Grünfeld − Russian [D96−99]

Written by GM Glenn Flear & GM Neil McDonald

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqk+-tr0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+p+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+QsN-+N+-0
9PzP-+PzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

As in the Exchange Variation, The Russian System also aims for central dominance,
but in a slightly different form.
Here White has less of a pawn presence in the centre, but his dominance there is
nevertheless impressive. White is less exposed down the long dark−squared diagonal, and
his pieces give the pawn duo good support. The c−file may be a trump for White, something
that rarely occurs in the Exchange Variation.
The presence of the two knights on c3 and f6 favours White in some respects. In
particular, the knight on f6 is exposed to the possibility of e4−e5 chasing it back, and it also
blocks the fianchettoed bishop on g7. It's worth remembering that one of Black's points in
the Grünfeld is to exchange knights on c3 — Black waits for ¤c3 before playing ...d5 —
otherwise the steed is just kicked around. The Russian system keeps control of the centre by
preserving the ¤c3, though at the cost of some time.
A plus for Black is that White's centre commands a bit less respect in the Russian
Variation, since it has fewer pawns. Also, the early development of the queen is not ideal,
and Black can pick up some time by aiming a few passing blows at it, either with Smyslov's
patented manoeuvre ...¤f6−d7−b6, or the dynamic Hungarian plan of ...a6 and ...b5.
Prins System
There is also a third major system, the Prins (or Ragozin) variation, where we get a
thematic duel so vivid one might call it frightening:
In the Prins, Black goes to some trouble to force a passed white d−pawn, setting the
thematic machinery of ...c5 +...e6 into motion immediately. We can see above that the
knight on f6 that had hoped to trade itself in the early moves of the opening, is now
promised pasture on d6. This would both neutralise White's major trump from becoming
passed and powerful, as well as harry the exposed queen on c4 Black's position has its
drawbacks — the swipe ...c5 has been prepared with ...¤a6, and these two elements are
now bound together. It will not be simple to return the knight from rimmed exile. Though
the specifics of this position are rather unique to the Prins, the stark contrast between the
assets of the opponents is quintessentially 'Grünfeldian'.
The Russian Variation is one of the absolute sharpest options for White, and
virtually all of Black's counter systems lead to fascinating play. It is not a coincidence that
this is where most of the super−heavyweights choose to do battle when determined to spank
the Grünfeld.

All the games given in blue can be accessed via ChessPub.exe, simply head for their
respective ECO code.

2
 Contents

1 d4 ¤f6 2 c4 g6 3 ¤c3 d5 4 ¤f3 ¥g7 5 £b3

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwqk+-tr0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+p+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9+QsN-+N+-0
9PzP-+PzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

5...dxc4 6 £xc4 0-0 7 e4

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-trk+0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+QzPP+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

7 ¥f4 ¥f5 Russian 7 Bf4 Bf5 [D96]

7...a6
7...¤c6 Russian 7 e4 Nc6 [D97]
7...¤a6 Russian 7 e4 Na6 [D97]
7...¥g4 8 ¥e3 Russian 7 e4 Bg4 Main line [D99], 8 ¥e2 Russian 7 e4 Bg4 Other lines
[D98]

8 ¥e2
8 e5 Russian 7 e4 a6 8 e5 [D97]

3
8...b5 9 £b3 c5
Russian 7 e4 a6 8 Be2 etc [D97]

Press F5 to toggle the Navigation Pane, then click on the appropriate bookmark to go
straight to that section.
Ctrl + 2 resizes the page.

All rights reserved Chess Publishing Ltd

4
 Russian 7 Bf4 Bf5 [D96]

Last updated: 13/02/02 by Neil McDonald

1 d4 ¤f6 2 c4 g6 3 ¤c3 d5 4 ¤f3 ¥g7 5 £b3 dxc4 6 £xc4 0-0 7 ¥f4 ¥f5!?
A very inspired new idea. Normally Black meets the threat to c7 with
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wq-trk+0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+-+l+-0
9-+QzP-vL-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+PzPPzP0
9tR-+-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

7...¤a6 8 e4 c5 Black attacks White's pawn−centre in typically vigorous Grünfeld−like

fashion.
a) If 9 dxc5 then Black can continue very actively with 9...£a5 (or 9...¥e6 for example.)
b) 9 d5
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9zpp+-zppvlp0
9n+-+-snp+0
9+-zpP+-+-0
9-+Q+PvL-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

9...e6 Again, consistently hitting White's pawn−centre. 10 0-0-0 exd5 11 exd5 ¦e8 12 h3?!
Too slow 12...¥d7 Menacing 13...b5! because of 14 Nxb5 Re4!, but White's next
move shows that he has clearly missed the threat. 13 ¥e2? b5! 14 £b3 c4 15 £a3

5
 £b6 An abrupt finish, with White resigning in view of having no decent answer to
the threatened fork ...b4, since 16 Qd6 still loses a piece to 16...b4 because of 17
Nb1 Rxe2 or 17 Bxc4 bxc3 18 Bxa6 Qxb2#. Von Herman−Stangl, Bundesliga,
Germany 2001.

8 £xc7?
It would have been more sensible to decline the offer, as Dvoirys had no doubt studied it all
at home before the game!

8...¤c6 9 £xb7
If 9 £xd8 Black would have obvious compensation for the pawn after 9...¦fxd8 10 e3 ¤b4
etc.

9...¤xd4 10 0-0-0?
Or 10 ¤xd4 £xd4 11 e3 £c5 12 £b5 (12 ¥e2 e5! and then 13...Rab8 ) 12...¤e4! 13 £xc5
¤xc5 planning ...e5 and ...Rab8 etc. with strong play for the pawn
in fact I believe a clear advantage. But this was preferable to the game continuation, in
which White's king is soon facing a fierce attack.

10...¤e4!!
Black won quickly, Galliamova,A−Dvoirys,S/53rd ch−RUS Samara RUS 2000
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-trk+0
9zpQ+-zppvlp0
9-+-+-+p+0
9+-+-+l+-0
9-+-snnvL-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+PzPPzP0
9+-mKR+L+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

6
 Russian 7 e4 Nc6 [D97]

Last updated: 10/11/02 by Glenn Flear

1 d4 ¤f6 2 c4 g6 3 ¤c3 d5 4 ¤f3

Instead 4 £b3 normally this will transpose to 4 ¤f3 ¥g7 5 £b3 but in this instance White
has a particular idea in mind. 4...dxc4 5 £xc4 ¥g7 6 e4 0-0 7 ¥e2!? This is it. White
avoids 7 ¤f3 and so forces Black to consider some novel problems.
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-trk+0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+QzPP+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mK-sNR0
xiiiiiiiiy

7...¤fd7!? Black decides to respond with a knight manoeuvre made famous by Smyslov.
Instead (7...¤c6 8 ¤f3 would transpose to 5 £b3, but with White having sidestepped
certain variations, notably the very popular 7...a6 line.) 8 ¥e3 ¤b6
a) More solid was 9 £d3 when 9...¤c6 would be a natural reply, but perhaps(9...f5!? would
also be interesting here.)
b) 9 £c5 9...f5!? In a different setting, Leko showed us the value of an audacious ...f5 move
against Anand. Here too the advance of the f pawn leads to tricky play. Already
there is the threat of 10 . .f4 winning the d pawn. Perhaps this indicates that White's
queen should be back on d3? 10 ¦d1 ¤8d7 11 £a3 fxe4 12 £b3+ ¢h8 13 ¤xe4 ¤f6
14 ¤xf6 If this is White's best move he cannot count on gaining any advantage.
Yakovich−Smikovski, 53rd ch−RUS Samara RUS 2000.

4...¥g7 5 £b3 dxc4 6 £xc4 0-0 7 e4 ¤c6

7
 XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+n+-snp+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+QzPP+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

8 d5?!
This is too ambitious. White will be unable to profit from driving the knight to a5 and
meanwhile he is loosening his centre. He should prefer the solid
8 ¥e2 ¥g4 transposes to [D98].

8...¤a5 9 £c5
If 9 £a4 c6 10 b4? ¤xd5! and Black wins.

9...c6! 10 dxc6
Perhaps White imagined he would be able to play 10 b4? here to trap the knight, but
10...¤d7 11 £e3 £b6!! refutes the idea.

10...¤xc6 11 ¥e2
White's premature attack has clearly rebounded. He has lost the space advantage which the
d5 pawn conferred. Furthermore, the black pieces are in a better strategical layout
with the white queen being misplaced on c5.

8
 XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9zpp+-zppvlp0
9-+n+-snp+0
9+-wQ-+-+-0
9-+-+P+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

11...¥g4
Black now seizes the initiative with some vigorous attacking moves. Richardson,J−
Ernst,S/Staffordshire IM 2000.

9
 Russian 7 e4 Na6 [D97]

Last updated: 23/08/03 by Glenn Flear

1 d4 ¤f6 2 c4 g6 3 ¤c3 d5 4 ¤f3 ¥g7 5 £b3 dxc4 6 £xc4 0-0 7 e4 ¤a6

This is known as the Prins variation.

8 ¥e2
Or 8 ¥f4 c5 9 d5 A rare move which Khalifman reintroduced recently in his match against
Leko.
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9zpp+-zppvlp0
9n+-+-snp+0
9+-zpP+-+-0
9-+Q+PvL-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

(The alternative 9 dxc5 ¥e6 10 £b5 ¥d7 11 £xb7 ¤xc5 12 £b4 has been shown to give Black
adequate compensation after 12...¤e6 13 ¥e5 a5 14 £a3 £b6) 9...e6! Correctly hitting
back in the centre, though contrary to what both Kasparov and Shipov claimed in
their notes on Club Kasparov, this move is hardly new. In another one of the
Khalifman − Leko encounters, Leko played 10 d6 It's certainly interesting to see
Ehlvest play this line. Three years ago the well−known encounter Piket−Kasparov
featured 10...e5 with good enough play for a pawn or two, so the Estonian must have
something up his sleeve in this line!
a) 10...¤h5?! Tame. Black has two worthwhile alternatives and should prefer them: 11 ¥e3
a1) Possible is 11...£xd6 but after 12 g4 the only playable line is 12...¥xc3+ (12...¤f6 13
e5+−) 13 £xc3 ¤g7 where Black is rather loose on the dark−squares.
a2) 11...e5 12 ¦d1 ¥e6 13 £a4 £b6 14 ¥xa6 bxa6 15 0-0 White completes development
and has the better pawn structure.

10
a2a) Trying to mix−it with 15...£xb2 is unsuccessful e.g. 16 ¤d5 ¤f4 17 ¥xf4 ¥xd5
(17...exf4 loses the queen to 18 ¦b1 £e2 19 ¦fe1 £d3 20 ¦ed1 £e2 21 ¦d2) 18 ¦xd5 exf4
19 ¦xc5 and White is clearly on top.
a2b) 15...¤f4 16 £a3 Ehlvest,J−Khachiyan,M/Los Angeles USA 2003 (August 2003)
White just consolidates and Black is left with an untenable game. The c−pawn is a
weakness and White's d−pawn a nuisance.
b) After 10...¤b4 White has two courageous tries: 11 e5!? (11 0-0-0 b6 12 a3 ¥a6 13 £b3 ¥xf1
14 ¦hxf1 ¤c6 15 e5 ¤d7 and now 16 ¦fe1 would have been unclear, Thorfinnsson,Br−
Halldorsson,H Jonsson Mem. 2000) 11...¤c2+ 12 ¢d2 ¤xa1 13 exf6 ¥xf6 (13...£xf6
14 ¥g5 £f5 15 ¥d3+−) 14 £xc5 e5 15 ¥xe5 ¦e8 16 ¥xf6 £xf6 17 £d4 £xd4+ 18
¤xd4 ¦d8 19 ¥d3 ¦xd6 20 ¤ce2 b6 21 ¦xa1 ¥b7 22 f3 ¦ad8 and a draw was
agreed as White is too tied up to try and win, Horvath,Cs.−Ni Hua, Gyula 2000
c) 10...e5 11 ¥xe5 ¤b4 (11...¥e6 12 £a4 ¤b4 13 h3 a6 14 ¥h2 ¦e8 15 0-0-0 b5 and Black had
strong attacking chances for the pawn, Pataki,G−Fumbort,A Paks 2001) 12 ¦d1 ¥e6
13 £xc5 ¤c2+ 14 ¢d2 ¤d7 15 £c7 ¤xe5 16 £xd8 ¦axd8 17 ¢xc2 (17 ¤xe5 ¤b4!)
17...¤g4 At this stage Black has terrific compensation for the pawn − two raking
bishops, poor development for White plus an exposed king. Piket,J−
Kasparov,G/Wijk aan Zee NED 2000.
A rare move is 8 £b3 c5 9 d5 £b6 (As far as I know, there's nothing wrong with the
standard 9...e6 10 ¥xa6 bxa6 11 0-0 exd5 12 exd5 £b6 but Ftacnik probably hoped to
circumvent any home preparation.) 10 ¥xa6!? £xa6 11 e5 ¤g4 12 ¥f4 White is
temporarily stopped from castling kingside, but he has the threat of h2−h3 repulsing
the knight, followed by g2−g4 leaving it hopelessly sidelined. So Black must react
quickly... 12...£d3 13 ¥g3 £f5 The e−pawn is encircled, but White changes tack
relying on rapid development. 14 0-0 ¤xe5 15 ¥xe5 ¥xe5 16 ¤xe5 £xe5 17 ¦fe1
£c7 18 ¦ad1 ¦d8 For his pawn White has total deployment, but where does he go
from here? 19 d6!
a) After 19...exd6 White has great play with 20 ¤d5 £a5 21 ¦e7 (or even the wild 21 ¤f6+
¢g7 22 ¤xh7!?)
b) 19...¦xd6 20 ¤d5 £d8 21 ¤xe7+ ¢g7 22 ¤d5 Gagunashvili,M−Ftacnik,L/Istanbul 2003
(June 2003) White has compensation for the pawn due to his excellent centralization
and the fragility of Black's king.

8...c5 9 d5 e6 10 ¥g5
An interesting new approach. Normally in this type of position it is strategically incorrect to
exchange off the dark squared bishop for a knight, but Kasimdzhanov plans to gain a
solid wedge of pawns on the dark squares in the centre.

11
 XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9zpp+-+pvlp0
9n+-+psnp+0
9+-zpP+-vL-0
9-+Q+P+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-+-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

10 0-0 exd5 11 exd5 ¥f5

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-trk+0
9zpp+-+pvlp0
9n+-+-snp+0
9+-zpP+l+-0
9-+Q+-+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

(Or 11...¤b4 A highly unusual move. 12 ¦d1 b6 13 £h4 ¤c2! Black takes advantage of the fact
that White has delayed Bg5 for a move. As there is no immediate threat of Ne4 he
forces the white rook to an exposed square on b1 and so wins time both to
recentralise his knight and develop his queen's bishop. Bareev,E−
Sutovsky,E/Halkidiki GRE 2002.) 12 ¥e3 £b6 13 b3 ¦fe8 14 ¦ad1 ¦ad8 Nigel
Davies comments: this looks fairly natural to me, putting a big lump in the centre,
yet according to Kasparov this is a novelty which was thought up by GM
Magerramov in analysis in 1986. Black has previously tried 14...Ng4 and the
speculative 14...Rxe3. 15 h3 (15 ¤a4!? £c7 this doesn't work out well here but I'm not
sure if it's that bad, Gyimesi,Z−Ni Hua/Bled SLO 2002) 15...£a5 16 ¦fe1 ¤d7 17
¤a4 ¤b4 18 ¥g5 Kasparov rightly queried this move, suggesting instead that
18.Bd2 is worth considering. More homework in Moscow! Khalifman,A−
Kasparov,G/Linares ESP 2000.

10...h6 11 ¥xf6 ¥xf6 12 0-0-0

Having exchanged off his dark squared bishop, White now castles directly into the firing
line of Black's king's bishop! However, the rook on d1 has Black's queen in its sights
and this wins time to neutralise the danger from the bishop on f6.

12
 XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9zpp+-+p+-0
9n+-+pvlpzp0
9+-zpP+-+-0
9-+Q+P+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9+-mKR+-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

12...£a5 13 e5 ¥g7 14 h4 ¤b4

It is essential to activate the knight.

15 d6 ¥d7
Threatening 16...b5.

16 ¢b1 ¤c6!
Excellent judgment! Van Wely realises that the position requires him to undermine White's
e5 point rather than embark on a race between attacks on opposite wings.

17 h5 g5 18 ¥d3 £b4!
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+-trk+0
9zpp+l+pvl-0
9-+nzPp+-zp0
9+-zp-zP-zpP0
9-wqQ+-+-+0
9+-sNL+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPP+0
9+K+R+-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

Black offers the exchange of queens just in time before White can start a direct attack on
his king with 19 Qe4. Kasimdzhanov,R−Van Wely,L/34th Olympiad 2000.

13
 Russian 7 e4 a6 8 e5 [D97]

Last updated: 29/07/02 by Neil McDonald

1 d4 ¤f6 2 c4 g6 3 ¤c3 d5 4 ¤f3 ¥g7 5 £b3 dxc4 6 £xc4 0-0 7 e4 a6 8 e5

The 8 e5 and 10 h4 attack in the 5 Qb3 Grünfeld is White's most ambitious attempt to
destroy the 7...a6 system, but it's success rate has been mixed. Despite White's
spectacular victory in the well know Anand−Svidler game, the theoretical verdict
remains up in the air, with Svidler's 16th move novelty probably quite satisfactory
for Black.
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-trk+0
9+pzp-zppvlp0
9p+-+-snp+0
9+-+-zP-+-0
9-+QzP-+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

8...b5 9 £b3 ¤fd7

Not 9...¥e6? as this leads to an unfavourable material balance.
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wq-trk+0
9+-zp-zppvlp0
9p+-+lsnp+0
9+p+-zP-+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9+QsN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

14
10 exf6! Of course. The three minor pieces White gains will outweigh the black queen.
10...¥xb3 11 fxg7 ¢xg7 12 axb3 ¤c6 13 ¥e3 ¤b4 14 ¦c1 ¤d5 15 ¥e2 £d6 16 0-0
and White eventually won in Xu Hanbing−Trajber,C/Balatontourist Open 2000.

10 h4!?
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-trk+0
9+-zpnzppvlp0
9p+-+-+p+0
9+p+-zP-+-0
9-+-zP-+-zP0
9+QsN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPP+0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

The text move is hyper−aggressive and Black must react accurately just to survive the
opening.
The alternative line 10 e6 is looking very solid for Black: 10...fxe6 11 ¥e3 ¤f6! The
drawback to White's plan is that the pawn on e6 will help to create an impregnable
bastion for a black knight on d5. 12 a4 White continues his policy of inflicting
damage on Black's pawn structure. 12...bxa4 13 ¦xa4 ¤d5! 14 ¥c4 c6 and Black's
knight dominated the centre in Kantsler,B−Vlassov,N/Moscow RUS 2002.
Meanwhile inferior is 10 ¥e3?! c5 11 e6 cxd4!! An excellent offer− in return for the piece
Black seizes control of the centre and disrupts White's build up.
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-trk+0
9+-+nzppvlp0
9p+-+P+p+0
9+p+-+-+-0
9-+-zp-+-+0
9+QsN-vLN+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

12 exd7 £xd7 13 ¦d1 e5 14 ¤e2 ¥b7 15 ¤xe5 A desperate move as if White retreats his
bishop to safety he will be crushed by a build up involving Nc6, the centralisations
of Black's rooks and then a rapid advance with e5−e4 probably combined with Na5
to chase back the white queen. 15...¥xe5 16 ¤xd4 £e7 17 ¤f3 ¥xf3 18 gxf3 ¤c6

15
 19 ¥e2 ¦ad8 and White was unable to escape in Arakelov,I−Zakharstov,V/Voronezh
RUS 2001.

10...c5
10...¤b6!? This is Leko's pet system that avoids the damage to his pawn structure that
occurs after the usual
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-trk+0
9+-zp-zppvlp0
9psn-+-+p+0
9+p+-zP-+-0
9-+-zP-+-zP0
9+QsN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPP+0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

11 h5 c5! It is essential to counterattack in the centre before White's attack becomes

overwhelming. 12 hxg6 hxg6 13 dxc5 ¥e6 14 £c2 ¥f5 15 £b3 ¥e6 16 £a3 Topalov
plays to win, but of course his queen is slightly shut out of the game here. 16...¤c4
17 ¥xc4 ¥xc4 18 ¥h6 The consistent aggressive move but it lead virtually by force
to a draw in Topalov,V−Leko,P/Wijk aan Zee NED 2001.

11 e6 c4
Not 11...cxd4? as it fails to shut the white queen out of the action. 12 exf7+ ¢h8 13 h5
Now White's attack seems unstoppable. Gershon,A−Bagirov,R/Biel SUI 2000.
Or 11...fxe6? 12 h5 cxd4 13 hxg6 ¤c5 14 £c2! Gershon has clearly made a deep study of
this line as his play in this game is very convincing. 14...d3 15 gxh7+ ¢h8 16 ¤h4
¦f6 17 £d1 b4 18 ¤b1 An amazing position. All White's pieces have returned to
their home squares, apart from his knight which is apparently off side on h4.
Meanwhile Black has a passed pawn in the centre and to add to it all it is his move!
And yet despite all these luxuries Black is lost. White's king's rook, queen and
queen's bishop, although 'undeveloped' are all about to join in the attack on Black's
king. The immediate threat is 19 Bg5, Gershon,A−Kovchan,A/Kharkov UKR 2002.

12 £d1 ¤b6 13 exf7+ ¦xf7

16
 XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-+k+0
9+-+-zprvlp0
9psn-+-+p+0
9+p+-+-+-0
9-+pzP-+-zP0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPP+0
9tR-vLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

14 h5 ¤c6 15 hxg6 hxg6 16 ¥e3 ¥f5!?

Svidler's new idea, which looks rather artificial but seems to work fairly well.
By transposition Shirov has played the alternative 16...¥g4 17 ¥e2 ¤b4! An excellent
move. The knight wants to land on d3 to generate counterplay or if this is prevented
then retreat back to d5 where it is well centralised. 18 ¤g5! The most aggressive and
best response. White keeps his knight for the attack. Radjabov,T−Shirov,A/Sarajevo
BIH 2002.

17 ¤g5 ¦f6 18 g4 ¥e6 19 ¤ce4 ¥d5!

The point behind Black's play.

20 £d2!
It is too risky for White to grab the exchange.
Or 20 f3? White hopes to take the sting out of Rxf3, as he can simply capture the rook with
his queen. However, after Black's vigorous reply he already looks worse. And no
wonder: loosening the dark squares with f2−f3 is very risky when he is still far from
completing his development. 20...e5! The thematic move to open the centre and so
take advantage of the perilous position of the white king. Note that if White had
played Qd2 last move he would always have the resource of castling queenside to
save his king. Kasimdzhanov,R−Khalifman,A/Wijk aan Zee NED 2002.

20...¦d6?
Svidler had originally intended 20...Qd7! but became tempted by ideas of crashing through
with ...Rxd4 and missed the strength of White's coming attack. "It's stupid." said
Svidler, "since I knew that I needed to have ...Rxf3 as an option after White plays f3
"

21 f3

17
 XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-+k+0
9+-+-zp-vl-0
9psnntr-+p+0
9+p+l+-sN-0
9-+pzPN+P+0
9+-+-vLP+-0
9PzP-wQ-+-+0
9tR-+-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

and White came out on top in Anand,V−Svidler,P/Linares 1999.

18
 Russian 7 e4 a6 8 Be2 etc [D97]

Last updated: 14/05/03 by Glenn Flear

1 d4 ¤f6 2 c4 g6 3 ¤c3 d5 4 ¤f3 ¥g7 5 £b3 dxc4 6 £xc4 0-0 7 e4 a6 8 ¥e2

Until players such as Anand and Kasparov started trying to blow Black away with 8.e5, this
quite move had become the main line against 7...a6. White aims to ignore Black's
attacking tries and castle before attempting anything dramatic. It has been a highly
successful weapon in the hands of top Dutch players such as Piket, Van der Sterren
and Sosonko. However it has recently been taking a few heavy hits, with the current
game and Piket−Van Wely (see notes) being particularly discouraging. In Van der
Sterren−Sokolov White saves a draw with a stunning combination but that should
not disguise the fact that White gained less than nothing from the opening.
Meanwhile Nigel Davies observes that in his own notes to the game Kasparov
indicated that both this and 8.e5 were 'promising' but that 8.e5 required 'good form'.
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnlwq-trk+0
9+pzp-zppvlp0
9p+-+-snp+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+QzPP+-+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

8 ¥f4 White goes hunting the c7 pawn. Ian Rogers remarks that first−time players of the
Hungarian (7...a6) plan against the 5.Qb3 system in the Grünfeld often find
themselves stumped by 8.Bf4, a move which, if answered by the traditional 8...b5
seems to lead to a pawn up endgame for White. It certainly does, but as the games
show, the chances are all with Black and his active pieces. 8...b5! 9 £xc7 £xc7
(9...b4? Black is apparently unaware of the theory here. 10 £xd8 ¦xd8 11 ¤a4 ¥b7 12 e5
¤d5 Now we have the same centre structure as after 9...Qxc7 10.Bxc7 in the note
above, but with the difference that White's dark squared bishop hasn't been forced to
the c7 square. Therefore it doesn't end up in the wilderness on a5− it can safely
retreat to d2. Furthermore advancing b5−b4 hasn't helped Black at all as the white
knight is nicely ensconced on a4 ready to jump into c5 or b6 as required. 13 ¥d2 ¤c6

19
 14 ¤c5 ¥c8 15 ¦c1 ¥g4 A pawn down for virtually nothing, Black stakes everything on
creating complications. However, White kept control with some precise moves in
Hoang Thanh Trang−Gurieli,N/Batumi GEO 2001.) 10 ¥xc7 ¥b7 11 e5 ¤d5 12
¤xd5 ¥xd5 13 ¥e2 ¦c8 Here Black's possession of the c file and the strong bishop
on d5 give him ample compensation for the pawn. 14 ¥a5?! ¤c6 15 ¥c3 ¦ab8! 16
a3 It is no longer easy for White to avoid material loss. 16...a5 17 ¦c1 ¥xf3! 18
¥xf3 ¤xd4 19 ¥g4 ¦c4 20 0-0 ¤b3! 21 ¥e2 ¦c5 22 ¦cd1 b4! The e pawn is Black's
for the taking but Luecke has his eyes on the b pawn first − the e pawn can turn on
the spit for a while longer before being eaten. Gohil,H−Luecke,N/Muenster 1990.
8 a4? The response Black was hoping for. Why do so many people answer the 5.Qb3
Grünfeld with 7...a6? The reason lies in games such as this, White's queen being
knocked around the board in a devastating display by Stanciu. If you ever wanted to
know why 7... a6 could not simply be met by 8.a4, Stanciu provides the answer− Ian
Rogers. 8...b5! 9 £b3 (9 axb5?! axb5 winning material is supposed to be the main
reason why 8.a4 is weak, yet after 10 ¦xa8 bxc4 11 ¦xb8 White has reasonable drawing
chances. Of course this is hardly what White wants from an opening, so 9.axb5 has
never been tried in practice.) 9...c5! 10 dxc5 ¥e6 11 £a3 b4! Another pawn goes
west, but Black thereby picks up a key tempo for the attack. 12 £xb4 ¤c6 13 £a3?!
The text move seems to lose by force but by now White has only a choice of evils.
13...¦b8! 14 ¥e3 The best chance, as the dual threats of ...Rb3 and ...Nb4 are
impossible to meet − 14...¦b3 15 ¦d1 £a5 16 £a1 ¤xe4 The c3 knight is often
under pressure in the Grünfeld but rarely in such a comprehensive fashion.
Partos,C−Stanciu,T/Bucharest 1975.

8...b5 9 £b3 c5!?

Instead 9...¤c6!? has been seen a few times recently. It looks odd to obstruct the c pawn
rather than aim for the freeing c7−c5 move, but Black gets plenty of lively piece
play in return for his disjointed pawn structure.
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9+-zp-zppvlp0
9p+n+-snp+0
9+p+-+-+-0
9-+-zPP+-+0
9+QsN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

10 e5 ¥e6 The only move. 11 exf6!? White accepts the challenge− it all depends on how
the resulting material balanced is assessed. 11...¥xb3 12 fxg7 ¢xg7 13 axb3 ¤xd4
14 ¤xd4 £xd4 15 0-0 White now has three pieces for a queen and two pawns. In the
middlegame, where he can attack the black king, this seems good for him. However,

20
 his queenside pawns are fragile and Black can break the strength of any potential
assault on his king by giving up the exchange for one of the bishops. 15...£b4 16
¥f3 £xb3! Black gives up the exchange to be rid of White's strong light squared
bishop in Piket,J−Svidler,P/Internet 1999.

10 dxc5 ¥b7
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wq-trk+0
9+l+-zppvlp0
9p+-+-snp+0
9+pzP-+-+-0
9-+-+P+-+0
9+QsN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

Or 10...¥e6 11 £c2 ¤c6 12 0-0 £c7 13 a3!? This seemed like a significant improvement
on theory, but in the next encounter between the same players Bareev preferred (13
¦d1 and got at least a slight advantage in Bareev,E−Van Wely,L/Wijk aan Zee NED
2002.) 13...¤g4 14 g3! (The game would end abruptly after 14 h3?? ¤d4!) 14...¤ge5
15 ¥e3 ¤xf3+ 16 ¥xf3 ¤d4 17 ¥xd4 ¥xd4 18 b4 Black has a strong dark squared
bishop but this is hardly enough to compensate for the monstrous passed pawn.
Bareev now defends carefully until Van Wely runs out of attacking resources.
Bareev,E−Van Wely,L/Bonn GER 2001.

11 0-0
Giving up the e pawn makes sense, since
11 e5 ¤fd7 has worked out fairly well for Black in past games.

11...¤xe4
Instead 11...¤bd7!?

21
 XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-trk+0
9+l+nzppvlp0
9p+-+-snp+0
9+pzP-+-+-0
9-+-+P+-+0
9+QsN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

12 e5
a) 12...¤d5! Precarious looking, but White can't exploit it. 13 ¤xd5 ¤xc5 14 £a3 £xd5 15
¥g5 ¦fe8 16 ¦ad1 £e4! Black tries to stay active. 17 ¦fe1 b4 18 £a5 ¤e6 19 ¥c1
¦ed8 20 £b6 ¦xd1 21 ¥xd1 £c6 22 £xb4 Grabbing a pawn but Black now takes
the initiative and has adequate compensation. 22...a5 23 £c3 (23 £xe7?? ¥f8 24 £h4
£xc1) 23...£xc3 24 bxc3 ¦c8 25 ¥d2 ¤c5 26 ¥c2 ¥d5 27 a3 a4 28 ¦b1 ¤b3 29 c4??
(29 ¥e1=) 29...¥xf3 0-1 Bareev,E−Van Wely,L Monaco 2003
b) 12...¤xc5 13 £b4 ¤fd7 14 ¦d1 £c7! 15 ¥e3 ¦ac8 16 ¤d5 (Sokolov suggests that White
should keep building up the pressure with 16 ¦ac1!? This may be White's last chance
to show any advantage.) 16...¥xd5 17 ¦xd5 ¤e6 18 ¦c1 £b7 19 ¦cd1 ¤b8 20 ¤g5?
Now the White e pawn becomes a terrible weakness. It was high time to liquidate
the queenside with (20 a4) 20...¤xg5 21 ¥xg5 e6 22 ¦5d2 ¥xe5 and Black's extra
pawn should have been worth more than White's activity in Van der Sterren,P−
Sokolov,I/Rotterdam NED Ch. 1999.

12 ¤xe4 ¥xe4
White has a passed pawn on c5, but Black's knight can blockade. Black hopes for active
piece play and has his kingside majority in reserve for later.

13 ¥g5
Alternatively 13 ¥f4 ¥d5 (13...¤c6 14 ¦ad1 £c8 15 £e3 ¥f5 16 ¤e5 ¥xe5 17 ¥xe5 £e6 Najer,E−
Timofeev,Ar Chigorin Mem. 2002 was solid but Van Wely prefers a sharper
approach.) 14 £e3 ¥xb2 15 ¦ad1 e6 16 ¤d4 (The improvement 16 ¤g5! was tried
two days later and although after 16...¥g7 17 ¥g4 £f6 18 ¥d6 ¤c6 19 ¥xf8 ¥xf8 20 ¤e4
£e5 21 ¥f3 ¦d8 Cmilyte,V−Karjakin,S Wijk aan Zee 2003 things don't look too bad
for Black, the extra exchange eventually made the difference.) 16...¥xd4 17 ¦xd4
¤c6 Black's pieces are so well entrenched it's hard to see enough compensation
despite a few holes on the dark squares, Bareev,E−Van Wely,L/Wijk aan Zee 2003
(April 2003).

13...¤c6 14 £e3 £d5

22
Black can also speculate with the risky 14...¥f5 15 ¥h6 ¥xb2 16 ¦ad1 £a5

15 ¦ad1 £e6
Black also held the balance after 15...£f5 16 ¥h6 ¥xh6 17 £xh6 f6 18 ¤d4 ¤xd4 19 ¦xd4
¦fd8 20 £d2 ¦xd4 21 £xd4 ¥c6 in Piket,J−Sokolov,I/Batumi GEO 1999.

16 ¥h6 ¥f5
More accurate is 16...¥c2! This is a good example of how theory progresses. By attacking
the rook on d1 Black can keep the dark squared bishops on the board. This gives him
dynamic chances which far outweigh any benefit he gains after the 16...Bf5 in giving
White an isolated pawn on e3. Radjabov,T−Svidler,P/Moscow RUS 2002.

17 ¥xg7 £xe3 18 fxe3 ¢xg7 19 a3 ¦fd8 20 b4 ¥c2 21 ¦xd8 ¦xd8 22 ¦c1

¥e4
XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-tr-+-+0
9+-+-zppmkp0
9p+n+-+p+0
9+pzP-+-+-0
9-zP-+l+-+0
9zP-+-zPN+-0
9-+-+L+PzP0
9+-tR-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White is slightly better in this endgame but he never looks like winning. Kasparov,G−
Leko,P/ Linares 2000.

23
 Russian 7 e4 Bg4 − Other lines [D98]

Last updated: 23/08/03 by Glenn Flear

1 d4 ¤f6 2 c4 g6 3 ¤c3 d5 4 ¤f3 ¥g7 5 £b3 dxc4 6 £xc4 0-0 7 e4 ¥g4

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wq-trk+0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+QzPP+l+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

8 ¥e2
Otherwise, the knight move 8 ¤e5 looks too artificial to threaten Black. Hoang Thanh
Trang−Flumbort,A/Budapest HUN 2002.

8...¤fd7!?
This is Smyslov's famous manoeuvre. The knight heads for b6 to attack White's queen and
at the same time clears the way for the king's bishop to threaten d4.

24
 XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wq-trk+0
9zppzpnzppvlp0
9-+-+-+p+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+QzPP+l+0
9+-sN-+N+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

8...¤c6 9 d5 (9 ¥e3?! After this feeble move Black can already seize the initiative.
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-trk+0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+n+-snp+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+QzPP+l+0
9+-sN-vLN+-0
9PzP-+LzPPzP0
9tR-+-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

9...¥xf3 10 gxf3 e5! 11 d5 ¤d4 12 ¤b5 ¤xb5 13 £xb5 ¤h5 14 0-0-0 ¤f4 The knight is excellently
placed here, as it can only be removed at the cost of opening the deadly diagonal for
the bishop after 15 Bxf4? exf4. Tegshsuren,E−Kudrin,S/Philadelphia USA 2000 .)
9...¤a5 (9...¥xf3 10 gxf3 ¤a5 11 £d3 e6! what's this? No, not a blunder but a surprising
novelty! 12 b4! crucial. White wins a piece to punish Black's insolence at playing
11...e6, Gyimesi,Z−Topakian,R/Mitte 2002.) 10 £b4 ¥xf3 11 ¥xf3 c6 12 0-0 £b6 A
respectable alternative to (12...cxd5 13 exd5 ¦c8) 13 £a4 (The exchange of queens
doesn't impress: 13 £xb6 axb6 14 dxc6 bxc6 15 ¦b1 ¦fd8 16 ¥e2 ¤d7 17 ¥e3 b5 18 ¦fc1 ¤c4
with a promising game for Black, Kaspi,A−Sutovsky,E Israeli ch. 2000) 13...¤d7
a) The quieter continuation 14 ¦d1 ¤c5 15 £c2 ¤c4 16 ¥e2 £b4 17 a3 £b3 18 £xb3
¤xb3 19 ¦b1 ¤b6 20 ¥e3 has been played a couple of times. Black is OK but the
bishop pair may yield a slight pull for White, Kasimdzhanov,R−Sutovsky,E Europe
v Asia 2001
b) 14 ¥e2N This bishop retreat is new. The idea is that by covering the c4−square the
knight on a5 is stuck on the edge. 14...¤c5 15 £c2 £b4 Black again renews the idea
of playing ...Nc4. 16 ¥e3! ¥xc3 (Now 16...¤c4 fails to 17 ¥xc5 £xc5 18 ¤a4 when
Black can actually avoid losing a piece but the ending after 18...£b4 19 £xc4 £xc4 20
¥xc4 b5 21 dxc6 bxa4 22 ¦ab1 ¦ab8 23 b4 is pretty grim.) 17 ¦ac1 The only move as
recaptures favour Black. (17 £xc3 £xc3 18 bxc3 ¤xe4 17 bxc3 £xe4) 17...¥d4 (Instead

25
 17...£xb2 is met by 18 £xb2 ¥xb2 19 ¦xc5 b6 20 ¦c2 followed by dxc6) 18 ¥xd4 £xd4
19 £xc5 and White retained the better of the complications in Bareev,E−
Lalic,B/Jahorina 2003 (August 2003).
c) 14 ¥e3 14...£xb2 15 ¦fc1 ¥xc3 16 ¦ab1 ¤b6!? Khalifman,A−Vokarev,S/Togliatti 2003
(June 2003) A novelty sacrificing the queen. (16...b5 has been played where mass
exchanges lead to an equal endgame:)

9 ¥e3 ¤b6 10 £c5

If 10 £d3 ¤c6 11 ¦d1 £d7!? 12 d5 ¥xf3 13 gxf3? For better or worse, (13 ¥xf3 had to be
tried when 13...¤e5 14 £e2 is unclear, but should be comfortable for Black.) 13...¤e5
14 £c2 £h3! Now Black has quite clearly won the opening battle. Coelho,P−
Tsuboi,E/Brasilia BRA 2000.

10...¤8d7 11 £a3 ¥xf3 12 gxf3 e5 13 d5 £h4!?

Dvoirys doesn't hurry to play c7−c6− he wants to entice White to try to win a pawn.

14 ¤b5?
White falls for the bait, but in any case I like Black's position after say
14 0-0-0 ¥h6

14...¦fc8 15 ¦c1 ¥f8 16 £b3 c6!

Only now. Black's queenside pawn structure is about to disintegrate but on the other hand
all his pieces come to life.
XIIIIIIIIY
9r+r+-vlk+0
9zpp+n+p+p0
9-snp+-+p+0
9+N+Pzp-+-0
9-+-+P+-wq0
9+Q+-vLP+-0
9PzP-+LzP-zP0
9+-tR-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

17 ¤xa7 ¦xa7 18 ¥xb6 ¤xb6 19 £xb6 ¦xa2 20 £xb7 ¦aa8!

A powerful retreat which refutes White's opening strategy. Arakelov,I−Dvoirys,S/St
Petersburg RUS 2000.

26
 Russian 7 e4 Bg4 − Main Line [D99]

Last updated: 14/05/03 by Glenn Flear

A main line theoretical battle.

1 d4 ¤f6 2 c4 g6 3 ¤c3 d5 4 ¤f3 ¥g7 5 £b3 dxc4 6 £xc4 0-0 7 e4 ¥g4 8

¥e3
XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wq-trk+0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+QzPP+l+0
9+-sN-vLN+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+-mKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

8...¤fd7 9 £b3 ¤b6 10 ¦d1 ¤c6

10...e6 Recommended by Nigel Davies in his recent Everyman Grünfeld Defence book this
move seems the most resilient at the moment. 11 ¥e2 ¤c6 12 ¤g1 (The forcing 12 d5
exd5 13 ¤xd5 ¤xd5 14 exd5 ¤e5 15 ¤xe5 ¥xe2 16 ¢xe2 ¥xe5 17 ¦he1 £f6 18 £xb7 £h4 19 h3
£c4+ 20 ¢f3 £xa2 was about equal in Gyimesi,Z−Votava,J Czech open 2002)
12...¥xe2 13 ¤gxe2 £e7 14 a3 Covering the b4−square, but not c4, so Black's
following manoeuvre seems logical. (Instead 14 0-0 ¦fd8 15 f3 ¦d7 16 ¢h1 £b4 17 £xb4
¤xb4 18 ¥f2 ¦ad8 as in Radjabov,T−Ivanchuk,V Dubai rapid 2002 was fine for
Black.) 14...¤a5 15 £b5 ¤ac4 16 ¥g5 This type of position has been known in
Czech circles for a long time as Smejkal was a leading practitioner a generation ago.
Essentially Black has no particular problems as he will soon counter White's centre with
...e5. 16...£e8 17 £b3 e5 18 d5 f5 19 0-0 f4 20 f3 ¦f7!= Babula,V−
Navara,D/Lahucovice CZE 2003 Black heads for a better diagonal for his bishop
and has no problems. (April 2003).

11 d5 ¤e5 12 ¥e2 ¤xf3+ 13 gxf3 ¥h5

27
 XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wq-trk+0
9zppzp-zppvlp0
9-sn-+-+p+0
9+-+P+-+l0
9-+-+P+-+0
9+QsN-vLP+-0
9PzP-+LzP-zP0
9+-+RmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

The bishop has no moves here but on the other hand it is safe from pawn attack and the
pressure on f3 is highly irritating for White.

14 ¦g1
White avoids castling as his kingside is fractured, so he develops the rook via the third
rank, at the same time strengthening f3 against any further assault after ...f7−f5.

14...£c8
Also known is 14...£d7 for instance 15 ¦g3 c6 16 dxc6 £xc6 17 ¤b5 ¦fc8 18 ¤xa7 ¦xa7
19 ¥xb6 ¦aa8 and Black has enough activity to compensate the loss of a pawn.

15 ¦g3 c6 16 a4 £c7
This loss of time with the queen is generally considered best. From here the queen has
influence on key dark squares such as e5, f4 and sometimes a5.

17 a5
Critical for Black is 17 £a3! f5 18 dxc6 bxc6 19 a5 ¤c8 20 £c5 fxe4 21 ¤b5 (White has
recently improved with 21 ¤d5! £d6 22 £c4 cxd5 23 ¦xd5 ¢h8 24 ¦xd6 ¤xd6 25 £d5
White's queen is worth more than the rook and knight, Babula,V−Oral,T Czech
republic 2003) 21...£xa5+ 22 b4 £a4 23 ¥d4 with unclear complications, as in
Ivanchuk−Timman, Linares 1993
17 ¦c1?! White wants to put pressure on the c file, but it all comes to nothing. Meanwhile
his control over d5 is weakened, Mikhalevski,V−Dvoirys,S/Essent Open Hoogeveen
NED 2000.

17...¤c8
17...¤d7!? is more active e.g. 18 £a3 ¤e5 19 ¥d4 ¦fd8 when the sharp 20 f4 ¥xe2 21
¤xe2 ¤c4 22 £c3 ¥xd4 23 ¤xd4 ¤d6 is about equal.

28
18 £b4 f5!
Seeking counterplay.

19 ¥d4 ¥xd4 20 £xd4 c5

Not 20...£xa5? 21 dxc6 bxc6 because of 22 ¥c4+

21 £d2 f4 22 ¦g5 ¤d6 23 e5 ¤f5?!

Black's best chance was 23...¤f7! 24 d6 £xa5 with unclear play. There are two advantages
of having the knight on f7: The rook is attacked and the black king is better
protected.

24 d6!
The central pawn roller turns out to be very strong, Korotylev,A−Knott,S/Hastings
Challengers 2002−3 (Jan 2003).

29