[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "About this publication"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. -- {Former US Open Champion Timothy
Taylor presents a repertoire for Black against the universally popular Spanish
Opening (Ruy Lopez). The backbone of Black's repertoire is based on the Modern
Steinitz Defence, which has justifiably earned a reputation as an important
alternative to the main lines. The Modern Steinitz may lead to razor-sharp
gambits, such as the Siesta Variation, where just one slip by either player
could prove to be fatal. But perhaps the main attraction of the Modern
Steinitz is its flexibility, as Black can also choose to play in a more
positional and solid manner.} (5. -- {Using illustrative games and drawing on
his own experiences with the opening, Taylor examines in depth all the
critical main lines, as well as what to do if White avoids them. Read this
book and get ready to slay the Spanish!}) (5. -- {
Dedication: To my beautiful wife Liz.}) (5. -- {
Acknowledgement: Very special thanks to Grandmaster Michael Han.}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Introduction"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 ({The Spanish Inquisition lasted from 1478 to 1834, but chessplayers
have yet to escape the Spanish Torture! First studied by the priest (later
bishop) Ruy Lopez de Segura,} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {(the Ruy Lopez or
Spanish Opening) has tormented Black players for five hundred years, and
there's no end in sight. According to Chessgames.com Opening Explorer, the Ruy
is more than three times more popular than the Italian Game} (3. Bc4 {
) and about five times more popular than the King's Gambit.})) ({
Bottom line, if as Black you wish to defend classically and meet} 1. e4 {with}
e5 {and} 2. Nf3 {with} Nc6 {- you will face the Ruy Lopez. --- And you will
face it again and again. I always try to play any opening that I write about,
but sometimes it's not so simple. As I noted in my book, 'The Budapest Gambit',
in the seven months of preparing the manuscript I was unable to get a single
Budapest Gambit, even though the opening started on move two! Obviously it was
easier to get the subject of my next, 'Alekhine Alert', with the "get it in
one" 1...Nf6, but the Ruy Lopez is so popular among White players that it was
just as easy to get as an Alekhine, even though the opening starts on the
third move, not the first.}) ({I advocate the Modern Steinitz against the Ruy,
and this is the subject of this book: the basic tabiya occurs after the moves:
} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 {. White's only way of avoiding the
Modern Steinitz (once he's started with the Ruy) is the Exchange Variation,
where White plays 4 Bxc6 instead of 4 Ba4. In order to give Black players a
full repertoire I've covered the Exchange in Chapters Ten and Eleven.}) ({
One advantage of the Modern Steinitz is that it is learnable, even if you are
starting from scratch - but just try a repertoire based on the Marshall
Gambit! I like this sound sharp gambit, and I used to have great success with
it - but since "my" opening only started after the moves} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.
Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 (6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. d3) 6... b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8.
c3 {and now} d5 {- move eight! - in practice, after a few gambit successes as
Black, I never got the Marshall again - just a huge assortment of
Anti-Marshalls. I faced extraordinarily boring lines like the DERLD (delayed
exchange Ruy Lopez deferred) where, on the sixth move, White avoids Marshall
for the sleepyland line 6 Bxc6 dxc6 7 d3 (see 'True Combat Chess' for a
miracle win from a dead-drawn position resulting from this opening). --- You
get the Modern Steinitz in four, with only one deviation, the Exchange
Variation that goes with the territory - instead of a laundry list of
deviations right up to move eight (need I mention later Anti-Marshalls like 8
h3 and 8 a4). --- With the Modern Steinitz one gets a sound opening where, in
most lines, you get your position and Black can play for a win. I can't say
it's a walk-over for Black - but you will get rich play with excellent chances
to equalize and more important, counter-attack!}) (1. -- {Before we begin the
book proper with my traditional World Champions retrospective, it's worth
going through the basic variations that will be covered, chapter by chapter.
One thing that surprised me as I studied was the great variety of play under
the MS umbrella: there are two positively savage gambits, the Siesta and the
Yandemirov, where Black sacrifices a pawn or a piece, respectively, for purely
speculative reasons - and there are two rock solid positional lines. Yet even
the positional lines sometimes feature wild attacks - unlike almost all other
variations of the Ruy, in the Modern Steinitz Black frequently castles
queenside; see, for example, Réti-Capablanca, Akopian-Taylor, Jansa-Keres and
Dvoirys-Lautier. Besides all this, there are short forced draws and long
endgame grinds. There are even two completely different ways of meeting the
Exchange Variation! In short, there's something for everyone. Here's a preview
of the lines that I will cover:}) 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 (4. Bxc6
-- ({. 10. Ruy Exchange: Main Line with 4...dxc6 --- The Exchange Variation is
White's only way to both play the Ruy Lopez and avoid the Modern Steinitz.
White gives up the two bishops but damages Black's pawn structure; generally
speaking White hopes to win the ending, while keeping the draw in hand. Keres
always took back with the d-pawn (the popular way) and nowadays Magnus Carlsen
does so as well - but both these great players draw almost all their games in
this variation. A typical position is reached after} 4... dxc6 5. Nc3 f6 6. d4
exd4 7. Nxd4 c5 8. Nde2 Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 {
and White is minutely better in a drawish position; see Khachiyan-Taylor.}) ({
. 11. Ruy Exchange: Larsen's Variation: 4...bxc6 --- One of the great discoveries I made while working on this book is that the recapture with the d-pawn
(away from the centre, which lames Black's queenside pawns into the ending) is
not obligatory, and in fact the natural recapture towards the centre is quite
playable! Yes, Black reaches Chapter Six a tempo down, but it's hard to see
what White does with this tempo - while Black's winning chances are much
higher than in the dull fashionable lines with 4...dxc6. World Champions like
Lasker and Alekhine used to play 4...bxc6, then it was forgotten; then revived
by Larsen - then forgotten again, and even vilified: Krzysztof Panczyk and
Jacek Ilczuk in their recent book 'Ruy Lopez Exchange' call taking towards the
centre "unjustified" and add, "This variation is played only once in a blue
moon, and it doesn't have much value. White has a few strong continuations
that cause serious problems for Black." --- But I disagree with these modern
commentators, or rather I agree with the great Alekhine, who called this
variation "eminently practicable". Having played the boring 4...dxc6, I can't
wait to surprise my next exchanging foe. I imagine him chopping my knight,
looking for the quiet game; he feels he has at least a draw is in his pocket -
and then I go all Larsen on him with} 4... bxc6 $1 {. --- A pretty example is}
5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 c5 7. Nf3 Bb7 8. Nc3 Ne7 9. O-O h6 10. Re1 Ng6 11. Be3 Be7 {
and Black has completed her development Chapter Two style, with no endgame
problems to look forward to: this is Herrero Crespo-Monllor Garcia.} (11... --)
)) 4... d6 5. -- (5. -- {1. World Champions --- Every World Champion (with the
sole exception of Kramnik) has either played the MS or played against it.
Capablanca and Alekhine were great advocates of the defence, but the ultimate
MS star of world-class players was someone who never received the title of
World Champion, Mr. Forever Second, Paul Keres. According to the MegaBase,
Keres played 59 games with the MS, using it throughout his career against foes
such as Tal, Spassky, Euwe, Geller, Bronstein, etc. He won 27 games, drew 28,
and lost only 4, for an astonishing winning percentage - against top level
competition - of nearly 70% with Black! --- With that kind of record, I've
made Keres an honorary World Champion and hero of the entire book. The first
chapter, as well as all the others (except for Chapters Six and Eleven, which
feature lines he never played) will start with a Keres game - there is no
better way to understand the Modern Steinitz than to study his games. ---
Going back to the first chapter, we'll see the great predecessors win one by
one with the Modern Steinitz (Steinitz himself, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine,
Euwe, etc) until finally, in the modern age, we find a certain Fischer who
never played the MS with Black - but discovered its strength when he lost to
it as White! Even Kasparov, who was never seen on the black side of the MS,
had to concede a short draw in a World Championship match when Short uncorked
the MS! By the time we get to Anand, all the variations covered in the book
will be seen.}) ({2. Solid Line 1: The Knight Defence --- The great divide in
the MS is between the solid lines, where Black defends e5 against an early
assault, and the gambits, where Black is willing to pour oil on any central
flames and fight fiercely in the chaotic blaze that ensues. Needless to say,
the latter is not to everyone's taste, so I begin with the solid knight
defence of the centre: an ideal example is the sequence} 5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 Nge7
7. d4 Ng6 {from Oim-Keres.}) ({3. Solid Line 2: The Bishop Defence --- Here
Black defends e5 with the fianchettoed bishop, much like a King's Indian
Defence: Black's basic set-up is seen after the moves} 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7.
c3 g6 8. Re1 b5 9. Bc2 Bg7 {as in Parma-Keres.}) ({
4. The Siesta --- This fierce gambit occurs after} 5. c3 f5 $5 {- Black eschews
solidity and opts for an unclear pawn sacrifice in one of the critical lines,
which continues} 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. d4 e4 8. Ng5 d5 9. f3 e3 {
; see the rest of this wild encounter in Euwe-Keres.}) ({5. The Yandemirov
Gambit --- Why sac a pawn when you can sac a piece? The Russian GM Valeri
Yandemirov is the primary advocate of just this kind of madness. He reasons
that if White tells you where his king lives (answers the MS move 4...d6 with
5 0-0) then you might as well attack him immediately and ferociously. A
typical line is} 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. d4 b5 8. Bb3 Nxd4 9. hxg4 Nxb3 10. axb3
hxg4 11. Ng5 Qd7 {and Black has compensation for the bishop with the open
h-file and trapped white knight on g5; see Aseev-Yandemirov.}) ({6. Delayed Exchange Variation --- White can enter a version of the Exchange Variation a
tempo down by waiting for Black's 4...d6 and then taking on c6. This kind of
tempo-loss variation is only good for White if the Black player is not
prepared - but Keres, for example, brushed this line off with ridiculous ease:
he scored seven wins for Black and only five draws, with no losses! My
analysis also shows that Black has nothing to fear; e.g.} 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4
exd4 7. Qxd4 c5 8. Qd3 Ne7 9. Nc3 Rb8 10. b3 Ng6 11. O-O Be7 12. Nd5 Bf6 {
and Black had equalized in Mecking-Keres.}) ({7. Duras Variation --- This is
an attempt by White to force the position into a Maróczy Bind structure, but
the Ruy and the Bind are two different animals that don't get along well.} 5.
c4 {(the Duras move) is met easily by Reshevsky's} Bg4 {
, targeting the hole at d4, and Black has no problems; see Keres-Reshevsky.}) (
{8. White Plays an Early d2-d4 --- Here White tries to take over the centre
without preparation by c2-c3 - he simply shoves his d-pawn forward on move
five or six. The first variation has long been refuted as a winning attempt,
and is nowadays only played to draw. Playing d2-d4 on move 6 is a little
better and usually transposes back to Chapter Three, although independent
lines are possible, if not dangerous:} 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. dxe5 Nxe5 8.
Bxd7+ Nfxd7 9. Nc3 Be7 {shows easy equalization for Black in Hermlin-Keres.}) (
{9. Four Fishes --- It's possible - even probable - that you will meet players
who do not want to get an advantage with White - they want only to play
defensively and hope to draw. With this "goal" in mind, one is likely to run
into any of the following four fishes on move five: 5 Nc3, 5 d3, 5 h3 or 5 Qe2.
All of these defend against non-existent attacks, and all give up the
advantage of the first move - but when you're playing to draw anyway, what
does that matter? A typical example is} 5. h3 {(if Bobby Fischer saw such a
move, he'd be rolling over in his grave, and not just from DNA testing!)} Nf6
6. O-O b5 7. Bb3 Na5 {and Black was already at least equal in Paljusaj-Nei.}) (
5. -- {Not every potential Modern Steinitz player will like every line in the
book, but as you see, you don't have to: the opening is so rich that you can
build a repertoire to suit your taste. --- And one final note before we go to
the World Champions' games - how did I do with the Modern Steinitz myself?
There are two answers to this: in preceding years I used to play the MS from
time to time, without benefit of any study, and my results were up and down as
one might expect, hovering around 50%. Then I began to actually study the
variation in preparation for this book, and aimed for the MS every time I had
Black. I quickly discovered that few White opponents were prepared for this
line (they were all booked to the gills against 4...Nf6 of course). Meanwhile,
I was getting the advantage straight off; I was often better before move ten.
--- And the box score? Of my seven "post-study" games with the Modern Steinitz,
I won all seven with Black.}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "1. World Champions"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. -- {As mentioned already, every
official world champion except Kramnik has played on one side or the other of
the Modern Steinitz - but before we follow these great players, let's start
this chapter with our hero, honorary champion and Modern Steinitz mentor, the
great Paul Keres.} (5. -- {After that it's time for the official World
Championship games, in order of the title-holders, with the aforementioned
exceptions of Vladimir Kramnik. To illustrate all the variations in the book,
some champions are featured in more than one game.}) *

[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1948.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bronstein, D."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "1948.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 {The two 'almost' World Champions have
reached the basic tabiya of the Modern Steinitz.} 5. c3 Bd7 (5... f5 {
is the Siesta Gambit - see Chapter Four.}) 6. d4 Nge7 {One of Black's two
solid lines: this system will be fully covered in Chapter Two, where I point
out that this move order is actually slightly inaccurate. The ...Nge7-g6
manoeuvre played here works much better when White has committed to kingside
castling with 5 0-0 (see Geller-Keres and Topalov-Yusupov for the explanation).
} ({I prefer} 6... Nf6 {
here, followed soon by ...g7-g6, which will be covered in Chapter Three.}) 7.
Bb3 {Threatening 8 Ng5;} ({but the positional} 7. Be3 {is probably best, which
guarantees a slight edge for White (see Topalov-Yusupov).}) 7... h6 ({
Necessary, as} 7... Ng6 $2 8. Ng5 {wins material.}) 8. Nbd2 ({
White can also attack in gambit style with} 8. Nh4 {(see Geller-Keres).}) 8...
Ng6 9. Nc4 Be7 10. Ne3 O-O ({Later Keres played the improvement} 10... Bg5 $1 {
and won quickly:} 11. O-O ({or} 11. Nxg5 hxg5 {when one sees the key idea:
Black takes advantage of his delayed castling to activate the rook on the now
open h-file}) 11... Bxe3 12. Bxe3 Qf6 13. Qd2 Na5 14. Bd5 c6 15. Bb3 Bg4 16.
Ne1 O-O 17. f4 Nxb3 18. axb3 exf4 19. Bxf4 Qe7 $1 {(in the next phase of the
game Keres exploits not only the loose centre pawn, but also the doubled pawn
on b3 - then finishes with a classic back rank attack!)} 20. Nd3 Qxe4 21. Bxd6
Rfe8 22. Bg3 Qd5 23. Nf4 Nxf4 24. Qxf4 Re4 25. Qd6 Qxb3 26. Rf2 Rae8 27. h3
Re1+ 28. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 29. Kh2 Qd1 30. Bf4 Be6 31. Rf3 Rh1+ 32. Kg3 Qe1+ {
0-1 W.Unzicker-P.Keres, Hamburg (7th matchgame) 1956. I will thoroughly cover
the key ...Bg5 idea - which is even stronger if White has castled early - in
Chapter Two.}) 11. O-O Re8 ({Not long before this game, Keres had played} 11...
Bf6 12. Nd5 {when he felt that he had "scarcely anything better than to
surrender the centre" with} exd4 13. Nxd4 {, when White had a small advantage
in space after 13 Nxd4 in M.Euwe-P.Keres, World Championship, The Hague/Moscow
1948. Nonetheless, the text "improvement" also fails to equalize and 10...Bg5
must still be preferred.}) 12. Re1 ({Keres remarks that} 12. Bc2 {
was superior, leaving the rook on f1 to support a later f2-f4.}) 12... Bf8 13.
Bc2 Nh4 {An important resource in this variation: Black exchanges the active
white knight and gains kingside room for his pieces. See Glawe-Taylor for
another example of this motif.} 14. Nxh4 Qxh4 15. Nd5 ({Keres feared} 15. g3
Qd8 ({not} 15... Qh3 16. Bd3 {and Black's queen is in danger}) 16. f4 {
- and with good reason: White is better after} exf4 ({or} 16... exd4 17. cxd4
Nb4 18. Bb1 c5 19. d5 {and Black's knight is in danger on the queenside, while
White owns the centre and kingside}) 17. gxf4 Be7 18. Re2 {and White's central
pawns and half-open g-file give him excellent attacking chances.}) 15... Rac8
16. Rf1 $6 {
This loss of a tempo allows Black to equalize, and soon play for a win.} Ne7 {
Black is fine, as Keres ejects White's best piece.} 17. Ne3 Ng6 18. g3 (18. Nd5
Ne7 {with a draw is not inspiring, but probably best: now Keres takes over the
advantage as White's attack comes too slowly.}) 18... Qh3 {The other defect of
16 Rf1 is that it robs the bishop of that square - so Keres can keep his queen,
safely, near White's king.} 19. f4 exf4 20. gxf4 f5 {
Not a bad move, but not the best either:} ({the thematic} 20... Nh4 $1 {
is on yet again! After} 21. Rf2 c5 {White's shaky position is pressured from
the centre and queenside, while the threats of mate and ...Nf3+ tie down his
rook. Black is better; in fact White must watch out that he doesn't lose
almost immediately; e.g.} 22. dxc5 ({or} 22. d5 f5 $1 {
and Black smashes the white centre}) 22... d5 $1 23. Qxd5 Bxc5 24. Qd3 Bb5 25.
c4 Bxc4 $1 {and wins. This variation shows the strength of the MS as a
counter-attacking system: even after some opening inaccuracies Black's
position was rich in resources; and when White was inaccurate in turn, Black
could have taken the advantage almost immediately.}) 21. Rf3 Qh5 22. exf5 Nh4
23. Rf1 Qxd1 24. Rxd1 c5 ({As Keres pointed out,} 24... c6 $1 {
is correct (to block any check from b3) and Black has a good game:} 25. -- (25.
Bd2 Be7 {(with the idea of ...Rf8 and taking the pawn on f5)} 26. Rf1 d5 27.
Rae1 Bd6 28. Rf2 Rf8 {
and Black recovers his pawn with a slight edge due to White's broken kingside.}
(28... --)) ({. Note that} 25. Kf2 Be7 26. Bb3+ {
(as in the game) doesn't work here. Black counters with} d5 27. c4 Nxf5 $1 28.
cxd5 cxd5 29. Bxd5+ Kf8 {when he has splendid activity and a lead in
development, while White suffers from weak pawns. The position must be
assessed in Black's favour despite the pawn minus; e.g.} 30. Bxb7 $2 Bh4+ 31.
Kf3 Rxc1 $1 {and Black wins.})) 25. Kf2 Be7 26. Bb3+ Kh8 27. Be6 $1 {After Keres missed two chances (20...Nh4 and 24...c6), it's Bronstein's turn and he now
transforms his weak doubleton into a mighty passed pawn.} Bxe6 28. fxe6 cxd4
29. cxd4 $2 {White wants to play d4-d5 and win with his protected passed pawn
- but he won't get that chance.} ({Instead,} 29. Rxd4 $1 {
targeting d6 gives White a big advantage. Keres gives} d5 (29... Bd8 30. Re4 {
is considered to be winning by both Keres and Fritz}) 30. Rxd5 Rc6 31. f5 g6 {
with some counterplay as Black's only chance, but White can squelch this with
the exact} 32. Rd7 $1 gxf5 33. Nd5 Rxe6 34. Nxe7 ({not} 34. Nc7 $2 Bc5+ 35. Kg3
Rg8+ 36. Kxh4 Re4+ 37. Kh5 Bf2 38. Rd4 Bxd4 {and it's Black who wins}) 34...
R8xe7 35. Rxe7 Rxe7 36. Bxh6 {and Black has no compensation for the pawn.})
29... d5 $3 {Necessary, to prevent d4-d5, but very strong as well: Black
vacates d6 for the bishop, while the c-file is an avenue of attack.} 30. Nxd5 (
{Bronstein could probably draw with} 30. f5 Nxf5 31. Nxf5 Rf8 32. Kg3 Rxf5 33.
Bf4 Rc6 34. Re1 Rf6 35. Rac1 Rfxe6 36. Rxc6 Rxe1 37. Rc8+ Kh7 38. Be5 {
, but he is material up and playing for a win...}) 30... Bd6 {
...which is good news for Keres, who now has excellent compensation.} 31. Bd2
$6 ({White should probably run for equality with} 31. Kg3 g5 32. Kg4 Rxe6 33.
fxg5 Re4+ 34. Kh5 Nf3 35. Nf6 Rh4+ 36. Kg6 Rxh2 37. Rd3 Nxg5 {
and White holds the draw.}) 31... Rxe6 32. Rac1 Rf8 33. Re1 Rg6 34. Rg1 Rf5 35.
Rxg6 Nxg6 36. Nc3 ({Even now} 36. Ne3 Rxf4+ 37. Ke2 Rxd4 38. Nf5 Re4+ 39. Kf3
Re6 40. Nxd6 Rxd6 {, as given by Keres, should be enough to draw after} 41.
Rc8+ Kh7 42. Bc3 {.}) 36... Nxf4 37. Ke3 Ng2+ 38. Kd3 Bxh2 39. d5 Rf3+ $2 {
Time pressure.} ({After the correct} 39... Kg8 {
, rushing toward the passed d-pawn, Black would be clearly better.}) 40. Ke4
Rf2 41. Rd1 {Thanks to the tempo gain at the time control, now it's White who
has compensation for a pawn!} Kg8 42. Na4 Nh4 43. Be3 Rg2 44. Nc5 Rxb2 45. Rd2
$1 Rb4+ 46. Rd4 Rb6 47. Ne6 Bd6 48. Bf4 {I am well aware of the strength of a
passed centre pawn in rook + knight endings - see my win over GM Vasquez in my
'Bird's Opening' book. Bronstein has energetically used his chances - but the
critical moment is coming soon...} Ng6 49. Bxd6 Rxd6 {
...and he makes a fatal error.} 50. Kf5 $2 ({
If White attacks with rook and knight (but not his king!) he should draw:} 50.
Rc4 $1 Rd7 51. Nc5 Re7+ 52. Kd4 Re2 ({or} 52... Nh4 53. d6 Nf3+ 54. Kd3 Ne5+
55. Kd4 Nc6+ 56. Kc3 Rf7 57. d7 {and the passed pawn gives White compensation})
53. Nxb7 Ne7 54. d6 Nf5+ 55. Kd3 Nxd6 56. Nxd6 Rxa2 57. Nf5 {
and I think the rook and knight can hold against the rook and three pawns.})
50... Kf7 51. Nc5 Rf6+ {
Black drives the white king back with gain of time; there are no more saves.}
52. Ke4 b6 53. Nxa6 (53. d6 $2 {loses to} bxc5 54. d7 Rf4+ 55. Ke3 Rxd4 {.})
53... Ke7 54. Nc7 Nf8 55. Nb5 g5 56. d6+ Kd7 57. Ke3 Ne6 58. Rb4 Ng7 59. Nd4
Rxd6 60. Ra4 Ke7 61. Ra6 ({Against} 61. Ra7+ {
Keres had prepared the following pretty win:} Kf6 62. Rxg7 Rxd4 $1 {.}) 61...
Kf6 62. a4 Nf5+ 63. Nxf5 Kxf5 ({
Now this great fighting game comes to a close, for after} 63... Kxf5 64. a5
Re6+ 65. Kf3 bxa5 66. Rxa5+ Re5 {
Black consolidates and wins easily with the two extra pawns.}) 0-1

[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1894.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Baird, D."]
[Black "Steinitz, W."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1894.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 ({The first official World Champion is the
namesake of the entire opening. Steinitz's original system, still called the
Steinitz Defence today, was} 3... d6 {. However, White can force Black to
"give up the centre", that is, exchange his strong point pawn at e5 for the
white pawn on d4. This is hardly the end of the world, but usually White gets
some space advantage and Black is often left struggling to draw: one pure
Steinitz Defence (Anand-Milos) can be found in this book, in which the above
points will be elucidated. --- The improved Steinitz - the Steinitz Defence
Deferred, or as I'm calling it, the Modern Steinitz - was a discovery of the
champion's later years, when he found that the insertion of ...a7-a6 enabled
Black in most lines to "hold the centre" - that is, maintain a black pawn at
e5. However, from my 21st century vantage point, I must interject that modern
chess has no room for dogma - so on occasion Black does well to take on d4
anyway (but with the useful tempo ...a7-a6 included); for a good example of
such unprejudiced thinking see Stellwagen-Tomashevsky.}) 4. Ba4 d6 5. d4 Bd7 ({
The best answer,} 5... b5 {, can be found in the game Lobron-Spassky in this
chapter, and will be fully analyzed in Chapter Eight.}) 6. O-O {As Black did
not go into "move order punishment" mode, White has been allowed to transpose
to a main line.} Nge7 7. Bg5 (7. c3 {is correct, with a normal Chapter Two
position - whereas now White must beware the Noah's Ark trap, which is very
common in the MS.}) 7... h6 8. Be3 b5 9. Bb3 exd4 10. Bf4 ({
Now we see why White needed to be able to take back with the c-pawn! After} 10.
Nxd4 $2 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 c5 12. Qxd6 c4 {
Noah's Ark wraps up White's Lopez bishop with a win for Black.}) 10... g5 11.
Bg3 Bg7 {"A pawn is worth some trouble!" Steinitz said.} 12. Bd5 O-O 13. c3
Nxd5 14. exd5 dxc3 $1 15. Nxc3 ({Not} 15. dxc6 $2 cxb2 {and wins.}) 15... Ne7 {
Black has consolidated his extra pawn and soon acquires more material.} 16. Nd4
$2 b4 17. Nce2 Nxd5 {Black has two extra pawns, and no trouble!} 18. Qb3 Nb6
19. Qc2 f5 20. f4 c5 21. Qb3+ Kh8 22. Nf3 Ba4 23. Qd3 Bb5 24. Qc2 g4 25. Nh4
Qf6 26. Rad1 Nc4 27. Bf2 Rae8 28. Rfe1 Ne3 29. Bxe3 Rxe3 30. g3 Rfe8 31. Rd2
R3e4 32. Kf2 c4 33. Qd1 c3 34. bxc3 bxc3 35. Rxd6 Rxe2+ 36. Rxe2 Rxe2+ 37. Kg1
c2 38. Qxe2 c1=Q+ {Two queens reduce trouble to a minimum.} 39. Qd1 Qd4+ $1 40.
Rxd4 Bxd4+ 41. Kg2 Bc6+ 42. Kf1 Qxd1# {. A drastic win that clearly shows the
difference between the Steinitz and the Modern Steinitz. The latter, with ...
a7-a6 inserted and a thematic ...b7-b5 expansion in the works, means Black can
push back the Ruy bishop with ...b7-b5, ...c7-c5-c4, and clearly demonstrates
that an unsupported d2-d4 by White is not to be feared.} 0-1

[Event "London "]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1899.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lee, FJ."]
[Black "Lasker, Em"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1899.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 ({Of course} 4... d6 5. d3 Nf6 {
reaches the identical position via the MS order - this is a common transposition
. See Chapter Nine for more examples of this kind of quiet play for White.}) ({
At this point it's worth considering the modern game V.Anand-S.Mamedyarov,
Wijk aan Zee 2008, which started like this:} 4... d6 5. c3 g6 6. d4 Bd7 7. O-O
Bg7 8. Re1 b5 {- note that the great Lasker played the exact same pawn
structure as Mamedyarov, only 109 years earlier!}) 5. d3 {
Unimpressive, but often played.} d6 6. c3 b5 7. Bc2 g6 8. a4 Bb7 {
The double fianchetto has a very modern appearance.} ({
Also good is another plan, seen in a more recent GM game:} 8... b4 9. a5 Bg7
10. Ba4 Bd7 11. Bxc6 Bxc6 12. cxb4 Rb8 {(Black has very good compensation with
the two bishops and attack against White's split pawns)} 13. Bd2 O-O 14. Qc2
Ba8 15. O-O d5 16. Re1 Re8 17. Na3 Bf8 18. Rac1 Bd6 19. Bc3 Re7 20. d4 dxe4 21.
dxe5 exf3 22. exd6 cxd6 23. Rxe7 Qxe7 24. Nc4 Nd5 25. Qd2 Qe4 26. Ne3 Nf4 27.
Qxd6 Rc8 28. Rd1 {
and now in M.Godena-Ch.Gabriel, Swiss Team Championship 2003, Black played}
Rxc3 {and won with a little help from his opponent -} ({but} 28... Ne2+ $1 29.
Kf1 fxg2+ $1 {would have won quickly and cleanly.})) 9. Nbd2 Bg7 10. Nf1 d5 {
Already Lasker is better.} 11. Qe2 O-O 12. Ng3 Qd6 13. O-O Rfe8 14. h3 Na5 15.
Bd2 c5 16. Rfd1 Qc7 17. Qe1 (17. Ra2 {, preparing to double on the a-file, at
least has a positive function - better some plan than none! White's retrograde
move is equivalent to sitting and waiting for the axe to fall.}) 17... c4 $1
18. d4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Qxe5 {
A pawn down against Lasker...} 22. Be3 Nc6 23. b3 Na5 24. b4 Nc6 25. Rd7 Re7
26. Rdd1 Rd8 27. Rxd8+ Nxd8 28. axb5 axb5 29. Qd2 Ne6 30. h4 Bc6 31. Ra6 Rd7
32. Qe1 Bb7 33. Ra5 f5 34. g3 f4 $1 {...means no hope! Now Black breaks
through and finishes with a few powerful blows.} 35. gxf4 Nxf4 36. Bd4 Qf5 37.
Qe3 Rxd4 $1 38. cxd4 Qg4+ 39. Kf1 Qg2+ 40. Ke1 Qg1+ 41. Kd2 c3+ 42. Qxc3 Qxf2+
43. Kd1 e3 44. Bb3+ Kg7 45. d5+ Kh6 46. Qe1 Bc8 $1 ({After} 46... Bc8 47. Qxf2
exf2 {Black queens. --- 5 d3 didn't make much of an impression, but we will
see that move again!}) 0-1

[Event "Berlin"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1928.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Reti, R."]
[Black "Capablanca, JR."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "36"]
[EventDate "1928.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 ({
Some sources give a different opening move order:} 3... d6 4. c3 ({of course} 
4. d4 {is correct and compels Black to stay in the old Steinitz}) 4... a6 5.
Ba4 f5 {, and also a different course at the end, with White playing on for a
few more moves. I have followed the usually very accurate Chess from Morphy to
Botvinnik with the Modern Steinitz move order and the more plausible
resignation on move 18 - why drag it out against Capa?}) 4. Ba4 d6 {According to the MegaBase, Capablanca played the MS twenty times in tournament play, and
won a little over 50% - that is, 11 wins and 9 draws! No losses of course, but
Capa hardly lost at all, with any opening. Besides Réti, he also defeated
strong players of the time like G.A.Thomas and Tarrasch.} 5. c3 f5 $1 {
I like the story that the great Cuban champion was having a siesta one day,
when he suddenly dreamed up this variation! While this does explain how the
Siesta got its name, like a lot of great stories it overlooks one bothersome
historical fact: the Siesta had actually been played before, and against
Capablanca himself! Yes, Marshall played it in their match (see below) and got
a quick advantage with Black, though Capa made a draw with his great defensive
skill. So it should be another Marshall Gambit - but it seems Marshall only
got his name stuck to a gambit when he lost! --- In any case, after this
original "Marshall Gambit" no strong player took it up - until Capablanca
himself took a second look, liked the other side, and reintroduced the opening
with great success at Budapest in 1928. Perhaps Capa's "Siesta dream" had him
playing the black pieces!} 6. d4 ({Against Marshall, Capa played} 6. exf5 {
which is still considered best, though he quickly went astray in the unfamiliar
position:} Bxf5 7. d4 e4 8. Qe2 (8. Ng5 {
is correct and critical; see full analysis in Chapter Four}) 8... Be7 9. Nfd2
Nf6 10. h3 d5 11. Nf1 b5 12. Bc2 Na5 $6 ({
the opening has gone wrong for White, and now the simple} 12... O-O {is clearly
better for Black, who has f-file play and the better centre - but after this
unnecessary knight manoeuvre Capablanca conjures up queenside counterplay and
makes his draw}) 13. Ne3 Bg6 14. Nd2 O-O 15. b4 Nc4 16. Ndxc4 dxc4 17. a4 Nd5
18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. axb5 e3 20. O-O Rxf2 21. Rxf2 exf2+ 22. Qxf2 Rf8 23. Qe2 Bxc2
24. Qxc2 axb5 25. Be3 Bd6 26. Bf2 Qg5 27. Qe4 h6 28. Re1 Rxf2 29. Kxf2 Bg3+ 30.
Kg1 Bxe1 31. Qxe1 {
½-½ J.R.Capablanca-F.Marshall, New York (14th matchgame) 1909.}) 6... fxe4
7. Ng5 ({The sacrifice} 7. Nxe5 {
is good for a draw at best (see Honfi-Ciocaltea).}) 7... exd4 8. Nxe4 Nf6 ({
Also good is} 8... Bf5 {(see Ciric-Suetin).}) 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Qxd4 (10. Bxf6 {
is the only move, but Black is still better:} Bxf6 11. Qh5+ g6 12. Qd5 Bd7 13.
O-O Qe7 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 15. Re1+ Ne7 16. Re6 O-O-O (16... Bxa4 $1 {
is even stronger}) 17. Bxd7+ Rxd7 18. Qxb7+ Kxb7 19. Rxf6 Nd5 20. Re6 {
and now, instead of} dxc3 {
which led to a draw in V.Andreev-V.Yandemirov, Ekaterinburg 1997,} ({Black had
} 20... d3 $1 {with a very dangerous passed pawn.})) 10... b5 {This key MS
move shakes off the pin and gives Black the attack - and on the next move we
will see...} 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 {...that the white queen and both white bishops
are hanging! Naturally there is no way out for White. It's rather nice to see
a decisive advantage for Black - in a Ruy Lopez! - after just eleven moves.}
12. Qd5 bxa4 13. Bh6 ({Or} 13. Qxc6+ Bd7 14. Qf3 fxg5 15. Qh5+ Kf8 16. Qh6+ Kg8
{and White runs out of checks.}) 13... Qd7 {
Capa must be cheating, every move is Fritz's number one pick!} 14. O-O ({
White can also lose with} 14. Bg7 Qe6+ 15. Qxe6 Bxe6 16. Bxh8 Kf7 {
as Black gets two pieces for the rook}) ({and} 14. Qh5+ Kd8 15. Bg7 Rg8 16.
Qxh7 Qe6+ 17. Kf1 Qf7 {is even worse!}) 14... Bb7 15. Bg7 O-O-O {Unlike almost
all other Ruy lines, in the MS Black can often castle queenside and play for
an immediate attack on White's king - something I like very much!} 16. Bxh8 Ne5
$3 {Capa doesn't need White's divagating bishop.} 17. Qd1 ({
Another demonstration of the attacking power of Black's position is seen after
} 17. Qa5 Rg8 18. f3 Qf5 19. Kh1 ({no better is} 19. Nd2 Nxf3+ 20. Nxf3 Qxa5 {
which loses the queen to}) 19... Qg5 20. g3 Nxf3 21. Qxg5 Nxg5+ 22. Kg1 Nh3# {
with a pretty mate.}) 17... Bf3 $1 18. gxf3 ({If} 18. Qc2 Qg4 {forces mate.})
18... Qh3 {White has no defence to ...Nxf3+ or ...Rg8+. --- The Siesta is a
terrifying gambit unless White is very well prepared!} 0-1

[Event "Buenos Aires Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1939.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Keres, P."]
[Black "Capablanca, JR."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1939.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c4 {This is the Duras Variation,
where White tries to set up a Maróczy Bind - but it's no longer any kind of
danger to the Modern Steinitz.} ({I think Keres liked to play this rare line
so he wasn't "playing against himself" with the main moves} 5. c3) ({or} 5. O-O
{. However, Capablanca shows here that Black can equalize rather easily with a
kingside fianchetto; then in Chapter Seven, Reshevsky and Yandemirov show how
Black can play for a win with the even stronger 5...Bg4, which has essentially
put the Duras Variation out of business.}) 5... Bd7 ({For} 5... Bg4 {
see Keres-Reshevsky and the two subsequent games}) ({for the rather doubtful} 
5... f5 {(the Siesta doesn't work well here, as we will see) go to the game
Book-Andersen.}) 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 {There are two
reasons why this Maróczy Bind position is much easier for Black than the usual
"dreaded bind" positions: First, the white king's bishop is misplaced
(normally in the Maróczy it's on e2) and it's due to be exchanged for the
d7-bishop, easing Black's cramp. Secondly, Black can develop with ...Ne7, so
in the long run (as we see in the game) ...f7-f5, breaking the bind, can't be
prevented. That said, the Maróczy Bind is a very solid system, even in a
non-aggressive form like this, so Keres never has to worry about Black taking
over the advantage, and can exert some light pressure until Capa fully
equalizes, when a draw must ensue in view of reduced material.} Nge7 10. O-O
O-O 11. h3 Nxd4 12. Bxd7 Ne2+ $1 {Capa cleverly disorganizes his opponent's
pieces: if White takes with the queen, Black will threaten pawn structure
demolition with ...Bxc3, while Be3-d4 is prevented. In the game, of course,
the white knight is misplaced and must soon move again.} 13. Nxe2 Qxd7 14. Bd4
Bxd4 15. Qxd4 ({After} 15. Nxd4 {Black equalizes easily; e.g.} Nc6 16. Re1 Rae8
17. Qd3 f5 18. exf5 Nxd4 19. Qxd4 Qxf5 {and a draw could already be agreed.})
15... Nc6 16. Qd5 Rae8 17. Nc3 Qe6 18. Rad1 f5 {
The key break: Black is fully equal.} 19. exf5 Rxf5 20. Rde1 Rxd5 21. Rxe6 Re5
$1 ({White was hoping for} 21... Rxe6 $4 22. cxd5 {winning a piece.}) 22. Rxe8+
Rxe8 23. Rd1 ({If} 23. Nd5 {
, Black takes over the seventh and the advantage with} Re2 {.}) 23... Kf7 24.
Kf1 Ne5 25. b3 Nd7 26. Nd5 c6 27. Nf4 Re4 28. g3 ({Not} 28. Rxd6 $2 Ke7 {.})
28... Ke7 29. Ne2 Nc5 30. f3 Re3 31. Kf2 Rd3 32. Rxd3 Nxd3+ 33. Ke3 Nb4 {
The knight ending is dead drawn. --- As one sees, Black had no difficulties in
this variation, provided he played within the position. So far so good, but
why stop with equality? I think 5 c4 is really anti-positional in combination
with the Lopez Bishop - so Black should play not just to equalize, but to win:
see more in Chapter Seven.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Yates, F."]
[Black "Alekhine, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C76"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1924.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O g6 {Already inaccurate, but the
game was played in the early days of the variation. My research indicates that
if Black wants to fianchetto his king's bishop, he should play a move order
like this: ...Bd7/...Nf6/...g7-g6. I'll go into all the details in Chapter
Three. Note as well that the coming development of the black knight to e7 also
seems inaccurate, for as Alekhine himself pointed out, White could have gained
some advantage by exploiting the pin that Yates achieves on said knight.} 6. c3
{Allowing the move order error to go unpunished!} ({
Since this game, White has made a huge score with} 6. d4 $1 {
. Now Black has to deal with the threats of d4-d5 and d4xe5. Black can try:} --
(6... Bg7 7. dxe5 (7. d5 b5 8. dxc6 bxa4 9. c4 {also looks good for White})
7... b5 ({or} 7... dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 {
and White is clearly better in the queenless middlegame}) 8. Bg5 Qd7 9. Bb3
dxe5 {and now, instead of the overly fancy} 10. Qd5 {
of I.Zubairov-P.Bacherikov, Russian Junior Championship 2001,} ({
White had the simple} 10. Qe2 {
with a big plus, as one sees a rook coming to d1 soon.})) (6... exd4 7. Qxd4 f6
8. Qd3 Bd7 9. Nc3 Ne5 10. Nxe5 dxe5 ({or} 10... fxe5 11. Bb3 Nf6 12. Qc4 {
winning at least a pawn}) 11. Bb3 {and White's advantage was already decisive
in V.Iordachescu-I.Efimov, Castellaneta 1999.}) (6... Bd7 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. dxe5
dxe5 ({opening the e-file is dangerous:} 8... Bxe4 9. Re1 d5 10. Ng5 Bf5 11.
Nc3 c6 12. e6 Bxe6 ({or if} 12... fxe6 13. g4 h6 14. gxf5 hxg5 15. Rxe6+ {
and White is much better}) 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Qg4 {with a strong attack}) 9.
Nxe5 Bxe4 10. Qe2 Qd5 11. Bf4 f6 12. Nc3 Qe6 13. Qxe4 fxe5 14. Bxe5 {(but this 
finally turned out to be even worse, as now Black had to resign!) 1-0 K.
Szabo-J.Brustkern, Budapest 2007.}) (6... b5 7. Bb3 Bg7 {looks like it holds
for a second, but as the late Robert B.Parker would have said, "We'd be fools
not to launch an immediate attack!":} 8. dxe5 $1 Nxe5 ({after} 8... dxe5 9. Ng5
Nh6 10. Qxd8+ Nxd8 11. Nc3 {
White's lead in development is virtually decisive; e.g.} c6 12. Rd1 Bb7 13. Be3
a5 14. a3 f6 15. Rxd8+ $1 Rxd8 16. Ne6 {and White wins material}) 9. Bg5 Nxf3+
10. Qxf3 $1 {with a tremendous attack. What a setback that would have been for
Alekhine! But the good player is, as ever, lucky.})) 6... Bg7 7. d4 Bd7 8. Bg5
({On} 8. Be3 {Black should play} Nf6 {as in Chapter Three with a quite
reasonable position: here's a typical example of this line:} 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10.
Nxe5 dxe5 11. Nd2 O-O 12. Bc2 Qe7 13. h3 Ne8 14. Qe2 {
and now, instead of the quiet} Nd6 {with equality of I.Kashdan-S.Flohr, Bled
1931 (though one must note that Flohr did grind out the win in 65 moves),} ({
Black can take over the initiative immediately with} 14... f5 {
, the King's Indian type break that is typical of this MS variation.})) 8...
Nge7 ({Black would rather have his knight on f6, but tactically it doesn't
work well now because of his wrong move order:} 8... Nf6 9. Bxc6 Bxc6 10. dxe5
dxe5 11. Nxe5 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Nxe4 13. Bf4 {with some advantage to White, as
Black's c6-bishop, knight and c7-pawn are all targets, and he won't be able to
avoid making some concessions.}) 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qd3 h6 11. Be3 Bg4 12. Qe2
O-O 13. Nbd2 {This move reminds me of the DDT acronym I coined for 'True
Combat Chess': Dubious Development Traumatizes! Yates misses a second chance
to turn the game sharply in his favour - misses it because he routinely
develops a fresh piece, rather than moving an already developed piece for the
third time!} ({As Alekhine points out,} 13. Bc5 $1 {
is much stronger and gives White the advantage; e.g.} f5 14. Nbd2 fxe4 15. Nxe4
$1 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Kh7 17. Rfd1 Qe8 18. Rd3 {and Black has one of those dreadful
"no counterplay" positions: he's pinned this way and that, his knights are
tied to each other and have no activity, and White can just build up on the
d-file with ever increasing pressure. But White missed this because he
followed the "rules" of development!}) 13... f5 14. h3 Bh5 15. Bb3+ Kh8 16.
exf5 $2 ({White must hold the e4-square, and can still get the advantage with} 
16. Rad1 $1 fxe4 17. Nxe4 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Qc8 19. Kh2 Qf5 20. Ng3 $1 Qxf3 21.
Qxf3 Rxf3 22. Rd7 {. This position shows the strength of White's game, even a
pawn down, as the light squares are all White owned! A typical continuation
would be} Rc8 23. Rg1 Kh7 24. Bc5 Nf5 25. Nxf5 Rxf5 26. Be6 Rf6 27. Rxg7+ $1 {
and the light-squared bishop wins the game. Evidently Yates was afraid of the
doubled kingside pawns, but by avoiding that, he lost his advantage and then
the game.}) 16... gxf5 {Just like that, Black is better with mobile pawns and
kingside attacking chances.} 17. g4 fxg4 18. Ne1 ({No better is} 18. Nh2 Bg6
19. Qxg4 ({not} 19. hxg4 Bd3 {winning the exchange}) 19... Bf5 20. Qh5 Qe8 21.
Qxe8 Raxe8 22. Kg2 Rd8 23. Rad1 Nd5 {
and Black is attacking in the queenless middlegame.}) 18... Nd5 19. hxg4 Nxe3
20. fxe3 Qg5 $1 {
A "closely calculated combination" with a "little surprise" says Alekhine.} 21.
Be6 Bxg4 $1 {There's the surprise!} 22. Qxg4 (22. Bxg4 h5 {
is good for Black too.}) 22... Qxe3+ 23. Kh1 Qxd2 24. Rg1 Qg5 ({
Alekhine points out that} 24... Bf6 {is more accurate.}) 25. Qh3 Qf6 26. Bd5
Ne7 27. Be4 Nf5 28. Nf3 (28. Nd3 $1 {would set Black a difficult problem, as
White has real compensation on the light squares and g-file; e.g.} Rad8 29. Rg4
{and White is still playing. Whereas now White's bishop is tied to his knight
and the game is over, except for the final tactical flourish.}) 28... Nd6 29.
Bd5 ({Not} 29. Rg6 $2 Nxe4 30. Rxf6 Nf2+ {and wins.}) 29... c6 ({
Actually better is} 29... Qf5 {with a clean extra pawn, as...}) 30. Rxg7 ({
...instead of the text,} 30. Nh4 $1 cxd5 31. Raf1 $1 {
gives White surprising counterplay!}) 30... Kxg7 {
But now it's all over except for the final tactical flourish.} 31. Rg1+ Kh8 32.
Nxe5 cxd5 33. Qh5 Ne4 34. Ng6+ Kh7 35. Qxd5 Ng3+ $1 {
One can count on Alekhine to win stylishly!} ({
After the forced acceptance of the piece,} 35... Ng3+ 36. Rxg3 {
, Black wins with} Qf1+ 37. Kh2 (37. Rg1 Qh3# {is only slightly worse}) 37...
Rf2+ 38. Rg2 Qxg2+ 39. Qxg2 Rxg2+ 40. Kxg2 Kxg6 {and the extra rook is good
enough. --- While Alekhine's opening play was certainly inaccurate, the
fundamental idea of Black's structure - kingside fianchetto followed
eventually by ...f7-f5 - is positionally sound as we will see in Chapter Three.
}) 0-1

[Event "Beverwijk"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1953.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Trott, A."]
[Black "Euwe, M."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "1953.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ {This third move of the
bishop is recommended by Andrew Greet in his Worrall repertoire book, 'Play
the Ruy Lopez', but I can't feel too much terror here given White's loss of
time.} bxc6 6. d4 f6 {Although played by Euwe and also Capablanca (which would
seem enough endorsement for practically anyone) I don't recommend this move at
all, as I think that only after this does White have chances for advantage.
Black now gets a cramped and usually closed game where the white knights can
be effective.} ({Keres usually played the more logical} 6... exd4 {, opening the game for the two bishops, and this was also Nigel Short's method in his
world championship match vs. Kasparov, where he drew quickly with Black. I
will give full coverage of 6...exd4 in Chapter Six, plus one more game with 6..
.f6 where the master of the white position, Jacob Yukhtman, shows how White
can get an edge in this line.}) 7. c4 {
This leads to a blocked position that White shouldn't lose;} ({
but he has more chances of advantage with the simple} 7. Nc3 {
(see Yukhtman-Genin).}) 7... Ne7 8. Nc3 c5 {The dark side of 7 c4 is the
weakness at d4, which Euwe the mathematician precisely exploits. He almost
completely equalizes this way, but a win for Black does not seem likely!} 9.
dxc5 dxc5 10. Qxd8+ ({White accomplishes nothing with} 10. Be3 Nc6 11. Qd5 Qd6
12. O-O-O Rb8 {and Black is fine.}) 10... Kxd8 11. b3 Nc6 12. O-O Nd4 13. Ne1
Bd6 14. Nd3 Bd7 15. Rb1 a5 16. Ba3 Ne6 17. Rfd1 Ke7 18. Nb2 {
White evidently overestimates his position:} ({
instead he should nail down a marginal edge with} 18. Na4 $1 {
which forces the exchange of Black's better bishop. After} Bxa4 19. bxa4 {
White has a slight plus due to his own good bishop. However, the position is
so blocked that a draw would be the most likely result - but one can't even
imagine Black winning this position. In the game the experienced World
Champion keeps some activity, and finally outplays his opponent.}) 18... Ra6
19. Rd2 Rb8 20. Nba4 Rc6 21. f3 Nd4 $1 {This good knight makes up for a lot of
passive pieces: Black has full equality, and White is still a long way from a
clear draw.} 22. Re1 Kf7 23. Rf2 g5 24. g4 h5 25. h3 Rh8 26. Kg2 Ne6 27. Ne2
Ra6 28. Rd1 Bc6 29. Bc1 Bxa4 30. bxa4 Rb6 31. Ba3 Rbb8 32. Rff1 Rh6 33. Rb1
Rbh8 34. Rh1 Nf4+ 35. Nxf4 exf4 36. Rbf1 Ke6 37. Rd1 Be5 $1 {I give the exclam
for fighting spirit: though the position is dead even, Euwe nonetheless makes
a spirited attempt to win - which shouldn't succeed, but...} 38. Bxc5 hxg4 39.
hxg4 Rxh1 40. Rxh1 Rd8 41. a3 $4 {
This looks like a "first move after the time control" relaxation move.} ({
Instead, the zielbewußt} 41. Rh7 $1 {
, threatening mate, draws easily as can be seen:} Rd2+ 42. Kf1 Bd6 ({not} 42...
Rd7 $2 43. Rxd7 Kxd7 44. Ke2 {and the ending is better for White, in view of
Black's fixed pawns on the colour of his bishop}) 43. Bxd6 cxd6 ({or} 43...
Kxd6 44. Rf7 Ke5 45. Rxc7 Rxa2 46. Rd7 Rxa4 47. Rd5+ Ke6 48. c5 Ra3 49. Ke2 a4
50. c6 Rc3 51. Ra5 Rxc6 52. Rxa4 {and draws}) 44. Ra7 Rxa2 45. Rxa5 Rc2 46. Rd5
Rxc4 47. a5 Ra4 {and the position is a dead draw.}) 41... Rd2+ 42. Kf1 Bd6 $1
43. Bxd6 (43. Bf2 Rd3 {is also good for Black.}) 43... Rd1+ {The surprising
point: though nominally a pawn down, Black's better king position means that a
potential pawn ending is winning for him. Therefore White tries to fight on an
exchange down, but to no avail. The failure to play actively (a2-a3 instead of
Rh7) cost him dearly!} 44. Kg2 Rxh1 45. Bxc7 ({
Black's point is seen in this easy king and pawn ending:} 45. Kxh1 Kxd6 46. Kg2
Kc5 47. Kf2 Kxc4 48. Ke2 Kb3 49. Kd2 Kxa3 50. Kc3 Kxa4 51. Kc4 c6 52. Kc5 Kb3 {
and queens.}) 45... Ra1 46. Bxa5 Rxa3 47. c5 Rxa4 48. Bc7 Ra6 49. Kf2 Kd7 50.
Bd6 Kc6 51. Ke2 Ra2+ 52. Ke1 Kb5 53. Be7 Ra6 54. Ke2 Kc4 55. Bd6 Ra2+ 56. Ke1
Kd3 57. Be7 ({Black also wins after} 57. c6 Ke3 58. Bc5+ Kxf3 59. c7 Ra8 60.
Ba7 Rc8 61. Bb8 Kxe4 {.}) 57... Ke3 58. Bxf6 Rc2 59. Kd1 Rxc5 ({
White resigns in view of} 59... Rxc5 60. e5 Kxf3 61. Bxg5 ({or} 61. e6 Rc6 62.
e7 Re6 63. Bxg5 Kxg4 64. Bf6 f3 {and wins as the white king is cut off}) 61...
Rxe5 62. Bf6 Rd5+ 63. Ke1 Kxg4 64. Kf2 Rd2+ 65. Ke1 Ra2 66. Kf1 Kf3 67. Bh4
Ra1+ {etc. --- Returning to the opening, note that the blocking 6...f6 led to
a closed game where Black had no legitimate winning chances until after the
first time control! While I admire Euwe's endgame perseverance, I think Black
would have had much more chances with the natural 6...exd4.}) 0-1

[Event "USSR Championship, Leningrad/Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1941.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Smyslov, V."]
[Black "Botvinnik, M."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1941.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{I was struck by the tremendous (pre-computer!) annotations to the following
game in the 'Soviet Absolute Championship' book by Botvinnik. One wishes our
modern champions wrote so incisively!} 1. e4 (1. Nf3 Nc6 2. e4 e5 3. Bb5 a6 4.
Ba4 d6 5. d3 Nf6 6. c3 Bd7 7. O-O g6 8. Re1 Bg7 9. Nbd2 {(with the e-pawn
protected in only three ways, this is not quite as secure as Smyslov - White
needs Bc2 to complete the picture!)} O-O 10. Nf1 {and since White had not
undertaken anything, I gladly seized the initiative with} Kh8 {followed soon
by ...Ng8 and ...f7-f5, and won with a kingside attack in S.Kitagami-T.Taylor,
Los Angeles (rapid) 2010.}) 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 ({Again,} 
4... d6 5. d3 Nf6 {reaches the game position by the MS order.}) 5. d3 {
"An old move, which holds out no possibility of any sort of advantage," writes
Smyslov of his own move. Botvinnik writes: "An ancient continuation, White
declines to fight in the opening, reckoning on a favourable middlegame." ---
But I ask: How can one reach a favourable middlegame when you get nothing out
of the opening? I've never understood these passive variations (which is why I
play things like the Four Pawns Attack against the King's Indian!) but they've
always been popular-and are even more so now, with thousands of games in the
database. Of course I've run into this one in practice, which I don't mind.
It's nice to have a free hand with Black (see the note to White's tenth move).}
(5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12.
Nbd2 Nc6 13. dxc5 dxc5 {reaches a position from which Fischer had tremendous
success; one important factor is the hole at d5 which often, as in the
following game, attracts a white knight:} 14. Nf1 Be6 15. Ne3 Rad8 16. Qe2 g6
17. Ng5 Bc8 18. a4 c4 19. axb5 axb5 20. b3 b4 21. Qxc4 h6 22. Nd5 $1 ({
Black was counting on} 22. Nf3 $6 Be6 {
when he is better, but he gets a surprise}) 22... Nxd5 23. exd5 hxg5 24. Qxc6
Qxc6 25. dxc6 bxc3 26. Rxe5 Bf6 27. Rea5 Rfe8 28. Bxg5 Bxg5 29. Rxg5 Rd2 30.
Rc1 Ree2 31. Bxg6 fxg6 32. Rxc3 Kh7 33. b4 Re1+ 34. Kh2 Rxf2 35. b5 Rb2 36. Kg3
Kh6 37. Rcc5 Re3+ 38. Kf4 Reb3 39. Rgd5 Rxg2 40. Rd8 Be6 41. Ke5 Bxh3 42. Rh8+
Kg7 43. Rxh3 Rxh3 44. c7 Rh8 45. Rd5 Re2+ 46. Kd6 Kf6 47. b6 Rb2 48. Kc6 Rc8
49. Rd8 Rc2+ 50. Kb7 R8xc7+ 51. bxc7 Kf5 52. c8=Q+ Rxc8 53. Rxc8 g5 54. Kc6 g4
55. Kd5 Kf4 56. Kd4 Kf3 57. Kd3 {1-0 R.J.Fischer-C.Kalme, New York 1958.}) 5...
d6 6. c3 Be7 ({One recalls that Lasker played} 6... b5 {here (in Lee-Lasker)
and won with a modern double fianchetto, while Botvinnik chooses to play very
classically. In either case Black has no problems.}) 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 b5 9.
Bc2 d5 10. Nbd2 {I'm not sure if White's e-pawn has enough protection (bishop/
knight/rook and the pawn at d3!). Amusingly enough, I also ran into this sort
of over-protection in a recent game (see 1 Nf3 above).} dxe4 11. dxe4 Be6 {
It's worth comparing this position to the Rauzer Attack in the Chigorin
Variation of the Ruy, which occurs in the note with 5 0-0 above. Now look at
the main game: while White's position superficially resembles the Rauzer/
Fischer weapon, a closer look reveals that Black has d5 covered, and there is
no hole on this square, as the c-pawn is still back at c7. In other words,
even if White should eventually land a knight on d5, it could be driven back
post haste with ...c7-c6. The bottom line is that Black is already slightly
better.} 12. h3 (12. Ng5 {is met easily by} Bg4 {.}) 12... h6 13. Nh2 Nh7 14.
Ng4 Bg5 15. Qe2 Qd6 16. Ne3 Rfd8 17. Nf3 Bxe3 18. Qxe3 ({
As Botvinnik points out,} 18. Bxe3 Bc4 {
is good for Black as the white queen is embarrassed.}) 18... Qe7 19. Nh2 {
Botvinnik correctly evaluates the position as still better for Black, but in
the game he now loses his way.} Nf8 $6 ({Best is} 19... Nf6 20. Qf3 b4 {
with a queenside initiative.}) 20. Qf3 Rd7 21. Nf1 {White has finally
generated real kingside threats (Ng3-f5) and the struggle shifts in his favour
- but it's so complex that Smyslov in turn will go wrong.} Nh7 22. Ng3 Rad8 23.
Nf5 Qf6 24. g4 Ne7 25. Qg3 Bc4 26. f3 Bd3 27. Bb3 c5 28. Be3 c4 29. Bd1 Ng5 30.
h4 Ne6 31. a4 b4 $1 {Smyslov's methodical play over the last several moves
fails to unnerve Botvinnik, who shocks the positional master with a
"confusion" pawn sac! White can no longer play mechanically.} 32. cxb4 Nf4 33.
Kh1 g5 34. b5 a5 35. Bc5 $6 {Confused! This forces Black to make an exchange
he will make anyway, and puts the bishop on an insecure square.} ({Correct is} 
35. Rc1 $1 {which brings the rook into play and prevents the tactical blow ...
Bc2 seen in the notes to move 37 - in this way White could have maintained an
edge.}) 35... Nxf5 36. gxf5 Kh7 37. Qg4 ({On} 37. hxg5 hxg5 {
the h-file becomes an attacking avenue for Black}) ({while if} 37. Qh2 Bc2 $3
38. hxg5 ({White has no good way to take the piece:} 38. Bxc2 Rd2 {
recovers material with advantage}) ({, and even worse is} 38. Qxc2 Rd2 39. Qc1
g4 $1 {with a winning attack for Black}) 38... Qxg5 39. Be2 Nxe2 40. Rxe2 Rd1+
41. Rxd1 Bxd1 42. Be3 Qf6 43. Rf2 Rd3 44. Rf1 Rxe3 45. Rxd1 Rxf3 {
White's situation is grave (Botvinnik).}) 37... gxh4 {
Suddenly Black has a winning attack!} 38. Rg1 h5 ({
As Botvinnik points out, he missed a quick win here with} 38... Bf1 $1 39. Rxf1
({or} 39. Bf2 Bg2+ 40. Rxg2 Nxg2 {and Black wins material}) 39... Rg8 {
and the white queen goes.}) 39. Qg5 Qxg5 40. Rxg5 f6 41. Rg1 Nh3 42. Re1 Rg8
43. Ra2 $1 {An heroic defence by Smyslov!} ({
He avoids the following queenless mating attack:} 43. Rc1 Rg3 44. Be3 Rdg7 45.
Kh2 (45. b3 Nf2+ $1 46. Bxf2 Rh3# {is Botvinnik's key point}) 45... Nf4 $1 46.
Bxf4 exf4 {and White has no defence; e.g.} 47. b3 Rg2+ 48. Kh1 Rf2 49. bxc4
Rgg2 {and mates.}) 43... Bb1 44. Ra1 Bd3 45. Ra2 Nf4 46. b4 Rc8 47. b6 Rb7 48.
Be3 axb4 49. a5 b3 50. Ra3 $6 {A critical inaccuracy:} (50. Rb2 $1 {
may draw; e.g.} Ra8 ({or} 50... c3 51. Rxb3 c2 52. Bxc2 Bxc2 53. Ra3 {
and the passed pawns give compensation for the piece}) 51. Bd2 {
and White holds, at least for the moment!}) 50... b2 51. Ba4 c3 52. Rb3 Ne2 53.
Bb5 Bxb5 54. Rxb5 Nd4 $1 55. Bxd4 ({White has to take, in view of} 55. Rb4 Nc2
{forking.}) 55... exd4 {Now the three connected passed pawns are decisive,
though Smyslov continues his heroic resistance.} 56. a6 Rxb6 $1 57. Rxb6 d3 58.
Rg1 d2 59. Rxf6 Rc7 60. Rfg6 $1 {A fantastic resource:} ({now if} 60. Rfg6 c2
$2 61. R6g5 $1 {and White draws despite three black pawns on the seventh rank!}
) 60... d1=Q $3 {But Botvinnik trumps that resource with this diversion!} ({
After} 60... d1=Q 61. Rxd1 c2 62. Rdg1 c1=Q 63. R6g5 Qxg5 {
(Black sacrifices a second queen, but he has one more coming!)} 64. Rxg5 b1=Q+
{Black mates in six - therefore Smyslov resigns. --- This was truly a titanic
struggle between two future World Champions - though it's interesting that
they both agreed that White played a "nothing" opening.}) 0-1

[Event "Russian Championship, Elista"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Smyslov, V."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O ({It might seem strange that
the late, great Vassily Smyslov is represented only by two losses in this
section, and no wins - but while Smyslov did play the MS on occasion, he did
not seem to have the feel for this opening. He made an uncharacteristic minus
score with Black - the following game is typical:} 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. O-O
Be7 ({I recommend the more active} 7... g6 {in Chapter Three}) 8. Re1 O-O 9.
Nbd2 exd4 10. cxd4 Nb4 11. Bxd7 Qxd7 12. Nf1 c5 {
(Black's plan makes no sense to me)} 13. a3 Nc6 14. d5 Ne5 15. Nxe5 dxe5 16.
Ng3 {(White is simply clearly better with the good bishop and protected passed
pawn, and Averbakh wasn't showing the pre-champion Smyslov any courtesies!)}
Ne8 17. f4 $1 {(White plays for the attack!)} Bd6 18. Nf5 f6 19. g3 g6 20. Nh6+
Kh8 21. f5 c4 22. h4 Bc5+ 23. Kg2 gxf5 24. Nxf5 Nd6 25. Nxd6 Bxd6 26. Rf1 f5
27. Bh6 Rf7 28. exf5 Rxf5 29. Qc2 Rxf1 30. Rxf1 Rg8 31. Qf5 Qxf5 32. Rxf5 {
(and now Averbakh, who literally wrote the book on endings, brings his
advantage home)} Rg6 33. Bg5 Kg8 34. h5 Rg7 35. Kf3 b5 36. Bh6 e4+ 37. Kxe4
Rxg3 38. Rf6 Bc5 39. d6 Kh8 40. Kd5 {
1-0 Y.Averbakh-V.Smyslov, USSR Championship, Moscow 1951.}) ({As White he
suffered as well, and not just against Botvinnik. Smyslov often played with
excessive passivity against the MS, which led to draws and losses against
those beneath his station - here's another example:} 5. c3 Nf6 6. d3 ({
of course} 6. d4 {is the only hope for advantage, when} Bd7 7. O-O g6 {
transposes to various games in Chapter Three}) 6... g6 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. Nf1 O-O
9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Ne7 11. Ne3 c6 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. d4 Nh5 14. dxe5 dxe5 15. Nd2
Nf4 16. g3 Ne6 17. Bxe7 {
(White's retrograde play is capped by giving up the two bishops)} Qxe7 18. h4
h5 19. Qe2 b5 20. a3 a5 21. O-O a4 {
(Black has the advantage all across the board)} 22. Rfd1 Nc5 23. Nf3 Bh6 24.
Ne1 Be6 25. Nd3 Nxd3 26. Rxd3 Rfd8 27. Rad1 Rxd3 28. Rxd3 Rd8 29. Kf1 {
(Black's bishops are dominant, and Gligo has a clear advantage on both flanks
- but of course, the World Champion has his "get out of jail free" card ready
- a draw offer!) ½-½ V.Smyslov-S.Gligoric, Kiev 1959.}) 5... Bg4 6. h3 h5
$1 {Best! I haven't found any name for this gambit in chess literature, but I
think it should be called the Yandemirov Gambit, after the hero of this game.
He has played this line - often giving up a whole piece - at least 38 times in
high-level play, defeating many GMs and here a world champion!} ({
As a side note, one recalls that Geller tried the weaker} 6... Bh5 {against the
young Bobby Fischer and achieved "Memorable Game" status by being crushed in
22 moves:} 7. c3 Qf6 8. g4 $1 {(so much for the pin; the key idea of the
Yandemirov Gambit is that Black maintains the pin as long as possible - and if
White at some point takes the g4-bishop, then Black gets the open h-file for
attack)} Bg6 9. d4 $1 Bxe4 10. Nbd2 Bg6 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Nxe5
$1 Bd6 14. Nxg6 Qxg6 15. Re1+ Kf8 16. Nc4 h5 17. Nxd6 cxd6 18. Bf4 d5 19. Qb3
hxg4 20. Qb7 $1 gxh3+ 21. Bg3 Rd8 22. Qb4+ {
1-0 R.J.Fischer-E.Geller, Bled 1961.}) 7. Bxc6+ ({
This and the other critical move (} 7. d4 {
) are fully analyzed in Chapter Five.}) 7... bxc6 8. d3 {Smyslov tries his
typical early d2-d3, gets nothing, and goes down in flames to a specialist in
this very line! Good opening preparation can go a long way toward defeating a
higher rated player.} Qf6 {Yandemirov has had this position three times and
scored 3-0 with Black, beating Smyslov in the main game as well as IM
Zheliandinov and master Bukavshin.} 9. Nbd2 ({Bukavshin tried} 9. Re1 {
here without success, while Zheliandinov didn't deviate until move 11. All of
this will be covered in Chapter Five}) ({but it's worth mentioning here that
the immediate capture of the daring bishop gives Black a very dangerous attack:
} 9. hxg4 hxg4 10. Ng5 {- because d2-d3 has been played, White can speculate
with this move which prevents the immediate ...Qh4. However, according to the
Mega, no one has been bold (or foolhardy) enough to try this, so Mr. Fritz and
I are left on our own - but we like Black! . But even after the correct
knight block Black gets a strong attack with} ({
First let's note that White has to play Ng5, since} 10. Nfd2 $2 Qh4 11. f4 g3 {
mates at once}) 10... Qh6 {and then:} 11. -- (11. f4 Qh4 12. fxe5 dxe5 (12...
g3 {is premature in view of} 13. Nh3) 13. Be3 {(defending against ...Bc5+)} f6
14. Nf3 ({now if} 14. Ne6 $2 g3 {
wins, as the white knight has been diverted from its defensive duties}) 14...
gxf3 15. Qxf3 Rh5 $1 (15... Nh6 16. Bf2 {and White holds}) 16. Nd2 Nh6 {
with advantage to Black, who has maintained his attack while recovering
material.}) (11. f3 Qh2+ 12. Kf2 Be7 $1 {
(the trapped white knight on g5 is a recurring feature in this gambit)} 13.
fxg4 (13. Rg1 {is no better, as} f6 14. Ne6 Kf7 15. Nxc7 Ra7 {
terminates the white knight, and after} 16. Nxa6 Rxa6 {
Black's attack outweighs the pawn}) 13... Qh4+ 14. g3 Qh2+ 15. Kf3 Rh6 16. Qe2
Rf6+ 17. Ke3 ({or} 17. Bf4 Rxf4+ 18. gxf4 Qxf4+ 19. Kg2 Qxg5 20. Nc3 Rb8 21.
Rf5 Qg6 22. Rh5 Nh6 23. b3 Kd7 24. Rh3 f5 25. exf5 Nxf5 {
and Black is at least equal}) 17... Qh6 {and one sees why this line does not
entice White players: the prospect of a king on e3, and losing the piece back
after all (i.e.} 18. Rxf6 Bxf6 19. Kf2 Bxg5 {and Black has recovered the piece
with advantage), is not something most would enjoy.})) 9... Ne7 10. Re1 Bd7 ({
Now it's finally time to save the bishop, for if} 10... Ng6 $2 11. hxg4 hxg4 {
, then} 12. Nh2 Qh4 13. Ndf1 {and White defends the attack on the h-file.}) 11.
Nf1 ({Zheli deviated here with} 11. Nc4 {.}) 11... Ng6 12. Bg5 Qe6 13. d4 f6 {
Black has a solid position and can attack the white king.} 14. Be3 Ne7 ({
Slower but safer is} 14... h4 $5 {
which prevents Ng3, and the black king can find a relatively safe home on f7.})
15. Qd2 g5 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Qa5 {Smyslov is concerned about Black's weak
pawns on the queenside - but Yandemirov is not!} Ng6 18. Qxc7 g4 {
A "king attack" pawn sacrifice - obviously!} 19. hxg4 hxg4 20. N3h2 Bd6 21. Qa5
Rb8 22. Red1 $5 ({Having said "A" (18 Qxc7) I think White should say "B" (} 22.
Qxa6 {) and speculate on the strength of his passed a-pawn after} Rxb2 23. a4 {
.}) 22... Rxb2 23. Qxa6 Nf4 24. Rd2 ({Stronger is} 24. Ng3 {when White might
beat off the attack, but Smyslov must still be suffering from sacrificial
shock!}) 24... Bb4 $1 25. c3 ({White should probably try} 25. Rxd7 {
with some compensation for the exchange.}) 25... Rxd2 $1 {The "king attacking"
diagonal a7-g1 is more important to Black than a mere pawn.} 26. Bxd2 Bc5 {
It looks like Black is just winning here, but Smyslov has one more chance...}
27. Rb1 ({...which was} 27. Bxf4 exf4 28. Nxg4 Qxg4 29. Qa8+ Bc8 30. Qxc6+ Bd7
31. Qa8+ ({but not} 31. Qxc5 $2 Qh4 {with a winning attack}) 31... Bc8 32. Qc6+
{and amazingly enough, it looks like White draws.}) 27... Bc8 $1 28. Rb8 Kf7 {
Now one sees that the white queen and rook are not playing, and Yandemirov,
with a material superiority on the king's flank, finishes efficiently.} 29. Qa5
Ne2+ 30. Kh1 Bxf2 {There are no more miracle draws!} 31. g3 {
Necessary to prevent Black's pawn advance...} Nxg3+ 32. Kg2 Nxf1 33. Nxf1 g3 {
...but the pawn gets through anyway!} 34. Nxg3 Bxg3 ({This is completely
winning, of course, but the reader might enjoy finding the quick mate that
occurs after} 34... Rh2+ $1 {.}) 35. Qa7+ Kg6 {Only the black king is safe.}
36. Kxg3 Qg4+ {Smyslov resigns, as it's mate in three. --- This was a
wonderful attack by Yandemirov, and it shows the dangers of passive play in
the opening, even by World Champions!} 0-1

[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tal, M."]
[Black "Mukhametov, E."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C76"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 ({I have played} 3... g6 {myself to disconcert
Exchange players, but the problem is that I don't see an equalizer after the
theoretical and strong} 4. d4 $1 {. Therefore I don't recommend this move
order - except as a psychological surprise!}) ({
Once again, my preferred move order when Black wants a kingside fianchetto is} 
3... a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. O-O g6 {
which reaches Parma-Keres in Chapter Three.}) 4. c3 {
The surprise works on Tal! Now Black gets back into the MS.} a6 5. Ba4 d6 6. d4
Bd7 7. O-O ({
Another reason I don't like Mukhametov's move order is the Capablanca finesse} 
7. Bg5 $1 {- see the game Capablanca-Thomas for the conclusion.}) 7... Bg7 8.
dxe5 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. f4 {Tal tries to blow his much lower rated opponent
off the board, but the MS is resilient!} ({A more restrained approach was
tried in the following encounter between two strong American GMs, though White
also got nothing:} 10. Be3 Nf6 11. Nd2 Bxa4 12. Qxa4+ Qd7 13. Qb3 Qb5 14. f3
Qxb3 15. Nxb3 O-O-O {(once again we see long castling for Black!)} 16. Kf2 Ne8
17. c4 f5 $1 {and Black had good counterplay and made an eventual draw in N.De
Firmian-R.Byrne, Reykjavik 1986.}) 10... Bxa4 11. Qxa4+ b5 12. Qb3 exf4 13.
Bxf4 {At this point Tal probably didn't mind the isolated e-pawn, but it soon
becomes a serious weakness.} Nf6 14. Nd2 ({
Tal has to stop to complete his development as} 14. e5 Nd5 15. Rd1 c6 {
favours Black - White can't exploit the pin and the isolani is weaker than ever.
}) 14... O-O 15. Rae1 Ng4 16. Nf3 Qe7 17. e5 ({If} 17. h3 $2 Qc5+ 18. Kh1 Nf2+
19. Kh2 ({or} 19. Rxf2 Qxf2 20. Be3 Qg3 {and the queen escapes!}) 19... Nd3 {
wins material.}) 17... Qc5+ 18. Kh1 Rae8 ({But} 18... Nf2+ $2 19. Rxf2 Qxf2 20.
Be3 {now wins for White as there is no bolt hole on g3!}) 19. e6 {
White must play for equality, as otherwise the e-pawn is a permanent weakness.}
fxe6 20. Rxe6 Kh8 21. Bg3 Rxe6 $2 {This allows a fork;} ({
whereas after the obvious} 21... a5 {Black has good play; e.g.} 22. Rxe8 Rxe8
23. Nd4 b4 {softening up the long diagonal.}) 22. Qxe6 Ne5 23. Qxa6 Nd3 24. a4
Nxb2 25. axb5 $2 {Back to back errors!} ({Correct is} 25. Qxb5 Qxc3 26. Be5
Bxe5 27. Nxe5 {and White is just a good pawn up.}) 25... Qxc3 26. Qb7 Qc4 27.
Ra1 Na4 28. Re1 Nc3 29. b6 cxb6 30. Bd6 Qc8 31. Qxb6 Re8 32. Ne5 Nd5 33. Qa7
Qf5 34. h3 Nf6 35. Qa2 h5 36. Qf7 Kh7 37. Kg1 Ne4 $1 {
Black finds a pretty drawing combination.} 38. Rxe4 Rxe5 39. Qxf5 ({Since} 39.
Qxf5 Rxf5 {is equal, Tal and Mukh leave this messy game behind them - one sees
that both players need to keep their move order straight!}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "USSR-Yugoslavia match, Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1957.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Matanovic, A."]
[Black "Petrosian, TV."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "35"]
[EventDate "1957.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nge7 7. O-O Ng6 8. Re1
Be7 9. Nbd2 (9. d5 Nb8 10. Bxd7+ Nxd7 11. c4 {
to develop the knight to c3 might be better.}) 9... O-O {I think ...h7-h6 and .
..Bg5 before castling is best (see Oim-Keres and Sagafos-Gareev), but
Petrosian conjures up kingside counterplay anyway!} 10. Nf1 (10. d5 Nb8 11.
Bxd7 Nxd7 12. Nf1 Nh4 {transposes to Glawe-Taylor where Black had no problems
- but at least the struggle would continue. Now a draw arises almost by force.}
) 10... Bg4 11. Bxc6 ({It looks like everything draws:} 11. d5 Nh4 12. dxc6
Bxf3 13. gxf3 Qc8 14. cxb7 Qh3 15. Ne3 Rab8 16. Kh1 Nxf3 17. Nf1 Nh4 18. Ne3 {
with a repetition.}) 11... Nh4 12. N1d2 (12. Bxb7 Bxf3 13. gxf3 Qd7 {
is our basic draw again.}) 12... bxc6 13. h3 Nxf3+ 14. Nxf3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Bf6
16. dxe5 ({Thirteen years later, Smyslov, who always seemed to have trouble vs.
the MS, followed this same path to no advantage for White:} 16. Be3 Qb8 17. Re2
Qb5 18. dxe5 Bxe5 19. Bd4 {
½-½ V.Smyslov-A.Medina Garcia, European Team Championship, Kapfenberg 1970.
}) 16... Bxe5 17. Qd3 Re8 18. Be3 {With equality on the board, the players
take a rest. --- This looks like lesson 73 in the unwritten Petrosian book,
"How to Draw with Black!"} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Timman, J."]
[Black "Spassky, B."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 ({
As mentioned previously, I think this is more logical than} 6... f6 {
from Trott-Euwe. Since Black has the two bishops, why not open the game?}) 7.
Qxd4 c5 8. Qd3 g6 ({Keres'} 8... Ne7 {is safer (see the game Mecking-Keres),
as with the present move order White can try a dangerous pawn sacrifice.}) 9.
Nc3 ({More enterprising is} 9. O-O Bg7 10. e5 $1 {(a "pawn cracker" sacrifice!)
} Ne7 ({if Black captures} 10... dxe5 {
White can get the pawn back immediately with} 11. Qc3 {
or just play positionally, as the pawns at c5 and c7 are inoffensive and weak})
({; Black has also tried} 10... Bf5 {, but after} 11. Qe2 d5 12. Nc3 Ne7 13.
Na4 $1 c4 14. Nd4 {White saddled him with weak squares - not much better than
weak pawns - and went on to win in M.Wahls-J.Piket, Hamburg 1991}) 11. Re1 O-O
12. Bg5 Re8 13. Nc3 Bf5 14. Qe3 dxe5 15. Rad1 Qc8 16. Bxe7 Rxe7 17. Nd5 $1 {
when White doesn't care about the fact that he is momentarily a pawn down: as
Wahls did above, he occupies the weak squares with his knight and then after}
Re6 18. Ng5 Re8 19. Qxc5 {regains the material. Following} h6 20. Nf3 Bf8 $2
21. Qc3 Bg7 22. Nxc7 {even more material fell and White converted in J.
Friedel-J.Curdo, Manchester, New Hampshire 2003.}) 9... Bg7 10. Bf4 Ne7 11.
O-O-O ({Here} 11. e5 {does nothing as Black doesn't have to take:} Bf5 12. Qe2
O-O 13. Rd1 Re8 {with good counterplay.}) 11... O-O 12. Qd2 (12. e5 Bf5 13. Qe3
Re8 {is similar: it's clear that even if White picks off the d-pawn, Black
will have more than enough compensation with his raking bishops and the b-file
open toward White's king.}) 12... Re8 13. Bh6 Bh8 {
Black preserves the powerful bishop.} 14. h4 Rb8 {An Alekhine annotation comes
to mind, also of an MS from this variation: "Black comes first: not surprising
considering the open file."} 15. a3 Be6 16. Ng5 Qc8 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 {
One sees the advantage shifting to Black.} 18. Kb1 $2 ({Imperative is} 18. h5 {
to get at least an open line for counterplay (this would have been even better
on move 15). Instead, walking into Black's open b-file is a disaster.}) 18...
Rb7 $1 19. Ka1 Reb8 20. Rb1 Nc6 21. f4 Bd4 $1 {Spassky makes sure that his
attacking bishop is not blocked off by the white e-pawn.} 22. Qd3 a5 23. Qh3 f5
24. Rhe1 ({Relatively better is} 24. exf5 gxf5 25. Qg3+ Kf7 26. Bg5 Qc4 {
, though Black's attack is still very strong.}) 24... Nb4 $3 25. axb4 ({
If White thinks that only he is attacking and plays} 25. h5 {, then} Nxc2# {
would be a rude awakening}) ({or if he thought defending that mate would work,
} 25. Re2 Bxc3 26. bxc3 Qa2# {would disabuse him of that notion too.}) 25...
axb4 {But now the newly opened a-file is decisive.} 26. Na4 Ra7 27. Qb3 c4 28.
Qa2 Rba8 29. exf5 Rxa4 {This pretty queen sac ends the game. How often did
Timman lose so quickly on the white side of the Ruy?} 0-1

[Event "Hamburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1982.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lobron, E."]
[Black "Spassky, B."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1982.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. d4 {This variation is covered in
Chapter Eight. Unlike Steinitz (in his game with Baird), Spassky immediately
punishes White for his move order (the premature d2-d4) and might even win a
piece if White is not careful (see Steiner-Capablanca).} b5 6. Bb3 Nxd4 7. Nxd4
exd4 8. c3 {"A gambit of doubtful value," says Alekhine;} ({
but at least better than} 8. Qxd4 {
as seen in the above-mentioned piece-losing game.}) 8... dxc3 {
So if there's a doubtful gambit pawn on the board, take it!} 9. Nxc3 {
White ambitiously tries to win.} ({After} 9. Qh5 Qd7 {White got nothing for
the pawn and was essentially lost by move 14 in De Firmian-Hübner}) ({
but he can play for a draw with} 9. Qd5 {(see Schlosser-Stangl).}) 9... Nf6 10.
e5 ({Clearly if Black is allowed to develop and castle, White has no
compensation, as the following game shows:} 10. O-O Be7 11. a4 Rb8 12. axb5
axb5 13. Be3 Bd7 14. Ra7 O-O {(Black has a safe king and an extra pawn)} 15.
Bd4 Ra8 16. Qa1 Qb8 17. Qa2 Rxa7 18. Bxa7 Qb7 19. Bd5 c6 20. Bb3 c5 21. Ra1 c4
22. Bd1 Bc6 23. Qa6 b4 24. Qxb7 Bxb7 25. Na2 b3 26. Nc3 Nxe4 27. Bf3 {
and White resigned in P.Cramling-G.Iskov, Copenhagen 1982, as after the simple}
f5 {
she has nothing for the two pawns. So Lobron mixes it up - but Boris is ready.
}) 10... dxe5 ({But not} 10... Ng4 $2 11. Qf3 {, attacking a8, f7 and g4, with
a quick win for White in V.Dobrov-S.Silivanov, St Petersburg 2004.}) 11. Bxf7+
Ke7 {White carries out his idea, but Boris is unfazed.} 12. Qxd8+ {White must trade queens, not usually auspicious in a gambit, but characteristic of
doubtful ones!} ({Even worse is} 12. Qb3 c5 13. Bd5 c4 14. Qd1 Nxd5 15. Qf3 (
15. Nxd5+ Ke6 16. Nf4+ exf4 17. Qxd8 Bb4+ {also wins for Black}) {
, and now instead of} 15... Rb8 {
as in L.Kerkhoff-M.Yeo, London Lloyds Bank 1979,} ({
Black could have simply developed with} 15... Be6 {
when White has no compensation for the piece.})) 12... Kxd8 13. Bg5 Bb7 14.
O-O-O+ ({After} 14. O-O Bd6 {White has nothing for the pawn.}) 14... Bd6 15. f4
({If} 15. Nd5 {Black holds the material with} h6 {.}) 15... exf4 {
Boris takes everything on offer!} 16. Nd5 Kc8 17. Nb6+ {
Perhaps a mistake, but White hardly has compensation anyway for two pawns.} ({
If} 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Rhf1 Rd8 {.}) 17... cxb6 18. Rxd6 Ne4 19. Be6+ Kb8 20.
Rxb6 Nxg5 21. Bd5 Rc8+ 22. Kb1 Rc7 23. Re1 Ka7 $1 {Boris finds a clear win.}
24. Rxb7+ Rxb7 25. h4 Nh3 $1 {To create a passed pawn.} 26. Bxb7 Kxb7 27. gxh3
Rf8 {When all is said and done, one sees that the World Champion has retained
the gambit pawn from the opening, and has set up a classically winning ending
with his rook behind the passed pawn.} 28. Re7+ ({If} 28. Rf1 Kc6 29. Kc2 Kd5
30. Kd3 f3 31. Rf2 Ke5 32. Ke3 Rf6 $1 {and White is in zugzwang;} 33. -- ({
; i.e.} 33. Kd3 Kf4) ({, or} 33. Rf1 f2) ({, or} 33. b4 Kd5 {.}) ({
. That only leaves the pawn ending after} 33. Rxf3 Rxf3+ 34. Kxf3 Kd4 {
, but this is won for Black too; e.g.} 35. Ke2 ({the other race also loses:} 
35. Kf4 Kd3 36. Kf5 Kc2 37. b4 Kc3 38. h5 Kxb4 39. Ke6 Ka3 40. Kf7 Kxa2 41.
Kxg7 b4 42. Kxh7 b3 43. h6 b2 44. Kg7 b1=Q 45. h7 Qb2+ 46. Kg8 Qb3+ 47. Kg7
Qxh3 {and Black will have the only queen}) 35... Ke4 36. a3 (36. h5 h6 {
doesn't change anything}) 36... h5 37. b4 Kd4 38. Kd2 Kc4 39. Kc2 g6 40. Kb2
Kd3 41. Kb3 Ke4 42. a4 Kf3 43. axb5 axb5 44. Kc3 Kg3 45. Kd4 Kxh4 46. Kc5 g5
47. Kxb5 g4 48. hxg4 hxg4 49. Kc4 g3 50. Kd3 g2 {and queens.})) 28... Kc6 29.
Rxg7 f3 30. Rg1 f2 31. Rf1 Kd5 32. Kc2 Ke4 {. It's safe to say that Spassky
agrees with Alekhine: this gambit is still doubtful, at least if White wants
to win.} 0-1

[Event "Mar del Plata"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1959.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fischer, RJ."]
[Black "Pachman, L."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "1959.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nge7 ({I recommend} 
6... Nf6 {.}) 7. Bb3 ({As previously pointed out, Black should not have played
the ...Ne7-g6 line before White castled, since White could get the edge here
with} 7. Be3 {(see Topalov-Yusupov).}) 7... h6 8. O-O ({Also ineffective is} 8.
Qe2 Ng6 9. Qc4 Qf6 10. d5 b5 {and now... what can one say? I would call
White's next four moves nonsensical. I could imagine telling a student: "What
is this? You play four non-developing moves in a row in order to leave your
kingside full of holes and your pieces helpless on the back rank, all because
you hope that after all your nonsense your opponent - a strong master, mind
you - will overlook a one move trap! That is the worst example of 'hope chess'
I've ever seen!" And if one of my students did try this, he would not succeed,
he would lose the game - except... Yes, the "student" who did play this way
was in fact the young Bobby Fischer in another game against the MS - and his
nonsense worked. Hypnosis seems to be the only explanation. Here's how the
game continued:} 11. Qe2 Na5 12. Bd1 Be7 13. g3 O-O 14. h4 {and there you have
it! White has no development and an absurdly posted queen and bishop "battery"
that attacks nothing. It will be an age before White can connect his rooks,
and Black is ready to open the game.} -- ({. All White has going for him is a
one move threat which any master (or less!) should spot a threat that is
easily met by the logical} 14... Bd8 {with advantage to Black; e.g.} 15. Qf1 ({
trying to get to the h-file;} 15. Nbd2 {is better, but} c6 {
still gives Black a plus}) 15... c6 $1 {(Black opens the game against White's
lack of development and prepares to activate the d8-bishop)} 16. Qg2 cxd5 17.
exd5 Bb6 {and Black has a dominating game - indeed Mr. Fritz goes all the way
to decisive advantage here.}) ({. But of course, as any Fischer fan knows,
this did not happen. His opponent played} 14... Rfc8 $4 {
and lost his queen to the one move threat:} 15. Bg5 hxg5 16. hxg5 {
and White won in R.J.Fischer-V.Ciocaltea, Varna Olympiad 1962.})) 8... Ng6 9.
Nbd2 Be7 10. Nc4 Bg5 {The key idea - see more in Chapter Two. Because of
White's early castling, Black can often get a strong attack down the h-file if
the bishop is taken (as for example in Akopian-Taylor, where the white king is
driven down the board to e7!), but otherwise Black exchanges this sometimes
problematic piece and frees his game.} 11. Ne3 Bxe3 12. Bxe3 O-O 13. h3 Re8 14.
Nh2 Qe7 {White has nothing, as Black's rock solid centre repels the bishops -
but the young Fischer reckoned the bishop pair was a "half point advantage"
and so no doubt thought he was better.} 15. dxe5 {
Fischer tries to open the position, to no avail;} ({but} 15. d5 Na5 16. Bc2 Bb5
17. Re1 Nc4 {is also equal.}) 15... dxe5 16. Qh5 Na5 ({I suppose} 16... b5 $4
17. Qxg6 {was White's one move "trap".}) 17. Bc2 ({And now} 17. Qxg6 $4 Nxb3 {
is Black's one move trap. Though neither trap catches anyone, we can see that
Black is improving his position, whereas the white queen is just misplaced -
on an 'attacking' outpost when there is no attack.}) ({
Perhaps White should go for} 17. Bd5 c6 18. Qxg6 cxd5 19. Qb6 Nc4 20. Qxb7 dxe4
{when Black is just slightly better.}) 17... Nc4 18. Bc1 Nf4 19. Qf3 Rad8 {
Pachman pushes the white bishops back and installs his knights on the fifth
rank - Black has the edge.} 20. Bxf4 {This knight must have really annoyed
Bobby - he gave up one of his bishops for it!} exf4 21. Qxf4 Bc6 {Black's temporary pawn sac has given him an excellent position; and White can hardly hold
the pawn, as the next note shows.} 22. Ng4 {
Black maintains his edge against other moves as well:} (22. Rab1 Nd2) ({and} 
22. Rfb1 Rd2 {are both clearly better for Black}) ({or} 22. b3 Na3 23. Bb1 Nxb1
24. Raxb1 Bxe4 25. Rbe1 g5 26. Qg3 f5 27. f3 Qc5+ {and ironically enough,
Black ends up with the sole bishop and a Fischeresque superiority!}) 22... h5
23. Ne3 Nxb2 24. Nf5 Qf6 25. Qxc7 Qxc3 26. Rac1 Qf6 27. Rfe1 Nd3 28. Bxd3 Rxd3
29. Qf4 $4 {Blundering or sacrificing a piece.} ({Better is} 29. f3 g6 30. Ne3
Qg5 {when Black has attacking chances and the superior minor piece, but White
is still in the game.}) 29... g6 30. Rc5 Re6 31. Qb8+ Rd8 32. Qf4 gxf5 33. Rxf5
Qg7 34. Rxh5 Rde8 35. f3 Re5 36. Rh4 Rg5 {White only has two pawns for the
piece and now must exchange to halt Black's attack.} 37. Rg4 Rxg4 38. hxg4 Qd4+
39. Re3 Qe5 40. Qf5 Qxf5 41. gxf5 Rd8 42. Kf2 Bb5 43. Ke1 Kg7 44. e5 Rd4 45. g4
Kh6 46. e6 f6 47. Kf2 Rd2+ 48. Kg3 Kg7 49. Rc3 Bc6 50. a3 Re2 51. Kf4 a5 52.
Rd3 a4 $1 {
The key to the ending: Black will win with his queenside pawn majority.} 53.
Rd8 Rf2 54. Rd3 b5 55. Rc3 Rxf3+ $1 56. Rxf3 Bxf3 {It's the black bishop (not
the white ones that Fischer tried to keep) that wins the game.} ({As} 56...
Bxf3 57. Kxf3 b4 {wins easily, Fischer resigned. --- Black's system (when
handled correctly) is so solid that it's an excellent line against attacking
players like Fischer, who are liable to beat their heads against the wall of
Black's well-defended centre.}) 0-1

[Event "Leningrad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Karpov, A."]
[Black "Ravinsky, G."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1966.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 ({Again} 4... d6 5. d3 Nf6 {
is the MS route to this "no hope for advantage" line.}) 5. d3 d6 6. c3 {
Again this ineffective set-up!} Bd7 7. O-O g6 {Black follows a simple MS
recipe that's worked since Lasker's time, and we'll see the same type of
logical development in a recent Mamedyarov game from 2006 (David-Mamedyarov).}
8. b4 Bg7 9. Bb3 O-O 10. Re1 h6 11. Nbd2 Kh7 12. Bb2 Nh5 13. a3 f5 {Black has achieved this thematic break "for nothing" and it's clear he is already better.
Karpov commences to defend, since there is nothing active he can do.} 14. Qc2
fxe4 15. Nxe4 Nf4 16. Kh1 Bg4 17. Ng1 $1 {Karpov digs in for defence! As my
Fritz or yours will tell you, Black is clearly better here - but you don't
beat Karpov by being "clearly better". At some point you have to go all
Kasparov on him and crash through, something Ravinsky doesn't manage.} d5 18.
Ng3 h5 (18... e4 19. dxe4 d4 20. cxd4 Nxd4 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 22. Rad1 Bxd1 23. Rxd1
Qf6 24. Nf3 Rad8 25. Rxd4 Rxd4 26. Qxc7+ Kh8 27. Nxd4 Qxd4 28. h3 Nxg2 29. Qe7
Qxf2 30. Nf5 Qf1+ 31. Kh2 Qf4+ {
is a long Fritz variation leading to a draw by perpetual check.}) ({
The game move also turns out to be ineffective, so I offer} 18... Be6 $1 {
which frees up the queen. After} 19. f3 Qf6 {
Black's kingside pressure is very alarming if not yet decisive.}) 19. f3 Be6
20. N3e2 Qd7 21. Rad1 h4 22. Nxf4 Rxf4 23. Bc1 Rf7 24. Bg5 Bf6 ({
Black's last chance to attack was} 24... h3 $5 {
- after the text Karpov chops wood and makes his draw.}) 25. Bxf6 Rxf6 26. Qf2
g5 27. d4 exd4 28. cxd4 Bf5 29. Ba4 Re8 30. Bxc6 Rxc6 31. Qd2 Kg6 32. Rxe8 Qxe8
33. Re1 Re6 34. Rxe6+ Qxe6 35. g4 hxg3 36. hxg3 g4 37. Kg2 gxf3+ 38. Nxf3 Be4
39. Qg5+ Kf7 40. Qf4+ {. Yes, Karpov held this - but the passive d2-d3 is
proven once again to have no effect, and Black easily obtains equality or more,
as here. The combination of kingside fianchetto and ...f7-f5 break is
noteworthy; Black gets King's Indian play, whereas White has nothing on the
other wing because his pawn is at d3, rather than the King's Indian style d5.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "World Championship, London"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "19"]
[White "Kasparov, G."]
[Black "Short, N."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 ({
In three previous games of this match, Short played the fashionable} 4... Nf6 {
- and lost all three! Finally, he went to the Modern Steinitz and made a short
draw - a big success against the Kasparovof1993!}) 5. Bxc6+ {Undoubtedly
surprised, Kasparov plays a less critical line than he usually does - for a
more "Kasparov-like" treatment of the MS, see note to move 9 in Akopian-Taylor;
and an even more aggressive, though this time somewhat misguided effort, can
be found in the notes to Euwe-Keres.} bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 Nf6 ({
I think the immediate} 7... c5 {as played by Spassky and Keres (vs. Timman and
Mecking) is more accurate, since the knight on f6 invites an e4-e5 break -
though as we'll see, that doesn't seem to faze Short a bit!}) 8. O-O Be7 9. e5
c5 10. Qd3 dxe5 11. Qxd8+ Bxd8 12. Nxe5 {White has inflicted doubled isolated
pawns on his opponent, but the board has also opened more for the bishop pair
and Short equalizes against the World Champion.} Be7 13. Re1 $5 ({If} 13. Nc3
Bf5 {targets c2 and shows the strength of the unopposed light-squared bishop.})
13... O-O 14. Bg5 Be6 15. Nd2 ({Short points out that} 15. Ng4 Rab8 16. b3 Nxg4
17. Bxe7 Rfe8 18. Bxc5 Bxb3 $1 {exploits White's weak back rank.}) 15... Rfe8
16. h3 $5 h6 17. Bh4 Rad8 18. Ndf3 $1 g5 19. Bg3 Bd5 20. Rad1 Kg7 $6 ({
Better is} 20... Bd6 {, activating both bishops with equality.}) 21. c4 Bb7 22.
Rxd8 $1 Rxd8 23. Nc6 $1 {Finally Kasparov makes something of the position: he
trades a knight for a bishop and gets a small plus.} Bxc6 24. Rxe7 Rd1+ 25. Kh2
Ne4 26. Rxc7 ({Makarichev gives the following drawing line in the 'Informator'
and indeed the players agreed to a draw here:} 26. Rxc7 Bd7 27. Ra7 h5 28. Be5+
Kg6 29. Rxa6+ Kf5 30. Bc3 g4 31. hxg4+ hxg4 32. Ne5 Nxc3 33. Nxd7 Ne4 34. Nxc5
g3+ $1 35. fxg3 Nf2 36. g4+ Kxg4 37. g3 Rd2 {
and Black has sufficient counterplay.}) ({
But then Kasparov points out the move he missed:} 26. Ne5 $1 Nd2 27. h4 g4 28.
Nxg4 Nf1+ ({not} 28... Nf3+ $2 29. gxf3 Bxf3 30. Kh3 {
when White both avoids mate and emerges with an extra piece}) 29. Kh3 Bd7 30.
h5 Kf8 31. Rxd7 $1 {(this exchange sac is the key to the variation)} Rxd7 32.
Bf4 $1 {and one can see that White comes out with two pawns for the exchange
and some real winning chances. --- However, this was a tough line to find (so
tough that Kasparov missed it at the board!) and was only possible at all
because of Black's inaccuracy on the 20th move. Furthermore, if Black plays
more actively in the beginning (7...c5, which will be fully analysed in
Chapter Six) there doesn't seem to be any way for White to get an advantage.
--- It's too bad Short didn't go to the MS at the beginning of the match! When
he finally did, after the aforementioned three losses, it was too late to save
the situation.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bastia (rapid)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2003.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Topalov, V."]
[Black "Anand, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{One reason the next game is interesting is that it features the two recent
contenders for the world championship - and as in that match, we see in this
individual game Anand's great imagination and fighting spirit. --- Note that
we skip Vladimir Kramnik in this book - not due to lack of respect, but
because, according to the database, he has never played a Modern Steinitz in
his life, whether with White or Black!} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4
Nf6 ({As always, the MS order is} 4... d6 5. d3 Nf6 {.}) 5. d3 d6 {
Our favourite transposition.} 6. c3 Bd7 7. O-O g6 {
This Lasker style move seems to be simplest.} 8. Re1 {With this move, the most
popular choice, White scores only 50% according to the Mega, confirming once
again Smyslov's comment about the d2-d3 line giving "no possibility of any
sort of advantage". It's not clear to me why White, given the gift of the
first move, should play so passively, but I have seen this type of play
consistently at the highest levels: for example, in my book 'Alekhine Alert',
I noted that a line often played against World Champions was 1 e4 Nf6 2 e5 Nd5
3 Nc3 which, like 5 d3 here, gives White no advantage whatsoever! Yet the line
was played over and over with a conspicuous lack of success.} ({In this particular case, one sees that Anand had enjoyed this position before. Again, White
got nothing, while Anand created Shirovian fire and won stylishly:} 8. Nbd2 Bg7
9. Re1 O-O 10. d4 Re8 11. a3 Bh6 12. Bc2 a5 13. Rb1 Bg7 14. b4 axb4 15. axb4
exd4 16. cxd4 Nh5 17. d5 Na7 18. Nc4 Nb5 19. Qd3 b6 20. h3 Nf6 21. Bg5 h6 22.
Bh4 Qc8 23. g4 Nxe4 $1 {(a very imaginative sacrifice!)} 24. Rxe4 Rxe4 25. Qxe4
Nc3 26. Qd3 Nxb1 27. Bxb1 Ra1 {(Black has only a rook against two knights, but
it's quite a rook! - besides that, Black has kingside play, and White proves
unable to put out the fires on both sides of the board)} 28. Ncd2 h5 29. gxh5
Bf5 30. Ne4 c6 31. Nfd2 cxd5 32. Qxd5 Qe6 33. Qxe6 fxe6 34. Kh2 Rxb1 35. Nxb1
Bxe4 36. Nd2 Bd5 37. hxg6 Bc3 38. Nf1 Be4 39. b5 Bxg6 40. Ne3 Bd4 41. Nc4 d5
42. Nd6 Kf8 43. Kg2 Bc5 44. Nb7 Be7 45. Bg3 Ke8 46. Bc7 d4 47. Kf3 d3 48. Ke3
Bb4 49. f3 d2 50. Ke2 Bc2 {0-1 V.Kupreichik-V.Anand, Belgrade 1988.}) 8... Bg7
9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 g5 $5 {Anand signals his aggressive intentions with Black
but allows White some positional advantage.} ({Simpler is} 10... O-O 11. Nbd2
Qe8 {as played by Alekhine which looks already better for Black, as he has the
only good break (the coming ...f7-f5). In the game A.Ilyin Zhenevsky-A.
Alekhine, USSR Championship, Moscow 1920, White resorted to} 12. Nf1 {
(à la Karpov) and finally held a difficult draw, but this is no advertisement
for White's opening play.} ({Note that} 12. d4 {can be met by the clever} Nxd4
$1 {.})) 11. Bg3 Nh5 (11... Qe7 {intending ...0-0-0 is interesting.}) 12. Nxe5
Nxe5 13. Bxd7+ Qxd7 14. Bxe5 dxe5 15. Qxh5 Qxd3 {Evidently Anand's idea,
though his weak light squares will cause him trouble for a while.} 16. Na3 Qd6
17. Nc4 (17. Red1 {is better, when Black must work to castle and put his
bishop on an ineffective square (d6, instead of the game's f6 where it doesn't
interfere with the black rooks). After the plausible continuation} Qe6 18. Nc2
Bf8 19. Ne3 Bd6 20. Nf5 O-O-O 21. Rd5 c6 22. Rxd6 Rxd6 23. Qxf7 Rhd8 24. Nxd6+
Qxd6 25. h3 {Black has compensation due to his control of the open d-file, but
it's probably not quite enough for the pawn.}) 17... Qe6 18. Ne3 O-O-O 19. Nf5
Bf6 20. g3 Rd7 21. Re2 Rhd8 22. Kg2 {White's nominally superior minor piece
means nothing now in view of Black's control of the d-file.} ({
Also note that the black h-pawn is poisoned: both} 22. Qxh6 $2) ({and} 22. Nxh6
$2 {would be met by a decisive} Rh8 {.}) 22... a5 23. b3 Kb8 24. Rae1 c6 25.
Re3 Rh8 26. R1e2 Bd8 27. Rf3 Bb6 {Now the "bad bishop" has become such a great
piece that White offers to exchange it!} 28. Ne3 Bxe3 29. Rexe3 f6 30. Qg6 Rd6
31. Rf5 h5 32. h3 h4 33. Ref3 hxg3 34. fxg3 ({White's position slipped
downhill, so Topalov should seize the moment to run for a difficult draw with} 
34. Qxf6 $1 Qxf6 35. Rxf6 Rxf6 36. Rxf6 gxf2 37. Rxf2 Rh4 38. Re2 Kc7 39. Re3
Kd6 40. Kf2 g4 41. hxg4 Rxg4 42. Re1 Kc5 43. Kf3 Rf4+ 44. Ke3 Rh4 45. Rf1 {
and White should draw even though both Black's king and rook are slightly more
active. A sample continuation is} b5 46. a3 Rh3+ 47. Rf3 Rxf3+ 48. Kxf3 a4 ({
but not} 48... b4 $2 49. cxb4+ axb4 50. a4 Kd4 51. Ke2 c5 52. a5 c4 53. a6 cxb3
54. Kd2 {and White wins!}) 49. bxa4 bxa4 50. Kg4 Kc4 51. Kf5 c5 52. Kxe5 Kxc3
53. Kd5 c4 54. e5 Kb3 55. e6 c3 56. e7 c2 57. e8=Q c1=Q 58. Qe4 Kxa3 {
and the Tablebase says "draw", though this still wouldn't be too easy for a
human.}) 34... Rd2+ 35. Rf2 Rxf2+ 36. Kxf2 ({Not} 36. Rxf2 $2 Qxh3+ {winning.})
36... Rxh3 37. Kg2 g4 38. Qxf6 Qxf6 39. Rxf6 Rh7 40. Rg6 Rd7 41. Rxg4 Rd2+ 42.
Kh3 Rxa2 43. Rg5 Rb2 {Black has the active rook and more pawns to take.} 44.
Rxe5 b5 45. Re8+ ({Running with the g-pawn looks like a better try, but it
seems Black wins anyway after} 45. g4 Rxb3 46. g5 Rxc3+ 47. Kg4 Rc1 48. g6 Rg1+
49. Kf5 a4 50. Re8+ Ka7 51. Re7+ Kb6 52. Re8 b4 {etc.}) 45... Kc7 46. e5 Rxb3
47. Re7+ Kb6 48. Kg4 Rxc3 49. e6 Re3 50. Kf4 Re1 51. Kf5 a4 52. Re8 a3 53. Ra8
b4 54. g4 Kc7 55. g5 b3 56. Ra7+ Kd6 57. Rxa3 b2 58. Rd3+ Ke7 59. Rd7+ Ke8 60.
Rb7 b1=Q+ 61. Rxb1 Rxb1 {. An excellent win from Anand! --- From the opening
point of view, as usual 5 d3 does nothing. Note that Anand could have
continued less aggressively, like Alekhine (now there's an odd phrase!), and
been comfortably if slightly better, though his risk-taking ...g6-g5 was
ultimately rewarded.} 0-1

[Event "Sofia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2006.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kamsky, G."]
[Black "Anand, V."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 {Rather than retaining the tension with
4 Ba4, White can try to deaden the position with this capture. I give full
coverage of this necessary - the MS player must be prepared to meet it - line
in Chapters Ten and Eleven.} dxc6 {
This rather boring line is fully analysed in Chapter Ten;} ({instead, Chapter
Eleven features Larsen's take on the Exchange Ruy, namely the sharper} 4...
bxc6 {as played in Andersson-Larsen.}) 5. O-O Bg4 {If you must play 4...dxc6,
I recommend this follow-up, which dovetails neatly with the Yandemirov Gambit
of Chapter Five.} 6. h3 h5 7. d3 (7. hxg4 $2 hxg4 8. Ne1 Qh4 {
and wins is the obvious tactical point.}) 7... Qf6 {And the positional point
is this: Black threatens to damage the white pawn structure by giving back the
bishop pair. White often accepts this, as Kamsky does in a few moves, and a
very drawish position results.} 8. Nbd2 (8. Be3 Bxf3 {
is similar: Black gives his opponent doubled pawns to compensate for his own.})
8... Ne7 (8... Bd6 {is also possible, and on the next move White could keep
the position slightly more complicated with} 9. Re1 {
- all this will be covered in Chapter Ten.}) 9. Nc4 {
The US champion essentially forces an equal ending.} Bxf3 {
Black must make the equalizing exchange, as can be seen:} ({
Black loses quickly after both} 9... Ng6 $2 10. hxg4 hxg4 11. Bg5 Qe6 12. Nh2)
({and} 9... O-O-O $2 10. hxg4 hxg4 11. Nfxe5 Qh4 12. Qxg4+ {.}) 10. Qxf3 Qxf3
11. gxf3 Ng6 {A typical position, often seen in the 5...Bg4 line: Black
blockades the doubled f-pawns, while of course he has his own defective
queenside pawns. As the weaknesses balance themselves out two good players
will make a draw every time. Yes, this is a theoretical success for Black, but
very annoying if you want to win!} 12. Rd1 {In the following note one sees how
Spassky and other luminaries collect their draws, with the games given in
order of number of moves played before both sides accept the inevitable! Note
that the young and talented IM Jacek Stopa achieves a better position and even
an extra pawn with Black, but the drawish nature of the position is finally
too much for him!} (12. Be3 Be7 13. Rfd1 O-O-O 14. Kf1 f6 15. Ke2 Nf8 16. f4
exf4 17. Bxf4 Ne6 {
½-½ S.Kindermann-J.Dorfman, Austrian Team Championship 2003.}) (12. Be3 Be7
13. Rfb1 c5 14. Kf1 f6 15. Ke2 Kf7 16. a3 a5 17. a4 b6 18. Rg1 Bd6 19. Rg3 Nf8
20. f4 exf4 21. Nxd6+ cxd6 22. Bxf4 Ne6 23. Be3 g6 24. Rag1 Rhg8 25. Kd2 Rad8
26. f4 Nc7 27. c4 {½-½ S.Erenburg-L.Fressinet, Andorra 2004.}) (12. Be3 Bd6
13. Rfd1 f6 14. Kf1 O-O-O 15. Ke2 Rd7 16. Rg1 Nh4 17. f4 exf4 18. Nxd6+ cxd6
19. Bxf4 g5 20. Be3 d5 21. f3 Re8 22. Kf2 Ng6 23. a4 Ne5 24. b4 g4 25. hxg4
dxe4 26. fxe4 Nxg4+ 27. Ke2 f5 28. b5 fxe4 29. d4 Rf7 30. bxc6 bxc6 31. Rgf1
Rf3 32. Bf4 Rxf1 33. Rxf1 Kd7 34. Bg3 Ke6 35. c3 Rg8 36. Rf4 e3 37. c4 Rd8 38.
Kf3 Rd7 39. Bh4 Rf7 40. Rxf7 Kxf7 41. a5 Ke6 42. Bg5 e2 43. Kxe2 Kf5 44. Bd8
Ke4 45. d5 cxd5 46. cxd5 Kxd5 47. Kf3 Ke5 48. Kg3 Kf5 49. Kh4 Kg6 50. Kg3 Ne5
51. Kf4 Nc6 52. Bc7 Kf6 53. Ke4 Ke6 54. Kf4 Kd5 55. Kg5 Kc5 56. Kxh5 Kb5 57.
Kg4 Nxa5 58. Kf3 {(and after all that effort the extra pawn doesn't win!) ½-½ M.Rutkowski-J.Stopa, Polish Team Championship 2005.}) ({There's an
sting story about the final example: this was the last game of the
Hort-Spassky Candidates Match in 1977 (in the cycle to determine a challenger
to World Champion Anatoly Karpov). Spassky, a point ahead, needed only a draw,
whereas Hort absolutely had to win - so Hort chose the most drawish line at
his disposal!? It's true that he had won an earlier game of the match with the
Exchange Ruy, but there Boris played the less classical 5...Qd6 and did not
fare well; here he is prepared and equalizes with ease. But then Hort plays on
for ages to no avail when he should have played, much earlier, 4 Ba4!. --- The
game continued from our opening tabiya as follows:} 12. Be3 Be7 13. Kh1 Bf6 14.
a4 O-O-O 15. a5 Nh4 16. Nd2 Ng6 17. Rad1 Nf4 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. Nc4 g5 20. Kg2
Rh6 21. Rfe1 c5 22. c3 Bg7 23. Rg1 Rg6 24. Kf1 b5 25. axb6 cxb6 26. Ke2 b5 27.
Na5 Kc7 28. Nb3 Kb6 29. Ra1 Bf8 30. Ra2 Be7 {(one sees clear equality on the
board, and the same signified by Mr. Fritz - and no winning chances for either
side; but Hort perseveres for another thirty moves!)} 31. Rga1 Ra8 32. Ra5 Rc6
33. Kd2 Bf6 34. Kc2 c4 35. Nc1 cxd3+ 36. Nxd3 Be7 37. e5 h4 38. b4 Kb7 39. R5a3
Rd8 40. Rd1 Rdc8 41. Kb2 Re6 42. Raa1 Kb6 43. Rac1 Rc7 44. Kb3 Rec6 45. Nb2 a5
46. bxa5+ Kxa5 47. Rd5 Kb6 48. c4 Rc5 49. Rxc5 Rxc5 50. Nd3 bxc4+ 51. Rxc4 Rd5
52. Kc3 Bc5 53. Ra4 Kb5 54. Re4 Rd7 55. e6 fxe6 56. Re5 Rd5 57. Rxe6 Bd4+ 58.
Kc2 Rd8 59. Ne5 Bxe5 60. Rxe5+ Kc4 61. Rxg5 Rd3 62. Rc5+ ({since} 62. Rg4 Rxf3
63. Rxh4 Rxf2+ {is even better for Black, Hort finally forces the draw}) 62...
Kxc5 63. Kxd3 {½-½ V.Hort-B.Spassky, Reykjavik (16th matchgame) 1977. After
} Kd5 {there's no there there. Is this variation drawish enough for you?})
12... c5 13. Kf1 Bd6 14. Ke2 f6 15. c3 Kf7 16. Be3 Rhd8 17. a3 a5 18. a4 b6 19.
Rdc1 Rd7 20. b4 cxb4 21. Nxd6+ cxd6 22. cxb4 axb4 23. Rcb1 d5 {
Anand gets some activity but, as usual in this variation, it's not enough.} 24.
Rxb4 d4 25. Bd2 Rda7 {Black has gotten rid of his doubled pawns, while White
still has his - but now Kamsky solves that problem and essentially forces the
draw.} 26. f4 $1 Nxf4+ 27. Bxf4 exf4 28. Kf3 b5 ({If} 28... g5 29. h4 Ra5 30.
hxg5 fxg5 31. Rxb6 Rxa4 32. Rxa4 Rxa4 33. Rb7+ Kg6 ({
White forces the draw by perpetual check, as avoidance is worse:} 33... Ke6 34.
Rb6+ Kd7 35. Rb5) 34. Rb6+ Kg7 35. Rb7+ {and draws.}) 29. Rxb5 Rxa4 30. Rb7+
Kf8 31. Rg1 g5 32. h4 Ra1 33. Rxa1 Rxa1 34. Rb5 gxh4 35. Rxh5 Ra3 36. Rxh4
Rxd3+ 37. Ke2 Ra3 38. Rxf4 Ke7 39. Rf5 Ke6 {. The drawish reputation of this
line is upheld: if White tries to somehow take the attacking bishop, exciting
games can occur - but they usually favour Black. So White players usually try
something like this, and very exciting ...snooze... games occur. I say follow
Larsen and take back with 4...bxc6 - see full coverage in Chapter Eleven. ---
Now, as Anand still reigns as I write, we have run out of World Champions - so
let's follow the great Keres into the specific analysis of the opening. We
start with the solid line that defeated Fischer!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "2. The Knight Defence"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O ({The fundamental quality of
this first solid line, the Knight Defence, is seen after the moves} 5. O-O Bd7
6. c3 Nge7 7. d4 Ng6 {. Black has unpinned his queen's knight and uses the
king's knight to create a rock-solid defence of e5. One recalls that the young
and impatient Fischer of 1959 bashed his head against the wall of this defence
(Fischer-Pachman). Black usually continues with the manoeuvre ...Be7/...h7-h6/.
..Bg5 which exchanges a minor piece to ease his slightly cramped position, and
might also open the h-file (see Akopian-Taylor). In general, Black has
excellent chances to equalize in this variation, and can pursue
counter-attacking chances later - if (and this is a very important "if"!) he
follows the above move order.}) ({
However, in the MS White's most popular move after 4...d6 is} 5. c3 {, beating 
out 5 0-0 by an extra ten percent or so. But I gave 5 0-0 in my sample line
above - thus the obvious question is: "Can we play this knight manoeuvre
against the more popular 5 c3 - ?" I answer, "No!", since if White is not
castled, he can shake Black's entire formation by attacking the g6-knight with
h2-h4 (something that is obviously impossible after castling). We will see
White get an advantage after this pawn thrust in Topalov-Yusupov. White even
has a secondary attacking system involving a pawn sacrifice with Nh4, as in
the first game of this chapter where Keres somewhat fortuitously beats off the
attack. --- In short, the Knight Defence variation is not a universal system,
but is really only effective against lines where White castles early.}) ({
Meanwhile, what of our Solid Line 2: the Bishop Defence, where Black plans a
kingside fianchetto? This can indeed be played against both of White's
fundamental continuations 5 c3 and 5 0-0,as} 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. O-O g6) ({
or} 5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 Nf6 7. d4 g6 {is a simple transposition. So one solid
line is a universal system and the other is not: why do we have to learn both
of them? --- Well, you don't! The highest rated exponent of the MS today, GM
Shak Mamedyarov, only plays the Bishop Defence - and with success (drawing
with Anand in this line, for example). However, let's not forget our mentor
Keres, who played both variations.}) ({My feeling is that there are at least
three advantages to playing both lines: 1. In the age of databases, it's good
to keep your opponents guessing! -- 2. This knight defence is so unfashionable
now that when I wheeled it out twice recently (Akopian-Taylor and Glawe-Taylor)
my opponents did not know what to do, which helped me set up early attacking
positions in both games. -- 3. Play the opponent, not the position: If your
opponent is an attacking player and opts for} 5. O-O {, play the Knight
Defence and frustrate him. If your opponent plays passively, use the Bishop
Defence.}) ({If your opponent is an attacking player and ventures} 5. c3 {
, choose neither: force him onto the defensive with the Siesta} f5 $5 {.}) 5...
Bd7 6. c3 Nge7 7. d4 Ng6 {. Now let's expand our minds and begin the real
study of this opening - with, of course, Paul Keres.} 8. -- (8. -- {Conclusion:
The Knight Defence is very solid and Black has excellent chances to equalize -
if White has castled early, which allows the key ...h7-h6/...Bg5 counter. I
don't recommend this line at all (remember Topalov-Yusupov) if White has not
castled and can play h2-h4.}) *

[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1950.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Geller, E."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1950.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 {
Both of Black's solid systems start with this pin-breaking move;} ({
but Black can also go wild with} 5... f5 $5 {(see Chapter Four).}) 6. d4 Nge7 {
Keres played this inaccuracy many times in his career and was never punished
for it - as the strongest reply was never played against him! But even here
Geller finds an attacking scheme that throws a scare into our Estonian hero.} (
{Best is} 6... Nf6 {, heading for the Bishop Defence with a coming ...g7-g6,
the subject of the next chapter. Note that generally I will not cover lines
with ...Nf6 and ...Be7 as this is more of Main Line Ruy than a Modern Steinitz,
though I've made a few exceptions (such as Smyslov-Botvinnik, for the fabulous
middlegame play; and Kashdan-Alekhine et al, where White's opening play left
Black no other option).}) 7. Bb3 {
Fischer's primitive attack, but Geller has a stronger continuation in mind.} (
7. Be3 {is critical (see the next game).}) 7... h6 8. Nh4 $5 {White tries to
radically "prevent" Black's plan of ...Ng6 (though as we'll see, not everyone
is deterred!), offers an at least temporary pawn sacrifice, and announces his
intention to blow Black off the board!} ({
One recalls that Fischer got nowhere with the quieter} 8. O-O {
in Fischer-Pachman}) ({though the more flexible} 8. Nbd2 {
of Bronstein-Keres gave White a slight edge.}) 8... Nc8 {
There are three reasonable alternatives:} (8... Ng6 {
(Black is undeterred, but also I think unwise!)} 9. Nxg6 fxg6 {
(I doubt the f-file is worth the doubled pawns)} 10. O-O Qh4 11. f4 O-O-O 12.
Be3 g5 13. d5 Na5 14. g3 Qh3 15. fxe5 dxe5 16. Nd2 Bd6 17. Qe2 Bg4 18. Qd3 Nxb3
19. axb3 Qh5 20. Rfe1 Rdf8 21. b4 Rf6 22. b5 Rhf8 23. bxa6 bxa6 24. Rxa6 Kd7 {
, and now} 25. Ra7 {would give White a very strong attack.} ({
Instead, in V.Kotronias-S.Cvetkovic, Athens 1998,} 25. Qb5+ {was played, which
drove the black king where he wanted to go (away from the white attack on the
queenside!) and Black eventually made a draw.})) (8... exd4 {
(Black can snatch a pawn)} 9. cxd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Nc6 11. Bxf7+ ({Tal wins with
a magical or some might say irrational attack - much more reasonable but less
fun is} 11. Qd5 Qxh4 12. Qxf7+ Kd8 {
when White exploited Black's bad king position as follows:} 13. Nc3 Ne5 14. Qd5
g5 15. Be3 Qg4 16. h3 Qxg2 17. O-O-O Qf3 18. Rhg1 Kc8 19. Rg3 Qh5 20. f4 gxf4
21. Bxf4 Be7 22. Rg8+ Rxg8 23. Qxg8+ Qe8 24. Nd5 Bg5 25. Qh7 Bxf4+ 26. Nxf4 Kb8
27. Rg1 Ka7 $2 28. Rg8 {1-0 A.Suetin-V.Ciocaltea, Debrecen 1961}) 11... Kxf7
12. Qd5+ Be6 13. Qh5+ Kg8 14. O-O Ne5 15. Nf5 {(Tal offers a piece...)} g6 16.
Qh3 gxf5 17. exf5 Bc4 18. f4 Nd7 19. Rf3 Bg7 20. Nc3 Nf6 21. Be3 c5 22. Bf2 b5
23. Bh4 b4 24. Ne4 Bd5 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Re1 Bd4+ 27. Kh1 Rh7 28. Rg3+ Rg7 29.
Rg6 {(calmly advances...)} Rxg6 30. fxg6 Qf8 31. Qd7 Bg7 32. Ng3 Rd8 33. Qg4
Re8 34. Rd1 Bxa2 35. f5 c4 36. h4 d5 37. Rf1 Bf6 38. Qd1 $1 {
(finds an attacking square for his queen...)} d4 39. Qa4 Bb3 40. Qc6 Qe7 41.
Nh5 Rf8 42. Qd5+ Kh8 43. Nxf6 Qxf6 44. Qb7 Qg7 45. Qxb4 Kg8 46. h5 Qd7 $2 47.
f6 Qg4 48. f7+ Kg7 49. Qc5 Qh4+ 50. Kg1 {(...and wins with this king move!
Black has been a piece up for 35 moves but must resign in view of the dual
threats Qe5+ and Qxf8+!) 1-0 M.Tal-A.Bannik, USSR Championship, Leningrad 1956.
}) ({After barely surviving the main game, Keres tried the other side and faced
} 8... Na5 9. Bc2 g5 10. Nf5 Nxf5 11. exf5 Qf6 12. d5 Bg7 13. Nd2 b5 {
- but Mr. K brushed aside Black's impetuous advances with} 14. a4 bxa4 15. Bxa4
{and Black could already be pronounced dead in P.Keres-A.Arulaid, Parnu 1955. 
In short, Keres actual move, 9...Nc8, seems best.}) 9. Nf5 g6 10. Ng3 Bg7 11.
O-O exd4 {
Keres can no longer resist the centre pawn, but taking it is extremely risky.}
({I would prefer the solid} 11... O-O {.}) 12. f4 dxc3 {
Rather than this second capture which develops White,} (12... Qh4 {
seems to be more in the spirit of Black's wild play.}) 13. Nxc3 Nb6 {
Now Black won't be able to castle;} ({but if} 13... O-O {, then} 14. f5 {
with a strong attack.}) 14. f5 Ne5 15. Be3 $2 {
DDT! What are these Grandmasters doing developing their pieces!} ({Best is} 15.
fxg6 $1 fxg6 16. Nh5 $1 {which was evidently missed by Geller. The knight blow
opens lines, secures the two bishops and prevents castling - not bad for a
single combination. Black has to play} Qe7 ({since the knight can't be taken:} 
16... gxh5 $2 17. Qxh5+ Ke7 18. Rf7+ {and mates}) 17. Nxg7+ Qxg7 18. Be3 {
, when I think White's positional pluses give him a clear advantage despite
the missing pawn.}) 15... Nbc4 16. Bd4 Bb5 17. fxg6 fxg6 18. Bxc4 $6 {
White commences a series of exchanges that only helps Black.} ({
The centralizing} 18. Nd5 {is better, still with good compensation, as Black
can't go kingside and so must prepare queenside castling where White has the
c-file and fresh attacking chances.}) 18... Bxc4 19. Bxe5 ({It is too late for
} 19. Nh5 gxh5 20. Qxh5+ Kd7 {and Black escapes.}) 19... Bxe5 20. Qa4+ $2 {
The game has turned - now White blunders an exchange, but at this point there
was no compensation for the pawn anyway.} b5 21. Qc2 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 Rf8 23. Nd5
Rxf1+ 24. Nxf1 Kd7 25. Qd3 Qh4 26. a4 Rf8 27. g3 Qh3 28. Nde3 c6 29. axb5 axb5
30. Ng2 Qe6 {. While this line is somewhat playable for Black after the
improvement 11...0-0, the white attack seen in the next game is seemingly
quieter, but in fact is even more dangerous.} 0-1

[Event "Novgorod"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Topalov, V."]
[Black "Yusupov, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nge7 7. Be3 $1 ({
Stronger than Geller and Fischer's primitive} 7. Bb3 {. Here White makes a
healthy developing move, without committing his king. This simple and powerful
move has also been played by Anand, and is recommended by my editor John Emms
in 'Easy Guide to the Ruy Lopez'.}) 7... Ng6 ({
In an earlier Candidates game, Yusupov tried} 7... h6 8. Nbd2 g5 {
, but this radical plan was well handled by future world champion Anand:} 9.
dxe5 dxe5 10. h4 g4 11. Nh2 h5 12. Nhf1 Ng6 13. g3 Be7 14. Bc2 Be6 15. Bb3 Qd7
16. Bxe6 Qxe6 17. Qb3 $1 {(now one sees that Black's impetuous pawn advances
have only left him with long-term weaknesses; Anand won in the endgame...)}
Qxb3 18. axb3 O-O 19. b4 b5 20. Nb3 a5 {(Black tries to break the bind with
this pawn sacrifice, but never quite finds compensation)} 21. Nxa5 Nxa5 22.
bxa5 c5 23. Nd2 Ra6 24. Nb3 Rc8 25. Ke2 c4 26. Nc1 b4 27. Rd1 bxc3 28. bxc3 Bd8
29. Ra4 Nf8 30. Rd5 f6 31. Na2 Rca8 32. Rxd8 Rxd8 33. Nb4 {
and White converted in V.Anand-A.Yusupov, Wijk aan Zee (3rd matchgame) 1994.})
8. h4 $1 {The point of not castling is revealed: White gains space and
threatens to push back the black knight; furthermore the ...Be7-g5 manoeuvre
is prevented. In short, Black is forced onto the defensive, with no active
plan in sight. In my opinion this attack refutes the knight defence in the 5
c3 variation.} h5 ({If Black allows the h-pawn to move forward, he will be
seriously cramped even into the ending, and can only hope for good fortune (as
seen in the following game) to reach an eventual draw:} 8... Be7 9. h5 Nh4 10.
Nxh4 Bxh4 11. d5 Nb8 12. Bxd7+ Nxd7 13. Qg4 Bf6 14. Nd2 h6 15. Nf3 Nc5 16.
O-O-O Qd7 17. Qxd7+ {(the grinding begins!)} Kxd7 18. Nd2 Bg5 19. Rh3 Nd3+ 20.
Kc2 Bxe3 21. Kxd3 Bxd2 22. Kxd2 a5 23. Rg3 Rhg8 24. Rh1 Ke7 25. c4 b6 26. b3
Raf8 27. Rf3 Rh8 28. a3 $1 {(while Black's kingside is cramped and passive, a
legacy of allowing h4-h5, White starts operations on the queenside)} g5 29.
hxg6 fxg6 30. Rxf8 Kxf8 31. b4 axb4 32. axb4 Kg7 33. Ra1 Rf8 34. Ke3 h5 35. Ra7
Rf7 36. c5 bxc5 37. bxc5 dxc5 38. Ra5 g5 39. Rxc5 h4 40. f3 Re7 41. Rc6 Kf8 42.
Kf2 Rg7 43. Rh6 Rf7 44. Rh5 Rg7 45. g3 hxg3+ 46. Kxg3 Ke7 47. Kg4 Kd7 48. Rxg5
{(White picks up a pawn for absolutely nothing)} Re7 49. Rg6 Rf7 50. Re6 Rg7+
51. Kh4 Rf7 52. Kg3 Rg7+ {and now, instead of playing the obvious} 53. Kf2 {
with good winning chances,} ({White strangely took the draw by repetition:} 53.
Kh3 $2 Rf7 {½-½ O.Korneev-D.Lobzhanidze, Krasnodar 1998. But who would
want to defend that position with the only the faint hope that your opponent
would eventually show mercy?})) 9. g3 (9. Ng5 Be7 10. Bb3 {is an untried
suggestion of Dolmatov, and this seems like an easy way to a slight plus:
evidently Black must give up the two bishops and then attempt to defend; e.g.}
Bxg5 11. Bxg5 f6 12. Be3 Qe7 13. Nd2 {and I certainly wouldn't want this
defensive chore! White can play on both sides of the board (targets from h5 to
a6) and the bishops will be a long-term asset.}) 9... Be7 10. d5 Nb8 11. Bxd7+
{White trades off Black's good bishop, but in closed positions that's not a
huge deal.} ({I'd prefer} 11. Bc2 {
here, when Black's cramp is exceptionally painful:} c6 12. c4 cxd5 13. cxd5 Bg4
14. Nbd2 Nd7 15. Qb1 Nf6 16. Ng5 Rc8 17. Bd3 b5 18. a4 Bd7 19. axb5 axb5 20. f3
O-O 21. Ke2 Qc7 22. Ra7 Qb8 23. Qa2 Rc7 24. Ra1 Rfc8 25. Ra6 Ne8 26. Rb6 Rb7
27. Rxb7 Qxb7 28. Qa7 {
(White sets his game on grind mode, while Black has no play whatsoever)} Rc7
29. Qxb7 Rxb7 30. Nb3 Bd8 31. Ra8 Bb6 32. Bxb6 Rxb6 33. Na5 Nf8 34. Ke3 g6 35.
f4 Kg7 36. Ra7 Nf6 37. Nc6 exf4+ 38. gxf4 Kg8 39. Kd4 Bxc6 40. dxc6 Rxc6 41.
Bxb5 Rb6 42. Bc4 d5 43. Bxd5 Nxd5 44. exd5 Rxb2 45. Rxf7 Rh2 46. Ke5 Rxh4 47.
Ra7 Rg4 48. d6 {1-0 R.Tischbierek-S.Sale, Budapest 1996. Horrific! Sometimes
resignation can be a relief!}) 11... Nxd7 12. Nfd2 {
Black has more room than in the last example, but a dead bishop.} Nf6 13. f3
O-O 14. c4 c5 15. Nc3 Qd7 16. a4 a5 ({Probably} 16... b6 {is better, holding
out a faint hope of counterplay with a later ...b6-b5, but clearly the whole
line can't be recommended, as White gets a clear plus both with Tischbierek's
grind and Topalov's more academic light square exploitation (not to mention
Dolmatov's knight thrust!).}) 17. Qe2 Kh7 18. O-O-O $1 {This is still legal!
Now that the queenside is closed, White safely castles long and launches an
attack on the opposite wing.} Rh8 19. Nf1 $1 {The knight aims for f5.} Kg8 20.
Bd2 Ne8 21. Ne3 Nf8 22. b3 g6 {
Keeping the knight out, but weakening the kingside.} 23. f4 {As White levers
open a file, it might be time to see what the black rooks are doing - Oh.} Bf6
24. Rdf1 Qe7 25. f5 $1 Ng7 26. Nb5 b6 27. fxg6 fxg6 28. g4 Bxh4 29. Nxd6 $1 {
White finishes nicely, but it must be said that Black never put up any serious
resistance in this game.} Qxd6 30. Rxh4 Nd7 31. gxh5 Rxh5 32. Rxh5 Nxh5 33. Nf5
$1 {White finally reaches the magic f5-square, and Black immediately resigns -
and with good reason!} ({If} 33. Nf5 Qc7 ({or} 33... gxf5 34. Qxh5 {
and White wins on the open files}) 34. Ne7+ Kg7 35. Qg4 Nf8 36. d6 $1 Qd7 37.
Qg5 {and there is no rational defence to Qh6 mate. --- I trust Tischbierek's
appalling grind and Topalov's technical walkover have convinced you that this
is not the way to play! Black has to accept reality and switch to the Bishop
Defence against the 5 c3 move order. While I like the Knight Defence myself, I
would never play it unless White has castled early. In the game, after 8 h4,
Black was already doomed to thankless defence.}) 1-0

[Event "Parnu"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1971.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Oim, T."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1971.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O {Now that White has castled,
the ...Ne7-g6 line is fine: Black doesn't have to fear h2-h4, as in the
previous game, and can try to open the h-file himself.} Bd7 6. c3 Nge7 7. d4
Ng6 8. Re1 {White keeps the tension in the centre.} ({Another possibility is
to lock things up and exchange Black's "good" bishop with} 8. d5 {
, for which see Akopian-Taylor and Glawe-Taylor.}) ({
A simplifying line that helps Black is} 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nbd2 O-O
11. Re1 Nf4 {and in view of the weak dark squares Black was already slightly
better in Fesad_kolpaoglu-T.Taylor, Playchess.com (blitz) 2010 - we'll see
something similar in the note to White's eleventh move.}) 8... Be7 9. Nbd2 h6
$1 {The key point: one recalls the similar line from Fischer-Pachman where
Fischer crashed and burned. Black wants to open the h-file, and if White
doesn't take, Black forces an exchange of minor pieces that eases his position.
} 10. Nf1 Bg5 11. Ne3 {The usual move: White at least gets the two bishops.} ({
Instead,} 11. Nxg5 hxg5 {
gives Black what he wants: the open h-file for attack; e.g.} 12. g3 Qf6 13. d5
Nb8 14. Bxd7+ Nxd7 15. Qg4 Nf4 $1 {
(a typical sacrifice in this sort of position)} 16. gxf4 exf4 $1 {and Black has
more than enough for the piece: he will bring his knight to e5, castle long,
then launch an h-file and pawn storm attack on the white king!}) ({
The "standard Lopez move"} 11. Ng3 {is probably even weaker, after which White
only scores 34%! Here's a GM game that illustrates in more depth what one
could see already from my blitz game above: the exchange of dark-squared
bishops favours Black due to the fixed central pawns, and Black gets good
attacking chances with ideas of ...Nf4 and ...Bh3. Let's take a look:} Bxc1 12.
Rxc1 O-O 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Nf5 b5 15. Bb3 Na5 16. Bd5 c6 17. Bb3 Nxb3 18. Qxb3
Qf6 19. Qb4 Nf4 20. Ne7+ $2 Kh7 21. Rcd1 Nxg2 $3 {(the Spanish GM crashes
through! - the combination shows the difference between the white and black
minor pieces: the former are inoffensive, but the latter can dismember the
white king position!)} 22. Nxe5 (22. Kxg2 Bh3+ {forces mate}) 22... Bh3 23. Nd7
Qg5 {(with no opposing dark-squared bishop, the black queen is invulnerable on
this dominating attacking post, the minor pieces aiding the mating attack -
meanwhile the white knights can only capture trivial material)} 24. Qc5 f5 25.
Nxf8+ Rxf8 26. f3 Nxe1+ 27. Kf2 Nxf3 $1 28. Nxf5 Rf6 29. Ke2 Bxf5 {
0-1 J.Cuadras Avellana-O.Rodriguez Vargas, Barcelona 2001.}) 11... Bxe3 12.
Bxe3 O-O {The position is now quite similar to Fischer-Pachman. The white
bishops can't do much with the fixed centre, while the black knight eyes f4. I
would say it's about even, but far from drawish.} 13. Nd2 ({For} 13. h3 {
see the next game.}) ({Instead,} 13. Qd2 $6 Nxd4 {is a typical MS trick that
exploits the undefended bishop at a4: sometimes this trick wins a pawn; here
White can desperado it back, though Black is certainly at least equal after}
14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Qxd4 Bxa4 16. Qxa4 Qh4 {.}) 13... Re8 14. Bc2 Nf4 15. Bxf4
exf4 16. Qf3 {This too obvious move doesn't help White at all, and only
encourages Black to bring his pieces to the kingside.} ({Better is} 16. e5 {
with the idea of obtaining positional compensation for the pawn after} dxe5 17.
d5 $1 {.}) 16... Qg5 17. Qd3 Ne7 18. e5 $6 {Walking into a pin.} (18. Nf3 {
is better.}) 18... Bf5 {Black's last three moves have efficiently transferred
three pieces to White's poorly defended kingside.} 19. Ne4 Qg6 20. exd6 cxd6
21. d5 Rad8 $1 {A "discreet use of the rook" that Nimzowitsch would admire: by
securing his centre pawn, Black frees every other piece to attack.} 22. Rad1 $2
(22. f3 {is necessary, despite the weakening of e3.}) 22... f3 $1 {Keres alertly exploits the potential skewer that White inadvertently set up with his last
move:} ({now} 22... f3 23. Qxf3 Bg4 24. Nf6+ ({or just} 24. Qd3 Bxd1) 24...
gxf6 {wins for Black.}) 23. g3 Qh5 24. Re3 Bg6 $1 25. c4 ({
The f-pawn is still taboo:} 25. Rxf3 Nxd5 26. Re1 ({or} 26. Qxd5 Qxf3) 26...
Nc7 27. c4 f5 {and Black wins by pin.}) 25... Nf5 $1 26. Ree1 (26. Rxf3 Nd4 {
wins material.}) 26... Nd4 $3 {Suddenly it's all over:} ({After} 26... Nd4 {
, White resigns just in time;} 27. -- ({as} 27. Qf1 Nxc2 {wins a piece}) (27.
Kh1 Qh3 28. Rg1 Rxe4 {wins a piece}) (27. Bb1 Ne2+ 28. Kh1 Bxe4 {wins a piece})
({, and} 27. Qxd4 Qh3 {wins a king! --- Although White didn't have to lose in
26 moves, one sees that, unlike in Topalov-Yusupov, Black had full counterplay
in this position with real possibilities of attack on the castled white king.})
) 0-1

[Event "Cappelle la Grande"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2007.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sagafos, M."]
[Black "Gareev, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. O-O ({
An interesting point: if White plays the more logical} 6. d4 {
, Black should answer} Nf6 {and head for Chapter Three. However, since White
commits to castling here, Black can play an effective Knight Defence.}) 6...
Nge7 7. d4 Ng6 8. Re1 Be7 9. Nbd2 h6 10. Nf1 Bg5 11. Ne3 Bxe3 12. Bxe3 O-O 13.
h3 {White tries to improve on the previous game, but the pawn on h3 can be a
target in some lines.} ({White does have another alternative, seen in the
following nail-biting Keres encounter:} 13. dxe5 Ncxe5 14. Nxe5 {and the player
s couldn't stand the tension any more, so... ½-½ B.Ivkov-P.Keres,
Amsterdam 1971. Not every Keres game is a great struggle!}) 13... Re8 14. Bc2
Qf6 15. dxe5 ({
The "target problem" with 13 h3 can now be seen: White would like to play} 15.
g3 {to deny the black knight the f4-square, but then h3 hangs.}) 15... Ncxe5
16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Qd2 Bc6 18. Bd4 Qg5 19. Be3 {White should just exchange
queens with equality - but he underestimates Black's play.} Qh5 20. f3 Re7 21.
Qf2 Rae8 {Now the white centre is under Nimzowitschian restraint - note that
when White finally gets his kingside pawns going, he is left with serious
weaknesses behind the advancing foot soldiers.} 22. Rad1 Ne5 23. b3 Re6 24. f4
Nd7 25. f5 Re5 26. Bd4 ({The tricky} 26. Rxd6 $5 {
is possible, but Black equalizes with} Bxe4 ({the idea was} 26... cxd6 $2 27.
Bd1 {winning the queen for too little}) 27. Rxd7 Bxc2 28. Qxc2 Rxe3 {.}) 26...
R5e7 27. g4 $6 {Pawns can't move backward; now the white king is seriously
exposed. The plus side is that the black queen is also exposed, but this is
only good for a possible repetition.} ({Better is} 27. Re3 $1 f6 {
with equality due to the lock on e5} ({but not} 27... Bxe4 $2 28. Rde1 d5 29.
Bd1 Qg5 30. h4 {and White cleverly wins material.})) 27... Qg5 ({Certainly not
} 27... Qxh3 $2 28. Rd3 Qxg4+ 29. Rg3 {and White breaks through to g7.}) 28.
Re3 ({White should chase the queen and the draw by} 28. Be3 Qf6 29. Bd4 Qg5 ({
Black can avoid the draw with} 29... Ne5 {, but then White is OK after} 30. Qg3
) 30. Be3 {with a repetition.}) 28... Bxe4 29. h4 ({After} 29. Rde1 Bxc2 30.
Rxe7 Rxe7 31. Rxe7 Qxe7 32. Qxc2 {Black is a good pawn up. White is trying to
trap Black's queen, but the young Uzbek GM doesn't care!}) 29... Qxe3 $1 ({
White was probably counting on} 29... Qxg4+ $2 30. Rg3 {with the g-file attack
again, but Gareev's surprise queen sacrifice knocks the pins from under
White's position.}) 30. Bxe3 Bxc2 31. Qxc2 Rxe3 {Now the terribly exposed
white king tells: meanwhile Black owns the only open file and has a secured
knight outpost in the centre.} 32. Qg2 ({Or} 32. Rd3 Re1+ 33. Kf2 Rh1 {
with attack.}) 32... R8e4 {Decisive! The white rook is a spectator as the
three attacking black pieces run amok.} 33. Rf1 Ne5 34. Kh1 Rxg4 35. Qxb7 ({
White could drag the game out by} 35. Qh2 Nf3 36. Rxf3 ({or} 36. Qh3 Rxh4 {
and Black ends up with an extra piece}) 36... Re1+ {and Black will emerge with
an extra rook, but mate could be avoided for a few moves.}) 35... Rh3# {
. A quick end! In this case exchanging queens was the better course for White
- instead of "winning" Black's queen and facing a horde of revenge-seeking
pieces! --- As far as the opening goes, one could see by move 14 that Black
had an equal game and active counterplay - so White must try to gain the
advantage earlier... if he can!} 0-1

[Event "Los Angeles (rapid)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Akopian, R."]
[Black "Taylor, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{The last two games of this chapter will feature a different strategy on
White's part (since normal Lopez methods don't seem to be getting anywhere, as
the previous two games attest). Here White will block the centre with an early
d4-d5, reaching a King's Indian type structure - pawn chain of e4/d5 vs. e5/d6
- but without the fianchettoed black king's bishop. This line was played
against me both times that I tried the Knight Defence; and even though it has
also been played by Kasparov, I think Black has sufficient counterplay.} 1. e4
({The King's Indian position after} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5.
Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. d5 {
(the Petrosian Variation) can be compared to that reached below.}) 1... e5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 {This was my first "post study" game with the
Modern Steinitz - at least I had some idea what I was doing!} 5. O-O $1 Bd7 6.
c3 Nge7 7. d4 Ng6 8. d5 {This was Kasparov's choice in his only win against
the Modern Steinitz - he drew against both Lautier (see the notes to
Euwe-Keres) and Short. Generally, White soon reaches a pawn structure similar
to the Petrosian Variation of the King's Indian (see 1 d4 above); note the
central pawn chain which is identical to the present game position. In the
very un-Lopez scenario that arises, White's play is on the queenside, Black's
on the kingside. White gets rid of Black's theoretically good bishop, but
Black can often exchange his bad bishop on g5. Black does have a disadvantage
in space, but if he can engineer the required ...f7-f5 break, he should be
fine.} Nb8 9. Bxd7+ ({White can also play the positionally necessary} 9. c4 {
at once. Let's look at two sample games featuring two of the biggest guns in
our chess main street, Kasparov and Keres. Play continues} Be7 10. Nc3 {and then:
} -- (10... O-O {(I think ...h7-h6 and ...Bg5 before castling is best, as in
note 'b', since Black might need the open h-file - but it's interesting that
even as played Black had good equalizing chances)} 11. Bxd7 Nxd7 12. Be3 Nh4
13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. Qg4 Bf6 ({Black should prepare ...f7-f5, so} 14... g6 {
is correct; e.g.} 15. g3 Bf6 16. b4 Bg7 17. c5 f5 18. exf5 gxf5 {
with good counterplay}) 15. b4 Nb6 $2 {(Black's play is too slow and the
knight is misplaced: now Kasparov gains two tempi with his advancing c-pawn
and wins in his patented style)} 16. Qe2 Bg5 17. c5 Bxe3 18. Qxe3 Nd7 19. a4 f5
20. c6 $1 f4 21. Qd3 bxc6 22. dxc6 Nf6 23. f3 Qb8 24. Qc4+ Kh8 25. Kh1 Qe8 26.
b5 a5 27. b6 $1 {
(White creates a passed pawn before Black can get a kingside attack going)}
cxb6 28. Nb5 Rc8 29. Rac1 Qe7 30. Rfd1 Ne8 31. c7 Rf6 32. Qc6 Rh6 33. Qb7 Qh4
34. h3 {1-0 G.Kasparov-Vasalomidze, Tbilisi 1976.}) (10... h6 11. Be3 Bg5 {
(Keres logically exchanges the bad bishop first and offers to open the h-file)}
12. Re1 Bxe3 13. Rxe3 O-O 14. Rc1 a5 15. Ne1 Na6 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 17. Qa4 Qxa4 18.
Nxa4 Nc5 ({Black has equalized; now instead of the following simplifying move
and draw offer, the positional} 18... f5 {
was possible when Black can make an endgame fight of it}) 19. Nxc5 dxc5 {
½-½ P.Trifunovic-P.Keres, Belgrade 1956. I wonder what Kasparov had in
mind against Keres' smooth equalizing play? I don't see any major difficulties
for Black if he follows Keres and plays accurately.})) 9... Nxd7 10. c4 ({For} 
10. Nbd2 {see the next game.}) 10... Be7 11. Nc3 h6 12. Bd2 {White has tried
numerous moves at this juncture but hasn't proved an advantage with any of
them:} (12. Be3 Bg5 {and then:} 13. -- (13. Nxg5 hxg5 14. g3 Nf4 {(the thematic
sac when White opens the h-file - see the note to White's 11th move in
Oim-Keres for a similar blow)} 15. gxf4 gxf4 16. Qg4 ({
Black gets the piece back immediately, for if} 16. Bd2 $2 Qg5+ 17. Kh1 Qh4 {
mates}) 16... Nf6 17. Qg2 fxe3 18. fxe3 Qd7 19. Rf3 O-O-O 20. Raf1 Rh7 {
and with the h-file and his kingside attack Black was clearly better in W.
Pietzsch-O.Troianescu, Bucharest 1951.}) (13. b4 Bxe3 14. fxe3 O-O 15. Nd2 Nh4
16. Qg4 {and now, instead of the premature queen exchange} Qg5 $6 {
of H.Nakamura-R.Hess, New York (rapid) 2004,} ({Black should prefer} 16... a5
17. a3 axb4 18. axb4 Rxa1 19. Rxa1 f5 {
with active counterplay and kingside attacking chances.})) (13. Qd2 Bxe3 14.
Qxe3 Nf4 15. Ne2 Nxe2+ 16. Qxe2 O-O 17. b4 f5 $1 {
(Hess shows that he has learned the lesson from his earlier game with Nakamura)
} 18. exf5 Rxf5 {and Black had active play and went on to win in N.Yap-R.Hess,
Philadelphia 2007.})) (12. g3 Bg5 13. Nxg5 hxg5 14. Qg4 {(White is trying to
save a tempo with his queen's bishop, but I don't think the position has
changed significantly)} Nf4 $1 ({anyway! - and rather than} 14... Nf6 15. Qxg5
Rh5 16. Qd2 {with a safe extra pawn in M.Kozakov-G.Emodi, Sarospatak 1995}) 15.
gxf4 exf4 {and Black's attack with the coming ...Ne5 is still extremely strong.
}) (12. a3 Bg5 13. Nxg5 hxg5 14. g3 Qf6 15. b4 Nf4 16. Ra2 ({not} 16. gxf4 $2
Qh6 {with a winning attack}) 16... Qg6 17. f3 Nh3+ 18. Kh1 g4 19. fxg4 Nf6 20.
Qf3 Nxg4 21. c5 Nf6 22. Rc2 Rh5 23. Be3 {and in this very sharp, exciting,
double-edged position - the GMs agreed to a draw! ½-½ J.Van der Wiel-V.
Tkachiev, Cannes (1st matchgame) 1999.}) 12... Bg5 13. Nxg5 {
It's risky to open the h-file,} ({but after the cautious} 13. Re1 Bxd2 14. Qxd2
O-O {Black has easy equality and can look forward to active play with ...f7-f5.
}) 13... hxg5 14. g3 Nf6 {This works like a charm in the game, but only
because White misses a zwischenzug on the next move (which I noticed, to my
horror, right after playing the knight to f6!).} ({
With that proverbial 20-20 hindsight, I realize} 14... Qf6 {was best, intending
...0-0-0 and a kingside attack, while if White goes after my g-pawn, there is
the thematic sacrifice we have seen in previous notes; i.e.} 15. Qg4 Nf4 $1 {
and then:} 16. -- (16. gxf4 exf4 ({
Black's position is so strong that both captures are possible: also good is} 
16... gxf4 17. f3 Rh4 18. Qg2 O-O-O 19. a4 Rdh8 20. Rf2 Nc5 {
with a long-term bind for the piece}) 17. b4 ({the desperate} 17. e5 {
still favours Black after} Nxe5 18. Rfe1 Rh4 {and ...0-0-0 cannot be prevented}
) 17... Ne5 18. Qg2 g4 {and Black has a tremendous attack; e.g.} 19. f3 gxf3
20. Rxf3 Nxf3+ 21. Qxf3 Qd4+ 22. Qf2 Qxf2+ 23. Kxf2 Rxh2+ 24. Ke1 Rh1+ {
and wins.}) ({. Rather than accepting the piece,} 16. h4 Qg6 17. Bxf4 ({after} 
17. gxf4 Rxh4 18. Qg2 exf4 19. f3 Ne5 {Black has the familiar excellent attack}
) 17... gxf4 18. Qxg6 fxg6 19. Kg2 {
may be relatively best, when White may equalize.})) 15. Bxg5 ({Better is} 15.
Qa4+ $1 {which throws a spanner in the works! Black has three unappetizing
choices: exchange queens, retreat his just moved knight, or give up the
castling privilege:} Qd7 ({if} 15... Nd7 16. f3 Qe7 17. Be3 O-O-O 18. b4 {
and White's attack looks stronger than Black's}) ({
; during the game I was more or less intending} 15... Kf8 {, but after} 16.
Bxg5 {it's hard to find real compensation with the queen's rook out of play})
16. Qxd7+ Kxd7 17. Bxg5 Rh3 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Kg2 Rah8 20. Rh1 {
and while Black has some compensation I doubt it's enough for the pawn.}) 15...
Qd7 {Now Black just castles long with good practical compensation, as the
h-file will always be an important factor in the position - though Mr. Fritz
weighs in with an "unapproved!".} 16. f3 (16. Bxf6 {has the idea of Qa4 and a
good queen exchange - but Black doesn't have to retake:} Qh3 $1 17. Bh4 Rxh4 $1
{wins.}) ({Or if} 16. Qa4 Qxa4 17. Nxa4 Nxe4 {
and Black recovers his pawn - a centre pawn at that - with the better game.})
16... O-O-O 17. Rf2 Rh5 18. Be3 Rdh8 19. b4 Qh3 20. Ne2 ({One could say that
White has a good chance for advantage by combining defence with attack -} 20.
Rg2 Ne8 21. b5 $1 {- but a second opinion is that Black has a good chance of
advantage due to sacrificial shock!}) 20... Ne8 21. c5 f5 22. Qf1 $2 (22. exf5
$1 {is Mr. Fritz's suggestion and it looks right: White should not allow the
exchange on e4 when, as we will see, he is left with weak pawns and weak
squares. After} Rxf5 ({not} 22... Ne7 23. g4) 23. Nc3 {
Black probably doesn't have enough; e.g.} Rfh5 24. Ne4 Nf6 25. cxd6 ({but not} 
25. Ng5 $2 Qxg3+ $1 {and her majesty is immune due to mate in two}) 25... Nxe4
26. fxe4 cxd6 27. Rc1+ Kb8 28. Qc2 {
and White has the more dangerous attack, and an extra pawn.}) 22... fxe4 (22...
Qxh2+ $5 {looks exciting, but doesn't come to anything after} 23. Rxh2 Rxh2 24.
Qg2 Rxg2+ 25. Kxg2 {with equality.}) 23. fxe4 Nf6 {
Now both e4 and g4 are weak, and White is fighting for survival.} 24. cxd6
Qxf1+ ({Black has a draw if he wants it (I didn't!) with} 24... cxd6 25. Rc1+
Kb8 26. Qxh3 Rxh3 27. Rg2 Nh4 28. Rf2 Ng6 29. Rg2 {etc.}) 25. Raxf1 ({Not} 25.
Rfxf1 Rxh2 {with an immediate Black advantage.}) 25... Nxe4 26. Rf7 $2 {
An error, as Black's rooks break through.} ({
Instead, White can try an unclear ox sacrifice with} 26. dxc7 Nxf2 27. Rxf2 {
(though Black looks better here anyway)}) ({
or play for equality (best) and probably get it after} 26. Rg2 Nxd6 {.}) 26...
Nxd6 27. Rxg7 Rxh2 28. Rc1 ({White could still avoid serious trauma with} 28.
Rg8+ {to exchange one of the attacking rooks: after} Rxg8 29. Kxh2 Ne7 {
Black is better in view of White's scattered pawns, but this is far preferable
to the game continuation!}) 28... Rh1+ {A 19th century king hunt begins!} 29.
Kg2 R8h2+ 30. Kf3 e4+ $1 {
The white king must go to the fourth rank, and won't be able to stop there!}
31. Kg4 Ne5+ 32. Kg5 ({If} 32. Kf4 Nd3+ {wins.}) 32... Rh5+ 33. Kf6 Ne8+ $1 {
This amazing final blow wins a full rook! It's rare to see a white king being
driven to e7 in a Ruy Lopez - in Robinson-Taylor I was only able to drive my
opponent's} 34. Ke7 Nxg7 35. Rc2 Nf5+ 36. Kf6 Nxe3 37. Rc3 N3c4 38. Nf4 Rh6+
39. Kg5 e3 40. d6 {White sheds even more material and then...} Rxd6 {
...wisely resigns.} ({Note that the carnage has been so absolute that Black
can even win by tossing a rook:} 40... Rxd6 41. Kf5 Rh5+ $1 42. Nxh5 ({or} 42.
Ke4 Nd2+ 43. Kxe3 Ng4+ 44. Ke2 Rh2+ 45. Ke1 Ne5 {and mates}) 42... e2 43. Rc1
Rd1 {and queens. --- With the improvement 14...Qf6 (and remember that thematic
knight sac on f4!) in hand, one sees that Black has excellent chances of not
just equalizing, but of playing for a win in this line. Yes, White can go for
equality by refusing to take the bishop on g5, but then Black should have no
problems.}) 0-1

[Event "Los Angeles (rapid)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Glawe, C."]
[Black "Taylor, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C75"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 Nge7 7. d4 Ng6 8. d5
Nb8 9. Bxd7+ Nxd7 10. Nbd2 (10. c4 {is the positional move, as played in the
previous game. Glawe continues as in a regular Ruy Lopez, failing to realize
he is on the wrong track. --- The light dawned afterwards: as he related in an
excellent article for Chess Life Online, he showed the game to his coach, IM
Jeremy Silman, and Mr. Silman pointed out that the new pawn structure - the e4/
d5 vs. e5/d6 chain - had so changed the nature of the position that White
should look for King's Indian ideas (queenside expansion) rather than typical
Ruy ideas of a slow kingside build-up.}) 10... Be7 11. Re1 O-O ({Of course} 
11... h6 12. Nf1 Bg5 {is possible, but I thought - correctly - that I could
also play more slowly against my opponent's quiet moves. There is no need to
rush: with White castled on the kingside (Black's strong side) the long-term
positional factors favour Black, especially since White has nothing going on
the queenside.}) 12. Nf1 Nh4 {
Another thematic move: Black removes a kingside defender and prepares ...Bg5.}
13. Ng3 ({White can try to play like Kasparov (see the note to White's 9th
move in the previous game) with} 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. Qg4 {- but here this gives
nothing, since Black gets his "base of the chain" attack in first:} g6 15. Bh6
f5 $1 16. exf5 Rxf5 {and Black has good kingside play.}) 13... Nxf3+ 14. Qxf3
Bg5 15. Nf5 Bxc1 16. Raxc1 g6 17. Ng3 ({Or} 17. Qg3 Nf6 {and Black has many
positive ideas such as ...Nh5-f4 and ...Kh8, followed eventually by ...f7-f5.
Note that White, trying to play on the wrong side of the pawn chain, can only
make superficial threats, whereas Black has long-term play.}) 17... Qg5 {
Now Black is clearly better as White has nothing against the ...f7-f5 break,
and no counterplay on the queenside either.} 18. b4 f5 19. exf5 (19. c4 {
is too late in view of} f4 20. Ne2 a5 $1 {(Black's position is so strong that
he, unlike White, can play on both sides of the board)} 21. a3 ({or} 21. b5 Nc5
{with a permanently annoying knight; Black would then continue his kingside
pawn storm, planning ...Qh4, ...g5-g4 etc}) 21... axb4 22. axb4 Ra4 23. Qb3
Rfa8 {with a full board attack.}) 19... gxf5 20. Qh5 {Otherwise the black
pawns roll through - but now the famed "dim knight on rim" appears.} Qxh5 21.
Nxh5 f4 {Paging Sartre! (No Exit!)} 22. g3 (22. g4 {
is relatively best, when the white knight will not be lost, although after} a5
23. b5 Kf7 {it is completely out of play.}) 22... a5 23. a3 (23. gxf4 {
also saves the knight, but then} Rf5 24. Ng3 Rxf4 {
gives Black a decisive positional advantage.}) 23... Nb6 24. gxf4 exf4 25. Re7
({If} 25. Re4 axb4 26. axb4 Nxd5 {and Black pockets an extra pawn...}) 25...
Rf5 {...but now that last variation looks good, since this move wins a piece!}
26. Nxf4 ({As} 26. Ng7 {fails to} Rg5+ {
, the unfortunate knight perishes with only two pawns for compensation.}) 26...
Rxf4 27. Rxc7 Rf7 28. Rxf7 Kxf7 29. Rd1 axb4 30. axb4 Rg8+ 31. Kf1 Rg5 32. Rd4
Rxd5 33. Rf4+ Ke6 34. Rh4 h5 35. Rh3 Nc4 36. Rh4 b5 37. Re4+ Re5 38. Rd4 d5 39.
f4 Re4 40. f5+ Kf6 ({After} 40... Kf6 41. Rd3 ({or} 41. Rxd5 Ne3+ {forking})
41... Rf4+ 42. Ke2 Rxf5 {Black has regained both his pawns and can calmly
evaluate his extra piece. --- This is an instructive game because it shows
that certain lines of the MS reach pawn structures that are more King's Indian
than Ruy Lopez, and must be treated accordingly. If White plays in normal Ruy
fashion, as here, Black can easily get the advantage - which can be quite
baffling to the opponent!}) 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "3. The Bishop Defence"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O ({or} 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. O-O
g6) 5... Bd7 6. c3 Nf6 7. d4 g6 {. This is the most difficult move order
chapter in the book, and GMs, and even Keres himself, go astray. The basic
motif of the Bishop Defence is that Black intends to fianchetto his king's
bishop. Black can play this against almost any move order by White, but must
adapt himself to whatever White plays. There are innumerable ways for either
side to go wrong. Furthermore, the key word above is "intends" - in a few
lines the kingside fianchetto is not advisable (e.g. Kashdan-Alekhine, et al).
Despite the complexity and difficulty of this variation, it's necessary to
learn if you want to play the MS (and don't want to venture the razor-sharp
gambit lines) - for as we have already seen, if White adopts the 5 c3 move
order, reserving castling, then the ...Ne7-g6 line does not work.} 8. -- {
Also, as noted previously, if you do get the Bishop Defence down, you actually
don't need the Knight Defence, as the former is a universal system while the
latter only works against a specific move order. Another good point is that,
as Keres has repeatedly shown, the Bishop Defence also works against some
important early d2-d4 variations (independent lines of this type, without the
kingside fianchetto, will be seen in Chapter Eight).} (8. -- {One further
point: this is my first book on a really theory heavy mainstream opening like
the Ruy Lopez and it is absolutely impossible to cover every subvariation and
transpositional possibility. All the ones that I am covering are already
straining the length of this book! So I am basically following a combination
of what Keres played with success and what I believe to be best, and letting
the rest go. For example, I believe that when Black fianchettoes the
dark-squared bishop, the king's knight belongs on f6 (King's Indian style)
where it is most active. I simply have no space to cover the secondary ...Ne7
(beyond the brief look we had in Yates-Alekhine), which I think is
significantly weaker - one recalls Alekhine got a bad game with it before his
inevitable comeback - and it's hard enough to cover all the twists and turns
of the lines with ...Nf6. So let's focus on the best and I will try to explain
the move order contortions!}) (8. -- {Conclusion: Double-edged fighting games
are the rule in the Bishop Defence with Black having plenty of play, while
White has no clear path to advantage, if indeed any exists. However, move
order is crucial and quite difficult, as Black must react to White's order in
turn (note Alekhine's 7...Be7 in Kashdan-Alekhine, et al - the fianchetto
can't always be forced). Generally speaking Black should develop his king's
knight to f6 before fianchettoing the bishop, though great alertness is
required throughout. This line is more strategically complicated than the
set-up with ...Ne7-g6 (note Malaniuk's board-wide play in Yagupov-Malaniuk),
but also more flexible - and very rewarding for the player who studies it
deeply.}) (8. -- {This chapter may be the most important in the book: remember,
the Bishop Defence is the only universal line against White's main moves of 5
c3 and 5 0-0. So unless you choose a steady diet of gambits, you will find
yourself in this territory! --- But speaking of gambits, the next two chapters
are devoted to just that - next up, the Siesta!}) *

[Event "USSR-Yugoslavia match, Yerevan"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1971.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Parma, B."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1971.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O ({Transposition one:} 5. c3 Bd7
6. d4 Nf6 7. O-O g6 {reaches the same position as the game.}) 5... Bd7 ({
The very inaccurate move order of Yates-Alekhine (in Chapter One) was} 5... g6 6. c3
Bg7 7. d4 Bd7 8. Bg5 {and now Alekhine had to resort to the inferior} Nge7 ({as
} 8... Nf6 {would have been bad in view of} 9. Bxc6 {, going after the e5-pawn.
})) 6. d4 ({Transposition two:} 6. c3 Nf6 7. d4 g6 {
reaches the same position as the game.}) 6... Nf6 $1 {
Best: Black develops and counter-attacks.} ({Weaker is} 6... b5 7. Bb3 Nxd4 8.
Nxd4 exd4 9. c3 {
as White can offer the strong pawn sacrifice 9 c3 - see analysis in Kim-Taylor.
}) 7. c3 {White reverts back to the main line which, as we saw from the
transpositions above, is usually reached via c2-c3 and then c2-d4. Other moves
(where White plays an early d2-d4 but not c2-c3) are covered in Chapter Eight.}
g6 {This is the basic position Black is aiming for, though as one sees, it can
be reached by a variety of move orders. On the kingside, Black is playing a
King's Indian, complete with fianchettoed bishop and latent ...f7-f5 break;
and on the queenside, Black is defending a Ruy! This schizophrenic board
division leads to interesting and very complex play - to put it mildly! --- In
this and the following two games White retains the Ruy character by either
keeping the tension in the centre or exchanging on e5. Then Jansa-Keres and
Capablanca-Thomas show inaccurate move orders that Black should avoid; the
next three games see White creating a full King's Indian type position by
advancing d4-d5; and Geller-Zhukhovitsky features an attempt at outright
refutation of Black's plan, which is fortunately not successful!} ({
Returning to the position in front of us, note that} 7... Nxe4 $6 {is anti-positional and should be avoided. In the Open Lopez Black needs to play ...d7-d5,
and here the black d-pawn is committed to ...d7-d6. So as Black is not winning
a pawn, it's clear that White easily obtains the advantage; e.g.} 8. Re1 Nf6 9.
dxe5 Nxe5 ({no better is} 9... dxe5 10. Bxc6 Bxc6 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Nxe5 Bd5
13. Bg5 Be6 14. Nd2 h6 15. Bxf6+ gxf6 16. Ng6 Rg8 17. Nxf8 Rxf8 {, when it's
evident that the shattered kingside pawns give White a considerable plus;
therefore Alekhine employed his World Champion "get out of jail free" card - a
draw offer - and escaped to never play this variation again! ½-½ A.
Lilienthal-A.Alekhine, Paris 1933}) 10. Bf4 Be7 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Bxe5 Bxa4 13.
Qxa4+ b5 14. Qf4 {
(Black can't defend the c-pawn in view of the threat to f6, so...)} O-O 15.
Bxc7 Qd7 16. Be5 Ng4 17. Qd2 $1 Qf5 18. Bd4 Bg5 19. Qe2 Qf4 20. g3 Qf5 21. Nd2
Bxd2 22. Qxd2 Rfe8 23. Re2 {and White consolidated and won easily in A.
Petrushin-Y.Shabanov, Russian Championship, Orel 1992.}) 8. Re1 {
Natural, though there are alternatives:} (8. Bg5 {doesn't cause trouble here,
as it did in Yates-Alekhine (see 5...g6 above), since Black has} b5 $1 ({
instead of the casual and inferior} 8... Bg7 {
, transposing into the aforementioned problems}) 9. Bb3 Bg7 {when his e-pawn
is secure and he will castle and soon dodge the pin. By then it will be clear
that the white bishop is not well placed on g5 (does it really want to take
the f6-knight?) and will be driven back by Black's kingside pawns. A good
example, from an IM vs. IM encounter, continued} 10. Re1 O-O 11. Nbd2 Re8 12.
Rc1 h6 13. Bh4 Qb8 {- now there's no pin, and what does the white bishop
accomplish over on the kingside? Meanwhile Black has activated his queen on
the opposite flank and has good play. This was finally drawn after a fighting
game in L.Day-C.Coudari, Canadian Championship, Calgary 1975.}) ({
The direct but failed attempt at refutation,} 8. Bxc6 {
, will be seen in Geller-Zhukhovitsky.}) ({Returning to the text,} 8. Re1 {
, one notices that White has defended e4, which means there is a real threat
to take on c6 and pirate the black e-pawn. Keres (here!) plays the best answer,
driving off the a4-bishop with gain of time.}) 8... b5 ({
In a previous game he chose the inaccurate} 8... Qe7 {
(for which see Jansa-Keres).}) ({The third path is to ignore the "threat" with
} 8... Bg7 {, when} 9. Bxc6 Bxc6 10. dxe5 Nxe4 11. exd6 O-O 12. dxc7 Qxc7 {
is a sound gambit where Black's two bishops and lead in development give him
compensation for the pawn-note that this transposes to the note to White's
tenth move in the above-mentioned game Geller-Zhukhovitsky. --- However, from
the point of view of simplicity, Keres' 8...b5 is best, and I recommend it as
a repertoire move since it can be played in many similar situations to
completely secure the e5-pawn.}) 9. Bc2 ({Khalifman, in his book 'Opening for
White according to Anand, Vol. 2', claims that} 9. Bb3 Bg7 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11.
Nxe5 dxe5 12. Bg5 O-O 13. Nd2 {gives White the advantage, but I can't see any
justification for that opinion - see the note to White's 12th move in
Luther-Conquest.}) 9... Bg7 10. dxe5 ({If} 10. Be3 O-O 11. dxe5 Nxe5 ({
also possible is} 11... dxe5 12. Bc5 Re8 13. Nbd2 Na5 {, preparing to eject
the c5-bishop with ...Nb7, when Black is a shade better if anything}) 12. Nxe5
dxe5 {and Black has equality. A recent high-level game reached this position
by transposition back in the 20th century, and continued as follows:} 13. Nd2 (
{if} 13. Bc5 Re8 14. Nd2 Bf8 {and Black is fine}) 13... Qe7 14. b4 Rfd8 {
(Black gets his rook to the d-file with speed; this file is key to the final
drawing combination)} 15. Qe2 a5 16. Nb3 axb4 17. Bc5 Qe8 18. cxb4 Nh5 19. g3
Bh6 20. Be3 Bxe3 21. Qxe3 Qe7 22. Qc3 Be8 23. Na5 Rd4 24. a3 Rad8 25. Rac1 Qf6
26. Qxc7 Rd2 27. Rf1 Nf4 28. gxf4 Qxf4 29. Qc3 R2d3 $1 30. Bxd3 {½-½ S.Tiviakov-G.Giorgadze, Kropotkin 1995. I will refer to this game in the note to
move 12 - yes, these numerous transpositions are tricky!}) ({
Another 10th move should not give Black any trouble:} 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. h3 Nh5
12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 dxe5 14. Nb3 Qe7 15. Be3 Nf4 {and Black was at least
equal and went on to win in A.Goloshchapov-V.Malaniuk, Pardubice 1998 - we'll
see another fine Malaniuk win later in the chapter.}) 10... Nxe5 {Keres often took back
on e5 with the knight (see also Hermlin-Keres) as he recognized the
Nimzowitschian truth that one does not always need a pawn in the centre to
control these squares - active piece play that restrains the centre will also
do the trick. If White does not take again (as here) and fix the pawn
structure, Black will castle and play ...Re8 with good pressure against the
e4-pawn.} 11. Nxe5 dxe5 {The position looks dead even - and it is;} ({
as the following game attests:} 11... dxe5 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Qe7 14. Nd2 Rd8
15. Nf1 Bc8 16. Qe2 O-O 17. Ne3 c6 18. Red1 {
½-½ L.Shamkovich-P.Keres, USSR Team Championship 1968.}) 12. Be3 {
Yet now, after this unwary move, Black has amazing attacking chances! It's
hard to believe (but also a testament to the richness of the royal game) what
a huge difference there is between Shamkovich's and Parma's natural bishop
developments!} Ng4 $1 ({It's interesting that two young GMs of the present day
(Karjakin and Mamedyarov) apparently did not know this famous Keres victory! A
recent game between them went as follows:} 12... O-O {(not a mistake, but
neither is it as strong and sharp as Keres' great attacking move; by playing
this way, the position should be equal - in fact this is the same position as
the Tiviakov-Giorgadze game given in the note to White's tenth move above!)}
13. Nd2 Be6 $6 ({but this is a slight error; correct is Giorgadze's} 13... Qe7
{, preparing to quickly bring a rook to the only open file}) 14. Nf3 Ng4 15.
Bc5 Re8 16. h3 Nh6 17. Bb3 f6 18. a4 Qxd1 19. Bxe6+ Rxe6 20. Rexd1 {(now White
owns the d-file, and gradually increases this advantage until he wins a pawn
and, simultaneously, the game)} Rc6 21. Rd5 bxa4 22. Rxa4 Bf8 23. Be3 Rb8 24.
Ra2 Nf7 25. Nd2 Nd6 26. Rc5 Rxc5 27. Bxc5 f5 28. Bxd6 cxd6 29. f3 Kf7 30. Kf2
Ke6 31. Nc4 Rc8 32. Ne3 Bh6 33. Nd5 Bg5 34. g3 {
and Black resigned in S.Karjakin-S.Mamedyarov, Wijk aan Zee 2006, in view of}
Rc6 35. Rxa6 $1 {with a technically won ending. This was a good positional
grind by Karjakin - but what would he have done if Mamedyarov had attacked
like Keres?}) 13. Bc5 ({After} 13. Nd2 Nxe3 14. Rxe3 O-O {Black is just better
because of his two bishops, much as will be seen in the main game}) ({and} 13.
Bc1 $2 {loses at once to} Qh4 {.}) 13... Qh4 $1 {Now we see why the white
bishop had to go to g5 on move 12: to keep the black queen from attacking!} 14.
h3 Bf8 $3 {
The stunning point: the white bishop has no safe square on the a7-g1 diagonal.}
15. Be3 {Now White is just a little worse.} ({It's almost impossible, even
with computer assistance, to give a definite evaluation of the attack Black
gets if White takes the piece, but it looks to me like White might draw if he
makes a ton of correct moves, but Black has excellent practical winning
chances. Here's a quick view of this amazingly beautiful attack, in which
Black must be willing to play a rook down - but I'm sure Keres would have gone
straight for it (we will see a similar sacrifice against Hort in Chapter Eight)
:} 15. Bxf8 Qxf2+ 16. Kh1 h5 $1 17. Bg7 {, when a critical position is reached.
} ({weaker is} 17. Ba3 $2 Qg3 18. hxg4 hxg4+ 19. Kg1 Qh2+ 20. Kf2 g3+ 21. Ke3
Qh6+ 22. Kd3 O-O-O {with a winning attack; note again that the possibility of
queenside castling in the MS is an attacking plus!}) 17... -- ({. My first thought was to continue in 19th century style by sacrificing a rook with} 17...
O-O-O $5 {, which gave rise to some amazingly beautiful variations:} 18. Bxh8
Rxh8 {(Black is a full rook down, but all four of his pieces are attacking
White's denuded king!)} 19. Qd2 Qg3 20. hxg4 {
(make that a rook and a piece down)} hxg4+ 21. Kg1 Qh4 {and then:} 22. -- ({
. If White dares to make a threat, Black comes back by activating his bishop
and the attack never stops:} 22. Rd1 Be6 23. Qe3 Bc4 24. Rd3 ({not} 24. Nd2 $2
g3 {and the trapped white king perishes}) 24... Qh2+ 25. Kf1 Rh3 26. gxh3 g3
27. Qg1 Qxc2 28. Ke1 Qxd3 29. Qg2 Qe3+ 30. Kd1 Bd3 31. Nd2 Qf2 32. Qxf2 gxf2
33. Rc1 ({Black is too fast in the line} 33. a4 f5 34. axb5 fxe4 35. bxa6 e3 {
and queens}) 33... f5 $1 {
and Black can justifiably play for a win, a rook down in the ending!}) (22. Qe3
g3 23. Kf1 Qg4 24. Qf3 ({if} 24. Kg1 Rh2 {and as far as I can see Black has a
winning attack: there doesn't seem to be any reasonable defence to ...Qh4})
24... Qg5 25. Bb3 Bg4 26. Qxg3 Rh1+ 27. Kf2 Qf6+ 28. Ke3 Qg5+ 29. Kd3 (29. Kf2
Qf6+ {is a draw, and this might be White's best}) 29... Be2+ 30. Kc2 Qxg3 31.
Rxh1 c5 32. Nd2 c4 33. Rae1 Bd3+ 34. Kc1 cxb3 35. Nxb3 Qxg2 {and Black is
better with queen and pawn for two rooks, and a continuing attack. No wonder
Parma avoided this mess, but chess fans would have enjoyed the mêlée!})) ({
. Unfortunately, a computer with no sense of beauty refuted the rook sacrifice
with} 17... O-O-O 18. Bxh8 Rxh8 19. Re2 $1 ({instead of the} 19. Qd2 $6 {
that I gave above}) 19... Qg3 20. Qg1 {
and Black doesn't have enough for the rook.}) ({. So it was back to the
drawing board! On reflection, I could see that the rook sac was too
extravagant for our silicon age - but Keres' sacrifice is nonetheless correct,
if he stops at one piece. Black should continue with} 17... Rh7 $1 18. Re2 ({if
} 18. Qe2 Qg3 19. hxg4 hxg4+ 20. Kg1 Qh2+ 21. Kf1 Rxg7 22. Qe3 O-O-O {
with a terrific attack for the piece; e.g.} 23. Nd2 ({worse is} 23. Qa7 Bc6 24.
Qxa6+ Bb7 25. Qxb5 Qh1+ 26. Kf2 g3+ 27. Kf3 Qxe1 {and Black wins}) 23... f5 {
and the pawn storm is very dangerous for White}) 18... Rxg7 {
(in view of the fork the black queen doesn't need to move)} 19. hxg4 Qh4+ 20.
Kg1 hxg4 21. Qe1 g3 22. Re3 Qh2+ 23. Kf1 Qh1+ 24. Ke2 Qxg2+ 25. Kd1 Bg4+ 26.
Kc1 Qf2 $1 27. Nd2 Rh7 {and Black is better, as his three pawns outweigh
White's piece. No wonder Parma avoided this mess, but chess fans would have
enjoyed the mêlée!})) 15... Nxe3 16. Rxe3 Rd8 {
Now Black's two bishops give him a somewhat better game.} 17. Nd2 Be6 18. b4 ({
If} 18. Rd3 Rxd3 19. Bxd3 Bc5 {with a plus for Black.}) 18... c5 $1 {
Now Black opens the game for his bishops and stands clearly better.} 19. Rd3 {
A mistake under pressure that loses a pawn.} ({
He should continue to defend the joyless position with} 19. Qe1 {.}) 19... Rxd3
20. Bxd3 cxb4 21. Nf3 Qd8 22. Qd2 Bc4 23. Rd1 ({If} 23. Nxe5 Bg7 {
and White has no good defence for his hanging pieces.}) 23... Qxd3 24. Qxd3
Bxd3 25. Rxd3 f6 26. g4 bxc3 27. Rxc3 Kd7 {Despite the "bad" bishop, Keres
makes the technical task of winning the pawn up ending look easy.} 28. g5 {
Although this splits Black's pawns, the bishop now gets a little more room -
but I doubt anything would have held for White.} Be7 29. gxf6 Bxf6 30. Rd3+ Kc6
31. Kf1 Re8 32. Ke2 Re6 33. Rd5 Kb6 34. Kd2 h5 35. Kc2 Kc7 36. Ne1 Rd6 37. Rxd6
Kxd6 38. Nd3 Be7 39. Nb4 a5 40. Nd5 Bh4 41. f3 Kc5 42. Kd3 a4 ({
White resigns, as the win is now straightforward; e.g.} 42... a4 43. Kc3 Bf2
44. Kd3 b4 45. Ne7 g5 46. Nf5 Bd4 47. Kc2 h4 48. Nh6 ({
White can't block the black king, for if} 48. Kd3 b3 $1 49. axb3 a3 {wins})
48... Kc4 49. Nf7 b3+ 50. axb3+ axb3+ 51. Kb1 Kd3 52. Nxg5 Kd2 $1 {
(Black waits and forces the white knight to move)} 53. Ne6 Ke3 54. Ng5 Kf4 55.
Nh7 Kxf3 56. Nf6 (56. Ng5+ Kf4 {is just as bad}) 56... Kg3 {etc. --- This was
a tremendous game by Keres, which shows that even a "routine developing move"
like 11 Be3 can allow an awesome attack! One sees the counter-attacking
resources of this opening, and once again the many instances of long castling
that occur in the main games or, as here, in the notes.}) 0-1

[Event "Budapest"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fogarasi, T."]
[Black "Davies, N."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Nf6 ({
Just to keep your transposition finder on alert, note that Black usually plays
} 5... Bd7 {here, which transposes to the game after} 6. c3 Nf6 {.}) 6. c3 Bd7
7. Re1 ({
Another transposition that gets us to the main game by a more common route is} 
7. d4 g6 8. Re1 b5 9. Bb3 Bg7 {.}) 7... g6 8. d4 b5 {If you're learning this
opening for the first time, just remember that just because you played ...
g7-g6 on the last move, you don't have to (and you shouldn't!) automatically
follow with ...Bg7. First Black must relieve the threat to his e-pawn, without
losing time.} 9. Bb3 (9. Bc2 {transposes back to Parma-Keres.}) 9... Bg7 10.
Nbd2 O-O 11. h3 {Preventing ...Bg4.} ({The immediate} 11. Nf1 {allows} exd4 12.
cxd4 Bg4 {when it's difficult to see how White can avoid kingside pawn damage.}
) 11... Re8 12. Nf1 $6 {A "normal Lopez move" but not very good now. I think
people have been so trained by the Main Line Ruy positions they get all the
time that they forget the MS is really a different animal, and independent
thought is required rather than rote moves.} ({Correct is} 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13.
Nxe5 dxe5 {with equality, which is all White can expect here. Note how easily
Black equalized: he just made reasonable moves in the correct order.}) 12...
exd4 13. cxd4 $2 ({Davies points out an amazing drawing combination:} 13. Ng5
$1 d5 $1 ({not} 13... Re7 14. cxd4 h6 15. Nxf7 Rxf7 16. Bxf7+ Kxf7 17. e5 {
which is good for White}) 14. cxd4 Nxe4 15. Nxf7 Qh4 16. Rxe4 Qxe4 17. Ng5 Qxd4
18. Bxd5+ Kh8 19. Nf7+ Kg8 20. Ng5+ {with what he calls an "unlikely looking
draw by perpetual check" - indeed! But if White is reduced to all this just to
equalize in the opening, I am very happy!}) 13... Nxe4 {Black has taken a
centre pawn, and White must jump through hoops to maintain material equality.}
14. Bxf7+ Kxf7 15. Rxe4 Rxe4 16. Ng5+ Kg8 17. Qb3+ Be6 18. Nxe6 Rxe6 19. Qxe6+
Kh8 20. d5 Ne5 {White got his pawn back, but it's clear that both of Black's
minor pieces are stronger than their opposite numbers.} 21. a4 b4 22. Bd2 a5
23. Rb1 Qf8 24. h4 ({If} 24. b3 {, the reply} Re8 {traps White's queen!}) 24...
Nd3 {The scattered white pawns (a4/b2/d5/h4) are all vulnerable: Davies
finishes efficiently.} 25. Qe3 Qf5 26. Ng3 Qxd5 27. Qe7 Nxf2 $1 28. Bg5 Ng4 29.
Rf1 Qe5 {The queens come off, leaving Black with a decisive material advantage.
--- Black had a surprisingly easy win in this game (despite the trick draw at
move 13) in that White got no advantage at all in the opening, then continued
with a "normal Lopez move" (one recalls that I was the beneficiary of a
similar error in Glawe-Taylor) and was in great difficulties - with White - by
move 14.} 0-1

[Event "European Championship, Liverpool"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2006.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Luther, T."]
[Black "Conquest, S."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. O-O g6 {Still another
move order to reach our basic position. There's nothing wrong with this, but
there is with Black's next!} 7. d4 Bg7 (7... Nf6 {
is correct, and we're in our main line.}) 8. Re1 ({
White could get some advantage with} 8. Bg5 {, as we already saw when Alekhine
also played this inaccurate move order (vs. Yates). Capablanca takes advantage
of a similar mover order inaccuracy against Thomas.}) 8... b5 9. Bb3 Nf6 {
Black finally reaches the main line unscathed.} 10. dxe5 ({Instead,} 10. h3 {
might cause Black (in this case our mentor Keres!) to think about sac'ing a
bishop against this pawn; e.g.} O-O 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Qc8 $5 13. a4 Nh5 {
(clearly the sac will be on if Black gets the knight to f4)} 14. axb5 {
(White has to rush to chop wood!)} axb5 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5
Bxe5 18. Nd2 Bc6 {½-½ M.Matulovic-P.Keres, Sarajevo 1972 - another case
where Black was pushing and White was working hard to draw.}) 10... Nxe5 11.
Nxe5 dxe5 12. a4 ({So far we have seen an 'Opening for White according to
Anand', and now Khalifman gives} 12. Bg5 O-O 13. Nd2 -- (13... h6 14. Bh4 {
"and White's pieces are obviously more active", but neither I nor Mr. Fritz
can find any advantage for White, obvious or not!}) ({. Practice tells the same
story: instead of the immediate 13...h6, Black could first play} 13... Bc6 {
and White has nothing; e.g.} 14. Qe2 h6 15. Bh4 Qe8 16. Rad1 Kh7 17. Bxf6 Bxf6
18. Nf1 Be7 19. Bd5 {½-½ D.Maxion-S.Loeffler, German League 1990. But I
would play on with Black:} Bxd5 20. exd5 ({or} 20. Rxd5 c6 21. Rd2 Rd8 {
, similar to the main game where Black has no weaknesses and the bishop may
yet outperform the knight}) 20... Bd6 {
followed by ...f7-f5 with an active, and attacking, kingside pawn majority.}))
12... O-O 13. Bg5 ({If} 13. Be3 Qe7 14. axb5 axb5 15. Nd2 Ng4 16. Nf1 Nxe3 17.
Nxe3 c6 {and Black was slightly better with his two bishops (rather similar to
Parma-Keres) in S.Marjanovic-V.Smyslov, Subotica Interzonal 1987.}) 13... Qe7
14. Nd2 h6 15. Bh4 Be6 {The English GM plays well in the equal position.} 16.
Bxe6 Qxe6 17. Qb3 Qc6 18. Bxf6 {
White chops before the unpinned knight activates itself via ...Nh5-f4.} Bxf6
19. g3 Be7 20. axb5 axb5 21. Rxa8 Rxa8 22. Nf3 Bf6 {The computer says Black is
marginally better and I agree: the bishop has prospects, and ...f7-f5 may come
later.} 23. h4 h5 24. Kg2 Rd8 25. Re3 Kg7 26. Ng5 Rd7 27. Nf3 {White offers a
repetition and the GMs call it a day. Black could try for a win by organizing
an invasion on the d-file, though this would admittedly be difficult.} Qc5 28.
Ng5 Qc6 {. If Black gets to the ideal Keres set-up, he has no serious
problems. However, inaccurate move orders are rife, as we saw in this game.
Continuing the theme, the next two games will feature common move order
mistakes.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Luhacovice"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1969.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Jansa, V."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1969.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 ({Maybe White should have played} 2. d4 {!}) 2... e5 3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. c3 g6 8. Nbd2 Qe7 ({
As we already know, Keres will later switch to the correct} 8... b5 9. Bb3 Bg7
10. Re1 O-O {when Black should equalize, as the last three games show. The use
of the queen to bolster the e-pawn is flawed simply because the queen is too
important to take on such a menial job as pawn defence. Her Majesty is also
somewhat vulnerable to a Nf1-e3-d5 attack and a Bg5 pin. --- Nonetheless,
showing commendable chutzpah, Keres adopts this move despite the fact that he
himself had defeated it seventeen years earlier! However, he no doubt saw that
Black's play could be improved, and even if this line is not objectively best,
it's hard to refute - and there is one advantage of the queen move, so obvious
you might not notice it - Black is ready to castle long!}) 9. Re1 Bg7 10. dxe5
{This is no way to get an advantage with White! The coming exchanges ease
Black's game and even give him chances to play for a win.} ({
Instead, White should follow Keres himself and play} 10. Nf1 $1 {planning to
exploit the black queen position as mentioned above. Following are three
sample games with} O-O ({If} 10... exd4 $6 11. e5 dxe5 ({not} 11... Nxe5 $2 12.
cxd4 {winning a piece}) 12. Bxc6 bxc6 ({not} 12... Bxc6 $2 13. Rxe5 {
winning the queen}) 13. Nxe5 {
and White has a big advantage due to the e-file attack.}) 11. -- {
-- three White wins - and potential improvements for Black:} (11. Ng3 {
(I think 11 Bg5 as played by Keres and Botvinnik - see line 'b' - is objectively
stronger, though the exposed black queen invites tactics even here: check out
move 19!)} b5 12. Bc2 Na5 ({this looks like the wrong plan: Black starts
playing as in a Main Line Ruy but only succeeds in weakening the d6-square; I
think the more Steinitzian} 12... h6 {, which denies White's pieces access to
the kingside, is stronger, and if White has anything at all it's only a
marginal advantage}) 13. b3 c5 14. h3 cxd4 15. cxd4 Nc6 16. Bb2 Rac8 17. Qd2
Rc7 $2 ({fatal - better is} 17... exd4 {
, when d6 is weak but Black's open lines offer some counterplay}) 18. d5 Nb8
19. Bxe5 $1 {(based on the d5-d6 fork)} Rfc8 20. Bb1 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 {
1-0 E.Perelshteyn-E.Akhmilovskaya, US Championship, Seattle 2002.}) (11. Bg5 {
and now:} -- (11... b5 {(for the superior 11...h6 see 'b2')} 12. Bc2 Na5 13.
Ne3 c6 {(Keres' opponent finds a way to meet the Ne3-d5 threat, but weakens
his queenside pawns in the process)} 14. a4 Nc4 15. Nxc4 bxc4 16. Qe2 exd4 17.
Nxd4 c5 18. Nf3 h6 19. Bh4 Bg4 20. Rad1 Bxf3 21. gxf3 $1 {(this surprising
recapture actually consolidates White's centre, while leaving Black with weak
targets at c4 and d6)} Qe6 22. Bg3 Rfd8 23. f4 Nh5 24. Bb1 Re8 25. Ba2 {
(White must win material)} Qf6 26. Qd2 d5 27. exd5 Bf8 28. Rxe8 Rxe8 29. d6 Rd8
30. d7 Qe6 31. f5 $1 Qxf5 ({if} 31... gxf5 32. Bc7 f4 33. Bxd8 Qg4+ 34. Kf1 f3
35. Qd5 {and the white king escapes}) 32. Bxc4 Nf6 33. Qf4 {
(Keres wins technically, not giving Black the slightest chance)} Qxf4 34. Bxf4
Rxd7 35. Rxd7 Nxd7 36. Bxa6 g5 37. Bc7 Bg7 38. Bb5 Nf6 39. Bc6 Bf8 40. a5 c4
41. a6 Bc5 42. Be5 {1-0 P.Keres-H.Pilnik, Budapest 1952. Black was savagely
slammed here, but as we see, Pilnik erred early and could never recover -
following is a tougher struggle:}) (11... h6 $1 12. Bh4 Qe8 {(Black has to do
something about the aforementioned Ne3-d5, and this is best, even though it's
not as smooth as the ...Re8/...Qb8 unpinning of Day-Coudari in the notes to
Parma-Keres. Yes, ...Qe7-e8 loses time and disconnects the rooks, but Black's
position is still very solid, and he will have a good chance at counterplay or
equalization soon)} 13. Bc2 Nh5 14. Ne3 Ne7 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Bg3 Nxg3 17. hxg3
Rd8 18. Qe2 Nc8 19. Rad1 c6 $2 ({too slow: Black's hesitation allows White to
take over the d-file - which is enough for Botvinnik, who now wins
scientifically. Evidently critical is} 19... Bc6 20. Nd5 {
(otherwise Black equalizes with d-file exchanges)} Bxd5 21. exd5 Qe7 22. Nxe5
Rfe8 23. f4 f6 24. Bxg6 fxe5 25. Bxe8 Rxe8 26. fxe5 Bxe5 {and Black's two
pieces may well be the equal of White's rook + two pawns. In any case, Black
is fighting back here, and I suspect this would have been Keres' choice had
his opponent used his own line on him - but this didn't happen!}) 20. Rd2 Qe7
21. Red1 Nb6 22. b4 Be6 23. Bb3 Rxd2 24. Qxd2 Bxb3 25. axb3 Qe6 26. c4 Bf6 27.
c5 Nc8 28. Qd7 Qxb3 29. Qxb7 Bg5 30. Nxg5 hxg5 31. Qxa6 Ne7 32. Qb7 Re8 33. Qd7
Kf8 34. Qd6 Qxb4 35. Ng4 Ra8 36. Qxe5 Qb3 37. Rd7 Ng8 38. Qd6+ Kg7 39. Qd4+ Kh7
40. Nf6+ Nxf6 41. Qxf6 Kg8 42. Kh2 Rf8 43. Qxc6 Kg7 44. Qd5 Qb1 45. Qd4+ Kh7
46. c6 {1-0 M.Botvinnik-I.Boleslavsky, USSR Championship, Moscow 1945.})))
10... Nxe5 {Once again the typical Keres recapture, simplifying the game.} 11.
Nxe5 dxe5 12. Bxd7+ Nxd7 {Now there will be no pin with Bg5, and the knight
shields the d-file so Black can castle long.} 13. Nf3 O-O-O $1 {The MS Defence
has turned into an attacking position in 13 moves! Is it possible Keres' 8...
Qe7 was a psychological trap and he predicted White's passive follow-up?} 14.
Be3 $6 {This invites Black's f-pawn to rush forward with gain of time.} ({
Correct is} 14. b4 {, trying to open a queenside file as soon as possible.})
14... f5 $1 {Keres, on the other hand, wastes no time and it's already
difficult to find a good plan for White - while Black has an easy to play,
straightforward attack.} 15. exf5 ({Or} 15. Bg5 Bf6 16. Qc1 f4 {
and Black has a massive attack.}) 15... gxf5 16. Qd5 Rhe8 17. Rad1 f4 18. Bc1 {
So much for development! Black is clearly better.} Nc5 19. Qc4 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 e4
{Black re-establishes his pawn duo on the fifth rank. White is already in
desperate shape.} 21. Ne1 Bh6 22. b4 Nd7 23. b5 Nb6 24. Qe2 f3 $1 {It's all over, as the attack breaks through on both the g-file and the h6-c1 diagonal.} 25.
Nxf3 ({If} 25. gxf3 Bxc1 26. Rxc1 Qg5+ {wins - ouch!}) 25... Bxc1 26. Nd4 (26.
Rxc1 exf3 {is even easier.}) 26... Ba3 27. bxa6 Kb8 28. axb7 Kxb7 29. Qb5 e3
30. Qc6+ Kc8 31. Qf3 exf2+ 32. Qxf2 Qe3 {Ruthless! White should resign now.}
33. Qxe3 Rxe3 34. Nb5 Bc5 35. Kf1 Na4 36. Rd5 c6 37. Na7+ Kc7 38. Rh5 Re7 {
A second piece goes. This was an absolute crush. --- Apparently Keres counted
on his opponent exchanging in the centre, but the 8...Qe7 line can't be
recommended wholeheartedly in view of the Botvinnik/Keres Nf1/Bg5 manoeuvre,
when Black must still struggle to equalize.} 0-1

[Event "Margate"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1939.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca, JR."]
[Black "Thomas, GA."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C76"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1939.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 ({Yukhtman-Genin started} 5.
Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 f6 {(see Chapter Six).}) 5... Bd7 6. d4 g6 $6 {
Inaccurate, as it allows the following attack.} (6... Nf6 {is correct, when
Black can probably follow with ...g7-g6 and ...Bg7 as we have seen - or if} 7.
Bg5 {Black has the good option} Be7 {(one mustn't be a slave to the fianchetto)
and the white bishop is pointless on g5.}) 7. Bg5 $1 f6 {Ugly, but what else?}
({If} 7... Nf6 $2 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 (8... bxc6 {
is slightly better but still hopeless}) 9. dxe5 {wins a piece.}) ({Also poor is
} 7... Be7 8. h4 {which gives White attacking chances due to the weakness of
Black's dark squares, while the failed fianchetto would be psychologically
difficult to play.}) 8. Be3 {I have to agree with Fritz's clear plus already -
don't mess with Capablanca, and learn your move order! Note that in
Yukhtman-Genin (see 5 Bxc6+ above), Black gets this kingside pawn structure
with the compensation of the two bishops - but even then I don't like his
game!} Nh6 9. h3 Bg7 (9... Nf7 {is also possible, but there's a big difference
between this passive knight and an active steed one square up the board on f6
- and it gets to f6 in one move, too, instead of this two move shuffle! White
obtained a big advantage after} 10. O-O Bg7 11. dxe5 fxe5 12. c4 O-O 13. Nc3 b6
14. Nd5 h6 15. Rc1 Kh7 16. b4 {in Y.Grünfeld-B.Spassky, Brussels 1985 - even
though Spassky eventually turned the tables and won in the endgame!}) 10. Nbd2
Nf7 ({Another world champion - poor Smyslov - was less fortunate than Boris:} 
10... Qe7 11. b4 exd4 12. cxd4 O-O 13. O-O f5 14. Bg5 Qe8 15. Bb3+ Kh8 16. Re1
{(Black has no play at all; note again the unfortunate position of his king's
knight)} Qc8 17. e5 dxe5 18. dxe5 Be6 19. Bxe6 Qxe6 20. Nb3 Nf7 21. Nc5 Qc4 22.
Rc1 Qxb4 23. Bd2 Qa3 24. Re3 Qxa2 25. Rc2 {and Black resigned in A.Sokolov-V.
Smyslov, Montpellier Candidates 1985, as his queen is caught after} Qd5 26. Rd3
{.}) 11. g4 {Capablanca exploits the fact that he hasn't castled to bind his
opponent's kingside.} Qe7 (11... exd4 12. cxd4 O-O {
would be Black's relatively best chance to get some counterplay.}) 12. d5 Nb8
13. Bc2 {Now one can sit back and watch the master of manoeuvre gradually take
over the board, square by square.} c5 14. a4 Bc8 15. Nc4 Nd7 16. a5 Bh6 17.
Bxh6 Nxh6 18. Qd2 Nf7 19. Rg1 O-O 20. h4 Rb8 21. g5 fxg5 22. hxg5 Nd8 23. Rg3
Rf4 24. Ne3 Nf8 25. Bd3 Bd7 26. Ke2 b5 27. axb6 Rxb6 28. Qc2 Bc8 29. Ra4 Nf7
30. b3 h5 $6 {Black can't stand it anymore, lashes out, and loses quickly -
though I think passive defence would also lose in the long run, as Black just
doesn't have the space to defend both wings continually, and h7 or a6 will
finally fall.} 31. gxh6 Nxh6 32. Ra1 Ng4 33. Rag1 Nxe3 34. fxe3 Rf7 35. Ng5 Rg7
36. Bc4 Nh7 37. Kd3 Nxg5 38. Rxg5 Bd7 ({If} 38... Qf7 39. Qg2 Kh7 40. Qh2+ Kg8
41. Qh6 {wins the g-pawn anyway.}) 39. Rxg6 ({White has a decisive attack after
} 39. Rxg6 Rxg6 40. Rxg6+ Kf7 ({or} 40... Kh7 41. Rg1) 41. Qg2 {. This is one
of Capa's famous "chess-machine" wins, where Black never seemed to be in the
game - but note that even Capa could not have gotten that bind had Black
played correctly on move six! Note that fellow world champions Spassky and
Smyslov likewise got terrible positions with this move order - Keres may have
been "forever second" but he knew better!}) 1-0

[Event "New York (consultation game)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1933.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kashdan & Phillips"]
[Black "Alekhine & Wahrburg"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C86"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1933.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{As we saw in the previous chapter, Kasparov's choice against the ...Ne7-g6
line was to close the centre with d4-d5, create a pawn chain and play on the
queenside. Naturally this is a possibility here too - when Black has
fianchettoed the dark-squared bishop, the position is even more like a King's
Indian, with similar long-term assaults on opposite wings. This pawn chain
battle will be the subject of the next three games.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 {Best!} 7. Qe2 {Unusual:} (7. O-O g6 {
is the Keres main line.}) ({Another rarely played line is} 7. Nbd2 g6 {
, but Keres has faced this like everything else - and played inaccurately on
his way to a fifteen move draw, no doubt due to the fact that this was the
last round of a very tough and exhausting tournament.} 8. -- (8. Bxc6 {
gives nothing after White's quiet previous move; e.g.} Bxc6 9. dxe5 Nxe4 10.
Qe2 ({if} 10. Nxe4 Bxe4 11. Qe2 d5 {and Black stands well}) 10... Nxd2 11. Bxd2
Qe7 12. Bg5 ({or} 12. Bf4 Bg7 13. exd6 Qxe2+ 14. Kxe2 O-O-O 15. dxc7 Bb5+ 16.
Ke1 Rhe8+ 17. Be3 Kxc7 {with compensation}) 12... Bxf3 13. Bxe7 Bxe2 14. Bf6
Rg8 15. Kxe2 dxe5 16. Bxe5 O-O-O {with dead equality.}) (8. O-O b5 9. Bc2 Bg7
10. Nb3 ({instead of} 10. Re1 {, which would transpose to equalizing lines we
have already covered, Kaplan tries an interesting positional idea: the white
knight wants the c5-square, though this shouldn't give anything against
correct play}) 10... O-O 11. dxe5 dxe5 $2 ({
was Keres asleep or was this a last round fingerfehler? Mr. K normally plays} 
11... Nxe5 {in this sort of position, as we have already seen a few times in
this book, and the knight capture is correct once again as it frees Black's
game and gives the c6-square to the light-squared bishop: after} 12. Nxe5 dxe5
13. Nc5 Bc6 14. Be3 Nd7 {White has absolutely nothing - but look at the game!})
12. Nc5 Bg4 {
(this poor bishop now has nowhere to go, so White can force its exchange)} 13.
h3 Qe7 {, and now as Kaplan later pointed out, he could have obtained a very
large advantage with} ({if} 13... Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Qe7 15. Be3 {
and White has the two bishops and the c5-square}) 14. hxg4 $1 ({
instead, the game concluded} 14. b4 Rfd8 15. Bd3 {½-½ J.Kaplan-P.Keres,
San Antonio 1972, and presumably both players went back to bed!}) 14... Qxc5
15. g5 {when White not only has the two bishops but also a bind on Black's
kingside. Although it doesn't seem like either contestant was playing
seriously, the reader should remember to take back on e5 in such positions
with the knight - as Keres usually did!})) 7... Be7 $1 {Black, as I have
already noted, must not be a slave to the fianchetto. With the queen on the
e-file, protecting e4 and indirectly aiming at the black king, White is
threatening to take the pawn on e5, and it's unreasonable to ask so much of
the position to try and make 7...g6 work with tactical tricks.} ({
The problem with} 7... g6 {is that Black is still two moves from castling,
which is fine if White himself has just made a non-threatening move (7 0-0 or
7 Nbd2), but rather less so when White is ready to attack. In other words, I
have no faith in} 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nxe5 Bb5 11. c4 Qd4 12. Nc3 {
which is way too artsy crafty for me and is probably good for White anyway. On
the other hand, after the simple 7...Be7, the white queen gives" more inconveniences than advantages", as Alekhine points out in his classic collection of
best games.}) 8. O-O ({Now} 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nxe5 Bxe4 {
is at least equal for Black, who has no worries on the e-file.}) 8... O-O 9. d5
{Since Black was threatening ...Nxd4 (an 'inconvenience' of Qe2) White has
nothing better than closing the centre, as Alekhine comments.} Nb8 10. Bc2 {
Later in the game White must have regretted not exchanging the theoretically
bad bishop here, even though it would redevelop Black's queen's knight.} a5 {
A solid positional move typical of King's Indian positions: the b8-knight aims
for c5.} ({However,} 10... c6 {is even more "dynamical" (to use Alekhine's
word), with the idea of opening a file before White has completed development.}
) 11. c4 Na6 12. Nc3 Nc5 13. Be3 b6 14. h3 g6 {Black threatens ...Nh5-f4.
White's strenuous efforts to prevent this only make the position worse.} 15.
Bh6 ({I think White should just live with the knight incursion and create some
play on the queenside; e.g.} 15. b3 Nh5 16. a3 {with a double-edged game.})
15... Re8 16. g4 Bf8 17. Bxf8 (17. Be3 {is better; White will pay dearly for
being left with the bad bishop. Yes, I know, Capablanca exchanged his "good
bishop" in the previous game, but given his overwhelming space advantage and
attacking chances, there the exchange just weakened Black's kingside - here it
just weakens White! Yes, chess is a difficult game!}) 17... Rxf8 18. Nh2 Qe7
19. Qe3 h5 20. f4 {This looks bad, since White is attacking on the wrong side
of the pawn chain (the positional plan would be to advance eventually with
b2-b4 and c4-c5, attacking the base of Black's chain. Unfortunately for
Kashdan and his ally, if White plays slowly in this position, Black will build
up a winning attack much faster with ...Kg7/...Rh8 etc.} ({
So while f2-f4 is not "good" there may be nothing better; e.g.} 20. f3 Kg7 21.
Kf2 hxg4 22. hxg4 Rh8 23. Rh1 Rh3 24. Rag1 Rah8 25. Rg2 Nxg4+ $1 {
would be a potential White disaster.}) 20... hxg4 21. hxg4 exf4 22. Qxf4 Kg7
23. Rae1 Rae8 24. Kg2 Rh8 25. Re2 Rh4 26. Ref2 Reh8 $1 {Black beats back
White's f-file demonstration with some inspired tactical and strategical play;
first the h-file balances the f-, then the e5-square decisively tips the
balance.} 27. Kg1 ({If} 27. Qxf6+ $2 {
, Black surprisingly wins a clean piece as follows:} Qxf6 28. Rxf6 Rxh2+ 29.
Kg1 (29. Kg3 R8h3+ 30. Kf4 Kxf6 {is shorter}) 29... Rh1+ 30. Kg2 R8h2+ 31. Kg3
Rxf1 32. Rxf1 Rxc2 {and there goes the bad bishop!}) 27... Be8 28. Qg5 Kf8 29.
Rg2 Ncd7 30. Nb5 Ne5 $1 {The strategical decision: Black occupies the key
central square, while also covering the vulnerable points (c7 and f7)} 31. Qxf6
{White has two other tries that also fail in interesting ways:} (31. Nxc7 {
is a desperate diversion, but Black can just take it as the knight on f6 is
magically protected!-} Qxc7 $1 {and then:} 32. -- (32. Rxf6 Qc5+ {
and there is no good answer to the check:} 33. Kh1 (33. Rgf2 Rxh2 {
snaps off a piece}) ({, while} 33. Rff2 Nf3+ {catches the white queen}) 33...
Nxg4 34. Qxh4 {(forced but fatal)} Rxh4 35. Rxg4 Rxg4 36. Nxg4 Bd7 37. Nh2 Qxc4
{and the black queen rules.}) (32. Qxf6 Qc5+ {
and once again the check crushes White in all variations:} 33. Qf2 ({if} 33.
Kh1 Rxh2+ 34. Rxh2 Rxh2+ 35. Kxh2 Nxg4+ {and the queen goes once more}) ({, or
} 33. Rgf2 Rxh2 {and Black is a piece up with a winning attack}) ({, or if} 33.
Rff2 Rxh2 34. Rxh2 Rxh2 35. Kxh2 Nxg4+ {etc}) 33... Nf3+ 34. Kh1 {(forced)}
Rxh2+ 35. Rxh2 Rxh2+ 36. Qxh2 Nxh2 {
and as so often in these lines, Black wins the queen.})) (31. Rxf6 Rxh2 32.
Rxh2 Rxh2 33. Kxh2 Nf3+ {and again the queen goes - so White has nothing
better than to go into the bad ending seen in the game.}) 31... Qxf6 32. Rxf6
Bxb5 {An important zwischenzug: Black wants the pure knight vs. bishop ending.}
33. cxb5 Rxh2 34. Rxh2 Rxh2 35. Rxf7+ ({If} 35. Kxh2 Nxg4+ {with an extra pawn.
}) 35... Kxf7 36. Kxh2 Nxg4+ 37. Kg3 Ne5 38. b3 {Now that's a bad bishop! The
ending is hopeless as all five white pawns are on the same colour as the
bishop.} Kf6 39. Bd1 Nd3 40. Kf3 Ke5 41. Ke3 Nc5 42. Bf3 g5 43. Bh1 Nd7 44. Bg2
Nf6 45. Bf3 g4 46. Be2 ({If} 46. Bg2 Nh5 47. Bh1 Nf4 48. Kf2 Nd3+ 49. Ke3 Nc1 {
and the white queenside collapses.}) 46... Nxe4 47. Bxg4 Nc3 48. Bf3 Nxd5+ 49.
Kd2 Kd4 50. a3 Nc3 51. Bc6 a4 $1 52. Kc2 d5 53. bxa4 (53. Kb2 axb3 54. Kxb3 Kd3
55. a4 d4 56. Kb4 Ke3 57. Bg2 (57. a5 bxa5+ 58. Kxa5 d3 {shows just how bad
the white bishop is - the luckless cleric can't even sacrifice itself for
Black's passed pawn!}) 57... Ne2 58. Bh3 d3 59. Bf5 d2 60. Bc2 Kd4 61. a5 bxa5+
62. Kxa5 Kc5 63. Ka4 Nc3+ {and Black wins the bishop.}) 53... Kc4 ({
White resigns in view of} 53... Kc4 54. Bd7 Nxa4 55. Bc6 Nc3 56. Bd7 Nxb5 {
etc. --- This was a great win by Alekhine (and Wahrburg) - from the unprejudiced
opening play, to the tactical underpinnings of his kingside strategy, all
capped by precise endgame play. From the opening point of view, we see that
White gained nothing by preventing the kingside fianchetto with 7 Qe2.}) 0-1

[Event "Tula"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Yagupov, I."]
[Black "Malaniuk, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C76"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 g6 (6... Nf6 $1 {.}) 7.
O-O ({As we know, White can exploit this move order with Capablanca's} 7. Bg5
$1 {.}) 7... Nf6 {Black reverts to Keres' main line - and White immediately
decides to close the centre.} 8. d5 Ne7 9. Bxd7+ {Unlike the previous game,
here White exchanges his bad bishop right away - but it must be said that this
also eases Black's slight space cramp and helps his development. And is the
"King's Indian" bishop so bad?} Qxd7 10. Qe2 Bg7 11. c4 {White loses a tempo
compared to the King's Indian as his c-pawn takes two steps to get to c4.
Perhaps this is not so important in a closed position, but one can see that
Black is ahead in development and has no real strategic disadvantage.} O-O 12.
Nc3 Nh5 13. g3 h6 {
With no queen's bishop, Black does have to careful about his light squares.} (
13... f5 {would be premature in view of} 14. Ng5 {
and the white knight parachutes into e6.}) 14. Ne1 f5 {"In closed positions,
there are no good bishops" is a Larsen quote I've always liked. Here I think
the most important factor is Black's kingside attack.} 15. f3 (15. exf5 Nxf5 {
only activates the black knights, and there is no good fork: if} 16. g4 $2 Nd4
{and the other black knight comes to f4 with a huge advantage.}) 15... Rf7 16.
Bd2 Raf8 17. Nd3 c6 $1 ({As the direct attack doesn't break through (} 17...
fxe4 18. fxe4 Qh3 19. Nf2 {) Black creates sharp play on the queenside as well,
gradually overloading White's defensive capabilities.}) 18. a4 ({
Black's basic idea is seen after} 18. dxc6 Nxc6 $1 {
- if Black can get a knight to d4 he generally takes over the advantage.}) ({
Furthermore,} 18. c5 cxd5 19. exd5 e4 {
is a strong pawn sacrifice that activates all of Black's pieces:} 20. fxe4 Bd4+
21. Kg2 dxc5 22. Bxh6 Re8 {.}) 18... a5 19. c5 b6 $5 {Extravagant! The good
thing about this move is that it creates such massive confusion on the board
that White will soon go astray, and Black will win with an attack;} ({
but objectively correct is to continue as in the previous note with} 19... cxd5
20. exd5 e4 21. fxe4 Bd4+ 22. Kg2 ({or} 22. Be3 Bxc3 23. bxc3 fxe4 24. Nf2 Nxd5
25. Bxh6 Re8 {
, when Black has destroyed the white centre and has good counterplay}) 22...
dxc5 23. Bxh6 Re8 {with great activity for the pawn.}) 20. cxb6 ({If} 20. dxc6
Nxc6 21. cxb6 Nd4 {
and Black's strong knight gives him excellent compensation for the pawn.})
20... Qb7 21. dxc6 ({Or} 21. Be3 cxd5 22. exd5 Nxd5 {
again with central counterplay.}) 21... Qxb6+ 22. Kg2 Nxc6 23. Nb5 {
White has to put his knight out of play to prevent ...Nd4.} Qd8 24. Rac1 Qd7
25. Rfd1 fxe4 26. Qxe4 ({If} 26. fxe4 Nd4 $1 {and Black attacks down the
f-file as well as towards a4/b5. One can imagine that dealing with all Black's
threats cost White a lot of time - but objectively he is better through this
sequence that started with 19...b6.}) 26... Ne7 {Black offers a deflecting
pawn sacrifice which White can decline with advantage;} ({but no better is} 
26... Rxf3 27. Qxc6 Qxc6 28. Rxc6 Rxd3 29. Rxd6 Rd8 30. Rxd8+ Rxd8 31. Kf3 {
and White will break the pin with an advantageous endgame.}) 27. Bxa5 $6 {
A bit greedy.} ({Best is} 27. Qg4 $1 {which highlights Black's weakness on the
light squares. White is evidently better after this, for Black must either
exchange queens (when there is no attack) or retreat with loss of time - note
that Black's pawn weaknesses are significant if Black loses the initiative.})
27... d5 {Now Black has compensation.} 28. Qg4 ({
White can enter tactical complications with} 28. Nxe5 {
, but Black can follow a narrow path to advantage:} Qe6 29. Rxd5 Rxf3 $1 ({
but not} 29... Nxd5 30. Nxf7 Qxf7 31. Nd6 {which miraculously favours White})
30. Rd2 Bxe5 31. Bc7 Nxg3 $1 {(this thematic sac works in many variations and
will be seen in the main game: the fundamental idea is to destroy the white
king's cover)} 32. Qxe5 ({of course} 32. hxg3 $2 {allows a quick mate after}
Rxg3+) 32... Qxe5 33. Bxe5 Nf1 $1 34. Re2 ({or} 34. Rxf1 Rxf1 {
and White doesn't have enough for the exchange}) 34... Ne3+ {and again White
must give up the exchange - though the ending won't be as easy for Black to
win as the similar one (without the white b-pawn) that occurs in the main game.
}) 28... Nf5 29. Re1 e4 $1 30. Qxg6 $2 ({Not} 30. fxe4 $2 Ne3+ {
, winning the queen.}) ({But White can play} 30. Rc7 $1 Ne3+ (30... exf3+ 31.
Kf2 {favours White, as the black queen is short of squares}) 31. Rxe3 exf3+ 32.
Kh3 Qxg4+ 33. Kxg4 f2 34. Rxf7 Rxf7 35. Nxf2 Rxf2 {
and Black can struggle, perhaps successfully, for a draw.}) 30... exf3+ 31. Kg1
(31. Kf2 Nfxg3 {also wins for Black}) ({while if} 31. Kxf3 Nh4+ {
is an immediate winner.}) 31... Nfxg3 $1 {This decisive blow is finally landed
on the board rather than in a variation! One only has to count pieces to see
the soundness of the sacrifice: Black has six attacking pieces going after the
enemy king; White is defending only with his queen!} 32. Re6 ({If} 32. hxg3 Qh3
33. Rc2 Rf6 {traps the queen, when} 34. Rh2 Qxh2+ 35. Kxh2 Rxg6 {
gives Black an exchange up ending similar to the game.}) 32... f2+ 33. Nxf2 {
White has no choice but to allow the decisive knight fork, as otherwise the
pawn simply queens.} Nf4 {Of course this wins;} ({but the slightly fancier} 
33... Ne2+ $1 {, clearing the f-file, is quicker; e.g.} 34. Rxe2 Nf4 35. Qc2 ({
after} 35. Rc7 Nxe2+ 36. Kh1 Rxf2 37. Rxd7 {Black has a forced mate by} Rf1+
38. Kg2 Rg1+ 39. Kh3 Nf4+ {etc}) 35... Nxe2+ 36. Qxe2 Rxf2 {
with a winning attack.}) 34. Rc7 (34. Qxg3 Qxe6 {is no better.}) 34... Nge2+ ({
Here} 34... Nfe2+ $1 {is quicker.}) 35. Kf1 Qxe6 36. Qxe6 Nxe6 37. Rxf7 Kxf7
38. Kxe2 Bxb2 $1 {The revenge of the bad bishop!} 39. Nd3 Nd4+ 40. Ke3 Nxb5 41.
Nxb2 Nd6 {Now, it's true, Black has to play the ending instead of deciding in
the middlegame as in the notes to moves 32 and 34, but on the other hand this
ending is clearly winning: thanks to Black's bishop capture on b2, White no
longer has connected passed pawns, and in fact has no pawns for the exchange,
while Black already has a passed pawn. Malaniuk handles the technical side
convincingly.} 42. Kd4 Ke6 43. Nd3 Nf5+ 44. Kc5 Rc8+ 45. Kb6 Rb8+ 46. Ka7 Rb1
47. Bc7 Kd7 48. Be5 Ne7 49. Bb2 Nc6+ 50. Kb6 Kd6 ({A plausible finish would be
} 50... Kd6 51. Ka6 ({if} 51. a5 Ne5 $1 {wins at once, exploiting the pin})
51... d4 52. a5 Nb4+ 53. Nxb4 Rxb2 54. Nd3 Rd2 55. Nf4 d3 56. Kb6 Ke5 57. Nxd3+
Rxd3 58. a6 h5 59. a7 Ra3 60. Kb7 h4 61. a8=Q Rxa8 62. Kxa8 h3 63. Kb7 Kf4 64.
Kc6 Kf3 65. Kd5 Kg2 66. Ke4 Kxh2 67. Kf3 Kg1 {and queens. --- This was a bold
game on Black's part - even if he got a bit extravagant in the middlegame, I
still like it! As for the opening, one sees that the exchange of Black's
"good" bishop is compensated for by his kingside initiative.}) 0-1

[Event "Calcutta"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sharma, D."]
[Black "Sorokin, M."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Qe2 {
This game reaches an MS by way of the Worrall Attack!} d6 6. c3 g6 {
This could lead to typical move order problems.} ({
Correct, as we have already seen, is} 6... Bd7 7. d4 Be7 {
which is Alekhine's set-up from the consultation game with Kashdan et al.}) 7.
d4 Bd7 8. O-O ({As pointed out previously,} 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. dxe5 {
is dangerous for Black.}) 8... Qe7 {We've also seen this move before, which is
at best a loss of tempo, and at worst the black queen can get into serious
trouble after Nf1 and Bg5.} ({I recommend the simpler, Keres style} 8... b5 {
; e.g.} 9. Bb3 Bg7 10. a4 O-O 11. Rd1 Re8 12. Ng5 Re7 13. d5 Na5 14. Bc2 h6 15.
Nf3 c6 16. b4 Nc4 17. Nfd2 Nxd2 18. Qxd2 cxd5 19. exd5 {
and now, instead of the defensive} Be8 {of V.Sikula-K.Valko, Nyiregyhaza 2004,}
({correct is} 19... e4 $1 {when Black is better as he dominates the centre and
controls the long dark diagonal.})) 9. d5 {But White just closes the centre,
after which the black queen is well placed. One could say that Black has no
difficulties now. Despite the slightly inaccurate opening on both sides, I
wanted to include this game because of Black's enterprising and creative
middlegame play. It seems that the MS is that rare mainstream opening that has
not been played out, so there is much scope for individual ideas.} Nb8 10.
Bxd7+ Nbxd7 11. c4 h5 $1 {Black suddenly finds a way to exchange his bad
bishop while gaining space on the side where the white king lives!} 12. Nc3 ({
White can hardly avoid the trade, since} 12. Bg5 Bh6 13. Bh4 Rg8 {
only helps Black, who now threatens to win a piece.}) 12... Bh6 13. h4 Ng4 {
But here Black should not hesitate and just take on c1 with equal chances.} 14.
g3 ({White in turn should take advantage of Black's hesitation and play} 14.
Ng5 {with an edge.}) 14... f6 15. Bxh6 Nxh6 16. Qd2 Nf7 17. Kg2 Rg8 18. Rae1
O-O-O {Once again, long castling! We should be used to this by now in the MS,
but in this case Black deliberately castles on the "wrong side" of the pawn
chain, confident that his kingside play will at least offset White's potential
attack.} 19. b4 f5 20. Ng5 ({Possible is} 20. b5 Nc5 {with double-edged play
and most likely a decisive result - but White has a different aim.}) 20... Nxg5
21. hxg5 Rgf8 22. f4 Rde8 23. a4 exf4 24. gxf4 fxe4 25. Rxe4 Qf7 26. Rfe1 Rxe4
27. Rxe4 Re8 {Instead of just acquiescing to the draw with this standard move,}
({I suggest} 27... a5 $1 {, when Black gains the c5-square and can use his
passed h-pawn for attack. I'd rate Black's chances as slightly favourable
after this - but by now he had played enough enterprising moves and took the
draw! --- As for the opening: inaccuracies abound, but if White steers the
game towards the closed, pawn chain positions, Black seems to have no
theoretical problems.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1969.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Geller, E."]
[Black "Zhukhovitsky, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1969.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. O-O g6 {
Here's our good Keres move order - which Geller, in this last game of the
chapter, tries to refute outright! But even though he wins the game, this rare
attempt should not lead anywhere as there are two strong improvements possible
on move ten - one my suggestion, and the other courtesy of GM Nigel Davies.
Either of these should solve Black's opening problems.} 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. dxe5 {
This is Geller's idea: he hopes to win a pawn or gain a positional advantage
with forcing moves right in the opening! However, given Black's sound system,
there is no real chess basis for this to work.} ({
Note that if White now changes course he can only equalize at best:} 9. Nbd2
exd4 10. cxd4 ({better is} 10. Nxd4 Bg7 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Qa4 Qd7 13. Re1 O-O {
with equality}) 10... Bg7 {(Black has a good open two bishops position)} 11. e5
({trying to force matters, but the attempt backfires; instead White should
settle for} 11. Re1 O-O {with a slight edge for Black}) 11... dxe5 12. dxe5 Ng4
13. h3 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Re1 Qd5 16. Nf3 Qxd1 17. Rxd1 Bxf3 18. Re1 f6 19.
gxf3 O-O-O {and Black is much better with his good extra pawn - and note again
that queenside castling option!}) 9... Nxe4 ({Worse is} 9... dxe5 10. Nxe5 Bxe4
11. Bg5 Be7 ({Black clearly doesn't want to play this move, as the "extra" ...
g7-g6 is then just a waste of a tempo and weakening of the dark squares; but
if} 11... Bg7 12. Qe2 {and Black doesn't seem to have anything better than
losing a pawn for doubtful compensation with} h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Nxf7 Kxf7
15. Qxe4) 12. Qe2 {(White has a clear plus)} Qd5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Ng4 Be7 15.
Nd2 f5 16. Nxe4 Qxe4 17. Qxe4 fxe4 18. Rad1 Rf8 19. g3 Bd6 20. Rfe1 O-O-O 21.
Rxe4 {and White won a pawn and eventually the game in Y.Razuvaev-R.Knaak,
Polanica Zdroj 1979.}) 10. Nbd2 {
Black's trump in this line is the two bishops that White voluntarily gave up:}
({if} 10. Re1 Bg7 11. exd6 ({not} 11. Nbd2 $6 dxe5 $1 12. Nxe4 (12. Qe2 f5 {
is also good for Black}) 12... Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Bxe4 {
and it's not clear whether White can even get his pawn back}) 11... O-O 12.
dxc7 Qxc7 {
and the bishop pair provides more than enough compensation for the pawn.})
10... Be7 $2 {Just looking at this move could make you sick! Black gives up on
the fianchetto and settles for: "I hope I can draw this slightly worse ending
against Geller." What fun!} ({The aforementioned two strong improvements come
here-but this line is so rare I could find only one example of my line, and
none at all of Davies' suggestion:} 10... Nxd2 {(Taylor)} 11. Bxd2 Bg7 12. exd6
O-O 13. dxc7 ({or} 13. Bf4 cxd6 14. Nd4 ({after} 14. Qxd6 Qb6 {
Black has more than enough for the pawn}) 14... d5 15. Re1 {
½-½ K.Leenhouts-L.Winants, Belgian Team Championship 2007}) 13... Qxc7 14.
Nd4 Bd5 {and we see a typical two bishops pawn sacrifice: Black's active
clerics should be good for at least a draw.}) (10... Nc5 {(Davies); Black
threatens to attack with ...Nd3 or block the e-file with ...Ne6, so if White
is going to get something, he has to do it now:} 11. Nc4 ({
this looks like the only reasonable try for advantage;} 11. Re1 Ne6 {
clearly doesn't trouble Black}) 11... dxe5 12. Nfxe5 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Bb5 14. Bg5
Bg7 15. Re1 Ne6 {(the Davies block puts an end to White's ambitions)} 16. a4 {
(White must eliminate one of Black's bishops before the pair becomes too strong)
} Bxc4 ({but not} 16... Nxg5 $6 17. axb5 {and Black's pawn structure cracks})
17. Nxc4 O-O {
with complete equality. Evidently the Modern Steinitz is not yet refuted!}) 11.
Nxe4 Bxe4 12. exd6 Qxd6 13. Qxd6 cxd6 ({
Black must take on the isolani and defend, since} 13... Bxd6 $2 14. Re1 f5 15.
Ng5 Kd7 16. Nxe4 fxe4 17. Rxe4 Rhe8 18. Rxe8 Rxe8 19. Be3 {
just gives White a solid extra pawn.}) 14. Re1 Bd5 15. Bg5 Be6 16. Re3 h6 17.
Bxe7 Kxe7 18. Nd4 Kf6 19. Rf3+ Ke7 20. Re1 Rae8 21. a3 Rhf8 22. h4 h5 23. Kh2
Kd7 24. Rfe3 Bd5 25. Rxe8 Rxe8 26. Rxe8 Kxe8 27. f3 f6 28. Kg3 {White has a
marginally superior ending which, given that Black has only one weakness (at
d6) should be drawable, though of course difficult against a world-class foe
like Geller. If one thing is clear, it is that passive defence will never hold
in the long run, as we will see in the game.} Bc4 ({
Black should play actively here with} 28... g5 {, gaining kingside space and
preventing the entrance of the white king. Black will still have a difficult
task, but I think the position is objectively drawn after the g-pawn advance.})
29. Kf4 Kf7 30. Ke4 Bf1 31. g3 Bg2 32. a4 Bh3 33. a5 Ke7 34. Kf4 Bf1 35. Ke3
Kf7 36. Ke4 Ke7 37. g4 hxg4 38. fxg4 Kf7 {Geller has made headway against his
opponent's passive play and now has, in addition to the original weakness at
d6, a potential outside passed pawn on the h-file and a fixed weakness at b7.
Having three trumps rather than one means Geller can now grind to victory.} 39.
b3 Bg2+ 40. Kf4 Bf1 41. Ke3 Bh3 42. Kf3 Bf1 43. Ne2 Bxe2+ 44. Kxe2 Ke6 45. Kf3
f5 46. c4 Ke5 47. gxf5 Kxf5 48. Kg3 Ke6 49. Kf4 Kf7 50. Kg5 Kg7 51. b4 $1 {
Zugzwang.} Kf7 52. Kh6 Kf6 53. b5 Kf7 54. Kh7 ({After the forced} 54. Kh7 Kf6 {
White wins the pawn ending as follows:} 55. bxa6 bxa6 56. Kg8 Kf5 (56... Ke5
57. Kg7 Kf5 58. Kf7 {comes to the same thing}) ({, or if} 56... g5 57. h5 g4
58. h6 {and White queens with check}) 57. Kf7 Kg4 58. Kxg6 Kxh4 59. Kf5 {
and White gets to the queenside first. --- This was a superb endgame grind,
but choose either Davies or my improvement on move 10 and White has nothing.
This is undoubtedly why Geller's "refutation" has not been played since at
that high level.}) 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "4. The Siesta"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{The Siesta occurs after the specific move order} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 {(but does not work against the developing 5 0-0, so again,
this is not a universal system), when Black decides to play in reversed King's
Gambit style with} f5 $5 {.} ({
While it's possible to enter the solid Bishop Defence with} 5... Bd7 6. d4 Nf6
7. O-O g6 {as in the previous chapter, you will - if you play 5...f5 -
immediately get your opponent's attention!}) 6. -- {Is the Siesta sound? In my
opinion, yes. I have done a ton of research (for example, going through David
Levy's 'The Siesta Variation', which is an entire book devoted just to this
variation) and I have checked everything with the fearless Fritz, and
basically what I find is this:} ({
In the critical line, the "true gambit" variation that continues} 6. exf5 Bxf5
7. d4 e4 8. Ng5 d5 9. f3 e3 $1 ({(Euwe-Keres and Kinnmark-Ciocaltea;} 9... h6 {
is weaker - see Dvoirys-Lautier) Black has compensation for the pawn. No more,
no less: the sac doesn't win, but White has no way to clearly consolidate his
material either. Ultra-sharp and critical positions occur on practically every
move, and very exciting and nerve-wracking chess ensues!})) ({On the other hand,
quite non-critical is what seems to be the main line now, the extremely boring
} 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O Bd3 8. Re1 Be7 9. Bc2 Bxc2 10. Qxc2 Nf6 11. d4 e4 12. Ng5
d5 13. f3 h6 14. Nh3 O-O 15. Nd2 exf3 16. Nxf3 Rf7 {which is often played at a
high level, but gives White absolutely nothing - and from the fighting
gambiteer point of view of Black Siesta players, an unconscionably high
percentage of draws! Try to stay awake as I cover this line in
Simonov-Yandemirov and Rasmussen-Upton.}) (6. -- {Various tactical lines where
White tries to refute the Siesta are seen in Klavins-Mikenas and two
Yandemirov games (both against Bashkov) - although none of these work, Black
must know the proper answers. --- Honfi-Ciocaltea shows an attempt by White to
force a draw right in the opening, while in Ciric-Suetin White tries to revive
Réti's line which we saw in Réti-Capablanca. Once again, these tries prove
unsuccessful.}) ({Finally, Robinson-Taylor shows the only move I've faced when
I've played the Siesta,} 6. d3 $6 {
, when Black gets the edge right away - which is fun, but hardly challenging.})
(6. -- {Now let's jump right in, with Keres of course, and face the critical
line at once.}) (6. -- {Conclusion: The Siesta, despite its occasional
razor-sharp lines, is emphatically not a variation to play when you need to
win at all costs. White has innumerable ways to play for a draw, and forced or
close to forced draws (such as the current main line of Simonov-Yandemirov and
Rasmussen-Upton) abound. On the other hand, it's deadly against the unprepared
player who, like my two opponents, and two of Yandemirov's opponents, will
inevitably play 6 d3 and go under quickly. Meanwhile the critical gambit line
6 exf5 Bxf5 7 d4 e4 8 Ng5 d5 9 f3 (in Euwe-Keres, etc) is very rarely played,
but this is White's only real chance for advantage against the Siesta.}) *

[Event "World Championship, The Hague/Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1948.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Euwe, M."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1948.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 {I wondered how the Siesta
fared at the highest level, so I clicked on "Elo White" on ChessBase - and it
turns out that the top ten by rating didn't make much of a dent in this
opening. White scored one win and there were nine draws! White was higher
rated in nine of the ten games, often by as much as 200 points (and was only
two points lower in the other game), but the only win came courtesy of the
young Anand, whereas Shirov and Kasparov could do no damage! This seems quite
encouraging - with all the databases and super-core machines, there is no
known refutation! --- Keres played the Siesta three times, the main game's big
win, then a short draw (see the notes to Honfi-Ciocaltea), and then fell
victim to a prepared variation (see the note to White's 11th move below).
While this was a painful loss, Black's play can be improved, as I will show.
Nevertheless, the reader is warned: sharp lines like this are vulnerable to
prepared lines in specific variations (as our first two solid lines were not),
especially in this computer age!} 6. exf5 {Best!} Bxf5 7. d4 $1 {And best again
! As already mentioned, this sharp counterblow is the critical test of the
Siesta.} e4 {Clearly there is no other move: the die was cast by Black's bold .
..f7-f5, and now it's attack at all costs!} 8. Ng5 ({
One recalls that Capablanca's} 8. Qe2 {
was quite ineffective against Marshall's Siesta - Black was better after} Be7
9. Nfd2 Nf6 10. h3 d5 {, as I pointed out in a note to Reti-Capablanca.}) ({
Another great world champion got nothing with} 8. d5 exf3 9. Qxf3 ({not} 9.
dxc6 b5 10. Qxf3 ({or} 10. Bb3 fxg2 {with a clear advantage for Black}) 10...
Bxb1 11. Bb3 Bg6 12. O-O Nf6 13. Re1+ Be7 14. Bg5 Kf8 {
and Black keeps his extra piece, though White has some pressure}) 9... Qe7+ 10.
Kd1 Be4 11. Qh3 Qf7 {(Black returns the piece to avoid problems on the e-file)}
12. dxc6 Bxc6 13. Re1+ Be7 14. Bxc6+ bxc6 15. Nd2 Nf6 16. Nf3 ({
White can't keep the black king in the centre, as} 16. Qe3 {fails to} Ng4)
16... O-O 17. Ng5 Qd5+ 18. Bd2 h6 19. Qe6+ Kh8 20. Nh3 Qxe6 21. Rxe6 Rfe8 {
and Black equalized and eventually drew in G.Kasparov-J.Lautier, Lyon 1994.})
8... d5 {Black gains space and gives the king's bishop the d6-square.} (8...
Be7 {is worse, as this move has no threat: White can just castle with some
advantage; e.g.} 9. O-O Bxg5 10. Qh5+ g6 11. Qxg5 {and Black has a dreary,
slightly worse position - not what the Siesta gambiteer wants!}) 9. f3 e3 $1 {
The first critical moment: Black must note that calm moves fail.} (9... exf3 $2
{only helps White, who responds with} 10. O-O $1 Bd6 ({and not} 10... Bxb1 11.
Rxb1 fxg2 12. Rxf8+ {with an immediate win by fork}) 11. Qxf3 {
and White has the superior development and an attack.}) (9... Nf6 $2 10. O-O
Qd7 11. fxe4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. Nd2 Bg6 14. Nf3 {and Black will have to
compromise his position still more to meet the threat of 15 Ne5.}) ({Since White's play is so easy in these lines, it's obvious that strong measures are
required: in short, gambit play! When you play 5...f5, you must be ready to
sacrifice a pawn, and this is the moment-but which pawn? There are two
legitimate contenders: Keres'} 9... e3 {, seen here}) ({and} 9... h6 {
, seen in Dvoirys-Lautier. I prefer Keres' more complex move, but we're going
into the jungle here, and there is no completely certain evaluation of the
complex and unclear variations to come.}) 10. f4 (10. Bxe3 {allows Black to
damage the white kingside - which means another case of Black castling
queenside:} h6 11. Nh3 Bxh3 12. gxh3 Qf6 13. Qd3 O-O-O 14. O-O Nge7 15. Bc2 g6
$1 {(well played - Black establishes a knight on a square, f5, that White
can't attack due to his shattered pawns)} 16. Nd2 Nf5 {(White's extra pawn is
meaningless, but his breezy king is not! Black gradually outplays his opponent
and finally forces a win - note that White's doubled h-pawns never have a role
in the game)} 17. f4 Bd6 18. Rf3 Rhf8 19. Bf2 Nh4 20. Bxh4 Qxh4 21. f5 Ne7 22.
Qe2 Nxf5 23. Kh1 Rde8 24. Bxf5+ gxf5 25. Qf2 Qh5 26. Re1 Rxe1+ 27. Qxe1 f4 28.
Qe6+ Kb8 29. Qg4 Qe8 30. Qg2 Rg8 31. Qf1 Qa4 32. Qb1 Re8 33. b3 Qb5 34. Qf1 Qd7
35. Qd3 Re1+ 36. Nf1 Qe6 37. c4 c6 38. c5 Bc7 39. Kg1 Re2 40. Kh1 Rxa2 41. Nd2
Ba5 42. Nb1 Qe4 $1 {
0-1 V.Baturinsky-I.Bondarevsky, Moscow 1946; White resigns in view of} 43. Qxe4
dxe4 44. Rxf4 e3 45. Re4 e2 {and queens.}) 10... Bd6 ({I think that} 10... Nf6
{, which in some lines transposes to variations from this game, is more
accurate, as it avoids the white queen check on h5 - see the next game for
this alternative.}) 11. Qf3 {The position is razor sharp and, facing a new
attack, it's understandable that Euwe falters. Indeed, it's not easy to
elucidate what the positional aims of White and Black should be in this
chaotic position - but after some study, I believe I have at least that part
down. White needs to capture the pawn on e3 (if he delays too long it will
become a dangerous passed pawn, as seen in the next game) and has to establish
a knight on e5 to block the e-file, which is otherwise full of weak squares
due to the pawn advances d2-d4 and f2-f3-f4. If White can do both (as for
example in the Marciniak game given in variation 'b' below) then he gets the
better game and usually wins. From the other side, Black can't hold the e-pawn
- though he should watch for White taking too long to take it, when he may
have interesting tactical opportunities. However, let's say White takes the
pawn off early. Then Black has to prevent the white knight manoeuvre to e5,
usually by putting pressure on f4, and so forcing g2-g3. Then Black must
prepare a breakthrough piece sac on the kingside - there really isn't any
other way through. In my note to the ninth move above, I said how Black has to
be ready to sac a pawn in the opening - but really one must be ready and eager
to sac more if you want to play this gambit successfully! --- Keres succeeds
in carrying out Black's positional aims in the game, whereas Euwe never gets
his knight to e5, and finally perishes due to Keres' strategically sound piece
sac on f4. Likewise in the next game, Black will have the opportunity for a
decisive piece sac on g2. The sharp play and duelling aims make this an
extremely exciting opening (at least this variation of it!). Again, one can
easily forgive Euwe his inaccurate play while facing this mess for the first
time! With the benefit of hindsight, Keres' annotations and my faithful Fritz,
it becomes clear that White had two better tries at this point, namely
castling immediately and the opportunistic check on h5. Let's see where these
take us:} (11. O-O {- Keres dismissed this move in his annotations to the main
game, saying that Black is fine after 11...Bxf4 12 Rxf4 Qg5. Unfortunately,
while most of his notes in general, and indeed for this game, are of a very
high order, this particular note is casual and flawed - and a relatively
unknown player spotted it and played his improvement against Keres 18 years
later!} -- ({. That game continued} 11... Bxf4 {and now the surprising} 12. Nh3
$1 ({skewering both black bishops! - rather than} 12. Rxf4 Qxg5) 12... Bxh3 ({
there is nothing better: if} 12... b5 13. Nxf4 bxa4 14. Nh5 $1 {and a4, e3, g7
and f5 - three black pawns and a bishop - are all hanging, which simply means
White is winning}) 13. Qh5+ $1 {(the point of the novelty: White gets the two
bishops and multiple attacking possibilities)} g6 14. Qxh3 e2 ({
trying to mix it up, as after} 14... Bd6 15. Bxe3 {
White's positional advantage is practically decisive}) 15. Qe6+ Qe7 16. Bxc6+
Kd8 ({the complicated} 16... bxc6 {
comes down to a simple pawn up position for White:} 17. Qxc6+ Kf7 18. Rxf4+ Kg7
19. Bd2 Qe3+ 20. Rf2 e1=Q+ 21. Bxe1 Qxe1+ 22. Rf1 Qe3+ 23. Kh1 {
and White can finally develop while maintaining at least a one pawn advantage})
17. Qxd5+ Bd6 18. Re1 {and as Black's last trump, the e-pawn, is now doomed,
Keres went down to a rare MS defeat in K.Skold-P.Keres, Stockholm 1966 - and
never played the Siesta again!}) ({. I understand Keres aversion to prepared
variations, but there is a simple improvement available: Black could have
played} 11... Nf6 {, which is recommended by Levy in his Siesta book. This
transposes to critical lines in the next game, and will be analysed there.})) (
11. Qh5+ $1 {is probably the real test of Keres' move order. In the main game
Black carried out his piece sac idea as follows: he developed his king's
knight to g6 (forcing g2-g3 by White), and eventually sac'ed a bishop on f4,
when the g6-knight recaptured with a decisive attack. Whereas after the white
queen check, Black has to block the g6-square with another piece, thus
derailing the smooth progress of his attack. In the following game he never
gets full compensation, and if 10...Bd6 is to be revived, Black needs an
improvement before move 20:} g6 ({Keres rejects} 11... Bg6 {because of} 12. Qf3
Qf6 13. Qxe3+ Nge7 {and the "disagreeable"} 14. Qe6 {
- but I'm not so sure: after} Bf5 15. Qxf6 gxf6 {Black has certain
compensation in the queenless middlegame, as he prevents the e-file blocking
Ne5 because of his new f-pawn; nevertheless, it's not clear if Black's
positional pluses are really enough for the pawn}) 12. Qf3 Qf6 13. O-O Nge7 14.
Bxe3 h6 15. Nh3 Be4 16. Qe2 O-O 17. Nd2 Bf5 18. Nf2 h5 19. Nf3 Nd8 20. Ne5 {
(if White achieves this knight journey with no side effects in this variation,
he gets the better game)} b5 21. Bc2 Bxc2 22. Qxc2 Nf5 23. Bd2 Bxe5 24. fxe5
Qc6 25. Qd3 Ne6 26. Nh3 Rab8 27. Ng5 {and it's now obvious that Black doesn't
have a shred of compensation for the pawn, and White duly converted in A.
Marciniak-W.Swiecicki, Poland 1957. Where can Black improve? I haven't been
able to find anything after 11...g6, so I'd recommend 11...Bg6, when Black
might hold the ensuing pawn down - though it all seems rather cheerless. This
last variation (11 Qh5+) is why I prefer 10...Nf6 to Keres' 10...Bd6.}) 11...
Qf6 12. Qxe3+ $6 {This develops Black while blocking the queen's bishop - not
exactly a world champion move.} ({Evidently correct is} 12. Bxe3 h6 13. Nh3 Qf7
({not} 13... Qg6 14. O-O Be4 15. f5 Qf7 16. Qe2 Nf6 17. Nd2 {
and White eliminates the strong light-squared bishop with a clear advantage})
14. Nd2 Nf6 15. Nf2 {, reaching a typical Siesta where Black has some
compensation due to the hole at e4 and the unblocked e-file, but is it enough?
Black must evidently throw caution to the winds and play} O-O-O 16. Bxc6 bxc6 {
when his king position is compromised, but his centre is strong and he has the
two bishops. Risky for Black, dangerous for White is all I can say!}) 12... Nge7
13. Bxc6+ $5 {Although Keres cites this as a serious mistake for three reasons
- the exchange strengthens Black's centre, gives him the two bishops, and
weakens the light squares - it's not clear that White had anything better;} ({
e.g.} 13. Nf3 O-O 14. Ne5 Bxb1 15. Rxb1 Bxe5 16. dxe5 Qg6 {
and Black recovers his pawn with the advantage}) ({or if} 13. O-O O-O 14. Nd2
Ng6 15. g3 h6 16. Ngf3 Bh3 {"with a decisive attack" according to Keres - but,
amusingly enough, with a "clear advantage to White" according to Mr. Fritz!
The Siesta is definitely not a line to play if you suffer from "fear of
Fritz"! Not afflicted with this malady, I put in a few "human" attacking moves,
and soon the machine admitted the great Keres was right (but still no "sorry"
feature!):} 17. Rf2 Nxf4 $1 {(the thematic sacrifice)} 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Ne5 ({
or} 19. gxf4 Qg6+ 20. Kh1 Rxf4 {with excellent compensation}) 19... Ng2 $3 20.
Rxg2 ({if} 20. Rxf6 Nxe3 21. Rxf8+ Rxf8 22. Ndf3 Nc2 23. Rb1 Bxe5 24. dxe5 Rxf3
{snaps off a piece}) 20... Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rae8 {
(White's lack of development is painful)} 22. Ndf3 Bxe5 23. dxe5 Rxe5 $1 24.
Qxe5 Qxf3+ 25. Kh3 Rf5 26. Qe8+ Kh7 27. Kh4 Qg2 {(Kotovian creep!)} 28. a4 (28.
h3 g5+ 29. Bxg5 hxg5+ 30. Kh5 Qxh3# {is a nice mate}) ({, and} 28. Bf4 g5+ 29.
Kg4 Rxf4+ 30. Kh5 Qxh2# {is similar}) 28... Qxh2+ 29. Kg4 h5+ $1 30. Kxf5 Qh3+
31. Kf4 ({if} 31. Ke5 Qg4 32. Qa8 ({
or White can settle for losing his queen with} 32. Bf4 Qe2+ 33. Kd4 Qxe8) 32...
Qe4#) 31... Qf1+ 32. Kg5 Qf6+ 33. Kxh5 g6+ 34. Kg4 Qf5+ 35. Kh4 Qh5# {
. Now that's a winning attack! Black mates with his last piece! One sees again
that only bold sacrificial play can justify the Siesta.}) 13... bxc6 14. O-O
O-O 15. Nd2 $2 {This is the real mistake:} (15. Nf3 $1 {may equalize; e.g.} Be4
({if} 15... Bxb1 16. Rxb1 Qg6 17. Bd2 Rxf4 {
Black recovers his pawn, but only with an equal game}) 16. Ng5 $1 (16. Ne5 {
is positionally good, but here it fails tactically to} Bxe5 $1 17. dxe5 Qg6 {
with a fatal fork}) 16... Bf5 17. Nf3 {with a Sofia draw looks like best play.}
) 15... Ng6 16. g3 Rae8 {Black gets a rook to the e-file and White can't block
with Ne5, which means that Black's plan has worked - and White is in big
trouble!} 17. Qf2 Bd3 $1 {Simple but very strong: Black eliminates a defender
(the f1-rook) while the other white rook is not playing. (My study of this
game paid off when I used a similar manoeuvre in Robinson-Taylor.)} 18. Re1
Rxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Bxf4 $3 {Breakthrough! Now Black has a winning attack, but note
that this was the only way - on virtually any quiet continuation White would
soon get a knight to e5 and Black would have nothing for the pawn. Instead, by
sacrificing a piece, Black decisively opens the enemy king position.} 20. gxf4
({If} 20. Qe6+ Qxe6 21. Nxe6 Be3+ 22. Kg2 (22. Kh1 Rf1+ $1 23. Nxf1 Be4# {
is amusing!}) 22... Rf2+ {and Black wins a piece.}) 20... Nxf4 21. Ndf3 ({Or} 
21. Ngf3 Qg6+ 22. Kf2 ({not} 22. Qg3 Ne2+) 22... Nh3+ 23. Ke3 Bc2 $1 {
and this beautiful blow, exploiting the weak light squares, forces White to
give up the queen to avoid mate; e.g.} 24. Qf1 ({if} 24. Qe2 Qh6+ 25. Ng5 Qxg5#
) 24... Qe6+ 25. Ne5 Rxf1 {etc.}) 21... Ne2+ 22. Kg2 h6 {
Black recovers his piece with a winning attack.} 23. Qd2 Qf5 24. Qe3 hxg5 25.
Bd2 Be4 ({After} 25... Be4 26. Rf1 Qg4+ {wins everything. --- A fantastic
attacking game by Keres - he defeats a World Champion in 25 moves with Black!
- but the improvement 11 Qh5+ casts serious doubts on his move order. This
issue is addressed in the next game.}) 0-1

[Event "Halle"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1967.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kinnmark, O."]
[Black "Ciocaltea, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "1967.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. d4 e4 8. Ng5
d5 9. f3 e3 10. f4 Nf6 $1 {No queen check!} 11. O-O $1 (11. Bxe3 Bd6 12. O-O $1
{is just a transposition to the critical next note.}) 11... Bd6 12. Nf3 ({
The soundness of the entire Siesta may rest on the evaluation of the obvious} 
12. Bxe3 {- which has never occurred in a high-level game. If White gets a
knight to e5 with nothing bad happening, he will win. However, White has a
hole at e4, while g4 invites the opposing pieces too. Black has plenty of
tactical play and, in my opinion, good compensation for the material after} O-O
{, when White can try:} 13. -- (13. Bc2 {
(tempting but weak - White won't have time to use the e6-square)} Bxc2 14. Qxc2
h6 15. Ne6 Qe7 16. f5 ({not} 16. Nxf8 $2 Qxe3+ {and wins}) 16... Bxh2+ $1 17.
Kf2 (17. Kxh2 Ng4+ {is also good for Black}) 17... Ne4+ 18. Ke1 Qh4+ 19. Kd1
Qg4+ 20. Rf3 Rxf5 21. Nd2 Re8 22. Nc5 Bf4 23. Nf1 Ng5 $1 24. Nh2 Bxh2 25. Qxf5
Qxf5 26. Rxf5 Rxe3 {and Black's combination netted two pieces for a rook,
which was good enough to win in J.Leon Barreto-W.Simonsen, correspondence 1975.
}) (13. Nd2 Ng4 14. Qf3 Kh8 $1 {
and again Black has compensation for the pawn, with tricks such as} 15. Rae1
Nxh2 $1 16. Kxh2 Qxg5 {with equality.}) (13. Nf3 Ng4 {and then:} 14. -- (14.
Qd2 Na5 15. Bb3 Be4 {
and Black's extremely active pieces give him compensation for the pawn.}) (14.
Bd2 Na5 15. Ne5 Nc4 $1 16. Nxg4 Nxb2 17. Qb3 Nxa4 18. Qxd5+ Rf7 19. Ne5 Bxe5
20. Qxd8+ Rxd8 21. fxe5 b5 $1 {
and Black's bind on the light squares is worth a small unit; e.g.} 22. Bg5 (22.
Rc1 h6 23. Be3 c5 24. Nd2 $2 Nxc3 $1 {
shows how difficult it is for White to develop}) ({; also if} 22. Na3 c5 {
with counterplay}) 22... Rdf8 23. Rc1 Be6 24. Nd2 Rf2 {
and Black's compensation is obvious.}) (14. Bc1 {
(this retrograde move is no better)} Na5 15. h3 Nf6 16. Ne5 c5 $1 {(yes, White
got his knight to e5, but not for free, as Black speedily undermines and takes
advantage of his superior development)} 17. Be3 cxd4 18. Bxd4 Qc7 19. Nd2 Nc6
20. g4 {(amazingly enough, Mr. Fritz calls it as plus equals here, when the
attacking player can clearly see the weakness of the white king position)} ({
better is} 20. Ndf3 {with the possible continuation} Nxd4 21. cxd4 ({not} 21.
Qxd4 $2 Bc5) 21... Rac8 22. Rc1 Qxc1 23. Qxc1 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Nh5 {
and Black recovers his pawn with a slight edge}) 20... Nxe5 21. fxe5 Bxe5 22.
gxf5 Bxd4+ 23. cxd4 $2 Qg3+ 24. Kh1 Qxh3+ 25. Kg1 Qg3+ 26. Kh1 Ng4 27. Qe2 Rf6
{with a winning attack.}))) 12... O-O {Black misses his chance - he still has
equality after this, but he could have the advantage!} (12... Bxf4 $6 {fails to
} 13. Ne5 $1 g5 14. Qe2 $1 {when Black's e-pawn and position both fall} ({
but not} 14. g3 Qd6 15. gxf4 Rg8 $1 {with a strong sacrificial attack, which
just shows how play is balanced on a knife edge.})) ({
But Black has a vital Steinitzian zwischenzug:} 12... b5 $1 {(Levy - this key
MS resource breaks the pin and so activates the queen's knight)} 13. Bb3 Bxf4
14. Ne5 Bxh2+ $1 15. Kxh2 Nxe5 16. Rxf5 ({or} 16. dxe5 Ng4+ 17. Kg3 Be6 $1 {
and Black's mighty passed pawn holds White at bay while the decisive ...Qg5 is
coming}) 16... Neg4+ {
with a winning attack, as the student can work out for himself!}) 13. Ne5 $2 {
White lets the e-pawn live.} ({The simple} 13. Bxe3 Ng4 {transposes back to
note 'c' above (to White's 12th move), where Black's compensation was
approximately equal to White's extra pawn.}) 13... Bxe5 $1 {Black takes
advantage of White's hesitation and saves his passed pawn - and even advances
it to the seventh! Now Black is better.} 14. dxe5 Bg4 15. Qd3 e2 $1 {Nimzowitsch's "dangerous criminal" can barely be contained. This is a good illustration
of White's failed goals. As I said in the previous game, for success White
needs both to capture the e-pawn and get a knight to e5 (as in the note with
13 Bxe3 above). Here he has only accomplished the knight jump, which is
trumped by Black's passer. --- However, both sides still play inaccurately in
this complex position!} 16. Re1 Nh5 17. Na3 Nxf4 $1 18. Qg3 Qg5 $2 {Black misses the win! In tactical positions in general, and particularly in the Siesta,
it's necessary to see the shots, as you rarely get a second chance like Black
does in this game.} ({Correct is} 18... Nxg2 $3 {, demolishing the white king
position while attacking the blockading rook at e1. Black must always watch
for these thematic Siesta blows, as there is usually no other way to break
through than with a piece sacrifice. After this shot the knight must be taken,
but Black wins against either capture:} 19. -- ({. Of course} 19. Bxc6 Nxe1 20.
Qxe1 Rf1+ {is hopeless.}) (19. Kxg2 Nxe5 $1 20. Qxe5 Qh4 21. Bf4 Bh3+ 22. Kh1
Qxf4 23. Qxe2 ({after} 23. Qxf4 Rxf4 24. Bb3 Rf1+ 25. Rxf1 exf1=Q+ 26. Rxf1
Bxf1 {Black emerges with an extra exchange - note the strength of the passed
pawn in these variations}) 23... Qxa4 {and wins: although White finally got
the e-pawn, Black is now two good pawns up.}) (19. Qxg2 Nxe5 20. Rxe2 Bxe2 21.
Qxe2 Qh4 {(again we see the important tempo gain off the Lopez bishop!)} 22. b4
Nf3+ 23. Kh1 b5 24. Bb3 Rae8 25. Bxd5+ Kh8 {with a mating attack.})) 19. Bxc6
$1 {Removing the attacking piece which came to e5 with great effect in the
previous note - and now White is better!} bxc6 20. h3 h5 21. hxg4 h4 22. Qf3 $2
{White misses his chance in turn!} ({After} 22. Bxf4 $1 Rxf4 23. Qd3 {
Black doesn't have adequate compensation for piece; e.g.} Rxg4 24. Rxe2 Rg3 25.
Qd2 {and White should win.}) 22... Rae8 23. Nc2 Qxe5 24. Nd4 $2 (24. Be3 {
, developing while blocking the e-file, is necessary - the text gives Black
that second tactical chance, and this time he finds it!}) 24... Nh3+ $1 ({
White resigns, as} 24... Nh3+ 25. Qxh3 Rf1+ $1 26. Rxf1 exf1=Q+ 27. Kxf1 Qe1# {
is mate. --- What an amazingly topsy-turvy game for one that lasted only 24
moves! This is the line to take up if you want to sharpen your tactics! As for
the opening, I think Ciocaltea's improvement (10...Nf6!) rehabilitates Keres'
9... e3 pawn sacrifice, but the subsequent play is extremely tense and
difficult. And if this is not enough for you, in the following game the very
strong French GM Lautier tries a different pawn sacrifice!}) 0-1

[Event "Biel Interzonal"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dvoirys, S."]
[Black "Lautier, J."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. d4 e4 8. Ng5
d5 9. f3 h6 ({Instead of Keres'} 9... e3 {, Lautier gives himself an exclam
for this alternative sacrifice, but I am not quite as enthusiastic.}) 10. fxe4
({Correct, since} 10. Nh3 Bxh3 11. gxh3 Qh4+ {
turns the white king into a nomad.}) 10... hxg5 11. exf5 Bd6 {The crucial
position of Lautier's line: White is up a pawn and Black has doubled g-pawns.
However, Black has compensation in the open files (e- and h- now, and maybe f-
soon) that he can occupy and so discourage White from castling kingside.
White's problem is, how does he go queenside with so many pieces to clear out?
In practice the white king usually ends up floating around on the d-file,
which gives Black practical chances - but is this enough given that his pawns
are so weak?} 12. Nd2 ({In two later games, GM Dvoirys improved with} 12. Qf3
$1 {which is critical. No clear equalizer has been found: Dvoirys won one game
in crushing style, and drew the other, but should actually have won both as he
failed to convert a pawn up ending. Following are some sample games with this
improvement:} -- (12... Bxh2 {(stepping into a dangerous pin)} 13. Kd1 Rh4 14.
Bb3 Kf8 ({if} 14... g4 15. Qxd5 {and White exchanges queens with an extra pawn}
) 15. g4 Nh6 16. Bd2 Nxg4 17. Be1 {and wins, as the black rook is overloaded.})
(12... Rxh2 $2 13. Rxh2 Bxh2 14. Qh5+ {is even worse.}) (12... g4 $5 {
(as played by the wild and crazy Yandemirov, hero of the next gambit chapter
of this book!)} 13. Qxg4 Nf6 {and now:} 14. -- (14. Qe2+ Ne4 15. Nd2 Qf6 16.
Nxe4 dxe4 17. Bxc6+ bxc6 18. Be3 Qxf5 19. O-O-O {
(with a safe king and an extra pawn, White is much better)} O-O 20. Kb1 a5 21.
h4 Rab8 22. h5 Ba3 23. Bc1 e3+ 24. Ka1 Qe4 25. Rde1 c5 26. h6 Rfe8 27. Qc4+ Re6
28. Rh4 Qxh4 29. Qxe6+ Kh7 30. Rxe3 {
1-0 A.Ingerslev-Cl.Norregaard, correspondence 1979.}) (14. Qf3 Ne4 15. Kd1 Qh4
16. Be3 O-O-O 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. Nd2 Ng3 19. Bf2 Qg5 20. Bxg3 Bxg3 21. h4 Rxh4
22. Rxh4 Qxh4 23. Kc2 {(White is a good pawn up...)} Re8 24. Rf1 Bd6 25. Qd3
Qg4 26. Qxa6+ Kd7 27. Rf2 Re1 28. Nf3 Qe4+ 29. Kb3 Re3 30. Nd2 $2 ({...and with
} 30. a4 $1 {he would be winning, but wait - Siesta turbulence is coming!})
30... Qxd4 31. Re2 $2 Qg4 $3 {
- surprise! White resigned in Z.Almasi-L.Winants, Calvia Olympiad 2004, since}
32. Rxe3 ({or} 32. Nf3 Qc4+ {wins a rook}) 32... Qd1# {
is mate! Break out that tactics book before you try the Siesta!}) (14. Bxc6+
bxc6 15. Qg6+ Kf8 16. Kd1 Ne4 17. Rf1 Qh4 18. f6 gxf6 19. Nd2 Rg8 20. Nf3 Qh8
21. Qh6+ Ke7 22. g3 Qxh6 23. Bxh6 Rg4 24. Kc2 Rh8 25. Be3 f5 26. Rae1 f4 27.
gxf4 Bxf4 28. Bxf4 Rxf4 29. Nd2 Rxf1 30. Nxf1 Kd6 31. Re2 Rh3 32. Nd2 $6 ({
Black is just a pawn down, but his active rook gives him some hopes of a draw
- therefore White is exchanging the wrong piece!} 32. Re3 {
is correct with real winning chances}) 32... Nxd2 33. Kxd2 c5 34. dxc5+ Kxc5
35. Ke1 Kc4 36. Kd2 c5 37. b3+ Kb5 38. a4+ Kc6 39. b4 cxb4 40. cxb4 Rb3 41.
Re6+ Kc7 42. Rxa6 Rxb4 43. Ra7+ Kb6 44. Ra8 Rh4 45. Kd3 Rxh2 {
½-½ A.Kosteniuk-V.Yandemirov, Moscow 2001.})) (12... Kf8 13. Kd1 Qf6 14.
Qxd5 Nge7 15. Qe6 Nd8 16. Qd7 b5 17. Bc2 Rh4 18. Nd2 Nd5 19. Ne4 $4 ({
White has completely outplayed his foe and now} 19. Re1 {wins easily - instead
he makes one mistake and we see another astonishing turnabout courtesy of a
Siesta tactic!}) 19... Rxe4 $1 20. Bxe4 Nb6 {
and the white queen is trapped! 0-1 R.Veselinov-P.Kamenov, correspondence 1989.
}) (12... Rh4 13. Kd1 Kf8 14. Bb3 Nh6 15. g3 Rh3 16. Qxd5 Qf6 17. Nd2 Ne7 18.
Qg2 Ng4 19. Ne4 $1 {(Dvoirys gets his revenge with this perfectly timed attack)
} Qh6 20. Nxg5 Rxh2 21. Rxh2 Qxh2 22. Ne6+ Ke8 23. Nxg7+ Kd7 24. Be6+ Kd8 25.
Qxh2 Nxh2 26. f6 {
and that's hammer time! 1-0 S.Dvoirys-S.Kravtsov, Moscow 1998.}) (12... Qe7+
13. Kd1 O-O-O 14. Re1 Qf6 15. Bxc6 ({but not} 15. Re6 $6 {
which overlooks a Siesta tactic:} Nxd4 $1 16. Rxf6 ({or} 16. cxd4 $2 Qxd4+ 17.
Bd2 Qxa4+ {and Black wins back his piece with a clear advantage}) 16... Nxf3
17. Re6 Nxh2 18. Bxg5 Nf6 19. Nd2 Rh5 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Rxf6 d4 22. cxd4 Bf4
23. d5 Ng4 24. Re6 Rxf5 25. Bb3 Ne3+ 26. Ke2 Nxd5 27. Ne4 Be5 28. Bxd5 Rxd5 {
and again Black has recovered all the material and stands slightly better: he
eventually squeezed out a win in V.Fedorov-A.Hamatgaleev,Perm1997}) 15... bxc6
16. Re6 Qf7 17. Bxg5 {(Black certainly has no sufficient compensation for two
pawns - it looks like Dvoirys is cruising to another revenge victory, but soon
made a slight inaccuracy that ended up costing half a point)} Rf8 18. h4 Nh6
19. Bxh6 gxh6 20. -- (20. Nd2 {(this is the culprit! - now Black gets
counterplay and, as we'll see, hangs on to draw)} Rhg8 21. Kc2 Rg3 22. Qf1
Qxf5+ 23. Qxf5 Rxf5 24. Re2 Rf4 25. Rae1 Rxh4 26. Rf1 Rg7 27. Rff2 Rhg4 28. Nb3
Rg8 29. Nc5 Bxc5 30. dxc5 a5 31. Rf6 Rxg2 32. Rxg2 Rxg2+ 33. Kb3 Kb7 34. Rxh6
Rg4 35. a4 Rc4 36. Rg6 Rxc5 37. Rg4 {
½-½ S.Dvoirys-P.Ponkratov, Cheliabinsk 2004.}) ({
. Instead, White needs to reposition his rook behind his pawns with} 20. Re1 $1
Rhg8 ({not} 20... Qxf5 $2 21. Re8+ $1 {and wins}) 21. g4 Qf6 22. Rh1 h5 23. g5
Qxf5 24. Qxf5+ Rxf5 25. Kc2 Rf2+ 26. Nd2 Bf4 27. Rad1 Re8 28. Rhf1 Ree2 29.
Rxf2 Rxf2 30. Kd3 {with good winning chances; e.g.} Rh2 31. Nf3 Rxb2 32. g6 Bh6
({if} 32... Rg2 33. Rg1 Rxg1 34. Nxg1 Bh6 35. Nh3 Kd7 36. Nf4 {wins prettily})
33. Rg1 Rf2 34. g7 Rxf3+ 35. Ke2 {and wins. The bottom line is that in none of
these games did I see Black get legitimate counterplay. Yes, the Siesta is
full of tactics, and Black won some games (from lost positions!) with great
tricks - but overall I don't think this variation can be trusted. --- Keres' 9.
.. e3 appears to me as having a much sounder positional basis, since (unlike
here) Black's pawn structure stays intact, while White is left with weak
squares on the e-file.}))) 12... Qe7+ 13. Qe2 O-O-O {
Lautier claims Black is already better, but this is way too optimistic.} 14.
Bxc6 {White should play his knight to f1 here or the next move - this was
Dvoirys' first improvement (though not as strong as his later 12 Qf3!).} ({
After} 14. Nf1 $1 Re8 15. Qxe7 Rxe7+ 16. Kf2 Nf6 17. g3 Rhe8 18. Ne3 b5 (18...
Rxe3 $2 {fails to} 19. Bxe3 Ng4+ 20. Kf3 Nxe3 21. Rae1 g4+ 22. Kf2 {
and White emerges with an extra exchange}) 19. Bd1 Na5 20. Bf3 c6 21. b4 Nb7
22. a4 Bb8 23. axb5 axb5 24. Ra6 Kc7 {, then} 25. Ng4 {is better for White who
is a pawn up, while the black rooks have no invasion squares.} ({
Instead, he went haywire with} 25. c4 $4 {and after} bxc4 26. Nxc4 dxc4 27.
Rxc6+ Kd7 28. Rxc4 Nd6 29. Bc6+ Kd8 30. Rc2 Rh8 {
Black eventually won in S.Dvoirys-E.Frosch, Graz 1994.})) 14... bxc6 15. Nf3 (
15. Nf1 {is Wolff's suggestion, and this is still correct; e.g.} Re8 16. Qxe7
Rxe7+ 17. Kd1 g4 18. Ne3 {and White holds.}) 15... Re8 $1 16. Qxe7 Rxe7+ 17.
Kf2 g4 18. Ng5 Nh6 {Now one sees that Black is not only recovering his pawn,
he also has a serious advantage despite the various doubled pawns. The key
factors are Black's open files and lead in development.} 19. g3 ({Lautier gives
} 19. Bd2 Nxf5 20. Rae1 {with only a slight plus for Black, but this time I
think he is underestimating! After} Rxh2 21. Kg1 ({not} 21. Rxh2 g3+) 21...
Rxe1+ 22. Bxe1 Rxh1+ 23. Kxh1 c5 {Black's advantage is close to decisive.})
19... Rhe8 20. Rf1 Re2+ 21. Kg1 Rc2 {
Black's advantage increases as both his rooks invade the seventh rank.} 22. Rf2
(22. Ne6 {fails to close the e-file due to} Nxf5 $1 {.}) 22... Re1+ 23. Kg2 ({
Or} 23. Rf1 Ree2 {and the blind pigs run amok.}) 23... Rcxc1 24. Rxc1 Rxc1 {
Now it's technical, and the French GM is up to the task.} 25. Ne6 Ng8 26. Nxg7
Nf6 27. Ne6 Ne4 28. Re2 Kd7 29. a3 a5 30. a4 Ra1 31. h3 Nxg3 32. Nc5+ Bxc5 33.
Kxg3 Bd6+ 34. Kxg4 Rg1+ 35. Kh5 Be7 36. h4 Rf1 37. Kg6 Bxh4 38. Re3 Rf2 39. b3
Rg2+ 40. Kf7 Rg3 41. Re8 Rf3 42. Re5 Rxc3 43. f6 Bxf6 44. Kxf6 Rf3+ $1 {
This last move diverts the white king or exchanges rooks.} ({After} 44... Rf3+
45. Rf5 (45. Kg6 Rxb3 {is just as easy}) 45... Rxf5+ 46. Kxf5 Kd6 47. Kf4 c5 {
Black wins the pawn ending. --- Although Lautier won a good game against the
surprised Dvoirys, the prepared Dvoirys, armed with 12 Qf3, was another
matter! Again, I think Black has too many weaknesses in this variation to
justify his pawn sacrifice, so Keres' 9...e3! must be preferred.}) 0-1

[Event "Kazan"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2007.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Simonov, S."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 ({The Russian GM Yandemirov is a
great champion of the sharp gambits available in the MS, the Siesta as here
and} 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 {
which I have named after him. Many of his games will be seen in this book.})
5... f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O {The choice of the chess establishment, but this
slow move gives Black a good position through the following blockade;} ({
instead of the hard-hitting} 7. d4 {.}) 7... Bd3 {Moving the same piece twice
is correct and necessary! Since the vital d-pawn is blockaded, White must lose
time extracting the "bone in the throat".} ({
Note that Black cannot mindlessly develop here:} 7... Nf6 $2 8. d4 e4 9. d5
exf3 10. dxc6 b5 11. Re1+ Be7 12. Bb3 fxg2 13. Bg5 Kf8 {
(the king is caught in the centre...)} 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Qd5 Bg6 16. Nd2 h5 17.
Nf3 Be8 18. Re4 g6 19. Nd4 Bxd4 20. Qxd4 {(...where it soon perishes!) 1-0 A.
Giaccio-C.Perez Pietronave, Mar del Plata 1995.}) 8. Re1 ({Krogius'} 8. Qb3 {
is the only serious alternative.} -- ({. Then} 8... Bxf1 $6 {
is too risky due to} 9. Qxb7 Bb5 10. Bxb5 axb5 11. Qxc6+ Kf7 12. d4 {"with a strong attack" (Levy) - note that in the Siesta Black is usually better off
gambiting than going for material gain!}) ({. Keeping this in mind,} 8... Rb8
$5 9. Re1 Be7 10. Qd5 e4 {is playable, when Black has transposed into a wild
gambit line, usually reached by the move order 7...Bd3 8 Re1 Be7 9 Qb3 and
then 9...Rb8 10 Qd5 e4. Full analysis of this variation, with the above move
order, is given in the notes to Bashkov-Yandemirov (Minsk 1993).}) ({
. However, Black can equalize with} 8... b5 $1 {. White obviously continues} 9.
Qd5 {, but then} Nd4 $1 {
solves Black's opening problems, though the main line is a draw:} 10. cxd4 ({
White has no choice, for both} 10. Ng5 Ne2+ 11. Kh1 Qxg5 12. Qxa8+ Kd7 13. Qxa6
e4 $1 {- note how Black maintains the strangling light-squared bishop! -} 14.
c4 bxa4 15. Qxa4+ Ke6 16. Nc3 Nf4 {0-1 L.Teemae-M.Graefe, correspondence 1964})
({, and} 10. Nxd4 Ne7 11. Qf3 e4 12. Qf4 bxa4 $1 {
with a continuing bind, are far from appetizing for White}) 10... Ne7 11. Qe6
Bxf1 {and now:} 12. -- (12. Bb3 Bc4 13. Bxc4 bxc4 14. Ng5 exd4 15. Qf7+ Kd7 16.
Qe6+ Ke8 (16... Kc6 17. Nf7 {is too risky for me!}) 17. Qf7+ (17. Na3 d5 {
is probably too risky for White; e.g.} 18. d3 Qd6 {
and Black begins to consolidate his extra material}) 17... Kd7 18. Qe6+ Ke8 {
½-½ N.Minev-M.Damjanovic, Bad Liebenstein 1963.}) (12. Kxf1 {
is also probably a draw, though both sides can riskily play to win:} bxa4 13.
Ng5 Qc8 $5 ({Black bravely goes for the full point - in the game White has a
strong attack but never quite gets through;} 13... exd4 14. Qf7+ Kd7 15. Qe6+ {
is our usual draw}) 14. Qf7+ Kd7 15. dxe5 h6 16. e6+ Kc6 17. Qf3+ Kb6 18. Qe3+
Kb7 19. Nf7 Rg8 20. Nc3 g5 21. d4 (21. d3 {, keeping the e3-a7 diagonal open
for the bishop, looks like it gives White excellent attacking chances; whereas
now his centre pawns come under fire and Black is able to use the advantage of
the exchange}) 21... Rg6 22. d5 Rb8 23. Bd2 Ka8 24. Rc1 Qb7 25. Qd3 Bg7 26. Kg1
a3 27. b3 Bxc3 28. Bxc3 Nxd5 29. e7 Nf4 30. Qf1 Re8 31. Bf6 Rxf6 32. Nd8 Qb5
33. Qxb5 axb5 34. Rxc7 Kb8 35. Rb7+ Kc8 {and fortune favoured the brave! 0-1 L.
Mista-V.Ciocaltea, Reggio Emilia 1967/68. Note how many more or less forced
draws there were! Although the Siesta is a fierce gambit (as we saw in the
first three games of this chapter), there is another side to the opening as
well. As we will see in this main game (and its sidelines, such as those above)
, if White is both knowledgeable and determined to make a draw, he can almost
certainly reach that half point; and as Black, you must accept that reality or
take extreme risks. --- In Fischer's time, players with the white pieces were
ashamed to head straight for the draw - not so today!}))) 8... Be7 {Black needs
to develop in anti-Lasker style (the bishop before the knight) so as to unpin
the e-pawn.} ({
Following the "knights before bishops" rule would allow the calamitous} 8...
Nf6 $2 9. Nd4 $1 Qd7 10. Qf3 {.}) 9. Bc2 {
This is the main (and very boring and very drawish) move.} ({The alternatives} 
9. Qb3) (9. Re3) ({and} 9. c4 {
are covered in three later games (Klavins-Mikenas onwards).}) 9... Bxc2 10.
Qxc2 {White finally breaks the blockade; meanwhile Black completes his
kingside development and stands well with his central pawn majority.} Nf6 11.
d4 e4 {In typical Siesta style, Black blocks the white centre and gains space.}
12. Ng5 d5 13. f3 ({In an internet blitz game, my opponent thought I'd left
something hanging and ventured} 13. Ne6 {, not realizing that this is all
story-booked to a Shirov, and there are no pawns to be found:} Qd7 14. Nf4 ({
White realizes that} 14. Nxg7+ Kf7 {
would cost him a piece, and retreats, but the loss of two tempi is soon fatal})
14... O-O 15. Qe2 Bd6 16. Be3 Ng4 $1 17. h3 ({not} 17. Nxd5 Bxh2+ {winning})
17... Nxe3 18. fxe3 Bxf4 19. exf4 Rxf4 {and I won easily with my extra,
protected passed pawn in Wilmonx16-Taylor, playchess.com (blitz) 2009.}) 13...
h6 14. Nh3 ({Or} 14. Ne6 Qd7 {(again)} 15. Nf4 exf3 {, destroying White's
kingside while the black king goes for a walk - I prefer Black after, for
example,} 16. Qg6+ Kd8 17. Ne6+ Kc8 18. gxf3 Bd6 19. Bd2 Kb8 20. Na3 Ka7 {
due to his safer king.}) 14... O-O 15. Nd2 exf3 16. Nxf3 {It doesn't seem
credible that this boring drawish line should be recommended in 'Opening for
White according to Anand', or that fighting players like Shirov should
voluntarily go in for it!} Rf7 $1 {This prevents any tricks with Qg6 or Bxh6.
White scores a miserable 48% after this move, and nothing is forthcoming but
more draws! --- The pawn structure reminds me of an Exchange French, but
instead of one open e-file we have two (e- and f-). This factor helps Black,
for if White takes the e-file (a big deal in the Exchange French), then here
Black takes the f-file (note that he is already about to double rooks there)
and White has nothing.} 17. Qf5 ({As just mentioned, Black's last move was
specifically directed against Qg6 and Bxh6. According to my database, seven
White players decided to test this and played} 17. Qg6 $6 {anyway! The result?
White managed four draws and lost the other three! Here's how Black can play
for a win:} Bd6 $1 {(the bishop goes to its best square, while eviction
proceedings are prepared against the white queen)} 18. Bxh6 {
(White is still optimistic, when it was really time to look for equalization)}
Ne7 $1 {(since White's last threatened absolutely nothing - due to the
prophylactic Rf7 - this counterblow is both possible and very strong)} 19. Qg5
({no matter how he squirms, White must lose material; in L.Abramov-E.Terpugov,
Moscow 1949, White accepted the inevitable immediately, but after} 19. Rxe7
Rxe7 20. Bg5 Qe8 21. Qf5 Qh5 22. Rf1 Qh7 23. Ne5 Qxf5 24. Rxf5 Rae8 25. Bxf6
gxf6 26. Ng4 Re1+ 27. Kf2 R8e2+ 28. Kf3 Be7 29. Nf4 Rxb2 30. Nxd5 Kf7 31. Rh5
Rf1+ {Black won the exchange up ending}) 19... Nh7 ({the immediate} 19... Qc8 {
saves a move, but there's nothing wrong with a two time repetition}) 20. Qg4
Nf6 21. Qg5 Qc8 $1 ({Black could take the draw with} 21... Nh7 {, but correctly
goes for the win: White's "aggressive" bishop on h6 can't get home again}) 22.
Ne5 ({if} 22. Bxg7 Ne4 {is crushing}) 22... Bxe5 23. Rxe5 ({if} 23. dxe5 Nh7
24. Qg3 Nf5 {wins a piece}) 23... Ne4 24. Qh5 ({
Black also comes out a piece up after} 24. Rxe4 dxe4 25. Nf2 Qe6 26. Ng4 Raf8
27. h3 Nf5) 24... gxh6 25. Qxh6 Rh7 26. Qe3 Qg4 {(the dust has finally cleared
and Black has an extra piece vs. only two pawns - and he wastes no time in
making the material advantage tell)} 27. Nf2 Qh4 28. Nxe4 Qxh2+ 29. Kf2 Rf8+
30. Ke2 dxe4 31. Rg5+ Rg7 32. Rxg7+ Kxg7 33. Qxe4 Ng6 34. Qxb7 Qg3 35. Rf1 Re8+
36. Kd2 Qe3+ {0-1 S.Melia-S.Halkias, Kavala 2007. One sees that 17 Qg6 is to
be welcomed, not feared!}) ({Also ineffective is} 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. Rxe5 (18.
dxe5 Ng4 {is a little better for Black, since the white king is vulnerable on
the g1-a7 diagonal as well as the f-file}) 18... Bd6 {and Black is again for
choice in view of his superior development, stronger bishop, and kingside
attacking chances.}) ({Finally,} 17. Nf2 {is the "according to Anand" move -
and this terrifies me so much I will wait until the next game to cover it!})
17... Bd6 18. Bf4 Bxf4 19. Nxf4 Nh5 {
Black utilizes the second open file to chop wood - the game is dead even.} 20.
Qxh5 Rxf4 21. Re6 Qd7 22. Rae1 Raf8 {The files balance, as I mentioned above.
--- Easy equalization for Black equals theoretical success, as all the books
including mine say - but what if you needed a win with Black in the last
round? If White has studied this game, then he could probably find several
ways to draw, from the boring main line to Krogius' 8 Qb3.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Cappelle la Grande"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2008.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rasmussen, A."]
[Black "Upton, T."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O Bd3 8. Re1
Be7 9. Bc2 Bxc2 10. Qxc2 Nf6 11. d4 e4 12. Ng5 d5 13. f3 h6 14. Nh3 O-O 15. Nd2
exf3 16. Nxf3 Rf7 {The key position of the BML (boring main line!). It is
absolutely critical that one memorizes the moves leading here, and understands
this critical position. Yes, I know it's move sixteen, and I know I have in
many books advocated free creative play without too much memorization. But
this is the Ruy Lopez, and if you want this theory-heavy opening to work for
you - I'm sorry - you will have to put the time in and really learn these
lines. Of course, after all this work, all you will get is a draw!} 17. Nf2 {
This is the 'Opening for White according to Anand' move as recommended by
Khalifman, with a supposed advantage to White. The book came out in 2003, and
from 2004-present, according to the Mega and all other sources I have, this
variation has indeed been a hot line, with 11 games played - but the results
have not proven the promised White advantage: there is one win for White, two
wins for Black, and eight draws. While this is a bit of a statistical plus for
Black, in reality the position is dead even - though perhaps easier for Black
to play, as he just has to occupy the open files. If White tries to "prove" an
advantage here, he will not succeed, which I think explains his negative score.
} ({On the other hand, even if Black really really wants to win, he probably
can't overcome the drawish nature of the position, as one sees in the
following game:} 17. Nf4 {(no more or less drawish than the "Anand" move)} Bd6
18. Qf5 Bxf4 19. Bxf4 Ne4 20. Qe6 Qd7 21. Qxd7 Rxd7 22. Nd2 Nxd2 23. Bxd2 Re7
24. Rxe7 Nxe7 25. Bf4 c6 26. Re1 Ng6 27. Bg3 Kf7 28. Kf2 Re8 29. Rxe8 Kxe8 {
- many people would agree to a draw here, but not Yandemirov! He notes that
the white bishop is slightly bad in view of the fixed d-pawn, and attempts to
capitalize on that... for the next sixty moves or so! But unfortunately for
him, White is obviously content with a draw, and finally gets it by solid
defence, not even taking his opponent's risky sacrifice:} 30. Kf3 h5 31. Bf2
Kf7 32. g4 hxg4+ 33. Kxg4 Nf8 34. Bh4 g6 35. Bg5 Ne6 36. h4 b5 37. b4 Nf8 38.
Bd8 Ne6 39. Bg5 Ke8 40. Bf4 Kd7 41. Be5 Ke7 42. Bf4 Nf8 43. Kg5 Kf7 44. Be5 Nd7
45. Kg4 Ke6 46. Kg5 Kf7 47. Kg4 Nb6 48. Bf4 Nc4 49. Kg5 Nb2 50. Bd2 Nd1 51. Be1
Kg7 52. Bd2 Nf2 53. Be1 Ne4+ 54. Kg4 Kf6 55. Kf4 Nd6 56. Bd2 Nc4 57. Bc1 Kf7
58. Kg4 Kf6 59. Bg5+ Ke6 60. Bc1 a5 61. a3 a4 62. Kg5 Kf7 63. Kg4 Nd6 64. Bd2
Ne4 65. Be1 Ke6 66. Kf4 Kf6 67. Kg4 Nd6 68. Bd2 Nf5 69. Bg5+ Ke6 70. Bf4 Nxh4
$5 {(a bold move)} 71. Kg5 ({the idea was} 71. Kxh4 Kf5 {exploiting the bad
white bishop, but the first player sidesteps this and heads for an "all pawns
on one side" draw}) 71... Nf3+ 72. Kxg6 Ng1 73. Bd2 Ne2 74. Kg5 Ng3 75. Kg4 Ne4
76. Be1 Kf6 77. Bh4+ Kg6 78. Be1 Nd6 79. Bd2 Kf6 80. Bg5+ Kf7 81. Bd2 Ke6 82.
Kf4 Ne8 83. Kg4 Nf6+ 84. Kf4 Ne4 85. Be1 Nd6 86. Bd2 {
½-½ M.Meszaros-V.Yandemirov, Cappelle la Grande 2003.}) 17... Bd6 {
Look at the symmetrical pawn structure - where Black has the better bishop -
and it's clear that White has equality at best.} 18. Bd2 Re7 ({
Alternatively, if you want "Fire on Board" - here it is:} 18... Qf8 19. Re2 Re8
20. Rae1 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Re7 22. Rxe7 Qxe7 23. Kf1 Qe6 24. Be1 Ne7 {
½-½ A.Shirov-J.Lautier, Paris 2000. I can practically feel the flames!})
19. Rxe7 ({Khalifman gives} 19. b3 -- (19... Qd7 20. c4 {
and claims a White advantage, but this is clearly dead even too; e.g.} Rae8 {
(simple chess is best)} 21. c5 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 23. Bxe1 ({but not} 23.
Nxe1 $2 Nxd4 24. Qd3 Bxc5 {and Black takes two pawns!}) 23... Bf4 24. Qe2 Qe7 {
(it is absolutely impossible to see any advantage to White, whereas it is
still possible to see that better bishop for Black - but, alas, that can be
exchanged)} 25. Qxe7 Nxe7 {(an exciting position is reached)} 26. Nd3 Be3+ 27.
Bf2 Bxf2+ 28. Kxf2 Nf5 29. Nde5 Ne4+ 30. Ke1 g5 31. g4 Ng7 32. a3 Ne6 33. Ke2
Nf4+ 34. Ke3 Ng2+ 35. Ke2 Nf4+ {and now a draw is forced, which is all I could
find for either side in my analysis.}) ({. Note that Black doesn't even have
to follow Khalifman, for he has other ways to equalize as well; e.g.} 19... a5
$5 {(to attack b3)} 20. c4 Bb4 {with another dead equal position.})) 19... Qxe7
20. Re1 Qf8 21. Ne5 Re8 22. Qf5 ({If} 22. Nxc6 Rxe1+ 23. Bxe1 bxc6 24. Qa4 Qe8
25. Bd2 ({or} 25. Kf1 Bxh2 {with the idea ...Nh5-g3 mate}) 25... Qe2 26. Qd1
Bxh2+ $1 {and Black is better in both cases thanks to his more active bishop.})
22... Bxe5 23. dxe5 Ne4 {
The two open files lead to exchanges, which is characteristic of the variation.
} 24. Qxf8+ Kxf8 25. Nxe4 dxe4 26. Rxe4 Rxe5 27. Rf4+ Ke7 28. c4 g5 29. Rf2 Re4
30. b3 b5 31. cxb5 axb5 32. Kf1 Nd4 {This centralized knight is as good or
better than the bishop. Nonetheless, White, more than 200 points higher rated
than Black, is apparently trying to win - though neither side has objective
winning chances.} 33. h3 c5 34. Bc3 b4 35. Bb2 Ke6 36. Bc1 Nf5 37. Rf3 c4 38.
bxc4 Rxc4 39. Bb2 Rc2 40. Rb3 Nd6 41. Rxb4 Nc4 42. Bg7 Ne3+ 43. Kg1 Rxg2+ 44.
Kh1 Rxa2 45. Bxh6 Ra1+ 46. Kh2 Ra2+ 47. Kg1 Rg2+ 48. Kh1 Rg3 49. Bxg5 {
White finally decides it's time to draw!} Rxh3+ (49... Rxg5 50. Re4+ Re5 51.
Rxe5+ Kxe5 {is also a draw.}) 50. Kg1 Rg3+ 51. Kf2 Rxg5 52. Re4+ Re5 53. Rxe5+
Kxe5 ({After} 53... Kxe5 54. Kxe3 {the position looks pretty drawish. --- The
Siesta player must realize that White can force these boring positions on the
would be gambiteer. But while death by boredom is possible, the good news is
that you shouldn't ever lose in these lines, even against a much higher-rated
opponent. --- The next three games feature violent attempts by White to refute
the Siesta - and consequently, much more exciting play!}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Riga"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1959.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Klavins, J."]
[Black "Mikenas, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1959.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O Bd3 8. Re1
Be7 9. Re3 ({Besides the equalizing} 9. Bc2 {that we saw in the previous two
games, White has two other ways to attack the blockading bishop:}) ({the text,
} 9. Re3 {, which will be considered in this and the next game}) ({and} 9. Qb3
{followed by Qd5 or c3-c4, which will be covered in Bashkov-Yandemirov (Minsk
1993).}) 9... e4 {No other move makes sense - Black must maintain the blockade
as long as possible.} 10. Ne1 ({After} 10. Nd4 Qd7 {
White has made no progress towards getting rid of the cramping bishop.}) 10...
Bg5 {Correct! Of course giving up the blockade with the wimpish ...Bxb1 makes
no logical sense - Black must counter-attack!} 11. Nxd3 {White makes a
tempting (even Michael Adams played this and lost!) but faulty exchange
sacrifice.} ({The non-sacrificing alternatives} 11. Rg3) ({and} 11. Rh3 {
will be covered in the next game.}) 11... Bxe3 12. Nb4 (12. dxe3 {is a new try
to rehabilitate the line, which was successful in the one game played, but
can't be recommended:} exd3 13. Qxd3 Qh4 14. Qd4 Qxd4 15. cxd4 Nf6 16. Nc3 -- (
{, and now Black played} 16... O-O {
, continued passively, and eventually lost in A.Cherniaev-M.Yeo, Jersey 1998.})
({; instead, correct is active play with} 16... b5 $1 17. Bd1 ({or} 17. Bc2 Nb4
18. Bb1 c5 {again with great activity}) 17... O-O-O {
and Black is better with his extra exchange and potential queenside expansion.}
)) 12... Bxf2+ $3 {This was first played by the creative attacking IM Vladas
Mikenas in the main game - and we now see there are seven games that feature
this sacrifice in the Mega, and Black wins them all! Mikenas' idea is that the
white king does not have a single defender, while Black can quickly bring up
the queen, king's knight and both rooks.} 13. Kxf2 Qh4+ 14. Kg1 {This was played in all seven games, and in each one we see the white king trapped between
Black's powerful queen and the rook coming soon to the f-file.} ({
I think the untried} 14. Ke2 {
is White's last hope, though Black is still much better; e.g.} Nge7 15. Nxc6
Nxc6 16. Bxc6+ bxc6 17. Qa4 Qg4+ 18. Ke1 O-O 19. Qc4+ d5 20. Qe2 {
and White has some drawing chances.}) 14... Nh6 {The reason for the rim
development is to leave the f-file clear for the rook, and so Black quickly
threatens a back rank mate as we'll see in the following note.} 15. g3 {
White has also found other ways to lose:} (15. Nxc6 O-O 16. -- (16. g3 Qh3 17.
Ne7+ Kh8 18. Qe2 Ng4 {. This is the basic picture of the attack: White has
brought up his queen to defend, but Black has a queen, knight and rook already
attacking, with the other rook coming fast if he needs it. With that kingside
material superiority, it means absolutely nothing that White has, overall, a
material advantage of three pieces for a rook - those pieces are sleeping! One
possible finish is} 19. Qg2 Qh5 20. h3 Rf2 21. Qh1 Re2 $1 22. Kf1 ({or} 22.
hxg4 Re1+ {and mates}) 22... Nh2+ 23. Kg1 Qc5+ 24. d4 exd3+ 25. Be3 Qxe3# {.})
({. A quicker demise is} 16. d4 $2 Qf2+ 17. Kh1 Qf1+ 18. Qxf1 Rxf1# {
(which is the aforementioned back rank mate)}) ({
, while Tiviakov made it to move 25 with} 16. h3 Rf2 $1 17. Ne7+ Kh8 18. Nd5
Raf8 19. Ne3 R8f3 20. Bd7 Qg3 21. Qe1 Nf7 22. d4 ({or} 22. Na3 Ne5 23. Nac2 Nd3
24. Qd1 Nf4 25. d4 Rxg2+ 26. Nxg2 Qxg2#) 22... Rxe3 23. Qxf2 Re1+ 24. Qf1 e3
25. Nd2 Qf2+ {
0-1 S.Tiviakov-B.Adhiban, Bhubaneswar 2009; White resigns in view of} 26. Kh2
Rxf1 27. Nxf1 e2 {and the pawn promotes to something, e.g.} 28. Be3 exf1=N+ 29.
Rxf1 Qxf1 {etc.})) (15. Qf1 Ng4 16. Qf4 Rf8 17. Qg3 Rf1+ $1 18. Kxf1 Nxh2+ 19.
Qxh2 (19. Kf2 Ng4+ {doesn't help}) 19... Qxh2 {0-1 M.Adams-J.Piket, Wijk aan
Zee 1991. It's not often one sees a 2600 player defeated in 19 moves - White
resigned in view of} 20. Nxc6 b5 21. Na3 bxa4 22. d3 Kd7 23. Nd4 Rf8+ {
and mates.}) (15. Qe2 O-O 16. Bb3+ Kh8 17. Nxc6 Ng4 {
(again we see our basic attacking pattern)} 18. h3 Nf2 19. Be6 ({if} 19. Nb4
Nxh3+ $1 20. gxh3 Qg3+ {wins the queen, with mate coming soon}) 19... bxc6 20.
Qe3 Nd3 21. Na3 Rf2 22. Bc4 Raf8 23. Bxd3 exd3 24. Kh2 Rf1 25. b3 Re1 26. g3
Rh1+ $1 {(a pretty finale) 0-1 A.Olsson-B.Soderborg, Swedish Championship,
Ornskoldsvik 1962.}) (15. d4 {lasted longest in A.Zapata-W.Arencibia Rodriguez,
Cienfuegos 1996, but I believe Black could have shortened things quite a bit.}
-- ({. The game continued} 15... O-O 16. Qe2 e3 17. Bxe3 Rae8 18. Nd2 Ng4 19.
g3 Qxh2+ 20. Qxh2 Nxh2 21. Nd5 Ng4 22. Bb3 Kh8 23. Rf1 Nxe3 24. Nxe3 Rxf1+ 25.
Ndxf1 Ne7 {and Black outplayed his opponent and finally won this rook + pawn
vs. two minor pieces ending after 60 moves, though Arencibia didn't really
have any advantage when that basic ending began.} (25... --)) ({
. However, I don't think he needed to play the endgame at all! Much stronger is
} 15... Ng4 $1 16. h3 Qf2+ 17. Kh1 h5 $1 {- we saw this motif in the notes to
Parma-Keres in the previous chapter, and will see it again in the Yandemirov Gambit which I
will cover in the next chapter: Black uses a piece sacrifice to (eventually)
open the h-file for attack; e.g.} 18. Nxc6 Qg3 $1 19. Ne5+ c6 20. Nxg4 hxg4 21.
Kg1 gxh3 22. Qe2 hxg2 23. Qxe4+ Kd8 {
and White has no defence to ...Rh1 mate other than} 24. Qxg2 {
, but then Black wins with} Qe1+ 25. Qf1 Rh1+ {
. This would have been a lot quicker than the game!})) 15... Qh3 16. d4 ({
Exchanging queens doesn't stop Black's attack:} 16. Qf1 Qxf1+ 17. Kxf1 O-O+ 18.
Kg1 Ne5 19. d4 Nf3+ 20. Kg2 Ne1+ 21. Kg1 Ng4 22. h3 Nf2 23. Na3 Nxh3+ 24. Kh2
Rf1 25. Nac2 ({accepting the piece sacrifice with} 25. Kxh3 {allows} Raf8 {
with a winning attack; e.g.} 26. Kg4 Nf3 27. Bd7 Rh1 $1 {
threatening a hard to stop mate in one!}) 25... Ng1 26. Nxe1 Rxe1 27. Nc2 Nf3+
28. Kg2 Re2+ 29. Kf1 Rh2 30. Be3 Rf8 31. Rc1 Nxd4+ 32. Kg1 Nf3+ 33. Kf1 d5 34.
b4 c6 35. Bb3 Rf5 36. Bf4 $2 {(making it quick, though White had no chances to
hold in the long run, given Black's material superiority and bind on the
position)} Rxf4 {0-1 A.Bangiev-V.Zhuravliov, Liepaia 1971.}) 16... Ng4 17. Qe2
O-O {The basic attacking picture is seen one more time.} 18. Bf4 g5 $1 {
The f-file is the main highway of Black's attack, so he can't let White
obstruct it.} 19. Bb3+ Kh8 20. Be6 (20. Bxg5 $2 {is suicidal due to} Rf1+ 21.
Qxf1 Qxh2# {.}) 20... gxf4 21. Bxg4 Qh6 22. Nd2 ({No better is} 22. gxf4 Rxf4
23. h3 Rg8 24. Qg2 ({or} 24. Nd2 Qxh3) 24... Rf3 25. Kh2 Qf4+ 26. Kh1 Rf1+ {
, winning the white queen.}) 22... f3 23. Qd1 Nxb4 24. cxb4 Qe3+ 25. Kh1 Qf2
26. Bh3 Rae8 27. Rc1 e3 28. Rxc7 ({White can also try} 28. Nxf3 {
, after which I amused myself by working out the following pretty endgame win:}
e2 29. Qg1 Qxf3+ 30. Bg2 Qd3 31. Re1 Qd2 32. a3 Rf1 33. Rxf1 ({not} 33. Bxf1
Qxe1) 33... e1=Q 34. Rxe1 Rxe1 35. Bf1 Qxb2 36. Qg2 Qa1 37. Kg1 Qxd4+ 38. Kh1
Qd1 39. Kg1 c5 40. Qf2 Rxf1+ $1 {
(this was my point; now the connected pawns win)} 41. Qxf1 Qxf1+ 42. Kxf1 c4
43. Ke2 d5 44. Kd2 d4 45. Kc2 c3 46. Kd3 Kg7 47. Kc2 Kg6 48. Kd3 Kg5 49. h3 h5
50. a4 b5 51. axb5 axb5 52. Kc2 Kf5 53. Kd3 h4 $1 {
(Black forces king entry - the passed white g-pawn is meaningless)} 54. g4+ Kf4
55. Kc2 Ke3 56. g5 d3+ 57. Kxc3 d2 {etc.}) 28... exd2 {Mate is inevitable. ---
Attempts to improve for White have failed, so the exchange sac 11 Nxd3 appears
to be refuted by Mikenas' great counter-sacrifice 12...Bxf2+!.} 0-1

[Event "Cheliabinsk"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bashkov, V."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O Bd3 8. Re1
Be7 9. Re3 e4 10. Ne1 Bg5 11. Rh3 {
This is the only way White can play for a win.} (11. Rg3 {lets the rook get
hit again, which is to Black's advantage unless White wants a draw:} Bh4 12.
Rh3 (12. Nxd3 Bxg3 13. Nb4 Bxf2+ $1 {returns to Klavins-Mikenas}) ({, while} 
12. Re3 Bg5 {is yet another Siesta draw - this gambit has more forced draws
than any sharp opening I know!}) 12... Bxf2+ 13. Kxf2 Qf6+ 14. Nf3 ({or} 14.
Kg3 Nge7 {with a fierce attack}) 14... Nge7 15. Na3 O-O 16. Nc2 Ne5 17. Nce1
exf3 18. gxf3 N7g6 19. Qb3+ Kh8 20. Qxb7 Nf4 {
(Black's attack is overwhelming, while White has no development at all)} 21.
Rg3 Qh4 22. Kg1 Ne2+ 23. Kg2 Nxg3 24. hxg3 Qxa4 {
and Yandemirov scores again! 0-1 S.Voitsekhovsky-V.Yandemirov, Moscow 1996.})
11... Qe7 ({Also good is} 11... Nf6 {which confused Smyslov:} 12. Nxd3 exd3 13.
Rxd3 O-O 14. Rh3 Qe7 15. Na3 Rae8 16. Nc2 Ne4 17. Bb3+ Kh8 18. f3 Nc5 19. d4
Bxc1 20. dxc5 Be3+ 21. Nxe3 Qxe3+ 22. Kh1 dxc5 23. Bc2 h6 24. Be4 Ne5 25. Qg1
Qxg1+ 26. Kxg1 c6 27. Rh5 c4 28. Rd1 Nd3 29. Bxd3 cxd3 30. Rxd3 Re2 31. b4 Rfe8
{(Black's compensation for the pawn persists into the endgame and is soon
translated into material gain)} 32. Rh4 Re1+ 33. Kf2 R8e2+ 34. Kg3 Rg1 35. Rd8+
Kh7 36. Rd7 Rgxg2+ 37. Kf4 b5 38. Rg4 Rxg4+ 39. fxg4 Rxh2 40. Rd6 Rxa2 41. Rxc6
Ra4 {½-½ V.Smyslov-A.Lutikov, USSR Championship, Moscow 1961 - Smyslov
could never find the handle against the MS, but he still got the World
Champion courtesy draw a pawn down.}) 12. Nxd3 exd3 13. Rxd3 Nf6 {Finally a true gambit instead of a draw! White has removed the bone and chowed down on an
extra pawn as well but, while doing all this, has fallen far behind in
development - a double-edged game is in prospect.} 14. Bxc6+ ({
The Fritz suggestion of} 14. g3 {is met by} O-O-O $1 {when Black has excellent
compensation, with his lead in development and the light square holes around
the white king.}) 14... bxc6 15. Rg3 O-O $1 {An insouciant piece offer.} 16. d3
({If White takes the piece with} 16. Rxg5 {
, Black calmly completes his development with a small threat (of mate!) -} Rae8
{and now} 17. Qf1 ({or} 17. f3 Qe1+ 18. Qxe1 Rxe1+ 19. Kf2 Rxc1 {
and Black is obviously better with the back rank pin}) 17... Ne4 {and Black, attacking with every piece, easily breaks through against White's sleeping army; e.g.} 18. d3 (18. Rg3 Rxf2 19. Qe1 Ref8 20. d3 Nxg3 $1 21. Qxe7 Rf1# {
is a nice mate}) 18... Nxf2 19. Bd2 Nh3+ {wins the queen.}) 16... Rae8 $1 {
The bishop remains immune in view of White's weak back rank.} 17. Be3 $2 {
A mistake, since Black can leave his bishop en prise even one more move!} ({
Correct is} 17. Bd2 {
, which guards the back rank and so actually threatens Rxg5. Black can play}
Bxd2 18. Nxd2 Qe2 {with obvious compensation for the pawn, but a win for Black
looks like a lot to ask - about even I'd say.}) 17... Nd5 $1 18. Nd2 {
It's easy to see the black bishop is still immune;} ({note also that} 18. Bd2 {
is now too late because of} Bh4 19. Rf3 Rxf3 20. gxf3 {(forced)} Qf6 {
with a powerful attack against White's weakened kingside.}) 18... Nxe3 19. fxe3
Bxe3+ 20. Kh1 Bxd2 21. Qxd2 Qe2 {Black has a pawn's worth of play - as in the
note to move 17 - but here is not even a pawn down! Evidently Black is clearly
better.} 22. Qxe2 Rxe2 23. b4 Rxa2 {
Black picks off a clean pawn and converts stylishly.} 24. Rg1 Ra3 25. d4 Rf2
26. Re3 h6 27. h3 Rc2 28. Re8+ Kh7 29. Re7 Raxc3 30. Rxc7 Rd3 31. Re1 d5 32.
Ra7 Rdd2 33. Rxa6 Rxg2 34. Rxc6 Rh2+ 35. Kg1 Rcg2+ 36. Kf1 Rb2 37. Kg1 Rxh3 38.
Rc5 Rg3+ 39. Kf1 Rf3+ 40. Kg1 Rg3+ 41. Kf1 Rgg2 42. Rb1 Rbf2+ 43. Ke1 Rf4 44.
Rb3 Rxd4 45. Kf1 Ra2 46. Rc1 Rf4+ 47. Kg1 Rg4+ 48. Kf1 Rh4 49. Kg1 Rg4+ 50. Kf1
Rh2 51. Rcb1 Rg6 52. b5 Rb6 53. Rd1 Rh1+ 54. Ke2 Rh2+ 55. Kf1 Rh1+ 56. Ke2 Rxd1
57. Kxd1 Kg6 58. Kd2 Kf5 59. Kc3 g5 60. Kd4 g4 $1 {
The kingside pawns will be worth more than a rook.} 61. Kc5 Rb8 62. Kxd5 Rd8+
63. Kc6 h5 64. b6 h4 65. Kc7 Rg8 66. b7 g3 67. Rb5+ ({If} 67. b8=Q Rxb8 68.
Rxb8 g2 69. Rg8 h3 {and queens.}) 67... Kf6 68. Rb6+ Kf7 69. Rb4 g2 ({
White loses after both} 69... g2 70. Rg4 ({and} 70. Rb1 h3) 70... Rxg4 71. b8=Q
g1=Q {. --- I think the 9 Re3/10 Ne1 plan is too slow to trouble Black,
provided of course that he plays energetically in gambit style - though one
must note again that there is a more or less forced draw in this line, with
the rook repetition on move 11. --- In the next game, the same opponents meet
again two years later. Bashkov tries a slightly different variation, but
Yandemirov is ready!}) 0-1

[Event "Minsk"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bashkov, V."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O Bd3 8. Re1
({Recall the analysis in Simonov-Yandemirov, where I showed that Black can meet
} 8. Qb3 {with} b5 ({the position after 9...Rb8 below can also arise here via} 
8... Rb8 $5 9. Re1 Be7) 9. Qd5 Nd4 $1 {.}) 8... Be7 ({Now, instead of rehashing
} 8... Be7 9. Re3 {
, which didn't bring him anything in the previous game, White tries...}) 9. Qb3
$5 {We saw that this move brought White nothing on the previous turn (see
above). Here the situation is a bit different in view of the interpolation of
Re1 and ...Be7, but Black has the same choices of ...b7-b5 and ...Rb8.} ({
White has one further try that's worth mentioning as it was recently played by
Topalov, namely} 9. c4 {. The idea is to follow with Qb3 when the queen
directly attacks the d3-bishop. Black answers} Rb8 ({
this move of Radchenko's is considered best - giving up the bind with} 9...
Bxc4 {is worse, as White gets attacking chances after} 10. d4 b5 11. Bb3 Bxb3
12. axb3 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. Bg5 {
and won in V.Lepeshkin-Y.Estrin, Moscow 1964}) 10. Qb3 e4 11. Ng5 (11. Nd4 Nf6
12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bxc6+ Kf7 {reveals Radchenko's point: the black rook gains a
tempo on the queen, while the white position is blockaded by the mighty bishop
at d3; Black can castle by hand with ...Rf8 and ...Kg8, and has an excellent
attack for only one pawn}) 11... Nf6 12. Nc3 O-O 13. Ncxe4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Ne5
15. Re3 b5 $5 (15... Bxc4 {would give Black a simple advantage, but the
remainder of this crazy game is worth quoting, as Topalov's beloved bishops
hold against a queen!}) 16. cxb5+ d5 17. Rxd3 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 dxe4 19. Qxe4 Bf6
20. bxa6 Bd4 21. d3 Rxf2 22. Be3 Rbxb2 23. Bb3+ Kh8 24. Re1 Rxg2+ 25. Qxg2
Rxg2+ 26. Kxg2 Qa8+ 27. Kf2 Bc3 28. a7 Bxe1+ 29. Kxe1 Qh1+ 30. Kd2 Qxh2+ 31.
Kc3 Qg2 32. Kd4 Qa8 {(one would think the queen should somehow win against the
two bishops, but perhaps not in view of White's passed a-pawn - in any case
Lautier can't find a way to both advance his kingside pawns and hold back the
white a-pawn on the seventh)} 33. Ke5 Qe8+ 34. Kf4 c6 35. Bc5 h5 36. Bd6 Qd8
37. Bb8 Qd4+ 38. Kf5 Qxd3+ 39. Ke6 Qa6 40. Kd7 g5 41. Kc7 g4 42. Bc4 Qa4 43.
Bb3 Qa6 44. Bc4 Qa4 {½-½ V.Topalov-J.Lautier, Linares 1995. In my opinion,
9 c4 (which weakens d4 as well as the already weak and occupied d3) is too
anti-positional to gain an advantage - yes, in some lines White can get a pawn,
but Black's bind is worth more.}) 9... b5 {Simplest;} ({though} 9... Rb8 {
is also playable:} 10. Qd5 e4 {(transposition alert! - this can also arise via
the 8 Qb3 move order above) and now:} 11. -- (11. Nd4 Nf6 12. Qe6 ({
if White goes for material with} 12. Bxc6+ bxc6 13. Qxc6+ {, then after} Kf7
14. Na3 Rb6 15. Qa4 Qd7 16. Qxd7 Nxd7 17. f3 d5 {Black has a terrific bind})
12... Qd7 13. Bb3 Nd8 14. Qxd7+ Kxd7 15. Bc2 Bxc2 16. Nxc2 Nc6 17. Re3 Ne5 18.
Ne1 Rhf8 19. d4 Nc4 20. Re2 d5 {and Black has the much superior centre and
went on to win in Bernh.Schneider-E.Freise, Brakel 1967.}) (11. Ng5 Bxg5 12.
Qxd3 Nf6 13. Bxc6+ bxc6 14. Qxa6 {
(White picks up a pawn, but Black has good play)} Qd7 15. d4 Bxc1 16. Rxc1 Rxb2
$5 (16... O-O {with excellent compensation is more rational - whereas the
insane text finally leads to a "quiet" draw}) 17. Qa8+ Kf7 18. Qxh8 Qf5 19. Rf1
e3 20. Qd8 exf2+ 21. Kh1 Qf4 22. Qxc7+ Kg6 23. Qxc6 Ng4 24. g3 Qf5 25. Qxd6+
Nf6 26. Qc6 Kg5 27. Kg2 Nd5 28. Qe8 Kh6 29. h3 Qg5 30. Rxf2 Nf4+ 31. Kf3 Qd5+
32. Ke3 Ng2+ 33. Rxg2 Qxg2 34. Qe6+ g6 35. Qg4 Qf2+ 36. Kd3 Qf1+ 37. Ke3 Qf2+
38. Kd3 Qf1+ 39. Ke3 Qf2+ 40. Kd3 {½-½ G.Secheli-L.Vajda, Eger 1994 -
Black draws a knight and three pawns down!})) 10. Qd5 Qd7 11. Qxd3 bxa4 12. Qc2
{White is winning a pawn while falling behind in development - a typical
Siesta situation.} Nf6 13. Qxa4 O-O 14. d3 Nd4 {
This is the only move to have been played here, according to the Mega.} ({
In a blitz game I tried out} 14... d5 $5 {, taking over the centre and giving
the bishop a path to d6 or c5. Black has some compensation here, and in fact I
soon had more as my opponent immediately blundered:} 15. Nxe5 $2 ({obviously} 
15. Bg5 {is better, when} h6 16. Bxf6 Rxf6 17. Nxe5 Qf5 18. Nf3 Qxd3 19. Nbd2
Raf8 {is a typical line where Black has compensation for the pawn with his
doubled rooks on the f-file}) 15... Nxe5 16. Qxd7 Nfxd7 17. f4 Ng6 {
and Black was a piece up in NN-Taylor, blitz game 2009.}) 15. Qxd7 ({
Geller tried} 15. Qd1 {here, and after} Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3 Ng4 ({
but Black can improve with the more subtle} 16... Rab8 $1 {
, when I think he has adequate compensation for the pawn}) 17. Qd5+ Kh8 18. f3
Nf6 19. Qb3 {he beat off the attack and won in E.Geller-A.Lutikov, USSR
Championship, Moscow 1961.}) ({After the game's} 15. Qxd7 {the players
unexpectedly agreed to a draw! The usually pugnacious "play to the last pawn"
Yandemirov must have been tired! Otherwise} Nxf3+ 16. gxf3 Nxd7 {is at least
equal for Black, who has excellent compensation for the missing pawn in view
of White's shattered kingside. --- All the lines with 7 0-0 Bd3 (except the
Boring Main Line of Simonov-Yandemirov and Rasmussen-Upton) feature sharp
gambit play, where Black is often material down but blockades White's position
with the cramping bishop at d3. As far as I can see, Black gets at least equal
chances in all these variations, provided of course that he plays actively and
is not afraid to sacrifice.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Reggio Emilia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Honfi, K."]
[Black "Ciocaltea, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "172"]
[EventDate "1966.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{The last three games of the chapter feature playable but non-challenging
ideas for White.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. d4 fxe4
7. Nxe5 {This is a blunt attempt by White to force the draw right in the
opening - but as it turns out, the draw is not forced! Given the many other
less difficult drawing chances for White (such as the Re3-g3-e3 shuttle in
Bashkov-Yandemirov 1991, or the draws by boredom of Simonov-Yandemirov and
Rasmussen-Upton) one must rate this as an outmoded variation.} dxe5 8. Qh5+ Ke7
9. Bxc6 ({After} 9. dxe5 {White doesn't get enough for the piece:} g6 10. Qh4+
(10. Bg5+ Kf7 {is also winning for Black}) 10... Kf7 11. Qxe4 Bf5 {and Black develops while his king is relatively safe - it took 40 moves, but Black
successfully evaluated the extra piece in A.Matikozian-A.Nadanian, Pasanauri
1997.}) 9... bxc6 10. Bg5+ Nf6 11. dxe5 Qd5 $1 {Capablanca's great defensive
move, planning to pin along the rank, makes White struggle to draw.} 12. Bh4 ({
Hopeless is} 12. f4 exf3 13. O-O Kd7 14. e6+ Kxe6 15. Re1+ Kd7 16. Qh3+ Kd8 17.
Qxf3 Qxg5 18. Nd2 Bg4 {when Black was two pieces up in V.Zaitsev-V.Yandemirov,
Krasnoyarsk 1998 - though the database states "½-½"! I'm sure White
resigned here and the result was entered wrong.}) 12... Kd7 $1 ({After} 12...
Ke6 {White gets the draw he desires (though why White should desire a draw is
another question):} 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Qe8+ Kf5 15. Qh5+ Ke6 16. Qe8+ Kf5 {
½-½ E.Geller-P.Keres, Szczawno Zdroj 1950, and many other games as well.
However, as Ciocaltea shows with the text move, Black does not have to make it
so easy for White.}) 13. Qg5 Ke6 $1 ({Also good is} 13... h6 14. Qf5+ Ke8 15.
Qg6+ Qf7 16. Qxf7+ Kxf7 17. exf6 gxf6 {which has an interesting evaluation
history: Capablanca said it was equal, whereas Levy thought Black's bishops
actually gave him the edge - so I paged Mr. Fritz. Interestingly enough, the
machine agrees with Levy (equals plus) rather than Capa! Of course Levy did
win his famous bet against the machines (for those of us old enough to recall
such ancient history when people used to beat computers!) so perhaps he was
more attuned to the future silicon monster.}) 14. exf6 Qxg5 15. Bxg5 gxf6 {
Black has reached an ending similar to Capablanca's analysis, and again the
machine, and this author, favours Black. This is very important, as it shows
the "forced Siesta draw" is in fact not there.} 16. Be3 Rg8 17. g3 Rb8 {
The open files compensate for the doubled pawns.} 18. Nd2 {
This allows Black to open the game for his bishops.} ({Better is} 18. b3 Bb7
19. Nd2 c5 {when White is only slightly worse.}) 18... Rxb2 19. Nxe4 Kf7 20.
O-O Be6 21. Rfb1 Rc2 $1 22. Rc1 Rxc1+ 23. Rxc1 Be7 ({If} 23... Bxa2 24. Ra1 Bc4
25. Nd2 Be2 26. c4 Bb4 27. Rxa6 Rd8 28. Ra2 Bxd2 29. Rxd2 Rxd2 30. Bxd2 Bxc4
31. Bf4 {and White should be able to make a draw.}) 24. c4 Rb8 25. Nc5 Bxc5 {
Black finally gives up the bishop pair but gets a rook to the seventh: White's
defence is not easy.} 26. Bxc5 Rb2 27. Kg2 $2 {White should not give up the
pawn since Black has real winning chances with rooks on.} ({Better is} 27. a3
Re2 28. Bb4 Re4 29. c5 Re2 30. Ba5 Ra2 31. Bb4 Bd5 {
which is unpleasant but probably defensible for White.}) 27... Rxa2 {Now this game reminds me very much of an Alekhine's Defence (Meekins-Taylor, analysed in
'Alekhine Alert') where I also won a rook + opposite-coloured bishop ending
after prolonged manoeuvres!} 28. Be3 Ra4 29. c5 Bd5+ 30. Kf1 a5 31. Ke2 Ra2+
32. Kd3 a4 33. Bd4 Ra3+ 34. Kd2 Rb3 35. Rc3 Rb4 36. Kd3 Bb3 37. Rc1 a3 38. Ra1
Ra4 39. Rc1 Bd5 40. h4 h5 41. Ba1 Ke6 42. Rc3 Be4+ 43. Ke3 a2 44. Rb3 Bd5 45.
Rc3 f5 46. Kd2 f4 47. Rd3 f3 48. Re3+ Be4 49. Rc3 Kd5 50. Ke3 Ra5 51. Kf4 Ra4
52. Re3 Rb4 53. Bg7 Bd3+ 54. Kxf3 Kc4 55. Re8 Ra4 56. Ba1 Kb3 57. Rb8+ Bb5 58.
Ke3 Kc2 59. Rd8 Kc1 60. f3 Ra3+ 61. Kf2 Bc4 62. Re8 Kd2 63. g4 hxg4 64. fxg4
Rh3 65. h5 Rh1 66. Bg7 a1=Q 67. Bxa1 Rxa1 68. h6 Rh1 69. g5 Kc3 70. Kg3 Kd4 71.
Kf4 Kxc5 72. Rd8 Ba2 73. Ke5 Bb1 74. Rb8 Bd3 75. Rd8 Kc4 76. Rd7 c5 77. Rxc7
Kb4 78. Kf6 c4 79. Kg7 ({
It seems that Black wins even against the best try, though it's very close:} 
79. Rb7+ Kc5 80. Rc7+ Kd4 81. Rd7+ Ke3 82. Rc7 Rh5 83. Kf7 Kd4 84. Rd7+ Ke5 85.
g6 Rxh6 86. g7 Bh7 87. g8=Q Bxg8+ 88. Kxg8 Rc6 {
and the black rook gets behind his last pawn and forces the win.}) 79... Rg1 $6
{This is a bobble right at the end:} ({Black wins cleanly with} 79... c3 $1 80.
g6 Bc4 81. h7 c2 {etc.}) 80. Kf6 c3 81. h7 Rh1 82. g6 Rh6 83. Rb7+ $6 ({
In view of Black's late game inaccuracy above, White has the chance for a
miracle draw here:} 83. Rxc3 $1 Kxc3 84. Kg5 Rh1 (84... Rxg6+ 85. Kh5 Rh6+ 86.
Kxh6 Bxh7 {is another draw}) 85. Kf6 {
and it seems that Black cannot improve his position.}) 83... Ka5 84. Rc7 c2 85.
Kg5 Rxg6+ 86. Kh5 Rg1 $1 {. Ciocaltea deserves credit for a tremendous endgame
struggle and triumph, though I think White would have had good drawing chances
with either 18 b3 or 27 a3 - and there was that lucky drawing possibility at
the end. --- Nevertheless, sac'ing a piece in the opening for an illusory draw
- then struggling for hours - is not, presumably, what White wants! Meanwhile
Black only needs to know Capablanca's precise defensive move (11...Qd5!) and
the sac will hold no terrors.} 0-1

[Event "Sarajevo"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1965.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ciric, D."]
[Black "Suetin, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1965.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 6. d4 fxe4 7. Ng5 exd4 8. Nxe4
Bf5 ({We already saw this variation in the introductory game, Réti-Capablanca
- and there's nothing wrong with following the great Cuban with} 8... Nf6 {
- but the esteemed theoretician Suetin's move might be even better!}) 9. Qxd4 {
It's hard to find another move:} ({if} 9. Ng3 Qe7+ 10. Kf1 Bd7 {
and White won't castle in this game}) ({or} 9. Qf3 Bxe4 10. Qxe4+ Qe7 11. Bxc6+
({forced, for if} 11. Qxe7+ Ngxe7 12. cxd4 b5 {
and Black wins a pawn with the typical Steinitzian pin break}) 11... bxc6 12.
Qxe7+ Nxe7 13. cxd4 Nf5 {and Black has the better ending.}) 9... Qe7 10. f3 b5
11. Qd5 Bd7 12. Bb3 Nf6 13. Qg5 Nxe4 14. Qxe7+ Bxe7 15. fxe4 Rf8 {The opening
has led straight to an ending that favours Black. White's e-pawn is isolated
and weak, while Black has play down the f-file and indeed across the whole
board.} 16. Rf1 Bh4+ 17. g3 Bf6 18. Bf4 b4 19. Bc4 Rb8 20. Rf2 bxc3 21. bxc3 a5
22. Rc2 g5 23. Be3 Ne5 24. Be2 Ba4 25. Rc1 Rb2 {
Suetin's impressive play has resulted in this absolute positional domination.}
26. Na3 Bc6 27. Rcb1 Nf3+ $1 28. Kf2 ({If} 28. Bxf3 Bxc3+ {wins.}) 28... Bxc3 {
The positional advantage has taken solid form. There is no defence to Black's
last move;} ({e.g.} 28... Bxc3 29. Rxb2 ({or} 29. Rc1 Nd4+) 29... Bxb2 30. Bxf3
Bxa1 {and wins. --- Réti's line has not improved with age - Black still gets
the advantage right out of the opening.}) 0-1

[Event "US Open, Irvine"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Robinson, Dar"]
[Black "Taylor, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C74"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 ({Let's steal a moment from our serious Ruy Lopez study,
and imagine that you are White and instead of the normal text move, your
opponent plays the surprising} 2... d5 $5 {which already creates difficulty,
as Tal writes: "I had never previously encountered in tournament practice the
position after Black's 2nd move. White's first task was at least to remember
the name of the opening. At the board I did not succeed in solving this
problem." --- Since I have a copy of Tim Harding's book 'Counter Gambits', I
was able to look this up and solve Tal's first problem: the opening is the
Queen's Pawn Counter-Gambit (I'm not at all sure how many chessplayers could
rattle that one off!). The next problem one might face, if you were in Tal's
shoes, was what to play - but the great Latvian solved this in exemplary
fashion. He chose the natural capture} 3. exd5 {
and then, after the counter-gambit idea} e4 {
, refused to move the attacked knight and struck back with} 4. Qe2 $1 {
, when it turns out that White has obtained the better game from Morphy's day
to our own-which explains why no one can remember "Queen's Pawn Counter-Gambit"
- 2...d5 is just not a very good move! Mr. Fritz gives White a "clear advantage"
after 4 Qe2, and practice verifies this. Here are some examples in historical
order:} -- (4... Qe7 5. Nd4 {(White is just a pawn ahead)} Qe5 6. Nb5 Bd6 7. d4
Qe7 8. c4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Nxd2 a6 11. Nc3 f5 12. O-O-O Nf6 13. Re1 O-O
14. f3 {(this central break gives White a decisive advantage)} b5 15. fxe4 fxe4
16. Ndxe4 bxc4 17. Qxc4 Kh8 18. Bd3 Bb7 19. Nxf6 Qxf6 20. Rhf1 Qd8 21. Rxf8+
Qxf8 22. Qb4 $1 {(Morphy finishes stylishly) 1-0 P.Morphy-A. Mongredien, Paris
(6th matchgame) 1859.}) (4... f5 {(this is the Tal game)} 5. d3 Nf6 6. dxe4
fxe4 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Qb5+ {("Black sank deep into thought" - Tal)} c6 9. Qxb4
exf3 10. Bg5 cxd5 11. O-O-O Nc6 12. Qa3 Be6 13. Bc4 Qe7 14. Nxd5 Qxa3 15. Nc7+
Ke7 16. Rhe1 $3 {(Tal sacs a queen for a development tempo!)} Qc5 17. Rxe6+ Kf8
18. Rxf6+ gxf6 19. Ne6+ Ke7 20. Nxc5 fxg5 21. Rd7+ Kf6 22. Rd6+ Ke7 23. Re6+
Kd8 24. Nxb7+ Kc7 25. Bd5 Nb4 26. Bxf3 Rae8 27. Nc5 Nxa2+ 28. Kb1 Rxe6 29.
Nxe6+ Kd7 30. Nc5+ Kd6 31. Nd3 {(after sac'ing everything, Tal ends up with a
material advantage - Black resigns the technically lost endgame) 1-0 M.Tal-A.
Lutikov, USSR Team Championship 1964.} (31. --)) (4... Nf6 5. d3 Be7 6. dxe4
O-O 7. Nc3 Re8 8. Bd2 b5 {
(wild and crazy, but otherwise no compensation can be seen)} 9. Qxb5 Na6 10.
Nd4 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Bf6 12. Ne6 $1 {(White returns the piece to clarify matters)}
fxe6 13. Nxf6+ gxf6 14. O-O-O exd5 15. Bc3 c5 {
(Black suddenly noticed the coming} 16. Rxd5 $1 {and resigned before the bomb
actually exploded) 1-0 V.Kotronias-P.Pandavos, Peristeri 1993. --- All this
looks pretty convincing, and it is! After 4 Qe2 Black doesn't have enough for
the pawn, which is why the opening is virtually never played today at the
master level. But some masters will play it against a lower-rated opponent...})
) ({One day I was giving a lesson to a 1900 rated student: he started to show
me a recent tournament game against a master: he only got four moves before I
stopped him:} 2... d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Nd4 $4 Qxd5 {. "Wait, wait!" I cried. "Why
not 4 Qe2 - ?" My student replied, "I knew that was the book move, but my
opponent is a master, and I was sure he was booked up on the opening - so I
got him out of his preparation." I was struggling to remain calm. "But after 4.
.. Qxd5 Black is already better! It's easy to see that Black controls all four
central squares - he has more space, and an attack on White's knight - and
he's not even a pawn down! If everyone could get this position after four
moves with Black, then everyone would play..." but then I ran out of gas, as
at that time, like Tal, I didn't know the name of the opening! In any case, it
turned out that my student, after his disastrous fourth move, lost quickly to
the master who evidently counted on just this sort of play from a lower-rated
opponent. --- What does this have to do with the Siesta? Take a look at the
note to White's sixth move!}) 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 f5 ({With} 5... f5 {
, "Black at once exerts such great pressure on the white e-pawn that} 6. exf5 {
is more or less obligatory," writes Levy.}) 6. d3 $6 {Maybe less, not more!} ({
While I think the Siesta is a sound gambit (as opposed to the very doubtful
Queen's Pawn Counter-Gambit), there is no question that if White plays the
strongest line-} 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. d4 {- he can force Black to play every move
as though his life depended on it-one slip could be fatal!}) ({
Furthermore, if White plays the Boring Main Line with} 6. exf5 Bxf5 7. O-O {
Black must know sixteen moves of theory - in order to draw. --- But what if
everyone could get the position after 6 d3 - ? Then the Siesta would be the
most popular defence in all of the Ruy Lopez! And what if everyone could get
the position that sly master got against my student: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d5 3 exd5
e4 4 Nd4 Qxd5 - then the Queen's Pawn Counter-Gambit would be the number one
defence of all the open games! --- What I was trying to convey to my student,
but probably didn't succeed too well, is that in certain sharp openings, for
example gambits like these two - there is no good move but the main line. You
can't get out of book without getting the worse position. Take this Siesta:
Black now gets a central pawn majority, plus the f-file - for free! In other
words, Black is already slightly better on move 6, and the ensuing fun was all
mine. And this same weak move, 6 d3, was played against me in both of my
tournament Siesta games! --- Note also that MS gambiteer GM Yandemirov has
faced 6 d3 twice, winning both times in under 30 moves, much as I do here.})
6... Nf6 {Of course this natural developing move can't be bad, but given the
complications that White can stir up (with 8 Ng5 instead of 8 dxe4), even
though they probably favour Black, I think it's wiser to get the same kind of
favourable position without running the risk of king walking!} ({Thus} 6...
fxe4 {is simplest, and then} 7. dxe4 (7. Ng5 exd3 8. Qxd3 Nf6 {
doesn't give White anything}) 7... Nf6 8. O-O (8. Bb3 Bg4 {
returns to the main game where White can't even think of attacking}) 8... Bg4 (
{but not} 8... Nxe4 $2 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Qh5+ {
and White wins back his piece with advantage; e.g.} Ke7 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qxe5+
) 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Bb3 {(this "preventing castling" move has no effect, as in
the MS we can go both ways!)} Qd7 11. h3 Bh5 12. Bxf6 $6 {(White opens the
g-file so Black can attack, and provides Black with a second ...f5 lever -
thank you, thank you very much! However, even on other moves Black's plan is
simple: castle long and attack with ...h7-h6 and ...g7-g5, etc)} gxf6 13. Qd3
Bf8 14. Nbd2 Bh6 15. Rfe1 Ne7 16. Kh2 Ng6 17. g3 O-O-O 18. Bc4 Rhf8 19. Bxa6 {
(a desperation sacrifice in the face of Black's mounting pressure)} Bxf3 20.
Nxf3 bxa6 21. Qxa6+ Kb8 22. Red1 ({or} 22. a4 c6 23. Ra3 Qb7 {
and Black evades White's "attack"}) 22... Ne7 23. c4 Qc6 24. Qa3 Kc8 25. Rd3 f5
{(the well-prepared lever)} 26. c5 fxe4 27. cxd6 exd3 28. Nxe5 Rxf2+ {
(mate next is convincing) 0-1 V.Storchak-V.Yandemirov, Tomsk 1997.}) 7. Bb3 ({
My other Siesta game saw} 7. O-O Be7 8. Bb3 Na5 9. Bc2 O-O {and Black was
already somewhat better and went on to win in J.Landaw-T.Taylor, Los Angeles
(rapid) 2008.}) ({Another quick Yandemirov pleasantry went} 7. Qe2 Be7 8. a3
O-O 9. Bb3+ Kh8 10. Bg5 fxe4 11. dxe4 Nh5 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. g3 Bg4 14. Nbd2
Rxf3 $1 15. h3 Nf4 16. gxf4 Rxh3 17. Rxh3 ({or} 17. Qf1 Rxh1 18. Qxh1 exf4 {
with two extra pawns}) 17... Bxe2 18. Kxe2 exf4 19. Rhh1 {(and White resigned
without even making it to move twenty) 0-1 N.Nazarov-V.Yandemirov, Tomsk 2004.}
) 7... fxe4 8. dxe4 ({White should try} 8. Ng5 Bg4 9. Bf7+ Ke7 10. f3 exf3 11.
gxf3 Bf5 12. Bb3 ({Black wins after} 12. f4 h6 13. fxe5 Nxe5 14. O-O Bg4) 12...
d5 {, when Black has a good centre and extra pawn but must contend with a
dodgy king position. Mr. Fritz actually calls this a decisive advantage to
Black, but I think White has practical chances that she never sees in the game.
}) 8... Bg4 {Now White just has a fixed, unpleasant structure, where Black has
the f-file and central pawn majority, plus a clear plan of attack, while White
essentially has no play at all.} 9. Qd3 Qd7 10. Ng5 $2 {
Too late, as Black is now developed and the move has no threat.} (10. Nbd2 {
is relatively better.}) 10... h6 $1 {
Compelling White to carry out her "threat" or retreat with loss of time.} 11.
Nf3 {White reluctantly does the latter,} ({since if she presses on with} 11.
Nf7 Rh7 {the knight is trapped and soon lost}) ({or if} 11. Bf7+ Kd8 {
and a piece goes.}) 11... O-O-O {After eleven moves of one of the strongest
openings, the Ruy Lopez, White is left struggling for a plan in a desperate
position. That's where moves like 6 d3 will get you!} 12. Ba4 g5 13. h3 Bh5 14.
g4 Bg6 15. Nbd2 Bg7 16. c4 Kb8 {Making ...Nb4 possible in some lines.} 17. Qe3
Rhf8 {If White continues quietly, I intended simply to double on the f-file
and play ...Nxe4!. White's desperate response allows a 19th century king hunt,
much like my similar chase in Akopian-Taylor - and we'll see yet another in
the notes to Finneran-Taylor!} 18. O-O h5 $1 {
Now that we know where the white king lives, material no longer matters.} 19.
Bxc6 Qxc6 20. Qxg5 Bxe4 21. Nh4 ({If} 21. Nxe4 Nxe4 22. Qxg7 Rxf3 {
with a winning attack.}) 21... hxg4 $1 {
A piece is certainly not too much to sacrifice in such a position.} 22. Qxg7
Bd3 {The bishop is a useful attacking piece, but the white rook may be an even
more useful defender - so I would be willing to exchange, especially in view
of White's sleeping queenside pieces. In general, a black rook should defeat
two pieces here (as in many Tal games) if two files open on the kingside.
Finally, though I didn't consciously think of this during the game, my move
echoes Keres' 17...Bd3! from his game with Euwe.} 23. Re1 g3 $3 {Decisive! The
black g-pawn is in the way, either on the g-file, or (after taking on h3) on
the h-file. Now an exchange is forced (as the following notes show), the
g-file opens, and the white king is driven out to his doom.} 24. Ndf3 ({
White can't keep the kingside closed:} 24. f3 Qc5+ 25. Kh1 Qf2 26. Ng2 ({if} 
26. Nf1 Bxf1 {forces mate}) 26... Rh8 27. h4 Rxh4+ 28. Nxh4 Qh2# {.}) (24. Qxg3
Rg8 {wins the queen.}) (24. fxg3 Qc5+ 25. Kh1 ({if} 25. Kg2 Nh5 26. Qh6 Qf2+
27. Kh1 Nxg3#) ({, or} 25. Kh2 Qf2+ 26. Ng2 Rg8 {and wins}) 25... Qf2 26. Rg1
Rg8 27. Qf7 ({if} 27. Qh6 Rxg3 {with a winning attack}) 27... Rxg3 ({
stronger than} 27... Rd7 28. Qe6 Re8 29. Rg2 Qe1+ 30. Rg1 Qxg1+ 31. Kxg1 Rxe6 {
, though of course this clear exchange up position also wins for Black}) 28.
Rxg3 Qxg3 29. Nhf3 ({the black knight is taboo:} 29. Qxf6 Rg8 {and mates})
29... Rh8 30. h4 Ng4 {and mates.}) 24... gxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Ne4+ 26. Ke3 {
White has to keep moving up, as the g-file is forbidden in view of the pin.} ({
Also impossible is} 26. Rxe4 Bxe4 {
, since Black will win the pinned knight on f3.}) 26... Bxc4 {
This quiet move prepares the final mating attack - White has no defence.} 27.
b3 Qc5+ $1 28. Kxe4 d5+ 29. Kxe5 Rde8+ {And mate next. --- The only good sixth
move for White is 6 exf5. After 6 d3 in this game - in both my Siesta games -
I had only to worry about how best to use my central superiority and how best
to attack down the f-file! As the notes show, Yandemirov also faced those same
"problems"! Sometimes "book" is not just best, but necessary.} 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "5. Yandemirov Gambit"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{The gambit that begins with} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O
Bg4 6. h3 h5 $5 {is so risky that our man Keres did not try it even once! This
opening doesn't (or didn't) have a name, but I've rectified that by calling it
the Yandemirov Gambit after the Russian GM who has played it at least 38 times
against top flight opposition - he's made a solid score with Black (10 wins,
17 draws and 11 losses) and we already know he bagged a World Champion (recall
Smyslov-Yandemirov).} 7. -- {Like the Siesta, this gambit is move order
specific: obviously Black can't play it against 5 c3 since the piece sac shown
above doesn't work if White hasn't castled. So once again, it's possible just
to play solidly with the Knight Defence or the Bishop Defence. --- However,
unlike the Siesta, there are no boring drawish lines against this gambit!
White must fight back immediately, as Fischer said and the first game of this
chapter demonstrates, as otherwise Black has easy equality and chances to win.}
({Then why is this gambit not more popular? Simply this - in the current main
line (as in the final three games in this chapter, which all continue as
follows:} 7. d4 b5 8. Bb3 Nxd4 9. hxg4 Nxb3 10. axb3 hxg4 11. Ng5 Qd7 {
) Black sacrifices a bishop, right in the opening, for two pawns and attack.
Not that many people are willing to speculate in this fashion, certainly not
our mentor Mr.K!}) (7. -- {So whose game can we use to start this chapter?
Since five of the eight games will feature Yandemirov, it would seem overkill
to put one his games first as well - I know, we can start with some IM for a
change!}) (7. -- {Conclusion: The Yandemirov Gambit is clearly under a cloud
right now, but in such sharp positions improvements are always possible. We'll
see if Yandemirov comes back with new variations. As we saw, in the recent
games against well-prepared opponents (Smirnov here and Kokarev - recall the
note in Aseev-Yandemirov) it was all he could do to make desperate draws from
worse positions. An improvement must be found if the gambit is to survive at
the highest level. --- On the other hand, at a somewhat lower level, and with
the advantage of surprise, then the opening is absolutely deadly, as can be
seen in my win in Finneran-Taylor, when my opponent made a serious but
extremely common error on move 6!}) ({Summing up, one can see why Keres never
played this: it's almost beyond risky at the 2600 level, and the critical line
} 7. d4 {comes close to refuting the whole opening. However, all other lines
give Black reasonable counterplay (for example, 7 Bxc6+) and not every
opponent will be prepared to a Gashimov level against you! --- You'll have to
decide for yourself whether to risk this gambit - or maybe you can find a key
improvement in one of the multitude of razor-sharp lines!}) *

[Event "US Open, Irvine"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Finneran, M."]
[Black "Taylor, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 ({Obviously Black can play} 
5... Bd7 {here, and then follow with either ...Ne7-g6 (Chapter Two) or ...Nf6
and ...g7-g6 (Chapter Three). The Siesta is not possible: as we saw, Black
lived or died by the ...Bd3 blockade, which is clearly not on the menu here.
But if Black wants sharp play, he can emphatically get it with this
straight-ahead attacking move that pins the white knight and immediately puts
pressure on the opponent. --- Before getting into the morass that is the
gambit proper, we'll begin with White's non-challenging replies:}) 6. c3 {
In 'My 60 Memorable Games' Fischer writes, after his move 6 h3: "It's important 
to kick immediately, otherwise after ...Qf6 followed by ...Bxf3 White's pawn
formation could be smashed." Exactly right! And yet many players, as here,
simply ignore the threat! The text, 6 c3, which does absolutely nothing to
stop this f-file doubling, is the second most popular move according to the
database, and has been played literally hundreds of times!} ({
Another fairly common move is} 6. d3 {which also allows Black a quick and easy
attack, even if White can keep his pawn structure intact for the moment: Black
follows with} Qf6 7. Nbd2 {
(defending f3 at the cost of shutting in the queen's bishop)} Nge7 8. c3 Ng6 9.
Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. Qa5 Nf4 12. d4 exd4 13. cxd4 Be7 14. Nc4 Nxg2 $1 15.
Bg5 ({Black wins material after} 15. Kxg2 Bh3+ 16. Kg3 ({and not} 16. Kxh3 $2
Qxf3#) 16... Bxf1) 15... Qxf3 16. Bxe7 Nf4 {
0-1 P.Konigova-M.Staif, Czech Team Championship 2001.}) ({Even after} 6. h3 h5
{, White often has a cavalier attitude about the threat to the pinned knight.
Once again the careless} 7. c3 {is common , and has even been played by World
Champion Anand (see the notes below). Of course this is no way to get an
opening advantage with the white pieces - but Black might feel emboldened
already to go for a win! Then} ({instead of the sharp and correct} 7. d4) ({
, or} 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. d4) 7... Qf6 {is similar to the main game:} 8. -- (8. d3
{(active play from Anand!)} Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Qxf3 10. gxf3 Nge7 ({this is good
but not the only way to play - our friend Yandemirov took a rest day with the
following easy draw:} 10... f5 11. f4 exf4 12. Bxf4 fxe4 13. Re1 O-O-O 14. Rxe4
{½-½ M.Saltaev-V.Yandemirov, Volgograd 1994}) 11. f4 O-O-O 12. fxe5 dxe5
13. Rd1 g6 14. Bb3 f6 15. Na3 Bh6 {
(White got rid of his doubled pawn, but the second f-pawn is backward)} 16. Nc4
Bxc1 17. Raxc1 f5 {
(Black has the initiative, but White defends well and makes his draw)} 18. Ne3
Rd6 19. Kf1 Rf8 20. Ke2 fxe4 21. dxe4 Rdf6 22. Rf1 Nd8 23. Rcd1 Ne6 24. Bxe6+
Rxe6 25. Nd5 Nxd5 26. Rxd5 {½-½ V.Anand-J.Piket, Monte Carlo (blindfold
rapid) 1993. Wouldn't it be nice if one could always handle the world champion
so easily!}) (8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. d4 Bxf3 ({an important point is that the
captures on d4 and f3 have to be played in the correct move order, which is as
here, taking on f3 first - if instead} 9... exd4 $4 10. hxg4 hxg4 11. Nh2 Qh4 {
, White has the unexpected defensive move} 12. Bf4 $1 {and wins!}) 10. Qxf3
Qxf3 11. gxf3 exd4 12. cxd4 {and now:} -- (12... Ne7 {(in line 'b2' future GM
Vajda, who would grow up to crush me at a First Saturday event, shows his
talent by developing his king first! - silly me, I brought out a piece here,
and also got the better game - and even though my subsequent play lacked GM
precision, the game is still worth seeing as yet another of my Modern Steinitz
king hunts!)} 13. Be3 g5 14. Nd2 Bh6 15. Rfc1 Kd7 16. Rc3 f5 17. exf5 Nxf5 ({
better is} 17... Rhf8 18. Ne4 Rxf5 {with some advantage}) 18. Rac1 g4 19. Bxh6
Rxh6 20. Rxc6 Nxd4 21. Rxc7+ Ke6 22. Re1+ Kd5 23. fxg4 ({
the result of my inaccurate play is that White could seize the advantage with} 
23. Rd1 {, but my opponent wants material...}) 23... hxg4 24. hxg4 Rah8 {
(...and now, two pawns up and without queens, falls to a vicious attack!)} 25.
Kg2 Rh2+ 26. Kg3 R8h3+ 27. Kf4 Rxf2+ 28. Kg5 {(as in Akopian-Taylor, the white
king is driven up the g-file and finally forked!)} Rxd2 29. Rf1 {
(White, reeling under the blows, misses the reverse cavalry attack)} Ne6+ {
0-1 W.Kim-T.Taylor, Los Angeles (rapid) 2010.}) (12... Kd7 {
(now let's see Vajda's technical mastery)} 13. Nc3 g6 14. Be3 Bh6 15. Bxh6 Nxh6
16. f4 {(the front doubleton advances, but the whole kingside pawn complex is
still weak)} Rab8 17. b3 Rhe8 18. f3 h4 19. Rac1 Ng8 20. Kf2 Nf6 21. Ke3 Rb4
22. Rg1 Nd5+ 23. Nxd5 cxd5 24. Kd3 c5 25. dxc5 dxe4+ 26. Ke3 d5 27. c6+ Kc7 28.
Rgd1 d4+ 29. Kf2 ({Black also wins after} 29. Rxd4 exf3+ 30. Kd3 Rxd4+ 31. Kxd4
f2 32. Rf1 Re2) 29... f5 30. Rg1 d3 31. Ke3 exf3+ 32. Kxf3 Rbe4 33. Rgd1 Re3+
34. Kf2 Rxh3 35. Rc3 Re2+ 36. Kg1 Rg3+ 37. Kf1 Ree3 38. Rd2 Ref3+ {and White resigned in the face of Black's mating attack: 0-1 G.Bakhtadze-L.Vajda, World
Junior Championship, Szeged 1994. Note that in both of these sample games,
Black's attack persisted after the exchange of queens, which is not uncommon
in this gambit.}))) 6... Qf6 {As Fischer warned so long ago, White's pawn
structure will now be smashed, and there's nothing he can do about it! Black
is already equal.} 7. Bxc6+ ({It is no better to play à la Anand with} 7. d3
Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Qxf3 9. gxf3 {and then:} -- (9... f5 10. d4 b5 11. Bb3 exd4 12.
exf5 Nge7 13. Be6 dxc3 14. Nxc3 Nd4 15. Kg2 Nexf5 {and Black was a pawn up and
went on to win in Ismetsan1956-Taylor, playchess.com (blitz) 2010.}) (9... Nge7
10. f4 O-O-O ({also good is} 10... exf4 11. Bxf4 g5 $1 12. Be3 f5 13. f3 O-O-O
14. d4 d5 15. Nd2 dxe4 16. fxe4 f4 {
- Black's kingside pawns at least balance White's centre -} 17. Bf2 Ng6 18. Nf3
Be7 19. Bb3 h5 20. Bf7 Rh6 21. d5 Nge5 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. Be6+ Kb8 24. Bd4 Nc4
25. Rf2 c5 $1 {- Black takes over the advantage after this fine blow, which
forces a favourable minor piece exchange -} 26. Bg7 Rg6 27. b3 Rxg7 28. bxc4
Bf6 29. Rc1 Be5 30. h3 g4 31. hxg4 hxg4 32. Rg2 f3 {
0-1 M.Duppel-F.Zeller, Willsbach 1997}) 11. Bb3 f6 12. f5 g5 13. fxg6 ({
better is} 13. h4 {, trying to pry open some lines for the white bishops})
13... hxg6 14. Nd2 d5 15. Rd1 Bh6 16. Nf1 f5 $1 {(again we see a wave of
coordinated black pawns marching up the board, while the white kingside
infantry is split and weak - future GM Luke McShane is in a very difficult
position, and will need all his defensive skills plus luck to hold)} 17. Bxh6
Rxh6 18. Ne3 d4 19. Nd5 Rdh8 20. Nxe7+ Nxe7 21. cxd4 exd4 22. Kf1 Rxh2 23. Ke2
R8h3 24. exf5 Nxf5 25. Be6+ Kd8 26. Bxf5 gxf5 27. Rf1 f4 28. Rae1 Kd7 29. Rg1
f3+ ({Black should win with} 29... Re3+ 30. Kf1 ({or} 30. Kd2 Rxf2+) 30... Rxd3
{as he picks off a clean pawn in both variations}) 30. Kf1 Rh1 31. Re5 Kd6 32.
Reg5 Rh6 33. Rf5 Rxg1+ 34. Kxg1 Re6 35. Rxf3 Re2 36. Rf4 c5 37. Rf6+ Kc7 38.
Rf7+ Kc6 39. Rf6+ Kb5 40. Rf7 b6 41. f4 Rxb2 42. f5 Rd2 43. f6 Rxd3 44. Kg2
Rd2+ 45. Kg3 {½-½ L.McShane-T.Upton, Isle of Lewis 1995.})) 7... bxc6 8. d4
Bxf3 9. gxf3 ({If} 9. Qxf3 exd4 10. Qxf6 ({weaker is} 10. cxd4 Qxd4 {
and White's compensation looks doubtful; e.g.} 11. Nc3 Qf6 12. Qd1 Qe6 13. Qa4
Qd7 14. Bf4 Ne7 15. Rfe1 Ng6 16. Bg3 Be7 {
and Black maintains his material advantage while completing development}) 10...
Nxf6 11. cxd4 Be7 12. Nc3 Kd7 {(this set-up, with Black's pawns at c7/c6/d6
and the king neatly sheltered at d7, also occurred in the Vajda game given
above - let's call this the "Vajda cluster", often a safe and active endgame
arrangement that occurs frequently in the Yandemirov Gambit)} 13. f3 Rab8 {
with equality.}) 9... Ne7 10. Kh1 Ng6 {
Black blockades the doubled pawns and prepares kingside play.} 11. Rg1 Be7 {
As the black queen has adequate squares, there's no reason to panic about Bg5
- in fact, I welcome the exchange, as once the dark-squared bishops are gone,
my knight will have free access to the hole at f4.} 12. Bg5 Qe6 13. Qa4 {
Both sides have doubled pawns, but Black's lead in development tips the balance.
} O-O 14. Qxc6 {White may as well take,} ({for if} 14. Nd2 Bxg5 15. Rxg5 Rab8
16. Nb3 f6 17. Rgg1 Rb6 {and Black is clearly better, with an advantage
stretching from the b-file to the attack squares f4 and h3.}) 14... Qh3 {
Black has no less than three ways to recover material here and try to nail
down an advantage - perhaps characteristically, I chose the most complicated
path.} ({Simpler is} 14... Bxg5 15. Rxg5 Qf6 ({or even} 15... exd4 16. cxd4 Qf6
{with a small advantage}) 16. Rg3 Rab8 $1 {(a key move that weakens the a1-h8
diagonal, where my queen exerts great pressure)} 17. b3 exd4 18. cxd4 Qxd4 19.
Qc3 Qxf2 20. Nd2 Rb5 {and White has no real compensation for the pawn.}) 15.
Nd2 Bxg5 16. Rxg5 Qh6 $5 {But I liked this third path: an extremely unusual
skewer! Strangely enough, neither threatened piece can defend the other, as
Nf3 or Rg2 is either illegal or ineffectual. White must shed material to stop
Black's attack - unfortunately, White does have a good sacrifice, which was
missed by both players.} 17. f4 {Probably best.} ({
White has an extremely unusual rook sacrifice that ultimately retains equality:
} 17. Rag1 f6 18. R5g2 $1 Qxd2 19. Qd5+ Kh8 20. Rxg6 $1 hxg6 21. Rg3 Qh6 22.
Kg2 {and White emerges with a queen vs. two rooks and about an even game.})
17... Nxf4 18. Rg3 exd4 19. cxd4 Nh3 20. Nb3 $6 ({I expected} 20. Nc4 {
, when I intended to sac a piece:} Nxf2+ 21. Kg2 f5 $1 {
with a tremendous attack} ({note that Black should not play} 21... Qf4 22. Re1
Ng4 {here, as White holds e3 and can play} 23. Rf1 {with a counter-attack}) 22.
Kxf2 ({also losing is} 22. exf5 Rae8 23. Qd5+ Kh8 24. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 25. Rg2 Qf4+
26. Kg1 Rxf5 27. Qc6 Qxd4+ 28. Kh2 Rh5+ 29. Kg3 Qh4+ 30. Kf3 Rf5#) 22... Qxh2+
23. Rg2 (23. Kf3 fxe4+ 24. Kg4 h5+ {is a quick death}) 23... fxe4+ {and wins.})
({Mr. Fritz's} 20. Qc2 {is evidently the only try - but it's a very hard move
for a human to play or even contemplate: giving up a pawn with check while
retreating his only active piece!} -- ({
. Yet White might then survive the attack after} 20... Nxf2+ 21. Kg2 f5 22.
exf5 Rae8 23. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 24. Rg2 Qh4+ ({not} 24... Re2+ 25. Kxe2 Qxg2+ 26. Kd3
Qh3+ 27. Kc4 Rxf5 28. Qd3 {
and White's piece is more important than Black's passed pawns}) 25. Kg1 Qxd4+
26. Kh1 Re3 27. Qc4+ Qxc4 28. Nxc4 Rh3+ 29. Kg1 Rxf5 {
with three pawns for the piece and rough equality.}) ({
. Therefore Black might have nothing better than} 20... Rab8 {with about an
even game - which (given that White also had the surprising rook sacrifice
seen in the note to move 17) is an argument, using computer logic, for the
simple 14...Bxg5 and 15...Qf6, when Black could have obtained the advantage
without giving the opponent any tactical chances. But, on the other hand, the
mind-bending complications of my line caused my opponent to blunder here with
20 Nb3 - so perhaps, by human logic, my move was best!})) 20... Nxf2+ 21. Kg1 (
{At this point my opponent noticed that after} 21. Kg2 {
the knight is not trapped: Black has} Qf4 22. Rf1 ({
unlike the similar position with the white knight on c4, here} 22. Re1 {
does nothing, since} Ng4 23. Rf1 $2 {loses to} Ne3+) 22... Qxe4+ {
and Black cleans up.}) 21... Nh3+ {Black has pirated a pawn.} 22. Kh1 Rae8 23.
Re1 Qh4 24. e5 ({Black keeps his pawn after} 24. Nd2 Re7 25. Qxa6 Nf2+ 26. Kg2
Nxe4 {.}) 24... dxe5 25. dxe5 ({If} 25. Qg2 Nf4 $1 26. Rxg7+ Kh8 {and Black win
s: both the white queen and e1-rook are attacked, and ...Ng6, entombing the
other rook, is a huge threat.}) 25... Nf2+ {
Black introduces a new and precisely calculated combination.} 26. Kg1 Nd3 27.
Re4 Nxe5 $1 {
The magic knight destroys White's centre - what's left is purely technical.}
28. Rxh4 (28. Qxe8 Qxe4) ({and} 28. Qc2 Nf3+ 29. Rxf3 Qxe4 {are even worse.})
28... Nxc6 29. Rc4 Re6 30. Rgc3 Ne7 31. Nc5 ({Not} 31. Rxc7 Nd5 {forking.})
31... Rg6+ 32. Kf2 Rd8 33. Re3 Nf5 34. Re2 Rc6 35. b4 g6 36. Rce4 Nd6 37. R4e3
({If} 37. Re7 a5 38. a3 axb4 39. axb4 Nf5 {repels the invader.}) 37... a5 38.
a3 axb4 39. axb4 Rb6 {Now that this black rook is activated, White has no
compensation whatsoever for two missing pawns. --- Note how easy Black's game
is in these non-challenging lines, even when your opponent is Anand or
McShane! White must enter the complications with 6 h3 (just as 6 exf5 is
necessary in the Siesta) and must avoid pawn structure destruction on the
kingside if he is to play for advantage - but as we'll see in the rest of the
games in this chapter, that means "fire on board" and blow for blow on
practically every move.} 0-1

[Event "Lvov"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Zheliandinov, V."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 {I think that this,
the Yandemirov Gambit proper, is the only principled move. Black maintains the
pin and threatens pawn structure demolition with ...Qf6, as in the previous
game. White must now try to free himself from the pin - of course Black is
sacrificing a piece, even if for the moment it's not advisable to capture.} ({
I will not cover the alternative} 6... Bh5 {, as we already saw the
Fischer-Geller debacle in the notes to Smyslov-Yandemirov.}) 7. Bxc6+ {
One of the two main lines, which will be covered in this and the following two
games: White prevents Black from reinforcing the pin with ...b7-b5 and ...Nd4.}
(7. d4 {is the other main line, and absolutely critical: I will examine this
in detail in four games, starting with Short-Timman.}) ({
Lesser alternatives are:} 7. hxg4 {
is very rare, though it's not quite as bad as one might think:} hxg4 8. Re1 ({
but not} 8. Ne1 $4 Qh4 9. f4 g3 {and mates}) 8... gxf3 9. Qxf3 Qh4 {
, and now White can in fact play} 10. Bxc6+ ({instead} 10. Qg3 $4 Qh1# {
is typical, as in J.Hruska-Jar.Smid, Neratovice 1992}) 10... bxc6 11. g3 Qh2+
12. Kf1 {
, avoiding both mate and material loss - though of course after, let's say,}
Qh3+ 13. Qg2 Qe6 {Black stands somewhat better in view of his long-term
attacking chances on the open h-file.}) (7. c3 Qf6 {gives Black a good game,
as Anand discovered (see the notes to Finneran-Taylor).}) (7. c4 {is a delayed
Duras Variation (see Chapter Seven) which shouldn't cause Black any trouble,
as long as he switches gears and plays positionally:} -- ({. The usual} 7...
Qf6 {is somewhat suspect here, since White's next both unpins and hits b7,
introducing even more insane complications than usual; e.g.} 8. Qb3 Bxf3 9.
Qxb7 Qg6 10. Bxc6+ Ke7 11. g3 Qg4 $5 12. d4 $1 ({the queen can't be taken:} 12.
hxg4 hxg4 {and mates}) 12... Kf6 ({but now if} 12... Qxh3 13. Bg5+ {
and White mates this time!}) 13. Qb3 Rb8 14. hxg4 hxg4 15. Qxf3+ {
(in my opinion this is too many queen sacrifices to have in just 15 moves!)}
gxf3 16. Nd2 Ne7 17. dxe5+ dxe5 18. Bd7 {
1-0 S.Khavsky-S.Korolev, Leningrad 1963.}) (7... Bxf3 8. Qxf3 g6 {is a more rational system! Now Black has a grip on d4 that White will have to work hard to
shake, and the game is approximately even; e.g.} 9. Qb3 Qc8 (9... Rb8 {
looks better to me, similar to various previously covered Siesta Qb3 lines})
10. f4 Bg7 11. fxe5 Bxe5 12. c5 Nf6 13. Qe3 Nd7 14. Bxc6 ({not} 14. cxd6 $2 Bd4
) 14... bxc6 15. d4 Bg7 {½-½ S.Azarov-D.Sermek, Turin Olympiad 2006.}))
7... bxc6 8. d3 {Here we'll take one more look at Smyslov's quiet move,
previously seen in the introductory game Smyslov-Yandemirov; one recalls that
Yandemirov scored 3-0 as Black against this (the third game is referenced in
the note to move 9).} ({
The next two main games will feature the more challenging} 8. d4 {.}) 8... Qf6
9. Nbd2 {We already saw in the analysis of Smyslov-Yandemirov that taking the
bishop was too dangerous for White;} ({but the alternative} 9. Re1 {worked no better against our favourite gambiteer. This move, as we have seen in similar
positions before, allows Black to give White doubled f-pawns. Even if White
gets rid of them later, the first player will still be left with an unstable
kingside that Black can use for attack:} Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Qxf3 11. gxf3 Ne7 12. f4
{(White gets rid of his doubled pawns, but not for free!)} exf4 13. Bxf4 g5 $1
{(Yandemirov strikes with the first, and very typical blow)} 14. Be3 ({
the pawn is immune in view of} 14. Bxg5 Rg8 15. h4 f6 {
, so Black takes over the initiative}) 14... Bg7 15. c3 g4 16. hxg4 hxg4 17.
Nd2 Kd7 {(note the Vajda cluster again - the black king is safe throughout the
whole game, quite unlike the white king!)} 18. Kg2 Rab8 19. Rab1 Ng6 20. d4 f5
$1 {(Black opens lines and continues to attack)} 21. exf5 Nh4+ 22. Kg3 Nxf5+
23. Kxg4 Rbf8 24. Rh1 ({now all three kingside files open and White's position
becomes desperate; there were still reasonable defensive chances with} 24. Bg5
{, creating a shelter for the white king, though of course Black can at least
draw after} Nh6+) 24... Nxe3+ 25. fxe3 Bh6 26. Nc4 $6 (26. Rhf1 {
, giving back the pawn, is the only hope}) 26... Rhg8+ 27. Kh5 Bf4 $1 {
(slamming the door)} 28. Rhg1 ({there are no saves:} 28. exf4 Rg2) ({, and} 28.
Rbf1 Rg5+ {both lead to mate}) 28... Rxg1 29. Rxg1 Rh8+ 30. Kg4 Rg8+ 31. Kxf4
Rxg1 {0-1 I.Bukavshin-V.Yandemirov, Voronezh 2007. Black will win the exchange
up ending by attacking the queenside pawns with his rook and then evicting
White's knight with ...d6-d5. Once again we see that White must react to the
threat of spoiling the pawns, if he does not want to be in the unpleasant
situation of fighting only to draw.}) 9... Ne7 10. Re1 Bd7 {
So far, so Smyslov - but now Zheli goes his own way.} 11. Nc4 ({
As opposed to Smyslov's} 11. Nf1 {.}) 11... Ng6 12. d4 Qe6 {
Black gains an important tempo to shore up his centre;} ({e.g.} 12... Qe6 13.
b3 f6 {with a solid position. White prevents this with his next, but in so
doing relieves Black of his doubled pawns and takes the direct pressure off e5
- basically, Black has equalized.}) 13. d5 cxd5 14. exd5 Qe7 15. Qd3 Qd8 16.
Nd4 Be7 ({The computer move} 16... Qf6 {may be objectively best - this would
be the typical "theoretical success" for Black, as White has nothing better
than to repeat the position with} 17. Nf3 {
. However, Yandemirov wants to win and is willing to take some risks!}) 17. Ne6
Qc8 18. Nxg7+ ({According to our friend Mr. Fritz, White can get a slight
advantage with the following convoluted variation:} 18. f4 -- (18... Bf6 19.
fxe5 Nxe5 20. Nxe5 dxe5 21. Ng5 Bf5 22. Ne4 Bh4 23. Rf1 O-O 24. Nf6+ Bxf6 25.
Rxf5 {
and there's the dreaded "plus equals" - but I wouldn't accept this as gospel.})
({. For instance, Black might improve at the beginning with} 18... Bh4 $5 19.
Rf1 Bf6 20. fxe5 Nxe5 21. Nxe5 Bxe5 22. Qf3 Bxe6 23. dxe6 f6 24. Bf4 Ke7 $1 {
, when it's not at all clear that White can gain any advantage from Black's
centralized king. Although Yandemirov's play is risky, it's not unsound - and
his boldness puts White on the defensive and induces errors.} (24... --)))
18... Kf8 19. Ne6+ Bxe6 20. dxe6 Qxe6 {Black recovers his material, with great
central pawns and the open g-file for attack.} 21. f4 Nh4 $1 {Targeting g2;} ({
while the pawn cannot move forward:} 21... Nh4 22. g3 $2 Qxh3 {wins.}) 22. Bd2
({Relatively best is} 22. fxe5 Rg8 23. Re2 d5 24. Nd2 {
with defensive chances, though Black still has a strong attack.}) 22... Rg8 23.
Re2 e4 $1 {This Falkbeerian blow decides matters: with central domination and
the g-file attack, Black now wins in a few moves.} 24. Rxe4 ({
The other capture also fails:} 24. Qxe4 Qxe4 25. Rxe4 d5 {forks}) ({
and if White dodges, then} 24. Qc3 Bf6 25. Qb3 Nf3+ 26. Kf1 Nd4 {
forks in another way!}) 24... Rxg2+ 25. Kh1 (25. Kf1 Qg6 {is also hopeless.})
25... Qg6 26. Rxe7 ({Since avoiding mate costs a rook (} 26. Re2 Qxd3 27. cxd3
Rxe2 {) White may as well allow the pretty finish.}) 26... Rh2+ $1 {. Despite
Yandemirov's 100% score against this subvariation, one can't describe it as a
walkover for Black. Both Smyslov and Zheliandinov had their chances (but not
Bukavishin, who could only hope to draw after allowing his kingside to be
destroyed), but the fact is that Yand was better prepared for the middlegame
positions that can arise. Basically, Black gets violent attacking chances,
while White, with exact play, can also try to exploit Black's own dodgy king
position and queenside pawn weaknesses. All in all, 8 d3 is not a threat to
the Yandemirov Gambit, but it does lead to interesting double-edged play.} 0-1

[Event "St Petersburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2005.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sjugirov, S."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{In the remainder of the games in this chapter, White goes all out to refute
the gambit with an early d2-d4, either after Bxc6 or straight away - all these
lines are razor sharp and critical for both sides. --- I mentioned in the
introduction that once I started studying the MS in preparation for this book,
I succeeded in scoring 7-0 with Black! However, how about before I started
studying? Then my results were spotty, and one of the spottiest will be seen
in the notes to Black's 8th move in the following game, in which I make a
fundamental positional error in the opening. The MS must be studied before
playing, especially the gambit lines as here!} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4.
Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. Bxc6+ ({Remember the line} 7. c3 Qf6 8. Bxc6+
bxc6 9. d4 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Qxf3 11. gxf3 exd4 12. cxd4 Kd7 {, referenced in
Finneran-Taylor, where Black had a good game with his Vajda cluster? Keep this
position in mind!}) 7... bxc6 8. d4 ({Clearly stronger than} 8. d3 {
, this is a real try for advantage: White threatens simply to take on e5.})
8... Bxf3 {Best. Black must switch from offering his own gambit to accepting
White's temporarily sacrificed d-pawn. This move does seem a little illogical
(didn't we just play ...h7-h5 to maintain the pin?) and the "natural" (but
bad!) move is 8...Qf6. I've talked many times so far in this chapter about the
advantages of doubling White's f-pawns, but this is the exception! It's
interesting that 8...Qf6 is so natural that Yandemirov himself played it three
times early in his career (and scored a miserable one draw and two losses,
after which he never played it again). Likewise I, not knowing any better in
my pre-study days, also cavalierly played this move - only to find out after
the game that I had lost in practically the same way as another unfortunate
(that game will also be referenced below). The key factor is that in this
particular case Black's queenside pawns are not clustered but rather
isolated-and Black has insufficient kingside play to compensate for this
weakness, as we will see:} ({so after} 8... Qf6 $6 9. dxe5 $1 ({
Yandemirov's opponents all played} 9. Nbd2 {which is not bad - but I think the
text, forcibly splitting Black's pawns, is even stronger}) 9... dxe5 10. Be3
Bxf3 {(unless Black takes, White will play Nbd2 and so consolidate and brush
off the pin with no inconveniences)} 11. Qxf3 Qxf3 12. gxf3 {, take a look at
the position now. Black has three isolated pawns on the queenside, and the
c-pawns are particularly weak. Note how Vajda neatly covered his queenside
with ...Kd7!, whereas here that would be far too risky in view of the open
d-file. --- Yes, White's kingside pawns are weak, too, but at least they have
a cluster, and the queens are off so a king attack (as I will try) has little
chance of success. Meanwhile White can play forever against the weak islands
on the queenside. In short, this position offers White a stable advantage,
ideal for a Grandmaster grind - with me being on the wrong side of the grind:}
f5 (12... Bd6 13. Nd2 Ne7 14. Nc4 {is also better for White: one can see that
Black's position is full of fixed targets}) 13. Rd1 $1 ({I think GM Ivanov's
move is strongest, though White was also slightly better in the following
earlier game:} 13. exf5 Ne7 14. Nd2 Nxf5 {and White has the useful e4-square,
and only three isolated pawns as against Black's four - White went on to win
in T.Wessendorf-U.Liley, German League 2007}) 13... f4 14. Bc1 Bd6 (14... Rh6
15. Kf1 Rd6 16. Ke2 {
doesn't save Black, since the pawn weaknesses will tell in the long run}) 15.
Nd2 O-O-O 16. Nc4 g5 17. b3 Ne7 18. Bb2 Ng6 19. Rd3 {
(Black is tied down to e5, so my kingside demonstration doesn't work...)} g4 ({
but if Black defends passively, then} 19... Rh7 20. Rad1 Rhd7 21. Kf1 {
reaches a position where Black is virtually in zugzwang, and I'm sure this
could never be held against a master, let alone a GM!}) 20. Rad1 Nh4 21. fxg4 hxg4
22. hxg4 Rhg8 23. Kf1 Rxg4 24. Nxe5 Rg2 25. Nf3 Rg4 26. e5 Be7 27. Nxh4 Rxh4
28. Rxd8+ Bxd8 29. Kg2 Be7 30. Kf3 Bg5 31. Rg1 Bh6 32. e6 Rh3+ 33. Ke4 Kd8 34.
Bf6+ Ke8 35. Rd1 {1-0 A.Ivanov-T.Taylor, Asheville 2009.}) ({In general,
doubled pawns on the c-file are part and parcel of the Ruy Lopez and are not
to be feared - but doubled isolated pawns on the c-file can be quite weak and
should be avoided unless Black has such active play that the pawn weaknesses
are not felt; for example if, on the next move, White took back with the pawn:
} 8... Bxf3 9. gxf3 $2 Qh4 10. Kg2 Ne7 $1 11. dxe5 Ng6 12. exd6 Bxd6 {
, when Black does have weak, doubled isolated c-pawns - but such a tremendous
attack that the position must be assessed clear advantage to Black! Of course
the top players, like the rising young GM Sjugirov (I faced his technical
mastery in Hungary, where he convincingly won the First Saturday event in
which we both competed) will always take with the queen to avoid pawn disruption
- even though White is temporarily sacrificing a pawn.}) 9. Qxf3 exd4 {
Black is a pawn up, but he won't insist on keeping it - the plan is to make
White lose time recovering the material. Most important, Black has kept his
queenside c7/c6/d6 cluster together, and so obtains a reasonable game.} 10. Rd1
{White tries to get his pawn back directly, but Yandemirov has this covered.} (
{The latest try is} 10. Re1 {, for which see the next game.}) ({On the direct} 
10. e5 {I like the simple} Qd7 ({though our hero has played} 10... d5 {
, and after} 11. c3 dxc3 12. Nxc3 Ne7 13. e6 fxe6 14. Re1 Qd7 15. Bg5 Nc8 16.
Qf5 Qf7 17. Rxe6+ Be7 18. Qe5 Kd7 {actually won this deranged position in S.
Zhigalko-V.Yandemirov, Saratov 2006 - but I don't recommend such wild play!})
11. Re1 Be7 {transposing to note 'd2' to Black's tenth move in the next game.})
10... Qf6 11. Qb3 ({White should get nothing from the queen exchange:} 11. Qxf6
Nxf6 12. Rxd4 g6 13. Rc4 {and now, as we have learned, the obvious move is} Kd7
{with the Vajda cluster and an equal ending;} ({
instead, in P.Mitrovic-D.Sermek, Belgrade 1989, Black played the inexplicable} 
13... Bg7 $4 {and after} 14. Rxc6 Nxe4 15. Rxc7 {
lost a pawn and eventually the game.})) 11... Ne7 12. Qb7 ({
The very high rated Peter Svidler got nowhere with the gambit} 12. c3 {
, as Yand, with a "pawn to give", just used the time to reposition his queen:}
Qe6 13. Qb7 Qc8 14. Qxc8+ Rxc8 15. cxd4 f5 16. e5 Nd5 {, when Black was solid
and held the draw in P.Svidler-V.Yandemirov, Russian Team Championship 2003.})
12... Rd8 {This is Yand's improvement on a previous game,} ({in which White
was able to offer a delayed gambit while the black knight was tied to the rook:
} 12... Rc8 {(while the rook is defending a pawn, the black knight is
defending the rook - not a lot of mobility there!)} 13. c3 Qe5 14. Qxa6 Qxe4
15. cxd4 Qf5 16. Re1 Kd7 17. Na3 g6 {and now, instead of} 18. Be3 {when White won after a fluctuating struggle in A.Slizhevsky-V.Yandemirov, Moscow 2005,} ({
White could have obtained a stable advantage with} 18. h4 $1 {. The idea is to
develop the bishop to the more active g5-square, which will practically force
the weakening ...f7-f6 - which means White will have targets at e6, e7 and c6.
--- Thus the present avoidance!})) 13. c3 ({
Black's last move also functions as a deflecting pawn sac. If White captures} 
13. Qxc7 {, then his queen is far out of play, while Black launches a kingside
attack with} g5 $1 {. Note that in all such positions in the Yandemirov Gambit,
Black can open kingside lines because of the ...g5-g4 lever, a legacy of
White's necessary 6 h3. Now White rushes to get his queen back in time:} 14.
Qb6 Bg7 15. Qxa6 g4 16. Qd3 Ng6 17. c3 Ne5 18. Qg3 h4 ({although this finally
leads to a drawn ending, I think Black has more winning chances with} 18... d3
$1 {, intending} 19. Bf4 Bh6 $1 {with sharp counterplay}) 19. Qf4 dxc3 20. Nxc3
gxh3 21. Qxf6 Bxf6 22. gxh3 Ke7 23. Rb1 Ra8 24. Be3 Rhb8 {(Black has set up a
perfect Benko type position, with full compensation for the pawn)} 25. b3 Nf3+
26. Kg2 Bxc3 27. Kxf3 Rxa2 28. Rdc1 Rb2 29. Rxb2 Bxb2 30. Rxc6 Rxb3 31. Rb6
Rxb6 32. Bxb6 Bf6 33. Kg4 Ke6 34. f3 d5 35. exd5+ Kxd5 36. Kf5 Be7 37. Be3 Bd8
38. Bh6 ({Black also holds the pawn ending:} 38. Bg5 Bxg5 39. Kxg5 Ke5 40. Kxh4
Kf4 41. Kh5 Kxf3 42. h4 Kg3 43. Kg5 f6+) 38... Kd4 39. Kg4 Kd3 40. f4 Ke4 41.
Bg5 f6 42. Kxh4 {½-½ I.Gerasimov-V.Yandemirov, Kazan 2008.}) 13... g5 $1 {
Again, we see Yand's basic idea: White has three possible pawn captures, but
Black plays the same way against any - attack!} 14. Qxa6 (14. cxd4) ({or} 14. Qxc7
{would be met in the same way - that cuts down on the thinking time!}) 14... g4
15. Qd3 (15. cxd4 gxh3 16. gxh3 Qg6+ {, picking off the e-pawn, obviously
favours Black - so White hurries back to defend.}) 15... dxc3 16. Nxc3 Ng6 17.
Ne2 Bg7 18. Qb3 Qe6 $1 {Black's queen is too strong, so White must exchange -
but in the coming ending Black has activity on both flanks, while White's
queenside is still undeveloped.} 19. Rd3 Qxb3 20. Rxb3 Kd7 {
The Vajda cluster again!} 21. Rb1 Ra8 22. a3 Ra4 23. f3 gxf3 24. gxf3 f5 $1 {
Black smashes White's centre and stands clearly better.} 25. exf5 Nh4 26. Rd3
Rc4 27. Bg5 Nxf5 28. Rc1 Rxc1+ 29. Bxc1 c5 30. Kf2 Rb8 {Note that Black has
excellent Benko Gambit play (as in the Gerasimov game above), but without
being a pawn down! The young Sjugirov is very strong in positions he
understands (as I found out from my game against him in Budapest - he went for
the Karpovian positional edge with 3 Nd2 against my French, and I never got
counterplay), but he can't get his bearings in Yandemirov's wild whirlpool!}
31. b3 Bd4+ 32. Ke1 Re8 33. Kd1 Rg8 34. b4 Kc6 35. bxc5 Bxc5 36. Rb3 Rg2 37.
Rb8 Rh2 38. Rf8 Nd4 39. Nxd4+ Bxd4 40. Bd2 Kd5 41. Rf4 Rxh3 42. a4 c5 43. a5
Rh1+ 44. Ke2 Kc4 45. Be3 Rh2+ 46. Kf1 Ra2 47. Bxd4 cxd4 {
Black's doubled isolated pawns are stronger than White's outside passed pawn.}
48. Rf5 d3 49. Ke1 Kc3 50. Rd5 Ra1+ 51. Kf2 d2 52. Ke2 Re1+ {. An elegant win
by Yandemirov. --- The basic ideas of this variation are clearly seen here:
Black must not count pawns, but rather count on counterplay with the bayonet
attack . ..g5-g4.} 0-1

[Event "Izhevsk"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2009.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ozolin, M."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. d4
Bxf3 ({Note that Black's 8th and 9th moves must be played in the correct order:
} 8... exd4 $2 9. hxg4 hxg4 10. Nh2 Qh4 11. Bf4 {wins, which is a defensive
resource I mentioned in a similar position in the notes to Finneran-Taylor.
Move order is crucial throughout the MS, especially in the gambit lines!}) 9.
Qxf3 exd4 10. Re1 {The critical new try: White tries to break with e4-e5, a
blow specifically directed against Black's normal ...Qf6. Early results have
been encouraging for White, but no one has yet played what I consider Black's
strongest reply: 10...Be7!.} Qf6 $6 {This is a good move after 10 Rd1, as we
saw in the previous game, but the slight change in rook position makes it
inaccurate here. The problem is that the queen move does not stop e4-e5-in
fact it may even make it stronger, as White will advance with tempo. The fact
that Black can temporarily win a pawn on e5 will not deter White, as then the
advance will often work as a vacating sac (clearing e4 for a knight) and
Black's queen will be further harried.} ({Three more unsuccessful moves - and
one good one - are shown in the following variations:} 10... g5 11. e5 d5 12.
Nd2 Qd7 13. e6 fxe6 14. Nb3 Qf7 15. Qe2 Bd6 16. Nxd4 Kd7 {(note that in the
regular Vajda cluster, the pawns are at c6/c7/d6, when it's hard to approach
the black king; whereas here, with the d-pawn at d5, the c5-square invites a
knight - and White finds a brilliant way to make use of this)} 17. Bxg5 e5 18.
Nb3 Qf5 19. f4 exf4 20. Bxf4 $3 {(a tremendous speculative sac: Black's king
is now firmly caught in the centre, and White has all the play)} Bxf4 ({not} 
20... Qxf4 $4 21. Qe6+ Kd8 22. Qe8#) 21. Nc5+ Kd6 22. b4 Be5 ({and not} 22...
Rb8 $4 23. Qe6+ Qxe6 24. Rxe6# {
- White is getting a lot of mileage off that strong knight!}) 23. Nb7+ Ke6 24.
Rf1 Qg5 25. Rae1 Rb8 26. Rf3 Kd7 27. Nc5+ Kd6 28. Qf2 Rxb4 29. c3 Rb5 30. h4
Qg7 31. Rf7 Qxf7 ({White wins after} 31... Qg4 32. Rd7+ Qxd7 33. Nxd7 Kxd7 34.
Qf5+) 32. Qxf7 Rxc5 33. Qf5 d4 34. Qg6+ Kd7 35. Rxe5 Rxe5 36. Qg7+ Ke6 37. Qxh8
Ne7 38. cxd4 Rd5 {and White converted his material advantage in V.Pentzien-M.
Schütze, correspondence 2007.}) (10... Rb8 {
(too slow to give Black the king safety he needs)} 11. Nd2 Ne7 ({
there's no time for} 11... g6 12. e5 d5 13. Nb3 Bg7 14. Nxd4 Ne7 15. Bg5 {
with a big White plus}) 12. Nb3 Ng6 13. Nxd4 Ne5 14. Qc3 c5 15. Nf5 g6 16. f4 {
favours White as the black king is caught in the centre.}) (10... Ne7 11. e5
dxe5 ({if} 11... Qd7 12. exd6 cxd6 13. c3 dxc3 14. Nxc3 {
and Black can't develop}) 12. Rxe5 Qd6 13. Bf4 O-O-O (13... Qg6 14. Qe2 {
is also much better for White}) 14. Rxh5 {wins.}) ({
All the above means we are left with the logical but so far unplayed} 10... Be7
$1 {which is, in my opinion, the only move. --- White has two threats that
involve e4-e5: obviously this threatens to open the e-file on the black king,
but the pawn thrust also opens the diagonal to attack c6. By playing ...Be7
Black develops and blocks the e-file, thus eliminating one threat, and the
threat to c6 can be easily met:} 11. -- (11. Nd2 Bf6 12. Nc4 (12. e5 dxe5 13.
Qxc6+ Kf8 {- another point of the bishop move is that the king has this square;
now Black has good central pawns and can develop atempo with ...Ne7}) 12... Ne7
13. Bf4 O-O $1 ({king safety first - not} 13... Ng6 14. e5) 14. e5 (14. Qxh5
Ng6 {is slightly better for Black - remember, Black started these
complications with an extra centre pawn, so giving back a mere rook's pawn is
of no great moment, provided his king is safe}) 14... dxe5 15. Bxe5 (15. Nxe5 Qd5 {
is good for Black}) 15... Bxe5 16. Rxe5 Rb8 17. Rd1 Rb5 18. Qe4 ({if} 18. Rxh5
Ng6 19. Rxb5 cxb5 20. Na5 c5 21. Nc6 Qc7 {and White's knight is in trouble})
18... Ng6 19. Rxd4 Qc8 {(now White is forced to straighten out Black's pawns)}
20. Rxb5 cxb5 21. Ne3 Re8 22. Qf3 Qe6 23. Qxh5 ({or} 23. b3 Qe5) 23... Qxa2 {
with approximate equality.}) (11. e5 Qd7 {
(Black refuses to weaken his queenside cluster with ...d6-d5)} 12. exd6 cxd6
13. Nd2 Nf6 14. Nb3 O-O 15. Nxd4 d5 16. Bg5 Rae8 17. Nf5 ({or} 17. Bxf6 Bxf6
18. c3 Qb7) 17... Bd8 18. Bh6 ({after} 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Qxh5 g6 20. Nh6+ Kg7 {
Black has the superior minor piece and the initiative}) 18... Rxe1+ 19. Rxe1
Re8 20. Rxe8+ Nxe8 21. Bc1 g6 {and now that the h-pawn is solidly defended,
Black has easy equality. --- I will definitely try 10...Be7 as soon as I get a
chance!})) 11. Qb3 Ne7 12. Qb7 Rc8 ({Here} 12... Rd8 {
(as in the previous game) allows White to show his idea:} 13. Qxc7 g5 14. Nd2
g4 15. e5 $1 dxe5 16. Rxe5 Rd7 17. Ne4 $1 {
, highlighting the ill-placed queen on f6 - White is better; e.g.} Qxf2+ 18.
Kxf2 Rxc7 19. Bf4 Ra7 20. Nf6+ Kd8 21. Rd1 {
with a strong attack, even without queens.}) 13. c3 $1 ({Improving on} 13. Nd2
Qe5 14. Qxa6 Qb5 15. Qxb5 cxb5 16. Nf3 c5 17. e5 Nc6 18. exd6+ Kd7 {, when Black consolidated and eventually won in A.Bushkov-V.Yandemirov, Kazan 2009.})
13... dxc3 ({Black would like to play} 13... g5 {
, but again the rook on e1 is strong: watch out for} 14. e5 $1 dxe5 15. cxd4
exd4 ({of course} 15... Rd8 16. dxe5 {is better, but one can't recommend this
position, where White rules the centre and Black has no compensation for the
shattered queenside pawns}) 16. Qxc8# {!}) ({Yand has also tried} 13... Qe5 {
(as in the Bushkov game above), but this turned disastrous after} 14. Qxa6 g6
15. Bd2 Bg7 16. cxd4 Qb5 ({not} 16... Qxd4 $2 17. Bc3 {winning a piece}) 17.
Qxb5 cxb5 18. Bc3 {, when White was a pawn ahead and converted his advantage
in S.Azarov-V.Yandemirov, Kazan 2008. I think these lines make it clear that
the faulty move is 10...Qf6 and no improvements after that can save Black.})
14. Nxc3 g6 15. e5 $1 {Again!} dxe5 16. Ne4 {Here's our vacating sac.} Qe6 17.
Nc5 Qf5 18. Nxa6 Bg7 ({No better is} 18... Qd7 19. Bg5 {intending Rad1.}) 19.
Nxc7+ Kf8 20. Na6 Bf6 21. a4 Kg7 22. Ra3 Rhd8 23. Rf3 Qd7 24. Qxd7 Rxd7 25. Nc5
Rd5 26. Ne4 {The knight finds its beauty square and this, plus the passed
a-pawn, means Black has an uphill battle to draw.} Ng8 27. g4 hxg4 28. hxg4 Be7
29. Kg2 Nf6 $2 (29... Rb8 30. b3 Rb4 {would offer some drawing chances.}) 30.
Bg5 $2 ({Missing} 30. Bh6+ $1 {which just wins offhand:} Kxh6 31. g5+ Kh7 ({or
} 31... Kg7 32. gxf6+ {winning a piece}) 32. gxf6 Bd8 33. Rh3+ Kg8 34. Reh1 {
and White mates or wins massive material.}) 30... Nxe4 31. Bxe7 Re8 32. Bh4 Rd4
$2 ({After his lucky break Yand should sense the danger and try to draw with} 
32... Rh8 33. Rxe4 Rxh4 34. Ra3 {, though this would still not be easy.}) 33.
Rxe4 $1 {White sees the mating attack this time!} Rxe4 34. Bf6+ Kf8 35. Rh3
Rxg4+ 36. Kf1 {Mate is coming. --- I don't see an equalizer when Black plays
the "traditional" 10...Qf6 as here. However, after my recommendation 10...Be7
I think Black has good chances to equalize - but we will, as always, have to
await practical tests.} 1-0

[Event "Pamplona"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Short, N."]
[Black "Timman, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{Now we proceed to the most critical line of the Yandemirov Gambit - the piece
sacrifice that follows 7 d4.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O
Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. d4 {The most critical attempt to refute the Yandemirov Gambit.
White threatens simply to take the bishop and then use his newly opened c1-h6
diagonal to park his knight on g5, blocking the potential mating attack with ..
.Qh4. The only consistent counter is 7...b5 8 Bb3 Nxd4!? which gambits a
piece! Black gets a centre pawn, a king-protecting pawn, and the open h-file
for a bishop. Obviously razor-sharp play ensues.} b5 {If Black has gone this
far, there are few alternatives (probably when Black plays 5...Bg4 he should
be psychologically ready to sac the piece), but let's take a quick look at two
other moves:} (7... Bxf3 $5 8. Qxf3 exd4 {is possible, when Black hopes to
transpose to the 8 Bxc6+ bxc6 9 Qxf3 exd4 line of the previous two games, but
White does not have to give up his bishop. Here's one example of this rare
line:} 9. c3 b5 10. Bb3 Nf6 {and now I like} 11. Qd3 $1 ({instead of} 11. a4
Rb8 12. axb5 axb5 13. Bg5 Be7 {with approximate equality and an eventual draw
in Th.Ward-A.Zebrowski, Cleveland 1980}) 11... dxc3 12. Nxc3 {with two bishops
compensation for the pawn, and long-term play, as Black won't know where to
put his king. Still, this might be playable if you think a pawn is worth a lot
of trouble!}) (7... Bd7 8. c3 {is much less acceptable, as Black has reverted
to a "solid line" where the h5-pawn sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb.}
) 8. Bb3 Nxd4 (8... Bxf3 9. Qxf3 {is even worse here, as} Nxd4 {allows} 10.
Qxf7# {- and any other 9th move leaves White with material equality and
overwhelming positional advantage.}) 9. hxg4 hxg4 $6 {The old main line - but
as far as I can see, Short refutes it in this game, and no attempts to revive
it have succeeded.} ({Black should play Yandemirov's critical and best} 9...
Nxb3 $1 10. axb3 hxg4 {
, which is the subject of the final three games of this chapter.}) 10. Ng5 Nh6
({Now} 10... Nxb3 {is too late in view of} 11. Qd5 $1 Nh6 12. Qc6+ Ke7 13. Nc3
$1 Kf6 14. axb3 {and White is a piece up with a winning attack.}) 11. f4 $1 {
It's difficult if not impossible to see any compensation for Black (beyond the
two pawns) for the piece here. The knight on g5 is not trapped since, if
attacked by ...f7-f6, it can go to e6, where it will be supported by bishop or
pawn.} c6 ({The sharp attempt to rehabilitate the variation with} 11... d5 {
fails tactically:} 12. Bxd5 Bc5 13. Be3 Qd6 14. Bxf7+ $1 {(the refutation)}
Nxf7 15. Nxf7 Qb6 ({if} 15... Kxf7 $2 16. fxe5+ {
wins the queen and Black doesn't have enough pieces left to mate; e.g.} Nf5 17.
exd6 Bxe3+ 18. Rf2 g3 19. Qd5+ Ke8 20. Qc6+ Kf7 21. Qd7+ Kg8 22. Qe6+ Kf8 23.
Qxf5+ Kg8 24. Qe6+ Kh7 25. Qh3+ Kg8 26. Qxg3 {
and White ends any remaining confusion}) 16. Nxh8 exf4 17. Qxg4 fxe3 18. Rf7 {
(White is a rook up and threatening mate - Black's tricks fail to save the day)
} Nf5 ({or} 18... Qd6 19. Nc3 Nxc2 20. Kf1 Nxa1 21. Nd5 Nc2 22. Nf6+ {
winning the queen}) 19. Nc3 e2+ 20. Kh1 O-O-O 21. Rxf5 Qe6 22. Ng6 Rd1+ 23.
Rxd1 {1-0 P.Kruglyakov-A.Solomaha, Kiev 2005.}) 12. g3 {White makes a flight
square for his king, and eliminates counterplay on the g1-a7 diagonal.} Nxb3 ({
As noted above,} 12... f6 13. Ne6 {shows that the knight is not trapped, and
it can be supported by the f-pawn (the point of 11 f4!).}) 13. cxb3 exf4 14.
gxf4 Qd7 15. f5 d5 16. Bf4 $6 ({Black's opening has failed, and now, as Short
himself points out, White could get a big advantage with} 16. Qd4 $1 O-O-O 17.
Nc3 $1 Qc7 ({or} 17... Qd6 18. Bf4 Qc5 19. Qxc5 Bxc5+ 20. Kg2 {
with a decisive material advantage}) 18. Bf4 dxe4 19. Qxe4 Bc5+ 20. Kg2 {
and Black doesn't have nearly enough for the piece. From the opening point of
view, such a cheerless position is not what Black wants to get out of a sharp
gambit! While 16 Qd4 in combination with Short's played 11 f4! knocks out this
particular variation, one must remind ourselves that chess is played by humans
- Short's actual 16th move gives Timman some chances - and White only wins
after a somewhat rocky trail.}) 16... O-O-O 17. Nc3 Bd6 18. Qd4 Bxf4 19. Rxf4
Qc7 20. Qf2 d4 21. Ne2 d3 22. Ng3 Kb7 23. Qe3 d2 24. Rff1 Rd7 25. Rad1 Rhd8 26.
Qf4 Qb6+ 27. Rf2 Rd3 28. Kg2 Qd4 29. e5 Qxb2 30. N5e4 R8d5 31. f6 {
Finally decisive.} Rf3 32. Rxf3 gxf3+ 33. Kxf3 Qxa2 34. fxg7 Qxb3+ 35. Ke2 Qc4+
36. Kf2 Qd4+ 37. Kg2 {. I can only regard 9...hxg4?! as refuted - so now we go
on to the critical 9...Nxb3.} 1-0

[Event "Russian Championship, Krasnoyarsk"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2003.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Aseev, K."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. d4 b5 8. Bb3
Nxd4 9. hxg4 Nxb3 $1 {Best! Removing the bishop means White no longer holds
the e6-square, which means in many cases Black can recover his piece with a
timely ...f7-f6.} 10. axb3 hxg4 11. Ng5 Qd7 {Yandemirov has been amazingly
consistent with this variation: he has played it ten times from 2003 to 2008
and has scored a healthy 55% with Black, that is 3 wins, 2 losses, and 5 draws.
} 12. c4 (12. Nc3 {is ineffective as it doesn't open lines, and Black regains
the knight with attacking chances:} c6 {(correct - Black has time for a
defensive move since the g5-knight has no escape)} ({after the impatient} 12...
f6 $2 13. Qd5 Rc8 14. Ne6 Be7 ({or} 14... c6 15. Nxf8) 15. Nxg7+ Kf8 16. Nf5 {
White wins easily with his extra piece}) 13. Be3 ({
Short's f2-f4 doesn't work here:} 13. f4 $2 Qa7+ 14. Rf2 g3 {
and wins - a typical YG attack}) 13... f6 14. f4 exf4 15. Rxf4 Nh6 ({
at this point the simple} 15... fxg5 16. Rxg4 Be7 {is better, when Black
stands well with his extra pawn and continued attacking chances; but from now
until the end of the game Black continually misses stronger or even outright
winning moves - until he finally loses!}) 16. Ne2 ({
White should try to confuse the issue with} 16. Nd5) 16... fxg5 17. Rf1 Be7 ({
you must have your attacking game on to win with the YG! - here Black can play
} 17... Nf7 18. Nd4 Ne5 19. Bxg5 g6 20. Qd2 Qh7 {
when he has an attacking position and an extra pawn}) 18. c4 bxc4 19. bxc4 Bf6
20. Qb3 g3 21. Nxg3 Ng4 22. Rad1 Be5 23. Bd4 Bf4 24. c5 O-O-O 25. Qa3 Qb7 (
25... Bxg3 26. Qxg3 dxc5 27. Bxg7 Qxd1 28. Bxh8 Qe2 {
is another sharp tactical route to a clear plus}) 26. Rd3 dxc5 ({
Black wins after} 26... Qb5 27. Rb3 Bxg3 28. Rxg3 ({or} 28. Rxb5 Bh2+ 29. Kh1
Be5+ 30. Kg1 Bxd4+ 31. Rf2 Bxf2+ 32. Kf1 axb5 {
with too many pieces for the queen}) 28... Rh1+ 29. Kxh1 Qxf1+ 30. Bg1 Nf2+ 31.
Kh2 Rh8+ 32. Rh3 Nxh3 {and mates or wins the queen}) 27. Qxc5 g6 28. Rfd1 Bd6
$4 ({the last chance is} 28... Rhe8 {when Black is still better - but now he
has run out of wins and there are no draws in such a tactical position}) 29.
Qxg5 Qd7 30. Bxh8 Rxh8 31. Rxd6 Qa7+ 32. R1d4 {1-0 D.Hulmes-M.Yeo, British
League 2005. I can't stress enough that you must not play the YG unless you
are confident in sharp, confused, extremely tactical positions.}) ({
Returning to} 12. c4 {- nine of Yandemirov's ten opponents played this just as
Aseev does here. However, this might be the case where the one is right and
the nine are wrong!}) ({The one exception is the very interesting} 12. Qd3 {
which has the remarkable idea of coordinating with White's rook on the open
a-file - Yand had a lot of trouble with this! (see note 'd')} -- (12... f6 {
fails to} 13. Qd5 c6 14. Qe6+ Qe7 15. Rxa6 $1 {(Gashimov).}) (12... c6 13. c4
b4 14. c5 f6 15. Nd2 $1 fxg5 16. Nc4 Qf7 17. Rd1 $1 {
and White's attack is more dangerous than Black's, as Gashimov also points out.
}) (12... Rb8 {was tried in another high-level game played a few months
earlier (where 12 Qd3 was introduced), but Black went under quickly:} 13. Rxa6
f6 14. Nc3 fxg5 15. Bxg5 Be7 16. f4 gxf3 17. Qxf3 Nf6 18. Nd5 Nxd5 (18... O-O {
is better, though after} 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Ra7 {White has a clear plus anyway})
19. Qf7+ Kd8 20. Qxg7 Kc8 21. Qxh8+ Kb7 22. Qh7 Qg4 23. exd5 Qd4+ 24. Kh1 Bxg5
25. Rfa1 Be3 26. Ra7+ Qxa7 27. Rxa7+ Bxa7 28. g4 Rf8 29. g5 Rf2 30. Qe4 Rf1+
31. Kh2 Rf4 32. Qxf4 $1 {(a pretty excelsior finish)} exf4 33. c3 {
1-0 V.Gashimov-A.Grischuk, Baku 2008.}) (12... Nh6 {
(Yand's move, which I think this is best)} 13. c4 b4 14. c5 f6 15. Rxa6 Rxa6
16. Qxa6 fxg5 17. Qa8+ Kf7 18. cxd6 cxd6 19. Bxg5 Ng8 (19... Kg6 20. Be3 Nf7 {
looks better to me, when Black unpins his bishop, but White still has the edge}
) 20. Nd2 Rh5 21. Ra1 Qe6 22. Ra7+ Ne7 23. Bxe7 Bxe7 24. Qb7 {and White had an
obvious pull in D.Kokarev-V.Yandemirov, Kazan 2008, though Black fought hard
and held the draw after 73 moves.})) 12... Rb8 {Always played by Yandemirov.} (
{The only other move to have been tried here, according to the database, is} 
12... b4 {, but the problem with this is that after} 13. c5 c6 14. Qd3 {
White has transposed into the Gashimov line given above (see note 'b') where
Black is struggling for his life!}) 13. cxb5 ({For} 13. Qd5 {see the next game})
({and for the logical and absolutely critical pawn grab,} 13. Rxa6 {
, see the game after that, the final game in this chapter.}) 13... axb5 14. Nc3
f6 15. Ra7 ({If} 15. Nd5 c6 ({but not} 15... Ne7 $2 16. Ne6 $1 {winning}) 16.
Ne6 cxd5 17. exd5 g6 18. Qxg4 Qh7 {and Black has the usual YG counterplay.})
15... Ne7 ({And not} 15... fxg5 $2 {due to} 16. Nd5 {- as you can easily see,
move order has to be exceptionally precise in this variation.}) 16. Nd5 Nxd5
17. exd5 Qf5 18. f3 {Necessary;} ({since if} 18. Ne6 $2 Qh7 19. Nxc7+ Kf7 20.
Ne6+ Kg8 21. f4 g3 {and Black mates with a classic YG attack.}) 18... fxg5 19.
fxg4 Qh7 20. Qf3 ({This is not much of a recommendation for White's opening,
but it seems he could draw here with} 20. Bxg5 Qh2+ 21. Kf2 Be7 (21... Rh3 22.
Rh1 Qxh1 23. Qc2 {is unnecessarily confusing, though probably also drawn}) 22.
Bxe7 Rh3 23. Bg5 ({now} 23. Rh1 $4 {fails disastrously to} Qg3+ 24. Kg1 Qe3+
25. Kf1 Rxh1#) 23... Qg3+ 24. Kg1 Qh2+ {with a draw by perpetual check.}) 20...
Qh2+ 21. Kf2 Be7 22. Qe3 {This loses at once.} (22. Ke2 {
is better, though not good enough to save the game:} Rf8 23. Qh3 Qxh3 24. gxh3
Rxf1 25. Kxf1 Kd7 {and Black has an extra, passed pawn in the ending.}) 22...
O-O+ $1 {Still legal, and probably quite a surprise!} ({
White resigned, for after} 22... O-O+ 23. Ke2 Rxf1 24. Kxf1 Rf8+ {
his queen alone cannot defend against Black's onslaught; e.g.} 25. Ke1 Qh1+ 26.
Kd2 Qxg2+ {and the white queen falls. --- Black has real attacking chances
here, and this line (13 cxb5) only works if White is both very accurate and
content with a draw. On the other hand the new 12 Qd3 looks extremely
dangerous, as does the more traditional 12 c4 Rb8 13 Rxa6. But before we get
to that last variation, there is one more quiet - well, relatively quiet -
line to discuss.}) 0-1

[Event "Selfoss"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2003.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "De Firmian, N."]
[Black "Sokolov, I."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. d4 b5 8. Bb3
Nxd4 9. hxg4 Nxb3 10. axb3 hxg4 11. Ng5 Qd7 12. c4 Rb8 13. Qd5 {The question
this high-level game asks is: "Can White simply give the sacrificed piece back,
exchange queens, and then count on a draw?"} ({
Of course the truly critical move is} 13. Rxa6 {
which will be examined in the next game.}) 13... c6 14. Qxf7+ Qxf7 15. Nxf7
Kxf7 16. Rxa6 {White has restored material equality, but what about the
position? Black's rooks are both extremely active, and the g-pawn has a
cramping effect - I'd say Black is already for choice.} Nf6 17. Re1 bxc4 18.
bxc4 d5 $1 {
Black sacrifices a pawn but takes over the centre and activates his bishop.}
19. Rxc6 ({If} 19. exd5 cxd5 20. cxd5 ({or} 20. Rxe5 g3 21. fxg3 Bc5+ 22. Be3
Rxb2 $1 {with attack}) 20... Bc5 21. Be3 ({not} 21. Rxe5 $2 g3 22. Be3 Rxb2 {
and Black wins due to his back rank threats}) 21... Bxe3 22. fxe3 Rxb2 {
with some advantage for Black. One sees that the exchange of queens has hardly
lessened his attacking chances.}) 19... Bb4 20. Rd1 d4 {Great play by Sokolov!
Black has given up a pawn, but still has threats down the h-file and has added
the now protected passed d-pawn to his arsenal.} 21. Rc7+ Kg6 22. f3 g3 23. Nd2
Bxd2 $1 {Eliminating an important defensive piece: note that White has nothing
that can control h2 in the near future.} 24. Bxd2 Rh2 $1 {Excellent! Black
threatens to double on the h-file, or double on the seventh rank.} ({
Worse is the impatient} 24... Rxb2 25. Rc5 {with some counterplay.}) 25. Be1 ({
White has no time for} 25. b4 {, since} Rbh8 26. Kf1 Rh1+ 27. Ke2 d3+ {
wins a rook.}) 25... Rxb2 26. Bd2 {And White has no time to take on g3 either;}
({while} 26. Rd2 Rb1 27. Re2 d3 28. Re3 d2 {is another loss.}) 26... Nh5 27. c5
Nf4 28. Bxf4 exf4 29. c6 Rbxg2+ {Blind pigs!} 30. Kf1 Rc2 31. Kg1 Rh5 $1 ({
White resigns, since} 31... Rh5 32. Rc8 ({or} 32. Rxd4 Rc1+ 33. Kg2 Rh2#) 32...
g2 {mates next. --- This was a quality game by Sokolov, which shows that after
12 sharp YG moves, White must play the challenging 13 Rxa6 if he wants to win,
and indeed if he wants to draw! There is no safety in exchanges; we see in
this game that Black's attack was still extremely strong without queens. ---
The Yandemirov Gambit is much riskier than the Siesta, but in one way the
lines are alike: White must go into the maelstrom to survive or possibly
prosper - when White avoids complications in both gambits, Black usually
equalizes or even gets some advantage.}) 0-1

[Event "Zvenigorod"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2008.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Smirnov, P."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. d4 b5 8. Bb3
Nxd4 9. hxg4 Nxb3 ({Summing up as we go along, recall that the old main line of
} 9... hxg4 10. Ng5 Nh6 {fails to Short's} 11. f4 $1 {of Short-Timman.}) 10.
axb3 hxg4 11. Ng5 Qd7 12. c4 ({I mentioned Gashimov's} 12. Qd3 {in the notes
to Aseev-Yandemirov which is extremely dangerous, and Yandemirov just barely
drew against this.}) 12... Rb8 ({Since} 12... b4 {only transposes to the
favourable (for White) Gashimov line, it's hard to find a better move to meet
White's threat of c4xb5, when his queenside play would make it nearly
impossible to recover the sacrificed piece.}) 13. Rxa6 $1 {Obviously critical.}
({We saw} 13. cxb5 {in Aseev-Yandemirov and a quick win for Black, though it
seems that White should have been able to draw.}) ({De Firmian-Sokolov featured
} 13. Qd5 {with a quick return of the piece, but this led to a position that
only Black could win.}) 13... f6 14. Nc3 fxg5 {Black must take immediately:} (
14... bxc4 {accounted for one of Yand's three losses in the 9...Nxb3 variation,
as White went a good exchange up after} 15. Nd5 fxg5 16. Ra7 Rc8 17. Bxg5 Ne7
18. Nb6 {and eventually won in V.Popov-V.Yandemirov, Russian Championship,
Krasnoyarsk 2003.}) 15. Nxb5 Nf6 ({
In an earlier game, Yand won in 25 moves with the alternative} 15... Be7 {
, but Davies has pointed out two improvements for White, queen moves at 18 and
22:} 16. Ra7 Bd8 17. Bxg5 $1 Nf6 18. f3 (18. Qd3 $1 {
looks stronger, when White is a pawn up with a well-coordinated position})
18... g3 19. Qe1 Nh5 20. Bxd8 Qxd8 21. Nxc7+ Kf7 22. Qa5 $2 (22. Qe3 {
was mandatory}) 22... Kg6 23. Rd1 Qh4 24. Nb5 Nf4 25. Rxg7+ Kh5 {0-1 V.Popov-Yandemirov, Voronezh 2003. That's a nice finish, but had White found 18 Qd3 it's
hard to see any compensation for the pawn.}) 16. Ra7 ({
Another win for Yand came after the weak} 16. Qd3 {
, when Black ran straight for the h-file:} Qf7 17. Qg3 Qh5 18. f3 Kd7 19. Be3
Be7 20. Ra7 Rbc8 21. Nc3 gxf3 22. gxf3 Qh1+ 23. Kf2 Qh2+ {(as often in this
variation, if Black can get his attack going it will usually persist even
after the exchange of queens)} 24. Qxh2 Rxh2+ 25. Ke1 Rxb2 26. Bxg5 Rxb3 27.
Bxf6 Bxf6 28. Nd5 Bg5 29. Ke2 Rh8 30. Kf2 Rb2+ 31. Kg3 Bh4+ 32. Kg4 Rg2+ 33.
Kh3 Rg6 {(Black will mate on the thematic h-file) 0-1 O.Chebotarev-V.
Yandemirov, Moscow 2005.}) 16... Rc8 {Black is threatening ...Qf7-h5, or ...
g7-g6 and ...Qh7, in both cases getting to the h-file with attack.} 17. Re1 (
17. Bxg5 Nxe4 18. Be3 Qf5 {
is of course good for Black, who is again running to the h-file.}) 17... Qf7
18. Be3 Qh5 19. Kf1 Qh1+ {Yand improves on an earlier game against the same
opponent, where he had a difficult position;} ({and only heroic defence and a
bit of luck (see move 42) got him a draw in 97 moves:} 19... Kd7 20. b4 Qh1+
21. Ke2 Qxg2 22. Qa4 Kd8 23. Nxc7 Rxc7 24. Qa5 Ne8 25. Kd2 Kd7 26. Qb5+ Ke7 27.
Rxc7+ Nxc7 28. Qb7 Kd7 29. Bb6 Be7 30. Qxc7+ Ke6 31. Qb7 g3 32. Re2 Rh2 33.
Qc8+ Kf7 34. Qg4 Qg1 35. Qxg3 Qb1 36. Kc3 Rh1 37. Qd3 Rc1+ 38. Rc2 Rd1 39. Rd2
Rc1+ 40. Kb3 Qa1 41. c5 dxc5 42. bxc5 ({Maxim Notkin pointed out that} 42. Bxc5
$1 {wins by force, as Black's king has no shelter from the queen and rook
attack; I checked it, and he's right - it's a good exercise to see how the
queen and rook win on the open board!}) 42... Kg6 43. Rc2 Rd1 44. Qf3 Rd4 45.
Rc4 Rd2 46. Qc3 Rxf2 47. c6 Rf6 48. c7 Rxb6+ 49. Kc2 Rd6 50. Qf3 Rb6 51. Qf5+
Kh6 52. Qxe5 Bf6 53. c8=Q Rxb2+ 54. Qxb2 Qxb2+ 55. Kd1 Qb3+ 56. Kd2 g4 57. Qe6
Qf3 58. e5 Qf2+ 59. Kd3 Qf3+ 60. Kd4 Qd1+ 61. Kc5 Qe2 62. Kd6 Kg5 63. exf6
Qxe6+ 64. Kxe6 gxf6 65. Kd5 g3 66. Ke4 g2 67. Rc8 f5+ 68. Kf3 g1=N+ $1 {
(heroic! - Black makes his draw)} 69. Ke3 Nh3 70. Rc6 Nf4 71. Kd4 Ng6 72. Rc1
Kf6 73. Ke3 Kg5 74. Kd4 Kf6 75. Kd5 Nf4+ 76. Kd6 Ng6 77. Re1 Nf4 78. Re8 Ng6
79. Ra8 Kf7 80. Kd5 Kf6 81. Ra6+ Kg5 82. Ke6 Nf4+ 83. Kf7 Nd5 84. Rg6+ Kh4 85.
Rh6+ Kg5 86. Rh1 Ne3 87. Ke6 f4 88. Rg1+ Ng4 89. Rf1 Ne3 90. Rf2 Ng4 91. Rf1
Ne3 92. Rg1+ Ng4 93. Rf1 Ne3 94. Rg1+ Ng4 95. Kd5 Kf5 96. Kd4 f3 97. Rf1 {
½-½ P.Smirnov-V.Yandemirov, European Club Cup, Izmir 2004. Yandemirov
understandably did not want to endure that long defence again - but got
something quite similar in this game nonetheless: a worse ending that he only
manages to draw after many moves.}) 20. Ke2 Qxg2 21. Nxc7+ Kf7 22. Nd5+ Kg6 23.
Nxf6 Qf3+ 24. Kd3 gxf6 25. Rb7 f5 ({If} 25... Qxd1+ 26. Rxd1 f5 27. exf5+ Kxf5
28. b4 {and White's doubled knight pawns look stronger than Black's doubled
knight pawns!}) 26. Qxf3 gxf3 27. exf5+ Kxf5 28. Rf7+ Ke6 29. Rxf3 Be7 30. Rg3
d5 31. Bxg5 ({A good alternative is} 31. cxd5+ Kxd5 32. Bxg5 {
with real winning chances.}) 31... e4+ 32. Kc2 Rhf8 33. Bxe7 ({
White should win with} 33. f3 $1 {
, when Black's centre collapses and White is, after all, up two pawns:} Rg8 ({
or} 33... Bxg5 34. Rxg5 Rxf3 35. Rxd5 {
and White's material advantage should decide}) 34. Bf4 Rxg3 (34... Rgf8 35. Rg4
Bb4 36. Re2 Kf5 {fails to the tactical sequence} 37. Bh6 exf3 38. Rf4+ Kg6 39.
Re6+ Kh5 40. Bxf8) 35. Bxg3 dxc4 36. Rxe4+ {is routine.}) 33... Rxf2+ 34. Kc3
Kxe7 35. Rd3 Rf5 36. Kd4 Rd8 37. Rde3 dxc4+ 38. Kxc4 Rc8+ 39. Kd4 Kd6 40. Rxe4
Rd5+ 41. Ke3 Rh8 42. Rf1 Rh3+ 43. Rf3 Rxf3+ 44. Kxf3 Kc5 45. Ke3 Kb5 46. Re8
Rd1 {Now the doubled b-pawns are blockaded and weak.} 47. Rb8+ Kc5 48. b4+ Kc4
49. b5 Rd3+ 50. Ke4 Rd4+ 51. Ke3 Rd3+ 52. Ke2 ({After} 52. Ke2 Rb3 {Black (heroically!) holds the draw. --- Is this what Black wants out of this bold
opening?}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "6. Delayed Exchange Variation"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "12"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{When facing the Modern Steinitz, White can force Black into a type of
Exchange Variation with the somewhat more unusual ...b7xc6 by losing a tempo
as follows:} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 {, which is
the subject of this chapter. To me this is one of the easiest variations to
deal with in the whole MS - as I don't think that taking with the b-pawn is
bad even in the regular Exchange Variation (4 Bxc6), indeed it might be best
(see Chapter Eleven) - and here Black gets an extra tempo!} 6. d4 {We're back
o our traditional Keres game opener again, so here are some Keres statistics:
he liked to play everything and keep his opponents guessing, so in 12 games
against this line:} -- ({he played} 6... Bg4 {three times (2 wins and a draw)})
(6... f6 {three times (2 wins and a draw)}) ({and} 6... exd4 {six times and he
always played this way against the strongest players, such as Spassky, Mecking
and Simagin. And with this critical, and I think objectively best, reply for
Black he never had a problem, scoring 3 wins and 3 draws. --- Overall against
the Delayed Exchange he scored 7 wins and 5 draws; White couldn't win anything
and couldn't even draw half the time!}) (6... -- {As the following games will
show, Black equalizes easily against this system, provided he opens the game
quickly for his bishops by capturing when White plays d2-d4.}) (6... -- {
Conclusion: The Delayed Exchange holds no terrors for Black, since 6...exd4 is
a clean equalizer which holds its own right to the World Championship match
level, and which can be used to play for the win against anyone. The bishop
pair in the open position will often give Black a pull all the way to the
endgame, as Keres and Hort demonstrated. --- On the other hand, 6...f6 is not
good at all against someone with an understanding of knight attacks, while 6...
Bg4 sacrifices Black's pawn structure for too little.}) *

[Event "Petropolis Interzonal"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1973.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Mecking, H."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "1973.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{Although Keres leads the way in our journey, some other modern books seem to
have forgotten him!} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ {
As I mentioned in the notes to Trott-Euwe, Andrew Greet recommends this move
in his Worrall Attack repertoire book, 'Play the Ruy Lopez', and some of his
comments are referenced in this game.} bxc6 6. d4 {Universally played;} ({
as after} 6. O-O Bg4 {Black has easy equality: d2-d4 is then shut down, and
Black has the b-file for counterplay.}) 6... exd4 7. Qxd4 {Recommended by
Greet and played by Kasparov, as we already saw in Kasparov-Short. I'll cover
this move here and in the next game;} ({the slightly more popular} 7. Nxd4 {
will be seen in the four subsequent games, starting with Daskalov-Keres.}) 7...
c5 {I think this is best, immediately tickling the annoying white queen;} ({
though as we saw in Chapter One, Short made a reasonably smooth draw against
Kasparov with the simple} 7... Nf6 {.}) 8. Qd3 Ne7 (8... g6 {
is quite risky due to the possible pawn sacrifice:} 9. O-O Bg7 10. e5 $1 {
(as we saw in the analysis of Timman-Spassky).}) 9. Nc3 ({So far} 9. e5 {
has never been played (according to the Mega), probably because it gives
Black's unopposed light-squared bishop such a beautiful diagonal. I like} Bb7 10.
O-O ({if} 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. Qe2 O-O-O 12. O-O Qg6 {
and Black has the typical MS queenside castling and kingside attack set-up})
10... Ng6 11. exd6 Qxd6 12. Qe2+ Be7 13. Rd1 Qc6 14. Na3 O-O {, when Black
does have the doubled isolated pawns that I excoriated in Sjugirov-Yandemirov
- but here, he has extremely active pieces and great pressure on the long
diagonal, not to mention equals over plus on the Fritzometer - so I'm fine
with the weak pawns! Chess has no rules, only exceptions!}) 9... Rb8 ({
Greet gives as his main line} 9... Ng6 10. O-O Be7 11. Nd5 Rb8 12. b3 ({after} 
12. Bd2 Bb7 13. Bc3 O-O 14. Rfe1 Bxd5 15. exd5 Bf6 16. Qxa6 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Rb2
18. Rec1 Qa8 19. Qxa8 Rxa8 20. c4 Raxa2 21. Rxa2 {
Black was slightly better but accepted a draw in A.Grosar-D.Sermek, Pula 1991})
12... O-O 13. Bb2 {and calls it "slightly better for White", but Keres reaches
the same position by transposition and after} Re8 14. Rfe1 Bf8 {calls it equal.
--- I agree with Mr. K - but in a sense this is moot, since Keres plays even
more strongly in the main game (though this high-level encounter is not
mentioned in Greet's book) and, as we'll see, Black has no difficulties
whatsoever.}) 10. b3 Ng6 11. O-O (11. h4 $5 h5 {is called unclear by Keres;
I'll look at a similar line at move 9 in the next game.}) 11... Be7 12. Nd5 Bf6
$1 {Castle when you should or when you must, but not just because you can!
Keres' active move is clearly best.} ({As mentioned above, Greet only gives} 
12... O-O 13. Bb2 {and stops here with "slightly better", while Keres and I
say "equal" - for the record, Greet is quite impressed with the white knight
on d5, but as I see it, Black can choose the right time to chase or chop it (..
.c7-c6 or ... Bb7xd5), so I don't believe he is in any danger.}) 13. Nxf6+ {
If White doesn't take, Black just has a lock on e5.} Qxf6 14. Bg5 Qe6 15. e5 $6
{Black might be slightly better after this;} ({but if} 15. Bd2 O-O 16. Ng5 Qe7
17. f4 h6 18. Nf3 Bb7 {gives Black an easy game in any case.}) 15... d5 $1 ({
As Keres points out, this is stronger than} 15... O-O 16. exd6 cxd6 17. Rfe1
Qd7 18. Rad1 Rb6 {with equality.}) 16. Rad1 ({Keres gives} 16. Qc3 Qb6 17. Bc1
d4 {as good for Black due to the positional threat of ...Bb7.}) 16... Bb7 17.
Rfe1 {. No doubt Mecking offered the draw. Black's light-squared bishop has a
great future, with ...d5-d4 always hanging over White's head, and the knight
on g6 is ready to join in with a timely ...Nf4/...Nh4. Meanwhile White's
e-pawn is static and somewhat weak, and it blocks his only surviving bishop.
--- The tournament book describes the game as of "little content", but I don't
agree: the fact that Black easily shut down White's play is quite important!
Remember, Mecking was having the tournament of his life here - he came clear
first, in the process mowing down such GMs as Smyslov, Reshevsky, Savon, etc -
and yet here he is already slightly worse with White after 17 moves! And as
we'll see in the next game, with a similar position against a less redoubtable
foe, Keres will not take the draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1973.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Suess, A."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "144"]
[EventDate "1973.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 e5 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 c5 8.
Qd3 Ne7 9. c4 {White is trying to set up a Maróczy bind, but it loses its
effect due to Black's control of d4.} ({Instead,} 9. Nc3 -- (9... Rb8 {
gives White nothing, as we saw in the previous game}) ({- while if Black plays
} 9... Ng6 {
White does have the h2-h4 attack, but this shouldn't be troubling either:} 10.
h4 h5 11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Nd5 Qd8 14. O-O-O O-O 15. Ng5 Rb8 16. f4 ({
the unclear pawn sacrifice} 16. e5 {
was a more testing continuation, though Black equalizes with} dxe5 17. Ne4 Be6)
16... Bg4 {
and Black was better and went on to win in J.Kaplan-R.Knaak, Amsterdam 1974.}))
9... Nc6 10. h3 Be7 11. Nc3 O-O 12. O-O Re8 13. b3 Bf6 {Keres' simple play is
again in evidence: the knight and bishop coordinate on the weak d4-square, and
Black is slightly better already.} 14. Bb2 Bb7 15. Rfe1 Re6 16. Rad1 Qd7 17.
Ba1 Rae8 {Black has excellent piece play, reminiscent of Lasker's double
fianchetto in Lee-Lasker, and a target at e4.} 18. Nd5 Bxa1 19. Rxa1 Nb4 20.
Qd2 Rxe4 21. Rxe4 Rxe4 22. Nxb4 cxb4 23. Qxb4 c5 24. Qd2 Re6 {Black has traded
a wing pawn for a centre pawn, and his remaining minor piece is obviously
stronger than White's counterpart. And so, about fifty moves later, Black
picks up a full point!} 25. Qc3 Rf6 26. Ne1 Qf5 27. Qe3 Re6 28. Qg3 h5 29. Kf1
Qe4 30. Qd3 Qe5 31. Rd1 Qh2 32. f3 Qg3 33. Qd2 Bc6 34. Qf2 Qe5 35. Nd3 Qf5 36.
Kg1 a5 37. Kh1 a4 38. b4 cxb4 39. Nxb4 Bb7 40. Nd5 Qe5 41. Qc2 Bc6 42. Qd2 a3
43. Nf4 Ba4 44. Rb1 Re8 45. Nd5 Bc6 46. Qd3 Qe2 47. Qxa3 Qxc4 48. Nb4 Bb7 49.
Qd3 Qc5 50. a4 Re3 51. Qb5 Qxb5 52. axb5 Kf8 {It's well known that a rook +
bishop is better than rook + knight in this type of open position - and the
author of 'Practical Chess Endings' grinds away until he proves this maxim
once again!} 53. Kg1 ({If I were trying to draw this as White, I would think
as follows: I don't want to have my kingside pawns fixed with a highway
through g3 (in other words, don't allow ...h5-h4); and I want to trade knight
for bishop. I also know that many rook and pawn endings are drawn, even a pawn
down, if one has the active rook. With this in mind, I think White would have
good drawing chances after} 53. h4 Rc3 54. Kh2 Ke7 55. Nc6+ Bxc6 ({
Black must take, since} 55... Kd7 56. Na5 {gives good counterplay}) 56. bxc6
Rxc6 57. Rb7+ Ke6 58. g4 {, when Black has a very tough rook ending to win, if
a win is at all possible - White has kingside counterplay with his mobile
pawns and rook on the seventh, while his king can blockade Black's passed pawn.
However, White clings to material... and loses!}) 53... Ke8 54. Kf2 Rc3 55. Rb2
Kd7 56. Ke2 h4 57. Kd2 Rc5 58. Nc2 Kc7 59. Nd4 Kb6 {Now White's b-pawn is weak,
there is a hole at g3, and both minors are still on the board.} 60. Ra2 (60.
Nc6 {is too late because of} Rxb5 {
, since White doesn't want the exchange of rooks.}) 60... g5 61. Kd3 f6 62. Ra1
Re5 63. Ra2 Bd5 64. Rc2 f5 65. Nc6 Re1 66. Kd2 Rg1 67. Ke3 f4+ 68. Kf2 Rd1 69.
Ke2 Rg1 70. Kf2 Rb1 71. Nd4 Rd1 72. Nf5 Bb7 {Splendid!} (72... Bb7 73. Rb2 Bc8
74. Ne7 Bd7 {and the b-pawn goes, while White has (unlike in my recommendation
at move 53) absolutely no kingside counterplay. --- One sees that the capture
on d4 with the queen gives White nothing, so let's look at the more natural 7
Nxd4.}) 0-1

[Event "Tallinn"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1971.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Daskalov, G."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1971.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 {
It's slightly more common to take on d4 with the knight, much as in the
Sicilian Defence - and in this case White immediately threatens the c6-pawn.
However, just as after the queen capture, Black simply advances this pawn and
drives the knight out of the centre, after which he should be fine, as this
and the next game show.} c5 ({Note that} 7... Bd7 {
is also playable - for which see Schoeneberg-Bronstein and Short-Hort.}) 8. Ne2
(8. Nf3 {is regarded as best - see the next game.}) ({The invasion} 8. Nc6 {
gets nowhere:} Qd7 9. Na5 Qa4 10. Qd5 Rb8 11. Qc6+ Qxc6 12. Nxc6 Rb6 {
(White has only opened the game to Black's advantage)} 13. Na5 f5 $1 {
(White has been left with a knight on the rim, while Black's bishops scent
open diagonals)} 14. O-O fxe4 15. Nc3 Nf6 16. Re1 d5 17. f3 c4 18. fxe4 Bc5+
19. Kh1 {and now, instead of} O-O {as in D.Velimirovic-M.Scekic, Subotica 2002,
} ({Black should play more sharply with} 19... Re6 $1 {
, when he has the edge due to his bishop pair and White's pinned e-pawn.}))
8... Nf6 9. Nbc3 Bb7 10. Ng3 ({More aggressive is} 10. Bg5 Be7 ({but not} 10...
g6 $2 11. e5 $1 {winning - you can't always fianchetto in the MS!}) 11. f3 {
and since White is setting up for a kingside attack, Black should not castle
into it. Correct is} Bc6 $1 {
, clearing the b-file and waiting to see where the white king goes. If} 12. Qd2
{, signalling queenside castling, , Black should leave his king in the centre
for a bit and play} ({otherwise if} 12. O-O {then} O-O {is fine}) 12... Qb8 {
with immediate counterplay.}) 10... g6 $1 {Once again we see Lasker's double
fianchetto - in this case Black's last also restricts the g3-knight. With the
two bishops and play against the e-pawn, Black is already better.} 11. O-O ({
After} 11. h4 Qd7 12. Bg5 Bg7 13. Qd2 Ng4 14. Nf1 f5 15. f3 Ne5 16. exf5 gxf5 {
Black had the edge with his two bishops and central control-and as the second
player wrote, he quite regretted taking a draw here: ½-½ D.King-N.Davies,
London 1989.}) 11... Bg7 12. Re1 O-O 13. Bf4 Re8 14. Qd2 ({If} 14. e5 Nd5 15.
Nxd5 dxe5 $1 {is a clever trick that recovers the piece with advantage.}) 14...
Ng4 15. h3 Ne5 16. b3 Nc6 17. Rad1 Nd4 18. Nd5 c6 {
Black has to take some risks to win after this.} ({As Keres pointed out,} 18...
a5 $1 {is better, keeping the option of ...Bxd5 and stirring up queenside play.
If then} 19. c3 Nb5 {only weakens White's c-pawn.}) 19. Nc3 Re6 20. Na4 Qe7 21.
c3 Nb5 22. Bg5 Qf8 23. Be3 h5 24. f3 Rae8 25. Ne2 f5 $5 {
Risky, but Keres is not playing Mecking here so he goes for the win!} ({
Of course} 25... Qe7 {with equality is possible.}) 26. Nf4 Rf6 27. exf5 Rxf5
28. Nd3 $6 ({Correct is the bold} 28. Nxg6 Qf6 29. Nf4 {, when Black wins the
c-pawn back but his breezy king position causes concern. Now the weaker player
is gradually pushed back.}) 28... Bc8 29. Nf2 Rd5 30. Qc1 Rde5 31. Bd2 Be6 32.
Rxe5 Bxe5 33. f4 Bg7 34. Re1 c4 $1 35. b4 Bf5 {Black has activated both
bishops while his kingside remains intact: thus, a clear plus to Black.} 36.
Nb6 d5 37. a4 Nd6 38. Rxe8 Qxe8 39. Be3 Ne4 $1 {
The c3-pawn is the target, and it's beginning to crack.} 40. Nxe4 Qxe4 41. Qd2
{Adjournment analysis convinced Daskalov that his position was hopeless.} ({
White resigned in view of} 41. Qd2 Qd3 $1 42. Qxd3 Bxd3 {, after which} 43. b5
{is the only try, but it fails to} ({clearly} 43. Bd2 d4 $1 44. Bc1 ({while} 
44. cxd4 Bxd4+ 45. Kh2 Bxb6 {gives Black a clean piece}) 44... dxc3 {
is hopeless}) 43... axb5 44. a5 ({if} 44. axb5 cxb5 45. Nxd5 Be4 46. Nc7 Bxc3 {
and the passed c-pawn + bishops should win}) 44... c5 $1 45. a6 ({no better is
} 45. Bxc5 d4 46. cxd4 c3 47. Nd5 c2 48. Ba3 Bxd4+ 49. Kh2 Be4 50. Nb4 Bc3 51.
Na2 Bxa5 {and White's last hope falls}) 45... d4 46. a7 Be4 {(just in time!)}
47. cxd4 cxd4 48. Bc1 d3 49. a8=Q+ Bxa8 50. Nxa8 b4 {
and the three pawns beat the piece; e.g.} 51. Nc7 c3 52. Nb5 b3 {etc. --- Black
's sound structure and especially his bishop pair (in a rather open position)
are a heavy counterweight to White's play. Even trivial errors in the opening
(8 Ne2 seen in the main game, or 8 Nc6 given in the notes) can give Black some
advantage. In the next game Spassky plays the correct 8 Nf3, but still only
succeeds in holding the balance.}) 0-1

[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1973.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Spassky, B."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1973.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 c5 8.
Nf3 $1 {
Best: White must at least think of advancing e4-e5 to maintain some play.} Nf6
({Spassky also got nothing against the alternative knight development, similar
to Mecking-Keres and Suess-Keres:} 8... Ne7 9. -- (9. O-O Ng6 10. Nc3 Be7 11.
Re1 O-O 12. Nd5 {and now, instead of} Bf6 {after which Black floundered and
lost in B.Spassky-K.Göhring, German League 1981,} ({
Black should just kick the knight immediately with equality; e.g.} 12... c6 13.
Nxe7+ Qxe7 14. Bd2 f6 15. Bc3 Be6 {, when Black not only has an excellent
restraint structure, he can also choose to become active later with ...d6-d5
or ...a6-a5.})) ({. Another high-level game went} 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. h3 Be7 11. O-O
O-O 12. Re1 Be6 13. b3 Bf6 14. Bb2 Nd4 15. Na4 Bd7 $5 (15... Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3
Bxb2 17. Nxb2 Qg5 {should be equal, but there's something to be said for
Black's idea, which is simply that White's extra a-pawn doesn't mean anything!}
) 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. Bxd4 Bxa4 18. bxa4 Re8 19. Rb1 Be5 20. Qd3 Qd7 21. Qc4 Bxd4
22. Qxd4 Qc6 23. Rb4 Qxc2 24. Rc4 Qxa2 25. Rxc7 Rab8 26. Ra7 d5 27. e5 Qc4 28.
Qxc4 dxc4 29. Rxa6 Rec8 30. Rc1 c3 31. Ra5 Kf8 32. Rb5 Rxb5 33. axb5 Rb8 34.
Rxc3 Rxb5 35. f4 g5 36. g3 gxf4 37. gxf4 f6 38. Rc8+ Ke7 39. exf6+ Kxf6 40. Kg2
{and for no reason that's apparent to me, this dead-drawn position was
continued for more than 30 moves before the inevitable ½-½ A.Stripunsky-R.
Hess, New York 2004 - note that the young leader of the black pieces is now a
GM!})) 9. O-O ({
White can carry out his break, but he can't profit from it: after} 9. e5 Qe7
10. Qe2 dxe5 11. Qxe5 Qxe5+ 12. Nxe5 Bd6 13. Nc4 Bf5 {Black's excellent
development plus the bishop pair outweigh the damaged pawn structure.}) 9...
Be7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Re1 ({Again, if} 11. e5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Re8 14.
Be3 Bf5 15. Rd2 Bf8 {with the usual active play. This shows that e4-e5, often
breaking Black's pawns, also often activates the black bishop pair to such an
extent that the pawn structure doesn't matter.}) 11... Bb7 12. h3 {Black has gained the usual marginal plus out of the opening - I don't see that White has
any real compensation for the bishop pair;} ({
and I think Black keeps the edge with either} 12. h3 Re8 ({or} 12... Rb8 {.}))
12... Nd7 {Keres' actual move leads to surrendering the bishop pair, and gives
White a slight initiative, though nothing to worry about too much. The
strength of Black's position in these lines made me begin to wonder whether
the whole line without the tempo gain (that is, 4 Bxc6 bxc6!) would be sound -
and I found out that Larsen, Alekhine and Lasker had wondered the same thing -
and better yet, tested this idea out with success!} 13. Nd5 Bf6 14. Rb1 Rb8 15.
b3 Re8 ({Not} 15... Nb6 16. Nxb6 cxb6 17. Bf4 Be7 18. Qd3 {
which gives White a target at d6.}) 16. Bf4 h6 17. Qd2 Be5 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19.
Bg3 Qd7 20. Rbd1 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Qe6 22. Bxe5 Qxe5 23. Qc6 Qe7 ({
Black should run for the draw here with} 23... Qc3 $1 24. Re2 ({
or the pawn massacre variation} 24. Qxc7 Qxc2 25. Rxd6 Qxa2 26. Qxc5 Rxe4 $1
27. Rxe4 Qb1+ 28. Kh2 Qxe4 29. Rxa6 Rxb3 {resulting in dead equality}) 24...
Qa5 {which is equal and drawish.}) 24. Re3 ({Boris misses his chance, as} 24.
e5 {finally works! Black has to defend with} Rb6 ({since} 24... dxe5 {
fails to the rook invasion} 25. Rd7) 25. Qa4 Qe6 26. f4 Re7 27. Qe4 {when White
might claim a small pull with his central control - and Black's biggest trump,
the bishop pair, has vanished from the board.}) 24... Rb6 25. Qa4 f6 {
But now White has no good breaks, and so ½-½. --- Though Boris did have
one middlegame chance for an edge, the opening was if anything slightly
favourable for Black.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "East Berlin"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1968.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Schoeneberg, M."]
[Black "Bronstein, D."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1968.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 {
This seems perfectly playable, if quieter than 7...c5. Black simply defends
and develops, then plans to kick the knight out later (in this game on move 17)
. The only drawback is that White can try to blockade the queenside with b2-b4,
but that also creates a weakness that allows tactical play (see the following
note).} 8. O-O g6 9. Nc3 ({Keres also played 7...Bd7 on occasion; here his
opponent tries to "punish" him by preventing ...c6-c5 - but the punishment
falls on White:} 9. b4 Bg7 10. Bb2 Nf6 11. Nb3 O-O 12. N1d2 Re8 13. f3 Qb8 {
(not a bad idea, as Keres creates counterplay on the b-file)} ({but there was
also a strong tactic available, based on the undefended bishop at b2:} 13...
Nxe4 $5 14. Bxg7 Nxd2 15. Bb2 Nxf1 16. Qd4 Re5 17. f4 ({or} 17. Rxf1 f6 18. f4
Re8 {and White doesn't have enough for the exchange}) 17... Ne3 18. fxe5 Nxc2
19. Qc3 Nxa1 20. e6 f6 21. exd7 Nxb3 22. Qxb3+ Kg7 23. Qe6 Qf8 {
finally turns in Black's favour, as there is no way to break into his position}
) 14. a3 a5 $1 15. bxa5 ({Keres' idea is} 15. Nxa5 Rxa5 $1 16. Bxf6 Qa7+ 17.
Kh1 Bxf6 18. bxa5 Bxa1 19. Qxa1 Qxa5 {
, when Black has a clear edge in view of White's ragged pawns}) 15... c5 16.
Rb1 Qa7 17. c4 Ba4 18. Qc1 Rab8 19. Bc3 Rb7 20. Qb2 Nh5 21. Bxg7 Nxg7 22. Qc3
Ne6 23. f4 Nd4 24. Nxd4 cxd4 25. Qf3 ({if} 25. Rxb7 dxc3+ 26. Rxa7 cxd2 27.
Rxc7 Ra8 28. Kf2 d1=Q 29. Rxd1 Bxd1 {
and I doubt White's three pawns are enough for the piece}) 25... Rxb1 26. Rxb1
Qxa5 {(Black has recovered his pawn with the better game)} 27. Qf2 Qc3 28. Re1
Bc6 29. f5 gxf5 30. exf5 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Qxa3 32. Nf1 Qd3 33. Qh4 Qxf5 34. Qxd4
Qe4 35. Qd2 Qxc4 36. Qg5+ Kf8 37. Ne3 Qc1+ 38. Kf2 Qb2+ 39. Kg1 Qc1+ 40. Kf2
Qb2+ 41. Kg1 Qe5 42. Qh6+ Ke8 43. h4 Qg3 44. Kf1 Be4 {
(again we see Keres win with the superior minor piece)} 45. Ke2 Bg6 46. Kf1
Bd3+ 47. Kg1 Be4 48. Kf1 Ke7 49. Ke2 c5 50. h5 f6 51. Nd1 {
0-1 V.Simagin-P.Keres, Szczawno Zdroj 1950.}) 9... Bg7 10. Re1 Ne7 11. Nf3 (11.
Bf4 {led to one of Alekhine's attacking masterpieces, though Black could have
equalized with some sharper play:} O-O 12. Qd2 c5 13. Nb3 Nc6 14. Bh6 {
(this is Black's chance! - see below)} -- (14... Be6 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Nd5 f6
17. Rad1 Rb8 18. Qc3 {(note the position of the white queen, which both
defends his queenside and attacks - Black had to lure the queen out of
position, where it only has one function)} Qc8 19. a3 Qb7 20. h3 Rf7 21. Re3
Qb5 22. Nxc7 $3 {(Alekhine breaks through, with fireworks)} Rxc7 23. Rxd6 Bc4
24. a4 Qxa4 25. Nxc5 Qb5 26. Qxf6+ Kg8 27. Nd7 Rd8 28. Rf3 Qb4 29. c3 Qb5 30.
Ne5 $1 {(nothing can be taken!)} Rdc8 31. Nxc6 {
1-0 A.Alekhine-G.Koltanowski, London 1932.}) ({. Going back,} 14... Bxh6 15.
Qxh6 a5 $1 {is correct: while White's queen is away on the kingside, without
back-up, Black attacks on the opposite wing, keeping the defensive resource ...
Qf6-g7 in hand; e.g.} 16. Nd5 ({if} 16. a3 a4 17. Nd2 Nd4 {
and the centralized knight gives Black a plus}) ({, or} 16. Re3 Rb8 17. f4 c4
18. f5 Qf6 19. Nd5 Qg7 {and Black beats off the attack with advantage}) 16...
Nb4 {with equality.})) 11... f6 {Bronstein prevents e4-e5;} ({
but it's possible to ignore White's "threat"; e.g.} 11... O-O 12. e5 dxe5 13.
Nxe5 Bf5 {and once again Black's active bishops compensate for the split pawns.
}) 12. Qd3 O-O 13. Qc4+ Kh8 14. Nd4 Qe8 15. f4 ({Of course} 15. Ne6 {fails to}
Qf7 {.}) 15... Qf7 16. Qd3 c5 17. Nf3 {Black has evicted the knight and stands
fully equal, but how to win? Given that this was the Lasker Memorial,
Bronstein says he decided, Lasker style, to create small difficulties for his
opponent - then finally sacrificed a pawn for "purely psychological
considerations!" Actually I think there was a pretty good positional basis for
the sac, but in any case he certainly confused his opponent!} Bc6 18. Be3 Bb7
19. Rad1 c4 $5 {A key move: Black advances and gains space, but at the same
time the pawn moves "beyond the reach" of his fellows. However, Bronstein is
not concerned with saving the pawn - the very irritation of the pawn on the
fifth causes problems: psychological and on the board. Even if Black loses the
pawn, as happens later, then he just gets some more open lines for attacking
purposes! --- By the way, Mr. Fritz is unimpressed both with Bronstein's
psychology and my long note above, and now gives White the dreaded plus equals
- but I disagree: I like Black's dynamism which is hard to measure in bytes!}
20. Qd2 Rfe8 21. Bf2 h6 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23. exd5 Rxe1+ 24. Bxe1 Re8 25. Qd4 f5 $1
{Taking over the square e4 is more important than the pawn (says me) - Fritz
is still at plus equals!} 26. Qxc4 c5 27. Qd3 Re4 28. c3 Qe8 29. Bf2 Qb5 $1 {
Black confidently exchanges queens a pawn down - his roving rook on the fifth
plus the two bishops give him full compensation for the pawn.} 30. Qxb5 axb5
31. Nd2 Ra4 ({Black could trap himself here:} 31... Rxf4 32. Bg3 Rg4 33. Bxd6
Bxd5 34. g3 Bxa2 {looks good until you see} 35. Bf4 {
, which traps Black's rook and so wins the exchange.}) 32. a3 Bf8 {Now Black threatens to take on f4 with impunity, while d5 is hanging as well. But White
does have a way out!} 33. b3 $6 {The Modern Steinitz, unexpected manoeuvres,
Bronstein's psychological pawn sac - all this caused so much confusion that
White was now in serious time pressure. In such a state, it's not a surprise
that he missed the one escape hatch:} (33. Nb3 $1 {and then:} -- (33... Rxf4
34. Nxc5 $1 {is the point, sacrificing a knight for a powerful d-pawn - White
could even win after} dxc5 35. d6 Bc6 36. d7 Bxd7 37. Rxd7 Ra4 38. Kf1 Kg8 39.
Be3 h5 40. Bd2 b4 (40... Re4 41. Rb7 {wins a pawn}) 41. cxb4 cxb4 42. Bxb4 $1
Bxb4 43. Rd4 {, when he emerges a pawn up with excellent winning chances.}) (
33... Kg8 $1 34. g3 ({the sac fails here because Black's rook can defend:} 34.
Nxc5 dxc5 35. d6 Ra8) 34... Kf7 {
and Black has full compensation for the pawn, but the game is about even.}))
33... Rxa3 {Now Black recovers his pawn and retains the initiative.} 34. c4 Ba6
35. Rc1 g5 $1 {Black attacks on all sides, and the seconds tick away...} 36.
fxg5 hxg5 37. b4 $2 {Desperation!} ({The passive} 37. Rb1 {
gives some faint chances to hold.}) 37... cxb4 38. cxb5 Bxb5 39. Bd4+ ({
White lost on time, but the position is lost anyway: Black plays} 39. Bd4+ Kg8
40. Bf6 g4 41. Rb1 Ra4 {and keeps both his bishop pair and his gift passed
pawn. --- One sees again that Black has no problems in this Delayed Exchange -
the only difficulty Bronstein faced was how to unbalance the position enough
to win.}) 0-1

[Event "Dortmund"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Short, N."]
[Black "Hort, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. d4 (5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4
Bd7 {reaches the game by this chapter's move order.}) 5... exd4 (5... b5 $1 {
is the simple equalizer - see Chapter Eight.}) 6. Nxd4 Bd7 7. Bxc6 (7. Nc3 {
is better, with the typical Steinitz Defence (but not Modern Steinitz!) edge.})
7... bxc6 {We have now transposed back to the previous game.} 8. O-O Nf6 ({
Hort chooses a more restrained development than Bronstein's} 8... g6 {
- the fact that Black can play in various ways and still count on equality is
a sign of the strength of the opening.}) 9. Nc3 ({Another path is} 9. Qf3 c5
10. Nf5 Bxf5 11. Qxf5 Qd7 12. Qf3 Qg4 13. Qxg4 Nxg4 14. Nc3 g6 15. Nd5 Kd7 16.
Bd2 Bg7 17. h3 Nf6 18. Bc3 Ne8 19. Rad1 Bxc3 20. Nxc3 f6 21. f4 Rf8 22. e5 fxe5
23. fxe5 Rxf1+ 24. Kxf1 Rb8 25. b3 Rb4 26. exd6 cxd6 27. Nd5 Re4 28. Kf2 Kc6
29. c4 Nc7 30. Nxc7 Kxc7 {
with dead equality in V.Vasiliev-J.R.Capablanca, Leningrad (simul) 1935.}) 9...
Be7 10. Qf3 O-O 11. e5 {One always sees White trying to make something with
this break, but it rarely accomplishes anything, for whatever damage to
Black's structure occurs is offset by the opening of the board for his bishops.
} Ng4 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Qxg4 $6 ({The brave young Short avoids} 13. Qxc6 Nxe5 {
with dead equality, preferring to leave Black with two isolated queenside
pawns - but instead of being able to exploit said pawns, he gets a lesson in
the power of the two bishops!}) 13... dxe5 14. Re1 Bd6 15. Bg5 Qc8 16. Qxc8 Rfxc8
{Despite the isolated pawns, the ending actually favours Black with his bishop
pair and mobile kingside majority.} 17. Rad1 f6 18. Bd2 Rd8 19. Ne4 Be7 20. f3
Rd5 21. Be3 Ra5 22. a3 Rb8 23. Bc1 Rd5 24. Rxd5 Bxd5 25. Rd1 Be6 26. b3 Rb6 27.
Bb2 Kf7 28. Kf1 Rc6 29. Rd2 h5 30. Re2 Rb6 31. Re3 Rc6 32. Rc3 Rxc3 33. Nxc3
Bf5 34. Ne4 Ke6 35. Ke2 g5 36. h3 g4 {Hort breaks open the kingside - more
room for the bishops! Note that Black's isolated queenside pawns have not been
any kind of factor: White hasn't been able to effectively attack them at all.}
37. hxg4 hxg4 38. a4 Bg6 39. Bc1 f5 40. Nf2 gxf3+ 41. gxf3 Bh5 42. Nd3 Bd6 43.
Kf2 Kd5 44. Be3 f4 45. Bc1 c5 46. Bb2 Bg6 47. c4+ Ke6 48. Ke2 e4 49. fxe4 Bxe4
50. Ba3 {White has finally created a target at c5, but...} f3+ 51. Ke3 Bxd3 $1
52. Kxd3 Kf5 {...it's too late! Black no longer needs both bishops and can win
with his passed pawn.} 53. Bc1 ({White can't keep the black king out:} 53. Ke3
Kg4 54. Kf2 Kf4 55. Bc1+ Ke4 56. Ba3 ({or} 56. Be3 Bg3+ {
and the pawn ending is trivial}) 56... Be7 57. Kg3 ({other losers are} 57. Kf1
Kd3) ({, and} 57. Bb2 Bh4+ 58. Kf1 Bg5 59. a5 Be3 60. Ba3 Kd3) 57... Ke3 {
and the pawn goes through.}) 53... Be5 54. Bd2 ({If} 54. Ba3 Bd4 55. b4 Kg4 56.
bxc5 Kh3 $1 57. c6 f2 {and queens with check.}) 54... Kg4 ({After} 54... Kg4 {
White's only try is} 55. b4 ({other moves lose simply:} 55. Ke3 Bf4+ 56. Kd3
Bxd2 57. Kxd2 Kg3 58. Ke1 Kg2 {and as always the pawn ending is a breeze}) ({
, or} 55. Be1 Kh3 56. Ke4 Bg3 57. Kxf3 Bxe1 58. Ke4 Kg4 59. Kd5 Bb4 60. Ke4 a5
61. Ke3 Kg3 62. Ke2 Kg2 {
- even Black's "bad" bishop is good enough to help Black turn the corner -} 63.
Ke3 Kf1 64. Kd3 Ke1 65. Kc2 Ke2 {etc}) 55... Kh3 $1 {(this well-known
Botvinnik manoeuvre has cropped up several times in this ending - White is
helpless against the diagonal advance of the king)} 56. Be1 ({or} 56. b5 f2 {
and queens}) 56... Bg3 57. Ke3 Bxe1 58. Kxf3 Bxb4 {and Black wins easily. Hort
won in the style of Lasker and Capablanca! --- I can't see any serious
problems for Black in this variation as long as he plays 6...exd4. After this,
there is much scope for individual play (sometimes fianchetto, sometimes ...
Nf6/...Be7, and while ...c6-c5 is my preference right away, these last two
games show it can be delayed or, as here, not played at all.}) 0-1

[Event "USSR Team Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1964.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Yukhtman, J."]
[Black "Genin, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C73"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1964.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{I mentioned in Chapter One that even though such World Champions as Euwe and
Capablanca played 6...f6, I did not like Black's cramped game, which I think
favours White's knight pair. Let's take a last look at this variation, with
White played by a specialist in the Delayed Exchange.} 1. e4 {When Jacob an
emigrated to New York around 1970, he was renowned for having defeated Tal
with the Göring Gambit (!) and for his bold attacking play. He won tournament
after tournament in a brief US career, capped by a stunning double rook
sacrifice that took down fellow Soviet émigré Lev Alburt in the New York Open
of 1980 - and then, so far as I know, he disappeared from the chess world. I
had the pleasure of playing him a few times, and the honour of defeating him
once - and learned much from my losses, one of which was with the Modern
Steinitz! I had no idea he was a specialist in the white side of the Delayed
Exchange in those pre-database days; although I no longer have the game score,
I still remember the opening moves (see the note to move 7). But first, take a
look at the Tal and Alburt wins:} ({Tal is brought down by a gambit!} 1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 $1 dxc3 5. Nxc3 Bb4 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. O-O Bxc3 8. bxc3
d6 9. e5 dxe5 10. Ng5 {(White sacrifices two pawns in Tal style!)} O-O $1 11.
Ba3 Qxd1 12. Raxd1 Bf5 13. Bxf8 Rxf8 14. Rfe1 h6 15. Nf3 Bg4 16. Rb1 e4 17. Nd4
Ne5 18. Bf1 c5 19. Nb5 c4 20. f3 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Nxf3+ 22. Kf2 Ng4+ 23. Kg3 Nxe1
24. Rxe1 f5 25. Bxc4+ Kh7 26. Be2 Ne5 27. Kf4 Ng6+ 28. Ke3 f4+ 29. Kd4 $1 (29.
Kxe4 f3 $1 30. Bxf3 Re8+ {
would be a typical Tal miracle, but no such luck for Misha on this day!}) 29...
Kh8 30. Rg1 Nh4 31. Kxe4 Re8+ 32. Kd3 f3 33. Bd1 Ng2 34. Kd2 Nh4 35. Nd4 Rd8
36. Rf1 Rd5 37. Kd3 Ra5 38. Bb3 g5 39. Nxf3 Rf5 40. Nd2 {
1-0 J.Yukhtman-M.Tal, USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1959.}) ({
Instead of sac'ing two pawns, here Yukhtman sacs two rooks!} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5
3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. g3 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 O-O $1 7. Bg2 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bd2
Bxc3 10. bxc3 e5 11. Nb3 Nc6 12. c4 Nb6 13. Rc1 Qe7 14. c5 Nd7 15. O-O $1 Rd8
16. Na5 {(White plays for positional pressure, but Black regroups creatively)}
Ndb8 17. Qe1 Be6 18. Nb3 Bd5 19. Be3 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Na6 21. Rc4 Qe6 22. Rh4 Rd7
23. Qb1 h6 24. f3 Rad8 25. Qb2 Nab4 26. Bf2 g5 27. Re4 f5 28. Re3 Nd5 29. Rd3
e4 30. fxe4 fxe4 31. Rxd5 {(White's exchange sacrifices fall short)} Qxd5 32.
Be3 Rf7 33. Rf6 Ne5 34. Rxh6 Qd1 35. Rh8+ Kxh8 36. Qxe5+ Kg8 37. Qxg5+ Rg7 {
(up two exchanges, Yukhtman feels he has rooks to give...)} 38. Qh5 Qd5 39. Qh6
Qc4 40. Qh5 Qf7 41. Qe5 Re8 42. Qb2 Rf8 43. Nd2 Rg6 44. Qb4 Qd5 45. Qa4 Ra6 46.
Qb4 Rxa2 47. c6 Rxd2 $1 {(here's one!)} 48. Bxd2 e3+ 49. Kg1 Rf1+ $1 {
(and here's the other!)} 50. Kxf1 {(and resigns in view of mate in one) 0-1 L.
Alburt-J.Yukhtman, New York Open 1980.}) 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6
5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 f6 {I don't recommend this at all, which closes the game
for the knight pair - but I was not so sophisticated about the opening in
1972!} ({My game with Yukhtman continued} 6... f6 7. Nc3 g6 8. Be3 Nh6 9. dxe5
{and now I couldn't figure out how to recapture; but I thought sac'ing a pawn
for the two bishops might be promising, so I tried} Ng4 {
. My opponent, entirely unfazed, calmly took the pawn with} ({I didn't like} 
9... fxe5 10. Bg5 {when I have to play the awkward} Qd7) ({, and I didn't like
} 9... dxe5 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {
when I have three isolated pawns in a doubtful ending}) 10. exf6 Nxe3 11. fxe3
Qxf6 12. O-O {and as it turned out, White's active knights, plus the central
control of his doubled pawns far outweighed my two bishops, and so eventually..
. 1-0 J.Yukhtman-T.Taylor, New York 1972. That was the very last time I played
6...f6.}) ({Keres himself tried} 6... f6 {
on occasion, against weaker players - here's an example:} 7. Be3 Rb8 8. b3 Ne7
9. Nc3 Ng6 10. Qd3 Be7 11. O-O-O a5 12. h4 {(Black has the unpleasantly
cramped position typical of this line, but it's complicated so, even though
Keres is completely outplayed in the opening and early middlegame, his
experience and practical guile give him the win in the end - but such trickery
wouldn't have worked against Spassky or Mecking!)} Bd7 13. h5 Nf8 14. Nh4 a4
15. f4 axb3 16. cxb3 Ne6 17. d5 cxd5 18. exd5 Nxf4 19. Bxf4 exf4 20. h6 g5 21.
Ng6 $1 {(this surprise blow should win for White; Keres finds the only
practical chance: give up an exchange to start activating the bishops, but
there's hardly enough compensation)} Kf7 22. Nxh8+ Qxh8 23. Qd4 ({White should
win by manoeuvring his knight to this square, not the queen: correct is} 23.
Ne2 {intending Nd4, with the knight scenting weak squares at c6 and e6 -
missing this, White is gradually outplayed, though he is certainly not lost
for a long time}) 23... f5 24. Qxh8 Rxh8 25. Rd4 Rc8 26. Rc4 c5 27. dxc6 Be6
28. Rb4 Rxc6 29. Kd2 Bf6 30. Ne2 ({better is} 30. Rc1 Kg6 31. a4 {
and White is still at least equal as his passed a-pawn is a dangerous threat})
30... Bd5 31. Rg1 Be4 32. Rc4 Rxc4 33. bxc4 Bd8 {(Black is now better in view
of the devalued enemy queenside and the fact that White is using a whole rook
to defend a pawn - but if the rook moves, Black takes and wins with his
kingside pawn mass)} 34. Nc3 Ba5 35. Rc1 Bxg2 36. Kd3 Ke6 37. a4 g4 38. c5 dxc5
39. Ne2 Be4+ 40. Kc4 f3 41. Nf4+ Kf6 {0-1 J.Kupper-P.Keres, Zürich 1961:
another great endgame lesson from Mr. K, but please don't follow his opening
play!}) ({Keres also occasionally experimented with} 6... Bg4 7. dxe5 dxe5 {
which reaches a structure I warned about in Sjugirov-Yandemirov: Black's
excessively split pawns on the queenside are a long-term problem unless he has
exceptionally active pieces. That not being the case here, White might try for
an endgame grind - but in the following game, another problem arises: White,
much lower rated, is happy with a draw and Keres can do nothing, as his
position lacks dynamism due to the lamed pawns:} 8. Qxd8+ Rxd8 9. Nbd2 ({
of course not} 9. Nxe5 $4 Rd1#) 9... Bd6 10. O-O Ne7 11. h3 Bh5 12. Nc4 f6 13.
Be3 Bf7 14. Nfd2 Rb8 15. c3 c5 16. f3 {(White has parked his knight in front
of the doubled pawns, and secured his centre - nothing much happens for the
rest of the game, though one can see Keres trying!)} Nc6 17. Rfd1 Ke7 18. Kf1
Rb5 19. Ke2 Rhb8 20. a4 R5b7 21. Kd3 Be6 22. Kc2 g6 23. g4 Rh8 24. Rg1 h5 25.
gxh5 Rxh5 26. Rxg6 Rxh3 27. Rg7+ Bf7 28. Rag1 Rb8 29. Bf2 Rbh8 30. Ne3 Kf8 31.
R7g3 Ne7 32. Rxh3 Rxh3 33. Rg3 Rh8 34. Rg1 Be6 35. Kd3 Kf7 36. Nec4 Ng6 37. Be3
Be7 38. Rf1 Rh2 39. b3 Bf8 40. Rf2 Rh3 41. Na5 {½-½ H.Hecht-P.Keres, Varna
Olympiad 1962. --- I wouldn't recommend this against a strong player, who
might grind unmercifully against you - and the endgame position is too quiet
to beat a weaker player - so I can't recommend 6...Bg4 at all!}) 7. Nc3 Ne7 8.
Be3 Be6 ({
Another Yukhtman triumph, quite similar to the main game, went as follows:} 
8... Ng6 9. Qd2 Be7 10. h4 h5 11. O-O-O Be6 12. dxe5 fxe5 13. Ng5 {
(we'll see this knight raid again)} Bg8 14. g3 Qc8 15. f4 Qb7 16. Nf3 Bc4 17.
b3 Rb8 18. Nxe5 $1 {
(White sacrifices a piece, but will soon get it back with a savage attack)}
dxe5 19. Qd7+ Kf8 20. f5 {(the black knight has no squares)} Qb4 21. Kb2 Nxh4 (
{after} 21... Qa3+ 22. Ka1 {Black can't get through; e.g.} Bb4 23. Nb1 Bxb3 $5
(23... Qa5 24. fxg6 {is too easy}) 24. Bc5+ $1 (24. Nxa3 Bc3+ 25. Kb1 Be6+ {
is Black's trick, but White doesn't have to fall for it}) 24... Kg8 ({or} 24...
Bxc5 25. Nxa3 {and the black queen is now edible}) 25. cxb3 {and wins}) 22.
gxh4 Qa5 23. Nb1 Bf7 24. Qxc6 Be8 25. Qc3 Bb4 26. Qc4 Bf7 27. Qd3 Qb5 28. Nc3
Qa5 29. Nd5 Bd6 30. Qc3 Qa3+ 31. Ka1 Rb5 32. Bc1 Qc5 33. Qxc5 Rxc5 34. c4 {
(White consolidates with his extra pawn - the knight is a powerhouse)} Rc6 35.
Be3 Kg8 36. Kb1 Kh7 37. c5 Bf8 38. Nb4 Rxc5 39. Bxc5 Bxc5 40. Nxa6 Bd6 41. Nxc7
$1 {(one last beautiful knight blow finishes the game)} Rd8 42. Ne6 Bxe6 43.
fxe6 Kg6 44. Rhg1+ Kf6 45. Rdf1+ {1-0 J.Yukhtman-F.Cheremisin, Moscow 1958.})
9. Qd2 Qb8 10. b3 Ng6 11. h4 h5 12. dxe5 {Again this capturing dilemma: I
think taking with the d-pawn is the lesser evil, as despite the isolated pawns,
at least the f8-bishop comes into the game.} fxe5 $6 {Black wants to justify 6.
..f6 and takes towards the centre - but now White's knights run amok.} 13. Ng5
{Yukhtman's patented raid!} Bg8 14. g3 Be7 15. f4 Bf6 16. f5 Ne7 17. O-O a5 18.
Na4 Qb4 19. c3 Qb7 20. Rad1 Qc8 21. c4 c5 22. Nc3 Nc6 23. Nd5 {
Talk about dominating knights!} Nd4 24. Bxd4 {
Black is not allowed to enjoy any horsepower.} cxd4 25. Ne6 $1 {Having taken
over the fifth rank, the knights now invade the sixth - the knight on e6 is
too strong to ignore, but is, as Nimzowitsch would say, "heavily insured
against death" by reason of the lines that would be opened in the case of
capture.} Ra7 26. Nxf6+ gxf6 27. Nxd4 $3 {The mark of the great master is the
willingness to trade one advantage for another: Yukh abruptly gives up both
his proud knights - exchanges one and sacrifices the next - but smashes
Black's position in the process, while leaving his foe with a helpless and
nearly immobile bishop on the back rank.} exd4 28. Qxd4 {
White gains a tempo on the a7-rook and then lays waste to the black kingside.}
Ra6 29. Qxf6 Rh7 30. e5 dxe5 31. Qg5 Bf7 32. Rfe1 Rd6 33. Rxe5+ Kf8 34. Rxd6
cxd6 35. Qe7+ Kg8 36. Qxd6 Rg7 ({If} 36... a4 37. Rb5 Kg7 38. f6+ {
with a winning attack.}) 37. Rxa5 $2 {After all his great play, Yukhtman is
inaccurate at the end. He doesn't need this pawn!} ({Correct is} 37. Rb5 $1 {
which controls the activity of the black queen and threatens to win same with
Rb8 - this move wins easily. Whereas now Black will get one more chance!}) 37...
Qb7 38. f6 Rg6 $2 {Losing!} ({Here Black had the stunning resource} 38... Qe4
$3 {with a perpetual if White takes the rook, and on other moves it's obvious
that the active queen puts Black back in the game.}) 39. Qd8+ {Black resigns
as White can force the exchange of queens, when one of the many extra pawns
will promote;} ({e.g.} 39. Qd8+ Kh7 40. Rxh5+ {
(since White got away with taking on a5, that means he's now six pawns up!)}
Rh6 41. Qe7 Qxe7 (41... Qb6+ {only keeps the queens on for a moment:} 42. c5
Qe6 43. Rxh6+ Kxh6 44. Qxe6 Bxe6 45. b4 Bxa2 ({another way is} 45... Kg6 46. b5
Bxa2 47. c6 Bd5 48. h5+ Kxf6 49. Kf2 Kg5 50. Ke3 Kxh5 51. Kd4 Bf3 52. Kc5 Kg4
53. b6 {etc}) 46. g4 Kg6 47. g5 Bc4 48. c6 Bb5 49. c7 Bd7 50. b5 Bc8 51. b6 Bb7
52. h5+ Kf7 53. h6 Kg6 54. Kf2 {and the white king marches to e7}) 42. Rxh6+
Kxh6 43. fxe7 Kg7 44. a4 Kf6 45. a5 Kxe7 46. a6 Be8 47. a7 Bc6 48. h5 Kf6 49.
h6 Kg6 (49... Be4 50. h7 Kg7 51. b4 Kxh7 52. b5 Kg7 53. c5 Ba8 54. c6 Kf7 55.
c7 {comes to the same thing}) 50. b4 Kxh6 51. b5 Ba8 52. c5 Kg6 53. c6 Kf7 54.
c7 Bb7 55. a8=Q Bxa8 56. c8=Q {and wins. This and all the subsidiary
variations have the same result: a new, winning white queen. --- This game was
a knightmare!}) 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "7. Duras Variation"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "10"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{The Duras Variation comes about after} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6
5. c4 $5 {where White (as I mentioned in Keres-Capablanca) tries to impose a
Maróczy Bind on a Ruy Lopez, which is not a good fit!} -- ({The Duras is
virtually never played at a high level today due to the Reshevsky/Yandemirov
answer} 5... Bg4 {
that equalizes on the spot, as we will see in the first three games below.}) ({
A risky attempt to play in Siesta style with} 5... f5 {
will be seen in Böök-Andersen.}) ({Keres often played this rather offbeat line
with White, probably to avoid "playing against himself" - one recalls his draw
with Capablanca in the aforementioned game. Capa equalized easily with} 5...
Bd7 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 Nge7 {
, but had no winning chances whatsoever.}) ({Interestingly enough, on the rare
(three) occasions when Keres was faced with the Duras Variation as Black - he
was not entirely successful in avoiding "playing against himself" - he always
played quietly, à la Capablanca. Here's an example:} 5... Bd7 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4
Bg7 8. dxe5 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 Bxe5 10. O-O Nf6 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bxd7+ Qxd7 13. Bxf6
Bxf6 14. Nd5 Bg7 15. Rc1 Rd8 16. Qf3 O-O 17. Rfd1 Kh8 18. Rc2 c6 19. Ne3 Qe7 {
and one can see that Black's active bishop balances White's Maróczy Bind - the
players manoeuvred about for another twenty moves without changing the basic
nature of the position, and finally agreed to a draw in N.Karaklajic-P.Keres,
USSR-Yugoslavia match, Leningrad 1957.}) (5... -- {Now let's take a look at
this rather unpromising (for White!) line - with Keres leading the way, on the
wrong side!}) (5... -- {Conclusion: Given the rarity of the Duras now, I don't
think it's worth studying the ramifications of the Duras/Siesta when you might
never get it in your lifetime! I have played the MS off and on for 40 years,
and intensively over the last few months - and I have never once faced the
Duras. --- My recommendation is to play for a win with the positional 5...Bg4
- when White has absolutely nothing, but Black can complicate as necessary à
la Yandemirov!}) *

[Event "World Championship, The Hague/Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1948.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Keres, P."]
[Black "Reshevsky, S."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1948.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c4 Bg4 $1 {Black continues as in
Chapter Five, but the pin is even stronger here as White has not made the
useful developing move 5 0-0 and, furthermore, now has a weakness at d4.} ({
While we've seen that} 5... Bd7 {should equalize, it's also evident that Black
has no serious winning chances after that - whereas the longer bishop move
does give him chances to win!}) 6. Nc3 ({For} 6. d3) ({and the subvariations} 
6. h3) ({and} 6. d4 {, see Kupreichik-Yandemirov.}) 6... Nge7 {
Reshevsky is trying to play as in the Knight Defence (Chapter Two);} ({
but Yandemirov's} 6... Nf6 {is stronger, for which see the next game.}) 7. h3
Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Ng6 {
Not an ideal square for the knight in this variation, as will be seen.} 9. Nd5
Rb8 10. Nb4 {Best:} ({if} 10. d3 b5 11. cxb5 axb5 12. Bb3 Nd4 {
and Black gets counterplay.}) 10... Nge7 {
Now Reshevsky has to scurry back with the knight,} ({
and White could take over the advantage with the consistent} 10... Nge7 11. Qb3
{which really puts the pressure on. In reply} a5 {
might be relatively best, but after} ({if Black tries to counter with} 11...
b5 {, then} 12. Nxc6 Nxc6 13. cxb5 axb5 14. Bxb5 {and White is a pawn up}) 12.
Nd5 {Black is tied up, unable to shake off the Spanish pin.}) 11. Nc2 $6 {
This unmotivated retreat allows Black to disentangle.} Qd7 12. d3 Nc8 13. Bd2
Be7 14. Qg3 Bf6 15. Rc1 Nb6 {
Black finally shakes off the pin (after great loss of time).} 16. Bb3 ({
Even now} 16. Bxc6 Qxc6 17. Ne3 g6 18. Nd5 Bg7 {should keep an edge for White
with his superior minor pieces. However, Keres, in an unusually defensive mood,
retreats again and allows Black to equalize.}) 16... Qd8 17. O-O Nd7 18. a3 Nc5
{Although very delayed, this knight manoeuvre - which we will see Yandemirov
do regularly, and efficiently, in the next two games and notes - finally puts
Black back on track.} 19. Ba2 O-O 20. b4 Ne6 21. Be3 Nf4 {Just when one
expected a black knight to d4, Reshevsky, with his well-known tactical
alertness, finds a clean equalizer with this surprising knight jump.} 22. Qf3 (
{Not} 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Qxf4 {as} Bg5 {spears an ox.}) 22... Nxd3 23. Rb1 Nf4
$1 24. b5 ({Black can answer} 24. b5 axb5 25. cxb5 Ne7 26. Bxf4 exf4 27. Qxf4
Ra8 {which looks about equal: Black has the half open a-file, but White has a
little more influence in the centre. --- One sees that Black's king's knight
was misplaced in the opening (the poor horse wore himself out, making eleven
moves in this short game! However, the ...Bg4 idea is very strong, when
combined with the correct knight placement, as Yandemirov will show us.})
1/2-1/2

[Event "Volgograd"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ayapbergenov, A."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c4 Bg4 6. Nc3 Nf6 ({
Clearly a more active move than Reshevsky's} 6... Nge7 {, but what's most
important is that the knight can be quickly redirected to c5, where it hits
White's Ruy bishop and observes the weak d3-square, and might be further
manoeuvred to e6 to take advantage of the weak d4-square!}) 7. d4 {
White tries to break immediately.} ({On the slower} 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Be7 9.
Ne2 O-O 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. d4 {one sees that White has fallen way behind in
development in order to cover the d4-weakness - this allows Black to strike
back with} d5 $1 12. dxe5 ({even worse is} 12. exd5 e4 {
when Black takes over the centre:} 13. Qc3 cxd5 14. c5 Qd7 15. Be3 c6 16. O-O
Ne8 17. f4 f5 18. b4 Nc7 19. a4 h6 20. Qd2 Kh7 21. Rab1 Rg8 22. Kh2 g5 {
and Black won with an attack in S.Tatai-A.Medina Garcia, Wijk aan Zee 1968})
12... Bb4+ 13. Nc3 Nxe4 14. O-O Bxc3 15. bxc3 Qe7 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. c4 Qxe5 18.
Bf4 Qc3 19. cxd5 Qxf3 20. gxf3 Nc3 21. Bxc7 Nxd5 {, and it's worth seeing
Smyslov win this seemingly only marginally superior ending:} 22. Bg3 Rfc8 23.
Rfd1 Rc5 24. Rd2 h6 25. Re1 Rac8 26. Bd6 Rc1 27. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 28. Kg2 Nb6 29. Bg3
Rc6 30. Kf1 f6 31. Ke2 Kf7 32. Kd3 Rc5 33. Rb2 Nd7 34. Kd4 Ra5 35. Rc2 Ke6 36.
Rc6+ Kf5 37. Rc7 Ne5 38. Rc5 Ra3 39. Bxe5 Ra4+ 40. Rc4 fxe5+ 41. Kd5 Rxa2 42.
Rg4 g5 {0-1 I.Boleslavsky-V.Smyslov, Leningrad 1948 - a rare success for
Smyslov in the Modern Steinitz!}) 7... exd4 8. Bxc6+ ({Evidently not} 8. Qxd4
$4 b5 $1 {and Black wins a piece. A key motif of the MS is that Black can
nearly always break the pin on his queen's knight when he needs to.}) 8... bxc6
9. Qxd4 Nd7 {This is the key manoeuvre - the knight goes to c5 and makes room
for the king's bishop at f6.} 10. Nd2 Qh4 {
Typically aggressive play from Yandemirov!} 11. O-O Be7 12. f4 (12. Qxg7 $4 Bf6
{traps the queen.}) 12... O-O 13. Kh1 Bf6 14. Qe3 Rfe8 {Now one can see that
the white pawns are overextended and weak; furthermore White's position is
crippled by his lack of development, all of which means that Black is clearly
better already.} 15. Ne2 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Nc5 17. Qf3 Re6 18. e5 {White doesn't
want to wait for the second black rook to arrive on e8, and so tries to mix it
up... but we all know about seeking complications in a worse position - not
advisable!} dxe5 19. fxe5 Rxe5 20. Qxc6 Rc8 $1 {A surprisingly effective
"discreet use of the energy of the rook" as Nimzowitsch would say. Now the
white queen has no targets, and the rest of White's pieces are not in play.}
21. Nf3 {Forking queen and rook, but Black's answer is crushing.} ({
Two other tries are slightly better, though neither saves White:} 21. b3 Rh5
22. Nf3 Qe4 23. Qxe4 Nxe4 {and White will lose an exchange as both rooks are
threatened (...Bxa1 and ...Ng3+)}) ({while if} 21. Rb1 Qe1 $1 {
with a powerful attack.}) 21... Qxc4 {Threatening ...Qxf1, so now Yandemirov
is just up a good pawn and wins quickly and stylishly.} 22. Rd1 Re6 23. Qd5
Re1+ $1 ({White has little choice and no good answer (except resigns, which in
fact he plays):} 23... Re1+ 24. Ng1 (24. Rxe1 Qxd5 {wins the queen}) (24. Nxe1
Qf1# {is mate!}) 24... Ne4 25. h3 Qxd5 26. Rxd5 c6 27. Rd7 ({if} 27. Ra5 Bd4 {
wins immediately}) 27... c5 $1 {and there's no real defence to ...Bd4; e.g.}
28. Kh2 Be5+ 29. g3 Bd4 30. Nf3 Re2+ 31. Kh1 Nxg3# {. --- Although White can
succeed in pushing through the advance d2-d4, it's far from easy - as in, say,
the Accelerated Dragon where the Maróczy Bind is strong. Here White gave up
the bishop pair and fell behind in development, so the Bind was weak and soon
smashed. --- In the next game, White tries a restrained set-up with d2-d3, but
gets nothing either.}) 0-1

[Event "St Petersburg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2001.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kupreichik, V."]
[Black "Yandemirov, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2001.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c4 {Apparently GM Kupreichik really
likes the Duras Variation - or else he is very stubborn! He has played it five
times vs. Yandemirov, and although always having the white pieces, and with an
approximately equal rating to his MS foe, the result was two draws and three
wins for Black! Every game started out as here, 5 c4 Bg4 - but note that
against another opponent (and if White wants this), a delayed Duras can be
used as a drawing line (groaning sounds in background). I feel I have to put
these in, since this "White to play and draw" disease has become epidemic, and
as Black you will have to face such variations.} ({
Kupreichik - and Keres himself - have used the following to make short draws:} 
5. O-O Bd7 ({of course Yandemirov would play} 5... Bg4 {
here, which is why I said "another opponent" above}) 6. c4 Nf6 7. Nc3 Be7 8. d4
Nxd4 {(the easiest path to equality: Black trades off two pieces, somewhat
similar to Keres-Capablanca in Chapter One)} 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Bxd7+ Nxd7 11. Qxd4 Bf6
12. Qe3 O-O 13. Nd5 Re8 14. Nxf6+ Nxf6 {(now a third minor is off the board)}
15. f3 c6 16. Bd2 d5 17. cxd5 cxd5 18. e5 d4 19. Qf4 Nd7 20. Qxd4 Nxe5 {
½-½ V.Kupreichik-Y.Balashov, Minsk 1986. While Kupreichik was satisfied
with a draw here, Keres boldly played on until only one piece on each side
remained:} 21. Bc3 Qxd4+ 22. Bxd4 Rad8 23. Rfd1 Rd5 24. Bc3 Nd3 25. Rd2 Nf4 26.
Rxd5 Nxd5 27. Ba5 Re2 28. Re1 Rxe1+ 29. Bxe1 f6 {½-½ P.Keres-S.Gligoric,
Los Angeles 1963. Black's centralized knight, which cannot be dislodged by a
pawn, is just as strong as White's bishop.}) 5... Bg4 6. d3 ({
We saw that the natural developing move} 6. Nc3 {gave White no advantage in
the two previous games, so Kupreichik tries a more restrained set-up, not
trying to get in d2-d4 too early.}) ({Also possible are:} 6. d4 {
(White gets equality at best from this early thrust)} exd4 {(simple and good)}
({but} 6... b5 $5 {while extravagant, is also playable:} 7. cxb5 Nxd4 8. Nc3 ({
or} 8. bxa6+ c6 {and it's hard for White to hold the extra pawn}) 8... axb5 9.
Nxb5 Nxf3+ 10. gxf3 Bd7 11. Bb3 Nf6 12. Nc3 g6 13. Bg5 Bg7 14. Qd2 O-O 15. h4
Qb8 {with a very double-edged, opposite sides attacking game in J.Florian-J.
Banas, Harrachov 1970}) 7. Bxc6+ ({of course not} 7. Qxd4 $4 b5 8. Qd5 Nge7 {
and Black wins}) 7... bxc6 8. Qxd4 Bxf3 ({also good is} 8... Nf6 9. Nc3 Nd7 {
, transposing to the previous game}) 9. gxf3 Qf6 {with a familiar Yandemirov
type position, where the doubled pawns on both sides balance each other.}) (6.
h3 {(another Kupreichik try which induces an exchange on f3, but in fact Black
does not mind removing a defender of d4)} Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Nf6 8. d3 Nd7 9. Be3 Be7
{occurred in two Kupreichik-Yandemirov games: Black has equalized as the
knight pair are well suited to the closed position, and if White captures on
c6, Black gets the b-file for counterplay. Here's a quick look at the games in
question:} 10. -- (10. Nc3 O-O 11. Ne2 Bg5 12. O-O Rb8 13. Rad1 Bxe3 14. Qxe3
Nc5 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Rd2 Ne6 {(Black has solid equality, or perhaps one
should say that White has finally covered his weakness at d4; Kupreichik now
heads for an even ending)} 17. f4 exf4 18. Nxf4 Qg5 19. Rf3 Nxf4 20. Rxf4 Qa5
21. b3 Qc3 22. Rf3 a5 23. d4 Qxe3+ 24. Rxe3 a4 25. bxa4 Rb4 26. Ra3 Ra8 27. a5
Ra6 28. Rc2 Kf8 29. Kf2 Rb7 30. Ke3 Rba7 31. Rcc3 Rxa5 32. Rxa5 Rxa5 33. a3 {
(some might agree to a draw here, but Yandemirov makes an heroic effort to win)
} Ke7 34. Kd2 c5 35. dxc5 Rxc5 36. a4 Ra5 37. Ra3 Ke6 38. Kc3 c5 39. Ra1 Ke5
40. Kd3 Kf4 41. Rf1+ Ke5 42. Rxf7 Rxa4 43. Rxg7 Ra3+ 44. Ke2 Kxe4 45. Rxh7 Ra2+
46. Kf1 d5 47. Re7+ Kd4 48. cxd5 Kxd5 49. h4 c4 50. Rc7 Kd4 51. h5 c3 52. h6
Ra1+ 53. Kf2 Rh1 54. h7 Kd3 55. Kf3 c2 56. g4 Rh3+ 57. Kf4 {½-½ V.Kupreichik-V.Yandemirov, Miedzybrodzie 1991 - drawn as White's pawn holds off Black's
rook after} Rxh7 58. Rxc2 Kxc2 59. g5 Kd3 60. g6 Ra7 61. Kf5 Kd4 62. Kf6) (10.
Qg3 O-O 11. Nd2 Bf6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. c5 Qb8 ({simpler is} 13... Nxc5 14. Bxc5
dxc5 15. Nc4 Rb8 16. O-O Qd4 {with some advantage for Black, who has an extra,
if tripled pawn; and those triplets control a lot of squares, while White
retains a weakness at d3 - note that Black has no opening difficulties in any
of these games}) 14. cxd6 Qxb2 15. Rb1 Qc3 16. dxc7 Rfc8 {(this chaotic
position might be objectively worse than the previous bracket, but it suits
Yandemirov's style)} 17. Rb7 (17. O-O {is better}) 17... Qxd3 18. Qg4 c5 19.
Qe2 Qd6 20. Nc4 Qc6 21. Na5 Qa4 22. Qd2 Nf8 23. O-O Ne6 24. Rc1 Rxc7 25. Rc4 $6
({allowing a game-changing tactic; correct is the simple} 25. Rxc7 Nxc7 26.
Rxc5 Rd8 27. Qc2 {
when White might have a marginal superiority due to his better bishop}) 25...
Qxc4 $1 26. Nxc4 Rxb7 27. Qd5 Rb1+ 28. Kh2 Rd8 29. Qc6 h5 30. Qxa6 Rdd1 {
, when Black's active rooks are better than the queen and he won the ending in
V.Kupreichik-V.Yandemirov, Minsk 1994.})) 6... Be7 ({We already saw in
Keres-Reshevsky that ...Nge7 is a less active move. Nonetheless, in
Keres-Sokolsky, Black fully equalized by move 16 as follows:} 6... Nge7 7. h3
Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Ng6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Be3 Bg5 11. O-O O-O 12. Qg4 h6 13. Ne2 Bxe3 14.
fxe3 Qg5 15. Qg3 Qxg3 16. Nxg3 Nge7 {with complete equality, even double zero
on the Fritz! So far so good, yes? But in P.Keres-A.Sokolsky, Moscow 1947,
Keres kept at it... and at it... and finally turned a drawn rook ending into a
win and collected the full point on move 89! --- As I often say, success in
the opening is not the whole story! You must also play well in the middlegame
and especially the ending!}) 7. Be3 Bxf3 $6 {Essentially losing a tempo (Black
should wait for White's h2-h3), and Black is not developed enough for the plan
he has in mind.} (7... Nf6 {
is correct as we have seen previously, when Black has no difficulties; e.g.} 8.
Nc3 O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Rb8 12. Rb1 Nd7 13. O-O Bg5 14. b4 c5
15. b5 axb5 16. Rxb5 Rxb5 17. Nxb5 Bxe3 18. fxe3 Nb6 19. Rb1 Qd7 20. Qf5 Qe7
21. Nc3 Ra8 {(note that Black has now obtained a slightly superior pawn
structure - White has three islands to one for Black - which is similar to the
rook ending Yand tried forever to win in note 'a' to move 6 above)} 22. Rb3 Qd8
23. Qf2 h6 24. Qb2 Qg5 25. Qf2 Qd8 {½-½ P.Clarke-L.Szabo, Hastings 1956.
In the final position Black has an .03 plus from the Fritzter - I'm sure
Yandemirov would play on!}) 8. Qxf3 Bg5 $2 {This game could have been an
object lesson in overreaching. Black had a perfectly good opening, and if he
played like Szabo above, he would have had an equal game that most likely
would have been a draw. However, by trying for more (moving both bishops twice
while his king's knight is undeveloped), he allows White finally to rid
himself of the weakness at d4 and get the better game.} ({Of course} 8... Nf6 {
was again preferable.}) 9. d4 $1 Bxe3 ({White exploits the fact that} 9... exd4
10. Bxd4 b5 $2 {fails to} 11. Bxg7 {
, which highlights Black's undeveloped kingside.}) 10. fxe3 $1 {White finally
covers the weakness at d4, threatens d4-d5, and opens the f-file. Yand is in
trouble! He tries confusion...} Qh4+ $5 11. Kd1 $6 {...and gets away with it!}
({After the natural} 11. g3 {Black is in big trouble; e.g.} Qf6 12. Qxf6 Nxf6
13. d5 b5 14. cxb5 Nb4 15. bxa6+ Ke7 16. a3 Nd3+ ({no better is} 16... Nxa6 17.
Nc3 Nc5 18. Bc2 Rhb8 19. Rb1 Nb3 20. Ke2 Nd7 21. Na2 Ndc5 22. Nb4 {
and Black has no real compensation for the pawn}) 17. Ke2 Nc5 ({not} 17... Nxb2
$2 18. Bb5 Rhb8 19. a4 Nxe4 20. Ra2 {winning the trapped knight}) 18. Bc2 Ncxe4
19. Rc1 Nc5 20. b4 Nxa6 21. Nc3 {
and White has a clear advantage in view of Black's backward c-pawn.}) 11...
exd4 12. exd4 ({White should bail out with} 12. Bxc6+ $5 {
and approximate equality.}) 12... b5 $1 {Because 11 Kd1 did not win a tempo
(like the correct 11 g3), Black has time for this typical MS counterblow - and
so takes over the initiative.} 13. cxb5 Nxd4 14. b6+ Kf8 15. Qe3 Qh5+ 16. g4 $5
{White tries some confusion of his own,} ({since if} 16. Kd2 Qa5+ 17. Nc3 Qxb6)
({or} 16. Kc1 Qc5+ {and in both cases Black emerges a pawn up for not much.})
16... Qxg4+ 17. Kc1 c5 $1 18. Nc3 Nf6 19. e5 Nd5 $1 20. Nxd5 Qg2 {
A clever fork!} 21. Re1 Qxd5 22. exd6 (22. b3 {keeps White in the game, but
Kupreichik probably never dreamed his bishop could be taken, given his two
passed pawns on the sixth.}) 22... Qc4+ $1 {Fearless!} 23. Kb1 Qxa4 24. Qe7+
Kg8 25. b3 Qb5 26. Kb2 h5 (26... h6 $5 {
might be safer (not Yandemirov's forte).}) 27. d7 (27. b7 $1 {is a better try.}
) 27... Qxb6 28. Re5 Qf6 $1 29. Qe8+ Kh7 30. Rxh5+ Kg6 31. Rxh8 Qf2+ {
This queen and knight attack justifies Black's wild play.} 32. Ka3 Nc2+ 33. Kb2
Nb4+ 34. Ka3 Nc2+ 35. Kb2 Nd4+ {No draw!} 36. Ka3 Nb5+ 37. Ka4 Qd4+ 38. Ka5
Qb4+ 39. Kb6 Nd6+ 40. Kc6 $6 (40. Kc7 {is slightly better in view of the
ensuing skewer, though Black now has a material advantage and should win in
any event.}) 40... Nxe8 41. Rg1+ Kf6 42. Rf1+ Kg6 43. Rg1+ Kf6 44. Rf1+ Kg5 45.
Rg1+ Kf5 46. Rf1+ Kg4 ({White is out of good checks and must lose shortly; e.g.
} 46... Kg4 47. Rg1+ Kf3 48. Rg3+ Kf2 49. dxe8=Q (49. Rxe8 Rxe8 50. dxe8=Q Qb5+
{is the same}) 49... Rxe8 50. Rxe8 Qb5+ {and the skewer strikes! --- Clearly
Szabo and Yandemirov have shown that 5...Bg4 equalizes with ease. The plan is
to take the f3-knight if hit by h2-h3, and meanwhile develop with ...Nf6 -
this is an extremely sound set-up. Here Yandemirov tries to escape his own box
- and I think this wild game is both entertaining and instructive. Black goes
beyond the safety limits, and "should" be punished - but his enterprising and
risky play is rewarded with the full point, whereas Szabo's solidity only gave
him a draw. You must decide how much risk you are willing to take.}) 0-1

[Event "Warsaw Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1935.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Book, E."]
[Black "Andersen, Er"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "25"]
[EventDate "1935.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{The following game was thought to knock out the Duras/Siesta combination, but
as is often the case with "received wisdom", it's not quite true. In the main
line (not the game, where Black goes under quickly), which has never been
played according to my database, White gets an attack for a pawn - but nothing
is decisive and bold players might want to try this out - if the calm
equalizer we saw in the notes to the last game is too boring!} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c4 {Can Black play the Siesta here? After all,
White has moved his c-pawn and weakened the key d3-square, so important in
that gambit.} ({But consider a true Siesta, and keep the 11th move position in
your mind as a mental exercise:} 5. c3 f5 6. d4 fxe4 7. Nxe5 dxe5 8. Qh5+ Ke7
9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Bg5+ Nf6 11. dxe5 Qd5 $1 {, when my note from Honfi-Ciocaltea reads
as follows: "Capablanca's great defensive move, planning to pin along the rank,
makes White struggle to draw."}) 5... f5 $5 {Black tries it!} 6. d4 $1 {
This doesn't do anything against the Siesta, as we have seen, and almost
everything is the same here - but note that the white c-pawn is one square
forward - what difference could that single square make?} ({For the record,} 6.
exf5 Bxf5 7. d4 {might also be a real try for advantage, since Black, in the
main line Siesta, must soon play ...d6-d5 here, which is now discouraged by
White's c-pawn. Furthermore there are lines where White plays c2-c3 and then
c3-c4 (for example, the note to move 9 in Bashkov-Yandemirov, Minsk 1993) and
here White might save a tempo. But let's continue with our "refutation".}) 6...
fxe4 7. Nxe5 $1 dxe5 8. Qh5+ Ke7 {Black continues as in the Siesta.} ({
Alternatives are worse; e.g.} 8... g6 9. Qxe5+ Kf7 10. Qxh8 Bg7 ({or} 10... Nf6
11. Nc3 Nxd4 12. Bg5 {and Black has nothing real for the exchange}) 11. Qxh7
Nxd4 12. Nc3 Nf6 13. Qh4 Nf5 14. Qf4 Qe7 {and now, instead of the retrograde}
15. Qd2 {of Michal-B.Petkevic, Prague 1935,} ({White should win with} 15. h3 {
, when again Black doesn't have real compensation for the sacrificed material.}
)) 9. Bxc6 Qxd4 $2 {Black panics!} ({
No doubt he was counting on "Capa's great defensive move" as noted above:} 9...
bxc6 10. Bg5+ Nf6 11. dxe5 -- ({, and now} 11... Qd5 {, but then had a
terrible shock when he realized that the "harmless" little white c-pawn, up
one square, actually prevents this key move! Seeing that, Black collapsed and
lost quickly.}) ({. But there was no necessity for this! Instead, he should
just go ahead and give back the piece:} 11... Qd4 $1 {
(the queen also moves up one square)} 12. exf6+ gxf6 13. Bc1 ({stronger than} 
13. Bd2 Qxb2 14. O-O Qe5 {, when White should probably take the draw:} 15. Bb4+
({as} 15. Qh4 Rg8 16. Bc3 Qf5 17. Nd2 Rg4 {looks good for Black}) 15... Ke6 16.
Qe8+ Kf5 17. Qh5+ {etc}) 13... Qxc4 14. Nc3 Bg7 15. Bd2 Rb8 16. O-O-O {
and White has a good attack for the pawn, but I certainly wouldn't consider
Black's play "refuted".})) 10. Qe8+ {Decisive! White finishes in problem style.
} Kd6 11. Be3 Qxc4 12. Nc3 Bg4 {This looks like a chaotic 19th century chess
problem, and amazingly enough - despite being an actual game - it is in fact
"White to play and mate in two!"} 13. Rd1+ $1 ({
It's incredible that every reply allows mate in one:} 13. Rd1+ Bxd1 ({or} 13...
Qd3 14. Nxe4#) 14. Qd7# {are the main variations. --- Yes, Capa's defensive
line in the Siesta is prevented, but 11...Qd4 is possible, if not quite as
strong - and even if Black's king is floating a bit, one could experiment with
this line. On the other hand, is it worth it? White might also try to prove
the worth of 5 c4 in the 6 exf5/7 d4 line as noted - and meanwhile, one can
equalize easily against the Duras with 5...Bg4 and ...Nf6.}) 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "8. An Early d2-d4"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 {. This chapter is devoted to lines
where White plays an early and unsupported d2-d4, either on the fifth or sixth
move, similar to the way he plays in the original Steinitz Defence. In general,
Black can either easily equalize against this, or force White (if he wants to
play for advantage) to transpose to previously covered main lines.} 5. -- ({
The move order} 5. d4 {will be covered in the first four games. Then, for
purposes of comparison, I have put in one example (Anand-Milos) of the
original Steinitz (3...d6 4 d4 Bd7 5 0-0 Nf6 6 Nc3) where White obtains a
strong position.}) ({
Finally, the last four games of the chapter (Kim-Taylor onwards) cover} 5. O-O
Bd7 6. d4 {which usually transposes into Chapter Three (e.g. after} Nf6 7. c3 {
), though there are some independent lines - and traps! - worth knowing.}) (5.
-- {Conclusion: We see that 5 d4 leads to a draw at best for White. On the
other hand, 5 0-0 Bd7 6 d4 is quite playable, and contains traps, some very
old! However, Black can follow Keres and obtain a safe game with 6...Nf6 when,
as far as I can see, White has nothing better than 7 c3 with a return to the
main lines of the Bishop Defence in Chapter Three. Note that this move order
does eliminate the Knight Defence (with ...Nge7) of Chapter Two, as Black is
basically compelled to put the knight on f6.}) *

[Event "European Team Championship, Oberhausen"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1961.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hort, V."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1961.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 ({If Black plays} 3... d6 {
(the original Steinitz) then} 4. d4 {is strong.}) 4. Ba4 d6 5. d4 {
And now, with the interpolation of 3...a6 and 4 Ba4, the same advance is weak!}
({We saw this move the second game of the book, where Steinitz replied with the okay but hardly
scintillating} 5. d4 Bd7 {, which is similar to his original defence.} ({
As I pointed out then, the advantage of the MS is that Black can break out with
} 5... b5 {- played by Capablanca, Alekhine, Spassky, and of course our hero
Keres - and so cleanly equalize. The proof of that will be seen in this and
the following three games.})) 5... b5 $1 6. Bb3 {White has nothing else.} (6.
d5 bxa4 7. dxc6 Ne7 8. c3 Nxc6 9. Qxa4 Bd7 {was already good for Black in T.
Diamant-A.Papista, Hungarian Team Championship 2001, as he has a central pawn
majority and the two bishops.}) 6... Nxd4 7. Nxd4 exd4 8. Bd5 (8. Qxd4 $2 {
is a blunder that allows the Noah's Ark trap - see Capablanca give an instructive lesson in the next game.}) (8. c3 {can be a doubtful gambit (see
Lobron-Spassky in the "World Champions" chapter, or De Firmian-Hübner here) or
a drawing line (see Schlosser-Stangl).}) ({
Keres gives a trenchant comment on Hort's actual move,} 8. Bd5 {: "It is interesting to note that this tame continuation is played time and time again,
despite the fact that with it White can only hope for equality." Keres
continues that if White wants a draw, he would do better to try to force it
with 8 c3, which I agree is relatively best - but if White is already reduced
to such desperation, then 5 d4 simply has no theoretical value whatsoever.})
8... Rb8 9. Bc6+ {Alekhine, who also had the pleasure of winning on the black
side of this variation, remarked that if White thought he could obtain a draw
just by simplifying the position, he was certainly ill advised.} Bd7 10. Bxd7+
Qxd7 11. Qxd4 Nf6 12. O-O Be7 13. Nc3 {It amazes me that, despite all the
heavy hitters weighing in against this line (and the fact that from this
position White scores an appallingly low 29% out of 90 games in the Mega), the
line is still played today by strong players! For example, as we'll see in the
note to move 14, the Croatian IM Mrkonjic goes down in flames with this line
as recently as 2004, to an opponent about 200 Elo points below him! Basically,
White's centre is slightly weak and he can't stop Black's queenside expansion,
so White is slightly worse already - but I think the real reason the score is
so lopsided is that Black's game (as we'll see through many examples) is very
easy to play, whereas White has a difficult and unpleasant defensive job.} O-O
14. a4 ({Here's Alekhine's smooth win:} 14. Bd2 Rfe8 15. Qd3 b4 16. Ne2 Qc6 17.
f3 d5 18. exd5 Nxd5 {(Alekhine notes that he already has a clear advantage in
view of White's weakness at e3)} 19. Rae1 Bf6 20. c4 Qc5+ 21. Rf2 Ne3 22. b3
Rbd8 23. Bxe3 Rxe3 24. Qc2 Bh4 25. g3 Rxf3 26. Ref1 Bg5 27. Kg2 Rxf2+ 28. Rxf2
Qc6+ 29. Kh3 Be3 30. Rf1 Rd5 $1 {(launching the attack)} 31. Nf4 Qd7+ 32. g4
Rd4 33. Qg2 c6 34. Nh5 Bg5 35. Qe2 g6 36. Ng3 h5 37. Ne4 Qxg4+ 38. Qxg4 hxg4+
39. Kxg4 Rxe4+ 40. Kxg5 Kg7 {(the piquant final point: White is forced to
enter a lost king and pawn ending with} 41. Rf4 ({since} 41. h4 f6+ {winning a 
rook would be even more embarrassing, and so he resigns) 0-1 G.Stoltz-A.
Alekhine, Bled 1931.})) ({Like every other MS player, it seems, I also have
had the pleasure of defeating this variation, though I can't say I worked too
hard. While I no longer have the scoresheet from this early 70's tournament
game, I remember the trap very well - and also the fact that my opponent
played on for a very long time with a missing piece! NN-T.Taylor, Washington
DC, ca. 1973, continued} 14. Bg5 b4 15. Nd5 $2 ({the craven} 15. Nd1 {
is necessary}) 15... Nxd5 16. Qxd5 Rb5 {and with this unusual skewer on the
rank, Black won a piece and eventually the game.}) ({Finally, we should note
that, despite the crushing position Keres obtained against Hort, another Czech,
FM Frantisek Blatny, tried his luck against Keres eight years later - with the
same result:} 14. a3 a5 15. Re1 Rfe8 16. Qd3 Bf8 17. Bd2 c6 18. f3 Qb7 19. a4
b4 20. Ne2 d5 21. exd5 Nxd5 {- as usual, Black gains space on the queenside
and then attacks in the centre; we also see, just as in Stoltz-Alekhine above
(about 40 years earlier!) the white weakness at e3. Keres won as follows:} 22.
c4 bxc3 23. bxc3 Red8 24. Nd4 c5 25. Rab1 Nb6 26. Bg5 Rd7 27. Qf5 cxd4 28. Rxb6
Qxb6 29. Qxd7 dxc3+ {
(White avoids the loss of a piece, but the monster passed pawn is just as good)
} 30. Be3 Qb7 31. Qd3 Qc6 32. Re2 Rc8 33. Rc2 Qxa4 34. Bd4 Rd8 {(now the piece
goes anyway and Black still has a passed pawn to queen) 0-1 F.Blatny-P.Keres,
Luhacovice 1969.}) 14... Rfe8 ({Flash forward about another forty years, and
nothing much has changed: in this modern game that I referenced above, Black
immediately advances on the queenside and then the centre, and easily defeats
his higher-rated opponent:} 14... b4 15. Ne2 d5 16. exd5 Qxd5 17. Bf4 Rbd8 18.
Qxd5 Rxd5 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Rxd5 Rxd5 21. Rc1 ({if} 21. Bxc7 Rd2 {
recovers the pawn with a typical seventh rank advantage}) 21... c5 22. Kf1 g5
23. Bg3 Ne4 24. Ke1 Bf6 25. Rb1 c4 26. f3 Nc5 27. b3 cxb3 28. cxb3 Rd3 29. Rc1
Nxb3 30. Rc6 Kg7 31. Rxa6 Nc5 32. Rb6 b3 33. Nc1 Bc3+ 34. Ke2 Rd2+ 35. Ke3 b2
36. Be5+ Bxe5 $1 37. Kxd2 Bf4+ {
(this pretty finish forces promotion) 0-1 N.Mrkonjic-A.Vajda, Zalakaros 2004.})
15. Qd3 b4 16. Nd5 a5 17. b3 Nxd5 18. exd5 (18. Qxd5 Bf6 19. Rb1 Re5 {
also puts the pressure on White.}) 18... Bf6 19. Rb1 c5 $1 20. Bf4 ({
Keres comments that if} 20. dxc6 Qxc6 {, White's weakness at c2 is more
significant than Black's at d6, and I agree. Black has easy defences of d6
such as ...Re6 or ...Be5/...Be7, whereas White will have a very hard time
defending c2 as he can't use his bishop, while Black can easily double or
perhaps triple on the target. However, by not taking, White allows Keres a
large advantage in space and play against White's artificially isolated d-pawn.
}) 20... Be5 21. Be3 $6 {
Exchanging bishops would give White more drawing chances.} Rbc8 22. Qc4 Qf5 23.
Qb5 {A desperate attempt;} ({but if White tries to sit tight with} 23. Rbd1 {
, then Black makes progress by} Bd4 {; e.g.} 24. Bxd4 cxd4 25. Qxd4 Qxc2 {
with a continuing advantage.}) 23... Qxc2 24. Qxa5 f5 {"The game is already
decided from the strategic point of view," writes Keres, and Mr. Fritz agrees,
giving Black a decisive advantage. White has no reasonable defence to ...f5-f4
and in some cases onwards to f3.} 25. f3 {There is nothing better:} (25. f4 Qd3
26. fxe5 (26. Bxc5 Rxc5 {wins a piece}) 26... Qxe3+ 27. Kh1 Qxe5 {
and Black enjoys a solid extra pawn.}) (25. h3 f4 26. Rbc1 Qxb3 {
and again a pawn goes.}) (25. g3 f4 26. gxf4 Qg6+ 27. Kh1 Qe4+ 28. Kg1 Bxf4 {
and Black has a winning attack.}) 25... Bb2 {
Black starts down the road to madness...} ({This would never have become a
famous game had Keres (as he himself points out) played the simple} 25... Qd3
26. Bf2 Qxd5 {which wins easily - for as Keres writes, "Black would have
pocketed a pawn (...) without conceding the slightest counter-chance to his
opponent."}) 26. Qa6 Qxb3 27. Bf2 c4 28. Qb7 $1 {
The first hint that White is getting some counterplay:} ({After} 28. Qb7 {
Hort actually threatens to win (if Black carelessly plays} c3 $2 {) with} 29.
Bd4 $1 {. With each curious turn from move 25 on the game gets stranger and
stranger (which is why I picked it for this book!) and culminates with Keres
making a positional sacrifice of a whole queen! --- Of course Black could also
win without complications on the next move - but chess is still played by
humans, and the mutual mistakes and Keres colossal imagination make this game
a treasure - as opposed to, for example, Alekhine's technical win against
Stoltz that we saw above.}) 28... Rb8 (28... Qa3 {
(Keres) wins easily - but who wants simple chess?}) 29. Qa7 Ra8 ({Even here} 
29... Qc2 30. Rxb2 Qxb2 31. Bd4 Rb7 $1 {wins without complications - but then
we would be deprived of the brilliant insanity that follows!}) 30. Qb7 Reb8 31.
Qd7 Qc2 32. Qxd6 b3 33. Qe6+ Kh8 34. d6 {Now White has real counterplay!} Bf6
35. Rfc1 Qxc1+ $3 {A shock! And an unapproved one, according to Fritz - but I
like it! Keres has just casually traded a queen for a rook, and he's not done
sacrificing!} 36. Rxc1 b2 37. Rb1 c3 38. Qe2 ({
White can get some drawing chances by taking pawns and reducing material; e.g.
} 38. Qxf5 Rxa4 39. Be1 Ra1 40. Bxc3 Bxc3 41. Kf2 Rd8 42. f4 Rxb1 43. Qxb1 Rxd6
44. Kf3 g6 45. Qc2 Rc6 46. Qb3 h5 {, when Mr. Fritz says Black is slightly
better but clearly White is still playing.}) 38... Rxa4 39. d7 h6 {
Black needs to make a square for his king;} ({
he could even lose in a variation like} 39... Rg8 40. Qd3 Ra1 41. Be1 g6 $2 42.
Bxc3 Rxb1+ 43. Kf2 {.}) 40. Qe8+ Kh7 {After sterling defence a queen up (how's
that for an oxymoronic sentence!) Hort must seal his move. He makes the
obvious promotion, winning a rook - but it turns out that he loses while up a
full queen!} 41. d8=Q ({
Correct is to give back material as quickly as possible with} 41. Qxb8 c2 42.
Qxb2 $1 Bxb2 43. Rf1 Ra8 44. Bb6 Ra1 45. d8=Q Rxf1+ 46. Kxf1 c1=Q+ 47. Kf2 Bc3
{"which would probably gain him a pawn and good practical winning chances"
(Keres); e.g.} 48. g3 Bf6 49. Qd6 Qh1 50. h3 Qxh3 51. Kg1 {, when despite
Keres' optimism, I think White could legitimately hope for a draw.}) 41... Rxd8
42. Qxa4 Rd2 {Black is unbelievably down a full queen, without a single piece
for her majesty - "the most curious position that I have ever had in my whole
long chess praxis" (Keres). And yet it seems, even more incredibly, that Black
wins no matter what White does!} 43. Rxb2 {I checked Keres' analysis with the
faithful Fritz, and it does seem that Black wins in all variations, despite
the "trifle" of White's extra queen. Evidently the two passed pawns on the
seventh are not just the equivalent of the queen, they are actually worth more:
} (43. Qc4 c2 44. Qf1 Rd5 $1 45. h3 Ra5 {and wins shows the main idea -
Black's rook travels to the a-file and plans to invade on a1.}) (43. Qb5 c2 44.
Qf1 {transposes.}) 43... cxb2 44. Qb3 Rd8 45. Qc2 Rb8 46. Qb1 ({If} 46. Qxf5+
g6 47. Qd7+ ({or} 47. Qb1 Ra8 $1 {again}) 47... Bg7 {and the pawn goes through.
}) 46... g6 47. g4 Ra8 48. Kg2 Ra1 49. Qc2 b1=Q 50. Qc7+ Bg7 51. Bd4 Qf1+ 52.
Kg3 f4+ $1 {Finally! The win is now clear after this last tactical blow.} 53.
Kxf4 {This loses at once;} ({as does} 53. Kh4 g5+ 54. Kh5 Qh3# {.}) ({
Therefore the only try is} 53. Qxf4 {, but this still fails after} Ra2 54. Qc7
({if} 54. Bxg7 Qg2+ 55. Kh4 g5+ {and mate next move}) ({, or} 54. Qf7 Qg2+ 55.
Kf4 Qd2+ 56. Be3 Qd6+ 57. Ke4 Ra4+ {and mates}) 54... Qg2+ 55. Kf4 ({
or the familiar} 55. Kh4 g5+ 56. Kh5 Qh3#) 55... Qxh2+ {, winning the queen.})
53... Qc1+ {The queens come off and Black wins. --- An incredibly brilliant
game from the great Keres - not flawless of course, but stunningly imaginative.
From the opening point of view, the whole 5 d4 and Bb3-d5-c6+ variation can be
considered refuted. Black gets an easy game with excellent winning chances.}
0-1

[Event "Budapest"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1929.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Steiner, E."]
[Black "Capablanca, JR."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1929.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. d4 b5 $1 6. Bb3 Nxd4 7. Nxd4 exd4 8.
Qxd4 $2 {As White players still venture the poor 8 Bd5, so this even worse
blunder is still played today (see the note to move 16). Black now wins a
piece for two pawns, as should be easy to see.} ({
White could save the bishop with} 8. a4 {, but he will have a hard time both
regaining the pawn and avoiding bishop shut-in - here Spielmann manages to
inflict both of these on White and wins with a nice (what he would call "sham")
sacrifice of a rook:} Bb7 9. O-O ({or} 9. Qxd4 c5 10. Qe3 c4 11. Ba2 Nf6 {
and White's development left something to be desired in Pardeep007-Taylor,
playchess.com2010}) 9... Nf6 10. Re1 Be7 11. Qxd4 c5 12. Qe3 c4 {
(White's bishop is shut in)} 13. Ba2 Nxe4 {(Black snatches a button)} 14. Nc3
Nxc3 15. bxc3 Qd7 16. Ba3 f6 17. Rad1 Kf7 18. Qf4 Rhe8 19. h4 Bf8 20. Rxe8 Rxe8
21. Rd4 Re5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Qd2 Qe6 24. Bxd6 Bxd6 25. Rxd6 Re1+ 26. Kh2 Qg4
$1 {(go ahead, take my rook!) 0-1 G.Stoltz-R.Spielmann, Stockholm (2nd
matchgame) 1932. One notices that Stoltz, quite a strong player, was hammered
both by Alekhine (in the notes to the previous game) and Spielmann here when
he essayed the dubious 5 d4.}) 8... c5 9. Qd5 Be6 10. Qc6+ Bd7 11. Qd5 c4 {
Noah's Ark! It's instructive to see how Capablanca wins - he recognizes that
the piece will not win "by itself" and so constantly seeks the initiative and
is alert to small combinations.} 12. Bxc4 bxc4 13. Qxc4 Nf6 14. Nc3 Be7 15. O-O
O-O 16. a4 ({Now here's a modern example:} 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 Be6 18. Qd3 Qc7
19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Bg3 Nh5 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Nxg3 23. hxg3 Bf6 {
(the exchange of minor pieces has left White without recourse)} 24. c3 Qb6 25.
Rab1 Re8 26. c4 a5 27. b3 Qb4 28. Kf1 Re7 29. Re1 Rae8 30. Rxe7 Rxe7 31. Qc2
Qc3 32. Qd1 Bg5 33. Qf3 Qc2 34. Qd1 Qxa2 {(with this key pawn gone, it's
really time for White to resign, but nowadays so many people play out routine
losses to the bitter end)} 35. Ra1 Qd2 36. Qxd2 Bxd2 37. Rd1 Bb4 38. Ra1 Kf8
39. Rb1 Ke8 40. f3 Kd7 41. Kf2 Kc7 42. f4 Kb6 43. Kf3 Kc5 44. Rd1 Bc3 45. Rd3
Kb4 46. c5 dxc5 47. d6 Rd7 48. Ke4 c4 {0-1 D.Lutz-A.Heinz, Postbauer 2000;
White decides not to test Black's patience further, for if} 49. bxc4 Kxc4 50.
g4 Bb4 51. Rd4+ Kb5 52. Rd5+ Bc5 53. Ke5 Rxd6 54. Rxd6 Bxd6+ 55. Kxd6 a4 {
and White will soon be looking at a new black queen. --- And note that the
White player was rated over 2100! Evidently many people do not study the
Modern Steinitz at all.}) 16... Be6 17. Qd3 Qa5 $1 {Capablanca transfers the
queen to the kingside, which creates fresh tactical opportunities.} 18. Bd2 Qh5
19. h3 Rfc8 20. b3 d5 21. exd5 Rd8 {The open position favours the extra piece,
while the "extra pawns" at c2 and b3 have nothing to say.} 22. Qg3 Nxd5 23. Ne4
Bh4 24. Qh2 Nf6 25. Nd6 Qg6 26. Ba5 Rd7 27. c4 Ne4 28. Qf4 Bxf2+ $1 {
Capa finishes with his usual elegance.} 29. Rxf2 Nxf2 30. Kxf2 Rxd6 31. Qxd6
Qf6+ 32. Kg3 Qxa1 {The extra rook should be enough! --- There's nothing to say
about this opening, other than: hone your technique, just in case your
opponent blunders!} 0-1

[Event "Lippstadt"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Schlosser, P."]
[Black "Stangl, M."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "23"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. d4 b5 6. Bb3 Nxd4 7. Nxd4 exd4 8. c3
{This is what we like to see! A GM vs. GM encounter, where they come at each
other with guns blazing! Here White offers a pawn sacrifice!} dxc3 9. Qd5 {
Oh. There are 35 draws in the Mega with this move. We'll look at ways in which
both sides can avoid the draw in the next game.} Be6 10. Qc6+ Bd7 ({
Supposedly Steinitz analysed} 10... Ke7 $2 {to avoid the draw at this point
(though I have not found a source), but concluded that after} 11. Nxc3 {
White's attack is too powerful to justify the king move - and I quite agree.})
11. Qd5 Be6 12. Qc6+ {No blazing guns - just a rest day. --- If your opening
so terrifies White that he tries to force the draw on move 9, I say take it -
and enjoy your rest.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "San Francisco"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "De Firmian, N."]
[Black "Huebner, R."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. d4 b5 6. Bb3 Nxd4 7. Nxd4 exd4 8. c3
dxc3 ({Black can avoid the draw with} 8... Bb7 {, but I don't recommend it:} 9.
cxd4 Nf6 ({not} 9... Bxe4 $6 10. O-O {with a typical Open Game e-file attack})
10. f3 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Nc3 c5 13. Be3 {(I prefer White's strong centre to
Black's queenside majority - in this game Black barely manages to draw, and in
fact is still worse in the final position)} c4 14. Bc2 d5 15. e5 Ne8 16. f4 f5
17. g4 g6 18. gxf5 gxf5 19. Kh1 Ng7 20. Rg1 Qe8 21. Qf3 Kh8 22. Rg3 Qf7 23.
Rag1 Rg8 24. Ne2 Raf8 25. Rh3 Ne8 26. Ng3 Bc8 27. Rh5 Ng7 28. Rh6 Ne8 29. Rc6
Ng7 30. Rh6 Ne8 31. Bd1 Rg6 32. Qh5 Rxh6 33. Qxh6 Qe6 34. Qh3 Ng7 {½-½ A.Bisguier-V.Ciocaltea, Tel Aviv Olympiad 1964, though I would play on with} 35.
Bf3 {, when Black will have a hard time covering his weaknesses.}) 9. Qh5 (9.
Nxc3 Nf6 10. O-O ({in Chapter One we saw how Spassky brushed off Lobron's} 10.
e5 {"attack" by simply taking the pawn}) 10... Be7 11. Qf3 O-O 12. e5 Bg4 13.
exf6 Bxf3 14. fxe7 Qxe7 15. gxf3 c6 16. Be3 d5 {and Black was much better in K.
Richter-G.Machate, Swinemünde 1933, as his extra pawns shut out White's pieces.
}) 9... Qd7 $1 ({The more complicated} 9... g6 {is also possible; e.g.} 10. Qd5
Be6 11. Qc6+ Bd7 12. Qxc3 {which turns in Black's favour after} Qf6 $1 {
as one sees that the c7-pawn is taboo - but I think Hübner's simple move is
the best: Black refuses to weaken his structure and already I can see no
compensation for the sacrificed pawn.}) 10. Nxc3 Nf6 11. Qe2 Be7 {Black develop
s his kingside rapidly; there is no attack; and the American Grandmaster must
now face a world-class player a pawn to the bad!} 12. O-O ({Or} 12. a4 b4 13.
Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 O-O 15. a5 Bf6 16. O-O Qg4 17. Re1 Qxe2 18. Rxe2 Bg4 {
and White was just a pawn down in A.Kosten-M.Yeo, British Championship,
Brighton 1984.}) 12... O-O 13. h3 Bb7 14. Rd1 Rae8 15. Bf4 ({If} 15. e5 Bd8 16.
f4 Qc6 {is much better for Black.}) 15... Nxe4 $1 {
A nice tactic, forcing exchanges.} 16. Nxe4 Qf5 17. Bxd6 Bxd6 18. Nxd6 cxd6 19.
Qg4 Qf6 20. Qd7 $2 (20. Rd2 {is relatively best, though I'm sure Dr. Hübner
would have converted the extra pawn in the end.}) 20... Re7 $1 21. Qg4 ({Not} 
21. Qxd6 Re1+ 22. Kh2 Qxd6+ 23. Rxd6 Rxa1 {, picking off a rook.}) 21... Qxb2
22. Rac1 Qf6 23. Bd5 Bxd5 24. Rxd5 Qb2 25. Rcd1 Qxa2 26. Rxd6 g6 27. R1d2 Qa1+
28. Kh2 Rfe8 {Black has two extra pawns and will win after any queen exchange
- but avoiding said exchange allows Hübner to attack.} 29. Qf4 Re6 30. R6d4 Qc3
31. R2d3 Qc5 32. Rd5 Qe7 33. Rd7 Qf6 34. Qg3 Qe5 35. f4 Qf6 36. f5 R6e7 37.
R7d5 Re5 38. Rd6 Qxf5 39. Rxa6 Re1 40. Rf3 Qb1 {White's persistent avoiding of
exchanges has led to this - but who would not prefer a quick death?} 41. Qf2
Rh1+ 42. Kg3 Qc1 43. Qa7 Qg5+ 44. Kf2 Rf1+ $1 ({White resigns, as} 44... Rf1+
45. Kxf1 Qc1+ 46. Kf2 Qe1# {is mate. --- As I noted in Lobron-Spassky,
Alekhine pronounced 8 c3 "a gambit of doubtful value" almost a hundred years
ago, and nothing has changed that assessment. Indeed, it's only value is that
White can pretty much force the draw we saw in Schlosser-Stangl. ---
Unfortunately (as I often face such lines) I might run into this from a
lower-rated player who wishes to draw with someone higher rated - but this is
not, I think, the way to play chess. In any case, from an objective point of
view, 5 d4 can be considered refuted as a winning attempt for White.}) 0-1

[Event "Sao Paulo (rapid)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2004.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anand, V."]
[Black "Milos, G."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C66"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2004.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{Does the d2-d4 break have a point if delayed one move? I will consider that
question over the final four games of this chapter - but before we get there,
let's take a look at the original Steinitz Defence, which will prove useful
for understanding these more modern positions.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6
(3... d6 4. d4 Bd7 5. O-O Nf6 {is the more typical original Steinitz order,
which reaches the same position as the game.}) 4. O-O d6 5. d4 Bd7 6. Nc3 Be7
7. Bxc6 ({Trap alert - please pay attention! If} 7. Re1 -- ({
, Black should play} 7... exd4 {
, with a normal Steinitz Defence where White is a little better.}) ({
. But what if he plays the natural} 7... O-O $2 {- ? Let's take a look:} 8.
Bxc6 $1 Bxc6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qxd8 Raxd8 11. Nxe5 Bxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Nd3 f5
14. f3 Bc5+ 15. Nxc5 Nxc5 16. Bg5 Rd5 17. Be7 Re8 18. c4 {and Black resigns,
as he loses the exchange and has a bad position as well, 1-0 S.Tarrasch-G.
Marco, Dresden 1892. This is the original "Tarrasch Trap" into which many
people have fallen (I will show a modern example in Tal-Ivkov). Of course
Black doesn't have to lose the exchange, and can just drop a pawn if he bails
out early, but this is certainly not what you want!} (18. --))) 7... Bxc6 8.
Re1 exd4 {Correct and necessary,} ({as} 8... O-O $2 9. dxe5 {
transposes back into the trap.}) 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. h3 O-O 11. Qf3 {Take a good
look at this very typical Steinitz position; something very similar, yet
crucially different, will appear in Stellwagen-Tomashevsky. Note that White is
playing on five ranks, while Black only has three. Also one of Black's "bishop
pair" has no legal moves! But perhaps the most serious problem is this:
White's queen is active and well developed, while Black's plays no role in the
game.} Re8 {
Although Black can play different moves, his strategical difficulties remain;}
({here are two examples from practice:} 11... g6 {
(this kingside weakening does not help Black)} 12. Bh6 Re8 13. Rad1 Qc8 14. e5
dxe5 15. Rxe5 Bd6 16. Ree1 Rxe1+ 17. Rxe1 {(White's advantage is already
decisive; note the awkward black queen and the non-playing black rook, not to
mention the dark square holes on the kingside!)} Nh5 18. g4 Ng7 19. Nd5 Qd8 20.
Qf6 $1 Bf8 21. Ne7+ {(now it's too late to just lose a piece, Black must give
up the queen!) 1-0 Jos.Sanchez-C.Marzano, Genoa 2004.}) (11... c6 12. Bf4 Qb6 {
(the black queen wanders out, but can't find anything to do)} 13. Rad1 Rad8 ({
if} 13... Qxb2 $2 14. Rb1 Qa3 15. Nd5 {snags a piece}) 14. b3 Rfe8 15. Re3 Bc8
16. Red3 h6 17. Nde2 Qc7 18. Ng3 Nd7 19. Qe3 Nf8 {and now, instead of} 20. Nh5
{when White won messily in Z.Lanka-R.Callergard, Jyvaskyla 1991,} ({either} 20.
Qd2) ({, or even simpler} 20. Qxa7 {wins a pawn for basically nothing.})) 12.
Bf4 c6 13. Rad1 Qb6 14. Nb3 ({The simple} 14. b3 {, as in the Lanka game above,
is also good for White. Black's dual problems are that his queen is
ineffective and his d-pawn is weak.}) 14... a5 ({The lesser evil was} 14... c5
{
, which weakens the d5-square but at least temporarily holds the vital d6-pawn.
}) 15. Bxd6 Bxd6 16. Rxd6 a4 17. Nd2 Qxb2 (17... Be6 {
is necessary, but then Black is just a pawn down.}) 18. e5 {
Unfortunately for Black, he now loses a piece!} Qxc2 19. Re2 Bf5 20. exf6 Rxe2
21. Nxe2 Bg6 22. a3 Re8 23. Qe3 $1 {That's all folks! It's clear that Black
has no compensation for the piece. --- Now I'm sure this looked like a very
easy win for Anand - and it was! - but the similar position from the Modern
Steinitz gives Black new resources. Before we get there
(Stellwagen-Tomashevsky) let's look at some inaccurate, but instructive
opening play in the next two games.} 1-0

[Event "Los Angeles (rapid)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kim, W."]
[Black "Taylor, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C72"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 b5 ({As we will see,} 
6... Nf6 $1 {with an improved Steinitz Defence is correct.}) 7. Bb3 Nxd4 8.
Bxf7+ $2 {My opponent panicked,} ({
as he noticed the Noah's Ark Trap which would occur after} 8. Nxd4 exd4 9. -- (
9. Qxd4 $2 c5 {when Black wins, and so sacrificed unsoundly.}) ({. However, unlike in De Firmian-Hübner, White can offer a strong pawn (not piece!) sacrifice.
The reason it works here and not there is the inclusion of 0-0 for White and ..
.Bd7 for Black. White's move is good for the attack, putting the king out of
danger and preparing the king's rook for action; meanwhile Black's ...Bd7
prepares a solid defence in a closed position, but is useless in an open
attack. --- Therefore White should play} 9. c3 $1 dxc3 10. Qh5 $1 {and now Black is struggling, as the defensive move that killed the white attack in De
Firmian-Hübner, ...Qd7, is no longer on, Black must try more awkward defences
- here are two examples:} -- (10... g6 11. Qd5 Be6 {(note the loss of tempo)}
12. Qc6+ Bd7 13. Qxc3 f6 ({if} 13... Nf6 14. Bg5 Bg7 15. f4 {
with a strong attack}) ({; and furthermore,} 13... Qf6 {fails to} 14. Qxc7 {
- this worked for Black in the note to move 9 in De Firmian-Hübner, but here
White has the extra move 0-0, and so the c1-bishopisprotected}) 14. f4 c6 15.
e5 $1 {(White has a strong attack against Black's undeveloped position)} b4 ({
if} 15... d5 16. e6 $1 {wins}) 16. Qxb4 d5 17. Qc3 Kf7 18. Nd2 Qb6+ 19. Kh1 Bb4
20. Qd3 Ne7 21. exf6 $1 Kxf6 22. Ne4+ Kg7 23. Be3 dxe4 24. Bd4+ $1 {
(winning the queen and the game) 1-0 R.Sanguinetti-C.Guimard, Argentina 1968.})
(10... Qf6 11. Nxc3 {
(Everyman editor John Emms wins with a nice 19th century-looking attack)} Ne7
12. Re1 Qg6 13. Qf3 c6 14. Bf4 Bg4 15. Qe3 Nc8 16. e5 dxe5 ({
(Black can't keep lines closed, for if} 16... d5 17. Nxd5 $1 {
gives White a decisive attack for a mere knight}) 17. Qxe5+ Be7 18. Qc7 O-O 19.
Rxe7 Nxe7 20. Qxe7 Rfe8 21. Qc5 a5 22. Qg5 a4 23. Qxg6 hxg6 24. Bc2 {
(White cruises to the win with two pieces for a rook)} a3 25. b4 Rad8 26. Be3
Bf5 27. Bxf5 gxf5 28. g3 f6 29. h4 Kf7 30. Rc1 Re6 31. Kg2 Rd3 32. h5 Rd8 33.
Ne2 Re4 34. Rxc6 Rxb4 35. Rc7+ Kg8 36. Nf4 Re8 37. h6 gxh6 38. Nd5 Rxe3 39.
Nxb4 Re4 40. Nc2 b4 41. Kf3 h5 {1-0 J.Emms-R.Granat, British League 2009.})))
8... Kxf7 {Happy that White played the wrong sacrifice, I simply take material,
consolidate, and win.} 9. Ng5+ Ke8 10. Nc3 Nf6 11. Be3 h6 12. Bxd4 {
Desperation.} exd4 13. Qxd4 hxg5 14. e5 dxe5 15. Qxe5+ Kf7 16. Qxg5 Bd6 {
Black has a winning attack, which is pretty easy with two extra bishops!} 17.
h3 Rh5 18. Qd2 Bxh3 $1 19. Rad1 Bg4 20. f3 Bc5+ 21. Rf2 Qxd2 22. Rdxd2 Bxf2+
23. Kxf2 Be6 {. Despite Black's easy success, my answer to 6 d4 cannot be
recommended because of White's gambit continuation: 6...b5 7 Bb3 Nxd4 8 Nxd4
exd4 9 c3!. Therefore Black should play a more circumspect developing move, as
Keres did - namely 6...Nf6, which is the subject of the final three games of
this chapter.} 0-1

[Event "Belgrade-Moscow match"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1974.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tal, M."]
[Black "Ivkov, B."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1974.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 $1 {I like this
move, not only because Keres always played it (well, 8 times out of 9), but
mainly because I feel it's objectively best. When Black plays 5...Bd7 (instead
of going for the Yandemirov Gambit with 5...Bg4), he is planning to enter one
of the solid lines seen in Chapters Two or Three. He is not looking for an
open fight, as the tactics after 6 d4 this time favour White (unlike when he
breaks prematurely with 5 d4). Therefore, Black should keep the position as
closed as possible, develop rapidly, and prepare to castle. 6...Nf6 does all
these things - not to mention that none of Keres high-class foes could make a
dent in it over his long career! --- That being said, Black still has to watch
out for a 19th century trick!} ({Once Keres played} 6... b5 {as I did in the
previous game, but he never repeated it and I doubt I will either.}) 7. Bxc6
Bxc6 8. Re1 Be7 ({Captures don't work:} 8... Nxe4 $2 9. d5 {wins a piece}) ({or
} 8... Bxe4 9. Nc3 {and White recovers his pawn with attack.}) 9. Nc3 O-O $2 (
9... exd4 {is correct, for which see the next game - but the well-known GM
Ivkov was evidently not conversant with opening theory circa 1892!}) 10. dxe5
dxe5 11. Qxd8 Raxd8 12. Nxe5 {Now he sees it! The fact is, this position is
exactly the same as Tarrasch-Marco (as played in 1892 and seen in the notes to
Anand-Milos), except for the fact that Black has the extra tempo ...a7-a6,
which here means nothing - though in the next game it will mean something.} Bd7
({If Black tries to get his pawn back, then the Tarrasch trap slams shut again
like the casket of an undead ghoul:} 12... Bxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Nd3 f5 15. f3
Bc5+ 16. Nxc5 Nxc5 17. Bg5 Rd5 18. Be7 Re8 19. c4 {and wins - note that Black
can resign on move 19 here, instead of on move 18 in the original, due the
inclusion of ...a7-a6 and Ba4.}) 13. Nxd7 Rxd7 {Tal is a pawn up for nothing
and converts by methodically exchanging pieces down to a winning king and pawn
endgame.} 14. Bg5 Rfd8 15. Rad1 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Rxd7 Rxd7 18. e5 Be7 19.
Rd1 Rxd1+ 20. Nxd1 Bc5 21. Kf1 g5 22. Ne3 $1 Bxe3 {Not exchanging will also
lose in the end, though I think that's the better practical chance.} 23. fxe3 {
White wins the pawn ending despite the doubletons, since Black's kingside
pawns are so weak.} Kg7 24. g4 h5 ({No better is} 24... Kg6 25. Ke2 h5 26.
gxh5+ Kxh5 27. Kf3 Kg6 28. Ke4 {and Black will soon be in zugzwang}) ({or} 
24... Kf8 25. Ke2 Ke7 26. Kd3 Ke6 27. Ke4 a5 28. a4 c6 29. c4 b6 30. b3 c5 31.
h3 {and again Black is out of tempi.}) 25. gxh5 Kh6 26. Kg2 Kxh5 27. Kg3 g4 28.
Kf4 Kh4 29. b4 b6 30. a4 c6 31. c4 b5 32. axb5 axb5 33. c5 Kh3 34. Kg5 Kxh2 35.
Kxg4 Kg2 36. Kf5 Kf3 37. e6 $1 {
Simplest: Tal finds a way to queen far ahead of Black;} ({e.g.} 37. e6 fxe6+
38. Kxe6 Kxe3 39. Kd6 Kd4 40. Kxc6 Kc4 41. Kd6 Kxb4 42. c6 {
and White is too fast. --- The moral is: 19th century traps are still alive!})
1-0

[Event "World Junior Championships, Heraklio"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2004.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Stellwagen, D."]
[Black "Tomashevsky, E."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2004.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 7. Bxc6 {
Just as in the previous game. I'll go through all reasonable alternatives for
White in the next and final game of this chapter - but first, let's see how
Black should answer Tal's line, when White tries to force Black into an
original Steinitz.} Bxc6 8. Re1 Be7 9. Nc3 exd4 $1 ({
Please don't fall into an ancient trap like Ivkov did! Not} 9... O-O $2 10.
dxe5 {winning at least a pawn.}) 10. Nxd4 Bd7 11. Qf3 O-O 12. h3 {Do you remember this position? This is almost Anand-Milos after White's 11th move. Note
that the similar position here has one higher move number: White made a
useless extra move (Bb5-a4-c6) instead of Anand's Bb5-c6. Meanwhile
Tomashevsky (whose play impressed me in this game when he was a mere 2500 -
now I see the young Russian GM is over 2700!) has the gift tempo ...a7-a6,
which Anand's opponent did not have. How can one use this seemingly very
modest extra move? --- I noted before that one big problem Black has is the
development of the queen: in the regular Steinitz it's hard to find a good
place for Her Majesty, and she often must either shuttle behind the lines or,
as Milos tried, go out among the enemy where she faces grave dangers. But
Tomashevsky finds both a safe and active square for his strongest piece...} Re8
13. Bf4 Qc8 14. Rad1 b5 $1 {Black uses the extra tempo to gain space and open
an active square for his queen on b7.} 15. a3 ({Ivkov had bad luck with this
variation. After the Tal debacle, he found the correct line as here, and
equalized cleanly, but then:} 15. Re3 b4 16. Nce2 a5 17. Ng3 Bf8 18. Ndf5 Bxf5
19. exf5 ({if} 19. Nxf5 Qb7 ({not} 19... Nxe4 20. Nxg7 Bxg7 21. Rxe4 Rxe4 22.
Qxe4 Bxb2 23. Rd3 {and White's attacking chances against the weakened king
position outweigh Black's extra pawn}) 20. Ng3 ({or if} 20. Qg3 {
Black shakes off the pressure with} g6 {and the white e-pawn is weak}) 20...
Re6 21. Rde1 Rae8 {and Black has a good Steinitz/Nimzowitsch restraint position
}) 19... h6 20. Rde1 Qd7 21. Nh5 Nxh5 22. Qxh5 Qb5 23. Qg4 Rxe3 24. Rxe3 Qc4
25. b3 Qd4 ({Black could take some risks and go for the win with} 25... Qxc2
26. Bxh6 Qxa2 {, when it's not clear if White has compensation for the pawn})
26. Kh2 a4 27. Qf3 axb3 $1 {(a cool sacrifice)} 28. axb3 ({Black's point is} 
28. Qxa8 $2 Qxf4+ 29. Kg1 Qxe3 $1 30. fxe3 b2) 28... Ra5 29. Bg3 Qd5 30. Qg4
Qxf5 31. Qxb4 Qb5 32. Qc3 {(Ivkov has played well and has reached a completely
equal, double zero kind of position - only to leave a pawn en prise and so
lose the game!)} Ra8 $4 ({of course} 32... Ra7 {is dead equal}) 33. Qxc7 {
and White chopped it off and took the full point 40 moves later in G.Sigurjonsson-B.Ivkov, Amsterdam 1976.}) 15... Qb7 {Now we see two critical differences
between this game and Anand-Milos: one, the black queen is well activated,
attacking not the inconsequential b-pawn but rather White's crucial centre
pawn; and two, Black achieved this without playing ...c7-c6 (as Milos did),
which just weakens the d-pawn. So that one small extra tempo, ...a7-a6, means
a lot!} 16. Bg5 Rad8 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. Qxf5 h6 19. Bh4 Nd7 20. Bxe7 Rxe7 21. Nd5
Re5 22. Qg4 c6 {Now that Black has so much activity, he can afford this move
which drives back the formerly active white knight.} 23. Nc3 ({After} 23. Nc3
Re6 {Black is at least equal: he can double on the e-file, and both f6 and e5
are good squares for his knight; meanwhile he can continue to expand on the
queenside with moves like ...a6-a5 and ...b5-b4, which also threaten to remove
a defender of e4. I'd play on with Black, but in fact a draw was agreed here.
--- If you know both your Tarrasch and your Tomashevsky, this variation should
hold no terrors, as the Modern Steinitz is dramatically stronger than the
older version - thanks to that little a-pawn!}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "USSR Team Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1968.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hermlin, A."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C79"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1968.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 e5 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 Nf6 {Clearly White is
not forced to give up bishop for knight as in the previous two games, so as
promised, here is a round-up of the other possibilities, usually with Keres'
responses.} 7. dxe5 {As we'll see in the main game, Keres has zero problems
with this. Other tries in order of their popularity in the Mega follow:} (7. c3
g6 {returns to the Bishop Defence of Chapter Three, for example Parma-Keres.})
(7. Re1 b5 {(now this is good, as Black is one development tempo - 6...Nf6 -
closer to castling; so Keres accepts White's gambit, then returns the pawn at
the right moment to go all medieval on his foe!)} 8. Bb3 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10.
c3 dxc3 11. Nxc3 Be7 12. f4 O-O 13. Qf3 b4 14. Ne2 d5 $1 {
(this counterblow gives Black the advantage already)} 15. Bxd5 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 c6
17. Bc4 Bg4 18. Qd3 Qxd3 19. Bxd3 Rfd8 20. Bc2 Bf2 {
(Black exploits the weak back rank to win material and...)} 21. Rf1 Bxe2 22.
Rxf2 Bd3 23. Bxd3 Rxd3 24. g3 Nxe4 25. Rc2 c5 26. b3 Rd1+ 27. Kg2 Rad8 28. a3
Nd2 29. Raa2 Nxb3 30. Be3 R1d3 31. Kf2 h5 32. axb4 cxb4 33. Rxa6 Nd2 34. Rb6
Ne4+ 35. Kf3 Nc3 {(...finishes with this crushing blow! - there is no good
defence to the threat of ...Rxe3+ and ...Nd5+) 0-1 R.Bogdanovic-P.Keres,
Sarajevo 1972.}) (7. Bxc6 Bxc6 {
was seen in the previous two games - please follow the second one!}) (7. Nc3 {
(Lasker and Spassky take the sting out of this - note especially Lasker's cool
defensive play after White sacs a piece)} exd4 8. Nxd4 {and then:} -- (8...
Nxd4 9. Bxd7+ Qxd7 10. Qxd4 Be7 11. Bf4 O-O 12. Rad1 Rad8 13. h3 Rfe8 14. Rfe1
h6 15. Qd3 Qe6 16. Qf3 c6 {½-½ J.Nunn-B.Spassky, London 1986. Black has
neutralized any space problems he had by the double exchange of minor pieces,
and now takes a somewhat premature draw - Spassky, like Tomashevsky, could
certainly play on and try to prove that White's e-pawn is more a weakness than
a strength.} (16... --)) (8... Be7 {(this simple move is also acceptable)} 9.
Bxc6 bxc6 10. f4 {
(White tries to overrun Black's solid position, but doesn't succeed)} O-O 11.
b3 c5 12. Nde2 Bc6 13. Ng3 Re8 14. Bb2 Bf8 15. Qd3 a5 16. Rae1 a4 17. Nd1 Rb8
18. c4 Bb7 19. Rf3 axb3 20. axb3 Bc8 21. Ne3 Bb7 22. Nef5 g6 23. Qc3 Re6 24.
Nh5 gxh5 {(just take it!)} 25. Rg3+ Kh8 26. Qf3 h4 27. Nxh4 h6 28. Qh5 Qe8 29.
Nf5 Kh7 30. Bxf6 Rxf6 31. Nh4 Rxf4 32. Nf3 f6 {(White's attack is broken)} 33.
Qxe8 Rxe8 {0-1 J.Showalter-Em.Lasker, New York 1893.})) (7. c4 Be7 8. d5 ({
closing the position, but then Black gets typical King's Indian style play;
otherwise} 8. Nc3 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Bxd7+ Nxd7 11. Qxd4 Bf6 {with equality
is a line from the Duras Variation - see the note to move 5 in
Kupreichik-Yandemirov}) 8... Nb8 9. Bc2 O-O 10. Nc3 a5 11. h3 Na6 12. Be3 Ne8
13. a3 g6 14. Bh6 Ng7 15. Rb1 {, and now Black might get a good game by} f5 ({
instead of} 15... c5 {as in A.Bisguier-A.Medina Garcia, Palma de Mallorca 1971,
when I think White could have obtained a positional advantage with} 16. Ba4)
16. exf5 gxf5 17. Qe2 Rf6 (17... Qe8 {
intending ...Qh5 and ...f5-f4 is also good}) 18. Bg5 Rg6 {
with active kingside play.}) (7. Bg5 Be7 {(it's already clear that the white
bishop is misplaced, as Black threatens ...Nxe4, while an exchange on f6
favours Black)} 8. Re1 b5 9. Bb3 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 exd4 11. e5 dxe5 12. Rxe5 O-O
13. Qf3 ({not} 13. Qxd4 $2 c5 {with a certain ark}) 13... Bd6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 {
and Black was a sound pawn up and went on to win in S.Dabus-J.Godois, Vacaria
1978. --- I would say that 7 c3, transposing to main lines, is relatively
speaking White's best move, as the others can be handled with little difficulty.
}) 7... Nxe5 ({Better than} 7... dxe5 8. Qe2 Bd6 9. Rd1 {, when Black had been
forced into a defensive position in W.Hoover-M.Shulman, Canadian Championship
1963.}) 8. Bxd7+ Nfxd7 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Nd4 O-O 11. Nf5 Re8 12. b3 (12. Nxe7+
Qxe7 13. Nd5 Qd8 14. Re1 h6 15. Bf4 Nf6 {is quiet equality}) ({while} 12. f4
Nc6 13. Rf3 Bf8 14. Be3 g6 {is sharper and more complicated, but in either
case I don't think Black has much to worry about - his kingside is solid and
he always gets counterplay against the white e-pawn.}) 12... Bf6 13. Bb2 g6 14.
Nh6+ Kg7 15. f4 $1 ({Since "normal" play gets nowhere - e.g.} 15. Ng4 Nxg4 16.
Qxg4 Nc5 17. f3 c6 18. Nd1 d5 19. exd5 cxd5 20. Qf4 Nd7 21. Bxf6+ Qxf6 22.
Qxf6+ Nxf6 23. Nb2 {and the ending is slightly better for Black because of his
more active rooks and the somewhat weak c2-pawn - White decides to mix it up
with this bold pawn sacrifice that Keres should probably not accept.}) 15...
Kxh6 $5 {Keres often took such risks against weaker players;} ({but I think} 
15... Nc6 {
is objectively correct, which seems to favour Black without complications; e.g.
} 16. Ng4 Bd4+ 17. Kh1 Nc5 {and White still has problems with his e-pawn and
the pressure on the long diagonal, especially as his bishop is undefended.})
16. fxe5 Rxe5 (16... Nxe5 17. Nd5 Bg5 18. Bxe5 dxe5 19. Rxf7 c6 20. Qf3 cxd5
21. Qh3+ Bh4 22. g3 dxe4 {
reaches a double-edged position where White has compensation for the material})
({while if} 16... dxe5 17. Qg4 Re6 18. Rad1 {and again there's annoying
pressure. No recapture exempts Black from difficulties.}) 17. Qd3 $2 {
But this just loses a tempo, and the compensation vanishes like a handful of
pixie dust.} ({Correct is the forceful} 17. Qd2+ $1 {
with good play in all variations:} Bg5 ({if} 17... Kg7 $2 18. Nd5 Re6 19. Nxf6
Nxf6 20. Rxf6 Rxf6 21. Rf1 {and White wins by pin}) ({, or} 17... g5 18. h4 $1
{and Black's kingside will be broken up}) 18. Qe1 f5 19. Qg3 {
and White's attack is worth the pawn.}) 17... Re6 $1 {Keres' risk pays off -
again! As 17 Qd3 didn't threaten anything, Black uses his free move to
consolidate; Keres never gives his opponent another chance.} 18. Rxf6 Rxf6 19.
Nd5 Ne5 $1 20. Qh3+ Kg7 21. Nxf6 Qxf6 22. Rf1 Qe7 23. Bc1 Re8 24. Qh6+ Kg8 25.
Bg5 Qf8 {Keres calmly shakes off the attack, and retains his extra pawn.} 26.
Qh3 Re6 27. Bf6 Nd7 28. Bb2 Qe7 29. Rf3 Rxe4 {Make that two.} 30. Qh6 ({
Note that the old trick} 30. Qxh7+ Kxh7 31. Rh3+ {fails to} Rh4 {.}) 30... Ne5
31. Rf1 Re2 32. Qc1 Ng4 33. Bd4 Qe4 {The counter-attack triumphs. --- It's
clear that White can't get anything more than equality with this central
exchange (7 dxe5).} 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "9. Four Fishes"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{So far in this book, I have covered the critical and important lines that
occur after} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 {, namely 5 c3, 5 0-0, 5
Bxc6, 5 c4 and 5 d4. Black absolutely has to know how to handle these moves.
But there are also other lines that are often played, which have no
theoretical importance, but are of great practical value.} 5. -- ({These are} 
5. Nc3) (5. d3) (5. Qe2) ({and} 5. h3 {. As can easily be seen, all are
defensive moves - when White is not even attacked! I am not an advocate of
such passive play with White, but you will face such moves as Black, as I have,
and the following five games are a guide on how to deal with them.}) (5. -- {
Conclusion: None of the Four Fishes are any threat to Black's health and
welfare: in general Black equalizes with ease against any of these needlessly
defensive moves, and can then play for the win.}) (5. -- {This chapter
concludes my coverage of the Modern Steinitz proper - but as I pointed out
early on, White does have one (and only one!) way of staying in Ruy territory
while avoiding the MS - and that is the Exchange Variation with 4 Bxc6, the
subject of the last two chapters of this book.}) *

[Event "Margate"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1937.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Thomas, GA."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1937.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 (3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nd4 6. c3 b5 7. Bf1 {
is the Fritz Variation (that's Alexander Fritz the 19th century German master,
not Mr. Fritz, my computing alter ego!) of the Two Knights Defence where Black
gets good counterplay - but he will get an improved version of this in the
main game.}) 3... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 ({The MS order would be} 4... d6 5. Nc3 b5 6.
Bb3 Nf6 {, reaching the main game.}) 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bb3 d6 {
Transposing to our opening.} 7. Ng5 {White doesn't seem to have anything
better than this Two Knights style attack, but the results in practice have
been abysmal. My database gives 14 games with this move and the Yates/Keres
counter 7...d5, of which White won two (one of these being a 1600 rated
blunderfest), drew three, and lost nine! Keres' analysis, plus my own
supported by Fritz, shows this to be a dangerous venture for White.} ({
The quiet} 7. d3 Na5 {reaches the next game by transposition, where Black gets
the advantage right in the opening}) ({and a flank attack gets nowhere:} 7. a4
b4 8. Nd5 Nxe4 {
and White is struggling to equalize after the loss of his centre pawn.}) 7...
d5 $1 {Black is prepared to go into a Fritz Variation with a number of
improved factors. First, let's note that even though the d-pawn moved twice,
Black did not lose a tempo: the white king's bishop moved three times to get
to the Italian diagonal (Bb5-a4-b3), while Black also used three moves (...a6/.
..d6/...d5) to arrive at the "Fritz similar position" - Black's ...b7-b5 is
played in both lines - which makes the tempo count even. --- However, the
current position contains advantages to Black: the white bishop can no longer
retreat to f1, which is normal in the Fritz Variation as given above - and
therefore g2 is unprotected, and indeed the decisive blow is struck there in
the game. On the other side, the b5-pawn is protected, usually a weak point
for Black in the Fritz Variation proper. --- To quote Keres: "White must play
most carefully in the ensuing phase of the game so as not to fall victim to a
withering attack on the part of his better developed opponent."} 8. Nxd5 ({
When this gambit line was introduced by the great British player F.D.Yates,
White answered with the pawn capture} 8. exd5 {
, much as in the Two Knights Defence - but after} Nd4 9. d6 Nxb3 10. dxc7 Qxc7
11. axb3 Bb7 {"Black obtains a fine position with excellent attacking
prospects," says Keres, and I couldn't agree more. Yates won as follows:} 12.
O-O h6 13. Nf3 Bd6 ({the "Two Knights style"} 13... e4 {
also looks good for Black}) 14. d3 O-O 15. Re1 Rad8 16. Qe2 Rde8 17. Ne4 Nxe4
18. dxe4 f5 $1 {(Black opens lines, attacks...)} 19. Rd1 fxe4 20. Ne1 Re6 21.
Be3 Ref6 22. Rd2 Bc5 23. Rad1 Rxf2 $1 {(...and crashes through in style!)} 24.
Bxf2 Rxf2 25. Qxf2 Bxf2+ 26. Kxf2 Qf7+ 27. Kg1 Qh5 28. Rd8+ Kh7 29. Ra1 Qf5 30.
Rdd1 e3 31. Nd3 Qg4 32. Ne1 Qe2 33. Nf3 Qf2+ 34. Kh1 e2 35. Rg1 e4 36. Ne1 h5
37. Rb1 h4 38. Ra1 ({there is no defence:} 38. h3 Qg3 39. c4 e3 40. Nf3 Bxf3
41. gxf3 Qxh3#) 38... h3 39. Rb1 e3 40. Ra1 Qf1 {
0-1 J.Lewis-F.Yates, British Championship, Oxford 1910.}) 8... Nd4 {
Now it's surprisingly hard to find a good move for White.} 9. Ne3 {
Keres gets a strong attack after this, so let's look at some alternatives.} (9.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 10. Bxf7+ ({if} 10. Nxf7 Nxb3 11. Nxh8 Nxa1 12. Qh5+ g6 13. Qxh7
Nxc2+ 14. Kd1 Nd4 15. Qxg6+ Qxg6 16. Nxg6 Bg7 {
and Black's piece should beat the three pawns}) ({, or} 10. d3 h6 11. Nh3 Qg6
$1 {and the weakness at g2 is fatal}) 10... Ke7 11. d3 h6 12. h4 (12. Bd5 c6
13. Nf7 Rh7 {also favours Black - one recalls I used this knight-trapping idea
in Robinson-Taylor}) 12... hxg5 13. Bxg5 Qxg5 $1 {
is a pretty win pointed out by Keres.}) (9. d3 Nxb3 10. axb3 ({not} 10. Nxf6+
$2 gxf6 $1 {winning a piece}) 10... Nxd5 11. exd5 Qxd5 {
and Black has two good bishops and material equality.}) (9. Nc3 Nxb3 10. axb3
Bg4 11. f3 ({if} 11. Nf3 b4 12. Na4 Nxe4 13. d3 Nf6 14. Qe2 Be7 15. Qxe5 O-O {
and Black has good play for the pawn}) 11... Bh5 12. O-O Bc5+ 13. Kh1 h6 14.
Nh3 O-O {and again Black has good compensation with his two bishops and
attacking chances.}) (9. c3 Nxb3 10. Qxb3 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Qxd5 12. exd5 Bb7 13.
O-O Bxd5 14. Re1 f6 15. Ne4 O-O-O $1 {when Black has recovered his pawn with
the better game, which so disheartened White that he made a losing blunder.}
16. b4 {was necessary with slight drawing chances,} ({but instead White played
} 16. d4 $2 exd4 17. cxd4 Re8 $1 {
0-1 D.Janosevic-G.Tringov, Sarajevo 1967 - White will lose a piece.})) 9...
Nxb3 10. axb3 h6 11. Nf3 Nxe4 12. Nxe5 ({In the highest level recent game with
this variation, the strong French GM Fontaine tried} 12. d3 {here, perhaps
unaware that this had already been analysed by Keres with an unfavourable
verdict for White! His lower-rated FM opponent followed Keres and scored after}
Bb4+ $1 13. c3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bxc3+ 15. Bd2 Bxa1 16. Qxa1 f6 ({Keres gives} 
16... Qxd3 {with advantage here, but Somborski's move is not bad: he secures
his centre and maintains a rook + two pawns vs. two knights balance, which
will favour Black in the long run}) 17. Qc3 O-O 18. O-O Rf7 19. Nh4 Be6 20. Qc6
Qe8 21. Qe4 Rd8 22. Nef5 Bxf5 23. Nxf5 Qd7 24. Qg4 Kh7 25. Qh5 Qe8 26. Qf3 Rfd7
{(now the weak d-pawn goes and the position clarifies to Black's advantage)}
27. d4 exd4 28. Re1 Qf7 29. Re4 d3 30. h3 Qxb3 31. Bxh6 d2 $1 {(a beautiful
illustration of the "passed pawn's lust to expand"! Black leaves both his
opponent's bishop and his own queen en prise - and so forces the win!)} 32.
Qxb3 d1=Q+ 33. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 34. Kh2 gxh6 35. Re7+ Kh8 36. Rxc7 Rb8 37. Ne7 b4 38.
Ng6+ Kg8 39. Ne7+ Kf8 40. Nc6 Rc1 41. Rh7 Rb6 42. Nd4 b3 43. Rh8+ Kg7 {
0-1 R.Fontaine-N.Somborski, Serbian Team Championship 2005.}) 12... Qf6 13. Nf3
(13. N5g4 {is a better try, though Black has good compensation after} Qe6 {.})
13... Bb7 14. Qe2 O-O-O {Yet another MS long castle!} 15. O-O Bd6 {We now see a perfect version of a development/attack/two bishops pawn sacrifice. I think
White's chances of holding this position in a practical game are virtually nil.
} 16. Ng4 Qf5 ({Keres gives} 16... Qg6 {as more accurate, so he can meet} 17.
d3 Ng5 18. Nh4 {with} Qh5 {.}) 17. d3 Ng5 18. Nh4 Qd5 19. c4 $2 (19. f3 {
is necessary, when Black has a strong attack with} Ne6 {followed by a kingside
pawn storm, but White is at least still playing. Now instead, Black
immediately forces a winning position.}) 19... Nh3+ $1 20. Kh1 Qh5 {
It's all over.} 21. c5 Rhe8 22. Qc2 (22. Be3 Qxh4 23. cxd6 Bxg2+ 24. Kxg2 Nf4+
{winning the queen is another way - note again the weakness of g2.}) 22... Qxh4
23. cxd6 {Making it short, but there are no saves in any case:} (23. c6 Bxc6
24. Qxc6 Nxf2+ 25. Kg1 Nxg4 {is another pretty win given by Keres}) ({
and even after the relatively best} 23. f3 {
(White must block the long diagonal if he wants to continue playing)} Nf2+ 24.
Qxf2 {(forced)} Qxf2 25. Nxf2 Bxc5 26. Ne4 Bb6 27. Bd2 f5 28. Ng3 Rxd3 29. Bc3
g6 {Black emerges with all he needs to win: an extra pawn and the two bishops.}
) 23... Bxg2+ $1 {The weak square tells again, as Black forces mate.} 24. Kxg2
Qxg4+ 25. Kh1 Qf3# {. The Four Knights Game (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5)
is a quite reasonable opening, which forestalls the counter 4...a6 due to 5
Bxc6 dxc6 6 Nxe5, when Black will have a terrible time getting his pawn back -
if he can do so at all - since the white e-pawn is already protected. However,
to enter a Four Knights "type" of position by playing an early Nc3 when Black
has ...a7-a6 in already is asking for trouble. White was struggling in the
opening here, as his sharp play rebounded against him - and the quiet play he
tries in the next game doesn't promise any more.} 0-1

[Event "Irvine, California"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hermansen, R."]
[Black "Peters, JA."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 ({
The game could have been reached via a strict MS order by} 4... d6 5. d3 Nf6 6.
Nc3 {. In any move order, the knight on c3 is misplaced in the Ruy, and Black
promptly takes advantage by gaining space and seizing the two bishops.}) 5. d3
d6 6. Nc3 b5 7. Bb3 Na5 {White only scores 45% from this position; it's
evident that Black already has the more comfortable game with the bishop pair
(he's going to take the b3-bishop soon!) and a solid centre.} 8. h3 ({
A good example of dominating black bishops can be found in the following game
- of course Anderssen was a great, indeed "Immortal", player, but he could do
nothing with this opening, and 130 years have not improved the line:} 8. O-O
Be7 9. h3 O-O 10. Ne2 Nxb3 11. axb3 c5 12. Ng3 Ne8 13. Bd2 g6 14. Ba5 Qd7 15.
b4 f6 16. c3 Ng7 17. bxc5 dxc5 18. d4 cxd4 19. cxd4 exd4 20. Bb6 Ne6 21. Bxd4
Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Kh8 23. Rc1 Bb7 24. Rc3 Bd6 {
(Black's bishops are already overwhelming)} 25. Nde2 Rad8 26. Rd3 Qe7 27. Nc3
Bxg3 28. fxg3 b4 29. Nd5 Qxe4 {
(White is losing a pawn - when he tries to get it back, he loses a piece!)} 30.
Rf4 Qe5 31. Rxb4 Bxd5 32. Rbd4 Bb3 33. Rxd8 Bxd1 34. Rxf8+ Kg7 35. Rfd8 Ba4 36.
R3d4 Bc6 37. Kh2 g5 38. Rd2 h5 39. R8d3 h4 40. Rc3 f5 41. Rf2 hxg3+ 42. Rxg3 f4
43. Rc3 f3+ 44. g3 Qe1 45. Rcc2 Be4 46. Rcd2 Bd3 $1 {0-1 A.Anderssen-L.Paulsen,
Krefeld 1871. Perhaps not "Immortal" or "Evergreen", but this was a fine
positional win by Paulsen.}) 8... Bb7 9. Ne2 {White follows Anderssen but
meets a similar fate: the knight will find no green pastures on g3.} ({
Our friend Mr. Fritz claims that White holds the balance with the simple} 9.
O-O {
, but I like the long-term prospects of Black's bishop pair after the simple}
Nxb3 10. axb3 Be7 {.}) 9... g6 10. Ng3 Bg7 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bd2 c5 13. Qe2 O-O
14. Nh2 d5 $1 {Black breaks in the centre and stands obviously better.} 15. c3
c4 16. dxc4 (16. Bc2 cxd3 17. Bxd3 dxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 f5
21. Qe2 Nc4 {is also much better for Black.}) 16... Nxb3 17. axb3 Nxe4 {
White's centre is destroyed, and Black has the two bishops.} 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19.
Rd1 Qb6 20. Be3 Qe6 21. g4 {
This desperate attempt at kingside counterplay just hastens the end.} ({
After the stronger} 21. cxb5 axb5 22. Qxb5 Rfb8 23. Qc4 Qxc4 24. bxc4 Ba6 25.
b4 Bxc4 {White's endgame prospects are poor, but at least he can still resist.}
) 21... Rfc8 22. Nf1 bxc4 23. bxc4 Qxc4 {
Black has an extra pawn supported by the bishop pair - the rest is technique.}
24. Qxc4 Rxc4 25. Rd7 Bc6 26. Rc7 Bb5 27. Rxc4 Bxc4 28. Ng3 Rb8 29. Bc1 Bd3 30.
Kd1 Rf8 31. Be3 f5 32. gxf5 gxf5 33. Nh5 Bh8 34. Bxh6 Rb8 35. Kc1 f4 36. Bg5
Kf7 37. Nxf4 exf4 38. Bxf4 Rb5 39. Bd2 Ra5 40. Be1 Be5 41. c4 ({
Black mates in two:} 41. c4 Bf4+ 42. Kd1 Ra1# {. --- Once again it's easy to
see that Nc3 is the cuckoo in the Lopez nest: this move just doesn't fit in
with White's system after Black has played the freeing ...a7-a6 - which simply
means White is struggling and Black has good play.}) 0-1

[Event "Mainz (rapid)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2006.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "David, Al"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, S."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 ({Of course} 4... d6 5. d3 Nf6 {
reaches the game position by the MS order.}) 5. d3 {We know that Lasker
defeated this passive move in the nineteenth century, and more than a hundred
years of chess technique have not improved it!} d6 6. c3 {We've seen this
innocuous for White position before in the World Champions chapter - four
times in fact, with White getting nothing out of the opening in all four cases.
} ({Lee-Lasker went} 6. c3 b5 {,} ({Smyslov-Botvinnik saw} 6... Be7) ({
, and Karpov-Ravinsky and Topalov-Anand continued} 6... Bd7 {. Mamedyarov, who
often plays the MS, goes for yet another move - which shows, as I pointed out
before, that the complete lack of pressure on Black's position allows him to
choose any reasonable set-up and count on equality.})) 6... g6 7. O-O ({
Another quick Mamedyarov win went as follows:} 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1
Nd7 10. Nf1 Nc5 11. Bc2 Ne6 12. h3 h6 13. a4 Qf6 14. Ne3 Nf4 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16.
exd5 Ne7 17. c4 Nf5 18. a5 Nh4 19. Nxh4 Qxh4 20. b4 f5 {(once you see this
move it's obvious that Black has outplayed his opponent, as only Black's
kingside attack is real, whereas White has nothing on the opposite wing -
still, one doesn't expect the game to last just two more moves!)} 21. Rb1 f4
22. f3 Rf5 {0-1 M.Zulfugarli-S.Mamedyarov, Dubai 2003. White resigned in the
face of the attack. A possible finish is} 23. Re2 ({or} 23. Qe2 Rg5 24. Qf2
Qxh3 {with an extra pawn and a still powerful attack}) 23... Rg5 24. Kh2 ({or} 
24. Kf1 Bxh3 {with a winning attack}) 24... Bxh3 25. gxh3 Qg3+ 26. Kh1 Qxf3+
27. Kh2 Rg3 28. Ba4 Rxh3+ 29. Kg1 Rh1# {.}) 7... Bg7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 Bd7 10.
d4 h6 11. d5 Ne7 12. Bxd7 Nxd7 {White reaches a typical Chapter Three pawn
chain position, but here Black is a tempo up in view of the stutter-step 5 d3,
10 d4.} 13. c4 f5 {White has the theoretically better bishop, but the white
king position is very weak, as the kingside is Black's strong side according
to the pawn chain, and one already sees several black pieces in the vicinity!}
14. Nc3 Nf6 15. b4 Qe8 16. Rb1 g5 17. exf5 Nxf5 18. Qd3 Qg6 19. Ne4 g4 20.
Nxf6+ Rxf6 21. hxg4 Qxg4 22. Re4 Qh5 23. g4 $2 {An unexpected error from the
Luxembourg GM - White can hardly create such a weakness on Black's strong side.
} ({However, even after} 23. Bd2 Rg6 24. Rb3 Rf8 {Black has a strong attack.})
23... Qg6 24. Rb3 Raf8 {Every black piece is attacking, and the f- and g-files
are full of weak points. I don't see any way White can hold this position,
though his actual move is a quick death.} 25. Bd2 ({
White can also lose swiftly with} 25. Qc2 Nd4 26. Nxd4 Rxf2 27. Qxf2 Rxf2 28.
Kxf2 Qxe4) ({and even the relatively best} 25. g5 {
(trying to keep lines closed) can't save him:} hxg5 26. Rg4 (26. Bxg5 Nd4 {
also wins}) 26... Qh5 27. Rxg5 Rg6 28. Qb1 (28. Rxg6 Qxg6+ 29. Kf1 e4 30. Qxe4
Ng3+ {picks up the queen}) 28... Bf6 29. Rxg6+ Qxg6+ 30. Kf1 e4 31. Ne1 Bd4 {
with a decisive attack, as Black's bishop finally comes into the game with
deadly threats.}) 25... Ng3 $1 {Black's attack breaks through. White has only
two tries (retreat his rook or take the knight) and both lose:} (25... Ng3 26.
fxg3 ({or} 26. Re3 e4 27. Qb1 Ne2+ 28. Kh2 Nd4 $1 29. Nxd4 Rxf2+ 30. Kh3 h5 $1
{with a winning attack}) 26... Rxf3 27. Re3 Qxd3 $1 28. Rbxd3 Rf1+ 29. Kg2
R8f2+ 30. Kh3 Rh1# {! How about that for a drastic exploitation of doubled
pawns: the hapless creatures do nothing but take away their own king's flight
squares. Seeing all this, White resigned! --- It's more than evident that
Black should have no problems against a move like 5 d3.}) 0-1

[Event "Pula"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Paljusaj, E."]
[Black "Nei, I."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 ({Let's let Fischer give us a lesson:} 
4... b5 5. Bb3 Na5 6. O-O Nxb3 7. axb3 d6 8. d4 {(here is the reason this
Norwegian Defence has never caught on - Black is behind in development and can
barely hold his centre)} f6 9. Nh4 Ne7 10. Nc3 Be6 11. Be3 g5 12. Qf3 $1 Bg7
13. dxe5 $1 dxe5 14. Nf5 Bxf5 15. exf5 O-O 16. Rad1 Qc8 17. Bc5 Nxf5 18. Bxf8
Bxf8 19. Nd5 Kg7 20. g4 {1-0 R.J.Fischer-R.Walker, US Junior Championship 1957.
That was a nice crush! But the difference between a crush for White and a good
position for Black can be a single tempo - keep the position after Fischer's
8th move above in mind as we go through the main game.}) 5. h3 {White defends
against... nothing! Any reasonable move is possible for Black: one can't go
wrong developing a piece with attack.} Nf6 6. O-O b5 7. Bb3 Na5 {Iivo Nei, perhaps best known for co-authoring 'Both Sides of the Chessboard' with Robert
Byrne, on the Fischer-Spassky match, shows he really does know his Fischer
from both sides! He seizes the bishop pair (Fischer's favourite), but at the
same time avoids Fischer's attack above, since White has lost a tempo with 5
h3.} 8. c3 ({If} 8. d4 Nxb3 9. axb3 {and one sees Black is a full tempo up on
the Fischer-Walker game (h2-h3 is meaningless, but the black knight on f6 is
not!) and so should at least equalize with his two bishops; e.g.} Bb7 10. dxe5
dxe5 11. Qxd8+ Rxd8 12. Nxe5 Nxe4 {
and the bishop pair gave Black the edge in C.Bognarne-S.Vajda, Budapest 1994.})
8... Nxb3 9. axb3 Bb7 10. Re1 g6 11. d4 Qe7 12. Be3 Bg7 13. b4 Nd7 {
Nei is content with his bishops;} ({but it seems to me that Black, having
consolidated his position, could just go ahead and snatch the pawn on e4:} 
13... Nxe4 14. Nbd2 Nxd2 15. Qxd2 f6 {, when White's compensation is doubtful.}
) 14. Qb3 O-O 15. Nbd2 h6 16. g4 {This "attack"-which, strangely enough, we
have seen in this as well as the previous two games - is bad once again: White
only weakens his kingside.} ({The logical} 16. c4 {
is correct, creating some play for White, with approximate equality.}) 16...
Kh7 17. g5 f6 18. gxh6 Bxh6 19. Bxh6 Kxh6 20. c4 {Too late, since Black's next
prepares ...Rh8 with good play against White's weakened kingside.} Kg7 21. Kh2
$2 {A tactical error in a difficult position.} exd4 $1 {Black has won a pawn -
so, rather than lose technically, White pitches a piece for a desperate
counter-attack!} 22. Nxd4 Qe5+ 23. Qg3 Qxd4 24. Nf3 Qb6 25. Rg1 {
Paljusaj enjoys, for a moment, his threat of mate in two.} Kf7 26. Qxg6+ Ke7
27. Qf5 Rf7 28. Nh4 Ne5 29. f4 Qf2+ {But now the moment's gone.} ({
White resigns in view of} 29... Qf2+ 30. Rg2 ({or} 30. Ng2 Nf3+ 31. Kh1 Qg3 {
and mates}) 30... Qxh4 31. fxe5 fxe5 {, when Black has an extra piece and the
attack. --- All 5 h3 does is present Black with a useful development tempo.})
0-1

[Event "Munich Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1958.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alexander, CH."]
[Black "Cuellar Gacharna, M."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1958.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 (4... Nf6 5. O-O ({or} 5. Qe2) 5... Be7
6. Qe2 {is the Worrall Attack, but in the main game Black has more options.})
5. Qe2 {Defending a pawn that isn't attacked - but that's typical of the
sidelines in this chapter. Also the white queen is slightly exposed, so again
it's clear that Black should have no problems, and that many moves may be
possible here.} Be7 {There's nothing wrong with this (any good developing move
is fine against White's non-threatening opening), but it does lead to
positions more reminiscent of the Worrall (see the note to move 8, where a
transposition was possible).} ({
I would probably stay in Steinitz territory with} 5... Bd7 6. O-O ({of course} 
6. c3 Nf6 7. d4 Be7 {transposes back to Kashdan-Alekhine et al}) 6... Nge7 7.
c3 Ng6 {and the Knight Defence (Chapter Two) looks very promising, as the
white queen is in range of both black knights; e.g.} 8. d3 Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10.
Nbd2 Nd4 {(one knight hits the white queen!)} 11. cxd4 Bxa4 12. Nc4 Bf6 13. b3
Bd7 14. h3 exd4 15. Bxd4 Re8 16. Ne3 Nf4 {
(the second knight strikes - clearly the white queen position aids Black)} 17.
Qd1 Bxd4 18. Nxd4 {and now, instead of} Qf6 {
which eventually led to a draw in L.Hilburt-I.Loktiev, Arvier 2004,} ({I think
} 18... Qg5 $1 19. Kh1 d5 {would lead to a different result: Black is hitting
hard in the centre and kingside, and both his minor pieces are more active
than White's - and having the only bishop is a long-term asset.})) 6. c3 b5 7.
Bc2 Nf6 8. d4 Bg4 ({In a recent high-level game (which reached this position
via the Worrall move order) Black played} 8... exd4 9. -- ({
, with the idea of direct counterplay after} 9. cxd4 Bg4) ({; but White
actually took with the knight, and it's worth seeing Black's crushing
counter-attack when White attempts to mate Black without further ado:} 9. Nxd4
Bb7 10. Nf5 O-O 11. Bg5 Nd7 12. h4 ({of course} 12. Nxe7+ Nxe7 {is correct,
when Black, as Marin has pointed out, will find counterplay with ...f7-f5,
although at this moment White still has a slight edge}) 12... Bf6 13. Nd2 b4
14. Rh3 {(White wants to attack immediately...)} Kh8 15. f4 bxc3 16. bxc3 Ne7
17. Rb1 Bc6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Nd4 Bd7 20. e5 Nfd5 21. Rh1 {
(...but this move probably wasn't part of the plan!)} Nxf4 22. Qe4 Neg6 23. h5
dxe5 24. hxg6 fxg6 {(now only Black is attacking: for the slight cost of a
piece, he brings up all the big guns to bear on White's "centralized" king)}
25. Nc6 Bxc6 26. Qxc6 Qg5 27. Be4 Rad8 28. Rb2 Rd6 29. Qxc7 Rfd8 30. Nf1 Ne6 $1
{(White is unable to defend his loose queen, rook and bishop)} 31. Qb8 Rd1+ 32.
Kf2 Qf4+ 33. Bf3 Rxb8 34. Rxb8+ Rd8 35. Rxd8+ Nxd8 36. Ng3 h6 {and Black won
easily in I.Nepomniachtchi-I.Khairullin, Russian Championship, Moscow 2006.}))
9. d5 Na5 10. a4 Bd7 11. b4 Nc4 12. Bd3 c6 $1 {White's overly cautious play
has allowed this strong pawn sacrifice: Black gets the two bishops, and open
queenside lines for pressure against White's undeveloped position - more than
enough for the pawn.} 13. Bxc4 bxc4 14. Qxc4 cxd5 15. exd5 O-O 16. O-O Qb6 17.
Qb3 Rfc8 18. Na3 Rab8 19. Bd2 Ne4 20. Be3 Qb7 21. Rac1 Nc5 22. Bxc5 {White must
give up his last bishop, as otherwise Black just recovers his pawn with
advantage.} Rxc5 23. Rfd1 Ra5 $2 {Overall this is an excellent game from the
Colombian IM, probably best known for participating in the famous Leningrad
Interzonal to find a successor to Fischer - but this is a bobble, seen
immediately by Fritz, though not, fortunately, by Cueller's human opponent!} ({
Correct is} 23... Bg4 $1 {, when Black pressures both kingside and queenside,
and retains more than enough compensation for the pawn.}) 24. b5 $2 {
White misses his chance!} (24. Nb5 $1 {
suddenly unpins and wins the trapped rook! After} Rxb5 25. axb5 axb5 26. Ra1 {
Black hardly has enough for the exchange.}) 24... axb5 25. Nxb5 Bxb5 26. axb5
Rxb5 {But now Black has recovered his pawn with the better game, and from here
onward Cueller controls the game until White resigns.} 27. Qc4 Rc5 28. Qe4 Qc8
29. c4 f5 $1 {Black's advantage goes across the whole board.} 30. Qe2 Bf6 31.
g3 Rb4 32. Nd2 e4 33. Qe3 h6 34. Qa3 Qb7 35. Rb1 Bb2 36. Qe3 Be5 {
The difference between the white and black minor pieces is drastic.} 37. Kg2
Rc8 38. Rxb4 Qxb4 39. Rb1 Qc3 40. Rb6 Qc2 41. Rc6 Rf8 42. Nf1 f4 {
The kingside majority asserts itself: Black has a winning attack.} 43. gxf4
Bxf4 44. Qa7 Qe2 45. Rc7 Qf3+ 46. Kg1 Qg4+ 47. Kh1 ({If} 47. Ng3 e3 {
wins at once.}) 47... Rf5 48. Qd4 e3 $1 49. Nxe3 ({Not} 49. fxe3 Qf3+ 50. Kg1
Rg5+ 51. Ng3 Bxg3 {and Black forces mate.}) 49... Qf3+ 50. Kg1 ({Or} 50. Ng2
Rg5 {with an easy win.}) 50... Rg5+ {
Black covers White's mate threat with tempo, and wins cleanly;} ({
though the computer informs us that} 50... Bxh2+ $1 {
is quicker, forcing mate with all checks.}) 51. Kf1 Bxe3 52. Rc8+ ({If} 52.
Qxe3 Qh1+ 53. Ke2 Re5 {pins the queen.}) 52... Kh7 53. Qd3+ Rf5 {Again Black's
rook both defends and attacks - while White is left a piece down, facing a
mating attack. --- Although Cueller won stylishly, I think I would avoid the
Worrall type positions of the main game in favour of the more Steinitzian 5...
Bd7, when Black should equalize with ease, given the rather misplaced white
queen, which has no function on e2 in the MS.} 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "10. Exchange Main Line"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 {By capturing the queen's knight on the
fourth move, White avoids just about everything: the Modern Steinitz, the
Marshall Gambit, the Open Ruy, the Archangel, the Zaitsev, etc, etc. In short,
White avoids all the most interesting variations and settles for (or perhaps
hopes for) a very drawish position with slight winning chances. --- In this
chapter we'll see Keres' main line defence with} dxc6 {.} 5. -- (5. -- {
Conclusion: "Everybody knows" that you have to take back with the d-pawn when
White plays 4 Bxc6. And then it is certainly possible to study every variation
of this main line Exchange - 5 Nc3 and 5 d4 as well as the theory-heavy 5 0-0
- and practice your endgame defence until you can draw these positions. That's
exactly how Keres handled it, and it's how Carlsen deals with the variation
now. You might win a game here and there against a lower-rated player, but
most of the time you will draw.}) (5. -- {Despite my mentor's endorsement, I
find this a dreary prospect! My personal experience in the last two games
above prompted me to question what "everybody knows" - and I discovered that I
was not the only one. The great Bent Larsen passed away as I was working on
this book (I will always remember how he taught me to play queen endings by
winning one a pawn down against me!) and I wondered, did that independent
thinker ever face the Exchange Variation? Yes! And against his highest rated
foe, he did not do what everyone else did. In Bent's honour, I am going to
call the line I will examine in the next and final chapter of this book,
Larsen's Variation. --- I pointed out in my book on Bird's Opening how Larsen
loved to take towards the centre (and that is the rule anyway) - so why not 4..
.bxc6! - ?}) (5. -- {As to my conclusion about the "regular" 4...dxc6 seen in
this chapter - all I can say is, life is too short to play such a boring
variation!}) *

[Event "Budapest"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1970.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Adorjan, A."]
[Black "Keres, P."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "1970.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 {White avoids the Modern Steinitz, which
otherwise will terrify him on the next move!} dxc6 {The most popular move,
always played by Keres, but is it the best? After the inevitable d2-(d3)-d4,
Black will have to count on his bishop pair to hold the game, as otherwise
White will have a good kingside pawn majority (4 vs. 3), while Black has a
lamed "majority" on the queenside, where he cannot force a passed pawn. The
final position of this game is a case in point.} ({After my experiences with
this main line, I lean towards the other recapture: take towards the centre à
la Larsen with} 4... bxc6 {, which will be covered in Chapter Eleven.}) 5. O-O
{The Barendregt Variation, popularized by Fischer, is considered best;} ({
though White has two major alternatives here:} 5. Nc3) ({and} 5. d4 {
, for which see Khachiyan-Taylor and Hughes-Taylor.}) 5... Bg4 {I chose this
as a main line repertoire variation to dovetail with Chapter Five, as Black
gets a more favourable Yandemirov Gambit here, though he has a hard time
generating any fireworks.} ({A year after playing Adorjan, Keres claimed that} 
5... Qd6 {was "less boring" than either 5...Bg4 (as here) or 5...f6 - and then
produced the following 16 move draw. Tell me if this is less boring than the
19 move draw of the main game:} 6. d3 ({for} 6. d4 {
see the first note to Andersson-Larsen}) 6... Ne7 7. Be3 Ng6 8. Nbd2 Be6 9. Qe2
Be7 10. d4 O-O 11. c3 Rad8 12. Nc4 Bxc4 13. Qxc4 Rfe8 14. Qb3 exd4 15. Nxd4 c5
16. Nf5 Qc6 {½-½ V.Savon-P.Keres, Petropolis Interzonal 1973.}) ({
The most popular defence of e5 is the simple} 5... f6 {, but while it's very
solid, it also has an excruciatingly high drawing percentage (43% according to
the Mega). A typical draw at the World Championship level is:} 6. d4 Bg4 7.
dxe5 Qxd1 8. Rxd1 fxe5 9. Rd3 Bd6 10. Nbd2 Nf6 11. Nc4 Nxe4 12. Ncxe5 Bxf3 13.
Nxf3 O-O 14. Be3 b5 15. c4 Rab8 16. Rc1 bxc4 17. Rd4 Rfe8 18. Nd2 Nxd2 19. Rxd2
Re4 20. g3 Be5 {(the mighty Spassky has obtained the advantage with Black
against the formidable Fischer, but the drawing nature of the position is so
great that Fischer draws without even breaking a sweat, though Boris plays on
with an extra pawn for another forty moves)} 21. Rcc2 Kf7 22. Kg2 Rxb2 23. Kf3
c3 24. Kxe4 cxd2 25. Rxd2 Rb5 26. Rc2 Bd6 27. Rxc6 Ra5 28. Bf4 Ra4+ 29. Kf3
Ra3+ 30. Ke4 Rxa2 31. Bxd6 cxd6 32. Rxd6 Rxf2 33. Rxa6 Rxh2 34. Kf3 Rd2 35.
Ra7+ Kf6 36. Ra6+ Ke7 37. Ra7+ Rd7 38. Ra2 Ke6 39. Kg2 Re7 40. Kh3 Kf6 41. Ra6+
Re6 42. Ra5 h6 43. Ra2 Kf5 44. Rf2+ Kg5 45. Rf7 g6 46. Rf4 h5 47. Rf3 Rf6 48.
Ra3 Re6 49. Rf3 Re4 50. Ra3 Kh6 51. Ra6 Re5 52. Kh4 Re4+ 53. Kh3 Re7 54. Kh4
Re5 55. Rb6 Kg7 56. Rb4 Kh6 57. Rb6 Re1 58. Kh3 Rh1+ 59. Kg2 Ra1 60. Kh3 Ra4 {
½-½ R.J.Fischer-B.Spassky, Reykjavik (16th matchgame) 1972.}) 6. h3 h5 {
As in the Yandemirov Gambit, this is the whole point of the bishop pin - but
the lines in this chapter are far less risky for Black; just as in Chapter
Five the lines with an early Bxc6 were much easier to meet than the 7 d4 line,
where Black had to work to eliminate the white king's bishop. GM Wedberg
comments on the game position: "This is probably one of Black's safest ways to
play against the Exchange Variation. The downside is that if White knows the
main line Black has absolutely no winning chances." --- I checked this out in
the Mega and found Wedberg to be absolutely correct - at the highest level the
draws run about 70%! --- And what of our hero Keres? As mentioned above, he
always recaptured with 4...dxc6 - though he played various lines afterwards,
always seeking something "less boring!". How did this search work out for Mr.
K? According to my database, he faced the Exchange Variation nine times in his
career, with the result of one win, eight draws and no losses. A good percentage
score with Black, but booooooring! --- Let's look at a great player of our
time: Mr. Number One rated in the world, Raw model Magnus Carlsen, has faced
the Ruy Exchange as Black seven times according to my database - and his score
is virtually identical to Keres: one win, six draws and no losses. Booooooring!}
7. d3 ({On the other hand, if someone is greedy, then Black can have some fun!
I will cover every chance to take the intrepid bishop on g4 in the course of
this game, but as one will see, mostly such captures are just good for Black:} 
7. hxg4 $2 hxg4 8. d4 ({if} 8. Ne1 Qh4 9. f4 g3 {and mates}) 8... gxf3 9. Qxf3
Qh4 10. g3 $2 ({White can hold on to a lost position with} 10. Qh3 Qxh3 11.
gxh3 exd4) 10... Qh2# {, A.Gusev-L.Murzin, Tula 2000.}) ({
Also possible is the drawing line} 7. c3 {
- see the first note to Khachiyan-Taylor.}) 7... Qf6 {Black continues with the
usual Yandemirov ideas: here he wants to double the white f-pawns, which, as
we already saw in Kamsky-Anand, generally leads to complete (and drawish)
equality.} 8. Nbd2 ({Again dubious is} 8. hxg4 hxg4 9. Ng5 ({or} 9. Bg5 Qg6 10.
Nh4 Qxg5 {and Black recovers the piece with advantage}) 9... Qh6 10. Nh3 ({not
} 10. f4 $2 Bc5+ $1 {0-1 M.Maslik-K.Pagac, Hlohovec 1996}) 10... Qh4 11. Bg5
Qh5 {and again Black gets his piece back with the better game and went on to
win in N.Moe Nilssen-K.Mork, Norwegian Team Championship 1990.}) ({
A sound alternative is} 8. Be3 {, as White now threatens to defend f3 with no
inconveniences (8 Nbd2, as played by Adorjan, blocks the queen's bishop) with
9 Nbd2, so Black must take the knight - and all this means is that the world
champion - or practically anyone else - can make an easy draw with White:} Bxf3
9. Qxf3 Qxf3 10. gxf3 Bd6 11. Nd2 Ne7 {and the doubled pawns on both sides
balanced each other out, with a draw coming soon in V.Anand-R.Kasimdzhanov,
World Blitz Championship, Moscow 2007.}) 8... Bd6 ({
In the next game, Topalov tries the newer but no less boring} 8... Ne7 {.}) 9.
Re1 ({Bad as usual is} 9. hxg4 hxg4 10. Nh2 $2 Qh4 {and wins.}) 9... Ne7 10. d4
({Still questionable is} 10. hxg4 hxg4 11. Nh2 Rxh2 $1 12. Kxh2 Qh4+ 13. Kg1
Bc5 {and now:} 14. -- (14. Qe2 g3 {wins for Black.}) (14. Re3 Bxe3 15. fxe3
O-O-O {"with a violent attack for Black" is given by Panczyk and Ilczuk in
their book 'Ruy Lopez Exchange'.}) (14. Re2 g3 15. Nf3 ({or} 15. Re3 Bxe3 {
with a winning attack}) 15... Bxf2+ 16. Rxf2 gxf2+ 17. Kf1 Qh1+ {
wins the queen.}) (14. g3 Qxg3+ {0-1 M.Ben Kassem-K.Willenberg, African Junior
Championship 2004. Better not take it yet!})) 10... Ng6 ({
The idea of White's last move is} 10... exd4 $2 11. e5 Bxe5 12. hxg4 hxg4 13.
Ne4 Qf5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 15. Ng3 {
and for the first time White can take the piece and win!}) 11. hxg4 {Finally! White takes - but not to win a piece, rather to force a very drawish ending
that he can't lose: in a word, boring!} hxg4 12. Nh2 Rxh2 $1 ({
Black has no choice, for as we now know,} 12... exd4 $2 13. e5 Nxe5 14. Ne4 $1
Qh4 15. Nxd6+ cxd6 16. Bf4 {wins for White.}) 13. Qxg4 {And White has no
choice either, though the players who go in for this as White are not looking
for excitement in any case;} ({
for the record, White shouldn't try to keep the material:} 13. Kxh2 $2 Qxf2 14.
Re2 exd4+ 15. e5 ({not} 15. Kh1 $2 Qh4+ 16. Kg1 Qh2+ 17. Kf1 Qh1+ 18. Kf2 g3+
19. Kf3 Qh5#) 15... Bxe5+ 16. Kh1 ({Black wins the queen after} 16. Rxe5+ $2
Nxe5 17. Ne4 Nf3+ 18. Qxf3 Qh4+ 19. Kg1 gxf3) 16... Qh4+ 17. Kg1 O-O-O 18. Rxe5
Rh8 19. Qe2 ({both} 19. Re4 Qh1+) ({, and} 19. Re1 Nf4 {lose for White}) 19...
Qh2+ 20. Kf2 Nxe5 {and Black has four pawns for the piece and a strong attack.}
) 13... Qh4 {A clean equalizer.} ({In 'My 60 Memorable Games' Fischer only
considers 13...Rh4 14 Qf5, when he claims a slight advantage for White - and
Fritz agrees - though in the following game the young lady playing Black
stubbornly resists Ruy Exchange specialist GM Khachiyan, and makes her draw:} 
13... Rh4 14. Qf5 Ne7 15. Qxf6 gxf6 16. Nf3 Rh7 17. Be3 O-O-O 18. g3 Rg8 19.
Kg2 Rg4 20. Nd2 exd4 21. Bxd4 f5 22. Bf6 fxe4 23. Bxe7 Bxe7 24. Rxe4 Rxe4 25.
Nxe4 f5 26. Nd2 Bf6 27. c3 Rd7 28. Nf1 Rd5 29. Rc1 b5 30. Ne3 Rd2 31. Rc2 Rxc2
32. Nxc2 Kd7 33. Kf3 c5 34. Kf4 Ke6 35. Ne3 Be5+ 36. Kg5 Bf6+ 37. Kg6 b4 38.
Nxf5 bxc3 39. bxc3 Bxc3 40. f4 Bd4 41. g4 Bf2 42. Ng7+ Kd5 43. Ne8 Ke4 44. Nxc7
Kxf4 45. Nxa6 {½-½ M.Khachiyan-B.Tuvshintugs, Philadelphia 2007.}) 14. Qxh4
Rxh4 15. Nf3 Rh5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. c3 ({Premature is} 18. f4 Bd4+
19. Kf1 Rh2 {
and Black's active pieces compensate for his inferior pawn structure.}) 18...
O-O-O $6 (18... g5 $1 {is recommended by Panczyk and Ilczuk, and I
emphatically agree: White's kingside pawn majority must be restrained.
Practical results for this move have been very good (that means Black can
draw!) as can be seen:} 19. -- (19. g3 O-O-O 20. Be3 g4 21. Kg2 Rdh8 22. Rh1
Rxh1 23. Rxh1 Rxh1 24. Kxh1 Kd7 25. Kg2 Ke6 26. Bf4 Bd6 27. Kf1 f5 28. exf5+
Kxf5 29. Be3 Ke4 {with a dead draw in I.Nataf-D.Anic, Enghien les Bains 1997.})
(19. f3 Bg3 20. Rd1 Ke7 21. Be3 Rah8 22. Kf1 Rh1+ 23. Ke2 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Rh2 25.
Rg1 f6 26. Bf2 Bd6 27. Bd4 c5 28. Be3 {
½-½ J.Nunn-M.Corden, Birmingham 1974.}) (19. Be3 Kd7 20. f3 Ke6 21. Kf2 f6
22. Rh1 Rah8 23. Rxh5 Rxh5 24. Rd1 Bd6 25. c4 Rh8 26. c5 Be5 {
, and now White should prefer} 27. b3 {
with an absolutely dead double zero draw;} ({instead of} 27. Rd3 {
when Black got play with} Rh1 {
and amazingly managed to win in T.Bjornsson-R.Hardarson, Selfoss 2003.}))) 19.
Be3 $2 {Evidently with a draw offer, which was accepted.} ({Instead,} 19. f4 $1
{takes advantage of Black's mistake to activate the kingside pawn majority.
Since Black does not have either the two bishops or the rook penetration after
...Bd4+ we saw earlier, he is just worse and will suffer either a long painful
defeat, or luckily, after hours of suffering, a long painful draw. Here's a
typical example - note the helplessness of Black's lamed queenside majority in
the pawn endgame:} Bf6 20. Be3 Rdh8 21. Kf1 Bh4 22. Bf2 Bxf2 23. Kxf2 Rd8 24.
Rad1 Rb5 25. Rxd8+ Kxd8 26. Rd1+ Ke7 27. Rd2 c5 28. Ke3 Rb6 29. a3 Rd6 30. e5
Rxd2 31. Kxd2 f6 32. exf6+ gxf6 33. Ke3 Ke6 34. Ke4 f5+ 35. Kf3 b5 36. g4 fxg4+
37. Kxg4 Kf6 38. f5 a5 39. Kf4 b4 40. Ke4 c6 41. Kf4 b3 42. Ke4 a4 43. Kf4 c4
44. Ke4 {1-0 Z.Fic-P.Bartas, Moravian Championship 2003. Black resigned here,
but I think the winning method is instructive - Black should know how bad this
ending is! White can handle any resistance as follows:} Kf7 45. Ke5 Ke7 46. f6+
Kf7 47. Kf5 c5 ({or} 47... Kf8 48. Ke6 Ke8 49. f7+ Kf8 50. Kf6 c5 51. Ke6 {
and queens}) 48. Ke5 Kf8 49. Kd6 Kf7 50. Kxc5 Kxf6 51. Kxc4 Ke5 52. Kb4 Ke4 53.
Kxa4 Kd3 54. Kxb3 {and White lays waste to the queenside. --- Keres was
fortunate that his bobble on move 18 didn't cost him. Against a determined
opponent he would have had a tough time drawing after 19 f4! - if a draw was
at all possible. On the other hand, had he played the correct 18...g5, he
would have held the draw comfortably, though there would be no winning chances
against a good opponent. --- Note that, overall, Keres (or Carlsen, for that
matter) was unable to inject any life or winning prospects into the black side
of the Exchange Variation. His 5...Qd6 was just as boring as the main game,
and his one win came against the much lower ranked Kagan, from a dead equal
position, when the Israeli IM lost his head in time pressure. --- In the next
game we'll see Topalov grapple only semi-successfully with the same problems
in the modern day. If Keres and Topalov could not solve these problems - that
is, reaching a position where three results are possible, besides the two
usually seen in this variation: win for White and draw - then what can an IM,
or a club player do?}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Madrid (rapid)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, A."]
[Black "Topalov, V."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. d3 Qf6 8.
Nbd2 Ne7 {This is fashionable move now; you can put it to the music of
"Another Way to Die", or in this case, another way to draw!} 9. Re1 ({
Just as in Keres' 8...Bd6 line, White can (but probably won't) take the
g4-bishop, as this almost always leads to a good game for Black:} 9. hxg4 hxg4
{and White must immediately return the piece}) ({while} 9. Nc4 Bxf3 10. Qxf3
Qxf3 11. gxf3 {is an even endgame, which the World Champion drew easily - with
Black this time - as we saw in Kamsky-Anand.}) 9... Ng6 10. d4 ({If} 10. hxg4
hxg4 {and again the piece must come back right away, since} 11. Nh2 $2 Bc5 12.
Qe2 g3 {wins for Black.}) 10... Nf4 11. dxe5 ({Still bad is} 11. hxg4 $2 hxg4
12. Nh2 Nxg2 $1 13. Ndf1 ({or} 13. Kxg2 Rxh2+ 14. Kxh2 Qxf2+ 15. Kh1 g3 {
and mates}) 13... Nxe1 14. Qxe1 O-O-O 15. Bd2 Bd6 16. d5 cxd5 17. exd5 e4 18.
Qxe4 Bxh2+ 19. Nxh2 Rxh2 {0-1 E.Brondum-G.Iskov, Esbjerg 1972.}) 11... Qg6 12.
Nh4 ({Still can't take it:} 12. hxg4 hxg4 13. Nh2 $2 Rxh2 $1 14. Kxh2 g3+ 15.
Kg1 ({or} 15. fxg3 Qh6+ 16. Kg1 Bc5+ 17. Kf1 Qh1#) 15... gxf2+ 16. Kxf2 Qxg2+
17. Ke3 Qg3+ {0-1 Walther-Hornig, correspondence 1985.}) 12... Bxd1 {It's the end of the line (where White might misplay in taking the bishop), so Black must
now enter another dreary, very drawish, very slightly better for White ending.}
({Impossible is} 12... Qh7 $2 13. hxg4 hxg4 14. Qxg4 Qxh4 15. Qxh4 Rxh4 16. Nf3
{and White is up a good pawn.}) 13. Nxg6 Nxg6 14. Rxd1 O-O-O 15. Re1 Nxe5 16.
Nf3 Nxf3+ 17. gxf3 Bb4 18. c3 Bc5 19. Kf1 Rd3 20. Ke2 Rhd8 21. Rg1 g6 22. Bf4 {
Boring? - check. Marginally better for White? - check. Black struggles but
makes the draw? - check. Great!} b5 23. Rac1 Kb7 24. Rc2 a5 25. Rf1 $6 (25. c4
$1 {is better, which takes advantage of the doubled c-pawns and makes it hard
for Black to completely equalize - as far as I can see best play is} b4 26. Rg5
$1 Kb6 $1 ({not} 26... Bb6 27. c5 {, shutting out the bishop}) 27. Bxc7+ Kxc7
28. Rxc5 Kb6 29. Re5 a4 {, when it's quite conceivable that Black makes a draw
a pawn down thanks to his d-file play, but no doubt there would be a lot of
suffering before that blessed result.}) 25... a4 26. Rd2 Rxd2+ 27. Bxd2 Be7 28.
Be3 Bf6 29. Bc5 Bg5 30. Rd1 Rxd1 31. Kxd1 Kc8 32. b3 axb3 33. axb3 Kd7 34. Ke2
Ke6 35. Be3 Be7 36. c4 Bd6 37. Kd3 {Instead of this move and a draw offer,} ({
White could try} 37. f4 Ba3 38. Bd4 Bd6 39. Ke3 c5 40. Bc3 b4 41. Bb2 Be7 {
and now Fritz claims equality - but my point of view (I'm not sure what
European players would think) is that in American sudden death with five
second delay, this is still hard to hold. Black's queenside is fixed and he
can undertake absolutely nothing active (...f7-f5 or ...g6-g5 just open lines
for White and could lead to undoubling his pawns). All Black can do is wait,
while White tries to set up the f4-f5 break - and White can manoeuvre until
Black's time runs out without risking anything whatsoever. Against Topalov
with a 30 second increment it is, of course, a dead draw. --- These games are
not just boring - they're painful! Black is barely hanging on to the draw at
the GM level - so how does that work for an IM?}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Los Angeles"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Khachiyan, M."]
[Black "Taylor, T."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{GM Melikset Khachiyan and I are friendly rivals in Los Angeles. Since we are
two of the few titled players in the area, we play fairly often, usually about
twice a year. In 2004 and 2005 I beat him twice in succession with the white
pieces (a Bird and a Grünfeld), and published the games in my books 'Bird's
Opening' and 'Beating the King's Indian and Grünfeld'. --- The chess gods,
offended by my hubris, rewarded me with ten Blacks in a row against the GM - a
streak that shows no signs of stopping! And the result was I made a few draws
- and more losses - with no wins. --- I tried practically every opening,
trying in vain to win. Finally, I studied the Keres and Topalov games above,
with the aim of simply making a draw, and I was convinced I could do just that
against Melik's favourite Ruy Exchange - so let's see how that turned out...} 
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. Nc3 ({Since my friend Melik is a
GM, and I a mere IM, I did not expect the following continuation which he had
played before - but against a GM:} 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. c3 Qd3 8. hxg4 hxg4
9. Nxe5 Bd6 {(looking this up now, I notice that this position has been
reached 197 times in the MegaBase - all draws of course! - it is a "rest day"
favourite of such GMs as Guseinov, Smirnov, Gavrikov, Sorokin, Kholmov, and
many more)} 10. Nxd3 Bh2+ 11. Kh1 Bd6+ {
½-½ M.Khachiyan-G.Serper, Los Angeles 2001.}) 5... f6 {While I was armed
to the teeth with Keres' drawing line vs. Adorjan and had the improvement on
his game of 18...g5 ready, I was not so prepared for my opponent's actual move,
which was more popular in Lasker's day - and although Keres did face it, as
one will soon see, I fail to follow my mentor on move 9.} 6. d4 {Necessary:} ({
if} 6. O-O Bg4 {and White can't get d2-d4 in without concessions - White only
scores 43% with this line.}) 6... exd4 7. Nxd4 ({The phenomenal endgame expert
Lasker was willing to play both sides of the ending after} 7. Qxd4 {, and his n
ear superhuman patience and subtlety allowed him to win with both colours!
Here are two epic World Champion vs. World Champion battles:} -- ({
. Lasker as White:} 7... Bd6 8. Be3 Ne7 9. Nd2 c5 10. Qd3 b5 11. Qe2 c4 12.
Qh5+ g6 13. Qh6 Kf7 14. f4 Qf8 15. Qh4 Nc6 16. Nd5 f5 17. Qf6+ Kg8 18. Qxf8+
Bxf8 19. Nxc7 {(Lasker picks off a doubled pawn and...)} Rb8 20. O-O-O Kf7 21.
Nf3 h6 22. e5 Be7 23. Nd5 Bd8 24. h4 Rg8 25. Rhe1 Be6 26. Bc5 b4 27. Ne3 Rb5
28. Bd6 c3 29. b3 a5 30. Rd3 a4 31. Nd4 Nxd4 32. Rxd4 Bxh4 33. Re2 axb3 34.
cxb3 Be7 35. Nc2 g5 36. Bxe7 Kxe7 37. Nxb4 gxf4 38. Nc6+ Kf7 39. Rxf4 Rg4 40.
Rd4 h5 41. Nd8+ Ke7 42. Nxe6 Kxe6 43. Rd6+ Ke7 44. Rh6 Re4 45. Rf2 Rbxe5 46.
Rxh5 Ke6 47. Rh6+ Kd5 48. Rf6 Kd4 49. Rd6+ Kc5 50. Rd8 Re2 51. Rf3 Rxa2 52.
Rxc3+ Kb4 53. Rc2 Rxc2+ 54. Kxc2 {(...now, 35 moves later, has finally reached
a single rook ending with two pawns to one, which...)} Re2+ 55. Rd2 Re4 56. Rf2
Rg4 57. Kb2 Re4 58. g3 Re5 59. Rf4+ Kb5 60. Ka3 Rd5 61. Rf3 Ka5 62. b4+ Kb5 63.
Kb3 Kb6 64. Kc4 Kc6 65. Rb3 Re5 66. b5+ Kb6 67. Kd4 Re4+ 68. Kd5 Re8 69. Kd6
Re1 70. Rf3 Kxb5 71. Rxf5+ {(...he finally converts to a rook and one pawn vs.
rook ending which is clearly won - no need to consult the Tablebase!)} Kc4 72.
g4 Kd4 73. g5 Rg1 74. Ke6 Ke4 75. Kf6 Ra1 76. g6 Ra7 77. Re5+ Kf4 78. Re7 {
1-0 Em.Lasker-W.Steinitz, Moscow (14th matchgame) 1896.}) ({. Lasker as Black:
} 7... Qxd4 8. Nxd4 Bd6 9. Be3 Ne7 10. O-O-O O-O 11. Nb3 Ng6 12. Bc5 Bf4+ 13.
Kb1 Re8 14. Rhe1 b6 15. Be3 Be5 16. Bd4 Nh4 17. Rg1 Be6 18. f4 Bd6 19. Bf2 Ng6
20. f5 Bxb3 21. axb3 Nf8 22. Bxb6 Bxh2 23. Rh1 cxb6 24. Rxh2 b5 25. Re1 Nd7 26.
Nd1 a5 27. Rh3 b4 28. Nf2 Nc5 29. Rhe3 a4 30. bxa4 Nxa4 31. e5 fxe5 32. Rxe5
Reb8 33. Ne4 b3 34. Re2 Nb6 35. cxb3 Nd5 36. g4 h6 37. g5 hxg5 38. Nxg5 Nf6 39.
Re7 Rxb3 40. Rg2 Nd5 {- Lasker's superlative defensive play has eliminated all
dangers to his position, and the evaluation would seem to be dead drawn.} 41.
-- ({. White should accept equality and play} 41. Re1 {when, with two pawns on
each side, none passed, it's impossible to see how either side could win.}) ({
. Instead, Alekhine makes a catastrophic blunder, losing the exchange and
eventually, the game:} 41. Rd7 $4 Rd3 $1 42. Rxd5 ({astonishingly enough,
despite the simplified position, White must give up the exchange as} 42. Kc2
Nb4+ {wins a rook}) (42. Rb7 Rd1+ 43. Kc2 Ne3+ {wins a different rook}) ({; and
} 42. Kc1 Ra1+ 43. Kc2 Nb4# {is mate!}) 42... Rxd5 43. Ne6 Kf7 44. Rxg7+ Kf6
45. Rc7 Rd6 46. Nc5 Kxf5 {(Lasker now manoeuvres patiently for 30 moves in
order to induce White to play b2-b3, where it is slightly weaker than b2! -
now that shows 1. Patience; and 2. He is playing a slow time limit without
sudden death!)} 47. Rf7+ Ke5 48. Kc2 Rh6 49. Nd3+ Kd6 50. Rf5 Rb8 51. Kc3 Kc7
52. Rf7+ Kb6 53. Rd7 Rh3 54. Rd4 Rbh8 55. Rb4+ Kc7 56. Kc2 R8h4 57. Rb3 Rh2+
58. Kc3 R4h3 59. Rb4 Rh5 60. Rg4 R2h3 61. Kc2 Rd5 62. Nf4 Rc5+ 63. Kb1 Rh1+ 64.
Ka2 Ra5+ 65. Kb3 Rb5+ 66. Kc3 Kb6 67. Nd3 Rh3 68. Kc2 Rd5 69. Rb4+ Kc7 70. Rb3
Rh2+ 71. Kc3 Kd6 72. Ra3 Rg2 73. Ra1 Rg3 74. Rd1 Kc7 75. Rd2 Kb6 76. Rd1 Kb5
77. Kc2 Kc4 78. b3+ {(phase one completed!)} Kb5 79. Rd2 Rh3 80. Rd1 Rh2+ 81.
Kc3 Rd8 82. Rg1 Rh3 83. Rd1 Rdh8 84. Rg1 R8h5 85. Kc2 Rd5 86. Rd1 Rg5 87. Rd2
Rhg3 88. Nc1 Rg2 89. Ne2 Kb6 {0-1 A.Alekhine-Em.Lasker, St Petersburg 1914 -
the exchange of rooks is now forced. --- To prove to myself this is a win (I
wouldn't say Black's win is obvious) I analysed further, and came up with the
following main line:} 90. Kd1 Rd5 91. Rxd5 {(giving Black a passed pawn, but
if the rook exchange occurs on d2, the knight remains fatally pinned)} cxd5 {
(the rest of the winning procedure involves shepherding the pawn down the
board, using any and all tactical tricks to justify the strategical imperative)
} 92. Kd2 Kc5 93. Kd3 Rg4 94. Ke3 d4+ 95. Kf3 d3 96. Nc3 Rd4 97. Ke3 d2 98. Ke2
Kb4 99. Nd1 Kxb3 100. Ne3 Kc3 101. Kd1 ({if} 101. Nd1+ Kc2 102. Ne3+ Kc1 {
is an easier win for Black}) 101... Rd3 102. Nf1 Rh3 103. Ke2 ({if} 103. Nxd2
Rd3 {wins the knight}) 103... Rh2+ $1 {(one still has to be awake, alert, and
have time on your clock to find this nice tactic on move 103 if your opponent
plays on, as he would, nowadays!)} 104. Nxh2 ({if} 104. Kd1 Rh1 105. Ke2 Rxf1 {
wins}) 104... Kc2 {and the pawn finally promotes!}))) 7... c5 8. Nde2 Qxd1+ 9.
Nxd1 Bd7 $2 ({If I had known at this time every Keres/Black/MS/Exchange game
(I do now!) I would have gone for the more active} 9... Be6 $1 {as played by
Keres. Of course I should also have found this at the board. In a few moves we
will see the crucial difference between the two bishop developments. --- But
first, let's see a nice technical draw by Keres:} 10. Bf4 O-O-O 11. Ne3 Ne7 12.
Rd1 {(White has to lose time to exchange rooks, since long castling is illegal)
} Rxd1+ 13. Kxd1 g6 14. Kc1 Bg7 15. Rd1 Rd8 16. Rxd8+ Kxd8 {½-½ A.Lutikov-P.Keres, USSR Team Championship 1969. Black's bishops are active enough to
hold the draw if White plays on; e.g.} 17. Bg3 f5 18. Nf4 Bd7 19. exf5 Nxf5 20.
Nxf5 Bxf5 21. Nd5 Bh6+ 22. Bf4 ({or} 22. Kb1 c6 23. Nf6 g5 {
and the bishop pair holds}) 22... Be4 $1 23. Bxh6 Bxd5 {and despite the
inferior pawn structure, the opposite bishops should secure the draw - but
even so, this is marginally, marginally better for White (+.03 on Fritz, which
is about right). Why does this matter? Because in sudden death White will play
this on, and you will suffer for another two hours to make your draw!}) 10. Bf4
O-O-O 11. Ne3 Ne7 ({About a month later, in another Los Angeles open
tournament, Khachiyan tried this line again. His young opponent, Michael Brown,
also did not know his Keres, and instead followed me on the 9th move - not a
good choice! At this point Brown deviated from my play, though without scoring
a better result:} 11... Re8 12. Nc3 Bc6 13. f3 Ne7 14. O-O-O {(notice White's
effective long castle here, as in the main game, which Keres prevented by
having his bishop on e6 while the d-file was open)} Ng6 15. Bg3 Ne5 16. Rhe1 g6
17. Ned5 Bh6+ 18. Kb1 Bg7 19. f4 Nd7 20. f5 Ne5 21. Nf4 Bd7 22. Ncd5 Rhf8 ({
after} 22... b6 {White is only marginally better}) 23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. cxd3 {
(Black is in trouble because White has cleared the diagonal for his bishop)}
gxf5 25. Nxc7 Rd8 26. Nd5 Rde8 27. Bd6 Rf7 28. exf5 Rxe1 29. Rxe1 Bf8 30. Bxf8
Rxf8 31. Nb6+ Kd8 32. Nxd7 Kxd7 33. Re6 {
(White has secured a pawn plus in a rook endgame, and GM technique takes over)}
Rf7 34. Kc2 Kc7 35. Kd2 Kd7 36. Ke3 Kc7 37. Ke4 b6 38. g4 a5 39. h4 h6 40. b3
Rg7 41. Kf4 Rf7 42. g5 hxg5+ 43. hxg5 fxg5+ 44. Kxg5 Rg7+ 45. Rg6 Rd7 46. f6
Kd6 47. Rg7 Rd8 48. Kg6 Re8 49. f7 Rf8 50. Kf6 {
1-0 M.Khachiyan-M.Brown, Los Angeles 2010.}) 12. O-O-O {Again, the clear
difference between Keres and Taylor is revealed: White castles smoothly
without loss of time, and so stands slightly better with his superior pawn
structure. The two bishops don't mean much, since the white knights are coming
to d5 (0-0-0 is useful for this plan as well) and Black will have to take one
off with a bishop soon. --- Bottom line: White is better, Black is struggling
for a draw. For a time I play well, but never completely equalize, and a
mistake on move 23 sends me further downhill.} g5 13. Bg3 Bg7 14. h4 h5 $1 {
I have to fight for every inch of space. This advance gives me counter-chances
that approach very near to a draw - but as we'll see later, the draw is never
forced. The even sadder thing is that Black can hope for nothing more than a
draw, and even Keres never even tried to win such positions, as was clear from
the Lutikov game above.} 15. Nc3 Be6 16. Rxd8+ Kxd8 17. Rd1+ Kc8 18. Ncd5 Nxd5
19. Nxd5 gxh4 20. Bxh4 Bh6+ 21. Kb1 Bg5 22. g3 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 Bxh4 $6 {
When I looked at the game immediately afterwards, I thought this was a classic
example of playing moves in the wrong order. As one sees in the game, taking
the white bishop loses control of c1, so White solves his back rank problem
and enters a superior rook ending where I have both doubled pawns and split
kingside pawns.} ({However, by playing} 23... Rg8 $1 {first, don't I draw? I
threaten to take on h4 winning a piece, and White can't (very unusual for a
Ruy Exchange) exchange off all pieces, as here the king and pawn ending wins
for Black! So it seems that Black draws, as White will be forced back onto
defence. When I got home I checked it on Fritz: Yes, said the iron man, 23...
Rg8! - equal! In fact my computer still says this now, as I write. For a while
I thought it was nice that I just missed a draw against a GM by one careless
move; I had not been outplayed, a mere blunder had cost me the game. --- But
then my "good angel" - that is, my "truth in chess" angel - kept bothering me.
If Black has lost his bishop pair, and still has the same defects in his pawn
structure that he started with (the doubled c-pawns, no pawn majority - and
here Black has additional isolated pawns on the kingside) then why should
Black be drawing here? I kept looking at the ending off and on as I worked on
the book, and after many hours defying my "genius computer" I found... it's
not a draw after all. Fritz failed to display the "sorry" function when I
proved White was better, but the monster did change its evaluation. While it's
not nice to prove that one's position is bad, I did learn a lot about
difficult rook endings! --- Here is my analysis:} 24. Bxg5 (24. b3 Bxh4 25.
gxh4 Rg4 26. Rxc5 Rxh4 27. Kc1 Rxe4 28. Rxh5 Rf4 {really is a draw}) 24... Rxg5
25. Rd1 $1 ({yes, White has to defend for a while, but the key feature of the
better pawn structure is, in the long run - and of course, given exact play by
White - more important than Black's temporary initiative; but note that Black
wins after} 25. Rxg5 $4 fxg5 26. Kc1 h4) ({, and gets good counterplay after} 
25. Rd3 h4 {
- both of these lines show the importance of my strong 14...h5! earlier}) 25...
Re5 26. f3 Rg5 27. Rg1 f5 ({no better is} 27... h4 28. g4 Rg8 29. Rh1 Rh8 30.
Kc1 Kd7 31. Kd2 Ke6 32. Ke3 Ke5 33. f4+ Ke6 34. Kf3 c4 35. Rh2 Rh7 36. g5 fxg5
37. fxg5 Ke5 38. Kg4 Kxe4 39. g6 Rg7 40. Kg5 {and White wins}) ({, or} 27...
Kd7 28. Kc1 Ke6 29. Kd2 f5 30. Ke3 fxe4 31. Kxe4 h4 32. g4 Re5+ 33. Kd3 Kf6 34.
f4 c4+ 35. Kd2 Re8 36. Rh1 Rh8 37. Rh3 b5 38. Ke2 {
, when White retains a plus in view of his connected passed pawns}) 28. exf5
Rxf5 29. f4 h4 ({if} 29... Rf8 30. Kc1 Rg8 31. Kd2 Kd7 32. Ke3 Ke6 33. Ke4 b5
34. Rh1 Rxg3 35. Rxh5 {and White still has a pull: he has a passer, and Black
doesn't, though this worse ending might be Black's best hope to draw}) 30. gxh4
Rxf4 31. Rh1 Rf6 32. h5 Rh6 33. Kc1 Kd7 34. Kd2 Ke6 35. Kd3 Kf5 36. Kc4 b6 37.
a4 {and White has a permanent advantage with the rook behind the passed pawn,
which Black must answer with} Ke5 {, and stay in the somewhat worse rook ending
} ({as Black can't go into the king and pawn ending; e.g.} 37... Kg5 38. a5
Rxh5 39. Rxh5+ Kxh5 40. axb6 cxb6 41. Kd5 Kg4 42. Kc6 {wins). This might draw
- and it might not - what is beyond dispute is that White can legitimately
play this ending to win, and Black will have to defend precisely for hours in
the hope of a draw. --- It is true that 23...Rg8 is much stronger than the
move I played, and as White can try to win, Black also has legitimate drawing
hopes, especially if I had Lasker on the lifeline!})) 24. gxh4 Rg8 25. Kc1 {
Now White has solved his back rank problems and, with targets on the fifth
rank, has a clear advantage in the rook ending.} Rg4 26. Rxh5 Rxe4 27. Kd2 Kd7
28. f3 Rb4 29. b3 c4 $5 {This leads to the loss of a pawn, but I succeed in
activating my king. All in all, it seems no worse than the following
alternatives, as nothing seems to really save the game:} (29... Rd4+ 30. Ke3 b6
31. Rh7+ {and White is in effect a pawn up, with good winning chances}) ({or} 
29... Kd6 30. c3 Rb5 31. c4 Ra5 32. a4 c6 33. Rh8 b5 34. h5 Ke7 ({not} 34...
bxa4 $2 35. h6 {and wins}) 35. Rc8 Kf7 36. axb5 cxb5 37. Rxc5 Ra2+ 38. Kd3
bxc4+ 39. bxc4 Rh2 {when Black has the active rook, but White probably wins
anyway due to his two passed pawns.}) 30. Kc3 Rb6 ({Black fails to queen after
} 30... cxb3 $2 31. Kxb4 b2 32. Rd5+ Ke6 33. Rd1) 31. Kxc4 Re6 32. Rh7+ Kd6 33.
Rf7 b5+ 34. Kd3 Ke5 35. h5 Kf4 {Black has a great king, but meanwhile the
white h-pawn has made a lot of progress.} ({The alternative} 35... Rd6+ {
also fails:} 36. Ke3 Rc6 37. h6 Rxc2 38. h7 Rh2 39. Rxc7 {etc.}) 36. h6 f5 ({
There are no saves:} 36... Kxf3 37. h7 Re3+ ({or} 37... Re8 38. Rxf6+ Kg3 39.
Rg6+ Kf3 40. Rg8 {and wins}) 38. Kd4 Re4+ 39. Kd5 Rh4 40. Rxf6+ Ke3 41. Rf7 {
and White will win on the queenside.}) 37. h7 Rh6 38. Rxc7 Kxf3 39. c4 bxc4+
40. bxc4 f4 {Black's counterplay comes too late.} 41. c5 Kf2 42. Rf7 f3 43. c6
Ke1 44. c7 f2 45. c8=Q {. This game shows how the Ruy Exchange can be used as
a weapon by a strong player: White aims for a marginally better position and
then grinds away - yes, Black might draw, like Keres, but remember, even at
the end of that game White was very slightly better. If White also has a
rating advantage, you can be sure you will be tormented for hours! --- Is it
possible for Black to win in this main line Exchange? Yes, but it's quite
difficult - see the next game.} 1-0

[Event "US Open, Irvine"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hughes, A."]
[Black "Taylor, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7
8. Nc3 {Let's look at two instructive World Champion games: in the first,
Smyslov tries to defeat Keres - but can only draw; and in the second, Miles
(with White) tries to draw with Karpov, and succeeds.} ({Both games continued} 
8. Be3 O-O-O {and then:} 9. -- (9. Nc3 Re8 10. O-O-O Bb4 {(Keres and I are on
the same page this time - this game was played a month or so after the
previous one - Black doesn't mind giving up the bishop pair if he can shatter
White's queenside; this threat causes White to retreat, which in turn allows
the following break, opening up the game for the bishops)} 11. Nde2 f5 12. exf5
Bxf5 {(clearly Black's active bishops fully compensate for the worse pawns;
Smyslov tries for a long time - but can't get anywhere against Keres' precise
and active defence)} 13. a3 Bd6 14. Bf4 Bc5 15. Ng3 Bg6 16. f3 Nf6 17. Rhe1 Bf2
18. Rf1 Bc5 19. Rfe1 Rxe1 20. Rxe1 Rf8 21. Be5 Re8 22. Re2 Bg1 23. Nf1 Bc5 24.
Bg3 Rxe2 25. Nxe2 Bd6 26. Kd2 Kd7 27. Nf4 Be8 28. Nd3 c5 29. c4 b6 30. b3 Nh5
31. Be5 Ke6 32. Bc3 Nf4 33. Nxf4+ Bxf4+ 34. Kd1 g5 35. g3 Bd6 36. Nd2 Be5 37.
Ne4 Bxc3 38. Nxc3 Ke5 39. Kd2 Bh5 40. Ke3 {
½-½ V.Smyslov-P.Keres, USSR Championship, Moscow 1940. After} Bg6 41. Ne4
h6 {
Black's strong bishop just holds the draw despite White's still superior pawns.
}) (9. Nd2 {(Miles avoids the pin, and if you really want a draw - even
against Karpov! - this move can't be beat... so to speak; which illustrates
another problem with the 4...dxc6 line for Black: a lower-rated White player
can very successfully play for a draw)} Ne7 10. O-O-O f6 11. f3 Ng6 12. h4 {
(White needs some kingside play - this is the move my opponent didn't make in
the main game)} h5 13. Nc4 c5 14. Nf5 Be6 15. Rxd8+ Kxd8 16. Nd2 b6 17. b3 Kc8
(17... Bxf5 18. exf5 Ne7 19. g4 {is also equal}) 18. Bf2 Nf4 19. g3 g6 $1 20.
Ne7+ Bxe7 21. gxf4 f5 22. Rg1 Rg8 23. Nc4 Bf6 24. a4 Kb7 25. Rg2 Bxc4 26. bxc4
Rg7 27. Kb1 Bc3 28. Ka2 Re7 $1 29. Kb3 Bh8 30. e5 $1 ({Black's idea was} 30.
Rxg6 fxe4 31. fxe4 Rxe4 32. f5 Rf4 {with a fork, but Miles dodges this}) 30...
Re6 31. Rg1 Bg7 32. Rd1 Kc8 33. a5 Bh6 34. Be3 Bf8 35. Ra1 Kb7 36. Rd1 Be7 37.
Bf2 Kc8 38. Ra1 Kb7 39. Rd1 Kc8 40. Ra1 Kb7 41. Rd1 {(it's been even for a
long time, despite the over 100 point rating disparity - Karpov finally
accepts the inevitable) ½-½ A.Miles-A.Karpov, Biel 1992.})) 8... Bb4 {
À la Keres!} 9. Bd2 O-O-O 10. f3 (10. O-O-O {is more accurate;} -- (10... Ne7 {
; e.g.} 11. Nce2 Bd6 12. Bf4 {with equality.}) ({. The tactical} 10... Bg4 {
is worse:} 11. Nde2 Bxc3 ({or} 11... Bxe2 12. Nxe2 Bxd2+ 13. Rxd2 Nf6 14. Rxd8+
Rxd8 15. f3 Nd7 16. Rd1 {with the usual White pull}) 12. Bxc3 Rxd1+ 13. Rxd1
Bxe2 14. Bxg7 {and White emerges with the better minor piece in the end. Note
that both these variations lead to the kind of exchanges Black does not want -
remember the king and pawn ending is hopeless for Black if the pawn structure
hasn't changed, and Black must get some compensation if he gives up the bishop
pair.})) 10... Ne7 11. O-O-O Ng6 12. Nce2 (12. h4 {is necessary, as in
Miles-Karpov. White needs some space on his strong side and, despite my best
efforts, after this I, like Karpov, would probably have to give up the draw to
a lower-rated player.}) 12... Bd6 13. Nf5 $2 (13. h4 {is still necessary.
White needs both to gain space on his strong side, and also to remove this
pawn from the d6-bishop's diagonal.}) 13... Bxf5 {I'm willing to give up the
bishop pair, since I double White's pawns in return and seize the e-file.} 14.
exf5 Nh4 15. Bg5 Rde8 16. Bxh4 Rxe2 17. g3 Rhe8 18. Rd2 R2e5 $1 {
Keeping the pressure on.} ({Instead, Black can win a pawn here, but I'm not
sure the resulting bishop ending can be won:} 18... Re1+ 19. Rd1 Rxh1 20. Rxh1
Re5 21. g4 Re3 22. Re1 Rxe1+ ({but not} 22... Rxf3 $4 23. Re8+ Kd7 24. Rd8# {!}
) 23. Bxe1 Bxh2 {and even though Black is a pawn up, it's very hard to see how
he makes progress, as there is no evident way to make a passed pawn (because
of the doubletons).}) 19. g4 Ra5 20. Kb1 Re3 {It's clear that every black
piece is more active than its white counterpart, and h2 is still weak. I think
Black should win this position, though it's not easy, and as one will see, I
bobble the ball a bit before I score the point.} 21. Re1 Rae5 22. Rf1 Re2 23.
Kc1 Rxd2 24. Kxd2 Rd5+ 25. Ke3 Ra5 26. a3 Rb5 (26... Bxh2 {is premature, as}
27. f4 {shuts the door.}) 27. b4 c5 $1 {
Exchanging the doubled pawn is a big step forward for Black.} 28. c4 ({If} 28.
c3 cxb4 29. axb4 c5 30. bxc5 Bxc5+ 31. Kd3 Rb2 {and Black has both a passed
pawn and the superior pawn structure - two rarities in this line!}) 28... Rb6
29. Rc1 f6 $2 {Black's bishop has been observing the h-pawn for so long, I
failed to realize that now was the time to take it!} ({Black should win after} 
29... Bxh2 $1 {and then:} 30. -- (30. f4 {
(this fails to catch the bishop this time)} cxb4 31. Rh1 ({or} 31. axb4 Rxb4
32. Rh1 Rb2 {and the bishop is defended}) 31... bxa3 $1 32. Rxh2 Rh6 {
and the pin is too strong; e.g.} 33. g5 a2 34. Rxa2 ({after} 34. gxh6 a1=Q {
the new queen holds g7}) 34... Rxh4 {and Black wins with two extra pawns.}) (
30. bxc5 Rb3+ 31. Ke4 Rxa3 {and Black is up a good passed pawn.}) (30. Ke4 cxb4
31. Bf2 Rd6 32. axb4 Rd2 {and the extra pawn should eventually be decisive.}))
({Note that, besides the inaccurate move that I played,} 29... cxb4 {
also gives White counterplay after} 30. c5 Rc6 31. axb4 {.}) 30. g5 $1 {
Suddenly White activates his pawn majority and gets counterplay: Black played
quite well through the ending until the previous move - then one inaccuracy
and... nothing.} Be5 ({The moment has gone:} 30... fxg5 31. Bxg5 cxb4 32. c5
Rc6 33. axb4 Bxh2 34. f4 {is dangerous for Black.}) 31. bxc5 Rc6 32. Ke4 Rxc5
33. f4 Bb2 34. Rc2 Bxa3 35. g6 $2 {White blunders in turn.} (35. gxf6 gxf6 36.
Bxf6 {
is correct, when White, with dangerously passed f-pawns, stands at least equal.
}) 35... hxg6 36. fxg6 f5+ {Black meets the threat of Bxf6 and once again
stands better, as all the white pawns are weak, and none are passed - whereas
Black has one extra passed pawn.} 37. Kd4 Rc6 38. Ke5 ({If} 38. Rg2 Re6 {
and White can't hold all the weak pawns.}) 38... Rxg6 {The win should now be a
matter of technique, and I handle that pretty well - but that doesn't mean
there isn't a bizarre occurrence still to come!} 39. Kxf5 Rc6 40. Bf2 Rf6+ 41.
Ke4 g6 42. c5 Kd7 43. Bd4 Re6+ 44. Kd5 c6+ 45. Kc4 Re4 46. Ra2 Bc1 47. Kd3 Rxf4
48. Rc2 Rf1 49. Rg2 g5 50. h4 gxh4 {So far so good: Black is significant
material up, and even though White can regain a pawn or two, Black is clearly
winning. Obviously White has no legal way of resisting - so here my opponent
tried something I have never seen in 40 years of tournament chess. He had been
away from the board when I captured on h4. When he came back, he didn't like
the black h-pawn there - so he picked it up, put it aside, and put a white
pawn in its place! I could not believe my eyes! I finally managed a kind of
strangled, "You can't do that!" and picked up his white pawn, moved it off the
board, and put my black pawn back on h4! --- Then my opponent made a face very
similar to that of my one year old son when you take his bottle away - and
quickly played out the rest of the moves.} 51. Rg7+ Ke6 52. Rxb7 Rf7 53. Rb6
Kd5 54. Rxa6 h3 55. Ra8 ({If} 55. Ra2 Rf3+ 56. Ke2 h2 {wins.}) 55... Rf3+ 56.
Ke2 h2 $1 {The winning combination begins: the black rook is always immune
with the pawn (the black pawn!) one square from queening. Meanwhile the white
king has been diverted from its protection of the bishop.} 57. Rh8 Rf8 $1 {
Still immune!} 58. Rxh2 (58. Rh4 {
would drag the game out one more move, but after} Bg5 {something's gotta give!}
) 58... Kxd4 {Black is a clear piece up and still has the c-pawn for queening
purposes - my opponent chose not to replace it with a white pawn (now that
would be a theoretical draw) and resigned. --- So I finally won with 4...dxc6
- though of course the verdict on the opening position must still be
"extremely drawish".} 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "11. Larsen's Variation"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 ({In Chapter Six we saw that Black
equalized with unparalleled ease in the tempo-loss line} 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+
bxc6 6. d4 {, so long as he opened the game for his bishops with} exd4 $1 {
. Frequently Black was better right out of the opening, and in no case could
White prove any kind of advantage. --- So if Black has such an easy game,
might not the variation also be good with one less tempo? I say, Yes!}) 4...
bxc6 {. Since Keres wouldn't do something so unorthodox as capture towards the
centre - though, interestingly enough, in principle he had no problem with it;
see his note about 4...bxc6 in Duras-Alekhine - I will lead with and dedicate
this chapter to the late, great Bent Larsen.} 5. -- (5. -- {Conclusion:
Summing up Larsen's Variation, I find it, as Alekhine said, eminently
practicable. The extra tempo for White requires caution, but I think Black has
sufficient resources. And if Black wants to win, he has much better chances
here than in the booked-up drawing lines of Chapter Ten - just cast your mind
back to Adorjan-Keres and Shirov-Topalov, not to mention (please don't)
Khachiyan-Taylor! --- Then blot that bad memory out with a picture of
Alekhine's bishops coming to life after the spectacular 24...Nd4!. I am
certainly looking forward to my first Ruy Lopez Exchange, Larsen's Variation!})
*

[Event "Las Palmas"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1972.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Andersson, U."]
[Black "Larsen, B."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1972.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 $1 {One can see the position is
identical to Chapter Six - except that Black does not have the extra move ...
d7-d6 on the board. The question Larsen asks is: does that extra tempo matter?
--- I think Black has sufficient resources despite the tempo, and here are
some onboard advantages: the bishop pair of course; a more flexible pawn
structure than in the main line Exchange, which means pawn endings are by no
means lost, and even though one would like to keep the pair of bishops,
exchanging one is hardly fatal here; and the b-file for counterplay. --- There
are also some psychological advantages: one good point is that White can't (as
in Shirov-Topalov, for example) simply roll out a long series of book moves
and end up with a small plus - there really isn't much book on this line at
all! So your opponent must already think with his own head. An even bigger
advantage is that Black can go into this line with the thought, I can really
try to win here! This is huge, in my opinion -} ({White has zero chance of
setting up a "classic Ruy Exchange grind", as Larsen, on the other side, shows
us yet again:} 4... dxc6 5. O-O Qd6 6. d4 exd4 {(for the rest of the game
Black will have to contend with White's superior pawn majority)} 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8.
Be3 O-O-O 9. Nd2 Nh6 10. h3 Qg6 11. Qf3 f5 12. Rad1 fxe4 13. Qxe4 Qxe4 14. Nxe4
{(White gets the queens off and stands marginally better)} Nf7 15. Rfe1 Re8 16.
Bd2 c5 17. Nf3 Be7 18. Nfg5 Nxg5 19. Nxg5 Bxg5 20. Bxg5 {(even in this
extremely simplified and drawish position with opposite bishops, White's
superior pawn majority gives him the usual tiny pull, while Black can't even
dream of winning)} Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Re8 {
(one imagines that Portisch offered a draw here - but Bent said, play on!)} 22.
Be3 Bf5 23. c4 b5 (23... b6 {is correct when Black is effectively a pawn down,
but the opposite bishops and exact defence should give a draw - I, for one, am
thrilled!}) 24. Rc1 $1 {(Bent now has plus equals and commences to grind)} bxc4
25. Rxc4 Re5 26. Bxc5 Be6 27. Rc1 Bxa2 28. Bd6 Re6 29. Rxc7+ Kd8 30. Bg3 {
(White is a pawn up and, with rooks on, has real winning chances... after many
moves of course!)} Re7 31. Rc6 Re6 32. Rc1 Ke8 33. f3 Bd5 34. Rc5 Bc6 35. Be5
g6 36. Kf2 h5 37. g4 hxg4 38. hxg4 Bb7 39. Bc3 Rc6 40. Ra5 Rd6 41. Ke3 Rd7 42.
Bb4 Kf7 43. Rc5 Kf6 44. Bc3+ Kf7 45. Rc4 Bd5 46. Ra4 Bb7 47. Rb4 Bd5 48. Kf2
Re7 49. Rd4 Ke6 50. Ra4 Ra7 51. Kg3 Bc6 52. Ra1 Rf7 53. f4 Bb5 54. Re1+ Kd6 55.
Kh4 Kc5 56. Kg5 Bd3 57. Re5+ Kc4 58. Re3 Rb7 59. Rxd3 $1 {
(after 30 moves of grinding, the immortal Bent finds a winning combination!)}
Kxd3 60. Kxg6 Rb6+ ({White also wins after} 60... Ke4 61. f5 Kf4 62. f6 Kxg4
63. f7 Rb6+ 64. Bf6 Rb8 65. Be7 {etc}) 61. Kf5 Rh6 62. g5 Rh5 63. Kg6 Rh2 64.
f5 {1-0 B.Larsen-L.Portisch, Rotterdam (7th matchgame) 1977. --- As I plan to
play 4...bxc6 at the next opportunity, the realization that I will not have to
face such a grind cheers me immensely! I will certainly try to win, and as we
see, Larsen had good chances to win this one...}) 5. d4 {
White has a few alternatives:} (5. O-O {- see Künzner-Sahl.}) (5. c3 {
is virtually untried but looks too slow to get anywhere: Black can hit back in
the centre} Nf6 ({or even} 5... d5 $5 {
, which certainly gets the tempo back by advancing to d5 in one go!})) (5. Nxe5
Qe7 $1 ({this looks stronger than} 5... Qg5 {
, when Black trades his centre pawn for White's g-pawn; e.g.} 6. Nf3 Qxg2 7.
Rg1 Qh3 8. Nc3 d6 9. Rg3 Qd7 10. Qe2 {
and White was better and eventually won in V.Gusev-K.Klaman, Sevastopol 1973})
6. d4 ({if} 6. Nd3 Qxe4+ 7. Qe2 Qxe2+ 8. Kxe2 Bb7 9. Re1 O-O-O 10. Kf1 Nh6 11.
Nc3 f6 12. Ne4 Nf5 13. c3 d6 14. b4 a5 $1 {and Black's two bishops gave him
the better ending and eventually the full point in K.K.Olsen-J.R.Pedersen,
Esbjerg 2006}) 6... d6 7. Nxc6 Qxe4+ 8. Qe2 Qxe2+ 9. Kxe2 Bb7 {and now:} 10. --
(10. d5 {(almost always played)} Kd7 {
(simplest: White can't keep the extra pawn)} 11. c4 ({or} 11. Nb4 a5) 11...
Bxc6 12. dxc6+ Kxc6 {with an equal game that was soon drawn in A.Arakeljan-S.
Sviridonov, Volodarskij 2007. But note that Black has no worries about White's
permanent pawn majority here, and the position is slightly unbalanced. A
player who wanted to win could take this position and try to gradually outplay
his opponent, something that's rarely possible in the main line.}) (10. Na5 {
appears only three times in the Mega, and Black won them all. Basically in
this line Black keeps the two bishops, gets a more open game, and is freed of
his doubled pawns - not what White wants. Here's a typical example:} Bxg2 11.
Re1 Kd7 12. Nc3 Re8+ 13. Be3 Nf6 14. f3 g6 15. Kf2 Bh3 16. Re2 Bg7 17. Rae1 Rb8
18. Nc4 Be6 19. b3 Rhe8 20. Nd2 Bf5 21. Nc4 Be6 22. Nd2 Bf5 23. Nc4 Re7 24. d5
Nh5 25. Nd1 Bf6 26. Kg1 Rbe8 27. Na5 Bh4 {
(Black trades off his bishops - but soon wins two pawns!)} 28. Nc6 Bxe1 29.
Nxe7 Rxe7 30. Rxe1 Bxc2 31. Kf2 Bxd1 32. Rxd1 Re5 33. f4 Rf5 34. Kf3 Nf6 35.
Rd4 Nxd5 36. Ra4 Nxe3 37. Kxe3 a5 38. b4 axb4 39. Rxb4 Ra5 40. a4 Ra7 41. Ke4
c5 42. Rc4 Kc6 {0-1 A.Breuer-S.Baier, Görlitz 1999.})) (5. d3 {is worse than
pointless - Black, having a nice central pawn mass and the two bishops, easily
takes over the advantage:} d6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. h3 g6 8. Bg5 Bg7 9. Qd2 Be6 10. Nh2
Qb8 {and given his solid centre, two bishops and the b-file, one can see that
Black (in this case, me!) is already better, and I went on to win in
Blauelagune2-Taylor, playchess.com (blitz) 2010.}) (5. Nc3 {shouldn't give
Black any trouble - as long as he keeps his move order straight and is aware
of the missing tempo (compared to Chapter Six). For example, after} d6 6. d4
exd4 7. Nxd4 -- ({, the immediate} 7... c5 8. Nc6 Qd7 9. Na5 {gives Black a
cramped game, for unlike in Velimirovic-Scekic (in the notes to Daskalov-Keres),
Black does not have 9...Qa4 to chase the white knight - keep an eye out for
that extra tempo, here 5 Nc3.}) ({. Instead,} 7... Ne7 $1 {is my rather
obvious novelty, when White has no good way to stop the coming ...c6-c5.
Finding no games in the database, I took on the intrepid Fritz 11 - and
confounded the machine as follows:} 8. O-O c5 9. Nf3 Ng6 10. Bg5 f6 11. Be3 Be7
12. Qd5 Rb8 13. Rab1 Qd7 14. Rfd1 Qe6 15. a3 O-O 16. b4 f5 $1 {
and Black had good counterplay in Comp Fritz 11-T.Taylor, Los Angeles 2010.} (
16... --))) 5... exd4 6. Nxd4 {
This and the next game see White recapturing on d4 with the knight,} ({
while the remaining two will feature the queen recapture} 6. Qxd4 {
(the final one being on move seven due to the order 5 0-0 d6 6 d4 etc).}) 6...
g6 $5 {I like the ambition of this move, and Bent may have been counting on
psychological factors: his opponent, Andersson, is noted for quiet positional
play - but such quietness here would just allow Black an excellent game, so he
forces Ulf into unfamiliar territory. But despite all that, from a sound
opening point of view, we notice that there is a point of attack at f5, and
White has a lead in development.} ({Therefore I recommend} 6... c5 {
as in Chapter Six, which will be seen in the next game.}) 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. O-O ({
After the sharp} 8. h4 h5 9. Bg5 Ne7 10. Qd2 f6 11. Be3 d6 12. O-O-O Bd7 13. f3
Qc8 14. Rdg1 a5 15. Nde2 Rb8 16. Nf4 Qb7 17. b3 Qb4 18. Nd3 Qa3+ {Black got good counterplay in J.Magem Badals-B.Sahl, Ubeda 1996 - note how Black has been
careful not to commit his king.}) 8... Ne7 {Larsen is trying a typically
creative set-up. As we saw in Chapter One (in the note to move 9 in
Timman-Spassky), if Black plays an early ...d7-d6 and ...g7-g6, White often
has a strong break with e4-e5. But here, Larsen uses the missing tempo to
deprive (for now) the e4-e5 thrust of a point of contact.} 9. f4 c5 10. Nb3 d6
11. f5 $1 ({Larsen has delayed ...d7-d6 until he is ready to castle, so now} 
11. e5 O-O 12. Qe2 Re8 {is somewhat better for Black, as White's pawn advances
get nowhere. The problem is that White has a stronger lever, and Ulf goes for
it: an uncharacteristically blunt attack and pawn sacrifice, no doubt thinking
that if he didn't mix it up quickly, Black's bishops would eventually prevail.
While the move is correct, Larsen was right to think that Andersson would be a
fish out of water in such a wild position and would not continue correctly.}) (
{Really White has no choice: on the quiet} 11. Be3 O-O 12. Qd2 Re8 13. Rae1 Rb8
{Black has good counterplay with the open b-file and the long dark diagonal.})
11... gxf5 12. Qh5 $1 {Andersson makes another sound and correct attacking
move! How long can this go on?} O-O 13. Bh6 $6 {
Three is not the charm, and Bent's psychological play works.} ({Correct is} 13.
exf5 $1 {which casts grave doubt on Black's set-up.} f6 {
is necessary, but then Black is in trouble with a buried king's bishop; e.g.}
({since} 13... Nxf5 14. Rxf5 Bxf5 15. Qxf5 {
gives White an easy advantage with two knights for the rook}) 14. Bd2 Qd7 15.
Rae1 Nxf5 16. Nd5 Kh8 17. c4 Nd4 18. Bc3 {with a very strong attack.}) 13...
Bxh6 14. Qxh6 f6 {After the bishop exchange, this pawn move is fine, as it
doesn't shut in a missing piece!} 15. Rae1 Rf7 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Qf8 18.
Qxf8+ Kxf8 19. Nd2 Bd7 {Andersson has floundered trying to reach his comfort
zone, the quiet ending - now Black is a pawn up (even if doubled) and has the
superior minor piece. Note one very important fact: unlike in the main line
Exchange Variation, White has no pawn majority.} 20. Rf3 Rb8 21. b3 Rg7 22. Re2
Rg5 23. Rf4 Rg4 24. g3 Kf7 25. Kf2 Rb4 26. c4 Rb8 $6 {Bent misses his chance!}
({Here} 26... Rxf4+ 27. gxf4 c6 {pries open lines for bishop and rook, and
leaves White desperately struggling to draw. After missing this, we see the
game shift as Andersson's famed ability in quiet positions gradually gives him
the better game.}) 27. h3 Rg7 28. Re3 Rbg8 29. Nf1 h5 30. Ref3 Rh8 31. Ne3 {
A fine regrouping by Andersson, who now recovers his pawn.} h4 $1 {
And Bent responds with his patented rook pawn confusion!} 32. Rxh4 Rxh4 33.
gxh4 Rh7 34. Kg3 Kg6 35. Ng2 Kh6 36. Nf4 Re7 37. Rf1 Re3+ 38. Kf2 Re4 39. Kf3
Be8 40. Rg1 Bf7 41. Rg2 a5 42. Re2 Re5 43. Re3 Bh5+ 44. Kf2 Be8 45. Ne6 c6 46.
dxc6 Bxc6 47. Nd8 Be8 48. Rd3 Bh5 49. Rxd6 Re2+ 50. Kf1 Rxa2 51. Rxf6+ Kh7 52.
Ne6 a4 53. bxa4 Be2+ 54. Ke1 Bxc4 55. Ng5+ {Now White misses his chance!} ({
After} 55. Nxc5 {Andersson retains rook pawns on both sides of the board.
Although many such positions are theoretically drawn, it's clear that Larsen
would still have a long uphill fight to make the half point - whereas now the
game ends quickly.}) 55... Kg7 56. Rxf5 Ra1+ 57. Kd2 Rxa4 58. h5 Kh6 {
White's extra h-pawn doesn't mean anything, so a draw was agreed here. --- But
just take a moment and think how lively this game was! Attack! Counter-attack!
Sacrifices on both sides - 11 f5!, 31...h4!. Best of all, either player could
have won. Now you can follow Keres or Carlsen, and give six or eight draws to
win one, but that has never been my style, and was never Larsen's either.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Lliria"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Herrero Crespo, M."]
[Black "Monllor Garcia, Y."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

{Let's look at some more enterprising play.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4.
Bxc6 bxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 c5 {Just as in Chapter Six, Black drives the white
knight out of the centre and declares the missing tempo to be meaningless.} ({
With apologies to Bent, but I think his "over-optimistic" - as Kasparov would
say -} 6... g6 {is too risky.}) 7. Nf3 (7. Ne2 Bb7 8. Nbc3 Nf6 9. f3 d6 ({
better than} 9... c6 $6 10. e5 Nd5 11. Ne4 {, when Karpov took the d6-square
and squeezed out a win in his inimitable style on move 60 in A.Karpov-V.
Kalashnikov, Zlatoust 1961 - this Karpovian grind terrifies chess masters the
world over, but evidently didn't faze Kirsan!}) 10. O-O Be7 {and Black has a
typically equal Chapter Six position where, indeed, one can't find anything
important to do with White's extra move.}) 7... Bb7 8. Nc3 Ne7 9. O-O h6 10.
Re1 Ng6 {Black sets up in Knight Defence style.} 11. Be3 Be7 12. Nd5 O-O $1 {
What a relief not to have to worry about exchanging off the bishop pair! With
no "endgame panic" in mind, Black settles down to enjoy a nice equal position.
Note again that White has no pawn majority.} 13. Nxe7+ Qxe7 14. Nd2 d6 15. f3
Rab8 16. Nc4 Qe6 17. b3 Rfe8 18. Qd2 f5 19. e5 d5 {This is rather
over-aggressive (perhaps Larsen inspired!) and while it works in the game,} ({
I think the simpler} 19... Nxe5 20. Nxe5 dxe5 21. Bxc5 Qg6 {is a little better
for Black - note that here Black has an effective kingside pawn majority!}) 20.
Na5 d4 21. Bf2 Ba8 22. Rad1 $2 ({White can get a small advantage with} 22. c3
$1 {, breaking up Black's pawns - the actual text just loses a pawn.}) 22...
Nxe5 23. Bg3 ({Not} 23. f4 Qg6 {with a withering attack.}) 23... Qf6 24. f4 $6
{This opens the long diagonal for Black.} (24. Bxe5 {is the best try.}) 24...
Ng4 25. Nc4 Qc6 26. h3 Ne3 $1 27. Nxe3 dxe3 {Obviously the e-pawn is immune -
so now the powerful queen/bishop battery, plus the extra passed pawn, gives
Black a decisive advantage.} 28. Qe2 Kh7 29. c4 Re6 30. Qc2 Re4 31. Re2 Qg6 32.
Kh2 Rbe8 33. Rde1 Qe6 34. Rg1 Rd8 35. Qc1 Rd3 36. Qc2 Red4 37. Qc1 Rd2 {
Both sides have played reasonably well so far, especially Black, who now has
manoeuvred to a clearly winning position. However, the final few moves of the
game are either time pressure madness or someone put the moves in wrong!} ({
Objectively White has no defence and} 37... Rd2 38. Qf1 Rxe2 39. Qxe2 Rd2 40.
Qf1 Qe4 {with a decisive advantage for Black would be a reasonable
continuation. Instead, a bunch of silly moves were "played" or "inputted"
which I will not comment on - although, if you like, you can watch rooks being
tossed back and forth like hot potatoes!}) 38. Rxe3 $2 Rxg2+ $2 39. Kh1 $2 Qg6
$2 40. Bf2 $2 Rxf2+ {Finally! --- Disregarding the last few doubtful moves, we
saw an excellent way for Black to handle the opening. White gained nothing
from her extra tempo, while Black (having no fear of a pawn majority win) was
able to give up the bishop pair to buy time to castle with complete equality -
and was able to outplay her opponent in the subsequent double-edged position.}
0-1

[Event "Mannheim"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1914.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Duras, O."]
[Black "Alekhine, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1914.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 {
"Though unusual, this variation appears to me eminently practicable.} ({
"In any case it has the advantage of not allowing White the majority of pawns
on the kingside as happens after} 4... dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 {
etc," writes Alekhine. I couldn't agree more!}) 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qf6 (6... c5
{is one move I don't recommend: although good in Chapter Six, here the missing
tempo counts, as White has a nasty check:} 7. Qe5+ {
(obviously not possible when the black d-pawn is already on d6!)} Qe7 ({
the only move that doesn't lose a pawn: if} 7... Be7 8. Qxg7) ({, or} 7... Ne7
8. Qxc5) 8. Qxc7 Qxe4+ 9. Be3 ({weaker is} 9. Kd1 Qd5+ 10. Bd2 Bd6 {
with counterplay in Y.Gusev-V.Shcherbakov, Moscow 1955}) 9... Qxc2 10. Nc3 Qxb2
11. Qe5+ Ne7 12. Rb1 Qc2 13. Bxc5 {and White has more than enough for the pawn.
}) (6... Ne7 7. Nc3 Ng6 {
(as in the previous game, the solid Knight Defence development works well here)
} 8. h4 h5 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bd2 Qe7 11. O-O-O Qc5 12. Qd3 Qd6 13. Qe3 Qc5 14. Qe2
Ne5 {(it's true that Black gained ground by threatening to draw with queen
repetitions, but now has obtained an ideal position)} 15. Bf4 d6 16. Be3 ({or} 
16. Nxe5 fxe5 17. Be3 Qa5 18. Qc4 Bd7 19. Qb3 Be7 20. Kb1 Bf6 21. a3 Ke7 22.
Ka1 Rhb8 23. Qc4 Rb7 {with good play for Black}) 16... Qc4 17. Nxe5 Qxe2 18.
Nxe2 fxe5 19. Bg5 Be7 20. Bxe7 Kxe7 21. Rd3 Rf8 22. f3 Be6 23. b3 a5 24. a4 {
and Black is evidently slightly better in the ending with the superior minor
piece, solid centre and initiative on the queenside. Gritty defence finally
saved the draw for White after about 40 more moves in K.Beckmann-B.Vonach, Bad
Wörishofen 2003 - but note that here Black got to grind in the endgame!}) (6...
Bb7 {- there are no master games with this rather natural developing move:
how's that for a plus? Unexplored on move six of a Ruy Lopez?? This looks
quite playable: Black prepares ...d7-d6 and ...c6-c5, or even ...d7-d5 in one
go, and queenside castling might be possible.}) (6... d6 {returns us directly
to Chapter Six, but with an extra tempo for White. The question is, can he do
anything with it? The great Lasker asked this question back in 1904 and the
answer he got was: Not much!} 7. O-O Ne7 8. Nc3 ({for} 8. Bg5 {
, see the next game}) 8... Ng6 9. Re1 f6 (9... c5 10. Qd3 Be7 {
is easier equality}) 10. Ne2 (10. Qc4 {is best, with real chances of advantage
since Black can't castle and his queenside is also under fire - though this
wouldn't have happened had Lasker been more accurate on the previous move})
10... Be6 {(you only get one chance, my friend!)} 11. Ng3 c5 12. Qc3 Be7 13.
Nf5 O-O {(once again, Black has no worries about the two bishops, and stands
fully equal)} 14. Ng5 Bxf5 15. exf5 fxg5 16. fxg6 hxg6 {(Lasker is quick to
see the virtues of his tripled pawns - open f-file, bases for his pieces at f5
and f6 - and begins to outplay his opponent)} 17. Qd3 Rf5 18. g4 Rf7 19. Qxg6
Bf6 20. c3 Rb8 21. Re3 Qd7 22. Qh5 Re7 23. Rxe7 ({if} 23. Rh3 Re1+ 24. Kg2 Qc6+
25. f3 Qb5 $1 {and Black's attack is more deadly}) 23... Qxe7 {
(Black is clearly better, as White has no good way to develop his queenside)}
24. Bd2 Rxb2 25. Re1 Be5 26. Bxg5 Qf8 27. Bh4 Qf7 28. Qxf7+ Kxf7 29. Re3 Rc2
30. Bd8 Bxc3 31. Re7+ Kf8 32. Rxc7 Be5 {(material is still even, but Lasker
has connected passed pawns on the queenside - not very likely after 4...dxc6 -
and thus a clear advantage)} 33. g5 Ke8 34. Be7 d5 35. Rxc5 Rd2 $1 36. Ra5 Kxe7
37. Kg2 Ke6 38. Rxa6+ Kf5 39. h4 Bd4 40. Ra8 Kg4 41. Rf8 Rxa2 42. Rf7 Rxf2+ $1
{(Emanuel is too cool for school)} 43. Rxf2 Bxf2 44. Kxf2 Kxh4 45. Ke3 Kxg5 {
0-1 A.W.Fox-Em.Lasker, Cambridge Springs 1904.}) 7. O-O ({Alekhine recommended
} 7. e5 {here, with a pawn sacrifice on the next move, which is probably best
- White needs to keep the queens on if he is to have any hope of advantage
(completely contrary to the main line Exchange, where White wants to exchange
queens - you can see how this line will disconcert your opponent). After} Qg6
8. O-O -- (8... Qxc2 {
(I don't think Black should take this, though he wins the following game)} 9.
Nc3 Ne7 10. Re1 {
(White has good development and central compensation for the pawn)} Qg6 11. Bg5
Qe6 12. Ne4 Nf5 13. Qc3 Be7 14. Nf6+ $5 (14. Bxe7 $1 {is even stronger}) 14...
Kf8 15. g4 h6 16. gxf5 Qxf5 {, and now White can get a winning position with}
17. Nxd7+ $1 ({instead of} 17. Bh4 {, when White went slowly downhill and
eventually lost in H.Daurelle-A.Sermier, French Team Championship 2003}) 17...
Bxd7 ({or} 17... Qxd7 18. e6 fxe6 19. Ne5) 18. Bxe7+ Kxe7 19. Nd4 Qg4+ 20. Kh1
{, since Black's king is too exposed.}) ({
. Instead of this risky pawn capture, Black should play} 8... Bb7 {
, when White has various tries but nothing particularly convincing:} 9. -- (9.
c4 O-O-O 10. Bf4 c5 11. Qe3 Ne7 12. Bg3 Nf5 13. Qf4 h5 14. h4 Be7 {
and Black had good play in M.Muhutdinov-A.Lutikov, Sverdlovsk 1957.}) (9. e6 {
looks strong but has a brilliant refutation:} fxe6 10. Ne5 Qxg2+ $1 11. Kxg2
c5+ {and wins.}) (9. Nbd2 O-O-O 10. Nb3 c5 11. Qc3 f6 {with approximate
equality according to Keres, citing the game N.Krogius-A.Lutikov, Leningrad
1955. I found this note in Keres' book 'Spanisch bis Französisch', where he
says of 4...bxc6 that there is no convincing way for White to obtain advantage
against it!}) (9. Bf4 Ne7 10. Rd1 O-O-O 11. Nbd2 Nd5 12. Bg3 c5 13. Qc4 h5 14.
h4 Be7 15. Re1 f5 16. exf6 gxf6 17. Qb3 Rh7 18. Rad1 Nb4 19. c3 Nc6 {, and in t
his violently double-edged position a draw was agreed: ½-½ R.Vera
Gonzalez-F.Perez Perez, Havana 1978. As far as I can see, Black holds his own,
even with the queens on.} (19... --)))) 7... Qxd4 8. Nxd4 Rb8 {One can already
say that Black has equality, with the two bishops (while the white cleric is
at least temporarily prevented from moving) and pressure down the b-file.} 9.
Nb3 Ne7 10. Bd2 Ng6 11. Bc3 Nf4 12. Re1 Be7 $1 13. N1d2 ({Not} 13. Bxg7 $2 Rg8
14. Bc3 Nxg2 {and Black has a strong attack even without queens.}) 13... O-O
14. Nc4 Re8 ({Alekhine writes that he didn't play the natural} 14... d6 {
due to the following draw:} 15. Nca5 Bd7 16. Nd4 Rb6 17. Nc4 Rbb8 18. Na5 {
etc. --- Nonetheless, this is a theoretical success for Black, and the draw is
not at all obvious and even perhaps dodgeable, if Black is willing to give up
his bishop pair. In any case, I'll take this - where White must push accurately
to maybe draw - to almost any main line Exchange, where Black must suffer for
hours to reach the same result.}) 15. Nca5 Bf8 16. Rad1 c5 17. e5 Ne6 {
Black has a very cramped game (yes, plus equals according to Mr. Fritz!), but
it's also hard to find anything to attack. Amazingly enough, Alekhine finds a
way to attack out of this position with Black, though White could have avoided
the combination to come with a timely a2-a3.} 18. Nc4 h6 19. h4 Be7 20. g3 g5
21. hxg5 hxg5 22. Nba5 Kh7 23. Kg2 Kg6 24. Rh1 ({Here} 24. a3 $1 {is best, when
} Rh8 {maintains the status quo of a very slight edge to White - though I
don't see how Duras could really improve his position. White's actual move
looks logical but allows a hidden and spectacular blow, based on the
heretofore unseen power of Black's unopposed light-squared bishop.}) 24... Nd4
$3 25. Bxd4 cxd4 26. Rxd4 Bb4 $1 {The hidden point, which White could have
prevented with 24 a3 - now Black threatens to take a knight on a5, after which
he will be able to capture either White's e- or b-pawn.} 27. Nb3 d5 $1 {
The second point: if the pawn is taken either way, Black's light-squared
bishop becomes amazingly powerful, as the next note demonstrates.} 28. Ne3 ({
Obviously if} 28. Rxd5 Bb7 {wins the exchange}) ({but harder to see is} 28.
exd6 Bb7+ $1 29. f3 Re2+ 30. Kg1 Rbe8 31. Rh2 Re1+ 32. Kg2 f5 33. d7 R8e2+ 34.
Kh3 Bxf3 $1 {, and now White must try} 35. g4 ({it's clear that} 35. d8=Q {
loses straight away to} Rxh2+ 36. Kxh2 Rh1#) 35... Bxg4+ 36. Rxg4 fxg4+ 37.
Kxg4 Be7 {, when Black stops the passed pawn with advantage.}) 28... c5 $1 {
The third point, winning material;} ({for if} 28... c5 29. Rdd1 d4 {
, levering open the long diagonal, is too strong.}) 29. Rxd5 Bb7 30. c4 Rxe5
31. a3 Bxa3 32. Na5 Bxd5+ 33. cxd5 Rxe3 {In view of numerous threatened knight
forks, Alekhine gives back the exchange at once to reach a pawn up ending with
the superior minor piece.} 34. fxe3 Rxb2+ 35. Kf3 f5 $1 36. g4 ({
Black wins after both} 36. d6 g4+ 37. Kf4 c4) ({and} 36. Nc4 g4+ 37. Kf4 Rb4 {
- the key tactical motif is the pin on the fourth rank.}) 36... fxg4+ 37. Ke4
Rb4+ 38. Kd3 Bb2 39. d6 Bf6 40. Rf1 g3 41. d7 Rb8 42. Rd1 (42. Nc6 g2 43. Rxf6+
Kxf6 44. Nxb8 Ke7 45. Nc6+ Kxd7 46. Ne5+ Ke6 47. Nf3 g4 48. Ng1 Ke5 {
is a beautiful win given by Alekhine.}) 42... g2 {Now Black wins technically,
much as I did in Hughes-Taylor - with the black g-pawn on the seventh rank,
the rook can easily "sacrifice" itself.} 43. Ke2 Rb2+ 44. Kf3 Rd2 $1 45. Rg1
Rxd7 46. Rxg2 Rd3 47. Rc2 Rc3 48. Rxc3 Bxc3 49. Nc4 a5 50. Nb6 Bb4 {. As Alekhine remarks, the black king simply marches to the queenside. --- White failed
to achieve any opening advantage, and even when Alekhine riskily played for a
win, the slight plus White had was never enough to give real winning chances -
whereas the resources in Black's position (the two bishops especially) allowed
his later combination after an infinitesimal White slip.} 0-1

[Event "Isle of Man"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kuenzner, F."]
[Black "Sahl, B."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C68"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 {If World Champions like Lasker and
Alekhine could play this move, why are present day GMs (with the notable
exception of the late Larsen) so afraid? --- Meanwhile some IMs do have the
courage! Norwegian IM Sahl specializes in this move - see also the note to
White's 8th move in Andersson-Larsen, where Sahl drew with a much higher-rated
GM! What does his fellow Norwegian, Mr. Magnus, think of all this I wonder?} ({
As we know, Magnus Carlsen has a very Keres-like score when facing the
Exchange Variation. Here's a typical example of the fun Magnus has had with
the approved fourth move recapture:} 4... dxc6 5. O-O Be6 6. Nxe5 Qd4 7. Nf3
Qxe4 8. Ng5 Qg6 9. Nxe6 fxe6 10. d3 O-O-O 11. Qe2 Bd6 12. Nd2 Nf6 13. Ne4 Nxe4
14. Qxe4 Qxe4 15. dxe4 Bc5 16. Bg5 Rd7 17. Rad1 Rxd1 18. Rxd1 Rf8 19. Bh4 b5
20. Bg3 h5 21. h4 Rd8 22. Rxd8+ Kxd8 23. Be5 g6 24. b3 Be7 25. g3 c5 26. c4 c6
27. Kg2 Ke8 28. Kf3 Bf8 29. a4 Ke7 30. Bb8 Kf6 31. Bc7 e5 32. Bd8+ Ke6 33. Bg5
Bd6 34. Ke3 {- despite the fact that Magnus tried to play actively in the
opening, look what he ended up with! Here's the same old dreary ending of the
type I lost to Khachiyan, the kind of ending a great player might draw, but
even a Carlsen or an Anand could never win. Let's run it down again: Black's
queenside majority is lamed by the doubled c-pawns, so the three white pawns
there hold four. On the kingside, White has a good pawn majority, and is able
to make a passed pawn. All Black can hope to do is grimly hold, without the
slightest hope of a win - and although Carlsen succeeds here, I wouldn't like
to play this position. Meanwhile his countryman in the main game gets a
full-blooded, interesting position that I, for one, find much more enjoyable
than holding to the draw like grim death! Carlsen held on as follows:} Bf8 35.
Kd3 Bd6 36. Bh6 Be7 37. Ke2 Bd6 38. Ke3 Be7 39. Bg5 Bd6 (39... Bxg5+ 40. hxg5
Kd6 41. f4 {is lost for Black, which shows just how limited his options are})
40. f4 Bc7 41. Kf3 Bd6 42. Bh6 Be7 43. Bg7 exf4 44. Kxf4 Kf7 45. Be5 Ke6 46.
Bc7 Kd7 47. Bb8 Ke6 48. e5 Bd8 49. Bd6 Ba5 50. Kg5 Kf7 51. Kh6 Bd2+ 52. Kh7 g5
53. Bxc5 gxh4 54. gxh4 Be1 55. Kh6 Bxh4 56. Kxh5 Bg3 57. Kg4 Bxe5 58. Kf5 {
½-½ A.Naiditsch-M.Carlsen, Sarajevo 2006.}) 5. O-O d6 6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 {
Of course this is Mecking-Keres (in Chapter Six), except that in that game
(due to the extra tempo used on Bb5-a4xc6) White had not yet castled. There
Keres immediately attacked the white queen with ...c6-c5, but Sahl omits this
in favour of a quick ...Ne7-g6 development (as Lasker played in the notes to
the previous game).} ({On} 7. Nxd4 -- ({, I recommend} 7... Bb7 {(now we know
where the white king lives, it's a good idea to aim our unopposed bishop at
it! - besides that, Black takes the c6-square under control before playing ...
c6-c5)} 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Be7 ({I also like} 10... c5 11. Nf5 g5 12.
Bg3 Qd7 13. f3 O-O-O 14. Qd2 Rg8 {with good counterplay, as Black's rook on g8
may well be able to join forces with the bishop on b7}) 11. Re1 Qd7 12. e5 dxe5
13. Rxe5 O-O-O {with a typical MS long castle and a wild struggle in prospect,
which was won by Black in L.Stirling-I.McNab, Scottish Championship, Ayr 1974.}
) ({. The alternate way of covering c6 is much weaker:} 7... Ne7 8. Re1 c5 9.
Nf5 Bxf5 {(this can't be good, but it's a simul!)} 10. exf5 Qd7 11. Qf3 Rc8 12.
Nc3 Kd8 13. f6 {and the World Champion crushed his luckless foe in G.
Kasparov-H.Xanthoudakis, Corfu (simul) 1996.})) 7... Ne7 ({The above-mentioned
} 7... c5 {is also good and playable. After} 8. Qd3 (8. Qd5 {
only helps the opponent develop:} Be6 9. Qc6+ Bd7 10. Qd5 Nf6 11. Qd1 Be7 {
and Black was already slightly better in Premtimi-Taylor, playchess.com (blitz)
2010}) 8... Ne7 {Aronian and Rozentalis couldn't even make a half point
between them from this position - with White!} 9. -- (9. b3 Ng6 10. Bb2 Be7 $1
11. Re1 ({if White takes the bait with} 11. Bxg7 {, then} Rg8 12. Bh6 Bh3 $1 {
gives Black a strong attack}) 11... O-O 12. Nbd2 Be6 13. Qc3 Ne5 14. Nxe5 dxe5
15. Rad1 f6 16. Nf1 Qe8 17. Ne3 Qb5 18. Nd5 Bd6 19. a4 Qc6 20. Qc4 Kh8 21. Ba3
f5 22. exf5 Rxf5 23. f3 Raf8 24. Re4 Rh5 25. Re2 ({White should play} 25. h3 {
with an even game - the text allows a devastating combination}) 25... e4 $1 26.
fxe4 Bxh2+ 27. Kh1 Bg3+ 28. Kg1 Bxd5 29. Qxc5 Rh1+ $1 {
0-1 L.Aronian-A.Vajda, Bucharest 1995.}) (9. Bf4 {
(Rozentalis tries a different bishop development, with no better result)} Ng6
10. Bg3 Be7 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Rad1 Rb8 13. b3 f5 14. exf5 Bxf5 15. Qc4+ Kh8 16.
Nd5 Qd7 17. Rfe1 Bd8 18. Nd2 a5 19. Ne4 Qf7 20. a4 h6 21. Qe2 Bh4 22. Qd2 {
(White is trying to prove an advantage, but his slow manoeuvres allow Black
finally to activate his bishops)} Rbe8 23. Nec3 Bg5 24. f4 Bd8 25. Ne3 Bd7 26.
Nc4 Rxe1+ 27. Rxe1 Nxf4 28. Nxa5 Bg5 {(White fails to sense the danger)} 29.
Qf2 $6 Bf6 $1 30. Re3 Bd4 31. Nc4 Bxe3 32. Nxe3 Bc6 33. a5 Ne6 34. Qxf7 Rxf7
35. Ncd5 Nd4 36. h3 Nxc2 $1 {(White's whole position collapses) 0-1 E.
Rozentalis-L.Shevelev, Lithuanian Championship, Kaunas 1980.})) 8. Bg5 ({
As we have already seen,} 8. Nc3 Ng6 9. Re1 {gives White nothing after} c5 10.
Qd3 Be7 {.}) 8... f6 9. Be3 Ng6 $6 (9... Be6 {
is mandatory, when Black can complete his development normally; e.g.} 10. Nc3
c5 11. Qd3 Ng6 12. Rad1 Be7 {with equality.}) 10. Nbd2 (10. Qc4 {, the same move
Fox missed vs. Lasker (see 6...d6 in the previous game), again gives White a
clear plus.}) 10... Bd7 11. b4 Be7 12. c4 {
The white queen should have gone here: now Black castles with a good game.} O-O
13. c5 f5 14. cxd6 cxd6 15. Qc4+ {Too late!} Kh8 16. exf5 Rxf5 {With a little
help from his opponent, Black has gotten rid of his doubled pawns, activated
his two bishops, and opened the f-file! Black is already somewhat better.} 17.
Rfe1 d5 18. Qc3 Bd6 $6 {The a8-rook is not in the game, whereas the white
rooks are connected and can play on any file. Therefore Black should exchange
one rook and focus play on the f-file.} ({Correct is} 18... a5 $1 19. a3 axb4
20. axb4 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 Nf4 {and Black keeps the edge.}) 19. Bc5 Qc7 20. Bd4 Rg8
21. Nf1 h6 22. Ng3 Rf7 23. Qc2 Nf4 24. Ne5 Bxe5 25. Bxe5 Qd8 26. Ne2 Nxe2+ 27.
Rxe2 Qg5 28. Rae1 {White's doubled rooks are now obviously better than Black's
defensive castles (especially the one on g8!) and the white bishop is better
as well. At this point it looks like Black can only hope for a drawn
opposite-coloured bishop ending.} Qf5 29. Qd2 Kh7 30. Bd4 Qg6 31. Re3 Rf4 32.
Be5 Rg4 33. Rg3 (33. f4 {
is best, when Black has no attack and a deplorable game.}) 33... Re8 34. a3 Bf5
35. Bc3 d4 $1 {After a few second-rate moves by White, Black jumps right back
in the game and actually stands better again!} 36. Bb2 ({Not} 36. Rxe8 Qxe8 37.
Bxd4 $2 Rxd4 $1 {.}) 36... Qg5 37. Qd1 Rxe1+ 38. Qxe1 d3 39. Bc1 Re4 40. Qd1
Qe7 ({Evidently Black lost on time in this slightly favourable position: after
} 40... Qe7 41. Re3 Rxe3 42. Bxe3 Qe5 {one could say that Black could not lose
- but oh that clock! --- The main game was messy but interesting, and it was
fun to see future big guns Aronian and Rozentalis (they were both juniors
during the games given in the notes) crash and burn in this strategically
complicated variation.}) 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Afterword"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C71"]
[Annotator "Timothy Taylor"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 {. This book has been an enormous
undertaking for me, and I am a little sad to see it finish - but we are now at
the end of our journey, and I trust you are well armed to Slay the Spanish! As
you now see, the Modern Steinitz is an amazingly rich opening. There is a
sound gambit, the Siesta, and an extremely risky one, the Yandemirov. There
are solid lines that are solid, and "solid" lines with opposite side castling
and fierce attacks! Indeed, I have never seen so many long castles for Black
in any other Open Game - so always be alert for this possibility.} 5. -- {
As I mentioned in the Introduction, one of the great and unexpected discoveries
I made while writing this book was that Black does not need to suffer in the
Exchange Variation with 4...dxc6 but can fight back with 4...bxc6!.} (5. -- {
Also, in my seven recent games over the board, I found out that very few
people study this opening for White, so you may get quick advantages - or even
quick wins - against opponents who only know what to do against 4...Nf6, and
are already clueless when facing 4...d6.}) (5. -- {Finally, if there is one
chapter in this book you should study most diligently, that is Chapter Three,
the Bishop Defence. This is the closest thing to a universal system in the
whole Modern Steinitz, and it can come about through all kinds of confusing
move orders - but if you can master this line, you will have the foundation
you need to start playing this opening in practice.}) (5. -- {
Many thanks to my faithful readers, and I wish you, as always, good luck!}) *

