how to play

a 9 a i n st 1 e4 NEIL MCDONALD

EVERYMAN CHESS
Gloucester Publishers pic www.everymanchess.com
First published in 2008 by Gloucester Publishers pic (fonnerly Everyman
Publishers pic), Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V OAT

Copyright © 2008 Neil McDonald

The right of Neil McDonald to be identified as the author of this work has been as­
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Co nte nts
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re­
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Introduction 5
the publisher.

1
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
The Advance Variation 9
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
2 The Exchange Variation 50
ISBN: 9781 85744 586 2
3 The Fort Knox 71

Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, p.o Box 480, 4 The Classicai4 eS Variation 96
246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480. 131
5 The McCutcheon

All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House, 6 The Tarrasch 3 ... Be7 173
10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V OAT 19B
7 The King's Indian Attack
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8 Odds and Ends 219
email: info@everymanchess.com: website: www.everymanchess.com

Everyman is the registered trade mark of Random House Inc. and is used in this
work under licence from Random House Inc. Index of Variations 229

Index of Games 237

EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES (fonnerly Cadogan Chess)

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I n t rod uct i o n

When I was asked to write a repertoire book against 1 e4, I guess it was natural
that I would seize the opportunity to discuss the French Defence, 1 e4 e6 (Diagram
1), which has been my staple defence for more than a quarter of a century.

Diagram 1 (W)
The French Defence

Why Play the French?

The French has a very long history, which implies that it can be understood more
easily than openings such as the Sicilian or Caro-Kann. It must have an intrinsic
logic, amenable to common sense, or else it wouldn't have been popular before
sophisticated openings were devised. In any case, it is hoped that a perusal of the
first three chapters will quickly get you up and running in your new opening.
The Fort Knox is the most solid and untheoretical of all the main line French varia­
tions, and has the virtue that it can be played against both1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3

5
 I ntrod u ct i o n
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

white pieces, who suddenly find a whole host o f open lines, diagonals or attacking
and 3 Nd2, thereby greatly cutting down the amount of book work you need to
squares handed to them. There is a special art in making sure that the white centre
do. The lines recommended against the Advance Variation and French Exchange
vanishes on Black's terms.
also shouldn't tangle you up too much in theory. Finally, at the end of the book
there is a brief discussion of early white divergences from the main lines. The question of open and closed positions is vital when playing the French. Black
can get away with strategically desirable but time wasting manoeuvres if the posi­
After you have gained some experience, you might decide that you want to try
tion remains closed. However, the same manoeuvre might be suicidal in an open
out more counter-attacking variations. For this reason chapters 4-6 discuss lines in
position.
the Classical, the McCutcheon and the Tarrasch with 3... Be7 which are more dy­
namic but also require a lot more memory work than the Fort Knox. It's time to wish you good luck with your new opening. I hope you enjoy this
book and learn some useful ideas. Have fun with the French!
It should be remembered that it took a great many experiments for chess players
to discover what works and what doesn't work in a given opening. An ordinary
player can't expect to discover for himself the best moves and plans in a complex Neil McDonald,
position; he must rely on the work of his predecessors. Alekhine, for example, was Gravesend,
a brilliant theorist, but in the 1920s he condemned as a strategic error the basic
September 2008
...e5 plan for Black in the King's Indian Defence, which many years after his death
was to become Fischer's main weapon and then a useful point scorer for Kas­
parov. The reason, of course, was that the King's Indian was little played during
Alekhine's lifetime, and so he had few examples on which to base his judgement.

The French Defence in the 2 1st centu ry

Three things especially struck me while writing this book:

i. The number of women players who have made an important contribution to the
modem theory of the French Defence. It could quite reasonably be renamed the
'Fairer Defence' in their honour (but not the crude 'Female Defence'). As usual
when talking about chess, I mean 'he' to stand for both 'he' and ' she', and espe­
cially so in this book.

ii. How often the black king should (and does) stay in the centre in the French De­
fence. Many years ago the great World Champion Emanuel Lasker suggested that
the right to castle should be abandoned in order to allow more attacking chess to
be played. Capablanca (or perhaps Reti) replied that without the castling rule,
White's right to move first would give him too much advantage. Well, looking at
the games in this book, it strikes me that Black can get on pretty well in the French
without castling. Often he (or she!) leaves the king in the centre for the whole
game, or only condescends to castle at move 20 or so. Just one example: 31...0-0!
forces Kasparov to instantly resign in the first game of Chapter One!
iii. Black can no longer count on having a good game just because he has disman­
tled his opponent's centre. The French Defence is handled in a very dynamic way
these days. Black doesn't have to fear the white centre - he has to be afraid of
what happens when it vanishes. He wants to destroy it, certainly; but he has to be
careful that he isn't destroyed himself in the process by a burst of energy from the

7
6
Chapter One

The Advance Variation

_ I ntroduction
_ Black Plays 3 b6 •••

_ The ••• Qb6 Be ••• BbS Va riation

_ White's 4th-move Alternatives

9
 T h e Adva n c e Va r i a t i o n
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

White's thematic pawn adva nce

Introduction
If we think schematically in terms of the pawn structure, White should be trying
The Advance Variation (never trust a man who calls this the Advanced Variation!) to engineer the advance f4-f5, bringing up his f-pawn next to his furthest ad­
begins 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 (Diagram 1). vanced pawn on e5. This would increase his ascendancy on the kingside, and,
speaking in more concrete terms, might lay the groundwork for an assault by the
white rooks along the f-file, or expose the black pawn on e6 to attack.

Black's thematic pawn adva nce

By the same logic, Black should play ...c5, putting a pawn alongside the spearhead
of his own structure on d5. This would create tension between the black pawn on
c5 and the white pawn on d4; and if Black followed up with a sequence of moves
such as ... Nc6, ... Qb6, and ... Ne7-f5, he would be attacking the d4-pawn so many
times that White would have to be careful not to lose it. Of course, ... c5 can be met
by d4xc5, but on the whole this is a positional victory for Black, as it loosens
White's bind on the centre.
As we can see from this strategic outline, the black knight may have been denied
the f6-square, but it still has a route into the game via e7 and f5, where it performs
Diagram 1 (B) Diagram 2 (W)
a useful function in attacking d4. Alternatively it might emerge on g6, also via e7,
The Advance Variation Black prepares ... Bb5 from where it can take part in a well-prepared attack on the e5-pawn with .. .£6.

o
NOTE: The pawn advance ... c5 is almost universal for Black in the
Let's begin by considering what both sides are up to in this not-so-simple varia­
d4/e5 versus d5/e6 pawn structure: it may be delayed, but is hardly
tion.
ever avoided altogether. The other pawn advance ...f6 is fairly com-
mon, and indispensable in some situations where Black has to acti­
vate his kingside pieces, such as when he needs to win back the f6-
White has more space and a n intact centre square for his knight or open the f-file for a rook on f8 to create
counterplay.
With the Advance White immediately locks the centre and so deprives Black of
the chance to break up his pawns with ...dxe4. It is also significant that he has pre­ Indeed, it is almost unthinkable for there to be a game in this pawn structure in
vented the black knight being developed to f6, which has been its square of choice which Black plays neither ...c5 nor ...£6.
in more than 10 million games.
What do we mean by the abstract expression 'White has more space'? Simply �at
his centre pawns are fixed further up the board than the black pawns, so that hIS The biggest loser in the French Adva nce
pieces will have more freedom of action when deploy ed behin
. � ���.If left un­
challenged, this extra mobility will allow White to buIld up an Initiative - most As we have seen, the knight on g8 still functions pretty well in the Advance Varia­
.
likely in the form of an attack on the kingside, as the pawn on e5 grants him a tion, as it can support an attack on d4 or on e5. Therefore we might say that the
space advantage there and, as stated, has kept the black knight from the important biggest loser after 3 e5 is the black bishop on c8. It can't find a similar role in
Black's strategy. It is a forlorn-looking piece, shut in behind its pawns. In other
square f6. You will notice that the h7-square will be especiall
� vulnerable to attack
words, it is the archetypal bad bishop.
once Black castles kingside as it is lacking the defence of a knIght on f6.

11
10
 How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n c e V a r i a t i o n

but also the pawn on b 6 gives Black the chance t o recapture . . .bxc5 should White
And the biggest win ner in the French Advance
answer . . . c5 with d4xc5.

In contrast, what a splendid future awaits the white bishop on £1! It has an excel­
lent post available on d3, where it controls diagonals on both sides of the board. In
particular, it would aim at f5, in support of the key advance f4-f5, and beyond that
at the h7-square: a weak point in Black king's defences after he has castled king­
side as ... Nf6 has been prevented. White's blessed light squared bishop is a so­
called good bishop, whereas his bishop on c1 is regarded as a bad bishop, even
though it has a fair amount of scope, as White's central pawns are obstructing it
by being fixed on dark squares.

The theme of this chapter

The white piece that benefits the most through the fixing of the centre is the
bishop on £1; the black piece that suffers the most is the bishop on c8. Surely it
would be worth Black going to some trouble to exchange off these bishops? That
Diagram 3 (W) Diagram 4 (W)
is, indeed, the theme of this chapter.
. . . Ba6 will follow Black invests two tempi!
Black has several ways to meet the Advance Variation, but here I wish to show
you two systems that have the express purpose of getting rid of White's best and
.
Black's worst minor piece. These are 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6, aiming for an imme­
diate, no-nonsense ... Ba6; and 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Qb6 5 Nf3 Bd7 (Diagram Case study 1: how ••• b6 defeats a chess genius
2) and then 6 ...Bb5, once again bringing Black's light-squared bishop in contact
Let's begin our discussion o n a high note b y seeing Garry Kasparov lose with
with its enemy counterpart. That's a lot of effort just to exchange these bishops,
White against Ivanchuk. We'll have to cheat, though, by giving White two extra
one might think. That's true, but it should be remembered that the centre is
moves!
blocked, which puts the emphasis on slow-moving operations to achieve long­
lasting strategic goals.
Gamel
TIP: Black doesn't need to rush his pieces out to defend key squares D G.Kasparov • V.lva nchuk
and avoid coming under an immediate attack. Instead he trusts in Horgen 199 5
the blocked centre to keep the white pieces at bay.
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 NC3 Bb4

Black Plays 3 b6 ...

According to the repertoire in this book, we are playing 3 . . . dxe4 or 3 ... Nf6 versus 3
Nc3, but you'll soon see why we are looking at this game.

1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 eS b6 (Diagram 3) 4 eS b6 5 a3 Bf8 (Diagram 4)

So there we have it: our 3 . . .b6 line, but with the extra moves a3 and Nc3 thrown in

o
NOTE There are three ways for Black to introduce this early ... b6 for White. Admittedly a3 doesn't help him much, and jumping ahead we'll see
idea: the first is 3 ... b6, which is the move order I've chosen here; an­ that Ivanchuk will be able to ram the pawn with . . .b5-b4 to open lines, but it might
other is 3...Qd7, intending 4 Nf3 b6; and the third is 3...Ne7 4 Nf3 b6. be a surprise to hear that Nc3, which seems a sound developing move, is also not
necessarily in White's interest. That's chiefly because it blocks his c-pawn, whose
The immediate 3 ... b6 is an unusual and radical move, but positionally well moti­
advance can be useful as we'll see further below, but let's enjoy this game first.
vated. Not only does it prepare . . .Ba6, facilitating the desired exchange of bishops,

12 13
 The Adva n c e Va r i a t i o n
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

At first glance, 10 ... Ba6 seems a n obvious move, but in fact after 1 1 Ne2 White will
6 Nf3 Ne7
be able to castle, and the bishop wouldn't do much on a6. So Ivanchuk changes
Black wants to exchange bishops with ... Ba6, but he prefers to wait until White has
plan: using White's bishop on a4 as a target, he will gain tempi with . . .b5 and ... c5-
developed his bishop: for example, if 7 Bd3 Ba6 8 Bxa6 Nxa6 and he has gained a
c4 to carry out a queenside pawn-storm.
move over 6 . . . Ba6 7 Bxa6 Nxa6, as White has needed to move his bishop twice to
carry out the exchange. If instead White plays 7 Bd3 Ba6 8 0-0, leaving it for Black
11 Ne2 b5 12 Bb3 c5 13 c3 Nc6 14 0-0 QC7 15 Rel
to inaugurate the exchange with 8 ... Bxd3 9 Qxd3, then this is still a gain for Black The pawn structure requires the preparation of f4-f5 by White, and this might
as he has avoided having his knight misplaced on a6. In that scenario he wouldn't have been prepared immediately with 15 Nh2 and then 16 f4. Such an advance
have to worry about returning the knight to the centre via b8 and c6, or in some would also have more bite with the white rook supporting it on £1, rather than
cases after ... c5 and then ... Nc7. 'centralized' on el.

7 h4 15 c4 16 Bc2 Nb6 (Diagram 6) 17 Bf4?!

•••

Kasparov knows a thing or two about positional play and so also continues to de­ Another natural move, but it clutters the f-file. Kasparov might still have tried 1 7
lay the development of his bishop. Instead he gains space on the kingside. Nh2, intending f2-f4 a t some point.

7 h6
.••
17 Be7 18 Bg3 Rb8 19 Nh2 Qd81? 20 Ng4
••.

Both sides play useful waiting moves. Again 20 f4 was beckoning, but perhaps Kasparov didn't like the reply 20 ... Bh4.

8 h5 a5 9 Bb5+!? (Diagram 5) 20 b4 21 axb4 axb4 22 cxb4?1

••.

White's plan is to sweep the deck clear of pawns on the queenside and only then
to carry out his kingside attack. However, the World Champion had underesti­
mated the danger that results from the black pawns being replaced by black
knights.

22 Nxb4 23 Bbl Bd7 24 b3 Ra8 25 Rxa8 Qxa8 26 bxc4 NXc4 27 Ncl?

•••

A careless move that loses a pawn, but the position was already quite pleasant for
Black.
27 Ba4 28 Qe2 Qa7! (Diagram 7)
••.

Suddenly there's no way to defend d4.

29 Ne3 Qxd4 30 NXc4 dXc4 31 Qfl 0-01 0-1

There's nothing to be done against the advance of the c-pawn to c2, winning a
piece.

NOTE: One of the themes of this book is the value of late castling by
Diagram 5 (B) Diagram 6 (W)
Black - see in particular the King's Indian Attack chapter. Well, Ivan­
White plays against ...Ba6 Both sides manoeuvre chuk couldn't have left it any later than this. We might add another
golden rule in the French: only castle when it makes your opponent
The World Champion loses patience and decides to cut across the plan of ... Ba6. resign!
This check should be compared with 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6 4 Bb5+, which we will
Kasparov has carried out many brutal attacks playing White, but Ivanchuk's un­
examine below.
usual antics in the opening, including delaying castling, appeared to have con­
9 ... c6 10 Ba4 fused his normally ultra-reliable positional sense. Moreover, this was the great
Here we find a use of 5 a3: if the pawn was still on a2, White would lose the man's only defeat versus the French, unless you include a simul game he lost in
bishop after ... b6-b5 and ... a5-a4. the Exchange Variation against Sheransky in 1996, after which he allegedly told
his opponent: 'you are the weakest player I've ever lost to!'
10 Nd7 ..•

15
14
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Adva n ce V a r i a t i o n

It's now time to get down to the business of opening theory by examining White's defending the black side:

various ways of meeting 3 ... b6. 7 h5 h6 (Diagram 9)

Diagram 7 (W) Diagram 8 (B) Diagram 9 (W) Diagram 10 (W)

Picking off the d4-pawn Preventing 4 ...Ba6 Correctly preventing h5-h6 Black may break with . . . g6

Black mustn't allow 8 h6 when 8 ... g6 leaves him with a dark-square hole on f6.
Case study 2: White plays 4 (3
8 b3 Ba6
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6 4 c3!? (Diagram 8) At last Black offers the bishop exchange. Now that he has played ... c5, he can put
the knight on c7, and so doesn't have to spend two moves recentralizing it with
White guards his d4-pawn in typical French Advance style and sets a little trap.
. .. Nb8 and . . . Nbc6. Besides, White's last move indicated that a central struggle was
WARNING: Whatever else you do, please don't fall for the trap about to begin with c3-c4, so Black couldn't dally with his development forever.
, 4... Ba6?? 5 Bxa6 Nxa6 6 Qa4+ when the knight is lost. 9 Bxa6 Nxa6 10 Qe2 NC7 11 dXc5 bXc5 12 c4 Nc6 13 Rh4 d4 14 Nbd2 0-0-0 (Diagram
:><: 10)
4...Qd71
Black has held his centre together, brought his king to the relative safety of the
A very common move for Black in this variation. He rules out Qa4+ and so is
queenside, and now begins to search for counterplay on the kingside.
ready for . . . Ba6.
15 Kf1 Be7 16 Rg4 Rdg8 17 a3 g6
5 Nf3
From here Black went on to outplay his opponent in A.Schmitt-N.Short, French
A solid and sensible decision. Instead 5 Qg4 is pretty pointless as g7 is defended.
League 2004.
After 5 ... Ne7 6 Nf3 Nf5 7 Bd3 Ba6 (sticking to our rule - as soon as the white
bishop moves from fI, offer the exchange!) 8 Bxa6 Nxa6 9 0-0 Be7 10 Bg5 h5! 1 1
Qh3 0-0-0 12 Bxe7 Qxe7 1 3 Nbd2 g5! Black had well and truly taken over the ini­
Game 2
tiative in A.Lebedev-D.5kliarov, Dubna 2007. o M.Larrea • B.Roselli Mailhe
Another alternative is 5 f4, which we'll examine in our next illustrative game. Montevideo 2007
5 ... Ne7 6 h4 c5
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6 4 c3 Qd7 5 f4 (Diagram 11) 5 ... Ba6?!
Shades of the Ivanchuk-Kasparov game: neither player wants to develop their
A paradoxical moment. Black might have delayed this in 'Ivanchuk style' with
light-squared bishop. We'll now follow a former World Championship challenger

16 17
How to PI ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Ad va n ce Va r i a t i o n

5...Ne7, intend·m� 6 Nf3 c5 7 Bd3 Ba6 and compared to the game Black has g. amed rect manner. Lan . ated 2317, making h'un a very competent .mtemationI
�:.'" a
time because White h as moved his b'Ishop twice after 8 B xa6 Nxa6. However, in player, but here JU;gement goes completely awry . Instead with 1O Ng3, pre-
that case White's wild attacking move 10 g4 would most likel never have oc- parmg f4-fS at an �ppropriate rna ment White m''ght have justified h opening
. '"
curred, as he would h ave ' automaticall ' played the sensible rNf3. So 5.:.Ba6 may play. Black's po"tlon isn' � stabJe enough in the centre to hId blockade With
:. .
10 . 6' 11 dxcS bxc5 12 C4. and 12 d4? � ;
nat be the most reo'se move, but it da !I've White the chance to beat lumselfl ,;,�3 Ne4 is bad for B a but otherwise
d' ,.�e keeps th I �t threat of "';dS en ,f ...exdS in re Ie f4-f5
wh
, carries out the
..
6 Bxa6 Nxa6 7 d 3
. desired advan:: u: course, Black could have avoided all" back on the fifth
Wh,te gains ti:�i�: his plans along the f-f le by bringing his queen in touch w·th
' move by delaY g ...Ba6 with S...Ne7.
the fS-square �
attackmg the black kmght.
10... h51 (Diagram 13)
NOTE, R'" no great hardship for the knight to be forced t° retreat to
O b8, as it was poorly placed on a6 a n d needed to be rerouted via b8 to
c6 in any case.
7 ... Nb8 8 N.2
.
Here rather than f3 as Wh·Ite intends to blast Ius way through the f-file and
doesn't want the �ight blocking his path.
8 . ..(5 (Diagram 12)

Diagram 13 (W) Diagram 14 (W)

A key counterthrust Which k'mg '. safe<?.
"

Exactly. This counterthrust turns the tables on th e k'.ogside.

11 h3
Very grim for White would be 11 5 in��'
the f5-square becomes a strong point
£:
for the black kni after II...Nb ! �g ...Nf5, etc. Ho wever, now Black
Diagram 11 (B) Diagram 12 (W) gains attacking ces against the white kmg.
Black might delay ...Ba6 Provocativ e pIay 11... hxg4 12 h xg4 f51 13 exf6
If 13 N g3 Black can fI�y sharply with 13 ...fxg4 or else 'us hold the line with
Safer was 8...Ne7 first. 13: ..g6, when Wh',te s .oihative on the kmgside is ove;' �d Black can develop
w,th ...Nbc6 and ...0 -0-0 with fine chances.
go-o .
After the game mo ve the situation 0n the kings'd 1 e stays fluid, but the operung of
White might h ave speculated with th e sharp 9 f51..?, intending 9...exf5 10 0-0 Ne711
Bg5. the g-file means greater pen'l for the white k·mg.
9 ... Ne7 10 g4 .'
13 ...gxf6 14 Ng3 Nbc6 15 Nh 5 Ng8 16 Rel
.
A s Kasparov d'Iscovered, it ·IS very hard to engmeer The best chance was to get the queens off WI·th 16Q g6+ Qf717 f5, although Black
the f4-f5 advance in the cor-

18 19
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e Adva n c e V a r i a t i o n

has the better of it after 17...cxd4. Instead 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 Ne74 Nf3 b6 should deter 5 Bb5+ because after 5...c6 6
Ba4 Ba6 White doesn't have the option of Ngl-e2 to secure castling, as he has al­
ready played his knight to f3. Of course he can continue Nc3 and Ne2, though,
16 0-0-0 (Diagram 14)
•••

Black's king will be absolutely safe on the queenside. which was the way that Kasparov would have met ...Ba6 in his game with Ivan­
17 Qe2 Re8 18 Be3 cxd4 19 cxd4 Kb7 20 NC3 Qh7 chuk, but don't forget that Kasparov had been presented with the move Nc3 'for
Threatening to undermine the knight with 21. ..£5. free' by the move order 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 b6 5 a3 Bf8.
21 Ng3 Qh3 22 NhS Confused? Well, just stick to 3 ... b6 and play it like the imaginative strategist
Yasser Seirawan.
White suffers a disaster on g4 after either 22 Qg2 Qxg4 or 22 Bf2 Nh6 intending
23...Nxg4.
Game 3
22 Re7 23 fS
•••

o A.Shabalov . Y.Seirawan
White finally achieves his aim of f4-f5 but...
us Cham pionship, Chandler 1997
23 RxhS! (Diagram 15) 0-1
•••

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6 4 BbS+!?
As in the Kasparov-Ivanchuk game, White avoids the exchange of his light­
squared bishop by deploying it to a4.
4 c6 5 Ba4 bS
.•.

Seirawan decides to continue harassing the white bishop in order to gain space.
The alternative was 5...Ba6, when White might have continued 6 Ne2 intending 7
0-0.

6 Bb3 c5 (Diagram 17)

Diagram 15 (W) Diagram 16 (8)

The attack is overwhelming Another anti-...Ba6 idea

...and he was forced to give up in view of 24 gxh5 Rg7+ 25 Kf2 Qg2 mate.

Case study 3: White plays 4 BbS+

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 eS b6 4 Bb5+ (Diagram 16)

Diagram 17 (W) Diagram 18 (W)
If you want to prevent this Bb5+ move, you can do it with the move order 1 e4 e6 2 Black continues to rush forward
Seizing space
d4 d5 3 e5 Qd7. On the other hand, the variation 4 Nf3 b6 5 c4 might then have
more bite for White, as compared to 3...b6 Black would be a tempo worse off if he
has to recapture with his queen on d5 having already gone ...Qd7. 7 c3

20 21
How to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adv a n c e V a r i a t i o n

White strengthens his centre and clears the c2-square for the bishop. takes away the g5-square from the white knight, which thwarts Ng5 and then f2-
f4 when White would have made progress towards his basic strategic plan of f4-
f5. Note that if Black had waited for Ng5 to be played and only then attacked it
7 ... Ne7 S Nf3 Nec6 9 0-0 h6!
I have beside me Emanuel Lasker's Common Sense in Chess, a compilation of lec­ with ... h6, the knight could fall back to h3, where it leaves open the way for f4-f5.
tures that the World Champion gave in 1895. He gives four rules for the develop­
ment of the pieces ' according to my own experience over the board': It should be remembered that it is very rare for a position to be completely open
or completely blocked. Shabalov has broken Lasker's rules as well- twice as many
i. Do not move any pawns in the opening of a game apart from the e-pawn and pawn moves as allowed, and three moves with his bishop (incidentally, Seirawan
the d-pawn. follows the third rule impeccably, as he develops both knights before his bishops).
ii. Do not move any piece twice in the opening, but put it at once upon the right If White had made a quick bid to open lines with 4 Nf3 and 5 c4, as in case study 4
square. below, then Seirawan wouldn't have been able to play in such lackadaisical fash­
iii. Bring your knights out before developing the bishops, especially the queen's ion. You could say that both players 'made a pact' to spend the opening in slow
bishop. positional jockeying.
iv. Do not pin the adverse king's knight (by Bg5 as White or ...Bg4 as Black) before We now return to the game and 9... h6:
your opponent has castled. 10 Be3 Nd7 11 Nbd2 c4 (Diagram lS)
Lasker's only exception is that sometimes you are permitted to play c2-c4 as White With this and his next move, Black shifts his attack on the queenside from d4 to
in the Queen's Gambit. c3.
Now let's examine Seirawan's play so far . His first six moves have been with 12 Bc2 b4
pawns, including moving the c-pawn twice. He has only developed one piece, and A bold decision after which lines are opened, and the tension rises.
that is the knight, which has moved twice to reach c6, where it takes away the
natural square from the knight on b8. And to cap it all, his ninth move is 9...h6, the 13 Ba4 Qc7 14 cxb4 Nxb4 1S a3 Nd3 16 QC2 Ba6 17 b3
type of move that Lasker censures because 'it doesn't give additional force to any Shabalov is able to break open the queenside before the black pieces can be fully
of (Black's) pieces'. mobilized. So will Seirawan be punished after all for violating Lasker's rules?
You might think that Seirawan has not merely broken Lasker's rules, but that he 17 ... Be7 lS bxc4 dxc4 19 Bxd7+ Kxd7 (Diagram 19)
has ripped them into little pieces, scattered them on the floor and done a little If 19...Qxd7, then 20 Nxc4 when Black is not only a pawn down but has trouble
dance on them. However, this would be to miss the point. Lasker's strict rules ap­ with his trapped knight. Therefore he is obliged to recapture with the king.
ply to the open games where the emphasis is on rapid development. As an ex­
periment, trying making six consecutive pawn moves in the opening for Black,
20 dS

beginning 1 e4 e5, and see how long it takes before your position is in ruins. Shabalov offers a pawn to win the d4-square for his knight and clear the way for
the advance of his kingside pawns, which soon leads to the creation of a passed
TIP: With a blocked centre after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 eS you not only pawn. On the other hand, Black will now have two connected passed pawns on
can but at times must delay your development in order to secure a the queenside.
strategic objective. Here we see the conflict in philosophy between an open game and a closed game.
White hopes that the position is sufficiently dynamic (with enough open lines) to
Thus Seirawan moved his knight across the board and put it on c6, because he
make the awkward position of the black king a significant factor; Black trusts that
believed this was its best square; he wasn't concerned about depriving his other there will be enough barriers (closed lines) to hold the white attack at bay.
knight of its natural post, as that horse has a perfectly decent second-best square
on d7. 20 ... exds 21 Nd4 KcS 22 f4 RbS 23 Rab1 Rb6!
All of Black's opening six pawn moves had a clear purpose, either to curtail the Clearing the way for the black king to sidle over to the comparative safety of the
action of White's light-squared bishop or to gain space on the queenside - the part a8-square. At the same time White is prevented from exploiting the open file with
of the board where Black looks for counterplay. And 9...h6 may not add any 24 Rxb8+ and 25 RbI, as if now 24 Rxb6, then 24...axb6 blocks the line.
power to the black pieces, but it is also far from being the kind of thoughtless 24 Khl BcS 25 N2f3 Kb7 26 e6 KaS (Diagram 20)
move that beginners make when they can't find a plan. By playing 9...h6, Black Avoiding 26...fxe6 27 Nxe6, which would invigorate the white attack.

22 23
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Adva n c e V a r i a t i o n

27 fS Rhb8 28 Rxb6 Rxb6 29 Qa4 f6 30 h3 c3 31 Qas? Black to force the win.

White should evacuate the rook from fl, say, with 31 Rgl. Then Black has the bet­ 41 Rdl BbS 42 Qf3 Kb8 43 Qf4+ Rc7 44 Rd6 Kc8 4S Qd2 Rc4 46 QdS
ter chances, but the protected passed pawn on e6 isn't to be underestimated. Attacking the bishop and hoping to gain counterplay with 47Qa8+, but now there
is a surprisingly quick finish.
46 Rcl+ 47 Kh2 KC7! 0-1
•••

White's rook is trapped and he can't even try any tricks, as 48...Qxd6 will come
with check.

Diagram 19 (W) Diagram 20 (W)

White will strive to open the position Black's king reaches safety

31 NeS?
•••

Black missed 31...Nf2+! when he wins the exchange after 32 Bxf2 Bxfl, as 32 Rxf2 Diagram 21 (W) Diagram 22 (B)
Rbl+ wins the white queen by discovered attack. White is in huge trouble Black must be accurate!
32 Rel?
Another mistake - no doubt time pressure was at work. After 32 Ret! Nxf3 33 gxf3
The Noa h's Ark Trap
the c3-pawn will be lost, so Black might do best to force a draw with 33...Qg3 34
Qxc5 Qh3+ 35 Kgl Qg3+.
32 Nxf3 (Diagram 21) 33 Nxf3
•••
NOTE: If a player lets his bishop be gradually cornered by an advanc­
If 33 gxf3 Qg3 the rook on el is hanging, so White has no time to capture the
ing loop of enemy pawns, it is said he has fallen for the Noah's Ark
bishop on d5 - that's why he should have played 32 Ret! Trap. Perhaps this is because the trap is so old it was known even be­
fore the Biblical flood I
33 Bxe3 34 QxdS+
A bishop can end up trapped by pawns in a multitude of manners when space is
•••

Hopeless for White is 34 Rxe3 c2.

tight in the centre. In our French Exchange repertoire after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5
34 Rb7
••.
exd5 4 Nf3 Nc6 5 Bb5 Bd6 6 c4 we should play 6...dxc4! and avoid getting our
Simpler was 34...Kb8. bishop trapped after 6...Nge7?? 7 c5.
3S Nd4 Qg3 36 Nf3 QC7 37 Nd4 c2 38 Nxc2 BcS Something similar could happen to White in the McCutcheon: 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3
And not 38...Qxc2 39 e7. Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4 5 e5 h6 6 Bd2 Bxc3 7 bxc3 Ne4 8 Qg4 Kf8 9 Bd3 Nxd2 10 Kxd2
c5 11 h4 Nc6 and now 12 Ne2?? has a lot of positional merit as it leaves the f-file
clear for the advance f4-f5, but it leaves the bishop in the mire after 12...c4.
39 Nb4 Bxb4 40 axb4 Qe7
The e6 -pawn is stopped in its tracks, after which only a little care is needed by

24 25
 T h e Adva n c e V a r i a t i o n
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

Here in the Advance Variation White has to be careful that he doesn't bunch his hurt Black here) 5...Ba6 6 Bxa6 Nxa6 70-0 Qd7 8 Ne2 Nb8 (the typical plan of re­
pieces together too tightly, or a bishop might fall off. A gruesome example fol­ routing the knight to c6) 9 Ng3 Nbc6 10 b3 0-0-0 11 Bb2 Kb712 c4 (not a well­
lows. supported advance as the white knights are absent on the kingside) 12...Nf5 13
Qe2 Be714 Radl g5! (having secured his king, Rustemov begins to activate his
pawns on the kingside) 15 Nel Ng7 16 Nc2 h5 17 Qf3 h4 18 Ne2 Nf5 and Black
had a pleasant position and eventually won (on move 102!) in M.Ulibin­
Game 4
o I.Dombai • I.Dudics A.Rustemov, Tomsk 2004.
Buda pest 2000
Alternatively, S h4 Qd7 6 Nc3 Ba6 7 h5 Bxfl 8 Kxfl h6 9 g3 c5 (meeting White's
kingside play with counteraction in the centre) 10 Ne2 cxd4 11 Nexd4 Nec6 12 Kg2
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 b6 5 Qg4 Bf8 Nxd4 13 Qxd4 was the course of S.Brunello-M.Stojanovic, Verona 2005, and here I
Black plays in the style of our 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6 repertoire. think Black should have continued to strive for the initiative in the centre with
6 Bd3 Ba6 7 Bg5 Qd7 8 0-0-0 h6 9 Bh4?? (Diagram 22) 13...Nc6 14 Qg4 0-0-0 (Diagram 24) 15 c4 d4!.
White, rated 2128 Elo, misses the danger to his bishop.
9 g5??
...

And Black, 2051 Elo, in his excitement gives his opponent the chance to escape. He
should play 9 ...Bxd3 first and only after 10 Rxd3 trap the bishop with 10...g5.
10 Bg3??
An automatic move but White could have saved himself with the interpolation 10
Bxa6 Nxa6 11 Bg3 h5 12 Qe2, when the attack on the knight on a6 doesn't give
Black time to trap the bishop with 12 ... h4.
10 h5 11 Qe2
•..

The evil point is that 11 Qxg5 Bh6 pins the white queen. The queen is also lost to
the black bishop after 11 Qh3 (trying to save the bishop by pinning the h-pawn)
11...g4 12 Qh4 Be7.
11 Bxd3 12 Rxd3 h4 and White played on until move 20 before resigning.
.••

Diagram 23 (W) Diagram 24 (W)

Prudently delaying ...Ba6 An unbalanced situation
Case Study 4: White plays 4 Nf3

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6 4 Nf3 Ne7 (Diagram 23) Game 5

It makes sense to bolster the d5-point rather than play 4...Qd7 in view of White's o K.Opl • J.Jurek
next move. Austria n League 1991
WARNING! Plain poor for Black would be 4 Ba6?! 5 Bxa6 Nxa6 6 c4!
•••

when White breaks open the c-file with the threat of 7 Qa4+ win­ 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6 4 Nf3 Ne7 5 c4!
ning the knight. White puts immediate pressure on d5 and prepares to open the c-file for his rook.
Note that in his game with Kasparov, Ivanchuk didn't have to face this approach
as White had played 3 Nc3.
5 c4!
This is the critical test of Black's opening, as we will see in Game 5. After other
moves Black can get on with the business of ...Ba6: for example, 5 Nc3 (Kasparov
5 ... Bb7
had Nc3 'for free' and it didn't do him much good, so it would be surprising if this A change of plan: the bishop has the potential to become a marvellous attacking

27
26
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n ce V a r i a t i o n

piece once a pawn exchange on c4 or d5 opens its diagonal, but for the moment If at all possible Black wants to recapture on d5 with a piece, not a pawn.
Black is more concerned with holding together his centre. S Rc1 O-O-O?
6 Nc3 Qd7 7 Be3 In the game A.Wagner-H. Dobosz, Bayern 1998, Black held the draw with 8...dxc4
White defends d4 and prepares to bring his rook to the centre. 9 Bxc4 Nb4 10 0-0 Nbd5 11 Qc2 (Diagram 26) 11...Nxc3 (strengthening the white
pawn structure, but creating room for the other knight to go to d5) 12 bxc3 Nd5 13
Bd3 Be7 14 Qe2 Nxe3 (another exchange that helps the white pawns, but Dobosz
7 ... Nbc6 (Diagram 25)
trusts in the bishop-pair and the solidity of his own structure to see him through)
15 fxe3 0-0 16 Nd2 (if Black plays passively White will get a clear edge with 17
Ne4, already threatening the combinative 18 Nf6+!) 17.. .£5! (an important move
that activates Black's game and leads to more simplification) 17 exf6 Rxf6 18 Rxf6
Bxf6 19 Qh5 g6 20 Qg4 Rf8 21 Rfl Qe7 22 Be4 Bc8 23 Qg3 e5 24 Bd5+ Kg7 25 Ne4
Bh4 26 Qxe5+ Qxe5 27 dxe5 Rxfl+ 28 Kxfl Bf5 and 1f2-1f2; White can't make any­
thing of his extra pawn, as next move Black intends ... Bxe4 forcing an opposite­
coloured bishop endgame.
Dobosz's way of handling the position seems OK for Black, but it's not very excit­
ing. Instead Jurek holds out from making the exchange 8 ... dxc4- he wants White
to make the exchange himself with cxd5, when Black gains counterplay by activat­
ing his queen. This is all very fine and good, but what if White finds a way to
avoid the exchange, thereby leaving the black pieces all dressed up on the d-file
but with nowhere to go?
Diagram 25 (W) Diagram 26 (B) If Black wants to avoid playing like Dobosz, I think he should prefer 8...Rd8! as
The hl-a8 diagonal is likely to open d5 is a key square the black king could have become a target on b8. If then 9 cxd5 Nxd5 10 Nxd5
Qxd5 Black has counterplay similar to the game, while 9 c5, spurning the ex­
change on d5, is unclear after 9...bxc5 10 Na4 c4 11 Nc5 Qc8 12 Qa4 Nf5.
We should think about the pawn structure here.
9 cxd5?
As we said above, Black's build-up has been designed to achieve counterplay after
o
NOTE: A hole is a square of strategic importance in a player's pawn
structure that can no longer be defended by a pawn. this exchange. Therefore White might have left the black pieces frustrated with the
At some point White is going to play cxd5, to open lines for his pieces, or likewise pawn offer 9 c5! (Diagram 27), bypassing the d5-square. Then 9...bxc5 10 Na4! c4
Black will play ...dxc4. In either case the d5-square is revealed to be a hole in the 11 Nc5 Qe8 12 b3, opening lines, looks very dangerous for the black king. Alterna­
white centre. As Black can put a knight on this square, and it is also controlled by tively, White could have tried 9 Qa4 !? when 9...dxc4 1O Bxc4 leaves Black facing a
the bishop on b7, it seems like a serious concession by White. very awkward pin on c6 with 11 Bb5.
On the other hand, apart from the d5-square, Black is short of space for his pieces:
9 Nxd5 10 Nxd5 Qxd5 11 Bc4 Qa5+1?
•••

in particular, he has two knights but only one of them can sit on the dream square. Also possible was 11...Qe4!?: for example, 12 Bd3 (and not 12 O-O? Nxe5!, while 12
Furthermore, when a knight is on d5 the bishop on b7 finds its way blocked. Kfl! Nb4!? 13 a3 Nd5 is equal) 12 ...Qg4 13 h3 Qxg2 14 Rh2 (the black queen is
Black still has to watch out for Qa4+ tricks. Thus the alternative 7...Na6, with the trapped, but...) 14...Bh4+ 15 Rc3 (15 Ke2? Nxd4+ 16 Nxd4Qxh2 and wins)
centralizing plan of ...dxc4, ...Nb4 and then ...Nbd5, runs into 8 cxd5! Nxd5 9 Nxd5 15 ... Nxd4 16 Rxg2 Nxf3+ 17 Kfl Nxe5 18 Qc2 Bxc3 19 Be2 Bd4 with some advan­
when recapturing with the queen loses after 9 ...Qxd5? 10 Qa4+ Qd7 11 Bb5 c6 12 tage to Black.
Bxa6. So Black would be obliged to make the positionally undesirable recapture 12 Kf1
9...exd5. In that case the hole on d5 vanishes, leaving the bishop on b7 shut in and Black has counterplay after 12 Ke2 Bc5 13 Qd3 g5 14 h3 h5 etc.
White with much the superior pawn structure. 12 Rd7?
•••

28 29
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n c e V a r i a t i o n

Here 1 2...BcS!? (Diagram 28) looks good for Black: for example,1 3 Bd2 (or1 3 h3 24...Nf5 25 Qb3 Ng3+ 26 Ke1 Bb4+ 27 Rc3 Ne4 28 Bf1 Rg1 29 QC4 Ng3
Bxd4! 14 Nxd4 QxeS and the pin on the d-file will see Black regain his piece, leav­ Instead Black has a winning attack after 29...NcS, intending ...Ba6: for instance, 30
ing him a couple of pawns up) 13...Bb414 BgS Nxd4 IS Bxd8 Rxd816 Nxd4 QxeS Kf2 Rg4 31 Be2 Ne4+ 32 Kel Rg3 and c3 drops. However, after the game move
17 Qe2 Qxd418 Ba6 Bxa619 Qxa6+ Kb8 with problems for White due to his pas­ White should play 30 Rf2L
sive rook on hI and awkwardly placed king. 30 Kf2 Rxf1+ 31 Kxg3 Rg1+ 32 Kf2 Rg4 33 Rc2? (Diagram 30)

Diagram 27 (B) Diagram 28 (W) Diagram 29 (W) Diagram 30 (B)

Cramping Black Pressuring d4 Desperation from Black... ... but White lacks a cool head

13 Qe2 g5 It was vital to offer the exchange of rooks with 33 Rd3.

Black had to try 13... a6. 33 ... c5! 34 Kf1 Rd4 35 Qb5 Rgxf4+
14 h3? Correct was 3S ... Rdl+ 36 Kf2 Rxf4+ 37 Kg3 (or 37 Ke3 Rf3+ 38 Ke2 ReI mate)
37...Rf3+ 38 Kg2 RfS+ 39 Kh3 a6 40 Qe8+ Ka7 when there is no good way to stop
The pin on c6 wins material after14 BbS! g4 IS Nd2.
41...Rd3 mate.
14 ... Rg8 15 a3 h5!
36 Rhf2??
Jurek's queen is now surrounded, so he has to stake his survival on a wild coun­
Falling into a mate. After 36 Rcf2 the game would probably have ended in a draw
terattack. It certainly won't be easy, though, for White to cut through the compli­
by repetition with 36...Rdl+ 37 Ke2 Rd2+ 38 Kfl Rdl+.
cations and find a safe way to exploit his huge material advantage.
36 ... Rd1+ 37 Ke2 Re1+ 38 Kd3 Rd4 mate (0-1)
16 Bd2 g4 17 Bxa5 gxf3 18 gxf3 Nxd4 19 Qe3 Nxf3 (Diagram 29)
Rather a good place to end our examination of 3... b6!
Also insufficient for Black is 19...bxaS 20 Be2.
20 Be2?
The best way to consolidate was 20 Bc3 BcS 21 Qf4.
20 ... Nd4 21 Rh2 bxa5 22 f4 Be7 23 h4 Kb8 24 a4?
The ... Qb6 & ... Bd7 Va riation
Giving away the b4-square to Black's bishop is a disaster, but Black already had 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3
plenty of activity, as shown by 24 Rc3 NfS (or 24 ...Nxe2 2S Qxe2 Rg4) 2S Qf2 f6,
Note that White's fourth move, while common, isn't forced and we will examine
etc.
the alternatives to 4 c3 in the final section of this chapter.

30 31
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n ce V a r i a t i o n

4...Qb6 5 Nf3 Bd7 (Diagram 31) gives White a good game. Hence it i s sensible for Black t o exchange first o n d4.
7 cxd4 BbS (Diagram 32)
Black sticks to the thematic plan of exchanging bishops. It is also possible to play
sharply with 7... Nc6!? 8 0-0 Nxd4, grabbing the d4-pawn and accepting the
Milner-Barry Gambit. Incidentally, this gambit is named after Sir Stuart Milner­
Barry, who worked at Bletchley Park helping to crack the Enigma Code during the
Second World War, and slightly less augustly played for my local chess team dur­
ing his final years. I never got to face the inventor of the gambit, but I saw him
shaking his head in amused fashion when one of my opponents played the gambit
all wrong against me.
After 9 Nxd4 Qxd4 10 Nc3 a6! (stopping any tricks with NbS; it is sensible to
spurn the capture of the second pawn on eS as White has more initiative upon 11
ReI Qb8 12 NxdS, although Black is by no means doing badly after 12...Bd6) 1 1
Qe2 Ne7 Black can continue with 12... Nc6 and then ...BcS, etc, when White is
struggling to justify his pawn sacrifice. On the other hand, the Milner-Barry has
developed a lot of complex theory, so until you are up and running with the
Diagram 31 (W) Diagram 32 (W)
French it's sensible to adopt the solid 6 ... BbS approach.
Another way to activate the bad bishop Continuing thematically
8 0-0 Bxd3 9 Qxd3 Qa6!
An unpleasant move for White. He doesn't want to exchange queens, as his space
We now tum our attention to another variation in which Black plans to offer the
advantage in the centre is most useful if it can be combined with threats to the
exchange of light-squared bishops. After S ...Bd7, White has a number of ap­
enemy king. In an endgame, Black would have good chances of attacking d4 and
proaches and it makes sense to work our way through the theory of them one by
gaining control of the c-file. The black king could go fearlessly to d7, in order to
one.
support the action of the rooks along the c-file, whereas the white king could only
watch from a distance. Meanwhile White's own natural plan of advancing on the
kingside with the eventual aim of f4-fS would be very hard to implement.
1. White plays 6 Bd3 cxd4 7 cxd4 10 Qb3 Nc6 11 Nc3 Bb4 (Diagram 33)
Djurhuus prevents the white knight attacking him with 12 NbS.
Game 6 12 a4
o G.Dominguez Aguilar . R.Djurhuus An alternative was 12 Na4, avoiding the exchange on c3, when 12...bS 13 NcS BxcS
Tu rin Olympiad 2006 14 dxcS Nge7 reaches an unbalanced position.

12 ...Bxc3
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 eS cS 4 c3 Qb6 5 Nf3 Bd7 6 Bd3 cxd4 White mustn't be allowed to play 13 NbS! when he has a bind on the queenside.

WARNING: Black could play 6 ... BbS, which on the face of it seems a 13 bXc3 Nas
good idea as the white knight on b1 doesn't get access to the c3- A plan that will meet with great success: the knight heads for c4 to exchange itself
square. However, the drawback is 7 dxcS! BxcS 8 b4! when if Black for White's bishop on a3. However, 13... Nge7 14 Ba3 0-0 was a safer way to handle
plays 8 ... Bxf2+? the bishop is trapped and lost after 9 Ke2, planning the position.
10 Rf1. 14 Qc2 Nc4 15 Ba3?
Instead the game might continue 8...Bxd3 9 Qxd3 Bf8 (f2 is still taboo) 10 0-0. Then A serious positional mistake. There is some truth in the humorous saying that 'the
the further advance of the queenside pawns, using the black queen as a target, worst bishop is better than the best knight'. Here the black horse is excellently

32 33
 T h e Adva nce Va r i a t i o n
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

placed on c4, a hole in the white pawn structure from which it can never be dis­
20 Qd3 0-0 21 g4 Rfc8 22 hS
lodged by a pawn, even if the game lasted another 10,000 moves. But White still White's plan of advancing pawns on the kingside would be very powerful if
shouldn't have let his bishop be exchanged for it! Black's pieces were boxed in on the queenside, as then the white rooks could be
quickly transferred to the kingside to make the attack decisive. However, here the

o
NOTE: White needed to keep some dynamism in his set-up, as after white rooks dare not leave their posts, as a collapse on c3 or a4 would soon follow.
his bishop is exchanged off he drifts into a passive position with 22 ... Rc4 23 Kg2 R8c7 24 Rbb3 b6 2S Nd2 Qas! (Diagram 3S)
weak pawns in which he has no real chances to complicate matters.
At least with a bishop versus the knight, there is always going to be some intrinsic
imbalance in the position, no matter how bad the objective assessment for White.
For this reason the black knight should have been challenged with 15 Nd2!. After
its exchange Black can still talk about the weak pawns on a4 and c3 and the hole
on c4, but White can point to the bishop which is going to a3.
1S ... Nxa3 16 Rxa3 Ne7 17 Rbi Rc8 (Diagram 34)

Diagram 3S (W) Diagram 36 (W)

The pressure mounts Finishing in style

Black's point is that 26 Nxc4 dxc4 sees White lose a rook to the pawn fork. Up un­
til here White has been able to hold on to his pawns thanks to some tricks, but
now something has got to give. Seeing that a4 can't be saved, he tries to lay one
last trap:
Diagram 33 (W) Diagram 34 (W)
26 QC2 Rxd4 27 RbS Qa6 28 f3
Knights like fixed structures Black has most of the trumps
It looks as though the black rook is trapped, but Black's next move wins the f5-
square for it.
Black has a very easy game, but as so often in the French, he mustn't be in a hurry
28 ... gS! 29 Qa2?! Rxa4!
to castle. If 1 7... 0-0 then 18 Ng5! is awkward as both18 . . . Nf5 19 g4 and 18 .. . Ng6 19
It turns out the rook doesn't need the f4-square ...
h4! cause him problems. Thus Djurhuus concentrates for the moment on increas­
ing the pressure against c3. 30 Rxa4 QxbS 31 Rxa7 Qe2+ 32 Kh3 RxC3! (Diagram 36)
18 RbS Rc7 19 h4 h61 The virus that killed the white queenside is about to spread to the kingside.

33 Rxe7 Rxf3+! 34 Nxf3 Qxa2 0-1

TIP: This i s a vital prelude t o castling kingside. W e often see in the
Advance Variation the value of ... h6 in denying the white knight the
gs-square, whether its aim in going there is to directly attack some­
thing or to clear the way for the advance of the f-pawn.

35
34
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n ce V a r i a t i o n

2 . White plays 6 Bd3 cxd4 7 Nxd4!? squares on the g-file, s o it is a question of how and when he should give u p the
exchange.

Here Volkov went astray with IS . . . Rxf2+? and ended up losing after 16 Kxf2 Qxh7
Game 7 17 BgS Nbc6 18 Rac1, as White was just in time to carry out an attack down the c­
o I.Khairullin . S.Volkov file before Black could generate counterplay against the exposed white king:
Moscow 2008 18 . . . 0-0-0 19 b4! Kb8 20 bS Ng8 21 Qf4 Nce7 22 a4 Rc8 23 Ne2 NfS 24 Rxc8+ Bxc8 2S
Rc1 Qg7 26 Qb4 Ngh6 27 QcS Ng4+ 28 Kel and 1-0 was A.Volokitin-S.Volkov,
Dresden 2007.
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 C5 4 c3 Qb6 5 Nf3 Bd7 6 Bd3 cxd4 7 Nxd4!? (Diagram 37)
I gave this game on the ChessPublishing website, and one of the subscribers, Tarek
Riabi, pointed out that IS . . . Rg4! was a far better move, as Black reaches the posi­
tion in the game after 17 BgS, but with an extra tempo after the plausible continua­
tion 16 f3 Rg3 1 7 Kf2 Rxf3+ 18 Qxf3 Qxh7 19 BgS Nbc6 20 Qf6. Black has full com­
pensation for the exchange in view of the bare position of the white king and what
David Bronstein once described as 'the most powerful weapon in chess' - the right
to move next. For example, if we continue in the style of the Volokitin game with
20 ... 0-0-0 21 Rac1 we can use our extra tempo on 21...Kb8! . Now after 22 b4 we
have time for 22 ... Re8!, guarding the knight on e7 and so taking the sting out of 23
bS? which can be answered by 23 ... Nb4, when White is facing a fork on d3. And if
White holds back on advancing the b-pawn after 21 Rac1 Kb8, he has to reckon
with the flowering of the black position with moves like 22 ... d4 and 23 ... NdS.

I guess the best evidence that Black is at least OK in this sharp variation is that
Volkov was prepared to enter it again, and Khairullin declined the offer.

9 Ng6 10 Nf3 Bb5

.••
Diagram 37 (B) Diagram 38 (B)
So Black gets to exchange the light-squared bishops after all.
Cutting across Black's plans Complex stuff!
11 Bxb5+ Qxb5 12 Nbd2 Nd7 (Diagram 39)
Volkov has emerged from the opening with a promising position: White is start­
An important alternative for White. It rules out the possible transposition to the
ing to fall behind in development and the eS-pawn is hanging. Therefore Khairul­
Milner-Barry Gambit after 7 cxd4 Nc6, and also prevents the plan of . . . BbS: for in­
lin has to find a sharp continuation.
stance, 7... Nc6 8 Nxc6 Bxc6 9 Qe2 still stops 9 ... BbS.
13 c4! Qc6
7 ...Bc5!?
Of course it would be foolish to play 13 ... dxc4? when 14 Nxc4 brings the white
I like Volkov's idea of an immediate challenge to the white knight. The drawback
knight to a good square where it supports the eS-pawn.
is that White can target the g7-pawn, but Black seems to have plenty of activity in
the resulting melee. 14 b3 Ndxe5
8 Qg4 Ne7 9 0-0 Black eliminates the central pawn before it can be defended by IS Bb2.

In an earlier Volkov game, White had accepted the pawn offer with 9 Qxg7, lead­ 15 Nxe5 Nxe5 16 Qxg7 Ng6 17 Nf3
ing to a highly double edged-clash: 9 ... Rg8 10 Qf6 (a necessary move as 10 Qxh7 Threatening to win at once with 18 NeS! when after the black queen saves herself,
Bxd4 1 1 cxd4 Qxd4 would be awkward for White who has no good way to defend 19 Nxg6 eliminates the defender of the rook on h8.
e5) 1O ... Rxg2 1 1 Bxh7 Bxd4 12 cxd4 Qxd4 13 Nc3 (and not 13 Qh8+? Ng8 14 Bxg8??
Qxf2+ with mate next move) 13 . . . Qg4 14 h4 Qh5 15 Kfl
Instead 17 cxdS Qxd5 1 8 Nf3 O-O-O! ? would give Black attacking chances down the
(Diagram 38). g-file with 19 ... Rhg8. Thus 19 Qxf7? would be a howler because of 19 ... Rdf8 20
The white bishop on h7 is hanging, but Black's rook is going to run out of safe Qg7 Rxf3 21 gxf3 Bd4 - even if al wasn't hanging, White would be losing due to

36 37
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n c e V a r i a t'1 0 n

the weakness on f3 after 22...Ne5.

17 ... Bf8! 18 Qd4 dXc4 19 Bg5 (Diagram 40)

Diagram 39 (W) Diagram 40 (B)

Black is comfortably placed White fights for the initiative
.

White gives up a pawn so that he keeps the Inl

. 'ti'ative. In contras t, after 19 bxc4
. threats against g2.
Diagram 41 (W) Diagram 42 (W)
RgS Black's queen and rook start generating . White from castling
Preventing The best square for the kIng's knight
19 ...c3 20 Rad1
.
Intending a good old-fashlOned mate on d8 after 20...c2.? WI'th 21 QdS+ RxdS 22 .
If White is going to gaIn any advantage here' he needs to harass the queen by ad-
RxdS. . .d .
vanClng his queensl e pawns, perhaps combined WIth the move Nb5 to threaten a
20 ... Be7 21 Qg7 Bf8 fork on c7.
Here 21...c2?. IS
' still a blunder because of 22 Ne5! when :�
k loses 0 couple of 10 b411
queens after 22... dlQ 23 Qxf7+ KdS 24 Nxc6+ bxc 6 25 1 +, while 22...Nxe5 23 . a blitz game Volkov achieved an 'mpeccable
This is to the point. "' devel-
Qxh8+ Bf8 24 Rd4! ex or 24 Qxe5!? gives White good W>'nning chances. ::�:
I

. . Which White has no rea opment of his pI�ces a Ne2 Ne7 11 � N o leling a popular kn''ght
Therefore VOlkov Hers a repetition son to refuse in view manoeuvre In . this set-up) 12 Nf4 Nd713 Nd3 c;� i� ;� Be7 15 Ret in
:;"
f the strength of e black pawn on c3. p.svidler-S.Volkov, Internet (blitz) 2004.
�

:2 Qd4 Be7 23 Qg7 Bf8 Yz-Yz 10... Nd7

Black wisely develops a d avoids 10...Bxb4?. 11 axb4 Qxa1 12 Nb5, which would
3 . White plays 6 a 3
,
give White a very dang :ous attack.
. g the text, Black seems to be OK after 11 b5 Qa5 12 Bd2 QdS when
Followm
.
- 1 \;
White's queensi e d ance has nussed its mark. Instead 11 Bd2!? is more chal-
lenging, when a ter Ne712 04 (with ide f 13 Nb5) l2...Qb6 13 0-0 a6 14 a5
1 04 06 2 d4 d 5 3 e5 c5 4 c 3 Ob6 5 Nf3 Bd7 6 a 3
White knows that his opponent 'ntends to offer an exchange on b5, and so leaves Qd8 15 b5 White
�
. had the initiative in A.Moly ev -A Anastasian, Dubai 20 �
0

�
his bishop on f1. Instead he rnak s a useful little move, pIanm'ng to gain space 1
though Black defended successfully for a draw. I �ould be tempted after Bd2
with b2-b4.

38 39
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n ce V a r i a t i o n

by11...Qd3!? when the queen keeps on hindering White from castling. After 12 Another little move o f great merit. I t takes away the g5-square from the white
Qe2 (or 12 Qa4 a6) 12 ... Qxe2+ 13 Kxe2 a6 (to stop 14 Nb5), followed by 14 ...Ne7 knight and queen and gives the black pawns the power to expand with ... g5,
and15 ...Nc6, I don't see any quick blow by White on the queenside to take advan­ whether for attacking or defensive purposes.
tage of his lead in development. 13 h4 Nd7
Frustrated by not getting to go to c6, the knight has to make do with a 'quite rea­
sonable' central square. Still, for the overall harmony of Black's position it's best to
4. White plays 6 Be2 have his cavalry on c6 and d7, rather than a knight and bishop both fighting over
the e7-square.

Game 8 14 Rd1 Qa6

D A.Grischuk . R.Vaganian One of the benefits of the exchange of light-squared bishops is that the black
queen can take command of a strong diagonal.
World Tea m Cham pionship, Yereva n 2001
15 a3 a4!
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 eS cS 4 c3 Qb6 5 Nf3 Bd7 6 Be2 Again Vaganian is quick to stamp on the idea of b2-b4. He also clears the way for
his knight to go on a journey to b3.

o
NOTE: Here Black can carry out unobstructed his plan to exchange 16 NC3 Nas 17 Qf4 Nb3 18 Nd2 (Diagram 44) 18 NxC11 .•.

bishops, but he still needs to be vigilant as White's space advantage

allows him to probe for a breakthrough on either flank.
We will now see how French Defence maestro Vaganian handled this position
against a very strong opponent:
6,..cxd4 7 cxd4 BbS 8 NC3
After S 0-0 Bxe2 9 Qxe2 Qa6! 10 Qxa6 Nxa6 the exchange of queens is annoying for
White as he can no longer target the black king.
8,..Bxe2 9 Nxe2 Ne7 10 0-0 Nec6! (Diagram 42)
Shades of Shabalov-Seirawan, above in the 3 ... b6 section. The knight crosses the
board to 'steal' the excellent post on c6 from its brother-in-arms on bS.
11 Rb1 asl
Beginners are often scolded for making aimless moves with their a- and h-pawns,
but Vaganian's move is of great merit, as it prevents White from gaining space
with b2-b4. If instead he had played the routine11...Nd7, then12 b4 would have Diagram 43 (W) Diagram 44 (B)
followed when12 ... Bxb4? would, of course, lose a piece to 13 a3.
Fine prophylactic play from Vaganian Which piece to exchange?

TIP: When the position is closed, rapid development isn't the prior­
ity. It's much more important to put your pieces on their optimum The worst bishop is better than the best knight! - compare the comment to15 Ba3 on
squares, even if it takes a couple of tempi, as for instance with page 33. The black knight makes five moves to eliminate a bishop that hasn't
10,..Nec6, and prevent the opponent playing good moves like 12 b4. moved once, but Vaganian has realized the white cleric would otherwise pressure
his kingside, obstructing the counterplay he achieves in the game.
12 Qd2
Denied any joy on the queenside, Grischuk intends to transfer his queen to the
19 Rbxc1 Be7 20 Qg4 gSI
kingside and begin an attack there. Black can't castle because of 20 ... 0-0 21 Nxd5! exd5 22 Qxd7. Instead the Armenian
Grandmaster intends to wrench the initiative on the kingside from his opponent.
12,..h61 (Diagram 43)

40 41
How to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva nce Va r i a t i o n

21 Nf3 Nb6 22 Rbi Rc8 23 Qh5 Kd7! tions which frequently arise not only after 3 e5, but also i n certain variations o f the
Classical and Tarrasch with 3 ...Be7.
As so often the black king belongs in the centre in the French Advance. Vaganian
finds a way for his queen to connect with events on the kingside. Above all, it is essential that you grasp the nature of the kingside versus queen­
side struggle that often takes place in the French Defence.
24 Qxf7 Rd8 25 Qh5 Rf5 26 hxg5 Qa8! (Diagram 45)
When the centre is blocked, with white pawns on d4 and e5 and black pawns on
d5 and e6, Black has to make an important strategic choice: either he maintains
pressure on the d4-point with ... c5, or he advances the pawn one square further to
c4 as part of a queenside attacking scheme. In the latter case White usually has
more freedom of action to carry out his own strategic advance f4-f5, because he
doesn't have to expend energy on guarding d4.

Game 9
D H.Jonkman • G.Hertneck
Saint Vincent 2000

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Bd7 6 Be2 Nge7 7 0-0 Ng6 8 Bd3 Be7 9 Be3
Qb6 10 Qd2 (Diagram 46)
Here Black made a decision that it is vital to get right because the laws of chess
Diagram 45 (W) Diagram 46 (B) don't allow it to be reversed: he moved a pawn forwards.

Black holds his own on the kingside Can Black advance his c-pawn? 10...c4
If now 1 1 Bc2? Qxb2. Thus the pawn thrust has the virtue of chasing the white
A pretty move. The queen breaks the pin on h6 by defending h8 after which White bishop from its best diagonal where it aims at the key squares f5 (the break­
has to take care his king isn't mated. through square for a future f4-f5 advance) and h7 (the weakest square in the black
27 b3! kingside).

In the opening stage the queenside was Black's 'territory' and the kingside be­ 11 Be2 0-0 12 g3
longed to White, but now the battle is over the whole board. White plans to put his knight on g2 after he has retreated it to e1 to get out of the

27 ... hxg5 28 Qg4 Qf8 29 bxa4 Rf4 30 Qg3 Bd8! way of the f4-f5 advance.

Black defends his knight and so is ready to push back the knight on f3 with 31.. .g4, 12 ...Qd8!
when things would get very dangerous for the white king. Thus Grischuk forces a When it comes to chess strategy, a queen sometimes has to demur to the wishes of
draw with 'perpetual check' on the black rook. her lowliest subjects. Here she is obliged to return home to clear the way for her

31 Ne2 Re4 32 NC3 Rf4 33 Ne2 Re4 34 NC3 Rf4 Vz-Vz pawns.

13 Nel

o
NOTE: As we have seen, players such as Volkov and Vaganian play
Given time White will build up with a sequence such as f4, Ng2, Qc2, Nd2, g4 and
the French in a highly dynamic manner - no boring defence for
f5, when he would have a crushing attack. Therefore Hertneck takes precautions:
them!
13 ... f5! (Diagram 47)
Black's queenside pawn push TIP: The ...f7-f5 blocking move is often vital in this type of pawn
strudure.
Finally, I wish to show you a game which isn't part of our Advance repertoire, but
is very instructive nevertheless. It will help you to understand the blocked posi- Here it comes under favourable circumstances, as the response 14 exf6 isn't very

42 43
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n ce V a r i a t i o n

effective: after 14 ... Bxf6 White isn't well positioned to take advantage of the open­
ing of lines - the important e5-square is well guarded by the black pieces and he Flexible play b y Black: the rook no longer has a function o n the b-file and s o re­
can't attack the e6-pawn. Meanwhile Black could regroup his pieces with moves turns to a8. The threat is 18 ... axb4 19 cxb4 Bxb4, winning a pawn.
like ... Ne7, ... Nf5, ... Be8 and ... Bg6. 18 Ra2 axb4 19 cxb4?
Normally White would be pleased to have the chance to open lines on the king­ It's easy to sympathize with White's desire to keep the a-file closed, and there is
side, especially as Black has taken the heat off his centre with ... c4. However, here also some merit in clearing the c3-square for the knight. But here the ancient rule
he is playing minus the services of his knight on bl, and his other pieces aren't that you should recapture towards the centre holds good. After 19 axb4! the white
that well placed either. Hence we see that Hertneck's decision to play 1O ... c4 was pawns remain in tight formation, with the base of their chain at c3 difficult to at­
based on an assessment of the finer points of the specific position in front of him. tack; whereas now the base is on a3, a very vulnerable square that can be pulver­
In a slightly different scenario the German Grandmaster might have kept the ized by the black pieces.
pawn on c5 and focused his operations against d4 and along the c-file after the Therefore it was by far the lesser evil to submit to the loss of control of the open
exchange . . . cxd4; cxd4. file after 19 axb4 Rxa2 20 Qxa2 Qa8 21 Qb2.
14 f4 19 ...Qb6
Jonkman fixes the pawns on the kingside, evidently with a view to building up The queen returns to b6 en route to a7 as part of the tripling of the heavy pieces
with h2-h3 and g3-g4, but he never gets around to that as events on the queenside against the unfortunate a3-pawn.
distract him. 20 Rc2 Ra6 21 Rb2 Qa7 22 Qc3
14 ... b5 15 Ng2 Rb8 White can't add to the defence of a3 as if 22 Ra2, then 22 ... Bxb4.
Black continues his steady build up - there is no need to rush with ...b4. 22 ... Ra8 23 h3
16 b4 White's kingside counterplay only begins a s the dam i s about t o burst o n the

White decides to block the pawn advance in the same way as 13 .. .f5 frustrated him queenside.
on the kingside. However, it is much easier for Black to find a new avenue of at­ 23 ... Rxa3!
tack - it is right next door on the a-file. After this exchange sacrifice White won't be able to hang on to both the b4- and
16 ...a5! 17 a3 Ra8! (Diagram 48) d4-pawns, which means that Black will gain connected passed pawns.
24 Nxa3 Qxa3 25 Bd2 Bd8! (Diagram 49)

Diagram 47 (W) Diagram 48 (W)

Diagram 49 (W) Diagram 50 (W)
Black closes the kingside Black has queenside pressure
A promising exchange sacrifice 4 c3 isn't forced

44 45
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Adva n ce V a r i a t i o n

The bishop has sat quietly on e7 since move 8, but now its entrance into the battle
decides the game. Once it reaches b6, the white defences will be over-stretched.

26 Rdl Bb6 27 Bel Qxc3 28 Bxc3 Ra3 29 Rc2 Rb3

At last Black has the b4-pawn in his clutches. After its loss White can do nothing
effective to stop himself being crushed by Black's queenside juggernaut.

30 Bal Nxb4 31 Rb2 Ra3!

A little trick to keep the rooks on the board. I f now 3 2 Rxb4 Rxa1 3 3 Rxa1 Bxd4+ 34
Kfl Bxa1, etc. The rest is pretty straightforward, with White making a forlorn sac­
rifice that does nothing to ward off his slow demise:

32 Kh2 Na6 33 Rc2 Ne7 34 Bb2 Rb3 35 Bal b4 36 g4 Ra3 37 Bxc4 dxc4 38 RXc4 Bb5
39 Rccl Nc7 40 d5 Ncxd5 41 Bd4 Bxd4 42 Rxd4 Bd3 0-1

Diagram 51 (W) Diagram 52 (W)

White's 4th-move Alternatives Clever play by Black White's centre is undermined

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 (Diagram 50)
White doesn't have to defend d4 with 4 c3 here. Instead we will see a completely
different strategy in action in our next illustrative game, beginning with 4 dxc5.
Game 10
D I.Berezovsky • I.Glek
Another idea is 4 Nf3 cxd4 5 Bd3 Nc6 6 0-0. White intends to pick up the d4-pawn
at his leisure, having developed his pieces to good squares and consolidated his Germa n League 2004
defence of the e5-pawn. However, 6 . . .f6! foils this plan, as the e5-pawn vanishes
and it is the black pieces that come alive: for example, 7 Bf4 fxe5 8 Nxe5 Nf6 9 Nd2 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 dXc5
Bd6 10 Qe2 0-0 11 Ndf3 Qc7 and Black was at least equal in J.Aagaard­ White gives up his pawn centre, hoping to gain attacking chances against g7 after
N.McDonald, Budapest 1996. 4 ... Bxc5 5 Qg4.
Finally, 4 Qg4 is sometimes tried as 4 . . . cxd4 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 Bd3 is similar to the 4 Nf3 4...Nc6
plan, except that the white queen is on g4.
A very sensible move. If now 5 Nf3 Black can regain the pawn with 5 ... Bxc5, when
he has more freedom of action than normal due to the missing white pawn on d4:
TIP: I prefer a more precise response by Black: 4... Nc6 5 Nf3 Qa5+!
for example, 6 Bd3 (White's best move) 6 .. .f6! (Diagram 52) completes the demoli­
(Diagram 51). The check disrupts White's build up, as 6 Bd2 Qb6 at­
tion job on the white pawn centre, and after 7 Qe2 fxe5 8 Nxe5 Nf6 Black enjoys
tacks b2 and so gains time, while after 6 Nbd2 the bishop on cl is
the freer game. Note that Black has a superior version of the variation 1 e4 e6 2
shut out of the game.
Nf3 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 d4 c5 6 dxc5 Nc6 7 Bf4 Bxc5 8 Bd3 f6, which will be
Instead the natural reply to 5 ... Qa5+ is 6 c3, but then Black can take on d4 and c3, covered in Chapter Eight, because he hasn't spent time on ...Nf6 and ... Nfd7.
meaning that he is a sound pawn up: 6 ... cxd4 7 Bd3 dxc3 and if now 8 Nxc3, Black Berezovsky's choice in the game also isn't very inspiring.
can force the exchange of queens with 8 ... Qb4! in view of the threat of 9 . . . d4 pin-
5 Bb5?! Bxc5 6 Qg4
ning the knight. Instead after 8 bxc3 d4 9 0-0 dxc3 White proved unable to justify
White persists in the plan of attacking g7.
his pawn sacrifices in F .Jimenez Villena-A.Shabalov, Linares 2000.
6... Nge7!?
Also possible was 6 ... Kf8 with the idea of 7 ... Qb6, hitting both b5 and f2.

7 Bxc6+

46 47
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Adva n c e Va r i a t i o n

White loses the knight after 7 Qxg7 Rg8 8 Qxh7 Qa5+ 9 Nc3 d4. A dream centre for Black i n the French!

7 ... bxc6 8 b4 22 a4
I suppose the idea of this move is that Black will be denied the chance to attack f2 Instead 22 Qd2 d4 is overwhelming, while Black's reply to 22 Nd2 is the same as
with . . . Qb6 if he retreats the bishop back to b6. However, White shouldn't be in­ in the game.
dulging in such antics when he is already behind in development. 22 ...Rxg3!
8 ... h5! (Diagram 53) So that 23 fxg3 Bd4+ wins the queen with a discovered attack.

23 Qd2 0-1
White will be mated after 23 ... Rxg2+ 24 Kxg2 Qg4+ 25 Kfl Rh8.

Diagram 53 (W) Diagram 54 (W)

Black seizes the initiative Just look at that centre!

Forcing White's hand.

9 Qxg7 Rg8 10 Qh7 Bd4!
Going after the e5-pawn in order to destroy the white centre and so clear the way
for the advance of his own pawns.

11 c3 Bxe5 12 Qxh5 Bf6

Black is a pawn down, but he has the bishop-pair, a big lead in development and a
dominant centre.

13 Nh3 Nf5 14 0-0 e5?

Crushing would be 14 ... Nh4! 15 Nf4 (or 15 g3 e5!) 15 ... e5 16 ReI Rg5! 17 Qe2 (if 17
Qh6, then 17 ... Nf3+) 17 ... Qe7 18 Nd3 Rxg2+ and wins.

15 Re1 Be6 16 Nf4!

White uses the trick 16 ... exf4? 17 Rxe6+ to get rid of his badly placed knight.

16 ...Qd6 17 Nxe6 Qxe6 18 Bf4 0-0-0 19 Bg3?

The way to fight on was 19 Nd2 ! .

19...Nxg3 20 hxg3 Rg4 21 Qh6 e4 (Diagram 54)

49
48
 The E x c h a nge V a r i a t i o n

Introduction
The standard move order i n the Exchange Variation i s 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 exds exdS
(Diagram 1).

Chapter Two

The Exchan ge Va riatio n

_ Introduction Diagram 1 (W)

The Exchange Variation
Diagram 2 (8)
A fine square for White's knight

_ White Plays 4 Nf3

This gives us a symmetrical and fixed pawn structure in the centre, and both sides

_ White Plays 4 Bd 3 have their plusses.

_ Other 4th Moves The good news for Black

Black has no spatial disadvantage, no weaknesses i n his pawn structure, and can
readily develop his light-squared bishop from c8, a piece which gives him head­
aches in many other systems. Furthermore, White's strategic options are limited, as
he has renounced the chance to set up a cramping pawn chain with e4-eS, either
immediately with 3 eS or at a later date as in various Tarrasch and McCutcheon
lines. Nor can he easily attack the f7-square, as Bc4 is ruled out by the barrier on dS.

You might be thinking: 'This French Exchange is no big deal. I just need to de­
velop my pieces to normal squares, such as with ... Nf6 and ...Be7, and then castle,
and I'll be OK. Let's look at some lines in the McCutcheon, please!'

The bad news for Black

But consider: Garry Kasparov has often used the French Exchange Variation as

51
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Exc h a nge Va r i a t i o n

White in simuls and occasionally in proper tournament games, and back in the Black i s often unable o r unwilling to play .. .f6. This might b e because he has al­
1850s it was a devastating weapon in the hands of the chess genius Paul Morphy. ready developed his knight to f6, or he may want to reserve the f6-square for the
So there must be something going for it! knight, and so is reluctant to block it with a pawn. Furthermore, playing ... f6
weakens the e6-square and the black kingside.
That something is the right to move first in a symmetrical position. Admittedly it is
a slender advantage; but we need to understand it and work out how best it can Therefore the e5-square in the Exchange Variation functions very much like an
be neutralized. And due to the symmetrical nature of the position, once we know outpost square. This consideration is the basis of what I have dubbed the 'Morphy
White's most promising plan, if he is careless or plays too passively, we can use Plan' in honour of Paul Morphy, the American chess phenomenon who took
his ideas in mirror image against him. Europe by storm in the late 1850s. The strategy is simple: White puts a knight on
e5 and if possible supports it with f2-f4. If Black responds with ... Nxe5 or ... Bxe5,
For the above reasons in this chapter we'll begin by looking at a couple of con­
to eliminate the powerful knight, then £XeS strengthens the white centre and clears
vincing wins for White, but don't become demoralized, as these games are the key
the way for an attack down the f-file.
to devising an effective and even crushing response for Black. (And who knows,
you might fancy trying to play like Morphy as White once in a while!) Here's a simple example of Morphy's plan in action.

Game 11
White's possible plans o P .Morphy • S.Smyth
London blindfold simul 1859
S o how does a strong player g o about trying t o make White's extra move into
something more permanent? 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 exds exds 4 Nf3 Be6?
Well, the d-file is blocked, but next door is the open e-file. Players with a spare Not the best development for the bishop. It should either stay at home and await
tempo in their pocket love open lines, as they tend to make the value of time more events, or else go to g4, pinning the white knight.
pronounced. So a plan for White might be: develop all the minor pieces rapidly,
S Bd3 Nf6 6 0-0 h6
get the queen out of the way, and then double rooks along the e-file.
Due to his inferior fourth move, Black is afraid of an attack on e6 with Ng5, when
The problem is that in the meantime Black might develop all his pieces, and then
he would have to move the bishop again or else be left with a weak pawn after the
offer to exchange both pairs of rooks along the open file. Thus a future Rael
exchange Nxe6 and recapture .. .fxe6. However, now Black is a second tempo
would be answered by ... Rae8, followed by a lot of swapping and perhaps a draw
down in the struggle for the centre. This allows White to build up real pressure.
offer (a gloating or a bitter one according to the relative ratings of the two play­

*
ers). Even more damning for the plan of doubling rooks along the e-file is the fact WARNING: You can blame the Fates for giving you the black pieces,
...
that it might not achieve much, even if the black rooks fail to show up. So White
but any further loss of tempi is your own responsibility.
needs another plan, and a chess genius of the 19th Century will show it to us.
7 Nes (Diagram 2)
Here it is, the aforementioned Morphy Plan.
The Morphy plan 7 ...Bd6
Smyth is too late in beginning the struggle for the e5-square.
NOTE: In my book The Giants of Chess Strategy, I defined an outpost s f4
as 'a square of strategic importance, usually located on an open or The vital supporting pillar is now set in place.

B •••
semi-open file. This square hosts a piece which is supported by a
Nc6 9 c3 Qe7?
pawn and cannot be dislodged by an enemy pawn.'
Putting the queen on the open file only creates more problems for Black.
Now consider the e5-square in the French Exchange. This is a key square, a focus
10 Rel
of attention on a central open file. It isn't a true outpost square as a white knight
that lands on e5 can be driven away by ... f6, but it turns out that in a real game A natural developing move with a big threat: 11 Nxc6 bxc6 12 f5, winning a piece.

52 53
 T h e E x c h a nge V a r i a t i o n
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

. . .Bg4, or the immediate S ... Bg4, or perhaps even the radical S. . . cS.
10 Bxes
.••

More or less forced to close the file, but it is an ugly move that hands over the
,
WARNING: Don't fall asleep in the opening or you might wake up to
bishop-pair and gives White a pawn clamp on the centre. find your king is mated!
11 fxes Nd7 12 b41 (Diagram 3) :><:
6 0-0 Bd6 7 NC3 c6
If Black had simply castled, he could have replied to White's next move with
7... cS, counterattacking against d4.
8 Nesl (Diagram 4)
Here we go again.

8 Qb6 9 Be3
•••

In order to continue his attacking build-up, White is obliged to offer the b2-pawn
as a gambit.
9 Nbd7
.••

After 9 ... Qxb2 10 Qel Bb4 11 Bd2 White has pressure for the pawn. A possible
variation is then 1 1 . . .0-0 12 RbI Qa3 13 NxdS! Bxd2? (instead IS ... NxdS! should be
preferred, although 16 Rxb4! ? favours White) 14 Nxf6+ gxf6 15 Qxd2 fxe5 16 Qg5+
Kh8 1 7 Qxe5+ Kg8 18 QgS+ Kh8 19 Qf6+ Kg8 20 Qh6 and the threat of mate on h7
wins the game, in view of 20 .. .£5 21 Qxe6+.
Diagram 3 (B) Diagram 4 (B)
10 f4 Bxes 11 fxes Ng4
Black's king position is problematic Morphy's favourite plan
The pawn grab 1 1 . . .NxeS, so that if 12 dxeS? Qxe3+, is a type of trick you are likely
to encounter in the French. Here, however, it loses material to the sneaky response
If Black castles queenside he will run into a pawn storm, but something even 12 Na4! QaS 13 dxeS Ng4 (or 13 . . . Qxa4 14 exf6 and White is a piece up) 14 Qel!
worse happens after he goes kingside: Qxa4 IS Rf4! and Black's queen is trapped!
...
12 0-0? 13 bS Nas 14 Ba3 12 Qd2 Nxe3
Even in a blindfold simul Morphy doesn't miss tactics. Or 12 ... Ndxe5 13 Na4 Qc7 14 Bf4! with some advantage.

14 QgS 15 Bxf8 Rxf8 16 Nd2

••• 13 Qxe3 Qxb2 14 Ne2 Qa3 15 Nf4 (Diagram 5)
And White, the exchange up for nothing, won easily. Threatening 16 Nxe6 fxe6 1 7 Bg6+, discovering an attack on the black queen.

ls Qe7 16 Rabl 0-0-0

•••

It wasn't only in simuls and casual games that Morphy got to carry out his plan of After 16 ... b6 17 NhS the attack on g7 is hard to meet as Black perishes at once
NeS. In the following encounter he outplays one of the strongest players of his era. upon 17 ... 0-0 18 Nf6+! gxf6 19 Qg3+ Kh8 20 Qh4! when it's either mate on h7 or
goodbye to the black queen after 20 .. '£S 21 Qxe7. However, now Morphy builds up
Garne 12 an attack in the rapid and economical fashion for which he was renowned.

o P.Morphy . J.Lowenthal 17 Be21

12th matchgame, London 1858 Clearing the way for the white queen to enter the attack on the queenside.

17 N b6 18 Qb3 Rd7 19 Nd31

•••

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 exds exdS 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Bd3 Be6

Now the white knight heads for the cS-square.
Again we must object to the misplacing of the bishop. Black has many superior
19 Nc4
•••

alternatives: for example, 5 ... Bd6 or S . . .Be7, which keep open the option of a later

54 55
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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

alert s o that we don't fall into the trap o f making routine 'hazy' developing
The knight should have stayed blocking the attack on b6, though it would have
been ousted in any case by an eventual a4-a5. moves.
So let's leave the bishop on c8 and begin the fight for the e5-square in a different
20 NC5 Rc7 21 Qa4 (Diagram 6) 21 ... b6
way. This can be done after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 exd5 4 Nf3 with 4...Nc6! (Dia­
gram 7).

Diagram 5 (B) Diagram 6 (B)

Black's queen is attacked! The end is nigh
Diagram 7 (W) Diagram 8 (W)
Black contests the key e5-square Sharpening the struggle
A breach is forced in Black's defensive wall, as if 21...Kb8 there is 22 Na6+.

22 BXc4 bXc5 23 Ba6+ Kd7 24 Bb7 Rd8 25 Bxc6+1 1-0 If Black is left to his own devices, he will continue impeccably with ...Bd6, ...Nge7
Black loses his queen after 25 ... Rxc6 26 Rb7+. and ... 0-0. He isn't falling behind in development and is keeping a watchful eye on
the e5-square. Playing ...Nge7 means that Bd3 by White can be countered with
...Bf5, when Black achieves the positionally favourable exchange of White's light­
squared bishop. Another advantage of ...Nge7 over ...Nf6 is that .. .£6 might prove
White Plays 4 Nf3 useful to guard the e5-square.
5 Bb5!
A dynamic counter to the Morphy Plan The natural and best response. White plays homage to the Ruy Lopez (1 e4 e5 2
Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5). In contrast with the 'Spanish Torture' there is no black pawn on
We have seen what befalls Black if he plays carelessly versus the 'harmless' e5 under attack; on the other hand, there is a very real pin on c6, which lessens
French Exchange. The mere misplacing of a piece can be fatal for his chances of Black's influence over e5.
achieving a decent game, because he will then be too slow in countering White's 5 ... Bd6
central initiative. The imprecise 4...Be6 and 5 ... Be6 respectively in the games above
Bolstering the e5-square. Now Black is all set for 6 ...Nge7, when White can no
gave Morphy just the chance he needed.
longer smash up the black queenside pawns with Bxc6+ as the recapture ...Nxc6
Black has many respectable ways of meeting the Exchange Variation, but as you would be possible.
are starting out with the French we'll just choose one for the time being. Not bad,
6 c4!
for example, after 3 exd5 exd5 4 Nf3 is 4 ... Bg4, but that means you'll have to learn
a different line against 4 Bd3. We also want a concrete, dynamic line that keeps us White must strive to exploit his queenside pressure at once, as otherwise Black

57
56
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The E x c h a n g e V a r i a t i o n

will play 6 ... Nge7, 7... 0-0 and 8 ...Bg4 or 8 ...BfS, as explained above, with a very of the pawn on c6, the bishop can take pot-shots at the white king.
easy position. Secondly, Black is the first to activate a rook. And what a rook! It is perfectly
6 ... dxC4! (Diagram 8) placed on the b-file. Just consider:
i. If White develops his bishop from el, then ...Rxb2 winning a pawn is possible
ii. The rook can go to b6 and help capture the c6-pawn with ... Nxc6 .
WARNING: We said that Black plays ... Nc6, ... Bd6, ... Nge7 and finally
...0-0, but no advice should be followed blindly. Highly embarrassing
would be 6... Nge7?? 7 c5 a nd the bishop is lost. iii. The rook can go to b5, where it cuts off the white queen' s defence of c6 so al­
lowing ... Nxc6, and from there swing across its fourth rank to join in the central
A forcing sequence now begins, with Black obliged to dislocate his queenside battle or start an attack on the kingside.
pawns to prevent the loss of a piece to the pin on c6.
iv. The rook can go to b4, attacking the white queen, either to defend c4 or, if Qxc4
7 d5 a6 8 Ba4 has occurred, to harass the white queen and activate the rook.
Black is fine after 8 Bxc4 Qe7+ 9 Be3 NeS. Meanwhile 8 Qa4 allows the exchange 12 a3
sacrifice 8 ... axb5! 9 Qxa8 Nb4, when White is in trouble due to the double threat of
White stops 12... Rb4 and prepares to feast on c4 with Nd2 and Nxc4. If immedi­
1O .. .Nc2+, winning a rook, and 10 ...Nd3+, displacing the white king.
ately 12 Qxc4 then 12 ...0-0 13 Nc3 Rb4 (Diagram 10) 14 Qe2 Nxc6 saw Black regain
8 ... b5 9 dxc6 bxa4 10 0-0 the pawn with an active game in E.Djingarova-V.Bhat, Andorra la Vella 2006.
White should be patient as the a4-pawn can't run away. The immediate 10 Qxa4 There followed 15 Bg5 and here Black missed the sharp riposte 15 ... Nd4! when 16
allows the disruptive 10 ... Bg4!, planning to vandalize the future home of the white Nxd4 QxgS gives him the initiative, while 16 Bxd8 Nxe2+ 17 Nxe2 Rxb2! 18 Bxc7
king with ... Bxf3. There might follow 1 1 Nbd2 Qe7+ 12 Kf1 Nf6 13 Nxc4 0-0 with (selling one of the two hanging pieces to regain a pawn) 18 ... Bxc7 is an unpleasant
excellent attacking chances for Black in A.Ozgibcev-S.Volkov, Sochi 2004. endgame for White.
10... Ne7
In contrast to the note above, 10 ... Bg4? fails after 11 ReI + when Black can't de­
velop naturally with 11...Ne7? because of the powerful response 12 Qd4!, as after
12 ...Bxf3 13 Qxg7 Rf8 14 gxf3 there is no good way to stop 15 Bh6 with a winning
attack for White.
11 Qxa4
White's intention is clear: pick up the c4-pawn in a 'clean' way and at the same
time instigate a powerful centralization of his pieces with moves like Nc3 (or Nd2
and Nxc4 if convenient), Bg5, Rad1 and Rfe1 . Black's pieces on the d- and e-files
would soon come under intolerable pressure.
11 ... Rb8!! (Diagram 9)
Still, Black has a couple of trumps which give him dynamic counterplay. Firstly,
he has the bishop-pair.

NOTE: There are a lot of tall stories told about the supposed power Diagram 9 (W) Diagram 10 (W)
of the two bishops or the bishop-pair, but they are unquestionably A promising gambit The extra pawn cannot be kept
an advantage in this type of position with its loose pawns and open
lines in the centre. After the alternative 12 Nbd2, aiming to pick up the c4-pawn with Nxc4, the white
Moreover, for once in the French Defence Black can be proud of his light-squared queen gets pushed around by the black pieces and finally ends up in an awkward
bishop! It is potentially the best minor piece on the board, with enticing squares pin: 12 ... Rb4 13 Qc2 BfS 14 Qc3 0-0 15 Nxc4 NdS 16 Qd4 Nb6 17 b3 Nxc4 18 bxc4
on e6, f5, or g4 - and let's not forget the b7-square from which, after the removal Be6 19 Bb2 f6 20 Rfel Ra4 21 a3 Qe8 22 Qe4 (to defend c6 but. ..) 22 ... Bxc4! 23 Qc2

S8 S9
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e E x c h a nge V a r i a t i o n

(23 Rxc4 Qxe4 drops the exchange for White) 23... Bb5 and Black had regained the against f3 and g2 begin t o emerge.
pawn whilst keeping the bishop-pair and a target on c6 in S.Vajda-J.Glud, Obro lS Qd71
•••

2006. Instead Black is left the exchange down after 15 ...Rxg5 16 Nxg5 Qxg5 17 Qxc6,
while Slavina was probably hoping for 15 .. .£6, when the bishop can retreat to e3,
TIP: You don't need to memorize these lines - it is enough that you
having provoked a weakness in the black position. Rajlich's move is much
realize the nature of Black's counterplay and try to play in the same
stronger as the black queen becomes a powerful force on the kingside.
spirit.
16 Rad1 Qg41 (Diagram 12)
12 0-0 13 Nbd2 RbS (Diagram 11)
•••
Pinning the knight on c4 and preparing a brilliant sacrifice by attacking the other
knight on f3.
17 h3
A natural reply to relieve the pressure, but White gets a rude shock.
17 Qxf311
•••

The kind o f move that you would rather have expected to see in one o f Morphy's
games in this chapter.
18 gxf3 RxgS+
The rook is enjoying its foray along the fourth rank.
19 Kh1 Bxh3 (Diagram 13)

Diagram 11 (W) Diagram 12 (W)

Swinging the rook into play Black begins to attack

The rook is activated according to the third option from the list at move 1 1 above.
Let's see how this worked out in a recent game between two very strong women
players.

Game 13
D I.Slavina • I.Rajlich
Budapest 2005
Diagram 13 (W) Diagram 14 (W)
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 exds exds 4 Nf3 Nc6 S BbS Bd6 6 c4 dXc4 7 dS a6 8 Ba4 bS 9 dxc6 A dangerous queen sacrifice There's no defence
bxa4 10 0-0 Ne7 11 Qxa4 Rb8 12 a3 0-0 13 Nbd2 RbS 14 Nxc4 Nxc6
So Black has painlessly restored material equality. Now comes a tricky attempt by Threatening 20 ... Bg2+ 21 Kgl Bxf3 mate.
White to activate her game, but it actually allows Black to seize the initiative.
20 Nxd6?
lS Bgs
White might still have defended with 20 Rxd6! when the game could have contin­
Counterproductive, but Black also has a pleasant position after 15 Nxd6 cxd6 16 ued 20 ... cxd6 21 Rdl Bg2+ 22 Kh2 Bxf3 23 Rxd6 Ne7 (the knight goes over to the
ReI Bb7 when ideas of an attack to exploit the light-squared bishop'S pressure

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H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e E xc h a nge V a r i a t i o n

kingside to join in the attack) 24 Ne3 Ng6 25 Rxa6 Bb7 26 Ra7 Ne5 27 Rxb7 Nf3+ 28 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 exds exds 4 Bd3 Nc61
Kh3 Ngl + 29 Kh2 Nf3+ with a draw by repetition as, of course, if 30 Khl?, there is The same move as against 4 Nf3, and with the excellent bonus that 5 Bb5 would
30 ... Rgl mate. look silly as it just loses a tempo for White.
Of course, there are few players who could have found such a precise sequence of 5 c3
moves for White with their king in jeopardy and the clock ticking ever faster. Be­ To defend d4 and prevent the bishop being molested with ... Nb4. If instead 5 Nf3
sides, very few players would have seen the killer blow that follows on move 21 then 5 ... Bg4, threatening 6... Nxd4, is very comfortable for Black, as also is 5 ...Nb4 6
after the game move. Be2 (White doesn't want to be deprived of his light squared bishop by 6 ... Nxd3)
20 Bg2+ 21 Kg1
.•• 6... Bf5, etc.
It seems that brutal materialism is going to triumph after 21.. .cxd6 22 Qf4 f6 (or S Bd6 (Diagram 15)
.••

22 ... Rg6 23 Rxd6) 23 Qxg5! fxg5 24 Kxg2 and that all Black's ingenuity has only led
to a lost endgame. But instead comes a shocker:
21 Nes!! (Diagram 14)
•••

It's curious that White has no way to save herself, despite having a queen for a
a bishop and pawn. In order to ward off the threat of 22... Nxf3 mate she has to
endure colossal material losses.
22 Rd3 Bh3+ 23 Kh1 Bxf1 24 f4
After 24 Rc3 Black has the choice between 24 ... cxd6 with a rook, two minor pieces
and a pawn for the queen, or 24 ... Bg2+ 25 Kh2 Nxf3+ 26 Rxf3 Bxf3 with two rooks
and two pawns for the queen. The game move leads to an even worse material
imbalance for White.
24 RhS+ 25 Kg1 Bxd3 26 Qd1 Bg6
.••

It's all over now. White deserves some credit for making what follows seem al­
most like a fight rather than a massacre. Diagram 15 (W) Diagram 16 (B)
27 fxes cxd6 28 exd6 RbS 29 b4 Rd8 30 Qe2 RdS 31 Qxa6 RSxd6 32 Qb7 h6 33 a4 Black controls e5 Black can castle either side
Rd1+ 34 Kh2 R8dS 35 as RhS+ 36 Kg3 Rgs+ 37 Kf3 Rd3+ 38 Ke2 Res+ 0-1
White loses the queen after 39 Kfl Rdl + 40 Kg2 Be4+.
Black develops and covers the e5-square before White can even dream of putting a
knight there. Here we'll look at a couple of games that show how Black can utilize
the e4-square and the e-file in general.

White Plays 4 Bd3

1. White tries for simplification
The Morphy Plan as Bl ack

The French Exchange might be described as the tale of two squares. In a mirror­ Game 14
image position, the squares e4 and e5 are of equal value; so if White is unduly o A.Semeniuk • S.Volkov
passive, Black might be able to carry out the Morphy plan himself on the e4- Ekaterinburg 2002
square. It is doubtful that his position would have enough energy to put a knight
permanently on e4 and then support it with .. .£5, but a fleeting raid on the e4- 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 exds exds 4 Bd3 Nc6 5 c3 Bd6 6 Qf3
square can be good enough to seize the initiative.

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e E x c h a nge Va r i a t i o n

White activates his queen on a square where she attacks dS and is on hand to sup­ one idea being ...Bg4 to harass the white queen.
port Bf4, exchanging off Black's 'good' light-squared bishop. However, there are

o
NOTE: I don't want you to be so inspired by this game that you rush
drawbacks to having the queen on f3, as Volkov will demonstrate.
out and give yourself doubled, isolated pawns at the first opportu­
Instead 6 Ne2 is considered in the next game, while Black has easy equality or nity. You will end up defending for a long time and then lose. In 95%
more after 6 Nf3 Nge7 7 0-0 Bg4 8 ReI Qd7 9 Nbd2 (Diagram 16) 9 ... 0-0 (the bold
of cases the 'normal' recapture of the ...Qxd6 kind is to be preferred,
9 ...0-0-0 is also possible) 10 h3 BfS, etc.
but I do hope seeing 9...cxd6 will make you look for creative posi­
6 ... Be6!? tional decisions of a similar kind - the 5% of decisions that can shock
It often happens that an author criticizes a move on one page and then applauds it your opponent and win you the game.
on the next. In Morphy's games with Smyth and Lowenthal, I raged against 4 ... Be6
10 Nd2 0-0-0 11 h3 Kb8
and S ...Be6 respectively. However, those were thoughtless centralizations of the
bishop that were well deserving of censure, whereas here Volkov has a definite Another moment that is interesting from a psychological standpoint. Castling on
purpose in putting the bishop on the e6-square. It defends dS and clears the way the other side of the board to his opponent isn't appealing to White - that's not
for ... Qd7 followed by queenside castling, as well as perhaps prodding the white why he played the French Exchange against the sharp tactician Volkov! Yet after
queen with ...Bg4. 12 O-O!? it wouldn't be easy for Black to get a pawn storm going against the black
king, as ...gS would of course leave the knight on f6 hanging. Meanwhile White
7 Ne2 Qd7 8 Bf4
could play positionally with moves like Rfel and Ng3 or Nf4, perhaps followed
White's efforts are essentially to exchange off pieces and gain a draw. This en­ by doubling rooks along the e-file. But Semeniuk prefers to 'keep it simple' and
courages Volkov to play in adventurous style. castle on the same side as his opponent.
8 ... Nf6 9 Bxd6 cxd6!! (Diagram 17) 12 O-O-O?! Ne4! (Diagram 18)
Volkov grasps his chance to play like Morphy.
13 g4
Semeniuk deters ...fS and aims to capture on e4 at his leisure. If instead 13 Nxe4
dxe4 14 Bxe4 Bxa2 and the squares around the white king are weakened (and
should White follow up with IS Bxc6 then after IS ...bxc6 Black can instigate an
attack down the b-file with a well timed ...Ka8 and ... Rb8).
13 ...fs!
Black completes the Morphy plan, even though it costs a pawn. I believe that the
great American player would also have made this dynamic sacrifice, as he was
always ready to give up material to speed up the mobilization of his pieces. Here
it is the black rooks which will benefit from the opening of lines.
14 gxfS Bxfs 15 Nxe4 dxe4 16 Bxe4 Rhf8 17 Rdfl?
If instead 17 Bxc6 bxc6 18 Qg3, evacuating the queen from a possible discovered
Diagram 17 (w) Diagram 18 (W) attack, there comes 18 ...Qe6!, hitting the knight and threatening to invade with
The doubled pawns are strong! Morphy would have approved! 19...Qxa2.
The best defence was perhaps 17 Rdel, guarding the knight, but Black can at the
very least play 17 ... Bxe4 18 Qxe4 Rxf2, regaining his pawn with a good game.
A radical decision. Black's d-pawns might be doubled and isolated, but they are
controlling the eS- and e4-squares. The move also contains enormous strength 17... Bxe4 18 Qxe4 Rde8 19 Qd3 Qe6! (Diagram 19)
from a psychological point of view. It is a rude shock to Semeniuk if he was ex­ As in the note above, the double attack on e2 and a2 leaves White's game totter­
pecting a quiet life after 9 ... Qxd6 10 Qg3 when Black is virtually compelled to ex­ ing.
change queens in view of the attack on g7. Instead the game stays vibrant, with

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20 Ng3 Qxa2 21 Ne4 Qd5 22 Rei Ne5 23 Qe2 Nf3 24 Re3 Qa2! chasing away the knight, there follows 3 8 Nxd5! Kxd5 3 9 e4+, regaining the piece
and escaping from his travails.
White has weaknesses on the f-file, a rook on hI undeveloped and a vulnerable
king. Volkov exploits these factors to force a winning endgame. 37 ... Nh4! 38 Rh1 g5 39 Ne2 Rf3 40 b3 Nf5 41 Ra1 Rxe3
25 Rd1 Also possible was the simple 41 ...a6 42 Ngl Rxe3, winning a pawn. If then 43 Rfl
N g3! 44 Kxe3 (a better chance is 44 Rf6+, but 44 .. Re6 will win) 44...N xfl + and the
.
Instead 25 Nxd6 Rxe3 26 fxe3 Nd2!! threatens 27... Qal+, when 27 Kxd2? Rf2+ wins
knight will escape via d2 or g3.
the white queen while 27 Qxd2 Qal + costs the undefended rook on hI .
42 Rxa7 Ke6 43 Ng1 Rg3 44 Ra1 Nd6! 45 Rei b5 (Diagram 21)
25 ... d5 26 Ne5 Rxe3 27 fxe3 Qa1+!
Despite being an attacking player, Volkov is happy to exchange queens to reach
an endgame where White has wretchedly weak pawns on e3 and h3.
28 Qb1 Qxb1+ 29 Kxb1
Some precise moves are still required from Black. The pawns on e3 is horribly
weak, but that would all change if White were allowed to play 30 e4.
29 ... Re8! 30 Nd3 Ke7! (Diagram 20)

Diagram 21 (W) Diagram 22 (W)

White is horribly passive Aggressive and strong play

With the white rook and knight tied down to the defence of c3 and h3 respec­
tively, Black has all the time in the world to prepare his final attack.
46 Ke2 h6 47 Kf1 Kd7 48 Re2 Ne4
Diagram 19 (W) Diagram 20 (W) At last Volkov decides to force matters by acquiring a passed pawn.
Regaining the pawn Black must activate his king 49 e4 b4 50 exd5 Rxb3
White's pawns on the d-file are opposed by the black king, whereas there is no
such barrier to the black pawn on b4.
Black centralizes his king to defend d5. If instead 30 ...Rxe3?? 31 Nf4 and Black has
been conned into swapping the weakling on e3 for the important pawn on d5, af­ 51 Re6 h5 52 Re6 Re3 53 Kg2 b3 54 Rb6 Rg3+ 55 Kf1 Ke7 56 Rb4 h4
ter which White acquires a passed pawn. The white rook can just about stave off the advance of the b-pawn, but the ap­
31 Nf4 Kd6 32 Ng2 Re6 33 Ke2 Rg6 34 Nf4 Rg3 pearance of a second passed pawn on the kingside will be fatal.

Black is making steady progress. His rook has reached a square where it can at­ 57 Ne2
tack e3 and h3 at the same time. Waiting is hopeless in view of 57 Rb5 g4 58 hxg4 h3 59 Nxh3 Rxh3 when the black
35 Rh1 Nh4 36 Kd2 Nf5 37 Rei pieces shepherd home the b-pawn.

Semeniuk has set a little trap: if 37 ... g5, which appears to win the h3-pawn by 57 ... Rxh3 58 Kg2 Rd3 59 Ne1 Rd2+ 60 Kf3 b2 61 Na2 h3 0-1

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

19 Nf3 f6
2. Black seizes the e-file after passive play from Wh ite
Effortlessly meeting the Morphy Ne5 idea
In our next game, Black has it all his own way. The 'Morphy knights' he lands on 20 Nh2 RdeS 21 Bd2 Re6 22 Ng4 RheS 23 Rdel RSe7 24 Kdl QeS 25 Qf3 Nas!
f5 and c4 are as strong as any horse that reaches e4 in this chapter.
Black's strategic build-up is complete and now it's time to attack! The knight
move clears the way for a queen check on a4.
Game 15
26 b3 Ne41 (Diagram 24) 27 Bel
o W.Winter • A.Alekhine
Notti ngham 1936

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 exds exdS 4 Bd3 Ne6 5 c3 Bd6 6 Ne2?! Qh4! (Diagram 22)

Alekhine doesn't need to be asked twice to seize the initiative. The queen deploy­
ment prevents White from castling kingside in view of mate on h2.
7 Nd2 Bg4!
Stopping the black queen being challenged by 8 Nf3 as 8 ...Bxf3 smashes up the
white pawns.
S QC2
Instead 8 Qb3? runs into 8 ...0-0-0 9 Qxd5 Nf6 10 Qxf7 Rhe8 when Black has a mas­
sive attack for his pawns.
S O-O-O 9 Nfl g6 10 Be3 Nge7 11 0-0-0 BfS
.•.

Alekhine not only succeeds in exchanging off the light-squared bishops, which Diagram 24 (W)
Diagram 23 (W)
counts as a positional gain for him, but already has his pieces on far more active
Black obtains a handy bind White's king comes under fire
squares.

White is mated after 27 bxc4 Qa4+ 28 Kc1 Ba3+ 29 Kbl Rb6+ 30 Kal Qc2 31 RbI
12 Nfg3 Bxd3 13 Qxd3 h6 14 f4?
A really poor move that allows Black to gain control of the light square complex Bb2+.
e4 and f5.
27 Nce3+ 2S Bxe3 Nxe3+ 29 Nxe3 Rxe3 30 Qf2 QbS
•••

14 Qg4
•••
The threat to invade on d3 compels White to part with the c3-pawn, after which it
He doesn't play 14 .. .£5 as he wants that square for his knight. becomes a massacre.
15 h3 31 Ncl Rxc3 32 Rxe7 Bxe7 33 Qel Kd7! 34 fS Re3 35 Qf2 gs 36 Rel Re4 37 Rxe4
Winter should have freed his game with 15 f5!. Black would then win a pawn, but dxe4 3S Kd2 Bd6 39 Kc2 Bf4 0-1
it would be a weakling on f5. A brilliant effort by Alekhine, but don't forget that it is rarely as easy as that for
lS Qd7 16 Rhfl hSI (Diagram 23)
••• Black in the Exchange Variation. It took a series of timid moves and the appalling
Now Alekhine is able to evict the white knight from g3 just in time before White positional blunder 14 f4? to give Black his chance. Most average club players these
can break out of the bind with 17 f5. days would have put up a better show as White in the opening. So to bring us
back down to Earth, I'll end by saying:
17 Ngl
Or 17 f5 M 18 f6 Ng8 19 Nhl Re8 and the f6-pawn falls, as Alekhine later indicated.

[j
NOTE: Black's two enemies in the Exchange Variation are compla­
17 ... h4 1S N3e2 NfS cency and its opposite, an over-anxiousness to create counter­
chances. Instead he needs to be vigilant and patient, but alert to
White has gained no counterplay and can only watch as Black builds up along the
e-file.
spot winning chances should they appear.

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H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

Other 4th Moves

In Chapter Five we'll examine the Exchange Variation when reached via the move
order 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 exdS exdS S BgS. That line is OK for Black.
Nonetheless, if White tries to enter it via the move order of this chapter with 1 e4 Chapter Three
e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 exd5 4 Ne3, we aren't obliged to allow him a pin with BgS. In­
stead we can play 4 e61 (Diagram 25),
•••

The Fort Knox

- Introduction
_ Positional Lines
Diagram 25 (W) Diagram 26 (W)
... Bd6 will follow Level but not drawn White Attacks with Negs
which defends dS as a prelude to our next move.
There might follow S Bd3 Bd6 6 Nge2 (or 6 Nf3 Bg4) 6.. . Qf6!, putting the queen on
an active square where she facilitates the desirable exchange of light-squared
bishops. After 7 Be3 BfS 8 BxfS QxfS 9 Qd2 Nd7 10 Bf4 Bxf4 11 Nxf4 Ngf6 12 f3 hS
13 0-0-0 0-0-0 (Diagram 26) Black had a very comfortable position in
L.Kernazhitsky-Y.Kruppa, Kiev 200S. In fact a draw was agreed here, but there is
enough imbalance to play on if Black is looking for a win.
Finally, we should note that 4 c4 is sometimes played if White is happy with an
isolated queen's pawn position. In response an energetic development of the
bishop to b4 ensures Black a good game after 4 ... Nf6: for example, S Nf3 (or S Nc3
Bb4 6 Bd3 0-0 7 Nf3 Bg4 8 Be3 dxc4 9 Bxc4 NdS!, as in a later game between the
same players, N.Miezis-B .Socko, Cork 200S) S ... Bb4+ 6 Bd2 Bxd2+ 7 Nbxd2 0-0 8
Be2 dxc4 9 Nxc4 Be6 and the IQP was a concern for White in N.Miezis-B.Socko,
Cork 200S.

70
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e F o rt K n o x

also appreciated its solidity, and when I was trying for GM norms often used it to
Introduction keep strong opponents at arm's length.

The only task i n the opening is to reach a playable middlegame.

Lajos Portisch The reason for playi ng the Fort Knox

I guess the purpose of this chapter can either be:

The opening moves of the Fort Knox are 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 (or 3 Nc3) 3 ... dxe4
4 Nxe4 Bd7 S Nf3 Bc6 (Diagram 1). i. to give you a universal reply to both 3 Nc3 or 3 Nd2 that you can use whilst you
are in the process of learning other, more complex, defences; or
ii. to give you a safe, non-theoretical, but rather unambitious opening that you can
use for a lifetime.

The opening moves

Let's look again at the starting sequence:

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3/Nd2
White prefers developing the knight rather than establishing a cramping pawn
centre with 3 e5.
3 ...dxe4
Black seizes the chance to prevent a future e4-e5. This guarantees that his knight
on gB will be able to go to f6, its best square. Though as we shall see, Black
Diagram 1 (W) Diagram 2 (W) shouldn't rush to play ... Nf6.
The Fort Knox Black prepares ... Ngf6 4 Nxe4
White has been deprived of his big centre, but on the other hand his knight has an
Black is motivated first and foremost by the desire to activate his light-squared excellent central square.
bishop. The fixed nature of the pawn centre means that he can afford to spend a 4 .. Bd7
.

couple of moves in achieving this aim at the expense of conventional develop­

The defining move of the Fort Knox: the black bishop travels by express to c6.
ment.
There it will enjoy an open diagonal and be able to challenge the white knight.
5 Nf3
Black's universal system White virtually always makes this natural developing move.
5.. Bc6
.

The Fort Knox is one of the greatest labour-saving devices ever invented. Firstly, it Mission accomplished.
can be played against both 3 Nc3 and 3 Nd2. This in itself is enough to cut out a
6 Bd3
huge amount of opening preparation. But it gets even better: in the Fort Knox it­
self there is essentially only one pawn structure that we need to study. As we shall Another standard move: White completes his kingside development, defends e4
see, White might vary by putting a pawn on c3 rather than c4, but Black's plan of and puts his light-squared bishop on its favourite square in the French.
development remains the same. The only real alternative is 6 Neg5, which is examined below.
So that's two reasons why a lazybones like myself was attracted to the opening. I 6... Nd7 (Diagram 2)

72 73
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Fort K n o x

With the hyperactive bishop sitting on c6, the knight is deployed to d7. This is an . . .BbS. I n both cases his objective was to swap off the bishop for White's 'good'
important preliminary to a further challenge to the white knight on e4, as if im- light squared bishop. In the Fort Knox his aim is different: he is prepared to ex­
mediately 6 ... Nf6 then 7 Nxf6+ would oblige Black to incur broken pawns with change off his bishop for a white knight.
7... gxf6 as 7 ... Qxf6? isn't advisable - see the Fort Knox fiasco at the end of this This is an anathema to many chess players - we might recall the quip from Chap­
chapter. ter One that 'the worst bishop is better than the best knight'! Yet the Fort Knox
7 0-0 shows that if Black exchanges off bishop for knight and sets up a small pawn cen­
tre on the light squares, then his position is extremely resilient.
Only now does White have a wide choice of moves, which shows why the Fort
Knox saves you a lot of memory work in the opening. He might, for example, NOTE: In general, Black should only capture on f3 when Ne5 is a po­
have played 7 Qe2 or 7 NegS.
sitional threat.
7 ... Ngf6
All as planned: Black develops and challenges the white knight. He is ready to The importa nce of ... c6 to secure the centre
answer 8 Nxf6+ with 8 ... Nxf6. If then 9 NeS, he can safely capture with 9 ... Qxd4!
when White doesn't have enough for the pawn after 10 Nxc6 bxc6, while the You will have noticed that after 10 Qxf3 Black replied 10 ... c6, which wards off the
sneaky 10 Nxf7?, hoping for 10 ...Kxf7? 1 1 Bg6+ winning the queen by discovered direct threat of 1 1 Qxb7. This little pawn move is also vital in stabilizing the cen­
attack, is refuted by 1O ... QdS!, putting the queen on a defended square. Then the tre. After all, it is to be expected that White will try to break open lines with a fu­
trapper is trapped, as White must attend to the mate threat on g2, allowing Black ture d4-dS in order to increase the scope of his bishop-pair. This might be part of a
to safely win a piece with 1l ... Kxf7. kingside attack if he has put his dark-squared bishop on b2 with b2-b3 and Bb2.
8 Ng3 Be7 Alternatively, perhaps White will be 'looking the other way' and be aiming to use
his bishops against the black queenside once he has cleared the centre with d4-dS.
Black continues his development.

TIP: In the Fort Knox the e7-square is almost always a better post for
the bishop than d6.
9 Qe2
If instead 9 Ne5? Nxe5 10 dxeS Black has the tactic 10 ... Qd5! which wins a pawn
due to the double threat of mate on g2 and 1 1 . . .Qxe5.
Now, however, White is threatening to play 10 Ne5, when after 1O ... Nxe5 (or else
the queenside pawns will be broken up by 1 1 Nxc6 bxc6) 1 1 dxe5 he has a space
advantage on the kingside (and 1 1 .. .QdS can be answered by 12 f4!). Black should
avoid this - and the way to do so is to exchange off his light-squared bishop for
the knight.
9 ... Bxf3 10 Qxf3 c6 11 Re1 0-0 (Diagram 3)
Black completes his development. He has a safe king and is well entrenched in the
centre, with no weaknesses in his pawn structure. Diagram 3 (W) Diagram 4 (W)
Black is very solid Black sets a trap!

Black gives u p his bishop for a knight

The pawn attack on d4 with ... c5 is positionally risky
In the Advance Variation we saw that Black went to some trouble to get rid of his

In many French variations, if Black can play the advance ... cS without any immedi-
'bad' light-squared bishop, which was shut in behind its pawn structure. He did
this either with an early ... b6 and ... Ba6, or with ... c5 followed by ... Qb6, ...Bd7 and

74 75
H ow to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e F o rt K n ox

ate mishap befalling him, he has automatically equalized or more. However, this is 12 bXc3?
often not the case in the Fort Knox. Here White has the bishop-pair, or more pre­ White should have tried 12 Bxd8 when after 12...Nxe2+ 13 Kd2! Nxd4! 14 Bxc7
cisely a light-squared bishop with no rival, so the move . ..c5 could actually be a po­ Nxf3+ 15 gxf3 the pawns on the kingside are wrecked rather than on the queen­
sitional disaster that removes a vital piece of shielding from the black queenside. side. But here with the queens exchanged and having the potentially better minor
piece White is just about OK. Things are very different in the game with the
queens still on the board and the white king's defences broken up.
12 ... Qxe7 13 d5 e5
Positional Lines Black could also have attacked at once with 13... Qa3+ 14 Kbl (or 14 Kd2 O-O-O!)
14 ... Nc5 with ideas of 15 ... Na4 and then a mate on b2 or a fork on c3.
Case study 1: Black exchanges on e4 in a favourable way 14 Rhe1 0-0-0 (Diagram 5)

Game 16
o K.Kiss • J.Thiiaganathan
Kerner 2007

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Bd3 Bc6 6 Nf3 Nd7 7 Qe2

White decides to put the queen on e2 immediately.
7 Ngf6 S Bg5
•••

A vigorous move that works well in other French systems, but merely leads to a
simplification that Black welcomes in the Fort Knox. I was coaching England's
player Jessica Thilaganathan before this game and suggested to her that she play
8 ... Bxe4 9 Bxe4 c6, a typical piece of Fort Knox simplification. However, then 1M
Thomas Rendle joined in the discussion and suggested that Black set a positional
trap. Diagram 5 (W) Diagram 6 (B)
S Be7 (Diagram 4) 9 0-0-0
••• Black has a pleasant advantage White keeps his knight on e4
Kiss carries on her attacking build-up heedless of the danger. In any case Black is
doing fine: for example, 9 Nxf6 Bxf6 10 Bxf6 Qxf6 1 1 Be4 Bxe4 12 Qxe4 c6 promises 15 Nxe5?
White nothing, while after 9 Ng3 Nd5 10 Bd2 Nb4 1 1 Bxb4 Bxb4+ 12 c3 Be7 Black
Frustrated at her unsuccessful opening, Kiss recklessly grabs a pawn.
certainly shouldn't complain about being the possessor of the bishop-pair for
once! 15 RheS 16 Qg4
•••

9 Bxe4! 10 Bxe4 Nxe4 11 Bxe7 The lesser evil was 16 f4, although White ends up in a miserable endgame after
16 ...Qa3+ 17 Kbl f6 18 Nc4 Rxe2 19 Nxa3 Rxg2.
..•

It looks like it will be an equal position after 1 1 ... Qxe7 12 Qxe4 c6, but White is in
for a surprise. 16 h5! 17 Qf5 g6
•••

11 Nc3!
•.•
The white queen is crowded out. She has to stay pinning d7 to avoid e5 dropping,
but after 18 Qh3 the way is clear for 18 ... Qg5+ followed by 19 ...Rxe5 winning the
The aforementioned trap. The black knight which is going to be captured anyway
knight all the same. Therefore White has to kiss goodbye to a piece.
desperadoes itself on the c3-square so that White's pawns are messed up.
lS Nxg6 Qa3+ 19 Kb1 fxg6 20 Qxg6 Rxe1 21 Rxe1 QxC3 22 ReS Qb4+ 23 Kc1 Qf4+
Note that if Black had played 9 ... Nxe4 White could have bailed out with 10 Bxe7
24 Kb1 Qb4+ 25 Kc1 Qf4+ 26 Kb1 Qb4+ Yz-Yz
Nc3 11 Bxd8! Nxe2+ 12 Bxe2 Rxd8, when he has avoided having fractured pawns.

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Fort Knox

Calculating the variations had taken its toll on Black's clock and so she forced a 17...cxd S 18 cxdS exds 19 BbS!
draw. In fact 26 ... Nf6 Ieaves her with a winning position. Bringing the rook on dl into action against d5 with gain of time. It turns out that
the rook on e8 has no moves.

Case study 2: Black refuses to unci utter his position and is

crushed by d4-d 5

WARNING: If White can advance with d4-dS in the Fort Knox with
impunity, something has gone wrong with Black's position.

Game 1 7
D C.Cain • Aung Aung
Ba ngkok 2004

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Nf3 Bc6 6 Bd3 Nd7 7 Qe2

By the way, I've changed the move order from 7 0-0 Ngf6 8 Qe2 in order to keep
this game in step with the previous one.
7 ... Ngf6 8 0-0 Diagram 7 (B) Diagram 8 (W)
Rather than 8 Bg5, as in Game 16.
White blasts through Black is happy to trade pieces
8 ... Be7 9 c4 0-0 10 Bd2 (Diagram 6) 10... Re8
We shall return to consider Black's play hereabouts after seeing what happens in
19...QC7
the middlegame.
If 19 ... N8d7 the black queen's view of the d-file is blocked, so that the ratio of at­
11 Bc3 as 12 a3 a4 13 Radl Rb8 14 Negs Bxf3 15 Qxf3 Nf8 16 Rfel c6 tackers to defenders of the d5-square becomes 2-0, taking into account that the
A superficial judgement: 'Black has two pawns, a knight and the queen guarding black knight on f6 is paralysed. There would follow 20 Rxd5! leaving Black de­
the d5-square. Meanwhile White has only the pawn on c4 and his queen support­ fenceless against the threat of 21 Rxd7 Nxd7 22 Qxf7+ and mate next move. There­
ing d4-d5. So Black is 4-2 up in the struggle for d5: White's pawn breakthrough is fore Aung handed over the exchange, but soon lost. The remaining moves were:
therefore impossible.'
20 Bxe8 Rxe8 21 RxdS Rc8 22 RbS b6 23 g3 h6 24 Ne4 Nxe4 25 Qxe4 Ne6 26 RfS
However, on closer inspection we can see that the defensive role of the knight on Bxa3 27 Qxa4 BcS 28 RdS 1-0
f6 is very much restricted: if ordered to capture a white pawn on d5 it would have
to shake its head, as leaving the f6-square would allow the white queen to invade
on f7, with immediate disaster for the black king. Nonetheless, the power of the So where did Black go wrong in this game?
knight isn't zero, as it can still support a black pawn which recaptures on d5. That
still leaves Black 3-2 up. If you have played through the early moves you will have noticed that Black had
Looking more closely still, we see that the rook on dl is very well placed to aid the no fewer than six chances between White playing 8 Qe2 and 14 Neg5 to exchange
d4-d5 advance. And if the d-file opens, a discovered attack on the black queen will twice on e4 and then play ... c6 to increase his grip on d5. Six chances to free his
become possible. Indeed, White now found a way to short-circuit the defence of game!
the d5-square: For example at move 10, it was possible to play 10 ... Nxe4 11 Bxe4 Bxe4 12 Qxe4
17 dS! (Diagram 7) c6. Then the game might have continued 13 Bc3 Nf6 14 Qe2 and now there are
On the other hand, if White had played 17 Bc2 and Black had responded 17 ...Ra8, two options (Diagram 8):
there wouldn't have been enough impetus for the d4-d5 advance a) 14...Qb6 aims to exchange bishops with 15 ... Bb4. If then 15 b3 (to answer

78 79
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The F o rt K n ox

IS ...Bb4 with 16 Bb2), Black can launch an attack on b3 with IS ... aS! and 16 ... a4. the 6...Bxe4 line, White is deprived of his strong light-squared bishop. This seri­
White couldn't reply 16 a4, to stop the pawn's advance, because of 16 ... Qxb3. ously reduces any hope of a successful attack on the black king.
White's best response to 14 ... Qb6 is probably 15 a3, to rule out IS ... Bb4. 7 Bxe4 c6 8 c3 Nf6 9 Bc2 QC7 10 0-0 Nbd7 11 Rei (Diagram 9)
b) Another sensible plan is 14 ... Qc7!? 15 Rac1 (the white rook gazes at the black
queen through a mesh of pawns that might one day be removed with a d4-dS ad­
vance) IS ... Rad8!, which sees Black very sensibly bolster the defence of the dS­
square. The chances are roughly equal.
You will have noticed that White's space advantage becomes of less importance
with every piece that vanishes from the board: he will have fewer pieces to attack
the black king or prepare a centre breakthrough. And although we cannot talk
about the pawn on d4 being a weakness yet, every simplification removes a poten­
tial defender of the white centre. Therefore we might say that:

TIP: Every exchange of more or less equal value favours Black in the
Fort Knox.
There is, however, one proviso: a very simplified endgame with White having a
bishop versus a knight can be very unpleasant for Black.
Diagram 9 (B) Diagram 10 (B)
Black mustn't be too ambitious Black is under pressure
Case study 3: Black's bishop belongs on e7, not on d6
11 Bd6?
•••

The positioning of Black's dark-squared bishop in the Fort Knox is so critical that
It's best not to resist what you can't prevent. Black should put the bishop where it
I'm going to drum it in by giving another win for White. But you don't need to
belongs with 1 1...Be7!.
become demoralised as in this game Black goes outside our repertoire on the sixth
move. 12 Qe2!
Guaranteeing that the white knight will get to the eS-square.
Game 18 12 0-0
•••

o A.Beliavsky • LJensen Black should have sought some relief with 12 ...Bf4! to exchange off one of the po­
Copen hagen 2004 tential enemies of his king and get his bishop out of the way of a fork on eS.
13 BgS RfeB
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Nf3 Bc6 6 Bd3 Bxe4 Black might still have tried 13 ... Bf4, though here White has 14 Bh4.
The alternative 6 ... Nd7 is the recommended move. However, I have a lot of sym­
14 Nesl (Diagram 10)
pathy for the immediate exchange on e4, not least because White won't now be
Mission accomplished. Imagine if Black's bishop were on e7 rather than d6. In that
able to play any scary NegS moves. It is also nice for Black that a subsequent ... Nf6
case he could ease his game with 14 ...NxeS 15 dxeS NdS 16 Bd2 bS! (Diagram 11),
will gain a tempo, assuming that White has no wish to part with his bishop on e4.
preventing the knight from being dislodged from the centre with c3-c4. Black can
The drawback compared to the main line with 6... Nd7 7 0-0 Ngf6 8 Ng3 is that as necessary blunt an attack on his king with ... g6, ... Bf8 and ...Bg7.
.
WhIte keeps the better-positioned knight, the one that controls eS, rather than hav­
Returning to the actual game, with the bishop on d6 the exchange 14 ...NxeS? just
ing it eliminated by ...Bxf3.
loses a piece to the fork 15 dxeS. Black therefore feels obliged to exchange his
Of course, White can keep the knight on f3 in the main line after 6 ... Nd7 7 0-0 Ngf6
bishop on eS, but his knights prove no match for the white bishop-pair:
8 Qe2, but here Black can exchange two pieces on e4 with 8 ... Bxe4 (or delay it for a
move or so as in case study 2, above) 9 Bxe4 Nxe4 10 Qxe4 c6 when in contrast to
14 BxeS 15 dxe5 Nd5 16 Radl Nf8
•••

80 81
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e F o rt Knox

In contrast to the hypothetical situation in the note to move 14 above, where Black Another idea is 8 Ned2!? aiming to play 9 Nc4 and then 10 Nce5, when the knight
retained his bishop, he can't set up a solid defensive line with 16 ... g6, as there is established on the e5-square, or, if Black has been careless, 10 Na5! threatening
would be fatal dark-square holes on f6, h6 and g7. to wreck Black's queenside pawns with 11 Nxc6. Note that 10 ...Bxf3 wouldn't help
much at this point, as after 1 1 Qxf3 the b7-pawn would be attacked twice, mean­
17 h41 Ne7 18 hS h6 19 Bf61 (Diagram 12)
ing that 1 1 . ..c6 wouldn't beat off the pressure.
White's bishops have a field day exploiting the absence of Black's bishop.
I like the response 8 ...Be7 9 Nc4 Bd5!? (Diagram 13) when due to White's slow ma­
19 ...gxf6 20 exf6 Qf4 21 fxe7 Rxe7 22 Rd4 Qf6 23 Qd3 Ree8 24 Re3 Red8 25 Rg4+
noeuvre the ... c5-break seems appropriate for once: for example, 10 Ne3 c5 or 10
Kh8 26 Reg3 Rxd3 27 Rg8+ Kh7 28 Bxd3+ Qg6 29 Rxf8 1-0
Nce5 c5 and Black achieves counterplay. I don't see any meaningful way that
White can take advantage of the uncastled black king.

Diagram 11 (W) Diagram 12 (B)

The bishop is much happier on e7 A disaster for Black
Diagram 13 (W) Diagram 14 (W)
Black will break with ... c5 Thematically equalizing
Case study 4: It's a bout time we saw Black win a gamel

If White loses in the positional lines of the Fort Knox, it is almost always because 8 Bxf3
•••

some sort of mishap occurs on the d-file. Perhaps due to his negligence the pawn It is curious to say the least that Rozentalis captures straightaway when he might
on d4 is restrained and then captured; or else White optimistically advances the have waited a move with 8 ... Be7 which abides by the rule 'only take on f3 when
pawn to d5 thinking he is making a powerful clearance sacrifice, but the compen­ White is about to play Ne5!' After all, 9 Ne5? would fail to 9 ... Nxe5 10 dxe5 Qd5!,
sation never emerges; or maybe he allows the d4-pawn to be liquidated in such a both attacking e5 and threatening mate on g2.
way that the black rooks are able to seize control of the resulting open file.
After 8 ... Be7 9 Qe2 Bxf3 10 Qxf3 c6 Black had wangled an extra tempo in the elite
A common theme is that White gets carried away by his thoughts of attack on the encounter S.Karjakin-B.Gelfand, Odessa (rapid) 2008. This game is all the more
kingside, and neglects to defend d4 adequately; the Fort Knox often lulls White interesting as it features c2-c3 by White rather than the usual c2-c4 move: 1 1 ReI
into a false sense of security. 0-0 12 c3 Re8 13 Bf4 Qa5 14 a3 Bf8 15 Radl (perhaps White should try 15 Be5 to
stop Black's freeing reply) 15 ... e5! (Diagram 14) 16 Be3 Rad8 (with straightforward
Game 19 centralizing moves Gelfand has equalized, as the white bishops are nothing spe­
o M.Bluvshtein • E.Rozentalis cial; unfortunately for him at move 20 he falls for a tactical trap) 17 Bbl Qd5 18
Montrea l 2004 Ne4 exd4 19 Bxd4 Nxe4 20 Bxe4 Qg5? (instead 20 ...Qb3! looks at least OK for
Black, as b2 is hanging and if White tries the same combination as in the game,
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Nf3 Bc6 6 Bd3 Nd7 7 0-0 Ngf6 8 Ng3

82 83
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Fort Knox

Black will have ...Qxd1 mate at the end of it) 21 Bxh7+! Kxh7 22 RxeB RxeB 23 13 a3! Rfe8
Qh3+ KgB 24 Qxd7 (if Black had played 20 ... Qb3 White's combination would have After 13 ...RfdB?! 14 Rfe1 NfB? (he should play 14 ... BfB), Black would be hit by 15
failed because of 24 ...Qxd1 mate) 24 ... Qd2 25 Be3! (if it wasn't for this clever move Nf5! (Diagram 16) when 15...exf5 16 Rxe7 is near winning for White.
White would be in trouble after 25 Rf1 ReI as if nothing else b2 will drop) 25 ... Qe2
26 h3 Re6 27 Qd2 Qxd2 2B Rxd2 a6 29 Rd7 Re7 30 RdB Re5 31 b4 Rd5 32 RcB 1-0. WARNING: You should always be alert for this trap if you play the
Fort Knox. Even if you fall for it in a milder form, the exchange of the
9 Qxf3 c6 10 b3 Be7 11 Bb2 0-0 12 C4 Qas (Diagram lS)
e7-bishop for the white knight is positionally poor for Black.
The way to avoid it is either to defend the bishop with the rook, as with the game
move 13 ... RfeB, or else to make sure the bishop has left e7 before White has time to
play both Rfe1 and Nf5. If the bishop does go off somewhere, it will most likely
mean the ... Ba3 move has been permitted. Otherwise it is probably best to keep the
bishop on e7 and defend it with . . .RfeB. Therefore Rozentalis guards his bishop in
anticipation of White's next move, when otherwise 15 Nf5 would become a threat.
At the same time he clears the fB-square for his knight, which can be manoeuvred
to g6 to help bolster the kingside against a white attack.
Some years ago your author introduced the move 13 ...b5!? (Diagram 17) into tour-
nament play, the idea being that 14 Qxc6? loses to 14... Qd2! when White has two
bishops hanging, while otherwise White's queenside pawns can be undermined
with 14 . . .bxc4, followed after 15 bxc4 by 15 . . .RabB when Black has good counter­
play. Instead after 14 cxb5 (or 14 d5 cxd5 15 b4 Qb6 16 cxb5 Bd6 with sufficient
chances for Black in A.Berelovic-McDonald, Elec 1996) 14 ...cxb5 15 Rfe1 Black
Diagram lS (W) Diagram 16 (B)
came under attack following 15 ... Nd5? 16 Nf5! in V.lvanchuk-A.Chernin, Warsaw
Black prepares ...Ba3 An idea to avoid (rapid) 2002, but 15 ...RfeB! to answer 16 Nf5 with 16 ... BfB (and not 16 ...exf5 1 7
Rxe7!) seems safe enough for Black.

o
NOTE: This is an important idea in the Fort Knox. The black queen
goes to as to support the offer to exchange bishops with 13 ... Ba3.
Such an exchange would be downright unappealing for White, as it
would weaken the d4-pawn and his dark squares in general. It
would also crush any aspirations he had to break through in the cen­
tre with d4-dS and use the bishop on b2 as a weapon against the
black king.
Imagine for a moment that it is Black's move, not White's, in the diagram above,
and he uses it to play 13 ... Ba3. Then the most sensible course for White would be
to reply 14 Bc3, not allowing the exchange of bishops. Now 14 ... Qxc3? would drop
the queen to 15 Bxh7+, so Black plays 14 ... Bb4. White would once again avoid the
exchange of bishops with 15 Bb2 and Black presses for it again with 15 ...Ba3. The
result is a curious draw by repetition.
However it is White's move. Ideally he would like to reply 13 Rad1, so that if
13 ... Ba3 he can tuck the bishop away with 14 Ba1, but the problem is that 13 Rad1? Diagram 17 (W) Diagram 18 (W)
just blunders a pawn to 13 . . .Qxa2. Bluvshtein finds another way to block the ... Ba3
The McDonald method Black remains very solid
move.

84 85
H ow to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e Fort K n ox

14 Rfel RadS 15 Re2 NfS A great move that Bluvshtein may have missed. Now he has to reckon with both
23 ...Bc5 and the entry of the black queen on f4 followed by ...Qh4 or ...Qh6,
Black's pieces are harmoniously centralized, which means that a white break­
whereas 22...Qf4? can be met by 23 g3.
through with d4-d5 has little chance of success, unless the black kingside can be
sufficiently softened up. With this in mind, Bluvshtein advances his h-pawn. 23 b4 Qf4 24 Ng3 Bd6! 25 c5
16 h4 Rd7 17 Rael QC7 (Diagram lS) It's a back-rank mate after 25 Nxh5 Qh2+.

Not 17 ...Red8? when Black has fallen for the 18 Nf5! trick after all. 25 ... Qh4 26 Re3
lS Nfl?! Or 26 cxd6? Qh2+ 27 Kfl Qhl+ 28 Nxhl Rxhl mate.

White loses confidence in his plan and retreats the knight. Instead 18 h5 threatens 26 Bxg3 27 fxg3
..•

to ram the black kingside with 19 h6, when if 19 ... g6 the breakthrough 20 d5 White has to make a hole on f2 for his king, but now the rook on e3 becomes hope­
would be of terrible power, as 21 Bxf6, winning a piece, would be the threat. So lessly pinned.
Black would answer 18 h5 with 18 ...h6!. Then the following sharp line would be 27 Qd4! (Diagram 20) 2S QbS
..•

possible, in which attack and defence cancel each other out: 19 Ne4 N8h7! 20 d5
Or 28 Kfl Ng4 with a winning attack.
cxd5 21 Nxf6+ Bxf6 22 Bxh7+ Kxh7 23 Bxf6 gxf6 24 cxd5 Rxd5 25 Qxd5 exd5 26
Rxe8 Qc3 27 Rle7 Qc1 + 28 Kh2 Qf4+ 29 Kgl Qc1 + with a draw by perpetual check. 2S ... Nd5 29 Qd6 e5 30 g4 Rg5 31 QdS Rxg4 32 Bf5 Rg3 33 Kh2 0-1
lS RedS 19 Bbl Rxd4!
••.
There's no purpose in playing on once e3 drops.

A fine strategic exchange sacrifice that removes the menace of White's dark­
squared bishop.
20 Bxd4 Rxd4 21 Qe3? White Attacks with Negs
White underestimates the strength of Black's kingside attack. He should have
played 21 g3, guarding h4, and then after 21 ...Bxa3 challenged the black rook with At top intemational level White's plan o f pressuring the kingside with h2-h4 is
22 Rd2. That said, 22 ...Bc5 23 Rxd4 Bxd4 looks rather worse for him as his remain­ probably the thing that scares Black the most. But for the rest of us an early Ng5
ing rook has no open file, for if 24 Rdl Black has 24 ...c5. move by White, aiming at the f7-point, is the most unnerving. If we are going to
21 Rxh4 22 Qxa7 Rh5! (Diagram 19)
.•.
lose in 12 moves, this is how it is going to happen!
Why is this so?
It's pretty logical. The weakest square in the white position at the start of the game
is f2; the weakest square in the black position is f7. One of the good things about
the French Defence is that 1...e6 immediately puts up a barrier to an attack on f7
by a white bishop on c4. But the idea of a catastrophe on f7 rears its ugly head
again in the Fort Knox. This is because Black not only delays his kingside devel­
opment for two moves whilst he puts the bishop on c6, but also because the bishop
is moving away from the defence of the e6-square.

Scenario 1: White plays the pointless 5 NgS

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Ng5 is an empty gesture by White, as the

bishop is on d7, still guarding e6, so no sin has been committed yet. Thus 5 ... h6
(Diagram 21), chasing the knight away is a simple reply. However, it won't always
Diagram 19 (W) Diagram 20 (W)
be that easy for Black!
Black is attacking! There's no defence

86 87
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Fort K n ox

prefer to have my knight developed on f6 rather than the king.

Diagram 21 (W) Diagram 22 (B)

There's no plausible sacrifice Black must be careful Diagram 23 (B) Diagram 24 (W)
One to avoid The correct defence

CJ
Scena rio 2: White plays the terrifyin g 6 Neg5 NOTE: I was disappointed at being forced into a quick draw, but in
fad I got off lightly, as 9 Bc4! (rather than 9 Nxe6) gives White a
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 Nf3 Bc6 6 Negs! (Diagram 22) highly dangerous initiative.
This is much scarier. Indeed, it looks at first glance that it is time for Black to re­
sign: for if 6 ...Nf6? 7 Ne5 and there is no defence against 8 Ngxf7; nor does it help
The a ntidote to 6 Neg5 is 6 ... Bd6!
much to capture on f3, as after 6... Bxf3? 7 Qxf3 both f7 and b7 are hanging.

WARNING: Moreover, this time we had better not try booting away Game 20
the knight with 6 ... h6?, as the sacrifice 7 Nxf7! Kxf7 S NeS+ is deci­ o L.Aronian . M.Turner
sive: S ... Ke7 9 Ng6+ and White picks up the rook on hS, while it is Hasti ngs 2000/01
forced mate upon S...KeS with 9 QhS+ Ke7 10 Qf7+ Kd6 11 Nc4+ KdS
12 Qf3+ Kxd4 13 Be3 mate. Black got his bishop to c6 all right, but 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 NC3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Nf3 Bc6 6 Negs Bd6! (Diagram 24) 7 Bc4?
unfortunately his king got to d4. No one has been tempted by 7 Nxf7 here, as 7... Kxf7 8 Ng5+ Ke8 doesn't give
By the way, the most resilient move in this sequence is 8 ...Kf6, but all the same 9 White anywhere near enough for the piece: for example, 9 Nxe6 Qh4!? or 9 Bc4
Qg4 g5 10 h4 gives White a crushing attack. Bxg2 10 Nxe6 (or 10 Rgl Bd5) 1O ...Qh4 11 Nxg7+ Kd7 etc.

Returning to 6 Neg5, you might be wondering what the fuss is about, as Black has More solid for White is 7 Bd3, but after 7... h6 8 Ne4 his attempt to attack has
the natural 6 ... Nd7?, the move he always plays after 5 ... Bc6. It guards the e5- missed the mark, as shown by 8 ...Be7 (8 ...Nf6!? is interesting as after 9 Nxd6+
square: surely White won't dare to sacrifice on f7 now? That's exactly what I cxd6!? Black gains control of the e5-square) 9 c3 Nf6 10 Qe2 Nxe4 11 Bxe4 Bxe4 12
thought many years ago in one of my first Fort Knox games, but 7 Nxf7! (Diagram Qxe4 c6 13 0-0 Nd7 14 ReI Nf6 15 Qe2 0-0 and White was gradually outplayed in
23) occurred all the same. The game ended in a draw after 7 ...Kxf7 8 Ng5+ Ke8 9 O.Brendel-A.Rustemov, Warsaw 2005.
Nxe6? Qe7 10 Qe2 (threatening 11 Nxc7+) 1O ... Kf7 11 Ng5+ Ke8 12 Ne6 Kf7 with a 7 ... h6 S Nxe6?
repetition. I could have speculated with 1 1 . ..Kf6 in this sequence, but 12 Be3 leaves Preparing the sort of sacrifice that belonged in Hastings 1895 rather than Hastings
Black with a lot of frights ahead of him. When I sit down to play the Fort Knox I

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Fort K n ox

2001 . This game was played on the 2nd January, with January 1st having been a 7 NegS Ngf6 8 0-0, which can also arise from a 7 0-0 Ngf6 8 Neg5 move order.
rest day. 'It was my first game of the year, and so I wanted to play a sacrifice' was Meanwhile line two runs 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Nf3 Bc6 6 Bd3
Aronian's surprising explanation to his opponent after the game. Nd7 7 Neg5 Ngf6 8 Qe2 (Diagram 26), which equates to 7 Qe2 Ngf6 8 Negs.
Nonetheless, 8 Nh3 g5! threatening a fork on g4 would be unpleasant for White.

o
NOTE: Against line one the natural response is 7 Ngf6 and 8 Bd6.
••• •••

8 .. .fxe6 9 Bxe6 Qf61 (Diagram 25) However, in line two the white queen puts immediate pressure on
e6 and, moreover, supports the idea of Nes, so Black's development
needs to be warped with the more wary 7 Ngf6 and then 8... Qe7!.
•••

Came 21
o P.Hopper . N.McDonald
London 2005

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Nf3 Bc6 6 Bd3 Nd7 7 Neg5 Ngf6 8 0-0
Actually the move order of this game was 7 0-0 Ngf6 8 Neg5, but I've changed it
to clarify matters.
After 8 Qe2 the recommended reply is 8 ...Qe7! (Diagram 27), shoring up the e6-
and £7- pawns. Now if White plays slowly with 9 0-0, the knight can be kicked
back by 9 ...h6 when 10 Ne4 Nxe4 11 Bxe4 Bxe4 12 Qxe4 c6 13 c4 Nf6 14 Qh4 g6 15
Diagram 26 (B) ReI Bg7 16 Qh3 g5 17 Ne5 0-0-0 fully mobilized the black position in E.Sutovsky­
Diagram 25 (W)
A.Rustemov, Esbjerg 2001.
An unconvincing sacrifice Black must be careful

For once we have no objection to the black queen going to f6. She bolsters the
kingside with gain of time by attacking the white bishop and introducing the idea
of 1O ...Bxf3.
10 d5 Bd7 11 Nd4 Qe5+
Now the queen clears the way for the knight to go to f6.
12 Be3 Nf6 13 Qd3
White can't even castle as it is mate on h2.
13 ... Nxd5 14 Qg6+ Kd8 15 0-0-0 Nxe3 16 fxe3 Be8 and Black beat off the attack and
won on move 58.

Scenario 3 : White plays 7 Negs (or 8 Negs)

Diagram 27 (W) Diagram 28 (W)
This is somewhat confusing because the Neg5 move can be combined with a quick A prudent defensive move White is in trouble
Qe2 or 0-0, and either of these supporting moves can be played before or after
Neg5. Instead 9 Ne5 is the obvious attacking move, but White is playing with fire due to
Thus we have line one: 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 5 Nf3 Bc6 6 Bd3 Nd7 the hanging g2-pawn: 9 ... Nxe5 10 dxe5 Nd7 11 Nxh7? (he should settle for 11 0-0

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Fort K n ox

when Black can activate his game with 1 1 ...h6 12 Nf3 Qb4!?) 11...Rxh7! 12 Bxh7 12 e3
Qh4 (Diagram 28) 13 Bd3 Bxg2, which is the point of Black's combination; he is After this rather passive move I became ambitious and decided to prevent the
going to regain the exchange and be a pawn up after 14 Rgl Qxh2. In the game knight escaping from h3.
D.Pruess-V.Golod, Santa Monica 2004, White tried to confuse matters with 14 Bg5, 12 ... g5! 13 Qe2
but his king ended up under a fatal attack: 14 ... Qxg5 15 Rgl Nc5 16 Kdl 0-0-0 17 f4
Of course the queen must avoid being forked by 13 ... g4.
Qf5 18 Rxg2 Nxd3 19 cxd3 Rxd3+ 20 Kel Rd4 21 Kfl Bc5 22 Rg4 Re4 23 Qf3 Re3 24
Qdl Qe4 25 Rg3 Qhl+ 26 Rgl Rf3+ 27 Ke2 Rf2+ 28 Kd3 Qd5+ 29 Kc3 Rf3+ 30 Kc2 13 ...Qe7
Qe4+ 0-1. Black wins time for queenside castling by renewing the threat of 14 ...g4, which
8 ... Bd6 9 Re1 h6! (Diagram 29) would trap the wretched white knight.
14 g3
Not only saving the horse, as 14 ... g4? lets it gallop away after 15 Nf4, but also pre­
venting 14...Bxh2+.
14... 0-0-0 (Diagram 30) 15 e4
White will in effect be a piece down in the central battle thanks to his entombed
knight. Perhaps he should have tried 15 f4 to give it an escape route, but then
Black can start a promising kingside attack with 15 ... g4! 16 Nf2 h5 when a break­
through with 17 ...h4 is already on the cards.
15...e5
Black is happy to leave things as they are on the kingside and exploit his extra
firepower in the centre.
16 dxe5 Bxe5 17 Rb1 e5
Again menacing the stranded knight, this time with 18 ... g4.
Diagram 29 (W) Diagram 30 (W) 18 b4 Bd4 19 Bf5 Kb8 20 Bb2 Rhe8 21 e5 Bxb2 22 Rxb2 e4 (Diagram 31)
The knight must be driven back Aggression from Black

Instead 9 ... 0-0 allows White to play his dream move 10 Ne5! when the Fort Knox
has failed in its fundamental aim of stopping the knight seizing the central post.
10 Nh3
After the spectacular 10 Rxe6+? Black would face a huge attack if he took the rook
(thus not 10 ...fxe6? 1 1 Nxe6 when 11.. .Qe7? loses the queen to 12 Bg6+), but Black
can decline the offer with to.. Kf8! when White has shot his bolt as both the rook
.

and knight are hanging and he has no convincing follow-up.

10...Bxf3
All according to the Fort Knox 'rules': Black eliminates the knight just in time be­
fore White can play 11 Ne5.
11 Qxf3 e6
Guarding the b7-pawn. During the game I was expecting 12 Nf4, restoring the Diagram 31 (W) Diagram 32 (W)
knight to the centre, and was intending 12 ...0-0 in reply. The attack gains momentum The battering-ram continues!

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Fort K n ox

Having methodically centralized his pieces it is time for Black to launch the final both b8 and f3. The remaining moves are all fun for White:
attack. The big threat is 23 ... Ne5 followed by an invasion on d3 or f3. White can't
allow this, but once he has parted with his light-squared bishop his resistance
soon crumbles away.
23 Bxd7 Qxd7 24 Kg2 Qfs 2S Ng1 Rd3 26 a4 g4
The knight proves just as boxed in on gl as on h3.
27 as e3! (Diagram 32) 28 f3 QdS 29 Reb1 Rd2 30 Rxd2 exd2 31 Qf1 Qa2?
The irony of the position is that Black's simplest way to win is 31 ...gxf3+ 32 Nxf3,
letting the knight out, but killing White stone dead with 32 ... Ng4 and 33 ... Ne3.
32 Rd1 NdS 0-1
Short of time White saw the big fork on e3 and resigned. In fact he could fight on
with 33 Qb5!, hitting e8 and with ideas of 34 c6 to threaten mate.

A Fort Knox fiasco or the da nger of a premature ••• Nf6 Diagram 33 (B) Diagram 34 (B)
Black's queen is trapped Black might resign
Finally, here is what might happen if Black is in too much of a rush to challenge
the white knight on e4.
12 ... Ne6 13 Kf2 Bxf3 14 Kxf3 f6 lS Bg3 exd4 16 BbS Bes 17 Qe2 Kf7 18 Bxe6 bxe6 19
Carne 22 Qe4 Bb6 20 a4 Rae8 21 as 1-0
D T.Gelashvili . F.Patuzzo I guess that's a rather sad way to end our discussion of the Fort Knox, but play
Bu lgaria 2000 6... Nd7 and you'll come out fighting!

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 S Nf3 Be6 6 Bd3 Nf6

We should play 6 ... Nd7 and then 7...Ngf6, planning to recapture on f6 with the
knight.
7 Nxf6+ Qxf6?
He had to play 7... gxf6.

8 Bgs! (Diagram 33) 8 ... Bxf3

It looks as though White has blundered as he loses a piece after 9 Bxf6 Bxdl, but...
9 Qd2!
Now the black queen is suddenly trapped, as 9 ... Qxd4 10 Bb5+ wins her by dis­
covered attack.
9 ... Bxg2 10 Bxf6 Bxh1 11 Bes es?
Choosing a quick end, or more likely missing the reply. He could have battled on
with 1 l ...Bc6.
12 f3! (Diagram 34)
The bishop won't escape from the comer as 12 ... Bxf3 13 Bxb8 Rxb8 14 Qf4 attacks

94 95
 T h e C l a s s i c a l 4 eS V a r i a t i o n

Introduction
If you fancy something more adventurous than the Fort Knox after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS
3 NC3, you might try counterattacking against e4 with 3 Nf6. Then 4 Bg5 leads us
•••

to the McCutcheon Defence, which is the subject of our next chapter. Here we
Chapter Four shall look chiefly at what might happen if White closes the centre at once with 4
eS, and Black responds 4... Nfd7 (Diagram 1).

The C las sical 4 e 5 Variation

- Introduction
- White Plays 5 f4 Diagram 1 (W) Diagram 2 (8)
The centre is blocked White overprotects d4
- White Plays 5 Nce2
NOTE: Playing 4 eS introduces a line officially known as the Steinitz

-
Variation. However, most people refer to it simply as the Classical 4
Ea rly Deviations eS Variation.

Strategic overview

With 4 e5 White seizes space and drives the black knight from its best square. The
pawn on e5 becomes his pride and joy, and can readily be supported with f2-f4;
this will allow White to build up an attack on the kingside which could be either
positional in nature (smothering the opponent under a blanket of white pawns) or
tactical (hitting the black king on the head with a sharp instrument, notably a
bishop sacrifice on h7- see the coverage of the Greek Gift, below).
Turning our attention to the queenside, things are less rosy for White as his pawn
on d4 is denied its natural support with c2-c3 due to the knight sitting on c3.
Therefore it is to be expected that Black will make a concerted attack on the pawn
beginning with ... c5, aiming to conquer the centre.
There are two distinct ways for White to handle the position, depending on

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e C l a s s i ca l 4 e S Va r i a t i o n

whether he chooses to bolster the e5-pawn with 5 f4 or the d4-pawn with 5 Nce2 ... Bxc5, rather than ...cxd4 and ...Bc5, so it has still taken him two moves to get the
c5 6 c3. bishop to c5. The tempo count to get the Nd4/Bc5 scenario: two moves by White,
two moves for Black. In other words, Black has gained a tempo in establishing the
... Bc5INd4 battle over the d4-square.
White Plays 5 f4
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 f4
This is White's most popular move, after which both players often focus their
pieces on the critical d4-square with 5 ... c5 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Be3 (Diagram 2), although 7
Ne2 is possible too, transposing to our next section.

The key d4-square

It is worth reminding ourselves that it is not the white pawn centre per se that
Black has to be afraid of in the French, but rather the consequences of it being dis­
solved in a way that is unfavourable to him. In the diagram above, the exchange
of White's d-pawn for Black's c-pawn is surely inevitable, but whose pieces will
benefit the most?
Diagram 3 (W) Diagram 4 (W)
It is one of the bitter ironies of chess that Black might work hard to get rid of the
A modem finesse Black will attack!
pawn, only to find that the empty square that replaces it is more of a threat to him.
Thus a white knight finds d4 a wonderful centre post, as Black has already ' spent'
his ... c5 thrust, which might otherwise have driven it away, on getting rid of the I hope you can see why this makes 7...Be7 such a clever idea - White can't play as
d4-pawn. The d4-square is so important that a tough fight often develops for con­ he normally does after the standard 7... cxd4 8 Nxd4 Bc5, and instead has to re-
trol of it. Black might play ...cxd4, combined with ... Nc6, . . .Bc5 and ... Qb6, bringing think his strategy.
all available resources into contact with the square. Not to be outdone, White will

o
add to the Nf3 and Be3 moves with Qd2 and 0-0-0; the latter move bringing a rook NOTE: With the paradoxical 7 ... Be7 Black ignores the d4-square in
into the struggle for the key square. The spearhead of this concentration of white order to increase his influence over it!
forces will be a knight sitting on d4.
Case study 1: White im mediately castles queenside -
a positional disaster
Black's brilliant 7 ... Be7 move
Some very strong players have been confused by 7...Be7 and suffered sharp de­
It might seem strange that I want to recommend 7 ... Be7 (Diagram 3) for Black,
feats. Notably they can't seem to understand why the position is bad for them if
when he could get the bishop fighting for the d4-square immediately with 7... cxd4
they castle queenside as they do in the 7... cxd4 8 Nxd4 Bc5 main line.
8 Nxd4 Bc5. But let's count some tempi. If Black plays ...cxd4 and ...Bc5, he has
Indeed, White wants his knight on d4, but doesn't want to be a tempo down after
taken two moves to get his bishop to c5; for his part, White has taken only one
dxc5 as discussed above, and so 8 Qd2 0-0 9 0-0-0 appears to be a sensible way to
move to get his knight to the desirable d4-square, i.e. in recapturing Nxd4. The
tempo count to get the Nd4/...Bc5 scenario: one move for White, two moves for proceed. White is waiting for 9 ... cxd4 when 10 Nxd4 transposes to 7... cxd4 8 Nxd4
Black. Bc5 9 Qd2 0-0 10 0-0-0, but instead comes a nasty surprise: 9 ... c4! (Diagram 4) sees
Black close the centre and lay the foundations for a rapid attack on the white king.
Now imagine if after 7 ... Be7 White plays d4xc5 and Nd4 to get the knight to its
He can bash out moves like ...b5, ...Qa5, ... Rb8 and ...b4; a sequence that is simple
best central square - it takes two moves. Black meanwhile has played ...Be7 and

98 99
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The C l a s s i c a l 4 e S Va r i a t i o n

to understand and easy to carry out. In contrast, White's possible counterplay on 8d 3 bS? (Black can still save himself with 1O ... fS) 11 Bxh7+! Kxh7 1 2 QhS+ KgS 1 3

the kingside is less obvious and more difficult to arrange. At all levels of chess �gS and Black has no good answer to the threat o f 1 4 Qh7 mate: if 13 . . .ReS i t is
White is going to start wilting as soon as 9 ... c4 is played. Let's see a recent exam­ mate with 14 Qxf7+ KhS lS QhS+ KgS 16 Qh7+ KfS 17 QhS+ Ke7 1S Qxg7.
ple.

o
NOTE: The Greek Gift comes in many guises, but the basic mecha­
nism is that White plays Bxh7+, then Ngs+ and Qh S, with Black be­
Game 23
ing unable to reply N/6 to cover the h7-square. Often the white
.••

D S.Abu Sufian • B.Lalie queen is back on dl or e2, behind the knight on f3, which conceals
Hastings 2007/08 the trap further.
The Bxh7+ sacrifice doesn't always work, but whenever you have castled kingside
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 eS Nfd7 5 f4 cS 6 Nf3
and your knight has been driven away from f6, keep an eye out for it!
WARNING: Throughout the French Classical, Black must avoid falling
,
Returning to the more standard 6 Nf3:
for a Greek Gift! 6... Nc6 7 Be3 Be7 8 Qd2 0-0 9 0-0-0 c4!
X
Imagine if White plays 6 dxcS here. Then 6 . . . BxcS 7 Qg4 gives him an attack on g7, Grandmaster Bogdan Lalic is a fine player whose Elo rating never does justice to
so we'll play 6 ... Nc6 first: his strength as he is too peacefully inclined with the black pieces. So when he
a) If White replies 7 Qg4 anyway, then 7... Nb4 attacking c2 will force him to re­ starts a big attack on your king it's time to be very afraid, as it must be something
treat his queen back, or hand over his light-squared bishop with S Bd3 when special to have provoked a sleeping giant!
S . . . Nxd3+ 9 cxd3 is fine for Black. 10 fS
b) Meanwhile after 7 Nf3 BxcS White no longer has Qg4. White tries for counterplay on the kingside, as 1O ... exfS? 11 NxdS would leave the
c) So let's say he waits with 7 a3. There could follow 7 ... BxcS S Qg4 0-0 9 Nf3 (Dia­ black centre shattered.
gram 5). 10... bS! (Diagram 6)
No time is to be wasted in launching the second black pawn on the queenside.
Now 11 NxbS RbS leaves White in terrible trouble: for example, 12 Nc3 Qb6
(threatening mate on b2) 13 b3 QaS! with ideas such as 14 ... Bb4 pinning the white
knight.

ll fxe6?
White should have plunged his own dagger into the black kingside with 1 1 f6!.
Then Lalic analyses a very promising exchange sacrifice for Black: 1 1 . . .gxf6 12 Bh6
(Black has an even bigger attack after 12 exf6 Bxf6 13 Bh6 b4 14 Ne2 c3 1S bxc3
QaS, etc) 12 . . . fxeS! 13 dxeS NdxeS 14 BxfS QxfS IS NxbS Qg7 16 c3 RbS 17 Nbd4
Bd7 and Black has an unbreakable pawn centre and a strong dark-squared bishop
that can aid the attack on b2.

11...fxe6 12 h4
White plans to put his knight on gS and his queen on hS to threaten mate, but it
turns out the black queen can do greater things on the a-file.
Diagram 5 (B) Diagram 6 (W)
12 ... Qas!
Black must avoid accidents on h7 Black is very fast
TIP: After White castles queenside, Black normally wins if his queen
Now Black can get a good game with the active 9 .. . Nd4! 10 Bd3 fS, but if he plays can go to as without being attacked by Nb3.
.
passively he will lay himself open to the famous Greek Gift sacrifice: 9 .. a6?! 10

100 101
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The C l a s s i c a l 4 e S V a r i a t i o n

13 Ng5 b4 14 Qe2 first features 1 1 BxcS, the second a belated 11 Nd4. White has no luck after either
move, although Saric produces an incredible swindle against Mikhail Gurevich in
Or 14 Nbl Qxa2 IS Nxe6 c3! 16 bxc3 bxc3 1 7 Qxc3 (it's a faster mate after 17 Nxc3
the notes to the first game.
with 17 ... Ba3) 17... Rb8 18 Nd2 Ba3+ and mates.
14 bxc3 15 Qh5 h6 16 Qg6 Bxg5 17 hxg5 cxb2+ 18 Kbl Ndxe51 (Diagram 7)
•••
Game 24
D V.Solodovnichenko • A.Grigoryan
Belgorod 2008

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 f4 c5 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Be3 Be7 8 Qd2

If 8 dxcS at once Black might profitably delay the recapture on cS, as 8 ... 0-0 9 Qd2
BxcS transposes to the main game.
8 0-0 9 dxc5 Bxc5 10 0-0-0 Qa5 11 Bxc5 Nxc5 12 Kbl Bd7 13 h4
•••

Black also gained a strong initiative after 13 Bd3 Nb4 14 Nd4 Rfc8 1S g4 Ba4! (Dia­
gram 9) in I.Saric-M.Gurevich, Cannes 2007.

Diagram 7 (w) Diagram 8 (W)

There's no defence Black still wants to attack!

Not permitting a check on e6 to disturb the queenside denouement.

19 dxe5 Nb4 0-1
Mate looms on a2 and there is no escape: 20 Kxb2 c3+ 21 Kxc3 Nxa2+ 22 Kd3 Ba6+
23 c4 Bxc4+ 24 Kc2 Qc3+ 2S Kbl Rfb8+ and it's overkill on the b-file.

Case study 2: White falls for a mild form of the castling tra p Diagram 9 (W) Diagram 10 (B)
Strong queenside pressure A vicious tactic
Let's imagine that White notices the danger in immediate queenside castling, and
instead plays 9 dxcS, and only after 9 ... BxcS, 10 0-0-0. However, 10 ... QaS! (Diagram
8) still gives Black the makings of a strong attack. Here White felt obliged to give up the exchange to stem the pressure against a2
Note that if the white knight were already on d4 here, the queen foray could be and along the c-file as 16 Be2 Ne4 wins at once: for example, 17 Nxe4 Bxc2+ 18
answered by Nb3! attacking the black queen and forcing an exchange of dark­ Nxc2 Qxa2+ 19 Kc1 Qal mate.
squared bishops which would clarify White's advantage. Thus if the game had So White tried 16 fS when after 16 ...Nbxd3 17 cxd3 Bxd1 18 f6 gxf6 19 exf6 Kh8 20
begun 7 Be3 cxd4 (instead of 7... Be7) 8 Nxd4 BcS 9 Qd2 0-0 10 0-0-0, the queen Rxdl Black should consolidate and win with 20...Nd7. In the game Gurevich
move 10 ... QaS? would be feeble after 1 1 Nb3 Bxe3 12 Qxe3. played 20... Na4?! and later fell for a foul swindle: 21 Nxa4 Qxa4 22 Nf3 Qxg4 23
We can now further appreciate that 7 ...Be7! has won Black time for . . .QaS without NeS QhS 24 ReI Rc7 2S Rgl Qh4?? (he had to play 2S ...Rac8, though it's doubtful
having the queen molested by the white knight. As a result, Black manages to that Black can win as he is in a positional bind) 26 Qc2!! (Diagram 10) and now
build up an attack in effortless style. We'll look at two games after 10 ... QaS. The 26...Rxc2 27 Nxf7 is mate, while 26 ... Rac8 27 Nxf7+ Rxf7 28 Qxc8+ mates. Gurevich

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How to Play Aga i n st 1 e4 The C l a ssica l 4 es Va riation

tried 26...Re7, but resigned after 27 fxe7 Qxe7 28 Nxf7+! as there is a killer check by Losing, but 23 Ne4 Rxf5 leaves White a pawn down and still facing a n attack.
the white queen next move on c3. 23 ... Rf5 24 b4 dXc3! (Diagram 12) 0-1
U ... Rfd8 However he plays, White drops a lot of material, as shown by 25 bxa5 Rxd1 + 26
Over the next half dozen moves Grigoryan brings every black piece to a square Kc2 Rxg5.
where it contributes to the attack on the white king.
14 Rh3 Be8 Game 25
The bishop clears the way for the rook on d8 to support the central thrust ... d4, o A.Shomoev • V.Potkin
which would drive the white knight from its important post on c3, where it de­ E u ropean Cham pionship, Dresden 2007
fends the a2-square and shields c2. White's reply prevents this for the moment.
15 Nd4 Rac8 (Diagram 11) 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 Nf6 4 eS Nfd7 5 f4 c5 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Be3 Be7 8 dXc5 0-0 9 Qd2
Bxc5 10 0-0-0 Qa5 11 Nd4
White decides it is better late than never, and puts his knight on d4 with the posi­
tional threat of 12 Nb3. It meets with a noteworthy response:
11 ... Bxd41 12 Bxd4 Rb8! (Diagram 13)

Diagram 11 (W) Diagram 12 (W)

Black builds up Black wins material

The rook prepares to put pressure on either c3 or c2.

Diagram 13 (W) Diagram 14 (W)
16 Nb3 Nxb3 17 cxb3
Facilitating ...bS The pressure mounts
Horrendous for White is 17 axb3 Nb4 when he must already reckon with an ex­
change sacrifice on c3. NOTE: You might think it odd that Black has exchanged his 'good'
17 ...f6! 18 exf6 Nb4 bishop for the white knight, and if we were talking about steady po­
sitional chess, I would have to agree with you. However, here Black
Here we see another reason for 14 ... Be8: the bishop threatens to enter the battle
with a deadly check on g6. White tries for a counterattack, but the black pieces are
is intending to bulldozer his way through the b-file, and so his main
far better organized for a tactical fight:
enemy was the white knight, not the bishop.
19 fS d4 20 Qg5 Rc7 21 f7+ Rxf7 22 a3 Besides, after the more 'logical' 1 1 . . .Nxd4 12 Bxd4 the dark-squared bishops are
If the knight moves from c3, the a2-pawn drops. likely to be exchanged as well; not an appealing prospect for Black who wants to
keep as many pieces on the board as possible to implement his assault on the
22 ... Nc6 23 fxe6?
white king.

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The C l a s s i c a l 4 eS V a r i a t i o n

13 Kbl bS 14 Ne2 b4 1S Be3 Ba6 16 Nd4 Rfc8 17 Nb3 Qa4 18 g4 TIP: It is noteworthy that the 7 Be7 variation offers Black's light­
•••

squared bishop a useful attacking role should White castle queen­

As usually happens in this variation, White's kingside activity begins far too late
side.
to distract his opponent from his queenside operations.
18 ... Rb7! This bishop is supposed to be Black's 'problem piece', but consider: in the Gure­
vich game, it went to d7 and then a4 to attack c2; in the Grigoryan game it went
Black's rooks can take up attacking positions along the c-file, as the white rooks
from d7 to e8 intending to emerge on g6 to assail c2 after .. .£6; while in the Potkin
have no effective role. It is therefore no wonder that Shomoev finds himself out­
game it went to a6 and then c4 to attack the other vulnerable light square on the
queenside, namely a2. In other words, it proved a 'problem piece' not for Black,
gunned.
19 Bg2 Rbc7 20 Qf2 NaS (Diagram 14) but for the white king!
The power of Black's well-organized pieces contrasts with the meanderings of his
opponent's.
21 Nd4 Rxc2! Case study 3: White takes on (5 but avoids 0-0-0
Black's heavy pressure culminates in a sacrificial breakthrough which exploits the
weakness of both the a2- and c2-squares.
Game 26
22 Nxc2 Bc4 23 b3 Bxb3!
o A.Shomoev • A.Riazantsev
Stripping away all the white king's pawn cover.
Moscow 2007
24 axb3 Qxb3+ 25 Kcl Qa2 (Diagram 15)
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 es Nfd7 5 f4 cS 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Be3 Be7 8 dxcS 0-0 9 Be2
We may talk about the value of general principles such as 'bring your pieces out
rapidly and centralize them', but there is no escaping from the fact that vague de­
veloping moves often lead to defeat.
9 Bxcs 10 Qd2
•••

White feels obliged to lose time with his queen as after 10 BxcS NxcS ll 0-0, 'com­
pleting his development', Black has 1 1 ...Qb6! with the double threat of 12 ... Qxb2
and discovered check.
10 Bxe3 11 Qxe3 f6! (Diagram 16)
.••

Apart from the almost universal ... cS, this is Black's most typical pawn stab in the
standard French pawn centre. It eliminates the white pawn on eS and so allows
the black knight to return to f6, which is its best square. At the same time the rook
on f8 is granted a semi-open file along which it can attack f4. And to crown it all
the black centre is freed to advance with the 'explosive' ...eS.
Diagram 15 (W) Diagram 16 (W)
White has no wish to be left with an isolated pawn on eS, and so takes on f6:
There's no defence A typical undermining break
12 exf6 Nxf6
Now White is obliged to waste more time as 13 O-O? drops a piece to 13 ... d4, while
Threatening 26 ... Nb3 mate and clearing the way for the advance of the b-pawn.
13 0-0-0 loses a pawn to 13 ... Ng4 14 Qg1 (avoiding a fork on f2) 14 ... Rxf4. The
26 Rd3 b3 27 Kdl bxc2+ 28 Kcl Qal+ 29 Kd2 Qxhl 30 Ke2 white king is therefore obliged to stay longer in the centre than is good for its
After 30 Bxh1 c1Q 31 Ke2 Qxh1 Black has regained his material investment with a health.
piece and two pawns as interest.
13 Nd4
30 C1Q O-l
..•

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H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The C l a s s i ca l 4 e s Va riat i o n

Even so, if White is allowed just one move to consolidate, say with 13 ...Qb6 14 defence o f e2) 22 Qd7 Qe2+ 2 3 Kc1 d 3 and the mate threat on c2 decides the game.
0-0-0, he will have a promising game. Here we would see the drawback to .. .£6: the 20 ... Bh5 21 Rei Rd8 22 Kc2 Bg6+ 23 Kcl Qa4 24 b3 Qa3+ 0-1
e6-pawn and the eS-square in front of it are weak. This weakness is made worse It is bedlam after 2S Nb2 d3 and 26 ... d2+, while 2S Kd2 dxc3+ 26 Kxc3 QcS+ 27 Kh2
by the fact that Black doesn't have a dark-squared bishop: in the 3... Nf6 Tarrasch Rd2 is mate.
Defence he normally has a bishop sitting on d6 to guard eS.
Therefore it is imperative that Black exploits the latent dynamism in his set-up
before White has the chance to castle queenside. Case study 4: White wises u p, avoids dxcS and plays 0-0
13 ... e5! 14 fxe5 Ng4 15 Bxg4 Bxg4 (Diagram 17)
After all the excitement of hounding the white king in the earlier games it is some­
thing of an anticlimax to see it tucked away on the gl-square. However, that is
what happens when White plays with a sensible lack of ambition in the following
game. Nevertheless, Black still comes out on top after winning the positional
struggle in the centre.

Carne 2 7
o Wang Li • E.Gleizerov
Dubai 2008

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 f4 c5 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Be3 Be7 8 Qd2 0-0 9 Be2 a6
10 0-0 (Diagram 18)
Here Gleizerov has no wish to hand over the d4-square to the white knight with
1O ... cxd4 1 1 Nxd4 - if the square is going to be opened up, he wants his opponent
Diagram 17 (W) Diagram 18 (B) to spend a tempo on dxcS. Instead he chooses a plan of queenside expansion,
which if allowed will culminate in the moves ...bS-b4 and ... as, driving the white
White can't castle! Prudent play by White
knight from c3 and clearing the way for his light-squared bishop to challenge its
opposite number with ...Ba6.
A very unpleasant turn of events for the white king. Black's sacrifice has freed his 10 ... b5 11 a31
light-squared bishop, which now prevents White from castling queenside or
Alas this useful preventive move ends Black's interest in further advances on the
bringing his rook to the centre with Rd1 to support the knight on d4. In addition,
queenside, as 1 1 . . .b4 12 axb4 cxb4 deprives him of pressure against d4, while the
the pawn offer has opened the f-file, stopping White from castling kingside.
recapture 12 ...Nxb4 leaves the a6-pawn isolated. Still, 1O ...bS remains a very useful
The threat of 16 ...Qb6, pinning and winning the knight on d4, provokes an ex­ move even if it doesn't lead to a pawn rush: the b7-square is now available for the
change of knights on c6, after which the remaining white knight must flee from black bishop, and his queen can't be harassed by 12 Na4 after his next move.
the 17 ... d4 advance. The upshot is that the white pieces are either in retreat from
11 ...Qb6
their central positions or stuck out of the action on al and hI . White's king can
only watch in alarm as his pieces lose all coordination: Gleizerov reverts to the idea of attacking the d4-point which he began with S ... c5.

16 Nxc6 bxc6 17 Nd1 d4 18 Qg3 Qa5+! 12 dXc5

Black forces White's reply after which the opening of the d-file becomes inevita­ Rather too compliant. After 12 Kh1 Bb7 13 Bgl White can prepare the f4-f5 ad­
ble. vance to attack on the kingside. Therefore it would be a good moment for Black to
capture on d4 after all and simplify the position: 13 ... cxd4 14 Nxd4 Nxd4 IS Bxd4
19 c3 Rae8! 20 Kd2
BcS (Diagram 19) 16 Bxc5 NxcS 17 Radl Ne4 18 Nxe4 dxe4 19 Qd4 Qc7! (counterat­
Alternatively, 20 Qxg4 Qxe5+ 21 Kd2 Rf4! (forcing the white queen away from the tacking against c2; it's very important that Black avoids 19 ... Qxd4? 20 Rxd4, when

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H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e C l a s s i c a l 4 eS Va r i a t i o n

he has no activity and White controls the d-file) 20 c3 Rfd8 21 Qe3 h6 and Black
held the balance in D.Sadvakasov-Ni Hua, Moscow 2007. The e4-pawn isn't hard
to defend and if White loses control of the position, it could become a strong
passed pawn.
12 Bxes 13 Bxes NxeS 14 Khl d4! (Diagram 20)
•••

Diagram 21 (W) Diagram 2 2 (B)

A fine outpost White intends f2-f4 and c2-c3

White Plays 5 Nce2

Diagram 19 (W) Diagram 20 (W)
Black equalizes An ideal advance White builds a wa l l of pawns, but will it come tumbling
down?
This pawn advance prevents White from consolidating his hold over the d4-
square with 15 Radl and 16 Nd4, when he would have a good game. Of course,
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Ne3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 Nee2 (Diagram 22)
the pawn can't be captured because 15 Nxd4? Rd8 costs the knight.
No black piece is more pleased by this tum of events that the light-squared
bishop, which faced a secluded life if White had been able to establish a knight on
the d4-square blockading the d5-pawn, but now has a beautiful diagonal awaiting
it on b7.
15 Ndl Rd8
Having gained possession of the d4-square, Black has won the opening battle. Gle­
izerov went on to win the tactical battle on move 44. The remaining moves of the
game were:
16 Nf2 Ne7 17 b4 Na4 18 Bd3 NfS 19 Ne4 Bb7 20 Qf2 Nb2 21 Nes Nxd3 22 exd3 a s
23 Nb3 axb4 24 axb4 Ra4 25 Nes Rxb4 26 Rfel Ne3 (Diagram 21) 27 Qh4 NfS 28
Qxd8+ Qxd8 29 Nxb7 Qb8 30 Nd6 Ne7 31 NgS Ra4 32 Rabl b4 33 Re4 Qa8 34 h3 h6
35 Nf3 Qas 36 Nb7 Qa7 37 Nd6 NdS 38 fS Ral 39 Rxal Qxal+ 40 Kh2 exfS 41 Rxd4
Ne3 42 Rxb4 Qa2 43 Nh4 Qf2 44 Ne8 Ng4+ 0-1
Diagram 23 (W) Diagram 24 (W)
Black must challenge White's centre Wisely preventing b2-b4

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H ow to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e4 The C l a ss i c a l 4 eS V a r i a t i o n

Here White decides to remove the knight from c3 at once, allowing c2-c3 to be 9,..a5! (Diagram 24)
played in response to ... c5. In this way he keeps a pawn on d4 and builds a central Black prevents the aforementioned 10 b4.
structure, including the move f2-f4, that restricts the black pieces in the style of the 10 g3?
Advance Variation. On the other hand, the big centre can prove unwieldy and
We have reached a key position. Other moves are 10 h4, considered further below
vulnerable, as White has neglected his development in order to establish it.
in this first scenario, and 10 Negl and 10 Ng3, which are examined in our second
Nonetheless, this method of play for White has been adopted by some great play­ scenario section.
ers and certainly shouldn't be underestimated.
Schematically speaking, 10 g3 should be a good move: an outlet is made for the
NOTE: There are two distinct move orders that reach our standard bishop to go to h3, where it supports a future f4-f5 advance. Black is also appar­
position at move eight. After 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 ently being deterred from playing ... f6, as e6 will become vulnerable to Bh3 and
there is either (i) 5 Nce2 c5 6 f4 Nc6 7 c3 Be7 8 Nf3 0-0 or (ii) 5 f4 c5 6 Bxe6+.

Nf3 Nc6 7 Ne2 Be7 8 c3 0-0 (Diagram 23) . NOTE: Unfortunately for White the dynamics of the position seem to
indicate that Black can play ...f6 anyway, and achieve at least good
Scenario 1: Black attacks the centre with .. . f6 after inferior practical chances.
play by White
10...cxd4
As we said above, White is taking a considerable liberty with his development in As Black intends to cut down the white centre, this is a good preliminary move.
playing 5 Nce2, as he moves the knight a second time and shuts in the bishop on Now 11 Nexd4 Nc5 would be at least a moral victory for Black and perhaps a real
f1. Therefore he is likely to face a swift and deadly punishment if he is guilty of one, as he can build up comfortably with moves like ...Bd7 and ... a5-a4, always
any reckless or overoptimistic act in the early middlegame. And the means of keeping in mind that the ...f6 move might become attractive.
punishment is often the move ... f6!, which cuts like a knife into the white centre. 11 cxd4 f6! (Diagram 25 )

Came 28
D D.Baramidze • M.Prusikin
German Cham pionship, Koen igshofen 2007

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 Nce2 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 f4

The battle lines have taken shape: Black is putting typical pressure on d4, while
White has achieved f2-f4 on the kingside. You may recall that in the Advance
chapter we said that White should try to engineer f4-f5, to put another pawn
alongside his furthest advanced pawn on e5; here he has already got in the first
stage of that plan.
7,..Be7!
Black got good positions with 7...Be7 in the first half of this chapter and we're go­
ing to keep faith with it here. It strikes me as being more flexible than 7...Qb6,
which is also often played.
Diagram 25 (W) Diagram 26 (B)
A key pawn break Very greedy and risky play
8 Nf3 0-0 9 a3
Hoping to encroach on even more space with his pawns by advancing 10 b4. At
the same time White takes away b4 from the black pieces: it may well prove im­ At first glance you might imagine that 10 g3 has strengthened the white pawns, as
portant to have stopped ... Bb4, giving check, or ... Nb4 if the centre opens up. f4 is further bolstered. However, it is more to the point that the knight on f3 is left

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H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e C l a s s i c a l 4 e 5 Va r i a t i o n

undefended, so that if Black plays ... fxe5 White can't recapture with the f-pawn as might consolidate with 20 Kg2, when he threatens to win the knight on d3 with 21
...Rxf3 follows. That means that he feels obliged to recapture with the d-pawn, Rdl, but Black's reply gives him no such breathing space .
which is an antipositional move that weakens his grip on the centre and in par­ 19 Ndxes! (Diagram 27)
•..

ticular allows the black queen to take up a fine post where she prevents White
from castling.
12 Bh3
After 12 Bg2 fxe5 White has to make an unappetising choice between 13 dxe5,
when after 13 ...Qb6 14 Ned4 Nc5 Black has an active game with moves like ... Bd7
and ...Ne4 to follow, and 13 fxe5 Qb6! which stops him castling as 14 O-O? Ndxe5!
costs a pawn.

NOTE: A trick of the type 14 O-O? Ndxes! often appears when Blaek
has played Qb6 in this set-up. Keep an eye put for it in your own
•••

games!
12 fxes 13 dxes
•••

Black also has the initiative after 13 Bxe6+ KhB 14 Bxd5 Nxd4: for example, 15
Nexd4 exd4 16 Nxd4 Nf6 17 Bf3 ReB! and White is in great peril as IB 0-0 loses the
knight to IB...Bc5. Diagram 27 (W) Diagram 28 (W)
13 Qb6!
•••
Black emerges well on top A powerful sacrifice
The critical move. Black is prepared to offer the lives of both his e-pawn and d­
pawn in order to strike at White before he has the chance to castle. Winning a key pawn as 20 fxe5 Qdl+ 21 Nel (else either hI or e2 drops) 21 .. .RfB 22
14 Bxe6+ g4 g6 and 23. . .gxf5 gives Black an overwhelming attack.
The pawns White snatches are by no means a free lunch. The disappearance of e6 In the remainder of the game White's position was gradually worn down:20 Kg2
means that the hitherto pitiful black bishop on cB, which had very little scope, is Nxf3 21 Kxf3 QdS+ 22 Be4 QhS+ 23 g4 Qh3+ 24 Ng3 Nd4+ 2S Kf2 Qxg4 26 Be3 Bh4
either going to end up exchanged for White's own beautifully mobile bishop or 27 Rae1 NfS 28 BxfS QxfS 29 Re2 Qh3 30 Rg1 Qxh2+ 31 Kf3 Qh3 32 Bf2 hS 33 ReS
become a very active piece itself. Furthermore, the black rook on fB, which was Qg4+ 34 Kg2 Bxg3 3S Bxg3 h4 36 Rgs Qe2+ 37 Bf2 Re8 38 Re1 Qxb2 39 Kg1 Re1 0-1
more or less entombed, is going to be presented with the open d-file. Thus captur­
ing the pawns will tum a couple of ugly ducklings into swans with very sharp
beaks. Black's centre-busting ... NxeS! sacrifice
The alternative 14 Nc3 is considered after this game.
Returning to the position after 13 ... Qb6 in the game above, here's what might
14 Kh8 lS QxdS (Diagram 26)
•.•
happen if White turns down the pawn offer with 14 Nc3: 14 . . .NdxeS! 15 fxeS Nxe5
After 15 Bxd7 Bxd7 Black's bishop can go to either g4 or h3 to aid the attack, while (Diagram 28) and now White must avoid 16 Nxe5? Qf2 mate. Somewhat better is
after 15 Bxd5 Nc5 16 Be3 RdB White's bishop on dS finds itself in a highly un­ 16 Bg2 when there is no immediate win for Black, but the white king is trapped in
pleasant pin. the centre. Moreover, despite his extra piece White is too disorganized to fight off
ls NeS 16 Bxe8 Rd8! 17 Qxd8+
••• the attack from the active black pieces, which can if necessary be boosted by the
There is no choice, as IB Qc4 Nd3+ gives White the choice between losing the advance of the central pawns. In the following game it didn't even come to that:
queen after 19 Kdl Nxb2+ or the king with 19 Kfl Qf2 mate. 16 ... Bd7 17 Rfl Nc4 1B RbI Bf6 19 Qd3 RacB 20 NgS Bxg5 21 Bxg5 Rxfl+ 22 Bxfl
RfB 23 Qe2 RfS 24 Bf4 gS! 25 NxdS (desperation, as 25 Bel ReS wins the queen,
17 ...Qxd8 18 BfS Nd3+ 19 Kf1
while after 25 BbB RfB! Black can pocket the bishop as in the game) 25 ... exd5 26
The material count is by no means hopeless for White. Indeed, given time he BbB RfB and 0-1 was the course of V.Bologan-M.Gurevich, Cap d' Agde 2002.

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e C l a s s i c a l 4 eS Va r i a t i o n

o
Returning to the position at move 10, another rather dubious move is 10 h4?!. NOTE: It is beyond the ability of most Grandmasters to calculate
Once again Black can prepare a forceful counter-action in the centre with 1O .. .f6! their way through all these complications. I suspect that Ivanchuk
(Diagram 29), which seems more accurate than the preliminary 1O ... cxd4 as that trusted in his intuition when he made the initial piece sacrifice. And
gives White the chance to bail out with 11 Nexd4 before we get the chance to play why not? It would have been strange indeed if White's scattered
...b6 and ... Ba6. Following 10 ...f6 11 Rh3 b6! and 12 ...Ba6 Black activates his light­ forces had been able to successfully defend their king .
squared bishop with good counterplay. He is actually a tempo up on well-known
By showing you this game and Gurevich's effort above, I hope I've helped you to
theory where he goes 7...Qb6 and then has to move his queen again to clear the
develop a similar intuitive feel for the ... Nxe5 sacrifice.
way for ... b6 and ... Ba6.

Scena rio 2: Black blocks the centre with ... fS after correct
play by White

Black doesn't always have as much fun as in our last scenario. In general, white
players look after their king and avoid having him stripped bare in the wide open.
Returning to the position again after 9 ... a5 (Diagram 31),

Diagram 29 (W) Diagram 30 (W)

The key break again Fabulous compensation once more

After 1O .. .f6 White has also tried 11 Neg1?, a slow move that got crushed in the
style of the Bologan-Gurevich game, above: 1� ... cxd4 12 cxd4 Qb6 13 Bd3 fxe5 14
fxeS NdxeS! (a familiar sacrifice to gain two mobile centre pawns and open lines
against the white king which is stranded in the centre) 15 dxe5 Nxe5 16 Bc2 Bd7 17
Qe2 Rac8 (Diagram 30) and the black pieces closed in for the kill. If now 18 Nxe5
Diagram 31 (W) Diagram 32 (W)
there follows 18 ... Bxh4+! with a gruesome choice for White:
White must be careful Ruling out any Greek gifts
a) 19 Kd1 Ba4!! (a brilliant move that deflects White's bishop to a4 where it can be
captured with check) 20 Bxa4 Qd4+ 21 Nd3 Qxa4+ 22 Kd2 Rc2+ and Black soon
mates. we should consider the more sensible choices 10 Neg1 and 10 Ng3.
b) 19 Rxh4 Rxc2! 20 Qxc2 Qxg1+ 21 Kd2 Rf2+ 22 Kc3 d4+ 23 Kb3 a4+ 24 Ka2 Rxc2 Perhaps at first glance they don't seem very sensible, as White is moving his
and wins. knight yet again - and in the case of 10 Neg1 he has made a most remarkable ma­
In the game White preferred 18 Bxh7+ but to no avail: 18 ... Kxh7 19 Qxe5 Bd6 20 noeuvre with his queen's knight: Nc3-e2-g1, putting it on the starting square of his
Be3 Qb3 21 Nd2 (or 21 Qxd6 Qxe3+ 22 Ne2 Rc2) 21.. .Rf1+! (Black sets up a check to other knight! On the other hand, both knight moves are positionally well based as
move his own queen to safety before pocketing his opponent's queen) 22 Kxfl they clear the way for Bd3, finally developing the bishop from f1 . And unlike 10
Qd3+ 23 Kf2 Bxe5 24 Ngf3 Bxb2 25 Rab1 Rc2 26 Rhd1 e5 27 g3 Bg4 and 0-1 in g3 or 10 h4 they don't gratuitously create any weaknesses in White's pawn struc­
B.Macieja-V.lvanchuk, Moscow 2001 . ture.

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4
The Cl assical 4 eS Va riation

Therefore Black should reject the idea of trying to punish these moves with .. .£6, NgS BxgS 24 RxgS Qh6 2S Rg4! and Black has no answer to the double threat of 26
and instead think about strengthening his defences against the Bd3 move with Rh4 or 26 fS. A better try is to answer 20 g4 with 20 ... g6, but White certainly has
.. .£S. the better of it after, say, 21 NgS BxgS 22 fxgS fxg4 23 Rxg4 when she can continue
her attacking build-up as Black can do nothing meaningful on the f-file: for exam­
ple, 23 ... Rf3 24 Bd1 RfS 2S Ne2 and the white pieces converge on the kingside.
Game 29
o E.Paehtz • Peng Zhaoqin
E kateri nburg 2006

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 NC3 Nf6 4 eS Nfd7 5 f4 cS 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Ne2 Be7 8 c3 0-0 9 a3 as 10

Negl
Rather paradoxically, putting the knight back on gl is the first stage in Paehtz's
plan of mobilizing her kingside pieces.
10... cxd4 11 cxd4 Nb6
As will be seen, this knight will support its brother-in-arms in a campaign of light­
square domination on the queenside with ... as-a4, ...NaS and ... Nac4.
12 Bd3 f51 (Diagram 32)
Black does best to fix the kingside and block out the white bishop's attack on h7.
13 Ne2
Diagram 33 (W) Diagram 34 (W)
The oppressive restriction that the eS-pawn exerts on the black pieces is lifted after
White should break with g2-g4 No way through on the kingside
13 exf6 Bxf6 - compare this position with the following game.
13 ...a4 14 Nc3 Bd7 15 0-0 Nas 16 Bc2
20 ...Qd81
Stopping 16 ... Nb3. Both players have gone about their business: Black has estab­
lished a semi-bind on the queenside, whereas White has developed with a view to Given a respite, Black takes the chance to manoeuvre her bishop over to the king­
an eventual g2-g4 advance, aiming to break through on the kingside. side after all.
21 g4 Be81
The pawn has to be maintained on £S if at all possible. Instead 21...£xg4 would be a
o
NOTE: Here I think Peng Zhaoqin should have anticipated her oppo­
nent's plan with 16 Nac4, saving the a4-pawn from capture, fol­
•.•
strategic mistake as White's bishop on d3 is granted a powerful attacking diago­
lowed by a bishop manoeuvre to the kingside with 17 ... Be8 intend-
nal.
ing ...Bg6 (or possibly BhS).
•..

22 gxfs exfs
By putting the bishop on g6, Black would bolster her defence both of the fS-pawn
Note that White's eS-pawn is strong because it takes away the d6- and f6-squares
and along the g-file, although after 17 ...Be8, a further preparatory move with
from the black pieces, and blocks the e-file which Black might otherwise use for
counterplay to offset the attack down the g-file. On the other hand, the fact that
18 ... Qd7 would be necessary to secure the defence of the a4-pawn before moving
away the bishop to the kingside.
the pawn is a passed pawn isn't one of its strengths, or at least not in this middle­
16... Qe8?1 17 Khl Nac4 18 Rgl game struggle.
White builds up towards g2-g4. I hope you can see why it would be nice for Black 23 NgS BhS 24 Qg3 Bxgs 25 fxgS Qe8
to have a bishop on h5 or g6 here.
Black had an interesting resource in 2S ...Nxe5!? when 26 Qxe5? Bf3+ 27 Rg2 f4!
18 ... Rc8 19 Qel Kh8 (Diagram 33) 20 Rbl supplies a strong initiative; the white queen's retreat back to g3 is cut off and there
White should strike at once with 20 g4 when she gets a winning attack if Black is a threat of 28 ...Re8 aiming for 29 ... Re1+. However, 26 dxe5 d4 27 g6! is far from
tries to bring her queen into the action: 20 .. .£xg4?! 21 Rxg4 Qh5?! 22 Qg3 Rf7 23

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The C lassical 4 e S Variation

clear (if 27...Bxg6 then 28 Rdl pins d4). centre, and giving the black pieces room to manoeuvre.

26 Bf4 Qe6 27 Rg2 g6 (Diagram 34) 12 Bxf61?

•.•

With all lines shut on the kingside, White is deprived of her natural plan of attack. An interesting recapture, although the normal 12 ... Nxf6 doesn't seem bad either.

28 Bd3 Na8 13 Be3

Peng Zhaoqin has succeeded in instigating a light-square blockade on the kingside White is unable to play 13 Bd3 because Black can simplify to a favourable position
to match that on the queenside. Now she wants to do the same in the centre with with 1 3 ... Nxd4 14 Nxd4 Bxd4 15 Bxh7+ Kxh7 16 Qxd4 Qb6!.
... Nc7 and ... Ne6, putting the knight on its ideal square. Paehtz hastens to prevent 13 ...Qb6 (Diagram 36)
this, hoping to achieve something by utilizing the e5-square for her dark-squared
bishop and advancing her passed pawn. Nonetheless, Black's light-square domi­
nance proves the decisive factor.
29 e6 Rfe8 30 Bxe4 Qxe4 31 Re1 Kg8 32 Qe3 Nb6 33 Re2 Qe6 34 Ne4 fxe4
Black should take the rook: 34... Qxc2 35 Nf6+ Kg7 36 Be5 Rxe6 37 NxhS+ Kg8 38
Nf6+ and here she can force a winning endgame with 38 ... Rxf6! 39 Bxf6 Qe4+ 40
Qxe4 (or 40 Kgl Rc2) 40 ... dxe4 followed by 41...NdS, with a crushing positional
advantage due to the passed pawns and the light-square bind. Naturally it's much
easier to deduce this calmly sitting here drinking tea and consulting a computer.
Peng Zhaoqin instead decides to play it safe with a positional queen sacrifice to
reach a position she can hardly lose.
35 Rxe6 Rxe6 36 Re1 Ne4 37 Qg3 Rexe6 38 Rxe4 dxe4 39 d5 Rb6 40 Be5 0-1
White is still worse after the mutual blunders in time pressure, but can fight on.
Perhaps she lost on time here.
Diagram 35 (B) Diagram 36 (W)
Came 30 The other square for White's knight Black begins his counterplay
o Ni Hua • Yu Shaoteng
Wuxi 2006 Attacking the b2-pawn and so cajoling the white queen to a square where she will
be presented with an unwelcome offer to be swapped off.
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Ne3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 Nee2 e5 6 f4 Ne6 7 e3 Be7 8 Nf3 0-0 9 a3 as
14 Qd2 a4 15 Re1 Qa5 16 Re3
10 Ng3 (Diagram 35)
White disdains 16 QxaS NxaS when Black can unwind with ...Nb6 and ... Bd7,
Here I think the idea of ...f5 is particularly appropriate for Black.
looking to exploit the b3- or c4-squares with his knight. Instead he wants to attack,
10...exd4 11 exd4 f5 even at the cost of the exchange.
I should point out that Black actually played 1 1 . . .f6 in this game, which after 12 16 ... Na7 17 Qd3
exf6 amounted to the same thing. I prefer 1 1 . ..£5, as it gives White fewer options if
The calmer course was 17 Bd3 Nb5 18 Rc2.
he decides against taking on f6, but I won't mind too much if you disagree with
me on this. 17 ... Nb6 18 Qe2 Nb5 19 Bd2
H now 12 Bd3, keeping the centre blocked, White's knight on g3 gets in the way of
Thanks to his skilful manoeuvring Black would have a grip on the light squares
after 19 BxbS Qxb5.
his natural plan of g2-g4. So an obvious riposte is to capture on f6, in order to keep
open the bl-h7 diagonal for the white bishop. 19 ... Nxe3 20 Bxe3 Qa7 21 Bd3
12 exf6 White hopes to justify his sacrifice on the basis that the black queen is shut away
and can't help defend her king. Of course, we don't have to believe him.
The drawback to this exchange is that White is relinquishing his iron grip on the

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e C l a s s i c a l 4 eS Va r i a t i o n

21 h6 22 Bh7+ Kh8 23 h4 NC4 24 Qd3 (Diagram 37)

•••
Firstly, 5 Nf3 transposes to 1 e4 e6 2 Nf3 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 d4, which is
examined in Chapter Eight. The other move is somewhat more bizarre-looking:
5 Qh51? (Diagram 38)
In English chess circles this is known as the 'Haldane Hack' in honour of the crea­
tive amateur player Robin Haldane who has done much to popularize it. Black
has gone to a lot of trouble to block any possible attack on f7 with 1. ..e6 and 2... d5,
so it is rather annoying that White is still able to target the pawn. And even more
mortifying for Black is the fact that the roof quickly collapses on him if he in­
dulges in some natural but careless moves. For example, here is what happened in
A.Damia-K.Rakay, Stare Mesto 2006:
5 cS 6 Nf3 Nc6?
•••

Just the automatic move that White was hoping for, as now the defence of f7 be­
comes a nightmare for Black:
7 NgSI g6 8 Qf3 Qe7 9 NbSI (Diagram 39)

Diagram 37 (B) Diagram 38 (B)

There shouldn't be enough compensation The Haldane Hack

24 Nd6?
•••

This weakens the e5-square and allows the knight to be pinned. Instead I don't see
anything adequate for White after 24 ... Bd7, although he can still try to terrorize his
opponent with a move like 25 Ng5!?
25 Bb4 Qa6 26 Nes Bxes
After 26 ...Qxd3? White even wins because of the pin on d6: 27 Bxd3 Rd8 (or
27...Be7 28 Ng6+) 28 Bxd6 Rxd6 29 Nf7+ and 30 Nxd6.
27 dxes NfS 28 BxfS RxfS 29 Qxa6 Rxa6 30 NxfS exf5 Vz-Vz
White even has a minuscule edge in the endgame, but the opposite-coloured bish­
ops make it a draw. Diagram 39 (B) Diagram 40 (W)
White's knights are rather effective Black should be better with care

Early Deviations Cannon to the left, cannon to the right... There is no way to prevent the knight
from invading on either c7 or d6.
1 e4 e 6 2 d 4 dS 3 NC3 Nf6 9... Nxd4 10 Nd6+ Kd8
Here White usually chooses either to advance his e-pawn or to develop his dark­ Of course, if 10 ... Qxd6 then 11 Qxf7+ followed by taking the queen.
squared bishop, but he can also exchange on d5, as we will see in the final sub­ 11 Ngxf7+ Kc7 12 Qc3! NxeS
section of this chapter.
A despairing bid to escape from the bind, as if Black saves the rook with 12 ... Rg8
4 eS Nfd7 then 13 Bg5 leaves the queen with nowhere to run. Perhaps the best chance is
As well as 5 f4 and 5 Nce2, two other moves should be mentioned for White. 12 ... Bg7, but after 13 Bg5 Qf8 14 f4! Black remains in a stranglehold.

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e C l a s s i c a l 4 e 5 Va r i a t i o n

13 Bg5 Qd7 14 Nxe5 Qxd6 15 Nf7 Qd7 16 Bd8+ 1-0 This recapture opens the diagonal for the bishop o n c8, keeps the space balance in
the centre and leaves White with a rather ineffective knight on c3.
Black resigned in view of 16 ... Kb8 17 Qg3+ or 16 . . . Kc6 17 Ne5+.
Nevertheless those of you who want to take the opponent out of a familiar set-up
might like to consider the little-known 4 ... Nxd5 when after 5 Nxd5 exd5 there is
One year later the winner of this game tried his luck again. His opponent, a Span­ no Bg5 pin. Or you might like to answer 5 Nxd5 with 5 . . . Qxd5! ? In that way Black
ish 1M, played the critical line, which involves Black grabbing the e5-pawn: spurns the offer of a fair share of the centre in order to keep more tension in the
5 ... c5 6 Nf3 cxd4 pawn structure, and hopes that this will set his opponent more problems.

Much better than 6 ... Nc6? Actually Garcia Roman played 6 ... g6 7 Qg4 cxd4, but I
prefer the move order given here as White might be able to answer 6 ... g6 with 7
Qg5!?

7 Nxd4 g6 8 Qg4 Nxe5 9 Qg3 Bg7 (Diagram 40) 10 Bf4

Black has an extra centre pawn but has to be wary of White's initiative.

11... Nbc6 11 Nxc6 Nxc6

In A .Damia-D.Garcia Roman, Andorra 2007, Black consolidated and won after 12
Bd6 a6 (a sensible move to take away the b5-square from the white pieces; how­
ever, I rather like 12 ... Qa5!? so that if White castles queenside there is an option of
. . . Bxc3, breaking up his king's defences) 13 0-0-0 Ne7 14 Ba3 0-0 etc.
An important alternative is 12 Bc7, but I think that Black can get the advantage
with some sharp play: 12 ... Qf6 13 Bd6 Ne7 14 Bd3 (after 14 Bb5+ Bd7 15 Bxd7+
Kxd7 Black king's is safe behind his pawns and the threat is 16 . . .Nf5, winning the
white bishop) 14 . . . 0-0 15 f4 and Black is menaced by 16 Be5, but 15 ... Nf5 16 Bxf5
Diagram 41 (W) Diagram 42 (W)
Rd8! (saving the exchange) 17 Bc7 Rd7 100ks good for Black who is sure to regain
Solid play from White Black is already for choice
his piece.

5 Bg5 Be7 6 Nf3 0-0 7 Be2

The French Excha nge via a Cl assical move order More natural was 7 Bd3 to fight for the e4-square, but then 7... Bg4 8 0-0 Nc6 is al­
ready at least equal for Black, who threatens to capture on d4.

Game 31 7 Re8
•••

o S.Stange _ V.Malakhatko A rather routine move that gives White the chance to set up a bind. Instead Black
might have prepared his own Morphy plan with 7 . . . Be6 when both 8 Ne5 Ne4!
Vlissingen 2005
and 8 0-0 Ne4! give him an active game.

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 Nf6 4 exd5 8 Ne5 c6

Another slow move. He still had 8 . . .Be6 with ideas of 9 ... Ne4.
A final possibility is 4 Bd3, when 4 . . . c5 hitting the undefended d4-point is the best
response. Then 5 Nf3 c4!? 6 Be2 Bb4 7 exd5 exd5 8 Bd2 0-0 already looks good for 9 0-0 Nbd7 10 Khl?
Black, while after 5 exd5 exd5 6 dxc5 (or 6 Bg5 Be6) 6 ... Bxc5 we have a comfortable If you have played through the Morphy games in Chapter Two, you'll be aware
IQP position in which White has played the 'second best' Nc3 and Bd3 moves that White should support his knight with lO f4! . If then lO ... Qb6 White has 1 1
(rather than Bb5 and Nd2 followed by Nb3). Black had few problems after 7 N£3 Rbl. As you can see I'm not a s generous with my b2-pawn a s Morphy i n his game
0-0 8 0-0 h6 9 h3 Nc6 10 a3 Re8 in N.Skare-G.Mohr, Sibenik 2007. with Lowenthal!
4...exd 5 (Diagram 41) Now, though, there comes a centre liquidation that completely frees Black's game

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The C l assical 4 eS Variation

and gives him the better position. One o f the drawbacks to weak pawns i s that the necessity o f defending them re­
duces the power of the other pieces. Here the white queen has to submit to being
10 Nxes 11 dxes Nd7 12 Bxe7 Qxe7 13 f4 f6! (Diagram 42)
•.•

dominated by her enemy counterpart in order to guard b2 and f4. Malakhatko

White is forced to exchange off his pawn spearhead on e5 after which Black has exploits this to a maximum.
pressure down the e-file.
20 Bd7 21 a3 Qb6 22 Ndl Bg4 23 Ne3 Qd4 24 Nfl
•••

14 exf6 Nxf6
The only chance was 24 f5, though the pawn would remain in jeopardy.
Imagine a parallel universe in which White had played 10 f4 rather than 10 KhI. If
24 Bd7 2S h3 NhS 26 Qdl
•••
the game had progressed in the same way, he would have been able to recapture
£XeS, when his rook on f1 enjoys a semi-open file with a target on £7. As a conse­ If now 26 f5 then 26 ...Nf4, planning to take on d3 and then f5, is horrible for White.
quence, the move .. .£6 would have been more risky for Black; at worst for White, 26 g6 27 g3
..•

he would have maintained a centre pawn on d4 rather than be left with a stump At last White feels obliged to defend f4 with his g-pawn, resulting in an immedi­
on f4. ate collapse of his kingside.
lS Qd2 Bd7 16 Rael Qb4! 27 ...Qf2 (Diagram 44) 28 fS Nxg3+ 29 Nxg3 Qxg3 30 Qfl Kg7 31 b3 cS 32 a4 b6 33
The black queen takes a good look at b2 and f4, the two vulnerable pawns in Qal+ d4 34 Qfl Bc6+ 0-1
White's camp. The pawn on f4 could (and probably should) be defended with g3
at some point, but Stange is reluctant to weaken any further his king's defences.
Black had an impressive-looking queenside pawn majority, but he never needed
17 Bd3 Rxel 18 Rxel Re8 19 Rxe8+ Bxe8 (Diagram 43) to utilize it. The fragility of White's pawns was enough to win him the game. After
a slightly hesitant start, this was a model game for Black in the Exchange Varia­
tion. Malakhatko played forceful yet patient chess; he didn't fear exchanges, but
used them to increase his advantage.

Game 32
o A.Sorokina • E.Sedina
Athens 2005

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 NC3 Nf6 4 exds exds 5 Bgs Be7 6 Qd2

White plans to castle queenside, when after several pawns are pushed one of the
kings is liable to be mated.
6 h6!
•.•

This pawn push is somewhat surprising as Black voluntarily creates a potential

Diagram 43 (W) target on h6. On the other hand, 'putting the question' to the bishop (to borrow
Diagram 44 (W)
Nimzowitsch's phrase) leaves White in a dilemma. For if the bishop goes to h4, to
The exchanges haven't helped White White's kingside collapses
maintain contact with f6, it is further away from events in the centre or on the
queenside, while if it retreats back to f4, as in the game, it no longer 'bites' at the
Normally the double exchange of rooks along the e-file would be unwelcome to black knight.
an ambitious player of Black (and here GM Malakhatko is rated exactly 400 Elo 7 Bf4
An ancient game J.Mieses-S.Levitsky, Breslau 1912, went 7 Bh4 Bf5 8 Bd3 Bxd3 9
points above his opponent) . However, the looseness of White's pawn structure
gives Black plenty of scope to grind out a win; in fact the exchange of pieces actu­
Qxd3 Nc6 10 Nge2 (one of the drawbacks to the bishop being on h4 is that the
ally helps him by lessening the number of defenders.
plan of Ng3 by White, aiming at the f5-square, would allow the poor cleric to be
20 QCl smothered by ... g5) 10 ... Qd7 (Diagram 4S).

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e C l a ss i c a l 4 e S Va r i a t i o n

Here we have more Is and Os than on a computer chip after 1 1 0-0 0-0 or 1 1 0-0-0 Ng3 b4 22 Nxc6 bxc6 23 f5 (White is threshing around in the centre and on the
0-0-0, in either case with balanced chances. Instead White chose an inferior move: kingside, but nothing can divert the juggernaut that is about to hit her king)
11 h3 0-0-0 12 b4 Rhe8 13 0-0 Ne4! (White's half-hearted attempt to attack on the 23 ... gxf5 24 Ne2 bxa3 25 Nxd4 Bf6 26 c3 Bxd4 27 Rxd4 Rxd4 28 cxd4 Rb8 0-1 was
queenside is met by counterplay in the centre with our Morphy move; if now 14 A.Sorokina-S.Volkov, Korinthos 2004.
Nxe4? dxe4 and White loses a piece no matter how he plays: 15 Qxe4 Bxh4 16 Returning to 7 Bf4:
QxM Rxe2 or 15 Qg3 g5! and it's goodbye to the bishop) 14 Bg3 and now rather 7 ... 0-0 S Bd3 ReS 9 0-0-0 c6 10 h3 Be6 11 Rei Nbd7 12 Nf3 bS 13 g4 b4 14 Nb1 Ne41
than the game move 14 ... Nxc3, 14 ...Bf6! leaves White doomed to lose his d4-pawn (Diagram 47)
after 15 ...Nxc3, since 16 f3 would make things even worse after 16 ... Nxc3 17 Nxc3
Re3!, exploiting the potential pin of 18 Qxe3 Bxd4 to win a piece after 18 Qd2
Rxc3!.

Diagram 47 (W) Diagram 48 (W)

Black exploits the initiative Too speculative

Diagram 4S (W) Diagram 46 (W)

Black is comfortably placed The pressure mounts on White A move to be compared with 12 ...Ne4! from Semeniuk-Volkov in Chapter Two.
Black takes advantage of the weakness of a2 to land the knight on the key central
square.
Instead Sorokina chose a third alternative in a game with Volkov: 7 Bxf6 (it's im­
1S Qe2
possible not to shudder at this unforced exchange of White's beautiful bishop)
7...Bxf6 8 Qe3+ (a pointless move) 8 ...Be6 9 f4 (apparently White dreams of the White doesn't relish the damage to her king's defences after 15 Bxe4 dxe4 16 Rxe4
Morphy bind with Nf3 and Ne5, but Volkov scotches this by putting severe pres­ Bxa2.
sure on d4) 9 ...0-0 10 Nf3 c5 11 0-0-0 Nc6 12 Ne2 Qb6 (Diagram 46) 13 Qb3 (White 1S Qas 16 Rhg1
•..

hastens to exchange queens before Black develops an all-out attack with ... Rac8, Now White is poised to begin her counterplay along the g-file with 17 g5, but
etc) 13 ... cxd4 14 Qxb6 axb6 15 Kbl (there's no time to take on d4 as a2 is hanging) Black's reply is a thunder clap:
15 ...d3! ! (clearing lines of attack for the black bishops before White can consolidate
16 ... gsl
with 16 Nexd4) 16 Rxd3 d4 (a second black pawn appears on d4, but this one can
be supported by ...Rfd8; Black not only opens the way for the bishop to attack a2, A clever blocking move that justifies 6...h6 big time.
but also prevents the white knights using d4 as a blockade square) 1 7 a3 (White is 17 Be3 Qxa2 18 h4
annihilated by the bishop-pair after 1 7 Nexd4 Bxa2+ 18 Kc1 Nxd4 1 9 Nxd4 Bc4 If nothing happens fast on the queenside, the white attack might yet overcome the
when 20 Rdl Ral+ leads to the loss of the knight on d4) 17 ...Rfd8 18 Ng3 b5! (the barrier on the g-file. Therefore it is time for a black knight to decide the game on
next wave of the attack destroys the white king's cover) 19 Nh5 Be7 20 Ne5 g6 21 the queenside, but which one?

128 129
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

18...Nc3? (Diagram 48)

Instead it was time for the other knight to do some work: 18 ...Nb6! intending
19 ... Na4 would have won rather easily: for example, 19 c3 (or 19 b3 a5 20 hxg5 a4
21 gxh6 a3 and 22 ... Qb2+ picking up bl is a winning threat) 19 ...Na4 20 c4 c5!,
breaking open the c-file to pulverize the white king with a rook on c8.
The game move was tempting, but we shouldn't part with the 'Morphy' knight for
Chapter Five
anything less than a clear win!
19 Nxc3
Correct, whereas after 19 bxc3? bxc3 20 Nxc3 (or else 20 ... Qb2+ picks up the knight
The McC utcheon
on bl) 20...Qa3+ 21 Kd2 Bb4 Black regains the piece with a decisive attack.
19 ... bxc3 20 bxc3 Nf6
After the text move, Black eventually won after a hard fight:
21 hxgs Ne4 22 Bxe4 dxe4 23 Nes Bb3 24 Kdl Ba3 25 Qd2 RxeS 26 cxb3 Qxb3+ 27
QC2 RbS 28 Qxb3 Rxb3 29 Bd2 hxgs 30 Ke2 Rab8 31 Rg3 Rb2 32 Rdl Bd6 33 Re3
Re8 34 Kfl as 35 Reel Bf4 36 Be3 Rc2 37 Ral Rxc3 38 Rxas f6 39 Bxf4 gxf4 40 gs
Kg7 41 dS fxgs 42 dxc6 Kf6 43 Rdl Res 44 Ra6 KfS 45 Kg2 Kg4 46 Kh2 Kf3 47 Rd2
Re6 48 Ral Rexc6 49 Rb2 Rc2 50 Ra3+ e3 0-1

g I ntroduction
g Inferior 6th Moves
g The Mai n Line: 6 Bd2
g Fashiona ble Bishop Retreats
g White Avoids 5 eS

130
How to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e McCutcheon

riar version of the Winawer, 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4. However, at the time of

Introduction writing it is enjoying a lot of attention. This is no surprise, as the tense and dou­
ble-edged positions that arise fit in well with the dynamic ethos of modem chess,
Of all the variations of the French Defence I like this best, because it gives Black more and can be studied in depth using a computer.
chances to obtain the initiative.
Nonetheless, the average chess player remains far less familiar with the ideas and
Capablanca, Chess Fundamentals theory of the McCutcheon than of the Winawer, which I believe makes it a more
dangerous weapon. Here I might quote William Napier in his book Paul Morphy
and The Golden Age of Chess:
The Cuban World Champion was talking about 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 NC3 Nf6 4 Bgs
Bb4 (Diagram 1), which is the McCutcheon Variation. John McCu tcheon, of Pittsburgh and undying fame for his research in the French Defense,
often said about opening moves, 'Not new, but old enough to be new. '
In this chapter we'll look at an old but very new opening.

White has a lot of ways to respond to the McCutcheon

The usual continuation from the diagram above is 5 eS h6 (Diagram 2).

Here White has tried every plausible-looking move, and some not-so-plausible
moves, such as 6 Bel . The only move rejected out of hand has been 6 Bf4 pre­
sumably as after 6 ... Ne4 7 Qg4 Black can gain time to deal with the threat to g7 by
hitting the white bishop with 7 ... g5!. If the reason why this is good for Black
evades you at the moment, have a second look after you have read this chapter.
By then it should be crystal clear why gaining a tempo in this fashion warms the
cockles of Black's heart.

Diagram 1 (W) Diagram 2 (W) In this chapter we'll look at six options for White after 5 ...h6, and then three diver­
gences for him on move five. We'll begin right at the birth of the McCutcheon
The McCutcheon Variation White has a plethora of moves
Variation more than 100 years ago.

Black decides to ignore the apparent threat of 5 eS in order to gain counterplay on

the queenside. By rejecting 4 ...Be7, which would break the pin on f6, he shows he Inferior 6th Moves
has no wish for a steady game; he is playing for higher stakes, removing his dark­
squared bishop from the kingside and so allowing White to attack there with a
quick Qg4. Overall, Black hopes that in time the weaknesses he creates with 1. White plays 6 Bxf6 - a poor decision
... Bxc3+ will prove the decisive factor.
In simuls in the old days, if he were lucky an amateur player might get the chance
NOTE: Although the McCutcheon often features a lot of slow and to try out a secret, home-brewed opening variation against a World Champion.
concealed manoeuvring in the early middlegame, there is usually a The new idea didn't necessarily need to be sound to be effective: perhaps the
violent explosion when the two armies finally meet. Champion, distracted by having to think about a dozen or more other games,
would fail to find the best response and suffer a humbling defeat. Alas, these days
Black' s two ideas with ... Bb4: the McCutcheon and the are over - when Kasparov gave simuls against strong opponents he would check
up their openings beforehand to avoid surprises.
Winawer
John Lindsay McCutcheon (1857-1905), a lawyer from Pittsburgh, got such a
For a long time the McCutcheon was rather snubbed, being regarded as an infe-

133
132
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The McCutcheon

chance. He played the line now named after him against Wilhelm Steinitz, the
World Champion, in a simultaneous display in New York in 1885. Facing a sur­
prise in a simul doesn't come any bigger than having to face a brand new opening
system - and a perfectly sound one!

Game 33
o W.Steinitz . J.McCutcheon
New York s i m u l 1885

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Ne3 Nf6 4 BgS Bb4 S eS

White's natural space-gaining move obliges Black to weaken his kingside in order
to save his knight.
S ...h6
Of course this is the only move. Black must push the white bishop away, and for a Diagram 3 (W) Diagram 4 (W)
second time if necessary after 6 Bh4 with 6...gS, or else he will lose the knight on f6 Black prepares ... cS A tough struggle
for nothing.
6 Bxf61
16 ... a6 17 Ne3 dxe4 18 Bxe4 Nd4!
Taken by surprise and needing to make a quick decision, Steinitz makes a feeble
McCutcheon takes control by clearing the way for his light-squared bishop to en­
exchange on f6.
ter the fray on c6, where it aims at the vulnerable g2-square.
He breaks up the black kingside, but this isn't enough compensation for handing
19 Ne2 Nxf3+ 20 Qxf3 Be6
over his important dark-squared bishop; on the contrary, it could be said that
Black's pawn structure has been improved by the exchange, as he now has one Black has everything he can want from the French when the 'bad' bishop becomes
more pawn on f6 fighting for control of the centre. a powerful attacking piece.

6 ... gxf6 7 Nf3 fSl 21 Qh3 Ka7

Rather letting White off the hook. McCutcheon intends to castle queenside in time, Instead direct attacking play on the kingside gives Black a lethal attack: 21 ...Rdg8
and then attack along the open g-file. This plan works perfectly in the game, but 22 g3 hS! and then 23 ... h4 should win quickly.
only after errors by White. 22 b4 Bb6 23 Ne3 Rhg8 24 Bf1
I would prefer a more dynamic approach with 7 ... Nd7! (Diagram 3), intending to A speciality Steinitzian defence involving the retreat of the pieces to the back rank,
detonate the white centre with ... cS, as after 8 exf6 Qxf6 Black has a very promis­ but the last chance was to bite the bullet with 24 g3.
ing position. 24... Rd2 25 Nd1 Qg5 (Diagram 5) 26 Rxe6
8 Bd3 eS 9 dxes Bxes 10 0-0 Ne6 11 Qd2 Qe7 12 Qf4? If 26 g3 the quiet 26 ... Bf3 and 27 ...Rgd8 is crushing, as the knight dare not leave d1
With more time to think, Steinitz might have anticipated Black's plan of queenside on pain of mate on f2. The crude 26 ... Bxf2+ 27 Nxf2 Qe3 would also win quickly.
castling with 12 a3! when after 12 ...Bd7?! 13 b4 Bb6 14 NbS White's knight gets to 26 ... bxc6 27 Qc3 Qf4 28 Qxc6 Rxd1 0-1
the powerful d6-square. So Black might have had to respond with 12 ... a6, to pre­
What a fantastic start for the McCutcheon!
vent NbS, when queenside castling becomes less attractive as the pawn on a6 is a
target for a b4-b5 advance. This was 'only' a simul game, but it must have been startling at the time to see a
World Champion defeated by an amateur in such convincing style. You might
12 ... Bd7 13 NbS 0-0-0 14 e4 Be8 1S Rfe1 Kb8 (Diagram 4) 16 a31
expect Steinitz to lose occasionally when he made a tactical oversight, but not to
Unclear was 16 cxd5 RxdS 17 Bc4, when Black has a strong bishop on cS but a pas­ be outplayed like this!
sive one on e8.

134 135
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e M c C u t c h eon

There was dynamism in the black set-up that Steinitz underestimated, and of 7...Ne4 8 Nge2 f5! (Diagram 6)
which McCutcheon himself was rather unaware - hence he selected the blocking A very good decision, although 8 ... c5 isn't bad either. White's bishop just can't
7...f5 move rather than going for an immediate attack with 7...Nd7. seem to get any peace from the black kingside pawns - the threat is to snuff it out
with 9 ... f4.
9 f4
A game played exactly one hundred years later went 9 exf6 Qxf6 10 a3 (not 10
Be5?? Qxf2 mate) 1O ...Nxg3 11 Nxg3 0-0 (a highly aggressive defensive move as it
threatens mate in one) 12 f3 Bxc3+ 13 bxc3 e5 (Black frees his game in typical
French style) 14 Be2 Nc6 15 dxe5 Qxe5 16 0-0 Be6 17 Qd2 d4 and here a draw was
agreed in A.Galkin-A.Belozerov, Tomsk 2004, although Black already had the bet­
ter of it, as his kingside was solid whereas White faced an endgame with dis­
jointed queenside pawns after 18 cxd4 Qxd4+ 19 Qxd4 Nxd4.
9... c5?
He should simply play 9 ...Nc6, asking White: how are you going to bring out your
bishop on f1 ? Note that there is no such dilemma for Black who has an easy de­
velopment available to him with ...Bd7, ... Qe7 and ...0-0-0. White would surely
have to break the pin on c3, but after 10 a3 Ba5 (not 10 ... Nxc3+ 1 1 Nxc3 when
Diagram 5 (W) Diagram 6 (W) White gets to develop) 11 b4 Bb6, the threat is 12 ... Nxc3 13 Nxc3 Nxd4 winning a
There's no defence White's bishop is misplaced pawn, or better still 12 ... Nxd4!. Thus White more or less has to exchange on d4
with 12 Nxe4 fxe4, with good chances for Black.
The game move is very natural, but rather than allowing Black to strike a mean­
2. White pl ays 6 Bh4 - another inferior move ingful tactical blow, the opening of the centre allows White's pieces to gain free­
dom.
In 1904, McCutcheon played a two game correspondence match against another
TIP: When you start getting excited at the idea of provoking a crisis
reigning World Champion, Emanuel Lasker, in which his opening was tested. He
in the centre, pause a little while and calmly ask yourself: am I really
played White in one game, Black in the other game; and White won 2-0! Well,
opening lines for the benefit of my pieces, or is it actually my oppo­
McCutcheon the opening pioneer must have been disappointed that his brainchild
nent's pieces that are going to come alive?
was thrashed, but I bet McCutcheon the man wasn't too aggrieved as he had
taken a full point off one of the greatest players of all time. The game our hero 10 a3 BaS 11 dxc5 d4 12 Qxd4 Bxc3+
won gives us the chance to look at the reply 6 Bh4. Alas for Black after 12 ... Qxd4 13 Nxd4 Nxc3 14 Nb3! White will get the piece back
with a good game.
Game 34
13 bXc3 Qe7 14 h4 (Diagram 7) 14 Nc6 15 Qe3 Nxg3
.•.

D J.McCutcheon • Em.Lasker
Or else White's bishop might enter the action at some point, if only after 15 ... g4 16
correspondence 1904 Bf2.
16 Qxg3 gxf4 17 Nxf4 Bd7 18 Qe3 Qg7 19 0-0-01
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 NC3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4 5 e5 h6 6 Bh4
White castles his king on to a file with tripled pawns in front of him. Unfortu­
McCutcheon shows too much respect for the McCutcheon! White saves his
nately for Black his pieces are too passive to take advantage - here we see the pos­
bishop, but the problem is that it ends up buried on g3.
sible downside of surrendering the dark-squared bishop in the opening.
6... g5 7 Bg3
19 Qxe5 20 Qxe5 Nxe5 21 Re1 Nc6 22 Nxe6
.••

After 7 exf6 gxh4 the pawn on f6 soon falls.

136 137
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e McCutcheon

And White eventually won with his extra pawns: gether surprising that White doesn't prove t o b e a n expert o n the intricacies of a
sharp French variation, when presumably he played 2 Nc3 to dodge theory.
22 Kf7 23 Bc4 Kf6 24 Nd4 Ne5 25 Bd3 Nxd3+ 26 cxd3 Rac8 27 c6 bxc6 28 Rhf1
•••

Rhg8 29 Rf2 Rg3 30 Nxf5 Bxf5 31 Ref1 Rxd3 32 Rxf5+ Ke6 33 R5f3 Rxf3 34 Rxf3 RgB 5 e5 h6 6 exf6 hxg5 7 fxg7 Rg8
35 g3 Kd5 36 Kd2 1-0 The g7-pawn is stopped in its tracks and will soon be captured. Meanwhile, Black
has a strong dark-squared bishop with no rival, and the spearhead of White's
pawn structure is missing from eS. This means he has no space advantage in the
As we said above, this was a great result for John Lindsay, but a sad outcome for
centre - indeed, Black has an extra central pawn and can try to increase his domi­
McCutcheon the opening. But you'll agree that Black was doing well after
nance there with a well timed ...cS. Overall, Black's plusses outweigh the incon­
Lasker's inventive move 8 .. .£S!.
venience to his king in not being able to castle kingside.
Nevertheless, White can justify his play if he manages to strike a blow on the
kingside before his opponent manages to organize his game. Thus Black must be
careful and alert!
B h4 (Diagram 8)
If 8 QhS, hoping for 8... Rxg7 9 Qh8+ Bf8, when White has at least forced the black
bishop to a passive square, Black has a good reply in 8 ... Qf6! attacking d4 and in­
tending 9 ...Qxg7.
B gxh4
•••

Not letting White acquire a passed pawn after 8...Rxg7 9 hS, although that is far
from dear.
9 Qh 5
An aggressive gesture that prepares queenside castling.
After 9 Qg4 Qf6 lO Rxh4, rather than the usual lO ...Rxg7, I rather like lO ...Nc6!?:
Diagram 7 (B) Diagram 8 (B)
for example, 11 Rh7 Nxd4; or 11 BbS Rxg712 Qh3 Rxg2!, again grabbing a pawn
as the white rook will hang to the black queen either on h4 or, if he gives a check,
Black is under pressure Activating the hI-rook

on h8; and, finally, after 11 Nf3 (a sensible move) 11...Rxg712 Rh8+ Ke7 I prefer
Black as White is looking rather fragile on the squares c3, d4, g4 and h8.
3. White plays 6 exf6 - too d i rect 9 Qf6
•••

The standard entrance by the black queen.

Instead of moving his bishop, White can capture the knight and smash up the
black kingside with 6 exf6 hxgS 7 fxg7. Indeed, it doesn't look bad after seven 10 Rxh4 Qxg7 11 0-0-0 Bd7 (Diagram 9)
moves to have a passed pawn that is threatening to capture a rook and queen! Black develops his pieces rapidly, knowing that if he gets his king to safety, he
However, this is the high point of White's escapade, as after 7... Rg8 there is no will have a good game thanks to his bishop-pair and more compact centre pawns.
good follow-up to his spectacular play. 12 Rd3 Nc6 13 Rg3 Qf8 14 Rxg8 Qxg8 15 Rf4
It looks as if White's unsophisticated opening is going to triumph after all, as
Game 35 Black can't castle without leaving f7 hanging ...or can he?
D A.Thakur • A.Oas 15 0-0-01
•••

M u m bai 2008
Anyway: it turns out that16 Rxf7 Be8 fatally pins the rook, while White also gets
into trouble after 16 Qxf7 Bd6! 17 Rf3 (there is of course a killing zwischenzug in
1 d4 d5 2 NC3 e6 3 e4 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4 reply to 17 Qxg8??, while after17 Rf6 Qh8! White has to deal with the threat of
It's not uncommon for a Veresov to end up as a McCutcheon. It's also not alto-

138 139
H ow to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e 4 The McCutcheon

lS ... RiS, winning the rook, not to mention that d 4 i s hanging) l 7. . . QgS+ IS Kbl 31 e3 e4 32 Ne1 Bes 33 f3
Nxd4 and Black has gained the d4-pawn for the f7-pawn, which is a good swap, A horrific move to have to make, but after 33 Ke2 Bb5+ the f2-pawn will drop. The
besides having obtained the initiative. rest is easy for Black:

16 Nf3 Bd6! 17 Rg4 Qh8 18 Rh4 QxhS 19 Rxh S Rg8 (Diagram 10) 33 ... Rxg3 34 fxe4 dxe4 3S RhS e3+ 36 Kc1 Bxg2 37 RxeS Be6 38 Kc2 Ke7 39 Kd3 Kd6
40 RhS Bd7 41 Ke4 Rg1 42 Nf3 e2 0-1

Diagram 9 (W) Diagram 10 (W)

Black wants to castle long The bishop-pair is a useful asset Diagram 11 (W) Diagram 12 (W)
A mobile, advancing centre An unusual recapture on c3

Das has carried over his positional advantages into the endgame. It's instructive to
see how he increases the mobility of his bishops by arranging the liquidation of The Main Line: 6 Bd 2
White's d4-pawn.

20 g3 a6 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Ne3 Nf6 4 Bgs Bb4 S eS h6 6 Bd2

He wants to play . . . NdS without being disturbed by NbS. White has no construc­ If you play somebody who knows a fair amount of theory, but not too much, he or
tive plan, so why should Black hurry? she will very likely drop the bishop back to d2. After all, this is the continuation
21 Ne2 Be8 given in opening books as the main line of the McCutcheon. It makes a lot of
sense: White saves the bishop from capture and breaks the pin on c3. We had bet­
Defending f7 and getting the bishop out of the range of Ne5 once he goes . . . NdS.
ter examine it with great care.
22 Kd2 Nd8!
Black should reply 6... BxC3 in order to win the e4-square for his knight.
And here is the much-heralded move, which clears the way for the advance of the
c-pawn.

23 Ne1 eS 24 dxe5 Bxes 2S Nd3 Bd6 26 Nd4 Ne6 27 Nxe6 Bxe6 The u n usual 7 Bxc3
White's position has seriously deteriorated. Once the black centre starts to ad­
White normally recaptures with the pawn, but we should spare a thought for the
vance, the f2- and g3-pawns come under huge pressure. But as usual, Das is in no
alternative recapture when Black replies 7... Ne4 (Diagram 12).
rush, and first of all brings his king over to defend f7.
If White now attacks g7 with S Qg4, Black has no need to choose between the
28 Bh3 Kd8 29 Rh7 Ke8 30 Bg2 eS (Diagram 11)
lesser evil of S ... g6 or S ... KfS. The body check with S ... QgS might be a decent reply,
At last the pawns start to roll, and the white defences crack quickly. but I actually rather like S . . . O-O!

1 40 141
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 The McCutcheon

Rxf4 21 Nd2 dxe4 2 2 Nxe4 Bc6 2 3 Rhel Bxe4 and White resigned, seeing to his

o
NOTE: Castling would be a blunder after the alternative 7 bxc3 be­
cause White would then have 9 Bxh6, winning at once due to the pin consternation that he is mated upon 24 Rxe4 Qxc2+! ! .

on g7. Here, however, Black can safely evacuate his king from the Nor is this quite the final word on 7 Bxc3, as the big name game P.5vidler­
centre. A.Morozevich, Frankfurt (rapid) 1999, went 7 ... Ne4 8 Ne2 0-0 9 Bb4 cS! 10 Ba3 (the
penalty for 10 dxcS is still l0 ... Nxf2!) when again White hoped that things would
50 White had better forget about the idea of 8 Qg4 and consider 8 Bb4. If nothing stay quiet long enough for him to enjoy his dark-squared bishop. However, a mas­
happens for a while, during which he gets to develop his pieces, White can pat ter of dynamic chess such as Morozevich wasn't going to leave him in peace:
himself on the back for keeping the bishop-pair, avoiding doubled pawns on the 1O... Nc6! 11 f3 (Diagram 14) and now it looked as if Black was going to have to
c-file and getting to castle kingside - three things that he doesn't normally manage retreat his knight, when 12 BxcS would have won a clear pawn, but 1 1 . ..bS! (pre­
to do after 7 bxc3. Could this be the refutation of Black's whole opening line? paring to blot out the bishop) 12 fxe4 b4 13 Bxb4 Nxb4 14 c3 Nc6 15 exdS QxdS 16
It's not, but Black has to play forcefully to break up the white centre or else he'll dxcS QxcS gave Black an excellent position, since he was way ahead in develop­
end up with an inferior game. This can be done with 8 ... cS!, which is a thematic ment and about to regain his pawn on eS.
advance that sets a nasty trap: White wants to capture with 9 dxcS? but then he
gets hit by 9 ... Nxf2! 10 Kxf2 Qh4+ 11 g3 Qxb4 and Black regains his piece, leaving
White with a shattered position. This is a splendid tactical resource, without The sta ndard 7 bxc3
which we'd see a lot more of the 7 Bxc3 recapture. In fact could we even say that it
makes the McCutcheon playable? 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 BgS Bb4 5 eS h6 6 Bd2 Bxc3 7 bxc3 Ne4
After 8 ... cS White therefore has to make do with 9 BxcS, but then 9 .. .NxcS 10 dxcS Here 8 Qg4! (Diagram 15) is the only move to set Black problems. It forces him to
Nd7 (Diagram 13) regains the pawn for Black, as 11 BbS? falls for another tactic: make an unpleasant choice in dealing with the threat of 9 Qxg7: should he give up
this time a more obvious one with 1 1 . . .QaS+, winning the bishop. the right to castle (almost certainly queenside) with 8 ... Kf8, or is it better to prefer
8 ... g6, despite the weaknesses created in his pawn structure? There is no clear an­
swer to this question. Both moves have their plus and minus points.

Diagram 13 (W) Diagram 14 (B)

Black is doing quite well Is Black in trouble?
Diagram 15 (B) Diagram 16 (W)
A continuation such as 1 1 Qd4 Qc7 12 f4 Nxc5 13 0-0-0 Bd7 14 Nf3 Re8 1S Kbl 0-0 The main line McCutcheon Black fixes the queenside
then looks very comfortable for Black. I can't resist showing you the final moves

o
NOTE: In this 6 Bd2 section I have chosen to analyse 8 Kf8, whereas
..•

of the game A.Kovchan-S.Vysochin, Swidnica 1999, in which another tactic with

against both 6 Be3 and 6 Bel the alternative with 7 g6 is explored.
..•
the queen had the final word: 16 Bd3 a5 17 g4 f6 18 ReI Ne4 19 exf6 Rxf6 20 Bxe4

142 143
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The McCutcheon

The knight completes its journey to a 4 and almost unbelievably White i s doomed
Scena rio 1: Wh ite avoids 8 Qg4
to lose the c3-pawn. The fact that he is so far ahead in development fails to pro­
vide compensation, because the position is so bunged up. Indeed, following 16
Now let's imagine that White for whatever reason avoids 8 Qg4. Perhaps he
Nh4 Qxc3 17 Qd1 Rb8 and a few further adventures Black went on to win in
doesn't like bringing his queen out too early, or finds it unappealing that after a
subsequent ... Nxd2 he would have to recapture on d2 with his king - he wants his R.Legaspi-B.Nadera, Manila 2006. His daring raid on c3 proved a striking success.
king sitting on gl, not floating around in the centre. In short, he finds playing White's demise in the above game shows that 8 Qg4! is imperative for him.
against the McCutcheon a rather unpleasant experience, and there are many peo­

o
ple who feel exactly the same!
NOTE: If Black is allowed to eliminate White's dark-squared bishop,
he must be made to pay the price of a displaced king on f8 or a king­
If White avoids 8 Qg4 in favour of straightforward developing moves, the game
side weakened by ...g6.
might unfold as follows:
8 Bd3?! Nxd2
Black has been allowed to eliminate White's dark-squared bishop without suffer­
ing any of the punishment on the kingside that occurs after 8 Qg4. Still, perhaps
8 ... 0-0 is an even better way to play it, as the bishop can't move from d2 without
letting c3 drop, and 9 Bxe4? dxe4 would leave White weak on the light squares.
9 Qxd2 c5 10 Nf3 c4!
The emphasis in our discussion of the 6 Bd2 variation will be very much on the
virtue of Black closing the queenside in this fashion. Here 1O ... c4 is all the more
attractive as it gains a tempo by hitting the bishop on d3. Fans of the Winawer for
Black are usually reluctant to make this move as White has a dark-squared bishop
sitting on c1 which can go to a3 where it enjoys a powerful diagonal. There is, of
course, no such problem for Black in the main line McCutcheon.
11 Bf1 Qa5 (Diagram 16)
The first move in a six-stage plan to remove the c3-pawn from the board. Black Diagram 17 (W) Diagram 18 (W)
casts all ideas of rapid development to the winds; and the reason he can do this is The knight again heads for a4
Targeting c3
that the position is very blocked. Indeed, if you try to copy Black's plan in an open
position you are most likely to be murdered very quickly.
12 g3 Opening theorists and practical players have long grasped this fact. Nowadays it
is accepted that if White hopes to keep an opening advantage in the main line
White goes about his methodical development. His idea - to build up to a break­
McCutcheon he must play 8 Qg4, whether the early queen move appeals to his
through with f4-f5 - is in general an excellent one, but he didn't weaken his oppo­
aesthetic sense or not.
nent when he had the chance with 8 Qg4, meaning that the black kingside he
wants to attack remains a solid fortress. And now he fails to take precautions
against the demise of the c3-pawn. Scenario 2: White plays 8 Qg4, but avoids Kxd2
12 Nd7 13 Bh3 Nb6 14 Rbi Qa3
...

If 14 ... Na4 then 15 Rb4 shields c3, so Black puts the queen on a3 to start with. Game 36
15 0-0 Na4 (Diagram 17) o E.Romanov • I.Nepomniachtchi
E u ropean Cham pionship, Dresden 2007
TIP: In blocked positions, the important thing is to put pieces on
their best squares, not develop them rapidly to decent squares.
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4 5 e5 h6 6 Bd2 Bxc3 7 bxc3 Ne4 8 Qg4! Kf8

144 145
 The M c C u t c h e o n
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

mains shut out o f the game. S o seeing i t escape its prison s o easily makes Ro­
Also popular is 8 ... g6, but we shall concentrate on the king move here.
manov's strategy appear very suspicious.
9 Qf4?!
21 Rg3
White decides that he wants to recapture on d2 with his queen. The direct and
Of course, the attacking move 21 QgS would give White a fine game if nothing
preferable 9 Bd3 is considered next in our third scenario.
were happening on the queenside, but the riposte 21.. .Qxc3+ 22 Kdl Rg6 is win­
9 cS 10 Bd3 Nxd2 11 Qxd2 c4 12 Be2 Nd7! (Diagram 18)
••.
ning for Black.
As in scenario one, Black avoids the obvious l2 ... Nc6 and sends his knight off to 21 .•• Rb8 22 NgS b4 (Diagram 20)
attack the pawn on c3.

13 Nf3 Qas 14 g4
At first glance this is an attractive idea: the g-pawn will be used to ram h6, when
the open file that results after gxh6 can be exploited by the white queen and rooks
to attack g7. If Black responded to g4-gS with . . . hS, trying to keep the position
blocked, the reply gS-g6 would nevertheless ensure the opening of lines on the
kingside.

Nonetheless, it turns out that Romanov has no time to carry out this kingside
campaign due to Black's counterattack against the c3-pawn, which effectively pa­
ralyses his queen.

14 Nb6 lS Qe3
•••

White sees the threat of lS ... Na4 and so clears the way for his king to go to d2.

lS Qa3!
•..

Another familiar idea from our first scenario. Instead after lS ... Na4? 16 Kd2
Diagram 19 (W) Diagram 20 (W)
Black's impatience means that White can block the attack on c3 with a later Rb4
Striving to open the queenside The culmination of Black's play
move, or in some cases play a2-a3 to obstruct Black's ... bS-b4 queenside pawn ad­
vance .

16 gs Na4 17 Kd2 After meticulous preparation, Black's attack finally hits the c3-pawn. Now White's
defences buckle and his king becomes the object of mating threats.
White has put his king on d2, but in a far more time-wasting and inefficient man­
ner than occurs in scenario three below. 23 cxb4 Qxa2!
17 bS! (Diagram 19)
•.• Of course this is no time to blunder the queen with 23 ... Rxb4?? 24 Qxa3.

In scenario one it was enough for Black to attack the c3-pawn to win it. Here he 24 Rc1 Rxb4 2S Rh3 C3+I?
requires a second wave of attack to dismantle the white queenside. Also winning is 2S ... Rxh3: for example, 26 Nxh3 Rb3! 27 Qf4 Rxh3 winning a
18 Rab1 piece, or 26 Qxh3 Qb2! 27 Qh4 (27 Qe3 Rb3!) 27 ... Qc3+ 28 Kdl Nb2 mate.

Already White feels obliged to take measures against l8 ... b4. 26 Kd1 Rxh3 27 Qxh3 Rb1 28 Nxe6+
18 Bd7 19 Rhg1 Be8!
•.. Alternatively, 28 Qe3 Nb2+ 29 Kel Qal 30 Rxbl Qxc1 + with mate to follow.
28 Kg8 29 Bd3 (Diagram 21) 29 Rxc1+ 30 Ke2
.•• ..•

O
NOTE: This is a typical positioning of the bishop in the 6 Bd2
If 30 Kxc1 Qal mate, but now White is actually threatening mate in one himself.
McCutcheon. It defends both bS and f7 against attack, and in this
His joy doesn't last long, though.
specific case deters 20 g6, as Black could just capture the pawn.
30 Rxc2+ 31 Ke3 g6 32 NgS Re2+ 0-1
•••

20 gxh6 Rxh6
It's trivial for Black after 33 Bxe2 Qd2+ 34 Kf3 QxgS.
One of White's built-in positional plusses after 8 ... Kf8 is that the rook on h8 re-

1 47
146
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The M c C u t c h e o n

b4. One advantage of doing so straightaway is that White is denied the chance he
gets after 1 1 ... Nc6 of playing 12 Qf4 c4 13 Bg6 (if he had played 1 1 Qf4 straight­
away Black could have tried 1 1 . ..Qg5!? to exchange queens.)
12 Be2 bS
I also like this immediate advance, as it prevents White from putting up a barrier
on the queenside, as might occur after 12 ...Nc6 13 a4.
After the game move White had better leave well alone on the queenside, as 13 a4
would allow Black a formidable passed pawn after 13 ...bxa4 14 Rxa4 as.
13 Rh3 Nc6 (Diagram 23)

Diagram 21 (B) Diagram 22 (B)

The white king's days are numbered White prepares to activate his rook

Scenario 3: White plays Qg4, Kxd2 and Rh3

Game 37
D A.Das • A.David
Kolkata 2008
Diagram 23 (W) Diagram 24 (B)
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d S 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bgs Bb4 S eS h6 6 Bd2 BXc3 7 bXc3 Ne4 8 Qg4 Kf8 9 Both sides have their trumps Prudently holding up ...b4
Bd3!
White accepts that his king will be best placed on d2 where it defends the c3- 14 Qf4
pawn. If 14 a3 then Black can get on with his queenside advance with 14 ... a5. He wants to
9 ... Nxd2 10 Kxd2 cS 11 h4! (Diagram 22) hit the c3-point at an appropriate moment with ...b5-b4, but great care is needed
Das clears the way for his rook to go to the third rank where it not only defends c3 not to open lines on the queenside that the white rooks can exploit more than the
against an anticipated attack with ... b5-b4 but can also take up an aggressive pos­ black pieces. After all, Black still has a rook sleeping on h8!
ture on either f3 or g3. In fact the rook quite often visits both squares, going first to White's plan is also beginning to take shape: he will hit the f7-pawn three times,
f3 to assail the f7-pawn and then switching its attention to g7, or vice versa. with queen, bishop and rook in order to tie down a couple of black pieces. Then
Against 1 1 Nf3 Black can carry out his plan of 11 ...c4 12 Be2 b5 just the same. Thus with luck he will be able to carry out a pawn advance g4-g5 to open lines, and, not
it might seem a good idea for White to develop the knight to e2 order to keep the forgetting to give his knight a leading role, mate the black king.
way open for an f2-f4 advance, but plain embarrassing would be 1 1 Ne2?? c4 Does that sound easy? Well the position is truly head-splitting from a positional
when the bishop is lost. Someone rated over Elo 2000 recently fell for this trap! point of view. It somehow feels like one of those toy puzzles I played with as a
11...c4! child where you have to slot all the different shapes together to form a larger
shape without any overlapping or gaps. White and Black are going to pack a large
As always, Black does best to close the centre and look for counterplay with ... b5-

148 149
 T h e McCutcheon
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

Nevertheless, after 1B... RbB or perhaps more precisely a move earlier 17... RbB!? the
number of pieces together in a small area on the kingside; and it is difficult to
battle continues, with Black aiming for counterplay at an opportune moment with
work out where they belong. For example, when should the white rook go to f3,
... b4. A similar struggle between wing attacks as in the Romanov-Nepomniachtchi
and when should it choose g3? Or similarly, when should the black king go to gB,
game might develop, but with White on a much sounder footing here.
and when should it remain on fB or flee to eB?
NOTE: Of course I want to demonstrate that the McCutcheon is a
O
Along with working out the best squares for the attackers and defenders on the
kingside, we also have to add Black's advance with ...b5-b4 into the equation. sound and enterprising opening for Black, but at the same time I
White might be poised for a breakthrough on the kingside, only to find that he has don't want to give you the impression that it is a forced loss for
no time to finish off his attack as his position has collapsed on the queenside. In White. In order to master an opening you have to be aware of the
that case it might well be the white king which ends up being mated, as we saw in plans available for both sides.
scenario two.
16 .. Be8 (Diagram 25)
.

NOTE: The McCutcheon is a difficult opening for both White and

Black. Not only do you have to keep a close watch over events on
both sides of the board, but you also have to tread a fine line be­
tween overaggressive and over-passive play. If you want a more
quiet life, there's always the Fort Knox!
14 ...Bd7 15 Bh5 Qe7
The queen not only bolsters f7, but also supports the .... b5-b4 advance on the
queenside. Another way to play it is 1S ... BeB, waiting to see if White goes 16 Rf3
before committing the queen to e7.
16 Rf3?1
Surprisingly enough, this rather obvious move might well be a positional mistake.
It seems to me that White should first of all play 16 a3 (Diagram 24) to rule out a
16 ...b4 counter-attack. Then Black has various possible replies.
a) If the black king heads for h7 with 16 ... KgB?!, it is time to activate the knight Diagram 25 (W) Diagram 26 (W)
with 17 Nf3!: for example, 1 7...Kh7 (or 1 7...BeB IB Nh2 Kh7 19 Ng4 with a similar Black strikes back
A good defensive post for the bishop
check on f6 in mind) 1B Nh2 RhfB 19 Ng4 BeB 20 Nf6+! with a very dangerous at­
tack after 20 ... Kh8 21 Rg3 - note that Black can't take the knight as 20 ... gxf6 21 exf6
Qb7 1eads to a quick mate: 22 Rg3 Rg8 23 RxgB KxgB 24 Qg3+ and 25 Qg7. As we pointed out in scenario two, this is useful post for the bishop as it defends
both b5 and f7.
b) If the black king heads in the other direction with 16 .. KeB?! then 17 Rf3 is un­
pleasant as there is no 17 ...BeB move available. After 17 ... RfB (17...NdB is very pas­ 17 a3 a5 18 Ne2 Rb8 19 Kel
sive) 1B Rg3 Black would be forced to weaken his pawn front with 1B ... g6 as Black has methodically built up his position using his pawns on the queenside,
IB ...RgB loses a pawn to the neat trick 19 Qxh6 ! . but how is White to reciprocate on the kingside? If 19 g4 then 1 9... Kg8 is highly
c ) I f Black perseveres with his queenside advance with 16. . .a5!? then 1 7 g4! gets awkward for him. Black is threatening to trap the bishop with 20...g6, and 20 g5?
White's pawns involved in his kingside attack. (The reason why I don't recom­ hxg5 leaves it hanging to the black rook. Meanwhile after 20 Ng3 g6 Black would
mend 16 g4 at once, is that Black can counterattack with 16 ... b4, whereas here the be rather foolish to feast on the bishop at once, as the reply Nxh5 would give
similar attempt 17 ...b4? is useless as after 1B axb4 the a5-pawn is pinned, meaning White a ferocious attack. But Black wouldn't need to hurry - he could leave the
that Black has just thrown away a pawn.) After 17 ...Kg8 (hoping to trap the bishop bishop helplessly floundering on h5 and make as many preparatory moves as he
with 18 ...g6), 18 g5 follows and Black can't try to block up the position with saw fit before lopping it off.
18 ...g6? planning 19 ... h5, as White can ruin the idea with 19 gxh6! when 19 ... gxh5?! Unable to find a way to use his foot soldiers in his kingside campaign, White can
20 Qg3+ KfB 21 Qg7+ wins at once.

1 51
150
 The M c C u t c h e o n
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

29 QxhS Qxg3 30 Qe2 Qxc3 31 Rb1 Nxd4 0-1

only shuffle around with his big pieces. In the meantime Black i s able t o swap the
places of his king and rook - a tremendous achievement. White is only a pawn down but we can't blame him for giving up the ghost here.

19 ... Kg8 20 Rg3 Kh7 21 Bf3 Rf8

White's strategy has ended in disaster as the two positional factors that were in
his favour (Black's vulnerable king and the rook shut in on h8) have both van­
ished. Instead the black king is safely ensconced on h7, and the rook is nicely cen­
tralized and about to support a counterattack. It is a matter of bitter irony for
White that he is now the player with a king in jeopardy and a rook cut off from its
fellow pieces on a1.

22 Qg4 fS! (Diagram 26)

TIP: In the McCutcheon, White normally begins his strategic opera­

tions on the kingside, and Black looks for activity on the queenside.
But it would be wrong to conclude from this that in the middlegame
the kingside 'belongs' to White and the queenside 'belongs' to
Black.
Diagram 27 (W) Diagram 28 (B)
As we can see in this illustrative game, Black can counterattack on the kingside if
his opponent is inert there or has built up his assault in a clumsy manner. Simi­ The bishop is activated with some effect White doesn't cover c3

larly, if Black had been in too much of a rush to play ...b5-b4 then the white rook
on a1 might have profited the most from the opening of lines there. In this game Black's king had a blessed life as he was able to find a safe haven on
23 exf6 h7. Things aren't always so easy, and in the middlegame the king often heads in

If White keeps it blocked with 23 Qf4 then he will have to endure Black's attack the other direction, assuming the g7-pawn is no longer hanging. This makes posi­

after 23 ... b4 without any hope of counterplay. tional sense, as even if the king gets no further than e7 he will be allowing the
rook on h8 to enter the game, if only to bolster the vulnerable f7-square with ... Rf8.
23 Qxf6 24 Nf4
.•.

Moreover, if the black monarch is feeling particularly energetic, he might go for a

Hoping against hope for 24 ... Qxf4?? 25 Qxg7 mate.
hike all the way to the queenside. Though we mustn't forget that Black's counter­
24 Rb7!
•..
play often consists of advancing ... b5-b4, so if his king did make the journey he
Bringing up his reinforcements, after which White's knight really is hanging. might find his queenside residence stripped bare of pawns. Yes, chess is a very
25 Nxe6 complicated game!

After this reckless move Black will win the tactical battle because he is able to use
all his pieces, whereas White won't get any help from the rook on a1. Still, it's no
surprise that Das had no stomach for defending passively after 25 Ne2 Bg6, etc.
Fashionable Bishop Retreats
2S ... Re7 26 BxdS Rxe6+
Quite good enough, but 26 ...Qxf2+ was totally crushing: 27 Kd1 Qg1 + 28 Kd2 Rf2+ 1. White plays 6 Be3 - ignoring the pin
29 Ke3 Rf1 + 30 Kd2 Qf2+ (exchanging the queens) 31 Qe2 Qxe2+ 32 Kxe2 Rxa1 and
Black is a rook up in the endgame. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 BgS Bb4 5 eS h6 6 Be3!? (Diagram 28)
27 Bxe6 Qxf2+ 28 Kd1 BhS! (Diagram 27) There is an old chess saying that the best answer to a threat is to ignore it. Here
White shows an exaggerated lack of concern about the pin on c3. Assuming no
Black's bishop makes a brief but vital entrance into the game. It prevents mate on
disaster occurs on that square, there are two good reasons for retreating the
g7 and destroys any hope of a white attack by enabling his queen to pick up g3.
bishop to e3 rather than d2.

153
152
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The McCutcheon

i. The bishop is a strong piece, the master of the dark squares: therefore White extreme measure, which means that Black has time to consolidate before the white
should try to hold on to it. The move 6 Be3 does the trick; whereas 6 Bd2 Bxc3 7 infantry can be brought to bear against the g6-pawn.
bxc3 Ne4 leads to its exchange.
ii. Putting the bishop on e3 means that in most cases the white king gets to castle king­
side. In contrast after 6 Bd2 Bxc3 7 bxc3 Ne4 B Qg4 KfB 9 Bd3 Nxd2 10 Kxd2 the
king is stranded in the centre. From a strategic point of view the trouble that
White endures to get his king to gl means that 6 Be3 isn't objectively better than 6
Bd2 - but speaking practically most players are rather uncomfortable with their
king stuck in the centre, and so prefer to have him tucked away on gl.
6... Ne4
The only good response. Black's knight takes up an aggressive central post where
it adds to the pressure on c3.
7 Qg41
First Black and then White hit each other where they are weakest: the c3- and g7-
squares. Alas, Black can't capture on c3: 7 ... Nxc3? B Qxg7 RfB (giving a discovered
check with the knight is useless: for example, B ... Ne4+ 9 c3 when both the bishop
Diagram 29 (B) Diagram 30 (W)
on b4 and the rook on hB are hanging) 9 a3 (this seems more effective than the
White has some compensation Trying to keep lines closed
simple 9 Bd2) 9 ... Ba5 10 Bxh6 Qe7 (White drove the bishop back to a5 to make the
black queen defend fB) 1 1 Bd2! and White will regain his piece with a couple of
extra pawns thrown in.
TIP: Almost any attack, even of the most tactical nature, requires the
7 g6
•..
use of pawns at some point. The Greek Gift, in which the attack is
The alternative was of course 7...KfB, but versus 6 Be3 I like to keep the option of carried out with the major pieces, is one of the few exceptions.
queenside castling, albeit at the price of weakened kingside pawns.
8 a31
Game 38
Putting the question to the black bishop as Nimzowitsch would say. It cannot re­
D E.Ubiennykh • T.Grabuzova
treat to e7 without allowing Nxe4, winning a pawn, while B ... Nxc3? 9 axb4 leaves
Cheliabinsk 2008
Black weak on the dark squares - and besides the poor knight ends up being
chased all the way back to h7 after 9 ...Ne4 10 f3 h5 11 Qh3 Ng5 12 Qg3 Nh7.
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 NC3 Nf6 4 BgS Bb4 5 eS h6 6 Be3 Ne4 7 Qg4 g6 8 a3 Bxc3+ 9 bxc3
Instead B...Ba5 is more respectable, but White has the initiative after 9 Nge2 c5 10 Nxc3 10 Bd3 Nc6
dxc5 Nc6 1 1 b4 Nxe5 12 Qh3 Nxc3 13 Nxc3 Bc7 14 Nb5. Black has a compact pawn
Black plans to castle queenside at the earliest reasonable moment. Therefore the
centre here, but hasn't made any dent in the white queenside pawns. Further­
knight, bishop and queen must be developed forthwith.
more, his dark-squared bishop is a long way from its optimum post on g7 where it
would guard the fragile dark squares on his kingside. ll h4
Therefore Black decides to part with his strong bishop in return for winning a Here comes the aforementioned pawn support for the white attack: the h-pawn
pawn and smashing up the white queenside structure. will ram itself into g6.
8.. BxC3+ 9 bxc3 NXc3 10 Bd3 (Diagram 29)
. 11.. Bd7
.

White has two bishops and his queen pointing at the weakened defences of the An interesting alternative is 1 1 ...Ne7!?, with the idea of ... c5 to break up the white
black kingside. On the other hand, he doesn't enjoy the assistance of any pawns in centre.
his attack - so any immediate breakthrough would require a sacrifice of a piece, 12 hS gs (Diagram 30)
most likely on g6. White's advantage in firepower isn't enough to justify such an

1 54 155
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The McCutcheon

It is rather ominous for Black that her kingside pawns are fixed on gS and h6. If pawn o n h S i s massively strong and can i n time b e shepherded to the queening
White manages to arrange f2-f4 in a favourable way, then after the exchange square with the help of all White's pieces.
...gxf4 and recapture Bxf4, or more likely Rxf4 once White has castled, the h6-
pawn would be permanently under the gaze of White's dark-squared bishop. Los­
ing the pawn would be a great positional crisis for Black, as White would then
�'" WARNING: Black has to avoid such prospectless positions at all cost.
Therefore after 16 f4 the pawn sacrifice 16 ... g4! should be played.
have a passed pawn on hS. Of course, as Ubiennykh intends to castle kingside, it Following 17 Qxg4 fS 18 exf6 (White doesn't want the kingside blocked, as this
will be far from easy for White to exploit her positional superiority there, as ad­ would leave his bishop-pair shut out) 18 ...Qxf6 19 fS eS! 20 dxeS (or 20 Qg6 Qh4!)
vancing her pawns puts her king at risk. 20...NxeS 21 Qd4 Rdg8 22 Qxa7 Bc6 Black has dangerous counterplay along the g-
13 Ne2 file, with 23...d4 on the cards. The quieter approach here is 19 c3, after which Black
can reply 19 ... Ne7 when moves like 20...NfS and 21.. .Rdb8 will follow. White will
After 13 f4 Black's game comes alive: 13 .. .£S! 14 exf6 (it would be a victory for
be trying to prove that he can keep control of the position and eventually push
Black to be allowed to block the kingside with 14 ... g4) 14 ... eS!, etc.
through a g4-gS advance; Black will be claiming that he can use the g-file for his
13 ... Nxe2 14 Qxe2 Qe7 15 0-0 0-0-0 16 Rfbl own ends to attack the white king. A tough double-edged battle is in prospect;
A very important moment. White is tempted by the open b-file into launching a and that of course is why you chose the McCutcheon rather than the Fort Knox!
direct attack with her pieces, and so forgoes the chance to exert positional pres­ We should now return to our main game, in which Ubiennykh has been side­
sure on the kingside. The critical move was 16 f4! when if 16 ... Rdg8? there follows tracked by dreams of a mate along the b-file.
17 fxgS hxgS 18 g4! (Diagram 31).
16 ... Nas!
Black frees the c6-square for her bishop in order to add to the defence of b7. in­
stead she would lose quickly after 16 .. .£S? 1 7 Ba6! NaS 18 Bxb7+ Nxb7 19 Qa6 etc.
when there is no good way to stop the capture on b7.
17 Ba6 Bc6 18 BbS
Threatening 19 Bxc6 Nxc6 20 QbS when b7 is again indefensible. Therefore the
black queen has to lend a hand to the defence.
18... Qd7 19 a4 Nc4! (Diagram 32)
Offering back her extra pawn in order to bring the light-squared bishop to life af­
ter 20 Bxc4 dxc4: for example, 21 Qxc4 Rhf8 22 as fS 23 exf6 Rxf6 when Black looks
pretty comfortable.
20 Rb3 as!
We are normally told i t i s inadvisable to move the pawns i n front o f our king
when under attack, but this is a clever defensive move. The reason is explained in
Diagram 31 (B) Diagram 32 (W) the next note.
An ideal scenario for White Making good use of the c6-bishop 21 Bxc6
After 21 Rabl BxbS 22 axbS b6 the white attack is stymied, as all the files on the
Take a long hard look at the position, as this is the kind of thing you need to avoid queenside are firmly blocked. However, if Black hadn't played 20 ... aS, the pawn
when you play the McCutcheon. Black has an extra pawn, a safe king and devel­ would still be on a7, allowing White to switch her attack to the a-file with 23 Ral,
oped pieces, but is nevertheless strategically busted. There are no pawn breaks etc.
available on the kingside as 18 .. .fS loses to 19 exf6, while otherwise there is no 21 ... Qxe6 22 Bel Rdf8
counterplay against the white king.
Intending to activate her rooks via the f-file with 23 .. .£5, which would also remove
This means that Black can only sit there whilst White builds up with moves like the hole in her kingside structure on f6. White puts a stop to it, but this allows the
Rf6, then c2-c3 to guard d4, and Qd2, intending BxgS. White's protected passed

156 157
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e M c C u t c h eon

black queen t o become active along the b-file.

2. White plays 6 Be1 - a quirky retreat
23 Rf3 Qb6 24 Qdl Qb4 25 Ba3
Now Black is able to stage a break out along the f-file. On the other hand, Ubien­ 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Ne3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4 5 e5 h6 6 Bel!? (Diagram 34)
nykh was running out of constructive moves, as if 25 Rf6 Black can strike against The reason for this paradoxical retreat might be better understood if we relate a
the d4-pawn with 25 ... c5 when 26 dxc5 Qc3 (26 . . . Qxc5!?) 27 RbI Qxe5 dismantles conversation about its merits between a sceptic and a believer.
the once proud white centre.
Sceptic: 'What a ridiculous move! I can just about sympathize with White wanting
25 ... Nxa3 26 Raxa3 f5! 27 exf6 Rxf6 28 Rab3 (Diagram 33) to avoid 6 Bd2 because it leads to the exchange of his dark-squared bishop; but
that's no excuse to move it all the way back to el! Why not put it on e3 where it
remains developed and helps defend d4?'

Believer: 'Ah, but the el -square is full of possibilities for the bishop. Modem sci­
ence talks about hidden dimensions, and here you have noticed the diagonal el­
h6, but you have missed the two other diagonals available to the bishop on c1.'

Sceptic: 'Nonsense - there are no other diagonals for the bishop on el.'

Believer: 'Not yet, but all good things come to those who believe! By the way, how
do you think Black will try for counterplay?

Sceptic: 'He'll play 6 . . . Ne4 and then attack the white centre with ... c5 - a plan all
the better because there is no white bishop on e3.'

Believer: 'Well, as soon as Black plays ... c5, new vistas will open for the white
bishop on el that it could never dream of on e3. It will soon be sitting proudly on
the a3-f8 diagonal.'

Diagram 33 (B) Sceptic 'I will believe that when I see it'.
Diagram 34 (W)
Black is pressing for the full point Let's check out the theory to see who is right. Of course, we don't want to have to
An unexpected retreat!
agree with our believer friend that 6 Bel is a great move, as we are playing this
position as Black; but at the same time I don't want you to assume like Sceptic that
Black has every chance to win after 28 Rxf6 Qxa3 29 Rxe6 Qxa4. Now with her 6 Bel is a feeble move, as then you might be in for a nasty shock when you get
extra pawn you might be expecting a technical display from Grabuzova, but in­ mated in 23 moves.
stead she wore down her opponent's defences on the kingside until eventually a
We'll examine the bishop retreat with the help of a tough battle between two of
mate appeared. Here are the remaining moves:
the best young players in the world.
28 ... Qe7 29 Qel b6 30 Rfe3 Rhf8 31 f3 Qd6 32 g4 Rf4 33 Qdl e5 34 dxe5 Qxe5 35
Re3 Rd4 36 Qel Qf4 37 Kg2 Kb7 38 Qe3 Rxa4 39 Re6 Re4 40 Qb2 Qd2+ 41 Kg3 Rxe2 Game 39
Now it gets deceptively exciting for a while, whereas 41...Rxg4+! mates in five o P.Negi • I.Nepomniachtchi
moves: 42 fxg4 (42 Kxg4 Qg2 mate) 42 . . . Qf2+ 43 Kh3 Qh4+ 44 Kg2 Rf2+ 45 KgI
Wij k aan Zee 2007
Qh2 mate.

42 Rbxb6+ Ke8 43 Rb8+ Kd7 44 Re7+ Kxe7 45 Qg7+ Rf7 46 Qe5+ Kd7 47 Qe8+ Kd6 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Ne3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4 5 e5 h6 6 Bel Ne4
0-1
Increasing the pressure on c3 is the only logical continuation for Black.
White has one more serious check on d8 after which the black king goes to c5.
7 Qg4!
Hair-raising stuff!
As with the 6 Be3 variation, White must strike quickly to force a positional conces­
sion from Black on the kingside; either the forfeiting of castling or the weakening
of his pawn structure.

158 159
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The McCutcheon

7 g6
•..
have undermined a lot of rules that were useful positional sign posts, but it has
also enriched chess: after all it permits us to find worth in 'ridiculous looking'
WARNING: Black comes to grief after 7 ... NxC3 8 Qxg7 Rf8 9 a3! BaS moves such as 6 Bel .
(or 9 Be7 10 bXc3 and Black is material down for nothing) 10 Bxh6
...
So instead of talking about White's centre, we might say instead that if White
Qe7 11 Bd2 and White will regain his piece a a couple of pawns up. doesn't watch out, Black's 9 ... cxd4 is going to cause havoc in combination with
8 Nge2 ... Nxc3, when the c3-point collapses.

Now, however, White must attend to the threat to c3. The fact that the bishop is 9 a3 Bas 10 dxcS!?
shut in on f1 encourages Black to launch a vigorous counterattack against d4. The alternative was 10 b4!? (Diagram 36), which breaks the pin on c3 with a sharp
8 cS! (Diagram 35)
••.
pawn offer. For example, 10 ... Nxc3 1 1 Nxc3 and now Black must choose whether
to take on b4 or d4:
a) The bishop on el comes alive after 1 1...cxb4?! 12 NbS bxa3+? (Black should try
12 ... b3+, although White keeps an attack after 13 Bd2) 13 c3 and White has a very
dangerous initiative for the pawns, as the bishop is ready to seize the a3-f8 diago­
nal with 14 Bxa3 in combination with Nd6+. And if 13 ... 0-0, then 14 Rxa3!? and
this time the bishop on el trains its fire along another diagonal with the threat of
15 Bxh6.
b) So 11 ... cxd4! is to be preferred: for example, 12 NbS Bc7 13 Qxd4 (or 13 f4 as
with a hard fight) 13 ... Nc6 14 Nxc7+ Qxc7 15 Bb5 Bd7 16 Bxc6 Qxc6 17 Be3 Qa6
and Black was OK in E.Berg-LNepomniachtchi, Wijk aan Zee 2007.
10 Nc6 11 b4
..•

If White defends the e5-pawn he will be hit by ... d4. Here is a plausible disaster for
him: 1 1 Bf4 d4 12 b4? (White has to fish in troubled waters with 12 Rd1 Qc7)
12 ... dxc3! 13 bxa5 (there is a cruder finish after 13 Rd1 Qxdl+!) 13 ...Qd2+! (a sham
Diagram 35 (W) Diagram 36 (B) queen sacrifice to set up a fork on f2) 14 Bxd2 cxd2+ 15 Kd1 Nxf2+ 16 Kxd2 Nxg4
and Black wins.
Black strives to open the position A sharp gambit
11 Nxes (Diagram 37)
•••

Nepomniachtchi completes the destruction of the white centre and brings a sec­
ond black knight to a good centre post. On the other hand, he is opening the di­
It used to be good enough when talking about the French to say that in such a
situation White has to take care or else his centre will crumble after 9 ... cxd4. No
agonal a1 -h8 for White's bishop on el . He needs to be especially vigilant as his
more explanation needed to be given to justify a white response that added sup­
own dark-squared bishop is away on the queenside, rather than sitting on the 'In­
port to his centre; it was a given rule of strategy that holding together your centre
dian' g7-square. Nepomniachtchi tries to make amends by putting the bishop on
is a vital thing.
c7 to bolster e5.
Nowadays things are much cloudier.
12 Qh3 Bc7 13 Nxe4 dxe4 14 NC3 as!
NOTE: We need to remind ourselves that in this age of dynamic An important move. Black stabs at the b4-pawn and as a consequence wins an
chess White doesn't necessarily mind if his centre crumbles - in fact, open file for his rook on a8.
he might rejoice in its crumbling, as long as it crumbles in a way that 15 Rb1 axb4 16 axb4 Bd7 17 Bb2
isfavourable to his pieces.
Here White could grab the pawn on e4, but it is risky with his king stuck in the
The old positional certainties that stated Black is doing well if he demolishes the middle. When I analysed this game on the ChessPublishing website, I pointed out a
white centre have been replaced by a concrete appraisal of each specific act of charming variation that Fritz showed me: 17 Nxe4 Bc6 18 Bg5 (it looks as if Black
demolition, often with the aid of a computer. This new dynamic approach may is in deep trouble, but ... ) 18 ... Qd4 19 Nf6+ Kf8 20 c3 Bxg2!! 21 Bxg2 Nd3+ 22 Kdl

160 161
 The McCutcheon
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

Nxf2+ 23 Ke1 Nd3+ 24 Kd1 Nf2+ with a draw by repetition.

�
ready t o complete the activation o f his pieces with 2 5... Rfc8. Meanwhile the w ite
king is rather awkwardly placed in the centre. Here we'll conclude our analysIs of
17 ... Bc61 (Diagram 38) the game.
Negi tried to force matters with a pawn sacrifice, but ended up with the wo�s�
chances before escaping into an endgame. For the record, here are the remammg
moves:

Diagram 37 (W) Diagram 38 (W)

White's centre has vanished Not such a bad bishop!

Diagram 39 (W) Diagram 40 (B)

o
NOTE: Over the past few moves Black has avoided defending the e4-
White is under pressure Not too challenging
pawn with fS. Instead he has used dynamic means to deter White
.••

from capturing it, until now he is able to defend it in a far more effi-
cient way. 25 g4 Qxg4 26 Qg3 Qf3 27 Bg2 QhS 28 0-0 fS 29 f4 Rfc8 30 Rd2 Ra2 31 Rcl gs 32
Bfl Qf3 33 Rf2 Qxg3+ 34 hxg3 Bc4 35 c3 Ra3 36 Rh2 Kh7 37 Bxc4 Rxc4 38 fxgs eS
Hence he has avoided weakening his kingside with 17 ... f5, and also brought his so
39 Rxh6+ Kg7 40 Bf2 Raxc3 41 Rxc3 Rxc3 42 Re6 e3 43 Re7+ Kg6 44 Bel Rcl 45 Kfl
called 'problem' piece, the light-squared bishop, to an active square.
Ncs 46 Ke2 f4 47 d7 f3+ 48 Kxf3 Nxd7 49 Rxd7 Rxe1 50 Rxb7 Kxg5 51 b6 Kf6 52 RC7
It is all too easy to be lazy in chess, and automatically play a move like 14 ...f5 or Rb1 53 Rc6+ Kf5 54 g4+ Kg5 55 Kxe3 Kxg4 Yz-Yz
16 .. .£5. In contrast, the strongest players are always looking to get as much as they
can from any position, and try to avoid stereotyped decisions.
That finishes our survey of White's possible moves after 5 e5 h6. As you can see,
18 Rd1 Qf6 Black has good counter-attacking options in every line.
The black queen fearlessly takes up a post on the same diagonal as the white
bishop on b2.
19 NbS Bb8 White Avoids 5 eS
The trapper is trapped: if now 20 Nd6+ Bxd6 21 cxd6 Nf3+! 22 Qxf3 (best)
1 e4 e 6 2 d 4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4
22 . . .Qxb2 and Black picks up White's bishop, with a near winning position.
If White wants to avoid 5 e5 then his main alternatives are 5 exd5 and 5 Nge2, as
20 Bd4 Qfs 21 QC3 0-0 22 Nd6 Bxd6 23 cxd6 Nd7 24 b5 Bd5 (Diagram 39)
we will now explore. A third move is 5 Bd3 (Diagram 40), which stri�es me a� be­
Not 24... Bxd5? 25 g4 when White wins a piece. ing rather defensive. Black can try to counterattack with 5 ... c5, but I hk� the SImple
After the text, White can be proud of his dark-squared bishop and his passed approach 5 ... dxe4 6 Bxe4 Nbd7, when White is going to have to waste time retreat-
pawn. On the other hand, Black is well entrenched on the light squares and is

163
162
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 The M c C u t c h e o n

ing his bishop from e4 or else submit to its exchange: for example, 7 Nge2 h6 8
Bxf6 Nxf6 9 Bf3 c5 (already Black looks at least equal) 10 a3 (better to bail out to a
slightly worse endgame with 10 dxc5 Bxc5 11 Qxd8+ Kxd8) 1O ...Bxc3+ 11 bxc3 Qc7
12 0-0 0-0 13 RbI Rb8 14 Qd3 b6 and White had a grotty position due to his weak­
nesses on the c-file in A.Gipslis-D.Bronstein, Baku 1961.

1. White plays 5 Nge2

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 NC3 Nf6 4 Bgs Bb4 S Nge2

By shutting in his bishop on f1 White is clearly renouncing any chance of landing
a quick knock-out blow. Instead he wants to guide the game down more quiet,
positional channels. Thus instead of fighting for the initiative on the kingside, his
first concern is to avoid having his queenside pawns broken up by ...Bxc3+. He is
letting Black temporarily win the e4-pawn, but he will recover it in a couple of
moves, albeit at the price of having to give up his good dark-squared bishop for a Diagram 41 (W) Diagram 42 (W)
knight. Then the question will be one that is central to the Classical and Rubin­ Livening up the struggle Black had to rule out d4-d5
stein variations of the French in which Black has conceded the centre with ... dxe4:
is a white knight sitting pretty on e4 of more value than Black's bishop-pair?
S ...dxe4 Game 40
With his queenside counterplay neutralized for at least the time being, Black has o T.Willemze . 1.Nepomniachtchi
to prevent White from carrying out his own plan of 6 e5 on the kingside. Wijk aan Zee 2007
6 a3 Be7
The bishop returns to e7, breaking the pin on f6 and so compelling White to hand 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 BgS Bb4 S Nge2 dxe4 6 a3 Be7 7 Bxf6 gxf6 8 Nxe4 b6
over the dark-squared bishop in order to regain the e4-pawn. It appears that Black's light-squared bishop won't be complaining about its
If instead 6...Ba5 then 7 b4 Bb6 8 Nxe4 is good for White, while 6 ... Bxc3+? is seen to chances in this game. It is developed to a splendid diagonal where it can attack the
be a pointless and bad move after 7 Nxc3: it gives up the bishop-pair and eases the white knight.
congestion in the white camp without causing any damage to the white pawns or 9 Qd2
ultimately saving the life of the e4-pawn.
After 9 Nf4 f5 10 Nc3 Black should rule out any d4-d5 ideas with 1O ... c6! and then
7 Bxf6 gxf61? (Diagram 41) develop as in the main game. Meanwhile after 9 g3 (probably the best move as it
More fighting than the solid 7...Bxf6. Black breaks up his kingside pawns in order allows White to keep his knight on e4) 9 ... Bb7 10 Bg2 c6 (again this stabilizing
to increase his grip on the centre. In particular, he will be able to drive the white move, and certainly not 10 .. .£5?, losing the exchange to 11 Nf6+ Bxf6 12 Bxb7) 1 1
knight from its strong centre post with .. .£6-f5 - a luxury he doesn't have in a nor­ 0-0 White has more options than after 9 Qd2, although I still believe in the durabil­
mal French set up after, say, 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 as the move 4 ... f5? ity of the black position.
creates far too many holes in his pawn structure. However, even here the move 9 ... Bb7 10 N4c3 c61 (Diagram 42)
.. .£5 has to be treated with caution, as if it is played too soon the hole it creates on
A rude surprise for Black's bishop, which has the door slammed in its face.
e5 might prove awkward for Black. Another benefit of 7... gxf6 is that Black gains
attacking chances down the half open g-file; while a third is that the dark-squared TIP: We should remember, though, that it is the overall health of a
bishop is preserved from exchange, as might happen after 7...Bxf6 8 Nxe4. player's position that matters, not the mobility of one or more of his
In our next illustrative game Nepomniachtchi manages to utilize all three of these pieces.
potential advantages.
Willemze's last two moves indicated that he was building up towards a break-

164 165
 The McCutcheon
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

from the h-file s o that he can begin the advance o f his h-pawn, and to d o s o needs
through with d4-d5, and this would have happened immediately after 10 ... Nd7?
to clear the f6-square for his knight. Besides, the white knights aren't well placed
11 dS!. If then 11 ...exdS 12 NxdS, and Black has doubled and isolated f-pawns;
to exploit the e5-square in this specific position.
while the alternative 1 1 . ..e5? 12 Ng3, with the white knight going to fS, looks even
worse for him; and against other moves, White can probe the weakness on e6. 16 Nf4 Nf6 17 Qf3 Rd8 18 Radl h5!
Therefore the preventive 1O ... c6 was vital. Black's bishop can at least take heart in The onslaught begins. White is understandably nervous and pushes his b-pawn in
the fact that it persuaded the white knight to retreat from the powerful e4-square. search of counterplay, but it only leads to fresh weaknesses along the c-file.

11 g3 19 b4 Bd6 20 Nd3 h4 21 b5 Nd5! 22 Nxd5 exd5

White decides to fianchetto as the pawn on g3 forms a bulwark to Black's pressure Thanks to his 21st move, Black's pawn centre has increased in size and strength,
along the g-file with ... Rg8. In any case, with the knight on e2 there was no other while exposing White's weaknesses along the c-file.
way out for the bishop. 23 Qe3 hxg3 24 hxg3 Kb8 25 a4 Re8 26 Ral Qe3 (Diagram 44)
11 Nd7 12 Bg2 Qe7
••• It is interesting that Nepomniachtchi doesn't look to mate White along the h-file,
Black's development proceeds harmoniously. The move 1O ... c6 has provided the but instead uses his central superiority to pick off White's d4-pawn.
queen with a cubby hole on c7, which gets her off the back rank and so in tum 27 as Re4 28 a6 Be8 29 Rfd1 Qxd4 30 Qe2?
allows queenside castling. A blunder of course, but White was already beyond hope.
13 Qh6 30 Bxg3 0-1
•.•

Having been denied a central breakthrough with d4-d5, Willemze doesn't find a
good alternative plan. He ends up wasting a lot of time with his queen, until fi­
nally he hits on the idea of a queenside pawn advance. However, by that time the 2. White plays 5 exd S
black attack on the kingside has become quite threatening.
13 0-0-0 14 Qh5 Rdf8 15 0-0 f5 (Diagram 43)
•.• White responds to the threat to e4 in the style of the Exchange Variation. He hopes
that with a semi-open centre his lead in development will amount to something,
especially in view of the absence of Black's bishop from the kingside.
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Ne3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4 5 exd5 Qxd5! (Diagram 45)

Diagram 43 (W) Diagram 44 (W)

Black begins to advance White is undone down the c-file

Diagram 45 (W) Diagram 46 (W)

As we said above, Black should consider carefully before making this move as it
weakens the eS-square. However, Nepomniachtchi wants to eject the white queen The active and best recapture c3 might become vulnerable

167
166
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e McCutcheon

The correct recapture. Black activates his queen, breaks the pin o n f6 and even Already it's impossible not to be attracted t o the black position.
threatens the impertinent white bishop. If now 6 Nf3 White already has to reckon
with 6 ... Ne4, increasing the pin on c3 and hitting g5 again.

6 Bxf6 BXc3+
Not strictly necessary, but Black wants to inflict doubled pawns on his opponent,
rather than give him the chance to avoid them after 6 ... gxf6 7 Qd2.

7 bxc3 gxf6
Now both White and Black have a compromised pawn structure, but on opposite
wings. Capablanca believed that 5 exd5 was the best way for White to meet the
McCutcheon, because 'the breaking up of the kingside is of more importance than
a similar occurrence on the queenside'. As a general principle this is no doubt
true, as damage to the future king's residence, which is most likely to be the king­
side, should cause more trouble than a similar outrage on the queenside. How­
ever, in this case Black is able to make the queenside the home of his king, or even
keep it advantageously in the centre. Meanwhile should White castle kingside
he'll find that the damage to the black kingside is no source of joy to him, as it Diagram 47 (W) Diagram 4B (W)
means that the black rooks can attack him along the g-file. It is noteworthy that Decent pressure against g2 Black doesn't want to pawn-grab
Capablanca himself chose to castle queenside with the white pieces in at least two
games where he faced the McCutcheon!

B Nf3 Game 41
o A.Martin • S.Knott
WARNING: White can try to be sneaky by delaying the development
of his knight to f3. Thus after B Qd2, if Black plays B b6?! then 9
•••
British League 2006
Be21 is awkward for him, as 9 Qxg2?? and 9 Bb7?? both lose
grievously to 10 Bf3. Of course, Black doesn't need to fall for the
••• •••

l d4
trap, but a continuation like 9 Nc6 10 Bf3 Qd6 11 Qh6 isn't all that
•••
A lengthy detour, but we'll get to the French in the end.
appealing for him. 1 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bg5 e6 4 e4 Bb4 5 exd5 Qxd5 6 Bxf6 BXc3+ 7 bxc3 gxf6 B Nf3 b6
.••

9 Be2 Bb7 10 0-0 RgB 11 c4

So I would recommend you answer 8 Qd2 with 8 ... Qa5! (Diagram 46).
White tries to blot out the pressure on g2 and at the same time open a line of at­
If then 9 Bd3 (or 9 Be2), still wanting to cause Black grief after 9 ... b6 with 10 Be4
tack against the black king.
(or 10 Bf3), it's time to wheel out the Fort Knox again: 9 ...Bd7!. One game went 10
Ne2 Bc6 1 1 f3 Nd7 12 0-0 0-0-0 with reasonable chances for Black in J.Magem 11,..Qe4 12 d5 Nd7! (Diagram 48)
Badals-I.Glek, Cap d'Agde 1996. Black would be very foolish to get involved in 12 ... exd5? 13 ReI when conscien­
It's interesting that Glek has taken the idea of ...Qa5 one stage further, and also tious development will ensure he gets a splendidly active position.
answers 8 Nf3 with 8 ...Qa5. There are good points to the second queen move, but I 13 Rel 0-0-0 14 Bfl Qg4
prefer to develop the bishop at once to b7, now that 8 Nf3 has ruled out White's White's central action has run out of stream and now he must beg to be allowed a
Bf3 ideas. bad endgame, as otherwise 15 ... Nc5 and 16 ... exd5 will crush him.
B,..b6 15 Nd4 Ne51 16 Qxg4 Rxg4 17 c3 C51
Black's bishop will be developed on to a fine diagonal where it attacks the g2- Also not bad was the simple 17. . .exd5, but Knott i s i n n o hurry. He ensures that
square. his kingside pawns remain compact, while leaving his opponent with doubled
9 Be2 Bb7 10 0-0 RgB (Diagram 47) and isolated pawns on the queenside that he can attack at his leisure.

168 169
 The McCutcheon
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

18 dxc6 Nxc6 19 Nxc6 Bxc6 20 Radl Rxd1 21 Rxdl Rgsl (Diagram 49) A multipurpose move. Black meets the threat of 10 Qg7 and 1 1 Qxf6 by defending
the f6-pawn with his king. The automatic choice for most of us would have been
9 . Nd7, but Glek wants to reserve that square for his bishop. A further point to
. .

the move is that the king is making way for the rook on h8 to enter the game, as 10
Qg7 can now be answered with 10 ... Rd8 1 1 Qxh7 Rxd4!. And to add to everything
else, in some cases the white queen can be attacked by the bishop on c8 after ...e5.
10 Qe4
No longer attracted by the idea of grabbing a pawn on the kingside, the white
queen wanders on to e4.
10... Bd7!
The Fort Knox approach once again. If Black is allowed to play 1 1 . . .Bc6 with im­
punity then White's queen manoeuvres have clearly been a fiasco. He therefore
grabs the pawn on b7, but this can hardly tum out well for him when he is so far
behind in development.
11 Qxb7 Nc61
Diagram 49 (W) Diagram SO (W) After 1 1 . . .Bc6?? 12 Qb4+ Qxb4 13 cxb4 Black would be fighting for a draw. Instead
A very miserable ending for White Black's king is quite safe his strategy depends on keeping the queens on the board so that he can target the
white king.
The rook heads for a5 and then a3 in order to attack the a2- and c3-pawns at the

�
same time. TIP: In any unbalanced position, the exchange of queens can have a
dramatic effect.
22 f4 RaS 23 Rd2 Ra3 24 Bd3
White's pawns can't all be defended, as after 24 Rc2 Be4 25 Re2 Bd3 the c3-pawn 12 Qb3 Rab8 13 QC4 Rb2 (Diagram Sl) 14 g3
will drop off.
24...fS 2S h3 Rxc3 26 g4
White's attempt to gain counterplay on the kingside just leads to the loss of more
pawns.
26...Be41 27 Bfl fxg4 28 hxg4 Rg3+ 29 Kf2 Rf3+ 30 Ke2 Rxf4 31 gs Bb7 0-1

Game 42
o O.Brendel • I.Glek
Swiss League 2004

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bgs Bb4 S exds QxdS 6 Bxf6 BXc3+ 7 bxc3 gxf6 8 Qg4
An extremely aggressive attempt to refute Black's opening.
8 ... QaSI
Simply 8...Qg5 can't be bad for Black, but Glek wants more from the opening. Diagram 51 (W) Diagram S2 (W)
Therefore he attacks c3 in order to provoke Brendel's reply, after which he can't An early initiative The pin is too strong
develop his bishop from f1 and his king has to stay in the centre.
9 Ne2 Ke7! (Diagram so) Black's initiative continues after 14 Qd3 Rxa2 or 14 ... Rhb8.

170 171
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

14...Rxc2 15 Bg2
It looks as if White is going to escape with 16 0-0, but now comes a chilling sur­
prise:
15 ... Ne5!!
If now 16 dxe5 Rxe2+! then 17 Kxe2 Bb5 wins the white queen, while 17 Qxe2 Chapter Six
Qxc3+ loses the rook on a1 with check, and thirdly 17 Kf1 (the only move in the
circumstances) 17 ... Rxe5 leaves White a pawn down with a ruined game.
16 Qb4+
So White gets to exchange queens, but the situation is very different to the notes to
The Tarrasch 3 . . . Be 7
move 11, above. Here Black's rook is on the seventh rank and can be aided by the
bishop and knight in causing havoc.
16 Qxb4 17 cxb4 Nd3+ 1S Kf1 Bb5 19 a4 Bc4 (Diagram 52) 20 Be4 f5 21 Bxd3 Bxd3
•••

22 Re1 RdS 23 f3 Rxd4 24 Kf2 Rxb4 0-1

I hope the exciting games in this chapter have persuaded you to make the
McCutcheon part of your opening repertoire!

_ I ntroduction
_ White Plays 4 Bd 3
_ White Plays 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 eS
_ White Plays 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 Bd3
_ White Plays 4 eS

172
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e T a r r a s c h 3 . . . Be7

NOTE: In contrast, 3...Be7 doesn't allow White to play 4 e5 with gain

Introd uction of tempo. Therefore, White can never get a situation like in the Tar­
rasch 3 ... Nf6 where he has either played f2-f4 or kept the way clear
Here we look at an alternative to the Fort Knox versus 3 Nd2, namely 1 e4 e6 2 d4
for a future f2-f4. If White does advance e4-e5 versus 3 ... Be7, it
d5 3 Nd2 Be7 (Diagram 1).
won't be as part of establishing a broad centre.
Instead White will have a knight sitting on f3, blocking the f2-£4 move, and most
likely his d4-pawn will have vanished from the board; or else e4-e5 will be played
as part of a quick attack with Qg4. In short, 3 ... Be7 has struck a fatal blow against
White's idea of building a big centre.
An obvious objection to 3 ... Be7 is that it seems to lose a tempo if White plays dxc5,
as the bishop must move a second time to recapture the pawn.

TIP: Leaving aside the fact that dxc5 doesn't sound a particularly
fearsome move, we should remember that Black doesn't have to re­
capture on c5 straightaway. In fact, in the main line suggested here
he recaptures on c5 not with the bishop, but with a knight.
It is time to look at some concrete examples. White has four main methods of
meeting 3 ...Be7. We shall begin with that which is generally regarded as the main
Diagram 1 (W) Diagram 2 (W) line.

A modem development Challenging White's centre

White Plays 4 Bd3
Formally speaking this is the Romanishin Variation, but most people know it sim­
ply as the Tarrasch 3 ... Be7.
Game 43
o S.Kristjansson • F.Caruana
Strategic Overview Reykjavik 2008

I hope that after reading the Classical 4 e5 chapter, the very idea of putting the 1 d4 e6 2 e4 d5
bishop on e7 gives you a warm glow. But then again, maybe you are wondering That fooled you.
why exactly we should play 3 ... Be7 here?
3 Nd2 Be7 4 Bd3
A comparison with another popular move in the Tarrasch Defence might be help­
By now you will have realized that this is undoubtedly the favourite square for
ful. After 3...Nf6 4 eS Nfd7 White has been able to establish his pawn centre with
White's light-squared bishop in the d4/e5 versus d5/e6 pawn centre ...
gain of time through hitting the black knight on f6. He can either play 5 f4 or 5 Bd3
c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ne2, which keeps the way clear for the f2-f4 advance. Black then 4...c51 (Diagram 2 )
typically responds 7... cxd4 8 cxd4 f6 9 exf6 Nxf6, when he has won back the f6- ... and that this move is Black's favourite in the whole of the French. Imagine if
square for his knight, but in the process has weakened the e5-square and the e6- Black had played 4...Nf6 instead, which on the face of it looks like a natural move.
pawn. Because Black (very sensibly) agrees to accept these weaknesses, we don't However, in fact it is a big strategic mistake, as White can then establish the broad
often see White advancing f2-f4, but that was the underlying idea behind his early f2-£4 centre we talked about above with 5 e5 N£d7 6 £4 c5 7 c3, and then support it
moves. with 8 Ne2 and 9 Ndf3.

1 74 175
 T h e T a r r a s c h 3 ... B e 7
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

examined in the third theoretical section of this chapter, where it is reached via the
WARNING: This large centre has an important difference compared
alternative move order 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 Bd3 c5 6 exd5 Qxd5 7 dxc5.
to the one we saw White trying to construct after S Nce2 in the
Classical 4 e5 Variation. There White's light-squared bishop was shut 6 0-0
•••

in on f1, but here it is already ideally placed on d3 and so he has no Shock! Horror! Black castles before move 20! We have grown so used to Black de­
need to redeploy his knight from e2. laying or even avoiding castling elsewhere in this book that it comes as a shock to
see this eminently sensible move here. Jumping ahead, in our next section we will
5 dxc5 once again be seeing the black king performing his tricks in the centre with
White captures on cS in the hope of making the bishop on e7 move again, but lS ... Kd7, while in the penultimate section he chooses 15 ... 0-0-0.
Black refuses to fall behind in development.

�
S Nf61
•••
TIP: We should remember Pillsbury's advice: 'castle because you
want to or because you must, not just because you can.'
Only now is the knight developed. The reply 6 eS is strategically harmless after
6 ... Nfd7, as White can no longer build a centre - in fact the e5-pawn becomes a 7 Ngf3 aSI? (Diagram 4)
liability for him. Black prevents the pawn on c5 being supported by b2-b4 and prepares to recap­
6 Qe2 ture it with ... Na6 and ... NxcS, without allowing his pawns to be messed up as is
The best move: White overprotects e4 and avoids an unwelcome simplification the case after 7...Na6 8 Bxa6 bxa6.
that occurs after 6 Ngf3 dxe4 7 Nxe4 Nxe4 8 Bxe4 Qxd1+ 9 Kxdl BxcS, when the 8 0-0
white bishop can be driven away by ... Nd7 and ... Nf6, followed if possible by ...b6 The sharp 8 eS Nfd7 9 h4 will be considered at the end of this game.
and ... Ba6+. OK, I guess I'm dreaming a bit here, but Black certainly has a com­
Instead White can try to hold onto the pawn on c5 with 8 c3 Na6 9 eS Nd7 10 Bxa6
fortable endgame.
Rxa6 1 1 b4, but this is a risky strategy to say the least. Black can break out with
It is also fruitless for White to try to hold on to the cS-pawn after 6 b4 as! 7 c3 Nc6 our familiar pawn stab 1 1 . ..£6! (Diagram 5): for example, 12 exf6 Bxf6 13 bS (White
(Diagram 3): for example, if 8 bS NeS attacking d3, followed by 9 ...BxcS; or 8 a3 has to act fast as both 13 ... Bxc3 and 13 ... axb4 are on the cards) 13 ...Ra8 and after 14
axb4 9 cxb4 Nxb4; or finally 8 RbI NeS!? 9 Bc2 dxe4 10 Nxe4 Qxdl+ 11 Kxdl axb4 Ba3! we have:
12 cxb4 Rxa2 and Black has regained the pawn with advantage.

Diagram S (W) Diagram 6 (W)

Diagram 3 (W) Diagram 4 (W)
White can easily lose control Black is fairly solid
Black will regain the pawn Facilitating ... Na6

a) 14 ...Bxc3 15 ReI d4 16 0-0 leads to complications that might favour White,

A third alternative is to clear the centre of pawns with 6 exd5 Qxd5 7 Nf3. This is

177
176
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e T a r r a s c h 3 . . . Be7

S.Kudrin-Y.Shulman, Philadelphia 2008. Black, though, has many other interest­ fication for Black's ambitious move.

ing ways to handle the position. 14 b41

b) I quite like the simple alternative 14 ... Re8!?, planning to expand in the centre The critical response. Instead 14 exf6 Bxf6 is at least OK for Black, such as after 15
after 15 0-0 with 15 ... e5, followed perhaps by 16 ... e4, 17 . . . Ne5 and 18 . . . Bg4 etc. Nd4 Re8 16 Qh3 g6 when he can even expand in the centre with 17 ... e5.

Meanwhile here's the fate that might befall White if instead he decides to grab the 14.. .fxesl (Diagram 7)
centre pawns with 14 Qxe6+ Kh8 15 Qxd5 (it's too late to tum back as 15 0-0 Bxc3
16 RbI Nxc5 is simply bad for White) 15 ... Qe7+ 16 Kfl Bxc3 17 RbI Re8 and Black
has a huge attack. He annihilated his opponent in impressive style in the follow­
ing game: 18 Ba3 Qe2+ 19 Kgl Nf6 20 Qc4 Bf5 21 ReI (White doesn't even have
time to exchange queens as 21 Qxe2 Rxe2 22 Rdl Rd8 will win a piece) 21.. .Qxel+
22 Nxel Rxel+ 23 Nfl Rd8 24 h3 (White gets a lost endgame after 24 Qxc3 Rdd1 25
Qxel Rxel 26 f3 Bd3 27 Kf2 Re2+ 28 Kg3 Bxb5 and 29 ... Rxa2) 24 ... Be5 25 f4 Bd3 26
Qa4 Rxfl+ 27 Kh2 Bxf4+ 28 g3 Rf2+ 29 Kgl Be3 and 0-1; complete destruction in
M.Nekrasov-P.Vavrak, Edmonton 2006.

Now we should return to Kristjansson-Caruana where White has just played 8 0-0:

8 ...Na6
All according to plan.

g eSI
The most common move. Instead Black has a safe position he can play to win in
the style of Critelli-Shulman, below, after 9 exd5 Qxd5 10 Ne4 Nxc5 1 1 Nxc5 Qxc5,
Diagram 7 (W) Diagram 8 (W)
when he is ready to play 12 . . .b6 and 13 ... Bb7. The struggle sharpens White is in huge trouble

9... Nd7 (Diagram 6) 10 e3

Alternatively, White might decide to allow the exchange of his light-squared 15 Nxes
bishop in return for getting in the f2-f4 move. This can be done with 10 Nd4 Taking on c5 is a blunder: 15 bxc5? Bxc5 16 Qg5 Qxg5 (or even 16 . . .Bxf2+, as 17
Ndxc5 11 f4. Here I would suggest 11 ... f5!? when 12 g4? would be very bad for Kxf2 Qxg5 pockets the queen) 17 Nxg5 Bxf2+ 18 Khl Bxel and White has lost a lot
White after 12 ... Nxd3 13 cxd3 (or 13 Qxd3 Nb4) 13 . . . Qb6. After the solid and pref­ of material.
erable 12 N2f3 Black could choose between 12 . . . Ne4!? 13 Be3 Nac5 and 12 ... Bd7 13
1S ... Nxes 16 bxes Bxes 17 Qxes Bxf2+ 18 Kh1 Bxe1 19 Qxe6+?
Be3 Nb4 14 a3 Nbxd3 15 cxd3 a4, with a reasonable game in either case.
Too greedy. Black has a rook and two pawns for a knight and bishop after 19
10 ... NaxeS 11 Be2 Qxel!, but the main fight would still be ahead. If, for example, 19 . . . d4 in the style
White has made an escape route for his bishop to avoid the positionally unfavour­ of the game, then 20 Ba3!? is far from clear. Alternative moves for Black would be
able exchange on d3. 19 ... e5 or 19 . . .Qf6, but none promise more than the chance to fight for the initia­
11 ... b61 tive.

This won't be the last time in this chapter that we see Black solve the problem of 19 ... Kh8 20 Qxe1 d41
his bad bishop with ...b6. But here it is particularly effective, as White's rook on fl The open e-file adds a vital boost to this move as 21 Ba3 Re8 saves the rook and
and queen both feel obliged to escape the attentions of the newcomer on a6. attacks the white queen, with an invasion to follow similar to the game.
12 Re1 Ba6 13 Qe3 f61 21 Bb2 d3 (Diagram 8)
In Chapter Four we extolled this method of undermining the centre when White Caruana is now in his element and quickly sweeps away his opponent.
has been amiss with his development. Here the concealed weakness of the f2-
22 Bd1 QgS 23 Nf3 Rae8! 24 Qf2 d21
square and the fact that White's bishop on c1 is shut in supply the positional justi-

178 179
 The Tarrasch 3 ...Be7
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

The themes of Black's attack include: back rank mates on either the e-file or f-file If Black now plays the obvious 9 ... Nc6, completing his development, he will be
with the rooks, pressure against g2 and f3 involving all the pieces, and the strong struck down by 10 Bxh7+! Kxh7 11 NgS+ which leaves him with a dismal choice:
passed pawn. a) Going forwards does nothing for the black king's health. After 1 1 . . .Kh6 12 Ndf3
25 Ba4 Re2 26 Qg1 Qe7 27 e4 Bb7 28 Rf1 Re11 29 Bd1 Rxf31 30 gxf3 Rxd1 0-1 he will be ripped apart by the discovered check 13 Nxe6+, unless he staggers on
with 12 ...Kg6 when there is a rather cute mate with 13 hS+ KfS 14 Nh4.
A catastrophe follows on f3. A superb final attack.
b) Or if at once 1 1 ... Kg6 then 12 hS+ Kxg5 (12 ... Kh6 13 Ndf3) 13 Nb1+ Kf5 and a
commoner assassinates the king with 14 g4 mate.

The Greek Gift revisited c) 1 1 . . .Bxg5 12 hxg5+ Kg6 ( 12 ... Kg8 13 Qh5 transposes to variation ' d') 13 Qh5+
and the black king is soon mated after 13 ... Kf5. In fact White can indulge in some
In the Classical 4 eS chapter, we briefly discussed the so-called Greek Gift sacri­ party tricks to find the nicest mate, which might be 14 Qh7+ Kxg5 (or 14 ... Kxe5 15
fice. As explained there, the basic mechanism is that White plays the sacrifice Nf3 mate) 15 Nf3+ Kg4 16 Nh2 mate.
Bxh7+, then Ng5+ and Qh5, with Black being unable to reply ...Nf6 to cover the h7- d) Entirely hopeless too is 1 1 . ..Kg8 in view of 12 Qh5 Bxg5 (or 12 ...Re8 13 Qh7+
square. Kf8 14 Qh8 mate) 13 hxg5 (Diagram 10) 13 ... f6 (the only way to stop mate on h8 is
Here we shall examine the Greek Gift in a more sophisticated form, as the white to create air on f7 - 13 ...fS leads to the same thing) 14 g6! (sealing off the escape
rook can get in on the act. hatch) and mate on h7 or h8 can't be averted.
It would be embarrassing to lose in 14 moves playing for your country, and so
Game 44 rather than 9 ... Nc6? Vallejo Pons played:
o E.Rozentalis • F.Yallejo Pons 9... h6!
Ca lvia Olympiad 2004 This rules out 10 Bxh7+. Now if White were bloody-minded he could continue
with 10 Ng5 when 1O ... hxgS?? (Black has just played to keep the h-file closed with
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Bd3 e5 5 dxe5 Nf6 6 Qe2 0-0 7 Ngf3 as 9 ...h6, so it is plain stupid to open it) 1 1 Bh7+! is a curious reversal of the usual
Thus far we've followed the game Kristjansson-Caruana, but now White tried Greek Gift moves Bxh7+ and NgS. Now after 1 1 ... Kxh7 (or 10 ... Kh8 1 1 QhS Re8 12
something very aggressive: Bg6+ and mate in two moves) 12 QhS+ Kg8 13 hxgS here we are again, with the
black king mated after 13 ... f6 14 g6.
8 e5 Nfd7 9 h4 (Diagram 9)
However, there is of course no rule in chess that says that you have to accept a
piece offer. True, 9 ... Nc6 10 Bxh7+ was lethal whether or not it was accepted, but
9 ...h6 10 Ng5 is a milder affair. Indeed, Black can ignore it and get on with his de­
velopment with 10 ... Nc6 (Diagram 11).
Then White is looking overextended on the kingside - he has no breakthrough
there and his centre is under defended.
Having provoked 9 ...h6, which creates a 'hook' on gS for a pawn advance, White
might have tried 10 g4. This would be best met by 10 ... NxcS! 1 1 g5 Nxd3+ elimi­
nating the dangerous white bishop. Then after 12 Qxd3 Black can block the king­
side with 12 ... hS! when 13 g6 Nc6 sees him take over the initiative.
Instead Rozentalis lost confidence in his attacking plan:
10 e3 Nxe5 11 Be2 f51
An important move. White has to either submit to the shutting of the b1-h7 diago­
nal, with a further humiliation looming with ... Ne4, or else concede his strong
Diagram 9 (B) Diagram 10 (B) pawn on e5, which allows Black freedom to expand in the centre.
White has a certain threat! The Greek Gift is decisive

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e T a r r a s c h 3 .. . B e 7

12 exf6 Bxf6 13 Nes Bxes 14 Qxes Nc6 lS Qg3 eS (Diagram 12) WARNING: Positionally speaking it i s a thoroughly good move; but
no move, no matter how strategically desirable, should be played if
it fails the tactical test.
Black should have castled first with 8 .. 0-0 and only then played 9 ... Nf6.
.

9 Bxb711 (Diagram 13)

Diagram 11 (W) Diagram 12 (W)

Wisely declining the knight Black has seized the initiative

Black has a good game and went on to win in splendid attacking style. The re­
maining moves were: 16 Nb3 Nxb3 17 Bxb3 Rf6 lS a4 Be6 19 0-0 Qb6 20 Bc2 RafS Diagram 13 (B) Diagram 14 (B)
21 Bd3 KhS 22 BbS BfS 23 Bxc6 Rg6 24 Qxes Be4 2S g3 bxc6 26 Bf4 Rg4 27 QC7 A pawn drops off Natural development
Qxb2 2S Bd6 QXC3 29 Rael Rxf2 30 QcS+ Kh7 31 Qxg4 Rg2+ 32 Khl Re2+ 0-1
The point. White steals a pawn in broad daylight.

The best trap in the world? 9 Bxb7 10 QbS+ Qd7 11 Qxb7 0-0 12 Qa6 cS 13 dxcS BxcS 14 0-0 RabS lS Qe2
•••

The former British Champion Bill Hartston once quipped that it was one of the
Although it isn't part of your repertoire (thank goodness!), I can't help showing mysteries of chess that a player always gets some sort of compensation for a pawn,
you the following curious trap. even when he has lost it as an outright blunder. Here, however, any compensation
is very meagre indeed. The open b-file doesn't bring Black any joy, as if Black is
Game 45 going to create any counterplay it is where he has a pawn majority, which is on
o M.Mahjoob • K.Chernyshov the kingside.

Abu Dha bi 2004 Grandmaster Chemyshov battled on with lS RfeS 16 b3 eS 17 Be3 BfS lS Rfdl
•••

Qc7 19 c4 Ng4 20 h3 Nxe3 21 Qxe3 fS, but couldn't undo the damage and resigned
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Bd3 dxe4 at move 46.

You should play 4 ... c5 here, as the Fort Knox and the Tarrasch 3 ... Be7 don't really
mix. The latest victim of 9 Bxb7! that I know about was in Norway a couple of weeks
before writing this. It's pretty lethal as White has scored 13.5/15 in recent games ­
Black scraped a draw and actually won once when an 1M fell for the trap against
S Nxe4 Nf6 6 Nf3 Nxe4 7 Bxe4 Nd7 S Qe2 Nf6??
Black, with an Elo rating of 2585, played this obvious, natural and automatic move
an amateur who must have been kicking himself for letting his opponent escape.
to chase back the white bishop as a preliminary to . .0-0, ..b6 and ...Bb7.
. .
It's a difficult tactic to see, though, as Paul Keres, one of the top players in the

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 T h e T a r r a s c h 3 . . . Be7
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

7...b6!? (Diagram 16) with the idea of ...Ba6, exchanging off White's light-squared
world for 2 5 years, failed to spot it when playing White and dutifully retreated his
bishop. As this is also our plan in the Advance chapter, you shouldn't find it too
bishop with 9 Bd3, although being Keres he still later won with a big attack.
difficult to understand the kind of positions that arise.

Let's look at one of Nepo's best games.

White Plays 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Game 4 6

o Z.Andriasian • I.Nepomniachtchi
1 e4 e6 2 d 4 d 5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Ngf3 (Diagram 14) Kirishi 2007
A natural developing move that is a prelude to seizing space in the centre.

4...Nf6 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bd3

Black takes the chance to develop his knight before it is prevented with 5 e5. Instead if 6 c3 c5 7 Be2 we can continue as planned with 7...b6 8 0-0 Ba6. However, 6
c4!? with an immediate attack on the black centre is tricky. French devotee 5mbat
5 e5
Lputian tried 6 ... dxc4 in Mahjoob-S.Lputian, Yerevan 2001. The game went 7 Bxc4
The alternative 5 Bd3 is the subject of our next section.
(or 7 Nxc4 Nb6 8 Nxb6 axb6 and the fact that a piece has been exchanged off eases
5 ...Nfd7 6 Bd3 c5 the congestion in the black position: 9 Bd3 Bd7 10 0-0 Bc6 11 ReI Bd5 12 Be3 Nc6 13
I hope by now you are familiar with this way of lindermining the white centre. a3 0-0 14 Nd2 f5! and Black had no problems in P.5vidler-Y.Visser, Groningen 1990)
7... Nb6 8 Bd3 Bd7 9 0-0 Bc6 (Diagram 17) 10 ReI Bd5 11 Bc2 Nc6 and Black's play
7 c3
was a cross between the Fort Knox and the Advance 3 ... b6 system.
At the time of writing, this position is often reached in international tournaments.
It can lead to huge complications: for example, 7... Nc6 8 0-0 g5!? (Diagram 15) is
just one sharp test of your nerves (and theoretical knowledge).

Diagram 17 (W) Diagram 18 (B)

Fort Knox-like development To be avoided

Diagram 15 (W) Diagram 16 (W)

There are safer approaches ... . .. including this sensible one He could be proud of the dS-square, but otherwise he was slightly constricted. It's
interesting to see the method by which Lputian restrained his opponent and then
created active play of his own: 12 Ne4 Qd7 13 a3 as!? (to stop White expanding
I'm going to suggest that you avoid all this by playing a solid and respectable line
with 14 b4) 14 b3 0-0-0 IS Bb2 Kb8 16 ReI Qe8 (the queen heads for f8 where she
that is the current favourite of GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (my apologies to him by
can support the .. .£S stab that we saw in the Visser extract) 17 Bd3 Qf8. Now 1 8
the way for frequently shortening his name to 'Nepo'). The Russian star plays

185
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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e T a r r a s c h 3 . . . Be7

Ral f5! is good for Black, so Mahjoob played 18 Nc5, but was outwitted in the me­ White. The subsequent attempt to play actively in the centre would also achieve
lee that followed: 18 ... Bxc5 19 dxc5 Nd7 20 b4 axb4 21 axb4 Nxb4 22 Ba3 Bxf3 23 less than nothing for White after 10 c4 Nc6! (an excellent move as the knight lands
Qxf3 Nxe5 24 Rxe5 Rxd3 25 Qe4 Rxa3 26 Qxb4 Ra7 and Black consolidated his ex­ on the active d5-square after a couple of exchanges) 11 cxd5 Bxd3 12 Qxd3 Nb4 13
tra pawn and eventually won. Qe2 Nxd5 14 Nc4 0-0 15 b3 cxd4 16 Nxd4 Bc5 17 Bb2 a4 with an attacking set-up
for Black, who already threatened to win a piece with 18 ... a4 in D.Kalashian­
6...(5 7 c3
I.Nepomniachtchi, Belfort 2005.
An important alternative is 7 0-0!?
More incisive for White here is 9 c4, but Black responded with a noteworthy
WARNING: By delaying c2-c3, White makes the plan of ... b6 and knight manoeuvre in the following game: 9 ...Nc6 10 cxd5 exd5 11 0-0 (Diagram 20)
... Ba6 Iess attractive: 7 ... b6?! 8 c4! (Diagram 18) and the situation in and now 11...Nf8! heads for e6 to restrain White's advance e5-e6. At the same time
the way is cleared for the light-squared bishop to be activated: 12 dxc5 bxc5 13
the centre is too unstable for Black's liking when he is two moves
Rdl Ne6 14 Nfl Ned4 15 Nxd4 Nxd4 16 Qe3 Bg4!? and Black was OK in
behind in development - he wants the white c-pawn to take two
F.Caruana-LFarago, Budapest 2007.
moves, not one, to reach c4.
We now return to the immediate 8 0-0:
A solid alternative for Black is 7...cxd4, taking the chance to break up the white
8 ... Ba6
centre, when after 8 Nb3 Nc6 9 ReI h6 (a precaution as after 9 ...Nc5 White can try
the double-edged 10 Nxc5 Bxc5 11 Ng5!?) 10 Nbxd4 Nc5 an attempt by White to Shades of the Advance Variation, where 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 b6 and then 4 ... Ba6 is
force matters with 1 1 c4? fails: 11...Nxd3 12 Qxd3 Nb4 13 Qc3 dxc4 14 Qxc4 Bd7 15 one of the recommended lines.
Bd2 Rc8 16 Qb3 Qb6 and Black was doing well with active pieces and the bishop­ 9 Bxa6 Nxa6
pair in Z.5everiukhina-L.Mkrtchian, Sochi 2006. Black is delighted to have been able to exchange off a bishop which had few pros­
7 ... b6 8 0-0 pects for its opposite number on d3, which was the best minor piece on the board.
After 8 Qe2, trying to avoid the exchange of bishops, Black can nevertheless play Of course, it has cost him time; both in the fact that he has spent a move on ... b6
8 ... a5 9 0-0 Ba6 (Diagram 19). and will also have to re-route the knight back from a6 to the centre. Still, as we
have said in earlier chapters, in a blocked position rapid development isn't a pri­
ority. It is better to spend time getting things right from a strategic point of view
rather than rushing to get the pieces out. And no one can deny that the exchange
of light-squared bishops is a big achievement for Black.
10 Rei b51 (Diagram 21)
Here 10 ...0-0 is an obvious move, but if you are expecting Black to castle you are
going to be waiting a long time. As we will see in the King's Indian Attack chap­
ter, there is no reason why White should be presented with a target on g8 which
he can use as the guiding light for his plan of a kingside attack. Instead Nepo gets
on with his queenside attack, and leaves his opponent to puzzle out what he is
meant to be doing.
11 Qe2?1
And it is by no means easy for White to deduce what his plan should be in this
type of pawn structure - in the Advance chapter we even saw Kasparov going
Diagram 19 (W) Diagram 20 (B) astray. Instead if 1 1 Nfl, then 11 ...b4, immediately undermining the c3-pawn,
looks good for Black. However, the queen move wastes time as if White wanted to
Forcing the bishops off Where should the d7-knight go?
deter ... b4 he had available the immediate 1 1 a3, after which he could start action
on the kingside with 12 Nfl. Of course, Black could still play 11 ... c4, as in the main
Then if things proceed in the style of the main game, the move ... a5 is useful as game.
part of Black's queenside pawn advance, whereas Qe2 100ks of less value for

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H ow to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e T a r r a s c h 3 . . . Be7

11 c4 12 a3 Nc7
..•
a couple of knights to help defend him, than on the kingside where White has
open lines and a big advantage in firepower available to him.
The knight returns to the centre and clears the way for ... as, though surprisingly
enough the pawn advance is never required of Black. 16 N3h2 Qg8
13 Nf1 Nb6 14 g3 The point of Black's last move. The way has been cleared for the queen to go to h7,
where she not only helps bolster the kingside against any attack by Qg4, but even
White begins a tentative pawn advance of his own on the kingside.
more importantly controls the longest open diagonal on the whole board.
14... h6
17 Nd2 Qh7 (Diagram 23)
The beginning of a manoeuvre that has been known in similar situations for a long
time, but that I still find remarkable.
15 h4 (Diagram 22)

Diagram 23 (W) Diagram 24 (W)

A further instructive manoeuvre The knights head for a4 and c4

Diagram 21 (W) Diagram 22 (B)

Now White really misses his light-squared bishop.
Beginning a queenside offensive Where to put the king?
18 b3??
Of course it is easy to criticize this move, which leaves the a3- and c3-pawns weak
If now IS ... 0-0 White could build up an attack with 16 N3h2, with ideas of QhS
and creates a horrendous hole on the c4-square. Perhaps Andriasian was afraid of
and Ng4, planning a sacrifice on h6 similar to that seen in the first game of our
an attack with ... gS, and so wanted to deflect his opponent with some queenside
next chapter. In that case, 14 ...h6 would be exposed as a serious weakening of the
action, but 18 Ndfl was a far better move, as 18 ... gS? could be answered by 19 hS,
when Black has done nothing but weaken himself. In fact, ...gS would in principle
black king's defences. However, if we imagine the pawn is still on h7 for a mo­
ment, White would still have an attack after Black castled with NgS intending
be a strategic mistake by Black, whose minor pieces are too far away to make a
Qh5, when if Black played ... h6 to force the knight to retreat, Nh3 and Qh5 would
kingside attack work. Instead, he should be trying to increase his queenside pres­
again set up ideas of a sacrifice on h6.
sure with an eventual ...aS and ...b4.

o
NOTE: It's clear that castling kingside plays into White's hands, By playing 18 b3? White is doing a lot of his opponent's work for him, as Nepo no
whether or not Black has played ...h6. Thus Nepo decides it is better longer needs to arrange ... as and ...b4 to open lines. Instead after 18 Ndfl, White
to castle his queenl could in time have tried to engineer the f4-fS pawn advance, such as with Ne3, Rfl
and f2-f4, leading to a complex battle between pawn advances on both wings.
15 ... Kd71!
18 cxb3 19 Nxb3 Rhc8
•••

And why not? The king is far safer on d7, where everything is blocked and he has

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e Tarrasch 3 . . .B e 7

The rook heads straight for the c-file to attack the backward c3-pawn. Here we see
45 ...Qb5 46 f6 b 3 4 7 Rxa3 Bxa3 48 fxg7+ Kxg7 49 Nf5+ Kf8 5 0 Qe3 exf5 51 Qxh6+
another benefit of the manoeuvre 15 ... Kd7, 16 ... Qg8 and 17 ... Qh7 - it has cleared Ke8 52 Rf3 Qe2 53 Rxf5 Qxdl 0-1
the way for the rook on h8 to take an active role in the game (no skulking on h8 If 54 Qh8+ BfB, while after 54 e6 Rc3+ the white king is going to be butchered first.
which was often its fate in the McCutcheon chapter).
20 Rdl Ke8 21 Rd3
White no longer has a constructive plan and can only defend in the hope that his
opponent will mishandle the eventual breakthrough.
2l ... Rab8 22 Nfl Nca8 (Diagram 24)
An elegant move. Black wants one of his knights sitting in the hole on a4 and the
other one sitting in the hole on c4.
23 Ne3 Na4 24 Ndl N8b6 25 f3 Rc7
Black doesn't rush to play 25 ... Nc4 as then the knight would block the attack on
c3.
26 Kg2 Rbc8 27 Bd2 a6 28 Ra2 Qg8 29 Nal Nc4 30 Bcl Qh7 31 Nb3
A highly instructive moment. White's pieces are completely tied down, whereas
all the black pieces are seemingly on their optimum squares. Nevertheless, despite
his probing, no decisive breakthrough has presented itself to Nepo. Moreover, if Diagram 25 (W) Diagram 26 (B)
he advances with ... a5 and ...b4 the a4-knight will be left hanging after axb4. Deft handling of Black's royalty Maintaining the central tension
Nepo realizes that he can only solve the conundrum by bringing his queen back
over the board to c6, where she defends the knight on a4 and adds pressure along
the c-file, thereby giving the ... a5 and ...b4 breakthrough the extra strength it
needs. In other words, the queen may be well placed on h7, but it is only when her White Plays 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 Bd3
power is joined more directly to that of the other pieces on the queenside that
Black can win the game. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 Bd3 (Diagram 26)
We should first of all note the possible transpositions after the reply 5 ... c5:

(f
TIP: Like any other group sport, chess requires team work from its
a) White can transpose back to Andriasian-Nepomniachtchi in our last section
playersl
with 6 e5 Nfd7 7 c3 b6.
3l ... Kf8! b) However, 6 exd5 is something different. After 6 ... Qxd5 7 dxc5 Nbd7 we have a
First of all the black king has to slide to h8 so that it doesn't get in the way of the position that can be reached by two distinct move orders:
queen.
i. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 Bd3 c5 6 exd5 Qxd5 7 dxc5 Nbd7; and
32 Kh2 Kg8 33 Nal Na5 34 Bd2 Kh8 35 Nc2 Nc4 36 Bcl Qg8! (Diagram 25) ii. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Bd3 c5 5 dxc5 Nf6 6 exd5 Qxd5 7 Ngf3 Nbd7.
Beginning the long journey back.
37 Nb4 as 38 Nc2 Qe8 39 Kh3 Ncb6 40 Bd2 Qc6 41 Nce3 Nc4 42 f4? Game 47
Making things easy for Black. He had to play 42 Bel to hold on to the a3-pawn, o J.Critelli • V.Shulman
although Nepo would be ready to open lines, perhaps with the immediate Phi ladel phia 2008
42 ... b4!? when the bishop on el would become a target.
42 ... Nxa3 43 g4 b4 44 cxb4 axb4 45 f5 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 Bd3 c5 6 exd5?1
This type of breakthrough should have been White's aim 20 moves ago. Here it is I must say this move leaves me completely underwhelmed. How can White hope
too late as Black's passed pawn decides matters on the queenside.

190 191
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 .
T h e Ta rra sch 3 .. B e 7

,
for advantage when all the central pawns disappear, he has no significant lead in WARNING: All moves, no matter how obvious, should be checked ­
development and there are no obvious targets in the black camp? I guess I'm an­ Capablanca.
swering my own question: White is hoping for a draw against his very strong op­
X
12 ... Bb7
ponent, and killing off the tension in the position is one way to try to achieve it.
You might have read about the value of a queenside pawn majority in books on
6 ...Qxd5 7 dXc5 Nbd7! (Diagram 27) chess strategy, but that tends to be in the endgame. Here Black's 4-3 pawn major­
ity on the kingside is of more use than White's 3-2 on the queenside, as the 'extra'
pawn on e6 prevents White achieving any counterplay along the e-file with his
queen and rooks, while also controlling the d5- and f5-squares.
13 Ne4 Qd5 14 Nxf6+ Bxf6 15 f3 Rfd8 (Diagram 29)

Diagram 27 (W) Diagram 28 (W)

... Nxc5 is again the best recapture A major blunder

Very astutely Black decides to recapture on c5 with his knight.

Diagram 29 (W) Diagram 30 (W)
8 Nb3 NXc5 9 NXc5 QXC5
Black is pretty comfortable White's king won't survive
Already Shulman has got rid of the passive knight on b8. His next aim is to solve
the problem of the bad bishop on c8.
As I said above, White may have played this simplifying variation against his
10 0-0 0-0 11 Qe2 b6 12 Ng5?1 much higher-rated opponent in the hope of achieving a steady draw, but in fact
Time-wasting play. these are the type of positions in which it is easy to be outplayed. Already in his
Imagine if White had played 12 Bg5 here and Black had decided to kick the bishop rush to exchange off knights Critelli has lost control of the d-file, and things grow
with 12 ...h6?? (Diagram 28). worse when he hurries to exchange off the bishops as well.

In that case White can win a piece with 13 Bxf6 Bxf6 14 Qe4! with the double 16 Be4 Qe5 17 c3 Rd7 18 Rei Bxe4 19 Qxe4 Qxe4 20 Rxe4
threat of mate on h7 and 15 Qxa8. I once watched a girl fall for this trap in a simul White doesn't want to be left with an isolated pawn on e4, but allowing the black
given at a European Junior Championship by Karpov - it was her birthday and a rook to invade on dl is fatal.
big crowd of spectators were cheering her every move, but the applause stopped 20 ... Rdl+ 21 Kf2 Rhl 22 f4
suddenly after ...h6. (Now that's what you call a knowledgeable audience!)
Or 22 h3 Rd8 and the other rook enters on dl, in view of 23 ReI Bh4+.
Instead of 12 ... h6, which would be a weak move anyway even if it didn't lose a
22 ... Rd8 23 Rei Bh4+ 24 g3 Rxh2+ 25 Kf3 Rh3! (Diagram 30)
rook, Black should simply develop with 12 ... Bb7. Then it is White who has to
watch out for the tactical threat of 13 ...Bxf3, removing the defender of the bishop Ensuring a pretty end to a game that might have been routine after 25... Bf6.
on g5. 26 Kg4

19 2 193
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e T a r r a s c h 3 . . . Be7

White is suddenly winning a piece, but his joy doesn't last long. (not giving White time for a smooth build-up with Bd3 and Ne2) B Bd2 Qa5 9 Ne2
Bxd2+ 10 Qxd2 Qxd2+ 11 Kxd2 f6 and Black was fine in the endgame in
26 Rxg3+ 27 Kxh4 Rdd3
•••
V.Korchnoi-N.5hort, Wijk aan Zee 2000.
Threatening mate in two beginning with 2B ... Rh3+.
Also ineffective for White is 5 dxc5 Nc6 6 Ngf3 Bxc5 7 Nb3 Bb6 B Bd3 f6! (Diagram
28 Rh1 fSI 32), disposing of the e5-pawn, after which Black gains the f6-square for his knight,
The point; Black's pawns will weave a mating net around the white king. opens the f-file for his rook and frees his central pawns to conquer space in the
29 b3 h6 30 8a3 Rg4+ 0-1 centre: 9 Qe2 fxe5 10 Nxe5 Nf6 1 1 0-0 Nxe5 12 Qxe5 0-0 13 Bg5 Bc7 14 Qd4 h6 15
Bh4 e5 saw Black achieve as much as he could expect from the opening, and he
After 31 Kh5 Black could even showboat with 31...Rh3+ 32 Rxh3 Kh7 and 33 ...g6
went on to win a double-edged fight in M.Adams-A.Morozevich, Dortmund 200l.
mate.
The best move for White is 5 Qg4! (Diagram 33), which hits the g7-pawn in
McCutcheon style. Now Black can play 5 ... g6, a solid move which, however,
White plays 4 e s weakens the dark squares somewhat. Alternatively, 5 ...KfB!? defends g7 and gets
the king away from a potential Bb5 pin. The downside is that Black renounces cas­
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d S 3 Nd2 8e7 4 eS (Diagram 31) tling and his king may become a target once he seeks counterplay with .. .£6. None­
theless, at the time of writing, 5... KfB is the most common move and has been
played with success by Radjabov and others.

Diagram 31 (8) Diagram 32 (W)

Immediately closing the centre A typical undermining
Diagram 33 (8) Diagram 34 (W)
The queen's most active square Calm play from Black
White fixes the centre and takes away the f6-square from the black knight as a
prelude to putting his queen on g4. Less effective would be the immediate 4 Qg4,
as after 4 ... Nf6 5 Qxg7 RgB 6 Qh6 dxe4 Black has ample counterplay to compen­ However, I'm going to recommend something else, namely: 5 ... BfB!? (Diagram 34),
sate for his loss of kingside castling. The game might continue 7 Qe3 Nc6 B c3 Qd5 which sees the bishop returns home. I think this move has been unjustly ne­
9 Ne2 (or 9 Bc4 QfS) 9 ... e5! 10 dxe5 Qxe5, etc. glected. After all, the not too dissimilar idea of retreating the bishop after 1 e4 e6 2
4 (5
...
d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 b6 5 Qg4 BfB has been used by players such as Petrosian,
Bronstein, Korchnoi, Portisch, Andersson, Timman, Lputian, Psakhis, Beliavsky,
Our beloved French move. White can now hold his centre intact with 5 c3, but it
Gulko, Vaganian and Short!
doesn't promise much if Black responds actively: 5 ... cxd4 6 cxd4 Nc6 7 Ndf3
(Black could try for the initiative after 7 Ngf3 with 7... Qb6 B Nb3 as! etc) 7...Bb4+ The concept of answering 5 Qg4 with 5 ...BfB certainly isn't ridiculous. The white

194 195
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 Ta r r a s c h 3 ... B e 7

queen went t o g 4 i n the hope o f feasting o n the g7-pawn, and with that denied she With the idea that if the white queen goes t o g3, as in the game, she can b e har­
might find herself misplaced and/or a target, or so Black hopes. The big question assed with ... Ne7 and ... NfS; whereas if she goes to f4, then the pressure is off g7
is whether Black will be able to restrain the potential energy of the white pieces, and the bishop on f8 will be free to move again. Nonetheless, 1 prefer 6...Qc7!? in
since after 4 ... cS the centre has become slightly destabilized (whereas in the 1 e4 e6 the style of the Khamrakulov game: for example, 7 c4? Nc6 and the white centre
2 d4 dS 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 eS b6 5 Qg4 Bf8 variation the centre remains firmly closed). collapses, or 7 dxcS Nd7 when both cS and eS are hanging and 8 BbS? loses a piece
to 8... QaS+.
The fact that S ... Bf8 is little explored means that Black comes armed with the
weapon of surprise. Let's see what might happen when White is suitably bemused 7 Qg3
by the retreat. 1 prefer 7 Qf4 here.
7 ... Ne7 8 Bd3 b6 9 c4?
Game 48 This isn't as bad as 9 Ne2?? c4 and our very old friend the Noah's Ark Trap has
o P.Malysheva . A.Riazantsev struck again. Still, the game move develops nothing and makes the white centre
Biel 2004 more rickety, so piece play with 9 BgS, pinning the black knight, looks like the
way to handle things.
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 Be7 4 e5 c5 5 Qg4 Bf8 6 Ndf3 9 Ba6 10 Ng5
•••

The alternative is 6 dxcS!? makes a lot of sense. An instructive game went 6 ... Qc7! If White's queen had gone to f4 on move seven, this would involve a decisive
(I think this early queen move is an important part of Black's set-up) 7 Ngf3 Nd7 8 threat to f7. Therefore Black would have had to play differently and perhaps less
Nb3 (perhaps White should have settled for dominance of the d4-square with 8 effectively, which is why despite his success in this game 1 prefer 6 ... Qc7.
BbS QxcS 9 Nd4 a610 Bxd7+ Bxd7, but it's nothing special for him) 8 ... NxeS 9
10 Qd71
•••

NxeS QxeS+ 10 Be3 Bd711 0-0-0 Nf612 Qb4 b6 13 Qd4 Qc714 cxb6 axb6 15 Kbl b5
Avoiding the trap1O...Bxc4?11 Bxc4 dxc412 Qf3! when both a8 and f7 are hang­
and Black had taken over the initiative and carne within a whisker of winning
against a player rated over 2600 in I.Khamrakulov-J.Lopez Martinez, Ayamonte ing.

2007. ll Qf3?
If instead 6 Ngf3 then 6 ... Qc7 (that move again!) 7 dxc5 Nd7 transposes to 6 dxc5. White had to bail out with 11 cxdS.

6... h5 (Diagram 35) 11 Nec61 (Diagram 36)

•••

Not only securing the defence of f7, but breaking the pin on dS and leaving White
with hanging pawns on c4 and d4.

12 N1h3
Or12 dxcS NxeS13 Qg3 Nxd3+14 Qxd3 BxcS with promising play.
12 ... Nxd4 13 Qg3 Bxc4 14 Bbl Nbc6 15 Be3 0-0-0 16 Qf4 f61 17 exf6 Bd6 18 Qh4
gxf6
Now that's what 1 call a pawn centre!
19 Nf3 Nxf3+ 20 gxf3 Ne5 21 Qxf6 Rdf8 0-1
A terrific result for S... B£8, as White is about to lose the queen, either to the black
rook or to a knight fork if she retreats.

Diagram 35 (W) Diagram 36 (W)

Not letting the queen settle Black is already somewhat better

197

196
 T h e Ki ng's I n d i a n Att a c k

Introduction
The most respected of lines in which White avoids 2 d4, the King's Indian Attack
(often shortened to KIA) typically begins 1 e4 e6 2 d3 dS 3 Nd2 (Diagram i), al­
though White can also prefer 3 Qe2 at this point.
Chapter Seven

The Kin g ' s I n dia n Attack

_ Introduction Diagram 1 (8) Diagram 2 (8)

- Black Delays Castling The King's Indian Attack A brutal attack

- White Plays 3 Qe2 In the KIA, White puts his pawn on d3 and normally fianchettoes on g2 - a sensi­
ble decision now that there is no way out for the bishop to c4 or b5. He tries to

- The Im mediate 2 Oe2

-
hold his opponent at arm's length until he has developed his pieces. Only then
will he strike out for advantage, with a plan often based around gaining space
with e4-eS.
Black has various ways to respond to the King's Indian Attack, but in this chapter
I will focus on what might be regarded as the 'classical' system: namely, Black
takes advantage of White's omission of d2-d4 to seize space on the queenside with
a rapid pawn advance involving ... c5 and ... b5. As we shall see, this is a promising
strategy if modern subtlety is added to classical logic.

A win ning recipe for White

White's set-up might appear restrained, but once his attack gets into full swing it
can quickly become unstoppable. I used to play the King's Indian Attack myself
when I was young via a move order beginning 1 Nf3. I was attracted by the fol­
lowing type of game:

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e K i n g ' s I n d i a n Atta c k

dIe. A genius o f the French Defence such a s Uhlmann might have no problems
Game 49
fending off the white attack whilst wreaking havoc with his own queenside
D J.Flesch • G.Kluger pawns; but it isn't so simple for the rest of us. Therefore we need a bit of creativ­
H u ngary 1966 ity, some inspiration to rule out White's automatic attack.

1 e4 e6 2 d3 dS 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 Ngf3 cS S g3 Nc6 6 Bg2 Be7 7 0-0 0-0 8 eS Nd7 9 Rei bS
10 h4 as 11 Nf1 b4 12 N1h2 a4 13 BM a3 14 b3 C4 15 d4 cxb3 16 cxb3 Na7 17 NgS Black Delays Castling
Qb6 18 Be3 Bxgs 19 hxgs NbS 20 QhS Ba6 21 Ng4 Kh8 22 Nf6 (Diagram 2) 22 gxf6 ..•

23 gxf6 Nc3 24 Bh6 1-0 The golden r u l e for Black versus the KIA
White threatens 25 Qg4 RgB 26 Bg7+ with mate to follow, while after 24 ... RgB 25
Qxf7 and 26 Bg7+ the black king meets the same fate. I guess so far I'm not exactly selling the French Defence to you; perhaps you are
all rushing out to buy John Emms' book on the King's Indian Attack! However,
there is an Achilles' heel to the white set-up. It is designed to mate a black king
White's attacking plan is very clear and easy to learn. We might summarize it as
sitting on gB, and you will agree it does that pretty well. But what if there is no black
follows:
king sitting on gB ?
i. Put the pawn on e5 in order to chase away the black knight from f6.

ii. Defend the pawn with ReI, and, if it is attacked again by ... Qc7, also with Bf4 or TIP: Black should avoid castling until it is absolutely necessary.
Qe2 (this extra support wasn't needed in the game above).

iii. Play h2-h4 to provide an attacking base on g5 for the knight, or as part of a In recent years French Defence maestros have learned to hold back from 0-0. And
ramming pawn advance h5-h6. At the same time Black is prevented from making why not? The elaborate and unwieldy white set-up loses a lot of its power when
his own pawn thrust with ... g5 in response to Bf4 by White (again this latter con­ there is no target on gB. Meanwhile Black can press ahead with his queenside
sideration doesn't arise in the game above). pawn advances. Let's see how the opening might unfold if Black avoids castling:
iv. Play Bh3! to deter Black from counterattacking in the centre with ... f6, as then
the e6-pawn would hang. 1 e4 e6 2 d3 dS 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 Ngf3 Be7 S g3 bS! (Diagram 3)
v. Make a couple of defensive moves on the queenside to keep the black attack

ff
from breaking through there. It doesn't matter if the pawns are fixed in a favour­ TIP: A useful rule of thumb is: as soon as White plays g3, reply with
able manner for Black - White is going to mate on the kingside before Black can ... bSI
exploit this long-term advantage! White's fianchetto is thus met with a move that not only gains space on the queen-
vi. Put the knight on g5 (in the game above, Black avoided chasing it back with side, but also clears the way for Black's own bishop to go to b7, neutralizing the
17... h6 out of fear of IB Nxe6 fxe6 19 Bxe6+ KhB 20 Bxd5 when White has the better pressure from White's bishop on g2. Because ... b5 has this double function it
of it with two connected passed pawns for the piece; still, this was by far the lesser makes sense to play it before the other typical space gaining thrust ... c5, though
evil for him). here it makes no real difference as ... c5 follows on the next move.

vii. Put the queen on h5 and by attacking h7 persuade Black to take the knight on Waiting until g3 occurs before playing ...b5 means that White can't 'change his
g5 with the bishop. mind' and develop the bishop from f1 in an alternative fashion with say exd5 and

viii. The recapture hxg5 opens the h-file and so introduces the long-term threat of then d3-d4, when the b5-pawn might become a target. Once he has played g3

Kg2 and Rhl, lining up a mate on h7. 1t also gives White's pawns on e5 and g5 a White is more or less committed to the follow-up Bg2.

pincer like hold on the f6-square which allows the violent knight offer that con­

o
NOTE: As we shall see, experts like Volkov don't always stick to the
cluded the game above.
rule of answering g3 with ... bS, but it will certainly help you choose
Even a bonehead like myself could understand a straightforward plan such as a good moment to unleash your counterplay. And if White has
this, and I used it with success in junior tournaments. In contrast, Black's counter­ played instead 3 Qe2 then there is every reason to follow the pre­
play on the queenside is of a nature difficult for an inexperienced player to han- cept, as we shall see later in the chapter.

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How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e K i ng's I n d i a n Att a c k

6 Bg2 C5 We should examine how French Defence hero and former Russian Champion Ser­
gey Volkov handles the position as Black.
Philidor would have applauded such play: the pieces are the servants of the
pawns, being obliged to hold back until they have advanced.
Game 50
7 0-0 Nc6 8 Rei
o E.Ubiennykh . S.Volkov
A tough battle is in prospect, and by no means an easy one for White, as his attack
Toms k 1999
has been denied its easy meat on gB and the black queenside pawns are racing
forwards. White now has two main strategies.
1 e4 e6 2 d3 d5 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 Ngf3 b5
As we noted above, Volkov is willing to play ...b5 without even waiting for g3.

5 g3 c5 6 Bg2 Be7 7 0-0 Nc6 8 Rei as

To be preferred was B. . .Bb7, a s Volkov plays i n the next game.
g e5 Nd7 10 c4
This sharp thrust sends vibrations through the whole black pawn front, but a hard
battle on the queenside was exactly what Volkov was aiming for.
10 ... bxc4 11 dXc4 Nb6 (Diagram 5)

Diagram 3 (W) Diagram 4 (W)

Beginning counterplay An unbalanced position

1. Wh ite plays e4-e5 and c2 -c4

1 e4 e6 2 d3 d5 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 Ngf3 Be7 5 g3 b5 6 Bg2 c5 7 0-0 Nc6 8 Rei as

For reasons which will be explained later, 8 ... Bb7 100ks a more precise move.
9 e5 Nd7 (Diagram 4) Diagram 5 (W) Diagram 6 (W)
White has set up his kings ide space advantage, but the stubborn black king is in­ Central tension Strong queenside pressure
tent on making a non-appearance on g8. With a direct attack no longer on the
cards, the most popular alternative plan for White, or perhaps we should say the
only idea available to him, is to try to punch a hole in the black queenside and This strengthens the d5-pawn and puts pressure on its assailant on c4.
central structure with c2-c4. 12 b3
With the devilish plan of Ba3, combined with a move like Ret, or Qc2 as in the

o
NOTE: As we shall see, Black has to defend very carefully to hold to­ game, to create the threat of cxdS and then BxcS. Black doesn't want to be forced
gether his structure; but if he does so then he is sure to get a decent to play ... d4 to prevent this, not only because of danger from the bishop on g2, but
position, because White has done Black's work for him by opening also because he doesn't want to hand over the e4-square to a white knight. Be­
lines on the queenside. sides, playing ... d4 would still leave the c5-pawn as a target to Ba3 and Ne4, and

202 203
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 The Ki ng's I n d i a n Att a c k

Black would have relinquished any chance for counterplay with ... dxc4. fought on for a while after 2 7. . .Qxel 2 8 Rxel Ne2+ 2 9 Kh2 Nxel 3 0 Nxf7+ Kxh7 31
Nxd8 etc.
12...a4!
Volkov finds a solution to the problem of defending c5: he clears as for the rook.
Here we might ask: just who is attacking whom? After all, Black's 'defensive' ma­
noeuvre increases the pressure on White's queenside pawns. Such is the double­
edged nature of the queenside battle.
13 Ba3 0-0
With White fully committed to the struggle on the other wing, the black king can
castle without danger of becoming the centre of attention.
14 Qc2 Ras!
All as planned: the rook defends the c5-pawn against the threat of cxd5 followed
by Bxc5. In doing so it is deployed to an aggressive post where, in co-operation
with the black queen, it will create threats of its own along the a-file.
lS Nfl Qc7 16 Ne3 Qa7 (Diagram 6)
Black's queenside manoeuvres have become more about attack than defence, and
vice versa for White, who must guard against 1 7... axb3, winning the bishop on a3. Diagram 7 (W) Diagram 8 (W)
17 Qcl RdS 1S h4 White is in trouble Refining Black's move order

It appears that White has despaired of success on the queenside and is now look­
ing to start up a kingside attack. However, the situation is too fluid to allow him
to commit his pieces to such an assault, as they have important jobs in holding the
2. White prefers exd 5 to e4-e5

We should return to the position after 8 ReI. In the game above, Volkov played
fort on the queenside and in the centre.
lS ... BfS 8 ... a5, a move that turned out perfectly well after his opponent blocked the centre
After this quiet retreat White has to reckon with the possibility of 19 ...Nd4!? when with 9 e5, but there was an alternative plan available to White, namely 9 a4! which
20 Nxd4 cxd4 leaves both a3 and e3 attacked. To avoid this and to further his undermines the black pawns, followed by 10 exd5, breaking open the centre. In
kingside attacking aspirations, White removes the knight from e3, but this leaves that case, Black would doubtless have preferred to have made the developing
the c4-pawn under defended. move 8 ...Bb7, rather than a pawn move on the wing. Volkov himself must have
19 Ng4? realized this, and when he reached exactly the same position a couple of years
later, he chose 8 ...Bb7.
White might have tried 19 Rd1 when the chances are still fairly balanced.
19 ... axb3 20 axb3 dxc4 21 bXc4 Nxc4! WARNING: Check carefully the opening moves of all the games you
Black's queenside pressure is finally rewarded with a gain of material. have played. An easy victory might contain the germs of a defeat a
22 QXC4 Rxa3 23 Rxa3 Qxa3 24 NgS Nd4 (Diagram 7) 2S Be4? couple of years into the future.
It's very tempting to attack h7, but White should make do with 25 Kh1, avoiding
the fork which decides the game. Game 51
2s ... Ba61 o M.Mrva • S.Volkov
Rather remarkably, the white queen is trapped. European Cham pions h i p, Oh rid 2001
26 Bxh7+ Kh8 27 QCl Ne2+ 0-1
1 e4 e6 2 d3 dS 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 Ngf3 Be7 S g3 bS 6 Bg2 cS 7 0-0 Nc6 8 Rel Bb7! (Dia­
The immediate check on e2 decides the game at once, whereas White might have gram 8)

204 205
H ow to Play Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e Ki ng's I n d i a n Att a c k

Even an expert on an opening can improve on his earlier games. 13 Ndf3

9 a4 White's combinations against c6 have been thwarted, but it is still a good plan to
increase his grip on the e5-square.
Mrva isn't attracted by the idea of e4-e5, seeing that there is no king to target on
g8 once the black knight has been driven from f6. Therefore he first probes the 13 ...0-0!
black queenside pawns and then captures on d5 in the hope that he can profit Volkov has developed all his pieces and built an imposing mass of pawns on the
through the e-file. queenside; it is time to castle.
9... b4 10 exds exds! 14 Bf4?
A serious positional mistake would be 10 ... Nxd5 when 1 1 Nc4 puts the knight on The critical point in the game has been reached, but White doesn't realize it. Gen­
a great blockading square. The black queenside pawns would then be dead wood, erally speaking it is good advice to overprotect a key central square, but the text
and White could attack in the centre beginning with Nfe5. move is much too routine.
11 d4 c4 He should have prepared to invade the one undefended/uncontested square in
Again Black avoids having his pawns blockaded by a white knight, this time after the black centre, namely f5, with 14 Nh4!. Then 14 ...g6 15 Bh6 gives White an at­
1 1 . . .cxd4 12 Nb3 and 13 Nfxd4, when he has to endure an isolated queen's pawn. tack, so the game might have continued sharply with 14 ... Ne4 15 Nf5 Bf6 16 Qg4
Rc7! (a vital move; it meets the threat of 17 Nh6+ Kh8 18 Nhx£7+ by guarding f7
12 Nes! (Diagram 9)
and also clears c8 to challenge the knight on f5 with ...Bc8) 1 7 Bh6 (or 17 Bf4 Bc8)
17 ... g6 (Diagram 10), which sees Black sacrifice the exchange to break the white
attack: 18 Bxf8 Kxf8 19 Nxc6 (19 Nh6 Nxd4 favours Black) 19 ... Bxc6 20 Ne3 Bxd4
21 Radl Qf6 (attacking f2) 22 Qf3 Bxb2 23 Nxd5 Bxd5 24 Rxd5 Qxf3 25 Bxf3 Nc5
and Black's queenside pawns give him good compensation for the exchange.
14... Ne4
Now 15 Nh4 is ruled out by 15 ... Bxh4, so White has no obvious way to improve
his position, especially as 15 Nxc4 Nxf2! 16 Kxf2 dxc4 favours Black.
15 Nxc6 Rxc6!
Taking the chance to bring his rook into the struggle along the third rank.
16 Nes Re6 17 Bh3
Provoking Black's reply so that the knight on e5 can never be driven back by .. .£6.
17 ...fS 18 f3 Nd6 (Diagram 11)
As we remarked above, the position has characteristics of the French Exchange
Diagram 9 (B) Diagram 10 (w)
Variation. White has put his knight on the e5-square, whilst denying Black's
Morphy-like play Not so clear knight the e4-square. It all sounds well and good for him, but what can he do
now? He has no way to land a blow with his pieces, and his pawns are inert. In
The central pawn structure is now akin to that in the French Exchange, where I contrast, Black's pawns have the power to advance on either side of the board:
suggest that the 'Morphy plan' (seizing the e5-square with the knight) is White's they have a dynamic capacity. The dominance of the black pawns is demonstrated
best try for advantage. Here Mrva unleashes the bishop on g2 with the threat of 13 over the next few moves.
Nxc6 Bxc6 14 Nxc4!, winning a pawn thanks to the pin on d5, or even 13 Ndxc4! at 19 Re2 gS! 20 Bd2 Rh6 21 Qf1?1
once. 12 ...Nxd4 13 Ndxc4 is also unpleasant for Black. Therefore another consoli­ Allowing a breakthrough that hands the initiative to Black. White should have sat
dating move on the queenside is required from Black: tight with 21 Bg2 when after 21.. .a5 Black might have prepared an attack based on
12 ... Rc8 ...Qe8 and ...Qh5.
Defending c6 a second time and so ruling out White's combinations. 21 ... c3! 22 bxc3 bxc3 23 Bxc3 QC7!

206 207
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e K i n g ' s I n d i a n Att a c k

But not 23 ...Ba6? 24 Nc6 when e7 drops. 31 QXh2 Qxa1+ 32 Re1 Qc3 33 ReS
24 Bb4 Ba6 25 Nd3 Bf6 Blundering a piece, though White was surely doomed anyway after 33 Rg1 Bxd3.

The white knight has been obliged to retreat, allowing Black to put the d4-pawn 33 ... Bxd3 34 RxdS NfSI
under fatal pressure. If now 35 Rxd3 Nxg3+ and White loses his king after 36 Kg1 Qe1+ or his queen
26 BcS Qg7 27 Bg2? after 36 Qxg3 Qa1 + 37 Kh2 fxg3+.

Instead 27 Bxd6 Bxd4+ 28 Kh1 Rxd6 is excellent for Black, but White might still 35 gxf4 Qe1+ 0-1
have escaped with the calm 27 Reel! as after 27... Bxd4+ 28 Bxd4 Qxd4+ 29 Qf2!
Qxf2+ 30 Nxf2 the bishop on h3 is defended.
White plays 3 Qe2
27 Bxd4+ 28 Bxd4 Qxd4+ 29 Kh1 f41 (Diagram 12)
•.•

We should now return again to the position at move three. After 1 e4 e6 2 d3 d5

Black can answer 3 Nf3?! with 3 ... dxe4 4 dxe4 Qxd1 + 5 Kxd1 Bc5 when he has
swapped off to an equal endgame. Therefore it is obvious that White must add
another defender to e4. So far we have looked at 3 Nd2, a very natural developing
move, but as a matter of fact White frequently prefers 3 Qe2 (Diagram 13) .

Diagram 11 (W) Diagram 12 (W)

Black has options on both flanks The attack is overwhelming

Positionally decisive: if 30 g4 the bishop on g2 is entombed and Volkov can put

his knight on e3 via c4 with a dark-square bind. The game move makes things
much easier for Black. Diagram 13 (B) Diagram 14 (W)
30 Qg1 Rxh2+1? A closely related system to 3 Nd2 Again an early ...b5

Most of us would be delighted to be able to find such a move; the point being that
31 Kxh2 fxg3+ gives White the choice between an instant death with 32 Kxg3 Qh4 You might be wondering why this should be the case. One reason is that the move
mate or total dismemberment after 32 Kh1 Qh4+. But sometimes we can be too Qe2 provides a defender for the pawn on e5 should White advance it there. More­
clever for our own good. Instead the quiet 30 ... Nf5!!, with the threat of 31.. .Nxg3 over, in contrast to Nbd2, it leaves the way clear for the development of the
mate, forces White to resign at once, as 31 Qxd4 Nxg3+ 32 Kg1 Nxe2+ 33 Kf2 Nxd4 bishop from c1 and adds potency to a possible c2-c4 strike at the centre, with Nc3
costs him a rook. being available as a follow up to put more pressure on d5.
There are also less obvious benefits to 3 Qe2 due to the potential pin that the
TIP: The old rule holds good: if you see a good move, look for an
queen exerts on the e6-pawn. For example, one of Black's most solid systems after
even better onel
3 Nd2 is 3 ... c5 4 Ngf3 Nc6 5 g3 Bd6 6 Bg2 Nge7, and then ... f6 as needed to guard

208 2 09
 T h e K i n g ' s I n d i a n Atta c k
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

the eS-square. But things start to go awry as soon as Black begins to play it against
12 Nxd4 Qxd4 13 Bb2 (Diagram 16)
3 Qe2 as now 3 ... cS gives White the option of 4 exdS QxdS (against 3 Nd2 this Instead 13 eS NdS! blocks the attack on a8 and leaves al hanging. Then 14 Bb2
would have been simply met by 4...exdS) S Nc3. And if this doesn't satisfy White, Qxc4 is even worse for White than the game continuation.
he can play 4 Nf3 Nc6 S g3, when S ... Bd6? is now an outright blunder after 6 exdS.
Of course, this is no problem for us as we aren't playing the 3... cS system, but it
helps to explain why White often plays 3 Qe2 or even 2 Qe2.

How to embarrass the white queen

We said above in the discussion of 3 Nd2 that a useful rule of thumb for Black was
reply . . . b5 as soon as White plays g3 . This becomes even more important after 3 Qe2;
in fact we might add to the rule:

TIP: After 3 Qe2, reply ••• bS as soon as White plays g3; i.e. before
eS.
•••

This means that upon 1 e4 e6 2 d3 dS 3 Qe2 Nf6 4 Nf3 Be7 S g3 Black should
straightaway stake his claim for queenside action with S ... bS! (Diagram 14), which Diagram 1S (W) Diagram 16 (B)
should be given precedence over the similar space-gaining move S ... cS. The point Black is the better co-ordinated Black is already winning a pawn
is that after 6 Bg2 (to be preferred is 6 eS, as discussed below) 6 ... dxe4 7 dxe4 b4!
Black is ready to activate his bishop on a6, attacking the white queen. Thus cas­ 13 Qxe4 14 Qxe4 Bxe4 1S Re1 Bd3 16 eS NdS 17 BxdS exdS 18 Rxe7
•••

tling has become problematical for White as 8 O-O? loses the exchange to 8 ...Ba6. Illner regains his pawn, but has had to concede to his opponent the bishop-pair
Let's see what happened in a recent game. and a dangerous lead in development.
18 Rb8 19 Ba3
•••

Game 52
The only way to avoid losing material is to threaten e7.
o A.lllner • D.Kosic
19 Bd8!
•••

Buda pest 2007

Pushing the white rook back as it must defend bI.

1 e4 e6 2 d3 dS 3 Qe2 Nf6 4 Nf3 Be7 S g3 bS 6 Bg2 20 Re1 Bgs?!

In the next game, White prefers the more accurate 6 eS. Kosic should strengthen his position with 20 ... Kd7! when after 21 Nc3 Ke6 the
king defends dS and attacks eS. Having an active king would become a significant
6 dxe4 7 dxe4 b4 8 e4
•••
factor as the game simplified.
After 8 a3 Ba6 9 Qd2 Nc6 Black gains a lead in development. The game might con­
21 f4 od8 22 BeS gs (Diagram 17)
tinue 10 eS NdS (Diagram 1S) 11 Bft (a shamefaced retreat by the bishop, but
White must secure the exit of his king from the centre) 1 1 . ..Bxfl 12 Kxfl as 13 Kg2 This is the idea behind his 20th move, and it will win Black the game as the ten­
0-0 14 Qe2 Qd7 1S ReI Rid8 with a fine mobilization of the black pieces in sion is too much for his opponent. Nonetheless, 23 Nc3! gxf4 (23 ... Bc4 2S fS! fa­
J.Timman-V.Korchnoi, Wijk aan Zee 2000. vours White) 24 NxdS ixg3 2S hxg3 would be equal.

8 bxe3 9 bxe3 Ba6 10 c4 Nc6 11 0-0 Nd4!

.•.
23 Bxa7?1 Ra8
In many games we see the importance of Black utilizing the d4-square once White More active was 23 ... Rb7!, keeping the option of invading on b2 in what follows.
has gone c2-c4. Note that Kosic strikes while the iron is hot: there is no time for the 24 Be3?1
timid 1 1 . .0-0 when 12 eS Nfd7 13 Rdl allows White to exert positional pressure. White could still hold on with 24 BcS gxf4 2S Nc3.

211
2 10
H o w to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4 T h e Ki ng's I n d i a n Atta c k

24...gxf4 2 S Bxf4 to aim at, and a s a consequence, Black's slow-moving but ultimately potent
queenside pressure wins the day.
White's king is battered after 25 gxf4 Rg8+ 26 Kf2 Bh4+ 27 Kf3 Be4+ 28 Ke2 Rg2+,
but he might have tried 25 Bf2.
Game 53
2S ... Bb6+ 26 Kg2 Bd4 0-1
o E.Schunk • G.Meier
White might have battled on, assuming he didn't lose on time: for example, 27
German Cham pionship, Altenkirchen 2005
Nc3 Ra3! 28 Rabl! (perhaps HIner missed this resource; horrible would be 28 Bd2
Kd7!, preparing 29 ... Rc8 to increase the pin on c3 when 29 NxdS Be4+ loses the
white knight) 28 ...Bxbl 29 Rxbl Kd7 (ruling out 30 Rb8+) 30 NxdS Rxa2+ and the 1 e4 e6 2 d3 dS 3 Qe2 Nf6 4 Nf3 Be7 S g3 bS 6 eS Nfd7
endgame is by no means easy for Black to win. This position might also be reached via the move order 2 Qe2 Nf6 3 Nf3 dS 4 eS
Nfd7 S d3 Be7 6 g3 bS.
NOTE: You will notice that Black abided by the rule 'don't castle
7 Bg2 cS 8 h4 Nc6 9 0-0 as (Diagram 18) 10 Bf4 b4 11 Nbd2 Ba6
unless it is necessary' for the entire gamel
A typical scenario: White is all dressed up for a kingside attack but his opponent
is refusing to play ball by putting his king on g8. And so White turns his attention
to the queenside:
12 c4 bXc3 13 bxc3
The second wave of the attack on d5 with 14 c4 is looming, when the scope of the
bishop on g2 would increase and Black's queenside pawns become more fragile.
Therefore Meier takes the bull by the horns:
13 ... c41
So that 14 dxc4 Nb6 sees Black regain the pawn.
14 d4
Now we have a central pawn structure that is characteristic of the French main
line, but with the difference that Black's c-pawn has pushed on to c4, thus re­
nouncing all pressure against d4. Normally Black would be unhappy with this
state of affairs, as the ability to attack d4 is the lifeblood of the French, but here
Diagram 17 (W) Diagram 18 (W) Meier has alternative means for counterplay based on the open b-file and the
Levering open the kingside chance to attack c3, the base of White's pawn chain, which is undefended.
Thematic play from both sides
14... a41 (Diagram 19)
White closes the centre: the same old story A very useful move: the onward march of the a-pawn will eventually be crowned
with success. Black also clears the as-square for his queen to attack c3.
It is possible to avoid the unpleasantries to the white queen we saw above by If Black had delayed ... a4 for a move, say in favour of 14 ... h6, White might have
quickly blocking the centre with 6 eS. On the other hand, in response to Black's taken the chance to prevent it with 15 a4!?, which not only stops the black pawn in
plan of delayed castling, players of White have also tried to be more flexible and its tracks but also denies the black pieces access to the bS-square: so no ... QaS,
hold back on the e4-eS move, keeping the option of opening lines in the centre ...BbS or ...NbS moves as occur in the game. Of course, a move like 15 a4 would be
with exdS. It is therefore a small positional victory for Black to have persuaded his double-edged as the pawn would be a target that could in time be assailed by
opponent to clarify the centre situation at an early point in the game with 6 eS. . .. Nb6 and ... Qd7 or even ... Bc6; but the black attack on the queenside would have
I hope by now you agree with me that playing ... bS before ...cS is a great idea. In been slowed down, giving White more time to engineer his own kingside assault.
the next illustrative game, which features 3 Qe2 and 6 eS, it's the same old story as is Rac1?
in the games above with 3 Nd2. White's attack doesn't have a ready-made target Schunk should have taken his chance to play 15 NgS!, as then IS ...QaS 16 QhS g6

212 213
 T h e Ki ng's I n d i a n Atta c k
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

17 Qf3 h6 18 Nh3 gives him a real kingside initiative. The critical line would be
16 Rb8 (Diagram 21)
•••

15 ...h6 16 Nxe6! fxe6 17 Qh5+ Kf8 18 Qg6! Qe8 (sadly for Black he can't defend e6)
19 Qxe6 (Diagram 20) 19 ...Nb6 20 Qf5+ (getting his queen out before it is trapped
by 20 ... Bc8) 20 ... Kg8 21 Rabl Bc8 22 Qc2 Bd8 23 Rxb6! (a second sacrifice is neces­
sary before Black can consolidate his grip on d5 with ... Qf7) 24 ... Bxb6 24 Bxd5+ Be6
25 Bxc4 Bxc4 26 Nxc4 Bc7 27 Qe4 when White has sacrificed a rook for only four
pawns, but the point is that three of these pawns form a central juggernaut which
is about to roll forwards with 28 d5. It's not clear, but being White looks more fun!

Diagram 21 (W) Diagram 22 (W)

Black is in no hurry to castle ... ... until it's safe to do so

Meier gets on with his business of infiltrating on the queenside. Meanwhile, White
can't begin a frontal assault to smash up the centre, even if he were willing to
make big sacrifices, as his own pawns are in the way.

Diagram 19 (W) Diagram 20 (B) 17 Rbi

Facilitating . . .Qa5 Decent compensation A testament to the folly of his 15th move.
17 Bb5
•••

So does that mean that Meier should have spumed the game move 14 ... a4 in fa­
The next task is to manoeuvre the bishop to c2, when despite being 'bad' it does
vour of 14 ... h6, playing it safe? Well, there is always a tension in chess between the
more work than White's two bishops put together.
moves we should play and the moves we want to play. I think Meier could have
counted himself very unlucky if his opponent had suddenly started playing like 18 Bh3 a3 19 h5
Shirov, finding moves like 16 Nxe6! and 23 Rxb6! - the latter being a positional Gaining space, but what does it signify? The advance White wants to make is to
sacrifice that he would have needed to discover and assess eight moves in ad­ put a pawn on f5, but his bishop is jammed in the way on f4.
vance! Instead if Meier had played the safe 14 ...h6, there was a real chance that his 19 Ba4 20 Rxb8 Ncxb8 21 Rbi Bc2 22 Rcl Bd3 23 Nel Bh7
•••

opponent would have confounded his queenside strategy with 15 a4.

Just perfect: the bishop has found a safe haven on the longest open diagonal on
15 h6!
•••
the board, where it has influence over a key square on the only open file on the
All's well that ends well. Meier gets to play this preventive move without having board.
his queenside attack bunged up. 24 Nc2 Nc6 25 Bg4 Qa5 26 Bdl O-O! (Diagram 22)
16 Qe3
As in the games above, Meier has long tarried with his king in the centre, but if he
is going to win the game on the queenside he needs the help of his rook. He there­

o
NOTE: The white pieces naively wait for the black king to go to g8,
fore chooses a moment to castle when most of the white minor pieces have taken
but there will be no attacking scenarios such as 16 0-0 17 Bxh6 in
•••

up defensive positions on the queenside and so cannot do his king much harm.
this game: we have come a long way from Flesch-Kluger at the be­
His kingside defences are also bolstered by the arrival of the bishop on h7.
ginning of the chapter.

215
214
H o w to P l a y Aga i n st 1 e4 T h e K i ng's I n d i a n Att a c k

27 Rb1 Nb6 28 Re1 The Immediate 2 Oe2 -

Whether pawns can be described as the soul of chess is disputable, but White's
floundering shows what happens in a blocked position when there are no outlets Finally, a mention of 1 e4 e6 2 Qe2 (Diagram 24), which should transpose to the
created by the foot soldiers for the big pieces. Schunk can only shuffle his pieces d3/e4 versus e6/d5 pawn structure we have examined in this chapter, but might
around, until eventually he hits on the plan of using the g-pawn to break open lead to something entirely different. The good news for Black is that the move Qe2
lines on the kingside, but it proves too late. fits in poorly in these alternative set-ups.
28 ... Rb8 29 Ne1 Nd7 30 g4 Rb2 A decent reply is 2 ... d5 when 3 d3 Nf6 leads to familiar territory, and 3 exd5 Qxd5
Meier's winning plan takes shape: the rook goes to the seventh rank to tie down 4 Nc3 Qa5 or simply 4...Qd8 are solid enough for Black. In that case we would
its opposite number to the defence of a2, then the c3-pawn will be assailed with have a type of Scandinavian Defence in which White's Qe2 move is of less value
... Na7 and ... Nb5, after which something's got to give. than Black's ...e6.
31 Ra1 Na7 32 Ndf3 NbS (Diagram 23) However, I want to recommend the interesting response is 2 ... Nf6!?, which has
been the choice of several strong players. Most likely White will respond with
something like 3 Nf3 when 3...d5 4 e5 Nfd7 5 d3 transposes to the King's Indian
Attack with 2 d3.
Instead after 3 e5 Nd5 (Diagram 25) we have an unusual Alekhine's Defence
(normally 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5) in which White has put his queen on e2, shutting in
his bishop on fl : on the face of it a bad way to spend a tempo. Indeed, in a recent
game White quickly got into trouble after 4 Nf3 d6 5 d4 c5! (with his queen no
longer guarding d4 and his kingside development blocked, White can't cope with
this attack on his centre) 6 c4 Nb4 7 exd6 cxd4 8 Nxd4 Bxd6 9 Nf5 0-0 10 Nxd6
Qxd6 and White was dangerously behind in development in Z.Wieczorek­
J.Gdanski, Ustron 2006.

Diagram 23 (W) Diagram 24 (B)

Something must give The Chigorin Variation

Giving White the gruesome choice between giving up the a-pawn or the c-pawn.
33 Re1
What a miserable career this rook has had, pacing in a tiny dungeon consisting of
the al-, bl- and c1-squares.
33 ... Rxa2 34 gs
At last White has some activity, but the passed a-pawn is much too strong.
34 ... Rb2 35 gxh6 a2 36 Bgs Ba3 Diagram 25 (W) Diagram 26 (W)
Here 36...Rbl also does the trick.
Alekhine-like Good compensation
37 Bf6 gxf6 38 exf6 Bf8 39 QgS+ Kh8 40 Qg3 Qe7 41 QgS Qd8 42 Be2 Qxf6 43 Bxh7
Kxh7 0-1
Returning to the position after 3 ...Nd5, White's best chance to justify his play is

2 16 217
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

with 4 Nc3 and then:

a) 4 ... Nxc3 5 dxc3 followed by Bf4 and 0-0-0 gives White an attacking set-up, albeit
not a particularly impressive one. There is nothing wrong with the black position
here; but we don't want to give White more than he deserves.

b) Therefore I suggest you play sharply with 4 ... Nc6!? 5 Nf3 (after 5 Nxd5 exd5
Black can free himself with 6 ... Be7 and . . . d6 as appropriate) and here 5 ... Be7 Iooks
Chapter Eight
at least OK for Black, as the white centre is flimsy after, say, 6 d4 d6 7 Ne4 0-0 8 c4

Odds and Ends

Nb6, while 5 ... d6!? is a very interesting pawn sacrifice that gives Black a substan­
tial initiative after 6 Nxd5 exd5 7 exd6+ Be6 8 dxc7 Qxc7 (Diagram 26).

_ I ntroduction
_ The Two Knights Va riation
_ White Plays 2 Nf3 d S 3 es
_ Rare 2nd Moves
_ Rare 3 rd Moves

218
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 Odds a nd Ends

The only way to set Black problems i s by seizing space.

I ntrod uction 4...Nfd7 S d4 eS
Now White has little choice but to agree to a liquidation.
Some opening variations generate positions that remain double-edged and dy­
namic even after 12 or more moves have been played. These have been analysed 6 dxeS Bxes 7 Bd3 Ne6 8 Bf4
by the greatest chess minds for tens of thousands of hours, without any definite

CJ
conclusion being reached. White hasn't proved he has a substantial advantage,
NOTE: This position can also arise via a Classical 4 eS move order
but neither has Black proved that he is equal. The arms race continues with both
with 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Ne3 Nf6 4 eS Nfd7 S Nf3 eS 6 dxes Ne6 7 Bf4
sides forever finding fresh ideas, but without any final verdict ever being given. Bxes 8 Bd3.
Such a sequence of moves is described as a main line. For all our grumblings 8...f6 (Diagram 2)
about a surfeit of opening theory, chess would be a much poorer game without
these tried and tested (albeit perhaps over-tested) methods of reaching a lively
middlegame position. In contrast, other opening ideas lead to a quick sterility
which is unacceptable for White, or are too obviously inferior for Black (or indeed
for White). These moves are never analysed deeply, and are at best described as
sidelines.

The odds and ends discussed in this chapter are examples of opening lines that, at
the time of writing, are regarded as offering White too little. Some of them are
tricky, and will catch out an unprepared opponent, but they shouldn't give you
any sleepless nights either.

The Two Knights Variation

Here we examine what happens if White brings out his knights before playing d2-
d4. Diagram 1 (B) Diagram 2 (W)
The Two Knights Variation Thematically undermining White's centre
Game 54
o S.Vega Gutierrez . A.Strikovic Black plays his second standard pawn stab to dispose of the e5-pawn.
Ben idorm 2007 g exf6
White has been unable to maintain his pawn centre. On the other hand, he hopes
1 e4 e6 2 NO
to be able to exploit the hole in Black's position that has been left on e5, and per­
Instead after 2 Nc3 d5 we might have the main line again with 3 d4, while 3 exd5 haps also lay siege to the e6-pawn. The normal recapture is 9 ... Nxf6, but Strikovic
exd5 4 d4 was covered towards the end of the French Exchange chapter. However, plays something more enterprising:
most likely White would choose 3 Nf3, transposing to this game.
9 . Qxf61?
..

2 ... dS 3 Ne3 (Diagram 1) A double-edged move as the queen might become a target and the bishop remains
Here 3 exd5 exd5 4 d4 is the standard French Exchange line, while it's a good idea shut in on c8. On the other hand, Black brings his most powerful piece into action
to know something about the alternative 3 e5 - for which see the next section. on the kingside with gain of time by hitting the white bishop on f4. In the game
3 ...Nf6 she finds a strong post on h6 where she is both a constant threat to the white king
and a staunch defender of the e6-pawn. In addition to all this, Black's rook on f8
Straightforward. Black can also speculate with 3 ... d4 4 Nce2 c5.
enjoys an open file.
4 es

220 221
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 Odds and Ends

10 Bg3 TIP: I n this type of pawn structure the exchange of White's dark­
Black also built up an attractively active position after 10 BgS Qf7 11 0-0 0-0 12 Bh4
squared bishop for a knight isn't merely good for Black - it is a mas­
QhS 13 Bg3 Nf6 14 a3?! (more to the point was 14 Qd2) 14 . . . a6 IS Qd2 Bd7 in
sive positional victory.
H.Gargatagli-P.Carlsson, Illes Medes 2007. 14... Ba7 15 Bd6 (Diagram 4)
10... 0-0 11 0-0 a6! (Diagram 3) White evacuates his bishop from the danger square, drives the black rook from the
open file and then takes possession of eS with his knight.
ls ... Re8 16 Nes Nxes 17 Qxes?
A safer recapture was 17 BxeS, though Black could return his rook to the open file
with 17 ... Bd7 18 Nc3 Rf8, or if he were feeling ambitious take on all the joys and
dangers of a pawn centre with 17 . . . Nd7 18 Bg3 eS. Then 19 c4 bS!? is an intriguing
sacrifice, intending 20 cxbS e4 21 bxa6 Nf6 22 BbS Bg4 with good compensation.

17 ... Bd7 18 Ncs Bc6 19 Nxe6?

Capturing the e6-pawn is the logical culmination of White's pressure on the cen­
tre, but it seems too risky. Instead after 19 b4, strengthening the knight on cS,
19 ... Rad8! contains the terrible threat of 20 ... Rxd6! 21 Qxd6 Bb8 when the white
queen has no safe square to fly to - and even if she did, it would be mate on h2.
Thus 20 Bc7 looks best, but after 20 ... Rc8 again there is a threat of 21.. .Rxc7!. Thus
Black would have the luxury of playing to win or agreeing to a 'perpetual check'
on the bishop with 21 Bd6 Rcd8 22 Bc7 Rdc8.
Diagram 3 (W) Diagram 4 (B)
19... Ne4! 20 Rxe4!
Good prophylaxis from Black Both sides have their trumps
The only move as otherwise e6 drops. Now Black has to be very careful.

o
NOTE: This is a very useful preventive move. It creates a retreat 20...dxe4 21 Bc4 (Diagram 5)
square on a7 for the bishop, and rules out any idea of Bbs and Bxc6,
giving up the good bishop to increase White's grip on the es-square.
Moreover, the knight invasion after 1 1 ...Qh6 12 NbS! would be a real nuisance for
Black as 13 Nc7 would harass his rook and attack the vulnerable e6-pawn.
12 Qe2 Qh6
All as planned. Now Black is able to bring his knight to f6 to create counterplay
and also clear the way for development with ... Bd7 and ... Rae8.
13 Rae1 Nf6 14 Na4
If White does nothing fast with, say, 14 a3?! then 14 ... NhS! intends to exchange off
the dark-squared bishop on g3 for the knight. If allowed, and it is certainly awk­
ward for White to prevent it, then after IS ...Nxg3 and the recapture 16 hxg3 the f2-
square is left gravely weak. For example, Black might double up rooks along the f­
file and then play ... gS! and . . . g4, to drive away the knight from f3. White would
have little in the way of counterplay, because the disappearance of his bishop
Diagram 5 (8) Diagram 6 (W)
means that he has lost any hope of achieving the dark-square supremacy which
Which piece to b5? Black holds back ... cS
was the aim of his opening.

222 223
 Odds and E n d s
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

Bxg6 fxg6! 1 1 Bf4 0-0 12 Bg3 Ne7 13 Nbd2 NfS in E.5veshnikov-Y.Balashov, Mos­
21 ... Bb5??
cow 1976) 8 ... Bb6 9 bS NaS (the knight is pushed to the edge, but White's knight
Black has winning chances after 21 ...bS! 22 Bb3 Qf6! 23 NgS+ Kh8 24 Nf7+ Qxf7 25
on bl is at least as worse off as it needs to stay at home defending c3) 10 0-0 Rc8 1 1
Bxf7 RxeS 26 BxeS Rf8 27 Bb3 e3! (for the moment White is a pawn up, but the
a 4 Ng6 (Diagram 8) 12 Ba3 BcS 13 BxcS RxcS 14 g3 Qc7 1S ReI Nc4 1 6 Qe2 0-0 (note
pas s�d pawn that �
is move creates is a terror for him) 28 Bg3 e2 29 ReI Rd8! (ex­
the delay in castling which prevents White starting a big attack until Black has all
his pieces active) 1 7 h4 f6 and with the white knight on bl not taking part in the
.
plOIting back rank Ideas) 30 c3 (so that the bishop guards dl) 30 ... Rd2 and Black
regains the pawn with a dominant position after 31.. .Rxb2.
struggle, Black was fine in E.5veshnikov-Y.Balashov, Lvov 1978.
22 Bb3??
White could win at once with 22 Nd8+!, cutting off the rook on a8 from the de-
fence of e8. If 22 ... Kh8 there is a trivial win of the queen with 23 Nf7+ Kg8 24
Nxh6+, while 22 ... Bxc4 23 Qxe8 is mate! It is of course hard to see that the appar-
ently well-guarded rook on e8 is going to lose both its defenders in two moves!

�
The bishop on b was overloaded due to the need both to defend e8 and capture
on c4 after the dIscovered check, but no such problem would have arisen if Black
had played the correct 21...bS! .

22... Kh8
�
Des ite (or perhaps we should say thanks to!) his blunder Black is now winning
�gam, as the rook on fl is hanging and he is already the exchange up. The remain­
mg moves were 23 Ng5 Qf6 24 Qd5 h6 25 Nf7+ Kh7 26 Ne5 Bxf1 27 Qxe4+ g6 28
Ng4 Qxd6 29 Qxb7+ Qe7 30 Nf6+ Kh8 0-1

Diagram 7 (W) Diagram 8 (W)

White plays 2 Nf3 d S 3 eS Declining the pawn Black's knights stand well

After 1 e 4 e 6 2 Nf3 d5 3 e 5 the obvious move i s 3 ... cS, but then White gets to in­
�
d lge in a win � gam�it with 4 b4 cxb4 S a3 or S d4. It's probably not that great for Ra re Second Moves
� �
�m, b t the e IS a faIr �mount of theory attached and besides anyone who plays
lIke this agamst you mIght well have some home-brewed ideas. 50 let's avoid it all
After 1 e4 e6 White has a few unusual ideas:
with 3 ... Bd7' (Diagram 6).
a) 2 c4 dS 3 exdS exdS 4 d4 was discussed at the end of Chapter Two. White can
White can try waiting for ... cS with 4 Be2, but then I like Black's position after
diverge from this with 4 cxdS, but assuming that Black doesn't rush to recapture
4 ... cS 5 b4 c4!? (Diagram 7), declining the pawn offer, after which 6 c3 as! 7 bxaS
the pawn with 4 ... QxdS? which loses time after 5 Nc3, he should get a comfortable
RxaS was seen in A.Vaclavik-P.510vak, Frydek Mistek 2007. White's subsequent
game: 4 ... Nf6! S BbS+ (to disrupt Black, as S Nc3 NxdS is too easy for him) S ... Nbd7
refusal to compromise his principles by playing d3-d4 was almost comical: 8 d3
(Diagram 9) 6 Nc3 a6!? (so that Black seizes the initiative after 7 Ba4 bS 8 Bc2 Bb7
Qc7 9 0-0 Nc6 10 Bf4 (after 10 dxc4 NxeS 11 cxdS RxdS Black is doing well due to
or 8 Bb3 Nc5, while 7 Be2 Nb6 quickly regains the pawn with a good game) 7
the �e �� .
�
val of th proud eS-pawn and his more compact pawn structure) 10 ... bS!
Bxd7+ Qxd7 8 Nf3 NxdS 9 0-0 (or 9 NeS Nxc3! 10 bxc3 QdS l l 0-0 Bd6) 7 ... Be7 10
(sohdIfymg hIS gnp on the queenside and centre) 11 ReI Nge7 12 Bfl Ng6 13 Bg3
Qa7 14 Qe2 BcS lS h4 Nge7 16 Nbd2 NfS 17 Bf4? cxd3 I8 Qxd3 Bxf2+ 0-1.
ReI Nxc3 1 1 bxc3 0-0 gave Black the two bishops and no worries in G.Jones­
E.Lund, Copenhagen 200S.
Instead 4 d4 cS 5 c3 Qb6 leads us into our second line versus the Advance Varia­
b) 2 f4 is a move that was popular in the good old days when the King's Gambit
?
tion. White mi ht circumvent this with 5 dxc5, but Black is solid enough: 5 ... Bxc5 6
was in vogue. Of course here there is no pawn on e5 to attack, so it's no surprise
Bd3 Nc6 7 c3 (If 7 0-0 Black has 7 ... f6; hence White plans to discomfort the black
that this plan misses the mark. Black can proceed in typical French style with
pieces by advancing his b-pawn) 7 ... Nge7 8 b4 (in an earlier game between the
2 ... dS 3 eS cS, taking advantage of the fact that White has omitted d2-d4.
same grandmasters Black got a very good position after 8 0-0 Ng6 9 ReI Qc7 10

225
224
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4 Odds and Ends

c ) The very direct 2 e5 was played with success b y Steinitz, but this move looks Black, a s i s 9 d4 (to restrain . . .e5) 9 ... Bb4+! (making White weaken the queenside

decidedly premature to modem eyes. The pawn could be eliminated at once with and lessen his control of e5 by shutting in further the bishop on b2) 10 c3 Bd6. The

2 ... d6, or else if we are more ambitious we might try to keep it on the board as a clumsy position of the white pieces and the loss of time involved with 2 b3 and 3

target, say with 2 ... c5, cutting out a defence with d2-d4, and 3 ... Nc6. It would then Bb2 far outweigh the bishop-pair.

be awkward for the white pieces to have to defend e5.

d) The idea of 2 b3 d5 3 Bb2 (Diagram 10) deserves more attention. White leaves
the e4-pawn en prise, intending to regain it after 3 ... dxe4 5 Nc3 Nf6 6 Qe2 with an
attacking position of sorts based on queenside castling. As usual, we are going to
prefer a no-nonsense reply rather than letting our opponent play his or her fa­
vourite variation. Thus 3 ... Nf6! is recommended:

Diagram 11 (W) Diagram 12 (W)

Black develops rapidly Not a good gambit

Ra re 3rd Moves
After 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS White has tried gambiting the e4-pawn with 3 Be3?! dxe4 4
Diagram 9 (W) Diagram 10 (8)
Nd2 Nf6. Unfortunately for him, after 5 f3, hoping for a rapid development fol­
White cannot hang on to d5 The bishop enjoys an open diagonal. lowed by an attack down the f-file after 5 . . . exf3 6 Ngxf3, Black has the strong ri­
poste 5 ... Nd5! (Diagram 12) which eliminates White's important dark-squared
d1) Now 4 e5?! Nfd7 is inferior for White who has shut in his bishop and can't bishop. After 6 Qe2 c5! 7 dxc5 Nxe3 8 Qxe3 Qa5 9 c3 Bxc5 10 Qxe4 Be7 Black was
support the centre adequately after 5 d4 c5 etc. clearly better in B.Go- JDelemarre, Vlissingen 2007. Instead 5 c3 is more solid for
White, but Black can at least get a solid position in the style of the Fort Knox with
d2) The critical variation is therefore 4 exd5 exd5 5 Qe2+. Then 5 ... Qe7 6 Bxf6 gxf6
5 ... Bd7: for example, 6 g3 Be7 7 Bg2 Bc6 8 Qc2 Nbd7 9 Ne2 with an immediate
would leave Black with doubled pawns, so 5 . . . Be6! is best, with a final divide:
draw in G.Neuberger-RAppel, Manderscheid 1989.
d21) White can go pawn hunting on the queenside, but Black gets a big lead in
The other bishop move to third rank, 3 Bd3 (Diagram 13), is of a completely differ­
development: for example, 6 Qb5+ Nbd7 7 Qxb7 Rb8 8 Qxa7 Bc5 9 Qa6 0-0. Here
ent nature. White prefers to support e4 with his bishop rather than by putting the
the f2-pawn is a target, and simple development is no good for White: 10 Nf3 Re8
knight on d2 or c3, but there is a drawback to the move: a bishop likes to wait un­
11 Be2 Bf5 and the white king can't escape the centre as 12 a-a? Rb6 13 Qa5 Rxe2
til the pawn centre has clarified before committing itself to a post, and here it is
wins the bishop.
forfeiting the chance for a more active deployment to b5. Objectively speaking, the
d22) Another approach for White is to target e6 which can be done with 6 Nf3 Bc5
best reply for Black is 3 ... c5! when after 4 exd5 exd5 an isolated queen's pawn cen­
7 Ng5 or similarly 6 Nh3 Bc5 7 Ng5, but Black can fearlessly castle: 7. . .0-0! (Dia­ tre is reached, with the white bishop denied the chance to go to b5 without tempo
gram 11) 8 Nxe6 fxe6. Now 9 Qxe6+? Kh8 would be far too risky for White in view
loss as would be the case after 3 Nd2 c5 4 exd5 exd5 5 Ngf3 Nc6 6 Bb5.
of the weakness on f2 and the threat of 10 ... Re8. However, 9 Nc3 e5! is pleasant for

226 227
H ow to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

But then, do we want to play a position with an isolated pawn on d5? An IQP ex­
pert such as the Russian GM Evgeny Bareev might be delighted to have a superior
version of his beloved Tarrasch 3 ... c5 Iine, but I'm not overjoyed. If you share my
reservation, you might like to try the alternative approach 3 . . . dxe4 4 Bxe4 Nf6,
which will force the bishop to move for a third time, assuming White has no wish
(Diagram
I n d ex of Va ri at i o n s
to see it exchanged for a knight. Play might continue 5 Bf3 c5 6 Ne2 Nc6!
14), which refuses to bow to the pressure on b7. Black shouldn't fear suffering an
isolated pawn on c6 after this move, as he gets bags of dynamic play: for example,
7 Be3 cxd4 B Bxc6+ bxc6 9 Qxd4 Qxd4 10 Bxd4 c5 11 Bxf6 gxf6 12 Nbc3 RgB 13 Ne4
Be7 14 0-0 Bb7 15 f3 0-0-0 left Black very active and he went on to beat a much
higher-rated opponent in A.Bezgodov-C.Hanley, Essent 2002.

The Adva nce Variation

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 (Diagram)

Diagram 13 (8) Diagram 14 (w)

A rare way of defending e4 Pressuring d4

Going back, White has also tried 5 Bg5, but after 5 ... Be7 6 Bf3 c5 7 Ne2 Nc6! White 3 ...(5
soon ended up in a rotten position following B c3 cxd4 9 Bxc6+ bxc6 10 Nxd4 Qd5 3 ...b6
1 1 Nf3 Ba6 12 Qxd5 cxd5 in F .Ravnik-A.Praznik, Bled 2000. In both examples,
4 c3 - 16
White moved his bishop far too many times to justify giving it up on c6 for the
4 Bb5+ - 20
black knight.
4 Nf3 - 26

4 (3
4 Qg4 - 46

4 dxc5 - 46

4 Nf3 - 46

4 Qb6 5 Nf3 8d7 6 8d3

•.•

6 a3 - 38

228 229
 I n d ex of Va r i a t i o n s
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

4 c4 - 70
6 Be2 - 40

6...cxd4 7 cxd4 - 32 4... Nc6 - 57

4 ... Be6 - 53; 4 ... N£6 - 54
7 Nxd4 - 36

The Excha nge Variation The Fort Knox

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 exd5 (Diagram) 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2/Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Bd7 (Diagram)

4 Nf3 5 Nf3
4 Bd3 Nc6 5 c3 Bd6 (Diagram) 5 Ng5 - 87

5 ... Bc6 6 Bd3 (Diagram)

6 Neg5 - 88

6 Q£3 - 63; 6 Ne2 - 68

4 Nc3 - 70

231
2 30
 I ndex 0f Va r i a t i o n s
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e 4

6 Nd7
•••

6... Bxe4 - 80

6 ... Nf6 - 94
7 Qe2
7 0-0 Ngf6 8 Ng3 - 74, 82

7 Neg5 - 90

7 Ngf6 8 0-0 - 78
•••

8 Bg5 - 76

8 Qd2
8 dxc5 0-0

9 Qd2 - 103

9 Be2 - 107

8 ... 0-0 9 0-0-0 - 101

9 Be2 - 109

5 f4
5 Nce2 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 f4 Be7 8 Nf3 0_0 9 a3 a5

1 0 g3 - 1 13

IO Negl - 1 1 7

10 Ng3 - 1 2 0

5 Qh5 - 123
5 c 5 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Be3 Be7 (Diagram)
•••
5 e5

232 233
 . I n dex of V a r i a t i o n s
H o w to P i a y Aga i n st 1 e4

S Nge2 - 164 S Bd3 - 191

S exdS QxdS 6 Bxf6 Bxc3+ 7 bxc3 gxf6 4 eS - 194

8 Qg4 - 1 70 4 c5
...

8 Nf3 - 1 69 4. . . dxe4 - 1 82

5 h6 6 Bd2
...
5 dXc5 Nf6 6 0_e2 0-0 7 Nf3 as S 0-0 - 1 77
6 Bxf6 - 134 8 eS - 1 80

6 Bh4 - 136

6 exf6 - 138
The King's IndoIan Attack
6 Be3 - 153

6 Bc1 - 159 l e4 e6 2 d3
6 Bxc3 7 bXc3
... 2 Qe2 - 21 7

7 Bxc3 - 141 2 ...d5 (Diagram)

7 . Ne4 S Qg4
..

8 Bd3 - 144

S ...KfS 9 Bd3 - 148

9 Qf4 - 146

3 Nd2
3 Qe2 Nf6 4 Nf3 Be7 S g3 bS

6 Bg2 - 21 0

6 eS - 2 13

3 ..Nf6 4 Ngf3 Be7 5 g3 b5

.

S ... O-O - 200

6 Bg2 c5 7 0-0 Nc6 S Rel Bb7 -

8 ... aS _ 202

4 Bd3
4 Ngf3 Nf6

S eS - 184

234 235
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

Odds and Ends

1 e4 e6 (Diagram)

I n d ex of G a m e s

Abu Sufian.S-Lalic.B, Hasti ngs 2007 /08 ......................................................... 1 00

Andriasian.Z-Nepomniachtchi.l, Kirishi 2007 ............................................... 185
Aronian.L-Turner.M, Hastings 2000/01 ........................................................... 89
Baramidze.D-Prusikin.M, German Ch'sh p, Koen igshofen 2007 ............. 112
2 Nf3 Beliavsky.A-Jensen.L, Copenhagen 2004 ................................... ...................... 80
2 c4 - 225
Berezovsky.I-Glek.l, German League 2004 ............ ......................................... 47
2 f4 - 225
Bluvshtein.M-Rozentalis.E, Montreal 2004 .................................................... 82
2 b3 - 226
Brendel.O-Glek.l, Swiss League 2004 .............................................................. 1 70
2 d4 dS
Cain.C-Aung Aung, Ba ngkok 2004 ..................................................................... 78
3 Be3 - 227
Critelli.J-Shulman.Y, Philadelphia 2008 ......................................................... 191
3 Bd3 - 227
Das.A-David.A, Kol kata 2008 ............................................................................. 148
2 dS 3 Nc3 - 220
•..

Dombai.I-Dudics.l, Budapest 2000 .................................................................... 26

3 e5 - 224
Dominguez Aguilar.G-Djurhuus.R, Turin Olympiad 2006 .......................... 32
FleschJ-Kluger.G, Hungary 1966 .......................... ........................................... 200
Gelashvili.T-Patuzzo.F, Bulgaria 2000 .............................. ................................ 94
Grischuk.A-Vaganian.R, World Tea m Championship, Yerevan 2001 ...... 40
Hopper.P-McDonald.N, London 2005 ..... .......................................................... 91
IIIner.A-Kosic.D, Buda pest 2007 .................................... .................... ............... 210
Jonkman.H-Hertneck.G, Sa int Vincent 2000 ......... ......................................... 43
Kasparov.G-lvanchuk.V, Horgen 199 5 ............................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Khairullin.I-Volkov.S, Moscow 2008 ................................................................. 36
Kiss.K-ThilaganathanJ, Kerner 2007 .............................................. ................... 76
Kristjansson.S-Caruana.F, Reykjavik 2008 .............................. ....................... 1 75

236 237
How to P l ay Aga i n st 1 e4

Larrea.M-Roselli Mailhe.B, Montevideo 2007 . ............ 17 ...................................

Mahjoob.M-Chernyshov.K, Abu Dhabi 2004 . ............. 1 82 ..................................

Malysheva.P-Riazantsev.A, Biel 2004 196

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

Martin.A-Knott.S, British League 2006 1 69

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

McCutcheon.J-Lasker.Em, correspondence 1904 136

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

Morphy.P-LowenthaIJ, 12th matchga me, London 1858 . 54 ...........................

Morphy.P-Srnyth.S, Lo ndon blindfold simul 1859 . . 53

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

Mrva.M-Volkov.S, Europea n Cham pionsh i p, Oh rid 2001.. ....................... 205

Negi.P-Nepomniachtchi.l, Wij k aan Zee 2007 . 159
.......... ........ ...........................

Ni Hua-Yu Shaoteng, Wuxi 2006 120

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

Opl.K-Jurek.J, Austrian League 1991 27

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

Paehtz.E-Peng Zhaoqin, E katerinburg 2006 118

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

Romanov.E-Nepomniachtchi.l, E u ropean Ch'shp, Dresden 2007 145 ..........

Rozentalis.E-Vallejo Pons.F, Ca lvia Olym piad 2004 .................................... 1 80

Schunk.E-Meier.G, German Championship, Altenkirchen 2005 213 .............

Semeniuk.A-Volkov.S, Ekaterinburg 2002 . . ... .. 63

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

Shabalov.A-Seirawan.Y, US Championship, Chand ler 1997 21 ......................

Shomoev.A-Potkin.V, E u ropea n Cham pion ship, Dresden 2007 105 .............

Shomoev.A-Riazantsev.A, Moscow 2007 107

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

Slavina.I-Rajlich.l, Buda pest 2005 60

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

Solodovnichenko.Y-Grigoryan.A, Belgorod 2008 . . . ...... 103 . .. ............................

Sorokina.A-Sedina.E, At hens 2005 127

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

Stange.S-Malakhatko.V, Vlissingen 2005 . . ..

........................... ... .. ................. 124
Steinitz.W-McCutcheon.J, New York simul 1885 . ...... ................................. 134
Thakur.A-Das.A, Mumbai 2008 ............. ............................................................ 138
Ubiennykh.E-Grabuzova.T, Chelia binsk 2008 ....... ....................................... 155
Ubiennykh.E-Volkov.S, Tomsk 1999 .. ............................................................. 203
Vega Gutierrez.S-Strikovic.A, Benidorm 2007 . ........... ................................. 220
Wang Li-Gleizerov.E, Dubai 2008 . .
....................................... .. .......................... 109
Willernze.T-Nepomniachtchi.l, Wijk aan Zee 2007 . . . ....... ... ... ..................... 1 65
Winter.W-Alekhine.A, Nottingham 1936 .. .
................... .............. .................... 68

238