% BOOKTITLE = The French Winawer: Move by Move
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "About this Publication"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C15"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "6"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

{This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By
continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the
book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising
of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening
knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you
actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is
an excellent way to study any chess opening and at the same time improve your
general chess skills and knowledge. ---} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {
. The Winawer is a very popular choice amongst French Defence players. It
enjoys a sound reputation and reaches positions rich in possibilities for both
players. It offers Black the opportunity to enter sharp, dynamic lines, such
as the notorious Poisoned Pawn Variation, as well as lines which are more
strategic in nature. In this book, FIDE Master Steve Giddins invites you to
join him in studying the French Winawer, an opening which he has played for
over 25 years, and its many variations. He examines instructive games, covers
the most important lines and provides answers to all the key questions. ---
Steve Giddins is a FIDE Master and a former editor of 'British Chess Magazine'.
He spent a number of years of his professional life based in Moscow, where he
learnt Russian and acquired an extensive familiarity with Russian chess
literature and the training methods of the Russian/Soviet chess school. He's
the author of several outstanding books and is well known for his clarity and
no-nonsense advice. He has also translated over 20 books, for various publishers, and has contributed regularly to chess magazines and websites.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Series Foreword"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "John Emms"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. -- {'Move by Move' is a series of opening books which uses a
question-and-answer format. One of our main aims of the series is to replicate
- as much as possible - lessons between chess teachers and students. --- All
the way through, readers will be challenged to answer searching questions, to
test their skills in chess openings and indeed in other key aspects of the
game. It's our firm belief that practising your skills like this is an
excellent way to study chess openings, and to study chess in general. --- Many
thanks go to all those who have been kind enough to offer inspiration, advice
and assistance in the creation of 'Move by Move'. We're really excited by this
series and hope that readers will share our enthusiasm. --- John Emms,
Everyman Chess.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Introduction"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C15"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "8"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

{The Winawer French is one of the great black openings, and is characterized
by the initial moves:} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {. Black brings out his
bishop to pin the white knight, thereby attacking the e4-pawn, and also
threatening to capture on c3, thus damaging the white pawn structure. The
result is usually an unbalanced middlegame, in which Black concedes the two
bishops and takes on weakened dark squares, but where he has the superior pawn
structure. --- The variation is named (at least, in English-speaking countries)
after Simon Winawer (1838-1919), a Polish player, although, as so often with
chess openings, his right to be identified with the line is less than wholly
convincing. He played it against Steinitz in his first international
appearance at Paris 1867, losing a miniature, but it had already appeared
before that in other games, including a Steinitz-Blackburne match game in 1863.
Despite this, it is Winawer's name that has stuck. --- These early efforts
notwithstanding, the man who initially put the Winawer on the map was Aron
Nimzowitsch, and indeed, on the Continent, the variation is sometimes referred
to as the Nimzowitsch Variation. In the post-Steinitz era, the two bishops
were regarded as a great strength, and the Winawer was consequently frowned
upon. However, Nimzowitsch was always a great 'knights man', and it is
therefore not surprising that he should have been attracted to the Winawer,
especially when one considers the similarity with his eponymous defence to the
queen's pawn 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4. --- Here too, Black frequently
surrenders the bishop-pair, in order to double the white pawns, and the
affinity between the two openings is clear for all to see.} 4. e5 ({
Most of Nimzowitsch's opponents played} 4. exd5 {, which Tarrasch had argued
was a good response against the Winawer, on the basis that the bishop was
slightly misplaced on b4. Capablanca also used this continuation as White,
most famously in the opening game of his 1927 World Championship match against
Alekhine. His defeat in that game did much to make white players turn to 4 e5
as the main line.}) 4... -- ({That leads us on to the next great Winawer
pioneer, who was Mikhail Botvinnik. He used the variation as his principal
defence against 1 e4, from the early 1930s right up until the end of the 1950s,
and if anyone's name should be associated with the opening, it should be his.
After initially preferring} 4... c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ {in the main line,} ({
he also subsequently researched} 5... Ba5 {, nowadays generally referred to as
the Armenian Variation, but used by Botvinnik as far back as the 1946 radio
match between the USSR and the USA, where he employed the line to beat
Reshevsky in a famous game. Botvinnik's successes resulted in the popularity
of the Winawer growing markedly at all levels, and by the 1960s it had clearly
supplanted 3...Nf6 as the most popular third move. --- The third of the great
trio of Winawer practitioners was the East German Grandmaster, Wolfgang
Uhlmann, who emerged in the international arena in the late 1950s. He has used
the Winawer almost exclusively for over 50 years, still employing it to this
day, in the veterans events and Bundesliga games that he still plays.})) ({
Two other names without whom the pantheon of great Winawer players is not
complete are perennial arch-rivals Tigran Petrosian and Viktor Korchnoi. The
former's practice tended to concentrate more on the closed lines with} 4... b6 {
, whilst Korchnoi was for much of his career the most successful player of the
main lines. Both have left us a wealth of instructive games in this opening.
--- In more recent years, double Soviet Champion Lev Psakhis has probably been
the leading Winawer player, with the Armenians Vaganian and Lputian also being
important figures, especially in relation to the 5...Ba5 lines. The Winawer
has lost ground in the popularity stakes at top GM level over the past 15
years, but the Spanish-resident Ukrainian Grandmaster, Viktor Moskalenko,
remains a faithful practitioner, and his books on the opening are highly
recommended.}) (4... -- {I have myself played the Winawer for some 25 years,
with great success. The unbalanced nature of the positions, and their clear
strategical outlines, make it an opening that can be learned relatively easily
by the average player, in my opinion. With one or two exceptions, it is an
opening where memorisation of detailed tactical lines is much less important
than understanding the plans and ideas, which makes it ideal for the amateur
player. It is also a surprisingly flexible opening, where Black has many
different move orders, which enable him to avoid specific preparation by the
opponent, and also to choose the set-up he likes best. --- I can heartily
recommend the Winawer to players at all levels, and I hope this book will
contribute to helping them understand the key ideas and typical plans behind
this inexhaustibly rich and fascinating opening.}) (4... -- {Acknowledgements:
-- Thanks go to John Emms and Byron Jacobs of Everyman, for their usual highly
professional and supportive job, and to the staff of the La Torretta café in
Rochester, whose friendly atmosphere and superb coffee provided such welcome
relaxation between sessions working on this book. --- This book is dedicated
to GM Neil McDonald and IM John Watson, which will doubtless come as a shock
to both! It was watching Neil's successes with the French, whilst I was
playing alongside him on the Gravesend team in the mid-1980s, that inspired me
to take up the French myself. Once I decided to do so, the first volume of
John Watson's Play the French, which appeared in 1986, provided the basis of
my repertoire and continued to do so for the next 25 years. Between them,
these two gentlemen changed my chess career, and brought me both great
practical success and enormous enjoyment. I am deeply grateful to both. ---
Steve Giddins, Rochester, Kent, October 2012.}) *

[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1944.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Smyslov, V."]
[Black "Botvinnik, M."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1944.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {This is the move which characterizes the Winawer
Variation. Black brings out his bishop to an active position, pinning the
white knight, and thus threatening to capture on e4. The main point is to try
to force White to clarify the position in the centre. --- QUESTION: Isn't it
true that Fischer once condemned the Winawer as bad? --- ANSWER: It is indeed.
Annotating his game against Darga in 'My 60 Memorable Games', he wrote: "I may
yet be forced to admit the Winawer is sound. But I doubt it! It is
anti-positional and weakens the kingside". --- QUESTION: What exactly did he
mean? --- ANSWER: Well, there are several points. Firstly, the old adage says
one should develop knights before bishops in the opening, and the Winawer
breaks that rule. However, that is a minor point. More importantly, in the
French Defence, Black establishes his central pawns on light squares. With a
light-square pawn structure, Black would usually need to retain his
dark-squared bishop to cover the black squares, yet in most lines of the
Winawer, he exchanges his king's bishop for the white knight on c3. That risks
leaving his dark squares very weak, and also his kingside is vulnerable to the
queen raid Qg4, attacking the undefended g7-pawn. That can be hard to defend,
because the move ...g6 would weaken the dark squares very severely. ---
QUESTION: Sounds like Fischer had a point! So why are you advocating the
Winawer for Black? --- ANSWER: Fischer was right up to a point, in that the
Winawer has these drawbacks. But it also has some advantages. The exchange on
c3 doubles the white pawns, and with White having been induced to close the
position with e5, he frequently finds it hard to get his dark-squared bishop
into active play - after all, most of White's pawns are on dark squares,
obstructing that bishop. Black therefore argues that his own dark-square
weaknesses are not as important as they may seem, because they are hard to
attack. At the end of the day, a weakness is only a weakness if it can be
effectively attacked. Black hopes that White's own weaknesses, notably his
doubled c-pawns and isolated a-pawn, will prove at least as vulnerable as the
dark squares in Black's camp. --- QUESTION: So what you are saying is that the
Winawer produces an unbalanced game? --- ANSWER: Exactly, and that is one of
its great attractions.} 4. e5 {Certainly the main move, although White has no
fewer than five alternatives, of varying degrees of respectability. These
fourth move alternatives are examined in the final three games.} c5 {Similarly,
Black has several alternatives here, which are considered in
Chistiakov-Petrosian. However, the text is the most logical response. Black
attacks the enemy pawn centre in the classic French Defence manner. He also
allows his queen to come out to a5, from where it attacks the split white
queenside pawns.} 5. a3 {Once again, not the only move, but the main line.
White's fifth move alternatives are examined in Karpov-Nogueiras.} Bxc3+ 6.
bxc3 Ne7 ({Black can also play} 6... Qc7 {(Hort-Petrosian)}) ({and} 6... Qa5 {
(Vidarsson-Ward)}) ({as well as even} 6... Nc6) ({but} 6... Ne7 {is again the
main line, and brings about something of a tabiya for the Winawer. --- What
can we say about this position? From White's side, he has the two bishops, and,
as we have already noted, he can hope to make especially good use of his
dark-squared bishop. It is clear that if this bishop can occupy the a3-square,
for example, it could cut through the black position most effectively. White
also has more space on the kingside, and if the black king castles kingside,
White has ideas such as Qg4, Bd3, etc, with threats against the king. ---
QUESTION: So what has Black obtained in return? --- ANSWER: He has damaged the
white pawn structure on the queenside, and has also forced White to close the
position to a significant degree, by the advance e4-e5. This means that
White's bishop-pair may not find it so easy to become active, whereas Black's
knights can jump around within the closed structure. Black has ideas such as ...Nbc6, ...Qa5, maybe ...Nf5, etc. He can also close the position even more, by
advancing ...c5-c4. This will further block things, and also drive White's
king's bishop from an active post on d3. --- QUESTION: What about the black
king? Isn't it vulnerable on the kingside? --- ANSWER: Maybe, although often
it proves less easy to attack than one might think. In addition, Black is by
no means committed to short castling. Frequently, he castles on the other side,
especially if he has closed the position with ...c5-c4. --- QUESTION: And what
about Black's traditional 'bad bishop' on c8? --- ANSWER: That has a few
options. One plan is ...b6 and ...Ba6, but that is only possible in relatively
rare cases. More often, it comes to d7, and then either looks to take up a
post on a4, harassing White's queenside, or else to emerge on the other wing,
by means of ...Be8, ...f6 and ...Bg6/h5. --- QUESTION: That looks rather slow!
--- ANSWER: Yes, and it often comes about only later in the middlegame, but if
the bishop does manage to emerge over that side of the board, it can be a very
good piece. With the position being relatively closed, slow manoeuvring is
frequently the order of the day anyway.}) 7. a4 {QUESTION: What is the idea of
this move? Shouldn't White be developing his pieces? --- ANSWER: Actually,
this is one of the two main approaches for White, in this position. As we
noted above, a key element in White's strategy is to activate his unopposed
dark-squared bishop, and the most obvious place to put it is a3, from where it
will bear down the a3-f8 diagonal, cutting through the heart of Black's
position. The text immediately sets about trying to do that. --- QUESTION: So
is this good for White? --- ANSWER: Not necessarily. There is one big drawback
to the move, namely that the pawn on a4 can actually be quite vulnerable. Once
the bishop goes to a3, the a4-pawn will be undefended, and Black can attack it
with ...Qa5, and also maybe ...Bd7. In fact, if Black is determined to take
the a-pawn, it is quite hard for White to defend it in the long run. ---
QUESTION: So 7 a4 is a gambit? --- ANSWER: Of sorts, yes. It is not a
traditional gambit, seeking rapid development and a quick attack; rather,
White is prepared to make a long-term positional sacrifice of the pawn, in
order to get his bishop on to a good diagonal.} ({
White can also adopt the same positional approach with} 7. Nf3 {
which often transposes.}) ({However, he also has a radically different
approach to the position, with the sharp move} 7. Qg4 {, immediately attacking
the g7-pawn. This move is examined in Cheparinov-Grischuk, Kuipers-Stellwagon
and Atlas-Kindermann.}) 7... Nbc6 {A natural developing move, bringing the
knight to a good square, and exerting pressure against the d4-pawn.} 8. Nf3 Qa5
{Once again, the most natural move. Black brings his queen to an active post,
attacking White's vulnerable queenside pawns. The c3-pawn, in particular, is
threatened with check, so must be defended.} 9. Bd2 {QUESTION: Wait a minute -
I thought this bishop was aiming at the square a3? --- ANSWER: Indeed it was,
and Black will claim that he has scored a small success, by inducing it to
settle for the more passive square d2.} ({
QUESTION: So why doesn't White defend the pawn with} 9. Qd2 {
? Is he afraid of the queen exchange after} cxd4 {? --- ANSWER: As we will see
later, White is not really afraid of the immediate queen exchange, but it is
one problem with the move 8 Qd2. In fact, the latter is a perfectly
respectable option, that has been preferred by many white players in the
Winawer (including both Fischer and Smyslov, as we will see). We will examine
it in beginning from Ragozin-Botvinnik.}) 9... c4 $5 {QUESTION: Not sure why
you mark this with '!?'. Isn't it almost forced, in view of the threat of 10
c4, attacking the queen?} ({ANSWER: That was certainly what most people
thought, for decades, and ...c5-c4 became almost a reflex action in such
positions. However, the modern preference is to retain the tension as long as
possible in such positions, here with the move} 9... Bd7 {
. --- QUESTION: So you are not afraid of} 10. c4 {then? --- ANSWER: No. We
will discuss these issues more fully in Timman-Korchnoi, but the bottom line
is that this advance often leaves the white centre too weak and his position
undeveloped.}) ({QUESTION: Going back to the position after} 9... c4 {
, what is going on? I thought you said this was part of Black's plans anyway?
--- ANSWER: It is to some extent. For years, the move was seen almost as a
sine qua non of Black's play in such positions. It was assumed that he has to
close the position, to prevent the white bishops becoming too active. Botvinnik 
won quite a few games in such positions, usually by annexing the a4-pawn and
eventually triumphing, but gradually white players learnt how to coordinate
their forces more effectively, and the downsides of the advance ...c5-c4 began
to emerge more clearly. --- QUESTION: And these are? --- ANSWER: By releasing
the pressure on d4, Black gives White a free hand to reorganise his position
and start building pressure on the kingside. He also weakens his dark squares
further, by fixing another pawn on a white square; for example, the a3-f8
diagonal is now more inviting than ever for the white queen's bishop, should
he ever succeed in freeing himself from the need to defend c3. --- QUESTION:
And what about the loss of the a4-pawn? --- ANSWER: This is an irritant for
White, certainly, but if he organises his counterplay with sufficient energy,
practice suggests that he can exploit the time taken by Black to win that pawn.
Even after winning it, it is very hard for Black to exploit his material
advantage on the queenside.}) 10. Ng5 {A standard reaction to the early
closing of the centre by ...c5-c4. Now there is no pressure against d4, White
redeploys his knight, freeing his f-pawn to advance, and also looking to
provoke weaknesses in the black kingside.} ({However, with the white bishop
not yet having left f1, there is also a case for the move} 10. g3 {with the idea of Bh3, 0-0, Nh4 and f4-f5. White would have good chances of developing an
initiative in such a fashion.}) 10... h6 {QUESTION: Is this necessary? After
all, you said White wanted to provoke some kingside weaknesses, so why oblige
him?} ({ANSWER: That is a good point. On g5, the knight annoys Black, perhaps,
but it is not clear how much real effect it has. The attack on f7 stops long
castling, and moves such as Qh5 may be in the air, but it is still not clear
whether Black could not just play a move such as} 10... Bd7 {
, although then after, say,} 11. g3 {, he still has to decide what to do about
his king. It is probably hard to avoid the move ...h6 for too long.}) 11. Nh3 {
QUESTION: So the threat now is f4-f5? --- ANSWER: Actually, the bigger threat
is probably 12 Nf4, followed by Nh5. It is quite awkward to defend g7, and
Black is reluctant to play ...g6 himself, because of the drastic further
weakening of his dark squares.} Ng6 {See the last note. Black stops 12 Nf4.}
12. Qf3 $2 {QUESTION: Why is this bad? --- ANSWER: It is just too slow. White
intends to exchange knights on f4, recapturing with the queen, but, as we will
see, his plan is too slow and Black can meanwhile take the a4-pawn with
relative impunity.} ({Keres recommended} 12. Be2 Bd7 13. Bh5 {
, another typical manoeuvre in such positions. After} Nce7 14. O-O {we transpose into the game Planinc-Timman, analysed in the notes to Timman-Korchnoi.})
12... Bd7 13. Nf4 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Ne7 $1 {An excellent move, which underlines
the inadequacy of White's approach. The knight move does two things: firstly,
it transfers the knight to the kingside, where it can fulfil a defensive role
(for example, Qg4 can now be met by ...Nf5, defending g7), and secondly, it
unmasks the bishop on d7, which simply intends to capture on a4. As we have
emphasised above, taking the a-pawn is certainly something Black is very happy
to do if he can get away with it, and White needs to react energetically on
the kingside in response. Here, he has no real kingside initiative by way of
compensation for the impending material deficit.} 15. h4 Bxa4 16. h5 {
White sets up the basis for a kingside pawn storm, with g4-g5 to follow, but
this proves too little, too late.} Qb5 {By unpinning the bishop, Black
threatens another pawn on c2. The effectiveness of a bishop on a4 in such
structures is something we will see elsewhere in this book.} 17. Kd1 {
QUESTION: Eh? Surely this is not forced? --- ANSWER: No, but White reasons
that he needs to get his king away from the kingside anyway, so he can pursue
his ambitions there with g4-g5, and he reckons his king is relatively safe on
d1. --- QUESTION: Hmm. It all looks a bit desperate to me! --- ANSWER: Indeed
it is. Things have gone seriously wrong for White, and he knows it.} Rc8 18.
Bc1 Rc6 {The rook is on its way to a6.} 19. Be2 Ra6 {
Threatening 20...Bxc2+, hence White's next.} 20. Kd2 O-O $1 {Resolutely
g to be frightened of ghosts. Botvinnik judges that the coming White pawn
storm with g4 is nothing to be frightened of.} 21. g4 f6 $1 {The point of
Black's play. Far from going passive on the kingside, he hits back, opening
the f-file and including his rook in the defence along the sixth rank.} 22.
exf6 Rxf6 23. Qc7 Rf7 24. Qd8+ Kh7 25. f4 Qa5 26. Qb8 Nc6 ({
The computer points out that the move} 26... e5 $1 {
is very strong here, with the point that} 27. fxe5 ({if} 27. Qxe5 Nc6 28. Qe3
Re7 29. Qf2 Re4 {and d4 drops}) 27... Rf4 {unexpectedly leaves White unable to
defend the d4-pawn. Botvinnik's move is less incisive, although he has similar
ideas.}) 27. Qe8 Re7 28. Qg6+ (28. Qf8 Qd8 29. Qxd8 Nxd8 {would enable White
to put up tougher resistance, but it is quite understandable that Smyslov was
reluctant to trade queens into a pawn-down endgame.}) 28... Kg8 29. Ba3 (29. g5
{may look threatening, but in fact, after} Nxd4 30. gxh6 Nxe2 31. Kxe2 Qxc3 {
White has no real threats against the black king.}) 29... e5 {
Unmasking the rook on a6.} 30. fxe5 (30. dxe5 {
is slightly more tenacious, but even so, after} Nd4 $1 (30... Nxe5 31. Qf5 {
is much less convincing}) 31. Bb4 Qb5 32. Bxe7 Rxg6 {Black should win.}) 30...
Nxd4 31. Bb4 Qd8 (31... Qb5 {is even better.}) 32. Qxa6 (32. Bxe7 Qxe7 33. cxd4
Rxg6 34. hxg6 Qb4+ 35. Kc1 (35. Ke3 Bxc2 {is no better}) 35... c3 {is decisive.
}) 32... bxa6 33. cxd4 Rb7 34. Rxa4 {Momentarily, White has a winning material
advantage, but his scattered forces and exposed king soon suffer ruinous
losses.} Qg5+ 35. Kd1 a5 {Good enough;} ({but the computer points out that} 
35... c3 {is mate in seven!}) 36. Bf3 Rxb4 37. Bxd5+ Kf8 38. Rf1+ Ke8 39. Bc6+
Ke7 40. Rxb4 Qxg4+ 0-1

[Event "USSR Championship, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1945.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tolush, A."]
[Black "Botvinnik, M."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1945.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 {
In the previous game, White chose 7 a4.} {The text is the other main
positional attempt, and frequently transposes into 7 a4. However, as we will
see, sometimes White can try to dispense with the move a3-a4 and exploit the
tempo thus saved for more vigorous play on the kingside.} Qa5 (7... Nbc6 {
is perhaps the more common move order nowadays, although the text can transpose.
}) 8. Bd2 ({QUESTION: Is} 8. Qd2 {possible here? --- ANSWER: It certainly is,
and we will look at such Qd2 plans from Ragozin-Botvinnik onwards. However,
one could argue that with the white pawn not yet having advanced to a4, the
move Bd2 makes more sense, since he can dispense with the pawn advance
altogether and play on the other wing.}) 8... c4 $5 {Once again, we see this
thematic black idea, but also in a somewhat premature form.} ({As we pointed
out in the notes to Smyslov-Botvinnik, the threat of an early c3-c4 by White
is less serious than it looks, whilst the white bishop has not yet committed
itself to e2 or d3, so Black probably does better to remain flexible and
develop with} 8... Nbc6 {. This would transpose into more normal lines.}) 9. a4
$6 {QUESTION: You don't like this typical move? --- ANSWER: I don't greatly
like it in this specific position, no. As we have discussed already, when
Black closes the position with an early ...c5-c4, White needs to react
vigorously on the kingside, else he is in danger of failing to develop any
initiative on that wing, and just ending up watching while Black helps himself
to the a4-pawn. That is what happened in Smyslov-Botvinnik, and we will see
much the same scenario unfold in the present game. --- As we pointed out in
the last note, the white bishop being committed to d2 does not fit terribly
well with the move a3-a4. I therefore think that, in this position, White
should dispense with the advance of the a-pawn and get on with purposeful play
on the other flank. There are two main ways of doing so.} ({The first is} 9. g3
{, taking advantage of the fact that the bishop is still on f1. We pointed out
such a possibility in Smyslov-Botvinnik also. Play might continue} Nbc6 10. Bh3
Bd7 11. O-O O-O-O 12. Ng5 (12. Nh4 {is also possible}) 12... Rdf8 13. f4 {
with unclear play.}) (9. Ng5 $1 {is probably better still. White adopts the
standard idea of provoking kingside weaknesses, whilst freeing his f-pawn to
advance. After} h6 10. Nh3 {Black has:} -- (10... Nbc6 11. Nf4 g6 (11... Bd7
12. Nh5 {and Black is forced into contortions to protect the g7-pawn}) 12. g4
$5 Bd7 13. Be2 O-O-O 14. O-O {and White will follow up with Ng2 and f4,
eventually preparing the break f4-f5. Once again, he must be rather better,
albeit in a tough position.}) (10... Ng6 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Bh5 Nce7 13. O-O {
with a similar position to that considered in Smyslov-Botvinnik, but with
White having gained a tempo by omitting a3-a4. In addition, his a-pawn is much
less vulnerable to capture on a3. The position is a tough one to play (Black
is always very solid in such positions), but White must be somewhat better here.
})) 9... Nd7 $5 {QUESTION: This looks a bit unusual. Doesn't the knight
usually go to c6? --- ANSWER: Yes, but in this particular position, the text
makes some sense. Black intends to win the white a4-pawn with the knight, by
means of ...Nb6xa4. In Smyslov-Botvinnik, we saw him do this with the bishop,
after ...Bd7xa4, but the knight is more active on a4 than the bishop. It
attacks c3, and can be supported by ...b7-b5. Ceteris paribus, Black would
rather take with the knight on a4, than the bishop. --- QUESTION: So why
doesn't this get played more often? --- ANSWER: Well, as we have already
discussed, Black cannot really force this position. If he wants to play the
plan with ...c4 and ...Nd7, he needs to close the centre very early (as he did
in the present game), but then White will usually have the option to dispense
with the move a3-a4 and play for a more vigorous set-up on the other wing.} 10.
Be2 $6 {Once again, White plays too slowly and routinely, and allows Black to
reach a good position.} ({The move} 10. Ng5 {was still best, although the
tempo spent on a3-a4 makes it less effective here than in the previous note. A
game D.Bronstein-V.Saigin, Moscow 1945, continued} h6 11. Nh3 Nb6 12. Nf4 g6
13. h4 Bd7 14. h5 {with the initiative. However, even this is not so clear. In
the game, Black played the terrible move} g5 $2 ({but the Irish theoretician
John Moles, in his classic 1975 treatise on the Winawer, pointed out that
Black's structure is still very hard to crack after} 14... O-O-O $1 {
: for example,} 15. Be2 Nxa4 16. hxg6 fxg6 $1 17. Bg4 Qa6 $1 {and it is not
easy for White to step up the pressure - this line is a good illustration of
the solidity of Black's position in such lines, even when White manages to
work up a decent initiative}) {, and after} 15. Ne2 O-O-O 16. g4 Rdg8 17. Bh3
Nxa4 18. f4 gxf4 19. O-O {his kingside was collapsing.}) 10... Nb6 11. O-O Nxa4
12. Nh4 $2 {Another mistake, this time more serious. Thanks to Black's reply,
the prospects of White ever getting in the break f4-f5 are reduced virtually
to zero.} ({Once again, White should try} 12. Ng5 h6 13. Nh3 {.}) 12... Ng6 $1
{When the white knight cannot retreat to g2, this move is highly effective
against Nh4. The exchange on g6 is virtually forced.} 13. Nxg6 hxg6 {Now Black 
has an excellent position. The transfer of the pawn to g6 leaves White with no
real prospects on the kingside, and he has no compensation at all for his pawn
minus.} 14. Re1 Bd7 15. Bf1 b5 16. Qf3 Rb8 {QUESTION: What is the idea of
this? --- ANSWER: We saw a similar manoeuvre in Smyslov-Botvinnik. The rook is
coming to b6, from where it will patrol the sixth rank. In this case, there is
also a deeper purpose. Botvinnik sees that White is preparing to bring his
bishop to a3, and he prepares a counter-measure against this.} 17. Reb1 Qc7 18.
Bc1 a5 19. Ba3 Rb6 20. Qg3 Qd8 {Preparing ...Qh4, exchanging queens.} 21. Bd6
Rxd6 $1 {QUESTION: What's this? An exchange sacrifice? --- ANSWER: It is a key
idea for such French positions generally, and Winawer positions in particular.
This positional exchange sacrifice eliminates White's best minor piece. Black
already has a pawn for the exchange, and he will be able to round up the one
on d6 as well. Materially, he will have enough for the exchange, but
positionally, his knight will be worth a rook anyway. --- QUESTION: How come?
I was always taught that rooks are better than knights! --- ANSWER: The
essential point is that the position is blocked. To be effective, rooks need
open files. Here, they have none. This is why exchange sacrifices so
frequently occur in the French, and we will see some further examples in this
book.} 22. exd6 Bc6 23. h3 {White wants to be able to keep the queens on after
Black's ...Qh4, hence he ensures the h2-pawn will not be attacked.} Kd7 {
QUESTION: Now that is taking the mick, surely? --- ANSWER: It is a nice move,
but is actually perfectly logical. Once again, it is all a consequence of the
blocked nature of the position. The king is as safe as houses on d7, as White
has no effective way to open the central files and get at it with his heavy
pieces.} 24. Re1 Qh4 25. Qe5 {White desperately tries to keep the queens on,
in order to complicate Black's task. If he acquiesces in the exchange, Black
will just take on d6 and then set his central pawns in motion with ...f6 and ...e5. The latter is ultimately his key winning plan, and the only hope of
preventing it is to keep the queens on, so that the central pawn advance will
always result in some exposure of the black king.} Qf6 26. Qg3 Rh4 $1 {
The start of another nice regrouping. Botvinnik intends to bring the rook to
f4 and his queen to h4. Once he achieves that, the break ...b5-b4 will
undermine the support of the d4-pawn. White's problem is that he has no
counterplay.} 27. Re3 Rf4 28. Be2 Qh4 {
Now White cannot avoid the exchange of queens.} 29. Bf3 b4 {Not only is ...b3-b2 a threat, but the d4-pawn is now liable to drop off at any moment.} 30.
Qxh4 Rxh4 31. g3 Rh8 (31... Rxh3 $6 32. cxb4 axb4 33. Rb1 {would give White
much more hope. Instead, Botvinnik brings his rook back to defend the b4-pawn.}
) 32. cxb4 axb4 33. Rb1 Rb8 34. h4 Rb7 35. Kh2 Kxd6 {White is defenceless.} 36.
g4 Nc3 37. Ra1 Nb5 38. Rd1 Ra7 39. h5 g5 40. Kg2 Ra2 41. Be2 {. Here, the game
was adjourned and White resigned without resuming. After Black takes on c2,
his queenside pawns cost White a lot of material. --- A classic Winawer game.
It shows once again the need for White to react with vigour to Black's plan
involving ...c5-c4 and the win of the a4-pawn. The other instructive aspect of
the game is the power of Black's positional exchange sacrifice, and such
sacrifices are very typical of the opening.} 0-1

[Event "3rd matchgame, Leeuwarden"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1976.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Timman, J."]
[Black "Korchnoi, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1976.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3
Qa5 9. Bd2 Bd7 {This is nowadays the main line of the Nf3/a4 treatment in this
variation. Both sides develop according to their desired scheme, and Black
refrains from an early commitment to closing the position with ...c5-c4.} 10.
Be2 {QUESTION: This looks rather modest. Is it best?} ({ANSWER: For a long
time, it was the main line. The problem is that the superficially
natural-looking} 10. Bd3 $2 {simply encourages Black to play} c4 {with tempo.})
({However, White does have a major alternative in} 10. Bb5 {and this move has
actually become the most popular in this position, largely thanks to the
variation seen in the present game, which White players have been unable to
crack. The move 10 Bb5 will be examined in Byrne-Vaganian.}) 10... f6 {
This is the key idea, which revitalised Black's position in this variation,
when it was first introduced in the late 1970s. Black still avoids closing the
centre, and instead attacks it again, creating the maximum tension in the
centre of the board. --- QUESTION: But once again, Black ignores the threat of
a discovered attack on his queen, after 11 c4? --- ANSWER: Yes, and this game
will show what happens if White carries out that threat.} ({
Before the discovery of 10...f6, Black almost always played} 10... c4 {
here. --- QUESTION: Is that bad? --- ANSWER: Probably not, but Black did
experience a few reverses in this line during the 1970s, and these served to
put black players off the position a bit. --- QUESTION: In the first two games,
Black seemed to do very well in these blocked structures. So what changed? ---
ANSWER: Basically, white players learned how to handle them better. As we
mentioned in the notes to the first two games, White needs to play dynamically.
Botvinnik's opponents in the 1930s and 40s were still feeling their way in
these lines, which were newly-developed at that time, and even players of the
class of Smyslov took some time to work out exactly how they should handle
their pieces in such positions. As an illustration of the modern understanding
of the white structure, we will examine in full one of the key 1970s games,
where White got things just right. The game in question is A.Planinec-J.Timman,
Wijk aan Zee 1974. After 10...c4 (I have changed the move order somewhat to
fit the present game), play continued:} 11. Ng5 $1 {
(We have pointed out this standard idea several times already.)} h6 12. Nh3 Ng6
{(Stopping the unpleasant Nf4-h5, which ties Black down to the defence of g7.)}
13. O-O O-O-O ({Black almost always castles long in this variation, but John
Watson suggests that} 13... O-O $5 {
followed by ...f7-f6, may be perfectly playable.}) 14. Bh5 Nce7 15. f4 ({
The same year, against the same opponent, Planinec varied his move order
slightly with} 15. Qe1 {
. However, his basic strategy was unchanged, and he won even more crushingly:}
Kb8 16. Bc1 Rc8 17. Ba3 Qd8 18. a5 Rg8 19. Qc1 Rc6 20. a6 b6 21. f4 f5 22. exf6
gxf6 23. f5 Nxf5 24. Rxf5 exf5 25. Qxh6 f4 ({
incredibly, the computer actually claims Black is okay after} 25... Qe8 {
but even if true, this does not detract from the instructional value of
Planinec's handling of the whole variation}) 26. Bxg6 Bxh3 27. Qxh3 Rxg6 28. Qh7
{1-0 A.Planinec-J.Timman, Amsterdam 1974.}) 15... Rhg8 16. Nf2 Kb8 17. Qe1 $1 {
QUESTION: That looks a funny move! --- ANSWER: Maybe, but it is very logical.
Planinec wants to re-route his queen's bishop to the a3-f8 diagonal, so first
he simply defends the c3-pawn.} Rc8 {QUESTION: Why doesn't he take the a4-pawn,
as we saw in the first two games? --- ANSWER: He could, and maybe even
objectively should, just so as to have something for which to suffer. But
whether he takes with bishop or knight (the latter after ...Nc8-b6xa4), he
removes a guard from the key square f5, thus facilitating White's plan of
preparing f4-f5. Black will also be tied up on the queenside, quite probably
being forced into a subsequent ...b7-b5, which exposes his king. Note that in
our last two games, Botvinnik did not castle queenside!} 18. Bc1 Qd8 19. Nd1 $1
{(Another nice regrouping move. The knight is coming to e3, to support the
advance f4-f5.)} f5 {(Black has to find some play from somewhere, so he tries
a kingside advance of his own, but this comes unstuck. However, it is hard to
know what to recommend. If he sits tight, he is terribly passive and White can
strengthen his position on both wings, with a free hand.)} 20. Ne3 Nh8 21. Ba3
g5 22. a5 {(Another thematic idea in these lines. The despised a-pawn becomes
a battering-ram against the black king position.)} Be8 23. Bxe8 Qxe8 24. Qb1
gxf4 25. Rxf4 Neg6 26. Rf1 h5 27. Kh1 f4 28. Nd1 $1 {(This knight has already
got through a lot of work in this game, and there is more to come. White is
looking at playing Nb2-a4, and then something with Bd6+ and Nb6+.)} Nh4 29.
Bd6+ Ka8 30. Nb2 {
(So strong is that threat that White does not even pause to defend g2.)} Nf7
31. Na4 Nxd6 32. exd6 Qg6 33. Rf2 Nxg2 34. d7 Rcd8 35. Nc5 Rb8 36. d8=Q $1 {
(The final touch. White simply wins a piece.)} Rgxd8 37. Rxg2 Qf7 38. Qb6 $1 {
(A very nice way of attacking the e6-pawn!)} f3 39. Rf2 Qf4 40. Nxe6 {
1-0. --- An extremely impressive performance by White. This game, and others
like it, served to put Black off the standard plan with an early ...c5-c4, and
sent him in search of the more dynamic approach with 10...f6, to which we now
return.}) 11. c4 {Not forced, but the critical move.} ({The quiet} 11. O-O {
is seen in the next game.}) 11... Qc7 {QUESTION: So how have the last few
moves changed things? --- ANSWER: The main point is that we are heading for a
much more open game than the sort of closed struggles we have seen hitherto in
this book. --- QUESTION: But shouldn't that favour White, with his two
bishops? --- ANSWER: One might think so, but other factors are also relevant
here. The main one is that White's centre has lost its stability. It is under
attack from all sides, and cannot be maintained as a pawn unit. In particular,
White cannot avoid the exchange on f6, which not only devalues his centre, but
also opens the g-file. The safety of the white king frequently becomes an
issue in such positions.} 12. cxd5 ({Another Korchnoi game, played two years
later, saw White hold back his second c-pawn, to try to keep his centre more
stable, but he lost drastically:} 12. exf6 gxf6 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. dxc5 ({
a line which has been seen a number of times is} 14. c3 O-O-O 15. O-O Rhg8 16.
Re1 e5 17. c4 Bh3 18. Bf1 Nb6 19. d5 {and now} Nxc4 $1 {
with the largely forced sequence} 20. dxc6 Qxc6 21. g3 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 e4 23. Qb3
({or} 23. Qc2 Qd5 24. Bf4 exf3 {when} 25. Rac1 $1 ({
I.Mazi-I.Farago, Bled 1992, continued} 25. Rfc1 $6 {when} Rge8 $1 {
with the idea} 26. Qxc4 $4 Re1+ $1 {favours Black}) 25... Ne5 26. Qxc5+ Qxc5
27. Rxc5+ Nc6 28. Rf5 {is equal}) 23... Qd5 24. Rac1 (24. Rfc1 Nxd2 25. Nxd2
Qxd2 {was E.Sharapov-K.Piorun, Grodzisk Mazowiecki 2007, and now} 26. Rxc5+ {
is equal}) 24... Nxd2 25. Nxd2 Qxd2 26. Rxc5+ Kb8 27. Rb5 Rg7 28. Rb1 Rdd7 29.
Qe6 e3 30. fxe3 Rge7 31. Qg8+ Rd8 32. Qb3 Rdd7 33. Qg8+ Rd8 34. Qb3 Rdd7 {
½-½ B.Spassky-V.Korchnoi, 4th matchgame, Belgrade 1977}) 14... O-O-O 15.
O-O e5 16. c3 {(by comparison with the main game, White covers the d4-square,
keeping the enemy knights out, but Black is very active nonetheless)} Rhg8 17.
Kh1 Nf4 18. Bc4 $2 {. --- EXERCISE: Black can now win material. How? ---} {
ANSWER:} Rxg2 $1 19. Bxf4 Rg4 $1 {
(this is the move White had missed; his position is now falling apart)} 20. Qe2
Rxf4 21. Nd2 Na5 22. f3 Nxc4 23. Nxc4 Qxc5 24. Nd2 Bf5 25. Ne4 Qc6 26. Rae1 Be6
27. Rg1 f5 28. Ng5 Bd5 29. Rg3 h6 {0-1 L.Lederman-V.Korchnoi, Beersheba 1978.})
12... Nxd5 13. c4 {John Watson considers this the most accurate move order.} ({
If instead} 13. exf6 gxf6 14. c4 {Black has the attractive option of} Nf4 $1 {.
}) 13... Nde7 14. exf6 gxf6 15. dxc5 O-O-O {QUESTION: Wow! The position has
changed rather drastically over the past few moves! What is going on? ---
ANSWER: The centre has cleared completely, and White has even won a pawn, at
least temporarily. His bishops have full scope, particularly the dark-squared
bishop. --- QUESTION: So why isn't he better? --- ANSWER: Several things.
Firstly, his queenside pawns are quite weak. Secondly, although his bishops
look active, the same can be said for the black knights. In the middlegame,
knights may be inferior to bishops, when they lack secure central outposts,
but if they have such outposts, they can be a match for bishops, even in an
open position. Here, Black can play ...e6-e5, securing the d4-square, and then
...Nf5, when d4 offers a great central outpost for the knights. A further
factor is that White's king will have to castle short, into the open g-file,
which should offer Black good counterplay. All in all, the position seems
dynamically balanced, but Black's practical results have been good.} 16. Bc3 e5
17. Qd6 {Timman decides that his king could be the more vulnerable in the
middlegame, and therefore goes for a queen exchange. However, Black still has
good, active play in the resulting ending, and Black has no real problems here.
} Nf5 18. Qxc7+ (18. Qxf6 $2 {is far too risky after} Rhf8 19. Qg5 e4 {
, with a virtually winning attack.}) 18... Kxc7 19. O-O Nfd4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21.
Bd1 Kc6 22. Bxd4 $2 {This is the real start of White's problems. The exchange
gives Black a powerful passed pawn, which in the end, costs White the game.} ({
He could maintain the balance with} 22. f4 {.}) 22... exd4 23. Bf3+ Kxc5 24.
Bxb7 Bf5 {With his strong passed pawn, and much the more active king, Black is
simply better here.} 25. Bf3 Rhe8 26. Ra2 Rb8 27. Rd2 Rb1 (27... Rb4 {
and 27...Rb3 are more natural, but Korchnoi wishes to prevent any chance of
White ganging up on the passed d-pawn and winning it.}) 28. g4 Ree1 29. Rxe1
Rxe1+ 30. Kg2 Be4 31. Bxe4 Rxe4 32. Kf3 Re5 {With his king cut off on the
kingside, White is helpless against the enemy king and passed d-pawn.} 33. h4 (
33. Rd1 Kxc4 34. Rc1+ Kb3 35. Rd1 Kc3 36. Rc1+ Kd2 37. Rc7 d3 {is no better.})
({The king and pawn ending after} 33. Re2 {is also hopeless: for example,} Kxc4
34. Rxe5 fxe5 35. Ke2 Kc3 36. Kd1 Kd3 37. h4 Ke4 38. h5 Kf4 39. f3 e4 {
and White loses his kingside pawns.}) 33... Kxc4 34. Rc2+ Kb3 35. Rc7 d3 36.
Rxh7 Rd5 {Now the d-pawn is unstoppable.} 37. Rb7+ Kc2 38. Rc7+ Kb1 39. Rb7+
Ka1 40. Rb5 Rd8 {. --- This game, and those quoted in the notes, is a good
illustration of how Black's dynamic play enables him at least to hold the
balance in the open positions resulting from 10...f6 11 c4 Qc7. Although
White's bishops gain more scope, his crumbling pawn centre and potentially
exposed king give Black enough compensation. The realisation that Black does
not need to close the position with ...c5-c4 was a major development in the
understanding of this variation.} 0-1

[Event "Skopje Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1972.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Van Seters, F."]
[Black "Korchnoi, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1972.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 Bd7 8. a4
Qa5 9. Bd2 Nbc6 10. Be2 f6 ({For the sake of clarity in presenting the lines,
I have changed the move order here. In the game, play in fact proceeded} 10...
c4 11. O-O f6 {, transposing.}) 11. O-O ({
White declines to take up the gauntlet with the move} 11. c4 {, instead preferring to complete his development and maintain his pawn centre. He reasons that
Black still has to concern himself with the possibility of a subsequent c3-c4,
which White will look to achieve in more favourable circumstances.}) 11... c4 {
QUESTION: So Black plays ...c5-c4 after all. Isn't this a failure on his part?
After all, he was trying to avoid this move, wasn't he? --- ANSWER: No, not
really. In fact, Black's argument is that he has gained from the transaction.
What he wanted to do was play ...c5-c4, but without allowing the strong reply
Ng5, followed by the plan we saw in Planinec-Timman, in the notes to the last
game. With his pawn already on f6, Black can now close the centre without fear
of this counter-plan.} ({Having said that, however, the move} 11... O-O-O {
is also very playable, and would transpose into Timman-Korchnoi if White then
took up the challenge with} 12. c4 {.}) 12. Re1 O-O (12... O-O-O {
is also playable here}) ({but the most common move is} 12... fxe5 {
: for example,} 13. dxe5 (13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. dxe5 O-O {
is also comfortable for Black}) 13... O-O 14. Bf1 {. It is instructive to
follow this line a few more moves, as we see some interesting play by Black.}
Rf5 $1 {QUESTION: Why is this good? --- ANSWER: Black prepares to double rooks
along the f-file, and also exerts pressure against the enemy e5-pawn. The
latter can potentially be augmented by moves such as ...Ng6 and ...Qc7, and
the e5-pawn can possibly become a serious target. This is perhaps one argument
in favour of the simplifying knight capture at move 13, when White always has
the possibility of f2-f4, defending the e-pawn. After} 15. g3 Raf8 16. Re3 R5f7
{Black was comfortable in V.Ciocaltea-R.Vaganian, Budapest 1973.}) 13. exf6 $5
(13. Bf1 {was perhaps more consistent. The text helps Black to double rooks on
the f-file.}) 13... Rxf6 14. Bg5 Rf7 15. Qd2 Raf8 {QUESTION: So how do you
assess this position? --- ANSWER: I think Black is quite comfortable here. His
pieces are almost all well placed, his rooks exert pressure down the f-file,
and he has pressure against the weak white queenside pawns. --- QUESTION: But
what about his bad bishop on d7? And also his dark squares - the squares e5,
c5, d6, etc, look like so many open wounds! --- ANSWER: True, but one just has
to get used to this in the Winawer. As we have remarked earlier, the positions
are frequently unbalanced; that is to say, equal, but containing plusses and
minuses on each side. Black has these weaknesses, sure, but he also has other
trumps, such as the weak white queenside pawns. The bishop on d7 should not be
despised, as it fulfils some useful functions - it defends the weak e6-pawn,
and it also points at the a4-pawn. On a really good day, this bishop can find
a new life on the kingside, after ...Be8-g6/h5.} 16. Bh4 {QUESTION: What is
this about? --- ANSWER: It is a typical manoeuvre in such positions, the
bishop aiming for g3, from where it controls e5 and attacks d6. However, Black
is well placed to meet this here, since he can eliminate the bishop after ...Nf5.} Nf5 17. Bg3 h6 {A typical move in such positions. --- QUESTION: It is
just defensive, guarding against Ng5, right? --- ANSWER: Not entirely! As we
will see, it also has the idea of a later ...g7-g5 advance.} 18. Rad1 $2 {
This looks pretty pointless, and is a sign that White was struggling to find
something constructive to do.} ({Maybe he should have taken advantage of
Black's failure to take on g3 last move, with} 18. Be5 {. Black can then still
eliminate the bishop, of course, but a subsequent ...Nxe5 will be met by the
knight recapture on e5, which causes some problems for Black.}) 18... Qd8 {
QUESTION: What is the point of this? Wasn't the queen well-placed on a5? ---
ANSWER: Up to a point, but with White having regrouped and brought his queen
to d2, the pressure against c3 is not going anywhere.} ({
In addition, of course, the a4-pawn cannot be taken in view of} 18... Qxa4 $4
19. Ra1 Qb5 20. Reb1 {, trapping the queen. Black therefore decides that his
queen has done her job on a5, at least for the time being, and so she switches
to a more central position.}) 19. Rb1 Bc8 ({Black prefers this to} 19... b6 {
, so as to preserve the possibility of the queen returning to a5 at a later
stage (see move 23).}) 20. Qc1 g5 {QUESTION: Crikey! He really did it! ---
ANSWER: Yes. This is an idea that is always in the air in these structures.
Black threatens to take on g3 and push ...g5-g4, breaking through to the
f2-pawn.} 21. Ne5 $2 {This leads to exchanges which leave Black clearly better.
White should probably just return the rook to f1, defending f2. Although this
looks passive, it is not easy for Black to improve his position.} Nxg3 $1 22.
fxg3 ({The tactical justification of Black's last is} 22. Nxf7 $2 Nxe2+ {
, winning two minor pieces for the rook.}) 22... Nxe5 23. dxe5 Qa5 $1 {
QUESTION: What is the upshot of the last few moves? --- ANSWER: Black has
greatly improved his position. The weakness on e6 is now shielded along the
e-file, the e5-pawn is isolated and weak, and the white queenside pawns are
vulnerable. Black is clearly better.} 24. Qe3 b6 $6 {Korchnoi seeks to
maintain control, but it is not clear why he did not simply take on a4, also
attacking c2.} 25. Bh5 Rf2 $6 26. Rf1 $2 {
This allows Black a winning simplification.} ({White should play} 26. Rec1 {
, when the threat of 26 Bf3 forces the rook to retreat. After} R2f5 27. Bg6 {
Black cannot really avoid a repetition.}) 26... Rxf1+ 27. Rxf1 Qc5 $1 (27...
Rxf1+ 28. Kxf1 Qxa4 {is certainly much better for Black, but Korchnoi realizes
that the bishop ending resulting from the text is winning for Black, thanks to
the weakness of the white queenside.}) 28. Qxc5 (28. Rxf8+ Kxf8 29. Kf2 {
is no better after} Qxe3+ 30. Kxe3 Bd7 {, when the a4-pawn drops.}) 28... Rxf1+
29. Kxf1 bxc5 30. a5 {This is the point of the exchange on c5, but the a-pawn
is only prolonging its life, not curing its terminal illness. The black king
will march over and round it up in due course.} Bd7 31. Ke2 Kf8 32. h4 Be8 33.
Bg4 Ke7 34. hxg5 hxg5 35. Kd2 Kd7 36. Kc1 Bf7 {
Now it is clear that the a-pawn is doomed, and the rest is silence.} 37. Kb2
Kc6 38. Ka3 Kb5 39. Kb2 Kxa5 40. Ka3 Kb5 41. Kb2 a5 {. Although the a-pawn
cannot itself be forced home, Black can create a second passed pawn on the
d-file, which will be decisive.} 0-1

[Event "Berlin"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1967.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Suetin, A."]
[Black "Uhlmann, W."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1967.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. a4 Qa5 8. Bd2
Nbc6 9. Nf3 Bd7 10. Be2 c4 11. O-O f6 12. exf6 {Another different way of
handling the position. In the previous game, White delayed this move until
Black was able to recapture on f6 with the rook. Here, he takes at once,
forcing the reply ...gxf6 which leads to another slightly different structure.}
gxf6 13. Re1 O-O-O {With the pawn on f6, castling short is clearly not very
attractive, so this move is the most natural. The position before us could
also be reached by other move orders, of course. --- QUESTION: So what are the
differences between this set-up and that which we saw in the previous game?
--- ANSWER: The pawn being on f6, rather than g7, strengthens Black's centre
(especially the e5-square), and gives him the open g-file, along which he can
attack the white king. White himself perhaps has slightly more chances of
attacking the black king here, using the open b-file, but it is still not easy
to do so, as the doubled c-pawns hamper White's communications. Very often in
these structures, with the black pawn having gone to c4, White finds his
position rather cut in two along the c-file, and it is rather cumbersome to
shift pieces between the king's and queen's flanks. Overall, this structure
with ...gxf6 strikes me as very comfortable for Black.} 14. Bf1 Nf5 {Note that 
one idea for Black in such positions is to bring this knight to e4, via d6. If
it ever gets there, it is likely to be very powerful, so White has to fight
against this plan.} 15. Qc1 h5 16. Qa3 Rdg8 17. Rab1 Nd8 $1 {Another typical
Winawer manoeuvre, worth noting. --- QUESTION: What is the idea? --- ANSWER:
The knight moves away to meet the threat of 18 Rb5. At the same time, it
defends the e6-pawn, thus potentially freeing the bishop on d7 for more
fruitful work, possibly taking on a4, perhaps coming to c6, to defend b7. The
knight on d8 also defends b7, of course, so Black is already well prepared for
the possible white attack down the b-file.} 18. Rb4 Rh7 {The rook gets ready
to double on the g-file, as well as adding yet another potential defender to
the b7-square.} 19. h3 {QUESTION: What is the point of this? --- ANSWER: White
wants to get his king off the g-file by Kh2.} Rhg7 20. Bf4 Bc6 21. Kh2 Kd7 $1 {
QUESTION: What's this? Surely after all the defensive moves to protect b7, the
king does not need to flee the queenside? --- ANSWER: No, that is not the idea.
Black is actually using his king to defend the weakness at e6, so as to free
his knight on d8 to come via f7 to d6 and ultimately, e4! --- QUESTION: Hardly
an everyday manoeuvre, is it? --- ANSWER: Indeed not, but such deep manoeuvring
is characteristic of these blocked Winawer positions.} 22. g3 $6 ({
Uhlmann criticises this passive and weakening move, and recommends instead} 22.
Reb1 {
, when Black must always reckon with a potential exchange sacrifice on b7.})
22... Nf7 23. Qc1 ({White's last intended} 23. h4 {and Bh3, but now runs into}
N7h6 $1 {and a check on g4, so White changes his mind.}) 23... N7d6 24. Bxd6 $6
{This is also a huge concession. White's reluctance to let the knight into e4
is understandable, but losing his dark-squared bishop is a high price to pay.
Now not only does any hope of dark-square counterplay disappear, but the
g3-square loses a crucial defender.} Nxd6 25. Qe3 Ne4 26. Nd2 {This was White's
idea, challenging the knight and seemingly forcing it away, but Uhlmann now
exploits the hidden dynamism of his position.} Qc7 $1 {This very strong move
threatens a rook sacrifice on g3, and virtually forces White to capture on e4,
thus opening the diagonal of the oft-despised 'bad' bishop on c6.} 27. Nxe4
dxe4 {QUESTION: But isn't Black just losing a pawn here? --- ANSWER: He is
losing the c4-pawn, yes, but this is irrelevant. He has terrible threats
against the white king, such as ...h4 and ...f5-f4.} 28. Bxc4 ({
It is hard to know what to recommend for White. The queen exchange} 28. Qf4 $2
{loses at once after} Qxf4 29. gxf4 e3 $1) ({
and Uhlmann himself points out that} 28. Kh1 {runs into} Rxg3 29. fxg3 Rxg3 {
followed by a lethal discovered check with ...e3+.}) ({The best chance was} 28.
h4 {, but after} Bd5 {
, Black prepares ...f5-f4, and White's position remains very unpleasant.})
28... h4 $2 {This natural move looks crushing, but the computer points out an
unlikely tactical resource, which allows White to snatch a draw.} ({
Correct is the preliminary} 28... a5 {
, driving the white rook off the fourth rank, and only after} 29. Rbb1 h4 {
, with a dangerous initiative.}) 29. Rg1 $2 ({
Amazingly, White can force a perpetual check with} 29. Bxe6+ $1 Kxe6 30. d5+ $1
Bxd5 31. Rxe4+ Bxe4 32. Qxe4+ Kf7 33. Qe6+ Kg6 34. Qg4+ {etc.}) 29... f5 30.
Rbb1 hxg3+ 31. fxg3 Rxg3 $5 {Uhlmann awards this an exclamation mark, but once
again, the computer points out a superior defence for White.} ({
Objectively, Black should therefore have played} 31... Bxa4 32. Bb5+ Bxb5 33.
Rxb5 b6 {with a solid advantage.}) 32. Rxg3 f4 33. Rxg8 $2 ({
Here, the remarkable} 33. Rf1 $1 Rxg3 34. Qxf4 Qxf4 35. Rxf4 Rxc3 36. Bb3 {
allows White to put up tough resistance.}) 33... fxe3+ 34. Kg2 {
No doubt missing Black's next.} (34. Rg3 {is a more tenacious defence.}) 34...
Kd6 $1 {This nice move sets up ...Qf7, with decisive effect.} 35. Be2 $2 ({
Collapsing at once, but other moves also lose: for instance,} 35. Rf1 Bxa4) ({
or} 35. Rg3 Be8 36. Be2 Qxc3 {.}) 35... Qf7 {. --- Despite the tactical
opportunities missed by both players over the last few moves, this is a highly
instructive game for Uhlmann's middlegame manoeuvring. Wolfgang Uhlmann was of
course the world's greatest Winawer exponent for over 40 years, using it as
virtually his exclusive defence to 1 e4, and winning many fine games with it.
We will see several others later in this book.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1979.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Byrne, R."]
[Black "Korchnoi, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1979.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

{This game was played in the BBC televised tournament, 'The Master Game', in
which the players afterwards recorded an abbreviated version of their thoughts
during the game. I have made use of these comments below, as they shed some
interesting light on the whole Winawer variation. ---} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3
Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 Qa5 8. Bd2 Nbc6 9. Bd3 $5 {
Rather an unusual move, but one with which Byrne had experimented previously.
White is prepared to sacrifice a tempo, in order to provoke the advance ...
c5-c4, clarifying the position.} c4 10. Bf1 {QUESTION: Uh? What's this? ---
ANSWER: White's idea is to play g3 and Bh3. We have seen in previous games how
White often does this anyway, having first played Be2, 0-0 and Re1; here, he
hopes to gain time on that.} f6 $5 {This is a distinctly risky move in this
position, as Black's king is rather exposed after the exchange on f6.} ({After
} 10... Bd7 {, Korchnoi was worried about the standard idea} 11. Ng5 {
, provoking weaknesses. He therefore decided to play the provocative text,
partly motivated also by the tournament situation, which required him to play
for a win. It is a typical example of the kind of 'heroic defence', often
practised by Lasker (Korchnoi's hero) and Nimzowitsch - Black invites difficulties, in order to achieve a fighting game, and create an imbalance, where
winning chances are also available.}) 11. exf6 gxf6 12. Nh4 $1 {This is the
drawback to Black's plan. Now Qh5+ is a highly unpleasant threat. Against
quiet development, Black could play ...Bd7 and ...0-0-0, reaching a position
similar to the previous game.} O-O {Practically forced, but the king is, of
course, not terribly secure on the kingside.} 13. g3 Rf7 14. Bg2 Bd7 15. O-O
Ng6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. h4 {QUESTION: I don't like the look of Black's game
here! --- ANSWER: Indeed, White's opening plan has worked out quite nicely,
and he has a useful initiative. In his TV commentary, Korchnoi admitted that
White's position "is clearly better - his king is better protected and he has
the two bishops. They don't play right now, but sooner or later, the position
will get open". --- QUESTION: So why have you included this game? It hardly
looks like model play by Black! --- ANSWER: No, but that is in many ways why I
have included it. It is a really instructive example of how hard these
positions can be to break down, even when they go a bit wrong. The fact of the
matter is that, without doing anything obviously wrong, Byrne's position seems
to tread water from now on, and he is gradually outplayed. Korchnoi's handling
of the position is masterly, and shows how to play such structures.} Rh7 $1 {
The first step. Black must prevent the advance h4-h5.} 18. Re1 $5 {This can hardly be bad, but it is the start of this 'running on the spot' approach that
White finds himself unwittingly following.} ({Perhaps he should have played} 
18. Bf3 {, enforcing h4-h5.}) 18... Re8 19. Qf3 Kg7 {White attacks things,
Black defends them! At each step, White is invited to come up with something
else to do.} 20. Bf4 Nd8 $1 {A really excellent move, and a manoeuvre which we
saw to good effect in the last game also. Black needs to protect his dark
squares, so the knight comes to f7. From there, it rather 'dominates' the
white bishop on f4, covering the squares d6, e5, g5 and h6, which the bishop
attacks.} 21. Re2 Nf7 {QUESTION: Isn't White still better here? --- ANSWER:
Objectively, perhaps he should be, but he has real trouble finding something
to do. In fact, Byrne made a memorable comment here: "It's always a problem;
every time I found the same thing. It looks at times as though in this opening
both sides get stuck in a sticky pudding after about 15 moves". This is rather
a good description of what often happens - the heavyweight manoeuvring
struggles that often arise in these blocked Winawer structures resemble a bit
of a sticky pudding, with both sides finding it hard to improve their
positions. But in this example, Black continues to do so, whilst White
struggles.} 22. Re3 {
QUESTION: That looks rather strange! The rook has only just gone to e2.} ({
ANSWER: Yes, and it is a sign that Byrne was really struggling for a plan. His
last move had intended} 22. Rae1 {, but now he backed out, because he was
afraid Korchnoi would simply take the a-pawn, when White has no follow-up.
With the white queen having to guard c3, we see that two of White's most
powerful pieces are tied down to defending the weak queenside pawns.}) 22...
Rhh8 {QUESTION: Idea? --- ANSWER: Just slightly improving his position.
Korchnoi looks forward to the day when he will be able to unite his rooks
behind the e-pawn. At the moment, he still has to worry about h4-h5, but the
day may come, and meanwhile, he continues to invite White to think of
something to do.} 23. Qe2 {QUESTION: Now what is he up to? --- ANSWER: White
intends to bring his queen to d2, defending c3 from a different square. He is
still rather fumbling around for a constructive idea.} Bc6 $1 {QUESTION: Why
the exclamation mark? --- ANSWER: It is as much for psychological effect as
anything else. Korchnoi reminds White that his c3-pawn is still under attack,
so Black can dangle the e6-pawn under White's nose with impunity.} 24. Qd2 (24.
Rxe6 $2 Rxe6 25. Qxe6 Qxc3 {would leave half the white position en prise. The
text defends c3 again, but now h4-h5 is no longer supported, and Korchnoi
immediately takes advantage of this.}) 24... Re7 $1 25. Re2 {White simply does
not know what to do, whereas Black steadily improves his position.} Rhe8 {
Suddenly, Black is ready to break in the centre with ...e6-e5. White has made
no progress at all over the past 7-8 moves, whereas Black has regrouped most
of his pieces - the knight has come to f7, the bishop to c6 and the rooks to
e7 and e8.} 26. g4 {Rather a desperate lunge, but Byrne was by now feeling
enormously frustrated by the position, and felt that he had to do something
before the black pawns started to roll.} e5 27. Bg3 e4 28. g5 fxg5 29. hxg5 Bd7
$1 {With the change in central structure, Black's bishop no longer fulfils any
function on c6, and so it seeks pastures new.} 30. Bf4 {The g5-pawn is now
starting to be vulnerable, and so White defends it, in anticipation of his
next move.} Bg4 31. Re3 Qa6 $1 {QUESTION: What is the idea of this? --- ANSWER:
The queen has done a sterling job on a5, tying the white pieces down to the
defence of the c3- and a3-pawns. Now at last she transfers to the other wing,
where there are new fish to fry, namely the g5-pawn.} 32. Rg3 Qe6 33. Qe3 Qf5
34. Kf1 Rh8 {The rook is looking at h5, attacking the g5-pawn again, or at a
penetration down the h-file.} 35. Ke1 Bf3 $1 {A very nice move. With the
removal of the bishop from g2, the black rook will be able to penetrate along
the h-file.} 36. Kd2 (36. Bxf3 exf3 37. Qxe7 Rh1+ 38. Kd2 Qxf4+ {
, winning a piece, is the tactical point of Black's last move.}) 36... Rh4 {
The white army is being harried at every turn, while the poor rook on a1 has
still not moved.} 37. Bb8 Bxg2 38. Rxg2 Rh3 {
Decisive. Now the g5-pawn drops off.} 39. Rg3 Rxg3 40. Qxg3 Nxg5 {The game is
basically over. White is a pawn down, and still has weaknesses on f2, c3 and
a3. In addition, the black knight now penetrates very effectively on the light
squares, which White's once-proud 'anti-Winawer' bishop cannot protect.} 41.
Kc1 Nf3 42. Bxa7 {White recovers his pawn, but his pieces are hopelessly
scattered and inactive, whereas Black's compact army is poised to overrun the
kingside.} Qg5+ 43. Qxg5 Nxg5 44. Bb8 Rf7 45. Rb1 $2 (45. Bg3 $2 {
leads to the instructive variation} e3 46. fxe3 Rf1+ 47. Kb2 Rxa1 48. Kxa1 Ne4
{with a textbook knight against bad bishop ending. This is rather ironic,
considering that the dark-squared bishop is supposed to be White's pride and
joy in the Winawer, whereas it is Black whose bishop is traditionally bad! The
pawn on e3 is useless, whilst the g5-pawn will cost White a piece.}) ({However,
} 45. Be5+ {was a little more tenacious, although} Kg8 (45... Kh6 46. Kb2 Rf3 {
is probably also good enough}) 46. Bg3 e3 47. fxe3 Rf1+ 48. Kb2 Rxa1 49. Kxa1
Ne4 {is still winning.}) 45... e3 (45... Rxf2 {also wins, but Korchnoi prefers
to stick with the plan outlined in the previous note.}) 46. f4 Ne4 47. Kb2 g5
$1 {Forcing White to open the f-file, after which the rook supports the passed
e-pawn.} 48. fxg5 e2 49. Re1 ({Korchnoi points out that Black also wins after} 
49. Be5+ Kg6 50. Bf6 Nxg5 $1 {: for example,} 51. Bxg5 Kxg5 52. Re1 Re7 $1 53.
Kc1 Kf4 54. Kd2 Kf3 55. a4 Kf2 56. a5 Re4 {and White is in zugzwang.}) 49...
Rf2 {. There is no defence to the knight transfer to f3. --- A really great
Winawer game, which is enormously instructive. It shows the kind of patience
Black must be prepared to show in such positions, especially when things have
gone a little wrong for him. Korchnoi does not panic, but carefully covers his
weaknesses, meets White's threats, and then gradually improves his position.
White, on the other hand, finds it extremely hard to come up with a
constructive plan, and is gradually outplayed. One should also bear in mind
that Robert Byrne was no fool - a very strong and experienced grandmaster, he
had appeared in the Candidates Tournament just five years before this game was
played. When a player of his class finds the white side of the Winawer so hard
to play, all white players should pause for thought.} 0-1

[Event "Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1975.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Byrne, R."]
[Black "Vaganian, R."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1975.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3
Qa5 9. Bd2 Bd7 10. Bb5 {QUESTION: Instead of 10 Be2. What is the idea? ---
ANSWER: 10 Bb5 was first played by the American Grandmaster, Robert Byrne, but
most of the credit for popularising it goes to England's John Nunn. The bishop
takes up a more active post, exerting greater pressure against the centre
(notably supporting e5, by threatening to take on c6 at some moment). ---
QUESTION: But can't Black just chase it away with ...a6? --- ANSWER: Indeed;
White hopes that this will prove a weakening, and/or a loss of tempo.} Qc7 {
QUESTION: So what is the point of the text? --- ANSWER: Black gets the queen
out of the way of the bishop on d2, and prepares to adopt a set-up which is
very similar to one we will see in the lines with an early ...Qc7 by Black -
see Kanefsck-Atalik. --- The text is one of four main alternatives.} (10... a6
{is the most principled response, simply putting the question to the bishop at
once. Byrne's original idea was} 11. Be2 ({White has also tried} 11. Bxc6 {
, but then both} Nxc6 ({and} 11... Bxc6 {seem perfectly adequate for Black})) {
, hoping that the pawn being on a6 will represent a weakness for Black, but
practice has not really borne this out. After} 11... f6 {, play proceeds much
as Timman-Korchnoi, Van Seters-Korchnoi and Suetin-Uhlmann. The b7-pawn may
sometimes be a little weaker than usual, especially if Black castles short (a
later Rb1 by White can no longer be met by ...b6), but it is hard to believe
that Black need lose a great deal of sleep over this nuance. --- QUESTION: So
10...a6 looks like a very easy and straightforward response to 10 Bb5 then?
--- ANSWER: Yes, and for that reason, it is John Watson's recommendation for
Black.}) (10... c4 {is another principled response, cutting off the bishop
from its home base and ensuring it must exchange itself. However, as we have
already noted in this book, the pendulum of opinion has swung against the
commitment ...c5-c4 in many Winawer lines, and this is no exception. An
excellent practical example of the merits of White's play was the game M.Chandler-V.Ivanchuk, Manila Interzonal 1990. Chandler's opening play was
frequently influenced by his friend John Nunn, and this was one successful
example:} 11. O-O O-O-O 12. Bc1 $1 {(exploiting a queen-trapping tactic to
re-route the bishop to the a3-f8 diagonal, without having to waste a tempo
defending the c3-pawn)} f6 ({
another bad advert for Black's set-up was the following:} 12... h6 13. Ba3 f5
14. exf6 gxf6 15. Re1 Rde8 16. Nh4 Qxc3 17. Bxe7 Nxe7 18. Bxd7+ Kxd7 19. Rb1 b6
20. Re3 Qa5 21. Qg4 Nc6 22. Qg7+ Kc8 23. Ng6 Rhg8 24. Qxf6 {
and Black did not last much longer:} Qd2 25. Rxe6 Nxd4 26. Ne7+ Kb7 27. Rexb6+
Ka8 28. Rb7 {1-0 J.Nunn-S.Kindermann, Munich 1991}) 13. Qe1 Rhe8 ({
Psakhis gives as "a probable improvement"} 13... Rde8 14. Ba3 Nf5 {
"with quite good chances of equalising"}) 14. Ba3 Kb8 15. Bxc6 $1 {(this exchange was also seen in the previous note, and is a standard feature of the
variation - White times the move so as to cause Black maximum embarrassment)}
Nxc6 (15... Bxc6 $2 16. exf6 gxf6 17. Qxe6 {simply loses a pawn}) 16. Qe3 Ka8
17. Rfb1 Bc8 18. Bd6 Rd7 19. Rb5 Qd8 20. a5 {and White had obviously achieved
much of what he wants in such structures. Chandler went on to win a fine game,
which is worth seeing further:} g5 21. Bc5 g4 22. Bb6 $1 Rc7 ({
already desperation, but} 22... axb6 23. axb6+ Kb8 24. Qc1 {mates quickly,}) ({
whilst} 22... Qe7 23. exf6 Qxf6 24. Ne5 {is also very good for White}) 23. Ne1
fxe5 24. dxe5 Bd7 25. Qc5 Re7 26. a6 $1 bxa6 27. Rxa6 Be8 28. Bxc7 Rxc7 29. Qd6
Qxd6 30. exd6 Rb7 31. Rxb7 Kxb7 32. Ra1 {and Chandler won the ending.}) (10...
f6 {is another critical try, apeing Black's best line against 10 Be2. However,
as already pointed out, here the bishop on b5 exerts counter-pressure against
Black's pressure on e5, so it is arguably less logical to try to attack the
e5-square in this line. After} 11. Qe2 Qc7 (11... fxe5 $2 {
fails tactically; after} 12. Nxe5 $1 Nxe5 13. Qxe5 Bxb5 14. c4 $1 Qd8 15. cxb5
{White was clearly better in J.Nunn-J.Brenninkmeijer, Groningen 1988}) 12. O-O
a6 13. Bxc6 Nxc6 14. Bc1 cxd4 15. exf6 gxf6 16. Nxd4 {
Black's position is a little rickety, J.Nunn-S.Kindermann, Vienna 1991.}) 11.
O-O O-O ({The game J.Nunn-I.Farago, Dortmund 1987, saw Black transpose into
another c4-structure, with} 11... Na5 12. Bd3 c4 13. Be2 O-O-O {, but this one
looks a little odd, since his knight is rather misplaced on a5 and the queen
passive on c7. White was considerably better after} 14. Bc1 Kb8 15. Qd2 h6 16.
Qf4 Be8 17. Qg4 Rg8 18. Nh4 Ka8 19. f4 Bd7 20. Ba3 Nf5 21. Nxf5 exf5 22. Qf3
Be6 23. Rfb1 {, although the game was eventually drawn.}) 12. Re1 {QUESTION: How is this position for Black? He looks more passive than in Byrne-Korchnoi,
for example, with his queen on c7. --- ANSWER: Black is very solid here. We
will discuss this set-up in more detail in Kanefsck-Atalik, but it is safe to
say that Black has no particular problems. He intends play on the c-file, and
also retains the chance of a kingside break with ...f6.} h6 13. Bf4 $6 (13. Bc1
{is more usual here, but Black is still fine. Psakhis then gives} Na5 14. Ba3
b6 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 17. Bxc5 Rfc8 {"with adequate compensation". As
we will see later, such pawn sacrifices are a standard feature of this
variation.}) 13... Ng6 14. Bg3 Nce7 $1 {The white bishop is not well placed on
g3, and Vaganian starts to exploit it at once. This knight usually goes to a5
in this variation, but here, it has its eye on the enemy bishop.} 15. Bd3 {
White does not want to exchange light-squared bishops.} c4 16. Bxg6 ({
The text is a concession, but as Psakhis points out,} 16. Bf1 Qa5 $1 {
leaves White really missing his dark-squared bishop on the queenside.}) 16...
fxg6 $1 {QUESTION: That's a surprise! --- ANSWER: It is an excellent move,
after which Black takes over the advantage. He opens the f-file for his rooks,
and prepares a later ...g6-g5, followed by ...Be8-h5, when his so-called 'bad'
bishop will become a very strong piece. White stands worse on both sides of
the board.} 17. h4 {QUESTION: Goodness me! That looks a bit much! --- ANSWER:
It is a sign of desperation. Byrne can find no other way to stop the plan of ...g5 and ...Be8-h5, but of course, the move is seriously weakening. It is
remarkable how rapidly the position has turned against White, since his
ill-considered transfer of the bishop to g3.} Rf7 18. Qb1 Kh7 {QUESTION: What
is the point of this move? --- ANSWER: A good question! I am not sure it is
necessary at all, but it does not spoil anything. Black improves his king, and
emphasizes that he is in no great hurry. White does not really have a
constructive plan.} 19. Qb4 Nf5 20. Bh2 Raf8 21. Re2 Bc6 22. g4 $2 {As Psakhis
puts it, "Byrne loses his nerve". On the other hand, he does not suggest what
else White can do about the threat of 22...Qd8, winning the h-pawn.} Ng3 $1 23.
Ng5+ hxg5 24. Bxg3 {White hopes to have avoided the worst, but now the black
queen switches to the kingside, after which the game does not last long.} Qd8
$1 25. h5 gxh5 26. gxh5 Rf3 {Threatening ...Qe8.} 27. Kg2 Qe8 28. Rh1 Qf7 {
Now 29...Rxg3+ is the threat.} 29. Kh2 Qf5 30. Qe7 Rf7 31. Qd8 Bxa4 {. Byrne had seen enough. One pawn has gone, and the moves ...Rxc3 and ...Qg4 will soon
account for a couple more.} 0-1

[Event "Training match, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1944.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ragozin, V."]
[Black "Botvinnik, M."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1944.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 ({
With regards to the note to Black's 9th, below,} 7. a4 Qa5 8. Qd2 Nbc6 9. Nf3 {
was the classic game V.Smyslov-R.Letelier, Venice 1950:} cxd4 ({
With reference to the note to White's 11th move, below,} 9... Bd7 10. Ba3 cxd4
11. cxd4 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 {
was the game Y.Vovk-S.Williams, Gatwick 2012. Williams continued} Na5 $5 (12...
Nf5 $1 13. c3 Na5 {is equal}) 13. Bd3 Nc4+ $2 (13... Nf5 $1) {
, after which the Ukrainian GM seized his chance:} 14. Bxc4 dxc4 15. Bxe7 $1
Kxe7 16. Kc3 {. This ending is not nice for Black. Although his bishop has
increased scope now the pawn has left d5, it is still inferior to the agile
white knight, whilst Black has weak dark squares, a weak pawn on c4, and (most
crucially) lacks effective counterplay. Vovk went on to win instructively, as
follows:} Rac8 17. Nd2 Bc6 18. f3 f5 19. a5 g5 20. Rhb1 h5 21. Rb4 {
(the c-pawn is already dropping off)} g4 22. Rg1 gxf3 23. gxf3 Rhg8 24. Rxg8
Rxg8 25. Rxc4 {and White proceeded to the full point.}) 10. cxd4 Qxd2+ 11. Bxd2
$1 {(The key point. Smyslov immediately stops the manoeuvre ...Na5-c4.)} Nf5
12. Bc3 $1 ({Another excellent move. Black was hoping his opponent would
defend the d4-pawn with the move} 12. c3 $6 {which would allow} Na5 {
, but Smyslov is wise to that trick.}) 12... Bd7 13. Bd3 Rc8 14. Kd2 $1 {
(Again accurate. Black was threatening the cheapo 14...Nxe5, which Smyslov
stops by defending his bishop. Meanwhile, Black is still prevented from
playing his knight into c4.)} O-O 15. a5 $1 {(Now Na5 is stopped once and for
all, whilst the black b-pawn is fixed on b7, and can be attacked along the
b-file.)} Rc7 16. Rhe1 $1 {(A subtle prophylactic move, directed against the ...f6-break.) --- QUESTION: What is your assessment of this position? --- ANSWER:
White has some advantage. He has stopped Black's main source of counterplay,
with ...Na5-c4 and play along the c-file, and he has a potential target on b7.
His also has the bishop-pair, and control of the dark squares, his traditional
Winawer birthright.} f6 $2 {(Playing into White's hands.)} ({
Smyslov suggested instead} 16... a6 {with the idea of ...Na7 and ...Bb5,
trying to exchange the bad bishop and increase Black's control of the light
squares. White would have only a small advantage after that.}) 17. Bxf5 $1 {
A nice positional idea. White surrenders the bishop-pair, in the cause of
keeping the f-file closed, thus preventing Black obtaining counterplay. ---
QUESTION: But now we have opposite-coloured bishops. --- ANSWER: Yes, but with
plenty of other pieces on the board, this is not such a significant drawing
factor.} exf5 18. exf6 Rxf6 19. Rab1 {(White now enjoys an indisputable
advantage. Black has pawn weaknesses on b7 and d5, whilst the dark squares c5
and e5 are very vulnerable. Smyslov exploits these plusses in exemplary
fashion.)} h6 20. Rb5 $1 Be6 21. Reb1 Rff7 22. Ne1 $1 {(An excellent manoeuvre.
The knights heads for d3, from where it attacks the two weak dark squares on
c5 and e5, and also has the option to come to f4, attacking the d5-pawn again.)
} f4 {(Black stops the latter idea and tries to work up some counterplay on
the kingside, but his pieces are rather too passive for it to be effective.)}
23. f3 g5 24. Nd3 Kh7 25. Re1 Rf6 26. Rc5 $1 {(Now specific tactical threats
start to appear. The first is 27 Nb4, winning a pawn.)} Rc8 (26... b6 {
is met by} 27. axb6 axb6 28. Rb5 {when the b-pawn is lost, since} Rb7 $2 {
runs into} 29. Nc5 {.}) 27. Nb4 $1 Nxb4 ({After} 27... Ne7 {
Smyslov points out the nice combination} 28. Nxd5 Nxd5 29. Rxe6 $1 Rxc5 (29...
Rxe6 30. Rxc8) 30. Rxf6 Rxc3 31. Rd6 {
and White regains the piece, with an extra pawn.}) 28. Rxe6 $1 Rxe6 29. Rxc8
Nc6 30. a6 $1 ({Black was hoping to hang on after} 30. Rc7+ Re7 {
, but a fresh tactical blow destroys the last line of defence.}) 30... bxa6 31.
Rc7+ Kg6 32. Rd7 Ne7 33. Bb4 {(Decisive. With the loss of the d5-pawn, Black
cannot stop the two connected white passed pawns.)} Nf5 34. Rxd5 Ne3 35. Rd8
Nxg2 36. d5 Rb6 37. Bc5 Rb7 38. Rc8 $1 Nh4 39. Ke2 Nf5 40. Rc6+ Kh5 41. d6 Rd7
42. Rc7 {1-0. --- A textbook game by Smyslov, which has taught generations of
Winawer players not to exchange queens in these endings, if White can take
with the bishop.}) 7... Qa5 8. Qd2 {In contrast to the previous games, here
White defends the c3-pawn with his queen, reserving the option of bringing the
bishop to a3. --- QUESTION: Isn't this more logical if White is going to play
a4? --- ANSWER: Arguably, yes, although as we have seen already, the bishop
can sometimes redeploy from d2 to a3 later in the middlegame. But Qd2 saves
time, and certainly appears more logical on the surface. --- QUESTION: What
does "on the surface" mean? I sense a 'but' somewhere in the background! ---
ANSWER: Well, yes, I'm afraid so. As we will see, the bishop cannot come to a3
so easily in these lines, without allowing Black a comfortable ending. Because
of this, the Qd2 lines are not generally regarded nowadays as being so
dangerous for Black.} Nbc6 9. Be2 Bd7 ({
QUESTION: So why doesn't Black take the ending here with} 9... cxd4 {? --- ANSWER: Well, he has to be careful. For a start, trading on d4 forces off the
queens, but only at the cost of undoubling White's c-pawns. As we already know,
the Winawer involves trading positional advantages - by taking on c3 with his
bishop in the opening, Black surrenders the bishop-pair and weakens his dark
squares, but in return, he mangles the white queenside pawns. Undoubling the
pawns by an exchange on d4 risks throwing away his compensating advantages,
and leaving White with a free bishop-pair. --- QUESTION: So are you saying the
endings are bad for Black? --- ANSWER: Not necessarily! In fact, here we come
to a major issue. General rules of thumb must always be treated with some
caution, as chess has numerous exceptions, but we can state a useful such rule
here: the endings arising after the exchanges on d4 and d2 are usually pretty
comfortable for Black, if White cannot recapture on d2 with the bishop.
However, where he can play Bxd2, Black must be rather more careful about
entering the ending. --- QUESTION: Why does it make such a difference? ---
ANSWER: Basically because Black needs to be able to play a rapid ...Na5-c4 in
such endings. If he is unable to do so, the white bishop-pair can often assume
considerable strength. If White recaptures with the bishop on d2, then ...Na5
is prevented. --- The classic illustration of this rule of thumb is the game V.Smyslov-R.Letelier, Venice 1950, which we will present in full. White had
actually played a4 instead of Be2, and play then continued as above.}) 10. a4
Rc8 $5 {QUESTION: So what is the point of 10...Rc8? --- ANSWER: It is a kind
of high-class waiting move.} ({
We know from above that taking the ending is not so good here, because of} 
10... cxd4 11. cxd4 Qxd2+ 12. Bxd2 $1 {
à la Smyslov-Letelier. --- QUESTION: But wait a minute - can't Black play} Rc8
{in this position? Now he threatens 13...Nf5, when 14 Bc3 is impossible
because of 14...Nxe5! so White would have to play 14 c3. --- ANSWER: A nice
try, but White will answer that with} 13. Ra3 $1 {covering c3, and meeting} Nf5
{with} 14. Bc3 {. Botvinnik's 10...Rc8 is in fact a more subtle version of
your idea here. --- QUESTION: Okay, I see. So does Black have any other moves?}
) ({ANSWER: Yes, he can also play} 10... f6 {
which we will examine in Bogdanovic-Uhlmann.}) 11. O-O {
This allows Black to show his idea.} ({White has two more testing tries:} 11.
dxc5 {(see the next game)}) ({and} 11. Bd3 $5 {(Fischer-Uhlmann).}) ({Note that
} 11. Ba3 {would allow Black to reach the same comfortable version of the
ending as occurs in the game:} cxd4 12. cxd4 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Nf5 14. c3 Na5 {
, etc. --- While we are talking about this position, however, I should point
out one other way Black can go wrong in these endings. Even when the white
bishop is on a3, rather than d2, it is important to play the move ...Nf5 early.
It is often a mistake to allow White to trade both his bishops for Black's
knights, and leave an ending with the white knight against Black's light-squared
bishop. An instructive recent example of this was the game Y.Vovk-S.Williams,
Gatwick 2012, which we examined above.}) 11... cxd4 $1 {Now Black reaches his
desired endgame. --- QUESTION: But isn't White ready to recapture on d2 with
the bishop? --- ANSWER: Yes, but his king is not in the centre and your
tactical idea above prevents White from establishing the Bc3/Kd2 formation
which Smyslov used.} 12. cxd4 Qxd2 13. Bxd2 Nf5 14. c3 {Now forced;} ({since} 
14. Bc3 $2 {is refuted by} Nxe5 {
, which reveals the point of Botvinnik's 10th move.}) 14... Na5 {QUESTION: So
Black has got his knight to a5. Why is this such a big deal? --- ANSWER: The
point is that with the pawn on c3, the white dark-squared bishop has much less
scope, whilst Black has much more active play on the queenside. His knight
will come to c4, he can double rooks on the c-file, etc. He has also fixed the
white a-pawn on a4, at least temporarily, and he has no issues with pressure
down the b-file, such as we saw in Smyslov-Letelier. A comparison between this
position and Black's position in that game will clearly reveal the difference.
--- QUESTION: So is Black better here? --- ANSWER: I am not sure that he is
objectively better, but he is certainly comfortable. In practice, Black quite
often wins such endings, although that may be because more often than not, he
is the stronger player.} 15. Rfb1 Rc7 ({
QUESTION: Why didn't Black block the b-file with} 15... b6 {here? --- ANSWER:
He could, and that would be a perfectly valid move. Timman suggests that
Botvinnik probably wanted to avoid the risk of White later breaking with a4-a5,
after the black knight goes to c4.}) 16. Bc1 f6 {QUESTION: This looks a bit
odd. Will Black really take on e5? --- ANSWER: Probably not. The point of the
move is simply to give his king a square on f7, so he can bring the king's
rook over to the queenside.} 17. Ba3 h5 $1 {Nice prophylaxis.} (17... Kf7 $6 {
runs into} 18. Bb4 Nc4 19. g4 Ne7 20. Bd6 {
winning the b7-pawn, as pointed out by Timman.}) 18. Bb4 Nc4 19. a5 Bc6 20. Bc5
a6 {White has played well so far and held the balance comfortably.} 21. Bd3 Kf7
22. Re1 Re8 23. Rab1 Bb5 24. h3 Ne7 $1 {
Heading for c6. White has to be careful about his a-pawn.} 25. Bxc4 {As Timman 
points out, this is hard to avoid in the long run, if only to save the a-pawn,
so White tries to stir up some queenside play while he has the chance.} Bxc4
26. Bd6 Rd7 27. Nd2 Rc8 28. Rb6 Bb5 29. exf6 $6 ({
Timman is critical of 29 exf6, and recommends} 29. Nb3 {, after which a
drawish position arises following the practically forced variation} Rxc3 30.
Nc5 Rxc5 31. Bxc5 Nc8 32. Rxb5 axb5 33. exf6 gxf6 34. Rb1 {.}) 29... gxf6 30.
Bb4 Rc6 31. Rxc6 Nxc6 32. f4 {He wants to prevent the advance ...e6-e5.} Nxb4
33. cxb4 Rc7 {
Suddenly, Black is better and White must fight to hold the balance.} 34. Nb3
Rc4 35. Nc5 Rxd4 36. Rxe6 Rxb4 37. f5 {Timman applauds this as the best chance;
} ({although the computer disagrees, preferring} 37. Rb6 Rxf4 38. Rxb7+ Kg6 39.
Rb6 {. Black is certainly better after} Rf1+ 40. Kh2 Ra1 41. Nxa6 Rxa5 {
, but with the position that much 'smaller' (i.e. the passed pawn not so far
distant from the kingside), White would have drawing chances.}) 37... Rf4 $6 {
This justifies White's last.} ({The computer's} 37... Be8 {looks better.}) 38.
Rb6 $2 (38. Nxb7 {should draw: for example,} Rxf5 39. Re1 Rf4 40. Nd6+ Kg6 41.
Nxb5 axb5 42. Rb1 {and White can hold the rook ending.}) 38... Rxf5 39. Rxb7+
Kg6 40. Rb6 (40. Ne6 {is slightly more tenacious, but after} Re5 {
Black should still win.}) 40... d4 41. Nxa6 d3 {Now the d-pawn is too strong.}
42. Nc7 d2 43. Rd6 Rf1+ 44. Kh2 d1=Q 45. Rxd1 Rxd1 46. Nxb5 Rd5 47. Nc3 Rxa5
48. Ne2 Kf5 49. Kg3 Ra3+ 50. Kh4 Ra2 51. g4+ Ke5 52. Nc1 Rc2 53. Nd3+ Ke4 54.
Nb4 Rc4 {. The knight will be hunted to extinction on the a-file. --- On the
basis of this game and the notes, we now know most of the essentials of these
Winawer endings arising after the queen exchange on d2. Basically, Black needs
to avoid two main things - the white set-up with Bc3/Kd2, preventing Black's ...Na5-c4 manoeuvre (Smyslov-Letelier), and also the position where White
exchanges both bishops for knights (on c4 and e7), as in Vovk-Williams.
Providing he avoids both of these, Black should be comfortable in most such
endings.} 0-1

[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1972.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hartston, W."]
[Black "Uhlmann, W."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1973.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 Bd7 8. a4
Qa5 9. Qd2 Nbc6 10. Be2 Rc8 11. dxc5 $1 {QUESTION: Why is this good? ---
ANSWER: Introduced by Vasily Smyslov, it is the most critical reply to 10...
Rc8. White puts paid once and for all to any endgames after an exchange of
pawns on d4. --- QUESTION: Okay, but surely he mangles his pawn structure in
doing so? And, if the idea is so good, why didn't he play it last move? ---
ANSWER: Well, to take the second question first, he is reacting to Black's
last. This has deprived Black of any chance to castle queenside. In addition,
as we will see, White hopes to bring his knight to d6, in which case he will
gain a tempo on the rook. As for the first question, White does mangle his
pawns, yes, but he gets various compensations. Firstly, he frees the square d4,
as a base for his knight. From there, the knight can potentially jump via b5
to d6, or maybe to b3, from where it would defend the extra pawn on c5. A
second point is that White opens the position - he rules out the move ...c5-c4,
and if Black recaptures on c5, then the a3-f8 diagonal is opened for White's
dark-squared bishop. He hopes that his dark-square play will more than
compensate for the weak queenside pawns.} Ng6 {
QUESTION: Why doesn't Black just recapture on c5?} ({
ANSWER: That would be bad after} 11... Qxc5 $2 12. Ba3 Qa5 13. Bb5 {
when Black will have trouble castling, as} O-O $4 14. Bxc6 {wins material.})
12. O-O ({The immediate} 12. Qe3 {is also possible, hoping to transpose into
Smyslov-Uhlmann below. Old analysis from the 1970s claims that Black can
equalize with the pawn sacrifice} d4 $5 ({Black should probably prefer} 12...
Nf4 {, when it is hard for White to avoid the repetition after} 13. Bf1 Ng6 14.
Be2 Nf4) 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Qxc5 15. Be3 $1 ({
the best way to pose Black problems; he was fine after} 15. Qxc5 Rxc5 16. f4
Rxc3 17. Bd3 O-O {in W.Wittmann-W.Uhlmann, telex 1990}) 15... Qxc3+ 16. Qxc3
Rxc3 17. Kd2 Rc8 18. Rhb1 Bc6 19. Bb5 O-O 20. Bxc6 Rfd8+ $1 ({
allegedly a key improvement over} 20... bxc6 21. Bxa7 Rfd8+ 22. Kc3 {
with a clear advantage to White, W.Hartson-S.Webb, England 1973}) 21. Kc1 Rxc6
22. Rxb7 a6 {(Eales). However, running this line on further reveals that after}
23. f4 Rdc8 24. Ra2 Nh4 25. g3 Nf3 26. h4 Ne1 27. Rb6 Rxc2+ 28. Rxc2 Nxc2 29.
Kd2 Nxe3 30. Kxe3 Ra8 {White is vastly more active in the rook ending. I would
not touch this ending with a barge-pole as Black.}) 12... Ngxe5 ({
This is an attempt to avoid the continuation of the stem game, which went} 
12... O-O 13. Qe3 Qc7 14. Nd4 $1 Qxe5 15. Nb5 Qxe3 16. Bxe3 a6 17. Nd6 Rc7 18.
a5 {and White had a strong bind in V.Smyslov-W.Uhlmann, Mar del Plata 1966.
Smyslov went on to win a memorable game.}) 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Qe3 (14. Qg5 {
is more active, and conceals a fiendish trap:} Ng6 15. c4 $1 {.} -- ({
. Now the trap is} 15... dxc4 $4 16. c6 $1 {winning a piece. This has caught
several players, sadly the most notable being 1970s French Defence authority
and Irish international John Moles, who fell for it against Gligoric in a
clock simul. In his seminal volume on the Winawer, he not only quoted the game,
but added the intriguing comment "in vino veritas!", presumably implying that
he had consumed a drink or two when playing the Gligoric game!}) ({. Instead,} 
15... O-O {is best, when Moles assesses the position as equal, saying "White's
extra pawn is worthless and his two bishops are not particularly dangerous."
Watson analyses further:} 16. cxd5 exd5 ({Fritz's} 16... f6 17. Qd2 Qxd2 18.
Bxd2 exd5 19. Be3 Rfe8 {is also fine}) 17. Qxd5 Bc6 18. Qd2 {
and now the nice tactic} Qxc5 $1 19. Ba3 Qf5 20. Bxf8 Nf4 {when both ...Qg5
and the neat ...Qh3 are threats. Fritz confirms that White has nothing after}
21. Rfd1 Rxf8 {.})) 14... Ng6 {QUESTION: So what is the verdict on this
position? --- ANSWER: I think Black is fine. He has regained his pawn, and has
much the sounder pawn structure. White still has the bishop-pair, and the dark
squares in Black's camp look like their usual bad accident, but as Winawer
players, we can live with that, can't we? In fact, Uhlmann even assesses the
position as better for Black, and although, like many of his assessments in
this opening, that may be a touch optimistic, it is not long before Black
really does stand better.} 15. Ba3 Bc6 16. f4 {This is necessary, as otherwise
Black will mobilize his central pawn majority with ...e6-e5.} O-O 17. Qh3 $6 {
This somewhat pointless queen manoeuvre looks like the start of White's
difficulties.} ({In view of what happens in a few moves' time, White should
probably follow the computer's advice and secure his a-pawn, with} 17. Bb4 Qc7
18. a5 {.}) 17... Rcd8 18. Bb4 Qc7 19. Bd3 f5 {QUESTION: I am not sure I would
have played that! Doesn't this make Black's bishop even worse and leave
weaknesses on e6 and e5? --- ANSWER: It is a case of attackable and
non-attackable weaknesses. Black wants to stop the advance f4-f5. After the
text, this is prevented forever, and the white bishop on d3 is severely
curtailed in its mobility. Meanwhile, the e5- and e6-squares are easily
defended, and far from easy to attack effectively.} 20. Qg3 Rf6 21. Qe3 ({
Uhlmann points out that this was the last chance to play} 21. a5 {.}) 21... a5
{QUESTION: Doesn't this just win a pawn? --- ANSWER: Yes, but not entirely
free of charge. As Uhlmann points out, White is able to bring his dark-squared
bishop to the long diagonal, and work up some initiative in compensation.} 22.
Ba3 Bxa4 23. Bb2 Bc6 24. c4 Rf7 25. g3 (25. Qxe6 $2 Nxf4 {
is not good for White, but the e-pawn is now threatened.}) 25... Re7 26. Rae1
$2 {Uhlmann does not comment on this move (perhaps because he thought Black
was just better all the way through!), but the computer suggests that it is a
turning point, after which White is always struggling.} ({
It does not consider Black to have any advantage after} 26. cxd5 Bxd5 27. Bc3
Ra8 28. Ra3 {. Indeed, such are the chains in which Black is held on the dark
squares, that it is hard to see him making serious progress.}) 26... Qd7 {
Now, by contrast, White can never exchange on d5, because of the queen
recapture.} 27. Qd4 a4 28. h4 dxc4 $1 29. Qxd7 ({After} 29. Qxc4 {
Uhlmann intended} h5 {,} ({but} 29... Qd5 {
looks like a safer way to secure the advantage.})) 29... Rdxd7 30. Bxc4 Rd2 31.
Rf2 {Forced;} ({because} 31. Rxe6 {loses after} Rg2+ 32. Kh1 Rxe6 33. Bxe6+ Kf8
{, and if} 34. Bd7 {then} Rf2+ {.}) 31... Rxf2 32. Kxf2 Kf7 {QUESTION: Black
is still a pawn up. Is he winning this ending? --- ANSWER: Well, my old
Russian trainer Igor Belov always used to deplore the use of the word
"winning" in such positions, saying: "It's only winning when you attack
something big and he can't defend it!". But certainly, Black has good
practical winning chances. The remainder is of peripheral interest to our main
theme, which is the opening, so I will skip through the rest of the moves
relatively briefly.} 33. h5 Nf8 34. Be5 Re8 35. Bd6 Nd7 36. g4 fxg4 ({
Uhlmann gives} 36... b5 $1 {as best: for example,} 37. cxb6 Nxb6 38. Ba2 Bd5
39. Rb1 Nc8 $1 40. Bxd5 Nxd6 {"with a clear endgame advantage".}) 37. f5 Nf8
38. Kg3 Kf6 ({This time, Uhlmann's recommendation is less convincing:} 38...
Bf3 {("!")} 39. fxe6+ Nxe6 {
"and Black dominates", but in fact, it is hard to see how he can untangle after
} 40. Bb5 Bc6 41. Rf1+ Kg8 42. Bc4 {.}) 39. Be5+ $2 {The losing move.} ({
White should hold after} 39. fxe6 Nxe6 40. Kxg4 {, since Uhlmann's} Bf3+ $3 {
("!!") is met adequately by} 41. Kg3 $1 Bxh5 42. Bb5 Ra8 43. Bc4 {e.g.} Ng5 44.
Be7+ Kg6 45. Kf4 h6 46. Bd3+ Kf7 47. Bc4+ {etc.}) 39... Kxf5 40. Bxg7 Nd7 41.
Bd3+ Kg5 42. Bxh7 (42. h6 {is slightly more tenacious.}) 42... Kxh5 43. Re2 Kg5
{Now it is all over.} 44. Bd4 Bf3 45. Rd2 Nf8 46. Bd3 Ng6 47. Rh2 e5 48. Be3+
Nf4 49. Rh7 a3 50. Bc4 Kg6 51. Rh2 Ra8 52. c3 Bd5 {. --- There is a slightly
sad postscript to this game. At the start of it, Hartston needed half a point
from his two remaining games, for a Grandmaster norm. After losing here, he
was outplayed in the final round by Larsen, missed out on his norm, and never
did become a Grandmaster.} 0-1

[Event "Sarajevo"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1965.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bogdanovic, R."]
[Black "Uhlmann, W."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1965.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3
Qa5 9. Qd2 Bd7 10. Be2 f6 {Instead of 10...Rc8, as seen in the previous game,
Black adopts a more dynamic approach, immediately attacking the white centre.
--- QUESTION: Is 10...f6 better than 10...Rc8? --- ANSWER: Objectively, I am
not sure there is much to choose between the two moves, but 10...f6 is more
dynamic, and also more risky.} ({QUESTION: What about the standard idea} 10...
c4 {here? --- ANSWER: In this position, closing the position is definitely to
be frowned upon. By comparison with the examples we have already considered in
this book, it is obvious that White is better off with his queen on d2 and his
bishop on c1 - he is a couple of tempi up on the best he can hope for in the
Bd2 lines. --- QUESTION: Yes, but how important are a couple of tempi in a
blocked position? --- ANSWER: Less important than in an open one, certainly,
but still not to be despised. Examples such as Planinec-Timman showed how nice
White's position can be in these structures, if he gets himself organised well;
to give him some extra tempi is really asking for it. --- QUESTION: So do you
have an example from grandmaster practice? --- ANSWER: Well, perhaps because
10...c4 is so illogical, there have not been many practical examples. Moles
quotes a game A.Lutikov-V.Lyavdansky, USSR 1965, which went} 11. O-O O-O-O 12.
Ba3 f6 13. Rfb1 {and White was simply better. This is one case where I must
just appeal to you to trust me!}) 11. exf6 {This is the most critical.} (11.
O-O fxe5 12. dxe5 ({or} 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 O-O) 12... O-O {is equal.})
11... gxf6 12. dxc5 ({QUESTION: Why is dxc5 necessary? Can't White just play} 
12. O-O {here? --- ANSWER: He can, of course, but Uhlmann claims easy equality
in the ending after} cxd4 13. cxd4 Qxd2 14. Bxd2 Nf5 {. --- QUESTION: Is that
necessarily so? From the previous game, I thought White was doing well if he
can play} 15. Bc3 {in such a position? After all} Rc8 {can be met by} 16. Ra3 {
. --- ANSWER: Yes, but even so, without his king in the centre on d2, White
does not usually have a lot in such positions. Furthermore, the exchange on f6
has changed things radically, because Black has the possibility of ...Nd6-e4.
He is comfortable here.}) 12... O-O-O 13. O-O e5 {QUESTION: Well now, what is
happening here? It looks rather sharp! --- ANSWER: It is, indeed. White has an
extra pawn, at least for the moment, and as always, the opening of the
position potentially makes his bishop-pair stronger. On the other hand, his
pawn structure on the queenside is shot away, and Black has a strong pawn
centre. Chances are probably about equal, but in a very dynamic way, and any
inaccurate play by either side could have serious consequences.} 14. c4 (14.
Ba3 {is given as best by Moles. The game W.Hartston-S.Hutchings, Swansea 1972,
then continued} Rhg8 15. Rfb1 Ng6 16. g3 {and now} h5 {
gives counterplay, in an unclear position.}) 14... d4 $5 {QUESTION: Is this
best? --- ANSWER: Possibly not. Black seizes central space and keeps his
powerful pawn centre, but remains a pawn down.} ({In a later game, L.Stein-V.Doroshkevich, USSR Championship, Riga 1970, Black tried} 14... dxc4 15. Bxc4
Qxc5 16. Bb3 {. Now} Bg4 $6 ({
Moles suggests no fewer than three improvements at move 16:} 16... Nf5) (16...
Ng6) ({and} 16... e4 {, all of which may offer reasonable chances}) 17. Qh6 $1
Nd5 $6 (17... Bxf3 18. Qh3+ {with a plus}) {worked out badly:} 18. Nd2 $1 Rhg8
19. Ba3 Qa5 20. Ne4 Nd4 21. Kh1 $1 Be6 22. Rad1 Qc7 23. Nxf6 $1 Rg6 24. Nxd5
Rxh6 25. Nxc7 Kxc7 26. Bxe6 Rxe6 27. c3 {with a clear advantage.}) ({
However, the computer's suggestion} 14... Qxd2 $1 15. Bxd2 e4 {
may be best of all, when Black really does have a good initiative for his pawn.
}) 15. Qh6 ({A critical try is} 15. Qxa5 $1 Nxa5 16. Nd2 {. Uhlmann now gives}
f5 {as slightly better for Black} ({Fritz prefers} 16... Rhg8 17. g3 {
and only now} f5 18. Nb3 Nac6 {; the point being that} 19. Bg5 {
is no longer possible - the position then remains unclear}) {
, but this assessment seems questionable after} 17. Nb3 {
which seems to favour White.}) 15... Ng6 16. Nd2 f5 17. Nb3 Qc7 18. f4 {
Uhlmann hails this as the best for White;} ({but Fritz likes} 18. a5 a6 19. Rd1
{, considering the position clearly in his favour.}) 18... Nb4 19. Bd1 $6 ({
Uhlmann gives the line} 19. fxe5 Nxc2 20. Rb1 Bc6 21. Rxf5 Be4 {"with a strong
attack for Black", but once again, the silicon beast is far from convinced,
reckoning White is clearly better after} 22. Rf1 {.}) 19... d3 20. cxd3 Nxd3
21. fxe5 Qxe5 22. Bf3 $1 {The best.} (22. Bg5 {is another important option,
mentioned by Uhlmann. He analyses a long combination beginning} Bc6 {
, but the computer shows his analysis to be full of holes.} ({Instead,} 22...
f4 $1 23. Bf3 (23. Bxd8 $4 Qe3+ {mates}) 23... Rde8 {
is equal, according to Fritz.})) 22... f4 23. Bd2 Bc6 24. Bxc6 $2 ({
White can win by force here with} 24. Qh3+ $1 Kb8 ({if} 24... Rd7 25. Bg4) 25.
Bxc6 bxc6 26. Ba5 {when the rook has no retreat on the d-file.}) 24... bxc6 25.
Rab1 Rd7 26. Qh3 Re8 27. Qf3 Qe4 28. Na5 $6 (28. Qxe4 Rxe4 29. Na5 {
holds the balance. Now Black starts to take over.}) 28... Qxf3 29. Rxf3 Re2 30.
Bc1 $2 {Losing at once.} (30. Bc3 {
was the only move, although Black is now clearly better after} Nh4 {.}) 30...
Nh4 31. Rxf4 ({A final amusing example of the flaws in Uhlmann's pre-computer
analysis of this game is his note to} 31. Rh3 {. He gives} Rxg2+ ({
overlooking the mate in one with} 31... Re1#) 32. Kf1 Rf2+ 33. Kg1 Rg7+ 34. Kh1
Rf1# {.}) 31... Rxg2+ ({Good enough, but there is a forced mate with} 31...
Re1+ 32. Rf1 Nf3+ 33. gxf3 Rg7+ {etc.}) 32. Kf1 Nxf4 33. Bxf4 Rd3 {. --- QUESTION: Hmmm. I am not too convinced by all this! It looks as though White was
just better for much of the game. --- ANSWER: It is interesting that Moles,
writing back in 1975, described this game as "difficult to analyse"; Uhlmann's
efforts rather bear this out! Of course, it is easy for me to carp, sitting
here, armed as I am with a 21st century computer, and I mean no disrespect to
the East German GM, but it does look as though his whole assessment of Black's
chances in this game was extremely optimistic. Indeed, the fact that so strong
a player as Leonid Stein should have been prepared to go down the white side
of the line five years later, against Doroshkevich, suggests that he also
thought so. Nonetheless, I think Black is doing fine after 10...f6, if he
heeds the improvements at move 14. However, there seems little doubt that 10...Rc8 is a safer way to handle the line for Black.} 0-1

[Event "Buenos Aires"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1960.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fischer, R."]
[Black "Uhlmann, W."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1960.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 Bd7 8. a4
Qa5 9. Qd2 Nbc6 10. Bd3 {QUESTION: Is this better than 10 Be2? Doesn't it
invite the reply 10...c4 with tempo? --- ANSWER: It does invite that reply,
but therein lies the point. White argues that he wants to see the pawn
committed to c4, and is willing to sacrifice a tempo to provoke the move. 10
Bd3 was a favourite of Fischer's.} ({QUESTION: What about} 10. Bb5 {in this position? --- ANSWER: Actually, by comparison with the similar position in the
Bd2 variation, here the move 10 Bb5?! is dubious, for tactical reasons. Black
can reply} Nxe5 $1 11. Nxe5 Bxb5 {. White can regain the pawn with} 12. Ba3 Ba6
({Fritz's} 12... f6 {may be even better}) 13. Bxc5 {, but after} f6 14. Nd3 Nc6
15. O-O Kf7 {
Black was equal in E.Mnatsakanian-V.Korchnoi, Yerevan 1965, and went on to win.
}) 10... c4 $6 {
Uhlmann takes the bait, but this move is no longer regarded as best.} ({
Black usually prefers} 10... f6 {. --- QUESTION: I think I am detecting a
pattern here - in most Winawer lines, Black seems reluctant to play ...c5-c4
these days! --- ANSWER: I think that is definitely true. The understanding of
the closed structures with ...c5-c4 has moved on over the years, and the
initial impression made by Botvinnik's victories with the ...c5-c4 plan in the
1930s has now worn off. White players have a much better idea of how to handle
the position and coordinate their forces, and as a result black players have
increasingly shifted attention to more fluid approaches, based around ...f6
and leaving the pawn on c5. Indeed, despite his success in the present game,
Uhlmann himself switched to 10...f6 in another game against Fischer, played
two years after this one. Play continued} 11. O-O fxe5 12. Nxe5 (12. dxe5 O-O {
is also comfortable for Black}) 12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 O-O 14. c4 Qxd2 (14... Qc7
{is more ambitious, but the text is fine for Black}) 15. Bxd2 Bc6 16. a5 Rad8
17. Be3 d4 18. Bd2 Ng6 19. f4 Nh4 {
and Black was fine. The game ended in a draw after} 20. Rf2 Rd7 21. Re2 Rdf7
22. Rb1 g5 $1 23. fxg5 Bxg2 $1 24. Rxg2 Nxg2 25. Kxg2 Rf2+ 26. Kg3 Rxd2 27.
Rxb7 Rf7 28. Rb8+ Kg7 29. Re8 $1 Rdf2 30. Rxe6 R7f3+ 31. Kg4 Rf4+ 32. Kg3 {
½-½, R.Fischer-W.Uhlmann, Stockholm Interzonal 1962.}) 11. Be2 f6 12. Ba3
$1 Ng6 $6 {This early attack on e5 proves premature, because it is too
dangerous to take the pawn anyway.} ({Uhlmann recommends} 12... O-O-O 13. O-O {
and now Black has several options, although White remains a little better in
all cases. --- QUESTION: Why? --- ANSWER: Basically, he has a good set-up
against the ...c5-c4 structure. His bishop is strong on a3 and his pieces are
well placed.} Rdf8 {, a suggestion of Botvinnik, is perhaps the most
interesting of Black's tries here. --- QUESTION: What is the idea? --- ANSWER:
It is quite a typical manoeuvre for such blocked structures. The rook intends
to come to f7. This will protect the e7-knight, threaten activity along the
f-file after the exchange ...fxe5, and also frees d8 for the black knight. We
saw in Suetin-Uhlmann that the manoeuvre ...Nc6-d8 can be useful in such
positions, to defend b7 and potentially allow the light-squared bishop to take
on a4.}) 13. O-O $1 O-O-O {QUESTION: So why can't Black take on e5?} ({
ANSWER: The line} 13... fxe5 $6 14. Nxe5 Ngxe5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Qg5 $1 Ng6 17.
Bh5 {is too dangerous for Black.}) 14. Bd6 {QUESTION: How do you assess this
position? --- ANSWER: I think White is certainly somewhat better. He has
defended his e5-pawn conveniently, and obtained a relatively favourable
version of the blocked structure. However, once again, we see the resources of
the black position being brilliantly exploited by Uhlmann, which is why I have
included the game in this book.} Nce7 $1 {
The knight is heading for f5, to attack the bishop.} 15. Nh4 $1 {QUESTION: Huh?
That's a surprise! --- ANSWER: Fischer neatly exploits the tactical
opportunities, to achieve his strategic objective of keeping his bishop on a
strong diagonal.} Rde8 16. Nxg6 $1 hxg6 17. exf6 $1 {QUESTION: What is going
on? --- ANSWER: Fischer is consistently pursuing the plan begun by his 15th
move. He clears the h2-b8 diagonal, and intends that his bishop should remain
on that diagonal when it is driven away from d6.} gxf6 18. h3 $1 {This is the
point. The bishop now has a retreat on h2, and the diagonal h2-b8 is very
strong.} Nf5 19. Bh2 g5 20. f4 $2 {Up to now, Fischer has played brilliantly,
and has achieved a great position, but this premature attempt to shatter the
black structure runs into a brilliant refutation.} ({Instead,} 20. Rfe1 $1 {
leaves White with a clear advantage. His bishops are both great, and the black
king is distinctly uncomfortable.}) 20... Nd6 $1 21. Bf3 $6 {
This was no doubt part of Fischer's plan, but he misses the reply.} ({
He should have tried} 21. fxg5 $5 Ne4 22. Qe3 (22. Qf4 e5 $1) 22... Qxc3 23.
Qxc3 Nxc3 24. Bf3 fxg5 25. a5 {(Uhlmann), when White is still slightly better,
although he has lost a fair bit of his previous advantage.}) 21... g4 $3 {
QUESTION: What is this all about? --- ANSWER: It is a brilliant positional
idea from Uhlmann, which transforms the position completely. As so often in
the Winawer, the strategic battle is over the activity of the white bishop
pair; if White can get the bishops working, he will usually be doing well,
whereas if Black can tame them, his own chances will usually be good. Here,
Uhlmann sacrifices a pawn to bury the bishop on h2.} 22. hxg4 (22. Bxg4 $2 Ne4
23. Qe3 f5 24. Bf3 Qxc3 25. Qxc3 Nxc3 {is now just better for Black.}) 22... f5
$1 {The second step of the plan. Having sacrificed a pawn, Black now grants
his opponent a protected passed pawn! --- QUESTION: Sounds like madness! ---
ANSWER: Yes, but there be method in't! It is all about killing the white
bishop-pair, especially the bishop on h2. A few moves ago, it was the pride of
White's position, glaring menacingly down the open h2-b8 diagonal, towards the
black king. Now it will spend the rest of the game staring at its own pawns on
f4 and d4, neither of which can move and let the poor prelate back into the
daylight.} 23. g5 (23. gxf5 exf5 {
just gives Black the open g- and e-files to play with.}) 23... Re7 {There has been a total transformation of the position. The extra pawn is hardly felt at
all, whilst Black has a clear plan to strengthen his position: his bishop can
come to h5, his rooks can double on the h-file, and the knight constantly
threatens to jump into e4. In addition, as usual in these structures, the
a4-pawn is on death row, and can only await Black's announcement of a date for
its execution.} 24. Bg3 Be8 25. Qe3 Ne4 26. Bxe4 {
The knight clearly cannot be tolerated on e4.} dxe4 27. Kf2 {
Fischer was always a great materialist, and duly clings on to his extra pawn.}
({It was worth considering} 27. d5 $5 {to bring his bishop back to life.})
27... Reh7 (27... Qd5 {at once was probably more accurate.}) 28. Rfb1 ({
Passing up the last chance to liberate his bishop with} 28. d5 {.}) 28... Qd5
$1 {Slamming the door on the unfortunate prelate, which will spend the
remainder of the game in cloistered inactivity. The only issue here is whether
Black can actually break through and win. Given the blocked position, the game
should probably end in a draw, but Black has what chances there are.} 29. Qe1
$2 {Fischer completely overestimates his position and misses Black's 30th.} ({
Correct was} 29. Qd2 $5) ({or} 29. a5 {, maintaining the blockade.}) 29... Rh1
$1 30. Qxh1 $4 {This just loses.} ({Uhlmann gives the line} 30. Qe3 Rxb1 31.
Rxb1 Bxa4 32. Ra1 Bxc2 33. Rxa7 Kb8 34. Ra1 Bd3 {
as offering better defensive chances.}) 30... e3+ $1 {This zwischenzug is key.
Now the opening of the a8-h1 diagonal means that the oft-despised 'bad' bishop
will become extremely powerful, whereas its counterpart on g3 continues to
resemble a big pawn.} 31. Kg1 ({Instead,} 31. Kxe3 $2 Qe4+ 32. Kf2 (32. Kd2 $2
Rxh1 33. Rxh1 Qxg2+ {wins}) 32... Rxh1 33. Rxh1 Bc6 $1 34. Rh2 Qxc2+ 35. Kg1
Qxc3 {(Uhlmann) wins a piece}) ({and} 31. Ke2 $2 {also loses after} Rxh1 32.
Rxh1 Qxg2+ {.}) 31... Rxh1+ 32. Kxh1 e2 $1 33. Rb5 $5 {A desperate attempt to
drum up some counterplay, but it merely makes Black's task easier.} ({
Even so, after} 33. Rg1 Qe4 34. Rac1 Kd8 {Uhlmann considers White's position
to be hopeless. The bishop will come to c6 and the c3-pawn will drop, after
which the c2- and d4-pawns will follow.}) 33... Bxb5 34. axb5 Qxb5 $1 {
Trading the e-pawn for a passed a-pawn.} 35. Re1 a5 36. Rxe2 a4 37. Rxe6 a3 38.
g6 ({Both} 38. Re5 Qxe5 {,}) ({and} 38. Re1 a2 39. g6 Qa6 40. g7 Qh6+ {
(Uhlmann) also lose.}) 38... Qd7 $1 ({But not} 38... a2 $4 39. g7 a1=Q+ 40. Kh2
{when it is White who wins!}) 39. Re5 b6 $1 {
Depriving White of the move Ra5, and with it, his last chance.} 40. Bh4 a2 41.
Re1 Qg7 42. Ra1 Qxg6 (42... Qxg6 43. Rxa2 Qh5 44. g3 Qf3+ 45. Kh2 Qxc3 46. Bf6
b5 {(Uhlmann) leaves White helpless. --- This is one of the great Winawer
games, thanks to Uhlmann's brilliant strategic idea at move 21. The battle to
tame the white bishop-pair is central to the Winawer, and this is a memorable
example, which every black player should bear in mind.}) 0-1

[Event "Bled Olympiad"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2002.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Felgaer, R."]
[Black "Korchnoi, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. a4 ({
White's other main alternative here is} 7. h4 {. --- QUESTION: Another
non-developing move! What is the idea? --- ANSWER: White logically aims to
weaken further the kingside dark squares, which are always likely to be the
Achilles' heel of Black's position in the Winawer. If permitted, the pawn will
come all the way to h6. Positionally, the idea is well founded, but as you
will note, the problem is that White neglects his development. Black has a
number of approaches:} Qa5 (7... Qc7 $5 8. Nf3 b6 9. h5 h6 {is also playable})
8. Bd2 Nbc6 9. h5 {
. This is the parting of the ways. Essentially, Black has three options here.}
-- (9... cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa4 {is one line. Black attacks the d4-pawn and intends
to follow up with ...b6 and ...Ba6, exchanging White's key attacking bishop.
The critical line now is Kasparov's dynamic pawn sacrifice} 11. Nf3 (11. c3
Qxd1+ 12. Rxd1 h6 {is no problem for Black,}) ({nor is} 11. Bc3 b6) 11... Nxd4
12. Bd3 {. --- QUESTION: So what does White have for his pawn? --- ANSWER: He
has caught up in development and hopes that his dark-squared bishop will
develop active play. Typical ideas include Rh4 (usually prefaced by Kf1, to
avoid the tactic ...Nxf3 with check), h6, etc. G.Kasparov-V.Anand, Linares
1992, continued} Nec6 (12... h6 13. Kf1 Nxf3 14. Qxf3 {
is another approach, when the analysis runs deep in the sharp lines after} b6
15. Qg3 Ba6 $1 16. Qxg7 Bxd3+ 17. cxd3 Rg8 18. Qxh6 Qd4 {, etc}) 13. Kf1 Nxf3
14. Qxf3 b6 15. h6 {. White has good compensation, although the position is
extremely sharp. This is not a line Black can afford to enter without deep
preparation.}) ({. The quiet approach is} 9... h6 $5 {. White retains a
kingside space advantage, with the so-called Quartz Grip on the kingside
potentially offering long-term chances in the endgame, but on the other hand,
Black secures his dark squares against further significant weakening and can
develop calmly with ...Bd7 and ...0-0-0. Psakhis then gives} 10. Nf3 Bd7 11. a4
O-O-O 12. Qc1 f6 {, assessing the position as equal.}) (9... Bd7 {is the course
preferred for many years by Uhlmann, as well as other strong players, such as
Psakhis, Lputian and Grischuk. Black simply continues developing, placing his
faith in that aspect of his position. After} 10. h6 gxh6 {White has:} 11. -- (
11. Nf3 O-O-O $5 ({despite being so comprehensively outplayed in the present
game, Short retained his faith in the h4-plan, and later used it to beat
Lputian, who preferred the immediate} 11... Ng8 $5 12. c4 {
- playing to open the game to the maximum -} Qc7 13. cxd5 exd5 14. dxc5 $5
O-O-O 15. Be2 Bg4 16. Kf1 h5 {
and Black was doing perfectly well in N.Short-S.Lputian, China 2004}) 12. Bd3 (
12. a4 Rdg8 $5 13. Rxh6 Nf5 14. Rf6 Qd8 15. Be3 Rg6 16. Rxf7 Be8 17. Rxf5 exf5
18. g3 Bd7 19. Qd2 Rhg8 {was reasonable for Black in V.Bologan-W.Uhlmann,
Dresden 1997, although White eventually won}) (12. Rxh6 Ng8 13. Rh4 f6 {
also gives Black reasonable counterplay}) 12... c4 13. Be2 Ng8 $1 {. --- QUESTION: That looks funny! --- ANSWER: It is a typical idea in this line. Black is
not so much concerned with trying to hang on to the h6-pawn, as preparing the
break ...f6. After} 14. Kf1 f6 15. Qe1 fxe5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Ne7 18. Bxh6
Rhg8 {Black stood well in N.Short-L.Psakhis, Port Erin 1999. He went on to
outplay his powerful opponent totally, before collapsing in time-trouble and
losing.}) (11. Rb1 {is a newish and fairly critical idea here. White activates
the rook on the b-file, attacking b7, and setting up ideas of Rb5. He has
scored quite well with this, and the best line for Black is not entirely clear
at present. A reasonably solid approach is} Qc7 (11... O-O-O 12. Rb5 Qxa3 13.
Rxc5 a6 14. Qb1 Kc7 15. c4 b6 16. cxd5 $1 bxc5 17. d6+ Kc8 18. Rh3 Qa4 19. Rb3
{, D.Vocaturo-T.Hillarp Persson, Reykjavik 2009, with an unclear position, is
an example of the sort of sharp play than can ensue}) 12. Nf3 Ng8 13. Rb5 c4
14. Qb1 O-O-O {, K.Nemcova-D.Petrosian, Dubai 2011, with a position that is
not entirely clear, but where Black's dark squares look weaker than usual in
such structures. As I say, 11 Rb1 is a critical test for this whole 9...Bd7
rapid development approach. --- In summary, the early h4 plan remains an
interesting and unclear way for White to proceed. The line with 9...h6 is
probably the way for Black to play, if he wants a quiet position, without
needing to prepare sharp, forcing lines.}))) 7... Qa5 8. Qd2 Nbc6 9. Nf3 f6 {
QUESTION: This is another new move order, isn't it? --- ANSWER: Yes. Instead
of 9...Bd7, Black immediately attacks the centre. --- QUESTION: So what is the
difference?} ({ANSWER: I am not sure that it will always make a huge
difference from the line with} 9... Bd7 10. Bd3 f6 {. Assuming that Black ends
up playing his bishop to d7 fairly soon, then a transposition is likely, but,
as the present game shows, there can be important differences.}) 10. Bd3 ({
Korchnoi had used the 9...f6 move order before. In particular, he demonstrated
one of its advantages after} 10. Ba3 {
. Rather than enter the standard Winawer ending with} cxd4 {
(comfortable though that should be for Black), he can do even better.} (10...
fxe5 $1 11. dxe5 Qxa4 $1 {(once again, Korchnoi exploits the pin on the a-file
to annex a pawn; here, the fact that White is one move further from castling
than would be the case if the moves ...Bd7 and Be2 were already played, means
that Black has time to extract his queen, before the threat of Bxe7 becomes
real)} 12. Be2 b6 {(simply defending the extra pawn)} 13. c4 (13. O-O Qe4 {
was presumably the idea; White can gain a tempo or two on the queen, but he
has no way to achieve anything concrete, and a pawn is a pawn - all in all, a
typical Korchnoi pawn-grab}) 13... Nd8 14. O-O Qd7 {. Black has had to resort
to one or two contortions to escape with his booty intact, but White was
unable to take advantage of his small development lead. After} 15. Ng5 h6 16.
Nh3 O-O 17. Rfd1 Ndc6 18. Bb2 Bb7 19. Nf4 d4 {in F.Kuijpers-V.Korchnoi, Wijk
aan Zee 1971, Black just had a solid extra pawn and a clear advantage.})) ({
However, in view of what happens in the main game, perhaps White should prefer
the safer} 10. Be2 {.}) 10... fxe5 11. dxe5 O-O 12. O-O {It is hard to suggest
any other move for White, but now there follows a typical and strong Winawer
exchange sacrifice.} Rxf3 $1 {This cries out to be played.} 13. gxf3 c4 14. Be2
Nxe5 {QUESTION: So what is going on? --- ANSWER: I think Black has a very
attractive position. He has one pawn for the exchange, and has exposed the
opponent's king. Even more importantly, as we pointed out in Tolush-Botvinnik,
in such Winawer structures the lack of open files means that rooks often
struggle to become fully effective. That is the case here, with Black's
knights proving very adept in the blocked structure. The computer may assess
the position as slightly in White's favour, but I think that, in practice at
least, Black has the easier position to play. The further course of the game
bears this out.} 15. Ba3 Nf5 16. f4 Ng6 17. Bg4 Ngh4 18. Bb4 Qc7 19. a5 Qf7 {
White has secured his queenside from the typical pressure exerted by the enemy
queen from a5, but instead, Black switches his attention to the other wing.}
20. f3 Bd7 21. Rae1 Qg6 22. Kh1 Bc6 23. Qf2 d4 $1 {Once again, this positional
pawn sacrifice just begs to be played. The bishop on c6 now becomes a powerful
piece, bearing down the long diagonal. There is also the incidental threat of ...Qxg4, hence White's next.} 24. Bxf5 Nxf5 25. cxd4 Bd5 {QUESTION: White has a
whole extra exchange, so shouldn't he be better? --- ANSWER: In most positions,
he would be of course, but here the rooks just lack effective scope. It is
hard to argue that the rook on e1 is really a better piece than the knight on
f5. That is the secret of such positional exchange sacrifices in the Winawer.}
26. c3 Qh5 27. Re5 Qh6 28. Re4 {QUESTION: White offers the exchange back? ---
ANSWER: Indeed! This is the acknowledgement that the rook is no stronger than
the black minor piece.} Qh3 {Black blithely ignores the rook.} 29. Rg1 b6 30.
Qg2 Qh5 31. a6 Rc8 32. Bd6 $4 {White tries to exploit the tactics to transfer
his bishop to e5, but in fact, this move is just a losing blunder.} ({
After a move such as} 32. Rf1 {, the balance would be maintained. White cannot
really do anything, but it is also hard for Black to strengthen his position.})
32... g6 {Now that the mate threat on g7 is disposed of, Black threatens both ...Nxd6
and ...Nh4. White cannot defend against both.} 33. Be5 Nh4 {. White's position caves in on the long diagonal. --- This game is another nice
illustration of the positional exchange sacrifice in these Winawer structures.
The relatively blocked structure, with its lack of open files, means that
knights are frequently as effective as rooks. White was holding the balance
until his blunder near the end, but Black always had full compensation for his
material investment.} 0-1

[Event "Reykjavik"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Vidarsson, J."]
[Black "Ward, C."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qa5 {
QUESTION: Yet another move order!} ({ANSWER: Yes! This is a line which has
become very popular in recent years, as a way of avoiding the problems of} 6...
Ne7 7. Qg4) ({This} 6... Qa5 {move order actually goes back to the 1950s, when
it was used regularly by Lajos Portisch. In the 1960s, it attracted notice in
the games of the colourful US Virgin Islands player, Bill Hook, who played it
in a famous game against Bobby Fischer. For these reasons, John Watson calls
it the Portisch-Hook Variation, a nomenclature which I have no difficulty
following. --- QUESTION: So what is the point? --- ANSWER: With his early
queen manoeuvre, Black aims to bring quick pressure against the white pawns,
hoping thereby to restrict White's options. Firstly, Black attacks c3, which
needs to be defended. Black then intends to follow up with ...Qa4, which
attacks d4 and c2, and also blockades the white a-pawn, thus preventing the
standard plan of a4 and Ba3. --- QUESTION: So do you think this line is an
improvement on the usual 6...Ne7 line? --- ANSWER: I am not sure I would be
that categorical, but the early ...Qa5 is certainly a very logical way to play
as Black, and I am surprised that it has taken so long to become popular.}) 7.
Bd2 ({QUESTION: Is} 7. Qd2 {also possible here? --- ANSWER: Of course.} -- ({
Now} 7... Qa4 $6 {makes less sense, since d4 and c2 are both defended, and} 8.
dxc5 {looks an effective reply.}) (7... Ne7 {
is likely to transpose into lines we have already examined,}) ({
but Black can also pursue other plans, one of the main ones being} 7... Nc6 8.
Nf3 b6 {. Black hopes to trade off his bad bishop by Ba6. One oft-quoted
example then is J.Poulton-N.Pert, British League 2002, which went} 9. dxc5 bxc5
10. a4 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Qxa6 12. Ba3 Rc8 13. Qd3 {and now Watson gives} Qa5 {
with a good game for Black. Overall, 7 Qd2 looks no threat at all to Black.}))
7... Qa4 8. Qg4 {This is the most aggressive reply. White insists on forcing
his opponent to reveal how he plans to defend the g7-square.} ({
The other major option for White here is} 8. Qb1 {. --- QUESTION: That looks
odd! What is the point? --- ANSWER: Basically, White wants to use the threat
of 9 Bb5+ to force Black to close the position with} c4 (8... a6 $6 {
is not very attractive after} 9. Qb3) {. --- QUESTION: But this is just a
standard structure, isn't it? --- ANSWER: Yes, but White has clarified things.
In addition, he has relieved the pressure against d4, which is often a feature
of the Portisch-Hook variation, and he has stopped the standard plan of ...b6
and Ba6, exchanging off the bad bishop. On the other hand, Black has his queen
blockading the white queenside on a4, and he is relieved of any worries about
Qg4, probing the kingside. --- QUESTION: So how should we assess the position?
--- ANSWER: I think chances are about equal. A typical recent example,
featuring a top player as White, was the game P.Svidler-D.Lima,
Khanty-Mansiysk 2011:} 9. h4 {(White has many possible set-ups, of course, but
Svidler's choice here is the most popular)} Nc6 10. h5 h6 11. Nf3 Bd7 12. g3
O-O-O 13. Bh3 {(the most active formation; White has gained space on the
kingside with the h-pawn march, and now he takes aim at the e6-pawn, hoping to
discourage Black from breaking with ...f6)} Nge7 14. O-O Rdf8 15. Re1 g5 ({
Watson suggests} 15... g6 {as "more active"}) 16. Nh2 f5 17. exf6 {
and now Watson's suggestion is} Rxf6 18. f4 gxf4 19. Bxf4 Rg8 {with counterplay
. White has made progress in activating his dark-squared bishop, but at the
cost of weakening his king position. 8 Qb1 is a critical try against the
Portisch-Hook, and forces a closed, heavyweight struggle, but the average
Winawer player should be used to such battles. Objectively, the game is close
to equal.}) {Black has a major choice to make.} 8... g6 {QUESTION: That looks
incredibly ugly! --- ANSWER: I agree! Weakening the dark squares even further
in this way is grossly unaesthetic and creates permanent, long-term weaknesses.
However, it does defend g7, without giving up castling rights. Black intends
to castle long, securing his king, and hopes that his positional gains on the
other wing will give him an adequate game. --- QUESTION: But surely White will
infiltrate on f6 or h6, won't he? --- ANSWER: Black intends to leave his
knight on g8 for the time being, to cover those squares. Meanwhile, he will
pressurize the white centre and queenside pawns, in order not to give White a
free hand on the kingside.} ({The other option is} 8... Kf8 {. --- QUESTION:
But now Black cannot castle! --- ANSWER: True, but he has avoided a permanent
weakening of his kingside dark squares. He hopes that his king will prove safe
on f8. Meanwhile, White must decide what to do about his hanging c2-pawn,
hence} 9. Qd1 {. --- QUESTION: This is all pretty confusing! Why retreat the
queen again? --- ANSWER: White's argument is that his queen has done her job
on g4, by provoking the enemy king into moving. Now the queen returns to guard
the centre. This is the most popular move here, and was Fischer's choice in
the game against Hook.} ({
Alternatively, White can defend everything with the clumsy-looking} 9. Ra2 {
, after which a famous Hook scalp continued} Nc6 10. Nf3 b6 11. Bd3 Ba6 12. O-O
Bxd3 13. cxd3 c4 14. dxc4 Qxc4 15. Raa1 Na5 {, V.Liberzon-W.Hook, Nice
Olympiad 1974, with a comfortable position for Black, who eventually scored a
famous victory.}) {--- Fischer-Hook continued} 9... b6 {. This is the standard
plan in such positions. Black proceeds to exchange light-squared bishops.} ({
Another logical treatment is} 9... Nc6 {, increasing the pressure against d4.
A high-class example from a few years ago then continued} 10. Nf3 Nge7 11. Qb1
c4 12. h4 Ke8 13. h5 h6 14. g4 Kd8 15. g5 hxg5 16. Nxg5 Ke8 {
(to and fro; the blocked position makes such manoeuvring viable)} 17. Be2 b6
18. Bg4 Bd7 19. Qd1 Ng8 20. Be3 Nh6 {and Black had good chances in S.Karjakin-P.Nikolic, Wijk aan Zee 2005. He went on to stand clearly better,
before falling for a tactic and losing.}) ({Note that White's last move, 9 Qd1,
defended not only c2, but indirectly d4 as well:} 9... cxd4 10. cxd4 Qxd4 $4
11. Bb4+ {.}) 10. h4 {. --- QUESTION: Still not developing any pieces? ---
ANSWER: Once again, the relatively closed nature of the position makes such
extravagances possible. As we have already seen, h4-advances are another
common theme in these Winawer structures. White hopes to push the pawn all the
way to h6, weakening the enemy dark squares further, whilst the rook can often
develop via h4.} (10. c4 {is a critical alternative. --- QUESTION: What is the
point? --- ANSWER: White seeks to open the position, to activate his bishops
and get at the uncastled black king. However, one adequate solution is} Ne7 11.
cxd5 Qxd4 12. dxe6 Qxe5+ 13. Be2 Bb7 14. Bf4 Qc3+ 15. Bd2 Qe5 16. Bf4 Qc3+ 17.
Bd2 {, as in A.Grischuk-Y.Shulman, Khanty-Mansiysk 2005.}) 10... Ne7 (10... Ba6
{is also fine for Black:} 11. Bxa6 Nxa6 ({equally good is} 11... Qxa6 {
: for example,} 12. h5 h6 13. Rh4 Ne7 14. Rf4 Nbc6 {
as given by Moskalenko, when Black is doing well}) 12. h5 h6 13. Rh4 Rc8 14.
Rf4 cxd4 15. cxd4 Rxc2 ({or} 15... Ne7 16. Qf3 Ke8 17. c3 Rf8 18. Nh3 Nb8 19.
Qg4 Rg8 20. Qf3 Rf8 21. Qg3 Rg8 22. Qf3 {
and ½-½ in I.Cheparinov-P.Nikolic, Wijk aan Zee 2005}) 16. Bc3 Qb3 17. Rf3
Ne7 18. Rb1 Qa2 19. Ra1 Qb3 20. Rb1 {
was agreed drawn in P.Konguvel-V.Moskalenko, Badalona 2006.}) 11. h5 h6 {
(almost always necessary; the pawn cannot be allowed to come to h6)} 12. Rh4
Ba6 13. Bxa6 {. R.Fischer-W.Hook, Siegen Olympiad 1970, went} Nxa6 {
with unclear play,} ({but Watson suggests that} 13... Qxa6 {
followed by ...Qc4 would be even better.})) 9. Ra2 {White has many options
here, just as after 8...Kf8. However, Black's plan is largely the same - if he
can take on c2, he usually does so; if not, he generally plays ...b6, ...Ba6
and prepares queenside castling.} ({Let us look at some of the options: --} 9.
Rc1 {defends c2 more naturally than the game move, but of course, it involves
sacrificing the a3-pawn. Now} Nc6 10. Nf3 h6 $5 {. --- QUESTION: What is this
for? --- ANSWER: Black just covers the dark squares a little more, taking g5
from White.} (10... b6 {is also perfectly reasonable.}) 11. Bd3 c4 12. Be2 Bd7
13. Qf4 Rh7 {. Now we see the other point of Black's 10th. The rook defends f7,
so Black can castle long. --- QUESTION: It all looks very clumsy! --- ANSWER:
It does, but such manoeuvres are often possible in blocked positions. Don't
forget that Black is effectively a pawn up already, since he will be able to
take on a3 whenever he feels like it. "A pawn ahead is worth a little trouble",
as they say. --- B.Parma-L.Portisch, Bled 1961, proceeded} 14. h4 O-O-O 15. O-O
Qxa3 16. Ra1 Qf8 17. Nh2 f5 18. exf6 Nxf6 {with an unclear position.}) (9. h4 {
is a natural way to attack the kingside, but now Black sets up a light-square
blockade:} h5 10. Qg3 Ne7 11. Nf3 b6 12. Bd3 Ba6 13. Qg5 Nd7 {. The other
knight covers f6 instead! M.Jimale Abdulle-W.Hook, Bled Olympiad 2002,
continued} 14. g4 Bxd3 15. cxd3 c4 {(a typical idea in such structures; once
the exchange of bishops has taken place on d3, this move secures an outpost
for Black on c4)} 16. gxh5 Rxh5 17. Qe3 Qa6 18. dxc4 Qxc4 19. Qe2 Rc8 20. Qxc4
Rxc4 {, and Black was better in the ending (weak pawns on a3, c3 and h4, plus
a bad white bishop) and went on to win a long game.}) (9. Qf4 {. --- QUESTION:
What is this - a pawn sacrifice? --- ANSWER: Indeed. The strong Cuban GM
Dominguez has played this twice, so it deserves respect:} Qxc2 {(the critical
move, else White has just improved his queen position free of charge)} 10. Nf3
b6 (10... c4 11. Be2 h6 12. O-O Nc6 {
was unclear in L.Dominguez Perez-W.Arencibia Rodriguez, Havana 2008}) 11. dxc5
bxc5 12. Rc1 Qe4+ 13. Qxe4 dxe4 14. Ng5 f5 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Bc4 Ba6 17. Ba2
Nbd7 18. Nxe6 Rc8 {
was unclear and eventually drawn, L.Dominguez Perez-R.Vaganian, Barcelona 2007.
}) (9. Qd1 {is probably soundest, but less threatening than the Qf4 plan. After
} b6 {,} (9... Nc6 10. Nf3 b6 11. h4 h5 (11... cxd4 $5 {is more critical}) 12.
dxc5 bxc5 13. Be3 c4 14. Be2 Nge7 15. O-O {
was V.Bologan-L.Psakhis, Internet (blitz) 2004, and now} Nf5 {is unclear}) {
White has:} 10. -- (10. h4 {was once Magnus Carlsen's choice, but after} Ba6
11. Bxa6 Nxa6 12. h5 cxd4 13. hxg6 fxg6 14. Rh4 Ne7 15. cxd4 Rc8 16. c3 Nc5 $1
17. Rh3 Qxd1+ 18. Rxd1 {Black had no problems in A.David-L.Psakhis, Bad
Wiessee 1999. Black's treatment here, allowing h5xg6 and recapturing ...fxg6,
is quite notable. Psakhis is one of the world's premier French Winawer experts,
and his handling of the positions is always worth a close look.}) ({. After} 
10. Nf3 Ba6 11. Be2 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 c4 $5 (12... Nc6 {also looks fine for Black})
13. O-O Qxc2 14. a4 Nc6 15. Rfc1 Qf5 16. Be3 h6 17. Nh4 $6 Qe4 18. g4 $2 g5 19.
Ng2 Nge7 {Black was clearly better and went on to win in A.Hunt-N.Pert, Witley
1999. --- QUESTION: So which do you prefer, 8...g6 or 8...Kf8? --- ANSWER: I
am honestly not sure. 8...g6 certainly offends my eye, but, interestingly, it
was the choice of Portisch himself, and I have great respect for his
positional judgement. Black certainly has a safer king after 8...g6, and, as
Nigel Short likes to point out, checkmate ends the game - it is no good
accumulating positional advantages, if your king gets mated! That is one
argument for 8...g6, rather than 8...Kf8. In truth, I think both lines are
equally possible, and the choice is largely one of taste.})) 9... c4 (9... b6 {
à la Hook, is more natural. Ward's treatment is always an option in such
positions, but strikes me as rather passive.}) 10. Qd1 Nc6 11. Be2 Bd7 12. g4
$2 {
QUESTION: What is this? --- ANSWER: I think this is just rather a rash lunge.}
({White should just develop normally with} 12. Nf3 O-O-O 13. O-O {when he must
be somewhat better, although the usual problem of breaking down the solid
black structure is still there, of course. The queen's blockading post on a4
is useful here, but the fact that the only kingside break with ...f6 involves
such weakening of the dark squares and the e6-pawn means that it is hard to
create any active counterplay.}) 12... f6 {
Now that White has so weakened himself with 12 g4, this is justified.} 13. Nf3
O-O-O 14. h4 h5 $1 {White's play has been extremely optimistic. Where is he
going to put his king? The answer is "Nowhere" - it just has to remain in the
centre, and Black will open lines there and attack it.} 15. gxh5 Rxh5 16. exf6
Rf5 17. Rg1 {Missing his chance.} ({There was the tricky tactic} 17. Ne5 $1
Nxf6 ({if} 17... Rxf6 18. Bg5) 18. Nf7 {
, after which Black must shed an exchange with} Ne4 19. Nxd8 Nxf2 20. Qb1 Nxd8
{, with an unclear position.}) 17... Nxf6 {Now Black simply stands better. The
white king is a sitting duck in the centre of the board.} 18. Ng5 Rf8 19. Be3
Qa5 $1 {Nicely luring the white queen on to the fatal square d2.} 20. Qd2 Rxg5
$1 {The decisive blow. The knight jump to e4 is devastating.} 21. hxg5 Ne4 {
The rest is rather gory, so I would suggest you remove any children from the
room, before playing through the remaining moves!} 22. Qc1 Qxc3+ 23. Bd2 Qxd4
24. Be3 Qc3+ 25. Bd2 Qh3 26. c3 Qh2 27. Rf1 Rxf2 28. Rxf2 Qxf2+ 29. Kd1 Na5 30.
Qc2 Qg1+ (30... Qg1+ 31. Be1 Nf2+ 32. Kd2 Qxg5# {is mate. --- This main game
was rather one-sided, after some over-optimistic play by White in the early
middlegame, but nonetheless I think the Portisch-Hook system is a very viable
way to play for Black. If the latter is looking to avoid lots of forcing lines,
such as arise after 6...Ne7 7 Qg4, it is ideal, as it relies much more on
general plans.}) 0-1

[Event "Mar del Plata"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2003.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kanefsck, G."]
[Black "Atalik, S."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 {QUESTION: Is this move of independent
significance? --- ANSWER: It can be, but usually, as here, it just amounts to
a transposition.} ({The real significance of this system with ...Qc7, as
examined here, is in terms of the move order} 4... c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 {
. This is a weapon against an early Qg4. Black intends to meet} 7. Qg4 {
by moving his f-pawn, when the queen defends g7 along the rank. This line is
examined in Hort-Petrosian.} ({However, if White meets this line with} 7. Nf3 {
, then after} Ne7 {, we reach the game position.})) 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7.
Nf3 Qc7 {QUESTION: So, yet again something new! The queen looks more passive
here. --- ANSWER: This is the start of another system entirely. Rather than
place the queen on a5, Black puts it on c7. From there, it still exerts
pressure down the c-file (...cxd4 is sometimes a threat), but also attacks e5.
It is less threatening than 7...Qa5, but is a very solid and respectable
system. It enjoyed great popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and was
later revived with success in the 1980s/90s, by the then leading GMs Yusupov
and Predrag Nikolic. It remains a reliable and, in my view, underrated line
for Black.} 8. a4 (8. Bd3 {
is a tame move, which allows Black to implement his main idea:} b6 $1 {
, revealing a key point of these ...Qc7 systems. Black prepares to exchange
his traditionally bad light-squared bishop, by means of ...Ba6. In general, if
he can achieve this without suffering any immediate consequences, then he
stands comfortably. Not only has he offloaded his own potentially bad bishop,
he has also deprived White of one of his key attacking pieces, after which
castling short becomes much safer for Black.}) 8... b6 9. Bb5+ {QUESTION: What's this - "patzer sees a check, patzer gives a check"? --- ANSWER: Not at all.
This move actually embodies quite a subtle idea. White is trying to prevent
Black from implementing his ...Ba6 plan, to exchange bishops. --- QUESTION:
But how can he do that? Surely ...Ba6 will be possible, after the check has
been blocked? --- ANSWER: Well, as John Nunn always used to say to me, when I
tried to spout general principles, "What move are you going to play?"} ({
QUESTION: Well, how about after} 9. Bb5+ {just} Nbc6 {then? --- ANSWER: Okay,
but now you can't play ...Ba6, because it will be en prise!} ({
QUESTION: Oh, I see. Okay, I will play} 9... Nec6 {instead, and then I can
follow up with ...Ba6. --- ANSWER: Yes, but now you have removed the only
minor piece that defends your kingside. You will get to make the bishop
exchange, sure, but your kingside is rather bereft. The old game A.Lein-A.Bastrikov,
USSR 1959, continued} 10. O-O Ba6 11. Ng5 $1 h6 12. Nh3 {and moves such as Qg4 and/or Nf4-h5 are in the air. This is not terribly comfortable for
Black.}) ({QUESTION: You have an answer to everything, don't you! All right,
let's play simply} 9... Bd7 {and now we will exchange bishops on b5 instead!
--- ANSWER: "Cherez moi troop!", as they say in Russian ! ("Over my dead
body!"). The point of White's idea is now revealed.})) 9... Bd7 10. Bd3 $1 {
This is the key - now the black bishop has been lured away from the a6-square,
White can retreat his bishop to d3, and the exchange of bishops has been
avoided, albeit at the cost of a tempo.} (10. O-O {is less logical, and does
not offer any advantage, although it is not entirely without venom and is
worth a more extended look:} Bxb5 11. axb5 {. --- QUESTION: Doesn't Black now
have a backward a-pawn? --- ANSWER: He does at this moment, but after} a5 $1 {
he does not any more! Play might continue} 12. Ng5 {(White again adopts this
standard way of generating kingside play; it is his only hope, as Black has
solved his positional issues on the queenside, and will stand very comfortably
if he is allowed simply to castle short and play ...Nd7, ...Rc8, etc)} h6 13.
Nh3 Nd7 14. Nf4 {.} -- ({. Now} 14... O-O {
is good enough for equality: for example,} 15. Nh5 Kh8 $1 16. Qg4 Rg8 17. Qh3
Nf8 {and Black was extremely solid in B.Ivkov-R.Byrne, Sousse Interzonal 1967})
({, but} 14... cxd4 {is more critical, and possibly objectively stronger:} 15.
cxd4 Qc4 16. Ba3 {. Here is the rub. White will generate play on the dark
squares. A famous game L.Stein-R.Byrne, Sousse Interzonal 1967 (played a few
rounds before Ivkov-Byrne above - 14...0-0 was Byrne's attempted improvement)
ended in drastic defeat for Black, but improvements are possible:} Nf5 17. c3
g6 (17... h5 $5 18. Nxh5 Qxc3 19. g4 Qh3 $1 {- Moles}) 18. Qf3 Qxb5 ({
and here Moles suggests} 18... h5 $5) 19. g4 Ne7 (19... Nh4 $5 {
is Moles's final suggestion}) 20. Rfc1 Rc8 21. Rab1 Qc4 $2 (21... Qa6) 22. Ng2
$1 Rc6 23. Ne3 Qa4 24. Ra1 Qb5 25. c4 $1 {
1-0. Black actually resigned, chiefly in view of the line} dxc4 26. Nxc4 Rxc4
27. Qa8+ Nc8 28. Qxc8+ Rxc8 29. Rxc8# {. However, although this game gave
Black's line, starting at move 14, a bad reputation, it remains far from clear,
as the various suggested improvements show.})) 10... Nbc6 11. O-O {QUESTION: So
what is happening in this position? --- ANSWER: I think chances are about
equal. Black has developed his pieces, and has the standard queenside
structural advantage. He will castle short, play ...Na5 and possibly ...Rc8,
with counterplay on the queenside. The kingside thrust ...f7-f5 is another key
idea. For his part, White has his bishop-pair, chances of kingside play, and
hopes to activate his queen's bishop on the dark squares. It is a typical
Winawer fight.} h6 {QUESTION: Is this necessary? --- ANSWER: Indeed it is, at
least if Black wants to castle short.} ({The immediate} 11... O-O $2 {
allows the old Greek Gift sacrifice:} 12. Bxh7+ Kxh7 13. Ng5+ Kg6 14. Qd3+ Nf5
({or} 14... f5 15. Bf4 Qb7 16. Qg3) 15. g4 {with a dangerous initiative.}) 12.
Re1 ({The older line, which has similar ideas, starts} 12. Ba3 Na5 13. Nd2 O-O
14. dxc5 bxc5 15. Nb3 $1 {
(this forces the exchange on b3, straightening out White's pawns)} Nxb3 (15...
Nb7 $2 {leaves the knight misplaced on b7}) 16. cxb3 f6 $1 ({
this active move was an improvement on} 16... Rfc8 $6 {
which landed Black in trouble after} 17. Re1 Ng6 18. Bc1 Nxe5 19. Bf4 f6 20.
Re3 Be8 21. Qe2 Rab8 22. Bc2 c4 23. b4 Rd8 24. Rxe5 fxe5 25. Bxe5 Qd7 26. Bxb8
Rxb8 27. Qe5 {and Black never escaped his chains on the dark squares in A.Williams-R.Keene, British Championship, Eastbourne 1973}) 17. exf6 Rxf6 18. c4
$6 (18. b4 c4 19. Bc2 Be8 {is unclear}) 18... d4 19. b4 cxb4 20. Bxb4 Nc6 21.
Ba3 e5 22. Rb1 Na5 23. Be4 Bc6 24. Bd5+ Kh8 25. f4 Rd8 {, C.Pritchett-G.Botterill, British Championship, Brighton 1977. Chances are about equal,
although White soon went wrong and lost. --- The reader will note the many
references in this section to the English Oxbridge generation of the late
1960s and early 1970s - Keene, Whiteley, Hartston, Botterill, Williams, Moles
etc. These players contributed greatly to the theory of this ...Qc7 set-up.})
12... O-O 13. Ba3 {As in the previous note, White looks to activate his bishop
on its traditional a3-f8 diagonal.} ({The alternative is} 13. Bf4 {, which is similar to Byrne-Vaganian. White wants to use his bishop on the kingside with
Qd2 and a possible sacrifice on h6. White's kingside chances should not be
underestimated, but it seems that Black defends adequately after} Ng6 14. Bg3
cxd4 15. Nxd4 ({QUESTION: Why not straighten out the pawns with the other
recapture at move 15? --- ANSWER: The problem is that} 15. cxd4 Nb4 $1 {
eliminates White's key light-squared bishop.}) 15... Na5 {(a standard idea in
this line; the knight heads to c4, whilst the queen's pressure down the c-file
is unmasked)} 16. Qg4 (16. Re3 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Qxc4 18. h4 Bxa4 19. h5 Ne7 20. Bf4
{was unclear, and eventually drawn in J.Nunn-P.Nikolic, Amsterdam 1988}) 16...
Qxc3 17. Rad1 (17. Ne2 Qc7 18. Bxg6 fxg6 19. Qxg6 Bc8 $1 {
is equal, as given by Atalik}) 17... Nc6 18. Nb5 Qb4 {
gives White compensation for the pawn, but no more than that.}) ({QUESTION: Isn't the immediate bishop sacrifice on h6 possible at move 13? --- ANSWER: A
good question. It took some years for the English theorists to work out that
it was unsound, but it appears that White has insufficient compensation for
the piece after} 13. Bxh6 gxh6 $1 14. Qd2 Kg7 15. Qf4 Ng8 $1 {. Following} 16.
Re3 Nce7 17. Nh4 Ng6 18. Rg3 Be8 19. Re1 c4 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21. Qg4 Ne7 22. Qxe6
Qd7 {Black soon won in R.Sutton-J.Moles, Skopje Olympiad 1972.}) ({Yet another
impressive demonstration of the English players' mastery of this variation was
the game C.Zuidema-A.Whiteley, Cala Galdana 1974, which saw the white player
massacred:} 13. Qd2 f5 14. exf6 Rxf6 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Qe3 c4 17. Bf1 Raf8 18.
Ba3 R8f7 19. Rad1 $6 Qa5 {and White was already dropping a pawn, with no
counterplay on the kingside. He tried to save himself tactically, but without
success:} 20. Qc5 Qxc3 21. Bxc4 dxc4 22. Re3 (22. Rxd7 $2 Rxf3) 22... Qxc2 23.
Rxd7 {and now the exchange sacrifice finished him off:} Rxf3 $1 24. gxf3 Qb1+
25. Kg2 Rf5 {0-1.}) 13... Na5 {This is basically forced, to defend the c-pawn.}
14. dxc5 bxc5 15. Nd2 {Again, a standard manoeuvre. White frees the way for
his queen to come to g4 and his rook via e3 to g3.} Bxa4 {Critical;} ({
although French expert Igor Naumkin has played} 15... Ng6 {
here, which also seems adequate.}) 16. Qg4 $1 {
This move is also the most critical.} ({
J.Nunn-A.Yusupov, Linares 1988, was equal/unclear after} 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. Rxa4
Qxc3 18. Re3 Kh8 $1 {. Black eventually won, and although this was not
directly the result of the opening, it is notable that Nunn later switched to
16 Qg4 here.}) ({QUESTION: This is all a bit obscure. What is going on after} 
16. Qg4 {? --- ANSWER: Basically, White has sacrificed a pawn, for a kingside
attack. He will follow up with Nf3 and Bc1, and try to blast Black off the
board on the kingside. --- QUESTION: So is he better? --- ANSWER: I don't
believe so, but such a position is very concrete, and careful analysis is
needed. On the basis of the game under consideration, Black seems to be
holding at least, but he needs to play accurately. White has actually scored
very well in practice from this position, but Black's 16th move may change
that.}) 16... Be8 $1 {Atalik attributes this to the Russian GM, Sergey Ivanov
(another Winawer expert, whose games are always worth looking at).} ({
Previously, the usual move had been} 16... Bd7 {, when} 17. Nf3 Rab8 (17... Nc4
18. Bc1 f5 19. exf6 Rxf6 20. Bxc4 dxc4 21. Qxc4 {
was better for White in J.Nunn-P.Nikolic, Wijk aan Zee 1992,}) ({
whilst the point of Black's 16th move in the game is shown if Black here tries
} 17... Nac6 $2 {
aping Atalik's play in the main game; this now fails, because after} 18. Bxc5
Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Qxc5 {, the bishop on d7 hangs}) 18. Bc1 Kh8 19. Qh3 $1 Ng8 20.
g4 $1 Bb5 21. g5 Bxd3 22. cxd3 {
was A.Colovic-D.Komarov, Barletta 1999, where White's attack was too strong.})
17. Nf3 Nac6 18. Bc1 $6 {The natural follow-up, but Atalik, annotating the
game in 'ChessBase Magazine', suggests it may be the cause of White's troubles.
} ({Instead, he analyses} 18. c4 Nb4 19. cxd5 Nexd5 20. Be4 Bc6 21. Bc1 {
and now both} Rae8 ({and} 21... Kh8 {
are enough for equality, but no more. Indeed, after the latter,} 22. Qh5 Kg8
23. Qg4 Kh8 {could produce an immediate draw.})) 18... f5 19. exf6 (19. Qg3 Kh8
{is adequate for Black.}) 19... Rxf6 20. c4 (20. Rxe6 $2 Bd7 21. Bxh6 $2 Rxh6 {
(Atalik) is the tactical point of Black's play.}) 20... Bg6 ({Atalik mentions} 
20... Bd7 {as an alternative}) ({whilst the computer likes} 20... Rb8 {
. In all cases, White has enough kingside play to compensate for his pawn
minus, but no more than that.}) 21. Bb2 $5 ({Atalik records that his opponent
was unable fully to calculate the consequences of} 21. Rxe6 $1 {
. The point is that after} Qd7 22. cxd5 {the reply} Bxd3 {is forced,} ({
, because} 22... Nxd5 $2 {allows the winning queen sacrifice} 23. Rxf6 $3 Qxg4
24. Rxg6 Qc8 ({if} 24... Qh5 25. Rxc6) 25. Bxh6 {with a decisive advantage.}) (
{. After} 22... Bxd3 {,} 23. cxd3 Nxd5 24. Re4 Qxg4 25. Rxg4 {is equal.}))
21... Bf5 {Atalik says he assumes White had missed this, but in fact, Black
has no advantage anyway.} 22. Qh5 $2 {Now Black assumes the advantage.} ({
As Atalik points out, White had to exchange queens with} 22. Qg3 Qxg3 23. hxg3
{when the position is equal.}) 22... d4 {
Now the white dark-squared bishop is shut out of the game.} 23. Ba3 Ng6 $3 {
Atalik awards this two exclamation marks;} ({and claims that after} 23... Qd6
24. Nd2 {, "I will not get much", but the computer disagrees:} Ne5 25. Bxf5
exf5 26. f4 Nd7 {just seems to leave Black a pawn up, with a clear advantage.})
24. Bxf5 exf5 25. Bxc5 Nf4 26. Re8+ ({After} 26. Qh4 Rg6 {
, the white queen is done for after ...Rg4.}) 26... Rxe8 27. Qxe8+ Kh7 28. Re1
$2 ({Here, the computer agrees with Atalik, that White is still holding after} 
28. Qe1 $1 {. The text loses.}) 28... Qa5 $1 {This extremely strong move
leaves the white bishop without a safe square anywhere on the board!} 29. Bxd4
(29. Bf8 Ng6 $1 {traps the bishop}) ({whilst} 29. Be7 Rg6 30. g3 Qc3 {
is "Goodnight Vienna".}) 29... Nxd4 30. Nxd4 Re6 $1 {. This nice interference/back rank motif decides the game. --- Rather a cataclysmic finish, but the
analysis shows that White has enough for his pawn in this line, if no more
than that. Overall, the ...Qc7 lines are a very solid and respectable way for
Black to play.} 0-1

[Event "Russian Championship, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2008.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Inarkiev, E."]
[Black "Vitiugov, N."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C19"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 b6 {
QUESTION: Yet another different set-up! --- ANSWER: Yes! One of the great
advantages of the Winawer is that Black's position is extremely flexible and
allows numerous plausible ways of handling the line. --- QUESTION: This time,
I think I understand the idea! Black intends ...Ba6, exchanging off his bad
bishop? --- ANSWER: Correct. We saw this plan in the previous game, but with
Black's queen already on c7. --- QUESTION: Isn't this more logical? After all,
if Black intends to play ...b6 and ...Ba6, why not do so at once, and keep
flexibility with the queen? --- ANSWER: That is a very fair point. However, as
we pointed out in the notes to the previous game, the real significance of the
...Qc7 line is the move order 6...Qc7, intending 7 Qg4 f5. With the move order
in the present game, Black saves a tempo on ...Qc7, but he has to have another
way to meet 7 Qg4.} 8. Bb5+ {We also saw this idea in the previous game. White
intends to avoid the exchange of bishops. Other moves offer White nothing.} Bd7
9. Bd3 Ba4 {QUESTION: Aha! This did not happen in the previous game. ---
ANSWER: Well, this is the advantage of the tempo saved on not playing ...Qc7.
The white pawn has not had time to advance to a4, so this blockading move
becomes possible.} ({Black can also flick in the preliminary} 9... c4 {
, blockading the queenside once and for all, and then after} 10. Bf1 {play} Ba4
{. Indeed, this was originally the main line, but in recent times, Black has
started to delay ...c4. --- QUESTION: Why is that? --- ANSWER: Mainly to
preserve flexibility. Black reasons that ...c5-c4 is a move he will always be
able to play anyway, so it makes some sense to hold it back, so as to
complicate White's task. The latter has to select a development plan, taking
into account the possibility of both ...c5-c4, and also some other line, such
as ...cxd4 or just development by Black. At some point, if White has committed
himself, Black can then play ...c5-c4, hopefully in more favourable
circumstances. --- But while we are talking about the blocked positions after ...c5-c4, we may as well introduce an idea, which we will see repeatedly in
such positions. It is a manoeuvre first played, I believe, by Yusupov. After}
11. h4 (11. g3 {is met in similar fashion:} h6 12. Bh3 Kd7 13. O-O Qg8 14. Ne1
Kc7 15. Ng2 Nd7 16. f4 g6 17. Ne3 h5 18. Bg2 b5 19. h3 f5 20. exf6 Nxf6 21. Qe2
Kd7 22. Re1 Nf5 23. Nf1 Re8 {
was agreed drawn in F.Jenni-A.Yusupov, German League 2002}) 11... h6 12. h5 Kd7
$1 {. --- QUESTION: Good grief! What an extraordinary move. What on earth is
Black up to? --- ANSWER: This plan has become almost a reflex action for Black
in such positions. Of course, it looks strange to move the king so early, and
forego castling, but with the position so blocked, the king is as safe as
houses on d7. --- QUESTION: Okay, that may be so, but I still don't see why
Black does not just prepare ...0-0-0. --- ANSWER: You will see why in a moment.
Black has plans for his queen, namely} 13. Bf4 Qg8 $1 {. Here it is! The queen
is heading for the square h7, from where it will join in with its bishop on a4,
in attacking the c2-pawn! --- QUESTION: It looks mad! --- ANSWER: Maybe, but
in such a blocked position, it is not clear what else the queen can do. The
pawn on b6 prevents her reaching a5. The double attack on c2 is quite a
nuisance for White, who has to devote a rook and maybe his queen to defending
the pawn. In addition, from h7, the black queen always has the possibility of
jumping into the game, via f5 or e4. This plan with ...Ba4, ...Kd7 and ...Qg8-h7 has now been played numerous times in this lines, and is known as a
sound idea. --- QUESTION: But even if it is sound, I still don't see how Black
is going to break through? --- ANSWER: Ah, well that is another matter. The
truth is that these blocked positions are quite drawish. That is another
reason why Black tends to delay ...c5-c4 these days, in the hope of preserving
more dynamism in the game. I cannot pretend that this 7...b6 system is a great
winning weapon for Black, but it is excellent if he wants a solid position.
--- A.Shirov-A.Yusupov, Moscow Olympiad 1994, continued} 14. g3 Qh7 15. Rc1
Nbc6 16. Bg2 a5 17. Nh2 b5 18. Qd2 Nf5 19. O-O Nfe7 20. Ng4 Rag8 21. Bf3 Kc8
22. Kg2 Kb7 23. Rfe1 Rd8 24. Re2 Ka6 25. Rh1 Nc8 26. Ne3 Nb6 27. Ree1 Qg8 28.
Ng4 {½-½. This was a typical game for the line - if White does not do
anything silly, it is hard for either side to make progress.}) 10. h4 h6 11.
Bf4 ({After the logical follow-up} 11. h5 {, Black has a choice.} -- ({
. He can close the position with} 11... c4 {(as he can do at almost any move,
of course), and then play reverts to very similar patterns to those in the
last note: for example,} 12. Be2 Kd7 13. Bf4 (13. Nh4 Qg8 14. Bg4 Qh7 15. Ra2
Na6 16. Rh3 Nc7 17. Kf1 Raf8 {was yet another Yusupov example, also won by
Black after a long battle, K.Georgiev-A.Yusupov, Las Palmas 1993}) 13... Qg8
14. Nd2 Qh7 15. Ra2 Na6 16. g4 Nc7 {led to a long manoeuvring battle and an
eventual draw in the game V.Bologan-N.Vitiugov, Russian Team Championship 2010.
}) (11... Nbc6 12. Rh4 c4 13. Be2 Kd7 14. Be3 Qg8 15. Qd2 Qh7 16. Rc1 Kc7 17.
Rf4 Raf8 {was similar in A.Sokolov-A.Yusupov, 1st matchgame, Riga 1986, one of
the first games with the ...Kd7 and ...Qg8 plan. Black eventually won.}) ({
. Alternatively, he can keep things fluid with} 11... Qc7 12. O-O Nd7 13. Re1
a6 {. --- QUESTION: What is the idea of this move? --- ANSWER: It is another
idea worth noting. Black intends ...Bb5, forcing the exchange of bishops after
all. It is frequently seen in these lines where Black does not close the game
with ...c5-c4. After} 14. Nh4 Bb5 15. a4 Bxd3 16. cxd3 O-O {Black was doing
fine, and the game was eventually drawn, Z.Lanka-N.Sedlak, Lienz 2011.})) 11...
Nbc6 ({Once again, the standard idea} 11... c4 $5 12. Be2 Kd7 {
is perfectly possible}) ({whilst the game Z.Lanka-I.Farago, Austrian League
2011, proceeded in similar fashion to Lanka-Sedlak in the previous note:} 11...
Qc7 12. Qd2 Nd7 13. h5 a6 14. g4 {(this time White adopts a much more
aggressive plan, ruling out short castling for both sides; however, Black is
still okay)} Bb5 15. Kf1 Bxd3+ 16. cxd3 Rc8 17. Kg2 c4 {(an idea we have seen
before after cxd3 - Black secures an outpost on c4 and pressure down the
c-file)} 18. Rhc1 cxd3 19. Qxd3 Qc4 20. Qe3 b5 {and another long battle was
eventually drawn. --- QUESTION: The words "long battle" seem synonymous with
this variation! --- ANSWER: That is true. The positions reached are real
heavyweight stuff.}) 12. h5 a6 $5 {
Now we know what the point is - Black wants to exchange bishops on b5.} 13. Qb1
{Stopping the bishop exchange.} ({The other way of trying to do so,} 13. Qe2 $4
c4 {, happens in a lot of online blitz games!}) 13... Qc7 14. O-O Na5 15. Ra2
$1 {QUESTION: What is the point? --- ANSWER: White has several ideas - he
overprotects c2, and prepares Rb2, attacking b6.} Rb8 $6 {
This proves a waste of time.} ({In 'ChessBase Magazine', Vitiugov recommended} 
15... O-O {, when chances are balanced.}) 16. Re1 Kd7 $6 {QUESTION: Cripes!
This looks a bit optimistic here, with the centre still not closed. --- ANSWER:
I totally agree. It really looks a bit much to me.} (16... O-O {
is still perfectly satisfactory.}) 17. Rb2 {
Now 18 Bxa6 is a threat, since Black cannot cut the bishop off with 18...b5.}
c4 ({Because} 17... Nc4 $6 {fails to} 18. Bxc4 dxc4 19. dxc5 bxc5 20. Rd1+ Kc8
(20... Nd5 $4 21. Rxd5+ {wins}) 21. Nd2 {
with a strong attack, the text is forced.}) 18. Be2 {QUESTION: OK, we have
finally reached the standard blocked structure. Isn't Black fine here? ---
ANSWER: Well, the problem is that he has made a lot of moves which do not
really fit. His queen is much less active on c7 than h7, for example, and his
knight on a5 is doing nothing. White certainly has a better version of the
structure than he normally gets. Indeed, Vitiugov went so far as to assess the
position as clearly better for White. Having said that, the further course of
the game goes to show how hard it can be for White to make progress in such
positions, even when he starts with a favourable version.} Nac6 19. Qc1 b5 $5 {
This is a typical part of the plan of pushing the queenside pawns, but it also
shuts the bishop on a4 out of the game.} 20. Nh2 $1 {The knight is on its way
to e3, which is frequently a good post for it in these lines. --- QUESTION:
Why is that? --- ANSWER: From e3, the knight frees up the kingside pawns to
advance, with g4, f4 and f5. The knight also attacks d5, f5, etc, and defends
c2.} a5 21. Ra2 $1 {I like this move. --- QUESTION: Why? --- ANSWER: It is a
neat piece of prophylaxis against the advance ...b5-b4. Black cannot play this,
until he has ensured his bishop will not hang after axb4.} Qd8 22. Bg4 Qg8 $1 {
The black queen heads for her traditional post on h7, albeit rather late.} 23.
Nf1 Kc7 24. Ne3 Kb7 25. Bh3 Nc8 26. Bg3 Nb6 27. f4 $2 {
f4-f5 is White's main plan, but he mistimes it.} ({Vitiugov recommended} 27.
Bh4 $5 {.}) 27... f5 $1 28. Qd1 $6 {The second mistake. White loses the thread.
} (28. Bh4 {was Vitiugov's recommendation.}) ({
QUESTION: But surely White should be opening the position with} 28. exf6 {
, shouldn't he? --- ANSWER: That is the move he would like to play, but here,
after} gxf6 29. Bh4 f5 {, Black is fine. The e6-pawn is easily defended,
White's f4-f5 advance has been killed forever, and his dark-squared bishop is
now obstructed by his own pawn on f4.}) 28... Ne7 29. Rf1 ({
Perhaps White should try} 29. Kh2 $5 g5 30. hxg6 Nxg6 31. Qh5 {(Vitiugov).})
29... g5 30. hxg6 Nxg6 31. Bxf5 $5 {Inarkiev realises that he has lost much of
his advantage, and tries to force matters.} ({Instead,} 31. Kh2 h5 {is equal.})
31... exf5 32. Nxf5 Ka6 33. Qf3 $6 {The game now starts to be affected by
time-trouble. This allows Black to advance the h-pawn and start counterplay.} (
33. Qh5 {maintains the balance.}) 33... h5 $1 34. Ne3 h4 35. Bh2 h3 36. g4 Nh4
37. Qg3 Rb7 38. f5 Ng2 39. g5 $2 {Losing at once.} ({Correct was} 39. Nxg2 hxg2
40. Rf2 $1 Rbh7 41. Rxg2 Rh3 42. Qf4 Rxc3 {
and Black retains some advantage, but the position is still very unclear.})
39... Rh5 40. g6 Nxe3 41. Qxe3 Rf7 $1 {
Now the white kingside pawn chain collapses.} 42. f6 Qxg6+ 43. Bg3 h2+ 44. Kh1
Rh3 45. Rf3 Bxc2 {. --- This heavyweight battle is absolutely typical of the 7...b6 line. It is a very respectable and solid way for Black to play, and White
has a very tough time breaking his opponent down, even if the latter commits a
few inaccuracies. The main drawback of 7...b6, from Black's standpoint, is
that it is quite hard to play for a win, unless White goes crazy. To win such
blocked positions, the black player needs the patience of Job and the
positional understanding of Petrosian - rather like Artur Yusupov, in fact!}
0-1

[Event "FIDE Grand Prix, Baku"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2008.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Cheparinov, I."]
[Black "Grischuk, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 {
This move initiates White's sharpest response to the main line Winawer. His
queen comes out to attack the key square g7, which has been weakened by the
early development of Black's dark-squared bishop.} cxd4 {And this, in turn,
starts Black's sharpest and most uncompromising reply. He sacrifices his
kingside pawns, to destroy the white central pawn structure, and set up an
extremely double-edged position.} ({Quieter alternatives, principally} 7... O-O
{, are examined in Atlas-Kindermann.}) 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 Qc7 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11.
f4 Bd7 (11... dxc3 12. Qd3 d4 {
is a trendy line at present, and is examined in the next game.}) 12. Qd3 dxc3 {
This is the principal tabiya of the whole variation. --- QUESTION: What on
earth is going on? Black seems to be on the verge of losing a pawn, with his
kingside destroyed! --- ANSWER: Both of those things are true, but Black has
various forms of compensation. --- QUESTION: Such as? --- ANSWER: Firstly, he
is ahead in development, which is certainly not to be sniffed at, in such a
sharp and open position. Secondly, his king will be pretty safe after ...0-0-0,
whereas White's king may struggle to find a safe haven. He cannot easily
castle kingside, because moving his king's bishop is likely to leave the
g2-pawn hanging, and even if he does manage it, the open h- and g-files mean
that Black is likely to have serious counterplay on that wing. --- QUESTION:
But what about the white kingside pawns? Isn't the passed h-pawn just going to
overwhelm Black? --- ANSWER: It may look that way at first, but in practice,
it is often very hard to make effective use of these pawns, at least in the
middlegame. White is likely to be too busy trying to hold back the black
counterplay, and shield his own king. --- QUESTION: Okay, but isn't Black
going to lose his c-pawn and thus be a pawn down as well? --- ANSWER: Yes, but
he will then have counterplay down the c-file as well. --- QUESTION: Hmm. I am
still a bit sceptical! --- ANSWER: That is understandable. The position is
hard to judge at first sight, and it is only after seeing some of the concrete
problems both sides face, that one can start to appreciate the strength of the
black position, in particular. Indeed, many GMs still do not believe in the
black position, and the strong American Grandmaster, Yasser Seirawan, has even
gone so far as to claim that Black is objectively lost! That is an extreme
claim (Seirawan is notorious for his materialism), but it is fair to say that
most GMs would prefer the white side of the position. Computers have made
people more sceptical of such long-term material sacrifices, and 7 Qg4 is
undoubtedly the critical response to the Winawer. It is because of many black
players' reluctance to play this sharp variation that move orders such as the
Portisch-Hook line have become popular in recent years.} 13. Nxc3 {This is a major parting of the ways, with White having many alternatives here. Of course,
it is impossible to give a detailed theoretical coverage of the whole line in
a book such as this, but we will look at a few sample lines, with a view to
illustrating some of the typical ideas for both sides.} ({With} 13. Rg1 {
White declines to take on c3, instead leaving the pawn alone and concentrating
on trying to advance his kingside pawns. --- QUESTION: But why not take the
pawn? --- ANSWER: Well, as we will see, taking on c3 often allows Black
counterplay on the c-file, after a later ...Rc8. It also takes time, which
further delays White's development. By leaving the c3-pawn alone, White
instead attends to his own plans. --- Black responds} d4 {. --- QUESTION: Huh?
Isn't that en prise? --- ANSWER: Yes, but it is a typical pawn sacrifice in
such positions.} 14. g4 ({after} 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 Bc6 {Black has excellent compensation, in the shape of splendidly active pieces, and the white king
stuck in the centre; moves such as ...Nf5, ...Rd8, etc. are in the air}) 14...
O-O-O 15. h4 Nd5 (15... Qb6 {
is also a good move here, defending d4 and preparing ...Nd5}) 16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17.
Qxd4 Bc6 18. Be2 (18. Qxa7 f6 {starts central counterplay}) 18... f6 $1 {
(now we see the drawbacks of White's plan with g4 and h4: his king is denuded
and very exposed, if the centre opens up; Black is willing to invest several
pawns for that purpose)} 19. h5 (19. exf6 e5 $1 {is Black's idea; after} 20.
Qxe5 Qb6 {followed by ...Rge8, he has fierce counterplay}) 19... Qh7 20. Ra2 (
20. exf6 $1) 20... Qe7 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Qxc3 Ne4 23. Qh3 {
. Thus far we are following A.Rasmussen-N.Zhukova, Athens 2008. Now} e5 {
would have resulted in a typically chaotic and unclear position for this
variation. White has two extra pawns, but his king is a permanent problem and
Black has a strong initiative.}) (13. h4 {is another variation on the plan
seen in the last game. White again ignores the c3-bait and starts pushing his
passed h-pawn, hoping to tie down the black forces to stopping the pawn, and
thus hamper Black's counterplay in that way. Play goes} Nf5 {(another typical
theme in this variation; advancing the h-pawn weakens g3, to which Black
immediately directs his knight)} 14. Rb1 d4 15. h5 O-O-O 16. Rg1 {. --- QUESTION: What a mess! --- ANSWER: After a while spent studying this variation, such
positions start to look perfectly normal! Both sides have played logically
enough - Black has finished his development, whilst White has advanced his
h-pawn. Now he wants to join up with g2-g4, also attacking the active black
knight. --- Black can now go} Kb8 {. --- QUESTION: That looks incredibly slow,
if not to say, complacent in such a sharp position. --- ANSWER: In fact, it is
quite a standard idea. Black gets his king into a more secure spot, and also
envisages a possible ...Bc8, ...b6, and ...Bb7 manoeuvre. ---} ({
. Black does have alternatives: --} 16... Nce7 $6 {. --- QUESTION: What is the
point? --- ANSWER: It is another thematic idea in such lines. The knight frees
c6 for the bishop, whilst itself preparing to come to d5, when the black
knights would be ready to jump into e3. White cannot really allow this, so his
next is virtually forced. However, Black's 16th has the drawback of depriving
his knight of the e7-square, and is probably less good in this position. ---
So} 17. g4 Nh6 {. --- QUESTION: Isn't the knight badly placed here? --- ANSWER:
It is quite precarious, yes. It attacks g4, and if the g-pawn advances, then
the knight returns to f5. The problem comes if White manages to secure the
g4-pawn and then play f4-f5. O.Korneev-A.Kveinys, Nova Gorica 2004, continued}
18. Bh3 Bc6 19. Rg3 {.} ({QUESTION: What's wrong with} 19. f5 {
here? --- ANSWER: Black has prepared the sacrifice} exf5 $1 20. Bxh6 Be4 21.
Qg3 (21. Qd1 d3 {is crushing}) 21... Bxc2 22. Rc1 d3 {
with excellent compensation for the piece.}) {After} 19... Bd5 20. Nxd4 Bc4 21.
Qxc3 {Kveinys found} Rxd4 {, a typical tactic:} 22. Qxd4 Nef5 23. Qc3 Nxg3 24.
Qxg3 Be2 {(ingenious, but it should not be sufficient)} 25. g5 Bxh5 26. Rb3 Kb8
27. Bg2 $4 (27. Qc3 {would be better for White}) 27... Qxc2 {
(suddenly, the game is over)} 28. Rxb7+ Kc8 29. Kf1 Be2+ 30. Kg1 Qd1+ 31. Kh2
Ng4+ 32. Qxg4 Bxg4 33. Be3 Qe1 {0-1. In my experience, this is a typical
scenario for this variation - examining the game afterwards, with the aid of a
computer, suggests that White is objectively better, but one slip proves fatal.
Over the board, White's position is extremely hard to handle.}) (16... f6 {
would be thematic, when the position is unclear after} 17. g4 Nh6 18. exf6 Rxg4
19. Rxg4 Nxg4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. Qxd4 Be8 {.}) {
V.Vehi Bach-F.Vallejo Pons, Palma de Mallorca 2009, proceeded} 17. g4 Nh6 18.
g5 $6 ({see the previous note;} 18. Bh3 {looks stronger, when Black must
constantly worry about the position of the knight on h6}) 18... Nf5 19. Bg2 Na5
({another thematic idea - the knight looks at c4-e3; however,} 19... b6 {
followed by ...Bc8, is safer here, reaching the position seen after move 21})
20. Rb4 (20. Be4 {is stronger}) 20... Nc6 21. Rb1 b6 22. Be4 Nce7 23. Kf2 Qc5
24. Ng3 Ba4 $1 {(yet another standard idea in this line; now there is a strong
threat of 25...Bxc2, and White finds himself struggling)} 25. Kg2 $2 (25. Bxf5
{was best, but after} exf5 {
White is in trouble anyway, as his light squares are a disaster}) 25... Ne3+ {
(decisive)} 26. Bxe3 dxe3 27. Qa6 Bc6 28. Kh3 Rd2 29. Rbe1 Nd5 30. Kg4 Bb5 {
0-1. Another excellent example of how easily things can go wrong for White.}) (
13. Ng3 {. --- QUESTION: This looks like a sensible move. By blocking the
g-file, White wants to follow up with Be2 and 0-0. How does Black meet this?
--- ANSWER: The key idea is to remove the knight from g3:} O-O-O 14. Qxc3 Nf5
$1 {and this is how. The exchange on f5 damages the black pawn structure, but
removes the key knight from g3. A sample game, involving French aficionado
John Watson on the black side, continued} 15. Nxf5 exf5 16. Bd2 Be6 17. Bd3 $2
(17. Kf2 {is objectively better, although human players are naturally averse
to such king moves}) 17... Rxg2 18. O-O-O d4 19. Qb2 Na5 {
when Black was clearly better, and went on to win.}) (13. Be3 d4 $5 ({
once again, this thematic pawn sacrifice is interesting, although there is
nothing wrong with the natural} 13... Nf5) 14. Bxd4 ({
the top-level stem game with 13...d4 continued} 14. Bf2 O-O-O 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16.
Qxd4 b6 17. Bh4 Bb5 18. Qe4 Bxf1 19. Rxf1 Rd5 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 {and Black had
compensation for the pawn, and even went on to win the heavy piece ending, B.Spassky-V.Korchnoi, 2nd matchgame, Belgrade 1977}) 14... Nxd4 15. Nxd4 O-O-O {
. Once again, Black has excellent compensation for the pawn - the open lines
and exposed white king, together with Black's significant lead in development,
give him an excellent game. After} 16. Qc4 $2 {
(returning the pawn to bail out into an ending, but now White is just worse)}
Qxc4 17. Bxc4 Rxg2 18. O-O-O Ba4 {
Black won in D.Papakonstantinou-E.Rozentalis, Vrachati 2011.}) (13. Rb1 {
is probably the most respected of the non-captures on c3. The rook takes up a
useful post, aiming down the b-file, preventing ...Qb6, and also setting a
nice trap.} O-O-O (13... Nf5 $6 {is well met by} 14. h3 $1 {followed by g4;} ({
by contrast, simple development with} 14. g3 {gave Black good, and thematic,
counterplay in the old game L.Shamkovich-W.Uhlmann, Sarajevo 1963, which
continued} d4 15. Bg2 O-O-O 16. Kf2 Na5 17. Rd1 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. Qf3 Qc5
20. Rd3 Rd7 21. g4 Nh4 22. Qg3 Rh8 23. h3 Nc6 24. Rb3 Qc4 25. Ng1 a5 $1 {
with a nice advantage to Black})) 14. Nxc3 Na5 ({
the trap set by White's 13th move is} 14... a6 $4 15. Qxa6 $1) {
, when White has several options:} 15. -- ({. Now} 15. Nb5 {
leads to little after} Bxb5 16. Rxb5 (16. Qxb5 $6 Qxc2 {
is a dubious pawn sacrifice}) {when} 16... Kb8 {
transposes the next variation below.}) (15. g3 Kb8 16. Nb5 Bxb5 17. Rxb5 Rc8 ({
or} 17... Nc4 18. Be2 Rc8 19. O-O Nf5 {
which was equal, and quickly turned into advantage for Black after} 20. Rf3 Rg6
21. Bb2 $6 Qc6 22. Rb4 Qc5+ 23. Kh1 Rh8 24. Bf1 Nxg3+ 25. Rxg3 Qf2 26. Rg2 Rxg2
27. Bxg2 Ne3 28. Rxb7+ Kc8 29. Rb8+ Kc7 30. Rb7+ Kd8 {
and 0-1 in M.Sergeeva-S.Ganguly, Abu Dhabi 2007}) 18. Be3 b6 {
with equality, L.Dominguez Perez-Y.Shulman, Buenos Aires 2005}) (15. Rg1 Kb8
16. g4 d4 17. Ne4 Ba4 18. Rb2 a6 19. Nd6 Nf5 $1 20. Nxf5 exf5 21. Bd2 Bb5 22.
Qxf5 Nc4 {was unclear in L.Dominguez Perez-Zhang Pengxiang, Linares 2002,
eventually won by Black.}) (15. h3 $1 {is the critical move:} Kb8 16. g4 Rc8
17. Nb5 Bxb5 18. Rxb5 {, as in L.Dominguez Perez-D.Stellwagen, Wijk aan Zee
2009. Now Postny has suggested} Nc4 $5 19. Be2 Qc6 20. Rb1 Qc5 {
followed by ...Nc6-d4 with compensation.})) (13. Qxc3 $5 {is the other way to
take the pawn. On c3, the queen pins the enemy knight on c6, thus restricting
possible ...Na5 ideas. White also retains control of the crucial square d4,
unlike in the line beginning 13 Nxc3. Black has:} -- (13... Nf5 14. Rb1 {
. --- QUESTION: Why this? --- ANSWER: We have seen the idea many times already.
The rook takes up an active post and restricts the activity of the black queen.
} ({The text has been regarded as best here, ever since the old game R.
Bogdanovic-W.Uhlmann, Sarajevo 1963, which continued} 14. Bd2 Qb6 $1 15. a4 Rc8
16. a5 Qd8 {(the queen has been driven back, but now threatens to emerge on
the other flank, via h4; Black had good play, and went on to win in powerful
style)} 17. Qd3 a6 18. Ra3 Na7 19. Rc3 Bb5 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Qc3 Bc4 22. g3 Nb5
23. Qb2 Qc6 24. Rg1 Rh8 25. Rg2 d4 $1 26. Rf2 Qh1 27. g4 $2 (27. Qb4) 27...
Rxh2 28. gxf5 Rxf2 29. Kxf2 Qh2+ 30. Ke1 Qh4+ 31. Kd1 Qf2 32. Be1 Qxf1 33. Ng3
Qf3+ 34. Kc1 Qe3+ 35. Kd1 Nc3+ 36. Bxc3 dxc3 37. Qb6 Qd2# {0-1.}) {
--- After 14 Rb1 Black can go} 14... Rc8 {. --- QUESTION: Why not castle long?
--- ANSWER: As we have just seen, that is a viable option too, but Black
reasons that, with the c-file open, he does better to bring his rook there
straightaway, with the idea of counterplay against c2. --- S.Karjakin-P.Harikrishna, Bilbao 2007, continued} 15. Rg1 d4 16. Qd3 Nce7 17. g4 {
. Now Black should have tried} Ba4 18. Rb2 Bxc2 19. Qb5+ Kf8 {
with an unclear position.}) (13... O-O-O {is another option: for example,} 14.
Rb1 Nf5 15. Rg1 d4 16. Qd3 Na5 ({the sharp counterattack} 16... f6 17. g4 Nh4
18. exf6 e5 {must always be considered in such positions, but it came up short
in I.Kurnosov-N.Vitiugov, Ramenskoe 2006, after} 19. Kf2 Be6 20. Bh3 Rh8 21. c3
Qf7 22. cxd4 exd4 23. g5) ({however,} 16... Be8 $5 {
is also worth considering, followed by ...f6}) 17. g4 Ba4 18. c3 Bc2 $1 {
(a nice tactical idea, and yet another which crops up in various lines)} 19.
Qxc2 d3 20. Qa2 Qc5 $1 21. Rg2 Ne3 22. Ng3 Rxg4 23. Rf2 Nac4 {with an unclear
position, where chances are about equal, A.Volokitin-S.Ganguly, Moscow 2007.}))
13... a6 14. Rb1 ({A major alternative here is Spassky's} 14. Ne2 {. --- QUESTION: What is the point? It looks an odd move. --- ANSWER: White reasons that
the knight will be threatened along the c-file after ...Rc8, so he moves it
away in advance. In addition, he takes control of the d4-square. This move
caused a few problems for Black when first introduced in the 1980s, but it
does look rather odd to spend a tempo, returning the knight to a clumsy square,
where it shuts in the king's bishop. Black should be able to find adequate
counterplay against such extravagance:} O-O-O ({a good alternative is} 14...
Nf5 15. h3 {
which was tried in A.Volokitin-Hou Yifan, Wijk aan Zee 2009, and now} Na5 $1
16. g4 Bb5 17. Qc3 Qxc3+ 18. Nxc3 Bxf1 19. Rxf1 Nd4 {
gave Black equal chances in the old game J.Timman-N.Short, Rotterdam 1988}) 15.
g3 d4 16. Qc4 Nf5 17. Bg2 Na5 18. Qxc7+ Kxc7 19. Rb1 Bc6 20. Bxc6 Kxc6 {
was equal in V.Anand-V.Ivanchuk, Nice (rapid) 2009.}) 14... Na5 (14... Rc8 {
is also a very logical continuation. After} 15. h4 Nf5 {
(immediately targeting g3, which White's next defends)} 16. Rh3 Nce7 (16...
Ncd4 $6 17. h5 {and now Black lost at once after the blunder} Qc5 $2 18. Rxb7
Nb5 $4 19. Ne4 {1-0 in F.Nijboer-J.Timman, Hilversum 2006; Black clearly needs
an improvement at move 17, if this set-up with 16...Ncd4 is to remain playable,
but I have to admit, it is not immediately obvious what this improvement is})
17. Bd2 ({one point of Black's last is revealed after} 17. h5 Nh6 $1 {
followed by ...Nef5, when the knights blockade the kingside pawns effectively,
D.Velimirovic-J.Levitt, Pinerolo1987}) 17... Nh6 {
the position is typically unclear.}) 15. h4 Nf5 (15... Rc8 {
was tried in J.Zawadzka-E.Berg, Warsaw 2008. After} 16. Rh3 Nf5 17. h5 {
Black played the interesting idea} Kf8 $5 {. Following} 18. h6 $6 {
(maybe this should be held back, so as to prevent the following manoeuvre)} Rg6
19. a4 Kg8 {(a most interesting set-up, as the black king manages to play a
role in holding up the white kingside pawns, whilst the pawn on h6 itself
prevents the white pieces attacking the enemy monarch; objectively, it is
rather hard to believe, but in the game Black soon got on top)} 20. h7+ Kh8 21.
Kd1 Nc4 22. Qe2 $2 Ng3 23. Qf2 Nxf1 24. Qxf1 d4 {and Black was winning.}) 16.
Rh3 O-O-O ({A similar example was} 16... Qc5 17. h5 O-O-O 18. Bd2 Nc4 19. h6
Rg6 20. h7 Rh8 {and now the blunder} 21. Qf3 $2 (21. Ne4 dxe4 22. Qxc4 Qxc4 23.
Bxc4 Rxg2 {is equal}) {walked into the sucker punch} 21... Nxd2 22. Kxd2 Rxh7
$1 {. White then decided to go down in a blaze of glory, but resigned after}
23. Bxa6 (23. Rxh7 Rg3 {wins}) 23... bxa6 24. Nxd5 Rxh3 25. Nb6+ Kd8 26. gxh3
Qd4+ 27. Ke2 Rg3 {in D.Petrosian-S.Lputian, Yerevan 2006.}) 17. h5 Nc4 18. Rb4
(18. h6 Rg6 19. h7 Rh8 {was played in a blitz game also involving Grischuk.
--- QUESTION: I still don't get what is happening here! It looks as though
White is about to promote his h-pawn. --- ANSWER: He has marched almost all
the way, but the final step will be the hardest. White hopes that his advanced
h-pawn will tie Black down and disrupt his coordination, thereby depriving him
of counterplay, but objectively this is not the case. Black can cope with the
pawn and still keep adequate activity. Objectively, chances are about equal.}
20. Ne2 (20. Qf3 {
is a critical move, trying to get in the advance g2-g4, but Black is fine after
} Rg7 21. g4 Ne7) 20... Bb5 21. Nd4 Nxe5 $1 22. Qd1 $4 (22. Qc3 Nxd4 23. Qxd4
Bxf1 24. Kxf1 Qc4+ 25. Qxc4+ Nxc4 {is only slightly better for Black}) 22...
Bxf1 23. Kxf1 Qc4+ 24. Ne2 Qe4 {
and Black was winning in S.Karjakin-A.Grischuk, Moscow 2008.}) ({Meanwhile,} 
18. Qf3 {again hopes to achieve g2-g4, but} Bc6 {objectively leaves White with
nothing better than repeating moves. Instead, White tried to do so with} 19.
Qe2 $2 {against a youthful Caruana, but after} Ng3 20. Qd3 Nxf1 21. Kxf1 (21.
Qxf1 Nxe5 22. fxe5 d4 {is even worse}) 21... d4 22. Ne4 Rg4 {
Black was already better, and after} 23. Ng3 {
in B.Bruned-F.Caruana, Collado Villalba 2005, he could have won at once with}
Ne3+ 24. Bxe3 dxe3 25. Qxe3 Bxg2+ $1 {.}) 18... Bc6 19. Ne2 Bb5 20. a4 Qc5 ({
QUESTION: Just a moment - isn't} 20... Nxe5 {on here? --- ANSWER: It is
possible, and was played in the stem game from this position, V.Hort-W.Uhlmann,
Hastings 1970/71. However, after} 21. Qc3 Bxe2 22. fxe5 Bxf1 23. Qxc7+ Kxc7 24.
Kxf1 {, Moles' assessment is that "White has anything that's going", and Hort
did in fact go on to win.}) ({Moles himself suggests} 20... Bc6 {
, with the threat of 21...a5, followed by 22...Bxa4, but Fritz is unimpressed:}
21. h6 a5 22. Rb1 Bxa4 23. h7 Rh8 24. g4 {with advantage to White. Grischuk's
choice looks best, as he takes control of the key square d4, with tempo.}) 21.
Qc3 $2 {After this mistake, Black seizes the advantage.} (21. Ba3 {
had been tried in J.Becerra Rivero-Y.Shulman, Tulsa 2008, which continued} Bc6
22. Qc3 Rg4 {(it is a recurring pattern in these lines that Black makes good
use of the squares g3 and g4, weakened by the early advance of the white
h-pawn)} 23. h6 Rh8 24. h7 $2 {(this just exposes the h-pawn)} Rg7 25. Rb3 Qa7
26. Bc1 Bxa4 $2 (26... Rgxh7 {is just better for Black}) 27. Qb4 $4 (27. Ng3 {
is unclear}) 27... b5 28. Rh5 a5 29. Qc3 Rgxh7 {and Black won.}) ({Finally,} 
21. Bd2 {is the computer's preference, with equal chances after} Bc6 {.}) 21...
d4 22. Qb3 Na5 23. Rxb5 {Desperation, but White has nothing better.} ({
His position collapses after both} 23. Qb1 Bxe2 24. Kxe2 ({if} 24. Bxe2 Rxg2)
24... Rg3) ({and} 23. Qa3 Bxe2 24. Kxe2 Nc4 25. Qb3 d3+ {.}) 23... Nxb3 24.
Rxc5+ Nxc5 {Black has won the exchange for a pawn. White has two bishops and
his kingside pawns, but the latter are well controlled and Black's pieces are
very active. He has a clear advantage, which Grischuk has no particular
trouble converting.} 25. Ng1 Rg3 26. Ba3 d3 (26... Nxa4 {is also good.}) 27.
Rxg3 (27. cxd3 Nxd3+ 28. Bxd3 Rdxd3 {
is slightly more tenacious, but should also lose.}) 27... Nxg3 ({
The computer points out the typically incisive} 27... d2+ 28. Kd1 Ne4 29. Rf3
Nf2+ 30. Rxf2 Ne3+ {which is objectively even better, but I don't think we can
really criticise Grischuk for missing this!}) 28. cxd3 Nxa4 29. Ne2 Nxh5 30. g4
Rxd3 31. gxh5 Rxa3 32. h6 Ra1+ 33. Kf2 Rd1 34. h7 Rd8 {
Just in time! The remainder requires no comment.} 35. Nd4 Nc5 36. Nf3 Kd7 37.
f5 exf5 38. Bh3 Ke7 39. Bxf5 a5 40. Bb1 a4 41. Nd4 Rh8 42. Nf5+ Kf8 0-1

[Event "Dutch League"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kuipers, S."]
[Black "Stellwagen, D."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7 8.
Qxg7 (8. Bd3 {is a major alternative here. --- QUESTION: Is that entirely
logical? I thought the whole point of 7 Qg4 was to take on g7? --- ANSWER: It
is, but the point is that White does not necessarily have to do so at once.
The g7-pawn is not easy to defend, so White reasons that he can afford to
bring the bishop out first. The idea is to avoid having to shut this bishop in
with Ne2, as happens in the main line. --- 8 Bd3 is a very sharp and dangerous
line, for which Black needs to be well prepared. He has two main approaches:}
-- (8... cxd4 9. Ne2 dxc3 10. Qxg7 Rg8 11. Qxh7 (11. Qh6 {intending to take on
h7 with the bishop, is another sharp line; theory considers that Black is okay
after} Nbc6 12. Bf4 Bd7 13. Bxh7 Rxg2 14. Bg3 O-O-O {when he will sacrifice
the exchange on g3 to win the e5-pawn, with typical Winawer compensation})
11... Qxe5 12. Bf4 Qf6 {. --- QUESTION: What is going on here? --- ANSWER: The
position is very sharp. White has temporarily sacrificed a pawn, but he has
activated his dark-squared bishop much more than he usually manages in these
lines, and he has the typical kingside pawn phalanx. Objectively, Black is
probably fine, but the position is extremely sharp and preparation can run
very deep in such lines. Watson gives extensive coverage in 'Play the French
4', and any black player intending to go down this line should study his
analysis carefully.}) (8... c4 {is the quieter solution, avoiding forcing
lines, in favour of a typical closed Winawer struggle. Strangely, Watson makes
no mention of this in his latest French volume, although he covered it in the
first edition. Objectively, Black may be slightly worse in these lines, but it
is a typical structure, where the black player should feel at home, and he
does avoid a lot of sharp preparation.} 9. Be2 Nf5 10. Nf3 Nc6 {and now} 11.
Nh4 Nce7 12. Bg5 {is a suggestion of Psakhis, but I don't see that Black has
any real problems after} O-O ({or} 12... Nxh4 13. Qxh4 h6 14. Bd2 Nf5 15. Qh3
Bd7 {. In this line, Black pays his money and takes his choice. In purely
objective terms, 8...cxd4 is probably the best move, but the positions are
very sharp and require detailed preparation. Given that 8 Bd3 is only a fairly
obscure sideline, many Black players may be reluctant to spend much time on
such preparation, in which case 8...c4 is the pragmatic choice.}))) 8... Rg8 9.
Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 ({Believe it or not, White does have an alternative here, in
} 10. Kd1 {. --- QUESTION: That looks insane! --- ANSWER: Maybe, but there is
some logic to it. White sidesteps the threat of a lethal check on c3, without
committing his knight to e2. He wants to play the knight to the more active
square f3, from where it will have the idea of jumping to g5. The main line
goes} Nbc6 11. Nf3 dxc3 12. Ng5 Nxe5 13. f4 (13. Bf4 Qb6 $1 {
is a neat tactical solution to Black's problems}) {and now} 13... f6 $1 {
is fully adequate: for example,} 14. fxe5 fxg5 15. Qh5+ Kd8 16. Bxg5 Qc5 $1 {
and Black will untangle with ...Bd7 and ...Kc7. He has material equality, and
the white king is likely to end up the more exposed of the two monarchs.})
10... Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 12. Qd3 d4 $5 {This is the move that gives Black's move
order its independent significance. --- QUESTION: So what is the point?
Doesn't 12...d4 just give away a pawn? --- ANSWER: Yes! We saw in the previous
game that this type of pawn sacrifice is a thematic idea in the variation.
Black opens lines, especially the d-file and the long diagonal h1-a8, for his
pieces. With the move order in the game, Black does this at once, delaying the
developing move ...Bd7. The bishop will usually come to d7 later anyway,
although occasionally, it develops by means of ...b6 and ...Bb7. This system
with 12...d4 has become quite popular in recent years, and is covered in
detail by John Watson in the latest edition of his seminal work 'Play the
French'. Watson uses 12...d4 as his main line recommendation.} ({Instead,} 
12... Bd7 {would transpose to the previous game.}) 13. Nxd4 {
Taking the pawn is the most natural response, but others are also possible.} (
13. Rb1 {is a thematic move in such positions, as we know from
Cheparinov-Grischuk, but in this line, it allows Black to exploit one of the
advantages of not having played ...Bd7.} b6 $1 {logically neutralizes the
pressure along the b-file, as well as preparing ...Bb7 and ...0-0-0. With the
long diagonal already opened by ...d5-d4, the bishop clearly belongs on that
line.} 14. Rg1 Bb7 15. g4 O-O-O 16. Qc4 Rd5 ({Watson gives} 16... Na5 17. Qxc7+
Kxc7 {as better for Black, which it is, but there is nothing wrong with
Grover's move either}) 17. Rg3 Rgd8 18. h4 $6 Ra5 $1 {. --- QUESTION: That
looks a bit funny. Why is it so strong? --- ANSWER: It is rather
counter-intuitive to put the rook on a5, but the point is that the threat of ...Ba6 is extremely hard to meet.} 19. Qd3 Ba6 20. Qh7 {
was E.Barbosa-S.Grover, Chennai 2011, and now simply} Nd5 {
gives Black a clear advantage.}) (13. h4 {
is another typical white plan in such positions, as we know. In response} b6 {
is again good. As Watson emphasises, this is usually the move Black wants to
play, unless White does something specific to prevent it. Now:} 14. -- (14.
Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 {. --- QUESTION: So White is a pawn up? --- ANSWER: Yes,
but just as in the main game, Black has excellent compensation in the form of
the open lines and exposed white king:} Nf5 16. Bb5+ Bd7 17. Qxd7+ Qxd7 18.
Bxd7+ Kxd7 {. Despite the pawn minus, Black has positional compensation
(weakness on g2, active knight, etc) and chances are balanced. The high-level
game V.Bologan-G.Kamsky, Reggio Emilia 2009/10, confirmed this:} 19. Kf2 Rg4 20.
Be3 Rag8 21. Rag1 Nxh4 22. g3 Nf5 23. Rh3 Ke7 24. Kf3 Nxe3 25. Kxe3 Rd8 26. Rh2
Rgg8 27. g4 Rd2 28. Rxd2 cxd2 29. Kxd2 Rh8 30. f5 exf5 31. gxf5 Rh5 32. Rf1 Rh4
33. Ke3 Ra4 34. Rd1 Rxa3+ 35. Ke4 Ra4+ 36. Rd4 Rxd4+ 37. Kxd4 f6 38. e6 Kd6 39.
Kc4 a6 40. Kb4 Kc6 {½-½.}) (14. h5 Bb7 15. h6 O-O-O 16. h7 Rh8 {is perhaps
a more logical follow-up to White's 13th. Watson regards it as critical and
devotes a lot of analysis to it, assessing the position as "dynamically equal".
After} 17. Rh3 {he suggests Fritz's choice} Nd5 {, when} 18. Nxd4 Nde7 $1 {
is an amusing follow-up. White has problems on the d-file, and} 19. Nb5 Rxd3
20. Bxd3 (20. Nxc7 $4 Rxh3 {wins}) 20... Qb8 {is roughly equal.})) (13. Ng3 {
is a critical attempt to exploit Black's move order. --- QUESTION: What is the
point? --- ANSWER: White takes advantage of the fact that Black's last move
gave up control of e4. The knight threatens Ne4-d6+. After} Bd7 (13... b6 {
is now too slow, since after} 14. Ne4 {
checks on d6 and f6 are already threatened}) {, White has:} 14. -- (14. Ne4
O-O-O 15. Nd6+ (15. Rb1 {has also been tried. --- QUESTION: With the idea that
the threat of Nd6+ is stronger than its execution? --- ANSWER: Indeed, but
Black can strike with the thematic piece sacrifice} Nxe5 (15... Nf5 {
is also playable}) 16. fxe5 Qxe5 {. --- QUESTION: What is going on here? ---
ANSWER: Black has two pawns for the piece, the white king is very exposed, and
the black central pawns threaten in the near future to sweep down the board.
Black is just better here, I believe, and especially in an OTB game, White's
position is hard to defend. After} 17. Qe2 Bc6 18. Ng3 (18. Nf2 {
is mentioned by Watson, but simply} Qd5 {keeps a strong initiative}) 18... Qd5
(18... Qxe2+ {is also fine for Black, but the text is more fun!}) 19. Qf2 (19.
Rb4 $5 Nf5 20. Kf2 {is the computer's unlikely suggestion; then} Nd6 {
(threatening e5)} 21. Bf4 f6 22. Bxd6 Qxd6 {still looks better for Black})
19... f5 20. Rb4 a5 21. Rc4 e5 {it was "wagons roll!" in the game T.Calistri-D.Bunzmann, French League 2007, which Black went on to win,} ({and} 21... b5 {
was also good.})) 15... Kb8 16. Rb1 ({QUESTION: Why not simply} 16. Nxf7 {
with an extra pawn? --- ANSWER: This is similar to the main line, after} Rdf8
17. Nd6 Nf5 {.}) {, and now:} 16... -- (16... Bc8 {was played in D.Neelotpal-S.Sengupta, Mumbai 2003, but Fritz is unconvinced about the black position after}
17. Nxf7 (17. g3 Rxd6 $5 18. exd6 Qxd6 19. Bg2 b6 20. O-O Nf5 21. a4 Bb7 {
gave Black compensation for the exchange in V.Artemiev-D.Petrosian, Izhevsk 2011
}) 17... Rdf8 18. Nd6 Ng6 (18... Nf5 19. Nxf5 Rxf5 {
is like the main line, but worse; after} 20. g3 b6 21. Bg2 Bb7 22. O-O {
it is questionable whether Black has enough for the pawn}) 19. Qe4 Nh4 20. g3
Nf5 21. Bg2 Ka8 22. Nxf5 exf5 23. Qd3 Be6 {and although Black eventually drew,
the silicon monster wants nothing to do with his position after} 24. O-O {.}) (
16... b6 17. Nxf7 Rdf8 18. Nd6 Nf5 19. Nxf5 Rxf5 {. --- QUESTION: So why is
this any better than the analogous line with 16...Bc8? --- ANSWER: The
difference is tactical; after} 20. g3 {Black has the strong reply} Nxe5 $1 21.
fxe5 Bc6 $1 {. This is the point - with the bishop on c8 and pawn on b7, the
bishop could not come to the long diagonal at once. After} 22. Rg1 Be4 $1 23.
Qc4 (23. Qxd4 Bxc2 24. Rb4 Rd8 {is decisive}) 23... Qxc4 24. Bxc4 Bxc2 {
Black's extra pawn (soon to be two) plus initiative adds up to the advantage.})
) ({. Another logical move is simply} 14. Be2 {, taking advantage of the fact
that 13 Ng3 defended the g2-pawn. White simply wants to castle short, solving
the traditional problem of his king's exposure in the centre. This has been
played by Karjakin, and so must be taken seriously:} Qb6 {
(a useful move order point; Black stops the move Rb1)} 15. O-O O-O-O 16. Ne4
Nd5 (16... Kb8 17. Nd6 Be8 {is Watson's recommendation,}) ({
but I prefer Fritz's} 16... Nf5 {, with an unclear position}) 17. Nd6+ (17. Qb5
Qxb5 18. Bxb5 Kc7 {was equal in M.Khachiyan-Y.Shulman, Saint Louis 2009}) 17...
Kb8 18. Nxf7 {was Karjakin's choice against Kamsky. After} Rdf8 19. Nd6 Nce7
20. Bf3 Bc6 {,} 21. g3 $1 {is critical} ({instead of Karjakin's} 21. a4 $6 Nb4
22. a5 Qc5 23. Qh7 {(S.Karjakin-G.Kamsky, Nalchik 2009), when} Nf5 {
is slightly better for Black}) {. Watson then analyses} 21... Nf5 ({
both captures on f4 favour White:} 21... Nxf4 22. Bxf4 Rxf4 23. Bxc6 Rxf1+ 24.
Rxf1 Nxc6 25. Qh7 {,}) ({and} 21... Rxf4 22. Bxf4 Nxf4 23. Qd1 d3+ 24. Kh1 dxc2
25. Qxc2) 22. Nxf5 Rxf5 {as equal; Black threatens ...Bb5, and after} 23. Bxd5
Bxd5 {his monster bishop guarantees at least equality.})) 13... Nxd4 14. Qxd4
Bd7 ({The immediate} 14... Nf5 $6 {allows the annoying} 15. Bb5+ {.}) ({
The position after} 14... Bd7 {is the main tabiya for the 12...d4 variation.
--- QUESTION: So what is going on? --- ANSWER: As we have already seen, Black
has sacrificed a pawn, in order to open central lines for his pieces. He has
the long diagonal a8-h1, along which lies the g2-pawn, already attacked once
by the rook on g8. The open d-file is also available for a black rook,
although the fact that a7 would hang prevents an early ...0-0-0. The knight
will jump to f5, gaining a tempo on the white queen. White's issue is how to
develop his pieces and get his king into shelter. The pressure against g2
makes it hard to develop the bishop from f1, and the move g3 always runs into
an attack along the long diagonal, displacing the rook on h1.}) 15. Rg1 (15.
Rb1 {is the other main move here. We are familiar with the general idea in
such positions - the rook takes up an active post, pressurizing b7 in some
lines, and also tames some of the black queen's activity, by taking away the
b6-square. A high-class practical example then continued} Nf5 16. Qf2 Qc6 {
. --- QUESTION: That is a bit of a surprise. I was expecting the bishop to go
to this square. --- ANSWER: That is also a perfectly reasonable alternative,
but quite often in this variation, it is the queen which uses the c6-square.
From there, as well as pressurizing g2, the queen can jump effectively into d5,
e4, and sometimes a4. --- Play may go} 17. Rb4 ({
stopping the check on e4, but exposing the rook;} 17. Rg1 {
could well end in an immediate draw after} Qe4+ 18. Qe2 Qd4 19. Qf2 Qe4+ {
- indeed, from a winning viewpoint, this whole variation has the drawback that,
in many lines, Black has little alternative but to take a draw by repetition,
if White offers it}) 17... Qd5 {. --- QUESTION: What is the idea of this? ---
ANSWER: It is another thematic idea in these lines. Black prepares ...Bc6,
establishing a battery along the long diagonal, and securely defending b7.
Another point is to add protection to the d4-square, which allows the black
knight to jump there in many lines.} 18. Rg1 Bc6 19. Rc4 (19. Bd3 {
amounts to a transposition after} O-O-O {, since then} 20. Qxa7 $2 Rxg2 21.
Rxg2 Qxg2 {favours Black; it is noteworthy how well the bishop on c6 defends
the black king in such positions}) 19... O-O-O 20. Bd3 Kb8 21. Rxc3 {. --- QUESTION: Two pawns up! --- ANSWER: Yes, but the pawns are hard to make effective
use of at present, and the white king is condemned forever to remain in the
centre. After} Qa2 {, practice shows that Black has enough counterplay. As
Watson points out, this position has been known from at least 1965, since it
can arise by transposition from the 12...Bd7 lines. After} 22. Be3 {
(otherwise, the threat of 22...Qa1 is awkward to meet)} Nxe3 23. Qxe3 Rxg2 24.
Rxg2 Bxg2 {
the position is balanced. The game we are following ended in a draw after} 25.
Kf2 Bc6 26. Be4 Bxe4 27. Qxe4 Qb1 28. Re3 Rc8 29. Re2 Rh8 30. Qg2 Qc1 31. Qg3
Qh1 32. Ke3 a6 33. Rd2 Qc1 34. Ke2 Qh1 35. Ke3 Qc1 36. Ke2 Qh1 {½-½ S.Mamedyarov-E.Alekseev, Ohrid 2009. Wild though the position looks, this was a
pretty correct game by both sides, and a draw is highly likely in this
variation.}) (15. Be3 {is also a natural move, intending} Nf5 (15... b6 {
is a Watson suggestion, which perhaps keeps more tension}) 16. Qc5 {
. Watson then suggests} Qc6 $1 {. --- QUESTION: That is a surprise! I would
not have thought Black wanted to exchange queens, given that he is a pawn down
and much of his counterplay is directed against the exposed white king. ---
ANSWER: That is a fair assumption, but White's development difficulties are
the other major aspect of Black's compensation, and those persist into many of
the endgames.} 17. Qxc6 (17. O-O-O {
has also been tried, when Fritz likes the clever} Qb6 $1 {
, which practically forces the follow-up} 18. Qxb6 axb6 19. Bxb6 Rxa3 20. Kb1
Ra4 {when the double threats of ...Rb4+ and ...Rxf4 regain the pawn, again
with easy equality}) 17... Bxc6 18. Kf2 Nxe3 19. Kxe3 O-O-O 20. Rg1 Rd2 21. Rc1
Ba4 {gives enough play to hold the balance easily.}) 15... Nf5 ({
Obviously the most natural, but Black has also tried} 15... Rh8 {here. --- QUESTION: With what idea? --- ANSWER: It looks a bit strange, but Black wants to
provoke the advance of the white h-pawn, which weakens g3. I am not sure how
good it is objectively, but it has had a couple of successful GM outings,
beginning} 16. h3 Nf5 17. Qf2 {and now:} -- (17... Qc6 18. Bd3 Qd5 19. Rb1 Bc6
{with a typical set-up for the variation. Once again, it is worth following
the game to the end:} 20. Bxf5 $6 {(this exchange removes the active black
knight, but at the cost of a total surrender of the light squares; it is
well-known that in middlegame positions with opposite-coloured bishops, the
holder of the initiative has effectively an extra piece, and this is soon seen
here)} exf5 21. Rb3 O-O-O 22. Qe2 Rhg8 23. g4 fxg4 24. hxg4 Rh8 25. Rxc3 Qd4
26. Qe3 $2 (26. Rxc6+ {is a better try}) 26... Qd1+ 27. Kf2 Rh2+ {and once again, White suddenly finds himself busted. It is a familiar scenario in this line.
} 28. Kg3 Rdh8 29. f5 Qd5 30. Kf4 f6 31. Rc5 fxe5+ 32. Qxe5 Rf2+ 33. Ke3 Qf3+
34. Kd4 Rd8+ 35. Kc4 Rxc2+ 36. Kb4 Rxc5 37. Qxc5 a5+ 38. Qxa5 Rd4+ {
0-1 T.Michalczak-T.Hillarp Persson, Reykjavik 2011.}) ({
. As usual, Black's alternative plan is} 17... Bc6 {, which has been played by
the veteran Cuban GM and French Winawer expert, Nogueiras. After} 18. g4 Nh4
19. Rg3 Qa5 20. Rd3 ({Fritz likes White after} 20. Be2 O-O-O 21. Rb1 {
, but it is not clear how much better he is after, say,} Kb8 ({or} 21... Qd5))
20... Rd8 21. Qg3 Rxd3 22. Qxd3 Kf8 23. Kf2 Kg7 {White should be somewhat
better, but as usual, things can easily go wrong in such positions, which is
what happened:} 24. Qg3 $6 (24. Be3) 24... Nf3 25. Bd3 Rd8 26. Be3 $2 {
. Now Black struck with} Rxd3 $1 27. cxd3 Qb5 $1 {
and White is lost, thanks to the comically helpless position of his queen.} 28.
Ra2 Qb2+ $1 29. Rxb2 cxb2 30. f5 b1=Q 31. Qf4 Qg1+ {0-1 I.Ortiz Suarez-J.Nogueiras Santiago, Havana 2010. Rather a typical game for such lines - White
looks as though he should be better, but one slip and it is all over for him.})
) 16. Qf2 Qc6 17. Bd3 (17. g4 Qe4+ 18. Qe2 (18. Be2 $2 Nd4) 18... Qd5 {
is equal.}) 17... Qd5 18. Rb1 (18. a4 {has also been tried. --- QUESTION: With
what points? --- ANSWER: White has two ideas: Ra3xc3, similar to the game, and
also Ba3.} Bc6 ({Watson advocates} 18... O-O-O {with the idea of} 19. Ra3 Kb8
20. Rxc3 Bxa4) 19. Ra3 Rh8 (19... Qa5 $5 {is suggested by Fritz}) 20. h3 Qa5
21. Bxf5 exf5 22. Qd4 Rd8 23. Qxc3 Qd5 {is another opposite-coloured bishop
structure. White has two extra pawns, but Black is not without play:} 24. Bd2 (
24. Kf2 {is Fritz's preference}) 24... Rg8 25. g3 Qe4+ (25... Rxg3 $1 {
forces an immediate draw, with} 26. Rxg3 (26. Qxg3 $2 Qxd2+ 27. Kf1 Qc1+ {wins}
) 26... Qh1+ 27. Kf2 Qh2+ 28. Ke1 Qh1+) 26. Kd1 Rd4 27. Re1 Qd5 28. Kc1 {
and White was objectively better, although once again, that did not stop him
losing in D.Svetushkin-S.Grover, Kavala 2010.}) ({Instead,} 18. Be3 {
allows Black to regain the pawn at once with} Nxe3 19. Qxe3 Rxg2 20. Rxg2 Qxg2
21. Be4 Qxh2 22. O-O-O {
, as in R.Robson-S.Shankland, Milwaukee 2009. Now the computer's} Bc6 {
holds the balance: for example,} 23. Bxc6+ bxc6 24. Qd4 a5 $1 {
(a real computer move; the point is to stop Qb4 in various lines)} 25. Rg1 Qd2+
26. Qxd2 cxd2+ 27. Kxd2 Kd7 {and the rook ending is equal.}) 18... Bc6 19. Rb3
O-O-O 20. Rxc3 Kb8 {QUESTION: Once again, Black is two pawns down! Is he
really okay in this position? --- ANSWER: Practice confirms that he is. His
active pieces, and the insecure enemy king, give Black enough compensation to
hold the balance.} 21. Rc4 {Lots of moves are possible here, but the scenario
is basically the same - Black has enough to hold the balance. Let's look at a
few examples from practice.} (21. g3 Nd4 22. Be3 Nf3+ 23. Kd1 Nxg1 ({
the computer's} 23... Qa2 $1 {
looks like a more convincing way to hold the balance}) 24. Bxa7+ Ka8 25. Qxg1 {
. With three pawns for the exchange, plus the strong dark-squared bishop,
White has more than enough compensation, and Black is struggling to maintain
the balance here.} Bb5 26. Bb6 Bxd3 27. cxd3 (27. Rxd3 Qb5 28. Rd6 Rc8 29. Kc1
Qb3 {was equal in M.Pacher-T.Petrik, Banska Stiavnica 2011}) 27... Rc8 28. Qd4
Qb5 29. Qb4 Qxb4 30. Rxc8+ Rxc8 31. axb4 {and White is better, although he
ended up only drawing in T.Michalczak-L.Johannessen, Rogaska Slatina 2011.}) (
21. Rc5 $5 Qa2 22. Rxc6 $5 bxc6 23. Qc5 Rxd3 $1 24. cxd3 Rxg2 25. Rxg2 Qxg2 {
is basically just a draw, S.Ganguly-Y.Shulman, Ningbo 2011.}) (21. Qc5 Rxg2 22.
Qxd5 Rxg1+ 23. Kf2 Rdg8 $3 {. --- QUESTION: Wow! That is quite a move! ---
ANSWER: Yes, although it is only equal!} 24. Qd8+ $1 Rxd8 25. Kxg1 {is equal, although Black later managed to mate her opponent in A.Muzychuk-K.Lahno, Moscow
2010.}) 21... b6 22. g4 Bb5 23. Rc3 Nd4 24. Bxb5 Qxb5 {
Black is holding the balance, but it should be no more than that.} 25. Qf1 Qa5
26. Bd2 Qa4 ({Watson claims that} 26... Qd5 27. Qg2 Qa2 28. Qe4 Rd5 {
"gives Black excellent chances", but in fact} 29. Rgg3 {
is just equal, according to Fritz.}) 27. Be3 $4 (27. Qd3 Nb5 28. Rc4 $1 Qa6 29.
Qe2 Nxa3 30. Rc3 {maintains equality, as shown by the computer. But this line
is enough to show how carefully White has to play, even with two extra pawns.
The text is a losing blunder.}) 27... Nxc2+ 28. Kf2 Nxe3 29. Rxe3 ({
White must lose the f4-pawn, since} 29. Kxe3 Qd4+ {drops a whole rook.}) 29...
Qxf4+ 30. Ke2 Qxh2+ 31. Rg2 ({If} 31. Qf2 Rd2+ {.}) 31... Qh7 {In heavy-piece
endings, king safety is paramount, and here, White has a hopelessly exposed
king, as well as being material down.} 32. Kf3 Rd4 33. a4 Rgxg4 {. --- QUESTION
: So what are we to make of these crazy 7 Qg4 Qc7 lines? It looks as though
everything hangs by a thread? --- ANSWER: I think that is absolutely right. I
myself played these lines for some 20 years. In all honesty, I never entirely
believed my position, yet I scored an incredible 86% as Black! I lost quite a
few post-mortems, where opponents eventually managed to show they had stood
better at some point (often quite a lot better), but in the games themselves,
I nearly always managed to come out on top. We have seen quite a few examples
in the foregoing as well, even with GMs on the white side. I think the big
lesson of this is that Black's position is much easier to play than White's,
in a practical OTB game. --- QUESTION: Why? --- ANSWER: I think it is because
almost all players find it much easier to spot their own tactical
opportunities than to anticipate their opponent's. To play the white side of
this variation successfully, White needs to be able to spot all of his
opponent's resources, and very few players are able to do this, even at GM
level. One slip is all it takes to bring the white position crashing down,
because his king is always so draughty in these positions. The black player
just needs to be alert to his own chances, which most players (myself
included!) find much easier. --- QUESTION: What about the theoretical issue of
whether to play the old 12...Bd7 lines, or the modern 12...d4? --- ANSWER: I
myself always played 12...Bd7, but that was just because 12...d4 had not
become popular when I was active as a player. At the time of writing, 12...d4
looks to be in pretty decent shape, and I think this would be my choice now.}
0-1

[Event "Austrian League"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2006.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Atlas, V."]
[Black "Kindermann, S."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 O-O {
QUESTION: This looks like a much safer way to play than 7...Qc7. But isn't
Black 'castling into it'? --- ANSWER: Right on both counts! If Black can get
away with it, then 7...0-0 is really the move he would like to play. He does
not sacrifice any material, and he avoids having his kingside pawns wiped out.
The problem is, he is castling into quite a strong attack.} ({QUESTION: Is} 
7... Nf5 {possible here? --- ANSWER: It is another move Black would like to
play, if he could, because it defends g7 without committing the king to the
kingside. However, the move has been out of favour for some 50 years now!
After} 8. Bd3 {, the threat is to take on f5 and g7, so the reply is forced:}
h5 ({the immediate} 8... Qh4 $4 {drops a piece after} 9. Bxf5) 9. Qf4 $1 cxd4 (
9... Qh4 10. Ne2 $1 Qxf4 11. Nxf4 Ne7 12. Be2 $1 h4 (12... g6 13. dxc5 $1 {
is good for White too}) 13. Nh5 Kf8 14. Bg5 {
is clearly better for White, M.Tal-T.Petrosian, USSR Championship, Moscow 1983}
) 10. cxd4 Qh4 {(this way, Black avoids the dxc5 capture mentioned in the
previous note, but on the other hand, White's doubled pawns have been
straightened out)} 11. Qxh4 $1 {(now this is strongest)} Nxh4 12. Bg5 $1 Nf5 (
12... Nxg2+ 13. Kf1) 13. Ne2 Nc6 14. c3 {and Black never escaped from the
dark-square chains, D.Yanofsky-W.Uhlmann, Stockholm Interzonal 1962. --- This
game was immensely influential, and the move 7...Nf5 has never really
recovered.}) ({QUESTION: What about} 7... g6 {, similar to the Portisch-Hook
lines? --- ANSWER: In this position, 7...g6? is just plain bad, I believe. As
noted in the context of the Fischer-Hook line, when he plays ...g6 in such
positions, Black usually needs to leave his knight on g8 for some time, to
cover the f6- and h6-squares. Combining ...g6 with ...Ne7, as here, looks
terrible, and indeed, there are no worthwhile practical examples, so bad does
it look!}) ({On the other hand, the alternative Fischer-Hook treatment,} 7...
Kf8 {, is also playable here, and had a brief spell of popularity in the 1980s.
However, I don't think it is as good as in the Portisch-Hook Variation. ---
QUESTION: Why? --- ANSWER: Since here the black queen is not blockading the
white queenside on a4, White can reply} 8. a4 $1 {and bring his bishop to the
strong square a3. It is not the end of the world for Black, but I see no
reason for him to play this way - if he wants to play a ...Kf8 variation, then
the Portisch-Hook system seems a much more logical form in which to do so.}) 8.
Bd3 {This has emerged in recent years as definitely the most dangerous move,
and the only one to pose Black real problems.} ({The older line was} 8. Nf3
Nbc6 9. Bd3 f5 10. exf6 Rxf6 11. Bg5 {. However, this lost ground rapidly in
the 1980s, once it was realized that Black can reply} e5 $1 {. --- QUESTION:
Is that really playable? It looks as though it should lose to something! ---
ANSWER: That is why it took literally decades before black players realized it
was feasible! But once one examines the tactics with an open mind, it soon
becomes apparent that Black is fine in all variations:} 12. -- (12. Qh4 e4 {
is the first point. Black will win two pieces for the rook. --- QUESTION: But
isn't his king exposed? --- ANSWER: Not seriously, because most of White's
developed minor pieces end up disappearing from the board!} 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14.
Qxf6 exd3 (14... Qf8 {is also adequate, but the text is simpler}) 15. cxd3 cxd4
16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Nc6 {and Black is fine.}) (12. Bxh7+ Kxh7 13. Qh5+ Kg8
14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. dxe5 Qf8 $1 {is no problem for Black. For example,} 16. exf6
Qxf6 17. O-O Bf5 {and although Black's king is bare of pawn cover, his pieces
do an excellent job of guarding His Majesty. White has a couple of extra pawns,
but his queenside pawns are weak. Chances are balanced.}) (12. Qg3 {looks strong, because 13 Bxf6 seems to be a powerful threat, but Black has the excellent
(if forced) reply} Rxf3 $1 13. gxf3 c4 14. Be2 Qa5 15. Bd2 Nf5 {
and Black is actually better.})) 8... f5 {A major parting of the ways. As we
will see, the absence of the knights from f3 and c6 favours White in this line,
by comparison with the variation just examined in the last note.} ({
QUESTION: Doesn't} 8... Nbc6 9. Nf3 f5 {transpose to the last note?}) ({
ANSWER: Yes, but after} 8... Nbc6 {, White has the much more dangerous try} 9.
Qh5 $1 {. Now the only move is} Ng6 (9... h6 {was played quite a few times at
GM level, until White finally proved that it loses by force:} 10. Bxh6 $1 gxh6
11. Qxh6 Nf5 12. Bxf5 exf5 13. O-O-O f4 14. Nh3 Ne7 15. Ng5 Bf5 16. g4 $1 Be4
17. Rhe1 Qb6 18. e6 Bg6 19. Rd3 {1-0 S.Maus-R.Hübner, Lugano 1989}) {. --- QUESTION: So what is going on here? --- ANSWER: 9...Ng6 was popularised by the
German Grandmaster Gerald Hertneck, and quickly became the main line. Black
defends the mate threat, without creating any structural weaknesses, and he
always has the option of ...c4, driving the white bishop off the b1-h7
diagonal. --- QUESTION: It looks as though he should be fine. --- ANSWER: The
trouble is, after a huge amount of practical testing, White has perfected a
plan, which offers him attacking chances, and the analysis of which runs
literally to move 35 and beyond. Theoreticians still argue about whether White
is better or not, but it is clear that Black is playing for a draw in this
line, and from most players' viewpoint, it is not terribly attractive to have
to memorise 40-odd moves of theory, in order to reach a possibly tenable
position. The basic line runs as follows:} 10. Nf3 Qc7 11. Be3 $1 ({the most subtle; White delays castling, since the moment he castles short, Black closes
the position with ...c5-c4: for instance,} 11. O-O c4 12. Bxg6 fxg6 $1 {
and he has no real problems}) 11... c4 {. QUESTION: Is this forced? --- ANSWER:
Not exactly, but Black is running out of waiting moves.} (11... Nce7 {
was tried, but} 12. h4 {still keeps some advantage.}) {The main line goes on}
12. Bxg6 fxg6 {. --- QUESTION: Why this recapture? What happened to capturing
towards the centre?} ({
ANSWER: In this line, Black almost always has to take with the f-pawn, because
} 12... hxg6 $2 13. Qh4 {leaves him struggling with the threat of Ng5.}) {After
} 13. Qg4 {we reach the basic position of this variation. By leaving his king
in the centre, White has preserved the possibility of h4-h5, levering open the
h-file. As I said above, the analysis of this position runs extremely deep,
and there is still no final verdict, but it is easy to see that Black's
position lacks dynamism (he has no pawn breaks, now that he has had to take
back with the f-pawn), and he lacks counterplay. It is just a question of
whether White can create serious attacking chances or whether Black will hold
him off and draw. --- A recent example, featuring one of the staunchest
defenders of the position on the black side, was the game D.Svetushkin-A.Dgebuadze, Livigno 2011, which continued} Qf7 14. Ng5 Qe8 15. h4 h6 16. Nh3 Bd7
17. Qe2 b5 {(this queenside pawn advance is the only chance of counterplay)}
18. g4 Ne7 19. h5 gxh5 20. g5 hxg5 21. Nxg5 g6 22. Kd2 a5 23. Rag1 Rf5 $6 24.
Nf3 Qf8 $6 25. Nh4 Qg7 26. Bg5 Rxg5 27. Rxg5 {and White eventually won. ---
QUESTION: So are you saying the Hertneck System is bad? --- ANSWER: No, but I
just don't think it very attractive in a practical sense. Black ends up
defending a blocked position, in which White has most of the winning chances
that exist, and which has also been analysed almost to death. By all means
play the line if you like it, but it is not really my cup of tea.}) 9. exf6
Rxf6 10. Bg5 {The best move.} (10. Qh5 {
allows Black to meet the mate threat with} h6 $1 {
when he stands perfectly satisfactorily.}) 10... Rf7 ({
Now we see the difference from the knights not being on f3 and c6:} 10... e5 $2
{is simply bad after} 11. Qg3 {when there is no exchange sacrifice on f3.}) 11.
Qh5 $1 {Again the most precise.} (11. Qh4 h6 $1 {
is less of a problem for Black.}) 11... g6 {
Forced (or is it? - see below!), but severely weakening the dark squares.} ({
QUESTION: But why is this necessary? What is wrong with} 11... h6 {
as in previous variations? --- ANSWER: The problem is tactical. White has} 12.
Bh7+ $1 Kxh7 ({the computer regards} 12... Kf8 {
as perfectly playable, so maybe this line is worth another look for Black}) 13.
Qxf7 hxg5 14. Nf3 Nbc6 15. Nxg5+ Kh6 16. Nxe6 Bxe6 17. Qxe6+ Ng6 {which is regarded as good for White, although admittedly, looking at it again, it also may
not be so bad for Black. Perhaps 11...h6 is not as bad as has hitherto been
assumed?}) 12. Qd1 {This is more or less a tabiya for the line starting with 8...f5. --- QUESTION: And what is going on? --- ANSWER: In many ways, it is a
typical Winawer. White has the bishop-pair and Black's dark squares are weak
(especially so here, with the move ...g6 played). On the other hand, White has
the traditional weak queenside pawn structure. Most GMs would probably take
the view that White is somewhat better, but even if that is so, it is not
clear that he has a huge amount. Winawer players should be reasonably happy
with this type of position.} Qa5 ({
The alternative, which has been widely played here, is} 12... Nbc6 13. Nf3 Qf8
{. --- QUESTION: That looks a slightly funny square for the queen. --- ANSWER:
It is rather unusual to see the queen on f8, certainly, but in this position,
it makes some sense. Black covers the sensitive dark squares around his king.
He can follow up with ...h6, ...Qg7, and then ...Bd7 and ...Raf8, for example.
One recent practical example, by a regular practitioner of the line, went} 14.
O-O c4 15. Be2 h6 16. Bc1 Kh7 17. a4 Bd7 18. Rb1 b6 19. a5 bxa5 20. Ba3 Rd8 21.
Re1 Bc8 22. Bc5 Qg7 23. Bf1 Nf5 {, with an unclear position in M.Zoldan-M.Drasko, Cento 2011. Black went on to win, but he was far the stronger player.
Overall, the ...Qf8 lines are a respectable way to play, but White should be a
little better, at least.}) 13. Bd2 (13. Qd2 {
is also possible. Then Watson quotes a Kindermann recommendation} c4 14. Be2
Nf5 {, intending ...Nd6. Once again, we have a typical Winawer struggle, where
Black's dark squares are horrible, but he has the usual structural
compensation.}) 13... Nbc6 14. Nf3 Qc7 {QUESTION: What is the point of this?
It looks rather odd to retreat to c7, rather than, say, a4.} ({ANSWER:} 14...
Qa4 {is a possible move and has also been played, but the text has been the
most popular in recent years. Black plans to keep his pawn on c5 and to
advance ...e6-e5, not something he is usually able to do in the Winawer. ---
QUESTION: Doesn't that risk opening the position for White's bishops? ---
ANSWER: Yes, it does, but on the other hand, Black frees his own pieces too,
and also rids himself of the structural weakness on e6. In the resulting
positions, practice suggests that chances are fairly balanced.}) (14... c4 {
is once again a major alternative, with the standard blocked Winawer position.
--- QUESTION: How do you assess the position? --- ANSWER: White is probably a
little better, but it is not a great deal, and in practice, most Winawer
players should be happy enough with such a familiar structure. Of course, if
Black could play the move ...g6-g7, he would be in clover, but alas, the rules
do not permit this!}) 15. dxc5 {QUESTION: Slightly surprising! --- ANSWER: Well,
we have seen similar ideas before in this book. White wins a pawn, at least
temporarily, and hopes that, even if Black regains it, the opening of the
position will favour the white bishop-pair.} (15. O-O {
is the main alternative. Then after} e5 16. Nxe5 (16. Ng5 Rf8 17. c4 {
is a major alternative, when} exd4 $1 18. cxd5 Ne5 {
is unclear, but seemingly satisfactory for Black}) 16... Nxe5 17. dxe5 Qxe5 18.
c4 (18. Re1 Qf6 {was equal in M.Bluvshtein-A.Barsov, Hastings 2004/05}) 18...
d4 19. f4 Qc7 20. Qf3 {White was maybe slightly better in D.Stellwagen-J.Timman, Malmo 2006, but Black held the draw without huge problems, despite
being pressed for quite a few moves.}) 15... e5 16. Be2 $6 {Rather passive.} ({
A more critical continuation is} 16. Ng5 Rf8 17. c4 {. Now Watson quotes the
game Y.Pelletier-S.Kindermann, Biel 2003, which continued} e4 18. cxd5 (18. Be2
Qe5 {is fine for Black}) 18... exd3 19. d6 Qd7 20. dxe7 Qxe7+ 21. Be3 {
. Here Kindermann has suggested} Rf5 $1 22. Nf3 Be6 23. O-O Bd5 24. Nd2 Rh5 {
with an unclear position, in which Black seems to have quite good chances. ---
QUESTION: This is all pretty hairy, compared with the usual blocked Winawer
structures after ...c5-c4 by Black. --- ANSWER: That is true. The more fluid
plan with ...e6-e5 in this line results in an altogether more dynamic position,
but one in which Black seems to be holding his own.}) 16... Bg4 17. O-O Bxf3 {
QUESTION: Why give up the bishop? --- ANSWER: It is not forced, but Black
prefers to eliminate the knight, which can otherwise cause trouble by jumping
to g5 at some moment. In the structure resulting from this exchange, Black
feels his knights are the equal of White's bishop-pair.} 18. Bxf3 e4 19. Bg4
Nf5 {QUESTION: What is your assessment of this position? White has an extra
pawn and the two bishops, after all! --- ANSWER: Yes, but I think chances are
still about equal. The extra pawn is not very significant, in view of the
trebled c-pawns, and Black's pieces are all active and well placed. It is not
so easy to activate the white bishops, as the enemy knights and centre pawns
control a lot of squares. Black has to be careful, especially considering his
somewhat draughty king, but with accurate play, I think he is fine.} 20. Be3
Nxe3 21. fxe3 Rxf1+ 22. Qxf1 Qe7 23. Qf4 Ne5 24. Rf1 Re8 {
Black is comfortably holding here.} 25. h4 h5 26. Bh3 $6 {This is the start of
White's downward spiral. He still harbours ambitions, and wishes to keep his
bishop active on the h3-c8 diagonal, but now the black knight gets the
wonderful outpost c4, attacking a host of weak white pawns.} (26. Be2 {
looks better, dominating the knight.}) 26... Kg7 27. a4 Nc4 28. Rb1 Qxc5 29.
Rxb7+ Re7 30. Rxe7+ Qxe7 {White still has an extra pawn, but it is not felt at
all, and the black queen plus knight combination is known to be effective in
the endgame. The position should be a draw, but White soon goes wrong.} 31. Kf2
a5 32. Qg5 $4 {A dreadful misjudgement. White probably thought that, after the
queen exchange, his bishop would be better than the knight on an open board,
but in actual fact, the bishop has no targets, whilst the white pawns drop
like ripe fruit.} ({White should just mark time with} 32. Ke2 {
and hope that his opponent cannot find a way to strengthen his position.})
32... Qxg5 33. hxg5 Nb6 {
Now the a4-pawn falls, and the passed black a-pawn will decide the game.} 34.
Be6 Nxa4 35. Bxd5 Nxc3 36. Bc4 a4 {White is losing a piece.} 37. Ke1 a3 38. Kd2
a2 39. Bxa2 Nxa2 40. c3 {The knight is trapped, but while White is rounding it
up, Black's king sets up a winning pawn ending.} Kf7 41. Kc2 Ke6 42. Kb2 Kd5
43. Kxa2 Kc4 44. Kb2 Kd3 45. c4 {Desperation;} ({but} 45. Kb3 Kxe3 46. c4 Kd4
47. Kb4 e3 {sees Black queen with check.}) 45... Kxc4 46. Kc2 h4 {
Zugzwang. Black takes the opposition.} 47. Kd2 Kb3 {QUESTION: So what is the
overall conclusion on the 7...0-0 variation? --- ANSWER: I think Black is
objectively okay in these lines. There is no doubt that 7...0-0 is a much
calmer and safer way to handle the black position, although it lacks the
fireworks of the 7...Qc7 lines. Much depends on the black player's mood and
preparation - although I played 7...Qc7 most of the time in my playing days,
there were occasions when I just did not fancy the hair-raising struggles that
ensue, and preferred to play a quieter, less knife-edge position. On those
occasions, I used 7...0-0, which can be played with much less preparation
(especially in the main line with 8...f5) and is less stressful on Black's
nerves!} 0-1

[Event "European Team Championship, Kapfenberg"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1970.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hort, V."]
[Black "Petrosian, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1970.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 {We have already
seen this variation in Kanefsck-Atalik, but this is where we see the real
point of the move order.} 7. Qg4 f5 {This is the point. Having the queen on c7
already allows Black to defend his g7-pawn by advancing the f-pawn, giving him
additional possibilities.} ({QUESTION: Is} 7... f6 {possible instead?} 8. -- ({
. ANSWER: This move did indeed become quite popular in the late 1960s, chiefly
thanks to the impressive Black win in the game A.Matulovic-R.Byrne, Sousse
Interzonal 1967, which continued} 8. Nf3 c4 $1 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O Qf7 $1 11. Qh3
Nge7 12. a4 Bd7 13. Ba3 O-O-O 14. a5 h5 {, and Black stood clearly better,
thanks to the poor position of the white queen, which will be a target for the
advancing black kingside pawns.}) ({. However, nowadays the line is regarded
as rather dangerous for Black, thanks to some startling tactical resources,
beginning} 8. Bb5+ $1 Kf8 {. --- QUESTION: That's a shock! --- ANSWER: For a
long time, this move was regarded as a refutation of White's last. The point
is that White is now faced with three strong threats: 9...cxd4, attacking c3,
9...Qa5, attacking both c3 and b5, and 9...c4, trapping the bishop on b5. It
appears that White has no satisfactory way to meet them all, but later it
became clear that he can simply develop with} 9. Nf3 $1 {and then:} -- (9...
cxd4 $2 {is met simply by} 10. O-O {with a large development advantage. This
position is extremely dangerous for Black.}) ({
. Likewise, the seemingly devastating} 9... Qa5 {
is answered by the forced but very strong} 10. Rb1 $1 {. For example,} a6 11.
Be2 (11. Bd3 c4 12. Be2 Qxc3+ {is less clear}) 11... Qxc3+ 12. Bd2 Qxc2 13. Rc1
Qe4 14. Qg3 {and, once again, White has a huge development lead and a very
strong attack. The fact that Black has played ...f6, rather than closing the
position with ...f5, makes the development issue that much more serious for
him, as the position can open up more after exf6. One recent all-GM encounter
saw Black massacred in typical style:} Nd7 15. exf6 gxf6 16. Qd6+ Ne7 (16...
Kf7 {is the only hope, but White still has a massive attack after} 17. O-O) 17.
O-O $1 Rg8 (17... Qxe2 18. Rfe1 Qd3 19. Rxe6 {is decisive}) 18. Rfe1 Qg6 19.
Nh4 Qf7 20. Bh6+ Ke8 21. Bh5 $1 Qxh5 22. Rxe6 Qf7 23. Nf5 Kd8 24. Rxe7 Qg6 25.
Rxd7+ Bxd7 26. Qb6+ {1-0 N.Vitiugov-S.Dyachkov, Russian Team Championship 2008.
}) (9... c4 {
is the most critical, cutting off the bishop, but now there follows} 10. a4 $1
a6 11. Ba3+ Ne7 {. --- EXERCISE: Find a strong move for White. --- ANSWER:} 12.
Be8 $3 {.} -- ({. It turns out that the bishop is immune, since after} 12...
Kxe8 13. Qxg7 Rf8 (13... Rg8 14. Qxh7 {is no better}) 14. exf6 Rf7 15. Qh8+ Rf8
16. Qxh7 Rxf6 17. Ne5 {
White has two pawns for the piece, and a clear advantage.}) ({. Instead,} 12...
fxe5 13. Qh5 g6 14. Bxg6 $1 {is again winning for White}) ({, which only leaves
} 12... Qd8 {. But then there follows} 13. Bh5 $1 Nbc6 (13... f5 14. Qh4 g6 {
still doesn't trap the bishop, because of} 15. Bxg6 {
- the prelate certainly has a charmed life}) (13... g6 14. Bxg6 hxg6 15. exf6 {
also wins for White}) 14. exf6 gxf6 15. Ng5 $1 (15. Ne5 $1 {is also good})
15... Qa5 ({or} 15... fxg5 16. Qxg5 {
and Black is helpless against the check on f6}) 16. O-O f5 17. Qh4 {1-0 E.Sutovsky-S.Dyachkov, Moscow 2007. A devastating game, which 'closes' the variation
with 7...f6 8 Bb5+ Kf8 pretty convincingly.})))) 8. Qg3 {
This is one of two main lines.} (8. Qh5+ {
is the other. --- QUESTION: Can't Black play} Qf7 {, avoiding the weakening of
his kingside? --- ANSWER: He can, but White is somewhat better after both} 9.
Qxf7+ ({and} 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Qxf7+ Kxf7 11. Rb1) 9... Kxf7 10. c4 $1 {.}) ({
Thus after} 8. Qh5+ {play tends to go} g6 9. Qd1 {. --- QUESTION: The dark
squares on the black kingside look terrible! --- ANSWER: Yes, this is another
of these rather ugly variations, that one sees in the Winawer. However, as
usual, the position is nothing like as bad as it first looks. Although his
dark squares are a bad accident, Black has his usual compensating factors: the
weakened white queenside pawns, in particular, which he can begin to pressure
after} Bd7 $1 {. --- QUESTION: Why is this best? --- ANSWER: It is a subtle
idea, the point of which we will soon see. The bishop is aiming at the
a4-square.} ({Instead,} 9... cxd4 $6 10. cxd4 Qc3+ 11. Bd2 Qxd4 12. Nf3 Qe4+
13. Be2 {is a very risky pawn-grab. Black can probably survive with accurate
play, but I cannot recommend this for him.}) {Now White tends to go} 10. Nf3 {.
} ({QUESTION: Isn't} 10. a4 {a logical reply, to keep the bishop out? ---
ANSWER: It is, but now the pawn grab} cxd4 11. cxd4 Qc3+ 12. Bd2 Qxd4 13. Nf3
Qe4+ 14. Be2 Nc6 {is more justifiable, since Black is a move ahead in
development, compared with the analogous line at move 9.}) {After} 10... Ba4 {
we arrive at a key position. White has several possibilities:} 11. -- (11. Rb1
{is regarded as the most testing of the various alternatives, although 11 dxc5
(see below) looks more dangerous to me. After} Nd7 (11... cxd4 12. Rb4 {
is one point of White's play}) 12. Be2 (12. dxc5 {
is less effective than a move earlier:} Nxc5 13. Be3 b6 14. Qd4 Ne7 15. Bd3 h6
16. O-O g5 {and Black was fine in T.Wedberg-E.Berg, Malmo 2002}) 12... h6 13.
dxc5 (13. O-O Ne7 {is equal - Watson/Lahlum}) 13... Nxc5 14. Rb4 Bd7 15. O-O
Ne4 {Black had no particular problems in J.Timman-T.Shaked, Merrillville 1997.}
) (11. Bd3 $6 {is natural, but amounts to a trap of sorts, since it allows}
cxd4 12. cxd4 Qc3+ 13. Bd2 Qxd3 $1 {
(one of the points of Black's whole move order)} 14. cxd3 Bxd1 15. Kxd1 {
. --- QUESTION: So what is so terrible about this for White? --- ANSWER: It is
not so terrible, but practice shows that Black has no problems and can even
play for the advantage long-term. Play could continue} Nc6 16. Rb1 (16. h4 h6
17. Ke2 Nge7 18. a4 Kd7 19. a5 Nd8 20. Rhb1 Nec6 21. Rb5 Rb8 22. Rg1 Nf7 23. g4
fxg4 24. Rxg4 Rhg8 25. Rb1 h5 26. Rg2 Rg7 27. Rbg1 Rbg8 28. Rb1 Kc7 {with an unclear position in J.Egger-L.Johannessen, Istanbul Olympiad 2000, eventually
won by Black}) 16... b6 17. Rc1 Kd7 18. h4 h6 19. Ke2 Nge7 20. Rc2 Rac8 21.
Rhc1 Nd8 22. Rxc8 Nxc8 23. a4 Ne7 24. Be3 Nf7 25. a5 Nc6 26. axb6 axb6 {
and Black eventually won in J.Polgar-I.Morovic Fernandez, Buenos Aires 1992.})
(11. c4 {attempts to open the position, to favour the white bishops:} Ne7 12.
cxd5 Nxd5 13. Bc4 {was E.Sutovsky-E.Berg, Internet (blitz) 2004, and now Fritz
points out the cute trick} cxd4 $1 14. Bxd5 Qa5+ 15. Qd2 Qxd5 {with equality.})
(11. Ra2 {deals with the tactical threats on the c-file, but the rook is ugly
on a2. Black is fine after} Nd7 12. h4 h6 13. Bf4 $6 (13. Be3 O-O-O {is equal})
13... Ngf6 $1 {, as the knight is coming to e4. Black rapidly gained the upper
hand and won in the following game:} 14. Bxh6 Rxh6 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Bd3 c4 17.
Qc1 Qg7 18. Be2 Ne4 19. Qb2 g5 20. Qb4 b5 21. Ne5 a5 22. Qb2 gxh4 23. Bf3 Qg5
24. Kd1 Qd2# {0-1 K.Stokke-L.Johannessen, Bergen 2002. --- It should be noted
that this entire 6...Qc7 system is a major Scandinavian speciality. A really
excellent and thorough coverage of the whole line can be found in the 3rd
edition of John Watson's 'Play the French', the chapter being guest-written by
Norwegian player and organiser, Hans Olaf Lahlum.}) (11. Bd2 {. --- QUESTION:
What is the point of this? --- ANSWER: It stops the check on c3, and thus
rules out the Polgar-Morovic line. It also sets a nice trap:} Nc6 (11... cxd4
$2 12. cxd4 Qxc2 $4 13. Bb5+ $1 {is the trap}) ({however,} 11... Nd7 {
is also playable: for example,} 12. Bd3 Ne7 13. O-O h6 {- a typical move in
this variation, covering the dark squares h6 and g5, and hoping to expand with
...g6-g5 -} 14. h4 Kf7 15. Rb1 Rac8 16. Rb2 Nb6 {with decent play for Black in
F.Andersson-A.Olssen, Hallstahammer, 2002, as quoted by Lahlum}) 12. Bd3 h6 13.
h4 Nge7 14. Qc1 O-O-O 15. Rh3 Rh7 16. Kf1 Rdh8 17. Kg1 c4 18. Be2 Nd8 19. g3
Nec6 20. Nh2 g5 $1 {
with good play for Black, who went on to win in Z.Zhao-E.Berg, Athens 2001.}) (
11. dxc5 {. --- QUESTION: White wrecks his pawn structure again! --- ANSWER:
We have seen the idea quite a lot. White wants to open the position and expose
the enemy's weakened dark squares. He is prepared to sacrifice his structure
to do so.} Qxc5 (11... Nd7 12. Qd4 Nxc5 13. Bd3 h6 14. h4 (14. O-O {
is possibly a sterner test:} Ne7 15. Be3 b6 16. Qh4 {
and White was better in M.Chandler-A.Kinsman, British League 1998}) 14... b6
15. O-O O-O-O {was fairly solid for Black in J.Dworakowska-M.Socko, Ostrow 2002
}) 12. Bd2 (12. Bd3 $6 {allows another Polgar-Morovic trick:} Qxc3+ 13. Bd2
Qxd3 14. cxd3 Bxd1 15. Rxd1 Nc6 {
and Black was fine in D.De Vreugt-B.Socko, Ohrid 2001}) 12... Nc6 13. Bd3 O-O-O
14. O-O h6 {"looks solid" according to Lahlum. However,} 15. Rb1 Nge7 16. Qc1
g5 17. Nd4 {appears rather dangerous to me. --- Overall, 11 dxc5 looks like a
critical line for this whole variation.})) 8... cxd4 (8... Ne7 {has been under
a cloud ever since the first game of the Tal-Botvinnik World Championship
match of 1960, which continued} 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 cxd4 11. Kd1 {, and White
won in 32 moves. John Watson attempted to revive the move, with some analysis
in the second edition of his 'Play the French' series, but did not manage to
convince himself of its viability. Readers armed with 21st century analysis
engines may wish to make another attempt.}) 9. cxd4 Ne7 {QUESTION: So what is
happening here? --- ANSWER: By exchanging on d4 first, Black has prevented
White from meeting this by taking on g7. He will follow up with ...0-0, and
then ...b6 and ...Ba6, exchanging off his bad bishop. --- QUESTION: That looks
pretty solid. Isn't Black doing well? --- ANSWER: It is a solid line, but
White's chances should also not be underestimated. His doubled pawns have been
dissolved, and he has hopes of activating his dark-squared bishop. He still
has serious weaknesses on the c-file, it is true, but these can be defended
adequately, while he builds up his attack on the other wing. Overall, chances
are approximately equal, with a long positional battle in prospect.} 10. Bd2 {
Covering c3 and so attacking g7.} O-O 11. Bd3 b6 12. Ne2 {This is the usual
development plan. The knight heads for f4, from where it will attack the
weakened e6-pawn, and also have the possibility of jumping to h5.} (12. Nf3 $6
{seems less effective. One practical example saw White use the plan of taking
with the pawn on d3, which we will discuss later, but it brought him no great
dividends here:} Ba6 13. O-O Bxd3 14. cxd3 Nbc6 15. h4 Qd7 16. Qg5 h6 17. Qg3
Kh7 18. Qh2 Rf7 19. g3 Rc8 20. Kg2 Rff8 {with equal chances in M.Menacher-P.Haba, Leinfelden 2000. Black eventually won, but he outrated his opponent by
some 200 points.}) 12... Ba6 ({
Another Petrosian classic is worth a closer look, for the middlegame strategy:
} 12... Rf7 13. O-O Ba6 14. h4 Bxd3 15. cxd3 {. Again this recapture. ---
QUESTION: What is the point? --- ANSWER: White removes his backward pawn from
the c-file and also covers the c4-square, which otherwise represents an
outpost for the black knight. However, the downside is that the d4-pawn
becomes more vulnerable (it can no longer be defended by c2-c3),and Black has
a queenside pawn majority.} Nbc6 16. Be3 Qd7 17. Nf4 Ng6 $1 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19.
Qf4 (19. Qxg6 {is met by} f4 20. Bd2 Nxd4 {with a good game for Black}) 19...
Qe8 20. g3 Rc7 21. Kg2 Qf7 22. Rh1 {
and now Petrosian commenced a Long March with his king:} Kf8 $1 {
(evacuating the danger zone)} 23. Qg5 Ke8 24. Rac1 Kd7 25. h5 gxh5 26. Rxh5 Rg8
27. Rh7 Kc8 28. Qh4 Qg6 29. Rh8 Rxh8 30. Qxh8+ Kb7 {, J.Diez del Corral-T.Petrosian, Palma de Mallorca 1969. The king is extremely safe on the queenside,
and such long strategical manoeuvres are typical of this variation. Chances
are still objectively equal, although Petrosian went on to win.}) 13. Nf4 ({
After} 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 {we have another typical position. --- QUESTION: What is
the assessment? --- ANSWER: Chances are about equal. White can bring his
knight to f4, tying Black down to the defence of e6, and then push his h-pawn,
trying to create kingside chances. Black, for his part, has play on the c-file:
} 14. Qd3 $6 Qc4 $1 {(Black is happy to exchange queens, because although he
plugs the c-file, he also gets the d5-square, and secures his king from attack)
} 15. Qxc4 dxc4 16. Bb4 Nxb4 17. axb4 Nd5 18. c3 a5 19. bxa5 Rxa5 20. Rxa5 bxa5
{(now Black has a passed a-pawn, and he soon establishes a winning position)}
21. Kd2 f4 22. f3 Rb8 23. Ra1 Rb2+ 24. Ke1 a4 25. Ra3 g5 26. g3 Rb1+ 27. Kf2
Rb2 28. Ke1 Ne3 29. Rxa4 Rb1+ {0-1 K.Goh-P.Haba, Internet (blitz) 2005.}) (13.
Bb4 {is another option for White. A nice demonstration of the virtues of the
black position was provided by a well-known Winawer expert, in the following
game:} Bxd3 14. cxd3 Rf7 {(a typical prophylactic idea; the rook unpins the
knight on e7, defends g7 - anticipating Nf4-h5 - and can later swing across to
c7, if occasion permits, to double on the c-file)} 15. O-O Nbc6 16. Bd6 Qd7 17.
a4 f4 $1 {(this tactical blow is a thematic idea in such positions)} 18. Qg4 f3
$1 19. gxf3 Nf5 20. Ba3 h5 $1 {
(winning the d4-pawn, after which White's position soon collapses)} 21. Qxh5
Nfxd4 22. Nxd4 Nxd4 {
and Black was winning in V.Vehi Bach-L.Psakhis, Manresa 1996.}) ({Finally,} 13.
O-O Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Rc8 15. Rfc1 Qc4 16. Qxc4 Rxc4 {reaches a typical endgame
for this variation. Black has easy play on the queenside, although White's
position is hard to break down. Such endings typically arise with the stronger
player as Black, and he usually scores quite heavily. A characteristic example
was E.Gullaksen-R.Djurhuus, Norwegian Championship 1996:} 17. a4 Nbc6 18. c3
Na5 19. Rcb1 Kf7 20. h4 Rg8 21. g3 Rc7 22. Kg2 Nc4 23. Ra2 Rb8 24. Kf3 a5 25.
Bc1 b5 {(Black's last two moves are worth noting, as a typical way to create a
passed a-pawn in such positions)} 26. Ba3 $6 b4 $1 27. cxb4 Nxa3 28. Rxa3 axb4
29. Raa1 Nc6 30. Ke3 Na5 31. Kd3 b3 32. Nc3 b2 33. Ra3 Nc4 34. Ra2 Rb3 35. Kc2
Na5 {0-1.}) 13... Qd7 14. Bb4 (14. h4 {is another typical move. After} Bxd3 15.
Qxd3 {Black's best is} Rc8 $1 {. --- QUESTION: Why does this deserve an
exclamation mark? --- ANSWER: This move of Kaidanov's is generally regarded as
the most accurate. Black's idea is to play ...Rc4 and only then bring his
knight to c6.} ({. The older line was} 15... Nbc6 {, which is probably less
precise, though by no means bad. Two famous examples are worth seeing after}
16. Rh3 Rac8 17. Rg3 {:} Kh8 (17... Rf7 18. h5 Nd8 19. c3 {
was G.Kasparov-N.Short, Novgorod 1997, and now Kasparov gives} Qa4 {as slightly
better for Black; even so, Short subsequently switched to 15...Rc8, which
suggests he thinks it better}) 18. h5 Rf7 19. h6 g6 20. Rc1 Rff8 21. Ne2 Nb8
22. Kf1 Rc4 23. Kg1 Nbc6 {(Black's last three moves explain the point of
Kaidanov's 15...Rc8; here, Black has lost a couple of tempi with his knight,
in order to reach the desired ...Rc4 and ...Nc6 set-up)} 24. Bg5 Ng8 {
was S.Reshevsky-M.Botvinnik, The Hague/Moscow 1948. White ought to be better
here, but even though he seems to have achieved quite a bit of progress on the
kingside, he found it impossible to break through, and Black eventually won.})
({. After the rook move,} 15... Rc8 {, and then} 16. Rh3 Rc4 17. Rg3 Nbc6 18.
c3 Rf8 {(the other rook comes over to defend g7) White has tried:} 19. -- (19.
Kf1 Rf7 20. Kg1 Na5 21. a4 Qc6 22. Ra3 Kf8 23. Qb1 Nb7 {
was agreed drawn in I.Teran Alvarez-N.Short, Spanish Team Championship 2003.})
({So was} 19. h5 Na5 20. h6 g6 21. Nh5 Kh8 22. Nf6 Qc8 23. Bg5 Rf7 24. Rf3 Nac6
25. Kf1 Nb8 {in R.Castellanos-L.Psakhis, Andorra 2003.}) (19. Nh5 Ng6 20. Nxg7
$2 f4 $1 {(once again, this typical tactical blow)} 21. Rg5 Qxg7 {
and Black was winning in M.Hoffmann-A.Rustemov, German League 2004.}))) (14.
Bxa6 Nxa6 15. h4 {reaches another typical position: for example,} Rf7 16. h5
Rc8 17. c3 Nb8 18. h6 g6 19. O-O Rc4 20. Nh5 Qc8 21. Nf6+ Kh8 {. Once again,
White looks to have made great progress, but how does he break through?} 22.
Qh4 Ng8 23. Rfe1 Qf8 24. g4 $2 (24. a4 {
is Fritz's preference, but it is not clear what it is doing next after} Nc6)
24... fxg4 25. Qxg4 Qc8 {and Black was fine in I.Almasi-L.Psakhis, Vienna 1996.
White's game subsequently collapsed with surprising speed:} 26. Nxg8 Kxg8 27.
Rac1 Nc6 28. Bg5 Rf5 29. Bf6 Qf8 30. Kg2 Qxh6 31. Rh1 Qf4 32. Qxf4 Rxf4 33. Rh6
Nxd4 34. Rch1 Rxc3 {0-1.}) 14... Rf7 15. h4 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Nbc6 {QUESTION: This
is all starting to look very familiar! --- ANSWER: Yes, the pattern of the
game is much as usual. Black will bring his rook to c4 and pressurise the
d4-pawn, whilst White attempts to break through on the other wing. Chances are
about equal. The rest of the game is worth seeing, though, as we get a classic
Petrosian exchange sacrifice.} 17. Rh3 Rc8 18. Rg3 Nd8 19. h5 Rc4 20. h6 {
We have seen this scenario several times already. It appears that White is
making decisive progress on the kingside dark squares, but appearances are
deceptive.} Nec6 21. Nh5 g6 22. Nf6+ Rxf6 {Forced, of course, but all part of
the plan. Black's knights and central pawns will dominate the position, while
the white rooks prove ineffective, because of the lack of open files. We have
seen several similar examples in this book already, and it is a major
positional theme of the Winawer (and indeed, the French more generally).} 23.
exf6 Nf7 24. Qd2 Rxd4 25. Rd3 Rh4 26. Rh3 Rg4 27. Kf1 Nd6 28. Re1 (28. f3 {
is possibly better, but White was presumably reluctant to cut his rook off on
h3.}) 28... Kf7 29. Bc3 Ne4 30. Qd3 Nc5 31. Qd1 Rc4 32. Bb2 b5 33. Qe2 Qd6 34.
Kg1 Ne4 35. Rd3 Qc5 36. Rc1 e5 {The centralized black force is overwhelming
and makes a striking visual impression.} 37. Qe3 d4 38. Qe2 Nxf6 39. Rdd1 Nd5
40. Qd2 e4 {White is slowly pushed off the board.} 41. Qg5 Nc7 42. Rd2 Ne6 43.
Qh4 a5 44. Rcd1 Rxc2 45. Rxc2 Qxc2 46. Rc1 Qxb2 47. Rxc6 d3 48. Ra6 Qd4 {
. --- QUESTION: So do you recommend the 6...Qc7 move order? --- ANSWER: It
depends on one's taste. As the examples above show, it generally leads to a
more strategical battle than the 6...Ne7 lines. Visually, the positions
arising after 7 Qg4 f5 8 Qh5+ g6 look rather ugly, because of the weak dark
squares, but once one shakes off the visual impression and looks at the detail
of the variations, one finds that Black can usually cover the weak squares
with ...h6, and he has good play on the queenside. I think 6...Qc7 is perfectly 
viable, as an alternative to the main lines with 6...Ne7 or the Portisch-Hook
line with 6...Qa5.} 0-1

[Event "Czech League"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Najer, E."]
[Black "Korobov, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 {A rather different
interpretation of the Winawer than we have seen so far. Black retains his
dark-squared bishop and maintains the pin on the knight at c3. This move was
invented by Botvinnik in the 1940s, and has been especially associated in more
recent years with the Armenian Grandmasters, Vaganian and Lputian.} ({
Black does actually have one other viable move here, namely} 5... cxd4 {
. This was actually how he used to play in the very early days of the Winawer,
in the late 1920s, but the line quickly went out of fashion after the discovery 
of} 6. axb4 dxc3 7. Nf3 $1 (7. bxc3 Qc7 {is satisfactory for Black}) {
. --- QUESTION: What is the point? --- ANSWER: White's idea is to sacrifice a
pawn, to accelerate his development. This proved so dangerous that 5...cxd4
has been virtually banished from master practice ever since, but in the 1990s,
the Ukrainian GM, Vereslav Eingorn, revived it (Eingorn is a specialist in
offbeat French lines). The only thing most books quote is a game J.Nunn-V.Eingorn, Reykjavik 1990, where Black was whupped, but John Watson gave the
whole 5...cxd4 system a closer look in his 'Dangerous Weapons: The French'
volume, and suggests that improvements may be possible. Interested readers
should consult that volume, but briefly, the critical position arises after}
7... Ne7 8. Bd3 Nd7 9. O-O Nc6 10. Re1 Nxb4 11. bxc3 Nxd3 12. cxd3 O-O 13. Ra4
f6 14. Rg4 {and now, instead of Eingorn's} Nxe5 $5 {,} ({
Black should investigate Watson's suggested improvement} 14... Qc7 $1 {.})) 6.
b4 {QUESTION: Crikey! What's this? --- ANSWER: This dynamic response was
suggested by Alekhine, I believe, and is overwhelmingly the most popular line
of play for White. With the aid of a pawn sacrifice, he breaks the pin at once.
} ({White does have a few alternatives: --} 6. Qg4 {
mainly transposes to other lines: for example,} Ne7 7. Qxg7 (7. dxc5 Bxc3+ 8.
bxc3 {reaches 6 dxc5 below}) 7... Rg8 8. Qxh7 cxd4 9. b4 dxc3 10. bxa5 {
transposes to our main game.}) (6. Bd2 {
is similar to 5 Bd2, but here, a simple equalizing line is} Nc6 7. Nb5 Nxd4 $1
8. Nxd4 (8. Bxa5 Qxa5+ 9. b4 Qb6 10. Nxd4 cxd4 11. Nf3 Ne7 12. Qxd4 Qxd4 13.
Nxd4 Ng6 {is equal}) 8... cxd4 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Kxd7 $1 11. Nf3 Bb6 {
with equality. The king looks strange on d7, but White cannot really get at it.
}) (6. dxc5 {looks like 5 dxc5, but here, the threat of 7 b4 limits Black's
options by forcing him to take on c3 at once.} Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 Ne7 (7... Qc7 8.
Nf3 Nd7 9. Bd3 Nxc5 10. O-O Bd7 {
was also satisfactory for Black in M.Chandler-S.Lputian, Hastings 1986/87}) 8.
Qg4 {and now Psakhis gave as simplest} Nd7 9. Nf3 (9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nxe5 {
was fine for Black in S.Reshevsky-M.Botvinnik, Radio match 1946}) 9... Qc7 10.
Qxg7 Rg8 11. Qxh7 Nxe5 12. Qh5 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 Bd7 14. Bf4 Qxc5 {
"with a promising position".}) 6... cxd4 {
QUESTION: But why not take the other way?} ({ANSWER: After} 6... cxb4 7. Nb5 {
White has a very strong attack: for example,} Nc6 8. axb4 Bxb4+ 9. c3 Be7 10.
Bd3 a6 11. Qg4 Kf8 12. Ba3 {
(Psakhis), and White has tremendous compensation for the pawn.}) 7. Qg4 {
The parting of the ways. The text is the sharpest, and currently poses the 5...Ba5 variation its sternest theoretical challenge. --- QUESTION: It all looks
pretty odd - with an enemy piece attacked and his own piece en prise, White
ignores both! --- ANSWER: It is a very sharp approach, but of course, we are
already familiar with the general idea from other Winawer lines. Black must
always reckon with this queen raid, attacking his vulnerable spot on g7.} ({
The alternative is} 7. Nb5 {
, which leads to a rather less frantic game. Play continues} Bc7 8. f4 {
and now the main line is} Bd7 {. --- QUESTION: That is a little surprising.
What about "knights before bishops"? --- ANSWER: Well, of course, the entire
Winawer is a rebuke to that particular opening shibboleth! But the text is a
very logical move in the circumstances. Black wants to eliminate the annoying
knight on b5, which hangs over his head in rather Damocletian fashion, and at
the same time, Black would also get rid of his traditionally bad French bishop.
--- White usually replies} 9. Nf3 {
. QUESTION: Doesn't it make more sense to take the other bishop?} ({
ANSWER: Prima facie, one would think so, yet in practice,} 9. Nxc7+ {
is less popular here, and seems to pose Black fewer problems. After} Qxc7 {
we reach an important position. --- QUESTION: What is going on? --- ANSWER: We
have another typical Winawer battle, albeit with some differences caused by
the position of the white b-pawn. Black has lost his dark-squared bishop, and
has the usual issues on the dark squares, whilst his extra pawn is clearly
only a temporary thing, as White will soon recapture on d4. However, Black is
ahead in development, and, most obviously, the advance of the white b-pawn has
left him with weaknesses down the c-file. Black's remaining bishop is going to
come to a4, attacking the backward c2-pawn, and generally exercising unpleasant
pressure on the white queenside. Then Black will develop his remaining pieces,
castle short, and bring a rook to the c-file. Practice suggests he has a
decent game:} 10. -- (10. Bb2 Ba4 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. Nf3 Qb6 13. Nxd4 Nge7 14. Qd2
a5 $1 {(an unpleasant blow to the white queenside, which reveals another dark
side to the advance b2-b4)} 15. Bc3 {with a further divide:} -- (15... O-O 16.
b5 Nb8 17. Ne2 Nf5 {. --- QUESTION: What is the assessment? --- ANSWER: Black
is fine here. He needs to ensure his bishop on a4 does not get trapped or shut
completely out of play, and he also need to fight for the d4-square, to keep
the white dark-squared bishop under control, but if he does these things, he
should have no problems. The game remained balanced after} 18. h4 h5 19. Rh3
Nd7 20. Rb1 Qc7 21. Bxf5 exf5 22. Bd4 Rfc8 23. Rg3 Nf8 {
until White lost his head completely and lost in just two more moves:} 24. e6
$6 Nxe6 25. Be3 $2 Qxc2 {0-1, J.Friedel-V.Belov, Moscow 2008.}) (15... axb4 16.
axb4 Kd7 $1 {was the highly creative course of the game M.Bluvshtein-S.Lputian,
Mallorca Olympiad 2004. --- QUESTION: What is Black playing at? --- ANSWER:
Lputian decides that his king is actually safer on d7 than it would be on the
kingside. In French positions, with the centre pawns locked together in the
traditional fashion, this is frequently the case. After} 17. Nxc6 Qxc6 18. O-O
Bb5 {(once again this exchange of bishops)} 19. Bd4 Nf5 20. Bc5 b6 21. Bxb5
Qxb5 22. c4 Qxc4 23. Bxb6 Rhc8 {Black was fine, and eventually went on to win.}
)) ({. Another high-level encounter went} 10. Nf3 Ba4 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Bb2 Nbc6
13. Qe2 a6 14. O-O Qb6 15. Qf2 Bb5 {(this manoeuvre is worth noting; Black
exchanges off White's important light-squared bishop, after which the black
king will feel much more secure on the kingside)} 16. Nxd4 Bxd3 17. cxd3 Rc8
18. Rfc1 O-O 19. Nxc6 {was agreed drawn in P.Svidler-R.Vaganian, Moscow 2004.})
) {Returning to 9 Nf3, and after} 9... Bxb5 10. Bxb5+ Nc6 (10... Nd7 {
has also been played, aiming to keep the c-file open for the black rooks;
however, the text is more common, since Black can defend the d4-pawn and make
it more difficult for his opponent to recover that pawn}) 11. Bb2 (11. O-O Nge7
12. Bd3 Nf5 13. Bxf5 exf5 14. Bb2 Qd7 15. Kh1 O-O 16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 Rfd8 {
was also perfectly satisfactory for Black in Ni Hua-S.Lputian, Internet 2004,
although he eventually lost a long game}) 11... Nge7 12. Bd3 Bb6 13. O-O a6 14.
Kh1 {, as in E.Schmittdiel-R.Vaganian, German League 2004,} Rc8 {looks fine
Black. --- All in all, it is clear that 7 Nb5 does not pose him any serious
problems.}) 7... Ne7 ({QUESTION: Is} 7... Kf8 {possible here? --- ANSWER: It
has not been played much at GM level, but both Botvinnik and Lputian have
ventured it, if very occasionally (only once in each case, as far as I can see)
. The move looks as playable as the similar move in other lines, such as the
Portisch-Hook Variation. For example,} 8. Nb5 (8. bxa5 dxc3 9. Nf3 Ne7 10. Bd3
Nd7 $5 (10... Nbc6 11. O-O Qxa5 {looks more natural}) 11. Qb4 {
was a bit better for White in W.Unzicker-M.Botvinnik, Amsterdam 1954}) 8... Bb6
9. Nf3 Nc6 10. Bb2 f6 ({pugnacious, but simply} 10... Nge7 11. Nbxd4 Nxd4 12.
Nxd4 Qc7 {looks reasonable for Black}) 11. Nbxd4 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 fxe5 13. Nxe6+
Bxe6 14. Qxe6 Qf6 15. Qxf6+ Nxf6 {was equal in N.Firman-S.Lputian, Sochi 2005.
--- All things considered, 7...Kf8 looks as though it may be worth a closer
look, especially if Black's theoretical problems in the main line persist.}) 8.
bxa5 dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 {QUESTION: So what is going on here? It looks
as though we are heading for another total mess! --- ANSWER: That is
absolutely right. We reach another position similar to the main line seen in
Cheparinov-Grischuk and Kuipers-Stellwagen. The main difference is that
Black's pawn has already arrived on c3, somewhat earlier than in the other
line. The effect of this is that Black is not threatening a queen check on c3
in some lines, which allows White to develop his knight more actively on f3.}
Nbc6 11. Nf3 ({The alternative is} 11. f4 {
, which leads to positions quite similar to the main line Winawer. For example,
} Qxa5 12. Nf3 {. Here we see the difference referred to in the previous note.
In the main line Winawer, the threats of a check on c3 force this knight to
develop to e2, where it is less active and does not threaten to raid Black's
position with Ng5. --- QUESTION: Yes, but on the other hand, Black is usually
a pawn down in many of those normal Winawer lines, because his c3-pawn drops
off. Here, he has material equality. --- ANSWER: Well spotted - glad to see
you are paying attention! --- Play may go} Bd7 13. Rb1 {.} ({
QUESTION: What about} 13. Ng5 {in this position? Isn't that rather dangerous?
--- ANSWER: It is critical, but then Black has the interesting idea} O-O-O $5
14. Nxf7 Nf5 {. --- QUESTION: What's this? Isn't he just losing the exchange?
--- ANSWER: He is sacrificing it, yes. After} 15. Nxd8 Qxd8 {he has a large
development lead, in exchange for his material investment. --- I once sat next
to an extraordinary game between the English IM, Andrew Kinsman, who was an
expert on the 5...Ba5 Winawer, and Swedish GM and theoretician, Thomas 'The
Hitman' Ernst. Both players rattled out their moves to this point, and
continued playing at express speed:} 16. Qh3 Ncd4 {
(in poker terms, Black is 'all in')} 17. Qxc3+ Kb8 {
. Ernst now rattled out the move} 18. a4 (18. g3 Qb6 {is unclear}) {, at which
point Kinsman thought for the first time in the game. He eventually played}
18... Qh4+ {and the game continued} 19. g3 Rxg3 20. hxg3 Qxh1 21. Kf2 $2 (21.
Ra3 {is equal, according to Fritz}) 21... Qh2+ 22. Bg2 Ne2 $1 23. Qf3 $2 ({
by now even the relatively best} 23. Qa3 Nexg3 {is much better for Black})
23... Nfd4 {and Ernst resigned in T.Ernst-A.Kinsman, Gausdal 1995. The whole
game lasted about 45 minutes! --- Going back to the position after 15...Qd8,
it is interesting to look at things with the computer. It starts off by
assessing the position as winning for White, but the longer you leave it, the
lower its evaluation sinks. White's 16th and 17th moves are its first choice,
yet once one reaches the position after 17...Kb8, the assessment drops to
zero! All in all, this is a fascinating variation, and one which is typical of
many lines of the 5...Ba5 Winawer. Black frequently invests an exchange for
dynamic counterplay, relying on his active minor pieces and the exposed white
king.}) {Returning to 13 Rb1. Black goes} 13... O-O-O 14. Qd3 d4 {. --- QUESTION: It is very similar to the lines seen in Kuipers-Stellwagen. --- ANSWER: Yes,
and the general remarks made there apply here too. I think chances are
balanced. For example,} 15. g3 Kb8 ({another Vaganian game went} 15... Qd5 16.
Bg2 Qa2 17. Rb5 a6 $6 (17... b6 {looks a better choice}) 18. Rc5 Kb8 19. O-O
Na7 $6 20. Nxd4 {and White was much better in A.Grischuk-R.Vaganian, Izmir 2004
}) 16. Bg2 Bc8 {(we have seen this manoeuvre in the main line Winawer too;
Black plans ...b6 and ...Bb7)} 17. Ng5 $6 (17. Rb5 Qa4 {is unclear}) 17... b6
$1 18. Bxc6 ({a huge concession, but} 18. Nxf7 Ba6 19. Qe4 Rd5 {
is tremendous for Black}) 18... Nxc6 19. Nxf7 Ba6 $1 {
(once again, a black exchange sacrifice)} 20. Nxd8 Rxd8 21. Qe4 d3 $1 22. Be3 (
22. Qxc6 d2+ 23. Kf2 Bb7 {wins}) 22... dxc2 23. Rc1 Qb5 24. Rxc2 Bb7 25. Kf2
Nd4 {0-1 K.Kulaots-R.Vaganian, Mallorca Olympiad 2004.}) 11... Qc7 {
QUESTION: Why doesn't Black take the a5-pawn?} ({ANSWER: The trouble with} 
11... Qxa5 $6 {is that it expends a vital tempo, and allows White to develop
his forces aggressively with} 12. Bd3 Bd7 (12... Rxg2 {is bad after} 13. Ng5)
13. O-O O-O-O 14. Bg5 {(Psakhis) and Black's game is difficult. We see the key
problem here - if Black does not pressurize the e5-pawn sufficiently, the
enemy dark-squared bishop is free to develop great activity from g5.}) 12. Bf4
{Here again, we see White exploiting the fact that he has been able to develop
his knight to f3. Thanks to this, he can defend the e5-pawn with pieces,
avoiding the need to shut his important dark-squared bishop in with f2-f4.} Bd7
13. a6 $1 {This move had been known since the 1960s, but it was Volokitin's
revival of it that has placed the whole 5...Ba5 Winawer under something of a
theoretical cloud in recent years.} ({Previous practice had gone} 13. Bd3 O-O-O
14. Bg3 Qxa5 {
(now Black is able to take on a5, even though he has lost a tempo in so doing)}
15. O-O Rh8 ({this led to two outstanding victories for Khalifman, but
Vaganian has also played} 15... Nf5 {which also seems adequate: for example,}
16. Bxf5 exf5 17. Qxf7 Rdf8 18. Qh7 f4 19. Bxf4 Bf5 20. Qh4 Rh8 21. Qg3 Rhg8
22. Qh4 Rh8 23. Qg3 Rhg8 24. Qh4 {
½-½ A.Grischuk-R.Vaganian, Mallorca Olympiad 2004}) {, with a divide:} 16.
-- (16. Qg7 d4 17. Qg4 Nf5 18. Rfb1 Nxg3 19. Qxg3 Qc7 {
. White has achieved nothing at all, and is now outplayed in impressive style:}
20. Kf1 Rhg8 21. Qf4 f5 22. h3 Kb8 23. Re1 Bc8 24. Ng5 Rd5 25. Nf3 Ne7 26. Rab1
Ng6 27. Qh2 Qh7 28. Rb4 Nh4 29. Nxd4 $2 (29. Nxh4 Qxh4 {
was necessary, although here too, Black is for choice}) 29... Nxg2 30. Reb1 Qd7
31. Ne2 Rxd3 $1 {
(it just had to happen! this exchange sacrifice is more immediately decisive)}
32. cxd3 Qxd3 33. Rc1 c2 34. Rd4 Qf3 35. Nf4 b6 $1 36. Nxg2 Ba6+ 37. Kg1 Bb7 {
0-1 J.Polgar-A.Khalifman, Hoogeveen 2000.}) ({
. In the same event, another Khalifman game went} 16. Qxf7 Rdf8 17. Qg7 Rhg8
18. Qh6 {. A.Galkin-A.Khalifman, Hoogeveen 2004, continued} Rxf3 $1 {. --- QUESTION: Another long-term exchange sacrifice? --- ANSWER: Indeed. They are a
feature of such positions. Play went on} 19. gxf3 Nd4 20. Qf4 Nef5 {. --- QUESTION: What has Black got? --- ANSWER: Despite being an exchange and a pawn down,
Black has decent practical chances, because his knights are just so much more
active than the enemy rooks. It is the same phenomenon we have seen many times
in this book - the lack of open files reduces the effectiveness of the rooks.}
21. Kh1 Bb5 22. Rfd1 Bxd3 23. Rxd3 Qc5 24. Qc1 Kb8 25. Qd1 Rc8 {(Black is extremely calm, not thrashing about in the search for an immediate tactical
solution, but just playing normal moves, on the basis that the formal material
count is irrelevant - his knights are at least the equivalent of the white
rooks; in addition, the white bishop on g3 is actually a very poor piece,
having no mobility at all)} 26. Bf4 Nc6 27. Qe1 Qc4 28. Bg5 Ncd4 29. Qd1 Qa4
30. Ra2 Qc4 31. Ra1 Qa4 32. Ra2 Nb5 {(refusing the draw by repetition)} 33. f4
Qe4+ 34. f3 Qa4 35. Qe1 d4 36. h4 Nc7 {. Black just strengthens his position
methodically, and now stands better. White now blundered with} 37. Qe4 $4 {
and resigned without waiting for the reply, but he was already in trouble. It
is again noteworthy how the computer spends almost the whole game claiming a
clear advantage for White, and approving of almost all of his moves, yet at
some point, it becomes clear that White has nothing. --- These two great wins
by Khalifman are well worth studying carefully, as they illustrate so many of
the themes of the 5...Ba5 Winawer.})) 13... O-O-O ({QUESTION: Why not just} 
13... b6 {keeping the queenside closed? --- ANSWER: The trouble with that is
that, by comparison with the lines examined in the previous note, White has
just secured his extra pawn, and turned it into a thorn in Black's side.
Having the moves a6 and ...b6 included must be a significant benefit to White.
Having said that, though, even then the position is not so clear, especially
in practice. The English IM, Thomas Rendle, for example, scored a notable win
against a GM opponent, after} 14. Bg3 O-O-O 15. Bd3 Rh8 16. Qxf7 Rdf8 17. Qg7
Rhg8 18. Qh6 Rxf3 {(all just as in the Khalifman textbook!)} 19. gxf3 Nd4 20.
Qf6 Nef5 21. Kf1 Qc5 {and, once again, the silicon monster claims a white
advantage, but in reality, it is all just totally unclear. Black went on to
win in S.Del Rio Angelis-T.Rendle, Gibraltar 2005.}) 14. Qd3 {A strange choice.
} ({The logical follow-up is} 14. axb7+ Kb8 (14... Qxb7 $6 {
leaves the black king exposed after} 15. Qd3 {; Volokitin claims a decisive
advantage, but even if that is a touch exaggerated, Black is not to be envied:
for example,} Qb2 16. Qd1 $1 {, as in D.Bryson-D.Wagener, Leon 2001}) 15. Qd3 {
.} -- ({. Now the key Volokitin game continued} 15... Rg4 16. g3 Ng6 17. Qxc3
Nxf4 18. h3 Nxh3 19. Rxh3 Nxe5 20. Qxc7+ Kxc7 21. Nxe5 Re4+ 22. Kd2 Rxe5 23.
Bd3 {and White was just clearly better in A.Volokitin-S.Lputian, Mallorca
Olympiad 2004.}) ({. Volokitin himself suggested Black players should look into
} 15... d4 {, with the point that} 16. Nxd4 $2 ({
however, practice has suggested Black still has problems: for instance,} 16.
Bg3 Nf5 17. Qc4 Nce7 18. Rb1 {
and White was better in J.Moreno Carnero-A.Jerez Perez, Sanxenxo 2004,}) ({
and Psakhis gives} 16. Rb1 Rg4 17. Bg3 Nf5 18. Be2 {
as "also looks great for White"}) 16... Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Bb5 18. Qe4 Bxf1 19. Kxf1
Nf5 {leaves Black with some initiative, although even here, three pawns is a
lot. --- All in all, Black is in some trouble in this entire variation. 13...b6 looks relatively best, but it is a significant concession to leave the
a-pawn alive. It is easy to see why the 5...Ba5 system is experiencing a
theoretical crisis at present.})) 14... Rg4 15. Bg3 $6 ({
White could still transpose into Volokitin-Lputian, by means of} 15. axb7+ Kb8
16. g3 {.}) 15... Re4+ 16. Kd1 Na5 17. axb7+ Kb8 {Now the position is much
less clear. The poor position of the white king gives Black full compensation
for his material deficit.} 18. Be2 Nf5 19. Re1 Qc5 20. Rb1 Ba4 {White is already defenceless against the various threats, notably 21...Nd4. --- QUESTION: It
seems amazing that his position should collapse so quickly! --- ANSWER: Maybe,
but this is in the nature of the whole variation. White does not develop
normally in this line, and with his king in the centre, accidents can always
happen. We saw the same thing repeatedly in the context of Cheparinov-Grischuk
and Kuipers-Stellwagen - even when White is objectively better in such
positions, it only takes one error to bring the house crashing down around him.
} 21. Qa6 Qxa3 22. Bb5 Qa2 23. Rc1 Bxc2+ $1 24. Rxc2 Qb1+ 25. Rc1 c2+ {
. --- QUESTION: So what is your verdict on the 5...Ba5 system? --- ANSWER: It
is very interesting. One merit is that positional lines, such as 7 Nb5, give
White very little, so he has to enter the extremely sharp main line with 7 Qg4,
if he wants to play for an advantage. Such wild lines offer great practical
chances for the black player, whatever their objective theoretical problems,
and many white players are not comfortable in such positions. --- QUESTION:
But is it any good for Black? --- ANSWER: That is a harder question to answer.
At the time of writing, Black is in some trouble in this main line with 13 a6,
and he desperately needs an improvement. As noted above, his best practical
chance is probably 13...b6, and just play as in Del Rio Angelis-Rendle, but it
is not pleasant to have to allow White to keep his pawn on a6. If this does
not hold water, maybe Black could look into the rare 7...Kf8, especially as a
surprise weapon.} 0-1

[Event "Rotterdam"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Karpov, A."]
[Black "Nogueiras, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C17"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. Bd2 {QUESTION: We have not seen this
before! White wants to prevent his pawns being doubled? ANSWER: Yes. This is
a move first popularized by Bogoljubow. It is not terribly ambitious, but is
one of White's most solid responses to the Winawer.} ({
White's other major alternative here is} 5. dxc5 {. This was brought to
prominence after Reuben Fine used it to administer a severe hiding to
Botvinnik at AVRO 1938. --- QUESTION: What is the idea? --- ANSWER: White
abandons any attempt to establish a pawn centre and instead places his faith
in rapid development. It is more dangerous than it looks at first sight, and
over the past 25 years, English GMs Joe Gallagher and Julian Hodgson have both
used it with considerable success. After} Nc6 ({
the main line, but among other options, Psakhis likes the solid set-up} 5...
Qc7 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. Bf4 Ne7 8. Bd3 Nxc5 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 Nxd3 11. Qxd3 Bd7 {
, which was an old game J.Gallagher-L.Hansen, London 1987; this looks like a
good choice, especially if Black wishes to keep more play in the position than
in the "Knott endgame" below}) 6. Nf3 {Black has:} -- ({. The main line is} 6...
Nge7 7. Bd3 d4 8. a3 Ba5 9. b4 Nxb4 10. axb4 Bxb4 11. O-O Bxc3 12. Rb1 {
. --- QUESTION: What is happening here? It looks very messy. --- ANSWER: It is.
Black has an extra pawn, but White's attacking chances should not be underestimated. More to the point, theory runs very deep here (Watson's main line
includes a suggested black improvement on move 19, for example), which may not
be to every black player's taste, given that this is a sideline.}) (6... d4 {
is a move barely covered in the books, but which has been played several times
by English FM and French aficionado, Simon Knott. It results in early simplification and an endgame, where Black seems to be holding his own without undue
problems:} 7. a3 Ba5 8. b4 dxc3 {
(the point; White cannot avoid the exchange of queens)} 9. bxa5 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1
{. --- QUESTION: What do you make of this position. --- ANSWER: White is
temporarily a pawn ahead, but a5 is dropping, of course. White has the two
bishops and the usual potential pressure on the dark squares, but his pawns
are less secure than Black's. All in all, a typical Winawer position. To my
knowledge, Knott has reached this position three times in rated games, and
never lost, including one game against Joe Gallagher, the principal expert on
the 5 dxc5 line:} Nxa5 (10... Nge7 {
was twice chosen by Knott in later games, but looks less good after} 11. Bb5)
11. Nd4 Bd7 12. Ne2 Rc8 13. Be3 Ne7 14. Nxc3 Nf5 15. Bd2 $2 (15. Bf4 Rxc5 16.
Ne4 {is equal}) 15... Rxc5 16. Ne4 Rxe5 17. Bd3 b6 18. g4 Bc6 19. f3 {
was J.Gallagher-S.Knott, London 1986, and now} Nd4 {is much better for Black.})
) (5. Qg4 {is also possible and was a favourite in his youth of English GM
Mark Hebden. After} Ne7 {White has two main options:} 6. dxc5 (6. a3 $6 {
is well met by} Qa5 $1) (6. Nf3 {
was Hebden's favourite, but then the simple sequence} cxd4 7. Nxd4 Ng6 8. Bd3
O-O 9. Bxg6 fxg6 $1 {once served me well against the man himself}) {
, and now Simon Williams' forcing suggestion} 6... Bxc3+ ({instead,} 6... Nbc6
{allows considerable complications after} 7. Qxg7) 7. bxc3 Qa5 8. Bd2 Ng6 {
looks like a simple and economical way for Black to play.}) 5... Ne7 6. Nb5 ({
The alternative is} 6. a3 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 {, insisting on the bishop-pair. ---
QUESTION: This looks like a success for White. He has the two bishops, without
having incurred the usual mangled queenside pawns. Isn't he better here? ---
ANSWER: No, not really. His centre cannot be maintained, and Black has easy
development.} -- ({. The only problem for Black is that his best and simplest
path to equality is also rather drawish, so if he wants to play for a win, he
must take slightly more risks.} 7... Nbc6 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 (9. Bxd4 {
avoids the simplification, but offers nothing after, for example,} Nf5 10. c3
Bd7 11. Be2 Rc8 12. O-O O-O {, V.Savon-V.Hort, Skopje 1968}) 9... Nxe5 10. Nxe6
Bxe6 11. Bxe5 O-O 12. Bd3 Nc6 13. Bg3 Qf6 {
has been played a great deal, and is really very equal.}) (7... b6 {is the usual way to try to keep some play in the position. A recent example by a top
player was} 8. Bb5+ {
(the typical device to avoid a bishop exchange after ...Ba6)} ({instead,} 8. b4
Qc7 9. Nf3 {was played in the famous game R.Nezhmetdinov-M.Tal, USSR
Championship 1957, and now, instead of Tal's} Nd7 {,} ({a clean solution is} 
9... cxb4 10. Bxb4 a5 ({Uhlmann's} 10... Ba6 {is also fine}) 11. Bd2 O-O 12.
Bd3 Ba6 {with equality, as in J.Friedman-B.Gulko, Philadelphia 1993, which
ended in short order, after White had a rush of blood:} 13. Bxh7+ $4 Kxh7 14.
Ng5+ Kg8 15. Qh5 Qxc2 {
- oops! White had obviously missed this; he resigned after} 16. g4 Qd3 {0-1}))
8... Bd7 9. Bd3 Nbc6 10. Nf3 Ng6 11. O-O O-O {
and Black had no problems in D.Mastrovasilis-A.Shirov, Porto Carras 2011.}))
6... Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 O-O 8. dxc5 ({This is a major crossroads. White has two
main approaches - either exchange off the central pawns, as in the game,
relying on piece occupation of d4, or else aim to build a pawn centre,
starting with} 8. c3 {. The intention is to follow up with f4. --- QUESTION:
Is this good? --- ANSWER: Practice suggests that neither plan poses Black any
great problems. Building the pawn centre with c3 and f4 involves delaying
White's development, and Black is able to attack the centre with all means at
his disposal, such as ...f6, ...Nc6, ...Qb6, ...Nf5, etc. He should always
secure adequate counterplay. --- QUESTION: But what about the knight on b5?
That is going to entrench itself on d6, where it looks very strong. --- ANSWER:
Actually, it is no real threat. The knight can easily be challenged by ...Nc8
or ...Nf5, whereupon it will usually have little choice but to exchange itself
off. --- Black has various sensible replies to 8 c3. Watson quotes an
effective treatment from a recent game:} Bd7 $1 {.} 9. -- ({
QUESTION: Can't White win a pawn with} 9. dxc5 {
followed by a later b4, to defend the pawn? --- ANSWER: He can, but after} Bxb5
10. Bxb5 Nd7 {he must first surrender his bishop by} 11. Bxd7 Qxd7 {
and then after} 12. Nf3 Qc7 13. b4 {
Black has the effective (and thematic) pawn sacrifice} b6 $1 {. After} 14. cxb6
axb6 {he has excellent play on the queenside, against the backward a- and
c-pawns. Such pawn sacrifices often occur after dxc5 in this line, and
practice shows that Black generally has good compensation.}) ({
The alternative is} 9. Nd6 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qb6 11. f4 Nbc6 12. Nf3 Nc8 {
(just as outlined above; the proud knight on d6 is exchanged off almost
immediately)} 13. Nxc8 Raxc8 {. --- QUESTION: How do you assess this position?
--- ANSWER: Black is just better. He is ahead in development and has serious
counterplay against d4 and down the c-file. White's pawn centre is more of a
liability than a strength. Play continued} 14. Bd3 g6 {
(eliminating Bxh7+, and so threatening to take on d4)} 15. Bb1 Rc7 16. O-O Rfc8
17. Rd1 Nb4 {with a comfortable advantage in B.Yildiz-N.Zhukova, Tbilisi 2011.}
)) 8... Nd7 (8... Nbc6 {is also possible, with the same pawn sacrifice idea of
...b6 that was seen in the last note. However, the text seems simplest. Two
pawns are attacked, so Black gets his pawn back at once, and the Sicilian
structure gives him typical queenside play, plus the possibility of breaking
against the centre with f6.}) 9. f4 $6 {This is dubious, and a rather
optimistic choice by Karpov, who was usually so careful about creating
weaknesses in his own position. Now e4 is weakened irretrievably, and Black's
knight will immediately take aim at this juicy outpost.} (9. Nf3 {
is more cautious, but gives Black good play after} Nxc5 10. Bd3 Qb6 11. Rb1 Bd7
12. Nbd4 Nxd3+ 13. cxd3 Rfc8 14. O-O Rc7 15. Rfc1 Rac8 16. Rxc7 Qxc7 {
, with easy equality in H.Spangenberg-O.Panno, Pena City 1996.}) (9. Qc3 {
is probably the best move. --- QUESTION: Doesn't that make it hard for Black
to regain his pawn? --- ANSWER: Not really. He has easy equality after} a6 ({
if Black is seeking a more dynamic game, he can try, among others,} 9... f6 10.
exf6 Nxf6 {which also offers comfortable equality, whilst retaining more play
in the position: for example,} 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. f3 e5 13. O-O-O Be6 14. Ne2 {
and now the thematic} b6 {
ensured him good play in C.Peptan-D.Poldauf, Groningen 1995}) 10. Nd6 Qc7 11.
Nf3 (11. b4 $2 a5 {undermines the white queenside structure}) 11... Qxc5 12.
Qxc5 Nxc5 {, as in P.Garbett-I.Ibragimov, Turin 2006, the only drawback being
that the position is rather dull.}) 9... Nxc5 10. Nd4 (10. Bd3 Nxd3+ 11. Qxd3
Ng6 12. g3 Qa5+ 13. c3 Bd7 14. Nd4 f6 15. Ngf3 fxe5 16. fxe5 b5 {
gave easy equality in J.Meister-A.Yusupov, Osterburg 2006.}) 10... Qb6 11.
O-O-O Bd7 12. Ngf3 Rfc8 {QUESTION: So what is the assessment here? --- ANSWER:
Black is very comfortable. He has a typical Sicilian pawn structure, with
counterplay on the open c-file, whilst White has not really got going on the
other flank. In addition, White always has to worry about a possible enemy
knight penetration on e4.} 13. Qe3 Rc7 14. Kb1 Rac8 15. Rc1 a6 16. g4 Nc6 17.
h4 Ne4 18. Rh2 Na5 {Both sides are playing very logically, but it is clear
that Black is dictating. White's kingside pawn advance is as much about
clearing the second rank, so his rook can defend laterally, as it is about
attacking the black king.} 19. Bd3 Nc5 20. c3 Na4 21. Ka1 Bb5 22. Bb1 $5 (22.
h5 {is more aggressive.}) 22... Nc4 23. Qe1 Ncxb2 $1 {Black exchanges two
pieces for rook and pawn, but exposes the white king. Materially, the balance
is about even, but positionally, the exposed white king gives Black the
advantage.} 24. Rxb2 Nxb2 25. Kxb2 Be2+ 26. Ka1 Bxf3 27. Nxf3 Qa5 28. Nd4 Qa3
29. Nb3 $2 (29. Ne2 {was essential. Now Black establishes a winning advantage.}
) 29... b5 {The pin on the c-file means that the c3-pawn is doomed.} 30. f5 b4
31. Rc2 Rxc3 $6 (31... bxc3 {was more convincing.}) 32. Rb2 a5 33. Qd2 a4 34.
Nd4 R3c4 (34... Rc1 35. Rxb4 R1c4 {was safer.}) 35. fxe6 fxe6 $2 ({And now} 
35... Qc3 {was essential.}) 36. Nxe6 {Suddenly, the tables have turned
completely, and the black king comes under a decisive attack.} Qc3 37. Qxd5 Kh8
38. Ng5 Rf4 39. Ne4 Qc1 40. Rxb4 (40. Rc2 $1 {
would have ended the game at once, but Karpov's move is still winning.}) 40...
a3 41. Rb3 {. --- A narrow escape for Karpov and a tragedy for his opponent.
However, it is clear that the opening was a success for Black, and he has
nothing really to fear from this 5 Bd2 system.} 1-0

[Event "Moscow Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1956.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Chistiakov, A."]
[Black "Petrosian, T."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C16"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1956.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 b6 {QUESTION: I thought Black always played
4...c5 here? --- ANSWER: 4...b6 initiates an altogether different
interpretation of the Winawer. Rather than counterattack in the centre with ...c5, Black adopts a much slower, more strategical plan - he intends to keep the
position closed and develop within his own three back ranks. The move 4...b6
has two ideas: either to exchange the bad bishop with ...Ba6, or else to
fianchetto it with ...Bb7. Either way, Black usually holds back his c-pawn for
a considerable time. --- QUESTION: It looks rather passive. --- ANSWER: There
is indeed a danger that Black will find himself too cramped and passive in
such lines. They are certainly not everyone's cup of tea. These lines had a
vogue in the 1960s and early 1970s, with Petrosian being the past master.
Bronstein and the young Ulf Andersson also won many impressive games with such
lines. This inspired others to take up the system, but in many cases,
disappointment awaited these new converts - they found that the resulting
positions did not seem anything like as easy to play as Petrosian and others
made them look! Lev Psakhis, for example, is one of the world's greatest
French experts, but he comments, a propos the 4...b6 lines, in his book 'The
Complete French' that "if this system were judged purely on the results of my
games, it would have to be prohibited by law, so low is my score with it".} (
4... Qd7 {is another way to introduce the same sort of approach. --- QUESTION:
Wow! That looks a very strange move! --- ANSWER: The idea is similar to the 6...Qc7 Winawer we have already seen. Black wants to be able to meet} 5. Qg4 ({
other white moves may well transpose to 4...b6, since the black queen usually
goes to d7 in such lines anyway, so as to facilitate long castling; with the
pawn still on c7, the queen lacks another good square on the second rank: for
example,} 5. Bd2 b6 {, etc}) {with} 5... f5 {when his queen defends the
g7-square. --- Another classic Petrosian victory, over a very powerful
opponent, is worth seeing, as it shows how helpless even world-class players
can sometimes look in these positions:} 6. Qg3 b6 7. h4 Bb7 $5 {(rather than
exchanging bishops, Black just fianchettoes and prepares long castling)} 8. Bd3
$5 (8. Bd2 Nc6 9. Nf3 O-O-O 10. O-O-O {
followed by Ne2-f4, was suggested by Petrosian biographer, P.H.Clarke}) 8...
Nc6 9. Nge2 O-O-O 10. Bd2 Nh6 11. a3 $6 ({Petrosian clearly did not fear} 11.
Bxh6 {, but that is what Keres nonetheless recommended, to be followed by} gxh6
12. Qe3 {, g3 and Nf4}) 11... Be7 12. Bb5 (12. Qxg7 $2 Ng4 {
leaves the white queen in trouble}) 12... Rdg8 13. Qd3 Nf7 14. O-O-O Kb8 15.
Nf4 Qc8 $1 {. --- QUESTION: What is this all about? --- ANSWER: It is
typically deep Petrosian manoeuvring. He just unpins his knight on c6 and
prevents Ba6, exchanging off the bishop that defends his king. --- Play
continued} 16. Nce2 Ncd8 17. Qb3 $2 {. A world-class player (double Candidate
in 1959 and 1962!) is so bamboozled by Petrosian's in-depth manoeuvring that
he just drops a pawn. ---} ({Even so, after} 17. c3 c5 18. Kb1 {
(Clarke), Black simply stands better on both flanks.}) {QUESTION: So where did
White go wrong? --- ANSWER: It is hard to pinpoint a clear error. Rather,
White has just made a series of superficially natural moves, ones which do not
fit together terribly well, whereas Black's byzantine-looking moves turn out
to harmonise perfectly. Such was often the experience of Petrosian's opponents
in these positions! However, the thing to ask yourself, before you rush to
take up these ...b6 systems, is "Can I play like Petrosian?". --- F.Olafsson-T.Petrosian, Bled 1961, concluded} 17... c6 $1 18. Bd3 c5 19. dxc5 Bxc5 {
(two pawns are hanging, and Petrosian goes on to win at a canter)} 20. Nh3 Nxe5
21. Bf4 Ndf7 22. Bb5 Ka8 23. Nd4 Ng6 24. Qa4 Bxd4 25. Bd7 Qf8 26. Rxd4 e5 $1
27. Rb4 exf4 28. Rxb6 Nfe5 29. Rxb7 Kxb7 30. h5 Qd6 31. hxg6 Qxd7 32. Qxf4 Nxg6
{0-1. An incredibly impressive advert for these ...b6 lines, but as the note
to move 17 emphasises, it is a case of caveat emptor!}) 5. Qg4 {As usual, this
is the most direct response, attacking g7, but here, it may not be best.} ({
Another standard anti-Winawer option is} 5. a3 {. The game G.Kasparov-V.Ivanchuk, Horgen 1995, a classic black victory which we cannot ignore, then
continued} Bf8 {. --- QUESTION: Uh? Why not take on c3? --- ANSWER: Black
could take on c3, but the retreat to f8 is a typical idea in such lines. Black
is playing very slowly and solidly. He keeps his dark-squared bishop, defends
g7, and prepares to develop the rest of his pieces with moves such as ...Bb7
(or ...Ba6), ...Nc6, ...Qd7, ...Ne7 and ...0-0-0. --- Kasparov played to seize
kingside space,} 6. Nf3 Ne7 7. h4 {, and now Black has:} -- (7... h5 {
fights for space, but concedes White an outpost on g5:} 8. Bg5 Ba6 9. Bxa6 Nxa6
10. O-O Qd7 11. Qd3 Nb8 12. Ne2 {. --- QUESTION: What is the idea? --- ANSWER:
White gets ready to advance c4. This is a typical plan in such positions.
White has more space, but Black has got rid of his bad bishop and has no real
weaknesses. White needs to open some lines, in order to get at Black's
position. --- Following} Nbc6 13. c4 dxc4 14. Qxc4 Nd5 {(the cost of White's
c4 advance has been to give Black an outpost on d5 and a potential target on
d4)} 15. Rac1 Nce7 16. Bxe7 Bxe7 17. Nc3 O-O-O $6 (17... c6 {
was better, although White is still slightly better after} 18. Nxd5 cxd5 19.
Qc7) 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Qa6+ Kb8 20. e6 $1 Qc8 (20... Qxe6 $2 21. Rxc7 $1 Kxc7
22. Qxa7+ Kd6 23. Qxb6+ Kd7 24. Qb5+ Kd6 25. Ne5 {wins,}) ({and if} 20... fxe6
21. Ne5) 21. Qxc8+ Kxc8 22. exf7 {
and White was clearly better in A.Sokolov-L.Portisch, Moscow 1990.}) ({
. Thus Ivanchuk preferred} 7... h6 8. h5 a5 {. --- QUESTION: All these pawn
moves! Why don't the players develop their pieces? --- ANSWER: This type of
strategy is typical of the whole variation. Because the position is closed,
rapid development is less of a priority than normal, and more consideration
can be given to longer-term strategical manoeuvring. The text is a typical
move. Black intends ...Ba6, exchanging bishops, and both sides are trying to
out-tempo each other - Black wants to delay ...Ba6 until White has moved his
king's bishop, whilst White is trying to avoid moving the bishop, hoping that
any exchange of bishops will occur without him having wasted a tempo on a move
such as Bd3. Black's 8...a5 is a waiting move, as part of this process, which
also gains queenside space. --- Kasparov continued} 9. Bb5+ {. --- QUESTION: I
thought you said White was trying not to move this bishop? --- ANSWER: I did
and he was, but he now recognizes that he lacks any other really useful
waiting moves, so he switches his plan. He initiates a manoeuvre, similar to
what we saw in the lines with ...Qc7 and ...b6 - White gives a check on b5,
hoping to upset the coordination of the black pieces.} c6 10. Ba4 {. This is the key. Now the exchange of bishops is avoided. --- QUESTION: Yes, but surely
the white bishop is miserably passive where it stands now? --- ANSWER: True,
but White intends in the medium term to move his knight from c3, advance c2-c3
and then drop the bishop back to c2. That way, his bishop finally reaches its
desired diagonal, whilst avoiding the bishop exchange. The downside, however,
is that the black bishop also gets rather a nice diagonal, cutting through the
white position.} Nd7 11. Ne2 b5 12. Bb3 c5 {. At last, Black makes the
standard central pawn break. This is frequently delayed much longer even than
this. --- QUESTION: Why? --- ANSWER: Well, as explained above, all the slow
manoeuvring and delayed piece development in this line is often justified all
the while the position remains closed, but if it opens up, the lack of
development can prove fatal. Black therefore usually has to be very careful
not to allow the game to open up too quickly, and ...c7-c5 tends to do that;
hence, this central pawn break has to be delayed. --- QUESTION: So why does
Ivanchuk play it here? --- ANSWER: He judges that, in this position, his
development lag is not so great, and so he can afford to commence pressure
against the white centre. It is the need for such careful and precise
judgements that makes these slow ...b6/Qd7 systems so hard to handle as Black.}
13. c3 Nc6 14. O-O Qc7 {. --- QUESTION: How is this position? --- ANSWER: I
think White is objectively somewhat better. As usual in this line, he has more
space, and I see nothing special on the black side to compensate for this.
However, in the further course of the game, Kasparov is outplayed completely,
and loses one of his worst-ever white games.} 15. Re1 (15. Nh2 {, intending
f4-f5, was Tischbierek's suggestion, but the following line shows that this
plan is not so easy to carry out:} Ba6 16. f4 $6 b4 {
(threatening 17...Bxe2, winning the d4-pawn)} 17. Be3 bxc3 18. bxc3 Rb8 19. Bc2
Be7 20. f5 cxd4 21. cxd4 Bg5 $1 {and White has some problems - this is a
typical example of how difficult it can be to exploit White's space advantage
in these lines}) 15... c4 16. Bc2 Nb6 17. Bf4 Be7 18. Bg3 Rb8 {. --- QUESTION:
This is all a bit obscure! --- ANSWER: Black is scratching around for
something to do. Castling short is clearly out of the question (just Bb1 and
Qc2 would then be very strong), and it is just not clear what he should do. He
therefore manoeuvres around, waiting for White to reveal his plans.} 19. Nh2
Qd8 20. Ng4 (20. Nf4 {intending Qg4, looks better}) 20... b4 21. axb4 axb4 22.
cxb4 $6 ({this looks strange;} 22. f4 {seems more logical}) 22... Nxb4 23. Bb1
Bd7 24. b3 $2 {(scratching a spot usually makes things worse; he should leave
the queenside alone)} Ra8 25. Rxa8 Qxa8 26. bxc4 Nxc4 27. Nc1 $2 ({
completing a miserable collapse;} 27. Bf4 {
is better, but by now Black has an obvious advantage anyway}) 27... Ba4 28. Qe2
Qa7 $1 {(amazingly, White simply cannot defend the d4-pawn)} 29. Ne3 Qxd4 30.
Nxc4 dxc4 31. Qf1 O-O {0-1. --- Kasparov had had enough. A shockingly bad game
by the 13th World Champion, but one which points up some of the
characteristics of this line. Although objectively White reaches a middlegame
where he must be better (he just has more space for no compensation), it can
be extremely hard to get to grips with the rather slippery black position.
Some white players seem to find such positions very hard to play.})) ({
Thus far, we have seen Black having all the fun, but lest you get the feeling
that it is "Black to play and win" in these lines, here is a more impressive
treatment by White:} 5. Bd2 {. This modest move is probably one of White's
best choices. --- QUESTION: It looks innocuous. What is the point? --- ANSWER:
The move does several things. Firstly, it prevents the pawns being doubled
after a subsequent ...Bxc3+. Secondly, it sets up the possibility of Nce2,
offering the exchange of dark-squared bishops. In general, in this line,
White's queen's bishop is his inferior bishop, since the white centre pawns
are fixed on dark squares, so an exchange of these bishops should suit him.
Once Black has played ...Ne7, for example, the reply Nce2 may well force the
exchange. Finally, 5 Bd2 avoids a premature commitment of the white queen on
the kingside, and waits for Black to commit himself. --- Play may continue:}
Qd7 6. Bb5 $1 {(we saw this idea in Kasparov-Ivanchuk, White avoids the
exchange of light-squared bishops)} c6 7. Ba4 a5 8. a3 Bf8 9. Nce2 Ba6 10. c3
Ne7 11. Nf3 Nf5 12. O-O Be7 13. Re1 Bxe2 {(else the knight will come to f4,
leaving the enemy queen's bishop patrolling an empty diagonal)} 14. Qxe2 Na6
15. Bc2 Nc7 {. Thus far, we have been following the game J.Nunn-R.Hübner,
Brussels 1986. --- QUESTION: And what is the assessment? Black looks to be
fine. --- ANSWER: In fact, Nunn assesses the position as "extremely unpleasant
for Black". He may appear okay on the surface, but he has no real counterplay,
and his king has no safe place to hide. Black's only active piece is the
knight on f5, and this can always be driven away by g4. Nunn quickly built up
a winning advantage, although a blunder eventually cost him half a point.})
5... Bf8 {Once again, this undeveloping move. As we have already said, Black
takes the view that the bishop has done its job on b4, by provoking the white
e-pawn to advance to e5, and now he retains the bishop, covering his dark
squares. In this position, he also asks the white queen what she is now doing
on g4 - as we will see, the queen often proves a target here, for the
onrushing black pawns.} 6. Nf3 Qd7 7. a3 Nc6 ({
Once again, there was nothing particularly wrong with} 7... Ba6 {, to exchange
off the bad bishop, but as in the game against Olafsson, Petrosian prefers a
more complicated approach, keeping pieces on. As we will see, a glorious
future awaits the supposedly 'bad bishop'.}) 8. Be3 Bb7 9. Bb5 $6 {QUESTION: Why do you mark this as dubious? I thought this was a standard idea in this
line? --- ANSWER: It is a standard idea if Black is trying to exchange bishops
by ...Ba6, but here, Black has already committed himself against that plan.} ({
As Clarke notes, White has no way of reinforcing the pin, so} 9. Bd3 {
would be simpler.}) 9... O-O-O 10. O-O Nge7 11. b4 $6 {QUESTION: This looks
sensible, trying to attack on the queenside. What is wrong with it?} ({
ANSWER: The problem is that, as Steinitz and Lasker pointed out, one should
only attack when one has an advantage that justifies doing so. Here, despite
his extra space, White actually has to be careful, because his queen is
misplaced and will soon come under attack from the black forces on the
kingside. Clarke recommends} 11. Nd2 Nf5 12. Qe2 {.}) 11... f6 $1 {Black starts
his attack on the enemy centre. Now the knight on f3 is tied to defending e5,
so White cannot get his queen back from the kingside.} 12. Rfe1 (12. exf6 {
looks crackers, and I am not surprised that Chistiakov did not play it, but it
may be the best try. After} gxf6 13. Bd3 {Fritz actually assesses the position
as slightly better for White, but I do not believe this. One thing readers
should note about these ...b6 systems is that computer programs (much like
many human players of the white pieces!) tend to overrate the white position,
because of the space advantage. In this instance, the open g-file will surely
come back to haunt White, in the medium term.}) 12... Nf5 13. Qh3 h5 14. g3 (
14. g4 $2 {fails to} hxg4 15. Qxh8 Bxb4 {, winning.}) 14... a6 15. Ba4 $2 {
The bishop has no future on b3.} ({Both} 15. Bd3 Nxe3 (15... g5 {is also good})
16. fxe3 (16. Rxe3 g5 $1) 16... fxe5) ({and} 15. Bxc6 Qxc6 16. Bd2 {
, as given by Clarke, are somewhat better, but still pretty awful for White.})
15... g5 $1 16. g4 {Forced, else 16...g4 will win the d4-pawn and demolish the
white position, but now the white monarch's residence suffers serious
structural damage.} hxg4 $1 17. Qxh8 gxf3 $1 18. Qh5 ({
18...Bxb4 is a big threat, of course, and} 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. Qxf6 Be7 20. Qg6 {
and now the simple prophylactic move} Kb8 $1 {
(Clarke) ensures that e6 will not fall with check, and so} 21. Nd1 Qxc2 {
is curtains:} 22. Qxe6 Qe4 {.}) 18... b5 19. Nxb5 {
Desperation, since the bishop is dead wood on b3.} axb5 20. Bxb5 fxe5 21. Kh1
Qg7 22. Bxc6 {The only way to hold his centre together, but now the 'bad'
bishop will rule the light squares.} Bxc6 23. dxe5 Be7 (23... d4 24. Bxg5 Be7 {
is also winning easily, but Petrosian does not even give White the g5-pawn!})
24. b5 Bb7 $1 {The b5-pawn, on the hand, he scorns - the queen's bishop
belongs on the long diagonal.} 25. Qg4 Rh8 {The rest is a horror show.} 26. Qg1
d4 27. Bd2 g4 28. Bf4 g3 $1 {Forcing mate.} 29. Bxg3 Nxg3+ (29... Nxg3+ 30.
Qxg3 Qxg3 31. fxg3 f2+ {is a finish to warm the heart of any French Defence
player. --- QUESTION: That was wonderfully impressive! These ...b6 systems
look highly attractive. --- ANSWER: Well, as I hope I have made clear, I would
urge caution on the part of Black. When the systems go well, they look
fantastically impressive - one gets the idea that Black can just shut his eyes,
play all these moves like ...b6, ...Qd7, ...Bb7/a6, ...Nc6, ...0-0-0, etc, and
practically win by force. Needless to say, it is not so easy. At the start of
this section, I quoted Lev Psakhis' words about his own terrible results in
these lines. Another grandmaster who has written of a similar experience is
Hans Ree. He tells of how he was blown away by games such as the above, and
took up the ...b6 systems himself as Black, yet found them incredibly hard to
handle, and scored badly. There is a very fine line between solidity and
passivity, and it often takes a Petrosian to tell the difference. There really
are not many Petrosians around, believe me! --- QUESTION: So are you saying
"don't touch these lines as Black?" --- ANSWER: No, I am not saying that. If
you like the positions, then give them a try, by all means. As we have seen,
many white players also find them difficult to play against, and you may
achieve good results. If you play them and like them, that is great, but I
would urge you not to assume they are as good as Petrosian made them look. The
Nunn-Hübner game, quoted in the notes above, is much more typical of the
negative side. --- QUESTION: Any final advice? --- ANSWER: Yes. If you do
decide to investigate these lines further, then get hold of a copy of the book
'French Winawer: Modern and Auxiliary Lines', by Moles and Wicker. It is a
wonderful treatment of these systems, and the only decent one I know of.
Although published in 1979, which makes it positively prehistoric for an
opening book, that matters little in this case, because the nature of these ...b6 systems means that concrete theory plays a small role - it is ideas, rather
than forcing lines, which dominate.}) 0-1

[Event "Rovinj/Zagreb"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1970.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Fischer, R."]
[Black "Kovacevic, V."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C15"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1970.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 {QUESTION: What is this? White is
sacrificing a pawn? --- ANSWER: Well, yes and no. In fact, as we will see,
White can regain the pawn by force. What he is doing is trying to bring about
a more open game than usually occurs after 4 e5. He forces the exchange of
bishop for knight, thereby gaining his traditional Winawer birthright of the
bishop-pair and unopposed dark-square bishop, but without closing the centre.
He thereby hopes that he will be able to make more effective use of the
bishops. --- QUESTION: Does this get played much nowadays? --- ANSWER: No. In
recent years, it has lost popularity, but in the past, it was played regularly
by Alekhine, Smyslov and Fischer, so it must be respected. It is one of the
sharpest replies to the Winawer, and the black player needs to be well armed
against it.} Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxe4 {QUESTION: Is this forced? --- ANSWER: Not
forced exactly, but no other move really makes much sense, in my opinion.} (
5... Ne7 {, for example, hopes to transpose into the main line, if White plays
a rapid e4-e5, but he has no reason to do so. After} 6. Bd3 c5 7. exd5 exd5 8.
dxc5 {, Psakhis claims that Black is not really equalizing, and I agree. The
two bishops are likely to be strong in such an open position.}) 6. Qg4 {
This is the point of White's fourth move., With the aid of this typical
anti-Winawer queen raid, White regains his sacrificed pawn.} ({
In recent years, especially at amateur level, the move} 6. f3 {has achieved a
degree of popularity. --- White makes it a real gambit, along the lines of the
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 e4 dxe4 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 f3). --- QUESTION: What
do you think of the line? --- ANSWER: To be brutally honest, I think it is
what is sometimes euphemistically called "a consignment of geriatric
shoemakers"! Unlike the Blackmar-Diemer, here White is not even threatening to
capture on e4 (because of the reply ...Qh4+), so Black has a wide choice.} c5 {
looks the most logical,} ({but John Watson's} 6... Nd7 {
is also good. White has nothing for his pawn, in my opinion.})) 6... Nf6 7.
Qxg7 Rg8 8. Qh6 {This is the tabiya for the variation. --- QUESTION: So what
is going on? --- ANSWER: White has regained material equality, and has his two
bishops, with the dark-squared bishop potentially being quite strong. However,
he has poor development, and it is also not entirely clear where his king will
go. It is unlikely to be safe on the queenside, whilst kingside castling takes
a little time, in view of the need to keep the g2-pawn defended. Black has
three main moves here, all of which are equally respectable.} Nbd7 {This is probably the most solid option. Black plans to develop with ...b6, ...Bb7, ...Qe7
and ...0-0-0.} (8... Rg6 {immediately forces the white queen to determine her
position, and prevents the pin on the knight after Bg5. However, in view of
the fact that the queen often finds herself somewhat stranded on h6, it is
arguably not so logical to force her back to a central post so early.} 9. Qe3 (
9. Qd2 {is a major alternative: for example,} b6 10. Bb2 Bb7 11. O-O-O Qe7 12.
c4 Nbd7 13. Ne2 O-O-O {, J.Dukhin-M.Ustinov, Rybinsk 2001, as quoted by Watson;
Black is fully developed and stands well}) 9... Nc6 10. Bb2 Qd6 $6 (10... b6)
11. f3 exf3 12. Nxf3 {was another Fischer game, played just two rounds before
the main game, in the same tournament. It is worth seeing, as it shows how
dangerous White's dark-squared play can be in this line, if he gets going:} Bd7
13. O-O-O O-O-O 14. c4 Ng4 $6 15. Qd2 f5 $2 {. This weakens the dark squares
even further. R.Fischer-W.Uhlmann, Zagreb 1970, concluded:} 16. d5 $1 Nb8 17.
h3 Nf6 18. Ne5 Ne4 19. Qd4 Rg3 20. Nf7 Qf4+ 21. Kb1 c5 22. Qe5 Qxe5 23. Bxe5
Rdg8 24. Bd3 {
(Fischer begrudges giving his wonderful dark-squared bishop for the rook!)}
Rxg2 25. Bxe4 fxe4 26. Nd6+ Kc7 27. Nxe4+ Kb6 28. Nf6 Ba4 29. Nxg8 Bxc2+ 30.
Kc1 Nd7 31. Rdg1 {1-0. A powerful display by Fischer, and an example of what
Black must be wary of in this variation.}) ({Instead,} 8... c5 9. Ne2 Bd7 (9...
Nbd7 {transposes to the note to Black's 9th, below}) {is an interesting line,
recommended by John Watson in his latest French volume. Funnily enough, I saw
it recommended by Andrew Martin in a small pamphlet on the Winawer some 25
years ago (!), and once used it to good effect myself:} 10. Bg5 Rg6 11. Qh4 Bc6
12. Nf4 $2 {(naive, to say the least)} ({critical is} 12. d5 $1 exd5 13. Nf4
Rxg5 (13... Qa5 $2 14. Bxf6 {defends c3, which is the point of White's 12th})
14. Qxg5 Nbd7 15. Be2 Qa5 {when Black has a pawn for the exchange, and a
powerful pawn centre, with chances about equal}) 12... Qa5 $1 {
(refuting White's last; the game continued in amusing fashion)} 13. O-O-O $2
Qxa3+ 14. Kb1 Nd5 $1 {(the move White had missed)} 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. c4 e5 $1 {
and White did not last very long in J.Hickman-S.Giddins, Bradford 1988.}) 9.
Ne2 ({Ljubojevic once surprised Korchnoi with} 9. Nh3 {and scored a striking
victory. --- QUESTION: What is the point? --- ANSWER: The move has a couple of
points. Firstly, it defends g5, so the bishop will be defended additionally if
it comes to that square. Secondly, f2 is defended, which may be important if
Black later plays ...Ng4 (a recurring theme in this line, as we will see).
Korchnoi's rather bad defeat resulted in the move becoming quite popular for a
while, but it seems that objectively, Black is fine:} -- ({. Korchnoi chose} 
9... c5 10. Be2 Qa5 11. Bd2 $1 Rxg2 $2 ({Ftacnik's} 11... cxd4 12. cxd4 Qf5 {
is probably still fine for Black, who follows up with ...b6 and ...Bb7}) {
, but after} 12. Ng5 $1 {(revealing another point of 9 Nh3 - sometimes, the
knight can jump to this square, rather than the bishop; the rook on g2 is now
in trouble)} cxd4 13. Qg7 $1 Rxg5 14. Qxg5 Qxg5 15. Bxg5 {
he was just worse and went on to lose in L.Ljubojevic-V.Korchnoi, Tilburg 1986.
}) (9... b6 {(sticking to the standard plan)} 10. Be2 (10. Ng5 {
is more active: for example,} Rg6 11. Qh4 Bb7 12. Nxh7 Nxh7 13. Qxh7 Qf6 {
with an unclear position; White has won a pawn, but still lags in development,
and will have to lose further time with his queen}) 10... Bb7 11. O-O Qe7 {
led to an impressive black win in G.Lane-J.Tisdall, Gausdal 1987:} 12. a4 O-O-O
13. Ba3 c5 14. Qh4 Qd6 15. Rfd1 e3 16. f3 Rxg2+ $1 17. Kxg2 Rg8+ 18. Ng5 (18.
Kh1 Ng4 {wins}) 18... h6 19. Rg1 $2 (19. dxc5 {was essential, when} hxg5 20.
cxd6 gxh4+ 21. Kf1 Ne5 {is unclear, according to the computer}) 19... hxg5 20.
Qg3 Qd5 21. Kf1 Nh5 22. Qg2 Nf4 23. Qg3 Nxe2 24. Kxe2 Qc4+ {0-1.})) 9... b6 (
9... c5 {is also worth considering, and has been the choice of several very
strong GMs in recent years. Now:} 10. -- (10. a4 Qc7 (10... b6 11. a5 Bb7 12.
dxc5 bxc5 13. Ng3 Ng4 14. Qf4 Qf6 {with equality, was an old game M.Basman-R.Vaganian, Hastings 1974/75, but it seems a little odd to give the white a-pawn
a target like this}) 11. dxc5 $5 Qxc5 12. Qd2 Nb6 13. a5 $6 (13. Qd4 Qxd4 14.
cxd4 Bd7 {is equal}) 13... Nbd5 {with an unclear position, where Black's
active pieces and superior pawn structure at least compensate for his
dark-square weaknesses, D.Andreikin-N.Vitiugov, Saratov 2011.}) (10. h3 {
is an important option. --- QUESTION: What is the point? --- ANSWER: White
stops the knight raid ...Ng4, and also prepares an extended fianchetto of his
king's bishop with g4 and Bg2.} Qa5 11. Bd2 b6 (11... Qa4 {
was a later Ponomariov choice:} 12. Ng3 b6 13. dxc5 $6 bxc5 (13... Rg6 14. Qh4
Nxc5 {looks strong}) 14. Be2 Ba6 15. O-O Rg6 16. Qh4 Bxe2 17. Nxe2 Qxc2 {
and Black was doing very well in I.Nepomniachtchi-R.Ponomariov, Moscow (blitz)
2010}) 12. c4 Qa4 13. Nc3 Qxc2 14. Nb5 cxd4 15. Bb4 {
was B.Jobava-R.Ponomariov, Warsaw (blitz) 2010. Now the computer's} a5 $1 {
looks better for Black, the point being} 16. Nd6+ $2 Ke7 $1 17. Nxc8+ Kd8 {
when Black has a winning advantage.}) ({. Psakhis quotes one of his own games,
K.Georgiev-L.Psakhis, Sarajevo 1986, which continued} 10. g3 b6 11. Bg2 Bb7 12.
O-O Qe7 13. a4 Ng4 $1 14. Qf4 f5 {
, and concludes that "the opening has ended quite pleasantly for Black".})) 10.
Bg5 Qe7 {This move conceals several points. As well as preparing ...Bb7 and ...0-0-0, it also prevents White from castling long, and sets a tactical trap.}
11. Qh4 (11. Ng3 $2 {would walk into the trap:} Ng4 $1 12. Bxe7 Nxh6 {
and the bishop on e7 is trapped:} 13. Bh4 ({or} 13. Bb4 a5) 13... Rg4 {.})
11... Bb7 {
Black develops according to the now familiar plan. He intends long castling.}
12. Ng3 h6 $1 {White was threatening 13 Nh5.} 13. Bd2 {
QUESTION: Can't White take the pawn?} ({
ANSWER: Taking with the queen is impossible, because of} 13. Qxh6 $4 Ng4 $1 {
(this tactic is a recurring theme in this line)} 14. Bxe7 Nxh6 {
and the white bishop on e7 is again trapped:} 15. Bh4 ({if} 15. Bb4 a5) 15...
Rg4 {.}) ({He can take the other way, but after} 13. Bxh6 Rg4 14. Qh3 O-O-O {
, his queen is rather awkwardly placed. Fischer tries to avoid this, but his
move also fails to pose Black any serious problems.}) 13... O-O-O {QUESTION: How can we assess this position? --- ANSWER: Black has a fine game. He has
completed his development, his pawn on e4 is securely defended, and the white
queen is somewhat vulnerable on h4. Objectively, the game is no more than
equal, as White has certain trumps too (the dark-squared bishop, most notably),
but in practice, White's position is probably the more difficult to play.} 14.
Be2 Nf8 $1 {Underlining the slight vulnerability of the white queen.} 15. O-O
$5 (15. Nh5 {was suggested by Suetin, and is probably better, although not
with Suetin's suggested follow-up:} N8h7 $6 (15... N8d7 16. Ng3 {
is probably best play}) 16. Bf4 {(White should capture on h6)} Rxg2 17. Be5 Nd5
(17... Rg5 $1 18. Nxf6 Nxf6 19. Qxh6 Rg6 20. Qh4 Rdg8 {
also gives Black a decisive advantage}) 18. Qxe7 Nxe7 19. Bg3 {
, which he described as "enlivening White's pieces". However,} e3 {
is just winning for Black: for example,} 20. Rf1 Ng5 21. fxe3 Nf5 22. Bf4 Ne4 {
.}) 15... Ng6 16. Qxh6 Rh8 17. Qg5 (17. Qe3 {looks more sensible. After} Nd5
18. Qg5 Nxc3 19. Bh5 Qxg5 20. Bxg5 Rdg8 {the position is unclear/equal. Of
course, one must bear in mind that, with the white pieces against a much
weaker player, 'equals' was not what Fischer was looking for. It is also
alleged that the Soviet players in the tournament (Smyslov, Korchnoi, and
Petrosian) had prepared Kovacevic before the game, and even went so far as to
feed him moves during it, so Fischer's defeat is perhaps not as shocking as at
first it might seem.}) 17... Rdg8 18. f3 $1 {Setting a nice trap.} e3 $3 {
A brilliant riposte.} (18... Nh4 {looks strong, but then there follows} 19.
fxe4 $3 Rxg5 20. Bxg5 {and White is at least equal.}) 19. Bxe3 (19. Qxe3 {
is no better after} Nd5 20. Qf2 Qh4 {.}) 19... Nf8 20. Qb5 Nd5 21. Kf2 (21. Bd2
a6 $1 22. Qd3 Qh4 {wins.}) 21... a6 22. Qd3 Rxh2 {The attack is overwhelming.}
23. Rh1 Qh4 24. Rxh2 Qxh2 25. Nf1 Rxg2+ 26. Ke1 Qh4+ 27. Kd2 Ng6 $1 {
The Yugoslav master continues to conduct the attack with great verve.} 28. Re1
Ngf4 29. Bxf4 Nxf4 30. Qe3 Rf2 {
. Precise to the very end. There is no defence to the threat of 31...Nxe2.} 0-1

[Event "US Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Stripunsky, A."]
[Black "Shulman, Y."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C15"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nge2 {Another of the more popular fourth move
alternatives. --- QUESTION: It looks a bit clumsy! What is the idea? ---
ANSWER: White simply wishes to prevent his pawns being doubled. Given the
chance, he will follow up with 5 a3, and force the enemy bishop either to
retreat, or to take on c3, in which latter case, White will recapture with the
knight. However, it is true that the move is rather clumsy, and clogs up
White's development. For that reason, although it has always enjoyed a degree
of popularity, especially at amateur level, it does not pose Black any serious
problems.} dxe4 {This is the most natural move, of course, but it could be
argued that, to some extent, it plays into White's hands.} ({An alternative
approach is to argue that the knight is poorly placed on e2, and that Black
should therefore just carry on developing, rather than assisting White in
unravelling. Even} 4... Nc6 {has been tried, with a similar philosophy in mind,
but this seems a little extravagant.}) ({After} 4... Nf6 {White has:} 5. -- (5.
Bg5 {
transposes into a line of the McCutcheon, which is considered harmless, after}
dxe4 6. a3 Be7 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 (7... gxf6 {is also possible}) 8. Nxe4 O-O {
, etc. --- QUESTION: This looks like a Burn French! --- ANSWER: Indeed, it is
quite similar to the line 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 dxe4 5 Nxe4 Be7 6 Bxf6 Bxf6. In fact,
White has gained a tempo over the Burn, since he has played both Ne2 and a3,
whilst Black has only played ...0-0. --- QUESTION: Does that mean White has an
improved version? --- ANSWER: Not really, because both of White's moves are
sub-optimal. His king's knight would much rather be on f3, and the pawn being
on a3 rather than a2 is of no real value. Indeed, if White were to castle long,
as he usually does against the Burn, it could even be argued that a3 is a
weakness, which may make it easier for Black to open lines on the queenside.})
(5. e5 Nfd7 {has not been played that much over the years, but in recent times,
it has been used by GM French experts such as Moskalenko and Rustemov. For
example,} 6. Qd3 (6. a3 Be7 7. f4 O-O 8. g3 c5 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Bg2 b6 11. O-O
Ba6 {was comfortable for Black in H.Asis-V.Moskalenko, Montcada 2006}) 6... O-O
7. a3 Be7 8. Qg3 Kh8 9. Be3 c5 10. O-O-O Nc6 11. f4 b5 $1 12. Nxb5 (12. dxc5 b4
13. axb4 Nxb4 {also gave Black a nice initiative in J.De la Riva Aguado-V.Moskalenko, Sitges 2006}) 12... Rb8 13. Nec3 c4 {gave Black very dangerous
play in R.Perez-A.Rustemov, Spain 2002. --- All in all, 4...Nf6 looks like a
perfectly respectable way for Black to play, and also has the merit of
avoiding the quite heavily-analysed main lines. Given that 4 Ne2 is often
played by weaker players, this may be an attraction for the higher-rated black
player, looking to get his opponent 'out of book'.})) 5. a3 Bxc3+ {A major crossroads. The text is the critical move, aiming to hang on to the gambit pawn.} (
5... Be7 {is a safer way to play. Black returns the pawn, but retains the
bishop-pair, and again reaches a type of Burn French structure, where the
white knight on e2 is less than optimally placed. After} 6. Nxe4 Nf6 {
the main line is} 7. Qd3 {. --- QUESTION: That looks a little strange. What is
the point? --- ANSWER: White brings his queen to an aggressive position and
prepares long castling. Even so, Black is rock solid, and has no great
problems: for example,} Nbd7 (7... O-O 8. Bf4 Nd5 9. Bg3 Nc6 10. c4 f5 11. Nd2
Nf6 12. O-O-O e5 13. d5 f4 14. Bh4 Ng4 {was unclear and satisfactory for Black
in D.Campora-B.Gulko, Oropesa del Mar 1996}) 8. Bf4 O-O 9. O-O-O b6 10. N2c3
Bb7 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. Be2 Nd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Bf3 Bg5 15. Qe3 Bxf4 16. Qxf4
Bxf3 {½-½ E.Ghaem Maghami-V.Korchnoi, Port Erin 2004, was another solid
treatment by a super-GM. The only issue for Black in this whole 5...Be7 line
is generating winning chances if White does not do anything crazy.}) 6. Nxc3
Nc6 ({Hanging on to the pawn with the greedy} 6... f5 $2 {has been discredited
ever since the famous miniature A.Alekhine-A.Nimzowitsch, Bled 1931, which saw
Black splattered after} 7. f3 $1 exf3 8. Qxf3 Qxd4 $2 ({this is larceny on a
grand scale; the computer may claim that Black is objectively okay after} 8...
Nc6 {, but it is still hard to recommend this plan to Black in good conscience}
) 9. Qg3 Nf6 10. Qxg7 Qe5+ 11. Be2 Rg8 12. Qh6 Rg6 13. Qh4 Bd7 14. Bg5 Bc6 15.
O-O-O Bxg2 16. Rhe1 Be4 17. Bh5 Nxh5 18. Rd8+ Kf7 19. Qxh5 {1-0.}) 7. Bb5 (7.
Be3 {is an interesting gambit that was played a number of times by the late
Dutch IM, Johan van Mil. --- ANSWER: White simply develops with Qd2 and 0-0-0,
and keeps his bishop-pair. Johan won some nice games with it, although
objectively,} Nf6 8. Qd2 Ne7 $1 9. Bg5 Ned5 {is fine for Black.}) (7. d5 {
is another option. White trades central pawns and regains his sacrificed pawn,
with a symmetrical structure, in which he still has the bishop-pair:} exd5 8.
Qxd5 Be6 9. Qxe4 (9. Qxd8+ Rxd8 {
is fine for Black, because ...Nd4 will be annoying}) 9... Nf6 10. Qh4 {
. Even so, he seems to have no objective advantage after} Bf5 $1 {.}) 7... Nge7
8. Be3 ({
Although in the present game, it makes no difference, White usually flicks in} 
8. Bg5 {here, and only after} f6 {does he play} 9. Be3 {. --- QUESTION: Why is
that? --- ANSWER: His argument is that Black's position is slightly weakened
by the inclusion of the move ...f7-f6. If Black follows up with ...f6-f5, it
transposes anyway and makes no difference, but if Black prefers the plan with ...e6-e5 (see the next note), then White hopes the presence of the pawn on f6
will harm Black slightly. However, even with the move ...f7-f6 included} O-O
10. Qd2 e5 {is still perfectly good here, and, indeed, it is Watson's first
choice for Black in his latest French volume. After} 11. Bc4+ {(other moves do
not really try to exploit the move ...f7-f6 - compare the note to 9...f5 in
the main game)} Kh8 12. d5 Nd4 13. O-O-O Bg4 $1 14. Rde1 c5 15. dxc6 Nexc6 16.
h3 (16. Nxe4 Rc8 17. Kb1 Na5 {is equal, as given by Watson}) 16... Bf5 17. g4
Bg6 18. Rd1 Rc8 {
White has nothing for the pawn, A.Tukhaev-M.Rodshtein, Herceg Novi 2005.}) ({
QUESTION: Why doesn't White simply recapture his pawn on e4? --- ANSWER: There
is nothing wrong with the move, but it offers no advantage:} 8. Nxe4 O-O 9. c3
e5 {and Black is comfortable. The text is more ambitious.}) 8... O-O 9. Qd2 f5
(9... e5 {is a perfectly good, if less ambitious, alternative. White has:} 10.
-- (10. d5 Nd4 $1 11. Bc4 (11. Bxd4 $2 exd4 12. Qxd4 c6 13. Bc4 Nf5 {
is better for Black and} 14. Qd2 $2 e3 $1 15. fxe3 Qh4+ {even wins}) 11... Nef5
12. O-O-O $6 (12. Nxe4 b5 13. Ba2 Bb7 {is comfortable for Black}) 12... Nd6 13.
Ba2 N4f5 14. h3 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 f5 16. f4 {
and Black was simply much better in S.Garcia Martinez-W.Uhlmann, Leipzig 1983.}
) (10. dxe5 Qxd2+ 11. Bxd2 Nxe5 12. Nxe4 Bf5 {is just equal, despite the white
bishop-pair, as he cannot avoid a weakness on e4:} 13. f3 ({not} 13. Ng3 $2
Bxc2 14. Rc1 Bd3) 13... Bxe4 14. fxe4 a6 15. Be2 N7c6 {with equality, K.Mokry-R.Knaak, Bratislava 1983. --- QUESTION: But why doesn't the bishop-pair
give White the better ending? --- ANSWER: Not only is the e4-pawn weak, but,
more importantly still, the black knights have such a great, secure central
outpost on e5. Usually, when the bishop-pair outplays knights in the endgame,
it is because the knights lack a secure central outpost. When they have one,
as here, the knight is not inferior to the bishop.})) ({With} 9... f5 {
Black decides to keep the gambit pawn, which is the most ambitious continuation.
--- QUESTION: So isn't Black just a pawn up here? --- ANSWER: White is not
entirely without compensation. He has the bishop-pair, with the dark-squared
bishop being especially valuable here, given the way the black central pawns
are all on light squares. Of course, as Winawer players, we should be used to
seeing this as Black, but here, the position is more open than usual (there is
no fixed e5-d4-c3 vs. e6-d5 pawn chain). White will play f3, trying to open
the g-file. With accurate play, Black is fine, but he needs to be careful -
one inaccuracy and things can go very wrong for him, as I found to my cost a
couple of times when playing the black side.}) 10. O-O-O ({The immediate} 10.
f3 {is also possible. Then} exf3 (10... f4 11. Bxf4 Qxd4 12. fxe4 e5 13. Be3
Qxd2+ 14. Bxd2 Nd4 {
is a comfortable equalizer, Y.Solodovnichenko-M.Feygin, German League 2003})
11. O-O-O $6 {is a speculative gambit, which Black can accept or decline:} e5 (
{Fritz is having none of it, and assesses} 11... fxg2 12. Qxg2 f4 {as "winning
for Black" - a little optimistic, perhaps, but he should be much better, even
so}) 12. Bc4+ Kh8 13. d5 Nd4 {
is equal, Y.Solodovnichenko-C.Marzolo, Illkirch-Graffenstaden 2004.}) 10... a6
({Widely regarded as best, although} 10... Nd5 {
is also possible, and conceals a very nasty trap.} 11. Bg5 $4 e3 12. Bxe3 f4
13. Nxd5 Qxd5 {and Black wins a piece, M.Pavlov-W.Uhlmann, Halle 1981.}) ({
QUESTION: That looks great! So why is} 10... Nd5 {
not the main line? --- ANSWER: The trouble is that, after} 11. Nxd5 $1 exd5 12.
Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bf4 {we reach a position, about which Psakhis writes: "although
Black may not have much chance of losing, he has absolutely no chance of
winning; the difference in strength of the bishops is too great".}) 11. Bxc6
Nxc6 12. f3 (12. Bg5 {is the alternative:} Qd7 13. d5 Ne7 (13... exd5 14. Nxd5
Qf7 15. Bf4 Rd8 16. Bxc7 Rd7 {
was equal in J.Hector-C.Matamoros Franco, Copenhagen 2002}) (13... Ne5 {
also looks perfectly okay for Black}) 14. dxe6 Qxe6 15. f3 h6 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17.
fxe4 fxe4 {with equality, H.Westerinen-I.Thompson, Gausdal 2006.}) 12... e5 (
12... exf3 13. gxf3 e5 {is the alternative equalizer: e.g.} 14. d5 Na5 15. Qe2
b5 16. f4 exf4 17. Bxf4 Bd7 18. Rhg1 Rf7 {with equality in N.Neelakantan-P.Harikrishna, Kolkata 2000. However, it is worth running this on a few moves,
to show some of the dangers that can befall Black in these lines, if he is
guilty of even a moment's inattention:} 19. Rg3 Qf6 20. Rdg1 Nc4 (20... Re8 $1)
21. Qh5 Ne5 $4 22. Ne4 $1 {(suddenly Black is lost)} Nd3+ 23. cxd3 fxe4 24. Be5
Qf5 25. Qxf7+ Kxf7 26. Rxg7+ Ke8 27. Rg8+ Qf8 28. dxe4 {and White won.}) 13. d5
(13. dxe5 Qxd2+ 14. Bxd2 (14. Rxd2 $2 f4 15. Bc5 e3 {is much better for Black})
14... exf3 15. gxf3 Be6 {is a well-known equality, seen many times in practice.
}) 13... Na5 ({Another possibility is} 13... Ne7 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16.
fxe4 fxe4 17. Nxe4 Bf5 {, again with equality. --- QUESTION: An awful lot of
these variations end in equality! --- ANSWER: That is true. This is one
drawback of the whole 4...dxe4 and 5...Bxc3+ variation. It is deeply analysed,
and many variations fizzle out to a fairly dead equality.}) 14. Qe2 (14. Bc5
Nc4 15. Qe2 Nd6 16. fxe4 Qg5+ 17. Kb1 f4 {
also gave Black no problems in G.Hartmann-G.Hertneck, German League 1989.})
14... b6 15. fxe4 f4 {QUESTION: So how should we assess this position? ---
ANSWER: It is just balanced. White has regained his pawn, and we have
opposite-coloured bishops. However, the fact that so many other pieces are on
the board, and the kings are castled on opposite sides, means that, although
equal, the position is far from drawn.} 16. Bd2 Nb7 {
The knight heads to the natural blockading square d6.} 17. Rdf1 $6 {The start of a plan of breaking up the black kingside pawn chain with g3, but White had
obviously missed his opponent's surprise 19th move.} Nd6 18. g3 Bh3 19. Rf2 ({
Objectively, the exchange sacrifice} 19. gxf4 {
was better, but White perhaps can be forgiven for missing the next move.})
19... Bg2 $1 {
Very imaginative! Now Black secures his pawn on f3 and has a clear advantage.}
20. Re1 f3 21. Qe3 h6 22. Ne2 Qe8 23. Ng1 Qh5 24. h3 Bxh3 $6 {
A strange decision, which squanders most of Black's superiority.} ({
He would still have a clear plus after} 24... Nc4 25. Qc3 Nxd2 26. Qxd2 Rf7 {.}
) 25. Rxf3 $6 (25. Nxh3 Qxh3 26. Rxf3 {is better.}) 25... Bg2 26. Rxf8+ Rxf8
27. Bb4 Qg4 28. Bxd6 cxd6 {Following the mutual lapses at moves 24-25, Black
retains a nice advantage. White's pieces are passive and the e4-pawn weak.} 29.
Kb1 ({This loses a pawn, but} 29. Qxb6 Qxg3 {is even worse.}) 29... Qxe4 $1 30.
Qxe4 Bxe4 31. Rxe4 Rf1+ 32. Ka2 Rxg1 33. Rb4 {Passive play is no better.} b5
34. a4 Rxg3 35. axb5 axb5 36. Rxb5 h5 {
Now Black is winning. His kingside pawns are too many and too fast.} 37. Rb8+
Kh7 38. b4 h4 39. Rf8 h3 40. Rf1 e4 41. b5 Rf3 42. Rg1 e3 43. b6 e2 44. Re1 h2
45. Rh1 Kg6 0-1

[Event "Russian Championship, Krasnoyarsk"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2003.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Bezgodov, A."]
[Black "Kornev, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C15"]
[Annotator "Steve Giddins"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2013.02.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 {QUESTION: Doesn't this lose a pawn? ---
ANSWER: Well, once again, it is a sharp attempt by White to obtain a more open
position than would arise after 4 e5. The move involves a pawn sacrifice that
is at least temporary, and may become permanent. --- QUESTION: Is the move any
good? --- ANSWER: Objectively, probably not. It has never achieved the level
of popularity amongst GMs that 4 a3 has enjoyed, for example. The main problem
here is that White ends up losing his d-pawn.} ({This is probably a convenient
place to round up White's other fourth moves, that we have not already covered:
--} 4. Qg4 {is the most direct way to implement the traditional Qg4 idea.
However, without any preliminary supporting of the white centre, it comes up
short after} Nf6 5. Qxg7 Rg8 6. Qh6 Rg6 ({Watson suggests that the immediate} 
6... c5 $1 {is even better: for example,} 7. e5 cxd4 8. a3 Bf8 9. Qxf6 Qxf6 10.
exf6 dxc3 11. bxc3 Nd7 {
and Black has the superior structure, with no attendant compensation for White}
) 7. Qe3 c5 $1 {. This vigorous attack on the centre is best, and highlights
the fact that White's house is built on sand, rather than rock.} 8. Bd2 Ng4 9.
Qd3 Nc6 {with enormous pressure against the white centre.}) ({Even} 4. Qd3 {
has been played here. --- QUESTION: That looks pretty beginner-like! ---
ANSWER: It is a rather odd move, to say the least. The main idea is that} dxe4 (
{instead,} 4... Ne7 {is a simple developing move, which asks White how he
intends to develop his pieces; typical play then is} 5. Bd2 b6 {, when a top-level encounter V.Anand-N.Short, Wijk aan Zee 1990 saw Black with no problems
after} 6. Be2 (6. Qg3 $5 {is proposed by Psakhis}) 6... O-O 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Bxc3
a5 9. Nf3 Nd7 10. exd5 exd5) 5. Qxe4 Nf6 6. Qh4 {may see the white queen in an
aggressive position. Even here, Black should have no real problems, but it
seems illogical to play into White's hands like this.}) (4. exd5 exd5 {
is a sub-line of the Exchange Variation. --- QUESTION: Isn't this just very
drawish? --- ANSWER: That is its reputation, but it is not entirely deserved.
Plenty of practice has shown that both sides can make something of the
position, if they are determined to do so. Indeed, Magnus Carlsen recently
used the line successfully as White, and commented afterwards that he believes
it should be possible to fight for a small advantage, even here. --- White has:
} 5. -- ({. Larsen's old move} 5. Qf3 {has long been known to be well met by}
Qe7+ $1 {. --- QUESTION: Why is this good? It looks a bit odd. --- ANSWER: The
problem for White is that he has no good way to parry the check. Whichever
minor piece he puts on e2 will block in the other minor piece, whilst 6 Be3
also has its problems, as we will see:} 6. Nge2 (6. Be3 $6 {
leads to problems after} Nf6 7. Bd3 c5 $1) 6... Nc6 7. Be3 Nf6 {and White's
pieces are awkwardly placed and vulnerable to moves such as ...Bg4, and ...Ng4.
}) (5. Bd3 {with a further divide:} -- (5... Nc6 {(Black of course has a very
wide choice of how to develop here, but the text is probably the main line)} 6.
a3 {is the nearest thing to a critical line in this variation. White keeps
open a path for his queen to emerge on the kingside. It should not be
underestimated by the black player, as White can often create a dangerous
initiative, in the face of inaccurate black play.} ({By contrast, the old} 6.
Nge2 {offers less than nothing:} Nge7 7. O-O Bg4 {
(it is useful to provoke the weakening f3, before exchanging bishops)} 8. f3
Bf5 {with equality.}) {After} 6... Bxc3+ (6... Be7 {
is a solid treatment, but the text is more normal}) 7. bxc3 {and now} Nge7 {
is the most common, but Black has several alternatives:} (7... Qf6 {anticipates
the white queen's emergence, as well as preparing ...Bf5, to exchange
light-squared bishops:} 8. Ne2 (8. Rb1 Nge7 9. Qf3 Qxf3 10. Nxf3 f6 11. O-O b6
12. Re1 Kd8 13. Re2 Bf5 {was equal in A.Domont-M.Ulibin, Biel 2007}) 8... Bg4
9. h3 Bh5 10. O-O Nge7 11. Qd2 Bg6 12. Nf4 Bxd3 13. Nxd3 O-O-O 14. a4 Na5 {
and Black again had no real problems, eventually winning a long game, A.Vuilleumier-M.Apicella, Lausanne 2006.}) (7... Nce7 {is a favourite of the
veteran Hungarian GM and French expert, Ivan Farago. --- QUESTION: What is the
idea? --- ANSWER: Black admits that his queen's knight is not ideal on c6, and
re-routes it to the kingside. He intends ...Nf6 and ...Bf5. Another point is
that, by keeping the king's knight ready to jump to f6, he deprives White of
the move Qh5. Play may go} 8. Qf3 (8. Nf3 Bg4 9. Rb1 b6 10. O-O Nf6 11. Re1 O-O
12. Bg5 Qd6 {with a small edge for White was C.Varga-I.Farago, Zalakaros 2008})
8... Nf6 9. Bg5 Ne4 {. --- QUESTION: Eh? Doesn't this lose a pawn? --- ANSWER:
It sacrifices one, yes. In compensation, Black exchanges off White's good
bishop and reaches a position with opposite-coloured bishops, and the better
pawn structure. Farago has played this several times, so he clearly believes
in it:} 10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Qxe4 f6 12. Bf4 (12. Be3 O-O 13. Ne2 c6 14. Qd3 Bf5
15. Qd2 Be6 16. O-O Bc4 {offered similar compensation in I.Jakic-I.Farago,
Bibinje 2006, where Black eventually won}) 12... O-O 13. Ne2 Re8 14. Be3 Nd5
15. Qd3 Qe7 16. O-O Nxe3 17. fxe3 Qxe3+ 18. Qxe3 Rxe3 {with equality, but
again, Black went on to win against a lower-rated opponent in M.Pacher-I.Farago, Austrian League 2008.}) (7... Nge7 8. Qh5 $5 {reveals the main point
of White's play here. He takes advantage of the fact that Black has committed
his knight to e7, to occupy a strong square with his queen, and prevent the
exchanging manoeuvre ...Bf5. Black has to be a little careful here, although
he can equalize if he is:} Be6 9. Nf3 Qd7 10. Ng5 O-O-O 11. Nxe6 (11. Nxf7 $4
Qe8) 11... Qxe6+ 12. Be3 g6 13. Qf3 Nf5 {is equal.})) ({
. There is nothing at all wrong with} 5... Nf6 {: for example,} 6. Nge2 Bg4 7.
O-O O-O 8. f3 Bh5 9. Nf4 Bg6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Ne2 Re8 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Ng3 Nbd7
14. f4 Nh7 15. Qf3 c6 {with equality, M.Carlsen-F.Vallejo Pons, Bilbao 2012.
Now Magnus got a bit ambitious with} 16. h4 $6 {
and would have been struggling after} Qb6 $1 {.}) (5... c6 {
is another solid option: for instance,} 6. Qf3 {and now} Qf6 (6... Nf6 {
keeps more tension}) {
is a rock-solid approach, which been played twice by Ivanchuk:} 7. Bf4 (7. Qxf6
Nxf6 8. Nge2 Nbd7 9. a3 Be7 10. f3 h5 11. h4 Nf8 12. Nf4 Bd7 13. Kf2 O-O-O {
led to a quick draw in E.Alekseev-V.Ivanchuk, Biel 2009}) 7... Ne7 8. Qg3 Nd7
9. Nge2 O-O 10. O-O-O Ng6 11. Bg5 Qd6 12. Qxd6 Bxd6 {with dead equality in J.Moreno Carnero-V.Ivanchuk, Calvia Olympiad 2004. --- QUESTION: But how does
Black win such a position? --- ANSWER: By playing on! Ivanchuk went on to win
this game, for example, despite playing an opponent rated over 2500. Even such
symmetrical positions can be won, if the player is sufficiently determined and
does not just give his opponent a draw.}))) 4... dxe4 ({This is probably the
best move, but it is quite heavily analysed, and players seeking fresher
pastures might like to look at} 4... Nc6 {. --- QUESTION: What is the point?
--- ANSWER: Black continues developing, and also attacks the white d-pawn,
which is quite hard to defend, with the bishop stuck on d2:} 5. -- ({My only experience of this line was a highly enjoyable one, albeit against some rather
feeble white play:} 5. Bb5 $6 Nge7 6. e5 Bd7 7. Qg4 $6 Nf5 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. Nf3
Be7 $1 10. O-O $2 h5 11. Qf4 Rg8 12. h3 g5 13. Qh2 g4 14. hxg4 hxg4 15. Qh7 {
and now} Kd7 $1 {and White did not last much longer.}) (5. Qg4 {
has also been tried:} Nf6 6. Qxg7 Rg8 7. Qh6 Rg6 8. Qe3 {and now} Ng4 $1 {
(Watson) looks fine (at least) for Black.}) (5. a3 Bxc3 6. Bxc3 Nf6 7. e5 Ne4
8. Bd3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Qe7 {and Black went queenside, with a perfectly good
position in L.Ljubojevic-U.Andersson, Palma de Mallorca 1971.})) 5. Qg4 {
This standard queen raid on the black kingside is the point of White's play.} (
5. Nxe4 $2 {basically just loses a pawn after} Qxd4 {. Admittedly, Alekhine
did go on to beat no less a player than Salo Flohr from this position, after}
6. Bd3 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 Qd8 {(A.Alekhine-S.Flohr, Nottingham 1936), but in his
tournament book, he admitted that his fifth move had been a "lapsus manus" and
that he had intended 5 Qg4.}) 5... Nf6 6. Qxg7 Rg8 7. Qh6 Qxd4 {Grabbing the
second pawn is the most logical, and probably objectively best. --- QUESTION:
Are there any alternatives?} ({ANSWER: Yes,} 7... Rg6 {being the principal one.
John Watson analyses this in some detail in 'Play the French 3', and it is a
valid way to play, but taking on d4 strikes me as a simpler and stronger
solution.}) 8. O-O-O {QUESTION: Black seems to be a pawn up! --- ANSWER:
Neither your eyes nor your arithmetic can be faulted! --- QUESTION: So what
has White got in compensation? --- ANSWER: Just as with the 4 a3 lines, he has
broken up the black kingside by taking on g7, and he also has hopes that the
black queen will prove exposed on d4. However, there are two crucial
differences from the 4 a3 line. Firstly, White does not have any central pawn
structure on c3 and d4. Secondly, and even more importantly, he has not
actually forced the exchange of Black's Winawer bishop, and so his usual hopes
of developing serious dark-square compensation are much less realistic here.
Furthermore, Black now has a highly unpleasant retort:} Bf8 $1 {QUESTION: Undeveloping the bishop? Why is this so good? --- ANSWER: "Reculer pour mieux
sauter", as they say down my local. The bishop retreats from an exposed
position (avoiding ideas such as Nb5, for example), and, most importantly,
drives the white queen into a rather poor position. With the black queen on d4,
her white opposite number is unable to retreat to the centre on e3, and so has
to retreat down the h-file, where she is much less well placed. I believe this
move was first played by the great David Bronstein, back in 1950.} 9. Qh3 $6 {
This is actually not the best move.} ({The critical line is} 9. Qh4 {
, when play continues} Rg4 10. Qh3 {. --- QUESTION: Why is this better than
the game? --- ANSWER: White has lured the black rook to g4, where he hopes it
will prove exposed. Now play usually continues} Qxf2 {
, nicking another pawn, and also threatening to embarrass the white queen.} 11.
Be2 ({in the stem game, White tried} 11. Nb5 $6 {, but after} Na6 12. Kb1 Bd7
13. Be3 Qf5 14. Nd4 Qg6 15. Nb3 Nb4 {Black had two extra pawns and the
initiative, I.Boleslasky-D.Bronstein, 14th matchgame, Moscow 1950}) 11... Rh4 (
11... Rg6 12. g4 Qc5 {is a suggestion of Psakhis, which has only been tried in
one or two amateur games, as far as I can see,}) ({whilst Watson analyses} 
11... Qxg2 12. Bxg4 Qxg4 13. Qxg4 Nxg4 14. Nxe4 {as equal}) {. --- QUESTION:
Er...it looks as though White has blundered his queen away? --- ANSWER: In
this case, appearances are deceptive! White has the clever trick} 12. Qxh4 $1
Qxh4 13. g3 {and, lo and behold, the black queen is trapped! --- QUESTION:
Very neat! So is White better? --- ANSWER: Alas, no. His ingenuity only brings
him an ending which is at best unclear, and probably a bit worse for him after}
Qh6 $1 14. Bxh6 Bxh6+ 15. Kb1 {. --- QUESTION: So what is going on? --- ANSWER:
White has an extra exchange, but Black has two extra pawns and the bishop-pair.
His e-pawn(s) are passed, although the e4-pawn may be a tad vulnerable. There
have been a lot of practical tests of this position, which suggest that Black
probably has the edge, although an assessment of 'unclear' is perhaps the
fairest. A recent game, quoted by Watson, continued} Nc6 (15... Bd7 {is equal})
16. Nh3 (16. Nb5 Ke7 17. Nxc7 Rb8 {
is presumably the idea, when Fritz prefers Black after} 18. Nb5 e5) 16... e5
17. Nf2 Nd4 {and Black was just better in Z.Ivekovic-S.Martinovic, Zagreb 2011.
}) 9... Qxf2 {Now Black is simply better, because without the rook on g4,
White has far fewer tactical tricks, and cannot develop his kingside
rationally.} 10. Nge2 Bd7 11. g4 $6 {
QUESTION: Wow! That looks a bit crazy! --- ANSWER: It is a sign of desperation.
} ({Normal moves are not much better: for example,} 11. Ng3 $2 e3 (11... e5 {
looks good, but is less convincing after} 12. Ncxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Bxh3 14. Nxf2
Be6 {, although even here, Black is just a pawn up}) 12. Be1 Qf4 13. Bd3 (13.
Kb1 e5 {traps the queen}) 13... Qh6 {
and after the queens come off, White is two pawns down.}) (11. Be3 {
is probably objectively best, but White's position is cheerless after} Qf5 {.})
11... Rxg4 12. Ng3 e3 13. Be1 Qf4 14. Bg2 (14. Be2 Rh4 15. Qf1 Bc6 {
is just hopeless, so White tries to fish in troubled tactical waters.}) 14...
Qh6 ({Fritz's} 14... e2+ 15. Rd2 Bc6 16. Bxc6+ Nxc6 17. Ngxe2 Qh6 {
looks even more convincing.}) 15. Qxh6 Bxh6 16. Bxb7 Bc6 17. Bxa8 Bxa8 {
QUESTION: What is happening here? --- ANSWER: The point of Black's play is
that he will regain the exchange, thanks to the dual threats of ...Bxh1 and ...e2+.
At worst, he will emerge with an extra pawn and what should be a technically winning ending.} 18. Rg1 e2+ 19. Rd2 Be3 20. Ncxe2 Nbd7 21. Rf1 Bg2 22. Rf2
Bd5 {
Rather an amusing picture! I suspect Black was enjoying himself at this point!}
23. Nc3 c6 24. Rfe2 Bxd2+ 25. Kxd2 h5 {After having his bit of fun, Black has
finally taken back the exchange, and is a pawn up. The remainder is a
technical task, which Black carries out without undue difficulty, and which is
not of great interest to our theme, so we will pass through it fairly briefly.}
26. b3 Kf8 27. Nf1 Rg1 28. Ne3 Bf3 29. Rf2 Ne5 30. Rf1 Rxf1 31. Nxf1 Bg2 32.
Ne3 Ne4+ {It seems rather odd to head for opposite-coloured bishops.} (32...
Nf3+ 33. Ke2 Nxe1 34. Kxe1 Bh3 {looks simpler.}) 33. Nxe4 Bxe4 34. Bg3 Nf3+ 35.
Ke2 (35. Kc3 {offers better defensive chances.}) 35... e5 36. Nc4 f6 37. Ke3
Bd5 38. Nd6 Nd4 39. c4 Be6 40. Bf2 Nf5+ 41. Nxf5 Bxf5 42. b4 a6 43. a4 Bd7 {
Black's connected passed pawns in the centre should decide things, providing
he is careful not to get them blockaded on the wrong colour squares.} 44. Ke4
Kf7 45. b5 cxb5 46. cxb5 axb5 47. axb5 Ke6 (47... Bxb5 {
was good enough, but Black prefers to avoid letting the white king in after}
48. Kd5 {.}) 48. b6 Bc6+ 49. Ke3 f5 50. Kd3 Kd5 51. Bh4 f4 52. Bd8 e4+ 53. Kc3
e3 54. Kd3 Bb5+ 55. Kc3 Ba6 0-1

