play 1 I

--

EVERYMAN CHESS
Gloucester Publishers pic www.everymanchess.com
First published in 2008 by Gloucester Publishers pIc (formerly Everyman Publishers
pIc), Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1 V OAT

Copyright © 2008 Yury Lapshun and Nick Conticello

The right of Yury Lapshun and Nick Conticello to be identified as the authors of
this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Pat­
ents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re­
trieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic,
magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of
the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978 1 85744 5602
Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O Box 480,
246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480.

All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House,
10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V OAT
tel: 020 7253 7887 fax: 020 7490 3708
email: info@everymanchess.com; website: www.everymanchess.com

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

EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES

Chief advisor: Byron Jacobs
Commissioning editor: John Emms
Assistant editor: Richard Palliser

Typeset and edited by First Rank Publishing, Brighton.

Cover design by Horatio Monteverde.
Printed and bound in the UK by Clays, Bungay, Suffolk.
Conte nts I

Bibliography 4

Introduction 5

1 The Sokolsky Gambit 11

2 1 b4 eS 2 ..tb2 ..txb4 35

3 Black Plays ... eS and ... d6 48

4 Queen's Indian Systems 73

S Black Plays ... dS and ... e6 1 00

6 Black Plays ... dS and ... ..tfS/.tg4 121

7 1 . .. c6, 1 . .£S and Unusual Moves

. 143

Index of Complete Games 1 71

 Bibliogra phy

Books
Debyut 1 b2-b4, Alexei Sokolsky (Minsk 1963)
1 P-QN4, Andrew Soltis (Chess Digest 1992)
An Opening Repertoire for Black, Drazen Marovic and Bruno Parma (Batsford 1987)
An Opening Repertoire for the Attacking Player, Eduard Gufeld (Cadogan 1996)
Beating Unusual Chess Openings, Richard Palliser (Everyman Chess 2007)
Black to Play and Win with 1 . . . g6, Andrew Soltis (Chess Digest 1988)
Chess Openings for Black, Explained, Dzindzichashvili, Alburt and Perelshteyn
(Chess Information and Research Center 2005)
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings Volume A (Sahovski Informator)
My Best Games of Chess 1905-1930, Savielly Tartakower (G. Bell and Sons 1953)
The New St. George, Michael Basman (Cadogan 1993)
Winning Unorthodox Openings, Angus Dunnington (Everyman Chess 2000)

Databases
Mega Database 2007
The Week in Chess
 I n trod uctio n
by Nick Co nticello
One Saturday evening in September
2004, I was sitting in the Marshall
Chess Club, mired in a dreadful slump,
when Yury Lapshun came up to me
and asked if I would be interested in
helping him write a book on the move
1 b4. I gave the matter due deliberation
(a whole 20 seconds) and agreed. "It
shouldn't take too long," he said.
"Maybe three weeks? I'm going to be
busy after that." Three weeks? Once he
realized we were writing a book and
not a pamphlet, he understood it
would take a bit longer. In fact it took
three years! (We finished the first draft
after two years, then found a publisher
and rewrote the entire thing.) Anyway,
once I had agreed, the benefits were
immediate. The next day I played two
terrifically creative games and finished
second in a strong tournament. There's
something about Yury ...
My main function on this project
has been to assist Yury, whose native
tongue is Russian, to communicate his
I
ideas to an English-speaking public.
But I have also contributed research
and the occasional piece of analysis, so
it can be said that this book is truly a
cooperative effort.
History of the Opening
The move 1 b4 had been played spo­
radically by masters of iconoclastic
bent before 1919, but without too much
success. Here is the game B.Fleissig­
K.5chlecter, Vienna 1893 (or 1895;
sources are confused on the date), that
is a typically frightful beating for
White:
1 b4 e6 2 itb2 tiJf6 3 a3 cS 4 bS dS 5 d4
'iVas+ 6 tiJc3 tiJe4 7 'iVd3 cxd4 S 'iVxd4
itcs 9 'iVxg7 itxf2+ 10 �d1 d4! 11
'iVxhS+ �e7 12 'iVxcs dxc3 13 itC1 tiJd7!
14 'iVxaS 'iVxbS 15 itf4 'iVdS+ 16 �C1
ite3+! 17 itxe3 tiJf2! lS itxf2 'iVd2+ 19
�b1 'iVd1+ 20 �a2 'iVxc2 mate (0-1)
As we say in the USA, don't try this
at home!
But in 1919 Savielly Tartakower
5
Play 1 b4 !
famously used it to beat Richard Reti
in a match in Vienna (this game is
covered in Chapter One). I must take
this opportunity to correct Richard
Palliser's explanation in his excellent
book Beating Unusual Chess Openings.
Tartakower recounts in his book My
Best Games of Chess that he visited the
Central Park Zoo in New York just
before he tried 1 b4 against Geza
Mar6czy in the 1924 New York tour­
nament. He was very impressed by
the climbing skills of an orangutan
and thought the'climb' of the white b­
pawn was similar. So he dubbed the
opening 'the Orangutan' and the
name stuck.
The American master Anthony San­
tasiere played a version prefaced with
1 CDf3, and Reti himself often advanced
the b-pawn two squares in conjunction
with the fianchetto of the king's bishop
in character with his eponymous sys­
tem. In more recent times the British
International Master Michael Basman
has played 1 b4 (or first 1 a3 or even 1
h3! ?) as part of his unique complex of
offbeat systems. Consider the follow­
ing:
M.Basma n-B. Thipsay
Briti s h C h a m pion s h i p,
Eastbou rne 1991
1 h 3 d 5 2 b 4 CDf6 3 CDf3 e6 4 a3 CDbd7 5
e3 jLd6 6 c4 c6 7 CDC3 0-0 8 jLb2 Me8 9
'iVc2 as 10 b5 c5 11 g4! dXC4 12 jLxC4
ttJb6 13 jLe2 �f8 14 g5 CDfd7 15 h4
CDd5 16 h5 CDxc3 17 jLxc3 b6 18 jLd3!
6
18 f5 19 gxf6 CDxf6 20 CDg5 Ma7 21
•••
jLxh7+ <it>h8 22 h6 1 -0
However, this book would probably
never have been written without the
pioneering work of the Soviet master
Alexei Sokolsky, whose games and
analysis in his book Debyut 1 b2-b4
demonstrated beyond any doubt that
the Sokolsky Opening was a viable
weapon at the highest levels of play.
Great players such as Smyslov,
Bronstein, Spassky and Larsen have
used this opening with success against
grandmasters. None of these experts
have used the Sokolsky frequently, but
at the right moment it can be brutally
effective.
General Theory
The advance b2-b4 gains space on the
queenside from the outset and an­
nounces a general policy of left flank
expansion. On the fourth rank the b­
pawn is active in the fight for central
control; it can drive away an enemy
knight from c6 or exchange itself for a
c-pawn foolhardy enough to challenge

it too swiftly. Should the pawn ad­
vance to the fifth rank, it may attack an
enemy pawn chain (b7-c6-d5) or con­
trol the c6-square which might become
weak after an exchange of Black's fi­
anchettoed light-squared bishop.
White's dark-squared bishop will
generally start life on b2 and exert con­
siderable influence on the al-h8 diago­
nal. The light-squared bishop has a
choice, but a good rule of thumb is to
put it on e2 or d3 against a Black set-up
based on ... d7-d5, and to fianchetto it if
time permits against set-ups with ... e7-
e5. This deployment, in conjunction
with the thrust c2-c4, resembles an
English Opening, and the reader is ad­
vised to acquaint himself with that sys­
tem. Of course, against a King's Indian
formation by Black, one may also play
e2-e3 and d2-d4, put the bishop on e2,
and play a French Defence with an ex­
tra tempo. Flexibility is one of the main
virtues of the Sokolsky.
Against ... d5 defences White may
even opt for a Bird Opening set-up
with f2-f4 and tDf3, strong-pointing e5.
But it's usually a good idea to avoid an
early d2-d4, as the weakness of the c4-
square may make itself felt.
Black's main defensive systems in­
volve advancing the e-pawn or d-pawn
two squares at once, or playing an
early ... c6 to attack the b-pawn quickly.
The move 1 . . . e5 is the most critical op­
tion, as the blocking of the long diago­
nal and the threat to dominate the cen­
tre with ... d7-d5 may leave White, if he
is not careful, with a passive position
I n trodu c t ion
without much space to manoeuvre. It
may be necessary to sacrifice material,
often the f-pawn or the b-pawn, to
meet this strategic threat. The positions
after 1 b4 e5 2 i.b2 f6! ? (Chapter One)
require the most accuracy from both
players.
The line 1 b4 c6 2 i.b2 a5 aims to
weaken the b-pawn before attacking it
with pieces. We recommend the gambit
3 b5! ? as the best option. White will
lure the pawn to b4 and then attack
with a2-a3, as in the Benko Gambit (see
Chapter Seven).
Why should you play this opening?
There is one outstanding reason to play
the Sokolsky: it is virtually certain that
your opponent will be unfamiliar with
the positions that arise. The best way to
reach good positions from the opening
is to play reasonably sound systems
with which you are familiar and com­
fortable, and with which your oppo­
nents are unfamiliar and uncomfort­
able! Under these conditions, your op­
ponents will surely make mistakes
which you can exploit to win.
Notice I said 'reasonably sound'. If
you want to guarantee yourself a small
advantage with no risk, the Sokolsky is
not for you! After the best practical
continuation (in my opinion), 1 b4 e5! 2
ltb2 ltxb4!, Black can be assured of an
active position, at least for the first ten
or so moves. However, we feel that
White is not worse here, and the first
player has the significant practical ad­
vantage of being on familiar turf, given
7
P l ay 1 b 4 !
proper preparation.
So much for familiarity. As for com­
fort, the Sokolsky is flexible enough to
offer players of widely varying styles
positions to suit their tastes. For in­
stance, Alexei Sokolsky was a solid,
perhaps even a stolid, player; a plod­
der if you will. His contemporary, Bo­
ris Katalymov, an equally ardent devo­
tee of this opening, was a daring tacti­
cian who revelled in risky flank at­
tacks. Bukhuti Gurgenidze is a lover of
unusual, closed structures, while the
author of this book, Yury Lapshun,
detests closed games. There is truly
something for everybody in the Sokol­
sky.
If you want to explore untrodden
paths, if you enjoy thinking for your­
self, or if you prefer to 'play chess and
not variations', you have come to the
right place. Memorization is required
only for the sharpest lines occurring
after 1 b4 e5. Other first moves for
Black place a premium on understand­
ing and judgment. A careful study of
the material in this book will provide
you with a grasp of the basics of nu­
merous structures your opponents will
try, and the confidence to confront
them effectively.
Opening books may not be too helpful
What of your opponents who may be
aware of your predilection for 1 b4?
Where can they turn for guidance?
Most of our readers will be club
players, as will their opponents. The
average non-professional will not be
familiar with the best methods of wad-
8
ing through databases for the most cor­
rect information, so one may assume
your adversaries will seek guidance
from the standard opening reference
works and repertoire books like this
one. Fortunately for us, very few of
them offer really useful information.
For instance, the late Grandmaster
Eduard Gufeld, in his book An Opening
Repertoire for the Attacking Player, rec­
ommends 1 b4 e6 2 JLb2 ctJf6 3 b5 d5 4
e3 c5 5 bxc6 bxc6, and now he gives the
move 6 ctJf3 after which Black grabs the
initiative on the queenside. But I prefer
the continuation 6 c4! i.d6 7 ctJf3 0-0 8
�c2 ctJbd7 9 ctJc3 i.b7 10 JLe2!, as
played in K.Novikov-D.Pincher, Tula
2000.
Another book, An Opening Reper­
toire for Black by GMs Drazen Marovic
and Bruno Parma, considers only 1 ctJf3
ctJf6 2 b4 and offers only one example:
2 . . . g6 3 JLb2 .i.g7 3 4 c4 0-0 5 e3 c6 6
JLe2 d5 7 0-0 JLg4 8 ctJa3?! ctJbd7 9 b5
cxb5 10 ctJxb5 dxc4 1 1 .i.xc4 a6 12 ctJbd4
e5 13 ctJe2 e4 14 ctJfd4 :c8 15 .i.b3 ctJc5
16 .i.a3 ctJfd7 1 7 :cl �a5 18 JLxc5 ctJxc5
19 h3 JLxe2 20 ctJxe2 :cd8 21 ctJg3 .i.e5?
(Marovic and Parma prefer 21. .. :fe8)
22 :xc5! �xc5 23 ctJxe4, and White ac­
tually won a long rook and pawn end­
ing, V.5myslov-W. Uhlmann, Moscow
1967. But what of the move order 1 b4
ctJf6 2 JLb2 g6 3 JLxf6!?, one may ask -
the authors offer no advice. The King's
Indian is no simple panacea against the
Sokolsky.
Many repertoire books don't even
discuss 1 b4, considering only 1 b3 (the
Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack), which

poses vastly different strategic prob­
lems for both sides. A few books, how­
ever, do make decent suggestions
against our opening. For example, the
American Grandmaster Andrew Soltis,
in his Black to Play and Win with 1 g6,
. . .
offers a sound King's Indian set-up and
considers the Sokol sky separately from
the Nimzowitsch-Larsen. Our prefer­
ences against this structure will be
found in Chapter Three.
Two recent books, Chess Openings
for Black, Explained by Grandmasters
Dzindzichashvili, Alburt and Perel­
shteyn, and Beating Unusual Chess
Openings by 1M Richard Palliser, have
presented a strong challenge based on
the line 1 b4 e5 2 iLb2 �xb4. How to
deal with their recommendations is
discussed in Chapter Two.
The Sokolsky Connection
Part of our mission in writing this book
was to present the best of Sokolsky's
work to the English-speaking chess
world. All the games played by Sokol­
sky (except Game 10), and several
other pre-1970 games (5, 26, 45, 47, 50,
68, 74, 76 and 77) include notes based
heavily upon or directly translated
from Sokolsky's book. Occasionally
Sokolsky got something wrong, and we
have corrected his analysis where nec­
essary. But we have tried for the most
part to retain the flavour of Sokolsky's
I n trod u c tion
writing in these games.
However, our primary purpose was
to put forth Yury Lapshun's games and
ideas, as he is certainly one of the
strongest active players who regularly
plays the Sokolsky. Yury has annotated
more than 60 games here, including 20
of his own best games, and I believe
they are a valuable contribution to the
literature of chess.
Pronoun Questions
For the remainder of this book, the
pronouns 'I', I me' and I mine' refer to
Yury Lapshun, and I co-author' refers to
Nick Conticello. The authors under­
stand that a significant portion of our
readership will be female, and there­
fore we have used gender-neutral pro­
nouns whenever possible.
Conclusion
I will now step aside and let Yury Lap­
shun, with some help from Alexei
Sokolsky, guide you the rest of the
way. On behalf of Yury, I wish you
every success in your games with 1 b4,
and I hope you experience as much
pleasure in reading this work as the
authors enjoyed while writing it.
Nick Conticello,
New York,
March 2008
9
 Ch a pt er On e I
The Sokolsky Gambit

1 b4 eS 2 iLb2 f6!? 3 e4! (or 3 bS!?)

We begin our survey of 1 b4 with one
of its most complicated and most theo­
retical variations, the so-called Sokol­
sky Gambit. With his second move
Black embarks on a policy of building a
strong, classical pawn centre, using it
to blunt White's pieces, in particular
the dark-squared bishop, and eventu­
ally expanding and breaking through
on the kingside. We believe White
must combat this plan by drastic
means, including the offer of a pawn or The Katalymov-Estrin twins
two in 19th century style. (Games 5-6) consider the theoretically
We start with two classic Tarta­ approved thrust 3 ... d5. Instead of the
kower games that put the Sokolsky pedestrian 4 exd5 i..xb4, as given by
Opening Ion the map' so to speak. Angus Dunnington in his excellent
These games, and two later ones, book Winning Unorthodox Openings, we
Fischer-Gloger (Game 3) and Kataly­ recommend the lively 4 f4! . This thrust
mov-Muratov (Game 4), examine the of the bishop's pawn suits my style
acceptance of the gambit with 3 ... iLxb4. better.
White replies 4 i.. c4 with the idea of My encounters with Laframboise
continuing with the advance f2-f4, and and Blumenfeld (Games 7-8) illustrate
often f4-f5 following a similar strategy two logical but - perhaps rightly - rare
to that used in the Vienna Game. attempts by Black. These games, I

11
Play 1 b 4 !
hope, will demonstrate that a thorough
understanding of the ideas from the
previous examples will enable you to
cope with the unexpected, even in such
a wild opening as this.
Of course, not everyone will want
to play in this gambiteering way, and
for people of a more conservative tem­
perament (like my co-author) we in­
clude three examples of the positional 3
b5, one of which was played and ana­
lysed by Alexei Sokolsky himself.
Game 1
S. Ta rta kower-R. Reti
Vie n n a 1919
1 b4 es 2 ..tb2 f6 3 e4 ..txb4
Black's attempts at refusing the
gambit are discussed in Games 5-8.
4 ..tC4!
According to Sokolsky, this is the
best move.
4...CtJe7
This knight helps to prepare ... d7-
d5, and later on to protect f4 (for ex­
ample, after f2-f4, met by ...exf4 fol-
12
lowed by ... CtJg6).
S f4
The immediate 5 'iVh5+ is White's
main alternative (see Game 3).
S ... dS 6 exd s ..td6
Later Colle tried 6 ... exf4 against Tar­
takower (see Game 2).
7 fxes fxes 8 'iVh S+ CtJg6 9 CtJf3
Tartakower is strangely silent about
the rest of the opening phase until
move fourteen. Perhaps he felt the
game was complex enough to dispense
with any further comments on compli­
cations that didn't occur.
9 ...CtJd 7
9 ... 0-0 10 CtJg5 h6 1 1 CtJe6 CtJf4 12
CtJxd8 CtJxh5 13 CtJe6 1:.f7 14 CtJc3 looks a
bit better for White because of his lead
in development and that powerful stal­
lion on e6.
10 0-0
After 10 ..td3 0-0 1 1 ..txg6 hxg6 12
'iVxg6 CtJc5 13 0-0 the position is un­
clear.
10...0-0 11 CtJc3 1:.f4
1 1 . .. CtJf6 12 'iVg5 e4 13 CtJd4 ..txh2+ 14
�hl (but not 14 �xh2?? CtJg4+!)
14 ... CtJe5 15 ..tb3 h6 16 'iVh4 should be
 Th e Sokols ky Ga m b it

good for White.

12 d3 CDf6 13 'iVg5 h6 14 'iVg3!
14 'iVxg6?? allows Black to trap the
queen with 14 .. �
J:: g4!.
14... e4

25...l:tf6?
But there is not enough compensa­
tion for two pawns! 25 ... 'iVc3!? is an
improvement. Tartakower mentions
25 ... b6 26 c4, but even 26 ... 'iYc3 is tough
Black is not ready to open the cen­ to crack.
tre. 14 ... .tg4, bringing another piece 26 'iYxa7 l:tb6 27 d6! 'ik'xd6 28 i.c4+
out, would have been better. �h7
15 CDxe4 CDxe4
15 .. J:txe4 16 'iVxg6 l:tg4 17 .txf6
'iVxf6 18 'ik'xf6 gxf6 leads to a pawn-up
endgame for White.
16 dxe4
16 'iVxg6! would have been more
dangerous for Black. After 16 .. J:tg4 17
'iVh5 CDf6 18 .txf6 'iVxf6 19 d4 White's
strong centre outweighs any problems
associated with the misplaced queen
on h5. Note that 19 ... l:txd4? 20 'iVe8+
�h7 21 .td3+ wins material for White.
16....tg4 29 'ik'b8
16 ... 'iVe8! 17 .td3 �xe4 is unclear. Now the threat is 'iYg8 mate, and
17 'iVel .txf3 18 l:txf3 l:txf3 19 gxf3 White is winning.
'ik'g5+ 20 �hl 'iVh5 21 'iVf2 l:tf8 22 .te2 29 ... CDe6 30 .txe6 'iYxe6 31 'iVxC7 'ik'f6
.te5 23 .txe5 'ik'xe5 24 l:tgl CDf4 25 .tfl 32 l:txg7+! iixg7 33 'iVxb6 1-0
Black is a pawn down, but his ac­ 33 ... 'iYal + 34 �g2! 'iVg7+ 35 �f2, as
tive pieces probably offer enough given by Tartakower, is an easy win for
compensation. White.

13
Play 1 b 4 !
Game 2
S. Tartakower-E.Colle
8a rdejov 1926
1 b4 eS 2 i.,b2 f6 3 e4 i.,xb4 4 i.,e4 the7
S f4 dS
After S ... exf4 6 thh3 dS 7 exdS i.,xh3
8 'iVhS+ g6 9 'iVxh3, White has a strong
initiative in return for the pawn.
6 exds exf4 7 'iVf3
Probably 7 'iVhS+ g6 and only then 8
'iVf3, keeping some pressure on the f6-
pawn, was a better choice. Addition­
ally, White also had the possibility of 7
thh3 transposing to the previous note.
7 ... i.,d6 8 the2 thg6 9 d4 'iVe7 10 .te1!
This passive-looking move assures
the recapture of the pawn and keeps
the position close to equal. 10 0-0 was
another possibility.
10... i.,fS 11 i.,d3 .txd3 12 'i¥xd3 0-0 13
0-0 ':e8 14 thxf4 thxf4 15 .txf4 i.,xf4
16 ':xf4 tha6 17 thd2 'i¥e3+
17 ... thb4!? 18 'iVb3 'iVe3+ 19 'i¥xe3
':xe3 20 c4 ':ae8 may give Black a
slight advantage.
14
18 'iVxe3 ':xe3 19 ':b1!
Tartakower pointed out that it's
necessary to stop ...thb4 here.
19 ....:e3 20 ':b2 b6 21 ':f3 ':xf3 22 gxf3
Defending the d4-pawn with 22
thxf3 was a better option.
22 ... .:d8 23 e4
23 ...thb8
Neither player noticed that after
23 ... c6! 24 ':b3 (or 24 dxc6 l:.xd4 2S cS
bS 26 the4 thc7) 24 ... cxdS 2S ':a3 thb4 26
':xa7 dxc4 27 thxc4 bS 28 ctJa3 thc6 29
':b7 thxd4 30 thxbS thxbS 31 ':xbS ':dl +
32 �f2 ':d2+ 33 �g3 ':xa2 Black has got
an extra pawn, although it's true that
there are almost no chances to win this
position.
24 �f2 �f7 25 a4 e6 26 dxe6 thxe6 27
dS thas 28 �e3 thb7 29 �d4 ':e8 30
ctJe4 h6??
(see following diagram)
30 .. .£S 31 thc3 thaS 32 ':b4 would
reach an equal position. Tartakower
pointed out a nice win similar to the
game continuation after 30 ... �e7 31
':g2 g6 32 ':e2 �f7? (32 ... thaS! might
hold) 33 as! .

31 as! fS
Both captures on a5 lose.
32 axb6! fxe4 33 bxa7 1-0
After 33 ... tbd6 34 ':'b8 ':'xc4+ 35 <ii?e5
':'a4 36 a8'ii' tbc4+ 37 <ii?xe4 tbb6+ 38
'ii'xa4 tbxa4 39 <ii? d4 the stranded knight
is trapped and will soon be captured.
Came 3
R.Fischer-J.Gloger
C levela nd
(Si m u lta neous Display) 1964
Who could have imagined that such
a classical theoretician as Fischer
played the Sokolsky Opening? This is a
very important game, with Fischer
winning by a direct attack on his op­
ponent's king. Let's take a look at this
masterpiece.
1 b4 eS 2 iLb2 f6 3 e4 iLxb4 4 iLC4 tbe7
s 'ii'h S+
This move has been played more of­
ten than 5 f4.
S ... tbg6
5 ... g6 can be met by 6 �4 (or even
6 'ii'f3).
Th e Sokols ky Ga m b it
6 f4 exf4
Black has little choice, as the threat
was f4-f5 winning a piece.
7 tbf3
The classic miniature B.Katalymov­
G.Ilivitsky, Frunze 1959, shows what
can happen if Black is not careful: 7 a3
d5 8 iLxd5 c6 9 iLb3 'ii'a5 10 e5! iLe7? 1 1
iLf7+! and Black resigned.
7...tbc6
8 tbC3
The direct 8 tbh4 is a reasonable al­
ternative. Our analysis runs 8 ... tbce7 9
a3 and now:
a) 9 ... iLd6 10 tbf5 iLe5 1 1 d4 d5 12 dxe5
dxc4 13 tbxg7+ <ii?f7 14 exf6 tbg8 15 e5
'ii'd5 16 0-0 'ii'e4 17 iLc3 'ii'e3+ (or
17 ... iLe6 18 tbxe6 <ii?xe6 19 'ii'g4+ 'ii'f5 20
'ii'e2 b5 21 'ii'f3 ':'d8 22 g4 'ii'g5 23 'ii'c6+
<ii?f7 24 e6+, when the centre pawns
march to victory) 18 <ii?hl 'ii'e4 19 ':'el
'ii'd5 20 tbd2 with a winning position.
b) 9 ... d5 10 iLxd5 iLd6 1 1 tbc3 c6 12
iLb3 'ii'd 7 13 h3 b5 14 0-0 iLc7 15 tbf3 a5
16 a4 iLb6+ 17 <ii?h l b4 18 tbe2 iLa6 19
d3 iLe3 20 tbed4, when Black's king is
trapped in the centre and White's b3-
bishop is very strong.
15
P l ay 1 b 4 !

8... i.xC3 9 i.xc3 d6 10 tZJh4 tDce7 11 13 ...i.xfs

tDfs Alternatives lead to greater trouble
for Black: 13 ... gxf6 allows mate in one
with 14 'ifh6; or 13 ... tZJxfS 14 exfS 'ifc6
IS fxg6 'ifxc4 16 'ifh6! ! 'ifg8 (16 ... gxh6
17 g7+) 17 'ifxf4 �e8 18 lIael+ i.e6 19
'ifa4+ c6 20 'ifb4 gxf6 21 'ifxd6 with a
crushing attack for White.
14 exfs d s
Possibly 1 4... tDg8 i s more resilient.
Then IS i.xg8 �xg8 16 fxg6 gxf6 1 7
gxh7+ �g7 18 'iff3 b 6 19 lIael 'iff7 20
'ifg4+ �f8 21 'ifxf4 lIxh7 22 'ifxf6 'ifxf6
23 lIxf6+ should be a winning rook
11...�f8?! ending for White.
1 l . .. dS! would have been a stronger 15 fxg6 gxf6 16 'ifh6+ �g8 17 g7 1-0
defence. After 12 tDxe7 'ifxe7 13 'ifxdS
c6 14 'ifd4 bS IS i.d3 tDeS 16 i.b4
tDxd3+ 17 cxd3 'ifd8 18 i.d6 i.e6 19
'ifcs 'ifb6 20 'ifc3 lId8 21 i.cs 'ifc7, the
outcome would still be very much in
doubt.
12 0-0 'ife8?
A fatal mistake, cutting off his
king's escape. 12 ... 'ifd7! ? 13 tDh4 'ifg4
14 tZJxg6+ 'ifxg6 IS 'iff3 'ifgS is a
stronger defence.
13 i.xf6!
Black loses material and his position
is hopeless.

Game 4
B.Katalymov-V.Mu ratov
Novgorod 1961

This i s a very complex game, in

which we discuss some important the­
ory.
1 b4 es 2 i.b2 f6 3 e4 i.xb4 4 i.C4 'ife7

16

Black has also played 4 ... ttJc6 5 f4
and now:
a) 5 ...exf4 6 ttJh3 ttJge7 7 ttJxf4 ttJa5 8
i..xf6! ':f8 9 ttJh5! ttJxc4 10 ttJxg7+ �f7
11 0-0 �g8 12 'iVh5! ':xf6 13 ':xf6 ttJg6
14 ':xg6! hxg6 15 'iYxg6 �h8? 16 ttJe8!
'iYe7 17 ttJf6 1-0, A.5okolsky-Strugach,
Minsk 1958, is a good demonstration of
White's attacking chances in this line.
b) 5 ... d6 is a passive but solid reac­
tion. We suggest 6 f5, after which Black
must decide how to develop his king's
knight:
bl) 6 ... ttJh6 7 'iVh5 �f8, and now
Sokolsky's suggested improvement on
a game of his against Veresov is 8 a3
i..c5 9 ttJc3, with ideas of castling long
and dropping the bishop back to a2.
b2) 6 ... ttJge7 has become more
popular recently. After 7 'iYh5+ g6 8
fxg6 ttJxg6 9 ttJf3, as played in the stem
game A.Sokolsky-A.Gurvich, corre­
spondence 1963, the position remains
unclear.
5 a3
5 c3 didn't lead to any success for
White after 5 ... i.. c5 6 'iYe2 d6 7 d4 i..b 6 8
a4 a6 9 as i.. a 7 10 ttJd2 ttJh6 1 1 ttJgf3
The S o k o ls ky Ga m b it
ttJc6 in K.Richter-L.Rellstab, Bad Oeyn­
hausen 1939.
5 ttJe2, as given by Andrew Soltis,
seems more to the point. For example:
a) 5 ... d6 6 c3! (Soltis) 6 ... i.. c5 (or
6 ... i..a5 7 d4 exd4 8 O-O! - presumably
this is always the answer to Black's
... exd4) 7 d4 i..b6 8 0-0, and now
8 ... ctJh6 transposes to note 'b' .
b) 5 ... ctJh6 6 0-0 d6 7 c3 i.. c5 8 d4
i..b 6 9 a4 a6 10 as i.. a7 11 'iVb3 ctJc6 12
ctJd2 ctJf7 13 f4 was slightly better for
White in the game E.Schiller-E.Richter,
correspondence 1971 . This is a curious
mixture of the Evans and King's Gam­
bits!
s i.. a s 6 f4 ctJc6
...
Black needs to avoid 6 ... exf4? 7
'iVh5+ �d8 8 'iYxa5 'iYxe4+ 9 i.. e2.
7 fS
Gaining more space for a possible
kingside attack. As mentioned in the
introduction to this chapter, f4-f5 is
often part of White's plans.
7 d6?!
...
After this move Black can forget
about castling.
7... g6!? 8 'iYf3 'iYc5 9 i..b3 ctJd4 10
17
P l ay 1 b 4 !
i.. xd4 'iVxd4 1 1 1:.a2 ctJe7 12 ctJe2 'iVd6 13
ttJbc3 is a typically unclear variation,
quite common for the Sokol sky Gam­
bit.
8 'iVh5+ �f8 9 ctJc3 i..x C3 10 i.. xC3 i..d 7
11 1:.b1 b6 12 'iVe2 ttJd4 13 'iVd3 ttJh6
14 ctJh3
Grabbing a pawn is a mistake: 14
i..xd4? exd4 15 'iVxd4 ctJxf5 16 'iVd3 1:.e8.
14 b5 15 i.. a 2 c5
.••
16 i.. xd4?!
16 i.. d5!?, intending 16 ... 1:.e8 17
i.. xd4 exd4 18 0-0, is stronger.
16...exd4?!
16 ... c4!? is perhaps a more promis­
ing option; for example, 17 'iVf3 exd4 18
18
0-0 'iVe5 19 ctJf4 'iVc5 20 a4 d3+ 21 �hl
dxc2 22 1:.b2 a6.
17 i..d 5 C4?!
Too late! Black should continue
17 ... 1:.e8!? 18 0-0 ttJf7 19 ttJf4 a6 20 'iVg3
ttJe5.
18 'iVxd4 ttJxf5 19 'iVf2 1:.e8 20 0-0 'iVe5
21 ctJf4 ttJd4
22 'iVh4?!
22 c3! is much stronger, and here
22 ... 'iVxf4 23 'iVxd4 'iVe5 24 'iVxa7 1:.e7 25
'iVb8+ 1:.e8 26 'iVb7 'iVe7 27 1:.fel 1:.d8 28
i.. c6 i..xc6 29 'iVxc6 'iVd7 30 'iVxb5 'iVxb5
31 1:.xb5 reaches a winning rook end­
game.
22...i.. e6?
22 ... �e7! 23 c3 ctJb3 24 d4 'iVg5 is
more resilient and gives Black chances
to hold on.
23 ctJxe6+ ctJxe6 24 1:.xb5
White's active pieces and Black's
poorly placed king add up to a huge
advantage for White.
24...'iVd4+ 25 'iVf2 'iVxf2+ 26 �xf2 ttJc5
27 �e3 a6 28 1:.b6 ctJxe4 29 �d4! ctJxd2
30 1:.d1 c3 31 1:.b7 h5 32 �xc3 ctJe4+ 33
�d4 ctJg5 34 1:.db1 h4 35 1:.1b6 h3 36 g3
1:.h6 37 1:.xd6 f5 38 1:.dd7 1:.g6 39 c4

Every white piece is on a perfect
square, and now the passed c-pawn
will decide the game.
39...f4 40 gxf4 tiJe6+ 41 �C3 !:.f6 42 c5
':xf4 43 c6 tiJc5 44 !:.f7+ !:.xf7 45 !:.xf7+
�g8 46 !:.f3+ �h7 47 iLf7 tiJe4+ 48 �c2
tbg5 49 !:.xh3+ tiJxh3 50 iLxe8 1-0
In two more moves White will have
a new queen.
Gam e S
B.Kata lymov-V.Estrin
S pa rta k C h a m pion s h i p,
M i n s k 1962
Sokolsky wrote that this game was
played in Minsk, although some
sources give Moscow as the location.
Notes in quotation marks are by Sokol­
sky, translated by Yury Lapshun.
1 b4 e5 2 iLb2 f6 3 e4 d5 4 f4 exf4
"A sharp variation, not yet well in­
vestigated in practice."
5 'iih5+ g6 6 'iix d5 'iix d5 7 exd5 iLxb4
8 iLc4
"In the game Sokolsky-Estrin (Baku,
1958) 8 tiJe2 had been played. White
The S o k o ls ky Ga m b i t
had prepared this bishop move as a
novelty. Both continuations give White
an initiative which compensates for the
sacrificed pawn."
8...iLf5
8 ... tiJd7 is what Estrin chose two
years later (see Game 6).
9 tiJe2! iLd6
"The move 9 ... iLxc2 doesn't make
any sense. After 10 tiJxf4 the knight can
jump to e6."
10 tiJbC3 tiJd7
10 ... .,txc2?! is weak on account of 1 1
d3.
11 tiJd4! tiJe5 12 iLb3 tiJe7 13 tiJcb5!
13 ...a6
13 ... 0-0-0? is met by 14 tiJxa7+, while
against 13 ... 0-0? White has 14 tiJxc7!
iLxc7 15 d6+.
14 tiJxd6+ cxd6 15 0-0 iLe4
Against 15 ... g5?, 16 tiJxf5 tiJxf5 1 7 g3
f3 18 d4! regains the pawn with a large
initiative. Black's position would be
riddled with weaknesses.
16 !:'xf4 f5 17 tiJf3! iLxf3
17 ... tiJxd5? loses material to 18
!:.xe4! fxe4 19 tiJxe5 dxe5 20 iLxd5, and
17 ... iLxd5? 18 tiJxe5 dxe5 19 ..txe5 gives
19
Play 1 b 4 !
White the better position.
18 gxf3 g5 19 1:.b4 0-0-0
"White, with a pair of active bish­
ops, is better."
19 ...l2Jxf3+? is a mistake, as 20 �f2
l2Je5 21 1:.xb7 improves White's pieces.
20 �f2 l2J7g6 21 ':e1 1:.he8 22 d4
"By kicking the knight from the
centre, White gains the possibility of
moving the rook to the e6-square."
22...l2Jf7 23 1:.e6! l2Jf4
"Black hoped to eliminate the rook
from e6, but he was disappointed."
24 i.. c1! l2Jg6
"It's very dangerous to capture the
exchange. After 24 ... l2Jxe6? 25 dxe6
l2Jh8 26 .txg5 White should win."
25 1:.C4+ �d7 26 1:.c3 f4 27 a4!
"It's necessary to involve the light­
squared bishop. By advancing the a­
pawn, White achieves his goal."
27...1:.e7
27 ... a5 28 i.. c4! wins.
28 as 1:.c8 29 1:.d3 l2Jf8 30 1:.f6 �d8 31
i.. a 3 l2Jd7 32 1:.e6 l2Jf8 33 1:.d2! g4!
For a second time Black declines the
exchange. Accepting the sacrifice after
33 ... l2Jxe6 34 dxe6 l2Jh6 35 i.. x d6 is ob­
viously not a good idea.
34 1:.xe7
"The best move. 34 fxg4 l2Jxe6 35
dxe6 l2Jg5 36 1:.e2 1:.c3 allows Black
counterplay."
34...�xe7 35 fxg4
"White should decline the pawn of­
fered by his resourceful opponent. Af­
ter 35 1:.e2+ �f6 36 c4!, White could
count on victory."
35...1:.c3!
"Because of the threat of ... l2Jg5,
20
Black gets counterplay."
36 1:.e2+ �f6 37 h4 1:.h3 38 1:.e8
"Better is 38 g5+ with subsequent 39
1:.e7. The entry of the black knight into
the battle more than outweighs the loss
of the d-pawn."
38...l2Jg6 39 i.. x d6 1:.h2+?
"A time pressure mistake. By play­
ing 39 ... l2Jxd6 40 1:.e6+ �g7 41 1:.xd6
l2Jxh4 Black had a chance to save the
game. For example: 42 1:.d7+ �g6 43 d6
1:.h2+ 44 �f1 l2Jf3."
However, in this position we (YL
and NC) believe that White can win
with 45 i.. d 5! l2Jd2+ 46 �gl 1:.e2 47 1:.e7
f3 48 1:.xe2 fxe2 49 �f2.
40 �g1 1:.xh4 41 i.. e5+ 1-0
"Here the game was adjourned.
Black sealed the move 41. .. �g5 and
resigned without resuming. The diffi­
cult, sharp fight in this game is very
typical for the gambit variation after 1
b4."
Game 6
B.Kata lymov-V.Estrin
S pa rta k C h a m pion s h i p,
Moscow 1964
1 b4 e5 2 i..b2 f6 3 e4 d5 4 f4 exf4 5
'iYh5+ g6 6 'iYxd 5 'iYxd 5 7 exd 5 i.. xb4
This was the second time Kataly­
mov and Estrin played this position
against each other in a tournament
game.
8 .tc4
We prefer this natural move to 8
l2Je2!?, which was played in
A.Sokolsky-Y.Estrin, Baku 1958.

8... lDd7 9 lDe2 ..td6 10 lDbe3
10...�f7?!
Black has to develop. He should
consider 10 ... lDb6, after which 1 1 ..tb3
as 12 a4 gS 13 lDe4 ..teS 14 d4 ..td6 IS
ct:Jxd6+ cxd6 16 c4 lDe7 17 ..ta3 ..tg4 18
..txd6 lDfS 19 ..tcS lDd7 reaches an un­
clear mess. Positions that are so imbal­
anced are very difficult to evaluate.
11 0-0 lDe5 12 ..tb3
12 Mxf4? loses material after 12 ... gS!
13 Md4 ..tcS.
12...g5 13 lDe4 ..tg4 14 lDd4
Let's look at this position. We can
see a typical King's Gambit, but with­
out the white b-pawn. White's domina-
The S o k o ls ky Ga m b i t
tion of the centre - especially the e6-
square - and the awkward position of
the black king compensate him for his
missing pawn.
14...Md8 15 lDb5 �g6
IS ... ..te2!? 16 lDbxd6+ cxd6 17 Mfel
f3 18 d4 ct:Jg6 19 ..ta3 ct:Jf4 20 lDxd6+
�g6 21 �f2 g4 22 lDxb7 Mb8 23 lDcs
leaves Black a pawn down with noth­
ing to compensate for White's queen­
side pawn mass.
16 lDxa7 ..te2 17 Mfel ..ta6 18 a4 lDh6
19 lDb5 lDhf7 20 d4 lDg4 21 lDe5 ..txe5
22 dxe5 e6 23 dxe6 bxe6 24 .txf7+ �xf7
25 lDd6+ �g6 26 ..td4 Mhf8 27 Mabl
..te4 28 Mb6
White has improved all his pieces.
Now it's time to push the a-pawn,
which should decide the game.
28.....td5 29 as ct:Jh6 30 a6 lDf5 31 ..tf2
g4 32 e4 g3 33 hxg3 fxg3 34 exd5 gxf2+
35 �xf2 exd5 36 ct:Jxf5 �xf5 37 e6
Material is equaL but Black can't
stop the two passed pawns.
37...Ma8 38 e7 Mfe8 39 Mel �e5 40 �e3
f5 41 �d3 Mg8 42 Mel+ �f4 43 �d4
Mxg2 44 Mfl+ �g5 45 Mel Me8 46 Mb8
Md2+ 47 �e5 1-0
21
P l ay 1 b 4 !

S ... dS 6 exdS cxdS 7 'i¥hS+ g6 8 'VJIIxdS

'VJIIxdS 9 iLxdS iLxb4 10 llJe2 is unclear.
Came 7
6 'VJIIe2
Y.La ps h u n-M.Lafra mboise
Montrea I 2004

This was my final-round game at

the Montreal tournament and I had to
win to claim a high place. My oppo­
nent was a young, talented Canadian
chess master who didn't have many
games on my database. I decided that it
was time to use my favourite weapon .. .
1 b4 e5 2 i..b2 f6 3 e4 c6

6...d6
Black should speculate with
6 ... 'VJIIxb4 7 .tb3 llJe7 8 llJf3.
7 llJf3 llJd7 8 llJC3 llJe5 9 .tb3 llJh6 10
0-0-0 .te6 11 d4llJxf3
1 1 ... llJeg4 12 dS iLd7 13 dxc6 bxc6 14
bS llJe3 IS bxc6 .txc6 16 llJdS iLxdS 17
iLxdS 1:.b8 18 llJd4! promises White a
strong attack, something that can be
verified by using Fritz.
12 gxf3 .txb3 13 axb3 a6 14 h4 llJf7 15
A new move to me, at the time of 'VJIIf2!
this game at least. But with the themes
of the previous games in mind, it's easy
to construct a good plan against 3 ... c6.
3 ... llJe7! ? is a rare alternative. Soltis
gives it an exclamation mark, but it has
not been explored whatsoever at high­
level chess. One example, the best of a
bad bunch, is the following gem: 4
'i¥hS+ llJg6 S f4 exf4 6 llJf3 d6 (6 ... llJc6 is
better) 7 llJh4 1:.g8? 8 iLc4! and Black
resigned, T.Juscamayta Zuegel­
G.5emmler, Bad W6rishofen 2000.
4 f4 exf4 5 iLC4 'VJIIe7 A very difficult move to find, with

22

many ideas. By playing 15 'iff2, White:
1) Keeps an eye on a7-g 1 diagonal;
2) Defends the h4-pawn;
3) Clears the e-file for the rook; and
4) Prepares to push the central
pawns.
Instead 15 h5 g5 16 hxg6 hxg6 17
1:.xh8 liJxh8 18 'ilVh2 liJf7 19 'iYxf4??
would not be a good idea in view of
19 ... .th6!
1S ...gS 16 d S!
The aim of this move is to expose
the black king and to manoeuvre the
knight via e2 and d4 to f5 or e6.
16...liJes 17 liJe2 hS 18 liJd4 cxd S 19
ttJfS 'iYC7 20 1:.xdS
The result of the breakthrough on
move sixteen is that White's pieces
have much greater scope than their
counterparts.
20...1:.c8 21 hxgs fxgs 22 1:.hd1 1:.h7 23
c4
This is thematic, but already White
can play simply with 23 liJxd6+! i..x d6
24 1:.xd6 liJxf3 25 1:.e6+ �f8 26 1:.d5 g4
27 1:.f5+ 1:.f7 28 1:.xh5, which should be
winning.
However, White should avoid 23
The S o k o l s ky Ga m b it
1:.xd6?!, when 23 ... liJxf3 24 l:te6+ �f7 25
1:.f6+ �g8 26 l:tg6+ �f7 27 1:tf6+ �g8 28
1:.g6+ is only a draw.
23...g4 24 'iYd2
Once again White could play 24
liJxd6+! i.xd6 25 1:.xd6 liJxf3 26 1:.e6+;
for example, 26 ... �f7 27 1:.dd6 1:.d8 28
e5 1:.g7 29 'iYc2 1:.f8 30 'iYf5+ �g8 31
'iYxh5 'iYf7 32 1:.g6 liJh4 33 1:.xg7+ 'iYxg7
34 e6, winning.
24...gxf3
2S 1:.xd6?
At the risk of repeating myself, 25
liJxd6+! i.xd6 26 1:.xd6 liJf7 27 ':e6+ �f8
28 i.. d4 1:.d8 29 1:.g1 b6 30 'iYc3 1:.xd4 31
'iYxd4 'iYd8 32 'ifxd8+ liJxd8 33 ':xb6
1:.e7 34 ':f6+ �e8 35 1:.xf4 and again
White wins.
2S ...liJxC4! 26 bxc4 'iYxc4+ 27 �b1
'iYxe4+ 28 �a1?
Another mistake - 28 'ifd3! was bet­
ter. One possible line from here is
28 ... 'iYxd3+ 29 1:.6xd3 i.xb4 30 1:.d4
(Black is struggling despite having five
pawns for the piece) 30 ... i.c5 31 l:tel+
1:.e7 (31 . ..�f8 32 1:.xf4 1:.f7 33 1:.xf3 1:.cc7
34 1:.e6 is good for White) 32 liJxe7 f2 33
1:.f1 �xe7 34 1:.xf4 �e6 35 i.d4 i.xd4 36
23
Play 1 b4!
':xd4 �e5 37 ':d2 ':f8 38 ':dxf2 ':xf2 39
':xf2 and White wins.
28.. :i¥xf5 29 ':d5
29 ':d8+ leads a draw after 29....:xd8
30 'ii'xd8+ �f7 31 'iVc7+ i"e7 32 ':e1 �g6
33 ':gl + i"g5 34 'iVb6+ �f7 35 'iVc7+ i"e7
36 ':e1 �e8 37 'iVb8+ �f7 38 'iVc7.
29 ...'ii'c2??
A blunder. 29 ...'iVg6?? also loses, to
30 l:.e5+ l:.e7 31 'iYd7+ �f7 32 ':f5+ �g8
33 'iVd5+ �h7 34 ':xh5+ i.h6 35 ':xh6+!
'iVxh6 (35...�xh6 36 ':h1+) 36 'ii'f5+ �g8
37 ':gl + ':g7 38 'iYxc8+. But Black can
survive by playing 29 ...'iYg4! 30 ':d8+
':xd8 31 'ii'xd8+ �f7 32 ':e1! �g8 33
'iVd5+ l:.f7 34 ':e5 f2! 35 ':g5+ i.g7 36
'iVd8+ �h7 37 'iVd3+ �g8 38 ':xg4 (38
'iVd8+ �h7 is perpetual check) 38...hxg4
39 'iVd8+ i"f8, when White must be con­
tent with perpetual check after 40 'iVg5+
i"g7 41 'ii'd8+ ':f8 42 'iVd5+ ':f7 43
'iYd8+.
30 ':d8+ ':xd8 31 'iVxc2?
Just one of those days! 31 'iVxd8+!
�f7 32 'iYf6+ �g8 33 ':d8 was the right
way.
31....:xd1+ 32 'iYxd1 i.g7 33 'iVxf3
This is natural, but 33 'iVd6 would
24
have been stronger: 33...i"xb2+ 34 �xb2
f2 35 'iVb8+ �e7 36 'iVxb7+ �f6 37
'iVxa6+ �g5 38 'iVe2 h4 39 'iVxf2 h3 40
'iVc5+ �g6 41 'iVd6+ �g7 42 'ii'd7+ �g6
43 'iVg4+ �f6 44 'iVxf4+ �g6 45 'iVh2 and
White wins.
33...i"xb2+ 34�xb2 ':f7 35�C3 h4
35...�d8! draws as Black is able to
set up a fortress: 36 'ii'd5+ ':d7 37 'iVxh5
':c7+ 38 �d4 ':c6 39 �d5 �c8 40 'iVf5+
�b8 41 'iVxf4+ �a8 42 'iVe5 �a7 43 'iVg7
�a8 44 'iVd7 �a7 45 'iVd8 ':c1 46 �e5
':c6 47 'iVd4+ �b8, when White can
make no further progress.
36�d4
36...�f8?
Black can draw only if his king can
reach the queenside corner protected
by two connected pawns, as shown in
the previous note.
37 �e5 ':e7+ 38 �d6 ':f7 39 'iVh5 �g7
40 'iVg5+�f8 41�e6 h3 42 'iYh6+
Now the white queen will capture
Black's pawns one by one. Even so, 42
'iVh5! l:.e7+ 43 �f6 is a quicker win as
Black is soon mated.
42 �g8 43 'iVxh3 f3 44 'iVh5 ':g7 45
..•
'iVxf3 �h7 46 'iVh5+ �g8 47 'iYe8+ �h7
 The S o k o ls ky Ga m b it

48 <iit f6 b6 49 �e4+ <iit g8 50 �a8+ <iit h7

Sl �xa6 1-0
My favourite b4-pawn survived the
whole game, even though it could have
been captured many times.

Came 8
Y.La ps h u n-R.B l u menfeld
Ma rsh a II C h ess C I u b 2004

1 b4 eS 2 i,b2 f6 3 e4 a s
Another unusual try b y Black.
4 bS �C5 5 f4
Again White goes for this f-pawn
push. Here S ... exf4?? loses to 6 �S+.
S d6 6 i.C4 �e7 7 fS tLlh6
•••
With the idea of ... tLlf7 so as to allow
Black to castle kingside. 7 ... g6 8 tLlc3
gxf5 9 'iih5+ <iit d8 10 exf5 'YWg7 11 �f3
reaches an unclear position.
8 tLlC3 c6 9 g4
11 d6!
I guess he overlooked this impor­
tant in-between move. 1 1 ':xgl??
would have been met by 11. .. �c5, win­
ning material.
11..:�xd6 12 tLle4 �e7
12 ... 'iVb4 is met by 13 iLc3! intending
13 ... �xc4?? 14 tLld6+! ' It would proba­
bly have been better to play 12 ... �c7.
Then following 13 :xgl cxbS 14 iLxb5+
i,d7 15 'iVe2 �6 16 0-0-0 ..txbS 1 7
�xb5+ 'ii'xb5 18 tLld6+ <iit d7 19 tLlxb5,
White has only a small advantage.
13 :xg1

9...dS?
Opening the position with the king
stuck in the middle is a bad idea. The
consistent 9 ... tLlf7 would have been
much more sensible. 13 ...<iit d8?
10 exdS iLxg1 13 ... cxb5 14 i.xb5+ i.d7 15 ..txd7+

25
P l ay 1 b 4 !
liJxd7 16 'iif3 liJf7 17 �a3 'iid 8 18 'iib3
leaves Black's king caught in the cross­
fire of White's queen and bishop, but
the text is even worse for Black.
14 'iif 3 <:J;C7??
14 ... cxb5 15 i..xb5 'iib4 16 'iid3+ i.. d 7
17 i..x d7 liJxd7 18 <:J;e2 'iib6 19 l!tabl
'iVc6 20 i.. a3 isn't pretty, but this would
still have been better than Black's
choice in the game.
15 �a3 'iid 7
16 b6+! <:J;xb6
16 ... <:J;d8 1 7 d4 blasts open the cen­
tre against the black king, e.g. 17 ... exd4
18 0-0-0 l!te8 19 liJc5 l!te3 20 'iif4 'iie 7 21
liJxb7+ 'iixb7 22 'iixd4+ .td7 23 'iixe3
and White wins.
17 .td6!
White builds a mating net in the
style of Petrosian's famous win against
Pachman from Bled, 1961: l liJf3 c5 2 g3
liJc6 3 i.. g2 g6 4 0-0 i.. g7 5 d3 e6 6 e4
liJge7 7 l!tel 0-0 8 e5 d6 9 exd6 'iixd6 10
liJbd2 'iic7 1 1 liJb3 liJd4 12 .tf4 'ii b6 13
liJe5 liJxb3 14 liJc4 'iib5 15 axb3 a5 16
.td6 .tf6 17 'iif3 <:J;g7 18 l!te4 l!td8 19
'iVxf6+! ! <:J;xf6 20 .te5+ <:J;g5 21 .tg7! and
Black resigned.
26
17.. /3!;a7
After 17 ... liJa6, White wins with 18
'iVe3+ c5 19 l!tbl + <:J;a7 20 i..x a6.
18 'iie 3+ b6
A good exercise for students. It's
White to play and win:
19 'iixb6+!!
A beautiful queen sacrifice, leading
to a forced mate.
19...<:J;xb6 20 l!tb1+ 1-0
20 ... <:J;a7 21 .tc5 is mate.
Came 9
A.Sokolsky-A.Kotov
Leningrad 1 9 3 8
I f the previous games seem too haz­
ardous for you, we offer now three ex­
amples of the positional approach - the
safe 3 b5 - preferred by Sokolsky him­
self. Notes in quotation marks are by
Sokolsky, translated by Yury Lapshun.
1 b4
"This game was annotated by Kan
in the tournament bulletin under the
title 'Irregular Opening'. The move 1
b4 was not taken seriously. Nowadays
 Th e Sokols ky Ga m b i t

1 b4 has earned its citizenship' and is a

I

respectable member of the openings

family."
1... eS 2 i.b2 f6
"With this move Black assumes the
obligations of a big centre and a potential
weakness on the a2-g8 diagonal, which
White may attempt to exploit directly by
playing 3 e4!? i.xb4 4 i.c4, the so-called
Gambit Variation. In addition Black's .. .£6
does nothing to further his development.
White's actual move eschews gambit
play, hoping to undermine Black's centre 8 tDbd2 tDgf6 9 c4 c6 10 i.e2 0-0 11
by positional means." tDgs 'ii'e7
3 bS dS 4 e3 i.e6 5 d4 Alternatively 1 1 . .. i.fS 12 cxdS cxdS
13 e4! tDxe4 14 tDdxe4 ..tb4+

"Better than 5 tDf3, which Black can

answer with S ... cS."
S...tDd7
"One year earlier, in the game
Sokol sky-Rovner from the Leningrad
Championship, Black played the in­
consistent 5 ... exd4 6 'ii'x d4!, abandon­
ing the attempt to build a big centre
and rendering the move 2 ... f6 useless.
The most natural answer was S ... e4."
6 dxes fxes 7 tDf3 i.d6
"Black's pawn centre is clearly both
a source of strength and weakness."
and now:
a) Sokolsky stopped his analysis af­
ter 15 �f1 ? dxe4 16 'ilVb3+ (16 ..tc4+ �h8
17 tDf7+ �xf7 18 i.xf7 'ii'f6 gives Black
the advantage), believing that 16 ... �h8
1 7 tDf7+ �xf7 18 'ii'xf7 would be good
for White. However, looking further on
18 ... 'ilVb6! 19 'ii'xfS �f8 20 'ii'xf8+ i.xf8 21
�dl tDcs is actually better for Black
since White is undeveloped.
b) We believe 15 i.c3! is the best
move, improving on Sokolsky' s line.

27
Play 1 b4 !

Then lS ... i.xc3+ 16 tDxc3 'iYxgS 17 15 e4

..•

'iVxdS+ �h8 18 0-0 11ac8 19 tDe4 reaches "A move in the spirit of the posi­
an equal position. tion. Otherwise 16 cxdS cxdS 17 e4!
12 tDxe6 'iYxe6 13 0-0 would be unpleasant. Now Black can
count on the creation of an attack on
the kingside, and White should be on
the alert!"
16 i.a 3 tDe5 17 i.xd6 11xd6
"The exchange of bishops decreases
Black's attacking chances. After c4-cS
and tDd2-b3-d4, White, gaining tempi,
repulses Black's pieces. During the
struggle there comes a turning point
when White captures the initiative."
18 c5 11d7 19 tDb3 tDfg4 20 h3

13 ...�h8
"Necessary. 13 ... 11ad8 14 cxdS cxdS
IS e4! tDxe4 (lS ... dxe4 16 i.c4!) 16 tDxe4
dxe4 17 i.g4 'iYg6 18 'iYdS+ �h8 19
i.xd7 11xd7 20 11ae I ! regains the pawn
and stabilizes the position."
We agree with this assessment, and
our computer-aided analysis continues
20 ...'iYfS 21 'iYxe4 'iYxe4 22 11xe4 i.cs 23
i.xeS i.xf2+ 24 �h1 �g8 2S a4 11d2 26
h3 g6 27 11c1 with a level endgame.
14 a4 11ad8 15 'iYc2 20...tDh6
"Attempts to destroy White's posi­
tion by sacrificing don't work: 20 ... tDf3+
21 gxf3 (21 i.xf3 exf3 - 21. .. 11xf3 22 bxc6
bxc6 23 tDd4 - 22 tDd4 tDxe3 23 tDxe6
tDxc2 24 tDxf8 wins for White) 21 . .. exf3
22 i.xf3 (22 tDd4 'iVh6 23 hxg4 fxe2 24
'iYxe2 also wins) 22 ...l1xf3 23 tDd4 'iVh6
(23 ... tDxe3 24 tDxe6 tDxc2 2S bxc6 bxc6
26 11ab1 h6 is equal) 24 tDxf3 'iYxh3
(24 ... 11f7 2S hxg4 11xf3 26 11fc1 wins for
White) 2S 'iYfS 11d8 26 'iff4 and Black's
attack is refuted."

28

Going back to the position after 21
gxf3, we believe that Black actually can
win by playing 21. .. tLJe5 ! ! .
For example, 2 2 f4 'iVxh3 23 fxe5
l:.f3! ! 24 l:.fd1 l:.f5 25 f4 exf3 26 ..txf3
'iVxf3 27 'iVxf5 (or 27 l:.d2 l:.df7! 28 tLJd4
'iVxe3+ 29 �g2 l:.g5+ 30 �h1 'i!fh3+ 31
l:.h2 l:.£1 + 32 l:.x£1 'iVx£1 mate) 27... 'iVxf5
28 l:.£1 'iVg4+ etc.
21 tLJd4 'iVe7 22 as! tLJfS 23 tLJxfS l:.xfS
24 bxc6 bxc6 25 l:.ab1
Interesting here is the continuation
25 f4 tLJc4 26 ..txc4 'iVxc5! 27 ..tb3
'iVxe3+.
Sokolsky stops here and opines that
the two connected pawns in this posi-
The S o k o lsky Ga m b it
tion provide enough compensation for
the sacrificed knight. We don't believe
this to be true and offer the following
line as evidence: 28 �h2 l:.d6 29 ..ta4 c5
30 l:.f3 iVd4 31 l:.d1 'iVb4 32 l:.b3 'iVxa5
33 'iVxe4 l:.f8 34 'iVe5 l:.b6 35 l:.g3 l:.bf6
36 ..tc6 'iVb4 37 l:.xd5 'iVxf4 38 'iVxf4
l:.xf4 39 l:.xc5 and White wins.
2S 'iVf8?
•..
"Better is 25 ... l:.f8, even though this
abandons all pretence of aggression."
26 a6
"White misses a chance to finish the
struggle immediately by 26 f4! tLJc4
(26 ... exf3 27 'iVxf5! wins) 27 ..txc4 dxc4
28 'iVxc4, when Black remains a pawn
down with a bad position."
26 l:.df7 27 l:.b7! h6
•.•
"27 ... l:.xf2? 28 l:.xf2 l:.xf2 29 iVb1 !
l:.xe2 30 l:.b8 l:.e1+ 31 �h2 wins a
queen."
28 l:.fb1 �h7
"White's advantage is obvious. The
task is only to find the most precise
method to convert it into victory. First,
it's important to exchange one black
rook to decrease the pressure on the f­
file."
29
Play 1 b 4 !
29 1::xf7
Sokol sky believed 29 1::b 8 'iVe7 30
1::1 b7 'iVg5!? 31 1::xf7 1::xf7 32 f4 to be
good for White, but we think that after
32 ... 'iVg3 33 'iYc1 (33 fxe5 1::f2 wins)
33 ... d4 Black has a strong attack; for
example, 34 ':b7 d3 35 .i.g4 ':f6 36
':xa7 ltJf3+ 37 i..xf3 exf3 38 'ii'd2 fxg2 39
'iYxd3+ ':g6 40 ':xg7+ <it>xg7 41 'iYd7+
<it>h8 42 'ii'd8+ ':g8 43 'iYd4+ 'iYg7 and
Black wins.
29 'iYxf7 30 1::b7
.••
"There are not many pieces left on
the board, so it's hard for Black to at­
tack the enemy king. At the same time
White threatens a rook penetration to
the seventh rank capturing the pawn
on a7. Here White had to play 30 ..tg4!
ltJxg4 (30 ... .:f6 31 f4; 30 ... .:g5 31 f4) 31
hxg4 ':g5 32 f3 'iYg6 33 ':b7 with real
chances for a win. The natural con­
tinuation in the game gave Black a
chance to force a draw by perpetual
check."
30 'iYg6 31 ':xa7 ':g5
••.
32 g3
"32 g4 h5 33 ':a8 hxg4 34 h4 ':h5 35
a7 ltJf3+ 36 <it>f1 ':xh4 37 ':h8+ <it>xh8 38
30
a8'iY+ <it>h7 39 .i.xf3 gxf3 40 <it>e1 ':h2 41
<it>d2 ':xf2+ 42 <it>c1 ':xc2+ 43 <it>xc2 f2
wins for Black."
However, Fritz suggests 32 ..ttl ! !
and gives the line 32. . .ltJf3+ 33 <it>h1 ltJe1
34 'iYd1 ltJxg2 35 ..txg2 ':xg2 36 'iYf1
1::g5 37 ':b7 'iYf5 38 a7 'iYf3+ 39 <it>h2 d4
40 ':b3 dxe3 41 ':xe3 'iYf8 42 ':xe4 ':d5
43 ':b4, which is winning for White.
32 .:xg3+ 33 fxg3 'iYxg3+ 34 <it>f1
.••
'iYxh3+ 35 <it>e1 'iYxe3! 36 <it>d1 Yz-Yz
"36 <it>d1 'iYd4+ 37 <it>c1 ltJd3+ 38 <it>b1
'iVb4+ 39 <it>a2 'iYa5+ 40 <it>b1 'iVb4+ 41
<it>a2 'iYa5+ with a perpetual check."
Came 10
A.Sokolsky-S.Zhu khovitsky
Kiev 1945
1 b4 e5 2 .i.b2 f6 3 b5 d5 4 e3 .td6
4 ... .te6 is more often played, to hin­
der the advance c2-c4 (see Game 9).
5 c4 c6 6 ltJf3 ltJe7 7 d4
7 e4
..•
7 ... ltJd7 is insufficient, because after
8 dxe5 fxe5 9 cxd5 cxd5 the defence of
the central pawns is a heavy burden on

Black, and 10 .ie2 0-0 1 1 0-0 e4 sees
Black being forced to concede the d4-
square.
8 CDfd2 0-0 9 CDc3 fS
Black's pawn advances on the king­
side provide him with a space advan­
tage. On the other hand, White has cre­
ated pressure against dS and has the
initiative on the queenside. A lively
game with chances for both sides is in
prospect.
10 g3
White must prevent Black's in­
tended advance .. .£4.
10...CDd7 11 a4 CDf6 12 .ia3 .ic7
A mistake - Black loses valuable
time trying to save his good bishop. In
addition, its counterpart now creates
uncomfortable pressure on the a3-f8
diagonal. The right way was 12 ... .ixa3
13 �xa3 dxc4 14 .ixc4+ CDedS, occupy­
ing the important central square dS.
13 as a6
White threatened as-a6 to detonate
the enemy pawn chain, and 13 ... .ixaS?
loses a piece after 14 .ixe7 'iVxe7 15
MxaS.
14 b6 .ib8 15 CDb3 �f7 16 CDCS gs 17
Th e S o k o ls ky Ga m b i t
'iVb3 .id6
On 17 .. ,£4, there could follow 18
gxf4 gxf4 19 �gl + �h8 20 cxdS cxdS 21
CD3xe4!.
18 0-0-0
An original position! The white
king is safe despite having no pawns
defending it, and Black is being pushed
back.
18...h6 19 cxd S cxd S 20 h4 g4?
With this move Black abandons all
hope of counterplay. The immediate
20 ...f4 is doubtful after 21 hxgS hxgS 22
gxf4 gxf4 23 .ih3, but the option of .. .£4
must be kept in reserve, not ruled out
altogether.
21 �d2 �b8 22 �c2 .ixcs 23 .ixcs CDc6
24 'iVa3 .id7 25 �b2 �c8 26 .ie2 ..te6
27 CDa2 CDe8 28 �hC1
White concentrates his forces on the
only open file and Black cannot oppose
this plan.
28...CDb8 29 .ib4 �xc2+ 30 �xc2 'iVd7
31 CDc1
The knight is heading for the cS­
square.
31...CDc6 32 CDb3 CDxb4
32 ... CDf6 is met by 33 CDcS 'iVc8 34
31
P l ay 1 b 4 !

'iVa4, threatening 35 ct:Jxa6. 6 exd4 C4!

33 'iVxb4 'iVd6 34 'iVa3 'iVxa3+ 35 �xa 3
ct:Jd6 36 ct:JC5 't1e7 3 7 �b4 �f7

After this strong move White has

38 ct:Jxa6!
The logical culmination of White's
queenside attack. Now the b-pawn will
march to its coronation.
38...bxa6 39 i..x a6 �e8 40 't1c6 �d7 41
�C5 1-0
41 . .. ct:Jf7 42 i.. c8+ wins, as does 42
b7.
some problems to solve: his bishops
look bad, the b5-pawn is weak, and
Black has more space.
7 ct:JC3 i..b4 8 'iVh5+
Forcing a weakening in Black's
kingside.
8...g6 9 'iVf3 a6 10 g3
10 bxa6 't1xa6 only helps to improve
Black's rook and weaken the a2-pawn.

Game 1 1
K.Vol ke-V.Kupreichik
M i n s k 1994

1 b4 e5 2 i..b2 f6 3 b5 d5 4 e3 c5 5 d4!?
A risky move, fighting for control of
the centre. After 5 bxc6 ct:Jxc6 Black's
centre looks very solid.
5...exd4
5 ... cxd4 6 exd4 e4 7 c4 i..e 6 8 lbc3
i..b4 9 'iVb3 i.. a5 10 cxd5 i..xd5 1 1 i.. c4, 10...i..f5
as played in U.Kreuzer-P.Turati, corre­ 10 ... axb5 1 1 ct:Jge2lbc6 12 i.. g2 gives
spondence 1990, sees White maintain­ White a big enough initiative for a
ing dangerous pressure on the a2-g8 pawn.
diagonal. 11 i..h 3

32

1 1 bxa6? is bad due to the reasons
mentioned previously, and Black can
continue with 1 1 ..J:txa6 12 ..tg2 ..te4 13
'iYe3 ':e6. Instead 11 ..tg2 looks like the
best chance for White.
11.....te4 12 'iYe2 axbs?!
12 ... 'iYe7! 13 f3 ..txc2 wins a pawn.
13 �f1
Ducking the pin and clearing e 1 for
the rook. Possible is 13 f3!? ':a3 14 fxe4
..txc3+ 15 ..txc3 ':xc3 reaching a posi­
tion with chances for both sides.
13 .....txc3 14 ..txc3 lfje7 15 f3 ..tfS 16
..txfS gxfs 17 tbh 3 tbbc6 18 ':b1 b4
18 ... .:xa2 19 ':xb5 'iYd7 looks more
logical.
The S o k o ls ky Ga m b i t
19 ..txb4 tbxd4 20 ..txe7 'iYxe7 21 'iYd2
Here White could have played 21
'iYf2! defending f3. After 21. .. tbe6 22
':e1 ':a6 23 tbf4 'iYd7 24 �g2 0-0 25
':xe6 ':xe6 26 tbxe6 'iYxe6 27 ':e1 White
has more than enough play for a pawn.
21...tbxf3 22 'iYxd s 'iYe4 23 'iYbS+ �f8
24 'iYb4+ �g7
24 ... �g8 25 tbf2 'iYc6 26 'iYxb7 'iYxb7
27 ':xb7 h5 should be equal.
25 tbf2 'iYc6 26 'iYe7+ �g6 27 ':xb7
27...tbd2+ 28 �g1 tbf3+ 29 �f1 tbd2+
30 �g1 Yz-Yz
Perpetual check ends an entertain­
ing game in which both players
showed their tactical skills.
33
P l ay 1 b4 !

Summary
This is probably the most difficult chapter in the book from a tactical point of
view. Players with sharp styles will relish the complications of the Sokolsky Gam­
bit (3 e4 j,xb4 4 j,c4 or 3 e4 d5 4 f4). Opponents who don't know what to do can
meet the same fate as mine did in Games 7 and 8, and a study of these two en­
counters should give you some encouragement.
Players who don't enjoy complications should look more closely at 3 b5, as
seen in Games 9-1 1 .

1 b4 e S 2 j,b2 f6 3 e4
3 b5 d5 4 e3 (D)
4 ...j,e6 Game 9
-

4 ... j,d6 Game 1 0

-

4. . . c5 Game 1 1
-

3 i..xb4
•••

3 ... c6 Game 7
-

3 ... a5 Game 8
-

3 ... d5 4 f4 exf4 5 'iVh5+ g6 6 'iVxd5 'iVxd5 7 exd5 i.xb4 8 j,c4 (D)

8 ...i.f5 Game 5
-

8 ... �Jd7 Game 6

. -

4 i.. C4 t'iJe7
4 ... 'iVe7 Game 4
-

4 ... t'iJc6 Game 4 (notes)

-

S f4 (D)
5 'iVh5+ Game 3
-

S ... dS 6 exds j,d6 Game 1 -

6 ... exf4 Game 2

-

8 i.c4 5 /4

34
 Cha pt er Two I
1 b4 e S 2 � b 2 �xb4

Now we proceed to a popular defence challenge to the Sokolsky: Chess Open­

for Black, 1 b4 e5 2 �b2 �xb4. Black ings for Black, Explained by GMs
concedes an extra central pawn to his Dzindzichashvili, Alburt and Perel­
opponent but hopes to develop quickly shteyn, and Beating Unusual Chess
and start an attack with his better mo­ Openings by 1M Richard Palliser. Both
bilized forces. of these books advocate the line 1 b4 e5
The main line runs 3 �xe5 4:Jf6 4 c4 2 �b2 �xb4 3 �xe5 4:Jf6 4 e3 0-0 5 4:Jf3
0-0 5 4:Jf3. Games 12-15 examine the 1:.e8! 6 c4 d5 7 cxd5 4:Jxd5.
common ... 4:Jc6 attacking the e5-bishop
(before or after ... d7-d5; there are dif­
ferent move orders but usually it just
transposes) with subsequent plans for
Black of . . . �e7-f6 and/or . . . �g4 or
. . . �f5. In all of these cases the extra
centre pawn proves more useful than
the lead in development.
In Game 16, prodigy Ray Robson
produces the interesting idea 8 .. :iVd6,
intending to swing the queen to g6 to
spearhead an attack on the white king.
Despite Black's reverse in this game, it Here the books deviate, with Pal­
strikes us as an idea worth testing. liser offering the more challenging
2 ... �xb4 has been recommended as lines after 8 i"b2 4:Jf4! or 8 �e2 1:.xe5! 9
Black's best option by some authors, 4:Jxe5 'iVf6 10 f4 4:Jxe3.
and two recent books pose a strong All this looks very dangerous, and

35
Play 1 b 4 !
to bypass the line I recommend a
slightly different version of a line sug­
gested by Palliser himself, namely 4 c4
(Sokol sky' s preference) 0-0 S a3! i.. aS 6
tt:Jf3, with the intention of 6 ... .:e8 7 e3
dS 8 cxdS tt:JxdS 9 i..e2 ':xeS 10 tt:JxeS
'i¥f6 1 1 tt:Jc4 (the point) 'iVxal 12 tt:JxaS
i.. fS 13 0-0 'iVb2 14 'iVb3 'iVxb3 IS tt:Jxb3
with a playable position. S a3 also
avoids the main line offered in Chess
Openings for Black, Explained.
Of course, our analysis is untested
and other possibilities may be possible
for Black to pose new problems, for ex­
ample the tricky S a3 ':e8!? But White
can play differently too, even avoiding
2 ... i..xb4 altogether with 2 a3, in the
style of Michael Basman (one example
from many you can find in databases is
M.Basman-B.Kouatly, London 1979).
Game 17 considers the rare idea (af­
ter 3 i.. xeS tt:Jf6 4 c4 0-0 S tt:Jf3 dS 6 e3)
of 6 ... cS. We don't like this move, as the
cS-pawn can easily become a target and
Black's development is slowed by a
vital ternpo.
Finally, for true romantics, Game 18
explores the gambit idea of 3 f4, refus­
ing to take back the e-pawn. Tacticians
might enjoy the ensuing bizarre posi­
tions, which bear more than a passing
resemblance to the ideas seen in Chap­
ter One.
Game 1 2
A.Sokolsky-Anishchen ko
M i n s k 1959
1 b4 e S 2 i..b2 i.. xb4 3 Ji.xes tt:Jf6
36
In principle, the exchange of a flank
pawn for a central pawn favours the
side gaining the central pawn, as even­
tually that side will construct a strong
pawn centre. In truth, Black gets an
advantage in development, and for
some time White must play precisely to
neutralize the opponent's threats.
4 c4 0-0 5 e3 ttJc6 6 Ji.b2 d S 7 cxdS
7 ttJxdS
•..
Recapturing with the queen, as
happened in the game Sokolsky­
Litvinov from the same tournament, is
unconvincing. White didn't use the
chance to capture on f6, and came to
regret it later on: 7... 'iVxdS 8 i.. xf6 gxf6 9
ttJe2! i.. d 6 10 ttJbc3 'iVas 1 1 ttJg3 with
better play for White.
S ttJf3 Ji.g4 9 i.. e2 ':eS 10 0-0 iLe7
The plan to transfer the bishop to f6
can't be the strongest continuation.
No better is 10 ... iLd6 because of 1 1
ttJc3. Probably Black has to play
10 ... 'iVd7 11 d4 ':ad8, but in this case
White's position is better because of the
extra central pawn and the potential
pressure on the c-file.
11 d4 i..f6 12 ttJbd2 i..f s 13 ttJC4 ttJb6 14

lIC1 1LJxC4 15 i.xc4 1LJa s
Black wants to play ... c7-cS, but he
can't get what he wants. Better is
lS ... 'iVd6 16 'iVb3 i.g6, and if 1 7 'iVxb7?
then 17 ... lIab8.
16 i.e2 b6
This prepares the move ... c7-cS and
prevents the threat of 17 lIcS. But al­
ready White's next move stops the
movement of the c-pawn and Black
must take care of the backward pawn
on the c-file.
17 i.a3 i.e7 lS i.xe7 'iVxe7 19 'iVa4
lIacS 20 i.a6 lIcdS
Now White has time to double
rooks on the c-file.
1 b4 e5 2 iL b 2 iL x b 4
21 1Ic3 i.e4 22 i.e2 lIcS 2 3 lIfc1 c6
How to increase the pressure on the
c6-pawn? White decides to exchange
both of Black's minor pieces which are
defending this pawn.
24 lLJd2 i.ds 25 i.f3 i.xf3 26 tLlxf3 f6
27 h3 lIedS 2S lLJd2 �fS 29 1LJb3 lId S
This leads to a forced loss, although
even after 29 ... lLJxb3 30 axb3 cS 31 b4
lIdS 32 bxcS bxcS 33 'iVc2 Black is losing
a pawn.
30 lLJxas lIxa s 31 'iVC2 g6 32 lIxc6
White not only wins a pawn but in­
vades the opponent's camp, and this
quickly decides the game.
32...lIdS
Possibly Black had intended to play
32 ... lIxc6 33 'iVxc6 lIxa2, but in this case
after 34 'iVc8+ 'iVe8 3S 'iVb7! the threat
lIc8 would force resignation.
33 'iVb3 lIad S 34 1I1C4!
On the immediate 34 lIc7 there
could follow 34 ... lISd7. White occupies
the open file in the proper manner, lin­
ing up his two rooks in front of his
queen. In this case the threat of coming
to the seventh and eighth rank is
stronger.
37
P l ay 1 b4 !
34...Msd6 35 'iYC3 Mxc6 36 Mxc6 �g7 37
'iYC4 Md6 38 ds �f8
The exchange 38 ... Mxc6 will lead to
immediate death after 39 dxc6! 'iYc7 40
'iYe6.
39 g3 �f7?
A mistake in a lost position.
40 MC7! 1-0
Game 13
V.La pshu n-L.Mi l m a n
N ew York Maste rs 2002
Lev Milman is a very young and
strong American chess master who has
beaten many GMs, and in 2004 he be­
came US Junior Champion. I heard his
rating on the Internet Chess Club (ICC)
was over 3100. He knew his openings
very well, so I decided to play 1 b4.
1 b4 es 2 ..tb2 ..txb4 3 ..txes ttJf6 4 c4
The best, according to Sokolsky. 4
c4 tries to control the centre and Black
can only play ... d7-d5 at a cost of ex­
changing his only central pawn.
4...0-0 5 ttJf3
The suggestion of inserting 5 a3
38
here, which is a measure against early
... Me8 lines (instead of ... ttJc6), was dis­
cussed in the introduction to the chap­
ter.
s ...ttJc6 6 .tb2 ds 7 e3 .tg4 8 cxd s
ttJxd s 9 .te2
9 'iYe7
•••
More usual is 9 ... Me8 10 0-0 'iYe7 and
now:
a) 11 'iYc2 Mad8 was agreed drawn
in G.Kochetkov-A.Kovalev, Minsk
1996. Note here that 12 d4? allows
12 ... ttJxe3! 13 fxe3 'iYxe3+ 14 Mf2 1Lxf3
15 .txf3 ttJxd4 when Black is winning.
b) 11 a3 1La5 12 'iYa4! ? (12 'iYc2)
12 ... 'iYe4 13 'iYxe4 Mxe4 14 Mc1 Me7 15
d4 Md8 16 ttJc3 ttJb6 1 7 h3 .tf5 18 .tb5
gave White an edge in the endgame
due to his strong centre in M.Parry­
W.Velker, correspondence 1997.
10 0-0 Mad8 11 a3 .td6 12 ttJC3 ttJxc3 13
.txc3 ttJes
Chances are equal.
14 ttJd4 'iYh4 15 f4 .txe2 16 'iYxe2 ttJg4
17 h3 ttJh6
The only way. 17 ... ttJf6 18 ttJf5 'iYh5
19 'iYxh5 ttJxh5 20 g4 ttJf6 21 .txf6 gxf6
22 d4 Mfe8 23 �f2 would be clearly bet-

ter for White due to the strong position
of his knight.
18 'iVf3 e5?
18 ... c6 would have been a better
choice.
19 CiJb5
Black can't defend a7 and b7 at the
same time, so White wins a pawn.
19 'iVe7 20 CiJxa7 itb8 21 CiJb5 CiJf5 22
•••
a4 CiJd6 23 CiJxd6 Mxd6
24 Mfb1
In this position I was trying to at­
tack the weak b- and c-pawns.
24...b6 25 Mb5 ite7 26 Mab1 Mdd8 27
'iVb7 Mb8 28 'iVe6 Mfe8 29 'iVf3 Ma8 30
�h1
1 b4 e5 2 il. b 2 i.. x b 4
A waiting move - I wasn't sure at
this moment whether to advance the e­
pawn or the g-pawn.
30 Md8
..•
30 ... Mxa4 31 itxg7! 'iVe4 32 'iVxe4
Mxe4 33 itc3 still leaves White a pawn
ahead.
31 'iVb7 Mdb8
And here 31 . .. Mxa4 32 Mxb6 Mda8 33
M6b5 is good for White.
32 'iVe6 Me8 33 'iVf3 Md8 34 Ma1 'iYd6 35
d4
Sooner or later I had to get rid of
this weakness.
35...'ifd5 36 'iYxd5 Mxd5 37 as bxa5 38
itxa5 itd6 39 ite3
Much stronger is 39 Mc1 ! Mc8 40
itb6, when White wins a second pawn.
39 Mxa1+ 40 .i.xa1 f5 41 'iitg1 'iitf7 42
.•.
Mb7+ ite7 43 �f2 exd4 44 .txd4 g6 45
�f3 �e6 46 g4 fxg4+ 47 hxg4 h5
48 g5?!
Here 48 �e4! Ma5 49 f5+ gxf5+ 50
gxf5+ �d6 51 f6 itf8 52 Mb8 ith6 53
Mh8 itg5 54 f7 is a simpler win for
White.
48...Ma5 49 Mb6+ �f7 50 Mb7 �e6 51
Mb6+ �f7 52 iLe5 Ma7
39
P l ay 1 b 4 !
52. . ..i.xg5 10ses after 53 l:.b7+ �e8 54
I:tg7 .i.e7 55 l:.xg6.
53 f5! .i.xg5
53 ... gxf5 54 g6+ �g8 55 l:.b8+ .i.f8 56
.i.d6 is also hopeless.
54 fxg6+ �e7 55 g7 l:.a8 56 l:.g6
56 l:.b7+ �e6 57 .i.b8 is a bit more
ruthless.
56... ..txe3 57 g8'if l:.xg8 58 I:txg8 .i.C5
59 l:.g5 1-0
Game 1 4
V.La ps h u n -M.S i n n
World Open, P h i ladel p h ia 2003
This game was published by Joel
Benjamin in the magazine New in Chess.
My opponent sacrificed his rook, and
my king survived all the dangerous
threats.
1 b4 e5 2 .tb2 ..txb4 3 .txe5 ttJf6 4 c4
0-0 5 ttJf3 ttJc6 6 .i.b2 l:.e8 7 e3 d5 8
cxd5 ttJxd5 9 .i.e2
9 ...l:.xe3?
This looks like a very good sacrifice,
but in reality it doesn't work.
9 ... .i.g4 transposes back to Game 12,
40
while 9 ... .i.e7 is discussed in Game 15.
A further possibility for Black is
9 ... .i.f5; for example, 10 0-0 .i.f8 11 a3 a6
12 d4 h6 13 ttJbd2 ttJb6 14 l:.cl �d7 15
h3 l:.ad8 16 ttJc4 ttJxc4 17 .i.xc4 .i.e4 18
ttJd2 .i.g6 19 ttJb3 .i.e4 20 ttJd2 %-V2,
G.Baranov-L.Yudasin, Chigorin Me­
morial, St Petersburg 1998.
10 fxe3 ttJxe 3
11 �b3
At the board it seemed to me that
this was the best way to proceed, and I
still think this is the case. 1 1 'ifcl
ttJxg2+ 12 �f2 ttJf4, as played in
E.Engelhardt-J.Rollwitz, Berlin 1995, is
a known route to an advantage for
White.
11...ttJxg2+ 12 �d1!
12 �f2 .i.h3! is less convincing for
White, as Black gets a strong attack.
12....te6 13 �d3 �e7 14 ttJd4 ttJf4
14 ... l:.d8 is met by 15 ttJxc6 bxc6 16
�g3. Another game continued 14 ... .i.d5
15 ttJf5 �c5 16 l:.£1 l:.d8 17 ..txg7 .i.xd2
18 ttJxd2 ttJb4 19 ttJh6+ �xg7 20 �g3+
�f8 21 �g8+ �e7 22 l:.xf7+ .txf7 23
�xf7+ �d6 24 �f6+ �d7 25 .i.g4+ 'iff5
26 .txf5+ �e8 27 'iff7 mate, H.Muri-
 1 b 4 e 5 2 i.. b 2 i.. x b 4

J.Bjorn, correspondence 1993. 10 0-0 iLf6 11 d4 iLfs 12 12Jbd2 12Jcb4

15 12Jxc6 bxc6 16 'iVd4 iLb3+ 17 axb3
'iVxe2+ 18 �c2 1-0

After playing 18 �c2 I left the room.
When I came back my opponent, the
set and the clock had all disappeared.
Five minutes later Mr. Sinn came back
and announced his resignation.
Game 1 5
Y.La ps h u n-D. Wa ng
Ka p u s ka s i n g 2004
13 12Jb3?!
13 12Jc4, protecting the e3-pawn, is
stronger. Now after the tactics the re­
sulting position is unclear.
13 ... l2Jc2 14 :Cl 12Jcxe3 15 fxe3 12Jxe3
16 'iVd2 12Jxfl 17 ..txfl iLe4 18 iLC4 b6?!
This is weakening, and in the future
Black could have problems with the
squares c7 and c6. 18 ... c6! ? looks
stronger.
19 'iVf4 iLxf3 20 'iVxf3 cs 21 i..b s

Wang is a young talent who had al­

ready drawn against a Grandmaster in
this tournament. He had prepared for
my favourite opening, but only for the
first eight moves. We repeated the
moves to my game against Sinn, but
Wang was not bold enough to sacrifice
his rook.
1 b4 es 2 ..tb2 iLxb4 3 ..txes 12Jf6 4 c4
0-0 s l2Jf3 12Jc6 6 iLb2 d s 7 cxd s l2Jxds 8
e3 :e8 9 ..te2 iLe7 21 :e7?
..•

This is rare, but it's the same ap­ 21. .. :e6 22 :dl :d6 would have
proach that Anishchenko used against been preferable to the text.
Sokolsky (see Game 12). 22 :dl! c4

41
P l ay 1 b 4 !
22. . .cxd4 23 CDxd4 ..txd4+ 24 l:Ixd4
'i¥c8 25 ..tc4 �h8 26 l:Ig4 f5 27 l:Ih4 'i¥e8
28 'i¥h3 'i¥g6 29 l:Ih6! is a neat win for
White.
23 ..txe4 l:Ie8 24 ..td3 'i¥e8 25 �f1 ..th4
26 g3 l:Ie3 27 'i¥f2 'i¥e6 28 �g1 ..tg5 29
d5 'i¥g4 30 l:If1 l:If8 31 CDe1 'i¥d7 32 ..ta3
l:Ie5 33 'i¥f3 l:Id8 34 d6 ..te3+ 35 �h1
..te5
The d-pawn goes, but the attack
rages on.
36 ..tb2 l:Ie3 37 'i¥d5 l:Ie6 38 ..te4 'i¥xd6
39 'i¥xd6 l:Iexd6 40 l:Ixf7 l:Id1+ 41 �g2
l:I8d2+ 42 �h3 h5
42 ...b5 43 ..te6 l:Id6 44 l:If6+ l:Ixe6 45
l:Ixe6 l:Id2 46 l:Ie2 is also winning.
43 l:Ixg7+
Look how the white rook and two
bishops are building a mating net.
43 ...�f8 44 ..tf6 �e8 45 ..tf7+ �f8 46
..te6 �e8 47 l:Ixa7 1-0
Game 1 6
Y.Lapsh un-R.Robson
World Open, P h i l adel p h i a 2007
In this game I was playing against
42
12-year-old Senior Master, Ray Robson,
who according to Kasparov is an ex­
tremely talented player. I had no time
to prepare for him and decided to use
my favourite opening weapon.
1 b4
This move made him smile, and he
thought for about one hour over his
opening ten moves.
1 e5 2 ..tb2 ..txb4 3 ..txe5 CDf6 4 e4 0-0
•..
5 CDf3 CDe6 6 ..tb2 d5 7 exd5 CDxd5 8 e3
In this theoretical position my op­
ponent played a dangerous move
which nobody had previously used
against me:
8...'i¥d6!?
I thought I had remembered seeing
8 ... 'i¥d6 in some book, and that the idea
was to play at some point ... 'i¥g6 with
pressure on the g2-pawn. I had no idea
what to do, so I chose a waiting move
which decides where Black's dark­
squared bishop goes and protects the
b4-square - this could be useful in the
future.
9 a3 ..ta5 10 ..te2
I think 10 'i¥c2 is best, preparing
CDc3 and discouraging ...'i¥g6.

10...'lig6 11 0-0 jLh3!
Forcing me to undevelop my
knight.
12 CDel
As Korchnoi said, "I'm preparing
my pieces for the next game!" This
backward move actually contains a
trap: on 12 .. Jl£e8? there follows 13
iLh5! 'iUg5 14 f4 'iUe7 15 'iUf3, winning
material.
12...jLfs 13 'ifCl
Preparing to gain some freedom
with CDc3, and also laying another trap.
13 ..JUe8
13 ... iLxb1?! 14 1:.xb1 iLxd2?? is los­
ing because of 15 'iUxd2! 'iUxb1 16 CDd3
'i'a2 17 CDc1 'iUb1 18 iLd3, trapping the
queen.
14 iLc4 CDb6
14 ... 1:.ad8 looks more natural.
15 iLbS 1:.ad8
Black can try to win a pawn with
15 ... iLxb1?! 16 'iUxb1 'iUxb1 1 7 1:.xb1
i.xd2, but here 18 CDf3 iLa5 19 i.xc6
bxc6 20 1:.bc1 CDd5 21 1:.xc6 gives White
a slight advantage.
16 iLC3
Trying to release the pressure, but
1 b4 e5 2 iL b2 iL x b 4
16 d4 is more natural.
16...1:.e7 17 d4 a6 18 iLe2 CDdS 19 iLxa s
CDxa s
Even though almost all my pieces
were on the first rank, my position
wasn't worse and I was ready to attack.
20 CDd2 ':d6 21 a4
During the game I felt this was the
best defence to the idea of ... .:c6, be­
cause my queen needed more freedom.
21...hS
Going for checkmate! Here I was
really beginning to worry over the
safety of my king.
22 iLf3 CDf6 23 'ifa3 h4 24 1:.cl
Creating my first threat: winning a
pawn after ':xc7 and 'ifxd6.
24...CDe8
With this and his following move
my opponent seemed to be preparing
his pieces for the next game too! Right
now he was experiencing some time
pressure because he had spent too
much of it in the opening.
25 e4!
The beginning of my attack in the
centre. Black's initiative has disap­
peared and it was a time for him to
43
Play 1 b4 !
trade pieces with 25 ... ..tg4.
25.....tc8?! 26 e5
Now White has a clear advantage.
26....:.dd7 27 ..te4 'iVh6 28 f4 �f8
Defending the rook on e7 and thus
threatening to capture the d4-pawn.
29 d5
An unbelievable position, in which
all of Black's pieces have problems
moving.
29...f5
This is the only way to complicate
the position, but White's next move
renders Black's position hopeless.
30 d6! cxd6
Or 30... tLJxd6 31 exd6 ':'xd6 32 ..td3,
with a good extra piece.
31 ..txf5 ':'C7 32 ':'xc7?
White could win easily with 32
..txc8!, but in my calculations I missed
that after 32 ... .:.xc1 33 'iVxc1 ':'c7 White
has 34 'iVb I ! ':'xc8 35 'iVf5+ and 'iVxc8.
32....:.xc7 33 ..txc8 ':'xc8 34 'iVb4!
Winning a couple of pawns.
34...tLJc6 35 'iVxb7 ':'C7 36 'iVxa6 dxe5 37
fxe5+ �e7 38 tLJef3 h3 39 gxh3 'iVxh3
40 'iVC4 tLJxe5?
Blundering, although the position
44
was already losing
41 'iVb4+ �d8 42 'iVb8+ �e7 43 ':'e1
'iVg4+ 44 �f2 1-0
Black can't save the knight. This is a
good example of a white pawn storm
in the centre prepared by careful open­
ing strategy.
Game 1 7
B.Kata lymov-S.Giterma n
U S S R C h a m pion s h i p,
Novgorod 1961
1 b 4 e5 2 ..tb2 ..txb4 3 ..txe5 tLJf6 4 ttJf3
0-0 5 c4 d 5 6 e 3
6 cxd5 tLJxd5 7 e3 tLJc6 8 ..tb2 would
transpose to previous games in this
chapter.
6... C5
6 ... ttJc6 7 ..tb2 ':'e8 8 cxd5 ttJxd5 9
.ie2 would reach Games 14-15.
7 a3 .ia5 8 cxd5 tLJxd5 9 'iVc2
White must try to prove that in the
middlegame two pawns in the centre
are better than two pawns on the edge
of the board.
9...tLJc6 10 ..tb2

10 'iixc5? ctJxe5 1 1 ctJxe5 .te6 12 'iVb5
':c8 13 ctJc4 'iif6 14 ':a2 ctJb6 15 ctJxa5
.txa2 wins for Black.
10...'iie7 11 .td3 h6 12 0-0 .te6 13 ':Cl
.tb6 14 ctJC3 ':ad8?
This move allows White to gain the
two bishops and saddle Black with
weak doubled pawns on the b-file.
14 ... ctJxc3!? 15 'iixc3 f6 16 i..e4 ctJa5 1 7
.tc2 ':fd8 looks about equal.
15 ctJa4 .tg4 16 ctJel ctJa5 17 ':abl ':c8
18 h3 .te6 19 ctJxb6 axb6 20 ctJf3 c4 21
.th7+ �h8
22 ctJd4
22 .te4!? ctJb3 23 ':dl ':fd8 24 ctJd4
ctJxd4 25 .txd4 'iix a3 26 .txb6 might be
1 b4 e5 2 iL b 2 iL x b 4
a slightly better approach.
22...c3?!
Trying to win the h7-bishop, but
this allows a tremendous attack on the
black king. Instead 22 ... ctJb3! 23 ctJxe6
fxe6 24 ':dl 'iih4 25 f3 b5 26 ..te4 is un­
clear, as Black enjoys some counterplay
on the queenside.
23 dxc3 g6 24 .txg6 fxg6 25 c4
White has a crushing attack.
25...ctJf6 26 'iixg6 ctJxC4 27 'iixh6+ �g8
28 'iig6+ �h8 29 .tal ':f7??
Losing at once. 29 ... .i.d7! ? puts up
more resistance, although after 30 ':b4
ctJe5 31 'iih6+ �g8 32 ':xc8 ':xc8 33 ctJb3
�f7 34 ':f4 ':e8 35 .tc3 ..tc6 36 .tb4
'iid 8 37 'iih7+ �e6 38 ctJd4+ �d5 39 'iic2
.ta4 40 e4+ White is winning easily.
30 ctJxe6 'iixe6 31 ':b5! 1-0
There is no defence to 32 ':h5+.
Game 1 8
V. La psh u n-R. Ka ufma n
Nation a l Chess Congress,
Ph i la d e l p h i a 1999
National Master Raymond Kaufman
45
P l ay 1 b 4 !
is the son of 1M Larry Kaufman. In the
first round of this tournament they were
somehow paired against each other.
Larry Kaufman protested, and they
were repaired. As a result, both of them
lost: Raymond to me and Larry to the
young Canadian player Zhe Quan.
1 b4 es 2 iLb2 itxb4 3 f4!? exf4
An adventurous move. We prefer
3 ... d6 4 fxe5 dxe5 5 i.xe5 4:Jf6 6 4:Jf3 0-0,
as played in a few games, which we
feel is slightly better for Black.
4 i.xg7 'iih4+ 5 g3 fxg3 6 i.g2 gxh2+ 7
c;t>fl hxgl'ii+
Several players chuckled when they
saw this position.
8 c;t>xgl 'iig3 9 i.xh8 ds
I think it's better to save the h-pawn
by playing 9 ... h6.
10 l:.xh7 4:Je7
10 ... 4:Jc6?? loses to 1 1 l:.g7!; for ex­
ample, 1 1 . .. i.c5+ 12 e3 i.xe3+ 13 dxe3
'iixe3+ 14 c;t>f1 'iif4+ 15 'iif3 'iicl + 16 c;t>f2
'iixc2+ 17 'iie2+ 'iixe2+ 18 c;t>xe2 and
46
White wins.
11 i.f6 4:Jg6 12 e3 i.g4 13 'iifl 4:Jd7??
Black should play 13 ... ite6.
14 4:JC3?
14 i.h4! 4:Jxh4 15 'iixf7+ c;t>d8 16
'iig8+ 4:Jf8 17 'iig5+ c;t>e8 18 'iixh4 was
the right way.
14... c6 15 l:.bl as 16 a3 i.d6 17 l:.xb7
17...4:Jdes??
Another big blunder. 17 ...4:Jgf8 18
l:.h6 4:Jxf6 19 'iixf6 i.e6, although still
good for White, was preferable to the
text move.
18 4:Je2?!
Another slip. 18 i.xe5 4:Jxe5 19
l:.bxf7 4:Jf3+ 20 l:.xf3 itxf3 21 'iixf3 'iVxf3
22 i.xf3 would have finished Black off.
18... i.xe2 19 'iVxe2 4:Jg4??
Three strikes and you are out.
19 ... i.xa3 would have kept things go­
ing a while longer.
20 l:.h3
The queen can't escape.
20...'iix h3 1-0
 1 b 4 e 5 2 iL b 2 iLxb4

Summary
The reader should devote most of his or her attention to the lines stemming from
S ... liJc6 (or S ... dS followed by ... liJc6), as it's the most popular way for Black to play
and several books recommend this as a good line against the Sokolsky. Robson's
8 ... 'iVd6 with the idea of ... 'iVg6 is worth studying, and this move will appeal to
opponents with aggressive styles of play.

1 b4 eS 2 i.b2 i.xb4 3 i.xeS

3 £4 (D) - Game 1 8
3 ...liJf6 4 c4
4 e3 0-0 S liJf3 �e8 - chapter introduction
4...0-0 5 liJf3
S a3 - chapter introduction
S liJc6
•••

S ... dS 6 e3 cS (D) Game 1 7

-

S. . .�e8 6 e3 dS - chapter introduction

6 i.b2 d S 7 cxdS liJxd S 8 e3 (D) �e8
8 ... 'iVd6 - Game 1 6
8 . . i.g4 9 i.e2
.

9 ... 'iVe7 Game 1 3

-

.9 . . �e8 - Game 12
9 i.e2 i.e7 - Game 1 5
.9 .. �xe3 Game 1 4
-

3 /4 6.
. . C5 8 e3

47
 Cha pt er Thre e
Black Plays . . . e S an d . . . d 6
This chapter deals with a very common
approach by Black, the King's Indian
structure. Black eschews an immediate
tactical clash and instead adopts a
sound formation with which he or she
will no doubt be very familiar.
We also include the Old Indian sys­
tem under the King's Indian umbrella
since many players like to feint with an
early ... d6 before either fianchettoing
their dark-squared bishop or playing
... i.e7. Games 19-22 pretty much run
the gamut of Old Indian structures.
There is one with an early ... e5-e4 by
Black, one without, one with a massive
space grab of ...e5-e4, ... f5, ... c6 and
... d5, and finally one in which White
plays d4-d5 himself.
Lapshun-Reeder (Game 23) shows
an attempt by Black to imitate Smys­
lov's ... i.e6 defence to the English
Opening, but White's early space gain
proves quite useful. The next six games
explore the possibilities of standard
King's Indian play by Black. Games 25,
48
I
27 and 29 feature the idea of queenside
castling (or even no castling) by White
in an attempt to evade Black's kingside
play and to counterattack on that very
flank, and this plan is very promising.
It is surprising that Capablanca's
double fianchetto approach in his game
against Reti is not used more often by
modem players. Perhaps they are influ­
enced by the result, the Cuban's first
loss in serious play since 1916! At any
rate, don't pass up on this fine game.
Our final game shows a modem exam­
ple of the Double Fianchetto defence in
a contest between two of Canada's best
players in recent history. It's not flashy,
but it's worth studying .
Came 19
A.Sokolsky-S.Flohr
USSR C h a m pion s h i p,
Moscow 19 5 3
1 b4 e S 2 i.b2 d6

The most solid continuation, in
Flohr's style.
3 c4 a5
It's hardly worth hurrying the b­
pawn, as the move b4-bS is part of
White's plans.
4 b5 ttJf6 5 e3 �e7
The development of the bishop on
e7 is a little passive. Black was luckier
in the games Sokol sky-Kholmov and
Sokolsky-Lilienthal from the final of
the 21st USSR Championship, where
the continuation S ... g6 followed by
6 ... �g7 was more in the spirit of the
King's Indian Defence.
6 ttJf3 0-0 7 �e2 c6 8 ttJc3 l:Ie8 9 0-0
e4!?
Too active - Black is not yet devel­
oped enough. 9 ... ttJbd7 intending
10 ... ttJf8 is stronger.
10 ttJd4 c5
Black kicks the knight out of the
centre, but loses the use of the cS­
square. 10 .. .'iVc7 is a better option.
11 ttJc2 ttJbd7 12 d3
The natural reaction. By eliminating
the central e4-pawn, White opens the
d-file and creates pressure on the semi-
B l a ck P l ays . . . e5 a n d . . . d 6
open file and the weak d6-pawn.
12 ... exd3 13 �xd3 ttJe5
If 13 ... ttJb6, 14 e4! �e6 IS ttJe3 stops
the advance of the d-pawn, after which
Black remains cramped.
14 �d2 �e6 15 ttJa3
The knight on a3 is poorly placed,
but this disadvantage is only tempo­
rary. The defects in Black's position are
more serious: a weak d6-pawn and the
invasion square dS. The knight on eS
can be easily pushed away.
15... �f5 16 f3!
Insisting on the advance e3-e4.
16...ttJed7 17 e4 �g6 18 l:Iad1 ttJb6 19
ttJc2
19 ... d5!?
This pawn sacrifice is the best prac­
tical chance. If 20 cxdS �d6 Black ac­
quires dangerous pressure on the h2-b8
diagonal. Also, after 20 ttJxdS ttJbxdS 21
exdS �d6 22 f4 ttJe4 Black gains the
initiative.
20 exd5 �d6 21 f4 iflC7 22 g3 �h5 23
ttJe3
23 �xhS? is met by 23 ... ttJxc4.
23 ... �xe2
Not 23 ...�e7? 24 ttJfS.
49
P l ay 1 b4 !

24 4:Jxe2 4:Je4
Or 24 .. :iVe7 25 4:Jf5 'iVxe2 26 'iVxe2
l:txe2 27 �xf6 4:Jxc4 (27... gxf6 28 4:Jxd6)
28 �xg7 l:txa2 29 �f6 with the threat of
30 Mc1, and here retreating the bishop
is inlpossible because of d5-d6.
25 'iVd3 'iVd7 26 �g2 h5 27 4:JC3 4:Jf6 28
4:Jbl
White is threatening 29 �xf6. After
28 ... 4:Je4 29 4:Jd2 the exchange of the
knight on e4 will be inevitable.
28 4:Jg4 29 4:Jxg4 'iVxg4 30 4:JC3 fS
.•.

3 7 1:xf6! gxf6 3 8 'iVg6+ �f8 39 'iVxf6+

'iVf7
Alternatively 39 ... �g8 40 'iVg6+ �f8
41 �c1 ! 'iVf7 42 �h6+ �e8 43 'iVe4+ �d8
44 'iVe5 1:c8 45 4:Je4 4:Jd5 46 ..td2, with a
winning attack for White.
40 'iVh6+ �e8 41 lLle4 'iVdS 42 'iVh8+ 1-0
The game is up. 42 ... �d7 43 'iVg7+
�e6 44 'iVe7+ �f5 45 'iVf6+ �xe4 46 'iVf3
is mate.

Preventing 4:Je4, but weakening e6.
By sacrificing a pawn, White's rook is
able to reach this square.
31 l:tdel! l:txel 32 1:xel �xf4 33 1:e6!
Not 33 1:£1 �d6 34 'iVxf5 4:Jxc4.
3 3...�c7
No better is 33 ... 4:Jd7 34 h3 'iVg5 35
4:Je2 �c7 36 d6 �b6 (36 ... �d8 37 �c1)
37 'iVd5 �h7 38 �c1 'iVd8 39 'iVxf5+, and
White wins.
34 d6 �d8 35 h3 ! 'iVxC4
35 ... 'iVg5 36 1:e5 g6 (36 ... �f6 37 1:xf5
'iVg6 38 4:Jd5!) 37 1:e8+ �f7 38 'iVe2 'iVf6
39 4:Je4! is crushing.
36 'iVxf5 �f6
Game 20
B.Kata lymov-A.Sueti n
U SS R Tea m C h a m pion s h i p,
Moscow 1959
1 b4 e S 2 �b2 d 6 3 c4 �e7 4 4:JC3 c6 5
e3 4:Jd7 6 d4 4:Jgf6 7 lLlf3 0-0 8 �e2 a6 9
'iVb3 b5 10 c5 as 11 dxes dxes 12 a3
'iVC7 13 0-0
White enjoys a comfortable posi­
tion. Black's e5-pawn is a target, while
White's c5-pawn claims considerable
space on the queenside. Also, in the
future White may be able to attack the
weakling on c6.

50

13 ...a4?!
Releasing the tension on the queen­
side only helps White to add more
pressure to the other wing.
14 'iVc2 lIeS 15 ctJe4 ctJxe4?
15 ... ctJd5!? 16 lIfd1 f5 17 ctJc3 ctJxc3
18 �xc3 e4 19 ctJd4 ctJe5 would restrict
White to a small edge.
16 'iVxe4 lIa7 17 �xe5
17 ..td3 g6 18 �xe5 ctJxe5 19 'iVxe5
'iVd8 20 lIadl iLf6 21 'iVf4 lId7 22 iLc2
�b2 23 ctJd4 iLxd4 24 exd4 would leave
White with an extra pawn, but also a
hard task to convert it into a full point.
17...�f6 1S iLxc7 Mxe4 19 iLd6 iLxa1
20 lIxa1
B l a ck Plays . . . e5 a n d . . . d 6
Black can't defend the c6-pawn.
White's active pieces are more than
enough compensation for an exchange,
and White soon reaches a completely
winning endgame.
20....:eS 21 LiJd4 iLb7 22 ..tf3 LiJbS 23
�xbS lIxbS 24 �xc6 iLa6 25 f4 �fS 26
�f2 g6 27 lId1 lIC7 2S ..tf3 �cS 29 ctJc6
lIbb7 30 lIdS+ �g7 31 ctJd4 lIbS 32 �c6
�f6 33 ..txb5
The beginning of the end.
33 ...lIaS 34 �c6 lIa6 35 b5 lIaxc6 36
ctJxc6 ..tb7 37 e4 �g7 3S lId6 f5 39 e5 1-0
Game 2 1
V.La ps h u n -X.Vila Gazq uez
B a rce lona 2007
It was very important for me to de­
feat this talented Spanish 1M. A win
would give me a shot at a GM norm
and an opportunity to play a GM on
the top board next round. A perusal of
my opponent's repertoire convinced
me that the Sokolsky was my best bet.
1 b4 e5 2 �b2 d6 3 c4 f5 4 e3 ctJf6 5 ctJf3
..te7 6 ctJC3 0-0
51
P l ay 1 b 4 !
Black has shut out the Sokolsky
bishop and prepares to attack in the
centre and on the kingside. White must
counter in the centre at once.
7 d4 e4 8 tLJd2 c6 9 d S
The routine continuation 9 i.,e2 d5
10 a3 i.,e6 11 0-0 tLJbd7 leaves Black
with an easy life. I refused to allow
this!
9 ...cxdS 10 tLJxdS tLJxds 11 cxd S
Let's evaluate this position. The d5-
pawn, though a weakling, offers White
space and attacking chances, and
White can also dream of getting a
knight to e6. Black wants to nab the d5-
pawn, attack the king, and sink a
knight into d3. Both sides have chances
for success.
11...i.,f6 12 'iVb3 as
Black tries to gain the c5-square for
his knight. I was afraid of this move,
but Black's undeveloped pieces did
make me believe that my position was
playable.
13 i.,e2 axb4 14 0-0
14 'iVxb4 leads to an unclear posi­
tion after 14 ... tLJa6 15 i.,xa6 i.,xb2 16
'iVxb2 Mxa6 17 0-0 MaS 18 'iVd4. After
52
the text move, Black can reach that
same position with 14 ... i.,xb2 15 'iVxb2
tLJa6 16 i.,xa6 Mxa6 1 7 'iVxb4 MaS 18
'iVd4.
14...tLJd7 15 i.,xf6 Mxf6
15 ... tLJxf6 16 'iVxb4 tLJxd5 17 i.,c4 i.,e6
18 'iVb3 'iVa5 19 Mfdl Mfc8 20 tLJf1 Mxc4
21 'iVxc4 tLJf4 22 'iVc2 tLJd3 23 a4 is again
unclear, and roughly equal.
16 'iVxb4
16...Mh6
This is probably the start of the bad
plan, which will eventually cost Black
the game. My opponent was dreaming
of mating my well-guarded king, while
leaving his queenside valuables in the
lurch. Not all dreams can come true ...
17 g3
I wasn't sure about this move, but I
couldn't find another way to stop
18 ... 'iVh4.
17...tLJf6
1 7... b6! improves Black's bishop and
defends his queenside. After 18 tLJb3
i.,b7 19 tLJd4 Mf6 both sides have win­
ning chances.
18 Mfcl 'iVd7
Accepting the pawn sacrifice is

rather dangerous. After 18 ... ttJxd5 19
jLc4 jLe6 20 'iVb3 ttJc7 21 'iVxb7 ':c8 22
jLb3 White's passed pawn and active
pieces promise him some advantage.
19 'iVb6
During the game I thought that this
was a winning move because of my
many threats on the queenside.
19...f4??
The best defence is not always a
sacrificial counterattack! Black should
instead play 19 ... �h8! avoiding all the
threats, and after 20 jLc4 'iVe8 21 ':c2
ttJd7 22 'iVc7 ttJc5 he can probably hold
the queenside. Black can also try
20 ... f4!? (instead of 20 ... 'iVe8), although
following 21 exf4 'iVh3 22 ttJf1 jLg4 23 f3
exf3 24 ':c2 ttJe4 25 'iVxb7 ':c8 26 ':e1
jLf5 27 'iVxc8+ jLxc8 28 ':xe4 �g8 29 ':f2
White passed pawn and well-placed
pieces should give him a big advan­
tage, albeit in a complicated position.
20 exf4 e3??
Black could show more resilience,
although probably not save the game,
with 20 ... �h8. Following 21 'iVb5 'iVf5
22 a4 'iVxd5 23 'iVxd5 ttJxd5 24 ttJxe4
White would have an extra pawn and
B l a ck Plays . . . e5 a n d . . . d 6
good winning chances.
21 fxe3 'iVe8
21 . .. .:xh2?? loses a piece to 22
':xc8+! ':xc8 23 �xh2.
22 'iVd4
This is the sad end-product of
Black's reverie. White covers every­
thing and enjoys two extra pawns.
22...jLfs 23 ':C7 ':a4 24 ':C4 ':a3 25 e4
jLd7 26 jLf3 ttJg4 27 jLxg4 jLxg4 28 ':c3
'iVhs 29 tbf1 ':a8 30 ':C7 ':g6 31 fS ':gs
32 ':ac1 ':e8 33 ':c8 1-0
Reality had finally set in, and Black
resigned.
Carne 22
A.Sokolsky-S.Sa rna ria n
Correspondence 19 5 8
1 b4 e S 2 jLb2 d 6 3 c4
White's goal is to capture space on
the queenside. Against this Black in­
tends to adopt the Dutch structure,
hoping to attack by advancing the
pawns on the kingside.
3 ...fS 4 e3 tbf6 5 tbf3 jLe7 6 d4 e4 7
tbfd2 dS
53
P l ay 1 b 4 !
8 bS
White will play a further a2-a4 to
continue the queenside pawn attack.
Possible is 8 'iVb3 c6 9 tlJc3 0-0, as in the
game Sokolsky-Suetin (Minsk, 1955),
where White also had to play 10 a4 and
later b4-bS.
8...c6 9 a4 0-0
10 'iYb3
This move is useful in order to pres­
sure the dS-square and defend the e3-
square, preventing a possible break­
through with 10 ...f4 11 exf4 e3.
10....te6 11 tlJC3 tlJbd7
Let's evaluate this complicated
position. White pressures the centre
and successfully continues the
54
successfully continues the queenside
attack. For Black it's harder to develop
kingside activity because he has to de­
fend the centre.
12 .te2
12...cS!?
In trying to get rid of the unpleasant
pressure on the centre, Black decides to
temporarily sacrifice a pawn to stabi­
lize the position. But, as the game
shows, opening the c- and d-files is in
White's favour. 12 ... 'iYe8 is better, to
which White would answer 13 i.a3.
13 tlJxds tlJxds 14 cxdS iLf7 15 ':C1
Nothing comes of 15 i.c4 because of
IS ... tlJb6. It's dangerous to try holding
on to the pawn with 15 dxcS tlJxcs 16
'iYc3: after 16 ... .itf6 1 7 'iYxcs .itxb2 18
':bl ':c8! 19 'iYxa7 .itc3 White gets into
a difficult position.
lS ....:c8 16 0-0 tlJb6 17 dxcS tlJxd S 18
.itC4
On 18 ':fdl, Black could answer
18 ... tlJf4! 19 .itc4 tlJe2+ winning the ex­
change. After the text move, 18 ...tlJf4 is
not good because of 19 .txf7+ ':xf7 20
exf4 'iYxd2 21 ':fdl 'iYxf4 22 ':d7 with
an advantage for White.

18....:xc5 19 ':fd1 ':C7
Black is trying to play ... l:.d7, getting
rid of the unpleasant pin on the d-file.
The following unexpected strike pre­
vents this idea.
20 LDxe4! ':xc4! 21 �xc4 fxe4 22 �xe4
White gives up two pieces for a
rook and two pawns. It's difficult to
call this a sacrifice, as the material is
approximately level. The benefit of this
continuation is obvious: the pin on the
d-file is maintained. Black has to search
for a way to release his knight.
22...�d6 23 �g4 �h6
Probably the best. 23 ... LDf6 is bad
because of 24 ':xd6 LDxg4 25 ':d7, while
against 23 ... jd6 White answers 24 i,xf6
�xf6 25 �d4 �xd4 26 ':xd4 reaching a
winning endgame. It's difficult to see
how Black can prevent the threat of e3-
e4 (after g3) with a subsequent occupa­
tion of the seventh rank.
24 �d7 i,e6 25 �xb7 �h4
Finally Black has threats on the
kingside, but White can defend and
keep the material advantage.
26 ':d2
Of course not 26 g3?, because of
B l a ck Plays . . . e5 a n d . . . d 6
2 6 ... �5 2 7 ':xd5 �f3! and Black is
winning. On 26 ':£1 or 26 ':c2, Black
replies 26 ... �xa4.
26...�b4 27 ':cd1 LDb6 28 ..iC3 �a3 29
�e4
This centralization coordinates
White's forces and clinches the win.
29...i.f7
Or 29 ... i,b3 30 i,b2! �c5 31 ':c1
�g5 32 f4! etc.
30 ..ib2 �C5 31 ':C1 �b4 32 �d4 �xd4
33 i,xd4 i,b4 34 ':dc2 1-0
If 34 ... LDxa4, the easiest way to win
is 35 ':c7.
Game 23
V.La ps h u n -A.Reeder
World Open, P h i ladel p h i a 2003
If you want to play 1 b4, you need
to know something about the King's
Indian Defence. This game shows how
White can deal with Black's typical
pawn storm.
1 b4 e5 2 i,b2 d6 3 c4 i,e6 4 e3 LDd7 5
LDf3 f5 6 LDc3 g6 7 d4
White leaves the paths of the Reti
55
Play 1 b 4 !
Opening and enters an unorthodox
King's Indian set-up.
7....i.g7 8 d5 .i.f7 9 .i.e2 h6 10 e4 tiJe7
11 'iVc2 0-0 12 0-0 f4
We have reached a typical King's
Indian battle scenario. White is trying
to break through on the queenside
while Black wants to checkmate the
white king on the other wing.
13 tiJd2 g5 14 1:1acl h5 15 c5
White must not delay this essential
line-opening - the pawn sacrificed is
not too important. In fact, after
15 ... dxc5?! 16 tiJa4 cxb4 17 'iVxc7 b6 18
.i.b5 tiJc5 19 'iVxd8 1:1fxd8 20 tiJxc5 bxc5
21 1:1xc5 1:1ac8 22 1:1fcl 1:1xc5 23 1:1xc5
White has regained his pawn and
dominates the queenside.
15...g4 16 f3 tiJg6?!
Maybe Black did not like 16 ... g3 be­
cause of the obvious reply 17 h3, but
then Black could bring his knight to h4
with the idea of a later sacrifice on g2.
17 fxg4 tiJh4 18 tiJdl 'iVg5 19 tiJf2
White needs more pieces to defend
his king.
19...tiJf6 20 'iVdl hxg4 21 i.xg4 .i.h5 22
tiJf3 tiJxf3+ 23 ..txf3 ..th6 24 1:1c3 1:1f7 25
56
.i.xh5 tiJxh5 26 'iVf3 1:1g7 27 cxd6
There is not enough time to com­
pletely secure the king, so White must
attack on the queenside.
27...cxd6 28 1:1fcl 'iVh4 29 1:1c7 1:1g6 30
1:1xb7 1:1f8 31 1:1cC7
31...1:1g3??
31. .. tiJg3 is a better try, although
even here with 32 1:1c2! White puts an
end to all of Black's hopes of ... tiJe2+.
32 hxg3 fxg3 33 'iVg4+ .i.g5 34 'iVxh4
.i.xh4 35 tiJh 3 1-0
Game 24
A.Sokolsky-R.Kholmov
U S S R C h a m pi o n s h i p, Kiev 1954
1 b4 e5 2 .i.b2 d6 3 c4 tiJf6 4 e 3 g6 5
tiJf3 .i.g7
Black has chosen to defend with the
King's Indian set-up. Here White's best
choice is 6 d4.
6 tiJC3 0-0 7 .i.e2
Again 7 d4 is best. In the game
Sokolsky-Flohr from the semi-final of
this Championship (see Game 19),
White also allowed the move ... e4

without first playing d2-d4, but Black's
bishop had been developed on e7. In
that game White was better, but here
Black will seize the initiative.
7 e4! 8 ctJd4 cS 9 ctJc2
•••
9 bxc5 dxc5 leaves White with a
backward pawn on an open file, and
surrenders the chance to place a pawn
on b5 for counterplay.
9...ctJc6 10 bS ctJes 11 0-0 i.e6
If 1 1 . .. ctJd3, 12 i.xd3 exd3 13 ctJel
creates problems only for Black.
12 ctJa 3 .a.e8
A complex position has arisen.
Black will use the e-pawn as the spear­
head for a kingside attack, but White
B l a c k P l ays . . . e5 a n d . . . d6
can pressure that pawn and use the d5-
square and his queenside space for
counterplay.
13 'iic2
White prepares ctJd5 by luring the
enemy bishop from its defence of that
square. 13 'iVb3 d5! would open the
game to Black's benefit.
13 ...i.fS 14 'iib 3
Not the immediate 14 ctJd5, because
of 14 ...ctJf3+ 15 gxf3 exf3 16 i.d3 ctJxd5!
with the twin threat of 17 ... 'iig5+ or
17... ctJb4.
14...hS! is ctJdS ctJxd S
This trade frees the c4-square for
White's knight, but the stronger steed
on d5 could not be tolerated.
16 cxd S h4!
The threat of ... h3, g2-g3, ... i.g4 etc
forces a direct response from White.
17 f4 exf3 18 gxf3 h3 19 �hl 'iih4 20
'iic 3
Preparing ctJc4. The immediate 20
ctJc4? allows 20 ...ctJxc4 21 i.xg7 (21
i.xc4? jLxb2) 21 . .. ctJxd2.
20...jLf6 21 ctJc4 ctJg4 22 'iib 3 jLxb2 23
ctJxb2
Not 23 'iixb2? ctJf2+ 24 �gl ctJd3!,
57
Play 1 b 4 !
when 25. . .'i¥g5+ i s a killing threat.
23 ltJes
.•.
23 ... ltJf2+ 24 �gl 'i¥g5+ 25 �xf2
'i¥g2+? (25 ...'i¥h4+ draws by perpetual
check) 26 �e1 'i¥xh2 27 ltJd1 followed
by 28 tiJf2 will prevent the h-pawn
from advancing.
24 tiJe4 ':ad8 25 ':ae1?!
White has beaten off the first wave
of the attack and should now advance
with 25 a4 at once. To delay gives Black
fresh chances.
2S ...b6 26 a4 ite8! 27 f4
27 a5 is not quite fast enough, due
to 27 ... itb7 28 axb6 itxd5 29 bxa7 'i¥g4! .
27 itg4! 28 itxg4 tiJxg4
.•.
28 ... 'i¥xg4 29 ':f2 gives Black noth­
ing.
29 ':f3 tiJf2+ 30 �gl tiJe4
The last few moves have seen
Black's attack growing in menace, so
White decides to offer an exchange to
slow Black down.
31 'i¥d1! 'i¥g4+ 32 ':g3
32...'i¥fs
Kholmov reckons that if he trades
queens and takes the exchange he will
not be able to win because of White's
58
blockading knight, so he keeps the
queens on for attacking purposes. The
offer will not be withdrawn.
33 'i¥f3 tiJxg3 34 hxg3 �g7 35 g4 'i¥d3
36 �h2 ':e4
This wins the d-pawn but leads to
an ending in which the rook is in a box.
Was there anything better? I don't
think so, since White also has threats,
for instance 36 ... 'i¥b3 37 f5 with f6+
looming.
37 ':e3 'i¥xd s 38 d3 ':d4 39 'i¥xd s ':xdS
40 �xh3 gS!
The start of a good and necessary
manoeuvre to return the exchange.
41 fS ':h8+ 42 �g3 �f6 43 �f3 ':es! 44
tiJxes �xes
So we have an ending with equal
material and equal chances. White
chooses the simplest drawing line.
45 d4+! �f6
Accepting the pawn sacrifice with
45 ... cxd4 46 exd4+ �xd4 47 ':c7 is dan­
gerous for Black. No better is 45 ... �d5
46 dxc5 dxc5 47 ':d3+ �c4 48 ':d7.
46 dxes dxes 47 ':d3 �e7 48 a s! ':h1
48 ...bxa5 49 ':a3 ':b8 50 ':xa5 ':b7 51
�e4 �d6 52 ':a6+ �c7 53 �d5! even

gives White good winning chances.
49 �e4 Mb1 S0 axb6 axb6 51 �es
The idea of this move is to induce
Black into blocking the f6-square from
his own king. If 51 Ma3, Black plays
51. .. �f6 followed by ... Mxb5
Sl...f6+ 52 �d S MxbS 53 Ma3 ¥z-¥z
Now if 53 ... Ma5 54 Mb3 Ma6, 55 �c6
threatening 56 Md3 guarantees a draw.
Came 25
B.Katalymov-I.Za itsev
Odessa 1972
Katalymov played this crazy game
in the city and year of my birth. His
opponent sacrificed many pieces going
for checkmate, but Katalymov won a
bishop and triumphed without moving
his king's rook or king's bishop!
1 b4 eS 2 ..tb2 'ile7 3 c4 g6 4 bS ..tg7 5
e3 ltJf6 6 ltJC3 c6 7 ltJf3 0-0 8 d4 e4 9
ttJd2 dS
Now we can see that Zaitsev, play­
ing a King's Indian system, has saved a
tempo by pushing his pawn to d5 in
one move.
B l a c k Plays . . . e5 a n d . . . d6
10 a4
White plans to storm the queenside.
The immediate threat is 11 ..ta3.
10...Md8 11 as ltJbd7?!
1 1 . .. cxb5!? 12 cxb5 ..tf5 13 iLe2 a6 14
iVb3 axb5 15 'ilxb5 ltJc6 16 0-0 'ilc7 17
ltJb3 ..tf8 18 ..ta3 ltJxa5 19 ..txf8 Mxf8 20
Mxa5 'ilxc3 21 Mxa8 Mxa8 22 'ilxb7
reaches an equal position.
1 1 . .. ..te6, however, allows White to
apply pressure with 12 cxd5 ..txd5 13
ltJxd5 Mxd5 14 iVb3 'ild7 15 a6 b6.
12 a6
From this position it's impossible to
calculate the countless variations, but
it's clear that Black is under consider­
able pressure, which will continue un­
abated.
12 cS 13 ..ta3
•..
Setting up a deadly pin, from which
it's difficult to escape.
13 'ile8?
.••
13 ... dxc4!? 14 ..txc4 bxa6 15 bxa6
'ile8 is far from clear, for example after
16 ltJb5 'ile7 17 'ifa4 ltJg4 18 'ila5 ltJb6
19 ..te2 'ilh4 20 g3 'ilf6 21 ..txg4 ..txg4
22 ..txc5 Md7 23 ltJc3 ..tf3.
14 dxcS
59
P l ay 1 b 4 !
14...d4?
Another mistake. It's true that
14 ... bxa6!? 15 cxd5 'ilVe5 16 ':c1 ctJxd5 17
ctJxd5 'ilVxd5 18 c6 ctJf6 19 bxa6 ..tg4 20
'ilVc2 ':ac8 21 ..tc4 'ilVe5 22 ..tb2 is also
good for White, but this is not as bad
for Black as the text.
15 axb7 ..txb7 16 exd4 e3 17 ctJb3!
White has to be careful: 17 ctJf3?
exf2+ 18 �xf2 ctJg4+ 19 �g3 ..txf3 20
gxf3 ctJe3 21 'ilVd2 ..txd4 22 f4 ctJf6 is
winning for Black, for example after 23
..td3 ..txc3 24 'ilVxc3 ctJe4+ 25 ..txe4 'ilVxe4
26 ':hg1 ':d3.
17...exf2+ 18 �xf2 ctJes 19 'ilVe2 ctJfg4+
20 �gl
60
White's two extra pawns outweigh
Black's activity - White hasn't devel­
oped all his pieces, but his passed
pawns can crush everything in their
path. In this hopeless position Black's
only practical chance is to continue
sacrificing pieces.
20....:xd4 21 ctJxd4 ':d8 22 ctJe2 ..tf3 23
'ilVel
23 gxf3 is another way to win. After
23 ... ':d2 24 fxg4 ':xe2 25 ..txe2 ctJd7 26
c6 ctJb6 27 ..tf3 ..txc3 28 ':d1 ..tg7 29
..tc5 ..tf8 30 ..txb6 axb6 31 �g2, White
enjoys a decisive material advantage.
23 .....th6 24 ctJd S ..txdS 25 exd S ':xd S
26 h3 ctJe3 27 ctJxe3 ctJf3+ 28 �f2!
There was still time to blunder. If 28
gxf3?? ..txe3+ 29 �h2 ':g5, Black wins
as there is no good way to deal with
the mate threats; for example, 30 'ilVg3
':xg3 31 �xg3 'ilVe5+ 32 �g2 'ilVg5+ 33
�h2 ..tf4 mate.
28...ctJxel 29 ctJxdS 'ilVes 30 ':xel 'ilVfS+
31 �gl 'ilVxd s 32 �h2 'ilVb3 33 ..tel
..txel 34 ':xel 'ilVe3 35 ':dl 'ilVxes 36 g 3
hS 37 h4 gs 38 hxgs h4 39 ':d3 'ilVe2+
40 �h3 hxg3 41 ':xg3 'ilVh7+ 42 �g2
'ilVe4+ 1-0

White's king will eventually escape
all the checks, the black pawns will
disappear, and the white pawns will
become queens. One possible line is 43
!:tf3 'iVg4+ 44 �f2 'iVd4+ 45 �g3 'iVe5+ 46
�g2 'iVb2+ 47 !:tf2 'iVd4 48 !:th3 'iVg4+ 49
!:tg3 'iVe4+ 50 !:tff3 'iVc2+ 51 �h3 'iVh7+
52 �g4 'iVe4+ 53 !:tf4 'iVe6+ 54 �h4 'iVe5
55 !:tgf3, and White wins.
Game 2 6
B.KatalymoY-Ba khtia r
Ta s h kent 1959
1 b 4 tLJf6 2 ..tb2 g6 3 e 3 ..tg7 4 tLJf3 d 6 5
d4 tLJbd7 6 c4 0-0
If White's pawn were on the b3-
square, we would have a famous, well­
studied King's Indian position. The
active move by the b-pawn lends a dis­
tinct flavour to White's position.
7 ..te2 !:te8 8 0-0
8...tLJe4
More often players continue with
8 ... e5 9 dxe5 tLJg4. Bakhtiar's choice is
original, but probably not correspond­
ing to the spirit of the position.
B la c k Plays . . . eS a n d . . . d 6
9 'iVc2 fs
After 9 ... tLJdf6 10 ..td3 ..tf5 1 1 tLJh4!
Black's pieces are not well placed, and
he will lose at least a pawn.
10 ds tLJef6
This humiliating retreat is forced.
Black now realizes that it's better not to
trade the bishop on g7 which defends
his king. On 10 ... tLJdf6, White replies 1 1
tLJd4 and later f2-f3, kicking the knight
out of the centre. Black is trying to play
...tLJf8 with the further ...e7-e5, which is
probably the best he can do in this
situation.
11 tLJd4 tLJf8 12 ..tf3 !:tb8
The pawn on b7 must be protected.
The immediate 12 ... e5 would be weak,
after 13 dxe6 tLJxe6 14 tLJxe6 ..txe6 15
..txb7.
13 tLJc3 es 14 dxe6 tLJxe6 15 tLJds! tLJxds
16 ..txds
16 tLJxe6 is not good because of the
in-between move 16 ... tLJxb4! . The sharp
16 cxd5 tLJxd4 17 ..txd4 ..txd4 18 exd4
..td7 leaves Black with chances for
counterplay.
16...c6 17 ..txe6+ ..txe6 18 !:tfd1!
The exchange of the minor pieces
61
Play 1 b4 !
would lead to an approximately equal
game. Despite giving the opponent a
pair of bishops, White believes that the
great position of the d4-knight in the
centre promises him an unquestionable
advantage. Black can't exchange this
knight (18 ... i.xd4?), because weaken­
ing the squares on the main a1-h8 di­
agonal could be fatal for him.
18...i.f7 19 C5! d5
Forced, otherwise there would fol­
low 20 cxd6 'iVxd6 21 tt:Jxf5. Now White
begins the pawn storm on the queen­
side.
20 a4 'iVe7 21 b5 l:.bc8 22 l:.ac1 'iVd7 23
'iVC3
23 ...b6?
To prevent the threat of 24 'iVa5, but
23 ... 'iVc7 would have been a better way
to do this. The pawn move weakens
the c6-square and gives White a chance
to create a strong passed pawn.
24 'iVa3! cxb5
Black would lose a pawn after
24 ...bxc5 25 bxc6 'iVd6 26 'iVxc5, while
24 ... i.f8 is really bad because of 25
tt:Jxc6 bxc5 26 'iVc3.
25 c6! 'iVC7 26 axb5 l:.e4 27 l:.al l:.a8 28
62
'iVa6 h5 29 l:.ac1 l:.ee8 3 0 'iVb7 i.e5
30 ... 'iVxb7 is a mistake because of 31
cxb7 l:.ab8 32 l:.c7 i.e5 (preventing 33
tt:Jc6) 33 l:.d7 i.e6 34 tt:Jxe6 l:.xe6 35
i.xe5 l:.xe5 36 l:.c1 l:.ee8 37 .:Icc7 etc.
31 f4 i.d6 32 i.a3! l:.eb8
Black wants to force the queen ex­
change and after 33 'iVxc7 i.xc7 con­
tinue the fight by blocking the danger­
ous passed pawn. But an unexpected
queen sacrifice shatters all his hopes.
33 i.xd6! l:.xb7
If Black doesn't accept the queen
sacrifice and plays 33 ... 'iVxd6, following
34 'iVd7! l:.d8 35 'iVxd6 l:.xd6 36 l:.a1 !
l:.dd8 37 l:.a6 l:.dc8 38 l:.da1 White eas­
ily forces a win (38 ... l:.c7 39 l:.xb6).
34 cxb7!
Unexpected and very effective. Re­
capturing the queen by 34 i.xc7 l:.xc7
35 l:.a1 l:.e8! would enable Black to re­
sist strongly. Although Black's position
would still be inferior, the realization
of White's advantage would need a
considerable investment of time and
energy.
34...'iVxb7 35 l:.c7 'iVb8
Black has a small material advan-

tage, but the activity and proximity of
the white forces enables the first player
to create insuperable threats.
36 4.Jc6 �e8 37 4.Je5 Ji.e6 38 :'e7 �c8
39 :'f1!
White moves the rook away from
the potential thrust ... �c2. On 39 4.Jxg6
there could follow 39 .. :iVc2 40 :£1 �e4
with counterplay.
39 ... d4
Black pitches a pawn to clear d5 for
his bishop.
40 4.Jxg6 d3 41 :'C7 �e8 42 4.Je7+ cii;f7
Not 42 ... cii;h8 because of 43 Jie5+.
43 4.Jxf5+ cii;f6
Or 43 ... cii;g8 44 4.Jh6+ cii;h8 45 Ji.e5
mate.
44 4.Jg7 �g8 45 Ji.e5+ cii;g6 46 f5+ Ji.xf5
47 4.Jxf5 1-0
Came 2 l
V.Alekseev-K.Sa kaev
Petrov Memori a l,
St Peters b u rg 1996
White does something quite un­
usual in this game. He pushes his
B l a c k P l ays . . . e 5 a n d . . . d 6
p awns on the queenside and then hides
his king there, and somehow it works!
But this plan isn't really new; Sokolsky
wrote about such an idea 50 years ago.
1 b4 e5 2 Ji.b2 d6 3 c4 g6
Quite a rare move order. 3 ... 4.Jd7 4
g3 g6 5 Jig2 JLg7 6 �3 4.Je7 7 4.Jf3 0-0 8
0-0 4.Jc6 was equal in S.Bernstein­
J.5herwin, New York 1959.
4 d4 4.Jd7 5 e3 ..tg7 6 4.Jf3 e4 7 4.Jfd2 f5
8 4.Jc3 4.Jh6 9 �b3 c6 10 4.Je2
At first sight this looks like a waste
of time, but in order to stop Black's
kingside attack Alekseev wanted to
gain control of the f4-square.
10...4.Jf6 11 h4 Ji.e6 12 4.Jf4 Ji.f7 13 a4
63
P l ay 1 b4 !
0-0 14 b5
Here we see our favourite queen­
side attack. However, I believe that
White is actually trying to close the
queenside and castle there, and so it's
Black's duty to prevent White from
doing this by opening up the queen­
side. For example, 14 ... a6!? 15 i&e2 axb5
16 axb5 lixal + 17 i&xa1 with a level
position.
14...lDhg4 15 i&e2 'ile7 16 as c5 17 d5
liae8 18 a6 b6 19 lDf1 lDe5 20 lDg3
lDfg4?
Sakaev would pay for not prevent­
ing White's line-opening on the king­
side. 20 ... h5!? looks like a better option.
21 h5 'ilg5 22 lDh3 'ilf6 23 hxg6 hxg6
Now, with the queenside locked,
the white monarch will be safe there,
so White is finally ready to castle!
Many years earlier Sokolsky had
played in a similar way.
24 O-O-O! g5
After 24 ... 'ilh4!? 25 lidfl lDxf2 26
lDxf5 gxf5 27 lDxf2 'ilg3 28 lih3 'ilxg2 29
lihhl !, with the further lihg1 White can
easily use the open lines to attack the
black king.
64
25 i&xg4 fxg4 26 lDxe4 lDd3+ 27 lixd3
'ilxb2+ 28 'ilxb2 i&xb2+ 29 �xb2 lixe4
30 lDxg5 lixC4
White has an extra pawn, but also
some weaknesses. In order to maintain
the advantage, he must attack Black's
weak pawns.
31 e4?!
31 lih6! would have been the best
way forward. After 31 e4 the position is
unclear again.
31...i&e8 32 f3 i&xb5 33 lidd1 i&a4 34
lidg1 liC2+?!
After 34 ... lib4+!? 35 �c3 lib3+ 36
�d2 lif6 37 lih4 lig6 38 f4 lib2+ 39 �c1
lic2+ 40 �b1 lif2 41 lixg4 i&b5 42 f5
i&d3+ 43 �al lig7 the outcome is in
doubt.
3 5 �b1 c4 36 lih4 c3 37 lixg4 lic8??
Black's king is in a mating net and
there was no time to contemplate how
to checkmate the white king. Instead
Black should be content with a perpet­
ual check, which arises after 37 ... lib2+!
38 �al i&b3 39 lDe6+ �f7 40 lig7+ �f6
41 lic7 lia2+ 42 �b1 lib2+ 43 �c1 lic2+
44 �bl lib2+.
38 lih1 lic4 39 lDe6+ �f7
 B l a c k P l ays . . . e5 a n d . . . d 6

10 ... a5! ? 1 1 b 5 exd4 12 exd4 c5 13 0-0

cxd4 14lbxd4lbc5 15 'iVc2 is equal.
11 ct:Jd2 hs

40 Mf4+
It's curious how two strong chess
players missed checkmate in three
moves: 40 Mg7+ �f6 41 Mh6+ �e5 42 We have reached a typical King's
Mg5 mate. Indian Attack position, with colours
40 �g6 41 lbf8+ �g7 42 lbe6+ 1-0
.•• reversed. White is attacking on the
After 42 ... �g6 White mates as in the queenside while Black will try to
note above with 43 Mg4+ �f7 44 Mg7+ checkmate the king on the other wing,
�f6 45 Mh6+ �e5 46 Mg5. assuming White chooses to castle
there ...
12 h3 lbf8 13 as c6 14 bs lbe6 15 lba4
Came 28
cs 16 ds lbgs 17 b6 a6
V.Alekseev-V.Komliakov
As we saw in Alekseev-Sakaev, and
Petrov Memori a l ,
as noted by the Irish GM Alexander
S t Petersb u rg 1996
Baburin, White has reaped the benefits
from his decision to postpone castling.
1 b4 es 2 i..b2 d6 3 c4 ct:Jd7 4 e3 g6 5
lbf3 i..g7 6 i.. e2 lbgf6 7 d4
White can also postpone the strug­
gle until a later stage by playing d2-d3,
as Benko does in the next game.
7 'WiIe7
•••

After 7 ... 0-0 8 0-0 Me8 9 dxe5lbg4 10

lbc3 ct:Jgxe5 1 1 'WiIb3, as played in
A.5okolsky-V.Kirillov, Minsk 1957,
White's plan of lbd5 affords him a
standard positional edge.
8 ct:JC3 0-0 9 'WiIb3 Me8 10 a4 e4?!

65
P l ay 1 b 4 !
18 0-0-0!
Now let's enjoy White's kingside at­
tack. First of all, though, White im­
proves the position of his pieces.
18...h4 19 �bl ..tfs 20 �a2 ctJd7 21
ctJe3 ctJes 22 :l.dgl ctJd7 23 ..tdl ctJf6 24
..te2 ctJhs 25 ..tal ..tes 26 :l.el iff8
27 f4!
The first step of an attack is often
the most difficult one. This move forces
Black to open lines against his own
king.
27...exf3 28 gxf3 ..txe2 29 ifxe2 ..tg7 30
f4 ctJh7 31 ctJf3 ife7 32 :l.hgl ctJg3 3 3 e4
White finally is able to advance the
pawns in the centre. The oncoming
avalanche will sweep away all resis­
tance.
33 ...ctJf6?
Giving away an important pawn.
33 ... ..td4!? would at least prolong
Black's battle, although White does
remain on top after the continuation 34
:l.g2 iff6 35 f5 g5 36 ctJxd4 cxd4 37 ctJe2
:l.xe4 38 :l.xg3 :l.xe2 39 :l.xg5+ ctJxg5 40
:l.xe2 �f8 41 ifd3 :l.e8 42 z:.xe8+ �xe8
43 ..txd4.
34 ctJxh4 ctJfxe4
66
3 5 ctJxe4
35 ctJxg6! wins quickly: 35 ... fxg6 36
ctJxe4 ..txa1 37 ctJxg3 ifxe1 38 ifxg6+
�f8 39 :l.xe1 :l.xe1 40 ifxd6+ �g8 41
ifg6+ �h8 42 ctJe4 ..td4 43 ctJg5 :l.e7 44
ctJf7+ etc.
35...ifxh4 36 ..txg7 ctJxe4 37 ..tb2 ifxf4
38 :l.g4 ifd2 39 :l.gxe4! ifxa5+
39 ...ifxc2 40 :l.xe8+ �h7 41 :l.xa8
ifxc4+ 42 �b 1 should be winning for
White.
40 �bl ifxel+ 41 :l.xel :l.xel+ 42 �a2
:l.ae8 43 iff2 1-0
This looks like a good time to re­
sign. Black is down a bishop, his king
is in big trouble and his pawns are
weak.
Game 29
P.Ben ko-V.Cioca ltea
Luga no O lympiad 1968
GM Pal Benko is a famous Hungar­
ian-American chess legend who has
crossed swords many times with World
Champions. I had the honour to meet
(but not play) him on three occasions.
 B l a c k Plays . e 5 a n d . . . d 6
. .

The most memorable was the first, at 4...0-0 5 e3 d6 6 ii.e2 e5 7 d3

the World Open in Philadelphia more
than a decade ago. Benko was provid­
ing free game analysis for amateur en­
trants. I was so upset after losing one of
my typically crazy games against an
American 1M that I went to him and
asked him to show me how could I have
won. The Grandmaster played over the
game, shook his head sadly, and in­
formed me that I should analyse the
game with a computer, because "no
human being could possibly make sense
of this!" It was good advice; Fritz found In contrast to 7 d4, White does not
the win! It's a pleasure to include a cou­ allow the advance of Black's e-pawn. 7
ple of his games in this book. d3 also prepares an efficient develop­
1 tbf3 tbf6 2 b4 g6 3 (4 jLg7 4 jLb2 ment of White's b1-knight.
7....:le8 8 tbbd2 tbbd7 9 0-0 h6
After 9 ... d5!? 10 cxd5 tZJxd5 11 a3 (1 1
'iVb3!?) 1 1 . .. e4 12 jLxg7 exf3 13 jLxf3
tbxe3 14 fxe3 �xg7 15 tbc4 the position
looks roughly equal.
10 'iV(2 tbf8 11 (5!?

A typical way to reach this position

via the Sokolsky move order would be 1
b4 tbf6 2 jLb2 g6 3 tbf3 jLg7 4 c4. With
this move order Black needs to be aware
of the possibility 3 jLxf6!? For example,
4 ... exf6 4 a3 jLg7 5 g3 0-0 6 jLg2 f5 7 d4
d6 8 e3 c6 9 tbe2 tbd7 10 0-0 tbf6 11 c4 An unusual move, but the idea to
as 12 b5 tbe4 13 tbbc3 .:le8 14 'iVd3 'iVe7 open the c-file in order to attack the
15 tba4 'iVc7 16 tbec3 tbxc3 17 tbxc3 with queenside is a logical one.
an edge for White, C.Bulcourf-Llanos, 11 tbd5
.••

correspondence 1987. Attacking the b4-pawn and prepar-

67
Play 1 b 4 !
ing a dangerous pawn storm on the
kingside.
12 a3 f5 13 l:.fdl
This is a good move which prepares
an attack in the centre by pushing the
e- and d-pawns. Another idea was 13
l:.acl, pressuring the queenside.
13 ite6 14 itfl Wile7 15 l:.acl itf7 16
•••
e4!
Right on time! White lands a strong
blow in the fight for the centre.
16...4:Jf6 17 g3
17 d4!? looks like the right idea, as
all of White's pieces are ready for the
complications after this push. After the
possible continuation 1 7... 4:Jxe4 18
4:Jxe4 fxe4 19 cxd6 cxd6 20 Wilxe4 dS 21
Wilg4 e4 22 4:JeS ite6 23 Wilg3 Wild6 24
l:.cS, White's active pieces offer him a
chance to fight for the advantage. That
said, despite White's logical play it
can't be said that he has a real advan­
tage - look at his dark-squared bishop,
for instance.
17...ite6 18 itg2 g5 19 d4!
After improving his light-squared
bishop, White decides to attack the cen­
tre, but Black's advanced pawns on the
68
kingside have taken considerable space
and start to cause problems.
19...4:Jxe4 20 tDxe4
Perhaps a better chance is 20 dxeS!?
dS 21 c6 b6 22 4:Jf1 as 23 4:Je3 Wilf7 24
4:Jd4, when White enjoys a slight ad­
vantage in this complicated position.
20...fxe4 21 cxd6 cxd6 22 Wilxe4 d5 23
Wile3 e4 24 tDe5 g4!
This move contains many ideas,
such as preventing White's f2-f3 break
and preparing to open up a diagonal
for the g7-bishop.
25 Wilf4 h5
26 h3?
Losing a pawn and a tempo. After
the obvious 26 l:.cS the position should
be equal; for example, 26 ... l:.ac8 27
l:.dcl l:.xcS 28 l:.xcS l:.c8 29 Wilcl MXCS 30
dxcS itc8 31 Wild2 Wile6 32 bS tDh7 33
Wilc3 itxeS 34 WilxeS WilxeS 35 itxeS.
26...gxh3
This simple move gives Black a
slight advantage.
27 itfl �h7
Preparing a dangerous 28 ... ith6.
28 MC5 ¥z-¥z
Probably in this position Benko of-

fered a draw which his opponent ac­
cepted, even though White would have
been in some trouble after 28 ... �h6 29
'ifu4 'iixh4 30 gxh4 CDg6.
Game 30
R.Reti-J.Capa blanca
N ew York 1924
This game is perhaps the most fa­
mous example of b2-b4 in the Reti
Opening. It has already been annotated
numerous times by many strong play­
ers, and we have little to add.
1 CDf3 CDf6 2 c4 g6 3 b4 �g7 4 �b2 0-0
5 g3 b6
S ... dS 6 cxdS CDxdS 7 �xg7 �xg7 8
'ilVb3 CDf6 9 �g2 CDc6 10 0-0 eS 1 1 d3
�g4 12 CDbd2 'iie 7 13 bS CDd8 14 'ilVb2
CDd7 IS .i:.acl, as played in R.Reti­
A.Pokorny, Maehrisch Ostrau 1923, is a
bit better for White. Capablanca prefers
a double fianchetto and later adopts a
King's Indian formation.
6 �g2 �b7 7 0-0 d6 8 d3 CDbd7 9 CDbd2
es 10 'iiC2 .i:.e8 11 .i:.fd1 a s
Black is fighting for control of the
B l a ck P l ays . . . e5 and ... d6
cS-square.
12 a3 h6 13 CDf1 cs 14 bs CDf8
14 ... dS IS cxdS CDxdS 16 CDld2 'iie 7
17 .i:.acl CDc7 18 a4 .i:.ad8 19 CDc4 CDdS is
a good alternative.
15 e3 'iiC7 16 d4 �e4 17 'iiC 3 exd4 18
exd4 CD6d7 19 'iid 2 cxd4?!
Before you do something active,
make sure your pieces are developed
optimally! Black should play 19 ... .i:.ad8,
and here 20 CDe3 CDf6 21 .i:.acl dS 22
dxcS dxc4 23 cxb6 'iixb6 24 'iie l .i:.xdl
2S 'iix dl c3 26 �xc3 'iixbS maintains
equality.
20 �xd4 'iixC4 21 �xg7 �xg7 22
'iib2+!
Capablanca apparently underesti­
mated the strength of this move.
22...�g8 23 .i:.xd6 'iic s 24 .i:.ad1 .i:.a7
White's pieces are well coordinated
and Black is saddled with weak f6- and
c6-squares. The pawn on b6 is another
useful target for White.
25 CDe3 'iih s 26 CiJd4 �xg2 27 �xg2
'iie s
Black's position is virtually indefen­
sible. For example, 27... .i:.c7 28 CDf3 .i:.e6
29 .i:.ldS gS 30 CDfS CDf6 31 .i:.xe6 fxe6 32
69
P l ay 1 b 4 !

'iVxf6 exf5 33 'iVxb6 g4 34 etJh4 i s hope­ seur of the English Opening, knew well
less. that the Double Fianchetto is a tough
28 etJe4 'iVes 29 etJe6 Me7 30 etJe3 etJes nut to crack.
31 M1dS 1-0 9 0-0 etJbd7

If 3I. .. etJc4, White replies 32 Mxc5 10 'iVb3

etJxb2 33 Mc2 etJa4 34 etJd5 and wins a The immediate 10 d4 looks more
piece. aggressive, but White wants to prepare
this advance with MfdI.
10...Me8 11 Mfd1 etJe4
Game 3 1
I believe that this move favours
K.Spraggett-l.lvanov
White because it allows the trade of
Montrea l 1981
Black's important King's Indian
bishop.
1 etJf3 etJf6 2 b4 g6 3 .tb2 .tg7 4 e 4 0-0 12 etJxe4 .txe4 13 .txg7 �xg7 14 d3
5 e3 b6 6 .te2 d6 7 etJe3 eS 8 a3 .tb7

14....txf3
The late GM Igor Ivanov, a connois- An idea borrowed from the Catalan

70
 B l a ck Plays . . . e5 a n d . . . d6

Opening. White's light-squared bishop advantage. Almost all the pieces are
has nothing to target in this structure, traded and it's soon time to agree a
and in fact the white knight was a more draw.
dangerous piece.
15 i.xf3 "iifc7 16 g3 Qjf6 17 ':ab1 ':fd8
18 ':d2 h5 19 h3 "iifd 7 20 i.g2 e5 21
"iifb2 "iife6 22 ':bd1 ':b8 23 ':c2?!
It is hard to understand why White
didn't prevent Black's next move by
playing 23 b5!?
23 ...b5 24 ':b1
White could keep a slight advan­
tage with 24 "iifc3! ?, with one possible
line being 24 ... .:dc8 25 ':dcl a6 26 "iifd2
bxc4 27 ':xc4 cxb4 28 axb4 d5 29 ':c5.
24 a5
•.. 25 "iifC1 axb4 26 axb4 bXC4 27 ':xc4
Now with best play in this compli­ cxb4 28 ':cxb4 ':xb4 29 ':xb4 d5 30
cated position, neither side can gain an ':b5 ':c8 31 ':C5 ':xC5 32 'ii'xc5 e4 Yz-Yz

71
Play 1 b4 !

Summary
The King's Indian set-up is quite popular but shouldn't be too troublesome for the
Sokol sky specialist. White's early capture of queenside space will give him an im­
portant lead in the standard pawn races seen in many King's Indian games. In
some lines it's worth considering castling long for White, as a way of hiding the
king from the opponent's attack or even as a prelude to counterpunching on the
kingside (see Games 27-28).

1 b4 etJf6
1 . .. eS 2 �b2
2 . . :iVe7 - Game 25
2 ... d6 3 c4
3 ... aS - Game 1 9; 3 ... �e7 - Game 20; 3 ... �e6 - Game 23;
3 ... etJf6 - Game 24; 3 ... g6 - Game 2 7; 3 ... etJd7 Game 28
-

3 ... fS 4 e3 etJf6 S etJf3 �e7 (D)

6 etJc3 - Game 21
6 d4 - Game 22
2 �b2 g6 3 etJf3
3 �xf6 - Game 29 (notes)
3 �g7 4 c4 0-0 5 e3
•••

S g3
S ... b6 (D) - Game 3 0
S ... dS - Chapter 7
S .. d6
.

S ...b6 - Game 3 1
S ...dS - Chapter 7
6 d4
6 �e2 - Game 29
6...etJbd7 (D) - Game 26

5 �e7
••• 5 ..b6
. 6... etJbd7

72
 Cha p t er F o ur
Quee n ' s I n dian Systems
In this chapter we move away from the
direct, cut-and-thrust opening play of
... e5 systems and proceed to the more
leisurely, amorphous, strategic life of
the reversed queen's pawn opening.
Tactics and variations mean little here;
plans and ideas count for much more.
It was quite difficult to decide
whether some of games given below
belonged to this or the next chapter. In
the end we decided that games in
which the fianchetto of Black's light­
squared bishop was the dominant fac­
tor, whether the move ... b6 was played
early or late, would belong here.
The basic idea of countering the
Queen's Indian set-up may be stated
quite simply: put a pawn on the b5-
square and keep it there as long as you
can. A pawn on b5 takes the best
square away from the enemy queen's
knight and acts as a spearhead for an
attack on the left flank. The possibility
of a white piece occupying the weak­
ened square c6 must be respected by
I
Black, and like it or not the question of
what to do about the b5-pawn must
always be uppermost in his or her
thoughts.
White will generally develop the
light-squared bishop via e2-e3 and
lte2, to cover b5 and leave a route for
the d-pawn to advance two squares in
the delayed fight for the centre
(Fischer-Ina, Game 43, is an example of
the difficulties facing White should he
fianchetto his king's bishop). After de­
veloping the king's knight to f3, with
or without the Bird-like advance f2-f4,
White will castle and decide whether to
clarify the central position at once or
proceed directly with queenside play.
Early direct attacks on the kingside are
uncommon in this system.
One of the key games in this chap­
ter is the encounter Sokolsky-Keres
(Game 32). Sokolsky's notes discuss in
considerable detail the strategic prob­
lems in the opening, and the note to
move fifteen demonstrates the viability
73
Play 1 b4 !

of his approach. This game and several

others in this book show Sokolsky as
Game 32
an excellent defender and endgame -
A Sokolsky P Keres
. .

expert.
U S S R C h a m pionsh i p,
The ideas discussed by Sokolsky in
Moscow 1950
the Keres game are illustrated well by
Games 33-34. The notes to the former
deal with the theme of the struggle for 1 b4 e6 2 iLb2 CDf6 3 bS
the centre, while the latter is a good The most principled continuation.
example of solid positional play arising The pawn on b5 restricts Black's play
from the early thrust f2-f4. while gaining space for future opera­
The remaining Sokol sky games here tions on the queenside.
are all quite instructive. Sokol sky­ 3 ...cS 4 e3 dS
Chekhover (Game 35) features the The simplest and perhaps best
queenside attack in all its glory as well scheme of development.
as another well-played ending. His S CDf3
encounters with Usov and Byvshev Worth a look is 5 f4, taking control
(Games 36-37) demonstrate the impor­ of e5. Without the knight on c6, Black
tant concept that White need not op­ will find it difficult to push through
pose rooks on an opened a-file when ... d5-d4. Can Black do this at once?
the heavy pieces have major tasks Probably White can answer this with 6
elsewhere. White's space advantage CDf3 or 6 iLd3 with 7 CDf3 to follow.
weighs heavily upon Black in these S...CDbd7 6 c4 iLd6
games.
We've also included Lapshun­
Scekic (Game 38) as an example of a
virile counter to aggressive Black play,
as well as a superb piece of entertain­
ment. This is easily one of the two most
complex games in this book; its only
rival for top spot is the first of the Lap­
shun-Furdzik encounters in Chapter
Six. We must note here that these two
tactical slugfests were played at a
rapidplay time control of 30 minutes
per player for the entire game! Thus 7 d3
the notes will point out quite a few er­ Instead of this, White can play 7
rors by both sides, which under the iLe2 b6 8 d4, saving a tempo. Kataly­
circumstances we hope will be par­ mov recommends here 7 CDc3, and if
doned by the reader. 7... 0-0 then 8 'lib3; if 7... b6 then 8 a4.

74
 Q u e e n 's I n d i a n Sys t e m s

7 0-0 8 tbbd2 b6 9 iLe2 iLb7 10 0-0

... true that White has a weakness - the
WIle7 pawn on a4 - which needs defending.
The placement of the black pieces is 13 d4 .l:.a7 14 tbes
the most natural, in the spirit of the
position. 10 ... Wllc 7 is weaker because of
1 1 ':k1 ! and later d3-d4.

14....l:.fa8
In this position the chances are
equal. A later game, A.5okolsky­
ll a4 P.Atyashev, USSR Correspondence
White's plan is to advance pawns Championship 1953/54, continued
on the queenside by a2-a4-a5, and 14 ... .l:.c8 15 tbxd7 tbxd7 16 cxd5 exd5 17
Black feels impelled to stop this. iLb5 c4 18 tbb1 tbf6 19 �a3 iLc6 20
11 a S
.•. iLxd6 WIIx d6 21 tbc3 .l:.a5? (21 . . . .l:.e7) 22
This counter-movement on the iLxc6 WIIxc6 23 f3 .:tca8 24 �d2 tbe8 25
queenside, where Black is under pres­ e4 tbc7 26 .l:.ae1, with White achieving
sure, is probably not good. Black an advantage.
played better in the game A.5okolsky­
V.Efremov, USSR Correspondence
Championship 1953/54, with 1 1 . .. .:tad8
12 a5 iLb8 13 axb6 axb6. Instead of 14
d4 as in the game (which allowed
14 ... e5! ) White needed to play 14 WIIc2,
moving the queen from the d-file,
which would lead to a complex game
with mutual chances.
12 bxa6 .l:.xa6
The opening of files on the queen­
side is in principle better for White. In
addition, Black will have to spend time lS f4
repositioning his rooks. Of course, it's White overestimates his chances.

75
Play 1 b 4 !

Instead 15 l2Jxd7 l2Jxd7 (15 ... iYxd7?! is

answered by 16 cxd5 exd5 17 dxc5 bxc5
18 �xf6 gxf6 19 �d3! with the threat of
'iih5) 16 cxd5 exd5 17 �b5 would leave
White in a good position.
15...cxd4 16 exd4 �b4!
The threat is 17 ... �xd2 18 iYxd2
':xa4, so White must move the knight
away from the d2-square, allowing the
black knight to enter e4.
17 l2Jdf3 l2Je4 18 iYb3 l2Jxe5 19 fxe5
White must avoid 19 l2Jxe5? l2Jd2, or
19 dxe5? �c5+. By gentle' play Black achieves a
I

19....:c8 20 ':acl position in which he is winning the a­

pawn by force.
31 ':d8+
White had based his hopes on 31
�d4 �xd4 (31 . .. .:xa4? 32 �xe3 ':al+ 33
�gl) 32 ':xd4, but Keres had prepared
32 ...b5! when Black is winning.
31...�h7 32 ':d3 �C5

20...l2Jd2
Black is trying to simplify into a fa­
vourable endgame.
21 l2Jxd2 �xd2 22 ':c2 dXC4 23 ':xc4
Black wins a pawn after 23 �xc4
iYg5 24 d5 iYe3+ 25 �hl iYxb3 26 �xb3
':xc2 27 �xc2 �xd5.
23 ....:xc4 24 �xC4 iYg5! 25 d5 33 h3
White has little choice: 25 ':f2? �e3!; The transition to the rook endgame
25 g3? �e3+!; or 25 iYg3 iYxg3 26 hxg3 by 33 �a3 ':xa4 34 �xc5 bxc5 35 �gl
':xa4 and White loses a pawn with a wouldn't offer White any hope after
bad position. 35 ... .:a7! 36 ':c3 ':c7 (not 35 ... c4? 36
25...iYe3+ 26 �hl iYxb3 27 �xb3 �xd5 ':d7 �g6 37 ':c7, with drawing
28 �xd5 exd5 29 ':dl �e3 30 ':xd5 h6 chances).

76

33 ... ':xa4 34 �h2 ':b4 35 .i.. a 3 ':d4!
If 35 ... ':e4 36 .i..xc5 bxc5 37 ':d5 c4
38 ':c5, White would reach a close-to­
drawing position.
36 ':b3 ':e4
After 36 ... .i.. xa3 37 ':xa3 b5 38 ':a7
�g6 39 g4 ':d5 40 ':e7, the black king
can't approach the e5-pawn, the b­
pawn will be stopped by the rook from
the b7-square and the game should
finish as a draw.
37 .i..b2
White didn't risk 37 .i..xc5 bxc5 38
':b7 ':xe5 39 ':xf7 �g6 because in this
endgame Black has real chances to win.
37...':e1
38 ':f3
Probably better here was 38 g4 with
the idea of cutting off the black king.
The bishop endgame which occurs af­
ter 38 ... ':e2+ 39 �g3 ':e3+ 40 ':xe3
.i..xe3 41 �f3 .i.. c5 42 �e4 �g6 43 .i.. c 1 is
drawish.
38....i..g1+ 39 �g3 �g6
After 39 ... ':e3 40 <;;t> f4! ':xf3+ 41 gxf3
�g6 42 �e4, pushing the pawn to f5
gives White serious counterchances.
40 .i.. e 3 ':e4 41 ':d3 �f5!
Q u e e n 's I n d i a n Sys t e m s
Here Black could trade rooks, but
he prefers to transfer the king to e6.
42 ':f3+
42 e6? ':xe6 43 .i..xg7 fails to
43 ... ':g6+.
42...�e6 43 ':d3 h5 44 �f3 �f5 45 g3
.i.. e5 46 e6!
By decreasing the number of pawns
on the board White increases his
chances for a draw.
46...fxe6 47 .i..xg7 ':a4 48 .i..b2
Preventing 48 ... ':a3.
48...':b4 49 .i.. e 3
49 .i.. a3 e5 50 ':c3 was another pos­
sibility.
49...':e4
49 ... ':b3 might be stronger, pinning
the white pieces.
50 .i..b2 h4
This allows White to activate his
pieces, but I can't see how Black can
improve his position. For example:
50 ... ':c2 51 g4+ hxg4+ 52 hxg4+ �g5 53
.i.. e5; 50 ... e5 51 ':d5 .i.. d4 52 .i..xd4 ':xd4
53 ':b5; and finally 50 ... b5 51 ':d7. In all
cases the endgame should finish as a
draw.
51 g4+ �g5 52 iie5 ':e2 53 iie7 �g6 54
77
P l ay 1 b4 !

i.d8 i.f2 5 5 �b3 �f7 56 i.xb6 pressure against the two hanging
With the capture of the passed b­ pawns on cS and dS.
pawn, a draw becomes inevitable. 11...lte8
56...i..xb6 57 ltxb6 �h2 58 gs ltxh3+ 59
�g4 lthl 60 �b7+ �f8 61 lth7 ltgl+ 62
�f4 ltfl+ 63 �g4 es 64 ltxh4 �f7 65
lth6 e4 66 ltf6+ Yz-Yz

Game 33
-
L Kiss P Kiss
. .

Ege r 1992

In a tournament in Hungary I
played an opponent named Kiss, and
one of my students played another
Kiss. But I've never seen a game be­
tween two Kisses, until now!
1 b4 ds 2 i.b2 lLJf6 3 e3 e6 4 bs cs 5
lLJf3 lLJbd7 6 c4 b6
6 ... i.. d 6 7 d3 0-0 8 lLJbd2 b6 was
Sokolsky-Keres (see Game 32).
7 i.. e 2 i.d6 8 0-0 i.b7 9 cxd5 exds 10
12 �hl?!
A complete waste of time - it's dif­
ficult to believe a master would play
such a move before developing the rest
of his pieces. 12 'iWc2 c4 13 a4 'iWe7 14
ltfc1 a6 IS bxa6 i.xa6 would be
roughly equal.
12 'iWe7 13 a4 c4 14 lLJd2 i.b4 15 i.f3
•••

d4 0-0 lLJf8 16 Mel lLJe6 17 e4?!

11 lLJC3 17...i.xc3?
11 dxcS!? is another option. After 1 7... lLJf4! 18 'iVc2 (18 eS lLJd3)
l 1 . .. bxcS 12 'iWc2 �e8 13 lLJbd2 ltc8 14 18 ... .i.xc3 19 i.xc3 dxe4 20 i.d1 e3 21
ltfd1 'iWe7 IS i.d3 White can build Mxe3 i..xg2+ 22 �gl lLJe4 23 lLJxe4 i.xe4

78

24 'iVd2 'iVh4 would give Black a win­
ning attack.
18 �XC3 dxe4 19 l2Jxe4 l2Jd s
20 �b2
20 'iVc2!? 'iVd7 21 l2Jd2 l2Jg5 22 �xd5
�xd5 23 f3 is about equal.
20...'iVc7 21 'iVd2 l2Jef4 22 l2JC3 l2JxC3 23
'iVxC3 �xf3 24 'iVxf3 l2Jd3 25 lixe8+
lixe8 26 �C3 h6 27 g3 'iVe7 28 lia2 'iVe4
29 �g2 fs
Black has very active pieces, but it's
not enough to claim an advantage.
30 as 'iVxd4
31 i.xd4?
In chess, captures are not compul-
sory! 31 lie2! 'iVd7 32 lixe8+ 'iVxe8 33
Q u e e n 's I n dia n Sys t e m s
axb6 axb6 3 4 'iVxf5 would have given
White an edge.
31...l2Je1+ 32 �f1 l2Jxf3 33 axb6 axb6
34 �C3
34 �xb6! lie5 35 lia5 c3 36 �g2 c2
37 lia8+ �f7 38 lic8 l2Je1+ 39 �f1 lixb5
40 �xe1 lixb6 41 lixc2 is a dead draw.
34...l2Jxh2+ 35 �g2 l2Jg4 36 lia7 lie2 37
�d4
Even though Black now has two ex­
tra pawns, White's two very active
pieces provide enough compensation.
37...c3
The position after 37 ... lid2!? 38
�xb6 c3 39 lic7 c2 40 �a7 �f8 41 b6
lixf2+ 42 �gl c1 'iV+ 43 lixc1 lib2 44
lic8+ �e7 45 lic7+ �d6 46 lixg7 offers
White some winning chances, but we
think Black should be able to hold.
38 lixg7+ �f8 39 liC7 c2 40 i.xb6
40...l2Jes?
40 ... lid2 41 �f3 l2Je5+ 42 �e3 lid6 43
i.a5 lid5 44 lixc2 lixb5 45 i.c3 �e7 46
i.xe5 lixe5+ 47 �f4 �f6 is a draw,
while even simpler is 40 ... lie5 41 lixc2
lixb5.
41 �e3!
The bishop stops Black's c-pawn,
79
Play 1 b4 !
whereas the white b-pawn will run to
glory.
41...tDd3 42 �f3 eliV 43 ..txel tDxel 44
':xel l1b2 45 ':e5 f4 46 gxf4 �g7 47
�g4 ':xf2 48 ':e7+ �f6 49 ':e5 �e7 50
�f5 h5 51 �g5 ':b2 1-0
White grabs the h5-pawn, after
which one of his pawns will become a
queen.
Game 34
M.Vokac-M.Trata r
Ces ke Budejovice 1996
1 b4 tDf6 2 i.,b2 e6 3 b5 b6 4 e3 ..tb7 5
f4
With 5 f4 White is aiming to gain
control of the e5-square. 5 tDf3 is more
common: 5 ... ..te7 6 ..te2 (6 c4 0-0 7 ..te2
d5 8 a4 was Sokolsky-Chekhover - see
Game 35) 6 ... 0-0 7 0-0 d5 8 d3 c5 9
tDbd2 tDbd7 10 c4 ..td6 1 1 ':e1 iVc7 was
equal in A.Miles-Z.Ribli, London 1984.
5...a6 6 a4 axb5 7 axb5 ':xal 8 ..txal d6
9 tDf3 tDbd7 10 ..te2 iVa8 11 ..tb2 i.,e7
12 0-0 0-0 13 e4 ':d8 14 iVe2 e5
Black seeks active counterplay
80
along the c-file, s o he pushes his c­
pawn and induces White to capture.
15 bxe6 ..txe6 16 tDe3 ':e8 17 iVbl ..tb7
18 tDb5 d5 19 exd5 ..txd5 20 ..td4
White has managed to trade off his
weak c4-pawn and now starts to attack
Black's vulnerable b-pawn.
20..Ji'a2 21 tDe3 iVxb1 22 ':xbl i.,e5 23
tDxd5 tDxd5 24 g3 ..txd4 25 tDxd4 g6 26
�f2 ':a8 27 �f3 ':a2 28 �xd5 exd5
Despite the two weak pawns, Black
should hold this ending. However, the
task proves to be too difficult after a
blunder by Black and some excellent
endgame play by White.
29 �e2 h5??
Black should rush his king to the
centre with 29 ... �f8!' The text move
wastes time.
30 ':b5 ':a5 31 ':xa5 bxa5 32 tDe6 �f8
Winning a pawn, as 32 ... a4 can be
met by 33 tDe7+ �f8 34 tDxd5.
33 tDxa5 �e7 34 tDb7
A long time ago somebody told me
that knight endgames are very similar
to pawn endgames, in which case an
extra pawn is almost always a decisive
factor.

34 lbf6 35 d3 �d7 36 h3 �C7 37 lbC5
•.•
�c6 38 lbb3 �d6 39 lbd4 lbd7 40 lbf3
lbf8 41 lbg5 f6
This move weakens Black's pawn
structure, but the only alternative was
an undesirable king retreat.
42 lbf3 �c5 43 lbd4 �d6
44 �d2
Now the white king will circle
round its counterpart.
44...lbd7 45 �C3 lbC5 46 lbf3 lba4+ 47
�d4 lbc5 48 lbh4 lbe6+ 49 �C3 lbf8
White's strategy is based upon at­
tacking the two weaknesses on g6 and
d5.
50 �b4 �c6 51 d4 �d6 52 �b5 f5 53
Q u e e n 's I n dia n Sys t e m s
�a6 lbd7
53 ... �e7 54 �b6 �d6 55 �b5 �e6 56
�c6 is zugzwang, and 53 ... �e6 54 �b6
�d6 55 �b5 �d7 56 �c5 �e6 57 �c6
reaches the same position.
54 lbxg6 lbf6 55 lbh4 �e6 56 lbf3 �d6
57 lbg5 �c6 58 �a5 lbd7 59 �b4 1-0
Two extra pawns, together with
Black's three weaknesses, are more
than enough to win this position.
Game 35
A.Sokolsky-V.Chekhover
Le n i ngrad 19 3 8
1 b4 lbf6 2 �b2 e6 3 b5 b6 4 e 3 �b7 5
lbf3 �e7
Black plays in the style of the
Queen's Indian Defence. White begins
an advance on the queenside, where he
has a space advantage.
6 c4 0-0 7 �e2 d5 8 a4 dxC4
Giving up the centre leads to an ad­
vantage for White. Black should play
8 . . c5.
.
9 lba3 c3 10 �xc3 lbd5
And here too it's better to play
81
P l ay 1 b4 !
10 ... cS.
11 i.b2 i.f6 12 i.xf6 'ifxf6 13 0-0 Md8
14 'ifb1! ct:Jd7
A natural move. Now on 14 ... cS, 15
ct:Jc4 ct:Jd7 16 as! is very strong.
15 ct:JC4 ct:JC5 16 MC1
White has finished the mobilization
of his forces and threatens moves like
d2-d4, a4-aS or ct:Jc4-aS. Black's knights
must retreat.
16...ct:Je7 17 d4 i.e4
17 ... ct:Je4 would have been better,
but even in this case White develops
strong pressure after 18 as.
18 'ifb2 i.. d 3
18 ...ct:Jd3 is bad because of 19 i.xd3
i..xd3 20 ct:JceS.
Against 18 ... i.d3 White could reply
19 i.dl, but after 19 ...i.xc4 20 Mxc4 a6!
Black would obtain some counterplay.
The continuation in the game leads to
an ending which is clearly better for
White.
19 dXC5 'ifxb2 20 ct:Jxb2 i..xe2 21 ct:Jd4
i..h5
21. .. i..g4 would have offered more
chances for Black.
22 cxb6 cxb6 23 ct:Jc4 Mac8 24 as bxa5
82
25 ct:Jxa5
25...Mxc1+
Otherwise there would follow 26
ct:Jac6.
26 MxC1 �f8 27 f3 Mc8
In the annotations to this game,
published in the tournament bulletin,
the chess master Alatortsev suggested
for Black the variation 27... eS 28 ct:Jdc6
Mc8, believing that Black could put up
stiff resistance. But White can win in a
study-like way, as follows: 29 ct:Jc4!
ct:Jxc6 30 ct:Jd6 Mc7 31 Mxc6! Md7 32 Mc8+
�e7 33 ct:JfS+ �f6 34 g4, and there is no
good defence to the threat 35 Mc6+.
28 Mxc8+ ct:Jxc8 29 ct:Jdc6 �e8 30 tDxa7!
Using the strength of the far ad­
vanced b-pawn, White carries out a
small combination. After 30 ... ct:Jxa7 31
b6, the b-pawn becomes a queen.
30...ct:Jb6 31 �f2 �d7 32 e4 f6 33 �e3
e5 34 �d3 i.f7
Finally the black bishop can get into
the game.
35 �C3 cJ;;C 7 36 �b4 i.a2 37 ct:J7c6 g6 38
ct:Jb3 i..b1 39 ct:Jc5 i.c2 40 ct:Je6+
40 �aS is easier, but this was the
last move of the time control.
 Q u e e n 's I n dia n Sys t e m s

40 �d6 41 lDf8 �d3 42 g3 g5 43 lDxh7

••• F our pawns against the knight! A
lDd7 44 lDa 5 very interesting endgame to the finish.
57 lDe2 58 g4+! �g6 59 �d6 lDC3 60
•••

e5 lDe4+ 61 �d7 lDC5+ 62 �c6 lDd3 63

�d6 lDf2 64 e6 lDxg4 65 e7 �f7 66 h5
Of course not 66 �d7 because of
66 ... lDe5+ 67 �d8 lDc6+, and against 66
g6+ Black has 66 ... �e8 67 g7 lDh6 68
�e6 lDg8.
66 �e8 67 h6 lDf2 68 h7 lDe4+ 69 �e5
•••

lDxg5 70 h8'iV+ 1-0

Game 3 6
A.Sokolsky-D.Usov
44 g4
•••

Odessa 1960
This is the only chance to compli­
cate things a little bit. On 44 ... �e2,
White answers 45 lDc4+ �e7 46 lDd2. 1 b4 e6 2 ..tb2 lDf6 3 b5 a6
45 �C3 �b1
White wins easily after 45 ... �xb5 46
fxg4 �e7 47 g5.
46 lDc4+ �e7 47 lDd2 ..ta2 48 fxg4 �g8
49 lDxf6 �xf6 50 h4
Passed pawns on both flanks ensure
White's victory.
50 ..te6 51 g5+ �g6 52 lDC4 �h5 53
•.•

b6! �xC4 54 �xc4 lDxb6+ 55 �c5 lDa4+

56 �d5 lDc3+ 57 �xe5

Trying to open the a-file. In princi­

ple opening a file on the queenside
should be better for White, because he
has more space.
4 a4 d5 5 e3 c5
5 ... axb5 6 axb5 ':xal 7 i..x al has
been played in other games.
6 lDf3 i.. d 6 7 c4
White consolidates his space on the
queenside. He now wishes to play d2-

83
P l ay 1 b4 !
d4, achieving central parity.
7...lDbd7 8 i.e2 b6 9 d4 "iJle7
Black's decision to place his queen
here is both premature and poorly
judged, as White will soon open the c­
file. Better is 9 ... i.b7 10 lDbd2 0-0 1 1 0-0
"iJle7, with a later ... .:tfd8.
10 lDbd2 i.b7 11 .:tel!
A 'positional' sacrifice, not of mate­
rial, but of a file! White 'sacrifices' the
open a-file, realizing that Black, with his
lack of space, can't do anything with it.
On the other hand, White will profit
from the opening of the central files.
11... axb5 12 axb5 0-0 13 h3 .:ta2
This is the beginning of a wrong
plan. 13 ... .:tac8, and later ... "iJlb8, is a
better option.
14 "iJlb3 .:tfa8 15 0-0 exd4
Releasing pressure in the centre.
Black can't continue slowly because
White can play .:tfdl followed by lDd2-
b l-c3, beginning central operations
himself as in the similar game Sokol­
sky-Byvshev (see Game 37).
16 i.xd4 lDe5 17 "iJlbl e5
Against other moves, like 17 ... "iJle7,
White would start to attack with 18
84
cxd5 i.xd5 19 i.c4.
18 i.b2 "iJle7
Black's position seems active, but
after two further moves White's advan­
tage becomes apparent.
19 exd5 i.xd5 20 i.e4
20....:txb2
An exchange sacrifice - a result of
Black accepting that his position was
not good. It's true that 20 ... i.xc4 21
lDxc4 e4 22 lDd4, and 20 ... .:t2a7 21 i.xd5
lDxd5 22 lDc4 with the threat of 23
.:tfdl, are not attractive for Black.
21 "iJlxb2 e4 22 lDh2
White must play carefully: 22 lDd4
is worse because of 22 ... "iJle5.
22....:td8!
The best move, containing a clever
trap. On the natural 23 .:tfdl there fol-
lows 23 ... i.xc4 24 .:txc4 (or 24 lDxc4
lDd3) 24 ... lDd3 25 "iJlc2 i.xh2+ 26 <it>xh2
lDxf2 27 .:t£1 "iJld6+ 28 <it>gl lDxh3+! '
2 3 lDb3 lDd3! 24 i.xd3 i.a3
Black is regaining the exchange, but
he still can't achieve material equality.
25 "iJle3 i.xel 26 .:txel
Not 26 lDxci exd3 27 lDxd3, because
of 27 ... i.xg2! 28 <it>xg2 "iJle4+.

26...ii.xb3
Not a lot better is 26 ... exd3 27 ctJd4,
when the d3-pawn should disappear.
27 ii.xe4! ctJxe4 2S 'i¥xb3
The tactics have ended. White has
got an extra pawn and plenty of
chances to win. One might expect a
quiet transfer to a winning ending, but
soon complications arise again.
2S...ctJe5 29 'i¥e4 l:.d2
Black's counterplay is based upon
this rook on the seventh rank.
30 ctJf3 l:.b2 31 l:.al!
White decides matters by capturing
the a-file. How ironic!
31...h6 32 'i¥d5! �h7
If Black accepts the pawn sacrifice
with 32 ... l:.xb5, then after 33 l:.a8+ �h7
34 'i¥f5+ g6 35 'i¥c8 he can't escape from
checkmate.
33 'i¥f5+ g6 34 'i¥eS h5
34 .. 'i¥f6 35 l:.a8 'i¥g7 is a little more
.
resilient, although even here White
achieves victory by playing 36 'i¥e8
with the threat of l:.a7.
35 l:.aS 'i¥f6
Now there follows a little combina­
tion.
Q u e e n 's I n d ia n Sys t e m s
36 ctJg5+! �h6 37 ctJxf7+! �h7?
Zeitnot! But 37 .. :i¥xf7 38 'i¥h8+ 'i¥h7
39 'i¥xb2 is hopeless for Black in any
case.
3S 'i¥gS mate (1-0)
Game 3 7
A.Sokolsky-V.Byvshev
Lvov 19 5 1
1 b4 ctJf6 2 ii.b2 e6 3 b5 d5 4 e 3 a6 5 a4
ctJbd7
Black could exchange rooks on the
a-file, but this exchange probably fa­
vours White. With more room to ma­
noeuvre on the queenside, White is
more likely to use this file.
6 ctJf3 �d6 7 e4 e5 S d3
Another plan is to put pressure on
d5 after 8 ctJc3 and 9 'i¥b3.
S...O-O 9 ctJbd2 b6 10 �e2 ..tb7 11 0-0
'i¥e7
In time the c-file can be opened, so
it was better for Black to place his
queen on e7.
12 h3 l:.feS
13 l:.el!
85
Play 1 b 4 !

Conceding the a-file, White pre­ White's active pieces, especially his
pares to open the centre with d3-d4. bishops, and his strong b-pawn prom­
13 ...axbs 14 axbs lIa2 ise good winning chances.
Black's idea to use the a-file for 22...liJxd s 23 lIxd s �xds 24 "iVxds "iVe7
counterplay doesn't work, as his rooks 25 lId 1
can't be supported by the rest of the
pieces due to a lack of space. It would
have been better to play 14 ... lIac8 in­
tending ... 'iVb8.
15 "iVb3 lIea8
Black stubbornly continues the
wrong plan. It was actually better to
return the other rook to a8.
16 liJb1 "iVd8 17 lIfd1 lI2a4
After a random move like 17 ... h6,
White would carry out his threat 18
liJa3, and if 18 ... lI8xa3, then 19 �xa3
lIxe2 20 \t>f1 trapping the rook. 2s ...liJf8
18 liJc3 lI4a s 19 d4! On 25 ... liJf6 there could follow 26
With his pieces well posted, White "iVd8+ "iVf8 27 �xf6 �h2+ 28 \t>xh2 lIxd8
will benefit from opening the centre. 29 �xd8!, and having three minor
19...�b8 pieces for the queen, White should win.
19 ... "iVe7 would have been a slightly 26 �C4 lI8a7 27 liJes! �xes 28 �xes
stronger choice. Now there follows an lIa4 29 �d6 "iVe6 30 b6!
unexpected sacrifice. The b-pawn decides. It's interesting
20 cxd s exd s 21 dxcs bxcs to observe the connection between the
opening and the finish of the game!
30...lId7 31 b7 lIb4 32 "iVxcs

22 liJxd s!
A positional exchange sacrifice.

86

32...l':txd6!
Probably the best chance.
33 l':txd6!
It would have been a mistake to
capture the queen because of 33 ii,xe6
l':txdl+ 34 �h2 l':txb7.
33 ...l':tbl+ 34 �h2 'iie7 35 ii,d5 g6 36 f4
�g7 37 'iid 4+ �h6 38 l':tb6 1-0
The b-pawn will become a queen.
Game 3 8
Y.La ps h u n-M.Scekic
Ma rs ha l l C hess C l u b (Ra pid) 2004
I had seen that my opponent in this
game, the Yugoslav 1M Milos Scekic,
was a strong tactician, so 1 b4 was a
very good positional choice.
1 b4 e6 2 ii,b2 tbf6 3 b5 a6 4 a4 b6
For 4 ... d5 5 e3 c5, see Games 36-37.
Another viable way for Black to play is
with 4 ... c6 5 bxc6 bxc6 6 tbf3 c5, as in
K.Volke-Y.5hulman, Minsk 1994.
5 tbf3 ii,b7 6 e3
6.....tb4!?
6 ... axb5 7 axb5 l':txal 8 i.. x al d6 9
ii,e2 tbbd7 1 0 c4 'iia8 1 1 tbc3 i..e 7 12 0-0
Q u e e n 's I n di a n Sys t e m s
0-0, a s played in A.Ornstein­
R.Akesson, Stockholm 1998, is a fairly
typical continuation.
7 c3
I didn't want to see any of his pieces
in my camp, so I felt obliged to play
this weird-looking move.
7...ii,e7 8 c4 0-0 9 ii,e2 d6
A reasonable alternative is 9 ... d5 10
0-0 dxc4 11 ii,xc4 axb5 12 axb5 l':txal 13
ii,xal .
10 0-0 e5 11 tbC3 tbbd7 12 d4 axb5 13
axb5 exd4
It would not be prudent to advance
in the centre. After 13 ... e4 14 tbd2 l':txal
15 'iix al l':te8 16 'iia4 ii,f8 17 'iic2 g6 18
l':tal White can combine play on the
open a-file with pressure on the e4-
pawn.
14 tbxd4 l':txal 15 'iix al l':te8 16 ..tf3
In order to occupy the weak d5- and
c6-squares, I had to trade my light­
squared bishop.
16...ii,xf3 17 tbxf3 tbC5 18 tbd4
18 tbd5 was more promising, for
example after 18 ...tbce4 19 tbd4 'iid 7 20
l':tcl tbc5 21 l':tc3 tbxd5 22 cxd5 f5 23
tbc6 �f6 24 l':ta3 ii,xb2 25 �xb2.
87
P l ay 1 b4 !
18...'iVd7 19 �d1 lDfe4 20 lDds iLh4!
A good move, forcing a weakening
of White's kingside and thus gaining
counterplay.
21 g3 iLd8 22 �g2?!
22 'iVa8! iLf6 23 'iVc6 'iVxc6 24 bxc6
iLd8 25 f3 lDg5 26 �a1 would have kept
an advantage.
22...lDgs 23 lDf4 iLf6 24 h4 lDge4 25
lDf3?
I was afraid to play 25 f3! because of
25 ... iLe5 26 fxe4 'iVg4, but here 27 �g1
lDxe4 28 'iVe1 �a8 29 �h2 �a4 30 �g2
�xc4 31 'iVb1 lDc5 32 'iVf5 beats off the
attack.
2s ...iLxb2 26 'iVxb2 'iVg4
Scekic was coming after me with his
whole army! I had to work hard to de­
fend his threatened sacrifices on g3 and
f2.
27 .:Id s
27...f6?!
27 ... lDe6 is stronger: 28 lDxe6 (28
lDd4?! lDxf4+ 29 exf4 h6 30 'iVe2 'iVc8
favours Black; but it was worth consid­
ering 28 'iVc2, for example 28 ...tLJxf4+ 29
exf4 lDf6 30 .:Id2 lDh5 31 .:Id4 'iVd7 32
.:Ie4 tLJf6 33 .:Ixe8+ 'iVxe8 34 lDd4)
88
2 8. . .fxe6 29 lDh2 'iVg6 3 0 �d4 lDf6 with
an equal position.
28 lDh2 'iVc8 29 f3!
The start of my combination.
29...lDa4 30 'iVa1 lDecs 31 lDg4 fs 32
lDhs .:Ie7
My intuition told me that one of the
knight sacrifices should win, but which
one? I was thinking about lDh6+,
lDgf6+, tLJhf6+ and lDxg7. At this mo­
ment both of us were in severe time
trouble and I had to make my decision
quickly.
33 lDgf6+!?
Only 33 lDxg7! ! gives White a sure
win. I saw it but was afraid of 33 ... fxg4.
However, White can play 34 lDf5 gxf3+
35 �f1 'iVe6 36 lDxe7+ 'iVxe7 37 �g5+
�f7 38 .:Ig7+ winning the black queen,
a point I managed to miss while calcu-
1ating the jungle of variations.
After the game Aleksander
Wojtkiewicz told me that 34 �g5? (in­
stead of 34 lDf5) was a winning move,
but the position is so complex that even
strong grandmasters can be mistaken:
34 ...gxf3+ 35 �h2 .:Ie5! 36 .:Ixe5 dxe5 37
'iVxe5 'iVf8 38 tLJf5 tLJc3 39 'iVf4 'iVf6 40

iVxf3 tb3e4 and it's Black who should
win.
33 ... gxf6 34 tbxf6+ �f7!
34 ... �h8 is bad on account of 3S
tbg4+ ':g7 36 tbh6 iVe6 37 tbxfS iVd7 38
g4 iVf7 39 hS h6 40 tbxh6 iVf8 41 tbfS.
Alternatively, 34... �f8 3S tbg4! ':g7 36
iVf6+ �g8 37 tbh6+ �h8 38 CDxfS iVg8
39 tbxg7 iVxg7 40 iVd8+ �g8 41 �xc7 is
also hopeless for Black.
35 tbxh7!
35....:e5!
Black keeps finding the best practi­
cal chance. Against 3S ... �g8, White
wins after the sequence 36 tbf6+ �f7 37
tbhS �g8 38 g4 iVd8 (38 ... fxg4 39 ':gS+)
39 ':xfS ':eS 40 ':xeS dxeS 41 �xeS �f7
42 iVg7+ �e6 43 tbf4+ �d6 44 e4 tbd7
4S iVg6+ �e7 46 �gS+ tbf6 47 eS iVd2+
48 �h3.
36 f4 tbb3!
36... .:xdS allows 37 �f6+ �g8 (or
37... �e8 38 �f8+ �d7 39 tbf6+ �e6 40
cxdS mate) 38 iVg6+ �h8 39 tbf6 ':d2+
40 �h3, when Black cannot prevent
mate.
37 iVxa4 ':xe3!
The complications reach their peak,
Q u e e n 's I n d i a n Sys t e m s
and both players were desperately
short of time!
38 tbg5+ �g6 39 iVa7?
Under time pressure it was not pos­
sible for me to calculate that I could
win with the sequence 39 iVa2! �h8 40
�c2 tbd4 41 iVdl tbb3 42 �f2 iVc3 43
hS+ �h6 44 ':xfS tbcs 4S ':f7 tbe4+ 46
CLJxe4 ':xe4 47 �dS iVc2+ 48 �f1 iVxc4+
49 �xc4 ':xc4 SO g4, reaching a win­
ning rook ending.
39 ....:e2+?
After defending so well, it was a
pity for Black that he missed the oppor­
tunity to play 39 ... iVe8! 40 iVxc7 ':e2+
41 �h3, when 41. ...:h2+! forces a per­
petual check after 42 �xh2 �e2+ 43
�gl iVel + 44 �g2 iVe2+.
40 �h3
40...tbd2?
Allowing a simple tactic. 40...�e8 41
tbf3 ':e7 puts up more resistance.
41 ':xd6+!
Good enough, but more precise is
41 iVaI! tbe4 42 tbxe4 ':xe4 43 hS+ �h7
(43... �xhS 44 iVg7) 44 iVf6 ':xc4 4S
iVe7+ �h8 46 h6 iVg8 47 ':xfS.
41 ... �h5
89
P l ay 1 b4 !
42 Itf6??
42 'iVaI? allows Black to save the
game with 42 ... tLJe4! (42 ... cxd6? 43 'iVg7
Ith2+ 44 �xh2 'iVxc4 45 g4+ �xg4 46
tLJe4+ �xf4 47 tLJxd2 'iVe2+ 48 'iVg2
'iVxg2+ 49 �xg2 is winning for White)
43 Itd5 tLJf2+ 44 �g2 tLJg4+ 45 �f1 'iVe8
46 Ite5 tLJxe5 47 'iVdI tLJxc4 48 'iVxe2+
'iVxe2+ 49 �xe2 tLJd6.
42 Itxd2! ! is the only move that wins
here - who could believe such a thing?
42 ... Itxd2 43 'iVaI 'iVe8
44 tLJf3! (44 'iVg7 Ith2+! draws by
perpetual check) 44 ...Itf2 45 'iVf6 'iYg6 46
'iYh8+ 'iYh6 47 'iVc8 'iVf6 48 'iVd7 'iYg6 49
tLJe5 'iYf6 50 'iYh7+ and White forces
90
mate. A mere human can't possibly
work this out with no time on the
clock.
42...tLJf1 43 tLJf3
43 ...Itf2??
My opponent could have turned the
tables completely with 43 ... tLJe3!! 44
'iVaI 'iVg8 45 tLJg5 tLJg4 46 'iVgI tLJxf6 47
'iVdI 'iVxc4, when Black is winning.
44 'iVa3! 'iWb7?
This allows mate, but Black's mo­
ment had already passed and White
was now winning in any case.
45 Ith6+!!
At this moment both of us had less
than 15 seconds left on our clocks.

45...�xh6 46 'iVfS+ �h5
Or 46 ... �g6 47 liJe5+ �h7 48 'iVf7+.
47 'iVhS+ �g6 4S liJe5 mate (1-0)
This beautiful checkmate excited
the 20 or so spectators who were
watching the finale to this game.
Game 39
D.Bronstein-B.lvkov
Amsterd a m I nterzona l 1964
1 liJf3 liJf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 b6 4 g3 .i.b7 5
.i.g2
The fianchetto of White's light-
squared bishop is a rare idea in the
Q u e e n 's I n dia n Sys t e m s
Sokolsky, and i s sometimes employed
by those more familiar with the Reti.
5...c5
A serious attempt to claim the ini­
tiative by attacking the centre.
6 bXC5
After 6 b5?! a6 7 bxa6 .i.xa6 Black
enjoys an edge due to the isolated
pawn on a3. This is a consequence of
playing b4-b5 without the precaution
of .i.b2.
6...bxC5 7 c4 liJc6 S 0-0 .i.e7 9 liJc3 0-0
10 d3 lIbS 11 .i.f4 d6 12 lIb1 .i.aS
The pawn structure now resembles
the English Opening. With the passive
12 ... .i.a7 Black is trying to trade pieces
and achieve a draw.
13 'iVa4
Following 13 lIxb8!? 'iVxb8 14 'iVa4
'iVc7 (14 ... 'iVb2?? 15 lIbl 'iVxc3 16 .i.d2
liJe4 17 .i.xc3 liJxc3 18 'iVc2 liJxbl 19
'iVxbl should be winning for White) 15
lIbl lIb8 16 lIxb8+ 'iVxb8, White's activ­
ity shouldn't be sufficient to win.
13 ...'iVd7 14 .i.g5 h6
15 .i.xf6
15 .i.d2 was safer, but Bronstein al-
ways tried to force the issue. By captur-
91
P l ay 1 b 4 !
ing Black's knight, White tries to
strengthen his control of the squares e4
and dS. But he succeeds only in im­
proving Black's position.
1S ...iLxf6 16 lDe4 iLb2 17 1Ifd1 fS
17 ... lIb6!? is the natural move, pre­
paring to double rooks and allowing
Black to fight for the initiative.
18 lDed2 lDes 19 'i¥as
19 'i¥xd7 lDxd7 20 lDel lIb6 21 iLxa8
lIxa8 22 lDc2 lIab8 is better for Black.
19...lDc6
19 ...lDxf3+! 20 iLxf3 iLxf3 21 lDxf3
lIb3 would have given Black an advan­
tage.
20 'i¥a4 lDeS 21 'i¥a s lDc6 22 'i¥a4 lDeS
Yz-Yz
Game 40
B.G u rgen idze-A.5ch neider
World Sen ior C h a m pion s h i p,
Biel 1994
1 lDf3 lDf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 b6 4 g3 iLb7 5
iLg2 iLe7 6 0-0 0-0 7 c4 d6 8 'i¥c2 lDbd7
9 lDc3
9 i..b2 would be in the style of
92
Sokolsky's Opening, but in this game
White chooses another path for the
Sokolsky bishop.
9...cS 10 bxcS bXC5 11 d3
The position now looks very much
as if it arose from the English Opening.
11 lIb 1 would have been another good
choice.
11...h6 12 iLf4 lDhS 13 iLd2 fs 14 11ab1
iLc6
Black should consider 14 ... lDb6!?
15 lDgS! hxgs
IS ... iLxg2 16 lDxe6 'i¥c8 17 �xg2
wins a pawn for White.
16 iLxc6 1Ic8 17 iLxd7?!
White would maintain an advan­
tage if he kept this active bishop by
playing 17 iLg2.
17 ...'i¥xd7 18 'i¥a4 'i¥xa4 19 lDxa4 lIb8
20 h3
20...d S?
Black should play 20 ... �f7. In the
endgame you should activate your
king and also try to avoid creating
weaknesses in your own camp. After
20 ... dS White could have won a pawn
with 21 cxdS! exdS 22 lDc3 d4 23 lDdS
iLd6 24 iLxgS.

21 iie3 d4 22 iid2 e5
22 .. g6 frees the g7-square for the
.
knight and prepare ... e6-eS.
23 g4 ttJf4 24 iixf4 gxf4 25 gxf5 �f7 26
1:b5 1:xb5 27 cxb5 1:b8 28 1:bl
White should have an edge because
in this closed position a knight ought to
be stronger than a bishop.
28...�f6 29 b6 axb6 30 1:xb6+ 1:xb6 31
ttJxb6 �xf5 32 a4 e4 33 f3 exd3 34 exd3
White's advantage is increasing
every move.
34...�e6 35 �fl iid8 36 ttJC4 .i.C7 37
�e2 �d5 38 �dl �c6 39 �c2 �b7 40
�b3 �c6 41 �c2 �d5?!
41. .. �b7 would have offered some
drawing chances.
42 h4! g6 43 as �c6 44 a6 iib8 45 �b3
�d5
Or if instead 4s ... iic7 46 �a3 iib8
47 �a4 iic7 48 a7 �b7 49 �bS and
White wins.
46 ttJb6+ �c6 47 ttJc8 iie5 48 ttJe7+
�b6 49 a7 �b7 50 ttJxg6 .i.f6 51 h5
iig5 52 �C4 �xa7 53 ttJe5 �b6 54 ttJf7
1-0
Black cannot stop the h-pawn and
so he resigned.
Q u e e n 's I n dia n Sys t e m s
Game 4 1
B.Gu rgen idze-G.Kalatozishvil i
Ki rova bad 1973
1 ttJf3 ttJf6 2 b4 e 6 3 a3 i.e7 4 c4 b 6 5
e3 c5 6 b5 i.b7 7 d3 0-0 8 i.b2 d5 9
ttJbd2 ttJbd7 10 i.e2 1ib8
Sokolsky-Byvshev (see Game 37)
reached a very similar position. In that
game Byvshev tried to attack by cap­
turing the a-file, but this plan didn't
work and Sokolsky won. Here Kala­
tozishvili slowly regroups his pieces to
prepare an attack in the centre.
11 0-0 ttJe8 12 a4 as
Stopping any movement from
White's a-pawn.
13 1:cl ttJd6
Black is ready to push his f-, e- and
d-pawns to gain control of the centre,
and White must prevent this plan.
14 ttJe5 ttJxe5 15 i.xe5 f6 16 i.g3 e5?!
Now White's light-squared bishop
becomes very dangerous, and Black
should have dealt with the pin on his
knight in a different way. One of the
93
P l ay 1 b 4 !
possibilities was to play 1 6. . .'iVd8.
17 d4
Copying Sokolsky's idea from his
game against Byvshev. After 17 cxd5
i.xd5 18 i.f3 'iVb7 19 'iVc2 i.xf3 20 4Jxf3
the position would probably be equal.
17 ...4JfS 18 cxd S
White could secure a pull by con­
tinuing 18 dxc5!? i.xc5 19 cxd5 4Jxg3
20 hxg3 i.xd5 21 i.f3 i.xf3 22 'iVxf3.
18... cxd4 19 e4 4Jxg3 20 hxg3 fS 21
exfs i.gs
22 f4!
White wants to break up Black's
strong centre and advance his d-pawn.
22 ... exf4 23 4Je4 i.h6?
94
A mistake. The move 2 3.. .f3! could
lead to a drawish position after 24
4Jxg5 fxe2 25 'iVxe2 'iVxg3 26 4Je6 1:.ae8
27 'iVe4 1:.f6 28 1:.f3 'iVd6 29 'iVxd4 'iVxd5
30 'iVxd5 i.xd5 31 4Jc7 1:.e5 32 4Jxd5
1:.xd5.
24 'iVxd4!
The only way to achieve an advan­
tage is by taking the initiative with this
exchange sacrifice.
24.. .f3 2S i.xf3 i.xc1 26 1:.xc1 1:.xfS
White's well-placed pieces and a
passed d-pawn should give an advan­
tage, despite the small material deficit.
27 'iVxb6
If you have a passed pawn, push it!
Black's pieces are poorly placed, and
White should use his passer to confuse
the enemy forces. After 27 d6! 'iVf8 28
'iVxb6 1:.c8 29 1:.d 1 i.xe4 30 d7 1:.d8 31
i.xe4 1:.f6 32 'iVc7 'iVe7 33 b6 1:.ff8 34
'iVc6, only the slightly exposed white
king offers Black any slim hope of sur­
vival.
27 i.xds 28 4Jf6+?
..•
It's not easy to see, but Black has a
problem with his bishop. White could
have exploited this by playing 28

'iVxb8+! 1:.xb8 29 ctJd6 1:.gS 30 1:.cS, and
following 30 ... �xf3 31 1:.xgS �d1 32
1:.cS �xa4 33 b6 <;t>f8 34 b7 Black would
be in big trouble.
28 1:.xf6 29 �xd S+ <;t>h8
.••
Suddenly Black might even be bet-
ter.
30 'iVcS 1:.fS 31 'iVc6
31...1:.xd S??
Black couldn't find the right de­
fence. 31. .. 1:.f8! was possible, because 32
'iVxa8?? loses to 32 ... 'iVb6+ 33 <;t>h1 'iVh6+
34 <;t>g1 'iVxc1 + and . . . 1:.xa8.
32 'iVxd s
Now White's passed pawn decides
the game.
32 'iVb6+ 33 'iVcs 'iVe6 34 b6 1:.e8 35 b7
.•.
'iVb3 36 'iVhs g6 37 'iVf3 'iVb6+ 38 <;t>h2
gs 39 'iVc6 'iVe3 40 'iVxe8+ 1-0
Game 42
B.Spassky-L.Lengyel
Moscow 19 7 5
1 ctJf3 ctJf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 b6 4 �b2 �b7 5
e3 �e7 6 c4 d S?!
It's perhaps too early for Black to
Q u e e n 's I n d i a n Sys t e m s
decide which pawn structure he wants
in the centre, and it's certainly safer to
castle first, as we saw in the previous
two games.
7 cxd S exdS 8 bs
Spassky demonstrates his positional
ability. He fights for control of the c6-
square by occupying d4 with his
knight, placing the rook on the c-file
and - first of all - putting his pawn on
bS.
8... a6 9 a4 axbs 10 axbs 1:.xal ll �xal
0-0 12 ..te2 ctJbd7 13 0-0 ctJCS 14 ctJa3
The knight is aiming for the d4-
square via c2.
14...ctJe6 15 ctJC2 ctJe4 16 ctJcd4 ctJ4cS 17
'iVC2
Now it's time to think about both
the weak c6-square and the backward
c7-pawn.
17...�f6 18 ctJxe6 ctJxe6 19 �xf6 'iVxf6
20 d4 1:.a8 21 ctJes 'iVe7 22 �g4 1:.c8 23
1:.cl
Let's take a look at what's going on.
Obviously White stands better here
because:
1) His pieces occupy great positions;
and
95
Play 1 b4 !
2) There are two weaknesses on the
c-file that are under attack: c6 and c7.
I believe these advantages should
be enough for White to win.
23 ...g6 24 tZJe6 'iVd6 25 h4
The continuation 2S �xe6 fxe6
(2S ... 'iVxe6 is answered by 26 tZJa7 win­
ning a pawn - 26 ... .:a8? loses to 27
'iVxc7 ':xa7 28 'iVb8+) 26 tZJeS gives
White many positional advantages.
25...f5 26 �f3 �xe6 27 'iVxe6 ':d8
28 g4!
Striving to create another weakness
in Black's camp. Instead White could
have won a pawn with 28 'iVxd6?! ':xd6
29 ':c6, but it's not enough to win the
96
game after 29 ... .:xc6 30 bxc6 �f8 31
�xdS tZJd8 32 �f1 �e7 33 �e2 �d6 34
�g8 tZJxc6 3S �xh7 tZJe7.
28...'iVxe6 29 ':xe6 �f7 30 �fl ':d7 31
�e2
After 31 gxfS!? gxfS 32 �e2 �e7 33
hS ':d6 34 ':c1 there would be further
weaknesses for White to attack.
31...tZJd8 32 ':el �e6 33 g5 h6 Y'l.-Y'l.
It's probably too early to take a
draw here. 33 ... h6 34 ':gl ':h7 3S hS
gxhS 36 �xhS hxgS 37 ':xgS ':h6 38
�f3 is still slightly better for White.
Game 43
R.Fischer-D.lna
C l eve l a n d
(Si m u lta neous Display) 1964
1 b4 e6 2 �b2 d5
In this and the following game,
Black commits to an early ... dS.
3 tZJf3 tZJf6 4 b5
For the alternative, 4 a3, see Cam­
pora-Visier Segovia (Game 44).
4...b6 5 g3
Fischer liked to fianchetto the king's

bishop, just like in his favourite King's
Indian Defence. In this position S e3,
protecting the bS-pawn, is safer.
5...a6 6 a4 axb5 7 axb5 ':xal 8 iLxal
'iVd6 9 iLg2 iLe7 10 0-0 0-0 11 'iVCl 'iVb4
Black exploits the absence of
White's light-squared bishop on the £1-
a6 diagonal by attacking bS.
12 ct:JC3 d4 13 ct:Ja2 'iVxb5 14 ct:Jxd4 'iVa6
15 ct:JC3 iLb7 16 e4 e5?!
16 ... cS offers good counterchances;
for example, 17 ct:Jde2 c4 18 'iVbl ':d8 19
':dl iLcs 20 d4 cxd3 21 cxd3 eS.
17 ct:Jf5 iLb4 18 ct:Jd5 ct:Jxd5 19 exd5 f6
20 'iVdl iLC5?
Black should play 20 ... g6, and fol­
lowing 21 ct:Je3 ':e8 22 c4 ct:Jd7 23 d4
iLd6 24 'iVc2 ':a8 2S i.b2 'iVa4 26 'iVe2
both sides have chances.
21 d4!
This excellent advance activates
White's pieces and shuts out Black's
best unit - the bishop on cS.
21...iLd6?
21 . .. exd4 22 iLxd4 i.xd4 23 ct:Jxd4
iLc8 24 ':el is also good for White, but
this would have been a better choice
for Black than the text.
Q u e e n 's I n d i a n Sys t e m s
22 'iVg4
Now White crashes through with
an unstoppable attack.
22...g6 23 ct:Jxd6 cxd6 24 'iVe6+ <iZig7 25
'iVxd6 exd4 26 iLxd4 b5 27 'iVc7+ <iZih6
28 .sal .sc8 29 iLe3+ g5 30 iLxg5+! 1-0
White wins after 30 ... <iZixgS 31 'iVg7+, or
30 ... fxgS 31 ':xa6+.
Game 44
D.Cam pora-F.Visier Segovia
Ca nete 1994
In this game we can see how a
Grandmaster beats a FIDE Master from
a completely level endgame.
1 b4 d5 2 iLb2 ct:Jf6 3 ct:Jf3 e6 4 a3 as
4 ... cS S bxcS iLxcs 6 e3 is discussed
in Chapter Five (see Games SO-SI).
5 b5 ct:Jbd7 6 e3
6 d4 ct:Jb6 7 ct:JeS iLd7 8 e3 i.d6 9 c4
dxc4 10 ct:Jxc4 ct:Jxc4 11 i.xc4 c6 was
comfortable for Black in the game
C.5kalicka-J.5alas Romo, Buenos Aires
1939.
6 c5 7 c4 dXC4 8 iLxc4 b6 9 0-0 iLb7 10
•..
d3 iLd6 11 ct:Jbd2
97
Play 1 b4 !
White is thinking about the c4-
square, and the fact that a knight on
that square can add more pressure to
eS. All the bishops are pointing menac­
ingly at the kingside, and both sides
must also be careful since any pawn
movement in the centre could create
some weak squares.
11...0-0 12 e4llJg4 13 h3 llJges 14 llJe1
llJg6 15 llJef3 llJdeS 16 'iVc2 llJxf3+ 17
llJxf3 llJh4 18 'iVe2 lL\xf3+ 19 'iVxf3 'iVC7
20 'iVhs iLf4 21 eS g6 22 'iVe2 :ad8 23
g3 iLh6 24 f4 iLdS
In this closed position both White
and Black have ineffective dark­
squared bishops. I don't see any win­
ning plan for Black, but White has
some options. He can try to attack the
black king by pushing his kingside
pawns, but he must take care not to
expose his own king by doing so as this
would lead to big trouble. Also, White
can place rooks on c1 and d1, prepar­
ing the push of the d-pawn.
25 :ad1 iLxc4?!
This poor move trades off a good
piece and eliminates a white weakness
at the same time. 2S ... :d7! ? 26 :d2
98
:fd8 27 iLc3 iLf8 28 a4 'iVb7 29 �h2
iLe7 would be okay for Black.
26 dXC4 :xd1 27 :xd1 :d8 28 �f2 iLf8
29 iLc3 :xd1 30 'iVxd1
White has a slight advantage, but it
shouldn't be enough to win. The only
chance is a pawn storm on the king­
side.
30 iLe7 31 'iVf3 iLd8 32 �e2 'iVd7 33
•••
g4 �f8 34 'iVe4 �e8 35 h4 �f8?!
Perhaps Black should grab the
pawn on h4. Following 3s ... iLxh4!? 36
gS iLg3 37 'iVf3 iLh2 38 'iVf2 Black has
the resource 38 ... 'iVb7!, and after 39
'iVxh2 'iVe4+ 40 �d2 'iVxc4 41 �c2 'iVxbS
42 'iVh1 a4 43 �d2 'iVc4 44 'iVf3 I believe
the game should finish in a draw.
36 hS �g8 37 iLe1 �f8 38 iLf2 �g8 39
'iVa8 'iVe7 40 iLe3 fS
This looks suicidal, but perhaps
Black was afraid that White would
play h6, iLxcs and then b6.
41 exf6 'iVxf6 42 gs 'iVe7 43 iLd2 �f7 44
iLc3 'iVd7 45 hxg6+ 1-0
After the recapture 4S ... hxg6, White
plays 46 'iVh1 !, and here 46 . . .'iVd6 47
'iVh7+ �e8 48 'iVxg6+ makes matters
pretty clear.
 Q u e e n 's I n d i a n Sys t e m s

Summary
The Queen's Indian system of development is a logical response to the Sokolsky,
but you should be able to deal with it comfortably if you remember to put a pawn
on bS and protect it, and look for the right moment to break in the centre. It's hard
to be more specific; a certain amount of 'feel' is required to play this type of posi­
tion well.

1 b4 etJf6
1 . . e6 2 �b2 dS 3 etJf3 etJf6
.

4 bS b6 - Game 43
4 a3 as S bS etJbd7 6 e3 cS 7 c4 dxc4 8 �xc4 b6 Game 44
-

2 �b2
2 etJf3 e6 3 a3
3 ... �e7 4 c4 b6 - Game 41
3 ...b6
4 �b2 - Game 42
4 g3 �b7 S .tg2 (D)
-S ... cS Game 39; S ... .te7 - Game 40
2 e6 3 bS b6
...

3 ... cS 4 e3 dS S etJf3 etJbd7 6 c4

6 ...b6 Game 33
-

6 ... �d6 7 d3 0-0 8 etJbd2 b6 Game 32

-

3 ... a6 4 a4 (D)
4 ...b6 Game 38
-

4 ... dS S e3
S ... cS 6 etJf3 .td6 7 c4 etJbd7 8 �e2 b6 - Game 3 6
S ... etJbd7 6 etJf3 .td6 7 c4 cS 8 d3 0-0 9 etJbd2 b6 Game 37
-

4 e3 .tb7 5 etJf3 (D) Game 35

-

S f4 - Game 34

5 .i.g2 4 04 5 etJj3

99
 Cha pter Five
Black Plays . . . d S a n d . . . e6
The next two chapters are important
because many Black players choose a
reversed queen's pawn opening
against the Sokolsky (or, for that mat­
ter, against any unorthodox opening).
For the sake of convenience, in this
chapter we deal with an early ... e6,
whereas in Chapter Six we move on to
games where Black develops his light­
squared bishop outside the pawn
chain.
This chapter consists of games,
many originally from Sokolsky's book,
which examine attempts by Black to
play a reversed Queen's Gambit with
his light-squared bishop locked in be­
hind his e-pawn, and not fianchettoed.
This plan seems like a poor one from
the evidence accumulated here. In
nearly every game Black feels the need
to open the a-file with ... a6 and ... axb5.
The usual result is that White ends up
with control of the a-file and has room
to make good use of it, especially as
Black's light-squared bishop often just
1 00
I
ends up getting in the way. The excep­
tion seems to be Spassky-Smyslov
(Game 45), in which Black's queenside
play nearly carries the day. Possibly
Spassky's plan of attacking on the
kingside was inappropriate.
In Simagin-Flohr (Game 50), White
avoids b4-b5 and uses the time saved
to build an attack on the right flank,
but Flohr's careful defence neutralizes
White's threats. The classic encounter
Alekhine-Drewitt (Game 51) shows
what can happen against a less than
perfect response.
Game 45
B.Spassky-V .Smyslov
Moscow- Le n i ngra d Match,
Moscow 1960
1 b4 tiJf6 2 �b2 e6 3 bs a6 4 a4
Not your everyday opening! Does it
make sense to keep the centre pawns
home and throw up the a- and b-

pawns? Black has no great edge in the
centre or in development at this mo­
ment, so why not?
4 axbs 5 axbs :txal 6 �xal
..•
This position looks nothing like
those seen in so-called standard theory.
Nonetheless, the following lively
struggle between two top Grandmas­
ters shows there is plenty of scope for
interesting play in this system.
6...c6 7 e3
7...dS
Of course Black could take on b5,
but the surviving b-pawn would be
isolated. The forcing variation 7... cxb5
8 �xb5 'ila5 9 CDc3 CDe4 10 'ilbl �b4? 1 1
B l a c k Plays . . . d S a n d . . . e 6
CDxe4 'ilxb5 1 2 CDd6+ would not be a
good idea.
8 CDf3 CDbd7 9 c4 'ila s 10 CDc3 CDb6
Black is striving for active counter­
play, but it would be more advisable to
complete development with 10 ... �d6
and ... 0-0.
11 bxc6
Spassky wants to grab e5 for his
knight, so he takes on c6 first to gain a
tempo. Probably trading on d5 fol­
lowed by �e2 is a better option.
11 bxc6 12 CDes �d7 13 �e2 �d6 14
•..
f4 0-0 15 0-0 :ta8
Often in this variation White uses
the a-file for active operations on the
left flank. In this game White's outpost
on e5 prepares the ground for a king­
side attack, and Black will be the one to
play on the queenside.
16 g4!
It's not every game you see one
player pushing pawns on both wings
in the first sixteen moves.
16...�e8 17 'ilel CDa4 18 CDxa4
18 g5 is met by 18 ... CDe4.
18...'ilxa4 19 gs CDe4 20 d3 �b4! 21
'ilh4 CDd6
1 01
Play 1 b4 !
21. .. 4Jd2 22 4Jg4 4Jx£1 23 lixg7 i.. e 7
24 i.. x£1 is very dangerous for Black, if
not losing outright. However, 21 ..:iVc2!
looks to be winning for Black. Instead
he prefers to bring his knight to f5 to
defend his king.
22 'iUf2 'iUc2 23 i..g4
The retreat of the knight has lifted
all the pressure off White's position,
and he can now defend quite easily.
23..:�xf2+
23 ... .:a2 24 'iWxc2 ':xc2 25 ':f2 ':c1 +
26 ':'£1 ':'c2 27 2:.f2 draws at once.
24 �xf2 dXC4
After 24 ... ':a2+ 25 �g3 dxc4 26 4Jxc4
4Jxc4 27 dxc4 ':c2 28 ':d 1 i..e 7 29 ':b 1
i.. d 6 30 l:.d1 ..tc7 31 ..td4 l:.xc4 32 l:.a1,
the penetration on the eighth rank,
combined with the pressure of the
dark-squared bishop on g7, makes the
draw clear. 32 ... g6 33 ':a8 �f8 34 l:.c8
liaS 35 i..e2 ':c1 36 lib2 l:.b1 37 lia3+
..tb4 38 ':b8 c5 39 lixb4 ':xb4 40 l:.c8
would even offer White the better
prospects.
25 4JxC4 4JxC4 26 dXC4 cS
The position has stabilized, and
peace will soon be at hand.
1 02
27 lies ':a2+ 28 �g3 ..ta4 29 ':al Yz-Yz
Game 4 6
A.Sokolsky-A.Shaga l ovich
M i n s k 1959
1 b 4 e 6 2 lib2 4Jf6 3 bs a 6 4 a 4 axbs 5
axbs l:.xal 6 ..txal d s 7 e3 cS 8 4Jf3
..td6 9 c4 0-0 10 ..te2 4Jbd7 11 0-0
11...dxC4
A mistake - it's wrong to give up
the important c4-square. 1 1 . .. b6 fol­
lowed by ... i..b7, finishing the devel­
opment of the minor pieces, is a better
way forward.
12 4Ja3 ! 4Jb6
Obviously Black shouldn't allow a
white knight to stay on the c4-square,
so the upcoming exchange is forced.
13 4JxC4 4JXC4 14 i..xC4 b6 15 4Jes
White exploits the absence of a
knight from d7 to capture the impor­
tant central square e5.
lS .....tb7 16 f4 "V1iiC7
On 16 ...'iWe7, Black is afraid of the
reply 1 7 4Jc6!.
17 4Jg4!

Real threats begin to appear. Now
17 ... 4:Jxg4 is bad on account of 18 'ifxg4
g6 (or 18 ... e5 19 'ifg3!) 19 'ifg5 �e7 (not
19 ... 'ife7?, because of 20 �f6) 20 'i¥h6 f6
21 �xe6+. Black also can't play 17 ... ctJe4
because of 18 d3. Finally, on 17 ... ctJd5
or 17 ... ctJe8, 18 f5! is very strong; for
example, 17 ... ctJe8 18 f5 exf5 19 nxf5
�c8 20 ctJh6+! and White is winning.
This is why Black allows the doubling
of his pawns: it's better than losing ma­
terial.
17 ... �e7 18 ctJxf6+ �xf6 19 �xf6 gxf6
20 f5! e5 21 'ifg4+ �h8 22 e4! 'ifd7 23
d3
White violates a well-known pre-
B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . .e6
cept by placing his pawns on light
squares when there are light-squared
bishops present. Nonetheless, in this
exceptional case the decision is sound.
Black's bishop stays restricted by the
pawns, but its counterpart is active,
threatening Black's weakened kingside.
So Black seeks salvation in an ending,
but unfortunately for him this still fa­
vours his opponent.
23 ...'ifd4+ 24 �h1 'ife3 25 'ifh5 �g7 26
h4 'ifh6 27 'ifxh6+ �xh6 28 na1!
The a-file is at last in White's grasp,
and the imminent invasion of the sev­
enth rank will terrorize the black
forces.
28... nd8 29 na7 nd7 30 �gl �g7
Black gets nothing from 30 ...�h5
because of 31 g3 �g4 32 �f2 �h5 33
�d5 �c6 34 nxd7 �xd7 35 �c6 �c8 36
�e8, when he is quite lost.
31 �f2 �f8 32 �e3 �g7
33 �d2?
A sad mistake! White could have
reached a bishop endgame with excel­
lent chances for a win by continuing 33
�d5! �c6! 34 nxd7 �xd7 35 �c6 �c8
36 �d2 �f8 37 �c3 �e7 38 �c4 �d6 39
1 03
P l ay 1 b 4 !

g4 h6. In this position it's sufficient for

White to lose a tempo to put Black into
zugzwang, as follows: 40 �d5 �e7 41
�a8! �d6 (or 41. .. �d7 42 �c6! �xc6 43
bxc6 �d6 44 �b5 �c7 45 h5! etc) 42
�c6. The pawn endgame after the
forced 42 ... �d7 43 �xd7 �xd7 44 �d5
�c7 45 g5 hxg5 46 hxg5 fxg5 47 �xe5 is
winning for White; for example, 47 .. .£6+
48 �xf6 g4 49 e5 g3 50 e6 g2 51 e7 g1 'iV
52 e8'iV 'iVd4+ 53 'iVe5+.
33 ...�c6!
Black at once seizes his chance to 8...ttJbd7
save the game. This move was impos­ Here it's better to play 8 ... c5. Leav­
sible before because of ':'a6, but now ing a pawn on c7 keeps Black a little
after 34 ':'a6 there follows 34 ... �xe4. passive, and it will be difficult in future
After the text move White must swap to come up with a good plan.
rooks but this exchange lacks the de­ 9 �e2 0-0 10 0-0 ttJe8
sired effect. Again 10 ... c5 is stronger. Black's re­
34 ':'xd7 �xd7 35 �C3 �f8 36 �b3 �e7 grouping of his pieces will not prove to
37 �a4 be successful.
Defending the b5-pawn allows 11 c4 �f6 12 ttJC3 dXC4 13 .ixC4 ttJd6 14
White to play �d5, but Black of course �e2 b6 15 ttJa2!
will not allow it to reach c6.
37...�e8 38 �d S �d6 39 �b7 �c7 40
�dS �d6 Yz-Yz

Game 4 7
S.Bernstein-H.Seid m a n
U S C ha m pion s h i p 1959

1 b4 ttJf6 2 .ib2 e6 3 bS a6 4 a4 axbs

Look at the diagram at the end of
this game, and note how active a role
White's rook on the a-file played.
Should Black open a file for his oppo­
nent to capture? This question proba­
bly doesn't need an answer.
5 axbs ':'xa1 6 �xa1 dS 7 ttJf3 �e7 8 e3
Black's previous move intended to
deploy his light-squared bishop ac­
tively, but White immediately aims the
knight on the route ttJc3-a2-b4-c6, to
reach the accordingly weakened point.

1 04

It's also worth noting the backward
pawn on the half-opened c-file. If the
pawn were on c5, Black wouldn't have
these problems.
lS ...�b7 16 �xf6 iVxf6 17 tLJb4 tLJes 18
tLJd4!
Now both knights are controlling
c6, and Black can't avoid an unpleasant
invasion.
18...iVgs 19 g3 iVh6 20 iVC2 iVh3
Usually the pressure on the open
diagonal creates too many problems.
Here it's easily eliminated because the
white knight is coming to c6.
21 tLJbc6 �h8 22 �al
So, the a-file is in White's power!
It's worth observing that the reply
22 ... �a8 is not good for Black. Continu­
ing 23 �xa8+ �xa8 24 iVa4, White's
queen invades on the a-file, achieving
the advantage. This is a logical turn of
events, since on the queenside White
has a space advantage, and using the
open a-file is easier for him.
22...tLJg4 23 tLJf3 iVhS 24 �a4!
A beautiful idea! White offers Black
a choice of either of the pawns on b5 or
h2. On 24 ... tLJxb5 there follows 25 tLJh4!,
B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . .e6
winning a piece. Black prefers to cap­
ture the pawn on h2 but is trapped in a
clever snare.
24...tLJxh2
Maybe Black counted on 25 �h4?
tLJxf3+ 26 �xf3 iVf5!, meeting all the
threats.
2S tLJfes!
In this position 25 ... iVf5 10ses a piece
after 26 iVxf5 tLJxf5 27 �xh2. Nor is
Black saved by 25 ... iVh6, because of 26
�h4.
2s ...iVxe2
Now, by sacrificing a queen, White
forces a checkmate in four moves:
26 iVxh7+! 1-0
(Co-author's note: My late friend
Sidney Bernstein was quite proud of
this elegant win against his old rival
Herb Seidman, and I am pleased to
include it in this collection.)
Game 4 8
A.Sokolsky-E.Gelier
U S S R C h a m pion s h i p, Kiev 19 5 7
1 b4 tLJf6 2 �b2 e6 3 b s a 6 4 a 4 �e7
1 05
P l ay 1 b4 !
Placing the bishop on e7 is a stan­
dard opening ploy and is hence unob­
jectionable, but the continuation 4 ... d5
5 e3 c5 6 ctJf3 i.d6 is more active.
S e3 0-0 6 ctJf3 axbs?!
Opening the a-file is good for
White, who now has a base for active
operations on the queenside. 6 ... d5 is a
stronger option.
7 axbs :'xa1 8 i.xa1 d S 9 d4
This move is probably not worse
than the usual 9 c4. White plans to de­
velop by ctJbd2 and i.d3. Black must
open the game with ... c5 or else he will
remain cramped.
9 ...cS
Geller brings about a lively position
with this mandatory thrust. True,
White's dark-squared bishop comes
alive, but so do the black pieces.
10 dxcS ctJe4!?
Hoping to get in a useful ... 'iVa5+,
but 10 ... i.xc5 would have been
stronger.
11 ctJbd2 'iVas 12 i.e2 i.d7
After 12 ... ctJc3? 13 ctJb3! \i'b4 14 'iVd2
ctJa2 15 'iVxb4 ctJxb4 16 �d2, the black
knight is in a precarious position.
1 06
13 0-0 i.xbs
Or 13 ... ctJxc5 14 \i'bl, and a later c2-
c4 will give White the better chances.
14 i.xbS 'iVxbS
If 14 ... ctJxd2, White replies 15 ctJxd2!
'iVxb5 16 'iVg4 g6 1 7 'iVd4 f6 18 :'bl
'iVxc5 19 :'xb7, arriving onto the sev­
enth rank with many threats.
1S ctJxe4 dxe4 16 'iVd4! i.f6 17 'iVxe4
i.xa1 18 :'xa1
Maybe better here is 18 ctJg5 g6 19
'iVh4 h5 20 :'xal .
18... 'iVxcs 19 'iVxb7 'iVxc2
The battle on the queenside has
ended satisfactorily for both sides.
White's pieces are placed more ac­
tively, but Black has eliminated all the
pawns on the left flank and has thus
assured himself of not losing.
20 h3
After 20 ctJd4! 'iVc8 (20...'iVc3 21 :'bl
'iVc8) 21 :'bl ctJd7 22 ctJc6 'iVxb7 23 :'xb7
ctJf6 24 ctJe5, Black would still have to
negotiate a few difficulties before
achieving the draw. In the actual event
peace was concluded more quickly.
20...'iVc6 21 :'a7 'iVxb7 22 :'xb7 ctJc6
Yz-Yz
 B l a c k P l ays . . . dS a n d . . . e6

are obviously in White's favour. The

ensuing transfer of the bishop to c6 is
Game 49
probably the best that Black can do in
A.Sokolsky-N.Abzh irko
this position.
Omsk 1943

1 b4 lDf6 2 i.b2 e6 3 b5 i.e7 4 e3 0-0 5

lDf3
It's a matter of taste which move to
prefer: 5 lDf3 or 5 f4.
5...c6
In this game Black decides to de­
stroy the nuisance on bS. It's possible
to do so by a more exact order of
moves: S ... a6 6 a4 axbS 7 axbS :'xal 8
i.xal c6 9 c4 dS.
6 a4 d5 7 c4 a6 8 lDc3! 12...i.d7 13 0-0 i.. c6 14 lDfd4 i.d5 15
:'c1 lDbd7
The tempting continuation
IS ... i.. xc4 16 :'xc4 iVdS leads after 17
:'c7! i.d8 18 lDc3 to the loss of a pawn.
16 i.a3!

Now after the exchange of rooks on

the aI-square White's queen will come
to the a-file, and this greatly improves
his position.
8 axb5 9 axb5 :'xa1 10 iVxa1 dXC4 11
..•

i.xC4 cxb5 12 lDxb5 The goal of this exchange is to gain

Black has achieved his goal of de­
stroying the bS-pawn, but he has spent
too much time in doing so. Further­
more, the b7-pawn is now exposed as a
weakness. The results of the opening
the d6-square for the knight, from
where it can attack the pawn on b7.
16...i.. xa3 17 iVxa3 lDb6 18 i..x d5
lDbxd5 19 lDd6
White has carried out his plan, but

107
Play 1 b 4 !
Black defends admirably.
19 'iie7! 20 tD4bs tDe8 21 g3
•..
An important preparation. White
wants to push the knight away from
d5, but 21 e4 allows 21 . .. tDf4.
21...tDxd6 22 'iix d6 'iig s
22 ... 'iVxd6 23 tDxd6 b6 (23 ... �b8 24
tDxb7!) 24 e4 tDf6 25 f3 �b8 26 �f2 etc
leads to a difficult ending for Black.
23 tDd4
Black was threatening the move
23 ... tDxe3!, and 23 �c5 was no good
because of 23 ...b6 24 �c6 tDxe3. In turn,
White is now threatening to sacrifice
on e6.
23...�d8 24 'iVcs h6 25 'iVbs es 26 tDe2
Black has defended very imagina­
tively until now. Here he has to play
26 ...b6, but in this case by continuing
27 tDc3! tDxc3 28 �xc3 �b8 (or 28 ... �xd2
29 iVe8+ �h7 30 iVxf7) 29 �c7 White
could keep an advantage.
26...iVe7 27 �cs iVd6 28 d4 exd4
On 28 ... b6 there could follow 29 �c6
iVe7 30 e4 tDf6 31 dxe5 tDxe4 32 �xb6,
winning a pawn.
29 tDxd4 tDC7
It's difficult for Black to defend after
1 08
29 ...b6 30 �c4, with threats of 31 tDf5 or
31 e4.
30 iVc4 tDa6?
The transfer of the knight to the
edge of the board is a serious mistake.
Coming back to d5 leads to immediate
defeat: 30 ... tDd5 31 tDf5 'iVe6 32 �xd5
�xd5 33 iVxd5 etc. Only 30 ... tDe6! offers
hopes of saving the game.
31 �bs �b8 32 iVb3
Here it's possible to win a pawn,
playing 32 �xb7 �xb7 33 iVc8+ �h7 34
'iVxb7 tjJc7. But White is well aware that
realizing his extra pawn in such an
ending is not an easy task, so he prefers
to keep the rooks on and increase the
pressure.
32...iVd7
32 ... g6 is not good because of 33
�b6 iVc7 34 �xg6+.
33 tDfs �h7 34 iVb2 f6 35 'iVb1 �h8 36
h4
It's hard to defend when you can't
make a good move. White threatens 37
h5 followed by tDh4. The move Black
chooses permits White to include the
rook in the attack.
36...�g8 37 �ds! 'iVc7

37 ... ife6 38 :'d6 ifc4 39 ctJxh6+! is
destructive.
38 ifd1 :'e8
Equivalent to giving up. But after
38 ... ctJcS 39 ifg4! Black has no defence
to the threats of 40 :'xcS or 40 ctJxh6+.
39 :'d7 1-0
White has successfully converted
his early queenside activity into a dev­
astating attack on the other wing.
Game 50
V.Simagin -S.Flohr
U SS R C h a m pion s h i p,
Moscow 19 5 5
1 b4 d5 2 iib2 ctJf6 3 ctJf3 e6 4 a3
4 bS is stronger. Simagin writes that
after 4 bS a6 S a4 Black can simplify the
position with S ... axbS 6 axbS :'xa1 7
iixal. But this exchange cannot be
good for Black - it opens a file on the
side where White has more space.
Practice shows that in such cases White
has more chances to play on this file.
4...e5 5 bxe5 iixe5 6 e3 0-0
The game has started similarly to
B l a ck Plays . . . dS a n d . . . e6
the beginning of Alekhine-Drewitt,
Portsmouth 1923. Alekhine continued
here 7 c4 ctJc6 8 d4, which is probably
better than Simagin' s preference.
7 d4 iie7
This is stronger than retreating to
b6, which was Drewitt's choice.
8 ctJbd2
And here 8 c4 was better. Flohr
immediately exploits his opponent's
mistake.
8...b6! 9 ctJe5
Now after 9 iid3 or 9 c4 Black can
continue 9 ... iia6!. The idea of White's
actual move is to make it harder for
Black to exchange the light-squared
bishops: 9 ... iia6 is met by 10 ctJc6! ctJxc6
1 1 iixa6.
9...iib7 10 iid3 ctJe6
11 0-0
After 1 1 iff3 (with the idea of pre­
paring iVh3) 1 1 . .. ctJxeS 12 dxeS ctJe4! 13
ctJxe4 dxe4 14 iixe4 iixe4 1S 'iYxe4 :'c8,
even though Black has lost a pawn his
position is not worse.
11 ctJe8 12 ctJxe6
•..
In the spirit of the position was 12
f4, to which Black should reply 12 ... fS.
1 09
Play 1 b4 !
White instead prepares the advance c2-
c4.
12... iLxe6
13 e4 ttJf6 14 ':el ':e8 15 'iVe2 iLb7
White must resolve the tension in
the centre because of the threat of
16 ... iLa6.
16 exd5 exd5
Not 16 ... 'iVxd5 17 e4! 'iVa2? 18 ':bl,
with a threat of 19 iLc4.
17 f3
A preferable way to prepare the
central push was with 1 7 ':xc8! 'iVxc8
18 f3. Also worthy of attention was 17
iLf5.
17....:xel! 18 ':xel iLd6 19 ttJfl
110
Weaker is 19 e4 dxe4 20 fxe4 iLf4! 21
d5 ':e8.
19....:e8
So Black has succeeded in stopping
the advance of the e-pawn. White be­
gins play along the c-file.
20 iLa6 'iVb8! 21 iLxb7 'iVxb7 22 'iVe2 h6
23 'iVe6 'iVe7
Flohr declines the exchange, think­
ing that with queens on the board it
will prove easier for Black to get coun­
terplay.
24 a4 iLa3 25 'iVe3 iLd6 26 'iVb3 'iVe6
26 ... 'iVd7 is weaker because of 27
'iVb5.
27 iLa3 iLxa3 28 'iVxa3 ':e8 29 ':xe8+
'iVxe8
The situation has simplified.
White's small threats are easily dealt
with, and the drawish outcome of the
struggle is now inevitable.
30 'iVe7 'iVa6 31 'iVb4 'iVd3 32 h3 h5 33
h4 'iVe2 34 'iVa3 'iVel! 35 'iVd3!
The simplest: after forcing the ex­
change of the pawns on the edge, the
position is more stabilized.
35...'iVxh4 36 'iVa6 'iVel 37 'iVxa7 'iVb4
38 'iVa8+ �h7 39 'iVe6 �g8 Yz-Yz

Game 51
A.Alekhine-J.Drewitt
Portsmouth 1923
I had heard about this Alekhine
game which features a famous two­
bishop sacrifice, but I never imagined
the opening had been the Sokolsky.
1 1L\f3 d5 2 b4 e6 3 i..b2 tiJf6 4 a3
This is my favourite move, but
some players - including Sokol sky -
prefer 4 bS.
4...e5 5 bxe5 i.. xe5 6 e3 0-0 7 e4
7 d4 was covered in Simagin-Flohr
(see Game SO).
7...tiJe6 8 d4 i..b6 9 tiJbd2 'ilie7 10 i.. d 3
%:td8 11 0 0
-
White enjoys a very comfortable
position because his pieces are control­
ling the centre and Black has a bad
bishop on c8.
11...i.. d 7 12 tiJe5 i.. e8
12 ... i.. c7!? 13 %:tc1 %:tac8 14 f4 dxc4 IS
tiJdxc4 tiJdS 16 'ilif3 f6 17 tiJxd7 'ilixd7 18
'ilJh3 g6 leaves White with attacking
chances because of Black's loose king-
B l a ck P l ays . . . dS a n d . . . e 6
side, but at least this avoids a quick
defeat.
13 f4 %:tae8 14 %:tel tiJd7?
Even here, the move 14 ... i.. c7!?
could be played. IS 'ilif3 h6 16 cS bS 1 7
i..x bS?! tiJxd4 18 exd4 i..xbS poses some
awkward problems for White, al­
though taking on bS is obviously not
forced.
15 tiJxe6 %:txe6?
lS ... bxc6 avoids an immediate catas­
trophe, but 16 cS i.. aS 17 i.. c3 i..xc3 18
%:txc3 %:tb8 19 tiJf3 tiJf6 20 'ilic2 %:td7 21
%:tb1 %:tdb7 22 %:tcb3 %:txb3 23 %:txb3 %:txb3
24 'ilixb3 leaves White with the advan­
tage thanks to his stronger minor
pieces.
16 e5 tiJxe5
This is clearly desperation, but
16 ... i.. aS 17 tiJb3 i.. c 7 (17...b6 18 tiJxaS
bxaS 19 i.. c3 %:tb8 20 %:tb1 %:txb1 21 'ilixb1
tiJf6 22 i.. xaS is hopeless for Black) 18
i..bS wins the exchange, as does
16 ... i.. c 7 17 i..b S.
17 dxe5 i..xe5 18 %:tf3 i.. x a3 19 %:txe6
i.. xe6
Now comes the thematic double­
bishop sacrifice:
111
Play 1 b 4 !
20 i.xh7+!! �xh7 21 lIh3+ �g8 22
i.xg7 1-0
After 22 ... f6 23 i.h6 'iVh7 24 'ii'h5
i.f8 25 'ii'g4+ �f7 26 i.xf8 White wins a
piece; or 22 ... �xg7 23 'ii'g4+ and White
mates with 23 ... �f6 24 lIh6 or 23 ... �f8
24 lIh8.
This type of sacrifice was made fa­
mous by Emanuel Lasker, who used it
to win a classic game over 100 years
ago: 1 f4 d5 2 e3 lDf6 3 b3 e6 4 i.b2 i.e7
5 iLd3 b6 6 lDf3 iLb7 7 lDc3 lDbd7 8 0-0
0-0 9 lDe2 c5 10 lDg3 'ii'c 7 11 lDe5 lDxe5
12 i.xe5 'ii'c6 13 'ii'e2 a6 14 lDh5 lDxh5
15 i.xh7+ �xh7 16 'ii'xh5+ �g8 1 7
il,xg7 �xg7 18 'ii'g4+ �h7 19 lIf3 e 5 20
112
lIh3+ 'ifu6 21 lIxh6+ �xh6 22 'ii'd 7 i.f6
23 'ii'xb7 �g7 24 lIn lIab8 25 'ii'd 7 lIfd8
26 'ii'g4+ �f8 27 fxe5 i.g7 28 e6 lIb7 29
'ii'g6 f6 30 lIxf6+ i.xf6 31 'ii'xf6+ �e8 32
'iVh8+ �e7 33 'ii'g7+ �xe6 34 'ii'xb7 lId6
35 'ii'xa6 d4 36 exd4 cxd4 37 h4 d3 38
'ii'xd3 and Black resigned, Em. Lasker­
J.Bauer, Amsterdam 1889.
Game 52
V. La psh u n -J.Sza bolcsi
Buda pest 2007
I played this game in a 'First Satur­
day' tournament in Budapest. The op­
position consisted mostly of strong
1Ms, so I knew it wouldn't be easy.
Even though I finished tied for last
place, I was very happy to have played
some wild games. After a short draw
against a GM in the first round, my
next opponent was the Hungarian
chess coach, 1M Janos Szabolcsi. Dur­
ing my preparation for the game, I got
pretty nervous because the guy had
four good defences against 1 e4. After
hours of hard work, the best I could
find against them was a very small
edge. This was not particularly satisfy­
ing, so I figured it was time to trot out
1 b4 for its maiden appearance in this
event. After reviewing a few Sokolsky
games (this book wasn't available yet!)
I was ready ...
1 b4
The other competitors, all titled
players, came over to my board one by
one and each of them left with a big
smile I get this reaction all the time!
-

1...c6 2 ii.b2 dS 3 e3 CiJf6 4 CiJf3 e6
When my opponent shut in his
light-squared bishop with this move, I
began to feel comfortable.
5 a3 as 6 bS ii.d6 7 c4 0-0
8 d4
Grabbing the bigger share of the
centre, at a cost of weakening the im­
portant e4-square. But, as Fischer said,
you gotta give squares to get squares.
8...dxc4 9 CiJc3
9 ii.xc4!? cxb5 10 ii.xb5 ii.d7 1 1 ii.d3
ii.c6 12 CiJc3 CiJbd7 13 e4 is also good.
9...CiJd s 10 ii.xc4 CiJxc3 11 ii.xC3 �C7 12
�d 3 cxbS 13 ii.xbS ii.d7 14 Wd2!?
Steinitz, anyone? I wanted to de-
B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . . e6
fend my bishops and couldn't find any
other way to do so. It looks very risky,
yes, but the black pieces are in a differ­
ent time zone from the white king.
14 0-0 ii.xb5 15 �xb5 :'cS
(15 ... �xc3?? allows the queen to be
trapped by 16 :'fc1) 16 :'fc1 should be
equal.
14...ii.xbs 15 �xbS CiJd7 16 :'hCl CiJf6
My opponent could not resist the
temptation to give a check with his
knight on e4, but now White can trade
his lousy bishop and create problems
for Black.
17 ii.b4! CiJe4+ 18 Wd3 �e7
lS ... CiJxf2+?? 19 We2 �dS 20 ii.xd6
�xd6 21 Wxf2 and Black loses a piece.
19 Wxe4 axb4 20 axb4 ii.xb4
What is going on here? The white
king is not afraid of anything and
demonstrates that he is a valuable
member of the team. Black can't do
anything to harm him, and later on he
will return to his shelter. Meanwhile,
Black will have big problems with his
weak b-pawn.
Fritz or some other computer en­
gine will tell you that this position is
113
Play 1 b4 !

equal, but don't you believe it! I felt nice inviting cubby-hole on e5.
then, as I feel now, that White is win­ 25....id6
ning a pawn and has a big advantage.
21 ':xaS! ':xaS 22 ':b1 f5+
Despite my faith, I must point out
that Black has a better defence here
with 22 ... .id6! 23 'iixb7 'iixb7+ 24 ':xb7
':a2 25 ':d7 .if8 26 lDe5 l:.xf2 27 ':d8
f5+ 28 �d3 l:.xg2 29 h4 l:.h2 30 lDd7 �f7
31 lDxf8 �e7 32 ':c8 ':xh4, with very
good chances to draw because White's
knight doesn't have anywhere to go.
23 �d3

26 h4
I liked the idea of moving this pawn
out of the bishop's firing line, but the
direct 26 lDg5 was an excellent alterna­
tive. Then 26 ... .:a8 27 'iVxb7 'iVxb7 28
':xb7 l:.al+ 29 �e2 ':a2+ 30 �f3 e5 31
dxe5 .ixe5 32 l:.e7 .id6 33 ':e8+ .if8 34
lDxh7 �xh7 35 l:.xf8 leaves White with
a winning rook ending.
26....:c2 27 'iVb3
Another good way was 27 'iVxb7
23 ....:a3+ ':c1 + 28 �e2 ':c2+ 29 �e1 ':c1 + 30 �d2
In comparison to the previous note, ':xb1 31 'iVxb1, with an extra pawn.
after 23 ... .id6 24 'iVxb7 'iVxb7 25 l:.xb7 27....:cS 2S lDg5 b5 29 lDxe6
':a2 26 ':d7 .if8 27 lDg5 l:.xf2 28 lDxe6
':xg2 29 ':d8 �f7 30 lDxf8 �e7 31 l:.a8
l:.xh2 White is winning as the knight
can escape (d4-d5 followed by lDe6). In
this line Black can choose to defend
with 27 ... .:a6, but White has excellent
chances to convert his advantage.
24 �e2 ':a2+ 25 �f1
It was thoughtful of the rook to es­
cort my king home, but this really
hasn't accomplished very much for
Black. And now White possesses that

114

The b-pawn will also drop shortly,
and the rest requires no explanation.
29..:�f7 30 'iYds i"e7 31 lIxbs i"xh4 32
g3 i"f6 33 'iYxfs 'iYa7 34 tbcs lIa8 35
'iYe4 'iYal+ 36 �g2 lId8 37 tbd7 'iVa6 38
lIb6 1-0
My opponent had seen enough and
gave up. So after two rounds I was tied
for the lead, but I then lost my next
three games. My play was as reckless
as my king's wanderings in this game!
Game 53
V .Akopia n-S.Ga ngu Iy
Good ricke Open, Ca lcutta
1 b4 e6 2 i"b2 tbf6 3 bs ds 4 e3 i"d6
4 ... i"e7 S f4 0-0 6 i"d3 a6 7 a4 axbS 8
axbS lIxal 9 i"xal tbbd7 10 tbf3 tbe4
looks levet S.Tartakower-G.Mar6czy,
New York 1924. The moves 4 ... a6 and
4 ... cS, in conjunction with an early ...b6,
were discussed in the previous chapter.
5 tbf3 a6 6 a4 'iYe7
Black is preparing to advance in the
centre with ... eS.
7 c4 dxc4 8 i"xc4 e5
B l a c k P l ays . . . dS a n d . . . e 6
Now the position looks like it arose
from a reversed Sicilian Defence.
9 tbgs 0-0 10 'iYc2 h6 11 h4! e4
Accepting the sacrifice is quite
risky: after 1 1 . .. hxgS 12 hxgS tbbd7 13
tbc3 lIe8 14 gxf6 tbxf6 IS bxa6 bxa6 16
tbdS 'iYd8 1 7 f4 lIb8 18 i"c3 i"e6 19
tbxf6+ 'iYxf6 20 'iVh7+ �f8 21 i"xa6
Black has succeeded only in losing a
pawn.
12 tbC3 i"fs 13 g4 tbxg4 14 tbd s
14 tbgxe4 axbS IS i"xbS lId8 16 lIcl
ltJa6 is unclear.
14 'iYe8 15 f4
.••
Even a computer does not under­
stand what is going on in this crazy
position. White has a very dangerous
attack, but his king is not castled, his
rooks are not connected and the knight
on gS is under threat.
ls ...axbs?
IS ... �h8 looks like the best defence;
for example, 16 i"a3 axbS 17 ..txbS 'iYd8
18 tbxc7 lIa7 19 ..te2 i"xa3 20 lIxa3 'iYe7
21 tbbS lIaS.
IS ... tbd7, on the other hand, could
lead to the following aesthetic varia­
tion: 16 bxa6 bxa6 17 'iYc3 tbdf6 18 i"e2
115
Play 1 b4 !
liJh5 19 l:tg1 hxg5 20 �xg4 �xg4 21
lIxg4 c6 22 'ii'xg7+! ! liJxg7 23 liJf6+ �h8
24 hxg5! liJf5 25 liJxe8+ �g8 26 liJf6+
�g7 27 liJxe4+ �g6 28 lIc1, and White
is winning.
16 �C3! �es 17 fxes bXC4 18 e6 f6 19
e7 hxgs
19 ... tiJe5 20 exf8'ii'+ 'ii'xf8 21 tiJxc7 is
hopeless for Black.
20 �a3
20...tiJd7 21 exf8'ii'+ tiJxf8 22 tiJe7+ �f7
23 tiJxfs tiJes 24 hxgs
White has managed to achieve a de­
cisive material advantage without
moving his king or either of his rooks.
24...'iid 7 25 lIf1 tiJfg6 26 gxf6 gxf6 27
116
'ii'd 4 'ii'e6 28 �d1 liJf3 29 'ii'c s lId8 30
liJd4 liJxd4 31 exd4 e3 32 dxe3 1-0
Game 54
R.Fischer-K. Wa lters
Sa n Fra ncisco
(Si m u lta neous D i s p l ay) 1964
1 b4 liJf6 2 �b2 e6 3 bs ds 4 liJf3 c6
This idea is not seen very often.
Usually Black plays instead 4 ... a6! ? 5 a4
axb5 6 axb5 lIxa1 7 �xa1 (transposing
to Bernstein-Seidman, see Game 47),
4 ... c5 5 e3 (Games 32-33) or 4 ... �d6
(Game 53).
5 e3 cxbs 6 �xbs+ �d7 7 �xd7+
tiJbxd7 8 0-0 i.. e7
Black has achieved a fairly comfort­
able position from the opening, with a
nice c-file and no weaknesses.
9 d3 0-0 10 tiJbd2 'ii'C7 11 C4!
Fischer exchanges his weak c-pawn.
11...dxc4 12 tiJxC4 lIac8 13 a4 lIfd8 14
'ii'e2 b6 15 lIfc1 'ii'b7 16 h3 tiJcs
The knight on c5 is a danger, attack­
ing a4, b3, d3 and e4.
17 tiJd4 lIxd4 18 �xd4 tiJb3 19 lIcb1

ttJxa1 20 ':xa1 ctJd7
21 'ti'b2
21 'ti'g4!? might be stronger. 21 . .. ctJf6
is met by 22 �xf6 �xf6 23 ttJd6 'ti'd7 24
ttJxc8 �xa1 25 'ti'c4! g6 26 'ti'a6 'ti'c7 27
ttJxa7, when White wins a pawn and
has very good winning chances.
21...f6 22 ':b1
22 a5! ? b5 23 a6 'ti'c6 24 ctJa5 'ti'xa6
25 ttJb3 'ti'd6 26 ':xa7 leads to very in­
teresting complications after 26 ... e5!,
which in all likelihood will boil down
to equality after 27 'ti'a2 \t>f8 (27 ... exd4
28 ':xd7!) 28 ':a6 'ti'c7 29 ':a7.
22...es 23 �C3 ttJcs 24 'ti'a2?
24 'ti'c2 'ti'd5 25 ctJb2 ttJe6 26 ttJd1,
preventing annoying Black moves such
as ... 'ti'a2 and ... �b4, makes sure that
White holds the balance.
24...'ti'd s 25 ':d1 ttJxd3 26 ':xd3 'ti'xC4
27 'ti'd2 'ti'xa4
White is two pawns down and com­
pletely lost.
28 ':d7 'ti'a3
28 ... \t>f8!, preventing 29 'ti'd5, is
stronger.
29 'ti'd s+ \t>f8 30 �d2 h6 31 'ti'e6 ':e8 32
e4 bs 33 �e3 a s 34 \t>h2
B l a ck Plays . . . dS a n d . . . e 6
34 'ti'd5! ':c8 35 'ti'xb5 'ti'c3 3 6 �d2
'ti'c6 37 'ti'xc6 ':xc6 38 �xa5 is dead
equal. Fischer was probably still trying
to win!
34...'ti'b4 35 �b6
3s ...'ti'xe4??
35 ... a4! would have collected the
Fischer scalp. For example, 36 'ti'f5 a3
37 ':a7 'ti'c4 38 'ti'd7 b4 39 �d8 'ti'c5 40
�xe7+ ':xe7 41 ':a8+ \t>f7 42 'ti'd8 'ti'c6
43 'ti'g8+ \t>g6 and White runs out of
ideas. After the text move, however,
the tables are abruptly turned.
36 �cs! 'ti'f4+
36 ... �xc5 allows mate in one with
37 'ti'f7.
37 g3 1-0
Poor Walters missed the chance of a
lifetime in this game.
Game 55
B.G u rgenidze-A.Dgebuadze
Georgia n C h a m pionsh i p,
Tbi l isi 1996
1 ttJf3 ttJf6 2 b4 e6 3 a3 ds 4 e3 c6 5 c4
�e7 6 �e2 0-0 7 0-0 ttJbd7 8 cxd s exds
117
Play 1 b4 !
9 ii.b2 as
A good move, which helps Black to
gain some control in the centre.
10 b5 c5 11 a4 ':e8 12 d3 b6 13 ctJbd2
ii.b7 14 ':c1
Such a position can easily occur in
the Sokolsky. Ideally White would like
to swap off Black's d-pawn by playing
e3-e4, but Black's concentration of
forces on that square makes this idea
impractical. So instead White conceives
a plan of direct attack on the enemy's
central bastion.
14 ii.f8 15 ':C2
..•
Defending both bishops and
preparing a thematic 'iVaI .
118
15...g6 16 g 3
Planning a possible ctJh4-g2-f4, add­
ing pressure to d5.
16...ii.g7 17 ctJh4 ':e8 18 ctJg2 ':C7 19
'iVa1
White wants to attack the d5-pawn
with the queen on a2, bishop on f3 and
knight on f4. Black decides to strike
first, but probably the counterattack is
premature and 19 ... 'iVe7 is safer.
19...d4 20 ctJC4
20...ctJe5?!
Black should play 20 ... 'iVa8! ?, when
21 ctJe1 dxe3 22 fxe3 ':e6 23 ii.d1 offers
chances for both sides.
21 ctJxe5 ':xe5 22 exd4 cxd4 23 ':xC7
'iVxC7 24 ii.xd4 ':xe2 25 ii.xf6 ii.xf6 26
'iVxf6
White has won a pawn, but Black's
pieces are active and it will be hard to
make it count.
26....:e6 27 'iVd4
27 'iVaI ! ii.xg2 28 �xg2 'iVd7 29 ':d1
keeps the extra pawn and offers some
winning chances.
27....:d6 28 'iVe5 'iVd7 29 ctJf4 f6 3 0 'iVe3
g5 31 ctJg2 ':xd3 32 'iVxb6 'iVd5 33 f3
':xf3 34 ':xf3 'iVxf3 35 'iVf2 'iVd1+
 B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . . e 6

After 36 'iYe1 'iYd4+ 3 7 'iYe3 'iYd5 38

'iYe8+ �g7 39 'iYe7+ �g6 40 'iYe8+ �g7
41 'iYe7+ Black should allow the per­
petual check, as 41 . ..'iYf7 42 'iYxf7+ �xf7
43 ctJe3 is good for White.
36 ... 'iYd s 37 'iYxf6 'iYhl+ 38 �f2 'iYxh2+
39 �e3
39 �f1 'iYd2 40 'iYe6+ is probably
also a draw.
39 ... 'iYxg3+ 40 �d2 1-0
The game should be drawn after 40
�d2 'iYf4+ 41 'iYxf4 gxf4 42 ctJd3 h5 43
36 ctJel ctJxf4 h4, but maybe Black lost on time.

119
Play 1 b 4 !

Summary
The Queen's Gambit set-up without ...b6 is less logical than the Queen's Indian -
players don't employ the Queen's Gambit as White by locking in their queen's
bishop anymore, do they? The recipe for White is often the same as the one sug­
gested in Chapter Four: put a pawn on b5, cover it, and then strike at the centre.
However, playing with a more restrained a2-a3, as in Games 50-52, is also possible.
It's not covered here, but the Bird set-up with f2-f4 might be worth exploring,
and this can be compared with a similar approach in the Nimzowitsch-Larsen At­
tack with 1 b3 (a good source is Dunnington's Winning Unorthodox Openings).

1 b4 lbf6
I . .. d5 2 i..b2lbf6 3lbf3 e6
4 b5 (D): 4 ... c6 Game 54; 4 ... i.. d 6 5 e3 Game 53
- -

4 a3
4 ... c6 Game 52; 4 ... c5 5 bxc5 i.. xc5 6 e3 0-0 (D)
-

7 c4 Game 51; 7 d4 Game 50

- -

2 �b2
2lbf3 e6 3 a3 d5 4 e3 - Game 55
2...e6 3 b5
3 a3 d5 4lbf3 - see 1 . . . d5
3 ...a6
3 ... i..e 7 4 e3 0-0 5lbf3 c6 Game 49; 3 ... d5 - see 1 . d5
- . .

4 a4 axb5
4 ... i..e 7 - Game 48
5 axb5 ':xa1 6 ..txa1 d5 (D)
6 ... c6 - Game 45
7 e3
7lbf3 i.. e 7 8 e3lbbd7 - Game 47
7...(5 8 lbf3 i.. d 6 9 (4 - Game 46

4 bS 6 0-0
••• 6 ••• dS

120
 Ch a pt er Six I
B lack Plays . . . d S an d
•••�fS / � g4 •••

This chapter is devoted to reversed

queen's pawn openings in which Black
Game 5 6
develops his c8-bishop outside the
B.La rsen-W.Browne
pawn chain so that it will not be
La s Pa l ma s 1974
hemmed in when he supports the cen­
tre with ... e7-e6.
Against an early ...�f5 White can 1 b4 d5 2 �b2 �f5 3 CiJf3 e6 4 e3 CiJf6 5
borrow an idea from the Nimzowitsch­ a3
Larsen Attack and play a quick f2-f4 to White's main alternative, 5 c4, is
seize the e5-square. Larsen was quite discussed in Katalymov-Litvinov
fond of this plan and dubbed it the I (Game 57).
Dutch Orangutan', an acknowledge­
ment to another common name for 1
b4. My encounter with Gravel (Game
59) explores this approach, while
Games 56-58 concentrate on the more
usual development with CiJf3 followed
by a quick c2-c4.
One of Black's most challenging de­
fences to the Sokolsky consists of play­
ing l. . d5 followed by ...�g4, either on
.

the second move or a bit later. The final

seven games of this chapter will exam­
ine various White plans against this 5... c5
set-up. 5 ... CiJbd7 6 c4 dxc4 7 �xc4 a5 8 b5

121
Play 1 b4 !

ltJb6 9 .te2 i.d6, as played in E.Agur­ f3 exf3 23 gxf3 ltJeS reaches a dynamic
S.Dudakov, Netanya 1973, is a sound position with rough material equality ­
path to a reasonable position for Black. our assessment is 'unclear' .
6 c4!? cxb4 7 axb4 ltJc6 17 ct:Jxd s! ct:Jxa3 18 ct:Jxe7+ 'iVxe7 19
After 7... ..txb4 8 'iVa4+ ltJc6 9 ltJd4 'iVxa3 b6 20 ':d2 ':ac8 21 ':adl ':C7 22
i.e7 10 lhxc6 bxc6 11 'iVxc6+ �f8 12 h3 ':fc8 23 'iVai
ltJc3, the awkward position of Black's
king assures White of an advantage.
8 'iVa4 ..te7
8 ... ..txb4 transposes to the previous
note.
9 cxds exd s 10 ltJd4 ..td7 11 bs ltJb4

This position should be equal:

White possesses a strong knight on d4,
but Black has a passed pawn on as.
23...g6 24 ltJf3 ..te8 25 ':d6 'iVxd6 26
':xd6 ':Cl+ 27 'iVxCl ':xCl+ 28 �h2 a4
Now it begins to get really compli­
Let's take a look at this position. cated. It's very difficult for most play­
White is trying to finish his develop­ ers to calculate all these crazy varia­
ment. He does have an isolated bS­ tions, but for Larsen it's not a big deal.
pawn, but the knight on d4 is strong 29 ':xb6 a3 30 ':b8 �f8 31 b6 a2
enough to protect all the weaknesses.
Black has almost finished his develop­
ment, but he must protect the isolated
dS-pawn. I prefer White's position be­
cause his pieces - when they are devel­
oped - have the potential to exploit
Black's weaknesses later in the game.
12 ..ta3 as 13 ct:JC3 0-0 14 ..te2 ltJe4 15
0-0 ltJxd2 16 ':fdl ltJC4
16 ...ltJe4 would have been stronger,
and 17 ltJxe4 dxe4 18 ltJfS ..txfS! 19
':xd8 ':fxd8 20 ..tc4 ..tf6 21 ':dl ltJd3 22

122

32 .i.bs
32 b7 CDc6 33 Ma8 a1 if 34 .i.b5 iff6
35 .i.xc6 ifd6+ 36 g3 Mb1 37 Mxe8+ �g7
38 CDd4 h5 39 �g2 Mb6 40 Mc8 Mb2 41
.i.f3 Mb4 is fascinating but far from
clear. White may be better, but we
would not be surprised to see a draw
as the final result.
32 ...CDc6?
Browne could have reached a com­
pletely drawn position after 32 ... a1 if!
33 Mxe8+ �g7 34 b7 CDa6 35 .i.xa6 Mb 1
36 b8if Mxb8 37 Mxb8 ifxa6 38 Mb2.
Probably he was very short of time, but
who wouldn't be in such a game?
33 .i.xc6 alif 34 Mxe8+ �g7 35 b7
Now White gains a decisive mate­
rial advantage.
3s ... Mbl 36 b8if Mxb8 37 Mxb8 ifas 38
Mb7 �f8 39 e4 ifcs 40 .i.d s fs 41 It'les
1-0
After 41 . .. ifd6 (what else makes any
sense?), 42 Mf7+ �e8 43 .i.c6+ �d8 44
Md7+ wins what's left of Black's posi­
tion. Just another day at the office for
the Great Dane.
Game 5 7
B.Kata lymov-V.Litvinov
M i n s k 1971
1 b 4 d s 2 .i.b2 .i.fs 3 e 3 CDf6 4 CDf3 e6 5
C4 lt'lbd7
After 5 ....i.xb4 6 iVa4+ It'lc6 7 CDd4,
7... ifd6?? is a blunder which drops a
piece to 8 CDxc6 bxc6 9 a3 .i.c5 10 d4
.i.b6 1 1 c5. Instead, 7 ... .i.e7 8 It'lxc6 bxc6
9 ifxc6+ �f8 10 .i.d4 dxc4 11 ifxc4 of­
fers White chances to attack Black's
B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . . 1i.jS I . . . 1i. g 4
weaknesses and exploit the poorly
placed king on f8.
6 cs
White starts a queenside attack.
6....i.e7 7 It'ld4 .i.xbl 8 Mxbl c6 9 g4!?
This could be the move either of a
total beginner or a very strong player.
After pressing on the queenside, White
begins attacking the kingside! I don't
really believe in this attack, but such
crazy moves did help Katalymov to
win a considerable number of games.
9 .i.e2 a5 10 a3 axb4 11 axb4 0-0 12
0-0 Me8 13 f4 ifc7 14 ifc2 Ma2 15 Mal
Mea8 16 Mxa2 Mxa2 17 Mal Mxa1+ 18
.i.xa1 leaves White with a minimal ad­
vantage in space. The text is much
more ambitious!
9 ... es
Castling into it with 9 ... 0-0 allows
White to build a promising attack after
10 g5 It'le8 11 f4 e5 12 fxe5 CDxe5 13 h4
a5 14 It'lb3 It'ld7 15 a3 axb4 16 axb4.
10 CDfs g6
After 10 ... 0-0 1 1 d4 exd4 12 .i.xd4
It'le8 13 .i.e2 i.f6 White can abandon the
plan of a direct attack by playing 14 0-0,
which still leaves him with an edge.
123
P l ay 1 b4 !
11 CLJg3 0-0 12 h4 CLJe8 13 gs fS 14 f4
'iYc7?!
14 ... exf4!? IS exf4 offers chances for
both sides, for example after IS . . . CLJg7
16 hS as 17 hxg6 hxg6 18 a3 axb4 19
axb4 Me8 20 CLJe2 �f8 21 'iVb3.
ls 'iYf3
lS ...Mf7?
Black should seek counterplay with
IS ... aS! ?, although White is still better
after 16 hS. One possible line runs
16 ... axb4 17 hxg6 hxg6 18 Mh6 CLJg7 19
Mxg6 �f7 20 Mh6 �e8 21 CLJhS CLJxhS 22
'iYxhS+ �d8 23 g6 CLJf6 24 �xeS 'iYxeS 2S
fxeS CLJxhS 26 MxhS �xcS 27 Mb2 �e8,
and here 28 �d3 gobbles the f-pawn
because it's all over after 28 ... f4? 29 exf4
Mxf4 30 Mh8+ Mf8 31 g7.
16 hS! �f8 17 CLJe2!
Defending the f4-pawn, and prepar­
ing to move the queen to the h-file.
White is able to attack without moving
his bishop or rook.
17...b6 18 hxg6 hxg6 19 'iYh3
After this move White's attack be­
comes deadly.
19...Mg7 20 fxes CLJxes 21 CLJf4 bxcS
Against 21 . .. �f7, White can win ma-
1 24
terial with 22 CLJxg6! CLJxg6 23 'iYxfS+
�e7 24 �xg7 �xg7 2S 'iYxg6.
22 'iYh8+ �f7
23 'iYxf8+!
This is decisive, winning a piece
23 ...�xf8 24 CLJe6+ �g8 2S CLJxc7 CLJf3+
26 �e2 Mxc7 27 Mh8+ �f7 28 �xf3
cxb4 29 �es Me7 30 Mh7+ 1-0
Game 58
V.La ps h u n-O.Ad u
R ic h a rd Aronow Memori a l ,
P h i lade l p h ia 2002
I will always be grateful to Mikhail
Belorusov for organizing the Aronow
Memorial tournament, because in it I
achieved my third and final Interna­
tional Master norm. This game marked
my first test with 1 b4 against an 1M.
1 b4 dS 2 �b2 c6 3 e3 �fS 4 CLJf3 e6
Black has chosen a reversed London
System. This is also known as the New
York System, since Emanuel Lasker
used it to defeat Reti at the 1924 New
York tournament.
S c4 CLJf6 6 cxd S
 B l a c k P l ays . . . dS a n d . . . i..jS I . . . i.. g 4

6 bS dxc4 7 .i.xc4 .i.e7 8 a4 0-0 9 0-0, his own knight.

as played in H.Ree-Y.Bernstein, 26....:cS?!
Netanya 1968, is nothing special for 26 ... �f8, centralizing the king, is
White. Against 6 a3, 6 ... as is rather an­ stronger.
noying, while 6 ... dxc4 7 .i.xc4 as is also
not bad. White can also play in the
same style as Katalymov, with 6 cS
(compare Game S7).
6... exd5 7 a3 .i.d6 S .i.e2 0-0 9 d3 Wlie7
10 liJbd2 liJbd7 11 0-0
White has nothing here, and 1 1 ... aS!
is a strong idea. After Black's actual
choice, I could see a favourable struc­
ture shaping up.
11 liJe5 12 liJxe5 �xe5 13 .i.xe5 Wlixe5
•••

14 liJf3 'ilJe7 15 Wlid2 .i.g4 16 liJd4 il.xe2

17 'ilJxe2 27 ':bcl liJf5?!
And here 27 ... .:a8!? lessens the force
of the thrust b4-bS.
2S liJxf5 ':xf5 29 ':C5 ':dS 30 b5 axb5?
30 ... cxbS! ? 31 axbS �f8 would have
at least avoided the immediate loss of a
pawn.
31 axb5 �fS 32 bxc6 bxc6 33 d4
White wins a pawn and keeps
enough on the board to clinch the win.
33 ....:f6 34 ':xc6 ':xc6 35 ':xc6 �e7 36
g4!

The exchanges have left White with

a superior minor piece and a clear plan:
to play the Minority Attack on the
queenside.
17....:feS is ':fCl a6 19 ':abl Wlie5 20
':c2 liJd7 21 'ii'g4 ':adS 22 Wlig3 liJb6 23
Wlixe5 ':xe5 24 liJb3 liJcs 25 a4 liJd6 26
liJd4
White is happy to have his pawn on
d3 to keep Black's knight out of e4 and
c4. In contrast, he has the d4-square for

12S
Play 1 b4 !

36....:a8 37 �g2 �d7 38 ':b6 �e7 39 weak e-pawn and e4-square, but at
':b2 �e6 40 h4 ':e8 41 ':a2 �b6? least in return I was getting the e5-
41. .. .:e7! ? is the right way to meet square for my knight.
the threatened 42 ':a7.
42 ':e2!
It's useful to cut off the black king
from the rest of his army.
42....:d8 43 ':e5 f6 44 g5 fxg5 45 hxg5
h5 46 gxh6 gxh6 47 �g3 ':g8+ 48 �h3
':f8 49 �g2 ':f5 50 f4! 1-0
50 ... h5 51 �g3 �b7 52 e4 is decisive.
So I won, but it seems that the reversed
London System is a viable defence to 1
b4.

13 ...tiJb6 14 tiJe5 ':e8 15 ..tf3 exd4?!

Game 59
15 ... c4 is stronger; later on Black can
V.La ps h u n -S.G ravel
work on White's weaknesses.
Montrea l 2004
16 exd4

It took a long journey to reach this

game. My Canadian friends drove me
from Kapuskasing to Montreal, a trip
of more than ten hours. When I finally
arrived, I was about 30 minutes late. It
was very difficult to find the venue
because all the signs were in French. I
had absolutely no idea what my oppo­
nent liked to play, so I figured this was
a good time for the Sokolsky.
1 b4 tiJf6 2 ..tb2 d5 3 e3 ..tf5 4 f4
The idea of this move is to control 16...tiJe4?!
the e5-square. 4 tiJf3 e6 reaches Games Black should have prepared this
56-58. move.
4...e6 5 a3 as 6 b5 e5 7 tiJf3 tiJbd7 8 e4 17 tiJxc4 ':xe4 18 tiJxd5 tiJxd5 19 ..txd5
..td6 9 exd5 exd5 10 ..te2 0-0 11 0-0 h6 ':e2 20 ..tel iLxa3 21 'iVf3 ..txel 22
My opponent didn't want to have to ':axel ':e8
part with his bishop after tiJh4. White has emerged well from all the
12 tiJe3 ..th7 13 d4!? complications, with an active bishop
I was worried about giving myself a and a passed pawn. The next step is to

126

shut out the black bishop.
23 f5 .a:XC1 24 .a:XC1 'iVg5?!
This tempting counter will fail, al­
beit in an amusing fashion. 24 ... b6
would have been stronger.
25 .a:C7
I had to calculate many variations,
and eventually I decided that my king
would be safe after a short trip round
my g-pawn.
25.. Jie1+ 26 �f2 'iVd2+ 27 �g3 �h8!
28 .a:c8+ �g8 29 'iVg4 .a:e3+ 30 i.f3 b6
It's hard to say for sure whether or
not it's wise to interpolate 30 ... 'iVel+ 31
�h3.
31 f6 g5 32 h3
It's time to move my king to h2. 32
h4! ? was also possible, but I wanted to
hide my king, not expose it!
32 'iVe1+
•••
32 .. Jle6 is possible too. Fritz offers
the following variation, which may
uncover the truth, but it's too difficult
for any human I know to work out
over the board. Take it for what it's
worth: 33 llc6 llel 34 �h2 'iVe3 35 h4
llbl 36 �dl llxb5 37 llc8 'iVf4+ 38 'iVxf4
gxf4 39 lld8 llf5 40 lld6 llb5 41 d5 llb4
B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . . �fS / . . . � g 4
42 lld8 a4 43 d6 lld4 44 i.g4 f3 45 gxf3
h5 46 i.e6 �h7 47 i.f5+ �h8 48 �g3 b5
49 d7 a3 50 lla8 b4 51 d8'iV llxd8 52
llxd8 b3 53 i.e4 a2 54 lla8 b2 55 llxa2
and White wins!
33 �h2
33 ...lle8??
Black had to try 33 ... lle6, although
White is still winning here after 34 llc6
'iVe3 35 h4 a4 36 hxg5 'iVxg5 37 'iVxg5
hxg5 38 d5 lle8 39 llxb6 i.h7 40 llb7
i.g6 41 lla7 llb8 42 d6.
34 'iVh5 �h7 35 i.g4!
Winning, as Black must give up a
rook to prevent i.f5+.
35...'iVf2 36 llxe8 'iVf4+ 37 �g1 'iVxd4+
38 �h1 'iVxf6 39 i.e2 �g7 40 'iVf3 1-0
Game 60
V.La pshu n-A. H a h n
U S C h a m pion s h i p,
Sa n Diego 2004
In this game I beat a US Women's
Champion with 1 b4. Before I played
her, I looked at her games and didn't
know which move to open with. I was
127
Play 1 b4 !
thinking about 1 e4, but she play s vari­
ous openings after this: the Sicilian or
1. .. e5, with the Ruy Lopez or Marshall
Gambit. Before the game I was talking
with my roommate, Salvijus Bercy s,
and he told me I was preparing too
much for my opponents, and that it
was taking up too much energy . So I
decided to take his advice, forget
preparation, and play 1 b4. She played
great chess in the opening but I de­
cided to attack when she got into time
trouble, and I won. Maybe she could
have defended with 39 .. :iVd8, but by
then I was doing well.
1 b4 d5 2 i.b2 i.g4 3 'ii'el
The idea of this move is to play 4 e3
and later .i.e2, so that the knight will
recapture the bishop with a tempo for
development.
3 ...CLJf6
3 ... CLJd7 reached a very similar posi­
tion in Lapshun-Paschall (see Game
61).
4 e3 e6
4 ... CLJbd7 5 c4 e5 6 b5 ..td6 is equal,
S.Rocha-V.Akopian, World Junior Ch.,
Mamaia 1991.
128
5 a 3 .i.e7 6 .i.e2 .i.xe2 7 CLJxe2 e6 8 e4
0-0 9 0-0 as 10 e5 CLJa6 11 'ii'e 3 axb4 12
axb4 b6 13 d4 CLJe4 14 'ii'el
The white queen defends the b­
pawn and - indirectly - the aI-rook,
while preparing to attack the black
king after f2-f3 and 'ii'g3.
14...'ii'b8
The black queen indirectly attacks
the b2-bishop and also points at the
white king.
15 f3 CLJf6 16 .i.e3 CLJe7 17 CLJd2 CLJb5 18
.i.b2 Mxal 19 'ii'x al 'ii'b7 20 'ii'a 4 Ma8
21 'ii'b 3 CLJe7 22 CLJel Mb8 23 .i.e3 CLJd7
24 'ii'e2 CLJb5 25 .i.b2 e5
Black is trying to break up White's
centre, but it is standing like a rock.
This centre is worth maintaining;
breaking it up with 26 dxe5 would give
Black plenty of play after 26 ...bxc5 27
bxc5 .i.xc5 28 Mel .i.a3.
26 CLJd 3 exd4 27 exd4 .i.f6 28 CLJb3 Ma8
28 ... Me8 is also reasonable. White
has nothing after 29 f4 bxc5 30 bxc5
.i.d8 31 Mel Mxe1 + 32 CLJxe1 .
29 Mel CLJe7 30 exb6 'ii'xb6 31 Mel
White has two isolated pawns, but
Black's c-pawn is very weak and White

can use the a5- and c5-squares.
31../2Jb8 32 �hl
I'm not sure if this is the best move,
but a little prophylaxis can't hurt.
32 lLJe6 33 'iVC3 h6 34 f4
•••
My opponent's time pressure and a
bad knight on b8 convinced me to
make my first attacking move.
34....:a4 3S fS lLJC7 36 lLJbcs ':a8 37
lLJes
It was a huge pleasure to have two
great knights on c5 and e5, but I also
wanted to improve the b2-bishop.
37...lLJbs 38 'iVel ':a2
39 lLJg4
39 lLJxf7!? is an interesting sacrifice:
B l a ck P l ays . . . dS a n d . . . i..jS I . . . i.. g 4
39... �xf7 (39 ... lLJc7? 40 lLJxh6+ gxh6 41
'iVg3+ .tg5 42 h4 ':xb2 43 hxg5 h5 44 f6
lLJe8 45 'iVe5 gives White a winning at­
tack) 40 'iVe6+ �f8 41 'iVc8+ �f7
(41 . .. .td8 is more resilient but White
still enjoys a strong attack after 42
lLJe6+) 42 lLJe6! (42 'iVe6+ �f8 is a draw)
42 ... .te7 43 ':e 1 ':xb2 44 lLJg5+!, and
White mates after 44 ... hxg5 45 'iVe6+
�f8 46 'iVxe7+ �g8 47 'iVe8+ �h7 48
'iVh5+ �g8 49 ':e8.
39....tgS??
Instead the move 39 ... 'iVd8! defends.
After the continuation 40 lLJxf6+ 'iVxf6
41 'iVe8+ �h7 42 'iVxb8 'iVxf5! (42 ... .:xb2
43 lLJd7! 'iVxf5 44 lLJf8+ �g8 45 lLJg6+
�h7 46 lLJe7 wins for White) 43 .tal
':xg2! 44 �xg2 'iVg5+ 45 'iVg3 'iVxc1 46
'iVd3+ �g8 47 'iVf1 'iVd2+ 48 'iVf2 'iVd1 49
'iVgl 'iVd2+ 50 'iVf2 'iVdl, White cannot
improve on a draw.
40 'iVeS+ �h7 41 'iVxf7 'iVdS 42 lLJe6 1-0
The deadly attack by White's queen
and two knights forces Black to resign.
After 42 ... 'iVg8 (or 42 ... 'iVe7 43 lLJf8+ �h8
44 lLJg6+), a flight is taken from the
black king and White forces mate with
43 lLJxg5+ hxg5 44 'iVh5.
1 29
Play 1 b 4 !
Game 61
V.La pshu n -W.Pascha l l
New York Masters (ra pid) 2003
The tournament organizer sug­
gested that my game against 1M Wil­
liam Paschall deserved to be on the
Internet. When I asked why, he said
that people like the way I play 1 b4. He
was joking, but in the end I decided
that if people want to see it, they will
see it!
1 b4 ds 2 i..b2 ,i,g4 3 'iVC1 tDd7 4 c4 e6 5
e3 tDgf6 6 a3 as 7 cs c6 8 ..te2 ..txe2 9
tDxe2 b6 10 d4 i..e7 11 0-0 0-0 12 tDd2
'iVC7 13 'i¥c2
I felt at the time, as I do now,
this position is evenly balanced
offers chances for both sides.
13 ...tDg4 14 g3 fs?!
There are two problems with
move. Black is left with:
1) A weak e-pawn; and
2) A weak e5-square.
15 tDf4 1:.f6 16 h3 tDh6 17 tDd3 a4?
17 ... axb4 18 axb4 1:.ff8 19 tDf4
130
holds the balance. Black's choice in the
game deprives him of counterplay.
18 cxb6 'iYxb6
Black has too many problems: the
squares c5 and e5 are weak, and in ad­
dition Black has to defend his a-, c- and
e-pawns.
19 1:.ac1 tDb8 20 tDf3 1:.f8 21 tDf4 1:.e8
22 tDes 1:.a6 23 'iVe2 ,i,d6 24 tDfd3?!
24 tDxc6 tDxc6 25 b5 1:.a5 26 1:.xc6
'iVb8 27 ,i,c3 1:.a7 28 b6 1:.b7 29 'iVb5
would have been a simpler way to win.
24 ... :a7 25 1:.c2 tDf7 26 1:.fc1
26...tDxes?
This move loses material. Black
should play 26 ... 1:.c7.
27 dxes ..tf8 28 ..td4 'iVa6 29 ,i,xa7
'iVxa7 30 tDcs g6 31 1:.c3 ,i,g7 32 f4 ..tf8
that 33 h4 h6 34 <itf2 1:.e7 35 'iVc2 1:.e8 36
and 'iVd1 gs 37 hxgs hxgs 38 'iVhs 1-0
Game 62
this
P .Benko-J.Belion Lopez
Torre m o l i nos 1973
Here's another example o f 1 b 4 be­
<itf7 ing played by a great American legend.

Benko demonstrates an unusual and
risky way to play this opening.
1 b4 ds 2 �b2 �g4 3 h3 �hs 4 g3
The double fianchetto is an interest­
ing approach. A certain familiarity
with the Reti Opening, particularly the
so-called Capablanca System, is a use­
ful thing to have if you want to play
this way.
4...e6 5 �g2 ttJf6 6 a3 ttJbd7 7 ttJf3 c6 8
d3
I don't trust this passive set-up be­
cause the b4-pawn can become an ob­
ject of Black's attack. White has to solve
this problem by weakening himself
further.
B l a c k P l ays . . . dS a n d . . . i.jS I . . . i. g 4
8...a s!
Giving White another headache.
9 c3
White must close the diagonal of
the Sokolsky bishop for the moment.
This position now looks more like a
Philidor than a Sokolsky.
9 �d6 10 ttJbd2 'i¥b6 11 llb1 0-0 12 g4
•..
In order to castle White is forced to
weaken his kingside, as 12 O-O?! �xg3
13 bxa5 'i¥a7 (13 ... 11xa5? 14 c4 'i¥a7 15
�d4! wins a piece) 14 a6 bxa6 15 ttJd4
�f4 16 ttJxc6 'i¥c7 leaves Black with the
advantage.
12...�g6 13 0-0 llad8
Another active alternative is
13 ... axb4 14 axb4 lla2 15 c4 �f4, with
level chances.
14 c4 �b8
After 14 ... axb4?! 15 axb4 �xb4 16
�c3 c5 1 7 �xb4 cxb4 18 'iVa4 'iVc7 19
'i¥xb4 ttJc5 20 'i¥b6, White has a com­
fortable position and a target on b7 to
attack.
15 'i¥c2
ls ...'i¥C7
15 ... axb4 16 axb4 dxc4 17 ttJxc4 'i¥c7
would have been safer. After the text
131
Play 1 b4 !

move, 16 bxa5!? 'iVxa5 1 7 i.. xf6 ctJxf6 18 i..f4 24 :'c2 :'a8 25 ctJe4 :'fc8 26 e3 i..h6
:'xb7 'iVxa3 19 :'fbl i..f4 20 ctJd4 is dan­ White has a good position, but Black
gerous for Black. does at least have some counterplay.
16 :'fC1 dxC4 17 ctJxC4 23 e3 'iVh6 24 ctJa5! :'f7 25 ctJxb7
It's taken a while, but at last we ctJ7xb6 26 ctJxC5 :'a7 27 :'a1 i.. d 6 28 d4
have a Reti structure that favours :'ca8 29 i..b2
White, since Black's pieces are in odd
places and White can execute a minor­
ity attack with his Sokolsky pawn.
17...axb4 18 axb4 ctJd5 19 b5 f6
19 ... cxb5?! 20 ctJce5 ctJxe5 21 i.. xe5
'iVxc2 22 :'xc2 b4 23 i.. xb8 :'xb8 24 ctJh4
:'fc8 25 :'xc8+ :'xc8 26 i..x d5 exd5 27
:'xb4 is better for White.
20 i..a 3 c5 21 b6!

Benko cleverly trades all the pieces

White's b6-pawn sticks like a bone
in Black's throat. Black cannot take the
pawn, as 21 . .. ctJ7xb6 loses material to
22 ctJxb6 ctJxb6 23 i..x c5.
21...'iVf4 22 'iVd2
22 ctJa5? allows Black to complicate
with 22 ... ctJe5, and after 23 ctJxb7 i..x d3!
24 'iVxd3 ctJxd3 25 exd3 :'c8 26 ctJxc5
'iVd6 27 b7 :'cd8 it's probably Black
who has more chances to win.
22...:'c8?
Losing the b7-pawn doesn't help
matters. After 22 ... 'iVxd2!? 23 ctJfxd2
to reach a winning endgame.
29...i..f7 30 :'xa7 :'xa7 31 'iYd3 'iVg6 32
'iVxg6 hxg6 33 ctJe1 :'a2 34 ctJed3 ctJb4
35 i.. C 3 ctJxd3 36 ctJxd3 i.. a 3 37 :'b1 :'C2
38 i..b4 i.. xb4 39 :'xb4 ctJd5 1-0
Probably Black lost on time in this
position. After 40 i..x d5 exd5 Black will
face severe problems trying to survive
a pawn down and with several weak­
nesses.
Game 63
V.La psh u n -J.Bo n i n
Ma rsh a l l C hess C l u b 2002
Jay Bonin is a renowned 1M from
New York. He's won countless tour­
naments, defeated many GMs and won
many club and state championships; he
recently received a lifetime achieve-

1 32

ment award from the USCF.
Bonin has always been a tough op­
ponent for me. Fifteen years ago, when
I started my career in New York City,
he beat me like a drum. Now, of
course, I do much better. We've played
each other in hundreds of serious
games, and God only knows who is
ahead because we have stopped count­
ing.
1 b4 d5 2 JLb2 JLg4 3 h3 JLh5 4 ctJf3
JLxf3 5 gxf3
I prefer this capture to 5 exf3 be­
cause I don't know what to do about
the possibility of an isolated d-pawn in
that variation. 5 ... ctJf6 6 c4 dxc4 7 JLxc4
e6 8 0-0 ctJbd7 9 a3 JLe7, as played in
G.Baranov-A.Payen, St Petersburg
1998, illustrates the d-pawn problem
quite clearly. White doesn't want to
play d2-d4 and close the line of his
dark-squared bishop; the move d2-d3,
obstructing the light-squared bishop, is
also undesirable; and finally leaving
the d-pawn at home may lead to a
weakness on the d3-square. I think
White is struggling to equalize here!
5...c6 6 e3 e6 7 c4 ctJf6 8 �b3 ctJbd7 9
B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . . i..jS I . . . .JL g 4
cxd5 exd5 10 ctJC3 as 11 a3 axb4 12
axb4 Mxa1+ 13 JLxa1 �b6 14 b5 �a5?!
14 ... JLd6 15 JLe2 0-0 16 0-0 Ma8 100ks
equal, and in fact is easier for Black to
play with all his pieces well posted.
15 JLb2 JLb4 16 JLe2 ctJc5 17 �c2 d4!?
Jay decided to sacrifice a pawn to
keep my king in the centre. Of course
he could have just castled and stood
perfectly okay.
18 exd4
I was nervous playing with all of
my remaining six pawns being weak,
but I did at least have an extra pawn
and the two bishops for my suffering.
18...ctJe6?
18 ... ctJcd7 19 ctJe4 0-0 20 bxc6 bxc6
21 �xc6 ctJxe4 22 fxe4 JLxd2+ 23 �f1
�a2 is more consistent and a better
choice. If Black does not like this posi­
tion, he shouldn't offer the pawn in the
first place.
19 ctJe4! ctJd5 20 bxc6 0-0 21 cxb7 �b6
22 Mg1
Fritz prefers 22 ctJc5 ctJxc5 23 dxc5
JLxc5 24 JLd3 JLxf2+ 25 �dl �xb7 26
JLxh7+ �h8 27 JLe4 Md8 28 �e2 �6,
but this position didn't look so great to
133
Play 1 b 4 !
me at the board. The move I played
seemed simpler and stronger.
22 :iWxb7 23 iLC4 ltJef4 24 �b3 �h8 25
.•
�dl
I couldn't find a safer place for my
king.
2s .. J:tb8 26 ':gs! iLe7 27 �xb7 ':xb7 28
iLxd s ':xb2 29 ':es
29 ':fS is also strong.
29 ltJg6 30 iLxf7! ltJxes 31 dxes
•..
In this winning position I had only five
minutes left and wasn't able to keep
any further score of the game. Little by
little I was able to push my passed
pawns forward and eventually I forced
my opponent to resign.
Game 64
W.Lomba rdy-M.Qu interos
Torremol i nos 1974
GM William Lombardy, who swept
to the World Junior Championship
with a perfect 1 1-0 score fifty years ago,
is a legend of American chess. I've ana­
lysed with him several times at the
Marshall Chess Club, and I'm always
1 34
astonished by his rapid grasp of the
position and his original but accurate
approach to strategic problems. I al­
ways come away from these sessions
feeling like a humble student who has
been taught by a true master.
1 ltJf3 ltJf6 2 b4 c6 3 c4 ds 4 e3 iLg4 5
iLb2 e6 6 �b3
In most games White defends the
b4-pawn by pushing it or protecting it
with a2-a3. Here Lombardy uses an
interesting idea - defending it with the
queen.
6 ltJbd7 7 cxd s exd s 8 iLe2 iLd6 9 h3
•••
iLe6
I believe the e6-square isn't the best
choice for the bishop in this type of
structure, and instead Black should
maintain the pin with 9 ... iLhS.
10 ltJd4
This ambitious move blocks the dS­
pawn, attacks Black's bishop and helps
to attack both flanks.
10...�e7 11 bs cs 12 l2Jxe6 fxe6 13 d3
0-0 14 0-0 �h8 15 ltJC3 l2Jb6
This position offers level chances:
White enjoys the advantage of the two
bishops, while Black has a strong cen-

tre. Lombardy now provokes
Quinteros into an advance which
weakens his dynamism in the centre.
16 CZJa4 e5 17 CDxb6 axb6 18 itf3 e4 19
dxe4 dxe4 20 ite2 Mae8
It would have been better to get rid
of White's two-bishop advantage by
playing 20 ... iteS.
21 Madl itb8
An unsuccessful attempt to check­
mate the white king only leads to a loss
of time, and White uses this to strike
back in the centre. It wasn't too late to
trade White's dangerous bishop by
playing 21. . . i.eS.
22 Md2 �C7 23 g3 �c8 24 �g2 �f5 25
�dl ite5 26 itxe5 �xe5
After wasting so much time Black
has finally traded bishops, but he has
lost the initiative.
27 itC4 h5?!
Black continues to attack the king,
but it was time to fight for control of
the d-file and defend the weak b6-
pawn. 27... �c7 would have helped to
solve these problems.
28 Md6 h4
A desperate pawn sacrifice can't
B l a c k P l ays . . . dS a n d . . . i..jS I . . . i.. g 4
free Black from White's grasp.
29 gxh4 g5 30 Mxb6 Md8 31 �al �f5
32 hxg5 �xg5+ 3 3 �h2 �h4 34 �e5
Md7 35 Mgl �xf2+ 36 Mg2 �h4
37 Mxf6! 1-0
White is winning in all variations:
37 ...�xf6 38 Mg8+ �h7 39 �S+ �6 40
�xh6+ �xh6 41 Mxf8; or 37 ...Mxf6 38
�e8+ �h7 39 �xd7+ �h6 40 �g7+ �hS
41 �7+ Mh6 42 itf7 mate.
Game 65
V.La psh u n-R.Fu rdzik
New York Masters (Ra pid) 2002
Mr. Furdzik is a National Master
who has beaten some GMs. He plays
openings creatively and well, but de­
spite this I have beaten him with 1 b4
many times. Even though he knows
what I will play against him, the result
is always the same. Here is one exam­
ple of his 1 b4 woes.
1 b4 d5 2 itb2 CZJf6 3 e3 c6 4 f4
4 CZJf3 itg4 S c4 reaches Lombardy­
Quinteros (Game 64).
4...itg4 5 ite2
135
Play 1 b4 !
For 5 llJf3, see the next game.
S .ixe2 6 'iVxe2 e6 7 a3 llJbd7 SllJf3
.•.
Continuing to fight for the e5-
square.
S . �d6 9 c4 0-0 10 0-0 as 11 cxdS exdS
..
12 bS ':eS
13 bxc6?
This premature exchange gives
Black too much play, and 13 llJd4! is
much stronger.
13 ...bxc6 14llJd4 'iVbS
15llJc3
I overestimated my chances when
playing this tricky move. Now
15 ... 'iVxb2!? 16 ':fbl �xa3 17 ':xb2
i..xb2 18 l:.a2 .ixc3 19 dxc3 llJb6 20
136
tLJxc6 llJc4 offers Black good compensa­
tion for the queen. 15 ... �xf4! is even
stronger, as 16 ':xf4 Vi'xb2 17 ':ffl 'i¥b6
would leave White with nothing for
the missing pawn.
lS...cS 16llJfs
16 llJdb5 d4 17 llJxd6 Vi'xd6 18 llJb5
'i¥b6 19 a4 is roughly equal.
16... �fS
Furdzik could have probably forced
a draw here with 16 ...�xf4 17 ':xf4
Vi'xb2 IS ':afl d4 19 llJe4 dxe3
(19 ... .:xe4? 20 ':xe4 llJxe4 21 Vi'g4 g6 22
llJh6+ \t>hS 23 �xe4 ':fS 24 llJxf7+ \t>g7
25 Vi'e7 'i¥bs 26 tLJdS+ \t>h6 27 ':xfS llJxf8
2S Vi'xfS+ is winning for White; and
19 ... llJxe4 20 'iVg4 dxe3 21 tLJh6+ \t>hS 22
llJxf7+ \t>gS 23 tLJh6+ is another draw)
20 Vi'xe3 tLJd5 21 l:.g4! llJxe3 22 tLJh6+
\t>hS 23 llJxf7+ \t>gS 24 llJh6+, when the
game ends in perpetual check.
17 ':ab1 d4 lS llJbs g6 19llJg3
19 ...�g7?!
19 ... 'i¥b7 20 f5 ':abS 21 a4 llJd5 22 e4
llJ5b6 would have been okay for Black.
20 Vi'd3 dxe3 21 dxe3 tLJb6?!
Black should have restrained the
force of 22 e4 by playing 21 . . . l:tdS, in-

tending 22 e4 'ifb6 23 'iVc4 :ab8.
22 e4 c4 23 'iVf3 Ild8
24 e5?!
In such a complex position, it is
natural that both sides make mistakes.
24 i.d4 is stronger, with White obtain­
ing an attack after 24 ... 'iVb7 25 f5 �e8
26 'iVf2 i.xd4 27 �xd4 :d7 28 e5.
24...Ild3 25 'iVc6 �fd5 26 e6 c3?!
26 .. .f5 is the best try here. Following
27 ..txg7 �xg7 28 �d6 �e7 29 �dxf5+
gxf5 30 'iVxb6 'iVxb6+ 31 Ilxb6 �f6 32
Ilc1 :xa3 33 Ilxc4 Ile3 34 :La4 Ilxe6 35
Ilb5 Ilea6, Black has good chances to
hold the draw.
27 exf7+
B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . . .i.fs l . . . .i. g 4
27...�h8?
White enjoys a big advantage after
27... �xf7 28 �e4 cxb2 29 �g5+ �f8 30
'iVe6 i.d4+ 31 �xd4 'iVe8 32 Ilxb2, but
the text is even worse for Black.
28 ..tal?
28 �xc3 'iVc8 (or 28 ...�xc3 29 Ilfe1 !
and :Le8+) 29 'iVxc8+ Ilxc8 30 �xd5
�xd5 31 Ilfe1 Ile3 32 �f1 Ilxe1 33 Ilxe1
leaves White with two extra pawns and
should lead to victory.
28 Ilfe 1 is also good enough:
28 .. .'ii' f8 29 �xc3 Ilc8 30 'iVb5 �xc3 31
..txc3 Ildxc3 32 :Le8, winning the
queen.
28..:iVf8 29 f5 'Wixf7 30 �d6 iVd7
31 'Wixa8+!
White is trying to build a mating
net, even though his bishop on a 1 can't
move!
31...�xa8 32 Ilb8+ i.f8 33 Ilxf8+ �g7
34 fxg6 'Wia7+?
Amazingly, Black can play
34 ... �xd6! ' After 35 �f5+ �xf8 36
�xd6+ �g7 37 gxh7 �xh7 38 �e4
�ab6 39 �f2 :Ld2 40 �e4 Ild3 41 �f2
Ild2 42 �e4 it's a draw by repetition -
White can hardly try to win with his
137
P l ay 1 b4 !
bishop locked in the corner.
35 �hl hxg6
36 etJge4?!
36 .:l8f7+ 'iVxf7 37 etJxf7 etJab6 38 etJe5
is simpler.
36...'iVd4 37 etJg5? etJac7??
37 ... l:e3! is the best try. White can
still win, though, with 38 etJe8+! (38
.:lxa8? 'iVf6! 39 .:la7+ �g8! 40 .:la8+ �g7
41 .:la7+ �g8 is only a draw) 38 ... .:lxe8
39 .:lxe8 etJac7 40 .:ld8 a4 41 .:ld7+ �h6
42 etJf7+ �g7 43 h3 'iVc5 44 etJe5+ �h6
45 etJg4+ 'etg5 46 .:leI, when at long last
the black king is caught.
38 .:l8f7+ �h6 39 (tJde4!!
White has built a mating net with
138
two rooks, two knights and two
pawns.
39...�h5 40 .:lh7+ �g4 41 h3+ 1-0
It's mate next move after 41. .. .:lxh3+
42 gxh3.
Game 66
V.La psh u n-R. F u rdzik
Ma rs h a l l C h ess C l u b 2002
Here's another exciting win over
Furdzik. In this game he once more
gets mated, and my king doesn't even
make a single move.
1 b4 d5 2 il.b2 c6 3 e3 etJf6 4 f4 i.g4 5
etJf3 e6 6 a3 etJbd7 7 il.e2
7 c4 i.d6 8 cxd5 exd5 9 i.e2 0-0 10
0-0 .:le8 1 1 etJc3 .:lc8 was fairly comfort­
able for Black in A.Ornstein-S.Hansen,
Gausdal 1999. White can continue with
moves such as etJd4 and 'iVc2, trying to
control the squares f5 and c5.
7... i.xf3 8 gxf3?!
I was nervous about recapturing
this way because it spoiled my pawn
structure, and I had to think about king
safety. On the other hand the f3-pawn
 B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . . iLjS I . . . i.. g 4

is controlling the centre and White

does obtain the g-file for the rook.
8...'iVe7 9 e4

23...gxhs 24 l:teS
White is down a pawn, but look at
all those weak black pawns! It's time to
9...es?! collect them in a harvest.
This opened the centre for my two 24...l:td8 2S 'iVe3 d4 26 l:tes+ �f8 27
bishops and my opponent was going to 'iVes+ 'iVd6 28 l:txfS+ �e7 29 l:tes+ �f8
pay for this. As I usually tell my stu­ 30 l:tfS+ �e7 31 'iVe4 l:thf8 32 l:tes+ �f6
dents, "Before you do something ac­ 33 l:texhS l:tg8 34 l:txh7 'iVd s 3 S 'iVe7
tive, develop your pieces!" 'iVe6
10 exds ct:Jxd S 11 fxeS ct:Jxes 12 ct:Je3
ct:Jxe3
12 ... l:td8 is stronger.
13 i.xe3 f6
This is an unpleasant move to play,
but it's forced because of the pressure
exerted by White's c3-bishop. Now
White can exploit the new weaknesses
on the light squares.
14 f4 ct:Jd7 lS i.hS+ g6 16 i.g4 i.g7 17
'iVb3 ct:Jb6 18 i.e6 fS 19 h4 ct:Jd S?
Black would still be okay after
19 ... i.xc3 20 'iVxc3 l:tf8 21 iL.b3 (21 h5 36 l:t7h6+
g5! is quite unclear.) 21. . . 0-0-0. 36 l:tf7+ also wins after 36 ...'iVxf7 37
20 i.xd s exd s 21 i.xg7 'iVxg7 22 l:tel 'iVe5+ �g6 38 'iVg5 mate, or 36 ... �g6 37
'iVd7 23 hS! l:tg1 + �h5 38 l:th7+ 'iVh6 39 'iVe5+ �h4
After creating weaknesses on the 40 l:txh6 mate.
queenside, it is now time to force con­ 36 l:tg6 37 l:txg6+ �xg6 38 'iVh7+ �f6
.•.

cessions on the other wing. 39 l:th6 mate (1-0)

139
Play 1 b 4 !

knight will go to the c4-square.

Game 6 7
V.La pshun-A.Smith
Ca nad i a n Open,
Ka p u s ka s i n g 2004

One day before this game I was

analysing some openings together with
GM Dmitry Tyomkin and his coach
Mark Tseitlin, a very humorous
Grandmaster from Israel. During our
analysis, whenever the king was uncas­
tled in the middle, he was constantly 13 ...hS
repeating "The father is in the middle!" With this move my opponent was
Next day, against the Canadian player trying to stop my kingside attack. In
Andrew Smith, my king didn't make a order to finish his plan, he would have
single move in the entire game. When­ to push his pawn to g6. I had to pre­
ever I was away from the board I vent this.
would laugh like crazy, and constantly 14 h4 ':h7 15 cxd S exd5 16 g6! ':h6 17
repeat "The father is in the middle!" 'iVh3!
1 b4 c6 2 iLb2 dS 3 e3 CLJf6 4 f4 as 5 bS
cS 6 CLJf3 iLg4 7 h3 iLxf3 8 'iVxf3 e6 9 c4
CLJbd7 10 g4!?

At this moment, I thought that I

A very risky move, but if need be
White can always castle long.
10...CLJe4 11 gs a4 12 iLd3 fS 13 CLJa 3
This looks strange, but soon the
was simply winning a pawn and that
my opponent could already give up,
but I was wrong - he could have de­
fended with 17 ... iVb6. Then 18 'iVxf5
'iVxg6 19 'iVxg6+ (19 'iVxd5 'iVg3+ 20 �d1
CLJf2+ 21 �c2 ':d6 22 'iVxh5+ g6 23

140
 B l a c k Plays . . . dS a n d . . . i.fs l i.. g 4
. . .

iLxg6+ 'iYxg6+ 24 'iYxg6+ ':xg6 is un- ctJxb7+ 1-0

clear - Black has a piece for three
pawns) 19 ... .:xg6 20 iLe2 ctJef6 21 iLf3
iLd6 22 �e2 is better for White, who
has two bishops and many pawn tar­
gets.
Black's actual choice is considerably
worse.
17...'iYa5? 18 iLxe4 dxe4
18 ...fxe4 19 'iYe6+ �d8 20 'iYxd5
':xg6 21 'iYxb7 ':b8 22 'iYxe4 leaves
White two pawns ahead and winning.
19 'iYxf5 'iYb4 20 'iYe6+
White can also win by playing 20 My opponent resigned because he
'iYf7+ �d8 21 ii.xg7 iLxg7 22 �xg7 thought that after 29 ... �e8, 30 'iYf7 was
'iYxa3 23 'iYxh6 'iVb2 24 ':dl . mate, but in fact Black's king can es­
20...�d8 21 1:1bl �a5 22 'iYxe4 'iYb6 23 cape to d7. Instead I was considering
1:1g1 ctJf6 24 �f5 iLe7 25 iLe5 �e8 26 29 ... �e8 30 ltJd6+ �d8 31 ltJf7+ �e8 32
ltJC4 'iYd8 27 �e6 �d3 28 ltJd6+ �d8 29 �c6+ �f8 33 �xa8+.

141
P l ay 1 b 4 !

Summary
Systems with ... �f5 are certainly playable for Black, but Games 56-59 show that
White has chances to fight for the advantage. It does seem, however, that White
cannot get much against ... �g4 systems, and often it's necessary to take some
risks. White's kingside pawns may become compromised, as in Lapshun-Bonin
(Game 63), and dynamic play is required to compensate for this. In general, the
earlier Black gets his bishop to g4, the better off he is.

1 b4 dS 2 �b2 �fS
2 ... �g4
3 h3 �h5
4 g3 Game 62
-

4 tDf3 Game 63
-

3 'iVcl (D)
3 ... tDf6 Game 60
-

3 ...tDd7 Game 6 1
-

2 ... tDf6 3 e3 c6
4 tDf3 �g4 5 c4 Game 64
-

4 f4
4 ... a5 Game 67
-

4 ... �g4 (D)

5 tDf3 Game 66
-

5 �e2 Game 65
-

3 e3 e6
3 ...tDf6 4 f4 Game 59
-

4 tDf3 tDf6
4 ... c6 Game 58
-

5 a3 (D) Game 56
-

5 c4 Game 57
-

3 'iVCl 4.. �94

·
5 03

142
 Cha p t er S eve n I
1 . . . c6, 1 . . . fS
an d
U n usual Moves

We conclude our study of the Sokolsky 'lWb6, when White is forced to incarcer­
Opening with an examination of 1. ... c6, ate his bishop with 6 c3. We prefer in­
the Dutch Defence ( .. .£S) and some un­ stead the thrust 3 bS.
usual tries by Black.
First we consider the ambitious
1. .. c6, and after 2 Jtb2 Black has two
main options: 2 .. :�ib6 and 2 ... aS. This
defence is sharp and White must react
aggressively, otherwise he ends up
with a poor position. Against 2 .. :�b6
(Games 68-70) White can neutralize
Black's early threats with the variation
3 a3 as 4 c4 axb4 S cS!, and if s .. .'iVxcS?
then 6 axb4 attacks two pieces and
wins material. In this line White gains
some space on the queenside but Black This move, offering a pawn to dis­
obtains targets for counterattack; rupt Black's pawn formation and creat­
chances seem roughly balanced. By the ing a later target for a Benko Gambit­
way, we should mention here that style line opening on the queenside, is
1 . . . c6 is Richard Palliser's fallback' de­
I discussed in Games 71-73. Rudenkov­
fence in his book Beating Unusual Chess Strugach (Game 74) displays a delayed
Openings, and we cover his recommen­ but no less effective version of the
dations in the notes to Game 69. gambit.
Against 2 ...aS, we don't like the The three main approaches for
spineless 3 a3 axb4 4 axb4 l:.xa1 S Jtxa1 Black in the Dutch are the Fluid System

143
P l ay 1 b 4 !

(sometimes called the Ilyin-Zhenevsky tends to occur more from games start­
Variation), the Stonewall, and the Len­ ing 1 l2Jf3.
ingrad. We offer an example of White's Finally, after 1 b4 dS 2 .ib2 you are
play against each of these possibilities. not likely to encounter moves like
In Katalymov-Kondratiev (Games 2 .. :iVd6 or 2 ... l2Jd7 very often, but the
75-76), White counters Black's 'small final two games show sensible ways to
centre' approach by first grabbing the meet them, and should comfort those
centre and then advancing on the who worry about dealing with bizarre
queenside as in the English Opening. variations.
By the way, '75-76' is not a misprint;
we submit two versions of this game,
Game 68
one with our own notes, and one with
B.Kata lymov-V.Sa k h a rov
Sokolsky's. Yury had written notes to
Kiev 1962
this game by himself, overlooking that
Sokolsky had included it in his book.
After reading both sets of notes, Nick 1 b4 c 6 2 .ib2 ifb6
suggested leaving both versions intact, Another try for an opening 'refuta­
to provide the reader with two signifi­ tion'. This prepared idea is met by a
cant viewpoints of an interesting game, strong counter.
from two strong players with vastly 3 a3 as 4 c4 axb4 5 C5!
different styles and outlooks.
In Game 78, Dutch 1M Gerard Well­
ing counters the Stonewall by holding
back his central pawns and blasting
open the kingside with h2-h3 and g2-
g4, a sort of 'mirror English', and the
idea of frustrating the Stonewaller's
ambitions by keeping a pawn on d3 is a
noteworthy concept. In Shiffler­
Schmidt (Game 77), White borrows yet
another English Opening idea, used by
Larsen and Karpov, of giving up the
queen's bishop to double the enemy's Interesting play! Katalymov's nov­
f-pawns. This Trompowsky-like ap­ elty demonstrates the waste of time by
proach is especially effective against a an early queen move. The queen can't
Dutch set-up. take the pawn, so she is forced to re­
Games 79-80 cover 1 . .. aS, while treat.
Games 81-82 supply a few examples of 5...ifc7 6 axb4 Ilxal 7 .ixal l2Jf6 8 e3
play in a Griinfeld (or Schlechter) type g6 9 l2JC3 .ig7
set-up for Black, which admittedly Here Black has to play 9 ... dS to pro-

144

hibit the move ctJe4. In the case of 10
cxd6 'iVxd6 (not 10 ... exd6?, because of
1 1 ctJd5!) 1 1 ctJe4? ctJxe4 12 iLxh8 f6,
White's bishop on h8 is trapped. Such
an approach probably couldn't lead to
success, and this is why White should
choose either 10 cxd6 'iVxd6 1 1 b5 or
immediately 10 b5! cxb5 1 1 ctJxb5 'iVxc5
1 2 iLd4 'iVc6 13 ctJf3, with strong pres­
sure for a sacrificed pawn.
10 ctJe4! 0-0 11 iLxf6 iLxf6
Obviously 1 1 . .. exf6 is not good be­
cause of 12 ctJd6.
12 ctJxf6+ exf6
13 ctJf3
Not immediately 13 'iVaI, because of
1 . . c6, 1 . . .f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
.
13 ...d6! 14 'iVxf6 dxc5 15 bxc5 'iVa5.
13...d6 14 'iVai 'iVe7
Or 14 ... dxc5 15 bxc5 ctJd7 16 d4 b6
17 cxb6 'iVxb6 18 iLd3, with the better
position for White.
15 cxd6 'iVxd6 16 'iVd4 'iVe7
Black has his reasons for not trading
queens, because in the ending White
will be more active. By the way, soon
the white rook will occupy the open a­
file, and this will be a substantial ad­
vantage in the future.
17 iLe2 :d8 18 'iVf4 iLfS 19 0-0 i.. e4
The best chance for Black. 19 .. :�e4
is a mistake because of 20 'iVc7, win­
ning the pawn on b7.
With 19 ... iLe4 Black prevents White
from capturing the open a-file. On 20
:al there follows 20 ... 'iVxb4, when 21
d3 is bad because of 21. .. 'i¥b2, and in
reply to 21 'iVxf6 Black answers
21. .. 'iVd6.
20 ctJd4 fS 21 d3 iLd S
22 bS
22 :b 1 is also not bad.
22...cS 23 ctJc2 ctJd7
This allows White to penetrate via
c7, but it's difficult to find a better al-
145
Play 1 b4 !
ternative. On 23 ... 'iVd6 there could fol­
low 24 'iVxd6 lIxd6 25 d4 (or 25 lIa1),
with an advantage for White in the
ending.
24 'iVC7! lIaS 25 lIal lIxal+ 26 ct:Jxal b6
27 ct:Jc2 'iVe6
Black sidesteps the pin and defends
his pawns on the queenside. Even so,
Black is not able to eliminate all his
difficulties, and he has to constantly
defend the pawn on b6. White intends
now to trade light-squared bishops and
bring into the game the knight on c2.
2S ct:Jel 'it>g7 29 h3 iLaS 30 iLf3
A logical continuation of the in­
tended plan. Less clear are the results
of the sharp 30 g4.
30...iLxf3 31 ct:Jxf3 'iVd5 32 d4 cxd4
32 ... c4? is mistaken because of 33
'iVc6!. It's worth noting the active role
the pawn on b5 plays in this game.
33 ct:Jxd4
Even after many exchanges, White
has preserved his advantage. Now he
is threatening to play 34 'iWc6!, and after
exchanging queens the b-pawn will
advance to become a new queen. In
response Black tries to free himself by
146
sacrificing a pawn.
3 3 ...f4!?
Now on 34 'iVc6, Black gains coun­
terplay with 34 ... ct:Jf6 35 'iVxb6 fxe3 36
fxe3 'iVe4.
34 'iVxf4 ct:Je5
At first sight it seems Black has real
chances to save the game, but White's
next move will demonstrate that he has
not only a material advantage, but also
an initiative.
35 'iVg5! f6
A forced weakening - White was
threatening to play 36 f4. Now 36 ct:Jf5+
is no good because Black defends by
playing 36 ... 'it>f7 37 ct:Jh6+ 'it>g7 with a
draw, but White finds an interesting
way to continue the attack.
36 'iVg3 'iVa2 37 f4 ctJc4 3S f5
3S...ct:Jd2?
A mistake in a lost position. It was
necessary to revert to defence, playing
38 ... 'iVa7. Even so, the queen ending
after 39 fxg6 hxg6 40 ct:Jf5+ 'it>f7 41 ct:Jd6+
ct:Jxd6 42 'iVxd6 should be winning for
White.
39 ct:Je6+ 'it>f7 40 'iWC7+ 'it>eS 41 'iWdS+
'it>f7 42 'iVfS mate (1-0)

Game 69
L.Vudasin -V.Epis h i n
N ew York Open 1990
1 b4 c6 2 iLb2 'i¥b6 3 a3 a s 4 c4 d6
The main continuation here is
4 ... axb4 5 c5 'i¥c7 (5 ... 'i¥xc5?? 6 axb4!) 6
axb4 ':xa1 7 iLxa1,
and now:
a) Palliser's main line runs 7 ... d6 8
d4 with two branches:
a1) 8 ... e5 9 e3 (Palliser stops here)
9 ... lLJf6 10 dxe5 dxe5 11 lLJf3 with a
comfortable position for White,
Y.Lapshun-J.Gonzalez Diaz, Sants
2006.
a2) 8 ...lLJf6 ("a solid continuation" -
Palliser) 9 lLJc3 b6 10 cxd6 'i¥xd6 1 1 b5
'i¥b4 12 e3 lLJd5. Here we vary with 13
'i¥c1 (instead of Palliser's 13 'i¥c2)
13 ... e6 14 iLd3 c5 15 lLJf3 cxd4 16 lLJxd4
iLc5 17 0-0, when White has no prob­
lems and can fight for an advantage.
We must remind the reader that this
analysis is untested in practice.
b) Another option for Black is 7 ...b6,
1 . . . c 6 , 1 .f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
. .
after which 8 e3 d6 9 lLJa3 bxc5 10 bxc5
dxc5 11 lLJf3 offered White compensa­
tion for the sacrificed pawn in
M.Bosboom-S.Ernst, Dieren 1999.
c) 7 ... lLJf6 reaches Katalymov­
Sakharov (see Game 68).
5 lLJC3
5...lLJf6
Grabbing the b-pawn with 5 ... axb4 6
axb4 ':xa1 7 'i¥xa1 'i¥xb4? is punished
by 8 lLJd1 ! lLJf6 9 iLxf6 exf6 10 'iVa8, win­
ning material.
6 b5 g6 7 ':b1 'i¥d8 8 g3
Possibly 8 bxc6 should be preferred.
White has an edge after 8 ... lLJxc6 9 e4
iLg7 10 d4 0-0 11 lLJf3 iLg4 12 iLe2 ':c8
13 iLc1 'i¥d7 14 iLe3.
8...iLg7 9 iLg2 0-0 10 lLJf3 d 5
This position looks like an English
Opening where White has gained some
extra tempi.
11 bxc6 bxc6 12 0-0 iLa6
12 ... dxc4 13 'i¥c2 'i¥d6 14 ':fe1 iLg4
15 ctJa4 ctJbd7 16 'i¥xc4 is roughly equal.
13 cxd5 cxd5 14 d3 lLJc6 15 'i¥a4 ':c8 16
':fc1
White exerts some pressure on the
queenside, so Black has to be careful
147
P l ay 1 b4 !
here. Epishin solves his problems with
a pawn sacrifice.
16...e6 17 lbdl 1i'd7 lS ii.C3 h6 19 ii.xa5
lbxa5 20 1i'xa5 .:tXCl 21 .:tXCl 1i'b5 22
1i'xb5 iLxb5
Black's two bishops should provide
enough compensation for the pawn
deficit, and this proves to be the case.
23 .:tbl i.d7 24 lbe3 .:taS 25 lbc2 ii.fS
26 d4 iLa4 27 lbfel .:tcS 2s lbb4 .:tc3 29
.:tal lbe4 30 lbed3 lbd2 31 e3 lbC4 32
lbC5 i.xC5 33 dxc5 lba5 34 lba6 Yz-Yz
After 34 lba6 lbb3 35 lib I lbxc5 36
lbxc5 .:txc5 the position is equal.
Came 70
Y.La ps h u n-C.Stevens
G u e l p h 2004
This was my final-round game at
the Guelph Open. After five draws in a
row against GMs and a loss to an 1M, I
had to beat Stevens. He was a young
player and I didn't have many games
of his in my database. In this situation,
what to play on my first move became
obvious.
148
1 b4 c6 2 ii.b2 1i'b6 3 a3 as 4 c4 d6 5 d4
e5
This surprised me. My b4-pawn
was under attack and I was afraid to
open the centre by playing 6 dxe5. It
took me more than 20 minutes of think­
ing time to understand that I had to
bring my pieces out first and only then
decide on how to open the centre.
5 ... axb4 6 c5 1i'c7 7 axb4 ':xal 8
ii.xal e5 9 e3 reaches the position dis­
cussed in the note aI' to Black's 4th
I
move in Game 69.
6 1i'd2 i.e6 7 c5 1i'C7 S lbf3 lbd7 9 e3
lbgf6 10 lbC3 iLe7 11 .i.e2 0-0 12 0-0
.:tfdS 13 'iVc2
Sidestepping the rook on d8. I
wanted to bring my rook from f1 to dl,
but first of all my queen needed a safer
place. It's unbelievable, but both of us
had spent about an hour for the first
twelve moves. It was time to move
more quickly, and I managed to do this
more effectively than my opponent.
13 ...dxC5 14 bxC5 exd4 15 exd4
Finally Black has released the ten­
sion in the centre. Let's take a look at
this position. Both sides have problems

- White has a weak d5-square, a vul­
nerable d4-pawn and a bad bishop on
b2. Black has a backward pawn on b7,
and holes on b6 and d6. Whoever is
able to exploit the enemy weaknesses
more successfully will win the game.
lS ...tLlds 16 tLle4 tLlf4 17 �C4 �XC4 lS
'iixc4
White pressures the f7-pawn, but
Black has total control of the d5-square.
lS...tLlf6 19 tLles tLl6ds 20 l:tfel f6 21
tLlf3 �fS 22 �Cl
This strange-looking backward step
is the best move according to Fritz.
With my following move I would solve
the problem of the bad bishop.
1 . . c6, 1 . .f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ves
. .
22...'iif7 23 �xf4 tLlxf4 24 'iixf7+ cJ;xf7
2S l:tabl
In trying to add pressure to the b7-
pawn, my d4-pawn had also become
vulnerable.
2S ...l:td7 26 tLlegs+!
26 cJ;gS
•..
After 26 ... fxg5 White wins a piece:
27 tLle5+ cJ;e6 28 tLlxd7+ cJ;xd7 29 l:txb7+
cJ;d8 30 l:tf7 tLlg6 31 f4! gxf4 32 h4 �e7
33 h5.
27 tLle6
Reaching here was easy, but can the
knight escape later?
27...tLlds 2S cJ;fl
28 tLld2!? is another possibility.
2S...l:teS 29 l:tb2 l:tde7 30 tLlxfS cJ;xfS 31
l:txe7 l:txe7 32 tLld2 tLlC3?
32 ... a4! 33 tLlc4 l:te4 34 l:td2 l:th4 35
h3 tLlc3 36 tLle3 tLlb5 37 tLlc2 l:te4 38 f3
l:te8 leaves Black marginally better,
although White should hold easily.
33 tLlC4 l:td7?
33 ... l:te4! 34 tLlxa5 l:txd4 35 g3 l:ta4 36
tLlxb7 l:txa3 37 l:tb6 l:ta7 38 tLld8 tLle4 39
l:txc6 cJ;e7 40 l:te6+ cJ;xd8 41 l:txe4 cJ;d7
reaches a tenable rook ending for
Black.
149
Play 1 b4 !
34 lDd6
I had been dreaming about landing
on d6 with my knight about 20 moves
ago, and finally my dream came true.
34...lDbs 35 lDxbs cxbs 36 lixbs lixd4
37 lixa s
37 lixb7 lic4 38 lib5 a4 39 lia5 �f7
40 lia7+ �g6 41 �e2 lixc5 42 lixa4
would leave Black with drawing
chances.
37...lid2 38 lia8+ �e7 39 lia7 1-0
In this position my opponent re­
signed. After 39 ... lid7 40 c6 bxc6 41
lixd7+ �xd7 we have a classic illustra­
tion of the power of the outside passed
pawn. Black will capture the a-pawn,
150
but he will lose his c-pawn first and
then his kingside pawns too.
Game 71
Y.La ps h u n-I .Figler
Ma rs ha l l C h ess C l u b (Ra pid) 2004
Ilye Figler, originally from Mold­
ova, is a strong FIDE Master who has
scored two 1M norms. He is also a good
correspondence player with a solid
knowledge of openings. I had played
normal systems against him without
great success, so on this occasion I
thought the Sokolsky might come as an
unpleasant surprise.
1 b4 c6 2 i.b2 a s !?
I am always afraid of this move be­
cause it practically forces White to sac­
rifice a pawn, as 3 a3 axb4 4 axb4 lixa1
5 i.xa1 'iVb6 6 c3 e5 is pleasant for
Black.
3 bs!? cxbs 4 e4 b4 5 a 3
Welcome to the Sicilian Defence,
Wing Gambit!
s...lDf6
5 ...bxa3 is discussed in Campora-

Anguix Garrido (Game 72), and S ... 'iJa6
is the subject of Volke-Wegner (Game
73).
S ... iVb6 6 'iJf3 e6 7 jLc4 'iJf6 8 jLxf6
gxf6 9 0-0 VJic7 10 VJie2 b6 1 1 axb4 jLxb4
12 'iJa3 leaves White with compensa­
tion, K. Volke-A.Aleksandrov, Minsk
1994.
6 eS 'iJd s 7 jLC4 'iJb6 8 jLbs CDc6 9 ctJf3
d S l0 exd6?!
10 axb4!? axb4 1 1 ':xa8 ctJxa8 12 0-0
jLd7 13 ctJgS VJiaS 14 e6 jLxe6 IS VJihs
�d8 16 jLxc6 bxc6 17 ctJxf7+ jLxf7 18
VJixf7 VJics 19 jLxg7 jLxg7 20 VJixg7 ':e8
21 VJixh7 leaves White a pawn ahead.
It's hard to assess, but I believe that
White is better.
10...VWxd6 11 0-0 jLg4
12 d4?!
I don't like this move here: it weak­
ens c4 and also makes d4 a target.
White should instead consider 12 h3!?
jLhS 13 VJie2 e6 14 VJie3.
12...VJidS! 13 C4?
13 jLe2 ctJc4 14 jLcl e6 IS axb4 jLxb4
16 c3 gives White chances for equality.
13 ...ctJxC4 14 jLxc4 'iYxC4 15 axb4 ctJxb4
16 h3 jLxf3
1 . . . c6, 1 . . .f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
After 16 . . .jLhS 17 ctJbd2 VWdS 18 jLa3
e6 19 ':e 1 f6, White doesn't have nearly
enough for his two pawns.
17 VJixf3 VJic6 18 VJie2 e6 19 ctJC3 jLe7 20
dS ctJxd S 21 ctJxdS VJixd s 22 ':fdl VJifS
23 g4 VJigs 24 h4 VJixh4??
Black has to defend the bS-square.
After 24 ...VJicS 2S ':acl iVb4 26 jLc3 VJia4
27 ':al iVb3 28 jLxg7 ':g8 29 ':abl VJia4,
Black keeps a winning advantage.
25 jLxg7!
2S f6
•••
2S ... ':g8 is met by 26 iVbs mate.
26 VJixe6 ':a6 27 VJic8+ �f7 28 jLxh8
':c6 29 VJid7 ':e6 30 ':d4 ':es 31 VJixb7
hS 32 VJib3+ �f8 33 ':Cl ':cS 34 ':xcS
jLxcs 35 VWb8+ �f7 36 VJib7+ jLe7 37
':e4 fS 38 VJidS+ 1-0
Game 72
D.Ca m pora-J.Anguix Ga rrido
Ca n ete 1994
1 b4 c6 2 jLb2 as 3 bS cxbS 4 e4 b4 5 a3
bxa3 6 ctJxa3 d6 7 d4 e6 8 jLd3 ctJf6 9
ctJe2 jLe7 10 0-0
White has developed almost all his
151
P l ay 1 b4 !

pieces, and he's also captured the cen­ 21 'iVd4 tlJa4 22 i.alllJcs?!
tre and the b5-square. This adds up to 22 ... d5! ? leads to another messy po­
full compensation for the missing sition after 23 llJf5 tlJc5 24 'ii'e3 llJfe4 25
pawn. :Ig3 tlJxg3+ 26 'iVxg3 i.g5 27 'iVxg5 f6 28
10../lJc6 11 \thl 'iVg4 g6 29 'iid4 'iVxf5 30 'iVxc5 l:lad8 31
I believe this prophylactic move is a \tgl . On this occasion we think the
waste of time, but many players like to chances are level.
prepare the f-pawn push in this man­ 23llJfsllJe6 24 'iVh4!
ner.
11...llJb4 12 iLbS+ iLd7 13 c3 iLxbS 14
llJxbs llJc6 15 tlJg3 0-0 16 C4llJb4 17 dS
exd s
White retains compensation after
17 ... 'ii'd 7 18 'ii'e2 exd5 19 cxd5 l:lfe8 20
l:lfhl.
18 exdS
Also possible was 18 cxd5! ?; for ex­
ample, 18 ... 'ii'd 7 19 llJd4 :fc8 20 tlJgf5
iLd8 21 :a3 with a strong attack
against the black king.
18 'ii'd 7 19 l:la3llJbxds 20 l:lf3
..• Now White enjoys a clear advan­
tage. Black's two extra pawns are
meaningless when compared to the
aggressiveness of White's pieces.
24...:Ife8 2sllJxe7+ 'iVxe7 26 :xf6!
This is winning.
26...gxf6 27 iLxf6 'iVd7 28 f4!
Kicking out the last defender on e6.
28 llJf8 29 'iVgS+ 1-0
•••

After 29 ... ct:Jg6 30 'iVh6, Black cannot

prevent mate with 'iVg7.

Game 73
20...llJb6
K.Vol ke-H. Wegner
20 ... :fc8 21 cxd5 'ii'xb5 22 llJf5 l:lc7
Germ a n League 1993
23 'iVaI ..td8 24 l:lel 'iix d5 25 llJxg7 llJe4
26 :xe4 'ii'xe4 27 :e3 'ii'xe3 28 fxe3
reaches an unclear position in which 1 b 4 c 6 2 i..b2 as 3 bS cxbS 4 e 4 b 4 5 a3
we believe White maintains slightly the ct:Ja6 6 ct:Jf3 e6 7 axb4 axb4
better chances. After 7 ...llJxb4 8 i.b5 ct:Jf6 9 e5 ct:Jfd5

1 52

10 0-0, White's centre provides suffi-
cient compensation for the pawn in­
vestment.
8 i.e4 d6 9 0-0 ltJf6 10 i.xf6
10 eS is also possible. Following
10 ... dxeS 1 1 ltJxeS i.e7 12 i.bS+ ltJd7 13
'iVg4 i.f6 White can play 14 ':a2, de­
fending his loose bishop and thus free­
ing his knight on eS to move.
10...gxf6 11 e3 i.d7 12 exb4 ltJxb4 13
ltJe3 i.e7 14 ':bl ltJe6 15 d4
White has enough play. His pieces
are well developed and they are ready
to attack Black's weakened pawns.
IS ':xb7 ltJaS 16 lixd7 'iiixd7 17
i..bS+ 'iii c8 18 ltJd4 is a promising alter­
native, as White's pieces can quickly
swarm around the black king.
15 0-0 16 d5 ltJas 17 dxe6 fxe6 18
.•.
..ta2 'iii h 8 19 ltJd4
White has found another weak
pawn on e6 and hastens to attack it.
19...dS?!
19 ... 'iVc8 20 'iVd2 ltJc6 21 ltJdbS ltJeS
22 %:.fc1 %:.a6 23 ltJd4 ltJc6 24 i.. c4 ':a8 2S
ltJdbS ltJeS 26 ..ta2 :a6 repeats the posi­
tion, and this is Black's best option ac­
cording to Fritz.
1 . . . c 6 , 1 . . .15 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
20 exd5 exd5 21 i.xd5
White has a safe king and active
pieces; Black possesses the two-bishop
advantage but is saddled with three
isolated pawns. The overall verdict:
White is better.
21...i.. e s 22 ltJf3 ':a6 23 'iVe2 i.. e8 24
':fdl ':d6 25 'iVa2 i.f5 26 ':bel b6 27 h3
':e8 28 ltJh4 i..e8 29 'iVb1 i.. a 3 30 ':e2
i.es 31 'iVe1 ':es??
This beginner's blunder will cost
Black an exchange. After 31. .. .:e7 32
':cd2 %:.ed7 33 ltJfS ltJb3 34 'iVc2 ltJxd2 3S
ltJxd6 i..xd6 36 ..tc6 ':c7 37 'iVxd2 ':xc6
38 ltJbS 'iVg8 39 ltJxd6 i..xh3 40 g3,
White's dominating knight promises
him full play for his pawn, but no
more.
32 l2Jg6+ 1-0
Black loses material, as 32 ... hxg6 al­
lows mate in one with 33 �6.
Game 74
Rudenkov-Strugach
Correspondence 1961
1 b 4 e 6 2 e 3 'iVb6
1 53
P l ay 1 b 4 !
Black is trying to refute White's
opening, but this early move by the
queen leads to difficulties.
3 a3 as 4 bS!
An interesting pawn sacrifice,
which Black must accept, otherwise his
play makes no sense.
4...cxbS 5 tbC3
S b4
.••
Playing to save the pawn is fully
consistent. Against other replies White
plays 6 i"xb5 and 7 l:.b1, achieving the
better development.
6 axb4 'iVxb4 7 i"a3 'iVb6 8 tbd S
8 l:.b1 is also good here.
8...'iVc6 9 c4 bS
1 54
It would have been better to play
the immediate 9 . . e6.
.
10 tbf3
10 e6
.••
On 10 ...bxc4 there follows 1 1 i"xc4!,
and here 1 1 . .. 'iVxc4 would be bad be­
cause of 12 l:.c1 ! .
11 tbes! 'iVb7 1 2 'iVf3! d 6
White knights occupy positions in
the centre, but both of them are under
attack. White's next move reveals the
true state of affairs.
13 tbb6! l:.a7
Obviously not 13 ...'iVxb6, because of
14 'iVxf7+ �d8 15 'iVxf8+ �c7 16 'iVxg7+.
On 13 ... dxe5 there could follow an in­
teresting variation: 14 i"xf8 �xf8 15
tbxa8 e4 16 'iVg3 'iVxa8 17 'iVc7 etc.
In the game White snatches back
the pawn.
14 'iVxf7+! 'iVxf7 15 tbxf7 l:.xf7 16 tbxc8
b4
There is no way to exploit White's
isolated knight, which is surrounded
by black pieces. On 16 ... �d7, White
answers 17 tba7 followed by tbb5.
17 i"b2 �d8
It was senseless to play 17 ... l:.b7, be-

cause of 18 �xa5 lDc6 19 �b5.
18 lDb6 �b7 19 lDa4
The complications have ended with
material equality and a White advan­
tage. He has a pair of active bishops
and superiority in the centre. Black's
passed pawns are blocked and pose no
serious danger.
19...lDd7 20 g3!
Black's e6-pawn is the juiciest target
in his camp.
The natural 20 d4 is weaker - White
doesn't want to close the diagonal for
the bishop on b2.
20...lDgf6 21 iLh3!
21...eS
1 . . . c6, 1 . f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
. .
Maybe it's better to make an ugly
move, 21 ... r:JiJe7, not weakening the
light squares. Black has a dark-squared
bishop and his pawns are also placed
on dark squares, which is not good
from a positional point of view.
22 r:JiJe2 iLe7 23 f4 r:JiJC7 24 �hcl �e8
2S CS!
White decides matters quickly by
blasting open the position.
2S ... dxcS 26 fxes lDg8
Against 26 ... lDe4 or 26 ... lDd5, 27
iLg2 is very strong.
27 e6 lDdf6 28 lDxcs iLxcs 29 �xcS+
r:JiJd6 30 �axa S r:JiJe7 31 iLes �d8 32
�cbS �xbS 3 3 �xbS 1-0
Black's risky play to grab a pawn at
the start, combined with a loss of time
with the queen, was strongly refuted
by White.
Game 75
B.Kata lymov-P.Kond ratiev
S pa rta k C h a m pions h i p,
M i n s k 1962
1 b4 fs 2 iLb2 lDf6 3 e3 e6 4 bs �e7
1 55
Play 1 b4 !
5 e4
S lbf3 0-0 6 c4 d6 7 lbc3 cS 8 bxc6
lbxc6 9 �e2 b6 10 0-0 was equal in
W.Lombardy-L.Evans, New York 1962.
5 0-0 6 lbe3 lbe4?!
...
It's too early for this activity; Black
needs to develop some pieces first.
7 f4 iLf6 8 d4 lbxe3 9 iLxe3 a6 10 a4
axb5 11 axb5 lIxal 12 'iYxa1 d6 13 lbf3
b6?!
The bishop never gets to b7, and in
the future the weak c6-square can pre­
sent Black with a number of problems.
Fritz likes 13 ... lbd7!? in order to reply
to 14 �d3 with 14 ... eS! . Of course
White could instead play 14 i.e2, and
156
the open a-file assures him of a slight
advantage.
14 'iYa8!? lbd7 15 �d2
White prevents 16 ... lbcs followed
by 17 ... lbe4. So the black knight tries to
get to e4 via the f6-square, to attack
White's dangerously centralized king.
15 iLe7 16 iLd3 lbf6 17 lIa1!
•.•
White consistently pursues his at­
tack along the a-file.
17...iLd7?
17 ... dS! was the right move. Black
shouldn't trade queens when the white
king is in the centre. In general, if
somebody is attacking you on the
flank, try to hit back in the centre, es­
pecially if your opponent's king hap­
pens to be situated there.
18 'iYxd8 lIxd8 19 lIa7 lIe8 20 iLb4 �f8
21 h3 h6 22 g4
Maybe this is not too bad, but I
don't think a sacrifice is necessary.
White should calmly prepare a push of
his c-, e- and/or g-pawns to ,yin in a
controlled manner.
22...fxg4 23 hxg4 lbxg4 24 e4 lbf2 25
iLb1 d5!
When you have extra material and

you are defending, it's a good idea to
trade pieces. (Remember what I said
before about hitting back in the cen­
tre?)
26 i.xe7+ �xe7 27 exd5 exd5 28 tLJe5
tLJe4+ 29 i.xe4 dxe4 30 �e3 i.f5 31 c5
�e6 32 tLJc6
32 g6??
.•.
32 ...bxcS! 33 dxcS g6 34 l:.a6 �f7 3S
l:.a7 �e6 36 l:.a6 �f7 should hold.
3 3 d5+! �xd5
After 33 ...�f6, White wins with 34
cxb6 cxb6 3S d6 gS 36 d7 i.xd7 37 l:.xd7
l:.e8 38 l:td6+ l:.e6 39 l:.xe6+ �xe6 40
fxgS hxgS 41 �xe4.
34 tLJe7+ 1-0
Game 76
B.Katalymov-P.Kond ratiev
S pa rta k C h a m pion s h i p,
M i n s k 1962
1 b4 f5
This answer has some logic. To
White's pawn thrust on the queenside,
Black replies in a similar fashion on the
other wing.
1 . . . c 6 , 1 . . .15 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
2 itb2 tLJf6 3 e 3 e6 4 b5 i.e7 5 c4 0-0 6
tLJC3
Perhaps 6 tLJf3 or 6 f4 is a better op­
tion. Obviously this move, developing
a piece, is also possible.
6 lDe4
•••
Black hastens to engage in direct
combat. Now 7 tLJxe4 fxe4, with pres­
sure on the f2-square, is no good for
White. And it's too early to play 7 d3
because of 7... tLJxc3 8 itxc3 a6 9 a4 dS,
with counterplay. Finally, after 7 tLJf3
Black has possibilities of expansion on
the kingside with .. .£S-f4 or ... g7-gS.
Katalymov decides to prevent such
plans.
7 f4! i.f6 8 d4 tLJxc3
Black shouldn't hurry with this
trade. 8 ... d6 or 8 ... dS would be a better
choice.
9 itxc3 a6 10 a4 axb5
Probably this trade is the primary
reason for Black's defeat. In principle
it's a mistake to open a file on the flank
where your opponent has a space ad­
vantage, and this is borne out by the
development of events in this game.
11 axb5 l:.xal 12 'iYxal d6 13 tLJf3 b6
Of course it's not unfavourable to
develop the bishop on the main diago­
nal, but an intrusion by the white
queen will prevent this possibility.
14 'iYa8 tLJd7
Black intended here to force White's
queen to retreat due to the threat of
lS ... tLJcS!.
15 �d2!
With this move White solves a few
problems: the bishop on c3 is defended
and the threat of lS ... tLJcs is neutral-
157
P l ay 1 b 4 !
ized; a transfer of the rook to the open
a-file becomes easier; and Black's plans
of counterplay on the kingside (possi­
ble with White's kingside castling) are
destroyed.
Less successful is a retreat of the
bishop with 15 iLal, or 15 ..tb4 because
of 15 .. J'�e8! followed by ... e6-e5. But the
text move is excellent, helping the fu­
ture mobilization of White's forces.
lS .....te7 16 ..td3 lDf6 17 :tal i.d7
In these conditions, when Black
probably can't hope to create counter­
play, the plan of trading pieces with a
goal of decreasing White's pressure is
natural.
18 'iixd8 :txd8 19 ':a7 :te8 20 i.b4 �f8
White was threatening to play lDe5,
exploiting the undefended bishop on
e7.
21 h3 h6
White is much better: Black has to
defend c7 and his pieces don't have
much space. But it's not easy to find a
plan to exert pressure on such a stable
enemy position. Katalymov decides to
make an interesting pawn sacrifice on
the kingside to prepare a breakthrough
in the centre.
22 g4! fxg4 23 hxg4 lDxg4 24 e4 lDf2 2S
i.bl dS
Rather than wait, Black decides to
counterattack. The strength of White's
threats is illustrated in the following
variation: 25 ... h5 26 e5 dxe5 (the threat
was 27 exd6 winning a piece) 27 iLxe7+
�xe7 28 fxe5 iLe8 (otherwise 29 iLg6 is
unpleasant) 29 d5 exd5 30 cxd5 iLxb5
31 i.f5 ..td7 32 d6+ �d8 33 e6! etc.
26 iLxe7+ �xe7 27 exd s exd s 28 lDes
158
lDe4+
Probably the only move. White was
threatening 29 lDxd7 followed by i.f5+.
On 28 ... i.e6, 29 c5 is very strong.
29 i.xe4 dxe4 30 �e3 iLfS 31 eS �e6
Black's king must leave the seventh
rank. On 31 . .. �f6 there could follow 32
':a6 ':b8 33 d5! (with a threat of d5-d6)
33 ... iLc8 34 ':a7 bxc5 (or 34 ... .:b7? 35
':a8 i.f5 36 c6, winning a rook) 35
':xc7, and White should win.
32 lDe6 g6?
Immediately losing. But after the
best defence 32 ...bxc5 33 dxc5 g6 34
':a6! �f7 35 lDd4 �g7 36 lDxf5+ gxf5 37
':c6, White is winning because of the
threat of b5-b6! . It's instructive to ob­
serve the active role of the b-pawn in
all these variations.
33 dS+! �xdS
After 33 ... �f6 34 cxb6 cxb6 35 d6
Black is losing a piece, and it's not dif­
ficult for White to win.
34 lDe7+ 1-0
The pressure on the open a-file and
the presence of the far advanced pawn
on the queenside enabled White's suc­
cess in this interesting ending.
Game 7 7
L.Sh iffler-Sch m idt
Corresponden ce 1950
1 b4 f S 2 i.b2 lDf6 3 iLxf6!?
An interesting solution. White gives
up a beautifully placed bishop and
concedes the bishop pair in exchange
for inflicting upon Black doubled
pawns on the f-file, decreasing Black's

pawn mobility on the kingside.
3...exf6
Obviously not 3 ... gxf6? 4 e4!, when
Black's king is in danger.
4 c3!
This and White's next few moves
meet with the position's demands. Af­
ter exchanging the dark-squared
bishop, White places pawns on the
dark squares.
4... dS 5 e3 i.d6 6 i.d3!
White takes aim at the f5-pawn, not
allowing it move forward.
6...iV'e7 7 ttJe2 c6 8 iV'c2 g6
9 h4! hS
Otherwise h4-h5 will be quite po-
1 . . . c6, 1 . . .f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
tent. By placing his pawns on dark
squares in conjunction with owning a
light-squared bishop, White has cre­
ated an original and harmonious posi­
tion.
10 a4 ttJd7 11 f4! a s!
It's necessary to prevent a4-a5.
Black is trying to keep some life in his
position.
12 bS lbcs 13 c4 ttJxd 3+ 14 iV'xd3 dxC4
15 iv'xc4 .te6 16 'iVc2 0-0
17 bxc6
It's easier here to play 17 ttJbc3 with
�f2 to follow. White's task involves
restricting the enemy bishops if possi­
ble while creating good squares for his
knights. To open the c-file Black sooner
or later has to capture on b5, when
White will answer ttJxb5.
17...bxc6 18 ttJbC3
A careless capture of the pawn on
c6 would lead to big problems after 18
iV'xc6 Mfc8.
18...Mab8 19 ttJd4 i.C4!?
An interesting exchange sacrifice,
and working out the resulting compli-
cations will prove to be very difficult.
More natural was 19 ... .td7 20 �f2, with
1 59
Play 1 b 4 !
chances for both sides.
20 tLlxc6!
White bravely meets the danger
head-on, and a maelstrom of complica­
tions arises on the board.
20..:�ib7 21 tLlxb8 'iVxg2 22 0-0-0 .ta3+
23 �bl l:.xb8+
24 tLlbs!
An unexpected move! If Black now
plays 24 ... .txb5, then after 25 'iVb3+
�g7 26 axb5 White beats off the attack
and remains with a material advan­
tage.
24...'iVd s 25 �al .tb3
Now on 25 ... .txb5 there follows 26
l:.bl .
26 'iVC7 l:.b7 27 'iVc8+ �h7 28 l:.bl .tb2+
At first glance Black has achieved
success ...
29 l:.xb2!
...but this exchange offer dashes his
hopes! In the event of 29 �xb2 .txa4,
Black enjoys a huge attack.
29...'iVxhl+ 30 l:.bl 'iVd s 31 l:.xb3!
Very business-like. Black remains a
piece down.
31...'iVxb3 32 'iVxb7+ �h6 33 'iVd7
'iVxa4+ 34 �b2 'iVb4+ 35 �c2 'iVa4+ 36
1 60
�C3 'iVb4+ 37 �d3 gs
There is no perpetual check after
37... 'iVe4+ 38 �e2 'iVg2+ 39 �d1 'iVf1 + 40
�c2 'iVc4+ 41 tLlc3. But the text move is
the equivalent of resignation.
38 hxgs+ fxgs 39 'iVc6+ �g7 40 fxgs h4
41 'iVh6+ �g8 42 'iVg6+ �h8 43 tLld6 1-0
An original game with a very sharp
fight.
Game 78
G. Wel l ing-R.Ach leitner
Velden 1994
1 b4 d s 2 e3 e6 3 .tb2 fs
Black plays the Dutch Defence,
Stonewall variation.
4 c4 tLlf6 5 tLlf3 c6 6 a3 i.d6 7 tLlC3 0-0 8
'iVc2 'iVe7 9 .te2 i.d7
In the Stonewall Black often ma­
noeuvres his bad bishop via e8 to h5.
10 h3
Preparing a kingside attack with a
pawn on g4, rook on gl and bishop on
b2.
10...as 11 bs tLle4 12 g4 tLlxC3 13 'i¥xC3
f4 14 h4

14 ltJeS!? iLe8 15 exf4 :xf4 16 d4
dxc4 17 b6 ltJd7 18 ltJxc4 is roughly
equal. White would be doing well were
it not for the weaklings on d4 and b6.
14...fxe3 15 dxe3 cxb5 16 cxb5 iLxb5 17
ltJg5 iLd7?
17 ... iLxe2!? 18 �xe2 ltJc6 19 'i'd3 g6
20 f4 :ad8 offers level chances.
18 'i'd3! g6 19 'i'd4! e5 20 'i'xd5+ �g7
21 :d1 .i.C7
After 21. .. :f6 22 f4 iLc6 23 fxeS
iLb4+ 24 axb4 :£1+ 25 :x£1 iLxdS 26
:xdS, White has extra material as well
as the attack.
22 'i'xb7 iLc6 23 'i'xC7 'i'xC7 24 ltJe6+
�f7 25 ltJxC7 iLxh1 26 iLxe5 :a7 27
iLc4+ �e7 28 iLd6+ �d7 29 ltJb5 iLf3
30 iLxf8+ iLxd1 31 ltJxa7 iLxg4
After a long tactical middlegame
Black is down a bishop. White has a
completely winning position and the
rest of the game requires no further
comments.
32 iLh6 �d6 33 iLf4+ �c5 34 iLxb8
�xc4 35 ltJc6 �b3 36 ltJxa5+ �xa3 37
ltJc4+ �b4 38 ltJe5 iLe6 39 iLd6+ �C3
40 f3 �c2 41 �f2 �d2 42 iLb4+ �c2 43
ltJg4 �b3 44 iLf8 �C3 45 ltJf6 h5 46
1 . . . c6, 1 f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
. . .
ltJe4+ �C4 47 �g3 �d5 48 �f4 iLf7 49
�g5 �e5 50 iLd6+ 1-0
Game 79
V.La ps h u n-L.Oms Fuentes
Ba rcelona 2007
1 b4 as 2 b5 c6
2 ... ltJf6 3 iLb2 g6 is the subject of
Akesson-Ernst (see Game 80).
3 a4 ltJf6 4 iLb2
I remember how several titled play­
ers who inspected our board seemed
shocked that two players trying to fin­
ish high in the standings could reach a
position like this.
4...d5 5 e3 iLf5 6 ltJf3 e6 7 c4 c5 8 cxd5
exd5 9 d3
9 d4 iLxbl 10 :xbl c4 gives Black a
passed pawn and a small advantage.
9...iLd6 10 ltJbd2 0-0 11 iLe2 :e8 12
0-0 ltJbd7 13 :e1 ltJe5?
13 ... :c8 is a good move.
14 ltJxe5 iLxe5 15 iLxe5 :xe5 16 d4!
cxd4 17 ltJf3 :e8
1 7... dxe3?! 18 ltJxeS exf2+ 19 �xf2
ltJe4+ 20 �£1 'iib 6 21 ltJd3 'i'e3 22 :a2
1 61
Play 1 b 4 !
'iVh6 23 ..tf3 'ii'xh2 24 1:.a3 1:.c8 25 ..txe4
..txe4 26 'ii'g4 'iVhl + 27 �e2 'ii'xg2+ 28
'ii'xg2 ..txg2 29 1:.cl is winning for
White.
18 ttJxd4
White, with a strong knight on d4
and an isolated pawn to attack, has the
advantage.
18...i.d7 19 1:.cl 'ii'b6 20 �f3 1:.ac8 21
'ii'd 2 ite6 22 ttJb3 1:.a8
23 1:.c3
23 'ii'd 4! 'ii'xd4 24 ttJxd4 1:.ec8 25 ttJb3
b6 26 1:.c6 looks very dangerous for
Black.
23...ttJe4 24 i..xe4 dxe4 25 ttJd4 'ii'd 6 26
1:.ecl g6 27 'ii'C2 itd5 28 h3 1:.ad8 29
1 62
1:.c7 b6 30 'ii'C 3 h5 31 h4
Stopping Black's kingside attack.
White is still slightly better, but I
couldn't see how I could win.
31...'ii'f6??
Finally Black has made a mistake,
and he pays for it.
32 ttJc6! 'ii'xc3 33 1:.xC3 i.. xc6 34 1:.7xc6
Black can't defend all his pawns.
34...1:.dl+ 35 �h2 1:.d2 36 �g3 1:.e5 37
1:.xb6 g5 38 1:.bc6 gxh4+ 39 �f4 1:.e8 40
1:.c2 1:.dl 41 1:.b2 1-0
The strength of my passed b-pawn
and the task of defending his numer­
ous islands (only Japan has more) con­
vinced my opponent to resign.
Game 80
R.Akesson -T .Ernst
Kraft C h ess C u p, S ke l l eftea 1999
I met GM Ralf Akesson in Barce­
lona. I spent many rounds in that tour­
nament placed between his board and
his countryman GM Lars Karlsson's. I
kidded them that they were my two
Swedish bodyguards!

1 b4 a s 2 b5 tbf6 3 i.b2 g6 4 g3
A typical King's Indian pawn race
looms after 4 e3 i.g7 5 tbf3 0-0 6 c4 d6 7
d4 tbbd7 8 i.e2 e5 9 tbc3 e4 10 tbd2 ':e8
1 1 'ifc2 'ife7. This was played in
A.5okolsky-Y.Nikolaevsky, Kiev 1957,
with White eventually winning.
4...i.g7 5 i.g2 0-0 6 c4 d6 7 tbC3 e5 8 d3
A typical English Opening!
8...tbbd7 9 tba4 ':e8 10 'ifC2 ':b8 11 e3
b6 12 tbe2 i.b7 13 i.xb7 ':xb7 14 e4
In this closed position Black is sad­
dled with weak c6- and d5-squares.
White tries to prepare f2-f4.
14...tbf8 15 tbac3 tbe6 16 0-0 'ifd7 17
':ae1 c5 18 bxc6 'ifxc6 19 a4
1 . . . c 6 , 1 f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
. . .
Fixing the weak b6-pawn and rein­
forcing the outpost on b5. In addition,
Black has to take care of his d6-pawn
and the d5-square. He should play the
prophylactic 19 ... tbd7!?, intending to
answer 20 f4 with 20 ... exf4 21 lLIxf4
tbxf4 22 ':xf4 lL1c5.
19...'ifd7?! 20 f4 tbC5 21 ':f3
21 f5!? was the most logical way to
attack the black king.
21...'ifh3 22 �hl 'ifh5?!
22 ... tbg4!? 23 lLIg1 'iVh5 24 lLIb5 ':d7
25 h3 f5 would have been a better try,
although we believe White would still
have the advantage.
23 �g2 g5?!
23 ... ':c7 24 tbb5 ':d7 25 h3 ':e6 26
i.c1 is not quite as bad as the text.
24 fxg5 'ifxg5 25 ':ef1
White piles on more pressure down
the f-file, and on all the black weak­
nesses there.
25...'ifg6 26 tbd1!?
This knight is going to e3 and on to
the magical f5-square.
26...tbfxe4
A desperate sacrifice in an awful
position. Black refuses to lose slowly
1 63
P l ay 1 b4 !

and tries to survive in the tactical wil­
derness.
27 dxe4 �xe4 28 �xe4 ttJxe4 29 ltd3
ttJC5 30 lta3 e4 31 Jixg7 'it>xg7 32 ttJe3
'it>f8 33 ttJf4
This is winning for White, who has
an extra knight for just two pawns.
33 ...lte5 34 ltd1 ltd7 35 ltb1 ltb7 36
ttJed5 ttJd7 37 'it>f2 lte8 38 ttJe3 ltc8 39
ttJfd5 f6 40 ltbb3 'it>f7 41 ltb5 ltcb8?
Black needed to defend b6 with
41. .. ltc6.
42 ttJf5 'it>e6 43 ttJf4+ 1-0
White wins after 43 ... 'it>f7 44 ttJxd6+
'it>e7 45 ttJxb7.
b5 �6 9 �cl i..e6 10 ttJe5) 8 i..xg7
'it>xg7 9 �cl 'it>g8 10 �xc4 c6 11 0-0 ttJd7
12 �4 e5 13 ttJg5 ttJ7f6 14 b5 ttJe7 15
bxc6 bxc6, and White enjoyed a slight
advantage due to the weak c6-pawn.
4 Jig2 Jig7 5 Jib2
White employs a double fianchetto
against the Griinfeld set-up.
5...c6 6 ttJa3

Game 81
D.Bronstein-V.Lepesh ki n
U S S R C h a m pion s h i p,
Ta l l i n n 196 5
1 ttJf3 ttJf6 2 g3 g6 3 b4
Another extraordinary idea from
Bronstein: White prepares to strike at
the centre with his c-pawn.
6...0-0 7 c4 �b6 8 �b3 ttJe4
8 ... a5! ? 9 cxd5 cxd5 10 b5 reaches an
equal position.
9 0-0 ttJC5

3 ...d5
V.Hort-M.Krisko, Trinec 1972, conti­
nued 3 ... i..g7 4 i..b2 0-0 5 c4 d5 6 i..g2
dxc4 7 ttJa3 ttJd5 (the attempt to save the
c4-pawn doesn't succeed after 7 .. :iVd6 8

1 64
 1 . . . c6, 1 . . .f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s

A tactical trick, which only serves to �d s 34 �e3 %:ta8 35 a7

improve White's pawn structure. Soon
White is able to take control of the cen­
tre.
10 bxes iixb3 11 axb3 i..xb2 12 %:ta2
i..f6 13 exds exds 14 CLlbs CLla6 15 d4
i.. d 7 16 CLle3 CLlb4 17 %:td2 %:tae8 18 CLla2
Wresting control of the b4-square
will give White added possibilities on
the queenside.
18 CLlxa2 19 %:txa2 a6 20 e3
..•

20...b6?!
This overambitious thrust merely
creates weaknesses. Black should
choose 20 ... %:tc7, with a defensible posi­
tion.
21 b4
21 cxb6 i.bS 22 %:tfa1 %:tb8 23 CLleS
%:tfd8 24 %:tc1 %:txb6 2S %:tac2 is close to
equal.
21 i..b s 22 %:tel i.. e4 23 %:taal e6 24
.••
3s...fs
3S ... f6 36 h4 h6 37 g4 hS 38 f3 �d6
39 gxhS gxhS 40 %:taS �c6 41 �e4 �d6
42 %:ta6+ �e7 43 f4 �d7 44 fS exfS+ 4S
�xfS is a typical winning line - White
can always gain an entry square for his
king. The text move shortens the proc­
ess.
36 %:tas+ 1-0
After 36 ... �d6 37 �f4 h6 38 h4,
Black runs out of useful moves and
must allow the white king to penetrate
and eventually gobble up some more
pawns.
Game 82
B.G u rgen idze-E.Mnatsaka n ia n
U SS R Tea m C h a m pion s h i p,
Moscow 1972

i..fl a s?
Losing a pawn, and the game. After
24 ... i.xfl 2S �xfl bxcS 26 bxcS %:tc6 27
%:taS White has only a small advantage.
25 i.xe4 dxe4 26 bxa s bxes 27 %:txe4
exd4 28 %:txe8 %:txe8 29 CLlxd4 �f8 30 a6
i.. x d4 31 exd4 �e7 32 �g2 �d6 33 �f3
1 CLlf3 CLlf6 2 b4 g6 3 e4 i..g7 4 i.b2 0-0
5 e3 ds
The drawback of playing a Griin­
feld set-up in this pseudo-English
Opening is that Black's important dark­
squared bishop is likely to be traded.

1 65
P l ay 1 b4 !
6 cxd S liJxdS 7 i..xg7 <;;t>xg7 S 'iVcl
White puts his queen on a dark
square (now that the dark-squared
bishops have gone) and indirectly de­
fends his pawn: 8 ... liJxb4?? 9 'iVc3+ wins
the knight.
S ...f6 9 a 3 c6?!
Too many pawn moves is risky.
Maybe Black should play 9 ... i.. g4! ?
10 d4 as 11 bS 'iVb6 12 bxc6 'iVxc6 13
liJbd2 i.. d 7 14 'iVxc6 liJxc6 15 i.. c4 liJC7
16 :'bl
White's strong centre and Black's
weak b-pawn add up to give White the
advantage.
16 :'abS 17 :'b6 liJa7 lS liJe4
..•
166
This knight is racing to c5, but it
was more logical to castle first.
lS...i.. c6 19 liJcs liJcs 20 :'b2 liJd6 21
liJe6+ liJxe6 22 i.. xe6
The white bishop on e6 inhibits
Black's movement, but after his reply
the dark side of failing to castle be­
comes apparent.
22...i..b s 23 liJd2
To get his king's rook into the fray,
White retreats the knight to prepare f2-
f3 followed by <;;t> f2.
23 ...fS 24 f3 <;;t>f6 25 dS i.. e S 26 <;;t> e2 i..f7
27 iLxf7 <;;t>xf7 2S :'Cl :'fcS 29 :'xcS
:'xcS 30 <;;t>d 3 bS
White's edge has evaporated, but
Black must still be careful to restrain
his opponent's ambitions in the centre.
31 e4 eS
A step in the wrong direction.
31. .. <;;t> f6! 32 f4 fxe4+ 33 liJxe4+ liJxe4 34
<;;t>xe4 :'c4+ 35 <;;t>f3 looks drawish.
32 f4! :'CS?
The rook ending after 32 ... <;;t>f6 33
fxe5+ <;;t>xe5 34 liJf3+ <;;t>f4 35 e5 liJc4 36
:'xb5 liJxe5+ 37 liJxe5 (37 <;;t> d4?? :'c4
mate) 37 ... <;;t> xe5 38 :'xa5 :'cl should
probably end as a draw.

3 3 fxeS 1-0
It's more than likely that Black lost
on time here. A possible conclusion
could be 33 fxe5 ctJxe4 34 �d4 �e7 35
a4! (35 ctJxe4 :'c4+ 36 �d3 :'xe4 37
:'xb5 :'xe5 38 :'xa5 looks drawish)
35 ... :'cl 36 axb5 ctJxd2 37 :'xd2, and
White wins.
Game 83
A.Sokolsky-F. Vil l a rd
Kiev 19 5 5
1 b4 d s 2 i.b2 'ii'd 6
This early movement of the queen is
1 . . . c 6 , 1 . . f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ve s
.
probably not good. By attacking the b4-
pawn, Black gains time to create a
pawn centre, but in future the poor
position of his queen will weigh
against him.
3 a3
White could offer a pawn sacrifice
by continuing 3 b5, intending 3 ... 'ii'b4?
4 i.c3 'ii'xb5 5 e4 with the initiative.
Instead Black should reply consistently
with 3 ... e5, as in the text.
3 ...eS 4 ctJf3 f6
This is essential, as it's unfavour­
able to allow White's pieces to invade
the centre after 4 ... e4 5 ctJd4. In addi­
tion, the continuation 4 ... ctJd7 5 e3 i.e7
followed by a later ...i.f6 is simply un­
realistic.
5 e3 i.e6 6 d4 e4
Maintaining the centre by playing
6 ... ctJd7 7 dxe5 fxe5 requires consider­
able concessions after 8 c4! c6 (or
8 ... dxc4 9 'ii'x d6 i.xd6 10 ctJg5 i.d5 1 1
ctJc3) 9 cxd5 cxd5 1 0 ctJc3 a6 1 1 ctJg5
ctJgf6 12 ctJxe6 'ii'xe6 13 'ii'b3 - there is
strong pressure on Black's central
pawns.
7 ctJfd2 fS 8 c4 c6 9 ctJc3 ctJf6
167
P l ay 1 b 4 !
Black has advanced pawns into the
centre and hopes to develop the initia­
tive. But it's possible to spot two bad
omens for Black: the poorly placed
queen on d6 and the undeveloped
queenside. Under these circumstances,
White is first to begin active operations
on the queenside.
10 'iVe2! a6
White was threatening to play 11
cxdS cxdS 12 ttJbS.
11 ttJa4! 'iVd8
Admitting the mistake of 2 ... 'iVd6.
On 1 1 . ..ttJbd7, 12 ttJcS! would be very
strong.
12 ttJe5 ..te8 13 :e1
Being better developed, White now
prepares to open the c-file.
13 .....te7 14 ..te2
Here it's possible to play 14 cxdS
ttJxdS (not 14 ... cxdS, because of IS
ttJcxe4!) IS ..tc4.
14...0-0 15 0-0 ..td6 16 f4
White is prepared for a sharp fight,
in which the advantage in develop­
ment should be felt. For example,
16 ... exf3 17 ..txf3 'iKc7 18 h3 b6 19 cxdS!
bxcS 20 dxc6! cxb4 (or 20 ... ttJxc6 21 bxcS
1 68
..th2+ 22 �hl ..tg3 23 dS etc) 21 'iib3+
�h8 22 axb4, when even though Black
has an extra piece, he can't escape de­
feat because virtually every move he
makes will lose something.
16...ttJg4
Black should try to attack without
opening the position, and 16 ... ttJg4 is a
serious mistake. 16 ...b6 is a much better
move.
17 ..txg4 fxg4 18 exd5 exd5 19 'iVb3
..txe5
Forced, otherwise a pawn goes.
20 dxe5 �h8 21 :ed1 ..tf5 22 ttJb1 ..te6
23 ttJe3
Black's resources have run out. He
must lose material.
23 'iVe8 24 ttJxd5
•••
24 ttJd7
..•
After this Black loses an exchange,
but who can give advice in this posi­
tion? On 24 ...'iVf7 or 24 ...:f7, very
strong is 2S fS! .
25 'iVe3 ttJf6
Nor would the result be any differ­
ent after 2S ... 'iKf7 because of 26 ttJc7
.i.b3 27 'iKxg7+ 'iKxg7 28 ..txg7+ �xg7 29
:Ixd7+, winning easily.
 1 . . . c 6 , 1 . . f5 a n d U n u s u a l M o ves
.

26 tjjC7 'fIf7 27 tjjx a8 g3!? sacrifice. 6 ... tjjb 6 7 iLb3 and only then
A desperate counterattack, which 7 ... iLg7 would have avoided the im­
misses the mark. pending disaster.
28 tjjb6 gxh2+ 29 �h1 tjjh S 30 'fIe1
'fIg6 31 �xh2 ':fS 32 tjj c8! tjjf6 33 iLxf6
gxf6 34 tjjd 6 and White soon won (1-0).

Game 84
M.Vokac-P.Bazant
Czech C h a m pion s h i p,
Tu rnov 1996

And finally, to end this book we

show how a strong player (rated nearly
2300) lost in seven moves against the
Sokolsky!
1 b4 dS 2 iLb2 tjj d 7 3 tjjf 3 tjjgf6 4 e3 g6
5 c4 dxC4 6 iLxC4 iLg7??
Black fails to see a thematic bishop
7 iLxf7+!! 1-0
White wins the queen after 7 ... �xf7
8 tjjg5+ �e8 9 tjje6, while 8 ... �g8 is
even worse because of 9 'fIb3+, mating
on f7.

1 69
P l ay 1 b4 !

Summary
The Dutch is best handled by the avoidance' strategies we offer here (English
I

Opening and Reti players will have no problems with this). O£ the other Black op­
tions studied in this chapter, 1. .. c6 is the most critical. It's worth investing some
time memorizing lines here, as inaccurate play could get punished.

1 b4 c6
1. .. £5 2 �b2 CD£6 (D)
3 e3 - Games 75-76; 3 �x£6 - Game 77
1 . .. a5 2 b5
2 ... c6 Game 79; 2 ... CD£6 - Game 80
-

1 . .. CD£6 2 �b2 g6 3 CD£3 �g7

4 c4 0-0 5 e3 d5 - Game 82; 4 g3 d5 5 �g2 c6 6 CDa3 - Game 81
1 . .. d5 2 �b2
2 ... 'iVd6 - Game 83
2 ... CDd7 Game 84
-

2 ... e6 3 e3 £5 - Game 78
2 �b2
2 e3 - Game 74
2 'iVb6
...

2 ... a5 3 b5 cxb5 4 e4 b4 5 a3 (D)

5 ...CD£6 Game 71
-

5 ... bxa3 Game 72

-

5 ... CDa6 - Game 73

3 a 3 a 5 4 c4 (D) d6
4 ... axb4 - Game 68, Game 69 (notes)
5 CDC3 - Game 69
5 d4 - Game 70

5 03 4 c4

1 70
 I n d ex of C o m p l et e G a m e s I

Akesson.R-Emst.T, Kraft Chess Cup, Skelleftea 1 999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 62

Akopian.V-Ganguly.s, Goodricke Open, Calcutta ......................................................... 1 15

Alekhine.A-Drewitt.J, Portsmouth 1 923 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1

Alekseev.V-Komliakov.V, Petrov Memorial, S t Petersburg 1 996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Alekseev.V-Sakaev.K, Petrov Memorial, St Petersburg 1 996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Benko.P-Bellon Lopez.J, Torremolinos 1973 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Benko.P-Ciocaltea.V, Lugano Olympiad 1968 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Bemstein.S-Seidman.H, US Championship 1959 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 04

Bronstein.D-Ivkov.B, Amsterdam Interzonal 1 964 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 1

Bronstein.D-Lepeshkin.V, USSR Championship, Tallinn 1965 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 64

Campora.D-Anguix Garrido.J, Canete 1 994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Campora.D-Visier Segovi.F, Canete 1 994 .......................................................................... 97

Fischer.R-Gloger.J, Cleveland (Simultaneous Display) 1964 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Fischer.R-Ina.D, Cleveland (Simultaneous Diplay) 1964, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Fischer.R-Walters.K, San Francisco (Simultaneous Display) 1964, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 6

Gurgenidze.B-Dgebuadze.A, Georgian Championship, Tbilisi 1 996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 7

Gurgenidze.B-Kalatozishvili.G, Kirovabad 1973 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Gurgenidze.B-Mnatsakanian.E, USSR Team Championship, Moscow 1972 .............. 1 65

Gurgenidze.B-Schneider.A, World Senior Championship, Biel 1994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Katalymov.B-Bakhtiar, Tashkent 1959 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1

Katalymov.B-Estrin.Y, Spartak Championship, Minsk 1962 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9

Katalymov.B-Estrin.Y, Spartak Championship, Moscow 1964 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Katalymov.B-Giterman.S, USSR Championship, Novgorod 1 961 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Katalymov.B-Kondratiev.P, Spartak Championship, Minsk 1 962 ................................ 155

1 71
P l ay 1 b4 !

Katalymov.B-Kondratiev.P, Spartak Championship, Minsk 1 962 ...................... . . . . . . . . . . 1 57

Katalymov.B-Litvinov.V, Minsk 1 971 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Katalymov.B-Muratov.V, Novgorod 1 961 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6

Katalymov.B-Sakharov.Y, Kiev 1962 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 44

Katalymov.B-Suetin.A, USSR Team Championship, Moscow 1 959 ............................... 50

Katalymov.B-Zaitsev.I, Odessa 1972 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Kiss.L-Kiss.P, Eger 1 992 ........................................................................................................ 78

Lapshun.Y-Adu.O, Richard Aronow Memorial, Philadelphia 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Lapshun.Y-Blumenfeld.R, Marshall Chess Club 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Lapshun.Y-Bonin.J, Marshall Chess Club 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Lapshun.Y-Figler.I, Marshall Chess Club (Rapid) 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Lapshun.Y-Furdzik.R, Marshall Chess Club 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Lapshun.Y-Furdzik.R, New York Masters (Rapid) 2002 ............................................. . . . 135

Lapshun.Y-Gravel.S, Montreal 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Lapshun.Y-Hahn.A, US Championship, San Diego 2004 ............................................... 126

Lapshun.Y-Kaufman.R, National Chess Congress, Philadelphia 1 999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Lapshun.Y-Laframboise.M, Montreal 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Lapshun.Y-Milman.L, New York Masters 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Lapshun.Y-Oms Fuentes.L, Barcelona 2007 .......................................................... . . . . . . . . . . . 1 61

Lapshun.Y-Paschall.W, New York Masters (rapid) 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Lapshun.Y-Reeder.A, World Open, Philadelphia 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Lapshun.Y-Robson.R, World Open, Philadelphia 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Lapshun.Y-Scekic.M, Marshall Chess Club (Rapid) 2004 ................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Lapshun.Y-Sinn.M, World Open, Philadelphia 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Lapshun.Y-Smith.A, Canadian Open, Kapuskasing 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 40

Lapshun.Y-Stevens.C, Guelph 2004 ...................................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Lapshun.Y-Szabolcsi.J, Budapest 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 12

Lapshun.Y-Vila Gazquez.X, Barcelona 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Lapshun.Y-Wang.D, Kapuskasing, 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Larsen.B-Browne.W, Las Palm as 1 974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Lombardy.W-Quinteros.M, Torremolinos 1974 .................................................... . . . . . . . . . . 134

Reti.R-Capablanca.J, New York 1924 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Rudenkov-Strugach, Correspondence 1 961 ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Shiffler.L-Schmidt, Correspondence 1 950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Simagin.V-Flohr.S, USSR Championship, Moscow 1 955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 09

Sokolsky.A-Abzhirko.N, Omsk 1943 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 07

Sokolsky.A-Anishchenko, Minsk 1 959 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6

Sokolsky.A-Byvshev.V, Lvov 1 951 ................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

1 72
 I n dex of Co m p l e te C a rn es

Sokolsky.A-Chekhover.V, Leningrad 1 938 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Sokolsky.A-Flohr.S, USSR Championship, Moscow 1 953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Sokolsky.A-Geller.E, USSR Championship, Kiev 1 957 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 05

Sokolsky.A-Keres.P, USSR Championship, Moscow 1 950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Sokolsky.A-Kholmov.R, USSR Championship, Kiev 1954 ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Sokolsky.A-Kotov.A, Leningrad 1 938 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Sokolsky.A-Samarian.S, Correspondence 1958 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Sokolsky.A-Shagalovich.A, Minsk 1 959 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 02

Sokolsky.A-Usov.D, Odessa 1 960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Sokolsky.A-Villard.F, Kiev 1 955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 67

Sokolsky.A-Zhukhovitsky.S, Kiev 1945 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Spassky.B-LengyeI.L, Moscow 1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Spassky.B-Smyslov.V, Moscow- Leningrad Match, Moscow 1 960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 00

Spraggett.K-Ivanov.I, Montreal 1 981 ........................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Tartakower.S-Colle.E, Bardejov 1 926 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4

Tartakower.S-Reti.R, Vienna 1919 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Vokac.M-Bazant.P, Czech Championship, Turnov 1 996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 69

Vokac.M-Tratar.M, Ceske Budejovice 1 996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Volke.K-Kupreichik.V, Minsk 1 994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Volke.K-Wegner.H, German League 1 993 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Welling.G-Achleitner.R, Velden 1 994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Yudasin.L-Epishin.V, New York Open 1 990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

1 73
 If you thought

books were g reat . . .

they a re now com i ng to l ife as

BOOKS
Read the com p l ete book, play t h ro u gh the g ames, a n a lyse the moves u s i ng
you r favou rite a na lysis engi ne. All fu l ly i nteractive in Chess Base format .

,-

__�_____...." 5
.-
....____....__
·-:'-

• Quick and easy to buy - ava i la b l e for download wit h i n a few cl icks.
In less than a m i n ute you ca n be using the ebook.

• Special offers - B uy 9 ebooks a n d get 1 ebook a bsol utely free.

• Free samples of every book - we a re giving away a sample cha pter of

every ebook we pu blish, so d ow n l oad one now and t ry before you buy.

$ 1 9.95, our ebooks are available for all levels of player:

All priced at
Starting Out, Dangerous Weapons and Winning Chess series

. . . and ma ny, many more at