The Ultimate Closed Silican Lane

The Ultimate Closed Sicilian

Gary Lane

B. T. Bats ford Ltd, London


First published in 2001
C> Gary Lane 200 I

ISBN 0 7134 8687 2
British Library Catalogu ing-in-Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, by any means, without prior pennission
of the publ isher.
Printed in Oreut Brita in by
l'reutive Print nnd Design (Wales), Ebbw Vale
for the publishers,
B.T. Botsturd Ltd,
9 Blenheim Court,
Hrcwery Road,
London N7 9NT

A mt'mbt'r of

tht� Ch�lis Group pic

For A dela ide Soltysik

With thanks to Ashley Silson and Fram;ois Mertens
for th eir help in providing materia/for th is book.

A BA TSFORD CHESS BOOK


Contents
Page
Main Games

4

Introduction

5

C hapter

1

6 .ie3 e6 New Main

L ine

10

Chapter 2

6 .ie3 ttJto

30

3

6 .i e3 l:.b8

37

.ie3 e5

43

5 e6 6 ..te3

53

Chapter 6

6 f4 e6 Main L i ne

58

Chapter 7

6

f4 e5

Chapter 8

6

f4 c!iJIO Kas p a ro v

Chapter 9

Systems w it h

Chapter

Chapter 4
Chapter

5

6

. . .

73
System

llJge2

98
1 08

Chapter I 0 Systems with c!iJh3

129

Chapter I I Systems with c!iJf3

1 38

Chapter 1 2 French Defence set-up

1 44

Chapter 1 3 2 g3

1 60

Index of Variations

1 74


Main Games
Ad a rn s - K a sparo v

Adorns-Kramnik

Adams-Sax
Adams- Ward
AI Mudiahki-Ponomariov

Bachi n-Shovunov
B e r g - De Fi rrn ian

B l i z nyuk - C onqu est
Bmfman-Valois

Bush ill-Tozer

Claesen-Chuchelov
C l e m e n s-N auma nn
Doncv-Zeller

Dovramadjiev-Semkov
F ed or o v- Kaspa rov
Gershon-Shabalov
Giogadze-Verduga

A.Gurev ich-Duchov

G.Hemandez-De Firrnian

Hoen-Ciocaltea
A I Ka rpov Kalla i
An Karpo v Quinteros
K i ng Miralles
K l i n ge r-Sch umi
Kn o ppert- Van Wely
K o gan - A sh l ey
Kos ten-C.Fiear
K ost e n H e n n i gan
.

-

.

-

-

-

Kovalevskaya-Arakhamia
K ra p i v in -Mo rozov

Lane-Bologan
l.anc-Dautov

30
90
37
I0
1 04
56
78
34
Ill
27

151
1 66
70
58

1 69
154
50
82
94
125
43
68
1 08
40
1 13
1 42
17
1 19
23
73
1 46
20

Lane-Manet
N unn
Markowski-Smirin
Martin-Britton
M u rey U ng ure
N a dyrh an o v -Odce v
Orlov-Rago
Roman ish in- Yudasin
Sanduleac-Solcanean
S ep p -Danilov
S epp- Mal i s a uskas

Short- Kaspa ro v
Short- McShane
Short- Movsesian

Lan e

-

-

Short-Nataf
Short-Rechlis
Sho rt-St o hl
S mys lov-Denker
Smy sl ov- K o t t na u er
S mys l ov - Rom a n i s h i n
Sofronie-Co vaci
Spassky-Gel ler
Spa ss ky - Hj a rtarso n
Sp a s sky - Ka rpo v
Spassky-Sax
Spraggett-V i I alta
Stjazhkina-Polovodi n
S trijbos - Van der Wiel
Sulskis-Efimenko

Trapi-Pribyl
Vander Weide-Weeks
Ves el o v s ky Haba
-

75
1 44
88
61
1 49
1 60
46
131
138
1 40
1 62
1 02
32
15
86,92
66
1 16
53
24
129
13
98
64
1 22
81
1 57
62
48
1 33

165
167
1 63


Introduction
The Closed Sicil ian is a rel i able
opening with opportunities for a
kingside attack. Unl ike Open Sicil­
ian lines, such as the Dragon where
new moves are routinely introduced
on move thirty, there is no need to
Jearn a vast amount of theory.
Instead, White tends to follow an
establ ished plan of development
aga inst most set-ups after which the
stage is set for a middlegame battle.
World champions Karpov, Smyslov
nnd Spassky have favoured it and
laid the foundations for others to
follow. In recent years the English
duo Adams and Short have added
new ideas and pl ayed it at the
highest level with great success.

fianchetto on the kingside and fol­
low with d2-d3 to develop the
queen 's bishop. White tends to
develop his king ' s knight to e2 or
0. The currently fashionable 3 g6

is the most popular reply because a
ki ngside fianchetto will al low Black
to exert his influence on the centre
and along the a I -h8 diagona l .
4 .i. g 2 .i.g7 5 d 3 d 6 6 .i.e3
...

The ideas behind
the Closed Sicilian
I e4 c5 2 ltJc3 ltJc6 3 g3

This is the move that signals
White's intention to play the Closed
Sicilian. Basically, the· idea is to

This is the new main line and is
the reason why the Closed Sicilian
is being played at international
level . I have paid special attention
to it because I think the simple
development plan is easy to fol low
and the ideas can be applied in a
variety of positions . It is an
aggressive system that puts B lack
under pressure at the earl iest oppor­
tunity. The plan is to play ..d l -d2
and .i.e3-h6, exchanging the key
defensive bishop on g7, and perhaps
following up with h2-h4-h5 to open
the h-file and deliver a speedy mate.

It sounds too good to be true hut


(, /11(/olo/1/o (/rill

>lltl'l'sslul fonnula in Adams­
l(edhus, S ou t hend 2001.
I hnt Jo(illlle went

WIP• 11

WIInl,

(t... l•f• 7

h4

'W'd2 lbge7 8 .ih6

0-0 9

The attack looks rather obvious
hut i 1 is very e tTecti ve . Adams is

threatening 10 h4-h5, followed by
tak ing on g7 and hxg6, which
allows the queen to jump in on h6
with a tremendous attack .
9 ... .txh6 1 0 'W'xh6 f6
Black takes measures to parry the

offen sive. Basically, the text stops
I I hS? because then comes I l ... g5 ,
mtend in g 12.. .'�h8 and 13 .. . tLlg8
tra pp i ng the queen. However, it
wmpromises Black's pawn struc­
ture, w hich encourages White to
al lm:k.
II 'it'd2 e5 1 2 hS gS 1 3 h6! i.e6
14 1"4 gxf4 15 gxf4 �h8 16 tLldS
Jiud5 17 exd5 lll b4 1 8 a3 tiJbxdS?
19 .ll x d5 tLlxdS 20 'Wg2

The open ing has been a complete
success because the tw in threats of
'Wxd5 and 'Wg7 mate give White a
winning advantage .
20 ...'W'e7 21 'iWxdS exf4+ 22 'ir'e4
'iWxe4+ 23 dxe4 l:tae8 24 0-0-0
l:txe4 25 tt:Jf3 l:te6 26 l:th4 rs 27
l:tdh l .l:.g6 28 l:txf4 llff6 29 l:tfh4
�g8 30 .l:.h5 l:.g4 3 1 l:tSh2 t3;n 32
�d2 l:tfg6 33 l:tf2 l%g2 34 �e2 �f6
35 'iti>n l:txt1+ 36 �xf2 dS 37 c3 b6
38 .t:.d 1 �e6 39 l:te 1+ 'iPf6 40 :le5
lbh6 41 .t:.xd5 lth l 42 �g3 ltb1 43
lld6+ �e7 44 .l:.d2 h6 45 'it.>f4 ..ti>e6
46 l:th2 �dS 47 c4+ �c6 48 �xfS
�b7 49 ..t>e4 1-0
A deeper ana l ysis of t h i s game
can be found in Chapter I .

Black has tried various ways to
counter this direct otTensive. 6. .. e5
is one of the best but Orlov-Rago,
San
Giorgio
Porto
2000,
demonst rated that knowledge of the
standard attacking procedure is
sometimes enough to ensure success
at the board.
1 e4 c5 2 ltJc3 tLlc6 3 g3 d6 4
i.g2 g6 5 d3 i.g7 6 iLe3 e5 7 'iWd2
tLlge7 8 i.h6 0-0 9 h4

This attacking device w ill hardly
come as a surprise to anyone who
has seen the Adams-Ward game. It
might not be the m o st accurate way


1111/'0dllt'lltll/

to handle the position after 6 ... e5
has gi ven Black an extra move on
the new main line , but in p ractical
play it can be very effective.
9 ... f6 10 i.xg7 �xg7 1 1 hS gS 1 2
h6+ �h8 1 3 f4 exf4 1 4 gxf4 gxf4
IS 0-0-0 lDg6 1 6 lDge2 .i.g4 1 7

.C.dn 'iVaS 1 8 lDxf4 lLld4 1 9 .i.h3
i.f3 20 .C.hg l lDxf4 21 1Vxf4 1Vxc3
22 .C.g8+ 1-0
If Black fiddles with the move­
order then play usually transposes to
une of t he main lines, thus al lowing
Wh ite to pl ay his se t - up a ga inst just
about every t h ing. However , t here
arc a few positional tricks to watch
out for in the opening. A good
example
is
Smyslov-Denker,
USSR-USA, Moscow 1946, which
shows not only how an opening
evolves over the years but also how
the lessons of the old masters can
somet imes be forgotten.
I e4 cS 2 lLlc3 lLlc6 3 g3 g6 4
i.g2 .i.g7 S d3 e6 6 .i.e3 lLld4?! 7
lbce2!

!

to recaptu re on e2 with the king's
knight, promoting his development.
after which wh ich the ca ptu re of the
tempting b-pawn leads to ruin.
7 . . .d 6
7 .. . lDxe2, t o win a couple of

pawns, has caught out nume rous
('layers since 8 li)xe2 .i.xb2 9 .C. bI
Wfa5+? (if the bishop retreats Wh ite
takes bac k on c5 with a sl ight
advantage) 10 i. d 2 1Vxa2 runs into
II .C.xb2 ! 1Vxb2 1 2 .i.c3 and White
1s wmnmg.
8 c3 lDc6 9 d4 nd4 I 0 lt:\xd4
lbxd4 11 .i.x d 4 eS 1 2 .i.e3 lDe7 1 3
lbe2 0-0 1 4 0-0 .i.e6 IS 'iVd2 1Vc7
16 .C.fc l rs 17 c4 fxe4 18 lbc3 lDrs
1 9 lbxe4 lbxeJ 20 •xe3 h6 2 1 :ld I
.C.fd8 22 .C.ac l .C.ac8 23 b3 b6 24
lDc3 1Ve7 25 .i.dS c.th7 26 .i.xe6
•xe6 27 .C.d3 Ac7 28 .C.cd l .C.n 29
lbe4 .trs 30 :ldS •g4 31 .C. 1 d3
i.e7 32 lbxd6 i.xd6 33 :lxd6 .C.df8
34 •xeS :lxf2 35 .C.d7+ .C.2fi 36
:xn+ .C.xn 37 .C.d8 .C.g7 38 1Ve8
gs 39 'iVh8+ �g6 40 .C.d6+ �n 41
Wfxh6 'iVrs 42 .C.d l 'iVcS+ 43 �g2
1Ve7 44 .1:0+ �g8 45 'iVf6 'iVe8 46
'iVrs g4 47 .C.f2 1Ve7 48 •d3 .C.gs
49 .C.e2 1Vf8 SO 'iVe4 :lg7 Sl 'iVdS+
'iVn 52 :le6 1 -0
The game is analysed in Chapte r
5.

It is also p ossi b l e to enter standard
l ines that fea t u re 6 f4.

A move which tends to set Black
th inki ng for a long time. Usua lly in
such positions Black exchanges
knights on e2 or f3 and grabs the
pawn on b2 . But here White is in
the pleasant position of being able


,'i

lllflllcllld/IJ/1

IIus 1s the starting point of the
11111111 lme which has been the focus
ulnllcntum for years.

White's Plan
•

A

k ingside pawn advance in

p1eJlUration for an attack, which is

sometimes launched by f4-f5 to
weaken Black 's defence.
• A
transfer of pieces to the

k i ngs ide, using his space advantage
ltlr qu ick manoeuvres .
• A restriction of Black 's qu _ e en­
slde c o u nterp lay .
Black's Plan
•

The creation of counterplay on

the queenside and/or in the centre.

queenside pawn advance to
White from his kingside
ambitions .
• A timely pawn thrust in the
centre to open the pos ition and acti­
vate his pieces .

• A
distract

to exp loit the l ight-squares around
.the black king.
9 ...gxfS 10 exrs ..txrs
IO . .. �xf5?! is met by I I 'ii'h S ,
heralding a n attack that has a re­
putation for quick wins. For in­
stance: l l . . .�fd4 runs into 1 2 ..t e4
fS 1 3 .idS+ �h8 1 4 �gS h6 1 5
'ii' g6 ! hxgS 1 6 'ii' h S mate.

11 .:xrs ll:l x rs 1 2 ..te4 �h6 1 3
'ii' h S d S 1 4 lLlxdS fS I S ..txh6 fxe4
1 6 ..t xg7 �xg7 17 li:lgS 'ii' x dS 1 8
'ii' x h7+ �f6 19 h 4 �d4 2 0 .:n +
� 13+ 2 1 �g2 l:lb8 22 ll:l xe4+ �e6
23 'ii' g6+ �e 7 24 .:xo .:hf8 25
'ii'g S+ �e6 26 c4 1 -0
This game is analysed in chapter
7.
The Main Line

In my previous book Winning
with the Closed Sicilian I dec ided to

Pskov 1 998. 1 e4 cS 2 �c3 �c6 3
4 ..tg2 ..tg7 S dJ eS 6 f4 d6 7
li)hJ � ge7 8 0-0 0-0?
Castling looks a natural choice
here--but it is a common mistake !

pay a lot of attention to variations
arising from 10 e5. In this complete­
ly new book I still look at the vari­
ous options but also try to guide
White and Black through the com­
plications without excessive theory.
The main l ine arises after 1 e4 cS 2
�c3 li:lc6 3 g3 g6 4 ..tg2 ..tg7 S dJ
d6 6 f4 e6 7 ll:lt3 ll:lge7 8 0-0 0-0 9
..teJ lL!d4 and now 1 0 eS.

l l e nt move that is the start
1111 1111press i v e attack. The idea is

The idea is to open the diagonals
for White's bishops and make room
on e4 for the queen 's knight. It has

A

typical attacking idea is shown

by the game Krapivin-Morozov,
gJ g6

9 f5!

An
ul

e x ce


lfltruductiofl

been the centre of attention since the
1 980s but, with the passage of time,
the initial problems posed to Black
lmve generally been sorted out. A
well prepared player should manage

to avoid the numerous tricks and
Imps and White should only retain a
sl ight edge. This has prompted some
players to deviate early to try and
lure White away from established
upening knowledge. Short-Rechlis,
Ohrid 200 1 , saw the slightly
u n u s u a i 1 0 ... ..t d7
.

V

l l ... li)efS 1 2 ..t f2 ..tc6 I J c3
li):d3+ 1 4 ..t x f3 dxeS I S fxeS ..t:u�4
1 6 dxe4 li)e7 17 ..txcs li)c6
The opening has been great for
Short because his opponent has had
to resort to an exchange sacrifice in
the hope of creating compl ication s .
In t h e circumstances this is hardly
surprising considering that 1 7 . . lle8
leads to a poor ending after 1 8
._.xd8 llaxd8 1 9 ..txa7 ..txe5 20
llfd 1 when the extra material gives
White a clear advantage. Short
eventually won after 7 1 moves-a
more complete analysis of the game
is given in chapter 6.
.

co,dusion

stunning response because it
that Black is voluntarily con­
ceding a pawn on d4.
l l lll e4
The obvious 1 1 li)xd4 cxd4 1 2
.i.xd4 dxe5 i s an important position,
where 13 ..txe5? fails to 1 3 . . . 'ii'b 6+
1 4 �h 1 f6 winning a p iece . Instead
13 fxe5 ..tc6 1 4 ..tt2 ..txg2 1 5
chances
in Tumer-Dunnington,
llafnarfjordur 1 996.
A

seems

The Closed Sicil ian is ideal for
those who do not have time to learn
a Jot of complicated opening theory .
Instead, White tends to rely on a
knowledge and understanding of the
strategies and tactics available in the
opening. A solid system, with
chances of a kingside attack, is a
good opening choice. The new main
line begins w ith 6 ..te3 , intending
._.d l -d2 followed by ..te3-h6 to

exchange the dark-squared bishops .
Once the important defensive
bishop on g7 is exchanged then
White attacks w i th h2-h4 or t2-f4
and carries on with the traditional
kingside pawn attack. Though it
sounds simple it is also surprisingly
effective.


6 ..1e3 e6 New Main Line

I

Adams-Ward
Redbus Southend 200 1
I e4 cS 2 lLl c3 lLlc6 3 g3 g6 4
.ig2 �g7 S d3 d6 6 .i.e3

l'he starting point of the new main
lml' At the time of the game Adams
wa� ra t ed fourth in the world, which
1 s a n indication of the respect that
thl· variation commands at the
lu�hcst h:vel . It is also a good
d10ice aga inst Ward who is re­
uowned for playing the Dragon and
would not rel ish a battle where he
hus l1ttle counterplay from the
lliWnlng.

'6'd2 lLlge7!?
still debatable whether this
is a m istake but granting
IIHIVC
Wluk 1111 instant attack is a risky
international level
At
husmcss
Wlutl··�. attack is dangerous while at
1 luh ll'Vcl 11 is d e adl y . The position
,., 1 I I Ill al in that Ulack usually tries
tu •olup thl· Wh1te onslaught-so it
ft

It

. . •

c6 7

1s

sense to see what happens if
such wisdom is ignored.
8 �h6
White has already achieved his
short-term aim of exchanging the
dark-squared bishops. 8 h4 is also
possible, to gain simi lar play to the

main game, although then Black can
take evasive action with 8 . . . h5 to
stop the advance of White's h-pawn.
For instance: 9 lLlh3 l:lb8 10 0-0 b5
1 1 l:tae 1 b4 12 lLld I 'ii'a 5 (perhaps
1 2 . . . lLle5 is worth considering) 1 3
f4 (an ambitious sacrifice that is
designed to distract the black queen
away from the central action)
1 3 . . . '6'xa2 14 f5 ..ie5 1 5 fxg6
lLlxg6 1 6 '6't2 l:.b7 1 7 tLlf4 (or 1 7
lLlg5 lLld4 1 8 tLlxf7? l:lf8 winning)
1 7 . . .'�Jd4 1 8 �h I .tg7 1 9 lLlxg6
fxg6 20 e5 l:tf8 21 'it'd2 l:txfl + 22
l:lxfl tLlf5 (22 . . . .i.xe5 23 .txd4
cxd4 24 '6'h6 l:.g7 25 .tc6+ 'it>d8
and Black avoids any menacing
checks) 23 i.c6+ l:.d7 24 exd6 and
now, instead of 24 . . . .tb7 25 '6'g2
..ixc6 26 '6'xc6 '6'd5+ 27 '6'xd5
exd5, Hjartarson-Shirov, Munich
1 993, 24 . . . lt'lxg3+ 25 �g I lLlxfl 26
�xfl i.b7 27 '6'g2 .txc6 28 Wxc6
'6'd5 29 '6'c8+ l:td8 30 '6'c7 '6'f5+
31 'it>e I '6'f7 32 '6'xc5 .tf8 and the
d-pawn will fa l l .
8...0-0?!
This is real ly asking for W hite to
come and get him. The alternative
8 . . . �xh6 is examined in the main

game, Short-Movsesian.
9 h4!
makes


6 .i.e3 e6 New Main 1.1111'

A lovely position to play for
White wh o has the simple plan of
h4·h5, .i.xg7, hxg6 and 'ii' h 6+ with
il
t hund ero us attack. Adm ittedly,
B l a c k can avert this but the p o siti o n
1s still awkward to defend.
Y... .i.xh6

Black has a cunning plan so he is
happy to allow the queen to transfer
tu the k ingsid e. Other l ines are fun

li.1r White:
a) 9 . . . f5?! 10 hS and now:
a I ) 10 ... We8 (the idea is take
back on g6 with the queen) I I
i.xg7 �xg7 1 2 lL!bS! with a clear
advantage, Partac-Nakagori, Artek

1999.
a2) 1 0 . . . l:.f7 (a bid to fend o ff the
nttack by observing h 7 ) I I hxg6

hxg6 1 2 . .i.xg7 l:.xg7 1 3 lL!f3 lLld4
1 4 liJ_gS !Clec6 IS 0-0-0 lLleS ( after
I5.

. . tL!b4 1 6 l:.h4 !Clbxc2 I 7 l:.dh I

�i ve s White a winning attac k) I 6
l:lh4 lL!f7 17 l:.dh 1 Wf6 ( 1 7 . . . 'ii'x gS

runs into 1 8 l:.h8+! lLlxh8 19 'ii'x gS
with an eas y win) 1 8 lLlxf7 �xf7 I 9
l:.h8 ltb8 20 l:. 1 h6 bS 2 1 exfS lLlxfS
22 �e4 16'e7 23 l:l6h7 dS 24 lLlgS+
�f6 2S g4 led to victory in
Pottinger-Tschoh1, Austrian Team
t'h 1 996.
b) 9 . . . lLld4 10 .i.xg7 �xg7 1 1 hS
fth8 12 h6+ (a familiar idea that
bl o ck s in the rook on h8, giving

problems)
long-term
Black
12 . .. �f8 1 3 f4 lLlec6 1 4 lLlg e2 g a ve

II

White the su peri o r chances in
C a b rero de Cabo-Fernandez Losadn,
Vila de Padron 2000.

c) 9 .. . f6 10 .i.xg7 (10 hS? i.xh6
I I Wxh6 gS ! , intending . . . �h8 and
. . . lLlg8 to win the trapp ed queen, is
a
kil ler) 10 .. . �xg7 when play
might con ti n u e :
c l ) II f4 lLld4 12 hS :h8 1 3 hxg6
hxg6 1 4 l:.x h8 'ii'x h8 I S 0-0-0 l:b8
(or 1 5 . . . 16'h2 1 6 'ii'f2 e5 1 7 lL!f3
!Clxf3 1 8 :ht! wins) 1 6 lL!f3 .i.d7
1 7 :h i 16'g8 1 8 eS ! lL!ef5 (or
1 8 .. .dxeS 19 fxe5 fS 20 WgS and
the qu e en infiltrates Black's posi­
ti on) 1 9 !Cle4 fxeS 20 fxeS lL!xf3 2 1
.i.xf3 dxeS 22 g4 lLld4 23 WgS 1-0
Carton-B lot , Montlucon 1997.
c2) 1 1 hS l:tf7 1 2 hxg6 !Clxg6 1 3
!Clf3 ( W hi t e continues with his
deve l opm en t, safe in t h e knowledge
that the semi-open h-file offers
excellent attacking chances) 1 3 . . .
l:.b8 1 4 lLlh4 &/Jce7 I S lLlxg6 lLlxg6
1 6 .i.f3 �g8 17 l:.h6 l:.g7 1 8 0-0-0
b5 1 9 .i.hS (the idea i s to double
rooks on the h-file a nd then take on
g6) 19 . . . b4 20 lLle 2 lLle5 21 16'f4 f5
22 ex f5 exf5 23 d4 cxd4 24 l:.xd4
b3 25 l:.hxd6 .!Dd7 26 axb3 ..c7 27
l:6dS 16'b6 28 l:.xf5 .i.a6 29 l:.f7 1-0
Cos m a- G rosar, Moscow Olympiad

1 994.
10 'ii'x h6 f6! ?
Ward revea ls his defen s iv e i dea.
Now 11 hS? is bad because then
1 1 . . . gS, fo llow ed by . . . �h8 and
. . . lLlg8, trap s the queen. The main
alternative, 10 . . . � h8 , is discussed
in the n ext game. 10 . . . f5 is a less
than c o nvinc ing defence: I I hS
gxh5 I 2 Wx h5 l:.f7 13 lL!f3 lLld4 I 4
!Clg5 l:.g7 1 5 0-0-0 lLlg6 1 6 lLlx h7!
l:.b8 ( 1 6 . . . l:.xh7 1 7 'ii'x g6+ l:.g7 1 8
•h5 wins) 1 7 exf5 llJxf5 18 lLld5
bS I 9 lL!df6+ �f7 20 .i.c6 :b6 2 1
.i.e8+! (a bril liant finish) 2 1 . . . �e7
22 i.xg6 lLld4 23 l:h e I l:.a6 24


I.'

fl

J&.,. I ,. ,, Nt'w Main Line

li \tl 'i

'
•.t.>d7
25
.ie8 +

Vml·cndon-Morice, Italy 1 997 .

II

1-0

..d2

Although the queen retreats from
the scene of action, the damage has
hc:en done since Black has been

lim.:cd to compromise his position.

l l ...e5
The e-pawn is advanced to give
scope to the l ight-squared bishop. If
I I .. li:ld4 1 2 I� d5 1 3 h5 b5 1 4
hxg6 hxg6 1 5 exd5 exd5 1 6 0-0-0
h4 I 7 lLlce2 iLlb5 1 8 d4 c4 I 9 'ii'x b4
l:h8 20 l:e I (or 20 a4 a5 2 1 'ii'c 5
4'u:7 and Black has avoided losing a
piece but White is still better)
20 ... �e6 2 1 '6'd2 '6'd6 22 li:lf3 l:tb6
:!3 l:h2 l:a6 24 a3 l:txa3 25 bxa3
'ir'xa3+ 26 '1t>d 1 lLlf5 27 l:teh l 'ifa l +
:! 8 'ifc I iL!c3+ 2 9 iL!xc3 'ifxc3 and
now, instead of 30 'ii'd 2 'ifa l + 3 1
·.t.>e2 lihg3+ 3 2 'ite3 'ii'a 3+ 3 3 c3
li \x h I 34 l:txh 1 with an eventual

draw, A .Ledger-Nedev, Breda 1 998,
White could have finished the job
lJIIick ly with 30 l:th8+ cj;fl 3 1
l:[ Ih 7 t '.te8 3 2 'ii'b 1 and it is time
li1r Black to resign.
12 h5
To maintain the pressure by open­
"'K the h-file. The main alternative
12 1'4 is also worth a look:
u)
12 . . ext�
13 gxf4 i.g4
(�h•pping h4-h5 and 0-0-0) 1 4 �f3
ittl7 I 'i .ixg4 'ir'xg4 1 6 iLlge2 d 5
I I l')ltl'l l;)d4 IX 0-0-0 ltJxe2+ 1 9

ltJxe2 iL!xd5 20 h5 l:tae8 2 1 l%h2
Axe2 22 l%xe2 'ii' x f4 23 hxg6 hxg6
24 llh I gave White a winning
advantage, Shaw-Berry, Marymass
1 999.
b) 12 ... J.g4 l 3lt::ld l ( 1 3 .if3 with
play similar to the previous note is
possible but I quite l ike the sample
line 1 3 .ih3 'ifd7 1 4 h5 gxh5 1 5
f5 ! ? l:tfl 1 6 ..txg4 hxg4 1 7 l%h4
l%g7 1 8 iLld I , intending iLlf2, with
attacking chances) 1 3 . . . J.xd 1 1 4
l:txd I exf4 1 5 gxf4 d5 1 6 iLle2 dxe4
1 7 dxe4 'ii'b6 1 8 'ii' c 3 l%ad8 1 9

l:r.xd8 iL!xd8 20 l:r.h3 iL!e6 2 1 l::td 3
iL!c6 22 l:td6 lbed4 Yl- Y2 Amelang­
Baginskaite, Berlin 1 994.
c) 1 2 . . . h5�? (this new move, se­
curing the g4 square, seems to be a
good idea-which might explain
why Adams stopped it with the text
move) 1 3 l013 ( 1 3 0-0-0 .ig4 14
.if3 is the aggressive option)
1 3 . . .position is similar to lines explored
in the chapter on 6 f4 e5) 1 5 . . . J.e6
1 6 .l:.af l with equal chances,
Hamdouchi-Bezold, French Team
Ch 1 999.
12 ...g5
Otherwise White will take on g6
to open the h-file for the king's
rook.
1 3 h6!
A nice idea to stop Black support­
ing his kingside pawn structure with
. . . h6, after f4 is played.
13 ....ie6 14 f4
Once again, Adams finds the most
dangerous reply-Black's kingside
pawn barrier is challenged.
14...gxf4 15 gxf4 �h8 1 6 ltJd5
.ixd5?!

Ward decides it is time to fight
back before White castles queenside
and develops the rest of his pieces .
The only snag is that his plan is
flawed.


/I

6 .ie3 e6 Nell' M11111 1.1111'
17 cxd5lLlb4 18 a3 lLlbxd5?
IH
lLla6 is an admission that
thmgs have gone wrong. 'The
I o u g h t on the rim is grim' because it
1s far away from the defence of the
kmgside.
19 �xd5 lLlxd5 20 ._ g2
. . .

�c6 lf47 ... �xc4 48li.)d2t w1ns nt
once. 48 �xf5 �b7 49 �e4 1-0.

The straightforward attack used
by White is examined again in the
following game. This time Black
tries a different defensive structure
but the result remains the same.
Sofronie-Covaci
Roman ian Ch 1 999

1 e4 c5 2 lLlc3 lDc6 3 g3 g6 4 d3
i.g7 5 .ig2 d6 6 .ie3 e6 7 ._d2
lDge7 8 .ih6 0-0 9 h4 i.xh6 1 0
'ii' x h6 Wh8

The opening has been a complete
success for White. The twin threats
uf ._xd5 and ._g7 mate give him a
wmning advantage.
20 ..e7 21 _.xd5 exf4+ 22 ._e4
'ii' x e4+ 23 dxe4 llae8 24 0-0-0
lhe4 25 tLlfJ
25 l%xd6 ! ? Ae l + 26 Ad ! also
looks good for W hite.
25 ... l%e6 26 l%h4
13 1ack has three pawns for the
p iece but it is not enough because
Wh ite can stop their advance and
pick them off one by one. Of
course, Adams ' technique is legend­
ary and the rest of the game is a
model example of how to convert
the advantage into victory .
26 f5 27 l:.dhl l:.g6 28 l:.xf4
l:ff6 29 l:fh4 Wg8 30 l:h5 l:g4 3 1
l:5h2 �ti 32 �d2 .I:Hg6 33 l%f2
l%g2 34 �e2 �f6 35 �n lbfl+ 36
�xfl d5 37 c3 b6 38 l:d l �e6 39
l:e l + �f6 40 l%e5 l%xh6 41 l%xd5
l:bl Or 4 l . . . �e6 42 Ad8 and

White is on course for the win. 42
�g31lb l 43 l%d6+ ..te7 44 l%d2 h6
45 �f4 �e6 46 llh2 �d5 47 c4+!
. ..

.•.

The king moves into the comer to
oust the queen w ith . . . lDg8 . 10 . f6
would also force II ._d2 because
otherwise 1 1 h5? runs into 1 1 . . . g5
when the white queen is trapped and
cannot avoid 1 2 . . . lDg8.
11 h5
The text threatens mate with hxg6
and 'ir'xh7, which is the favoured
direct approach. In the game
Samaritani-Aagaard,
Copenhagen
1 990, White tried I I lD h3 to
threaten ltJg5 and mate on h7. There
followed 1 1. . .ltJg8 1 2 ._d2 li.)f6 13
h5 lDxh5 (if 1 3 . . . gxh5? then 14
lDf4 al lows W hite to open the h-lilc
with advantage) 1 4 g4 lDf6 15 4)g5
� g7 1 6 ttJxh7 ! l%h8 1 7 ._h6t �gX
.

.

I.J

''

i.e·

I d1

Nc'll' Main Line

I H l.•lx16• •xto 19 'W'xh8+ ._xh8
• '"'xh8 21 lt'lb5 (2 1 'itt d 2 is
pw.slhl�:, rdying on his space ad­
vunllll!o\C llll" an edge) 2 1... lt:Jd 4 22
ti \xd4 L:Xd4 23 f4 led to equal
dHinl:CS.
.'0 l:lxhH

13 ... h6 1 4lt:\f3 lt:Jd4 1 5 0-0-0

1 2 ..d2
l'hc 4ueen is forced to retreat but
While retains pressure on the h-file.
12...g5
Now the black king looks vulner­
able, provided White can infiltrate
lo exploit its loose pawn c ov er. Also
I I . .. li)g8

possible:
a) 12 ... lt:Jto

1 3 hxg6 fxg6 14
li)ge2 c5 1 5 lt'ld5 lt'lxd5 16 exd5
li)b!l?! (a better idea is l6 . . . lt:Je7
when 17 ._h6 l:lf7 18 0-0-0 lea ve s
White better but Black has good
dwnces to defend) 17 'jj' h 6 (an
uninvited guest returns to h6 to add
weight to the attack. ) 1 7 . . .'ii' e 7 1 8
'ir'xg6 (the pawn drops ofT the board
wntirming that the onslaught gener­
a t ed by the opening has been a clear
Slll:CCSS) J 8 . . . .if5 1 9 .. h6 J:.f6 20
•d2 lDd7 2 1 0-0-0 ( Wh it e catches
up in development and takes the op­
portunity to bring the queen 's rook
into l he game) 2 1 . . . l:taf8 22 lt'lc3
.ig4 23 l:tdfl .to 24 .ixf3 llxf3 25
ti\c4 .:lg8 26 ._e2 (the immediate 26
l:lh6 is also good) 26 . . . l:.f5 27 l:th6
(i)Hl 28 l:tfh I l:tg7 29 f4 lt:Je8 30
l:tc6 ._d7 31 l:txe8+' -.xe8 32
lihd6 ._d7 33 lt:Jxf5 ._xf5 34 fxe5
1·0 t ' h a rl es - Suttor , Canberra 200 1 .
h) 12.. . ..e 7 13 lt:Jge2 l:lb8 1 4
hxg<1 fxg6 1 5 lt'lf4, threatening
li1xg6'. ga ve White the better
dwm:cs in Bienvenu-Riff, Montlu­

llln 1'>97

l.l

f4

Sofnmic takes the opportunity to
utlnl'k the g - p a wn although a lesson
1111�ht he learned from the Adams
Wllllll' hy inserting 13 h6 before
pluy111v, 14, thereby ruling out .. . h6.

White has co mpl eted his develop­
ment and can now concentrate on
increasing the pressure on the black
king. By contrast, the black p ieces
lack harmony and show l ittle sign of
counterplay.
15....td7 16 e5
The e-pawn advances to make
room for a knight on e4 . White is
also better after 1 6 fxg5 lt:Jxf3 1 7
.ixf3 -.xg5 1 8 ._xg5 hxg5 1 9 d4.
16...lt'lxf3 1 7 .ixf3 d5 1 8 Adfl
.tc6 1 9 lt'ld l l:lc8 20 lt:Jfl c4?!
White's piec es are massing on the
kingside and Black is impatient to
do something!
21 dxc4 dxc4 22 -.xd8 l:tfxd8 23
..txc6 l:txc6 24 fxgS

Though the exchange of queens
changes the mode of attack, the per­
manently weakened Black kingside
pawns ensure that White's advan­
tage remains as emphatic as ever.
24...c3
On 24 . . . hxg5 then 25 lt:Je4,
intending lt:Jxg5, is a winner.
25 bxc3 .l:.xc3 26 lt:\e4 .l:.c7 27
l:lh2 lidS 28 lt:\d6 1 -0

A number of attempts have been
made to revive the line for Black
and Movesesian 's handl ing of the
opening is certainly a marked
improvement.


6 .i.e3 e6 New Main Line 15
Short-Movsesian
Sarajevo 2000

b) 1 0 . . . .. a5 and now :

I e4 eS 2 itle3 e6 3 g3 c!iJc6 4
.lk.ac2 g6 s d3 �g7 6 ..ie3 d6 7 •d2
li'ace7 8 ..ih6 ..ixh6!?
Black decides to combat the
nlluck by exchanging b i shops and
l·nstling queenside.

9 'ih h6

b 1 ) 1 1 lbge2 lbec6 1 2 lbxd4
lbxd4 1 3 0-0 ..id7 1 4 f4 f5 1 5 l:.fl
(or 1 5 exf5 gxf5 1 6 ..ixb7? l:.b8 1 7
.tg2 l:.xb2 and Black is better)
1 5 . . . 0-0 1 6 itld 1 .,a6 1 7 lbe3 l:.ae8
1 8 Wd 1 b5 19 c3 lbc6 20 g4 fxg4
21 lbxg4

9 ... itld4 10 0-0-0
The qu e stio n of how to defend the
l:2 pawn is solved by this l ogical
move. However, having exchanged
bishops, lO Wd2, keeping his cas­
tling options open, is also a popular
choice. Play might conti nue :
u) I O ... l0ec6 1 1 c!iJd 1 •as 1 2
'iha5 (the obvious 1 2 c3? runs i nto
I L .it:'lb3 ! and the game is already
lost) 1 2 . . . c!LJxa5 1 3 c!iJe3 (the end­
mg should be level but White does a
good job in creating the better
chunces) 1 3 . . .e5 1 4 c3 c!LJe6 1 5 lbe2
li)c6 1 6 0-0 0-0 1 7 f4 f6 1 8 lbd5
·�g7 1 9 fx e5 fxe5 20 a3 .td7 2 1 b4
h6 22 h4 with a slight edge due to
his space advantage, Golubovic­
Kaplnn, Zagreb 1 994.

1Wc8 22 1Wd2 �h8 23 e5

d5 24 d4 Yz- Y2 Hartston-Chand1er,
British Ch 1 980.
b2) 1 1 f4/0ec6 1 2 itlf3 l0xf3+ 1 3
.txf3 lbd4 1 4 .tg2 f5 ( Black is
wary of allowing White the possibil­
ity of f4-f5) 1 5 0-0 .td7 1 6 a3 0-0
1 7 ..fl led to equal ch an ce s in
Jurkovic - Ceba1o, Croatian Team Ch
1 995.
b3) 1 1 lbf3 lbec6 1 2 0-0 l0xf3 +
13 .txf3 lbd4 1 4 ..ig2 .td7 1 5 f4 f5
(as usual Black stops the advance
f4-f5 ) 1 6 .. f20-0-0 17/0d l fxe4 1 8
.txe4 .i.c6 1 9 lbe3 l:.hf8 20 c3
..ixe4 2 1 dxe4 lbc6 22 •g2 �6 23
�h 1 �b8 24 l:.ad I (White will
double rooks on the semi-open d­
tile to exert pressure against d6)
24 . . . lbe7 25 l:.d2 Wc6 26 l:.fd l
gave White a slight edge in
Kovalevskaya-Korbut, St Peters­
burg 200 1 .


I''

''

.lk.d

l'f1 Nt'll' Main Line

I O.. . . a5!
Activating the queen is Black 's
best chance to keep the game sharp­
ly balanced. The alternatives tend to
be good news for White:
a) 10 . . . lbec6 II lbge2 �d7 1 2
•g7 (also good is 1 2 lbxd4 cxd4 1 3
lt.)c2 'it'a5 1 4 �b l •a4 1 5 c3 dxc3
16 l0xc3 b4 17 d4 and White was
better in Hort-Hodgson, Wijk aan
Z�:e 1 986) 1 2 . . . l:[f8 J3 �bl 'fle7 1 4
•xh7 •f6 1 5 �6 •xt2 1 6 l:[dfl
•xg2 1 7 l:[hgl •xe2 1 8 lbxe2
lihe2 1 9 l:[g2 ll\ed4 20 c3 lbb5 2 I
••4 COc7 22 l:[gf2 (the white pieces
arc
well placed to promote the
attack) 22 . . . lbe5 23 d4 ! cxd4 24
�:xd4 lbc6 25 •xf8+! �xf8 26
:xt7 t �g8 27 :xd7 ti)e8 28 l:[df7
li\� 7 29 l:.xb7 a5 30 l:[f6 �h7 3 1 d5
cxd5 32 :xd6 I-0 Ljubojevic­
<)u i nteros, Mar del Plata 1 98 I .
b) 10 ... :b8 I I •g7 l:.f8 I 2 ti)ge2
li \ccb 1 3 :he I b5 1 4 ti)xd4 cxd4 I 5
c5 dS ( or JS . . . lbxeS 1 6 lbe4 f5 1 7

lihdC1 t •xd6 1 8 •xeS and White
hns the better chances) 1 6 lbe2 •as
17 �b l lf)b4 1 8 lOc i •a4 1 9 l:[d2
whl'll White has defended well and
n111 ��� 11vcr to the attack, B .Martin­
Mifsud, Yerevan Olympiad 1996.
�·) IO ... b5 II �ce2 e5 12 c3
"''"'·' • I J li\xe2 •as 1 4 �b l �e6
I'\ li\d lik6 161� •c7 1 7 f5! (any
'lu•m·t· 111 play t�-f5 is always
w&•knmt•cl
hy Closed
Sicil ian

practitioners) 1 7 . . . �d7 ( 1 7 . . . gxf5
runs into 1 8 exfS �xf5 19 •f6 and
Black must lose material ) 1 8 fxg6
fxg6 19 l:.dfl b4 20 c4 ti)d4 2 1 l:[f6
�e6 (or 2 1 . . . 0-0-0 22 :n •as 23
:xh7 :xh7 24 'ii'x h7 when White is
a pawn up) 22 :xg6 •n 23 l:[g7
•12 24 i.h3 gave White a winning
advantage
in
Cappon-J . lvanov,
Cappelle Ia Grande 1 996 .
1 1 �bl
Short prefers the quiet approach
and prov ides added protection to the
a2 pawn. Accepting the offered

pawn, 1 1 •g7 l:[f8 1 2 •xh7, is
risky because then the queen is tem­
porarily locked out of the action.
The game Wanzek-Movsesian, Sala
1 99S, provides a good example of
l i kely developments for Black:
12 . . . lt:lec6 13 �b1 .td7 (if
1 3 . . . lbb4 then 1 4 :c l lObS 1 5
lbge2 keeps Black at bay for the
moment) 14 lbtJ? ! (White walks
into a v ic ious combination although
14 ti)_ge2 is not so impressive after
1 4 . . . ll\b4 1 5 l:[d2 ti)xa2 ! 1 6 •h6
lbb4 when Black will be eager to
manoeuvre a rook to the a-tile. Per­
haps the defensive 14 :c I ! ? is an
appropriate response when a sample
l ine is I4 . . . bS 1 5 lbge2 b4 1 6 lbxd4
bxc3 1 7 lbb3 �4 1 8 •g7 eS 1 9
•f6 with better prospects for
White) 1 4 . . . �b4 1 5 ltJe i lObS !
(Black seeks to exchange the de­
fender of the a2 pawn) 1 6 •g7 eS
17 f4 lbxc3+ 18 bxc3 ll:) xa2 19 �b2
lbxc3 2 0 :a 1 �4+ 2 1 �c 1 lbe2+
0-l.
ll ... i.d7 12 lbge2lbec6 13 h4
White is hoping to put his space
advantage to some use by playing
h4-h5. He will then just leave the

pawn there until the . right moment
comes to capture on g6, allowing
the king's rook access via the h-file.
A good idea but it is matched by


6 i..e3 e6 New Muin Line 17
Movsesian 's equally good defensive
tcd m i q ue .
U ... 0-0-0 1 4 hS bS 1 5 liJxd4
li\xd4 16 eS dS
On 16 . . . dxe5 White can try 1 7
•g7 when, after 1 7 . . . b4, the point
of his 1 6th move is revealed- 1 6
lik4 --giving White a slight edge.
17 'iif d l 'ii'c7 18 f4

A waiting move designed to stop
the usual .i.e3 -h6 that occurs after
7 . . . ltJge7.
8 liJd l
This is the easiest way t o get rid
of the centralised knight on d4. The
point is that after c2-c3 there is no
chance of exchanging the knight
and so it must instead retreat.
Short has a reasonable position
and, if he had time, one simple plan

would be to double his rooks on the
h-lile with good chances.
IH
b4 1 9 liJe2 liJbS 20 c3
20 d4 ! ? looks like a possible
Improvement.
20 ... bxc3 2 I liJxc3 liJd4 22 .l:.cl
Short cannot find the right way to
make progress and soon peace
breaks out over the whole board.
22 . . . �b8 23 ltJe2 'jWb6 24 ltJxd4
cxd4 25 i.f3 aS 26 i.e2 .l:.c8 Yz-Yz
•••

The attack conjured up by White
on the kingside has prompted Black
to seek ways of avoiding the early
exchange of bishops after i.. e 3-h6,
hy deferring . . . ltJge7.
Kosten-C.Flear
Monaco 2000
I e4 cS 2 ltJc3 lLlc6 3 g3 g6 4
i.��t2 i. g7 5 d3 d6 6 i.e3 e6 7 1fd2
li\d4

8 ...e5

Flear wishes to increase her
influence over the d4 square. Also
possible:

a) 8 .. . b6 9 c3 liJc6 10 lbe2 i.b7
11 0-0 ltJge7 12 i.h6 (as usual
White exchanges bishops) 12 . . . o-0
13 i.xg7 �xg7 14 lbe3 fS 1 5 exf5
exfS 1 6 d4 .ta6 1 7 liJf4 ! .l:.f6
( 1 7 . . . i.xfl ? I 8 lbe6+ is a w inning
fork) 18 llfe 1 'Wd7 19 dxcS bxc5 20
ltJed5 ltJxd5 (20 . . . l:tf7? loses out­
right upon 2 1 tLlxe7 .l:.xe7 22 .l:.xe7+
lbxe7 23 i.xa8 and White has extra
material) 2 1 1i'xd5 i.b7 22 lbe6+
l:xe6 (otherwise 22 . . .'�h8 43 ltJxc5
wins) 23 1t'xe6 1 -0 Jurkovic­
Kavcic, B led 1998.
b) 8 . . . l:tb8 9 f4 ltJe7 (now the
c l-h6 diagonal has been blocked
Black activates the kingside) 1 0 c3
liJdc6 1 1 liJf3 0-0 1 2 0-0 b5 13 d4
(White has a space advantage)
1 3 . . . cxd4 14 cxd4 'ii'a 5 15 'ii'xa5
ltJxa5 1 6 l:tc 1 i.a6 17 b3 .l:. fc8 18
liJf2 �f8 1 9 l:tfd 1 .tb7 20 i..d2
ltJ ac6 2 1 e5 d5 22 g4 l:tc7 23 llc2


/8

''

.lll.j· l

c(•

Nt'w Main Line

llhd� 24 l:tJc I �c8 25 tf:Jd3 tt:Jxe5 ?
( 111 n nampcd position the Austra­
llilll nuscnlculates) 26 l::tx c7 tt:Jxd3
n l:lxcK I i.xc8 28 l'.tc3 1-0 B a ru a­
A Allen. L on d on 1 994 .
l") K .. .!t)e7 a llows White to
arhic vc the aim of a quick kingside
allack alter 9 c3 tt:Jdc6 1 0 i.h6 0-0
I I

h4.

a) IO... tt:Jge7 1 1 i.h6 0-0 12
.ixg7 ( 1 2 h4 is also possible with
visions of a k ingside attack similar
to the mai n g_ame Adams-Ward)
1 2.. . �xg7 13 li:\e3 .ie6 1 4 h4 d5
1 S exdS ( 1 5 h5 is worth a try when
1 5 . . . dxe4 1 6 �xe4 fS 1 7 i.g2 c4 is

a suggestion by Blatny to exchange

A famil iar attacking idea that is

obv ious to anyone who has seen the

main game, Adams-Ward. I I .. . f6

1 2 i. x g 7 �xg7 1 3 tt:Je3 e5 1 4 tt:Je2
.ic6 1 5 tf:Jd5 .ig4 1 6 f3 i.e6 l 7 f4
l'i'\gK 1 8 h5 g5 19 h6+ ! �h8
( 19 ... l2Jxh6 a l lows White to pursue
the allack with 2 0 fxg5 fxg5 2 1
l'ik71 'ii'x c7 22 'ii' x gS+ �h8 23
l'.txh6) 20 0-0-0 gxf4 2 1 gxf4 b5 22
..liLh3 i.xh3 23 l'.txh3 b4 24 c4 tt:Jce7
2:'i l'i\c3 'it' d7 26 f5 tt:Jc6 27 l'.tg 1 l'.tf7
2K liig3 li.Jd4 29 tf:Jh5 'it'a4 30 Wb 1
lilxho 31 tt:Jd5 l'.tg8 and now,
111stcad of 32 l'.tgh 1 as played in
K asparian-Simagin, Moscow 1 94 7,
White l'ould have shortened the
)tlllllc with 32 l'.tg6 ! when 32 . . . hxg6
llli\hxf�l scores an easy victory.
'' d li\c6
A knilo(hl on e6 is use ful for the
dl'fl'lll"C of the kings ide.
lhl· ohv10us 9 . . . lDc6 tends to be
uu·t hy I 0 li1c2 when play might

llllllllllll'

queens, but he misses someth ing
since after 1 8 tt:Jxc4 .ixc4 1 9 hxg6 !
White is presented w i th a winning

game a fte r 1 9 . . . hxg6 20 'ifh6+ �f6
2 1 dxc4) 1 5 . . . tt:lxdS 1 6 hS tt:Jde7
( 1 6 . . . tt:Jxe3 encourages the white
queen to infi ltrate after 1 7 'ii'x e3
with the threat of hxg6 and 'it'h6+)
17 f4 f6 1 8 hxg6 hxg6 19 fxe5
tt:Jxe5 20 tt:Jf4 i.f7 2 1 d4 cxd4 22
cxd4 tt:J5c6 2 3 dS tt:Je5 24 d6 tf:Jg8
(24 . . . tt:J7c6 25 0-0-0 is in White ' s
favour) 2 5 .ixb7 l'.tb8 (if 2 5 . . . tt:Jh6
then White crashes through the de­
fence by 26 :t.xh6 ! �xh6 27 tf:JfS+
�h7 28 tt:Je6 threatening 'iWh6+) 26
'ii'h2 l'.te8 27 i.d5 tt:Jf3+ 28 .ixf3
l'.txe3+ 29 .ie2 'it'xd6 3 0 'ii' h 8+ �f8
3 1 l'.th7 �e7 32 l'.td1 'ii'b4 + 33 'it'xb2 34 l'.txf7+ 1-0 Hjartarson­
Novikov, Tlburg 1 992.
b) IO . . . b6 I I 0-0 tf:Jge7 12 i.h6
(the middlega me plan of exchang­
ing dark-squared bishops is easy for
White to find beca use it occurs so
often) 1 2 . .. 0-0 1 3 i.xg7 �xg7 1 4


6 .i.e3 e6 New Main Line 19
�'\d lb 1 5 f4 b5 1 6 d4 cxd4 1 7
d4 'ji'b6 1 8 :tad I (White is fight­
Ill).( fur c o nt rol of the centre and can
thll'iltcn a timely d4-d5) 1 8 . . . a5 19

.l.·h I l:ta 7 20 d5 tt:ld8 2 1 fxe5 dxe5
.' � l:tc I tt:lf7 23 a4?! (Minasian
ullows himsel f to be distracted when
l11s main concern should be to
·.uppurt the passed d-pawn. I n s tead
.' I %:[ li.ll f5 24 ext'S gxf5 25 tt:lc2
l:tdl 2o b4 is slightly better for
Whttc) 2 3 . . . bxa4 24 tt:lc3 �d7 (Van
W.:ly is content to hang on to his
1'\tra pawn and the semi-open b-filc
nllows him to create chances against
(1;1} 25 tt:lc4 ._d4 26 'ife2 (or 26
'*xd4 exd4 27 tt:le2 l:tc8 28 tt:lb6
l:txc I 29 l:.xc I d3 30 tt:ltlll'th:r for B l ack) 26 . . . l:.c8 27 tt:la3
l:th7 28 llfd l 'ir'b4 29 .l:!.d2 tt:ld6 (the
hlnck kn ight is wel l placed on d6 to
.,top t he advance of the d-pawn and
to exert pressure against e4 ) 30 'ji'f3
'*h3 3 1 l:tfl tt:lg8 32 i.fl llbc7 33
l:tli:2 (33 i. g2 tt:lf7 is fine for
Black) 33 . . . l:tc5 (I also l ike the
lo�ical 3 3 . . . f5 when 34 .i.a6 l:tf8
I � '*e2 fxe4 36 'ife I tt:le7 gives
Blnck a couple of extra pawns and a
wtnning position) 34 �d3 h5 3 5
'*c2 4.Jh6 (both sides are jockeying
to lind the best outposts -for their
ptt•ccs-there is little that is
ronstructivc for W hite and his wait

illlll see pol i cy is doomed). 3 6 'ii'd 2
li\hl7 37 l:tfl .th3 3 8 l:te l tt:lg5 39
l:t c 3 l:t 8 c7 40 'it'e I 'Wb4 4 1 ._c I
'*d4 42 tt:le2 l:txc2 43 tt:lxc2 'ifb6
44 lik3 a3 45 tt:lxa3 tt:lgxe4 ! (a bril­
linnt combination to wrap up the
�otamc) 46 i.xe4 (or 46 tt:lxe4 l:hc I+
·17 J:tc I l:t x e I+ 48 i.fl l:.xfl mate)
olh ... lt:Jxe4 47 ltJab l 0- 1 M inasian­
Vnn Wely, European Ch, Ohrid
20!ll .
10 tt:le2

n

IO tt:lf6
B lack prepares to castle . Others :
a) IO . . . h5!? II d4 h4 1 2 dxe5
dxe5 13 'ii'x d8+ �xd8 14 f4
(White's motivation lies in his space
advantage and temporary lead in
development) 1 4 . . . hxg3 1 5 hxg3
l:txh l + 1 6 i.x h l tt:lh6 ! ? ( 1 6 . . . tt:le7
might be b ette r, although 17 lC!fl,
headi ng for d3, gi v es White a slight
plus) 1 7 lC!fl f6 1 8 i.f3 rl;c7 1 9
fxe5 fxe5 20 llxi3 tt:lf7 (if 2 0 . . . b6
then 2 1 tt:lxe5! overloads the bishop
on g7 because 2 1 . . . i.xe5 22 i.xh6
leaves White a pawn up) 2 1 tt:lxc5

tt:leg5 22 i.g2 b6 23 tt:ld3 i.a6 24
lC!b4 i.c4 25 b3 .ie6 26 c4 gave
White a winning advantage in
Kagan-Geller, Netanya 1 969.
b) 1 0 . . . tt:le7 I I 0-0 0-0 1 2 i.h6
d5 13 i.xg7 �xg7 14 exd5 tt:lxd5
1 5 ltJe3 ltJxc 3 16 'W'xe3 'ii'd6 1 7
.l:!.ad I l:td8 1 8 l:td2 'it>g8 1 9 f4 exf4
20 tt:lxf4 tt:lxf4 2 1 l::tx f4 J:l.b8 22 d4
with a sl ight advantage, Spassky­
Schriifer, German Team Ch 1 984.
1 1 i.h6 i.xh6?!
Flear has the good intention of
trapping the queen or at least
shutting it out of the game. 1 1 . . . 0-0
seems the more natural reply and in
fact Kosten tried this, as Black,
against Andrew Ledger at the
•• •


.'II

''

.lit.,· I , .,, N,."' Mai11 Line

lhiiHohl'h 1997. This game went 12
.t,�-:7 ti\xg7 13 f4 exf4 1 4 ltJxf4

.tkH

c4?! (Black does not
for lbe3 followed by
douhlmg th e rooks on the f-file for
attack) 16 ltJe3 cxd3 1 7 'ih d 3
(! \gh5 ( 17 .. . i.c6 helps to avoid los­
Ill)!. lllalcria l but 1 8 l:lt2, intending
I IJ : .. fl , is a strong reply) 1 8 ltJc4
(! \x 14 IIJ l:lxl4 ltJg4 20 'ii'x d6 i. e6
2 I c5 and White gained a material
advantage. After this experience, no
wonder Tony Kosten was inspired
to play this l ine for White !
12 'ii' x h6 g5
I � 0-0
\\'IIIli lo w a il

1111

13h4

Essential, otherwise the queen is
lost.
13 ...ltJg4
13.. . l:lg8 is consistent but 1 4
hxg5 provides a n escape file when
14 ... :l.g6 1 5 ti'h2 ltxg5 16 ltJe3 is
hclll.'r for White who will castle
lJUCcnside and exploit the weak

dnrk -squares around the black king.
14 'ilr'hS lbf6 15 ti'f3
Nut 1 5 'i'h6, which leads to a rep­
l'llliun alter 1 5 . . . ltJg4 .
1�. . .l:l�8 1 6 'i'e3 'i'a5
Black sets a trap by preparing
17 li\d4, when, if 1 8 'ii'd 2 to break
lhl· pm. then 1 8 . . . ltJb3 ! wins the

l'X:�01�c�2
r, 1f�

i. d7 1 8 lbe3 gxh4 1
9
1Mh6 20 l:lxh4

20 . . . 0-0-0?
20 . . . ltJf8, heading for g6, is a
reasonable alternative although
White is sti l l on top.
21 lbe7+ �b8 22 ltJxg8 ltxg8
Flear is the exchange down w ith
no
compensation.
The
game
concluded :
23 a3 'i'a4 24 :h6 ltg6 25 ltxg6
hxg6 26 f3 i.c6 27 i.h3 ltJg7 28 d4
i.d7 29 dxe5 dxe5 30 'i'd6+ 1 -0.

1 have also had some experience
of hav ing to deal with a situation
where Black tries to create play on
the queenside. In this case 7 .. . l:lb8
is tried but then 8 ltJf3 encourages
B lack to go 8 ...'i'b6, which,
however, gives White no problems.

Lane-Dautov
Belgian Team Ch 1 992
1 e4 c5 2 ltJc3 ltJc6 3 g3 g_6 4
i.g2 i.g7 5 d3 d6 6 i.e3 e6 7 'it'd2
ltb8


6 iJ.. e3

Black prefers to wait and see what
White's set-up will be rather than
allow a quick kingside attack. The
obvious idea is that t he rook
supports the advance . . . b6-b5 .
8 l"Of3
It h a s to be said that there are a lot
of po ssible transpositions to games
in the chapter 6 .i.e3 l:b8 but there
is also scope for independent p l a y .
The knight is developed to prepare
d3-d4. The game Romanishin-Van
Wely , Novy Smokovec 1 992, saw a

different approach with 8 ltJge2
t:Dd4 9 0-0 (9 .i.xd4?! cxd4 1 0 lObS
"ii'b 6 I I "ii'b4 �e7 12 "ii'b 3 a6 1 3
l"Oa3 ..-xb3 1 4 axb3 b5 i s sl ightly
better for Black) 9 . . . l"Oe7 10 .i.h6 !
tLlxe2+ I I l"Ox e2 .i.xb2 1 2 l:ab I
.i.f6 1 3 d4 ! cxd4 1 4 l"Oxd4 a6 (if
14 . . . ltJc6 then White can focus on
the d-pawn with 1 5 lObS .i.e7 I 6
l:fd 1 when he stands better) I S
l:fd I ..id7 1 6 liJ f3 .!DeS 1 7 e S dxeS
(after I 7 . . . ..txeS? White can play
1 8 l"OxeS dxeS 1 9 ..ig7 l:g8 20
.i.xeS l:a8 2 1 l:xb7 and Black 's
position col lapses) 1 8 lOgS i.e7 1 9
li)e4 l:g8 (an ugly move but 1 9 . . . f6
is no help after 20 i.g? l:g8 2 1
i.xf6! ..ixf6 2 2 lll x f6+ ..x f6 23
..-xd7+ �f8 24 ..-c7 and White is
winning) 20 iJ.. gS i.xg5 (20 . . ...c7
is not much of a help upon 2 1 ..ixe?
�xe7 22 ..gS+ �f8 23 l"Of6 and
White wins) 2 1 lll x gS bS 22 ltJe4
lllb 6 23 ..d6 l:c8 24 •xeS f5 2S
t:Dd6+ �e7 (or 25 . . . �f8 26 ltJxc8
l"Oxc8 27 i.c6 wins) 26 lllx c8+
l"Oxc8 27 ..-cs+ �f6 28 i.c6 l:g7 29
ii'd4+ e5 30 .. h4+ 1 -0.
8 . . . �6 ! ?
Da utov said after the game that he

was wary of al lowing 9 d4 and
didn •t l ike the main alternative
8 . . . l0d4, which is discussed in the
next game.
Other moves:

e6

New Main L ine 21

a) 8 . . . lllg e7 9 d4 cxd4 10 ltJxd4
0-0 I I 0-0 d5 1 2 l:r.ad 1 llla S 1 3 exd5
ltJc4 14 ..e2 ltJxe3 ( 1 4 . . . tt.'lxb2
leaves the knight without a decent
retreat and I S l:b 1 liJf5 ! 1 6 lll x f5
i.xc3 17 i.xa 7 l:a8 18 lll h6+ 19 ..e3 gives White a winn ing ad­
vantage) 1 5 1i'xe3 lll x d5 1 6 liJxd5
exdS 1 7 ..-r4 ( t he isolated d-pawn is
a prime target for White who can
gradually bui l d up pres s u re against
it) 17 . . . ..ie6 1 8 c3 "ii'b6 1 9 l:d2
l:bd8 20 l:fd I gave White the better
chances in Haza i-Paoli, Agard 1 976.
b) 8 . . . bS is a popu lar choice when
Wh ite can con tinue:

b l ) 9 0-0 b4 1 0 l"Od l i.a6
( l O . . . tLld4 1 1 llle l ! ? llle 7 1 2 i.h6

1 3 ..ixg7 �X'j,7 1 4 c3 bxc3 1 5
bxc3 llld c6 1 6 lDe3 led to equa l
chances in S . Lalic-G.Jones, Britis h
Team Ch 200 1 ) I I lllh 4 lll g e7 1 2
.i.h6 i.f6 1 3 liJf3 c4 14 dxc4 lll a 5
1 5 Wf4 lllg 8 1 6 i.g5 lll x c4 1 7 l:e 1
h6 1 8 i.xf6 'ifxf6 ( 1 8 . . . lllx f6 1 9 e5
dxeS 20 l"Oxe 5 is a little better for
White) 19 ..-c l llle 7 20 b3 tlle S 2 1
lllx eS ..-xeS 22 a3 l"Oc6 23 axb4
li)xb4 24 l:a4 ..-cS? ! (24 . . . l:b6 ! ? is
more accurate but White m ai nta in s
an edge) 25 l:xa6! lll x a6 26 •a I
when White had the advantage
thanks to the threats against a6 and
h8, Wiedenkel ler-Murshed, Copen­
hagen 1 982.

0-0


22 6 i.e3 e6 New Main Line
b2) 9 d4 b4 10 lL!e2 with the fol­
lowing continuations:
b2 1 ) 1 0 . . . lL!f6 I I e5 lL!e4 1 2 ..c I
cxd4 1 3 lL!fxd4 lL!xd4 1 4 i.xd4

i.b7 ( 1 4 . . . dxe5 I S .i.xa7 :as 1 6
_.e3 fS 1 7 .tb6 i s better for White)
I S _.e3 dxe S 16 .i.xa 7 lL!f6

( 1 6 . . . /0gs 1 7 f3 :as I S .i.b6 _.t'6
1 9 0-0 gi v es White the better
chances) 1 7 .i.xb8 .i.xg2 I S :tg I
lLldS 1 9 'l'bJ .tc4 20 .ta 7 116'c7 2 1
_.a4+ �e7 22 c4 bxcJ 23 A<: I .i.h6
and now, instead of 24 J:xc3 lL!xcJ
25 lL!xcJ .i.a8 with roughly equal
Zakharov- Ehlvest,
chances
in
Volgodonsk 1 9S 3 , I t h in k White
could have improved with 24 ..te3
when 24 . . . t0xe3 is met by 25 _.xc4
a n d White is winning.
b22) 10 . . . lL!a S ? ! looks good but
W h i te can ignore the fork with I I
dx c S ! (not I I b3 when Black i s
better after I I . . . lL!t'6 12 eS lL!e4 1 3
_.d3 dS 1 4 dxcS _.c7 I S 0-0 tt:lxcS

1 6 _.d4 and now Black can pick up
an easy point because, instead of
16 . . . lL!d7 as in the game and other
sources, he wins with 1 6 . . . lL!c6 !
since 1 7 'ir'xcS .i.f8 traps the queen)
I I . . . lt:\c4 1 2 'ii'd3 tt:lxe3 13 'ihe3
i.xb2 14 l:td I 'ii' a 5 1 5 'il'b3 with a
material advantage.
9 l:tb l lL!d4 10 0-0 lLle7 1 1 b4

I thought this was a natura l idea to
try and take advantage of the early

sortie of the queen. The Russian
grandmaster now sank into deep
thought.
l l . . . ..d8
On I 1 . . .cxb4 then 1 2 i.xd4
..ixd4 1 3 ltJxd4 'i'xd4 1 4 ltJbS 'i'cS
I S -.xb4 gives White the better
game.
12 bxcS dxcS 1 3 lLla4 'ii'c 7
The queen is obl iged to defend c5
beca u se 13 . . . b6 fails to 14 lLlxcS
w hen the b-pawn is p inned.
1 4 c3 lL!xf3+ I S i.xf3 b6 1 6 d4
The pawn ce n t re looks impressive
and I s ho u l d have the better chances
because B l a c k has not even had
time to castle.
16 . . . .td7 17 lL!b2 l:td8 18 llJd3
nd4 19 cxd4 i.c6 20 lLlb4

I have sl ightly the better chances
thanks to the pawn centre and the
possibility of creating a passed d­
pawn. Indeed, Black has not even
found time to castle. However, both
players had consumed too much
time on the clock and an immediate

result was agreed.
20 . . . .ib7 2 1 l:tfd l Yt-Yt

It is natural for Black to play
8 . . . tbd4 to prevent a poss ible
d3-d4 . However, in this case White
has the surprising 9 i.xd4, which
causes problems directly in the
open mg.


6 i.e3 e6 New Main Line
Kovalevskaya-Arakhamia G rant
El ista Oympiad 1 998
1 e4 cS 2 l2Jc3 l2Jc6 3 g3 g6 4
i.g2 i.g7 s d3 d6 6 i.e3 l: b8 7
'i'd2 e6 8 lt:Jf3 lt:Jd4

9 i.xd4!
There are loads of games where
White has continued with the tame 9
0-0 but this odd-looking reply puts
Black immediately under pressure.
It is so unusual for White to give up
the bishop for the knight on d4 that
it normally catches people out
although there are some players
who want to take up the challenge
for Black.
9 . . . cxd4 10 lLlbS 'i'b6

Of course, I O . . . a6 loses a pawn to
I I l2Jbxd4, when 1 1 . . . l2Je7 1 2 c3 is
good for White, but I have had th is
position a couple of t i mes because
Black didn 't fancy the compl ica
tions surrounding the text. An im­
portant move is 10 . . . e5 when White
has tried various moves of which
the best is 1 1 'iib4 ! to target the d6
pawn . Play m ight then proceed :
a) 1 1 . . . i. f8 1 2 l2Jxa7 ! (grabbing
the spare pawn is simplest and best
but also worth checking out is 1 2
'ii'c 4 when 1 2 . . . i.e6 1 3 l2Jc7+ �e7
gives White the better chances)
1 2 . . . i.d7 1 3 l2Jb5 'i'b6 1 4 a4 l:c8
1 5 c3 d5 {or 1 5 . . . dxc3 1 6 bxc3 lt:Jf6

23

17 0-0 and White has a lead in
development and an extra pawn) 1 6
'i'b3 dxc3 1 7 bxc3 dxe4 1 8 l2Jg5 !
lLlh6 1 9 l2Jxe4 'ii'a 6 20 'ii'd 5 f6 2 1
lLlbd6+ �dB
22 l2Jc5 'ii' c 6
{22 . . . :xc5 does n ot help after 23
� xb7+ �e8 24 l2Jxc5) 23 l2Jcxb7+
�c7 24 'ii'a 5+ 'i'b6 25 'ii' x b6+
�xb6 26 l2Jxc8+ i.xc8 27 0-0 gave

White a w inning advanta ge in
Narc iso Dublan-Mrva, Bmo 1 99 5 .
b) 1 1 . . . �e7 (Black gives u p the
right to castle and stil l loses a pawn)
12 lLlxa7 (White is already winning
but White now proceeds to set a
good example of how to conduct the
game) i.d7 1 3 lLlbS 'i'b6 14 a4
lll h6 1 5 lLld2 'ii'c 5 1 6 'ii'x c5 dxc5 1 7
l2Jc4 f6 1 8 lLlc7 l:hd8 1 9 h4 l2Jt7 2 0
i.h3 (White wants to exchange
bi s hops because then any kn ight of
his on d5 cannot be easily
exchanged) 20 . . . i.xh3 2 1 l:xh3
lLld6 22 g4 h6 23 �e2 l:h8 24 h5 g5
25 l:a3 l:hc8 26 l2Jd5+ �e6 27
lLlxd6 �xd6 2 8 aS when the strong
knight and extra material led to
victory
in
Kupreichik-Wallner,
Oberwart 2000.
1 1 'i'b4

­

l l . . �d7 1 2 eS!
The key move that opens the posi
tion in White's favour.
12 . . . dxe5 13 lLld2 aS

.

­


!4

()

.i.d

rfl Ne w

Main Line

The on l y move to still make the
contest. If 1 3 . . . lL!e7 then 1 4
li)c4 .. n6 1 5 .. c5 and Black ca n
rcsi�n.
14 .. 84 �d8
K n v a lcvskaya-Hemandez, E l i s t a
Olympiad 1 998, went 1 4 . . . li:)e7 but
it d id not improve the state of
Bl a ck ' s pos i tion atler 1 5 lL!c4 .. a6
I (, liJcd6 lL!d5 1 7 lLlxf7 l:tf8 1 8
l;i)fd6 �d8 1 9 'ii' c4 'ii'c 6 (or
1 9 . . . .id7 20 .ixd5 exd5 2 1 ..xd5
i.c6 22 ..c5 ! maintaining Wh �te ' s
advantage) 20 0-0 .i.d7 2 1 a4 �e7
22 'ii'b 3 1fc5 23 c3 dxc3 24 bxc3

i.xb5 25 lL!e4 ! .i.xa4 26 l:l.xa4 1t'b6
27 ..a2 ..c6 (27 . . . l:l.a8, to hang on
to the a-pawn, allows 28 l:l.b I 'flc7
29 ._a3+ �d8 30 li:)c5 and White is
better) 28 l:l.xa5 l:l.fd8 29 1fa3 + �e8
30 c4 b6 3 1 l:l.a7 l:b7 32 cxd5 1 -0.
IS lL!c4
gnmc a

Up to

here, the players have fol­
lowed Zakharov-Karpesov, USSR
1 98 1 , which ECO assesses a s slight­
ly beller for White. This might ex­
plain wh y a nu mber of Black
pl ayers h a ve tried to defend this
u w fu l - look ing position.
IS . . . .. a6 16 1fa3 !
Another good move to avoid a pin
un the k n i g h t by . . . .i.d7 and one
w h ic h o flers fu rt h e r evidence that

this line is ..good for White. Of
c ou rse , 16 . . . 'tfxb5? is ruled out be­
cause of 1 7 ..d6+ when th e rook on
b8 leaves t h e boa rd.
1 6 . . . .i.d7 1 7 lL'lbd6 .i.f8
1 7 . . . lLlh6, to de fe nd f7, is not
much better after 1 8 lLlxa5 winning

a pawn and threatening ! 9 lL! a xb7 + .
l 8 lLlxb7+
Kovalevskaya is spoilt for choice
because 1 8 1fc5 is an excellent
alternative.

18 . . . �c7 1 9 1fxa5+ 1fxa5+ 20
lL!bxaS
Aller the series of exchanges
White has emerged w ith a pleasant
position that includes an extra pawn.
20 . . . .i.b4+ 21 �d 1 .i.a4 22 lL!b3
f6 23 f4 .i.xb3 24 axb3 exf4 25 c3
.i.f8
It looks rather sad to return the
bishop to its original square when
the rest of the kingside still needs to
be developed. 25 . . . .i.c5 26 b4 .i.b6
temporarily stops the rook invading
on a7 but after 27 gxf4 White
remains a pawn up.
26 gxf4 l:l.xb3 27 �c2 l:b8 28
l:l.he l &i:Je7 29 l:a7+ �d8 30 lL!d6
Whi te has an overwhelming posi­
tion and can look for a mate.
30 . . . l:l.g8 31 l:xe6 dxc3 32 bxc3
fS 33 .i.c6 l -0

The idea of 7 . . . 1fa5 has been rec­
ommended in some sources so it

makes sense to have a look at how
the maestro himself handled the
opening as White.
Smyslov-Kottnauer
Moscow-Prague 1 946
l e4 cS 2 lLlcJ lLlc6 3 g3 g_6 4
.i.g2 .i.g7 S d3 e6 6 .i.e3 d6 7 'fld2
.. . s