Chapter 7

The Evans Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c4 c5 4.b4 was thought up by Captain William Davies

Evans around 1824 during one of his regular sea
voyages. Having been the favourite weapon of
such outstanding players as Anderssen, Morphy
and Chigorin, the gambit fell into oblivion
for almost a century. It wasnt until 1995 that
the great champion Kasparov unearthed this
formidable weapon to crush Anand and Piket.
Even though the 13th World Champion never
repeated the experiment after that, his choice
speaks volumes about the soundness of the
whole system.

Recently, I read a comment claiming that
computer assistance will enable the definitive
refutation of such openings as, among others,
From the rich inheritance of the great masters the Evans Gambit and (no kidding!) the
of the 19th century, the Evans Gambit occupies Marshall Attack. I believe there is too much
a special place. Our forefathers brilliant lack of respect for human intelligence in this
combinations, their imaginative attacking statement. If several of the greatest players
plans and even certain endgame analysis have in chess history employed a certain variation
entered forever into the thesaurus of chess, regularly, computers will most likely prove their
nobody can argue about that. However, the correctness, if only they are used properly.
chance that an opening system invented long It is precisely because of such negative
before the formulation of the principles of comments that this chapter is structured in
positional play should preserve its viability a different way from the others. Instead of
almost two centuries after its birth looks much focusing on making the whole variation playable
more problematic. for Black, I have first tried to illustrate what a
And yet, this is precisely the case with the formidable weapon it is for White!
Evans Gambit. The most wonderful of the First of all, we have to understand why such
openings, as it was called by Adolf Anderssen, an early pawn sacrifice should be viable at all.
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120 Beating the Open Games

Did Black do anything wrong to deserve such White is two pawns down already, but has
treatment? managed to open several lines and diagonals
In a certain way he did. Moving the kings and threatens to put the black position under
bishop while the knight is on its initial square strong pressure with such moves as a3, b3,
still is a slight violation of one of the basic rules e5 or g5.
of development. This should not be enough to Black faces a choice regarding the evolution
put Black in trouble, but it certainly offers White of the structure in the centre, which is tightly
plenty of ideas. It is quite symptomatic that in connected with that of the material balance.
the Evans Gambit Black has problems with the He can return one pawn immediately with a)
proper development of his kings knight. 7...b6, aiming for a solid position after 8.cxd4
What does White get in exchange for the d6, or, on the contrary, increase his material
sacrificed pawn? First of all, after advantage with the greedy b) 7...dxc3. There
4...xb4 is also a more balanced approach, to leave the
he gets a vital tempo for preparing the situation in the centre as it is and proceed with
occupation of the centre with the development of the kingside with either c)
5.c3 a5 6.d4 7...f6 or d) 7...ge7.
Black has problems consolidating his e5- Although play tends to become very concrete
pawn. After 6d6 White has the strong 7.b3, in the near future, choices are difficult to make
practically forcing the awkward 7d7, which only on the basis of calculation, because the
places the queen in front of the bishop. White position might be just too complicated for that.
usually continues with 8.dxe5, opening the General considerations should be taken into
position in his favour. account, too.
However, Black can play On general grounds, I would discard a)
6exd4 and b) as being too cooperative. The former
when the generally desirable 8.cxd4 is allows White to build up his centre while the
impossible as yet because the c-pawn is pinned. latter leads to an increment of his advance in
Capturing with the knight is quite illogical now, development.
because it gives up the idea of building a strong However, this would mean falling into the
pawn centre. Therefore, other extreme. Therefore, I shall give a brief
7.00 examination of some typical lines possible after
renewing the threat of cxd4 is better, which the first three moves, in order to support in a
leads us to a first critical moment. more explicit way my final choice of the fourth
one for the repertoire.

a) 7...b6 8.cxd4 d6 9.c3

We have reached one of the classic tabiyas
of the Evans Gambit. As compensation for the
sacrificed pawn, White is one tempo ahead in
development (considering the fact that it is
Black's turn to move). From this point of view,
we can consider that the balance is more or less
even, but there is an additional element that
slightly inclines it in White's favour: his strong
and mobile pawn centre. This detail makes it
difficult for Black to continue his development
with natural moves.

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

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 the last moment when Black can switch back
to a calmer course of events by playing 10...f6.
However, this move has the obvious drawback
of weakening the a2-g8 diagonal. After 11.f4
it becomes clear that the bishop is not really
en prise, since 11...xc4?! can be met by
12.a4 d7 13.xc4 when after 13...f7
14.d5 White maintains a strong initiative for
the sacrificed pawn, as could be seen in several
games played by Chigorin.
11...e7 looks safer, although it does not
solve all Blacks problems.
11.d5 f6 12.xf6!
Not having solved the problem of the hanging
The most desirable continuation would be light-squared bishop yet, White sacrifices his
9...f6, placing the knight on the most active other bishop in order to open the enemy kings
square, but this allows White to obtain a strong position.
attack with 10.e5. For instance 10...dxe5 11.a3 12...gxf6 13.xf6 f8 14.g5 xc4
xd4 12.b3 and Blacks king is helpless. Finally, the knight has put into practice
Another natural move would be 9...g4 the threat created five moves earlier. In the
increasing the pressure against the white centre, meantime, White has obtained compensation
but after 10.b5! Black is short of just one of another nature.
tempo to get rid of the pin by castling. Instead, 15.h5
10...f8 11.xc6 bxc6 12.e5! followed by a3 Dark clouds are gathering around the black
leaves him struggling in a position where it king, but there is a long way till mate.
seems that Whites advantage in development 15...g7!
tends to increase. Bravely fighting for its own life. It suddenly
9...a5!? appears that the cooperation of the white
Since normal developing continuations have attacking pieces is not optimal for creating a
serious drawbacks, Black tries to change the mating net.
course of the game. The obvious aim of his move 16.f7 h6 17.gxh7!
is to force the bishop to abandon the a2-g8
diagonal, in order to continue his development

with ...e7. However, Whites position already
contains sufficient dynamism to prevent such a
peaceful scenario.

10.g5
10.d3, leaving the knight rather misplaced
on a5, is entirely playable as well and should

be regarded as Whites best chance if he cannot
find an advantage in the main line.
10...e7

Theory considers this to be a reliable defence.
White is given the opportunity to start a
sacrificial attack which, supposedly, does not

lead to more than a draw by perpetual. This is
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 Curiously, such a great attacking player as 18.xe6 xh7 19.xh7 xh7 20.ac1 g6
Chigorin ended his analysis here with 17.h5, 21.f7 h6 22.c3 h4 23.g3 (23.h3?
forcing a draw by perpetual. Did he not have would allow Black to turn the tables after
sufficient energy to look for a continuation of 23...xh3 24.gxh3 d2) 23...h5 24.xc4
the attack, or did he discover something that (now h3 becomes a serious threat) 24...g7
appealed to him more in some other line? Hard 25.f4+-.
to say. The only game where this position has occurred
In any case, the merits of 17.gxh7 are so far went 17...xd4? The main idea is to
not easy to see. At first glance, it might look eliminate one of the enemy knights, but Whites
as if White chaotically concentrates his forces attacking potential, reinforced by the advance of
around the enemy king, without causing him the g-pawn, remains enormous after 18.g4 xf6
any trouble. In fact, Whites coordination is 19.xf6 g8 (It is already too late to bring the
almost perfect now. Several back rank squares are knight one step closer with 19...e5 because of
under strict control now, preventing the black 20.g5 xg5 21.g7 5g6 22.f4 h4 23.f5
major pieces from providing help for their king. with the deadly threat f4) 20.f4 xg4 21.h1
Besides, the king is completely immobilised and h8 and now White would gain an irresistible
all it takes for mate is one check. This can be attack with 22.g1! instead of 22.f5? which
accomplished with the not very obvious advance was strongly answered by 22...e5 in Smith
of the g-pawn. Clarke, corr. 1978. Remarkably, on the basis of
Blacks main trump cards are his two (!) extra this game, theory sustained Chigorins point of
pieces, but this might remain a mere statistical view that White should take a draw when given
detail if he cannot activate in an efficient way the opportunity.
his a5-knight or the b6-bishop. 18.g4 f3
17...d2! Temporarily taking the g5-square under
1222222223 control.
19.g2
4t+vW + T5 With the deadly threat xf3 followed by g5
4OoO Mq+n5 mate.
19...e6!
4 V O N L5 1222222223
4+ + + + 5 4t+ W + T5
4 + Pp+ +5 4OoO Mq+n5
4+ + + + 5 4 V OvN L5
4p+ M PpP5 4+ + + + 5
4R + +rK 5 4 + Pp+p+5
7888888889 4+ + +m+ 5
Only this move, anticipating the inevitable
weakening of the f3-square, keeps Black alive, 4p+ + PkP5
although from a practical point of view making
the right choice is anything but easy.
4R + +r+ 5
17...e6? is not very logical, because the 7888888889
bishop was actually doing a job from its initial Now that the knight has caused some
square. White can get a decisive advantage with temporary chaos in Whites territory, this move,

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intended to distract the queen from its main

job, is entirely adequate. Instead, 19...g5
leaves White with a strong attack after 20.h5
g7 21.xg5 f7 22.ad1 (Defending the

d4-pawn and preparing the activation of the
rook along the third rank. 22.e5 would lead
to unclear consequences after 22...xd4.)

22...xh7 23.xh7 h8 24.f4 g7 25.g5
(Renewing the threat d3) 25...f8 26.g3 and
Whites attack (which can possibly be reinforced

with the advance of the impressive mass of
pawns) persists, in conditions of approximate
material equality.

20.xe6 h4 21.g3 xh7!
Very soon the approximate material balance Nowadays, we do not often see such wonderful
will be restored, with a rather unclear position. development for White. His main plan is to
Although from a theoretical point of view attack the f7- or the h7-squares, making use of
Black seems to be OK in this line, the course the exposed position of the black queen in order
of the game rather suits Whites intentions to to win time. Black has to react energetically if he
get a highly unbalanced game. Any unexpected does not want to perish with most of his pieces
novelty is likely to provoke a disaster over- on the last two ranks.
the-board, since the position is enormously 12...b5!?
complicated. Besides, there are several lines This move was submitted to thorough
like this one, which makes Blacks task of being practical examination during the last quarter of
up-to-date and remembering everything when the 19th century. The main figure involved was
needed very difficult. Zukertort, who tested the variation with both
colours.
b) 7dxc3 13.d3!
Several top players from the 19th century White should not allow himself to be distracted
considered this greedy move to be playable. from the main plan. 13.xb5 b8 14.xe7
Black physically removes the potential danger of xe7 15.a3 c6 16.bd4 b4 17.c1 b7
being crushed by Whites pawn centre and hopes allowed Black to obtain counterplay in Paulsen
to be able to return some or all of his material Zukertort, Leipzig 1877.
advantage in order to complete his development 13...g4
in good conditions. The main drawback of this There are certain subtleties regarding the
variation is that it allows White to develop his trajectory chosen by the black queen.
pieces on the best squares without any special 13...h5 should be met by 14.e2 with the
effort. threat of harassing the queen with f4 rather
8.b3 f6 than 14.d5 which has the same idea, but
There is no other favourable way to defend allows the additional 14...xd5! as in a game
the f7-pawn, but the queens exposed position Taylor Zukertort. White probably missed the
will be Whites main trump in the ensuing fact that 15.xf8 loses to 15...f4 followed by
middlegame. The next few moves are natural ...g4.
and do not require any comment. The idea behind 13...g4 is to provoke h3,
9.e5 g6 10.xc3 ge7 11.a3 00 taking away this square from the enemy queen.
12.ad1 The importance of this detail becomes obvious
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from the following line: 13...e6 14.xh7 This was probably the position Zukertort
h8 15.d5 b4 16.c1 (In fact, 16.g5 is aimed for. g5 followed by h3 is impossible
also playable, for instance 16...g4 17.c1 now, but Whites position is very strong
a6 18.h3 h4 19.xe7 xe7 20.e4 xf1 anyway.
21.xf1 ad8 22.g3 h5 23.g4 h4 24.xf7 19.e4 b7 20.d4!
xf7 25.xf7+- Manko Alekhine, corr. 1905. Better than 20.g5 xd5! 21.d1? (21.g3
At the age of 13, the future World Champion f5 or 21...h6 are both still unclear)
looked less impressive than 15-20 years later.) 21...xe4 22.h5 g8 23.xe6 fxe6 with
16...xd5 17.xd5 e7? [This loses instantly, superb play for Black, Hirschfield Zukertort,
because in some lines the a5-bishop is hanging. London 1881. The difference induced by d4
However, 17...b6 does not save Black either in will become clear one move later.
view of 18.b1 (g5, d3 c4) 18...g8 20...xd5
19.c4 when the black king is helpless against The queen has no favourable squares along
the concentrated attack of practically all Whites the 6th rank, for instance 20...b6 21.b5; or
pieces.] 18.g5 xd5 19.h3 10 Zukertort 20...a6 21.g3 g6 22.xa5.
Payne, corr. 1884. 21.g3!
14.h3 e6 15.d5 b4 16.xh7 h8 With the knight on d4 rather than g5,
17.c1 neither ...f5 nor ...h6 are possible now.
White follows the pattern of Zukertort Black will have to give up the queen in rather
Payne. In fact, now that the sphere of action of unfavourable circumstances, in view of a
the black queen has been restricted even more further check on h4, winning one of the black
by the move h3, 17.g5 looks very strong, minor pieces.
too, as Zukertort had the opportunity to feel:
17...xd5 (The variation 17...xe5 18.c1 c) 7f6
xd5 19.xd5 c3 20.d1 g6 21.e2 g7
22.b2 f6 23.e4+- xg6 is just another

illustration of Whites perfect coordination.)
18.xe6 fxe6 19.b1 bxa3 20.c2 f5
21.xd5 b4 22.c5 xd5 23.xf5 10

Young Zukertort, 1882 .
17...xd5 18.xd5 e7






Generally speaking, this is the most logical
move. Black develops the knight on the most
active square, taking the e4- and d5-squares
under control. On the other hand, we should
not forget that Whites whole strategy in the
Evans Gambit is aimed at preventing Black
from developing in a natural way. This leaves us

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with an obvious conflict of principle, far from In fact, 10.e1 might be stronger. After
easy to solve by analytical means. 10...d511.b5 White gets an extra tempo over
My first impulse was to embark on the the variation 8.e5 d5 9.b5 e4 10.a3. Here,
difficult task of building up a coherent defensive several moves are possible for Black, but I have
system based on 7...f6, but two reasons made picked 11...xc3 which is reported to lead to
me change my mind during the process. a clear advantage for Black. 12.xc3 dxc3 (Or
First of all, the tree of possible variations is 12...xc3?! 13.xc6 bxc6 14.c2 with strong
enormously complicated. It does not seem like pressure on the dark squares.)
a practical approach to fill in a considerable
amount of pages of analysis in an opening

that is a rather rare guest in modern practice.
Besides, the more complicated the variations
one analyses, the higher is the probability of

committing mistakes. I simply felt that 7...ge7
was simpler to analyse and explain, while being
entirely sound at the same time.

The other aspect was of a psychological
nature. Recently, Maarten de Zeeuw published
two articles in the New in Chess Yearbook series,

claiming that after 7...f6 (!) White should
not even be able to equalise! Such exaggerated
optimism challenged my natural taste for the

initiative and an advantage in development,
as well as my respect for the great classics. 13.e6! White sacrifices a third pawn in order
Therefore, quite unexpectedly for an author to clear the e5-square for his knight and open
who was about to write a repertoire book for the e-file or, if Black so wishes, the h5-e8
Black, I started looking for improvements for diagonal (depending on the way he will capture
White! on e6). 13...fxe6 (It should be mentioned that
Unsurprisingly, I have managed to unearth 13...xe6 leads to rather easy play for White. For
quite a number of mistaken evaluations. The instance 14.a4 threatening to win the a8-rook
fact that I have included here some of the most by means of a double capture on c6. 14...c8
relevant should not be regarded as the intended 15.e5 d6 16.xc6 bxc6 17.xc6 f8
start of a polemical discussion, but as a warning 18.ac1. The black king is out of danger, but
about the hidden dangers that await Black the time Black will have to spend in order to
if he treats the Evans Gambit in a superficial complete his development [for instance g8,
way or if he blindly follows the computers h5, h6] will most likely allow White to win
recommendations. Nor do I claim that 7...f6 back the c3, a7 and d5-pawns, when his position
is unplayable. What I aim to illustrate is that would be preferable in view of his strong bishop
it might be simply too complicated to make it and the outside passed a-pawn.) 14.e5 f6
playable. (14...h4? 15.xe4 dxe4 16.a4; 14...g5?
8.a3 15.xc6 d7 16.d4) 15.xe4! (The start of
Quite typical for the Evans Gambit: White a series of tactical blows, revealing the hidden
makes use of the diagonal made available after force of Whites position. The elimination of
the pawn sacrifice in order to hinder Blacks the active black knight was necessary, since after
castling. the immediate 15.xc6? d7 16.d4 Black
8...d6 9.e5! e4 10.exd6 would play 16...xf2 17.h1 000 with
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5 pawns for the piece and a safe position for

his king.) 15...dxe4 16.xc6 f7 (If 16...d7
White would not answer with 17.d4? because
of 17...000! when he would remain pinned.

Instead he would play 17.a5! xb5 18.h5
f7 19.xb5 c6 20.a4 would lead to a
promising position for White. Black can hardly

defend his numerous extra pawns. Such threats
as c4 or xe4 are quite unpleasant, while
20...000? leads to immediate trouble in

view of 21.xc6! bxc6 22.b1.) 17.h5 g6
18.e5! xe5 (But not 18...bxc6? 19.xc7
g8 20.xc6) 19.xe5 f6 20.b4! From

a formal point of view, Black has a material
advantage, but he has problems completing 12.b3!
his development. Whites minor pieces are very This simple developing move, attacking
strong, dominating the whole board, which the f7-pawn and putting the b7-square under
should be more important. serious pressure has escaped the attention of
10...xd6 analysts so far. I believe that it will soon become
Here I should also mention that Botterills clear who is fighting for survival.
recommendation 10...cxd6!? is quite interesting, 12...d7
bearing in mind the following sequence 11.e1 Blacks tragicomedy consists of the fact that
00 12.xe4 d5, when the position remains he cannot parry such a simple threat as xf7.
very interesting. After 12...f6?! White would get an irresistible
11.e1 f8?! attack with 13.bd2! followed by e4.
This looks like playing with fire. In their 13.xf7 dxc3 14.d5
book Play the Evans Gambit, Harding and 14.e6 xe6 15.xe6 d7 16.e2 is a
Cafferty give this move as possibly survivable reasonable alternative. White will soon win the
for Black, which is a reasonable description of c3-pawn back, completing his development
the situation. However, De Zeeuw claims that and retaining enormous compensation for
it is White who has problems maintaining the the remaining missing pawn, in view of the
balance now. unfortunate position of the black king.
He also states that 11...e6 is sufficient for The spectacular 14.xc3 xc3 15.h5 f6
equality, giving the following line: 12.xe6 16.xb7 is met by 16...d8! (the only move
fxe6 13.xe6 d7 14.xd4 xd4 15.e5 that keeps Blacks queenside together) and now
f6 (15...c6 loses to 16.g4+-) 16.xa5 White might have nothing better than forcing a
(This is more restrictive than the move order draw with 17.b3=.
given by De Zeeuw, 16.xd6, which allows 14...f6
the supplementary 16...b6 17.cxd4 cxd6 Blacks last hope is to keep the c3-pawn on the
when Black might be doing all right.) 16...c6 board. He has no time to defend his b7-pawn
17.xd6 cxd6 Now, we have transposed back to with 14...b8 because of the simple 15.xc3
De Zeeuws analysis, which is supposed to lead with an overwhelming lead in development for
to equal play. However this is debatable. After White.
18.b5 followed by d2 Whites advantage is 15.xd6!?
obvious, in view of the exposed position of the The double exchange initiated by this move
black king. looks like a slight concession, but it presents

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the advantage that it allows White to bring his Black has to apply the same method:
knight into play. 18...d6
The immediate 15.xc3!? is interesting, but Hoping for a draw by repetition. However, it
possibly not sufficient for an advantage. seems that White can escape this pursuit with
19.c2 c5 20.e3 e8 21.ae1
with a strong initiative.
+
v Finally, we have only one continuation left.
d) 7 ge7
This move gives up the ambitious plans about
b putting pressure on the e4-pawn and focuses on
preparing the thematic break in the centre ...d5.
+ The knight is much safer placed on e7 than on
qN f6 and it covers the important a3-f8 diagonal,
too.

All of this represents a relatively simple solution
to the problems posed by the current official
main line. However, this is not yet the end of
After 15...xc3 (15...xc3 16.xb7 d8 the story.
17.xc7 b4 18.g5 looks too dangerous After:
for Black, who is completely tied up) 16.xb7 6.d4 exd4
d8 17.xd6 cxd6 18.ac1 (After 18.ec1 White can attack the f7-pawn immediately
b4 19.xc6 xb7 20.xb7 e7 Whites with:
position is slightly more pleasant, but the most 7.b3!?
probable result is a draw.) 18...f6 (18...b4? is
impossible now because of 19.c4! when Black 1222222223
has to give up his queen in order to parry the 4t+vWl+mT5
mating threats.) 19.xc6 xc6 20.xc6 xe1
21.xe1. White certainly has compensation 4OoOo+oOo5
for the exchange, but hardly more than 4 +m+ + +5
that.
15...xd6 4V + + + 5
15...cxd6 loses material to 16.xb7. 4 +bOp+ +5
16.xc6 bxc6
The bishop has to guard the f5-square. If 4+qP +n+ 5
16...xc6 then 17.e5! attacking the a5-bishop 4p+ + PpP5
and threatening f5, when White gets a very
strong attack. 4RnB K +r5
17.xc3 7888888889
Black is in a very dangerous situation. He This has never been considered as a main line,
faces such threats as g5 or ad1. The only which partly explains why I omitted it in the
reasonable move is previous edition of the book. In recent years it
17...b4 has served Nigel Short rather well, something
aiming to chase away the enemy queen. After I learned from several readers after the books
18.d1! release.
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 By coincidence, soon after that I met Nigel here. In virtually all the theoretically approved
in Banyoles, Spain. During breakfast on the lines, I would gladly have sat on Whites side.
first day we had a brief conversation about Black has two ways to defend the f7-pawn.
this subject. I let him know that I had not yet 7...e7
had time to investigate the matter, while he This has the drawback of placing the queen
confessed his faith in this variation. When, later on a vulnerable diagonal, allowing White to
that afternoon, we met in the fifth round of the develop his initiative with a3 at a later stage.
rapid event, I had the feeling that we both had After
learned something useful. He knew perfectly 8.00
well that 3.c4 was the move to be played
(although 3.b5 is his main weapon), while I
1222222223
understood that 3...c5 would be equivalent 4t+v+l+mT5
to suicide. I chickened out with 3...e7 4.d4
d6 and eventually drew, which was more than
4OoOoWoOo5
OK for me as a player, but made me feel very 4 +m+ + +5
uncomfortable about the whole situation as an
author.
4V + + + 5
As in other lines of the Evans Gambit, Black 4 +bOp+ +5
is forced to deviate from the normal course
of development. Although 7...f6 does not
4+qP +n+ 5
necessarily lose, after 8.xf7 f8 9.00 Black 4p+ + PpP5
will need more time than White to regain his
harmony, while his material advantage is not big
4RnB +rK 5
enough to offer sufficient compensation for the 7888888889
inconveniences. Blacks main continuation is supposed to be:
Although the early development of the white 8...b6
queen puts Black under immediate pressure, we This move looks logical, because it underlines
should note two main drawbacks of this move. both aforementioned drawbacks of b3. Black
By defining the queens position so quickly increases his control over the d4-square while
White not only weakens his control over the d4- creating the threat of ...a5. However, with the
square (in view of a later cxd4), but also exposes centre unstable and several of his pieces on the
Whites most active pieces to a double attack in back rank, moving for the fourth time with the
the event of ...b6 and ...a5. However, these same piece is at least dangerous.
are only abstract aspects, while the position has My interest in 7...e7 waned when I
a rather concrete character. discovered that there is no way to make Blacks
When I started looking for a reasonable position playable after the desirable developing
continuation for Black my aim was the same as move 8...f6. White simply strengthens his
throughout the rest of the book: to avoid unclear centre with 9.cxd4, threatening a3 and
complications where White has the initiative, e5, while 9...xe4 leaves Black dangerously
and to strive for a solid position where the underdeveloped. For instance: 10.a3 d6
strategic factors tend to prevail over dangerous (10...b4 neutralizes the pressure along the
tactics. I also kept in mind that Black should a3-f8 diagonal, but makes the e1-square
return part of his material advantage for the sake available for the rook. 11.xb4 xb4 12.e1
of completing development. I must confess that f5 13.c3 leaves the black king exposed to a
I do not recall any other variation in the whole strong attack. 10...d6 drops a piece to 11.d5
book where I felt that my task was as difficult as when any knight move can be answered by

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
www.qualitychessbooks.com
a4 or b5.) 11.c3 00 12.fe1 Black
is two pawns up, but several tempi behind in 1222222223
development. Obviously, this line is no reason
for White to refrain from the Evans Gambit.
4t+v+l+mT5
9.cxd4 xd4 4OoOo+oOo5
The other attempt to question the viability of
7.b3 is 9...a5. However, after 10.a4 xc4
4 +m+ W +5
11.xc4 Blacks bishops do not compensate 4V + + + 5
for his delay in development and Whites
strong centre. One example from grandmaster
4 +bOp+ +5
practice continued: 11...d6 12.a4 c6 13.c3 4+qP +n+ 5
d8 (naively hoping to stop the advance of
the a-pawn) 14.a5! (with such a huge lead
4p+ + PpP5
in development White does not care about 4RnB K +r5
such small material quantities) 14...xa5
(otherwise a6 would weaken the c6-square)
7888888889
The main merit of this move is that it permits
15.g5 (Blacks bishop is hanging, which forces kingside development with ...ge7 and ...00.
him to weaken his position) 15...f6 16.d2 True, the queens relative exposure allows White
e7 17.fe1 b5 18.b3 b6 19.e5! White to win a tempo with a later e5, but this would
had a strong attack in Sutovsky Smagin, just give Black the possibility of a counterattack
Essen 2001. with ...d6, even though this might imply
10.xd4 xd4 11.c3 f6 returning the material.
1222222223 8.00
4t+v+l+ T5 Theory holds that:
8...b6
4OoOoWoOo5 is best, for similar reasons as after 7...e7. My
4 + + M +5 personal evaluation remains the same, though.
9.e5!
4+ + + + 5 A good moment to play this move. Black has
4 +bVp+ +5 to make up his mind about where to place his
queen.
4+qN + + 5 9...g6
4p+ + PpP5 I have tried to make 9...f5 work. The idea
would be that after 10.cxd4?! a5 11.b4
4R B +rK 5 xc4 12.xc4 d6! 13.exd6 Black has the
7888888889 intermediate 13...e6!, taking advantage of the
fact that the d5-square is under control, which
Black is one step away from castling, but his makes 14.d5 impossible. However, White can
overall development remains rather poor. The play 10.xd4! exploiting the queens vulnerable
strong novelty position. He will either eliminate the threat
12.b5! ...a5 by exchanging the black queens knight
yielded White a strong initiative in Short or leave Blacks dark squares weak in case of
Nielsen, Skanderborg 2003. ...xd4.
I believe that we have sufficient reasons to 10.cxd4 a5
switch to Blacks other possibility: White gets a wonderful position after
7...f6 10...xd4 11.xd4 xd4 12.c3 h6
Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008
Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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13.a3!. Black would gladly return his two in the centre.) 18.e6 fxe6 19.e5 with the
extra pawns just to get castled, but this is not initiative.
easy to achieve under favourable circumstances. 14.d5!?
11.a4 xc4 12.xc4 e7 13.a3 A typical sacrifice to maintain Whites
1222222223 initiative. I would also be worried about
14.bd2!? when the exchange of queens would
4t+v+l+ T5 leave Black with the same developing problems,
4OoOoMoOo5 while increasing Whites activity at the same
time.
4 V + +w+5 14...xd5 15.e2 g6 16.c3
4+ + P + 5 The black king was stuck in the centre in
Short Piket, Zurich 2001.
4 +qP + +5 I believe that these illustrative lines more or
4B + +n+ 5 less justify my general doubts about the viability
of the bishop retreat to b6.
4p+ + PpP5
4Rn+ +rK 5 This leaves us with the developing move:
8...ge7
7888888889 Aiming to give meaning to the queens
White has obtained the usual pressure along placement on f6 (compare this with 7...e7
the a3-f8 diagonal, but Black relies on the followed by 8...f6).
weakness of the light squares, with d5 first in
line.
1222222223
13...e6 4t+v+l+ T5
For a while I was tempted by 13...c6!?,
but Vali Stoica made my illusions vanish
4OoOoMoOo5
with 14.e2! (after 14.bd2 d6! 15.exd6 4 +m+ W +5
e6! Blacks idea is fully justified) 14...d6
(14...d5 15.xe7 xe7 16.b2 leaves Black
4V + + + 5
with problems completing his development. 4 +bOp+ +5
As always, the kings presence on e7 causes
a huge loss of time.) 15.c1! An important
4+qP +n+ 5
intermediate move, spoiling Blacks 4p+ + PpP5
coordination. 15...d7 16.e1! Now, the
combined pressure against the e7-knight is very
4RnB +rK 5
annoying. We can see here that White should 7888888889
not hurry to capture on d6 (for instance, after In several lines given in the theoretical part
14...d5 given above), because Black could play the bishop will prove useful on a5, keeping
...d8, defending his knight and enabling the b1-knight under some sort of domination
castling under comfortable circumstances. and (sometimes indirectly) controlling the
16...d5 (16...00 returns the material without important e1-square.
freeing Blacks position, for instance 17.exd6 9.cxd4 b6
f5 18.dxc7 d6 19.c3) 17.c3 c6 I believe that this is the best moment for the
(After the safer 17...00 18.xe7 xe7 bishop retreat. Apart from his intentions to
19.xd5 d8 20.f4 Black has not quite castle and continue his development with ...d6,
equalized, because of Whites space advantage Black creates two important threats (...a5

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
www.qualitychessbooks.com
and ...xd4). However, he should not hurry 12.c3!
to carry out either of them, because this would As analysis has shown, White should complete
annihilate the other! It is well known that the his development before embarking on such
threat is stronger than its execution. forced lines as 12.e5 f6 13.xf7 f8,
The premature attempt to stabilize the when his position is hanging.
position with 9...d6? weakens the a4-e8 diagonal I believe that this is a good moment to highlight
and offers White a forcing line to a promising an essential aspect: as mentioned on more than
attacking position with 10.g5 g6 11.d5. one previous occasion, Blacks development
Black has to work miracles in order to avoid problems are caused by his inability to play the
losing a piece to a4 or b5. 11...e5 desirable ...f6 without exposing himself to
12.xe5 dxe5 13.xe7 xe7 14.a3 d8 major dangers. We can notice a similar problem
15.d6! (The hurried 15.xa5? offers Black an for White. His queens knight would be best
essential tempo to launch a devastating counter- placed on c3, but in order to clear this square
attack with 15...h3 16.g3 xe4 17.f3 xc4. White needs to spend a tempo capturing on d4,
Unexpectedly, White is underdeveloped and his giving Black the time needed to organize his own
king is in greater danger than Blacks.) 15...b6 development. It is also obvious that White has
16.dxc7 xc7 17.c3 White has strong little chance of success with his knight on b1 and
initiative, Harding Day, corr. 1974. his queens rook captive on a1. In the main line
The mechanical continuation of development given below, the knight will be the last piece to be
with 9...00 allows White to obtain a strong developed, something not entirely in accordance
initiative with 10.d5! when the hanging position with the general rules. Whites limitations in the
of the a5-bishop will make itself felt in several Evans Gambit are connected precisely with this
moments. (not so easy to solve) problem.
10.g5! 12...d6
The most energetic continuation of the attack.
After 10.e5 f5 Black will castle and free his
1222222223
position with ...d6, even if this means returning 4t+v+l+ T5
the extra pawn.
10...g6 11.xe7
4OoO MoOo5
This early release of the tension fails to trouble 4 V O +w+5
Black.
11xe7!
4+ + + + 5
1222222223 4 +bPp+ +5
4t+v+l+ T5 4+qN +n+ 5
4OoOoMoOo5 4p+ + PpP5
4 V + +w+5 4R + +rK 5
4+ + + + 5 7888888889
Black has a solid position and his lag in
4 +bPp+ +5 development is not that big. White has achieved
4+q+ +n+ 5 a harmonious piece placement, and doubtlessly
retains sufficient resources to maintain a slight
4p+ + PpP5 initiative, based on the fact that Black has not
4Rn+ +rK 5 castled yet. However, this does not offer more
than plain equality.
7888888889 Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008
Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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Instead of capturing on e7, White can play the strategic successes, Black can bring his knight
immediate back into play starting with 18...c6.
11.c3! 13...a5 14.b4
This is a more restricting move order, entirely It is important to keep the a3-f8 diagonal
in accordance with my previous comment about under control. After 14.a4 d6= White
Whites development as the highest priority. will face problems maintaining his space
11...00 advantage.
The attempt to transpose to the previous line 14...f5 15.d3 d6=
with 11...d6 leaves Black with some problems Black has the better structure and reasonable
after 12.e2, threatening to trap the queen development. Whites slight initiative should
with 13.f4 xe4 14.d3, and forcing Black enable him to maintain equality, but not more
to make significant concessions. than that.
12.e2
1222222223 Although objectively speaking 6.d4 is Whites
strongest move, there is also a lot to be said
4t+v+ Tl+5 about
4OoOoMoOo5 6.00
In the 19th century this move was mainly
4 Vm+ +w+5 played to avoid the so-called Compromised
4+ + + B 5 Defence (6.d4 exd4 7.00 dxc3). It is curious
that Chigorin almost always castled before
4 +bPp+ +5 occupying the centre. Did such an outstanding
4+q+ +n+ 5 attacking player really believe that Blacks
greediness could remain unpunished after the
4p+ +nPpP5 sequence of moves mentioned above?
4R + +rK 5 Despite the fact that it does not seem to put
immediate pressure on the enemy position, it
7888888889 gives the play independent character if Black
Apparently, Black is in some trouble. His is prepared to meet 6.d4 exd4 7.00 with
queen is in danger and he is underdeveloped. 7...ge7, as is our case. Indeed, after 6.00
However, the exposed placement of the enemy ge7?? 7.g5! Black is in big trouble. For
queen and light-squared bishop, together instance, 7...d5 8.exd5 xd5 9.xf7!? as played
with Blacks extra pawn, offer an elegant and by Morphy.
principled solution. The natural 6...f6 is not entirely satisfactory
12...d5! from our point of view either, because of
By returning the pawn Black wins time to 7.d4. Now, 7...exd4 transposes to a variation
complete his development. briefly examined above, which confronts Black
The immediate 12...a5?! is less accurate. with serious practical problems. Black fails to
After 13.a4 xc4 14.xe7 e8 15.xc4 xe7 consolidate with 7...d6. White can develop his
16.f4! Black is still far from fully developed. initiative with either 8.a4 (threatening to win
12...xe4 is also dangerous because of one of the queenside minor pieces with 9.d5)
13.g3 g6 14.xe7 xe7 15.e5. or 8.dxe5 followed by b3 and a3, when
13.exd5 Black faces serious problems defending the
13.xd5 simplifies Blacks play after 13...xd5 f7-square.
14.exd5 a5 15.c3 g4 16.d2 f5 17.f4 In my opinion Blacks most reliable defensive
xf3 18.gxf3. After having achieved certain plan is

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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6...d6 7.d4 him adequate compensation for the structural
Now 7.b3 is less dangerous. With the defects. Maybe Lasker judged the position from
f6-square available, Black can defend the f7- the narrow point of view of his own taste and
pawn with 7...f6 when 8.d4 transposes style of play. Generally, he did not mind taking
below. As indicated in the theoretical section, certain risks if he spotted a weakness in the
White cannot do without releasing the tension enemy territory, offering him a clear long-term
in the centre with dxe5 at some moment plan of action.
anyway. Traditionally,
7...b6 10...e6
This is known as the Lasker variation. has been considered Blacks best continuation.
Since continuing the development of the Indeed, the exchange of the light-squared
kingside under favourable circumstances is not bishops favours him strategically, but the tension
possible yet, improving the bishops placement created causes him problems completing his
makes a lot of sense. First of all, the queens development. White can play natural moves
incursion to a4 is completely inoffensive now such as
because of the simple ...d7. 8.b3 is no better 11.d2
because after having cleared the a5-square Black followed by a3, fd1 and ab1. In order to
has 8...a5! when the capture on f7 would just re-develop his queens knight and connect rooks,
lose material after 9...f8. Black would most probably need to release the
The main continuation is: tension himself with ...xc4, which would just
8.dxe5 dxe5 help White activate his play with 2xc4. At
When White can retrieve the pawn with a certain moment White could also consider
9.xd8 xd8 10.xe5 retreating the bishop to b3, when ...xb3 would
1222222223 annihilate Blacks structural advantage. I would
not rush to claim an advantage for White after
4t+vMl+mT5 10...e6, but I feel that Black is under some
4OoO +oOo5 pressure.
Therefore, I believe that the developing move
4 V + + +5 10...f6 is better. By attacking the e4-pawn
4+ + N + 5 Black prevents a3 for just an instant, winning
an essential tempo in order to get castled. Later,
4 +b+p+ +5 he would try to release the pressure against the
4+ P + + 5 f7-pawn by counter-attacking with ...e8, then
activate his d8-knight via e6-c5 and only after
4p+ + PpP5 that play ...e6. This sounds a bit complicated,
4RnB +rK 5 but the instability of the e5-knight greatly
helps Black. I find Blacks position entirely
7888888889 playable.
The exchange of queens has considerably In the theoretical part I have examined in
reduced Whites active possibilities, adding detail both of Blacks options, not only because
relevance to the strategic factors. Lasker of my respect for the classics (who preferred
considered that this position favours Black, 10...e6) but also because of the relative lack of
because of the weakness of the c3-pawn and the practical material after 10...f6.
c4-square. This seems like an over-optimistic Whites main alternative to the relatively
evaluation. Black is certainly doing fine, but inoffensive exchange of queens is
Whites space advantage in the centre offers 9.b3
Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008
Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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1222222223 Let us have a more concrete look at the
4t+vWl+mT5 position. Blacks king is not in immediate
4OoO +oOo5 danger, but its evacuation will be rather time
consuming. At the same time White only needs
4 Vm+ + +5 a tempo to complete his development (d2)
4+ + O + 5 after which he can start building up his kingside
attack.
4 +b+p+ +5 One natural line continues:
14...e6 15.c4
4+qP +n+ 5 15.a3 is strongly met by 15...d6,
4p+ + PpP5 forcing the exchange of queens and retaining
4RnB +rK 5 the positive aspects of the position for Black.
15...c5
7888888889 Black secures the a3-f8 diagonal and preserves
The next sequence is quite natural: White tries the bishop from exchange.
to maintain his initiative, while Black calmly 16.bd2 d8 17.h1 f8 18.f4 g8 19.f5
parries the threats. e8 20.f3 b6 21.fe1 b7 22.ce5
9...f6
It should only be said that 9...a5? does not
1222222223
work now because of 10.xf7 f8 11.d5!. 4t+ Tw+l+5
With the pawns still on d6 and d4 this would
leave the queen trapped after ...c6.
4OvO +oOo5
10.g5 g6 11.d5 ge7 12.xe7 xe7 4 O + + +5
13.xc6 xc6 14.xe5 4+ V Np+ 5
1222222223 4 + +p+ +5
4t+v+ + T5 4+qP +n+ 5
4OoO LoOo5 4p+ + +pP5
4 Vw+ + +5 4R + R +k5
4+ + N + 5 7888888889
4 + +p+ +5 From an aesthetic point of view Black has a
4+qP + + 5 wonderful position, but Whites space advantage
on the kingside can become threatening. Maybe
4p+ + PpP5 an experienced Sicilian player would laugh at
4Rn+ +rK 5 Whites attack, but I must confess that I gave up
the Sicilian precisely because I failed to evaluate
7888888889 the dangers correctly. Computers prefer Blacks
We have reached the same structure as after position all the way, but generally change their
9.xd8. However, there are two significant evaluation only when it is too late to save the
differences. The presence of queens gives play a game.
sharper character with chances to take advantage Unfortunately, the practical material available
of the central position of the black king. On is from correspondence games only, with no
the other hand, the pair of bishops can prove a relevant examples from over-the-board players.
telling factor in the long run. Besides, the almost automatically played

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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13.xc6 might not be the best move. Instead, If White had better development then Blacks
White can continue his development with position would be just as dangerous as it looks,
13.bd2, strengthening the threat of 14.xc6 but with the queens knight on its initial position
followed by 15.xe5, when 15...e6 can be it is hard to take advantage of the newly created
met by 16.2c4 with active play. With his king weakness of the light squares.
in the centre, Black is under serious pressure. For In the rapid game Kogan Anand, Venaco
instance, 13...f6 would cut the queen off from 2005, White went down quickly after
the left wing, allowing the annoying 14.a3. 12.xg8 fxg5 13.xg5? f8!!
To my knowledge, the position after 13.bd2 when significant material losses are inevitable.
has never occurred in practice, but the whole I have searched for improvements for White
line deserves attention. on the 12th and 13th moves, but found Blacks
Personally, I believe that Blacks position is position entirely viable or maybe just better.
playable, but I would prefer an earlier deviation Concluding, Black should not be afraid of
brought into the limelight in recent years by the 6.00, although some knowledge is needed.
current World Champion, Anand. After:
11.d5 The Evans Gambit is an opening that should be
Black can defend his e5-pawn with taken seriously. The resulting positions contain
11...f6!? sufficient possibilities for further developments
1222222223 and the complexity of the position should entitle
the stronger (or just better prepared) player to
4t+v+l+mT5 impose his point of view. The old Queen of
4OoO + Oo5 Openings is entirely sound, but not lethal!

4 Vm+ Ow+5
4+ +bO B 5
4 + +p+ +5
4+qP +n+ 5
4p+ + PpP5
4Rn+ +rK 5
7888888889

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c4 c5 4.b4 xb4 5.c3 a5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

b54
1 001
d6
d42
b6
a43
f6 a65
xc6 a5
bxc6 a7
dxe56
xe4
e27
f58
exd69 dxc7
00!10 xc711

2 ...
...
...
...
dxe5
dxe5
xd812 xe5
xd8 e6
d213 a3
e714 f6
d315 ab117 d5
g616 f718 e819 =/

3 ...

...
...
...
...
...
...

f6
d220 e121
00 e8
df3
g422 =

4 ...
...
...
...
...
...
b3
f6
g5
g6
d523 xe7
ge7 xe7
xc624 xe5
xc6 e6
c425
c526
... ... ... ... h427 bd2 a329 g3
5 ... ... ... ... f6 ge7 d828 h3 e630
6.d4 exd4 7.00 ge7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

6 cxd431 exd5 a333

d5 xd532 e6
b334 xb4 a337
b435 cxb436 c6
xb738 a639
a5 xc4
c6
e740
xc4
e841

g542 exd544 xd4!46 e1!47 h449 xc4 d6!?51 xg5 xe652 xe653
7 d543 e545 f6 b648 xc450 fxg5 xd6 e6 xe6 c554

6.d4 exd4 7.b3 f655 8.00 ge756

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

8 cxd457 d5!59 xe5

0058 e560 xe5
b261 c3 ae1
xe462 g663 f5
d3
d6
a4
b6
e8!64 xc8!
c6?! axc865
e566 c367 a369 exd6 xd6 a4 xe771 b3
9 b6 f5! 0068 d6!70 cxd6 a5 xc4 b272 e873 =
... g5! xe775 c376 a4 e279 b5 c480 fe1!?82 xf3
10 ... g674 xe7 d677 g478 a5! c6 00!81 xf383 d584 =
... ... c3 e286 exd588 b489 d3
11 ... ... 0085 d5!87 a5 f590 d6 =

1 6.b3 f6 is likely to transpose to one 2 7.b3 still has no independent value. After
of the main lines below. For instance: 7.00 7...f6 8.d4 b6 White should not delay the
(If 7.d4 Black can transpose with 7...exd4 exchange on e5 for too long. 9.g5 g6 10.d5?!
or try 7...xd4, although there is no need to (10.dxe5 dxe5 11.d5) 10...ge7 11.xe7
complicate ones life with additional lines.) (11.dxe5 xd5 12.xd5 e6) 11...xe7!
7...d6 12.dxe5 00 Black is well developed and has a
mighty pair of bishops.
Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008
Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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3 This was one of Chigorins repeatedly 23.c5 b6 24.a3 e7 25.a4 d7
unsuccessful attempts to inject new life into 26.a3) 18...000 19.xc6 d7 20.xa7
Whites play. b8 21.b5 d3+ Nicholson Harding,
8.b3?! a5 9.a4 (9.xf7 f8 10.d5? London 1973.
c6+) 9...d7 10.b5 c6 (10...xb5 11.xb5 8.g5 is easily parried by 8...h6 9.h5
c6) 11.d3 c7 12.bd2 f6 13.e1 h6 (9.d5 e7 10.h5 Now instead of 10...g6,
14.b3 00 Artner Gregg, e-mail 1992. which allows White to muddy the waters with
8.g5 is completely inoffensive. 8...ge7 11.e6 as in Nielsen House, email 1995,
(8...f6 is slightly illogical. Why weaken the Black should play 10...00! with virtually no
a2-g8 diagonal? 9.e3 g4 10.bd2 ge7 compensation for White.) 9...00 10.f4 xd4
Isakov Alekhine, corr. 1907, 11.h3 h5 (This looks a bit exaggerated, but is hard to refute.
12.e1) 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.xd8 xd8 11.xe7 I would prefer the more restrained 10...exd4
(11.xe5? f6+) 11...xe7 12.xe5 f6 13.d3 11.h1 a5 12.d3 f6.) 11.f5 (11.cxd4!?
f7 ...d8 xd4 12.h1 xa1 13.f5 might offer some
8.e3 is too slow to be dangerous. White chances) 11...c2 12.h1 xa1 13.xh7
should not forget that he is a pawn up, while xh7 Whites attack proved insufficient in
Blacks position is quite solid. 8...f6 Since Correia De Pedroso, corr. 1996-97.
dxe5 followed by a3 is impossible now, this 8.h3 This is another half-waiting move,
move is entirely possible. 9.bd2 (9.e1 00 preventing the pin created by ...g4. Although
10.h3 d5?! 11.exd5 xd5 12.g5 Alekhine it does not put Black under pressure in any way,
Sorokin, Kiev 1916. Better is 10...exd4 it is worth studying as it can cast some light
11.cxd4 d5 or even 10...xe4 11.dxe5 f5.) on Blacks main threat after 7...b6. 8...f6!
9...00 10.c2 exd4 11.cxd4 d5 12.exd5 b4 (As mentioned in the introductory part, with
(12...xd5 would provoke undesired kingside the bishop on a5 and the pawn on h2, this
weaknesses after 13.g5 g6 14.de4) 13.b3 would have been quite dangerous for Black. We
bxd5 14.g5 Now, 14...c6 15.e4 allowed shall see that things are different here, mainly
White spoil the enemys kingside structure and because of the availability of the a5-square for
get adequate compensation for the pawn in the knight and the pressure against the f2-
Chigorin Akohangas, St Petersburg 1907. The square. In practice Black has refrained from this
knight jump to e4 could have been prevented natural move, which is likely to lead to trouble.
with 14...f5. For instance: 15.xd5 (15.xf6 The most relevant example: 8...e7? 9.a4 a5
xf6 16.e5 g6 17.df3 c6 ...d5) 10.bd2 f6 11.a3 c5 12.b5 f8 13.dxe5
15...xd5 16.xf6 xb3 17.axb3 gxf6 Once dxe5 14.c4 Djurhuus Stefansson, Gausdal
the queens have been exchanged Blacks pair of 1990.) 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.b3 White continues in
bishops and his extra pawn are more important the same way as after 7...f6. (10.xd8 xd8
factors than his structural defects. 11.xe5 is unsatisfactory because of 11...xe4
8.a3 fails to create dangerous pressure with an extra pawn for Black) 10...00 11.a3
along the a3-f8 diagonal. 8...f6 9.b5 (11.g5 e8 12.a3 drops a piece to 12...a5
(9.dxe5 xe5) 9...d7 10.bd2 ge7 13.b4 c5 14.b5 d7+) 11...a5 Again
11.c4 exd4 (11...g6 Harding, Cafferty; this is the move, reducing Whites attacking
11...000 Harding, Cafferty) 12.xc6 (12. potential and leaving him in strategic ruins
cxd4 xd4 Levitsky & Falk Lasker, Moscow and underdeveloped. 12.a4 xc4 13.xf8
1896) 12...xc6 13.e5 xe5 14.cxe5 dxe5 (13.xc4 e8 14.g5 e6) 13...e6 Black
15.cxd4 exd4 16.e1 e6 17.a4 c6 18.e5 has fantastic compensation for the exchange.
(18.d6!? d8 19.a3 c5 Harding, Cafferty, Whites queenside is underdeveloped, his e4-
20.xc5 xc5 21.xc5 e7 22.b5 d7 pawn is as good as lost and the bishop is hanging.
Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008
Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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For instance, after 14.g5 d3 15.xe6 fxe6 after 15...xe5! 16.xa8 g4 17.g3 xh2!.
16.e7 xe4 Whites king is in great danger. Now 18.xh2 loses to 18...h5 19.g1 h3,
attacking the queen and threatening ...f3 at
4 White threatens to win a piece with d5, a5 the same time. 18.xa7 is not much better
or, in the case of castling, xc6 followed by a5. either: 18...f3 19.g2 xe4 and in view of
This allows White to win some space on the the threat ...e1 followed by ...g2# White
queenside, but not to get really strong threats to resigned in Urusov Hardin, corr. 1897.)
compensate for the pawn. 15...h5 16.d3 g4 White has serious
9.a5 The sacrificial operation initiated by problems of coordination. 17.e1 (17.c2
this move is unsound. 9...xa5 10.dxe5 dxe5 xe4; 17.a2 d8 leaves Whites minor
(10...xc4?! 11.exf6 00 12.fxg7) 11.xa5 pieces hanging) 17...d8 18.e3 xe3 19.xe3
xa5 (11...xd1? 12.xe5+) 12.a4 c6 f4 20.h3 xd3 21.hxg4 e6 with a strong
13.a3 d7 (Black needs to be careful for a while: initiative for Black.
13...b5? 14.xe5!) 14.d1 c7! (It is essential
to cover the d6-square: 14...b5? 15.xf7 xf7 7 A logical attempt to maintain a viable position.
16.b3 g6 17.d6) 15.a2 f6 16.bd2 Otherwise, Black would get castled and retain
b6 Black will soon complete his development an advantage because of his pair of bishops and
with ...g4 (or ...d7) and ...d8. It can be felt better development.
that White misses the other rook to keep the 13.exd6 00 14.dxc7 xc7 15.e2 was
king cut off from the queenside. recommended by Zak as an attempt to maintain
9.d5 xd5! Black returns the pawn, but equality, but 15...e8 16.e1 g4 leaves
keeps the better structure and development. White underdeveloped anyway.
10.exd5 a5 11.dxe5 00 12.g5 d7 13.e1 13.a4 c5 14.xc6 d7 15.d5 00
dxe5 14.xe5 f5 15.h4 f6 16.f3 d7 16.exd6 (Zak) 16...e6
17.a3 ae8 Chigorin Lipke, Vienna 1898.
9.dxe5 dxe5 10.b3 is slightly more logical 8 I believe that this is stronger than Laskers
than after 8.h3, because of the additional 13...d5, which weakens the a3-f8 diagonal
possibility of questioning Blacks stability with prematurely. 14.a3 (This move, suggested by
a5, but fails to offer adequate compensation Zaitsev, is certainly better than 14.d4? xc3
anyway. 10...00 11.a3 a5 12.a2 xc4 15.xc3 xd4 16.d3 c5 Chigorin Lasker,
(In fact, 12...c5 is entirely possible, too, because St Petersburg 1895.) 14...c5 Strategically, Black
Whites incomplete development prevents him has a fantastic position, but his dark-squared
from taking full advantage of the d5-square.) bishop is awkwardly placed, which leaves the
13.xf8 e3 14.fxe3 xf8 Black has a great situation unclear (compare this with the position
position, despite the minimal material deficit. with the bishop on e7, where White could
simply resign.) 15.c4! b7 16.d1 d4 17.e1
5 More or less forced, but quite sufficient. 00 18.f3 g5 19.d3 e7 20.d2 f5 21.b3
e6 The position has been stabilized, but Black
6 12.a4 00! (12...exd4 offers White the risks being left with an awfully passive bishop
undeserved chance to complicate matters in case of eventual simplification. A recent top
with 13.e5, as in Dus Chotimirsky Salwe, level game where such a bishop was the telling
St Petersburg 1905) 13.dxe5 (13.xc6 d7 factor is Topalov Nisipeanu, Madrid 2007.
14.xa6 xd4 15.d3 b6 16.a6 c6 Blacks extra pawn hardly made itself felt.
17.bd2 d7) 13...dxe5 14.xe5 (14.d1
e8 15.a3 c5 16.c2 b7 Harding, Cafferty) 9 14.d4 xd4! (with the centre still under
14...e8! 15.f4 (15.xc6? leads to disaster tension 14...xc3 15.xc3 xd4 does not work

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out so well because of 16.exd6 e6 17.e4 (15.d2 g6 16.e3 ge5 17.h3 White
xd6 18.a3 with a strong initiative) 15.cxd4 covers the g4-square, creating the threat f4, but
00 Black is better developed and has chances Black maintains his stability with 17...a5!
to dominate the light squares. The attempt to followed by the invasion of the c4-square.)
question his stability with 16.g4 g6 17.f3 fails 15...g6 16.g3 d2 17.fe1 h5 18.h4
to 17...dxe5! 18.d1 f6 19.dxe5 d5. ge5 19.b5 f6 20.a4! (A strong move, over-
defending the b5-knight in order to create the
10 Returning the pawn for the sake of rapid threat f4. 20.f4 is premature because of 20...c4!
development. 21.fxe5 xe2 22.d4 g4) 20...f7 (20...g6?!
21.f4! [f5] 21...d3 22.ad1 xe2 23.xe2
11 16.h4? This attempt to obtain counterplay g4 24.xd3 xe2 25.e3; 20...g5 21.hxg5
by attacking Blacks apparently vulnerable fxg5 Annageldyev Ivanov, Ashkhabad 1996
pieces fails tactically. 16...xf2! 17.xf2 fe8 22.a5!) 21.f4 (21.f4 g4!) 21...d7 22.ad1
18.f1 There is no other way to keep the back hd8=
rank defended. (18.d2 xb1 19.xb1 ad8; 11.b3 is strategically consistent, but
18.d1 c2! ) 18...d3! 19.xd3 (19.d1 premature in this concrete situation. 11...f6!
e2+) 19...e1 20.f1 xf2 21.xf2 12.c2 (12.d2 00 13.a3 e8 with pressure
xf1 22.xf1 d8!+ Attacking the h4- along the e-file) 12...d7 13.d3 f6 14.a3
knight and threatening ...d1. c6 15.d2 ce5 16.f4 f7 17.b3 c5=
Olenin Ovod, St Petersburg 2000.
12 9.xf7?! is interesting but unsound.
9...xf7 10.xe5 e8! 11.h5 g6 12.xg6 14 11...f6 also deserves attention. For
(12.xc6 gxh5 13.xd8 xd8+) 12...f6 instance: 12.a3 xc4 13.dxc4 (13.exc4 is
13.h6 g8 14.h4 (14.f4 e5 15.d5 g6 not dangerous because of 13...e6 followed by
16.xf6 xf6 17.xh7 g4 18.a3 xf2+ castling long and eventually ...c5) 13...c6?!
Lane Black, corr. 1950) 14...e5+ 15.g3 (An unnecessary structural concession. Blacks
(15.g5 eg4 16.xf6 xf6 17.xh7 xf2 position seems to be survivable after 13...xe4
18.h1 h8 19.g6 xg6 20.xg6 xh2; 14.ae1 f5 15.g4 g6 16.d2 xd2 17.xg6
15.f4 eg4 16.e5 xf2 17.e3 h3 15.f5 d7 18.e7 c6 19.xh8 xf1 20.xf1
eg4 16.f4 xf2 17.e5 f8 18.a3 f7 fxg4 21.e8 d7.) 14.xb6? (It is hard to
19.h6 g6 20.g3 xh6 21.c1 h5 understand this move. 14.xc6! was correct.
22.e5 h4 23.g3 h3 24.b5 2xe4 14...bxc6 15.fe1 000 16.f1 White has
25.h1 all lines here by Mlotkowski , except unpinned his f-pawn without improving Blacks
25...xg3!.) 15...eg4 16.f4 h5 17.f3 structure with xb6 and is ready to consolidate
xh4 01 Kopel Grocescu, corr. 1989. his advantage with f3 and ad1.) 14...axb6
Reinhard Nebel, corr. 1982.
13 11.a3 f6 12.xe6 xe6 13.c4 c5
Johner Zauer, corr. 1912. 15 13.ef3 g6 14.d4 (14.ab1 f7 15.fd1
11.xe6 is an obvious concession, allowing e8 puts the e4-pawn under indirect pressure,
Black to activate his play. 11...xe6 12.c4 f6 forcing White to release the tension somehow)
13.xb6 axb6 14.f3 d7 15.a3 f6 16.b5 14...xc4 15.xc4 f7 16.fd1 e6 17.f5
dc5 Grob Eliskases, Bad Nauheim 1935. hd8 18.f1 (18.ab1 g5!) 18...c5=
11.e2 preserves the bishops, but loses
an important tempo and frees the d8-knight 16 Remarkably, Blacks position remains
from its defensive task. 11...e7 12.c4 playable after the slight concession 13...xc4
dc6 13.f4 000 14.xb6 axb6 15.a3 14.xc4 e6 15.fd1 d8 16.f1 f7
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17.d2 (17.xb6 axb6 18.e5 was suggested 21 12.d3?! offers Black additional time for
by Harding and Cafferty. Black should regrouping. 12...e6 13.c2 c5 14.e1 e8
probably keep the centre closed with 15.dc4 e6 16.xb6 axb6 17.c4 ed8 18.g5
18...f5 19.xe7 as otherwise this bishop could h6 19.f4 g5 20.g3 h5 Malmstroem
remain passive. 19...xe7 20.g3 g5 21.b4 Rodriguez, email 2000.
c6 22.c2 f4=) 17...c6 18.ad1 he8=
Karaklajic Longer, Sarajevo 1951. 22 After the exchange of one pair of knights
Whites space advantage will lose its relevance.
17 It is not easy for White to find the best way
to increase his pressure. 23 11.bd2!? f6 (11...ge7 12.xe7 xe7
14.d5 c6 15.b3!? (15.xe6 xe6 13.d5 transposes below to the comment to
[...000] 16.c4 000 17.fd1 d7) 13.xc6, which is not without dangers for Black.
15...xb3 16.axb3 e6 Optically, White has 11...a5? 12.b5 d7 13.xe5; 11...f6
improved his queenside structure, but his pieces led to Blacks advantage after a neutral answer in
are far from optimally placed. At the same time, Edinburgh C.C. Turin C.C., corr. 1911, but
the pawns still need some re-arrangement in 12.a3 practically forces Black to castle long,
order to avoid becoming weak. 17.c4 000 which is not 100% safe.) 12.e3 ge7 Black
18.fd1 (18.d6? xd6 19.xd6 d8+) threatens to castle short after ...a5 followed
18...d7 19.d6 (19.xb6 axb6 20.f3 by ...xc4 and ...f7. At the same time, White
hd8) 19...c7 20.xc7 xc7= 21.xa7? has to count with other moves such as ...h3
hd8+ or ...d7.
14.fd1 xc4 15.xc4 e6 16.b4 d8=
24 13.bd2!? has never been played, but offers
18 14...xc4 15.xc4 e6 (Chigorin) 16.bd1 rich territory for investigation. Blacks best
000 17.xb6 axb6= 18.f4? ( Harding, chance to refute this line is 13...a5 (13...f6?
Cafferty) 18...exf4!+ 14.a3 e8 15.c4; 13...h3 14.h4 f6
15.df3 leaves Blacks pieces uncoordinated.
19 16.c4 (Chigorin, Romanovsky) 16...c6 15...g5 would just make things worse because
17.fd1 ad8 18.c5 xd5 19.exd5 ce5 of 16.f5 xf5 17.exf5 xf5 18.xc6 bxc6
20.xe5 xe5 21.c4 xc5 22.xc5 b6 23.e3 19.xe5 with an initiative for White. 13...d8
e7=/ Whites space advantage is compensated 14.xc6 xc6 15.xe5 e6 16.dc4 offers
by Blacks perfect regrouping and the simplified White a more active position than in the main
character of the position. line.) 14.b2 (14.b4 d6) 14...f6 Again,
16.c4? c6 17.xe6 xe6 18.b3 (18.c5 the only move that questions the viability of
ed8!) 18...ad8 19.bc1 d7 20.c5 c7 Whites plan. (14...f6 15.a3; 14...d6
21.g3 (21.xb7? xh2!+) 21...e5 22.xe5 15.g5) 15.c4!? This implies further
xe5 Chigorin Pillsbury, London 1899. sacrifices, but it is not easy to find other ways
of increasing the pressure. 15...c6 16.xe5 c7!
20 11.g5 e6 (11...d7 12.xd7 xd7 (16...cxd5 17.exd5 d8 18.e4 f5 19.b4
13.d2 e6 14.h4 00 15.fb1 ae8= Meyer e8 20.ae1) 17.df3 cxd5 18.a3!
De Baere, email 1997) 12.d3 (12.d2 (18.exd5 d8 19.a3 d6 20.d3 c6!
xc4 13.exc4 d7 14.b3 e6 Harding, 21.fe1 xe5 22.xe5 f8 23.xh7 h6)
Cafferty) 12...d7 13.xd7 xd7 14.a3 18...d6 19.xa5 xe5 (19...dxe4 20.fe1 f5
e6 15.h4 c5 16.c2 e6= Deambrosi 21.ad1) 20.b4 d8 (20...d6 21.c5 f6
Canova, corr. 1987. 22.xe5 xe5 23.c6 d6 24.cxb7!) 21.xe5
11.a3 xe4 Harding, Cafferty xe5 22.exd5 White has only one pawn for

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the sacrificed piece, but Black has no obvious (13.h1 is too slow and allows Black to
way to complete his development. If he fails carry out a refined regrouping plan: 13...d8
to do so, the centralization of the white rooks 14.bd2 xd5 15.exd5 00 16.c4 xe3
followed by the advance of the central pawns 17.fxe3 b6 and Whites compensation for the
might simply crush him. pawn is questionable.) 13...h3 (13...d8
still deserves attention) 14.g3 (14.h4 g4)
25 15.a3 d6 16.xd6 (16.d1 xa3 14...xf1 15.xf1 xd5 (15...d8? 16.a4!
17.xa3 e6 18.b5 hd8 19.d4) 16... c6? 17.xb6) 16.exd5 e7 White has
cxd6 17.d3 e6 Ebeling Rantanen, insufficient compensation for the sacrificed
Jyvaskyla 1987. material.
12.xg8?! fxg5 13.xg5? (13.d5 f6
26 15...d8 16.bd2 f8 17.h1 e8 (17... 14.bd2 g4 15.e1 a5 16.b4 c6 17.c4
f5?! 18.f4 f7 19.ae1 h6 20.f3 e6 21.fe5 e6 18.d3 000 White lacks the necessary
f6 22.exf5 xf5 23.g6 f7 24.xe6 10 stability to think about a direct attack against
Krantz Schroeder, corr. 1989) 18.f4 e6? (too the enemy king. 13.bd2 g4 14.e1 d7
provocative) 19.f5 d7 20.ae1 c6 21.f3 15.d3 000 16.d5 a5 17.b4 c6 Now,
c5 22.e5 d5 23.f6 g6 (23...gxf6 24.exf6 c6 18.xe5 loses a piece to 18...f6 19.xd7
25.ce5 xf6 26.c4 Harding, Cafferty) 24.e6 xd7, while 18.b3 he8 leaves Black with
fxe6 (24...xe6 25.g5) 25.fe5 (b1- excellent centralization, good control on
c1-h6) 25...g5 26.f7 e7 27.c2 g7 28.g6!! dark squares and an extra pawn.) 13...f8!!
hxg6? 29.e5 h8 30.f8!+ Schroeder- (13...xg5 14.f7 d8 15.d1 d4
Oren, corr. 1988. 16.cxd4) 14.e6 (14.xh7 xh7 15.xh7
15...c5 16.bd2 d8 17.h1 f8 18.f4 xh7) 14...xg8 15.xc7 f8 16.xa8
g8 (18...e8 19.f3 b6 20.f5 h6 21.fe1 a5 h3 17.g3 xe4 18.a3 e7 01 Kogan
22.c2 a6 23.ce5 g8 24.g4 f8 25.f2 Anand, Venaco 2005.
d7 [25...h5 26.h4 hxg4 27.g5] 26.g3
h7 27.f6 c8 28.h3 c5 29.h4 c7 30.g5 28 The same plan as after 12.e3.
g6 31.xf7 xf7 32.fxg7 xg4 [32...xg7!?] 13...g4 is met with 14.c4 000 15.fc1
33.gxf8 xf8 34.xg4 Skotorenko c5 16.ab1
Ahman, corr. 1976; 18...h6 19.ae1 b6
20.f3 a5 21.a4 a6 22.g5 h5 23.e5!+ 29 14.c4 xd5 15.exd5 00
Schroeder Van der Kooij, email 1998.) 19.f5 14.a4 xd5 15.exd5 00 16.a5 c5 17.a4
e8 20.f3 b6 21.fe1 b7 22.ce5 d6 f5
In this position the game Skotorenko Heap,
corr. 1988, was interrupted without being 30 Black is not far from castling, while his
adjudicated. Harding and Cafferty suggest: position remains solid strategically.
23.g4
31 This is a solid move, allowing Black to
27 The aim of this move is to prevent castling carry out a thematic counter-blow in the
short and to invite the enemy king to castle centre.
long, which would be risky. The bishop risks
remaining out of play, but at least White does 32 Black has achieved some stability in
not have to worry about ...h3 anymore, in the centre and is just one move away from
view of the possibility of g3. castling and maintaining a sound extra pawn
12.e3 ge7 (12...h3 is premature . However, it is Whites turn to move, which
because of 13.h4 g4 14.xg8) 13.bd2 makes things less clear than that.
Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008
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33 Since the knight has abandoned the 1989-94, White could have maintained some
e7-square, this move is quite logical. 10.b3 initiative with 14.xd5 xb7 15.xb7 b8
e6! 11.xb7?! (better is 11.a3 transposing 16.e4 (16.a6 c6 17.c5 b4) 16...c4
to the main line) 11...db4 12.b5 d5 17.c5 (17.c6?! d7=; 17.d5?! d7 18.c1
13.e5 b8 14.xc6 (14.xc6 xb7 d6=) 17...b6 18.c6.
15.xd8 xb5 16.c3 c2 17.xb5
xa1 18.f4 xd8 19.xa1 a6 Botterill) 36 Black should not abandon the blockade of
14...xc6 15.a6 (15.xc6 xb7 16.xd8 the d5-square. After 12...dxb4? as played in
xd8 Botterill) 15...b6 16.d3 00 Bromberger Siklosi, Kecskemet 2000, with
Botterill 17.f4 b4 18.xc6 xc6 the hope of simplifying the position at the
19.g3 xd4 20.e5 g4 21.d2 cost of returning the pawn, White could have
xg3 22.xg3 d5 23.fc1 Schroeder obtained an advantage with 13.c3! when
Harding, Evans Gambit theme corr. the b4-knight is terribly misplaced.
1988 23...c6 24.d6 g4 25.f3 g6 26.xf8
xd2+. 37 Since Black has only one stable square at his
disposal (d5) one of his knights is superfluous.
34 White increases his pressure. 11.b5 is Therefore, the exchange offered by 13.c3
less consistent. Since White has moved for the suits him perfectly, for instance 13...00
second time with an already developed piece, 14.xd5 xd5 15.xb7 d6= Trapl Sosna,
Black can also spend a tempo on covering the Czech Republic 2001.
a3-f8 diagonal with 11...b4. For instance
12.xc6 bxc6 13.xb4 xb4 14.a4 b8!? 38 White gets absolutely nothing if he delays
(14...d6 15.c3 00 16.e4 f4= Sokolsky this capture, for instance 14.e1 00 15.xb7
17.c5 Chandler) 15.c3 fb1, Harding, (15.c3? is quite hard to understand, since it
Cafferty (15.a3 d5 16.xa7 00 17.c5 allows Black to maintain his extra pawn with
f4 18.c2 d5 19.bd2 xg2! Freidank 15...a5 16.a4 xc4 17.xc4 c6 Griffiths
Fritsch, corr. 1988 20.xg2?! g5 21.h1 Dale, e-mail 2002) 15...a5 16.a6 xc4
g4 22.d3 b3+) 15...00 16.xa7 17.xc4 f4 18.c2 d5=/. Blacks active
(16.fb1?! c5 17.dxc5 d3; 16.ab1 d5=) minor pieces compensate for the weakness of
16...d6 17.c5 d3! Since White is not the c5-square.
interested in improving Blacks structure by an
exchange on d6, this move drives the enemy 39 White should not rush in to deprive the
queen away from its apparently stable outpost. enemy king from castling with 15.b5 since
18.g5 (18.h5 f4) 18...a3 Blacks he will achieve this anyway one move later.
piece activity compensates for the minor defect After 15...f8 16.a6 the weakness of the b3-
of structure. square, not defended by the bishop any more,
is exploited by 16...b3 17.a2 b6 18.e2
35 This move is barely mentioned by theory (the careless 18.c2?? led to immediate disaster
books. 11...d7?! is given as the main line, after 18...c8+ in Ilczuk Ostrowski, Suwalki
but after 12.e5 xe5 13.xb7 c8 (The 1999) 18...xd4 19.d2 xe2 20.xe2
intended tricky 13...f3 14.gxf3 c8 [forced, f6= Black has an active placement for his
in view of the threat b5] loses some material to pieces and will soon connect his rooks after
15.a6 without getting sufficient ...g6 and ...g7. White will most probably
compensation, mainly because his own win his pawn back, but his active possibilities
king hinders the activation of the h8-rook.) are restricted by the passivity of his queens
and now, in Kolenbrander Sogaard, corr. knight.

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40 16...d7? 17.xd5 Odnorozhenko better pawn structure and a solid position.
Gorbatenko, Kharkov 2004. This is the last moment when White could
try to achieve anything concrete. 12.a3
41 18.c2 f6 19.c3 f8= Black has (The pressure of the pair of bishops along parallel
completed his development and has a solid diagonals is slightly unpleasant. After the less
position. The mutual pawn weaknesses tend to resolute 12.f3?! f6!? 13.a3 h6 14.e4
cancel each other out. xe4 15.xe4 e8 Black managed to unpin
himself and retained a clear strategic advantage
42 This is a more active continuation than in Morozevich Adams, Wijk aan Zee 2001.)
8.cxd4 and leads to more interesting play. 12...xd5! (By sacrificing the exchange, Black
solves all his remaining problems. 12...e8?
43 Whites main idea is to take advantage of is out of question now because of 13.xf7
the fact that the h5-square is not controlled xf7 14.d6. 12...g6?! can be met by the
by the knight. This can be felt in the case of spectacular 13.e6! h4 14.h3 e8 15.a4.
the generally desirable 8...e5 which can be 12...h6 is a slightly extravagant way of covering
answered now by 9.xf7! xf7 10.xf7 xf7 the f7-square in order to prepare ...e8. Certain
11.h5 with initiative for White. sources indicate this as Blacks best defence, but
44 The only consistent answer. Other moves are I do not trust it. After 13.d2 b5, in Johnson
bad: Webb, e-mail 1996, White should have played
9.h5? g6 10.h6 dxc4 11.g7 d7+ 14.c5! maintaining the pressure. For instance
9.xf7?! xf7 10.exd5 e5 11.b3 f5 14...e8 15.de4 xd5 16.d3 f5 17.xb5)
12.cxd4 g6 13.d6 f8 13.xf8 xg5 14.xd5 (A necessary concession.
9.xd5? xd5 10.h5 g6 11.h6 e6! 14.a3? is a careless recommendation by
12.xe6 fxe6 13.exd5 xd5 White is two Adams. After 14...f4!+ Blacks attack is
pawns down and far behind in the development. irresistible.) 14...xd5 15.a3 d7 Anderssen
14.g5 f8 15.cxd4 xd4 16.d2 f5!+ Mieses, Breslau 1867. Black has a pawn for
17.e3 e2 18.h1 h5 01 Estrin the exchange, the pair of bishops and an active
Kondali, corr. 1971. 19.g7 xh2 20.xh2 position. In order to complete his development,
h5 mate. White will most likely have to give up his central
pawn as well.
45 Black should content himself with the fact
that he temporarily provoked the obstruction of 47 Again, stepping back would allow Black
the dangerous a2-g8 diagonal. Opening it again an important tempo to regroup. For instance
with 9...xd5? would allow White to obtain a 11.b3 b6 12.a4 d7 13.e6 xa4
strong attack with 10.xf7 xf7 11.f3 f6 14.xa4 f7 Bilguer.
12.xd5 f8 13.a3.
48 Finding himself under serious pressure,
46 White has no time to step back if he wants to Black has to make use of every opportunity
maintain the initiative. of activating his pieces with gain of tempo. In
In the case of 10.b3 00 Whites play certain cases, the sacrifice on f2 can save the
would reach a sort of dead end. 11.cxd4 day for him, by decoying the enemy king into
(11.xh7!? xh7 12.h5 g8 13.xe5 a vulnerable position.
f5 hardly bothers Black, who has good
centralisation and a considerable lead in 49 The best square for the queen. 12.e4
development, Short Adams, Sarajevo 2000) would allow further activation of the black
11...g4 (11...5g6!? Adams) Black has the pieces with 12...f5 when after 13.e2 xc4
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14.xc4 fxg5 15.xg5 the above mentioned Nielsen, Skanderborg 2003) 10.a4 xc4
tactical resource 15...xf2! allows him to 11.xc4 d6 12.a4 c6 13.c3 d8 14.a5
escape with his own king from the centre after xa5 15.g5 f6 16.d2 e7 17.fe1 b5
16.xf2 00, since the intended 17.d6? is 18.b3 b6 19.e5 Sutovsky Smagin, Essen
bad now in view of 17...e6. 2001.

50 Black has to remove this dangerous attacking 56 8...b6 9.e5 g6 (9...f5 10.xd4!)
piece at any cost. 10.cxd4 (10.a3!? ge7 11.cxd4 transposes)
12...5g6 13.h5 fxg5 14.xg5 c5 10...a5 (10...xd4?! 11.xd4 xd4 12.c3
(14...xf2 15.xf2 00 16.g1 d6 h6 13.a3!) 11.a4 xc4 12.xc4 e7
17.xe7 xe7 18.d2 Morin Corbat, e-mail 13.a3 c6!? (13...e6 14.d5! xd5 15.e2
2002) 15.d6 (15.d2) 15...xd6 16.d2 g6 16.c3 Short Piket, Zurich 2001)
d7 17.e4 a3 18.h3! a6 19.ad1 c6 14.e2 (14.bd2 d6! 15.exd6 e6 16.d3
20.xe7 xe7 21.d5 b6 22.g5 Morin cxd6) 14...d6 (14...d5 15.xe7 xe7 16.b2)
Nagley, e-mail 2003. 15.c1 d7 16.e1 d5 (16...00 17.exd6 f5
12...7g6 13.h5 f5 (13...c5 14.xe5 18.dxc7 d6 19.c3) 17.c3 c6 (17...00
fxe5 15.xh7 d6 16.d3+-) 14.xe5 fxe5 18.xe7 xe7 19.xd5 d8 20.f4) 18.e6
15.b5; 12...fxg5 13.xg5 5g6 14.h5 fxe6 19.e5
transposes to 12...5g6.
57 9.e5 f5 10.xd4 xd4 11.cxd4 is less
51 The only way to proceed with the attack. dangerous now, because Black has not lost
14.xg5 xf2 15.xf2 00 16.g1 a tempo with the bishop retreat. 11...00
xd5. 12.a3 (White cannot take advantage of the
14.a3 00!? 15.d6 (15.xe7 xf2 slight lack of coordination of Blacks minor
16.h1 d7) 15...d5 16.xd5 h8 pieces with 12.a3?! c6 13.d5?! because
after 13...xe5 he is hanging, too, as well
52 16.xe6? once again allows the b6-bishop as being underdeveloped.) 12...d6! (but not
to turn the balance in Blacks favour after 12...e8? which finally allows White carry out
16...d1 17.f1 xf2!+. his aforementioned idea with 13.xe7 xe7
14.a3+) 13.exd6 cxd6 14.xd6 e8 15.c3
53 White has maintained the initiative until far xc3 16.xc3 e6=
into the endgame. Blacks chance lies in the fact 58 9...d6? 10.g5 g6 11.d5 e5 12.xe5
that the white queenside is still undeveloped. dxe5 13.xe7 xe7 14.a3 d8 15.d6!
(15.xa5? h3 16.g3 xe4 17.f3 xc4)
54 17...000? 18.a3 d5 19.xd8 xd8 15...b6 16.dxc7 xc7 17.c3 Harding
20.c4 left Black without compensation for Day, corr. 1974.
the exchange in Christiansen Marin, World
Chess Network (rapid) 2002. 59 10.b2 d6 11.d5!? (If 11.c3 Black should
17...c5 18.d2 f7 19.ae1 he8= refrain from 11...xd4? because of 12.xd4
Although Whites position looks more active, xd4 13.d5 xe4 14.d3!, so better is
the fact that Black is fighting with an extra piece 11...g4. 11.d1 g4 12.d3 b6 13.bd2
(his king) keeps the balance. a5 14.c2 was recommended by Lukacs,
but 14...d5! destroys Whites centre.) 11...e5
55 7...e7 8.00 b6 (8...f6 9.cxd4 xe4 12.xe5 dxe5 13.f4 b6! (13...b6 14.h1
10.a3) 9.cxd4 a5 (9...xd4 10.xd4 g6 Anderssen Kolisch, Paris 1886, 15.fxe5
xd4 11.c3 f6 12.b5! Short xe4 16.e6) 14.h1 exf4 15.xf4 (15.e5

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

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g6, planning ...f5 and ae8. 16.c3? xe5) 66 10.d5 d4 11.b2 xb3 12.xf6 gxf6
15...g6 16.f1 d7 ....a(f )e8 and ...e5. 13.axb3 d6 is at least OK for Black.
17.e5?! (17.c3 e5) 17...fe8 (17...ae8!? 10.b2 a5 11.c2 xc4 12.xc4 d5
18.a3 xe5) 18.d6 e6 13.exd5 00 Black has normal development,
10.c3 d6 11.e2 (11.g5 g6) 11...h6 the pair of bishops and the better pawn
12.b2 g6 13.d5 ce5 14.xe5 dxe5 structure.
10.e5!? f5! (10...g6 11.d5 Kipping 10.c3 00 is also perfectly fine for Black,
Anderssen, Manchester 1857) 11.a3 (11.d3 who retains all his threats (...a5, ...d6 or even
fails to question the queens stability because ...xd4).
of the simple 11...h5; 11.d5 drops another
pawn without too much compensation to 67 11.a3 d6 (if 11...a5 12.a4 xc4 White
11...xe5; 11.c3 xc3 12.xc3 d6 allows can complicate matters with 13.xe7!) 12.exd6
Black to complete his development soon.) cxd6 13.xd6 (13.d5 a5 14.b5 d7! and
11...d6 12.exd6 (12.c3 dxe5 13.dxe5 b6) the presence of the queen on f5 obviously
12...cxd6 13.d5!? (13.xd6 d8 14.xe7 favours Black) 13...00=. 11.d3 forces the
xe7 15.a3 g6=; 13.c3 xc3 14.xc3 queen to abandon the optimal f5-square, but
d5 15.d2 e6) 13...e5 14.xd6 xf3 releases the pressure along the a2-g8 diagonal.
15.xf3 xf3 16.gxf3 e8 17.b5 h3 11...h5 12.a3 d6! 13.exd6 e6!=
18.d1 xd5 19.xe8 xe8 Black is better
developed and has a mighty pair of bishops. 68 Black should not define the knights
Besides, Whites structure is in bad shape. This intentions too soon with 11...a5?! 12.a4
offers Black adequate compensation for the xc4 13.xc4 00 (13...d6?! is premature
exchange. because of 14.exd6 cxd6 15.e1 e6?!
16.d5! and Blacks king will be forced to
60 10...d4?! 11.xd4 xd4 would leave the stay in the centre for a while) 14.e1 g6
queen somewhat isolated from the kingside. (14...d6? 15.exd6 e6 16.xe6!) 15.d5
Black is far from completing his development.
61 12.d2 d6 13.b2 h5 14.c3 xc3
15.xc3 Blacks simplest path is 15...c5 16.dxc6 69 White tries to inhibit both ...a5 and
bxc6 when Whites activity should be sufficient ...xd4. After 12.e1 Black is not forced to
only for equality. play ...a5, which would transpose above.
62 This certainly looks dangerous, but Black Instead, he can take advantage of the fact that
has many worries anyway. First, there is the ...b6 had created two main threats and switch
permanent threat of a3, then he must find a to the materialistic one with 12...xd4 (in fact
relatively safe square for the queen and, last but 12...d6 looks entirely OK, too) 13.xd4 xd4
not least, complete his queenside development. 14.e3 xe5. Black will return one or two of his
12...h5? 13.a3!+ extra pawns starting with ...d5, thus completing
his development and maintaining at least equal
63 Possibly not the best square, but I have given chances.
this variation for illustrative purposes.
70 By returning his small material advantage,
64 The rooks intrusion is quite irritating, as is Black completes his development in a satisfactory
the fact that Black cannot immediately fight way.
against it with, say:
71 16.xc4 e6 17.e2 (17.b4 c6!)
65 19.f4 17...fc8!
Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008
Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
www.qualitychessbooks.com
72 Making the e8-square available for the rook. Black gets completely coordinated, but this will
hardly offer him more than chances for equality.
73 Black has comfortable play. 20.f3 (20.xc7 e6 transposes) 20...e8
21.c3 e6 22.xc7 f7 23.xd6 he8
74 Black should refrain from forced play such 24.a4 c6
as 10...xd4 11.xd4 xg5 12.xf7 f8
13.f3 f6 14.c4 d6 15.c3. White is 77 Black has an extra pawn, a strong pair of
better developed and Black still has not secured bishops and no obvious weaknesses. White
his king. For instance, 15...g6 would be met by should hurry to create some threats before Black
16.e5! followed by e4 with a strong initiative. gets castled.
12...0-0 would transpose to the next line, but
75 11.d5 obstructs an important diagonal, I have preserved this independent line in order
allowing 11...d4 under favourable to offer a wider perspective of the position.
circumstances.
78 Black undermines the d4-pawn and simply
76 This is the most consistent continuation. threatens to win a piece with ...xf3.
White needs to complete his development The premature 13...a5?! 14.b5 deprives
before starting concrete attacking operations. Black of the right to castle because 14...c6
It appears that Whites early capture on e7 15.xc6 wins the pawn back for White.
does not bring an immediate advantage because
12.e5 leaves Whites pieces hanging after 79 The knight would be unstable after 14.b5.
12...f6. For instance: 13.xf7 (13.xf7? Blacks simplest answer is 14...xf3 (the attempt
f8 14.e5? xd4+) 13...f8 The strong to immediately question the knights stability
threat ...xd4, winning tonnes of material, with 14...a6 allows White complicate matters
forces White to delay for one more move the with 15.a5!) 15.xf3 c6 There is nothing
generally desirable development of the queens that can prevent Black from castling soon.
knight. 14.d1 d6 15.d3 (15.c3?! dxe5
16.dxe5 xf2 17.h1 h3! 18.g1 xg2 80 The point is that 16.xc6? loses material to
19.xg2 xf7 20.e6 f6 21.c4 e8 followed 16...bxc6 17.xb6 xf3 18.f4 xe4+.
by ...f8 and ...d8. Whites king is not safer 81 Black has completed his development, but
than Blacks, while he is simply a piece down. has to solve the problem of his unstable dark-
15.a3 is not the best way of developing squared bishop. The pressure against Whites
the knight, of course. 15...g6 16.d3 dxe5 centre and the hanging position of several white
17.f3 f5 18.e6 g7 19.exf5 e4 Black pieces will help him do so.
has completed his development satisfactorily.
His kings position is slightly exposed, but 82 17.h3 xf3 18.xf3 d5 19.exd5 cxd5
from a structural point of view he is fine, as 20.xd5 xd5 21.xd5 fd8 22.xb7 ab8
well as being a pawn up.) 15...xd4! (15... 23.a6 xd4 24.xg6 hxg6 25.xd4 xd4
dxe5 16.f3 is unclear) 16.xd4 (16.f3 26.fe1 bb4 27.e5 xa4 28.xa5=
f5 leaves most of Whites pieces hanging) 17.fd1 d5 18.e5 dxc4 19.xb6 xe4
16...xe5 Again, we can see that Whites lack 17.h1 d5 (17...xf3 18.gxf3 would only
of development forces him to step back. The consolidate Whites centre) 18.xb6 dxc4!
generally desirable ad1 is not legal. 17.d1 17.f4 f6!
xa1! 18.c3 xc3 19.xc3 xf7 Black
has a considerable material advantage. White 83 17...d5 18.e5 dxc4 19.xb6 xe4
will most likely win one or two pawns before 20.g3

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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84 19.exd5 ad8! The simplest way to equality. 12.ad1 is probably too slow. 12...d6
Black brings the last reserves into play. (19...cxd5 13.e2 White lacks just a tempo to complete
20.xd5 xd5 21.xd5 fd8 22.xb7 ab8 his development while keeping the e5-square
23.e7 The point behind Whites mysterious under control: Black can already dare to play
rook move is revealed after 23...xd4? 24.xd4 13...xe4. Compare this to 12...xe4 after
xd4? 25.e8!+, but Black can improve 12.e2.
with, say, 23...e8 or simply 23...h6, when the
knight does not stand too well on e2.) 20.dxc6 87 12...xe4 13.g3 g6 14.xe7 xe7
xc6= The position has simplified and the most 15.e5
probable result is a draw. 12...a5?! 13.a4 xc4 14.xe7 e8
15.xc4 xe7 16.f4!
85 11...d6 12.e2, threatening 13.f4 xe4
14.d3. 88 13.xd5 xd5 14.exd5 a5 15.c3 g4
16.d2 f5 17.f4 xf3 18.gxf3 c6
86 12.xe7 xe7 13.a4 a5 14.e5 d6 15.b5
(15.ae1 g4) 15...g4 (15...dxe5 16.xe5 89 14.a4 d6=
f6 17.ae1 g6 18.xf7 xf7 19.e8 f8
20.c3) 16.exd6 cxd6 17.h3 xf3 18.xf3 90 The simplest solution.
c6= 14...d6?! is bad because of 15.xe7!.
12.a4 This tempting move, threatening to 14...xc4 15.f4 (15.xc4 f5 [...d6,
trap the bishop, does little for the development ...g4] 16.f4 d6 ...c6) 15...d6 16.xe7
in general, allowing a typical central break. xb4 17.xb4 d8 18.fc1 d6 19.a4 a5
12...d5! (12...a5 13.b5 d6 14.d5!) 13.exd5 20.c5
xd4 14.xd4 xd4 15.xe7 h3 16.g3 xc3 14...g4 15.xe7 xf3 16.g3 xc4
17.xc3 e4 18.f3 xe7

Beating the Open Games (2nd ed.) 2008

Mihail Marin, Quality Chess
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