Ipatov Alexander Unconventional Approaches To Modern Chess V

Table of Contents
Title page
Key to Symbols
Foreword by Francesco Rambaldi
Preface
PART I – Sidelines In Mainstream Openings
Chapter 1 – Queen’s Gambit Declined

Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 2 – Slav Defense
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Chapter 3 – Catalan Opening
Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 4 – English Opening
Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 5 – Grünfeld Defense (3.g3 c6)
Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 6 – Grünfeld Defense (3.g3 Bg7)
Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 7 – Anti-Grünfeld
PART II – Systems
Chapter 8 – Mamedyarov Attack

Chapter 9 – Jobava System
Part 1 Part 2
PART III – Ambitions & Surprises
Chapter 10 – 1.b3
Chapter 12 – Dutch Opening
2
Chapter 15 – Sicilian Defense
3
Unconventional Approaches to Modern Chess
Volume 2
by
Alexander Ipatov
Thinkers Publishing 2020
www.thinkerspublishing.com
First edition 2020 by Thinkers Publishing

Copyright © 2020 Alexander Ipatov
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission from the publisher.
All sales or enquiries should be directed to Thinkers Publishing, 9850 Landegem, Belgium.
Email: info@thinkerspublishing.com
Website: www.thinkerspublishing.com
Managing Editor: Romain Edouard

Assistant Editor: Daniël Vanheirzeele
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Proofreading: Conor O’Donnell
Software: Hub van de Laar
Cover Design: Iwan Kerkhof
Graphic Artist: Philippe Tonnard
Production: BESTinGraphics
ISBN: 9789492510785
D/2020/13730/20
4
Key to Symbols
! a good move
? a weak move
!! an excellent move
?? a blunder
!? an interesting move
?! a dubious move
™ only move
N novelty
‰ lead in development
ʘ zugzwang
= equality
∞ unclear position
© with compensation for the sacrificed material
² White stands slightly better
³ Black stands slightly better
± White has a serious advantage
µ Black has a serious advantage
+– White has a decisive advantage
–+ Black has a decisive advantage
‚ with an attack
ƒ with initiative
„ with counterplay
… with the idea of
¹ better is
≤ worse is
+ check
# mate
5
Foreword
Late one evening in June 2016, after eleven rounds of classical chess in the French ‘Top 12’ league, I
decided to venture down to the hotel lobby, hungry for some blitz chess to wash away the stress of what
had been a difficult and exhausting competition. The joyous atmosphere that radiates from a chess
crowd at the end of a tournament made my quest unchallenging, and I found myself playing until the
early hours. Upon sunrise, we decided to call it quits and two of us agreed to catch some breakfast
before heading for a well-deserved rest. Little did I know that our breakfast conversation would be the
starting point for a lasting friendship and an eye-opening experience for me as a chess player.
A clear trend had emerged from the many games I played against Alex that night; he had consistently
outplayed me in the opening stage of our games, and he had done so by using unusual methods.
Traditionally, the key to getting the upper hand in the opening is to out-prepare your opponent with
lengthy and accurate analysis. The idea is to know more than your opponent. That is not Alex’s
philosophy, however. Instead, he focuses on the concepts that shape opening positions and the practical
aspects of the game. His unique approach leads him to study different positions outside of mainstream
theory and enables him to surprise his opponents and steer the game into territory that is familiar to
him, but unfamiliar to his opponent.
Over the years, I have had the immense pleasure of working closely with Alex on a number of projects
and I have been lucky enough to learn from him firsthand. His captaincy of the Saint Louis University
chess team has, without a doubt, instilled a philosophy that permeates the team and will continue to do
so after his departure. My own chess has greatly benefitted from his guidance and I have employed
some of his opening ideas – like the Malakhov system – in my tournament games. Besides the novel
opening ideas, Alex’s influence on my chess is equally present in the philosophy that I bring to the
game. For this reason, I encourage you, the readers, to use this book not only for its excellent opening
suggestions, but also to acquire a depth of understanding of Alex’s unique approach to opening theory.
My collaboration with Alex is not limited to chess – we have been excellent sparring partners in soccer,
avid competitors in table tennis, and supportive classmates in computer science courses. In each
environment, Alex has constantly displayed his work ethic and desire to excel. This book is no
different. Alex draws on his vast trove of opening ideas, meticulous analysis, and years of experience to
present a ready-to-use guide for players who seek alternatives to the all-too-common main lines.
GM Francesco Rambaldi
St. Louis, March 2020
6
To my dear wife Nigarhan, with gratitude for her love and support
Preface
Dear reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read this book. This work is a follow-up to my first book
“Unconventional Approaches to Modern Chess – Rare Ideas for Black” which was published in
February 2019. This time, I am flipping the board and exploring offbeat opening ideas from White’s
perspective. The structure of the book has remained basically the same as before, except that I merged
Part III (Showing Ambitions) and Part IV (Early Surprises) into one combined chapter Ambitions &
Surprises.
Part I explores sidelines in several mainstream openings. This is the most in-depth chapter of the book
in terms of opening analysis. Part II presents two systems that are quite universal in nature and can be
used against more than one opening. Part III gives a broad overview of a variety of aggressive lines
taken from GM-level games.
As I stated in the previous book, I’m a big believer in the practical approach to chess. In order to win,
you don’t need to find the best move in every position. It is neither possible nor necessary. To win a
game, it is enough to be just a little bit better than your opponent. To make this happen, especially
when facing a strong player, you must force your opponent to solve practical problems. You must get
them into a position where the cost of a potential mistake is much higher than usual. If there is no room
for your opponent to make a mistake, then they are unlikely to make it. It is your job to give them
plenty of opportunity to go wrong. As Mikhail Tal famously put it, “You must take your opponent into
a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.”
This book aims to expose you to a variety of opening ideas that can help you to achieve this goal. I
hope you find reading it beneficial in your future endeavors at the chess board.
Thank you,
GM Alexander Ipatov
St. Louis, April 2020
7
Part I
Sidelines In Mainstream Openings
In this part of the book, we will take a look at several interesting sidelines within mainstream openings.
All of these lines feature as part of my main White repertoire and I have tested them against
grandmaster-level opposition. Don’t worry, I haven’t sneakily left out any critical lines or novelties for
my own personal use – the chapter fully reflects my current knowledge!
Chapter 1
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5
Chapter Guide
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Qc2 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.h4
1) Early alternatives
2) 8...c6
3) 8...c5
4) 8...g6
8
5) 8...Nc6
The Queen’s Gambit Declined is one of the most fundamental, “unbreakable” openings. It was
employed regularly hundreds of years ago by Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine, and it remains a major
tool in the opening repertoire of most top chess players nowadays. Of course, I will not attempt to
refute the Queen’s Gambit Declined (QGD) or even prove an advantage for White – it is not possible. If
you ever see a book claiming to know how to easily beat the QGD, stay away!
Nevertheless, I have one line in my own opening repertoire that may pose practical problems if Black
doesn’t know the particular nuances. Due to the limited scope of the book, unfortunately, I cannot
cover every possible line that Black might respond with. Therefore, for simplicity I will assume that
Black will always play ...h7-h6, which is a very common move in the QGD anyway. In other words,
standalone systems such as the Tartakower defense will not be dealt with.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5
This move has been in my repertoire for quite a while. I usually employ it in order to avoid certain
openings or attempt to trick my opponent with a move order and get him into unfamiliar positions.
Position after: 4.Bg5
The b1-knight might sometimes be developed to the d2-square depending on how Black reacts.
4...Be7
This is a very likely response by a QGD player.

A) Black may capture the pawn on c4 with 4...dxc4 and then depending on what openings the
9
opponent plays, we can choose between playing 5.Nc3 and 5.Qa4+.
B) The idea behind 4.Bg5 can be seen if Black attempts to play the Ragozin with 4...Bb4+, as here we
may deviate from the main lines and play 5.Nbd2!? with relatively fresh positions.
C) If Black plays 4...c6 then we have a choice between developing our knight either to d2 or c3. The
latter will transpose into of the main lines of the Slav. I would usually play it if I noticed during my
preparation that my opponent is not a Slav player.
D) Finally, Black also has 4...h6 where we would likely transpose into a line of the Slav after 5.Bxf6
Qxf6 6.Nc3 c6.
5.e3 0-0
Black may postpone castling and strike in the center immediately: 5...h6 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Qc2 c5 leading
to unknown territory. There are only two games in the database here: Nakamura – Adams, 2014 and
Ipatov – Akobian, 2018. Although I lost to Varuzhan, it wasn’t as a result of the opening outcome. On
the contrary, I was better and had more time on the clock as my opponent was out of book very quickly.
8.cxd5 cxd4 9.Bb5+!
Position after: 9.Bb5+!
A) In our game, Varuzhan thought for something like 30 – 40 minutes and then played the somewhat
unexpected 9...Ke7N after which I managed to obtain a pleasant edge with 10.exd4 exd5 11.0-0 Be6
12.Re1 Qd6 13.Nc3²
10
Position after: 13.Nc3²
Ipatov, A (2665) – Akobian, V (2640) Saint Louis 2018. The black king is stuck in the center. Even if
Black plays ...Rh8-d8 and ...Ke7-f8, White will keep annoying him with Qc2-h7.
B) 9...Nd7 10.dxe6 Qa5+ 11.Qd2 Qxb5 12.Nxd4 Qa6 13.exd7+ Bxd7 14.Nc3 0-0 15.Rd1 Black still
has to prove his compensation. White’s next moves are Qd2-e2 and 0-0.
C) 9...Bd7 10.dxe6!
Position after: 10.dxe6!
11
C1) Black cannot accept the piece because of 10...Bxb5?! 11.exf7+ Kd7 [11...Kf8 runs into
12.Qc5+; whereas 11...Kxf7 allows 12.Qb3+] 12.Qf5+ Kc6 13.a4 Ba6 14.b4! and the black king
urgently needs help.
C2) 10...Qa5+ 11.Nbd2 Qxb5 [≤ 11...Bxb5 12.Qc8+ Qd8 13.Qxb7 0-0 14.Qxb5±] 12.exd7+ Nxd7
13.Qe4+ Kf8 14.Nxd4 Qxb2 15.Rb1 Qxa2 16.Qxb7 White got an edge and later won in Nakamura,
H (2775) – Adams, M (2745) London 2014.
6.Qc2 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6
Position after: 7...Bxf6
8.h4!
This is the correct move order. White postpones the knight’s development to c3 until he can be sure
that Black will not meet it with ...c7-c5 at once. In other words, White will likely develop his knight to
c3 once Black plays ...c7-c6.
I had a couple of successful games with 8.Nc3 until one of my opponents, Andrew Tang, showed a
precise way to equalize with Black at the 2015 World Open: 8...c5 [In case of 8...c6 we transpose into
our main line with 9.h4! which we will cover shortly.] 9.dxc5
12
Position after: 9.dxc5
A) 9...Qa5 is one option, but I am not too concerned about this continuation as it is still possible to get
an interesting game with 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0-0-0!?
Position after: 11.0-0-0!?
11...Be6 [11...Bxc3 12.Qxc3 Qxa2 13.Bd3 Nc6 14.Kd2ƒ with the idea Rd1-a1. On a side note, White
should watch out for Black’s ...d5-d4.] 12.Nxd5 Rc8 [12...Bxd5 13.Rxd5 Qxa2 14.Bc4 Qa1+ 15.Qb1
Qa4 16.Qa2!±] 13.Kb1! and I couldn’t find enough compensation for Black. For example: 13...Rxc5
13
[13...Bxd5 14.Rxd5 Nc6 15.Bc4 Nb4 16.Qd2 Rxc5 17.Rxc5 Qxc5 18.Rc1± Kasparov, G (2710) –
Timman, J (2610) London 1984.] 14.b4! Rxc2 15.Nxf6+ gxf6 16.bxa5 Rxf2 17.Rd8+ Kg7 18.Nd4
Bxa2+ 19.Ka1 f5 20.Bd3± Van Wely, L (2585) – Geller, E (2505) Tilburg 1993.
B) Black should instead play 9...dxc4! 10.Bxc4 Qa5 [The new move 10...Nd7!? is also good. 11.c6
bxc6 12.0-0 Rb8= Black’s bishop pair compensates for the worse pawn structure. Anton Guijarro, D
(2650) – Nakamura, H (2785) Caleta 2017.] 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.Qxc3 Qxc3 13.bxc3 Nd7 14.c6 bxc6
15.Rab1 Nb6 16.Be2 c5 17.Rfc1 Bb7=
Position after: 17...Bb7=
I tried to play like Karpov (he managed to beat Kasparov in this endgame!) but couldn’t manage
anything against Andrew who improved on Kasparov’s play in the opening and played well later on.
18.Kf1
B1) Garry misplayed the position. 18...Bd5 19.Rb5! The rook will be well placed on a5, attacking
both the a7- and c5-pawns. 19...Nd7 [19...Bxa2?? 20.c4+–] 20.Ra5 Rfb8 21.c4 Bc6 22.Ne1! Great
maneuvering. 22...Rb4 23.Bd1 Rb7 24.f3 Rd8 25.Nd3 g5 26.Bb3 Kf8 27.Nxc5 Nxc5 28.Rxc5±
Karpov, A (2705) – Kasparov, G (2715) Moscow 1984.
B2) 18...Rfd8! 19.Rb5 Rac8 20.Ke1 Rc7= Ipatov, A (2615) – Tang, A (2365) Arlington 2015.
2) 8...c6
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Qc2 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.h4 c6
14
Position after: 8...c6
9.Nc3!
Now this move is justified because Black has already committed himself to ...c7-c6.
9...Nd7
A) If Black switches his mind and plays 9...c5 then we are a tempo ahead compared to before and can
continue
15
10.g4! cxd4 11.exd4 Nc6 12.0-0-0 dxc4? [12...g6!? is likely better but even then, White has great
compensation after 13.g5!] 13.g5! Bxd4 [13...hxg5 looks like suicide because it is! 14.hxg5 Bxg5+
15.Kb1 Bh6 16.Bxc4 Qf6 17.Ne5! Nxe5 18.Ne4 Qf5 19.dxe5 Qxe5 20.f4! Qxf4 21.Rdf1 with a
crushing attack.] 14.Nxd4 Nxd4 15.Qe4 e5 16.Qxe5 Nc6 17.Qg3 Qe7 Ipatov, A – Oleksienko, M
Lviv blitz tournament 2013. 18.gxh6 Qf6 19.hxg7 Qh6+ 20.Kb1 Bf5+ 21.Ka1 Rfd8 22.Bxc4+–
B) 9...g6 is possible and transposes into 8...g6, which will be covered separately.
10.g4 g6?
Black should play 10...e5!
Position after: 10...e5!
11.g5 exd4 12.exd4 [≤ the natural looking 12.gxf6 which backfires as after 12...dxc3 13.fxg7 Re8
14.Qxc3 Nf6! suddenly it is White who has to worry about his king!] 12...Re8+ 13.Be2 hxg5 14.hxg5
Bxg5∞ with an extremely complex position where White definitely has compensation. He has a choice
between 15.cxd5 and 15.Qh7+, but Black seems to be holding.
11.g5!
16
Position after: 11.g5!
Now White has a free-flowing attack.
11...hxg5 12.hxg5 Bxg5
12...Bg7 13.0-0-0 Qe7 14.cxd5 exd5 15.Bd3 Re8 16.Rh4 Qd6
Position after: 16...Qd6
17.e4! Nf8 18.Rdh1 dxe4 19.Nxe4 Rxe4 20.Bxe4 and White soon won in Dubov, D (2536) –
17
Mozharov, M (2474) Moscow 2012.
13.Bd3
Position after: 13.Bd3
Black cannot hold the g6-pawn. White threatens Bd3xg6 and in case of ...Kg8-g7, we can always bring
a rook into the attack!
13...Kg7
13...Bf6 14.Bxg6 fxg6 15.Qxg6+ Bg7 16.Ng5 Nf6 17.Rh7! Qe7 18.0-0-0 Rf7 19.Rh4+–
14.cxd5 exd5 15.Rg1 f6 16.Bxg6+–
White’s positional advantage is overwhelming. The rest is easy.
16...Rh8 17.0-0-0 Nf8 18.Bf5 Rh5 19.Ne2 Bxf5 20.Qxf5 Qd7 21.Qxd7+ Nxd7 22.Nf4 Rh6 23.Nxg5
fxg5 24.Rxg5+ Kf6 25.Rdg1+–
Ipatov, A (2601) – Grover, S (2479) Kocaeli 2013.
3) 8...c5
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Qc2 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.h4 c5
18
If Black insists on playing in the same fashion as after 8.Nc3, he will come under direct fire on the
kingside:
9.g4! g6
A) 9...cxd4 Since we haven’t yet developed our knight to c3, it is not hanging, so we can carry on
with our attack without recapturing on d4: 10.g5! Qa5+ 11.Nbd2 dxe3 12.fxe3 Be7 13.gxh6 gxh6
14.Rg1+ Kh8 15.0-0-0
19
Position after: 15.0-0-0
Black’s king is clearly more exposed than ours. For example: 15...Nc6 16.Nb3 Qxa2 17.cxd5 exd5
18.Rxd5 Rg8 19.Qc3+ f6 20.Rxg8+ Kxg8 21.Bc4 with a strong attack.
B) 9...Nc6 10.g5 Nb4 11.Qd2 hxg5 12.hxg5 Bxg5 13.dxc5 a5 14.a3 Nc6 15.Nc3±
Position after: 15.Nc3±
15...dxc4 16.Qc2 Bh6 17.Bxc4 Qf6 18.Ke2 Rd8 19.Rag1 Kf8 20.Rh5 Qe7 21.Ne4 e5 22.Nfg5 Rd4
23.Rxh6 gxh6 24.Nh7+ Ke8 25.Nhf6+ Kd8 26.exd4 Nxd4+ 27.Kd1 and White won in Li, S (2512) –
Wu, X (2257) Wuxi 2016.
10.g5
Another option is 10.dxc5, but personally, I’m not a big fan of opening up the a1-h8 diagonal for
Black’s dark-squared bishop. 10...Na6 11.Nc3 Qa5 12.Rc1 dxc4 13.Bxc4 b5! 14.cxb6 Bb7 15.Qe2
axb6„ Harsha, B (2486) – Zemach, R (2243) Biel 2019.
10...hxg5 11.hxg5
20
Position after: 11.hxg5
11...Bg7
11...Bxg5? can hardly be advised as it prematurely opens the g-file. 12.Bd3 Targeting the g6-pawn.
12...Qf6 [12...Kg7 13.Rg1 Bf6 14.Bxg6+–] 13.Nbd2+– followed by either Ke1-e2 or 0-0-0, in either
case connecting the rooks with the intention of bringing the a1-rook to g1.
12.Nc3 cxd4 13.exd4
21
Position after: 13.exd4
13...e5
Black follows general chess principles and counters in the center. Classical chess theory says you
should aim to open up the position when your king is safe while your opponent’s king remains in the
center. Black’s bishop pair gives him even further incentive to try and open the position. However, this
move enables White to activate his pieces as well and facilitates the transfer of the white queen to the h-
file.
¹ 13...Nc6 14.0-0-0 Qa5∞ which would have offered Black better counter chances.
14.Nxe5 Nc6?
It is easy to go wrong in this complicated position.

¹ 14...dxc4
Position after: ¹ 14...dxc4
15.Qe4!? [15.f4 Qxd4 16.Qh2 Qe3+ 17.Be2 Rd8 18.Rd1 Rxd1+ 19.Nxd1 Qb6 holds the position since
the black king can feel secure on f8.] 15...Nc6 16.Qh4 Re8 17.0-0-0∞ with an extremely complex
position that requires further analysis.
15.f4!
22
Position after: 15.f4!
Supporting the e5-knight and preparing Qc2-h2 with an invasion on the h-file.
15...Nxd4 16.Qh2 Re8 17.0-0-0 Rxe5
Position after: 17...Rxe5
This looks like a strong move but there is one small detail that Black missed.
23
18.Qh7+ Kf8 19.Qh8+!
This move likely escaped my opponent’s attention.
19...Bxh8 20.Rxh8+ Ke7 21.Rxd8 Kxd8 22.fxe5 Nf3 23.Nxd5 Rb8 24.Bg2 Nxg5 25.Rh1+–
Position after: 25.Rh1+–
Despite having equal material, Black is lost. His big problem is that he is unable to bring his queenside
pieces into play. In contrast, White is going to invade with his rook on the next move. Ipatov, A (2649)
– Tarjan, J (2402) PNWCC Open 2018.
24
4) 8...g6
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Qc2 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.h4 g6
Position after: 8...g6
This was Wesley So’s choice against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in August 2018. It is a very human
response – Black doesn’t want to let White open the h-file! If White plays g2-g4, then the black bishop
will retreat to g7 in order to meet White’s g4-g5 with ...h6-h5.
9.Nc3
9.g4 had been played a month prior to the aforementioned Mamedyarov – So game. 9...Bg7 [9...e5!?
deserves attention too, but it is perhaps unnecessary to let White do exactly what he wants: 10.g5∞.]
10.g5 h5 Although the position is closed on the kingside, White can still fight for the initiative. He is
better developed, and Black has a pair of bishops in a semi-closed position. If White can prevent Black
from opening up the position for his bishop pair, he should be better. White’s plan is something like:
Nb1-c3, 0-0-0, Nf3-e5, and f2-f4, trying to dominate Black’s bishops with our knights. In the
following game however, White failed to achieve that desired outcome. 11.Nc3 b6 12.0-0-0 Bb7
25
Position after: 12...Bb7
A) In the game, White played 13.Ne5 dxc4! 14.Rg1 Nc6 15.Nxc6 Bxc6 16.Bxc4 Bf3 17.Rd2 Foisor,
S (2285) – Bengtsson, J (1985) Helsingor 2018. 17...Qd6!?³ with the idea ...Qd6-h2xh4. Black also
potentially wants to open up the position on the queenside with ...c7-c5. If he succeeds in doing that,
the g7-bishop will become a monster.
B) 13.cxd5!? Bxd5 [13...exd5 14.Ne5 Nc6 15.f4ƒ Keeping the position closed and retaining the
knight on the e5-square.] 14.Bg2 [White can also play more aggressively with 14.Nxd5!? Qxd5
15.Bg2 with great compensation.] 14...Bb7 15.Ne4 Nd7 16.Ne5! and Black still needs to figure out a
way to neutralize the activity of White’s annoying knights.
9...c5N
26
Position after: 9...c5N
This was the novelty, although the line is so unexplored that nearly every move would be a novelty!
The reasoning behind this move is that Black has the bishop pair and believes that he should strike
White in the center immediately. Makes sense!
9...c6
A) 10.g4!?
Position after: 10.g4!?
27
This move deserves serious consideration. 10...e5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.dxe5 Bxg4 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.h5
d4 [14...Bxh5 15.Be2 Bxe2 16.Qxe2 Nc6 17.0-0-0©] 15.hxg6 dxc3 16.gxf7+ Kxf7 17.bxc3©
B) 10.0-0-0 Nd7 11.Kb1
Position after: 11.Kb1
I believe that White has better prospects in the resulting middlegame, although Black’s position is
solid and he has the bishop pair. White should watch out for Black’s typical ideas ...c6-c5 and ...e6-e5.
Jakovenko, D (2738) – Bacrot, E (2704) Montpellier 2015.
10.dxc5
10.g4? isn’t that great as after 10...cxd4 we are forced to recapture with 11.exd4 which gives Black
time to consolidate with 11...Nc6 12.0-0-0 Bg7! 13.g5 h5µ when White’s attacking chances on the
kingside have evaporated, whereas Black’s counterplay on the other side of the board is just about to
begin.
10...dxc4 11.h5 g5 12.Bxc4 Qa5 13.Rc1
28
Position after: 13.Rc1
13...Nd7
I’m not sure what Shak’s intentions were after 13...Qxc5. I assume he would choose between one of the
following two options:
A) 14.Ne4
Position after: 14.Ne4
29
A1) 14...Qa5+ 15.Ke2 Nd7 [15...Bg7? runs into the thematic 16.Nfxg5 hxg5 17.h6 Bh8 18.Rh5 f5
19.Rxg5+ Kh7 20.g4!+–; 15...Be7 16.a3 Nd7 17.b4ƒ Black still needs to complete his queenside
development.] 16.Nxf6+ Nxf6 17.Qc3 Qxc3 18.Rxc3 b5! with good chances to equalize.
A2) More accurate is 14...Qb4+! 15.Ke2 Qxb2 16.Rhd1 Bd7 17.Nxf6+ Qxf6 18.Kf1 Be8
Position after: 18...Be8
when White still needs to prove his compensation. Black is a pawn up and his pieces are about to
come out. Once again, I don’t know whether Shak would bluff by offering the b2-pawn or if he
would play more conservatively. Black seems to be perfectly OK objectively.
B) 14.Qe4 with the idea Bc4-d3. 14...Qc6 15.Qg4∞ Of course White must keep the queens on the
board in order to retain attacking chances. The position remains very complex. [15.Bd3 Qxe4
16.Bxe4 Nd7³ Black has the bishop pair.]
14.0-0 Bxc3?!
Black tries to trade as many pieces as possible in order to reduce White’s attacking capabilities.
However, the downside of this move is that Black remains significantly behind in development.
The cool retreat 14...Bg7!? was objectively better, although not at all obvious from a human standpoint
if you are unaware of the evaluation of the position. Black keeps the bishop pair and hopes that White
will not be able to capitalize on his lead in development. Black is still OK!
15.Qxc3 Qxc3 16.Rxc3
Now White gets risk-free positional pressure and can comfortably press for a win.
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16...Nxc5
Position after: 16...Nxc5
17.Ne5!
In order to retain his initiative, White must make Black’s development as difficult as possible.
17...b6 18.Rd1
White takes control over the d-file and aims to penetrate on the seventh rank whenever he is given a
chance.
18.f4!? Mamedyarov, S (2801) – So, W (2780) Saint Louis 2018.
18...Bb7
18...Ne4 19.Rcc1 Nf6 20.Be2 Bb7 21.Rc7 Bd5 22.a3±
19.Ra3!
Black cannot comfortably bring his rooks into play. White is threatening b2-b4 and after
19...a5
the b6-pawn becomes weak.
20.Rd6!±
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Position after: 20.Rd6!±
5) 8...Nc6
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Qc2 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.h4 Nc6!?N
Position after: 8...Nc6!?N
This move comes with two different possible follow up ideas: either ...e6-e5 or else ...Nc6-b4 followed
by ...c7-c5. Both plans aim to open up the position for the bishop pair and punish White for launching
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an attack on the kingside without having completed development first. However, White can pose
practical problems here as well!
9.Nbd2!?
White has to show some flexibility. He develops the knight to the d2-square where it is less likely to be
attacked (as we remember, Black often plays ...e6-e5xd4 or ...c7-c5xd4 which would attack our knight
if we develop it to c3!).
A) 9.g4 is too primitive. 9...e5!
10.g5 exd4! 11.gxf6 Qxf6 12.Nbd2 dxe3 13.fxe3 Re8 14.0-0-0 Rxe3 15.cxd5 Nb4 16.Qc4 a5„
B) 9.Nc3 allows a similar idea as in the main line. I just believe that White has better practical
chances with the knight on d2 than on c3.
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Position after: 9.Nc3
9...Nb4 10.Qb3 c5 11.dxc5 Na6 12.Qa3 Bxc3+ 13.Qxc3 Nxc5 and Black is OK.
9...e5
Having played 8...Nc6, Black doesn’t have many useful moves left. This is the first principled
continuation.
Whereas 9...Nb4 is the second. 10.Qb3 c5 11.g4 We can afford to play this move because our knight is
not on c3, and so Black cannot capture ...c5xd4!
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Position after: 11.g4
A) 11...g6 12.g5 hxg5 13.hxg5 Bg7 14.cxd5 Qa5 [Black surprisingly runs into problems after
14...exd5 15.Rc1! hitting the c5-pawn which is protecting the b4-knight.] 15.d6!?
Position after: 15.d6!?
Played so that Black has to spend a few tempi regaining the pawn. 15...cxd4 16.exd4 e5! Black aims
to open up the position at all costs! The c8-bishop is coming into play now. 17.Nh4!? Perhaps the last
try to pose practical problems. [White can also take the e5-pawn, but then Black’s play is rather easy.
17.Nxe5 Bxe5 18.dxe5 Qxe5+ 19.Be2 Re8 20.0-0-0 Nxa2+ 21.Qxa2 Qxe2 and White has to seek a
perpetual with 22.Rh8+ Kxh8 23.Qxf7 Bh3 24.Qf6+ Kh7 25.Qf7+=.] 17...Be6 [17...Nd5!? is also
possible with the idea ...Nd5-f4 protecting the g6-pawn. 18.Bc4 Nf4 19.0-0-0 b5!? 20.Qxb5 Qxb5
21.Bxb5∞] 18.Nxg6
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Position after: 18.Nxg6
18...Rfd8! [But not the natural looking 18...Rfe8 due to 19.Bc4! and the game continues.] 19.Ne7+
Kf8 20.Ng6+ with a repetition.
B) 11...dxc4 12.Bxc4 b5 13.Be2 Bb7
B1) 14.dxc5!? Qa5 15.a3 Na6 16.Qc2 Rac8 17.g5 Be5 18.0-0 Rxc5 19.Qb1 deserves attention,
although the position is extremely complex and of course, White does carry the risk of losing the
36
game if his ambitious attack on the kingside doesn’t succeed. The g1-king is potentially very weak!
B2) 14.a3 Bd5 15.Qd1 cxd4 [15...Nc6 16.g5 hxg5 17.hxg5 Bxg5 18.Qc2 f5 19.Nxg5 Qxg5 20.Bf3
c4 21.Bxd5 exd5 22.0-0-0 Qf6 23.Rdg1 b4 24.Qd1!
Position after: 24.Qd1!
What a wild position. White wants to bring his queen into the attack with Qd1-h5. 24...bxa3 25.bxa3
Rab8 26.Qh5∞] 16.axb4 dxe3 17.fxe3 Bxb2 18.e4 Bxa1 19.Qxa1 Bc4 20.g5 h5 21.Bxc4 bxc4
22.Qc3 a5 23.bxa5 Rxa5 White’s king is more exposed. Black has very good counterplay.
Back to 9...e5.
10.cxd5 Qxd5 11.Bc4
White develops the bishop with tempo. Black has a choice of two squares to retreat to.
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Position after: 11.Bc4
11...Qa5
Or 11...Qd8 12.d5 when again, Black has two options.
Position after: 12.d5
A) 12...Ne7 13.Ne4 Nxd5 14.Nfg5 [14.Neg5 g6!] 14...c6! What human would go into this position
deliberately with Black without knowing the nuances? 15.Bxd5 Bxg5 16.Nxg5 hxg5 17.hxg5 Re8!
White has nothing better than to force a repetition with 18.Be4 Qxg5 19.Bh7+ Kf8 20.Be4 Be6
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21.Qc5+ Kg8 22.Bh7+=.
B) 12...Na5 13.Ng5 Bxg5 [13...g6 14.Nge4 Bg7 15.h5 Nxc4 16.Qxc4 g5 17.Rc1∞
Position after: 17.Rc1∞
The position remains strategically complex. Black has the bishop pair but is behind in development
and has to deal with the weakness of the c7-pawn. If he plays ...f7-f5, then White is likely to play
Ne4-c5 with a possible jump to e6 later on.] 14.hxg5
Position after: 14.hxg5
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B1) The tempting 14...Nxc4?! is asking for trouble after 15.gxh6 Nxd2?? [15...Nxe3! 16.fxe3 g6
17.Rc1 Qxd5 18.Ne4 Kh8 19.Nf6 Qa5+ 20.Qc3 Qxc3+ 21.Rxc3 c6 22.g4²] 16.hxg7+– Kxg7
17.Qh7+ Kf6 18.Qh4+ Kf5 19.e4+ Nxe4 20.g4+ Kf4 21.Qh2+ and the black king gets mated.
B2) 14...Qxg5 15.Be2 Qe7 16.Rc1 b6 17.Qxc7 Bd7 18.Ba6 Rac8 19.Bxc8 Rxc8 20.Qxc8+ Bxc8
21.Rxc8+ Kh7 Black shouldn’t lose.
12.d5 Ne7
In case of 12...Nb4 White plays 13.Qe4 g6 14.g4!
not giving up hope on the kingside attack and preventing the c8-bishop from being developed to f5.
14...h5 15.Nh2!? An interesting alternative to the more tempting 15.d6 which would create a
devastating one-move threat of 16.Qxg6+. The latter would have forced Black to play something like
...Kh8-g8 preventing the potential threat altogether. So instead, I think it is sensible for White to keep
the tension and not make the opponent’s moves easy. The arising positions are extremely complicated
with chances for both sides.
A) 15...hxg4 16.Nxg4 Bg7 17.h5 Bf5 18.Qf3 e4 [18...Nc2+? 19.Ke2 and the a1-rook doesn’t matter.]
19.Qf4 Nd3+ 20.Bxd3 Bxg4 21.Qxg4 exd3 22.hxg6 Qxd5 23.Rh4∞
B) 15...Kg7 16.a3 hxg4 17.Rc1! Forcing Black to make a decision about whether to move the knight
back or play ...Nb4-c2+ or ...Nb4-d3+ after ...Bc8-f5. 17...Bf5 [17...Na6 18.Nxg4 Nc5 19.Qg2 Bxg4
20.Qxg4 b5 21.Be2 Nb3 22.Rc2 e4 23.h5ƒ] 18.Qg2 e4 [18...Nd3+ 19.Bxd3 Bxd3 20.Nxg4±]
19.axb4 Qxb4 20.Rc2 Rh8 [20...Bxb2? 21.0-0±] 21.Nxg4 Bxh4 22.Ke2ƒ
13.0-0-0
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A double-edged continuation. White commits to his plan of attacking on the kingside. One of the major
ideas is Rh1-g1 followed by g2-g4-g5, trying to take advantage of the black pawn on h6 which serves
as a “hook”. That being said, Black should be alright objectively if he can deal with this idea in a
satisfactory manner.
13...b5 14.Bb3 Bf5 15.Ne4 Qb6 16.Rhg1
Position after: 16.Rhg1
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16...h5! 17.Nxf6+ Qxf6 18.Qc3
18.Qc5 Qd6=
18...Ng6 19.Qc6=
Conclusion
Do not try to memorize all these crazy lines! The simple summary is this: Black is doing well after
8...Nc6, but White may create practical problems with 9.Nbd2. With my analysis, I have attempted
to highlight to you that both sides have multiple equivalent deviations on basically every move.
Therefore, the good news is that there is a lot room for creativity!
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Chapter 2
Slav Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3
Chapter Guide
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3

1) 4...Bf5
2) 4...Bg4 5.Ne5 Bf5 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.f3
2.1: 8...Rc8
2.2: 8...g6
3) 4...dxc4
4) 4...g6
5) 4...e6 5.Nbd2
6) 4...e6 5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bg2
6.1: Early alternatives
6.2: 6...b5 7.Ne5 a6 8.0-0 Bb7 9.b3 b4
6.3: 6...b5 7.Ne5 a6 8.0-0 Bb7 9.b3 cxb3
6.4: 6...b5 7.Ne5 Nd5
6.5: 6...b5 7.Ne5 Qb6
6.6: 6...Nbd7 7.0-0
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6.7: 6...Nbd7 7.a4
1) 4...Bf5
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3
White deviates from the main lines in the Slav Defense as early as possible – i.e. before reaching a
position where the opponent has probably analyzed every major move and might even be planning to
surprise you first!
4...Bf5
Position after: 4...Bf5
This is a natural developing move which Black often plays in the Slav. He wants to develop with ...e7-
e6, ...h7-h6 (preserving the bishop pair), ...Nb8-d7, ...Bf8-d6(e7), 0-0 and so on. If Black manages to
do all of the above, it will be hard for White to claim any tangible advantage. Therefore, we shouldn’t
let Black develop comfortably!
5.Nc3
The immediate 5.Nh4 gives Black extra options: 5...Be4 6.f3 Bxb1 7.Rxb1 Bachmann, A (2644) –
Bologan, V (2654) Tromsø 2014. 7...dxc4!? 8.e4 b5 9.Bg2 e6 and it is not clear what the knight is
doing on h4.
5...e6
5...dxc4 6.Ne5 Planning to recapture the pawn on c4 and secure central control. If we succeed, Black
44
will regret taking ...d5xc4, allowing us both space and control! 6...Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Nb6 8.Ne5 e6 9.Bg2
h6 10.0-0 Be7 11.e4 Bh7 12.Be3 0-0 13.Qe2² White has more space and comfortable development. It
is not easy for Black to play ...c6-c5 or e6-e5 and the h7-bishop is also out of play. Short, N (2691) –
Shengelia, D (2523) Baku 2007.
6.Nh4!?
Position after: 6.Nh4!?
White wants to grab the bishop pair before Black plays ...h7-h6! Black now has a wide range of
options:
6...dxc4
A) 6...Be4 This is a typical move in the Slav. Black wants to provoke f2-f3 before retreating the
bishop to g6. Sometimes f2-f3 is a strength (facilitating e2-e4 gaining a space advantage) and
sometimes it is a weakness (leaving the dark squares around the king vulnerable). It all depends how
the middlegame battle goes! 7.f3 Bg6 8.Qb3
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Position after: 8.Qb3
8...Qb6 [≤ 8...Qc8 which gives White an opportunity to comfortably gain a space advantage. 9.e4!
dxe4 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.fxe4 e5 This typical move attempts to secure control of the dark squares.
Unfortunately for Black, he is behind in development. 12.dxe5 Ng4 13.e6! fxe6 14.Be2 Ne5 15.Bf4
Nbd7 16.0-0-0 Be7 17.h4 Qc7 Tkachiev, V (2649) – Najer, E (2633) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013.
18.Na4! 0-0-0 19.c5! and Black is barely breathing.] 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.c5! An exception to the rule:
“Do not close the position when you have the bishop pair”.
Position after: 10.c5!
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If Black trades queens on b3, then White will have some pressure down the a-file as well as the
logical b3-b4-b5 idea. If Black instead retreats the queen with 10...Qc7, then White continues his plan
of central expansion with 11.e4.
Position after: 11.e4
A1) If Black develops his knight with 11...Nbd7, we can take 12.exd5! using the fact that the black
knight can no longer be developed to c6. 12...Nxd5 13.Nxd5 cxd5 14.Bb5 a6 15.Ba4! Be7 16.Bf4
Qc8 17.Rc1 and White is doing great. Melkumyan, H (2647) – Heberla, B (2578) Warsaw 2014.
A2) 11...Be7 12.Bf4 Qc8
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Position after: 12...Qc8
13.Bg2 Waiting for the black knight to go to d7. [Elaborating on the point made earlier, 13.exd5
would allow Black to develop his knight to c6 from where it would both prevent White’s potential
c5-c6 break and counterattack the d4-pawn. 13...Nxd5 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.0-0-0 Nc6 16.Kb1 g5
17.Be3 f5 18.g4 f4 19.Bf2 Kf7 20.Re1 b6! and Black is OK. Mamedyarov, S (2760) – Nakamura, H
(2772) Shamkir 2014.] 13...Nbd7 Now it’s time to capture. 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Nxd5 exd5
Position after: 15...exd5
Black prepares ...Nd7-f8-e6. The knight will be excellently positioned there! [Alternatively, Black
may capture with the c-pawn, but it is a bit slow: 15...cxd5 16.Rc1 Nb8 17.Qc3 Nc6 18.b4 White is
getting ready to play b4-b5 pushing the knight away from c6.] 16.h4!? with a complex game.
White’s idea is to meet 16...Nf8 with 17.Bh3, leaving the knight pinned after 17...Ne6.
B) 6...Bg6 is very solid but somewhat passive. 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qd3 [There is nothing wrong with
8.Qb3 either. White enjoys a pleasant “bishop pair” edge there too.] 8...Nbd7 9.Bg2 Be7 10.0-0 0-0
11.Rd1 Qa5 12.b3
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Position after: 12.b3
B1) 12...Rad8 13.cxd5!? This was by no means forced, but White has an idea in mind. If Black
recaptures with the c-pawn, then the black rooks are misplaced. Black would have to move the rook
from d8 to c8, losing a tempo. If Black recaptures with the e-pawn as in the game, then White has a
small but enduring edge thanks to his bishop pair and Black’s inability to create counterplay with the
usual ...c6-c5 or ...e6-e5 breaks. 13...exd5 14.a3 and Anish managed to slowly outplay his opponent.
Giri, A (2749) – Buhmann, R (2582) Germany 2013.
B2) 12...Rfd8 13.Qc2 Qa6
49
Position after: 13...Qa6
14.e3!? with the intention of playing Bg2-f1. [≤ 14.Rb1 dxc4 15.bxc4 Qxc4 16.Rxb7 Bb4 17.Rd3
Nd5 18.Bd2 N7b6„ Gelfand, B (2695) – Nepomniachtchi, I (2751) Moscow 2018.] 14...dxc4
15.bxc4 Qxc4 16.Bf1 Qb4 17.Rb1 Qa5 18.Rxb7² This is definitely an improved version of the
game.
C) 6...Bg4 7.f3 [7.h3 is another way to grab the bishop pair. 7...Bh5 8.g4 Ne4!? 9.Nxe4 dxe4
10.Qb3ƒ Ragger, M (2632) – Nguyen, N (2621) Dubai 2014.] 7...Bh5 8.Qb3 Qb6
Position after: 8...Qb6
9.c5 [The more aggressive 9.g4!? deserves attention as well: 9...Bg6 10.Qxb6 axb6 11.g5 Nfd7
12.cxd5 exd5 13.e4! dxe4 14.fxe4 and it is not easy for Black to undermine White’s center.] 9...Qxb3
10.axb3 Be7 11.b4 0-0 12.Kf2 Nfd7 13.e3 Bf6 14.Be2 Re8 15.Ng2 e5 16.Rd1 Black couldn’t solve
his opening problems and lost later on. Baron, T (2529) – Can, I (2413) Batumi 2018.
50
Position after: 6...dxc4
7.Nxf5
Attention! We do not automatically develop our bishop to g2. First, we grab the bishop pair.
7.Bg2 Nbd7 Now it will be harder for White to recapture the c4-pawn. Black could always protect it
with ...Nd7-b6. 8.0-0 Bg4!? Now the bishop pair is no longer easily attainable. 9.Qc2 Be7 10.Rd1 Nd5
11.Nf3 0-0 and White’s compensation is not apparent at all. Ragger, M (2632) – Nguyen, N (2621)
Dubai 2014.
7...exf5
And now we play...
8.e3!?
51
Position after: 8.e3!?
with the intention of capturing on c4 with the bishop.
8...Nbd7
I find this to be the most flexible move. Before deciding what to do with his bishop, Black should first
activate his knights, preventing White from taking over the queenside initiative.
A) 8...b5 seriously undermines the light squares on the queenside and now 9.Bg2 makes a lot of sense,
exerting serious pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal.
B) I was once faced with 8...h5?! which is simply premature. Black is attempting to destroy White’s
pawn structure while his own king is stuck in the center and his pieces are undeveloped. 9.Bxc4 h4
10.Qb3! Black’s f7- and b7-pawns need protection. 10...Qc7 11.Bd2 b5
52
Position after: 11...b5
Black has created weaknesses by carelessly pushing his pawns. It is important to remember that
pawns cannot go backwards in chess, in the same way that words cannot be unsaid in real life! 12.Bd3
hxg3 13.fxg3 g6 14.Rc1 a6 15.e4! Having better development, White correctly opted to open the
position with 15...b4 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.exd5 Bd6 18.dxc6 Bxg3+ 19.Kd1 and soon won. Ipatov, A
(2619) – Mohammad, N (2414) Doha 2015.
9.Bxc4 Nb6
53
Position after: 9...Nb6
10.Bb3
White wants to maintain the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal.

The alternative is 10.Be2, aiming to reroute the bishop onto the h1-a8 diagonal. I guess it is pretty
much a matter of taste. An additional detail to note is that this move was played in the final game of the
Women’s World Championship in 2017. The Chinese grandmaster Tan Zhongyi won the game and
hence the title! So it was likely home preparation by the Chinese team. Nevertheless, Black seems to be
doing well after 10...Bd6 11.Bf3 0-0 12.0-0 Re8 13.Qc2 Qd7 14.b3 Re7 15.Na4 Rae8 16.Nc5 Qc8
17.Bd2 Nbd5 18.Rac1 Ne4 with a very solid position. It is not easy for White to open the position for
the bishop pair. Tan, Z (2502) – Muzychuk, A (2558) Teheran 2017.
10...h5
Black can also play solidly with 10...Be7 aiming to consolidate in the usual way, i.e. ...Qd8-d7, ...g7-
g6, 0-0, ...Nb6-d5, etc. White can try to prevent that by playing aggressively but Black seems to be able
to neutralize White’s threats. 11.h3!?
Position after: 11.h3!?
It is pretty much now or never. White should either choose to play a long game and gradually make use
of the bishop pair or else try to quickly create practical problems by playing dynamically. Here we see
White go for the latter option.
A) 11...Qd7 12.g4 fxg4 13.hxg4 Nxg4
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Position after: 13...Nxg4
[13...Qxg4 14.Qxg4 Nxg4 15.Rg1 h5 16.f3 Nh6 17.Rxg7² If White brings his other pieces into play
quickly, Black will be strategically lost.] 14.f3 [Perhaps White can just play slowly with 14.Qe2!?,
waiting for the black king to choose which direction to castle and then react accordingly.] 14...Nh6!
[≤ 14...Nf6 15.e4! and it is difficult for Black to undermine White’s center.] 15.e4 0-0-0 16.Be3 f5!
17.e5 f4 18.Bxf4 Rhf8„
B) 11...0-0 is asking for 12.g4 Qd7 13.Bc2 and Black will likely start regretting his hasty decision to
castle short.
C) 11...h5 might be best. I think that in a practical game, Black’s safest bet is to try and prevent g3-g4.
12.Qd3 Qd7 13.Bd2 and the position is objectively about equal. I would prefer to play White
personally because I love playing with the bishop pair. However, I know a number of players who
would prefer to take the Black side here!
11.Qd3 Qd7 12.Bd2 h4 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.f3!
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White has the bishop pair and a strong center. So, what should he do next? Open up the position!
14...Bd6 15.Rhg1 hxg3 16.hxg3 Bc7 17.Kb1 Kb8 18.Bc1∞
Position after: 18.Bc1∞
Preparing e3-e4. Once again, it is a matter of opinion about which side to take here, but I like White!
Mamedyarov, S (2764) – Tomashevsky, E (2701) Baku 2014.
56
2) 4...Bg4 5.Ne5 Bf5 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.f3
2.1: 8...Rc8
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Bg4
Position after: 4...Bg4
This is another typical move in the Slav. Although there is nothing wrong with this move objectively,
I’m always especially pleased when I see it being played against me. In the 2016 Turkish league,
Dragan Solak played it against me but quickly got into trouble. Our response is:
5.Ne5
Asking the black bishop to retreat from g4. If it doesn’t, then we will acquire the bishop pair for free.
You might be asking yourself why Black would play ...Bc8-g4 only to retreat a move later? I think the
answer is that Black doesn’t find Nf3-e5 particularly dangerous and potentially wants to offer an
exchange of knights with ...Nb8-d7.
5...Bf5
A) 5...Bh5 is riskier. Black really has to know what he is doing here. 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nc3 e6 8.h4!
57
Position after: 8.h4!
White has a very concrete plan in mind: f2-f3 followed by g3-g4! Black has to do something urgently.
[8.Qa4+ is also interesting but not as concrete as 8.h4. Cornette, M (2566) – Shankland, S (2642)
Doha 2014.]
A1) In case of the natural 8...Bd6 9.f3 h6 10.g4 Bg6 11.Nxg6 Bg3+ 12.Kd2 fxg6 13.e3, White has
the upper hand since it is hard for Black to get at the white king, whereas Black’s structural
deficiencies are certainly felt. The light squares are especially weak.
A2) In the following correspondence game, Black tried to solve his opening problems concretely:
8...Nc6 9.f3 Bg6 10.g4 Nxe5 11.dxe5 d4 12.exf6 dxc3 13.Qxd8+ Rxd8 14.e4 Bb4 15.Bb5+ Kf8
16.Ke2 h5 17.fxg7+ Kxg7 18.g5 Rc8 19.Rd1 cxb2 20.Bxb2+ Bc3 21.Rab1 Bxb2 22.Rxb2 Rc7
23.Ba4 Rhc8 Black is slightly worse due to the bishop on g6 being locked in, but ultimately
managed to make a draw. I must comment that I wouldn’t find it easy to defend Black’s position in
an over-the-board game! Troia, E (2282) – Garau, B (2377) ICCF email 2016.
B) 5...Be6 isn’t perfectly satisfactory either. 6.Nc3 dxc4 7.e4 g6 8.Nxc4 Bg7 9.Ne3 0-0 10.Bg2
White has a very easy position to play. It is Black who has to find good moves. 10...Qc8 11.0-0 Bh3
12.e5 Ne8 13.f4 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 e6 15.h4ƒ Ragger, M (2632) – Andriasian, Z (2611) Dubai 2014.
6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.f3
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Position after: 8.f3
8...Rc8
8...g6 also makes sense here. See the next subchapter for details.
8...Bd7 offers up the bishop, an offer which we are always happy to accept! 9.Nxd7 Qxd7 10.e4 e6
11.e5 Ng8 12.Be3 Bb4 13.Bd3 Nge7
Position after: 13...Nge7
59
14.Bf2 [14.Rc1!? also deserves attention. White prepares himself to recapture on c3 with the rook
rather than allowing Black to destroy our pawn structure as in the game Grischuk – Tomashevsky.]
14...Nf5 15.Bc2 Rc8 16.Kf1 Bxc3! Otherwise White will play Nc3-e2. 17.bxc3 Na5 18.Rc1 Nc4
Position after: 18...Nc4
Arriving at a very interesting strategic battle. White has the bishop pair and a space advantage in the
center and potentially on the kingside too. However, the position is somewhat closed which favors
Black’s pair of knights. The c4-knight is perfectly placed while the f5-knight is not. White intends to
complete his development in a rather artificial way with Qd1-e2, Kf1-g2 before starting to push the
pawns on the kingside with g3-g4, h2-h4 and so on. In the following game, even a player as strong as
Evgeny Tomashevsky couldn’t prove equality and let White do everything that he wanted. 19.Qe2 0-0
20.Kg2 f6 21.exf6 Rxf6 22.Bd3 b5 23.Rhf1 Qf7 24.Rce1 Rf8 25.g4! Ne7 26.Bg3 Ng6 27.h4 Kh8
28.h5 Nf4+ 29.Bxf4 Rxf4 30.Bxc4 dxc4 31.Qxe6 and White won soon. Grischuk, A (2777) –
Tomashevsky, E (2697) Loo 2014.
9.Bg2
Instead, 9.g4 would have been a lot less effective here as the black bishop can retreat safely. 9...Bd7
10.Nxd7
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Position after: 10.Nxd7
10...Nxd7! White should watch out for ...e7-e5 followed by ...Qd8-h4+. Having played g3-g4 may
definitely backfire. [But not 10...Qxd7?! which gives White easy play after 11.g5 Nh5 12.e4 e6 13.Bh3
Bb4 14.0-0 Bxc3 15.bxc3 0-0 16.c4! and Black has no adequate way to keep control of the d5-square.
Laznicka, V (2679) – Matlakov, M (2689) Dubai 2014.] 11.h4 e6 12.e3 Be7 13.h5 Bh4+ 14.Ke2 h6„
Black has no weaknesses so White has no real justification for having his king on e2. Hracek, Z (2631)
– Banusz, T (2582) Jerusalem 2015.
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9...Bd7
9...Qb6!? seems to be critical. Black puts pressure on the d4-pawn so White is pretty much forced to
respond with 10.e4 if he wants to get anything out of the opening. 10...dxe4 11.fxe4 Bd7
A) White would usually be happy to attain the bishop pair, but here he doesn’t have any reasonable
way to keep his center intact after 12.Nxd7?! Nxd7 as 13.Ne2 runs into the thematic 13...e5! and
Black gains control over the dark squares. [13.Be3 Qxb2 14.Ne2 Qa3 15.Bc1 Qa6 16.0-0 e6 White’s
position looks nice but I don’t see how we can prevent Black from castling.]
B) A better try is 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.d5 [13.0-0 e5! and Black is OK.] 13...Bd7 14.e5 I think that this is
the best practical continuation to put Black’s play to the test. 14...Ng4 15.Qe2
Position after: 15.Qe2
15...Qa6! 16.Qxa6 bxa6 17.e6 fxe6 18.dxe6 Bxe6 19.0-0© White certainly has compensation and
precision is required from Black. In the game, John Bartholomew found the correct way to equalize.
19...Bd7 20.h3 Nf6 21.Be3 e6 22.Bxa7 Bc5+ 23.Bxc5 Rxc5= Vaibhav, S (2544) – Bartholomew, J
(2477) Reykjavik 2018.
10.0-0 e6 11.Kh1
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Position after: 11.Kh1
11...Qb6?
A) Dragan Solak thinks that Black is alright after 11...Be7 12.e4 0-0 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 14.e5 Ne8 but I
disagree.
Position after: 14...Ne8
I think that this is a matter of preference. I like to play with the bishop pair whereas he clearly favors
playing with knights. Putting our preferences aside, I still think that White should objectively have an
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edge here. Just look at the position visually – it is so nice!
B) 11...Bd6 allows White to play e2-e4 with tempo after 12.Nxd7 Qxd7 13.e4!² when White has both
the bishop pair and a space advantage.
Position after: 13.e4!²
12.e4! dxe4 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.d5!
Position after: 14.d5!
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With an overwhelming initiative which unfortunately, I failed to capitalize on. The game eventually
ended in a draw. Ipatov, A (2657) – Solak, D (2633) Izmir 2016.
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2.2: 8...g6
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Bg4 5.Ne5 Bf5 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.f3 g6
A relatively new move which has become popular only in the last couple of years. Black doesn’t want
to commit to playing ...e7-e6 too early which would block the f5-bishop from retreating. He also
doesn’t want to waste a tempo retreating the bishop back to d7 voluntarily before playing ...e7-e6.
9.Bg2
9.e4 looks critical but Black is doing well in a number of different variations. It is just important for
him to remember to include ...d5xe4!. 9...dxe4! [≤ 9...Be6?! which is way too passive. 10.Bb5 Rc8
11.Bf4 Qa5 12.Qa4 Qxa4 13.Nxa4 a6 14.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.Nc5± White obtained a comfortable grasp on
the position. Chatalbashev, B (2551) – Firat, B (2487) Izmir 2016.] 10.Bb5
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Position after: 10.Bb5
A) 10...Nd7!?N still hasn’t been tested in a serious game. The resulting positions are extremely messy
and hard for a human to comprehend. 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bxc6 exf3 13.Bxf3 [13.Bxa8 gives Black
great compensation after 13...Qxa8.] 13...Bh3! It is crucial to prevent White from castling short. Once
again, Black is not afraid to sacrifice the exchange in return for control of the light squares. The
position is double-edged and requires much deeper analysis than the scope of this book can provide.
B) 10...exf3!?N is another crazy move that seems to be fully playable.
C) 10...Bd7 11.Nxd7 Nxd7
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Position after: 11...Nxd7
12.fxe4 [12.d5? gives up the e5-square prematurely. 12...Nce5 13.fxe4 Bg7³ Markoja, B (2336) –
Firat, B (2460) Otocec 2016.] 12...Bg7 13.Be3 0-0 Black is objectively OK. White’s center
(especially the d4-pawn) is a potential weakness if he fails to capitalize on his central control and
bishop pair quickly.
Position after: 13...0-0
9...Bg7
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10.0-0
10.Be3 0-0 11.0-0 Nd7 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.g4 Be6 14.Qd2 Nb6 15.b3 c5 16.Rad1 c4= Giri, A (2762) –
Solak, D (2626) Heraklion 2017.
10...0-0 11.e4
The more positional way of playing would be 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Na4 trying to secure control over the
c5-square. Black should strive for a break with ...c6-c5 or ...e7-e5, otherwise he risks ending up in a
worse position.
11...dxe4 12.fxe4
Position after: 12.fxe4
12...Be6
≤ 12...Bd7 13.Nxd7! Taking the bishop pair! [13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.d5 gives up control of the e5-square.
Zanan, E (2493) – Solak, D (2629) Batumi 2018. 14...Be8!?= leaving the d7-square free for the knight.]
13...Nxd7 [13...Qxd7 also runs into 14.e5ƒ.] 14.e5 Restricting the activity of the g7-bishop and
opening up the h1-a8 diagonal for our g2-bishop. 14...Qb6 15.Kh1ƒ Black still has work to do to
neutralize White’s initiative.
13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.e5 Nd5 15.Na4 Rb8 16.Nc5
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I like White’s position, although objectively it is balanced. Zanan, E (2497) – Postny, E (2576) Teplice
2018.
3) 4...dxc4
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4
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In my opinion, this is the critical continuation against 4.g3. Black grabs the pawn and forces White to
make a decision. White can either try and regain the pawn quickly or else he can ignore the pawn
deficit and continue developing with the hope of having compensation. I would like to mention that this
was the move suggested by Alexey Dreev at our training camp in 2015. Being a Slav player his entire
life, Alexey is definitely a reputable authority here. Hence, let’s dive in deeper!
5.Bg2
Black has a choice of moves now.
5...g6
This is Alexey Dreev’s recommendation. I have faced this move twice: once against Daniil Dvirnyy
(who used to work with Dreev!) at the 2016 Olympiad and once against Andrey Baryshpolets at the
2017 Pan American Intercollegiate Championship.
A) 5...Nbd7 prevents Nf3-e5 and prepares ...Nd7-b6 in order to retain the extra pawn, or at least make
it difficult for White to regain it. Now White has multiple ways to play but I believe 6.0-0 is critical.
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Position after: 6.0-0
6...g6 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.e4 White lets Black enjoy the extra pawn and seeks compensation with his space
advantage, center control and better coordination. 8...0-0 9.Qe2 Nb6 10.a4 This is a useful inclusion
as the b6-knight might be left hanging in some lines. 10...a5 11.h3!
Restriction. White tries to make Black’s development as difficult as possible. The c8-bishop can no
longer be developed to the g4-square. Furthermore, White prepares Bc1-e3 himself without having to
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worry about Nf6-g4.
A1) 11...Ne8 This is a typical move as will see later in the other variations. 12.Rd1 Be6 13.Be3 and I
find it easier to play with White here. He can carry out typical ideas like Nf3-g5 followed by f2-f4
gaining even more space. Black should be careful not to drop his b6-knight – it is really unstable.
Black also needs to be constantly alert to White’s d4-d5 possibility.
A2) 11...e5 is critical if Black wants to be relieved from White’s long-term compensation. 12.dxe5
Nfd7 13.Bg5 Qe8 14.Qe3! Now we see why it was important to include a2-a4 and ...a7-a5. The b6-
knight is now hanging and so Black cannot recapture on e5 immediately. 14...Ra6 The rook protects
the knight but it is now quite awkwardly placed on a6. 15.Rfd1 Nxe5 16.Nxe5 [16.Rd8!? is equally
interesting. 16...Nxf3+ 17.Bxf3 Qe5 18.Rad1 and it is not obvious how Black can consolidate. His
coordination is really poor.] 16...Qxe5 17.Bf4 Qe6 18.Bc7 Nd7 19.f4 Re8 20.Rd6 Qf5 21.Rad1 with
overwhelming positional compensation. Ivanisevic, I (2610) – Sedlak, N (2577) Ulcinj 2014.
B) 5...Bf5 doesn’t seem like a consistent follow up to 5...dxc4. 6.0-0 Nbd7 7.Na3
Position after: 7.Na3
If Black allows us to recapture the c4-pawn, we will have a comfortable positional edge and will
likely continue with Na3xc4, b2-b4, Bc1-b2 when it is hard for Black to make a break with either e7-
e5 or c6-c5.
B1) 7...Nb6 8.Ne5 Be6 Atakisi, U (2378) – Lajthajm, B (2433) Paracin 2016. 9.Qc2!? White
intends to recapture the c4-pawn and enjoy a small but stable positional advantage. Now 9...Qxd4?
is dangerous as White favorably opens up the position with 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bxc6+ Bd7 12.Be3
Qg4 13.Bxa8 Nxa8 14.Nxc4 and stands better. Black is unlikely to castle without losing material.
B2) 7...b5 8.b3!
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Position after: 8.b3!
This looks very deep and complicated. However, if we remember the basic chess principles, it
should become more understandable. We have castled, whereas Black still needs at least three tempi
to bring his king to safety. The c6-pawn is also a weakness in the black camp. So, what should we
do? Of course, we have to open the position! 8...cxb3 [8...c3 also runs into 9.Ne5! with similar
ideas.] 9.Ne5! Once again, try to not memorize these lines but instead approach the position with
common sense in mind. White is ahead in development and the black king is stuck in the center. So
we are basically trying to capitalize on our lead in development and not give Black enough time to
develop and consolidate.
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Position after: 9.Ne5!
B2.1) Trading queens doesn’t solve Black’s problems: 9...Nxe5 10.dxe5 Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Ne4
12.axb3 e6 13.Rd4 Rd8 14.Nc2 Bc5 15.Bxe4!? [White’s position is so good that he may even opt
for a safer option: 15.Rxd8+ Kxd8 16.Be3 with serious pressure.] 15...Bxd4 16.Bxc6+ Kf8
17.Nxd4 Rxd4 18.Be3 Rd8 19.b4 with complete domination!
B2.2) 9...Be4 10.Nxc6 Qb6 11.Bxe4 Nxe4 12.d5 e6! Before it is too late. 13.Qxb3 a6!? Black may
be holding on here, but why suffer like this when there are better (and safer) alternatives available?
C) In case of 5...e6, White may wish to transpose into the Slav with g2-g3 (i.e. 4.Nc3 e6 5.g3 dxc4
6.Bg2) which we will cover separately later in the book, or else play 6.a4 when Black will reply 6...c5
followed by ...Nb8-c6 or ...Bc8-d7. White seems to retain pressure, although Black should be able to
neutralize it with precise play. 7.0-0
C1) 7...Bd7 8.Na3 Bc6 9.Nxc4 White has a pleasant positional edge and can press without risk. For
example: 9...Bd5 [9...Nbd7 10.Bf4 Bd5 11.Rc1 Rc8 12.Nd6+ Bxd6 13.Bxd6 Qb6 14.dxc5 Nxc5
15.Bxc5 Rxc5 16.Qd4 Rxc1 17.Rxc1 0-0 18.Qxb6 axb6 19.Ne5± Ganguly, S (2627) – Sethuraman,
S (2535) Kavala 2012.] 10.b3 Nc6 11.Bb2 Be7 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Rc1 0-0 14.Ncd2 Played with a
trap in mind. 14...Bxf3 [14...Bb4?? 15.Bxf6! Qxf6 16.e4+–] 15.Bxf3± Xiong, J (2634) – Lenic, L
(2662) Internet 2018.
C2) 7...Nc6 This seems like a more natural response. 8.dxc5
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8...Nd5 [8...Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Bxc5 10.Nbd2 c3 11.bxc3 0-0 and this is a well-known theoretical
position (arising from 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c5 6.0-0 Nc6 7.dxc5 Qxd1
8.Rxd1 Bxc5 9.Nbd2 c3 10.bxc3 0-0) with an extra tempo for White (a2-a4 has been inserted).]
9.b3!? cxb3 10.Bb2 Nf6 11.Qxd8+ Nxd8 12.Nbd2 Bxc5 13.Nxb3 Be7 14.Ne5© Meier, G (2651) –
Naroditsky, D (2626) Saint Louis 2017.
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6.Ne5
6.0-0 Bg7
A) 7.Nc3 0-0 8.e4
gives Black extra options in comparison to the line that we have already examined: 5...Nbd7 6.0-0 g6
7.Nc3 Bg7 8.e4 0-0 where Black has already committed himself to playing ...Nb8-d7. For example:
8...Bg4 Hayrapetyan, H (2503) – Mchedlishvili, M (2640) Dubai 2013. [Or 8...b5 Turov, M (2630) –
Shankland, S (2539) Dresden 2011.]
B) 7.Qc2 Bf5 8.Qxc4 0-0 9.Nc3 Nbd7 This is almost the exact same position as in the 4.Qc2 Slav
with the only difference being that Black’s dark-squared bishop is on g7 instead of e7. According to
Dreev, this difference favors Black. Indeed, the fianchettoed bishop exerts more pressure on White’s
center!
C) 7.a4 Ne4! “!” according to Dreev (training camp, April 2015.)
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Position after: 7...Ne4!
8.Qc2 Nd6 9.e4 Na6! Here Black’s knights are much better placed in comparison to the game
Ivanisevic – Sedlak, 2014. 10.Na3 0-0 11.Rd1 Nb4 12.Qe2 Bg4 13.Nxc4 Nxc4 14.Qxc4 a5 with a
fully playable position according to Dreev.
6...Be6 7.Na3
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7...Bg7
I think that this is the best move from a human perspective.

In 2015, Dreev suggested 7...Bd5 as the best move: 8.f3 b5 9.e4 Be6 10.f4 Bg7 and he ended the line
here stating that Black is OK. Indeed, Black’s position might be objectively sound. However, the game
continues and White’s resources should not be underestimated! 11.0-0 0-0 12.Nc2 Imagine playing this
position with Black in an over-the-board game without any computer assistance. Is it so obvious what
to do? I don’t think so and believe that White can create serious practical problems against an
unprepared opponent. 12...Qc8 Eljanov, P (2706) – Malakhov, V (2707) Riga 2013. Protecting the c6-
pawn and preparing ...Rf8-d8, ...Nb8-d7 or ...Be6-h3. It is likely to be played by a human. 13.Qe2!
Position after: 13.Qe2!
Now Black has many different options, but White seems to have good resources in all lines:
A) 13...Nbd7 14.a4 a6 15.f5 The aggressive approach. [Alternatively, 15.Bd2!? aims to gradually
squeeze Black: 15...c3 Otherwise White might play Nc2-e3. 16.Bxc3 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Bc4 18.Qe1 Nd7
19.Rf3 Nc5 20.Ne3∞ with chances for both sides.] 15...gxf5 16.exf5 Bd5 17.Nb4
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Position after: 17.Nb4
Exerting pressure on the c6-pawn. If Black doesn’t know what to do, he might be in trouble in an
over-the-board game. 17...Bxg2 [17...Nxe5 18.dxe5 Nd7 19.Bh3!?©] 18.Qxg2 c5 19.Nbc6 Qe8
20.Nxd7 Qxd7 21.axb5 Kh8 22.Rxa6
Position after: 22.Rxa6
with an extremely complicated position where it is easy to go wrong for Black (and maybe White
too!)
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B) As the following game illustrates, it is easy to misplay the position with Black: 13...a5 14.Bd2 a4
15.Bc3 Bh3? 16.Bxh3 Qxh3 17.g4! and Black was in trouble. Ivanisevic, I (2662) – Balog, I (2526)
Hungary 2015.
C) 13...Nfd7?! is asking for trouble after 14.f5! gxf5 [14...Nxe5 15.fxe6 Nd3 16.exf7+ Rxf7 17.Rxf7
Kxf7 18.e5 with overwhelming compensation. Black’s light-squares are very weak.] 15.Ne3! fxe4
16.Bxe4 with fantastic compensation again!
D) 13...Bh3 14.Bxh3 Qxh3
Position after: 14...Qxh3
15.g4 I think that this is critical and very unpleasant to face for a human. White simply wants to trap
the black queen! [15.b3 was played in the following correspondence game: 15...cxb3 16.axb3 Qc8
17.Nd3 a5 18.Bd2 a4 19.bxa4 Rxa4 20.Rxa4 bxa4 21.Nc5 e6 22.Nxa4 Qa6 23.Qxa6 Nxa6= Garau, B
(2377) – Faridani, A (2290) ICCF email 2016.] 15...Nfd7 [≤ 15...Ne8 16.a4! f6 17.Ra3 Qh4 18.Qg2!
fxe5 19.dxe5 Bxe5 20.fxe5 Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1+– with the idea Ra3-h3; ≤ 15...h5? 16.Rf3 Qh4 17.g5 Ng4
(17...Nfd7 allows 18.h3 and the black queen will be trapped by Bc1-d2-e1 or Bc1-e3-f2) 18.h3 Nxe5
19.dxe5+– the same applies here.] 16.Rf3 is critical [Although 16.a4!? deserves attention as well with
the idea Ra1-a3.] 16...Qh4 17.Qg2 Qf6 18.g5 Qd6 19.Ng4 with fantastic compensation from a human
perspective.
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Position after: 19.Ng4
For example: 19...c5 [19...Bxd4+? 20.Nxd4 Qxd4+ 21.Be3 Qxe4 22.Nh6+! Kh8 23.Bd2! Preparing
Ra1-e1 and Bd2-c3+. Black should beg for mercy!] 20.d5 f5 21.gxf6 exf6 22.a4 f5 [22...b4? 23.Nge3!
taking control of the fantastic c4-square.] 23.exf5 Rxf5 24.axb5ƒ
8.Nexc4 0-0 9.0-0
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9...Bd5!
A) 9...Qc8 is possible too. However, as the following game illustrates, Black cannot just play some
general moves. 10.Qc2!? Otherwise Black will play ...Rf8-d8 exerting pressure on the d-file. 10...Bh3
11.Rd1 Bxg2 12.Kxg2
Position after: 12.Kxg2
A1) 12...Rd8?! 13.e4 Now White gains a comfortable positional edge after 13...b5 [13...c5 14.d5 is
an inferior version for Black of the 12...c5 line which we will see next. The purpose of ...Rf8-d8 is
not clear. Black lacks time to create counterplay.] 14.Na5 c5 15.d5 Qa6 16.Bd2 e6 17.dxe6 fxe6
18.Qb3 b4
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19.Bxb4! Rxd1 20.Rxd1 cxb4 21.Rd8+ Kf7 22.N3c4+– Ipatov, A (2659) – Baryshpolets, A (2592)
Columbus 2017.
A2) 12...c5! directly is better. Black doesn’t spend a tempo on ...Rf8-d8 and creates counterplay on
the queenside immediately. 13.d5 [13.dxc5 Na6=] 13...Nbd7 14.e4 a6! 15.f3 [But not 15.e5??
Nxd5! 16.Rxd5? Qc6 17.Qe4 e6–+.] 15...b5 16.Na5 e6„ with a somewhat improved version of the
game for Black.
B) 9...Nbd7 10.e4 Nb6 Speelman, J (2539) – Shirov, A (2709) Gibraltar 2006. After 11.b3 Black still
has work to do to equalize.
10.Bh3
Black has a comfortable game after 10.f3 Nfd7 11.b3 [≤ 11.e4?! Bxc4 12.Nxc4 Nb6 and the d4-pawn
is weak.] 11...c5!.
10...Nbd7
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Position after: 10...Nbd7
11.Bf4
11.f3 c5 12.e4 Bxc4 13.Nxc4 cxd4 14.e5 Nd5 15.Qxd4 e6 16.f4 Rc8 Black is doing fine thanks to his
better development and strong d5-knight, though White may still play on with some hope thanks to his
bishop pair.
11...b5
Interesting but not necessary.

11...Nh5!? 12.Bg5 f6 13.Bd2 f5 14.Ba5 b6 15.Bc3 Qc7 would offer Black better chances. White’s
pieces are misplaced.
12.Ne3 Re8=
Ipatov, A (2652) – Dvirnyy, D (2543) Baku 2016. As we have seen, Black has to avoid numerous
pitfalls in order to obtain a good position. Many lines seem promising but not all of them are! I think
that the line chosen by Daniil Dvirnyy is Black’s best reaction.
4) 4...g6
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 g6
This transposes into the Grünfeld with g2-g3. This is a separate subject and I will not cover the theory
here since it is outside the scope of this book. My assumption is that Slav players would not
deliberately transpose into one of the main lines in the Grünfeld! So far, this assumption has held true
85
(at least in my own games!).
5) 4...e6 5.Nbd2
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Nbd2
Position after: 5.Nbd2
This is a more flexible alternative than our main move 5.Nc3. White wants to play a long positional
86
game and plans to complete his development in the following way: Bf1-g2, 0-0, Qd1-c2, Rf1-d1, b2-
b3, Bc1-b2, Ra1-c1 and so on. Of course, White is also constantly considering the possibility of playing
e2-e4. Therefore, please do not think of the previous series of developing moves as essential. That
would be the opposite of my intentions in writing this book. I believe that there should be no dogma
and that nearly every rule has an exception in chess (and often in life!). I will cover the 5.Nbd2 line
very briefly, only outlining the typical ideas, and will then focus on the more dynamic (and theoretical)
5.Nc3 in the next section.
5...Nbd7 6.Bg2
6...Be7
Black may also develop his bishop to d6 in order to support ...e6-e5. 6...Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1!?
87
Position after: 8.Re1!?
This interesting move deserves further investigation. For example: [8.Qc2 is the main move with the
same idea of preparing e2-e4.] 8...e5 [8...b6 9.e4 Nxe4 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Ng5 Nf6 12.Nxe4 Nxe4
13.Bxe4 Bb7 14.Qh5 g6 15.Qf3 Rc8 16.Bh6 Re8 17.Rad1² Sjugirov, S (2670) – Yudin, S (2524)
Khanty – Mansiysk 2016.] 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.e4 N5b6 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 13.f4 Bc7 14.Qc2
Qd4+ 15.Kh1 Re8 16.Nf3 Qc4 17.Qf2² Sarana, A (2588) – Triapishko, O (2504) Loo 2018.
Position after: 17.Qf2²
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7.0-0 0-0 8.Qc2 b6 9.e4 Ba6 10.e5 Ne8 11.Re1 Rc8 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.Qd1 Qc7
14.Nf1!?
With the idea Nf1-e3 followed by a kingside attack if Black doesn’t trade queens immediately with
...Qc2.
14.Nb1 Qc2 15.Nc3 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Nc7 17.h4 Nb5! 18.Bd2 Nxc3 19.Bxc3 Rc7= Yu, Y (2751) – Le,
Q (2737) Huaian 2017.
14...Qc2 15.Qxc2 Rxc2
Even here, White can press for a little bit.
16.Ne3 Rc8 17.Bd2 Nc7 18.Rec1
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Position after: 18.Rec1
However, Black should be able to gradually neutralize White’s pressure. Miroshnichenko, E (2628) –
Al Modiahki, M (2569) Dubai 2005.
Once again, I didn’t want to delve too deeply into 5.Nbd2 because this is the sort of move you play
when looking for a long, less concrete game. Hence, let’s focus on the more interesting 5.Nc3 instead!
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6) 4...e6 5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bg2
6.1: Early alternatives
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Nc3
This transposes into one of the most interesting lines in the Slav. I would usually play this line against
an opponent who has a dry positional style and/or doesn’t know theory very well. Though it must be
noted that I have violated this rule of thumb in the past and played it against Vladimir Fedoseev and
Pavel Eljanov who both like to play with the initiative and are very well versed in opening theory!
5...dxc4
Of course, taking the pawn is the most obvious critical test of the g2-g3 variation.
Black can also play solidly with 5...Nbd7 6.Bg2 Be7
91
[6...dxc4 can still transpose back to 5...dxc4.] but I feel like White can still pose a couple of questions.
7.0-0 7.Qd3 b6 8.0-0 Ba6 9.b3 0-0 10.Rd1 Rc8 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4 also requires precision from Black.
Vitiugov, N (2724) – Fedoseev, V (2658) Moscow 2017.] 7...0-0 8.b3 b6 9.Bb2 Ba6 10.a4
Position after: 10.a4
White potentially wants to play cxd5 and have Nc3-b5 in case of ...cxd5. If Black takes back with the
e-pawn instead, then the c6-pawn is weak. 10...dxc4 is critical. Black’s path to equality isn’t obvious at
92
all: [10...Qc7 11.Rc1 Rad8 12.cxd5 exd5 13.Nh4 Rfe8 14.Nf5 Bf8 15.Nb5 Bxb5 16.axb5² Cheparinov,
I (2695) – Rogic, D (2511) Mali Losinj 2017.] 11.bxc4 Bxc4 12.Nd2 Ba6 13.Bxc6 Rc8 14.Bg2 Nb8!
15.Nb5 Qd7 16.Qb1 Bxb5! [≤ 16...Nc6 17.Nf3! giving White a comfortable edge: 17...Rfd8 18.Rd1
and so on.] 17.axb5 Qxb5 18.Rxa7 Korchnoi, V (2615) – Nogueiras Santiago, J (2530) Moscow 1994.
18...Nc6! 19.Bxc6 Rxc6 20.Rxe7 Qb4!
Position after: 20...Qb4!
Black has to have seen this move in advance and calculated the consequences precisely. 21.d5 Nxd5
22.Rd7 Qxd2 and Black miraculously holds after 23.e4 Rc7!.
6.Bg2
93
The main move, which we will examine closely in the following sections. There are a couple of
alternatives:
A) ≤ 6.a4 which is less precise with the black knight still on b8 because Black can play 6...c5!
followed by ...Nb8-c6.
B) 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 b5! Black should break out as soon as possible, otherwise White will get a
pleasant advantage after Bf1-g2, 0-0, etc. 8.Ne3 Bb7 9.Bg2 Qb6 10.a4 There is only one game in the
database: Dubov – Dreev, 2016. Daniil is known for his original play in the opening and I recommend
following his games closely! 10...a6 11.0-0 Be7 12.Nc2!?
94
Position after: 12.Nc2!?
With the idea of playing a4-a5 and b2-b4 to lock in the b7-bishop. 12...Nd5 [¹ 12...b4 13.a5 Qa7
14.Na4 c5! 15.Bxb7 Qxb7 16.dxc5 Nxc5 17.Nxc5 Bxc5=.] 13.Bd2 0-0 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.a5 Qd8
16.Nb4 Rc8 17.Nd3² Black was left stuck with the permanently weak c5-square and passive b7-
bishop. Dubov, D (2660) – Dreev, A (2652) Moscow 2016.
6.2: 6...b5 7.Ne5 a6 8.0-0 Bb7 9.b3 b4
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bg2 b5 7.Ne5 a6
I think that White retains the most fighting chances after
8.0-0
in comparison to 8.Nxc6 Qb6! where Black equalizes relatively easily.
8...Bb7 9.b3!?
95
Position after: 9.b3!?
This move became very popular after the game Kramnik – Giri from the Qatar Open 2014. Giri was
leading the tournament with a perfect 6/6 score, but then in round 7 he had to face Big Vlad who
implemented this interesting opening idea and won convincingly.
I also chose this line when I had to bounce back against Pavel Eljanov in the World Cup in 2015. More
on that crazy game later!
9...b4
9...cxb3 was played in both aforementioned games. We will dive deep into it in the next section. Back
to the current position, White has a choice to make between two moves of equal merit, 10.Ne4 and
10.Na4 which both lead to some very interesting positions!
10.Na4
This is my personal preference. The underlying ideas here are much clearer to me than the mess arising
after 10.Ne4.
On the other hand, 10.Ne4 creates more scope for Black to make a mistake, so I’m probably more
likely to play it if I ever find myself in a must-win situation! 10...Nxe4 11.Bxe4 c3 12.a3 a5 13.axb4
96
Position after: 13.axb4
A) 13...axb4 leads to some completely insane positions. Go on and sharpen your creativity there!
A1) 14.Bf4 Nd7 The human move. The engine suggests moves like 14...f6 or 14...g5 instead, but
how realistic is it to play like that without having analyzed it already?
Position after: 14...Nd7
15.Bxc6 Bxc6 16.Nxc6 Qc8 17.Rxa8 Qxa8 18.d5 Bc5 19.Qd3 0-0 20.dxe6 Qxc6 21.exd7 Rd8
22.Rd1 and Black failed to hold the game. Ding, L (2778) – So, W (2775) Shanghai 2016.
97
A2) 14.Rxa8 Bxa8 15.Qd3 Bd6 16.Bf4 g5 17.Be3
Position after: 17.Be3
17...f5 [It is hard to blame Alexei for not finding 17...Bxe5 which is totally OK according to the
computer but looks utterly disgusting from a human perspective. The dark squares would be left
permanently weak. White may choose to play the endgame with 18.dxe5 or else continue adding fuel
to the fire with 18.Ra1 f5 19.Qc4 with an incomprehensible mess which is outside the scope (and
purpose!) of this book, sorry!] 18.Ra1 [18.Bxf5!?] 18...Bb7 19.Ra7 Qb6 20.Qc4 Bc8 21.Bxc6+
Nxc6 22.d5 Bc5 23.Bxc5 Nxe5 24.Qd4 and the former world number 3 resigned. Even a player as
formidable and dynamic as Alexei couldn’t deal with the complexity of the position! Maletin, P
(2572) – Shirov, A (2652) Sochi 2018.
B) 13...Bxb4 Black develops a piece. This looks like more of a human response to me. 14.Qd3
98
Position after: 14.Qd3
B1) 14...f5 15.Bg2 0-0 16.Ba3 Ra6 17.Qc4 Qd6 18.Bxb4 axb4 19.Nd3 Rxa1 20.Rxa1 Ba6 Zhukova,
N (2448) – Galliamova, A (2434) Novi Sad 2016. 21.Rxa6!? Nxa6 22.Qxa6 Qxd4 23.Qxc6 and
there is still some fight left!
B2) 14...h6 Vestby Ellingsen, M (2429) – Shirov, A (2637) Helsingor 2018. How about trying
15.g4!?N preventing ...f7-f5 just in case and also planning on meeting 15...0-0 with 16.g5!.
B3) 14...Qe7!? 15.Bxh7 Nd7 16.Be4 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Rd8 18.Qf3 Rd5!!
Position after: 18...Rd5!!
99
A fantastic human decision. This is the type of move which computers have a hard time
comprehending. 19.Qg4 Kf8 20.Bxd5 exd5 with tremendous compensation thanks to the bishop pair
and strong pawn center. 21.Ra4 c5 22.Ba3 Rh6! 23.Bxb4 axb4 24.Rfa1 Qe8 25.Ra7 Qc6 26.Qg5 Re6
and White soon lost his way in yet another one of these notorious “0.00” positions. Why? Because it
is simply easier to play the Black side! Once again, don’t let computer analysis blind you from the
human element of real-life chess. It is better to spend some time thinking about the position yourself
before checking what the engine says. Mamedyarov, S (2761) – Harikrishna, P (2752) Baku 2016.
10...c3 11.Nc4 a5 12.a3
White waits for Black to first play ...Bf8-e7 before playing Na4-c5. That way, White saves a tempo
compared to playing Na4-c5 immediately allowing Black to play ...Bf8xc5.
12...Ba6
100
Position after: 12...Ba6
12...Be7!? 13.Nc5 Bxc5 14.dxc5 Qxd1 15.Rxd1 0-0 16.Nb6 Ra6 17.e4 a4! Other alternatives are
worse. 18.Nxa4 Rxa4 19.bxa4 b3„ Very messy!
13.axb4
13.Qc2!? is likely to take your opponents out of book since it is not the most popular move (which is
what most people spend their time looking at!). 13...Be7 14.Rd1 0-0 15.Nc5 Bb5 16.Ne5 Nd5 17.e4
Nc7 18.Bf4© Grabliauskas, V – Ivanov, B corr. 2013.
13...axb4 14.Nc5 Bxc5 15.dxc5
101
Black seems to be doing very well here. White should not underestimate Black’s ideas of sacrificing an
exchange. Also, if Black ever makes it to an endgame, the c3-pawn will be a big trump card for him!
15...Qxd1
Or 15...0-0 16.Bf4 Nd5 17.Bd6 Nd7 18.e4 Gleizerov, E (2531) – Bruno, F (2413) Sibenik 2014.
[Instead 18.Bxf8 isn’t good. 18...Qxf8ƒ and the c5-pawn falls, giving Black fantastic prospects on the
queenside.] 18...Nc7!ƒ and once again Black is happy to give up an exchange in return for White’s
dark-squared bishop.
16.Rxd1 0-0 17.Bf4
102
Position after: 17.Bf4
17...Nd5!?
17...Nbd7? 18.Bxc6 Bxc4 19.Rxa8 Rxa8 20.Bxa8 Bxb3 21.Rd4 g5 22.Rxb4 Nxc5 23.Bxg5+–
Gleizerov, E (2546) – Solodovnichenko, Y (2543) Koge 2013.
18.Bxd5?
A tempting move of course, but Black has a trick up his sleeve.
18...cxd5 19.Nb6
I’m sure White was feeling quite content with his position at this point. But now...
19...Nc6!
103
Position after: 19...Nc6!
comes as a cold shower and suddenly it is Black who has the initiative for a slight material deficit.
20.Nxa8 Rxa8 21.Ra2 Bb7 22.Rxa8+ Bxa8
A brilliant exchange sacrifice. Similarly to the Mamedyarov – Harikrishna game, White’s material
advantage is meaningless. Black’s fantastic blockade on the light squares and tremendous central pawn
chain gives him the better chances.
23.Bc7 e5 24.Kf1 f6 25.Ke1 d4 26.Ra1 Bb7 27.Ba5 e4 28.Ra4 Nxa5 29.Rxa5 d3 30.c6 Bxc6 31.Rc5
Bd7
104
Position after: 31...Bd7
and Black soon won.

Gupta, A (2613) – Shirov, A (2676) Al Ain 2015. A beautiful game!
6.3: 6...b5 7.Ne5 a6 8.0-0 Bb7 9.b3 cxb3
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bg2 b5 7.Ne5 a6 8.0-0 Bb7 9.b3 cxb3 10.axb3
Position after: 10.axb3
105
10...Be7
By far the most common move. Black wants to castle as soon as possible.
The main alternative is 10...Nbd7 which is both intuitive and counterintuitive, depending how you look
at it! On the one hand it seems natural because Black just wants to give the pawn back and reduce
White’s activity. On the other hand, it seems a bit unnatural not to prioritize getting the king to safety
first before doing the same thing. I have a hard time rationalizing certain moves in complex positions,
so sorry for the oversimplification! 11.Qc2! Preparing Rf1-d1.
Position after: 11.Qc2!
[Black is holding after 11.Nxc6 Qc8 12.d5 exd5 13.Na5 Qxc3 14.Bf4 Bc8 15.Bxd5 Nxd5 16.Qxd5
Nb6.]
A) 11...Nxe5 offers White an easy game. Black should have a very good reason before ever opening
up the position like this with his king still in the center. In this case, Black has no excuse! 12.dxe5
Nd7 [≤ 12...Nd5? 13.Rd1 Qb8 14.Ne4 Qxe5 15.Bf4! with tremendous compensation.] 13.Ne4
106
A1) 13...Be7 14.Rd1 0-0 15.Bf4 I tried to defend this position against Andrei Volokitin (and his
computer) during one of our training camps and failed miserably. Black’s position is already utterly
unpleasant.
For example: 15...Qc8 16.Bg5! f6 17.exf6 Nxf6 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Nd6 Bxd6 20.Rxd6 and I decided
enough was enough.
107
A2) 13...Qc8 14.Be3 c5 15.Rfd1!?
Position after: 15.Rfd1!?
15...Nxe5 [15...Bd5? 16.Rxd5! spotted by Andrei himself and then backed up by the engine.
16...exd5 17.Ng5 Nb6 18.e6! fxe6 19.Bh3 and Black’s position collapses. The light squares are
especially weak; 15...Be7 16.Bg5! Again, the same idea as before. It is beneficial for White to trade
dark-squared bishops in order to gain full control over the d6-square. Black is in trouble.] 16.Bf4
Nd7 17.Rd2!? Black needs a lot of help to survive.
Position after: 17.Rd2!?
108
17...f5 is best and certainly a computer type of move. But even there, White is pushing: 18.Rad1
Bxe4 19.Bxe4 Ra7 20.Bg2 Be7 21.e4! e5 22.Be3 Nf6 23.exf5 0-0 24.h3 Rc7 25.g4© What a
powerful piece the g2-bishop is!
B) 11...Rc8 12.Rd1 Be7
13.Nxd7! A key motif to remember. White wants to secure control over the c5-square as we will see.
13...Qxd7 [13...Nxd7 14.Ne4 0-0 15.Bf4 Qb6 16.Nd6 Bxd6 17.Bxd6 Rfe8 18.b4 Qd8 19.e4 with
more than enough compensation for the pawn. Black’s b7-bishop is poor, and his dark squares are
vulnerable.] 14.Bg5! 0-0 15.Bxf6! Intending Nc3-e4 on the next move.
109
Position after: 15.Bxf6!
15...gxf6 [15...Bxf6 16.Ne4 Be7 17.Nc5 Bxc5 Shevchenko, K (2531) – Zarubitski, V (2311) Jermuk
2017. 18.dxc5! Qc7 19.Rd6 Rfd8 20.Rad1 and Black is confined to the last two ranks. His extra pawn
is completely irrelevant.] 16.Ne4 Now perhaps Black should play 16...c5!? in order to free up the b7-
bishop, although White seems to be better after 17.dxc5 Qc7 18.Rac1.
C) 11...Qc7 12.Rd1!? Bd6
110
[12...c5? 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.d5! and Black’s position is likely to fall apart soon.] 13.Nxd7! This
familiar motif again! 13...Qxd7 14.Bg5
D) 11...Qc8!? 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 [12...Qxd7 runs into the thematic 13.Bg5 when White’s plan is to
capture on f6 and then play Nc3-e4-c5 securing control over the important c5-square and preventing
Black from playing ...c6-c5 himself.] 13.Ne4!? [13.Rd1 Be7 14.Ne4 c5! 15.dxc5 Nxc5 16.Nd6+
Bxd6 17.Rxd6 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 0-0=] 13...c5 14.Bb2!? cxd4 15.Qxc8+ Rxc8 16.Bxd4 Now the b7-
bishop is unstable.
Position after: 16.Bxd4
White hopes to grab the bishop pair with Ne4-d6+. 16...Bd5 17.Rfc1!? Not settling for a likely draw
with 17.Rxa6. 17...Rxc1+ 18.Rxc1 and Black still needs to figure out how to complete his
development.
11.Bb2 0-0
111
12.Ne4
12.Qc2 was Kramnik’s choice against Giri. It seems like Black’s play can be improved.
A) Anish chose 12...Nfd7 and found himself under serious positional pressure after 13.Nd3!. Of
course White doesn’t want to trade knights.
Position after: 13.Nd3!
112
Look how miserable the b8-knight is now! 13...Qb6 14.Ne4 a5 15.Ndc5 Bc8 16.Qc3 b4 17.Qe3 Na6
18.Rfc1 Nc7 19.Nxd7 Bxd7 20.Nc5 and Vladimir went on to win a beautiful positional game.
Kramnik, V (2760) – Giri, A (2776) Doha 2014.
B) 12...Nbd7! Prioritizing development over keeping the extra pawn. 13.Bxc6 [Perhaps White can
continue in the same fashion as in the Kramnik – Giri game with 13.Nd3, although it is not quite the
same. Black no longer has the poor b8-knight.] 13...Qc8 14.Bxb7 Qxb7 15.Nxd7 Qxd7 and although
a draw was agreed in Ftacnik, L (2552) – Erdos, V (2585) Slovakia 2017, it is Black who can start
thinking about playing for more here thanks to his potential outside passed pawn on the queenside.
12...Nxe4
It makes sense to trade off the knight that potentially wants to jump into c5. On the other hand, Black is
removing the only piece that protects his kingside. White may try to exploit this as we will see shortly.
12...Nfd7 seems to be possible as well, after which White may try to squeeze Black in similar fashion
to Kramnik – Giri. 13.Nd3 a5
Position after: 13...a5
14.Qd2 [14.Nec5 Nxc5 15.Nxc5 Bxc5 16.dxc5 Qxd1 17.Rfxd1 is another option, although I feel that
Black may be able to create counterplay against the c5-pawn with 17...Na6 which was not possible in
the Dubov – Sychev game.] 14...Na6 15.Rfc1 Nb4 16.Nec5 Nxc5 17.Nxc5 Bxc5 18.Rxc5 with
excellent compensation. Dubov, D (2659) – Sychev, K (2425) Sochi 2015.
13.Bxe4
113
Position after: 13.Bxe4
13...a5
The following game does a good job of illustrating the practical danger of Black’s position: 13...Ra7
14.Qc2 h6 15.Qc3 Bf6 16.Qc5 Ra8 17.Ba3 Nd7 18.Qd6
and now Black cracked under the mounting pressure: 18...Nxe5? 19.dxe5 Qxd6 20.Bxd6 Rfd8 21.Rad1
Black loses one of his bishops by force. 21...Rd7 22.Bc5 Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Rd8 [23...Bxe5 24.Rd7 Rb8
114
25.Ba7 picks up the b7-bishop.] 24.Bd3!
Position after: 24.Bd3!
Beautiful! 24...Rd5 [24...Bxe5 loses to 25.Bh7+!.] 25.exf6 Rxc5 26.Be4! Rd5 27.Bxd5 exd5 28.e4!
gxf6 29.exd5 cxd5 30.b4!+– Moiseenko, A (2693) – Postny, E (2645) Tsaghkadzor 2015.
14.Qd3 h6 15.f4!?
Position after: 15.f4!?
115
Trying to exploit Black’s lack of pieces defending their king. This is what I played against Eljanov in a
must-win game at the 2015 World Cup in Baku. Although I ended up losing the game, it wasn’t as a
result of the opening outcome. On the contrary, Pavel gave me excellent winning chances (in computer
terms, it was +5 for me at one point) after he failed to find some purely engine moves. Once again, the
practical aspect of chess, ladies and gentlemen!
15...Bd6 16.Qe3 Nd7!
Position after: 16...Nd7!
Pavel knew very well what he was doing here (up until his preparation ended!). Once he was out of
book and had to start thinking on his own, he reacted in an understandably human way and quickly got
into trouble.
16...Qe7 17.Bc2© In another game between two strong GMs, Black failed to find the best way to
defend: 17...Rd8? 18.f5! Bxe5
116
Position after: 18...Bxe5
[18...exf5 19.Rxf5 f6 20.Raf1! Beautiful coordination. All of the white pieces are involved in the attack.
20...Nd7 21.Qd3! I really wouldn’t want to be Black in this position.] 19.dxe5! [White went wrong too
and let Black escape after 19.Qxe5?! Nd7! 20.Qc7 Rdc8! Moiseenko, A (2710) – Yilmaz, M (2582)
Kocaeli 2015. The following repetition illustrates the equal evaluation: 21.Qxb7 Rab8 22.Qa7 Ra8=.]
19...exf5 20.Bxf5 Bc8 [20...c5 21.e6 f6 22.Rf4!+–] 21.e6! fxe6 22.Rad1! Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Na6 24.Bb1
with a gorgeous position. White is both objectively and humanly better, if not already winning by force.
17.Rac1 Nxe5 18.fxe5 Be7 19.h4
117
Position after: 19.h4
Pavel now thought for a long time before playing
19...f5?
Likely because he was afraid of White’s attack. But this weakening move now gives me real threats.
19...a4! was correct.
A) 20.Rf4 a3 21.Ba1 f5! with a much-improved version of the game for Black.
B) The engine suggests 20.Kh2 which firstly, I cannot understand and secondly, still leads to a much
better position for Black after 20...a3! 21.Ba1 Qd7
and regardless of whether White continues with 22.Rf4 or 22.Rf6, 22...c5 offers Black a position
which is easy to play from a human perspective.
C) I would likely have bluffed with something like 20.Bb1 a3 21.Qe4 [If 21.Ba1 then again 21...c5!
and it is not clear whose light-squared bishop is better now.] 21...g6 22.Rxf7 Rxf7 23.Qxg6+ Kf8 and
would have been forced to resign a couple of moves later. 22.Rxf7 was an exaggeration of course, but
I hope you got my point!
20.exf6 Rxf6 21.d5!
Activating the b2-bishop as well.
118
21...exd5 22.Bb1
Now in view of White’s threats, Pavel failed to stay calm and started giving away all of his extra
material and then some more!
22...d4? 23.Bxd4 c5 24.Bxf6 Bxf6 25.Qe6+ Kh8
Position after: 25...Kh8
119
26.Qf5?
The game could have been ended quickly with 26.Rcd1 Qf8 [26...Qg8 27.Rxf6! gxf6 28.Qxf6+ Qg7
29.Qxg7+ Kxg7 30.Rd7++–] 27.Rd7+–.
26...Qg8 27.Rf4? Bd4+ 28.Rxd4 cxd4 29.Rc7 Rf8 30.Qxb5 Bd5
The position became equal, but I kept on pushing as I was in a must-win situation and eventually lost.
Ipatov, A (2625) – Eljanov, P (2717) Baku 2015. As we have witnessed again, there is a definite
difference between “objectively better or winning” and having to figure out how to prove this while
your clock is ticking in an over-the-board game. Some threats appear much more dangerous when you
look at them without a computer and we should definitely keep this factor in mind whenever we
prepare an opening!
6.4: 6...b5 7.Ne5 Nd5
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bg2 b5 7.Ne5 Nd5
For some reason, people have stopped playing this move recently and instead switched to other
alternatives.
120
8.e4 Nxc3
8...Nb4? 9.a3 Qxd4 10.axb4 Qxe5 11.Bf4 Qf6 12.e5 Qe7 13.0-0 Qxb4 14.Ne4 is certainly not to be
advised for Black.
9.bxc3 Be7
A) Black should be careful not to fall into the following trap: 9...Bb7? 10.Qh5!
121
Position after: 10.Qh5!
10...g6 [10...Qc7 11.Bf4 g6 12.Qf3 Qe7 13.Bg5! Qc7 14.Qf6 Rg8 15.Nxf7! This was me trying to
defend with Black against Andrei Volokitin (and his computer) during one of the camps. As you can
see, it didn’t work.] 11.Nxg6! fxg6 12.Qe5 Nice! 12...Nd7 13.Qxh8 Qe7 14.h4
I couldn’t find any line where the white queen gets trapped. Blame it on me if yours ever gets trapped
in this line! 14...Qf7 15.h5 gxh5 16.Bg5 Qg6 17.f4 Kf7 18.Bf3 Bb4 19.cxb4 Rxh8 20.Bxh5+–
Sadorra, J (2553) – Repka, C (2523) Batumi 2018.
B) 9...Bd6 10.Qg4
122
Position after: 10.Qg4
10...Bxe5 I would say that this is very unlikely to be played by a human unless it was deeply analyzed
at home. Black voluntarily gives up control over all of the dark squares. [≤ 10...g6 11.Bh6! Bxe5
12.dxe5 Qd3 13.Rc1 Nd7 14.Qf4 Bb7 15.Bf1 Nc5 16.f3 0-0-0 17.Kf2! Kb8 18.Be2 Qd7 19.Bg5 and
White is better thanks to his domination on the dark squares.] 11.dxe5 Qd3 12.Bd2 0-0 13.0-0-0
Nd7!?
Position after: 13...Nd7!?
123
A truly computer-esque continuation. 14.Be1 f5 Black amazingly holds thanks to tactical nuances.
15.exf6 Nxf6 16.Qg5 Qe2 17.Rd2 Qg4 18.Qxg4 Nxg4 19.f4∞ I like White. We just need to activate
our dark-squared bishop (for example, h2-h3 followed by Be1-f2-c5).
10.0-0 0-0 11.a4 a5 12.Qg4 Kh8 13.Qh5 Qe8
13...Kg8 14.d5 g6 15.Qe2 Bf6 16.Bf4 g5 17.Ng4 gxf4 18.e5 Bxe5 [18...Bg7 19.dxc6©] 19.Nxe5 cxd5
20.axb5 Nd7 21.Nxc4 Black’s king is exposed. I find it easier to play with White.
124
Position after: 13...Qe8
14.d5!?
In my opinion, this offers White the best practical chances in an over-the-board game. After 14.Bf4
Black can simplify matters with 14...g5! 15.Be3 f6 16.Qxe8 Rxe8 17.Nf3 b4! 18.e5 f5 19.Nxg5 b3!„.
This will be more than just a pawn in the endgame. Vinchev, S (2465) – Dolya, A (2394) ICCF email
2015.
14...Bf6
14...b4 15.d6! Bxd6 16.Nxc4 Be7 17.Rd1 bxc3 18.e5© Vinchev, S (2300) – Kalchev, B (2292) ICCF
email 2011.
15.Bf4
It seems like correspondence players have fun playing chess as well: 15.f4 b4 16.d6 b3 17.Nxc4 Ba6
18.e5 Bxc4 19.exf6 g6 20.Qh6 Rg8 21.Rd1 Bd5 22.c4 Bxg2 23.Kxg2 c5∞ Bochev, K (2365) –
Antonov, N (2346) ICCF email 2012.
15...b4 16.Nxc4 Bxc3 17.Rac1 Ba6 18.Nd6 Qe7 19.Rfd1 g6 20.Qf3 cxd5 21.exd5 e5 22.Nb5 Bxb5
23.d6 Qf6 24.axb5 Nd7 25.Bh6 Qxf3 26.Bxf3 a4
125
Draw agreed? Come on guys! Bokar, J (2580) – Vinchev, S (2382) ICCF email 2012.
126
6.5: 6...b5 7.Ne5 Qb6
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bg2 b5 7.Ne5 Qb6
I didn’t know much about this line until I faced it in 2016.
8.0-0 Bb7 9.a4
White also has 9.b3 and 9.e4, but I like the text move more.
9...a6
A) 9...a5!? A rare and interesting idea.
127
Position after: 9...a5!?
Black wants to prevent White’s typical a4-a5 idea once and for all. This move also frees up a6 as a
potential square for the b6-queen. As we will see later, it is indeed a very useful place to hide! 10.e4
[≤ 10.f4 which doesn’t set Black enough practical problems. 10...Nbd7 11.Be3 b4 12.Nxd7 Nxd7
13.Ne4 Be7 As we can see, it’s easy for Black to find some moves which are good enough. 14.Rc1
Qa6 15.Qc2 0-0= Nyzhnyk, I (2635) – Esen, B (2557) Legnica 2013.] 10...Nbd7
128
A1) 11.Nxd7 Nxd7 12.axb5 cxb5 13.Be3 Be7 14.Qh5 b4 15.d5 g6 16.Qh6 Qa6 17.Na4 Bf8
White might decide to take a repetition here with Qh6-f4/Bf8-d6 or Qh6-g5/Bf8-e7, or else he can
play for more with 18.Qh3!? Bg7 19.Rfd1 Rd8 20.Bh6 0-0 21.dxe6 Qxe6 22.Bg5 Qxh3 23.Bxh3,
although Black is totally fine in the endgame thanks to his very advanced queenside pawns. It is not
even a mistake to give up an exchange with 23...Bc6!? 24.Bxd8 Rxd8©.
A2) White can also test Black’s knowledge with 11.Be3!? b4! [11...Qa6?! 12.Nxd7 Nxd7 13.d5ƒ
Nc5? 14.Qh5!
129
and Black can’t prevent all of White’s threats. 14...cxd5 15.exd5 b4 16.Bxc5 Bxc5 17.Ne4 Be7
18.d6 Bxe4 19.Bxe4 Bxd6 20.Bxa8 Qxa8 21.Qb5+ Ke7 22.Qxc4+– Gupta, A (2625) – Kozak, A
(2414) Pardubice 2017.] 12.d5 [… 12.Nxc4? Qa6 double attack!] 12...Qc7 13.dxc6 Nxe5 14.cxb7
Rd8 15.Nb5 Qxb7 16.Qe2 Be7 but in the end, Black is totally fine.
B) If Black is happy to defend a slightly inferior endgame with no chances for a win, then he can
choose 9...Be7 10.b3 cxb3 11.axb5 cxb5
Position after: 11...cxb5
12.d5! Nbd7 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.Qxb3 0-0 15.Qxb5 Qxb5 [≤ 15...Nc5 16.Qc4 Ba6 17.Qa2±]
16.Nxb5 Bxd5 17.Bxd5 exd5 18.Nc7 Rab8 19.Nxd5 Bc5 with a likely draw if Black can successfully
endure suffering for a little bit longer.
C) After 9...Nbd7?! an important idea to remember is 10.Be3! when Black is unable to trade knights
on e5, while 10...Nd5 runs into 11.Nxd7 Kxd7 12.Bd2±.
10.b3!
130
10...cxb3
A) 10...c5? is tempting but after 11.Bxb7 Qxb7 12.axb5 cxb3 13.Bb2 it is absolutely not clear how to
proceed. Black is way too far behind in development.
B) 10...Bb4 was played against me in the aforementioned game in 2016. 11.Na2!
Position after: 11.Na2!
131
B1) 11...Be7 12.bxc4 c5 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Bxb7 Qxb7 15.Nd3 Be7 16.Rb1
Position after: 16.Rb1
16...b4 [Better was 16...0-0 17.cxb5 axb5 18.Rxb5 Qa6 19.Nc3 Rc8 20.Bd2, although even here
Black still needs to find a way to win the a4-pawn back.] 17.a5! 0-0 18.Naxb4 Qc7 19.Bf4 Qxc4
20.Qc1 Qe4 21.f3 Qd4+ 22.Kh1 Bxb4 23.Nxb4 e5 24.Rd1 Qf2 25.Nd3 Qxe2 26.Nxe5 Qa2 27.Rb7
Qe6 28.Qc7+–
Position after: 28.Qc7+–
132
Embarrassingly, I failed to convert this position and the game ended in a draw! Ipatov, A (2657) –
Kollars, D (2477) Izmir 2016.
B2) ≤ 11...c5 which also fails to solve Black’s problems. 12.Nxb4 Bxg2 13.dxc5 Qxc5 [13...Qb7?
runs into 14.c6!.] 14.Kxg2 Qxe5 15.Bf4 with a powerful initiative.
11.Qxb3
Position after: 11.Qxb3
11...Be7
If 11...Nbd7? then again we have 12.Be3! (please remember this motif!) 12...Nd5 13.Nxd7! Kxd7 and
no additional comments are required here.
12.Rd1 0-0 13.Ba3!
133
Position after: 13.Ba3!
In order to secure control of the dark squares, we first need to exchange Black’s dark-squared bishop.
13...Bxa3 14.Qxa3 Nbd7
14...b4? 15.Nc4±
15.Ne4
134
This is a position where Black is quite likely to go wrong in an over-the-board game.
15...Rad8
A) 15...Nxe5? 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.dxe5 fxe5 18.Qe7 with a powerful attack.

B) 15...b4 16.Nxd7 Nxd7 17.a5
C) 15...a5 16.Qe7
16.Qe7!
White’s pieces are very tricky. It is really difficult for Black not to blunder to some little tactics.
16...Ba8 17.Nxf6+ Nxf6 18.e3©
Position after: 18.e3©
White has fantastic positional compensation. The natural move
18...Nd5?
runs into some difficulty.
19.Bxd5! cxd5 20.axb5
This is not simply heading for a draw, despite the visual simplicity of the position!
135
20...axb5
20...Qxb5 21.Rdc1! Qe8 22.Qa7 Rc8 23.Rxc8 Qxc8 24.Rb1 and Black is completely paralyzed.
21.Nd7 Qb7 22.Ra7! Qxa7 23.Nf6+ gxf6 24.Qxa7
Position after: 24.Qxa7
This endgame is likely to be winning for White, although Black retains some drawing chances.
As we just saw, Black retains a fully competitive position with 7...Qb6. I think that this move deserves
more attention than it is currently getting, but even there, White has ways to test Black’s knowledge!
6.6: 6...Nbd7 7.0-0
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bg2 Nbd7
136
In this position, White may or may not allow ...b7-b5. Please keep in mind that if Black plays ...b7-b5,
it will no longer be a transposition into 5...dxc4 6.Bg2 b5 7.Ne5. In the current position, Nf3-e5 would
be harmless as Black can simply trade knights with ...Nd7xe5 followed by ...Nf6-d5. Therefore, we
should give a lot of consideration to whether we are happy to allow ...b7-b5. Based on my own
experience (a painful loss against Vladimir Fedoseev at the Saint Louis Winter Classic in 2017), I came
to the conclusion that it is better to either prevent Black’s ...b7-b5 or else to have analyzed the resulting
variations very deeply. Let’s take a look!
7.0-0
7.a4 will be covered in the next section.
7...b5!
137
Position after: 7...b5!
I think that if White allows Black to play this move, then Black should accept the challenge. The
arising positions are extremely complex, and all three results are possible.
A) I don’t think that 7...Bb4 makes complete sense with the white pawn still on a2 (it is more common
to play ...Bf8-b4 after White has played a2-a4). 8.Qc2 0-0 9.Rd1 Qe7 10.Ne5!
Preventing Black’s ...e6-e5. 10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd7 12.Bf4 f6 13.Ne4 Nxe5 14.Bxe5 fxe5 15.Qxc4
138
Ba5 16.e3 White has more than enough compensation for the pawn. Black struggles to complete his
queenside development and his pawns are weak. Matlakov, M (2695) – Muzychuk, M (2520)
Gibraltar 2015.
B) 7...Be7 8.e4 [8.a4 will be covered in the next section through a different move order (7.a4 Be7 8.0-
0).] 8...0-0 Now White may test Black’s knowledge with 9.Bf4!? when Black needs to be careful.
Position after: 9.Bf4!?
B1) The seemingly natural 9...b5? allows White to favorably open up the position: 10.d5! cxd5
11.exd5 b4 12.d6 bxc3 13.dxe7 Qxe7 14.Bd6 Qd8 15.bxc3 Re8 16.Nd4 Nd5 17.Nxe6 Rxe6
18.Bxd5 Rxd6 19.Bxf7+ Kxf7 20.Qxd6 Qg5 21.Qc6 Nb6 22.Rab1!
139
Position after: 22.Rab1!
Black falls just short of consolidating in time. 22...Bh3 23.Rxb6 axb6 24.Qb7+ Kg6 25.Qxa8 Bxf1
26.Qe8+ Kh6 27.Kxf1 and White managed to win this endgame. Tomashevsky, E (2745) –
Akobian, V (2622) Tsaghkadzor 2015.
B2) 9...Nh5!? It is often a good idea for Black to offer this move repetition and see what White’s
intentions are. 10.Be3 Nhf6
Position after: 10...Nhf6
140
11.a4 [After 11.h3 b5 12.d5? is not the same: 12...exd5 13.exd5 cxd5 14.Nxd5 Bb7 15.Nxe7+
Qxe7µ and the key difference here is that White doesn’t have Bf4-d6; 11.d5?! cxd5 12.exd5 Nc5³
and White no longer has d5-d6.] 11...e5! and again, we transpose into a position that will be covered
in depth in the next section.
8.e4
White has a wide selection of other possible moves, but the text move is critical in my opinion.
8...Bb7 9.e5 Nd5 10.Ng5
The good thing about this variation is that it is very complicated and might be a clever choice to play
against a positional player or someone who is unlikely to know all the nuances. On the other hand, the
bad thing is that Black has a couple of different equally good options where the objective evaluation is
“unclear” and White needs to be reasonably careful not to end up in a worse position himself.
10...h6
When Vladimir Fedoseev played this move against me in March 2017, I was initially very happy. I had
remembered that White could test Black’s knowledge according to the top-level game Kramnik –
Anand, 2015, and if Black remembered everything, then it would be a draw. However, there was a
serious hole in my analysis!
A) Black can also play 10...Nxc3 11.bxc3 Nb6 12.f4 Be7
141
and here I couldn’t find anything better than testing Black’s memory with the following line before
agreeing on a draw: 13.f5 Bxg5 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.Qh5+ g6 16.Qf3 Kd7 17.Qf7+ Be7 18.Qxe6+
Beautiful! 18...Kxe6 19.Bh3+ Kd5 with a forced repetition. Kukk, R (2623) – Ljubicic, I (2626)
ICCF 2011.
B) 10...Be7 is yet another alternative. 11.Qh5 g6 12.Qh6 Bf8 13.Qh3 Be7 and now the critical line
seems to be 14.Nce4 with several games played in correspondence tournaments.
Position after: 14.Nce4
142
14...h6 15.Re1 Kf8 16.Nd6 Bxd6 [≤ 16...Bxg5 17.Nxb7 Qe7? 18.f4 Qb4 19.Rf1 Bd8
20.f5! exf5 21.g4! Bb6 22.gxf5 g5 23.Bxg5 Bxd4+ 24.Kh1+– Schreiber, E (2387) – Dedina, M
(2271) ICCF email 2014.] 17.exd6 N7f6 18.Bxd5 cxd5 19.Nxf7 Kxf7 20.Qxe6+ Kf8 21.d7 Kg7
22.Qe7+ Kg8 [22...Qxe7? 23.Rxe7+ Kf8 24.d8=Q+ Rxd8 25.Rxb7±] 23.Qe6+ with a draw by
repetition. Cruzado Duenas, C (2569) – Dothan, Y (2575) ICCF email 2016.
Position after: 10...h6
143
11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Qh5+ Ke7 13.Ne4 Qe8 14.Bg5+ hxg5
The aforementioned game Kramnik – Anand continued 14...N5f6 15.exf6+ gxf6 16.Bxf6+ Nxf6
17.Nxf6 Qxh5 18.Nxh5 Kf7 19.a4 a6 20.axb5 axb5 21.Rxa8 Bxa8 22.Ra1 Be7
23.Nf4 Bb7 24.Ra7 Rb8 25.Be4 Kf6 26.Ng6 c5 27.Rxb7 Rxb7 28.Bxb7 Kxg6 29.dxc5 Bxc5 30.Ba6
Bd4 31.Bxb5 Bxb2 and a draw was soon agreed. Kramnik, V (2783) – Anand, V (2791) Shamkir 2015.
Prior to my game against Fedoseev, I had thought this game was of the highest quality (which
objectively it is!), but I had overlooked that Black could favorably deviate as Fedoseev did.
15.Qxh8 Kd8 16.Nxg5 Kc8 17.a4
144
My analysis had finished here without any evaluation. For some reason, I had presumed that White was
better and that no further analysis was needed. How wrong I was!
After the game, Vladimir told me that there had been dozens of games played between engines(!) and
Black was doing very well! Clearly, I had been quite negligent in my homework as I did (and still do)
have access to the database of engine games myself. At the time of writing, I can find 248 games
between engines that continued 17...c5. At the same time, Mega Database only shows one (my game
with Fedoseev), as engine games aren’t included in Mega for some reason. I will not try to make sense
of this arrangement, but will just state that it was extremely unpleasant to face this position with White
without any knowledge and understanding of what was going on (yes indeed, I violated my own rule
and relied on the computer analysis without thinking about the position very much myself).
17...c5!
145
Position after: 17...c5!
Once I was out of book, I was forced to start thinking on my own and misplayed the position very
quickly. It is a very dangerous habit to simply follow the engine’s top line, copy and paste and then
memorize. Please be smarter than me and many other players who consistently violate this rule and
often get punished, as happened to me in this case. The correct approach is to set up a position on a real
board (not a Chessbase screen!) and try to get a basic understanding of what is going on in the position.
Ask yourself some questions and try to answer them. If, and only if, you don’t understand something
about the position or want to check a complicated line, then turn on an engine, but keep thinking
yourself. Do not blindly follow the computer’s recommendations if you don’t understand the
underlying ideas! And I do acknowledge that it is difficult to resist this temptation, but this is what has
to be done if one wants to improve at chess.
18.axb5 cxd4 19.Rfc1 N5b6 20.Ne4 Qd8 21.Qg8?! Bd5 22.b3 Nc5
146
23.bxc4?
23.Nxc5! Bxc5 24.Qxd8+ Kxd8 25.bxc4 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 Nd7 27.f4 Bb6 28.Rd1 Ke7 29.Ra2 Rc8
30.Rc2 would have likely drawn. I saw most of the line but misevaluated it, thinking that Black was
winning by bringing the knight to c5. The thing is that Black can’t play ...Nd7-c5 because the d4-pawn
will be unprotected.
23...Bxe4 24.Bxe4 Nxe4 25.Qxe6+ Kb8 26.Qg6 Nc3 27.Re1 Be7 28.Qxg7 Nxc4 29.Qf7 Nb2 30.e6
Nd3 31.Rf1 Nc5 32.h4 Kb7 33.h5 Qf8 34.Qh7 Qf6 35.Rae1 Rh8 36.Qf7 N3e4 37.Kg2 Qg5 38.Qf3
Rf8 39.Qd1 Rxf2+
147
Position after: 39...Rxf2+
I resigned in this position. What a horrible game! Ipatov, A (2660) – Fedoseev, V (2658) Saint Louis
2017. Therefore, my current belief is that very good opening analysis is required in order to play this
position with White. If you don’t have that, then 7.a4 is a safer option. Let’s take a look at it in the next
section.
6.7: 6...Nbd7 7.a4
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 e6 5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bg2 Nbd7 7.a4!
148
Position after: 7.a4!
As I mentioned earlier, I favor this move after my one-sided loss against Fedoseev in 2017. Black has
two main options: to develop his dark-squared bishop to e7 or b4.
7...Be7
7...Bb4 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qc2
Position after: 9.Qc2
A) I think that the following move deserves more attention: 9...a5!? It makes sense to prevent White’s
a4-a5 and secure control over the b4-square. 10.Rd1 Qe7
149
11.Na2 [11.Ne5 is tempting but unfortunately Black has 11...Nxe5 12.dxe5 Nd7 13.Bf4 f5!
preventing Nc3-e4; 11.Bf4 Nd5 12.Bd2 N5f6! and I don’t see why the bishop is any better placed on
d2 than on c1, while 13.e4 is met by the thematic 13...e5!.] 11...Bd6 12.Qxc4 e5 and having played
...e6-e5, Black shouldn’t experience any problems. Lenderman, A (2630) – Dreev, A (2649) Internet
2018.
B) 9...Qa5 10.Na2 Bd6 11.Qxc4 Nb6 12.Qc2 Qxa4?! An overconfident move. It is not just that the
engine doesn’t like it, it simply looks dangerous!
150
Position after: 12...Qxa4?!
13.b3 Qa5 14.Ne5 Nbd7 15.Nc4 Qc7 16.Nxd6 Qxd6 17.Rd1 e5 18.Nc3 exd4 19.Ba3 c5 20.e3! d3
21.Rxd3 Qb8 22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.Rxd5 b6 24.Bb2 a5 25.Ra4! Re8 26.Rg5 g6 27.Bd5 Kf8 28.Rf4 and
White won. Giri, A (2720) – Caruana, F (2781) Wijk aan Zee 2013.
C) 9...Qe7 10.a5!? This is why I think that 9...a5 is a bit more precise.
Position after: 10.a5!?
Even here, there is nothing wrong with Black’s position, it is just that White has more options on the
queenside. Black has to constantly watch out for the a5-a6 break.
C1) I failed to pose problems with 10...Re8 in my recent game in July 2018, although I felt that I was
always slightly pushing and precision was required from my opponent at times: 11.Bf4 Nd5 12.Bg5
f6 13.Bd2 b5 14.axb6 N5xb6 15.Ne4 a5 16.Bxb4 Qxb4 17.Qc3 Ba6 18.Rxa5 Qxc3 19.Nxc3 Bb7
20.Rfa1 c5!= Ipatov, A (2650) – Stripunsky, A (2530) World Open 2018.
C2) 10...e5 11.Rd1 a6 12.d5 Nc5 13.Be3 [13.Bg5 Bxc3 14.bxc3 Bg4 15.h3 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 e4∞ Giri,
A (2784) – Ivanchuk, V (2715) Wijk aan Zee 2015.] 13...Nb3 14.Ra4 c5 15.d6 Qe8
151
16.Rxb4!? cxb4 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.Rxd5 with fantastic positional compensation. White even went on
to win the game! Dominguez Perez, L (2734) – Jakovenko, D (2738) Khanty – Mansiysk 2015.
8.0-0 0-0
9.e4
152
This is my preference. The question now is whether Black is going to play ...e6-e5 or ... b7-b6. Both
moves are playable but lead to completely different positions.
The alternative is 9.a5, gaining some space on the queenside and preventing the black queen’s sortie to
the a5-square. 9...Nd5 is Dreev’s recommendation. [Although 9...b5 is also playable. 10.axb6 Qxb6
11.Qa4 Nd5 12.Qxc4 a5 13.Qa4 Ba6 14.Re1 Rfd8 15.Bd2 Nb4 16.Rec1 Bb7= Ipatov, A (2592) –
Eljanov, P (2727) Jerusalem 2015.] 10.Bd2 b5 11.axb6 Qxb6 12.Na4 Qd8 13.Qc2 Ba6 14.Rfd1 Bb5
15.e4 Nb4 16.Bxb4 Bxb4
Position after: 16...Bxb4
17.d5 cxd5 18.Nd4 Bxa4 19.Rxa4 Bc5 20.exd5 Bxd4 21.Rxd4 and a draw was agreed in Nakamura, H
(2780) – Ding, L (2774) Palma de Mallorca 2017.
9...e5!
153
The most straightforward way to equalize. However, Black still has to show he has memorized some
moves before we can shake hands!
9...b6 might be played if Black either didn’t know that 9...e6-e5 existed in the position or else if he
wanted to play for a win and avoid massive exchanges. 10.Qe2 Ba6 11.Rd1 Rc8 Here we can try
12.Ne1!?© with the idea Ne1-c2, f2-f4, Bc1-e3 and so on. It is not easy for Black to play the liberating
...e6-e5 or ...c6-c5.
10.dxe5 Ng4 11.Bf4 Qa5 12.e6 fxe6
154
Position after: 12...fxe6
13.Qe2
White can force a draw if he wants with 13.e5 Ndxe5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Qh5 Bd6 16.Ne4 Rf5
17.Qe8+ Rf8 18.Qh5 Rf5 19.Qe8+ when a draw was agreed in Topalov, V (2702) – Kasparov, G
(2851) Sarajevo 2000.
13...Nde5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 Qxe5
155
Position after: 15...Qxe5
16.Kh1!
We haven’t yet reached the end of White’s opening homework. Precision is still required.
16...Bd7
16...g5 was seen in several correspondence games but looks extremely dangerous from a human
standpoint: 17.Rad1! Preventing ...Bc8-d7. 17...Kh8 18.f4 gxf4 19.gxf4 Rxf4 20.Rxf4 Qxf4 21.e5! Qg5
22.Be4 Qxe5 23.Rg1 with strong compensation. Kozlov, V – Brzoza, M corr. 2014.
Position after: 23.Rg1
For instance, Black cannot just “develop” with 23...Bd7? in light of 24.Qd2! with the killer threat of
Qd2-h6.
17.f4 Qc5 18.e5 Rad8 19.Ne4 Qb4 20.Rfc1 Be8 21.Rxc4 Qb3 22.Rc3 Qb4 23.Rc4 Qb3 24.Rc3 Qb4
25.a5 Bg6 26.Rc4 Qb5
26...Qb3 27.a6!ƒ
27.a6
156
The last test as Black can still go wrong with
27...Bh5?
as in the game Banusz – Dreev, 2015.

The current position was given to the members of the Turkish national team to solve at a training camp
led by Alexey Dreev himself. The camp took place just a month after Alexey played the game!
27...b6! 28.Nd6 [28.Nc3 Bh5!] 28...Bxd6 29.Bxc6 Bh5 30.Qc2 Bc5 31.Bxb5 Bf3+ 32.Qg2 Bxg2+
33.Kxg2! Rd2+ 34.Kh3 Rxb2 35.Bd7 Kf7=
28.Qf1 Qxb2
Banusz, T (2582) – Dreev, A (2643) Jerusalem 2015.
29.Rb1 Qa2 30.axb7 Be2 31.Ra4! Qxa4 32.Qxe2±
157
Position after: 32.Qxe2±
158
Chapter 3
Catalan Opening
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3
Chapter Guide
Chapter 3 – Catalan Opening
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3

1) 4...Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 dxc4 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 b5 8.a4 c6
1.1: 9.Ne1
1.2: 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5 Nd5 11.e4 Qxg5
1.3: 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5 Nd5 11.e4 Ne7
1.4: 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5 Nd5 11.e4 Nc7
2) 4...Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Na3
3) 4...Be7 5.Bg2 0-0
3.1: 6.Nc3 dxc4 7.Ne5
3.2: 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Ne5
1) 4...Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 dxc4 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 b5 8.a4 c6
1.1: 9.Ne1
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+
159
Position after: 4...Bb4+
This is one of Black’s most popular variations against the Catalan. It’s hard to imagine a top
tournament where this line isn’t featured. Mainstream theory now begins with 5.Bd2, whereas 5.Nbd2
and 5.Nc3 are less common. I’ve been employing the 5.Nbd2 variation for quite a while and would like
to share some interesting ideas here.
5.Nbd2 dxc4
In my opinion, capturing the pawn is the most critical test of the Nbd2 line. That is what I will focus
my attention on in this section. However, Black can also play solidly: 5...0-0 6.Bg2 b6 with the typical
development of ...Bc8-b7, ...Nb8-d7(a6) and ...c7-c5.
6.Bg2
160
6...0-0
Black can also keep the extra pawn with 6...c3 but I think that White gets more than enough
compensation and an easy position to play. Black struggles to complete queenside development
because of White’s piece activity and the open b- and c-files, upon which White might exert pressure.
7.bxc3 Bxc3 8.Rb1 Nc6 9.e3
161
Of course, Black may try to break free immediately with ...e6-e5 instead of enduring White’s sustained
positional pressure for a long time. But even then White retains the initiative: 9...e5 10.Ba3! exd4
11.exd4 Nxd4? 12.0-0! Nxf3+? 13.Qxf3 and White was already winning in Khotenashvili, B (2504) –
Koneru, H (2581) Beijing 2014.
7.0-0 b5 8.a4 c6
Here, White has an interesting choice between 9.Ne1 and 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5. Let’s examine both
continuations separately.
9.Ne1!?
162
Position after: 9.Ne1!?
There is a good chance that this strange-looking retreat will catch your opponent by surprise. Although
White leaves the d4-pawn temporarily unprotected, Black is not advised to capture it and allow the
exchange of their dark-squared bishop. White’s plan now depends on Black’s next move.
9...Nd5!
The critical continuation. Black wants to retain the healthy extra pawn. Now if White captures 10.axb5,
Black will be able to respond with ...c6xb5.
A) 9...Ba6 looks somewhat ugly and artificial but it is playable. 10.Nc2 Be7 11.axb5 Bxb5
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Position after: 11...Bxb5
12.Nb1! Since Black no longer has the b-pawn, one of the white knights will be perfectly placed on
the c3-square. From here it prevents any possibility of Black playing ...c4-c3, activating the
awkwardly placed b5-bishop. 12...Nbd7 13.Bd2!? It would be nice if we could trade dark-squared
bishops before playing Nb1-c3. 13...a5 14.Qe1
Provoking ...a5-a4 in order to make Bd2-b4 possible. 14...a4 15.Bb4 Nd5 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.Nc3
164
Finally the white knight lands on c3. Look at the b5-bishop now! Black has no reasonable way of
activating it since neither ...c4-c3 nor ...c6-c5 is possible. 17...N7f6 18.e4 Nb4 19.Nxb4 Qxb4 20.e5
Nd7 21.f4 a3 22.bxa3 Rxa3 23.Rxa3 Qxa3 24.f5 Rd8 25.f6
with fantastic compensation. White was seriously pressing but Black managed to hold. Dubov, D
(2666) – Yu, Y (2737) Moscow 2016.
B) 9...Bb7 is a “take your extra pawn back and let me develop” sort of attitude. 10.axb5 Qc8
B1) 11.Qa4!? would be an interesting try to pose practical problems. 11...a5 12.b6! Here the position
is quite complex, and it is easy to go wrong with Black if unprepared.
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12...c5 is the human continuation and likely to be played. Black is trying to simplify the position and
get some breathing space. [≤ 12...c3?! 13.bxc3 Bxc3 14.Rb1] 13.Bxb7 Qxb7 14.Nxc4 cxd4 15.Nd3
Nbd7 16.Qb5ƒ and Black still needs to figure out how to favorably win back the b6-pawn.
B2) 11.bxc6 Bxc6 12.Nef3 Nbd7 13.Qc2 Bxd2 14.Bxd2 and White is better thanks to having the
bishop pair and better pawn structure. Wagner, D (2549) – Grachev, B (2673) Moscow 2015.
C) 9...Qxd4?! predictably runs into 10.Nc2 Qc5 11.axb5 and White will gain control over the dark
squares after trading the c2-knight for the b4-bishop. Also, the inability to recapture on b5 with the
c6-pawn leaves Black’s queenside structure in ruins.
166
10.Nc2
10.e4 is another possible move order, although it is not clear to me what White gains if Black knows
how to react. 10...Nb6 [10...Nf6 is likely to transpose into Percze – Schuppen, 2012, examined below;
≤ 10...Ne7 which takes the e7-square away from the bishop as shown after 11.Nc2; 10...Nc7!? likely
transposes into Ipatov – Yang, 2017, which is also examined below.] 11.a5 N6d7 12.e5 Bb7 13.Ne4
Na6 14.Bg5 Be7 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Nd6
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Position after: 16.Nd6
with powerful compensation. Wang, H (2709) – Ding, L (2777) Huaian 2017.
10...Be7!
I think that Black should retain the bishop.

10...Bxd2 gives White the bishop pair advantage and exposes the dark squares. 11.Bxd2 Bb7 12.e4©
Papaioannou, I (2592) – Nielsen, P (2681) Eretria 2011.
11.e4
In my recent game, I couldn’t find anything convincing after
11...Nc7!
where Black potentially wants to activate his pieces by giving back a pawn with ...e6-e5.
11...Nf6 is the natural decision, keeping the knight close to the king. If White plays e4-e5, then the
knight will go back to the d5-square. Is there any difference between 11...Nc7 and 11...Nf6? I think
there might be! 12.g4!?
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This doesn’t make much sense against 11...Nc7, but it is possible here. In the following correspondence
game (where players have time to think and use engines), Black got mated in straightforward fashion!
The idea of pushing the g-pawn (at least, as I see it) is to first kick the knight from the f6-square with
g4-g5 and only then to play e4-e5. This way the knight is prevented from landing on the perfect d5-
square. 12...a5 [The problem, however, is that Black may continue in similar fashion as in my game
against Darwin Yang: 12...e5!? 13.g5 Nfd7 14.Nf3 b4!?
Position after: 14...b4!?
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giving the pawn back but getting the queenside pieces out quickly: 15.dxe5 Nc5 16.Ne3 Ba6„] 13.g5
Ne8 14.e5 b4 15.Ne4 Nd7 16.Qh5 Bb7 17.Rd1 g6 18.Qg4 Kh8 19.Nf6
Position after: 19.Nf6
19...Ng7 20.Ne3 Nb6 21.Qh4 Bxf6 22.gxf6 Nf5 23.Nxf5 gxf5 24.Bh6 Rg8 25.h3 Rg6 26.Kh2 Qc7
27.Rg1 Kg8 28.Rae1 Rc8 29.Bg7 c5 30.Bxb7 Qxb7 31.Re3 Nd7 32.Rg5 and White won. Percze, J
(2543) – Schüppen, H (2422) ICCF 2012. My question is why didn’t Black play 12...e5 in that game?
170
12.h4
Trying to be clever. I wanted to postpone the e4-e5 move, not willing to give up the d5-square for the
black knight just yet.
Perhaps the straightforward 12.e5 was better, but White has to know what he’s doing after 12...Nd5
since Black’s plan is to complete his queenside development and play ...c6-c5!
12...e5!? 13.dxe5 Nd7 14.Nf3 Ne6 15.Ne3 Ndc5 16.Nf5 Nd3
and it is White who has to find precise moves to keep the balance. Ipatov, A (2659) – Yang, D (2495)
Columbus 2017.
1.2: 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5 Nd5 11.e4 Qxg5
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 dxc4 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 b5 8.a4 c6 9.axb5 cxb5
10.Ng5!?
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Position after: 10.Ng5!?
We had analyzed this line with Andrei Volokitin back in May 2015. Back then it was an extremely rare
variation with just two games in the database: Nielsen – Adams, 2011 and Haba – Horvath, 2014. Now,
this line has grown in popularity and even Vassily Ivanchuk implemented it against Hou Yifan in 2017.
Objectively speaking, Black is doing OK here, but he has to know precisely what to do!
10...Nd5 11.e4 Qxg5
Position after: 11...Qxg5
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This is the most human continuation and it was seen in both of the aforementioned early games in this
line. It reduces the complexity of the position but gives White good chances of obtaining a long-term
positional advantage, as we will see below. The whole 10.Ng5!? line has become more popular since
then, leading to many players analyzing the position deeply with an engine, and opting more often for
the more promising continuation 11...Nc7 (to be examined separately later) instead.
12.exd5 exd5 13.Nxc4 Qd8 14.Ne3
Increasing pressure on the d5-pawn. Now Black has two ways to protect it.
However, I would like to note that 14.Ne5!? also deserves attention. The e5-knight prevents the
development of the black knight to c6, while it can also potentially be rerouted to the c5-square itself
via d3.
Position after: 14.Ne5!?
A) 14...Bb7 15.Qb3 a5 16.Be3 [16.Nd3!?©] 16...Na6 17.Rfc1 Qd6?! Giving White time to seize the
initiative. [Black should have quickly consolidated with 17...a4!? 18.Qd3 Nc7 19.Nc6 Bxc6 20.Rxc6
Bd6 where White’s piece activity and bishop pair gives adequate compensation but no more than
that.] 18.Bf4! Qe6 19.Qd3 Qe8 20.Bh3!
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Position after: 20.Bh3!
With powerful compensation. The Black pieces are simply not in play. Jarmula, L (2498) – Saydaliev,
S (2349) Moscow 2018.
B) 14...Be6?! 15.f4 f6
Position after: 15...f6
16.f5! fxe5 17.fxe6 e4 18.Rxf8+ Bxf8 19.Qb3 Nc6 20.Bxe4 Ne7 21.Bf3 Qb6 22.Kg2² The bishop
pair is the most important factor in the position.
174
C) 14...a5 15.Qe2 Ba6 16.Bd2!
It is important to exchange Black’s dark-squared bishop. Then the weakness of the c5-square will
become even more apparent. 16...Bxd2 17.Qxd2 b4 18.Rfc1© with the idea Rc1-c5. White’s fantastic
coordination gives him excellent compensation.
14...Be6
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14...Bb7 15.Qb3 Nc6 16.Rd1 a6 17.h4!? Bd6 18.Nxd5 h6 19.Qf3 Rb8 20.Qg4 Bc8 21.Qh5 White
regained the pawn and kept the initiative in Ragger, M (2689) – Elsness, F (2443) Norway 2016.
15.f4
This is my preference. Now Black has to make an important practical decision: to play ...f7-f6 and let
White gain more space or play ...f7-f5 and permanently weaken the e5-square.
In the following game, White regained the pawn too quickly and gave Black time to favorably
complete development: 15.Qb3 a5 16.Nxd5?! Nc6 17.Rd1 Rc8 18.Bf4 a4 19.Qf3 Bxd5 20.Qxd5 Qxd5
21.Bxd5 Rfd8 22.Bxc6 Rxc6 and Black was better in Nielsen, P (2681) – Adams, M (2715) Khanty-
Mansiysk 2011.
15...f6
15...f5 16.Bd2!
Trying to gain even more control over the c5-square by exchanging the dark-squared bishops.
A) 16...Nc6 17.Ra6 Bxd2 18.Qxd2 Rc8 19.Rc1 Nxd4 20.Rd1
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Position after: 20.Rd1
20...Nb3 Haba – Horvath, 2014. [20...Nc6 21.Nxd5©] 21.Qe2!?N After this move, Black still
requires precision in order to reach an equal static position. 21...Nc5 22.Nxd5 Bxd5 23.Bxd5+ Kh8
24.Rxa7 Qb6 25.Re7 Ne4+ 26.Kg2 Rce8!=
B) 16...Bxd2 17.Qxd2 Qd6 18.Ra5 Nd7!?
A very interesting decision, giving back the extra pawn with the aim of quickly completing
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development and improving the position of the knight. If the black knight reaches its target destination
on e4, it will be very hard for White to increase pressure on the d5-pawn. 19.Rfa1 Nf6 20.Rxb5 Rab8
21.Rxb8 Rxb8 22.Rxa7 g6 23.Bf1 Qb4 Black’s activity compensates for the material deficit. It
shouldn’t be difficult to make a draw with Black.
16.Bd2
16...Nc6
16...Be7 17.Rc1! Qd7 18.Qb3ƒ White is likely to win the d5-pawn and retain some initiative. Black is
way behind in development.
17.Ra6 Bxd2 18.Qxd2
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Position after: 18.Qxd2
18...Rc8!
A) 18...Qc8 19.Rfa1©
B) 18...Qd7 19.Rc1© With the idea Rc1-c5.
19.Rc1 Nxd4!
Position after: 19...Nxd4!
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20.Rxc8 Qxc8
20...Bxc8 21.Rxa7 Qb6 22.Bxd5+ Kh8 [22...Be6 23.Rb7 Qc5 24.Bxe6+ Nxe6 25.Kf2ƒ White has
more active pieces.] 23.Qa5ƒ
21.Rd6 Qc5 22.Rxe6 Nxe6 23.Bxd5 Kh8 24.Bxe6
White’s minor pieces control the light squares and are currently much better than the black rook.
Hence, Black should very quickly create a passed pawn on the queenside. However, I feel like it is
White who would be pressing in a practical game.
1.3: 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5 Nd5 11.e4 Ne7
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 dxc4 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 b5 8.a4 c6 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5
Nd5 11.e4
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11...Ne7?
This was played in the Ivanchuk – Hou Yifan game in 2017.

11...Nb6?! isn’t as bad as 11...Ne7 but is still not the best move in the position. In the next section, I’ll
explain why 11...Nc7 is more precise. 12.e5
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A) 12...Qxg5? loses due to 13.Nxc4! with the double attack on g5 and b6. 13...Qd8 14.Nxb6 Qxb6
15.Bxa8 and White is an exchange up.
B) 12...Qxd4 13.Qh5 h6 14.Ngf3!
Position after: 14.Ngf3!
14...Qd3 [14...Qd8? 15.Ne4+– followed by Ne4-f6+ or Bc1xh6. White has far too many pieces
attacking the lonely black king.] 15.Ne1 Qg6 16.Qxg6 fxg6 17.Bxa8 Nxa8 18.Rxa7 Nb6 19.Nc2
Black doesn’t have full compensation, mainly because the queens are off the board and he cannot
build a Q+B battery on the h1-a8 diagonal.
C) 12...Nd5 transposes into 11...Ne7. 13.Nde4!
D) 12...h6!? Black’s best practical chance is to give up the exchange and hope that White fails to
create something on the kingside. 13.Bxa8 Nxa8 14.Nde4!
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Position after: 14.Nde4!
Despite being up material, the reality is that White has to continue attacking. Otherwise Black may
consolidate and get dangerous compensation due to White’s weak light squares on the h1-a8 diagonal.
14...hxg5 15.Bxg5 Qd5 16.Qg4 [16.Nf6+ leads only to a draw after 16...gxf6 17.Bxf6 Qe4™
Position after: 17...Qe4™
18.Qh5 Qh7 19.Qg4+ Qg6 20.Qh4 Qh7 21.Qg4+=.] 16...f5 17.exf6 Qf5 18.Qh4 Nc6 19.fxg7 Kxg7
20.Bh6+ Kg8 21.Bxf8 Bxf8
183
White has a material advantage and the black king is exposed. The computer also claims that White is
much better. However, despite knowing the objective evaluation, I would still feel somewhat
uncomfortable as White as we can no longer attack the black king and need to watch out for Black’s
counterplay on the light squares.
12.e5
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12...Nd5
This is likely going to transpose into a familiar position from the previous section.
12...Nbc6 runs into a typical theme in this line 13.Nxh7!
Position after: 13.Nxh7!
13...Kxh7 [13...Bxd2 and now 14.Qh5! Bxc1 15.Rfxc1 f6 16.exf6 gxf6 17.Nxf8 Qxf8 18.d5! with an
overwhelming attack. Black doesn’t have time to complete his queenside development.] 14.Qh5+ Kg8
15.Ne4 f6
185
16.Nxf6+! gxf6 17.Qg4+ Kh8 [17...Kf7 18.exf6 Kxf6 19.Bg5+ Kf7 20.Bxc6+–] 18.Qh4+ Kg8
19.exf6 Ng6 20.Qh5 Qxf6 21.Bxc6 Rb8 22.Be4 and the g6-knight is lost.
13.Nde4!
Adding another piece to the attack and opening the diagonal for the c1-bishop.
Position after: 13.Nde4!
Black has no pieces on the kingside to protect his king, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that White’s
attack is already almost decisive. Of course, it is one thing to know the objective evaluation with the
computer’s help, and another thing to find all the right attacking moves on the board. Moreover, I
wouldn’t be surprised if I managed to lose this position with White by failing to find an “only” winning
move in a critical position; the cost of a mistake is very high here. The most direct approach to lose this
position with White is as follows: memorize some of the lines shown by the computer, be happy with a
+2 or +3 evaluation, come to the board, sacrifice half of your material as per the computer’s suggestion
and then fail to find the one and only winning move in a certain position. That’s it – the evaluation is
likely to flip 180 degrees. Therefore, my recommendation would be to analyze this position yourself by
moving the pieces on a real wooden board and try to understand what is going on, figure out what
White’s ideas are, Black’s most natural defenses, etc.
Ivanchuk immediately took 13.Nxh7? Kxh7 [After 13...Bxd2? White has an important intermediate
check 14.Nf6+! gxf6 15.Bxd2 f5 16.Qh5 f6 17.Qg6+ Kh8 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Rfe1 and the attack
against the poor black king continues.] 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Ne4 f6 16.Nxf6+
186
Position after: 16.Nxf6+
Ivanchuk, V (2732) – Hou, Y (2649) Shenzhen 2017, transposing into one of the subvariations covered
in the next section devoted to 11...Nc7. It is important to remember typical ideas because, as you can
see, many lines transpose into one another! This position, however, isn’t winning for White and just
leads to good compensation. With precise moves Black can defend here.
13...h6
In case of 13...Be7 White again has 14.Nxh7! Kxh7 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Ng5 Bxg5 17.Bxg5
187
Position after: 17.Bxg5
17...Qb6 [17...Qd7 18.Bf6!+–; 17...f6 18.Be4! Rf7 19.Bg6 fxg5 20.f4!+– and White decides the game
by opening the f-file.] 18.Be4 g6 [18...f5 19.exf6 Nxf6 20.Bxf6 Rxf6 21.Qh7+ Kf7 22.Bxa8+–]
19.Qh6! First we need to provoke ...Nb8-d7 which closes the seventh rank for the black queen. We will
see shortly why this is so important. [19.Bxg6 fxg6 20.Qxg6+ Kh8 21.Rae1? is premature because it
allows the activation of the black queen. 21...Qb7 22.Re4 Qg7! 23.Rh4+ Kg8] 19...Nd7
20.Bxg6! fxg6 21.Qxg6+ Kh8 22.Rae1+– and the Ra1-e4-h4 idea decides the game. Black doesn’t
have ...Qb6-b7(c7)-g7 because the d7-knight blocks the way.
14.Nf6+!!
188
Position after: 14.Nf6+!!
White is objectively winning here, but please do reread my comments after White’s 13th move!
14...gxf6 15.Ne4
The black king is permanently exposed and has no pieces to protect it. White wants to play Bc1xh6,
Qd1-g4(h5), etc.
15...fxe5
15...f5 16.Bxh6 Nc6 17.Qh5
189
Position after: 17.Qh5
17...Nce7 [17...Be7 18.Ng5 with the threat of Bh6-g7. 18...Bxg5 19.Bxg5 f6 20.Qg6+ Kh8 21.Qh6+
Kg8 22.Bxd5 exd5 23.Bxf6 Rxf6 24.exf6 Qf8 25.f7+! Qxf7 26.Qxc6+–] 18.Nf6+ Nxf6 19.exf6 Ng6
20.Bg5 Re8 21.Bxa8+–
16.Qg4+ Kh8 17.Bxh6 Rg8 18.Qh5 Rg7
Position after: 18...Rg7
190
19.Nf6
Another winning move according to the computer is 19.f4 which makes sense (White wants to open the
f-file and bring the rook(s) into the attack). However, I honestly have trouble understanding what is
going on concretely here. To me it is all a tactical mess!
19...Nxf6 20.Bxg7+ Kxg7 21.Qg5+ Kf8 22.dxe5
Position after: 22.dxe5
Black cannot close the h1-a8 diagonal with ...Nf6-d5 because the d8-queen is hanging.
22...Be7 23.Qh6+ Ke8 24.exf6 Bxf6 25.Rfd1 Bd7 26.Bxa8+–
1.4: 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5 Nd5 11.e4 Nc7
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 dxc4 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 b5 8.a4 c6 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5
Nd5 11.e4 Nc7!
191
As I mentioned earlier, this is Black’s best response in my opinion. However, if you don’t know the
intricacies of the line, this isn’t apparent at all, right? For example, why not 11...Nf6, 11...Nb6,
11...Ne7 or 11...Qxg5?
12.Nxh7
12.e5? no longer works because Black can take our g5-knight 12...Qxg5! and we don’t have the
Nd2xc4xb6 idea as in the previous section. This is the main reason why 11...Nc7 is better than
11...Nb6. It simply prevents White from playing e4-e5 immediately and forces Nxh7 to be played
sooner than White would ideally like to, thereby giving Black extra defensive resources.
12...Kxh7
192
Position after: 12...Kxh7
White has two moves now, with possible (but not forced) transpositions into one another.
13.e5
With Andrei Volokitin, we came to the conclusion that this move narrows down Black’s resources.
However, 13.Qh5+ is possible too. 13...Kg8 14.e5 The problem is that Black has way too many options
in this position!
193
A) 14...Nd5?! transposes into the game Ivanchuk – Hou Yifan, 2017, covered earlier. Although, Black
is objectively OK here, it is not necessary and requires a lot of precision later on! 15.Ne4 f6 16.Nxf6+
[16.exf6 Qe8!„] 16...gxf6
Position after: 16...gxf6
Ivanchuk decided to make a draw by repetition with 17.Qg6+, although he could have still checked
Black’s knowledge after 17.Bh6! Qd7 [for instance, 17...Qe7? is already a mistake 18.Bxf8 Qxf8
19.exf6 Nxf6 20.Qxb5 a6 21.Qg5+ Qg7 22.Qxg7+ Kxg7 23.Bxa8+–] 18.Rfe1!
194
Position after: 18.Rfe1!
18...Qh7! Preventing Bh6xf8 as the h5-queen would then be hanging. [18...Bxe1? is tempting and
likely to be played by a human, but it is not good! 19.Rxe1 Qf7 20.Qg4+ Kh8 21.Bxf8+–; 18...Qf7?
19.Qg4+ Kh8 20.Bxf8+–] 19.Be4! Forcing Black to play ...f6-f5 so that we have Qh5-g5+ later on.
19...f5 20.Bxd5 exd5 21.Qg5+ Again, Black must find the right square to go with the king!
Position after: 21.Qg5+
21...Kf7! Yes, the king has to go towards the center of the board, which is a bit counterintuitive.
[21...Kh8? loses to 22.Bxf8 Bxf8 23.Qd8 Nd7 24.e6! Bb7 25.Qc7! Bc8 26.Qc6! Nb6 27.e7!+–
Beautiful!] 22.Bxf8 Bxf8 23.Qd8
195
23...Be6! [But not 23...Bd7? in light of 24.e6+! Bxe6 25.Rxe6 Kxe6 26.Qxf8 Kd7 27.Re1+– when
Black’s queenside pieces are paralyzed and cannot help the king.] 24.Qf6+ Kg8 25.Qxe6+ Qf7
26.Qc8 Qd7! Finally Black forces the exchange of queens. 27.Qxd7 Nxd7 28.Ra6∞
Position after: 28.Ra6∞
The position is very hard to assess, but I would perhaps take Black. However, I would be willing to
risk getting this position if I knew that my opponent would have to find so many “only” moves in a
196
row to get here!
B) An immediate 14...f5!? might be possible as well.
C) 14...Nd7 was Wei Yi’s choice in June 2018. 15.Bxa8 Nxa8 16.Rxa7 Nc7 17.Ne4
17...f6? This weakens the seventh rank with the white rook already there! [¹ 17...Be7!?∞] 18.exf6
Nxf6 19.Nxf6+ Rxf6 20.Bg5 Be7 21.Bxf6 with insufficient compensation for Black. White managed
to win. Xu, X (2581) – Wei, Y (2734) Tianjin 2018.
D) 14...Qe8!? with the idea ...f7-f5 or ...f7-f6. 15.Bxa8 Nxa8 16.Rxa7 Qc6 17.Nf3 g6 18.Qg4 Bb7
197
White is forced to give up the exchange with 19.Rxb7 Qxb7 20.h4 and hope to make a draw by
throwing all his pieces at the black king.
13...g6!?
Although this move permanently weakens the dark squares around the black king, it is unimportant
because Black can always retreat the b4-bishop to e7 and cover the f6-square. The purpose of the
13...g6 move is to prevent White’s Qd1-h5, Nd2-e4-g5 idea. Now White is basically forced to take the
a8-rook, thereby giving up control of the light squares.
A) 13...Kg8!? is one possible move.
198
Position after: 13...Kg8!?
A1) In the following game, Black came up with a very interesting idea worth examining: 14.Bxa8
Nxa8 15.Ne4 Be7 16.Rxa7 Nc7 17.Qg4 Nc6 18.Bh6 g6 19.Bg5 Nxa7 20.Nf6+ Bxf6 21.Bxf6
Nc6!!
Position after: 21...Nc6!!
The double exclamation mark is for creativity. 22.Qh4 Qxf6 23.exf6 Rd8 with the idea ...Nc7-e8 if
White plays Qh4-h6. White’s attack on the kingside is over whereas Black’s counterplay in the
199
center and on the queenside is just beginning. Black won this game! Xiao, Y (2345) – Shuvalova, P
(2416) Qinhuangdao 2018.
A2) 14.Ne4 White is threatening Nf6+. 14...Nd7! [14...Be7?! 15.Qh5!‚; 14...Nd5?! offers a
transposition into the Ivanchuk – Hou Yifan game yet again, although here White has an additional
option of playing 15.Nf6+ Nxf6 16.exf6 Qxf6 17.Bxa8±.] 15.Ng5 f6!
Position after: 15...f6!
Simplifying matters and taking over the initiative. 16.Bxa8 Nxa8 17.Nxe6 Qb6 18.Nxf8 Bxf8 Now
it is Black who is active.
B) ≤ 13...Rh8
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Position after: ≤ 13...Rh8
The rook will be out of play in the corner after Black is forced to play ...Kh8-g8 later on. 14.Bxa8
Nxa8 15.Rxa7 [15.Ne4 was played in Troff, K (2533) – Zajic, M (2480) Dallas 2015.] 15...Nc7
16.Qg4!
Position after: 16.Qg4!
B1) … 16...Nc6? 17.Qe4+

B2) 16...Kg8 17.Ne4 Nd5 18.Bg5 Qf8 19.Rfa1!? White has an easier position to play since Black’s
201
pieces have a hard time entering the game. 19...Nd7 20.h4ƒ
Position after: 20.h4ƒ
With the following plan discovered by Andrei Volokitin during our camp: Qg4-e2 and Bg5-d2
aiming to exchange dark-squared bishops. Black has to wait passively.
B3) 16...Bd7 17.Ne4 Nd5 18.Bg5 Qe8 19.Rfa1!?ƒ with a similar idea as before.
C) 13...Nd5?! is again unnecessary, transposing into the line from the game Ivanchuk – Hou Yifan,
2017. 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Ne4 f6
202
16.Nxf6+ where White can test Black’s knowledge after 16...gxf6 17.Bh6!.
14.Bxa8
14.Ne4 isn’t dangerous. 14...Kg7 15.Bg5 Be7! 16.Bf6+ Bxf6 17.exf6+ Kg8 18.Qg4 Nd7 19.Qh4
White has no threat (Ne4-g5 leaves the f6-pawn unprotected which Black can take with the d7-knight,
simultaneously covering the h7-square).
14...Nxa8
203
Position after: 14...Nxa8
15.Qf3
The problem with this position is that Black can play it in a variety of ways, always retaining very good
practical chances for a win if White slips. White has to watch out for Black’s idea of building a Q+B
battery on the h1-a8 diagonal. Nevertheless, White can still attack for a couple of moves and see if
Black knows what to do.
The price of a mistake in this position is extremely high and one slip may simply cost the game.
However, I do admit that it is challenging to keep everything in your mind, including tricky move
orders! 15.Rxa7? Qxd4 16.Rxa8 Bb7 17.Ra1 Rd8–+ Black is winning thanks to just one mistake from
White. Look at the beautiful light-squared bishop on b7 enjoying the h1-a8 diagonal! Hilby, C (2433) –
Checa, N (2506) Saint Louis 2019.
15...Bxd2
If I was playing as Black, this would be my choice. Black’s idea is to trade White’s knight that could
have potentially joined the kingside attack. I like clarity in chess (and in life).
A) 15...Bd7!? deserves attention.
204
Position after: 15...Bd7!?
A1) 16.Qxa8? would be suicide due to 16...Bc6 17.Qxa7 Qd5!. This is the type of position we have
to avoid with White in this line! 18.f3 Nd7 19.Ne4 Bb7!–+ Preventing the Qa7xd7, Ne4-f6+
combination. Black is winning as White cannot prevent ...Rf8-a8.
A2) 16.Ne4 Be7 17.Qf4 Kg8 18.Rxa7 Nc6„
B) 15...Nc7 16.Ne4
205
16...Be7 17.Rxa7 Nd5 18.Bg5 Nc6? [¹ 18...Bd7„] 19.Rxe7! Ncxe7
Position after: 19...Ncxe7
B1) White missed 20.g4! bringing the queen into attack via the third rank. Black cannot play ...Rf8-
h8 because the f7-pawn is hanging. 20...Kg7 21.Ra1!? Bb7 22.Ra3! and White’s material deficit is
more than compensated by his firm grasp over the dark squares.
B2) 20.Qg4 Rh8! 21.Nf6+ Nxf6 22.Bxf6 Kg8 23.Ra1 Bb7µ White ran out of attacking moves and
soon lost. Bai, J (2594) – Wang, H (2710) Tianjin 2018.
16.Bxd2 Qd7!
206
Position after: 16...Qd7!
At this point I would start to worry about White’s position, given that Black wants to activate his
queenside pieces and launch a direct attack on the light squares. Now White should play a series of
good moves to make a draw. That is the best that we can do at this point. We tested Black, but he
proved his opening knowledge (or found the best moves over the board).
17.Qxa8 Nc6
Equivalently, 17...Bb7 should also lead to a draw after 18.Qxa7 Nc6 19.Qc5 Nxd4 20.f3
207
20...Nxf3+ [Black may try to play on with 20...Ra8, but I don’t think that White risks anything in the
final position: 21.Qd6 Nxf3+ 22.Kf2 Qe8 23.Rxa8 Qxa8 24.g4∞] 21.Rxf3 Bxf3 22.Qxf8 Qd4+
23.Kf1 Qd3+ 24.Kg1 Qd4+=.
18.Ra6!
Position after: 18.Ra6!
White must play this move in order not to end up in a much worse position.
18...Nxd4
18...Bxa6? 19.Qxf8 Nxd4 20.Bh6 Ne2+ 21.Kg2 Qd5+ 22.f3 Qxe5 23.Rd1!+–
19.Rd1™
Play it or lose. One wrong move in this position can cost us the game.
19...Bxa6 20.Qxf8
208
Position after: 20.Qxf8
20...Nf3+
20...Bb7 21.Qd6 prevents the black queen from joining the attack. 21...Qc8 22.Qe7 The game is likely
to end in a perpetual.
21.Kg2 Nxd2 22.Rxd2 Bb7+ 23.Kh3 Qxd2 24.Qxf7+
Position after: 24.Qxf7+
209
and White gives a perpetual. Overall, I believe that 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Ng5 is certainly worth trying. Black
has to know a couple of things in order to obtain a good position!
210
2) 4...Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Na3
The subsequent sections on the Catalan will be more idea-based. I recognize that I threw too many
concrete variations at you in the 4.Nbd2 variation and will try to make up for it now! In the following
game, Aronian played a novelty in a position that had been extensively analyzed. Although objectively
the move is so-so, it had an anticipated effect on the opponent: Black had to solve practical problems in
a new position with limited time on the clock and Anish went astray very quickly.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2
As I mentioned earlier in the book, this is the main continuation against the ...Bf8-b4+ Catalan.
5...Be7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Na3!?
211
Position after: 8.Na3!?
A novelty in over-the-board chess! Previously, it had only been seen in two correspondence games.
Let’s try to understand what White is trying to achieve with this strange-looking move. Firstly, the a3-
knight protects the c4-pawn and prepares a quick Ra1-c1. In the Bf8-b4-e7 line, Black typically
develops in the following way: ...b7-b6, ...Bc8-b7, ...Nb8-d7 and ...c6-c5. So it is safe to assume that
Levon had prepared something concrete against this in order to pose practical problems! There’s no
doubt that with assistance from the computer and some more time to think Black should be able to
equalize in a number of ways. However, when you see a position for the first time, and cannot rely on
the engine’s help and your clock is ticking, then it can become rather unpleasant. Not always, of course,
but still often!
The main move here is 8.Qc2 preparing Rf1-d1 or Rf1-c1 followed by Bd2-f4, b2-b3, Nb1-c3, etc.
There is extensive mainstream theory here which we will avoid in this book. Overall, Black’s position
is very solid and he is doing well.
8...Nbd7
A) The critical continuation is 8...b6 aiming to develop in typical fashion. However, White can try to
make Black’s queenside development more problematic as follows: 9.Rc1
212
A1) 9...Nbd7 With the knight on d7, it is often a good idea to take on d5 10.cxd5 cxd5 and the d7-
knight is somewhat misplaced. 11.Qa4 Bb7 12.Bf4 Ne8
Naiditsch, A (2708) – Tiviakov, S (2655) Wijk aan Zee 2013 (the position was reached through a
different move order). 13.Ne5!? Nxe5 14.dxe5 Nc7 15.Rfd1 White retains some pressure. Black has
to do something with the c7-knight.
213
A2) 9...Bb7 10.Ne5 Nfd7 [10...Nbd7 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.Nc6 Bxc6 13.Rxc6 offers White a free
bishop pair and long-term positional edge.] 11.Nd3! Playing against the b8-knight. 11...a5 12.cxd5!
Position after: 12.cxd5!
12...exd5 [In case of 12...cxd5 the b5-square becomes weak. Nothing too dangerous but still
unpleasant as it is clear that it is White who is pressing after 13.Nb5.] 13.e4!? dxe4 14.Bxe4 Nf6
15.Bg2 Bxa3 16.bxa3 Ba6 17.Be3 Nd5 18.Re1 Qd6 19.Ne5 and White was better in Martirosyan, H
(2544) – Sevian, S (2633) Saint Louis 2017.
B) In his following game with 8.Na3 that same year, Aronian failed to obtain anything out of the
opening. Perhaps unsurprising, given that Radjabov had likely checked it at home and there was no
longer a surprise effect! 8...Ne4 9.Bf4 Nd7 10.Qc2 f5 11.Rad1 g5 12.Bc1 Nd6
214
The a3-knight has a hard time getting into the game, but other than that, the position remains very
original and full of play. Aronian, L (2809) – Radjabov, T (2724) Geneva 2017.
9.Rc1 Ne4 10.Be3
10...Bxa3?!
215
Having faced a novelty, Black tries to be original as well, likely aiming to avoid White’s preparation
against the expected continuations. The limitation of this move is that Black deliberately gives up
control over the dark squares and makes his queenside development even more difficult.
11.bxa3 Nd6 12.c5 Nc4
13.Rxc4!
White obtains overwhelming positional compensation. Black’s major problem is the c8-bishop that
struggles to enter the game. Additionally, White wants to stick his bishop on the d6-square which will
completely paralyze Black’s development. Aronian didn’t give his opponent any chance and played a
beautiful game with themes of positional sacrifice, domination and restriction.
13...dxc4 14.Qc2 h6 15.Qxc4 b6 16.Bf4 Re8 17.Bd6 Bb7 18.Ne5 bxc5 19.dxc5 Nxe5 20.Bxe5 a5
21.Rb1 Ra7 22.Qc3 f6 23.Bd6 Ba8
Poor bishop.
24.Be4 f5 25.Bc2 Rb7 26.Rd1 Rd7 27.e4!
1-0 (43) Aronian, L (2780) – Giri, A (2773) Wijk aan Zee 2017.
Now let’s take a look at another very original (and practical) idea in the Catalan. I’m referring to the
game Caruana – Nakamura played in August 2018.
216
Position after: 27.e4!
3) 4...Be7 5.Bg2 0-0

I originally wrote this section of the book in the fall of 2018. When I searched the position after 14.0-0-
0 again in August 2019, there were many more games! Theory is truly advancing fast :)
3.1: 6.Nc3 dxc4 7.Ne5
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.g3 dxc4 6.Bg2 0-0 7.Ne5
217
The more common move order to reach this position is 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.Nc3 (6.0-0 dxc4 being
the mainstream theory).
7...Nc6
The typical reaction against the Nf3-e5 move in the ...Bf8-e7 Catalan. We will see it again in the next
section!
The alternative is 7...c5 where White aims to obtain a small but stable positional advantage as in the
following game: 8.dxc5 Qxd1+ 9.Nxd1 Bxc5 10.Nc3 Nc6 11.Nxc4
Position after: 11.Nxc4
11...Bd7 12.0-0 Rfd8 13.Bf4 Be8 14.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 15.Rxd1 Rd8 16.Rxd8 Nxd8 17.Bc7 Nc6 18.Nd6
Bxd6 19.Bxd6 where White had secured a bishop pair advantage and gradually converted it into the full
point. Wang, Y (2706) – Xu, J (2504) China 2017.
8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nxc6 Qe8 10.Nxe7+ Qxe7 11.Qa4 c5 12.dxc5 Qxc5 13.Be3 Qc7
218
This position had appeared 44 times before Caruana played his original novelty here.
14.0-0-0!?N
Wow! This move likely threw Nakamura out of book as it makes it impossible to transpose into
something known. Personally, prior to this game, I had never seen a long castle being played in the
Nf3-e5/...Nb8-c6 Catalan. Once again, the purpose of this original novelty is to have a surprise effect
on the opponent and make him think in the unexplored terrain under time pressure, rather than follow a
well-worn path and make some expected “novelty” according to the computer’s first choice line along
the way. If we all follow computer recommendations, it will be close to impossible to surprise a well-
prepared opponent because we must recognize that he also looks at the computer evaluation and digs
deeper into the so-called “first line(s)”!
A) Nakamura had previously faced 14.Rd1 Bd7 15.Qa3 Nd5 16.Bd4 a5 17.Rd2 Nb4 18.0-0 Qb7
19.Na4 Bxa4 20.Qxa4 where he got a slightly inferior position due to his worse pawn structure. Wei,
Y (2696) – Nakamura, H (2787) Bilbao 2016.
B) Also 14.0-0 Nd5 15.Bd4 Bd7 16.Qa3 a5 17.Rad1 Nb4 18.Bc5 Qxc5 19.Rxd7 Rab8 20.Rfd1 where
he again failed to fully solve his opening problems, although he managed to draw later on. Svidler, P
(2763) – Nakamura, H (2780) Palma de Mallorca 2017.
219
Position after: 14.0-0-0!?N
14...Ng4
Black immediately wants to destroy White’s pawn structure. Quite a human decision.
A) In case of the natural 14...Bb7 15.f3 Nd5, Fabiano might have prepared 16.Bd4, where the bishop
performs both defensive and attacking roles. It protects the b2-pawn and may assist White in creating
pressure on the kingside with something along the lines of h2-h4-h5-h6. Overall, it is easier to play
with White.
B) 14...a5 15.Rd4 Rb8 16.Rhd1 e5 17.Rd6 Be6 18.Rc6 Qb7 19.Rb6 Qa8 20.f3 Rxb6 21.Bxb6 Qb7
22.Qxa5 Nd7 23.Qa7 and Black has no real compensation for the pawn. White won later in Gupta, A
(2606) – Praggnanandhaa, R (2537) Xingtai 2019.
C) 14...Bd7
220
C1) 15.Qa6 Qc6 16.Qxc6 Bxc6 17.Rhe1 Of course the position is very close to a draw, but Black
still has to make it.
Position after: 17.Rhe1
Thus, from a practical standpoint, it is more pleasant to play with White, since you can press without
risk and just agree to a draw if Black defends correctly. 17...Nd5 18.Bd4 Nxc3 19.Bxc3 Rfd8 20.f3
Ba4 21.Rd4 Rxd4 22.Bxd4 f6 23.f4 a6 24.Kd2 Bc6 25.Kc3 f5 26.Rg1² and Black failed to hold this
221
endgame. Georgiev, K (2595) – Usmanov, V (2450) Skopje 2018.
C2) 15.Qa3 Bc6 16.f3 Nd5 17.Bd4 Qb7 18.Nxd5 exd5 19.g4∞
Position after: 19.g4∞
I personally prefer White because of his far more active bishop. Tari, A (2620) – Christiansen, J
(2548) Larvik 2019
15.Rd2 Nxe3 16.fxe3
222
Now we have a totally new pawn structure and thus, new corresponding plans. I assume that Nakamura
felt somewhat unfamiliar with this sort of position and failed to capture all of the nuances over the
board. On the contrary, Caruana had likely analyzed this position at home (most likely by moving
pieces on a regular board with one or more of his seconds), and therefore was more comfortable
playing it.
16...Rb8 17.Rhd1 a5 18.Kb1 h6 19.Ka1
Position after: 19.Ka1
White has completed his development whereas Black hasn’t. Black now needs to make a practical
decision about how to bring his remaining pieces into play (particularly the c8-bishop).
19...Rb4
A) Hikaru didn’t want to commit himself to playing 19...Bb7 in view of a likely invasion on the d7-
square 20.Qd7
B) Also unsatisfactory is 19...e5 as it gives up the d5-square. 20.Rd5 Attacking the a5-pawn. It is not
clear whose pawn structure is worse!
20.Qc2 Rb8 21.Qe4 Bb7 22.Qd4
223
White has gained control over the d-file. Also, the black bishop is pretty much useless on the h1-a8
diagonal since the white king is on the other side of the board! Usually, of course, the bishop on b7 is a
great attacking piece that exerts pressure on the white kingside.
22...Ba8 23.e4
Continuing to restrict the black bishop. Black has no counterplay and has to defend passively.
23...Rfc8 24.Qf2 Bc6 25.Qc5 Be8 26.Qxc7 Rxc7 27.Rd6
224
White managed to obtain a pleasant position where he can play for two results, which Hikaru
eventually failed to hold. 1-0 (49) Caruana, F (2822) – Nakamura, H (2777) Saint Louis 2018.
Another compelling example that shows in practice, having the element of surprise is often more
effective than having deep, predictable preparation.
3.2: 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Ne5
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d4 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4
The mainstream theory. Following our philosophy, let’s try to deviate as early as possible.
225
7.Ne5
A) The first main move in the position is 7.Qc2 and then Black typically plays 7...a6 8.a4 Bd7.
B) Or 7.Qa4 a6 8.Qxc4 b5 with thousands of games played.
7...Nc6
The critical continuation.

7...c5 is another way to combat White’s plan but I feel that White can obtain a more pleasant position
after 8.dxc5
226
8...Qc7 9.Nxc4 Qxc5 10.b3 Rd8 11.Nbd2 Qc7 12.Bb2 Nc6 13.Rc1 Cheparinov, I (2681) – Zhigalko,
A (2580) Tromsø 2014.
8.Bxc6
8.Nxc6 is also possible. E.g. Kramnik, V (2777) – Bruzon Batista, L (2659) Baku 2015.
227
8...bxc6 9.Nxc6 Qe8 10.Nxe7+ Qxe7
Position after: 10...Qxe7
Here, White is at a crossroads. 11.Qa4, 11.Qc2 and 11.Na3 are the main moves. However, I want to
take a look at a relatively unexplored continuation:
11.b3!?
This was first played at the top level by Paco Vallejo against Pentala Harikrishna in 2017. Having faced
the original idea, Pentala misplayed the position very quickly and had to fight for a draw later on.
11.Na3 is a good example of what might happen to you in this sort of position if you had played it once
in the past (referring to my game against Andrei Sokolov in 2015) and then repeated it again: 11...Rd8
12.Qc2 Ba6 13.Nxc4 c5 14.dxc5 Qxc5 15.b3 Bxc4
228
Position after: 15...Bxc4
16.Bb2! Rac8 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Rfc1 Qe5 19.bxc4 Rd4 20.Rab1 Rdxc4 21.Qxc4 Rxc4 22.Rxc4 Qxe2
23.Ra4 a6
My opponent blitzed out all the moves up until here. This line was in my files and I was aware that if
my opponents knew how to play then the game would end in a draw. Finally that became the case, so I
stopped playing the 11.Na3 variation altogether and started looking for new ways to deviate from the
229
mainstream theory in the Catalan, while still trying to pose practical problems. 24.Kg2 f5 25.Rb3 Kg7
26.Rba3 Qb5 27.Rxa6 Qb7+ 28.Kg1 Qb1+ 29.Kg2 Qb7+ 30.Kg1 Qb1+ 31.Kg2 ½-½ Ipatov, A
(2662) – Bruzon Batista, L (2652) Saint Louis 2017.
11...cxb3
11...Rd8 was Harikrishna’s choice upon facing White’s original idea.
Position after: 11...Rd8
12.bxc4
A) 12...Qd7 with the typical idea ...c7-c5. 13.Bg5! Qxd4 14.Na3! Although the position is
symmetrical, White can press without risk. 14...Ba6 15.Qxd4 Rxd4 16.f3² Black cannot capture the
c4-pawn due to Bg5-e3.
230
Position after: 16.f3²
White can slowly improve his position. For example, Ra1-b1, Kg1-f2, Rh1-c1, Bg5-e3, Na3-b5, etc.
B) 12...Qd6 13.Nc3 Qxd4 14.Be3 Qd7 15.Qxd7 Rxd7 16.Rfd1
Position after: 16.Rfd1
and White obtained a slightly more pleasant position, although it is objectively very close to equality.
Paravyan, D (2629) – Leko, P (2690) Porto Carras 2018.
C) 12...c5 13.Ba3 Qc7 14.Bxc5 Ne4 Pentala tried to refute White’s 11.b3 in computer-style by
231
playing dynamically. It didn’t work. 15.Qb3 Bb7 [15...Nxc5 16.dxc5 Qxc5 17.Nc3 Ba6 18.Nb5²
Black’s activity isn’t adequate compensation for the material deficit.]
C1) 16.Qe3!? is perhaps even stronger than the game continuation. 16...e5 [16...Nxc5 17.dxc5 Qc6
18.f3 Rac8 19.Na3 Qxc5 20.Qxc5 Rxc5 21.Rfd1±] 17.Nc3 exd4 18.Bxd4 Qxc4 19.Nxe4±
C2) 16.Qa3 Rdc8 17.Rd1 e5 18.Nc3 Nxc3 19.Qxc3 exd4 20.Bxd4 Qc6 21.f3 Qxc4 22.Qxc4 Rxc4
23.Rac1±
232
Position after: 23.Rac1±
Vallejo Pons, F (2710) – Harikrishna, P (2750) Moscow 2017. Ultimately Black managed to draw,
but it was a pretty unpleasant task. Yet another example of an elite grandmaster going astray
immediately after being surprised in the opening!
12.Qxb3
Now Black has to decide whether to go for the ...c7-c5 or ...e6-e5 plan. At some point, Black will have
to decide on one of these ideas, otherwise he will be left with a worse pawn structure (three pawn
islands versus White’s two).
12...Rd8
A) 12...Qd7 was played by a very strong grandmaster who nevertheless failed to solve his opening
problems. I find it very instructive how White gradually built up his advantage: 13.Ba3 Re8
[13...Qxd4? 14.Bxf8 Qxa1 15.Nc3+–] 14.Rd1 Ba6 15.Nc3 Nd5
233
16.Rd2! The presence of opposite-colored bishops doesn’t guarantee Black an easy draw. Unless
Black finds a concrete way to get rid of his pawn weaknesses on the queenside, he will have to suffer
greatly for a draw. 16...Rab8 17.Qc2 Nxc3 18.Qxc3 Qd5
Black didn’t want to suffer slowly and decided to look for his chance in complications. If Black had
preferred to wait, then White could have increased the pressure by playing something like Ra1-c1, f2-
234
f3, Kg1-f2, etc. 19.Qxc7 e5 20.Qc5 Rb5 21.Qxd5 Rxd5 22.e3 exd4 23.exd4 Red8 24.Rad1 Bb5
25.Bc5±
Position after: 25.Bc5±
Banusz, T (2616) – Nisipeanu, L (2673) Austria 2018.

B) The immediate 12...c5? runs into 13.Ba3 and Black is likely to lose the c5-pawn with no
compensation for it.
13.Ba3
235
Position after: 13.Ba3
13...Qe8
From here, the queen will facilitate the ...e6-e5 break.

13...Qd7 14.Nc3 Ba6 [14...Qc6 15.Rfd1 Bb7 16.f3 shuts down Black’s ambitions on the kingside
forever. 16...Rab8 17.Rab1 with a stable positional advantage] 15.Bc5 Rab8 16.Qa3 and White’s
position is clearly preferable.
Position after: 16.Qa3
14.Rd1
236
14...Ba6
14...e5 is critical, but it doesn’t guarantee Black straightforward equality after 15.d5 e4 16.Nc3 where
we should just be careful not to get mated on h2 (e.g. ...Qe8-d7-h3 followed by ...Nf6-g4). 16...Qd7
17.d6 [17.Qc4!? with the idea to prevent ...Bc8-a6.]
A) 17...c6
237
A1) In the following recent rapid game, White underestimated the potential danger of Black’s
counterplay: 18.Qa4 Re8 19.Qa5 h6 20.f3 Qh3 21.Nxe4 Nxe4 22.fxe4 Rxe4 23.Qd8+ Kh7 24.d7?
Position after: 24.d7?
24...Ba6! 0-1 Rapport, R (2747) – Dominguez Perez, L (2763) Saint Louis 2019.
A2) 18.Rac1 Qh3 19.f3 The d6-pawn requires Black to play dynamically, since any sort of endgame
will likely be unpleasant for him. Of course, White has to remain vigilant regarding the defense of
his king, making sure he doesn’t suffer the same fate as Rapport in his previously mentioned game
against Dominguez.
B) 17...Ba6! 18.dxc7 Qxc7 19.Rxd8+ Rxd8 20.Rd1 Rxd1+ 21.Qxd1
238
Black should be able to draw relatively easily, although White is still technically pressing.
15.Nc3 Nd5 16.e4 Rab8 17.Qc2
17...Nb4
239
≤ 17...Nxc3 18.Qxc3 which would have offered White a stable positional plus as in the game Banusz –
Nisipeanu, 2018.
18.Bxb4 Rxb4 19.d5∞
Position after: 19.d5∞
Black still has a worse pawn structure, although it is partially compensated by the activity of his pieces.
Hilby, C (2390) – Brown, M (2506) Las Vegas 2017.
240
Chapter 4
English Opening
1.c4
Chapter Guide
1.c4
1) 1...c5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nc3 Nc7 6.f4
2) 1...e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.e3
2.1: 6...Nc6 7.Nge2 --
2.2: 6...Nc6 7.Nge2 Qd3
2.3: 6...Be7
2.4: 6...c5
2.5: 6...g6
1) 1...c5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nc3 Nc7 6.f4
1.c4 c5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nc3 Nc7
241
This is one of the most topical positions in the English Opening. Black’s plan is to gain a space
advantage with moves like ...Nb8-c6, ...e7-e5, ...Bf8-e7, 0-0, and ...f7-f6. White usually allows Black
to achieve what he wants and then attempts to undermine the black center with ideas like b2-b4 or f2-
f4.
6.f4!?
This is my suggestion. This is the sixth(!) most popular move in the position! It is very interesting that
Viktor Korchnoi played this move in a couple of games and even gave it an exclamation mark in one of
his analyses. Nevertheless, the line failed to become popular. In my opinion, it is very interesting and
offers White great practical chances to obtain a better position against an unprepared opponent.
Furthermore, the underlying ideas are easy to grasp.
The following two games illustrate the more theoretical continuations: 6.Nf3 Nc6
242
7.0-0 [7.a3 e5 8.b4 f6 9.Rb1 Rb8 10.b5 Na5 11.0-0 Be7 12.Ne1 0-0 13.f4 exf4 14.Rxf4 Kriebel, T
(2501) – Antal, G (2529) Germany 2017.] 7...e5 8.d3 Be7 9.Nd2
The typical maneuver. White transfers the knight to the c4-square and prepares f2-f4. 9...Bd7 10.Nc4
f6 11.f4 Malakhov, V (2705) – Timofeev, A (2650) Plovdiv 2012.
6...g6
243
I would like to highlight the following typical idea that can occur after 6...Nc6 7.b3 e6
Position after: 7...e6
A) 8.Nf3 was played twice by Ragozin and once by Korchnoi in the 1950s. Let’s examine these
games to discover some of the underlying ideas of this variation. It is very important to study the
classics! 8...Be7 9.Bb2 0-0 10.Rc1 Rb8 11.Ne4 b6
A1) 12.Qc2!? was Korchnoi’s choice. I’ve also come across another one of his games in this
244
position (reached through a different move order). 12...Nb4 [12...f6 13.0-0 Nd5 14.Rfe1 Re8 15.a3
Bb7 16.e3 Bf8 17.h4 h6 18.Nf2 Nde7 19.g4 Qd7 20.g5‚ Korchnoi, V – Balanel, I Bucharest 1954.]
13.Qb1 Ba6 14.Neg5 g6 15.h4!?‚ Korchnoi, V – Suetin, A Leningrad 1953.
A2) 12.Ne5 was Ragozin’s preference. 12...Nxe5 13.fxe5 Bb7 14.0-0
14...Nd5 [14...Bxe4 15.Bxe4 Bg5 16.e3 g6 17.h4 Bh6 18.Rf2 Nd5 19.Qg4ƒ Ragozin, V – Koch, B
ICCF corr 1956.] 15.Rf2 f5 16.exf6 Nxf6 17.Qc2 Bxe4 18.Bxe4 Nxe4 19.Rxf8+ Bxf8 20.Qxe4
Qxd2 21.Qxe6+ Kh8 22.Qe5ƒ Ragozin, V – Lilienthal, A Moscow 1955.
B) However, I believe that 8.Bxc6+! is objectively stronger. White completely destroys Black’s pawn
structure on the queenside. The c8-bishop is now passive and cannot join the game as Black has just
played ...e7-e6. The c5-pawn is permanently weak and White often attacks it with moves like Nc3-a4,
Bc1-a3, Ra1-c1, etc. But of course, we first need to complete our kingside development and make sure
that Black doesn’t open up the position for his bishop pair (especially the light-squared bishop).
8...bxc6 9.Nf3 White will soon pile up pressure on the c5-pawn as mentioned before. I find Black’s
position practically unpleasant. He urgently needs to create counterplay but it is not clear how to. The
e6-pawn prevents both the activation of the c8-bishop and the ...Nc7-e6 idea.
7.b3 Bg7 8.Bb2
245
8...0-0
8...h5?! 9.Qc1! Nba6 [9...h4 10.Na4! targeting the c5-pawn.] 10.Nf3 0-0 11.Ne4 Bxb2 12.Qxb2 Nd5
13.0-0 With a better position for White.
Black’s kingside is exposed without the g7-bishop. Karlsson, L (2483) – Castano Vanegas, H (2233)
Sitges 2009.
246
9.Qc1!
Position after: 9.Qc1!
A typical idea for this variation, please remember it! White protects the c1-bishop and prepares Nc3-a4
or Nc3-e4. White’s plan is to trade dark-squared bishops and launch a kingside attack with h2-h4-h5.
Very exciting and novel!
9...Nd7
9...Nba6
247
Position after: 9...Nba6
10.Nf3 [My suggested improvement is 10.Ne4!ƒ and Black doesn’t have the ...Ne6-d4 idea as in the
following game.] 10...Ne6 11.0-0 [It is too late for 11.Ne4 as Black now has 11...Nd4 preventing the
exchange of the dark-squared bishops. 12.Nf2 Nb4 13.Nxd4 cxd4 14.Qc5 Qb6 15.Qxb6 axb6„]
11...Nd4 12.Ne1 Nb4 13.e3?
Position after: 13.e3?
13...Ndc2! A nice trick! 14.Rb1 [… 14.Nxc2 Nd3 15.Qb1 Nxb2 16.Qxb2? Qxd2 and White cannot
protect the c3-knight.] 14...Nxe1 15.Qxe1 Bf5³ Korchnoi, V – Ragozin, V Leningrad 1956.
10.Ne4
248
10...Bxb2
A) 10...b6 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Qb2+ f6 13.Nf2 Rb8 14.Nf3 Bb7 15.0-0 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 e5 17.e3 White’s
position is preferable.
Ipatov, A (2569) – Demir, G (2231) Antalya 2013.
249
B) 10...e5 11.Nh3!? White needs to get the king out of the center as soon as possible. [11.Nxc5?!
Nxc5 12.Qxc5 Ne6ƒ] 11...b6 12.0-0∞ … 12...Bb7 13.f5!
11.Qxb2
11...Ne6
≤ 11...b6 which gives White time to launch the kingside attack: 12.h4! Rb8 [12...h5 13.g4 hxg4
14.h5‚] 13.h5 Nf6 14.hxg6 fxg6 15.Ng5 Ne6 16.N1f3² Sikora Lerch, J (2319) – Kantorik, M (2289)
Ostrava 2005.
12.Rc1 Rb8 13.Nf3 b6
250
14.0-0
14.Nf2 Bb7 15.Ng4?! was overly ambitious. 15...Nf6 16.Nxf6+ exf6 17.0-0 Re8„ Black can
potentially exert serious pressure on the d- and e-files. Lombardy, W (2520) – Franco Ocampos, Z
(2360) Buenos Aires 1979.
14...Bb7 15.Nf2 Nf6
251
Position after: 15...Nf6
16.Rfe1
A complex middlegame ensues.

≤ 16.Rfd1 Bxf3! 17.Bxf3 Nd4ƒ
Position after: 17...Nd4ƒ
2) 1...e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.e3
2.1: 6...Nc6 7.Nge2 --
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.e3
252
When I first saw this move somewhere in 2012 or 2013, I didn’t take it seriously. Why would White
deliberately weaken the d3-square and develop the g1-knight to e2 in two tempi rather than to the more
central f3-square in one? Later on, I took a closer look at the line and changed my opinion. Since then,
I’ve played this line a couple of times with pretty decent results against strong opposition. So what is
the idea of this weird development? First and foremost, White keeps his plans flexible. His next two
moves are Ng1-e2 and 0-0, and then he will decide what to do based on what Black does. For instance,
White may go for the central break with d2-d4, or he may decide on the more dynamic f2-f4 idea.
Secondly, this line is far less likely to be analyzed in depth by the opposition compared to the much
more theoretical 6.Nf3.
6...Nc6
We will examine several options for Black on the 6th move. Let’s start with 6...Nc6, which is a natural
human move.
7.Nge2
253
Position after: 7.Nge2
Again, Black has a wide choice here. In this section, I will cover Black’s major moves except 7...Qd3,
which I consider to be the critical test of the 6.e3 variation. That one will be covered separately.
7...Be7
The most natural. Black develops a piece and prepares to castle short.
A) 7...Bd6 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 exf4 10.Nxf4 Bxf4 11.Rxf4 gives White a free bishop pair and a strong
pawn center. I don’t see a reasonable way for Black to prevent the advance of White’s central pawns.
254
Position after: 11.Rxf4
11...Be6 12.d4 Nd5 13.Nxd5 Bxd5 14.e4 Be6 15.Be3 and White was much better in Ponomariov, R
(2743) – Rublevsky, S (2695) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013.
B) 7...Bf5!?
Position after: 7...Bf5!?
Aiming to exploit White’s light-squared weaknesses, particularly d3. 8.d4! [8.a3 is too slow in light of
8...Bd3 and White is sort of paralyzed.]
255
B1) 8...exd4 9.Nxd4 Nxd4 10.exd4 c6 11.0-0 Be6 12.d5! Do you remember the famous game
Steinitz – Von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895? If not, I strongly recommend you take a look at it! White
wants to open up the position while the black king is still in the center. If White postpones this
move, then Black may permanently secure control over the d5-square with a move like ...Nb6-d5.
12...Nxd5 [12...cxd5 Delchev, A (2622) – Cheparinov, I (2664) Panagyurishte 2012. 13.a4! with the
idea a4-a5. 13...a5 14.Be3 and White is clearly better.] 13.Nxd5
256
13...cxd5 [13...Bxd5 14.Bxd5 Qxd5 15.Re1+ Be7 16.Bf4 and the black king cannot make it out of
the center.] 14.Qa4+ Qd7 15.Qd4 Black will have a hard time completing his kingside development
and bringing the king to safety.
B2) 8...Nb4 9.0-0! Bc2 10.Qe1 Bg6
11.f4! Black has spent too much time moving the same pieces and is way behind in development.
Hence, it is natural for White to sacrifice material and open up the position. For example, the greedy
11...Nc2 runs into 12.Qf2 Nxa1 13.Bxb7! Rb8 14.Bc6+ Nd7 15.f5 Bh5 16.dxe5
257
Position after: 16.dxe5
and despite being down a rook for two pawns, White’s attack is almost decisive.
C) 7...Be6 With the idea of playing ...Qd8-d7 and ...0-0-0.
C1) 8.0-0 Qd7 9.f4 deserves attention, although Black seems to have a comfortable position after
9...f6 when White needs to get his queenside pieces into play quickly. Otherwise Black may take
over the initiative after ...0-0-0.
258
C2) 8.d4 exd4 9.exd4 Bb4 Black’s idea is to get control of the d5-square.
10.0-0 Bc4 11.Re1 0-0 12.Be3 Nd5 13.Rc1 Re8 14.a3 Bxc3 15.Nxc3 Nxc3 16.bxc3 And I still like
White’s position thanks to the bishop pair advantage. Maletin, P (2587) – Yakovich, Y (2525)
Vladivostok 2012.
D) 7...Qd3 will be examined separately.
E) 7...h5!?
259
Position after: 7...h5!?
This move is surprisingly decent and perhaps requires a deeper insight into the position than this book
provides. White has the major choice between 8.d4 and 8.h3, with the latter continuation leading to
more dynamic positions as seen below.
E1) 8.h3 h4 9.g4 f5
This leads to some unbalanced positions where Black has a fair share of the chances. 10.gxf5 I will
speculate that Pauline Guichard might have been aware about White’s best continuation here. The
year prior to her game against Kosteniuk, MVL played 9...f5 against Caruana in a blitz game and
won convincingly. Since Maxime and Pauline are French national team members, Maxime might
have mentioned to her what White should do here. [≤ 10.d4 Caruana, F (2804) – Vachier Lagrave,
M (2789) Paris 2016 allowing 10...fxg4!? where Black is objectively doing well, although the
position remains complex.] 10...Bxf5 11.d4
260
11...exd4?! This allows White to get her pieces into play quickly. [11...Qf6!? Preparing to castle
long and not helping White with her queenside development.] 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.exd4 Qe7+ 14.Be3
c6 15.d5!
And White obtained a dangerous position in Guichard, P (2285) – Kosteniuk, A (2552) Monaco
2017.
261
E2) 8.d4 h4 9.d5 Ne7 10.e4
10...hxg3 A viable option. [10...c6!? I have sympathy for Black’s position here. Therefore, if 7...h5
ever appears in a game of mine, I’ll likely play 8.h3. 11.a4 cxd5 12.a5 Nc4 13.exd5 Nd6 Black has
established a beautiful blockade on d6. I find Black’s position easier to play. Hilby, C (2433) –
Burke, J (2562) Saint Louis 2019.] 11.hxg3 Rxh1+ 12.Bxh1 Ng8!?
Position after: 12...Ng8!?
262
Preparing the sortie for the f8-bishop. 13.Be3 [13.f4!? Bd6 14.fxe5 Bxe5 15.Bf4 Qf6 16.Bxe5 Qxe5
17.Qd4∞ Trying to break up Black’s blockade on e5. Alternatively, White has ideas like Nc3-b5
followed by Ra1-c1, targeting the c7-pawn.] 13...Nf6 14.Qc2 Bd7
15.0-0-0?! Ng4 Grabbing a very important bishop. 16.Qd3 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 Bd6 and Black was better
in Ponkratov, P (2613) – Karjakin, S (2760) Riadh 2017.
8.0-0 0-0 9.f4
263
This leads to a dynamic middlegame. White’s central pawns will either prove to be a strength or a
weakness. It all depends on the level and knowledge of both players.
Black may either capture ...exf4, willingly activating the white knight, or else play the more
conservative ...f7-f6, keeping the pawn structure as it is.
9...f6
9...exf4 10.Nxf4
Position after: 10.Nxf4
A) In the following game, Black clearly wasn’t aware of the nuances of the pawn structure. He played
the somewhat strange looking 10...Bg5?! and went down quickly after playing some general
developing moves with no clear purpose. White’s moves, on the other hand, had a simple coherent
idea to attack on the kingside: 11.b3 Bf5 12.Bb2 Re8 13.h4 Be7 14.Nh5 Be6
264
15.Nxg7! Kxg7 16.Ne4+ Kg8 17.Qh5 Nd5 18.Bh3 Qc8 19.Qh6 and Black resigned. Sonis, F (2450)
– Studer, N (2489) Porto Mannu 2017.
B) In the following game, White also managed to build up a powerful pawn center which proved
difficult for Black to attack: 10...Bf5 11.b3 Qd7 12.Bb2 Rad8 13.Rf2 Nb4
14.d4 c6 15.e4 Bg4 16.Nce2 Bg5 17.a3 with a more pleasant middlegame. Erdos, V (2637) –
265
Spoelman, W (2541) Germany 2012.
C) 10...Ne5 11.d4 Ng6
Position after: 11...Ng6
This is an important moment. If White trades too many pieces, his dynamic potential will diminish
and it will become more difficult to justify the “hanging” d- and e-pawns, which are likely to become
weaknesses. Therefore, in general White aims to keep pieces on the board, unless an exchange is
clearly favorable. 12.Qh5 [12.Nd3! had to be played, leaving the g6-knight somewhat out of play.]
12...Nxf4 13.Rxf4 c6 14.Bd2 Nc4 15.Qe2 Nxd2 16.Qxd2 Be6 17.Raf1 Qd7 18.Kh1 Rad8 19.Qe2
Rfe8
266
Position after: 19...Rfe8
And Black obtained a better position thanks to the bishop pair advantage and healthier pawn structure.
White is left with the weak e3-pawn which cannot be advanced without leaving the d4-pawn
vulnerable. Maletin, P (2567) – Rublevsky, S (2688) Novosibirsk 2012.
10.f5!?
267
This makes Black’s task of developing his queenside a bit more problematic. Meanwhile, White wants
to follow up with d2-d4.
10...Bd7
10...Nb4 11.d4 exd4 12.exd4 c6 13.a3 N4d5 14.Qd3 and again, Black needs too many tempi to
consolidate: He may try ...Bc8-d7-e8-f7, ...Qd8-d7, ...Rf8-e8, ...Ra8-d8, but it is all quite slow.
11.d4
11...exd4?!
This simply helps White to activate the e2-knight. The e6-square is a more tangible weakness now.
The immediate 11...Be8!? deserves serious consideration. Then the e2-knight is unable to jump to the
e6-square via f4. 12.d5 Nb4 13.a3 Na6
A) 14.d6 is certainly tempting but it is unclear whether it is any good. 14...cxd6 15.Bxb7
268
Position after: 15.Bxb7
A1) 15...Nc5 16.Bxa8 Qxa8 17.b4 Ne4 18.a4! Black still needs to prove his compensation, although
I agree that visually it already looks pretty convincing. White’s plan is to close the h1-a8 diagonal as
soon as possible, with something like a4-a5 followed by Nc3-d5 (or Nc3xe4, Ne2-c3 and then e3-
e4).
A2) Better is 15...Nc7! in order to keep an eye on the d5-square. 16.Bxa8 Qxa8 17.a4 d5© Black
certainly has powerful compensation, although analysis is required to tell whether it is objectively
enough.
269
Position after: 17...d5©
From a human standpoint, I prefer Black’s position – he has wonderful coordination and the white
king is exposed. If Black manages to build a Q+B battery on the h1-a8 diagonal, White will be in
serious trouble!
B) 14.Qc2 c6!
Taking advantage of the fact that White hasn’t completed his queenside development yet. 15.Rd1 Qc7
16.dxc6 Bxc6 17.e4 Be8 18.b4 Qc4„ Piorun, K (2676) – Dziuba, M (2566) Poland 2016.
12.exd4 Bd6 13.Ne4 Be8
270
Here I missed the natural idea of sticking the knight on e6.
14.d5!
A) ≤ 14.Nxd6?! Qxd6 15.Bf4 Qe7 16.Nc3 White’s position is still preferable, but Black is already
out of major trouble after 16...Bf7. Ipatov, A (2588) – Nepomniachtchi, I (2710) Legnica 2013.
B) 14.Nc5 Bxc5 15.dxc5 Nd7!„ Aiming for the e5-square. [≤ 15...Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Nd7 17.Nf4 Nxc5
18.b3!±]
14...Ne7
14...Ne5 15.Nd4±
15.Nd4±
271
Position after: 15.Nd4±
Now Ne6 is coming.
272
2.2: 6...Nc6 7.Nge2 Qd3
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.e3 Nc6 7.Nge2 Qd3!
Position after: 7...Qd3!
This puts White’s opening strategy directly to the test. White has to sacrifice his coordination in order
to kick the annoying queen from d3. This move was the fruit of home preparation by grandmasters
Ganguly and Harikrishna for the World Cup in 2015. For more details, find the game Mamedyarov –
Ganguly, Qatar Open 2015 in Mega Database. There you can find the game annotated with some
valuable ideas from the Indian grandmaster.
8.f4
This is pretty much White’s only idea in the position.

8.Be4 Qa6 9.d4?! runs into 9...Bh3! followed ...0-0-0. The white king is stuck in the center.
8...f6
Not giving the e2-knight access to the f4-square.

After this section was written, Black came up with a new move in the position, with good success. It is
also worth mentioning that this was a very high-level game played in an extremely important event
(Grand Prix)! 8...Bb4N
273
Position after: 8...Bb4N
9.fxe5 [I wonder what Ian had prepared against 9.0-0!? where White first castles and then wants to play
f4xe5 followed by Ne2-f4 and possibly d2-d4.] 9...Nxe5 10.Nf4 Qa6 Now White cannot castle easily.
11.Qc2 0-0 12.d4 Ng4 13.Nd3 Bxc3+ 14.Qxc3 Na4 15.Qb3 c5!
And Black got a promising position in Aronian, L (2762) – Nepomniachtchi, I (2773) Moscow 2019.
9.Be4 Qa6
274
According to Ganguly, White has to know exactly what he is doing to not end up in a worse position
himself! I have no reason not to believe Surya, as he is arguably one of the best opening theoreticians in
the world, having been on Vishy Anand’s team for many years.
10.fxe5
A) 10.f5!? deserves further exploration according to Ganguly, limiting the c8-bishop’s access to the
g4- and h3-squares.
B) ≤ 10.0-0 which allows 10...Bh3 11.Rf2 0-0-0 and Black is well-developed, whereas White is
uncoordinated and underdeveloped.
C) 10.d4 exd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Be6 13.Bd3 Bc4 14.Bxc4 Qxc4 15.Qxc4 Nxc4 16.Ke2 0-0-
0= Poetz, F (2414) – Babic, D (2463) ICCF email 2016.
10...fxe5
275
11.Ng1
A) ≤ 11.d4 which I don’t like because it creates a lot of weaknesses. Black gets a great position just
by responding with natural developing moves. 11...Bg4 12.h3 Bh5 13.a3
A1) 13...0-0-0!? 14.Bd3 Nc4 15.d5 [15.b3 exd4 16.Bxc4 Qa5 17.b4 Bxb4 and White’s position
collapses.] 15...e4! 16.Bxe4 N6e5 with overwhelming compensation.
276
A2) 13...Bg6 14.Bxg6+ hxg6 15.d5
Boruchovsky, A (2531) – Ushenina, A (2458) Jerusalem 2016. Again, 15...0-0-0µ would have led to
a much better position for Black.
B) However, I do like 11.a3!? which is one of the alternatives pointed out by Ganguly. The idea is
straightforward: Ra1-b1 followed by b2-b4-b5. 11...Bg4 [Be aware of the following trick: 11...Bh3?
12.Nf4! exf4 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qxh3±.] 12.h3 Be6 13.Rb1 0-0-0 14.b4 Ne7∞
Position after: 14...Ne7∞
277
This position certainly deserves deeper analysis than the scope of this book allows. The black queen is
obviously awkward on a6.
11...Nd7!
Bringing the passive knight into play. The destination is the d3-square (via a short layover on c5).
12.Nd5
Tactical complications do not work out for White, mainly because he is underdeveloped: 12.Qh5+? g6
13.Bxg6+ hxg6 14.Qxh8 Nb4 and Black has a fatal attack on the light squares.
12...Bd6 13.Qh5+ Kd8
278
Position after: 13...Kd8
14.Nf3?!
According to Ganguly, White should follow the following correspondence game in order to keep
balance: 14.Ne2 Ne7 15.Nec3 g6 16.Qh6 Nc5 17.Qg7 Rg8 18.Qf6 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Qd3 20.Ndc3 b6
21.Rf1 Ba6
Privara, I (2516) – Gonzalez Pereira, F (2453) ICCF email 2013, although in the end, I still like Black’s
279
position! White’s light squares are horrible.
14...Nc5 15.Qg5+ Ne7 16.Nxe7 Bxe7 17.Qxe5 Rf8 18.Rf1
Position after: 18.Rf1
This was played in the game Mamedyarov, S (2748) – Ganguly, S (2648) Doha 2015.
18...Nxe4!N
This move would have led to complete domination over White’s position:
19.Qxe4 Bf5 20.Qd4+ Ke8µ
280
Position after: 20...Ke8µ
2.3: 6...Be7
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.e3
Black may also postpone the development of the b8-knight to c6, or not develop it there at all.
6...Be7
281
7.Nge2 0-0 8.0-0 c6
This is the solid approach. Black’s idea is simply to restrict the g2-bishop. However, I think that White
can still pose Black some questions.
8...N8d7 9.b3
A) In the following game, Black’s play in the opening was provocative and urged me to refute it in
tactical style: 9...c6 10.Bb2 Nc5 11.d4 exd4 12.Nxd4 g6?
282
Position after: 12...g6?
This temporary weakening of the a1-h8 diagonal is already enough to run into trouble after 13.Bxc6!
Nd3 [13...bxc6 14.Nxc6 Qc7 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Qd4! f6 (16...Ne6 17.Nd5!+–) 17.Ba3 Nbd7
18.Na4+–] 14.Qxd3 bxc6 15.Qe4 f5 16.Qxc6+– Ipatov, A (2615) – Preotu, R (2452) World Open
2015.
B) 9...Nf6 10.Bb2
283
B1) 10...Qd3?! doesn’t work because White is better prepared for complications due to his better
development. 11.f4! Rd8 12.fxe5 Ng4 13.Nf4 Nxe3 [13...Qxd2 14.Nfd5!+–] 14.Qf3 Qxd2
15.Rf2+–
B2) 10...c6 is perhaps better, with the familiar idea of limiting the activity of the g2-bishop. 11.d4
exd4 12.Nxd4 Nbd5 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.e4, although White still retains a better position here as well.
B3) 10...Rb8 11.d4 exd4 12.Nxd4 c5?! Weakening the h1-a8 diagonal and the d5-square. 13.Nde2
Bd7 14.Nf4 The perfect square for the knight: from here it can potentially jump to d5 or join the
kingside attack. 14...Qc7 15.Ne4!
Opening up the diagonal for the b2-bishop. After the exchange of knights, the black king will feel
somewhat lonely. 15...Nxe4 16.Bxe4 Rfe8 17.Qh5 with a dangerous initiative. Ipatov, A (2615) –
Bryant, J (2388) World Open 2015.
Note that 8...Nc6 9.f4 would transpose into the previous section.
9.d4
284
9...exd4
9...Qc7 10.b3 Na6 [10...f5?! makes little sense as it permanently weakens the a1-h8 diagonal. 11.dxe5
Qxe5 12.Bb2 and White’s position is much better. Kachiani Gersinska, K (2366) – Yildiz, B (2379)
Erfurt 2012.] 11.Bb2 Rd8 12.Qb1 exd4 13.Nxd4 Nb4 14.a3 N4d5 15.Nce2! Playing against the b6-
knight. 15...c5 16.Rc1 Qd7 17.Nf3² with the idea e3-e4.
Position after: 17.Nf3²
285
10.Nxd4 Bf6 11.Ne4 Bxd4 12.exd4 Nd5
Firat, B (2480) – Ali Marandi, C (2380) Skopje 2014.
Although Black has managed to block the isolated d4-pawn, White has the bishop pair advantage and a
lead in development.
13.Bg5
White has the slightly more pleasant middlegame.

2.4: 6...c5
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.e3 c5
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This is another possibility. Since the e5-pawn is not under attack, Black uses the extra time to seize
even more control over the center. The drawback of this move is that it weakens the h1-a8 diagonal,
and therefore the g2-bishop becomes even stronger.
7.Nge2 Nc6 8.0-0 Be7
8...Bd6 allows 9.d4 exd4 10.exd4 0-0 11.Ne4 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 Be7 14.Qe5
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and Black shouldn’t be fooled by the fact that the position is symmetrical. White’s pieces are more
active.
9.f4!?
9...exf4
Perhaps 9...0-0 is more principled, not allowing the activation of the e2-knight. 10.fxe5 [10.b3 f6
11.Ba3 Be6 12.Ne4 Nb4 13.f5 Bf7 14.Bxb4 cxb4 15.g4 a5! 16.N2g3 a4„ Naiditsch, A (2684) –
Smerdon, D (2516) Germany 2016.] 10...Nxe5 11.d4
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The big question is whether the white pawn center will prove to be an asset or a weakness. 11...Ng4
12.h3 Nf6 13.d5 Nc4 14.b3 Ne5 15.Bb2 Bd6 16.Nb5 Re8 17.Rc1 b6 Soffer, R (2472) – Greenfeld, A
(2585) Tel Aviv 2011.
18.Rc2!?∞ with the idea Ne2-c3, Rc2-f2, and potentially Rf2xf6!
10.Nxf4 0-0 11.b3
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Similarly to the “Korchnoi Variation” (6.f4) that we examined at the start of the chapter, White has
again decided to fianchetto both bishops. I must say, I love them!
11...Bf5
In the following game, Black quickly ran into trouble: 11...Bf6 12.Ba3 Nb4 13.Rc1 a5 14.Ne4± and
there was no reasonable way to protect the c5-pawn. Nevednichy, V (2553) – Sukandar, I (2357), 2014.
12.Bb2 Qd7 13.Ne4
Opening the a1-h8 diagonal for the b2-bishop. White’s plan is to combine pressure on the kingside and
queenside (the c5-pawn).
13...Rad8 14.Rf2 Nb4 15.Qf1! Bxe4
15...Bg6
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was played in Griffiths, R (2310) – Howell, D (2603) England 2012. Here I would suggest 16.Rc1!?² as
16...Bxe4 17.Bxe4 Nxa2? fails to 18.Ra1 Nb4 19.Rxa7±.
16.Bxe4
White has a fantastic bishop pair aiming at Black’s kingside. Hikaru went on to win a brilliant game.
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Nakamura, H (2759) – Navara, D (2712) Wijk aan Zee 2012.
2.5: 6...g6
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.g3 e5 5.Bg2 Nb6 6.e3 g6
Yet another alternative for Black. If White wants to pose practical problems, he should continue with
7.b3
clearly aiming to play 8.Ba3 against 7...Bg7 (8.Ba3).
7...Nc6
≤ 7...Na6
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Position after: ≤ 7...Na6
after which White has the very strong 8.Nf3! creating pressure on the e5-pawn, using the fact that
Black is unable to protect it with the b8-knight which is already developed on a6. 8...Bg7 [8...Bd6 is
rather inconsistent and leaves the dark squares weak on the kingside.] 9.Ba3 c5 10.Ne4 Qe7 11.Rc1
Black’s opening strategy has failed. He has to retreat the b6-knight, making his queenside development
much more awkward to complete. 11...Nd7 12.0-0 0-0 13.d4! White favorably opened up the position
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and convincingly won. Kovalenko, I (2596) – Korchmar, V (2325) Voronezh 2013.
8.Nge2 Nb4 9.0-0 Nd3
Black tries to solve his opening problems dynamically. The d3-knight blocks White’s idea of playing
d2-d4, and potentially wants to trade itself for the c1-bishop, thus giving Black the bishop pair
advantage.
White has to respond quickly with
10.f4
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trying to utilize the fact we have castled, unlike Black whose king is still in the center.
10.a4 a5 11.f4 exf4 12.Nxf4 Nxc1 13.Qxc1 c6 14.d4 Bg7 15.Qa3 Bf8 16.Qb2 Bg7 led to a quick draw
by repetition in the game Fridman, D (2670) – Ghaem Maghami, E (2557) Germany 2012.
10...exf4
Black may secure the bishop pair with 10...Nxc1 and try to complete his kingside development quickly.
11.Qxc1 [11.Rxc1 doesn’t pose any practical problems: 11...Bg7 12.fxe5 Bxe5 13.d4 Bg7 14.e4 0-0
and Black is doing well thanks to his bishop pair advantage.]
A) After 11...exf4
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Position after: 11...exf4
White may try to complicate matters with 12.Rxf4!? [or even the sharper 12.Nb5 c6 13.Bxc6+ bxc6
14.Qxc6+ Qd7 15.Nc7+ Kd8 16.Qc3∞] 12...c6 [≤ 12...Bg7 13.Re4+! preventing Black from castling
or else seriously weakening Black’s pawn structure after 13...Be6 14.Nf4!] 13.Rd4!? Bd7 14.Ne4ƒ
forcing Black to solve practical problems over the board.
B) 11...Bg7 12.fxe5 Bxe5 13.d4 Bg7 14.Qa3
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14...c6!= Preparing ...Qd8-e7. Black has a good position. [Black cannot do the same as in the Fridman
– Ghaem Maghami game: 14...Bf8 15.Qa5 Bg7 due to 16.Qc5! and now 16...Bf8?? runs into
17.Qe5+.]
11.Nxf4 Nxc1
Position after: 11...Nxc1
12.Qf3!?
This is likely to surprise your opponent, making him think and doubt his decisions unless he knows
precisely what to do!
12.Qxc1 Bg7 13.Qa3 Bxc3! 14.dxc3 Qe7= Shabalov, A (2553) – Schmakel, S (2127) Vancouver 2012.
12...f5
A) 12...Be7 isn’t the square where Black originally intended to develop the f8-bishop.
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13.Nxg6!? [13.Raxc1 is more solid. Once again, the e7-bishop is misplaced and still needs to be
transferred to g7.] 13...hxg6 [13...fxg6? 14.Qf7+ Kd7 15.Bh3+ Kc6 16.Qf3+ Nd5 17.Raxc1+–]
14.Qxf7+ Kd7 15.Rf4 c5 16.Rxc1 Qg8 17.Qxg8 Rxg8 18.Ne4©
Position after: 18.Ne4©
Black still needs to find a couple of good moves in order to stabilize his position. Objectively, White
should have compensation but certainly not more than that.
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B) The natural 12...Bg7?? loses to 13.Nxg6! Qf6 14.Nxh8 Qxf3 15.Bxf3+–.
13.Raxc1 c6 14.d4
14...Ba3!
How likely is one to play this move without knowing it is best?

The natural 14...Bg7 allows White to seize the initiative with 15.a4 [or 15.d5 directly] 15...0-0 [15...a5
16.d5] 16.a5 Nd7 17.a6! ruining Black’s pawn structure.
15.Rcd1 Qe7 16.d5 Bd7 17.e4 0-0
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And Black is finally OK.

Conclusion
Overall, Black can combat the 6.e3 variation in a variety of ways, 6...Nc6 7.Nge2 Qd3 being the
most critical and 7...h5 becoming more popular too. The good news is that in all lines, Black has to
have some understanding of what is going on, because natural developing moves do not always lead
to a good position!
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Chapter 5
Grünfeld Defense (3.g3 c6)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3
Chapter Guide
Chapter 5 – Grünfeld Defense (3.g3 c6)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3

1) 5...--
2) 5...dxc4 6.Ne2
2.1: 6...--
2.2: 6...Nbd7
2.3: 6...Bg7
3) 5...dxc4 6.Nd2
3.1: 6...e5, 6...c5
3.2: 6...b5
3.3: 6...Be6
4) 5...Bg7 6.Ne2 0-0 7.0-0
4.1: 7...--
4.2: 7...b6
What to do against the Grünfeld? Dealing with this opening is a constant headache for players of all
levels, including the mighty elite. The truth is that if Black has good opening analysis and is prepared to
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be tested in depth within each variation along the entire periphery of the opening (and remember
exactly what they have analyzed), then there is not much that White can do to obtain an advantage. The
good news, however, is that Black has to remember A LOT, whereas White can just pick a line and
check if Black is ready there. Despite having analyzed the Grünfeld from Black’s perspective with
some strong grandmasters and believing my analysis to be reasonably good there, I have nevertheless
shied away from playing it recently. It requires so many lines to be kept in memory and at the end of
the day, it is White who is in the examiner’s seat. Simply put, it is not much fun having to constantly
revise a bunch of complicated variations, which also removes some creative component from the game.
Sometimes this can drain mental energy when it was better to leave your mind clear before the game. I
can give an example from my own experience.
In 2015, I qualified to play in the World Cup in Baku and was set to play Ivan Cheparinov in Round 1.
Under the advice of my coaches, I decided to play something solid with Black (the Slav, if you are
interested), being sure that Ivan would expect the Grünfeld and have something strong prepared there
(after all, he was Topalov’s second for many years and definitely had a bunch of ideas). With a lot of
luck and some decent rook endgame technique (previously unseen from me), I managed to advance to
Round 2 where I was paired against a friend of mine, Pavel Eljanov. There I decided to switch from the
Slav to the Grünfeld, hoping to have some element of surprise. Since I hadn’t refreshed my Grünfeld
lines before the tournament, I had to do that over the “free” day (there was no tiebreak in my match
against Ivan, so I had one extra day). Overall, I spent over 10(!) hours checking variations before
finally going to sleep at 3am, feeling confident that I had covered all possibilities. As it transpired, I
was on my own as early as move 5 after Pavel’s 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.Qa4 (yes, I know
this is now quite well-known, but back then I was taken by surprise by the move order – i.e. Qd1-a4
with the knight still on g1). Although I eventually managed to equalize and later got an easily holdable
position, the fact that I had spent half the night mindlessly refreshing irrelevant variations likely played
a role in my poor decision-making later on. In time trouble, I first made a poor positional judgment and
then blundered in the endgame. Of course, Pavel was the clear favorite in that game and in the match
(in fact, he advanced to the semi-finals beating Grischuk, Nakamura and Jakovenko along the way!) but
I shouldn’t have made his task quite so easy by self-sabotaging in the first game.
This incident highlighted to me the importance of prioritizing sleep/freshness over mindless revision of
opening lines before the game. Having discussed the Grünfeld from Black’s perspective, let’s go back
to White.
In my view, we have a number of different options as White: (1) Simply follow mainstream theory and
hope that your opponent forgets his analysis, as otherwise it will inevitably lead to a draw via mass
simplifications. (2) Come up with some small improvement in mainline theory and hope that your
opponent will not figure out how to deal with it over the board. (3) Play an Anti-Grünfeld (which also
has a ton of theory!). (4). Have plenty of ideas/sidelines ready for one-off use and alternate between
them, ensuring that Black doesn’t know which one to expect from you on any given day, and therefore
doesn’t know which lines to revise before the game. (5) Avoid the Grünfeld altogether and play
something else.
In this book, we will briefly cover a mix of (3) and (4). That means we need to find a new idea in the
Anti-Grünfeld and also some ideas for option (4), which is the topic of this section. It contains a rich
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mix of ideas from GM Khalifman, who wrote an article on 5.e3 in a chess magazine a couple of years
ago, from GMs Bojan Vuckovic and Mykhaylo Oleksienko, who both helped me to prepare for the
World Cup in 2015, and also some of my own ideas. On a side note, I should mention that I was
planning to play this line against Ivan Cheparinov if he chose to play the Grünfeld against me in Baku.
In the end he played the solid Slav, but the time spent analyzing 5.e3 wasn’t wasted, as I successfully
implemented this sideline twice near the end of 2015!
1) 5...--
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3
This strange-looking move was first employed but none other than Vladimir Kramnik himself in 2013.
Although it didn’t gain huge popularity amongst the top guys on a regular basis, I would still consider
this move a decent surprise weapon, even today. In addition to Kramnik, this move was tried by
Topalov (twice), Ding Liren (twice), Mamedyarov, Harikrishna, Wang Yue, Navara, Le Quang Liem,
Wang Hao, Dubov, Duda (all once), and interestingly, a whopping four times by the chief editor of
Thinkers Publishing, GM Romain Edouard! Personally, I have played 5.e3 twice against international
master level opposition and managed to obtain a favorable opening outcome both times.
In this position, Black has two major options: 5...dxc4 grabbing the pawn and 5...Bg7 continuing
development in a natural way. Most of our focus in this section will be spent on those two moves. But
first, I’ll briefly touch upon some other moves that Black may play.
5...Bf5
This aggressive move was once played in a classical game by Ian Nepomniachtchi against Maxim
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Rodshtein. Black wants to play something along the lines of ...Qd8-d7 followed by ...Bf5-h3. If White
plays h2-h3 to prevent the exchange of light-squared bishops, then short castling will become more
difficult to achieve as the h3-pawn will be hanging.
5...b5 Similar to some lines in the Slav, although not exactly the same, of course. The c5-square is now
permanently weak, something which White may seek to exploit in the future. 6.cxd5 [The flexible 6.b3
also deserves attention, keeping tension in the center.] 6...cxd5
Position after: 6...cxd5
A) In the only game with 5...b5 so far, White continued 7.Ne2 e6 8.Nd2 Bb7 9.Nb3 Nbd7 10.Bd2 but
after 10...a5 White still had to show how he was going to take advantage of the c5-square weakness.
Loetscher, R (2420) – Krassowizkij, J (2402) Austria 2014.
B) 7.Nc3 Using the fact that 7...b4 can be met 8.Qa4+ grabbing the b4-pawn. 7...a6
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B1) 8.e4 looks tempting, trying to open up the weakened h1-a8 diagonal. However, Black is totally
fine after the natural 8...dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Ra7 and it is White who has to prove what he’s
got to compensate for the isolated d-pawn.
B2) 8.Nge2 Bb7 9.Nf4 e6 10.Nd3 with the option to play b2-b4, Nd3-c5 later on. White has an
edge.
6.Ne2 Qd7
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As previously mentioned, White now has a choice about whether to play h2-h3. Fortunately, both
options look good for White.
7.b3
Ignoring Black’s idea of trading light-squared bishops.

7.h3N also deserves serious consideration. For example: 7...dxc4 8.Nd2
8...Bd3 [8...Bg7 9.e4 Be6 10.Qc2 b5 11.b3 cxb3 12.axb3 with typical positional compensation for the
pawn.] 9.Nf4 c5 10.b3!?
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Undermining the black bishop on d3. 10...cxd4 11.Nxc4 Bxc4 12.bxc4 dxe3 13.Bxe3 This time, the
better development and bishop pair in an open position justify the material deficit. White’s position
looks great honestly!
7...Bh3 8.Bxh3 Qxh3 9.Nf4 Qf5 10.0-0 Nbd7
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11.f3!?
Trying to take advantage of Black’s misplaced queen and their king still in the center.
11...dxc4 12.bxc4 Qa5 13.Qb3 e5 14.Nd3
Although White ultimately lost this game, the opening outcome was favorable for him. The b7-pawn is
now hanging. If Black castles long, his king might quickly find itself under attack down the b-file.
Rodshtein, M (2638) – Nepomniachtchi, I (2710) Legnica 2013.
2) 5...dxc4 6.Ne2
2.1: 6...--
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3 dxc4
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Given White’s somewhat strange pawn structure, taking the pawn is surely the most critical
continuation for Black. Comparing this to another line which is known to be totally sound for Black
1.d4 1...d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2 dxc4 (which is also covered in this book), here White has
played e2-e3 instead of the more natural Ng1-f3. If Black is OK in the above variation where White has
a slightly better version with the knight on f3 instead of the pawn on e3, why are we even bothering to
look at this line? Again, the point is to surprise Black and take the game into unchartered territory as
early as possible. I’m not claiming that White is objectively better, either in this chapter or in any other
line presented in this book. As you probably know, White cannot get a real tangible advantage in any
opening if Black knows exactly what to do! What we can do, however, is to use our first move
advantage as White to surprise Black. Philosophy aside, let’s get back to the analysis.
6.Ne2
This was Vladimir Kramnik’s choice against Boris Gelfand in 2013, which is known to be the first
serious game with 5.e3. Another alternative 6.Nd2 will be examined separately. After the text move
6.Ne2, Black has a few possible options: (a) Try to hold onto the pawn with something like 6...Nbd7,
6...b5 or 6...Nd5, 7...b5. (b) Strike White in the center with 6...e5. (c) Allow White to regain the pawn
by simply continuing kingside development with 6...Bg7, 7...0-0, etc.
6...e5
This is a totally different way to treat the position. Black tries to take advantage of White’s strange
development and immediately strikes in the center, not allowing White to consolidate and regain the
c4-pawn, after which the ...e6-e5 push would become more difficult.
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A) ≤ 6...Nd5
Position after: ≤ 6...Nd5
This has been seen only once, albeit at a high level, in a game between David Navara and Jon Ludvig
Hammer from their 2013 World Cup match. Black temporarily closes the h1-a8 diagonal and aims to
keep the extra pawn with ...b7-b5. However, this proves to be rather slow, since all the other black
pieces are still in their starting positions. 7.0-0 b5 8.a4 Naturally trying to open up the a-file and h1-a8
diagonal. 8...Bb7 9.b3! White attempts to take the bull by the horns while Black’s king is still in the
center, which in a way limits Black’s options. 9...cxb3 10.axb5 cxb5 11.Qxb3
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A1) Black cannot keep the b5-pawn and keep the h1-a8 diagonal closed with the help of pawn
moves as the following short variation illustrates: 11...a6 12.Nf4 e6 13.Nc3 and Black is in trouble
since he can no longer hold onto the d5-knight.
A2) 11...Qd7 12.Nbc3 Nxc3 13.Nxc3 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 a6 15.Nxb5
Position after: 15.Nxb5
15...Bg7 [Unfortunately for Black, he cannot grab the offered material: 15...axb5 16.Rxa8 Qc6+
17.d5 Qxa8 18.Qxb5+ Nd7 19.Bb2 f6 20.Ra1 with a crushing position.] 16.Nc3 0-0 17.Qd5 Qxd5+
18.Nxd5 e6
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19.Ne7+ [19.Nb6!? Ra7 20.Ba3 Rd8 21.Rfc1²] 19...Kh8 20.Ba3² and Black was required to fight
for survival due to the presence of two pawn islands (in particular, the weak a-pawn) and currently
undeveloped pieces. Navara, D (2715) – Hammer, J (2605) Tromsø 2013.
B) 6...b5N
Position after: 6...b5N
This hasn’t been played in a classical game yet (at least according to my database at the time of
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writing). Here, White’s plan is similar to what Navara did against Hammer: castle quickly and then try
to open up the queenside. This often leads to positions where White just has long-term positional
compensation and nothing concrete. This is still OK – remember that our goal is to get off the beaten
track! 7.0-0
B1) 7...Bb7 8.a4 b4 9.Nd2 Ba6 10.e4
With a beautiful looking position.

White wants to follow up with something like Qd1-c2, trying to regain the c4-pawn (if Black plays
...b4-b3 to harass the queen, this time it can go to c3 since Black no longer has ...Nf6-d5).
Additionally, White might have e4-e5, Nd2-e4 ideas in the position.
B2) 7...a5 With the idea to gain some space on the queenside and prepare ...Ra8-a6 or ...Bc8-a6. If
White doesn’t react back with b2-b3 or a2-a4, then Black might even want to play ...a5-a4 himself to
prevent White the opportunity.
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8.b3!? [White cannot win the c4-pawn back in straightforward fashion with 8.a4 b4 9.Nd2 Ba6
10.Qc2 due to 10...b3 and the queen has to retreat.] 8...cxb3 9.axb3 And White enjoys typical long-
term compensation. His plan is to complete development and then start pressing on the queenside.
This isn’t difficult because the c5-square is weak and usually serves as a great outpost for one of the
white knights. Additionally, the c6- and a5-pawns require some care from Black’s side.
7.Nd2!?
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A) Certainly not 7.dxe5? Qxd1+ 8.Kxd1 Ng4 when the black knight is likely to end up on the d3-
square, which became possible partly thanks to the e2-e3 move. Of course, the mistake here is
capturing 7.dxe5, not 5.e2-e3 itself!
B) 7.0-0 exd4
Position after: 7...exd4
B1) 8.Nxd4 Bg7 9.Na3 Nbd7 10.Nxc4 gives a slightly better version of the Miton – Danin game for
Black, since here he has retained his dark-squared bishop on the h8-a1 diagonal. Nevertheless, the
game is still on! Oleksienko, M (2610) – Vishnu, P (2512) Abu Dhabi 2016.
B2) ≤ 8.Qxd4 which just makes Black’s life and next few moves too easy, which is not something
we want when playing offbeat lines! 8...Qxd4 9.Nxd4 Bc5 Black could have played something else
and would likely have still equalized very easily. 10.a4 Bxd4 11.exd4 Be6 12.Na3 0-0 13.Bg5 Kg7=
Minko, V (2226) – Kolosowski, M (2437) Pardubice 2015.
7...exd4 8.Nxd4
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8...Nbd7
Perhaps the best for Black is simply to castle first and then figure out how to complete queenside
development. ¹ 8...Bg7 9.Nxc4 0-0 10.0-0 and we have an objectively equal but playable position,
where I would personally take White.
9.Nxc4 Nb6
9...Bg7? runs into 10.Nd6+±.
10.Qc2
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10...Bb4+
10...Bg7? allows 11.Nxc6! with favorable complications for White.
11.Bd2 Bxd2+ 12.Nxd2 0-0 13.0-0
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White obtained a pleasant edge in Miton, K (2612) – Danin, A (2579) Czech Republic 2016.
His possible ideas include transferring the d2-knight to c5 or a5, opening up the h1-a8 diagonal with a
pawn minority attack (i.e. b2-b4-b5) or playing more aggressively and centrally by advancing the e-
and f-pawns.
2.2: 6...Nbd7
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3 dxc4 6.Ne2 Nbd7
This is yet another way to hold on to the c4-pawn, and perhaps the soundest. Black wants to play
...Nd7-b6 without weakening the h1-a8 diagonal like we saw in the 5...b5 and 5...Nd5 variations.
7.0-0 Bg7
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The c4-pawn hasn’t been attacked yet, so Black uses the time to complete his kingside development. At
the time of writing, this position has been seen only three times and in each of them, White tried
something new. My personal recommendation would probably be 8.Na3.
8.a4
This prevents Black’s ...b7-b5 and prepares Nb1-a3. If Black chooses to protect the pawn with ...Nd7-
b6, then White is very likely to hit the knight with a4-a5. Thus, Black’s following move is sort of
forced.
A) 8.Qc2 This was Ding Liren’s choice a couple of years ago. The game didn’t go well for him as he
couldn’t successfully navigate the complications that his opponent forced: 8...Nb6 9.e4 [For 9.Na3
see the analysis to Potkin – Timman, covered under a different move order 8.Na3 Nb6 9.Qc2.] 9...e5
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This allows White to get a better position with a sequence of precise moves. In the game, Ding Liren
managed to find the first few but then lost his way and quickly lost. [9...0-0 is a safer and better
continuation after which transpositions into 8.Na3 or 8. a4 are possible.] 10.dxe5 Ng4 11.Rd1 Qe7
12.f4 f6 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.e5 Bf5 15.Qc3 Qc5+
Position after: 15...Qc5+
A1) 16.Nd4? and now in Ding, L (2755) – Sethuraman, S (2623) Hyderabad 2015, Black could have
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gotten a huge position with 16...Na4! leaving White hugely underdeveloped and with an exposed
king. Black is likely to castle long and have one of his rooks on the d-file right away. White’s
position is collapsing.
A2) 16.Rd4™ 16...Nxe5 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Be3 White’s pair of minor pieces is likely to be stronger
than the black rook, since Black will be left with very weak dark squares on the kingside after
trading his dark-squared bishop for the rook on d4.
B) 8.Na3 Nb6 9.Qc2 0-0 10.e4 This leads to similar positions as after 8.a4, with the major difference
being that here the moves a2-a4 and ...a7-a5 were omitted. On the one hand, the position of Black’s
b6-knight is a lot more stable without the threat of a4-a5 to worry about. On the other hand, White
may use the availability of the a5-square to transfer his knight there and further create pressure on
Black’s queenside. [≤ 10.Nxc4 which again allows 10...Bf5! with tempo.]
B1) Thanks to the small pawn structure difference when compared to the 8.a4 variation, Black has
the additional option of 10...Be6!? 11.Rd1 [Unlike in the 8.a4 line, 11.Nf4?! isn’t very good here
because the b6-knight is no longer hanging after 11...Qxd4 12.Nxe6 fxe6 13.Be3 and Black can
simply play 13...Qd3!.] 11...Qc8 12.Nf4 Rd8
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Black will follow up with the typical ...Nf6-e8-d6 holding onto the c4-pawn and opening up the a1-
h8 diagonal for his dark-squared bishop. White still has compensation, but probably not more than
that.
B2) 10...Ne8 11.Nxc4 Bg4 We have an almost identical position as in the 8.a4 variation, except that
the pawns here are on a2 and a7 instead of a4 and a5. As mentioned already, this permits White to
establish his knight on a5. 12.Na5!? Nd6 13.Rd1 Nd5!?
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Potkin, V (2608) – Timman, J (2593) Wijk aan Zee 2015. Here White can improve with 14.f3!N
14...Qxa5 15.fxg4 Nb4 16.Qb3 Qb5 17.Bf1∞
Position after: 17.Bf1∞
reaching a dynamic position where White has the bishop pair, but his central pawns may serve as
targets.
8...a5 9.Na3 Nb6 10.Qc2 0-0
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11.e4
≤ 11.Nxc4 which runs into 11...Bf5! and 12.e4 isn’t feasible due to 12...Nxe4! 13.Bxe4 Bxe4 14.Qxe4
Nxc4µ.
11...Ne8!?
A typical idea, which we will also see in the 1.d4 1...d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2 dxc4 line
covered in the section dedicated to the Slav with 4.g3.
11...Be6 allows 12.Nf4 after which the bishop would likely want to retreat.
12.Nxc4
Position after: 12.Nxc4
Here Black has a choice between capturing on c4 and then playing ...Bc8-g4 or playing the latter
immediately. Either way, it will likely transpose into the same variation.
12...Nxc4
12...Bg4 13.Be3 Now Black must enter the following forcing variation. Otherwise White will
consolidate, strengthen his center (the d4-pawn in particular) and then gradually begin to squeeze
Black’s position. 13...Nxc4 14.Qxc4 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 Bxd4 16.Rfd1
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A) 16...c5 is the more dynamic option. It allows White to open up the h1-a8 diagonal and target the
b7-pawn, but Black may ignore it for the time being, as it would open up the b-file for his rook. 17.e5
Ng7 The knight is being transferred to the excellent e6-square. If White captures on b7, Black will
continue ...Ra8-b8 with further pressure on the b2-pawn. The position is dynamically balanced.
B) 16...e5 Strictly playing for equality, which is likely to be achieved with a couple of precise moves.
17.Bxd4 exd4 18.Qc4 Ng7 19.Bh3 Qe7 20.Rxd4 Rfd8
Position after: 20...Rfd8
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First, trade a pair of rooks to reduce White’s control over the d-file. 21.Rad1 Rxd4 22.Qxd4 Re8=
Then, prepare to bring the knight in (i.e. ...Ng7-e6).
13.Qxc4
Position after: 13.Qxc4
13...Bg4
13...e5?! was played in the game Yuffa, D (2373) – Sarana, A (2283) Taganrog 2014. 14.dxe5! Bxe5
15.Be3
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The position is dynamic, so the b2-pawn doesn’t matter. 15...Be6 [15...Bxb2 allows White to gain a
powerful tempo: 16.Rad1 Qc7 17.Bc5 and Black is unlikely to get full compensation for the exchange
since it is not easy to create passed pawn(s) on the queenside without weakening his position.] 16.Qc2²
and White is likely to follow up with f2-f4 in the near future. White has more space and his pieces are
better positioned.
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14.f3
Optically, this natural move seems to strengthen the white center. However, the position is very
concrete which enables Black to get counterplay in typical Grünfeld style with ...c6-c5!
Perhaps 14.Be3!? is better, with a possible transposition into 12...Bg4 13.Be3 Nxc4 14.Qxc4, which
we already saw was probably OK for Black.
14...Be6 15.Qc3 c5!
16.Qxc5 Rc8 17.Qa3 Bc4 18.Qe3 Qb6
Black has great compensation. His pieces are more active and the d4-pawn is under serious pressure.
2.3: 6...Bg7
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3 dxc4 6.Ne2 Bg7
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7.0-0
If White doesn’t want to give Black another chance to play ...Nb8-d7-b6 with likely transpositions into
the lines we’ve just examined, then he may prefer to attack the c4-pawn right away: 7.Na3!?
Position after: 7.Na3!?
A) 7...e5 8.Nxc4 exd4 9.Nxd4 0-0 10.0-0 We’ve already seen this pawn structure in the 6...e5
variation. White’s plan is to make Black’s queenside development as difficult as possible and try to
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create some positional pressure on that side of the board. Objectively though, the position is equal.
B) 7...Be6
B1) 8.Qc2 Na6 9.Bd2 Nd5 10.Nxc4 Ndb4 11.Bxb4 Nxb4
Position after: 11...Nxb4
Wang, H (2734) – Nepomniachtchi, I (2719) Almaty 2016. Here White could have played 12.Qb3!N
12...Bxc4 13.Qxc4 Nd5 14.0-0² with a typical grip on the position.
B2) ≤ 8.Nf4 Bd5 9.f3
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which runs into 9...g5! 10.Nxd5 [10.Ne2 g4!] 10...cxd5 11.e4 Nc6 12.Nc2 Qa5+ 13.Bd2 Qb6 and
the white pawn center is quite fragile.
7...0-0 8.Na3 Nbd7 9.Nxc4 Nb6
As a rule of thumb, when you have less space, it is generally a good idea to trade pieces. That way,
your remaining pieces will have more breathing room within the limited space.
Here White has a choice between strengthening the c4-knight with the b-pawn or transferring the knight
to the a5-square, from where it will keep pressure on the b7-pawn and thus prevent Black from easily
completing his queenside development.
10.Na5
In his game against Gelfand, Kramnik opted for the latter plan of trying to prevent exchanges. The
downside of this move is that it makes ...e7-e5 easier to achieve since the knight no longer keeps an eye
on the e5-square.
10.b3!? Preparing to complete queenside development with something along the lines of Bc1-b2 (a3)
followed by Ra1-c1.
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Black should hurry to organize his counterplay before it is too late. His two major ideas are ...c6-c5 and
...e7-e5, hitting White in the center. Keeping in mind the potential scope of White’s fianchettoed g2-
bishop, it may make more sense to go for the ...e7-e5 break. 10...Re8 [≤ 10...c5 which prematurely
weakens the h1-a8 diagonal. 11.Ba3 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Nxc4 13.bxc4 Qc7 14.Rc1 a6 15.c5± followed by
c5-c6. Ding, L (2730) – Ganguly, S (2615) Doha 2014.]
A) 11.Ba3 Nxc4 12.bxc4 e5 13.d5 cxd5 14.cxd5 Bg4 15.Rb1 Qa5„
Position after: 15...Qa5„
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Black’s pieces are all developed. The d5-pawn is likely to need protection. Zoler, D (2533) – Roiz, M
(2617) Legnica 2013.
B) 11.Bb2 doesn’t prevent the ...e7-e5 move. 11...Nxc4 12.bxc4 e5! 13.dxe5 Ng4 and Black is going
to recapture the pawn.
C) 11.e4!? If we can’t prevent ...e7-e5, let’s at least be ready for it! 11...Nxc4 12.bxc4 e5 13.d5
Thanks to 11.e4, Black can no longer play ...e5-e4 himself, which would weaken White’s d5-pawn
and open the a1-h8 diagonal for his dark-squared bishop. Now the d5-pawn is well-protected, and
White may even seize the initiative with moves like Qd1-b3, Ne2-c3, Bc1-a3, etc. Black would
ideally like to play ...c6xd5, followed by rerouting his knight to d6, but this is not easy to achieve
since the rook takes the e8-square away from the knight.
10...Qc7 11.b4 e5 12.dxe5 Qxe5 13.Nd4
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13...Ne4
The engine suggests the audacious 13...h5!? looking to weaken White’s position on the kingside.
14.Bb2 h4 15.Rc1 hxg3 16.hxg3 Re8∞ Nevertheless, Black has no serious attack and White retains a
strategically superior position.
14.Qc2 Re8 15.Rb1
≤ 15.Ba3 as in Kramnik, V (2810) – Gelfand, B (2740) London 2013.
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Position after: ≤ 15.Ba3
15...h5!?„ may lead to an improved version for Black of the 13...h5 move we looked at. It is not clear
what the bishop is doing on a3 – it belongs on the a1-h8 diagonal.
15...Nd5 16.a3 Qe7 17.Bb2 h5
The story is a bit different here as White has secured his pawn structure on the queenside and his
bishop is correctly placed on b2.
18.Rbd1
Threatening to sacrifice a knight on c6.
18...Ndf6 19.f3 Ng5 20.e4
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And White obtained a better position thanks to his space advantage and more active pieces. Edouard, R
(2680) – Petr, M (2530) Tromsø 2014.
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3) 5...dxc4 6.Nd2
3.1: 6...e5, 6...c5
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3 dxc4 6.Nd2
This move was first played by the editor of this book, GM Romain Edouard, in 2014. Unlike 6.Ne2, the
text move doesn’t give Black time to protect the c4-pawn with the b8-knight (i.e. ...Nb8-d7-b6).
Therefore, Black can either protect the pawn by means of 6...Be6 or 6...b5, or use this time to
counterattack in the center right away. Of course, Black can also simply continue his kingside
development with 6...Bg7 and 7...0-0. However as we saw earlier, this will likely transpose into the
6.Ne2 variation, in particular the line from Kramnik – Gelfand, 2013, where White can either follow
Kramnik’s footsteps with 10.Na5 or try Ding Liren’s 10.b3!?. Therefore, we will focus on four moves:
6...c5 and 6...e5 will be examined in this section, whereas 6...b5 and 6...Be6 will be dealt with
separately a bit later.
6...c5
≤ 6...e5N
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Position after: ≤ 6...e5N
This was tried recently in a GM-level game. Although the game ended in a quick draw, I feel that
White could have gotten an upper hand with the correct follow-up: 7.dxe5 Ng4 8.Ngf3 Bg7 9.0-0 0-0
All this was played in Stefansson, H (2523) – Zubov, A (2605), Prague 2019. In the game, White chose
the timid 10.h3 and the players soon agreed a draw. However, it is not clear to me what White was
afraid of after the natural 10.Nxc4!
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Position after: 10.Nxc4!
A) 10...Qc7 11.b3 [11.h3 allows 11...Be6!] 11...b5 12.Qd6! Qd7 [12...Qxd6 13.Nxd6 Nxe5
14.Nd4±] 13.Qxd7 Bxd7 14.Na5 Nxe5 15.Rb1 Bf5 16.Ba3± and White is doing better in the
complications. Black’s queenside pawn structure is severely weakened.
B) 10...Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Nd7 [11...Be6 12.b3 Bxc4 13.bxc4 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.Rb1 and Black is
positionally lost.] 12.e6 fxe6 13.e4 Nge5 14.Nfxe5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.f4 Bc7 17.e5 Bb6+
18.Kf1 Black will have trouble getting his queenside pieces into play.
Position after: 18.Kf1
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7.Ngf3
7.Nxc4!?N
Position after: 7.Nxc4!?N
This is GM Bojan Vuckovic’s suggestion, which seems to allow White to fight for an edge out of the
opening. For example, the game can continue 7...cxd4 8.exd4 Bg7 9.Ne2 0-0 10.0-0 Nc6 11.d5 Na5
12.Nxa5 Qxa5 13.Bd2 Qb6 14.Bc3 Bf5 15.Re1 and White has some pressure.
7...Nc6 8.Nxc4 Be6 9.Qa4 Bg7 10.Nfe5 Bd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.0-0
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We are following the game Edouard, R (2659) – Gledura, B (2450), Hastings 2015.
12...Nd7!?N
This would likely have been enough for Black to equalize.
13.dxc5 Nxc5 14.Qc2 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Qd3=
Position after: 15...Qd3=
Black’s piece activity compensates for his pawn structure deficiencies on the queenside.
3.2: 6...b5
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3 dxc4 6.Nd2 b5
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The “greedy” continuation, deciding to hold onto the pawn. So far, there has been only one game with
this move, namely Dvirnyy – Salgado, 2016. In that game, White opted for long-term positional
compensation via the b2-b3 plan. The alternative would have been to create immediate pressure along
the a-file and h1-a8 diagonal with the natural a2-a4. Let’s take a look at both options.
7.Ne2
GM Dvirnyy’s preference. White is preparing b2-b3 in order to open the c-file which in turn will
expose the c6-weakness and give his pieces more space to operate.
The alternative is 7.a4, forcing Black to block the h1-a8 diagonal with the knight. 7...Nd5 8.Ne2 Bg7
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9.Nf4 [≤ the bold 9.axb5 cxb5 10.Nc3 Bb7 11.Qf3 e6 12.Nxb5 Bc6 13.Rxa7 Rxa7 14.Nxa7 Bd7ƒ as
the knight is left stuck on a7.] 9...Bb7 [9...Nxf4 looks unnatural; Black no longer has the knight
blocking the h1-a8 diagonal and White’s pressure suddenly becomes real after 10.gxf4.]
A) Playing too ambitiously may backfire: 10.Ne4 Nd7 [10...Na6!?] 11.axb5 Nxf4 12.gxf4 cxb5
13.Nd6+ exd6 14.Bxb7 Rb8 15.Bf3
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Yes White has the bishop pair, but the position is closed and White is a pawn down. 15...a5 16.h4 0-0
17.h5 Nf6 18.Bd2 a4 and White’s compensation isn’t obvious to me.
B) 10.Nxd5 restores the material balance but enables Black to equalize rather effortlessly. 10...cxd5
11.axb5 Qc7 [Of course not 11...0-0? due to 12.Nxc4!.] 12.0-0 0-0 13.Qc2 Rc8=
7...Nd5
7...Bg7 8.b3 cxb3 9.axb3©
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Position after: 9.axb3©
According to GM Vuckovic, White has easy play here. 9...0-0 10.0-0 a5 11.Qc2 [11.Bb2 Nd5 12.Ne4
Na6 13.Qd2©] 11...Bf5 12.e4 Bg4 13.Nf3 Na6 14.Bd2 Nb4 15.Bxb4 axb4 16.Rxa8 Qxa8 17.Ne5
Bxe2 18.Qxe2©
8.0-0
8...a5
8...Bg7 9.b3 c3 10.Ne4 b4 11.a3 Qa5 12.Rb1©
9.e4 Nb6 10.b3 cxb3 11.axb3 Bg7
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So far, we are following the game Dvirnyy, D (2533) – Salgado Lopez, I (2628), Jerusalem 2015.
12.Nf3!? 0-0 13.Bf4©
Position after: 13.Bf4©
White has good compensation from a human perspective and his next moves are clear (e.g. Qd1-c2,
Rf1-d1, Nf3-e5, etc). Sure, Black should objectively be fine with any one of a number of different
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moves, but in my opinion, there is still a lot of further play. Thus, if forced to choose between 7.a4 and
7.Ne2 followed by the b2-b3 plan, I would personally choose the latter due to the richer resulting
positions.
3.3: 6...Be6
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3 dxc4 6.Nd2 Be6
With this move, Black chooses to protect the pawn in a more conservative way than the previously
examined 6...b5. The text move makes sense because White doesn’t have an immediate Nf4.
7.Ne2
7.Qc2N Like plenty of other subvariations within 5.e3, this continuation leads to long-term
compensation for White, with rich play for both sides. I won’t attempt to analyze every single
continuation because I believe that it is practically unfeasible. What I will suggest instead is for you to
get a feeling for the position first and then just go play it! 7...b5 8.Ngf3 Bh6 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3 cxb3
11.axb3 a5 12.Ne5© Black has a weak c6-pawn and a bishop on h6 which is clearly misplaced (it
belongs on g7).
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Position after: 12.Ne5©
Black can either decide to play ...Be6-d5 or to protect the pawn in some other way. If he goes with the
former option, then White may consider playing e3-e4 and winning a tempo. Otherwise, White has nice
natural compensation along the a- and c-files. Markus, R (2672) – Krasenkow, M (2630) Kocaeli 2017.
7...Bh6
Preventing the e2-knight’s sortie to f4.
8.Qc2 b5
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9.a4!?N
This move was marked as interesting in the analysis I produced with my coaches GM Oleksienko and
GM Vuckovic in 2015. As of 2019, it is still a novelty and remains to be tried in an over-the-board
game!
9.0-0 has been seen twice previously in GM-level games. 9...0-0 10.b3 [10.a4 Nd5 11.b3 cxb3
12.Nxb3© Dvirnyy, D (2543) – Dragnev, V (2385) Germany 2016.] 10...cxb3 11.axb3 a5
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A) 12.Nf3!? Bf5 [12...Nd5 13.Bd2© Black is experiencing problems with the b8-knight.] 13.Qd1 Be4
14.Nc3 Bd5 15.Qc2©
Position after: 15.Qc2©
White is looking forward to playing e3-e4. Compensation still remains, but Black should be able to
equalize with precise play.
B) 12.e4 This enables Black to complete his queenside development. 12...Na6!
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Position after: 12...Na6!
13.Qxc6 Bd7 14.Qc2 Nb4 15.Qb1 Rc8 16.Nf3 Bxc1 17.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 18.Nxc1 Qc7= Mamedyarov, S
(2756) – Navara, D (2736) Reykjavik 2015.
Position after: 9.a4!?N
9...Nbd7
9...Nd5 10.axb5 cxb5 [10...Nb4? 11.Qc3 Nd3+ 12.Kf1+–] 11.b3!
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This leads to a complete mess on the board.

If Black isn’t aware of the nuances of the position, it is quite tough to find the right moves with limited
time on the clock and no computer assistance. Precisely the situation we are trying to put our opponent
in!
A) 11...Nc6 12.bxc4 bxc4 13.Qxc4 Rc8 14.0-0 0-0 15.Qb5² Black is left with the weak a-pawn.
B) 11...cxb3 12.Nxb3 a5 13.0-0 0-0
14.Nc5 [14.Bd2!? a4 15.Nc5 Bg4 16.Qd3! Na6 17.Nxa6 Rxa6 18.Qxb5²] 14...Nb4 15.Qb2
[15.Nxe6!? Nxc2 16.Nxd8 Nxa1 17.Nxf7 Kxf7 18.Bxa8 Rd8∞] 15...Bd5 16.Bxd5 Qxd5 17.Bd2
N8c6 18.e4 Qh5 19.Bxh6 Qxh6 20.d5 with excellent compensation.
C) 11...Bxe3 12.bxc4! Bxd2+ 13.Bxd2 bxc4 14.0-0± with ideas like Bd2-h6, Ne2-f4, etc.
D) 11...0-0 12.bxc4 bxc4 13.0-0 Nd7 14.Ba3 a5 15.Nxc4 Rc8 16.Qa4
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16...Nc3 [16...Rxc4? doesn’t work due to a nice pin at the end: 17.Qxc4 Nxe3 18.Qc1!] 17.Nxc3
Rxc4 18.Qc2 Qc7 19.Rfc1² Again, Black’s major problem is the lonely a-pawn. White’s pieces are
also much better placed.
10.0-0
White shouldn’t be greedy himself as this may give an initiative to the opponent. For example,
10.Bxc6?! b4!
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Position after: 10...b4!
when capturing further material on a8 would severely weaken White’s light squares on the kingside.
10...0-0 11.axb5 cxb5
Position after: 11...cxb5
12.e4
Practically speaking, grabbing the exchange would be a terrible decision which would hand the
initiative over to the opponent. 12.Bxa8 Qxa8 13.e4 Bxd2 14.Bxd2 Nxe4ƒ
12...Rc8
12...Nb6?! 13.Nxc4! Bxc1 14.Nxb6 Qxb6 15.Rfxc1 Rac8 16.Qd2²
13.h3!
Taking the g4-square away from the black bishop. Now d4-d5 is already a threat.
The immediate 13.d5 might have been premature:
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13...Bg4 14.Nd4 [14.f3?! Qb6+ 15.Kh1 Bh5 16.g4 Bxg4 17.fxg4 Nxg4³] 14...Nc5 15.Nxb5 Be2∞
13...Nb8
13...Nb6 14.Rxa7 b4 15.Nf3 Bxc1 16.Rxc1 b3 17.Qb1² The black pawns aren’t going anywhere,
whereas White might soon begin to advance his central pawns.
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14.Rd1 Bd7
14...a5 15.Nf1 Bg7 [15...Bxc1 16.Qxc1! Ne8 17.d5 Bd7 18.e5²] 16.Ne3 Ne8 17.Bd2 a4 18.Bc3 Bd7
19.e5 Bc6 20.d5 Bb7 21.h4!?
Intending the idea Bg2-h3. 21...Nd7 22.Nd4! Qb6 [22...Nxe5 23.Nxb5 Qb6 24.Qxa4²] 23.Nc6 Bxc6
24.dxc6 Nxe5 25.Nd5 Qa7 26.Bd4 Nf3+ 27.Bxf3 Bxd4 28.Rxd4 e6™ 29.Qc3 exd5 30.Rxd5²
15.Nf1 Bg7 16.Ne3 Nc6 17.Bd2 e6 18.d5 exd5 19.exd5 Ne5 20.Rxa7
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Position after: 20.Rxa7
White has regained his pawn and retains the initiative.
4) 5...Bg7 6.Ne2 0-0 7.0-0

4.1: 7...--
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3
Now that we have thoroughly covered 5...dxc4, let’s take a look at the ultra-solid 5...Bg7.
5...Bg7
Black chooses not to capture on c4 just yet (or not all) and continues to take care of his kingside
development.
6.Ne2 0-0 7.0-0
Now that both sides have taken care of their kingside, it is time to switch attention over to the other side
of the board. It is Black to move and whatever he plays will determine the nature of the game going
forward. The most popular move is 7...b6 followed up by the typical ...Bc8-b7, ...Nb8-d7, ...e7-e6, and
at some point ...c6-c5. We will first cover Black’s other major options and then come back to deal with
7...b6 separately later.
On a sidenote, Black may also play 7...e6 here but it is very likely to transpose into 7...b6 anyway,
since the only reasonable square for the c8-bishop is b7.
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7...Re8
A) 7...dxc4 seems a little bit inconsistent to me. If Black wanted to capture on c4, he should have done
it on move 5. Now he obtains an inferior version. 8.Na3
8...c5 White is happy to see this move as it opens up the h1-a8 diagonal for the g2-bishop. [8...Nbd7
9.Nxc4 Nb6 transposes into 5...dxc4 (e.g. Kramnik – Gelfand and Ding Liren – Ganguly) which, as
we already know, leads to a slightly favorable position for White.] 9.Nxc4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Qc7 11.b3
Bg4 12.Qe1 Nc6 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Bb2 Nd5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Rc1±
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Position after: 16.Rc1±
White has a clear positional advantage thanks to his superior pawn structure and more active pieces.
Ipatov, A (2624) – Atakisi, U (2335) Adana 2015.
B) 7...Nbd7 allows White to exchange 8.cxd5 cxd5
Position after: 8...cxd5
after which Black is left with the well-known misplaced knight (it belongs on c6, not d7!). 9.Nbc3 e6
10.a4 Ne8 11.b3 f5 12.Ba3 Rf7 13.Nf4² Iskusnyh, S (2478) – Rychkov, O (2333) Vladivostok 2014.
C) 7...a6 8.b3 b5 9.Nbc3 Bb7 10.Nf4 e6 11.Nd3 Nbd7
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This was played in Edouard, R (2659) – Fedorovsky, M (2436), Germany 2015. 12.Ba3!? Re8 13.Rc1
Rc8 14.Re1 … 14...Ba8 15.cxb5 cxb5 16.Re2 Qb6 17.Rec2² And here White aims to exploit the
weakness of the c5-square (Khalifman).
D) 7...a5
“White should try to keep the tension in the center with 8.Nf4!?.” (Khalifman). [≤ 8.cxd5 which
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makes less sense with the black knight still on b8. 8...cxd5 9.Nbc3 e6 10.b3 Bd7 11.Ba3 Re8 12.Qd3
Na6 13.Rfc1 Nb4= Zhao Xue – Howell, Auckland 2015.] 8...dxc4 9.Na3 Nd5 10.Nxc4 Nxf4
11.gxf4²
E) 7...Bf5 8.b3
Preparing 9.Nb1-c3, which was less effective immediately due to ...d5xc4. 8...b5 9.cxb5!? [9.Nd2
Nbd7 10.a4 bxc4 11.bxc4 e5 12.Ba3 Re8= is OK for Black. Wang Yue – Dominguez, Beijing 2014.]
9...cxb5 10.Nbc3 b4 11.Na4 Nbd7 12.Nf4 e6 13.f3² Black experiences problems with the f5-bishop
according to Khalifman.
Back to 7...Re8.
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Position after: 7...Re8
8.b3
Khalifman’s suggestion.
8.Nd2 Bf5 9.Re1 Nbd7 10.Qb3 e5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nd4 Qd7ƒ
Position after: 13...Qd7ƒ
White experiences problems developing their queenside. Black’s activity fully compensates for the
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presence of the isolated queen’s pawn. Grandelius, N (2649) – Vachier Lagrave, M (2788) Stavanger
2016.
8...Nbd7
9.cxd5!?
As we’ve seen before, this move aims to take advantage of the misplaced knight on d7.
9.Bb2 may run into 9...e5!?= Popilski, G (2517) – Aharon, O (2311) Jerusalem 2015.
9...cxd5
9...Nxd5 10.e4 Nc7 11.Nbc3 e5 12.d5²
10.Nbc3 e6 11.a4²
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Position after: 11.a4²
Followed by Bc1-a3, Ra1-c1 and so on. White has a pleasant positional edge which Black needs to
carefully try and neutralize.
4.2: 7...b6
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.e3 Bg7 6.Ne2 0-0 7.0-0 b6
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This the most popular move, preparing to develop the queenside pieces.
8.b3 Bb7
A) 8...Ba6
Increasing pressure on the c4-pawn. However, this move makes little sense with the white knight still
on b1 which can easily develop to d2 and defend the pawn. It makes more sense to instead play
...Bc8-a6 only after White has developed the knight to c3. 9.Nd2 Nbd7 10.Bb2
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As explained, it is not clear what Black has achieved by developing the bishop to a6. Here White is
going to follow up with something like Ne2-f4, Ra1-c1, Rf1-e1, and then e3-e4 at the appropriate
moment. On the other hand, if the black bishop were on b7, then ...c6-c5 would be on the cards since
the d5-pawn would be protected.
B) 8...a5
This was played against me in the Qatar Open in 2015. Black’s idea is to gain some space on the
queenside before playing ...Bc8-a6. He may also want to play ... a5-a4 to create some tension on the a-
file. In the game, I went for the direct e3-e4 breakthrough. Looking back on the position a couple of
years later, I now prefer the maneuvering plan outlined by Khalifman.
B1) 9.Nf4!? Ba6 10.Nd2 e6
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11.Re1 [≤ 11.a4 Nbd7 12.Bb2 Rc8 13.Rc1 Qe7 14.Rc2 Rfd8 15.Qa1 c5! which gave Black enough
time to create counterplay. Topalov, V (2793) – Kamsky, G (2741) Thessaloniki 2013.] 11...Nbd7
12.Bb2 Rc8 13.Rc1 Re8 [13...Qe7 is asking for 14.e4 dxe4 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Bxe4 when the black
queen may potentially feel uncomfortable on e7 due to the presence of the white rook on e1.]
14.Rc2²
Position after: 14.Rc2²
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«²” according to Khalifman. I assume White is going to follow up with something along the lines of
Qd1-a1 and Re1-c1, adding further pressure on the center. It is hard for Black to execute the
liberating ...c6-c5 or ...e6-e5 ideas because either one will leave the d5-pawn weak.
B2) ≤ 9.Nbc3 which only justifies Black’s idea since now 9...Ba6 indeed creates serious pressure on
the c4-pawn.
B3) 9.Nd2 Ba6
10.e4 [As I’ve said before, if I had to play this game again, I would go for a more positional battle
with 10.Nf4 transposing into 9.Nf4 Ba6 10.Nd2.] 10...dxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4 12.Bxe4 b5 13.Qc2 Nd7
14.Be3 Nb6 15.Bd3 a4 16.Rab1 Rc8 17.Rfd1 Re8 18.h4 Qd7 19.Nf4 axb3 20.axb3² White controls
the center and has more active pieces. It is difficult for Black to successfully carry out the typical
...c6-c5 or ...e7-e5 breaks because opening the position would favor White. Ipatov, A (2619) – Li, D
(2389) Doha 2015.
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9.Nbc3
As far as I can see, White has two major ways to continue his development here: (a) Nb1-c3, a2-a4,
Bc1-a3 or (b) Nb1-d2, Bc1-b2, Ne2-f4, Ra1-c1, Rf1-e1, etc. I personally prefer the latter plan because
it makes Black’s breakthrough with ...c6-c5 or ...e7-e5 more difficult to achieve.
9.Bb2!? Nbd7 10.Nf4 e6 11.Nd2
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By developing his pieces in this configuration, White creates strong pressure on the center and makes
Black’s central breakthrough(s) less likely. For example, in case of either ...e6-e5 or ...c6-c5, the d5-
pawn will be under serious pressure thanks to both the g2-bishop and f4-knight. 11...Re8 12.Qc2 a5
13.Rad1 Rc8 14.Rfe1 Qc7 This was played in Ipatov, A – Oleksienko, M, Lviv 2015 (training rapid
game).
15.e4! Nxe4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Qxe4 Qb8 [17...e5? 18.dxe5 Nxe5 19.Nd3!] 18.Nd3² and White is in
control of the position.
9...Nbd7
Since the knight has already been developed to c3, Black may try to create pressure on c4 as seen
before, although with the loss of a tempo. 9...Ba6
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However, White may ignore the threat and continue developing with something like 10.Ba3 dxc4 11.e4
cxb3 12.Qxb3©.
10.a4
White gains space on the queenside and prepares Bc1-a3 activating the dark-squared bishop.
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10...Re8 11.Ba3 e6 12.Rc1 Ba6 13.Qc2 Rc8 14.Qa2
The queen would potentially have been misplaced on c2 if the c-file got opened up.
14...Bf8 15.Bxf8 Rxf8 16.Rfd1 Qe7 17.Nf4²
Position after: 17.Nf4²
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Topalov, V (2793) – Hammer, J (2608) Stavanger 2013.
Conclusion
5.e3 is a viable surprise weapon which should be combined with other possible lines against the
3.g3 c6 Grünfeld; it is not supposed to serve as your main weapon against it! As far as the technical
side is concerned, Black’s most principled continuation seems to be 5...dxc4 and then trying to keep
the pawn. Other lines where Black voluntarily gives the c4-pawn back or doesn’t capture it at all
tend to lead to more pleasant positions for White. After 5...dxc4, White has a choice between two
equally playable options, 6.Ne2 and 6.Nd2. Although Black is objectively OK after either
continuation, there is still plenty of scope for creativity and a fully-fledged fight in the middlegame
which is exactly what we are looking for, right?
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Chapter 6
Grünfeld Defense (3.g3 Bg7)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nb6 7.Ne2 c5 8.d5 e6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nec3
Chapter Guide
Chapter 6 – Grünfeld Defense (3.g3 Bg7)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nb6 7.Ne2 c5 8.d5 e6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nec3 Na6
11.Na3 exd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Be3
2) 13...c4, 13...Re8
3) 13...Qd7 14.Qd2
3.1: 14...Bh3
3.2: 14...Rac8, 14...Rfe8
4) 13...Rc8
In the previous chapter we focused on 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 – Black’s most popular and solid
response to the fianchetto variation. Now we will discuss surprise weapons against 3...Bg7 4.Bg2 d5,
which is considered to be a more dynamic continuation for Black.
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5
Here White has a choice between two moves of equal merit, 6.e4 and 6.Nf3. Both moves have
extensive theory built up around them. In this book, I will examine only the first option and attempt to
get to the critical position as soon as possible, only making very brief comments along the way.
The new idea presented in this section was first pointed out to me by GM Mykhaylo Oleksienko from
Ukraine, who was helping me to prepare for the 2015 World Cup in Baku. Later on, I received
additional input from GM Bojan Vuckovic, who was also involved in my World Cup preparation, as
well as the talented American IM Craig Hilby, whose insight led to the discovery of 13...Rc8.
6.e4 Nb6
The main move by a distance. Black retreats the knight and is getting ready to undermine the white
pawn center.
6...Nb4 This has also been seen and appears to be a more provocative option, offering White the chance
to gain a couple of tempi by harassing the knight.
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Black’s hope is that those pawn pushes will further weaken the white center. 7.a3 N4c6 8.d5 Now that
White has advanced the d-pawn this far, it may be possible to undermine it with the typical ...c7-c6 or
...e7-e6 breaks. 8...Nd4 9.Ne2 Bg4 10.Nbc3
Position after: 10.Nbc3
A) 10...c5 11.h3 Bxe2 12.Nxe2 Qb6 13.0-0 0-0 14.Rb1 a5 15.Be3²

B) 10...0-0 11.0-0 and 11...Nf3+ is no longer an idea due to the simple 12.Kh1.
376
C) 10...Nf3+ is tempting to deny White the right to castle. However, White then gains a lead in piece
development due to the threat of h2-h3. 11.Kf1 Nd4 12.h3 Nxe2 13.Nxe2 Bc8 14.Qb3 c6 15.Be3 0-0
16.Kg1 b6 17.Kh2 Bb7 18.Rhd1² Akopian, V (2655) – Svidler, P (2585) Haifa 1995.
Position after: 18.Rhd1²
D) 10...c6 The most logical continuation, creating pressure on the white center. 11.0-0
D1) 11...cxd5 12.exd5 Bf3 13.Bxf3 Nxf3+ 14.Kg2 Ne5 15.Be3 0-0 16.Bd4 Nbd7 17.Nf4
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White will follow up with Rf1-e1. The d5-pawn is well protected, White has more space and his
pieces are more active for the time being. In future, Black may experience problems along the e-file
due to the pressure on the e7-pawn.
D2) 11...Nxe2+ 12.Nxe2 0-0 13.h3 Bd7 14.Bg5 White has the easier game. It is often a good idea to
provoke ...h7-h6 in order to attack that pawn later on with Bg5-e3 and Qd1-d2. Black also has a hard
time getting his b8-knight into play.
7.Ne2
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This move makes more sense than 7.Nf3. The latter would allow a potentially unpleasant pin with
...Bc8-g4.
7...c5
The main move. Black forces d4-d5 in order to undermine it further with ...e7-e6 – Grünfeld style! On a
sidenote, 7...0-0 8.0-0 c5 9.d5 e6 will transpose to the same variation.
A) 7...e5 leads to a typical Grünfeld position after 8.d5 0-0 9.0-0 c6 10.Nbc3 cxd5 11.exd5
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when White has an isolated d5-pawn whose fate will be determined over the course of the early
middlegame. If White finds the right dynamic resources and manages to coordinate his pieces, then
the d-pawn is likely to become a dangerous weapon. On the other hand, if White allows Black to trade
material and blockade the d-pawn, with the knight on d6 for example, then the d-pawn will be nothing
but a potential weakness and an obstacle to White’s piece activity (e.g. the g2-bishop). 11...Na6 12.b3
f5 13.Ba3ƒ Tkachiev, V (2648) – David, A (2544) Cannes 1999.
B) 7...0-0 8.0-0 Nc6 [8...c5 9.d5 transposes into the main line covered later.]
B1) 9.e5!? A very rare move. White voluntarily gives up the d5-square in order to shut out the g7-
bishop from the game. 9...Nb4 10.Nbc3 N4d5 11.Bg5!? Oleksienko’s idea. Although Black controls
the vital d5-square, equality is not yet guaranteed for him. White has more space and has managed to
limit the activity of the g7-bishop, Black’s most important piece in the Grünfeld. White has several
possible ideas in mind.
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Position after: 11.Bg5!?
For example, Nc3-e4-c5 to create pressure on the b7-pawn, or trading dark-squared bishops with
something like Qd1-d2 followed by Bg5-h6, or else simply completing development and bringing all
his pieces towards the center. Black still needs to figure out what to do with his light-squared bishop,
as well as with one of the knights. Right now, both knights are vying for the d5-square, making one
of them less useful.
B2) 9.d5 Na5 10.Nbc3 c6 11.b3 cxd5 12.exd5 Bg4 13.Bd2 e6 14.dxe6 Bxe6 15.Ne4!
381
15...Nc6 [15...Bxa1? would be suicide on the dark squares. 16.Qxa1+–] 16.Bg5 Qxd1 17.Raxd1 h6
18.Be3 Rad8 19.Nd6 and Black couldn’t hold this unpleasant endgame in Kasparov, G (2812) –
Kasimdzhanov, R (2595) Wijk aan Zee 1999.
8.d5 e6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nec3
Position after: 10.Nec3
The other knight will be brought into the game via the a3-square. This is still all very theoretical with
plenty of top-level games. We are slowly making our way towards the critical position where we will
investigate our new idea.
10...Na6
10...exd5 11.exd5
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A) After 11...Na6 White may or may not wish to transpose into the main line which we will see
shortly. 12.Na3 transposes [While 12.Nd2 is another way to develop the knight which can then
possibly be transferred to the center of the board on the next very move (i.e. Nd2-e4).]
B) 11...Bf5 12.g4!
The position is way too dynamic and concrete to be afraid of pushing a pawn in front of the king.
383
B1) 12...Bd7 13.Nd2 and White continues to develop as if nothing happened. White has better
centralization and it is hard to imagine how Black is going to take advantage of the g4-weakness. For
example, if Black plays ...f7-f5, then the e6-square will be severely weakened. 13...f5 Cheng, B
(2438) – Melkumyan, H (2633) Canberra 2014. 14.g5!?N not letting Black get what he wants (i.e. an
open f-file) 14...Qxg5 [14...f4 15.Nde4ƒ] 15.Nde4ƒ
B2) 12...Bxb1 13.Rxb1 Qd7 14.Ne4 Na6 15.g5
Preventing any sort of ...f7-f5 and strengthening the central position of the knight. White is much
better. 15...Qf5 16.d6 Rad8 17.Qf3 Nc4 18.Bf4 Nb4 19.Rfc1 b5 20.b3 Nd5 21.Bg3 Na3 22.Rxc5
Nxb1 23.Rxd5 Qc8 24.Nf6+ Kh8 25.h4 White has total domination. Wojtaszek, R (2726) – Li, C
(2649) Wijk aan Zee 2011.
384
Position after: 10...Na6
11.Na3
A) 11.a4 is the main move in the position by number of games played, although not by much. We will
not deal with it in this book. I’ll only mention that it facilitates the transfer of Black’s b6-knight to the
center of the board since White doesn’t control the c4-square right now. 11...exd5 12.exd5 Nc4
13.Nd2 Ne5 14.Nde4 Bg4 15.f3 Bd7 16.Kh1 c4∞ Kempinski, R (2602) – Areshchenko, A (2710)
Germany 2012.
385
Position after: 16...c4∞
B) 11.h4!? has been seen only once, but by a very creative and strong grandmaster. White tries to take
advantage of the fact that most of Black’s pieces are currently on the other side of the board. This
move certainly deserves more exploration, take a note of it! 11...exd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Bg5
13...Bf6 [¹ 13...Qd7 14.Nd2 with a very complex game ahead. White’s next move is Nd2-e4; On the
other hand, 13...f6 would make the g7-bishop very sad.] 14.d6! Nb4 15.Bxb7 Bxg5 16.hxg5 Rb8
17.Be4 Qxg5 18.a3 Na6 19.Nd2 Rfd8 20.Bxf5 Qxf5 21.Nde4± Qe5 22.Re1 Kh8 23.Qe2 c4 24.Rad1
Nc5 25.Nxc5 Qxc5 26.Qe7 and White soon won in Salem, A (2638) – Stella, A (2505) Sitges 2017.
11...exd5 12.exd5 Bf5
386
13.Be3
There is still some theory here (64 games according to my database, including a lot of GM-level games)
but we will soon get into unchartered territory by following GM Oleksienko’s novel idea of sacrificing
an exchange! We will investigate Black’s various responses in the next three subchapters.
13.g4?! is less justifiable here because the knight is no longer coming to e4. 13...Bd7 14.h3 f5 15.d6
fxg4 16.Bxb7 Qh4 17.Ne4 Rae8 18.Bg5 Qxh3 19.Be7 Rf3 and White found himself in trouble in
Jobava, B (2678) – Bacrot, E (2714) Melilla 2011.
2) 13...c4, 13...Re8
11.Na3 exd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Be3 Re8
387
This move is likely to transpose into the main line with 13... Qd7. Therefore, we will only cover
15...Re6, the only move with unique standalone value here. Both 13...Re8 and 13...c4 are quite rare
options. We will examine both before moving onto Black’s more usual responses.
13...c4?! Although this move is certainly played in the spirit of the Grünfeld, i.e. sacrificing a pawn for
the initiative and hoping to achieve sufficient piece activity in return (especially with the g7-bishop),
White is objectively better as we will prove in the following lines. 14.Bxb6
388
A) 14...axb6 15.Nxc4 Nc5 16.Ne3 Bd3 17.Re1 f5 18.Nc2 Rerouting the knight to the secure b4-
square from where it will guard the d3-square as well. 18...Qd6 19.Nb4 Bc4 20.Qd2² White is a
pawn up and Black has to work hard to show what he’s got for it.
B) 14...Qxb6 15.Nxc4 Qb4 16.Qe2 I admit that this initially looks quite scary from White’s
perspective – the c4-knight is unstable, Black has strong pressure on the dark squares, Black can put a
rook on e8 with tempo, etc. But chess is a concrete game and we are willing to suffer a little bit for the
sake of an extra pawn!
B1) 16...Rfe8 17.Ne3 Rac8 18.d6!
389
White is more than happy to give the pawn back if it secures the trade of Black’s powerful dark-
squared bishop. This move also further activates our g2-bishop, potentially frees up the d5 square for
one of our knights and threatens to use the d-pawn as a weapon if Black decides not to take it.
B2) 16...Nc5 17.Rad1 Bxc3 [17...Rfe8 18.Ne3 Bxc3 19.bxc3 Qxc3 20.Rc1 Qb4 21.Rfd1
Although material equality has been restored, White dominates the board. His pieces are more
390
active, he has a well-protected passed d-pawn and the dark squares around the Black king are weak.
17...Nd3 18.Rxd3 Qxc4 19.Rd2 Black doesn’t have enough compensation and will have to try and
grovel for a draw in the endgame.] 18.bxc3 Qxc3
Position after: 18...Qxc3
19.Nd6!? might be the strongest continuation here. [19.Rc1 Qf6 20.Rfd1 was also better for White in
Xu, J (2654) – Ni, H (2533) Qingdao 2002.] 19...Qf6 [19...Bd3 20.Qe3 Qb4 21.Rxd3! Nxd3
22.Ne4! Nb2 23.Rb1 and Black is likely to lose his b2-knight.] 20.Nxf5 Qxf5 21.Rfe1 White will
follow up with d5-d6 when his bishop will dominate the opposing knight given the open nature of
the position.
391
Position after: 21.Rfe1
14.d6
White should open up the h1-a8 diagonal right away. The d-pawn will be a constant headache for Black
since it limits the activity of his pieces.
14...Qd7
As mentioned already, this transposes into the 13...Qd7 variation covered later in the book.
15.Qd2 Re6
The only unique option to make use of Black’s move order. 15...Rac8 will be dealt with later.
16.Rad1
Position after: 16.Rad1
16...Rd8
16...Rae8 should be met with 17.b3 with the idea of taking the c4-square away from the b6-knight
before following up with Na3-b5 next. 17...Bg4 18.Nab5! As we will see in the main line, White is
often willing to sacrifice an exchange for one of the black bishops. He will have compensation thanks
to his powerful d6-pawn, beautiful piece coordination and the awkward positioning of the opponent’s
knights. 18...Bxd1 19.Rxd1
392
Position after: 19.Rxd1
A) If you are on the defending side, you should always look for ways to give material back in return
for activity. Therefore, as White we should always be alert to moves like 19...Rxe3 20.fxe3 Bh6.
Position after: 20...Bh6
Fortunately, we have the counter resource 21.Ne4! Qxb5 22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Nxe8 Qxe8 24.d7 Qd8
25.Qd6 Kg8 26.Bh3±.
B) 19...Bxc3 20.Nxc3 Rd8 21.Bf4 f6 22.h4 Rde8 23.Nd5 with powerful compensation. Komodo 8 –
393
Naum 4.6, Internet 2014.
17.Rfe1!?
Position after: 17.Rfe1!?
Offering to play an endgame if Black captures on d6.
17...Nc8
A) 17...Rxd6 18.Qxd6 Qxd6 19.Rxd6 Rxd6 20.Bxb7 Nc7 21.Nab5 Nxb5 22.Nxb5 with a pleasant
edge for White in the endgame.
B) 17...Nb4 18.Bxc5 Nd3 19.Rxe6 Qxe6 20.Bxb6 axb6 21.Nab5 Be5 22.Bf1 Nc5 23.Re1 Qf6
24.Nd5+– Loetscher, R (2435) – Gaehwiler, G (2359) Bad Ragaz 2016.
18.Nab5 Nxd6
18...Nb4 runs into 19.Bg5 trying to destabilize Black’s position.
19.Bg5!? Nxb5 20.Rxe6 Bxe6 21.Bxd8 Nd4 22.Qg5
394
White keeps the material advantage.
395
3) 13...Qd7 14.Qd2
3.1: 14...Bh3
11.Na3 exd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Be3 Qd7
This logical move is the main one in the position. Black develops the queen, connects the rook and also
gains the possibility of trading light-squared bishops with ...Bf5-h3. White now has a choice between
developing his queen to b3 or d2. We will focus on the latter as White can pose Black with some
practical problems in an unconventional manner in the resulting positions. Black will likely struggle if
they reply with some general moves without any concrete insight into the position.
14.Qd2
14.Qb3 is a possible and equally popular alternative.
14...Bh3!?
For other moves, see the next subchapter.
15.Bxh3 Qxh3 16.Rad1
396
In case of either ...Ra8-d8 or ...Rf8-d8, White will respond with d5-d6 followed by Nc3-b5 (or b2-b3,
Na3-b5 if given enough time). The d6-pawn will severely limit the activity of the black pieces. Of
course Black will try to win the pawn, but it will not be easy as White can protect it with most of his
pieces, and also retains the option of sacrificing it to gain something else.
16...Rfe8
With the bold idea ...Re8-e5-h5 targeting the h2-pawn. White will likely have to play f2-f3 which
weakens squares around the king. The position is very concrete!
A) 16...Rfd8 17.d6 Qf5 Rapport, R (2545) – Kurnosov, I (2633) Helsingor 2011. 18.f3!?² Securing
the e4-square for the knight.
B) 16...Rad8 17.d6 Rd7 18.Rfe1 Qg4 19.Bh6 Qd4
397
Rapport, R (2547) – Banas, J (2318) Hungary 2011. Now 20.Qc1! would have been an improvement,
keeping the queens on the board (in the game White allowed a queen trade). The queen will prove
useful in exploiting the weak f6- and h6-squares around the black king after the exchange of dark-
squared bishops.
17.d6
398
This position has appeared in three classical games (all amongst titled players) and all of them ended
with a win for White – good news!
17...Re5
Certainly the most aggressive choice available.

A) In the following game where I was playing White, Black decided he didn’t believe in his attacking
chances and instead retreated his queen to block the d-pawn. However, as we all know, queens aren’t
great blockaders (why would you use your most powerful piece for a defensive task?) and very soon
Black found himself being squeezed. 17...Qd7 18.b3 Re6 19.Nab5 h5 20.h4 Kh7 21.a4
21...Qc6 22.Nd5 Rd8 23.Bg5 Rd7 24.Ne7 Qf3 25.a5 Na8 26.Qf4 Qxf4 27.Bxf4 and White won soon
in Ipatov, A (2624) – Erdogdu, M (2443) Adana 2015.
B) 17...Rad8 18.Bg5 It is useful to provoke ...f7-f6 as it will shut the g7-bishop out of the game and
weaken the king’s position. 18...f6 19.Bf4 g5?! 20.Be3 Bf8 21.Nab5 Qe6 22.b3 Qf7 23.f4! Taking
advantage of what Black voluntarily did to his kingside.
399
23...g4 24.f5 Re5 25.Qf2 Nc8 26.Bf4 Rxf5 27.Qe2 h5 28.Qe4 and Black resigned in Oleksienko, M
(2643) – Xu, X (2503) Sharjah 2017.
18.Bf4!?N
This is the move that deserves our attention. I recall digging deeper into the 14...Bh3 line after my
game against Erdogdu in 2015, trying to anticipate and prepare for possible improvements any future
400
opponents might prepare. The idea itself is simple – to force the black rook to h5. If it ends up there, it
may have a hard time getting back into play and the d-pawn will become even more dangerous. If,
however, the rook retreats along the e-file, then there will be no need to weaken our kingside with f2-
f3!
18.f3 was seen in one of the classical games mentioned earlier. Given the complexity and dynamic
nature of the position, it is understandable that inaccuracies were made by both sides. After the dust
settled, White emerged with a technically winning position which he managed to convert. 18...Qd7
A) 19.Bh6!? is the move mentioned in my analysis. Naturally White would benefit from a trade of
dark-squared bishops which would weaken the dark squares around the black king. After 19...Bh8
20.Nab5 is now possible because the dark-squared bishop is no longer hanging on e3 after 20...Nc4
21.Qf2ƒ.
B) 19.b3 Nb4 20.Bf4
401
B1) 20...Re6 21.Nab5 N4d5 22.Nxd5 Nxd5 23.Qxd5 Qxb5 24.d7 Bf6 25.Rfe1 and White got a
winning position thanks to his d-pawn. Loetscher, R (2449) – Kriebel, T (2459) Zillertal 2015.
B2) 20...Rf5!? might have been better since after 21.Nab5? the black knight is now protected on d5.
[¹ 21.Bh6 Bd4+ 22.Kh1∞] 21...N4d5!µ
18...Rh5 19.f3
402
19...Nb4
19...Bd4+ 20.Kh1 Nb4 21.g4 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Rd5 transposes to 19...Nb4.
20.g4 Bd4+ 21.Kh1 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Rd5
Everything up until now, and also going forward, is pretty much forced according to the computer.
23.Qe2 Rxd1 24.Rxd1 N4d5 25.d7 Rd8 26.Bg5
403
26...f6
≤ 26...Rxd7 27.Rg1! with the threat of Rg1-g3 trapping the black queen. [But not 27.Qe8+?? Kg7
28.Qxd7 due to 28...Qxf3+–+.] 27...Nxc3 28.Qe8+ Kg7 29.Qe5+ Kg8 30.Qxc3 and White should be
able to win from here.
27.c4! fxg5 28.cxd5 Rxd7
≤ 28...Nxd7 29.Nc4 with excellent compensation. White’s pieces are much better positioned, and the
black queen is completely out of play.
29.d6 Rf7
404
Position after: 29...Rf7
30.d7
If White wants to keep playing for a win, 30.Nc4!? seems to retain more practical chances for Black to
go wrong. 30...Nd7 31.Nd2 and there is still a game to play.
30...Nxd7 31.Rxd7 Qxf3+
31...Rxd7?? 32.Qe8+ Kg7 33.Qxd7+ comes with check.
32.Qxf3 Rxf3 33.Nb5 a6
405
With good chances for Black to draw this endgame.

3.2: 14...Rac8, 14...Rfe8
11.Na3 exd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Be3 Qd7 14.Qd2
406
14...Rfe8
A) 14...Rac8 may transpose into 13...Rc8 14.d6 Qd7 15.Qd2 Nb4 which will be covered in the next
section. However, given the current move order, White might prefer to deviate with 15.Ncb5!?. [≤
15.d6 Nb4 transposing into lines covered in the next section.]
Position after: 15.Ncb5!?
A1) 15...Rfe8 16.d6 transposes into 14...Rfe8 15.d6 Rac8 16.Ncb5 which we will see shortly.
A2) 15...Na4 16.b3! and White is again willing to sacrifice the exchange for the dark-squared bishop
– get used to seeing this theme! 16...Bxa1 17.Rxa1 Nb6 18.Bh6 and White is objectively doing well
despite the material deficit.
A3) 15...Nb4 drops a pawn after 16.Nxa7.
A4) 15...Rfd8 16.d6! Nc4 17.Nxc4 Qxb5 18.b3! Inviting Black to capture ...Bg7xa1 which would
severely weaken the dark squares around Black’s king. White is both practically and objectively
better.
B) 14...Rad8 15.Rad1 Rfe8 16.d6 transposes.
15.d6!?
407
Position after: 15.d6!?
With the idea of planting one of the knights on b5 (e.g. b2-b3 followed by Na3-b5 or else Nc3-b5
directly). As you must know by now (and will see further again), White is often happy to sac an
exchange for one of the black bishops. The idea originally belongs to GM Oleksienko who shared it
with me in the summer of 2015 when we were preparing against Ivan Cheparinov for the World Cup in
Baku.
15...Rac8
A) 15...Re6 transposes into the 13...Re8 14.d6 Qd7 15.Qd2 Re6 line that was covered in the previous
section.
B) 15...Rad8 16.Rad1 Re6 similarly transposes into one of the lines we’ve looked at after 13...Re8
14.d6 Qd7 15.Qd2 Re6.
16.Ncb5
408
Position after: 16.Ncb5
Attacking the a7-pawn. It is unlikely that Black will willingly move the rook back to a8, so he has to
look for chances in murky waters.
16.Rad1 Nb4 17.Ncb5 Na4!
16...Na4
Counterattacking the b2-pawn. Man, this is complicated!

Interestingly, White can now choose between three moves which all lead to super complicated (but fun)
positions!
A) ≤ 16...Be4 17.Nxa7 Ra8 18.Bxe4 Rxe4 19.N7b5± followed by Ra1-d1. White has an extra pawn
which turns out to be a powerful one!
B) 16...Re6 17.Nxa7 Rxd6 18.Nxc8 Rxd2 19.Nxb6 Qd8 20.Bxd2 From a human perspective, this
endgame is better for White who has two rooks for the queen and a safe king.
17.Rab1!?
After seeing so many exchange sacs in this chapter already, you might be bored to see another one!
A) White could also choose to give up the exchange in return for the dark-squared bishop. 17.b3!?
Bxa1 18.Rxa1 Nb6 19.Nxa7 Rcd8 20.N7b5 Be4 21.Bxe4 Rxe4 22.Rd1©
409
Position after: 22.Rd1©
White’s idea is to play Nb5-c3 followed by Na3-b5 (the a3-knight is not doing much on the edge of
the board!).
B) 17.Nxa7!? Rb8 18.N7b5
Position after: 18.N7b5
18...Nxb2 [18...Bxb2 19.Rae1! Bg7 20.Bf4ƒ] 19.Rab1!? Bxb1 20.Rxb1 Na4 21.Nc4 This time White
dominates on the light squares instead. 21...Nb4
410
22.Rxb4! You might be surprised to hear that this was all seen in a correspondence game! 22...cxb4
23.Qxb4 Ra8 [23...Rxe3 24.Nxe3 Nb2 25.Nd5©] 24.Nc7 Rxe3 25.Nxe3 Rd8 26.Ned5 Nb2 27.Nb5©
Hauser, J (2322) – Bronts, G (2314) ICCF email 2012.
Position after: 17.Rab1!?
17...Bxb1
17...Re6 18.b3 Bxb1 19.Rxb1 Nb6 20.Rd1 Rd8 21.Bh3! It is always useful to provoke weaknesses
411
around the black king. After ...f7-f5 the a2-g8 diagonal will be exposed – something that White might
potentially be able to exploit thanks to the fact that he still has his light-squared bishop. 21...f5 22.Bf1©
18.Rxb1
Position after: 18.Rxb1
18...Rcd8
A) 18...Ra8 19.b3 Nb6 20.Rd1 Be5 21.Nc3! A maneuver we’ve already discussed. White aims to
bring the a3-knight into play via b5. 21...Rad8 22.Nab5©
412
Position after: 22.Nab5©
B) 18...Rxe3 19.Qxe3 Re8 [19...Nxb2 20.Re1 c4 21.Qf3!ƒ Targeting the b7-pawn.] 20.Bh3! Rxe3
21.Bxd7 Rd3 22.Re1 The d-pawn is a big trump card in White’s hands.
19.Bg5
19.b3 Nb6 20.Rd1 might allow 20...c4! 21.bxc4 Nxc4 exploiting the unstable position of the b5-knight.
22.Nxc4 Qxb5 and Black suddenly gets the activity we have been trying so hard to suppress.
19...Ra8
It is always great to provoke 19...f6 which we can meet simply with 20.Bf4.
20.b3 Nb6
21.Rc1!?
For now, White is just trying to prevent Black’s active counterplay. Once we achieve that, then we can
finally try to improve the position of our pieces.
21.Rd1 again permits 21...c4!∞.
21...Re6
A) 21...h6!? Trying to solve problems in a concrete way. 22.Bxh6 Bxh6 23.Qxh6 Rad8 24.Qg5
413
[White can always make a draw if he wants, but I think we want to play for more, right? 24.Bh3
Qc6™ 25.Bg2 Qd7=] 24...Nb4 25.Nc7! Re2 26.Rd1©
Intending to bring the a3-knight into play with Na3-b5-c3-e4. The engine claims the position is
objectively equal, but I find it much easier to attack with White.
B) 21...c4 is no longer a threat because everything is protected now. 22.bxc4 Rec8 Black tries to
destabilize our position but White’s coordination is so powerful that we can afford to trade a pair of
knights. 23.Be3 Nxc4 24.Nxc4 Qxb5 25.a4!
414
Position after: 25.a4!
Using the fact that the black queen is tied to defending the b7-pawn. 25...Qd7 26.a5 with marvelous
domination despite being down an exchange!
22.Rd1©
With the possible follow-up Bg2-h3 to provoke ...f7-f5 as we saw earlier.
4) 13...Rc8
11.Na3 exd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Be3 Rc8!?
415
Position after: 13...Rc8!?
This move was pointed out to me by a good friend of mine, IM Craig Hilby.
At first, it is hard to understand the purpose of this move; doesn’t it simply allow Na3(c3)-b5 with
tempo? Isn’t 13...Qd7 more logical, as most people play? True, 13...Qd7 makes more sense on first
glance as it connects the rooks and prepares ...Bf5-h3. However, the text move comes with a concrete
idea in mind – to play ...Na6-b4 which is possible now that the c5-pawn is protected!
14.d6
A) 14.Qd2 Nb4!
416
Position after: 14...Nb4!
Not wasting any time and aiming to create counterplay right away. This move is only possible
because the c5-pawn is protected by the c8-rook. If White now jumps into b5 with a knight, Black can
simply reply ...a7-a6 which wasn’t possible when the knight occupied that square. [≤ 14...Qd7 which
transposes into one of the variations covered in the previous section (i.e. 14...Rac8 15.Ncb5). We
concluded there that White retains an initiative.] 15.d6 Qd7 transposes into 14.d6 Qd7 15.Qd2 which
is treated as the main line in this section.
B) Of course, White should consider all possible knight jumps to b5, highlighting the fact that the a7-
pawn is hanging and Black doesn’t have ...a7-a6. 14.Nab5 However, Black appears to be doing fine in
the arising complications: 14...Nc4 15.Nxa7 Ra8 16.Nab5 Nxe3 17.fxe3 c4© followed by ...Qd8-b6,
...Bf5-d3 or ...Na6-c5-d3. Black’s compensation is real this time.
417
Position after: 17...c4©
C) 14.Ncb5 drops the b2-pawn to 14...Bxb2 after which the best we can do is to offer our usual
exchange sac with 15.Qd2, but here it’s a different story as Black has grabbed an additional pawn
along the way and we haven’t played d5-d6 yet. 15...Bxa1 16.Rxa1 Re8 17.Nxa7 Ra8 18.N7b5 Be4
White lacks the powerful coordination we have grown accustomed to seeing.
14...Qd7
418
15.Qf3!?
Setting Black a practical dilemma: to protect the pawn or let it go?

A) 15.Qb3 was tested in a high-level correspondence game where Black seemed to be alright after
15...Be6!?
Position after: 15...Be6!?
16.Qb5 Nb4 17.Rad1 Nxa2 18.Qxd7 Nxd7 19.Nxa2 Bxa2 20.Rd2 Be6 21.Nb5 Ne5 22.Nxa7 Rcd8
23.Bxc5 Nc4 24.Re2 Nxd6= Woodard, D (2404) – Parsons, L (2420) ICCF email 2016.
B) 15.Qd2 Nb4!
419
Position after: 15...Nb4!
Black gets his pieces into play in time. [≤ 15...Rfe8 which would again transpose into one of the
variations covered in the previous section where White can favorably sac an exchange. 16.Ncb5 Na4
17.b3! etc.] 16.Ncb5 [16.Nab5 Nc4„; 16.Rfd1 a6 is also comfortable for Black.]
Position after: 16.Ncb5
16...Nc2! [≤ 16...Nc4 17.Nxc4 Qxb5 18.b3 Bxa1 19.Rxa1 and White gets some serious compensation
where it is much easier for him to play.] 17.Nxa7 [17.Nxc2 Qxb5³ Black’s pieces are getting more
420
and more active.] 17...Nxe3 18.fxe3 [18.Nxc8?? Nxf1 19.Ne7+ Qxe7! 20.dxe7 Nxd2 21.exf8=Q+
Kxf8–+]
B1) 18...Rce8!? deserves attention. Black tries to play against the e3-pawn. His ideas might include
...Re8xe3 followed by ...Bg7-d4 or else something like ...Bg7-h6. White’s pieces are poorly
coordinated and the a7-knight still needs to get back into the game. I find it easier to play with
Black.
B2) 18...Ra8 19.N7b5 Na4„
Back to 15.Qf3.
421
Position after: 15.Qf3!?
15...Rb8
This occurred in the game Van Vliet, E (1915) – Krammel, J ICCF email 2016.
A) The wild 15...Nb4 might be playable, although it is hard to commit to a move like this when there
is no need for it and you aren’t sure whether it works. 16.Qxb7 Qxb7 17.Bxb7 Rb8∞ followed by
...Nb4-d3.
Position after: 17...Rb8∞
422
B) 15...Rc6 16.Rad1
16...Bg4 [16...Rxd6? voluntarily destroys his own queenside. 17.Rxd6 Qxd6 18.Qxb7±; 16...Nb4
17.Qe2! and now Black cannot take 17...Rxd6? due to 18.Bxc5+–.] 17.Qf4 Bxd1 18.Rxd1 Rcc8
19.Nab5©
16.Rad1!? Bg4 17.Qf4 Bxd1 18.Rxd1 Rfe8 19.Nab5©
Position after: 19.Nab5©
423
White’s coordination looks good here. The queen on f4 even takes the c4-square away from the b6-
knight. In summary, the position is full of fight and I’m optimistic about White’s practical chances in
the upcoming middlegame!
Conclusion
In this chapter we studied one of the main lines of the fianchetto variation of the Grünfeld where
Black doesn’t wish to play symmetrically (i.e. 3.g3 c6 and then ...d7-d5) but instead goes for ...d7-
d5 immediately. Given the extensive range and depth of theory there, we mainly focused on one
particular line where White gets to dictate the direction of play (i.e. 6.e4, 7.Ne2). Black usually
responds with ...c7-c5 followed by ...e7-e6. There we again picked one line for White and studied it
in depth (11.Na3). It seems that White can get good practical chances in the arising middlegame by
sacrificing an exchange for one of the black bishops – GM Mykhaylo Oleksienko’s idea originally.
Black’s best response appears to be 13...Rc8 with the idea of ...Na6-b4 – an idea first discovered by
IM Craig Hilby. As a final remark, GM Salem Saleh’s 11.h4 is also well worth investigating. There
is only one game in the database and the position looks very interesting!
424
Chapter 7
Anti-Grünfeld
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Qc2
Chapter Guide
Chapter 7 – Anti-Grünfeld
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Qc2

1) 5.-- & 5...--
2) 5...Nc6 6.Qb3 Ndb4
3) 5...Nc6 6.Qb3 Nb6
1) 5.-- & 5...--

The Grünfeld Defense is one of the major headaches for 1.d4 players. Oftentimes, White chooses to
avoid a direct theoretical confrontation by playing the so-called Anti-Grünfeld, postponing the d2-d4
move.
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5
425
Nevertheless, Anti-Grünfeld theory has now also grown extensively to the point where both sides often
need to remember sharp lines right up until the endgame (or sometimes even prepare novelties IN the
endgame!). Since the Grünfeld makes up a large part of my Black repertoire, I have to know and
remember a variety of lines that White might play. In this section, I would like to introduce you to a
relatively new idea in the Anti-Grünfeld that we stumbled upon with Andrei Volokitin in 2015, and
which I played once myself (as White!) two years later against the formidable opening theoretician
Dariusz Swiercz.
5.Qc2!?
This timid-looking move became popular after Veselin Topalov implemented it against Gata Kamsky
in the Candidates tournament in Kazan.
A) The major move is 5.Qb3 where mainline theory is concentrated around the following lines:
5...Nb6 6.d4 Bg7 7.e4 [7.Bf4 Be6 8.Qa3 c5!? is the hot topic nowadays] 7...Bg4 8.Bb5+ c6 9.Ng5 0-
0 10.Be2 Bxe2 11.Nxe2.
426
Position after: 11.Nxe2
11...c5! Yet another ...c7-c5 move (very common in Grünfeld-type positions) that offers Black good
chances. [But not 11...Na6 12.Qh3 h6 13.Nf3 h5 14.Rg1! Nb4? 15.g4 Qd7 16.Qh4! Nc2+ 17.Kf1‚
Wojtaszek, R (2745) – Mamedyarov, S (2772) Shamkir 2017.] 12.dxc5 N6d7 13.Qxb7 Qa5+ 14.Bd2
Qa6
And Black has sufficient compensation in the endgame. Nevertheless, the world’s leading Grünfeld
427
player MVL lost this position twice with the black pieces, suggesting that home analysis might need
to extend much deeper into the endgame before a draw becomes apparent.
B) 5.Qa4+ is another branch of theory here: 5...Nc6 6.Ne5 Qd6 7.Nxc6 Qxc6 8.Qxc6+ bxc6 and
Black’s better development compensates for his bad pawn structure.
Position after: 8...bxc6
C) 5.e4 is the solid approach, where White’s hope is to obtain a slight positional edge without risk and
safely play for two results. Nevertheless, Black should be able to equalize after 5...Nxc3 6.dxc3
Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 f6.
428
Position after: 5.Qc2!?
Back to the main line. 5.Qc2’s popularity faded quickly after Black found a concrete way to combat
it:
5...Nc6!
A) ≤ 5...Bg7 which was Gata Kamsky’s choice upon being faced with the novelty. This is, of course,
a natural move. However, White can get a slight edge with 6.e4.
A1) In case of 6...Nxc3 White can take back with the d-pawn as it no longer leads to the exchange of
queens. This is one of the main ideas behind 5.Qc2. 7.dxc3! c5 8.Bf4 Nc6 9.Be2 and White has a
slightly more pleasant middlegame.
429
Black has to figure out where to develop his light-squared bishop and queen, whereas White’s
development is fairly straightforward.
A2) 6...Nb6 7.d4 0-0 [In case of 7...Nc6 White prevents Black from castling short: 8.d5 Ne5 9.Nxe5
Bxe5 10.Bh6ƒ] 8.Be3 Bg4 9.Ne5!
9...Bxe5 [9...Be6 10.Rd1 c6 11.Be2² Black has failed to break free with ...c6-c5 or ...e7-e5.
430
Therefore, White simply has more space.] 10.dxe5 Nc6 11.h3 Be6 12.Rd1 Qc8 13.f4 offered White
great attacking chances in the game Topalov, V (2775) – Kamsky, G (2732) Kazan 2011.
B) 5...c5?! allows White to seize the initiative after 6.Nxd5 Qxd5 7.e4
7...Qd8 [7...Qc6 8.d4! … 8...cxd4?? 9.Bb5! Qxb5 10.Qxc8#] 8.Qc3 f6 9.Qxc5 e5 10.Qc3 Nc6
11.Bc4± Kulaots, K (2592) – Hermansson, E (2408) Finland 2011.
6.Qb3!?
431
Position after: 6.Qb3!?
This is my suggestion. We want to take Black out of mainstream theory as early as possible and force
them to think on their own. The basic idea is that Black has just played ...Nb8-c6, and so the thematic
Grünfeld ...c7-c5 move is no longer possible. When we analysed this variation with Volokitin in early
2015, there were only two or three games in the database. Now there are slightly more games, although
still less than ten in total. It is worth mentioning that Maxim Matlakov, the 2017 European Individual
Champion, played 6.Qb3 in the European Team Championship in late 2017. I don’t think that his
national team captain would have approved some garbage idea in such an important competition!
6.d4 used to be the critical continuation until Black figured out how to play against it: 6...Ndb4! 7.Qa4
Bd7 8.Qd1 e5!
This is the sort of continuation that one would never be able to come up with if given the task of facing
a novelty over the board (e.g. Kamsky chose to develop conventionally and was quickly worse).
However, as soon as the first major game appears in Mega Database, people become aware of the line,
turn on their computers, and then everyone starts to show off their knowledge of the engine analysis.
9.dxe5 Bf5 10.Bg5 Be7 11.e4 Bg4 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.a3 Rd8 14.Qa4 Bxf3 15.gxf3 Nd3+ 16.Bxd3
Rxd3„
432
Position after: 16...Rxd3„
Arnaudov, P (2476) – Cheparinov, I (2664) Panagyurishte 2012. Ivan Cheparinov, Topalov’s second,
likely knew how to play against the line that they invented!
2) 5...Nc6 6.Qb3 Ndb4
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Qc2 Nc6 6.Qb3
Position after: 6.Qb3
433
Here with Volokitin, we looked at two moves: 6...Ndb4 and 6...Nb6, the former move being somewhat
counterintuitive. Let’s take a look at it first.
6...Ndb4 7.a3 Be6 8.Qd1 Nd5 9.e4 Nxc3
9...Nb6?!
Position after: 9...Nb6?!
allows White to build up a strong pawn center – the main idea behind our 5.Qc2 Nc6 6.Qb3 variation.
10.d4 Bc4 11.Bxc4 Nxc4 12.d5 N6e5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.f4 Nd7 15.Qd4± Xu, J (2523) – Ni, S (2262)
Doha 2014.
10.bxc3 Na5 11.d4
434
11...Bg7
A) ≤ 11...Nb3 12.Rb1 Nxc1 13.Qxc1² Black is seriously behind in development.

B) 11...Bb3 12.Bb5+!? c6 13.Qe2 Bg7 [13...cxb5 14.Qxb5+ and Black has to give back the extra
piece.] 14.Bd3 0-0
435
15.h4!? White is trying to exploit the fact that two black pieces are on the other side of the board.
Although White isn’t objectively better, it might be very unpleasant to face for someone unprepared.
15...c5 16.h5 cxd4 17.cxd4 Be6 [17...Rc8 18.Be3!? Keeping both h5xg6 and h5-h6 ideas possible. …
18...Nc4?! 19.h6! Bh8 20.0-0²; ≤ 17...Nc6 18.Rb1!] 18.hxg6 hxg6
Position after: 18...hxg6
B1) 19.d5!? deserves serious consideration. 19...Bg4 [19...Bxa1 20.dxe6 offers White tremendous
compensation. Black’s light squares are very weak.] 20.Rb1 Rc8 21.Bb2∞
B2) Another option is 19.Bh6 Bxh6 20.Rxh6 Nb3 21.Qe3!?.
436
Position after: 21.Qe3!?
21...Kg7 The only move! [21...Nxa1? 22.Rh4+– with the Qe3-h6 threat.; 21...Qa5+? 22.Ke2+–]
22.Rb1∞
12.Rb1 0-0
13.h4!?
From an objective standpoint, the position is equal. Black wants to follow up with the typical ...c7-c5
targeting the white center. I suggest a practical approach: if you feel that your opponent is out of book
(based on his confidence, time management, etc), then create practical problems for them by pushing
the h-pawn. Otherwise you might consider playing something more conservative like 13.Be2 (or insist
on testing your opponent with 13.h4).
13.Be2 c5 14.0-0 is certainly a quieter continuation. In the following recent game, White failed to
obtain any sort of edge and even ended up on the defense. 14...Ba2 15.Rb2 Bc4
437
Position after: 15...Bc4
16.Be3 [16.Bxc4 Nxc4 17.Rxb7 Nd6 regains the pawn.] 16...Qc7 17.Nd2 Bxe2 18.Qxe2 cxd4 19.cxd4
b6 20.h4 Qc3 21.Nb1 Qc4 22.Rc1 Qxe2 23.Rxe2 Nb3 and it was White who had to take some care in
this position. Melkumyan, H (2658) – Chirila, I (2534) Philadelphia 2019.
13...Bg4 14.Rb5!? b6 15.Rg5
Position after: 15.Rg5
438
This should possibly only be played once, to guarantee an unprepared opponent. If you wish to play it a
second time, be ready to face first-choice engine preparation.
15...Qc8
15...h5!? is also possible. White’s kingside attack looks dangerous, but Black can hold with a series of
good moves. At least, from an objective standpoint, White can sacrifice an exchange without risking
anything; it is Black who has to show precision! 16.Rxg4 hxg4 17.Ng5
17...Qd7! [Inferior is the natural 17...c5 which offers White a dangerous initiative after 18.h5 cxd4
19.hxg6 fxg6 20.Qe2!? bringing the queen to the a2-g8 diagonal. 20...Qd7 21.Qa2+ e6 22.Bb5©]
18.Be2 Qc6 19.Qd3
439
19...Bxd4 [19...f6? 20.d5!±] 20.Qxd4 Nb3 21.Qc4 Qxc4 22.Bxc4 Nxc1 23.Kd2 b5 24.Bxf7+ Rxf7
25.Nxf7 Nb3+ 26.Kc2=
16.h5 h6 17.Rxg4 Qxg4 18.Rh4 Qe6
This was played in Wei, Y (2714) – Lorparizangeneh, S (2449), Moscow 2016.
440
19.hxg6 fxg6 20.Bxh6 Bxh6 21.Rxh6 Qxe4+ 22.Be2 Kg7 23.Rh7+ Kg8 24.Kf1©
Position after: 24.Kf1©
Black obviously cannot capture the white rook due to a fork on g5.
My general observation about this position is that the white king is safe whereas his black colleague is
not. This offers White excellent long-term compensation.
3) 5...Nc6 6.Qb3 Nb6
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Qc2 Nc6 6.Qb3 Nb6
441
This is, of course, a more human continuation.
7.d4 Be6
A) 7...Bg7?!
Position after: 7...Bg7?!
This allows White to favorably grab a space advantage with 8.d5. [≤ 8.e3 0-0 9.Be2 e5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5
442
11.dxe5 Bxe5 12.0-0 Qe7 13.Rd1 Be6 14.Qc2 Rad8ƒ Gelfand, B (2673) – Artemiev, V (2709) St
Petersburg 2018.]
A1) 8...Nb8 9.e4 0-0
Rozum, I (2595) – Khusenkhojaev, M (2451) Bhopal 2017. 10.a4!?N Black wants to play either
...c7-c6 or ...e7-e6. In both cases, the b6-knight plays an important role in increasing pressure against
our d5-pawn. So we have to disturb it a little bit! 10...a5 11.Be2 Now we can see the difference of
including a2-a4 and ...a7-a5, as 11...c6? runs into 12.Be3N.
A2) 8...Ne5 9.Nxe5 Bxe5
443
Position after: 9...Bxe5
White has to be precise in order to get an edge. 10.g3! [The natural 10.Bh6 runs into 10...e6! 11.dxe6
Bxe6 12.Qb5+ Nd7 and here taking the b7-pawn 13.Qxb7? Rb8 is simply asking for trouble.] 10...0-
0 [This is a different story: 10...e6? Now the b2-pawn remains protected and White can feel free to
grab the b7-pawn. 11.dxe6 Bxe6 12.Qb5+ Nd7 13.Qxb7±; 10...a5 11.Bg2 a4 12.Qc2²] 11.Bh6! [≤
11.Bg2 e6! 12.Bh6 Re8] 11...Re8
444
12.Rd1! Making Black’s ...c7-c6 or ...e7-e6 breaks more difficult. 12...a5 13.Bg2² and White is
better.
B) 7...Nxd4?? runs into 8.Nxd4 Qxd4 9.Nb5 Qd8 10.Qc3+–.
8.Qd1 Bg7 9.e3
9...0-0
This natural response is good enough.

The other move we looked at with Volokitin was 9...f5, which is certainly not the first move that
anyone would consider. Hence, I will not delve into it too much. Black’s idea is to quickly play ...Be6-
f7 followed by ...e7-e5.
445
A) The critical move is 10.b3!? when our opponent still needs to show precision. The previously
mentioned plan for Black is not as effective because White can develop the bishop to b5: 10...Bf7
11.Bb5! … 11...0-0?! 12.Bxc6! bxc6 13.Ba3² and Black has big holes on the c5- and e5-squares.
B) … 10.Be2 Bf7 11.0-0 e5 [11...0-0?! 12.Ng5!²] 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.e4 [13.Qc2 0-0 14.e4 Nxf3+
15.Bxf3 fxe4=] 13...Nxf3+ 14.Bxf3 fxe4 15.Nxe4 0-0 [15...Qxd1 is also possible.] 16.Nc5 Qh4
17.Bxb7 Rae8© Black has enough compensation to make the position approximately equal.
10.Be2
446
I think that this is the critical position of the 6.Qb3 variation. Black’s main plan is to move the e6-
bishop somewhere and play the liberating ...e7-e5. Black can certainly equalize, but he still has some
practical difficulties to overcome if he is only seeing this position for the first time. The other plan for
Black, based around the ...c7-c5 idea, isn’t as achievable here as in other Grünfeld-type positions
because of the placement of the c6-knight. Once again, that’s why we first played 5.Qc2, provoking
5...Nc6 (which is the best move according to theory) and only then played 6.Qb3!?.
10...Bc4!
The most straightforward. Black trades bishops and prepares ...e7-e5.

A) ≤ 10...Bg4 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 e5 13.d5² White has a free bishop pair.
B) 10...Bd7 11.0-0 e5 12.d5 Ne7
447
13.a4ƒ [13.e4 c6!] 13...e4 14.Nxe4 Nbxd5 15.Qb3 Bc6 16.Ng3 and the d5-knight is going to be
kicked with e3-e4. White’s position is easier to play.
C) 10...a5 was played in two games in 2017. Black wants to prevent the b2-b3, Bc1-b2 idea. 11.0-0 a4
C1) In the following game, Black was clearly unfamiliar with the typical ideas: 12.Bd2 a3?!
[12...Bc4!] 13.b3 Now White secures control over the c4-square. 13...Bg4?! 14.h3 Bc8 15.Nb5 Bf5
448
16.Rc1± Atalik, S (2525) – Vujacic, B (2239) Veliko Gradiste 2017.
C2) 12.Re1 Bf5 13.e4 [¹ 13.h3!? carefully preparing e3-e4. Now Black doesn’t have the ...Bf5-
g4xf3, Nc6-d4 idea.] 13...Bg4 14.d5 Bxf3 15.Bxf3 Nd4 16.Bg4 a3„
Position after: 16...a3„
This position offered Black great counterplay on the dark squares. Lupulescu, C (2637) – Puranik, A
(2495) Abu Dhabi 2017.
11.Bxc4 Nxc4 12.0-0
449
12...Nb6
Black is getting ready to push ...e7-e5.

A) 12...Qd7
A1) 13.Qb3!? Liberating the d1-square for the rook.
Position after: 13.Qb3!?
White’s plan is based around preventing or making Black’s ...e7-e5 idea more difficult. 13...Nb6
14.Rd1 and White’s position is preferable. Matlakov, M (2730) – Plat, V (2551) Heraklion 2017.
A2) 13.b3 Nb6 14.Bb2 Rad8
450
Position after: 14...Rad8
15.Qc2 [15.Ne4!?] 15...e5 16.dxe5 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 Bxe5 18.Ne4 Qe7 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.Nc5²
Vallejo Pons, F (2698) – Wei, Y (2634) Leon 2014.
B) 12...e5 13.d5 e4 14.Nxe4 Ne7 15.Qc2 Qxd5 [15...Ne5 16.Nxe5 Bxe5 17.Rd1 Nxd5 18.Qb3 c6
19.Qxb7 and Black’s compensation isn’t sufficient.] 16.Rd1 Qc6 17.Nd4ƒ
C) 12...Nd6!? was successfully tested by Svidler in August 2019. 13.Qe2 Qe8!? 14.Rd1 e5 15.d5 e4
16.dxc6 exf3 17.Qxf3 Qxc6 18.Qxc6 bxc6
451
Black’s activity on the a1-h8 diagonal and b-file fully compensate for the inferior pawn structure.
Nepomniachtchi, I (2774) – Svidler, P (2729) Amsterdam 2019.
13.b3 e5 14.Ba3 Re8 15.d5
15...e4?!
A very tempting continuation, but it allows White a better position. This was Dariusz Swiercz’s choice
when faced with this position in an over-the-board game against me.
A) Later on, once he had analyzed the line after our game, he told me that 15...Nb8 equalizes... 16.e4
c6!= and I cannot disagree with him!
B) 15...Ne7 also seems to be good enough. 16.e4 c6!= The key move.
16.dxc6 exf3 17.cxb7 fxg2
452
Position after: 17...fxg2
18.Re1!
18.Kxg2? would be suicidal to play with such an exposed king. 18...Qg5+ 19.Kh1 Rad8 and Black’s
initiative is getting dangerous.
18...Bxc3 19.bxa8=Q Qxa8 20.Qd3
20.Rc1!?²
20...Nd5 21.Red1 Bxa1 22.Qxd5 Qxd5 23.Rxd5 Re5! 24.Rd8+ Kg7 25.Bf8+ Kf6 26.a4 Re6!
453
Position after: 26...Re6!
Ipatov, A (2660) – Swiercz, D (2645) Saint Louis 2017. Despite coming up with a long series of
precise moves, Black’s position remains inferior.
The game eventually ended in a draw after I overpressed and had to defend a worse rook endgame.
To be honest, I hadn’t even expected to get a better position out of the opening against Dariusz, who
has superb opening preparation and knows the Grünfeld inside out. I just wanted to take the game out
of mainline theory as early as possible in order to make my opponent solve practical over-the-board
problems, rather than play something he expected and knew very well. And the approach worked!
454
Part II
Systems
In this part of the book, we will explore two universal systems that can be used against more than one
opening. Since they have featured heavily in the games of Baadur Jobava and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
lately, I have named both systems after their respective pioneer.
Chapter 8
Mamedyarov Attack
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2
Chapter Guide
Chapter 8 – Mamedyarov Attack
Model games:
1) 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Be7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.b3 b6 6.Bb2 Bb7 7.Qc2 c5 8.Ng5 (Mamedyarov –
Karjakin, Saint Louis 2018)
2) 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Be7 4.b3 0-0 5.Bb2 b6 6.Rg1 (Mamedyarov – Karjakin, Saint Louis 2018)
3) 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.e3 d5 4.b3 Be7 5.Bb2 dxc4 6.bxc4 c5 7.Nc3 b6 8.g4 (Mamedyarov –
Nakamura, Saint Louis 2018)
4) 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 dxc4 7.Bxc4 a6 8.Qc2 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.g4
455
(Oparin – Fedoseev, Satka 2018)
5) 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.h4 (Nepomniachtchi –
Bacrot, Batumi 2018)
In this section, I’ll be covering a trendy line against the traditional 1...Nf6, 2...e6 setup. Mamedyarov
successfully implemented this system a number of times during the summer of 2019, which then drew
further interest from other grandmasters. For example, Ian Nepomniachtchi chose this aggressive
approach against Etienne Bacrot’s anticipated Queen’s Gambit Declined Defense in the final round of
the Olympiad. Nepo’s successful choice of opening and resulting win enabled Russia to tie for first
place. Personally, as a practical chess player rather than an opening theoretician, it was a pleasant
surprise to see a top player choosing an offbeat line in a must-win situation, especially in such an
important event!
Unlike all previous sections in the book, this section will be broken down by games rather than
variations. In my opinion, this system requires a broader, more schematic approach than just building
an opening tree (i.e. a “here we do this, there we play that, etc” type of approach). In this particular
case, it is more important to develop an understanding and a general feel for the relevant ideas in the
resulting positions.
1) 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Be7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.b3 b6 6.Bb2 Bb7 7.Qc2 c5 8.Ng5
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar (2801)

Karjakin, Sergey (2773)
Saint Louis 2018
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Be7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.b3 b6 6.Bb2 Bb7 7.Qc2
Mamedyarov came prepared with a new idea in mind.
7...c5 8.Ng5!?
456
Position after: 8.Ng5!?
White’s idea can be broken down and simplified into three simple steps:
1. Move the c3-knight somewhere to clear the a1-h8 diagonal for the b2-bishop.
2. Play Bb2xf6 to eliminate the f6-knight which defends the h7-pawn.
3. Deliver mate with Qc2xh7.
8...h6 9.h4
The idea behind Ng5. Black obviously cannot capture on g5 right now as it would allow the h-file to be
opened decisively.
9...Re8 10.0-0-0
Objectively speaking, White’s ambitions on the kingside shouldn’t really be justified. However, please
go ahead and try to prove that as Black over the board, where one mistake can potentially get you
mated!
10...Nc6 11.a3 Kf8
Sergey clearly didn’t fancy starting a calculating contest against Shak where the critical race would be
between White’s attack on the kingside and Black’s counterplay on the other side of the board.
A) 11...d5?
457
Position after: 11...d5?
A tempting move, but please be aware of the following common tactical idea: 12.cxd5 exd5 13.Nxd5!
Qxd5 14.Bc4!+– followed by Bc4xf7+ or Ng5xf7 depending on where the black queen retreats.
[Instead 14.Bxf6? allows the black king to escape: 14...Bxf6 15.Qh7+ Kf8 16.Qh8+ Ke7.]
B) 11...Na5!? 12.Bd3 d5 13.Bh7+ Kf8 14.Bg6∞
12.Nh7+ Kg8 13.Ng5 Kf8 14.f4!?
458
No draw. Shak continues adding more fuel to the fire.
14...Rc8
14...d5 is more justified here than on the 11th move since the black king is better placed on f8 than g8 if
White continues in the same fashion with c4xd5, Nc3xd5, Bf1-c4. However, White can continue with
15.f5!?, trying to open the f-file since the black king is now on f8.
The most likely continuation is 15...d4 16.fxe6 dxc3 17.Bxc3 Qd6 18.Nh7+ Kg8 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6
20.Bxf6 Rxe6 [20...gxf6? drops the b7-bishop and leaves the kingside pawn structure in ruins. 21.exf7+
Kxf7 22.Qh7+ Kf8 23.Qxb7] 21.Bc3 and the simplifications have worked out in White’s favor. He has
the bishop pair and an extra pawn.
15.Bd3!
459
Preparing the killer Bd3-g6. The f7-pawn is weak and cannot be protected by other pieces.
15...d5 16.Bg6! hxg5 17.hxg5 Ng8
18.Bh7 Nf6 19.gxf6 Bxf6 20.g4 Ke7 21.g5 Bxc3 22.dxc3 Rh8 23.cxd5 exd5 24.c4 d4 25.Qe4+ Kd6
26.exd4 Kc7 27.dxc5 Qe8 28.Bxg7 1-0
460
This game gave a good illustration of White’s Qd1-c2, Nf3-g5, h2-h4, 0-0-0 plan in effect. It’s the
major alternative to plans involving the advancement of the g-pawn.
2) 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Be7 4.b3 0-0 5.Bb2 b6 6.Rg1

Karjakin, Sergey (2773)
Saint Louis 2018
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Be7 4.b3 0-0 5.Bb2 b6
Even in a blitz game, Karjakin is playing solidly. Mamedyarov must have decided that he would have
better chances to win in a double-edged middlegame battle rather than trying to outplay Sergey in some
quiet position in the Nimzo Indian, which Karjakin doubtless knew inside out.
6.Rg1!?
Position after: 6.Rg1!?
The black kingside will become far more vulnerable without the f6-knight to defend it. White therefore
aims to dislodge it with the g2-g4-g5 idea.
6...d5 7.g4 c5
Sergey plays according to classical chess principles.
461
It is generally a good idea to strike in the center in response to a flank attack by your opponent. If I was
playing Black, I would be particularly eager to follow this up with ...d5-d4 to close the a1-h8 diagonal.
The b2-bishop is too powerful and needs to be restrained!
8.g5 Ne4 9.d3 Nd6 10.h4
White wants to open up the kingside by first playing h4-h5 and then playing either g5-g6 (opening the
g-file) or h5-h6 (weakening the a1-h8 diagonal).
10...Nc6 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bh3
462
Position after: 12.Bh3
12...Nb4
The immediate 12...d4 deserved consideration too. White should refrain from opening the center too
much as his king is insecure. 13.exd4 cxd4
A) White should quickly complete development with something along the lines of 14.Qe2 b5!?
15.Kf1 bxc4 16.dxc4 Nf5
463
and then resume advancing the kingside pawns as soon as possible. If White dithers too much with his
attack, Black may create strong counterplay against the white king. 17.h5 d3 18.Qe4∞
B) 14.Nxd4? Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Nf5
is an example of how to not to play with White. In order to successfully attack on the kingside, White
must ensure that his own king is in reasonable safety, which is not the case here.
13.Ne5 d4 14.Ndf3
White could have perhaps captured 14.exd4 first, eliminating Black’s ...d4xe3 option as in the game.
14...cxd4 15.Ndf3
14...dxe3 15.fxe3 Nf5 16.Ke2!?
464
Position after: 16.Ke2!?
One can only wonder what the outcome of this game would be in classical chess. It’s very possible the
result might have gone the other way. In blitz however, I find it easier to play with White. His play is
very straightforward, whereas it is not easy for Black to come up with sensible counterplay with only a
few seconds on the clock.
16...Qc7
With more time, Sergey would likely have found and correctly assessed the consequences of 16...f6!
17.gxf6 Bxf3+ 18.Nxf3 Bxf6 when it turns out that the white king is in more trouble than his colleague.
465
17.a3 Nc6 18.Qf1 Rad8 19.Qf2 Nxe5 20.Nxe5 Bd6
20...f6 was again objectively good for Black, but it is not an easy decision to make even in a classical
game, let alone blitz! 21.gxf6 Bxf6 22.Qf4 Qd6 23.Rad1 Nxh4 24.e4 Nf3 25.Qxf3 Bxe5
21.Ng4 Bg3??
Position after: 21...Bg3??
466
Missing a one-move trick.
22.Nh6+!
Opening both the g-file and a1-h8 diagonal.
22...gxh6
22...Kh8 was more stubborn, but it was a blitz game after all! 23.Bxg7+ Kxg7 24.Nxf5+ exf5
25.Qxg3±
23.gxh6 f6 24.Bxf5 exf5 25.Rxg3+ Kh8 26.Rg7 Qd6 27.Qxf5 Qh2+ 28.Kd1 Bf3+ 29.Kc1
1-0
Position after: 29.Kc1
In this game, Mamedyarov kept applying pressure on the kingside until eventually Karjakin lost
vigilance, which cost him the point in the end. Objectively speaking, White’s play was quite suspicious,
no doubt about it!
3) 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.e3 d5 4.b3 Be7 5.Bb2 dxc4 6.bxc4 c5 7.Nc3 b6 8.g4
Nakamura, Hikaru (2777)
Saint Louis 2018
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.e3 d5 4.b3 Be7 5.Bb2 dxc4 6.bxc4 c5 7.Nc3 b6 8.g4!?
467
Mamedyarov pushes the g-pawn even with the black king still on e8! This aggression should clearly
discourage Black from thinking about castling short.
8...Bb7 9.g5 Nfd7 10.h4 Ne5
A mistake. Hikaru clearly underestimated the power of White’s coordination.

Black should have started preparing to castle long. 10...Nc6 11.Rg1 a6 The immediate ...Qd8-c7 would
have run into Nc3-b5 followed by Bb2xg7. 12.h5 Qc7 and now the tempting 13.h6 gxh6 14.Nd5 exd5
15.Bxh8 could potentially land White in some trouble after 15...d4, when Black has enough
compensation for the exchange.
11.Nxe5 Bxh1
468
Position after: 11...Bxh1
12.Qa4+
12.Qh5! would have seriously complicated Black’s life. Shak would likely have found the following
tactical sequence in a classical game, but in blitz it was nearly impossible.
12...g6 [12...0-0 loses immediately: 13.Bd3 g6 14.Nxg6 fxg6 15.Bxg6 hxg6 16.Qxg6+ Kh8
17.Nd5++–] 13.Qg4
469
A beautiful position to stop at and assess. Black is up a clear exchange but White is completely
dominating. The a1-h8 diagonal is weak, the h1-bishop can potentially be trapped and to top it all off,
White has a beautiful tactical idea up his sleeve. 13...Nd7 14.Nxf7!! Kxf7 15.Bh3 Nf8 16.Nb5!
Attacking the h8-rook. 16...Rg8 17.Ke2 Attacking the bishop. 17...Bc6 18.Qf4+ Check. 18...Ke8
19.Nc7+ Another check and this time Black can resign. A beautiful demonstration of the dynamic
potential of White’s pieces.
12...Nd7 13.f3 b5 14.Nxb5 Nxe5 15.Bxe5
White should have included 15.Nc7+ preventing Black from castling. 15...Kf8 16.Bxe5 with a much-
improved version of the game.
15...0-0 16.Be2 f6
470
Given the nature of a blitz game, the evaluation tends to change nearly every move. Although Black is
objectively better here, Mamedyarov demonstrates the practical danger of Black’s kingside position.
17.0-0-0 Bg2 18.Rg1 Bh3 19.Ba1 e5
The natural move to shut out the a1-bishop, but it weakens the d5-square where White can potentially
471
land his knight (e.g. Nb5-c3-d5).
20.Nc3
¹ 20.Qc2! but it is nearly impossible to find a subtle queen retreat like this in a blitz game. 20...Qd7
21.Bd3‚ Black is left with a serious problem trying to defend h7.
20...Be6 21.Qc6 Qc8 22.Nd5!
The white pieces keep jumping around and creating new threats.
22...Bd8 23.Qxc8 Rxc8 24.gxf6 Bxf6 25.Nxf6+ Rxf6 26.Bxe5 Rf7 27.f4+–
Position after: 27.f4+–
White’s dark-squared bishop is such a fantastic piece. The fact that this was a blitz game is the only
explanation for White not only failing to convert this technically winning endgame, but even managing
to end up losing. However, the final stage of the game is outside the scope of this book. What really
matters is that Mamedyarov again demonstrated how White’s plan of rapid kingside expansion can
pose serious practical problems, even against the best players in the world.
By now, you might be wondering whether the author is trying to sell you garbage by showing you blitz
and rapid games. Hopefully the next two games will ease your worries. Both were played by strong
grandmasters under classical time controls in late 2018. In both games, 2700+ players failed to solve
Black’s opening problems. Please don’t misinterpret this as me trying to convince you of how strong
and dangerous White’s attack is. I am simply making the point that in a practical game, with limited
time on the clock, it is not always easy to properly neutralize White’s plan, even for the best players in
the world. I expect to see more games played in this line in the near future, causing the line to gradually
472
become more theoretical, and eventually players will become better prepared for this line and settle on
an effective, concrete way for Black to deal with it. But this time is yet to come!
4) 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 dxc4 7.Bxc4 a6 8.Qc2 b5 9.Be2 Bb7
10.g4
Oparin, Grigoriy (2609)

Fedoseev, Vladimir (2707)
Satka 2018
1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 dxc4 7.Bxc4 a6
Black wants to play ...b7-b5 followed by ...Bc8-b7.
8.Qc2 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.g4!?
Here we see the g2-g4 idea tested in a classical game against one of strongest young Russian players,
who we will doubtless see playing for the national team in the near future.
10...b4
The computer claims that Black is much better after 10...Nxg4 but imagine how difficult it is to decide
on this over the board. It appears to just open the g-file and allow White to play something like 11.Rg1
Nf6 12.Ng5, which looks extremely scary.
In order to retain his “objective” advantage, Black must keep finding good moves, while one wrong
473
move may end the game immediately. 12...Nbd7 13.0-0-0
White clearly has natural compensation from a human perspective. According to the computer
however, White is simply a pawn down.
11.Na4 Ne4 12.Rg1 Bf6
474
Having been surprised in the opening, Fedoseev begins to panic. With this attempt to trade dark-
squared bishops, Black reduces the risk of getting mated, but on the other hand he seriously weakens
the c5-square.
13.d4
White doesn’t want to trade his precious bishop.
13...g6 14.g5
A useful inclusion.
14...Nxg5
Position after: 14...Nxg5
15.Nxg5
15.Nd2! was much stronger, leaving the g5-knight in a shaky situation. For example: 15...Qe7
[15...Nd7 is met by 16.Rg3! and it is not clear how to prevent f2-f4.] 16.f4 Nh3 17.Rg3 Bh4 18.Bf1!
with a big advantage. Black’s dark squares will be permanently weak after 18...Bxg3+ 19.hxg3.
15...Bxg5 16.Nc5 Ra7 17.0-0-0
Even here, White retains better chances thanks to his fantastic coordination and the somewhat porous
black pawn structure.
475
17...Bf6 18.h4! Nd7 19.Nxb7 Rxb7 20.h5 Bg7 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.f4 Qe7 23.Kb1
23.Bd3!? was an interesting alternative, aiming to meet Black’s ...c7-c5 with d4-d5. 23...c5? 24.d5!
exd5 25.Bxg7 Kxg7 26.Bxg6 and it is curtains for Black.
23...c5
476
24.Bc4
Oparin kept on missing chances to put his opponent away and eventually let him escape with a draw.
After 24.dxc5 Nxc5 25.Rh1! Black would have been in serious danger down the h-file. Something
along the lines of Be2-f3, Qc2-h2 threatening mate may follow.
24...Nb6 25.f5 Nxc4 26.Qxc4 g5 27.fxe6 fxe6 28.dxc5 Bxb2 29.Kxb2 Rc7 30.Rd6 Rf2+ 31.Kb1 Qf6
32.Qxe6+ Qxe6 33.Rxe6 Rxc5
Position after: 33...Rxc5
With a draw agreed shortly later.
½-½
5) 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.h4
Nepomniachtchi, Ian (2768)

Bacrot, Etienne (2678)
Batumi 2018
1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 c5
477
This move makes more sense to me than 6...dxc4 because it retains the positional threat of restraining
the b2-bishop with ...d5-d4.
7.cxd5 Nxd5
Another GM-level game in the same tournament continued 7...exd5.

A) Trying to launch a kingside attack would not make any sense here as the center is already open and
Black can close the a1-h8 diagonal with ...d5-d4 easily. 8.Rg1?
478
Position after: 8.Rg1?
ATTENTION. I would be very disappointed if even one reader of this book insists on pushing the g-
pawn in a position like this. We should be aware of when it is appropriate and when it is not.
B) Correct is 8.d4 when White’s plan is to play against the isolated d5-pawn.
8...Nc6 9.Be2 Bg4 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.0-0 a6 12.h3 Be6 13.Bd3 Qe7 14.a3 Rad8 15.Ne2 Ne4 16.b4
Bd6 17.Rc1 and White’s position is slightly for preference. Howell, D (2689) – Kazhgaleyev, M
(2582) Batumi 2018.
8.h4!?
479
Here the kingside attack makes more sense for a number of reasons. Firstly, the e-file remains closed.
Secondly, Black cannot shut out our b2-bishop with ...d5-d4. Finally, the c8-bishop is also more
passive in comparison to 7...exd5.
8...b6
Black plays solidly. His next moves will likely be ...Bc8-b7 and ...Nb8-d7(c6).
9.Qb1
With the idea Nf3-g5.

9.Qc2 could potentially run into ...Nd5-b4.
9...h6
Taking the g5-square under control but seriously weakening the kingside.
10.g4!
480
This now makes a lot of sense as White aims to open the g-file with g4-g5. The h6-pawn serves as a
“hook” to achieve this goal. You should be careful when you push the pawns which protect your king!
Later in the book, we will see another great example of this theme (Aronian – Kramnik, Berlin 2018).
10...Bb7 11.Rh3
Protecting the f3-knight and removing the rook from the h1-a8 diagonal to avoid any tactics.
11...Nd7 12.g5 h5
It is understandable that Black wants to keep the kingside as closed as possible.
13.Bd3
481
Although at least half of White’s pieces are awkwardly placed according to “normal” chess principles,
there exists a somewhat strange harmony between them. I guess they are united by the common goal of
aiming at the black king!
13...Nb4 14.Bh7+ Kh8 15.Be4 Nd5
482
16.Ne2!
Bringing the c3-knight into the attack and opening the diagonal for the b2-bishop. White’s attack is
getting more and more dangerous which, as we will subsequently see, requires more and more
precision from Black!
16...f5
This is already a fatal mistake. Black couldn’t keep up with the level of accuracy required to defend this
position.
16...Bd6 17.Ng3 Bxg3 would have allowed Black to stay in the game but White is clearly better after
18.Rxg3 where he enjoys the bishop pair advantage and retains great attacking chances. Moreover, the
b2-bishop cannot be neutralized!
17.gxf6 N7xf6 18.Ng5
Black’s kingside is in ruins. The rest of the game doesn’t require any further commentary.
18...Nxe4 19.Qxe4 Bxg5 20.hxg5 Nf4 21.Qxb7 Nd3+ 22.Kf1 Nxb2 23.Rxh5+ Kg8 24.g6
1-0
Conclusion
In my opinion, the ball is currently in Black’s court. A concrete way of neutralizing White’s
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attacking attempts on the kingside still needs to be determined. I have no doubt that proper
measures will be found soon however, since the line has significantly grown in popularity after the
recent successes of Mamedyarov and Nepomniachtchi. I’m reasonably certain that many players
have already “equalized” or even obtained a better position with Black in their analysis. However,
as I’ve said many times at this stage, it is one thing to have a file saved on your computer and
another thing entirely when you are surprised and faced with practical problems over the board
without being able to hit the spacebar in Chessbase.
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Chapter 9
Jobava System
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4
Chapter Guide
Chapter 9 – Jobava System
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4

1) 3...c5
2) 3...e6 4.Nb5 Na6
2.1: 5.e3
2.2: 5.a3
3) 3...Bf5 4.f3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.e3
3.1: 7...c5
3.2: 7...c6
4) 3...g6 4.e3 Bg7 5.h4
4.1: 5...a6
4.2: 5...c6
1) 3...c5
In this section, we will take a look at the system where White plays d2-d4, Nb1-c3, Bc1-f4, which has
been successfully employed by Baadur Jobava for many years. I think of it as a rather universal system
because White can play it against both ...e7-e6 and ...g7-g6 setups from Black’s side. My perception of
485
it is that White wants to steer away from established theory early on while still being able to get active
piece play.
Jobava, Baadur (2665)
Ponomariov, Ruslan (2709)
Baku 2016
1.d4 Nf6
White can still opt for this system even if Black plays 1...d5. For example, 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 and we are
back into the main line of this section.
2.Nc3 d5
The most natural response, preventing White from taking over the center with 3.e4. After all, not
everyone has the Pirc or Philidor in their black opening repertoire. Those who do can opt for a ...d7-d6,
...g7-g6 setup instead.
3.Bf4
3...c5
In this chapter, we will also examine games where Jobava’s opponents played 3...e6, 3...Bf5 or a ...g7-
g6 setup.
4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 a6
486
Black is taking the b5-square away from the c3-knight. The Nc3-b5 maneuver is typical in this pawn
structure.
5...e6 6.Nb5 Na6 7.c3 Be7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Bd3 Bd7 10.a4 Bxb5 11.axb5 Nc7 12.0-0 Bd6 13.Ne5 and
White achieved a superior position in Jobava, B (2669) – Kovalenko, I (2668) Almaty 2016, thanks to
his space advantage, bishop pair and pressure on the a-file.
6.Bd3
The alternative is 6.Nf3 which has been seen in Richard Rapport’s games, another top player with a lot
of creativity who doesn’t like to engage in heavy theory.
A) 6...Nc6 7.Ne5 e6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Na4 Otherwise Black will eventually solve his opening problems
with the thematic ...c6-c5. 9...Bd6 10.Bxd6 Qxd6 11.Bd3 0-0 12.0-0 e5 13.dxe5 Qxe5 14.Qf3 Re8
15.Qg3 Qxg3 16.hxg3 Rb8 17.Rfe1 White’s position is more pleasant due to his superior pawn
structure. Rapport, R (2710) – Bu, X (2681) Tsaghkadzor 2015.
B) 6...Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 e6 White has the bishop pair but Black’s position is very solid. If White
wants a position where Black has to think concretely early on, then the main candidate move should
be 9.g4!? with the intention of attacking on the kingside with g4-g5, h3-h4, and likely castling long.
9...Nc6 10.0-0-0
487
B1) 10...Bb4 11.Ne2 Qa5 12.Kb1 Ne4 13.Nc1 Bd6 14.Nb3 Qc7 15.Be3 0-0
16.Rg1!? Anticipating Black’s ...f7-f5 move with the idea of bolstering the e4-knight after White’s
likely Bf1-d3 continuation. 16...b5 17.Bd3 f5? 18.gxf5 exf5 19.Bh6 Rf7 20.Bxg7! Rxg7 21.Qxf5
Kh8 22.Rxg7 Qxg7 23.Qxd5 White had a large advantage which he later converted. Rapport, R
(2704) – Sutovsky, E (2624) Tromsø 2014.
488
B2) 10...Qa5 11.g5 Nd7 12.Kb1 Rc8 13.h4 Bb4 14.Ne2 Nb6 15.Nc1± White’s king is relatively
safe, unlike his colleague.
Position after: 15.Nc1±
White’s pieces are well placed in anticipation of Black castling kingside and he can follow up with
something along the lines of h4-h5, g5-g6. Nabaty, T (2622) – Navara, D (2745) Pardubice 2016.
6...Nc6 7.Nge2
489
Developing the knight to f3 would be inconsistent here as it would allow Black to create immediate
pressure on the d4-pawn with ...Bc8-g4.
7...e6
Black can still play 7...Bg4 but at least here there is no pin on the d1-h5 diagonal. White can also
capitalize on Black’s last move to gain a space advantage on the kingside. 8.f3 Bh5 9.g4 Bg6 10.h4 e6
11.h5 Bxd3 12.Qxd3
A) 12...Rc8 13.0-0-0 h6 14.Kb1∞ with a double-edged position where White is aiming to attack on
the kingside while Black is preparing his counterplay on the queenside. Jobava, B (2669) –
Mchedlishvili, M (2604) Izmir 2016.
B) 12...Bd6 13.0-0-0 Qc7 14.Qe3 h6 15.Kb1 0-0-0 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 17.Nc1 Kb8 18.Nd3= White has
more space, but Black is very solid. Jobava, B (2669) – Nepomniachtchi, I (2719) Almaty 2016.
8.Qd2
8.a3 also deserves attention, trying to prevent ...Nc6-b4. But this doesn’t appear to concern Jobava.
8...b5 9.0-0 Be7 10.a3
Finally Jobava decides to prevent Black from potentially exchanging his d3-bishop.
10...Bd7 11.h3 0-0 12.Rfe1 Na5 13.Rad1
490
All of Jobava’s pieces have been developed, although they still lack coordination. It is amazing how
Jobava made the former world champion resign in just 8 moves from here!
13...Qb6
Black would be doing very well objectively after the natural 13...Nc4 14.Qc1 Rc8 when White would
be unable to move the knight from e2, e.g. 15.Ng3 Nxa3!.
14.Ng3 Rfc8?
This move allows Jobava to do exactly what he wanted – to attack!

14...Rfe8 would have been more sensible, preventing any Ng3-f5 ideas.
15.Nf5
491
Baadur doesn’t need to be asked twice to play an aggressive move like this.
15...exf5
15...Bf8 isn’t sufficient due to 16.Nh6+! gxh6 17.Bxh6 with the immediate threat of Qd2-g5+.
17...Qd8 [17...Bxh6 18.Qxh6 Qd8 19.Re3 is curtains; 17...Ne8 18.Bxf8 Kxf8 19.Qh6+ Ng7 20.Nxd5!
also wins.] 18.Qg5+ Kh8 19.Bxf8 Qxf8 20.Qxf6+ and White should gradually win.
16.Rxe7 Be6?
16...Qd8 had to be played, asking the rook to retreat. However, it seems that Ponomariov simply didn’t
believe in White’s attacking potential!
17.Bh6!
Putting immediate pressure on the dark squares. Surprisingly, this move is fully correct and leads to an
advantage for White! It is absolutely amazing how Jobava created something from nothing.
492
Position after: 17.Bh6!
17...gxh6
A) 17...Nh5 is best according to the computer, although it still results in a pretty sad position for
Black after 18.Qg5 Nc6 19.Rxe6 fxe6 20.Be2 Qa7 21.Bxh5 Kh8 22.Qe3 gxh6 23.Qxe6 Qg7
24.Qxd5 with a big positional advantage for White.
B) 17...Nc6 18.Bxg7! Qxd4 19.Rxe6 fxe6 20.Qh6 Ng4 21.Qxe6+ Kxg7 22.hxg4 and once again
Black finds his position in ruins.
C) 17...Kf8 18.Bxg7+ Kxe7 19.Bxf6+ Kxf6? runs into 20.Qh6+ Ke7 21.Nxd5+!+–.
D) 17...Qd8 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 [18...Nh5 19.Bf6!+–] 19.Qg5+ Kf8 20.Qxf6 Nc6 [Black cannot capture
the rook due to mate in 1: 20...Qxe7 21.Qh8#] 21.Rxe6+–
18.Qxh6 Rxc3
A) 18...Bd7 19.Qg5+ Kf8 20.Rde1! and White comes out on top after further complications.
B) The knight cannot move as 18...Ne8 fails due to 19.Bxf5+– exploiting the unprotected position of
the black queen on b6.
19.Qg5+ Kf8 20.Qxf6
493
Position after: 20.Qxf6
White simply has too many different threats that Black cannot deal with simultaneously. For example,
White threatens to take the black rook on c3, to grab the f7-pawn with Re7xf7+ exploiting the pin, to
take Bd3xf5 increasing the pressure, as well as simply bringing the d1-rook into the attack with Rd1-e1.
20...Rxd3 21.cxd3
and Black resigned. A masterpiece by Jobava who cracked Black’s ultra-solid position in less than 10
moves! 1-0
2) 3...e6 4.Nb5 Na6
2.1: 5.e3

Le, Quang Liem (2737)
Riadh 2017
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 e6
494
4.Nb5
An interesting move. White is willing to lose a few tempi on Nc3-b5-c3 just to disturb Black’s
coordination.
The major alternative is 4.e3
495
which has also been employed by Jobava on a regular basis.
A) 4...Bb4 isn’t as annoying a pin as it first appears. White can simply ignore it and carry on
developing. If Black takes ...Bb4xc3, then White gets the bishop pair, a semi-open b-file and control
over the dark-squares. 5.Bd3 c5 6.dxc5
At first this appears to be a positional mistake – White gives up control over the center. However, as a
top grandmaster, Jobava has carefully considered the dynamic nuances of the position as well – the
f8-bishop has already moved once and so taking ...Bb4xc5 would result in the loss of a tempo for
Black. Also, White now aims for a quick e3-e4 push after first completing kingside development.
6...Nbd7 7.Nge2 0-0 8.Bd6 Re8 9.Bb5 a6 10.Bxd7 Nxd7 11.Qd4 Qa5 12.0-0-0!? Bxc5 13.Bxc5
Qxc5 14.e4! and White had seized the initiative in Jobava, B (2708) – Korneev, O (2581) Sochi 2014.
Black experiences problems with his queenside development.
B) 4...Bd6 5.Nf3
496
B1) Here we see Jobava again employing the same pattern as in his game against Korneev. 5...a6
6.Bd3 h6 7.0-0 c5 8.dxc5 giving dynamic considerations priority. Black has to move his dark-
squared bishop again. 8...Bxc5 This allows White to favorably open up the center with the thematic
9.e4! dxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.Bxe4 Qxd1 12.Rfxd1 White’s pieces are more active and he also has a
useful pawn majority on the queenside. Jobava, B (2673) – Rakhmanov, A (2640) Minsk 2015.
B2) 5...Bxf4 would strengthen White’s control over the e5-square even further after 6.exf4.
B3) 5...0-0 6.Bd3 b6 7.0-0 Bb7 8.Re1 Nbd7 9.Ne5 a6 10.Qf3 Be7 11.Qh3 c5 12.a3 c4 13.Be2 b5
14.Qg3 Ne8 15.Bf3
497
Since Black has released the tension in the center (i.e. pressure on the d4-pawn) with his 12...c4
move, White now switches plans and aims for the e3-e4 central break. 15...f5 A responsible decision
which prevents White’s idea but permanently weakens the e5-square. 16.Nxd7 Qxd7 17.Be5 Nf6
18.Ne2! Rad8 19.Nf4 Bd6 20.b4 Bc6 21.h4 with firm control over the dark squares. Jobava, B
(2713) – Radjabov, T (2724) Dubai 2014.
4...Na6 5.e3
498
Jobava has also tried 5.a3 on multiple occasions. The idea is to prevent Black’s ...Bf8-b4 move. We
will take a deeper look at it in the Jobava – Topalov game examined later in this section.
5...c6
5...Bb4+ has a similar idea to White’s Nc3-b5 move – giving up a tempo in order to worsen the
opponent’s coordination. Black forces 6.c3 which subsequently takes the c3-square away from the
knight, which will have to be retreated to the a3-square instead. 6.c3 Be7 7.a4 0-0 8.Nf3 c6 9.Na3 c5
10.Nb5 Ne8 11.Bd3 Nac7
Position after: 11...Nac7
12.h4!? Nxb5 13.axb5 f5 14.Ne5 Nf6 15.h5 Bd7 16.g4‚ Bortnyk, O (2610) – Grigoriants, S (2561)
Riadh 2017.
6.Nc3 Nc7
The black knight on c7 is obviously not well placed. This allows White to quickly establish control
over the e5-square and launch a kingside attack.
7.Nf3 Bd6 8.Ne5
499
Black usually fights for the e5-square with moves like Nb8-d7 and Qd8-c7. These moves are
impossible here because of the black knight’s poor positioning on c7.
8...0-0 9.Qf3
Going for the kill. 0-0-0, Bf1-d3, Qf3-h3, g2-g4-g5 ideas will come quickly.
9...c5 10.0-0-0 c4 11.g4 b5 12.g5 Nfe8 13.h4
500
White’s position is easier to play.
13...f6?
Ignoring the old wisdom that you shouldn’t play on the side where you stand inferior. Any opening of
the position on the kingside favors White.
13...b4 is tempting but it is unclear how to continue the attack after 14.Na4 as 14...Nb5?
Position after: 14...Nb5?
runs into 15.Bxc4! dxc4 16.Qxa8±.
14.gxf6 Nxf6 15.Rg1 b4 16.Na4 Bd7 17.Nc5
501
It is marvelous to see how Jobava activates his pieces in such a way that they all coordinate with each
other.
17...Be8 18.Nb7 Qe7 19.Nxd6 Qxd6
Position after: 19...Qxd6
20.Rxg7+!
502
Similarly to the game against Ponomariov, Black has again failed to keep control over the dark squares,
the g7-pawn in particular.
20...Kxg7 21.Qg2+ Bg6 22.Nxg6 Qa6 23.Ne5+ Kh8 24.Bxc4!
The dormant light-squared bishop sacrifices himself so that White can bring the rook to g1 to help
deliver mate.
24...Qb7 25.Bh6
1-0
2.2: 5.a3

Topalov, Veselin (2768)
Baku 2016
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 e6 4.Nb5 Na6 5.a3
As stated earlier, the idea is to take the b4-square away from the f8-bishop. Now the knight can retreat
to the c3-square without worrying about the possibility of being pinned.
5...c6
5...Be7
503
is another option, where Black first attempts to complete his kingside development before deciding
what to do next. 6.e3 0-0 7.Nf3
A) 7...b6 8.c4 Bb7 9.Qc2 c6 10.Nc3 c5 11.Rd1 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Nc5 13.Be2 Qc8 and Black should be
able to reach full equality soon. Jobava, B (2664) – Swiercz, D (2617) Abu Dhabi 2015.
B) 7...Ne4 8.Nd2 f5 9.Nxe4 fxe4
504
10.Be2 [10.c4!? might be justified with the pawn already on a3.] 10...c6 11.Nc3 Nc7 12.0-0 Bd6
13.Bxd6 Qxd6 14.f3 exf3 15.Bxf3 e5= Jobava, B (2702) – Wei, Y (2707) Doha 2016.
C) 7...c6 8.Nc3 Nc7 9.Ne5 following the same pattern as in the Jobava – Le Quang Liem game: first
establish the knight on e5, then launch the kingside attack. 9...Nd7 10.Bd3 Ne8 11.h4 c5 12.Qf3 c4
13.Be2 a6 14.Qg3 Kh8 15.e4
505
As we saw earlier in Jobava – Radjabov, e3-e4 becomes an option for White once Black releases the
tension in the center with ...c5-c4. 15...Ndf6 16.0-0-0 Nd6 17.exd5 exd5 18.Bf3 Be6 19.h5 h6
20.Rhe1∞ with Ne5-g6+ threatened. Jobava, B (2702) – Vidit, S (2689) Doha 2016.
6.Nc3 Bd6 7.e3
The most natural continuation. White invites Black to capture ...Bd6xf4 as he would then gain even
more control over the e5-square.
7...Nc7 8.Nf3 Bxf4
8...0-0 9.Ne5 [9...Nd7? runs into 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bxd6; 9...Nfe8 isn’t a remedy either since this
leaves the h7-pawn weak: 10.Bd3 f6 11.Qh5ƒ]
This would have left Black feeling cramped with a lot of pieces limited to close quarters. As Marin
points out, 9...c5 is “the only constructive plan since ...b7-b6 leaves the c6-pawn undefended”. Marin
then provides the following line: 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.Bd3 Nd7 12.0-0 Nxe5 13.Bxe5 f6 14.Bg3 e5 15.b4
Be7 16.Qh5 g6 17.Bxg6 hxg6 18.Qxg6+ Kh8 19.f4ƒ.
9.exf4 Qd6 10.Ne5 b6
Black should solve the problem of the c8-bishop as soon as possible. His idea is simply to trade the bad
bishop with ...Bc8-a6.
11.Qf3 c5
506
12.Nb5
Jobava goes for mass simplifications, aiming to get a small but stable positional plus in the endgame.
According to Marin, 12.Qe3 was better, avoiding exchanges and keeping control over the d4-square.
Then White could even start thinking about ideas like g2-g4 or h2-h4 if Black ever gets around to
castling short.
12...Nxb5 13.Bxb5+ Bd7 14.Nxd7 Nxd7 15.0-0-0
507
White has finally completed his development and can now start thinking of opening up the position to
his advantage due to his better centralization. The immediate idea is f4-f5.
15...0-0
15...g6 would be a natural way to try and prevent f4-f5, but it is simply too slow. According to Marin,
White can take advantage of his lead in development by playing 16.dxc5 Qxc5 17.c4 a6 18.Qc3! Rf8
19.Bxd7+ Kxd7 20.cxd5 where White can play for two results.
16.Bxd7 Qxd7 17.f5! Qe7
17...exf5? 18.dxc5 leaves Black with a terrible pawn structure.
18.Rhe1 cxd4 19.Rxd4 Qf6 20.Qf4 Rae8 21.Re5
Position after: 21.Re5
Although the position is objectively equal, White retains some pressure from a human perspective.
21...exf5 22.Rdxd5 Rxe5 23.Rxe5 g6 24.Re2 1-0 (42)
508
3) 3...Bf5 4.f3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.e3
3.1: 7...c5

Dubai 2014
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 Bf5
This move makes a lot of sense. Before playing ...e7-e6, Black first develops his light-squared bishop.
If White now hopes to achieve any pressure from the opening, he must play
4.f3
with the idea to start pushing his kingside pawns. It is worth noting that this plan makes much more
sense now that Black’s light-squared bishop is developed, since White can gain a tempo or two chasing
it away.
4...e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4
509
6...h6
6...h5 is also a viable alternative. Black decides to freeze the pawn structure on the kingside right away.
7.g5 Nfd7 8.e3 a6 9.Bd3 Bxd3
Position after: 9...Bxd3
A) 10.cxd3 Nc6 11.g6?! [11.Nge2 is more normal of course. Although the position is objectively
equal, it is also rather fresh and free from mainstream theory.] 11...fxg6 12.Bg5 Be7 13.f4 Nf6
510
14.Qb3 Qd7 15.Nf3 Ng4 16.Ke2 Bf6 17.Rac1 b6 18.Rc2 Ne7µ Jobava, B (2699) – Nakamura, H
(2799) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015.
B) In my only game with this system so far, I opted for 10.Qxd3 c5 11.g6 f6 12.Nge2
My hope was that Black would have difficulty trying to castle on either side of the board. Castling
kingside would leave the h5-pawn weak, whereas after castling queenside, the powerful presence of
White’s dark-squared bishop would create discomfort for the black king. However, it seems like
Black is doing fine objectively after 12...Nc6 13.a3 Qb6 14.Bh2 0-0-0 15.0-0-0 with a double-edged
position in Ipatov, A (2614) – Kantans, T (2496) Tromsø 2014.
7.e3
Black has a natural follow-up ...c7-c5. He may do so immediately, allowing the white knight to jump to
b5, or play ...a7-a6 first, thereby taking the b5-square away from the knight.
511
7...c5
A) Perhaps, 7...a6 is more cautious, preventing White from activating his pieces. 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3
Bxd3 10.cxd3 Played in order to be able to apply some pressure down the c-file later on. 10...Bd6
11.Nge2 Nc6 12.Qd2 Qe7 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.Kb1 Kb8 15.Rc1 Bxf4 16.exf4
Position after: 16.exf4
With an interesting strategic battle ahead. Jobava, B (2713) – Nepomniachtchi, I (2730) Dubai 2014.
512
White’s pawn structure is ugly at first – he has two pairs of doubled pawns and three pawn islands. As
we have been taught since childhood, it is usually a disadvantage to have multiple pawn islands as it
makes it harder to protect them individually. However, Jobava looks deeper into the position – his
ugly pawns in fact control most of the squares in the center.
B) For 7...c6 see Jobava – Salgado, 2014, examined separately in this section.
8.h5 Bh7 9.Nb5 Na6 10.c3
Position after: 10.c3
In case of ... c5-c4, White will always be to support the b5-knight with a2-a4.
10...Be7 11.Bd3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 Nd7 13.Ne2 0-0 14.a4
Prophylactically defending the knight. It turns out that it is not easy for Black to remove it from b5.
14...Bf6
513
A natural way to treat the position as Black – he wants to punish White for his seemingly loose play on
both sides of the board. Black aims to strike in the center, as that is the conventional prescription!
15.Bd6 Re8 16.f4
Smart. White secures control over the e5-square and keeps the center locked.
16...Nb6
514
17.g5!
In for a penny, in for a pound. White must continue to play sharply as otherwise Black may take over
the initiative with something like ...Nb6-c4.
17...hxg5 18.h6 g6 19.fxg5 Bxg5 20.h7+ Kg7 21.Be5+ f6 22.Nd6
White doesn’t give the opponent time to do what he wants. Black has to keep reacting and defending
against White’s threats.
22...Rh8
The computer claims that Black’s best bet is to give up the queen: 22...fxe5 23.Nxe8+ Qxe8 24.h8=Q+
Qxh8 25.Rxh8 Rxh8 26.0-0-0 cxd4 with some counterplay. Somewhat hard for a human to correctly
assess over the board, especially in a rapid game!
23.Nf4 Bxf4 24.Bxf4 g5 25.0-0-0
515
All of Jobava’s pieces are in play and well-coordinated. Black’s king is too isolated to protect himself.
The game didn’t last long.
25...Nc4 26.Rh6!? Kxh6 27.Nf7+ Kg7 28.Nxd8 Raxd8 29.b3 Nb6 30.Rg1 Rxh7 31.e4 Kh8 32.e5
gxf4 33.Qg6 Rf8 34.exf6 1-0
516
3.2: 7...c6

Salgado Lopez, Ivan (2605)
Yerevan 2014
I was fortunate enough to play in this tournament myself and was able to witness this positional
masterpiece in person.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 Bf5 4.f3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.e3 c6
With this setup, it seems like Black is aiming for ...Bf8-d6, ...Nb8-d7, and ultimately hoping to push
...e6-e5.
8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Bd6 11.Nge2 Bxf4
The first instructive moment. White now willingly weakens his own pawn structure. For what? Well, as
stated above, Black wants to open up the center with ...e6-e5 in order to punish White for advancing so
many pawns so early in the game. By recapturing exf4, White secures full control over the e5-square
and thus prevents Black’s major idea.
12.exf4
517
12.Nxf4 Nbd7 and Black is ready to play ...e6-e5 soon.
12...Nbd7 13.Qe3 Qe7
Here is yet another instructive moment. “Which piece can I improve?” Jobava might have asked
himself during the game. “Oh, my knight on e2 isn’t doing much, it would be much better placed on d3,
518
gaining further control over the e5-square as well as keeping an eye on the c5-square” is how I imagine
he would have responded!
14.Nc1! Nb6 15.b3
Limiting the activity of the opposing knight.
15...Qa3
16.Kf2!?
The position is closed, so taking a walk with the king might be fully justified. What a deep
understanding of the position by Jobava!
16...0-0-0 17.Kg3 Nfd7 18.Nd3
White is clearly calling the shots in this position. Black has less space and it is not easy for him to
prepare counterplay as both the c5- and e5-squares are under White’s control.
519
18...Rde8 19.Qc1 Qd6
Now Black might be ready to launch his counterplay with something like ...f7-f6 followed by ...e6-e5,
so Jobava’s next move is understandable:
20.Ne5 Rhf8 21.a4
520
Playing on both sides.
21...Nxe5
21...f6 was tempting but wouldn’t work out very well due to 22.Ng6 Rf7 23.a5 Na8 24.Qa3! and Black
is clearly lacking both the time and coordination needed to play ...e6-e5.
22.fxe5 Qc7 23.a5 Nd7 24.Qe3
Any ...c6-c5 move will clearly run into Nc3-b5 so Black opts for another break in the center instead.
24...f6 25.f4 Rf7
Position after: 25...Rf7
Preparing ...Re8-f8 followed by ...f6xe5.
26.Ne2
Planning to recapture with the d-pawn after ...f6xe5. Then the f4-pawn will be guarded by the e2-
knight.
26...c5 27.c3 fxe5 28.dxe5 Kb8 29.b4 Rc8 30.Rhb1 Qd8 31.a6 b6
521
32.c4!
Black doesn’t have enough control over the position to maintain the d5-pawn, so he must resort to
32...d4
releasing the tension in the center and giving up the e4-square.
33.Qe4 Qc7 34.b5
522
Although the position is closed, White has a tremendous positional advantage. He can improve his
position as much as he likes before delivering the thematic breakthrough with f4-f5. Black has nothing
better than to passively wait for his demise.
34...Rcf8 35.Ra3 Kc8 36.Rbb3 Kd8 37.Rf3 Ke7
Position after: 37...Ke7
38.Nc1!
Yet another Ne2-c1-d3 maneuver. From the d3-square, the knight will protect both the f4- and e5-
pawns, which may be important if White ever pushes f4-f5.
38...Qb8 39.Nd3 Qa8 40.Qb7 Rb8 41.Qxa8 Rxa8 42.Ra1 Nf8
523
43.Nf2!
With the queens no longer on the board, the knight can reroute to have an even better life. White is
transfering the knight to the beautiful outpost on d6.
43...Nh7 44.Ne4 Rg8 45.Rh1 Rff8 46.Kf2 Rf7 47.Nd6 Rff8 48.Ne4 Rf7 49.Ke2 Rff8 50.Rf2 Rh8
51.Kd3 Rf7 52.Rhf1
524
Position after: 52.Rhf1
52...Rg8
52...Rhf8 would lose an exchange after 53.Nd6.
53.g5
Exploiting Black’s lack of space.
53...g6
What else? 53...Rf5 54.Ng3 Rff8 55.g6 would lose the knight.
54.Nf6 Nxf6 55.gxf6+ Kf8 56.hxg6 Rxg6
Position after: 56...Rxg6
57.f5
Creating two passed pawns which will prove impossible to stop.
57...Rg3+ 58.Rf3 Rxf3+ 59.Rxf3 exf5 60.Rxf5 Rd7 61.e6 Rd6 62.e7+
This is one of the best positional games I’ve ever seen!
1-0
4) 3...g6 4.e3 Bg7 5.h4
525
4.1: 5...a6

Savchenko, Boris (2556)
Minsk 2014
The last two games that I selected for this section will deal with the ...g7-g6 setup.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 a6 4.e3 g6
A more natural move order to reach this position would be 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3, where
Black’s 4...a6 wouldn’t be considered one of the main moves.
5.h4
This move makes perfect sense with the black pawn already on g6. White seeks to open up the h-file.
Similarly to other sections in the book, we are looking to get our opponent into an unknown terrain
where the importance of each move is higher than usual.
5...Bg7 6.h5!?
A classy move, offering an exchange sacrifice in return for a lead in development, superior pawn
structure and attacking chances against the black king.
6...Nxh5 7.Rxh5 gxh5 8.Qxh5
526
Position after: 8.Qxh5
Despite being a full exchange up, it is far from easy for Black to develop his pieces and bring his king
to safety. White has excellent practical compensation.
8...c6
A) 8...e6
527
9.Qh2! hitting a weak point in Black’s position. 9...Nc6 10.Bxc7 Qd7 11.Nf3 Now White has a pawn
for the exchange, while he retains all the same positional trumps as before. Bortnyk, O (2610) –
Mikhalevski, V (2538) chess.com 2018.
B) 8...Be6 9.Nf3 h6 10.0-0-0 White has already completed his development, whereas the black king is
still in the center. For obvious reasons, Black cannot castle short. So one way or another, Black must
prepare to castle long.
B1) 10...c6 is slow but may still be playable. White retains strong compensation in the end
regardless. If Black decides to castle long now, the weakness of the h2-b8 diagonal will become very
apparent. Actually, the game Jobava – Savchenko got the same pawn structure a few moves later in
the main line.
B2) With 10...Nd7 Black decides to sacrifice a pawn to at least get a couple of tempi to try and
consolidate. As the following game shows, this isn’t enough. 11.Nxd5 Bxd5 12.Qxd5 c6 13.Qf5
Nf6 14.Bc4 e6 15.Qh3 b5 16.Bxe6 Nd5 17.Be5 and Black resigned in Bauer, C (2644) – Apicella,
M (2501) Cannes 2018.
9.Nf3 h6 10.0-0-0 Nd7
528
11.Qh2
Anticipating Black’s ...Nd7-f6 possibility and threatening Bf4-c7 to trap the black queen.
11...Nf8 12.Bc7
Although this move doesn’t trap the queen, it nevertheless disturbs Black’s coordination. More
specifically, the c8-bishop now struggles to get into the game.
12...Qd7 13.Be2 Ne6 14.Be5 b5 15.Rh1
529
Position after: 15.Rh1
Similarly to the other Jobava games we’ve seen already, his pieces are again well developed and in
great coordination with each other.
15...f6 16.Bg3 Ng5
17.Ne1!
530
Since White is an exchange down, it makes sense to avoid exchanges. Moreover, the knight is being
transferred to c5, an excellent outpost which Black weakened by playing 14...b5.
17...0-0
Black must have decided that the lesser evil was to castle short. With the dangerous Q+B battery on the
h2-b8 diagonal, as well as the knight coming to c5, it is understandable why Black refrained from
castling long.
18.Nd3 Qf5 19.Bf4 a5 20.Nc5 Qh7
Position after: 20...Qh7
21.g4
White just keeps on playing normally, even though he is an exchange down. This is an example of
long-term positional compensation. When we were children, we usually saw sacrifices for the sake of
delivering mate or for winning more material than we sacrificed. However, once we become more
mature players, we begin to understand and appreciate the beauty of positional sacrifices, especially
when it is an exchange rather than just a pawn!
21...Qg6 22.Bc7
Clearing the way for the f-pawn.
22...b4
Desperately trying to at least create some activity. However, this simply creates a hole on a4 which
531
White subsequently uses for his c3-knight. Knights love to plant themselves on weakened squares like
this. You can think of them as birds creating nests from where they won’t be disturbed.
23.N3a4 e5 24.Nb6 Ra7 25.Bd6 Re8
26.f4
Powerful play by Jobava on both sides of the board.
26...Nf7 27.g5!?
With the idea Be2-h5.
27...Nxd6?
¹ 27...fxg5 although 28.Bb8 Rae7 29.Bh5 would have retained White’s initiative.
28.Bh5 Qf5 29.gxh6
532
Position after: 29.gxh6
White is a rook down for the moment, but it doesn’t matter because two black pieces (the e8-rook and
g7-bishop) are hanging simultaneously. White is also clearing the path to the black king.
29...Ree7 30.hxg7 Rxg7 31.fxe5 fxe5 32.Nxc8 Nxc8 33.Bg6! Qxg6 34.Qh8+ Kf7 35.Rf1+ 1-0
A beautiful game from Jobava featuring a positional exchange sacrifice. White didn’t hurry to force
matters after he sacrificed the material. Instead, he kept on developing and slowly improving his
position before finally launching a direct attack.
4.2: 5...c6
Nyzhnyk, Illia (2605)

Sevian, Samuel (2624)
Philadelphia 2018
Finally we will take a look at a game by someone other than Jobava!
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 Bg7 5.h4 c6
533
Although 5...c6 is clearly more useful than 5...a6, White may still go for the same audacious idea
involving a positional exchange sacrifice.
5...a6 would have transposed into Jobava – Savchenko.
6.Be2
Developing a piece and preparing h4-h5.

6.h5 leads to a better version for Black than the Jobava – Savchenko game we looked at, but it still
might be practically playable for White, especially at faster time controls. 6...Nxh5 7.Rxh5 gxh5
8.Qxh5 Nd7 9.Qh2
534
We should be familiar with this maneuver by now.

A) 9...Qa5 10.Bc7!? [≤ 10.a3 b5 which gives Black counterplay on the queenside. Bortnyk, O (2610)
– Amonatov, F (2636) Riadh 2017.] 10...Qb4 11.0-0-0©
B) 9...Nf6
B1) Perhaps White could now play 10.Bc7 with the idea of preventing the c8-bishop’s development.
535
10...Qd7 11.f3 White may not objectively have full compensation but he still has enough resources
to create practical problems. Again, this scenario is probably more suitable for rapid and blitz games.
Play 6.h5 in classical chess at your own risk!
B2) 10.Bd3 Bg4 with the idea ...Bg4-h5-g6 protecting the kingside and aiming to trade light-squared
bishops. 11.Be5 Qd7 12.Qf4 Nh5 13.Qh2 Bxe5 14.dxe5 Ng7 15.Qh6 Rg8 16.Nf3 Bf5 White’s
experiment didn’t work out and he was left an exchange down with no compensation. Wei, Y (2707)
– Tomashevsky, E (2716) Doha 2016.
6...h5 7.Nf3
Having provoked the ...h7-h5 move, White now keeps developing in typical fashion. If Black ever
decides to castle short, he will be left regretting the pawn on h5 as White will then have the idea of f2-
f3 and g2-g4, opening files on the kingside to his advantage.
7...Qb6 8.a3
An elegant way to protect the b2-pawn. Qb6xb2 would now run into Nc3-a4, trapping the queen.
8...Bg4 9.Qd2
White continues his development and plans on castling long. As for Black’s king, we already discussed
the possible drawbacks of castling short. There are also some problems castling long, due to the
weakness of the h2-b8 diagonal. So Black has some concrete practical problems about what to do with
their king!
536
9...Nbd7 10.0-0-0
10...Ne4?!
This move in fact facilitates White’s ambitions as he now has a clear way to create threats, not giving
Black time to complete his development.
A) 10...0-0 would have been a normal continuation, although we already know how White would plan
to continue in that case. 11.Ne5 Bxe2 12.Qxe2 Nxe5 13.Bxe5ƒ White will follow up with f2-f3 and
g2-g4 aiming to open files on the kingside. White’s position is so much easier to play!
537
Position after: 13.Bxe5ƒ
B) The immediate 10...0-0-0?? would get the queen trapped after 11.Na4+–.
11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Ng5
The e4-pawn is hanging and Black must do something about it.
12...Bf5
538
12...Bxe2 13.Qxe2 Nf6 14.Be5 and White is going to win the e4-pawn with Be5xf6 followed by
Ng5xe4.
13.f3
13.Bc4 would have been even stronger, although some of the resulting lines aren’t that easy for a
human to see and correctly evaluate. 13...0-0 [≤ 13...e6 14.f3 Nf6 15.Be5 and black’s f5-bishop is
likely to get trapped very soon.] 14.f3 White’s play is very intuitive. 14...Nf6
[14...e5 15.g4 hxg4 16.fxe4 Bxe4 17.Nxe4 exf4 18.h5 and White opens up the game with decisive
effect; 14...exf3 15.gxf3 e5 16.e4 Bxe4 17.fxe4 exf4 18.Qxf4 and Black can’t protect the f7-pawn or
the other light squares on the kingside.] 15.g4! hxg4 16.h5! gxh5 17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.fxe4 Bg6 19.Rxh5!
Bxh5 20.Qh2! Double threat: hitting the h5-bishop and attempting to trap the black queen with Bf4-c7.
The complications work out in White’s favor.
13...exf3 14.Bc4 f6 15.Ne6 Bxe6 16.Bxe6 Nf8 17.Bb3
539
White has fantastic compensation for the pawn. Black’s light squares (in particular, the e6-square and
the g6-pawn) are very weak.
17...Bh6 18.gxf3
Keeping the bishop pair might have been even stronger. The black king would then still feel unsafe
after castling long, due to the white bishop’s presence on the h2-b8 diagonal. 18.Bh2!? fxg2 19.Rhe1©
18...Bxf4 19.exf4 0-0-0 20.Rhe1
540
Position after: 20.Rhe1
The material is equal, and while the black king is safer than it used to be, his position is still
considerably worse due to the pawn weaknesses on e7 and g6.
20...Qc7 21.Re4 Rh7 22.Qe3±
And White gradually won. We see that even a very strong grandmaster like Sam Sevian didn’t know
how to deal with this system off the top of his head!
1-0
541
Part III
Ambitions & Surprises
Here I present the most fun part of the book. We will explore a collection of different offbeat ideas
against various openings without delving overly deeply into any particular one. If you find any of them
especially interesting, feel free to explore them further on your own!
Chapter 10
1.b3
1.b3
Chapter Guide
Chapter 10 – 1.b3
Model games:
1) 1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 e6 3.e3 c5 4.f4 b6 5.Nf3 Bb7 6.Rg1 (Wei Yi – Ponomariov, Danzhou 2014)
2) 1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Bg4 3.f3 Bf5 4.e3 Nf6 5.g4 (Wei Yi – Vallejo, Leon 2014)
3) 1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Nf6 3.e3 Bf5 4.h3 e6 5.g4 (Rambaldi – Brunello, Vienna 2015)
4) 1.b3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Bb2 Bf5 4.h3 h6 5.Nf3 e6 6.c4 Be7 7.g4 (Nakamura – Aronian, Zürich 2014)
5) 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6 5.Na3 (Ipatov – Fierro Baquero, La Massana 2010)
542
1) 1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 e6 3.e3 c5 4.f4 b6 5.Nf3 Bb7 6.Rg1
Wei, Yi (2634)
Ponomariov, Ruslan (2723)
Danzhou 2014
1.b3 Nf6 2.Bb2 e6 3.e3 c5 4.f4 b6 5.Nf3 Bb7 6.Rg1!
Position after: 6.Rg1!
An exclamation mark for bravery. Let’s not forget that Wei Yi’s opponent was none other than the
former FIDE World Champion.
White’s idea is straightforward: to push the g-pawn to the fifth rank, thereby gaining a space advantage
on the kingside. The drawback of this move, of course, is that White doesn’t fight for control of the
center.
6...Nc6 7.g4 d5 8.g5 Nd7 9.Nc3 Qc7 10.f5 0-0-0 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.Bh3 Re8 13.Qe2 a6
543
It’s fair to say White’s kingside attack hasn’t been successful considering the black king has found
safety on the other side of the board. Black controls the center and can be very satisfied with his
position. Nevertheless, the position remains a dynamically balanced one where one slip may give the
initiative to the opponent. I think the choice of opening was a good try and it likely forced Ruslan to
burn some time on the clock to reach this position, whereas White’s developing moves were
straightforward.
14.0-0-0 Bd6 15.Kb1 Kb8 16.d4!
Finally starting to fight for the center.
16...b5 17.dxc5 Nxc5 18.a3 b4?!
Finally Ruslan goes wrong in this complex and unorthodox position.
19.axb4 Nxb4 20.Rd4 Qa5 21.Rgg4!
544
Position after: 21.Rgg4!
The Chinese grandmaster has a good intuitive “feel” for the position.
21...Nd7 22.Na4 Nc6 23.Rd1 Nde5 24.Rf4 Re7 25.Nxe5 Nxe5
Having played a fantastic positional game up until now, Wei Yi fails to secure his advantage here.
Position after: 25...Nxe5
26.Rdf1
545
26.e4! leaves the f4-rook hanging but everything works out perfectly for White in the complications.
For example: 26...Nd3 [26...Nc4 27.e5!] 27.Rxd3 Bxf4 28.exd5 Bxd5 [28...Rd8 29.Rd4 Bc7 30.Ba3
with a tremendous initiative.] 29.Rd4!
Position after: 29.Rd4!
Not an easy move to find and correctly evaluate. 29...Bd6 [≤ 29...Bc7 30.Bc3 Qb5 31.Rb4 losing even
quicker.] 30.c4+–
26...Rc8 27.Rf8 Nc4! 28.Bc3 Qb5 29.Ka2 Rec7 30.Rxc8+ Bxc8 31.e4 Na3 32.Qf2 e5 33.Bxc8 Rxc8
34.exd5 Nxc2„ 0-1
546
Position after: 34...Nxc2„
Although Wei Yi eventually lost the game, it certainly wasn’t because of the crazy Rg1, g2-g4-g5
opening idea!
2) 1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Bg4 3.f3 Bf5 4.e3 Nf6 5.g4

Wei, Yi (2634)
Vallejo Pons, Francisco (2698)
Leon 2014
1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Bg4 3.f3 Bf5 4.e3 Nf6 5.g4
547
With a similar idea to the one we saw in the previous game. White wants to secure a space advantage
on the kingside and then castle long.
5...Bc8 6.g5 Nfd7 7.Nc3 e6 8.f4 c5 9.Nf3 Nc6 10.Qe2 a6 11.h4
I like White’s position. Black is unlikely to castle short, whereas bringing the king to the queenside still
requires quite a few moves. While Black is shuffling his pieces around in order to castle, White quickly
seizes the initiative.
548
11...Rg8 12.f5 Nb6 13.g6 hxg6 14.fxg6 f6 15.d4 Qc7 16.0-0-0 Bd7 17.Bh3 0-0-0 18.Kb1
18...f5?!
Black should have been fine after 18...Kb8 although I would still prefer White’s position.
19.Ng5 c4 20.e4! dxe4 21.d5 exd5 22.Nxd5 Nxd5 23.Rxd5
549
Position after: 23.Rxd5
White has favorably opened up the position and is clearly dominating. The game didn’t last long.
23...c3 24.Bxc3 Ne7 25.Rd4 Nxg6 26.Rc4 Bc5 27.b4 Bb5 28.bxc5 Nf4 29.Bxf5+ Kb8 30.Qxe4 Rge8
31.Ne6 Rxe6 32.Bxe6 Bc6 33.Be5 1-0
3) 1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Nf6 3.e3 Bf5 4.h3 e6 5.g4
550
Rambaldi, Francesco (2517)
Brunello, Sabino (2545)
Vienna 2015
Let’s look at a game between two of the strongest Italian players.
1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Nf6 3.e3 Bf5
Black clearly wants to play solidly with something along the lines of...e7-e6, h7-h6, ...c7-c6, ...Nb8-d7,
...Bf8-d6.
How can White create an imbalance early on?
4.h3!?
Preparing g2-g4. If Black intended to castle short, he will have to think twice about it now.
4...e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Bg2 c6 7.d3
551
White has easy development with Nb1-d2, Ng1-e2 and then maybe Ne2-g3, h2-h4, etc. At the same
time, Black must decide whether to allow this kingside expansion or to strike back himself with ...h7-
h5.
7...Bb4+ 8.Nd2 h5
Sabino goes for the second option.
9.g5 Nfd7 10.f4 f6 11.Ngf3 Bf7 12.Qe2
552
White has a significant lead in development. The b8-knight might have to be developed to the a6-
square. Something has clearly gone wrong for Black.
12...Qe7 13.a3 Bd6 14.c4 a5 15.0-0 Na6 16.cxd5!
Position after: 16.cxd5!
16...cxd5
553
If Black wanted to keep the c-file closed in order to castle long safely, he could have captured the other
way with 16...exd5, though White would still have had a concrete way of starting a dangerous attack
against the black king: 17.Nh4!
Position after: 17.Nh4!
17...0-0-0 18.Nf5 Qf8 19.b4!‚
17.gxf6 gxf6 18.Nd4
Black’s king is stuck in the center. It doesn’t want to castle in either direction as Black has already
significantly compromised his pawn structure on both sides.
18...Nc7 19.Rac1 Bc5 20.Kh1 Bb6 21.e4!
554
Position after: 21.e4!
Having developed all his pieces and brought his king to safety, White finally launches a direct attack
against the black king.
21...Kd8 22.Rfe1 Re8 23.N2f3 Rc8 24.Qd2 Qf8 25.e5 fxe5 26.fxe5 Qe7 27.Bc3 Ra8 28.Ng5 Bg6
29.h4 Bxd4 30.Bxd4 Qxa3
Position after: 30...Qxa3
555
31.Rxc7!? Kxc7 32.Qc3+ Kb8 33.Rc1 Ra6 34.Qc7+ Ka8
Position after: 34...Ka8
35.Nxe6! Rexe6 36.Qd8+ Nb8 37.Rc8
A beautiful game that highlights the practical difficulties a Black player may encounter when facing the
g2-g4 idea.
1-0
4) 1.b3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Bb2 Bf5 4.h3 h6 5.Nf3 e6 6.c4 Be7 7.g4
Nakamura, Hikaru (2776)

Aronian, Levon (2826)
Zürich 2014
1.b3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Bb2 Bf5 4.h3 h6
Unlike Sabino, Levon prefers to retreat with the bishop directly to h7.
5.Nf3 e6 6.c4 Be7 7.g4 Bh7 8.Rg1!?
556
Position after: 8.Rg1!?
Played pre-emptively in anticipation of Black castling short.
8...Nbd7 9.cxd5 exd5 10.h4 Ne4 11.g5 hxg5 12.hxg5 0-0!?
Levon accepts the challenge! Now the question is whether White will get to the black king before Black
has enough time to create counterplay against the white king in the center.
Position after: 12...0-0!?
557
13.d3 Bb4+ 14.Nbd2 Nxd2 15.Nxd2 c5
Rushing to close the a1-h8 diagonal with ... d5-d4.
16.a3
In such positions each tempo matters. White could have seized a dangerous initiative with 16.Qh5! Re8
[16...Qb6 17.Rh1 Qg6 18.0-0-0ƒ] 17.g6! Bxg6 18.Rxg6 fxg6 19.Qxd5+ Kf8 20.0-0-0© with fantastic
compensation. The black king is permanently exposed and doesn’t have a safe place to hide.
16...Bxd2+
558
Position after: 16...Bxd2+
17.Qxd2
17.Kxd2!? so that the white queen could go to h5 was also interesting. 17...Qb6 18.Rh1 Rfd8
19.Rxh7!? Kxh7 20.Bg2 Kg8 21.Bxd5©
17...Re8 18.f4 Qb6 19.Kf2 Qxb3
Position after: 19...Qxb3
559
20.g6 Bxg6 21.f5 d4 22.e4 Bxf5 23.exf5 Re3 24.Rb1 Qd5 25.Rxg7+ Kf8 26.Rg2 Ne5 27.Qd1 Re8
28.Bc1 b6 29.Qh5 Qf3+ 30.Qxf3 Rxf3+ 31.Kg1 Rxf5 32.Rf2 Rh5 33.Bf4 Re6 34.Be2 1-0
After a crazy middlegame struggle, Hikaru managed to obtain a better endgame which he subsequently
converted into a full point.
Regarding the opening and early middlegame, we saw that Hikaru’s bold idea worked out well and that
he could have gotten a dangerous attack on the sixteenth move with 16.Qh5!.
5) 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6 5.Na3
Ipatov, Alexander (2507)

Fierro Baquero, Martha Lorena (2372)
La Massana 2010
In my teens, I also liked to begin the game with
1.b3
which I no longer play in classical chess but occasionally try in blitz.
1...e5 2.Bb2 Nc6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bd6 5.Na3
Hoping to grab the bishop pair with Na3-c4.
5...a6
560
5...e4 6.Nc4 Be7 7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.d3 0-0 9.Ne2 d5 10.Nd2 exd3 11.cxd3 c5 12.Qc2 Re8 13.0-0 Bd6=
Position after: 13...Bd6=
The bishop pair compensates for the structural deficiencies. Ipatov, A (2613) – Karjakin, S (2771)
Dubai 2014.
6.Be2 b5
It seems like Black is in control of the position and that the white knight on a3 is misplaced. What can
we do? First of all, let’s get our knight into the game before Black plays ...Qd8-e7.
7.c4 b4 8.Nc2 e4
561
9.f4!
Taking the e5-square away from the black pieces. If Black now captures ...e4xf3, White will develop
the g1-knight with tempo (i.e. Ng1xf3) and later make use of the f-file.
9...0-0 10.Nh3 Bc5 11.Nf2
562
Black has more space, something which White is going capitalize on himself by launching a kingside
attack! This plan is feasible largely due to the b2-bishop which dominates the a1-h8 diagonal, thanks to
the fact that Black has overextended in the center. The predator suddenly becomes the prey!
11...Re8 12.g4! d6 13.g5 Nd7 14.h4 Nf8 15.h5
Aiming to further weaken the h1-a8 diagonal with h5-h6 or else play g5-g6 and open up one of the
files.
15...Bf5 16.Bg4!
Position after: 16.Bg4!
The g4-square belongs to the knight which cannot jump there immediately because of ...Bf5xg4. So,
White first aims to eliminate the black bishop before occupying g4 with the knight.
16...Qd7 17.Qe2 a5 18.0-0-0 a4 19.Rdg1 axb3 20.axb3 Na5 21.Na1
563
White is defending effectively with only one knight, whereas all his other pieces are thrown at the black
king. An efficient use of resources!
21...c6 22.g6 fxg6 23.h6 gxh6 24.Bxf5 Qxf5 25.Ng4 1-0
564
Chapter 11
English Opening
1.c4
Chapter Guide
Model games:
1) 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.e3 Nf6 5.d4 e4 6.Ne5 g6 7.g4 (Mamedyarov – Vachier Lagrave, Biel
2018)
2) 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e3 Nc6 4.g4 (Carlsen – Vachier Lagrave, Leuven 2017)
1) 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.e3 Nf6 5.d4 e4 6.Ne5 g6 7.g4

Vachier Lagrave, Maxime (2779)
Biel 2018
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.e3 Nf6 5.d4 e4 6.Ne5 g6
565
7.g4!?
Mamedyarov shows his aggressive intent from the get-go. White’s idea is straightforward. He
facilitates the development of the bishop to g2, putting pressure on the e4-pawn while also keeping in
reserve the threat of g4-g5, kicking the black knight from the center.
The main move is the natural 7.Be2 which had already been played in one of MVL’s games. 7...Bg7
8.0-0 0-0 9.b3 Ne7! 10.f3 d6 11.Ng4 Nxg4 12.fxg4 Nc6 13.Nxe4 f5 14.gxf5 Bxf5 15.Nf2 cxd4ƒ
Ding, L (2702) – Vachier Lagrave, M (2705) Saint Louis 2012.
7...h6
566
8.Bg2
8.h4 might be possible but in that case the g4-pawn could potentially become a weakness. It’s also
worth noting that White wouldn’t even be threatening g4-g5 right away as the h1-rook would be
hanging.
8...Bg7 9.h3
Securing the g4-pawn.
9...Qe7 10.b3
567
10...cxd4
A) ≤ 10...Nxe5?! 11.dxe5 Qxe5 12.Bb2 0-0 13.Qc2
giving White complete positional domination. 13...Qe6 14.0-0-0!± White can regain the e4-pawn if he
wants or else he can play something like Nc3-b5 followed by Rd1-d6. Black has a hard time
developing his queenside. [≤ 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Bxe4 d6 as now Black has some room
568
to breathe.
B) Perhaps the best idea would have been to disengage contact with the e5-knight with 10...Nd8!?,
although White could then sacrifice the knight by playing something along the lines of 11.f4 d6 12.0-
0∞
Position after: 12.0-0∞
when it is dangerous for Black to take 12...dxe5 due to 13.dxe5 Nh7 14.Nd5 Qd7 15.Bxe4 and
White’s central cluster of pawns and pieces fully compensates for the material deficit.
11.exd4
569
11...Nxe5?!
The immediate 11...d5!? was probably better. In general, Black should refrain from taking the e5-knight
as it opens up the position favorably for White.
12.dxe5 Qxe5 13.Bb2
570
Both the b2- and g2-bishops exert strong pressure on the center. As we’ve seen in similar lines
previously, this gives White more than enough compensation for the pawn.
13...d5 14.Qe2! Qe7
14...d4 wouldn’t have solved Black’s problems: 15.Nxe4 0-0 16.0-0-0! and Black is left with the weak-
d4 pawn.
15.cxd5 0-0 16.0-0 Re8 17.Rfe1 Bd7 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Qxe4 Qxe4 21.Bxe4
White is a pawn up, but Black retains practical drawing chances. He just needs to somehow bring his
king to the d6-square in order to block White’s passed pawn. Instead, MVL voluntarily creates a
weaknesses on the kingside with
21...h5? 22.gxh5 gxh5 23.h4!
Fixing the h5-pawn on a light square. Mamedyarov now proceeds to convert his material and positional
advantage convincingly.
23...Rac8 24.Bf3 Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Kf6 26.d6 b6 27.Re7 Rd8 28.Bxh5 Be6 29.Rxa7 Rxd6 30.Kg2 Rd8
31.Bf3 Ke5 32.Ra4 1-0
571
Position after: 32.Ra4
Another example of a game where a top grandmaster couldn’t handle White’s aggressive approach with
an early g2-g4 move. Interestingly, MVL had actually known about this 7.g4 move but couldn’t
remember his analysis.
2) 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e3 Nc6 4.g4

Carlsen, Magnus (2832)
Vachier Lagrave, Maxime (2796)
Leuven 2017
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e3 Nc6 4.g4!?
572
With the simple idea of playing g4-g5 and kicking the black knight away from the center. Unlike some
of the other lines presented in this chapter, this particular g2-g4 move isn’t objectively dubious and has
in fact been seen in a couple of classical games at GM level.
4...Bb4
4...h6 prevents White’s immediate threat. However, it also creates a “hook” that White may exploit if
Black ever castles short. To put it simply, it will be easier for White to open up the kingside with g4-g5
thanks to the black pawn on h6. 5.Bg2
573
In the following two games, White managed to gain an initiative out of the opening: 5...Bb4 [5...d6
6.h3 Ne7 7.d4 Ng6 8.Nf3 In order to take control of the h4-square. 8...Be7 9.Qc2 c6 10.dxe5 Nxe5
11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.b3 Qc7 13.Bb2 Bd7 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 15.Ne2 Be6 16.f4ƒ
Position after: 16.f4ƒ
Rapport, R (2676) – Aronian, L (2795) Germany 2014.] 6.h3 [6.h4!?] 6...Bxc3 7.bxc3 e4 8.f3 Qe7
9.Qc2 exf3 10.Nxf3 d6 11.d3 Ne5 12.Nxe5 dxe5 13.a4 Qe6 14.Ba3 e4 15.0-0ƒ Xiong, J (2691) – Le,
574
Q (2713) Philadelphia 2019.
5.g5 Bxc3 6.bxc3 Ng8
7.d4!
White prioritizes dynamic considerations over keeping the pawn. This was also a blitz game which, as
we know, makes facing an initiative even more unpleasant for the defending side.
7.h4 h6 gives Black counterplay on the h-file.
7...Qxg5 8.d5 Nd8 9.d6
Otherwise Black would happily play ...d7-d6 himself and get his c8-bishop into the game.
9...c6 10.Nf3 Qf5 11.Rg1
White keeps on developing pieces with tempo.
11...Ne6
575
12.e4!
It is all about the initiative. If Black survives the opening phase, White will be lost. Understanding that,
Magnus throws even more fuel into the fire in an effort to accelerate his development.
12...Qxe4+ 13.Be3
With the threat of 14.Bf1-d3, trapping the black queen. Therefore, Black doesn’t have time to develop
his other pieces and must move the queen again.
13...Qf5
As P.H. Nielsen points out, White would be winning after 13...Nf4 14.Rg5 f6 15.Nd2 Nd3+ 16.Bxd3
Qxd3 17.Rxg7 when the Black pieces are completely paralyzed and the king is unsafe.
14.Ng5 Nf4 15.Bxf4
576
Position after: 15.Bxf4
As we know, it is typically a poor idea to trade pieces when you are attacking and have less material.
However, all rules have an exception. By playing this move, White can gain further tempi attacking the
black queen, causing the other black pieces to remain undeveloped.
15...Qxf4
15...exf4 would allow Bf1-d3 or Bf1-h3 with tempo and also opens up the e-file towards his own king.
16.Rg4 Qf6 17.Ne4 Qh6 18.Qf3 Nf6
577
18...g6!? was interesting, with the idea ...Qh6-g7 and possibly ...f7-f5.
19.Rxg7
19.Nxf6+ might have been even stronger: 19...Qxf6 20.Qxf6 gxf6 21.c5!© playing against the c8-
bishop.
19...Qxg7
Black could hold after 19...Kf8! though this isn’t an easy move to spot in a blitz game!
20.Nxf6+ Kd8 21.Qf5 Re8 22.Nxe8 Kxe8 23.c5 b5 24.Bd3 f6 25.Ke2 Kf7
578
Position after: 25...Kf7
26.Rh1!
With the idea Ke2-f1 followed by Rh1-g1 bringing the rook to the g-file.
26...Rb8 27.Kf1 Qg6 28.Qf3 Qh6 29.Rg1 Ba6 30.Qg4 Rd8 31.Rg3
White soon won. 1-0
579
Chapter 12
Dutch Opening
1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.h4

Koykka, Pekka (2316)
Skopje 2015
1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3
580
When I was a kid, this was one of my pet lines against the Dutch.
3...g6
A) If Black tries the 3...d6 move order, White can continue with 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Qc2 g6
A1) 6.h4 White plans to develop with Ng1-h3-f4, aiming to exploit the vulnerability of the e6-
581
square, 0-0-0, e2-e3 and then h4-h5 or c4-c5. 6...h6 7.Bd2 e5 8.e3 h5 9.Nh3 Nh7 10.0-0-0 Bg7
11.c5! 0-0 12.cxd6 cxd6 13.Nb5 Nb6 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.Bb4 Qxh4 16.Qb3+ Kh8 17.Nf4‚ Ipatov, A
(2630) – Gallagher, J (2504) Warsaw 2013.
A2) Or 6.0-0-0 with the same idea. 6...Bg7 7.h4 h6 8.Bxf6 Nxf6
Position after: 8...Nxf6
Although Black has the bishop pair advantage, her kingside pawn structure (especially the g6-pawn)
is vulnerable. 9.Nh3 Ng4 10.e3 0-0 11.Nf4 Kh7 12.h5 g5 13.Ng6 Rf7 14.c5ƒ Ipatov, A (2472) –
Muzychuk, M (2436) Lvov 2008.
B) I’m still having trouble figuring out how to get an interesting position after the solid 3...e6.
Something along the lines of 4.h3 with the idea g2-g4 might be worth looking into.
4.h4
582
4...d6
One of my childhood games continued instead with 4...Bg7 5.h5 Nxh5 6.e4 Nf6 7.exf5 gxf5 8.Bg5 0-0
9.Bd3 e6
10.g4! Again, Black is faced with a direct assault on his king. 10...Qe8 11.gxf5 exf5+ 12.Nge2 Ne4
13.Bxe4 fxe4 14.Nd5 Nc6 15.Qd2 d6 16.Bh6 Qf7 17.0-0-0 All of White’s pieces are participating.
583
17...Bf5 18.Rdg1 Bg6 19.Nef4 Rae8 20.Bxg7 Qxg7 21.Nh5 Qxd4 22.Qh6 Ne7 23.Qxh7+! 1-0 (23)
Ipatov, A (2323) – Danilenko, D (2153) Odessa 2008.
5.h5 Nxh5 6.Rxh5!
Position after: 6.Rxh5!
Although the computer claims that the position is balanced, I find it easier to play with White. Engines
still have much room for improvement when it comes to properly assessing positions with long-term
compensation for one side.
6...gxh5 7.e4 Be6
7...fxe4 8.Qxh5+ Kd7 9.Be2 c6 10.Nxe4 Kc7 11.Nf3 Bg7 12.c5!©
584
Position after: 12.c5!©
The black king hasn’t reached safety yet. White threatens Bc1-f4 increasing the pressure on the d6-
pawn. Dreev, A (2667) – Bartel, M (2641) Dubai 2014.
8.Be2
8...Kd7
585
The power of White’s long-term compensation is clearly illustrated by the following game: 8...Bg7
9.Bxh5+ Kd7 10.d5 Bg8 11.exf5 Qf8 12.Bg4 Bf6 13.Nge2 Na6 14.Be3 Bf7 15.Ne4 Rg8 16.Bh3
Position after: 16.Bh3
16...Kc8 17.Qd2 Be8 18.Rc1 c5 19.Nf4 Bd7 20.Ne6 Qf7 21.a3 b6 22.b4‚. The fact that Black is an
exchange up is irrelevant. Radjabov, T (2729) – Vallejo Pons, F (2679) Monte Carlo 2007.
9.Nh3 Bg7 10.Nf4 Qg8 11.d5 Bf7 12.exf5 Kc8 13.Kf1 Nd7 14.Be3 Be5 15.Ne6 Nf6 16.c5!
Position after: 16.c5!
586
Of course, White is unwilling to leave the black king alone.
16...Ng4 17.Bd4 Bxe6 18.dxe6 Qg7 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.Bxg4 hxg4 21.cxd6 Qxf5 22.Qd4 Qf6
23.Qxg4 exd6 24.e7+ Kb8 25.Qd7
1-0
587
Chapter 13
Slav Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3
Chapter Guide
Model games:
1) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.a4 (Dubov – Giri, Moscow 2019)
2) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.Qc2 (Dubov – Volkov, St Petersburg 2017)
3) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.Be2 (Dubov – Postny, Batumi 2018)
4) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 (Hilby – Kevlishvili, Saint Louis 2019)
1) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.a4
Dubov, Daniil (2690)

Giri, Anish (2787)
Moscow 2019
Dubov’s opponent in this game was none other than the world number 4, Anish Giri. Make no mistake,
it wasn’t rapid or blitz, but a high-stake elimination Grand Prix event – win or go home! Each mini-
match consisted of two classical games followed by tiebreaks if necessary to determine who would
advance. Dubov drew with Black in the first game, leaving him with the decision of whether he wanted
to pose problems with White in the second game or else to simply make a draw and take the match to
tiebreaks. Despite being a very strong rapid (actually the current World Rapid Champion!) and blitz
player (bronze medalist at the World Blitz Championship 2016), he decided to approach this second
588
game very ambitiously.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.a4 c6 7.Nc3
We’ve actually transposed into the Slav. More usual would be the move order 1.d4 1...d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3
Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.a4 where the last move isn’t the main continuation.
7...b4
Not the only move in the position.

A) 7...Qb6 has also been seen, protecting the b5-pawn. 8.Be2 Nbd7 9.d5!? b4 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.a5
Qc7 12.Na4
589
Black soon failed to safely navigate himself through the complications. Practically speaking, it is
much easier to attack with White. 12...Nxe4 13.0-0 Ba6 14.Qc2 Nxg5 15.Nxg5 Qe5 16.Bh5+ g6
17.Bxg6+ Ke7 18.Nf7 Qf6 19.Nxh8+– Riazantsev, A (2649) – Potkin, V (2597) Moscow 2018.
B) 7...Bb4 8.e5 h6 9.exf6 hxg5 10.fxg7 Rg8 11.g3 g4 12.Ne5
with a very double-edged position. Riazantsev, A (2649) – Wang, H (2730) St Petersburg 2018.
590
8.Nb1 Ba6 9.e5 h6 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.exf6
11...c5
Officially a novelty. I suspect that Giri was still in his prep at this point, but the game became wild
again and he either reached the end of his analysis or else he might’ve forgotten what he had looked at
(believe me, it is very difficult to keep so many different lines, move orders and nuances in your head).
11...Qxf6 12.Nbd2 c3 13.bxc3 bxc3 14.Ne4 Qf4 15.Bd3 Bb4 16.0-0
591
Let’s pause for a second and reflect on the position. Which side would you take in an over-the-board
game? Personally, I would take White without hesitation – his king is safe whereas his counterpart is
unlikely to find safety at all in this game. In addition, White is already objectively better. 16...Rg8
17.g3 c2 18.Qxc2 Bxd3 19.Qxd3 Rg4 20.Nc5 Bxc5 21.dxc5 Nd7 22.Rfd1 Black’s king is extremely
weak and White soon won. Riazantsev, A (2649) – Hovhannisyan, R (2637) St Petersburg 2018.
12.Nbd2 c3 13.bxc3 bxc3 14.Ne4 cxd4 15.Bb5+
Position after: 15.Bb5+
Unwilling to play Bf1xa6 which would only assist Black in developing the b8-knight.
15...Bxb5 16.axb5 Qd5 17.Qxd4 Qxb5
592
Position after: 17...Qxb5
I hope you agree that if you want to beat a top 5 in the world player, your best chance of success lies in
a wild position like this one. Elite players are as human as the rest of us and they also experience
difficulty navigating such a complex position without any engine assistance while playing against a
ticking clock!
18.Nxc3
At serious analysis depth, the engine concludes that 18.Ne5 was winning. Perfect objectivity isn’t the
aim of this chapter (and the entire book to some extent), so I suggest we don’t worry too much about
seeing how the game could’ve gone with perfect computer play.
18...Bb4 19.0-0-0!!
593
Position after: 19.0-0-0!!
Wow! The double exclamation is for sheer boldness. As I’ve said before, this was an extremely high-
stakes game. This event was part of the knockout process towards determining the next World
Championship challenger! The white king is now equally as exposed as his counterpart so any mistake
might easily backfire and cost him the game.
19...Qa5
¹ 19...Qb6!? protecting the d8-square and inviting White to trade queens. Without queens, White’s
initiative would eventually fizzle out and then other factors, such as Black’s passed a-pawn, would
likely become more relevant in the endgame.
20.Nb5!
Amazingly, Black cannot create a single threat against the white king!
20...Na6 21.Qd7+ Kf8 22.Kb1
594
Just beautiful.
22...Ba3 23.Rd3 Qb4+ 24.Kc2 Qa4+ 25.Kd2 Bb4+ 26.Ke2 Kg8 27.Ne5 Qc2+ 28.Kf3
Position after: 28.Kf3
To the human eye, it is unclear what is going on considering that both kings are exposed. Black is
totally lost according to the engine. Dubov finished off his opponent clinically from here.
595
28...Rf8 29.Rhd1 h5 30.Qd4 Rh7 31.Qf4 Bc5 32.Nd4 Qa2 33.R1d2 Qd5+ 34.Ke2 Bb4 35.Ndc6 Qc5
36.Ne7+ Kh8
A masterpiece by Daniil and yet another example that to beat a top player (and thus anyone else) you
have to give them the opportunity to make mistakes and then make sure that those mistakes come at a
high cost.
1-0
2) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.Qc2

Volkov, Sergey (2645)
St Petersburg 2017
This game was played in one of the strongest national championships, the Russian Superfinal. Facing
one of the most experienced players in the field, Dubov decided to get a fresh position as early as
possible and make his opponent solve new problems over the board.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.Qc2!?
Position after: 5.Qc2!?
According to my database, this is the 11th(!) most popular move in the position. The idea behind it is
simple – to play e2-e4 on the next move.
The downside is also obvious: Black can grab the c4-pawn for free. This all leads to some very
unbalanced positions where objective factors like the evaluation matter less than psychological factors
596
like confidence.
5...b5
Volkov tries to persuade White to play positionally but Dubov refuses and insists on offering a pawn.
6.e4!?
Position after: 6.e4!?
Forcing Black to make a concrete decision one way or the other.
6...dxc4
A) 6...b4 had been seen two years previously in another GM-level game. 7.Na4 dxe4 8.Ne5 g6 9.Be3
Bg7 10.Be2 0-0 11.0-0 Qc7 12.Bf4 Qb7 13.Nc5 with excellent compensation for White. He even
went on to win eventually! Fridman, D (2624) – McShane, L (2687) Reykjavik 2015.
B) After 6...bxc4 we can only guess what Dubov had prepared. Perhaps 7.e5 Nfd7 8.e6!? with some
good compensation thanks to his significant lead in development.
7.b3
This is no time for half measures. White has committed himself to playing dynamically. He is happy to
open things up and make the position even more concrete. Then the cost of each potential mistake will
increase significantly, especially for Black as he is behind in development.
7...Qa5
597
7...b4 fails to create a beautiful pawn on c3 since White blows everything up with 8.Nd1 c3 9.a3.
8.Nd2!?
White wants to keep the game open at all costs. Again, I assume that Dubov’s goal is to get his
opponent into unknown territory where general moves won’t suffice and accurate calculation will
become critically important.
The more natural 8.Bd2 would have allowed Black to close the position a bit with 8...b4 9.Na4 c3.
8...e5
Black accepts the challenge. The text move facilitates the development of his dark-squared bishop and
forces White to capture on e5.
9.dxe5 Ng4
598
10.Be2
White doesn’t care about material. Development is all that matters to him. Once he secures his own
king safety, it will become substantially easier to create threats against the black king.
10...Nxe5 11.0-0 Be7 12.bxc4 Be6
599
13.Nd5!
I gave the exclamation mark for bravery and practical value, not for the objective strength of the move.
The natural 13.f4 looked promising for White. 13...Nxc4 14.Nxc4 Bxc4 15.Bxc4 bxc4 and Black
would be left with a completely ruined pawn structure on the queenside. However, I assume that Dubov
was determined to end this game with checkmate, not by playing positional chess!
13...cxd5 14.cxd5 Bd7 15.Bb2 f6 16.f4
White is playing with a natural flow. His moves are easy.
16...Nc4 17.Nxc4 bxc4
600
18.Kh1!?
Useful prophylaxis, simply avoiding the possibility of blundering anything to a check on the g1-a7
diagonal. Then White can finally focus his full attention on unleashing the dynamic potential of his
central pawns. They are very eager to advance and steamroll everything in their way!
18...Qa4
18...0-0 19.Bxc4 Kh8 20.e5 and White completely dominates the position.
19.Qd2 Bb4 20.Bc3 a5 21.e5 0-0 22.e6 Rc8
601
Position after: 22...Rc8
Black finally decides that he’s had enough and offers White the opportunity to restore material balance.
But Dubov is not in a hurry to regain the piece. He is still focused on the pursuit of the initiative, out for
blood! Black soon cracked under the pressure and went for an objectively unsound queen sacrifice to
deflect White from his powerful central play at all costs.
23.a3 Bxc3 24.Qxc3 Qb3 25.Qd4 c3 26.Rfb1 a4 27.Rxb3 axb3 28.exd7 Nxd7 29.Bg4 b2 30.Rg1
Rcb8 31.Bf5 Rxa3 32.Bb1 Rc8 33.Qb4 Ra1 34.Qb7 Rca8 35.d6 g6 36.Qb3+
602
Position after: 36.Qb3+
A beautiful, powerful display by Dubov!
1-0
3) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.Be2

Postny, Evgeny (2579)
Batumi 2018
In this game, Daniil faced another experienced grandmaster, this time in the European Individual
Championship. As we will see, he decided to adopt a similar approach to the one which worked so well
against Volkov.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4
A gambit-style continuation. The main move is 5.a4.
5...b5
6.Be2!?
Trying to deviate from theory even at such an early stage. Most grandmasters spend time analyzing
sidelines, but when you face a sideline within a sideline and so on, then at some point you’ll have to
play on your own! We can only speculate about when Black was finally out of book in this game.
603
Interestingly, two of Dubov’s sparring partners, namely Magnus Carlsen and Maxim Matlakov, also
played 6.Be2 in classical chess as recently as 2019 and both won!
6.e5 Nd5 7.a4 is still well known with more than 1700 games in the database.
6...e6
6...b4
7.Na4 [7.e5 bxc3 8.exf6 exf6 9.bxc3 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nd2 Re8 12.Re1 Nd7 13.Nxc4 Bc7 14.Bf3
Ba6 15.Ne3 White stands better thanks to his healthier pawn structure. Carlsen, M (2875) – Yu, Y
(2738) Stavanger 2019.] 7...Nxe4 8.Bxc4 e6 9.0-0 Be7 10.Re1 Nf6 11.Bg5 Nbd7 12.Qc2 0-0 13.Rad1
604
All of White’s pieces are developed and he now seeks positional compensation rather than a direct
attack. It is hard for Black to achieve a liberating breakthrough such as ... c6-c5 or ...e6-e5 since White
is well prepared to meet either of them. 13...Nd5 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Ne5 N7b6 16.Bd3 Nf6 17.Nc5
Nbd5 18.Bc4 a5 19.Rd3 Nb6 20.Bb3 Nfd5 21.Rh3 h6 22.Re4 In order to provoke 22...f5 which secures
the e5-square for the knight for the rest of the game and weakens the e6-pawn. 23.Re1 With complete
domination. Matlakov, M (2701) – Wen, Y (2586) Changsha 2019.
Position after: 23.Re1
605
7.0-0 Bb7
8.b3
8.Rb1 was played by Dubov in a rapid game against former European Individual Champion Ernesto
Inarkiev on a Russian TV show in June 2019. 8...Nbd7 9.b3 Bb4 [The point behind 8.Rb1 is that now
9...b4 runs into 10.bxc4.] 10.Qc2 0-0 11.e5 Bxc3 12.exf6 b4 13.fxg7 Kxg7 14.bxc4
Position after: 14.bxc4
606
with a big advantage for White due to Black’s exposed king. Dubov, D (2700) – Inarkiev, E (2693)
Moscow 2019.
8...Bb4
8...b4 9.e5 looks promising for White.
9.e5!
As in the game against Volkov, Dubov’s main goal is to get his opponent into a position where each
move is critically important and one mistake can be decisive.
9...Bxc3 10.exf6 gxf6
10...Bxa1 11.fxg7 Rg8 12.Bg5 with powerful compensation. The computer actually begins to like
White once it reaches a certain depth!
607
11.Rb1
Position after: 11.Rb1
This position is so much easier to play with White. Black simply has no idea what to do with his king
as neither possible direction of castling would offer much safety! In contrast, White can focus his
efforts on generating threats without needing to worry about his own monarch which is tucked away
safely on g1. And as we know, it is always easier to attack than to defend!
608
11...c5
The natural human reaction to activate his pieces before he is completely squeezed.
12.bxc4 cxd4 13.Rxb5 Bc6 14.Rc5
Not allowing Black to easily develop the b8-knight.
14...Be4 15.Bd3 Bxd3 16.Qxd3 Na6 17.Rb5 Qd6 18.Nh4 Qc6 19.Ba3 Rc8 20.Qg3 Qxc4 21.Qd6
Bb4 22.Bxb4
609
Another compelling demonstration of the practical approach to chess!
1-0
4) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4

Hilby, Craig (2414)
Kevlishvili, Robby (2475)
Saint Louis 2019
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4!
610
This move deserves an exclamation mark for courage, but certainly not for its objective strength. For
the latter, the move shall be marked somewhere between “?” and “??”. Before this game, out of the
more than 113,000 games in my database that reached the previous position, only one of them had
featured the text move and it was a game between two amateur players. The game we are about to look
at was the first time this move was seen in a classical game between titled players.
Of course, 5.g4 doesn’t have any objective merit other than its surprise value. Instead of being tested on
his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Botvinnik, Meran, Anti-Moscow and other topical lines in the
Semi-Slav, Black now has to figure out what to do against this ridiculously disrespectful move.
5...Nxg4
Taking the pawn is the principled response, of course.
6.Rg1
Objectively, White should not have full compensation for the sacrificed pawn. However, his play is
relatively straightforward – he simply aims to use the open lines and his current lead in development to
put pressure on Black’s position. Honestly though, if Black plays well, White should remain a pawn
down with no compensation so please play this line at your own risk!
6...Nf6 7.Qd3
611
Preparing e2-e4 to open up the position. White must play aggressively to justify the pawn sacrifice.
7...dxc4
7...Nbd7!? 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Qxe4 g6 and it is unclear how to break through Black’s pawn
wall on the kingside. Meanwhile, Black’s next moves are easy: ...Bf8-g7 and ...0-0.
8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qd3
This reminds me of the 5.Qd3 variation, with the difference that White is a pawn down here and the g-
file is open.
9...Bb7
612
10.e4
I wonder whether White could have played something along the lines of 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.0-0-0 trying
to complete development as quickly as possible. Sure, White is objectively (much) worse, but for now
the black king is stuck in the center and he has to choose between a vast selection of roughly equivalent
moves – often a tedious and time-consuming task in a practical game, especially for players who are
perfectionists and always look for the best move in a position.
10...b4 11.Na4 Nbd7 12.Bg5
White keeps getting his pieces out but unfortunately Black’s counterplay is straightforward with ...c6-
c5!
12...Qa5 13.b3 c5
613
14.Ne5
With the idea Qd3-b5 trying to pin the d7-knight.

Perhaps in a blitz game White could play 14.d5 and hope for the best after 14...exd5 15.exd5 Bxd5
16.Bh3 with some compensation.
14...Bxe4 15.Qb5 Qxb5 16.Bxb5 Rb8 17.Nxd7 Nxd7 18.Bxd7+ Kxd7 19.Nxc5+ Bxc5 20.dxc5
Rhg8µ
614
Position after: 20...Rhg8µ
White’s opening experiment was unsuccessful, although he managed to hold a draw later on. To repeat
the warning I already gave, please play 5.g4 at your own risk and be aware that Black has many
different ways to get an objectively better position. However, it may be a fun way to get out of theory
early on and pose some practical problems in a blitz game!
½-½
615
Chapter 14
Queen’s Gambit Declined
Chapter Guide
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g4
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 b6 7.Qc2 Ba6 8.0-0-0
616
Model games:
1) 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g4 (Gareyev – Fedorowicz, Middleton 2018)
2) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 b6 7.Qc2 Ba6 8.0-0-0 (Dubov – Svane,
Batumi 2019)
1) 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g4

Gareyev, Timur (2595)
Fedorowicz, John (2425)
Middleton 2018
Another fresh GM-level game from 2018 where an early opening surprise worked out well. Timur not
only went on to win this crazy game, but also finished clear 1st in the tournament (the prestigious US
Open).
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g4
It is hard to assign a symbol to this move. Objectively, it is somewhere between “?!” and “?”, whereas
from a practical standpoint, it probably deserves “!?”. Black can no longer play “normal chess” along
the lines of ... Ng8-f6, ...Bf8-e7 and has to now think about how to punish White for such excessively
original opening play. Unfortunately, it is not difficult for Black to obtain a good (maybe simply better)
position.
617
3...c5
≤ 3...Nf6 4.g5 Ne4 5.d3 and White has gained a few tempi.
4.Bg2 Nc6 5.h3
Protecting the g4-pawn in advance of any attack on it. This is all very slow and I’m not a big fan of
Timur’s opening play with the white pieces in this game.
5...d4 6.e3 e5 7.exd4 cxd4
Black wants to keep his beautiful pawn center intact and smash White with it later on. There is nothing
objectively wrong with this continuation, but it gives White options to create counterplay with the b2-
b4 idea.
7...exd4!? was more modest and would have offered a small but stable advantage. There is very little
White can do here to complicate matters. 8.0-0 Bd6 9.d3 Nge7
618
Position after: 9...Nge7
followed by ...0-0, ...Ne7-g6, etc. White has a permanently weak hole on f4. The weakening effects of
the earlier g2-g4 move are certainly felt here.
8.0-0 Bd6 9.b4!?
Either White complicates matters like this, or Black will complete his kingside development and then
619
smash White with his central pawn chain. The g4-pawn is a perfect hook for Black to favorably open
up the kingside with ...h7-h5 or ...f7-f5.
9...Nge7?!
Interestingly, Black combats White’s original play in the same fashion as Sam did against me – by
developing pieces naturally and not trying overly hard to punish the opponent immediately.
9...h5!? 10.g5 Bxb4 was a more concrete approach which would have put White’s offbeat strategy
under serious pressure. 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Re1 Ne7 13.Rxe5 0-0µ
Position after: 13...0-0µ
The easiest from a human standpoint. The black king is safe while White is left with undeveloped
pieces and a horrible pawn structure. Taking the pawn would be suicide: 14.Qxh5? Ng6 15.Rd5
[15.Re4 Bf5–+] 15...Qe7–+.
10.c5 Bc7 11.b5
White has managed to get some activity.
620
Although Black’s position is still objectively OK, he shouldn’t have allowed White to achieve this
queenside expansion.
11...Na5 12.Re1 f6 13.d3 0-0 14.Nbd2 a6?!
As the well-known rule says, you should not play on the side of the board where you are weaker. The
queenside is definitely White’s territory here.
15.a4 Be6 16.Rb1 Nd5? 17.b6 Bb8
621
18.Nxd4!
Black’s beautiful position is falling apart.
18...Bf7
18...exd4 19.Rxe6 Nc3 20.Qc2 Nxb1 21.Nxb1 White has beautiful positional compensation. For
example: 21...Qd7 22.Qa2 Kh8 23.Bd2 Nc6 24.Qd5! Qf7 25.Rxc6! Qxd5 26.Bxd5 bxc6 27.Bxc6+–.
19.Ne2 Nc6 20.Ne4 Ndb4 21.d4 Bc4 22.Be3 a5 23.dxe5 Bxe5 24.Nd6 Bxd6 25.cxd6 Qd7 26.Nd4
Ne5 27.Nb3 Qxa4 28.Bxb7 Rad8 29.Nc5 Qb5 30.Ba6!
622
Position after: 30.Ba6!
Although it appears like a straightforward win for Timur, I would not recommend copying his opening
choice. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how his experienced opponent failed to navigate the
complications in the resulting wild and unexplored position and ended up going wrong quite early in
the game.
1-0
2) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 b6 7.Qc2 Ba6 8.0-0-0
Svane, Rasmus (2592)
Batumi 2019
As the renowned chess historian and author Olimpiu Urcan put it, “I don’t know if Daniil Dubov will
ever become a world champion in classical chess. But his remarkable ideas could make or break one or
two world championship matches within the next decade.” Or “I can’t do any work when Daniil Dubov
is playing. He dishes out fresh ideas at a ridiculous pace”. At the recent European Team Championship,
Dubov was indeed very generous in sharing his opening ideas with the rest of the world. Since this
book deals with ideas for White, unfortunately I can’t include his remarkable game in the Ruy Lopez
against Jonas Buhl Bjerre or his interesting battle in the Grünfeld against Alexander Moiseenko.
However, we can take a look at the following game where Daniil was White.
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 b6
One of the numerous possible moves against the 5.Bf4 variation. The major alternatives are 6...c5 and
6...Nbd7.
623
7.Qc2
This is already a significant deviation from mainstream theory. 7.cxd5 and 7.Bd3 are much more
popular continuations.
7...Ba6
A natural move, developing a piece and creating pressure against the c4-pawn. In case of 8.cxd5, Black
will happily trade light-squared bishops with 8...Bxf1. Before this game, this position had been reached
20 times previously, including some GM encounters. Dubov came up with a new idea here.
8.0-0-0!?
Declaring his ambitious intent on the kingside! Also, the typical ...c7-c5 won’t be as easy for Black to
play now since the white rook is already on d1, so the d5-pawn would come under immediate pressure.
A) Some of the previous attempts at GM level to get something out of the opening weren’t very
inspiring, as Black always found ways to equalize rather effortlessly with a ...c7-c5 break at the right
moment. 8.Ne5 dxc4 [8...Bb7 9.Be2 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Nbd7 11.0-0 c5 12.Rad1 Qc8 13.Nxd7 Qxd7
14.Be2 cxd4 15.Rxd4 Qc6 16.Bf3 Qc8 17.Qd1 Rd8= Li, C (2720) – Zhao, J (2616) China 2017.]
9.Bxc4 Bxc4 10.Nxc4 Nd5 11.Nxd5 Qxd5 12.0-0 c5= Inarkiev, E (2693) – Kryvoruchko, Y (2669)
Mali Losinj 2019.
B) 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bxa6 Nxa6 10.0-0 c5 11.Rfd1 Nab4 12.Qb3 Nxf4 13.exf4 Qc7= L’Ami, E (2628)
– Bruzon Batista, L (2666) Merida 2015.
624
8...dxc4 9.Ng5 Nc6 10.a3
It is essential to prevent the ...Nc6-b4-d3 idea which would disconnect the white queen from the
kingside attack.
10...g6
10...h6 wouldn’t force White to move his knight away as he could continue with 11.h4 when 11...hxg5?
12.hxg5 would open the h-file in White’s favor.
11.h4 Bd6?!
¹ 11...Nd5 as suggested by the computer, although it is understandable why Black might have
refrained from this move – White has ideas like Ng5xh7 followed by h4-h5.
12.g3 Qe7
625
13.h5!
White is winning as early as move 13. The evaluation goes beyond +4 for White at a high depth. There
is no miracle involved here – Dubov made his opponent solve practical problems from the very
beginning. The practical approach, my friends! The cost of each move in this game was much higher
than in mainstream lines of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, where Black often has a few equivalently
good moves to choose from, all of which lead to equality.
13...e5 14.hxg6
14.Nxh7!? exf4 15.hxg6 fxg6 16.Bg2 was equally strong according to the computer, although of
course, this all just looks like a complete mess to us mere mortals.
14...hxg6
626
Position after: 14...hxg6
I will not attempt to analyze this game in detail – it deserves to be examined in much greater depth due
to its beauty and complexity. I included it just as an illustration of the idea that in order to beat a strong
player, the best approach is to force them to solve practical problems over the board as early as
possible.
15.Bg2 exf4 16.Bxc6 fxg3 17.Kb1 Rad8 18.f4 Bc8 19.Rde1 Kg7 20.Nd5 Nxd5 21.Rh7+ Kg8
22.Rxf7 Rxf7 23.Qxg6+ Kf8 24.Qh6+ Rg7 25.Bxd5 Ke8 26.Qh5+ Kd7 27.Qh3+ Ke8 28.Qh5+ Kd7
29.Be6+
627
Position after: 29.Be6+
29...Kc6??
This loses by force.

29...Qxe6 had to be played: 30.Nxe6 Kxe6 31.f5+ Ke7 32.e4‚.
30.Qf3+ Kb5 31.Bxc4+ Ka5 32.Qd5+ Bc5 33.b4+ Ka4 34.Qg2 Bxb4 35.Qc6+ Kxa3
Position after: 35...Kxa3
36.Bb3™ 36...Bd7 37.Qc1+ Kxb3 38.Qc2+ Ka3 39.Qa2#
1-0
628
Chapter 15
Sicilian Defense
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Be7 9.Qf3 Nbd7 10.0-0-0
g5 11.fxg5 hxg5 12.Bg3 Qc7 13.Bb5

Artemiev, Vladislav (2692)
Tbilisi 2017
In this game, Dubov faced the same dilemma as against Giri. It was part of a mini-match of two
classical games (which, if tied, would then proceed to rapid and blitz tiebreak games until a winner was
determined). After drawing the first game with Black, the fate of the match again depended on his
choice between playing for a win with White or just playing safely and bringing the match into the
tiebreaks.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Be7 9.Qf3 Nbd7 10.0-0-0
g5 11.fxg5 hxg5 12.Bg3 Qc7 13.Bb5
629
In case it wasn’t already clear, we can pause and state the obvious – Dubov again voluntarily decided to
go all-in and play for a win with White. I don’t intend to analyze this game in depth; instead, I want to
focus on trying to understand what led Dubov to playing 13.Bb5. Why did he sacrifice a piece when
there was no need for it? I suspect that it was partially down to the style of his opponent. Vladislav
Artemiev, who is quickly joining the ranks of the world’s elite, is more of a positional player for whom
clarity in the position is important. Here Dubov invites Black to play a position where general
understanding is of little help. It all comes down to one’s prowess in deep, quick and precise
calculation, and the ability to trust your instincts when you can’t calculate everything and the next
move isn’t obvious. If White had continued playing conventionally (e.g. 13.Kb1), then grasping the
nuances of the position and finding moves would have been much easier for Black, e.g. with something
along the lines of ...Nd7-e5, ...b7-b5, ...Bc8-b7 and so on. Black would have had the perfect outpost on
e5 for his knight and his position would look quite solid in general, if this can ever be said in an open
Sicilian!
13...g4
13...axb5 14.Ndxb5 Qc5 15.Bxd6 Bxd6 16.Nxd6+ would have led to a complex position. I must say
that I like the computer’s suggestion of ...Ke8-f8 and ...Rh8-h6 followed by ...Nd7-e5.
14.Qe2 e5 15.Nf5 axb5 16.Nxb5 Qc6 17.Nbxd6+ Bxd6 18.Nxd6+ Kf8 19.a3
630
Letting Black “play”. It turns out that it leaves Black with a difficult practical decision to make, as he
has a wide range of options here, all leading to unclear positions. In such circumstances, it is often a
good idea NOT to overthink and burn your time trying to find the best move. This behavior would
likely just result in you becoming annoyed at yourself, playing some mediocre move, and then losing
because of the time trouble that you got yourself into.
19...Ne8 20.Nf5 Ra4 21.Be1 Ndf6 22.Ng3 Nxe4
631
Position after: 22...Nxe4
It seems that Black has come out on top position-wise. However, that is only one part of the story.
What I cannot check for sure is the clock situation at this point. If I recall correctly (I was following the
game online at the time), Artemiev played well initially, got an objectively winning position, but
eventually lost due to being in time trouble before the time control. By judging only the moves of the
players, we miss out on the bigger picture of the game where time management plays a very important
role too!
23.Rd8 Be6 24.Bb4+ Rxb4 25.axb4 Nxg3 26.Qxe5 Ke7 27.Rhd1 Rxh2 28.b5 Ne2+ 29.Kb1 Qc4
30.Rxe8+ Kxe8 31.Qb8+ Bc8 32.Qxh2 Nc3+ 33.bxc3 Qxb5+ 34.Kc1 Qg5+ 35.Rd2 Qa5 36.Rd4
Qg5+ 37.Kd1 Qf6 38.Qc7 Qf1+ 39.Kd2 Qxg2+ 40.Kc1 Qf1+ 41.Rd1
And Dubov advanced to the next round of the World Cup.
1-0
632
Table of Contents
Title page 4
Key to Symbols 5
Foreword by Francesco Rambaldi 6
Preface 7
Part 1 8
Part 2 25
Part 3 91
Part 4 127
Chapter 7 – Anti-Grünfeld 425
Chapter 8 – Mamedyarov Attack 455
Chapter 10 – 1.b3 542
Chapter 11 – English Opening 565
Chapter 12 – Dutch Opening 580
Chapter 13 – Slav Defense 588
Chapter 14 – Queen’s Gambit Declined 616
Chapter 15 – Sicilian Defense 629
633

Ipatov Alexander Unconventional Approaches To Modern Chess V

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Table of Contents

PART I – Sidelines In Mainstream Openings

Chapter 1 – Queen’s Gambit Declined

Chapter 8 – Mamedyarov Attack

PART III – Ambitions & Surprises

Thinkers Publishing 2020

First edition 2020 by Thinkers Publishing

Managing Editor: Romain Edouard

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5

Chapter 1 – Queen’s Gambit Declined

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5

Position after: 4.Bg5

This is a very likely response by a QGD player.

Position after: 9.Bb5+!

Position after: 10.dxe6!

6.Qc2 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxf6

Position after: 7...Bxf6

Position after: 11.0-0-0!?

Position after: 17...Bb7=

Black should play 10...e5!

Position after: 10...e5!

Now White has a free-flowing attack.

11...hxg5 12.hxg5 Bxg5

12...Bg7 13.0-0-0 Qe7 14.cxd5 exd5 15.Bd3 Re8 16.Rh4 Qd6

Position after: 16...Qd6

Position after: 13.Bd3

14.cxd5 exd5 15.Rg1 f6 16.Bxg6+–

White’s positional advantage is overwhelming. The rest is easy.

Ipatov, A (2601) – Grover, S (2479) Kocaeli 2013.

Position after: 15.Nc3±

12.Nc3 cxd4 13.exd4

It is easy to go wrong in this complicated position.

Position after: ¹ 14...dxc4

15...Nxd4 16.Qh2 Re8 17.0-0-0 Rxe5

Position after: 17...Rxe5

This move likely escaped my opponent’s attention.

Position after: 25.Rh1+–

Position after: 8...g6

Position after: 10.g4!?

Position after: 11.Kb1

10...dxc4 11.h5 g5 12.Bxc4 Qa5 13.Rc1

Position after: 14.Ne4

Position after: 18...Be8

15.Qxc3 Qxc3 16.Rxc3

Position after: 16...Nxc5

18...Ne4 19.Rcc1 Nf6 20.Be2 Bb7 21.Rc7 Bd5 22.a3±

the b6-pawn becomes weak.

Position after: 8...Nc6!?N

Position after: 9...e5!

Position after: 15.d6!?

Position after: 13...Bb7

Position after: 24.Qd1!

10.cxd5 Qxd5 11.Bc4

Or 11...Qd8 12.d5 when again, Black has two options.

Position after: 12.d5

Position after: 17.Rc1∞

Position after: 14.hxg5

In case of 12...Nb4 White plays 13.Qe4 g6 14.g4!

Position after: 14.g4!

13...b5 14.Bb3 Bf5 15.Ne4 Qb6 16.Rhg1

Position after: 16.Rhg1

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3

Chapter 2 – Slav Defense