The Kaufman Repertoire for Black and White

Eight yeus after his accl.limed Tht Chess Advantage in Black and White,
gnndmii.Ster Lury Kaufman is back with a completely new repertoire
book, covering the entire scope of chess openings for both White and
Black, in one tome.

Using the latest versions of lOp engines like Komodo and Houdini, the
former Senior World Champion md computer expert has refined his
analysis of ready-to-go md easy-to-digesl lines almost to perfection.
His main new conviction is th.u l.d4 gives White better chances of an
advantage than l.e4, and he h�s chmged his recommendations accord­
ingly.

Wry K.tufm.n has based his repertoire on sound, practical lines that do
not outd.ue rapidly and are suitilble for masters while accessibl-e for
amateurs. He regularly and successfully uses lhe openings he recom­
mends himsel(

Tht I<Ruftmm Repertoirefor Black and Whitt comilits mmy improvements

on existing opening theory md offers a good bclmce between nura­
tive md vuiations.

Acclaim for Tht Chess Advantage in Black and Whitt:

"The •uthor has done • very good job •t presenting a playable and in­
teresting repertoire: for both Black md White."
Carsten� Chessede

"Simply the best comprehensive repertoire book that I have ever seen."
John Watso' The Week in Chess
 Lury K.l.ulinom

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

New In Chess 2012

The Repertoire for Black - Contents

Black Introclucdon • • • . . . • • . • • • . • . . • • • . • • • • . . • • • • . • • • .

Magnus Carl�n's d�f�n�s!

Chapter 1 . . • • • . . . • • . . . • • . • . • • • . . . • • . . . • • • . . . • • • . • • • 7
Unusu.1.l Opening Moves

Chapter 2 • • . • . • • • . . • • • . . • • • . . . • • • . . . • • • . . • • • . . • • • . 17
English Opening

Chapter 3 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 25
Queen's Indian versus Reti

Chapter .f. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 37
Anti-Griinfeld

Chapter 5 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 53
Queen's Pawn Openings

Chapter 6 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 65
Neo-Griinfeld

Chapter 7 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 75
Gninfeld �fense- Non-Exchmge lines

Chapter 8 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 99
Griinfeld Exchange

Chapter 9 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 127
Center Game and Ponziani

Chapter 10 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 131
Bishop's Opening .md Vi�:"nnil

Chapter 11 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 141
Gambits

Chapter 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 7
Scotch md Four Knights Opening

Chapter 13 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 169
Itali.mGame
Chapter 14 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 179
Spmisb Offshoots

Chapter IS . . , , , .... , , .. , , , , .. , , .... , , .... , , .. , , , , 199

Breyer Defense:

The Repertoire in Practice • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • . • • • • • . • • • • 216

Indn. of Variations (Black) . . • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • . • . • • • • . . • 221

Indo of Pla.�s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . 228

Black Introduction

Magnus Carlsen's defenses!

In Chess Advantagt I �ommended meeting l.e4 with I ..e5, aiming for the Berlin De-
fense to the Spmish Qp:ning, and meeting l.d-4 with l ...dS, .liming for the Semi-Slav.
In the p�em volume 1 h<�.ve kept the opt=ning move l...eS against I.e+, but this time
mning for the Breyer rouher than the Berlin. The Berlin Defense rem•ins quite res�t­
�e and is used f.Urly often by top players, but the Berlin endgame is now generally re­
guded u .u leut slightly better for White, and <�.lso the siddines +.d3 and 4.0-0l0xe4
S.Ael � both more promising than white sidelines on the way to the Breyer. Perhaps
the �� ngument for switching to the Breyer is thoil.l it hu bet:"n the: primuy choice in
the past year or two of the top rated piOii.yer in the world, Magnus Culsen. It keeps Oii.ll the
pieces on the board, concedes very little to White (just .t slight c�mr.t.l adva.m<il.g� of
pOii.WDS on d+ md �4 vs. d6 md �5), and is in �xc�ll�m sh<il.pe th�oretically. Ag.Unst
non-Spmish lin�s. I h<il.v� k�pt som� of my recomm�nd<il.tions but du.ng�d mmy others,
espcciilly <il.g<il.inst th�Scotch.

AgOil.inst l.d+, I switch�d to th� Grii:nf�ld, both in my own play and for this book. Th�
Semi-SIOii.V is still Oil good Oil.lterm.tiv�. but th�re ue sam� probl�ms in th� 5.�g5 lin�s <il.nd
.t.lso <1 big probl�m of re<il.ching the Semi-Sl<il.v without illowing unple<il.smt options lik�
th� U.t.l..lm or the Sl<il.v Exchmge. The Griinfeld is in much bett�r sh<il.pe thm it wa.s �ight
�Oil.n <il.gO, md it s��ms th<il.t finding m Oil.dva.nta.g� <ii.&Oil.inst it is m �xtr�m�ly cha..ll�nging
wk. My own �xperi�nc� is th<il.t sine� I h.tv� be�n a.iming for th� Grii.nf�ld a.nd for th�
Breyfi, my results h<il.v� improved notice<il.bly. H�re too we ue following the rec�nt pref­
um.ce of Culs�n.

I was pl�aruuly surprised to l�un that th� English Op�ning, J.cf, is not much of Oil
probl�m for th� Grii:nfeld pl<il.y�r. contruy to my opinion �ight yeus <il.go. I show how
th� mov� l ...g6! �ither transposes to th� Griinf�ld or I�Oil.ds to n�u-�qu<il.lity in ill cOil.s�s.

As for l.'l:lf3, w� em play th� Grii.nf�ld myway, cov�red in th� Anti-Griinf�ld ch<il.pter.
lD th� Reti ch<il.pter I giv� som� Oil.lt�rn<il.tives for Bl<il.ck. So my averill conclusion is th<il.t
contruy to my belief eight y�us <il.go. th� Griinf�ld does not h<il.v� major mov�-ord�r
problems.

Th� section on !.�+ e5 is the only ma.jor p<il.rt of this book that has much in common
with my previous work. Ev�n h�re. most of my recomm�ndations hav� ch.mg�d. I k�pt
th� sam� main lin�s <il.gainst th� King's Gmtbit md GOring Gambit, but against Oil.lmost
all oth�r white tries I h<il.v� m<il.de m<il.jor chmg�s. M<il.ny pl<il.y�rs are relucta.nt to m�et I .ef
with 1...�5 because there are so many ways White can vary before we g�t to play our
own line (in this case the Brey�r. on move 9 of th� Spanish). This is true, but almost .ill
of them � inferior. In fact I would �y that on1y the Italian, the Spanish with 6.d3, and
the Spanish with 9.d4 lead to positions (with best play) wh�re I would rather play
Whit� than Black, and just marginally so. Quit� a few of the white options that I actu­
.illy face in tournaments fail �n to equalize the game. Wh�n �pie try to take m� out
of book �arly, I am usually quite cont�nt! In this book I don't take the attitude that Black
is always happy with a draw; one� White makes one or two second-rate moves I start to
look for a black advantage.
Chapter 1

Unusual Opening Moves

In this ch.tpt�r we'll cover less common but still moderately populu white first moves
not cove� elsewhere in this book. I le.tve out l .g3, which after l...g6 is extremely
likely to transpose to the Neo-Griinfeld or English ch.tpters, and .tlso the opening
l.�c3. which is also likely to trmspose elsewhere .tfter i ...lLlf6, for eumple 2.e4 eS is
the Vienna, while 2.d4 dS is the Yeresov.
First we consider the Polish Opening (a.k.a. Orang-Utan or Sokolsky), I .M.

&•.t��.t•&
1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.

Bb.d. em usi.ly equalize in mMJy w.tys, such � l...dS 2..Q.b2 �g4, but I recommend in
Game I .I playing for the .advantage with the JUWil exchmge I.Nes 2-'Lbl hb+ 1�5
!0£6. Bb.clc. ends up rwo tempi Mlud, which e.mly lrUlllps the slight prollt White tn.1de from
the pawn exchange. Simply put, if l1utt tempi equ.J a JUWil . surely two ue worth more thm
the modest difference in nlue between these pawns. The important point to remember is nm
topby ...ttk6 Witi1 �ter ...0-0, ...d7-d5, and ...c.7-cS. Black's ultiim.teilin is ...dS-<1.4.
Next we come to the similar but fu more respectabll" Ursen's Op....ning, l .b3.

• •

/'>,
/'>, /'>,/'>,/'>,/'>,/'>,t!;
.i:!.li:l..Q.'i:fw..Q.Ii:J.i:!.
The Koufmon Rqtnoire for Black

Aside from the l.ue gre.u Danish grmdmaster, this wu ilia played by Bobby Fischer
md recent1y by the American sw Hik.tru Nak.tmur.t, who especi.illy likes to pl.ty it in
blitz chess. Its m.t.in dnwb.tck. is that the knight on bI becomes .t problem piece, u its
n.ttur.tl development to c3 blocks the bishop. For this rt.tSOn, l.b3 is m excellmt first
move when giving knight odds! In norm.tl chess, Bl.tck e.tn equ.tlize by pl.tying .t re­
verse Queen's Indi.tn with J...dS 2.ilb2 cS 3.e3 .t6 4.lt.lf3 �c6, but I prefer to try for .t
sm.ill .tdvmuge by l. ..d 2..itb2li:lc6 3.e1li:lf6 4-.itbS -'ld6, u recommended in Chess
Advmt.tge, but I now recommend mswering the usu.tl (but str.tnge-looking) s.iDal by
the equ.ill y str.tnge-looking S ... �S. Bl.tck's m.tin plm is ...0-0, ...DeS, .tnd .....iHS, or in
the S...lO.tS line ...c7-c6, ...ilc7, md ...d7-dS.SeeG.tme1.2.

Finally we look it Bird's Opening, l.f4, which could .tlso be C.tlled i reversed Dutch.

If White .tims for i Leningrid by t ...li:lf6 2.00 d5 l.g3 I reconunend the r� 3...c6
4-•..tcl "W'b61 to provoke the undesir.tble move e2-e3, which permits ....ilg4. Blick aims
to clear .ill the minor pieces off except his knight md one white bishop, on the grounds
th.tt knights .tee better th.tn unpaired bishops on i crowded board. If White goes for i
normil Dutch with l.e3 �pin irrunedi.ttdy, with ide.t.s of ...�7• ... LO, ii.tld ...e7-e5.
All this is covered in G.tme1.3. Allin .ill, I p�ferBli.d:'s chances by i smidgeon after J.f4.

YO 10•• (AOO) Qome1.1

1. - e7-e5
0 Bitoon,Richud
• So,Wesloy My second choice would be I ..dS 2.-'.b2
Mmili, 2008 (6) ilg4. Such m euly bishop development is
logic.tl when White em no longer ituck
1. b2-b4
the b7 p.tWD by �3. But I still prefer the
The Orang-Utan or Polish or Sok.olsky g.tme move, as I did in Chess Adwntage.
Opening. It is quite i weak opening in my
2. h1-b2 i1.18xb4
opinion; White em't even equ.tlize.
3. il.b2xe5
 Cbapttr I - Unusual Opming Moves

If3.f4 d6 4.fxe5 dxeS S ..L.eS �f6 6.lt:lf3 wins 01. �wn) 35.-'.fs lidS 36.01.4 g6
0-0 7.e3 �c6 8..ib2 lieS 9..ie2 llxe3N 37..>l.e< .>l.xd3 38..>l.xd3 llxd3 39.llcrl aS
IO.c3 llxf3 ll..L.f3 .id6 12.0-0 �eS 40.llxbl ll8d6 4 J.�h2 llf6 42.llb2 g5
13.d4 �eg4, White must pb.y 14.g3, 43.g4 Wg7 44.1lc4 llfd6 45.Wg3 lld2
when the knight fork will le<�.ve Bl<�.ck Oil 46.1lcc2 :.Xcl 47.:.Xc2 e4 48.1lc4 lle6
p<�.wn up with the beuer position 01.s well. 49.1lc3 Wf6 SO.f+ gxf4+ SI.Wx£4 We7
52.g5 hxgS+ 53.Wxg5 Wd6 54.Wf5 lieS+
3. - li:lgll-te
55.Wf61ld5 56.:.C2 lld3 57.1le2 c4 58.g4
4. c2-c4
c3 59.g5 lld2 wd White resigned.
4.'�Jf3 0-0 5.e3 dS 6..ie2 cS 7.0-0 �c6
12. h1·a2 .b5-c7
8.�b2 .L.S!N, plmning ... d5-d4, is better
1 3. i.g3xc7 li:ld5xc7
than the immediue 8...d4 given in CIJLSS
1 4. li:lb1-c3 .>l.cB-15
AdV�Jntsg�. which is answered by 9.c3.
15. :..2-•1 :..a-d8
4. - o-o 1 6. 11•1-c1 �cl-e5
5. li:lg1-f3 d7-d5 17. ti:lf3xe5 'itflxe5
I. e2·e3 1118-e8
7. •2·83 .>l.b4-o5
8. .>l.l1-o2 c7-c5
9. c4xd5 li:ll6xd5
1 0. o-o li:lb8-cl
1 1 . i.e5·g3

White bOils more center J>Oii.WDS, but they

01.re under pressure rnd Bl.a.ck hOI.S fu supe­

rior piece activity.

VOU (AO J) Game1.2

11. - lll'd8·161N
D Kostic,VIadimir
The 01.ctu0l.l game continued IJ ....ie6 • Scblosser,Philipp
12.�4 f6 13...c2= llc8 14..id3 h6 Austri.tBundes.lig.t,2010/ll (9)
15.�c3 Wh8 16.i.g6 lle7 17..ig3 .ic7
1. b2-b3
IS.Ilfcl hg3 19.hxg3 �xc3 20.1i'xc3
b6 2 l..i.bl lld7 22.•c2 .igs B.Wg6 Lusen 's Opening.
.J:ld6 24...g4 .J:lc7 2S..if5 �eS 26.�xe5
1. - e7-e5
fxeS 27.d3 ..f6 28..ie4 .ie6 29....h5
2. .>l.c1-b2 li:lb8-cl
.i.f7 30...g4 llcd7 3 l.llc3 .i.e6 32...g6?
3. e2-e3
•xg6 33.Lg6 .i.g4 34..i.e4 .i.e2 (Bl01.ck
ThtKaufmanl!tp(rtoirt for Billd:

Or 3.c4 �f6 4.e3 d5 5.cxd5 �xd5 6.�3 I reilly like this move here. It �nswers the
.ll. d6. thre�t �g�inst e5, �nd envisions castling,
...Ae8, md ...�f8. In case of �xc6 �t any
i .t'i!f'l!r :8 time, after ... dxc6 ilie bishop will no lon-
ger be blocking � p�wn �nd will be well­
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
pl�ced on d6.
,..t -
,. .1, I, 5. lLlb1-a3

In case of 5.�xc6 dxc6 6.d3 0-0 7.tlJd2

[;!', [;
� [; [;!',[;
l:l:li:l 'ii'w�li:lJ:t
AnalySis diagram
White is pl�ying ilie Km Sicili.m with
colors reversed, bUI having pl�yed b2-b3
r�ilier than b2-b4 is a. concession. 7.'ltc2
(7.b4 would tr�nspose directly to � main
line of ilie Km with reversed colors,
where White h� wasted his initia.J extr.
move by pl�ying b3-b4 in two turns.
Therefore Black h�s the norm�! white �d­
nnt�ge in this opening) 7...0·0 8.tt:lf3
'ile7 9.d3 f5 IO.Iilbd2 lt>h8 ll ..ll.e2 .ll.d7
12.0-0 l:lae8. The move b3-b4 on my of
the l�st sever�! moves would still be the
Kan wiili reversed colors �nd no extn
tempo for White. Refraining from b3-b4
doesn't ch�nge much. Black is fine.
Ae8 8.e4 (so fn N�hmur�-Ponom�riov,
St Louis 2011) 8...�5!N 9.�4 �g4
IO.tt:lg£3 �b4 ll.h3 �h5 I prefer Bl�ck
thanks to the bishop pair md the two
pins.
5.tlJe2 0-0 6.0-0 Ae8 (I think it's useful
for Black to delay ...�7-a6 so th�t tlJ;a3 can
still be met by ...€l;a5) 7.€lg3 �6 8.�e2
�(8 (this is typial of this system. The
bishop �voids blocking p;awn, rook, or
queen, md defends the king) 9.f4 d5
IO.fxe5 €!xeS l l.We l �d6!N 12.tt:lf5
Lf5 13.ltxf5 c5 14.'1tfl d4! 15.exd4
tt:leg4 16.g3 (�fter 16.h3 �h2+ 17.�hl
�c7 18.i.xg4 Wd6 Bl�ck wins)
16...cxd4- Bl�ck's superior development
�nd much s,;1.fer king give him the edge
despite White's two bishops.
5. _ �c6-a5

3. - lilg8·18
i. .i'i!f'l!r X
4. .ll.l 1-b5 .ll.l8·d6
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
.t ,.
.i. .i'i!f\!1 K ... � .1.
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
,. .t ,. !£)!', [;
� .1. !',�!', � [>,!;!;
.II. .I'I. W l£ll:t
!', [;
!',�!',!', [;!',[; I c.illed Ibis 'too weird' in Chess Advm­
J:lli:l 'ii'w li:ll:l t�ge. but I've chmged my opinion. It an-

10
 Chdpter I - Unusual Opming Moves

eels the threat of lDc4 and prepar�s 14.d3 llad8, Black is alr�ady for choice
...c7-c6. Th� fact that Nahmun against here, with more spac� and ideas like
Ponomariov refrain�d from 5.lDa3 in fa­ ...�5-e4.
vor of 5.hc6 followed by 6.d3 and
9. - g7·g&
7.tt:Jd2 sugg�sts that h� f�ared S.it:J01J
10. ..dl-13 e7-c6
�015.
11. ..13·g3 lilf6·h5
&. lilg1-13 12. •a3·h3 lilh5·g7
13. g2·g4?1 .ild6-•3
ln case of 6.ltk4 t!:lxc-4 7..i.xc-4 0-0
14. .ilb2u3 'tte 7u3
8.it:le2 c6 9.lDg3 .i.c7 10.0-0 d5 ll.i.e2
15. e3·e4 ll16·d8
lieS 12.c4 a5 13.a3 ..ie6 Black has a nice
pawn center without suffering too much Black already has a lik�ly winning advan­
pressure against it. tag�. H� has th� cent�r. while White's
Or 6 . .i.e2 .i.�7N 7.tD£3 e4 8.lDe5 0-0 pi�ces are randomly scau�red.
9.0-0 a6 1O.d3 1le8=.
16. ..h3-13 tt'•3-e7
8. - •d8·o7 17. lilh4·g2 d7·d5
7. "t:la3-c4 18. o4xd5 e5-e4
19. ..13·g3 c:6xd5
Or 7....cl 0-0 8...ie2 c5 9.d3 tl:lc6
20. hA·o2
IO.tt::lb 5 ..ib8 ll.c4 d5 12.cxd5N lDxd5
13.0-0 .i.e6 - Black is playing th�
Maroczy Bind against th� Schenningen I
Sicilian, with colors rev�rsed. In g�n�ra.l .& .&
the Bind is effectiv� in this situation,
more so than against th� Dragon s�t-up.

7. _ lLl•5xo4
8. .ilb5xc4 0-0

20. - d5·d4

20 ..b6!N 2 1.0-0 .i.b7 22.1lfel llac8

B.c3 d4 looks even strong�r.

21. 0·0 b7·b&

22. 1111·01 >l.c8·b7
23. i.e2-c4

23. .-'t.dJ! 'lt'c5 24.h�4 L�4 25.1ln4

e. lilt3·h4?1
'ifxc2 f01vors Bl01ck only slightly.
ln the �vent of 9.0-0 c6 IO..i.e2 .i.c7
23. - tre7-e5
ll.c4 dS 12."Wc2 .i.g4 13.h3 .i.h5

II
1M KouhMn Rtptnoirt (or B!Gdt

23 .....d7! H.ai-a6 was�tt�::r.

24. •e3·14? lilg7-et

25. i.c4a::e6 f7a::e6
26. c2-c371 e6·e5

26... el! 27.fx�:: 3 dxc3 28.Afl lUs

29 .•d4 ..c6 30.�::4 cxd2 3 1 ...xd2
"W'x�::4 wins a clean pawn.

27. '1114-g3?1 1188-dl

28. b3·b4 'llc5·d5 3. g2-g3
29. c3xd4 e5xd4
White seeks a Leningrad reversed.
30. lilg2-14 'lld5·d6
If3.e3 .Q.g4 4. .Q.e2 �bcl7 and now:

:il![ •
.l. .i. .1.
.1. 'i!t' .1.

13 .1. .1. 11:\/3

8.i.
'i!l'
811:\
13 13 8 8
/381381;.. 138
l:[ J:l It; :
:li:l s..�w
AnalySis diagram
31. lill4·h5??

White resigned after m�J::ing this blun· A) S.d4 e6 6.0·0 cS 7.lf:::lc3 .Q.d6 8.a4
der, but his position is probably lost any· Q.Q 9.h3 �xf3 1 o.�xfl a6 - although
way. White has the bishops. his set·up calls for
tOeS, which is impossible. Black hu the
initiative on the queenside and the right
VO 8.8 (AO I) Game 1.3 bishop;
0 Danielscn,Hcm-ik B) S.b3 Lf3 6.hf3 eS 7.fxeS lf:::lxeS
• Ld'uwtc,Pablo s . .Q.b2 .i.d6 9.0·0 0·0 JO.I()c3 c6
Odensc.2011 (7) 1 1.ltle2 ..e7 12.tt:ld4 g6 - Whit�::'s king
is weakened, e4 may � a home for a
knight, and Black will regUn the bishop
Bird's Opening, a reversed Dutch once pair since 13..i.e2 is too passive;
Black pb.ys ...d7·dS. In my opinion it's C) 5.0·0 hf) 6..i.xf3 eS 7.d4 �::4
strictly 'for the birds'. 8.��::2 .i.d6. In such a very closed posi·
tion Black's good bishop plus knight may
1. - lilg8·16
� nearly equal to White's rwo bishops.
2. /Ovl-13 d7·d5
and Black has more space.

"
 Chapttr I - Unusua.l Opening MovtS

slightly. Note th.tt this doesn't work with­

out c.tstling first to prote<:t the bishop)
This is rare but strong. Black t.tkes .tdvm­ 9...i.xf3 IO.'tt'xf3 tl:lbd7, tnnsposing to
t.tge of the f.tct th.tt the p.twn h.tS not yet the game.
.tdvmced to cS, u it might h.tve a..lre.tdy
8. h2·h3
.tdvmced to c4 if we were White .tg.t.inst .t
Lt:ningr.td Dutch. 8.ltk3=.

4. .ll.l 1·g2 'lil'd8·b& 8. - .ll.g4xl3

9. 'lil'd1 xl3 lilb8·d7
1 0. 0·0 0·0

I like this ide.t. It forces White to pb.y

e2-e3 soon in order to astir:, which a..l­
lows the pin .....ig4. The point is th.tt the
11. g3-g4?1
m� f2-f4 makes the t!Jf3 an import.tnt
piece worth exch.tnging ofT. 1 1.1i'e2 lObS 12...ixg7 l0xg7 13.g4 e6 -
in genera..l knights ue superior to un­
5. b2·b3
paired bishops when the baud is full of
5.e3 .i.g4 6.b3 t!Jbd7 (6...g6N 7 ..i.b2 pawns, so I slightly prefer Black .
.i.g7 tra.nsposes to the g.tme) 7..ib2 e6
11. - lill6-e4
8.b3L.f3 9....xf3 .tS IO.a4..ib4=.
12 . .ll. b2xg7 �g7
5. - g7·g6 1 3. d2·d3 lile4·d6
14. lilb1-d2 17-15
lnstud 5.....ifS is a..lso s.ttisfactory, but I
like the g.tme move because Bl.td. pla.ns 14 ..aSN IS..t3 f5 is a..lso good. Either way
to give up the bishop p.tir with .....ig4 Black is already for choice.
a.nd ... h£3, so he wiU wmt to exchmge
15. d3·d4 lild7·16
bishops on the long di.tgona..l to kiU
White's bishop pair. IS ...fxg4N 16.hxgi eS 17.dxeS t!JxeS
18 ...g3 l0ef7!9.A.tel A.te8 favors BI.tck
&. .ll.c1·b2 .ll.IB·g7
due to the pressure on the back.wud e3
7. e2-e3 .ll.c8-g4
pawn.
Mort: accume is 7 ...0-0 8.0-0 ..ig4 9.h3
1 6. c2·c3
(9./(Jc3 l0e4 I O.tl:l.t4 'lt'.ts favors Bl.tck

13
Th tKoufman RtptrtoiKfor Biack

R g 23. - lilo4·g5
•• • •• 24. ..13·g3 :tsxt4
'i!l'i .. ... 24. . l!Je6! is winning.
• •
[>, [>,[>, 25. :c2-12 llo8-18
t;f>, Milt; 26. :12xt4 :18xt4
27. lllg 1-g2 :14-17
"' lb �
J:[ J:[l¥;> 27 ..lbe6! 28.llel :lf6 29."tltxc7+ tl:lxc7
30.c+ lle6 Blick is a clein pawn up in the
1 6. ·- 15xg4?1
ending.
16 ..cS!N Jl.J:h.cl cxd4 18.exd4 e6 J9.g5
28. :11 xl7+ .-c7xl7
tl:lfe4 and Blick's powl!'rful knight outpost
29. 1ltg3-e5+ •f7-f6
plus qul!'enside pliy with ...iS md pres­
30. ti'e5-c7+ �g7-g8
sure on c3 give him i dear idvmtige.
31. lllg2•g3 b7-b5
1 7. h3xg4 lild6·o4
18. �d2xe4 l!Jf6xe4
•
1 9. llf1-c1 ?1
• 'I!Y •
l9.'tlth3! l!Jxc3 20.Af2 c5 2t.Acl cxd4 • 'iU
22.1!'xd4 �1!'4 23..i.xe4 dxl!'1- H.:lc5 • • ..
lla.d8 25 .... 1!'3 "tltb4 26.:lc4 'tltd6 [>, [>,
27.'tltxl!'4b5=. I;[>, w
19.- _ e7-e5 "'
20. llc1-c2 e5xf4 �
21. e3xf4 'tltb6-c7
22. J:la1-f1 .:aa-ea 32. c3·c4?

Pissive play gins Whit!!' dnwing chances.

Whoever Siid that a bid plin was better
thin no plin u all was wrong!

32. - b5xc4
33. b3xc4 d5xc4
34. i.h1 xc6?1 'tlt'f6xd4
35. •c7·b7 ttd4-e3+
36. lllg3-g2 tte3-d2+
37. lllg2-11 ..d2-d1+
38. 11111-12 ttd1-d2+
23. i.g2·h1? 39. 11112-11 'lt'd2-f4+
40. �1-e1 'lt'f4-e3+
In case of 23.c4 dxc4 24.bxc4 'ttd6
41. �e1-d1 c4-e3
White his Wl!'ik piwns ill ovl!'r the baud.

14
 CiHip�:rr I - Unusual Opening Moves

42. tlb7·d7 :f:lg5-f7 45. it.c6-f3 �g8-g7

43. �d1-e2 46. Wc2xd2 �g7-f6
47. �d2-c3 li:lf7-e5

• 48. it.f3-e2 ""<1-gS

i 'iii' " i 49. <k3-b4 Cile5xg4

� i Bb.ck wins e�sily now.

so. <,i;lb4-•5 h7-h5

t>, 51. <,i;�a5-a6 h5-h4
i 'i!f 52. �a6u7 h4-h3
,[!. It> - 53. .b2-f3 �g5-f4
54. Jil.f3-b7 lilg4-f2
55. a2-a4 lilf2-o4
43. - ••3·d2+
White resigned.
44. tld7xd2 c3xd2

IS
Chapter 2

English Opening
I used to regud the English Opening ( l .c4) as a major problem for a would-be
Gninfeld player. The best move is supposed to be l ••• eS, but if I'm not ke«=n to take on
lh e Sicilim as White with l.e4 how h<appy can I be playing against it a tempo down?
lhe Symmetric.t.l Defense l ••.cS is a serious option but prob.tbly d�sn't give fuU equ.t.l­
ity. Simply playing Griinfeld moves doesn't work as after l.c4ll:lf6 2.tt::lc3 g6 3.e4 we
� Dicked imo playing the King's Indim, while 2...dS 3.cxd5l0xd5 4.g3 g6 5.�g2 is

prohiably a bit fOilvon.ble to White.

OvB the ��few years I han come to appreciate that l.c4 is very well met by l. .•g61
if you ho� to reach the Griinfeld.

lbe idu is this: Black meets l0c3 by ...cS, meets e4 by ...eS, and meets d4 by .. .liJ£6.
Let's look at some possible move-orders after l.c4 g6:

If2.d4 t0f6 we Me on trilck wwuds the Gninfeld.

Ift.<£�cl dl it's a rathu good version of the Symmetriu.l Defen�. Now if l .�fl .i. g7
4.d4a:d4 S.ltm.t.4 �c6 White annat play e2-ei to get the Muoczy Bind. Or if l .gl
.i. g74•.i. glltk6 S.�fl Black need not play 5... �f6?!; instead I recommend S •••d6,
plannin g . ...i.f5 and ......d7.SeeG.lme 2.1.
Ifl.�fl .i. g7 ].l!:Jd c51 as above. or 3.d4ll:J f6 (see Griinfeld), or 3.e4 e51 4.d4a d4
S.lt:l.:l:d4 �f6 6.�cl 0-0, Bl.1ck will benefit from the omission of ...d7-d6 (compar­
ing to the ICing's Indim) by pl.1ying ...c7-c6 md ...d7-d5 in most lines. Ahern.1tively
Bl.1ck em pl.1y 1...ll:J f6 trmsposing to the mti-Griinfeld chapter.
Ifl.M e51 3.d4 �f61 4.001adf s. es �K 6...:r.d4 .Q.bf+

17
Th t�ufman!Wpfrtoirtfor Biack

This line is not thought to be good for Black, but extensive computer an•lysis seems to
indinteth•t Bl•ck is fully equal.SeeG•me 2.2.

:l ti::l f6 2.11 dS J •.ig2 g6 <t-.c<t- die-t-) .1nd the King's lndi•n Reversed
For the Reti ( l .ti:fl
(<t- .0-0 .ig7 S.dl 0-0 6.ti::l bd2 d<t-1?) see G•me 2.3.
Unfortunately this simple solution to the English problem does not work •golinst
l.�f3. because •fter l ...g6 White em pl•y 2.e.... !. However, .Cter ! .li:l£3 the .1nti-GrUnfeld
is OK for Blo1ck. For .tltern•tive solutions to the i .li:l£3 move order, see the Ri-ti cholpter.

EO 49.4 ( A30 ) Game 2.1

5. 0-0
0 Zhou Jianchao
• Molakhov,Vladimir In the event of 5.tt'.c3 d6 6.d3 J:b8 7.0-0
Ningbo. 2010 (14) .16 8.•4 tiJf6, the insertion of •4 •nd a6
favors Bl•ck due to the holes on b4 •nd
1. c2-o4 c7-c5
.s.
We would pl•y J...g6 and only pl•y ... cS
5. ... d7-d6
•fterlbc3 or g3 h•s been pl•yed.
I ho1ve pl•yed 5 ..li:lh6 here, heo1ding to­
2. <llg1-13 g7-g6
wards d4, but I don't rttommend it •s
3. g2-g3 i.f8-g7
6.h4! ismher strong.
4. i.f1-g2 <llb8-c6
6. <llb1-c3 i.c8-15

This system, pl•yed repe•tedly by Vbdi­

mir M•lUhov, m•kes a lot of sense. Bl•ck
aims to exch•nge the importolnt bishop
on g2.
6 ... tiJh6 7 .d4 cxd-4 s . ..Q..xh6 ..Q..xh6
9.�xd4 seems to be a bit better for
White, so I have given up·on the ...tLlh6
ide•.

18
 Chapter 2 - English0pcning

7. d2·d3 1 5. - .ll.g7xb2

In the event of 7.b3 •d7 S ..i.b2 .'t:lh6 IS. .b6 directly may have been more pre-
9.d3 .i.h3 IO.•d2 .i.xg2 ll.�xg2 0-0 cise, u Black's king will be p�rfecdy
12.e3 lbfS 13.tt:ld5 tt:leS 14.tbxe5 dxe5= happy on g7. Anyway, chances are even.
the we.tk white p.twn on d3 offsets his su­
1 6. J:.b1xb2 b7·b6
perior bishop.
1 7. d3·d4 c5xd4
Should White pb.y 7.h3 'ttd7 8.�h2
18. �f3xd4 1!18·d8
!Llf6 9.d3 0-0 IO. .i.e3 •6 ll.,..d2 J:l•bB
19. �d4xc6 tt"d7xc6
J2.g4 .i.e6 13.tt:Jg5 hS 14.tl.he6 ...xe6
20. Wa4xc6 �e7xc6
JS.gS lt:le8 J6Jh.b i 'tlt'd7=. then
21 . 1111·d1 1Pg8·18
White's we;�,kened king offsets the
22. f2-f4 ..tia-e7
bishop pair.
23. IPgH2 l!d8·d7
7. - "ill'd8·d7 24. l!d1·d3 a7-a5
8. l!o1·b1 .ll.l5·h3 25. b4xa5 li:lc6xa5
9. .i.g2xh3 'il'd7xh3 26. llb2xb6 �a5xc4
1 0. <Cc3·d5 "ill'h3·d7 27. "Lle3xc4 J:.c8xc4=
11. "ill'd 1 ·M

ln G. Sh�ade-K<�.ufmm, Cryst.tl City

20 I I, ll..i.d2 was played. i: .1. .1.
Now, after ll..:�f6 I V�Llxf6+ ..lixf6 l:t .I.& .1.
13 . .i.h6 l:.b8 14. .t3 aS Black's tempon.ry
inability to castle is offset by the p!Oil.n of .i f>,
...b7-bS .tnd by the f.tct that the bishop f>, l:t f>,
on h6 does not support any positive
f>, <t; 8
plan.

11. - :aa-ca
12. 82·83 e7-e6 28. l!d3·b3?1 llc4·M
1 3. tt:ld5·e3 �g8-e7 29. l!b6·b4 J:.d7-a7
1 4. b2·b4 o-o 30. J:.b4xa4 J:.a7xa4
1 5. .i.c1-b2 31. IPI2·13 h7·h5

19
Tbt KoufrnM Rtptnoirt for Bkldt

32. e2�e3 ft7�f6

33. h2-h3 g6-g5
34. e3�M?I

�--l

57. l:lc2-92+ f3xg2

Su..lemate.

:M. - h5-h4

With 34...gxf4! 3S.gxf4 �g6 36.ltd3 fS E06H(AIO) -2.2

37.�xfS+ �xfS 38Jbd6 ltxa3+ 39.Wgl 0 Tonushovsky,Evgeny
lta4 Black wins a pawn, though not n«:- • Sutovsky,Emil
�ssarily the game. PlovdivEch, 20 1 0 (3)

35. g3xh4 g5xf4 1. c2-e4 g7-g6

36. �3xf4 --g6 2. e2·e4
37. llb3-b6 17-15
2.<��(3 .Q.g7 3.�4 eS transposes to the next
38. l:lb&xd& l:la4xe4+
39. �4-g3 li>g6-l&
40. lld6-d3 llo4-o4 2. _ e7·e5
41 . h4-h5 --g5
42. h5·h6 li>g5xh6
43. lld3-d6 llo4-o4
44. a3-a4 ll>h6-g5
45. h3-h4+ ll>g5-h5 • -
46. a4-a5 o8-e5 t>, t>,
47. aS-a& f5-f4+
48. ll>g3-12 li>h5-g4
[>, 8 8 8[>, [>:.
49. h4-h5 �g4xh5
l:lti:l�'i!i'wi.ti:ll:t
50. lld6-d5 llo4-o4
51 . l:ld5xe5+ ll>h5-g4 3. d2-d4
52. l:le5-e2 l:la4u&
3.lt:lf3 .Q.g7 4.d+ exd4 s.lf::xd4 lt:lf6
53. l:le2-b2 l:la&·a3
6.ti::lc3 0-0 7. .Q.ez :�s 8.0 c6 (Black
54. llb2-e2 llo3-h3
would transpose to a King'slndi�n line if
55. 11>12-g2 14-13+
he played ... d7-d6 now or on the next
56. ll>g2-g1 li>g4-g3
move. In that line Bbck often pl�ys

20
 Cbapttr 2 - English OpaUDfl

... d7-d5, but here he plans to play it in

9. - <lg5llf3+
one go, thus saving a vital tempo. There­
1 0. Jl.o2llf3
lOre this line should be fme for Black)
9..igS 11'b6 IO.�b3 dS I I.cxdS cxdS=.

3. - <>o&·ft;!
•. <lg1.f3
4.dxd tt:lxe-4 S ..i.d3 tOes 6.�f3 d6
7.h2 .i.g7= is fme for Black.

4. _ e5xd4
5. M·o5 <li8·M

Much more common is S ...�bi+ bUI I

think that the text is bener.
1 0. - D-ON
•. W'd11d4 Jl.18·b4+
The actual game continued IO.. .'tf'e7
ll.hc6 dxc6 12.0-0 0-0 13.a3 .i.c5
J-4:tf'g3 with a modest while advantage,
though Black still drew. Castling is a com­
puter improvement.

1 1 . o-o 1118-e8
1 2. Jl.l3xdl d7xc6
1 3. h2·h3

I3.<lf3 Jl.g4=.

7. <lb1·d2 13. - Jl.c8·15

7..&:3 �xc3 8.bxc3 l0c6 9.'tWd3 (9.'tWe3 Black's bishop pair more than offsets his
Jl.•7=) 9...Jl.•7 IO.Jl.h6 Jl.f8 I J.Jl.gS crippled �wn majority.
.i.e7 leads to a draw by repetition. Black
can avoid this by 9... .i.aS ! � IO.�h6 .. e7

I I. .i.e2 <tlxe:S Ylith balanced chances if U 23.4 (A07) -2.3

he wants a real fight. 0 Morkowsld,Tomasz
7.'�dl fS 8.exf6 �xf6 9..i.gS 0-0=. • 1\oiiWiishin,Oieg
Moscow. 2004 (6)
7. - <>M -115
1 . &2"11 3 d7·d5
7...�xd2 8.Ld2 �c6 9...e3 Ld2+ is
2. <lgH3 <lg8·18
aJso about equaJ.
We would be more likely to reach this po­
8. Jl.f1·o2 <lb8-c6
sition by 1.�0 �f6 2.g3 dS.
9. W'd4·o3
3. Jl.l1·g2 Q7"116
•.•r• <>•• 1 o.WgJ <lg7=.

21
Tht Kllufman Rtptnoirt for Black

Bl.tck is .timing to transpose to the neo­

Grlinfeld lines in this book. He will t.tke
.tny time White pl.tys c2-c4, unless .t
pawn can rec.tpture.
4. c2--e4
4.0-0 �g7 5.d3 (the King's Indi.tn Re­
versed) S...0-0 6.'�Jbd2 d4 - I like this
r.tre move here. Bl.tck will t.tke e4 or c4
enpassant.
5. tt:Jb1-e3
S....t4+ c6 6.'tt'x c4 �g7 7.0-0 0-0 8.d1-
�fS 9.tbc3 li:lbd7 IO.e3 tbe4 ll ...e2
••s=.
5. ·-
6. o-o
6.Wc2 �g7 7 .lbxc4 0-0 8.b3 (8.0-0
transposes to the game) 8...cS 9.�b2
tt:lc6 I0.0-0 �c8 ll.�.tc I bSN 12.lLlceS
tt:lxeS 13.�xeS �h6=.

6. -· .lill8·g7
1. Wd1-c2 o-o
8. tt:la3xc4
j,
to, CUt;
t;t;t;Ci::,t;t;it.t;
J:t it.'ill' J:!'i!;>
Analysis diagram
After 7.tbb3 (7.e4 dxe3 8.fxe3 c5 9.'tl'e2
tbc6 IO.tbb3 wrb6 .tnd Bl.tck's position is
more pleaS.lilt; 7.tbc+ ttxls 8.e4 dxe3
9.fxe3 cS IO.e4 li:lb6=) 7...tbc6 8.R.d2
eS 9.c3 dxc3 1 o.�xc3 lbds ll.�d2 b6
12.�cl �b7 13.�c1- .tS l+..t3 wrd7 Bl.tck
8. _ c7-c51
is already for choice, due mostly to the
unfortun.tte position of the b3 knight. The game .tctu.illy went 8 ..tt:lc6 9.d3
�dS IO.e4 and now Black needlessly
4. _ d5xc4
g.tve up the bishop p.1ir by IO...i.xc4?!
.tnd went on to lose. IO...i.e6 w.ts still
close to equal.

9. d2·d3 lilb8·c6
1 0. �c1-e3 lla8·c81
1 1 . i.e3xc5 b7·b6
"l j, 1 2. i.c5-e3 b6·b5
1 3. tt:Jc4-a3 lil16·d5

Bl.tck h.ts huge compensation for the

p.twn.

22
 Cik:Jpta2-.Enalish0pcning

J:'i!!' i• 18. >l.d2-c3 >l.g7·h6

19. llc1-d1 'Wd7-e6
.t..t. i. .t.
"' i. .t.
.t. "'

Ill t; 14/ll8 .t. "'

t; 8WI 88148 .t.
l% J:l<;t;> "' i.
Ill 148 lll8
88 88f<.8
Else Bb.ck reg;ains the pawn f;avoro�bly. J:l'IW l% <;!;>
14. - 87·•6
This Wii.S just 01 s.tmple continuil.tion of the
15. 'll'c2·b1 olld5·b4
g.tmbit. White's shut-in rook and offside
1 6. >l.c1·d2 Jl.o6-g4
knight .ue good v.Uue for the ptwn.
17. 1111-<:1 'll'd8·d7

!3
Chapter 3

Queen's Indian versus Retl

1bis du.pter covt:"rs a defense to l .ll:lf3. primuily either .s m attempt to reach Queen's
Gm�bit positions while avoiding the Gnlnfeld, or else imending the King's Indian At­
�d. where White just pb.ys g3, ..Q.g2. 0-0, md d3 without looking at wh.u Black is
doing.

lhe idea of i .tt:lf3 to avoid the Griinfeld is this: after 1.�0 <'t::.f62.c416 3.�3

and now 3• • •d 5, White does not han to play i.d+, trmsposing to the Grii.nfeld. He em
instead play <t..adS tbxdS md then S....a""+ or 5 •.., 3 or S.M or S.gl or S.'tlt'c2, all of
which pose some problems for Black. I think th.u Black should not fear these lines, md
I give adequate responses in the anti-Grii.nfeld chapter. In this chapter I conr some .t.l­
ternate solutions to this move-order, in case Black is not happy with one of the mti­
Gninfeld Unes. Feel free to skip this chapter if you Me following my primuy �om­
mendation, a.Jthough the first game em a.Jso be used � m alternative to playing the
Neo-GrUnfeld against m early g3.
So wlut em Black do if he fears the mti-GrUnfeld? One solution is to mswer 3.�3
by l ...i.z7, then when White plays 4.e4 (4.d4 dS is the Grfinfeld), play 4..•cS (other­
wise you must play the King's Indim). Now White's only try for advmtage is S.d4,
hoping to get a variation of the Maroczy Bind vs. Accelerated Dragon after Black t.tkes.
But Black may surprise him with S......aS, as I played in a World Senior Championship
game against 1M Ruh.vina in 2009, getting a winning game but only drawing it. This
should lead to positions similar to the Accerated Dragon Ma.roczy Bind if White plays
accun.tely; perhaps Black is a t.td better off he� thm in the Une with 5...cxd4. Still, un­
less you are m Accelerated Dragon fan, these options leave something to be desired,
and don't fit with the Breyer Defense to l.e4 given in this �pertoi�.
Tht Kaufman �noirt for Block

The next option is to play l ...g6,

Ui1.i. 'l!f'i!f .i. � B.

.1..1..1..1..1..1. .1.
.1.
•

hoping for l.c4 �g7 l.e.f eSI as an.1lyzed in the previous (English) chapter. Of course,
if 2.d4 we pl.1y 2...�f6 and we ue �ck on track for the Grii.nfeld. This is a solution f.J.­
vored by Peter Svid.ler, perhaps the strongest consistent Grii.nfeld pbyer in recent yeus.
The only problem with l...g6 is 2.c41, olfter which we either have to play a Pirc or Mod­
ern Defense with 2•••d6 or 2....i.z7, or else pl.1y 2...c5 when we ue playing the Hyper­
Accelerated Dugan. So the choice of this line or l...tt:Jf6 m.1y come down to whether
you prefer L.tiJc6 or Lg6 in the Sicili.J.n! Again, this won't work for our repertoire,
only for those who don't feu the Muoczy Bind. However the option to play the Pirc or
Modern makes some sense, as White h.J.S .J.lre.J.dy pl.1yed l0f3 so he c.J.nnot play the dm­
gerous lines with m euly f4 or .Q.e3 with f3 or �gS. This is often Svidler's preference.

Perh.lps the best practic.J.l option for most pl.1yers is l .�fl cS.

Here the idea is to meet 2.c4 by 2-ll:k6, and then a.nsv.rer l.ltJcl by l".eS, as Grischuk
pi.1}'M repe.J.tedly .J.g.J.instGelfand in their 10 1 1 Cmdid.J.tes' Match. This would be my m.Un
recommend.J.tion, except that White C.J.Jl play 2.e4 and we must pi.J.Y the Sicilim. At le.J.St
this time BJ.J.d:: C.J.Jl choose my Sirilian, not just the Accelemed Dr.1gon. As .1 pr.J.ctical mat­
ter, few pl.1yers open with l.tt:Jf3 and then rra.nspose to the Sicilian, since if they wmted to

26
 Cbapttr 3 - Quem S Indian wtmas Rdi

play against the Sicilian they would probably invite it by opening l.e-4-. So lhis Qll be
your solution if you at le�t have the Sicilian as a second defense. BUI I em't make it my
choice for lhis book as I can't assume a knowledge oflhe Sicilian by the reader.

The solution I came up with is original, to my knowledge. I don't mean lhat lhe moves
are original, just the concept of using the Queen's Indian as a companion to the
Gn1nfeld. The idea is to meetl.ttJflttJf62.d- byl...b6.

:1 ill .H!f 9 .t. :1

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

Now ifl.d4 �b7 <t-.ttlc:l e6 we are in lhe Qu�n's Indian, but not White's most recom­
mended option with4-.g3. So you might say why not4-.g3 e6, lhe main line Queen's In­
dian? My aruwc:r is that if White plays 4.gl (or 3.g3 .i.b7 -4-.M or -4.--'lgl) we don't play
4-...e6 but instead choose 4•.•,6. This double fianchetto .1gainst the white fianchetto was
recently recommended in .1 YeMbook Mticle by lhe very strong grmdm�ter Sergey
TiviUov, and I used his analysis �lhe swting point for my own in this book. I must ad­
mit tholt lhe computers are not too fond of this Tiviolkov Vui.J.tion, but as lhe positions are
closed it is reasonable to question their judgmem. I fed tha.t this choice islhe most in lhe
spirit of lhe Grimfeld,� we do fianchetto the king's bishop in both lines, and it is not un­
usual in some Griinfeld lines to fb.ncheuo the queen's bishop � welL
So in this chapter you will find both the Tiviakov Vo1rio1tion and the regulo1r Queen's
Indian lines without g3. I hope you find this solution (or one of the above-mentioned
ones) acceptable. But my preferred option is the Anti-Griinfeld.
If you believe as I do (and also I think world #I Mo1gnusC.ulsen) that the Breyer o1nd
the Griinfeld are the best answers to l.e4 and I .d-4, then it follows from the o1bove tholt
White's optimum opening play, if he prefers the Anti-Griinfeld to the real one, might
be t.tl:lf3 dS 2.M or l...tl:lf6 1.c4 or l...g6 2.e4 or l...cS 2.e-1-. But very few players o1re
eqwlly at home on the White side of the Sicilian, the Queen's Gambit,lhe Queen's In­
dim,and the Symmetriu.l English! If you are one of them, see the l.tl:lf3 chapter in the
White side of this book!

Now for the games. First we look at the Tiviakov Variation l.ttJfl ttJf62.c4 b6 l.gl �b7
4.-'lll p S.d4- .i.11. Note that this position can also be reached by l.d4 l0f6 2.c4 g6

27
TbtKGufmon Rcptnoiu for Bladl

3.tl::lf3 i..g7 4.g3 b6 S.i..g2 i..b7 (� .actu.Uiy played in G.ame 3. 1) if Bl.ack doesn't like
the Neo·GrU:nfeld 4 ... d5. However this is not so impon.ant because White an .avoid it
by playing 3.g3 first (before tl::lf3 ). after which 3...b6? doesn't work. The resultmt po·
sitions are similar to the King's Indian. The computer doesn't like Black either here or
in the King's Indian, but it seems that the Tivi.akov line is better than a normal King's
Indian so it m01y be fine for Bl.ack even if the computer doesn't 01gree.
Next we come to J .�fl li'J f6 2.c.f. b6 3.d.f. i.b7 .f. .�c3 e6 S...l1z5 b6 6.i.b.f. i.e7
(GOIITle 3.2). Bl01ck equalizes without much difficulty.
The rem01inder of this chapter de.als with the Petrosi.an/K�p.arov V01riation S.d in
the .above sequence. It is the m01in line of the Queen's Indi.an excluding 4.g3 (which we
meet with the Tivi.akov line in GOIJTle 3. 1). After S ...dS 6.a: dS �I dS White has three se­
rious choices. The move 7.i.dl is met by J ... t(j dJ in GOIJTle 3.3, when White c.an isol01te
the Bl01ck dS p01wn but only 01t the cost of the bishop pair. In G.ame 3.4 we ex01mine the
tr.ad.ition01l 7.d, when I deviate from the recommend01tion of most books (7...g6) pre­
ferring 7...i.e.7, which 01ppen-s to equ.a..lize comfortably thanks to a 20 I 0 novelty. Fi­
n.ally we cover the most populu 7.1t" cl, which we meet by trading knights, pl01ying
8...h6 next to prevent 9.i..gS if White takes with the queen, or S ...cS if he takes with
the pawn. See GOIJTle 3.5. In .ill c�es it seems that Black can equ.Uize the game.

KJ77.2 (E60) Game 3.1

5. .ll.f1-g2 .ll.c8-b7
0 Mortinovic,Sasa
• Kumosov,lgor We might reach this position by J.lbf3
Aix-les-BainsEch, 2011 (7) tt:lf6 2.c.f. b6 3.g3 i..b7 4.i..g2 g6 S.d+
.ll.g7.
1. d2-d4 /Og8·fe
2. c2-c4 g7-gl 6. o-o 0-0
3. �1-13 .ll.l8-g7
So it's 01 Queen's Indian with the bishop
4. g2-g3 b7-b6
on g7 rather th.an e7. It seems to me th.at
This move order shows how this system this difference is slightly in Black's favor.
can be used inste01d of 4- . • .dS if you don't
7. d4-d5 10b8-o6
like the Neo-Griinfeld, bm only if White
8. /Ob1-e3 10o6-c5
pl01ystl:Jf3 beforeg2-g3.

.i".t'l!l'ft X .i tl' l!tw

• ••••.t• •.t••••.t•
. .. . . .. .
"[>,
[>,
[>,!j,
t<J t<Jfj,
[>,!j, [>,lj,�[>,
J:l �"i!l' J:lw

,.
 Chapter 3- Qu«D's lndiClll YmW Riti

Bb..ck's light-squued bishop is restricted, 20.f0d4 with a position typical of the

but its comp.a.nion is very ;active.
•. lil13-d4
If 9.-'.el e6 IO.-'.d4 aS ll.�eS exdS
12.cxdS DeS IJ.Dcl d6 14.�c6 hc6
IS.dxc6 �6 16 ...ie3 a+ 17 .�u+ dS=
Bl;ack's coming ...dS-d+ will leave the
knight on a4 in enough trouble to guar­
antee the recapture of the lost pawn;
9.De l d6 IO.e4e6=;
9 ...c2 c610.e4 cxdSII.exdS e6 J2.Ddl
txdS ll.cxdSIIe814.ttld4L6=;
9.�4 e6 IO.ttldi exdS I l.cxdS aS
12.•cU:te8 ll.DadI d6=.
King's Indi.a.n. White is proba.bly a bit
better here, though Black did win the
g;ame. But it seems wrong to waste time
on .... ttlhS .a.nd going ba.ck to (6, so the
text is my proposed improvemt:nt.
13. ..Q.c1-e3
ll.ttlxcS bxcS14.j},d2 fS IS.t:xfS gxfS=.
Although the computer slightly pr«!:ft:rs
Whitt:, I would rather play Black here.
Usually in such positions White plays
f2-f4 to induce ...eS-e+ so that he c.a.n use
the di-square, but here the cS pawn pre­
vents that plan.

.. - e7-e5 13. - 17-15

10. lil<U·b3 14. e4xf5 g&xiS

IO.�c2 aS 11.1!:4 c6 12.De l cxdS Bl.Kk hu a pleaQilt King's lnd.i.a.n posi­

IJ.exdS (13.cxdS L6f) I 3...�e8 - tion. and IS.f+? c.a.n be well-met by
though the computt:r says this is equal, I 15... .L6.
prefer Black, who hu ideu of ...tt:ld6,
... .L6• ..,d ...f7.fS.

10. - d7-d6
QI2.16 (E12) a-3.2
11. o2·.. Ab7-c8
0 C:Uisen,Magnus
12. h2·h3
• Ld<o,P<tor
Miskolc m.uch, 2008 (8)

1. d2-d4

J.�f) �f6 2.c4 b6 3.d4 ..Q.b7 1-.�cl e6

would be the way we would reach this
position.

1. - IQgS-18
2. c2-Q4 o7-o6
3. lilg1-13 b7·b6
4. lilb1-c3 .ll.c8·b7
12. - lill8·d7 5. .tc1-g5

lbe actual game Wl!:nt 12...�hS I l.'�h2 S.a3 tr.a.nsposes to 4.a3 g;ames.
�7 ••..in �ha "·"-•3 lilr• ••·"-&2
5. - h7·h6
�g8 17.W'd2 f5 18.t:xf5 gxfS 19.f4 e4

29
Tht Kaufman Rtptrtoiu for BlocK

9. -· c5xd4

6. J<g5-h4

6...ii.xf6 'tltxf6 7.e4 ..li.b4 8...ii.d3 cS 9.0-0

cxd4 I O.�bS ..d8 ll.�bxd4 0-0
1 0. e3xd4
12.'tt'e2 t0c6 IJ.Aad I ll:lxd4 14.tt:lxd4
a6=: Bl.tck's bishop pair offsets White's IO.�xd4 tLlc6 ll.tLlxc6 ..ixc6 12...e2
spatial advunage. �e4 13.he7 tLlxcJ 14.hd8 tt:lxe2+
IS.he2 Afxd8 16.Afdl dS 17..if3 A.tc8
6. - J<f8-o7
18.�ci -".b7=. Bl.tck plms ... �f8-e7.
This gives comfort.tble equality, unlike
1 0. "' lLlb8-c:6
the risky 6... ..ib4!?.
11. J<d3-c2
7. e2-e3
Il.:.cl dS 12.cxdS�xdS IJ.i.gJ :.c8=:
For 7...c2 cS S.dxcS bxcS 9.e3 0-0 see ll. ..ii.g J dS 12.cxdS liJxdS=.
the next note.
11. ·- d7-d5
7. - 0-0 1 2. J<h4xl6 b7xl6
8. .1<11-d3 1 3. c4xd5 'bc6-b4
1 4. d5xe6 J<b7xl3
8.'tlt'c2 cS 9.dxcS bxcS IO...ie2 t0c6
1 5. g2xl3 tt:lb4xc2
ll.Adl d6 12.0-0 tLlhS 13.he7 ..xe7=.
1 6. •d1xc2 tfd8xd4
White's pressure down the d-file just off­
17. lla1 -d1
sets Bl.tck's central p.twn dominmce.

8. "' c7-c5 li Rw
.1. .1. .1.
This is almost always .t good move in the
Queen's Indi.tn when White c.tnnot prof­
.1. !H. .1.
it.tbly respond with d4-dS.
'i!!'
9. o-o [',
liJ
9.dxcS bxcS I0.0-0 d6 1 1.1i'e2 t0bd7 t; t;Y/11 [', [',
n.:.rd 1 1i'b6 IJ.bJ :.res 14.:.acl l:[ l:[ \t>
:l:.ad8=. Bl.tck's p.twn superiority in the
17. -· tfd4-c41N
center offsets White's superior mobility.

30
 Chapttr l - Qutm's lndian rtrsusRtti

The actual game continued 17... 'W'h4

8. - c7·e5
18.'W'e4 fxe6 J9 ....xe6+ ¢>h8 20 ....g4
9. �xd5
lbc8 2 J.lld7 ...xg4+ 22.fxg4 ..ihd
23.bxcl llxcl 24.llu7 llf4 25.0 llcxfl 9.e4 cxd4 IO.tl:lxdS exdS ll.eS llcBN
26.llx0 llxl) 27.¢'g2. dnw ag�ed. 12.'W'dl .i.e7 I J . .i.e2 0-0 14.0-0 dl
IS.hdl d4�. After this move, activating
18. o6xl7+ 'tlrc4xl7
his only bad piece, Blick is it le.ut equal.
19. tOcl+d!i .iU6·e5
20. f3·f4 �e5xf4; 9. _ e6ad5

White hu little compensa.tion for his bro­ 9... .i.xd5 10.e.,.. .i.b7 l l.d5 exdS 12.exdS
ken kingside. .i.d6 13.0-0-0 0-0 14..i.bS scores too
well for White though the computer rites

Ql 4.19 (E 1 2) Game 3.3

1 0. d4xe5 .if8ae5
D Joh<lvo.Budur
• Almui,Zoltm IO...bxcS ll.el .id6 12.b4 0-0 is iiSO
RijebEch. 20 1 0 (8) okay for Blick. though in this use Blick's
compensa.tion for his isolated queen
1. d2·d4 �gll-16
pawn is superior development rather than
2. c2-c4 e7·e6
the bishop pair as in the main line.
3. �gH3 b7·b8
4. 12·13 .Q.c8·b7 1 1 . e2·e3 o-o
5. �b1·c3 d7·d5 1 2. .Q.f1-d3 �d7·16
6. c4ad5 �16xd5 1 3. o-o
7. �c1-d2 �b8·d7

li 'i!l'
.t. .t
.t.
.t .t.

fj, � fj,tij
M i� tj, tj, tj,
J:! .1:! 1!;>

8. 'tlrd1-c:2 13. - llo8-c81

8.0xdS exdS 9.g3 (if 9.b4 �d6 JO.iigS
f6 ll.iih4 cS 12 . .ig3 hgl ll.hxgl c4
14.e3 0-0 the protected �ssed piwn ofT­
sets the slightly weikened blick kingside)
9...iid6 IO. .iiigS �f6 1 1..i.g2 0-0 12.0-0
lle8 - chances are b.ilinced.
The text is a computer improvement over
the actuil game , which continued
13.../tJe4�� 14.iib4 ...e7 IS.hcS bxc5
16.b4! md with a great knight to be
posted on d4 vs. .11 b.id bishop White h.11d
full compensa.tion for the pawn and won.

31
The Kaufman Rcpertoire for Biad

1 4. 11'<2-M lilf6-o4
15 . .ll.d2-b4

Not 15 ....xa7?? .iic6 and the white queen

is doomed.

1 5. - "ll'dB-16
1 6. l:l.a1·c1 a7·a5
1 7. .iib4--c3

After 17.�xeS llJxcS 18 ....c2 llJxd3

19.'tltxd3 'ihb2 20.l:l.b 1 ...f6 2l.'ttd4 The move 7...g6 is also okay and is more
l:l.c6 White's positional advantages are not in the Gninfeld spirit, but this game con­
quite worth a pawn. vinced me that 7... .iie7 solvC"s all of
Blad.'s opening problems.
17. _ �e4xc3
18. l:l.c1xc3 .iie5-d6 8. .ll.f1-b5+

Playing 8..iid3 should ultimately trans­

pose" to the game, with each side saving
one tempo.

8. - c7""C6
9. .ll.b5-d3 0·0
1 0. 0-0

I O....c2 h6 1 1 .C"4 llJxc3 12.bxc3 cS

13.0-0 lbc6 14 ..iie3 :ca 15.'tte2 Wc7
16.d5 ti::laS 17 .c4 exdSN 18.exd5 bS
Black is not worse, as the bishop pair eas- 19.cxb5 �xdS=. The passed c-pawn off-
ily offsets the isolated queen pawn. sets the split black qu�nside.

1 0. - c6-e5
Ql 4.7 (E 1 2) Game 3.4
D Dmit:li.m,E.l.im.
• Parligr..,Mircu
Halkis, 20 1 0 (8)

1. d2-d4 lilg8·16
2. lilg1-f3 e7-e6
3. c2-c4 b7-b6
4. a2-a3 .ll.c8·b7
5. lilb1-c3 d7-d5
6. c4xd5 lilf6xd5
7. e2-e3 .ll.f8-o7 11. e3-e4

32
 CfMipttr 3 - Qutm's IDdian vtiSW Rtli

In lh.e �mt of l l ...e2 cxdi- 1 2 .exd-+ ltk6

15. d5xe6
l l.Ad I �5 Bl.tck h.ts .t rd.ttively good
position comp.tred to some olh.er open­ I S .Ab I bxc4 1 6 . ..Q.xc4 li:lxc4 I 7 .Axb7
ings with lh.e isol.tted white d4 p.twn, exdS 1 8 .exd5 .i.f6 19 ..i.f4 .i.d4 20.lLlxd4
since his development h.tS been smooth ..xdS 2 l . ...f3 Wxd4 - chmces .trt b.tl­
md his knight eyes the bl-squ.ue. .tnced, with White's more .tctive pieces
After l i .ll:lxd5 ..xdS 1 2 .e4 .. d7 offset by Bl.tck's extr.t p.twn.
l l ..i.el cxd4 1 4.hd4 ll:!c6 I S .�cl J 5 ....c2? bxc4 just wins a p.twn for Black,
Afd8 16 . .i.c2 ..xd l 1 7.Afxd l !O.tS Bl.tck .tsnow there is no .i.xh7+!.
has lh.e bener side of equ.tlity due to the
15. - b5xc4
pressure on the e4 p.twn.
16. e&xf7+ 1118xf7
11. ·� �d5xc3 17. �d3-c2 tfdlxd1
12. b2Jcc3 �b8-c8 18. Af1xd1 �e7-l&
19. Aa1-b1 11118-118
1 2 ..tt.'ld7 h.tS hem more often pl.tyed,
but the text seems to be stronger.

13. d4-d5
.l .t
13 ..i.e3 cxd4 14.cxd4 Ac8 I S ...e2 �aS
1 6.Afdl Acl 1 7.a4 �bl I S.IL.b l ...c7N 41 ...
md a.llh.ough lh.e computer r.ttes lh.e g.tme ... [>,
even, Bb.ck 's position is e.tSier to pb.y.
[>, ttl
13. - -t:lc6-a5 i. [>,[>, [>,
J:[ i, J:[ It
In prttious g.tmes I 3 ... exd5 w.ts pl.tyed,
but lh.e text move is .t major improve­
20. �c1-e3?1
mmt, giving Bl.tck full equa.lity. After lh.e
insertion of 13 ... exd5?! 1 4.exd5 tt:l.tS He should have pl.tyed 20.Ab5! lbb3
1 5 .c4 bS 1 6 ... c2, the thre.tt on h7 S.tves 2 1 .Axb3! cxb3 2 2 .�xb3 Axe<l
White .t cruci.tl tempo. 23 . ..Q.xf7 + �xf7 24.�e3 c4 25.l0d2 Ag4
26.f3 Ag6 2 7.ll:lxc4 hf3 2 8.Ad2 Ag4
14. c3-c4 b6-b5
29.l0d6+ �g6 30.h3 �g5 3 1 .hg5
AxgS . The ending is even md should be
drawn.

20. - �b7xe4
21. �e2xe4 11118xe4
22. llb1-b8+ 1117-18
23. llb8xl8+ ..,g8xl8
24. b3xc5+ -'Ill

Bl.tck's .tdvmced p.tsser gives him a slight

edge.

33
The Kaufm1111 Reptnoire for Block

Ql 4. 1 1 (E 1 2 ) Game 3.5
25. lill3·d2 .C:e4·e5
0 ZUlwuov,Viacheslav
• BryncU,Sto!Lm
26. �e5·b4 .C:e5-d5
27. Xb4u5 c4-c3
Cap�ll� I� Gr�ndt. 2 0 1 1 (9)
28. Xe5·b4?1 a7-a5
29. Xb4u5 .C:d5xa5 1 . d2·d4 e7-e6
2. c2-c4 t<lg8·ftl
• 3. t<lgH3 b7·b6
.t..t. 4. e2-e3 �c8·b7
i. 5. lbb1-c3 d7·d5
X 6. c4xd5 tt:lf6xd5
7. WdH:2 �d5xc3

i. 4t "i!!' w i. .i
.t. i. .t. .t..t..t.
.t. .t.
30. lild2-c4??

30.�fl lZ.u] 3 l .ltJe] would give While [':,

good drawing chances. [':, .
Ml'
30. - c:3-c2
J:[ .Q.
Slack now wins a piece and 1he game.
8. b2xc3
31 . .C:d1·c1 .C:e5·b5
Or 8.tfxc3 h6 and now:
32. lilc4·d2 llb5·e5
A) 9.g3 lild7 J O .Jl.g2 Jl.d6N I 1 . 0·0
33. lild2·b3 lle5·c8
0-0 - While has no advamage here;
34. .C:c1-e1 �ftl·b2
B) 9.Jl.f+ Jl.d6 I O.Jl.g3 (if J O.Jl.,d6
35. �g1-f1 �b2u3
cxd6 ! I .e] !ild7 1 2. .-'t.e2 0-0 1 3 .0-0 l%c8
36. lilb3·c1 llc8·d8
Black's bishop is more e!Tec1ive 1han
37. tt:lc1·a2 lld8·d1
While's, wilh no1hing 10 o!Tse1 1his)
38. �1 -e2 .C:d1 xe1 +
10 ... 0-0 I J .d tt:ld7 1 2. .-'t.bs ..ixg3
39. �e2xe1 c2-cHt+
I 3.hxg3 c6 1 4 ..L4 lZ.cB I S .lZ.d l ..e7
40. 1Ca2xc1 .lle3xc1
1 6.0-0 tt:lf6 and nexl . . . c7-c5 will give
41 . We1·e2 �-17
Black 1he edge;
42. a2-13 -·ftl
C) 9.e3 ..ie7 I O . .i.bH c6 I I . .L4 0-0
43. Wl3-g4 -..s
I 2.0-0 tt.:ld7 J J .l:ld I 'W'c7 1 4.b4 aS
44. h2·h4 a5·o4
IS . .i.d2 lZ.fcB and wilh ... c6-cS coming,
45. g2-g3 �c1·d2
Black has the edge.
46. h4·h5 h7-h 6
47. 12-13+ We4·e3 8. _ c7-c5
48. 13-14 We3-e4 9. e2·o4 lilb8·d7
49. <ilg4·h4 �d2llf4 0.1 1 0. .ll c1-f4

H
 Clulp!tr 3 - Qurm·� Indian vmus Rili

I O .i..d 3 ..c7 l l .'tlt'b l i..e: 7 1 2.0-0 0-0 In the: actual g.tme:, Bl.tck played 1 2 ... i..e: 7
1 3 .i..e 3 l:b.cs l o4 . .C.d l .C.fdS I S .a4 h6=. 1 3 .i..d 3 �f6 1 4 ...bS+ ...d7 I S.ltJe:S
Black plms ... tLlf6 and perhaps . . �hS-f4. 1i'xbS 1 6.i..x bS+ Wfs 17 .f3 tOes
I S.i..d 7 J:ldS 19 .i..c 6 - White: has a slight
10. - c5xd4
edge: here, but Black held the: draw
11. c3xd4 lla8-c8
e:ve:ntu.illy.
12. 11c2·b3
13. .il.l1·d3 g7·g5
1 2 ... bl i..e: 7 1 3 .i..d 3 0-0 1 4.0-0 .C.c3
14. .il.f4·e3 .il.l8·g7
I S . .C.c l .C.xc l + 1 6.i..xc l •as 1 7 ..C.a2 fS
15. o-o o-o
I S.i..c4 i..xe:4 I 9.i..x e:6+ Wh8= - it's not
16. l:le1-c1 t!Jd7·f6=
obvious who should be better here but
the: computer says it is e:qua.l.
.l 'l!i' .. .
.. .. . . .I .l .t. .l i.
.l .t. � .l [l .l ' ·� '
' ' ' .

[!, [!, §<.

[!,'ff' ttJ
[!, [!, [!,
::1 \!;>§<. 1:[
Black has a Grimfe:ld-like: pressure against
the white: center. Although Black's king­
12. - h7·h6N
side is weakened, the white: queen is mis­
Playable but risky is 1 2 ..i..xe4 I 3 . .i.t6 placed and the threat to e4 will provoke a
.il.ds . concession.

35
Chapter 4

Anti-Griinfeld
This n�e is ;lpplied to the use of the opening move i .GJ£3 to aim for the usu;ll
Queen's G<1.mbit lines without allowing the Grllnfeld Defense. White plays I .lt.Jf3 tbf6
2.c4 g6 l.lbcl and if 3 . . . �g7 , +.e+ d6 5 .d4 is the King's Indi.m. So a Griinfeld player
will likely play 3 •••dS,

j.
/1,
ttl ttl
/1, /1, fl, fl, /l, fl, /1,
J:t � 'lll¥ 1& ..¥1.. J:t

after which 4.d4 would be .t Gn1nfeld. Ho�ver White can try other fourth moves in·
stead, hoping to benefh by saving the tempo d2-d4 or in some lines by rec«pturing on
c3 with the d-pawn instead of the b-pawn. Actually this was the hardest chapter of the
book for me to write, beccuse I believed that White had more than one path to a
non-trivi� Advmtage in the Ami-Grlinfeld. However, when I really got into the analysis
deeply, I found Sil.tisfactory lines for Black in each case, md my present opinion is th.u
with b�st pl<�.y th� Anti-Grllnfeld conf�rs no larger <�.dvant<�.ge on White th<�.n he can ob­
t<�.in against th� normOil..l Grllnf�ld, which is to say very little. In several lines though, it
s��ms th<�.t Bl<�.ck hH hardly any choice if he wishes to stay close to equality, so you h<�.d
best study this chapt�r r<�.th�r thoroughly, unl�ss you want to play altogether differently
<�.gainst i .lbf3 as discuss�d in th� Reti ch<�.pt�r.

in Gvne 4. 1 we look at 4....<�.4+..i.d7 S.'it'bl cb.c4 6....:r.c4<�.61 7.d4 (md other 7th moves
for White). Now if 7 ...i.g7 8.�4 0-0 we would trmspose to th� Hung<�.rian Vari<�.tion of
the Russim System ag<linst th� Griinfeld (which I reconun�nd in th.it chapter for Black),
but with the diff�rence th<�.t Bl<�.ck's bishop is on d7 rather thm cS. This seems to be in
White's favor, as he no longer can play ...�b7 (<lfter ... b5), md also because he needs d7
n a retreat square for his knight in C<�.Se of �s. So we don't play this way. Instead we pb.y

7•••bs 8.-.,1 cS (the novelty S ...�g7 9 .e4 lbc6! ? is Oil..lso discussed md doesn't seem bad)
9.cb.cS i.g7 10.�4i.c6 and Bl<�.ck doesn't seem to have my theoreticOil..l problems.

37
The Koufman Rep:rtoirc forBiack

The remaining gam�s f�ature th� exchang� 4.ad.5 �xdS .

In Game 4.2 White provokes an endg&me by .5.�4 tt:lxc3 6.ch.c3 'tlbdl+ 7.�d l . The
novice might say th&t White has lost th� right to castle for nothing, but with queens
and Oil p&ir of knights off th� board the whit� king will be quite happy on c2 or (After
.i.c4) on �2. Black's equalizing strategy is to play ... f7-f6 and ...e7-e5, together with
... l0d7, so &s to meet the n&tur&l .i.e3 by ... .i.cS , exchanging ofT White's better bishop.
It s�ems that this works fine, as Black h&s Oil nice plus score in grandmaster play from
here in the current c�ntury.
Next we look at two qu��n moves, s.'ti'bl and S .•cl. The first can transpose into a
Griinfeld line which I recommend for White after s .•.•tt:lb6 6.d• �g7 7.�4 0-0 (recom­
mended by Delchev) 8.�e3 it.g4 9 .l:r.d I , so I don't recommend playing this w&y. Instead
we play 7...�g4-I.Other seventh white moves can be met by 7 ... �e6 hitting the qu�en.

The move S.'tltcl was unveiled by Topalov in his 2 0 1 1 Ca.nd.idat�s· m&tch with
Kamsky. Topalov got a.n adnntage and should have won the game but didn't. For a while
I considered this novelty to be the refutation of 3 ...dS in the mti-Griinfeld, but as shown
in my notes to Game 4.3 I no longer consider S.' ..c2 to be any problem for Black, if h�
reacts in the sharp mmner shown, nam�ly .5 ...lbc6 6.d4lbdM 7....a• ..Q.d7 8.-.dl �.51.
Game 4.4 fe;�.tures the move S ...a4+. The usu&l reply historically was S ... it.d7, but
White se�ms to keep a slight edge. This line bothered me quite a bit. Delchev and
Agrest recommend 5 . . .c6, and Oii.lthough the computers hate it I think it is playabl� but
not quite equal. Th� current fad is for the computers' recommended S ... tt'lc6, which
leads to an endgam� in which Black has an awful pawn structure-. However the com­
puters have shown that Black's superior development md piece play are enough to
equ;�.lize here, and recent grAndmaster games confirm this. No one would have played
this way before computers, but today the mono is 'whuever works'.
Finally we come to perhaps the best of the fifth moves, namely S.gl . After the natu­
ral mov�s s ..�g7 6•..Q.g2 0-0 7.0-0 I favor 7...cS. Now after White trades knights he em
play either 9 .d3 or 9 .d4. The move 9 .d4 is rather d;�.ngerous after 9 ... cxd4 I O.it.e3! but
the reply I O . .. d3! se�ms to lead to near-equality for Black. Inste&d 9.d3 tt:lc6 I O.it.e3 is
a dangerous gambit which giv�s White A pull if declined. So we take on b2 and retreat

38
 Chapter 4 - Alll i -Griinfdd

to f6 when •m.cked. G•me 4.5 shows how Bl•ck em steer the g•me to the SOilfety of m
even-m•teri•l bishops-of-opposite-color dri.w, or em pl•y •n origin•l line I give which
le•ds to the interesting bi.lmce of two bishops, rook, •nd extn p•wn versus two rooks
md • knight. So it seems to me th•t .11hhough S.g3 should keep •t leut some edge, it is
quite tiny with best play.

I conclude th.llt the Anti-Griinfeld does not •ppeu to give White my more of •n edge
thm he gets in the re•l Griinfeld, but White does h•ve .11 vuiety of interesting options
here, so there is •t leut • re•son•ble cue to be made for stuting the gMile with l .lt:lfJ if
you expect to see the Griinfeld.

B0 61.8 (A 1 5) Game 4.1

7. d2·d4
0 J.m.kovic,Alojzije
• Grmdelius,Niels 7.e4 bS 8.'tfe2 cS 9.e5 tt:lhS I O.lbei �c6
Klu.nty·M�siysk ol, 2 0 1 0 (4) I J .lOxcS .ifs 1 2.d3 llc8 13 . .-'ieJ (so far
Ponkr.Jitov-Kurnosov, T•ganrog 20 I I )
1 . lilgH3 lilgB-16
1 3 ... e6N l i.llc l �g4 1 5.1lc3 b4 1 6.1lc4
2. e2-c4 g7·g6
hfJ 1 7 .'WxO b3! - the idea is to block
3. ltlb1·e3 d7·d5
the White queen 's access to •4 in cue of
4. "lld 1·a4+ lte8·d7
. .. lbxeS Wd I . White is in trouble.
5. "llo4·b3 d5xe4
7.g3 bS 8 ....hi (.11fter 8.Wb3 cS 9.�g2
6. "ll b3xe4
l0c6 I O.d3 .Q.g7 1 1 .0-0 l:lc8 1 2.'W'd I 0-0
If 6 ...xb7? �c6 7 .�bs tt:ldS 8.tt:lbdi Black's .11dvmt•ge in development .11nd
�bi 9 . .113 llb8 I O.'W'x•7 lla8 l i .'W'b7 space e.iiSily offsets White's extr.to center
i.g7 1 2 .1lb l cS J J .axbi lOxbi l i.e3 p.twn) 8 . . . c5 9 . .Q.g2 �c6 I O.d3 h6
llb8 I S ....11 7 cxdi Bl.11ck wins materi.lll . 1 1 .0-0 i.g7N .11.nd Bl.11.c k is better .1s
White must respond to the thre.tot of ... gS ;
6. MO a7-e61
7.d3 bS 8 ...f4 cS 9.g3 -'i c6 I O.�g2 �g7
I 1 .0-0 l0bd7N 12 . .to3 h6 - this permits
ll: .. 'ill' 1ir i. g Black to mswer 'W'h4 by ... g6-g5. I al­
.l .l i. .l .l .l re.tody prefer Bl.11.ck's g.tome .
.l .. .l 7. ·- b7·b5

'i!Y
liJ liJ
/:>, [:, 8 £>, 8 £>, 8
J:[ .Q I!;> .Q J:[
Very simila.r to the Hungari;m Variation of
the Griinfeld (which I recommend here)
•gainst the Russian System.

39
TM Kduf1111111 Rcptrtoirt forBiadc
a. 'lle4·b3
S .'tfd3 .ig7 9.e4 0-0N I O.a3 (after
1 O . .id b+ J l .�e2 .Q.bs 1 2 .'tfc2 cS
1 3 .dxcS .id3 14 .... b3 .ixe4 I S .�d2
l0bd7 Black's lead in development is se­
rious) I O . . ...tg+ l l ..i.e3 �c6 1 2 . .D.c l
.ixf3 1 3 .gxf3 e S ( 1 3 . ..�aS 1 4 ....d l
lbd7 would be the way to play i f Black
does not want a draw. The superior
black pawn structure and development
offset the bishop pair) H.lLlxbS axbS
I S . .D.xc6 exd4 1 6 . ..ixd4 ... e8 I 7 . .D.xf6
AdS J 8 .• c3 lhd4 1 9 ....xd4 ...e 7
20 .f<f .i.xf6 2 J .e S cS 2 2 ....e4 .i. g 7
2 3 ..i.x b5 .D.d8 H.0-0 ll d + 2 S ....e3
.Q.h6 26 .e6 .i.xf+ 2 7 .exf7 + ...xf7
2 8 .'W'e8+ •xeS 2 9 . ..txe8 ..tes - al­
though White has an extra pawn, the
better black pawn structure and piece
placement together with bishops of op­
posite color make a draw almost cer­
tain.
8. - c7-c5
An imeresting alternative is 8 . . . ..ig7
9.e4 �c6!?N (this has the intent to
trade three minor pieces for the queen,
which is normally bad but seems okay
here) I O.eS ( I O.a4 0-0!=) I O . . . .i.e6
J l .exf6 .ixb3 1 2 .fxg7 DgS 1 3 .axb3
'ilb4 1 4.Wd l f6 1 5. .l<d2 wf7 1 6 .'ilxb5
axbS 1 7 .l:luS ... xa8 I S . ..txb+ ...e+
J 9 .¢>d2 ¢>xg 7 . Usually three minor
pieces are superior to a queen, but here
White's lack of development, bad
pawns, exposed king, and the reduced
material .til favor Black, so I would
rather play Bl.tck.
9. cUxc5 .lil.f8·g7
1 0. e2-.4 i.d7-c6
40
11. a2-a4
l l .eS �fd7 1 2...�.e 3 (in ca.se of 1 2.e6
lbxcS 1 3 .exf7+ �f8 l +.'tfb+ .i.xf3
I S.gx£3 �d3+ 1 6 . .i.xd3 ...xd3 1 7 .•e<f
'tfxe++ I S.fxe+ �d7 J9 . .i.e3 llc8 Bl.tck
h.ts the initiuive at no cost) 1 2...�xe5
1 3.tt:)xe5 J.xes J +.f+ ..tg7 I S .lld l 'twaS
1 6.'�f2 e6 I 7 ..t3 0-0 I S ..i.e2 lieS=;
l l ...ie2 �xe+ 1 2.lbxe+ he4 1 3.0-0
.i.ds J 4 ....e3 l0c6 I S.J:ld l 0-0 1 6.1lbl
l:le8N (so as to block a l.tter .i.b2 by
... e7-eS) 1 7 .b4 e S IS ..i.b2 �+ and
Black is better due to his outposted
knight and threat on a2;
J l .tt:)eSN 0-0 1 2.£3 �fd7 1 3 .l0d.3 .i.b7
14 . ..ie3 tt:k6 I S.0-0-0 <IOaS l 6 .•b+ ltk4
1 7 . .Q.f2 e6 1 8.h4 'tfc7 - Black plans
<10d7-b8-c6-d4 with excellent compensa­
tion for the pawn.
11. - b5lUI4
1 2. 'llb3·e4 o-o
13. �f1·o2 'ilb8·d7
14. 0·0
1 4.l0d4 he+ I S.!Oxe+ �e4 1 6.�6
..c7 1 7.l0xe7+ (.tfter 1 7 .'tfxe4 lOxcS
18 ....d5 l0b3 1 9.1lb i Aad8 20.W'e4 Ad6
2 1 .l0xe7+ f�Ph8 2 2 .0-0 lld4 2 3 ....c6
...xe7 H..i.eJ l:le4 2 5 ..i.xa6 fS 26.g3
Axel 2 7 . fxe3 l0d2 2 8.Abe l lOxfl
29.-i.xfl ..a7 Black hu the better pawn
structure and the initiative for fr�)
 Cbapttr 4 - Anti-Gninfeld

1 7 ... WhB I B.li:ldS (with I S ...xc=+ lt:lxcS 20. .llJ4 -g3 1118-bS
1 9./ilds 'llb 7 20.110 lilb3 2 l .llb 1 1ild4 21. lil<:3u4 lilg4-h6
White= loses his extn. pie<:e md emerges a
pawn down) 1 8 .....e S 1 9 .c6 lbd6
JU!:
!O ...a! tt:lcS 2 1..�. e J J:lab8, and the
. u t j,
threat of . .. J:lxb! is hard to meet.
j, • j, •
14. ·- 'W'd8-c7 .i. [>,
15 . .D.f1-e1 ILl
I S .�d4 i.xe4 1 6.tt:lxe4 �xc=4 1 7 .lt:le6 ILl �
fxe6 18 ...xe6+ �hB 19 ...xe4 lOxcS [>, ft. [>, [>, [>,
20 ...c2 i.es 2 1 .g3 .D.ab8 2 2.i.e3 J:lxb2 J:! J:! w
23 ...xcS ..xeS 24.�xcS J:lxe2 2S.J:lxa+
J:lfS 26.�e3 �d6 2 7 .J:lxa6 �cS leads to a Black is clearly better, with ... lfJfS next
drawn endgame. .1nd threats against eS and b2.

EO 52.8 (A I S ) Game 4.2

0 SuN,Mi!W
• TS<Shkovsky,Viwy
ArcoWch-sen, 2.0 1 0 (9)

1. lilg1-f3 lilg8-16
2. c2-c4 g7-g6
3. lilb1-c3 d7-d5
4. C4xd5 lilf6xd5
5. e2-e4 t()d5xc3
15. - .il.c8-b51N 6. d2xc3

Black actually played I S . . . J:lfc8 16 . .i.gS 6.bxc3 i.g7 7 . .i.e2 (for 7 .d4 or 8.d4. see
i.bs 1 7 ...-a2 e6 1 8 .lbc l J:lab8 1 9 .4JxbS Chapter 7 on the Griinfeld) 7 . . . cS 8.0-0
axbS 20.c6 tOes 2 1 .i.xf6? ..ixf6 22.b3 l0c6 9.J:lbl 0-0 I O.'tlt'c2 b6= or J O.'tlt'a4
axbl 2 3 .'1t'xb3 •b6 H.c7 J:lxc7 tOeS I J .tOxeS .i}.xeS 1 2.f4 i.g7 1 3 .'tlt'b3
2 S .J:lxc7 'lt'xc7 !6.i.xbS *aS 27.J:lbl b6=.
�xfl+ 28.gx0 i.eS 29.h3 *dB 30.'tlt'e3
6. - •d8xd1+
'llh 4 3 1 .�g2 lld8 3 2 ..il.fl .il.f< 3 3 .'llc S'
7. We1xd1
J:ld2 34 ...-cS+ Wg7 3 S ...c3+ Wh6 and
White resigned. Although this endgame was at one time
considered to favor White slightly, it has
16. ttC4-b4 Wc7xc5
been over ten yean since White has won
17. 1fb4xc5 lt:ld7xc5
a single grmdmaster level game from
18. e4-e5 lil16-g4
here, while Black has won severa.l with
1 9. J.c1-f4 0c5-e6
dozens of draws.

41
Tht Kaufman Rcptrtoitt for Black

7. -· 17-16 .i li
.a. .a. � .a.
li - A ��f A & .a.
- A .a. .a. _
.a.
.a. .a. .a. .a. .a.
[',
.a. .a.
ii:\ {>, ll;> [',
[>, [', §;_ [', t:;_
[',
J:l J:l
[', li:l
[>, [', [', [', [', Anai)'Sisd1agram

J:l Sl. lt> .t J:l

With 1 6. .N7!N Black gets the better
bishop and the initiative on the queenside.
Black wants to play ... e7-e5 and to ex­
9. lilb8-d7
change dark-squared bishops as his �­
10. i.c1-e3 Jl.f8-c5
maining bishop will be slightly better
11. l!h1 -d1 il.c5xe3
than White's.
12. ¢�e2xe3 �e8-e7
Also 0K is 7 ... �d7.
13. lilf3-e1 e7-e5
8. Jl.f1-o4 14. e2-a4 lild7-b6
15. Jl.o4-b3 c7-c5
8.'*'c2 eS 9 . .ie3 �d7 I O.t0d2 .icS
16. 12-14 c5-c4
J J ..ixcS �xeS 1 2 .b4 t0e6 I L �.c4
17. Jl.b3-c2 Jl.c8-g4
'0Pe7=:
18. lile1-f3 :C.a8-c8
S.eS ttk6 9.exf6 exf6 IO ..if4 i.d
1 9. f4xe5 f6xa5
I l .�xc7 hf2 I L�.c4 .ifSN I 3 .'�e 2
20. l!d1-d2 Jl.g4xf3
i.cS 1 4.Ahe I �d7 I S . .igJ :C..1e8+
21. g2xf3 l!h8-f8
1 6.Wfl Axe l + 1 7 .Axe l :C.eS J 8 .Axe8
22. :C.e1-g1 l!c8-<18
Wxe8=;
8 . .ie3 e5 9.tt.:xl2 �d7 I O.�c4 ( I O.�bJ .! li
aS l l .a4 b6 1 2.f3 �b7 I 3 . .Q.c4 0-0-0=;
.a. � .a.
the b3 knight is purely defensive)
- .a.
IO ... .Q.cs I I . .i.xcS �xeS 1 2.b4 <'tJe6
I 3 .Wc2 aS 1 4.a3 �e7 I S.t0b3 ubi
.a. .a.
I 6.axb4 �d7 1 7 . .i.dS c6 1 8 ..i.xe6 .i.xe6 [', .a. [',
1 9.lOcS b6 20.�xe6 �xe6=. [', <l; [',
[>, §;_ J:t [',
8. - e7·e5
J:l
9. Wd1-e2

9 .i.e3 N7 I O .We2 i.cS l l .l:lhd l .ixe3 Black is slightly better as White's kingside
1 2 .*xe3 We7 1 3 .'i:ld2 aS 14.f3 'i:lb6 �wns a.� inferior &nd his bishop is
I S .i.e2 .i.e6 I 6.'i:lb3 (so f.1r Ivanchuk- slightly bad since three white �wns are
Nepomnia.chtchi, Havana 20 I 0) stuck on light squares.

42
 Chapter 4 - Anti-Griinfdd

23. llg1-g2 lld8xd2

24. llg2xd2 l[f8-f6
25. h2-h4 l[f6-14
26. l[d2-h2 lbb6-d7
27. �c2-d1 l[f4-f6
28. l[h2-d2 l[f6-d6
29. lld2xd6 'Obe7xd6
30. f3-f4 'ild7-c5
31. �d1-c2 e5xf4+
32. �e3xf4 lbc5-e6+ 49. �b5-11?
33. <PI4-g4 h7-h5+
I witnessed this g;�.me in person. Suba was
34. �g4-f3 q,;,d6-e5
very upset afterw.ud that he made this
35. �c2-d1 g6-g5
losing blunder nther thom playing
36. ..td1-e2
49 . ..Q..e 8, which <tppe.us to draw:
49 ... 'tPc4 so . ..Q..d 7 q,;,xc3 s I . ..Q.bs Wb4
L
52.Siic 6 tbd3 5 3 .'11;>x h3 l!.'lcS S4 . ..ti>xh4
.t.
�X.l4 55.'�g3.
"'I
.t. '@" .t..t.
f>o f>o f>o

c
.t.
f>o . It<
f>o .fl.

Black is much better here thanks to the

outside passed pawn he will obt;�,in .md w
the better king position, but whether it's a -

forced win I don't know.

Analysis diagram
36 . ... g5xh4
37. ..Q.e2xc4 �e6-g5+
This is a t.lblebise dr;�.wn position. For
38. �13-g2 We5xe4
example: 5S ... lt:lc3 56.<.ti>f3 lt:lb5 5 7 .<l;>e3
39. b2-b4 b7-b6
.14 58 .'�d2 a3 59.Wc l ttk3 60.'�c2 Wc4
40. �c4-b5 We4-e3
6 l .�e8.
41. b4xa5 b6xa5
42. �g2-h2 h4-h3 49. ... 'ill4-d5
43. �b5-e8 h5-h4 50. �l1-b5 �5xc3
44. �e8-b5 di>e3-e4 51. �b5-e8 �c5-b4
45. �b5-11 �e4-d5 52. ¢>h2xh3 �3xa4
46. �11-b5 'Wbd5-c5 53. ¢'h3xh4 �a4-c3
47. �b5-d3 �g5-e6 54. �h4-g4 �c3-b5
48. �d3-b5 .'De6-f4 55. �g4-14 a5-a4

43
Tht Koufmon Rtptrtoire for Biock

to pl.1y Bl.1ck) 9 . . . lbb4 IO ....b l liJ4dS

56. *f4-e5 Wb4-c3
I I .liJxdS ...xdS 1 2.e4 ...xa2 l l .dS
57. b8·17 lilb5·d4
..xb l I +.llxb l .i.d7 I S .�xc7 0·0
0·1
I 6 ..i.d3 fS 1 7 .0-0 fxe4 1 8 .�xe4 �fS
Black is for choice, as White's �wns are
BO 5 2.+ (A I S) Game 4.3 weaker than Black's:
0 Doriinan,)osif A2) 8.'W'a3 tt:lc6 9.e3 0-0 I O.il.ez aS
• Vachier-Lagrave,Muime l l .'it'cs a4 J UObs lias I J .'Irc l lbds
Ca�n ch-FRA, 20 I I (7) l <.�g3 �g·

1. lilgH3 lilg8·1S
2. c2·c4 g7•g6
3. �b1·c3 d7·d5
4. c4xd5 lt:Jt6xd5
5. 'ill'd 1·e21?

To�lov's brilliant new id�.1 with which

he got a winning position against Kamsky
in the 20 I I Candid.1te's tournament, .JJ­
though Kamsky saved the draw. I thought
for .1 while that it refuted Black's a11empt
to play the Griin feld when White omits
d4, but this ga.me and the analysis shows White has an extra center p.1wn, but lo1gs .1
that this is not so. bit in development. Black will aim for
s.'tl'b3 li)b6 6.d4 �g7 and now: ...e7-e5. Chances are nearly balanced:
1 s .llkl Ilea 1 6.0-0 eS=:
.i B) 7 .�g5 �e6 8.'ill'c 2 lile6 9.lld! h6
.i " .t 'i!!' llt
J O.�h< o-o l l .e3 '<lb4 n.'ill'b l �rs
.t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .t .t.
1 3 .e+ .i.g4 l 4.d5 f5 I S.a3 gS 1 6 . .i.g3 f4
" .t.
1 7 .axb4 .. d6 1 8.bS fxg3N 1 9 .hxg3
llxf3 2 0 . gxfl �xfl 2 i .llh2 .i.xd I
[':, 2 Z .Wxd l llfB - Bl.1ck is clearly bener.
'i!Y iiJ
!', [':,
n jl.
Analysis diagram

A) 7.�r. �•• ,
A I ) 8 ...c2 lbc6 9.%1d l {in case of
9.e3 li)b4 J O .Wd t 0-0 l l .�e2 cS
1 2 .0-0 lieS I ) .�eS .i.xeS l +.lbxeS
cxd4 I S .exd+ liJ4dSN White has no at­
tack to offset his isolani. I would prefer Analysis diagram

..
 Chapter 4 - Anti-Griinfdd

His pieces are .Ul working together while

White's a.re not. White's king in the cen­
ter is not so happy;
C) 7.e4

4 .i. 'l!H !lr &

j, j, j, j, j, J. j,
Iii j,

[', !<,
'i/!1 � li:l 9. a2-a3?1

!<, 8: .8 !>o f; 9.dxe 5 ! i.fs IO ...igs i.e? l l .e4 ..ig4

.r A w i. :a
Analysis diagram
7 ... �g4 (note th.u if Black plays Delchev's
recommendation 7 ... 0-0 then 8 ...ie3 i..g4
9J:I:d I transposes to my White recom­
mendation against the Gninfeld (the move
count is off by one though, as here each
side has saved a tempo). Since this is not a
line either of us recommends for Black in
the Gninfeld, it is illogical to recommend
it here. Fortunately 7 ... ..ig4 works) S.dS
0-0 9.i.e2 c6 1 0 .0-0 cxdS l l .exd5 lb8d7
1 2 .l:.d l tileS and White has more space
but an isolated d-pawn, so it's equal.
li oil .i. 'i!!' llf .i. li
oi. J. j, 4, j, j,
j,
�
1 2 .i.xe7 Wxe7 1 3 .a3 ..ixf3 1 4.gxf3 l:.d8
I S ...a4 lild3+ 1 6 ...ixd3 l:lxd3 1 7 ...b5
l:ld4 1 8 .lbd5 'ti'xe5 19 ....xb7 l:lxe4+
20 .'�fl ...xd5 2 1 .fxe4 'ti'c4+ 2 2 .-.t>g I
'ti'xe4 2 3 .'ti'c8+ �e7 24.'tltxh8 lt:kl.4
25 .'ti'c8 tl.lf3+ 26.�g2 lt.Jd2+ 27.�g l
tl.lf3 + leads to a draw by perpetual check.
9. ... e5xd4
10. �c3·b5
J O.axb4 dxc3 l l .bxc3 ..ig7 1 2 . ..id2 0-0
1 3 .e3. So far Alexeev-Kurnosov, Taganrog
20 I I . Now after either 1 3 .....if5 or
I 3 . . . tbe5 Black is clearly better, due to
White's imprisoned bishop on d2 and
lagging development.

li:l. li:l
!<, tJ 'i/!1 [', !<, !<,· !<, !<,
11 31i. w fi. :a
5. •.. �b8-c6
6. d2·d4 �d5·1>4
7. •c2-a4 -'lc8-d7 1 0. ... a7-•6
B. -.a4-d1 e7-e51 11. tl.lb5xd4 ltJc6xd4

45
The Kaufman Rtpertoire for Black

Bl�ck is much better. White's queen is not

12. ll:lf3xd4 ll:lb4·c6
secure and his development is severely
1 3. 'ild4·f3
l�gging.

E0 5 2 . ! I (AI S) Game 4.4

0 Markos,Jan
• Li Chao B
Shem:hen, 2 0 1 1 (4)

1. 'ilgH3 'ilg8·f6
2. c2-c4 g7-g6
3. lbb1·c3 d7-d5
4. c4xd5 lbf6xd5
13. .• "lld8-f61N 5. -.d1·a4+

The g�me �ctu�lly went I 3 .. .ie6 li o\\ .a "l!f � .t y

14 ...xd8+ J:.xd8 I S . .igS .ie7 1 6.�xe7
.t..t..t. .t..t. .t.
�xe7 1 7.e3 J:.d6 I S.J:.c l l:.hdS 1 9.�e2
•.t.
.ifs md draw �greed.

14. e2-e3

After l 4.l:.b l �g7 1 S ..igS "tlt"f5 1 6.e3 h6

17 ..ih4 •�s+ I S."tltd2 .irs 1 9."tltxaS
lbx�S 20 .J:.c l Lb2 2 1 .l:.xc7 .ix�3 Bl�ck
has won a p�wn and has two connected
5. ... 'ilb8-e6
p�ssers.
Few people pl�yed this w�y until comput­
14. ... 0·0·0
ers st�rted recommending it, bec�use
15. �f1-e2 .ol.f8·g7
Bl�ck gets ugly pawns. In return though,
16. 0-0 J:.h8-e8
he gets active piece play.
17. 1itd1-a4 �c8·b8
Delchev recommends S ... c6, but two of
his lines m�y not be quite equal for Bl�ck,
as shown. Usual w�s S ... .id7 , but lately
the knight move h�s tHen over.
After S ...c6 the lines split:
A) 6."ti'd4 f6 7 .e4 eS S.llJxeS llJxcJ
9.1itxc3 'W'e7 I O.lbfJ 11txe4+ l l ..ie2
lbd7 ('Balanced', says Delchev) 1 2.d3N
•b4 1 3 .0-0 'tltxc3 1 4.bxc3 llJb6 I S.l:.e l
�f7 and White enjoys better develop­
ment for free here, though Bl�ck is not in
real trouble;

46

B) 6.t!JxdS 'ihds 7 .e4 Wd6 8.d4 lbd7
9.�e2 lt:lb6 IO ...c2 �g4 l l. .�e3 �g7
1 2 .0-0 �xf3 1 3 .eSN ( 1 3..".xf3 �xd4
1 4.l:tad l eS I S.�d4 exd4 1 6.eS ..e6
17 .'ti'cS 0-0-0 and Bb.ck is for choice,
Miton-Vachier-U.grave, France tt 20 1 0)
1 3 ... W'd7 1 4.hfHld5.
Analysis diagram
Delchev c�lls this equ�. while the com­
puters love White due to the bishop p�ir
(�fter I S .�d2) �nd the obstructed bl�ck
bishop. I would prefer White but only
slightly. Black will activate his bishop by
... f6, after which the strong knight should
offer at le�st partial compensation for the
bishops.
6. �f3-e5 W'd8-d6
This is the latest development. In eulier
days Bl�ck played 6 ... t!Jb4 here, e.g. 7 .�3
.i.g7 8.axb4 -".xeS 9.bS.
7 . tt:le5xc6 1td&xc&
8. 'tlta4xc6+
8 ...d4 lbxc3 9.dxc3 (in case of 9 ...xh8?
lt:lxa2 I O.b3 lt:lxc i 1 1 .1i'b2 lt:lxe2
1 2 .�xe2 -".e6 Black h�s w�y too much
for the exchange, namely two p�wns,
better development, the bishop p�ir, the
better p�wn structure, and a safer king! )
9 . . .f 6 I O .e4 -". e 6 N l l .-".e3 l:t d s
1 2 .Wx�7 -xe4=.
Chap"r 4 - Anti-Gninfeld
8. ... b7xc6
9. g2-g3
9.b3 t!Jxc3 I O.dxc3 -".g7 l l .�b2 �s
1 2 .g3 �4 1 3 .-".g2 0-0 1 4.bx�4 �b7
I S .0-0 J:lx�4 1 6.J:lfcl J:lbS 1 7 .J:lc2 cS
1 8 .-".xb7 J:lxb7 1 9.J:ld l -".eS 20.-".c l f6
2 d.e3 Jl.d6 22.�g2 llb.7 2 3.lldd2
�f7 - the computers love Bl�ck here, de­
spite White's passed p�wn and Bl�ck's
doubled p�wns, due to the far more active
rooks. I don't see a bl�ck adnntage my­
self, but Black should have no trouble
m�king � dnw as White can hard.Jy do
anything but 'pus';
9.e4 lbb4 I O.<iVd l -".e6 l l .d3 -".g7
1 2.-".e3 aS This w�s Panch�nathan­
Bacallao Alonso, Badalona 2 0 I I . Black is
cleuly better with the initi�tive and much
better development.
9. ... Jl.f8-g7
10. Jl.f1-g2 Jl.c8-e6
11. b2-b3
Or l l .a3 J:lb8 1 2.e3 0-0 1 3.lt:l�4 -".c8
1 4.li:lcS (so far Vitiugov-Areschenko,
Olginka tt 20 1 1 ) 14 ... J:lbSN I S.d4 eS
1 6.�4 J:lbS 1 7 .dxeS ti:Jb4 1 8 .0-0 -".xeS
1 9.J:ld l lDc2 20.J:lb l ll:l�3 2 1 ..1:1�1 llk2
with � dr�w by repetition.
11. ... o-o-o
47
TheKGufman Rcpcrtoirr forBiock

With 1 1 ... 0-0 I 2...�.b 2 ll:lb4 1 3 .0-0 l:lfdS

20. 12-13 >l.g4xl3
1 4.d3 ..lig4 I S .l:l�b l l:lab8 1 6.l:lfel aS
21. llh1-11 �f3xe4
Black should get enough �ctivity to offset
22. ..lic2xe4 .lld&-e&
his inferior pawn structure.
23. 1111xf7 .lle6xe4+
1 2. �c1-b2 ll:ld5xc3 24. *e1-d2 h7-h5
25. �d2-d3 .lle4-e6
26. a2-a4 �c8-d7
27. 1117-18 .lle6-f6
.t. .t.
.t. if
.t. ... � ...
l!! .t.
.t. .t.
!',
:.:.. 1', "{5 -t; fl,
�
13. >l.b2xc3

1 3 .Lc6 l:ld6 (if I 3 . .. lt:lxe2 1 4 ...1hg7

28. 1118-a8?1 ltl6-d6+
lbd4 I S.hh8 l:lxh8 16 ..i.e4 f5 17 ..i.d3
29. �d3-c4 e7-e5
.i.dS I S .l:lfl .i.g2 1 9 .l:lg l lLlf3+ 20.�e2
30. .lla8-f8 �d7-e7
lbxg l + 2 i .l:lxg l .i.dS 2 2.l:lc l e6 White
31. 1118-12 �e7-e6
h&s a cosmetic edge due to Black h�ving
32. ¢>c4xc5 e5-e4
one more isolAted p�wn. but Black should
33. 1112-18 g6-g5
have no problems th&nks to his strong
34. 1118-eS+ �e6-f5
bishop) 14 . .i.g2 l:la6 I S .dxc3 l:ldS
35. .lle8-e7 h5-h4
1 6 . ..1ie4 n�d6 1 7 . .i.d3 .i.fS 1 8.0-0-0
36. g3xh4 g5xh4
Ld3 1 9.Axd3 l:lxd3 20.exd3 Axd3
37. .lle7xc7? .ll d6-e6
2 l .f4ltf3=.
38. �c5-d5 .ll e6-e8
1 3. ... ..lig7xc3 39. �d5-c5 .ll e8-e6
14. d2xc3 lld8-d6
39 ..e3 40.Af7+ �e4 4 l .Afl e2 42.llel
15. .lla 1-d1 llh8-d8
�f3 wins for Black.
16. lld1 xd6 lld8xd6
17. >l.g2-e4 <6-<5 40. �c5-d5 .ll e6-e8

1 7 .. .i.ds ! S.LdS cxdS=. White resigned, seeing no defense to the

advance of the passed p&wn. The com­
18. �e4-c2 �e&-15
puter s&ys ' 4 1 .�c5 =', because computers
1 9. e2-e4 �f5-g4
are told to assume that if they can repe&t a
1 9 . . . ..1ixe4 20 . .i.xe4 lle6 2 I . f3 fS position once, they can do so again. But
2 2 .' �d2 fxe4 2 3 . fxe4 .ll x e4 H . .ll f l of course, having m&de the time control,
c4=. Black would &void repeating a third time.

48
 Chapter 4 - A.nti-Griinfcld

EO 2 7 . 1 6 (A I S) Game 4.5
D Meier,Georg
• So,Wesley
Lubbock. 2 0 1 0 (9)

1. 'ilgH3 'ilg8·16
2. c2·c4 g7•g6
3. ll'lb1-c3 d7·d5
4. c4xd5 4Jf6xd5
5. g2-g3 �f8·g7
6. �11·g2 0·0 9. d2·d3

9.d4 cxd4 I O .it.e3 d3! I I .ti:le l 16'd6

1 2 .ll'lxd3 li::Jc 6 1 3 .it.c5 ( 1 3.l:.c l l!Jd4
1 4.li.:lc5 llb8 I S .J:le l i.. fs 1 6.ti:lb3
J:lfd8=) 13 .. .'tlt'c7 1 4.l:tcl J:ld8N I S .b4
l!a ..Q.fs 1 6.1t'a4 i..h 6 1 7.f4 i..g 7 I 8.bS ttki4
!9 . .Q.xd4 lhd4 20.l:.xc7 l:.xa4 2 I .l:.xb7
li:l li:\ 8 ..Q.d4+ 2 2 .�h l �f8 23.l:.xe7 J:.b8=.
8 8 8 8 8g8 9. ... �b8-c6
I:! g 'I!V <;t> .ll 10. �c1-e3

After I O.a3 ..d6 l i .l:.b i ?! c4! 1 2 .b4

7. 0·0
cxd3 1 3 .bS dxe2 1 4.Wxe2 �d4
In the event of 7 ....b3 c6 8.0-0 Wb6N I S .�xd4 ..Q.xd4 16 . ..Q.h6 l:.d8 White has
9.lt:lxd5 cxdS JO ....xdS lLlc6 White's de- little for the pawn.
velopment problems and exposed queen
1 0. ... .i.g7xb2
insure Black adequate compensation for
the pawn. Ikclining the gmtbit gives White an edge.

7. ... c7-c5
:i .t
8. lilc3xd5
j, j,
8.'W'a4 l!Jc6 9 ....c4 lllx c3 I O.dxc3 ...b6 •
I l .'ti'h4 Dd8=. Black's control of the A 'i!!"
open file and the threat on b2 if the c I
bishop moves offset White's mild 8 Q ii:l 8
kingside pressure. 8 8g8
8.Wb3 e6 9.d3 tt:lc6 I O.i..g S ... d7
'i!V nw
l i .Aac l b6 1 2.l:.fe l it.b7=. Black is al­
most caught up in development and has a
11. J:.a1-b1
slight edge in space.
In case of l i .ll:ld4 ..d7 1 2.li:lxc6 ..Q.xa I
8. ·-
1 3 .'tlfxa l bxc6 1 4 . ..Q.h6 ..d4 I S . ..Q.xf8

49
Th,Kaufman�rtoirtforBidck

�xf8 1 6.'ii'b 1 .i.g4 1 7 . .i.xc6 J:[c8 1 8 .e3 At first I wanted to recommend this, be­
'5'e5 l9 ..i.e4N c4 20.dxc4 :xc4 Black cause two bishops, .t rook, and an extra
h.ts the better of a probable draw. pawn are virtu.tlly eqm..l in strength lO
two rooks and .t knight. However White
11. ·- l<b2-16
seems to h.tve the initiative here, so now I
1 2. 'll"d 1 -a4
would make this only a second choice in
After 1 l .o£ld4 'ii'n l l 3 .tl:lxc6 bxc6 c.tse you don't like the game continua­
1 4.-i.xcS .i.g+ 1 5.£3 .i.e6 1 6.d4 J:[fbs tion.
l 7 .J:[.t 1 'ii'c 4N White doesn't h.tve 1 9.e3 .i.g7 20.J:[fb 1 .cr.cs l i .J:[a3 :c7
enough for the pawn. 22.£4 eS H.tl:lc4 exf4 24.gxf4 �fB
2 S .'�f2 f6 26.e4 �f7 - Black should be
12. ... 'll"d5-d7
okay here, .tlthough he must be careful.
13. 'll"a4-b5
White's active rooks give him the sunny
1 3.hc5 b6 14.Lb6 tl:ld4 I S .'ii'd l .txb6 side of a probable draw.
1 6.tl:lxd4 .cr.x.tl 17 .'ii'b3 J:[dl 1 8 .'ii'b4 J:[al
14. •b5xc5 ..-e&xa2
1 9 .'ii'b3 J:[dl with a duwby repetition.
Black is under pressure on the queenside,
but his extr.t pawn offsets this.

15. J:[f1·e1

1 s .o£ld2N J:[dB 1 6.J:[fe 1 �rs 17 . .cr.xb7

tl:ld4 I S .J:[c7 .cr.acS 1 9.'ffx .t7 'ff x a7
t'-, .i/Jjj f5, lO.J:[x.t7 J:[cJ 2 J .�fl tl:lxe2 2 l.�e4
['., ['., 8 fi ]:, :xe l + H.�xe l Le4 H.dxe4 tbd4

_ l:l. � ll lt> l S .'�'fl J:[bS 26 . .i.h3 hS=. The two bish­

ops are not much of a plus with ill the
pawns on one side, and Bl.tck's ideally
13. OM tt'd7·e6
posted knight gives him equality.
I analyzed the novelty 1 3 ... b6 1 4.o£ld2
15. ... 'W'a2·a5
li:ld4 I s .Ld4 'ii'x bS 1 6.J:[xb5 .i.xd4
16. Wc5xa5 liJc&xa5
1 7 .�xaS .i.d7 I S .J:[b3 .cr.x.t8.
17. 813-d2

:!! � ;g � &�
.t. �.t..t. .t.
.t..t. .t..t. .t.
.t. .t.
� .t.
.t.
�
�
.. 8 8 t>-, fi 8
8 Ci:J 8 8 8 Ci:J t>-, 8 fi. 8
It \t> It It \!;>
Analysisd1agram

so
 Chapter + - A.lll i -Griinfdd

White is 'better' acwrding to the com-

puters, but of course with equ.a.l m.a.tcrial
If Black doesn't want .a. draw he could try and bishops of opposite color it's almost
[ 7 ... lt:lc6 1 8 .lt:le4 .a.S 1 9 .lt:lxf6+ exf6, but sure to be .a. draw.
[ think White keeps an edge.
24. f2-f3 ..lte6-d5
1 8. :e1-c1 .liic3xd2 25. 1Pg1-12 .>l.d5-c6
1 9. .liie3xd2 �a5-c6 26. g3-g4 17-16
20. .liig2xc6 b7xc6 27. h2-h4 wg8-17
21. .liid2-a5 .ltc8-e6 28. �a5-d2 h7-h5
22. :c1xc6 lll8-c8 29. g4-g5 16-15
23. :c6xc8+ :a&xc8 30. :b1-a1 ttc8-a8
31. tta1-a5 a7-a6

K � 32.
33.
tta5-c5
.>l.d2-b4
tta8-c8
..ltc6-d7
j. j. j. j.
34. ttc5-e5 e7-e6
.t A
35 . e2-e4 llc8-b8
.¥1. 36. ..ltb4-c3 llb8-b5
37. e4xf5 ttb5xe5
"' "' 38. f5xg6+ <M7xg6
"' "' "' 39. ..ltc3xe5 a6-a5
l:t w
Dr.a.w .agreed. Bl.a.ck doesn't even ne�d th�
.a.-pawn to draw h�re.

51
Chapter 5

Queen's Pawn Openings

In this chapter we consider op�nings White may choose if he m.rts with l .d4 but re­
frains from an early c2-c4. These openings .ue not very popular at grandmaster level
but ue much more so at am.1teur level, bec.tuse they c.tn be played with relatively little
study. As a general rule these lines don't promise White an advantage. but Black needs
to know how to respond to each of them.

First we look u the Veresov, l.d4 lbf6 2.lbc3 dS 3 ...11t.g S,

which we meet by 3 ...h6, welcoming the bishop for knight exchmge. White has to m.U:e
the trade or play a bad French Defense. I think that the exchange results in a very pleasmt
game for Black, who can use his unopposed bishop to pin the c3 knight. See Game 5. I .

Next comes the fairly popular Trompowsky, l.d4 llJf6 2...11t.g 5,

:i ... .a 'i!hlf .a :i
... -
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
..
Iii g
8

8 7i 8 8888
l:! ti:l 'i¥\Y� It:r l:!

53
Tht Koufmon Rtpenoin for B/ock

which we meet by l•.• dS. The exchange on f6 is not to be feared, as it would happen
without loss of tempo by Black. Otherwise Black will probably continue with 3 ... c5
and perhaps 4 . . . • b6, targeting the b2 p.awn. See Game 5 . 2 .

The Barry Auack. l.d4l!Jf6 l.<�JO g6 3 ...'0 d d S ...�f4-,

.a.
[', �
tLl tLl
/1, /1, /1, /1, /1, /1, /1,
l:! 'if li' � l:!

aims at "tlt'd2 and 0-0-0. The remedy seems to be a timely ... l0e4. See Game 5 . 3 .

After J.d4- ..'Of6 2•..'00 g 6 White has three popub.r options. all covered i n Game 5 . 4 . H e
can choose the Colle J.el. which i s considered ineffeclive against the Icing's fianchetto,
the Torre J.�gs .ig7 4.l!Jbd2 and now 4... 0-0, ready to mett 5 .e4 or 5 .c3 by S ... dS. or
the London System l.�f4-.ig7 •.d d6 S.bl 0-06�e2 when I like 6...cS 7.cl ft6.

So don't fear these systems, but be prepared!

QP 1 1 . 1 (DO l ) Game 5.1 i.cS 1 2.!0f3 0-0. Blo!Ck has returned the
0 Put,Nicholas p.awn to achieve a nice le.ad in develop­
• Acbms,Michael ment. and White cannot castle. Black
Sheffield ch-GBR. 2 0 1 1 ( 1 0) plans ... f7-fS with a big advantage.

1. d2·d4 lilg8·18 3. - h7·h6

2. lilb1-C3 d7·d5
3. .ll.c 1-g5

The Veresov System. I don't think it's very

good.
The attempt to reach the Blackma.r­
Diemer Gambit by 3 .e4�! fails here:
L.l0xe4! 4.tt:lxe4 dxe4 S.�c4 !Oc6 6.c3
eS 7 .d5 lbe7 8.f3 (8 .!0e2 c6) 8 ... !0g6
9.�b5+ �d7 J O.�xd7+ "tlt'xd7 1 Lfxe-4

54
 Chapt�r S - Q11W1 "s Pawn Opmin!fS

This move is rare but good. It seems cause the bishop pair is a bigger factor
wrong to spend a tempo to force the ex­ than the crippled majority) 6.exdS ...xdS
change, bm the point is that White's 7 .tLlf3 0-0 8 . .ie2 Was 9.1i'd2 tLld7
knight on c3 is then misplaced, because I O.a3 lLlb6 I J .l:tb i .ixc3 12 ....xc3
White would want to play c3-c4 after the 1i'xc3+ 1 3 .bxc3 l:te8N.
trade. More usual is 3 ....�Jbd7. but why
guard against a bad trade?
! .�. ! i: .L t
4. �g5xf6
- .L .L
Or 4 ...Q..h4- e6 S.e4.

:i - .t 'l!h!d. ;g 8
8
.L .L .L .L .L
.�. - .L J:[
8
.L
!::, [;
Anatysisd•agram
�
ttJ Both sides have crippled majorities, but
888 8 8 1; White has three weak pawns (a3, c2, c3)
while Black has none.
n � w � lt:l ll
Analys�sd1agram 5. ... �f8-b4
6. �11-d3
Without the insertion of ... h6 .Q..h4 this
would be a transposition to a mainline If 6.tbe2 c6N 7 .a3 .id6 it's hard to see
French Defense, where White should much to offset Black's bishop pair here.
keep his normal edge. Here however,
6. ... c7-c5
e2-e4- gives nothing. On the other hand, a
7. d4xc5
quiet move like e2-e3 creates a position
in which the move lt:lc3 just looks stupid, 7.Wf3 .ixc3+ 8.bxc3 0-0 9.�e2 �c6=.
blocking the otherwise desirable c4)
7. ... i.b4xc3+
S . . . .ib4 (after S . . . gS 6 . .tg3 tLlxe4
8. b2xc3 0-0
7.lt:lxe4 dxe4- 8.h4 lLlc6N 9.c3 l:tg8
9. tt'lg1-e2
I O.hxgS hxgS White has yet to prove full
compensation for the pawn) 6.eS gS
7 ..ig3 lt:'le4 is an inferior line (for White) !! 1!;>
of the MacCutcheon French. Black is al­ .L .L
ready equal. .L .L
4. ... e7xf6
iH
5. e2·e3
8�8
S .e4 .ib4 ( S . ..dxe4 6.lt:lxe4 fS 7 .�g3 8 b. ltJ B B B
.id6 8 ....e2+ We7 9 ....xe7+ .ixe7
n �w n
I O ..id3 g6 is also pleasant for Black, be-
Tht Kaufman RfPtnoirt for Black

counterpl.ty with a2-a4. Bl.lck is obvi­

9. ... �c8-e6
ously better.
A good allernuive was 9 ... lbd7 J O.c4
22. ltb1-d1 <Zlc5·8<1
1lta5+ J J .'tltd2 ... xd2+ 1 2 .�xd2 dxc4
23. c3-c4 d5xc4
1 3.�xc4 lbxc5 1 4.J:lhd I �e6. Bl.tck h.ts a
24. i.d3-15 ltc8-e8
superior p.twn structure on the queenside
at no cost. His doubled p.twns do not Certainly not H. . . .i.xfS+ in view of
cripple .t majority or f.tll in any 'bii.d' cate­ 25 .J:ld8+ .tnd 26 ....f8.
gory.
25. �f5xe6 f7xe6
1 0. D:a1-b1 'W'd8-c7 26. e3·8<1 �g8·h7?1
11. 0·0 lilb8·d7
26 .. lL:lcS 2 7 .11te3 J:lf7, and .lithough
1 2. ll.b1-b4 �d7xc5
White controls the open file .lnd has .t
13. ltb4·h4?1
safer king, this does not nearly offset his
White is just 'passing', so Blii.ck is alre.tdy p.twn minus.
better. He h.ts only one bad pii.wn while
27. -.a3-g3 lL:la4-b2
White has three.
28. ltd1·d2
13. -· :aa-ca
14. lth4·d4 ltf8·d8
15. "ill'd 1 ·c1 a7-a6
16. ltf1·d1 b7·b5
17. 'tltc1-a3 �cS-•4
18. ltd1-b1 1Wc7-a7
1 9. h2·h3 ltd8-d7
20. ltb1·b3 �a4-c5
21. ltb3-b1

.i '1!1
'i!i' li .t. .t. 28. -· c4-c3

.t. .t .t. .t. 29.

30.
ltJe2xc3
ltd2·d1
<Zlb2·c4
<Zlc4·b2
' "' ' 31. ltd1·d2 <Zlb2·c4
J:t 32. ltd2·d1 tl:lc4-e5
WI t>, Jt. t>, £>o 33. �g1-h2 lte8-c8
[>, £>, {jj [>, [>, 34. �c3-e2 .C.c7-e7
J:[ It>
H ... J:lxc2 35.f4 .C.xe2 36.fxe5 .C.cc2
3 7 .exf6 J:lxg2+ 38.W'xg2 ... c7+ 39.�h l
21. -� ll.d7-c7
l:lxgi 40.�xg2 �g6 4 J .fxg7 W'xg7 -
2 1 .. ll:Ja4 2 2 .'Wb4 ...c7 2 3 .J:lf-t- J:ldd8 - queen and pawn are in gener.tl a bit
Bl.tck can win the p.twn on c3 any time, stronger than two rooks, although here I
though doing so will give White some expect th.tt White can draw.

56
 Chopter 5 - Qutcn's Pawn Openings

fxe6 1 2.Wh3 0-0 - the 'Stonew•ll' for­

35. c2-c3 Wa7-c7
m<�.tion is great for Black when his
36. *h2·h1 �-5-c4
light-squ<�.red bishop has already been ex­
37. 11'g3-g4 l!Jc4-e5
changed, •s here.
38. 11'g4-g3 tt:Je5-c4
39. 11'g3-g4 <'Oc4-e5 3. ... c7-c5
,_,
li lll, .i. "ill' � .i. li
QP 7.9 (A45) Game 5.2 .t. .t. .t. .t. '.t. .t.
0 Mila.dinovic,Igor . ..,
-.t. .t.
• SoW<,Dr•gan 1<.
V.lljevo, 20 1 1 (7) 8
1. d2-d4 lilgB-16 8
2. i.c1-g5 888 888
J:I ILl "i!Y w � ID J:I
This is the Trompowsky, which ha.s a
few exponents among grandm.1sters
4. lilb1-c3
end quite a decent following among
cmateurs. I think it is fading 4.c3 �c6 s.ll:Jf3 Wb6 6.'W'c l (•fter
though. 6 ....b3 c4 7 .tt'c2 �fS 8 ....c l "t:le4 9.�f4
h6 I O.�bd2 gS l l .�g3 l!Jxg3 1 2.hxg3
2. ... d7-d5
�g7 1 3 .�e2 ...d8 White h<�.s little for the
I like this reply, bec;mse I don't consider bishop pair lost) 6 ... �e4 7 .�f4 �fS
3 ..i.xf6 to be in White's favor, md other­ 8.�bd2 e6 9."Llxe4 �xe4 I O.�e2 �e7
wise the move ... d7-dS is without dr.w­ 1 1 .0-0 0-0 and Black has more space at
backs. no cost.
4.lbd2 h6N s.Lf6 exf6 - &�though
3. e2-e3
White will isolate Black's d-pawn to com­
3 .lLid2 cS 4.dxc5 e6 5.tt:lb3 tl::!bd7 6.e3 pensue for Bl<�.ck's bishops, his knight on
lLlxcS 7.<�xc5 .i.xcS 8 ..i.b5+ �fS 9 ..i.d3 d2 is mispl<�.ced for putting pressure on
e5. d5.
J .lik3 transposes to the Veresov. After 4 . .i.xf6 exf6 S.ll:Jc3 tbc:6 6.�ge2
3 .l!Jf3 transposes to the Torre. .Q.e6 7.g3 cxd4 8.exd4 �d6 9.�g2 �e7
3.hf6 exf6 +.e3 .i.e6 (4 ... c5 transposes I 0.0-0 <1.6 I would count Bl•ck's bishop
to the note to move 4) 5 . .i.d3 f5 (5 ... c5 pair ii.S slightly more importmt than
6.dxc5 .i.xcS 7 .c3 lLlc6 8.tt:ld2 0-0 White's superior p<�.wn structure.
9.tilb3 .i.d6 ! O .€le2 :.ca and Black's
4. ... lilb8-cli
bishops more than offset his isolated d­
5. d4xc5
pawn) 6 ...f3 g6 7 .lt:Je2 c6 8.0-0 tt:ld7
9.tLlf4 .i.d6 I O.�d2N (not I O.c4? �xf4 s . .Q.bs e6 6.o{)f3 �e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.dxc5
l l .cxdS Lh2+ 1 2.'�xh2 ... h4+ md .i.x.cS 9.'tlfe2 .i.e? I O.l::tfd 1 •6 l l .�d3
Bb.ck wins • p<�.wn) I O ..... c7 l l .�xe6 �d7 1 2 . .i.xe7 ...xe7 1 3 .e4 d4 1 4.�bl

57
Thc kdurrMn Rtptrtoirt (or B!Gck

d - Black has more space, the better

bishop. and a great square (cS) for his
knight

5. ·- e7�e6
6. �g1�f3 �f8xc5
7. .lil.f1-d3

White is playing a slightly dubious varia­

tion of the Queen's Gambit Accepted
with coloTS reversed and an extra tempo,
15. h4xg5?1
which at best m.1.y give him equ.1.lity.
In case of 7 .a3 0-0 8.-'id3 -'ie7 9.0-0 h6 Beuer is I S . ..Qe2 'tltc7 1 6.hxgS .iix eS
I O .i.h4 a6 I I .'W'e2 bS 1 2 .h3 .iib 7 Black 1 7 .gxf6+ Lf6 18 ....b4+ �e8 1 9 .J:Id l
h.as more space and an extra pawn in the -'id7 20.e4 d4 2 J .J:Ixd4 i.xdi 2 2 .-..xdi
We7 23.e5 ..Qc6. White has a p.1.wn and a
safer king for the exchange. It's a close
l li .t 'i!hit & gilme but I'd mher play Black.
.t. .t. .t. .t. .t. 15. - h6xg5
. ... . 16. .D.h1 xh8 *d8xh8
.t .t. � 17. .lil.b5·11 .lil.c8-d7
18. 0-0-0

lll � LI Ii:l
1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 '!!!'
.ll. 'ili lt> .ll. .t. :i .t tif .t.
.t. .t .t. •
7.
8.
...
.lil.g5-h4
h7-h6
.t. li:l .t.
'ill'
8.-'ixf6 ...xf6 9.0-0 0-0 I O.a3 .i.b6 and ILl 1:1
Black is already �uer thanks to the bish­ 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1 1:1
ops .md the extra center pawn.
It> .II. i.
8. - g7-g5
1 9. �e5xd7?1
Also after 8 ... 0-0 9.0-0 -'ie7Biack is at
least equal. In the event of 1 9.g3 ...Q.c 5 20.Wd2 Wh2
2 1 .�xd7 �xd7 22.a3 �c7 23 . ..Vbl Wb8
9. .lil.h4-g3 lill6-h5
Black is better with an extra center pawn
10. .iii..g3·e5 tt:lc6xe5
and better development.
11. �f3xe5 lilh5·16
12. h2-h4 .lil.c5-d6 1 9. liltexd7
13. .lil.d3·b5+ h8-e7 20. •d4xh8 J:lc:8xh8
14. 'itd1·d4 a7-a6 21. e3-e4 d5xe4

,.
 Chapter 5 - Quem's Pawn Oprnings

22. !Llc3xe4 �d6-f4+

23. <lo>c1-b1 f7-f5
24. tt:le4-c3 �f4-e5
25. <i:lc3-e2 /LdH6

R
l .t.c;l:.t. .t. li\
;!!>

.i.t..t. 39 . ... l:l:h8-c8

40. b4-b5 a6xb5
41 . �c6-d7 l:l:c8-c3+
42. �b3-b4 .llc3xc2
43. �b4xb5 llc2xg2
44. io'.d7xe6 �g3-h4
45. �b5-c4 Sii.d4-c5
Black is obviously better here. His bishop,
46. a2-a4 14-13
knight, and king are eoich better
47. Sii.e6-d5 l:l:g2-g1 0-1
positioned th.m their white counterparts
Moreover, his p.twn majority is more .td­
vanced. QP 3.5 (A48) Game 5.3
0 Stefanova.Antoaneta
26.
27.
�e2-c1
'fjc1-d3
ILI6-g4
Sii.e5-d4
• Lahno,Katerina.
Rostov-on-Don. 20 I I ( I 0)
28. Sii.f 1-e2 �g4xf2
29. lild3xl2 .i<d4xl2 1. d2-d4 ..'L.g8-f6
30. Sii.e2-f3 b7-b6 2. lilg1-13 g7-g6
3. ti:b1-c3 d7-d5
With rooks on the board and Black h<tv­
4. Sii.c1 -f4
ing the hope of obtaining two connected
p.tssed pawns, the f.tct that there are bish­ This is known as the 'B.lrry' Att.1ck.
ops of opposite color isn't likely to s�.ve
4. ... .i<l8-g7
White.

31. b2-b4 g5-g4

32. .i<l3-c6 f5-f4
33. lld1-d2 ..itf2-e3
34. lld2-d3 ¢>e7-f6
35. �b1-b2 �-g5
36. lld3-d7 �g5-h4
37. �b2-b3 �h4-g3
38. lld7-g7 Sii.e3-d4
39. :g7-g6

59
The Kaufman Rqlc'rtoire for Black

White has only the bishop pair for the

5. li'd1-d2
pawn, so he is just down half a pawn for
This �ims �t i..h 6 and at castling queen­ nothing.
side, which seems logical given that the
6. ... <Zlftl-e4
knight on c3 blocks the c2 pawn. 5.e3 is
7. t!:lc3xe4
probably the better move, but if White
has to switch to c.lStling kingside like this, 7 .We3N 'i'd6 8.i..x g7 �xg7 9.0-0-0
the opening strikes me as illogical. The lbxc3 I O."tltxc3 i..f5 l l .<lib l lLld7=.
knight on c3 is merely in the way unless
7. '" d5xe4
White castles queenside: 5 ... 0-0 6.i..e 2
8. i.h6xg7 �g8xg7
cS 7 .t!:le5 lLlc6 8.0-0 cxd4 and now:
A) 9.lLlxc6 bxc6 ! O.exd-1- lLld7 l i .lLla4
eS 1 2 .i..e 3 Ae8 1 3 .Ae I ? exd4 1 4.i..xd+ :i � .t 'll+' :B�
i..x d+ I S .1Wxd4 Ae+ 1 6 .1Wc3 Ax�+ .1. '.1.
.1. - .1. .1. � .1.
I 7 ....xc6 t!Jb6 and Black has won a piece .1.
for just a pawn. This was Hebden-Palliser
Halifax 20 1 0 (rapid). Since Hebden is 8 .1. ....
perhaps the best known advocate of the li:)
Barry, this game has some significance: 8 8. 8 Wi 8 8 8 8
B) 9 .exd4 Wb6 (after 9 . . . lLld7
n - w .t :::" l.l:
I O.lLlxdS tbdxeS l l .dxeS i..e 6 1 2 .c4
lLlxeS 1 3 .a4 (if 1 3 .Wb3 bS 14 .... xb5
9. 11>13-gS
AbS ! S ."W'cS i..x dS 1 6.cxd5 .C.xb2
1 7 .1We3 .-xdS Black is up 'haif a pawn') In case of 9.lLle5 cS I O.e3 ..c7 1 1 .0-0-0
13 ... Ac8 14 ...b3 lLlxc-4 I S .i..xc4 Axe+ Ads 12 ....c3 f6 ! 3 .ll'lc4 i..g+N 1 4 ..C.d2
1 6.1Wxc4 i..x dS 1 7 .'Wb+ e6=. Although lLla6 Black has better development and
White is up '1-. pawn by my count, Black's the initiative.
permanent bishop on dS is enough to
9. -· e7-e5
offset this) I O.tLlxc6 "W'xc6 I I .i..b S "W'b6
1 0. 0-0-0
1 2.a+ and White is a little better.
I O.dxeS "tltxd 2 + l l .<lixd2 AdS+
5. ... 0-0
1 2 .�e3 ll:lc6 1 3 .ll:lxe4 ll:lxe5 Black's su­
6. �14-h6
perior development and threats, plus
Logical but perhaps not good. But if he safer king, are surely worth a pawn.
goes 6.0-0-0 ll:le+N 7.lLlxe4 dxe4 8.ll:le5
10. ... li'd8xd4
(after S.tLlgS 'WdS 9.�b l h6 I O.c-4 'i'fs
11. li'd2xd4 e5xd4
I J .lLlh3 e3+ 1 2."W'd3 lLlc6 Black should
12. .C.d1xd4 e4-e3
win something due to the tlueat of
1 3. f2xe3 h7-h6
... lLlb+) 8 ... Wd5 9.c4 We6 I O.h3 (else
14. <Zlg5-13 1118-eB
... f7-f6) !O . . . i..x eS l l .i..x eS ll'lc6
1 2.i..h 2 W'xc++ 1 3 .<i9b l e3! 1 4.b3 lt:lxd4 White's bottled-up kingside and doubled
1 5 .bxc4 exd2 16 . .C.xd2 cS 1 7.e3 lbc6 isolated pawns on a half-open file are

60
 Chop!tr 5 - Qu«n S l'llwn Openinas

more than enough compensation for a Although White has two pawns for the
P'wn. exchange. he can't keep them and is
dearly losing.
15. ,:d4·d3 tt::l b8-a6
26 . .M l:ld7·c7

26. .bS! won more easily.

27. :h1·g1 b7-b5

28. .lil.f1·g2 b5xc:4
29. .lil.g2-f3 �e3xd5
30. 10d2·b1 IOdS·e3
31. /Ob1·c3 h6·h5
32. h2·h4 l:le7-d7
33. 10c3·e4

16. g2·g3?1 l!
In case of 1 6.a3 b6 1 7 .g3 /(JcS I S.:c3
.1. li .l. t!r
.1.
.ilb7 19 ..Q.g2 :e7 Black is dearly for
choice despite his potwn minus.
.1.
.1. ltl to,
16. 10a6·b4 to, <l\ .i f'o,
17. :d3·b3 c:7·c5
[; [;
18. a2·a3 10b4·d5
It J:[
1 9. e3·e4 cS·e4
20. :b3·b5 tt::l d5·e3 33. - INS
21. ltb5·e5? .D.e8·d8
3 3 . .d ! .
22. �f3·d2 .Q.c8·e&
23. b2·b3 :d8·d7 34. lLie4·e5 l:ld7·d1 +
24. b3xe4 l:la8·d8 35 . .D.gh cd1 l:ld8xd1 +
25. l:le5-d5 .Q.e6xd5 36. ¢'c1·b2 :d1·d2
26. e4xd5 37. �b2·e3 l:ld2xc2+
38. �3·d4 �e3·f1

& 39. e2·e4 f5xe4

.1. .1. .l. t!r 40.

41 .
.Q.f3xe4
.'OcS-e&+
l:lc2-a2
W!fN6
.1. .1.
42. t0e&·f4 10fhg3
[>, 43. .lil.e4xg6 lL!g3-e2+
[>, 44. t0f4xe2 Wf&xg&
[>, • to, 45. t0e2-f4+ <i>g6·h6
M i:J t; to, 46. ¢>d4xc4 l:la2xa3
It .i J:l 47. <i>e4·b5 l:la3·g3

White resigned.

61
The Kcmfman Repertoire for BI11ck

QP 3 . 1 4 (A48) Game 5.4 3 . .ig5 is the Torre Attack: 3 ... .ig7

D Legky,Nikolay 4.l!Jbd2 0-0 and now:
• Istratescu,Andrci
M.t.lakoff, 20 1 1 (6)

1. d2·d4 lilg8·16
2. lilgH3 g7·g6
3. i.c1-f4

Th� London System. 3 .e3, the Colle Sys­

t�m. is not v�ry effective against ... .Q.g7:
3 ... .Q.g7 4 ..ie2 c5 5.0-0 0-0 and now:

Analysis diagram

S .c3 (after S.e4 d5 6.e5 l!Je4 7 . .ie3 c5

8.c3 cxd4 9.cxd4 tt'lc6 I O ..i�2 f5 l l .exf6
exf6N Black is already b�tt�r with his
outposted knight) S ...d5 6.e3 cS 7 . .Q.d3
'tltb6 8.l:tbi tLlc6 9.0-0 .a.�s I O .b4 cxb4
l l .cxb4 a5=.

3. ... J11.18·g7
Analysis diagram

A) 6.c4 cxd4 7.exd4 (after 7.lbxd4

tLlc6 8.tLlc3 d5 9.cxd5 tLlxd5 J O.lbxd5
*'xdS I I ..Q.f3 'tltc5 1 2 .lbxc6 bxc6
1 3 ...a4 .Q.fSN 1 4 ..Q.xc6 .Q.c2 J S ...bS
'ihb5 16 ..Q.xb5 a6 17 . .Q.�2 l:tfd8 White's
dev�lopm�nt problem is quite serious, so
despit� Whit� 's �xtra pawn Black is for
choice) 7 . . . d5 8.lbc3 lbc6 transposes to
the Griinf�ld syst�m with �3;
4. e2-e3
B) 6.b3 cxd4 7.tt'lxd4 (in case of
7.exd4 dS 8 . .Q.b2 tLlc6 9.lbbd2 .ifS Instead, 4.l!Jbd2 0-0 and now:
I O.tt'leS l:lc8 l l .c4 tLlxe5 1 2.dx�5 tt'ld7 A) S .c3 d6 6.e4 lbbd7 7.h3 e5 8.dxe5
1 3.f4 tLlcS 1 4.llJf3 dxc4 15 ..Q.xc4 tLld3N dxeS 9 . .Q.e3 (9.lLlxe5 lLlxeS IO ..ix�S
16 ..ixd3 *'xd3 Black's bishop pair giv�s l!Jxe+ I I ..Q.xg7 l:le8 1 2 .lt:lxe4 l:lxe4+
him the edge) 7 ... d5 s . .Q.b2 l:le8 9.c4 �s J 3 . .ie2 Wxd l + 1 4.l:txd l �xg7=)
I O.l!Jf3 tLlc6 l l .cxdS tLlxdS 1 2 ..Q.c4 .ie6 9 .....e7 I O ...c2 b6 J l .b4 .ib7 1 2 . .Q.c4
omd Black is more comfortabl� with tLleSN 1 3 .0-0 lbd6 omd Black is for
b�tter development and the option to choice with possibilities lik� ... c7-c5 or
play ... e5-e4 or ... f7 -fS; ... a7-a5 or... f7-f5;

62
 Chapttr S - Quttn 's Pawn Opmings

B) S.h3 cS 6.e3 cxd4 (6 . . . d6 7.c3 b6 A decent .1ltern.1tive is 7 ... b6 8.0-0 .fit.b7

8.�e2 Sit.b7 9.0-0 lbbd7 m.nsposes to the 9.ti.Jbd2 lilbd7 I O . ..Q.h2 'tlfc7 1 1 ..14 ll:le4
note to move 7 ) 7 .exd4 lLlc6 8.c3 d6 1 2.tbxe4 .fit.xe4 1 3 .lLld2 ..Q.c6 1 4.Sit..16
9.�e2 eS I O.dxeS dxeS l l .lL!xeS lL!dS �b7 I S .'ite2 ..Q.x.16 l 6.'tltx.16 :;�.b8
1 2 .lLlxc6 bxc6 1 3 .�g3 l:le8 1 4.0-0 �xc3 1 7 .l:lfe l '*b7 1 8.'tlt'xb7 .:txb7 =.
I S .Wc ! l:lxe2 1 6.bxc3 �fS 17 .lLl£3 l:lc2
8. "lld 1 ·b3
1 8. Wh6 W'f8 1 9 . 'tlth4 l:lxc3 and White
has only partial compensation for the In CiSe of s.'tltc l lLlc6 9.0-0 .fit.e6
p;�.wn; I O.l!Jbd2 cxd4 I I .exd4 l:l;�.c8 1 2 .l:le I
C) S.e4 d S ! 6.�d3 (in c;�.se of 6.eS .:tfe8 1 3 .�e3 -.ds 1 4.ll:lfl .ids I slightly
lLlhS 7 ..fit.e3 cS 8.dxcS lLlc6 9.c3 lLlxeS prefer Black due to his extra center pawn
I O.lLlxeS �xeS Bl;�.ck h.1s more center and lead in development.
p.1wns md the better p.1wn structure)
8. ... i.c8-e6
6 ... cS 7.dxc5 �bd7 8.0-0 dxe4 9.l!Jxe4
9. "llb3-o371
t!Jxe4 I O ..fit.xe4 ll:Jxc5 md Black wins the
bishop Jnir cle;�.nly. 9 ....xb6 ub6 1 0.;�.3 ..Q.d7 I J .lLlbd2 .fit.c6
1 2 .0-0 liJ.16N 1 3 .l:lfe l liJc7 14 ..llg 3
4. ... d7·d6
:fc8=; Black's .1ctive rook on a8 com­
5. h2·h3
pensites for his slightly inferior p.1wn
s .�el o.o 6.0-0 11lhs 1 .�gs h6 s.�h+ structure.
gS 9.t!Jfd2 gxh4 IO . .JlxhS cS l l .c3 tbc6
9. ... c5xd4
1 2.f4 cxd4 1 3.cxd4 l!Jxd4N 1 4.exd4
.Jlxd4+ I S.�h I .fit.xb2 1 6.�b3 La I
1 7 .lLlxa l Sit.fs 1 8 .l!Jb3 l:lc8 .1nd Black's i: ... :K �
damaged kingside is more than offset by A. A. A. A. .i. A.
his 1 1!. p;�.wn lead. "j!f A. .i. .-. A.
5. ... 0·0
6. i.f1-e2 c7-c5
A. �
7. c2-c3 'li:V /1, f\, Ci:J /1,
1\, f\, .§L f\, 1\,
J:[ Ci:J lit J:[

1 0. c3xd4?

Instead, after I O.exd4 ...c6 I I .liJbd2 bS

1 2 .0-0 aS 1 3 .Sit.e3 ...b7 1 4.l:l.lc l l2lc6
Black's minority att.1ck. and extra center
pawn give him some advantage.

10. .• 816-d5
11. .i<l4-g3 11ld5-b4
7• •.. "lld8-b6 1 2. �e1-d271

63
TIKkoufmM Repertoire for BJock

1 2 .'1t'a4 �fS l l .�al �d3+ l i.hdl

15. •M d&·dS
hd3 I S.IId l .>l.e4 1 6.lld2 llc8 1 7 .0-0
l0a6 - Black has both the open file and
lhe bishop pair. li &w
.t..t. .t. .i.t.
b8·15
l!l. 'i!¥
12. -
.t.
13. llh1-c1 e7·e5
14. .D.c1-c4?
.t..t..i
� ���. .. �
Also after l i.dxe5 dxe5 1 5.�xe5 he5 MMt. �
1 6.l0xe5 �7 1 7.�xd7 J:l.fd8 I S.�e l �� w� � �
:lxd7 . Black's huge lead in development
1H:J
and safer king mean mo� than While's
exuapawn.

14. _ lC!b8·a6
White resigned. Black will win the d­
pawn with a cominued anack. A sample
15. lto3·e4?
continuation is 1 6.:lc3 exd4 1 7 .exd4
In the event of 1 5.l0cl d5 1 6.J:I.xbi :lfc8 1 8.�xa6 l0xa6 1 9 ."l'b3 lObi
.'()xbi Black is up the exchange with a 20.l0al �xd4 2 1 .�xd4 'lt'xdi+ 2 2.�e l
much safer king. itdl md Black wins mo� materi;a.l.

64
Chapter 6

Ne�riinfeld
This name refers to lines in which Bl.1ck plays the typic.ll Griinfeld moves even though
White h.1s not played �c3. Usu;�.lly this means th.u White has chosen an early kingside
fi.1ncheuo, although first in G.ame 6. I we consider (after I.d-4- tbf6 l.c+ g6) 3.0.

i: 'lli ..t 'if <@ ..t H

... ... ... ... ... ... ...
'111 .1.

[\,
[\, [\, [\, [\, [\,
:a: tiJ � 'iV <;!;> � •i:d:i

White .tims for the S.imisch Attack against the King's Indian or to exchange on dS (after
3 ... d5) and then kick the knight when it h.ts no opposing knight to npture. So I avoid
the problem by pl.tying 3 . . .<�Jc6 (.11s .tlso recommended by Delchev and Agrest), which
although it looks .t bit cheeky has the virtue of making f2-f3 look silly. Its point was to
cover e4, but if Bl.1ck focuses on d4 that becomes irrelevant, even harmful as ttJf3 is
now illegal.

The remainder of this _chapter deals with 3.g3 �g7 (3 ... c6. as r�comm�nd�d by
Avrukh, is much safer but basically it's playing for a draw) 4.�g2 dS.

65
TheKclufmanRe'pertoireforBlack

The obvious try for an adnntag� is now S.n:ds .'LlxdS 6.« ll:lb6 7..'Lle2. We hit back at
the center with 7...cs B.dS 0-0 9.0-0 e6. Black should defer the exchange of pawns
(which deus c4) until White has played either �bc3 or a4. Normally Black d�velops
his knight to a6. Computers tend to like White due to the advanced passed pawn but
human experience suggests that Black has adequate piece play. Se� Game 6. 2 .

I n Game 6.3 White simply ignores . .. d5 and just plays � f3 and castles. Black should
take on c4, and then when White plays �a3 to regain the pawn, give it back by ... c3!
followed by ... c5, giving White the same weak pawns he gets in the Grllnfeld Exchange
vuiation but without the big center to compensate. This line is not very promising for
White and not so popular any more.

In Game 6.4 White exchanges on dS but refrains from e4, just developing his knight to
f3 and castling. This is the main line now of the Neo-Grlinfeld. Black should voluntarily
retreat his knight to b6 before castling, so as to be able to play ... lbc6 next with attack
on d4 to force the rath�r tam� defense move e3. Then after both sides castle Black
should refrain from ... e7-e5 due to d4-d5 , instead playing the 'improving move'
9 ... l:.e8 and if I O.l:.e i , another improving move: I O ... aS. Black needs to play sharply
and accurately in this position; one sloppy move can leave him with an awful game. A!;
of now it seems that Black is fme, but this is cuning-edge theory so I would keep
abreast of developm�nts in this line. One of the key games in the notes was played just
days before my deadline.

KI 8 1 .2 (E60) Game 6.1 I like this move, endorsed by Delch�v and

D Zlwlg Ziymg Agrest. f2-f3 just begs for Black to attack
. Ni Hua. the dark squares. Usually an early ... �c6
Xinghu;�.Ji;mgsu, 20 1 1 (3) can be well met by d4-d5, e4-e4, ;�.nd
f3-f4, but here this would lose a tempo.
1. d2-d4 lilg8-16
2. c2-c4 g7-g6 4. .'Llb1-c3
3. 12-13 lilb8-c6
A) 4.e4 e5 and now:

li _a 'llh!f _a l! :i _t 'j!f � _t &

.t..t..t..t..t..t. .t. .t..t..t..t. .t. .t.
., 4il .t. ., 4il .t.
.t.
!':, !':, f:o !':o !':o
!':,
!':, !':, !':, !':,
n ltl il. 'i!f w £ 1tl n
Analys�s diagram

66
 Chapter 6 - Nw-Gninfcld

A I ) In c«se of S.dS Q)d4 6.€ie2 cS I fa­ S .e4 dxe4 6.d5 .'DeS 7 .fxe4 �g7 s . .�Jf3
vor Bl«ck due to the monster knight; l0fd7 9 . ..te2 0-0 I O .lL:ixeS ..txeS
A2) S.tbe2 exd4 6.l0xd4 .ig7 7 .l0xc6 ( I O ... tLlxeS) I J ...th6 lieS 1 2.0-0 c6
bxc6 ilild I like Black due to the possibil­ 1 3 .tt'd2 €if6 1 4.h3 .Q.d7 I S .Il«d l
ity of getting in ...d7-dS in one go, which tt'c7=. Black's powerful outpost bishop
would be impossible if this uose from a compensates for White's space edge.
King's Indi«n Defense;
5. ... l!Jf6xd5
A3) S.dxeS lL:ixeS 6.�e3 �g7 7 .tt:lc3
6. e2·e4 l!Jd5xc3
0-0 8.W'd2 d6 9.b3 lle8 I O.tLlge2 a6
7. b2xc3 e7-e5
l i .lld l ( 1 1 .tLlf4 c6 12 ...te2 bS is simi­
lar) l l ... bS 1 2.cxb5 «xbS 1 3.€lxb5 dS
and White is in trouble;
B) 4.d5 tt:leS S.e4 d6 and now:

li .i. 'l!!' t!< .i. &

.u. ... ... .A. .A.
.A. I!IJ .A.
,1\, I!IJ
,1\, ,1\,
,1\,
,1\, />, ,11, ,1\, 8. d4·d5
n lil .t 'i!l' w .t lil J:I
S.�bS �d7 9.11lo2 �g7 I O.�d ( I O.IIb i
lLl«S 1 1 .0-0 c6 1 2.-idJ 0-0 13 ..ie3
B l ) 6.f4 lbed7 7 .tt:lc3 ..tg7 tr«nsposes ..te6=) I 0 ... 0-0 l l .dS tLlaS 1 2 .-idJ .ih6!
to next note; 1 3 .�f2 ( 1 3 .�xh6 lilh4+) 13 ... b6=.
B2) 6.11ld �g7 7.f4 lil•d7 8.11lh3 Black plilils ...W'e7 and ...tLlaS-b7-c5.
(S.Iilf3 0-0 9.�o2 lil<S=) 8...0-0 9.�•2
8. '" tt:lc6-a5
lbcs I O.lbfl e6 1 1 .0-0 exdS 1 2.cxd5
9. h2·h4
lle8N 13 ..Q.f3 hS 1 4.h3 aS I S.lle I €ifd7
1 6 ...te3 b6=. It is hard to see ililY good 9 . ..te3 c6=.
plan for White here;
9. .. �18-cS
B3) 6.€le2 ..tg7 7 .€lbc3 0-0 S.t!Jd4 c6
9 .f4 lbed7 1 O.dxc6 lbcS I I . WO lieS and 9 . .. ..ie7 I O.g3 0-0=. Black intends to
due to the threat of ... e7 -eS, White cililllot meet h4-h5 by ... g6-gS.
keep his extra pawn so he stands worse.
1 0. .Q.c1·a3
4. -· d7·d5
1 O.hs c6 l l .hxg6 fxg6=.
Black only plays this Griinfeld move when
10. .. llld8·d6
White has « knight on c3 to exchililge.
11. .Q.a3-b4 .Q.c5xb4
5. c4xd5 12. 'lt'd1-a4+ .Q.c8-d7

67
The Kaufman Rtptnoire for Black

Bl�ck is � de�n p�wn up.

13. Wt'a4xb4 b7-b6
14. �f1-a6 �e8-e7 28. h4-h5 ltd8-d4
29. l%f4xd4 .'Cf5xd4
After 14 ... 0-0 I S .hS cS l 6.'tia3 fS Bl�ck
30. h5xg6 h7xg6
has the initiative.
31 . l%h1 -e1 + �e7-f6
15. 0-0-0 .lil.d7-c8 32 . .tle1-e4?1 ltc8-c4
1 6. .lil.a6-b5 a7-a6 33 . .C.e4-f4+ <f;f6-g7
17. �b5-a4 .tla8-b8 34. a2-a3 g6-g5
35. l%f4-g4 lild4xf3
36. l%g4-g3 lLlf3-d2+
K
37. wb1-b2 lild2-e4
.a.
0-1
.a.

8 GI 1 . 1 (D72) Game 6.2

0 Bruzon Bautista.Lazaro
• Lc Quang Licm
H;�.v,m;�., 2 0 \ l (3)

1. d2-d4 lilg8-16
18. 13-1471 2. c2-c4 g7-g6
3. g2-g3 .li/.18-g7
1 8.h5 �d7=.
4. .li/.11-g2 d7-d5
18. .lil.c8-g4 5. c4xd5 t!Jf6xd5
19. lilg1-13 e5xf4 6. e2-e4 lild5-b6
20. e4-e5?1 lll"d6xb4 7. lLlg1-e2 c7-c5
21. c3xb4 �·s-c4 8. d4-d5 0-0
22. ltd1-d4 .li/.g4xf3 9. 0-0 e7-e6
23. d5-d6+ c7xd6
24. e5xd6+ �c4xd6
:! lil. .i. "l!l' ! >If
25. g2xf3 .tlb8-c8+
.a. .a. .l .i. .l
26. �c1-b1 lild6-15
Ill .a. .a.
27. .C.d4xf4 lth8-d8
.l 8
I R 8
>ll> .l .a.
.a. .a. .a.
Ill
�8 l1 8
8 1 0. t!Je2-c3

.4 l O.lbbc3 exdS l l .exdS �fS 1 2 .h3 (in

>it J:t case of 1 2 .lt:Je4 i.xe4 1 3 .�xe4 l:e8N

68
 Chapter 6 - Neo-Griinfdd

1 <4-.�g2 c4 1 5 .ltJc3 lila6 1 6.«4 tbcs the

16. "lld 1·d2
active bl«ck pieces and the weak squares
b3 and d3 give Bl«ck ample compensa­ 1 6."llb3 b6 1 7 ."llb S ( 1 7.llfd l <1lb4=)
tion for the bishop pair) 1 2 ... h5 1 3 .lbe4 17 ... li:Jb4 1 8 .'.xd7 Ld7=. White has
lba6 1 4.t!J2c3 Wd7 I S .�h2 :res «nd an adv.mced p«sser, but it is isol«ted, and
Black's piece ;�.ctivity easily offsets the Black's knight has a nice home;
passed p«wn. 1 6.aS .Cac8 1 7 .llt'a4 is a bit better for
White, so I recommend ... c4 on move I S .
1 0. ... e6xd5?1
16. ... b7-b6
It is more accur«te to pl«y I O •.. lila6 first,
17. ..Q.e3-h6 tt:la6-b4
then 1 1 .«4 exd5 1 2 .exd5 transposes to
1 8. ..Q.h6xg7 �g8xg7
theg«me.
Although the exch«nge of bishops we«k­
11. e4xd5 tt:lb8-a6
ened Black's king, on balance I think it fa­
12. a2-a4?1
vored Black as his rem«ining bishop is su­
Better was 1 2 .li:Jd2, which would not perior to White's.
h«ve much point had Black postponed the
1 9. b2·b3 llaB·dB
p«wn exch«nge on d5.
20. "lld 2·b2 17-16
1 2. ... <1lb6·c4 21. Ua1-d1 J:US-eB
22. lld1·d2

;g i. "i!!' a�
j. j. j. i_ j. E ll
• j. j. "i!!' � j.
j. ,l\, j. j. j.
,1\, • j. ,l\, i.
� ,1\, ,1\, .
,1\, ,1\, §t. ,l\, ,1\, iil ,1\,
J:[ til §t.� :a w '1!1' J:[ ,1\, §L t:,
:a w
13. <1lb1·d2
22. ... �15·d3
1 3 .�«3 li:JeS 1 4.h3 tt:lb-4- 15 . .i.e3?
( I S .liJe4 b6=) 15 .. . b6 1 6.We2 �fs 2 2 .. h S ! 23.h4 tt:kl3 24.'tW« i l:.eS f«vors
1 7 . .Cfd l Wd7 was N«k«mura-Topalov, Bl«ck «S now f2-f4 would leave g3 too
Monaco (blindfold) 20 I I . Bl«ck is cle«rly weak.
better, though White won.
23 . .Cf1-d1 "lldH5
13. ... tt:lc4xd2 24. h2·h3 h7·h5
14. �c1 xd2 �c8·15 25. tt:lc3-a2 ..Q.d3-c2
15. �d2·e3 "lld8·d7 26. lldH1 /Db4xa2
27. .Cd2xc2 tt:la2-b4
1 5 .. c4 was prob«bly better «nd equal.

69
The Kaufman Repenoirt for Black

28. :c2-d2 h5-h4

29. �g1-h2 "1115-g5

il. &
.t. .t.
.t. .t. .t.
.t. t>o 'II!'
t>, jjj, .t.
8 !S t>o
'if .. 8 �W 47. llg4xg7 Wh6xg7
.. 48. �13-g4 'W'f6-c6+
49. �h1 -h2 'W'c6-e4
30. g3-g4? 50. tl'c3-d2 �g7-g6
51. �h2-g1 <l<g6-g5
Apparently White had overlooked that
52. �g1-h2 ¢'g5-g6
this .11lows Black to m.nsfer the knight to
53. •d2-c1 14-13
d4.
54. Wc1-c4 it'e4-e5+
30. -· tl'g5-14+ 55. �h2-h1 tt'e5-e1+ 0-1
31. �h2-h1 lilb4-c61

It is headed for d4, where the knight will GI 2 . 1 4 (D7 7) Game 6.3
obviously be better than the White 0 Ma.iorov,Ni.kiu.
bishop. • Gharami.m,Tigr.m
Lill�. 20 1 1 (6)
32. "tltb2-c3 a7-a5
33. l!d2-d3 �c6-d4 1. d2-d4 lilg8-16
34. lld3-e3 �d4-e2 2. c2-e4 g7-g6
35. lle3xe8 lld8xe8 3. lilg1-13 �18-g7
36. tl'c3-d3 ll.Je2-d4 4. g2-g3 0-0
37. �h1-g1 16-15
I would pl.1y 4 ... dS first .1s explained in
38. g4xl5 g6xf5
the notes to C.1rlsen-Giri. After S . .lig2
39. Wg1-h1 <l<g7-h7
dxc4 6.lLla3 c3! 7.bxc3 cS 8.0-0 0-0 we
40. tl'd3-c4 <l<h7-h6
ue back to the current game.
41 . d5-d6 tl'l4xd6
42. 1!11-g1 tl'd6-l6 5. �11-g2 d7-d5
43. �g2-13 lleB-dB 6. 0-0 d5xc4
44. "tlte4-c1+ 15-14 7. .'Ub1 ·a3 c4-c31
45. "tltc1-c3 l!d8-d7
It is wise to d.1m.1ge White's pawn struc­
46. l!g1-g4 l!d7-g7
ture this way.
With an extra. p.1wn .1nd a super knight vs.
8. b2xc3 c7-c5
.1 bishop, Black is winning.

70
 Chdpter 6 - Nto-Griinfeld

li! K '!!r
.1. .1. .l. .l. .t .l.
'i!f i!ll .t i!ll .l.
.1. .1.
[;, [;,
li:l £;. liJ £;, [>, [;, [>, [>,
[;, £:, [>, � [;, liJ ff .. � [>,
n � ff J:t w .. � It>

9. e2·e3 16. �g1-h1 ??

After 9.tbe5 lbc6 I O.lbxc6 bxc6 I J .i.xc6 1 6.lilb3! .i.xb3 1 7 .axb3 Wxb3 1 8.f4
�h3 1 2 .:e1 .C.c8 J3 . .i.f3 w�s 1 4.Wdl We6 md White h�s the bishop p�ir and a
AfdB Bb.ck's compensuion for the pawn p�wn cemer for the p�wn. l would prefer
is obvious; Black's chances, bUI it's � g�me.
9.lbc4 tt:lc6 1 o.tt:Jfes �ds 1 Li.bl :ba ­
1 6. ... Wb6-b2
Black is doing fine here.
17. �-3-c4 .lit.e6xc4
9. ... lDb&-e6 1 8. tt'e2xc4 c5xd4
1 0. 1t'd1-e2 1 9. c3xd4 �c6xd4
20. tt'c4-a4
I O . .i.bl 'tlfb6 1 \ .'tltel ( i i .tl:Jc4 11i'a6
l l.tlJceS .i.fS=) l l ...i.fS md now:
A) l l. IHc l %lfd8 1 3.ll:lc4 (in c.tse of :! !: *
1 3 . .i.fl tL'laS 1 4.lbe5 l:r.ac8 1 5.tlJac4 .1. .1. .l. .l. .t .l.
tlJxc4 1 6.tt.:lxc4 'tlt'e6 Black's more active ill .I.
piect:s more thm offset White's extn. cen­
terpawn) 13 ... 'it'a6 1 4.i.fl .. a4=; 'i!Y ill
B) l l . .C.fdl l:Hd8 1 3 .li.Jc4 (after [>, [;, [;,
1 3 . .i.fl lbaS J4 .. �e5 .Cac8 Black has the [;, 'ilf §;_ [;,
liJ
initiative; White can do litde) 13 ....a6
n .!l. fL It>
1 4 . .i.fl ...a4=.

1 0. - l<c8·15 20. ... Wb2-c21N

11. 1111·d1 Wd8-b6
The gam� w�nt 20 ... 'itbS?! 2 i .�lhbS
12. �c1-d2
tt:lxbS. White has only th� bishop pair for
1 2 . .i.b2 transposes to the previous note. th� pawn, which is not �nough: 2 2 .tl:lfl
t!J�s 23.l:tab l l:txd l 24.l:txd l t!J�d6
1 2. ... 1118-dS
2S.f4 tl:lc3 26.i.xc3 l:txc3 2 7 .�4 f6
13. .fit.d2-e1 .C.a8-c8
28.l:tdS �f7 29.�5 fxeS 30.fxeS ltka
14. !ilf3-d2 l<f5-g4
3 Llih3 tl:lb6 3 2 .e6+ ¢1f6 H .l:tbS i.h6
15. 12-13 it.g4-e6
34.l:tb2 i.gS 3 S :.t;g2 ? ! lbc4 3 6.l:tf2+

71
The Kaufman Repertoire forBiack

WeS 3 7 .1:1.d+ Wd6 38.Wf2 bS 39.it.g2

4. ... d7-d5
�s 40.h4 �f6 4 l .�b7 �4 42.tt::l h 2 'Ot>cs
5. c4xd5 lbf6xd5
43.tt::l f3 h6 44.lbh2 b4 4S .it.e4 gS
6. '1lg1-l3 '1ld5-b61
46.hxgS hxgS 47.'1lg4 Jl.g7 48.�g2 b3
49.ub3 l:l.xb3 SO.�f2 a3 S I .it.c2 l:l.e3 II is best to play this before: castling. as ex­
S 2 .lbd3+ 'Ot>b6 �nd White resigned. plained in the note to move: 8.

21 . "tlta4·a3 ..'!.:ld4·e2 7. t0b1-c3

22. Jl.g2-11 '1l16-e8
7.0-0 lbc6 8.e3 0-0 9.lbc3 transpose:s to
23. �f1xe2 �g7xa1
the game, but gives Black the extra option
24. l:l.d1 xa1 l:l.d8xd2
of 8 ... e5 which is s�id to be drawish,
25. it.e1xd2 'itc2xd2
though the engine prefers White there.
26. 'ti'a3·d3 l:l.c8·c2
27. 'ti'd3xd2 l:l.c2xd2 7. "" ..'!.:lb8-c6
28. it.e2·f1 '1le8-d6

8. e2·e3

Bl�ck h�s � pawn plus the domin�ting If both sides had already castle:d White
rook on the: se:ve:nth rank. He should win. could play 9.d5 now and omswer
9 ... �xc3 by I O.dxc6, but as it is 8.d5?
just loses a pawn to 8 ...�xc3+.
Gl l . l O (D7 1 ) Game 6.4 8.0-0 �xd4 9.lbxd4 Wxd4 ! O .l!:lbS md
0 Corlscn,Magnus
• Giri,Anish A) I O ... Wes I l .a4 0-0 1 2 .�f4 Wxb2
Wijk aan Zee, ZO I I (3) I 3 .lbxc7 ( I J.I:I.bi Wa2 1 4.lbxc7 l:l.b8
I s .lbdS e:S I 6.tt::lx b6 axb6 17 -�dS Wa3
1. d2·d4 '1lg8-16
1 8 .Jl.d it'o7 1 9 .it'b3 l!d8) 1 3 ...1lb8
2. c2·c4 g7•g6
( 1 3 ... Wxa i 1 4.'tltxa l �xa l I S .I:I.xa l
3. g2·g3 Jl.18·g7
l:l.b8 I 6.lbd5 l:l.a8 I 7 .l!:lc7 l:l.b8 with a
4. Jl.l1-g2
draw by repetition) I 4.a5;
4.tbc3 ds S .cxdS tt:lxdS 6.�g2 lbb6 7 .e3 B) I O ...'tlt'c4 I I .Wb3 0-0 1 2.Wxc4
0-0 8.lbge2 (8.l0f3 trmsposes to the �xc4 1 3 .tt::l x c7 l:l.b8 I 4.lbd5 �e6
game) 8 ... e5 9.0-0 exd4 I O.l0xd4 'tlt'e7= I S .tt::lx e7+ �h8 I 6.ti:ld5.

72
 Chapttr 6 - Nto-Griinfdd

pensation for White's extn center pawn)

8. -· 0·0
1 2 ....b l tt:Jc6 1 3 ...c2 Black em now re­
9. 0·0 llf8·o8
peat for a dn.w or play 1 3 ... a4 as in the
Black makes useful quiet moves rather l<�.stnote;
than provoke d4-d5 by ... e7-e5. 1 1 .'1Ve2 md now:
A) I would avoid l l ...�g4 1 2.h3 �e6
10. l:.f1-e1
1 3 .b3 a4 1 4.Abl axb3 1 5 .<�.xb3 . This was
1 O.ds tt:laS I J .ll:ld4 .it.d7 1 2 .e4 (in the Gelf<�.nd-Grischuk, Kazan C<�.ndidues'
event of 1 2.tt'lb3 lbxb3 1 3 .ub3 c6 2 0 1 1 , won nicely by White. Now
1 4.dxc6 �xc6 1 5.e4 .i.d4 White's bad I S ... .i.fS is not good due to 1 6.e4, but
pawn structure offsets his modest mobil­ with the pawn still on hi Black would
ity cdvmtage) I L.lk8 (postponing the have ... .i.g4;
choice between ... c7-c6 and ... c7-c5 for B) J I ....i.e6 <�.nd now:
one move) 1 3 .l:.e l c6 J 4 . .i.f4 c5 I S .lLlf3
lbac4 16 . .i.c l e6 17 .dxe6 .i.xe6 and
Bl<�.ck h<�.s the advantage, due to White's
problem developing his duk-squared
bishop;
I O .'tl'e2. e5 l l .dxeS tLlxeS 1 2 .lt:lxeS
.i.xeS 1 3 .J:ld i ( 1 3.e4 .i.e6 1 4.J:ld l
11t'f6=) 1 3 ... Wt'e7 1 4.e4 c6 I S ..i.e3 .i.e6
1 6.f4 .i.g7 1 7 .eS f6 1 8.exf6 ...xf6
I9 ..i.d4 •a 2 0 ..ixg7 Wt'xg7 2 I .'tltf2.
Analysis diagram
J.fS=.
B I ) 1 2.tiJd2 lDb4 1 3 .Ad l ( 1 3 .�de4?
10. ... a7-a5
il.c4 1 4.'1Vd2 was seen in Tegshuren­
Kaufm<�.n, Rockville blitz 20 I I . After
.i i. ii!l' li • 14 .. . e5 Black is much better) 1 3 ... c6
.t. .t. .t. .t. i. .t. 1 4.<�.3 ttJ4d5 1 5 .ttJce4 '1Vc8 1 6.lt:lc5 itg4
"· " .t. md now:
.t. B l l ) In case of 1 7 .f3 ith3 18 ..Lh3
..xh3 1 9 .lt:lde+ ( 1 9.lbxb7 ?! lbxe3
20 ...xe3 '1Vd7 2 1 .ttJc5 '1Vxd4 wins a
pawn) 19 .....c8= Bl<�.ck's better bishop
mUes up for White's better knight on c5;
B 1 2) 17 . .i.f3 (Bacrot-Robson, Khmty­
Mansiysk 2 0 1 1 ) 1 7 ... h5!= 1 8.ttJde4 ltJf6
11. "lld 1·d2?1
1 9.tt:Jxf6+?! exf6! 20.e4 f5 2 1 .e5 lt:ld7
In case of l l ....c2 tt'lb4 (or l l ... a4 n.tt:Jxd7 ..xd7 23 . .i.f4 a4 Black nn de­
1 2 .lld l >ig4N 1 3.h3 >id7 1 4.tle2 tloB velop his rook to aS. After the bishops <�.re
I S .Wfl lbb4 1 6.a3 lbc6=; the weak traded he will retain the better bishop
squares b3 and c+ give Black ample com· <�.nd pressure on d+;

73
Tht Kcmfman Reptnoire for Black

BZ) 1 2 .b3N a4 1 3.l:lbi ub3 l +.�xb3 1 9.c4 ll:lxc4 20 ...b4 tLld6 Z l .�e3 �f8
.ifS I S .l:lb2 eS 1 6.dxe5 ..e7=; White h�s some but not enough compen­
83) 1 2 .l:ld l .Q.c4 13 ...c2 tLlb4 sation for the pawn.
1 4 ...b l eS I S .a3 exd4 1 6.axb4 dxc3
1 9. -· e5-e4
1 7 .l:lxd8 :�xd8 1 8 .'ii'c 2 ub4 and
.tlthough Black has only rook �nd two
pawns for the queen, the threat of ... b3 is
hard to meet.

11. -· e7-e5
1 2. d4-d5 i;lc6-b4
13. e3-e4 c7-c6
14. a2-e3 c&xd5
15. a3xb4 e5xb4
16. lle1xe8 b4xc3
17. b2xc3 CiJb6xe8 20. lilf3-g5?

After 20.ll:ld4 'lt'xdS 2 I .We2 �d7 Black

is just � p�wn up.

20. -· e4-e3
21. "lll'd 2-b2?1

Better was ZI ...d3 iHS U ...bS �d7

Z3 .Wd3 WxgS H . .ixe3 ..f6 2 5 .c4 ll:\�4.
but White h�s way too little compensa­
tion for the lost knight.

21. ... 'lt'd8xg5

1 8. e4xd5?1 22. �c1 xe3 'iWg5·g4 0·1

Prob�bly Carlsen was trying to �void � It's not often that Carlsen loses in 2 2
draw ag�inst � lower-rated opponent: moves with White, b ut a poor opening
1 8 ...xd5 ll:lb6=. followed by three consecutive �d moves
will do the trick. I guess if you are going to
18. NO lLle8-b6
make this many errors in � tournament, it's
1 9. lle1 -d1 ?
wise to get them all in in one game!

74
Chapter 7

Griinfeld Defense - Non-Exchange lines

This ch;�.pter covers all the lines after l.d-4- Qlf6 2.c4 g6 Vbcl dS in which White does
not exchange pawns immediately on dS .

...
!':, !':,
tLl
!':, [:, [:, f':, t':, f':,
� � 'IIH <;t;> � ttJ �

This includes lines with an early e2-e3, lines with �gS on move 4 or 5, lines with �f4
on move 4 or 5 , the Russi.1n System, based on '*b3 to rec.1pture on c4 with the queen,
and miscellaneous white tries. The one common theme in .til these lines is that Black
almost never should pb.y p•ssively. Th.u me.ms no e.uly ... c7-c6 to defend dS. Usually
Black will take on c4 (unless White can recapture with his f1 bishop) and/or play an
early ... c7-c5. This normally forces White to play concretely, meaning he cannot just
make moves by general principles, he must C.llcub.te variations.
In Game 7 . 1 we look at unusu.al white fourth moves, such .as h2-h4, g2-g4, .and
11f.a4+. This last move intends to play the Russian System with Black's bishop on d7
rather than cS. This does spoil some ofBI.ack's options, but it creates .a new one, namely
a surprising . . . b7-b5! on move 8. The other moves .aren't very good, as 4.h4 is met by
fighting in the center with 1- ... cS while 4.g4 is met by 4 ... dxc4, dearing a square for
the knight to move to if .attacked.
In Game 7 . 2 we look at lines with 4.e3. L.ately White has been playing this with the
ide.a of trading twice on dS .and then pl.aying lLlg 1 -e2-c3 to hit the queen, which we
meet by ... c7-c5 d4-d5 e7-e6 and isolating the queen's pawn. If White just develops
and castles without trading on dS, Bl.ack pl.ays a quick ...c7 -cS and finds himself playing
the T.arrasch Defense, where White's extra tempo is only enough to equalize.
Against 1-.�gs tt:le+ s •.Q.h+, we tr.ade knights and take on c4, meeting 7 .e3 by
7 ... .i.e6 to guard the pawn. Ifwe wmt equality we soon pl.ay ... c7-c5 (G.ame 7 . 3 ) . If we
w.ant to go for the win, we defend the p.awn by .a quick ... lt:ld7-b6 .as in G.ame 7.4.

7S
The Kaufmon Repertoire for Biack

When -'t.gs is pl.tyed on the fifth move (.tfter 4AJO -'lg7) it is usually with the idea of
meeting S •.•lbe4 either by 6.cxdS, sacrificing the bishop pair (G.lllle 7 .5) or by 6.-'lf4
(Game 7.6). ln the former case Bl.tck h.ts a ple.tsant choice between trying to demon­
strate that the bishops m.tke up for .t possible white minority .ttt.tck or offering .t g.llll ­
bit pawn, for which he receives rich compensation. I give both options. In nse of
6.�f-+ we trade knights and play ... c7-c5, which usuilly le.tds to an early queen ex­
chmge. White ret.tins central dominmce, but in the endg.lllle Black's queenside m.tjor­
ity should pl.ty a role so ch.tnces ue dose to even.
Now we come to the lines involving .of-,j_£4 (or -4-.lLIO -'t.g7 S.i.£"4, which may trans­
pose). White can play either S.lbfl or S.el (we meet the rue S .l:tc i by S ... lDhS) but in
both nses I recommend castling on move 5 . Now if White plays whichever move he
did not pl.ty on move 5,

we pl.ty 6...cS 7.dxcS �e-4- which equalizes; see Game 7 . 7 . If White f.tils to defend his
pawn on move 6, we take it (5.lbf3 0-0 6.l:tc i dxc4) and meet 7.e4 by ... �g4, ... lt:lhS,
md ... Lf3 which s.tcrifices the bishop pair to inflict doubled backward pawns and an
isol.tted pawn on White, a roughly even deal; see Game 7 .8.
If White accepts the gambit after S.e3 0-0 by tiling twice on dS md then on c7, the
move 8 ... lt:la6! regains the pawn and leaves Black with the bishop pair to offset his infe­
rior pawn structure and inferior center. A few accurate moves give Black full equality
(Game 7.9).
Finilly we come to S.el 0-0 6.l:tc l , which I believed until recendy to favor White. It
now seems that 6 ...-'le6l 7.'tltb3 eSt leaves White with no advantage at all, while 7.lLIO
cb.c4 is no better (Game 7 . 1 0) . I have often played �f4 lines as White, .ts they are quite
tricky md promise m edge in most variations, but apparendy they yield nothing
against precise play.

Finally we come to the Russian System (4.lLIO -'lg7 S.ttb3 dxc4 6 ...xc4 0-0 7.e4),
which is my recommended line for White.

76
 Chapter 7 - Gninfdd Defmse - Non-Exchan�Je lines

I conclude in the White portion of the book that only the Hungarian Variation (7 .. �6)
gives Black near-equality, so I must recommend it here. White has two m�in options
�ga.inst this. He c�n pl�y the �ggressive 8.e5 bs 9.'tlrb3 :Ofd7 1 0.e6! &.e6 l l .it.e3, after
which White �ttacks the queenside �fter the recommended l l ••.lLlf6 or the kingside af­
ter the dubious I l ...lt:Jb6. Bl�ck should return the pawn by 12.�4 M!, after which his
better development �nd piece �ctivity compensate fully for his inferior pawn structure
(G�me 7 . I I ) . Or White c�n pl�y the position�! 8.�e2 which we meet by 8 ...b5 9.'ti'bl
cS! lO.chcS it.e6 l l ...c2 l0bd7!. This leads to positions where White h�s won the
bishop pair �t the price of �n isol�ted d-p�wn md � slight inferiority in piece place­
ment. I won't d�im that Black h�s 1 00% equ.t1ity here (if I did I couldn't recommend
this for White), but I think he is closer to equ.t1ity thm in other m�jor defenses to the
Queen's G�mbit. Moreonr, the positions �re rich enough th�t either side can re�son­
ably play for a win. See Game 7 . 1 2 .

GI 3.1 (DSO) Game 7.1 9.li.Jf3 li:lc6 I O.li.Jgs :ds+ I l .�c2 li.Jd4+
0 Cebalo,Miso 1 2:�b l hS and White is suffering;
• Riaza.ntsev,Ale:under B) 4.tt'a4+ .id7 S .'W'b3 dxc4 6 ...xc4
Biel, 2009 (5) .ig7 and now:

1. d2·d4 lilg8·16
2. e2-c4 g7-g6
3. lilb1·c3 d7·d5

In this g�e we look at various rare lines

White c�n try:

4. h2·h4?1

A) 4.g4?! dxc4 5.h3 .ig7 6.e4 cSN

7.dxcS (after 7.d5 bS White is already in
serious trouble) 7 ... ..-xd l + 8.�xd l .ie6 AnatySisdiagram

77
Thc Koufman RtptnoirtforBI4ck

B l ) 7 .�fi �a6 8.e4 0-0 9.li::l f3 c5
I O.eS (in case of I O.d5 b5 I I .'Oxb5
li::l xe4 12 ....xei .ixb5 , Black's safer king
omd better development give him the
edge) IO ... .ie6 l l .exf6 .ixc4 1 2.fxg7
hfl 1 3 .gx�'lf'+ •x� 1 4.'�xfl cxd4
I S.i0xd4 i0b4N 1 6.l:ld I lld8 1 7 .a3 i0d5
1 8 .'0de2 t0xf4 1 9 .lDxf4 llxd l +
20.i0xd I "W'dS.
Three minor pieces 01re a match for queen
and pawn, but here it is queen .md two
pawns so Black is better;
822) 8.'0f3 bS 9.'0xb5 t0xe4
822 1 ) J O.t0xc7 tbc6 l l .lbu8 "W'01H
1 2 . .id2 .!Oxd2 1 3 ..!0xd2 .!Oxd-4 1 4 . .!0c7
.i.c6)

'!!!' 'i!r
•• •• •
•

�
£>,
£>, £>, £>, £>, AnatySisd•agram
� <;!< J:[
The c7 knight is doomed, and 01fler its
Anai)'SIS d•agram
capture Black will enjoy an overwhelm­
Rook and two knights are a tad better ing position despite being the exchange
than queen ;md two pawns, so White is down:
effectively a bit over a pawn ahead. How­ 8222) I O ."W'xc7 .!Oc6 I J ..id3 lDb4
ever White has problems getting his rook 1 2 ..ixe4 .ixbS 1 3 ....xd8 l:liixd8 1 4-.�d2
out, which gives Black a nice initiative �d3+ 1 5 .itxd3 �xd3 1 6.h3 �e4
which should equalize the chances. l 7 .¢'e2 l:ld6 - BIJ�ck's bishop tnir and
82) 7 .e4 0-0 and now: pressure on the weak d4 pawn fully offset
82 1 ) 8.e5 .ie6 9.exf6 ..ixc-4 I O.fxg7 White's extra pawn.
¢'xg7 l l .hc4 Wxdi
4. _ c7-c51

Analysis dutgram
5. d4xc5

78
 Chapter 7 - Griinfdd Ddcnst - Non-Exchan!J(' lines

After S.t:xdS �xdS 6.dxcS .'bxc3

12. �e2-d3 �f5xd3
7."Wxd8+ �xd8 8.bxc3 �g7 9.�d2
13. "lld 1 xd3 a7-a6
li:ld7!N I Q . ..Q.�3 4Jf6 l l .f3 tlJhS l 2.tl:Jh3
�g3 l 3.11g l �c7 1 4.�c2 lld8 l S .e4 l l . . .CI.e8+! 1 4.�fl �b4 I S .tt'b3 dJ
tl:Jxfl 1 6.11�xfl �e6 Bl�ck's better devel­ Black has a winning attack.
opment, bishop p�ir, md much better
14. li..J b5-c7 .CI.a8·c8
p�wn struciUre more than offset White's
15. a2-a3 .CI.c8xc7
extr�pawn.
16. i.f4xc7 'it'd8xc7
5. ... d5-d4
6. ll:lc3-b5 e7-e5 g0
7. e2-e3 A "l!l" A A
A " "A
The alternative 7 .b4 a6 8 ...a4 lt:lc6
9.�gS i.d7 I O.tbd6+ ..Q.xd6 l l .cxd6 h6
.a
I L �.xf6 tt'xf6 1 3 .cS e4 is awful for ,II, A ,II,
While. ,II, "i!Y ILl
,II, !', ,II,
7. ... �f8xc5
J:I \!;> J:[
8. e3xd4 e5xd4
9. lilg1-13 0-0
So Black 'settled' for winning two pieces
1 0. ..Q.f1·e2 lilb8-c6
for a rook, with a dearly winning posi­
lion.

17. b2-b4 llf8·e8+

1 8. �e1-f1 .ll.cS-18
19. .CI.a1-d1 a6·a5
20. b4-b5 lLlc6-e5
21. .tJf3xe5 ._.c7xe5
22. lth1-h3 �f8xa3
23. 'tt'd3xd4 tt'e5-e2+
24. q,f1-g1 �a3-c5 0-1

I owe my own Grandmaster title to a win

11 . .ll.c1-14?
over the loser of this g&me.
Beuer is l l .�gS a6 1 2 .�c3 dxc3
1 3 .tt'xd8 llxd8 1 4.�xf6 cxb2 I S..�.xb2
�fS, but Black's better pawn structure GI 3.1 (DBO) Game 7.2
and better development give him a clear D Ziv.mic,Marko
�dvant�ge. • Kritz,Leonid
Browns\·ille, 2 0 1 0 ( I )
11. ... .ll.cB-15
1. d2-d4 lilg8-l6
White has no good answer to the threat
2. c2-c4 g7-g6
of ... d3.

79
The Kaufman RtpertoireforBiock

We now have a position from the Tarrasch

3. lilb1·c3 d7·d5
Defense to the Queen's Gambit but with
4. e2-e3 �f8-g7
colors reversed. Black is therefore down a
tempo, but the Tarnsch Defense is
thought to give White some advamage, so
even oa. tempo down Black has equality
here: 9.h3 ..te6 I O.cS l0e4 I J ...tf4
j. ttaS=; or 9.J:le l .i.e6 I O.cS l0e4=; or
£>, £>, 9.cS l0e4 I O . .i.e3 b6=.
Ill £>, B) S ....b3 dxc4 6.hc4 0-0 7.l0f3 cS
£>, £>, £>, £>, £>, 8.dxcS (the computer calls the position
even afler 8.dS a6 9.a4 l0bd7 1 0.0-0
J:t � "il' w i. ll:J J:r
l0e8 l l .e4 l0d6 11 ...tf4 '*as 1 3 .lt::!d 2
�eS 14 ...te2 ..td7, but I think that the
5. c4xd5
weU-placed. knights and mobile black
A) S.l0f3 0-0 .md now: queenside give Black the nod) 8 ... l0bd7
A I ) 6 ...Q.d2 cS 7.dxc5 l0i.6 8.cxdS 9 ....a3 ...c7 I O.b4 �eS I l .lOxeS WxeS
�xeS 9 ..i.c4 il6 I O.il4 .i.fS 1 1 .0-0 J:lc8 I 2 ..i.b2 ...gS - since castling kingside
1 2 .l0d4 ..le4 13 ....e2 Lds 1 4.lOxdS loses the exchmge here, White wiJJ have
�xdS I S.J:lfd l e6 1 6 ..i.el ...gS=; Black's problems with his king. Black has full
beuer piece placement and the weak compensation for the pawn.
squares b3 and b4 offset the bishop p.�ir;
5. - �f6xd5
A2) 6.b4 c6 7 . ..Q.b2 aS 8.bS a4 9 . .L3
6. �c3xd5
.ie6=;
A3) 6 . .ie2 cS 7.0-0 (after 7 .dxcS dxc4 6 . ..lc4 l0b6 7 . ..tb3 0-0 8.l0f3 cS 9.0-0
8.0-0 Wi.S 9 . .i.xc4 WxcS I O . .i.b3 i0c6 c x d4 I O.exd4 l0c6 I l .d S lO;�S 1 2 . lie I
l l .e4 ..tg4 1 2 ...te3 Was 1 3 .h3 J:lad8 ..tg4 1 3 .h3 .i.xf3 1 4.'lhf3 J:le8 I S .J:ld l
1 4.We1 .i.xf3 I S ....xf3 l0d7 1 6.J:lfd l e6 l0xb3 1 6.nb3 lOeB 1 7 . ..te3 ttd7
1 7 .We1 tOeS Black kills the bishop poa.ir 18 ....e2 ;�6=. Bl;�ck's better poa.wn suuc­
md retains the better position) 7 ... cxd4 ture offsets White's spoa.ce oa.dvantoa.ge.
8.exd4 lt:k6. The knight will be oa. great blockoa.der on
d6.

6. .. •d8xd5
7. �g1-e2 o-o
8. tt:le2-c3 ...d5·d8
9. .il.l1·e2 c7·e5
10. d4·d5 e7-e6
11. e3-e4 e6xd5
1 2. e4xd5 b7·b6

Avrukh recommends I 2 .. ttb6 with

Analysisdragram ideulike ... l0oa.6 and ... ..Q.fs.

80
 Chopttr 7 - Griinfeld Ddmst - Non-ExchQllge lines

GI 3.7 (DBO) Game 7.3

13. 0·0 �c8-b7
D Gelfand,Boris
• Komsky,Gata
li llil '1/f Kazan, 20 1 1 (2)
A i.
1. d2·d4 lilg8·16
A g7-g6
2. c2-c4
A il, 3. ll:Jb1-c3 d7·d5
4. �c1-g5 lil16·e4
10 5. �g5·h4 ll:Je4xc3
!', !', il., !l, !l, !l, 6. b2xc3 d5xc4
n il.. 'il¥ J:[ lit 7. e2-e3 �c8-e6
8. lilg1-f3 c7-c5
14. 'illd 1·b3
IfBl�ck wmts to pl&y for a win h!! can try
I+ . .i.f3 lt'ld7 I S .l:te l (in case of I S .d6 to hold the pawn by 8 ... .ig7 9 . .ie2
�f3 1 6.ft'xf3 Wf6 1 7.'itd5 'ti'eS= the .'Db6, tr&nsposing to Avrukh-Popilski
advanced passer is a bit weak) I S .. .<�JeS below.
1 6 ..i.e2 ...d6= and although the queen is
9. �11-e2 �18-g7
not the best blockader, Black em t:xpand
1 0. 0·0 0·0
on either wing.
11. :a1-b1 c5xd41
14. ·- 'illd8·d6
In an earlier g&me in the m&tch Kamsky
This is recommended by grandmaster played I l ... �d5? &nd should have lost.
Delchev. The game move 1 4 ... tt:ld7 wasn't
b&d, but it seems better to blockade the .! llil 'i!!f .! '!!;>
p&sser and to prevent .i.f4.
A A A A i. A
The actual game went: 14 . . . ll:ld7
i. A
I S . .i.e3 ( I S . .i.f4 a6 1 6 .a4 l:te8 1 7 . .C.fe l
.id4=) I S . . . i.d4 1 6 .l:ti.d l i.xe3
1 7 . fxe3 ...gS 1 8 .e4 We3+ 1 9 .'�h l A A il..
�es 20.a4 lh.b8 2 1 .l:lde l �g7 22 . .Q.. ;�. 6 [5. [5. 10
'W'gs 2 L�xb7 l:txb7 H.t!JbS l:.d7 !1, il., !l, !l, ['o
2 5 ...c3 ..tg8 2 6 .lt:la3 .C.e8 2 7 .aS bxa5 J:[ 'iiV I:[ lit
2 8 .WxaS lt:ld3 29.l:.di J:l:xdS 30.J:ld2
1 2. ll:Jf3xd4
l:.xe+ 3 1 .Wxa7 l:lfS 3 2 .11dd l l:lxfl +
33 . .:xfl W'f4 34.l:t& i lLlc l md White 1 2 .cxd4 'it'd? 1 3 .ti:Jg5 .ids 1 4.e4 it.c6
resigned. I S .�xc+ 'itxd+N 1 6.'tWb3 e6 1 7 .Abd 1
..b2 1 8 .�xe6 .. xb3 J 9 . .Q..x b3 lbd7:f. l
15. 1111·d1 lilb8·d7=
would r�ther play Black here due to the
Black will centralize his rooks. The pres­ pressure on the e+ p&wn and the excel­
sure on the d5 p�wn restricts White's �c­ lent coordination of the black minor
tivity. pieces.

81
The Kaufman Rej>(rtoire forBiack

1 2. ... Jl.e6·d5
13. il'd1·c2 il'd8·d7 �
�
1-
14. l!l1·d1

1 4.e4 ..Q..c 6 1 5 . .Q..x:c4 .Q.. x:d4 1 6.cx:d4

Wxd4 J 7 . .cr.fe l e6 1 8 . .Q..e 7 .cr.cs J 9 . .cr.bd i
ti'eS=. White's bishop pair and better de­
velopment just offset Black's extra pawn.

14, oR �g7xd4
15. c3xd4
Draw agreed here. A likely continuation
I S .e4 .Q..e s 16 . .cr.xd5 ti'c7 1 7 .g3 f6 would have been 2 3 . . .exf6 24 . .cr.bxc3
1 8 .'tlta4 �g7=. .cr.xcJ 2S . .cr.xc3 ,C[fl 26.:c6 .cr.e7 and
White's more active rook is balanced by
15. ... tt'd7-e6
his inferior pawn structure. A draw is the
16. Jl.e2·13 Jl.d5xl3
proper outcome.
17. g2xl3 lilb8·d7

GI 1.7 (080) Game 7.4

D Avrukh,Boris
• Popilski,Gil
Israel tt, 20 1 0 (9)

1. d2-d4 lilgS-16
2. c2-c4 g7·g6
3. tt:lb1-c3 d7·d5
4. �c1-g5 lil16-e4
5. Jl.g5-h4
18. ti'c2-e4
S.i.f4 tbxc3 6.bxc3 ..Q..g 7 7.e3 cS 8.lbf3
J S . .cr.xb7 ,C[fb8 1 9 .d5 ... h3 2 0 . .cr.xb8+ transposes to the game Elianov-Kovchan .
.cr.xb8 2 J . ...e4 ,C[b2 2 2..�.xe7 c3 23 . .Q..d 6
5. ... tt:le4xc3
hS=. There are many possible lines from
6. b2xc3 d5xc4
here, but most likely either White or
7. e2-e3
Black will end up giving perpetual
check. If 7 ...a4+ c6 (this is a rare but strong
move) 8 ...xc4 WaS 9.<8f3 .Q..e 6 I O ... d3
18. ... b7·b6
.Q..g7 J J .e3 lbd7 1 2 ...c2 QkS=F, Black
1 9. .cr.d1-c1 :aa-ca
plans ... .Q.. fS with the initiative;
20. l!b1·b4 c4·c3
7 .e4 bs 8.a4 c6 9.lDf3 .Q..g 7 IO . .Q..e 2
21. l!b4·b3 lild7-16
lbd7=. White may have enough compen­
22. •e4xe6 f7xe6
sation for the pawn, but not enough to
23. Jl.h4xl6
claim any advantage.

82
 Chapter 7 - Gninfeld Dd"CilS( - Non-Exchangt lints

•xd l + I U �)xdl b6 1 3 .lt:!xe6 fxe6

7. - .il.c8-e6
l 4.dxc5 t0d7 I S .c6 tt:leS 1 6.c7 lieS
17 . .il.g3 .il.g7 1 8.llb5 t;)£7 !9 ..il.xe4 11ld6
I 'Oi jJt 'il!' .!o j_ lK 10 . .ixe6 llxc7 2 1 .hd6 exd6=. The
1 i ,1.,1, ' :a: ·, A bishops of opposite color .and equal m;a­
.t A terial make for .1.n a.lmost cenain draw.
In the event of 8.'Wbl lWdS 9.l0f3 'I'.1S
A t:, � I O.'it'c2 ti::ld 7 l l .l0d2 l0b6 I L�.e2 cS:J!
[:, [:, White does not have much compensation
[:, [:, [:, [:, for the pawn;
8.11lf3 .il.g7 9 . .il.e2 t<ld7 I 0.0-0 t<lb6
l:l � w i. ltl l:l
transposes to the game.

8. .ii.f 1-e2 8. ... t<lb8-d7

S.l:lb l <�.nd now: 8 . . . .i.g7 9.l0f3 c S , 1r.1nsposing to

A) 8 ... tt::ld 7 9.'ti'<�.4 (9.l0f3 l0b6 is like Gelfand-K.tmsky, is s.tfer. The text aims
the g.ame but with the inaccur.ue llb l to keep the p<1.wn end is a better winning
pl<�.yed; 9.%lxb7 .idS I O.J:lbl l:.b8= as try.
Bb.ck can later undouble by ... c7-cS)
9. t<lg1-13
9 ... .i.d5 IO ..i.xc4 .i.xg2 l l .'tltb3 .i.h6
! Li.xf7+ �f8 IJ . .i.dS lbcs 14 . .lxg2 After 9.dS?! .irs I O.'Wd4 l:lgs I l .l:td l
�xb3 I S .l:txb3 bS! Black plans ( l l .e4� .i.g7 1 2 .'We3 .i.xe4-+) l l ... bS
l:tb8-b6 and has a winning material ad­ (against 1M Irina Krush this year I allowed
vantage of queen for two minor pieces; White to regain the pa""-n by l l ....lg7?.
B) S ... cS is an excellent alternative pro­ though even this should equaJize. After a
posed by grandmaster Agrest: subsequent error I lost the exchange but
miraculously drew the endgame any­
li ollt 'il!' � .t lK way!) 1 2 .e4 gS 1 3 . .ig3 eS! 1 4.dxe6
' ' '' A .lxe6 White has too little compensation
for the pawn .
.t A
A 9. ·- t<ld7-b6
A t:, � 1 0. 0-0 .il.f8-g7

[:, [:, 11. a2-a4

[:, [:, [:, [:, l l .e4 0-0 1 2.a4 aS 1 3 .'ti'c2 (see the note
J:l � w � ltl l:l to move 1 3) ; l ! .ttld2 cS:j:,
AnalySis diagram
11. - a7-a5
12. ild1-e2
9.�e2 (in case of 9.l:txb7 WaS I O.'be2
iidS I I .'W'bi ltld7 J 2.l:tbS 'Wa3 Black is 1 2 .'bd2 0-0 13 . .i.f3 J:l:a7 1 4.'ti'c l
better. White will have trouble geuing ild 7 =;
castled) 9 ... 'WaS I O.lt:lf-4 'Wxc3+ I I .'Wd2 l 2.lbgS ii d S 1 3.e4 .i.c6 1 4.'ti'c2 'W'd7+.

83
The KGufman Reptnoire for Block

12. ... 0-0 lli

.t. .t.

17. ... ..ia4-c61N

13 . .C.f1-b1
The actual game continued 1 7 ... bS?!
J 3 .e4 ..td7 14 ...tg3 e6=. White's better IS ...tf3 ..c6? 1 9.�b2? ( 1 9.tbd2! was
center and Black's doubled pawn give winning) 19 ... ..ic2 20.c4 b4 2 1 .W'a2
White enough for the pawn, but no ad­ tbc3 22 ...txc6 �xa2 and Black evemually
vantage considering the weakness on a4;
1 3 .ttJd2 c5.
18. �h4-g3 e7-e6
13. ... llld8·e8 1 9. tt::lc4-e5 �g7xe5
20. �g3xe5 17-16
Or 1 3 .....td7 1 4.ttkl2 We8, transposing.
21. �e5-g3 llle8-d7
14. t!Jf3-d2 �e6-d7 22. e3-e4 �d5-e7
15. t!Jd2xc4 �d7xa4 23. 12-13 16-15
16. 'tlt'c2-a2

1 6 .'ife4 (Vuckovic-Sutovsky, Moscow lli K*

Aeroflot 20 I I ) 1 6 . . . lt:Jxc4N 1 7 . ..txc4 eS .t. .t. 'i!l' llil .t.
1 8 .11t"xb7 ..tc6 1 9.'itxc7 ..te4 20.-tbs .t .t. .t.
W'b8 2 1 . ..xb8 l:tfxb8 2 2 .Ub3 ..tc2 .t. .t.
23 . .1::tb 2 ..td3 24 . ..ic6 Uxb2 2 5 .-txaS a4
[>, [>,
and after trading rooks on bl Black's ad­
vanced passer should win a piece.
W' [>, [>, Ji.
fL [>, [>,
16. ·- lilb6-d5 .!U:! It>
17. ••2-a3

After 1 7 ...d2 bS I S.�xaS e5 1 9 . .!tf3 e4 This position is more or less equal.

20 ..!te2 .l::tu S 2 1 .c4 .C.a6 2 2 .cxdS •d7 White's bishop pair and better center
23 ... cl tt'xdS 24.'tl'xc7 UfaS I would should roughly offset Black's extra
rather play White, but it's close to even. (passed) pawn.

84
 Chapttr 7 - GrUnfdd Dtfmst - Non-Exchange lints

GI 8. 1 3 (09 1 ) Game 7.5 S.tfa++ c6 (8 ... �d7P 9.tfb3 ... xgS

0 Shvedchikov,Anatoly I o.Wxb7 .ixd+ l l .... xa8 0-0 1 2.e3 'tWeS
• JU.ufman,Urry 1 3 .:c l exdS 1 4.Wb7 l!Jc6 J S .l0e2
Arco Wch-sen, 20 1 0 ( I I ) -ixb2 1 6 .:xc6 .ixc6 1 7 .Wxc6 d4
I S .li'lf<�- dxe3 i 9.g3 'it'aS+ 20 .W'eZ
1. <ilgH3 <ilg8·16
WdZ+ 2 I .W'f3 'Wxf2+ Z2.'lt>g4 .ieS=)
2. d2·d4 g7•g6
9.dxc6 lbxc6 I O.tt:lf3 -id7 l i .'tlt'd i *'b6
3. c2·c4 �18·g7
12 ...dZ li'lxd4 1 3 .0-0-0 .ic6 1 4.lbxd4
4. lbb1-c3 d7·d5
:ds 1 5 .e3 eS 1 6 .'ife l exd4 1 7 .exd4+
5. �c1-g5 'il16·e4
W'fs I S .dS .ixds ( I S . . . .id7! ?=)
6. c4xd5 lbe4xg5
1 9 .:xd5 :xds zo.We7+ �xe7
7. �f3xg5 e7-e6
Z i .lLlxd S + �e6 2 Z .lLlxb6 axb6 is a
An excellent alternative, recommended well-known drawing line for White, but
by Delchev and Agrest, is 7 ... 0-0 8.tt:lf3 Black can vary as noted.
(B.e3 e6 9.!Llf3 exdS is similar to the next
8. •. h7·h6
note) B ... c6 9.dxc6 tt:lxc6 I O.e3 eS l l .dS
(in case of l l .dxeS lLlxeS 1 2.-ieZ lLlxf3+ Also satisfactory is B ... exdS 9.We3+ �fS.
1 3 . ..1lxf3 �e6 1 4.0-0 WaS 1 5.Wc2 :abB but the text is simpler.
1 6.:fd I :feB Black's active bishop pair
9. <ilg5·13
and the pin on the c-file are full va.Jue for
the pawn) l l . . . e4 1 2.!Llxe4 .ifS 1 3 .tbc3 9.tl:lh3 exdS l0 .... e3+ ( I O.lbf+ 0-0
lbb+ 1 4.:c l 'if aS. The threats of . . .<�Jxa2 l l .e3 cS 1 2.dxc5 d+ 1 3 .exd+ Wxd4
and ... l!JxdS plus the bishop pair and lead 14 ...xd4 .ixd4 1 5 .0-0-0 lbc6 1 6.lbfd5
in development ensure that Black is not .Q.xcS 1 7 .lbe+ .i.b6 1 8 .lbxb6 axb6
worse despite his temporary two-pawn 19 . .Q.c4 lLleS=) 10 ... �[8 l i .l!Jf+ cS
deficit. 1 2.dxc5 d+ 1 3 ....d2 lba6=.

9. ... e&xd5

8. lifd1·d2

B.tt:lf3 exdS 9.b<f. Wd6 I O .a3 0-0 l l .e3

10. e2-e3
c6 12 . .i.e2 aS 1 3 .b5 cS=F. This line is
worse for White than the game, as ...dZ is White could (and perhaps should) play
more useful than ... h6; I O.b4 as Black could prevent this by

85
The Kaufman Repertoire for Biack

I 0 ... �5. For I O.b4 0-0 l l .e3 see the n�xt Bl�ck having th� bishop pair I would pre­
f�r his ch�nc�s.

1 0. -- 0·0 15. tLlf3·e5 *sB-g7?1

11. �f1·e2
I S . . . .iie 6 followed by . . .ti..Jd 7 w�s equal.
l l .b4 c6 1 2.�e2 �e6 1 3 .0-0 lbd7 Aiming for ... f7 -f6 is unreasonable. Nor­
1 4.Dfcl Des 1 5 .lt:la4 b6 1 6.Dab 1 lbf6=. m�lly I would stop the scar� here as th�
The bishop pair offsets the weak pawn on remaining moves are not th�matic, but �s
c6. I've analyzed the game thoroughly I give
my analysis.
11. ... a7·a5
16. �e2-d3 �18-d6?1
l l ... c6 1 2 .0-0 ..d6= is also okay, but I
17. 12-14 <ilb8-d7
w�nted to rule out 1 2 .b4 and the minor­
18. -.d2-c2 tLld7-f8
ity attack.
1 9. llf1·f3 c6-c5?
12. b2·b3
I should admit my earlier mistake by
Now the minority att�ck is l�ss �!Tective, playing 1 9 .. .'it>g8, but Whit� is already
but it's h�rd to sugg�st a bett�r pl�n for clearly better.
White.
20. tt:lc3·b5
1 2. -· c7·c6
20.J:lg3+-.
13. 0·0 J:lf8·e8
14. a2·a3 20. ... c5xd4
21. e3xd4 ..Q.d6·b8
22. lla1·c1 ?1

2 2 .1:lafl !±.
2 2 . ... �c8-d7
23. Wc2·c5?? tLlf8·e61-+
24. -.cs-c3

14. ... �g7-18?1

Although the computer thinks this move,

which prevents b3-b4, is ok�y. I should
not h�ve �Hawed the 'Stonew�n· pl�n of
lLle5 and f2-f4. Better was 14 ... �f5 �nd if
1 5 .b4 b S ! , �nd the white p�wn on b4 is
24. ... �d7xb5?
�s weak as the black one on c6. With

••
 Chopttr 7 - Griinfeld Dtfmst - Non-Exchonge lints

24 ... �xe5! 25.fxe5 l:tc8 26.'tltb2 l:txc I + GI B.J (09 1 ) Game 7.6
2 7 .-.xc l �xbS 28.�xb5 tbxd4 29.l:th3 0 Elianov,Pavel
h5-+. • Kovchan,Ale:under
Sochi u, 1010 (I)
25. �d3xb5 �b8-a7
26. .C.c1-d1 .C.a8-c8 1. d2-d4 �8-f6
27. 'itc3-b2 :te8-f8?? 2. c2-c4 g7-g6
3. ..'Db1-c3 d7-d5
2 7 . . . l!Jxd4! 28 . .C.xd4 l:txe S ! 2 9. fxe5
4. 0gH3 -".18-g7
..h4-+.
5. �c1-g5 0f6-e4
28. ll:le5-d7 ll:le6-c7 6. J<g5·14

2 8 . . . l!Jxd4!+. This is less common than 6.�h4 or

6.cxd 5, but it is pliyed by some top play­
E 'l!!' H ers. so be advised to take it seriously.
6 . .i.h4 (this idea is more populu without
.a j. l!lJ iiJ j. <@
the inclusion of 4.l!:lf3 .ig7) 6 ... l!Jxc3
j. j. 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.'tlta4+ (after 8.e3 bS 9.i4
j. � j. c6 1 O . .ie2 i6 White has fair compensa­
/1, /1, tion for the pawn, but no advintage. Black
1\, f\, ll: un develop his rook by .. .J:h7-d7)
'ill' 1\, f\, 8 . . . ..d7 9 ...xc4 b6 I O.e3 h6 l l . ..b3
ll: w �xfl 1 2 .1o'xfl 0-0 1 3 .¢'e2 tbc6
1 4.:thd 1 li:JiS 1 5 .'tltb4 e6 1 6.l:tic l l:lfc8
1 7 .c4 cS J 8 .dxc5 '*b7 J 9 .cxb6 ixb6,
29. 'itb2·e2?1 .llf8-e8-+
and the exposed white king and his split
30. -8d7·e5 .lle8-e7?1
queenside piwns give Black full compen­
30 .. �e6!-+. sation for the piwn.

31 . 14·15? 17·16
32. 1!13·g3 g6·g5
33. ile2·h5 .lle7xe5
34. 'ith5·g6+ <jolg7·f8
35. 'itg6xh6+ <MS-e7 j.
36. .llg3xg5 ll:lc7xb5 /1, /l, l!ll �
37. .llg5-g7+ <jole7-d6 liJ liJ
38. .C.g7xb7 �7xd4+ 1\, f\, f\, f\, f\, 1\,
39. <&>g1·h1 <jold&·c6
n 'i!Y w � J:I
40. .llb7-f7 lilb5·d6
41. 1117xf6 ild8xf61 0·1
6. ... ll:le4xc3
This victory, ilthough full of errors, gave
7. b2xc3 c7-c5
me a tie for first place in the 20 I 0 World
B. e2-e3
SeniorCh•mpionship.

87
TIK KoufmM Rtptrtoire forBiack

8.cxdS 'tWxdS 9.e3 l0c6 transposes.

16. d4·d5 ltc8xc1 +
8. lilb8·c6 17. �f4xc1
9. c4xd5 11i'd8xd5
1 0. Jift·e2 & 'lit
.\ .\ .\ .\ A .\
I O ...b3 'tWfSN l l ..lil.e2 0-0 1 2.0-0 cxd4
A .\
1 3 .cxd4ll'lxd4 1 4.lbxd4 ..Q.xd4=.
"' [>,
1 0. "' c5xd4 [>,
11. c3xd4 'tWd5-a5+ {jj
12. 11i'd1-d2 0·0
[>, � [>, [>, [>,
.i A & 'lit
� l!t 1:1
.\ .\ .\ .\ A .\ 17. •. b6·d7N
"' .\
This is an improvement over the actla.l
'iii' game. which went 1 7 ... l:lc8 1 8 ..Q.d1 ..Q.d7
[>, � J 9.ha5 l:lc l + 20 . .Iil.d l .L+ 1 1 .¢>e2
[>, {jj ..Q.b5+ 12.'�e3 .i.h6+ 23.lilg5 hg5+
[>, 'IJ!J � [>, [>, [>, 24.f4.i.h6 25.l:le l .t; a.nd White later won.
J:!: l!t 1:[
18. Jil.c1·d2 b7·b6
13. *'d2u5 19 . .lil.e2-a6

1 3 .l:lb l b6 1 4.J:Icl ..xd2+N I S.l0xd2 19 . .i.xa5 bxaS 20.0-0 l:lbS=i=. Black's

�b4 1 6.0-0 ..Q.e6=. bishop pa.ir a.nd more active rook more
tha.n ofTset the doubled rook pawns.
13. - lt:lc6xa5
14. ll•1-c1 19. e7-et
20. 0·0 e&xd5
14 . .ilc7 lbc6 I S.l:lbt b6 1 6.0-0 .i.b7
21. e4xd5 ll18·d8
1 7 .l:lfcl l:lfc8 18 . .i.g3 e6 19 . .i.b5 .ilf8
22. Jil.d2·g5 17-16
20.a4 �b4=;
23. Jil.g5·d2 Jil.g7·18
1 4.0-0 .i.e6 I S.l:lfcl ( I S . .i.c7 Qlc6=)
24. l:lf1-c1
I S . . .l:lac8 1 6.'i'ld2 .i.dS=.

14. MO ..Q.c8-e6
!: A 'lit
15. e3-e4
.\ A .\
1 5./0gS .l:lfc8 1 6.l:lxc8+hc8 1 7.� .1il.d7 �· .\ .\
J 8 ..i.c7 ltk6 1 9.�d2 l:lc8 20 ...Q.g3 cS=. • [>,
1 5. - l:la8-c8
{jj
I S . . . l:lfc8 1 6.dS l:lxc l + 1 7 . ..Q.xc l .i.d7 [>, � [>, [>, [>,
18 . .Q.d1 b6• should transpose to the
J:t l!t
main line soon.

88
 Chapter 7 - Griinfdd Ddmsl - Non-Exciton� lints

8 .�e5 SixeS 9.li:Jxe5 tbxc3 I O.bxc3 'tltaS

24. ... �f8-a3
l l .tt'd+ f6 1 2.�f3 �c6 1 3 .'ii'x d5+ �g7
25. llc1-c7 �a3-d6
1 4.tt'd2 �dSN I S ...b2 .tg+=.
26. llc7-c1
8. ... lilb8-d7
26.�x• 7 ? �bs+.
This is a rare move, but app.uently good
26. ... �d6-a3
for equality as it is not easy to improve on
Draw by repetition. Either side can avoid the moves of this g•me.
this, but chances are about equ•l .lS the
9. c4xd5 ..-ds-as
passed d-pawn is also isolated.
1 0. �f3-d4 �e4xc3
11. b2xc3 �d7xc5
12. �f1-c4 e7-e5
GI 7 . 1 .5 (093) Game 7.7
0 Grigorc,Gcorge Gabriel A good alternative is I L.�d? 1 3 .0-0
• Mckhitarian,Kri.kor Sevag tb•+ 1 4.tt'b3 tbb6 I S .�bS .txd4
Arad, 20 1 0 (7) 1 6.�xd7 �f6 1 7 .�c7 tt'xdS I S .�fd l
'W'cS l9 . ..Q..x b6 'iWxb6 20.'t!fxb6 .1xb6
1. d2-d4 <Lg8-f6
2 l .a4 llfd8=.
2. c2-c4 g7-g6
3. �b1-c3 d7-d5 13. d5xe6 �c8xe6
4. �g1 -f3 14. �c4xe6 .t:Jc5xe6
15. tZ:ld4xe6 �g7xc3+
+.�f+ �g7 5. e3 0-0 6 . .'!:l3 transposes to
1 6. We1-f1 f7xe6
theg•me.
17. 'ill'd 1 -b3 -..as-a&+
4. ... �18-g7 1 8. Wf1-g1 �c3-f6
5. .i.c1-f4 0-0 1 9. h2-h3 lla8-d8
6. e2-e3 c7-c5 20. lllg 1 -h2 l!d8-d3
7. d4xc5 lill6-e4 21. 'ill' b3-b1

7 .. :titaS is also okay. but there is much

more theory you would have to learn. .!. �
.1. .1. .1.
'!if .I..Q. .I.

.li.
i ,l\, ,1\,
,1\, !'o M£?
- 'IW
U l:!.
21 . ... 1!18-d8

In the g•me • dr.1w was agreed after

8. lla1-c1
2 J . . .�d2, but 22.llhd l would h.1ve

89
The Koufm411 RtptnoireforBiack

slighdy favored White. After the text

7. -· .ll.c8·g4
move the game is even as Black's domina­
8. .11.11 ... lilf6-h5
tion of the d-file offsets the slight weak­
9. .ll.f4-e3 .ll.g4xf3
ness of his king.
10. g2xf3
22. .l/.f4-g3 :d3·d7�
5o we h.ave .a b.attle between White's
bishop pair and Black's much bener pawn
structure.
GI 7.7 (092) Game 7.8
10. ... e7-e5
0 Zubov,Aleundu
• Timofeev.Artyom IO ... e6 J l .f4 '*h4 1 2 .'W'f3 li'lc6 1 3 .l0e2
Moscow, 2009 ( I ) Aad8 is also reason.able but perh.aps not
fully equ.al.
1. d2-d4 lilgB-16
2. e2·o4 g7·g6 11. d4xe5
3. lilb1·e3 d7-d5
Some computers like I l .dS, but opening
4. lilg1-f3 .l/.f8-g7
the position for the two bishops is impor­
5. �c1·f4 o-o
tant here. Also, in gener.al. queen trades
6. Aa1-c1 d5xc4
f.avor the side with the bishop pair. A
Black should take advantage of White's good reply to d4-d5 is ... li'lf4.
failure to defend his c4 pawn by e2-e3.
11. '" .Q.g7xe5
1 2. 'W'd1xd8 Af8xd8
I 'W . j_ 'i!j' J! m
1i u .d .i .a. x• K �
• .a. .a. .a. .a. .a. .a.
.a.
j. £!, � .t •
liJ liJ � [!,
[!, [!, [!, [!, [!, [!, liJ � [!,
J:t "i!l' l!;> � 1:[ [!, [!, [!, [!,
l:t I!;> 1:[
7. e2-e4
13. o-o
7.e3 .i.e6 8.�gS �dS 9.e4 h6 I O.exdS
hxgS l l .�xgS tOxdS 1 2 .�xc4 �b6 J 3.lae2 lac6 1 4.0-0 il.xb2N J S.Ab l
1 3 .�b3 tt::lc6 1 4.dS ( 1 4.tt:le2 aS I S .a3 a4 tOeS 1 6.Axb2 �xc4 1 7 .Axb7 li'lxe3
1 6.h2 t!:!xd4 1 7.t!:!xd4 '*xd4 1 8 ...xd4 J B.fxe3 l:.d2 1 9.�3 c6 20.l:.c7 lhd8
il.xd4 1 9.Axc7 Aac8 with equality) 2 1 .D.xc6 .C.c2 n .li'lds l:.xa2=.
14 ... tt:ld4 I S.0-0 tfd7 1 6.lle I Afe8 is
13. - lilb8·d7
equal. White cannot k�p the bishop pair.
He has mo� space but .an isol.ated J 3 . . .li'lc6! 1 1-.li:JdS ( 1 4.tt:le2 il.xb2
d-pawn. J S.l:.bl lt:leS transposes to the game)

90
 Chapter 7 - Gninfdd Defmst - Non-Exchangt lint'S

14 ... tLl•5 I S .�gS l:Zd7 1 6.�b5 c6 17 .b4

30. a7·a5
cxbS 1 8.bx•5 l:Ze8 1 9.l:Zfdl a6=. Bl•ck's
31 . l:Zc7·a7 a5·a4
much better p•wn structure offsets his in­
32. e4·e5 �g7-18
ferior knight.
33. e5·e6 f7xe6
14. �c3-e2 34. .:%.a7xh7 a4-a3
35. .:%.h7·a7 l:Za2-a1
1 4.l:Zfdl c6 1 5 .•4 �f4 1 6.�e2 is • t•d
36. �g3-g2 'Otf&-ea
more pleas•nt for White, so I prefer the
37. .:ta7·a6 �e8-e7
I 3 ... tl:lc6 route to transpose to the game.
38. h2-h4 We7·d7
14. .. . ..lle5xb2 39. wg2-h2 <;i>d7-e7
1 5. l:Zc1-b1 �d7·e5 40. wh2-g2 �e7-d7
16. .ctb1 xb2 <-'ile5xc4 41. wg2-h2 >;t>d7-c7
17. l:Zb2xb7 <-'tJc4xe3 42. .C:a6xe6 �c7-b7
18. f2xe3 lld8-d2 43. .C:e6·e3 1f2·1f.z
1 9. !l:,e2·c3 c7·c6
20. .C:b7-c7 lld2-d3
GI 1. 1 2 (084) Game 7.9
21. .C:c7xc6 .C:d3xe3
O Wa.ng Yue
22. .'Cc3-d5 .C:e3-a3
• Yakovenko,Dmitry
23. 1111-12 .C:a8-e8
N•niing. 2009 ( 7 )
24. �d5-f6+?1
1. d2·d4 �g8-16
24.<;f;>g2 l:Ze6=
2. c2-c4 g7-g6
24. ... ti:lh5xf6 3. tt:lb1·c3 d7-d5
25 . .C:c6xf6 l:Ze8·e5 4. ..llc1·f4 .ll.18-g7
26. l:Zf6-c6 �g8-g7 5. e2-e3 0-01
27. l:Zc6-c7 l:Ze5-a5
This is a 'g•mbil', but •s the game shows,
28. �g1-g2 .C:a3xa2
it is only a tempor•ry one .
29. .C:f2xa2 l:Za5xa2+
30. �g2-g3=i= 6. c4xd5 <fjf6xd5
7. tl:;c3xd5 *d8xd5
8. Jtf4xc7

li -. .t g0
.l. .l. g .l. .l. i. .l.
.1.
'i!i'
""
""
"" "" "" "" ""
Bl•ck 's extra p•wn is not enough to win
1:! 'liV I!f g tiJ Jl:
this endg•me.

91
The KaufllUIII Rtpertoirt forBJock

20.llxc5 li eS 2 J . .cr.xc8+ ..Q.xc8 2 2.�b4

8. ... �b8-a61
�f7 2 3 .�c5 fS 24.�xa7 g5 (so White
8 ... lbc6 9.ti:Je2 �g4 I O.f3 lh.c8 is a wild has won a pawn, but the bishop pair in
line which unfortunately seems 10 win this open position should draw fairly eas­
for White with correct play. ily) 25.b3 h6 26.i.b8 f4 2 7 .Wd3 fxe3
28.fxe3 h5 29.e4 'Ot>g6 30.a4 g4 3 J ...Q.f4
9. i.f1xa6 •d5xg2
h4 3 2 .e5 aS 3 3 .e6 Ld4 34.e7 Wf7
1 0. li'd1-13 li'g2x13
3 5 .Wxd4 g3 36.hxg3 h3 3 7 .g4 .i.xg4
11. lt:lg1xf3 b7xa&
38 ...Q.d6 �d l 39.Wc3 We8 40.b4 axb4+
Black's bishop pair compensates for 4 l .q;,xb4 h2 42.�xh2 �xe7 draw
White's better pawn structure and center agreed.
control.
15. llc1-c3 e7-e5
12. lla1-c1 f7·f6 16. d4xe5 Jla8-e8=

This looks odd but it keeps the knight out
of e5, keeps open the options of .. . i.b7
or ... ..ia6 or ... ..ig4, and prepares ... l:l£7
and ... e7-e6 or ... e7-e5.
13. l!h1-g1
White must return the pawn, after which
the bishop pair fully offsets Black's infe­
rior pawn structure.
16 . . . fxe5 1 7 .ti:Jg5 .cr.e? 1 8 .l:l.c5 h6
1 9.ti:Jf3 l:lc8 20.llgc ! l:lf7 is also equal.

1 3 .q;e2 aSN 1 4.llc5 �a6+ 1 5 .'�d2 �b7

1 6.We2 �a6+ draws by repetition. GI 3 . t l (D83) Game 7.10
D Nguyen,Ngoc Truongson
13.
14.
...
�e1-e2
Jl.c8-b7
• Li Chao B
China n, 20 1 0 (4)

1. d2-d4 lilg8-16
li li �
2. c2·c4 g7•g&
.t. .t .¥1. .t. .t .t.
�
3. ti.Jb1·c3 d7-d5
.t. .t.
4. i.c1-f4 Jl.18-g7
"' 5. e2·e3
[!.
f\, {ij After s . .cr.c 1 ti:JhS 6.�g5 (6.�d2 c5 7.e3

_il f\, \t> f\, f\, cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.d5 0-0 IO . ..Q.xc4
lbd7 l i .tt:Jf3 a6 1 2 .a4 b5 1 3 .axb5
n n
lbb6=) 6 ... h6 7 .�h4 c5 8.e3 cxd4
9.lbxd5 lDc6 I O.exd4 �e6 Black will re­
14. ... 1118·171
gain the pawn with an advantage in de­
This is stronger than the game continua­ velopment or pawn structure.
tion 14 ... llac8, although that drew fairly
5. ... 0-01
easily, as shown: 1 4 ... llac8 I S . .cr.gd i J:l:f7
1 6.�a5 .cr.rrs 1 7 . .cr.cs ( 1 7 . ..Q.c7 repeats) 5.. .cS is often played and recom­
1 7 ...e5 I S . .cr.dc l exd4 1 9 .tt:Jxd4 .cr.xc5 mended, but it is safer to play this only

92
 Chllpttr 7 - Griinftld Defmsc - Non-Exchange lines

�fter White has pl�yed both e2-e3 and

7. ... d5xc4
lt)f3, to �void dangerous lines based on a
8. 11lf3-g5
later lLle2.
This leads to a long forced sequence, but
&. .C.a1-c1
Black has no trouble equalizing.
In the event of 6.'itb3 cS 7.cxd5 (or
8. ... .lle&-d5
7 .dxcS lLlbd7 8.cxd5 tlJxcS 9.'itb4 b6
9. e3-e4 h7-h6
I O.l:ld l tbhS l l ...ig3 aS 1 2 .'it�3 lLlxg3
10. e4xd5 h6xg5
1 3 .hxg3 ..c7 �nd Bl�ck h�s more th�n
11. .tf4xg5 11l16xd5
enough compensation for the p�wn with
his bishop p�ir, bener development, more l l . . . bS is a decent alternative.
active queen, and safer king) 7 ... cxd4
1 2. .tf1xc4 11ld5·b6
8.exd4 lLlbd7 9 ...ie2 lt)b6 IO . ..if3 e6
1 3. .ic4-b3 11lb8-e6
l l .d6 lt)fdS 12 ...ig3 ..ixd4 1 3 .lLlge2
-'.cS 1 4.0-0 ..ixd6, White can only win
his pawn back at the cost of solving �I
Bb.ck's problems.

6. ... .Q.c8-e61

R llil 'llf R �
.l. .t. .l. .l. .t. � .t.
i. llil .l.
.t.
!', [', � 14. d4·d5
ii:l [',
!', [', £:, !1, £; 1 4.lbe2 aS 1 5 .a3 a4 16 . ..ia2 l:laS
1 7 ....d2 l:lb5 1 8 ...ie3 e6 1 9 .0-0 ..e7=.
l:l. 'i!l' l!t � ii:l l:t
White's isolani is restr�ined and under
pressure and his pieces are not well
7. t;)g1-f3
placed to attack. His only trump is the
7 ...b3 cS! (grandmaster Kudrin played bishop pair.
7 ... b6 against me �nd drew, but I think
14. ... 11lc6-d4
White can keep an edge in that line with
15. 0-0 Wd8·d7
ex.act play) 8.'tWxb7 ..b6 9.Wxb6 axb6
I O.lLlf3 ( I O.dxcS bxcS I l .lLlf3 dxc4 I S ...�Jxb3 1 6 .'Mt'xb3 .i.xc3 1 7 . bxc3
transposes) I O . . . dxc4! l l .dxcS bxcS 'itxdS 18 ..i.xe7 l:lfe8 1 9.c4 lLlxc4 with
1 2.lLlgS .idS 1 3.t!JxdS tbxdS 14 . .ixc4 equality.
ll:lxf4 1 5 .exf4 ..ixb2 1 6.l:lc2 ..id4 - Black
1 6. .C.f1-e1
is somewh�t better, m�inly because he
can block the white bishop by ... e7-e6 16 ...ie3 t!Jxb3 1 7 .'twxb3 ..ixc3 18 . ..ixb6
while White cannot do the same. ub6 ! 9.l:lxc3 l:lfd8=.

93
The Kaufman Rqlertoirt forBiack

GI I O.S (097) Game 7.11

16. ... .llf8-e8
0 Sh.ab.Uov,Alua.ndu
17. h2·h4
• Kamsky,Gata
This doesn't work out well, so White Philadelphia, 2 0 1 0 (5)
should probably have just gone for the
1. d2-d4 lilg8·16
equalizing 1 6.�e3 line.
2. c2-c4 g7-g6
17. ... .lla8-d8 3. �b1-c3 d7·d5
18. h4-h5 g6xh5 4. lilg1-f3 .il.f8·g7
1 9. ,..d 1 xh5 •d7-f5 5. 'ill'd 1 -b3 d5xc4
6. ._b3xo4 0·0
White will lose the d-pawn for inade­
7. e2-e4 a7-a61
quate compensation.
This, the HungMian Variation, is probably
20. .il.b3-d1 �b&xd5
the only one of many defenses that equal­
21. ... h5-h4 lild5·16
izes in this dangerous Russian System. It
22. �c3-e4 c7·c&
was championed from the late sixties on­
23. .llc 1-c5 lLld4-e2+
wards by Hungarian grandmasters like
24. ..td1xe2 •f5xe4
Andras Adorjan, Laszlo Barczay and Zoltan
25. 'ill' h4-g3 'ill'e4-g6
Ribli, although Alexander Alekhine was
26. ..te2-f3 lld8-d3
the patriarch of this move. He already
27. 'ill'g3-f4
adopted it before World War II - in a
In the actual game Black now played World Championship game against Euwe.
27 . . . �d7?!, after which 28.:as would
8. e4·e5
have equalized. However White played
28 . ..Q.e4?!, remaining a pawn down, and Or 8 ....b3 bS 9.e5, transposing.
lost a long endgame.
8. ... b7-b5
27. ... e7-e6 9. 'ill'c4-b3 lil16-d7

j. j.
j.
l::t

White has only the bishop pair for the

pawn, so he is half a pawn down without I O.�e2 cS I l .e6 cxd4!N (grandmaster Pe­
compensation. ter Svidler missed this and lost to

94
 Chapter 7 - Gninfdd Drlcnsc - Non-Exchange lines

grandmaster Morozevich not long ago)

11. ·- lild7-16
1 2.exd7 ( 1 2 .exf7+ �h8 1 3 .lbe4 tlk6=
1 4.h4 h6 1 S.h5 g5 1 6.hgs tt:Jde5 1 7 .�4 l i ...tt:Jb6?!, as I had previously played
liW7 I S.IIdi M5 1 9 ./ilcS 10.5 20.'1t'b4 against Shaba.lov, is inferior o1s the knight
tbc6 2 I .'Wb3 with a draw by repetition) is needed to defend the kingside. He won
1 2 ... tt:Jxd7 ( 1 2 ... .i.b7 may be even better: a brilliant game.
! 3 .11ldS lilxd7 14 ..il.gS lilf6 I S .Iilxf6+
12. a2-a4 b5-b41
exf6 1 6.�4 .C.e8 I 7.�fl ...Q.d s I 8.'W'b4 d3
I 9.�dl fS and with two pawns for the 1 2 ... bxa4 is playable but not quite equal. I
knight and White's rook boxed in by his think.
king, Black is for choice) 1 3 .ltJe4 .i.b7
13. •b3xb4 lLlb8-c6
1 4.tt:Jfd2 lt:les 1 s.0-0 d3 1 6 ..i.d 1 .C.cS - al­
14. ifb4-a3
though Black only has two pawns for the
knight, his large development lead together After 1 4 ...c5?! ...d6 I S . .i.c4 'iWxcS
with the dangerous passer offer fulJ com­ 1 6.dxc5 lLlg4 White must lose the bishop
pmsation. pair or a po1wn.

10. - f7xe6 14. ·- il'd8-d6

11. �e1-e3
:! .i. :! !lr
ln the event of l l . ..xe6+ �h8 12 ...e4
.t. .t. .i. .t.
ltJb6 1 3.'.h4 lLlc6 14 . .i.h6 eS I S.li:JgS
.t. .. 'i!!' .t. .. .t.
..e7 Black is in good shape:
Or l l .h4 tt:Jf6 1 2.i.e3 (after 1 2.h5 lLlxhS
1 3 ...te3 tt:Jc6 White has too little com�­ fj, fj,
sation for his two-� defidency: if 1 2.a4 'l!!' ILl .ll liJ
ttk6N 1 3.axb5 tt:Jxd4 14.ti:lx.d4 "tlfxd4 fj, fj, fj, fj,
I S ..C.a4 .. eS+ Black has the initiative) l:! w � l:!
1 2 ... tt:Jc6 ( 1 2 .....d6 also favors Black)
15. �f1-e2
1 3 .0-0-0 ..d6 and Black's extra pa.wn is of
only slight value here, but his attacking 1 s . .i.c4 lt:lb4 1 6 ....b3 ( 1 6 . .C.c i .i.b7
chances are not inferior to White's. transposes to I S . .C.c l line) 1 6 ... .i.b7
I i .lilgS iilb6�. 1 7.0-0 .i.xf3 18 ...txe6+ �h8 1 9 .gxf3
.C.ab8 ( 1 9 ... tt:Jc6 is also fine) 20 ..i.c4 ..c6
2 1 ...te2 �fdS - the broken White
kingside and poorly paced white queen
give Black enough for the pawn:
Or I S.J:lc i ...ib 7 1 6 ....ic4 lt:lb4, and
already Black is better o1s White's king is
notso safe after 1 7 .0-0 .i.x£3.

15. MO lLlc6-b4
16. J:la1-c1 �c8-b7

95
The Kaufman Reptnoire for Black

4.Wb3 dxc4 s.Wxc4 �g7 6.e4 0-0

17. 0-0 lilf6-g4
7.tt:lf3 transposes to the game, as does
18. h2-h3 �g4xe3
7 .i.e2 .t6 8.tt:lf3; 7 .�f4 c6 8.tt::l f3 bS
1 9. f2xe3
9.Wb3 Was IO ..Q.d3 -'t.e6 1 i .Wd l �g4
1 2 .0-0 b4 1 3 .tbe2 �xf3 1 4.gxf3 cS
a a t. I S .dxcS lbfd7=.
_a j, j, _a j,
4. ... .ll.f8-g7
j, 'ill" j, j,
5. "ll d1 ·b3 d5xc4
6. 'W'b3xc4 0-0
8. 8 7. e2-e4 e7-a6
'ill' liJ I:!. ID 8
1::, � 8
a • .a 'l!H a t.
� l:l ltl j, j, j, j, _a j,
j, . j,
1 9. ... .ll.g7-h6

After 19 ... :C..tb8! Bl.tck's bishop pair and 'i/l!' £:, 8

better placed pieces e.tsily offset his poor liJ liJ
p.twn structure. 8 1:!. 1:!. 8 1:!.
20. �e3-d1 lilb4·d5 J:l. jl_ It/ � l:l
20 .. aS=.
8. .ll.f 1-e2
21. "lla 3·b3 "lld6-g3??
8.a4?! bS! 9 .... b3 cS! I O .dxcS ..Q.e6:f
2 1 . . "llb 6�. l l ."tWa3?! b4! 1 2 .Wxb4 lbc6+ 1 3 ."tlt'.t3 ?
:C.b8-+; the threat of ... :C.b3 forces White
22. 'iltb3xb7 it.h6xe3+
to part with material.
23. �d1xe3 �d5xe3
The recent fad 8.W.t4 is a serious try here,
24. 1111-12 ..'tle3-d5
but is well met by S ... cS! 9.dxcS it.d7=.
25. 'l'b7-c6 lild5-14
Now I O.'it'b4 is met by IO ... aS!, I O.'W'a3
26. �g1·11 lla8-b8
by I O ... �c6, a.nd I O."tWb3 or I O.Wc2 by
27. .ile2-c4 1·0
IO .. . "tWaS ! , in all cases with fine play for
Bl.tck.
GI I O.S (097) Game 7.12 8.116'b3 bS 9 . .ie2 transposes to the g.tme;
D Ri.azm.tsev,Alennder 8.-'t.f4 bS 9."tlt'xc7 (stem game Euwe­
• Rodshtein,Muim Alekhine. Wch m- 1 2 Netherlands 1 935)
Moscow, lO l l ( 5 ) 9 .. .'.xc7 I O . ..Q.xc7 .ib7!.

1. d2·d4 lilg8-f6 8. ... b7-b5

2. e2-c4 g7-g6 9. tt"c4-b3 c7-c5
3. lilb1·c3 d7·d5
9 . . . lbc6 I O .eS -'t.e6 l l .exf6 -'t.xb3
4. lilg1·13
1 2 .fxg7 �xg7 1 3 .nb3 ..'tlxd4 1 4.lbxd-4

96
 Chapter 7 - Griinfdd Ddmse - Non-Exchange lints

'tl'xd4 1 5 .0-0 'tlt'b4 1 6.�£3 'i'xb3 is an

16. 0-0
interesting line but probably more com­
fortable for White.

10. d4xc5 ..Q.c8-e6

1 0 ... ..Q.b7 is also played, but the game

move is better.

11. 'tlt'b3-c2 ll:lb8-d7

.! '11¥ .! .t:
41 .t. .t. i. .t.
.t. i. 41 .t.
16. ... Wd8-d61N
.t. �
� Previously 16 .. a.S was played.
Ill Ill 17. lld1·c1 Wd6-b8
� � "'ill §;.. � � � 1 8. ..ie3xe5
.!!: §;.. I!;> J:[
1 8 . ..Q.c4 tl:fd8 White has the bishop pair
but a.n isolated d-pawn, while Black ha.s
12 . .llc 1-e3
good squa.res for his knights on cS and
1 2 .c6 <i.Jb8 1 3 .ti:lg5 ( 1 3.0-0 tbxc6 d6. Perhaps White is still slightly better
1 4.tbxb5 tbxe4N I S . 'tl'xe4 ..Q.dS=i=) after 1 9 . .tl:fd l .
1 3 ...li:lxc6 l 4.lt::lxe6 fxe6 l5 ...Q.e3 <i.Jd+
18. lil16-d7
1 6.'tl'd l t!:lxe2 1 7 .'1t'xe2 •as 1 8.0-0 b4
19. ..lle2xa6 tl:c8xc5
1 9 .tbd l •bs=F. Despite his bad pawns,
20. 'tlt'c2-d2 tl:f8·d8
Black has all the play here.
20 .. 'tltd6 is a good alternative.
12 . ... tl:a8-c8
13. tl:a1-d1 21. l::r.c1 xc5 t!Jd7xc5
22. ..lla6-c4 e7-e6
1 3 .c6 lhc6 1 4.tt:ld4 .tl:d6 I S .tt:lxe6 .tl:xe6
1 6.0 ( 1 6.0-0 Wbs�) 16 ... Wc7 l l .Wbl Here 22 .. tba4 is a.lso okay.
tl:c6=. Black's pressure and better devel­
23. llf1-d1 lilc5-a4
opment offset the bishop pair.
24. .li<c4-b3
13. -· b5-b4
24.lbd4 ..Q.xd4 2 S .'tltxd4 lt::lb 6 26 . ..Q.b3
14. lilc3-d5
tt:lxdS=.
14.tba4 •as I S .0-0 tbxe4 1 6.'tltxe4
24. ... lba4-c5
'l'xa4=.
25. .llb3-c4 ti:lc5-a4
14. ... .lle6xd5 26. .llc4-b3 .'Lla4-c5
15. e4xd5 lLld7xc5 27. 'tltd2-e3=

97
T�e Kaufman Repertoire for Black

2 7 . ..Q..c4 draws by repetition.

33. tbd3xb4 Jl.18xb4
27. ... tbc5xb3 34. 'll'b3xb4 'tlta6xa2
28. wte3xb3 e6xd5 35. h4-h5 g6xh5
29. tbf3·e1 'll b8-d6 36. 'll' b4-b7 h5-h4
30. .'De1-d3 Jl.g7-18 37. g3xh4 .C.a8-e8
31. g2-g3 .C.d8-a8 38. .C.d1 xd5 *'a2-b1+
39. Olg1-h2 •b1-e4
3 1 . . hS=.
40. Olh2-g3 17-15
32. h2-h4 'W'd6-a6 41 . 'll' b7-b3 1h ·lh

98
Chapter 8

Grunfeld Exchange
In this chapter we look at lines where White exchmges pa.wns immediately (+.c:r.dS
li.lxdS), although 4.li.lf3 �g7 5 .cxd5 li.'Jxd5 will transpose to tha.t chapter.

..
/':,
tiJ
/':, /':, /':, /':, !1, /':,
.i:i il. 'I!.Y w il. tiJ J:t

This usm.lly lea.ds to an exchmge on c3 which brings White's b2 pawn to c3, where
it supports the center bUI is itsdf wea.k. These lines tend to be more double-edged
than witb.Q}lt this exchange. With the white pawn on c3, Bla.ck alw.1ys replies ... cS
right •fter ... il.g7, but is genera.lly reluctant to exchange on d4 without a dear mo­
tiva.tion because it exchanges off the we;�.k White c-pawn. BLa.ck's goal is to force
White into some concession, such a.s moving e4-e5, taking on c S , or gening an arti­
ficially isob.ted pawn on dS (for this Black must put his pa.wn on c4 before White
does so) .

In Game 8 . 1 we look at alternatives to the obvious S.t4-. The most important is

S.-'id2, aiming to recapture on c3 with the bishop. Although it is okay to do this, I
prefer to move the knight to b6 when it is anilcked because then the move �d2 is
simply a wasted tempo; it almost illways goes to e3 ilnyway to defend d4. Witham the
extra tempo this line is simply bad for Black, but with it Black gets nearly equal
chances. just remember after S •••�g7 6.e4- li:lb6 7.�e3 0-0 8.h3 (else ... �g4 when
White plays lt:lf3) to play 8...eS!, and to meet the bizarre S.�bS by ... .i.e6. We also
look at the equally bizarre s.lba-4-. which is better than it looks. I recommend S ...�g7
6.e4- lbb6. The basic rule is that it is okay for the knight to be driven to b6 if White
has paid a price for this.

Now we come to the real Exchange Griinfeld, S.e-4-lbxc3 6.bxc3 i.g7.

99
Tht Koufman Repertoire forB/ock

i: � � 'ill' * i:
... ... ... ... ... � ...
...
1 ,....
f\, f\,
/1,
/1, f\, [:, /1,
l:! �'li'w .U::J l:!

In G�me 8 . 2 we consider all the infrequent seventh moves. The queen check is met by
7 ••. �d7 intending ... 0-0, ... c7-cS, ... ;�,7-a6, ... b7-b6, and ... �b7. Although Black does
not put heavy pressure on White's cemer, White pays a price for this with his wander­
ing queen. The move 7.h3 is similarly met by 7..•�d7, intending ... c7-cS. Instead,
7.�gS is met by the immediate 7 ... cS, trying to provoke d4-dS. The main move in the
game, 7...Q.bS+, is met by 7 ...c6 8.h40-0 9.�el bS IO.�b3 aS with good counterplay.
In all these sidelines Black is fine.
In Game 8.3 we consider unusual eighth moves after 7.l!Jfl cS. Against 8.�el we
pressure the center by 8...lbc6 9.�e3 ..Q.g4. Against 8.h3, pressure on d4 won't work,
but after 8•••0-0 9.�ell!Jc6 1 O.�e3 we switch to an attack on e4 by 1 O•••a:d4 l l .cxd4
fS ! . As for the game move 8.�bS+, we block with the knight on c6, castle and play
. . . �g4, le;�.ving out the piwn exchange on d4. Again all the lines are harmless.
Now we come to the important lines with �e3, meaning either 7.lbfl cS 8.�e3
...-as 9.'6'dl 0-0 IO •.:I:cl or Kramnik's preferred order 7.�e3 cS 8•.:lcl *iS 9.'tltdl 0-0
I O.�fl.

I favor putting direct pressure on the center with IO ...J1d8. If White just develops we
force dS by l l .�el ..tg+, and then play ... cS-c4 before White can do so. If White ad­
vances l l .dS we play ... e7-e6. These lines are a bit complicated and must be studied

1 00
 Chdpttr 8 - GriinfddExchooge

c�fully. Points to remember: ... lb�6 is often � good move, ... c5-c4 as � pawn s�criHce
is sometimes vicble, md often the a2 pawn becomes c tcrget. See Game 8.4. I didn't
find coy advant�ge for White, but this is c critical line .md White might yet find some­
thing.
The next four g�mes all future the so-celled 'Modern Exchange' variction, mecning
?.t!Jfl c.5 s.:bt 0-0 9.i.e2. Games 8 . 5 , 8.6, md 8.7 all feature the popular sequence
9 •••n:d4 IO.a:dof. 'W'aH ll.i.d! ( i i .'tlld 2 leads to an endgame which is covered in
Game 5) I l...'W':u! 12.0-0. This is a r�ther dangerous (for Black) gambit by White,
whose compensation for the pawn is rather obvious (several tempi and an extra pawn
in the center). The usu�l move here (recommended by Avrukh) is 1 2 . . . �g4, after
which White generally regains his pawn �nd Black h�s to pl�y precisely to reach an
endgame that he can draw. Instead I go for the second-most popular move, 12 ...b6,
which intends to hold the pawn, at least for a while. After 1 3 .'W'cl i.b7 White can force
an immediate repetition. but few players will choose � g�mbit �s White just to force a
quick draw at the first opportunity. In Games 8 . 5 md 8.6 I give two reasonable contin­
uations for Black which appear to equalize, though they are complex and tricky. In
Game 8.7 I give the greedy 13 ..•-.d in case you can't allow the repetition draw. But my
preferred option, given in Game 8.8, is the same line as recommended by Delchev and
Agrest, namely 9 ...�c6 IO.d.5 �eS ll.�:r.e.5 hes 12.'ilt'd2 e6 1 3.f4 i.c7!, which pre­
vents the normally desirable 1 4 .c4. There are some scary lines here, but it seems that
Black can hold the balance.
Now we come to the old way of playing the Exchange Variation, which has again
become the main line. This is 7.�cof.c.5 8.lLle2 lbc6 9.i.e3 0-0 10.0-0. In Game 8.9 I
give my second-string defense, JO...e6, which �ims to restrain the White d-pawn,
and also gives the queen the square e 7 where it is less subject to anack than on c7.
Still, I prefer I O...'W'c7 tt.:ct b6 (Game 8. 1 0) , primarily because we may wam to
play a later ... e7-e5 without the loss of a tempo. Some of the resultant positions (after
... e7-e5 and d4-d5) are evaluated �s good for White by the computers, bm I don't
ttust computer evaluations much in highly blocked positions such as these. Comput­
ers love protected passed pawns, but when they are securely blockaded by a knight
they aren't much of an asset.
At the last moment I decided to include coverage of the I O...b6 gambit line as a third
black option. That was Gn1nfeld guru Peter Svid.ler's choice against World Number I
Magnus Carlsen just days before finishing the book. At this writing, my analysis indi­
cates that it may be the best choice of all for Black, since the gambit seems quite sound
if accepted, while if it is declined Black has the choice tnnsposing to I O . . .-.l'c7 or aim­
ing instead for ... e7 -e6 and ......e 7 , which is probably a bit better. See Game 8. 1 I .

101
Tht KGufman RtpenoireforBJGck

GI 1.2 (085) Game 8.1 1 5 . 0-0 l0xa6 1 6 .lLlxa6 11t'c8 1 7 .11t'e2

0 Evdokimov,Alaander Axd4 is equal; both sides have bad
• Svidler,Pcter pawns and the piece placement is about
Sochi U, 2010 (3) even;
A2) 9.i.e2 l!Jc6 ! O.dS ti::le S l l .lLlxeS
1. d2·d4 <ilgS-16
i.xe2 1 2 .'itxe2 lLlxa4 1 3 .f4 e6 1 4.dxe6
2. c2-c4 g7-g6
i.xeS I S .exf7+ Axf7 1 6.fxe5 1lt'h4+
3. l!Jb1-c3 d7-d5
1 7 .i.f2 Axf2 1 8 .11t'xf2 11t'xe4+ 1 9 .11t'e2
4. c4xd5 .'Llf6xd5
'Wb4+ 20 .11t'd2 11t'h4+ 2 1 .g3 'ite4+
22.�f2 tt:lxb2 23 ...xb2 AfS+ 24.o;llg i
'We3+ 2 S.�g2 11t'f3+ resuhs in a draw by
perpetual check.
B) Or S . 'Wb3 tbxc3 6.bxc3 i.g7 7.lf.Jf3
0-0 8.i.a3 b6 9.e3 cS J O.i.e2 tt:lc6
1 1 . 0-0 tbaS 1 2.'Wc2 (after 1 2 .'tlibS i.d7
1 3 .'tlia6 ..c7 White's pieces are a bit
misplaced) IL ...c7 1 3 .l:tac l i.b7
1 4.c4 e6 I S .dxcS bxcS with rough
equality.

5. .ilc1-d2
R R!lf
A) S.tba4 (Ashot Nadanian's specu.cu­
.i.t'i!l' .l.t.i
lar discovery) S ... �g7 6.e4 l!Jb6 7 .i.e3
.a. .a.
0-0 8.�f3 .i.g4 and now:
'Iii .a.
8
£. 8 /iJ
[\ � 1>.. 8 8 8
.!l: .!l: lt>
AnalyS1sd1agram

White's knight is better placed than

Black's, but Black's bishops are beuer
placed than White's.
Analysis diagram
5. .• Jil.l8-g7
&. e2·e4 <ild5·b6
A I ) 9 .4::lc 5 tbc6 I O .t!Jxb7 1lt'b8
l l .�a6 �b4 I I.lLlcS i.xf3 1 3 .gxf3 A good alternative is 6 ...l!Jxc3 7 .i.xc3
�xd4! 1 4.i.xd4 (after 1 4.i.e2 AdS 0-0 8.'ilf3 (8.1i"d2 cS 9.d5 e6 I O .Jil.xg7
I S .tt'b3 i.xcS 1 6.i.xc5 l!Jc6 1 7 .Ac l �xg7 1 J .i.c44::ld 7 ! 2.tt:le2 l!Jf6=, and if
l0d4 1 8 .tt'e3 eS the outposted knight 1 2.d6 then I L.'Wh4 is a good reply)
offsets the bishop pair) 14 ... l:td8 8 ...i.g4 9.i.e2 cS I O.dS e6 1 1 .0-0 exdS

1 02

1 2 .exdS '*d6=. The white d-pawn is
pa.ssed but isolated, and Black .tims for a
knight vs. b.td bishop edge.
7• .il.d2·e3 o-o
.i ililA"i!l' R�
j,j,j, j,j,j_j,
4il j,
;., ;.,
li:l � 1 2 . .i.xc4 ( 1 2.Wb3 li:lxb2!=; note th.tt
;.,;., £>, £>, £>,
� "iliw�li:lJ:I
8. h2·h3
A) S . .i.bS (this binrre but strong move
.tims to provoke 8 ... a6 9 . .i.e2 as in some
vuiations the loss of protection for the
knight by the a7 pawn is impom.nt)
8 ... .te6 9.<t:Jge2 (9.<t:Jf3 .i.g4 IO . .i.e2
transposes to the 8.�f3 line, with each
side having lost a tempo} 9 ... c6 IO ..i.dJ
�c4 l l .�xc4 .i.xc4 1 2 .0-0 �d7
1 3 ....d2 WaS 1 4.1lfdl llfdS=. This is a
computer improvement over 14 ... 1lad8.
which was equal in Wang Yue-Culsen.
Medi.t.s 20 1 0, won by Black. Presumably
the idea is to retain the bishop pair if
White plays .th6 now or later. Ether way
Black is fine;
B) 8.1ilf3 .il.g4 9 ..il.e2 1ilc6 I O.dS .il.xf3
l l .gxfl (I t..i.xfl �eS 1 2..�.e2 �ec4
1 3 .-ic l c6 1 4.dxc6 bxc6 1 s.Wc2 Wd4
1 6.0-0 l:lfd8 1 7.a4 Wcs;) l l ...lbas
12 ..i.d4 'ifd6 I 3 .Lg7 Wxg7 1 4.Wd2
.f6 I S.b3 !:ladS=;
C) 8 . .i.e2 li:lc6 9.dS (9.li:lf3 .i.g4 trans­
poses to the 8.l0f3 line) 9 ... �eS IO ..i.d4
cS! l l ..i.xcS ( l l .dxc6 l0xc6 12 . .i.xg7
Wxg7;) l l ...lbec4
Chapttr 8 - Gninft W ExchaJ19t'
Analysis diagram
this would be bad with Black's a-pawn on
a6. This shows the point of the S . .i.bS
move) 1 2 . . . l0xc4 1 3 .'l'b3 lbxb2
14 ....xb2 "ttc 7 I S ..tb4 aS 1 6.lbge2 .tXb4
1 7 .1txb4 fS!N ( 1 7 ... "Wd6=; 1 7 ... .i.g4=;
1 7 ... b6!N also favors Black) 1 8.0-0 fxei
1 9.1lac l .i.fs 20.a4 WeS;;'. With two
bishops for two knights in a very open
position. Black c.tn afford to lose his b7 or
e4 pawn and still have enough compenu­
tion. White is unlikely to hang on to both
ofhis isolated pawns for long;
D) 8.f4 l0c6 9.dS 'bas IO . .td4 eS
l l ..i.xeS .i.xeS 1 2.fxeS 1th4+ 1 3 .g3
'l'e7 I 4.Wd4 lld8 I S.b4 l0ac4 with
equality.
8. ... e7-e51
8 ... f5 is often played (I played it once my­
self) but inferior.
j,
t>,t>,
li:l it. £>,
£>, £>, t>,t>,
n "iliw�li:lJ:I
103
TbtKdufman Rtpfnoirt for Biack

9. d4xe5 15. ·- lbb4-c6

16. 'W'b1-c2 .:fB-eB
9.ll:Jf3 exd4 I O • .ixd4 ll:Jc6 or
17. lbc3-b5
( 1 0 . .. 16'e7=) l l ..i.xg7 �xg7 I Li.bs
"tlt'xd l + 13 ..tr.xd l (Laylo-Nav•ra. Kh•my­ 1 7 .1:la.d l a6 JS . .i.d3 .:.ds J9 ..�Je2 .:d7
Mmsiysk 2009) 1 3...ll:Jb4!N 14 . .13 a6 20.ll:Jf4 .:ed8 2 1 ..:re 1 tbd4 2 2 . .i.xd4
I S . .ie2 li:lc6 1 6.0-0 .ie6=: .i.xd4 23 .eS cS 24.lbxe6 16'xe6 2 S .ll:JgS
9.dS c6 I O."tlt'b3 cx:dS l l .exdS ll:J.16 'tlfe7 26.e6 Wi'xgS 2 7 .exd7 lbxd7=. Al­
1 2 .li:lf3 e4 1 3 .ll:Jgs hc3+ 1 4.bxc3 .tr.es though Black h•s only • p•wn for the ex­
I S.d6 .ie6 1 6.16'd I h6 1 7 .h4 ll:Jb8 is .1lso ch•nge. his powerful .1nchored bishop
equal. and the presence of the m.1jor pieces give
him enough compensation.
9. ... i.g7xe5
1 0. 1ild1-c2 17. ... a7-a6
1 8. lilb5-c3
! O .ll:Jf3 .i.xc3+ l l .bxc3 16'xd l +
1 2 .�xd l .:es 1 3 . .id3 .ie6 1 4.'1tc2 .i.c4 I S.JicS .i.b3! (prob11.bly White missed
I S .ll:Jd2 i.xd3+ 1 6:1txd3 �c6=. The this when he pbyed 1 7 .�bS) 1 9 .16'xb3
bishop is .1 told better th.1n the knight with 'tlfxcS 20.lbxc7 lba.S 2 1 .16'b4 'ifxc7
opposing majorities, but Bl.1ck h.1s the 22 .... x.lS .:xe4=.
better p11.wn structure.
1 8. ... i.e6-c4
10. _ l!Jb8-c6 1 9. i.e2xc4 lbb6xc4=
20. i.e3-g5 lilc6-d4
1 0 .. Wi'e7N should also equ•lize.
21. �f3xd4 'W'e7xg5
1 1 . lilg1-13 .ie5-g7 22. lild4-13?1
12. Jif1-e2 lilc6-b4
n . .:ad l 'ifeS=.
1 3 . "W'c2-b1 1ild8-e7
14. 0-0 �c8-e6 22. ... 'ti'g5-e7
23. l:.f1-e1 c7-c6�

:! :!'itt
.1. .1. .1. 'i!!' .l. .t .l. li. .i 'itt
., .t .1. .1. 'i!!' .l. .t .l.
.1. .1. .1.
., !!,
ttl jl.ttl !!, ., !!,
!!,!!, §;_[!,[!, 8 ttl ttl !!,
I:( "ill' J:(w MV [!,!',
.!l. .!l. w
15. a2-a3

I S . .tr.c l ll:Jc6 1 6 .lbbS :res 1 7 .-icS ..f6 Bl•ck's bishop is superior to White's
1 8 .ll:Jbd4 i.d7 1 9 . .:dl ll:Ja4=. knights.

1 04
 Choptu 8 - Griinfdd ExchanF

In this game I examine .til the unusu•l

24. 1013-d2 lilc4xd2
moves pl•yed here For the more regul.u
25. 'W'e2xd2 lla8-d8
moves 7.lt:lf3 and 7 . ..Q.c4, see Games
26. 'lld2-c2 'W'e7-c5
3- I J .
27. l:la1-c1 a6-a5
28. •c2-e2 'li"c5-g5 7. .i.f1-b5+
29. 11c:1·d1 .D.d8xd1
A) 7 .Wa4+ �d7 (in 2007 I pl•yed
30. 11e1 xd1 i.g7xc3
7 ... 'tltd7 •gainst IM Irina Krush .tnd got
31. b2xe3 'li"g5-c5
imo trouble, but somehow I won) 8.t!:lf3
Bl•ck now wins a. po1wn. 0-0 9 . .i.gS cS JO . .Ccl ( I O.:d J 'tltc7
I L"..e2 t'Of6 1 2.d5 .i.d7 1 3.'tltc2 tt;�.S
32. 'lle2-13 '*c5xa3
1 4.l0d2 ..Q.;a4 l 5.l0b3 'itc7 1 6 .c4
33. lld1-d7 l1e8·e7
'W'eS=: <�.nalysis by Avrukh) l O ... h6
34. %ld7·d8+ ¢'g8•g7
I J . ..Q.e3 016 l 2 .'tlti13 b6 1 3.i.d3 e6
35. '1113-e3 l:le7·e5
I i.0-0 ..Q.b7 15.'tWb3 'ttc 7 1 6 .'W'd I lLlf6
3i. lld8-d7 b7-b5
(Delchev) I 7 .�d2 J:h.c8 1 8 .a4 .CIJd8 and
37. �g1-h2? Wa3·c5-+
Black is for choice as the obvious
38. 'tlte3·f4 .C.e5-e7
1 9.'tlte2 is met by . . . cxd4 when the trade
39. .:l:d7xe7 Wc5xe7
of queen for two rooks after 20.cxd4 fa·
40. e4·e5 a5-a4
vors Black slightly;
41. '11 14-d4 c6-c5 0-1
B) 7.Jl...3 11ld7 8.lilf3 cS 9.'1i"b3 0-0
IO . .i.e2 ( I O . .i.d3 J:lb8 1 1 .0-0 bS=;
GIU (DSS) Game 8.2 I O.i.c4 bS 1 1..-'t.xbS J:lb8 1 2 ...a4 lLlb6
0 Vaisser.Amtoli l l .'tltaS cxd4 1 4.l!Jxd4 .-'t.. b 7 is also
.J....Vbstimil
.. equal; While must lose back his extra
Area Wch-sen, 20 1 0 (7) pawn on e4 or on d4; I O.J:ld I 'ttc 7
l l ..-'t..e 2 bS) JO ... J:lb8 (Delchev) 1 1 .0-0
1. d2-d4 11lg8-16
bS and here Black has adequate
2. c2-c4 g7-g6
counterplay;
3. 11lb1-c3 d7-d5
C) 7 .i.gs cS s.J:lc l 0-0 9.l!:lf3 .i.g4
4. c4xd5 �f6xd5
I O.dS 'tltd6 l i . .Q.e2 lLld7 1 2 .0-0 i.xfl
5. e2-e4 .t:ld5xc3
l 3.i.xf3 bS. The plan of ... cS-c4 and
6. b2xc3 Jl.18-g7
. .. lLld7 -c5-d3 plus the weak while pawns
on a2 and c3 fully offset White's bishop
pair.

1. c7-c6
8. .i.b5-a4 0-0
9. lt:lg1-e2 b7-b5

I also like 9 ... e5.

1 0• .Q.a4-b3 a7-a5

lOS
ThtKc!ufmanRtptrtoiu for Biock

lt..t• •• J 9.f4 exf4 20 ...xf4 gS 2 J . ...g3 �b2 -

the white attack is dead and Black has the
.t..t..!.t. initiative.
... ...
...... 1 9. - c6xd5
20. h5xg6 nxg6
21. 'tltc1-h6+?1

Since there is no atu.ck the check should

have been held in reserve.

1 1 . �c1-e3 21 . ... <l.>g7-g8

22. e4xd5
In the event of 1 1 .0-0 /Od7 12 . ..Q.g5 a4
J J...�.c 2 �b6 14 ... cl f6 1 5 . .Q.. h 6 eS i: :i7!r
16 ..Q..x g7 ¢>xg7 1 7 .h3 .Q..e 6 Black stands
Vi!f .t.
better due to the c4 outpost for bishop or
� .t. 'l!:i'
knight and his much more mobile
bishop.
.t. 8 .1.
Also after J l .a+ .Q.a6 1 2.axb5 cxbS
.t. ...
1 3 .0-0 �c6 14 . .Q..e3 a4 Black is better, 8�
with ideas of .. �c6-a5-c4 or ... b4. Anal­ [>, Ci:J 8 8
ysis by Agrest. .!:! II;> l:l
11. ·- lilb8·d7
Here a draw was agreed, ahhough Bb.ck is
12. h2-h4 a5-a4
clearly better after 2 2 .. . .Q.fS. White's at­
1 3 . .il.b3-c2 lild7-b6
tack has failed, his king is in the center.
14. tt'd1-c:1 lilb6-c4
and his queenside pawns are effectively
15. .il.e3·h6 e7-e5
all three isob.ted from each other. Curi­
16. �h6xg7 Wg8xg7
ously, the two players in this game and I
17. h4-h5 Wd8-e7
ended up tied for 1 st place (along with
1 8. .il.c2-d3 �c8-e6
one other grmdmaster), with Vaisser tak­
ing first md Janu second on tiebreU
I • points. Perhaps Jansa would have won this
..... .... World Senior Championship if he had not
... .! ... agreed to a draw here.
... ... 8
... t.88 GIU(DBS) Game 8.3
8� DXuJun
8 Ci:J88 • wangYue
Ningbo, 20 1 1 (2)
l:l ... w l:l
1. d2-d4 lilg8-16
1 9. d4-d5?1 2. c2-c4 g7-g6

106
 Chopttr 8 - Griinfdd Exchange

from he� in my databtse) 1 2.�c4+ (if

3. lilb1-c3 d7-d5
l l.exfS ••5+ 1 3 .�d2 •xrs. due to the
4. e4xd5 ttJf&xdS
p�ssu� on d4, Black is beuer) 1 2 ... Wh8
5. e2-e4 !(::) d5xc3
1 3 .e5 bS 1 4 . .ib3 ll:las 1 5 .0-0 /Oxb3
6. b2xe3 .il.18-g7
1 6.ub3 �b7 and White has liule com­
7. lilg1-13 c7-c5
pens.uion for the bishop pair.

8. ... lilb8-c:6
9. 0·0 0-0

9 ... cxd4 first h.ts been mo� populu,

j, when White may have a microscopic
£!, £!, edge. Now the text is catching on .ts Bl.tck
£!, liJ need not feu the capture on cS, .ts we
£!, £!, £!, £!, shall see.
l'l: -�-'�lt>.¥1. ..
10. i.c1-e3 .i.c8-g4

ln this g;�me we look 011 White's unusu•l

eighth moves.

8. .il.f1·b5+

This is not ll promising line. White hasn't

won a single grandmaster level game in
this variation for twelve yea.cs! a ..Qe2?!
(already �ter this White has no chance for
�n the slightest edge) 8 ...�c6 and now:
A} 9.d5 i.xc3+ I O .i.d2 i.u l
1 1 . d4xc5
l l . ..xa I tt:ld4 I V�xd4 cxd4 1 3 ....xd4
0-0 J+ ..Qh6 'i';�S+ I S .'�fl f6 16 ..ixf8 l l .dS tOeS I L�e2 l0xf3-+ 13 ..i.xf3
�xf8 White's una center p1wn doesn't .i.xf3 14 ...xf3 •as I S .:ac l c4 J6 ... e2
quite make up for his loss of c;�stling %hc8=. The we.tk White pawns on •2 .tnd
rights ;md the difficuhy he will h;�ve de­ c3 offset his extra center pawn.
veloping his rook;
11 . .•. ·· Wd8-c7
B) 9 . .i.e3 .ig4 I O.eS (usually in the
GrUnfeld when White is forced to pb.y I L..ixc3 n . .a.c 1 .il.g7 1 3 .h3 .ixf3N
chis he is worse, as his d-pawn becomes 1 4.Wxf3ll:ld4=.
b.1ckward) I 0 ... 0-0 1 1 .0-0 lieS 1 2 .h3
12. .i.b5xc6 -.c7xc6
cxd4 1 3 .cxd4 .Q..e 6 1 4.'W'd2 .i.dSN -
13. 'tltd1-c2 .il.g4xl3
White has litt1e compens.ltion for the
14. g2x13 17-15
blckw.ud d-pawn and the resuhmt out·
15. l:lf1-d1 ll18·17
post for Black on dS.
16. lld1·d5 l:la8-f8
8.h3 0-0 9.�e2 tt:lc6 I O.�e3 cxd4
17. 11•1-d1 f5xe4
I Lcxd4 fS! (Slack scored 8 out of 1 0

107
The Kaufman RqJenaire for Black

1 8. -.c2xe4 .a.nxt3
1 9. •e4xe7 .tlf3-f7
20. 11e7·h4

7 . lilg1-13

7 .�e3 c5 s . .:c J (Kramnik's preferred

move-order) 8 .. 'tlta5 9 ...d2 0-0 I O.lLlf3
transposes.
20. ... 'W'c6-e6
1. OM c7-c5
There was nothing wrong with regaining
8. i.c1-e3
the pawn by 20 ... �xc3=.
This variation is very popular recently
21 . c3·c4 .ll.g7·16
with suong grandmasters.
Better and equal was 2 1 ... �e5, prevent­
8. ... 1ld8·a5
ing :d6 while keeping an eye on h2.
9. 11d1·d2
22. ._h4-g3 -.e&-e4
9.lbd2 and now:
In the game Black played to regain his A) 9 ... cxd4 is;;�. reason;�.ble alternative to
pawn by 22 ..... ;�.6, but after 23 ...e4 castling. It avoids the draw given below,
..xa2 24.%td7 he h;�.d to fight for the draw, but I consider castling to be the more
successfully. The text equalizes, as the iso­ correct move. I O.ll:Jc4 (I O.cxd4 lLlc6
lation of all five white pawns surely offsets l l .d5 lLld4 1 2 .%tc l �d7 1 3 .�d3 �a4
White's one pawn lead in material. 1 4.1i'g4 �d7 I S .'ii'd l draw by repeti­
tion)

GI+.B(D85) Game 8.4

0 Ernst,Sipke * !:
• Gustafsson,Jan .t. .t. .t .t.
Germ;�.nyBundesliga, 2 0 1 0/ll (I) .t.
1. d2·d4 lilg8·16
2. c2-c4 g7·g6
3. ..'Llb1-c3 d7·d5
4. c4xd5 ..'Llf6xd5
5. e2-e4 ..'Lld5xc3
6. b2xc3 .ll.f8·g7 AnalySis diagram

108
 Chapter 8 - Griin fdd Exchanae

! O .....d8 ( I O ...dxt:3?! i i .l!:lx.tS i.xc3+ ll:Je2+ 2 I ..i.xe2 Le2+. With the bishop
1Vi•t:2 �xaS 1 3 .�xt:3 w.ts Aronian­ p.tir in il wide open position ilnd no bad
Sutovsky, Ningbo Wch-u 20 I I . Black h.ts pawns or pieces Bl.tck is better.
two bishops, .t pawn, .tnd somt: thre.tts
12. •.• 17-16
.tg.tinst tht: r:xpost:d whitt: king for his
queen, but it w.tsn 't enough and Black
lost. The computt:rs consider this sacrifice llill .i. R �
unsound) l l .cxd4 fS 1 2 .tlbl fxe4 .a. .a. .a .a.
1 3 .�t:2 0-0 1 4.0-0 �e6 I S.tlx:b7 �dS .a. .a. .a.
1 6.tlb5 tl:lc6 1 7 .'W'd2 e6=. Although '!!!" .lB �
Bl.tck h.ts one more isolated p.twn thm B
White, his pieces .tre .tctivt: .tnd centr.tl­ B ILl
ized; B 'IW BBB
B) 9 ... �d7 ? ! md now:
l:l. Iii � l:l.
B l ) ! O .li:Jb3 'itx:c3+ l l ..i.d2 'itb2
1 2 .�c l .. c3+ 1 3 .�d2 was .t quick draw
13 . .lil.g5·f4
by repetition pl.tyed in Shulman­
Dominguez Perez, Lubbock 20 I I . 1 3 .c4 Wxd2+ 14 ..i.xd2 tieS I S . .ie2
82) l 0.�e2 ..xc3 l i .tlc l Wb2 ll:Jd7 1 6.�e3 exdS 1 7 .exdS fS=.
1 2 .tlc2 ..b4 1 3 .tlxc5 lbc6 1 4.l:lc4 Wb2 1 3 .�t:3 ll:Jc6 1 4. .id3 ( 14 ..ie2 exdS
1 5.d5 ti:ld4 is also equ.tl. 1 5 .exd5 c4 1 6.tld I ll:Je7 17 . .ixc4 .ir:6
B3) but I O.tlc I ! is il correct .tnd strong transpost:s) 14 ... t:xd5 1 5 .exd5 c4!
p.twn s.tcrifict: .tccording to Komodo. 1 6.�xc4 .it:6 1 7 .tld l �t:7 1 8 .dxe 6 ! ?
( 1 8 . 0 - 0 .lil. x d S 1 9 .'1i'e2 �h8=)
9. ... 0-0
1 8 ... l:lxd2 1 9.tlxd2 Wxc3 ( 1 9 ... l0f5 ! ?
1 0. tla1 -c1 l:lf8-d8
20.tld3 tieS=, if you wish t o avoid an
11. d4-d5
immedi.tte draw) 20.i.b3 'W'cl +
l l ..it:2 .i.g4 1 2 .d5 c4 1 3 .0-0 ll:Jd7 2 i .tld l Wc3+ 2 2 .<.te 2 . This was
1 4.h3 .h.f3 I S . .ixf3 bS 1 6.tlfdl 'ita3=. Potkin-Svidler, Moscow ch-RUS 2 0 I 0
Bb.ck's mobilt: queenside m.tjority md and Pashikian-Cornette, Aix-les-Bains
pressure on Whitt: 's two wea.k p.twns off­ Ech 20 I I . White avoided the drawing
set the bishop p.tir. 2 2 .l:l.d2 in both games but both were
drilwn ilnyway. With .t rook .tnd bishop
11. ... e7-e6
.tnd bishop pair for the queen White is
12 . .i.e3-g5
the equiv.tlent of .t pilwn down, but his
1 2 . .it:2 exdS 1 3.exd5 bS! 14 . .h.c5 .ib7 strong passer evens the ch.tnces. Svidler
1 5 .c4 Wxd2+ 1 6.�xd2 bxc4 1 7 . .i.xc4 played 22 . . . a 5 , Cornr:ne chest:
.ixdS=: 2 2 ... 'itb4, .tnd the computer likes
1 2.c4 ..xd2+ 1 3.ll:Jxd2 b6 14 . .i.e2 lLlil6 2 2 . .'.aS 2 3 .tld3 fS=.
1 5 .0-0 ll:Jb4 16 . .t3 ll:Ja2 1 7 .tlc2 l!Jc3
1 3 . ... *•5-a4
IS ..i.f3 exdS 1 9 .cxd 5 ? ! ( 1 9 .exd5 .ifS
14. c3-c4
2 0.tlcc l tl.tcS=) 19 ... .i.t6 20.tlfc l

109
The K�mfm4ll Repc:noire for Black

Altern.llively, 1 4.'W'c2 'W'xc2 I S .l:.xc2

!�
.8. �
exdS 1 6.exdS ..Q.fs 17 .l:.b2 �e4 l 8 .c4
.a �
�xf3 1 9 .gxf3 l:.e8+N 20.�e2 b6 2 1 .04
�d7 2 2 . l:l b l fS 2 3 . h S ..Q.es gives equ.ll­
• ll ��
ity. Bl.tck's better p.1wn suucture ilnd the
'!!¥ .a
e-file pin compens.11e for the bishop ll �
pair. liJ
14.
15.
. .
e4xd5
e6xd5
�b8-a6
'I!!'
n n
llllll
w
16. �f1-e2 t0a6-b4
White seems to h.1ve enough compens.l­
17. 0-0 *"•4xa2
tion for the piece with his thre.1ts 01gainst
1 8. 'it'd2-e3 i.c8-f5
the queen and the b7 pawn to get .1 draw
1 9. 'tlt'e3xe5
b.lsed on the following ano�lysis. though
this is fu from certAin.
.i R �
22 . *•2-a3
�� .a � -·

23. "ill' b5xb7 lL.a6-b4

��
24. l:le1-e7 .Q.gHB
�ll .a 25. l:le7xh7 i.f5-e6
ill\ [I � 26. l:lc1-e1 l:la8·b8
liJ 27. "ill' b7-e4 "tlta3-d3
'I!!' � llllll 28. *"e4xe6+ Wg8xh7
n tr w 29. "tlte6xf6 "ill'd3-15
30. "tltf6-h4+ "ill'f5-h5
19. OM t0b4-a61 31. "ill' h4-f6 "ill' h5·15

This is .1 computer improvement over

the .1ctu.11 g.1me. which continued
19 ... �xd5 ?! 20.cxdS 'W'xe2 2 1 .l:.fel ?! GI 4. 1 4 (D85) Game 8.5
( 2 1 . �c 7 ! l:ld7 2 2 . d6±) 2 1 . . .'�h2 0 Wells,Peter
n.'W'bs 'tlh6?! ( 2 2 . . . l:lxd5 23 .... xb7 • Mich.lelsen,Nils
l:lad8�) 23 .... b3= ... b6 H.11h2 '*a6 lsuel, 1 988
2 S .... b3 'ti'b6 with .1 duw by repeti­
1. d2-d4 lilg8-f6
tion.
2. lilg1-f3 g7-g6
20. "ill'c5-b5 3. c2-c4 i.f8·g7
4. lbb1·c3 d7-d5
20 ....e7 'ti'b2 2 1 .l:.ce I l:le8 2 2 .�c l
5. c4xd5 lilfhd5
"thc l +.
6. e2-e4 lbd5xc3
20. 'tlt'a2xe2 7. b2xc3 c7·e5
21 . l:lf1-e1 "tlte2-a2 8. l:la1·b1 0-0
22. d5-d6 9. i.f1-e2 c5xd4

1 10
 Chapur8- Gni.nftld Excho.nge

This is safest, but it allows a simple draw.

10. c3xd4 •d8-e5+
If you must avoid a draw, choose
I L .'tlt'e6. which is analyzed in Ernst­
Nijboer below.

14. .Qe2-c4 *•2-84

15. -'ic4-b5 'tl'e4-e2
16. l:tf1-e1

White can draw by 1 6.-'ic4=.

16. ... 1118-c8

17. 11tc1-d1

11. ilc1-d2
Kill& '!!;>
I L'ttd 2 'Mhd2+ 12 . .i.xd2 b6 1 3 .0·0 .t. .t .t. .t. .t .t.
.i.b7 1 4.d5 �a6 IS . .i.xa6 �xa6 16 ..i.e3 .t. .t.
f5 1 7 .e5 f4 18 . .i.c l l:tad8 1 9.l:tdi �c7 £
20.d6 exd6 2 1 .exd6 ( 2 1 .ih3 �e6 [!,[',
22 . .i.xd6 llf7=) 2 1 ...4Je6=. It)
'l!f £ /",/",[!,
J:i � .. w
.t.
.t.
17. ·- e7-e61

This is much safer than the mo� com­

mon 1 7 . . ....c2.

1 8. -'ib5-a4

1 8.11te2 lt:k6 1 9.'.e3 �aS!N 20 ..i.b4

Analysis diagram
.i.c6 2J . .i.e2 tt:lc4 22 ....f4 .i.e8=.
White's passer is adv.tnced but r.tther
1 8. - t!J b8-c:6
we.tk. Bl.tck's pieces .ue well pbced. The
1 9. d4-d5
following moves ue an.tlysis by Avrukh:
2Lil.b2 1ilcS 23.Jil.xg7 Wxg7 H.llb4llfS 1 9 .�b3 ...a3 20.d5 exdS transposes to
2 S.0d4 llf6 26.0bS lld7 27.0 Wf7�. the game.

11. ·- *•5n2 1 9. e6xd5

12. o-o b7-b6 20. .Qe4-b3 'tl'a2-a3
13. 'tl'd1 -c1 21. e4xd5

13 .lle l .i.a6 1 4..i.g5 lle8=. After 2 1 ..i.xd5 'tlt'e7 2 2 . .i.g5 'tlt'f8 White
has compensation for the pawn, but per­
13. -· .lil.c8-b7
haps not quite enough.

Ill
The Kaufman Repenoire for Black

21 . ... Qlc6-d4 6. e2-e4 tbd5xc3

22. lbf3xd4 �g7xd4 7. b2xc3 0-0
23. .Ue1-e4
7 . . . c S ! is a more precise move order.
li li * 8. �f1-e2 c7-c5
.I. A .1. .1. 9. .Ue1-b1 c5xd4
.1. .L 1 0. c3xd4 'a'd8-e5+
!l tl. .fi.ct-d2 .65XII2
i.'r! -r... t.·t. 'oH>i>
'llfk 1 3. •d1-c1

.l1l. [>, £!, [>,

li"lil .t &*
:ct 1'¥ w
.L .L.L .t.L
23 . ...
.L .L
�d4-c31N

The text is a computer improvement over

the actuoli game, which went 23 . . . 11t'c5
H.�e l �f6 2S . ..f3 11t'd6?? 26.�b4 �nd
White went on to win.

24. .il.d2-g5 'lla3·d6

25. �g5-e7 1 3. ... .il.c8·b7
14. �e2-c4 ·�i'lll2-e4
After 2S . .Ue7 .Uc7 26 . .Cxc7 'ii'xc7 White
1 5 . .il.c4-b5 'it'a4-e2
lacks full compensation for the pawn.
16. .llf 1-e1 1118-<8
25. ... 'lld6-d7 17. 1t'c1-d1 'it'a2-c2
26. .il.e7-h4 'lld7-d6
I believe 17 ... e6 as in the previous game is
27. .il.h4-e7
simpler and pro�bly better, but just in ase
Dr�w by repetition. Either side may vuy something turns out to be wrong with it I
but not advant�geously. give here the more conunon move.

1 8. 'it'd1-e2 lbb8-c&
GI 4. 1 4 (085) Game 8.6
D Poluliakhov,Aiexander
• Tsesh.kovsky.Vitaly
Kr.unod.u, 1 996 (9)
1. d2-d4 '1lg8-f6
2. '1lg1-13 g7-g6 [>, £!,
3. c2-c4 .il.f8-g7 ILl
4. lbb1·c3 d7-d5
'llf.lil.1'¥£5. £!, £>,
5. c4xd5 lbf&xd5
�� :ct .. w

112
 Chapter 8 - Gninfdd Exchan!Jt

2 1 .%b. i ...cl 2 2 ..i.d3 ..b2 transposes to

1 9. Jl.b5·d3
the note to move 20.
1 9 .A�c l ?! 'tlt&2 20.�c1- tLlxd4 2 1 .tbxd4 2 l .�b5 ...c2 2 2 .1tec l ...a2 23.�c4
.C.xc4 2 2 .'tlfxc4 Wxd2 23 .l0c6 'W'd7 lbxd4 transposes to the note to move I 9.
24.'tltd5 hc6 (24......c7 may be even
21. -· 'W'a4-a6
better for Bl•ck, since queen tr&des favor
22. ••2-e3
the side with an extra exchange) 2 5 .l:lxc6
..xdS 2 6.exd5 �d4 27 .d6 exd6
28 .l:lxd6 .icS and with two connected X�.i w
passers for the exchange Bl&ck should be J, .t .l .l .t .l
better. 'Ill" .I. .. .1.
19. ... •c2-a2
20. Jl.d3·e4 1; 8
1 = .� 'l!.Ytil
20 . .:.t l llt'b2 2 1 .A•4 bS!N 22 . .ixb5 aS � £; £; £;
23.d5 tt:le5 24.tL:lxeS .i.xeS 2 5.Wd3
J:[ ];[ I!;>
( 2 5 . .ie3 •xe2=) 25 . . . .:cz 26 . .ie:3
.i.cS=. Black's doubled major pieces on
22. ... e7-e61
the 7th rank make up for his isolated a­
pawn. In the actual game Black played
2 2 .. lb.t5 ?!, which allowed the brilliant
23 .�xf7+ and White went on to win:
23 ... �xf7 H.ll::lg 5+ �e8 2 5.Wh3 �xd4
26 ....xh7 bS 2 7 . .i..u 5 ...f6 2S . .:ed l .:c2
29.'tlt'g8+ �d7 30J:.Xd4+ 'W'xd4
3 l .'tlt'e6+ �e8 32 ....xg6+ Wd7
3 3 .'ii' f5+ �e8 34.e5 .:cs 3 5.tt:le6 'W'xe5
3 6.lbc7+ 'W'xc7 37 ... g6+ �d7 3 8.hc7
�xc7 39 . .:e l e5 40 . .:dJ .:da 4 ! .'Wf7+
wd Bl.tck resigned.
The text should equ.tlize.

20. •. 23. d4-d5 e&xd5

20 ..... •3N 2 1 .d5 tt:ld4 2 2 .lt:lxd4 Ld4
2 3 ..ib4 Wa4 24.i.b5 ...c2 2 5 ..i.xe7 a6
26 ..id3 'W'xe2 2 7 ..i.xe2 l:r.e8 zs.:ed l
Axe7 29.:.xd4 bS 30.f4 %lc7 is an inter­
esting attempt to play for a win as Black,
although the white pawns look more
menacing than the black ones hert.
21. Jl.e4-b3
24. e4xd5
24 . .i..x d5 lLleS 2 S .It.t l Wn l 2 6.-=.x.t l
.i..x d5 2 7 .�xe5 .i..x e5 2 8.1te l .i.c4=.
With rook, bishop, p.twn, and the
bishop p.tir for the queen, Bl.tck has full
m.tteri.tl equality and a satisfactory po­
sition, although computers prefer
White due to .t tendency to overvalue
the queen.

113
The Kaufman Rqlfrtoittfor Biadl

24. lt:lc6-a5 8. 0·0

25. d5-d6 lle8-f8 9. .Q.f1-e2
26. tDf3-g5 lt:la5xb3
27. 'tlte3xb3 .Q.b7-c6

l!:
i !t, i
'i!!'i .tl'. i L'.L'.
ti.J L'. ti.J
L'. � L'.L'.L'.
'i!i' n � 'l!f w n
� L'.L'.L'.
J:[ J:[ It; 9. '" c5xd4

The alternatives are 9 . . . l0c6 and 9 .. b6. I

28. lilg5xl7 llf8xf7
recommend the former (see next g.tme)
29. .D.e1-e7 .a.aa-ts
but not the latter.
30. d6·d7 .Q.c6xd7
31. .D.e7xd7 b6-b5 10. c3xd4 'tltd8·a5+
32. .Q.d2-e3 1ta6-a4 11. .Q.c1-d2 'tlta5xa2
33. lld7xl7 llf8xl7 12. 0-0 b7-b6
34. 'll b3xb5 'tlta4xb5
Other moves, especio�lly I L . .i.g4, a�
35. J:lb1 xb5 .Q.g7·c3=
more popular but computer .tn.tlysis s.tys
A draw is nearly cert.tin now. that 1 2...b6 is best.

13. •d1-c1

GI<.1 4 (D85) Game 8.7 J 3 ..i.g5 .i.b7 14 . .i.d3 e6=.

0 Ernst,Sipke
13. ... 'tlta2-e6
• Nijboer,Friso
Groningen, 2002 {l ) This avoids .1 quick dr.tw. So�fer o�nd more
frequent is 1 3 . . . .i.b7.
1. d2-d4 lilg8-f6
2. c2·e4 g7-g6
3. lbb1-c3 d7·d5
·- e4xd5 tt:lf6xd5
5. e2-e4 l0d5xc3
6. b2xc3 .i.f8-g7
7. lilg1-f3 c7·c5
8. lla1-b1

This, the Modem Exchange Vui.ttion, is

among the most testing ofWhite's options.

114
 CbapttrS - GrilnfddExchangt

1 4. .Q.e2'"C4 17. -· nxe6

1 8. <1\f3·g5
ln c.ue of 1 4.De l L6 I S.1i..d l Des
1 6.'W'a3 'W'd7N 1 7.dS .Q.c4 White has full
compensation for the pawn but perhaps
no more than that.
14. - •e6xe4
15. llf1-e1

After IS ..Q.xf7+ Dxf7 16 ....xc8+ Df8

1 7 ....c4+ e6 J S.AbS •c6 J9 ....b3 li:la6
20.1lc l •d7 2 1 .lbeS LeS 2 2.11xeS
tt:lc7 White has too little compensation
for the pawn minus.
1 8. -· <1\b8·a6
15. ·- 111'e4·b7
This is a computer novelty. In the actual
16. �d2·b4
game Black played 1 8 ... lbc6. after which
White can also play 1 6 ..i.h6 e6 (a nov­ White retains chances for an edge. The
elty) 1 7 . .i.xg7 �xg7 18 ....c3 �g8 game was later drawn.
1 9.lbg5 11t'e7 20.'ttg 3 h6 2 1 .l0xe6 he6
1 9. <1\g5xa6
ll ..Q.ds �c6 23 .hc6 Aac8 24.dS 'tt g S
2 5.Wf3 .Q.fs and White's strong passer 1 9 ...e3 lbc7=.
gives him enough compensation for the
1 9. -· �-h8
pawn to equalize.
20. �b4·a3
16, oR .Q.c8·e6
Also <�.fter. 20.lbxf8 D.xf8 2 J . .i.c3 lbc7
17. D.e1xe6
with the black knight coming to dS soon.
This is the only continuation that is dan­ White does not have enough compensa­
gerous for Black. tion for the lost pawn.
After 1 7 .d S � ! .i.xdS 1 8 .Dxe7 tt::l d 7
20. RO (i}a6-c7
1 9 ...d2 .Q.xc4 20.1lxd7 • c s 2 J . .i.xf8
•xa I prefer Black's chances as he has 20 .. J:UcS may be an improvement, when
two connected passers and the bishop the position is equal.
pair for the exchange.
21. (i}e6xg7
Or l 7 ..i.xe6 fxe6 1 S.Axe6 ..d5 1 9.Axe7
ltlc6 20.D.xg7+ �xg7 2J ..Q.xf8+ Axf8 2 J .lbxf8 D.xfS 2 2 .Le7 Des 2 3 . .Q.gs
22.We3 AdS. and although the computer 'tte4 - Black's well-placed pieces and
prefers White due to the large difference better pawns fully offset White's bishop
in king safety, I think that the secure �ir.
blockade of the queen 's pawn and the
21. RO �h8xg7
two connected passers should give Black
22. 'tWc1-e1
about equal chances.

l iS
Tbt KGu&nan Rq>rnoirt for Black

With 22.�xe 7 ! ?N White has full com­

pensation for the exchange, with two
strong bishops and a much safer king. I
would avoid this by my suggestion on
move ZO.

22. -· e7-e6
23. -'ia3xf8+ .aaexf8
24. .Cb1-c1 <Oig7-g8
25. il.c4-b3 1118-eB
26. 'lt'e1-e5 l!Jc7·d5
This line, also recommended by Delchev
27. .ac1·e1 <Oig8·17
and Agrest, is my first choice. There is not
28. h2-h4 h7-h5-
so much you need to learn here, and the
line seems to be sound.

10. d4-d5

After I O.�e3?! �g4 l i . .Cxb7 �xf3

1 2 .� cxd4 1 3 .cxd4 Ld4 1 4.Ld4
�xd4 1 5.0-0 eS Black is better. The
outposted knight is dearly worth more
than the slightly bad bishop. The sym­
metric pawn structure also favors knights
over bishops.
White's s;lfer king compensates for the
1 0. ... l!Jc6-e5
p;lwn minus, but he cannot claim an ;ld­
vantage. Accepting the p;lwn with I 0 ..Lc3+
le;lds after l l .�d2 �xd2+ 1 2.'tlfxd2
�d4 1 3 .�xd4 cxd4 1 4.Wxd4 to a good
GI 4. 1 6 (085) Game 8.8 endgame for White, as wu seen in
D Gajewski,Grzegorz Kasparov-Natsis, Malta ol i 980.
• Sutovsky,Emil
11. e.t3xe5
RijehEch, 2 0 1 0 (8)
I J .�d2 fS! 1 2 .0-0 fxe4 1 3 .�xe4 �fS
1. d2-d4 lilg8-16
1 4.f3 b6=.
2. c2-<4 g7-g6
3. lilb1-c3 d7-d5 11. -· Sit.g7xe5
4. c4xd5 t!Jf6xd5 12. "illd 1 -d2
5. e2-e4 ttld5xc3
I Z .l:tb3 'ti'c7 1 3 .11t'd2 �d7 1 4.c4N
6. b2xc3 il.l8-g7
( 1 4.f4 c4 1 5 .l%b4 �d6 1 6.l:txc4 .. aS=)
7. lilg1-13 c7-c5
14 ... b5 I S .cxbS c4 1 6 .l:tb4 c3 17 ...c2
8. lla1-b1 0-0
e6 1 8.dxe6 �xe6 1 9.l:ta4 l:tid8= and
9. Sit.f1-e2 �b8-c6
Black is a piwn down, but has a d;lnger-

1 16
 Chapter 8 - Gninfdd Exchange

ous advanced passed pawn and much 1 4.i.c4 a6 I S.a4 bS 1 6.axb5 axbS
be:tter coordinated and developed pieces, 1 7 .i.xb5 exdS 1 8 . .i.c6 J:la6 19 ..i..x d5
so full compensation. J:ld6 20.0-0 .i.fs 2 1 ."tlt'c2 J:lxdS 2 2 .exf5
After 1 2 ...c2 e:6 1 3 .f4 .i.g7 1 4.dxe:6 J:lxfS 2 3 .c4 "tlt'd4+=:
.i.xe6 I S .J:lxb7 ..aS 1 6 .e:S J:lab8 1 4.dxe:6 "tlt'xd2+ I S . .i.xd2
1 7 .J:lxb8 J:lxb8 IS ..i.d3 ? ( 1 8 . .i.e:3N .i.fs
1 9 . .i.d3 .i.xd3 20 .... xd3 J:lb2 =)
18 . ...i.xa2 1 9.0-0 .i.b l 20."We2 'ihc3
2 I ..i.c4 .i.fS Black is just a pawn up.

1 2. ... e7·e6
13. f2-f4

1 3 .0-0 exdS 1 4.exd5 b6 ( 1 4 ... J:le8 is also

satisfactory) J S .c4 ..d6 1 6.h3 J:leS
1 7 ..i.b2 .i.xb2 1 8.J:lxb2 .i.d7 I 9.J:la l
h4=. Black prevents a2-a4-aS, leaving AnalySis diagram
White: with little to do. Black's better
bishop compensates for White's block­ 1 5 ...fxe6N ( I S ... .i.xe6 1 6.J:lxb7 .i.b6
aded passed pawn. 1 7 ......f2 ! N J:lfe8 I S ..i.bs J:led8 1 9.i.e3 c4
20.fS may favor White slightly) 1 6.0-0
li .t'i!l' li .tr b6 1 7 .J:lbd l ..._,g 7 IS ..i.c4 J:lbs 1 9 .e5 bs
20 ..ie2 c4 2 1 ..i.e3 J:lf7 22.g3 a6=.
� j. j. j.
j. j. 14. - e6xd5
j. ,l\,_t 15. e4xd5 -'t.c7-a5
,1\,,1\,

13. - -'t.e5-c7

l1tis is very unnatural, retreating to g7

�s 'obviously' better. However, I don't
believe that 1 3 ... .i.g7 equaJizes, because
White can play c3 -c4 and e4-e5.
16. d5·d6
13 ....i.c7 serves to prevent c3-c4, so
White can't build a big center. It's true 1 6.J:lb5 J:le8=:
that Black's king is a bit weakened, but 1 6.g4 J:le8=:
White's pieces are not well placed to ex­ 1 6 . .:r.b3 J:les 1 7 . ..tbs .:r.e4 I S . .i.d3
ploit this weakness. J:le7=:
16 ..i.a3 b6 1 7 ..i.b4 .i.xb4 1 8.cxb4 ..d6
14. 0·0
J 9 .J:lbc l J:lbS 20.bxc5 bxcS=:

117
Tht Kdufman Rtptnoirt for Black

1 6.f5 .L.fs 17 .1:txb7 •d6 1 8 .�c4 1:tfbs I n casr: of ! 9 . .C.b3 ...cBN 20.I:te i bS
1 9.l:tb3 (or 1 9.1:txb8+ l:txbS 20 ...g5 Black deuly has the initiative at no cost.
�xc3 2 l .l:txf5 .id4+ n.�h l l:tb4 White'squeenside pieces are just targr:ts.
2 3.�d3 f6 24.'1tg4 �r:S 2 5 .�c4 �d4
1 9. .. h5-b6
26.�d3 with a draw by rr:pr:tition)
20. �g1-h1 i.b6xc5
19 ... l:lxb3 20.axb3 l:lr:B 2 1 .l:lr: l l:lr:S
21. h3xc5 1ild8-d7
2 2.l:ld .i.c7 23.g3 hS H.l:lxr:S 'ihr:S
2 5.'ti'r:3 h4=.
& !i t!f
16. OM A11B·b8 .t. 'ill' .t. .t.
17. i.c1·113 .t. 8 .t.
1 7 . .i.b2 �fS (this improves on Pelletier­ .Ill.. j_
Caruana,Biel 20 1 1 ) I B.I:tbd i bS=; 1:,
1 7 .g4 b5=; 8
1 7 .�f3 .i.f5 J S.I:tbS a6 1 9.Axa5 ...xaS 1:, '!lY� 1:,1:,
20.g4 .Q.d7 2 1 .rs llbea� n.hb7 ••• n I&>
23 .h3 .i.c6 24.�xc6 W'xc6 2 5 .c4 l:td8=.
According to my scalr:, Black is up 'A
170 ... il.c:8-15
pawn. Whitt: has somr: vagur: compr:nsa­
tion in thr: we:ak dark squares around thr:
& 'ill' .il t!f black king and thr: advancr:d passr:d pawn,
.t. .t. .t. .t. but Whitt: also has somr: wt:ak pawns.
1:, .t. Overall the engines prefer Black slightly,
j_ .t. j_ and I won't disagree.
1:, 22. .Q.c5-b&?l il.f5·e4
� 8 23. Wd2·d4 llb8·e8
1:, '!lY� 1:,8 24. .i.e2·d1 .:le8·e61
J:[ J:[ <;&>
Black plans to return the exchange for thr:
d-pawn and the bishop pair to get a deu
1 8. llb1·b5
positional advantage. The actual gamr:
Aftr:r I S.I:tbd l l:tcs 1 9.g4 .id7 20.f5 wr:nt 24 ... .i.c6? 25.£5 gxfS 26 ..i.c2 .i.e4
•h4 2 J ..i.f3 l:tfr:S n.fxg6 hxg6 23 .W'f2 27 . .Q.b3 h6 28.1ilf6 �h7 29.llg l llg8
'ti'xf2+ H.l:txf2 .L.c3 2 5 ..i.xb7 .i.d4 30.Wxf7+ l:tg7 3 i .'itxd7 l:txd7 3 2.lld i
26 . .i.xc8 1:txc8 27.g5 l:tc6 28.l:lxd4 cxd4 .i.c6 3 3 .�g l l:tr:2 34 ..i.f2 �g6 3 5 .�fl
29.1:td2 aS thr: r:nding is drawn, br:causr: l:tr:4 3 6.c4 aS 3 7 .a3 �f6 3 8.1:td2 a4
Whitt: cannot win thr: d-pawn without 39.L2 bS?! (39 ... �r:S! 40.c5 b6 gives
losing r:ithr:r his own d-pawn or his a­ Black thr: br:ttr:r of a likr:ly draw) 40.c5 b4
J>'WTI. 4 l .�d4+ l:txd4 42.1:txd4 bxa3 43.llb4
�r:S 44.l:tb6 �r:4 45.Wr: l ?! (45.c6 1:txd6
1 8o OM 117•116
46.c7 l:td i + 47 .�f2 l:lc ! 48.1:tr:6+ �f4
1 9. l:lb5xc5
49.g3+ �g4 SO.I:tg6+ �h3 S i ..:lxh6+

118
 Chapter8 - Gninfdd Exchange

*'g4 S 2 .J:Ih7=) 4S ... l:t�7 46.:b4?! ..Q.xg2

3. t!Jb1-c:3 d7-d5
H.lk4?! ..Q.c6 4S.:c3 ..t;>M 49.:c4+
4. c:4xd5 tt:lf6xd5
�d3 SO.I%b4? :g7 S 1 .:b6 ..Vel S 2 . ..t;>fJ
5. e2-e4 <i:ld5xc:3
�g2+ S3.q;.e l ..Q.e4 �nd f�cing m�te,
6. b2xc:3 �18-g7
White resigned.
7. �11-o4 c7-e5
8. tt::. g 1 -e2 lilb8·c6
:!!lit 9. �c:1-e3 0-0
.t. 'l!f .t. ..t. 1 0. 0-0
.t.� A.!_ .t.
:i .t'l!f E lit
'i!i' .t� .t..t. .t..t..t.t.
[:, 1.11_ .t.
.t.
§;_t:,�
[:, Q
25. �b6-c7 Wd7-c:6 � {[J 8 � 8
26. 'll' d4·d2 1!18-dB
1:4 .. 'ill' Ill!;>
27. �d1-b3 :e6xd6
28. �c:7xd6 :d8xd6
10. .•. e7-e6

This is my alternate line in c�se I 0 . . 'itc7

lit
turns out to have problems, or just for va­
.t. .t. .t.
riety. I prefer to pl�y it immedi�tely r�ther
.t. 'lif E .t. th�n �fter IO ... Wc7 I J .:c l ,as the queen
will often go to e7 in which case
.t 8 I O ... 'itc7 will be a wasted tempo. But I
k8 have more faith in the 10 . . .Wc7 J l .:cl
� 'iii' �� b6 line of the next game.
ll: \!;>
11. 'll' d 1 -d2

Bl�ck h�s superior pieces, superior p�wn l l .dxcS 'it'aSN l 2..1&.b3 b6 l 3 .cxb6 axb6
structure, �nd � s�fer king. l 4.'ttc 2 .ia6 I S . .:tfd l l%fc8 - Black plans
to bring his knight to c4 which should
give him good compensation for the pawn
GI 5.7 (086) Game 8.9 as his pieces will be more active and White
0 Svetushkin,Dmitry has more weak pawns than Black.
• ZhouJiancha.o J J .:bt ( J I .:c J can bernet by I I ...'ite7)
Kh�ntr-M�nsiysk o l, 2 0 1 0 (3) l l ...cxd4 (this exchange tends to favor
White, but here it is played to avoid a later
1. d2·d4 lilg8-f6
dxcS and is justified by the loss of tempo
2. c:2-c:4 g7-g6
that :c1 would imply) 1 2.cxd4 b6

1 19
The KGufmanRcpcrtoire forBiack

13 ....a4 ..Q.b7 J 4.l:Jd i (else 14 ... a6 will 2 9 ....xg5 gxhS 30.WxhS+ �g8
be a good move) 1 4... lt:JaS I S.�d3 11c8=. 3 1 .tt'gS+ �f8 3 2 ....h6+ would have led
Black plans .. .a7 -a6 and ... b7-bS. to a draw by perpetual check.

11 . ... b7·b6 24. ... ... d7-c7

12. .:la1-c1 .ll.c8·b7 25 . ;tg1 ·h2 ..-c7-c2
13. llf1-d1 c5xd4 26. tt:Je2-f4 ..c2xf2
14. c3xd4 tt:Jc6-a5
1 5 . .ll.c4·d3 .:la8-c8 :i .t !!t
16. h2·h4 .t .t.
1 6.i.b6 ..Q.xh6 1 7 .'i'xh6 ... d6=.
.t. !U� .t.
.t. 8 'i!f.t.
16. -· h7-h5 8 cu "[:,
17. ..Q.e3-g5 .. d8·d7
1 8. e4-e5?1
lld1 xc1
11c8xc1
8 "i!!'8 1Y
1 9. o.Lla5-c6
20. .ll.d3·b5 1!18·c8
21. .ll.g5·16 .ll.g7·18 27. l!d6·d7??
22. .. d2·g5 a7-a6
2 7 .d5! llc l 28.tl:le2 llc8 29.lt:Jf4 was a
23. llc1xc6
draw by repetition.
27. .ll. b7·e4??
.! .t � -·

- .t .t.
'i!!' 27 ... 11c l 28.llxb7 'tWg l + 29.�g3 .:lc3+
.t..t.J:< .t.il..t. is mate in four.
il. 8 'i!f.t. 28. d4·d5 l!c8·c1
8 8
1- 29. ..'Llf4-e2 11c1-c8
30. d5xe6 f7xe6
CU8 8
1A IY
31. l!d7·d2??

After 3 1 .lbd4 'tlfxa2 White has some

compensation for the two-pawn deficit.
23 . ... a6xb5?1
31 . ... .ll.l8·h6 0·1
Better was 23 ... Lc6! 24.�xa6 llaS
2 S.�d3 llxa2 26.�xg6 fxg6 2 7 .Wxg6+
.ll.g 7 28. til f4 ..f7 2 9 ...g5 .th7 GI 5.7 (D86) Game 8.10
30.Lg7 ...xg7 3 i .Wxh5+ �g8 3 2 .dS 0 Fier,Alenndr
exdS when White's attack is not worth a • Caruana,Fabiano
rook. Gibu.hu, 2. 0 1 1 (7)
24. l!c6·d6?1 1 . d2·d4 tilg8·16
2. c2-o4 g7-g6
24.llxc8 Lea 2 S.ll:lf4 q;h7 26.tl:lxhs
3. tilb1·c3 d7·d5
.ll.h 6 2 7 ...g4 .ll. b 7 2 8 . .1l.g5 .ll. x g5

120
 Chapter 8 - Gninfdd Exchange

4. c4xd5 tt:lf6xd5
5. e2-e4 li:ld5xc3
6. b2xc3 i.f8-g7
7. Jl.l1·c4

li•.t 'l!l' � 8.
-.t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .t .t.
.t.

il..8 !', 11. lla1-c1

!',
nus is the traditional main line of the
Griinfeld.
7. - c7-c5
8. tt:lg1-e2 tt:lb8-c6
9. .tc1-e3 0-0
10. 0·0
Or I O.l:tc l cxd4 l l .cxd-1- ... aS+ 1 2 .'�fl
..a3 1 3 .l:tc3 ( 1 3 .Wfb3 'W'xb3 14 ..hb3
AdS IS.d5 lba5=; Black will either win
the bishop pair or get in ... f7 -f5)
13 ... 'W'd6 1 4.h4 l:td8 1 5.h5 j.e6 1 6 .hxg6
hxg6 1 7.d5 j.g4N 1 8 .f3 hc3 1 9 .lt:Jxc3
...f6 20 ....d2 ltJeS 2 J .j.e2 hf3 2 2.gxf3
tt:lxf3 23.Lf3 'W'xf3+ 24.�g l ... g3+
with a draw by perpetual check.
10. ... 'W'd8-c7
The old main line with IO ... j.g4 I J .f3
l0a5 has become rare although it is still
sound, probably because White has the
choice of testing Black's preparation with
a. sacrifice of the exchange or of a pi.WTI,
or pla.ying I 2..�_xf7 +, winning a pawn
for substantial compensation. I think the
line in this game is a much simpler path
to equal chances.
I l .llb l b6 1 2. j_f4 eS 1 3 .j.g3 ...e7
1 4.�d5 �b7 1 5.'W'a4 l:tfc8 1 6.dxe5
tt:lxe5 1 7 .�f4 c4 1 8.l:tfdl l:tc5=;
I l ..i.f4 e5 1 2.�g3 'W'e7 1 3 .d5 �aS
1 4 ..i.d3 c4 1 5 . .i.c2 b5=.
11. .• b7·b6
This is a rare but good move. By a curious
coincidence, after I had already made this
choice and analyzed this game for the
book, I received Avrukh's book which
made the same choice!
l i ... l:td8 is much more common, but
Black has ideas of ... e7 -e5 d4-d5 f7-f5, so
he keeps the rook on f8. Another good
move is l l ...e6 first, planning to play
... b7-b6, ... .tb7, and ... l:tad8 next while
reserving e7 for the queen if needed. The
move ... e7 -e6 is also quite reasonable on
move I 0. But I prefer to retain the option
of ... e7-e5 in one shot as in the game.
12. tfd1·d2
A) I L�.f4e5 13 ..i.e3 ( 1 3.�g3 ...e7=;
J 3 .dxe5 �e6 14 . .i.d5 llae8 1 5.c4 lbxe5
1 6.Ae l f5=) 1 3 ...exd4 1 4.cxd4 cxd4
1 5 .tbxd4 .i.xd4 1 6 . .i.xd4 tt:lxd4
1 7 .tt"xd4tt"e7 1 8 .Jl.dS Jl.b7=;
B) 1 2.dxc5 bxc5 1 3.lt:Jf4 �e5 1 4.tt:ld5
...d7 1 5.�b3 e6 1 6.Lc5 exd5 17 ..i.xf8
�xf8 1 8 .'W'xd5 �c6 1 9 .j.a4 'W'xd5

12 1
The Kaufman Repenoire for Black
20.exd5 lbe5=. Two bishops ue a t;ld
better th;ln rook md two p;lwns, and ;ll­
though they are connected p;lssers they
are easily blockaded here on the dark
squares;
C) 1 2 .f4 e6 1 3 ... el ( 1 3 . f5 exf5
1 4.exf5 ..e7 1 5.'ttd 2 i.xf5 1 6.i.g5
•d7 17 .lt:lg3?! tt:la5 1 8 .i.e2 i.e6+)
1 3 .. . .i.b7N 1 4 ...f2 tt:l;l5 I S ...id3 fS=F.
The b7 bishop will be unchallenged on
the long diagonal.
12. ... -'.c8-b7
1 3. -'.e3-h6
1 3. .M :a&·dB
1 3 .. e6 l .of.. .i.xg7'it'xg7 1 5 .We3l:fd8= is
a better eqw.lizer than the game ;lccord­
ing to the computer, since the rook is no
longer needed on f8 with the p;lwn on
e6. But I favor (aruma's plm of ... e7 -eS
;lnd if d4-d5 then ... f7-f5, for which the
rook is needed on f8.
1 4. ..ih6xg7
1 4.J:lfd1 e5 1 5 . .L.g7 �xg7 1 6.d5 l!J;ls
17 ..i.d3 c4 IS . .i.c2 .i.cS 1 9.tt:lg3 lt:lb7
20.lilfl lild6= is similu to the game.
Here too the computer likes White due to
the protected passed pawn, but I think
Bl;lck is fine thanks to his ideal blockad­
ing knight.
122
14. MO ¢'g8xg7
15. •d2·e3
I S .f4lifd7 ? ( I S ...11i'd6! �) 1 6 . .il.bS 11i'e6
17 .f5 was Vachier Llgrave-Morozevich,
Biel 2 0 1 1 . White is better here, but Black
won. No one h;ls repe;lted 1 5.f4 since,
prob.lbly due to 1 5 .....d6!.
15. ... e7-e5
16. d4-d5
After 1 6 . .i.b3 ..e7 1 7.d5 L6! 1 8.c4
lt:ld4= the outposted knight offsets the
protected passer:
1 6 ....g3 'W'e7 1 7 .dS lilaS IS . .i.b3 .i.cS
( I 8 ... c4! 19 ..i.c2 f6=; Black plms ... .tea
;lnd ... lD-b7-d6) 1 9 .c4 lt:lb7 20 ....c3
(20.lilc3!) 20 ...lild6 md White should
be better but Black drew comfortably in
Feller-DominguezPerez, Lubbock 20 I I ;
1 6 ..i.d5 lt:l;l5 1 7 . .i.xb7 Wxb7 md now:
Analysis diagram
1 8 .f4 exd4 1 9.cxd4 J:lfe8?! ( 1 9 ...cxd4!
20.lDxd4 ll.fe8 2 1 .e5 bS!=) 20.e5?!
(20.dS!) 2 0 ...cxd4 2 1 .lt:lxd4 ..d5?!
( 2 1 . . . bs�) n.li:lf3 ?! (n.ltfd 1 �)
2 2 . ..l0c4= and Black eventuol.!ly won in
Korobov-Nepomniachtchi, Rog;lska
Slatina u 20 1 1 .
1 8 .d5 lt:lc4 1 9.1t'd3 b S 20.a4 a6 2 1 .ll.b i
'itd7 2 2 .tt:lg3 was Zilka-Heimann,
 Chapttr 8 - Gninfeld Exchan9t

Merlimont 20 I I , won by White. 22 . .. f6!

20 . ... e5xf4
equalizes as Bb.ck's superior knight off­
21 . -.e3xf4 "tltc7-e7
sets White's protected passed pawn.
22. 1111-12 "tlte7-e5
16. "' tbc6·e7 23. Wf4xe5 f6xe5
24. tl:\g3-f1 c5-c4
16 ... lLlaS 1 7 . .iid 3 c4 1 8 .�c2 .iic S= is
25. �d3-c2 ..ll b7-c8
Avrukh's preference.
26. tl:lf1-h2

g K
_a g g
.t. .a 'l!l' li\ .t. � .t.
.t. � ...
.t. .t.
.t. Ill .t.
.1. ,1\, .t.
8 .1.
.i ,1\, .t. 8 ,1\,
,1\, 'iii'
,1\,
(jj £:, ,1\, ,1\,
,1\, .i J::[ ,ll, {jj
J:t w J::t w
17. l0e2-g3
26. .. . h7-h6
1 7 .f3 fS ( 1 7 . . . tt:lc8=) I S .J:lce l f4
1 9 ... d3 tl:lc8 20.�b3 tbd6 2 1 .c4 bS 26 . .tbbs 2 7 .J:lxf8 J:lxf8 28 . ..1la4 lLld6
2 2 .lbc3 a6 - the computer favors White 29 .�c2 tLlbS would draw by repetition.
here because of the protected passed Probably Black wanted to win.
pawn, but I think Black is fine with his
27. 1112xf8 lld8xf8
wonderful blockading knight and much
28. lilh2-13 J:lf8-e8?1
superior bishop. which will drop back to
c8; 28 .. J:lf4 29.l:.e i tl:lfl=.
17 .a4 fS 1 8 .f3 tt:lc8 1 9.J:lcd l ltJd6=.
29. IO>g1-12 .tc8-g4
17. ... 17-16 30. lill3-h2 .tg4-d7
31. <M2·e3 g6-g5
1 7 ... fs I S.exfS gxfS 1 9 ... g5+ 'itr>h8
32. h4xg5 h6xg5
20.J:lcd I .iix dS=.
33. tLlh2·f3 g5-g4
1 8. h2-h4 ttJe7-c8 34. lill3-h4 lle8-18
35. .:lc1 ·h1 1118-14
1 8 .. fS=.
36. g2-g3 1114-16
1 9. .iic4·d3 tbc8·d6 37. a2-a4 ll16-h6
38. llh1-b1 llh6-h8
19 . . . c4! 20.�c2 lbd6 2 l .f4 exf-4
39. llb1-h1 ..'Lld6-e8
22.'W'xf4 'W'e7= (Avrukh).
40. llh1-11 lile8-d6
20. 12-14 41. llf1-h1 llh8-h6
42. llh1 -b1 IO>g7-f7
20.c4:!:.

123
Tht Kaufman �rtoiu for Black

43. l:lb1-f1 + <M7-e7 11. d4xc5

44. l:lf1-h1 a7-a5
Topalov-Anand, Sofia 20 I 0, wem
45. l:lh1-f1 llh6-16
l l . ..di ( l i .l:tc i �b7 1 2 .'tltd2 trans­
46. l:lf1-b1 lild6-f7
poses) l l .. .�b7 1 2.l:tac l l:tc8 1 3 .l:tfdl
47. lilh4-15+ 'lh·'lh
cxd4 ( 1 3 .. e6!=

GI 5.7 (087) Game 8.11

D Aronian.Levon
• Grischuk,AleLllldor
Kaun, ( 1 . 1 ) , 20 1 1

1. d2-d4 lilgS-16
2. e2-c4 g7-g6
3. ti:lb1-e3 d7-d5
4. c4xd5 liJf6xd5
5. e2-e4 liJd5xe3 AnalySis diagram
6. b2xe3 .Q.f8·g7
was better according to Komodo, to dis­
7. Jl.l1-e4 e7-c5
courage d4-d5 and to provide a good
8. liJg1·e2 liJb8·e6
square for the queen on e7) 1 4.cxd4
9. �c1-e3 0-0
'tltd6 I S .dS "Llas 16 . ..ib5 l:txc l 1 7 .l:txc l
10. 0-0 b7-b6
l:tc8 and was eventually drawn. Now
1 8.l:lxc8+ ..Q.xc8 1 9 .lbd4 would have
given White some edge.

11. •.• it"d8-e7

12. liJe2-d4

The alternatives:
1 2.cxb6 axb6 13 . .cr.bl lLleS 14 . ..Q.d5
llbS.

R i. :![ �
This is a very promising gambit alterna­ if j. j. i_ j.
tive to IO ..... c7. If White declines. Black j. j.
may later find a more useful move than .ll. ili
... 'itc7, for example ... e7-e6 and .. .'ite7. !',
The fact that Aronian in this game and {'\, .ll.
Carlsen in t:he game quoted on move I 2
(fj f'\, 1', {'\,
both chose to take on cS this year indi­ 1 A.J:[ "i!:V J::l lio
cates that the top players have little faith
Analys�sd1agram
in quiet development against I O ... b6.

1 24
 Chllpter B - Griinfdd Exchcmge

At first glance it just looks lib: Black has

12. -·
lost a pawn. Th�n you should notic� th�
13.-lld4-b5
positional threat of ... .i.a6, follow�d by
14..ilc4-e2
... e7 ·e6 and posting rooks on c8 and d8.
Then White will have to worry about l +.i.dSN llJg4 I S.g3 llJxe3 1 6.fx�3 a6
... lt'lc4, ... lt'lg4, or ... lt'ld3. Black will aJ. and now:
most surely regain the pawn or �Is� win A) 1 7 .llJa3 i.xc3 I B.Ab l bs 19 ....c2
the bishop pair with continu�d play �eS 20.�xa8 ..xa8 2 i .Abc l i..e 6=.
against the w�ak pawns. This is a com· Two bishops and a pawn are almost as
pl�t�ly sound gambit. strong as rook and knight. Here Black
For example: I S ...a4 (to prev�nt . .. i.a6) do�sn't have an extra pawn, but White's
1 5 ... �6 1 6.�b3 �b7 1 7 .f3 Aa8lt'l four isolated pawns to Black's zero is al­
I 8 ....b4 .i.a6 1 9.c4 Afc8 20 ..hb6 •b7 most as good as an extra pawn, and
2 1 .i.cS Wxb4 22..�.xb4 i.xc4 23.i.xc4 Black's bishops an: great while White's
lt'lxc4 24.a3 lLlxa3 and Black has regained knight is badly out of play;
his material and has a clear advantage in B) 1 7 . .i.xa8 axbS I S . .i.dS .. c7
piece placement, though the position is 19 ....d3 e6 20.i.b3 ..-xeS 2 I .Aab I .i.b7
drawish. 2 2 .a4 bxa4 23 .La4Ac8 24.Abd l hS=.
1 2.f4 bxcS 1 3 .Ab l AdS 14 ...a4 lbaS
I S .i.dS �d7 1 6 ....a3 Aac8 1 7 .f5 e6 :i •
1 8.i.f4 .ieS ! 9.fxe6 fxe6 20.i..b 3 lbxb3 .t �.t
2 1 .axb3 AfS 22 .... cl c4 23 .b+ Wb6+ J. � �
24.¢'h l �g7 2S.e5. 'l!l" �
� [>,
8 "i!i' [>, [>,
8
J::r J:r <;t>
Analysis diagram

Due to the pressure on White's weak

pawns and king, Black will surely regain a
pawn for his exchange. Then he will only
be down by 'It pawn and will still have
Analysis diagram
the superior pawn structure and th� safer
So far Carlsen-Svidler in th� Tal M�mo­ king; full compensation.
rial, Moscow 20 I I . Now 2S ... AI7! favors
14. ... b6xc5
Black due to his bishop pair. Th� threat of
15. 12·14 l!Je5-g4
doubling rooks will probably provok�
16. �e3xc5 a7-a6
26.i..g 3, after which Black trades rooks
17. -llb5-a3 lli"b8-c7
and plays ... a7 -aS, equalizing the pawn
1 8. �c5-d4 e7-e5
structure and op�ning the game for th�
1 9. f4xe5 ll:lg4xe5
bishops.

1 25
Thc Koufman &pfltoire for Black

.! .t .! 0 25. .•. lbe5·c41

"!!I' .L .t .L
This improvement seems to regain the
.L .L pawn and equalize. In the actual game
ill Bl�ck stayed a pawn down after 25 ... <l:Jd3
� i'l 26.llffl lld7 2 7 .11fdl '1lf4 2 8.�fl llc8
e; i'l 29.t!Je3 and should have lost, but saved a
i'l � i'l i'l draw due to a late endgame error by
n 'iW ll. w White.

26. llb1-b4 lld8-c8

In return for the pawn Black has the
27. tl:b4-a4 i.g7xd4+
much superior pawn structure and a
28. tt:Jc2xd4 lLlc4-e5
much superior knight. This should be
29. tl:a4xa6 :lc8xc3
enough to equ�lize.
30. 1114-11 :lc3-e3
20. 'W'd1-c1 Jl.c8-g4 31. '1ld4-f3 tl:e3xe4
21. -'le2xg4 lbe5xg4 32. lLlf3xe5 :le4xe5
22. "ll'c1-14 "ll'c7xf4
23. llf1xf4 lbg4-e5
24. :la1-b1 tl:aB-dB
t.! 0
25. lba3-c2 .L .L
ll. .L
8

i'l i'l
I� nw
The resulting endgame is an almost cer­
tain draw.

1 26
Chapter 9

Center Game and Ponziani

In this ch•pter we consider two f.1irly r.tre white options .tfter I .e+ eS th;�.t nevertheless
have some devotees and so are worth studying. The Center G.1me involves the e.uly de­
velopment of the white queen .1nd is often pl•yed with the ide.t of castling queenside
and gam biting the e4 p.1wn for attacking chancl":s. The Ponzi.mi on the other h.1nd in­
vites Black to develop his queen early. Neither line should give White any advantage at
&11 if you follow the lines given here.

The Center Game starts with l .e+ eS 2.d4e:�:d4 3 ....xd4�c6.

Now the norm.tl retre.tt for the queen is to e3, ahhough the alternate choice of a4 has
long been ch;�.mpioned by veter.m IM Walter Shipman. It has the drawb•ck off.tiling to
defend the e4 pawn as securely though. After 4.tt'e3 �f6 S.l!Jcl ..ilM 6 ...ildl 0-0
7.0-0-0JleS

127
Tbe KGufmQil Repertoire for Block

White must choose between the 'safe' 8.�c4 and the g�mbit 8.'tlfg3. In the former case
Bl�ck 's thre�ts ag�inst the e4 pawn and the c4 bishop tend to put him a bit ahe�d in th�
attacking race. The g�mbit move 8.'W'g3 can be �ccepted either by 8 ...l:l.xe.4 (usually
recommended) or by S...ti:lxM, my choice due to the given game, which m�y lead to
Black g�tting four p�wns for � piece. See Game 9 . I .

The Ponzimi starts with l.e.f.eS 2.li.JO ti:lc6 3.c3,

�fter which Black can equalize either by 3 ....�:lf6 or by l ...dS. I choose the second move
because it offers mort winning chances, md �!so because my computer malysis actu­
ally shows a tiny edge for Black. White's best move is 4-...a.f., after which 4 ... �d7 is m
exciting gambit recommended in my earlier book. However my current computer
malysis makes it look less appealing than the safe 4...f6, which seems to give Black a
good position for free. If White responds S.dl as in the given game, play resembles the
Philidor/Hanham Defense but with colors reversed. The Hanham ( l .e4 d6 2.d4 lbf6
3 .lbc3 e5 4.'�Jf3 lbbd7) is not such a bad defense to l .e4, but it does not give full
equality, and even with the extra tempo of White's first move it is hardly something to
avoid as Black, especially since the move ..a4 may turn out to be inappropriate. See
Game 9.2.

J<P 2.1 1 (C22) Game 9.1

3. •N ll:lb8-c6
0 Nepomnia.chtchi,Ia.n
4. .. d4-e3
• Va.llejo Pons,Fra.ncisco
Moscow, 2007 (S) 4.Wa4 is IM Walter Shipmm's specialty:
with 4 ... ll:lf6 5."Llc3 �b4 6.�d2 0-0
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
7.0-0-0 d6 S.�bS ..Q.xc3N 9.hc3 <t:lxe4
2. d2-d4 e5xd4
I o.Wxe4 'tWg5+ Black wins a pawn.
3. "li"d1xd4
4. ·- lilgB-16
The Center Game.

1 28
 Chapter 9 - Cmur Gam� and Ponziani

12 .. Des 1 3 .c3 .ixh3 14 . .igs 'tlt'es

5. lilb1·c3 �18·b4
I S ...if4 'tltf6 16 ...ig5 is a draw by repeti­
6. �c1·d2 0·0
tion, though Black can avoid it by
7. 0·0·0 1118·e8
I S ......hS or 1 6 ......e6.
8. 1We3·g3

ln case of S ...ic4 d6 9.f3 tLle5 1 0 . ..ib3 aS

l l .a3 .i.cS 12 ...e I bS 1 3 .tt:lxb5 a4
14 ..L.2 c6 I S .l!k3 ..b6 1 6 ..if4 dS Black
has a strong ;mack for a pawn.

13. ¢'c1 -b1 ?1

1 3 . ..ie3 and now:

A) I L .l:g4 1 4.�xd4 l:lxd4 1 5 .c3 (af­
ter 1 5 .1We3 �fS Black is a solid pawn
up) I S . . . �xc3 1 6.bxc3 l:lg4 1 7 ...f3 (or
8. ... ll:lf6xe4
1 7 .'ii' e 3 ...xc3+ 1 8 .�c2 1Wxe 3 +
8 ... .:xe4 is a good alternative which is 1 9 .fxe3 :txg2 20.tt:lf4 :tf2 2 1 .:tdfl
usually recommended here. S ... d6 is the :txfl + 2 2 .:txfl �d7 .md with four
wimpy move, m.1ybe good enough for pawns for the knight, Black is better but
equality, bm just like the computers I fa­ White may draw) 1 7 .....xc3+ 1 8 .�c2
vor Wing pawns unless I see the refuta­ ..a l + 1 9 .'�d2 ..xa2 (or 19 ... :td4+
tion. 20.�e2 l:lxd l 2 1 .:txd l ..xa2 2 2 .:td2
1Wc4+ 23 .�d3 "tWh4 - Black has four
9. l!Jc3xe4 J:le8xe4
pawns for the knight and threats, analy­
1 0. �d2-f4
sis by Kortchnoi) 2 0 .'W'd3 WaS+
IO . ..igS .i.e? l l .h4 dS 1 2 . £3 .:le6 2 1 . ..c3 ...xc3+ 2 2 .�xc3 l:lxg2 and
13 ...ic4 liJb4N 1 4.a3 ..id6 JS . ..txd8 with five pawns for the knight, Black
.Lg3 1 6.�b3 1ilc6 1 7 .�gS h6 1 8 .�d2 should win;
l0e7 Black h<�.s traded queens and kept his B) 13 ...tt:lfs 14 ....f3 :te8 I S .�gs •es
extra pawn; 1 6.c3 Lc3 1 7.bxc3 ..xc3+ 1 8 .�c2
I o.Lb4 l:txb4N White's compensation ..a l + 1 9.�d2 1Wxa2 20.Ahe l �d7 is
for the pawn looks meager. mother w&y to get four pawns for a piece
with the better chances.
1 0. .• 1Wd8·16
11. lilg1-h3 d7·d6 13. ... lild4·o2
12. �11·d3 lilc6·d4 14. 1Wg3·13?1

1 29
The Kaufman RcptrtoiK for Block

22 . ndHI4 11'14-16
.a. .a. .a.
2 2 . .d S ! was a more convincing win.
'!!!'
23. 1t"g2xe4 c7-c5
.a � 24. llh1-e1 h7-h5
jJ_ 'i!!' ILl 25. 1l'e4-f4 1t"f6xd4+
26. tt'f4xd4 c5xd4
,., ,., ,., � ,., ,., ,.,
27. lle1-e7 b7-b6
w J:t J:t
28. a3-a4 g7-g5
14. •. Jitb4-a31 29. i>b2·b3 i>g8·g7
15. b2xa3?l 30. lle7-c7 .a:aa-ea
31. llc7xa7 .cl:e8-e2
Black now wins by force. On I S.c3??
32. lla7-b7 .cl:e2xf2
�xc3+ wins, and after I S.�c l 1hf3
33. .cl:b7xb6 llf2xh2
1 6.gxf3 .cl:e7 1 7 .lLlgS lbxc l 18 . .cl:xc l
34. a4·a5 llh2-e2
..Q.cS 1 9 .:ce l :xe l + 20 . .cl:xe l �d7
35. a5-a6 lle2·e8
2 l .Ae7 Ae8 22 ...Q.xh7+ Wh8 23 .Axe8+
36. a6-a7 nea-aa
�xeS 24 ..ie4 c6 Black has a winning
�ndgame with th� bishop pair. a much White resigned.
bener pawn struciUre, and the threat on
11.
KP 8 . 1 6 (C44) Game 9.2
1 5. ... tile2-c3+
D Savchenko,Boris
16. �b1-c1 tt:lc3xa2+
• Delonne,Axcl
17. �c1-b1 tt:Ja2-c3+
Rijeh. Ech, 2 0 1 0 (3)
18. �b1-c1 �c8xh3
1 9. -'t.d3xe4 -'t.h3xg21 1. e2-e4 e7-e5
20. 1t"f3xg2 tt'f6xf4+ 2. lilg1-f3 lilb8-c6
21. �1-b2 lilc3xe4 3. c2-c3

The Ponziani, which is quite rare in top

l! u
�
level play but is seen sometimes at lower
.a. .a. .a.
1- -LJ
levels.
.a.
3. MO d7-d5
� '!!!' 4. 1t"d1-a4
,., In case of 4.exdS tfxdS S.d4 ll:lf6 6.-'t.e2
w �; M i t; e4 7.ll:lfd2 e3 8.fxe3 1hg2 9 ..if3 1t'h3
J:t J:t l 0 .1fe2 �d6 l l .ltki 0-0 Black's safer
king and better development wiU give him
Wilh three pawns for the exchange and more than enough for the bishop pair.
all of White's pawns isolated and his king If 4 . .ibS dxe4 S.'LlxeS "tfgS 6.tfa4 (or
exposed, Black is clearly winning. 6.d4 ttxg2 7 Jlfl ..Q.d6 s.tths g6 9.tth4

130
 Chapter 9 - Ccnter Game and Ponziani

hes I O.dxeS i.d7 l l .i.f4 lLlge7 and

5. ... �c8-e6
Bl&ck wiU castle queenside, with an extra
6. �f1-e2
pawn) 6 ...... xg2 7 . .i.xc6+ bxc6
8.11t"xc6+ �d8 9.:n .i.h3 IO ....xa8+ 6.tt:lbd2 'tlt'd7 7 . .i.e2 .i.d6 S.exdS Lds
�e7 l l .�d l ... xfl + 1 2 .�c2 .i.fS 9.lLle4 lLlge7=. White can gain the
1 3 .tLla3 f6 1 4.tLlc6+ ..._,f7 I S.lbd.+ tfd3+ bishop pair, but Black will have better de­
16 ......b3 i.g4 1 7.lbac2 cS, Black is clearly velopment and central control to com­
winnin g here. pensate.

4. -· 17-16 6. -· Jl.f8-d6
7. b2-b4 l!:lg8-e7
In my earlier book I recommended the
8. lilb1-d2 0·0
gmtbit line 4 ... .i.d7 ! ? here, which is
9. b4·b5 lLlc6-b8
quite popular and scores well. However
1 0. d3·d4
the engines now don't consider it fully
correct, whereas the text seems to give After I 0.0-0 lbd7 I l ....c2 c6 Black has
Black a good game without much risk. better central control. His formation
would have been considered ideal in the
;g i. "i!f t!f i. .-. & 1 800s.
.t. .t. .t. .t. .t.
... .t.
.t. .t.
[;
[; til
[; [; [; [; [; [;
J:[ til jl_ <;!;> � J:[
5. d2-d3

S ..i.bS lbe7 6.exdS ...xdS 7 .d4 i.g4 8.c4

(or 8 ..i.c4 11t"e4+N 9.i.e3 Lf3 I O.llJd.2
i.d I l l .....,xd I •xg2 12 ......c2 exd4
1 3 .cxd4 11t"g6+ 14 . .i.d3 'tlt"hs 1 s.l:tac l
...aS and White has only the bishop pair
for his pawn) 8 ......e4+ 9 . .i.e3 .i.xf3
J O .lLld2 'tlt'g6 I I .Q\xf3 'tlt"xg2 1 2.�e2 e4
1 3 .�d2 •g4+ 1 4.�fl 'W'h3+N 1 s . ....,e 2
...hS+ 1 6 ...... fl 0-0-0 1 7 .dS tt:lb8
I 8.11t"xa7 lbfS - here Black's king is safer
than White's;
After S.exdS 'tlt"xdS 6.d4 i.d7 7 .i.bs a6
S.c+ 1i'e4+ 9 ..i.e3 :ds! Black wins ma­
terial.
1 0. ·- e5xd4
Probably better than the game, which
continued I O ... lbd7 l l .c4 c6 (after
l l ... dxe4 1 2 .Qixe4 exd4 \ 3 .tbxd6 lbcS
1 4.1lt'd l •xd6 I S .'tltxd4 l!Jfs 16 ....xd6
l!Jxd6 Black would still be for choice)
1 2.bxc6 bxc6 1 3 .0-0 �f7 1 4.�b2 exd+
I S.cxdS cxdS 1 6.i.xd4 tt:lcS 1 7 .�xeS
.i.xcS 1 8.eS Qlg6 1 9 .:ac J i.b6 20.exf6
1i'xf6 2 1 .:c6 (Black is clearly better here,
up the bishop pair with a good position)
2 1 . . . .i.e8 ?! 2 2 .1:txf6 �xa4 23 .1:txf8+
:xf8 24.g3 l:tc8 2 S.�d3 l:te8 26.l:tc l

131
ThtKGufman Rcpcrtoirc forBiuck

�eS 2 7 .�xe5 :xeS 28.'�ft g6 29.�b3 O r l l .cxd4 li::lg 6 1 2.g3 dxe4 1 3.tilxe4
Lb3 ?! (Black plays for a draw from a .i.h3, and Whit�e's castling problems give
b�etter position, probably due to the huge Black the edge.
rating difference) 30.axb3 :e7 3 J . .i.e2
11. - .i.o&-17
:c7 3 2 .:d J :c3 3 3 .:xd5 :xb3 34.f+.
12. 0·0 lilb8·d7
Somehow White won this completely
�equal and drawish position. White's pi�eces and pawns seem to be dis­
tributed rath�er randomly, whil�e Black
1 1 . o!i'lf3xd4
dominates the center.

132
Chapter 10

Bishop's Opening and Vienna

This chapter covers the Bishop's Opening ( l .e4 eS 2..�.c4) and the Vienna Game ( l .e4
e5 2.�c3), bec.1use they are stn.tegicilly similu and bec.mse they can easily transpose.
In both cases we respond with 2..tt:lf6. after which if White plays 3 .lLlc3 in the Bishop's
Opening or 3 . .ic4 in the Vienna we reach the same position.

After l .eh:S 2.-'ic+lLlf6

.i. � .i. 'l!f 'lif .i. .i.

.1. .1. .1. .1. .i. .a. .i.
�
.1.
il. [:,

md now 3.llJc3 or 3.d3, I recommend avoiding the move 3 ... l!Jc6, instead planning to
put a pawn on th.1t square. There are two re.1sons for this. First of all, I don't f.1vor plac­
ing the knight on c6 if White fails to attack the eS pawn, because it's generally not ad­
visable to obstruct pawns which ue not p.ut of the c.utle. After all, I am recommending
the Breyer Defense 10 the Spanish, in which Black actually retreats the knight volun­
wily from c6 to bS and then moves it to d7. Why go to c6 in the first place if you don't
need to do so? The second reason is that the moves �c4 and tLlc3 both invite a black
pawn to c6. In the forml!r case it is because of the possibility of ... d7-dS to chase the
bishop. while after l!Jc3 the pawn move takes away the two most advanced squares to
which the knight might otherwise later go. In general, it is advisable to place your
pawns in front of the enemy knight with two squares in between for precisely this rea­
son.
When White plays J.d3 in the Bishop's Opening, I advocate the immediate 3 ..•c6, to
achieve a quick ... d7 -dS. White has nothing better than 4.tt:lf3 dS, when after S .�b3 I fa­
vor lhe bishop check on M. The idea is that after the obvious 6.c3 we can retreat to d6,
no longer having to fear ttk3 with pressure on our dS pawn. Asswning a later l!Jbd2, we
�d up with a position somewhat similar to the Breyer, but this time WI! are plilying
against it! The Breyer is an excellent defense to the Spanish, but it is still not quite equal,

133
The Kaufman R�rtoire for Black

so if we can pb.y against it when we are Black we should have no complaint! White can
instead invite a bishop trade by 6.i.d2, but the trade is fine for Black, as a recapture by
the knight again forfeits the chance to pressure dS by ll.1c3, while the queen recapture
allows Black a very good pawn sacrifice option. See Game I 0 . 1 for all of this.
If White chooses l.lLlc3 (or reverses his second and third moves), I favor 1 .•.i.cs.
With the knight on c3 the plan with ... d7-d5 is not so inviting, as the pawn comes un-
der heavy attack, so the move ... c7 -c6 is not urgent. After 4-.dl c6 s.tbfl we typically
play . .. d7-d6, ... lbbd7, ... �b6, . .. h7-h6, and .. . lbd.7 -f8-g6, taking advantage of the de-
lay in castling. This way we may be able to dispense with .... :.es later. This plan seems
to give full equality. See Game 1 0. 2 .

IfWhite does not play �c4 i n the Vienna (after 2.tbc3 tbf6 ) ,

:i ol\ .t � � .t :i
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
.,.
.1.
II,

he can choose l.f.f., which is a kind of 'King's Gambit' which Black should not accept
due to 4.e5. Fortunately, the reply l ... dS! seems to solve all problems. After the usual
.f..&:es tOxe-4- I don't even know how White can equalize. See Game I 0.3.

IG 4. 1 6 (C24) Game 10.1 4. 'ilg1-f3

D Bologm,Vi.ktor
• Vovk,Yury ! "'.t 'i!h!d. l!
W;aiY.w apid, 20 1 0 (8)
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
1. e2-e4 e7-e5 .1. "'
2. �11-c4 'ilgS-16 .1.
3. d2-d3 � !',
For 3.d4 exd4 4.tilf3 �b4+ see the game !', li:l
in the Gambits chapter. !', !', !', ; 8 8 8
l:!. li:l £ 'l!l' w u
3. "' c7-c6

1 34
 Chapter I 0 - Bishop's Opmillf and Vimna

S .�xdS?! cxdS 6.i.b5+ i.d7 7 .i.xd7+

4. - d7-d5
(7 .a4 a6 h�lps Black as White no longer
Also otdequ.ue wd more consistenl with has the Benoni move c2-c4 lat�r du� to
our Breyer repertoire is 4 ... �e7 S.0-0 d6 the we.alc square b4) 7 ... �bxd7 8.0-0
6.Ae l 0-0 7 .i.b3 l0bd7. .Q.d6 9.c4 0-0 I O.o[k3 d4 I 1 .��2 Wc7 -
Black is for choice, thanks to his �xtra
li .t 'ill' ! Ill c�mer pawn. Whit� is playing a Benoni
.1. .1. 41 .t .l. .l. .l. without the sting of th� fianch�uo�d
.1. .1. 41 king's bishop.
.1. 5. .•. .tl.f8·b4+1
8
i. 8 iLl I think this is better than th� usual
888 888 S...ii.d6 when 6.tt::Jc 3 is rather annoying.
We just provoke S.d first to prevent this.
l: ti:l i. 'l!Y l:l: It>
Analysis diagram 6. ..Q.c1-d2

Yk. an compue this to our recom­ 6.c3 Ji.d6 (if Black pb.ys S ... .i.d6, White
mended Breyer. White h<�.s s.J.ved "' tempo has the bett�r prosp�cts aft�r 6.lt:lc3)
in getting his bishop to b3, while Bb.ck 7 .tt::Jb d2 (7 . .Q.gs dx�4 8.dx�4 h6 9 ..i.h4
hu s.tved two tempi in geuing his knight Wel I O.lt:Jbd2 lt:Jbd7 1 1 . ...� 2 ii.cl
to d7. White has not yet pb.yed hl-h3 or 1 2.0-0 0-0 1 3 .h3 lt:JcS and with id�as
c2-c3, but probably will. Bl;�ck h01s not lik� ... b7-b6 and ... h6 or ... a7-a5 or
played ... a7-a6 or ... b7-b5 but m<�y not ... tt::J xb3 or ... iLJcS-�6-f4 Black is for
need to do so. He has pl01yed the useful choice) 7 ... 0-0 8.0-0 lt:lbd7 9.Ae I Ae8
. . .c7-c6 and has not commiued his I O.lilfl h6 l t .lilg3 /Qf8 1 2 .h3 1ilg6
bishop to b7, which is often not "' very
good square .tgainst the d3 set-up. In
short, Black is playing .a much improved
Breyer Defense. 8.c3 tOeS 9.i.c2 i.g4
(9 ...Wc7 is .tlso okay. Black is playing the
Hmham Defense with White having
played the passive dl inste<�.d of d4)
I O.h3 .tl.hS l t .lilbdl lil•6 1 2 ./Qfl lild7
1 3.1ilg3 .tl.xf3 1 4.tlxf3 g6 IS ..tl.h6 11•8
1 6.Aad l i.gS 17 ..i.xg5 'lt'xgS 1 8.d4
�b6 1 9 .Ji.b3 Aad8=. With all th� pawns Analysis diagram
on th� board, a ion� bishop is not ben�r
than a knight. A) 1 3 .'0h2 Ji.cS J1..'0hS (Sosa­
Still, I pref�r th� t�xt move 4 . . dS as it is Kaufman, Washington 20 1 1 ) 14 ... '0xhS
more of a try for an advantage. I S ....xhS .i.�6 and Black has better devel­
opment and pressure on f2. Whit� has no
5. .tl.eA-b3
attack;

135
The KaufmWJ Repertoire for Block

B) 1 3 .�e3 �e6 14 ....c2 'Wd7 I S .l:..td l B ) 1 2.t!Jc3 l:.g6N 1 3 ....h 4 d 4 1 4.tlJe4

a5N 1 6.a4 l:.ad8 - Bl.tck h.ts .t smill edge tlJxe4 I S .... xe4 lt:lcS 16 ....dS 'We7
due to his superior center p.twns. This is 1 7 .1i'xf7+ Wxf7 1 8 .�xf7+ <l;xf7
the same sm.tll plus th.tt White gets in the 1 9.tlJxe5+ �f6 20.lt:lxg6 hxg6=. With a
m.tin lines of the Sp.tnish due to this pair of rooks added 01s they ue here md
pawn formation. only one open file, bishop and knight are
not much we.a.ker than rook ;�.nd two
6. -· Jib4xd2+
p;�.wns, and the split white kingside plus
7. tt"d1 xd2
Bl.tdt.'s better development and king posi­
7 .tt:lbxd2 �g4 8.h3 �xf3 (since Black tion f.tvor him.
doesn't have two bishops he doesn't mind
1 0. -· 0·0
tr.td.ing one for 01 knight to s;�.ve a tempo)
11. 0·0 h7·h6
9.'Wxf3 0-0 1 0.0-0 '*d6 i l .l:.fe l aS
12. Wg5·g3 lil16·h5
1 2 .a4 tt:lbd7=. Bl;�.ck has more space and
13. Wg3·h4 lilh5·14
the white bishop is no better th01n 01
14. Aa1-e1
knight here.
7. ... Wd8·d6
!: A
8. Wd2·g5 lilb8·d7
.t. .t. 1.11
9. e4xd5 c6xd5
"i!!'
.t. .t.
1.11 'l!i'
ii.. Ci:J [I., {iJ
f\., f\., [1., f\., [1., [1.,
l:t:ll \5>

14. ... a7-a51

Black .tctu.illy pl01yed 14 . . . gS .tnd got into

trouble but l.tter won. The ide.t of the text
is to provoke .t2-.t3 or .t2-.t4 so White
1 0. lilb1·c3
won't h.tve ...h4-.t4-.t3 when his queen
Or I O ....xg7 l:.g8 l i ."W'h6 l:.xg2 .tnd gets into trouble.
now:
15. a2-a3?1
A) 1 2.lbbd.2 aS= 1 3 .h4 l:.g6 1 4."W'e3
�fs 1 5 .0-0-0 lbg4 16 ....e2 lbcs 1 7.h3 I 5 .Wg3 lilhs 1 6.Wg4 lilhf6 1 7 .Wg3
lt:lxa4 1 8 .hxg4 tbc3 1 9.bxc3 ... a3+ tlJhS w.ts .t draw by repetition.
20.':;bi l:.b6+ 2 1 .lbb3 ;�.4 2 2 .l:.xh7 .txb3
15. - g7·g5
2 3 .l:.h8+ �g7 24."W'xeS+ l:.f6 2 S .cxb3
16. Wh4·g3 lil14·h5
"W'xa2+ 26.�c l wt'xf2 2 7 .... g5+ l:.g6
17. Wg3·g4 lild7·16
28.WeS+ l:.f6 is .t dr.tw by perpetuil
1 8. Wg4·a4 .tc8·d7
check;

136
 CI!Gpttr J O - Bishop's Opming and Vimna

1 9. lilc3-b5 'til'd6-b6
20. c2·e4 e5·e4
21. d3xe4 d5xe4
22. lilf3-d4 ltf8-d8

� H
.L .t ,�. *
'il¥ "' .L
.L iiJ .L I!IJ
"iW ll liJ .L 5. lilg1-f3

£:, 1<. S.f4 d6 6.-'t:ln bS 7 .�b3 aS 8.a4 b4

,II, £:, ,1\, £:, 9.tbe2 W6'c7 I O.fxtS dxeS and While's
J:U:t 'it> castling problems give Black equalily.
s.Wf3 d6 6.h3 bs 7 . .i.b3 aS 8.ai b4
Black is winning due to the pin and the 9.tt:lbi .i.e6 \ O.ltjd2 tDbd7 I LlCe2 dS -
imprisoned white queen. BL1ck has mort sp•ce and bener develop-

VG 2.5 (C26) Game 10.2

5. ·- d7-d6
0 Visser.Yge
6. 0-0 lilb8-d7
• Sokolov.Ivan
7. a2-a3 �c5-b6
London, 2006 (6)
8. .ll.c4-a2 h7-h6
1. e2-e4 e7-e5 9. tt:.c3-e2 lild7-f8
2. .ll.f1-c4 1 0. ti:le2-g3 lilf8-g6=

2.lVc3 lOf6 3 . .i.c4 tra.nsposes. I think thit . . . c6 is more useful than a3 in

this otherwise neuly symmetrical posi­
2. ... /ilgB-16
tion, so White his lost the advantage of
3. li:lb1-c3 ,Q.f8-c5
moving first.
In the l .e4 e5 openings, if White doesn't
11. d3·d4 e5xd4
att.ack e5 by lUfJ, I believe Black should
12. tt:lf3xd4 0-0
not play ... li:k6. He is generally better ofT
playing ... c7 -c6, ... d7-d6, and ... li:!bd 7 ,
playing a Philidor-like formation without l! .t 'il¥ & 'ill>
White having played d2-d4, which is the .L .L .L .L
only move that puts pressure on this .i .L .L I!IJ I!IJ .L
formition.

4. d2-d3 li:\ ,11,

£:, liJ
4.�0 d6 S.d3 c6 transposes to the gime.
f<_ £:, 1:!, ['j, ,l\, ,11,
4. ... c7-c6 J:[ f<. "iif J:[ <;t>

137
Tht Kaufman Rtpcrtoiu for Black

The norm.ll move order would be l .e4 eS

13. lild4·f571 Jl.c8xf5
Z..'Oc3 �f6. I don 't like to use blitz games,
14. e4xf5 lilg8·o5
but this one shows a World Champion
15. Jl.cH4 llf8·e8
pl.1.ying my recommended line.
Black's healthy vs. White's crippled ma­
3. f2-f4
jorily compensates for the bishop pair.
Once Black plays ... d6-d5 he should be 3 .4:'10 4:'lc6 see the ch.1.pter on the Fow
benerdue to the nd bishop on .1.2. Knights Game.

16. tfd1·d2 d6-d5 3. ·- d7-d5

1 7. .D.a1 ·e1 4. f4xe5

4.exd5 exf-4 S .d4 (in the event of s . .Q.c-4

c6 6.d4 cxdS 7 ..ib3 .Q.d6 8.l0ge2 0-0
9.0-0 gS I O.lt:JxdS lOxdS I I ..Q.xdS 4:'lc6
1 2.c3 �g4 Black's bener development
outweighs his doubled pawns; s .tOn
transposes to King's Gambit) S.. .lt:JxdS
6.t0xd5 'W'xdS 7 ...Q.xf4 .id6 8.-"xd6
'ti'xd6 9 ....d2 0-0 1 0 .0-0-0 -"e6N
' ' -*bl lild7�.

17. - Jl.b6-c7 4. - �f6xe4

The g.1.me aciUally wem 1 7 ... 4:'led7 1 8 .c4

4:'lc5 1 9 .cxd5 cxdS 20 . .D.d l 4:'lce4 li "' .t 'ilh!fi. ;g
2 J .'tl'd3 .D.c8= 22.'W'0?? 4:'lxf2 2 3 . .D.xf2 AAA AAA
:c2 H.4:'lh I .D.ee2 2 5 . ..Q.gJ 4:'le4 26.%lfl
lbb2 2 7 . ..Q.b l �xfl 28 . ..Q.xf2 ..Q.xf2+ A I',
29 .�xf2 J:lxfl .1.ndBbck won. "'
1 8. .D.e1-e2 'W'd8-d6
19. .D.e2-e3 J:le8-e7
20. .D.f1·e1 :.s-ea

The White bishop on .1.2 is shUI out of the

5. lil;1-f3
game, so Bbck is bener.
S.dJ lt:JxcJ 6.bxc3 d4 7 .l0f3 t0c6 8 ..Q.e2
VG 3 . 1 0 (C29) Game 10.3 -"cS 9.0-0 dxc3+ I O.¢'h l 0-0 l l . ...e l
0 Andreikin,Dmitry lt:Jd-4 I L�d I lOx() I J ...Q.xf3 c 6 1 4.Dbl
• Knumik,Vl•dimir .1.S I S .'ti'xcJ -"d4 1 6.'tte l De8 1 7 .-if-4
Moscow blitz. lO I O ( 3 7 ) 'tlt'e7 1 8.-.gJ g6 Bl.1.ck is for choice due
to the utificial isolation of the e-p.1.wn.
1. lilb1·c3 lil;8-f6
s.ttfJ t0c6 6 ..i.b5 lOxcJ 7.dxc3 •h4+
2. e2-e4 e7-e5
8.g3 tte4+ 9.'tl'xe4 dxe4 IO . .i.xc6+

1 38
 Ciwlpttr I 0 - Bisiwlp 's Opmina Cllld Vienna

bxc6 l l .li:le2 .iil..c S Black has the bishop After S. .iil..b S+ lt:Jc6 9.0-0 0-0 I O.a3
pair while his isolated pawns are all on �xc3N l l .�xc3 'tltb6 12 . .iil..xc6 bxc6
closed files and not easily attacked. 1 3 .dxcS WxcS+ 14 ..iil..d+ We7 Black is
again better due to the strong knight and
5. - Ji/.18-<:5
the option of ... c6·cS.
6. d2·d4
8. ·- d5xe4
6 ...e2 ..Q.f2+ 7.�d l li:Jxc3+ 8.dxc3
9. �d2xb4 c5xb4
(8.bxc3 ..Q.cs 9.d4 il.e7 J O.'tltn 0-0
1 0. lilf3-g1 0-0
I J .il.d3 cSN Black has better pawn struc­
11. Jil.f1·c4 l0b8-c6
ture and a safer king) 8 ... .Q.b6 9.il.gS
1 2 . c2-c3 b4xc3
..d7 I O.¢'d2 0-0 l l .Ad I Wa4 1 2 .a3
1 3. b2xc3
.Q.fS Black has better developmem and
better pawn structure.
.i i. t!' li t!f
6. ... Jl.c5·b4 .t. .t. .t. .t. .t.
7. .ac1·d2 c7-c5 IS
[],
� [], .t.
[],
[], [], [],
J:[ 'I'V I!t ltl :U
13. OM 'ttd8-c71

Kramnik actually played 13 . . . 'tt g S �

1 4. ..e2 il.fS I S .�h3 il.xh3 1 6.gxh3.
Now 16 ... �.\S would have kept the ad­
vantage. He played 16 ... e3 � and wem on
8. t0c3xe4
to lose.
In case of 8.a3 il.xc3 9 ...Q.xc3 liJc6
14. Jl.c4-b3 tOe&xeS
I O.il.bS cxd4 I l .'tltxd4 0-0 I L�xc6
15. d4xe5 'ttc7xc3+
bxc6 1 3 .il.b4 Ae8 1 4.0-0 'lrb6 I S.il.d6
16. We1-f2 'ttc3xe5
il.g4N Black is better thanks to his strong
17. D:e1-c1 'tte5·f6+
outposted knight;
1 8. Wt2-e1 �c8-e6
If 8.il.d3 �xd2 9.'thd2 cxd4 I O.lf:Jxd4
�c6 I J .t!Jxc6 bxc6 1 2 . 0-0 0-0 1 3 .Wh l Black has three pawns for a knight, better
Ls Black has the bishop pair, a pin, and developmem, and a much safer king. He
White's eS pawn is weak; should win.

1 39
Chapter 11

Gambits
In this chapter we consider all the lines in which White starts with l .e4 and subse­
quently sacrifices a pawn, usually for development. It is solid that 'the only way to refute
a gambit is to accept it', and this is in most cases my advice. It is also said th.u h.tving •c­

ccpted a gambit, you should look for a way to return the material to achieve a good po­
sition, and this too is often my preference. But it's not good to generalize too much;
uch gambit should be studied independently. These g•mbits are mostly pretty me in
mp level chess, but amateurs will often encounter them, and will be likely to fall into
'I'Uious traps if they have not studied the gambit in question.

lbe King's Gambit was really popular in the 1 800s.

Black can accept ( 2 . . .exf4) .md then return the pawn by 3 .tbf3 d S or try to hold on
to it by 3 . . . g5 or by Bobby Fischer's recommended 3 . . . d6. Since I believe that Black

Ius the better chances after returning the pawn, I see no real point in learning the
Unes where he tries to hang on to it. However I recommend the move-order l .e4 e5
l.f-4 dS(l) l.exdS exf4 -4.tl:lf'l, which transposes to L.exf4 3 .tl:lf3 d S 4.exd 5 . The
point is that with the normal move order White can play the Bishop's Gambit
3 . .i.c4 when after 3 . . . dS he can choose either capture, with the bishop capture be­
ing generally considered the better one. However by playing . . . d7 -dS on move 2 we
cut out that option; White can still choose 4.�c4 but he has already taken on dS
with the pawn.
Back to 4.lt:Jf3, Black should develop by 4...ll:Jf6 rather than expose his queen by
t. . .'ifxd S . White has a couple ways to try to come out a pawn ahead, but they don't end
wai for him. If White plays normal moves he often has to surrender the bishop pair to
win back his pawn on f4, which is the main reason I like this line for Black.

141
Th� Kaufman Rtpflloirt forBiack

In Gam!! 1 1 . 1 we look at 5 ..ic4, the most popular move. In the g�me White mmage
to reg�in the pawn without losing the bishop p�ir, but he ends up with much worsr
pawn structure. In Game 1 1 .2 we consider all other fifth moves, where White's attemp
to stay a p�wn ahe�d is refuted by a novelty in the note to move 1 2 .

The Urusov Gambit ( l .e-4- eS l.�c+�f6 J.d-4-e:.:d-4-4-.lZ:ltl)

B. tlll .t � 'l!l> .t B.
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
'Ill

� .1. 8
li:l
8 8 8 8 8 8
n li:l � � w J:[

is a r�ther d�ngerous one for Bl�ck to acct!pt by 4 ... tt:lxe4, although the computers �
fer Bl�ck. We cannot pl�y 4 ... tLlc6 as I'm not recommending the Two Knight's Defenst
to the Italian. Fortunately for us the move 4 •.. �b+ seems to solve �II of Black's proble�m
quite nicely. SeeGame 1 1 . 3 .

The Danish Gambit ( I .M eS l.d+exd+ 3.c3)

B. tlll .t � 'l!l> .t t!I\ B.

.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
,-.·

is well met by 3.....e71. Technically this is 'declining' the gambit as White could JUt
4.Wxd4, but that clearly favors Bl�ck, so White should renew his offer by 4.o:.d4 ...Rf.+
when White struggles to prove compensation for the pawn. This line was popular arowX
1 900 and was shown to me as a kid by an elderly Norman WhiWcer, a top player from d.
1 920s and now known to have had a long criminal career as a swindler. See Game 1 1 .4.

1 42
 Chapter I I - Gambits

Th.e: GOring Gambit ( I .e-f. eS 2.lt:lfl lt:lc6 3.d4 u:d4 4.c3) had some populnity in my
youth, but is f.tirly uncommon now. Still, it pays to know wh.tt to do.

R ..t � � ,A � R
i i i i i i i
�

i 8
8 tLl
8 8 8 8 8
.l:!: tt:l � 'iV I!? � J:!
Declining by 4 ... dS gives fairly equal chances, but I think Bl.tck should try to refute this
g.tmbit by accepting 4...cb.c3 . Then play branches, depending on whether White s.tcri-
6.ces .t second p.twn by s.-".c4 or just recaptures S.'-Llxcl. In the latter c.tse it seems to
me th.tt White l.tcks sufficient play for the pawn unless he chooses to he.td for .tn even
te:ndg.tme. See Game l l . S for this and for the Scotch Gambit 4.-".c4, which is met by
4.. �cs S.0-0 d6 6.c3 �g4 with only White having problems.

hrh.tps the most respectable of the g.tmbits in this chapter is Enns' G.tmbit. It is .tttrib­
uted to .t Captain Evms .tround the year 1 8 30, not to the late gr.tndm.tster L.trry Evms.
For the rest of the 1 800s it was puctie.tlly the main line of chess, but it almost died out
uound 1 900 due in p.trt to 'La.sker's Defense' . Kasparov brought it back from obscurity
with .t few wins in the mid- 1 990s, including one over his then m.tin rival An.tnd. It
w.ts .tg.tin revived by Nigel Short, especi.tlly with .t g.tme .tgainst Nielsen which e.tst
doubt on the line I recommended for Bl.tck in my previous book (the g.tme was played
just weeks after I completed that book). Things are still not completely de.tr, but I be­
lieve I h.tve found a way to get the better chances for the bl.tck pieces. I also give .t safe
line in use I'm wrong. The g.tmbit goes: l .e4eS 2.lt:l0 li:lc6 3 ...11Lc 4..icS 4.b4!?.

i
8
tLl
8 8 8 8 8 8
J:! tt:l � 'iV � J:[

1 43
The Kaufman Rtpenoirt for Block

The idea is tlu.t White normaJly wmts to play 4.c3 md 5 .d4 here, but this has driW­
backs, so White hopes to achieve this with a g.a.in of a tempo at the price of the b-pawn.
Normally you need at least two tempi .a.nd more typicaJJy three to justify a gambit, bUI
the tempo is quite vaJuable in th.is position due to threats on f7. Black should .accept b)·
4>•••hb4. when after S.c3 hs is the best winning try (5 ... .Q.e7 is the safest move, for
which see Game I 1 . 6) and after 6.d+ I now recommend 6 ... d6 rather than 6 ... exd4 due
to the .a.bove-mentioned Short game. When Wh.ite .att.acks f7 by 7.'W'b3 we defend with
7•..'tltd7. If White then takes on e5 we return the pawn by 8 .....Q.b6 with the ide.a of
. . . l0a5, when Black should end up slightly better. If White does not ta.ke on move 8
Black should be able to retain the pawn without conceding too much compensation.
See Game 1 1 .7 .

K G 2 . 8 (C36) Game 1.1.1 I O.t0e5 t0xe5 l i .l:lxf4 ...g6. but with .a

D Misr.a,Aieksonder losing position;
• Roussel Roozmon. Thomas After 6.t0c3 l0xc3 7 .dxc3 •xd l +
Brno, 2008 ( 1 0) 8.¢'xd 1 ..Q.d6 9.l:le l + ¢1 f8 Wh.ite has lit­
tle for the pawn.
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
2. 12-14 d7·d5 6. ·- �ca-ee
3. e4xd5 e5xf4
6 ... .i.e7 7 . .Q.xd5 (7 .d4 g5 8.l0c3 is a
better try for White) 7 ......xd5 8.lbc3
•ds 9.d4 g5 also favors Black, but not
9 . .. 0-0? I O . .i.xf4 as in Carlsen-Wang Yue.
Medi.as 20 1 0, won by White.
!:', •
.1. li4il 'i!l' 11r .t I!
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
t>, t>, /:', 8 t>, t>, .t
lt li:l � "iif <.tl � l£l :ct "
�
4. o<lgH3

o, <.Jl.c< 1Wh<+ s . � n Jl.d6 6.-<lf3 1t'h6

7 .l0c3 �e7 8.d4 0-0.

4. -· o<lg8·16 7. 1t'd1·e2
5. �f1·e4 ti:Jf6xd5
In the event of 7 . .i.b3 cS 8.d4 cxdf
6. 0·0
9.l0xd4 .i.c5 1 0.Wh l .Qxd4 l l . ..xdf
In case of 6.hd5 ...xd5 7 .ltk:3 ...f5 0-0 1 2 . ..Q.xd 5 l0c6 1 3 ....xff ..xd5
8.d4 l0c6 9.0-0 .Q.e6 White is just a pawn l f.f0c3 ..c4 15 ....£2 J:tfe8 Bl.ack bas
down for n01hing. He can reg01in it by better development .and a slightly safer

, ..
 Chopter 1 1 - Gombiu

king. The white knight blocking his c­ KG 2.9 (C36) Gome U.2
pawn makes any queensid� play difficult 0 Sulskis,Sarunas
for White. • Mellrumym,Hnn t
8enasque, 2009 (8)
7. - i.f8·e7
8. d2·d4 1. e2-e4 e7-e5
2. 12-14 e5d4
After 8.'0c3 c6 9.d4 g5 J O .'Oe4 'Od7
3. lilgH3 d7·d5
I I .�b3 h6 1 2.c4 i0Sf6 Whit� has only a
little compensation for the pawn. I prefer the move order 2 .. dS 3 .exd5
exf4 to rule out taking on dS with the
8. .. 0·0
bishop in case of �c4 instead of 'Of3.
9. /()b1-e3 lt:Jd5xc3
1 0. b2xc3 i.e6xcA 4 . e4xd5 lt:Jg8-f6
11. •e2xcA i.e7-d6
12. Wc4·b5 b7·b6
1 3. lill3·g5

K oll '!if l! W
j. j. j. j. j.
j. .a j.
ff 10 10
fj, j. [>, fj, fj, fj, fj, fj,
fj, J:J. IO � ff w � :tt
fj, [>, [>, fj,
5. i.f1-b5+
J:t :a J:t l!t
After S.c4 c6 6.d4 �b4+ 7 .'Oc3 0-0
13. - c7-c5
8.�xf4 cxdS 9.�eZ (9.�d3 dxc4
The actual game wem 1 3 ... '0d7 1 4.�xf4 I O.�xc4 transpos�s) 9 ... dxc4 I O.�xc4
�xf4 I S.Axf4 and now 1 5 ... a6 would ti:lc6 1 1 .0-0 �g4 Black is for choice due
have kept the advantage, based on the to the h�avy pr�ssure on the weak d4
superior pawn structure. He played pawn.
I S ...'Of6 and the game was laterdnwn. Or S .ti:lc3 lLlxdS and now:
A) 6.�c4 l0xc3 7 .bxc3 (after 7 .<hc3
14. lilg5·e4 14·13
Wxd l + s.Wxd l i.d6 9.Ae l + Wf8
1 5. g2d3
White struggles to show compensation
1 5 .Axf3? .i..x.h 2 + 1 6.�xh2 "Wh4+ with for the pawn) 7 ... �d6 s.We2+ 'tlte7
an obvious advantage for Black. 9.Wxe7+ ¢>xe7 1 0.0-0 �e6 i l .l:e i
._yd7 - again it is tough for White to
15. -· •7·•6
prove compensation;
16. Wb5·d3 lilb8·c6
B) 6.i0xd5 WxdS 7.d-4 �e7 8.c4
Black's much better p;�wn structure and 'lt'd6N 9.cS Wh6 I O.g3 g5 I J .gx£4 g4
safer king give him the advuuage. I V:OeS 'Wh4+ 1 3 .We2 0-0 - White has

1 45
Tht Kaufman Rtptrtoirt for Block

regilited his pawn, but the price of hav­ A greedy computer suggestion is
ing to advance his king was too high. 1 2 .. . Ae8N 1 3.lbc3 (in case of 1 3 ...txf4-�
.i.xf4 1 4.Axf4 'tWbS I S .'tWfl 'tWxb2 Blact
5. •.• c7·c&
will win a pawn) 1 3 ... eS 1 4.'tlfc4+ �h8
6. d5xc6 �b8xc6
1 S .dxeS .Q.xeS 1 6 . .i.xf4 1i'b6+ 1 7 .'�hl
7. d2-d4 .il.f8·d6
'tixb2 IS . .i.xeS AxeS 1 9.1Wxc6 Aae8
8. '*d1·e2+
20.h3 'tlt'xc2. Here Black is for choice iS
8.0-0 0-0 9.lt:Jbd2 .2.g4 J O .c3 (or his pieces are slightly bener placed.
I O.lbc4 �c7 J J .�xc6 bxc6 J ! .lt:JceS
13. 11lb1 -d2
�xf3 1 3 .lt:Jxf3 AeS 1 4.1Wd3 aS I S.�d!
ll:Je4 1 6.Aae I fS and despite his inferior 1 3 .1Wxe6+ <it;hS 1 4.'tWh3 ( 1 4.tt:ld2 Aae8
pawn structure, I prefer Black due to the I S .tlth3 cS 1 6.li:lc4 f3N 17 .�xd6 9xd6
powerful outposted knight) I O ... Ae8 1 8 .-.Yh ! cxd4 1 9.tltxf3 lbdS 20.-.dl
l l .lDc4 �c7 l !.�d! •ds 1 3 .lt:Ja3 tt:le4 Axfl + 2 1 .Wxfl AfS 2 2.tltg l �b1-
and again the powerful e4 knight out­ 2 3 ..i.d! ll:lxc! Black regains the pawu
weighs the doubled pawns. with advantage due to the advanced
passer) 1 4 ... Aae8 I S .li:lc3 tt:ldS 1 6.i.d!
8. ... .il.c8-e6
lt:le3 1 7 . .i.xe3 Axe3 1 8 .Af3 •b6
9. 11lf3-g5 0-0
1 9.Axe3 fxe3 !O ...xe3 ..xb! 2 1 .Afl
1 0. �g5xe6
'tWxc2=. A draw is to be expected.
Not I O . .i.xc6? �g4.
1 3. ... Aas-ea
1 0. -· 17xe6 14. 11ld2-c4
11. i.b5xc6 b7xc6

14. ·- g7-g5

An alternative is 14 ... cS I S .'Llxd6 Wxd6

12. 0-0
1 6.Lf4 t!fxd4+ 1 7 ..i.e3 ..xb2 1 8 ...c4
1 2 ....xe6+ <it;hS 1 3 .0-0 .i.cS !N 1 4.dxcS 1117=.
( 1 4.c3 .Q.xd4+ is similar) 14 . . ....d4+
1 5 . .i.c1-d2
I S .Wh ! tLle4 and Black's attack will win
material. I S .b3 eS 1 6.dxeS Les 17 .lUxeS ..xeS
1 8 .1i'xeS AxeS 19 ..i.b! Ae2 20 . ..txf6
1 2. ... lll"d8-c7
Axf6 2 1 .Af2 :.fe6= A draw is likely.

1 46
 Chapter I I - Gambits

This is the Urusov Gambit, a rather dan­

1 5. ... e6-e5
gerous one if accepted .
16. d4xe5 ..td6xe5
17. lt:lc4xe5 Wc7xe5 4. ... ..tf8-b4+
1 8. 'Mte2xe5 .C.e8xe5
1 9. .ll.d2-b4 1118-e8

1 9 ..cS!=.

20. ..tb4-c3 .C.e5-e6

21 . ..tc3xf6 .C.e6xf6
22. llf1-e1 .C.f6-e6
23. l::r:e1 xe6 .C.e8xe6
24. Olg1-12 .C.e6-d6
25. l::r:a 1 -e1 Olg8-17
26. l1e1-e5 .:td6-d2+ 5. c2-c3
27. 0112-13
If S . ..td2 .1t.xd2+ 6.'Wxd2 (6.tbbxd2 tlJc6
7.0-0 0-0 8 ...Q.b5 a6 9.-'t.xc6 dxc6 I O.eS
�d7 l l .e6 �cS 1 2 .exf7 + l:tx£7 White
.t. � .t.
has too little for the pawn) 6 ... "Llxe4
.t.
7 ...xd4 ll:lf6 8.0-0 dS, here White has
l:1 .t. much less compensation for the pawn
.t. than in the ;�.ccepted Gambit. The ex­
It/ change of bishops has robbed White's at­
8 8 8 '8. 88 tick of ;�.ny pow�r.

5. ... d4xc3
27. ... g5-g4+ 6. b2xc3 d7·d51
28. 0113xl4 lld2xc2 1. e4xd5
29. 0114-g3 llc2xb2
After 7 ."ita4+ "itd7N 8."itxb4 dxc4 9.0-0
30. ::r:es-as Wf7-g6
b6 I o.:� I li:la6 I I ."itxc4 li:lcS Black is
31. :ta5xa7 h7-h5
beu�r due to the we;�.k white p;�.wns and
The game soon ended in a draw. square d3.

IG 4.5 (C24) Game 11.3

0 Arbau,Eric
• Malaniuk,Vladimir
Bastia. 20 1 0 (5)

1. e2-e4 e7-e5
2. .111.11-<4 ltlg8-f6
3. d2-d4 e5xd4
4. lt.Jg1-f3

1 47
The KGufmon Rcpertoire for Biack

7. -· ><b4-e5 12. -· h7-h6

13. .i.h4xf6+ 'Obe7xf6
7 ... .i.t!7 is the move to play if you w.tm
14. 0-0 ><cB-15
to ket!p queens on the board. Objectivt!ly
15. lilb1-d2 lilb8-d7
both moves .tre fine. Pl.ty may continut!
16. llf1-e1 lld8-e8
8 . 0 - 0 0-0 9 . .i.b3 lieS ! O .c4 lbe4
17. lill3-d4 ><15-h7
I l ..i.b2 .i.g4 12 . .i..t4 lbd7 1 3 .h3 .Q..x f3
1 4.llt'xf3 .i.d6 1 5 .Wg4 lbdf6 16 .... f3
lieS=.

8. •d1-e2+ 'ilt'd8-e7
9. llt'e2xe7+ �e8xe7

Also after 9 ... il.xe7 1 0.0-0 0-0 l l .:tel

.iid 6 1 2 .lba3 a6 13 . .Q..b 3 lbbd7 1 4.lt:lc4
..lit.cS I S.lLJ.tS .i.b6 1 6.t!Jc4 h7 Black is
to be preft!rred due to the poor White
p.twn structure.

10. ><c1-f4 ><eS-d6

White h" compensation fm m.
bishop pair.

1 8. .i.e4-b5?1 lle8xe1 +
1 9. �a1 xe1 lild7-b6
20. lild2-e4+?1 ><h7xe4
21. �e1xe4 a7-a&
22. ><b5-d3 lilb6xd5

Bishops of opposite color do not g�t!l'-

ally draw a pawn down with knights oo
the board.

1 1 . ><14-g3? 23. ><d3-c4 lild5-b6

24. ><c4-b3 g7-g6
The computer calls the position after
25. g2-g4 lilb6-d7
l l . .i.xd6+ cxd6 equal, but I prefer Black
26 • ><b3-d1 �aB-dB
.ts the c3 pawn is weaker thm the d6
27. h2-h4 <i>l&-g7
pawn.
2a g4-g5 h6xg5
11. - llh8-d8 29. h4xg5 lild7-e5
12. ><g3-h4 30. lle4-g4 ><d6-e5
31. ><d1-f3 c7-c6
This implies a willingness 10 p;ut with
32. �g1-f1 �g7-18
the bishop pair, but other moves lose the
33. �1-e2 J..e5xd4
d-pawn for too little.

1 48
 Chapttt ! ! - Gambits

h�
i. � A) 4.itd2 .icS S . .i.c4 l0f6N 6.e5 l0e4
.a. 7 . 0 - 0 0-0 a .:e l ds 9.exd6 �xd2
.a. .a. .a. I O.l0bxd2 Ld6 - Wh..ite nnnot reg01in
- [>, the �wn. omd has only .t mild lead in de­
velopmem for it;
.t l:t
B) 4.d dxd S.lt:lxd (with S.bxc3 .tcS
[>, �
6 ..ic4 d6 7.0-0 l0c6 8.lObd2 lC!f6 9.l0b3
[>, 7; [>, .ib6 White has a �d version of an Enns
G01mbit. He has only a tempo for the
pawn) s ... l0f6 (or s ... ttk6, lr.J.nsposing
34. llg4xd4?1
to the GOring Gambit) 6.e5 ltJe4 7.'1t'c2
TUing with the p;�wn w.ts the Jut chance dS 8.exd6 (in case of 8 . .i.d3 ltJcS 9.0-0
to continue the fight for ll dn.w, but Bl;�ck ltJxd3 I o.�gS Wd7 l l .Wxd3 .i.xc3
should still win. 1 2.Wxc3 0-0 White bOils too linle for lhe
pOi!.wn) 8. AJxc3 9.bxc3 �xd6 IO . .i.gS
34. ·- lld8xd4
Wd7 l l ..i.d3 h6 12 . .i.e3 ltJc6 1 3 .0-0
35. c3xd4 li.:lc5-e6
0-0 1 4.l%fel l%e8 1 5 .l%0i!.d l b6 - BIOil.ck
36. d4-d5 lile6-d4+ 0-1
will fimcheno the bishop md be Oil nfe
pawnaheOil.d.
KP 2.3 (C2 1 ) Game :U.4
3. - 'lld8-e71
0 Nogndy,Vilmos
• Krivolapov,Konstantin
Bud.tpe:st, 1 996

1 . e2-e4 e7·e5
2. d2·d4 e5xd4
3. c2-c3

The Danish Gambit.

3.�0?! -'.b4+ (inste.1d 3 .. .lt�c6 trans­
posts to the Scotch, but this is beuer) UJd

This is quite likely to surprise your op­

ponem, and m.1y very well be the best
move objectively. White either loses .1
pOi!.wn for too little compenution or just
.t j, [>, gets .1n inferior g.1me with equOil.l mOil.te­
liJ ri..J.
[>, [>, [>, [>, [>, [>, 4. e3xd4
l:t liJ �."i!Y <tJ � l:t
In cue of 4.ltJf3 Wxe4+ 5 ..i.e2 d3
Anatys�Sdtagram
6.Wxd3 'W'xd3 7 ..i.xd3 ltJc6 8.0-0 ltJf6

1 49
Tht KouflrKin Rtpertoiu fllr Bl11ck

White has two tempi for the pawn, which

with queens off Is not enough:
After 4 .•xd4 'i:lc6 S ....e3 tt:lf6 6 . .i.d3 dS
7 .l0d2 �g4 Black is beuer. because
White cannot trade on dS without falling
seriously behind in development.
4. '" •e7xe4+
5. �c1-e3

In the event of 5.-'ie2 ...xg2 6.�f3 ,.. g 6

1 0. ... d7-d6?1
7.1tle2 �c6N s.ltlf4 •rs 9.ttk3 tt:lf6
I O ....e2+ ¢ld8 l l...�.e 3 �d6 1 2.�fdS b6 With IO ... c6!N Bl;�.ck pldllS ... d7-dS, diU!
1 3 .0-0-0 ltlxdS 1 4.-'ixdS which White will have little oompens.tlion..

11. 0-0 �b4xc3

li .t � g 12. b2xc3 0-0
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. 1 3. e3-e4 �c8-e6
.l. � .t 14. �c4-d3 .Qe6-g4
� 'i!¥ 15. e4·e5 �g4xf3
/1, 16. llf1xf3 d6xe5
li:l � 17. d4xe5?

/1, /1, 't'¥ !1, /1, 1 7 .Aafl =.

<;t> J:[ J:[
1 7. ... 'tlte7xe5?1
Analysis diagram
1 7 .. l0d7 ! .
14 .. h6! I S .'i6'x;�.6 l0b4 1 6 . .Q.e4 ...xe4
18. :ta1 ·e1 'ilt'e5-c5+
1 7 .ltlxe4 �u6 White m;�.y have compen·
1 9. <O>g1-h1 lilb8-c&
sation for a pawn, but he is down two!
20. llf3-f5 1lc5-d6
5. lilg8-f6 21. llf5-d5 "lld 6-h6
6. �b1-c3 �18-b4 22. "lld2-e271 "ll h6-f6
7. lilg1-13 lilf6-d5 23. lld5-f5
8. 1ld1-d2 'ilt'e4·e7
9. �f1-c4

If 9 . .Q.d3N tbxe3 I O.fxe3 d6 1 1 .0-0 �7 �� ... ... ! t ...

1 2 .e4 l0f6 1 3 .Wh l 0-0 1 4.e5 dxeS � '!!!'
I S .dxeS hc3 1 6.'ttxc3 ti:JhS 1 7 ...d2 J:[
.Q.g4 1 8 .'ti't:3 g6 White doesn't have
enough for the pawn. /'>, �
9. �d5xe3 /1, 'i!l' /1, /1,
1 0. f2xe3 .ll. II;>

I SO
 Chllpter ! ! - Gambits

9.gxf3 (9.i.xg8 ?! l:lxg8 I O.gxf3 gS

23 . ... 'IIH;-d6?1
l l . ..e6 J:lg6 1 2 .'ti'f5+ <"l&;lg7 I l .'*'h l
B . .'it'xclN should win. Whtn in doubt. We7 Black has 1. winning attack) 9 ... dxc3
W:esrum I O.i.xg8 Axg8 l l .tt:lxcl l0d4 1 2.'tltd I
ttf6 I l.tbdS ...f7 1 4.'�g2 c6 I S .tt:le3
24. Jl.d3-c4 g7-g6
'llg 6+ 1 6.<Jih l 'llh s 1 7 .<01g2 lldB 1 8.1><
25. llf5·d5 'lld6-H;
i.b6 The threat of . . . tt:Jd4-e6-f4 gives
26. lld5-d7 'W'f6xc3
Black the adnntage.
27. 11d7xc7 l1aB-d8
28. 11e1·f1 <Oig8-h8 4. ... d4xc3
29. Jl.c4xf7 ttc3·e5
This is the GOring Gambit .J..Ccepted. More
30. 'tte2.f2 lld8-d2
popular is 4 ... d5, which equo�.lizes. but I
31. 'llf2-h4 ••5·f5
think Blo;�ck should try for an advantage by
32. llf1-e1?? ll18xf7
accep1ing.
33. 'tlth4xh7+ *h8xh7
0-1

S0 6. 1 1 (C44) Game 11.5

D Scbmilili,Loszlo
• Mesz.uos,Tamas
Budl.pcSI, 2006 (9)

1. e2-e4 e7·e5
2. lilg1-13 lilb8-e6
3. d2-d4 e5xd4 5. l0b1 xc3
4. c2-c3
Or S . .i.c4 cxb2 6 . .i.xb2 -'lb4+ 7 .lbc3
ol.i.c4 is the Sc01ch Gambit: 4 ... �cS .()f6and now:
5.0-0 (S .c3 tt:lf6 transposes to the It.tli•n A) Af1er 8.0-0 hc3 9.-'.xc3 0-0 ! O.eS
Gmte) s ... d6 6.c3 .Q.g4 7.Wb3 i.xf3 lt:Je4 J l ..i.b2 d6 1 2.'ite2 (if 1 2.:e 1 -'.fs
B.L17 + <01fB I J.:c J :es While has insufficiem com­
pensuion) I L.dS I J .:ad l .i.e6 Black is
bener. While has 1he bishop pair and
somewha1 bener developmem which is
enough for a pawn bu1 hardly for 1wo;
B) 8.'itc2 d6 9.0-0-0 -'.xc3 I O.'itxc3
.i.e6 I I .:he I i.xc4 1 2.'itxc4 0-0 I J .eS
l!Je8 1 4.'itc3 f6 I S ....b3+ �h8 - here
100 While has plemy of compensa1ion for
a pawn, bu1 probably no1 for 1wo.
5. Jl.f8-b4
6. �f1·c4 -'lb4xc3+

151
The Kaufman Repertoire forBlack

6 ... d6 7 ...b3 Lc3 + 8.bxc3 would

1 0. e4·e5
transpose to the game but gives White the
sensible option of 8 ....xc3 , which the I O.�gS 0-0 l l .l:tae I h6 I L�.h4 lilaS
game order avoids. 1 3 .'tlfa4 lilxc4 14 ....xc4 �e6 I S .'tlfd3
l:tae8 Black plans ... -"c8 next. He will
7. b2xc3 d7·d6
eventually unpin by . . . g S . White doesn't
8. 0·0
have enough for the pawn.
8 .tlt'b3 'ti'e7 9.0·0 lilf6 transposes to the
1 0. ... tt:lc6xe5
game:
11. l0f3xe5 d6xe5
8.lilg5 tt:les 9 .�b3 h6 I O .f4 hxgS
12 . .ic1-a3 c7·c5
l l .fxeS 'ti'e7 1 2 .tlt'd5 dxeS 1 3 .�a4+
13. Ji<c4-b5+
�d7 14.'ti'xb7 l:tdS I S .'ti'xa7 �xa4
1 6 ...xa4+ ..d 7 1 7 ....xd7 + l:txd 7
1 8 . 0·0 lilf6 1 9 .l:tel g4 2 0 .a4 �e7 2 1 .a5
l:ta8=. White's passer is not too danger·
ous since Black may play . . . l:ta6 next, and
White has three isolated pawns.

8. -· tt:lg8-f6

13. -· Ji<c8-d7

1 3 . . �f8. as recommended in Chess Ad­

vantage, is also okay, but riskier. The text
settles for one pawn up rather than two,
but permits Black to castle.

14. .ib5xd7+ 'tlt'e7xd7

9. ifd1-b3 15 . .ia3xc5

After 9.e5 lilxeS I O .lilxeS dxeS With I S .f4 0-0 1 6.fxe5 lile4 1 7 .ll.fel
I I .'ti'xd8+ ( l l .'ti'b3 'ti'e7 transposes to ti'c6 l 8 .'tlt'c4 tt:l g S 1 9 .'ti'xc5 ll.fc8
the game) \ l ... �d8 1 2 .hf7 �e7 20 ...xc6 ll.xc6 White regains his pawn,
1 3 .-"b3 -"e6 1 4.ll.e l �xb3 J S .axb3 but now he has a dearly worse endgame
lild7 1 6 .f4 a5 1 7 .�e3 :Z.hf8 I S .fxeS �e6 with three isolated pawns.
Black is for choice, as the king is a great
1 5. ·- <lf6-e4
blockader and the white bishop is of the
1 6. it"b3-b4
wrong color to disturb it. Also Black has a
potential outside passed pawn. After 1 6 .-"a3 lild2 1 7 .'ti'b4 0-0-0
J S.ll.fdl ll.he8 1 9.c4 ll.e6 White has
9. -·
nothing for the pawn.

152
 Chapter I I - Gambits

If 1 6.W'�3 Wc6 1 7 .�xa7 .. xc3

3. .ll.l1·c4 .ll.IB·c5
1 8 .llt'a4+ Wc6 1 9.Wxc6+ bxc6 20.J:lfel
4. b2·b4
:X�7 2 1 ..:lxe4 f6 22.f4 Wf7 2 3 .fxe5 .:le8
24.a4 .:lxeS Black st�ys a pawn ahead in The Evans Gimbit is among the best g�m­
lhis rook endgame, though White's out­ bit openings. It is sound enough, but
side pisser might be enough to draw. shouldn't give iny advant�ge to White
with correct play.
16. -· 'lld7·c6
17. �c5�e3 4. ... �c5xb4
5. c2�c3 .ll.b4·o7

li ;!I :a I give this line as i sife alternate to my

.t. .t. .t. .t. .t. main recommendation S...hs, which
'lif attempts to refute the gambit .
.t. ··- 6. d2-d4 tbc&�a5
'1!1' 'II
[>, �
[>, [>, [>, [>,
n J:! \t> -

.t.
17. ... a7�a5 � [>, [>,
Blad actually played the inferior 1 7 ..lbd6 [>, ttl
1 8.f4 ( I S ..:lfd l would have equilized) [>, [>, [>, [>,
18 ... �5 1 9.11t'b3 lt:lc4 20 . .:lae l e4 2 J .f5 :ct ltl .i "iif w n
0-0 22.f6 g6 23.Wc2 :res 24 . .Q.d4 e3
7. tbf3xe5
25.We2 Ae4 26.Af3 :.�es 2 7.Wd3 Wds
28.Ag3 bs 29.We2 b4 30.Ag4 .:lxg4 This regains the piwn but White must
3 1 .Wxg4 bxc3 n.Wf4 gs 3 3 .Wg4 c2 prove compensation for the bishop pair. I
34.h4 h6 3 5 .11t'h5 W'xd4 36.hxg5 e2+ consider 7 . .Q.e2 to be the better move,
3 7.�h l cl ... 3 8 . .:lxc l e l 'tW+. though it is risky.
7 . .i.d3 d6 8.dxe5 dxeS (8 ... lbc6 9.exd6
1 8. 'll b4·b3 0·0
Wxd6 I O.h3) 9.lbxeS lbf6 1 0.0-0 0-0
1 9. ca�c4 a5-a4
l l .Wc2 cS=. Bl�ck plans ......c7 �nd
White is just a pawn down. ...b7-b6. His beuer pawn structure com­
pensites him for his temporarily offside
IG 5 . 1 1 (CS I ) Game 11..6 knight.
0 Fressinet.Laurcnt 7 .�e2 d6 (safer than 7 ... exd4 8.W'xd4!
• Efimeuko,Zahar with which Kasparov beat Anmd in 1 995)
Wijk aan Zee B, 20 1 1 (Z) 8.W'a4+ (S.dxeS dxeS 9.'tixd8+ Lds
I O .llJxeS QJf6 l l .f3 0-0 1 2 .lbi3 .:les
1 . e2�e4 e7�e5
1 3 .llJec4 llJxc4 14.lbxc4 lbd7 I S .�fl
2. t!Jg1�f3 ll:Jb8�c6
lbb6 1 6.�e3 fS=) 8 . . c6 9.dxe5 dxeS

1 53
The Kaufman RepenoireforBlock

I O .lt::lxe5 lbf6 I 1 .0-0 ..Wc7 1 2 .lbf3 0-0

16 . .td2-c3 .tc8-e6
1 3 .�g5 l::.es 1 4.lbbd2 h6 1 5 .Sl.h4 bS
17. lilb1 -d2 'W'a6-a3
16 . ..Wc2 lt::lh 5 1 7.he7 .l:he7 I S.l::. fe l
1 8. lla1-c1 lla8-c8
tt:!f-4 1 9 .�fl i-6=. The strong knight on f4
and the better black pav.rn structure mi-ke
up for the poorly placed knight on a5. li
.t..t.
7. ... lLlB5xc4
&
8. ..'t.Je5xc4 d7-d5
9. e4xd5 •d8xd5
1 0. ..'t.Jc4-e3 ..dS-111 5
11. 0-0 lilg8-16
1 2 . c3-c4 0-0
13. �c1-d2

It's hard to see much compensation for

the bishop pair in this open position, so
Black is somewhat better.

IG 5.7 (C52) Game 11.7

0 Short,Nigel
• Filippov,Anton
Kolkata, 2009 (7)

1. e2-e4 e7-e5
13. ... "tlt'a5-a61 2. lilg1-f3 lt::l b8-c6
3. .tl1-c4 .tf8-c5
Black i.Ctually played I L .�b4 (in
4. b2-b4
Robson-Pe�lshteyn. Lubbock 2 0 1 0, Black
played 1 3 ...'W'h5?? and had to resign after Nigel Short is the top practitioner of the
l 4.lbd5!) 1 4.hb4 ..Wxb4 1 5 .Wd3 b6 Evans Gambit.
1 6.lLlc3 �d7 1 7 .l::.fd l l:.ad8 1 8 .a4. White
4. -· .tc5xb4
was slightly better due to his central con­
5. c2-c3 .tb4-a5
trol, though Black drew. The text move is i.
computer improvement over both gi-mes,
p�serving the bishop pair.

14. "ild1-f3

After 1 4.lLlc3 l::.d 8 the White center is un­

der p�ssure and Bli-ck has the bishop pUr.

14. ... c7-c6

15. llf1-e1 llf8-e8

1 54

This is the best .lttempt to refute the Evans
Gm1bit.
6. d2-d4
6.0-0 d6 (6 ... lt:lf6 7.d4 exd4 8.e5 d5
9.exf6 dxc4 I O.fxg7 l:lgS l l .l:le I+ .i.e6
.1.lso favors Bl.1.ck but is more compli­
ated) 7 .d4 tnnsposes to the note ;�.fter
7.'il'b3.
Or 6 ....b3 We7 7 .d4 lt:lf6 8.dxe5 ll:Jxe5
9.lt:lxeS 'W'xe5 I O.hf7+ �e7 1 1 .0-0
Af8 12 ..i.d5 .i.b6 1 3.h3 d6 1 4.tt::la3
Lh3 1 5 .c4 l!Jg4!N 1 6.11txh3 l:lxf2
1 7 .l:lxf2 .i.xf2+ I S .�fl ...xa l 19 ....xg4
•xc l + 20.�xf2 l:lfS+ 2 1 .�g3 ... xa3+
22. �h2 1ltb2 md Bl.1.ck wins.
6. ·- d7-d61
I think this is better than 6 .. exd4 as
�ommended in Ch�ss Advantage, due
pHtly to Short's 2003 game with Nielsen
with 7 ....b3.
7. 'ill'd 1 -b3
In the event of 7.0-0 .i.g4 8.'W'b3 L£3
9.hf7+ �fS I O.gxf3 (after IO ..i.xg8
Axg8 I I .gx£3 exd4 1 2 .'W'xb7 We8 Bl.1.ck
is much better) I O ... .i.b6 l l ..i.xg8 l:lxgS
1 2 .dS lt:l.1.S 13 ....b5 11th4 White's .1.wful
p.1.wn structure gives Black the edge.
7. ... 'ill'd8-d7
Chapt�r I I - Gambits
8. 0-0
Or 8.dxe5 .i.b6 9.llJbd2 (.1.fter 9 ..i.b5 a6
I O.h4 .i.c5 l l .c4 ll.Jge7 1 2.ti:lc3 0-0
1 3 .0-0 bSN 1 -1-.cxbS tt::lx e5 1 5 .tt::lxe5
dxe5 1 6.l:lb I ...g4 17 .Wc2 l:ldS Black
controls the open center file in m other­
wise b.1.lmced position) 9 ...dxe5 IO ..i..l3
ti:l.1.S J I .Wb4 cS 1 2 .1ltb2 ...e7N
13 ..i.b5+ lbc6. Since Black un now pl.1.y
14 . . . tt::l f6 and castle kingside, White has
very little compenS.ltion for the pawn;
If 8.lbbd2 .i.b6, now 9.dxe5 transposes
to the previous note, while 9.0-0 trans­
poses to the game.
8. ... .il.a5-b6
9. '1lb1-d2
9.il.b5 .1.6 I O.il.a4 (afler I O .i..xc6 ...xc6
l l .lt:lbd2 f6N White is down .1. p.1.wn and
the bishop p;�.ir with no cleu plan of at­
t.lck) IO ... .i..l7 md the thre.lt of ... b7-bS
ensures .1. good game for Bl.1.ck.
9. ... ll:lc6-a5
1 0. 'ill'b3-c2 17-16
11. a2·a4
11. ... tbg8·e71N
The game actu.1.1ly went I I .. lbh6
I L�a3 (with 1 2.h2! tt::l fl White gets
f.1.ir compensation for the p.1wn) 1 2 ... ti:lf7
1 55
Tbc Kllufman Rtptnoirt for Black

l L �.dS ...e7 1-4- ..Q.b-4- c6 I S . .L2 0-0

14. .Q.c1·a3 �c:8-e6
1 6.10M g6 1 7 .'�h l �e6 I B.dS �d7
15. h3-b4 .Q.e&xe2
1 9.c<t- A.1.c8 20.lbe l ...d8 2 l . ...d3 .Q.d<t-
16. -.c2xa2 <t::Je7�&
2 2.<�)df3 cs 23 ..id2 b6 2<t-. .L.as bxa.S
17. g2-g3 lilg6-f8
2S.J:lbl .Q..xa+ 26.l0xd+ cxd-4- 27 .... g3
1 8. .Q.b4xa5 .Q.b6xa5
�g7 28.llb2 llb8 2 9.Jid2 �d7 30.f4 ••
1 9. lild2-e4 �a5-b6
J l .fxeS lOxeS 3 2.Axd4 Ab2 3 3 ..ib l
20. :a1·d1 lilf8-d7
'W'b6 34.Add 1 l0xc4 3 S . e S lOxeS
21. lld1-d5 o-o-o
3 6.Ade l Ab3 3 7 .'W'f4 AM 3 8 . .i.e4 fs
39.g4 l0xg4 40 ....gS l0f2+ 4 J .Axf2
•xf2 42.Ag 1 Axe4 43.l0xg6 ... f3+ and fl .& i:
White resigned. j. j. j. '!a j. j.
12. �e4-o2 11d7-c6
.i t!' j.
J:[ j.
11 is surprisingly hard for While 10 deal tiJ ;.,
with the threat of ...exd4. The knight on I� ;., ti:\ i',
el prevems .i.dS, while I J.dS ..d7 lets
'i!Y ;., ;.,
Black caslle with a safe exua pawn.
J:[ \t>
13. d4xe5 d6xe5

Next Black c.m play ...Q..e 6 with an extr.J. White has some but not full compens.a-
pawn. tion for the pawn.

1 56
Chapter 12

Scotch and Four Knights Opening

I group these two openings together because they often transpose: l.e4 eS 2.lLlfl li:lc6
l.d.f. (Scotch) l ...exd.f. 4.li:lxd4 �f6 5.�3 and l.lLlcl lLlf6 (the Four Knights) 4.d4
ad4 S.t!Jid4 reach the same position, which is naturally enough called the Scotch Four
[nights. In this chapter we look at all lines that typically begin with either the Scotch or
Four Knights Opening.

R .t 'l!V � .i.. R
.l .l .l .l .l .l .l
� �

Cfj !':,
Cfj
/':, /':, !':, /':, !':, /':,
� g 'l!V w g J:t

In the Scotch, which was �urrected two decades ago by World Champion Gm-y K.lsparov,
ifter 3.d4 �d4 4.ll:Jxd4 (4.c3 is lhe GOring Gambit in the Gm1bit ch•pter, while the
ScOlch Gambit 4.�c4 .icS S.c3 tt:lf6 is simply a transposition to the 4.c3 l!:lf6 S.d4 exd4
line of the Italian Game) I recommend .....�f6 r.uher than 4 ... �c5, mainly bea.use .t"ter
the latter move, 5.l!Jxc6 Wf6 6.'ti'f3! seems to offer White a slight edge in most if not all
lines. Now after 4... tt'lf6, S.t!Jxc6 b:r.c6 6.es 'ite7 7.-.cl � B.d· my earlier book recom­
mended 8••..L.6, which often leads to an endgame where White has rook, bishop, and
knight vs. two rooks and two extra but doubled pawns. This endgame is about eqw.l but
ralher hard to win as Black, and since 8...lt:lb6 has been revitalized recencly I now recom­
mend that move. IfWhite responds with 9.llJdl or 9.b3 we play 9 .. �. aiming to exchange
off this � getting rid of an isolated pawn while giving White a �ckward one on b3
(see Game 1 2 . 1 ). I don't even see how White fully equalizes in this line. After the more ag­
gressive 9.!i:lc3 the rare 9.....Q.b7 was pbyed successfully by Kramnik this year and this
seems to solve all ofBlack'sopening problems (see Game 1 2.2).

The Scotch Four Knights Opening is not very promising for White, but there are
some tricks so you need to study the line. BL1ck has to be willing (in the lines I rec­
ommend) to put up with a bad pawn structure in the endgame in return for the two
bishops, but with queens off the bishops are a major plus so this is a good enough
deal for Black. If White avoids this ending he may achieve a slightly better pawn

!57
The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

structure but at the cost of conceding central domination to Black. See Game 1 2 . 3 for
this as well as the Belgrade Gambit S.�dS!?, which we meet b}' S ... �b4 when I don't
see how White equalizes.

Unusu&l fourth moves after the four knights come out, including 4.g3 and 4.a3, should
lead to equality with correct play. In the former case simple development with 4...�5
and 5 ...d6 suffices, while after 4.a3 Black should respond with 4...dS when White may
find himself just playing the black side of the equal Scotch Four Knights with the use·
less move a3 included.
The sacrificial 4.lt::.:u: S? is unsound but tricky. Keeping the extra piece is probably
theoretic&lly best, but for pnctical play just retreat the knight to c6 when it is attacked
and give back the piece by answering dS with . . . �b4, after which Bl&ck is just better.
See G&me 1 2.4 for these three lines.
Most novices play 4.Jic4 after the Four Knights Opening, until someone te&ches
them not to do so due to the 'fork trick' 4 ... tbxe4. However, computer analysis fails to
show full equality for Black in the traditional lines after th&t move. Fortunately I discov­
ered a major novelty here (S.�x« dS 6.Jid3 lLlb4!) which &ppears to give Bl&ck abso­
lutely equal ch&nces.
The m&in line of the Four Knights is -4-.�bs, but recently 4... JicS, formerly thought
b&d due to the 'fork trick' (again! ) , now appeus to be a complete solution to the prob­
lem of that opening, thanks to the discovery of the strength of 9 .. .Jie7!. For both of
these 'fork trick' lines see Game 1 2 . 5 .

s o 4 . 3 (C-45) Game 12.1

3. d2·d4 e5xd4
0 V.m der Weide,Karel
4. �f3xd4 lilg8·16
• Ris,Robert
5. �d4xc6 b7xe6
Hurlem, 2007 (9)
6. e4-e5 -.dB-e7
1. e2-e4 e7-e5 7. Wd1·e2 lil16·d5
2. tt:lg1-f3 lbb8-c6 8. c2·c4 lild5·b6

! 58
 Chopttr 12 - $co(ch and Four Knighu Opening
the open ftle compensates for his bid
pawn snucture. The fact th;at White's rook
is stuck on 01! to defend 01.2 means that
White QI1 only �pire to 01 draw.

.&: K
.a. .a. t .a.
.a. [>,
.t
9. b2·b3 .l [>, " g [>,
9.�d2 •5 a.nd now: [>, ILl [>, It> [>,
A) I O .'ilfe4 g6 l l .>i.d3 >l.g7 1 2 .0-0 J::[ J:l
o-o l l .t<lf3 >l.a6 l 4.>i.gs f6 I S .>i.h<
9. -· a7-a5
Afe8 1 6.c5 .ixdJ 17 .'W'xd3 l0ds 1 8.'tWc4
10. -".c1-b2 a5-a4
•a 1 9 .exf6 4Jxf6 20 .... xl7+ �xf7
11. t<lb1 ·d2 a4xb3

I ll .a. .a.
ll
.t .a.
1 2. a2xb3
1 3 . �b2xa1
J:la8xa1+
••7-a3

.a. " .a. 14. 'W'e2-d1 >1.18·b4

.a. [>,
g .t '1!1 H
ILl .l .l .l .l .l
[>, [>, [>, [>, [>, " .a.
.!:! J:l lt>
Analysisd1agram

2 i .hf6 (otherwise 2 l ...�d5 and the

Bla.d: Jnwn weUnesses v-e secure while
White's are not) 21 ... hf6 - the black
bishop seems clearly superior to the white
15. >l.f1·d3
knight, though due to the mutuol! �wn
weaknesses White should be able to draw; I S .'ttb P � 'tt� S 1 6.'ttb 2 ..Q.xd2+ 0-1 wu
B) I O.b3 a4 I J . .ib2 uansposes to the a game I won from Russian
gune; Fayvinov in Washington 2002.
C) I O.g3 ...e6 I J .bJ 01.4 12 . .Q.b2 .ib-4
15. _ ••3·a2
1 3 . .i.g2 0-0 ( J 3 ... Wg6 1 4 ..i.e4 Wh6 iu n
untried and unclear computer suggestion) I S . . . 'tta 5 is far more common and suffi­
1 +.0-0 dS I S.t0f'3 01J 1 6 . ..td4 cS 1 7.cxd5 ciem for equality, but the text aims to win
..xdS J8 . .i.e3 �6 1 9 .'ti'c2 .i.d3 20.tt:le l a pawn with some modest risk .
.Lc2 2 Lhds ll:lxdS 22.l0xc2 l0c3
16. JUo1 ·d4
23 .Wg2 Afd8 and Black's dominalion of

1 59
Tht Kaufmllll Rtpenoirt for Black

In case of 16 ..Q.c2 W'aS 1 7 .We2 dS

20. ... c6-c5N
1 8.exd6 0-0 1 9.li:le4 cxd6 20.W'd4 f6
White has linle to compensate him for In the game Black played 20 ... d6 2 l .J:lal
having his king in the center. .Qg4 with equality, but White soon !051
the exchange and yet managed to draw
16. - o-o
the endgame. The text is an engine sug­
17. �d4·e3 W'a2·a5
gestion which has the drawback of leav­
1 8. 0-0 ••sxeS
ing the bishop on b4 a. bit sidelined, but
the other bishop becomes a monster.

21. �d3·o2 �c8·b7

White has little compensation for Black's

extra (doubled) pawn.

so 4.3 (C45) Game 12.2

0 Shirov,Aiuey
• Knmnik, Vladimir
Wijk a� Zee, 20 1 1 (6)
White has a bit better development and a
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
bener pawn structure, but this is probably
2. lilg1-f3 lilb8-c6
not quite full compensation for the pawn.
3. d2·d4 e5xd4
1 9. lild2-13 11'e5·h5 4. lilf3xd4 lilg8·1G
5. l0d4xc6 b7xc6
The computer prefers 19 . . . tte7 (or
6. e4-e5 •d8-e7
19 ... ttf6) 20 . .Qg5 ttd6 to avoid the
7. W'd1-e2 lilfG·dS
draw in the next note.
a. c2-c4 lild5·b8
20. 11'd1·c2 9. l0b1-c3

Or 20.ti'a J dS 2 1 .Wa7 .Q.g4 2 2 .ttxc7

.Qxf3 23 .gxf3 dxc4 H.bxc4 Wxf3
2S .Wxb6 ...g4+ with a draw by perpet­
ual check.

9. ... �c8-b7

This is rare but strong. Knmnik knows

what he is doing in the opening.

1 60
 Chapttr 12 - Search and Faur Knights Opening

29.'W'f6+ md White must give perpetual

10 . .i.c1·d2
check.
IO ..Il.f4 g6 l l .'ilfe3 .ll.g 7 12 ..1l.d3 0-0 1 3 .f3 .i.xc4 14 ....f2 hfl I S.Wxfl ...�e6
1 3 .0-0 .L.6 H.b3 d6 1 s.:��e l J:lfe8 1 6.aS 'W'c4+ 17 .�g I ·�6 1 8.Wd4
1 6 ..i.�e4 dS 1 7 .�f3 �b7 md the pressure lild5= 19 . .1l.g5 .ll.g 7 20 . .1l.xd8 lhd8
on �eS pr�events Whit�e from �tu.cking by 2 J .lt)c3 /bxc3 22.bxc3 d6 23 .'1rg4+ J:ld7
.i.gs or �h6, while Bl�ck em pl�y H.e6 fxe6 2 S .Wxe6 .ixcl 26 ....�e8+
...�7-�5 or ... dxc4or .. . J:l�d8; J:ldS 2 7 .We6+ J:ld7 with � draw by r�epe­
If Whit�e pl�ys inste&d I O.b3 0-0-0 tition.
l l .�b1 J:le8 1 2.£4 f6 1 3 .0-0-0 fxe5
13. _ We7xe5
l +.fxeS g6 J 5.J:le l .ig7 1 6.�d l c5 (or
14. .Q.d2-c3 .Q.f8-b411
Usc 1 6 ...d6) 1 7 .h4 J:lh£8, Blick is beuer
15. il.c3xb4 l!h8-e8
due to the pressure ilg�inst th�e isolmi on
16. 12-13?1
.s.
1 6.0-0-0 'tltxe4 17 .'lt'xe1- J:lxe4 J 8.a5
10. - g7-g6
lt)ds 1 9.f3 J:lxc4+ 2 0.J.xc4 .i.xc4
1 1 . lilc3·e4 o-o-o
11 . .i.d1 c5=. Two pawns are in g�eneral
12. a2-a4
slightly better thm the exchang�e, but u
In the event of 1 1.f4 c5 1 3 .0-0-0 .ig7 the black pawns are doubled it's about
14 ..ic3 lt::l�4 1 5 ....c1 �xc3 1 6.�xc3 d6
Bb.ck is bletter th�nks to his powerful
16. ·- d7-d5
bishop pair.
It mily already be too late for White to
12. - .ll.b7·a6
equ&lize the game.

� l! .a l! 17. 84·•5

j. j. j. 'i!f j. j. 1 7 .cxd5 hfl 1 8 .Wxfl f5 19 . .-dl fxe4

i. 4il ! j. 20 ... &6+ Wd7 1 \ .dxc6+ �xc6 11.J:lc i +
£>, ¢:'d7 23.'Wb7 l%e6 - both sides h&ve ex­
£>, £>, liJ posed kings but the in&bility of the white
king's rook to join the b.lttle tilts the enl­
£>, fl.. f!l f>, [>., f>, uation in f�vor ofBI�ck.
1:1 It> � .1:1 17. - �b6xc4
1 8. .-e3xa7 We5xb2
13. ••2-e3 1 9. •a7xa6+ Wca-d7
20. lla1-d1 Wb2xb4+
1 3 .&5 �xc4 1 4.J:l�4 J:le8 1 5 .0 WxeS
21. ¢le1-f2 .lle8xe4
1 6.i.c3 Wf4 1 7 .J:lxc4 �xc4 1 8.Wxc4 d5
22. f3xe4 Wb4-c5+
19 ....xc6 J:lxe4+ 10.�d l J:le6 2 1 .W�8+
23. �-e1 Wc5-b4+
Wd7 2 2. .Q.b5+ c6 2 3 . �xh8 cxbS
24. ¢le1-f2 'll b4-c5+
H.Wxf8 'W'a4+ 25.Wd2 'W'c1- 26 ..ic3
25. tP12-e1 li><4-b2
J:le1+ 27.Wc l Wdl 1 8 .Wxf7 + �c6

161
The Kaufman Repenoire �r Block

g 32. "'b2-d1
j. t!f · . t 33. "ill'l$-h8+ �d8-d7
'i!Y • 34. �f1-b5+ c7·c6
[>, 'l!f j. 35. �b5xc6+ Wd7·c7
[>, 36. d5·d6+ "tl'd2xd6

36 .. Wxc6! 37 ...c8+ �dS 38.dxe7 fS+

4il [>, [>, wins the queen or mates.
1:[ \t> .i 1:[
37. .D.h1 xd1 'tltd6xd 1 +
26. e4xd5? 38. �c6-f3 h7·h5+
39. �g4-g3 'tltd1·e1 +
26 ...e2 �xd l 2.7.'itxd l lle8 28 ... d2
40. �g3-h3 'Mte1·e6+
llxe-4+ 29.i.e2 1la4 30.a.6 1la. l + 3 \ .i.d J
41 . �h3-h4 g6·g5+
fS .md once Black gobbles the a.6 pawn he
42. ¢'h4xg5 "ill'e6-g6+
will have four pawns for the bishop and
43. �g5-f4 f7-f6
so a slight edge.
White resigned benuse if H.'it'xhS
26. -· 'ltc5-c3+
.D.e4+! wins the queen.
27. .D.d1-d2 'ltc3-c1+?

With 2 7 ... Ae8 +! 2 8 . ..i.e2 We i + 29.Wf2

•xd2 30.'W'xc6+ ¢:'d8 3 1 .'1tf6+ .D.e7 so 3.3 (C47) Game 1.2.3
Black could have won a piece. 0 Sch.neider,llja
• Haslinger,Stewart
28. ¢'e1·e2 .D.d8·e8+
Germ�ny Bundeslig�. 2009 / 1 0 ( 1 0)
29. ¢>e2·f3 "tl'c1 xd2
30. 'tWa6xci+ �d7·d8 1. e2·e4 e7·e5
31. 'tWc6·f6+ .D.e8·e7 2. 0g1 ·f3 l0b8·c6
3. 0b1·c3

t!f 3 .d4 exd4 4.li::lxd4 li::lf6 s.lUc3

j. g j. • poses.
'iiU 3. - "'gi-l$
[>, [>, 4. d2·d4 e5xd4

It> .i .t 'l!f t!f .t g

4il 'l!f [>, [>, • • • • •••
.i 1:[ 4il 4il

32. <1>13-g4?? j. /1,

3 2.<.Vg3 li::ld 3 33 .�xd3 'tlt'xd3+ 34.¢;>h4 tt:l tt:l
WeB 3 S .J:lfl 'tltd2 - Black is dearly bcuer [>, [>, [>, [>, [>, [>,
but White has drawing chances. %l: .i 'll¥ \t> .i J:[

1 62
 5. �f3xd4 11. Wd1-13

This position is known as the 'Scotch After l ! .tl:J;�.4 h6 1 2.�h4 :.ea 1 3 .c4 �g4
Four Knights' as it can arise from either 1 4.'tlt'xg4 tl:Jxg+ 1 5 .�xd8 :.axd8
the Scotch or the Four Knights Opening. 1 6.cxd5 :.xd5= Black's better placed
5.ll:ld5 is the Belgrade Gambit. I recom­ pieces offset his inferior p;�.wn structure.
mend 5 ... ll:lb4and now: The bishops of opposite color mike a
A) 6.l!Jxf6+ ..xf6 7 .�c4 .iic 5 8.0-0 draw likely.
d6 9.e5 dxe5 I O.tl:Jxe5 0-0 l l .lbd3 1 1 .8<2 h6 I 2 ..i.h+ .i.d6 I J.ltld+ cS
i!bxd3 1 2 .-'ixd3 �d6 and Black is just ;�. 1 4.lLlf5 .iixf5 1 5 .�xf5 :.bs 1 6.b3 �e5
pawn up; 1 7 .:.cJ �f4 I S .:.b J ..d6 1 9.g3 g5
B) 6.tl:Jxd4 tl:Jxe4 7 ."Llb5 tl:Jxd5 8 ....xd5 20.gxf4 gxh4 2 1 .Wf3 :.b4 2 2 .c4 ¢'h8=.
'1We7 ! N (also suggested by Andrey White md Bl;�.ck have equ.t.lly bid pawns.
Obodchuk in his book Tht Four Knights
11. ... .i.b4-d6
Gamt) 9 ....d4 d5 I O.�f4 lbd6+ l i .,.Yd i
�xb5 1 2 .�xb5+ c6 1 3 .:.e J .iie 6 l l . . . h6, provoking 1 2 .�xf6 'tlt'xf6
1 4.-'id3 Wcs - White h;�.s some develop­ 1 3 .•xf6 gxf6, is fine if you want to draw,
ment for the pawn but with his king stuck while l l ... �e7 is best if you must avoid a
in the center that should not be enough; dr;�.w. The text is a good compromise,
C) 6.�c4 €lbxd5 7 .exd5 �b4+ 8.-'id2 since White will have to lose ;�. tempo to
W'e7+ 9.'tlt'e2 �xd2+ I O.,.Yxd2 'tlt'xe2+ reach the above endgame and so r;�.rely
I l .¢'xe2 0-0N 1 2.lbxd4 a6 1 3 .a4 :.e8+ plays this w;�.y here.
H.¢'d3 d6 I S.:.he l �d7 - Bl;�.ck h;�.s the
better bishop, the safer king, and the op­
tion to play .. c7 -c6 or . .. c7-c5 at any mo-
!i .t "i!l' !i �
.t. .t. .t. .t.
.t. .t •
5. ... .i.f8-b4 .t. �
6. €ld4xc6 b7xc6
7. .i.f1·d3 d7·d5 ILl � "ii¥
8. e4xd5 c6xd5
I\, [o f\, [>, /'>, [>,
9. o-o o-o
J:[ nw
1 0. �c1-g5 c7-c6

!i 'llt
12. :.r1-e1
li .t "i!l'
1 2.lh.e l :.bs 1 3 .ll:ld l h6 1 4.hf6 ._xf6
.t. .t. .t. .t.
.t. • 1 5 .'tlt'xf6 gxf6 1 6.b3 .iid 7 1 7 .�e3 �b4
I S .:.d i �c5=. Bl;�.ck's bishop piir offsets
.t. � his bad p;�.wns;
.t 1 2 .h3 :.ba n .:.;�.bl h6 1 +.-'if+ :.es
ILl � ! 5 .b3 :.b7 1 6.�xd6 'li'xd6 1 7 .:.fe I
[>, [o f\, "' "' "' :.be7 and Black's control of the open file
!:t "i!V nw offsets his slightly inferior bishop.

1 63
Tht KGufman Repertoire for Black

After 20 ... �c6! Black h.ts a better pl.tced

12. ... J:.a8-b8
knight in an otherwise bal.tnced position.
13. �c3·a4
21. J:.e1xe8+ J:.b8xe8
1 3 .J:.ab l h6 1 4.�xf6 'tlt'xf6 I S ...xf6
22. �b2-c4 •d6-c7
gxf6 1 6 .tbe2 cS 1 7 .b3 ��6 1 8.%t�d l
23. lilc4-e3 •c7-e5
J:.fc8=. Bl.tck's bishop p.tir comp�nsat�s
24. c3-c4 d5-d4
for th� w�aken�d pawns.
25. lile3-d5 lil16xd5
13. ... h7-h6 26. c4xd5 "il'e5-d6
14. il.gS-14 27. il.d3-c4

Aft�r 1 4.�xf6 '*xf6 I S ...xf6 gxf6

1 6.J:.ad l �g7 I prefer Black due to the i. w
offside white knight. .1. .t .1. .1.
"!!!' .1.
K .t "i!!' K t!r .I._ I',
.1. .1. .1. � ...
.l. .t 41; .1. !', 'iW !',
.1. !', I', I',
ILl � l:l I!;>
� 'iW
!', I', I', 27. 87·85
1', 1', £>, .•.

J:l J:t I!;> Bl.tck actu.tlly played 27 ... �c8 28.'ttd3

�b7 when White got in the equ.ilizing
14. •.. c6-e5
29 .b4! and went on to win. With the text
In case of 1 4.. ..i.g4! I S .'tlt'e3 :es 1 6 ....d2 move Black has .t slight edge with his
�e6 1 7 .b3 cS 1 8.h3 �xf4N 1 9 ...xf4 c4 beuer bishop and control of the open me.
20.�fl '*•5 the white knight on the rim
gives Black the better chances.
so 1 . 1 1 (C46) Game 12.4
15. b2-b3 ..tcB-e6
D Pettov,Marij.m
16. h2-h3 llb8-b4
• Bezgodov,Aluey
16 ....ixf4! 1 7 .W'xf4 c4 1 8 .i.f5 ..ixfS Thess01.loniki, 2 0 1 0 (9)
1 9.'tlt'xf5 ••5 isbad forWhite.
1. e2-M e7-e5
17. il.l4xd6 "il'd8xd6 2. lilg1-13 lilb8-c6
18. c2-c3 3. l!Jb1-c3 lilgB-16
4. g2-g3
I S.:.td l :es=.
This system is named the 'Giek' Four
18. ... llb4-b8
Knights .tfter its chief exponent, GM Igor
1 9. :a1-d1 ..te6-d7
Glek.
20. ti:la4-b2 :ta-ea
A) 4 . .t3 d5 and now :

1 64
 K .t 'i!l' .tr .t !! 6 ... .i.b4! Black �turns the piece to obu..in
a sm.t11 but clear edge. After 7 .dxc6 tt::lxe4
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
8 ....d4 ...e7 9.�e3 0-0 I O.�d3 l0xc3
• •
I J .bxc3 �d6 1 2.cxb7 Lb7 1 3 .0-0 Afe8
.1. .1. l i.Aab I �c6 White has no compensa­
[>., tion for his poor pawn structW'E:.
[>., tt:l tt:l
[>., [>., [>., [>., [>., [>.,
;g .t 'l!f .tr .t !!
n � 'l!f w .i J:t
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
AnalySisd•agram
• •
A I ) S . .i.bS �xe4 6.lt:lxe5 (if 6.1i'e2
.1.
�xc3 7 .1i'xe5 + .i.e7 8 .Wxc3 0·0
[>.,
9.hc6 bxc6 I O.Wxc6 .CbS l l .d4 .D:b6
1 2.1t'c3 L6 13 ..ie3 •bs 1 4.0-0-0
tt:l t;J [>.,
eb7 the bishop pair plus the pressure on [>., [>., [>., [>., 8 [>.,
White's king down the b-flle give Black J:I � 'ii' w � J:t
full compens.ation for the pawn) 6 .. .'.f6
4. ·- �18-cS
].lt)f3 .i.e6 s ....el li:lxc3 9.dxc3 .fi.d6
5. �11-g2 d7-d6
I O.�g5 'il'g6 l l .�d3 'il'hS 1 2 .�f5 11le5
6. d2-d3
1 3 .Le6 fxe6 1 4.li:lxe5 ...xe2+ 1 5 .¢>xe2
Les 1 6 .llad l 0-0=. A balanced end­ 6.0-0 a6 7 .d3 transposes to the game.
game hasnisen;
6. _ a7-a6
A2) S.exdS �xd5 6.i.b5 eJxc3 7 .bxcl
i.d6 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 0-0 1 0.0-0 .ig4 This is to prevent 7.l0a4, winning the
l l .c3 tf'f6=. White is playing the Bl•ck bishop pair, though Black can also allow
side of the Scotch Four Knights, with the this by playing either 6 ... h6 or 6 ... ltld4,
�tn. but useless move .13 included. since he obtains automatic compenY.tion
B) 4.l0xe5?! is the Hilloween Gambit: after 7 . . . �b6 8.l0xb6 axb6.
4.. .<�:lxe5 S .d4 �c6 (S ... li:lg6 6.e5 tt:lg8
1. o-o
7 ..Q.c4 dS 8.LdS li:l8e7 should .Usa be
good but is unnecessuily risky) 6.d5 7.�e3 �xe3 8.fxd 0-0 9.0-0 �g4 (or
9 ... l0e7=, planning ... l0g6) I O.h3 Lf3
l i. .t 'i!l' .tr .t !! l l .'tfxO l0e7. In a closed position a
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. knight is .u le,;r,st as good as an unp,aired
• • bishop. White has slight pressure on the
[>., f-flle but a slighdy d,;r,rn,;r,ged J».wn struc·
[>., rure. The computers lilte Bl,;r,ck due to the
less s,afe white king. but I'll c,;r,.U it equal.
7. ·- 11lc:6-04

In general in the Lei eS openings. this

AnalysisdJagram
knight exchange favors Black slightly, as

1 65
The Kaufman Repertoire for Block

the c6 knight blocks the c7 p.iwn while

1 5. llf1-f2 .Jil.c8-d7
the f3 knight gu.irds the king.
16. lla1-f1 :18-16
7 . . . 0-0: 7 ... �e6 or 7 . . . h6 - all of these
17. e3-e4 *"s5xd2
moves .ire S.itisf.ictory for Black.
18. llf2xd2 f5xe4
8. f!Jf3xd4 �c5xd4 1 9. d3xe4 a6-a5
20. :d2·12 �g8·17

.! .a 'l!¥ '1!: .! 21 .
22 .
c3-c4
h2·h4
Wf7-e7
:as-fa
.a. .a. .a. .a. .a.
23 . :t2xl6 :texts
.a. .a. .. :t1xl6 'Ot>e7xf6
24.
.a. 25. �g1·12 g7-g5
_a ��, 26. .Jil.g2·13 1h-1h
1/j i',
!', !', !',
KP 1 0.2 (C48) Game 12.5
Il: � 'ill'
D Essernun,Mark
• Korneev,Oleg
9. lbc3-d5
Forni di Sopu, 2 0 1 1 (2)
If White instead pl.iys 9.h3 ..lle 6 I O .liJe2
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
�.i7 l l .b3 'itd7 1 2 .1o>h2, 12 . . . h 5 !? looks
2. lbg1-f3 lUbB-c&
interesting for Black.
3. t:Ub1-c3 lilg8·16
9. ... f!Jf6xd5 4. .Jil.f1·b5
1 0. e4xd5 0-0
After 4 ...Q.c4 tt:lxe4 S.lt:Jxe4 dS 6.Jld3:
1 1 . c2-c3 �d4-a7

.! .a 'l!l' '!!: .a
12. �c1-e3 �a7xe3
13. f2xe3 tl'd8-g5 .!
14. tl'd1·d2 .a. .a. .a. .a. .a. .a.
..
.! .a .! '!!: .a. .a.
.a. .a. .a. .a. .a. 1/j
.a. .a. � 1/j
i', .l 'l!l' !', !', !', £!, £!, !', £!,
Il: j_ 'il!' w J:J.
!', !', !', !', AnalySis diagram

!', !', 'ill' � !',

A) Everyone plays 6 . . . dxe4?! 7 .Le4
Il: Il W
�d6 8.0-0 0-0 here, but after 9.1le l
(9.c3 is .ilso good) we re.ich the position
14. ... 17·15=
discussed in the note to move 8 below,
14 ... ..1lg4 ! ? is the computer's preference: but with colors reversed. I call it slight1y
I S.h4 'ith6 1 6.1lf2 fS=. better for Black there, which means

1 66

White is slightly bener here, e.g. 9 ... Ae8
(9 ... Ag-4 ! O .c3) I O.d3 ;md White h.u a
slight pull - less lhm in m..in line open­
ings, so Bi..ck em play this, but it seems
dut � following novelty gives full
equ.Wty:
B) 6 . . . �b-4!N 7 .�g3 ( 7 .�c3 e-4
s.Le-4 dxe-4 9.l!:lxe4 trmsposes, while
Uter 7 .�gS e4 8 . ..ie2 �d6 9.d3 exf3
IO.�xf3 0-0 J l .c3 �c6 1 2.0-0 Ae8
Bb.ck h.u slightly superior developmem)
7 ... e4 8.he+ dxe-4 9.l!:lxe4 ..ifS I O.d3
.L:e4 l i .dxe+ 'lhd l + n.Wxd l ..ics
1 3.d 0-0-0+ l +.t0d2 (after 14 ...id2
�6 I S .'*'e2 Ahe8 Black regains the
pawn favorably) 14 ... /0c6 I S.f3 .ie3
1 6.c3 Axd2+ 17 ...ixd2 Ads 1 8 .Wel
i.xd2 1 9.Aad l .tgS 20.Axd8+ Ld8=.
With no other pieces on the baud, rook
md piWll are about equal to bishop md
blight. I would play the Black side if
given a choice.
4. - .ll.18-c51
This obvious move hils r�ly been seen
due to !he coming 'fork trick', but since
this game U�d notes show that it is not
promising for White I expect 4 ... .ic5 to
become the main line of the Four
Wghts, and 4 ..-ibS to lose populuity.
5. o-o
S.d3 0-0 6.0-0 tr.msposes to the next note.
ln his r-ecent book The Four Knights Game,
ADdrey Obodchuk opts for S .tOxe S! as
the best way to fight for an advantage. but
the game Naer-IA.nda, Novokuznetsk
2008 showed that Black can equ.Wze:
S ... lOxeS 6.d4 ..id6 7 .f4 l0c6! S.eS ..ib4
9.exf6 Wxf6 IO ...ie3 ( 1 0.t3 m..y still
give White hope of a.n edge) I O ... dS
1 1 .0-0 Lc3 I l.bxc3 ..ifS+.
Chapttr 12 - Scotch and Four KDights OpmiDfl
5. -· o-o
i .i. "i!f J! ;jr
.1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1. .1.
"' "'
� .i. .1.
/:>,
liJ liJ
/:>, /:>, /:>, £>, £>, £>, £>,
It � 'iif n w
6. tt:Jf3xe5
6.Jbc6 dxc6 7.d3 .ll.g< 8.h3 .ll.h s 9 ..1l.gS
h6 I O.hf6 'Wxf6 l l .g4 .i.g6 - with fWO
bishops for two knights at the price of
having one bishop shut in for now, Black
must be preferred;
6.d3 4Jd4 (6 ... Ae8= is also fine) 7.�xd4
(if 7.l0xe5?! d6 8.�f3 .i.g4 9 . .i.e3 Lf3
I O.gxf3 c6 I I ..L.4 bS Jl ..ib3 �hS
1 3.Wh l 'Wh4 1 4.Ag l 'lth3 Black regains
the pawn with the better chances)
7 ... hd4 (7 ... exd4 is .t.lso good) S . .igS
c6 9 ..i.c4 h6 IO ..i.h4 b5 l l ..i..b 3 aS
1 2.a4 b4 1 3 .�e2 .i.a7 ( 1 3 ... ..ib6 is simi­
lar md just as good) 1 4.'*'h l g5 I S . .ig3.
This wu Petrisor-Nit"lsen, Aix·les-Bains
Ech 20 1 1 , .md now after I S ... :.es 1 6.0
�hS 17 . .i.f2 .i.xfl 1 8 .Axf2 d5 Bltck
looks better, with the white bishop ob­
structed and the plan of ... �e6, ... 'Wd6,
and ... c6-c5.
6. '" tl:lc6xe5
6 ... %1e8 ! ? was tried in P.tulsen-Morphy,
New York 1 85 7 . Then White's best try is
7.1(:10 ! .
7 . d2-d4 .ll.c5·d6
8. 12·14
If8.dxeS ..Les 9 . .i..d 3 Ae8
167
TheKc!ufman Repertoire forBiack

1 0. �b5-e2

After I O.h3 d6 l l .exf6 ? ! ( l l .hxg4

lDxg4N 1 2.�e2 h5=) l l ...lDxf6 1 2.g4
dS l 3 .�d3 c6 1 4.'ti'f3 'ti'b6 1 5 .a3 lDe8
l 6.�e3 fS 1 7 .gS lt:ld6 Black is better
with the knight coming to e4, and won in
Berbatov-Hammer, Aix-les-Bains Ech
201 I .

1 0• ... d7-d6
11. e5xf6 11lg4xf6
Black now h;�.s the position White would
12. 14-15?1 d6-d5
h;�.ve if in the Four Knights he plays 4.�c4
1 3. �c1-g5 1118-eS
li:Jxe4 5.lDxe4 d5 6.�d3 dxe4 7 .he4
14. 'lld 1 -d3 c7-c6
�d6 8.0-0 0-0 9 . .Ue l , because White
15. .C.a1-e1
wasted a tempo here by �b5-d3. This
Une is regarded as equal but the comput­
eTS slightly prefer White in that line (so
Black here). and grandmaster Roman
Dzind.zichashvili told me that he agreed
with the computers here.

8. ·- �e5-g4
9. e4·e5

In case of 9.�e2 �b4 I O .�xg4 �xc3

l l .bxc3 li:Jxe4 1 2 .�f3 dS=. Black's
outposted knight and better pawn struc­
ture fully offset the bishop pair.
9. - Jl.d6-e7
Until recently everyone played ... .ii.b4
here, but the text seems to be better.
1 5. ·- b7-b51N
The game actually went 1 5 ... .ii.d 7
1 6 .Jl.d 1 h6 1 7 .Jl.h4 11lh7 1 8 .Jl.g3 ll'b6
1 9 . .Uxe7?! .Uxe7 20.f6?! lDxf6 2 1 ..Uxf6
gxf6 2 2 .�h4 'ft'c7 2 3 .'ird2 .Ua.e8
24.'ft'xh6 .Ue l + 25 .�xe i .Uxe l + 26.Wf'l
.Ue8 2 7 .lDe2 'ti'd6 28.c3 ..ifs and Black
eventually won.

16. �c3-b1 h7-h6

17. Jl.g5-h4 bS-1>4
1 8. tt:lb1-d2 a7-a5

Black is better. He has space and a

queenside initiative, while White has no
real attack on the kingside.

1 68
Chapter 13

Italian Game
The Italian G�me, or Giuoco Piano, is th� f.1vorit� opening of novice players, but it is
also used by grandmasters and even World Champions on occasion. In my opinion, it is
the most promising alternative to the Sp.mish for White, and should keep at le.tst a tiny
edge.

Afu:r l.e4 eS 2."Ll0 lbc6 J.i�d-. I recommend the sife l•••i.cs rather than the Two
Knights 3 ... tt:lf6, which is a risky gambit due to <f..l!:lgS. In gener•l. compUier analysis
does not show full compen�tion for the pawn in that line, though Bb.ck certainly h.ts
decent practical chmces.

B. .t � � � B.
i i i i i j. i

:$.. i
[':,
.�

tZi
t:, t:, t:, f':, £:, [:, [':,
J:t ti:i � 'll!' � J:l:

In Game 1 3 . I we examine the gambit line -4-.0-0 li:lf6 5.d4 hd+ 6.tbxd+ li:lz:d4 7.f•.
The recommended response (a.fter 7••.d6 8.fu5 dns 9.�g5 _.e7 lO.tba3) is an a.ston­
ishing computer suggestion, the ridiculous looking IO ...ltg8 ! . I will do my bt:st to r:x­
plain it. Nott: th.u I don't covt:r 4.d4, bt:uust: 4 ... t:xd4 trmspost:s to tht: Scotch Gambh,
although 4 ... Ld4 is also a good movt:.
Now after 3 ...it.c5 4.c3 (for 4.b4 st:t: the Evans Gambit in the Gambit chapter, while
4.lilc3 lilf6 5.d3 h6 is a safe line for Black) 4...�f6 White usually plays S.d3 in master
chess, beuuse the obvious S.d4 has supposedly been analyzed to equality. However a.s I
show in Game 1 3. 2 , White has two paths to a. tiny edge after this move, so it deservt:s a
higher status and more people should try it. Still, it's nothing for Black to be scared of,
as White's edge is probably less thm he can obtain in the main line Spanish. As the
positions after 5.d4 exd4 6.ad4 .ib4+ 7..id2 (Greco's ancient 7 .tt:lc3 is a dubious
gambit) are rather op;n, tactics prevail and there's not much point in talking about
strategy. except that when White acct:pts an isolated d-pa.wn in return for piece play,
Black should gt:ner.illy set:k equal exchanges.

1 69
The Kaufman Rqlertoire for Biock

After S.d3, I recommended 5 ...a6 in my earlier book, but recently S ...0-0 has �
shown to be a good move (Carlsen chose it not long ago), since the pin 6 •.iigs is well
met by 6 .••b6 7•.iih4- .iie 7!, 6.b4- is met by 6 ....iie 71, and 6 ..iib 3 is met by 6 ... dS. Induc­
ing White to castle cuts out some options like lbbl -d2-fl -g3 (without the need for
Ae I ) and also takes the sting out of the pin 7 -�gS after 6 ... d6, since White can no lon­
ger attack an early ... gS by h4 with a rook behind it. After 6.0-0 the move 6 ... d5 is
sometimes played, but here it is rather risky so I advise 6 •.•d6 . Then play can take on a
symmetrical nature if both players bring their queenside knights to the kingside, White
by %le i and li:lb i -d2-fl -g3, Black by ... €lc6-e7-g6. This results in positions where
White's edge due to having the move is really tiny. Moreover, with all the pieces on the
board and a fluid pawn structure Black has every right to play for a win if he is the
stronger player. See Game 1 3. 3 .

I G 2.1 (CSO) Game 13.1 We7 1 3 .�c3 0-0-0 Black is better)

0 Movsesian.Sergey IO . . . �xd l l l .�xd8 %lxd8 1 2 .c3 .ie2
• Adams,Michael 1 3 .cxd4 .i.xc4 1 4.%lc l .id3 I S .%lxc7 0-0
Wijk aan Zee, 2009 (2) 1 6 .dxe5 Le4 1 7 .tbd2 �dS 1 8.!00
%lfe8 1 9.%le l dxeS 20.fxe5 �f8 2 1 .�
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
%le7 22.Ac2 b6 and Black's bishop domi­
2. lilg1-13 €lb8·c&
nates White's knight, and White has a
3. Jl.l1-c4 Jl.18-c5
we.a.k e-pawn;
4. 0-0 lilgB-1&
Komodo considers the simple 7 . .ie3N to
5. d2-d4?1
be best, although no one plays it: 7 · - - �
This is a somewhat dubious gambit. 8.f3 0-0 9.tLlc3 d6 I O."W'd2 b6 and White
has the bishop pair, better development.
5. - .iic5xd4
and a much more active queen for the
6. ..'i.Jf3xd4 ..'i.Jc&xd4
pawn. However he doesn't have any obvi­
ous plan to exploit these advantages, so
Black should be better.

7. •.. d7-d6
8. f4xe5 d6xe5
9. .iic 1·g5 16'd8·e7

The actual game went 9 ...�e6?! (this nat­

7. 12-14
7 . .i.gS h6 8.�h4 d6 9.f4 .ig4 I O.hf6
(after I O ...d2 gS l l .fxeS dxeS 1 2.�g3
ural move lets White equalize) I O.'Oa3
We7 I l .c3 lbc6 1 2 ......h I AdS?!
(I L.%lg8! again this computer move is
best, and equalizes) 1 3 ...e2?! ( 1 3 .�3 !
w.is strong) 1 3 ... h6?! 14 ..Q.xf6 gxf6
1 s .Af2 Ag8 1 6.Aafl Ag6 1 7 .lbc2 �
! 8 .lild lilb8 1 9.tfhS �g7 20.tff3 �h7

1 70
 Chapter 1 3 - Jtalian Game

2 Ll!Jd5 .iix dS 22.�xd5 �4 2 3 ."tltf4 .D:d6

11. <f>g1 ·h1 �c8-d7
H . .D:e2 lbd7 25 . .D:.x�4 l!J�s 26.-'ib3 �g8
12. 'W'd1-e1 0·0·0
2 7 .c4 b6 28 . .Q.c1 "tlt£8 29 . .D:�3 .D:.gs
13. 'tlt'e1-h4 .lld7-c6
30.-'ifs q;,hs 3 J ..D:.fe 1 · aS 3 2 . b3 c6
14. l:la1-e1 tl:ld4-e6
3 3 .dxc6 .D:.xc6 34.h4 .D:.g8 3 S . .D:.d l .t4
15. �g5xf6 g7xf6
3 6 . .D:.d8 "tltg7 3 7 . .D:.xg8+ q;,xgS 38 . .D:g3
1 6. 'll h4xf6 'tie7xf6
.tnd Black resign�d.
17. 1!11xf6 <t:le6-g5
1 0. li:.lb1 -a3 18. �c4·d3 lilg5xe4
1 9. 1!16xf7 lile4·c5
20. �d3·11 l!d8·d2
21 . l:le1xe5 l:ld2xg2
22. .llf1 xg2 .llc6xg2+
23. Wh1-g1 �g2·d5+
24. "'g f- 12 �d5xl7
25. lieSxeS b7·b6
26. l:lc5-e5 a7-a6

'i!f K
i A i
1 0. ... l!hB·gBI ii
This is a compUier move if ever there w.ts
J:i
on�! This move w.ts oiled to the .ttten­
tion of the chess world in Yearbook 91 , liJ
where Genn.t Sosonko described how Ro­ 8 8 1::, '<!I 8
man Dzindzichashvili discovered it when
analyzing with Rybka. The drawback is
that if you play this mov� you may b� .tc­ Black is better for two re.tsons. Rook .tnd
cus�d of ch�ating. so b� pr�p.tred to cit� bishop are considered a b�tter 'team' in
this book .ts your sourc� for th� id�a! Th� the �ndgame th.tn rook and knight
id�a is th.tt Black do�s not y�t know if h� (though I have never been able to prove
should plily ... -'ie6, ....!fJ�6. or ... .iid 7. so this with statistics), and of course the
h� plays il move thilt is noncommittal but knight is bildly placed on the rim. Of
will be fully useful whenever White t.tkes course White has good drawing ch.tnces.
on f6, which is pretty much inevit.tble. So
White responds with .t useful noncom­ IG 2.5 (CS4) Game 13.2
mittal mov� of his own. D CubasJos� Funando
A hum.tn continu.ttion is I O . . . .Q.d7 • Mar�co,Sandro
l l ."tlt'e l tbe6 1 2.Lf6 gxf6 13 ....�3 .D:.gs �ntos Milrio Covils, 2008 (8)
14 . .D:.f2 .D:.g6 I S.l:Z..tfl li:.lf4 1 6.'�h l a6
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
1 7 .g3 �e6N I S.�bl li:.ld4 .tnd White's
2. lbg1-f3 lbb8-c6
comp�ns.ttion looks inadequat�.

171
Tht Kaufman Rtptrtoiu for Biack
3. .il.f1·c4 .il.l8-c5
4. c2·c3 tt:lg8·f6
5. d2·d4 e5xd4
6. c3xd4
6.e5 dS 7.i.b5 lLle+ 8.cxd4 i.b6 9.lDc3
0-0 I O.i.e3 i.g+ l l ...c2 i.xf3 1 2 .gxf3
tt:lgS 1 3 .i.xc6 bxc6 1 4.0-0-0 lDxf3
15 ...e2 ttJM 1 6.:hg l f6 1 7.Wh5 lDg6
I S .:g3 :eSN 1 9.f4 fxeS 20.fxe5 'tlth+
2 l ...e2 ..e7 22 ...h5 with a draw by
repetition.
6. .• .il.e5·b4+
7. .il.c1·d2
This simple line is rarely seen at high level
anymore, as it is considered drawish. I
think that it is rather underestimated, as
there appear to be two ways for White to
obtain at least a microscopic edge, as
noted in this game.
7.lDc3?! is a dubious gambit: 7 ... tt:lxe4
8.0-0 i.xc3 9.dS (after 9.bxc3 dS
White's only compensation for the pawn
is the bishop pair - not enough) 9 ... i.f6
1 0 .:e 1 tt:le7 t t .:xe+ d6 1 2 .i.gS (in
case of the bayonet attack 1 2.g4 0-0
1 3 .g5 i.eS 1 4.tt:lxe5 i.fS!N Black is
clearly better) I L.i.xgS 1 3.�xgS h6
1 4.'tte 2 hxgS I S.:e l .ie6 1 6.dxe6 f6
1 7 .:e3 c6 I S.:h3 J:xh3 1 9 .gxh3 g6
172
20. ..f3 (or 20.J:d l � fS 2 1 .h4 gxh4
n.J:d+ �g7 23.J:xh4 'Was, a.nd Blad:
plans to exchange rooks on hS with a
solid extra pawn) 2 0 .....a5 2 1 . .C.e2 (in
case of 2 I .'ttxf6 'Wxe 1 + n.�fl 0-0-0
2 3 ...xe7 'W'e+ 24.b4 dSN Black is up a
safe exchange) 2 L.W'f5 2 2 .'W'a3 'W'b t +
2 3 .�g2 tt:lf5 24.f3 •d i N - Black is win­
ning, with an attack plus an extra pawn.
7. _ .tb4xd2+
In my earlier book I recommended
7 ... lbxe+ (Black should probably choose
this line if he must avoid a draw, as ex­
plained in the note to move 1 2 , but ob­
jectively I think 7 ...�xd2+ is the better
move) 8.i.xb4 tt:lxb4 9.hf7+ �
I O.'tit'b3+ d5 l l .tt:leS+ �e6 1 2 ...xb+
"ti"fS ( I L .c5 1 3 ."ti"a3 cxd4 1 4.lt:lf3 W'b6
1 5 .0-0 J:eS 16 ...a+ improves on my
original book. White regains the pawn fa­
vorably) 1 3 .'tlhf8 J:xfS 1 4.0-0 c6
1 5 .tt:lc3 tt:lxc3 1 6.bxc3 �d6 and despite
Black's better king position and pawn
structure, White is slightly better as the
outposted knight is dearly worth more
than the somewhat bad bishop.
8. li:lb1 xd2
The gambit s.Wxd2?! was played and
recommended by GM Ian Rogers, who

wrote � f�vorable article on it in Secrets of
Opening Surprists 13. It looks to me quite
unsound for multiple re�sons:
8 ... ll:lxe4 9 ... e3 d S ! I O . .!Lr.dS ..xdS
I t .o(Jc3 and now:
A) I l .. ...fS 1 2.tt.lxe4 0-Q 1 3 .0-0 .!ie6
1 4.Afe l . So far this is given by Rogers in
SOS. Now 1-1- ... h6 seems to give Black the
better chmces, rather than his l4 ... .!idS,
when ! S .lt:lg3 cannot be met by
1 5 ... 11l'b5 .
B) l l ..... c4!N 1 2."W'xe4+ h6 I J .o(Jes
B l ) 1 3 .. .'tlhd4 1 4.tbxc6 'it'xe4+
I S.tbxe4 :idS ! 1 6.li:JaS ..L.e4 1 7.0-Q-0
hg2 I S.IIhg l �3 I 9.llxg7 ( I 9.1<lxb7
o-o with a safe extra pawn) 19 ... Ab8
20.tbb3 b6 White has some but not suffi­
cient compen�tion for the missing pawn;
82) Also strong, but only my second
choice, is 13 ... tbxeS 1 4.'W'xeS (if
1 4.dxeS ? ! 0-0-0 and Black is much
better, as he has good bishop for knight
with opposing majorities, and White
cannot castle) 14 ... f6 I S ."W'cS 'W'xcS
1 6.dxcS 0-0-0 1 7.0-0 Ad2 and Bl�d. is
surely better with his rook on the 7th
rank. Also after a rook trade Bl�ck will
have the favorable combin�tion of rook
and bishop vs. rook and knight.
8. ·- d7-d5
9. e4xd5 lil16xd5
Chapter 13 - Italian Game
1 0. lll'd 1 -b3
1 0 .0-0 0-0 l i .Ac l (I recommended
this line for White in Yearbook 95)
l l . . . lLlb6 1 2 . .!ib3 a S 1 3 .a4 lLldS
1 4.Ae l lDdb4 - Blick's knight is strong
on b4 and White h�s �n isol�ted
d-pawn, but White h�s much better de­
velopment. I would choose White if
given the choice, but I think his �dvan­
tage is less than par.
1 0. ... .'Llc6-a5
11. •b3-a4+ �a5·c:6
12. lil13-o5
1 2 ..!ibS .!id7 1 3 .0-0 0-0=. White's slight
development edge offsets his isolated
pawn.
12 ... a3! (this strong move has been
played and recommended by GM Roman
Dzindzichashvili) 1 2 ...We7+ 1 3 .....xe7+
.'Llcxe7 1 4.0-0 .!id7 I S .Afel 0-0-0.
AnalySis diagram
White's knights have good squares on e4,
eS, and cS, but he has an isolated center
pawn. I would rather play White here, but
it is very dose to equal.
1 2.'it'b3 amounts to offering a draw. If
Black doesn't want to repeat, he must try
1 2...lbce7. Practical results from this po­
sition are satisf�ctory for Bl�ck, but the
173
The Kaufman RtpenoiK for Block

engines love White as his development

17. �d2xc4
edge is worth more than enough to offset
the isolated pawn. So if you must avoid a After l 7 ....xc4 ..te6 18 ...c3 :ds Black's
draw, play this slightly worse position or much better development and potenliil.l
else vary as nou:d on move 7. bishop outpost on dS D'llm p his bad p.awns..
12. -· 0·0 17. -· We8·e4
13. li:::l e5xc6?1 1 8. J:la1-e1 tte4-c2
1 9. lt:lc4-e5 -.c2xc5
After 1 3 . .i.xd5 tOxeS 14 . .ie4 l0g4
20. d4xc5 -'lc8-a6+
1 5 .0-0 Wd6 1 6.�f3 t0f6 1 7 ...tc2 .i.e6
21. <Pf1·g1 llf8·e8
I S .:fe I aSN it's hard to see much com­
pensation for White's isolated pawn. White's undeveloped rook is a bigger
problem than Black's poor pawn structure.
13. - Wd8·e8+
14. We1-11

If 1 4.¢'d l lt:lb6 I S .Wbs bxc6 16 ...e5 IG 2 . 1 1 (C53) Game 13.3

'tlt'd8, Black is beuerdue to king safety. 0 IV>Ilchuk,Vasily
• Karjakin,Sugey
14. lild5·b6
Mediu, 20 1 1 (5)
15. "tlt'a4-b5 b7xc6
16. Wb5·<5 1. e2-e4 e7-e5

.a
2. !ilg1-13 �b8-c6
li 3. .Jil.f1-e4 .Jil.f8·<5
j. j. 4. c2-c3 !ilg8·f6
OS\ ! 5. d2·d3 o-o
'II¥
JL [!,

[!, [!, li:l [!, [!, [!,

� w �
16. ... �b6xc4N

The game actually went 16 ... .i.e6 17 .b3

:ds I S.:e l ltJxc4 1 9 .�xc4 :ds
20 .W'xa7 'tlt'a8 (20 ... "tlt'd8 !) 2 1 .W'xa8
:xaa 2 2.We2 :xa2+ 2 3 .Wf3 :bs
( l l . .. llfS+!) H.llb i .Jil.f5 (H ... IIf5 + !)
2 s .:bfl ? ( 2 5 .:a J :xb3 + 2 6.� e 3 )
2 5 . . .:x b3+ 26.¢'f4? ( 2 6 .tt:le3 h S )
2 6 . . . g6 2 7 . tO e S cS 2 8 . dxc5 :a4+
29.Wg5 Wg7 30.tt:ld7 and White re­
signed in view of30 .. h6 mate.
This used to be considered inferior to
S ... a6, which I recommended in Chess
Advantnge, but now castling looks fine.
6. 0·0
A) 6.b4 .i.e7 ! 7.b5 (after 7 ....b3 aS
8.b5 a4 9.'tlt'c2 tt:laS I O.tt:lxeS dS l l .exdS

1 74
.i.fSN 1 1 .lDd1 .i.d6 1 3 . f4 lDxc4
14.lDdxc4 lDx.d5 1 5 .0-0 ..icS+ 1 6.�h l
[6 1 7 .lDf3 tt:lx.f4 Black is winning)
7 ... lDa5 8 . tt:lxe5 lDxc4 9.l0xc4 dS
I O.lDcd2 dx.e4 l l .tt:lxe4 a6 1 1.bxa6 b6N
1 3 .lt:lxf6+ �xf6 1 4.0-0 La6 and Blad:
regains the pawn with a huge advantage;
B) 6 ...Q..b 3 dS (here this is best because
if White takes. his d3 pawn is now weak)
7 .l0bd2 .i.e6 8.0-0 h6 9.l:te I dxe4N
I O.lDxe4 lLlxe4 l l .dxe4 ...xd l 1 2 .l:txd l
J:tfd8 1 3 .�e3 .i.xb3 1 4.axb3 ..ixe3
I S .fxe3 f6 and Black has the beuer pawn
structure for free;
C) 6.10bd2 d6 Ul.bJ ( 7 ./0fl 10•5=)
7.Jbe7 and now:
C I ) 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 .i.b6 IO . .i.c2 ? !
( 1 0.0-0 .il.g4=) I O .../O c 6 l l .dS IOb4
12 . ..ib l $..d 7 1 3 .a3?! t!Jbxd S ! 1 4.exd5?!
J:le8+ !S ......fl ..ibS+ 16 ......g I �g4 wins;
C2) 8.0-0 ll'lg6 9.d4 .i.b6 I O.J:le i c6
l l .h3 h6=.
6. ... d7-d6
Our plan as Black is to transfer this knight
quickly to g6, its optimum square.
7. h2-h3
A) 7 .lLlbd2 tbe7 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 ..ib6
I O.eS ( I O.h3 dS=) IO ... tlJfdSN l l .tt::le4
h6 1 2.exd6 cxd6 13 ....b3 lLlc7 1 4.d5
.i.fS= I S.tlJg3 ..ih7 1 6.a4 �a6 17 ...id2
�cS 1 8 .-..d l aS 19 . .i.c3 lLlfs 20.li:lxf5
�xfS 2 l .'tlfd4 lLle6 22 ....h4 tlJgS
23 ....f4 tbxf3 + 24 ....xf3 ...gS 2 5 . .id3
Ld3 2 6.'tlfxd3 �cS=. White's space ad­
vantage is meaningless with few pieces
on the board, and Black's bishop, al­
though nominally 'bad' after ... b7 -b6, is
actually a powerful piece that can never
be chased away;
B) 7 . .il.g5 h6 8 . .il.h4 gS 9 . .il.gJ .il.b6=;
C) 7 .�b3 lt:le7 an d now:
Analysis diagram
C i ) 8.d4 .i.b6 9.dxe5N lt:lxe4 I O ....e2
ll'lcS I l .exd6 ( I I . .ic2 dxeS ! 2..l:td 1
...e8 1 3 ....xe5 tt::lg 6=) l l ... cxd6 1 2 . .ic2
J:le8 1 3 .l:.e i ..ifS and Black's lead in de­
velopment offsets the isolated pawn.
Other moves are similar to the game:
C2) 8.h3 /Og6 9.lle l h6 I O.d4 .il.b6
i i .lt:lbd2 lieS 1 2 ...ic2 c6 1 3 .lLlfl dS!N
(White keeps a pull against all other
moves) 1 4.exd5 (if 1 4.dxe5?! tbxe4
I s .he4 dxe4 1 6.'tlfxd8 J:lxd8 1 7 .J:lxe4
l:.d i 1 8.l:.e i l:.xe l 1 9.l0xe l ..ie6 Black
will easily regain the pawn on eS with a
clear bishop-pair advanta.ge. I saw this
whole sequence at move 1 3 in a game,
but failed to see that the pawn on eS was
doomed, so I wrongly rejected 13 ... d5!)
1 4 ... exd4 I S .dxc6 dxc3 16 ....xd8 l:txd8
1 7 .bxc3 bxc6=.
1 75
Tht KaufmCIIl Rcpertoirt for Black

.i.d7=) 13 ... cxd5 1 4.d4 exd4 I S .lbxd4

7. "' tt:lc6-e7
'i'b6 1 6 . .Cbi .i.xd4 1 7 .Wxd4 Wxd4
8. .Cf1-e1
1 8 .cxd4 �d7 with equality. A draw is
S.d+ �b6 9.dxe5 lbxe-1- ! O.lbbdl dSN nearly certain.
l l .�d3 tt:Jcs 1 2.�c2 �fS=.

8. ... tt:le7-g6
9. tLlb1 -d2 c7-c6
1 0. 11ld2-f1

13. �c4-b3

1 0. ·- d6·d5
A good alternative W<I.S I o ... h6 l l .ltlg3
(after l l .�b3 �b6 1 2.ltlg3 .Ce8 1 3.d4
.i.e6 White's edge is miniscule) l l ...dS
( l i .. . .Ce8 - perfect symmetry! Usually if
this is the case after ten or more moves it
mems that White has lost most of his ini­
tia.J advmc.ge. 1 2.d4 .i.b6 gives White
just a tiny edge) 12 ..i.b3 dxe4 1 3 .dxe4
..xd l 1 4 . .Cxd l <�.5=.
11. e4xd5 tt:lf6xd5
l l ... cxdS ! 2 . .i.b3 ... d6 1 3.d4 exd4
! 4.lbxd4 .i.d7 I S .lbg3 :res I6 ..i.e3
.CeS 17 . .ic2 .Cae8 18 ...d2 aS. The iso­
l<�.ted d·pawn gives White a tiny edge,
though with all pieces on the board Bl<�.ck
un play this way. I prefer the game con­
tinuation though.
Or:
A) 1 3 .ltlhS ...c7 1 4.�xdS cxdS
I S .lt:lxeS .i.xf2+ 1 6.Wxf2 lt:lxeS 1 7 .d4
l!Jg6=. Black's safer king nearly offsets bis
isolated p<�.wn. The bishops of opposite
color make the isolated pawn safe here;
B) 1 3 .d4 exd4 1 4 .ltlxd4 'tWb6 I s . .L.ds
cxdS and Black's bishop p<�.ir roughly ba.J­
mces the isolued d-p<�.wn;
C) 1 3.Wc2 .Ces 14 ..i.d2 .ie6 I s . .C<�.dl
"tltc7=.
13. ... .Cf8-e8
14 • .i.c1-d2
In case of 1 4.d4 exd4 I S . .Cxe8+ 11txe8
16 . .i.xd5 cxdS 1 7 .ltlxd4 b6 the bishop
pair ba.Jances the isolated pawn .
14. ... Sit.c5-b6
1 4... .i.e6 I S ."tltc2 �b6 was <1. more <I.CCU­
rate move-order, transposing to the game
while ma.Jcing I S .d4 less effective.

12. 11lf1·g3 h7·h6 15. 'll'd 1-c2

I L .'tWc7 is perhaps objectively the best I S .d4 exd4 16 . .Cxe8+ 1Wxe8 1 7.lbxd4
move: 13 . .i.xd5 ( 1 3 . .i.b3 .i.b6 1 4.We2 .i.xd4 1 8.cxd4 .i.e6=.

1 76
 C/wlpttr 13 - hoJiao GClltlc

poses) 18 . .i.xd5 cxdS 1 9.Wg2 l0h4+

15. - Jle8-e6
2 0.lilxh4 1txf2+ 2 1 .�h l Wxg3 Black
li 'i!!' li * wins.
... ... ... ... 1 7 .d4 .i.g4 1 8.c4 .ticS !.

.i .t. .a � ... 17. - lildS-14

� ... 1 8. e4-c5

1 8 . .i.xf4 exf4 1 9 .l:lxe8+ Wxe8 20.c5

fi_ /'5, 1'5, /ij /ij /'5, fxg3 2 I .cxb6 .i.g+ n . fxg3 We3 +
!'5, !'5, 'f!l f;. 1'5, 1'5, 2 3.'W'f2 llt'xf2 + H.�xf2 axb6 - with an
J;[ J;[ <;!;> extr.J pawn omd better pawn suucmre.
Black should win.
16. :01-d 1 ?
1 8. OM /(Jf4xg2
After I 6.J:Ie4 l0f6 1 7 .he6 J:lxe6 Black
1 9. c5xb6 WdB-16
has a sligh1 edge in sp<I.Ce and bishop
20. lill3-h2 lilg2xe1
placement.
21. J:d1 xe1 a7xb6
16. .N �e6xh31
With rook .md three p.a.wns for two mi­
17. c3-c4
nor pieces as weU as a much safer king
After the mim.ke 1 7 .gxh 3 ? ? 'tWf6 (now and better pawn structure, Black is win­
dl is not available for defensin pur- ning.

1 77
Chapter 14

Spanish Offshoots
In this ch.tpter we consider all the w.tys White can vary from the main line of the
Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening from moves four through nine. These are sidelines for .t
reason; geneu.lly speaking Black can achieve approximate equality if he follows my rec­
ommendations. Moreover Bl.tck has f;�.ir winning chances in most of these lines: my
own record as Black in these sidelines is extremely good. Bm if you are unprep.ued,
they c.tn be rather dangerous.
The idea of the Spanish move 3..�bS is to exen indirect pressure on the eS pawn,
hoping to wring a concession from Black. It turns out th.tt the 'thre.tt' to win a pawn is
m illusion, because after 4.�xc6 dxc6 5.lbxe5? 'tlfd4 6.tbf3 Wxe4 Bb.ck will just be up
the bishop pair in om open position with queens exchmged, which favors the bishop
pair. But once e4 is guarded Black usually responds to the threat by ... b7-bS, which at
least gives White the option of a queenside attack starting with a2-a4. In general I rec­
ommend meeting a2-a4 with ... .i.d7 , assuming it is legal Black should not play
... b7-b5 too early, because of potential problems on f7 ifhe is not yet ready to castle.
Let's look at the moves one by one now.
l.e4 eS (beginners are taught that this is the best move, for good reason) 2.tt:lf3 tt:lc6
md now:
3.�bS

R .i. '!!f w .t • R
j, j, j, j, j, j, j,
•
11. j,
to,
tiJ
L, L, L, £3, £!, £!, £!,
J:t ti:l il. 'lif w J:t

This, the Spanish or Ruy Lopez, is the main white weapon in master play. There is no
easy route to equality for Black.
3 ...a6 For the Berlin 3 ... t!:lf6 see Chess Advantage. The text gives Black the option of
chasing off the bishop Later.
4.h4 A very important alternative is 4 . .i.xc6 dxc6 5.0-0, which I recommended for
White in my last book. It was a favorite of Bobby Fischer and is still moderately popular

1 79
The Kaufmllll Rtpc-rtoirt for Block

in grandmaster play. The defense S ... f6 6.d4 �g4 comes close to equality (Game 1 4. 1 ) .
I n m y opinion there i s only one path t o full equality for Black, namely S ...�g4, which I
give in Game 1 4. 2 . The idea is to offer the bishop after 6.h3 hS. White can't accept im­
mediately but may do so later, or may choose to provoke an early endgame.
4._lL\f6 5.0-0 White invites Black to play the 'Open' defense by taking on e+. White wiD.
win back the pawn. with a slight �ge in general. I'm not �ommending the Open Spanish
for Black. Instead White can defend the pawn by 5.d3, which we meet by S ...d6 follov.rM by
... g7-g6 and ...�g7 (Game 1 4.3), which should give us something like an improved versi.oo.
of the Breyer. The Center Attack S.d+ (Game 14.4) peters out to at least equality for Black.
The Wonnald Attack S.We2 (or its brother the Wom.ll Attack 6 ...e2) is well met by playing
as in the Mushall Gambit, which is totally sound in this case. See Game I 4.5.

S ....iie 7 This is the conservative move; I don't believe in early aggression for Black.
6..1::te l White hopes for 6 ... 0-0 7 .�xc6 dxc6 S.lOxe S , winning a pawn. Instead 6.d3
is met by 6 ... b5 7 .�b3 d6! 8.a4 �d7 (see Game 1 4.6), while 6.d4 and 6.'ti'e2 ttans­
pose to lines mentioned in the previous note. The Deferred Exchange Variation 6.Lc6
d.xc6 (Game 1 4.7 ) requires some study, as each white seventh move requires differ9.t
treatment, but Black has equality ifhe learns the lines.
6...bS 7..iib 1 d6 Black can also choose the move order 7 ... 0-0 to 'bluff' White into
avoiding 8.c3 for fear of the Marshall Gambit S ... dS. However I don't recommend this,
because if White avoids the Marsh.ill by 8.a4 we no longer have the reply 8 ... �d7 , and
if White avoids the Marshall by 8.h3 it is not clear that Black benefits from avoiding
8 ... d6 9 .c3 transposing to the main lines.
8.c3 Instead, 8.h3 or 8.d3 loses the bishop pair to 8 ... l0a5, while 8.d4 could land
White in the famous Noah's Ark trap after Black exchanges twice on d4 and plays
. . . c7 -c5 and ...c5-c4. So White just prepares d2-d4 and makes a retreat for his bishop.
8.-0-0 9.hl Here 9.d3 is met by ... lbas, ... c7-c5, ... lbc6, ... .:ea . ...h7-h6, ... �e6, and
... � with equality (see Game 1 4.8), while 9.d4 is met by 9 ... �g4. Then I O.dS �
l l .�c2 c6 1 2.h3 �8! 1 3 .dxc6 ..c7 (to recapture on c6 with the queen) equalizes (Game
1 4.9). Instead, IO.�e3 may be the most dangerous of White's Spanish offshoots. I meet it
with I O ...exd4 l l .o:d4d5 1 2.e5 l0e4, which is at least pretty dose:toequal (Game 1 -4. 1 0) .

1 80
 Chapter 1 4 -Spanish Offshoots

Now we reach the most imponant ninth move position in chess. Black usually plays either
9...lba5 (Chigorin) or 9 ... .i.b7 (ZaitseV) or 9 ...t!Jb8 (Breyer), which l recomm�d.

RL 8. 1 3 (C69) Game 14.1 i.g3 2 2.<�fl c5) I S ... .i.cSN 1 6.Axf8+

0 SmeetsJa.n �xf8 1 7 . .i.e3 lt:Jxe3 1 8 .lt:Jxe3 Ae8
• Sokolov,lva.n 1 9.Ad l Axe4 20.Ad7 .i.xe3 2 l .fxe3
Boxtel ch-NED, 2 0 1 1 (2) Axe3 2 2 .Axc7 Ae7 2 3 .Ac8+ ¢>f7=.

1. e2·e4 e7-e5 9. ... 0-0-0

2. lilg1·13 li.lb8-c6 1 0. lld1-e1 lld8-e8
3. �11-b5 a7-a6 11. h2·h3 �g4-h5
4. i.b5xc6 d7xc6 12. b2-b3
5. 0·0 17·16
1 2 .g4 �17 1 3 .1ilg5 lilh6N ( I L.�g6
I prefer 5 ... ..Q.g4 as in the next g.tme, but I 1 4.1ildf'3 h6 I S .Iilh4 �hS 1 6.1ilgf'3 �17
give this .ts .t b.tckup line. 1 7 .b3 .i.d6 1 8.l!Jf5 g6 1 9.lt:Jxd6+ cxd6
20.lt:lh4 lt:Jf6 2 1 ..i.d2) 1 4.l!Jxf7 ( 1 4.b3
6. d2·d4 �c8-g4
�g6 I S .Iild£'3 lill7 1 6 .11lx17 �xl7
7. d4xe5 'tltd8xd1
17 . .i.b2 ..Q.d6 1 8.�g2 h5=) 14 ... lt:Jxf7
8. llf1 xd1 f6xe5
1 5 .lbf3 .tb4 1 6.c3 .tcs 1 7 .�g2 AhfB=.
.i. � .i. l!a l! The b.tckward pawn on f2 and hole on f4
offset the bLack crippled majority.
.t. .t. .t. .t.
.t. .t. 1 2. ... �18-b4
.t. 1 3. g2-g4 �h5·17
t; .i. 14. .Q.c1-b2 lilgB-16

til 15. lla1·d1 lilf6·d7

16. a2-a3 �b4-d6
t; t; t; b88
l:t lil .i l:l \!;> 17. lilf3·g5 �17·g8
18. �g1-g2 lle8-18
9. lilb1-d2 1 9. lild2·11 g7-g6
20. lilg5-13 h7-h5
9.1ld3 �d6 I O.Iilbd2 lil[6 ( I O ... bS
21. lilf3-g5 b7-b5
l l .h3 .i.e6 1 2.a4 l!Jf6 ! 3 .b3 lt:Jd7
22. lld1·d2
14 . .i.b2) i l .l!Jc4 0-0 1 2 .l!Jfxe5
( 1 2 .l!Jcxe5 .i.h5) I L . .i.e2 1 3 .Ae3 .i.xc4
1 4 .l!Jxc4 l!Jg4 ( 1 4 ... .i.c5 I S .Ae l llJg4
16 ..i.e3 .i.xe3 1 7 .lt:Jxe3 lt:Jxfl 1 8 .llJc4
Aae8 1 9.e5 lbg4 20.h3 llJh6 2 l .llad l
Ae6) i 5Jlf3 ( 1 5 .Ae2 .hh2+ 1 6.¢>h l
.i.g3 1 7.f3 l!Je5 ( 1 7 ...llf6 1 8 . .i.d2 lbf8
1 9 .�g l �h2+ 2 0.�fl �g3 2 i .lld l
AdS 2Vit•g ! lLie5 2 3 .llJe3) 1 8.l!Jxe5
.i.xe5 !9 ..i.e3 A.td8 20.�g l b6 2 1 .c3

181
TheK4ufman Repenoirt forBlock

1 6.lt:Jc3 l:r.g6N 1 7 .b3 .i.d7 Black's bishop

22. ... h5xg4N
Jnir more than compensates for his crip­
In the actual game Black omitted this ex­ pled majority.
change, and after 2 2 ... :f4 2 3 .f3 he was
5. ... i.c8-g4
reluctant to exchange because White
could take back with the f-pawn, and I've played S ...Wf6 here, which is not bad
soon White played gxhS and won. The but not quite equal.
text avoids this .md equalizes.
6. h2-h3 h7-h5
23. h3xg4 1118-14
24. 12-13 <t>c8-b7
25. lle1-d1 1114-16=
.i 'i!h!d. 41 !:
.t. .t. .t. .t.
.t. .t.

I believe that this line is the only fuU

Black's bishop pair offsets White's better
pawn structure. It is hard for either side to
initiate action here, though Black can try
. . . a7-aS and ... aS -a4.
equalizer to the Spanish Exchange, which
I recommended for White in my previow
book. I have also played the gambit line
with 6 ... i.hS which offers good practical
chances for a pawn, but White can retwn
the pawn and keep a slight edge.

7. d2-d3 'lldS-16
RL 8.8 (C69) Game 14.2
0 Vachier-Lagrave,Muime This line was considered the 'refutation'
• Shirov,Ale:rey of S.0-0 until Bobby Fischer took up the
Germ.my Bundesli go1, 2009/ 1 0 ( 1 4-) White side and showed that the existing
analysis was wrong. However now things
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
have gone full circle and this line once
2. 11lg1-13 11lb8-e6
again looks best and rather pleasant for
3. ..Q.f1-b5 a7-a6
Black.
4. .Q.b5xc6 d7xe&
5. 0-0 a 11lb1-d2

After S .l0c3 f6 6.d4 exd4 7.tt:lxd4 cS 8 . .i.e3 ..L.f3 9.'itxf3 •xn I O.gxf3 lt:Je7
8.tl:\de2 'tlt'xd l + 9.tt:lxd l .i.e6 IO ..i.f4 I I .tl:\d2 (after I l .f4 exf4 12 . .i.xf4 0-0-0
0-0-0 l l .tZle3 tZle7 1 2 .l:r.d ! l:r.xd l + 1 3 .tt:ld2 gS 14 . .i.e3 l:r.g8 I S .lLlf3 gi
1 3 .�xd l g S 1 4.i.g3 fS I S . .i.eS .tlg8 1 6.hxg4 l:r.xg4+ 1 7 .�h l .i.g7 I S.l:abl

182
 ChGp(« 14 -Spanish Offshoots

b6 1 9 .b4 llg8 20.llg l fS= Bl.tck's initi.t· >!f .i i

tive offsets his inferior p.twns) l l ... �g6
.t. .t.
1 1 .ltk4 tr.tnSposes to 9.�c4 in the note
tomove 9.
'l!i'
.t. .t.
8. ... lilg8·o7 [1, !'1 " .1
ttl i'l
i'l i'l i'l ttl i'l i'l
l:! .H'U l:! w
11. h3xg4

l l .dxeS 'tl'g6 1 2.'ilh4 .i.xd I I J .t0xg6

t0xg6 1 4.Axd l 0·0·0 l S .Ae l �xeS
1 6.t0fl ?! (<1fter 1 6.tC::l f3 i.b4 1 7 .cJ
t0xf3+ 1 8.gxf3 .Q.cS ! 9 .'it'fl lldl both
sides h<1ve bad p<1wns but Bl.tck hu mort
<lctive pieces) 1 6 . . . .i.b4 1 7 .c3 t0d3
9. .:lf1·e1
1 8 .J:le1 .i.cS !9 ..i.e3 �xeJ 20.lDxeJ ltJf4
lf9.hxg4 hxg4 I O.gJ gxfJ l l .'tlt'xfJ 'tl'e6 2 1 .J:lc2 .:lhe8 22.f3 1ld3 23.1lel lled8 -
Bl<1ck has ;r, much sa.fer king <lt no cost. Bl<1ck's domination of the open file <1nd
9.ttk4 LfJ t o .WxfJ WxfJ l l .gxf3 lbg6 his knight outpost count for more th.tn
12 ..i.el 1Le7 I J .llfd l Q.Q.Q 1 4.'*'fl .i.f6 the crippled ma.jority.
( 1 4 .. .f6 I S .9;e1 t0f8 is also fine) I S .cJ
1 1 . ... h5xg4
J:ld7 1 6.b4 llhdS 1 7.�e1 t0f8 1 8 .<14 b6
12. g2·g3
1 9.bS (<1fter 1 9.Lb6 cxb6 20.lt:lxb6+
�b7 2 1 .'bxd7 llxd7, bishop UJd knight 1 2.l0h2? lt::lx g2 ! .
should be better than rook <llld two dou·
1 2. ... g4xf3
bled backward pawns with the extn rooks
13. 'il'd1 xf3 �f4·e6
on the OO.J.rd) 19 ... cxbS 10.ubS u:bS
14. d4xe5 •f6xe5
2 t .t0;�J l0e6 22.lOxbS Wb7 23.ll.t7+
�b8=. The pressure on d3 keeps White
from doing .tnything active. .tr .i i
.t. .t.
9. ...
1 0. d3·d4
li:le7·g6
"
'l!i'
In ca.se of I O .hxg4 hxg4 l l .g3 .iic S i'l
1 Hlbl Jl.b6 1 1 .Jl.gs 'il',n 1 4.'il',n 'i!V LI,
gxf3 I S.lOd-2 f6 16 ..i.el heJ 1 7 .llxe3 i'l i'l i'l ttl [I,
tt:lf8 1 8.t0xf3 li)e6 Bl.tck's superior piece
l:! � J:[ w
pl<1cemem outweighs his doubled p.twns.

10 . ... lilg6·f4 15. tlf3·f5

183
The Koufman Rrprnoirc forBiack

1 5 .1ilb3 ll.d6 l 6.ll>g2 0-0-0 1 7 .ll.d2

35. 'ilg4·h2 g6x15
�b8 1 8.:lh l li:lgS 1 9 .�xgS ...xgS -
36. l:U2xf5+ ll>g5·g6
Bl.1ck's safer king and beuer minor piece
37. 'ilh2·13 :hsxts
ofTset his crippled majority.
38. e4xf5+ �g6·16
15. "' 'W'e5·b5 39. g3·g4 tbc5·d3
16. 'ild2-13 g7-g6 40. ll>g2·g3 b7·b5
17. Wl5xb5 86Kb5
1 8. c2-c3 b5-b4
1 9. c3xb4 ll.18xb4 .L .L
20. J:e1·e2 J:l:a8·d8= .L 1!<
Black's more OI.Ctive pieces offset the crip·
.L [>,
pled ma;ority. The doubled pawn may [>,
prove useful after .. .c6-cS and ... tt:ld4. 4\li, J:l. {jJ \t>
£>, [>,
21. i.c1·e3 .tb4-c5
K
22. .te3Kc5 -8e6Kc5
23. J:a1-c1 <i:lc5-e6 41. g4-g5+ <Pf6x15
24. J:c1-c2 42. l:le3-e7 'if.lf5-g6
43. Ue7xc7 Ud1-c1
R .t. R 44, b2·b3 1f2-1h
.L .L .L
.L 4\11, .L RL 1 2. 3 (C7 7 ) Game 14.3

I -' [j,
0 Areschenko,Alexander
• Efimenko,Zaha:r
0, £>, Kiev ch.UKR, 2 0 1 1 (8)
[j, [j, J:I J:l [j, 1. e2·e4 e7·e5
w 2. 'ilg1-13 <i:lb8-c6
3. ll.l1·b5 a7-a6
24. "' :d8-d1+
4. ll.b5·a4 'ilg8·16
24 .. We7, planning .. c6-c5 , looks fine. 5. d2·d3 d7·d6
6. c2-c3 g7-g61
25. .lle2-e1 :d1-d3
26. lllf3-e5 :d3-d8
27. �g1-g2 We8·e7
28. 12-14 :h8-h5
29. Jlc2·f2 'Lle6·c5
30. Jle1·e3 :d8-d1
31 . 14-15 We7-f6
32. 'ile5-g4+ 11>16-gS
33. lUg4·e5 ll>g5·16
34. l0e5-g4+ ll>f&·g5

. ..
 Chapter 1 4 -Spanish Offshoots

This shows the drawback to playing

10. .•. tbc6·a5
d2-d3 before Black plays ... .Q.e7. In the
1 1 . �b3·c2 c7·c5
Breyer Black often plays ... Ae8, ... .Q.£8,
1 2. lild2·f1
... g7 -g6, wd ... ..ig7. Here Black gets to
do this maneuver saving two or three In case of 1 2.d4 cxd4 ! 3 .cxd4 exd<f.
tempi! 1 4.tt:lxd4 Ae8 I S .tt:lfl .Q.b7 1 6.tt:lg3
'tlfb6N 17 .lb£3 lLlc4 Black is much better
7. 0·0
due to his superior development and
7.Jl.gS Jl.g7 8.1ilbd2 h6 9.Jl.h4 0-0 pressure on e4.
I O.lbfl dS (a good alternative is
12. -· h7·h6
IO ... tt:le7 1 1 .�3 c6 12 ..Q.b3 llJhS=)
13. Jl.c1-d2
l l .exdS 'tlt'xdS 1 2 .tLle3 ..d6 1 3 .lLlc4
'Wds l .of..liJe3 'tlfd6 leads to a draw by 1 3 .lbg3 Ae8 1 4.h3 ..ie6 I s ..Q.e3 Ac8
repetition, which Black can avoid by 1 6.'tlld 2 �h7�.
1 4 ... 'tlfe6 or 1 2 ... tfe6.
1 3. ... �a5·c6
7. -· Jl.18·g7 14. a2·a4 �c8-e6
8. :lf1·e1 0·0 15. .'Llf1·e3 'tlld8-d7
9. lilb1 ·d2 16. Jl.c2-b3 1118-bS
17. �b3xe6 -.d7xe6
9 . .Q.gs h6 IO ..Q.h4 bs J J ..Q.c2 •d7
1 8. h2-h3 c5·e4
1 2 .1ilbd2 lilhs 1 3 ./ilfl Jl.b7 1 4./ileJ
1 9. -.d1·e2 tt:lc6·a5
J:l:ae8 1 S .a4ll:lf4=.
20. a4xb5 a6xb5=
9. ·- b7-b5 21. lla1·d1?1

ll: .t 'i!!' K� :! ll: �

... .l. .t .l. .l. .t
... "' ' "' ' .l. 'i!!' 41J .I. .I.
... ... . ... ...
� /':, ... /':,
[:, /':, ttl i'J i'J ttl ttl /':,
/':, [; ttl _/j. /j. /j. [; � '\ll' /j. I'J
J:X Jll. 'lW J:X w n: w

1 0. Jl.a4-b3 21 . ... e4xd31

JO ..Q.c2 .Q.b7 i i .tt:lfl ( l l .a4 b4 1 2 .a5
Ab8 1 3 .lLlc4 dS 1 4.lLlcd2 .�laS=)
l l ...lbb8 1 2.lLlg3 ttJbd7 1 3 .d4 lle8=.
Black has reached a main line position of
our Breyer Defense two tempi up (he has
already played ... il..g 7 and White lacks h3).
The game actually continued 21 .. Ac8
2 2 ..Q.c l J:l:ab8= 2 3 .dxc4 bxc4 24.lLld5
lbd7 2 5 .lbb4 tt:lc6 26.lbd5 tt:le7
2 7 .tbxe7+ ..-xe7 28 . .Q.e3 tt:lf6 29.'Wc2
Ac6 30.AeP! 'Wb7 3 Lil..c l 'W'b3
32 ...xb3 cxb3 3 3 .lbe l li:JeS 34.tt:ld3 fS

1 85
The Kaufman Repertoire for Biack

3 S .l0b4 .C.cc8 36.f4 <Jolf7 3 7 . fxeS dxeS 7.e5 lbe4 8.lLlxd4 0-0 9.lLlf5 ds .tnd
3 8 .exf5 gxf5 39 . .C.fl <Jolg6 40.lLldS .C.b7 now:
4 1 .l0e3 tbd6 42 . .C.d! .C.c6 43.l0fl .C.a6 A) I O.exd6 �xfS l l .dxe7 'Wxe7
44.lbd1 i..f6 4S.lt.Jf3 e4 46.tbd4 .C.a ! 1 2 .i..xc6 bxc6 1 3 .... f3 ;
47.lLle6 lbc4 48.l!:lf4+ <Jolf7 49 . .C.fl i..g S B ) I O .l!:lxe7+ l0xe7 l l .c3 lLlc5 1 2.�c2
S O . .C.ee l ll.lxb2 S l .g4 lbc4 5 2.gxf5 �xf4 �fS=. No more bishop p.tir here means
;md White resigned. no .tdv.mtage, as White's rem.tining
bishop is not .t good one;
22. -.e2xd3 lt:la5·b3
C) I O .i..xc6 bxc6 J l .lt.'lxe7+ •xe7
23. tld3·c2 lbb3·c5
12 . .C.e l .C.e8 1 3 .f3
24. lt:le3·d5 lbf&xd5
25. e4xd5 -.e&·c8

�&t&
li .i.
Black is better due 10 the artificially iso­
.1.
lated ds p.twn.
.1. .1.
RL 1 5.7 (C65) Game 14.4 I� .1. 8
"'
0 Ter Sahakym,Samvel
• Akopim,Vla.dimir [>,
Aix-les-B.tins Ech, 20 1 1 (8) f>o 8 f>o [>, [>,
1.
Il: li:l k 'iii' Il: It>
e2-e4 e7-e5
Analysts diagram
2. lbgH3 'Cb9·c6
3. .tf1-b5 'Cg8-f6
I 3 . .lbd6 (New York master Paul Brmdts
4. d2·d4 e5xd4
surprised me with this move back in the
5. o-o a7-a&
1 960s) 1 4.b3 ( 1 4.�f-4- lbfS J S ....d2 .tSN
6. .tb5·a4 .tl8·e7
is pleasant for Black) 1 4 ... f6 I S .�b2 tiJ£7
We would reach this position by 3 .. a6 1 6.f4 fxeS 17 .fxeS ..Q.fS 1 8 .l0d2 lbgS -
4.�a4 lt:Jf6 S .d4 exd4 6.0-0 �e7 or Bl.tck will be better once his knight
5.0-0 �el 6.d4 exd4. This line is called blochdes on e6, as his bishop is clearly
the Center Attack. more .tctive than White's.

li .i. 'l!h!r !! 7. ... b7·b5

8. �a4·b3
& & & .i. & & &
.1. "' "' 8.eS tLlxeS 9 . .C.xeS (if 9.lbxeS bxa4
I O.'tWxd4 0-0 l l .'tWx.t4 .C.b8 Black's
§!. & t>o bishop pair compens.ttes for his isolated
ILl pawn and White's space .tdvantage)
8 [>, 8 t>, t>, t>, 9 . . . d6! IO . .C.e l bxa4 l l .li:Jxd4 i..d 7
Il: li:l � 'iii' J:l. '!> 1 2.'tWf3 0-0 1 3 .tbc6 �xc6 1 4."W'xc6 dS
I S .' ..xa4 (after I S .�f4 �d6 1 6.Ld6
...xd6 I 7 ....xd6 Bl.tck is better. His extra
pawn is almost worthless, but he will be

1 86
 Chapltr 1 4 -Spanish Offshoots

well ahead in development .tfter the

15. ... tt:Je5-c4
tempo-gaining . . . :.tb8 and . . . :fc8)
IS ... �cSN 1 6.tt:lc3 :bs 1 7.a3 (else J S ... c S ! ? \ 6.dc6 �h4 1 7 .fe5 deS J 8 .h3
... :b4 md ... tt:lg4) 17 .. .'5'd6 .tnd Black �e2 J 9.tbe2 Wb6 20.'it'h2 .Q.e \ 2 J .'Wel
has superior development .tnd more cen­ 'Wc6 2 2.lt:Jg3 :ae8=. Although Bl.tck is
tral pawns. down '/4 of a p.twn, his twin thre.tts of
. . .'Wxc2 .tnd .. .fS plus his le.td in develop­
8. ... d7-d6
ment and strong passed p.twn give him
9. .il.b3-d5 lill6xd5
equ.tlity.
10. e4xd5 �c6-e5
11. �f3xd4 0-0 16. b2-b3 lilc4-b6
12. �b1·c3 17. lt:Jd4-c6 •d8-d7
18. �c1-b2
1 2 .a4 �g4 1 3 .'tltd2 (in c.tse of 1 3 .f3
�d7 1 4.lDc3 b4 1 5.lt:Je4 :es 1 6.b3 �h4
1 7 .g3 fS 1 8 .lilf2 .il.f6 19 . .il.b2 "ilt'b8 & & !1:
White has a weakened king and is down • .t. "lW .t .t. .... ...
the bishop pair) 1 3 . . . �d7 1 4.lbc3 b4 .t. � liJ .t.
I S .<�Jce2 Wb8 and White has no com­ ... 8
pensation for the bishop pair. 8 .t
12. ... .il.c8-g4
13. 12-13

1 3 .'Wd2 :es I 4.b3 'Wc8 1 5 .�b2 .Q.d7 = ;

White's space adv.tntage offsets Bl.tck's
1 8. ... tJ:a8-e8
bishops.
Better was 18 ... �h4! J 9.g3 �f3 20.Wd3
13. ... .il.g4-d7
�dS 2 l .lbb4 �f6 2L.if6 ..ib7 23 .c4
14. 13-14
bc4 24.bc4 gf6 and White has insufl'l­
1 4.a4 b4 1 5 .lbe4 transposes to the note ciem compens.ttion for the pawn.
to move 1 2 .
1 9. h2-h3 .il.g4-h5
14. ... .il.d7-g4 20. �c6xe7+ *'d7xe7
15. ll:lc3-e2 21 . g2-g4 'it'e7·e3+
22. '"g1-g2 *'e3·e4+
23. '"g2-h2 "ilt'e4-13
24. g4xh5 tJ:e8-e3
25. tbe2-g1 "ilt'l3xl4+
26. '"h2-h1 'it'f4-e4+
27. '"h1-h2 'it'e4-f4+
28. '"h2-h1 'it'f4-e4+

Dr.twagreed.

1 87
ThtKaufmanRtptnoirtforBiock

ll l l.l (C86) Game 14.5

!: .t 'i!!' R .tr
0 Polzin,IWDer
j, .Q.j,j,j,
• Efimcnko,Zahar
Germany Bundesliga, 2009/ 1 0 (2)
j, ., .,
j, j,j,
1 . e2-e4 e7-e5 [>,
2. lilgH3 lilb8·c6 £ [>, ti:l
3. .Q.f1-b5 a7-a6
[>, [>, [>, 'fit [>, [>, [>,
4. .il.b5·a4 lilg8·16
J:[ tiJ £ J:[ \t>
5. 0·0
9. d2·d3
5.' ..e2 (the Wormald Auack) 5 . . . b5
6 ...tb3 �e7 7.c3 (for 7.0-0 0-0 see the 9.exd5 tOxdS I O .�xeS (after I O.d3 �b7
game) 7 ... d5 8.d3 (for 8.exd5 i{)xdS J l .i{)xeS �xeS 1 2 .-.xeS .d7 1 3 .�2
9.�xe5 tOxeS I O.WxeS i0f6 1 1 .0-0 0-0 ..td6 14 .•e4 cS I S.Lds hds Black has
see the note to move 9) 8 ... 0-0 9.0-0 - the bishops and a big lead in developmem
see the g.une. for the pawn, more than enough. His
pieces point menactngly towards White's
5. - .Q.f8-e7
king) I O ... �xeS I I .'tl6'xe5 t0f6 1 1.d4
6. tl'd1·e2
..td6 (in the real Marshall White would re­
treat his rook to the first rank. But h� a
l l! .t 'i!!' .tr !: queen retreat will lose more time aftu
j,j,j,.Q.j,j,j, I J ...J:le8) 1 3 .... g5 J:le8 J 4.i{)aJ ..tb7N
j, ., ., I S .fJ cS 16 ....h4 cxd4 1 7 .cxd4 .tel
j, 18 ..il.dl lild5 1 9.tl'fl .il.h+ lO.gl .li.f6=.
.£ [>, Black has full compens.1tion for the pawn,
which is isolated and under attack. Black
ti:l
has a s.1fer king and a much better knight.
[>, [>, [>, [>, 'fit [>, [>, [>,
J:[ tiJ £ J:[ l!;> 9. ... .il.c8-b7
1 0. lilb1-d2

This i s the Worrall Attack, favored by I O Jid l lieS l l .lfJbd2 transposes to the
among others grandmaster Sergey next note;
Tiviakov. I O . ..tgS dxei l l .dxe4 l0xe4! 1 1.'W'xe4
..txgS J J ...Q.ds ..Q.e7N l 4.c4 (if 1 4.hc6
6. ... b7·b5
(5 I S .'ti'xeS .ixc6 1 6.l0d4 ..td7 1 7.a4
7. .il.a4·b3 0·0
..td6 1 8 .'W'd5+ Wh8 Black is better with
8. c2-c3 d7-d5
the two bishops in an open position)
This is the Marshall Gambit when White 14 ... 'ti'd6=. White should eventually re­
has played 6.J:le l rather than 6.-.el, but gain his lost p11.wn and equalize.
in this position few players accept the
1 0. ... llf8·e8
gambit, as Bb.ck gets a better version of
11. :11-e1
the Marshall.

1 88
 Chapter 1 + -Spanish Offshoots

I I .l:ldi �fS I V�fl lb... s J 3 .�c2 cS

16. h2-h3?1
1 4.�g3 h6 I S.h3 'tWc7 J 6.lilh2 .�hd8
1 7 .l1Jg4 t()xg'l-=. Black's queenside play This gives Blilck il tuget. 1 6.il4 b4=.
should offset White's kingside initiative.
16. - 1l'g4·g6
11. .• 11'd8·d7 17. a2-a3 �g8·h9
1 8. 'tlte2-f1 17-15
1 9. lile4·g3 i.e7-f6
20. h3-h4?1 f5-f4
21. l0g3-e4 .il.b7·c8
22. i.b3-c:2? .il.c8·g4
23. 'tltf1-e2

.! .! .t.
.t. .t.
.t. ,. A 'ili' .t.
12. e4xd5
.t. .. .
After I V�fl h6N 1 3 .l0g3 J:h.d8 1 4.h3 IL:l .t. A L',
�f8 I S.�c2 g6 1 6 .l'iJh2 d4N Black is do· ,!\, ,!\, !>, ILl
ing well ilS he should g.1in access to the 8 � � "il¥ 8 8
key squue d'i- by ... d'l-xc3 b2xc3 b5-b4;
l:[ J:[ w
1 2 .a3 i.f8 1 3 .exd5 lLlxdS 1 4.t()e4 fS
1 5 .L2 ¢>h8 1 6.filfgS h6 1 7 ... hs fxe4
23. "' l0d5-e7
1 8 .dxe4 l!Jf6 J 9Ji:lf7+ ¢>h7 20.tt:lgS+
with .1 dr.1w by perpetuill check. 23 ....hS wins the h-pawn for nothing.

12. ·� tt:lf6xd5= 24. d3·d4?1

Silys the computer- I even prefer Bbck. 24.lilcS aS 2s . .:c 1 'tWhS favors Bl.1ck but
White still has ch.1nces to survive.
13. lild2·e4 h7·h6
14. i.c:1·d2 .D.a8-d8 24. e5xd4
15. lla1·d1 11'd7·g4 25. .il.d2xf4 !ile7-15
26. i.f4xc7 :dB-c:8
27. i.c7-b67

After 27 ... d3 Axel 28.hS i.xhS

29.l0xf6 Axe l + 30.lhe l gxf6 3 1 ."W'xfS
'tWxfS 3 2.i.xfS �xn 33 .l:te8+ Wg7
3+.gx0 tOeS Bl.1ck should emerge .1
pawn .1he.1d.
27. _ d4xc3
28. We2-d3 (Qc&-e5

1 89
The Kaufman Rqt(rtOirt for Block

If Black nstles here he cmnot answer

29. ..'Llf3xe5 �f6xe5
8.a4 by my recommended ... �d7 . If
30. f2-f3 tt'g6xb6+ 0·1
White h.td omiued nstling he could pl.ty
.t4 on move 7 before Black has time to
play . . . d6.
RL I 3.5 (C84) Game 14.6
D Dunrbeyli,Vasil 8. a2-a4
• Nikolic,Predrag
8.c3 0-0 9.:e l transposes to the game
San.jevo, 20 1 0 (5)
with 9 .d3 in the main line.
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
2. lilg1-13 ..'Llb8-c6
3. .ll.f 1·b5 a7-a6
.. �b5-a4 lilg8·16
5. 0·0

Note that 5.d3 requires different han­

dling . .u explained on move 7 .

5. ... .ll.18·e7
6. d2-d3

8. ... .ll.e8·d71

This is a better square for the bishop than

b7 when White has the d3 -e4 pawn
chain. If Bleck had c.tstled inste.td of
... d7-d6 his best option would now be
8 ... b4, but I think the developing ... �d7
is more useful here.

9. c2-c3

This is probably White's best option in After 9.�d2 b4 I O.c3 0-0 l l .h3 :ba
the Spanish if he w.tnts to avoid the main 1 2 .�c4 'tlt'c8 Black is doing well because
lines. It m.tkes more sense here than ;�.fter the bishop on d2 impedes the develop­
6.:e I , as with d2-d3 pl.tyed th.tt move is ment of the knight:
not urgent. 9 . ..'Llc3 ll:laS 1 O.�a2 b4 l l .lLle2 0-0
1 2 .lbg3 cS=. Black may sacrifice a pawn
6. -· b7·b5
by ... b4-b3 next against routine moves, or
Of course 6 ...d6 is playable, but then after may simply bring his knight back to c6.
7.c3 White can .tnswer .t later . .. b7-b5 by The game Erenburg-Kaufman, US Chess
..Q.c2 instead of ..Q.b3. Lecgue (internet game) 20 I I , continued
1 3 .lt:lh4 b3! (N) 1 4.cb3 ll:lc6 1 5 .b4 tt::l b4
7. .ll.a4·b3 d7·d6
1 6.�c4 and now 16 ... ll:le4 would have

1 90
 Chapter 1 4 -Spanish Offshoots

given me the advantage .tfler 1 7 .de4 �h4 �e6=. With ideas of ... 'itd7 or ... ll:laS or
1 8.16'd6 tt:lcl followed by ... �e6. . .. �e7 Black h.tsadequ.ue coumerplay.

9. ... 0-0 15. - �-7-fS

1 0. lilb1-d2 16. d3-d4 c5xd4
17. c3xd4 eJc6-b4
I O.lle I ti:J.1S l l .�c2 cS 1 2 .li:lbd2 trans­
18 . .ll.c2-b3
poses to the game.
1 0. ... li'lc6-a5
E 'ti!' E .i. �
11. �b3-c2
.i. .l .l
1 1 .�.12 cS 1 2 .lle l tfc7 1 3 . ub5
. axb5 .l .l � .l
1 4.�fl c4 I S .�gs .te6 1 6.ti:e3 lt:lg4=. .l .l
The black knight on .tS and the white ,1\, "il ,1\, ,ll,
bishop on •2 .ue both poorly placed.
£. lil ltl ,ll,
11. ... c7-c5 ,1\, ,1\, ,1\,
12. llf1-e1 tUa5-c6 .!:! g "jW J:l >t>
I prefer this to a quick ... b5-b4 .ts White
may t.ke •dvant•geously on b4 if no Black now �ctu�lly pl�yed 18 ... a5? when
piece guMds th.u squ.ue. 1 9 .axb5 .i.xbS 20.dxe5 dxe5 2 1 .tri'xd8
Aexd8 2 2.tt:lxe5 won a p�wn �nd eventu­
ally the g�me. The text is much better.

1 8. ..• b5xa4
1 9. �b3xa4 e5xd4
20. �f3xd4 ..Q.d7xa4
21. .CI.a1 xa4 a6-a5=

Black's pressure on e4 and his strong

knight on b4 offset the isol�ted d6 pawn.

RL 1 4. 1 4 (C65) Game 14.7

13. lild2-f1 nf8-e8
0 Milmm,Lev
14. h2-h3
• K.tufin.tn,L>rry
1 4.tt:le3 b4 1 5 .�b3 tt:Jas 1 6.i&.a2 llb8 ICC, 2 0 1 0 (2)
1 7 .d4?! exd4 1 8 .cxd4lLlxe4 1 9 .ll::ld 5 �f8
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
is .t dubious pawn sacrifice by White.
2. lilg1 -13 lilb8-e6
14. ... h7-h6 3. .ll.f 1-b5 a7-a6
15. lbf1-g3 4. ..ib5-a4 lilgB-16
5. 0-0 .ll.18-e7
1 5 .lt.le3 .i.f8 1 6.l0h2 b4 17 .'itf3 l:tb8
6. ..ia4xc6 d7xc6
18 . ..Q..d 2 Wc7 1 9.tt:Jhg4 llJxg4 20.hxg4

19 1
Tbt K4ufman Rtptnoirt for Black

11 . ot:le5·e6
12. .i.c1-e3

l l .'llf f3 lild4 ! 3 .lihd4 ...x d4=

transposes to the last note.

12. ·- c6-c5
13. 'llfd 1 ·d2 tt.:le6-d4
14. tt.:lf5xe7+ 'tltd8xe7
15. 12·14 e5xf4
1. d2-d3 16. i.e3xf4 .il.c8-e6
11. lt:le4·e3 l%a8-d8
A) 7 .'11f• l .Q.,6 8.b3 lild7 9.i.bl f6
1 8. 'llfd2·12 1118-17
I O.d4 .i.d6 l l .l0bd2 'tlfe7 1 2.'tlf�2 0-0-0
1 9. ll>g1·h1 'llfo7-d7
- with the bishop p�ir md a potemial
pawn storm Bl�ck has a slight edge; 1 9 . . f5 ! 20.exf5 tt.:lxfS=.
8) 7.�3 .ll.g4 8.h3 .ll.h S 9.g4 lil>g4
20. b2·b3 b7·b6
I O.hxg4 .i.xg1- I I .Wgl 'tlfd6 - with two
21. a2·a4 'llfd7·<$
p.twns, the bishop pair, beuer develop­
ment, md the enemy k.ing �xposed, Black l 1 .. 12.df8=. Black prepares .. .f6-f5.
clearly has enough for � knight;
22. lla1·e1 1117·d7
C) 7 .'11f• l .ll.g4 8.h3 .ll.h S 9.d3 lild7
I O .l0bd2 0-0 l l .lbc4 f6=;
D) 7 . 1l e l .i.g4 8.h3 i.hS 9.g4 t!:lxg4 ll! �
! O .hxg4 .i.xg4 l l .d3 ( i l .'tlt'el i.gS .t. .i .t. .t.
n.Wg2 •r6 1 3 .t!:la.3 i.f4 I 4.d1- .i.hJ+ .t. .t. 'l!l' .t .t.
I s . Wxh3 'tlfe6+ 1 6 .Wgl 'tlfg4+ duw .t.
by perp�tual check) l l . . .f6 1 2 .l0bdl [>, <li\ !1, �
'llf d 7 1 3 .'11f• l 0-0·0 1 4./ilfl hS I S .Iil•3 [>, 1\, ll:l
gS 16 . .i.d2 i.e6. As in the 7 .l0c3 line,
[>, "f/j !l, [>,
Black h�s two pawns. the bishop pair,
:: w
and �n att�ck for the knight. Komodo
likes Black whereas Houdini likes
While.
I think this helps Black more than Wh.ite.
1. 'i016-d7
8. lilb1·d2 0·0 23. ·- 16-15
9. lild2-c4 17-16 24. 'llff2-g3 lld1-f7
10. lill3-h4 lild7-c5 25. .ll.f4·g5 lld8·18
1 1 . lilh4·15 26. 1111-1471 .ll.e6-c8

l l .'llf f3 lil•6 1 1./ilfs lild4 I J .t!:lxdi Now Black is better, with lhe long diago­
'tlfxd4=. nal in his poss�ssion.

1 91
 Ch11pter 1 4 -Spanish OffshooLS

27. Uf4-h4?1 ll::l d4-e&

28. �g5·14? g7·g5

Black wins a piece.

29. .ltf4xg5 Uf7-g7

30. l:th4xh7 J:tg7xh7
0·1

Analysis diagram
RL 1 9 . 1 6 (C90) Game 14.8
0 Ni.kolov,Sasho B l ) 1 2 .h3 �fs 1 3 .�c2 exd4 1 4.tbxd4
• Dr:lchev,Ale:undu tt::le S (I chose the inferior 14 ... tbe7
B.mky•. 20 1 1 (4) ag•inst grandmaster Zapcta .it the 20 I I
U.S. Open .1nd I lost) I S .lbfl cS 1 6.lbe2
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
�c6 1 7 .lbf4c4=;
2. lilg1-13 ti:lb8-c6
B2) 1 2 .lCJfl i.f8 1 3 .lbg3 lb.iS 1 4.�c2
3. �11-b5 a7-a6
cS I S.dS c4 1 6.h3 116'c7 17 .�e3 Ueb8= .
4. .itb5-a4 lilg8-16
Black can .1im for ... ll:l.iS-b7-cS or per­
5. 0-0 .if8-e7
haps ... ll:lf6-h7, ... �e7, .1nd ... ll:Jh7-gS.
6. J:tf1-e1 b7-b5
or simply ...b4.
7. �o4-b3 d7-d6
C) 8 . .13 0-0 9.c3 (9.h3 �e6 I O.he6
fxe6 I J .d3 WeB=) 9 ... tbaS IO . .itc2 cS
:! .t 'l!l'l!t .! I l .d4 cxd4 1 2.cxd4 116'c7 1 3 .h3 .itb7= .
.1. A. .l. .t.. .l. This is .1 normill Sp•nish position where
... _ . ... . White h•s played an inferior move
.1. .1. (a2-a3);
[1, D) 8.d4 0-0 9.c3 .Q.g4 tr.1nsposes to the
i /L) . 8.c3 0-0 9 .d4 �g4line.
[I, /S [I, [I, [l, fl, j'<, 8. ... 0-0
J::I. IU .lk 't!V J::I. w 9. d2-d3

For 9.a4 .itd7 , see the note to move 8.

8. c2-c3
9. ... �6-a5
A) If White plays 8.d3 (or 8.h3) ftrst,
1 0. .ib3-c2 c7-c5
thenS... lbaS nels the bishop p.1ir.
11. lilb1·d2 lLla5-c6
B) An illternative is 8.a4 �d7 (I like 1his
12. lild2·11 l:tf8-e8
move here more 1han the pinning move
13. lilf1-g3
8 ... .i.g4, as then after c2-c3, d2-d3, and
lbbd2 White will gain time by h2-h3) 1 3 .h3 h6 1 4.d4 cxd4 I S .cxd4 exd4
9.c3 0-0 I O.d4 h6 l i .lbbd2 :es and 1 6.tt:lxd4 ll:Jxd4 1 7 .16'xd4 .i.e6 1 8 .tt::le 3
( 1 8 .tt::l g 3 transposes 10 the game)

1 93
The kllufman Rq:lertoirt' for Black

I S ... :cs 1 9 . ..id2 tbhs 20 . .clad l ..if6 -

20. e4-e5 'il16·d7
Black has the initiative with ... ..ieS and
21. �c1-d2
. . .lbf4 .md ... 1tgS or ... 1th4 in prospect:
1 3 .tt:le3 ..ifS - now the priority is to un­ After 2 1 .tt:lh5 .i£8 Black has a queenside
cover the rook to deter d4. initiative and a safe king.

13. ... h7·h6 21. ... �e7-c5

22. it'd4·d3
This prepares ... ..ie6 withom allowing
tt:lgS in response. 2 2 .'W'f4 tt:lfS - with ideas like . . d5-d4 or
...tLlg6 Black is better.
14. h2·h3 �c8-e61
22. ... it'dB·h4
This is better than the routine 14 . ...ifS as
it allows Black to attack the c2 bishop by 2L .'W'c7 wins the e-pawn for little com­
. . . .clc8 after a mass exchange on d4 as in pensation.
this game.
23. .cla1·d1 'tlfh4-d4
24. W'd3xd4 �c5xd4
.i 'ill' .i � 25. �d2xh6 �d4xe5
.t .L .L
25 .. ..ixb2 was even beuer objectively,
.L i!IJ .L .t • .L but the text sets a nice trap, which
.L .L .L worked.
I;
1; 1; tiJ tiJ £;
1; /; .Yi, 1; 1;
.!: .Yi. 'ili' J: w
15. d3-d4

After I S .a4 �fS 1 6.d4 cxd4 1 7 .cxd4

exd4 1 8 .l!::lxd4 l0xd4 1 9.1txd4 .clc8
20.1td l 'W'c7 2 1 .�d3 bxa4!N 22.'tltxa4
lLld7 , Black is doing great with ... tt:lcS
coming next.
26. �b3xd5??
15. ... c5xd4
26 . .ie3 .ixb2 2 7 . .ixdS St.xdS 28 . .clxdS
16. c3xd4 e5xd4
tt:leS and with ... tbc4 coming Black hiS
17. tt:lf3xd4
the better endgame.
1 7 .lLle2 d3 1 8.�xd3 lLle5 1 9.tLled4 �d7
26. ·- g7xh6
20 . ..ic2 J:lc8=.
White resigned, because he realized dw
17. ... !Oc6xd4
after 27 .Le6 .clxe6 28 . .clxd7 �xg3
18. 'tltd1xd4 J:laB-cB
29.J:lxe6 Black has 29 .. .clc l + with mate
1 9. il.c2·b3 d6·d5
to follow.

1 94
 Chapter 1 4 -Sponish Offshoou

RL 20.6 (C9 l ) Game 14.9 1 4.a4 Wxc6 I S.l!:lbd2 transposes to the

0 Navara,David
• Beliavsky,Alr::u.nder
14. ... -.c7xc6
Vilnius, 2 0 1 0 ( I )
15. lild2·f1
1 . e2·e4 e7·e5
After l S .�4 it.e6 1 6.l!:lgS �d7 1 7 .tt:lfl h6
2. lilgH3 �b8·c6
1 8 .�f3 l:.fc8 1 9 .lbe3 Sil.e6 lO.ltJh4 g6
3. .>l.11-b5 a7·a6
l l . ...f3 WhS White's kingside play is
4. �b5·a4 lilg8·16
running out of steam while Black ret;�.ins
5. 0·0 �f8-e7
� queenside initiitive.
6. l:f1·e1 b7·b5
7. �-4-b3 0·0 15. ... �c8-e6
8. d2·d4 d7·d6 16. lLlf1·g3
9. c2·c3 .>l.c8·g4
1 6.li:lg5 Sil.d7 17 .;�.4 transposes to the
1 0. d4·d5 �6-•5
note to move I 5.
1 1 . �b3·c2 c7·c6
16. ... J:a8·c8
Also s�tisfactory is l l .. .'.c8
1 2 .h3 by 1 2 ... �d7.

17. �f3·h4

1 7 .tl:Jg5 it.d7 I B .lLlfs it.xfS 1 9.exf5

1 2. h2·h3
l:.fe8=. The black pawn center and
1 2 .d.xc6 Wc7 1 3 .l0bd2 Wxc6 1 4.ltJfl White's doubled pawn offset the bishop
�e6 I S .l!:lgS �d7 1 6.l!:le3 h6 17 .lbf3 p�ir.
�c4=. Black has solved the problem of
17. ... g7·g6
his b�d knight on aS.
1 8. .>l.c1·h6
12. ... il.g4·c81
In c.1.se of 1 8 .Sil.g5 llJc4 l 9.l:.b i l:.fd8
Note th�t the more natural 1 2 ... i.d7 loses 20.lbf3 d S , Black h;�.s the initiative ;�.nd
thebishoppairto 1 3 .lLlxeS! dxeS 1 4.d6. better pl�ced pieces.

13. d5xc6 •da·c7 1 8. ltf8·d8

14. lilb1·d2 1 9. tldH3?

1 95
Tht K4ufman Rqltrtoirc for Black

Now White is forced to m.a.ke an incorrect

piece s.tcrifice. He should have admitted
J! j.
his mist.a.ke by retreating 1 9.tt:'lf3 with
slightly the worse ofit.
j.
j. 8
1 9. «lf6·e8 j. J:[ �
20. «lg3-f5 Jl.e6x15 8 8
21. «lh4xl5 g6xf5
8 8 8
22. 'lt'l3-g3+ �g8·h8
� w
23. e4xl5 �e7-f6

White's sacrifice w.a.s unsound .a.nd Bl.a.ck

36 . ... «ll4·d3
is .a.lrea.dy winning.
Black actually played the inferior
36 . . . J:lcg8, which was still good enough
to win the game, but the text would have

�
.l! l! �
been much simpler.
j.
j. 'i!l' j. i. iJ. 37. J:le1-e2 .D.g7·b7
� j. j. [>, 38. �h1 -h2 �h8-g7
J:[ 0-1

[>, 'fk' f>,

[>, [>, §L !>, 8 RL 20. 1 J (C9 1 ) Game 14.10
J:[ w 0 Pilvlov,Sugey
• Azarov,Serg�y
24. -· lile8-c7
Alushtii, 20 1 0 (7)
H .. d5! 2 5.Ag4 lbc7 and Bl.a.ck will con-
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
solidue with ... %tg8.
2. «lg1-13 «lb8-c6
25. Jl.h6·g5 �f6xg5 3. Jl.l1-b5 a7·a6
26. 'lt'g3xg5 lld8·g8 4. Jl.b5·a4 «lg8-f6
27. 'lt'g5-h5? 17-16 5. 0-0 Jl.18-e7
28. lla1·e1 tt:la5-c4 6. J:lf1·e1 b7-b5
29. 'lfh5-h6 'lt'c6-d7 7. h4-b3 d7-d6
8. c2-c3 0·0
29 .. d S ! .
9. d2·d4
30. 'lfh6xl6+ 'lfd7·g7
This is a serious try for an .a.dvamage,
31. •f6xg7+ llg8xg7
played by Bobby Fischer and now by many
32. 12-14 lt:lc7-d5
strong grandmasters. It can also be reached
33. f4xe5 d6xe5
by the move order 7 . . . 0-0 8.d4 d6 9.c3. It
34. �c2·b3 «ld5-14
avoids the Brey�r (md Chigorin's 9 ... i{}a5)
35. �b3xc4 b5xc4
by the pressure on e5. But it makes the fol­
36. �g1-h1
lowing pin rather effective.

1 96
 Chapttr 1 4 -Spclnish Offshoots

Here 14 ......d7, planning ... /(:)d8 .1nd

9. ... .ll.c8-g4
. .. /(:)e6. is .a..lso popular.

15 . .ib3-e2 tt:le5-e4

.t.
.t. .t. £;
Ji, [>, .t
t; � IU
1 0. �c1 ·e3 [>, � [>, [>, [>,
.!:[ 'lif l:t It>
Roughly equal in popularity is I O.dS, for
which see the previous game.
16. 'tt'd 1 -d3
In case of I O.a4 .i.xO l l .gxO lt:las
1 2 . .L.2 cS 1 3 .lba3 exd4 1 4 .cxd4 c4, and 1 6 .h3 .i.hS 17 .g4 ..Q.g6 IS . .i.fS .1S
Black pb.. ns ... d6-dS. White will have 19 ..i.f4 b4 20.h4 .i.xh-4 2 1 .¢'g2 .i.e7 is .1.
great trouble utilizing his ill bishop, so highly risky g.1mbit by White.
his b.1d kingside pawn struclllre should My game .1g.1inst S.1mmour (US Chess
count for more than the bishop pair. Le.1gue. internet 2 0 I I ) continued
2 2 .1lh I lla6 23.-.g I .1nd now I should
10. '" e5xd4
have played B .. . cS 24.'tlth2 hS 2 S .D.1g l
1 1 . c3xd4 d6-d5
-.es. It seems th<lt I can defend the
Also respectable is I l ... tt:laS I L.ic2 cS, or kingside .1nd c.tlmly utilize my extra
ftrSt 12 ... lt:lc4 J3 ..i.c l and then ... c7-c5. queenside p.1wn.
but I'm not sw-e that either fully eqm.. llzes.
16. g7-g6
12. e4-e5 lill6-e4 17. .ie3·h6 Df8·e8
13. tt:lb1-c3 1 8. 'W'd3·e2

1 3 .h3 (it's not clear that including this After 1 8.h3 .i.fS 1 9."W'e2 "W'd7 8l.1ck is
move is helpful. as the bb.ck bishop gets close to equal, since the exchange of
the option to go to g6. Sometimes Black light-squued bishops favors him.
even plays I O ... ithS earlier, planning to
18. ... a6·a5
meet l l .h3 as in this gcme, but White
may choose something 01her than For 18 ... "Wd7! 1 9 .h3 .Q.fs see the previ-
l i .h3) J3 ... .i.hS 1 4.lbc3 lbxc3 I S .bxc3
lbaS 1 6.ii.c2 lbc4 17 .g4 .i.g6 IS ..i.fS
19. h2·h3 .i.g4-e6
transposes to the note to move 1 6 .
20. lilf3-h2
13. -· lUe4xc3
With 20./(:)d 2 ! � Des White has a tiny
14. b2xc3 l0c6·e5
edge.

197
The Kilufman Rcpertoirc forBiack

'i!!' li! 1it 20. ... b5·b4

• .i t •
.a j. Jil.
20 .. cS= .

.. ·� 21. lilh2-g4
I!IJ � Du.w agreed; 21 . . . 'tlfd7 is roughly equal.
� M<�.ybe 2 I . .ia4 w<�.s a tad better for While,
� .lil. so Bl<�.ck should go for the equalizer on
.!:t move 1 8.

1 98
Chapter 15

Breyer Defense
The Breyer is in my view the best defense to l .e4. When I wrote my last book eight
years ago it was just one ofmmy defenses to the Spanish, but now it is the most popu­
lar such defense in high-level play. It is the main defense of the world's top rated player,
Magnus Carlsen, and has �so been played more than once in the past three years by
World Champion Anand and tide contenders Kamsky, Mamedyarov, Svidler, and
Adams. It was also a favorite of World Champion Boris Spassky. h does not allow any
quick forced draw by repetition (unlike the b.itsev Defense, which is also a good line if
a draw is fine), nor any quick queen trade. In fact it usually leaves all the pieces on the
board for the first 20 moves or so, making it pretty much ideal if you must win on the
Black side of the Lopez. My own results with it have been excellent. I recommended the
Berlin in my last book, which still looks pretty decem, but defending a slightly inferior
endgame from the opening is not everyone's cup of tea. Another factor in my choice is
that sidelines such as an early d2-d3 are more annoying in the Berlin because Black
lacks the option to chase away the bishop by ... b7-b5. One final factor in favor of the
Breyer for amateur players is that if your opponent is not familiar with it, when you
play 9 ... l!:lb8 (the Breyer move) he will think you are a hopeless patzer and will under­
estimate you! Even if your opponent does know of the Breyer, as of this writing there
a.re no recent books on it, so unless he reads this book he may not be well prepared.

The defense is credited to Gyula Breyer, a Hungarian master who was among the top
ten players in the world in 1 9 1 8 (per Chessmetrics website) but who died in 1 9 2 1 at
only age 27 from a heart attack. To come up with the move 9 ... li::l b8 at that time took a
real genius, as the belief in 'development' was very strong since the time of Morphy.
The basic idea behind the move is that the knight has fulfilled its function on c6 and
now is just in the way of the c-pawn and the bishop when it goes to b7. Previously this
problem was solved by 9 ... l!:la5, chasing the bishop back to c2, and then ...c7-c5, but
the knight normally had to return to c6. The beauty of the Breyer is that White still
must retreat his bishop to c2 in the main line in order to complete the maneuver
li:ld2-fl -g3, but Black's knight will be on d7 ruher than c6, which mUes the bishop
fianchetto to b7 ilttractive. Black will usu•lly fianchetto both bishops, will usually
answer a2-i1.4 by ... c5-c4 and .. . tt:Jcs. will •im for . . . c7-c6 •g•inst an early d4-d5, and
will sometimes get in the shot ... d6-d5 himself.

Now let's look ilt the moves of the Breyer Defense. For comments on the first nine
moves see the Spmish offshoots chapter.
l .e4 eS 2.lt:lfl l!:lc6 J ...ibs a6 4.h4�f6 5.0-0 ..ie7 6. .:lel bs 7 •..ib1 d6 8.c1 0-0 9.h3
lilb8(!)

1 99
The Koufman Reptrtoire for Black

This makes it a Breyer. It only makes sense now as a response to h2-h3, because h2-h3
rules out the strategy of answering d2-d4 by ... �g4, so pressure on d4 is now point­
less.
1 O.d-4- The quiet move d3 is a serious alternative, designed to avoid the need for an
unprovoked �c2 to defend the e4 p.1wn. It is likely to lead to the same position as
I O.d4 but with the extra move b2-b4 included for White, which may be either good or
bad. See Game 1 5 . 1 .
I O.••t0bd7 This comes just in time to defend the e5 pawn.
1 U0bd2 See Game 1 5 . 2 for i t .ll:Jh4 l:le8 1 2.tt:lf5 �fS. See Game 1 5 .3 for l l .c4 c6.
1 1 ...i.b7 12.i.c2 White doesn't really want to play this, as the bishop is currently ac-
tive on b3. He does this for three reasons: he wants to play �fl , which would lose a
pawn if played now. AJso, he may want to play a2-a4 and then attack the b5 pawn by
�d3 . Finally, he may want to advance his b-pawn. For the alternative 1 2 .a3 c5 see
Game 1 5 .4.
1 2..•1lel Now that the bishop doesn't attack f7 , there is no drawback to this move,
which prepares to put indirect pressure on e4 by retreating ... �fS.
1 3.tt:lfi The a.lternative 1 3 .a4 �fS 1 4.�d3 is very popular lately, to force Black to
block his bishop by playing ...c7-c6. On the plus side, ... c7-c6 lets out the queen and
controls the cemer. SeeGame 1 5 .5 .
1 3. ..� 14.tt:lg3 (in time to defend e4) 14...g 6 This keeps out the white knight and
enables a black fianchetto to defend th e king strongly. For the a.lternative p i n 1 4.�g5
h6 1 5 .�h4 g6 seeGame 1 5 .6.
I S .a-4- For 1 5 .�g5 h6 1 6.�d2 �g7 see Game 1 5. 7 . For 1 5 .b3 �g7 1 6.d5 lieS see
Game i S .S.
1 5. • •c5 This move is triggered by a2-a4 because now after 16.d5 c-4- the black knight
will attack the a-pawn, restrain the b-pawn and can sometimes land on the b3-square.
1 7.�g5 Experience has shown that if Bb.ck ch.tses the bishop back to e3 by pl.tying
. . . h6, that move gives White .t target, while if he doesn't, the bishop is more active on
gS than on e3. Most players do chase the bishop back, but I vote with the minority in
this instance, choosing 1 7...�e7. See Game 1 5.9.

200
 Chapter I5 -Breytr [)(fmse

R.L 26.2 (C92) Game15.1 18.tt:ld2 h6 19...ixf6l21xf6 20.tt:le4 ..txe4

D Lastin,Alu.mder 2i.lhe4 c5 22.l:.g4 .C.a7 23 ....xf6 t!fxg4
• Piihtz,Eiis.>.both 24....xf7+ l:txf7 25.hxg4 l:ld8 26...ixf7+
&ku,2008(3) 'it'xf7 27..14 b4 28.l:ldi bxc3 29.bxc3 e4
30.d4 cxd4 31.cxd4 ..._,e6 32.f3 'it'd5
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
33.ltbi l:ld6 Black will regain his pawn
2. lilg1-f3 l21b8-c6
with .1 drawn endg.1me.
3. i.f1-b5 a7-a6
4. i.b5-a4 lilg8-f6 13. ... lild7-c5
5. 0-0 i.f8-e7
13 ....Q.f8?! 14.tt:lg5 d5 15.exd5:!:.
6. J:lf1-e1 b7-b5
7. �4-b3 d7-d6 14. i.b3-c2 i.e7-f8
8. c2-c3 0-0
9. h2-h3 i.c8-b7
li "l!f:i!.t�
10. d2-d3 l21c6-b8
.t.t. .t..t..t.
11. lilb1-d2 lilb8-d7
.t. .t. •
lil. "l!f ;g� .... .t.
.t.t.•.t .u• .t. ['.,
.t. .t. • t'-,8 liJiiJ['.,
.t. .t. 88fi. 88
['., J:[ fi.1\I'J:[ \!;>
fi.['.,['., ILl ['.,
['.,['., ILl .[>,['., 15. b2-b4

J:[ §i1\I'J:[ \!;> A) 15.tLlh2 and now:

We would get this position by 9 ..lLJbS
I O.d3 �bd7 l l .�bd2 ..ib7. This is .1 sen­
sible line for White .1g.1inst the Breyer, .1s
the bishop on b7 bites on gr.1nite. Still, h3
is not essential here.
12. lLJd2-f1 J:lf8-e8
Usu.1lly Bl.1ck pbys 12...lLJc5 13 ...ic2
l:.e8, which trmsposes to the g.1me after
14.lLlg3, because the game order allows
13.lLlg5, .1s discussed after the next
13. lLJf1-g3
If 13.lbg5 d5 14.exd5 tt:lxd5 15....h5
..ixg5 16...txg5 CiJ7f6 17.'il'f3 'tlt'c8
A I) 15...d5 is the most frequent move,
but it is second-best. I pl.1yed it in this
g.1me bec.1use I forgot the .1n.1lysis here,
which I h.1d .1lre.1dy written. 16.t!ff3 lbe6
(16 ... g6 17...ig5 ..ie7 18.h4 a5 19.h5
lt.16=) 17.tt:lf5 "W'd7?!N !8 ....g3 dxe4
19.dxe-+ lt.1d8? 20.lbf3. This was
Shanklmd-Kaufm.1n, US Chess Le.1gue
20 I I , won quickly by White. Black is al­
ready losing;
A2) 15...g6 16.CiJg4 (after 16.f4 exf4
17 . ..Q.xf4 CiJe6 18 ...Q.e3 c5N Black is al­
re.ldy a bit better, as White has no attack
and the black pieces will be more .1ctive
after .....Q.g7) 16 ...tLlxg4 17.'Wxg4 ..Q.g7
18...Q.g5 tt'd7 19.l:.oidl lbe6=F. Black has
ideas of ... d6-d5, ...h7-h5, or ...a6-a5.

20 1
TheKc!ufmanRepenoire for Biack

B) 15.tl:lf5 dS 16.exd5 'tlt'xd5 17.it.gS The g.tme actu.tlly wem IS...g6 I 9.it.c3
•c6 I prefer Black - compare the light­ and White took the initiative and went on
squued bishops; to win. The text is .t Rybh novelty.
C) 15.�d2 ds�.
18. -· d6-d51
15. -· �c5-d7 19. e4xd5 e5xd4
16. d3-d4 20. :e1xe8 'ti'd8xe8
21. t!Jf3xd4 'ti'e8-e5

.11 'i!f.il:.i.l!r
.i.!'ll j. j. j. K .a��r
j. j. 'II .i.!'ll j. j. j.
j. j. 'II
"' "' "' j. [>,'f!/
"' 1/Jib£<. "' ILl
"' i. "'"' lb£<.
n .�:t�rn w "' .11.� "'"'
J:t 'Iii' It>
We now have a position from the m.tin
line of the Breyer (with l O.d4). with the Bl.tck will regain the pawn and havt
sole difference that White has gotten to somewhat the better chances due to the
play b2-b4 'for free', since he has wasted c-pawn's superiority over the a-pawn plus
one move with the d-pawn while Bb.ck the long diagonal. On an unrelated per­
has w.tsted two with his queen's knight. sonal note the loser of this game and I
But is b2 -b4 .t plus or .t minus? If White have in common that we are both mem­
intends kingside play it's probably a mi­ bers of the only two parent-child GM/IM
nus as on b4 the pawn is a target for combinations to my knowledge, her fa­
...a7-aS or ...c7-c5. On balance it's proba­ ther being GM Thomas P.ihtz while my
bly neutral. son is IM Raymond Kaufman.
A) 16.a4 c5 17.bxcS lLlxcS IS.axbS
axb5 19..:txa8 it.xaS=:
B) l6.it.b3 h6 17.(!Jh4 d5 IS.lt::.hf5 aS RL H.3 (C95) Game15.2
19.it.d2 dxe4 20.dxe4 axb4 21.cxb4 c5 D Byrne,Robert
Black has the initiative; • RukavinaJosip
C) 16.it.d2c5 17.a4d5=. Leningud izt, 1973(2)

16. ·- a6-a5 1. e2-e4 e7-e5

17. �c1-d2 2. lilg1-f3 �b8-c6
3. .111.11-bS a7-a6
17.a3 ub4 IS.cxb4c5 19.bxc5 dxc5=.
4. .llb5-a4 lilgB-16
17. ·- a5xb4 5. 0-0 .llf8-e7
18. c3xb4 6. :r1-e1 b7-b5

202
 Chopttr IS -Brtytr Ddtrul

An excellen1 altern.ttive was ll...dS

7. h4-b3 d7-d6
14.JitgS lilb6 I S.lilgl Jitb7 16.1ild2 h6
8. c2-c3 o-o
17..Q.e3lL.bd7. Black is bener. wilh a ufer
9. h2-h3 tt:lc6-b8
king and better placed ldng's k.nighl
10. d2-d4 lilb8-d7
11. lill3-h4 l:lf8·eB 14. �c:1·g5 h7·h6
15. Jitg5-h4

.i. �"!l!'i �
··�···
.t. .t. •
.t. .t.
8!3, li:J
9_[3, [},
!3,8 8!3,
J:[li:J9..'i!VJ:! w
12. lilh4-15 15. -· g7-g61

12.l0d2 (Dueb.a.II-Tukm.a.kov, Kiev u Bl.lck actul.lly played IS...dS� 16.exd5 exdi

1970) 12....Q.b7 IJ.lOfs .tfs mmsposes 17.cxd4 g6 18.ltle3, afler which White had
to the next note. a dear advama.ge a.nd won: 18...ttJb6
19.�3 gS 20.�g3 �fxdS 2 1./dexdS
12. ... Jite7-18
Axel+ 22.'tlt'xel lt:lxdS 23.'tlt'e4 �d
13. 12-13
H.'tlt'g6+ �g7 2S.'ihf7+ q;.hs 26.bxc3
13.ltJd2 !itb7 14...Q.c2 g6 IS.!Ogl exd4 bi 27.�e5 .L.es 28.dxeS bxd 29.J:ldl
16.cxd4 cS 17.d5 .Q.g7 - Black is doing 'tlt'£8 30.'.xc7 %1c8 31.'tlt'xb7 c2 32.J:lcl
well due to the loss of time by White's AdS 33.Lc2 a.nd Black re$igned.
l0f3-h4-f5-g3 m•neuver:
16. lill5-e3 Jitl8-g7
I l.g4�! exd-4- 14.g5 l0xe4 I S. .ildS l0b6!
17. li:lb1·d2 e5xd4
16...ix.a.B t'Oxa8 17.!0xd<l- lOxgS . md .
18. c:3xd4 c7·c5
Bb.ck gets w.a.y too much for the ex­
19. d4xc5 d6xc:5
ch.a.nge:
1J.trl) exd4! 14.cxd4 .i.b7 IS...ic2 cS
I6.dxc5 ll:lxcS and Bb.ck's pressure on e4 !: "II!'!: �
fully offsets the strong knight on fS: � • ·�
13 . ..ic2 dS= 14.exd5 exd4 ISJ:lxe8 .t. •••
1he8 16.!clxd4 -'t.b7 I 7. .14 ..txdS .t..t.
18 ..Q.f4 cS 19./!)fS l0b6=. Black's pieces [}, g
.ue well-pl.tc:ed .tnd lhe pawns are sym­ i. li:Jf}, [},
metrinl. !3,8 li:J [},
13. Jitc:8-b7 J:[ 'i;'VJ:[ w

203
Th� Kautman Rtpc'rtoirttor Block

Black is clr:arly bt:tter, with ...c5-c4 and

12. lilb1·c3?1
...ll'lcS coming up. As an asidt:, I drew
games with both of the players in this Both Nakamura in this game and
game, but forty years separated those two Shabalov against me chose this inferior
games! move, after which White has no pros­
pects of getting the advantage.
A) J2.lt:lbd2 �b7 13.�c2 exd-+ (or
RL 25.6 (C95) Gamo15.3 13 ... .:es directly) 14.lt:lxd4 (so far
0 Nakamun,Hikaru Khalifman-Short, Bazna 2008. Black con­
• Carlsen,Magnus tinued 14....:eS?! and had to struggle for
Medi;as, 201 J (6) a draw: the text is beuer) 14...g6 15.b3
c5 16.lLI4f3 l:le8 17.�b2 �c6=. The
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
pressure on e4 offsets White's pressure on
2. lilgH3 lilb8·c6
the long diagonal;
3. .il.f1-b5 a7-a6
B) 12.cxb5 ubS 13.lt:lc3 was played by
4. �b5-a4 lilg8·f6
Bobby Fischer against Spassky in Sveti
5. 0·0 .il.f8·e7
Stefan, !992, but 13 ... b4 looks like a full
6. :C.f1-e1 b7·b5
equalizer:
7. �a4-b3 0·0
C) 12.cS ..-c7 13.cxd6 �xd6 1-1-.�gs
8. c2-c3 d7·d6
.il.b7�;
9. h2·h3 lilc6·b8
D) 12..il.gS h6 I3 ..il.h4 lilhs�. The
10. d2·d4 lilb8·d7
bishop exchange should favor Black as
11. c3-c4
the fixed pawns on e4 and eS leave Black
There were only two grandmastt:r gamt:s with the better bishop;
this century with I I .c4 until this year, E) Probably 12.a3 is the best try, e.g.
but computers like it so it is coming back 12... exd4 13.lt:lxd4 lLieS 14.�f4 ...b6
now. Bobby Fischer playt:d it and 15.cxb5 axbS 16.lDc3 .:es 17 .�f3
Khalifman is a great theoretician, so his .il.rs�,
choice here is interesting. F) In case of 12.'tltc2 �b7 13.lDc3 b4
14.lDe2 exd4 15.lt:lexd4 g6 16.lt:le2 lDcS
11. ... c7-c6
17.lDg3 aS Black looks better due to his
strong knight on cS. He may later play
.11 .t"i!!" ;g� ... lDfd7, ... t!Je6, and ...lt:ldcS, and/or
'!l.t.l..l..l. ...a5-a4, ...:es. and ...'tltc7.
.1. .1. .1. • 12. ... b5·b4
.1. .1. 13. lt:lc3-a4 c6-c5
!', !', !', 14. d4·d5
§L lil !',
!', !', !', !', 14.dxc5 dxcS was Shabalov-Kaufman,
Arlington 20 I 0, in which we agreed to a
J:t lil�'i!I' J:t w
draw a few movr:s later when Black was
already a bit better.

204
 14. l::tf8-e8 .i ��
15. ..ltb3-c2 �d7-f8 .1. .1.
16. a2-a3 a6-a5 .1. � .1.
17. b2·b3 lilf8-g6 ,Lf\.,,Lf\.,
18. lLla4-b2 il.cB-d7 .1.!1-, fl.,
19. "Llf3-h2 h7-h6 fl., fl., fl.,
20. lilh2-f1 lilf6-h7
� � ILl
'l!li n w
30. W'a2-a3
31. 'tt'c1-b1 1ta3-a2
32. ttb1-c1 '*•2-a3
33. ttc1-b1 ••3-a2
34. tt'b1-c1 1h·lh

RL 25.7 (C95) Game15.4

0 Robson,R.ay
• Kamsky,Gau
21. lbf1-e3
Phib.delphi.t, 20 I 0 (S)
The computer prefers 2J.lbd3 with ,m
1. e2·e4 e7·e5
even ga.me, to a.void the knight vs. ba.d
2. lilg1-13 ll:lb8-c6
bishop scena.rio which occurs in the
3. il.f1·b5 a7-a6
game.
4. ..ltb5-a4 lilgS-16
21. .liie7·g5 5. 0-0 ..ltf8-e7
22. a3xb4 a5xb4 6. l::tf1-e1 b7-b5
23. .C.a1xa8 tt'd8xa8 7. -".a4-b3 d7-d6
24. tlJe3-f5 -".g5xc1 8. c2-c3 0-0
25. '*'d1xc1 il.d7xf5 9. h2·h3 lt.:.c6-b8
26. e4xl5 lilg6-f8 10. d2·d4 lilb8-d7
11. it:Jb1-d2 il.c8-b7
Black should be a bit better here since
he ha.s the better knight versus White's
bad bishop, though White's space ad­
Vintage is prob.ably enough to hold the
dr.tw.

27. Qjb2-d1 �h7-f6

28. f2-f3 ••B·a2
29. g2-g4 J:.e8-a8
30. .'Lld1-f2

205
The Kaufman Rtpcnoire for Black

J9...�h6! 20.J:Iidl dS would have given

12. a2-a3
Bloiick the idVint.llge.
A novelty.
20. J:la1-d1
12. -· c7-c5
13. �b3-c2 J:lf8-e8
.it!' .t!lr
13 . .'tltc7= insteid would discouu.ge .t "ll&.t. .t.
14.b4, but Black didn't fe.u it. .t. .t. "ll.t.
.t.
14. b2-b4 e5xd4
15. c3xd4 c5xd4 8 fiji',
16. li:lf3xd4 8 8
'i/;l'��(ij 88
16.�b2! .Q.fs 17..Q.xd4 is slightly better
J:%%1 \!;>
for White, so I recommend the 13 ...'tfc7
from the previous note.
20. ... 11'd8-e8
16. .i.e7-f8
20 ...i.g7 21 ..114 tOeS looks better for
17. ..Q.c1-b2 J:la8·c8=
Bl.11ck.
18. 11'd1-b1
21. a3-a4 b5xa4
IB.li:l4f3li:les 19.J:Ici g6=.
2J... li:lxe4 22.tl:Jxe4 .Q.xe4 23 ..Q.xe4 J:lxe4
Rtl'.!.t¥1 24.'1'bl=
.t <Ill .t..t..t. 22. .i.c2xa4 liJf6xe4
.t. .t. <Ill 23 . �4xd7 11'e8xd7
.t. 24. �d2xe4 .lle7xe4
8 CU8 25. .lle1xe4 ..Q.b7xe4

8 8 26. 'l'a2xa6

��(ij 88

18.
n'iW n <tJ
g7-g6
li!
tl' ! "'.t.
·-
'iW .t. .t.
After 18 ...4JeS! 19.f4 lt:Jc4 20.ltJxc4 bxc4
2 1.�c3 liJhS 22.t0e2 fS 23.exfS 'l'b6+ 8 CUi.
24.ltJd4 4Jxf4 Black his .1.n .J..tt.J..ck .u no 8
� 88
19. 11'b1-a2?1 .. It>
In cue of 19.tl:J4f3 liJhS Bl.tck's pieces .are
26. ...
01 bit better pl01ced thm White's.
With 26....i.g7 Bl.11ck could have kept .11
19. J:le8-e7
sm.111 ledge.

206
 Chapter IS -Buyer Ddmse

RL 25.10 (C9S) Game15.5 A) I S...c2 g6 I6.b3 transposes:

0 Shabalov,Alennder 16.axb5 ubS 17.%lxa8 •xas 18.b4exd4
• Navara,David 19.cxd4 'W'a4=;
Khilnty·Milnsiysk. 2009 (2) B) IS..t:lfl cS 16.axb5 axbS 17.%lxa8
..xa8 18.dxeS lLlxeS= 19 ...Q.. xbS .ixe4
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
20.%lxe4 'W'xe4 2I..ixe8 lLlxf3+
2. 11lg1-f3 ll:lbS-c&
22...xf3 ..-xe8 23.c4 'ft'eS 24.b3 dS
3. .ll.f1-b5 a7-a&
2S.cxdS 'ft'xdS 26.'ft'xd5 draw agreed.
4. �b5-a4 lilgS-16
This was Topalov-Carlsen, Monaco 20 I I
5. 0-0 ..Q..f8-e7
(blindfold);
6. %lf1-e1 b7-b5
C) 15.b4 %lc8 (in earlier games Carlsen
7. .ll.a4-b3 d7-d6
played I S...lbb6. The text is his improve­
8. c2-c3 0-0
ment. The idea is to discourage axbS
9. h2-h3 11lc6-b8
though Anand played it anyway)
10. d2-d4 11lb8-d7
16.axb5?! (16...Q..b 2 lLlb6=) 16...cxb5
11. 11lb1-d2 .ll.c8-b7
I7..ib2 dS I8.exdS exd4. This was
12. �b3-c2
Anand-Carlsen, London 20 I0. Black is al-
12.a4 cS 13 ..ic2 (13.d5 c4 14..ic2 ready a bit better here but White won
lbcS=) I L.'W'c7=. after an oversight by Carlsen.

12. ..• 1118-eS 15 . ... g7-g6

13. a2-a4 �e7-f8
I s .. :tlt'c7 16.Wc2 %lacS 17...Q.b2 l!JhS
14. �c2-d3
18.-ifl lLlf4 19.b4 li:Jb6= was
Engines generally regard thls line ilS the Kilrjakin-Carlsen from the 20 I 0 World
best agllilst the Breyer ilnd so it has be- Blitz Chilmpionship in Moscow. Whether
come the favorite of the top grand- I s .. :tlt'c7 or IS...g6 is better is hard to
milsters, though this game .md analysis say.
suggest that Bl.ack is fine here.
16. "lld1-e2
14. •.• c7-c6
16..llb 2 exd4 17.cxd4 dS 18.lDeS .llb4
19.tt:lxd7 Wxd7 20.eS tt:lhS 21...Q..fl
li 'i!l"li.t*' lbf4=, Nisipeanu-Carlsen, Medias 20 I I.
.t "
.1. .u. %la8·c8
16. ...
.1. .1. .1.
" 17• .Q.c1-a3
.1. .1.
/1, /1,11, 17...Q..b2 ltJhS 18 ..llfl exd4 19.cxd4 dS
!',� ILl /1, 20.e5 b4 Black is better due to ideas like
/1, ILl /1,11, ...lt:Jg7 and ...c6-c5.
J:I ll. 'I!Y"J:I \!;> 17. .•. 11lf6·h51

17...exd4 18.cxd4 lLlhS 19.g3 tt:lg7

15. b2-b3
20.-ifl lbe6 is likely to transpose to the

207
The Kaufman Repmoirt for Black

g.1me. It does have the merit of .1voiding

the equ.1lizing dxe5 .11 any point

18. g2·g3 /Oh5·g7

19. Jl.d3·11 /Og7·o6=

27. ·- c6-c5+
28. .ild6-f4?1 .ilb7xe4?

28 ..�c6! 29.bxc5 �xeS 30.-'le3 We7

wins .1 p.1wn.

29. 1013-gS IOdH&

30. Jl.l4·o3?

In an eulier game with N.1vua (in their 30.bxc5 hS 3 1.1:.xe8+ l:.xe8 32.1:.d6 h6
Kh.1nty-M.1nsiysk, rapid playoff, 2009) 33.lDxf7 Wxff 34.'tWxf7+ Wxff 3S.I:.u6
Shab.1lov pl.1yed 20.h4 but lost .1f1er .ild5 36.c6 gS 37...Q.e3 and White's 1wo
20 ... 'tWb6 2 1 . ..Q.h3 l:.cd8, !hough fu advanced passers offer full compenS.l-
20...exd4 21.cxd4 �g7 migh1 have been tion for the knight.
beuer.
30. ·- .ii.e4-a8-+
20. -· ...d8·b6 31. b4xc5 'tta7·b7
21. 'tltc2·a2?1 32. c5·c6 'tltb7xc6
33. 'tt'a2xf7+ wga-ha
2 1.dxe5 lDxeS 22.lDxe5 dxeS 23 ..i.xf8
34. 12-13
J:lxf8=.

21 . ... e5xd4
22. c3xd4 Jl.18·g7
w
23 . .ila3xd6 tt:le6xd4
'i!l'.i..l
24. a4-a5 •b6·a7
......
li:l
H ....d8 25.�xd4 .i.xd4 .1lso favon
Black; 24...lt:lx0+ 25.!i)xf3 W.17 trans­
JLI\.1\.f',
poses to the game.

25. 1013xd4 Jl.g7xd4 lU::tJL w

26. 10d2·13 Jl.d4·g7
27. b3·b4?
Now Bl.1ck erred b y H...h6? which led to
27....c2 c5 .1nd Black queenside play is a dr.1w after 35.J:lcl ...d7 36.'tltxd7
more efTeclive th.1n While's kingside play. tt:lxd7. He should have played as follows:

208
 Ch11pttr IS -Brtytr Defmse

34. ... .llc8-c7 14. i.c1-g5

35. :d1-c1
Gashimov has played this move several
35.1Wb3 h6 36.l:l.ci 1td6-+. times so it dearly deserves to be taken se­
riously.
35 . ... J:c7xf7
36. 'bg5xl7+ �h8·g8 14. •.. h7-h6
37. .:lc1xc6 i.aBxc& 15. i.g5-h4 g7-g6
38. 'Zll7-g5 h7-h6
Black has tried several other moves here
39. 'bg5-e4 l0f&xe4
in high-level games, but White usu;�.lly
40. f3xe4 i.c&xe4
gets the edge against them.
With an extra protected passed p.1wn .md
16. ttJf1-h2
a superior position, Black is winning.
16.dxe5 dxeS 17.lb3h2 il..e7 18 .•d2
'Ot>g7 !9.lbdl il..c6 20.�g3 lbb6 2 1.1Wcl
RL 25.12 (C95) Game15.6 4Jfd7 2L�.xe7 'ti'xe7 23.lbg4 'itgS
0 Gashimov.Vugar 24.l0e3 <j;gB=.
• Navara,David
16. ... .il.l8-g7
Rl":ggio Hmilia, 2010/11 (8)

1. e2-e4 e7-e5 ;g "l!fl! 1!t

2. 'Zlg1-13 li:;b8-c6 .a..t.• .t..a.
3. .ilJ1-b5 a7-a6 .t. .t. .......
4. i.b5-a4 'Zlg8-16 .t. .t.
5. 0-0 i.f8-e7 [!,[>, f;_
6. l::r.f1-e1 b7-b5 [>, IZl 8
7. .b4-b3 d7-d6
8 [>,� [>,1:',/Zl
8. c2-c3 0-0
l:l. 'llil:i It>
9. h2-h3 tt::;c&-b8
10. d2·d4 'Zlb8·d7 17. d4xe5
11. 'Zlb1-d2 .il.c8-b7
17.lL:g4 exd4 J8.cxd4 WeB 19.tbxf6+
12. i.b3·c2 ttfS·eB
tbxf6= 20.e5 dxe5 2\.dxeSl!Jh5 2L�.e4
13. 'Zld2-11 i.e7-f8
c5 and now Bl�ck is � bit better due to the
li "l!f li .hir we�kness of the e5 pawn.
.a..t.• .t..t..t. 17. .. . d6xe5
.t. .t. • 18. 'Zlh2-g4 g6-g5
.t. .t. 19. .il.h4-g3 :tlf6xg4
[!,[>, 20. h3xg4 ifd8-e7

[>, IZl [>, 21. a2-a4 'Zld7-c5

[>,[!,§;_ [!,[>, Bl�ck actu�lly played 2 1... c5 22.lt::ld2l!Jf6

l:l. fi.ft'l:l.IZ:iw 23.tbfl 'tli'e6 24.f3 h5. White now could

209
Tht Kaufman Rq>ertair� far Black

have gotten an edgl" by 25.11td2 but

12. �b3-c2 tl.f8-e8
ptilyed the uncle.u 2S.gxhS and won any­
13. 'ild2-11 �e7-f8
way.
14. lLlf1-g3 g7-g6
22. lbf3-d2 tl.eS-dS 15. �c1-g5
23. a4xb5 a6xb5
24. 'W'd1-e2 b5-b4
25. tl.a1xa8 �b7xa8
26. c3xb4 lbc5-e6
27. b4-b5 lbe6-f4
28. .ll.g3x14 e5xf4=

.t & '!!1
.t. "i!f.t..t
.t.
l'o .t. 15. ... h7-h6
l'o.t.l'o
Here this is more logical than after I5.a4
l'o il.Ji:J'Wil'ol'o cS 16.dS c4 17.�g5, because now the
bishop should not retreat to e3 due to
!:[ w
16...exd4 17.cxd4li::l xe4.

With the bishop pair in ,m open position 16. .ll.g5-d2 .ll.18-g7

for a doubled isolated pawn, Black has 17. a2-a4 c7-c5
full compensation. 18. d4-d5 c5-c4
19. b2-b4

R.l H. I"- (C9S) Game 15.7 19.�e3 is often played but puts Black a
D Balogh,C:S..ba tempo up (...�g7) on a standard line in
• Mikhalevsk.i, Victor the IS.a4 cS branch. Black replies
Austria Bundesliga, 2.009/10 (3) 19 ..11tc7 with equality.

1. e2-e4 e7-e5 19. ... c4xb3

2. 'ilgH3 tt:lb8-c6 20. �c2xb3
3. .ll.l1-b5 a7-a6
4. �b5-a4 'ilg8-16 it "i!f:i '!!1
5. 0-0 �f8-e7 .t " .t..t
6. tl.f1-e1 b7-b5 .t. .t. "''
7. .ll.a4-b3 d7-d6 .t. l'o.t.
8. c2-c3 0-0 l'o l'o
9. h2-h3 lilc6-b8 .fi.l'o {ij{jj/'o
10. d2-d4 'ilb8-d7
g l'ot'o
11. 'ilb1-d2 .ll.c8-b7
J:! 'Wi l:t w

210
 20. ... ..'Lld7-c5 26. ... lbf6xd5
27. a4-a5 lbd5-b4
An excellent untried alternative to avoid
2l .c4 " 20... 1ltc7N 21.'tte2 .rl.eb8 27 .. ti:Jxb6 28.axb6 dS=.
22..�.c2 b4 23.l1acl bxc3 24.-'t.d3 tiJcS
28. .ic2-e4 d6-d5
2S. .rl.xc3 lt:Jfd7 26.�e3 Wd8=. Blilck's
29. .rl.a1-b1 lbb4·d3
strong knight on cS offsets his shortage of
30. �e4xd3 c4xd3
space.
31. llb1-b3 e5-e4
21. c3-c4 W'd8-d7 32. ..'tJd2xe4 d5xe4
22. .id2-a5 lle8·c8 33. lt:lg3xe4 d3-d2=
23. j.b3-c2 b5xc4 34. •d1xd2 "il'd7xd2
24. .'bf3-d2 35. .fJe4xd2 .ig7-c3
36. J:.e1-e7 .ic3xa5
37. .C.e7xb7 .ia5xd2
� 38. llb3-f3 l:.a8-b8
li..tli.'ll¥ .t..t 39. l!f3xf7 .C.b8xb7
.t. .t. lil.t..t. 40. .c.nxb7 j.d2-f4
il.. li\,1\,.t. 41. g2-g3 llc8-b8
,II, .t. ,II, 42. .C.b7-a7 .C.b8xb6

t;J,/1, 43. g3xf4 llb6-f6

�ILl ,11,,11, 44. �g1·g2 llf6xf4

'h-'h
It '!Wit \¥;> 45. l::t a7xa&

RL H.H· (C95) Game IS.8

24. ... .ib7xd5?1
0 Sjugirov.Sanan
24...hS! 2S.tiJxc4 tbcxe4 26.tbb6 ti:lxf2 • Navara.David
27.tl:lxd7 lLlxdl 28.tbxf6+ .ixf6 Peristeri u, 2010 (5)
29 . .ixdl .ixdS 30.tLle4 .ixe4 31..rl.xe4
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
dS 32..rl.eI J:lab8=. Although • bishop
2. lbgf-13 ll:Jb8-c6
(especially when part of a pair) is stron-
3. �f1-b5 a7-a6
ger thm three pawns in general, here
4. -'lb5-a4 lbg8-f6
Bb.ck h•s two connected passers and
5. 0-0 -'lf8-e7
control of both open files, so he is not
6. l1f1-e1 b7-b5
7. -'la4-b3 d7-d6
25. e4xd5 �c5-b7 8. c2-c3 0-0
26. �a5-b6?1 9. h2-h3 tbc6-b8
10. d2·d4 lbb8-d7
After 26.�c3! tt:lxd5 27.tt:lbl "il'e6
11. lbb1-d2 j.c8-b7
28.-'le4 l:tcS 29.-".f3 White is slightly
12. j.b3-c2 l1f8-e8
beuer. The bishop looks better than the
13. lbd2-f1 j.e7-f8
three p•wns here.

211
ThcKoufman Rq:�ertoircfor Biack

AxeS 2S.l:lad I dS 26.exdS .:l:xdS and

14. 'Zlf1-g3 g7-g6
Black has the initi.uive thanks to his extra
center pawn.

20. .tc2-d3 b5-b4

21. a2-a3 b4xa3

21 ..:as=.

22. .:l:a1xa3 c6xd5

23. c4xd5 .tb7xd5
24. e4xd5 e5·e4
25. .td3-f1

2S..ia6 .:l:aS 26.�bS exf3 27.Wxf3 Wb7

15. b2-b3
2S.�c6 1ltb4 29.l:l:eal tOeS 30.Wdi
The idea is to play d4-dS next and be able tt:lxc6 31.dxc6 l:lec8 32.tt:le2 .:l:xc6
to answer ... c7-c6 by c3-c4. 33.l:l:a4 •b7 34.l:l:xaS l:lxaS 3S.J:IxaS;!;;.
2S.�bS exf3 26.• xf3 ..b7 27.l:l:xaS
15. ... .ilJ8-g7
.:l:cS 2S.�c6 liJeS 29.tt'dilbxc6 30.dxc6
16. d4-d5 l:la8-c8
.:l:xc6=.
This permits ...c7-c6 next as the rook can
25. ... e4xf3
recapture to defend d6.
26. 'lld1xf3 'llc7-c3
17. c3-c4 c7-c6 27. .:l:e1-a1 .:le8xe31?
18. .i.c1-d2?1
27 ..lt:lcS=.
IS.�e3 ti:lb6=.

18. ... a6-a5 :i � .

19. .td2-e3 ill .t..i.t.
.t. i!l.t.
!},

:i'l/VIi:ll},
£:,£:,
.ll. �Iii

28. -.f3xe3?1

In case of 28.fxe3 .:l:cS 29.tt:le2 Wb4

30. .:la4 ...b6 3l.b4 axb4 32.lbd4 Black
19. ... 1td8-c7
has a pawn and a better bishop for the ex­
19 ..�a6! 20.dxc6 .:l:xc6 2l.cxbS �xbS change, which is not quite enough to
22.�d3 �xd3 23.'tltxd3 tOeS 24.�xcS claim equality.

'"
 Chapttr IS -Breyer Ddmst

28. •.• 'W'c3xe3 4. �b5-a4 lilgB-16

29. f2xe3 tt:lf6xd5 5. 0-0 �f8-e7
30. J:a3xa5 Sit.g7xa1 6. l:f1-e1 b7-b5
31. J:a5xd5 tt:ld7-f6 7. Sit.a4-b3 d7-d6
8. c2-c3 0-0
White has returned his m.uerial advan­
9. h2-h3 tt:lc6-b8
t�ge, hoping to draw this slightly worse
10. d2-d4 lilb8-d7
position by bishops of opposite color.
11. lilb1-d2 �c8-b7
32. lld5-d1 12. �b3-c2 1118-eS
13. lild2-11 �e7-f8
32.1:xd6 �eS 33.l:a6 l:ci 34.ll:Je2 l:.bi
14. lilf1-g3 g7-g6
35.l:.a4l:.xb3:j:.
15. a2-a4 c7-c5
32. ... �a1-e5 16. d4-d5 c5-c4
33. tt:lg3-e2 17. Sit.c1-g5

li w li 'll!'&.a�
j. j. .a ... j. j.
j. ... j. j. j. ... j.
.a j. /j,j. .i
/j, j. /j,
/j, /j, /j, /j, ttlttlfj,
ttl /j, /j,_i /j,/j,
:c: .tw a: 'iiYJ:l w
33 . ... J:c8-c2 17. ... .if8-e7

Black actu�lly pl�yed 33.. ..�Je4 and White
eventually reached a dr�w. The text keeps
a serious advantage for Bl�ck, though of
course White ret�ins decent drawing
chances.
Usu.tl is 17...h6 18..i.e3 ll:lcS 19.'W'd2 hS,
but lately 20.hc5 lus been mnoying.
Nonnally giving up a good paired bishop
like this for a knight is dubious, but the
pr01ected passer and the crippled bl�ck ma-
jority justify it. So I prefer Postn.y's move.

RL 25.16 (C95)
0 David,Alberto
• Postny,Evg�y
Belgium tl, 2008/09 ( 9 )
18. �g5-e3
Game15.9
White reasons th�t he h�s provoked �
worsening of Black's bishop loc�tion, but
it's a minor point here.

1. e2-e4 e7-e5 18. ... 'lfd8-c7

2. lilg1-f3 lilb8-c6
This m�kes a later ...ll:lcS safe while pre­
3. �f1-b5 a7·a6
puing Bl�ck's next move.

2 13
The Kaufman Rc:penoirt for Block

19. <ill3-h2 26. W13-g3

White aims for f2-f4 or lbg4. 26.'tltf2 .icS 27.lbd4 b4 is perhaps a tad
better for White.
19. ... lte8-b8
26. ... .il.l8-g7
This p�pares to reactivate the bishop by
27. 1Pg1-h1 .il.b7·c8
... .icS, while preparing ...b5-b4. How­
28. tLle2-d4 b5-b4
ever I think that 19...lbc5 was il better
29. �d4-c6 b4xc3
WilY to ii.Ctivate the bishop by
30. b2xc3 ltb8·b2
... .ib7-c8-d7:
31. .Q.f4xe5 d6xe5
19 ... tt.'lc5! 20.f4 (20.tt.'lg4 ll:!xg4
2 Ulhgi .icS 22.'tlte2 �d7=) 20...exf4
21..ixf4 �fS 22.tt.'lf3 tt.'lfd7 and Black is R .i. �
doing well, with ideas of ...lbb6 or if '!!!! A.i.A
23.tt.'ld4ti:le5. A iiJ A
20. f2-f4
I\, A
II, A II,
20.tt.'lg4! hS 2 1.tt:lxf6+ �xf6 22.lbfl II, 'l!V!',
tDcs 23.tbd2 i.cS 24.'ii'e2 �d7 and R£ II,
Black is close to equality.
n l:t 1!1
20. .•. e5xf4
21. .Q.e3xf4 Qld7-e5 32. .C.f1-f2?
22. <ilh2-13
l2.Wf1=.

32. ... .il.c8-b7

33. Qlc6-d4 Wc7-a5
34. tLld4-c6 •as-c7
35. li:lc6-d4 Wc7-c5
36. lLld4-c6 i.b7xc6
37. d5xc6 •csxc6
38. .C.a1-d1 .C.aB-fB
39. Wg3-h4 Wc6-b6
40. .C.f2-e2 .il.g7-16
41. 'W'h4-e1 .il.f6-g5
22. ... Qle5xf3+ 42. ltd1·d5 .il.g5·14
43. a4-a5 Wb6-16
22 .. lbfd7 was probably better, and Black
44. .il.c2-d3 l[f8-b8
is doing well.
45. .il.d3xc4 ltb2-b1
23. Wd1xl3 <il16-d7 46. ltd5-d1 .C.b1xd1
24. .C.e1-f1 i.e7-f8 47. '¥'e1xd1 W16-c6
25. Qlg3-e2 li:ld7-e5 48. .il.c4-d5 "tltc6xc3-+

214
 Chapter IS -Breyer Defmse

!. �!!r 49. -· ¢'g8-g7

-� �. 50. �f7-a2 ti'c3-g3
� � 51. "lld1-g1 llb8-c8
-� �� 52. lle2-e1 llc8-c2
�� 53. .ll.a2-d5 llc2xg2

'ill' � 54. '*g1xg2 ti'g3xe1+

J:r � 55. "llg2-g1 '*e1xa5

56. 'W'g1-a7+ �g7-h6
� - 'IW It>
57. '*a7-f2 ti'a5-c7
58. �h1·g2 a6-a5
As th�r� are ;�.ttacking chanc�s th� bishops
59. "llf2-h4+ �h6-g7
of opposit� color do not pr�s;�.ge a pawn-
60. "llh4-g4 ti'c7-c2+
down draw.
61. 1.>g2-11 -.c2-d3+
49. .il.d5xf7+? 62. "-'11-g2 h7·h5

This reg;�.ins th� p;�.wn but m;�.kes Bl;�.ck's And White resigned. If he moves the
;�.n;�.ck much strong�r. queen forward, he will get mu�d.

2 15
The Repertoire in Practice
I pb.yed in the 20 I I U.S. Open just as I was nearing completion of this book, and so I
decided to play strictly according to the repertoire in every game. While my final resuh
was nothing special, the openings were <1 sm.tshing success. I got .m advantage in every
opening but one in which I 'only' equalized as Black ag.1inst gr.mdm;�.ster Zapata. In
most games I was neuly winning by move 12. Let's look .u the openings round by
round. For comparison, my own (USCF) rating was 2465.
In the first round ii.S White against an I8 78 rated pb.yer, the game went l.d+ fS
2.Jit.gSh6 3. ..tb-t-gS f.�gl .ig7 S.e3liJf6 6.b4 d6?17.hxg5 hxgS 8.llxh8+ SiWI8

E�A'l!f* A
.1..1..1. .1.
· .1. �
1- .1..1.
fl.,
fl., £1,
f\.,f\.,/1., fl.,£
.!lli:J 'IW'it>£l,li:J

9.0<:3 with advamage. though 9.tt::lh 3! g4 IO.tt:Jf4�e4 l l...�.h4 would h.1ve given • big
advamage.
In the second round as Black against a 2012 rated player, I play�d th� N�o-Griinf�ld
and he mixed up his move-order and just blundered a pawn on move 8.
In the third round as White against a 2200 rated player, play went l.d4 dS l.c4 �6
3.lL;c3J..�7 4.adS �xdS S.J.f. 4lbf6 6.d 0-0 7 . ..1it.d3 c6 8.'ti'cllbbd7 9.lb0 J:ld 10.0-0
�f811 .h3

216
 TheRepenoirein Pmcticc

This position usu&lly arises with White's bishop on gS. Even th&t position is a bit better
for White, but the bishop is deuly better placed on f4.
l l . . . ttlg612 • .i.h 2�e613• .1Ucll1c814.l1ilbl cS lS.chcShcS

i.'l!l'i. �
.t..t.
.t
�� �
.t.t.

lb fl. /I_,Ji'J [3,

!2 M!i !2 !2 fl.
J:l:);[ �

Now 16.b4! was best, with a clear advantage as Black has no compensation for his iso­
lated d-pawn here.

In the fourth round as Black against a 2272 rated opponent, the game went l.c4- g6
2.lbc3 cS J .lt:Jfl �g7 4.e3 lt:Jf6 S.d4 0-0 6.�e2 ds (transposing to an e3 Griinfeld)
7.0-0 ad4-8.e�:d4 tt:lc6 9.n:ds !i:lxds1 O.h3 .Q.e6.

i. '!!I' li�
.t..t. .t..t..t.t.
llil .t .t.
llil
[3,
lb lb [3,
[2[3, f)_f2[2
n fl.'ii' nw

This position is an exact tn.nsposition to the main line of the Tarrasch Defense to the
Queen's Gambit, but with colors reversed. However, although here I am Black, I am not
a tempo down as in the Tarrasch line White plays .i.gS and later .tel, but here I played
.....te6 directly! So as Black I have achieved a position from the White repertoire ag&inst
a second-rate defense, so of course this is a success for Black. Play continued ll.llel
l1c81 2 . .Q.gs h613. .Q.e3 11tas14.'W'd 2 �h7 (taking the bishop on e3 was also good now
or on the last move) IS.al "bxcl 16.bxc3 l1fd8 17.D.ab l and now I missed 17....i.d5!
with a clear advantage.

2 17
The Kaufman Repertoirefor Black

In round 5 as Whit� ag.1.inst a 2539 r.tt�d grandmast�r th� gam� w�nt I.d4 dS 2.c4 c6
3.lbfl lf.Jf6 4.!0C3 dxc4 S . .t4 .ii6 6.ti.J�s lbbd7 7.lbxc4lbb6 8.4J�s .tS 9.g3 �6 IO. .ii g!
.il.M 11.0-0 0-0 1 2.�3 h6 13. ..-� 2 -'lli7 1o4.lld1 ·�7 1S.�o4llfd8 16.�4 lbfd7 17.lbd3
.iid618..il.xd6 ...xd6

And now I miss�d \9.1t�3! tt:lc4 20.1tcl with advant.tg�. as Black c.tn n�ith�r tak� on
d4 nor achi�v� the n��d�d �5 br�.tk.

In round 6 as Black .tg.tinst .t 2539 r.tt�d gundm.tster pl.ty went l.�o4 �S 2.lbfl �6
3.it.bS .t6 4.ho4lbf6 S.0-0 .il.�7 6 . .1let bS 7 . .il.b3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9. .t4.il.d7 IO.d4h6 ll.h3
.lld1 2.tt:lbd2it.fll13.it.c 2�xd4 lo4.lbxd4

And now l shouldhav�play�d \4. .tl:l�5! 15.tt:lfl c5 \6.tt:le2.Q.c6 withfull equ.tlity.

In round 7 .ts Whit� ag.tinst a 2239 rated FIDE m.tster it went l .d 4lf.:lf6 2.c4 g6 3.lbc3
dS 4.tl:lfl it.g7 s.ftl cb.c4 6....xc4 0-0 7.e4lbc6 8 •.ii e 2 it.go4 9.ds .lhtltO.pfl ti:l�s
l l.'tlfblc61 2.f4lLled713.chc6 bxc6

(s�� diagram next page)

218
 ThtRtpenoirtinPraC!ice

:i
.1.
·
1-

1-'.�eJ?, which allowed Black the equalizing combination 14 ....-aS IS.0-0 llab8
l6 ...c21lxb2!.1nstead either 14.0-0 or 1-i-.eS gives a dear advantage: castling leaves
White up the bishop pair in an open position, while 14.eS provokes a dubious pawn
sacrifice with 14... t0dS.

In round 8 as Black against a 2203 rated opponent, play went I.e• e5 2.f4 dS 3.exdS
W4 4.l0f3 tlJf6 5•..lit.c4 t0xd5 6.0-0 it.e6 7... el _j_e;] 8.d4 0-0 9 ...Q.b3 lieS1 O.c-' l0e3
(the computer says I 0 ..l0f6 was a much bigger advantage for Black) II.he3 &.el
tVocl

!':,!':,
�li:J lli:J
!':,!':, 'i!V !':,!':,
n J:tw

And now I should have played I 2 .._j_f6 with advantage.

In round 9 as White against a 23 31 rated opponent the game went l.d4 e6 l.c4 5
3/.tJfl tlJf6 ••ltJc] d5 5,_j_g5 (S._j_f4 is also Strong) 5...c6 6.e3 ..Q.d6 7.i..d3 0-0 8.0-0
tt'e8 9. ..Q.f-'! tt'e7 IO.hd6 'Wxd6.

(see diagram next page)

219
ThtKGufman&pcrtoiufor Biack

:i 'il.t E'lif
... ... ... ...
- .t.'l!f.t.-ll
... ...
13,13,
td �M:l
13,13, /3,13,13,
I;[ '1!¥ I;[>i;>

White is obviously better .1s Bl.1ck h.1s tnded his good bishop for White's we.1ker one,
and Black also lags in development.

Three weeks later I played in the Atl.1ntic Open •nd •gain stuck strictly to the repertoire.
I got ftve out of five favorable openings. All opponents were rated .1bove 2100, one was
IM rnd one was FM. In my three White games I won one in I 7 moves md in the other
two I w•s probably winning by about move 20. In the Black games I w.1s better by
moves 7 .1nd 14 respectively.

Round I, White vs. 2174: l.d4dS 2.c.fc6 l.li:lfl liJf6 4-.l!Jcl e6 S.1t.g5 • b6 6.�6 ... rl'6
7.e3 g6 8.1t.dl
. .ig7 9.0-0 0-0 lO.e.fchc.ftt.eS ...e7 1 2. .1t.xc4-bS?! 13•.idl (computer
says 13 . .Q.e2 W.lS even better) ll. . . li:ld714-.tlc1.1t.b71S.liJe1-tlab8

Now 16.J:le I keeps Black bottled up md his bishop pair is ineffective and does not
compensate for his many problems. I actually played 16.l!Jd6, when 16...cS! would
have equalized. Black missed this and I won easily.

220
 Tht&pfr!oiuin Practic(

Round 2, Bl«ck vs. 2263 (tournamem co-winner): l.e4 cS 2. ..\tc4 ttlf6 3.d1 c6 4.�0 dS
S.cxdS?! adS 6 . ..\tbS+ .id7 7.«4 �d6 (compU!er likes 7...«6 even more) 8.d4 c4 9.lbc5
0-010.0-0

And now I 0 ..£t.e6! w«s best, with advamage to Black. I pl«yed IO.. .'ti'c7 a.nd still kept
adnntage until move 19.

Round 3, White vs. 2 l 72: I.d4- �f6 2.c4 g6 1 •.'!:A:1 ..liig7 4.e4 d6 S.�f3 0-0 6 •..1iie2 cS
7.0-0 �bd7 s •..li&.e3 exd4?! 9.�xd4 �cs 10.0 :fjc6 l l.�c 2 «6 n.'W'd 2 .:tbs ll. .:l.«d l
..liid7

E � E�
.a..a..t. .a..t..a.
A .1.�.!)1.1.

8 8
ILJ fib
88/LJ'i!'fi. 88
.!:!. .!:1.\t>

Now best w«s 14.c5! ll:leS 15.f4! with a prob«bly winning «dv«nt«ge. I pl«yed 14f. 4di­
rectly «nd won « piece on move 18.

Round 4, White vs. FM, 2246: l.d4 f5 2 •..1i&.gs �f6?! 1 •..1iirl6 crl6 4.c1 dS S.c4 ..li&.M+
6.�cl .lhc1+?! 7.bxc1 c6 s.'W'c 2 ..lte6 9.cxdS adS?! IO.�dl 'tli'd7 l l.�c2 �c6 n. .:l.bt
llbS?!11.�£4 g6

121
ThtKaufman Rtptnoirtfor B!ack

B. * B.
ii � i
• .t ii
i i
fj, liJ
fj,flfj,
fj, 'iY fj,£/1
J:[ w J:!.

14.c4 (computer s•ys 14.h4 was objectively best .1nd close to winning) 14... d.Ic+
1S.hc4 hc4 16....xc4 .. f7?? (Black should play 16... llc8 with a bad but maybe not
lost position) 17 ....J:c6+! Resigned.

Round 5, Black vs. IM, 2521: l.e f eS 2.i.c4 ..'Of6 3.d3 c6 4. ..'0f3 dS S.i.b3 i.b++6.c3
.iid6 7.�bd 2 0-0 8.0-0 lt:lbd7 9.llel lle8 IO.lt:lfl h6 tl.ll:lg3 ll:lfll 1 2.h3 ll:lg6=
13.ll:lh2?1 lies (maybe 13 ...�e6 was even better) 14.ll:lhS

And now I should have traded knights and then played ...�e6, with advantage. I aciU­
ally played 14 ... iie6 directly, which .1llowed IS.li.lx£6+ ..x£616.do4-, but after 16 ...i.b6
I retained •n edge.

So as you c.1n see, the repertoire worked very well, even against two grandm.1sters. In
fourteen games, only one pl•yer, • GM playing White, managed to re.1ch •n equ.li ope­
ning •gainst my repertoire! Now if only I could play the whole game •s well as the ope­
ning. .. !

222
Index of Variations (Black)
Unusual Opening Moves
l .lriPo ( lish) l...eS Ltb2.Lb+3 ..hl!'5 �f6 G ( um� 1 .1) . .8
l .bl (U.rsen) l .. .t 5 2..i. b2�c6 3.tllbf6 +.�b5 .i.d6
s .tL.tl�.tS (G.tmel.Z) ..
I.f+ B ( ird) I... •'U62.12J3 dS
-3.e3 12
-3.gl c6 4...1lg21tb6 (G<�.me1.3) 12

1.c4g6- English Opening

2..'LlflcS 3.g 3 .i.g7 +...1lg2tt:lc6 (G ilme2.J) 18
&�.!1!1 • .!'l>li 2.e4 eS
'''''' ' -3.1iJf3Sii.g7'1-.d .. exd 4 S.Ibxd+liJf6 6 .ttk30-0 . ...20
' -3.d+.'tJf6 +.8f3exd+ S .eSibe+
6...xd4 ..ll bH G ( m1e2 2 . ) .. . .... . .. ... .. ....20
to, l...'t':Oibf62.g 3 d5 3. .i.g2 g6
-+.O -O ..Ilg7 S .d3 0 -0 6.1!:;bd2 d 4 ... .. .. . . ..... .22
to,/!, /!,fo,fo,fo,t:, - 4.c+ dxc4 R ( ti:ti) G( .tme2.3).. .22
lHl-"lli'�.ll.lill!

1.1ilf31ilf6 2.c4 b6- Queen's Indian versus Reti

3.g3 .i.bH...Ilg2 g6 S.d+..ltg7 G ( iime3.1) . 28
lt'l>J.1!1*.! ll l.d+..llb7 4.{k3 e6
' '''''' -S.il..g 5h6 6. ..1lh 4 il..e7 (G ame3.2) .. . . . ......29
' . - S..t3 d5 6.cxdStLxdS
-7...1ld2"Lld7 G ( .tme3.3).. 31
- 7.e3.i. e7 (G.tme3.4). . . 32
- 7...c2tf:lxd
-S.'..x<:3h6
-S .hxc3cS G ( � me3.S) . .. ...... 3 4

1.1ilf31ilf6 2.c4g 63.1ilc3d5- Anti-Griinfeld

-7.e4 39
-7.g3 . 39
-7.d 4 b S S...b3 cS (G.tme -4.1) . . . .... 39
<1-.cxdSt!JxdS
- S.e<t-tCxd 6.dxc3 "tt'xdl+ 7.�xdl G ( � me 4.2)... 'll
- s."tt' b 3t!Jb6 6 .d'l �g7 7.e'l �g'l
- S."tt'c2 &6 6.d 4 1Lld h1-7.....t4 �d7 (G.tme4.3) 4 4
- s . ..-.t4+ &6 G ( a me 4.4) . . ...... . ... . . 46
- S.g3 �g7 6.�g2 0 -0 7 .0-0 cS (G.tme4.S) . 49

223
TbcKaufmCIII Rcpcrtoirefor Bidck

1.d41ilf6- Queen's Pawn Openings

2 .&3 d5 3..i.g5(Ver esov) 3 ...h6 (Game5.1) . . ......54
1:4>.t1!f•.t l! 2...�.gs(Trompowsky) 2...d5 (Game5 .2). . . . . . . .. ..57
'''''''' 2.<�Jflg6
"' - 3.&3 d5 4. .i.f4(Bury) (Game5.3) . . . .. .... . .59
- 3.e3(Colle) . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . 62
8 - 3..i.g5(Tom) 3 ....Q.g7 4 .ti..Jbd2 0 -0 ... . . .. . . . .. 6 2
- 3... �.f4(LondonSyst em) 3 .. ..i.g7 4.e3 d6 5 .h 3 0-0
888 8888 6. .i.e2 c5 7 .cl "trb6 (Game5.4) . . ..... .. . . . . . . 6 2
lllilJl.1!1'1!1Jl.lilll

1.d41il16 2.c4g6- Neo-Griinfeld

3.f3l!Jc6 (Game6 .1) . . ........... ...... .. . . . . .. . . 66
14>.t1!f•.t ll 3.g 3 .i.g7 4 ..Q.g 2 d5
' ' ' ' ' ' ' -5 .cxd5l!Jxd5 6.e4 e. b6 7.li�2 (Game6.2) .. .. . .68
"'' - 5.ti..Jf30 -0 6 .0 -0 dxc4 (Game6 .3) .. .. .. . .. . . .. 70
- 5.cxd5 ti..Jxd5 6.li'lflll:lb6 7 .&3 �c6
8/i -8 .0-0
-8 .e3 0 -09 .0 -0.D.e8 (Game6.4) .. . . ...... 72
88 8888
lllilJl.1!1'1!1Jl.0lt

1.d41ill6 2.c4g63.1ilc3d5-Griinleld, Non-Exchange lines

4 .h4,4.g4,4 .•a4+ (Game7 .1) . . . . . 77
E4>.t'l!f*.t !! 4.e3 (Game7.2) . . . .. ... . . ............79
''' .t..t. .t. 4..i.g5ltle-45 ..i.h4ll:lxc3 6 .bxcl dxc4 7 .e3 .i.e6
"'' -8.00 (Game7.3) . .. ............... . . . . . . .. 8 1
-8 .D.bl
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 3
-8 ..Q.e2 (Game7 .4) . . . .. .. . ... ... ............ 8 3
4.ll:lfl.Q.g7 5..i.g5 �e4
- 6 .cxdS (Game7.5). . . . . 84
-6.-'.f+ (Game7 .6) . . ... .... . .. . . . . .. . ..87
'l. .i.f+ .i.g7
- S.li'lfl0-0
- 6 .e3 c5 (Game7.7) ........... . . . .. .... . 89
- 6.1:1cl dxc'l (Game7 8) . .. . ... . . . . . . . . .....90
-5.e3 0 -0
- 6 .o:d5lt:.xd5 7 .!0.xd5 Wxd58 ..hc7 (G;un e7.9).91
-6..D.cl .i.e6
- 7 .•b3 c5
- 7.�fl dxc4 (Game7.10) ...... . . . . . .. 9 2
4..'Lofl ..llg7 5.'.b3 dxc46.'1fxc4 0 -0 7 .e'la6
-8.eS b5 9 .•b3 ti..J f d7 lO .e6 fxe6 (Game7 l . l) . ..94
-8 ..i.e2 b59 .•b3 c5 lO.dxc5 .i.e6 (Game7 .l2).. 96

224
 lndaofVllriolions( Biack)

1.d4 11lf6 2.c4g63.11lc3d54.cxd511lxd5-Griinfeld Exchange

S .<i:l�+.ig7 6 .e+ 4'l b6 . ....... . . ...... . ..... . .... . 102
l!4i.t.1!f•.t. l! 5.1tb3 . . . .102
l..t..t. .t..t. .t. S.i.d2.ig7
. 6.e41Llb6 7 .i.e3 . 0-08.h3 eS (Gi!.me8.1) .102
.t. S .e44'lxc3 6.bxc3.i.g7
-7 .W;a4+-'0d7 . . . . . . . . . . lOS
-7 .i.<l3<t:ld7
. . .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . lOS
- 7 .1LgS cS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IOS
-7 .i.b5+c6
. 8 ..L4 0-0 9 .ti:le2 bS (G .tme8 .2) . . . 105
- 7 .tt:lf3cS
- 8 .i.e2
. 1Llc6
-8 .h 3 0-09..i.e2<t:lc6 JO ..ite3 . . . . . . . . 106
-8 .i.bS+rt:lc6
. (Gune8.3) .. . . . . . . . . .106
-8 .i.e3
. .....s
-9.lbd2 .. . . . . . ... .. . . . . . ... .... . . . . .108
-9 .• d2 0-0 IO .llcl l:l:d8 (G illlle 8.+) . . . . 108
-8 .l:l:b10-09 .h2
-9 ...cxd+ IO .cxd4W.tS+
- ll ...d2
·ll ..hi 2W'xa2 1 2.0-0 b6 13 .Wci
- 1 3 ....i.b7 1+ .i.c4
. 'W;a4 1S.i.bs•d
16 .D.ell:tdi7 ...dl
- 17 .. . r6 (G;ame 8 S . ) . . . . . . .. ... 110
- 17 .....c 2 G ( ame8.6) . . . .... . .112
-13 .....e6 (G .tme8 .7) . . . .. .. . . . . .11-4
- 9 ...&6 10 .dStt:le5 ll .lilxeS.i.xeS
1 2 .'ttd 2 e6 1 3 .f+.i.c7 (G ameB B) . . . . . . . 116
- 7 .i.c-4cSB
. .i(Je 2tilc6 9 .i.e3. 0-0IO .O-O
- I O .. . e6 G ( ame8 9 . ). . .. . . . . . 119
-IO ..... c7 11 .l:l:cl b6 G ( ameB .IO) . . . . 120
- IO ...b6 (G .tme8 .11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12+

225
The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

1.e4e5- Center Game and Ponziani, Bishop's Opening and

Vienna,and Gam bits
1 .d4 (Cent erGil.me) 1 ... exd4 3 .Wxd4 tLlc6 + .We3 tLlf6
&lli.t"i'f • .t'l>. !! 5 .&3 �M 6.�d1 0-0 7.0-0-0 UeB
.t..t..t..t. .t..t..t. -8 .�c+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
-8 .Wg31Llxe4 (Gilme9 .1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
.t. 1 .MtU-6 3 .c3(Fbnzimi.) 3...d5dl'a4 f65 .d3 G ( une9 .1) 130
� 1.�c4 (B ishop's Opening) 2...�f6

{,[>.Ml IB8 - 3 .d3 c6 4 .H3d55.�b3 �1>4+6.�2 G

- 3.�3 �c5 4 .d3 c6 s.elf3 G { ilme I0 2
{ mleiO .I) 131
. ) .. . . . .. . 137
11/il.i"lf<t>.itilll
1 .ltlc3 V( i ennii.Gilme) 1 ... t0 f6 3 .f4 d5 G ( ilme 10 .3) . .138
2 .f+ (King's Gil.mbit) 1 ... d5 3 .exd5 exf+ 4:�f3�f6
- 5 .�c4 (Gi..me ll l) . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
- 5 .c+ . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 145
- 5 .€lc3 . . . . . . 145
- 5 .�bS+ G ( ame 11 2 .) . . . .. . .. .. . . . . 145
1 .�c4 tLlf6 3 .d4- exd4 4- .�[3 U ( rusov Gil.mbit)
4- ...�b-4+ G ( ame I1 .3) . ............ . ... ... . I4-7
1 .d+ exd4 3.c3 D ( anish Gambit) 3 .....e7 4 .cxd4
•xe++ (Gilllel 11 .4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . .14-9

1.e4e5 2.lilf31tlc6 - Other Gam bits and Scotch and Four Knights
Opening
3 .d4 exd4-
-4- .�c4 Sc ( otchGambit) <1-•••�5 S 0 . -0 d6 6 .c3 �g+ . .IS I
- + .c3 G( OringGambit) 4 ... dxc3
- S .�c+ .... . . . . ... ... . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 151
- S .ltlxc3 G ( ilmell .S) . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
3 .�c+ �c5 4 .M E ( vilnsGambil) + ... �xMS .c3
- 5 ...�e7 G { ilme\1 .6) . . . . . 153
-5 ....L5 6.d4 d6 7 .Wb3 Wd7 G ( ilme 11 7 . ) . . . . .I54
3 .d4 (Scotch) 3 ... exd4 4 .ltlxd4 tLlf6 S .t0xc6 bxc6 6 .eS .e7
7 .We21i:ldS 8 .c4- �b6
-9 .�dhS
-9 .bhS G ( ame l2 .1) . . .. . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . 158
-9.l0c3 �b7 {Gilmel2 .1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
3 .ltlc3 ltlf6 (Fo urKnights)
- + .d4 (S co1chFourKnigh1s) 4 ... exd+
-5 .tLld5 (B elgra d eGambil) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
-S .tLlxd4 (Game 12 .3) . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . 162
- 4- .d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . ... . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 164-
-4 .�xeS (Halloween) . .. . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
- +.g3 (G lek) G ( ilme 11 .4-) 16-4
- + .�c4 I ( aI liiln) 4 ...0xe4 S .�xe+ d5 6 .� 3 . . . . . 166
- 4 .�b5 (S pmish) 4...�c5 G ( ame 12 .5) . .. ..... I66

226
 IndaofW!rialiollS( Biack)

1.e4e5 2.1ilf31ilc63.�c4�c5- Italian Game

40
. -0 1Llf6 S .d+ �xd+ 6 .-'iJxd+lt.'lxd•7 .f+ d6 8 .fxeS dKeS
9.�g S We7 10 .-t:la 3 l:rg8 (G�me 13 .1) . . 170
4 .c3.'i:lf6
- S .d+ exd+ 6 .cxd4 �h++
- 7 .e. c3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
-7 .�d2 G ( �me 13 2 .) 172
- S .d 3 0-0
-6 .b+ �e7 . . . . . . 174
-6 .�b3 dS . . . . . . . . . 175
-6 .<tlbd2 d6 7 .�b3.'Lte7 175
- 6 .0-0 d6 (G�me 1 3 .3) 174
1.e4 e5 2.1ilf31ilc63.� b5a6- Spanish Offshoots
+ ..i.xc6 dxc6 S .0-0
11 .t.1!¥w.t.�lt - S .. .f6 6 .d+.i.g+ (G�mel+ l) . . . . . . . . . . 181
&&& &&& - S ...�g+ (Game 14 2 . ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
& � + ..L.+l2lf6
j< & -S .d3 d6 (G�me 14 .3) 18+
/!, - 5 .d+ exd4 6 0 . -0 �e7 G ( �me 14 .+) 186
lil -5 ... e2 W ( orm�d) . . 188
/!,[',/!,/!, [',/!,[', -50 . -0 �e7
lllilj<'ifcJI II -6 ... e2 (Worr �l) (G�me 1-1-.5). . 188
-6 .d3 bS 7 .�b3 d68 .H�d7 (G�me 14 .6) . . 190
- 6 .�xc6 dxc6 G ( ame 1-4- .7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
- 6 .l:rel bS 7 .�b3 d6 8 .c3 0-0
-9 .d3 (G�me 1+ 8) . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 193
-9 .d+.i.g+
-IO .dS.'i:\�5 ll . .i c2 c6 (G�mei4 9 . ) . 19S
-IO .h3exd4ii .o:d+ dS G ( amel4 .10) .196

1.e4e5 2.1ilf31ilc63.� b5a64.�a41ilf65.0-0 �e76.1:te 1 b57.� b3

d68.c30·0 9.h31il b8 - Breyer Defense
IO .d3 (G�me 15 .1) . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
IO .d4l2\bd7
-ll .li::. h+l:t e8 1V�JfS �f8 (G�me i S 2 . ) . . . . . . . .202
-ll.c+ c6 (G�me 15 .3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20+
-ll.li:lbd2 �b7
-lh3 cS G ( �me I S .+) . . . .205
12 .�c2l:re8
-lh+.i .f8 14-�d3 c6 G ( �me 15 .5) . . .207
- 1 3 .li:lfl �f8
-l+ .�g S h6 1S .i.h+
. g6 (G m1e 15 .6) 209
-l+ .l2lg 3 g6
-IS .�gS h6 16 .�d2 �g7 G ( ame 15 .7) 210
-IS .b3 �g7 16 .dSl:t c8 (G�me 15 8) . . 211
- IS .�+ cS 16 .dS c+ (G�me 15 .9) . . . .2 1 3

227
ThtKaufman Rtpc-noirt for Biack

Index of Players
Numbers refer to pages.

A Dominguez Perez I 09, I22 lvwchuk 42, 174

Adams 54, 170 Dorfmm 44
Akopian 186 Dueball 203
Alexe� 45 Durarbeyli 190 Jankovic 39
Almasi 31 Jansa 105
Anmd 124, ! 53 , 207 Jobava 31
Andreikin 138 Efimenko 153, 184, 188
Arbau 147 Elianov 87 It
Areschenko 47, 184 Erenburg 190 Kamsky 44, 81, 94, 205
Aronian 109, 124 Ernst 108, 114 Kujakin 174, 207
Avrukh 82 Esserman 166 Kaspvov 153
A=ov 196 Evdokimov 102 Kaufman 73 , 83, 85, 93,
95, 105, 190-191, 193 ,
20 1, 204
Bacallao Alonso 47 Fayvinov 159 KaufmanI 159
Bacrot 73 Feller 122 Khalifman 204
Balogh 210 Fier 120 Korne� 166
Beliavsky 195 Filippov 154 Korobov 122
Berbouov 168 Fischer 204 Kostic 9
Bezgodov 164 Fressinet 153 Kovchan 87
Bitoon 8 Knmnik 138, 160
Balogan 134 G Kritz 79
Bruzon Bautista 68 Gajewski 1 16 Krivolapov 149
Brynell 34 Gashimov 209 !Crush 83, l OS
Byrne 202 Gelfand 73 , 81 Kudrin 93
Gharamian 70 Kurnosov 28, 39, 45
c Giri 72
Carlsen 29, 72, 103, 124, Grandelius 39
144, 204, 207 Grigore 89 Lafuente 12
Caruma 120 Grischuk 73 , 124 uhno 59
Cebolla 77 Gustafsson 108 Lastin 201
Cornette 109 Laylo 104
Cubas 171 H Le Qumg Liem 68
Hammer 168 Legky 62
D Haslinger 162 Leko 29
Dmielian 32 Hebden 60 Li Chao 46, 92
Danielsen 12 Heimann 122
David 213 M
Delchev 193 Maiorov 70
Delorme 130 Istratescu 62 Malakhov 18

228
 Indo: of P!aytn:

Malaniulc 147 Petrisor 167 Svetushkin 119

Mareco 171 Petrov 164 Svid.ler 94, 102, 109
Mukos 46 Poluli�khov 112
Mukowski 21 Polzin 188 T
Mutinovic 28 Ponkntov 39 Tegshuren 73
Meier 49 Ponomariov 10 Ter Siliakym 186
Mekhituim 89 Popilski 82 Timofeev 90
Melkumym 145 Postny 213 Tomuhevsky 20
Meszaros 151 Potkin 109 Topalov 44, 69, I H, 207
Michaelsen 110 Tseshkovsky 41, 112
Mikhalevski 210 R Tukmakov 203
Miladinovic 57 Riazantsev 77. 96
Milmrn 191 Ris 158 v
Mista 144 Robson 73 . 154, 205 v�chier-Lagnve 44, 47,
Miton 47 Rodshtein 96 182
Movsesian 170 Rommishin 21 V�isser 105
Roussel Roozmon 144 V.illejo Pons 128
N Ruk�vin� 202 Vmder Weide 158
Nakamura 10, 69, 204 Visser 137
Navara 104, 195, Vitiugov 47
207-209, 211 Savchenko 130 Vovk 134
Nepomniachtchi 42, 122, Schlosser 9 Vuckovic 84
128 Schmikli 151
Nguyen 92 Schneider 162 w
Ni Hua 66 Shab.t.lov 94-95, 204, Wmg Yue 91, 103, 106,
Nielsen 167 207-208 1<4
Nijboer 114 Shankland 201 Wells 110
Nikolic 190 Shirov 160, 182
Nikolov 193 Short 154, 204 X
Nisipemu 207 Shulman 109 Xu Jun 106
Nogr�dy 149 Shvedchikov 85
Sjugirov 211 y
Smeets 181 Yakovenlco 91
Pilitz 201 So 8, 49
P.illiser 60 Sokolov 137, 181
Panchmathan 47 Solak 57 Zakhartsov 34
Parligru 32 Sosa 13 5 Zapata 193
Pashikim 109 Sp.1ssky 204 Zhang Ziy�ng 66
P�vlov 196 Stefanova 59 Zhou Jianch�o 18, 119
PeUetier 118 Suba 41 Zilka 122
Perelshteyn 154 Sulsk.is 145 Zivanic 79
Pen 54 Sutovsky 20, 84, 109, 116 Zubov 90

229