky for
him.
S.eS?! seems to be interesting,
but it is still not quite good
enough: S ... cxb4 6.axb4 .\txb4
7.~g4 (7.tba3 tbh6 S.~hS 0-0 9.
tbf3 .\te4-+; 7.~a4 tbc6 S.~xb4
tbxb4 9.~g4 tbxc2+ 1O.<j;Jdl tbe7
11.<j;Jxc2 ~c7-+) 7 ... .\tfS. It be-
comes clear now that White has
won some tempi indeed, but that
is not enough to compensate the
pawn deficit. S.tbc3 tbh6 9.~f4 (9.
~hS tbc61O.tbf3 tbb41l.~cl a6-+)
9 ... tbc6 1O.tbbS (1O.tbf3 tbb4-+)
10 ... tbb4 l1.tbd6+ (11.~a4 tbdS
12.~f3 a6 13.tbd6+ ixd6 14.exd6
tbfS IS.id3 tbc3; 11.<j;Jdl tbdS 12.
~g3 tbfS-+) 1l ... ixd6 12.exd6
tbxc2+ 13.<j;Jdl tbxal14.hg7 tbg4
IS.hhS ~h4-+.
Let's go back to the position
after S.tbc3. Black can now choose
between a huge number of possi-
bilities at this early stage of the
game.
We will now have a look at five
ISO
of them: bl) 5 ... tbc6, b2) 5 ...
cxb4, b3) 5 ... tbf6, b4) 5 ... d5,
b5) 5 ... d6.
bl) 5 ... tbc6
Black continues with his devel-
opment and awaits White's deci-
sion concerning the fate of the
problematic b4-pawn.
6.tbf3!
White persists with his wish to
sacrifice the pawn, because he will
be able to attack much easier after
its acceptance.
bla) 6 ... tbf6
The capture 6 ... cxb4 will be
analysed in the line bIb).
7.e5!
This move is logical and strong
- otherwise Black completes his
development without any prob-
lems.
7 ... tbd5
7 ... tbg4 S.tbbS cxb4 9.h3 bxa3
10.~xa3 tbgxeS l1.tbxeS tbxeS
12.heSha313.tbxa3 ~gSI4.id6
~cS IS.~al ~c6 16.~d4 f6 17.tbbS
~xc2 IS.ia3 <j;JdS 19.tbd6+-; 7...
tbhS S.tbe4! tbxb4 9.tbfgS tbf4
1O.axb4 h61l.tbxf7 <j;Jxf712.~f3 gS
13.tbxgS+ hxgS14.~xb7+-.
S.tbxd5 exd5

9.i.b5!
The pawn sacrifice in this po-
sition is again White's best deci-
sion.
9 ... cxb4
9 ... a6 1O.ixc6 dxc6 11.0-0!
The black king remains stranded
in the centre and White is perfectly
developed, so it is time to attack!
Black's defence is far from easy:
1l ... cxb4 12.e6!. White of course
should not capture on b4, because
that would only help Black's devel-
opment.12 ...fxe6 (Black must cap-
ture the powerful e6-pawn imme-
diately: 12 .. .f6 13.lIJh4 g6 14.[le1
ie715.Wg4 bxa316.lIJxg6! axb217.
Wh5+-; 13 ... bxa3 14.Wh5+ g6 15.
lIJxg6+-) 13.lIJd4 bxa3 14.ic3!
(The fate of that game will defi-
nitely be decided on the kingside,
so White should not be distracted
by the immaterial b4-pawn.) 14 ...
~f7 15.[le1 e5 (otherwi~e White's
knight penetrates to the e6-
square) 16.[lxe5i.d617.Wf3+ ~gB
(17 ... Wf6?! 1B.[lf5+-) 1B.lIJe6 Wf6
19.[lg5!+-, and the weakness of the
g7-square causes Black's doom.
10.0-0! bxa3
11.1:':~xa3 !
This is the right decision!
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e63.b4
White's dark-squared bishop
proves to be more valuable than a
rook in many lines of the 2 ... e6
defensive system. In general we
should consider this positional
exchange sacrifice as typical for
the 2 ... e6 variation.
1l... a6
BIs.ck's other possibility 11...
ixa3 - is a very risky decision that
presents White with superb
chances because of his total domi-
nation over the dark squares. It is
logical though, because Black
hopes to manage to parry the on-
coming attack and realize his ma-
terial advantage. 12.ixa3 a6 13.
id3! (Naturally White should not
improve Black's position by ex-
changing on c6. It is annoying
for him that the black knight re-
mains on the board, but the con-
crete analysis shows that it is in-
capable to participate effectively in
the defence of the king.) 13 ... lIJe7
14.lIJg5 h6 15.Wh5 g6 16.~h3 lIJc6
17.e6! (This tactical strike destroys
Black's brittle defensive construc-
tion.) 17 ... dxe6 1B.lIJxe6 WcB 19.
[leI fxe6 20.[lxe6+ ~dB 21.[ld6+
~c7 22.Wg3+-.
12.i.xc6 dxc6
White's e5-pawn becomes re-
ally powerful after that capture
and is ready to go forward. Black's
pawn structure gets improved af-
ter that, but this is more or less
immaterial.
Black would not fare any bet-
ter either after 12 ... i.xc6 13.lIJd4!
(White's knight now becomes a
master since it cannot be dis-
151
Chapter 10
lodged from that wonderful out-
post. White is also threatening to
play tLlf5 followed by e5-e6!) 13 ...
ha3 (Should Black refrain from
capturing that rook again, White
can follow with 1"1g3!. In case Black
tries to castle long after a move like
13 ... \Wc7, White can counter that
idea quite effectively with 14.\Wa1!
.txa3 15 ..txa3 0-0-0 16.tLlf5 g6
17.tLle7+ ~b7 1B ..td6+-; 14 ... a5
15.1"1c3.tb4 16.tLlb5 \WbB 17.tLld6+
hd61B.exd6) 14.ha3 \Wg5 (14 ...
g6 15.\Wa1 1"1gB. White can now
press his great positional advan-
tage home in numerous ways, but
I will suggestthe following: 16.\Wc3
1"1cB 17.\Wg3 .ta4 1B.tLlf5 1"1c6 19.
tLld6+ 1"1xd6 20.exd6 ~fB 21..tb2
.txc2 22.1"1c1+-) 15.f4 \Wg6 16.f5
\Wg5 17.f6 g6 1B.e6 \Wh4 19.\Wa1
dxe620.tLlxc6.
13J~~e3
White's plan is now more than
clear - he pushes his pawn to e6
and then he follows that with a di-
rect attack with his pieces.
13 ... .ic5
13 ....te714.e6 0-0 15.tLle5 fxe6
16.\Wg4 \WcB (16 ... \Wd6?? 17.tLlc4+-
White is threatening the enemy
queen as well as a checkmate.)
152
17.tLld7! Suddenly the weakness
of Black's b6-pawn became im-
portant and White acquired a
decisive material advantage
rather swiftly. 17 ... e5 (17 ... 1"1f7
1B.tLlxb6+-) 1B ..txe5 1"1f7 19.1"1f3
\WeB 20.tLlxb6 1"1dB (20 ... 1"1a7 21.
\We6 \wfB 22.tLld7 \WeB 23 ..txg7
~xg7 24.1"1g3+ ~hB 25.\We5+-)
21..tc71"1xf322.\Wxf3+-.
14.e6!
It is essential for White not to
slow down the intensity of the as-
sault.
14... 0-0
Black should better shun the
exchange sacrifice once again:
14 ....txe3 15.exf7+ ~xf7 16.tLle5+
~gB 17.fxe3 White's rook on f1
joins the action now exquisitely,
economically and what is most
important - effectively! 17... h6 lB.
1"1f7! \WcB 19.\Wh5 1"1h7 20.tLld7+-.
Black's further resistance is use-
less.
15.tLld4
It becomes clear now that
Black's king would not be safe even
after castling! All white pieces are
extremely active and Black cannot
cope with the all-powerful white
e6-pawn without considerable

material losses.
I5 Wlf6
15 ... hd4 16.e7!+-. This beau-
tiful fork is decisive!
15 ... fxe6 16.tL:lxe6 Wfh4 17.gg3
g61S.lOxfS gxfSI9.gf3+-.
15 ... Wlc7 16.e7! bxe7 (16 ... gfeS
17.Wfg4 g6 IS.Ct:Jf5 bxe3 19.fxe3
gxe7 20.Wfd4+-) 17.lOf5 bg5 (17 ...
bd6 IS.Wfg4 f6 19.ge7 Wfxe7 20.
Ct:Jxe7+ bxe7 21.Wfd7+-) IS.bxg7
(1S.gg3 f619.f4+-) IS ...bcS (1S .. .
Wff4 19.9f3+-) 19.Wfh5 ~f4 (19 .. .
~xe3 20.~f6 bxf5 2l.fxe3!!) 20.
ge7+-
I6.gf3 ~e5I7.gel ~c7I8.e7!
The powerful pawn must be
sacrificed to ensure the success of
White's attack. Timing is even
more essential than a mere pawn!
I8 ... bxe7 I9.Ct:Jf5 bd6 20.
hg7 gfe8 2I.bh6 bxh2+ 22.
'i!?hI gxeI+ 23.~xeI ~e5 24.
~e3'i!?h8
25.gg3! i.xg3 26.~g5!!+
White now checkmates in two un-
avoidably.
bIb) 6 . cxb4
(diagram)
7.Ct:Jb5
This is not just a retreat of that
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e63.b4
knight! White is threatening to
capture on g7. Secondly, the
knight can eventually be placed on
the important outposts d6 or c7.
Finally, after the disappearance off
the board of the pawns a3 and b4
- the black pawn on a7 might be-
come perilously endangered!
White also has another inter-
esting possibility 7.axb4!? It is not
so easy to tell now what the best
for White is and only the subse-
quent tournament practice can
clarify that issue 7 ... ~xb4 (7 ...
Ct:Jxb4 S.bc4 lOf6 9.e5 Wlc71O.exf6
~xc4 l1.d3 ~g4 12.lOb5 ~xg2
13.gg1 ~xf3 14.fxg7! Wlxdl+ 15.
'i!?xdl hg7 16.hg7 ggS 17.lOc7+
~e71S.lOxaS haS? 19.~f6+ ~xf6
20.gxgS+-; 19 ... 'i!?fS 20.be7 ~xe7
21.gxgS+-; IS ... gxaS 19.~d2;!:;)
S.e5 lOge7 9.Ct:Je4 0-0 1O.lOfg5
(The game remains very sharp too
after 1O.c3 d511.lOf6+ gxf612.cxb4
Ct:Jxb4 13.exf6 lOg6?? 14.lOg5+-;
13 ... lOf514.lOg5<x: 1O ... h611.lOf6+
(White's assault seems to be quite
threatening!) 1l ... 'i!?hS! (11...gxf6?
12.exf6, and Black is in a real
trouble: 12 ... e5 13.~h5 hxg5 14.
~d3 lOg6 15.~xg6+-; 13 ... lOd5
14.~xh6 Ct:Jxf6 15.~d3 lOd4 16.
~h7+ 'i!?hSI7.c3 lOg418.~h4+-or
153
Chapter 10
12 ... lIJf513.1d3 hxg514.iWh5l1Jcd4
15.~xg5+ ~hB 16.1xd4 E1eB 17.
~d11fB 1B.1xf5 exf5 19.E1a3!+-
Remember that move - it is very
strong but it can also be easily
overlooked. There are plenty of
lines in which it will be the only
way in which you will finish off
your attack successfully with it!)
12.~h5l1Jf5! (The position is really
complicated indeed, but White's
attacking resources are great.)
13.~xf7 (This move leads to a
much better endgame for White
even after best play from both
sides, while after 13.lIJxf7+ White
has only a perpetual: 13 ... E1xf7
14.~xf7 gxf615.exf6 ~c716.~eB+
~h717.f7? lIJe5 1B.~d1 E1cB 19.c4
lIJxc4-+; 17.~f7=) 13 ... lIJxe5 (Here
are some beautiful lines after
which White's attack is quickly be-
coming decisive: 13 ... hxg5 14.
~h5+ lIJh6 15.~g6 E1xf6 16.exf6
lIJf517.1d3 ~eB1B.f7+-; 13 ... lIJce7
14.~h5 ~c7 15.1d3 1xg2 16.E1g1
1c6 17.1xf5 lIJxf5 1B.~g6!+-)
14.1xe5 ~xf6 15.1xf6 E1xf7 16.
lIJxf7+ ~gB 17.lIJdB 1d5 1B.1b2
E1xdB19.E1xa7. Meanwhile White
could have played differently ear-
lier - 13.g4! and that would be the
most energetic move! 13 ... lIJcd4
14.gxf5l1Jxc2+ (14 ...1xh115.hd4
exf5 16.lIJxf7+ E1xf7 17.~xf7 gxf6
1B.e61e719.exd7+-) 15.~d1 tLlxal
16.E1g1 ~c7 17.1d3 tLlb3 1B.tLlxf7+
E1xf719.~xf7 1f3+ 20.~e11xd2+
21.~f11g5 22.tLleB+-.
7 ... d6
7...bxa3 B.ha3! (B.tLld6+ hd6
9.1xg7 tLlf6 10. 1xhB tLlxe4oo ) B...
d6 (B ... 1xa3 9.E1xa3 ~bB 1O.E1d3
d5 11.exd5 exd5 12.~a1 tLlf6 13.
E1e3+ ~d7 14.1d3 ~f4 15.g3 ~b4
16.lIJe5+ tLlxe5 17.~xe5 ~b1+ lB.
~e2 ~xh119.\wc7#) 9.d4 a61O. d5
exd5 (l0 ... axb5 11.1xb5!) 1l.exd5
lIJa5 12.\Wd4 tLlf6 13.tLlc3 1e7 14.
1d3 0-0 15.0-0 E1cB 16.E1fe1 E1eB
17.1b2 E1c5 1B.\wh4 h6 19.tLle4
lIJxe4 20.\Wxe4 g6 21.\Wd4 f6 22.
~g4+- (S.Soloviov).
8.axb4 a6
B... lIJxb4? 9.tLlxa7!. The point is
not only that White has recaptured
his pawn back. He is also threat-
ening a quite annoying for Black
check on b5! 9 ... he410.1b5+ ~e7
1l.E1a4! This move might seem to
you to be a blunder, because of
Black's threatto capture on c2, but
in fact Black is totally hopeless.
1l ... 1b7 (l1...tLlxc2+? 12.~xc2
1xc213.lIJc6+. Black loses both his
queen and his rook after that
check! That is amazing indeed!
13 ... ~d714.tLlxdB+-) 12.tLld4 tLlf6
13.0-0 \WbB 14.~a1 e5 15.c3+-.
9.tDbd4 tDxb4
White remains with a consid-
erable positional advantage in a
position with material equality af-
ter the rest of the moves.
lO.c3

10 ... lLlc6
1O ... e5 - this counterstrike is
not solving Black's problems ei-
ther. 11.cxb4 exd4 12.cuxd4 cuf6
13.b5! (White has established a
wonderful future outpost for his
knight on c6. This is an excellent
positional achievement.) 13 ... a5
14.cuc6 (Black should try to avoid
the exchange of this knight for his
bishop on b7. There are two im-
portant reasons for that: White's
pawn on c6 will be very powerful
and also the weakness of the light
squares will really be hurting
Black.) 14 ... Wfd715.Wfa4 d516.hf6
gxf6 17.ie2 ih6 18.0-0. Black's
bishops are without good pros-
pects and his king is not safe.
White's knight is very strong and
Black will be forced to exchange it
at some moment with probably di-
sastrous consequences.
1l.lLlxc6 hc6 12.ha6 lLlf6
12 ... he4?? 13.Wfa4+-, and the
black bishop on e4 is lost.
13.lLld4!
13.d3;!; was not bad either, but
White was interested in a much
sharper play. 13 ... he4 14.0 - 0 !
Amazingly Black is already beyond
salvation! 14 .. ie7 (14 ... liJd7 15.
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e63.b4
Wfe2 d516.ib5 ic517.cuc6 Wfc8 18.
cue5+-; 15 ... ig6 16.ib5 %'i:xa1 17.
%'i:xa1 ie718.%'i:a7+-) IS.d3 ig616.
ibS i>f817.Wfb3 eS1S.lLlc6 WfcS
19 J'!xaS Wfxa8 20 .%'i:al (Black
cannot counter the simple but tre-
mendously effective idea of White
occupying the a-file.) 20 ... WfcS
21.%'i:a7 idS 22.Wfa3+-.
b2) S ... cxb4
6.axb4hb4
It is quite probable that Black
will venture capturing that pawn,
because it seems like White's
threats are not so dangerous after
all.
7.ltJbS! lLlf6
This is Black's most natural
defence ofthe g7-pawn.
The loss of the right to castle
seams to be a considerable conces-
sion for Black: 7... i>f8 8.%'i:a4.
S.l'~a4!
Black will hardly be able to
complete his development after
that move.
S ... if8
8 ... ltJc6 - is too dangerous
for Black. 9.e5 lDe4 1O.c3 a6 (This
is the only move for Black to
avoid the immediate material
Chapter 10
losses.) 1l.cxb4 axbS12.~xa8 has
(12 .. :Wxa8 13.f3 l2Jxb4 14.fxe4
ixe4 lS.l2Jf3 id3 16.~b3 ~e4+
17.~f2+-) 13.~g4 l2Jxb4 14.f3
l2Jc2+ lS.~e2 ~gS 16.~xgS l2JxgS
17. ~d1l2Jb418.h4+- and Black re-
mains a piece down after all.
9 ..ie5!!
This is another beautiful idea
- worth remembering! Black has
only one way to parry the threat
of a check on c7.
9 ... d6
That move should be Black's
best.
It is bad for him to play 9 ...
l2Ja6? 1O.~xa6+-. The queen sac-
rifice for Black is also possible, but
unlikely 9 ... ic6 10.l2Jc7+ ~xc7
(1O ... ~e711.~a2+-) 11.ixc7 ha4
12.id3l2Jc613.~a1 bS14.l2Jf3l2Jb4
lS.0-0.
10 ..ixf6 gxf6
1O ... ~xf6? 1l.l2Jc7+-.
11.lbxa7
It becomes clear now why
White has induced the weakening
of the black position with the pawn
move d7 -d6 before exchanging on
f6. White's threat to check from
the bS-square makes Black's life
hard, while he would have been
quite happy in this position with a
black pawn on d7.
1l ... he4
It is quite possible to transpose
to the same position after 11...l2Jd7
12.ibS ixe4 - see 11...ixe4.
We must also check what is
going to happen if Black declines
to capture the e4-pawn altogether:
12 ... ie7 13.~hS ~c7 14.~c4! This
strong and beautiful move forces
the black queen to go back to
where it started the game from:
14 ... ~d8 lS.l2Jc6! (White does
not mind that the enemy rook
might penetrate to a1, because his
threats are much more danger-
ous.) ls ... ixc6 16.~xc6 ~a1 + 17.
~e2 ~aS18.tLlf3 fS19.l2Jd4 0-0 20.
~c3!' White has suddenly created
threats against Black's kingside.
Black can parry them but at the
cost of a pawn! 20 ... l2Jf6 21.~h6
l2Jg4 22.~h3 if6 23.exfS ixd4
24.~xg4+ ig7 2S.~f3 hS 26.~b4
~gS 27.~b1 exfS 28.~xd6 ~xg2
29.~g3 ~xg3 30.hxg3 ~c8. Black
will hardly save that endgame de-
spite the presence of bishops of
opposite colours. 31.c4.
12 ..ib5+ lbd7
This is the natural move. After
12 ... ~e7 Black loses the right to
castle. White's attack against the
enemy king stranded in the cen-
tre will soon become decisive.
13.l2Jf3 dS (13 ... ixf3 14.~xf3 dS
lS.~a3+ ~d6 16.l2Jc8+ ~d8 17.
l2Jxd6+-; 13 ... fS 14.lbgS! ixg2 15.
~hS ~f6 16.~xf7+ ~xgS 17J''1g1
~e7 18.~xg2+ ~h6 19.ie8! ~xf7
20.~h4+ ~hS 21.~xhS#; 13 ... ib7

14.ttJd4 ih6 15.ic6! Wc7 16.
ttJdb5+-; 14 ... V~k7 15.Elc4! Wfxc4
16.ixc4 Elxa7 17.0-0 ElgS lS.g3
Ela4 19.d3 d5 20.c3. White now
has a material advantage and the
black king is rather unsafe as be-
fore.) 14.ttJd4! (with the powerful
threat of a check from the c6-
square.) 14 ... @d6 that is surpris-
ingly Black's only move! 15.f3 ig6
16.1Wa1!' White's attack is non-
standard and quite original, but
very dangerous too! 16 ... e5 (16 ...
@c717.ieS!! 1WxeS1S.ttJab5+ @b7
19.ElxaS+-) 17.ic6! ttJxc6 (17 ...
exd4 lS.ixaS+-) lS.ttJab5+ @d7
19.ElxaS+-.
13.Elxe4 Elxa714.Wfh5! Elal+
15.@e2
White does not mind the loss
of his castling rights because
Black's king position is very peril-
ous.
15 ... ~e7
After 15... @e7Whitehasacom-
bination similar to the one in the
mainline (see later); 16.ttJf3!! Elxh1
17.ttJd4 ttJe51S.Elxe51WcS (lS ... WfaS
19.ttJf5+ @dS 20.Wfxf7+-) 19.Ele3
ig7 20.ttJf5+ @fS 21.ttJxd6 Wfc7
22.Elxe6! !+-.
16.llJf3!!
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e63.b4
This supremely beautiful com-
bination with a rook sacrifice em-
phasizes the power of White's po-
sition.16 ... Elxhl17.~a4! White's
rook goes back to a4 (it was there
quite recently, though ... ) with a
decisive effect! 17 ... @dS (Black
loses very quickly too after 17 ...
WfdS lS.Ela7 ie7 19.ttJd4 0-0 20.
ixd7! The black queen became
caged in a very non-standard fash-
ion and Black can save it only by
losing a lot of material. 20 ... b5
21.ttJc6 Wfb6 22.Ela3!. White could
have captured the black bishop
with a check at that, but he is play-
ing for a checkmate! 22 ... Wfc5
23.ttJxe7+ @hS 24.1Wh61We5+ 25.
Ele3+-) lS.ElaS+ @c7 19.Ela7+
@cS 20.Elxd7 1Wxd7 21.hd7+
@xd7 22.~xf7+ ie7 23.llJd4+-
b3) 5 .. llJf6
6.e5llJe4 7.llJxe4 he4
It might seem that Black has
facilitated his defence with a
couple of exchanges but I don't
think so!
S.llJf3!
White must simply ignore the
threat against his b4-pawn just
like before.
Chapter 10
8 ... cxb4 9.axb4 .b:b4
9 ... tiJc6 1O.b5 tiJb4 l1.d3 ~xf3
12.gxf3 (Black cannot exploit ef-
fectively the doubling of White's
kingside pawns. He is lagging in
development, his knight is mis-
placed and the a7-pawn is rather
weak too.) 12 ... d613.c3 tiJd514.c4
tiJf4 15.iWd2 dxe5 16.~xe5 tiJg6
17.~c3 iWc7 lS.iWe2 l"1dS 19.iWe4
l"1gS 20.d4.
10J~la4!
White's rook influences both
black bishops as if with X-rays!
10 ... lDc6
l1.~bS! .b:f312.exf3 ~e7
The black bishop is forced to
retreat now and White's positional
advantage becomes quite evident.
13.~xc6 dxc6 14Jbc6+ @f8
lS.0-0 l'!c816.iWe4.
b4) S ... dS
This counterstrike is logical.
Black wants to prove that White's
flank development is dubious and
lacks serious argumentation.
6.exd5!
White plans to open the posi-
tion because of his lead in devel-
opment.
6 ... exdS 7.bxc5 bxcS
7... hc5 S.tiJa4! ~fS (S ... M2+?
9.@xf2 iWh4+ 1O.g3 iWxa4 l1.~xg7
d412.tiJf3+-; 8 ... tiJf6 9.tiJxc5 bxc5
1O.iWe2+ iWe711.hf6 gxf612.l'!blt.
White's advantage after the trade
of the queens is not great but it is
long-lasting, because his pawn
structure is much superior!) 9.tiJf3
(White's lead in development is a
quite telling factor despite the un-
usual placement of the knight on
a4.) 9 ... tiJd7 (9 ... ~c6 1O.tiJc3 tiJf6
1l.tiJb5 ~e712.~e5 hb513.hb5;!;)
1O.~b5 tiJgf6 11.0-0 ~d6 (1l ... ~e7
12.tiJe5 0-0 13.tiJxd7 tiJxd7 14.
~xg7! White wins a pawn now and
weakens the position of the black
king in the process. 14 ... @xg7
15.iWg4+ @h8 16.~xd7! l"1g8 17.
eh3 d4 18.f3) 12.l"1e1+ @f8 13.
~d4 l"1c8 14.c3 tiJc5 15.tiJxc5 bxc5
16.~e5 he5 (16 ... g6? 17.~d7 iWxd7
18.hf6l"1g819.tiJg5+-) 17.tiJxe5 g6
18.d4 @g719.l'!b1;!;.
8.~bS+ lDd7
8 ... ~c6 9.~xc6+ lDxc6 10.iWe2
~e711.tiJa4.
9.d4 cxd4 10.~xd4 lDgf6
1l.lDf3 ~d6 12.lDe5
12.0-0!? 0-0 13.l"1fe1.
12 ... iWe713.lDe2! .b:e5
Black is forced to exchange his
bishop and White gets a consider-

able positional edge after that.
The other possibility 14 ... 0-0??
lS.tLlxd7+- was of course even
worse.
14J1*i'xeS WfxeS1S.heS 0-0
16.~d4
This is a wonderful square for
the all-powerful white bishop and
it controls the whole board from
there.16 ... aS17.f3~a618.ha6
gxa6 19.~d2 gc6 20.gabl;!;.
The endgame is slightly better for
White. He can try to attack the
weak as-pawn, his king is active
and his bishop is quite superior to
either one of the black knights.
bS) S ... d6
This move is too cautious.
Black plans to finish his develop-
ment first and only then to enter
complications at an opportune
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e63.b4
moment. All this however is much
easier said than done in this posi-
tion!
6.tLlf3 tLlf6 7.eS!
It is important to prevent Black
from the completion of his devel-
opment! White attacks in the cen-
tre immediately therefore. Black is
now incapable to force any ex-
changes in order to facilitate his
defence.
7 ... dxeS 8.tLlxeS
We will now deal in details
with bSa) 8 ... ~d6 and bSb)
8 ... cxb4.
Black can also play S ... tLlc6
(Black attempts to exchange
White's centralized knight, but
White will object to that. He pins
the black knight on c6 instead.)
9.~bS !'i:cS 1O.Wff3 Wfd6 1l.Wfg3 a6
(11...cxb4?! Black loses a pawn
after that ill-advised exchange.
12.axb4 a613.hc6+ hc614.tLlxc6
Wfxg3 lS.hxg3 !'i:xc6 16.!'i:xa6+-;
1l ... tLld712.tLle4 WfdS 13.d3 tLlcxeS
14.~xeS ~c6 lS.~xc6 Wlxc6 16.
tLld6+ hd617.hd6 !'i:gS lS.0-0t)
12.bxcs WlxcS 13.tLlxc6 axbS 14.
tLla7! (White now wins the bS-
pawn in this unusual manner.)
14 ... ~d6 lS.Wle3 !'i:dS 16.tLlaxbS;!;.
Chapter 10
bSa) 8 ... .id6
This natural developing move
loses for Black his right to castle.
He is not afraid of that because his
position remains very solid.
9 ..ibS+ 'kt>f8
9 ... <;t>e71O.iWe2 a6 1l ..ic4 cxb4
12.CLlxf7! (White's attack is based
on the possibility of this tactical
strike.) 12 ... <;t>xf7 13.iWxe6+ <;t>g6
(Otherwise Black would have been
checkmated on the next move.)
14 ..id3+ <;t>h6 15.iWe3+ <;t>h5 (15 ...
g5 16.h4 .if4 17.hxg5+ <;t>xg5 lS.
iWh3+-) 16.iWh3+ <;t>g517.tLle2 iWd7
lS.iWe3+ <;t>h5 19.Ct:Jg3+ <;t>h4 20.
.ixf6+ gxf6 21.iWh6+ <;t>g4 22.h3#
9 ... Ct:Jd7 1O.Ct:Jxd7 Ct:Jxd711.bxc5
.ixcS12.iWg4 0-0 13.Ct:Je4t.
10.d4!.ixg2
The exchange in the centre
would not have been better for
Black: 10 ... cxd4 1l.iWxd4 .ixg2 12.
E:g1.id5 (12 ....ib713.0-0-0 a614.
iWf4! axbS15.Ct:JxbS+-) 13.0-0-0!
as 14.Ct:Je4!! Ct:Jxe4 15.Ct:Jxf7 .if4+
16.<;t>b1.ia2+ (16 ... e517.Ct:Jxe5!+-)
17.<;t>xa2 iWxd4 lS.E:xd4 <;t>xf7 19.
E:xe4 .ih6 20 ..ic4 E:eS 21.bxa5
E:xa522.E:gel+-.
1l.E:gl
White's initiative might soon
turn into a decisive attack.
1l .idS
1l ... .ib7 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.bxc5
(White makes good use of the fact
that the enemy queen is not well
protected. Black's defensive re-
sources are partially restricted
with a king on e7.) 13 ... .ic7 14.
iWxdS+! (This is the simplest solu-
tion to the problem. Black will
soon be almost in a zugzwang po-
sition in this endgame, because his
pieces are all terribly misplaced!)
14 ....ixdS 15.c6 .ia6 16.a4 .ia5 17.
0-0-0 h61S.Ct:Jc4 .ic719.Ct:Je4+-.
1l ... cxb4 12J''!xg2 bxc3 13 ..ixc3
iWc7 14 ..ib2 Ct:Jbd7 15.iWe2 E:cS
16.0-0-0. Black has an extra
pawn indeed, but his position is
clearly worse. His main worries
are due to the fact that his king is
very unsafe.
12.bxcS! bxcS 13.tlJg4
White plans to exchange the
knight on f6, since it is a very good
defender in this position. He can
later attack easily along the long
a1-hS diagonal, having eliminated
the obstacles along the way.
13 a6
13 ... cxd4 14.iWxd4 Ct:Jc6 (14 ...
Ct:Jxg4 15.E:xg4 f6 16.Ct:Jxd5 exd5
17.0-0-0 .ixh2 lS.iWcs+ .id6 19.
E:xd5+-) lS ..ixc6 .ixc6 16.Ct:Jxf6
gxf617.0-0-0! .ie71S.iWg4+-.
14 .ia4 Ct:Je4 IS.tlJxe4 .ixe4
16.iWd2 f6
16 ... iWe7 17.dxc5 hcS lS ..ixg7
<;t>xg719.iWh6+ <;t>gS 20.Ct:Jf6#; 16 ...
Ct:Jc617.dxcS .ixc5 lS.hg7+ <;t>xg7
19.iWh6+ <;t>gS 20.Ct:Jf6#
17.0-0-0!

White does not need to recap-
ture his pawn with: 17.dxcS?! :iJ.e7
18.iWxd8+ :iJ.xd8 19.0-0-0 :iJ.e7,
since Black can can defend suc-
cessfully after that.
17.. c4
18.d5!!
Black cannot save the game af-
ter that beautiful tactical strike.
The white pieces overwhelm the
defence of the Black king easily.
18 .. exd5 (18 ... eS 19.iWc3 ct:ld7
20.f4! hS 21.ct:lxeS fxeS 22.:iJ.xd7
iWxd7 23.fxeS :iJ.cS 24.e6+-; 20 ...
exf4 21.:iJ.xd7 iWxd7 22.ct:lxf6 gxf6
23.Wlxf6+-) 19.ct:lxf6 c3 20.hc3
gxf6 21.~h6+ ~f7 (21...l!?e7 22.
Wlxf6#) 22.~g7+ l!?e6 23.~h3+
:iJ.f5 24.~e3+ :iJ.e5 25.:iJ.b3 ct:lc6
26.he5 fxe5 C26 ... ct:lxeS 27.E1xdS
~xdS 28.Wlb6+ ct:lc6 29 :~xc6+-)
27.~xd5 ~xd5 28.~h6+ :iJ.g6
29.~xg6+ bxg6 30.~xg6+ ~d7
31.hd5+-.
b5b) 8 ... cxb4
(diagram)
9.axb4 hb4
Black has won a pawn but he
will be forced to pay for that now.
10.:iJ.b5+
Black cannot castle after that.
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e63.b4
White can also exploit favourably
the open files on the queens ide
and Black's defensive task is quite
complex because of that.
10 ... l!?e7
10 ... l!?f8 11.0-0 a6 12.:iJ.e2!
ct:lbd7 13.ct:ld3 (Black must now
solve a difficult dilemma for his
bishop - to retreat it or to ex-
change it on c3? I am at a loss what
to advise you ... ) 13 ... hc3 (13 ...:iJ.e7
14.:iJ.f3 :iJ.xf3 lS.iWxf3 ct:lcS 16.ct:lxcS
:iJ.xcs 17.lt:la4 iWdS 18.iWc3 :iJ.d6
19.ct:lxb6 :iJ.xh2+ 20.l!?h1 iWhS 21.
iWh3 iWxh3 22.gxh3 ~b8 23.hf6
E1xb6 24.:iJ.d4 E1d6 2S.:iJ.cS+-) 14.
hc3. White's pieces are extremely
active and he occupies some cru-
cially important squares quite
swiftly: 14 ... lt:le4 lS.:iJ.b2 f6 16.E1e1
iWc7 17.:iJ.f3 fS 18.E1e3 eS 19.ct:le1
ct:lecS 20.:iJ.xb7 ct:lxb7 21.iWf3 g6
22.ct:ld3 ~e8 23.~ael+-.
11.0-0 a612.:iJ.e2!
It might seem to you that
White's last move is a bit passive.
In fact there is no better square for
it. It eyes both sides of the board
and can be favourably exchanged
from the f3-square. It impedes the
operations on the e-file indeed, but
that is immaterial.
12 ... ~c7
Chapter 10

13J:~a4!
This is an excellent positional
decision! Black is now forced to
concede the two-bishop advantage
to his opponent. This is soon go-
ing to become quite important in
that position.
13 ... ~xe5
13 ... ~d614.Ek4! It'lc615.lt'lxc6+
hc616.~f3+-.
14.gxb4lt'lbd715.d4 ~g5
16.d5!
This is all quite logical. White's
pieces are very active and he needs
open files as well as diagonals. He
does not mind to sacrifice a sec-
ond pawn to achieve all that, oth-
erwise Black can consolidate his
defence.16 ... lt'lxd517.gg4 ltlxc3
18.hc3 ~d5 19.~cl! ltlc5 20 .
.if3 ~d7 (20 ... ~f5 21.Elg5+-)
21.gdl ~c8 22.gxg7~.

Conclusion
White has excellent tactical resources in the 3 ... b6line. He practi-
cally forces Black to accept the pawn sacrifice on b4.
Chapter 11
Naturally Black's most logical
reply is to accept the sacrificed
pawn b) 4 ... hb4. We will also
analyse in details the .move a)
4 ... d5 suggested by 1M S.Semkov.
4 ... ttJf6 does not look so strong
since Black does not win a pawn
and he is not creating any danger-
ous counterplay. White preserves
a small but lasting advantage af-
ter: 5.e5 ttJd5 6. b5 V11c7 7.~b2! It is
important for White to control the
g7-square, because that prevents
the development of the bishop on
g7. (7.ttJf3 ~e7 8.~e2 0-09.0-0
d6 1O.d4 dxe5 11.ttJxe5 ttJd7 12.
ttJxd7 ~xd7 13.c4;!; Hardy -
Overton, Leicestershire 1991)
7... d6 8.exd6 V11xd6 (8 ... ~xd6 9.
~xg7 l"ig8 10.~b2) 9.ttJf3 ttJd7
1O.c4 ttJb4 11.d4 ~e7 12.~e2 0-0
13.0-0.
a)4 ... d5
It is a well-known fact that the
counterstrikes in the centre are
often the proper reaction against
the flank operations of the oppo-
nent. White now must play very
precisely in order to get some ad-
vantage.
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cxb4 4.
axb4
5.exd5! exd5
White does not achieve much
after a check on b5.
Black ahould avoid the line:
5 ... ~xb4?! 6.~b5+ ~d7 (6 ... @f8
7.dxe6 ~xe6 8.ttJf3 a6 9.0-0 ttJf6
1O.l"iel) 7.dxe6! (This tactical
motive is well-familiar and it helps
White to weaken the pawn struc-
ture of the adversary.) 7 ... V11e7
(7 ... ~xb5 8.exf7+ @xf79.V11h5+ g6
1O.V11xb5+-) 8.V11e2 V11xe6 9.V11xe6+
fxe6 1O.hd7+ ttJxd71l.ttJf3.
White now has two interesting
continuations: al) 6.~b2 and a2)
6.V11e2+.
al) 6.JLb2
This move is logical - White
controls the critical g7-square
immediately and we must mention
Chapter 11
that the same position can also
be reached after a different move
order. One of my blitz-games
started like that: 3 ... dS 4.exdS
exdS S.~b2! This is an important
moment just like before - White
must control the g7-square! 5 ...
cxb4 6.axb4.
6 ... ltJf6
6 ... ~fS (This development of
the light-squared bishop is not to
be recommended and it is also
a bit premature. The bishop is
not creating any problems for
White on fS and can also be at-
tacked in the nearest future.)
7.ltJf3 ~e7+ (7 ... ltJd7 8.~e2+ ltJe7
9.ltJc3ltJb61O.ltJd4 ~d711.~e3 a6
12.~d3 ct:lc4 13.~xc4 dxc4 14.0-0
~b61S.ct:lfS ~xe316.ct:ld6+ ~d817.
ct:lxf7+ ~c7 18.fxe3 ~g8 19.bS+-)
8.~e2 ~xb4 9.~a3 ~f4 10.~xf8
~xf811.0-0 ct:lc612.ct:lc3 d413.~a4
~d8 14.ltJbS a6 1S.g3 axbS 16.gxf4
bxa4 17.~a1 ~xc2 18.~bS d3 19.
~a3+ ct:lge7 20.~xc6 bxc6 21.
~el+-.
6 ... ~e7+ Otis well-known that
the computer programmes prefer
to snatch pawns in case they do
not "see" any concrete threats.
Human players are usually more
prudent. I would not even look at
capturing that pawnl) 7.~e2 ~xb4
8.~a2! (White preserves excellent
chances after various possible
lines and I will show you a line rec-
ommended by my "opponent":
8.~a3 ~d4 9.c3 ~f4 1O.~xf8 ~xf8
11.ct:lf3 ct:ld7 12.0-0 ct:lgf6 13.ct:la3
ct:lcS 14.ct:lc2 ~g4 1S.ct:le3 as 16.
4lx)!A tilx!!417.~b1 ~d618.~e1 b6
19.~bS ct:lf6 20.~e3
ct:lce4 21.~d3
~g8 22.~ee1 hS=) 8 ... d4 9.ct:lf3
ct:lc6 10.0-0 ct:lge7 11.c3! dxc3 12.
ct:lxc3 ~e613.~a3 ~g414.~b2 ct:ldS
1S.h3 ~g6 16.ct:lxdS ~xdS 17.~e1!
~xa3 18.~d3+ ~f8 19.~xg6 ~xb2
20.~e4 ~xe4 21.~xe4 White ob-
tained a great advantage and won
quickly: 2l...~f6 22.~b3 ~b8 23.d4
hS 24.dS ct:le7 2S.ct:leS ~xeS 26.
~xeS ct:lg6 27.~a3+ ~g8 28.~xa7
~d8 29.~aS ~c8 30.~gS ct:lf8 31.
~b6 ~cl+ 32.~h2 g6 33.~eS ~c8
34.~e7 ct:lh7 3S.~xb7 ~e8 36.~c7
~f8 37.~eS ~a8 38.d6 ct:lf8 39.~f4
~h7 40.d7 ct:lxd7 41.~xd71-0 Bez-
godov - Fritz 8, Perm (blitz) 2004.
6 ... ltJc6?! (This move provokes
White to advance his b-pawn
favourably.) 7.bS! (This pawn be-
comes very powerful and can cre-
ate serious problems for Black.)
7 ... ~b6. This move defends the
knight on c6 tactically, but it is
not very natural and leads Black
quickly into dire straits. (7 ... ~e7+
8.~e2 ct:lb4 9.ct:lf3 ~fS 1O.d3 ct:lf6
11.0-0+- and White's threat to
trap the black knight with the
move c2-c3 is unavoidable!; 8 ...
ct:leS 9.b6 ct:lc6 1O.ct:lc3 ct:lf6? 1I.
ct:lbS!+-, and White's knight pen-
etrates surprisingly to c7; 1O ... ~cS
11.~a3 ~xb6 12.~xf8 ~xf8 13.
ct:lxdS ~cS 14.ct:le3 ct:lf6 1S.ct:lf3 g6
16.0-0 ~g717.d4 ~c318.~b1! ~d8
19.~b3 ~aS 20.c4. White is evi-
dently dominant in the centre and
Black's defence is difficult.) 8.ct:lf3
~g4 9.~a4! (This early develop-
ment of the white rook is not so
rare in this line. Believe me it can
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab

be surprising and quite annoying

for players that have not read this
book!) 9 ... tLlh6 (9 ... tLlb4? 1O.E1xb4!
ibxb411.ibxg7+-) 1O.'lWe2+ tLle711.
ibd4 'lWg6 12.tLla3 tLlhfS 13.E1xa7
E1xa714.ibxa7 ~f61S.~eS hf316.
~bS+ i>d717.~xb7 + i>dS lS.gxf3,
and Black is lost: lS ... ~eS+ (IS ...
~a1+19.i>e2 ~xa3 20.ibh3 ~d6
21.ibb 6 + i>eS 22.~aS+ i>d7 23.E1a1 8.lDh3!?
i>e6 24.E1a6 i>eS 2S.f4+-) 19.ibe2 This is a rare case in which a
~a1+ 20.ibd1 ~xa3 (20 ... 'lWeS+ white knight on h3 is placed quite
21.i>f1+-) 21.b6 ~cS 22.1~a8+ i>d7 well.
23.b7+-, White's passed pawn S.tLlf3 - that is also a good
promotes despite the fact that the move. S ... ibxb4 9.~bS+ tLlc6 10.
board is full of pieces. ~xb7 ibd711.tLleS E1bS (11 ... 0-0??
7Jge2+ ibe6 12.tLlxc6 ~eS+ 13.ibe2+-) 12.tLlxc6
7... ~e7 S.tLla3!? (This is more E1xb7 13.tLlxdS i>xdS 14.ibd4!
interesting than the capture on f6.) (White has much better prospects
S ... ibe6 (S ... ~xe2+ 9.tLlxe2! ibxb4 in this endgame due to his supe-
1O.tLlbS i>dS11.tLlxa7 tLle412.ibxg7 rior pawn structure and his pow-
E1eS 13.ibd4 ibxd2+ 14.i>d1 ibh6 erful dark-squared bishop.) 14 ...
lS.f3 tLld6 16.tLlc3! tLld717.ibd3+-; E1eS+ lS.i>d1 )"Ie716.tLlc3 ibxc3 17.
12 ... ibxd2+ 13.i>d1 E1gS 14.ibd4 dxc3! (The stability of the bishop
ibh61S.f3 tLld216.tLlg3 tLlxf117.E1xf1 on d4 is essential! It is weaker
tLla6 lS.tLlxcS E1xc8 19.E1aS tLlc7 for White to play 17.ibxc3?! tLle4
20.tLlfS ibfS 2l.g4. Black's numer- lS.ibd4?! )"Ib4 19.ibxa7 d4-+) 17...
ous pawn weaknesses are too dif- as lS.f3 a4 19.i>d2t. White has
ficult to defend effectively.) S ... a great advantage because of
ibe6 9.tLlf3 tLle4 (9 ... ~xb4 1O.ibxf6 his two bishops. Black does not
gxf6 11.tLlbS ~b2 12.~d1 tLla6 have a sufficient counterplay
13.E1b1 ~a2 14.tLlc3 ~a3 lS.E1xb7 despite his passed a4-pawn. White
tLlcS16.E1bl) 10.c3! (White's pow- intends to follow with g2-g4
erful b2-bishop is temporarily and his kingside initiative is pow-
deprived of activity, but White erful.
achieves two other objects. He de- 8 ... .hb4
fends his b4-pawn and Black's S ... ibe7 9.tLlf4 ~d7 (9 ... ibfS?
knight on e4 will be dislodged 10.ibxf6 gxf6 l1.~bS+ tLlc6 12.
from there after the inavoidable tLlxd5+-) 1O.tLlxe6 fxe6 11.g3! 0-0
d2-d3 move in the nearest future.) 12.ibh3 tLle4 13.~g4 tLlgS (13 ... )"If7
10 ... tLlc6 l1.tLlbS a6 12.d3 tLlf6 14.~xe6 ~bS lS.tLlc3 ~xb4 16.
13.tLlbd4 tLlxd4 14.tLlxd4t. ~xdS ~xb217.)"Ibl tLlxc318.~xf7+
Chapter 11
~xf7 19J'~xb2 lLla4 20.~xb7 lLlc6
21..~g2 ~cB 22.~d1 lLlcS 23.~xc6
~xc6 24.~xa7 lLle4 2S.~f1+-) 14.
~g2 lLla6 lS.f4 lLlxb4 16.~d1 hS
17.11*'xhSlLle41B.he4 dxe419.11*'g6
~f6 20.hf6 ~xf6 21.11*'xe4.
9.11*'bS+ lLle6 10.11*'xb7 11*'eS
1l.11*'xeS+
White has recaptured his sac-
rificed pawn and prefers to go into
a slightly better endgame.
ll ... gxeS
l1 ... ~xcB 12.~bS ~d7 13.0-0
0-0 14.~xf6 gxf6 lS.1L1f4 ~abB
16.~a4 d4 17.c3 dxc3 1B.lLlxc3.
12.~xf6 gxf6 13.lLlf4 lLld4
14.gxa7 lLlxe2+ lS.~dl lLld4
16.lLle3 ~eS
17.ga4 gdS (17 ... gbB1B.~d3;
17... 0-0 1B.lLlcxdS) lS.lLlbslLlxbS
19.hbS;!;.
a2) 6.11*'e2+!?
This interesting move has also
been tested.
6 ... .ie7
That is Black's most natural
reply and it helps the development
of his kingside. It is also the most
likely to be played.
6 ... ~e6 - That square for the
black bishop in rather unreliable.
It can be exchanged for the knight
quite favourably for White. 7.bS
(White defends his b4-pawn in
that fashion and also deprives the
black knight of the c6-square mak-
ing Black's harmonious develop-
ment highly problematic.) 7... 1L1f6
B.lLlf3 ~d6 (B ... ~e7 9.1L1d4 11*'b6
10.1L1xe6 fxe6 11.1L1c3 lLlbd7 12.g3!
eS 13.~g2 ~cB 14.0-0 d4 lS.1L1a4
11*'aS 16.f4! exf4 17 ..ia3 lLlgB lB.
~ae1+-; 12 ... ~f7 13.~g2 gheB
14.0-0) 9.1L1d411*'e71O.1L1xe6 fxe6
11.g3! (White should strive to de-
velop his light-squared bishop to
g2 or h3. This is because of the
weakness of Black's e6-pawn.)
11...0-0 12 ..ig2 eS 13.0-0 lLlbd7
14.c41L1b61S.cxdSlDfxdS16.1L1c3.
6 ... 11*'e7. Black is not out ofthe
woods yet after the exchange of the
queens, but his position remains
solid indeed. 7.lDc3 11*'xe2+ B.
lDgxe2 ~e6 9.1L1f4 lDf6 1O.1L1xe6
(Note that exchange. It is very
favourable for White who can try
to realize his two-bishop advan-
tage in the endgame. Black can
hadly equalize completely.) 10 ...
fxe611.1L1bS ~d712.d4!? (I believe
12.c3;!; was much simpler here.)
12 ... 1L1c6 (12 ... ~xb4+ 13.c3 ~d6
14.~xa7 gxa71S.lDxa7lDc616.lDbS

ElaS 17.~d3 Ela21S.0-0;/;) 13.c3 a6
14.cua3 ~d6 lS.~d3 eS 16.dxeS
~xeS 17.~d2 cuxb4? lS.~f5+ mc7
(lS ... ~dS 19.f4 cue4 20.fxe5+-)
19.f4 ElheS 20.0-0 1-0 Kroshk -
el ninjo, Internet 2004.
7.~b2 ttlf6
This move requires certain
bravery from Black because his
kingside pawn structure can be
easily compromised after it! It is
also interesting to check the cold-
blooded retreat 7... ~fS, but the
loss of the castling rights will not
suit everybody's preferences de-
spite being deliberate! S.b5 ttlf6
9.cuf3 cubd71O.g3 cub611.~g2 ~g4
12.0-0 cuc4 13.~d4;/;.
8 ..ixf6gxf6
9.'~h5!?
This pawn sacrifice helps White
to coordinate his pieces quickly
and it is very promising for him.
Black is practically forced to ac-
cept it otherwise his position re-
mains inferior without any com-
pensation. White can also play
9.c3 ElgSlO.~d3!?t in case he does
not wish to sacrifice a pawn.
9 ... .b:b410.c3 ~e7
We will analyse now the con-
sequences of the retreat of the
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
bishop to a5. 1O ... ~a51l.~b5+ cuc6
12.cue2 a6. Black thus forces the
trade of the dangerous white
bishop, but he loses plenty of time
like that. (12 ... 0-0. Black's king
safety is quite problematic after
castling. This is mostly due to the
possibility of White bringing his
queenside rook quickly over to the
kingside. 13.EJ:a4 ~g7 14.Elh4 ElhS
15.~h6+ ~gS 16.~d3 f5 17.Elh5
cue71S.g4 f619.~xf6 ~fS 20.EJ:g5+
cug6 21.~e5 ~dS 22.~xd5+ ~g7
23.Elxf5 ~xf5 24.gxf5+-; 17 ... cue5
lS.0-0 cuxd3?? 19.Elg5+-; lS ...
cug6 19.~xf5) 13.~xc6+ bxc6
14.0-0 ~b6 (14 ... 0-0 lS.EJ:a4)
15.cud4 ~xd4 16.cxd4 0-0 17.Ela3
~hS lS.Elg3 ElbS 19.cuc3 Elb4 20.
cue2 Elb2 21.cuf4 ElgS 22.~h6 Elxg3
23.fxg3 ~gS 24.cuh5 ~g6 25.~fS+
~gS 26.~e7+-.
1l.~d3
White should not be deterred
to place his bishop temporarily
in front of his pawn. This is of
course unusual, but there is no law
against that after all! Naturally
that move would have to be criti-
cized in case it could have ham-
pered the development of the
queenside.
1l ... ttlc6
11...~b6 Black's attempt to
counterattack is not effective at all.
12.cue2 ~b2 13.Ela5.
12.ttlf3 ~b6 13.0-0 ~e6
14J:1el0-0-0
14 ... mdS\15.cua3 ~c5 16.~h4.
15.ttla3 ~c5 16J3ebl ~c7
16 ... ~xf2+ 17.~f1 ~c5 lS.
ElbS+-.
Chapter n
17.tDbS ~f4
18 .ic2l3hg8 (18 ... .ig419.~h4
)ghg8 20.)ga4 .ixf3 21.)gxf4 )gxg2+
22.'j;Jfl+-) 19J'3a4 ~b8 20.c4
l3g4 21.d4 tDxd4 22.tDbxd4
,ixd4 23 .ifS )gf4 24.tDxd4
l3xd4 2S.cxdS l3xa4 26.dxe6
mc7 27.~xf7+ md6 28.e7+-.
b)4 ... hb4
Accepting gambits is usually
one of the best methods of coun-
tering them.
S .ib2!
White plays often the move
S.c3, but I have decided after long
analyses that to be the wrong idea.
White's bishop is temporarily very
active on the long diagonal and it
should not be hampered by a move
like S.c3.
After S..ib2 we will deal with
two main lines for Black: bl)
S ... .if8 and b2) S ... tDf6.
The move 5... mf8?! seems to be
rather dubious. It is evident that
Black should not forfeit his catling
rights so easily and quite unnec-
essarily at that. White's prospects
are clearly better. After the natu-
ral move 6.tDf3 there might follow:
6 ... tDc6 7..ibS dS 8.exdS 'lWxdS
9.'lWe2 tDf6 10.0-0 'lWe4?! Black's
wish to trade queens might be
quite understandable psychologi-
cally, but it surprisingly loses a
piece: 1l.'lWxe4 tDxe412.)ga4 as 13 .
.ixc6 bxc6 14.c3 tDcS lS.)ga2!+-;
6 ... tDf6 7.eS tDe4 8.)ga4! 'lWb6
9 ..id4 .ics 10.hcS+ tDxcS 11.)gf4!
(This rook is more often placed on
g4, but the position of the enemy
king on f8 introduces the necessity
of some corrections in the plan-
ning.) 11...d6 (Black's attempt to
repel White's pieces with a pawn-
sacrifice fails after: n ... dS 12.tDgS
f6 13.exf6 eS 14.'lWhS!! 'lWxb1+ 15.
me2 'lWbS+ 16.mf3 'lWe8 17.tDxh7+
)gxh7 18.~xh7+-) 12.tDa3 'lWd8
13.tDbS dS 14.tDd6 fS lS.c4 gS
16.)gd4 tDc6 17.cxdS! tDxd4 18.
tDxd4 tDe4 19.'lWhS tDxd6 20.dxe6
'lWb6 21..ibS!! 'lWxd4 22.'lWh6+ @g8
(22 ... @e723.'lWf6#) 23.'lWxgS+ @f8
24.e7+ @f7 2S.'lWf6+ @g8 26.'lWf8#;
6 ... dS 7.exdS exdS 8 ..ie2 .ig4
9.0-0 tDf6 1O.)ga4 as!? (1O ... .id6?
11..ixf6+-; 10 ... tDc6?! 11.)gxb4
tDxb412 ..ia3 as 13.c3+-; 1O ... hf3
1l ..ixf3 tDc612.)gxb4 tDxb413 ..ia3
as 14.c3+-; 1l ... .id6 12 ..ixf6 'lWxf6
13.tDc3 tDc614.tDxdS ~eS1S.g3 g6
16.tDb6) 1l ..ixf6 'lWxf6 12.c3 bS

(12 ... ~xf3 13.~xf3 bS 14.~xdS)
13.~xbS ~f314.1/,\[xf31/,\[xf31S.gxf3
~d6 16J~d4. The basic defect of
the S... 'tt>f8 move is that it is much
easier to play with White after it,
contrary to the other available de-
fence of the g7-pawn.
bl} 5 ... ~f8
This move is solid but still too
cautious. White preserves a long
lasting initiative after it.
White's strongest move 6.
:ga3!! will be dealt with in the line
ble}. Meanwhile we will have to
convince you that the other more
natural moves - bla} 6.ltJa3 and
blb} 6.ltJf3 - are not promising
White much.
bla} 6.ltJa3
This is an enterprising move.
White plans to follow with - 7.
ltJbS, and later to penetrate with
this knight to d6 or to c7 just in
case.
6 ... ltJe6
6 ... dS!? It is quite possible that
is Black's most direct road to
equality. 7.ltJbS ttJc6 8.exdS exdS
9.'1Wf3~.
7.ttJb5 ttJf6 8.e5 ltJd5 9.e4
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
ltJb6
lO.:ga3!
This transfer of the white
queen - rook to the kingside is so
very typical for the variation we
are dealing with. Black must be
very careful otherwise he might get
crushed quickly.
lO ... a6
Black forces White to check on
d6 and facilitates his defence like
that. There are no checkmating
threats yet after all!
White's rook is untouchable:
1O ... ~xa3? 11.~xa3+-, and the
check on d6 will be deadly for
Black.
After 1O ... ~e7White's attack is
again too powerful: 11.~g3 0-0
12.~d3! g613.~hS ~e814.ltJf3 ~f8
(White's attacking formation is
simply ideal and it is time for de-
cisive actions.) 1S.ttJgS!! gxhS
16.ttJxe6+ 'tt>h8 (16 ... ~g717.~xg7+
'tt>h8 18.~xh7+ 'tt>g8 19.ttJxd8+-)
17.ttJxd8 ttJxd8 18.e6+ ~g7 19.
~g7+ 'tt>g8 20.~eS+ ~f8 21.~d6+
:ge7 22.~xh7 fxe6 23.!tJc7+-.
l1.ltJd6+ hd612.exd6 0-0
l3.:gh3 e5l4.~h5 h6
(diagram)
15.f4 :ge8! (Black loses imme-
Chapter 11
diately after the too naive: 15 ...
exf4? 16 ..ixg7! E1eS+ 17 ..ie2 E1e6
IS ..ixh6 ~f619 ..ixf4+-; 16 ... @xg7
17.~xh6+ @gSIS.~hS#) 16.fxe5
llJa4 17 ..ial \Wb6 18.E1e3 \Wb1+
19.~dl \Wxd1+ 20.@xdl;!;;.
bIb) 6.llJf3
White simply continues with
his development and that is easily
understandable, because Black
has lost a couple of tempi for
bishop moves in order to capture
a pawn .ixb4-.ifS. It seems now
that White will get easily a deci-
sive attack, but that is far from
clear. Black's position is solid and
his loss of time might not be so fa-
tal after all.
We will analyse now blbl)
6 ... d5 and blb2) 6 ... a6!?
White's task is much easier af-
ter thp rp~t nfthp mnvp~'
6 ... ~b6? (This move is a mis-
take and can only be profitable
if the opponent is careless.) 7.
.id4! ~c6 (The natural defence
of the queen with tempo is im-
possible: 7 ... .icS?? S ..ixg7 .ixf2
9.@e2+-) S.ttJc3 b6 9.ttJeS ~b7
1O.~hS! (This move is very dan-
gerous for Black and I failed to find
a satisfactory defence for him. It
is weaker for White to play 10.
ttJxf7? This beautiful move cannot
provide White with anything bet-
ter than a perpetual. 10 ... @xf7
11.~hS+ g6? 12.~f3+ @eS 13 .
.ixhS+-; 11 ... @e7 12.~gS+ @eS?
13 ..ixg7+-; 12 ... @f7 13.~hS=)
10 ... ttJh6 (l0 ... d6?! 11..ibS+-;
1O ... g6 11.~f3 f6 12.ttJc4 ttJc6 13 .
.ixf6 ttJxf6 14.~xf6 E1gS IS.ttJbS
~bS 16.eS dS 17.ttJcd6+ .ixd6
IS.ttJxd6+ @d7 19.~f7+ ttJe7 20 .
.ibS+ @dS 21..ic6+-. It is also
good for White to play Il.ttJxg6
fxg6 12.~f3 ttJf6 13 ..ixf6 E1gS 14 .
.ie2) Il.ttJc4! vtfc6 (ll. .. E1gS 12.
ttJbS ~xe4+ 13 ..ie2 @e7 14.ttJcd6
~xc2 IS ..ie3 g6 16.~f3 ttJc6 17.
.igS+ f6 IS.~xf6#) 12 ..ie3 g6 13.
~eS E1gS14.li:JbS ttJg41S.ttJc7+@dS
16 ..igS+ f6 (16 ... .ie7 17 ..ixe7+
@xe7 IS.~g3 ~xe4+ 19 ..ie2 ttJf6
20.~d6+ @dS 21.ttJeS .ia6 22.
ttJxf7 + @cS 23.ttJxa6+-) 17.hf6+
ttJxf61S.ttJxaS+-;
6 ... ttJe7 (This move looks a bit
ugly and White can exploit its
drawbacks.) 7.ttJa3 ttJbc6 S.ttJbS
ttJg6 (S ... dS 9 ..id3 ttJg6 10.0-0
ttJf4?! 11.ttJeS aSI2.~f3 f613.~xf4
fxeS 14 ..ixeS ttJxeS 15. ~xeS+-)
Q.h4' (Whitp p-np~ ~ftpr thp knip-ht

on g6 quite habitually.) 9 ... d5
1O.h5 <1:Jf4 11.h6! (White destroys
Black's kingside in that fashion.)
11...Ei:g8 12.hxg7 ~xg7 13.e5 h6
14.<1:Jd6+ mf81S.d4 Ei:h816.<1:Jd2 f5
17.'Wf3 <1:Jg6 18.c4 dxc4 19.~xc4;
6 ... d6 7.<1:Ja3! (White develops
his knight in that original way in
order to follow favourably with
ctJc4 or <1:JbS.) 6 .. ,<1:Jf6 8.~d3! ctJc6
9.0-0 ~e7 lOJ':\e1 0-0 11.e5 dxe5
12.ctJxe5 <1:JxeS (This exchange is
dangerous for Black, but the more
tentative move 12 ... ~d7, leads af-
ter 13.Ei:e3! to a position in which
Black fails to neutralize the activ-
ity of the rook: 13 ... CUxe5 14.~xe5
g61S.'Wf3 ~c616.'Wf4 cud717.'Wh6
cuxe5 18.Ei:h3+- or 13 ... ~c5 14.
<1:Jxd7! <1:Jxd7 15.~xh7+ mxh7 16.
'Wh5+ mg8 17.~xg7 f5 18.~h6+-)
13.Ei:xeS ~d714.Ei:g5 8:e815.<1:Jc4 b5
16.<1:Je5 g6 17.'Wf3 a6 18.'Wg3 <1:Jd5
19.Ei:h5 ~d6 20.8:xh7 'Wf6 21.Ei:xf7
'Wxf7 22.~xg6 'Wg7 23.~f7+ mh7
24.'Wd3+ mh6 25.'Wh3+ mg5 26.
cuf3+ mf4 27.~xg7+-.
blbl) 6 ... d5
This is the most principled
move and it is quite likely to be
played too. White must play very
resolutely now!
1.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.M cb 4.ab
7.exd5!
The reader should get used to
the idea that White must open the
position in order to exploit his lead
in development.
7 .. 'Wxd5
After 7 ... exdS White opens the
e-file and that provides him with
additional attacking possibilities.
8.~b5+. Black's defence is very dif-
ficult irrelevant of how he is going
to counter that check:
8 ... <1:Jc6 9.0-0 ~e61O.8:e1 cugc7
1l.<1:Jg5. White is attacking the e6-
square from different sides and
Black gets crushed very quickly.
11...~f5 (After the seemingly reli-
able 11...'Wd7 White wins with the
beautiful tactical strike 12.8:xe6!!
fxe6 13.'Wh5+ g6 14.'Wf3+-; 13 ...
<1:Jg614.~d3 <1:Jce715.<1:Jxh7 mf716.
~xg6+ ctJxg6 17.<1:Jg5+ mg8 18.
'Wxg6+-) 12.'Wf3 ~g6. White can
now create dangerous threats in
two different ways: 13.c4! a6
14.cxd5 axbS (14 ... 'Wxd5? 15.
'WxdS+-) lS.dxc6 Ei:xa1 16.~xa1
bxc6 17.Wifxc6+ \Wd718. Wifa8+ \Wd8
19.\Wb7 \Wd7 20.\Wb8+ \Wd8 21.
\WxbS+ \Wd7 22.\Wb8+ 'Wd8 23.
\WeS+- or 13.<1:Jc3! h6 14.cuxd5!
hxg5 lS.~xc6+ bxc6 16.ctJf6+ gxf6
17.\Wxc6+ Wifd7 18.Wifxa8+ 'Wd8
19.Ei:xa7 'Wxa8 20.Ei:xa8+ md7 2l.
~xf6 Ei:hS 22.Ei:xf8+-;
8 ... ~d7 9.Wife2+ Wife7 (9 ... <1:Je7
1O.<1:Jc3 ~c6 11.<1:Jd4 a6 12.0-0
\Wd7 13. Ei:fel) 1O.ctJe5! (Natu-
rally White shoid avoid trading
queens!) 1O ... a6 11.ctJc3 cuf6 12.
0-0 md8 13.Ei:fe1 ~xb5 14.<1:Jxb5
<1:Jbd7 15.Wiff3 <1:JxeS 16.Ei:xeS \Wb4
Chapter 11
(16 ... WI'c5 17J~f5 Wl'xb5 1S.~xf6+
gxf619.Elxd5+-; 1S ... i>c719.Elxd5
Wl'c6 20.~e5+ i>cS 21.WI'xf7+-) 17.
Elxd5+ <1:lxd5 1S.WI'xd5+ i>cS 19.
Wl'f5+ i>dS (19 ... i>bS 20.~e5+-)
20.~d4! (This is the quickest so-
lution of the problem. White forces
the transition to a winning end-
game.) 20 ... WI'xb5 21.WI'xb5 axb5
22.ElxaS+ i>d7 23.~c5 ~xc5 24.
ElxhS+-.
S.<1:lc3 Wl'dS
This is Black's best square to
place the queen. It can easily be
attacked after a retreat to any
other square by the super active
white pieces.
9.lLlbS lLlc6
9 ... <1:la6?! This idea is definitely
anti-positional, because that
knight might remain outside of the
actions for a long time there.
1O.~e5 f6 11.~g3 e5 12.d4 ~g4
13.~d3 exd4 14.0-0 ~c5 15.h3
~xf3 16.WI'xf3+-.
10.lLleSlLlf611.WI'f3
White's play is rather simple -
he is trying to attack something
with his every move! Now for ex-
ample he is eyeing the c6-square.
11 ~b4
Black is threatening to check-
mate in one. White copes with this
mini-problem easily and contin-
ues with his assault.
11 ... ~d7 - this move is solid but
not very active. White exploits the
weakness of the d6-square imme-
diately: 12.<1:lc4! <1:lb4 (The humble
retreat of the bishop 12 ... ~cS?! sets
Black on the brink of imminent
disaster: 13.WI'g3! White's threatto
check from the c7-square leaves
Black with no choice. His king now
must take care of its defence im-
mediately: 13 ... i>d714.<1:le5+ <1:lxe5
15.~xe5. White's knight is again
threatening to go to c7. 15 ... <1:ld5
16.c4 f6 17.~d6+-; 16 ... <1:lb4 17.
<1:lc7! ElbS 1S.c5! White's threats
are much more dangerous than
Black's pathetic attempt to coun-
terattack with the solitary knight.
1S ... <1:lc2+ 19.i>d1 <1:lxal White does
not mind losing his rook, because
he is capturing the enemy queen
instead. 20.~b5+ i>e7 21.~d6+
i>f6 22.<1:leS+ i>f5 23.~d3#; 22 ...
Wl'xeS 23.WI'f4+ i>g6 24.~xeS h5
25.~xf7+ i>h7 26.WI'e4+ g6 27.
Wl'xg6#; 24 ... i>h5 25.~xf7+ g6
26.h4+-) 13.<1:lbd6+! hd6! This is
Black's best defence. White has a
strong attack indeed, but Black
preserves some chances of sur-
vival. (13 ... i>e7 14.~xf6+ gxf6
15.WI'h5 ~eS 16.WI'c5 <1:lc6 17.Elxa7
<1:lxa7 1S.<1:lcS+ i>d7 19.<1:lSb6+-;
17 ... Elxa7 lS.<1:lb5+ i>d7 19.<1:lb6+
Wl'xb6 20.WI'xb6 Ela1+ 21.i>e2+-. In
case of 16 ... <1:lxc2+ 17.i>d1 <1:lxa1
1S.<1:lxb7+ i>d7 White weaves a
strikingly beautiful checkmating

net: 19.1i:JeS+ fxeS 20.tibS#) 14.
ttJxd6+ rJ:Je7 1S.'Wb3 as 16.tia3
rJ:Jxd6 17.c3!? This move shows
that White is not satisfied with a
draw! It is hardly risky because
Black's defence remains very dif-
ficult. (Meanwhile the move 17.
tixb4+ leads only to a draw by a
perpetual: 17... axb41S.'Wxb4+ rJ:Jc7
19.'Wf4+ rJ:Jb6 20.'Wd6+ ~c6 2l.
Elb1+ rJ:Ja7 22.'WcS+ rJ:JbS 23.'Wxc6
'Wd7:t; 19 ... rJ:Jc6 20.'Wc4=) 17 ... tic6
1S.cxb4 rJ:Jd719.tie2~. Black's king
is far from finding a safe haven and
White hopes to create dangerous
threats quite justifiably.
12.~d3
You see now how easy it is!
White has played a move and has
done everything necessary with it
- he has defended against the
checkmate, he has developed a
piece and he is ready to castle ...
What about the black bishop on
b4? It is doing what there?
12 ... 0-0
After that move White captures
his pawn back and obtains long-
lasting positional advantage in a
calm and completely safe position.
Black could have defended his
knight with 12 ... tid7 13.0-0 a6
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
(13 ... 0-0 14.ttJxd7 EL:lxd71S.cuxa7!
This surprising tactical strike is
based on the motive of a double
attack. 1S .. J'1xa7 16J'1xa7 cuxa7
17.'We4. Black is now forced to give
up his bishop because of the check-
mating threat. 17 ... g6 1S.'Wxb4;
14 ... 'Wxd7!? This move seems to be
too enterprising and risky, but it
is not bad at all! 1S.hf6 gxf6 16.
'Wxf6 'We7 17.'Wh6 fS 1S.Elfet!;) 14.
'Wg3 ttJxeS (14 ... 0-0 1S.ttJxd7'Wxd7
16.tixf6+-; 1S ... ttJhS 16.tixh7+
rJ:Jxh717.ttJxfS+ tixfS1S.'Wf3+-) 15.
tixeS hbS (15 ... 0-0 16.ttJc7 ElcS
17.'Wh4 h6 1S.'Wxb4 Elxc7 19.tixc7
'Wxc7 20.Elfel. White has excel-
lent chances to turn his extra
exchange into a full point.) 16.
tixbS+! rJ:JfS (16 ... axbS 17.ElxaS
'WxaS 1S.'@xg7 ElgS 19.'Wxf6 ~xd2
20.~g3! The position has simpli-
fied, but Black's difficulties have
only multiplied. He is just helpless
to coordinate his pieces. 20 ... 'WcS
2l.tih4 'Wd7 22.Eld1 rJ:JfS 23.'WeS
'Wc6 24.'WbS+ rJ:Jg7 2S.~f6+ rJ:Jxf6
26.'@xgS '@xc2 27.'WdS+-; 26 ... tigS
27.h4 tif4 2S.g3 tih6 29.g4+-)
17.tie2! 'Wxd21S.tif3 'Wxc219.Elfb1
tie7 20.Elxb7 ElcS 21.h3~. White's
initiative is amply compensating
the two-pawn deficit, moreover
that White will recapture the a6-
pawn quite soon. The black king
is hardly comfortable on the fS-
square.
13.cuxc6 bxc6 14.Elxa7!
White loses his edge ifhe takes
his pawn back in any other fash-
ion.
14 Elxa715.cuxa7 ~xd2+
Chapter 11
This move shows inventive-
ness, but it is still insufficient to
equalize.
16.l"t>xd2 '!Wa5+ 17.l"t>e2 '!Wxa7
18.,hf6 gxf619.'!Wxf6 '!Wa5
20.h4!
This is White's simplest way to
bring the rook into action. 20 .
'!Wd8 (20 .. J~dB?? 21.~h3+-) 21.
'!Wg5+! I"t>h8 (21...'!Wxg5 22.hxg5)
22.'!Wc5;!;. Black now fails to de-
fend reliably his king as well as the
weak c6-pawn.
blb2) 6 a6!? 21.Wxf5+-; 19... Wxe6 20.Wxb7~dB
That idea is quite interesting!
Black plays a useful move (defend-
ing the important b5-square) and
awaits White to clarify his aggres-
sive intentions.
7 .id3!?
This is probably the best square
for the white bishop, since it is eye-
ing the kingside of the opponent
quite threateningly. White's com-
pensation for the pawn was not so
convincing in the game 7.ic4 lLlf6
B.e5 lLlh5 9.0-0 lLlc6 lO.d4 Wb6
11.ic1 d5 12.id3 g6 13.c3 ieTt
Junior - crafty, ICC 1995.
7 . d6
7... d5 B.exd5 exd5 9.0-0 lLlc6
lO.~e1 + lLlge7 11.c4 ie6 12.cxd5
lLlxd5 13.ie4 lLlf6 14.hc6+ bxc6
15.lLld4; 7... lLlc6 B.O-O lLlf6 (B ...
lLlge7 9.c4 lLlg6 lO.e5 d6 11.exd6
lLlf412.ie4hd613.d4 0-0 14.~e1
id715.lLlc3 f516.ib1~) 9.e5 - see
7... lLlf6.
7... lLlf6 B.e5 lLld5 9.0-0 lLlc6
lO.ie4! That is an excellent square
for the bishop. lO ... d6 (10 ... f5
11.hd5 exd512.lLlc3 d613.~e11"t>f7
14.lLlxd5 dxe5 15.~xe5!? lLlxe5
16.lLlxe5+ I"t>gB 17.Wf3 ie6 1B.lLlf4
Wb6 19.1Llxe6 Wxb2 20.~e1 h6
21.d4; 15.lLlxe5+! This is the sim-
plest solution. 15 ... lLlxe5 16.~xe5
id6 17.Wh5+ g6 IB.We2 he5 19.
Wxe5 ~gB 20.~e1 g5 21.lLle7!+-)
11.lLla3 dxe5 12.lLlxe5 lLlxe5 13.
ixe5 id6 14.ixg7 ~gB 15 ..ixd5
~xg716.if3 Wh4 17.g3t.
8.0-0 lLlf6

9.ttJa3!
The knight is placed aggres-
sively enough at this square and it
is not hampering the activity of the
bishop on b2.
9 ... i.e710 .eS! dxeSll.ttJxeS
11 ... 0-0
Il...ltJbd712.l"1el lLlxeS 13.l"1xeS!
lLld7 (13 ... 0-0 14.l"1gS h615.l"1xg7+
~xg7 16.1!Jfg4+ ~hS 17.1!Jfe4 ~gS
IS.~xf6 1!Jfxd3! 19.1!Jfxd3 ~xf6 20.
c3) 14.l"1xe6!? (This sacrifice is
very interesting, but a bit risky too.
White gives up a piece to have a
long-lasting attack. His bravery
and enterprising playas well as his
strong will to win will be decisive
in the sharp fight that is to follow.)
14 ... fxe6! This is correct! (14 ...
lLlcS? This is exceedingly tentative
and White gets a big advantage
after that. IS.l"1e3 lLlxd3 16.l"1xd3
1!Jfc7 17.~xg7 l"1gS IS.l"1g3 ~d6 19.
lLlbs axbS 20.1!Jfe2+ ~d7 21.1!Jfg4+
~c6 22.1!Jfe4+ ~b6 23.l"1xaS+-;
IS ... 0-0 16.~xh7+ ~xh717.1!Jfh5+
~gS IS.~xg7 ~xg7 19.1"1g3+ ~f6
20.EJ:el+-; 19 ... ~g5 20.EJ:xg5+ ~f6
21.EJ:dS+-) IS.hg7 ~f6 (15 ... l"1gS??
16.1!JfhS#; IS ... ~f7 16.~c3!! This
bishop is once again stronger than
a rook as it is becoming quite ha-
1.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
bitual in this opening line! 16 ... ~f6
17.1!Jfh5+ ~fSlS.1!Jfh6+ ~e719.l"1el
1!JfgS 20.~c4 lLle5 21.l"1xe5+-; IS ...
~f7 19.EJ:el lLlfS 20.lLlc4 hc3 21.
dxc3 ~gS 22.EJ:e3 tLlg6 23.l"1g31!JffS
24.1!Jfg5; 16 ... lLlf6 17.tLlc4 EJ:fS
IS.~xh7! lLlxh7?? 19.1!Jfh5+ ~gS
20.1!Jfg6#; IS ... ~g7 19.~d3! bS
20.1!Jfg4+ ~hS 21.1!JfhS+ ~gS 22.
1!Jfg6+ ~hS 23.1!Jfh7#; 19 ... l"1hS
20.1!Jfg4+ ~fS 21.1!Jff4 b5 22.lLle5
l"1gS 23.~e4+-; IS ... l"1hS 19.1LleS+
~g7 20.~d3 ~d6 21.1!Jff3 ~xe5 22.
~xeS EJ:h6 23.g4 EJ:g6 24.h4+-; 20 ...
1!Jfd6 21.1!Jff3 EJ:hS 22.EJ:el ~gS 23.
1!Jff4 bS 24.EJ:e3 b4 2S.EJ:g3+ ~fS 26.
EJ:g6 ~eS 27.EJ:xf6 ~xf6 2S.~g6 ~e7
29.~xb4 EJ:xeS 30.~xd6+ ~xd6
31.d4+-) 16.1!JfhS+ ~e7 17.~xhS
1!JfxhS (17 ... ~xhS IS.1!Jfxh7+ ~f6??
19.1!Jfh4+-; IS ... ~d6 19.1"1bl ~c7
20.lLlc4 bS 21.lLlaS eS 22.c4 bxc4
23.1!Jfe4+-; 19 ... bS 20.~xbS axb5
21.tLlxb5+ ~c5 22.1!JfhS+ e5 23.d4+
~b6 24.~f7 exd4 2S.~e6+ ~a5
26.lLlc3+-) IS.c3! lLleS (IS ... lLlfS
19.1Llc4 ~d7 20.~c5+ ~f7 21.~e4
~g7 22.~xb7 EJ:dS 23.d4;::) 19.~e4
l"1bS 20.f4lLlc6 (20 ... lLlg6 21.1!JfcS+
~d7 22.lLlc4 1!JffS 23.~a7 ~c7 24.
EJ:xa6 ~e7 2SJ'k6+ ~dS 26.1!JfxbS
bxc6 27.1!Jfb6+ ~d7?? 2S.~xc6#;
27 ... ~eS 2S.1!Jfc7 ~d7 29.~xg6+
hxg6 30.lLleS ~cS+ 31.d4+-; 20 ...
lLld7 21.lLlc2 bS 22.EJ:el ~d6 23.
d4 ~b7 24.~xb7 EJ:xb7 2S.1!Jff7~)
21.lLlc4 i.d7 22.1!JfcS+ <j;>f7 23.lLld6+
~g7 24.1!Jfh5 lLldS 2S.EJ:fl ~c6 26.
l"1f3 ~xe4 27.tLlxe4 ~f8 (27 ... 1!JffS
2S.l"1h3+-) 2S.EJ:g3 fie7 29.lLlcS!
~d6 (29 ... ~xcS+ 30.~xcS+ ~eS
31.1!Jfc7 l"1aS 32.l"1g7+-) 30.l"1d3!
Chapter 11
(30.ct'ld7+ We7 31.ct'lxbS ~xb8oo)
30 ... ~xcS+ 31.WxcS+ WeS 32.Wc7
E1aS 33.Wd7+ WfS 34.WxdS+ E1xdS
3S.E1xdS+ Wg7 36.E1xhS WxhS
37.Wf2 as 3S.We2 a4 39.Wd3+-.
12.~f3 tLlbd713J:1fe1 tLlxeS
14 J:1xeS!
White should capture on eS
with the rook, because it it tre-
mendously active there. 14 ...
~d7 (14 ... ct'ld7 1S.~xh7+ Wxh7
16:~h3+ WgS 17.E1hS fS 1S.E1hS+
Wf7 19.~hS+ g6 20.~h7+ WeS
21.~xg6#; 17 ... f6 18.E1hS+ Wf7
19.~hS+ g6 20.~h7+ WeS 21.
~xg6#) lS.~h3 h616.E1gS!! Wh8
(16 ... hxgS 17.~xf6+-) 17.E1xg7
r;t>xg7 18.~g4+ Wh8 19.~xf6
M620.~e4+-.
b1e) 6.ga3!!
This move is the oroduct of my
latest analyses and it is the essen-
tial motive on which White bases
his initiative.
We will deal now with: b1e1)
6 ... ~xa3?!, b1e2) 6 ... tLlf6,
b1e3) 6 ... d6 and b1e4) 6 ... dS.
b1e1) 6 ... ha3?!
White's problems are not so
great after that move. He recap-
tures his pawn with an edge after
it.
7.hg7 ~b2
After 7... ct'lf6 S.hhS ~d6 Black
has no time to capture the e4-
pawn, because of his defenceless
bishop on a3. 9.ct'lc3.
8.hb2f6
Black's extra exchange is im-
material, since his king is in a pre-
carious situation. Black loses
plenty of material after 8 ... ct'lf6?
9.~f3+-.
9.~hS+ Wf810.eS! ~6 11.
.ia3+ Wg7
12.tLle3!
Black's pieces are helpless to
defend the king. White wins rather
quickly.
12 .. :~d413.tLlf3 ~f414.tLlbS
tLle6 lS.tLld6 tLlh6 16.g3 ~g4
17.exf6+ Wxf6 18. ~xh6+-.

blc2) 6 ... tLlf6
7.eS! ha3
Capturing the exchange is of
course the most principled deci-
sion.
7 ... ttJdS - it is possible that
move to be too humble! Now
White also has a powerful initia-
tive, but "only" for a pawn. B.E'i:g3
g6. Black hopes to defend the vul-
nerable g7-square in that fashion.
(It was also possible to try to de-
flect White from the kingside by
attacking the bishop on b2 with -
B... V9b6 9.E'i:b3 V9c7 10.c4 ttJb6
1l.E'i:g3 dS. It is well known that
attacks on the side should better
be countered with actions in the
centre. However Black cannot de-
fend his position successfully even
after following that ancient and
wise rule. 12.exd6 hd6 13.i.xg7
i.xg3 14.hxg3!? White sacrifices
the exchange and continues to
fight for the advantage in the
opening. 14 ... E'i:gB. This is an inter-
esting position and I prefer to play
it with White! IS.i.b2~. In case
White wants to play safer and he
is content with an approximately
equal position he should better
follow with 14.i.xhB i.eS IS.V9g4
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
mfB! =) 9.h4! It turns out now that
the delay of White's castling has
some advantages too! The rook on
hI influences the developments on
the board without having played a
single move of its own. 9 ... i.g7
10.hS d6 l1.hxg6 fxg6 12.V9g4!
(White is now threatening to cap-
ture on h7.) 12 ... tLle713.i.bS+ i.d7
14.exd6 i.xb2 IS.dxe7 Vkfxe7 16.
hd7+ V9xd717.E'i:d3! White's rooks
are just unbelievably active! 17...
Vkfe7 (17 ... V9c6 IB.E'i:xh7 E'i:xh7 19.
Vkfxg6 E'i:f7 20.E'i:f3 V9xf3 21.ttJxf3+-)
IB.E'i:e3 mf719.c3 ttJd7 20.ttJh3.
S.ha3 tLldS 9.Vkfg4
White should not be in a hurry
to attack the knight! In case of
9.c4? ttJe7!-+, Black manages to
castle and his great material ad-
vantage will soon decide the issue.
9 ... g6
9 ... V9b6 - this counterstrike
leads to really wild positions in
which Black wins plenty of mate-
rial, but White is trying to check-
mate instead. 10 JWxg7! (White
does not have much of a choice
here, but I still put an exclamation
mark on that move. This is because
Black will again capture a lot of
material and White's king will be
forced to travel all over the board!)
1O ... V9xbl+ 11.lt>e2 tLlf4+ 12.mf3
ttJg6 (Otherwise Black will not be
able to defend against the check-
mating capture on hB. White's at-
tack continues, though ... !) 13.i.d3!
(White is threatening to capture
on g6 and then on hB.) 13 ... V9dl+
(13 .. .fS 14.exf6 ttJeS+ IS.lt>g3 ttJf7
16.ttJf3 V9a217.ttJgS 'Mfxa31B.'Mfxf7+
Chapter 11
WdSI9.'iWg7 ~eS 20.f7 ~fS 21.CI:lxh7
~xf7 22.'iWxf7+-. White's positional
and material advantage is abso-
lutelydecisive.13 ... CI:lxe5+ 14.We2
d6 15.CI:lf3!! White can afford not
to pay attention to the helpless
black rook! Instead of capturing it
he is sacrificing his other rook in
order to checkmate. He is left with
too few pieces, but they prove to
be good enough! 15 ... 'iWxhl 16.
CI:lxe5 dxe517.'iWf6!! Black's couple
of extra rooks is immaterial. 17.. .
wd7 1S.'iWe7+ Wc6 19.'iWd6#; 17 .. .
CI:lc61S.ib5+-, and the checkmate
on e7 is unavoidable.) 14.CI:le2!
(The rook on hI is not important!)
14 ... 'iWxhI15.ixg6 d6 (Otherwise
White captures on hS with a deci-
sive effect or simply checkmates
on the e7-square. He is winning
now easily too.) 16.'iWxf7+ wdS
17.ixd6+-.
10.c4
Now after Black's position has
been weakened with the move g7-
g6, this move is very good. It is
important that the black king
would not be safe even after cas-
tling!
10 . ttJe7
1O ... 'iWb6 - this counterstrike is
not solving Black's problems ei-
ther. 11.'iWdl! (White can now af-
ford this temporary retreat. His
queen has done its deed and it is
high time that the knight on bl
showed what it is capable of!)
11 ... CI:lb412.CI:lc3 0-0 13.CI:le4~.
1O .. .f5 (This is an interesting
idea, because now Black has more
space for his pieces. On the other
hand it is also easier for White to
attack the enemy king.) 11.exf6!
CI:lxf6 12.'iWg3 d5 13.CI:lc3 a6 (this is
not to let the white knight to the
b5-square) 14.id3! 'iWa5 (14 ... Wf7
15.CI:lh3 CI:lc6 16.0-0 ~eS 17.CI:lg5+
Wg71S.CI:lxh7! The idea of this sac-
rifice is definitely not just a draw
by a perpetual! IS ... Wxh7 19.
'iWxg6+ WhS 20.~e1!! Black has a
whole extra rook, but he is totally
helpless! 20 ... d4 21.CI:ld5 exd5
22.~xeS+ 'iWxeS 23.'iWxf6+ WgS
24.'iWg5+ WhS 25.'iWh6+ WgS 26.
'iWh7#) 15.ixg6+ WdS 16.'iWd6+
CI:lbd7 17.if7 'iWb6 1S.'iWe7+ Wc7
19.i.xe6 d4 (19 ... ~eS 20.'iWxeS
CI:lxeS 21.CI:lxd5+-) 20.ixd7 ixd7
21.CI:ld5+ CI:lxd5 22.'iWe5+ wdS 23.
'iWxhS+ ieS 24.cxd5'iWb1 + 25. We2
'iWe4+ 26.Wd1'iWxg2 27.'iWf6+ WcS
2S.'iWfS 'iWfl+ 29.Wc2 'iWc4+ 30.
Wb2+-.
1l.ttJc3 'iWa5 12.ttJb5 ttJf5 13.
id3!
White attacks the black knight
on f5, because it defends the criti-
cal d6-square.
13 a6 14.ttJd6+ ttJxd6 15.
ixd6 ~a1+ 16.We2 ttJc6
You might think that White's
attack has temporarily subsided,

but ...
17.lLlf3!!
This striking sacrifice of
White's last rook emphasizes the
huge hidden potential of White's
position. 17...11t1xh118.i.e4! (It is
hard to believe, but Black is totally
helpless against the checkmating
attack despite his tremendous
material advantage.) 18 ... ~c1
(18 ... h619.Wif4 fS 20.exf6 'i!?f7 21.
i.xc6 Wia1 22.i.eS Wia2 23.i.c3+-;
18 ... fS19.exf6ltJd8 20.i.xg6+ hxg6
21.11t1xg6+ ltJf7 22.ltJeS l'!f8 23.
Wig7+-; 19 ... ltJd4+ 20.ltJxd4 Wic1
21.f7 + 'i!?xf7 22.Wif4+ 'i!?g7 23.i.eS+
'i!?g8 24.Wif6 Wixc4+ 2S.'i!?f3+-) 19.
i.xc6 dxc6 20.~g5 Wixc4 21.d3
11t1c2+ 23.lLld2+-.
b1c3) 6 ... d6
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.M cb 4.ab
White's attacking formation is
absolutely unusual for the Sicilian
Defence! The energy of White's
pieces is just overwhelming.
9 ... i.d7 10.i.d3 lLlc6 1l.lLlf3
ltJb412.0-0
White has completed his devel-
opment, while Black cannot even
dream about that.
12 ... lLlxd3
12 ... i.c6 13.ltJds ltJfxdS (13 ...
exdS14.i.xf6 gxf61S.Wixf6 dxe416.
WixhS 0-0-0 17.l'!b1 WicS 1S.l'!gS fS
19.1'!gS dS 20.ltJd4 exd3 21.c3+-)
14.exdSltJxd3 1S.i.xg7ltJf4 16.l'!e1
i.xg717.Wixg7 0-0-0 18.dxc6 bxc6
19.Wixf7l'!df820.Wie7.
13.cxd3
13 ... lLlh5
13 ... l'!g8 14.l'!b1 i.e7 1S.d4 i.c6
16.dS exdS 17.exdS ltJxdS 18.ltJxdS
i.xdS 19.i.xg7 Wia6 20.~d4 Wic6
21.Wie3 'i!?d7 (21...i.xf3 22.i.f6+-;
21...i.e4 22.ltJd4 WidS 23.d3 i.g6
24.i.f6+-) 22.ltJd4 ~c4 23.Wif4
l'!acS 24.l'!c3 Wia6 2S. ~fS+ i.e6
26.ltJxe6 fxe6 27.~xh7 l'!xc3 28.
i.xc3 l'!f8 29.i.d4 l'!f4 30.i.e3 l'!h4
31.Wig7l'!hS 32.h4 ~c6 33.i.gS+-.
14.l'!g5 lLlf4 15.lLla4 i.xa4
16.Wixa4+ Wic617.~b3 e5
17 ... Wib618.l'!bS.
Chapter 11
18.~f5f6
19.d4!
This tactical strike destroys
Black in the centre! It is very beau-
tiful because of the unusual place-
ment of the white rook on f5 in
front of all white pawns. 19 ...
ttJe2+ (19 ... ~xe4 20.~xf4 ~xf4
21.~b5+ ~f7 22.dxe5 fxe5 23.
~d5+ ~f6 24.d4 e4 25.~c1 ~g4 26.
~g5+ ~g6 27.ttJh4+ ~h5 2S.~e3+
g5 29.~f7+ ~xh4 30.f3+- with a
quick checkmate.) 20.~h1 ~xe4
21.~e6+ ~d8 (21...~e7 22.dxe5
~dS 23.d3 ~xd3 24.exf6 ~xf6 25.
CLld4!! CLlxd4 26.~xd6+ ~eS 27.
~el+ ~f7 2S.~e7+ ~g6 29.~xg7+
~xf5 30.~d5+ ~e5 31.g4+ ~f4
32.~cl+-; 31...~f6 32.~f7#) 22.
dxe5 ~c8 23.~xf6 gxf6 24.
~xf6+ ~d7 25.~xh8 ~g6 26.
e6+ ~c7 27.~e1 ~xe6 (27 ... CLlf4?
2S.~cl+ ~b6 29.~d4+ ~c5 30.
~xf4+-) 28.~d4! ~b8 29.~e3.
b1c4) 6 ... d5
(diagram)
7.~g3!?
White attacks the g7-square
outright.
7.exd5 is probably as good as
the rook move: 7 ... ~xd5 (7 ... exd5
S.~e3+ ~e6 9.CLle2, and Black
must worry about the vulnerable
e6-square in addition to his other
problems.) White resorts now to a
quite non-standard attacking for-
mation: S.~g3 CLlf6 9.CLlc3 ~dS
1O.~al! All white pieces are con-
centrated against the g7-square.
10 ... CLlc6 11.~b5 ~d7 12.CLlf3.
7 ... ttJf6
This calm developing move
shows that Black is reluctant to
enter sharp complications. He can
hardly live so peacefully in this
position though, because of the
permanent tension around the
critical g7-square.
7 ... dxe4 S.~xg7! (Naturally
White should avoid exchanging
the bishops! The difference in the
activity between ~b2 and ifS is
too great to even compare!)
S ... CLlf6 (S ... ixg7? 9.ixg7+-) 9.~g3
id6 1O.CLla3!! (This elegant posi-
tional sacrifice enables White to
preserve a powerful initiative.)
1O ... ixg3 11.hxg3 (Black has an
extra exchange but his position is
very difficult. White is totally
dominant on the dark squares all
over the whole board! The h-file
has been opened and that is one
more reason for Black to worry

about.) 11...tt:lbd7 12.~al 'tt>f8
13.tt:lh3 (This developing move
looks a bit strange, does it not?
The situation is too far from being
standard either! White should play
moves corresponding to the spirit
of the position.) 13 ... l'%g814.tt:lc4 b6
15.tt:lf4l'%g516.Elh6 'tt>g717.l'%h5 Elg6
18.tt:lxg6 hxg619.Elh4, and White
remains with a clear advantage
after he regains his sacrificed ma-
terial.
8.exd5exd5
8 ... tt:lxd5 9.tt:lh3! (White must
develop his knight exactly to this
square. This prevents the black
knight from disrupting White's
attacking plans with a move like
tt:lf4. Secondly the white queen can
go to g4 or h5 at an opportune
moment.) 9 .. :~c7 10 ..id3 tt:lc6 II.
0-0 .id7 12 ..ixg7 .ixg7 13.Elxg7.
9 .ib5+
White remains with a great ad-
vantage no matter how Black in-
terposes against that bishop check.
9 ....id7
9 ... tt:lc61O.c4! Black's set-up in
the centre is quite reliable and
therefore White is trying to de-
stroy it. 1O ... Ne4 (Black's knight is
unstable here, but he probably has
no better alternative at that mo-
ment!) 1l.'lWe2 ~e7 (1l ....ie612.Ele3
.ic5 13.cxd5 he3 14.dxc6 .ixf2+
15.'tt>fl 0-0 16.'lWxe4 bxc6 17 ..id3
g618.'tt>xf2 .if519.'lWe5 f6 20 ..ic4+
'tt>g7 2I.'lWd4 hb122.tt:lf3) 12.Ele3
'lWb4 (12 ... .ie6 13.cxd5 .ixd5 14.
tt:lc3+-) 13.cxd5 'lWxb2 14.Elxe4+
'tt>d8 15.tt:lc3 and White preserves
dangerous threats.
I.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
10.'lWe2+ .ie711.Elxg7
White here has another possi-
bility which is not so clear, but it
still deserves further testing:
lI..ixf6 gxf6 12.tt:lc3 a6 13.hd7+
'lWxd7 14.Eld3 d4 15.tt:le4 'tt>f8.
White definitely has some com-
pensation for the pawn, but I am
afraid to say that he is better. ..
1l ... 'tt>f8 12.gg3 .ixb5 13.
'lWxb5'IWb6
14"~xb6 axb6 15.gb3t
It is much more enjoyable to
play that position with White,
since the pawn structure is
favourable for him and his pieces
are much more active than their
black counterparts.
Conclusion
The retreat with the bishop 5 ... .if8
leaves Black with the necessity to
solve numerous problems after
the sharpest and most dangerous
move 6.ga3!! Unfortunately the
whole line has not been tested in
practice yet, but I hope that to be
only temporary. The arising po-
sitions are so interesting that I
believe they are going to attract
players ofquite different strength
really soon!
Chapter 11
b2) 5 ... ttlf6
6.e5 ttld5
6 ... CUgS - seems to be too pas-
sive but White still needs to play
inventively. 7.Wifg4 ~fS S.~a3 Wifc7
9.cuf3 Wifxc2 1O.cuc3 cuc6 11.~xfS
~xf812.~b5 f613.hc6 dxc614.0-
o Wifg6 15. Wifd4;!:;. White's compen-
sation for the two pawns is quite
sufficient due to his strong initia-
tive along the dark squares. It is
not easy for Black to complete his
development too.
Black's attempt to confuse the
opponent with the non-standard
move 6 ... Wifb6 is refuted in the fol-
lowing fashion: 7.exf6 ~c5 S.~c3!
~xf2+ 9.~e2 ~xgllO.d4 Wifb5+
11.Wifd3.
7.c4
Black's knight now has four
possible retreats!
b2a) 7 ... lDf4 S.h4!
This unusual move prepares
some future operations on the
kingside for White. The black
knight on f4 is quite unstable and
that only facilitates White's initia-
tive.
S ... h5
Black prevents the advance of
White's pawn "physically". He is
weakening his position a lot with
this move though and now even his
castling short becomes problem-
atic.
Meanwhile castling S... O-O?! is
quite dubious on move S as well:
White plays 9.Wifg4 and starts at-
tacking: 9 ... cug61O.h5 CUe711.~d3
Wifb6 (11 ... h6 12.Wife4 cuf5 13.g4+-)
12.h6 g6 13.Wiff4 cuf5 14.g4 ~e7
(Black cannot defend his knight,
so the counterattack against the
bishop on b2 is his best bet.) 15.
~c3 cuh4 16.E1xh4! (This refutes
Black's idea altogether.) 16 ... hh4
17.g5 (Black's bishop on h4 has
been trapped.) 17... Wifxf2+ IS.Wifxf2
~xf2+ 19.~xf2 cuc6 (White's posi-
tional advantage is decisive de-
spite the material deficit.) 20.
CUa3+-.
9.lDc3 d5
This move prevents the white
knight from going to d6 (via the e4
or b5-squares), but the white
bishop on b2 is becoming very
powerful. It will be enjoying its
long-range scope of action!
10 .exd6 ~xd6 1l.lDb5 Wifc5
12.i.d4 ~c6
Black's defence is really diffi-
cult, trying to protect the c7-
square against the invasion of the
white knight.
13.Wiff3!
This exchange offer is very
strong and timely too.
13 . lDg6 14.~xc6+ lDxc6
15.hg7! E1gS

16 ..if6!
White did not need to check
from the c7-square on moves 15
and 16, because his dark-squared
bishop was too valueable. He
would not give it even for a rook.
Meanwhile now the check on c7 is
already a threat and Black is
forced to play an awkward king
move.
16 ... 'it>d7 17.~e2 e5 18.
~ec3.
b2b) 7 ... ~c7
8.!la3!!
The same idea will also be ef-
fective after the retreat of the
knight to b6.
8 ... 0-0
It is too dangerous for Black to
accept the exchange sacrifice:
8 ... .ixa3 9 ..ixa3 'Llc6 (9 ... 1Wh4 -
this attempt to counterattack is
l.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
too premature. In fact Black can-
not create any dangerous threats
with his queen only, since the
knight on c7 is out of play! 1O.tLlc3
tLlc6 1l.tLlf3 1Wf4 12.g3 1Wf5 13.d4
b6? 14.tLlh4+- and the black queen
gets trapped. 13 ... 1Wg4 14.h3 1Wh5
15.'Lle4 d516.'Lld6+ 'it>d717.g4 1Wg6
18 ..id3 f5 19.9xf5 1Wh6 20.cxd5
exd5 21.tLlf7+-; 9 ... d5!? This is an
interesting trick! Black permits
White to capture en passant and
with a tempo at that, but all this is
very unfavourable for White:
1O.exd6? 'Llca6-+. It is worth try-
ing for him instead: 10.'Llc3!?
1O.1Wg4! g6 Il.tLlc3 h5 12.1Wg3 g5
13.'Llf3 h4 14.1Wg4 tLlc6 15 ..id6 b6
16.tLlxg5 f5 17.1Wf4 tLle7 18.tLlf3;
13 ... g414.tLld4 tLlc615.tLldb5, and
the white knight penetrates to d6
with a decisive effect.) 10.~g4
tLlxe5. Black thus manages to cap-
ture an important central pawn,
but fails to complete his develop-
ment and to bring his king to
safety. (The other possibility for
Black is also quite favourable for
White 1O ... g6 1l.tLlf3 f5!? Black's
pieces have some freedom for ac-
tion now, but his king has become
even more vulnerable. 12.exf6
1Wxf6 13.tLlc3 h5 14.1Wg3 'Lla6 15 .
.id3 Elg8 16.0-0.) 11.~xg7 tLlg6
12.tLlc3 d5 13.tLlf3 Elf8 14.tLle5 tLle7
15 ..ie2+-.
8 ... tLlc6 9.Elg3 0-0. This is a
position from the game Kroshk -
gdr, Internet 2004, in which White
played 1O.1Wg4 and won quickly.
Black could have defended better,
so I suggest another move for
Chapter 11

White 1O.~h5! (This is evidently 12.~h6 ~d713.~h3 f514.exf6 ~f7

White's most direct road to suc- 15.ixg6 ~xg616.~g3+-.
cess.) 1O .. .lzJe8 lLid3 g6 12.~h6
~e713.CUf3 .ic5 (White settles the
issue immediately with a simple
but beautiful queen-sacrifice after:
13 ... d6?! 14.exd6 ixd615.~xh7+.
This combination is so routine that
I will abstain from placing an ex-
clamation mark! 15 ... c;t>xh7 16.
~h3+ c;t>g8 17.~h8#) 14.CUg5 f5
15.exf6 cuxf6 16.CUxh7! (Strangely
enough the white rook on hI is Now White has nothing better
playing a decisive role in that com- than a combination with a tempo-
bination! It is soon going to join rary rook-sacrifice which leads to
the actions quite decisively.) 16 ... a favourable endgame for him.
ixf2+ 17.c;t>dlixg318.cuxf6+ ~xf6 lU3xg7+ c;t>xg7 12.~g4+ ~h8
19.hxg3 ~g7 20 ..ixf6 ~xf6 2l. 13.~e4 f5 14.~xe5+ ~f6 15.
~h7+ c;t>f8 22.~fl+-. ~xf6+ gxf6 16 .ix{6+ ~g8 17.
9.~g3 d6!? ie5;l;.
Black is trying to facilitate his
defence by undermining White's b2c) 7 ... cub6
e5-pawn.
9 ... c;t>h8?! This attempt to de-
fend passively is not convincing
and I think it is doomed to failure.
1O ..id3! CUe811.~g4 ~e712.~h3 g6
13.cuf3 ~g8 14.cug5 ~g7 (14 ... h5
15.~xh5+ gxh5 16.~xh5+ c;t>g7
17.~h7+ c;t>f8 18.~h6+ cug7 19.
cuh7+ c;t>e8 20.cuf6+ c;t>d8 21.CUxg8
~f8 22.cuf6+-) 15.~h6 ~f816.~h4
~g8 17.CUe4!+-. 8.ga3!!
10 .id3! dxe5 This is a fantastic resource and
The humble defensive move happens to be the only way for
10 ... g6? is evidently weaker. Black White to create a powerful attack.
can play a move like that only if If Black accepts the sacrifice his
he gets too frightened with the king will remain stranded in the
possible rook-sacrifice on g7 and centre for a long time and can
tries to prevent it at any rate. quickly get into trouble. Should
White can punish him for that Black ignore the sacrifice White's
swiftly and resolutely! 11.~h5 d5 rook becomes a formidable attack-

ing force on the kingside!
The move S.1!fig4 seems to be
attractive but Black can defend
successfully: S ... O-O 9.CLlf3 d6
(9 ... CLlc6?! 1O.id3 d5? This move
is a mistake and Black overlooks
White's only really dangerous
attacking motive - the bishop-
sacrifice on h7. 1l.ixh7+ ~xh7
12.iWh5+ ~gS 13.CLlg5 ~xg5 14.
~xg5+-; 13 ... E'i:eS 14.~xf7+ ~hS
15.~h5+ ~g8 16.~h7+ ~fS 17.
iWhS+ ~e71S.~xg7#; 9 .. .f51O.exf6
E'i:xf611.id3 CLlc612.c5 CLld513.CLlg5
h6 14.CLle4 b6 15.CLlxf6+ CLlxf6 16.
~g6 ibxc5 17.0-0 a5 lS.E'i:a4 e5
19.E'i:h4 ~h8 20.E'i:e1 ~fS 2l.E'i:xe5
ixf2+ 22.~xf2 CLlxe5 23.ixe5
CLle4+ 24.~e1 ~f2+ 25.~d1 ~gl+
26.~c2 ~c5+ 27.CLlC3 ~xe5 2S.
E'i:xe4+-; 21...CLlxe5 22.ixe5 ~gS
23.E'i:xh6 ibxf2+ 24. ~f1 ic5 25. ~e1
~e7 26.ibc4+ d5 27.ibxd5+ CLlxd5
2S.iWh7+ ~f7 29.~xg7+ ~eS 30.
~g8+ iWfS 31.~g6+ ~fl 32.E'i:hS+
~e7 33J'lh7 ibf2+ 34.~e2 ig4+
35.~f1 ~xh7 36.iWxh7+ ~e6 37.
ibg7 ibf5 38.~h6+ ~d7 39.~g5 ~e6
40.~xf2 b5 41.CLlc3 CLle7 42.CLlxb5
~d7 43.CLld4 id3 44.CLlf3+-; 9 ... d5
1O.id3 dxc411.ibc2 CLlc612.h4 ~d5
13.E'i:h3 CLld7 14.ibxh7+ ~xh7 15.
~h5+ ~gS 16.CLlg5 E'i:dS 17.1!fixfl+
~hS 18.~h5+ ~gS 19.~h7+ ~fS
20.~h8+ ~e7 21.~xg7+ ~eS 22.
~fl#; 1O ... g6 11.h4 CLlxc4 12.ixc4
h5 13.iWf4 dxc4 14. ~h6 ie71S.iba3
~c7 16.CLlC3 ibxa3 17.CLle4 f5 IS.
CLlf6+ E'i:xf619.exf6 ~fl 20.CLlgS ifS
21.CLlxfl ibxh6 22.CLlXh6+ ~fS 23.
E'i:h3 CLld7 24.Elg3 CLlxf6 2S.Elxg6
CLldS 26.Ela4 b5 27.ElgS+ ~e7 2S.
l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.M cb 4.ab
E'i:g7+; 12 ... dxc413.hS bS14.CLlgS h6
lS.CLle4 ~g7 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.CLlf6
~d3 lS.Elxh6 ~xh6 19.1!fih4+ ~g7
20.1!fih7#; 17 ... Elfl lS.Elxh6 ~xh6
19.1!fih4+ ~g7 20.CLlh5+ gxhS 2l.
1!fixdS+-) 1O.id3 (1O.h4 dxe5 11.
CLlxe5 f6 12.CLld3 eS 13.1!fie4 ie7+;
1O.exd6 e5 1l.1!fie4 fS+) 1O ... dxe5
11.CLlxe5 f6 12.1!fie4 fS 13.1!fie3 CLlc6
14.g4 CLlxeS lS.1!fixeS E'i:fl+;
or S ... g6!? 9.CLlf3 d6 (9 ... d5 10.
exd6 0-0 1l.CLlc3 ct'Jc6+) 10.1!fif4
CLlc6 11.exd6 ixd6 (11...0-0? 12.
if6 ixd6 13.ibxdS ibxf4 14.ixb6)
12.1!fih6 e5 (12 ... ifS 13.1!fif4 id6
14.1!fih6 ifS=; 13.1!fie3!? ElgS 14.d4
ig7 15.CLlbd2 as 16.ct'Je4 ct'Jb4 17.
1!fid2 h6 18.c5 CLl6dS 19.CLld6+ ~e7
20.ic4 b6 2l.CLleS ElfS 22.0-0~)
13.1!fig7 ElfS 14.CLlC3 if5 (14 ... ibg4
15.CLle4 ibxf3 16.CLlf6+ ~e7 17.gxf3
CLlb4 lS.CLlXh7 CLlc2+ 19.~d1 CLlxa1
20.c5 CLlb3 21.1!fif6+ ~d7 22.1!fixd6+
~cS 23.ibh3+ fS 24.CLlxf8+-; 22 ...
~eS 23.ibb5+ CLld7 24.1!fixfS#) IS.
CLlb5 e4 16.CLlxd6+ 1!fixd6 17.CLlgS
0-0-0 lS.iWc3 1!fif4 19.CLlXh7 ElhS
20.g3 ~c7 2l.ct'Jf6 CLld4 22.ct'Jd5
ct'JxdS (22 ... CLlf3+ 23.iWxf3 exf3
24.CLlxc7+-; 23 ... ct'Jxd5 24.iWb3+-)
22 ... CLlXd5 23.~xd4 CLlb4 24.~c3 e3
25.~xb4 exd2+ 26.~d1 iWc6 27.
ig2 Wxg2 2S.Wc5+ ~d7 29.Wd5+
Wxd5 30.cxdS Elh5 3l.~xd2 ibe4
32.Elhe1 Elxd5+ 33.~c3 ElcS+ 34.
~b4 f5 35.Elxa7 Eld2 36.ibc3 Elxf2+.
I believe that you are convinced
now that after S.~g4 - Black can
obtain an excellent position after
some precise play.
After S.Ela3 we will analyse in
details b2cl) 8 ... ha3 and b2c2)
Chapter 11
8 ... 0-0.
S .. .':t'lc6 9J'&g3 0-0 1O.iMfg4 g6
l1.h4 CiJe7 12.h5 CiJf5 13.2:gh3 d6
14.hxg6 fxg615.2:xh7 iMfeS 16.2:hS+
\ilg7 17.2:1h7# 1-0 Kroshk - gdr,
Internet 2004.
White's task is not so difficult
either after S ... d5 (This counter-
strike is attractive but White pre-
serves better chances.) 9.Elg3 CiJxc4
1O ..txc4 dxc411.Elxg7 iMfd5 12.CiJe2
CiJd7 13.0-0 CiJxe5 14.CiJf4 (White
is attacking just like in the other
lines!) 14 ... iMfa5 (14 ... iMfe4 15.Elel
iMfxf4 16 ..txe5 iMfh6 17.iMfa4+ .td7
lS.iMfxb4+-) 15.Ele1 CiJd3 16.CiJxd3
cxd3 17.iMff3 ElfS (17 ... iMfc7 IS.
2:g4+-) lS.Elxh7 .txd2 (IS ... iMfa2
19 ..tg7 ElgS 20 ..tc3+-) 19.2:d1.tg5
20 ..ta3 .te7 21.iMfxd3 .txa3 22.
CiJxa3 iMfd5 23.iMfc2! iMfc6 24.CiJc4
\ile7 25.iMfg6 iMfc5 26.CiJd6 iMfxd6 27.
iMfg5+ \ild7 2S.iMfb5+ \ile7 29.Elxd6
\ilxd6 30.iMfb4+ \ilc7 31.iMfxfS+-.
b2cl) 8 ... ,ha3
It is too dangerous for Black to
accept the exchange sacrifice.
9.,ha3 d5
9 ... CiJc6 10.iMfg4 CiJxe5 1l.iMfxg7
CiJg612.CiJc3 d513.tLlb5+-; 9 ... iMfh4
1O.0\c.~ 0\c.6 11.lLif3 iMff4 12.2:3 iMff5
13.d4 (Black's queen is suddenly
endangered!) 13 ... iMfg4 (13 ... b614.
CiJh4+-) 14.h3 iMfh5 15.CiJe4 d5 16.
CiJd6+ \ild717.g4 iMfg61S ..td3 f519.
gxf5 iMfh6 20.cxd5 exd5 21.CiJf7+-.
10.ltJc3 a6
Black defends the b5-square
against the penetration of the
white knight. This move is quite
necessary as you can see after the
following lines: 10 ... CiJc6 11.iMfg4
and now:
11... \ild7 12.c5! (12. iMfxg7 iMfgS!-+;
12.cxd5 CiJxd5 13.CiJxd5 iMfa5 14.
iMfxg7 iMfxa3 15. iMfxf7 + CiJe716.iMfg7
iMfc1 + 17. \ile2 iMfc4=) 12 ... CiJc4 13.
hc4 dxc414.CiJf3 \ilc715.0-0 \ilbS
16.iMfxc4 g5 17.Elbl;
or 1l ... g6 12.lLlb5 lLlxe5 13.iMfd4 f6
14.lLld6+ \ild715.c5lLlc616 ..tb5 e5
(16 ... \ilc7 17.cxb6+ axb6 IS . .txc6
bxc619.lLlf7) 17.iMfd3 a61S.hc6+
\ilxc6 19.cxb6 iMfxb6 20.lLle2 2:dS
21.iMfc3+ \ild7 22.0-0! (22.iMfh3+
\ilc6=) 22 ... h5 23.iMfh3+ f5 24.iMfc3!
d4 25.iMfc4 ElfS 26.2:c1 iMfc6 27.
iMfb3+-;
or 11...g5 12.CiJb5 CiJxe5 13.iMfg3
tLlbxc4 (13 ... f6 14.lLld6+ \ild7 15.
cxd5 exd5 16..tb5+ lLlc6 17.iMfh3+
\ilc7 lS.iMfg3 \ild7 19.1Lle2! iMfgS
20.lLld4 a6 21..txc6+ bxc6 22.

CLle4!!; 19 ... a6 20 ..ixc6+ It>xc6
21.CLlf7+-; 20 ... bxc6 21.CLlf7+-)
14 ..ixc4 CLlxc4 lS.CLlc7+ It>d7 16.
CLlxaS b6 (16 ... ~a5 17.CLlf3 CLlxa3
lS.0-0 f6 19.M b5 20.hxg5 .ib7
21.gxf6 E1xaS 22.CLle5+ It>cs 23.f7
~b4 24.~g7+-; 19 ... h6 20.E1a1It>e7
21.CLlh2; 20 ... e5 21.E1xa3 ~xa3?
22.CLlxe5+ fxe5 23.~xa3+-) 17.~bS
CLlxa3 lS.~xa7+ It>c6 19.~xa3 .id7
20.CLlf3 ~xaS 21.CLle5+ It>b7 (21...
It>c7 22.~c3+ .ic6 23.CLlxf7 d4
24.~g3+ It>cS 25.0-0+-) 22.~b2
.ieS 23.0-0 ~dS 24.E1a1 f6 25.CLld3
e5 26.~a2 .ib5 27.CLlb4 It>c7 2S.
CLlxd5+ It>d6 29.~b3 .ic6 30.CLlxb6
~bS 31.E1c1 It>c7 32.CLld5+ It>d6
33.~a3+ It>xd5 34.~d3+ It>e6 35.
E1xc6+ 1t>f7 36.h4 ~dS 37.E1d6!+-.
1l.~g4
1l ... g5!?
This sharp move requires ex-
treme precision from White. He
must understand that Black's
threat to repel the white queen
with the move h7-h5 is really very
dangerous.
1l ... E1gS 12 ..id3 g6 13.h4 h5
14.~g3 g5 15.CLlh3! g4 (15 ... CLlxc4
16.hc4 ~a5 17..id6 dxc4 lS.0-0
g4 19.CLle4 CLld7 20.CLlf4 E1hS 21.
CLlxh5 f5 22.CLlg7 + 1t>f7 23.~f4It>xg7
1.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
24. ~g5+ It>f7 25.h5+-) 16.CLlf4
CLlxc4 17..ixc4 dxc4 lS.CLlxhS CLld7
19.CLle4 ~b6 20.0-0 It>dS 21.~f4
E1hS 22 ..id6!! E1xh5 23.~xf7+-;
l1...g6 12.CLlf3 h5 13.~f4 CLlc6
14 ..id6 E1gS15.h4! CLle716.E1h3 CLlf5
(16 ... CLlxc4 17 ..ixc4 dxc4 lS.CLlg5
CLlf519.lLlce4 CLlxd6 20.CLlxd6+ <>d7
21.~xf7+ It>c6 22.CLlxe6 .ixe6 23.
~xe6 Wd7 24.~xc4+ It>b6 25J:~b3+
It>a7 26.1~k5+ It>bS 27.E1xb7+ ~xb7
2S.CLlxb7lt>xb7 29.d4+-) 17.c5 CLld7
lS ..id3lLlxd619.cxd6 f6 20.E1g3 g5
21.hxg5 fxe5 22.CLlxe5 CLlxeS 23.
~xe5 h4 24.E1g4! (24.CLlxd5? hxg3
25.CLlc7+ It>fS 26.Wf4+ It>g7 27.
~e5=) 24 ... lt>d7 25.CLlxd5!! exd5
26.~xd5 E1eS+ 27.lt>dl E1e6 2S ..ifS
~gS 29.E1e4+-.
12.~h5!!
This is White's proper reaction!
He must prevent h7-h5 at all costs.
12 ... lLlxc4
12 ... CLlc6 13.CLlf3 h614.h4 CLlxc4
15.hc4 dxc416.hxg5 ~d317. gxh6
b5 lS.lLlg5 lLlxe5 19.CLlge4 ~d4
20.Wh4 CLld3+ 21.It>e2 ~a7 22.h7
e5 23.CLld6+ It>d7 24.CLlxf7+-.
13.hc4dxc4
14.h4!
(White's other attractive possi-
bility leads only to a draw by a per-
Chapter 11
petual: 14.lIJe4 ~d31S.lIJd6+ @d7
16.~xf7+ @c6 17.lIJxcS ~b1+ lS.
@e2 ~d3=) 14 . lIJc6 (14 ... ~d3?!
lS.~xgS! lIJc6 16.~g7+-; lS ... ~dS
16.11:Yg7@d717.11:Yxtl+ @c61S.11:Yf3+
@d7 19.1IJge2 lIJc6 20.11:Yf7+ lIJe7
21. lIJa4+-) 15 .id6 gxh416.E1xh4
b5 (16 ... E1gS 17.lIJf3 lIJe7 lS.11:Yxh7
E1xg2 19.1IJe4 lIJgS 20.E1f4 ~d7
21.lIJegS+-) 17.ttJf3 ttJe7 18.ttJe4
ttJd5 19.ttJfg5 E1a7 20 ..ia3 ~a5
21.ttJd6+ @d8 22.ttJgxf7+ @c7
23 ..ic5 c3 24.~d1!+-.
b2c2) 8 ... 0-0
This move is possible and quite
logical too. After castling however,
the black king will be faced with a
bitter enemy - the rook that has
just entered the action from the
queenside in a rather unusual
manner.
9.E1g3!
This is the right square - the
rook is not so useful for White on
the h3-square. I must tell you that
I failed to find any satisfactory
defence for Black. White's attack
is too strong to counter.
9 ... @h8!?
White must play with maxi-
mum ingenuity after that prophy-
lactic move!
The other moves are losing
even quicklier:
9 ... g6 1O.h4! dS 11.hS lIJxc4
12.hxg6 fxg6 13.11:YhS 11:Yd7 14 ..id3
11:Yf7 lS.lIJf3 tLlxb2 16.bg6+-;
or 9 ... d610.11:YhS! g6 (lO ... dxeS
11.11:Yh6 g6 12J~h3 EleS 13.beS+-;
1O ... @hS11.id3 h612.exd6 eS13.
beSf614.11:Yg6+-; 1l...g612.exd6+
eS 13.ixeS+ @gS 14.ixg6 fxg6
lS.Elxg6+ hxg616.11:Yxg6#; lS ... @f7
16.E1f6+ @gS 17.~gS+ @hS lS.
ElxfS#) 11.tLlf3 tLlSd7 (11 ... lIJc6 12.
11:Yh6 f6 13.Elxg6+ hxg6 14.~xg6+
@hS lS.exf6+-) 12.~h6 dxeS 13.
tLlgS lIJf6 14.tLlxh7 tLlxh7 lS.Elh3
EleS 16.ixeS!+-.
10 ..id3!
White must attack the h7-
square immediately! It is not so
effective for him to play 1O.~g4
E1gS 11.id3 g612.h4 hS13.~f4 E1g7
14.lIJf3 @gS lS.tLlc3 dSoo, because
Black manages to consolidate his
defence.
10 ... h6
This is the most stubborn de-
fence! White wins even easier af-
ter the other moves, but he must
still play precisely.
1O ... tLlc6? This move is one of

the weakest. 11.:8xg7! That simple
rook-sacrifice marks the end of
Black's defensive efforts. 11... <;toxg7
12.~g4+ <;tohS 13.~h5 f5 14.exf6
l'U7 15.~xf7 ~gS 16.~h5 e5 17.
ct:lf3+-.
1O ... g6 11.h4! This is the es-
sence of White's idea - the rook
on a1 now joins in the attack! Ad-
ditionally White attacks with a
majority of forces. 11 ... ct:lc6 (Black
cannot save the game either after
11... h5 12.ct:le2 ct:lc6 13.ct:lf4 i.c5 14.
:8g5!+-, and White's attack is
crushing) 12.h5 g5 (This is Black's
only way to parry the activity of the
rook on hI. Black copes with one
of the straightforward problems,
but succumbs to another danger.)
13. ~ e2 ! (White's queen goes to the
e4-square threatening a check-
mate along the diagonal.) 13 .. .t2ja4
14.~e4 f5 15.exf6 :8f7. Now, the
most direct road to victory is the
sudden exquisite queen-sacrifice:
16.~g6!! ~fS (16 ... hxg6 17.hxg6+
<;togS1S.:8gh3!+-) 17.~g7+! This is
already the second queen-sacri-
fice! 17... ~xg7 (17 ... :8xg71S.fxg7+
~xg719.i.xg7+ <;toxg7 20.h6+ <;tohS
21. ct:lf3+-) 1S.fxg7+-.
11.~g4gg8
11 ... g6 12.i.xg6 fxg6 13.~xg6
~e7 14.i.c3! White exploits the
tactical motive of deflection! This
idea is so effective that Black is
forced to give back his extra piece.
14 ... i.c5 (14 ... i.xc3? 15.~xh6+-)
15.d4 ~h7 16.dxc5 ct:lxc4 17.ct:ld2
~xg6 1S.gxg6 <;toh7 19.:8f6 :8xf6
20.exf6 d5 21.ct:lxc4 dxc4 22.f7 ct:ld7
23.ct:lf3+-.
1.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab
12.gh3 i.e7 13.~e4! g6 14.
~e3 i.gS IS.f4 i.h4+ 16.g3 i.e7
17.gxh6+ <;tog7
Black has already returned his
extra pawn too. It might look like
he has parried White's direct
kingside attack, but suddenly
White follows with a deadly rook-
sacrifice!
18.h4!! <;toxh6
Black is forced to accept the
sacrifice because of the threat 19.
h5!+-.19.fS+ ~g7 20.f6+ hf6
(20 ... <;tofS 21.~h6+ <;toeS 22.fxe7
~xe7 23.i.a3 d6 24.i.xd6 ~dS
25.~h7 gfS 26.~g7 ct:l6d7 27.ct:lc3
ct:lc6 2S.ct:lb5 ct:lcxe5 29.i.e4 ~f6 30.
i.xf8+-) 21.exf6+ ~f8 (21...<;toh7
22.h5+-) 22.~h6+ ~e8 23.hS!
(White should not slow down the
intensity of the assault in order to
recapture some material - he can
lose all his advantage like that!
23.i.xg6? e5 24.i.h7 :8xg3 25.he5
:8g2 26.i.d6+-; 24 ... :8fS 25.c5
ct:lc4co ; 24.~h7 gfS 25.i.xf7+ gxf7
26.~gS+ :8fS 27.~g6+ gf7=) 23 ...
gxhS (23 ... ~c7 24.hxg6 '\Wxg3+
25.<;toe2 fxg6 26.~h7+-) 24.gxhS
dS 2S.~g7!! <;tod7 (25 ... Ei:xg7 26.
:8hS+?? Ei:gS! 27.Ei:xgS+ <;tod7-+;
26.fxg7 <;tod7 27.:8hS ~g5 2S.gS~
Chapter 11
iMrxg8 29J'&xg8 dxc4 30 ..ie4+-)
26.iMrxf7+ @c6 27.lLlf3 lLlxc4
28 .ixc4 dxc4 29.lLle5+ @b6
30.lLlxc4+ @c6 (30 ... ma6 3l.
iMrxg8! iMrxg8 32.~aS#) 31.iMrh7
lLld7 32.iMre4+ @c7 33.iMrf4+ e5
(33 ... @c6 34.iMrd6#) 34 .ixe5+
lLlxe5 35.iMrxe5+ @d7 36.~h7+
@c6 37.f7+-.
b2d) 7 lLle7
This is a very solid move and
White has serious problems after
it! The black knight has retreated
to a comfortable square and it is
now ready to assist in the defence
of the kingside. The exchange sac-
rifice 8.~a3, which is very good af-
ter moves like lLlb6 or CiJc7 does not
work here. What should White
play?
His next move is not easy to
find over the board. White sud-
denly shows some interest in the
enemy bishop on b4 first, instead
of preparing something on the
kingside. I believed that White's
position was very good and kept on
looking for a move with good
prospects for White. It is impor-
tant for you to note that after
some other more "natural" moves
White might be left without any
compensation for the sacrificed
pawn!
8.lLla3!!
I will now show you some other
lines that I have been analysing.
They will help you appreciate the
power of White's last move which
seems to be a bit primitive at first
sight.
8.h4? 0-0 9.hS (9 ..id3 d6 10.
iMrhS h6 11.g4 iMrb6 12.exd6 .ixd6
13.hg7? mxg714.gS ~h8-+) 9 ... d6
1O.h6 g6 11.exd6 iMrxd6 12.CiJc3
hc3 13 ..ixc3 eS-+.
8.CiJc3? 0-0 (8 ... hc3!? This is
a wise and economical decision.
Black simply trades the white
knight that threatens to become
dangerous. Meanwhile he remains
with a solid extra pawn. 9 ..ixc3
0-0 1O ..id3 d611.iMrbl h612.exd6
iMrxd6 13.CiJf3 CiJbc6 14.0-0 eS
lS.~el f616 ..ih7+ @h817.d4 exd4
18.CiJxd4 fS 19.CiJxc6 CiJxc6 20.cS
iMrxcS-+; 1O.iMrhS dS 11.exd6 ~xd6
12.CiJf3 CiJbc6+) 9.CiJe4 dS 1O.exd6
.ixd6 (lO ... CiJfS? 11.cS CiJd712.~c2
eS13.CiJf3) 11 ..id3 eS! (11 ... CiJbc6?
12.CiJf6+ gxf6 13 ..ixf6 iMrc7 14.
.ixh7+ @xh7 lS.iMrhS+ @g8 16.
iMrh8#) 12.CiJxd6 (12.iMrc2 .ic7+; 12.
iMrhS fS 13. CiJxd6 iMrxd6 14 ..ic2
CiJbc6+) 12 ... iMrxd6 13.iMrc2 (13.l"1a3
.ifS) 13 ... CiJg6 (13 ... CiJbc614 ..ixh7+
@h8 lS.CiJf3? g6-+) 14.cS iMrf6 IS.
h4 CiJc6 16.hS CiJb4 17.iMrb3 CiJxd3+
18.~xd3 CiJf4-+.
8.~g4. This move is White's
second best. Should Black be care-
less he might get punished in a
flash. 8 ... CiJg6! (8 ... CiJfS 9 ..id3 0-0
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab

1O.tUf3 d611.exd6 g6 12.ii.xfS exfS 16.Wd1 e4 17.gxf4 exf3 1B.~xf3

13.~d4 E'1eB+ 14.Wd1 f6 lS.WdS+ ~b6 19.~c3 ii.fB 20.h6 ~g6 2l.
Wg7 16.cS tUc6 17.E1e1 E1xe1 + lB. hxg7 ii.xg7 22.~xg7+ ~xg7 23.
tUxe1 ~eB 19.tUc2 ~e4 20.~xe4 ii.xg7 Wxg7 24.tUc3) lS.h6 g6
fxe4 21.tUc3; B... O-O 9.tUf3 tUbc6 16.tUc3 tUc6-+.
1O.h4 tUfSll.ii.d3 ~b612.tUc3 ii.cS We can say in conclusion that
13.tUa4 ii.xf2+ 14.We2! Wb3 IS. if White does not play B.tUa3!!, he
E'1hbl; 11...d6 12.exd6 f6 13.cS can of course trick his opponent
whB14.~c4 eS1S.ii.e4 as 16.tUc3; somehow and create some attack-
9 ... tUce7 12.~e4 hS 13.g4 hxg4 ing chances and even checkmate
14.~xg4 tUh61S.~g2 bS16.E'1g1 g6 him, but Black is better after a pre-
17.cxbS ii.b7 1B.hS tUhfS 19.ii.xfS cise play after all!
tUxfS 20.hxg6 tUh4 21.gxf7+ Wxf7
22.~g7+ WeB 23.tUxh4 Wxh4 24.
~g6+ wdB 2S.~gS+ ~xgS 26.
E'1xgS; 19 ... exfS 20.E'1a4 as 2l.hxg6
fxg6 22.~h3; 21...tUxg6 22.~h3
ii.xf3 23.~xf3 ~h4 24.WxfS ~h6
2S.tUc3 E'1aeB 26.f4 E'1e6 27.tUe4
~h2 2B.ii.d4 E'1cB 29.Wd1 E1c4 30.
ii.e3 WfB 3l.b6 E'1xb6 32.hb6 E'1xe4
33.E'1xb4 ~e2+ 34.Wc2 axb4 35.
~xd7 Wc4+ 36.wb2 E'1xf4 37.ii.e3 8 0-0
E'1h4 3B.E'1xg6 fxg6 39.e6 We4 40. Black cannot solve his prob-
~f7# 1-0 Diaz-Aedes, ICC 2004) lems with B... ii.xa3 due to 9.ii.xa3!
9.tUf3 0-0 1O.h4 d6! White's hopes (White's bishop is placed so ag-
are not going to be crowned after gressively that it practically para-
the disappearance of the impor- lyzes Black.) 9 ... 0-0 (9 ... tUbc6
tant eS-pawn. (It would have been 1O.tUf3 0-0 1l.ii.d3 f6 12.~c2 h6
a quite different ball game after 13.exf6 E'1xf6 14.0-0 eS lS.cSt.
1O ... tUe7?! 1l.ii.d3 tUbc612.~e4 g6 Black failed to complete his devel-
13.hS tUfS 14.g4 tUg7 lS.~f4 tUeB opment and White's bishop pair is
16.~h6 ~e7 17.hxg6 fxg6 lB. very powerful. Black is in fact a
ii.xg6+- derecha - flashlight, ICC pawn up but that is immaterial.)
2004) 11.exd6 (ll.hS tUxeS 12. 1O.ii.d3! (White should not disre-
tUxeS dxeS 13.h6 g6-+) l1...eS gard his development even in an
12.~e4 ii.xd6 13.hS (13.Wd1 tUc6 unusual position like that! It is too
14.hs tUf4 lS.g3 tUe6 16.h6 g6-+; slow for White to follow with
13 ... fS 14.WdS+ whB lS.cS ii.c7 1O.ii.d6?! tUbc611.d4 f612.tUf3 E1f7
16.~xdB E'1xdB 17.hS) 13 ... tUf4 13.ii.d3 b614.~c2 tUfS1S.ii.xfS exfS
(13 .. .fS?? 14.~dS+-) 14.g3 (14.Wd1 16.0-0 ii.b7 17.E'1fe1 fxeS 1B.dxeS
f6-+) 14 ... tUe6 (14 ... fS1S.~e3 E'1eB tUaS oo) 1O ... tUbc61l.~hS h6 (1l ... g6
Chapter 11
12.WgSlLlfS13.Wf4 EleS14.g4lLlfd4
lS.~d6 b6 16.h4 ~b7 17J'1h3 lLlb3
lS.Ela3lLlcS19.~b1 as 20.lLlf3lLle7
2l.hS lLlcS 22.hg hg 23.Wh6+-)
12.lLlf3 f6 13.0-0 fxeS 14.lLlxeS d6
lS.lLlxc6 bxc6 (lS ... lLlxc6. This cap-
ture enables White to start a
crushing diagonal attack immedi-
ately. It is very effective in this
position mostly due to the possi-
bility of playing f2-f4-fS! 16.Wg6
lLle717.Wh7+ ~f7 lS.~e2 eS 19.f4
~fS 20.fxeS ~e6 2l.Wxg7+-; 16 ...
lLleS 17.Wh7+ ~f7 lS.~e2 lLlg6
(lS ... ElhS 19.~hS+ ~f6 20.We4 gS
2l.d4lLlc6 22.Wg6+ ~e7 23.Wg7#)
19.~b2 eS 20.f4 Wb6+ 2l.~h1
Wxb2 22.fxeS+-) 16.cS! (White
prevents Black from playing the
consolidating move c6-cS, and
Black is now doomed to a strenu-
ous defence of numerous weak-
nesses.) 16 ... dxcS 17.~e4 Wd4
lS.d3! Elxf2 (lS ... lLldS 19.Elacl)
19.Elxf2 Wxa1+ 20.Elfl Wd4+ 2l.
~h1 g6 22.~xg6 Wg7 23.~h7+
~xh7 24.Elf7+-.
S ... d6 - this is a correct deci-
sion showing that Black is quite
aware of his defensive difficulties.
He returns his extra pawn outright
(although that is often quite diffi-
cult psychologically) and obtains
some chances to complete his de-
velopment successfully. The point
is that White cannot create any
dangerous checkmating threats
quickly! White's chances are bet-
ter even after the simplifications,
so that he has nothing to be really
afraid of. 9.exd6 lLlfS (9 ... ~xd6
1O.~xg7 ElgS 1l.~c3 eS 12.lLlbS;!::)
1O.lLlbSlLlxd6 11.~xg7 ElgS 12.~b2
lLle4 13.lLlf3 ~cS 14.Wc2 fS lS.d4
~b4+ 16.~e2lLlc617.g3 a61S.~g2
ElbS19.lLla3 b6 20.Elhdl.
8 ... lLlg6 9.h4! This is another
difficult move. White opens the h-
file in advance, or in case Black
refrains from capturing on h4 - he
activates his forces on the king-
side. 9 ... 0-0 (9 ... lLlxh41O.Wg4lLlfS
1l.~d3 Wb6 12.~xfS ~xd2+ 13.
~xd2 Wxb2+ 14.lLlc2 exfS1S.Wxg7
ElfS 16.Elxh7 lLlc6 17.ElhS ElxhS
lS.WxhS+ ~e7 19.Wf6+ ~eS 20.
lLlf3 dS 21.Elh1 ~e6 22.cxdS ~xdS
23.ElhS+ ~d7 24.Wd6#; 12 ... ~fS
13.lLlbS exfS 14.WxfS h6 lS.~d4
Wc6 16.lLld6+ ~xd6 17.exd6 0-0
lS.Elxh6 EleS+ 19.~eS!! ElxeS+
20.WxeS gxh6 2l.Ela3 Wxg2 22.
Elg3+-; 9 ... hS. This move stops the
advance of White's h-pawn "me-
chanically", but his attacking re-
sources remain huge. White
should not let his opponent enjoy
even a moment of rest! 10.~d3!
The placement of the Black knight
on g6 turns out to be quite un-
stable. White is threatening now to
exchange that knight and the black
king will be in a real danger then.
1O ... lLlf4 11.~e4 dS 12.exd6 ~xd6
13.g3 fS 14.~c2 lLlg6 lS.~xg7 Elh7
16.~c3; 10 ... lLlxh4 11.g3 lLlfS
12.ElxhS 0-0. This move is amus-
ingly witty. The black rook has
come under attack and ... Black
castles! Nevertheless he is already
beyond salvation. 13.Wg4 d6 14.
Wh3lLlh6 lS.Elxh6 hd2 + 16. ~xd2
WgS+ 17.f4 Wxh61S.Wxh6 gxh619.
lLlbS+-; 12 ... ElxhS 13.WxhS dS 14.
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 ct:Jc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ct:Jb4 S.E!a4
.ixfS exfS1S.~hS+ rlle716.~xg7;
lS ... .ifS 16.ct:JbS dxc4 17 ..ia3!+-;
16 ... rlld7 17.cxdS ct:Ja6 lS.ct:Jf3.
Black is helpless. lS ... ~eS 19.e6+
fxe6 20 ..ixg7 .ixg7 2l.~xg7+ ~e7
22.ct:JeS+ rlldS 23.~hS+ ~eS 24.
ct:Jf7+ rlld7 2S.~g7 exdS+ 26.ct:JeS+
rlldS 27.E!xa6+-; 24 ... rlle7 2S.~h4!
rllfS 26.ct:Jbd6+-) 1O.hS ct:Je7 ll.h6
g6 (This positional decision is just
forced, but now the white knights
will gain access to the important
f6 and gS squares.) 12.ct:Jc2 .iaS
13.ct:Je3! This is a very good ma-
noeuvre. White's knights will be
quickly coordinated and will cre-
ate powerful threats making use of
his excellent attacking set-up on
the kingside. 13 ... ct:JfS 14.ct:Jg4 ct:Jc6
lS.ct:Jf6+ rllhS 16.ct:Jf3 ~b6 17.~c1
.ib4 lS.ct:JgS .ics 19.ct:Jgxh7 .ixf2+
20.rlld1 ~b3+ 2l.~c2 ~xc2+ 22.
rllxc2 E!dS 23.ct:JgS E!fS 24.g4 ct:Jg3
2S ..ia3!+-.
9.ttJc2
9 ... i.a5
I will show you my analysis
concerning the moves: 9 ... ct:Jbc6 as
well as 9 ....icS.
9 ... ct:Jbc61O.ct:Jxb4 ct:Jxb41l..ia3
ct:Jbc6. This humble retreat is an
admission that Black has failed to
neutralize the activity of the white
bishop on a3. (It is a disaster for
Black to play ll ... aS?? 12 ..ixb4+-;
the other possibility is more stub-
born: ll ... ~aS 12.ct:Jf3 f6 13.~b1
ct:Jec6 14.exf6 gxf6 lS ..ie2 eS 16.
0-0 d6 17.d4 exd4 lS.E!d1 E!eS
19.ct:Jxd4 ct:Jxd4 20.E!xd4 E!xe2 2l.
.ixb4 ~fS 22.~f1! ~eS 23.E!adl)
12.ct:Jf3 f6 13.exf6 E!xf6 14 ..ie2 eS
lS.cS ct:JfS 16.0-0 ct:Jfd4 17.E!el;
9 ... .icS 1O.d4 i.b6 ll.i.d3
Black's position is much more dif-
ficult than it seems at first sight.
My analysis should convince you
of that:
ll ... d6?! Black gives back his ex-
tra pawn, but that does not solve
his problems. 12.exd6 .iaS+ (12 ...
~xd6 13.cS+-) 13. rllfl lLlec6 14.
~hS;
ll ... i.aS+ 12.rllf1! White does not
mind losing his right to castle in
this position, while Black should
worry about his bishop on as!
12 ... ct:Jbc6 13.ct:Jh3 h6 (13 ... d5 14.
hh7+ rllxh71S.1!t!hS+ rllgS16.lLlgS
E!eS 17.1!t!xf7+ rllhS lS.E!a3!+-.
Once again White's queen-rook
joins in the attack in the already
familiar manner for this line!
lS ... ct:JgS 19.E!h3+ lLlh6 20.E1xh6+
Chapter 11
gxh6 21.~h7#) 14.~g4 b6 (about
14 ... d6 lS.exd6 - see 14 ... dS;
14 ... dS lS.exd6 liJg6 16.~g3;
lS ... ~xd6 16.dS eS 17.~g3 lbfS
lS.lbxfSliJxfS19.~d3liJfe7 20.~e4
fS 21.~e2 liJxdS 22.E1d1!+-; 17 ...
liJfS lS.~f3 liJh4 19.~e2 E1dS 20.
lbe4+-) lS.~e4! liJg6 (15 ... liJf5
16.d5liJce717.g4 exdS1S.cxd51bb7
19.1iJf41bd2 20.gxf51bxf4 21.~xf4
liJxd5 22.~g3liJe3+ 23.liJxe31bxh1
24.f6 gS 2S. ~h3+-) 16.d5 liJce7
17.d6liJc6 lS.liJf4 fS 19.exf6 liJxf4
20.~h7+ cj;>f7 21.lbg6+ liJxg6 22.
~xg7+ cj;>eS 23.~xg6+ E1f7 24.
~gS+ E1fS 2S.f7#. This checkmate
with a pawn is strikingly beautiful!
11...lbc7 12.~hS h6 13.liJf3 d6
14.exd6 ~xd6 lS.0-0 liJbc6 16.
E1fd1 ~f4 (16 ... E1dS 17.d5 exd5
lS.cxdS liJxdS 19.1bh7+ cj;>xh7 20.
liJgS+ cj;>hS 21.lbxg7+ cj;>xg7 22.
~xf7+ cj;>hS 23.~h7#) 17.lbc1 ~f6
(17 ... ~d61S.lba3 ~f419.g3! Natu-
rally White should not agree to a
draw by repetition of moves. 19 ...
g6 20.gxf4 gxhS 21.liJeS; 19 ... ~f6
20.ct:le3 eS 21.lbxe7 liJxe7 22.dxeS
~c6 23.liJd5 lbdS 24.liJd4 ~cS
2S.e6! White's initiative turns out
to be a strong light-squares attack
on the kingside. 2S ... liJxd5 26.
exf7+ E1xf7 27.cxdS lbf6 2S.E1ac1
lbxd4 29.E1xcS lbxcS 30.E1d2+-;
29 ... lbxf2+ 30.cj;>h11bxcS 31.d6 b6
32.lbe4!+-) lS.lbgS g6 19.~xh6.
White has recaptured his sacri-
ficed pawn and his attack is pow-
erful too. 19 ... ~g7 20.~h4 E1eS
21.liJe3 ~h7 22.~xh7+ cj;>xh7 23.
liJg4 liJgS 24.lbf6 lbf4 2S.lbe4 eS
26.lbxeSliJxeS 27.ct:lgxeS.
10.~g4 liJbc6 1l.liJf3 liJf5
12.lbd3 liJce7 13.liJcd4 lbb6 14.
liJxf5 liJxf5
14 ... exfS lS.~g3 d5 16.exd6
liJg6 17.0-0 f4 lS.~gS ~xd6 19.
lbe4 E1eS 20.d3 h6 21.~hS as 22.
E1fc1t.
15.0-0 ~e7
15 ... ~c716.liJgS h617.liJe41bd4
lS.lbxd4 liJxd4 19.1iJf6+ cj;>hS 20.
~xd4 gxf6 21.~h4 fS 22.~xh6+
cj;>gS 23.lbxfS exfS 24.~gS+ cj;>h7
2S.E1a3+-. Note again this ma-
noeuvre with the rook! You might
forget about that possibility in the
heat of the fight and later it will
already be too late!
16.liJg5
16 lbdS!
This is Black's most stubborn
defence. He can also trade queens
preserving the extra pawn, but all
that is still not good enough to
equalize.
16 ... hS?! This decision seems
strange, but it is not easy to give
any good advice. (Black was also
losing after: 16 ... h6 17.liJe4 lbc7
lS.liJf6+ cj;>hS 19.1iJdS exdS 20.
~xf5 g6 21.~f4 cj;>h7 22.lba3+-;
21...~g5 22.e6+! cj;>h7 23.~xc7+-)
17.~xh5 liJh6 lS.liJe4 d5 19.exd6
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab

~e8 20.cuf6+ ~h8 21.cuxe8 1-0 Elf1+ ~eS 33 ..idS .ics 34 ..ib2+
Kroshk - Esbjergmaster, Internet ~d6 3S ..ixg7+-.
2004. 20 .. .ie7 21..ia3 .ixa3
17.CUe41Wh4
Otherwise White was threaten-
ing the annoying 18 ..ia3!
18.f3! 1Wxg4
18 ... ~h6 19 ..ic2 .ic7 20.f4 d6
21.Ela3 .ib6+ 22.~h1 dxeS 23.fxeS
~g6 24.~d1 hS 2S.d4 Eld8 26.cuf6+
gxf6 27 ..ixfS exfS 28.Elg3+-.
19.fxg4 cuh6
White now has a pleasant
choice. 22.l3xa3 d5
20 ..ie2 The white knight was headed
20.h3!7 dS. This is Black's only for the d6-square and Black had to
chance to free his position some- prevent that, because he would
how. 21.exd6 fS 22.gxfS exfS 23 . have beee left without any reason-
.ia3 fxe4 (23 ... Ele8 24.CUc3 .if6 able moves to play. 23.exd6 e5
2S.Elab1.id4+ 26. ~hl) 24.Elxf8+ 24.cuc5 .ixg4 25 . .ixg4 cuxg4
~xf8 2S.d7+ ~f7 26.dxc8~ Elxc8 26 . .!Llxh7 l3tb8 27.Elh1 f5 28.
27.,ixe4.if6 28.Ele1 .id4+ 29.~f1 c5+-, and White's passed pawns
b6 30.~e2 ~f6 31.~d3 Eld8 32. will soon prove to be decisive.

Conclusions
The move 2 ... e6 - is one of Black's main defensive resources in the
variation we are analysing. It is enough for White to play just a bit
imprecisely and Black will not only equalize immediately, but might
start fighting for an advantage.
Strangely enough I was slightly skeptical at first about White's
prospects to obtain any considerable opening edge at the beginning
of my work. Only later, after I got immersed in the various possibili-
ties fo; both sides in these complex positions, I managed to appreci-
ate White's great attacking potential! I invested a lot of time and en-
deavour to analyse all these lines, but I believed that it was more than
worth the effort!
White should not be afraid to sacrifice a pawn or even the exchange
for his dark-squared bishop! This is all due to the strange fact that
Black has ... weakened his dark squares a bit, as early as with his move
two! Every reader who has read carefully all these pages should have
noticed by now the beautiful attacking resource Ela3! - directly un-
der the gun!
Chapter 11

I have inventd the quite original attacking formation with a white

queen on aI, a rook on g3 and an early pressure against the g7-square.
Black's problems facing that early positional pressing are rather dif-
ficult to cope with!
Frankly speaking - I like White's position in this variation! I have
failed to find any satisfactory defence for Black. These conclusions
apply to the lines in which Black gladly accepts the sacrificed mate-
rial as well as to the lines in which he is trying to defend positions
with material equality.
Chapter 12 1.e4 c5 2.a3 d6

This seemingly modest move It is bad for Black to follow with

defends the cS-pawn and facili- 4 ... .td7 S.bxcS dxcS 6.eS ttJg4
tates the development of Black's 7.f4;t.
light squared bishop. We are not Black's other possibilities lead
going to deal in this chapter with to positions from the English
lines in which Black develops early opening with colours reversed:
his knight to c6 (see 2... ttJc6 con- 4 ... g6 S.g3 (White can easily lose
cerning these variations). the initiative if he plays more ag-
I must admit that now it is not gressively.) S ... .tg7 6 ..tg2 0-0
easy at all for White to create any (6 ... ttJc6 7.E1b1- see 2... g6 3.b4.tg7
direct threats. I have analysed 4.ttJc3 d6 S.g3 ttJc6 6.E1b1 ttJf6
these positions for a long time and 7..tg2) 7.ttJge2;t;
I have found some attractive pos- White is slightly better after
sibilities for him. 4 ... eS S..tc4 (It is also good for him
3.b4! to play 5.bxcS dxcS 6 ..tc4 ttJc6 7.d3
White must play like that of .td6 8.ttJge2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 1O.a4
course; otherwise, his second b6 l1.ttJdS;t) S... .te7 6.d3 0-0
move becomes senseless. 7.ttJd5! (7.ttJge2 cxb4 8.axb4 .te6
3 .. ttJf6 9.ttJdS ttJxdS 1O.exdS .tg4 11.h3
About 3 ... eS 4 ..tc4 ttJf6 S.ttJc3 .thS 12.0-0 fS~) 7 ... ttJc6 8.c3
- see 3... ttJf6 4.ttJc3 eS. ttJxdS 9 ..txdS .tgS 1O.ttJe2 .txc1
4.ttJc3 e6 1l.iWxc1;t.
You can expect a move like that 5.i.b2
from the adherents of the Sche- White's play on the long dark
veningen variation. Black plans to diagonal is one of the main mo-
complete calmly his development tives of this unusual opening sys-
behind his solid pawn centre. tem. His other possibilities are not
4 ... ttJc6 S.f4 see - 2 ... ttJc6 3.b4 promising much, since they are
d6 4.f4 ttJf6 S.ttJc3. not in the spirit of this original
It is anti-positional for Black to opening.
play 4 ... aS? S.bxcS dxcS 6.ttJf3. 5 ... i.e7
Chapter 12
White must now choose be-
tween two aggressive possibilities:
a) 6.f4 and b) 6.g4.
a) 6.f4
I think that Black can equalize
after that move. He needs to play
carefully and precisely though, so
we are going to analyse it in de-
tails.
al) 6 ... d5
This is the principled counter-
strike in the centre. Black should
not be dissuaded by the loss of
time (d7-d6-d5).
7.e5 ~fd7
7... ~e4 (This is the natural at-
tempt for Black to activate in the
centre.) B.tiJxe4 dxe4 9:lM'e2 cxb4
1O.'IlNxe4 (The trade of pawns was
definitely in favour of White. He
has stabilized his position in the
centre and he can now exchange
pieces in order to try to reach a
better endgame.) 1O ... bxa3 (10 ...
'IlNd5 11 ..id3 .id7 12.axb4 .ic6 13.
'IlNxd5 exd5 14.b5+-; 13 ... .ixd5
14.tiJf3 .ixb4 15.f5. White has
failed to win a pawn; nevertheless
he has achieved a lot. He has a
great space advantage on the
kingside and that is going to cause
Black a lot of problems later. 15 ...
tiJc6 16.0-0 0-0 17.f6 g6 IB.tiJel
b5 19 ..ixb5 .ixd2 20.tiJd3 l"1fbB
21.c4 tiJb4 22 ..icl tiJxd3 23 ..ixd2
.ie4 24 ..ic3 tiJc5 25 ..ib4 tiJb3 26 .
.id6 tiJxal 27.hb8 l"1xb8 28.l"1xal
l"1a8 29.l"1a5; 23 ... tiJxe5 24 ..if4
.ixc4 25 ..ixc4 tiJxc4 26.hb8 l"1xb8
27.l"1xa7) 11..ixa3 ~a5 12 ..ib2
'IlNb6 13 ..id4! .ic5 14 ..ixc5 ~xc5
15.tiJf3 tiJc6 16.l"1bl a6 17.d4! (This
move might seem risky, but White
manages not only to repel the
black queen from the c3-square,
but also to exchange it favourably.)
17 ...'IlNc3+ 18.~f2 tiJb419.l"1b3! 'IlNc6
(Black loses his knight after 19 ...
'IlNxc2 +7 20. 'IlNxc2 tiJxc2 21..id3+-)
20.'IlNxc6+ tiJxc6 21..id3.
8.bxc5!
White should refrain from sac-
rificing a pawn in this closed posi-
tion, for example: 8.tiJf3 cxb4
9.axb4 .ixb4 1O.tiJb5 tiJc6 11 ..id3
.ie7! (Black loses after 11 ... 0-07
12 ..ixh7+ ~xh7 13.tiJg5+ ~g6
14.'IlNg4 tiJdxe5 15.'IlNg3 .ixd2+ 16.
~xd2 tiJc4+ 17.~cl+-) 12.0-0
'IlNb6+ 13.~hl tiJc5+.
8 ... hc5
B... tiJxc5 9.tiJf3 0-0 1O.d4 tiJe4
11..id3 'IlNa5 12.0-0! (It turns out
now that Black's threat to capture
 1.e4 cS 2.a3 d63.b4

the knight on c3 is only illusory, i.d7 17.'Wg3 'Wc7 lS.ltJe2 1"i:f7 19.
since White recaptures his piece i.xh7+! c;t>xh7 20.ltJgS+ i.xgS 21.
immediately.) 12 ... ltJxc3 13.'Wd2 1"i:xf7 c;t>gS 22.1"i:xg7+ c;t>xg7 23.
ltJc6 14.i.xc3 'Wc71S.ltJgS! (This is i.xgS+-; lS ... 1"i:acS 19.1tJf4 'Wc6
a quite amusing attacking idea. 20.i.xh7+ c;t>xh7 21.Wh3+ rugS
White's knight penetrates to the 22.ltJg6 c;t>f7 23.i.gS! i.xgS 24.
h7-square deep into the enemy ltJxgS+ c;t>xg6 2S.'Wh7+ c;t>xgS 26. h4
camp in order to create dangerous c;t>g4 27.'Wg6+ c;t>xh4 2S.ruh2+-)
threats against the black king.) 12.ltJxdS 'WaS+ 13.ltJc3ltJb6o.
lS ... h6 16.ltJh7 1"i:dS 17.1"i:f3 bS IS. 1l... lLlb6
1"i:g3 c;t>hS19.1"i:h3 c;t>gS 20.fS! (Natu- 11 ... 0-0 12.i.d3 fS13.exf6 i.xf6
rally White should avoid the rep- 14.0-0 ltJxd4 lS.ltJxd4 i.xd4+ 16.
etition of moves. He sacrifices ruhl c;t>hS 17.i.xh7! i.xc3 18.i.g6
temporarily a pawn instead and 'Wh419.hc3.
destroys the position of the black 12.i.d3 lLlc4 13.hc4 dxc4
king.) 20 ... exfS 21.ltJf6+ i.xf6
22.exf6 'Wd6 23.fxg7 c;t>xg7 24.1"i:fl.
9.lLlf3 lLlc6
Black should not be in a hurry
to castle in this position, because
he might become the victim of a
standard combination: 9 ... 0-0 10.
i.d3ltJc6? 1l.hh7+ c;t>xh712.ltJgS+
c;t>g613.'Wg4lLldxeS14.'Wg3 c;t>fS1S.
fxeS 'WxgS 16.'Wd3+! c;t>xeS (16 ...
c;t>g4 17.'Wf3+ c;t>h4 lS.'Wh3#) 17. 14.0-0!
ltJe4+-. It is weaker for White to play
10.d4 i.e711.~b1 the premature 14.dS exdSoo. 14 .
This surprising move is prob- 0-0 15.c;t>h1 b6 16.f5 exf5 17.
ably White's best resource. d5lLla5 18.d6 i.g5 19.1Lld5 i.e6
White can only achieve a quick 20.lLlxg5 'Wxg5 21.lLle7+ c;t>h8
draw if he plays the natural look- 22.'Wf3 ~ad8 23 .ic3;t;.
ing line: 1l.i.d3 'Wb612.ltJa4 'WaS+ a2) 6 ... 0-0
13.ltJc3 'Wb6=.
White can provoke immedi-
ately great complications with the
attractive pawn strike l1.fS!?
Black's simplest and probably best
defence would then be: 11...exfS!
(It is weaker for him to follow with
11 ... ltJb6 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.i.d3 ltJaS
14.0-0 ltJac4 lS.i.c1 0-0 16.'We1
Chapter 12
This move is very logical. Black
continues with his development
ignoring the strange moves of his
opponent.
7.llJf3 b6
7 ... cxb4 S.axb4 d5 9.e5 (It is
also interesting for White to fol-
lowwith: 9 ..id3 .ixb41O.e5 CiJfd7?!
11..ixh7+ Wxh7 12.CiJg5+ WgS 13.
~h5+-; 12 ... wh6 13.~g4 CiJxe5
14.~h3+ Wg6 15.~h7+ wf6 16.
fxe5+-; 12 ... Wg6 13.~g4 CiJxe5
14.~g3 CiJg415.~xg4 f516.~g3+-.
Black must immediately exchange
that knight: 1O ... .ixc3! 11..ixc3
CiJe4! Now Black does not need to
be afraid of the consequences of
the dangerous sacrifice of the
bishop on h7.12 ..ixe4 dxe413.CiJg5
e3 14.dxe3 ~xd1+ 15.Wxd1 b5
16.CiJe4 .ib7 17.CiJd6 .ixg2 lSJ'~gl
.ic6 19.f5 E1dS 20.f6 g6 21..ia5
E1d7 oo ) 9 ... CiJe4 1O.~e2 CiJxc3 11.
.ixc3 b6 12.CiJd4 as 13.~h5 .id7
14 ..id3 g6 15.~h6 CiJc6 16.h4!
(White's attacking ideas might
seem to be primitive and not re-
ally dangerous for Black. The at-
tack however is quite strong and
promises White good chances of
success at the end.) 16 ... 4Jxb4
17.h5 4Jxd3+ lS.cxd3 g5 19.f5 f6
(19 ... exf5 20.e6 fxe6 21.4Jxe6+-)
20.fxe6 fxe5 21.exd7 (This pawn is
too dangerous for Black and he
will probably need to give up a
piece for it subsequently.) 21...
exd4 22.~e6+ Wg7 (22 ... E1t7 23.E1f1
~fS 24 ..ixd4 .idS 25.E1xt7 ~xt7
26.~eS+ ~fS 27.E1c1.ic7 2S.~xaS
~xaS 29.E1xc7+-) 23 ..ixd4+ .if6
24.h6+ whS 25.hb6 E1a6 26.E1b1
~e7 27.~xe7 .ixe7 2S.E1f1 E1aaS
29.E1xfS+ E1xfS 30.E1c1 WgS 31..ixa5
g432.E1cS+-.
8 ..id3
White has some other ways of
playing that position too, like: S.d4
cxd4 9.4Jxd4 .ib7 1O ..id3 CiJc6
1l.4Jxc6 .ixc6 12.~e2=;
Or S.e5 4Jd5 9.CiJxd5 exd5 10.
.ie2 (1O.bxc5 dxe5 11.fxe5 bxc5
12 ..ie2 4Jc6 13.0-0 E1bS 14.E1b1
f6=) 1O ... dxe5 11.CiJxe5 cxb4 12.
axb4 .ixb4 13.0-0~.
8 ....ib7
S ... .ia6 9 ..ixa6 (9.0-0 .ixd3
10.cxd3 d5o. It is more logical for
White to play 9.b5;:!:;) 9 ... 4Jxa6
10.b5 CiJc7 11.0-0 a6 12.a4 d5
13.4Je5! (White's knight is headed
for the weakened c6-square.)
13 ... d4 14.4Jc6 ~d7 15.e5 dxc3
16.CiJxe7+ ~xe7 17.exf6 ~xf6 IS .
.ixc3 ~f5 19 ..ie5;:!:;.
9.0-0 llJc610.bxc5
10 ... dxc5
The computer programs rec-
ommend here a counterstrike that
does not promise Black success
either: 1O ... d511.e5 .ixc5+ 12. wh1
CiJd7. Just like before White has the
typical combination: 13 ..ixh7+
Wxh714.4Jg5+ Wg615.~g4 CiJdxe5

16.~g3 ~hS 17.~h3+ ~g6 18.
~h7+ ~f619.fxeS+ ~e7 (19 ... ~xgS
20.~xg7+ ~hS 21.g4+ ~h4 22.
~h6+ ~xg4 23.E1f4#) 20.~xg7~e8
21.ttJbS+-.
H.e5 ttJd5 12.ttJxd5 ~xd5
13.~e2 ttJd4 14.ttJxd4 cxd4 15.
f5 exf5 16.E1xf5 .ic5 17.\!}h1
E1aeS lS.E1afl g6 19.E1g5 ~a2
20 ..ia1 ~xa3 21..ic4ao.
b) 6.g4!?
This flank operation is quite
risky for both sides! Similar ideas
enjoy great popularity in different
openings nowadays. This is quite
understandable; since White
should strive to seize the initiative
starting on move one!
b1) 6 e5 12.hS ttJf4 13 ..if1 f6+;
This move is natural, but it
does not solve Black's problems.
White occupies space on the king-
side and Black does not have suf-
ficient counterplay.
7.g5 tiJfd7 S.h4 h6 9.~f3
ttJc610 ..ic4!
Black has problems now with
the defence of the f7 -square as well
as plenty of other reasons to worry
about!
1.e4 c5 2.a3 d63.b4
10 ... ElfS 1l.g6! fxg612.~g4
Elf6 13.ttJd5.
b2) 6 ... h6
7.h4 ttJc6 S.Elh3!
This is a quite original idea! It
would not seem so strange if you
think about it. White plans to play
g4-gS and places his rook on a de-
fended square.
White's other moves are
weaker here: 8.bS 8 ... ttJeS! (8 ...
ttJd4 9 ..ig2 ttJxg4? 1O.~xg4 ttJxc2+
11. ~d1 ttJxa1 12 ..ixa1 .if6 13.ttJf3
~aS 14.eS dxeS lS.ttJe4 ~a4+
16.~c1 ~xa3+ 17 ..ib2 ~d3 18.
ttJxeS) 9 ..ie2 dS 10.d4 ttJg6 (10 ...
cxd4 11.~xd4 ttJc4 12 ..ixc4 dxc4
13.~xd8+ hd8 14.f3 eS lS.ttJge2
.ie6 16.0-0-0 ttJd7=) l1.eS ttJd7
8 ..ig2 cxb4 9.axb4 ttJxb4 10.gS
hxgS l1.hxgS Elxh1 12 ..ixh1 ttJh7
13.g6 fxg614 ..ia3 ttJc61S.~g4 ttJgS
16.ttJge2 ttJeS 17.~g3 .if6 18.f4
ttJgf7 (18 ... ttJgf3+ 19.~d1 .ih4
20.~h3) 19.~d1 lDc4 20 ..ic1 gS
21.d3 gxf4 22.hf4 g5+.
S ... e5
8 ... cxb4 9.axb4 lDxb4 10.gS
ttJd7 l1.ttJbS hxgS 12.hxgS E1xh3
13.ttJxh3 ttJcS 14.hg7;l:;.
Chapter 12
9.g5 hh3 10.gxf6 hflll.
fxe7 'lWxe7 12.lLid5 'lWxh4 13.
@xfl 'lWxe4 14.lLic7+ @d7 15.
lLixaS ~xaS
16.d3;;!;.
b3) 6 ... d5
7.g5lLifd7
This retreat is too passive.
White must now exchange his g-
pawn for the opponent's central
pawn and that promises him ex-
cellent chances.
In case of Black's most prin-
cipled decision - 7 ... lLixe4 - White
preserves again better chances,
moreover Black might quickly fall
into trouble in some lines: S.cuxe4
dxe4 9.1xg7 E:1gS 1O.1c3 E:1xg5 11.
cuh3! (Black is faced with a diffi-
cult choice, since every retreat of
the rook has certain drawbacks.)
11...E:1f5 (l1 ... E:1gS 12.1l~rh5;j;; 11 ... E:1g6
12.cuf4 E:1g513.h4! E:1f514.cuh5 @fS
15.'lWg4! This is the beginning of a
direct attack on the open file and
Black's defence is already quite
problematic. 15 ... cxb416.E:1g1 @eS
17.cug7@d71S.cuxf5bxc319.cuxe7
cxd2+ 20.@e2 'Wxe7 21.E:1d1 f5 22.
'lWgS+-) 12.E:1g1 'Wd6 13.E:1gS+ 1fS
14. 'We2! 'Wxh2 15.'Wxe4 cud7 16.
0-0-0 (White has completed his
development successfully and his
attack becomes decisive outright.)
16 ... cxb417.1xb4 a51S. hfS cuxfS
19.'Wa4+ @e7 20.'Wh4+ @eS 21.f4
1d7 22.1d3 E:1c5 23.E:1g7 1a4 24.
E:1xf7 ~xf7 25.CUg5 E:1xg5 26.'Wxh2+-
S.exd5exd5
S ... 1xg5 9.dxe6 fxe6 (9 ... 'We7
1O.cue4 'Wxe6 11.'We2 1e7 12.1h3
'Wc613.1xg7 E:1gS14.1c3) 1O.cue4
0-0 11.'Wg4 1f6 12.'Wxe6+ ~hS
13.cuxf6 cuxf614.'Wc4 cxb415.axb4
1e616.'Wh4;;!;.
9.cuxd5 0 - 0 10 .cuxe7+
'Wxe7+ 1l.'lWe2 'lWxg5 12.cuf3
'WdSI3.0-0-0 ~eSI4.'lWd3;j;
White now has excellent at-
tacking prospects. He can force a
draw immediately if he wishes:
14.E:1g1 E:1xe2 15.hg7 E:1xf216.iLh6=.
b4) 6 ... 0-0
 l.e4 cS 2.a3 d63.b4

Black intends to prove that d3 14.ctJd4 fxe4 1S.ibxe4 :gf4 16.

White's pawn offensive is not so
perilous. He has some reasons
though, since White must play
quite precisely in order to succeed,
otherwise Black might seize the
initiative very quickly.
7 .ig2
This solid move consolidates
White's position. He can start his
attack a bit later.
7.gS ctJfd7 B.h4 ctJc6 9.bS (9.f4
cxb4 1O.axb4 ctJxb4 11.ctJf3 fS 12.
exfS exfS 13.ibc4+ cj;JhB 14.hS :geB
1S.cj;Jf1 ctJb616.ibf7 :gfB17.ibb3 :geB
1B.h6.ifB 19.96+-; 11 ... eS12.fS dS
13.exdS ctJb614.f6 gxf61S.:gg1 cj;JhB
16.ctJe4 ibfS; 11...dS 12.eS f67 13.
exf6 gxf6 14J=fg1 fS 1S.ctJbS a6
16.ctJbd4 ctJcS17 ..ia3 ctJc61B.ctJxc6
bxc6 19.ctJeS; 12 ... b6 13.ctJe2 as
14.ctJfd4 .ia61S.ctJg3 ibxf116.cj;Jxfl
Vf1c7 17.hs ibcs+) ctJd4 1O.ctJf3 fS!7
This interesting counterstrike
shows that Black's position is not
so bad after all! He is in fact al-
ready a little better. 11.ctJxd4
(11.ibg2 ctJeS12.ctJxd4 cxd413.ctJe2
cxd3 dS 17.ctJxe6 :gxe4+ 1B.dxe4
ctJd319.cj;Je2 ibxe6 20.cj;Jxd3 dxe4+
21.cj;Jxe4 ibdS+ 22.cj;Je3 Vf1eB-+)
11...cxd4 12.ctJe2 fxe4 13.ctJxd4
ctJcS+.
7 .. .llJc68.bxc5!
B.gS ctJd7 9.bxcS dxcS 1O.h4 bS
11.f4 b4 12.ctJce2 as 13.ctJf3 iba6
14.hS c4 1S.h6 g6 16.ctJed4 ctJxd4
17.ctJxd4 Vf1c7 1B.eSoo.
8 ... dxc5 9.f4 e5 IO.f5 b5
H.g5 ctJd712.h4 ctJd4
13.llJd5;j;
White has a powerful pawn
chain on the kingside and a strong
centralized knight too. All that
guarantees him better prospects.

Conclusion
The lines that we have dealt with in this chapter requirefrom White
not so much extensive theoretical knowledge as preparedness to risk.
White's main attacking idea is to organize a pawn offensive on the
kingside. Thefianchettoed dark squared bishop supports it quite effi-
caciously.
It is difficult to assert that White has a definite advantage, because
Black's play is logical enough and he has not made any obvious mis-
takes. It is still evident that White has the initiative. His threats are
quite real and Black might easily get into trouble. It is only the tour-
nament practice that is going to say the final words in this line.
Chapter 13
We are going to deal in this
chapter with several rare moves
that deserve some attention after
all.
a) 2 ... aS?
This is a very weak move from
the point of view of positional play.
Black weakens the b6 and b5-
squares without getting anything
in return. The only thing that he
achieves is the prevention of the
threat b2-b4. It was hardly so dan-
gerous for Black to have to resort
to such desperate measures to de-
fend from it!
3.ll::lf3
Black cannot hope now to get
a satisfactory position because
White can get a big advantage in
numerous ways.
3 ... b6
3 ... ct:lc6 4.~b5. This is the sim-
plest for White. His bishop on b5
is very well placed and it cannot
be repelled from there. (It is also
good for White to play 4.d4 cxd4
5.ct:lxd4 g6 6.ct:lc3 ~g7 7.~e3;!;
Kroshk - CHESSOOO, Internet
2004; as well as 4.ct:lc3) 4 ... ct:lf6
5.e5.
4.d4 cxd4 5.ltJxd4 ~b7 6.
l.e4 cS 2.a3
ct:lc3 ttJc6 7.~e3 e6 S.ltJdbS d6
9.~f4 eS10.ltJdS!
This is the simplest and the
best for White. His bishop is un-
touchable now! White managed to
win also with: 1O.~e3?! ct:lf6 1l.f3
~a6 12.~g5 ~e7 13.~xf6 gxf6 14.
ct:ld5 ~xb5 15.~xb5 E1cS 16.~d2
E1gS17.0-0 i>f81S.f4 ct:ld419.~d3
exf4 20.~xf4 ltJe6 21.~h6+ i>eS
22.ct:lxf6+ ~xf6 23.~b5+ i>e7 24.
~xf6+ 1-0 Kroshk - Guest, Inter-
net 2004
lO E1cS
10 ... exf4? 1l.ct:lbc7+ i>d7 12.
~g4+ f5 13.~xf5#
11.~e3+-. Black loses his b6-
pawn and his brittle position is
bound to crumble soon after-
wards.
b) 2 ... b6

3.b4
I can also suggest the seem-
ingly illogical move 3.CtJf3!? It is
amazing that position has not been
tested in practice yet.
It might seem strange that
White showed his intention to play
b2-b4 with his second move and
now it looks like he changed his
mind! The correct explanation is
very simple. I think that the inclu-
sion of the moves a2-a3 and b7-b6
(in comparison to the main line
Sicilian positions after l.e4 cS
2.CtJf3) is in favour of White! The
reason is that Black's hopes to get
counterplay are mostly connected
with the active pawn-advance b7-
bS, and not so much with the timid
b7-b6. White's pawn move a2-a3
is very useful for him, for example
White is not afraid of the pin of his
knight after ~fS-b4, White has the
possibility of playing b2-b4 at his
disposal and the a2-square might
be used by some white piece just
in case. So it is quite reasonable for
White to test the simple 3.CtJf3 fol-
lowed by 4.d4.
3 ... ~b7 4.lbc3 d6
4 ... e6 - Black should better
play that on his second move.
Black's bishop is on b7 now and
the white rook can attack it. S.
bxcS! bxcS (It is not logical for
Black to play S... ~xcS, because
White is clearly better after 6.d4
because of his domination in the
centre.) 6J'~b1 ~cS (Black is forced
to play that ugly move in order to
defend his bishop. If the black
queen had occupied the c7-square
l.e4 cS 2.a3 rare lines
White could have attacked it with
his knight.) 7.ltJf3 (White has
also tested the eccentric move
7.g4!?, which is not bad at all! He
occupies additional space on the
kingside, but Black can get some
counterplay because of that. White
will not be worse anyway ... 7 .. .
CtJc6 S.~g2 :gbS 9.d3 d61O.f4 ro ; 9 .. .
CtJge7 10.CtJge2 ItJd4? 11.~f4! :gaS
12.CtJxd4 cxd413.ltJbS CtJg614.~d6
f6 lS.~d2 \t>f7 16.~xfS ~xfS 17.
CtJxd4; 11 ... CtJec6?! 12.hbS+- Lu-
berti -Van der Linden, Nether-
lands 1995; 10 ... ltJg611.h4 ~e712.
gSro) 7... ltJc6 S.~bSltJd4 9.~c4 CtJf6
1O.0-0!? CtJxe4 11.ltJxe4 ~xe4 12.
CtJxd4 cxd4 13.d3 ~c6 14.~g4 dS
lS.~a2 eS 16.~hS ~d6 17.f4 ~e6
lS.fxeS g6 19.~h4 ~xeS 20.~h6
\t>d7 21.:gbe1 :ghgS 22.~f4 gS (22 ...
f6 23.~xh7+ \t>d6 24.c3 :ghS 2S.
~xg6 :gagS 26.heS+-) 23.hgS.
5.lbf3!
White must prepare and play
d2-d4 under favourable circum-
stances.
It is weaker for him to try the
immediate S.d4?! cxd4 (S ... CtJd7
6.CtJf3 g6 7.~b2 ~g7 S.~c4, Kuipers
- Van der Heijden, Hengelo, 1996,
S ... cxd4 9.CtJxd4 CtJgf6+) 6.~xd4
CtJc6=.
5 ... lbf6
Black cannot afford to remain
impartial towards the actions of
his opponent in the centre, for ex-
ample: S... CtJd7 6.d4 :gcS 7.bxcS
dxcS S.dS g6 (S ... e6 9.dxe6 fxe6
1O.~bS ~c6 11.0-0 ~f6 12.~xc6
:gxc613.~b2) 9.eS ~g71O.~e2 a6
11.~b2 CtJh6 12.e6 CtJfS 13.0-0-0
Chapter 13

~d614.Wb1!. b4-b5. White should not be de-

6 ..ib5+ ttJbd7 .terred to continue with his idea:
6 ... CiJc67.e$. 3.b4 e5 4.ttJf3 ~c7 5 . .ib2
ttJc6 6 ..ic4!?
This gambit manner of playing
seems very attractive. White's ad-
vantage is very problematic after
the already tested lines: 6.CiJc3 CiJf6
7.CiJd5 (7.b5 CiJd4 8.ic4 ie7 9.0-0
0-0 00 ; 7..ic4 cxb4 8.axb4 ixb4 9.
0-0 ixc3 1O.ixc3 CiJxe4 11.ib2~)
7... CiJxd5 8.exd5 CiJd4o Mengarini
- Murray, New York 1966.
7.0-0! 6 ... cxb4
This is an interesting sacrifice Should Black continue to play
of the e4-pawn in order to open the calmly he is not safe at all after:
e-file. White gets excellent attack-6 ... CiJf6 7.0-0 d6 8.CiJg5! This is an
ing prospects after it. 7 ... ttJxe4important resource of White's at-
(7 ... cxb4 8.axb4 CiJxe4 9.CiJxe4 tack. 8 ... LtJd8 9.f4 cxb4 1O ..ib3 h6
.ixe4 1O.CiJg5 .ig6 11.~f3 E:c8 12. 11.LtJf3 LtJc6 12.axb4.
E:xa7; 11...e5 12 ..ixd7+ Wxd7 7.0-0 ttJf6 S.ttJg5 LtJdS 9 .
13.ttJxf7 .ixf7 14.~xf7) S.ttJxe4 .ib3 h6 10 .ttJf3 ttJc6
he4 9.E:el! (White does not have
more than a draw after: 9.ttJg5?!
.ig6 1O.~f3 E:c8 11..id3 ttJe5 12 .
.ib5+ ttJd7 13 ..id3=) 9 .. .ib7 (9 ...
.ixf3 10.~xf3) 10.bxc5 bxc5
(10 ... dxc5?? 11.ttJe5+-) 1l.d4
cxd4 12.ttJxd4 g6 13.ttJc6 hc6
14 ..ixc6 E:cS 15.~xd6 e6 16.
~d4 E:gS17.~c4 .ie71S .if4 g5
19 ..ig3.
c) 2 ... a6 1l.d4 d6 12.axb4 ttJxe4 13.
This is not a bad move, but it is :Se1 .if5 14 . .id5 ttJf6 15.dxe5
a bit passive. Black prepares in dxe516. hc6+ ~xc617.ttJxe5
advance some countermeasures ~e6 lS.ttJd3 (18.CiJxf7+-) IS ...
against White's pawn-assault b2- ttJe419.f3+-.
Conclusion
The moves for Black that we have dealt with in this chapter are
quite rare nowadays. They have not been tested in the grandmaster
practice yet. It is quite evident that Black can hardly equalize if he
plays like that and White preserves a lasting advantage.
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 ieves that "a
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who do not have time or desire to go into

"""'IH)an18S can try to enrich their opening
be refuted by any
the book he -