Table of Contents

Key To Symbols Used

Preface
Chapter 1 - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 1 - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5(Step By Step)
Chapter 2 - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 2 - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 (Step By Step)
Chapter 3 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.Bxf6 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 3 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.Bxf6 (Step by Step)
Chapter 4 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 4 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 (Step By Step)
Chapter 5 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 5 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 (Step By Step)
Chapter 6 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 6 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 (Step By Step)
Chapter 7 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 7 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 (Step By Step)
Chapter 8 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 8 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3 (Step By Step)
Chapter 9 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 (Quick Repertoire)
Chapter 9 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 (Step By Step)
Index Of Variations

2
 Play the Trompowsky Attack

by Dmitry Kryakvin

Chess Stars Publishing

www.chess-stars.com

Copyright © 2018 by Dmitry Kryakvin

Cover by Rustam Taichinov

Editing by Sergei Soloviov

Bibliography

Books

A Practical Black Repertoire with Nf6, g6, d6. Volume 1: English, Pirc, Reti and Other
Defences by Alexei Kornev, Chess Stars 2016
Beating 1.d4 Sidelines by B.Avrukh, Quality Chess 2012
Playing 1.d4 The Indian defences by L.Schandorf, Quality Chess 2012
Playing the Trompowsky by R.Pert, Quality Chess 2013

Periodicals

Chess Informant
New in chess Yearbook
Chessbase online database
Correspondence Database
Mega Database

3
Key to Symbols used!
! a good move
? a weak move
!! an excellent move
?? a blunder
!? an interesting move
?! a dubious move
□ only move
= equality
∞ unclear position
⩲ White stands slightly better
⩱ Black stands slightly better
± White has a serious advantage
∓ Black has a serious advantage
+- White has a decisive advantage
-+ Black has a decisive advantage
→ with an attack↑with an initiative
⇆ with counterplay
Δ with the idea of
⌓ better is
≤ worse is
N novelty
+ check
# mate
© with compensation for thesacrificed material

4
 Preface

The intensity of the contemporary competitive chess is difficult to grasp. Practically all the professional
players, all amateurs and even juniors are well familiar with the feeling when they open the ChessBase
with the idea to study the games of the opponent against the move 1.d2-d4 and then... They suddenly
find an endless amount of games in the Benko Gambit, the Nimzo-Indian Defence, the Gruenfeld
Defence and the Kings Indian Defence. Meanwhile, you might have two games in this day, or you
might have to worry about tomorrows round... How can you be well prepared in such extreme
situation? Yes, there is a universal receipt, which would enable you to force the opponent into your
own territory...

I have to admit frankly that I began to study the Trompowsky Attack thanks to my wife the Woman
International Master Elena Tomilova. We have played numerous times in a series of tournaments
together and I often had to instruct here with the standard cliche: Darling, you exchange on f6, then you
place all your pawns on the dark squares and then you begin an offensive against the enemy queenside
with the support of your bishop on g2. Later, I noticed that I kept repeating that to her even when we
had enough time for preparation....

Time was running, we played in tournaments and we had analysed numerous games of the classics in
this variation the grandmasters Nikita Vitiugov, Igor Miladinovich and Antoinette Stefanova. Little by
little I began to feel the same which I guess came to the mind of the author of this variation the
Brazilian champion Octavio Trompowsky. At first, the bishop sortie to the g5 square had the reputation
of a rather unserious opening and even at one of the Chess Olympiads Trompowskys opponent, after
the move 2.Bg5, simply took down his spectacles and tried to clear their lenses in order to see better
and to believe what was happening on the board. His amazement did not last long however, and ended
when Octavio began his decisive attack. I still cherish in my own memory numerous ironic smiles of
my opponents and then their sad faces when their kings shelter crumbled...

Octavio Trompowsky has lived and invented his favourite 2.Bg5 move in the city of Rio de Janeiro the
dream of the great trickster Ostap Bender, which is on the cover of the book, which you are holding in
your hands. Octavio lived there a long time ago and never suspected that only six years after his death
there would be born a powerful Norwegian, who would combine the severe spirit of the North with the
romantic ideas of the Southern bishop sortie. In fact, Trompowsky and the unforgettable Henrikh
Chepukajtis played the move 2.Bg5 as Davids sling in the battle against the chess Goliaths. On the
contrary, Magnus Carlsen made out of it a reliable weapon and a full rights member of the family of the
elite openings.

While I was preparing this book for its publishing, I considered it necessary to play regularly the
Trompowsky Attack in order to prove to myself and to my readers its real value in the professional
chess. Many of the lines, which were invented by me and my colleague and second the FIDE master
Mikhail Popov (Thank you Misha, I am really indebted to you!) were tested in the tournament practice
and brought to me good results. When I started writing this book, I could not even have the idea that

5
thanks to the Trompowsky Attack I would win the decisive games in my tournament wins in Berlin
2017, Serpukhov and Stuttgart in the year 2018. .

I really hope that the fine points in this book will help you dear readers to win the decisive games in the
tournaments you will be playing! .

Dmitry Kryakvin
Rostov-on-Don, August 2018

6
 Chapter 1
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5
A) 2...b6; B) 2...d6; С) 2...c6

Quick Repertoire

White’s bishop is developed to g5 with the straightforward idea to disrupt his opponent’s pawn-
structure. It is understandable that Black can react in many different ways. He can attack the enemy
bishop, avoiding the doubling of his pawns, or inflict a counter strike against his opponent’s centre,
which will be analysed in our following chapters.
Many of the lines, we deal with in our first chapter, have been encountered in thef tournament
practice of the best grandmasters in the world. The general idea behind them is – “If White thinks that
the exchange on f6 promises him an advantage – he should try to prove that!”.
So, we will suppose that after 2...Nc6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 d5 5.c4 Bb4+ 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Nf3 Re8 8.cxd5
Qxd5 9.Be2 Bg4 10.0-0 Qd7 11.Rc1, or 3...gxf6 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Nge2 d5 7.a3 Ba5 8.b4 Bb6
9.Na4 exd4 10.Nxb6 axb6 11.Nxd4, this would not be so difficult. Black’s knight on c6 is displaced
in many variations and that enables White to seize the initiative.

The rather exotic move 2...Ng8, or 2...h6 3.Bхf6, provides White with tempi in comparison to the
variations from the other chapters, while following 2...b5, White should better deploy his pieces in the
following fashion 3.Nd2 Bb7 4.Ngf3 a6 5.c3 e6 6.e4 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.b4!?, and then a2-a4, or 4...c5
5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.e4 Qa5 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Bd3 with an advantage for White.

7
 Therefore, Black uses here much more often the modest fianchetto 2...b6, without providing his
opponent with another object for an attack and impeding the enemy light-squared bishop to occupy the
standard and aggressive g2-square for it in the Trompowsky Attack. Now, the line: 3.Nd2 Bb7 4.Ngf3
e6 5.e4 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Bd3 d6,

would lead to a popular variation of the relatively similar opening – the Queen’s Pawn – 1.d4 Nf6
2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5, in which, in its main line, a special attention deserves the famous game Korchnoi –
Karpov, Hastings 1972: 8.Qe2 a6 9.0-0-0 Nd7 10.Kb1 e5 11.c3 Be7 12.Nc4 0-0, but here, the play of
Victor Lvovich could be improved with the line: 13.Ne3 Rfe8 14.h4 and White would organise a
dangerous offensive.

After the moves 2...d6 and 2...c6, Black usually tries to preserve his mobile pawn-mass in the centre,
but White does not always allow him to do that. It is very important that he can occupy sometimes in
practice the f4 and f5-squares. 2...d6 3.Bxf6 gxf6 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 c6 6.Nf3 Bg7 and here it would be
very attractive for him to play 7.Nh4 f5 8.Qh5!? exd4 9.exd4 Bxd4 10.0-0-0 Qf6 11.Bd3 with an
excellent compensation for the pawn. Following 2...c6, the simplest for White would be to exchange
the enemy knight 3.Bxf6 gxf6 4.e3 Qb6 5.Qc1 d5 6.c4 e5 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.Be2 e4 9.Ng1 Be6 10.Nh3

8
 and then Black will be faced with a rather unpleasant choice – to put up with the enemy knight,
which will be going to the f4-square, or to give up his important bishop, which cements his pawn-chain.

In some rarely played lines, White obtains often in practice a great advantage in the opening when his
opponent underestimates the bishop move to g5 and ignores the important task to develop quickly his
pieces.

9
 Chapter 1
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5
A) 2...b6; B) 2...d6; С) 2...c6

Step by Step

Black can try here numerous rarely played moves, but if White wishes to obtain an advantage, he
needs to be particularly precise against three of them: A) 2...b6, B) 2...d6 and С) 2...c6.

The right reaction for him against the rest of them is much simpler.
The World Champion in blindfold play Timur Gareev tried once 2...e5?! 3.dxe5 h6 4.Bh4 g5, but the
grandmaster would have hardly ventured this line in a real tournament game against a strong opponent.
5.exf6 gxh4 6.Qd4 d6. Here, the move 7.g3!?, with the obvious intention to trade the light-squared
bishops would guarantee for White a clear advantage. 7...hxg3 8.hxg3 c6 9.Bh3 Bxh3 10.Nxh3² Black
has an entire complex of weak squares and after he regains the pawn on f6, his h6-pawn would require
protection.

One of the leaders of the national team of Belarus tried once 2...Ng8?! Michna – A.Zhigalko,
Warsaw 2005, but this experiment looks like the games in which one of the opponents gives the other a
handicap of several extra tempi... 3.e4

10
 Now, it would be dangerous for Black to open the position with this considerable lag in development:
3...d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Be2! Nc6 (6...Bxf3 7.Bxf3 Qxg5 8.Bxb7+–) 7.c4 Qf5 8.Nbd2 0-0-0
9.0-0!? Nxd4 (9...Nf6 10.d5 Bxf3 11.Nxf3 Ne5 12.Be3±) 10.Nxd4 Rxd4 11.Bxg4 Qxg4 (11...Rxg4
12.Qa4 Kb8 13.Be3±) 12.Qa4± White has powerful initiative in all the lines.
3...c6 4.c4 d5 (Following 4...d6 5.Nc3 Nd7 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.Be2 e5 8.0-0², there arises the Old Indian
Defence on the board with extra tempi for White.) 5.exd5 cxd5 6.Nc3 h6 7.Bh4 g5 (After 7...dхc4
8.Bхc4, White has three mobilised pieces more than his opponent.) 8.Bg3 Nf6 9.h4 g4 10.cxd5 Nxd5
(He has also an attack in the variation 10...Bg7 11.Bc4 Nbd7 12.Bb3 Nb6 13.Be5±) 11.Bc4 Nxc3
12.bxc3± Black would hardly manage to complete his development without material losses, since
White’s knight is headed on the route g1-e2-f4-h5.

The move 2...b5 after 3.Nd2 Bb7 4.Ngf3, transposes to variations from the Polish Defence (1.d4 Nf6
2.Nf3 b5), in which White has a quite good position with a bishop on g5.

11
 4...a6 5.c3 e6 6.e4 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 and here White has the powerful resource 8.b4!? Qg6 9.Ne5 Qg5,
Cramling – Kennaugh, Birmingham 2006, 10.a4²
4...c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.e4 Qa5 (7...Qb6 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.Be3 Ng4 10.0-0²) 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Bd3²
Fridman – Miezis, Jurmala 2012. White’s king is safer and his pawn-structure is preferable.

2...Nc6 3.Bxf6

In the game Packroff – De Ruiter, Dresden 2004, Black tried to fight for the centre 3...gxf6 4.e3 e5
5.Nc3 Bb4, but White can emphasize the weaknesses in his opponent’s position with the line: 6.Nge2
d5 7.a3 Ba5 (7...Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 Be6 9.Bb5²) 8.b4 Bb6 9.Na4 exd4 10.Nxb6 axb6 11.Nxd4² with
excellent prospects to exploit his superior pawn-structure.
3...exf6 4.e3 d5 (4...Bb4+. This check only helps White: 5.c3 Ba5 6.a4 a6 7.b4 Bb6 8.a5 Ba7 9.Bd3²,

12
or 5...Be7 6.Nd2 d5 7.Bd3² Black has lost several tempi just in vain.) 5.c4 Bb4+ (He can try to hold on
to his centre in another way: 5...Be6 6.Nc3 Bb4, but his knight on c6, placed there on his second move,
remains horribly misplaced. 7.cxd5 Bxd5 8.Nge2 0-0 9.Nf4 Ne7 10.a3 and after 10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3²,
or 10...Ba5 11.b4 Bb6 12.Bd3², White is doubtlessly better.) 6.Nc3 0-0 (6...Be6 7.cxd5 – see 5...Be6)
7.Nf3

The move 7...Be6 is too passive 8.cxd5 Bxd5 9.Be2 Ne7 10.0-0 c6 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.a3 Bd6
13.Bc4² White is threatening to begin a pawn-offensive on the queenside and after his queen occupies
the a2-g8 diagonal, then the exchange on d5 would create a weak pawn for Black.
7...Re8 8.cxd5 Qxd5 9.Be2 Bg4 (Following 9...Qa5 10.Qb3 Be6 11.Bc4 Bxc4 12.Qxc4 Ne7 13.0-0²,
in addition to all his troubles, Black will be deprived of his two-bishop advantage.) 10.0-0 Qd7 11.Rc1²
Livaja – Marinkovic, Zagreb 2012. White has a superior pawn-structure and will exert pressure on the
c-file and on the queenside, so all this promises him excellent prospects, while Black will have to worry
about the future placement of his knight on c6.
The move 2...h6 not only does not prevent the doubling of Black’s pawns, but loses a tempo and
weakens the shelter of his king on the kingside in numerous variations. 3.Bxf6.

13
 3...gxf6 4.c4 e5 (The line: 4...c5 5.d5 f5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Qc2 d6 8.e3² leads to a typical position from
the following chapters, except that Black has lost a tempo for the obsolete move h7-h6.) 5.Nc3 d6 6.e3
Bg7 7.g3², emphasising the vulnerability of the light squares in Black’s position, Ionov – Wolf,
Hersonissos 2017.
3...exf6 4.e3 d5 (After 4...b6, it seems very good for White to continue with 5.Qf3 d5 6.a3!? Be6 7.c4
c6 8.Nd2², planning later the transfer of the knight to the f4-square.) 5.c4

Following 5...dxc4 6.Bxc4 Bd6 7.Qc2 0-0 8.Nf3 f5 (8...Nd7 9.Nbd2 c6 10.0-0 Nb6 11.Bd3 Nd5
12.a3²) 9.Nbd2, Black cannot transfer his knight on the route Nd7-f6, so he will have to play 9...Nc6
10.0-0 Ne7 11.Rfd1²
5...c6 6.cxd5 Qxd5 (6...cxd5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Nge2 Be6 9.Nf4 Bb4 10.Rc1 0-0 11.Bd3²; 7...Bb4 8.Bd3
0-0 9.Nge2 Nc6 10.0-0² Blumenstein – Mylich, Friedrichroda 2003. Once again, in all the variations,

14
White has in fact an extra tempo due to Black’s second move.) 7.Nc3 Qa5 (It would be useless for
Black to try to attack the c3-square: 7...Bb4 8.Nf3 Qa5 9.Qc2 0-0 10.Bd3 Be6 11.0-0²) 8.Bd3 Bd6
9.Nge2 0-0 10.0-0 f5 (10...Nd7 11.Qc2 Qc7 12.h3², followed by the pawn-minority attack on the
queenside.) 11.Qc2 Be6. White leads in development and can continue in an aggressive fashion:
12.f4!? Nd7 (12...Na6 13.a3²) 13.g4!‚ and Black is incapable of capturing the brave enemy pawn in
view of the loss of his bishop on e6.
5...Bb4+ 6.Nc3 0-0 (It would be premature for Black to choose here 6...c5?! 7.cxd5 Qxd5, because of
8.Qa4+! Nc6 9.Qxb4 Nxb4 10.Nxd5 Nxd5 11.dxc5² Kishnev – Cools, Belgium 2002. It is practically
impossible to see how Black can regain his pawn here.) 7.cxd5 Bxc3+ (The other possible capturing
would lose tempi for Black for moves with his queen 7...Qxd5 8.Nge2 Qd6 9.a3 Ba5 10.g3 c5
11.Bg2², or 8...Qd8 9.Qb3 Nc6 10.Rd1 a5 11.a3 Bd6 12.g3², with long-term pressure for White.)
8.bxc3 Qxd5 9.Ne2 b6 (9...Qa5 10.Qd2 Rd8 11.Ng3 Be6 12.Be2²) 10.Nf4 Qa5, Miladinovic – Diena,
Genua 2004, 11.Qc2 c5 12.Bd3. White is threatening to capture the enemy rook after Bd3-e4, so Black
fails to capture on d4 at the right moment in order to force his opponent to recapture with his e3-pawn.
12...Nc6 13.0-0 cxd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Qd2 Nxd3 16.Qxa5 bxa5 17.Nxd3²

A) 2...b6

This move is aimed against the development of White’s bishop on f1 to the g2-square.
Still, on the other hand Black’s pieces do not fight for the centre and do not react against the sortie of
the Trompowsky bishop...
3.Nd2 Bb7

In the variation with 3...e6, White occupies comfortably the centre after the move 4.e4.

15
 In response to the logical move 4...Be7 White has at his disposal the concrete line: 5.e5 Nd5 6.Bxe7
Nxe7 (Black should better avoid 6...Qxe7 7.c4 Nb4 8.Ngf3 Bb7 9.a3 N4c6 10.Bd3² Bontjer – Naasz,
Groningen 2004. His king’s knight has occupied the square for his queen’s knight.) 7.Qg4 0-0 8.Ngf3.
White’s plans include a direct attack against the enemy king and Black cannot remain idle. 8...d5 (The
trade of the light-squared bishops would not facilitate Black’s road to equality: 8...Ba6 9.Bxa6 Nxa6
10.Ne4 Nd5 11.0-0²) 9.Bd3 h6 (After 9...f5 10.exf6 Rxf6, White obtains an excellent square for his
knight – 11.Ne5²). Now, after the beautiful move 10.Ne4!?, he brings another piece closer to the
enemy king and consolidates his advantage following 10...Kh8 11.Ng3 Ba6 12.Nh5 Rg8 13.Bxa6
Nxa6 14.Qf4² Black can hardly parry his opponent’s plan connected with castling queenside and the
advance of his g-pawn.
After 4...h6, White is not obliged to capture on f6, because his pawn on e4 is protected and he can
simply retreat preserving all the pluses of his position: 5.Bh4.

16
 Following, 5...Bb7 6.e5 g5 7.Bg3 Ne4 8.Nxe4 Bxe4 9.h4², White can begin exploiting the
weaknesses of his enemy kingside.
After 5...Be7 6.e5, it would be tremendously risky for Black to choose 6...Nd5 (After 6...Nh7 7.Bg3
Bb7, Vitiugov – Sargissian, Dubai 2014, the placement of Black’s knight at the edge of the board is
obviously in White’s favour: 8.f4 0-0 9.Ngf3 d5 10.Bd3²) 7.Bg3 Bb7 8.c4 Nb4 9.a3 N4c6 10.d5
exd5?! (Here, even after Black’s relatively best line: 10...Nd4 11.Ne2 Nxe2 12.Bxe2 exd5 13.Bf3², or
11...Nf5 12.Nf4², White maintains a stable edge anyway.) 11.Qg4!? g5 (Black would be very close to
being crushed after 11...dxc4 12.Qxg7 Rf8 13.Ngf3±, or 11...0-0 12.cxd5 Na5 13.b4±) After 12.cxd5
h5, White can consolidate his advantage with the line: 13.dxc6! hxg4 14.cxb7 Nc6 15.bxa8=Q Qxa8
16.Bd3± His rook and two minor pieces are doubtlessly stronger than the enemy queen.
5...g5 6.Bg3 d6 (6...Bb7 7.e5 – see 5...Bb7) 7.h4

17
 Now, all the possible defences of Black’s kingside have some drawbacks.
It would be easy for White to refute 7...Bg7? 8.hxg5 hxg5 9.Rxh8+ Bxh8 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 Nd5
12.Qh5 Bg7 13.Ngf3+– Adhiban – Kaushik, Chennai 2011.
7...Rg8 8.e5 Nfd7 (8...Nd5 9.c4 Nf4 10.Qf3 d5 11.hxg5 hxg5 12.Bxf4 gxf4 13.Ne2± 9.hxg5 hxg5
(9...Qxg5 10.Ne4±) 10.exd6 cxd6. Here, he has a very witty resource: 11.Qf3 d5 12.Ne4! White’s
knight is untouchable – 12...dxe4 13.Qxe4+–, Black would not change anything with the line: 12...g4
13.Qf4 Be7 14.Rh7 Rf8 15.0-0-0ƒ, so what is left for him is 12...Nc6, but White has a powerful attack
anyway: 13.Rh7 Bb4+ 14.c3 Qe7 15.Nd6+! Bxd6 16.Bxd6 and Black cannot capture the enemy
bishop, since he would lose his rook 16...g4 (16...Qf6 17.Qh5 Nf8 18.Rh6 Ng6 19.Nf3±) 17.Qg3 Qg5
18.Bb5 Bb7 19.Ne2. White’s powerful bishop on d6 controls the entire board.
4.Ngf3

4...e6

Many legendary grandmasters, including Jose Raul Capablanca, have tested in practice here the move
4...c5, in an attempt to enter positions from more habitual schemes after White fortifies his d4-pawn.
Still, he can try to complicate the position even more after the rather original line: 5.dxc5 bxc5 6.Bxf6
gxf6 (Following 6...exf6, the d5-square is chronically weakened: 7.e4 Be7 8.Bc4 0-0 9.0-0 d6 10.Re1
Nd7 11.Qe2²) 7.e4 Bg7 8.c3 0-0, Modr – Hajek, Czech Republic 1997, 9.Qc2. Later, White must
transfer his knight to e3 from where it would control the important d5 and f5-squares, preventing the
enemy dark-squared bishop from entering the actions. White’s plan can be best illustrated by the
following variations: 9...d6 10.Nc4 Nd7 11.Rd1 Ne5 12.Nfxe5 fxe5 13.Bd3 Qd7 14.Ne3², or 9...Nc6
10.Nc4 Qc7 11.Be2 d6 12.Ne3. White has restricted considerably his opponent’s possibilities and is
ready to exert pressure on the central files.

After 4...d6, White should better capture the knight 5.Bxf6.

18
 Having seen the games in the database, it is easy to be convinced that it would be very bad for Black
to choose here 5...gxf6 6.e4 c5 (It would be too late for him to try a double fianchetto, because of
6...Bg7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 c5 9.c3² and White’s centre is reliably fortified.) 7.d5 f5 8.Ng5 e5 (Black can
still parry the direct attack against his king with 8...Bh6 9.Qh5 Bxg5 10.Qxg5 fxe4 11.Bb5+ Nd7
12.Nxe4±, but even then his position cannot be envied at all.) 9.Bb5+ Nd7 10.Qh5 Qf6 11.Nxf7 Qxf7
12.Bxd7+ Ke7 13.Qxf7+ Kxf7 14.Be6+ Ke7 15.exf5+– Alienkin – Kogan, Israel 1997.
5...exf6 6.e4 g6, Halkias – Pribyl, Pardubice 2000, 7.Bc4 Bg7 8.0-0 0-0 9.c3 Nd7 (After 9...c6
10.Re1 d5 11.exd5 cxd5 12.Bd3, White’s plan, connected with the advance of the a-pawn would be
very unpleasant for Black.) 10.a4², followed by Qb3 and Rfe1, but he should not forget about the
possibility Bd5, which might eventually reduce the pressure against the e4-pawn.

4...d5 5.e3

19
 After 5...e6, the best for White would be to play 6.Bb5+! c6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.Ne5 Nbd7 9.f4² Under the
cover of his knight on e3, he can begin his standard attack. His queen will go to h3, via the f3-square,
then he will castle queenside and his kingside pawns will advance. Black will have great problems to
counter this plan, which can be best illustrated by the game Macieja – Munizaba, Vrsac 2006: 9...a6
10.0-0 c5 11.Qf3 Qc7 12.c3 h6 13.Qh3 Ne4?! 14.Bxe4 dxe4 15.Bxe7 Kxe7 16.Nxd7 Qxd7 17.f5 (It is
also good for White to play here 17.Nc4, followed by the transfer of this knight to the e5-square.) and
Black was forced to resign after a few moves.
5...Nbd7 6.c4. Black has not completed the development of his kingside yet, so White begins
complicated operations in the open centre.

After 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 e6 8.0-0 a6 9.Rc1, there arises a very favourable version of the Queen’s
Gambit for White, because his bishop has come to the c4-square at once.

20
 6...h6. Black does not have sufficient time to provoke this capture. 7.Bxf6 exf6 (In the variation
7...Nxf6 8.cxd5, Black cannot capture the enemy pawn just like that: 8...Qxd5 9.Rc1 c6 10.Bc4±,
followed by Ne5 and pressure against the enemy pawns on f7 and c6, or 8...Nxd5 9.Ne5 c6 10.Bd3±
and it becomes inconceivable how Black can complete his development. For example, right now White
is threatening the queen-sortie Qh5, followed by Nf7.) 8.Rc1 Bd6 (After 8...f5 9.cxd5 Bxd5 10.Qc2,
Black simply blunders a pawn.) 9.cxd5 Bxd5 and in this position White’s simplest reaction would be
10.Bc4 Bxc4 11.Nxc4 Bb4+ 12.Ncd2², ensuring sufficient control over the semi-open c-file.
6...e6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Ne5

Now, suddenly you can see one of the defects of the fianchetto of Black’s light-squared bishop and
that is the vulnerability of the a4-e8 diagonal.
It would not be sufficient for him to defend against the move Bb5: 8...c6 9.Nxd7 Qxd7 10.Bxf6 gxf6
11.Bd3² and Black is left with a horrible pawn-structure.
8...h6 9.Bh4 Bd6. From this moment on, his moves are practically forced. 10.Bb5 Bxe5 11.dxe5 c6
12.exf6 g5 13.Bg3 cxb5 14.Rc1

21
 We have reached the critical position of this variation. Black will preserve temporarily an extra pawn,
but this can hardly be a consolation for him, having in mind all the weaknesses in his camp.
After the prophylactic move 14...Rc8 15.Rxc8, following the capture, White will undermine the
enemy position with the move h2-h4 either immediately, or (following the capturing with the bishop)
after the useful inclusion of the move Qc2.
Black’s more active defence of the c7-square 14...Nc5 15.Nf3 Rc8 16.0-0 0-0 17.Be5², would enable
White to maintain his outpost on f6.
14...Nxf6 15.Rc7 Bc8 16.h4 g4 17.Nb3ƒ White’s initiative is very powerful with his strong knight on
d4 in this position with bishops of opposite colours.

After 4...g6, White can transpose into systems with a double fianchetto, but it would be very
interesting for him to try to create immediate problems for his opponent with the move 5.a4!?

22
 If Black reacts against the advance of the enemy rook-pawn 5...a6 6.e3 Bg7 7.a5, he would end up
with pawn-weaknesses. 7...b5 (7...d6 8.axb6 cxb6 9.Bd3²) 8.c4 bxc4 9.Bxc4 0-0 10.0-0², with the
clear-cut plan to exert pressure against Black’s a6-pawn and the squares around it.
5...c5 6.e3 Nc6 (It would be too risky for Black to opt here for 6...Bg7 7.a5ƒ) 7.c3 Bg7 8.Bxf6 Bxf6
(It is obviously insufficient for him to choose 8...exf6 9.dxc5 bxc5 10.Ne4 Bf8 11.Bc4±) 9.d5 Ne5
10.Nxe5 Bxe5 11.Bc4² The powerful centralisation of White’s pieces, restricting the scope of action of
the enemy bishop on b7, provides him with a clear advantage. It is also essential that Black’s other
bishop is not so active, due to White’s pawns on b2 and c3, and will soon come under an attack by
White’s kingside pawns.
5...a5 6.Bxf6 exf6 7.e4

Black’s bishop will not be placed well on the long diagonal, restricted by White’s pawn-tandem c3-

23
d4: 7...Bg7 8.Bc4 d5 (Black should better avoid the rather passive line: 8...c6 9.0-0 0-0 10.d5 Na6
11.Nb3²) 9.exd5 0-0 10.0-0 Bxd5 11.c3 f5 12.Bxd5 Qxd5 13.Qe2 Nd7 14.Rfe1² White’s position is
preferable both with queens on the board, as well as without them.
7...Bh6. Black’s bishop is more actively placed here, but White is ahead in the mobilisation of his
pieces anyway. 8.Bc4 d5 (Black must undermine the enemy centre by all means 8...0-0 9.0-0 d6 10.c3
Nd7 11.Re1²) 9.exd5 0-0 10.0-0 Bxd5 11.c3 Nc6 (11...Bb7 12.Re1 Nd7 13.Qb3²) 12.Bxd5 Qxd5
13.Qe2 Rfe8 14.Qc4. White’s plan includes the exchange of the major pieces after which his king will
be centralised and will help the advance of his pawns on the queenside, where he has the majority of
pawns.

5.e4

5...h6

The move 5...Be7 enables White to play 6.e5.

24
 6...Ne4 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 8.Nxe4 Bxe4 9.Bd3 Bxd3 (9...Bb7 10.Qe2 0-0 11.0-0², with a space advantage
for White) 10.Qxd3

White can counter the rather greedy move 10...Qb4+ with the surprising response 11.Ke2!? Black
cannot capture the pawn, since he would lose his queen, while in the variations 11...Nc6 12.a3 Qe7
13.Rhe1², or 11...0-0 12.Ng5 g6 13.a3 Qe7 14.f4², White develops harmoniously his pieces and his
knight is eyeing the weak squares in the enemy position.
After 10...0-0, White forces his opponent to give a check 11.Qe4 Qb4+ (11...Nc6 12.0-0²) 12.c3
Qxb2 13.0-0 Nc6 (It would be too risky for Black to allow the enemy pawn to reach the c7-square:
13...d5 14.exd6 Nd7 15.dxc7², but otherwise; White would have powerful initiative.) 14.Ng5 g6
15.Qh4 h5 16.Ne4ƒ
6...Nd5 7.Bxe7 Nxe7 (If Black captures with his queen, White’s task would be much simpler:

25
7...Qxe7 8.g3 0-0 9.Bg2² and Black’s knight on d5 and his bishop on b7 will come unavoidably under
an attack.) 8.Bd3 d6 9.Nc4!?

If Black complies with the provocation and closes the centre: 9...d5 10.Ne3 c5 11.c3 Nbc6 12.0-0²,
then White will begin soon a massive kingside offensive, while his bishop will be much superior to its
counterpart.
9...Ng6 10.0-0. Now, White has a better position after 10...0-0 11.exd6 cxd6 12.Re1 Nf4 13.Bf1 Nc6
14.c3², as well as in the much more critical line for both sides: 10...dxe5 11.Ncxe5 Nxe5 12.dxe5 0-0
(If 12...Na6, then White can restrict the scope of the enemy bishop 13.Qe2 Nc5 14.Bb5+ c6 15.Rfd1
Qe7 16.Bc4²) 13.Qe2 Nd7 14.Rad1 Qe7 15.Nd4² Now, after 15...Nc5, White’s bishop will follow the
route b5-c6 and the trade of its black counterpart will emphasize the vulnerability of the c6-square.

6.Bxf6
White’s bishop cannot retreat to the h4-square due to the loss of a pawn, so he captures bravely the
enemy knight and relies on his lead in development.
6...Qxf6

The move 6...gxf6 weakens unnecessarily Black’s king shelter: 7.Bd3 Bg7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Re1 d5 10.c3²

7.Bd3

26
 7...d6

This position has been encountered very often in practice and Black has tried to complete his
development after many different move-orders.

About 7...Qe7 8.c3 g6 9.a4 a5 10.0-0 Bg7 11.e5 – see 7...g6.

The rather risky move 7...g5 can be countered very effectively by White having in mind his superior
development. 8.c3 Bg7 (Black’s other possibility here backfires after 8...g4 9.Ne5 h5 10.0-0 Nc6
11.Nxc6 Bxc6 12.Qe2²) 9.0-0 d6. Here, it would be very promising for White to choose 10.Qa4+ Nd7,
Hebden – Pritchett, Birmingham 2006, 11.Bb5 Qe7 12.Bc6 Bxc6 13.Qxc6 0-0 14.Rfd1², taking control
over the light squares, weakened after the exchange of the bishop on b7.
7...g6 8.a4

27
 After 8...Bg7 9.a5 0-0 10.a6 Bc8 11.c3², the march of White’s pawn to the a6-square will create
havoc in Black’s position.
8...a6 9.e5 Qd8 (9...Qe7 10.Nc4 Bg7 11.0-0²) 10.0-0 d5 (Black must place his pawn on d5 anyway:
10...Nc6 11.c3 Bg7 12.Be4²) 11.a5 b5 (11...Nd7 12.c4 dxc4 13.Nxc4 b5 14.Ncd2², with a better
pawn-structure for White) 12.Qe2 Nd7 13.c3 c5 14.dxc5 Nxc5 15.Bc2² Black’s bishops are restricted
by the pawn-chains, while White’s knights have an excellent outpost on the d4-square. After occupying
it he will begin the preparation of a pawn-offensive on the kingside.
8...a5 9.e5

After 9...Qd8 10.0-0 Bg7, the simplest for White would be to exchange the bishops: 11.Be4 Bxe4
12.Nxe4 0-0 13.Re1² It is essential that the b5-square is potentially weak in Black’s camp, which
obliges him to be very accurate in his attempts to undermine the enemy centre.

28
 9...Qe7 10.0-0 Bg7. With a queen on e7, it would be much easier for Black to undermine his
opponent’s centre with d7-d6, Nb8-d7 and Ra8-d8, therefore, White refrains from the trade of the
bishops in favour of the line: 11.c3 0-0 12.Nc4² Black’s queen does not protect his b6-pawn, so the
move d7-d6 is impossible at the moment, which guarantees an advantage for White.

7...Qd8. If Black refrains from developing his bishop to g7, White will have an attack on the
kingside. 8.Qe2 Be7 9.0-0-0

After 9...c5, White has the powerful argument 10.d5 exd5 11.exd5 Bxd5 12.Qe5ƒ Kosten – Rotstein,
Paris 1994.
The move 9...0-0 enables White to begin a direct pawn-offensive against the enemy king: 10.g4 c5
11.h4ƒ
9...d6 10.h4 Nd7 11.g4. Now, Black cannot castle kingside and must either evacuate his king to the
queenside, or try to take care about its safety in the centre. White’s position is so good however, that he
will develop easily his initiative in both cases: 11...Nf6, Palatnik – Tukmakov, Kislovodsk 1982,
12.Rhg1 Qd7 13.Kb1 0-0-0 14.Ba6², or 11...Nf8 12.d5 and Black will be faced with a rather
unpleasant choice: 12...a6 13.Nd4!? Bxh4 14.f4ƒ; 12...e5 13.Bb5+ Nd7 14.Nc4 a6 15.Bc6² Manolache
– Chekletsov, Budapest 2017; 12...exd5 13.exd5 Bxd5. Black’s king is stranded in the centre, so White
begins an attack with all his forces: 14.Ne4 c6 (14...Ne6 15.Bb5+ c6 16.Rxd5±) 15.Kb1 Qc7 16.Bb5!ƒ

The move 7...Nc6 prepares an immediate castling queenside for Black. 8.e5 Qe7 (It would be too
passive for him to choose here 8...Qd8 9.0-0 Be7 10.c3 0-0 11.Qe2² Black’s knight on c6 is obviously
misplaced and he will need to lose plenty of valuable tempi to redeploy it to a comfortable square.) 9.c3

29
 Following 9...g5 10.h3 0-0-0, White can play 11.a4 and Black will be forced to prevent the pawn-
break a4-a5. 11...a5 12.Qe2 f5 13.Ba6 Kb8 14.Bxb7 Kxb7 15.0-0-0² After White places his knight on
c4, he will have the powerful threat d4-d5.
9...d6 10.0-0 dxe5. Black plays this move with the idea to open at first the d-file and to castle
queenside only later. White can prevent however his opponent’s ambitious plan. 11.Bb5!? 0-0-0 (If
Black tries to get rid of the rather unpleasant pin in another way 11...a6 12.Bxc6+ Bxc6 13.Nxe5 Bb7
14.Re1 0-0-0 15.a4ƒ, then White gains tempi to organise an offensive.) 12.Qa4 Nb8 (12...Qd6 13.Nc4
Qd5 14.Ne3 Qd6 15.Rfd1ƒ) 13.Nxe5 a6 14.Be2² Black’s forces are squeezed to protect his
weaknesses and White’s game is much more pleasant.

7...c5 8.e5 Qd8 9.Be4

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 9...Bxe4 10.Nxe4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nc6 12.Nxc6 dxc6 13.Qf3². The powerful knight on e4 provides
White with an advantage.
9...Qc7, Levenfish – Rabinovich, St Petersburg 1921, 10.Qe2 Bxe4 (In the variation 10...Ba6 11.c4
Nc6 12.d5 exd5 13.Bxd5 0-0-0 14.0-0², White’s bishop on d5 is very powerful.) 11.Qxe4 Nc6 12.d5
exd5 13.Qxd5 0-0-0 (13...Be7 14.0-0 0-0 15.Nc4²) 14.0-0-0 d6 15.e6 fxe6 16.Qxe6+ Kb7 17.Nc4²
White’s knight is stronger than Black’s bishop and this provides White with long-term pressure in
addition to his complete control over the d5-square.

8.Qe2

8...a6

About 8...Qd8 9.h4 Be7 10.0-0-0 – see 7...Qd8.

Following 8...e5 9.c3 Be7, Yarmysty – Bilych, Chernivtsi 2016, it would be interesting for White to
try 10.Nf1!? with the idea to occupy with this knight the weakened f5-square. 10...Nd7 (10...exd4
11.Nxd4 and Black’s knight cannot go to c4: 11...0-0 12.Ne3 Nd7 13.Ng4 Qf4 14.g3 Qg5 15.f4 Qg6
16.0-0²) 11.Ne3 Qg6 12.Nf5²

The move 8...Nd7 enables White to exchange the enemy bishop protecting the light squares: 9.Ba6
Bxa6 10.Qxa6 Qd8, Delorme – Moussard, Paris 2017, 11.0-0 Be7 12.Rfe1²

In one of the games against a famous German grandmaster Black played 8...g5 9.h3 Bg7 10.c3 a6
(White is again better after 10...Nd7 11.Ba6 Bxa6 12.Qxa6 0-0 13.0-0²) 11.0-0-0 Nd7, Huebner –
Werle, Wolvega 2006. Here, the best for White would be to redeploy his knights: 12.Nc4 0-0-0 (After
12...b5, White can trade the important enemy bishop: 13.Na5 Rb8 14.Nxb7 Rxb7 15.Kb1 c5 16.h4²)
13.Ne3 a5 14.Nd2² With a knight on the e3-square, Black must watch carefully about the d5 and f5-

31
squares, therefore, he has no pawn-breaks in the centre. Meanwhile, White’s plan includes the
exchange of the light-squared bishops and the preparation of the advance of his f and h-pawns.

8...g6 9.a4

9...a6 10.0-0 Bg7, Tregubov – Bauer, Germany 2015. Here, White can obtain certain positional
pluses by organising a pawn-offensive on Black’s queenside: 11.a5 b5 (11...0-0 12.axb6 cxb6 13.c3²)
12.Rac1 0-0 13.c4²
9...a5 10.e5 Qd8 11.exd6

After 11...cxd6, only one of Black’s pieces is in action, while White can sacrifice his bishop on g6.
12.0-0 Bg7 (His offensive is again very dangerous in the variation 12...Be7 13.Rfe1 0-0 14.Bxg6!? fxg6
15.Qxe6+ Rf7 16.Qxg6+ Rg7 17.Qxh6ƒ White has already three pawns for the piece and his attack

32
continues.) 13.Bxg6!? fxg6 14.Qxe6+ Qe7 (14...Kf8 15.Rfe1 Bf6 16.Ne4 Bxe4 17.Qxe4 Ra7
18.Qxg6ƒ Black has numerous weaknesses in his position and his king is horribly vulnerable.)
15.Qxg6+ Kd8 16.Rfe1 Qf6 17.Qg4ƒ Black has problems to coordinate his forces, while White will
deploy his knight on e4 with his next move.
11...Bxd6. Capturing with the bishop is safer for the sake of defence of Black’s king, but White can
play in a positional way and trade the bishops. 12.Be4 Bxe4 13.Nxe4 0-0 (White can counter 13...Nd7
with 14.Qb5!? and the move 14...0-0? loses for Black because of 15.Qxd7!, while after 14...f5, White
has the resource 15.Ned2 0-0 16.0-0², followed by exerting pressure against the e6-pawn.) 14.0-0-0!?
Nd7 (14...Qe7 15.Qe3 Kg7 16.h4²) 15.Ne5 Kg7 16.h4ƒ with pressure for White.

9.0-0-0 Nd7 10.Kb1

10...e5

Following 10...g6 11.h4 Bg7 12.h5 g5 13.c3², Black cannot castle queenside, but his attempt to
evacuate his king to the kingside is rather precarious as well.

11.c3 Be7 12.Nc4 0-0

33
 This position was reached in the famous game Korchnoi – Karpov, Hastings 1972 and after 13.Bc2!?,
Victor Lvovich won it, remaining with a moral victory in the unbelievable race between the two
remarkable grandmasters in the super-tournament in England. White can act however, even more
resolutely: 13.Ne3 Rfe8 (Black’s counter actions would be too slow after 13...b5 14.h4 c5 15.d5 c4
16.Bc2², and White’s offensive is much faster.) 14.h4 exd4 (The development are clearly in favour of
White after 14...Bf8 15.d5 c6 16.g4ƒ, therefore, Black must open the centre.) 15.Nxd4 Bf8 16.f3 c5
(The other way of undermining White’s centre would not work for Black 16...d5 17.exd5 Qf4 18.Ndf5
g6 19.g3 Qe5 20.f4± and his queen is ousted away.) 17.Ndf5 d5 18.f4 g6 19.e5. Here, Black can win
material with a temporary piece-sacrifice. 19...Nxe5 20.fxe5 Qxe5, but after 21.Qf2 gxf5 22.Nxf5ƒ,
White has powerful initiative for the pawn. If Black’s queen retreats to the f6-square, then White will
follow with g4-g5 and will place his rook on h1 to the f1-square, creating dangerous threats against the
enemy king.

B) 2...d6 3.Bxf6

34
 3...gxf6

3...exf6 4.e3

The move 4...g6 transposes to the variation 2...g6 3.Bхf6 eхf6 and 4...d6, which will be analysed in
Chapter 2, therefore here, we will pay attention in details to the capturing with the g-pawn.
In the lines: 4...f5 5.g3 Nd7 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.c4 and 4...c6 5.c4 f5 6.Nc3 Nd7 7.g3, Black will have to
play g7-g6 anyway; otherwise, his dark-squared bishop will remain misplaced and will not be able to
help in the organisation of Black’s counterplay against White’s standard plan connected with an
offensive on the queenside. We deal with similar positions in the chapter with the move 2...g6.
In the same chapter you can see how to plan your actions after Black plays 4...d5 – there arise
practically identical positions (with the exception of the placement of Black’s g-pawn), but with a pawn

35
on g7, Black’s possibilities to deploy his bishops actively are clearly diminished.
There arise original positions only after 4...Be7, but as we have already mentioned earlier, Black’s
bishop is misplaced on this square and will remain passive. It would be enough for White to follow
with a classical “Trompowsky” set-up in order to obtain an advantage: 5.c4 0-0 6.Nc3 f5 7.g3 c6
8.Nge2 Nd7 9.Bg2 Nf6 10.0-0 Re8 11.b4 Bf8 12.b5², with powerful pressure on the queenside,
M.Nikolov – Peev, Plovdiv 2007.

4.e3

4...e5
Black plans to occupy the centre with his pawns.
After 4...f5, White can continue with his standard flexible set-up: 5.Ne2 Nd7 6.c4 Nf6 7.g3 Bg7
8.Bg2 0-0 9.Nbc3², followed by the advance of the queenside pawns supported by the long-range
bishop on g2, Borges Feria – Pazos Gambarrotti, Santa Clara 2017.

4...c6 5.c4

36
 After 5...Qb6 6.Qd2 Bf5, White can also continue with his standard plan 7.Nc3 Nd7 8.g3 Bg7 9.Bg2
0-0 10.Nge2²
If Black deploys his pawns in the spirit of the Dutch Defence 5...f5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Qc2 0-0 8.Bd3 e6
9.Nge2 d5, then it would be very attractive for White to play 10.g4!?

10...dxc4 11.Bxc4 b5 11...fxg4 12.h3ƒ and Black will have to give back the pawn, since he cannot
allow the opening of the h-file.) 12.Bd3 Na6 13.gxf5 Nb4 14.Qd2 Nxd3+ 15.Qxd3²
10...fxg4 11.h3 g3 (11...gxh3? 12.Bxh7+ Kh8 13.Rxh3+–) 12.Nxg3 Kh8 13.Rg1ƒ
10...Na6 11.gxf5 Nb4 12.Qd1 e5 (12...Nxd3+ 13.Qxd3 dxc4 14.Qxc4 exf5 15.Nf4²) 13.dxe5 Bxe5
14.Rg1+ Kh8 15.cxd5 Nxd5 (Black’s attempt to organise counterplay 15...Qh4 16.a3 Nxd5 17.Nxd5
cxd5, can be parried by White with 18.Nd4!? Bxd4 19.Rg4!ƒ) 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.e4² The opening of
the g-file enables White to begin active actions without any particular counterplay by Black.

37
 It is possible for Black to fortify his kingside 4...Bf5 5.Bd3 Bg6 (but not 5...Qd7?, because of 6.Qf3!
Bxd3 7.Qxb7 Ba6 8.Qxa8 Qb5 9.Nd2+– Thuesen – Bogdanov, Taastrup 2000) 6.Ne2

6...e5, Gierden – Bosbach, Germany 1991, 7.c4 Nc6 8.Nbc3 Bg7. Now, White can emphasize the
defects of the placement of Black’s bishop on g6 with the line: 9.h4 h5 (The dangers for Black of the
advance of White’s rook-pawn can be seen in the variation 9...Qd7 10.h5 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 f5 12.h6 Bf8
13.Nd5 0-0-0 14.Rh5±) 10.d5 Ne7 11.Ng3 f5 12.Be2² and Black will have problems with the pawn on
h5.
6...Nd7. In this position White can also attack the enemy bishop on g6 with 7.h4 e6 8.c4 c6 9.Nbc3

Black’s g6-square becomes horribly weak after 9...h5?! 10.Bxg6 fxg6 11.Nf4 Kf7 12.Qc2 Rg8
13.d5±

38
 Following 9...Bxd3 10.Qxd3 f5, White can begin his standard pawn-offensive on the queenside.
11.Rb1 Bg7 (Black’s attempt to stop the advance of the enemy b-pawn only slows down the things a
bit... 11...a5 12.g3 Bg7 13.0-0 0-0 14.Rfd1 Qe7 15.Nf4 Nf6 16.a3 and he cannot play 16...a4?, because
of 17.Qc2 and Black loses a pawn.) 12.b4 0-0 13.g3² After the appearance of White’s bishop on g2 he
can begin the attack against Black’s pawn-chain on the queenside with the move b4-b5.
9...d5 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Nf4 Bxd3 12.Nxd3 f5 13.Qb3 Rb8 14.Rc1 a6 15.g3 Bd6 16.Ne2 0-0 17.Nef4
Nf6 18.Kf1² White’s king will be perfectly placed on g2 and having in mind that he exerts pressure
against the enemy b7-pawn, the great mobility of his knights and the fact that he has occupied the open
c-file before his opponent, White’s prospects can be evaluated as much better.

5.Nc3

5...c6

Black can try to exploit the c6-square for his knight: 5...Nc6 6.Nge2 Bg7 7.Qd2 0-0 8.0-0-0, but after
8...f5 9.dxe5, it would be bad for Black to choose 9...dxe5?! 10.Qхd8 Rхd8 11.Rхd8 Nхd8 12.Nd5 and
after the exchange of the bishop on c8 and g2-g3 and Bf1-h3, Black’s f5-pawn will come under an
attack. On the other hand White is better after 9...Nxe5 10.Nf4², as well as following 9...Bxe5 10.Kb1
Be6 11.f4 Bg7 12.Ng3², exerting pressure against the weak enemy f5-pawn.

6.Nf3 Bg7

White should not be afraid of the pin after 6...Bg4, because the line: 7.h3 Bh5 8.g4 Bg6 9.d5², would
enable him to begin the occupation of the weak light squares in the centre, Poseck – Nocke, Germany
1994.

7.Nh4

39
 White begins an immediate fight against the f5-square. Now, Black cannot develop his bishop on c8
to a good position.
7...f5 8.Qh5!? exd4 9.exd4

9...Bxd4
The move 9...Qe7+ can be countered by White with the elegant response 10.Kd2! Qf6 11.Re1+ Kd8
12.Kc1 and his king is quite safe, which cannot be said for its black counterpart.

10.0-0-0 Qf6

If Black gives up the extra material 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3 h6, then White even ends up with an extra
pawn. 12.Nxf5 Bxf5 13.Qxf5 Qg5+ 14.Qxg5 hxg5 15.Rxd6²

40
 11.Bd3 Bxc3

About 11...Nd7 12.Bxf5 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Kd8 14.Rd3 – see 11...Bxc3.

12.bxc3

12...Kd8 (The move 12...f4 cannot stop White’s offensive 13.Bf5 Nd7 14.Rd4ƒ, while castling
kingside would be suicidal for Black.) 13.Bxf5 Nd7 (He should better avoid 13...Kc7 14.Bxc8 Rxc8
15.Nf5 d5 16.Rhe1ƒ) 14.Rd3! Kc7 15.Rhd1ƒ The attack against the d6-square and the possible
inclusion of the rook on d3 on the third rank enables White to rely on a successful result of his pressure.

С) 2...c6 3.Bxf6
This is the simplest decision for White.

41
 3...gxf6

If Black captures on f6 with his e-pawn 3...exf6, then White must fight for the f5-square with 4.c4 d5
5.cxd5

5...cxd5 6.Nc3 Bb4 (6...Nc6 7.e3 Bb4 8.Bd3 0-0 9.Nge2²) 7.Rc1 0-0 8.e3 Bf5 9.Bd3 Bxd3
10.Qxd3² Bauer – Svane, Basel 2017. White has a more pleasant position in view of the vulnerability
of the enemy d5-pawn, which must be protected by Black to the end of the game.
5...Qxd5 6.Nc3

42
 6...Bb4 7.e3 0-0 8.Nf3 Qa5 (8...Bg4 9.Be2 Nd7 10.0-0 Qa5 11.Qc2² Tahaoglu – Aysoy, Konya
2017) 9.Qc2 Be6 (9...Bf5 10.Bd3 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 Nd7 12.0-0² Gonzalez Nahuel – Izquierdo,
Montevideo 2010. White’s position is preferable thanks to his superior pawn-structure and good
prospects on the queenside after the move a2-a3.) 10.Bd3 g6 11.a3 Nd7 12.h4 c5 (or 12...Bxc3+
13.Qxc3 and the endgame is better for White) 13.0-0 Bxc3 14.Qxc3 Qxc3 15.bxc3² White has a better
pawn-structure. In the arising endgame he can create pressure on the b-file and advance his rook-pawn
a3-a4-a5.
6...Qa5 7.e3 Bd6 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Bd3 Be6 (Following 9...f5 10.0-0 Nd7, it would be interesting for
White to play here 11.d5!?, creating a threat against the enemy f5-pawn and if 11...Nf6 12.dxc6 bxc6
13.Qc2², then Black will be doomed to protect his c6-pawn.) 10.0-0 Nd7 11.Nd2 Qc7 12.h3² White’s
plan includes the moves Rac1, Qf3 and his knight can be deployed on c4, or on e4 and after an
appropriate piece-preparation his queenside pawns will go forward.

4.e3

43
 We will analyse now C1) 4...d5 and C2) 4...Qb6.

C1) 4...d5 5.c4 Bg7

About 5...Qb6 6.Qc1 – see 4...Qb6.

5...e5 6.Nc3 Be6 (6...Bb4 7.Nf3 Be6 8.Qb3 Qa5 9.Be2 Nd7 10.0-0² and Black’s king will be
endangered no matter where he chooses to castle.) 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.Bb5+ Nc6 9.Nge2² Israel – S.Foisor,
Bethune 1999.

The move 5...Rg8 seems to be quite successful for Black if we consider the statistical data, but this
has nothing to do with the objective evaluation of this position. A move like this, depriving Black of the
possibility to castle kingside, cannot be sufficient for equality. 6.cxd5

44
 6...cxd5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.g3 e6 9.Bd3 f5 10.Nf3² White has a slight, but long-term advantage thanks to
his superior development.
6...Qxd5 7.Nc3 Qa5 8.Nge2 Nd7 (Black would not achieve much if he opens the position 8...e5
9.dxe5 fxe5 10.Ng3 Bb4 11.Qc2 Be6 12.Bd3 h6 13.0-0², followed by the exchange of the bishops with
Bh7-f5.) 9.Ng3 e6 10.Bd3 f5 11.0-0 Nf6 12.Nh5. Black’s bishop on c8 is so bad that all the possible
exchanges of minor pieces are in favour of White. 12...Be7 (Black should not forget that his king has
not castled yet: 12...Nxh5 13.Qxh5 Rg7 14.e4 Qb4 15.exf5 Qxd4 16.Rad1‚ with a powerful attack for
White running completely unopposed.) 13.Nxf6+ Bxf6 14.Qf3², followed by centralisation of the
rooks and the advance of the queenside pawns.

5...e6. Black closes his bishop on c8 with this move. 6.Nc3

45
 About 6...Nd7 7.Nf3 f5 – see 6...f5.
If Black plays in the spirit of the Dutch Defence 6...f5 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.Rc1 a6, it can be recommended
to White to continue with 9.c5 Bg7 10.Bd3 0-0 11.0-0² and later b2-b4, a2-a4 and b4-b5, V.Gusev –
Shvedchikov, Vibor 1978.
Following 6...b6, it would be timely for White to choose 7.cxd5, having in mind that it would be bad
for Black to capture with his e6-pawn, leaving his pawn on f5 isolated and weak. 7...cxd5, Szymanski –
Malaniuk, Krakow 1999. Now, White can guarantee his advantage with the line: 8.Rc1 Nd7 9.Bd3,
threatening Nb5 and freeing the f1-square for the possible retreat of his king after an eventual check.
9...a6 10.f4² with excellent prospects on the kingside.

5...Bf5 6.Qb3

The move 6...Qd7 is not so good for Black. 7.Nc3 e6 8.Nf3 Bd6 9.Rc1² Bombek – Banas, Slovakia
1997.
After 6...Qc7, White maintains in all the variations a slight but stable edge. 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.Bb5+ Nd7
9.Ne2 e6 10.0-0 a6 11.Rc1 Qd6 12.Bxd7+ Qxd7. Black has managed to exchange his opponent’s
second bishop as well, but White’s cavalry is much stronger in this closed position with numerous good
squares for the knights. 13.Nbc3 b5 14.Ng3 Bg6 15.h4 h5 16.Nce2²
6...Qb6 7.Qxb6 axb6 8.cxd5 Bxb1. Capturing the enemy knight would not facilitate Black’s defence
(8...cxd5 9.Nc3 e6, Heinemann – Sahlender, Schleswig Holstein 1989, 10.Rc1², with a better endgame
for White due to Black’s compromised pawn-structure). 9.Rxb1 Rxa2 10.Bc4 Ra4. This is Black’s best
chance (It would be too passive for him to choose here 10...Ra8 11.Nf3² and Black’s pawn-structure is
horribly disrupted.). 11.Bd3 e6 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Ke2² with good prospects for White thanks to his
more flexible and compact pawn-structure.

6.Nc3

46
 After the hasty move 6...0-0, it seems good for White to follow with the queen-sortie 7.Qh5, from
where it can not only support his attack against the enemy king, but can also exert pressure against the
d-pawn. 7...e5 (After the more modest line: 7...e6 8.Nf3 Nd7, White can prevent the enemy knight
from occupying the f6-square with the move 9.g4ƒ and continue to develop his initiative.) 8.Bd3 h6
9.Nge2², followed by the occupation of the f5-square.

6...e6, Schneider – Korobov, Karlsruhe 2016. Now, the best for White would be to try an immediate
transfer of his knight on g1 to the h5-square. 7.Nh3!? f5 (After 7...e5?! 8.cxd5 Bxh3 9.gxh3 cxd5
10.Rg1±, White can exploit advantageously the opened g-file; 7...0-0 8.Nf4 Kh8 9.Nh5 Rg8 10.Nxg7
Rxg7 11.g3² with a better position for him in view of the vulnerable enemy king.) 8.Nf4 0-0 8...Bh6
9.Qf3 Qe7 10.Rc1²) 9.Nh5²

C2) 4...Qb6
After Black has already played c7-c6, it would be logical for him to develop his queen to b6 in order
to attack the b2-square.
5.Qc1

47
 5...d5

The march of Black’s central pawn 5...e5 6.Nf3 e4 (6...d6 7.c4 Bg4 8.Nbd2 Nd7 9.Qc2², and White
continues calmly with his development.) weakens the f5 and f4-squares and White can exploit this
immediately: 7.Nh4!? d5 8.c4 Be6 9.Nc3 f5 (It is more or less the same after 9...Nd7 10.Be2 Bh6
11.g3²) 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.g3 Nc6 12.Ng2 0-0-0 13.Bb5 Kb8 and the exchange on c6 emphasizes the
superiority of White’s cavalry over Black’s bishop in this closed position in which White has the
excellent f4-square for his knight: 14.Bxc6 Qxc6 (14...bxc6 15.0-0²) 15.0-0²

6.c4 e5

The line: 6...Bf5 7.Nf3 e6, Skvortsov – V.Kovalenko, Borisoglebsk 2008 (7...Nd7 8.Be2 dxc4
9.Nbd2 Qc7 10.Nxc4 e6 11.0-0²) 8.Nbd2 Nd7 9.Be2 Be7 10.0-0², frees White’s hands for his
queenside pawn-offensive, where he will attack with tempo the enemy queen.

48
 This position was reached in the game Ivanisevic – Kozul, Neum 2004.

7.Nf3 Bg4

After 7...e4 8.Nh4, White’s knight will be headed for the f4-square following g2-g2 and Nh4-g2.

8.Be2 e4

In the variation 8...Nd7 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.Nc3 Rc8 11.Qd2², Black’s central pawns are obviously
weak.

9.Ng1 Be6

He should better avoid 9...Bf5 10.Nc3 Rg8 11.g3² and Black must protect his d5-pawn.

10.Nh3
Now, suddenly White’s knight occupies a square attacked by Black’s bishop, but if he exchanges the
knight, the main defender of his d5-square would disappear off the board.

49
 10...Bb4+

After 10...Bh6 11.0-0 Rg8 12.Kh1², White plans Nc3-a4-c5 as well as the undermining move f2-f3.

10...Bхh3 11.gхh3 Nd7. Now the move 12.Nc3² emphasizes immediately Black’s problems with his
d5-pawn and the light squares in his camp.

11.Nc3 Bxh3 12.gxh3 Rg8 13.a3 Bxc3+ 14.Qxc3²

Black has prevented his opponent from castling kingside, but White will easily evacuate his king to
the queenside, while Black will be incapable of doing this due to the exchange c4xd5. It is also in
favour of White that after castling queenside he will manage to fight for the g-file with the classical

50
manoeuvre Rg1-g3.

In fact, it would be only the fianchetto of Black’s queen-bishop, which may deflect White from his
general plan, but even then, he obtains easily a very promising position. The Trompowsky Attack has a
profound positional basis, so Black would be incapable of refuting it with any dubious sidelines.

51
 Chapter 2
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3

Quick Repertoire

The Trompowsky Attack has appeared, from the point of view of history, as a weapon against the
KID and the Gruenfeld Defence. If Black advances his g-pawn on his second move, then White
disrupts immediately his pawn-chain and then deploys his pawns on the dark squares, restricting the
enemy bishop. Later, with the help of his sniper-bishop on g2, he begins an offensive against the enemy
queenside.
The move 2...g6 was not in the focus of the theory of the Trompowsky Attack for a long time, but
lately there appeared some valuable ideas in the development of this variation by several contemporary
grandmasters. Even Vladimir Kramnik played like this once.

After 4...d5 5.c4 dxc4 6.Bxc4 Bd6 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Nf3 Nd7 9.0-0 Nb6 10.Bb3 Re8, Black relies on the
solidity of his position and White must occupy the centre if he wishes to obtain an advantage. 11.e4.
Black counters this with an immediate strike 11...c5!? Still, White’s pieces are well placed and he
manages to obtain an edge 12.Re1 cхd4 13.Qхd4 Be6 14.Red1 Bf4 15.Bхe6 fхe6 16.Qb4 Qe7
17.Qb3, which is a line which has not been tested in practice yet.

If Black continues in his attempts to build a King’s Indian set-up, then White follows his plan, having
in mind some nuances. 4...f5 5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.Ne2 d5 8.0-0 c6 9.Nd2 Nd7 10.c4 dxc4 11.Nxc4
Nf6 12.Nf4 Qe7 13.a4 Rd8 14.Rc1 Ne4 15.Qc2 or 11...Nb6 12.Rc1 Be6 13.Na5 Rb8 14.Nf4 Bc8
15.Nb3 Bh6 16.Nc5, planning to organise an offensive against the enemy queenside.

52
 With a black pawn on d6 4...Bg7 5.g3 d6 6.Bg2 f5 7.Ne2 0-0 8.0-0 Nd7 9.c4 Nf6 10.Nbc3 Re8,
White’s queenside pawns should again begin an attack against the enemy fortifications 11.b4 c6 12.b5
Bd7 13.Rb1 Qa5 14.Qd3 Rac8 15.a4 Be6 16.Nf4, seizing the initiative.

Still, despite all the efforts and the help of the computer programs, the move 2...g6 is not among
Black’s best reactions against the Trompowsky Attack. White’s plan is quite simple and can be realised
easily on the board both by quite young players as well as by experienced chess veterans.

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 Chapter 2
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3

Step by Step

We will analyse now: A) 4...d5, B) 4...f5 and C) 4...Bg7.

The move 4...d6, after transposition of moves, leads to schemes, analysed after the move 4...Bg7 in
variation C. For example: 5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.Ne2 f5 8.0-0.

A) 4...d5
It is logical for Black to continue his fight for the centre, but White undermines immediately Black’s
position.
5.c4 dxc4

The alternatives are not so popular for Black.

5...Bb4+. His dark-squared bishop is the pride of his position, so it would be hardly reasonable for
him to exchange it. 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Qb3 Bxc3+ 8.Qxc3 Re8 9.Nf3 Bg4 10.Be2 c6 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3
dxc4 13.0-0 Nd7 (After 13...b5 14.a4, Black’s queenside pawn-structure will be in ruins.) 14.Qxc4 f5
15.b4² Garcia Palermo – Cristobal, Mar del Plata 2001. Obtaining a position like this, with a potential
pawn-minority attack, supported by the powerful light-squared bishop, is the dream of all the admirers
of the Trompowsky Attack.

54
 After 5...c6, White will force his opponent to exchange on c4 anyway. 6.Nc3 dxc4 (The defects of
the move 6...Bg7? 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.Qb3± Kasparov – Schuster, Moenchengladbach (simul) 2016, were
emphasized convincingly by the legendary World Champion.) 7.Bxc4 Bd6 (After the routine move
7...Bg7?!, it would be very promising for White to continue with 8.h4! h5 9.Nge2 Nd7 10.Nf4 Nb6
11.Bb3ƒ Schulz – Kunz, Berlin 2007. Black has difficulties due to the vulnerability of his g6-pawn.)
8.Qc2

8...0-0. Black’s immediate castling just provokes White to begin a rapid flank attack 9.h4!? b5
(Black’s prophylactic measures are already too slow to help: 9...Bg4 10.h5! Bxh5? 11.Rxh5 gxh5
12.Qf5 Kg7 13.0-0-0 Nd7 14.Qxh5 Nb6 15.Bb3 f5 16.Nf3 Qf6 17.Nh4+– with the decisive inclusion
of all White’s pieces in the attack against the enemy king, or 10...Kg7 11.Nge2 Nd7 12.f3 Nb6
13.Bxf7 Rxf7 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.fxg4‚ with a powerful attack.). Black has managed to oust the
powerful enemy bishop from its threatening position, but has not solved his problems yet. 10.Be2 h5
(After 10...Na6 11.h5 Nb4 12.Qd2 Nd5, it seems very aesthetic for White to choose the move 13.Kf1!
² – his knight on c3 is not pinned anymore, so he should not be afraid of the enemy bishop-sortie to b4
and can begin an attack against Black’s weak c6-pawn.) 11.Bf3 Bf5 12.Qd1 Qa5 13.Nge2 Re8 14.0-0²
Black’s risky move with his b-pawn has obviously backfired.
8...Qe7 9.Nf3 (In the game Rapport – Cheparinov, Camarinas 2013, Black won after the move 9.h3
in a complicated fight, keeping his king in the centre.).

55
 Following 9...Bg4 10.h3 Bхf3 11.gхf3 Nd7 12.0-0-0, White will be well prepared to attack Black’s
kingside with his f and h-pawns and the presence of bishops of opposite colours on the board only
enhances his potential attack. Black can try to set up a tactical trick 9...0-0 10.h4 Bf5!? 11.e4, but
White has all the resources to cope with this hasty operation: 11...Bxe4 12.Nxe4 f5 13.Kf1 Qxe4
(13...fxe4 14.Re1²) 14.Qc3 Qe7 15.Re1 Qf6 16.Ng5 Na6 17.Bxf7+ Rxf7 18.Re6 Qg7 19.Rxd6±, or
11...Re8 12.Kf1 Bg4 13.h5 g5 (Accepting the exchange-sacrifice 13...Bxh5 14.Rxh5 gxh5, would
enable White to settle the issue with a quick and deadly attack 15.e5! fxe5 16.Qf5 Nd7 17.Ng5 Nf6
18.Re1+–) 14.Nd2 Bf4 15.f3 Be6 16.Ne2 Bхd2 17.Bхe6 fхe6 18.Qхd2² White controls the centre and
preserves a quite harmonious position, so he is better.
9...Nd7 10.0-0 Nb6 11.Bb3 0-0 12.h3 Be6. Black has waited for his opponent to castle kingside and
manages to trade the light-squared bishops, parrying the threats against his king, but White can occupy
the centre at his turn. 13.e4 Bxb3 (After 13...Rfe8, he can play 14.Rfe1 with the idea to double the
rooks on the e-file.) 14.Qxb3 Rad8 (After the exchange of the queens 14...Qe6 15.Qxe6 fxe6 16.e5
fxe5 17.Ne4², the endgame would be in favour of White, while after 14...Rfe8, he would have again the
resource 15.a4.) 15.a4 Qe6 (otherwise; it would be rather unpleasant for Black to face the move a4-a5)
16.Qхe6 fхe6 17.a5 Nd7 18.a6 b6. White has fixed the enemy a7-pawn and despite the absence of
queens on the board, will have the possibility to seize the initiative: 19.d5! eхd5 20.Nd4 Rc8 21.eхd5
cхd5 22.Nхd5² Black will have to defend long and hard this endgame.

6.Bxc4

56
 6...Bd6

White’s bishop is eyeing the f7-square, so it would be rather dubious for Black to choose here
6...c5?! 7.Qb3 Qc7 (7...Qe7 8.Nc3 cxd4 9.Nd5ƒ) 8.Nc3 cxd4 9.Nb5ƒ and he lags considerably in
development.

It is again not so good for Black to keep his bishop behind his pawns 6...Bg7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Nge2 c5
(following 8...Nd7 9.h4 h5 10.Nf4 Nb6 11.Bb3ƒ, or 8...f5 9.Rc1 c6 10.h4ƒ, White has the initiative)
9.dxc5 Qa5 10.0-0 Qxc5 11.Qb3 Nc6 12.Bd5² Wojtaszek – Palhares, Evora 2007 and White’s bishop
is dominant in the centre.

7.Nc3

57
 7...0-0

After 7...f5, it is even stronger for White to continue with 8.h4 h5 9.Nf3 0-0 10.Ng5 Be7 11.Nd5!ƒ

It would be more flexible for Black to choose here 7...Nd7 (There arises transposition of moves after
7...c6.) 8.Nf3

8...0-0 9.0-0 f5 – see 7... 0-0.

8...Nb6 9.Bb3 Qe7 10.0-0 0-0 11.h3 Be6 12.e4² Rapport – Yu Yangyi, Danzhou 2016 and again, if
Black exchanges on b3, then White, having occupied the centre, will obtain an additional resource – a4-
a5, deploying comfortably his rooks in the centre.

58
 8.Nf3

Now already, after 8.h4, Black has the powerful argument 8...h5 9.Qc2 Kg7! Leko – Radjabov,
Linares 2004.

8...Nd7 9.0-0 Nb6

9...f5 10.Rc1 c6, Lenic – Tomashevsky, Berlin 2015, and here White should force the developments
in the centre with 11.d5!?

11...c5 (11...Qe7 12.Nd4 Ne5 13.Qe2 Rd8 14.Rfd1 c5 15.Ndb5 a6 16.Nxd6 Rxd6 17.a4²) 12.Be2
Nf6 13.Nd2 b6 14.Nc4 Bb7 15.Rc2!? Re8 16.Rd2 Ne4 17.Nxe4 and following 17...fxe4 18.a4², or
17...Rxe4 18.Qb3 Qd7 19.Bf3 Ree8 20.Rfd1², White’s position remains more promising – he can
improve it patiently, while Black’s pieces will be squeezed with the necessity to block the enemy d5-
pawn.

10.Bb3 Re8

10...Qe7 11.h3 – see 7...Nd7.

11.e4

59
 Black has tried in practice a strike against the enemy centre 11...c5!? Adianto – Wang, Groningen
1997. It is now essential for White to avoid the opening of the centre, because then Black’s long-range
bishops might become very powerful. The right continuation for him would be 12.Re1 cхd4 (After
12...Bg4, it would be already good for White to play 13.e5! fхe5 14.dхc5 Bхc5 15.Qхd8 Raхd8
16.Nхe5 Be6 17.Ne4 Be7 18.Bхe6 fхe6 19.Rac1² with an advantage in this endgame.) 13.Qхd4 Be6
14.Red1 Bf4 15.Bхe6 fхe6 16.Qb4 Qe7 17.Qb3², White preserves a realiable and slightly better
position.
His alternatives enable White to complete calmly the mobilisation of his forces and to begin active
operations 11...Bg4 12.h3 Bхf3 13.Qхf3 Qe7 14.Rfe1 c6 15.e5! fхe5 16.Ne4 Red8 17.Nхd6 Rхd6
18.dхe5 Rd2 19.e6ƒ, or 11...c6 12.Re1 a5 13.a3 Bf4 14.Qd3 a4 15.Ba2 Be6 16.g3 Bхa2 17.Nхa2 Bh6
18.Nc3 Qd7 19.Rad1², controlling completely the centre.

B) 4...f5 5.g3

60
 5...Bg7
Black continues to follow King’s Indian set-ups after different move-orders and deploy his bishop on
g7.
There arises transposition of moves to variation C after 5...d6 6.Bg2 Nd7 7.Ne2 Nf6 8.c4 Bg7
9.Nbc3 0-0 10.0-0, which we are going to analyse later.

The aggressive attempt 5...h5 6.h4 d6 7.Bg2 Nd7 8.Ne2 ensures a very good square for Black’s
bishop: 8...Bh6 (After 8...Nf6 9.c4 Bh6 10.Nbc3 0-0 11.Qd3 Re8, Sedlak – Popovic, Jahorina 2012,
12.0-0 Ng4 13.Nf4², White’s position is preferable and he is ready to attack on the queenside, while
the move 13.b4?! would enable Black to play the rather unpleasant move 13...g5!)

9.Qd3 0-0 10.c4 Nf6 11.Nbc3 Ng4, Sedlak – Safarli, Aix les Bains 2011, 12.b4² White’s trumps

61
should prevail in this position, because Black can hardly create any serious threats in view of White’s
resource Ne2-f4.

The calm move 5...d5 has been tried in practice against the author of this book 6.Bg2 c6 7.Ne2 Bd6
8.Nd2 Be6 9.0-0 Nd7, Kryakvin – Vishnu, Riga 2017,

and here, White’s most precise reaction would be 10.Rc1 0-0 (Black cannot prevent the enemy pawn-
advance c2-c4: 10...Nb6 11.b3, or 10...b5 11.b3 Ba3 12.Rb1²) 11.c4 dxc4 (The move 11...Nf6 enables
White to begin a pawn-offensive on the queenside with the move 12.c5²) 12.Nxc4 Bxc4 13.Rxc4 Nf6
14.a3² His pawn-structure is preferable. With the support of his bishop on g2 White plans to realise the
standard pawn-minority attack on the queenside.

6.Bg2 0-0 7.Ne2 d5

There arises another transposition to variation C after 7...d6.
8.0-0 c6 9.Nd2

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 9...Nd7
Black has tried in practice here the line: 9...Be6 10.Rc1 Nd7 11.c4 dxc4, Wen – Vyjayalakshmi,
Doha 2014, but White can attack advantageously the enemy light-squared bishop 12.Nf4!? Nb6
13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.Nxc4²

10.c4 dxc4

10...Nf6 11.cxd5 Nxd5 (Black is reluctant to remain with a weak pawn on d5.) 12.Nc3 Nb6 13.Nb3
Qe7 14.Nc5², 12...Nf6 13.Rc1 Re8 14.Nb3², or 12...Be6, Gormally – Kriebel, Sunningdale 2011,
13.Rc1 Rc8 14.Qa4² and White can create pressure against Black’s queenside.

11.Nxc4

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 11...Nf6

In some correspondence games Black has tried to capture on c4 with his knight, which seems a bit
risky from the human point of view 11...Nb6 12.Rc1 Be6 (12...Nxc4 13.Rxc4 Be6 14.Rc3²) 13.Na5
Rb8 (Following 13...Qe7, White can enter a position with bishops of opposite colours at an opportune
moment 14.Nf4 Rac8 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.b4² Scheele – Gyrard, ICCF 2011 with excellent prospects for
his bishop.) 14.Nf4 Bc8 15.Nb3 Bh6 16.Nc5 Bxf4 17.exf4 Re8 18.a4 Be6 19.a5 Nd7 20.Qa4 Nf6
21.a6² and White exerts rather unpleasant pressure on the queenside, Kuiper – Kazoks, ICCF 2015.

The move with Black’s knight to f6 was tested in the game Lintchevski – Kulon, Krakow 2015 and
here, the play of the grandmaster from Saint Petersburg could be improved with the line: 12.Nf4 Qe7
13.a4 Rd8 14.Rc1 Ne4 15.Qc2

64
 Now, if Black develops his bishop to e6, it would be immediately exchanged. White has excellent
resources against the enemy knight on f4 as well. For example: 15...g5 16.Nd3 Be6 17.Rfe1 Bd5 18.b3
Rac8 19.f3 Nd6 20.f4!? Bхg2 21.Qхg2² The presence of pawn-weaknesses for Black on the kingside
are decisive for the evaluation of the position.

C) 4...Bg7 5.g3

5...d6

The moves 5...d5 6.Bg2 f5 and 5...f5 have been analysed in variation B, while the line 5...0-0 6.Bg2
d6 leads to transposition.

65
 6.Bg2 f5 7.Ne2 0-0 8.0-0

8...Nd7

The move 8...c5 weakens the d5-square and is favourable for White. 9.c3 Nc6 (After 9...Nd7, Druska
– Hajek, Martin 2013, 10.Qc2 Nf6 11.c4!? Re8 12.Nbc3², he controls reliably the centre.) 10.Nd2 Bd7
11.a3 Qc7 (11...a5 12.a4²) 12.b4 Rad8 13.Qb3 b5 14.a4² and he has excellent prospects on the
queenside.

The other classical set-up for Black is 8...c6 9.c4 Nd7 (9...Be6 10.Nd2 Na6, Patton – Holmes,
Stillwater 2012, 11.Rb1 Nc7 12.b4²) 10.Nbc3 Re8

11.Qd3 (White should not be in a hurry with his pawn-offensive 11.b4?! Nb6! 12.c5 Nc4 and Black

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obtains a very good position.) 11...Nf6 12.b4 Qe7 (12...Bd7 13.a4 a5 14.b5 Rc8 15.Rab1² Garau –
Bizet, ICCF 2013. There arises a non-standard pawn-transformation for this variation following
12...Be6 13.a4 d5 14.c5 b6 15.cxb6 axb6 16.b5 Rc8 17.bxc6 Rxc6 18.Qb5² P.Lanin – Kos, ICCF 2013,
but White maintains his pressure anyway.) 13.a4 Ne4, Boehm – Landa, Paderborn 2016 (13...a5 14.b5
Qc7 15.Rab1² Stefanova – Klinova, Rethymno 2003) and here, White should inflict immediately a
strike against the enemy queenside 14.a5 h5 (14...a6 15.Na4 Bd7 16.Nb6 Rad8 17.Nf4²) 15.b5 h4
16.a6 cxb5 17.Nd5 Qd8 18.cxb5ƒ

9.c4 Nf6 10.Nbc3

10...Re8

If Black tries to hold on to the d5-square 10...c6 11.b4 Be6 12.Qd3 d5 13.cxd5 Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Bxd5
15.Bxd5 Qxd5, Hansen – Sylvan, Denmark 2015 (15...cxd5? 16.Qb5±) 16.Nf4², he will end up with a
bishop, which is restricted by the enemy pawns, against a very mobile white knight.

White can easily parry his opponent’s flank diversion 10...h5 11.b4 h4 12.a4 hxg3 13.hxg3 Ng4,
Buhmann – Poldauf, Nuremberg 2006, 14.Bf3!? Qg5 (14...Be6 15.Qb3 c6 16.a5²) 15.Kg2²

10...Qe7 11.Nd5!? Qd8 (Following 11...Nxd5 12.cxd5 Bd7 13.Rc1 Rfc8 14.Rc2², White will exert
pressure on the c-file.) 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6, Vitiugov – Svidler, St Petersburg 2012 (12...Qxf6 13.b4²)
13.b4 Be6 (The character of the fight will remain the same after 13...c5 14.bxc5 dxc5 15.Rb1², or
13...a5 14.b5²) 14.Rc1 c6 15.Nf4² White not only enjoys extra space, but also has numerous
possibilities to transform favourably his pawn-chain.

11.b4

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 11...c6

After 11...h5, White does not need to react in any way 12.b5 h4 13.Qd3 hxg3 14.hxg3 Ng4 15.Bf3!²
and he is also better after 11...Ne4 12.Qc2 Qe7 (12...Nxc3 13.Nxc3²) 13.b5²

12.b5 Bd7
Black’s attempt to create counterplay with 12...Ne4 13.Qc2 Qe7 14.Rab1 g5 15.bxc6 bxc6, Rausis –
Alvarez Abejon, Tres Cantos 2012, can be countered by White with the move 16.g4!±

13.Rb1 Qa5 14.Qd3

14...Rac8

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 It would be more or less the same after 14...Rab8 15.Rb2² Bosiocic – Panican, Trieste 2007, since
Black will have to defend on the queenside anyway.

15.a4 Be6 16.Nf4 Nd7 17.Rfc1 Nb6 18.Nce2² Laznicka – Mista, Berlin 2015. White’s game is
simple and comfortable.

We have already seen that Black often comes close to equality, but the character of the fight
precludes him from having any chances of seizing the initiative. Meanwhile, White’s play does not
involve any strategical risk. Therefore, the move 2...g6 cannot be often encountered at the grandmaster
level and the statistical results are obviously in favour of White, who follows easily his plan to attack
the enemy queenside.

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 Chapter 3
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.Bxf6

Quick Repertoire

The admirers of the Modern Benoni and the Benko Gambit would be no doubt reluctant to comply
with the necessity to play a non-standard position for them. Still, after 2...c5, Black’s queen is already
prepared to go to the b6-square in order to attack the enemy b2-pawn, weakened by White’s bishop-
sortie. Still, this aggressive attempt involves the risk of the compromising of Black’s pawn-structure.
White exchanges on f6, doubles his opponent’s pawns and later his play involves straightforward
development, followed by the attack of his opponent’s weaknesses.
Now, Black can capture on f6 in two different ways. After A) 3...gxf6, it becomes a very important
question for him where he will castle. His kingside has been weakened and White will send his knight
to the h5-square in numerous variations. On the other hand, if Black castles queenside, his defence
would be difficult as well, having in mind that White will organise an attack on the b-file. In addition, it
would be very difficult for Black to deploy his pawn-mass in the centre in a way that his pawns would
not become an object for attack for his opponent’s pieces. Meanwhile, White’s game s quite simple and
his set-up is just universal. He attacks the enemy h5-pawn, his knight goes to f4 and it all depends
where Black’s king will castle. For example: 4.d5 f5 5.c4 Bg7 6.Nc3 d6 7.e3 Nd7 8.Qc2 Qa5 9.Nf3

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 9...Nf6 10.Bd3 Ne4 11.Rc1 Nxc3 12.bxc3 0-0 and Black’s pawn on f5 becomes an excellent target
for White to begin a powerful attack. 13.h3 e6 14.g4 Qd8 15.Rg1 Qf6 16.Rg3. It is obvious that
Black’s king is seriously endangered. Maybe he could evacuate his king to the queenside and protect
his weak pawn with the economical move e7-e6? It turns out however that White’s attacking potential
is more important than the power of Black’s bishop-pair 9...Ne5 10.Nxe5 Bxe5 11.Bd3 Bd7 12.0-0 e6
13.f4 Bxc3 (Black is forced to exchange his super-important bishop; otherwise, White’s attack would
become very powerful 13...Bg7 14.e4 fxe4 15.Nxe4 Qb6 16.Rae1 0-0-0 17.Ng5.) 14.bxc3 0-0-0
15.dxe6 fxe6 16.e4 fxe4 17.Bxe4 Qc7 18.a4 Bc6 19.Bxc6 Qxc6 20.a5 and Black has great problems.

Accordingly, there is a popular line for Black to play in the spirit of the Benko Gambit – to sacrifice a
pawn in an attempt to seize the initiative. Still, his kingside weaknesses will not disappear and White
can always maintain better prospects by giving back the extra material at an opportune moment 9...b5
10.cxb5 Nb6 11.Nd2 a6 12.a4 0-0 13.Be2 axb5 (Black has already sacrificed a pawn and cannot
regain it easily. He should better refrain from 13...Bxc3 14.bxc3 Nxd5 15.c4 Nb4 16.Qb2 and White
emphasizes the vulnerability of the dark squares in his opponent’s camp.) 14.Bxb5 Ba6 15.Rc1 Rfb8
This is the critical position of the entire variation! Black has concentrated great forces on the queenside
and can counter 16.0-0 with the resource 16...Nxa4, but in fact, after the necessary prophylactic, White
can begin a counter attack on the other side of the board 16.g3 Qb4 17.0-0 Nxa4 18.Bxa6 Rxa6
19.Qxf5 Nxb2 20.Nde4 h6 21.g4 and once again, it becomes quite obvious that Black’s king is
mortally endangered.

Black’s attempts to seize the initiative are often connected with a queen-sortie to the b6-square, since
attacking the enemy b2-pawn provides him with some additional tactical resources: A2a) 4...Qb6
5.Qc1 Bh6 6.e3 f5,

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 with the clear intention to follow with the pawn-break f5-f4. White in his turn can try an exchange-
sacrifice with a really wild main variation 7.c4 f4 8.exf4 Bxf4 9.Qxf4 Qxb2 10.Ne2 Qxa1 11.Nec3 d6
(It is bad for Black to play here 11...Qb2? 12.d6 and his queenside is paralysed.) 12.Qd2. He has
captured a rook, but his queen is trapped, so Black’s attempt to save it leads to spectacular
complications 12...Rg8 13.g3 b5! 14.cxb5 a6 15.Be2 and here, after 15...Bh3 16.f4 axb5 17.Bxb5+
Kf8 18.Kf2, or 15...axb5 16.Bxb5+ Bd7 17.Bd3, there arises a quite unclear position in which if
Black does not follow the computer analysis, he might be immediately crushed. Meanwhile, White
usually wins in practice, since his actions are much simpler in a practical game. Black has achieved
some success though..., but mostly in correspondence games. On the other hand, it seems quite
reasonable for White to choose here the more modest line: 7.Ne2!? d6 8.c4 Nd7 9.Qc2 Nf6 10.Nbc3
e6 11.g3 Bd7 12.Bg2 0-0 13.0-0, with a slight but quite reliable edge.

Finally, correspondence players have made a thorough analysis of another line – A2c) 4...Qb6 5.Qc1
f5 6.c4 Bh6 7.Qc2 d6 8.Nc3 Nd7 9.Nf3.

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 Black’s f5-pawn is once again a serious defect of his position, so he is forced to change the pawn-
structure. In his turn, White obtains a lead in development 9...f4 10.g3 Nf6 11.gxf4 Bxf4 12.e3 Bg4
13.exf4 Bxf3 14.Rg1 Bh5 15.Rg3 0-0-0 16.f3! and despite his doubled f-pawns, White has the initiative
in all the lines thanks to the activity of his pieces.

Capturing with the other pawn B) 3...exf6 ensures Black’s possibility to castle safely kingside, but
weakens the central squares. After this, White has two possible strategies. One of them is calm and the
other is aggressive. The first of them can be seen in variation B1) 4.c3 d5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Ne2 Qb6 7.Qc1

7...Be6 8.Nd2 Rc8 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Nb3 Bd6 11.Ned4 0-0 12.Be2 Ne5 13.0-0 Rfd8 14.Rd1 and
here, if White manages to exchange advantageously several minor pieces, Black’s d5-pawn will
become really weak.

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 So, he is forced to play more concretely B1) 4.c3 Qb6 5.Qc2!? cxd4 6.cxd4 Nc6 7.e3 d5 8.Nc3

8...Bf5! (after 8...Be6 9.Nge2 Bd6 10.g3 0-0 11.Bg2, White maintains a stable advantage), forcing
his opponent to sacrifice a pawn if he wishes to fight for the initiative: 9.Bd3!? Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Qxb2
11.Rb1 Qa3 12.Nge2 Bb4 13.0-0 0-0 14.Rb3 Qa5 15.a3 Bxc3 16.Rxc3 and White has a long lasting
initiative, which is more than sufficient to compensate his minimal material deficit 16...Qd8 17.Rc5
Qd7 18.Rfc1 Rfd8 19.Qb5 etc.

If White wishes to achieve even more in a fight against an erudite adversary, he can try a new gambit
idea, which has been tested in practice in correspondence games. B2) 4.e3 Qb6 and here 5.Bc4!?

Black captures the sacrificed pawn 5...Qxb2, but it becomes quite obvious that White has great

74
compensation for it. His rook is developed to the b-file, his bishop is eyeing the enemy f7-pawn and his
knight will be headed for the d5-square. In fact, this initiative often turns into a direct attack against the
enemy king, for example; 6.Nd2 cxd4 7.Rb1 Qa3 8.exd4 Nc6 9.Ne2 Bb4 10.0-0 Bxd2 11.Qxd2 0-0
12.Rfe1!? b6 13.Ng3 Bb7 14.Nf5 with a powerful attack.

Black has tried to react a bit differently in some correspondence games 6...Be7 7.Ne2 0-0 8.0-0 Nc6
9.Rb1 Qa3, but even then he has great problems 10.Rb3 Qxa2 11.d5 Ne5 12.Nc3 Qa5 13.d6 Bd8
14.Bd5 and White has excellent attacking prospects in all the lines.

Meanwhile, if Black refrains from Qb6, White can go back to the strategy of attacking the weak
enemy central pawn and the squares around it.

The variation 4...d5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nge2 Be6 7.Qd2 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Be7 9.Nce2 0-0 10.g3 Qb6 11.c3

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Bc5 12.Bg2
or 4...cxd4 5.Qxd4 Nc6 6.Qe4+ Be7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Bc4

8...Bb4 9.Nge2 Re8 10.Qd5 Ne5 11.Bb3 ensure a stable advantage for him and does not require
from White any special efforts in its realisation.

The variation 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.Bxf6 illustrates perfectly White’s numerous possibilities in the
Trompowsky Attack. In some lines he refrains from any wild actions and having disrupted his
opponent’s pawn-structure mobilises later his forces in such a way as to attack effectively the potential
weaknesses in the enemy position. It often happens that Black realises that he has no more active
moves, while his weaknesses remain on the board long after the opening stage of the game has ended.
We however, will analyse here another variation in which White ignores completely his queenside and
begins a deadly attack against the enemy king.
The arising lines are so complicated and interesting that they have become very popular not only
among the grandmasters who play in tournaments, but also among the contemporary correspondence
players.

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 Chapter 3
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.Bxf6

Step by Step

Now, Black has a choice between two captures: A) 3...gxf6 and B) 3...exf6.

From the point of view of the history of this variation, Black preferred at first to capture with his g-
pawn, which seemed logical following the classical principle “towards the centre”. He thus preserved
his pawn-control over many key squares in the centre. On the other hand, this capture weakens the
shelter of Black’s king and this is essential for White’s play in numerous variations.

A) 3...gxf6 4.d5
We will analyse A1) 4...f5 and A2) 4...Qb6.
About 4...Bg7 5.c4 d6 (5...f5 6.Nc3 – see variation A1) 6.Nc3 – see 4...d6.

The move 4...d6 leads often to transpositions, but we have to pay some attention to the variation 5.c4
b5 (5...Bg7 6.Nc3 f5 7.e3 or 5...f5 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e3 – see variation A1) 6.cxb5 Qa5+ (after 6...a6 7.e3
Qa5+ 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Bd3 f5 10.Nge2±, White manages to fortify reliably his knight on c3, without
covering the scope of action of his light-squared bishop.) 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.e3 f5 9.Qc2 Nd7 10.Nh3 a6
11.Nf4² Black has failed to solve all his problems, because now, his possible advance a7-a6 would not
be so effective due to the vulnerability of his f5-pawn.

4...b5?! 5.e4 a6 6.a4 b4 7.Nd2. White has taken the c4-square under control and can deploy his forces

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in the best possible way. 7...d6 8.Qh5 Bg7 9.Ngf3 Nd7 10.Nc4. Here, it would not be good for Black
to play 10...Ne5, Betkowski – Cudnik, Szklarska Poreba 2012, due to 11.Ncxe5 dxe5 12.Nh4±, but
even after 10...Nb6 11.Ne3 0-0 12.Bd3±, White maintains a clear advantage.

Following 4...e5, White begins to prepare the occupation of the f5-square: 5.e4 d6 6.Bd3 Rg8
(Black’s attempt 6...f5 7.exf5 Qg5 8.g3 Bxf5 9.Nf3 Qf6 10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Be2², would enable White to
obtain a lead in development and cannot solve the problem for Black of the weakness of his light-
squared complex.) 7.g3. Now, in order to impede the comfortable development of the enemy pieces,
Black will have to make a queen-sortie to grab the b2-pawn. 7...Qb6 8.Nd2! Qxb2 9.Rb1

The move 9...Qxa2? loses the queen for Black. 10.Nc4 Qa4 (10...b5 11.Ra1+–) 11.Nxd6+ Kd8
(11...Bxd6? 12.Bb5+–) 12.Nxb7+ Bxb7 13.Rxb7±
After 9...Qa3 10.Nc4 Qa6 11.Kf1! Nd7 12.Nb6±, White traps his enemy strongest piece anyway.
9...Qc3 10.Ne2 Qa5 11.0-0 Nd7 12.Nc4 Qc7 13.Nc3 Nb6 (White has excellent compensation for
the minimal material deficit after 13...a6 14.a4 Be7 15.a5 Rb8 16.Na4ƒ and even the temporary
activation of Black’s pieces cannot correct the strategical defects of his position.) 14.Ne3 c4 15.Be2
Bh3 16.Re1 Bh6 17.Bf1 Bxe3 (Black fails to preserve his bishop: 17...Bd7 18.Nf5 Bxf5 19.exf5 Ke7
20.Qe2 Rac8 21.a4ƒ and its exchange leaves the f5-square defenceless.) 18.Bxh3 Bc5 19.Qh5ƒ, with
very powerful initiative for White.

A1) 4...f5 5.c4

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 5...Bg7

Black’s attempt to play in the spirit of the Benko Gambit did not have good results in the tournament
practice 5...b5 6.cxb5 a6 7.e3

7...Bg7 (Following 7...axb5 8.Bxb5 Qa5+ 9.Nc3 Bg7 10.Nge2 Ba6 11.Bd3 0-0 12.0-0 e6 13.Nf4
Bxc3 14.bxc3 Qxc3 15.Rc1 Qf6 16.Rxc5 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Rxa2 18.Qc4 Ra1 19.g3 Rxf1+ 20.Kxf1ƒ,
Black manages to regain his pawn, but White begins a powerful attack. It would not be preferable for
Black to opt here for 15...Qa3 16.Qh5ƒ, since now he cannot play 16...Bxd3?? 17.Qg5+ Kh8 18.Qf6+
Kg8 19.Nh5+–) 8.Nc3 Qa5 9.Qd2

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 9...Bb7, Gerstner – Ikonnikov, Germany 2004, 10.a4 0-0 11.Rd1 d6 (Black can regain his pawn with
11...Bxc3 12.Qxc3 Qxa4 13.b6 d6 14.Ne2 Nd7 15.Ng3ƒ, but he will have to worry about the safety of
his king after the exchange of his powerful bishop.) 12.Nge2 axb5 13.axb5 Nd7 14.Ng3 e6 15.Nh5

This is one of the main ideas for White in similar types of positions. He attacks the enemy bishop on
g7 and Black is faced with a rather unpleasant choice:
15...Bxc3 16.bxc3 exd5 (16...Bxd5?? 17.e4+–) 17.Be2 Rfe8 18.0-0ƒ,
or 15...Be5 16.Be2 Nb6 (In the endgame after 16...Bxd5 17.Nxd5 Qxd2+ 18.Rxd2 exd5 19.0-0 Ra2
20.f4±, White will soon manage to capture the weak enemy pawns.) 17.dxe6 fxe6 18.0-0 Nd5 19.Bc4ƒ
In both lines the evaluation of the position depends on the weak position of Black’s king, endangered
by White’s powerful knight on h5.

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 6.Nc3

6...d6

Black should better avoid 6...0-0 7.e3 e5?! Quinn – Efimov, Genova 1998, because of the move 8.d6!
This brave pawn is a wedge inside Black’s position and prevents him from developing. White only
needs to support it with his pieces. 8...Nc6 9.Nge2 e4 10.Qd2ƒ
6...Qa5. Black’s piece-pressure against the c3-square can be parried easily by White. 7.Qd2 d6 8.e3

The standard “Indian” resource 8...Bxc3 9.bxc3 Nd7 10.Nf3 Nf6, with the idea for Black to exploit
later the vulnerability of the doubled c-pawns would not provide him with equality. 11.Qc2 Ne4
12.Rc1 Rg8 13.g3 Bd7 14.Bd3 Ba4 15.Qe2 0-0-0 (15...Nxc3?? 16.Qd2+–) 16.0-0 e6 17.Bxe4 fxe4
18.Nd2 exd5 19.cxd5 f5 20.f3 exf3 21.Nxf3 Bd7 22.Nh4 Rgf8 23.Rf4². White manages to begin an

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attack against the weak enemy f5-pawn.
8...Nd7 9.Nge2 Nf6, Corke – S.Farago, Budapest 2012 and here, White can obtain a very promising
position varying skilfully his active plans in the centre and on the queenside. 10.Nf4 Bd7 11.Bd3 0-0-0
(If Black castles kingside 11...0-0 12.0-0 a6 13.a4 Rfe8 14.Qe2 e5 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.e4ƒ, White begins
active operations in the centre.) 12.0-0 Rhg8 13.Be2 Bh6 14.Rfd1 Kb8 15.a3ƒ White’s pawn-break b2-
b4 will be the beginning of his attack.

7.e3 Nd7

About 7...Qa5 8.Qd2, or 7...Bxc3 8.bxc3 Qa5 9.Qd2 – see 6...Qa5.

8.Qc2

8...Qa5

If Black protects the g6-square with his knight: 8...Ne5 9.Nh3 Ng6 (In the variation 9...0-0?!,
White’s actions will be quite standard 10.Nf4 e6 11.Be2 Qe7 12.Nh5±), then White would maintain
the initiative anyway. 10.Bd3 e6 (Following 10...Qd7 11.0-0 0-0, Bellon Lopez – Cacho Reigadas,
Oviedo 1991, Black will be forced to protect the f5-pawn with his queen and the simplest for White
would be to exchange the enemy knight on g6: 12.Nf4 Nхf4 13.eхf4 e6 14.Rad1 a6 15.Rfe1², with
powerful pressure.) 11.0-0-0 0-0 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Rhg1 Qh4 (13...e5?! 14.Be2±) 14.f4! e5 15.Nd5 Bd7
16.Kb1²

White would not change his plans even if Black advances his rook-pawn in the variation 8...Nf6
9.Bd3 e6 10.Rd1 0-0 11.Nge2 Qe7 12.0-0 Bd7 13.Ng3 h5 14.Qe2 h4 15.Nh5²

9.Nf3

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 9...b5
This move is practically forced for Black; otherwise, he will have to only defend to the end of the
game.

The transfer of Black’s knight would not help him 9...Nf6 10.Bd3 Ne4 (It would be too late for him
to try to undermine White’s centre 10...b5 11.0-0 bxc4, Hasanova – Guseva, Russia 2001, because after
12.Bxf5±, Black would not manage to break on the queenside, while White’s d5-pawn would provide
him with good prospects in the centre.) 11.Rc1 Nxc3 12.bxc3

12...0-0 (Black should better take care about the safety of his king, because in the variations 12...e6
13.dxe6 fxe6 14.e4ƒ, or 12...Bd7 13.0-0 e6 14.e4 f4 15.e5 Bxe5 16.Nxe5 dxe5 17.Qe2 Qc7 18.Qh5‚,
White’s initiative would be running unopposed.) 13.h3. He is preparing an attack on the g-file. 13...e6

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14.g4 Qd8 15.Rg1 Qf6 16.Rg3. Now, White can develop his attack in many different ways, for
example after 16...Bd7, it would be very interesting for him to continue with the transfer of his knight
17.Ng1!? f4 18.Rf3, with very good prospects, 16...f4 17.exf4 Qxf4 18.Bxh7+ and he remains with an
extra pawn. If Black tries to protect his pawn with 16...h6 17.Ke2‚, White’s rook on c1 will soon join
into the attack.

He has an easy plan for actions in the centre after the exchange 9...Ne5 10.Nxe5 Bxe5 11.Bd3

Black’s f5-pawn is weak, so he is forced to open the position with 11...Bd7 (With the move 11...f4,
Black can get rid of his weak pawn, but his difficulties remain: 12.exf4 Bxf4 13.0-0 Bd7 14.Rae1 Be5
15.f4 Bd4+ 16.Kh1ƒ, his king is seriously endangered.). 12.0-0 e6 13.f4 Bxc3 (After 13...Bg7 14.e4
fxe4, White’s knight joins into the attack: 15.Nxe4 Qb6 16.Rae1 0-0-0 17.Ng5ƒ) 14.bxc3 0-0-0. Here,
the simplest for White would be to continue his offensive with 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.e4 fxe4 (following
16...Rhf8 17.exf5 exf5 18.Rae1², Black will be incapable of deploying his rook on the e-file) 17.Bxe4
Qc7 18.a4 Bc6 19.Bxc6 Qxc6 20.a5ƒ White has excellent prospects of winning with a victorious
attack, despite the fact that there is just a few material left on the board.

10.cxb5 Nb6 11.Nd2 a6

It would be too slow for Black to play here 11...Bb7 12.Nb3 Qb4 13.a3 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 Qa4 15.c4
and White manages to protect everything. 15...a6 16.Qc3 Rg8 17.bxa6 Bxa6 18.Nd2 e6 19.Rb1±
McShane – Sutovsky, Rethymno 2003.

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 This position was reached in the game Kovacevic – A.Fedorov, Warsaw 2005.

12.a4 0-0

Black can regain immediately his pawn with 12...Bxc3 13.bxc3 Nxd5, but with his dark-squared
bishop absent from the board, it would be quite sufficient for White to deploy harmoniously his pieces:
14.Rc1 0-0 15.Be2 axb5 16.axb5 Be6 17.0-0 f4 (After 17...Nb6 18.Bf3 Ra7 19.Bc6², White’s bishop
deprives Black of any active counterplay.) 18.e4 Nb6 19.Rfd1 Kh8 20.c4² White’s prospects are
excellent thanks to his powerful passed pawn.

13.Be2 axb5

It is not good for Black to play now, just like before, the line: 13...Bxc3 14.bxc3 Nxd5 15.c4 Nb4
16.Qb2±

14.Bxb5 Ba6 15.Rc1

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 15...Rfb8
This move is much stronger than the immediate 15...Qb4 16.0-0 Nxa4 17.Bxa6 Rxa6 18.Qxf5, which
after 18...Nxb2 19.Nde4 h6 20.Ne2 Nd3 21.Rb1 Qc4 22.N2g3ƒ, or 18...Nxc3 19.bxc3 Bxc3 20.Ne4
Bg7 21.Rb1ƒ, would lead to a dangerous attack for White, since Black’s pieces are too far away.

He should refrain from 15...Bxb5 16.axb5 Bxc3 17.bxc3 Qxb5 18.c4 Qd7 19.0-0 Rfb8 20.f4 e6
21.e4ƒ and White’s king is much safer than its counterpart.

16.g3

After 16.0-0, Black can play 16...Nxa4 with a very good position for him, so White is forced to wait.

16...Qb4

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 17.0-0. Now, Black’s queen does not protect his bishop on a6, so White can castle bravely. 17...Nxa4
18.Bxa6 Rxa6 19.Qxf5 Nxb2 20.Nde4 h6. White’s knights create an interesting connection between
his queenside and kingside. After 21.g4 Qb7 22.Rb1ƒ His attack can hardly be parried by Black. The
march of White’s g-pawn will lead to the complete destruction of Black’s king shelter.

A2) 4...Qb6
This principled move forces White to place his queen on c1 in order to protect his b2-pawn.
5.Qc1

We will analyse now A2a) 5...Bh6, A2b) 5...Bg7 and A2c) 5...f5.

About 5...e6 6.c4 Bg7 7.Nc3 f5 8.e3, or 5...d6 6.c4 Bg7 7.Nc3 f5 8.e3 – see variation A2b.

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 Black can develop his knight to a6 and not to d7 and prepare castling queenside later, but this would
not change the character of the fight: 5...Na6 6.c4 f5 7.Nc3 Bg7, Comas Fabrego – Khenkin, Andorra
2004 and White can exploit the absence of the black knight at the middle of the board and deploy his
own knight on an important square. 8.e3 d6 9.Nge2 Bd7 10.Ng3 0-0-0 11.Be2 Rhg8 12.0-0 Kb8
13.Qc2 e6 14.Nh5 Bh8 15.a3ƒ

A2a) 5...Bh6
This aggressive move is very popular.
6.e3

6...f5
Black plans to accomplish the pawn-break f5-f4 due to the fact that White’s queen is squeezed with
the protection of his b2-pawn.

The rather routine move 6...d6 would not justify the placement of the bishop on h6: 7.c4 Nd7 8.Nc3
f5 9.Qc2

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 9...e5, Rahman – Kurnosov, New Delhi 2008, 10.Be2 Nf6 (10...Nf8 11.Nf3 Ng6 12.a3 Bd7 13.Rb1
0-0 14.0-0 Bg7 15.b4ƒ) 11.Nf3 e4 12.Nd2 Bd7 13.a3 0-0-0 14.b4ƒ, with excellent prospects for White
on the queenside.
If Black insists on making the pawn-break, after White’s queen has abandoned the c1-square, his
bishop might come under an attack: 9...f4 10.exf4 Bxf4 11.g3 Be5 12.f4 Bg7 (12...Bd4 13.Nf3 Nf6
14.0-0-0 Ng4 15.Re1 Ne3 16.Qd2 Nxf1 17.Rhxf1 Bh3 18.Rh1 Bg7 19.Re3ƒ) 13.Bd3 Nf6 14.0-0-0
Bg4 15.Re1ƒ with pressure against the pawn on e7.
9...Ne5, Vitiugov – Bu Xiangzhi, Sochi 2009. Here, we can recommend to White the standard move
10.Rb1, for example: 10...Bd7 (It would be too late for Black to play here 10...f4 11.exf4 Bxf4 12.Nge2
Bh6 13.Ng3 Bd7 14.Be2 0-0-0 15.Nf5²) 11.Be2 0-0-0 12.Nh3 Rhg8 13.0-0 Kb8 14.a3ƒ White is ready
to begin an offensive against the enemy queenside.

7.c4
This gambit move has become very popular lately.

Still, it would be much calmer and simpler for White to continue here with 7.Ne2!?

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 Black would not be satisfied with the results of the rather awkward line: 7...e5 8.Na3! Na6 9.Nc3
Qf6 10.Nc4 d6 11.Nb5ƒ Torre – Mariano, Manila 2013.
After 7...Qf6, Soppe – Bachmann, Luque 2012, 8.c4 0-0 9.Nbc3 e5 10.g3 d6 11.Qc2 Na6 12.a3 Bd7
13.Bh3², White has a stable edge.
7...d6 8.c4 Nd7 9.Qc2

9...Nf6 (The exchange of the enemy knight on f4 would not solve all the problems for Black: 9...Ne5
10.Nf4 Bd7 11.Nc3 Rg8 12.Be2 Ng6 13.g3 Nxf4 14.exf4 0-0-0 15.a4 Qa5 16.Bh5 Rdf8 17.Qe2 e6
18.Kf1²) 10.Nbc3 e6 11.g3 Bd7 12.Bg2 0-0 13.0-0² with a comfortable positions for White and a
clear-cut plan for exerting pressure against Black’s pawns combined with the preparation of a
queenside offensive with a2-a3, b2-b4.

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 7...f4!?

Black can also decide to follow here with the resolute line: 7...d6 8.Nc3 e5!? (8...Nd7 9.Qc2 – see
6...d6), but after the simple move 9.dxe6, he would be happy neither with 9...fxe6 10.Be2 0-0 11.Qd2
Nc6 12.0-0-0², in which White’s king is much safer than its counterpart, nor with the variation
9...Bxe6 10.Nge2!, because after 10...Bxc4 11.Nf4 Bxf1 12.Ncd5 Qd8 13.Qc3 0-0 14.Kxf1ƒ, White
will soon regain the pawn on f5, preserving all the base squares for his knights.

8.exf4 Bxf4 9.Qxf4 Qxb2 10.Ne2 Qxa1

About 10...d6 11.Qd2 Qxa1 12.Nec3 – see 10...Qxa1.

11.Nec3

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 11...d6

White is threatening to trap the enemy queen at the corner of the board and Black’s seemingly natural
move, leading to the freeing of the queen, in fact loses for him! 11...Qb2? 12.d6 Nc6 (12...Qc2 13.Qe3,
Wells – Shirov, Gibraltar 2006, 13...Nc6 14.Bd3 Qb2 15.0-0+–) 13.Bd3

After 13...e6 14.0-0 f5 15.Qh6 b6 16.Be2+–, Black’s king is in a bad trouble, Maes – Cherniaev,
Leuven 1994.
He would not save the game with the line: 13...exd6 14.0-0 Ne5 15.Re1 f6 16.Re2+– Gonzalez
Garcia – Rosich Valles, Barcelona 2012, or 13...Kd8 14.0-0 Re8 15.Re1 b6 16.Re2+– In both variations
White traps his opponent’s strongest piece.
13...b6 14.0-0 Bb7 15.Re1 0-0-0 16.dxe7 Rde8 17.Nb5+–

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 13...Nb4 14.Be4 Nc2+ 15.Kd1 Nd4 16.Qe5 0-0, Rusev – Arnaudov, Pamplona 2009. White wins
now immediately with 17.Qg5+ Kh8 18.Qh6+–

12.Qd2

12...Rg8

Black’s rook-move forces the weakening of White’s kingside, but Black’s bishop alone is incapable
of saving his queen: 12...Bf5 13.Be2 Rg8 (13...Bxb1 14.0-0+–) 14.g3 Bh3 15.f3 a5 16.Kf2 Ra6 17.Rd1
Rb6 18.Qd3! Bd7 19.Nd2 Qb2 20.Rb1+– Leon Hoyos – Piot, Cappelle la Grande 2009.

13.g3 b5!

About 13...a6 14.Be2 b5 15.cxb5 – see 13...b5.

The rook-sortie 13...Rg4 is fruitless and only provides White with an extra tempo for the
development of his pieces. 14.f4 b5 15.cxb5 a6 16.b6 Nd7 17.Be2+– Vitiugov – Dubov, Khanty-
Mansiysk 2013.

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 14.cxb5 a6 15.Be2

White fails to create a cage for the enemy queen, because after 15.b6 Nd7, it would be saved by
Black’s rook on the b-file.

15...axb5

15...Bh3 16.f4 axb5 17.Bxb5+ Kf8 18.Kf2 Bd7 19.Bc4 Ra7÷ Nurmi – Seker, Email 2015.

16.Bxb5+ Bd7 17.Bd3 Bh3 18.Qh6 Bg2 19.Rg1 Bxd5 20.Qxh7 Rf8 21.Nxd5 Qe5+ 22.Ne3 Rxa2
23.Bc4 Rb2 24.Nd2÷ There has arisen a very complicated and unclear position in which everything is
possible. Black has managed to hold his defence in correspondence games, but in a tournament game it

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would be much more difficult for him. A single imprecise move might lose the queen for him.

A2b) 5...Bg7 6.c4

6...f5

After the check 6...Qb4+, Black’s queen will come under an attack with tempi in the future. 7.Nd2 f5
8.Rb1 d6 9.a3 Qa5 10.e3 Nd7 11.Ne2 b5!? (After the calm line: 11...0-0 12.Ng3 Nf6 13.Bd3 e6 14.b4
Qc7 15.0-0 b6 16.Re1 Bb7, White has the resource 17.e4 f4 18.Ne2 e5 19.Nc3², with good prospects
to organise an offensive on the queenside.) 12.Nf4 bxc4 13.Bxc4 Nb6 (13...Nf6 14.0-0 0-0 15.b4²)
14.0-0 0-0 15.Nh5 Bh6, Comas Fabrego – Manik, Batumi 1999, 16.f4ƒ White plans to transfer his rook
on f1 to attack the enemy king, while the prospects of the dark-squared bishop of the defending side
have been restricted considerably.

7.Nc3

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 7...d6

It is bad for Black to choose here 7...e5?! Sedlak – Palac, Neum 2008, because of 8.Nf3.

After 8...e4?, White fixes the enemy f5-pawn and begins to attack it: 9.Nh4 d6 10.g3 Bf6 (10...0-0
11.Bh3+–) 11.Bh3 Bxh4 12.gxh4 Bd7 13.Rb1 Na6 14.Qf4+–
8...d6 9.g3 Nd7 10.Bh3 Nf6 11.Nh4 Ng4 12.0-0 0-0 13.Bxg4 fxg4 14.e4±, with complete control
over the f5-square and White’s cavalry will be soon headed there.

The line: 7...Qb4 8.e3 d6 9.Bd3 Nd7 10.Nf3

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 10...Nb6, has been tested in the middle of the 20th century. 11.Nd2 Na4 12.Nxa4 Qxa4 13.0-0 Bd7
14.a3 e6 15.Rb1ƒ Bondarevsky – Panov, Moscow 1945. It is just amazing how Igor Bondarevsky’s
play was so thematic, from the contemporary point of view, having in mind that his game was played
more than 70 years ago...
It is possibly stronger for Black to play here 10...Ne5!? 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.a3 Qb3 13.Qc2 Qxc2
14.Bxc2 e4 15.Rf1 Bd7 16.f3 exf3 17.Rxf3 e6 18.e4 fxe4 19.Bxe4², but White preserves some edge in
the endgame as well.

7...e6 8.e3

Black’s flank development was countered very convincingly many years ago by one of the coaches
of the Russian young players: 8...Na6?! 9.Nge2 h5 10.h4 e5 11.Ng3 Qg6 12.d6! e4 (12...Qxd6

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13.Nxf5±) 13.Qd2 Be5 14.0-0-0 Rh6 (Black is deprived of his last defender after the line: 14...Bxg3
15.fxg3 Qxg3 16.Be2 Qe5 17.Rhf1 b6 18.Qd5+–) 15.Nb5 Rb8 16.a3 b6 17.Ne2 Bb7 18.Nf4 Qg7
19.Rh3± Shereshevski – Kapengut, Minsk 1981.
8...d6 9.Nge2 Nd7 10.Nf4 Nf6 (In the variation 10...e5 11.Nh5ƒ, White’s knight has reached once
again its favourite square.) 11.dxe6 fxe6 12.Be2 0-0, Zlochevskij – Schmitt, Imperia 2000 13.Qc2 Bd7
14.0-0 Rfe8 15.Bf3² If Black plays just routinely, White only needs to transfer his knight to the f4-
square and deploy his bishop on the long diagonal and this ensures long-lasting pressure for him.

8.e3 Nd7 9.Qc2

9...Nf6

About 9...Qa5 10.Nf3 – see variation ”1.

Black can also fight in another way against the idea Nh3-f4-h5: 9...Ne5 10.Nh3 Ng6 11.Be2 Bd7
12.0-0 0-0-0 (After 12...0-0, Iotov – Evdokimov, Marrakesh 2010, White has the idea 13.a4 a6 14.Rfd1
Qc7 15.g3 Rab8 16.f4²) 13.a3 Rdg8, Sedlak – Milanovic, Vrnjacka Banja 2012. Now, White must
begin an immediate queenside offensive: 14.Rab1ƒ

10.Bd3

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 10...e6

10...Bd7 11.Nge2 e6 12.0-0 – see 10...e6.

Black has tried in practice to change the unfavourable character of the fight for him in a more
concrete way: 10...Ne4 11.Nge2 Nxc3 12.bxc3 e6 13.0-0 0-0 14.Rae1 Qa5, but even then, White’s
offensive will be running effortlessly. 15.f4 Bd7 16.Rf3 Qa4 (The move 16...b5 can hardly distract
White from his plan: 17.cxb5 Bxb5 18.Bxb5 Qxb5 19.Ng3ƒ ”.Smirnov – Teterev, Minsk 2008.)
17.Qd2 Kh8 (17...b5 18.cxb5 a6 19.bxa6± Ivanisevic – Vuckovic, Vrnjacka Banja 2005) 18.Ng3 Qa3
19.Rc1ƒ White has excellent prospects.

After 10...e5, Wells – Markus, Skopje 2015, it seems very good for White to continue with 11.Nh3 0-
0 12.0-0. Black’s pawn on f5 is hanging now and the transfer of his knight to f5 with 12...e4 13.Be2
Ng4 14.Nf4 Ne5 15.a4², weakens the f4-square and deprives his pawn-mass of its mobility.

11.Nge2 Bd7 12.0-0

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 12...0-0-0

Black does not need to be in a hurry to castle and can try to develop an attack before his opponent:
12...h5 13.Rab1 h4, but after 14.h3, White parries easily his opponent’s attempt and following 14...Rg8
15.a3 Qc7 16.b4ƒ, he begins active operations on the queenside.

In positions with opposite sides castling you must act resolutely, so we already know that White must
prepare b2-b4: 13.Rab1 Kb8 14.b4! cxb4 15.a3ƒ Rusev – Stanojoski, Sunny Beach 2008.

A2c) 5...f5 6.c4

6...Bh6

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 About 6...Bg7 7.Nc3 – see variation A2b.

Several very strong Chinese players and particularly the young Wei Yi have tried in practice the
immediate transfer of the knight on b8 to the kingside: 6...d6 7.Nc3 Nd7 (7...Bg7 8.e3 – see variation
A2b) 8.e3 Nf6 9.Bd3 e5, Bui – Wei Yi, Vietnam 2013.

Here, I would recommend to White not to panic and follow with pawn-exchanges in the centre, but
just to complete calmly his development: 10.Nge2 Bd7 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.Rb1², with good attacking
prospects.

Black has tried some alternatives in practice, but mainly with the idea to avoid the possible
preparation of the opponent.

White has provoked the move 6...Qb4+, but after it, he should better not sacrifice the c4-pawn, but
just comply calmly with the not so active placement of his knight on b1: 7.Nd2 Bg7 8.Rb1 d6 9.a3 Qa5
10.e3

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 and Black can hardly rely on complete equality having neglected some basic principles of playing in
the opening. 10...Nd7 11.Ne2 b5 12.Nf4 bxc4 13.Bxc4 Nb6 14.0-0² Comas Fabrego – Manik, Batumi
1999. White’s knights control all the important squares on the board and are much stronger than
Black’s bishops.

After 6...f4 7.Nc3 d6 8.g3 fxg3 9.hxg3 Nd7, Sichinava – Dubov, St Petersburg 2010, White
maintains an edge in the line: 10.Nf3 Nf6 11.Qc2 Bg7 12.Rb1 Bd7 13.Bh3² The opening of the h-file
for White’s rook and the forthcoming exchange of the light-squared bishops will emphasize the pawn-
weaknesses in Black’s camp.

White should not panic if Black attacks suddenly the g2-square. 6...Qf6 7.e3 Na6 8.Nc3 Nc7 9.Bd3

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 9...Rg8, Neuman – Kislinsky, Stare Mesto 2012. Here, White can sacrifice material bravely 10.Nge2!
Rxg2?! (10...d6 11.0-0²) 11.Ng3 Qh4 and can obtain a great advantage after the cramping pawn-
sacrifice: 12.d6! exd6 13.Qc2 Bg7 14.0-0-0 Be5 15.Bxf5±
9...e6 10.Nge2 b5, Lputian – Movsesian, Yerevan 1996, 11.0-0 b4 12.Na4 Bb7 (It would be
premature for Black to capture his opponent’s central pawn: 12...exd5? 13.cxd5 Nxd5 14.Nxc5±).
White leads in development and can begin an offensive in the centre: 13.e4 fxe4 14.Bxe4 Bd6 (It seems
also bad for Black to opt here for 14...exd5?! 15.cxd5 Bxd5 16.Bxd5 Nxd5 17.Re1 Be7 18.Nxc5 and
18...Rc8?, can be refuted by White with the move 19.Ne4+–; 14...0-0-0 15.a3‚) 15.Ng3ƒ White’s
pieces are perfectly placed and he is ready to begin active actions, while Black’s main problem is that
he has to worry about the safety of his king, which will come under an attack on both sides of the
board.

7.Qc2

After his bishop-sortie on h6, Black is ready for the variation 7.e3 f4!?, but White can choose a
calmer alternative, avoiding wild complications.

7...d6

He obtains easily a better position in the line: 7...Qf6 8.Nc3 a6 9.e3 Rg8 10.g3², or 7...Na6 8.a3 Qf6
9.Nc3 Nc7 10.g3 f4 11.Bh3‚ Martinovic – Ponkratov, Tallinn 2016.

Black’s attempt to grab a pawn would not bring him any dividends: 7...Qb4+ 8.Nc3 Qxc4, Bartel –
Givon, Moscow 2014, because of 9.e4! Qd4 (9...Qb4 10.a3 Qb6 11.exf5²) 10.Nf3 Qg7 11.exf5² White
regains easily the f5-pawn in all the lines and this is obviously in his favour.

The advance of Black’s f-pawn only helps White to open eventually the h-file for his rook on h1:

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7...f4 8.g3 Qg6 9.Qc3 Bg7 10.Qd2 Qe4 (10...fxg3 11.hxg3 d6 12.Nc3 Nd7 13.Nh3ƒ) 11.Nf3 fxg3
12.hxg3 Qxc4?! (12...d6 13.Rh4ƒ). If Black persists in his attempt to grab the c4-pawn, he might get
crushed right in the opening: 13.d6! Nc6 (13...exd6 14.Rh4 Qe6 15.Nc3 Na6 16.Bh3 f5 17.Ne4‚)
14.Nc3 Qb4 15.Rh4 Qa5 16.Bg2‚ White’s pawn on d6 has paralysed Black’s queenside and he has
great problems with the evacuation of his king to safety. In the meantime, White is perfectly prepared
for a decisive offensive.

8.Nc3

8...Nd7
Here, another variation has been actively tested in correspondence games and after 8...Na6 9.a3 e6
10.e3 Bd7 11.g3 0-0-0 12.Bg2 Bg7 13.Nge2², the results of the analytical dispute have been definitely
in favour of White, Mucoz Moreno – Schuster, ICCF 2009.

9.Nf3

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 9...f4

Black’s attempt to transfer his knight from f6 to e4 would not be sufficient for equality either: 9...Nf6
10.e3 Ne4 11.Bd3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 e6 13.0-0², while the other encounter between the masters of the
home analysis has ended up in a success for White: 9...Ne5 10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.a4 Bd7 12.a5 Qb4
(12...Qg6 13.e3 0-0 14.g3²) 13.e3 Rg8 14.g3 Rg6 15.Ra3 Ra6 16.Bh3 Rxa5 17.Rxa5 Qxa5 18.Bxf5
Bxf5 19.Qxf5 Qa1+ 20.Nd1 Qa5+ 21.Kf1 Qa4 22.Kg2 Qxc4 23.Nc3ƒ Klausen – Krutous, ICCF
2010. Black has even won a pawn, but his king has remained stranded in the centre and with the next
few moves White will restore the material balance and continue his offensive.

10.g3 Nf6 11.gxf4 Bxf4 12.e3

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 12...Bg4

Black supports his kingside attack. If White manages to castle queenside, the evaluation of the
position would become quite evident 12...Bh6 13.0-0-0 Bg4 14.Be2 0-0-0 15.Nh4², or 12...Bf5 13.Bd3
Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Bh6 15.0-0-0²

13.exf4 Bxf3 14.Rg1

14...Bh5

Black will have to retreat to the edge of the board, since after 14...0-0-0 15.Rg3 Bh5 16.f3, there
arises transposition of moves.

15.Rg3 0-0-0 16.f3!

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 16...e6

White preserves an edge after 16...Rhg8 17.Qe2 Kb8 18.0-0-0² Black’s pawn on e7 would need
protection, his bishop is isolated on the h5-square and he cannot exchange on g3, because he would
thus correct White’s pawn-structure. Accordingly, Black is doomed to defend passively.

17.0-0-0 Bg6 18.Bd3

18...Rhe8

After 18...exd5, Black’s bishop is again ousted to the edge of the board. 19.f5 Bh5 (about 19...dxc4
20.Bxc4 Bh5 21.Rh3 – see 19...Bh5) 20.Rh3 Rhg8 (20...dxc4 21.Bxc4 Rdg8 22.Qd2 Qb4 23.Bb3±

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Black’s pieces are misplaced. His d6-pawn is hanging, while White is threatening to penetrate with his
queen.) 21.Qd2 dxc4 22.Bxc4 Qb4 23.Bd5± Black has practically no useful moves.
It might seem reasonable for him to try to exchange as many pawns as possible with the line:
18...Nh5 19.dxe6 fxe6 (19...Nxg3? 20.Nd5 Qa5 21.e7 Rde8 22.hxg3+–) 20.Bxg6 hxg6 21.Rxg6 Nxf4,
but White would maintain the pressure even then: 22.Rf6 Rdf8 23.Rxf8+ Rxf8 24.Ne4ƒ Black’s d6-
pawn is hanging, while White has a potentially dangerous outside passed pawn.

19.dxe6 Bxd3 20.Rxd3 Rxe6

After Black’s other possible capture 20...fxe6 21.Rg7 Nh5 22.Rf7 Rf8 23.Rxf8 Rxf8 24.Rd2! Nxf4
25.Qxh7², White will maintain an edge thanks to his pressure against the enemy d6-pawn and his
passed pawn on h2.

21.Qd2 a6 22.Rg1 Kb8 23.Rd1² Rodriguez Amezqueta – Colmena Martinez, ICCF 2011.

B) 3...exf6

Capturing with the e-pawn seems a bit strange for Black. He isolates the neighbouring central pawn.
What is more important however, his king will be now safer, while the defects of his pawn-structure
can be compensated by an active piece-play. White has two possible plans: B1) 4.c3 with the idea to
isolate Black’s d-pawn B2) 4.e3 – planning to emphasize the vulnerability of the a2-g8 diagonal.

B1) 4.c3 Qb6

After Black’s alternatives White has achieved very good practical results.

Following 4...f5 5.e3 g6 6.Ne2 b6 (6...Bg7 7.Nf4 cxd4 8.cxd4 0-0 9.Nc3²), White occupies the d5-
square: 7.dxc5 bxc5 8.Nf4 Nc6 9.Na3 Be7 (9...Bg7 10.Nc4 0-0 11.Qd5 Qe7 12.0-0-0 Ba6 13.Nd6±)

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10.Nc4 0-0 11.Qa4 Bb7 12.0-0-0²
4...cxd4 5.cxd4

White should not be afraid of the enemy bishop-sortie 5...Bb4+ 6.Nc3 d5 7.e3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Bf5
9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Nc6 11.Ne2 0-0 12.Qb5 Qd7 13.0-0 a6 (13...Rac8 14.Rfc1 Rfd8 15.Rab1 b6
16.c4²) 14.Qb6 Rfc8 15.Nf4 Ne7 16.Rab1 Rab8 (16...Rxc3?! 17.Qxb7±) 17.Nd3² In all the variations
White’s pressure against the d5-pawn and on the b-file is more important than Black’s counter actions
against the pawn on c3.
5...Qb6 6.Qd2. After the exchange on d4, White’s queen can occupy a better position, without being
afraid that it would impede the development of the knight on b1, since it would have an access to the
c3-square. 6...Nc6 7.e3 d5 8.Nc3 Be6 9.Nge2 Bd6 10.g3 0-0 11.Bg2 Ne7 12.0-0 Rac8 (12...f5 13.Nf4
Bxf4 14.exf4²) 13.a3. White has played all his standard moves with the idea to attack the enemy pawn
on d5, while Black can only double his rooks on the c-file: 13...Rc4 14.Nc1 Rfc8 15.Nd3. This is the
best place for White’s knight, because from here it controls an entire complex of important squares.
15...a6 16.Rfc1 Qd8 17.Rc2 Qd7 (It would be bad for Black to weaken the c5-square: 17...b5?! 18.Rac1
Qd7 19.b4ƒ) 18.Rac1 g6 19.Ne2² After the exchange of the rooks, the vulnerability of the pawn on d5
even increases and Black will have to fight only for a draw.

4...d5 5.e3 Nc6 (Here, the move 5...Qb6 is not so effective anymore. 6.Qc2 Nc6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Nd2
0-0 9.Nb3 Bd6 10.Rd1 Rd8, Ovod – Ubiennykh, Sochi 2017. White has created an isolated pawn in the
enemy position and can try gradually to exploit its vulnerability: 11.Nf3 Be6 12.Be2 Ne5 13.Nbd4²,
preparing advantageous simplifications.) 6.Ne2

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 After 6...Be6 7.g3 Qb6, Kobalia – Kunin, Moscow 1996, it would be reasonable for White to enter an
endgame: 8.Qb3 c4 9.Qxb6 axb6 10.Bg2 Bd6 (10...b5 11.Nf4ƒ with pressure against the enemy d5-
pawn) 11.Nd2 b5 12.0-0 f5 13.b3 0-0 (13...Ra3 14.bxc4 bxc4 15.Rfb1², attacking the pawn on b7)
14.bxc4 bxc4 15.Nxc4! dxc4 16.d5²
6...Qb6 7.Qc1 Be6 8.Nd2 Rc8 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Nb3

10...Bd6 (If Black does not prevent the exchange of his bishop 10...0-0 11.Nxc5 Qxc5, Grigoryan –
Sarana, Jerusalem 2015, then, it would be good for White to continue with 12.Nf4 Rfd8 13.Bd3²)
11.Ned4 0-0 12.Be2 Ne5 13.0-0 Rfd8 (After the inadequate line for Black: 13...a5?! 14.a4, White
seizes the b5-square.) 14.Rd1² White’s game is much easier in this position, while Black risks
strategically all the time to remain with an isolated pawn without any positional compensation, or to
allow the exchange of his bishop on e6 for White’s knight on d4, which would lead to the weakening of

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the position of his king.

4...b6. This is an attempt by Black to compensate the weakness of the d5-square by developing his
light-squared bishop. 5.e3 Bb7 6.Nf3

Now, it would not be so good for Black to play 6...f5 7.Bc4 Be7 (7...d5 8.Bb5+ Bc6 9.Bхc6 Nхc6
10.0-0² with a clear-cut plan for White to attack the enemy d5-pawn.) 8.dxc5 Bxc5 (8...bxc5?
9.Qb3+–) 9.Bd5 Nc6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nbd2² White has an edge thanks to his dominance over the d5-
square.
6...Be7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0

If Black places his pawn on the central square: 8...d5, Dias – Janev, Odivelas 2001, then, it would be
attractive for White to transform the pawn-structure 9.dxc5 bxc5 (It would be worse for Black to

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capture here with his bishop, since that would isolate the d5-pawn.) 10.c4 dxc4 (After, 10...Na6
11.cxd5 Qxd5, Black will lose tempi on moves with his queen 12.Nc3 Qh5 13.Nd2 Qxd1 14.Rfxd1²;
13...Qh4 14.f4 Rad8 15.Qe2 Nc7 16.Rad1²; 13...Qg5 14.Nde4ƒ White will be happy to enter an
advantageous endgame, in which he will attack the weak enemy c5-pawn, as well as a position with
queens present on the board) 11.Bxc4 Nd7 (11...Nc6 12.Nc3 Na5 13.Bd5²). Now, White must trade
the light-squared bishops, preserving better prospects thanks to his superior pawn-structure. 12.Bd5
Rb8 13.Bxb7 Rxb7 14.Qc2 Qb6 15.Rd1 Rd8 16.b3 Ne5 17.Nxe5 Rxd1+ 18.Qxd1 fxe5 19.Nc3²
8...g6 9.dxc5 Bxc5 (9...bxc5 10.c4 f5 11.Nc3 Bf6 12.Rc1 Nc6 13.Be2²) 10.c4 d5 11.cxd5 Qxd5
12.Nc3

The position is symmetrical and Black has a bishop-pair, but he can hardly find a good square for his
queen.
12...Qh5 13.Be4 Bxe4 14.Nxe4 Be7 15.Rc1 Rd8 16.Qa4 Nd7 17.Rc7 Nc5 18.Qc4 Nxe4 19.Rxe7
Nd6 20.Qf4 Qf5 21.Qh4ƒ Black fails at the moment to parry his opponent’s initiative.
12...Qe6 13.Qa4 Bxf3 (13...Nd7 14.Bc4 Qe7 15.Rad1 Ne5 16.Nxe5 Qxe5 17.Bd5ƒ After the
exchange of the light-squared bishops, White is dominant on the d-file.) 14.gxf3 Nd7 15.Rfd1 Ne5
16.Be2 g5 17.Ne4² The exchange on f3 has not solved all the problems for Black, while White still has
meaningful trumps. His piece-coordination is better and he has the initiative in this position with
bishops of opposite colours.

5.Qc2!?

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 White’s queen protects indirectly his d4-pawn, so he hopes to transfer into lines in which he will
manage to attack the enemy isolated pawn.
5...cxd4

About 5...d5 6.e3 Nc6 7.dxc5 – see 4...d5.

6.cxd4 Nc6 7.e3 d5 8.Nc3

8...Bf5!
This good move enables Black to rely on achieving equality.

After 8...Be6 9.Nge2 Bd6 10.g3 0-0 11.Bg2², White will attack his opponent’s isolated d5-pawn and

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Black will have to defend long and hard...

9.Bd3!?

In the game Shimanov – Otte, Enschede 2008, following 9.Qd2 Bb4 10.Nge2 0-0, Black solved
successfully all his problems, so White sacrifices a pawn in order to avoid this.

9...Bxd3

9...Nb4 10.Qa4+ Bd7 11.Bb5 Bxb5 (It is bad for Black to choose here 11...Nc2+? 12.Qxc2 Bxb5
13.Nxd5 Qa5+ 14.Qc3± and White remains with an extra pawn.) 12.Nxb5

Following 12...0-0-0 13.Rd1ƒ, Black might come under a dangerous attack.

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 After 12...Nc2+ 13.Qxc2 Qxb5 14.a3 Bd6 15.Ne2 Qa5+ 16.Qd2², Black’s weak d5-pawn is decisive
for the evaluation of the position.
12...Qc6 13.Rd1 Rc8 14.a3 a6 15.Nc3 Qxa4 16.Nxa4 Nc6 17.Ne2² He is faced with a long and
laborious defence in this endgame.

10.Qxd3 Qxb2
In principle, Black must capture the pawn, because after 10...Bb4 11.Nge2, White would realise his
idea for free.

11.Rb1 Qa3 12.Nge2

12...Bb4

This move is also forced for Black, because after 12...0-0-0? 13.0-0, White will begin a crushing
attack against the enemy king.
13.0-0 0-0 14.Rb3 Qa5 15.a3

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 15...Bxc3

Black cannot capture a second pawn here: 15...Bxa3? 16.Ra1+–

Following 15...Bd6 16.Rxb7, White restores successfully the material balance. 16...Rfb8 (16...Qxa3
17.Qb5 Ne7 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Qxd5² His pieces are very active and White exerts pressure against the
f7-square, so Black’s passed a7-pawn is much rather a liability than strength.) 17.Rfb1 Qxa3 18.g3 Nb4
(18...Rxb7 19.Rxb7 Na5 20.Rb1 Nc4 21.Qf5!; 20...Bb4 21.Qc2 Rc8. Now, White can enter an
endgame: 22.Qb2 Qxb2 23.Rxb2 Bxc3 24.Nxc3 Nc4 25.Rb7 a5 26.Nxd5², in which he has good
chances for a victory.) 19.Qb5 Rxb7 20.Qxb7 Rb8 21.Qd7 Bf8 22.Nxd5 Qd3 23.Ndc3² Black must
fight long and hard for a draw.

16.Rxc3 Qd8

Black has an extra pawn indeed, but he will have great problems due to his weak d5-pawn and
White’s pressure on the b-file: 16...Rab8 17.Rc5 Qd8 18.Qb3 Ne7 19.Rfc1 Qd6 20.Nf4 Rfd8 21.h4 b6
22.R5c3 Rb7 23.a4ƒ

17.Rc5 Qd7 18.Rfc1 Rfd8 19.Qb5 Rab8 20.Nf4 Ne7 21.a4

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 21...a6
White will regain immediately his pawn in this endgame 21...Qxb5 22.axb5 Kf8 23.Ra1² Black’s d5-
pawn is weak with knights present on the board and in this Carlsbad type of position White has
excellent prospects of playing for a win if he acts inventively and aggressively.

22.Qb4 b5

After 22...Rdc8 23.Nd3 b6 24.Rxc8+ Nxc8 25.a5 g6 26.axb6 Nxb6 27.Ra1ƒ, White is very likely to
regain his pawn maintaining the pressure. Black will try to provoke immediate simplifications.
23.axb5 Rxb5 24.Rxb5 axb5 25.h3 Rb8 26.Nd3. White will regain the b5-pawn in the next few
move and will be able to play for a win in this endgame without any risk. Still, objectively speaking,
the position is very close to a draw.

B2) 4.e3

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 4...Qb6
It is because of this rather unpleasant queen-sortie that White usually prefers the move with his c-
pawn.

Black’s alternatives enable the opponent to seize easily the initiative.

4...d5 5.Nc3

5...Be6 6.Nge2 cxd4 (It is preferable for Black to play here 6...Nc6 7.Qd2 – see 5...Nc6.) 7.Nxd4
Bb4 8.Qd2 Qa5, Heinz – Dautov, Germany 2015, 9.Bb5+ Nd7 10.Rb1 a6 11.Bxd7+ Bxd7 12.Nde2
Be6 13.a3² Black’s bishops are considerably weaker than White’s cavalry.
After 5...c4 6.a3 Nc6 7.Nge2 Be6 8.g3 Bd6 9.Bg2 Ne7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nf4², White can continue with
his typical “Trompowsky” plan, connected with the attack against the enemy d5-pawn.

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 5...Nc6 6.Nge2 Be6 (Black cannot facilitate his defence if he enters voluntarily a position with an
isolated pawn: 6...cxd4 7.Nxd4 Bb4 8.Bb5 Qd6 9.Qd2 a6 10.Be2 0-0 11.a3 Ba5 12.Nb3 Bxc3
13.Qxc3 Bf5 14.0-0 Rac8 15.Qd2², with a slight, but comfortable edge for White, Pohjosmki –
Bordier, ICCF 2013) 7.Qd2

The move 7...c4, Kisic – Kiroski, Djenovici 2017, would lead to a typical position 8.a3 Bd6 9.g3 0-0
10.Bg2 Ne7 11.Nf4², with pressure for White.
After 7...Qd7, Veresov – Heuer, Voroshilovgrad 1955, it seems very good for White to continue with
8.0-0-0 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bb4 10.a3 Ba5 11.Nb3 Bxc3 12.Qxc3 0-0 13.Kb1 Rac8 14.Bb5², followed later
by an exchange on c6 and very good prospects against Black’s weak pawns.
7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Be7 9.Nce2 0-0 10.g3 Qb6 11.c3 Bc5 12.Bg2. White is very close to the realisation
of his desired set-up, therefore, Black forces numerous exchanges. 12...Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Bxd4 14.exd4
Qa6 15.Qe2. He has failed to prevent his opponent from castling and all kinds of endgames would be
preferable for White with this pawn-structure. 15...Qd6 16.0-0², with an edge for him, Magallanes –
Mary, corr. 2010.

The line: 4...cxd4 5.Qxd4 has some serious drawbacks for Black. He forces his opponent to capture
with his queen indeed, but Black fails to develop harmoniously his pieces, because all types of
endgames are bad for him.

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 The move 5...d5 could have solved all the problems for Black, but after 6.Nc3 Be6 7.0-0-0 Nc6
8.Qd3 Qa5 9.Qb5², White forces a transition into an endgame and thus wins the opening battle.
5...Nc6 6.Qe4+ Be7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Bc4

There is no pawn now on the d5-square, so White can develop much more actively his pieces.
The alternative variation for Black would be to develop his pieces 8...d6 9.0-0-0 f5 10.Qf4 Be6 11.h4
Rc8 12.Bb3 Na5 13.Nge2², but White would still preserve a slight edge, since Black’s attack is
practically harmless.
8...Bb4 9.Nge2 Re8 10.Qd5 Ne5 11.Bb3 Rb8 (White will counter 11...d6 again with 12.0-0²,
preserving all the pluses of his position.) 12.0-0 b5, A.Moiseenko – Dvoirys, Dieren 2001. Following
13.Qd4 a5 14.a4 bxa4 15.Rxa4 d6 16.Rfa1 Bd7 17.R4a2², White can still attack the enemy isolated
pawn, exerting powerful pressure on the rook file, obtaining a very promising position.

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 5.Bc4

It would be very difficult to evaluate the consequences of this pawn-sacrifice over the board, but in a
correspondence game – it would be a very easy job! This developing move with White’s bishop does
not enjoy popularity yet among tournament players, but has been tested numerous times in the practice
of the correspondence players and quite successfully at that!
5...Qxb2 6.Nd2

6...cxd4

About 6...Nc6 7.Ne2 Be7 (7...cxd4 8.Rb1 Qa3 9.exd4 – see 6...cxd4) 8.0-0 0-0 9.Rb1 – see 6...Be7.

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 Black’s attempt to develop more modestly his pieces deserves a serious analysis as well 6...Be7
7.Ne2 0-0 8.0-0 Nc6 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.Rb3

After 10...Qa5 11.d5, Black obtains a position similar to the main variation, but remains a pawn
down... Following 11...Ne5, he will be practically stalemated (11...Nd8 12.Bd3 d6 13.Nc3 Qc7 14.e4
b6 15.Nc4 Bd7 16.a4ƒ, White would not let the enemy pieces to abandon the last two ranks.). 12.d6
Bd8 (After 12...Bxd6 13.f4 Nc6 14.Bxf7+ Rxf7 15.Nc4±, Black is likely to suffer serious material
losses.) 13.Bd5ƒ White is threatening to oust the enemy knight away from the c4-square by advancing
his f-pawn.
10...Qxa2 11.d5 Ne5 12.Nc3 Qa5 13.d6 Bd8 (Black should better avoid here the line: 13...Bxd6
14.f4 Ng6 15.Bxf7+ Rxf7 16.Nc4 Qc7 17.Nxd6 Re7 18.Qd5+ Kf8 19.Rd1‚ with a very powerful
attack for White.) 14.Bd5 a6 15.Qe2 f5 16.Rfb1 Rb8 17.f4 c4 18.Rb4 Ng4 19.Nxc4 Qc5 20.Qd3 b5.
Black must begin immediate active actions; otherwise, he would be completely squeezed.. 21.Qxf5
Kh8 (21...Nf6? 22.Bxf7+–) 22.Qxg4 Bf6 23.Ne5 Qxe3+ 24.Kh1 Bxe5 25.fxe5 Qxc3 26.Qg5 h6
(Black fails to exchange the most aggressive enemy pieces: 26...Bb7 27.Rg4 g6 28.Bxb7 Rxb7 29.Rh4
h5 30.Rf1 Qxc2 31.g4 and after a series of checks 31...Qe4+ 32.Kg1 Qd4+ 33.Rf2 Qd1+ 34.Kg2
Qd5+ 35.Rf3+–, his position crumbles.) 27.Qe7 Rg8 28.Bxf7 Bb7. Black would have been happy to
manage to survive at the price of an exchange, but White brings unavoidably and consistently his last
forces in order to inflict a decisive strike. 29.Rg4 Qxc2 30.Rg1 Qf5 31.Rg3 Rgd8 32.Rxg7!+– Gavrijski
– Veselinov, ICCF 2017.

7.Rb1

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 7...Qa3

The move 7...Qc3 only enhances White’s development. 8.Ne2 Qa5 9.exd4. Now, Black must give
back the extra material in order to avoid the worst. 9...d5 (Following 9...Be7 10.Nf4 0-0 11.0-0 Nc6
12.Nd5ƒ, White’s initiative is very powerful.) 10.Rb5 Qc7 11.Bxd5 Be7 12.c4 0-0 13.0-0 Nc6
14.Qb1² His pieces have been deployed very threateningly for Black.

8.exd4 Nc6

About 8...Bb4 9.Ne2 0-0 10.0-0 Bxd2 11.Qxd2 Nc6 12.Rfe1 – see 8...Nc6.

9.Ne2

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 9...Bb4
It would be useful for Black to trade one of his minor pieces in order to reduce his opponent’s
attacking potential.
The power of White’s cavalry can be best illustrated by the variation 9...Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 Bd8
(after 11...d6 12.Nf4‚, Black is unlikely to coordinate his defence) 12.Rb3 Qd6 13.Ne4 Qc7

Following 14.Rg3?! d5 15.Bxd5 f5 16.Nc5 Bf6, Black’s pieces would be activated and White’s
attack would reach its dead end.
14.N2c3! After this move, the entire black queenside will not enter the actions anytime soon.
14...Na5 15.Bxf7+! Rxf7 16.Nb5 Qc6 17.Ned6. White is a piece down and his rook is hanging, but
Black’s king is protected by just one piece and this would be decisive for the outcome of the game.
17...Rf8 (He cannot save the day with the line: 17...Nxb3 18.Re8+ Rf8 19.Qe2 g6 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8

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21.Qe8+ Kg7 22.Qf7+ Kh6 23.Qg8+–, Black cannot survive even at the price of his queen.) 18.Qh5
Nxb3 (Black ends up checkmated in a beautiful fashion after 18...g6 19.Rh3! gxh5 20.Rg3+ Kh8
21.Nf7+ Rxf7 22.Re8+ Rf8 23.Rxf8#) 19.Re8 g6 20.Rxf8+ Kxf8 21.Qh6+ Kg8 22.Ne8 Kf7 23.Nbd6+
Qxd6 (Black’s king would not run away for long after: 23...Ke6 24.Qe3+ Kd5 25.Qe4#) 24.Nxd6+
Ke6 25.Nb5 Na5. Black has even extra material at the moment, but after a series of checks 26.Qe3+
Kd5 27.Qf3+ Kc4 28.Qd3+ Kd5 29.c4+ Nxc4 30.Nc3+–, White wins the enemy knight and the game
as well.

10.0-0 Bxd2 11.Qxd2 0-0 12.Rfe1!?

White brings his last piece into the attack. His rook on b1 will be useful on the queenside.
12...b6
The flexibility of White’s last move will be best demonstrated by the variation 12...d6 13.Bd5 Qa5
14.Nc3 h6 15.Re3‚ His knight on c3 precludes his queen’s rook from transferring to the other flank,
but its colleague joins into the action quite effectively.

13.Ng3 Bb7 14.Nf5

14...Na5

It might seem that White’s attack reaches its dead end after 14...Rae8, since following 15.Qf4, Black
has the resource 15...Rxe1+ 16.Rxe1 Qc3 17.Re3 Qa1+ 18.Bf1 Ba6, but if we calculate this line several
moves further: 19.h4 Qxf1+ 20.Kh2, it turns out that Black’s king will be in trouble: 20...Nxd4
(20...g6? 21.Qh6+–) 21.Nxd4 Bb7 22.Rg3 Kh8 23.Nf5+–

15.Ne7+ Kh8 16.Bf1 Qd6

Black has ousted the enemy bishop from its active position, but he must still defend very precisely. In

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the variation 16...Nc6 17.Nf5 Rae8 18.Rxe8 Rxe8 19.Qf4 Qxa2 20.Rb3 Qxc2 21.Re3, on top of all his
problems his last rank turns out to be vulnerable and he loses a piece because of that 21...Rxe3 22.Nxe3
Qc1 23.Qc7 Ba6 24.d5±

17.c4 f5. Black frees a square for his queen. (After the routine move 17...Rae8, it seems very strong
for White to continue with 18.c5ƒ, preserving the control over the e-file.) 18.Rb5 g6 19.Qh6 Qf6 (This
is the only move for Black. In the line: 19...Rae8 20.Nxf5+–, followed by the doubling of White’s
rooks, Black loses immediately.) 20.Nxf5 d5. He hopes to oust the active enemy knight from its
wonderful square, undermining its base, but Black is faced here with a nasty surprise. 21.g4! White’s
knight will remain on its place and will support the offensive, which after 21...Rfe8 22.Rxe8+ Rxe8
23.cxd5 Bc8 24.d6‚, should lead to a victory for White.

The sortie with Black’s c-pawn on move three is only for really brave players. Having compromised
the pawn-structure in the vicinity of Black’s king, White can choose later between active actions and an
immediate conflict and a patient preparation of his offensive. If he pays close attention to Black’s
possible tactical tricks, White will maintain long-lasting initiative.

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 Chapter 4
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4

Quick Repertoire

The move 2...e6 enjoys the reputation of being reasonable, reliable and having enough venom at the
same time. Black wishes to force the exchange of the Trompowsky bishop preserving the elasticity of
his pawn-structure. White will rely on his lead in development and his control over the centre.

Meanwhile, Black has tested in practice lines without the immediate move 3...h6. If he tries to play in
the spirit of the Alekhine Defence A) 3...Be7 4.e5 Nd5, White should try to prevent the exchanges in
order not to facilitate his opponent’s defence 5.Bd2!? d6 6.c4 Nb6 and then he will attack the shelter
of his opponent’s king 7.Qg4 dxe5 8.dxe5 Kf8 9.Nc3 Nc6 10.Nf3. Black has lost his castling rights
and is under an attack.

Naturally, it is much more popular for Black to inflict an immediate strike against White’s centre D)
3...c5 4.d5

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 It would be already too late for Black to follow here with D1) 4...h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.Nc3, with a
considerable lead in development for White, while after D2) 4...d6 5.Nc3 a6, White will have the non-
standard solution in this position – 6.dxe6!? fxe6 (6...Bxe6 7.g3 Be7 8.Bg2 Nc6 9.Nge2 and White
controls reliably the d5-square.) 7.e5!? dxe5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.0-0-0+ Kc7 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.Bd3. White
leads in development and thanks to that regains the pawn on e5 and preserves a superior pawn-
structure.
Black chooses often here the waiting move 5...Be7, but then the b5-square remains free: 6.Bb5+ Bd7
(The move 6...Nbd7 loses a pawn for Black 7.dxe6 fxe6 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 9.Qxd6.) 7.Bxd7+ Nbxd7
8.dxe6 fxe6. Now, White must attack the enemy pawns on d6 and e6. 9.Qd3 Ne5 10.Qh3 Qd7 11.f4
Ng6 12.Nge2 h6 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.g3 0-0 15.0-0-0 with considerable positional pressure.

After playing 3...c5, Black can try after 4.d5 to go after the enemy pawn on b2 and then come back
with his queen D3) 4...Qb6 5.Nc3 Qxb2 6.Bd2 Qb6,

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 but White seizes completely the initiative after that. 7.Nf3 d6 8.Rb1 Qc7 9.Bb5+ Bd7 (following
9...Nbd7?! 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.Ng5, Black has an only move with his king to the e7-square) 10.dxe6 fxe6
11.Bxd7+ Qxd7, but now, Black’s queen will be attacked by White’s knight: 12.e5 dxe5 13.Nxe5 with
very powerful initiative.

If Black exchanges the enemy bishop E) 3...h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6, then White tries to build up
immediately the pawn-wedge 5.c3 against Black’s long-range piece and plans later to deploy
aggressively his pieces for an offensive on the kingside.

E1) 5...d6 6.Bc4!? Qg6. Black inflicts a double-attack forcing the enemy queen to be placed in front
of his f-pawn. 7.Qf3 e5 8.Ne2 Nd7 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Nd2 Be7. There begin interesting developments.
White wishes to complete the manoeuvre with his queen and to advance f2-f4 after all, while Black will

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be trying to prevent that by all means. Therefore, it would be rather dubious for him to continue here
with 10...Bg4 11.Qe3 Be7 12.f4 and Black’s plan backfires. 11.Ng3 0-0. Now, it would not be good for
White to place his queen on d3, or on e3, but he can retreat it instead, so that it cannot be attacked by
Black’s pieces 12.Rae1!, with the idea 12...Re8 13.Qd1 c6 14.Bb3 Bf8 15.f4.

The strong players usually choose here the move E7) 5...d5, with the idea to clarify immediately the
pawn-situation in the centre, or to force White to place his pawn on e5, enabling Black to organise
counterplay on the queenside. 6.Bd3 c5 7.Nf3 Nc6 (It would be premature for Black to opt here for
7...cxd4 8.cxd4 dxe4 9.Bxe4 Bd6 10.Nc3 0-0 11.0-0 and if he develops his knight to c6, then White
will create a serious weakness for Black there by exchanging it, while the development of the knight to
the a6-square would not prevent White’s offensive against the enemy king.) 8.0-0

Now, White leads in development and thanks to that is ready to determine the situation in the centre
and to begin an attack against the enemy king. In the variation 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 Qd8 10.Nc3 dxe4
11.Bxe4 Be7, White’s actions are again based on the dangerous X-ray pressure of his bishop, supported
by the rest of his pieces. 12.Re1 0-0 13.Rc1 Bd7 14.Bb1 Bf6 15.Ne4.
It is more insidious for Black to play here 8...dxe4 9.Bxe4 Bd7 – White will be deprived of his basic
plans: to exert pressure against the isolated pawn, or to compromise the enemy pawn-structure by an
exchange on c6. His only real remaining advantage would be the lead in development, so he must act
resolutely. 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.Nbd2 Qf4 12.Qe2 Qc7 13.Bc2. White’s pieces are very active and he is
ready to begin an offensive no matter where Black chooses to castle.

In the line with 2...e6, Black forces the exchange of the Trompowsky bishop in the majority of the
variations, but White’s light-squared bishop, which remains on the board, plays a very important and
often decisive role. His long-range pieces are very active on the a2-g8 and b1-h7 diagonals and create
great problems for Black. He has difficulties to parry White’s aggression due to his lag in development.

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 Chapter 4
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4

Step by Step

White exploits the pin of the enemy knight and occupies the centre. Now, Black must choose how to
make use of the defencelessness of the pawn on e4. He can develop a piece A) 3...Be7, he can play in
the spirit of the French Defence B) 3...d5, he can choose the indifferent move C) 3...d6, or inflict a
counter strike D) 3...c5, or obtain the two-bishop advantage E) 3...h6, which is considered to be his
main line.

A) 3...Be7 4.e5 Nd5

The move 4...Ng8?! is too passive, because White is not obliged to trade the bishops and can simply
retreat: 5.Be3 d5 (It would be more or less the same after 5...d6 6.Qg4 g6 7.Nc3 h5 8.Qg3 Nh6 9.Bxh6
Rxh6 10.0-0-0²; 6...dxe5 7.dxe5 g6 8.Nc3, White is in a complete control of the position.). Now,
having in mind that Black lags considerably in development, White can simply continue with the
mobilisation of his forces: 6.Nf3!? h5 (Following 6...c5 7.dxc5 Nd7 8.Bb5 a6 9.Ba4², Black will
hardly manage to regain his pawn, since he has too many problems to worry about.) 7.Bd3 Nh6 8.0-0
Nf5 9.Bxf5 exf5 10.Qd2², with a comfortable edge for White.

It deserves a thorough attention to analyse the line: 4...Ne4 5.Bxe7 Qxe7 6.c3 0-0 7.Bd3

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 Black’s attempt to play in the spirit of the Queen’s Indian Defence 7...f5 would not be justified in this
position: 8.Nd2 Nxd2 9.Qxd2 b6 (After 9...d6 10.Nf3 Nd7 11.exd6 cxd6 12.0-0², White has a clear-
cut plan for actions on the e-file.) 10.Ne2 Bb7 11.Nf4² His knight has succeeded in occupying the key-
outpost just in time.
7...d5 8.Bxe4 dxe4 9.Nd2

Black’s attempt to counter attack is weaker here: 9...Qg5 10.Ne2 e3 (10...Qxg2? 11.Rg1 Qxh2
12.Nxe4 Nd7 13.Qd2‚) 11.fxe3 Qxe3 (11...Qxg2 12.Rg1 Qxh2 13.Nf3 Qh6 14.Nf4 Nd7 15.Qc2+–)
12.Nc4 Qg5 13.0-0 Nc6 14.Rf3², White combines his centralisation with an attack against the enemy
king.
9...b6 10.Nh3!? (Strangely enough, but it seems that only this move provides White with an
advantage – after 10.Nxe4 Bb7 11.Qg4 Nd7 12.Nf3 f6, he will have to give back his extra pawn in

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order to parry the enemy threats.) 10...Bb7 (10...Qh4 11.0-0 Bb7 12.Re1²) 11.0-0 c5 12.Qg4 f5
(12...cxd4 13.Nxe4 Nc6 14.cxd4 Rfd8 15.Nd6±) 13.exf6 Rxf6 14.Nxe4 Rg6 15.Qf3 cxd4. Here, after
the important inclusion of the move 16.Nf4!? Rh6 17.cxd4 Nc6 18.Rad1², White would win a pawn
under much more favourable circumstances than after 10.Nxe4. Black has no threats anymore and his
e6-pawn is vulnerable.

5.Bd2!?

This is not the most popular move for White, but it is quite logical. The pawn-structure is similar to
the Alekhine Defence and Black will hardly manage to undermine the enemy centre, because his
kingside is weak.
5...d6

Black can insist on trading the bishops 5...Bg5, but this would end up badly for him: 6.Bxg5 Qxg5
7.c4 Nb6 8.Nf3 Qd8 9.Bd3², White has an obvious advantage.

The standard undermining move 5...c5 would enable White to seize the initiative, because the enemy
dark-squared bishop has been moved from its initial position and would need to capture on c5 losing a
tempo: 6.c4

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 White’s idea would work no matter where the enemy knight would retreat: 6...Nb6 7.dxc5 Bxc5
8.Qg4 g6 9.Nc3 d5 10.exd6 Nc6 11.0-0-0ƒ
6...Nb4 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Nf3 d6 9.a3 N4c6 10.exd6 Bxd6 11.Nc3²
6...Nc7 7.dxc5!? Nc6 (Black is trying to avoid the capturing, but this is again not so good for him
7...Bxc5 8.Qg4 0-0 9.Nf3 – but not 9.Bh6? Ne8³ – 9...f5 10.exf6 Qxf6 11.Nc3 d5 12.Qg3², followed
by Bd3 and 0-0.) 8.Qg4 0-0 9.Nf3 f5 10.exf6 Bxf6 11.Nc3² At the end of this line White’s c5-pawn,
instead of being a weakness, has become very powerful, impeding the comfortable development of
Black’s queenside.

The piece-play 5...Nc6, would not provide Black with the desired equality either: 6.Qg4 g6 7.Nf3 d6
(He should better avoid the clarification of the pawn-structure earlier than necessary: 7...f5 8.Qg3 0-0
9.Nc3 f4 10.Qg4 d6 11.Bd3‚ White’s bishop occupies an active square without losing any time.)
8.Bc4 Nb6 (8...0-0 9.0-0 Nb6 10.Bb3 f5 11.exf6 Rxf6. After the fortifying move 12.c3², we can
already try to evaluate the results of the opening battle. Black is worse and has failed to organise any
active counterplay.) 9.Bb3 a5 10.a4 dxe5 11.dxe5 Nd7. Here, it deserves attention for White to try the
brave line: 12.Nc3!? Ndxe5 (Without this move, Black would be stalemated little by little...) 13.Nxe5
Nxe5 14.Qh3 0-0 15.0-0-0‚ Almost all White’s pieces are poised against the enemy king.

The immediate move 5...0-0 would be too optimistic for Black, having in mind that almost all his
pieces are placed on the opposite side of the board. 6.c4 Nb6 7.Bd3 d6 8.Qc2

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 8...h6 9.Nf3 dxe5 10.dxe5 c5 11.0-0 Nc6 12.a3 Nd7 13.Re1², with a comfortable position for White.
8...Nc6 9.Nf3 h6 10.0-0 dxe5 (Black can trade one of the bishops with 10...Nd7 11.Bc3 a5 12.a3
dxe5 13.dxe5 Nc5, but this would not change the evaluation of the position: 14.Rd1 Nxd3 15.Rxd3
Qe8 16.Nbd2²) 11.dxe5 Nd7 12.Bc3 Nc5 13.Be2², White is threatening to seize the d-file and to oust
the enemy knight away with the help of the pawn-advance b2-b4.

6.c4 Nb6 7.Qg4

7...dxe5

White’s advantage is doubtless after the calmer line: 7...g6 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.Nf3², as well as after the
more aggressive variation 7...g5 8.exd6 cxd6 9.Qh5 e5 10.Nf3 Bf5 11.Bxg5 exd4 12.Bh6 Bg6

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13.Qg4ƒ, in which Black will have a great problem to find a safe haven for his king.

8.dxe5 Kf8 9.Nc3 Nc6 10.Nf3²

He can hardly be satisfied with the results of the opening. Black’s king is still stranded in the centre
and he has great difficulties with the development of his bishop on c8.

B) 3...d5

Black plays in the spirit of the French Defence, but there is an important difference from the standard
variations. White has not developed his knight to c3 and is ready to place a pawn on this square without
losing any tempi.
4.e5 h6 5.Be3 Nfd7 6.f4 c5 7.c3

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 7...Nc6

The move 7...Qb6, after White’s simple response 8.Qd2, turns out to be just a loss of time. Black’s
queen impedes the development of his own pieces. Now, after 8...Be7 9.Be2 0-0 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.0-0²,
he has no useful moves anymore, while White can prepare patiently an attack on the queenside, while
following 8...Nc6 9.Nf3 a6 10.Be2 Qc7 11.0-0 b5, Black has lost a tempo for a unnecessary move with
his queen and White can reply again with: 12.Qe1!? c4 13.Nh4ƒ, with the rather dangerous threat f4-f5.

8.Nf3 Be7

About 8...Qb6 9.Qd2 Be7 10.Be2 0-0 11.0-0 – see 7...Qb6.

Following 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 Nb6, Tregubov – Shulman, Gausdal 1994, White can continue
analogously to the main line: 10.a3!? Be7 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Bd3 Bd7 13.0-0², preserving his space
advantage.

9.Bd3

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 9...cxd4

Black’s plan, connected with the pawn-advance b5-b4, is too slow: 9...Rb8 10.0-0 b5 11.f5 exf5
(After 11...c4 12.fxe6 cxd3 13.exd7+ Qxd7, it would be most precise for White to capture the enemy
pawn in a more exquisite fashion: 14.Ne1!? 0-0 15.Nxd3² – Here, his knight is active on both sides of
the board.) 12.Bxf5 cxd4 (After Black’s passive reply 12...0-0 13.Nbd2ƒ, White manages to bring
another piece in the focus of the actions and seizes the initiative for long.)

13.Bf4!? This surprising move is very strong, because it emphasizes the misplacement of Black’s
rook on b8. (After 13.cxd4 Nb6 14.Bd3 Nc4 15.Bc1 Bg4, Black has a quite free game and naturally,
White should not allow this.) 13...Nc5 14.e6 0-0 (Following 14...Bxe6 15.Bxb8 Bxf5, White can
consolidate his edge with the precise move 16.Ne5!²) 15.Bxb8 fxe6 16.Bg6 dxc3 17.Nxc3 Nxb8

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18.Ne5² Black has sufficient material compensation for the rook, but his pieces are not developed and
his king is vulnerable, so he is still too far from equality.

10.cxd4 Nb4 11.Be2 Nb6 12.a3 Nc6 13.Nc3 Nc4

Black is understandably reluctant to defend only passively. The eventual variation 13...Bd7 14.0-0 0-
0 15.Qc2 Na5 16.Bd3 Nac4 17.Bc1 Rc8 18.g4±, would be just horrible for him.

This position was reached in the game Adams – Ivanchuk, Moscow (blitz) 2007. The British
grandmaster was reluctant to play in a blitz game the principled line and preferred the calm retreat of
his bishop to the c1-square. We have had much more time for a thorough analysis and suggest to White
to grab the offered material. 14.Bxc4 dxc4 15.Qe2 0-0 (Black fails to preserve his extra pawn with
15...Na5 16.d5! exd5 17.Rd1± and White breaks in the centre, while following 15...b5 16.Nxb5 Qa5+
17.Nc3 Nb4 18.0-0², he would not capture on c4, but would preserve his extra pawn anyway.)
16.Qxc4 Na5 17.Qe2 b5!? This is a counter-chance! Black exploits the fact that his opponent has not
castled yet and is trying to play aggressively. Still, White is not only not obliged to accept the sacrifice,
but can even give back the extra material quite advantageously. 18.d5!? exd5 19.Rd1 Be6 20.Nd4²
White ignores the enemy b5-pawn and concentrates on the weak enemy d5-pawn and on the
organisation of an offensive.

C) 3...d6 4.Nc3

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 C1) 4...h6 and C2) 4...Be7.
About 4...Nbd7 5.Nf3 Be7 6.Be2, or 5...h6 6.Bf4 Be7 7.e5 – see variation C2.

C1) 4...h6 5.Be3

5...Nbd7
The fans of the Pirc Defence might be tempted by the possibility to fianchetto the bishop with 5...g6,
but in principle, this cannot be good. Black has already made too many moves with his pawns. 6.f4
(This move is much stronger than the typical reaction 6.f3 a6 7.Qd2 b5, after which Black manages to
enter a very complicated position.) 6...Bg7 7.Nf3 0-0 (It is just bad for him to choose here 7...Nc6
8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0‚ and he fails to create any threats against White’s powerful pawn-mass in the
centre.) 8.Qd2 b6 9.0-0-0 Bb7

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 Now, White is perfectly prepared for his decisive pawn-break. 10.f5!? Ng4 (All the complications are
in favour of White: 10...Nxe4 11.Nxe4 Bxe4 12.fxg6 fxg6 13.Bxh6 Bxf3 14.gxf3±, and he will
manage to bring his rook into the attack on the g-file; 12...Bxg6 13.Bxh6 Nd7 14.h4ƒ – White’s pawn
is going forward with a decisive effect.) 11.Bg1 h5. This is Black’s only chance (following 11...gxf5
12.exf5 exf5 13.Bd3ƒ, White’s attack develops effortlessly) 12.Kb1 Bh6 13.Qe1 exf5 14.exf5 gxf5.
Here, White’s most reliable way of maintaining an advantage is 15.Qh4!? Qxh4 16.Nxh4 f4 17.h3, in
which he regains comfortably the sacrificed pawn and in the variations 17...Nf6 18.Nf5 Bg7 19.Bh2±,
as well as 17...Ne3 18.Bxe3 fxe3 19.Nf5 Bg5 20.h4 Bf6 21.Be2±, he not only preserves the
advantageous placement of his pieces, but has also attacking prospects.

After Black’s indifferent move 5...Be7, White’s best response would be 6.Qf3!? (The position is not
simple at all. For example, White would achieve nothing much with the straightforward approach 6.e5
Nd5 7.Nxd5 exd5 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Bd3 Nc6 10.c3 Bg4 11.exd6 Bxd6 – Black has very good piece-play.)

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 6...0-0. His further plan is connected with the pawn-advance e6-e5, but he should not be in a hurry to
accomplish it. (White obtains a reliable advantage after 6...e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.h3 0-0 9.Rd1 Nbd7
10.Nge2², as well as following 6...Nbd7 7.0-0-0 e5 8.Be2 0-0 9.Qg3² In fact, in these lines castling is
much more flexible for him.) 7.0-0-0 Nc6 8.h3 e5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.Qg3 Re8 11.Be2² White might not
have achieved anything concrete yet, but has a clear-cut plan for his future actions, connected with the
pawn-advance f2-f4.

6.f4

6...c5

This move is the essence of Black’s idea; otherwise, he would not manage to do anything

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meaningful: 6...Be7 7.Qf3 c5 8.e5²

7.e5 cxd4 8.Bxd4 dxe5 9.fxe5 Nd5 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.Qd3

11...a6

The first idea of the move 11.Qd3 is quite obvious. White wishes to castle as quickly as possible and
to create pressure against the enemy d5-pawn: 11...Qc7 12.0-0-0 Nc5 13.Qg3 Ne6 (The line: 13...Ne4
14.Qb3² only helps White.) 14.Nf3 Bd7 15.Kb1², Black will have great problems to protect his weak
pawns.

12.e6!? This is White’s second idea. He exploits his opponent’s rather slow play and prevents the
evacuation of the enemy king to the kingside. 12...Qe7 (It is just horrible for Black to opt here for
12...fxe6 13.Qg6+ Ke7 14.Nf3ƒ) 13.0-0-0 Qxe6 (It was bad for Black to capture with the pawn until
now: 13...fxe6 14.Nf3 e5 15.Bc3±; 14...Qf7 15.Qc3!± White paralyses completely his opponent with
this quiet move with his queen.) 14.Nf3 Nf6 15.Re1 Ne4 16.c4 f5 17.Bc3 dxc4 (About 17...Bd6
18.Bxg7 dxc4 19.Qc2 – see 17...dxc4.) 18.Qc2. Black has two extra pawns indeed, but his position is
nearly hopeless: 18...Bd6 (He has no time for 18...b5 19.g4‚) 19.Bxg7 (We can recommend to
attacking players here the possibility 19.g4!?) 19...Rh7 20.Bxc4 Qg6 21.Bc3² Black’s king is so
vulnerable that he will hardly manage to save the game.

C2) 4...Be7 5.Nf3

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 5...0-0

Here, once again, castling is Black’s most flexible choice. For example, after the more concrete line:
5...Nbd7 6.Be2 0-0, White can follow with 7.Bf4!? c5 8.e5 Nh5 9.Bc1 cxd4 10.Nxd4 dxe5 11.Nxe6
fxe6 12.Bxh5², leaving his opponent with weak isolated pawns.

White will be happy after 5...h6 6.Bf4 0-0 (Here, it is again bad for Black to choose 6...Nbd7 7.e5
Nd5 8.Nxd5 exd5 9.Bd3²) 7.Bd3 Nbd7 (The exchange operation 7...Nc6 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 e5
10.Be3 exd4 11.Bxd4 Be6 12.Re1², would enable Black to obtain a freer game, but White would
preserve a slight edge anyway.) 8.0-0 c5 9.e5 dxe5 10.dxe5 Nd5 11.Bd2² Black has again great
problems with the development of his light-squared bishop.

6.Bd3

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 6...Nc6

About 6...h6 7.Bf4 – see 5...h6.

Following 6...c5 7.dxc5 dxc5, Baklan – O.Dolzhikova, Schwaebisch Gmuend 2000, White has a very
promising idea: 8.Bxf6!? Bxf6 (After the line: 8...gxf6 9.Qd2 Nc6 10.Qh6ƒ, White maintains a clear
advantage.) 9.e5 Be7 10.Qe2. Now, he has a very powerful attack and this can be best illustrated by the
variations 10...Nc6 (10...Qc7 11.0-0-0 Nd7 12.h4‚) 11.0-0-0 Qa5 12.Qe4 g6 13.h4 Qb4 14.Qe3‚

6...Nbd7 7.Bf4 (Without this move Black will advance e5 obtaining a very good position.) 7...c5. He
must undermine his opponent’s centre as soon as possible; otherwise, White will cramp quickly his
adversary. (7...Re8 8.0-0 a6 9.a4²; 7...b6 8.0-0 Bb7 9.Re1 Re8 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5 Nd5 12.Nxd5 Bxd5
13.c3² In both variations White’s space advantage guarantees for him a very good position.) 8.e5 Nh5
9.Be3 cxd4 10.Nxd4 g6 (The tactical trick 10...Nf4 11.Bxf4 dxe5 is beautiful, but useless – after
12.Nxe6 fxe6 13.Bg3±, White’s advantage is doubtless.) 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.Qd2² and he prevents
Black’s knight from gaining access to the f4-square.

7.0-0 e5

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 Black plays very passively in the opening; nevertheless, his position is quite solid and White must
still find numerous accurate moves in order to obtain even a slight edge.
8.dxe5
He should not close the position. White’s pieces are very well developed and he must seek his
chances in a complicated open fight.

8...Nxe5

The move 8...dxe5 enables White to play without any risk against his opponent’s compromised
pawn-structure. 9.Bb5 h6 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Bxc6 bxc6 (11...Qxd1 12.Rfxd1 bxc6 13.Rd3²) 12.Qe2.
Black’s bishop-pair is completely irrelevant here. White’s knight have several excellent reliable
outposts, while Black’s bishops have no scope for action.

9.Re1!?

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 9...Bg4

The deep idea behind White’s modest looking move is hidden in the trap 9...Nxe4? 10.Bxe7 Nxc3
11.Bxd8 Nxd1 12.Nxe5 Nxb2 13.Be7 Re8 14.Bxd6 cxd6 15.Nc4!+– and Black loses a piece.

Black fails to equalise after the exchange 9...Nxd3 10.Qxd3 h6 11.Bh4 Re8 12.h3 Nd7 13.Bxe7
Qxe7 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.Rad1² and White exerts pressure against the enemy centre.

10.Be2 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nxf3+ 12.Qxf3

12...Re8

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 The position might seem quite simple, but Black must play tremendously carefully, for example after
12...c6 13.Rad1 Re8 14.Bf4², he will end up with a weakness on d6.

The exchange operation 12...Nd5, would not help Black, since White can play 13.Bd2 Nb6 14.Rad1²

13.e5. White has no time to postpone his actions, because Black will stabilise completely his situation
in a few moves. 13...dxe5 14.Rad1 Qc8 15.Rxe5 h6 16.Rxe7! Black’s major pieces are horribly
misplaced and after a concrete decision White will end up with an extra pawn. 16...Rxe7 17.Bxf6 gxf6
18.Nd5 Re6 19.Qg3+ Kh7 20.Nxc7 Qd7 21.Rf1², with excellent prospects for White to realise his
material advantage.

D) 3...c5
This is an attempt by Black to play in the spirit of the Benoni Defence. Naturally, there are many
differences. White’s bishop is not badly placed on g5 and he has the threat e4-e5 in several situations.
Black will have to use another valuable tempo for the move e6-e5, if he plans to close the position and
transpose to the variations of the Old Benoni Defence.
4.d5

Now, we will analyse in details the variations: D1) 4...h6, D2) 4...d6 and D3) 4...Qb6.

The following variation confirms the arguments we have already mentioned 4...e5 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bb5+
Nbd7 (6...Bd7 7.a4 Be7 8.Nf3²) 7.a4² Black has lost several tempi and that has enabled White to
cement reliably the queenside.

There would arise more or less similar positions after 4...Qa5+ 5.Bd2 Qb6 (It would be about the
same after 5...Qc7 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nf3 exd5 8.exd5 a6 9.a4 Bg4 10.Be2²) 6.Nc3 d6 (6...Be7 7.Nf3 d6
8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.a4 – see 6...d6) 7.Bb5+ Bd7 8.a4 Be7 9.Nf3 0-0 10.0-0² Black will hardly manage to

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organise active counterplay.

4...exd5 5.exd5

In the variation 5...d6 6.Qe2+ Qe7 7.Bxf6 gxf6 8.Nc3 Nd7 9.0-0-0², White maintains an obvious
advantage thanks to his opponent’s disrupted pawn-structure.
Following 5...h6 6.Qe2+ Qe7 7.Bxf6 gxf6 8.Nc3 d6 9.0-0-0², there arises a practically identical
position, except that Black has played the completely useless move h7-h6.
5...Qe7+ 6.Be2 h6, Walton – Cherniaev, Coventry 2005. Black practically has not made any
developing moves and White should immediately exploit this: 7.Be3 g6 8.Nf3 d6 (otherwise, Black
would lose a pawn: 8...Bg7 9.d6 Qe6 10.Bxc5²) 9.0-0 Bg7 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Re1!? Black has sufficient
material equivalent for the queen, but White can still continue with the most principled variation, since
his opponent’s pieces are completely discoordinated. 11...Bxb5 12.Bxc5 dxc5 (Black fails to defend
adequately in the line: 12...Ne4 13.Bd4 f5 14.Bxg7 Qxg7 15.Nd4 Bd7 16.f3± and White regains the
sacrificed material.) 13.d6 Qe6 14.Rxe6+ fxe6 15.Ne5 0-0 16.Nxg6 Rd8 17.Nf4², White forces his
opponent to solve the difficult task to coordinate his pieces.

D1) 4...h6
This move can hardly achieve anything meaningful. It was better for Black to provoke White to
capture a move earlier.
5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.Nc3

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 6...a6

Here, it would be very bad for Black to choose 6...e5?!, because of the direct enemy knight-sortie
7.Nb5 Bd6 8.Qf3 Qe7 9.Qg3 0-0 10.Nf3 a6 11.Nxd6 Qxd6 12.Nxe5±, Black’s queenside is not
developed at all.

It seems more natural for Black here to continue with 6...d6, but even then, after placing his light-
squared bishop on the b5-square, White consolidates a stable advantage: 7.Nf3 e5 (7...a6 8.a4 – see
8...a6) 8.Bb5+

White’s task would be even simpler after 8...Bd7 9.a4 Be7 10.Nd2 0-0 11.0-0 Qg6 12.Bxd7 Nxd7
13.Nc4² and his knight occupies a key-outpost.

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 8...Nd7 9.a4 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nd2 Qg6, Leroy – J.Ivanov, Saint-Quentin 2000 (It seems also
reasonable for Black to play here 11...Qg5, but after 12.a5 Nf6 13.Kh1, he will be faced with a rather
unpleasant choice. He must either let the enemy pawns advance further after 13...Nh5 14.a6², or
weaken the b6-square following 13...a6 14.Be2 Bd7 15.Nc4 Rab8 16.Nb6²) 12.Bd3 Nf6 13.f4. This is
why the move 11...Qg5 is practically stronger for Black. Now, White manages to advance his pawn
further after 13...Ng4 14.f5 Qg5 15.Rf3² and he parries successfully his opponent’s pressure.

7.Nf3

7...d6

After 7...e5, White should act following the already familiar principles, with the exception that he can
place his bishop even more actively: 8.a4 d6 9.a5 Qd8 10.Be2 Nd7 11.Nd2 Be7 12.0-0 0-0 13.Bg4²,
followed by Nc4, Albano Rivares – Sanchez de Ybargaen Gutierrez, ICCF 2005.

It would be too optimistic for Black to play here 7...b5 8.e5 Qd8 (In the variation 8...Qg6 9.Bd3
Qxg2 10.Rg1 Qh3 11.Be4ƒ, Black’s undeveloped pieces look just pathetic...) 9.a4 b4 (White has a
solid extra pawn after 9...Bb7 10.axb5 axb5 11.dxe6 dxe6 12.Bxb5+ Nc6 13.Qxd8+ Kxd8 14.Ke2±)
10.Ne4 Bb7 11.Bc4 Be7 12.0-0± All Black’s pieces are developed in a way that they do not work
properly.

8.a4 Nd7

About 8...e5 9.a5 – see 7...e5.

9.Be2

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 9...Be7

Black has tested numerous different possibilities in practice, but neither of them provides him with
any chances of equalising if White plays precisely.

There arises a very familiar position after 9...e5 10.0-0 Be7 11.a5 Qg6 12.Nd2 Nf6 13.Re1 0-0
14.Nc4² Deak – Farago, Hungary 1994.

Black’s pawn-structure is horribly weakened after 9...Qd8 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.Nd2 g6 (White was
threatening to check from the h5-square.) 12.0-0 Be7 13.Bc4 Ne5 14.f4 Nxc4 15.Nxc4 0-0 16.Qd3±
Calin – Itkis, Eforie Nord 2017.

After 9...Ne5, White should better not be in a hurry to capture and should wait for the forced
weakening enemy move g7-g5, after which he can transfer his knight to the vulnerable squares: 10.Nd2
Be7 11.0-0 g5 12.a5 0-0 13.Re1 Bd7 14.Nf1²

Black has also tried to advance his other rook-pawn: 9...h5 10.0-0 Ne5, Saurabh – Lalith, Nagpur
2015, but after this optimistic approach he weakens both his kingside, as well as his queenside: 11.a5
Be7 (Black must cover the b6-square: 11...Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 e5 13.Na4²) 12.Na4 Bd8 13.dxe6 Nxf3+
(This move is also forced, because after the immediate move 13...Qxe6 14.Nd2², White’s knight on d2
would be much more useful than Black’s knight.) 14.Bxf3 Qxe6 and after White’s precise reaction
15.e5! dxe5 16.Nxc5 Qe7 17.b4 0-0 18.Bd5², Black’s pieces would remain practically squeezed on the
last two ranks.

Black has also played immediately 9...g5 in practice, but this cannot be good for him due to his
weakened king: 10.dxe6 fxe6, Sahovic – Ermenkov, Athens 1981, 11.0-0 Be7

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 12.e5!? (It is essential for White not to let the opponent to evacuate his king.) 12...Nxe5 (It would be
slightly worse for Black to play here 12...dxe5, in view of the possible enemy knight-manoeuvre
13.Ne4 Qg7 14.Nd6+ Kd8 15.Nc4ƒ) 13.Nxe5 Qxe5 14.Bh5+ Kd8 (Black fails to force the trade of
the queens after: 14...Kf8 15.Re1 Qd4 16.Qf3+ Qf4 17.Qd3 Qd4 18.Qf1!ƒ White’s queen frees a
square for his rook on a1.) 15.Re1 Qd4 16.Qe2 Kc7 17.Rad1 Qg7. Now, White’s most reliable way of
maintaining an advantage would be 18.Nd5+ exd5 19.Qxe7+ Qxe7 20.Rxe7+ Bd7 21.Rxd5² Black
fails to fight for the important e-file, due to the rather unpleasant enemy bishop on h5.

10.0-0 0-0 11.Nd2

11...e5
Sooner or later Black will have to advance e6-e5.

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 Following 11...Rb8 12.Nc4 Ne5 13.Ne3 g5 14.a5², he will be deprived again of any reasonable
counterplay.

12.a5 g6 13.Nc4 Qg5, Pert – Rogers, Sunningdale 2007. Black obviously intends to attack the enemy
formation with the help of his f-pawn. This idea is hardly reasonable, so White has a very effective
reaction against it: 14.g3!? f5 15.Kh1 f4 16.Rg1 Kg7 17.Ra3² Now, Black’s attack has reached its
dead end, while White is perfectly prepared to begin an offensive on the queenside.

D2) 4...d6 5.Nc3

We will analyse now in details the moves: D2a) 5...a6 and D2b) 5...Be7.

About 5...e5 6.Bb5 – see 4...e5.

D2a) 5...a6
This is a very precise and flexible order of moves. If White plays routinely, Black’s ideas would be
even more effective, so this is the right moment for White to apply some radical measures. For
example, after 6.a4 Be7, in order to avoid the strike Nxd5, White must retreat 7.Bf4 and after 7...0-0
8.Nf3 exd5 9.exd5 Bg4, Black reaches a very good version of the Benoni Defence, because White’s
bishop usually goes to the f4-square at once.
6.dxe6!?

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 6...fxe6

After 6...Bxe6, Battluga – Faraj, Zaozhuang 2012, White should better reply with the standard
fianchetto of his light-squared bishop for the Trompowsky Attack: 7.g3 Be7 8.Bg2 Nc6 9.Nge2 0-0.
Here, he should better avoid unnecessary exchanges and retreat with his bishop to its initial square
10.Bc1!? b5 11.Nf4 Bc4 (It is not preferable for Black to choose here 11...Bg4 12.f3 Bd7 13.0-0 Ne5
14.Ncd5², White will develop his initiative under the cover of his centralised knight.) 12.b3 b4
13.Nce2 Bxe2 14.Nxe2 a5 15.a4², White fixes the pawn-structure in the centre as well as his
advantage.

7.e5!?
It is hardly possible to grasp immediately all the intricacies of this endgame, but the thorough
analysis confirms White’s advantage.
7...dxe5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.0-0-0+ Kc7 10.Nf3 Nc6
About 10...h6 11.Bh4 Nc6 12.Bd3 – see 10...Nc6.

11.Bd3

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 White is a pawn down at the moment, but if he manages to regain the pawn on e5, he would soon win
for sure another one.
11...b5

If Black continues with his standard development, White will maintain an edge: 11...Bd6 12.Rhe1
Bd7 13.Bh4 Rhf8 14.Bg3² and Black’s e-pawn is defenceless.

Following 11...Nd5, White is ready to compromise his opponent’s pawn-structure 12.Be4 Nxc3
13.bxc3 Bd6 14.Bh4² White’s pawn on c3 deprives the enemy knight on c6 of several good squares
and Black’s bishops have no good prospects at all.

It deserves attention for him to play here 11...h6 12.Bh4 g5, but even then White would have a
wonderful position: 13.Bg3 Nh5 14.Ne4 b6 (Black must protect his pawn: 14...Nxg3 15.hxg3 Bg7
16.Nxc5²) 15.Bxe5+ Nxe5 16.Nxe5 Bg7 17.Nf7 Rf8 18.Ned6² and White’s knight-tandem is
dominant in the enemy camp.

12.Rhe1 c4 13.Be4 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 Bb7 15.Bh4

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 15...h6

Black cannot avoid the loss of a pawn: 15...Kb6 16.Bg3 Be7 17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.Bxe5±, with a very
comfortable endgame for White.

16.Nxe5. After this small tactical trick, White has excellent winning prospects, for example after:
16...Nxe5 17.Bg3 Kb6 18.Bxe5 Bd5 19.Nc3 Bxg2 20.Bd4+ Kb7 21.Rxe6², Black’s king is
vulnerable and his kingside pawns are very weak.

D2b) 5...Be7 6.Bb5+

This move practically forces Black to interpose with his bishop due to the weakness of his d6-pawn.

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 6...Bd7

6...Nbd7 7.dxe6 fxe6 8.Bxf6 Bxf6 (After 8...gxf6 9.Qh5+ Kf8 10.0-0-0±, White seizes the
initiative.) 9.Qxd6 Qe7 10.e5 0-0 11.Qxe7 Bxe7 12.Nf3 a6 13.Bc4 Nb6 14.Bd3² and Black’s
compensation for the sacrificed pawn is nowhere to be seen.

After 6...Kf8, White must react calmly and not try to win the game outright... 7.dxe6 Bxe6
(Following 7...fxe6 8.Nf3 a6 9.Bd3 Nc6, it seems again good for White to play 10.e5!? dxe5 11.0-0²)
8.Qd3

Black’s king is vulnerable, so White would not mind trading pieces: 8...a6 9.Bc4 Bxc4 10.Qxc4 b5
11.Qd3 Nbd7 12.Nf3 h6 13.Bxf6 Nxf6 14.Nd5² with an obvious edge for him.
8...Nc6 9.Bxc6 (This move is much more reliable than 9.0-0-0 Qb6 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Qxd6+ Kg8
12.Nge2 h5 and Black’s powerful bishops compensate fully the missing pawn.) 9...bxc6 10.Nge2 h6
11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.Rd1 Be7 13.0-0² with a reliable advantage for White.

7.Bxd7+

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 7...Nbxd7

It is also possible for Black to play here 7...Qxd7 with the idea to deploy his knight on the c7-square:
8.Nf3
White is already prepared to open the centre: 8...0-0 9.dxe6 fxe6 (After 9...Qxe6 10.0-0 Nc6 11.Re1
Rad8 12.Qd2², White has an easy game connected with exerting pressure against the weak d5-square.)
10.e5 dxe5 11.Nxe5 Qc7 12.Qe2 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Qxc6 14.0-0 (14.0-0-0!?) 14...Rae8 15.Rfe1 Bd8
16.Rad1², followed by an attack against the enemy e6-pawn.

8...e5 9.0-0 0-0 10.Qe2 Na6 11.a4 Nc7 12.h3!? White’s plan is quite simple: Be3, Nd2, f4. Black’s
immediate reaction 12...Nfe8 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Nd2², would be in favour of White, because his knight
would be ready to occupy the c4-square on his next move, while in the variations 12...Rab8 13.Be3
Nfe8 14.Nd2², as well as 12...b6 13.Be3 a6 14.Nd2 b5 15.f4 exf4 16.Bxf4², his plan would be realised
convincingly. Meanwhile, Black must still find resources to continue the fight on equal terms.

8.dxe6 fxe6 9.Qd3

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 9...Ne5

9...Qa5, Ovod – Badmatsyrenov, Moscow 2016. Black would hardly manage to equalise with this
queen-sortie: 10.Nf3 0-0 11.0-0 Rfe8 12.a4²

10.Qh3 Qd7 11.f4

11...Ng6

The following line is hardly better for Black: 11...Nc6 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 13.Nf3 h6 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.e5
Be7 16.exd6 Bxd6 17.g3 Qf7 18.Rhe1² His weak e6-pawn precludes him from equalising.

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 12.Nge2 h6 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.g3 0-0 15.0-0-0 Bxc3 16.Nxc3 Ne7

There arises a practically identical position following 16...Rad8 17.Rd2 Nh8 18.Rhd1 Nf7 19.Qh5±
Black’s knight is equally passive on the f7 and c8-squares.

17.Rd2 Rad8 18.Rhd1 Nc8 19.a4± After this move Black must adhere only to waiting strategy,
Degtyaryov – Jedinger, ICCF 2013.

D3) 4...Qb6 5.Nc3

5...Qxb2

After Black has placed his queen on b6, he must accept this sacrifice; otherwise, he might be
stalemated early in the opening: 5...Be7 6.Nf3 h6 (The move 6...0-0 enables White to place a wedge
inside the enemy camp: 7.d6 Bd8 8.Rb1 Nc6 9.Be2²) 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.e5 Be7 9.Rb1² Black’s position is
horribly cramped.

6.Bd2 Qb6

The move 6...Nxe4 contradicts all the opening principles. 7.Nxe4 Qe5 8.Bd3 exd5 (After 8...c4
9.Nf3 Qxd5 10.Nc3 Qc5 11.Be2 d5 12.Rb1±, White saves his piece.) 9.Nf3 Qe7 10.0-0 dxe4 11.Bxe4
and here, Black would be faced with a very difficult choice between 11...d6 12.Re1 Be6 13.Rb1 Nc6
14.Ng5 Nd8 15.c4‚, or 11...Qd6 12.Re1 Be7 13.Qe2 0-0 14.Rad1ƒ He lags so much in development
that the game is likely to end very soon.

7.Nf3

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 7...d6
Black must develop as quickly as possible in order not to get crushed very rapidly.

Following 7...exd5, White can advance his pawn: 8.e5 Qe6 (The line: 8...Ne4 9.Nxd5 Qd8 10.Bf4ƒ
is also very difficult for Black.) 9.Bf4 Be7 10.Be2 Ne4 11.Nxd5 Bd8 12.0-0±, White has practically
completed his development, while almost all of Black’s pieces are close to the edge of the board.

It would be also too slow for him to choose here 7...a6 8.Bc4 Be7 (After 8...Qd8 9.e5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5
exd5 11.Bxd5 Be7 12.0-0 0-0 13.Qe2ƒ, White’s actively deployed pieces compensate fully the
sacrificed pawn.) 9.0-0 0-0. Now, he can practically win the game immediately with 10.e5 Nxd5
11.Bxd5 exd5 12.Nxd5 Qd8 13.Ba5! Qxa5 14.Nxe7+ Kh8 15.Ng5 Qd8, and here White can win in
several different ways, but we will recommend 16.Qh5 h6 17.Qxf7+–, after which Black remains at
least a rook down.

8.Rb1 Qc7

About 8...Qd8 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.Bxd7+ Qxd7 12.e5 – see variation 8...Qc7.

9.Bb5+

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 9...Bd7

Black cannot play here 9...Nbd7, because of his problems with the e-pawn: 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.Ng5
Ke7 12.f4 h6 13.Nf3ƒ, followed by 0-0 and an attack against the enemy king stranded in the centre.

10.dxe6 fxe6 11.Bxd7+ Qxd7

It is again impossible for Black to play 11...Nbxd7 12.Ng5 Qc6 13.Qe2± and White forces the
enemy king to be the only defender of the e6-pawn.

12.e5 dxe5 13.Nxe5

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 13...Qd6

Black cannot find a better square for the retreat of his queen, after 13...Qc8 14.Qf3 Nc6 15.Nxc6
bxc6 16.0-0², White will gradually begin a chase after the weak enemy pawns, while following
13...Qc7 14.Bf4 Be7 15.Qf3 Nc6 16.Nxc6 Qxc6 17.Rxb7 Qxf3 18.gxf3², he reaches a very favourable
endgame with his rook having penetrated to the penultimate rank.

14.Ng4 Nxg4

It would be also a great problem for Black if he chooses the line: 14...Nbd7 15.Nxf6+ Nxf6 16.Rxb7
Be7 17.0-0ƒ
15.Qxg4 Nc6 16.0-0!?
This move requires long and exact calculations and it leads to an endgame with an extra pawn for
White.

16...Qxd2 17.Qxe6+ Be7 18.Rxb7 Qh6 (White has powerful initiative after 18...Qd6 19.Rxe7 Qxe7
20.Qxc6 Kf7 21.Nd5ƒ) 19.Qd7+ Kf7 20.Rc7 Rhd8. Black will have to give back the piece sooner or
later, so he is trying to reach an endgame in the best possible version for him. 21.Qxc6 Qxc6 22.Rxc6
Rd2 23.Rc1 Rad8 24.Rc7 R8d7 25.Rxd7 Rxd7 26.Rd1 Rb7. The moves of both sides have been quite
logical until now. Black had to exchange one of the rooks anyway, but he should be reluctant to trade
the second rook. This would not solve any problems for him, though... 27.Rb1 Rb4 (After 27...Rd7,
White begins the process of activation of his king: 28.Ne4 Rd4 29.f3 Ra4 30.Rb2± With the support of
the “eternal” knight on e4, he has excellent winning chances.) 28.Rxb4 cxb4 29.Nd5± Martin Sanchez
– Garcia Ramirez, ICCF 2010. Black cannot create quickly a passed pawn, so White can begin a long
and systematic process of realising his advantage, combining the threat to advance his f-pawn with the
possible transfer of his king to the queenside.

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 E) 3...h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.c3

Black has avoided the doubling of his pawns and has exchanged the enemy bishop preserving the
flexibility of his pawn-chain. Still, he lags in development, having lost a tempo for a move with his
queen. Later, it would need to retreat from the f6-square; otherwise, it would be attacked by his
opponent’s pieces. Meanwhile, White should not forget that sooner or later Black’s dark-squared
bishop will become active, so White should deploy carefully his pawns on the dark squares in advance.
In this very popular position, Black has tried in practice the following moves: E1) 5...d6, E2) 5...c5,
E3) 5...b6, E4) 5...e5, E5) 5...Nc6, E6) 5...Qd8 and E7) 5...d5.

We have to mention that Black has also the resource 5...g6, which is a very clever transposition of
moves, connected with the fact that if White develops his bishop to the d3-square, later he would not be
able to realise the plan of Van Wely, while after 6.Bc4, Black will have the resource 6...Qg5!? 7.g3 d5
8.Nf3 Qd8, weakening his opponent’s kingside. White can react however more precisely: 6.Nbd2 Bg7
7.Bc4 and now, after 7...Qg5, he has already the response 8.Qf3, while following 7...d6, there would
arise variations, which we have already analysed.

E1) 5...d6 6.Bc4!?

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 In this line, there have been played numerous games after White’s most popular move 6.Bd3 and in
general, Black holds quite successfully the defence against White’s aggressive plan, so we will suggest
to you a very interesting idea of the famous theoretician – the Dutch grandmaster Loek van Wely.
In this variation, Black will have to counter sooner or later White’s offensive with the move e6-e5,
therefore it seems simpler for White to deploy immediately his bishop on the important diagonal
exerting rather unpleasant pressure against the enemy f7-pawn.
6...Qg6

About 6...Nc6 7.Nd2 – see variation E5.

After 6...Qe7, Van Wely – Bezold, Berlin (blitz) 2015, White does not need to play so aggressively.
7.Nd2 g6 8.Ngf3 Bg7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1 Nd7 11.a4 e5 12.a5 a6 13.Qb3² His pressure on the queenside
and the active placement of his bishop provide White with a slight but stable edge.

Black has usually attacked immediately in practice the enemy bishop. 6...a6 7.Ne2

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 7...b5 8.Bb3 Bb7 9.Nd2 Nd7 10.0-0 Qd8, Van Wely – Handke, Berlin (blitz) 2015, 11.a4 Be7, but
now, it has become evident that his actions on the queenside have weakened his e6-pawn. 12.Nf4 0-0
(The move 12...Nf6 enables White to inflict a strike in the centre: 13.e5 dxe5 14.dxe5 Nd7? 15.Nxe6
fxe6 16.Qh5+ Kf8 17.Bxe6+–; 14...Nd5 15.Bxd5 Bxd5 16.Qg4 0-0 17.Rfd1 Kh8 18.Ne4ƒ) 13.Bxe6
Bg5 (13...fxe6 14.Nxe6 Qc8 15.Nxf8² White’s rook and two pawns are stronger than Black’s two
minor pieces.) 14.Bxd7 Qxd7 15.g3 Bxf4 16.gxf4 d5 17.f3² Black does not have full compensation for
the sacrificed pawn.
The move 7...Qd8 is not so ambitious and does not prevent White’s aggressive plans. 8.Nd2 g6 9.0-0
Bg7 10.f4

The move 10...0-0 enables White to continue with 11.f5! exf5 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.Ng3 and Black’s
defence will be very difficult: 13...Bc8 14.Qb3ƒ; 13...Be6 14.Bxe6 fxe6 15.Qb3 Qc8 16.Rxf8+ Bxf8

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17.Re1 d5 18.c4 c6 19.Qf3ƒ; 13...b5 14.Bd5 c6 15.Nxf5 cxd5 16.Nxg7 Kxg7 17.Qb3², White regains
advantageously his pawn.
10...d5 11.exd5 exd5 12.Bd3 Nd7 13.f5 g5 14.Ng3 Nf6 15.Re1+ Kf8, Van Wely – Schmaltz, Berlin
(blitz) 2015. Here, the simplest way for White to consolidate his advantage would be 16.Nh5 Qd6
17.Nf1 Bd7 18.Nfg3ƒ, White’s knight on h5 has been helped by his other knight, while Black’s king is
still incapable of finding a safe haven.

7.Qf3 e5 8.Ne2

8...Nd7

Following 8...Be7, the simplest for White would be to transpose to the main variation E1 with the
line: 9.Nd2 0-0 10.0-0 Nd7 11.Ng3 Nf6 12.Rae1, because his immediate knight-sortie 9.Ng3 0-0
10.Nf5 Bf6 11.dxe5, Kryakvin – Bocharov, Serpukhov 2018, would not work due to Black elegant
response 11...Re8!, followed by Bxe5.

9.0-0 Nf6 10.Nd2 Be7

With his last manoeuvres Black’s has forced the enemy queen to occupy a place in front of his f2-
pawn, while after his straightforward approach 10...Bg4 11.Qe3 Be7 12.f4ƒ, White’s pawn would
advance.

11.Ng3 0-0

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 This position was reached in the game Kryakvin – Fedorchuk, Vandoeuvre les Nancy 2018. White
failed to find over the board a good square for his queen, in order to advance effectively f2-f4, but he
had that possibility: 12.Rae1! Bg4 (12...Re8 13.Qd1 c6 14.Bb3 Bf8 15.f4ƒ and White has a very
promising position.) 13.Qd3 Nh5 13...exd4 14.Qxd4 Nd7 15.f3 Be6 16.f4ƒ) 14.Nxh5 Qxh5 15.f4ƒ
The moment the f-file would be opened, Black would begin immediately to have great problems.

E2) 5...c5 6.Nf3

We will deal now with: E2a) 6...Nc6 and E2b) 6...cxd4.

About 6...d5 7.Bd3 – see variation E7.

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 After 6...d6, White’s knight would be superior to Black’s bishop after a line, which would clarify the
pawn-structure: 7.dxc5 dxc5 8.e5 Qd8 (White’s pawn is again poisoned: 8...Qg6?! 9.Bd3 Qxg2 10.Rg1
Qh3 11.Be4 Nd7 12.Na3ƒ, with powerful pressure for him.) 9.Bd3 Bd7 10.0-0 Bc6 11.Qe2 Nd7
12.Be4² and White will have good prospects to exert pressure on the d-file after the transfer of his
knight to the c4-square.

6...Qg6 7.Qd3 cxd4, Batchelor – Thompson, ICCF 2014, 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Qe3 Nc6
11.Bd3 and Black’s attempt to grab a pawn 11...Qxg2?! 12.Rg1 Qh3 13.0-0-0 Bxc3 14.bxc3 Qh5
15.Rg3ƒ, would only help White to begin a crushing attack.

6...Qd8 7.d5

7...Qc7?! Black’s lag in development has even increased and World Champion number four managed
to prove convincingly White’s advantage. 8.Na3 a6 (8...d6 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.Nh4±) 9.Nc4
b5 10.Ne3 e5?! (10...c4 11.a4 Bb7 12.Qd4 f6 13.Qd2 Bc5 14.Nd4ƒ) 11.a4± Alekhine – E.Steiner,
Kemeri 1939.
Following 7...d6, Hug – Palac, Biel 2007, 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Bxd7+ Qxd7 10.0-0 Be7 11.Na3², White
will have a very powerful knight on c4 against a rather passive enemy bishop.
The move 7...exd5 is Black’s relatively best possibility. 8.Qxd5 Nc6 9.Bc4 Qe7 10.Nbd2 d6 11.0-0
Be6 12.Qd3 g5, Backwinkel – Boensch, Germany 1994, 13.Bd5² White enjoys once again a complete
control over the d5-square.

E2a) 6...Nc6

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 It is not logical for Black to refrain from advancing his c-pawn in this opening and it often happens
that White’s lead in development becomes threatening after this.
7.d5 Ne5

He is better after 7...exd5 8.exd5 Ne5 9.Nbd2 Nxf3+ 10.Nxf3 Be7 11.Bd3 d6 (11...a6?! 12.0-0 0-0
13.Re1 d6, Macieja – Tokarski, Torun 2004, 14.Nd2! b5 15.Ne4 Qh4 16.g3 Qh3 17.Nxc5±) 12.0-0 0-0
13.Re1 Bd7 14.Nd2 Rfe8 15.Ne4ƒ

8.Be2

8...Nxf3+

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 It would be very precarious here for Black to opt for the line: 8...Ng6?! 9.Na3 exd5 10.exd5 Bd6
(10...Nf4 11.Nb5 Kd8 12.0-0ƒ) 11.Nd2 Bb8 (11...Nf4 12.0-0 0-0 13.Bf3±) 12.Ne4 Qe5 13.Nxc5 0-0
14.Nc4 Qg5 15.g3 d6 16.Nb3 Bh3 17.Qd2 Qxd2+ 18.Kxd2 Bg2 19.Rhe1 Bxd5 20.Nd4± Maletich –
Pietrobono, ICCF 2006.
The move 8...exd5?! is very risky from the positional point of view 9.Qxd5 Nxf3+ (9...Bd6 10.Na3
Nxf3+ 11.Bxf3 0-0 12.Nc4 Be7 13.e5 Qe6 14.0-0± Hebden – Miezis,Cork 2005) 10.Bxf3

10...Be7 11.Na3 d6 12.0-0 Rb8 13.Rfd1 0-0. White becomes dominant over a tremendously
important outpost after 14.Nb5! Be6 15.Qd3 a6 16.Nc7 Qe5 17.g3 Rbc8 18.Nd5² A.Moiseenko –
N.Djukic, Minsk 2017. Black is faced with a long and laborious fight for a draw.
After his alternatives however, the d5-square would be in White’s hands sooner or later anyway:
10...Qe6 11.Qd3 Be7 12.0-0 0-0, Hebden – Adams, Kilkenny 2006, 13.Na3², or 10...Qb6 11.Qd2 d6
12.Na3 Be6 13.0-0 Be7 14.Be2 0-0-0 15.Bc4 Qc6, Hungaski – Kovalyov, Mashantucket 2014, 16.Qe2
Kb8 17.Rad1±

9.Bxf3 e5

About 9...exd5 10.Qxd5 – see 8...exd5.

In the variation 9...d6 10.0-0 Be7 11.Nd2 0-0 12.Re1 Rd8 13.a4 Bf8 14.Nc4 exd5 15.Qxd5 Be6
16.Qd3 Qg6 17.Rad1², White will have again in mind the occupation of the d5-square, Matuszewski –
Olszewski, Poland 2016.

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 10.0-0 Be7 11.Nd2 0-0 12.a4 d6 13.Bg4² Hrde – Ertl, ICCF 2011. Black’s position is solid, but very
passive and White, having deployed his knight on the wonderful c4-outpost, can gradually prepare an
offensive on either side of the board.

E2b) 6...cxd4 7.cxd4

7...Bb4+
About 7...Nc6 8.Nc3 Bb4 9.Rc1 – see 7...Bb4+.

7...b6. Black is not fighting for the centre at all and this cannot be approved. 8.Nc3 Bb7 9.Bd3 Qd8
10.0-0 Be7 11.Re1 d6, Meduna – Plachetka, Pila 1992 (11...0-0 12.d5 Na6 13.Rc1 Nc5 14.Bc4²). Here,
White can deprive his opponent of his castling rights. 12.Bb5+ Kf8 (12...Nd7?! 13.d5 e5 14.Bc6±)

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13.Bd3 Nd7 14.Qe2 a6 15.e5 d5 and while Black is busy ensuring a safe haven for his king, White
manages to transfer his forces to the kingside. 16.Qd2 g6 17.Ne2 Kg7 18.Nf4ƒ

8.Nc3

8...0-0

After 8...Nc6 9.Rc1 d5, White reaches a very good version for him of a position with an isolated
pawn. 10.Bd3 dxe4 11.Bxe4 0-0 12.0-0 Bxc3 (12...Rd8 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Ne4² The vulnerability of
Black’s c6-pawn is decisive for the evaluation of this position.) 13.bxc3 Bd7, Hebden – Lalic, Millfield
2000. Black hopes to consolidate his position and to protect his king and then to begin an attack against
his opponent’s hanging pawns, so White should not postpone his active actions. 14.Bb1 Rfd8 15.Qd3
g6 16.Qe3 Kg7 17.c4 Rac8 18.Rfd1 Ne7 19.Ne5 Bc6 20.f3 Nf5 21.Bxf5 Qxf5 22.Ng4 Qg5 23.Qc3ƒ

8...Bxc3+. If after the exchange, Black reacts with 9.bxc3 d6, then White would have a very
unpleasant check with his queen 10.Qa4+! Nc6?! (If Black interposes in another way, White will attack
the d6-square with the help of his queen and knight: 10...Bd7 11.Qb4 Bc6 12.Bd3 Qe7 13.0-0 0-0
14.Nd2ƒ, or 10...Nd7 11.Bd3 0-0 12.0-0 Qd8 13.Qa3 Qc7 14.Nd2 b6 15.Nc4ƒ) 11.Bb5 Bd7 12.0-0
Qe7 13.d5 Nb8 14.Rab1 e5 15.Nd2± Hebden – Ward, Isle of Man 1997.

The dangers for the safety of Black’s queen can be best illustrated by the variation 8...b6 9.Bd3 Bb7
10.0-0 Nc6?! (10...0-0 11.Rc1 Qe7 12.a3²) 11.e5 Qf4?? 12.Ne2 Qg4 13.h3+– Bosiocic – Cebalo,
Sibenik 2006.

9.Rc1

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 9...Qg6?!
It might seem attractive for Black to inflict a double attack with his queen by attacking the pawns on
e4 and g2, but this will end in a disaster for him.

The World Champion number thirteen, who was always notable about his excellent opening
preparation, failed to equalise in a famous blitz game: 9...Nc6 10.a3 Ba5 11.b4 Bb6 12.e5 Qd8 13.Ne4
d5 14.Nc5 f6, Miles – Kasparov, ICC 1998, 15.exf6 Qxf6 16.Bb5²

After 9...d6 10.a3 Bxc3+ 11.Rxc3 e5, Tomilova – Zarkovic, Belgrade 2017, White can impede the
development of Black’s queenside with 12.Bb5! a6 (12...Bg4 13.0-0 Bxf3 14.Rxf3 Qg6 15.dxe5 dxe5
16.Qd5ƒ) 13.Ba4 Bg4 14.0-0 b5 15.Bb3 Nd7 16.Qd2²

10.Bd3 Qxg2? 11.Rg1 Qh3 12.a3 Bxc3+ 13.Rxc3

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 13...Nc6

Following 13...b6, Hebden – Grabuzova, Cappelle-la-Grande 1997, White decides the issue by
attacking the h6-square. 14.Qc1! Nc6 (14...Qxf3 15.Qxh6 g6 16.e5+–) 15.Qf4 Ne7 16.e5 Ng6
(16...Nf5 17.Bxf5 Qxf5 18.Qxh6 Qb1+ 19.Rc1 Qe4+ 20.Kd2 Qh7 21.Qxh7+ Kxh7 22.Ng5+ Kg8
23.Rc7+–) 17.Qe4 Rb8 18.Rxg6! fxg6 19.Qxg6 Rf5 (19...Rxf3 20.Be4!+–) 20.Bxf5 Qxf5 21.Qxf5 exf5
22.Rc7 Bb7 23.Nh4 Be4 24.f3+–

14.Qd2 d5

14...Qxf3? 15.Qxh6 g6 16.e5 Ne7 17.Bc2 Nf5 18.Rxg6+–

15.Bc2 Qh5 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 dxe4. White decided the outcome of the game by bringing his
second rook into the attack: 18.Rcg3 g6 19.Qf4 Kh7 20.Rg4 b6 21.Rh4+– Garau – Kravetsky, ICCF
2014.

E3) 5...b6 6.Bd3 Bb7 7.Ne2

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 7...c5

Following 7...Nc6 8.0-0 e5, Gerstner – Krasenkow, Germany 2002, White should follow again Van
Wely’s manoeuvre: 9.Bc4 Na5 (9...Be7 10.Bd5²) 10.Bd5 c6 11.Bb3 exd4 12.Nxd4 Nxb3 13.axb3 Bd6
14.Nd2 0-0 15.Nc4² Black’s d7-pawn is weak and his bishops are doomed to remain passive.

After the passive move 7...d6, White seizes completely the initiative. 8.0-0 Nd7 9.Nd2 g6 10.f4 Qe7
11.e5 Bg7 12.Be4

Black cannot solve his problems by exchanging the bishops: 12...Bxe4 13.Nxe4 f5 14.exf6 Nxf6
15.Nxf6+ Bxf6 16.Ng3 0-0 17.Qg4 Qf7 18.Rae1 Rae8 19.Ne4± Korobkov – Anoshkin, Maykop 2008,
or 13...d5 14.Nd2 0-0 15.Nf3 c5 16.Qd3 Rfc8 17.g4ƒ Bromann – Kjartansson, Reykjavik 2013.

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 12...d5 13.Bd3 a6 14.c4! 0-0 15.cxd5 Bxd5 16.Rc1 c5 17.Be4 f5 (Black lags in the mobilisation of
his forces and all the variations are unfavourable for him after the opening of the position: 17...Rac8
18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Qb3 c4 20.Qf3±; 17...Bxe4 18.Nxe4 Rfd8 19.Nd6±) 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Nc3 Qe6
20.dxc5 Nxc5 21.Nf3 Rfd8 22.Nd4± Norguet – Cameron, ICCF 2014.

7...g6 8.0-0

White’s play is very instructive after 8...Qe7, Doric – Bosiocic, Rijeka 2006, 9.a4 a6 10.Nd2 Bg7
11.f4 d6 12.b4. It is essential for him to deploy his pawns on the dark squares in order to restrict the
potentially active enemy bishop, since it does not have an opponent. Later, his plan includes the
transfer of his knight to the d6-outpost. 12...Nd7 13.e5 0-0 14.a5 c5 15.bxc5 bxc5 16.Nc4²
8...d5, Swapnil – Swayams, Pune 2016, 9.Qa4+! c6 10.e5 Qd8 11.c4 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Be7 12...b5
13.Qb3 and White has the rather unpleasant threat a2-a4 with the possible sacrifice on the e6-square.)
13.Qc2 Qd7 14.Nbc3 Na6 15.a3 Nc7 16.Ne4ƒ

Black’s queen is endangered and this spells troubles for him after 7...Qg6 8.Ng3 h5 9.h4 e5, Cadman
– Troff, Greensboro 2014, 10.d5 a5 11.Qf3! White attacks the enemy pawn on h5 just in time. 11...Na6
12.Nd2 Nc5 13.Be2 Qg4 (Black should be reluctant to give back the pawn just like that 13...Be7?!
14.Nxh5 0-0-0 15.g4.) 14.Qxg4 hxg4 15.0-0-0 Be7 16.Kc2 Rxh4 (Or 16...d6 17.h5, followed by
winning the enemy g4-pawn.) 17.Nf5 Rxh1 18.Rxh1 Bf8 19.Rh8 0-0-0 20.Bxg4ƒ and White’s pieces
are obviously more active.

8.0-0

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 8...Nc6

If Black’s queen continues to roam all over the board, he would have serious difficulties. 8...cxd4
9.cxd4 Nc6 10.e5 Qh4 11.g3 Qg4 (11...Qd8 12.Nbc3 Be7 13.Be4²) 12.f3 Qg5 13.f4 Qg4 14.Be4 0-0-
0 (14...d5 15.Bd3 Be7 16.Nd2ƒ) 15.Nbc3 Kb8 16.Qa4ƒ Moskalenko – Najer,Moscow 2013.

9.e5 Qd8
It is best for Black to retreat with his queen immediately.
9...Qh4, Hawkins – M.Brown, England 2016, 10.f4 Qd8 11.Nd2ƒ

10.f4 cxd4 11.cxd4

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 11...Be7

11...Nb4 12.Nbc3 g6 13.Bb1 Rc8 14.a3 Nd5 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.Nc3 Bc4 17.Rf3ƒ Polaczek –
Brunello, Heraklio 2007. White’s forces are dangerously concentrated on the kingside.

12.Nbc3 0-0 13.Bb1 f5

13...g6 14.d5²

14.a3
White transfers his bishop to a2 and is threatening d4-d5.

If he falls into the trap 14.d5?! Bc5+ 15.Kh1 Ne7!, Black manages to redeploy his pieces
advantageously.
14...Na5 15.Ba2 d5 16.exd6 Qxd6 17.Rc1 Nc6 18.Re1 Kh8

Following 18...Rad8?, the juxtaposition of the bishop on a2 and Black’s king on g8 enables White to
obtain a decisive advantage 19.Nb5 Qd7 20.Ng3 Rf6 21.Nxf5+–

Still, even after the move in the text, White’s pieces are perfectly coordinated and are tremendously
active. 19.Nb5 Qd7 20.Nec3 Nd8 21.d5ƒ Beecham – Santana Pecate, ICCF 2008.

E4) 5...e5 6.Bc4

6...Qg6

If Black ignores the typical manoeuvre of his opponent’s bishop, White obtains an advantage with

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minimal efforts. 6...Nc6 7.Ne2 d6 8.0-0 g5 9.Bb5 a6 10.Qa4 Ra7 (10...Bd7 11.d5 Nb8 12.Bxd7+ Nxd7
13.Ng3±) 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Nd2 h5 14.Ng3 Rh6 15.Nc4± Nabaty – Miezis,
Schwaebisch Gmuend 2014.

7.Ne2 d5
This counter strike d7-d5 somehow resembles the counter gambits in the King’s Gambit and in the
Danish Gambit. Black returns the extra material in advance in order to activate his pieces.

If he is ready to grab the pawn 7...exd4, Grachev – Rozum, Kaliningrad 2015, 8.cxd4 Bb4+ (After
8...Qxe4 9.0-0 Be7 10.Nbc3 Qh4 11.Nd5 Bd6 12.Ng3ƒ, or 8...Qxg2 9.Ng3 Bb4+ 10.Nc3 Bxc3+
11.bxc3 Qh3 12.Qf3 0-0 13.Bf1 Qe6 14.Rg1ƒ, Black’s king would come under a direct attack.), after
the sudden retreat of White’s king 9.Kf1, Black will be in a serious trouble on the e-file. 9...Qxe4
(After the calmer line: 9...0-0 10.a3 Ba5 11.Nbc3 c6 12.Nf4 Qf6, White would only need to ensure the
safety of his king 13.g3 d6 14.Kg2²) 10.Nbc3 Bxc3 11.Nxc3 Qh4 12.Nd5 Kd8 13.g3 Qh3+ 14.Kg1
d6 15.Ne3 Rf8 16.Rc1ƒ, with a very powerful attack for White.

8.Bxd5 c6 9.Bb3 Qxg2 10.Rg1

10...Qxe4?!
It would be calmer for Black to choose here 10...Qxh2 11.Nd2 exd4 12.cxd4 Qc7 13.Qc2ƒ, but his
lonely queen will not be able to counter White’s advancing forces.

11.Nd2 Qf5 12.Ng3 Qg4 13.Nf3 Be6

13...exd4? 14.Qe2+ Be7 15.Bxf7+–

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 14.h3! Qxh3 15.Nxe5 Nd7 (15...Bd6? 16.Nh5!+–) 16.Rh1 Bxb3 17.Qxb3 Qe6 18.Qxb7 Rb8
19.Qxc6 Qxc6 20.Nxc6 Rxb2 21.Kf1 Ba3 (White’s attack continues even in the endgame and he will
counter 21...Bd6 with the move 22.Nf5, so Black retreats his bishop to a safer place.) 22.Re1+ Kf8
23.Rh5 g5 (23...Rb6 24.Rd5 Rxc6 25.Rxd7 g6 26.Ne4± Black’s a7-pawn is hanging, while White is
threatening to transfer his rook on the route Re3-f3.) 24.Nf5 Nf6 25.Rh3 h5 26.c4! Rxa2 27.c5 h4
28.Rb1 Kg8 29.Nce7+ Kh7 30.f4+– Wen Yang – Kovchan, Albena 2015.

E5) 5...Nc6 6.Bc4 d6 7.Nd2

7...e5
It is not good for White to advance, or exchange his d4-pawn, so what is left for him is to sacrifice it.
8.Ne2 exd4

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 After 8...Be7, White’s knight will head immediately to the weakened d5-square. 9.Nf1! 0-0 10.Ne3²

9.cxd4

9...Nxd4
Black cannot retreat – 9...Be7 10.Nf1² and White’s knight will come again to the d5-outpost.
10.Nxd4 Qxd4 11.Qa4+ Kd8 12.Qc2

Black’s king has been deprived of its castling rights, his f7-pawn is hanging and his queen is forced
to run away panicking from the d4-square.
12...Qc5
White’s attack develops much easier after 12...Qf6 13.0-0 c6 14.b4 a6 15.a4ƒ

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 13.Qd3
White should prevent the trade of the queens.
13...g5 (It would be even worse for Black to opt for the line: 13...f5?! 14.0-0 fхe4 15.Nхe4 Qf5
16.Rfe1 Be7 17.Qb3‚) 14.b4!? Qхb4 15.Rb1 Qa4 16.Bхf7 Bg7 17.0-0 Rf8 18.Bc4ƒ and White has
excellent compensation for his minimal material deficit.

E6) 5...Qd8 6.Bd3

Now, it would be senseless for White to develop his bishop to c4, but the immediate retreat of
Black’s queen provides White with an important tempo for the development of his initiative.

6...d6

Following 6...b6 7.Ne2 Bb7 8.0-0 d6, Tomilova – Tunik, Taganrog 2018, White manages to squeeze
the enemy queenside thanks to his superior development. 9.a4!? a6 (9...a5 10.d5 e5 11.Bb5²) 10.d5 e5
(10...exd5? 11.exd5 Bxd5 12.Nf4 Bb7 13.Re1+ Be7 14.Qg4 Kf8 15.Bc4 Bg5 16.Bxf7+–, or 14...0-0
15.Qf5 g6 16.Nxg6+–) 11.a5 b5 12.c4 bxc4 13.Bxc4 Be7 14.Qd3 Nd7 15.Nd2 0-0 16.b4² and White
will exert pressure against the a6-pawn.

7.f4 e5 8.Ne2 g6 9.0-0 Bg7

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 10.f5, followed by the opening of the shelter of the enemy king. 10...0-0, Lorparizangeneh –
M.Petrosyan, Khanty-Mansiysk 2016, 11.fxg6 fxg6 12.Qb3+ Kh8 13.Rxf8+ Qxf8 14.Nd2ƒ

E7) 5...d5
This is Black’s basic defensive move.

6.Bd3

After 6.e5 Qd8, there arises on the board a position which is more typical for the French Defence, in
which White’s dark-squared bishop, cementing his pawn-chain, is absent from the board. After 6.Nf3
c5, Black has usually succeeded in practice to simplify the position, obtaining a quite acceptable game.

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 6...c5

6...dxe4 7.Bxe4 Bd6 (White’s powerful bishop on c4 provides him with better prospects after 7...Nd7
8.Nf3 c5 9.0-0 Be7, Arabidze – Kursova, Mamaia 2016, 10.Nbd2 cxd4 11.cxd4 0-0 12.Qb3 Rd8
13.Rfe1 Nb6 14.Rac1 Bd6 15.Ne5², or 8...g6 9.Nbd2 Bg7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nc4 c5 12.Re1 cxd4 13.cxd4
Rd8 14.Rc1 Qe7 15.Qb3 Nf6 16.Bb1 Nd5 17.Nce5²) 8.Nf3 Nd7 9.Nbd2 0-0 10.0-0 Qd8, Demidov –
Alekseev, Minsk (blitz 2015) 2015 (After 10...c5 11.Re1 Rd8 12.Qe2 cxd4 13.Nxd4 a6, White will
exert powerful pressure against Black’s queenside. 14.g3 Qe7 15.Nc4 Nf6 16.Bf3²). White manages
once again to create some pressure after a flank offensive. 11.a4 Nf6 12.Qe2 Nxe4 (12...c5 13.Nc4
cxd4 14.Rfd1 Bc7 15.Rxd4ƒ) 13.Qxe4 Rb8 14.a5 Bd7 15.Ne5 Bb5 16.Rfd1 Qe7 17.b4 Rfd8 18.Ndf3²
White’s knights are more powerful than Black’s bishops.

7.Nf3

7...Nc6

It would be very risky for Black to open completely the position due to his horrible lag in
development. 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 dxe4 9.Bxe4 Bd6 10.Nc3 0-0 11.0-0 Na6 (Or 11...Rd8 12.Re1 Nc6
13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Ne4², with pressure against the c6-square.) 12.Qe2 g6 13.Nb5 Qe7 14.Nxd6 Qxd6,
Hakobyan – Babujian, Yerevan 2017, 15.Qe3 Kg7 16.Ne5ƒ

8.0-0

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 8...dxe4

If Black continues to wait 8...Be7, then it would be White who would clarify the situation in the
centre. 9.dxc5 0-0 10.Nbd2 Bxc5 11.Bc2 Rd8 12.Qe2 a5 13.e5 Qf4 (13...Qe7 14.Nb3²) 14.Rfe1 b6
15.g3 Qg4 16.Kg2. Black’s queen might get trapped, so he must choose here 16...f5 (16...Ba6?!
17.Qd1 Qh5 18.h3‚) 17.exf6 gxf6 18.h3 Qh5 19.g4 Qf7 20.Nb3 Bf8 21.Nbd4ƒ Sanz Algarrada –
Soler Nadal, ICCF 2011.

8...Qd8, Bosiocic – Boros, Budapest 2007, 9.exd5 Qxd5 10.Re1 cxd4 11.cxd4 Bb4 12.Nc3 Qd8
13.a3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 0-0 15.Qe2 Bd7 16.c4 Re8 17.Qe4 f5 18.Qf4ƒ White has forced the weakening
move f7-f5 and has seized the initiative.

8...cxd4 9.cxd4

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 One of the outstanding specialists in this variation for White failed to obtain anything meaningful out
of the opening after 9...Qd8 10.Nc3 dxe4 11.Bxe4 Be7, Wen Yang – Sjugirov, Moscow 2016, but here,
it would have been very interesting for him to have chosen 12.Re1 0-0 13.Rc1 Bd7 14.Bb1 Bf6 15.Ne4
g6 (15...Be7?! 16.Qd3 f5 17.Nc5±) 16.Nxf6+ Qxf6 17.Be4 Rfd8 18.Qd2 Kg7 19.Rc4 Be8 20.h4 Rac8
21.g4!?ƒ, with very favourable complications for White.
9...dxe4 10.Bxe4 Be7, Sichinava – A.Smirnov, St Petersburg 2013, 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Re1 Rd8 13.Bxc6
bxc6 14.Ne4 Qf4 15.Ne5 Bb7 16.Rc1 c5 (16...Rac8?! 17.g3 Qf5 18.Nc5±) 17.g3 Qf5 18.Nxc5 Bd5
19.b3 Rac8 20.Qd3 Qh3 21.f3² Black’s compensation for the sacrificed pawn is insufficient.

9.Bxe4

9...Bd7

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 He defends against the eventual exchange on c6, which would lead to the compromising of his pawn-
structure, and preserves the possibility to castle queenside.

The move 9...cxd4 cannot solve the typical problems for Black in this variation. 10.cxd4 Bd6 11.Re1
(11.Nc3 0-0 12.Bxc6 bxc6. His pawn-structure has again numerous defects. 13.Ne4 Qe7 14.Nxd6
Qxd6, Harutyunian – Torosyan, Batumi 2014, 15.Rc1 Rb8 16.b3²) 11...0-0 12.Nc3 Rb8 13.Nb5

13...Rd8 (13...Bb4 14.Re3 a6 15.Nc3 Bd7 16.a3 Bxc3 17.bxc3 Rfd8 18.Qe2², or 14...Rd8?! 15.Bxc6
bxc6 16.Nxa7 Bb7 17.Ne5± and White’s brave knight will manage to run away from the siege.)
14.Nxd6 Rxd6 15.Qc1 Qd8 (15...Nxd4?? 16.Qc7+–; 15...Bd7 16.Qc5 Qe7 17.d5ƒ) 16.Qf4 f6 17.Qg3
Ne7 18.Nd2 b5 19.Nb3ƒ Selen – Vozda, ICCF 2012. The weakness of the isolated pawn is practically
irrelevant in all the variations, while White’s pieces attack the entire complex of the enemy weaknesses.

10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.Nbd2 Qf4

It would be too precarious here for Black to castle queenside: 11...0-0-0 12.Nc4 Qf4 13.Qe2 f5
14.Bc2 Qc7 15.b4ƒ and he cannot play 11...0-0?? 12.Nb3+–

12.Qe2 Qc7 13.Bc2

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 13...0-0

Now again, if Black castles queenside 13...0-0-0 14.a4 Kb8 15.Nc4 Be7 16.a5ƒ, White will
concentrate his pieces for an attack against the enemy king.

14.a4 Rad8 15.Rfe1 Bc8 16.h4 Be7

Black is incapable of covering the b1-h7 diagonal: 16...g6 17.h5 g5 18.Nc4ƒ

17.Qe4 f5 18.Qc4 Kh8 19.Rad1 Bd6 20.h5 Qf7

20...e5 21.Nh4 Ne7 22.Qxc7 Bxc7 23.Nc4 Rxd1 24.Bxd1 Rd8 25.Bc2 e4 26.g4², with considerable
pressure for White in this endgame.
21.Qh4 Be7
Black loses a pawn after 21...e5? 22.Nc4.
22.Qh3 Bf6 23.Nc4ƒ Kryakvin – Yablunovsky, Email 2009. Now, Black is forced to defend his
centre and to take care about his weak g6-square, while White’s game is easier and much more
interesting.

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 Chapter 5
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6

Quick Repertoire

This line in which White exchanges his bishop for the enemy knight on f6, after Black has advanced
his central pawn, is one of the most fashionable nowadays. It has been encountered even in games of
World Champions and quite deservedly so.

Now, Black can choose the more reliable line A) 3...exf6 4.e3 Be6, with the idea to impede
maximally the enemy pawn-advance c2-c4 and to play later f6-f5, bringing the knight from b8 to the
f6-square. Still, White will realise his plan after due preparation. 5.Nd2 c6 6.Bd3 f5 7.Ne2 Bd6 8.c4
Nd7 (After 8...dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bxc4 10.Nxc4 Bb4+, White will not be afraid to lose his castling rights:
11.Kf1 Be7 12.h4 Nd7 13.Qd3 g6 14.h5, because he will still maintain the initiative.) 9.cxd5 cxd5
10.Qb3 Qb6 11.g3 Rc8 12.0-0 0-0 13.h4. In this position, with pawn-chains, the knight is more mobile
and functional than the bishop.

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 If Black does not hold on to the d5-square and tries to organise counterplay with A4) 4...Bd6 5.c4
dxc4 6.Bxc4 0-0 7.Nc3 f5 8.Nf3 Nd7 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qc2 c6 11.Rfd1 Qe7, then White should react with
a break in the centre. 12.d5, followed by 12...b5!? 13.Bd3 b4 14.Ne2 cxd5 15.Bxf5, preserving the
initiative.
It is also popular for Black to capture with the pawn towards the centre B) 3...gxf6. He weakens his
kingside, but improves his chances of fighting for the centre and opens the g-file for his rook. 4.e3

B3) 4...Bf5. It would not be aesthetic for Black to leave his bishop on the c8-square, but otherwise, it
would come under attack. 5.Ne2 e6 6.Ng3 Bg6 7.h4 h6 and after the exchange 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3
Bd6, White will occupy an important square with his knight 10.Nh5, obtaining excellent attacking
prospects.
Therefore, Black must play sooner or later B5) 4...c5, with the idea to open the centre and to increase

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the power of his bishops. 5.dxc5.

White obtains a great lead in development after B5a) 5...Qa5 6.Nd2 e6 7.Ngf3 Qb4 (Following
7...Bxc5 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 Be7 10.c4 dxc4 11.Nxc4 Qc7 12.Qd4 Nc6 13.Qh4, Black’s king will be
endangered.) 8.c4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bxc5 (It would be too risky for Black to capture the pawn here
9...Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Ne4 Qa5+ 12.Nfd2 Be7 13.0-0.) 10.Qc2 0-0 11.0-0 Be7 12.Rfd1 Nc6 13.a3
Qb6 14.b4 and White exerts powerful pressure for free.

In fact, it would be much more logical for Black to try to regain his pawn on c5 with his minor
pieces. Meanwhile, White can create problems for his opponent even then. A variation, recommended
by Sergey Karjakin practically forces the trade of the queens and a transfer into an endgame B5b)
5...Nc6 6.Bb5 e6 7.c4 dxc4 8.Nd2 Bxc5 9.Ngf3 0-0 (Following 9...c3 10.bxc3 0-0, White again
manages to transfer his queen to the kingside: 11.Qa4 Bd7 12.0-0 a6 13.Qg4+ Kh8 14.Qh5.) 10.0-0
Na5 11.Rc1 Be7 12.Qc2 Bd7 13.Bxd7 Qxd7. This position was reached in the first game in the World
Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin. 14.Qc3! With this accurate move,
White forces a transfer into an endgame. 14...Qd5 15.Nxc4 Nxc4 16.Qxc4 Qxc4 17.Rxc4. In this
position, the challenger, being famous for his tenacity in defence, managed to save the draw, but of
course not everybody is a defender like Karjakin. White has more active pieces and a superior pawn-
structure in this endgame.

One of the leading Russian grandmasters – the ex-World Champion Vladimir Kramnik chose the
following line against the acting World Champion B5c) 5...e6 6.Nf3

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 6...Nd7 7.c4 dxc4 8.c6 Nb6 9.Nbd2 c3 (After 9...bxc6 10.Qc2, Black’s pawn-structure is
compromised.) 10.bxc3 bxc6 11.Qc2 Bg7. But just like in the game Carlsen – Kramnik, Moscow 2013,
as well as later, in some correspondence games, White obtained very good prospects after 12.Bd3 f5
13.e4 – His pieces are deployed very harmoniously, while Black must worry how to react against
White’s advance in the centre.
Later, Kramnik decided to play here 6...Bxc5, after which it would be essential for White to postpone
the pawn-advance c2-c4 until he completes the mobilisation of his forces. 7.Be2 Nc6 8.0-0 e5 9.c4 d4
10.exd4 Nxd4 (After the important tactical nuance 10...Bxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.Nc3 Be6 13.Nb5!?
Nxb5 14.Qa4, White’s queen will be again on the kingside. 14...Qb6 15.cxb5 0-0 16.Qh4.) 11.Nxd4
Bxd4 12.Qc2 f5. Black has a bishop-pair and his pawn-structure has no defects, but White’s lead in
development helps him to sharpen the game advantageously: 13.Nd2 Qe7 14.Rad1 0-0 15.b4! Qxb4
16.Nf3 Rd8, Adams – Kramnik, Dortmund 2014. 17.Nxd4 Rxd4 18.Rxd4 exd4 19.Rd1. White regains
his pawn and continues to exert powerful pressure against his opponent’s position.
After the capture 3...eхf6, White must watch very carefully not to allow Black to regroup his forces in
the way: d5хc4, f6-f5, Nb8-d7-f6. Following 3...gхf6 4.e3 c5 5.dхc5 e6, it would be a matter of
principle what would prevail – Black’s two-bishop advantage, or White’s lead in development?
It is worth mentioning that in all the variations White’s queen and his light-squared bishop play a
very important role. His enterprising actions on the light squares, the energetic pawn-advances and the
manoeuvres with his cavalry can guarantee for White the initiative.

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 Chapter 5
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6

Step by Step

Now, Black has a choice. He can capture on f6 with two pawns: A) 3...exf6 and B) 3...gxf6. In the
first case he relies on the soundness of his position, while in the second variation he plans to fight for
the centre and this forces White to play actively.

A) 3...exf6 4.e3
We will analyse now: A1) 4...Bf5, A2) 4...c6, A3) 4...Be6 and A4) 4...Bd6.
About 4...g6 5.c4 – see Chapter 2, variation A.
4...c5 5.Nc3 – see Chapter 3, variation B2.

Placing the knight in front of the pawn 4...Nc6 has its drawbacks for Black. 5.c4 Be6 (After 5...Bb4+
6.Nc3 0-0 7.Nf3 Be6 8.cxd5 Bxd5 9.Be2 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 Na5 11.0-0 c5 (11...c6 12.Nd2 b5 13.Qc2²
Мaki Uuro – Halmeenmaki, Jyvaskyla 2003) 12.Qb1 Qc7 13.Nd2 cxd4 14.cxd4 Rac8 15.Rc1², White
preserves effortlessly a slight edge thanks to his superior pawn-structure.) 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.cxd5 Bxd5
8.Nge2 0-0 9.a3 Bxc3+ 10.Nxc3 f5 11.Bd3 Ne7 (11...Bxg2 12.Rg1 Bd5 13.Qh5 Ne7 14.Nxd5 Qxd5
15.Qg5 Ng6 16.Qxf5 Qxf5 17.Bxf5 Rad8 18.0-0-0² White’s bishop is stronger than the enemy knight.)
12.0-0 c6 13.b4², with his standard plan for actions on the queenside.

4...Be7. This development of the bishop is rather passive. 5.c4

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 5...0-0 6.Nc3 and here it would not work for Black to play 6...c6?! (6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 – see 5...dxc4),
because of 7.cхd5 cхd5 8.Qb3± Ehrlacher – Leistner, Frankfurt 2001.
After Black’s more solid line: 5...c6 6.Nc3 Be6 7.cxd5 Bxd5 8.Nge2 Bc4 (8...0-0 9.Nf4²) 9.g3 0-0
10.Nf4 Bxf1 11.Kxf1 Bd6 12.Qb3 Qb6 13.Ne4², White will follow with artificial castling and will
maintain the advantage due to his opponent’s compromised pawn-structure.
5...dxc4 6.Bxc4 0-0 7.Nc3

7...c6 8.Qc2! It is essential for White here to impede Black’s classical set-up f5, g6, Nd7-f6. 8...Nd7
(8...f5 9.Bd3 g6 10.h4 Nd7 11.h5 – see 8...Nd7) 9.Bd3 g6 10.h4 f5 11.h5 Nf6 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.Nf3
Be6 14.0-0-0ƒ and White will exert pressure on the opened h-file.
7...c5

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 This counterplay does not provide Black with equality, since it would be good for White to play here
simply 8.Nge2 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Nc6 10.0-0 Nxd4 11.exd4 Bd6 12.Qb3 a6 13.Ne4 b5 14.Bd5 Ra7 15.a4²
Soulas – Flecher, ICCF 2008 and he would have again better prospects after placing his bishop on the
a8-h1 diagonal,
as well as after the more subtle response 8.dxc5 and here following 8...Bxc5? 9.Bxf7+! Kxf7
10.Qh5±, White wins a pawn, while the endgame would be also preferable for him after 8...Qxd1+
9.Rxd1 Bxc5 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.Bd5! Bf5 12.0-0 Rfd8 13.Rd2², while in the variation 8...Qa5 9.Nf3
Qxc5 10.Qe2 Nc6 11.0-0 Bg4, his centralised bishop would be again the main factor 12.Bd5 Rfd8
13.Rfd1²

Finally, we will pay some attention to the variation 4...f5 5.c4, but only because of our respect to the
early games of the present World Champion.

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 The young Norwegian played here 5...dxc4 6.Bxc4 Bd6, Djurhuus – Carlsen, Moss 2006, but again
here it seems very threatening for White to build the attacking battery starting with the queen-move –
7.Qc2 0-0 8.Nf3 c6 9.Nbd2 g6 10.h4 h5 (10...Nd7 11.h5‚) 11.Ng5 Qe7 12.0-0 Nd7 13.Rfe1 Nf6
14.g3 Bd7 15.e4 fxe4 16.Ndxe4 Nxe4 17.Rxe4 Qf6 18.Re3ƒ
The rather inventive Lithuanian grandmaster tried here the non-standard approach 5...f4!? Agdestein
– Sulskis, Port Erin 2003, against which it would be best for White not to go after winning material, but
to fight for the initiative with: 6.cxd5 fxe3 7.fxe3 Qxd5 8.Nc3 Bb4 (8...Qg5 9.Qd2 Bb4 10.Nf3ƒ)
9.Qd2 Qd6 10.Bd3 0-0 11.Nf3 c5 12.a3 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Nc6 14.0-0²
5...c6 6.cxd5 Qxd5 (After 6...cxd5, it would be again very effective for White to choose the plan with
an attack against the enemy d5-pawn, which has been encountered very often in our book 7.Nc3 Be6
8.Bd3 Nc6 9.Qf3 g6 10.Nge2 Bd6 11.Nf4 Ne7 12.Bb5+ Kf8 13.0-0 Kg7 14.Rfc1 Rc8 15.a3² Claverie
– Vachier Lagrave, Val d’Isere 2002.)

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 7.Nc3 Qa5 8.Nf3 Bd6 9.Bc4 0-0 10.0-0 Nd7 11.Qd2 Nf6, Black has lost several tempi on moves
with his queen and White can exploit this depriving his opponent of his two-bishop advantage 12.Ne4
Qd8 (12...Qxd2 13.Nxf6+ gxf6 14.Nxd2²) 13.Nxd6 Qxd6 14.Ne5 Be6 15.Bxe6 Qxe6 16.Qb4 Rab8
17.a3 Rfd8 18.Rac1 Ne4 19.Nd3 h6 20.Nf4 Qf6 21.Rfe1 Kh8 22.f3 Ng5 23.Qa5² Gavrijski – Pajukari,
ICCF 2014. White has a superior pawn-structure and slight initiative on the queenside.

A1) 4...Bf5 5.Bd3

5...Bxd3

Black will have to exchange here sooner or later. 5...Qd7 6.Ne2 Bxd3 (6...Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.b3 c6 9.c4
dxc4 10.bxc4 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 c5 12.d5² Druska – Haring, Banska Bystrica 2013, or 6...Nc6 7.Bxf5

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Qxf5 8.a3 Bd6, Drazic – Kolbert, Novi Sad 2008, 9.Nd2 0-0 10.c4 dxc4 11.Nxc4 Qd5 12.Nxd6 Qxd6
13.0-0²) 7.Qxd3 f5 8.Nd2 Be7 9.a3 Na6 10.c4 0-0 11.cxd5 Qxd5 12.0-0 c6 13.Rac1 Bd6 14.Nc4 Bc7
15.b4² Garau – Laurent, ICCF 2013. White continues with his positional offensive on the queenside in
all our examples.
It is interesting that the line: 5...Bg6 6.h4 Qe7 7.h5 Qb4+? was tried in a game in a simultaneous
display by the World Champion – Kasparov – Franc, Pula 2015 (7...Bxd3 8.Qxd3²), but he failed to
find on the board the line: 8.c3! Qxb2 9.hxg6 Qxa1 10.Rxh7 Rg8 11.gxf7+ Kxf7 12.Qh5+ Ke7
13.Qxd5+–, with a spectacular crush.

6.Qxd3 c6

The move 6...Bd6? loses a pawn for Black: 7.Qb5+ Nc6 8.Nc3 0-0 9.Qxd5± Adams – Kovalev,
Ostend 1991.

7.Nf3

7...Bd6

Black has tried some other rather awkward plans in correspondence games, but White was successful
in all of them. 7...Qb6 8.b3 Na6 9.0-0 g6 10.c4 dxc4 11.bxc4 Qc7 12.Nc3 Bg7 13.c5 0-0 14.Rab1 f5
15.Rfc1 Rad8 16.Ne2 Rfe8 17.Rb3± M.Jones – Jimena Bonillo, ICCF 2006, or 7...Nd7 8.0-0 Rc8?!
9.e4 Be7 10.exd5 cxd5 11.a4 0-0 12.Qb5 Rc7 (12...Rxc2? 13.Nc3 Nb6 14.Qb3+–) 13.Nc3 Nb6 14.a5
Nc4 15.Nxd5 a6 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.Qb3± Muukkonen – Ikegami, ICCF 2010.

8.Nbd2 0-0 9.0-0 g6

9...Na6 10.c4 dхc4 11.Nхc4 Bc7 Hodgson – Teodoro, Winnipeg 1994, 12.Qb3 Rb8 13.a3². The

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knight on a6 does not beautify Black’s position.

10.c4 dxc4 11.Nxc4 f5 12.Qb3 b6 13.Rac1² Chernyshov – Golichenko, Pardubice 2010. White
completes the mobilisation of his forces and exerts pressure against the enemy c6-pawn, while Black
will have problems to develop harmoniously his pieces.

A2) 4...c6 5.c4

5...dxc4
Black will be trying to accomplish his classical set-up with f5, Nd7-f6.

He has also tested in practice to hold on to the d5-square. 5...Be6 6.cxd5

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 Here, capturing with the pawn 6...cxd5 would create a serious weakness for him there and it would be
sufficient for White to concentrate all his forces in the attack against the vulnerable enemy pawn on d5.
7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Nge2 Bd6 9.g3 0-0 10.Bg2 Ne7 11.0-0² Kiss – Varga, Hungary 2010, or 7...Bb4,
Malaniuk – Rashkovsky, Sverdlovsk 1989, 8.Nge2 Nc6 9.Nf4 Qa5 10.Qb3 0-0 11.Be2 Rfd8 12.0-0
Bxc3 13.bxc3 Qc7 14.Rfc1 Na5 15.Qa4²
Black has also tried in practice here 6...Qxd5 7.Nc3 Qa5 8.Bd3 Bd6 9.Nge2 0-0, Hnydiuk –
Malisauskas, Police 2011, but White should accept the challenge and occupy the centre: 10.e4 Nd7
11.0-0 Rad8 12.Qc2 g6 13.f4ƒ
6...Bxd5 7.Nc3 Be6 8.Nge2

Black can take the f4-square under control with the move 8...Bd6, but he would weaken his control
over the centre. 9.g3 0-0 10.Bg2 Nd7 11.0-0 f5 (11...Nb6 12.Ne4²) 12.d5 cxd5 13.Nxd5²

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 8...Nd7 9.Nf4 Nb6 10.Bd3 Qd7 11.a4 a5 12.0-0 and here, the rather dubious approach 12...Bd6?
M.Adams – Vaganian, Oviedo 1992 (12...Be7 13.Nxe6 Qxe6 14.Qf3²), can be refuted by White with
13.d5! Bg4 (13...Nxd5 14.Ncxd5 Bxd5 15.Nxd5+–) 14.f3 Bxf4 15.exf4 Bf5 16.Re1+ Kf8 17.Bxf5
Qxf5 18.Qb3 Nxd5 19.Nxd5 cxd5 20.Qxb7 Qc8 21.Qe7+ Kg8 22.Rac1+–
5...Bb4+ 6.Nc3

6...Qa5. Black’s pressure against the enemy knight on c3 is fruitless. 7.Qb3 Be6 8.Nf3 Nd7 9.Nd2 0-
0, Dutta – Mohammed Abdul, Narayanganj 2010, 10.Bd3 f5 11.0-0 Nf6 (White is better in the
endgame after 11...dxc4 12.Bxc4 Bxc3 13.Qxc3 Qxc3 14.bxc3 Bxc4 15.Nxc4²) 12.c5 b6 (12...Bxc3
13.Qxc3 Qxc3 14.bxc3 b6 15.Nb3²). Here, White’s reconstruction 13.Qc2! bxc5 14.Nb3 Qc7
(14...Qb6?! 15.Na4!²) 15.dxc5, provides him with the possibility to maintain his favourable pawn-
structure on the queenside 15...Ng4 16.g3 Ne5 17.Be2 Rfb8 18.Rfd1 g6 19.a3 Bxc3 20.Qxc3²
6...0-0 7.Qb3 Ba5 (7...Qe7 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.Bd3 Rd8 10.Nge2 Nc6 11.0-0 Be6, Manor – Averbakh,
ICC 1998, 12.Nf4²) 8.cxd5 Qxd5 9.Qxd5 cxd5 10.Nge2 Be6, Buckley – Lodhi, Norwich 1994, 11.Rc1
Nc6 12.Nf4² White maintains an edge thanks to his better pawn-structure.

The move 5...Qb6 was tested in an Internet game by World Champion number 13 – Akopian –
Kasparov, ICC 1998, but that was much rather an experiment than a well-planned strategy. 6.Qc2 Be6
(Black should not be afraid here of 6...Na6 7.a3 Bf5 8.Qc3! dxc4 9.Nd2 Be7 10.Nxc4², or 8...Be7 9.c5
Qc7 10.Nd2 0-0 11.Ngf3 Nb8 12.Bd3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Nd7 14.b4²) 7.Nd2 Bb4 8.Ngf3 dxc4 9.Bxc4
Bxc4 10.Qxc4 0-0 11.Rb1 Nd7 12.0-0 Rfe8 13.Qc2²

6.Bxc4

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 6...Bb4+
This move only helps White.
Black should better choose here 6...Bd6 7.Nc3 – see variation A4.
7.Nc3 0-0 8.Nf3 Nd7 9.Qc2 Nb6 10.Bd3 g6

10...h6 11.0-0²

11.a3

11...Bxc3+ (After 11...Bd6, White can try to break his opponent’s defence by advancing his rook-
pawn 12.h4 Bg4 13.h5, since it would be too dangerous for Black to capture it: 13...Bxh5?! 14.Rxh5
gxh5 15.Nh4 Kh8 16.Qe2‚ and White maintains complete control over the weak squares on the

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kingside.) 12.bxc3 Bg4 13.c4 Re8 14.0-0 Bxf3 15.gxf3 f5 16.f4 Nd7 17.Rfb1 Qh4 18.Bf1² White’s
bishop has succeeded to protect his king just in time. From the g2-square, it would help from a distance
his forces to organise an offensive against Black’s queenside.

A3) 4...Be6
Black prevents here his opponent’s standard operation – c2-c4 d5xc4 Bf1xc4.
5.Nd2

5...c6

About 5...Nd7 6.Bd3 c6 7.Ne2, or 5...Bd6 6.Bd3 c6 7.Ne2, or 6...f5 7.Ne2 Nd7 8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 – see
5...c6.

5...c5 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.Nb3 Bb6, Gallagher – Unzicker, Germany 1997. Now, White can emphasize
the vulnerability of the enemy d5-pawn with rather simple moves: 8.c3 Nc6 9.Ne2 0-0 10.Nf4 Qd6
11.Be2 Rad8 12.0-0 a6 13.Nd4²

5...f5 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.Ne2 Bd6 8.c4 dxc4 (8...c6 9.cxd5 – see 5...c6) 9.Bxc4 Nb6 (The line: 9...Bxc4
10.Nxc4 Bb4+ can again be countered by White with the cold-blooded response 11.Kf1!, for example:
11...Nb6 12.Qd3 Qd5 13.Rc1 Nxc4 14.Qxc4 Qxc4 15.Rxc4 Bd6 16.g3 Ke7 17.Kg2²) 10.Bxe6 fxe6
11.Qb3 Qd7 12.0-0 0-0, Rublevsky – Neverov, Moscow 1991 13.Nf3 Nd5 14.Nc1!². Now, White can
occupy unopposed the e5-outpost.

6.Bd3

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 6...f5

6...Bd6 7.Ne2 0-0 (About 7...Nd7 8.c4 – see 6...Nd7; 7...f5 8.c4 – see 6...f5.) 8.c4 dхc4 9.Bхc4 Bхc4
10.Nхc4 Bb4+ 11.Kf1. White has lost his castling rights, but has preserved the flexibility of his pawn-
chain and plans to win tempi for his development by attacking the enemy bishop on b4. 11...b5 12.Nd2
c5, Zlochevskij – Trentini, Bozen 1998, 13.Nf3 c4 14.a4² Black’s pawn-chain has been undermined,
while White’s king has been deployed comfortably on the g2-square.

6...Nd7 7.Ne2 Bd6 8.c4 dxc4 9.Nxc4 Bb4+, Krasnov – Kholmov, St Petersburg 1998, 10.Kf1!?
White has lost again his castling rights, but has captured the valuable enemy bishop. 10...0-0 11.Qc2 h6
12.a3 Be7 13.Nf4²

7.Ne2

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 7...Bd6

7...Nd7 8.c4

About 8...Bd6 9.cxd5 – see 7...Bd6.

The move 8...Nf6 enables White to occupy additional space on the queenside. 9.c5 g6 10.Qc2 Bg7
11.b4 0-0 12.Nf4 Ne4 13.0-0² Black’s counterplay is almost imaginary, while White is already
prepared to attack the enemy queenside.
8...dxc4 9.Bхc4 Bхc4 10.Nхc4 Bb4+ 11.Nc3 Nb6, Anastasian – Solak, Panormo 1998 (The move
11...b5 would only lead to the appearance of new weaknesses in Black’s camp 12.Nd2 0-0, Manninen –
Veingold, Helsinki 1998, 13.0-0 Nf6 14.a4 a6 15.Qf3 Qd7 16.Nb3²) 12.Qb3 Bхc3 13.bхc3 Qd5
14.Ne5 f6 15.Nf3² White’s position is preferable thanks to his superior pawn-structure.

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 8.c4 Nd7

The move 8...g6 is obviously in favour of White. 9.Qb3 Qb6, Kerek – Izsak, Hungary 2005, 10.c5
Qxb3 11.axb3 Bc7. Here, Black fails to defend against his opponent’s standard attack: 12.b4 Nd7
13.b5²
Following 8...dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bxc4 10.Nxc4 Bb4+, White can proceed with two quite typical resources,
the retreat of his king and the attack with his rook-pawn: 11.Kf1 Be7 12.h4 Nd7 13.Qd3 g6 14.h5ƒ

9.cxd5 cxd5, Mamedyarov – Laznicka, Dubai 2014 (9...Bxd5? 10.Bxf5±) 10.Qb3 Qb6 11.g3 Rc8
12.0-0 0-0 13.Rac1 g6. Now, in order for White to consolidate his advantage, he must fortify in
advance his kingside and prevent his opponent from beginning active operations there. 14.h4 Kg7 (In
the variation 14...Nf6 15.Qxb6 axb6 16.Nb1 Bd7 17.Nbc3², Black will have to worry about his new
pawn-weaknesses.) 15.Kg2 Rfd8 16.a3 a6 17.Nf4²

A4) 4...Bd6 5.c4

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 5...dxc4

After 5...c6 6.cxd5 cxd5, White can begin an attack against the weak enemy pawn. 7.Nc3 Be6 8.g3
Nc6 9.Bg2 Ne7 (The rather precarious sortie of Black’s queen can only create problems for him:
9...Qb6 10.Nge2 Qxb2 11.0-0 Ne7 12.Rb1 Qa3 13.Nb5 Qa6 14.Nxd6+ Qxd6 15.Rxb7±) 10.Nge2 0-0
11.Qb3²

6.Bxc4 0-0

About 6...c6 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Nf3, or 6...f5 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Nf3, or 6...Nd7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Bd3 – see 6...0-0.

7.Nc3

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 7...f5

The move 7...Nd7 would enable White not to allow his opponent’s classical plan 8.Bd3!? c6 (8...c5
9.Nge2 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Ne5, Miladinovic – Ivanovic, Mataruska Banja 2007, 11.Be4 g6 12.0-0 f5
13.Bd5²) 9.Qc2 g6

10.h4! f5 11.h5 Nf6 12.hxg6 hxg6 (Capturing with the other pawn would not solve all Black’s
problems 12...fxg6 13.Bc4+ Kg7 14.Nf3 Qe7 15.0-0-0‚) 13.0-0-0 Kg7 14.Kb1 Bd7 15.Qc1! This is
an important resource after which White’s queen controls the h6-square and helps his rooks in the fight
for the open file. 15...Qc7 (15...Rh8 16.Rxh8 Qxh8 17.Nf3 Qh5 18.Rh1 Qg4 19.Ne5‚) 16.Nf3 Rh8
17.Ng5‚ with a dangerous attack for White, Velilla Velasco – Dunlop, ICCF 2015.

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 Black would not be successful if he plays in the spirit of the Meran variation 7...a6 8.Rc1 b5, Fries
Nielsen – Ziegler, Gothenburg 2016, because White’s bishop would occupy the h1-a8 diagonal. 9.Bd5
c6 10.Bf3²

Black has also tried here the rather risky line: 7...c5 8.dxc5 Be5 Adams – Ivanchuk, Roquebrune
1992 (He loses a pawn after 8...Bxc5? 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qh5±) 9.Qxd8

9...Bxc3+ (9...Rxd8 10.Nge2 Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.a3±, or 10...Nd7? 11.0-0-0 Rf8 12.b4+– and
White is obviously better) 10.Qd2 Bxd2+ 11.Kxd2 Nd7 12.Nf3 Nxc5 13.Rac1 b6 14.Nd4 Bb7 15.f3
Rac8 16.Ke2 Rfd8 17.b4² White has a superior pawn-structure in this endgame, an active king and
pressure on the queenside.

7...c6 8.Nf3

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 About 8...f5 9.0-0 – see 7...f5.
If Black pins the enemy knight 8...Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.g4 Bg6, White has played 11.Nh4 c5 (11...Kh8
12.Nxg6+ fxg6 13.h4‚ Hodgson – Rossiter, Southampton 1986) 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Qxd8 Rxd8 14.Ke2
Nc6 15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.Bd5² White’s bishop is again dominant in this position, while Black’s pawn-
square on the kingside seems rather unnatural.
After 8...Nd7 9.0-0 Nb6 (9...f5 10.Qc2 – see 7...f5) 10.Bd3 Re8 11.Qc2 g6 12.Ne4 Bc7 13.h3 Nd5
14.a3 f5 15.Nc5 Bd6 16.Bc4 b6 17.Nd3² Taylor – Roos, ICCF 2008, as it often happens, White’s
knight on d3 is perfectly placed in this pawn-structure, preserving its control over an entire complex of
important squares.

8.Nf3 Nd7
About 8...c6 9.0-0 Nd7 10.Qc2 – see 8...Nd7.
9.0-0 Nf6
About 9...c6 10.Qc2 Nf6 11.Rfd1 – see 9...Nf6.
10.Qc2

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 10...c6

Here, the future World Champion chose the move 10...a6, Djurhuus – Carlsen, Moss 2006, but White
needed to remove his bishop in advance against the attack – 11.Bb3. Now, he can counter 11...b5 with
the line: 12.a4! b4 13.Nb1 g6 14.Nbd2²

11.Rfd1 Qe7

This is the critical position of this variation. Black plans to develop comfortably his pieces, so White
must play actively right now.

12.d5

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 12...b5

The move 12...c5 leaves White with a powerful pawn in the centre. 13.a4 a6 14.Nd2 Ng4 (14...Bd7
15.Bd3 g6 16.Nc4 Rab8 17.a5²) 15.g3 Ne5 16.Be2 Bd7 and here, White must prepare to oust the
enemy knight from the e5-outpost – 17.Re1 h5 18.f4 Ng4 19.Bxg4 hxg4 20.a5²

13.Bd3 b4 14.Ne2 cxd5

Following 14...Nxd5 15.Ned4 c5 16.Nxf5 Bxf5 17.Bxf5 Nf6 18.Nd2², White controls the important
c4-square.

15.Bxf5 Bb7

After 15...Be6 16.Nfd4 Rac8 17.Qd3², White has a comfortable game against the isolated enemy
pawn.

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 16.Ned4 a5, Hauenstein – Ghosh, ICCF 2016, 17.Nb5 Bb8 18.Rac1 g6 19.Bh3² Black can maybe
hold this position in a correspondence game, but in a practical game White’s prospects are obviously
preferable.

B) 3...gxf6 4.e3

We will analyse now: B1) 4...e6, B2) 4...e5, B3) 4...Bf5, B4) 4...c6 and B5) 4...c5.

4...Bg7 5.c4 dxc4 (5...c6 6.Nc3 – see variation B4) 6.Bxc4 0-0 7.Ne2 c5 8.0-0 cxd4 9.Nxd4 f5
10.Nc3 e6, Dalo – Bachmann, Barcelona 2014. Black has activated his bishop on g7, but the pawn-
shelter around his king is evidently compromised. 11.Qb3 Qe7 12.Rac1 Nd7 13.Rfd1 Ne5 14.Bf1 Rd8
15.Nce2²

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 B1) 4...e6 5.c4

5...dxc4
About 5...c6 6.Nc3 – see variation B4.

It would be rather dubious for Black to try here the pseudo-active line: 5...c5?! 6.cxd5 exd5 (The
other possible captures would not promise an easy game for Black, because of his considerable lag in
development: 6...Qxd5 7.Nc3 Qd8 8.d5 a6 9.Qh5 Bg7 10.0-0-0ƒ; 6...cxd4 7.Qxd4 exd5 8.Nc3 Be6
9.Bb5+ Nc6 10.Nge2 Bd6 11.Qh4±) 7.Nc3 c4, Pirc – Prins, Belgrade 1949 (7...Be6 8.Bb5+ Nc6
9.Nge2 a6 10.Bхc6 bхc6 11.0-0² Furman – Spassky, Riga 1958) 8.Qh5. White’s queen gives a start of
an attack against the enemy central pawn. 8...Bb4 9.Nge2 Nc6 10.g3 Be6 11.Bg2 Qd6 12.0-0 0-0-0
13.Rab1 Kb8 14.b3‚

6.Bxc4

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 6...f5

6...c5?! 7.d5 exd5 (7...e5 8.Nc3 a6 9.a4 Rg8 10.g3±) 8.Bxd5 Nc6 9.Nc3 Bd6 10.Qh5 Qe7 11.Nf3
Be6 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Ne4±

After 6...Bb4+, Black will soon lose his two-bishop advantage. 7.Nc3 Qe7 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.0-0 Bd7
10.Rc1 0-0-0 11.a3 Bxc3 (In the variation 11...Bd6 12.Be2 f5 13.Nb5 Kb8 14.Qb3 Rhg8 15.Rfd1 a6
16.Nxd6 Qxd6, it would be essential for White not to blunder 17.Bxa6? Na5, but the simplest for him
would be 17.g3ƒ) 12.Rxc3 Kb8 13.Qc2 h5 14.Rc1ƒ Black’s king will not find a reliable shelter on the
queenside.

He should better avoid here the move 6...Rg8, because of 7.Ne2 Bd6 (White’s pawn is poisoned
7...Rxg2? 8.Ng3 Bd7 9.Bf1 Bc6 10.Bxg2 Bxg2 11.Rg1 Bc6 12.Nh5+–) 8.Ng3 Nd7, Zisman –
Birnboim, Jerusalem 2014, 9.Qh5. In fact, Black’s pawn on h7 is weak and not the g2-pawn. 9...Nb6
10.Be2 f5 11.Qxh7 Qg5 12.h4 Qg6 13.Qxg6 Rxg6 14.Nc3 Bxg3 15.fxg3 Rxg3 16.Kf2 Rg6 17.Bf3²

6...Nd7, Tolnai – Krizsany, Hungary 1999, 7.Nc3 f5 (The move 7...Nb6 prevents radically White’s
break in the centre, but does not contribute to Black’s development. 8.Be2 c5 9.Nf3 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Bg7
11.0-0 f5 12.Qb3 0-0 13.Rfd1 Bd7 14.a4 a5 15.Rac1 Rc8 16.Ndb5± or 12...Bxd4 13.Rfd1 Bd7
14.Rxd4ƒ) 8.Nf3 Bg7 9.Qc2 0-0 10.Rd1 Qe7 11.0-0 c5 12.d5 Nb6 13.b3 Nxc4 14.bxc4. White’s
powerful pawn on d5 provides him with stable pressure. 14...b6 15.Rfe1 Qf6 (15...Ba6 16.e4ƒ) 16.Nb5
a6 17.Nd6 Rd8 18.Nxc8 Raxc8 19.h3²

7.Nc3 Nd7 8.Nge2 Bd6, Nadanian – Beshukov, Krasnodar 1997.

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 Black is safe against his opponent’s immediate breaks, but his bishop has remained on the c8-square.
White only needs to redeploy harmoniously his forces and to take the control over the important
squares.
9.0-0 0-0 10.Ng3 a6 11.Be2 Nf6 12.Bf3 c6 13.Nce2²

B2) 4...e5
After this active, but overly enterprising move, Black’s f-pawn would be doomed to remain a
permanent weakness.
5.Nf3

5...Bg7

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 The pressure against the d4-pawn after 5...Nc6, can be parried by White with the move 6.Bb5, for
example: 6...Bg7 7.Nc3 Be6 (The move 7...e4 weakens the f4-square and White’s knight will occupy
it. 8.Nd2 Qd6 9.Ne2 0-0 10.c4 Ne7 11.cxd5 f5 12.Bc4 Nxd5 13.Bxd5 Qxd5 14.Nf4 Qb5 15.Qb3
Qxb3 16.Nxb3 c6 17.Rc1 Rd8 18.Ke2²) 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Na4 0-0 10.0-0 Rb8 11.Nd2² White’s cavalry
is ready to attack his opponent’s numerous pawn-weaknesses.

After 5...Bd6 6.c4 dxc4 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Bxc4 0-0, Gozzoli – Serra Pages, Escaldes 2017, 9.0-0 Kh8
10.Rc1 Bg4 11.Be2 Rg8 12.g3 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 exd4 14.exd4 Bf4 15.Rb1 Qxd4 16.Qxd4 Nxd4 17.Bxb7
Rab8 18.Bd5±, Black ends up with a complex of weaknesses.

5...e4 6.Nfd2

About 6...c6 7.c4 Be6 8.Qb3 – see 6...Be6.

6...f5 7.c4 dxc4 (The line: 7...c6 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.Qb3 Be6 loses a pawn for Black. 10.Qxb7 Nd7
11.Bb5 Rb8 12.Bxd7+ Bxd7 13.Qxd5 Rg8 14.g3 Rxb2 15.0-0±) 8.Bxc4 Nd7 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Nc3 Bh6
11.b4 a6 12.Qb3 0-0 13.a4² Black has chronic weaknesses in his position.
6...Be6 7.c4 c6 8.Qb3 Qd7 9.Nc3 f5 10.Rc1 Be7 11.Be2 0-0 12.0-0 Rc8. Now, White must open the
f-file in order to manage to exploit the defects of Black’s pawn-chain. 13.f3! Bg5 (13...exf3?!
14.Nxf3ƒ) 14.f4 Be7 15.Qd1 Kh8 16.Kh1 Rg8 17.Rg1ƒ

6.c4 c6

Following 6...exd4 7.Qxd4 Nc6, White does not need to capture the enemy gambit pawn. 8.Qc5!?
Qe7 (8...dxc4 9.Nc3 Be6 10.Bxc4²) 9.Qxe7+ Nxe7 10.Nc3 Be6 11.Nb5 0-0-0 12.c5 c6 13.Nbd4²

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 7.Nc3 Be6, Drazic – Perissinotto, Bergamo 2005, 8.Qb3 Qb6 (If Black preserves the queens
8...Qd7, he will have problems to develop his knight 9.Rc1 0-0 10.Be2 e4 11.Nh4 f5 12.g3 dxc4
13.Bxc4 Na6 14.Ne2²) 9.Qxb6 axb6 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Be2 Nc6 12.0-0 0-0 13.Rfd1²

B3) 4...Bf5 5.Ne2

Black plans to fortify his weakened kingside with his bishop, but White begins a chase after it.

5...e6

The move 5...c6 would not prevent White’s planned set-up. 6.Ng3 Bg6 7.h4 h6 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3
e6 10.Nd2 f5 11.Nh5 Nd7, Djurhuus – Borbjerggaard, Copenhagen 1996, 12.0-0-0 Qc7 13.c4 0-0-0
14.Kb1 Kb8 15.g3² White’s knight on h5 exerts powerful pressure against the enemy position.

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 There arise almost similar developments in the variation 5...Nd7 6.Ng3 Bg6 7.h4 h6 8.c4 c6 9.Nc3
e6 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Bd3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 f5 13.Nh5 Be7 14.g3 Qb6 15.Kf1 Rc8 (It would be too risky
for Black to capture the b2-pawn 15...Qxb2 16.Rb1 Qa3 17.Rxb7ƒ) 16.Rb1 Rc6 17.Kg2²

The move 5...e5 is a key alternative for Black. 6.Ng3 Be6, Miladinovic – Gromovs, Salsomaggiore
Terme 2004 (Black’s bishop would be isolated if it retreats to another square 6...Bg6 7.h4 h6 8.Bd3 e4
9.Be2 Bd6, which might hurt him in the complications arising after 10.c4 Bxg3 11.fxg3 Qd6 12.Kf2
dxc4 13.Bxc4 Nc6 14.Nc3 0-0-0 15.h5 Bh7 16.Qg4+ Kb8 17.Qf4²) 7.Bd3

7...Nc6 8.c3 Qd6 9.Nd2 0-0-0 10.b4 e4 11.Be2 f5. Now, White has interesting possibilities on both
sides of the board. 12.Nh5 Kb8 13.g3 Bh6 14.Nb3ƒ
7...e4 8.Be2 f5 9.c4 dxc4 10.Nd2 Nc6 (10...b5?! 11.a4 c6 12.axb5 cxb5 13.b3±; 10...Bb4 11.0-0
Bxd2 12.Qxd2 Nd7 13.f3ƒ) 11.Bxc4 Qd6 12.0-0 0-0-0 13.Qh5ƒ
7...c5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nc3 Nc6 10.0-0 h5 (Here, Black will hardly manage to hold his centre:
10...Qd7 11.Nh5 Be7 12.Ng7+ Kf8 13.Nxe6+ fxe6 14.Qh5ƒ) 11.Bf5 Kf8 (11...h4 12.Nh5!) 12.h4
Ne7 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.Na4 Bd6 15.c4! dxc4 16.Qf3ƒ He has failed to stabilise his position.

6.Ng3
The main line is more solid for Black than 5...e5, but now White will deploy soon his knight on h5
anyway.
6...Bg6 7.h4 h6 8.Bd3 Bxd3 9.Qxd3 Bd6

Or 9...c6 10.Nh5 Nd7 11.Nd2 f5 12.g3²

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 10.Nh5 Nd7, Brady – Arkell, Dublin 1993, 11.Nd2 Rg8 12.g3 Qe7 13.0-0-0 0-0-0. Black’s king has
been evacuated to the queenside, but White will soon begin an offensive there as well. 14.c4 c6 15.c5
Bc7 16.b4 e5 17.Nb3ƒ

B4) 4...c6 5.c4

5...Bf5
Black can exploit the fact that the c6-pawn has fortified his centre, but not all his possibilities are
good for him.

5...dxc4 6.Bxc4 e6 (Black should better refrain from an attempt to capture the g2-pawn 6...Rg8 7.Ne2
Rxg2? 8.Ng3 Qb6 9.Nd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qc3 11.Qf3+–) 7.Nf3 Qa5+ 8.Nbd2 Nd7 9.0-0 Nb6 10.e4

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Bd7, N.Nguyen – L.Vajda, Budapest 2004 (Black’s queen will not be comfortable after 10...Nxc4
11.Nxc4 Qh5 12.Rc1±) 11.Nb3 Qa4 12.Bd3 0-0-0 13.Qe2 Kb8 14.Rfc1±

5...Qb6 6.Qd2 dxc4 (6...Bh6 7.Nc3 Be6 8.b3 dxc4 9.bxc4 Bf5 10.Nge2 Na6 11.Ng3, Marcelin –
Giffard, Evry 2001, 11...Bg6 12.h4 Nb4 13.Rc1± Black’s position is in ruins after his premature
activity.) 7.Bxc4 Rg8, Travesset Ribera – Matnadze, Barcelona 2016, 8.Ne2! h5 (8...Rxg2? 9.Ng3 Bh3
10.Bf1±) 9.0-0 h4 10.Kh1 h3 11.g3 Bf5 12.Nbc3 Nd7 13.Bd3 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Rh8 (14...e6? 15.Qh7±)
15.Rab1 0-0-0 16.b4ƒ White has consolidated his position and Black’s h3-pawn is likely to become a
weakness soon than a part of his offensive on the kingside.

5...Bg7 6.Nc3

6...f5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.Bd3 e6 9.Nge2 Nc6 10.Nf4 0-0 11.0-0 Bh6 12.Qf3 Bd7 13.Rac1²
6...0-0. Now, White has the possibility to deploy his queen to an attacking position: 7.Qh5 e6 8.Bd3
h6 (8...f5? 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.g4‚) 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.0-0 Bd7 12.Rac1 f5 13.a3²
A strong grandmaster from Ukraine tried in one of his games the line: 6...e6 7.Rc1 0-0 8.cxd5 cxd5
9.Bd3 f5 10.Nh3 Nc6 11.0-0 Bd7 12.Nf4 Rc8, I.Schneider – Korobov, Karlsruhe 2016, but White’s
queen-sortie created serious problems for Black: 13.Qh5 h6 (13...Qb6?! 14.g4!ƒ) 14.Qf3 a6 (14...Qb6
15.Nh5‚) 15.Rfd1², with comfortable pressure for White.

5...e6 6.Nc3

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 About 6...f5 7.Rc1 Nd7 8.Qb3 – see 6...Nd7.
6...Nd7 7.Rc1 f5, Timman – Gligoric, Hoogoven 1975 7...a6 8.Nf3 Bd6, Tseitlin – Morris, Hastings
1991, 9.Qd2 f5 10.c5 Bc7 11.g3 0-0 12.Bd3²) 8.Qb3 Be7 9.Nf3 0-0 10.cхd5 cхd5. After Black has
castled, White can use the enemy f5-pawn as a target for the development of his initiative. 11.Bd3 Nf6
12.h3 a6 13.g4ƒ
6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 Rg8 8.g3 f5 9.Nf3 Nd7 10.Be2 Qc7 11.Rc1 h5. Now, White has several promising
alternatives, but the simplest for him would be to isolate the enemy f5-pawn with a strike in the centre:
12.d5!? exd5 13.Nxd5 Qa5+ 14.Nc3 Be7 15.Qc2 Ne5 16.Nd4² Demian – Hudуk, ICCF 2011.

5...Rg8 6.cxd5

6...Qxd5. White can attack the enemy queen in the centre in order to win tempi for his development.

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7.Nc3 Qa5 8.g3 Bg4 9.Be2 Be6 (It would be a bit more modest for Black to choose here 9...Bxe2
10.Qxe2 Nd7 11.Nf3 0-0-0 12.a3 e6 13.0-0², White can parry easily his opponent’s initiative after
9...h5 10.h3 Bxe2 11.Ngxe2 h4 12.g4 e6 13.Qd3 Nd7 14.0-0-0².) 10.Nf3 Bh3 11.Qb3 Qc7 12.d5±
S.Fedoseev – Al.Timofeev, St Petersburg 2008.
6...cxd5 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.g3 e6 (8...a6 9.Nge2 Bg4 10.Bg2 e6 11.0-0 Bd6 12.Rc1²; after 8...Bf5 9.Qb3
Rb8 10.Qxd5 Qxd5 11.Nxd5 Be4, Black manages to restore the material balance 12.Nc7+ Kd7 13.f3
Bxf3 14.Nxf3 Kxc7 15.Rc1 e6 16.Kf2 Bd6 17.Bb5², but his weaknesses remain on the board and after
the exchange on c6, White will compromise his opponent’s pawn-structure on the queenside as well.)
9.Rc1. White can restrict his opponent’s possibilities after a series of prophylactic moves. 9...f5 10.Bd3
Bd6 11.Nf3 Bd7 12.a3 Kf8 (12...h5 13.h4 Rc8 14.Ng5ƒ) 13.Ne2 Kg7 14.Nf4². Here, once again it is
essential that White’s king is safer.

5...e5 6.cxd5

6...Qxd5 7.Nc3 Qa5 (7...Bb4 8.Nf3 exd4 9.Nxd4 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 Nd7 11.Qb3 Qe4 12.Qa3²;
11...Qxb3 12.axb3² Black has several achievements, but the vulnerability of his doubled f-pawns hurts
him even more.) 8.Bc4 Qb4 (8...Bg7 9.Qh5 0-0 10.Nf3 Qb4 11.Bd3‚ Brandics – Boronyak, Hungary
1996) 9.Qd3

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 9...exd4 (The fans of having an extra pawn would doubtlessly prefer here 9...Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3
11.Nge2 Bg7, but we already know that it would be essential for White to transfer his knight to an
attacking position closer to the enemy king: 12.Ng3 0-0 13.0-0 Na6 14.Nh5ƒ) 10.exd4 Nd7 (It would
be also too risky for Black to capture the pawn on his next move as well: 10...Qxb2 11.Rb1 Qa3
12.Nge2 Nd7 13.0-0 Nb6 14.Rfe1 Nxc4 15.Qxc4 Be7 16.d5 0-0 17.Ng3‚) 11.0-0-0 Bh6+ 12.Kb1 0-0
13.a3 Qe7 14.Nf3 Nb6 15.Rhe1ƒ All White’s pieces are in action and are ready to attack the centre and
the enemy kingside as well.
6...cxd5 7.Nc3 Be6 (7...Bb4 8.Bb5+ Nc6 9.Nge2 0-0 10.0-0 Be6 11.a3 Bxc3 12.Nxc3 Kh8 13.Rc1²)
8.Bb5+

8...Nc6 (Following 8...Nd7 9.Nge2 a6 10.Ba4 b5 11.Bb3 Nb6 12.0-0 Rc8, White has an important
resource – 13.f4! Bh6 14.Ng3 exf4 15.exf4 f5 16.Qd3ƒ and he not only develops his initiative, but also

226
isolates the enemy bishop.) 9.Nge2 Bh6, Monninger – Bonk, Germany 2011, 10.0-0 0-0 11.Rc1 Rc8
12.Na4² In this symmetrical position, White’s knight is more mobile that Black’s bishop and this is a
consequence of the peculiarities of the pawn-structure, which is perfect for White and by far – not ideal
for Black.

6.Nc3 e6 7.Rc1

7...Qb6

7...Nd7 8.cxd5 cxd5 (The move 8...exd5 weakens the f5-square and White’s knight will be headed
there. 9.Bd3 Bg6 10.Nge2 Bd6 11.Ng3²) 9.Bd3 Bg6 (9...Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Bd6 11.Nf3 f5 12.0-0 0-0
13.Rc2 a6 14.Rfc1 Rc8 15.g3 Rc6 16.Ne2², White exerts a slight but rather unpleasant pressure.)
10.Nge2 Bd6 11.0-0 0-0 12.Nf4 Bxf4 13.exf4 Bxd3 (13...Nb6?! 14.f5!±) 14.Qxd3 f5 15.Na4 Rc8
16.Nc5 b6. Black has managed to improve his position, but White’s prospects still seem preferable.
17.Qg3+ Kh8 18.Nd3²

7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 Nd7 9.Nge2 Qb6 10.0-0

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 Black has problems to find a safe shelter for his king. 10...0-0-0 (10...Qxb2? 11.e4 Bg6 12.Rb1 Qa3
13.Rxb7±) 11.a3 Kb8 12.b4 Qc7 (12...Bd6 13.e4 Bg6 14.Bd3ƒ) 13.Bb3 h5 14.d5! c5 (In this position
White’s pawn-break is not only a beginning of an attack, but also a way of weakening the enemy pawn-
chain. 14...exd5 15.Nxd5 Qe5 16.Ndf4²) 15.Na4 Rg8 16.Kh1 Be4 17.Ng3 Bxd5 18.Bxd5 Ne5
(18...h4 19.Ne4 exd5 20.Nexc5‚) 19.Nc3 cxb4 20.axb4 Ng4 21.Qf3 exd5 22.Nxd5² White’s pawn-
structure is preferable and his threats are meaningful.

8.Qd2 dxc4

Following 8...Nd7, Zhang Zhong – Liang Jinrong, Suzhou 2001, the exchange on d5 provides White
with a clear-cut plan for actions against the enemy light-squared bishop. 9.cxd5 cxd5 (9...exd5 10.Nf3
Bd6 11.Nh4 Bg6 12.Bd3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Qxb2? 14.0-0 0-0-0 15.Nxd5‚) 10.Nge2 Bd6 11.Nf4 Rc8
(11...Bxf4 12.exf4 0-0 13.Be2 Rac8 14.g4ƒ) 12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0 a6 14.g4! Bg6 15.h4 h6 16.Nxg6 fxg6
17.e4‚

Black cannot equalise even if he gives up his only real asset – the dark-squared bishop, which has no
opponent. 8...Bb4, Marcelin – Stepanov, Hallsberg 2000, 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Rxc3 Nd7 11.cxd5 cxd5
12.Ne2 0-0 13.Ng3 Bg6 14.Be2 Rfc8 15.0-0 Qd8 16.Rfc1 Nb6 17.h4 h6 18.Rxc8 Rxc8 19.Rc5²

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 This position was reached in the game Stefanova – Kovalevskaya, Krasnoturinsk 2004. 9.Bxc4 Nd7
10.Nf3 0-0-0 11.0-0 Be7 12.a3 Rhg8. The position has become sharper and both sides are ready to
begin an offensive against the enemy king. (In this situation the piece-play would be less effective than
the attack on the g-file: 12...Ne5 13.Be2 Nxf3+ 14.Bxf3 Kb8 15.b4ƒ) 13.Rfd1 Kb8 14.b4 Bg4 15.Be2
f5 16.Na4 Qc7. Now, White must sacrifice resolutely a pawn for the sake of the development of his
initiative. 17.b5 Bxa3 18.Rc2 c5 19.Ra1 Bb4 20.Qc1 b6 21.dxc5 bxc5 22.Nd4‚ with an attack, which
compensates fully the sacrifice of material.

B5) 4...c5
This resolute move for Black is a frequent guest in the tournaments at the top level. He plans to
develop his pieces actively: Nc6, Qb6, Rg8, e5 and practically forces White to change the situation in
the centre.
5.dxc5

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 We will analyse now: B5a) 5...Qa5, B5b) 5...Nc6, B5c) 5...e6.

Following 5...e5 6.Nc3 Be6 7.Bb5+ Nc6, Danielian – Kulon, Riyadh 2017, Black risks ending up
losing material, because White can create in response pressure against the d5-pawn with 8.Qf3! a6
9.Ba4 Bхc5 (9...e4 10.Qh5±) 10.0-0-0ƒ

B5a) 5...Qa5 6.Nd2

6...e6

6...Nc6 7.Ngf3

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 The move 7...e5 can be countered by White with a strike against the enemy centre: 8.c4 Be6 9.cxd5
Bxd5 10.a3 Qxc5 11.Rc1 Qa5 12.Bc4 Rd8, Gu – Khotenashvili, China 2016, 13.0-0 Bxc4 14.Rxc4 Bg7
and after the trade of the bishops, Black’s kingside will be weak 15.Qc2 0-0 16.Ne4ƒ
7...Qxc5 8.Nb3 Qd6 9.c4 Be6 (9...dxc4?! 10.Qxd6 exd6 11.Bxc4±) 10.c5 Qd7 11.Nfd4 Bg4 12.f3
Bh5 13.Bd3 e6 14.0-0 Bh6 15.Qd2 f5 16.f4² Black’s bishops have been restricted and White plans to
begin a pawn-offensive on the queenside.
7...Bg7 8.Be2 f5 9.0-0 Bxb2. Capturing the b2-pawn is likely to lead to great difficulties for Black
(He should better prefer here 9...Qxc5 10.Nb3 Qd6 11.Nfd4 0-0 12.f4 e6 13.c3 Bd7 14.Bd3 a6
15.Qh5ƒ). 10.c4! Bxa1 11.Qxa1 d4 (11...Rg8 12.cxd5 Nb4 13.Qc3‚) 12.exd4 0-0 13.Nb3 Qb4
14.d5‚ with a very powerful attack for White for the sacrificed exchange.

After the immediate capturing 6...Qxc5 7.Nb3, Black’s queen will be forced to occupy a
unfavourable position 7...Qd6, which can be emphasized by a sortie of White’s queen. 8.Qf3 Bg7 9.0-
0-0 e6, Teuschler – Tomazini, Austria 2016, 10.Ne2 Nc6 11.Nf4 f5 12.Kb1 Qe5 (12...a5?! 13.Nd4±;
12...Bd7?! 13.c4 Qe5 14.Nd3±) 13.Nd3 Qe4 14.Qg3 Qg4 15.Be2 Qxg3 16.hxg3² The manoeuvres of
both queens have ended in their exchange and this makes Black’s h7-pawn even more vulnerable.

7.Ngf3 Qb4

7...f5 8.c4 dхc4 9.Bхc4 Bg7?! (9...Bхc5 10.0-0² and White is threatening to exchange the bishop on
c5.) 10.0-0 Nd7 11.Nb3 Qc7 12.Qc2± Vitiugov – S.Zhigalko, Doha 2016. Black has failed to regain
his pawn on c5.
7...Bxc5 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 Be7 (9...Nc6 10.Nb3. White has compromised the enemy pawn-structure
and wishes to trade favourably his knight for Black’s bishop on c5. 10...Qb6 11.Nxc5 Qxc5 12.Nd4
Bd7 13.Bd3 f5 14.c3 Kh8 15.Qh5 Qe7 16.f4²) 10.c4 dxc4 11.Nxc4 Qc7 12.Qd4 Nc6 13.Qh4 Kh8
14.Rac1 Rg8 15.Qh5ƒ

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 8.c4 dxc4 (The line: 8...Bxc5? 9.cxd5 0-0 10.Qc2 Bd7 would lead to a catastrophe for Black. 11.a3
Qa5 12.Bd3 Rc8 13.Qc4+– A.Moiseenko – Gledura, Bastia 2016) 9.Bxc4 Bxc5 (9...Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3
11.Ne4 Qa5+ 12.Nfd2 Be7 13.0-0ƒ) 10.Qc2 0-0 11.0-0 Be7 12.Rfd1 Nc6 13.a3 Qb6 14.b4ƒ

B5b) 5...Nc6
This knight-move has been tested numerous times in correspondence games and was prepared by
Sergey Karjakin’s team for his World Championship match in New York in the year 2016.
6.Bb5

6...e6

Following 6...Qa5+ 7.Nc3 a6 8.Ba4 e6 9.Qd4 Bd7 10.Qxf6 Rg8, Black does not obtain full

232
compensation for the sacrificed pawn. 11.Nge2 Qxc5 12.0-0 Rg6 13.Qh4 b5 14.Bb3 Ne5 15.Ng3²
Dias – Visloguzov, ICCF 2015.

7.c4 dxc4 8.Nd2

8...Bxc5
This is Black’s most reliable response.

8...Qd5?! 9.Ngf3 Qxc5 10.Bxc4 Bg7 11.Rc1 Qb4 12.0-0 0-0 (12...Qxb2?! 13.Bb3 f5 14.Nc4 Qf6
15.Nd6+ Ke7 16.e4 Rd8 17.e5‚) 13.Rc2 Rd8 14.a3 Qe7 15.Qe2 Bd7 (15...f5 16.e4 Qf6 17.b4ƒ)
16.e4² Shulman – Vaillant, ICCF 2015. Black has made too many moves with his queen and White has
exploited the extra tempi quite purposefully.

9.Ngf3 0-0

It seems attractive for Black to play here 9...c3 10.bxc3 0-0, but White has a chance of transferring
his queen to the kingside 11.Qa4 Bd7 12.0-0 a6 13.Qg4+ Kh8 14.Qh5ƒ, while following 10...Be7
11.Nd4 Qc7 12.Qh5 a6, Ali Marandi – Fier, St Louis 2017, 13.Bхc6 bхc6 14.0-0 c5 15.N4f3 0-0
(15...Bb7 16.Qh6 0-0-0 17.Rab1ƒ) 16.e4 Bb7 17.Rfe1 Kh8 18.Re3ƒ, his pieces are dangerously poised
for an attack against the enemy king.

10.0-0 Na5 11.Rc1 Be7 12.Qc2 Bd7 13.Bxd7 Qxd7

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 14.Qc3! With this precise move White forces a transition into an endgame. 14...Qd5 15.Nxc4 Nxc4
16.Qxc4 Qxc4 17.Rxc4 Rfc8 18.Rfc1 Rxc4 19.Rxc4 Rd8. There has arisen an endgame with just a few
material left on the board, but Black still has problems, because his h-pawn is vulnerable. Later,
Carlsen demonstrates a play typical for the Trompowsky Attack. He restricts the enemy bishop with his
pawns and transfers his knight to a favourable position. 20.g3 Rd7 21.Kf1 f5 22.Ke2 Bf6 23.b3 Kf8
24.h3 h6 25.Ne1 Ke7 26.Nd3² Carlsen – Karjakin, New York 2016. Later, it was only the mastership
of the “king of defence” which enabled Karjakin to save the draw.

B5c) 5...e6 6.Nf3

6...Bxc5

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 About 6...Nc6 7.Be2 Bxc5 8.0-0 – see 6...Bxc5.

Black will lag in development if he gives a check on a5. 6...Qa5+ 7.Nbd2 Rg8 (7...f5 8.c4 dxc4
9.Bxc4 Bg7 10.0-0 Nd7 11.Nb3 Qc7 12.Qc2ƒ Vitiugov – S.Zhigalko, Doha 2016) 8.c4 dxc4 9.g3 Bd7
10.Bxc4 Qxc5 11.Rc1 Qb6 12.0-0 Be7 13.Bd3 Bc6 14.Nc4 Qd8 15.Nd4 Rg7 16.Qb3 Qd7 17.Na5ƒ
Garau – Damarez, ICCF 2013.

The encounter in the Trompowsky Attack between World Champions number 14 and 16 was in the
line: 6...Nd7 7.c4 dxc4 8.c6 Nb6 (8...bxc6 9.Bxc4²) 9.Nbd2 c3 (9...bxc6 10.Qc2² and Black had no
compensation for his compromised pawn-structure.) 10.bxc3 bxc6 11.Qc2 Bg7 12.Bd3 f5 13.e4

In some correspondence games, Black tried the line; 13...fxe4 14.Nxe4 Nd5 15.0-0 0-0 16.Rad1 f5,
in an attempt to win the pawn on c3, but the weakening of his king turned out to be a more important
factor 17.Ng3 Qa5 (17...Bxc3 18.Ne2 Bg7 19.Qxc6² B.Shulman – Gilbert, ICCF 2014) 18.Nh5 Qxc3
19.Qe2 Rb8 20.Rc1 Qb2 21.Rc2 Qb7 22.Ne5 Bxe5 23.Qxe5 Rf7 24.Bc4 Qc7 25.Qa1 Qd6 26.Rd1ƒ
and White plans a fierce offensive against the enemy king shelter, B.Shulman – Kazoks, ICCF 2014.
13...Qf6 14.Rc1 0-0 15.0-0 c5 16.Rfe1 Rd8 17.a4 c4 18.Bf1 fxe4 19.Nxe4 Qf5 20.Nd4. Here, Black
was forced to exchange his bishop 20...Bxd4 21.cxd4 Bb7 22.Nc5², after which he had serious
problems in the endgame, Carlsen – Kramnik, Moscow 2013.

7.Be2 Nc6 8.0-0

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 This is a very popular position and it has been tested both in correspondence games and in
tournaments. White has evacuated his king and plans to continue the fight for the centre with the move
c2-c4.
8...e5
Black builds reliable fortifications in the centre.

He should better refrain from 8...Bb6?! 9.c4 d4 10.exd4 Nxd4 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Qc2 f5
14.Rad1 Qf4 15.g3 Qg5 16.Bf3± Djalal – Skripchenko, Drancy 2016. Black has lost an important
tempo and has problems with the development of his bishop on c8.
8...Be7 9.c4 dxc4 10.Qc2 0-0 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.Qxc4 f5 13.Nc3 a6 14.a4 Bf6 15.e4²

8...0-0 9.c4 d4 (9...dxc4 10.Qc2 Qb6 11.Nbd2 Rd8 12.Nxc4 Qc7 13.a3² P.Nguyen – Sivuk,
Jastrzebia Gora 2015) 10.exd4 Nxd4 11.Nc3 f5 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.Bf3 Qb6 14.Qd2 Bg7 15.Rfd1²
Cuadrado Wentwort – Hyde-Terreaux, ICCF 2014.

8...Bd7 9.c4 dxc4, Shankland – Xiong, Saint Louis 2016, 10.Bxc4 0-0 11.Nc3 Be7 12.Qe2 Qc7
13.Rfd1 Rfd8 14.Rac1 Rac8 15.Bd3 a6 16.Bb1²

8...f5 9.c4 dxc4 (9...d4 10.exd4 Nxd4 11.Nc3 Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 Qxd1 13.Rfxd1 Ke7 14.a3 a5 15.Na4
Ba7 16.b4ƒ) 10.Qa4 Be7 11.Qxc4 Qb6 12.Nc3 Qb4 (12...Qxb2?! 13.Rab1 Qa3 14.Nb5 Qa5 15.Qf4
0-0 16.Qh6ƒ) 13.Qxb4 Bxb4 14.Rac1. It is amazing but White maintains the initiative even in the
endgame. 14...Ke7 15.a3 Bxc3 (15...Bd6 16.Rfd1 Bd7 17.Ng5 Be8 18.f4 Rd8 19.g3²) 16.Rxc3 Rd8
17.Rfc1² Dean – Geiger, ICCF 2015.

9.c4 d4 10.exd4

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 10...Nxd4

After 10...Bxd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd4 12.Nc3 Be6, White can preserve his initiative with the line:
13.Nb5!? Nxb5 14.Qa4 Qb6 15.cxb5 0-0 16.Qh4 Bf5 17.Qg3+ Bg6 18.a4 Rad8 19.h4ƒ After the
exchange of the powerful enemy knight White still has numerous possibilities for active actions.

11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Qc2 f5

Black has managed to preserve his bishop-pair, by Michael Adams, playing with White, has
anticipated cleverly that his knight will come into the actions with a great effect.
13.Nd2 Qe7 14.Rad1 0-0

15.b4! Qxb4

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 It is bad for Black to play here 15...a6 16.c5² and he will have to capture the pawn.

16.Nf3 Rd8, Adams – Kramnik, Dortmund 2014. Black must develop his pieces (16...Qb6 17.Nxd4
exd4 18.Bf3 Rd8 19.Rfe1 Qf6 20.c5ƒ). Strangely enough, White had to play simply here and just regain
his sacrificed pawn. 17.Nxd4 Rxd4 18.Rxd4 exd4 19.Rd1 Be6 (19...Qd6 20.Bf3 Rb8 21.Qb2ƒ)
20.Rxd4 Qe1+ 21.Bf1 Rc8 22.Rd1 Qe5 23.Qa4² Black’s king is not safe and he must also protect his
queenside pawns.

The games of Magnus Carlsen and Michael Adams against Vladimir Kramnik and Sergey Karjakin
have led to a real revolution in the development of this line in the Trompowsky Attack. There were
numerous positions which were considered to be completely harmless for Black, but not anymore... The
World Champion and some other fans of this variation have invented plenty of interesting strategical
ideas for White. Black usually avoids being under an attack by entering endgames, but they often turn
out to be inferior!

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 Chapter 6
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4

Quick Repertoire

Every qualified chess-player, who faces the Trompowsky Attack for the first time, may be faced with
the question – what would happen if I attack the enemy bishop with my knight? In fact, if Black does
not have a clear-cut plan for his further actions, he might face immediate difficulties.
3.Bf4

After A) 3...d6 4.Nd2 Nxd2 5.Qxd2 Nd7, it becomes evident that White maintains a considerable
lead in development. 6.0-0-0 c5 7.dxc5 Nxc5 8.e4 Be6 (Black should better refrain here from 8...Nxe4
9.Qe3 Nf6 10.Bxd6.) 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Qxd7 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qe2 and White regains the pawn on
e5 with initiative.
After B) 3...e6, the development of the knight to d2 does not promise much to White, so it would be
more logical for him to oust the enemy knight away from the centre with his pawn and to occupy the
centre later. 4.f3

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 B1) 4...Nf6 5.e4 d5 6.e5 Nfd7 7.Be3 c5 8.c3 Nc6 9.f4 Qb6. There has arisen a position, which is
typical for the French Defence. Black does not have sufficient space for the comfortable development
of all his four minor pieces, while the line: 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 Bb4+, would enable White to develop
without any problems his queen’s knight 11.Nc3. 10.Qd2 Be7 11.Nf3 0-0 12.Be2. We know already
that the exchange on d4 is in favour of White. But if Black refrains from it, then White’s hands are free
for actions on the kingside 12...c4 13.0-0 Qc7 14.Qc2 b5 15.Ng5.
Black’s attempts to reduce his opponent’s attacking potential by exchanges B3) 4...Bd6 5.Bxd6
Nxd6, would lead to his knight occupying a very unfavourable position. 6.e4 f5 7.e5 Nf7 8.f4 d6
9.Nc3 0-0 10.Nf3 dxe5 11.dxe5 Qe7. Black lacks space again and his knight is misplaced on f7,
restricted by White’s pawns on e5-f4. White only needs to play a series of prophylactic moves in order
to maintain a stable advantage. 12.g3 Rd8 13.Qe2 b6 14.Bg2 Ba6 15.Qf2. Black cannot prevent his
opponent from castling, because of the vulnerability of the a8-h1 diagonal.
Black’s dark-squared bishop might be placed on g7 too, protecting his king C) 3...g6, but then there
arise positions from the Indian defences, or the Pirc Defence, in which he has lost an important tempo
lost on manoeuvres with his knight. 4.f3 Nf6 5.e4

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 C1) 5...d6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Qd2 0-0 8.0-0-0 Nc6 (The move 8...Nbd7 would not stop White from
continuing with his standard attack 9.Bh6 e5 10.Nge2 c6 11.h4; Black’s counter threats on the
queenside are too slow after 8...c6 9.Bh6 b5 10.h4 b4 11.Nce2 Qa5, because of 12.Kb1 Be6 13.Nc1.)
9.g4 Re8 10.Bh6 Bh8 11.h4 e5 12.d5 Nd4 13.h5 c6 14.Qh2. White’s threats on the kingside seem
really dangerous.

C2) 5...d5 6.Nc3 dxe4 7.fxe4 Bg7 8.Qd2 c5 9.d5 0-0

After some rather strange transposition, the arising scheme resembles the Gruenfeld Defence, but
White’s threats are much more dangerous than Black’s counterplay against the enemy centre. 10.Nf3
Qb6 (After 10...a6 11.e5 Nh5 12.Bh6 Bg4 13.Bxg7 Nxg7 14.Ng5!?, White prevents the exchange on
f3 and preserves more pieces for an attack.) 11.e5 Nh5 12.0-0-0 Bg4 (12...Nxf4 13.Qxf4 Nd7 14.h4

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and White’s attack continues.). Black wishes here, just like in the Gruenfeld Defence, to eliminate the
enemy knight on f3 at an opportune moment, but here, he must pay a dear price for that, because after
13.Bh6 Bxf3 14.Bxg7 Bxd1 15.Bxf8 Kxf8,

White has the spectacular strike 16.Bb5!! with a deadly attack after 16...Bxc2 17.Kxc2 Ng7 18.Rf1,
or 16...Bg4 17.Qh6+ Kg8 18.Be8.

After some seldom played moves by Black, following 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4, the Trompowsky
Attack often transposes not only to positions from the Queen’s Pawn, but also to lines from the French
Defence, the King’s Indian Defence, as well as to the Pirc Defence and the Gruenfeld Defence!

All these transpositions usually arise with extra tempi for White, who manages to deploy his bishop
to a wonderful position – the f4-square, which helps him to organise an attack against the enemy king,
or to continue with active actions in the centre.

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 Chapter 6
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4

Step by Step

3.Bf4

Plenty of exotic lines have been tested during the history of this variation like: 3.h4, 3.Bh4 c5 4.f3
g5!? and even retreating White’s bishop to e3, or c1. Still, we will analyse his main line. The bishop
has occupied the important h2-b8 diagonal and White plans to gain tempi for his development by
attacking the brave enemy knight on e4.

In this chapter we will analyse in details: A) 3...d6, B) 3...e6 and C) 3...g6.

Black’s most popular moves – 3...d5 and 3...c5 will be dealt with in Chapters 7 and 8.
He has also tried in practice:
3...e5?! This strange gambit has been tried sometimes even by grandmasters. In fact Black can only
rely here on the element of surprise. White’s position is very good. 4.dxe5 (After 4.Bxe5?! Nc6 5.Nf3
d5 6.e3 f6 7.Bg3 h5ƒ, Black’s brave actions would be completely justified, Sedlak – Andrejic, Belgrade
2014.)

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 4...d5 (This move is more logical than 4...Nc6, Wills – Rusev, Treforest 2010, because after the
simple move 5.Nd2, White has an excellent position 5...Nxd2 6.Qxd2±, as well as if Black refrains
from capturing 5...Nc5 6.Ngf3± He has no compensation for the pawn.) 5.Nd2 Qe7, Walton –
Cherniaev, Southend 2015 (If Black makes a third move with his knight 5...Nc5, this would not end up
well for him after 6.Ngf3 Be7 7.e3 g5 8.Bg3 h5 9.h4 g4 10.Nd4± and White has both a space and
material advantage, Sulava – Bertagnolli, Austria 2015.) 6.c3

6...g5. Black will have to regain his pawn sooner or later with the active move g7-g5: The line:
6...Nc6 7.Nxe4 dxe4 8.e3 g5 9.Bg3 leads to transposition of moves. 7.Nxe4 dxe4 8.Bg3 Nc6 (After the
immediate reaction 8...Bg7 9.h4 g4 10.e3 Bxe5, White can still maintain an advantage by transferring
his knight to a comfortable square: 11.Ne2 Nd7 12.Nf4 Nf6 13.Bc4 c6 14.a4 0-0 15.0-0 Rd8 16.Qb3²,
exerting pressure on both sides of the board.) 9.e3 Bg7 (9...Nxe5 10.Qa4+ Bd7 11.Qxe4±) 10.Bb5 Bd7

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11.h4 Bxe5 12.Bxc6 Bxc6 13.Bxe5 Qxe5 14.hxg5 Qxg5 15.Qh5. After a series of captures White
forces a transition into an endgame with a solid and stable advantage. Black’s bishop is much weaker
than White’s knight in this pawn-structure. 15...Qxh5 (15...Qxg2?? 16.Qe5+) 16.Rxh5 Rd8 17.Ne2±
Black is very likely to lose soon one of his weak kingside pawns.

3...g5. He will hardly equalise with this move, but the enlarged fianchetto has been tested in practice
numerous times. 4.Be5. This is White’s most principled move. He begins aggressive actions aimed to
prevent Black from castling kingside. 4...f6 (He cannot avoid further weakening and after 4...Rg8
5.Qd3 f5 6.e3 d6 7.Bg3 e6 8.f3 Nxg3 9.hxg3 Qe7 10.g4², White exerts pressure on the h-file.) 5.e3

Black should better defend against the check; otherwise, White’s initiative will be running
effortlessly. 5...Bg7 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.f3 fxe5 8.fxe4 Qe8 (Black’s more natural move 8...exd4 provides
White with time to bring his kingside forces into the actions: 9.Bc4 d5 10.Bxd5 e6, Pisk – Benda,
Morava 1994, 11.Ne2ƒ) 9.Qxg5 exd4 10.Nf3 dxe3 11.Ne5 Bf6 12.Qh6+ Bg7 13.Qf4+ Bf6. After all
preparatory manoeuvres White can calmly complete his development 14.Be2ƒ, followed by 0-0.
5...h5 6.Be2 g4 7.Bf4 d5. Black must develop his queenside pieces as quickly as possible. (After
7...f5 8.h3 Rg8 9.hxg4 hxg4 10.Bd3±, White maintains a considerable advantage due to his much more
active king’s rook and following 7...Bg7 8.Bd3 d5 9.Ne2 Bf5 10.f3 e5 11.fxe4 dxe4 12.Bc4 exf4
13.Nxf4², he will exert long time pressure thanks to his wonderful “eternal” knight on f4.) 8.f3 gxf3
(8...Nd6 9.fxg4 Nf7, Miladinovic – Potpara, Ulcinj 2014, 10.gxh5+–) 9.Bxf3 Bg4 (9...h4 10.Bh5+ Kd7
11.Bf3 e6 12.Nd2ƒ) 10.Bxg4 hxg4 11.Qxg4± Pektas – Suzan, Goynuk 2018.

3...Nc6. This “hyper-modernistic” move is aimed at provoking White to occupy the centre, but is
very risky for Black. 4.f3

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 4...Nf6 5.e4 d6, Bosiosic – Kislinsky, Katowice 2017 (5...d5 6.e5 Nd7 7.c3 e6 8.Be3. Now, White’s
bishop has nothing to do on f4 and the f3-square should be freed for his knight. 8...Be7 9.f4 0-0
10.Nf3², with a slight, but long-lasting edge for White. It is hardly preferable for Black to retreat his
knight to the edge of the board 6...Nh5 7.Be3 g6 8.c4 e6 9.Nc3 Ng7 10.f4 Nf5 11.Bf2² and thanks to
his great space advantage, White has wonderful prospects.) 6.Be3 e5 (After 6...g6 7.Qd2 Bg7 8.Nc3²,
White has obtained an excellent version of the Pirc Defence, since Black does not have the
undermining move c7-c5) 7.d5. White closes the centre 7...Ne7 8.c4 g6 and after for example: 9.Nc3
Bg7 10.Bd3 0-0 11.Nge2 Nd7 12.Qd2², he has a much better development. Black cannot begin active
actions on the kingside at the moment, because White has not castled yet and so, Black practically does
not have any useful developing moves.
4...e5 5.dxe5 g5 6.Be3 Nc5, Stopa – Naroditsky, chess.com 2017, 7.Qd2 Ne6 (This defence is
forced, because after 7...h6, White has the resource 8.h4 and Black will be faced with the rather
unpleasant choice between 8...gxh4 9.Bf2 Be7 10.Nc3 Nxe5 11.Qd5 d6 12.Bxc5 Be6 13.Qe4+– and
his position crumbles, or 8...Nxe5 9.Bd4‚ with a very powerful attack for White.) 8.Bf2. Now, after
Black was forced to make four moves in the opening with one and a same knight, White can complete
accurately his development and begin active actions: 8...Bg7 9.Nc3 Nxe5 10.e4 d6 11.0-0-0ƒ Black’s
fianchettoed bishop is not dangerous for White at all, while his knight on g1 is ready to occupy one of
the weak f5 or h5-squares with catastrophic consequences for Black.
3...f5 4.Nd2. Now, thanks to this possibility, Black fails to equalise. If he does not capture, there will
arise a standard Dutch Defence set-up, but with several extra tempi for White (which doubtlessly
guarantees an advantage for him), while if the knights are exchanged, Black’s king will be endangered
due to the trade of one of its defenders.

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 The evaluation of the position is quite clear after 4...Nxd2 5.Qxd2 e6 6.0-0-0 Be7 7.g4‚, with
powerful attack for White, as well as following 4...e6 5.Nxe4 fxe4 6.e3 d6 7.Ne2 Be7 8.Nc3 d5
9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qe5±, with a double attack against c7 and h8.
It is hardly any better for Black to try here 4...d5 5.e3 and now, after 5...e6 6.Nxe4, Black would be
in trouble after the already familiar line: 6...fxe4 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qe5 Rg8 9.Qxc7±, also after 6...dxe4
7.f3² with plenty of weaknesses in his camp. What is left for him to try is 5...Nxd2 6.Qxd2 e6, but even
then after 7.h4 Nd7 (7...Be7 8.h5²) 8.h5 Nf6 9.0-0-0 Ne4 10.Qe1² White has already freed the e1-
square for his queen and is ready to begin an offensive against the enemy king.
4...Nf6 5.Ngf3 g6 (After 5...e6, it would be good for White to try a set-up resembling the London
System – 6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.h3 d6 9.c3² Black cannot follow any standard plans at the moment. His
knight cannot go to e4 and it would be tremendously difficult for him to advance e6-e5. The transfer of
his queen Qd8-e8-g6 is hardly sensible, since White has not castled yet.) 6.c3. White does not play this
move in order to follow a set-up in the spirit of the London System, but with the idea to advance e3-e4
as quickly as possible. 6...Bg7 7.Qc2 0-0 (Naturally, Black can prevent the undermining of his centre
with the move 7...d5, but after 8.e3 0-0 9.Be2², White’s advantage would be doubtless. Black’s
“Stonewall” is likely to crumble very soon.) 8.e4 fxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Qxe4 d5 (Black defends
against 11.Bc4.) 11.Qe3² White controls reliably the key e5-square and his prospects are preferable
thanks to that.

A) 3...d6

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 This move for Black is much more flexible than all that we have already analysed. The move d6 is
often very useful for him, since after it he waits at the moment what plan White is going to choose.
4.Nd2
He follows standard paths.
Here, we will analyse in details: A1) 4...Nxd2, A2) 4...Bf5 and A3) 4...Nf6.

A1) 4...Nxd2 5.Qxd2

5...Nd7

In this position Black should better refrain from the fianchetto of his bishop: 5...g6 6.0-0-0 Nd7 7.e4
Bg7 8.Bh6 Bxh6 9.Qxh6 e5 10.Nf3² and White has a very easy game.

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 5...Nc6, Schmidt – Glek, Dos Hermanas 2003, 6.0-0-0 Bf5 7.d5 Nb8 (After 7...Ne5, Black will have
to fianchetto his bishop, but under not so favourable circumstances: 8.Kb1 g6 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.Bh6²) 8.f3
e5 9.dxe6 Bxe6 10.Kb1 Be7 11.e4², followed by the transfer of White’s knight to the d4, or f4-squares.

It deserves attention for Black to try here 5...d5 6.0-0-0 Bf5 (The rather passive line: 6...e6 7.h4 Be7
8.Kb1 Bxh4 9.Bxc7 Qxc7 10.Rxh4± would enable White to seize the initiative for long.). Here, he can
continue in a concrete fashion 7.f3 e6 8.e4!? and after the forced line: 8...dxe4 9.fxe4 Bxe4 10.Qe3 Bf5
(White will advance his central pawn even after 10...Bc6? 11.d5+–) 11.d5 and Black’s position looks
very suspicious. 11...Bd6 (11...Nd7 12.Nf3 Bc5 13.Qc3 0-0 14.dxe6 Bxe6 15.Rxd7 Qxd7 16.Qxc5±
White’s two minor pieces are much stronger than Black’s rook.) 12.Bb5+ Nd7 13.dxe6 Bxe6 14.Bxd6
cxd6 15.Rxd6 Qe7 16.Qe5!² Black’s pieces have been stalemated in a very elegant way.

6.0-0-0

6...c5

Following 6...e6 7.e4 Be7, B.Kovacevic – Kozul, Valpovo 2017, White obtains an advantage
effortlessly thanks to the passivity of Black’s pieces: 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Bd3 c5 10.e5 d5 11.c3 cxd4 12.Nxd4
Nc5 13.Bc2² with very good attacking prospects.

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 This position was reached in the game Miladinovic – Damljanovic, Vrsac 2007. 7.dxc5 Nxc5 8.e4
Be6 (After 8...Nxe4, White would follow with 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.Bxd6 Bd7 11.Nf3² with a lead in
development.) 9.Bb5+ Bd7. Black is forced to remove his bishop from its active position (After
9...Nd7, White can react simply with 10.Kb1 a6 11.Ba4 Rc8 12.Nf3² and he has obviously achieved
much more in the opening than his opponent.) 10.Bxd7+ Qxd7 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qe2 Qa4 (Black can
also try here entering an endgame, arising after 12...Qe6 13.Bxe5 a6 14.Bd4 Qxe2 15.Nxe2 e6
16.Rhe1², but even then White maintains an edge thanks to his powerful bishop working on both sides
of the board.) 13.Bxe5 e6 14.Kb1² White has defended against all the enemy threats, while Black must
still worry about the safety of his king.

A2) 4...Bf5

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 After this developing move White has an excellent possibility to occupy quite reliably additional
space due to the misplacement of the enemy light-squared bishop.
5.Nxe4 Bxe4 6.f3 Bg6 7.h4 h6

This move is much more precise than 7...h5 8.e4 e6 9.Qd2 Be7, since White does not need to lose
tempi for the protection of his pawn: 10.0-0-0! Bxh4 (If Black refrains from capturing 10...0-0 11.Ne2
d5 12.g4‚, White will have a crushing attack.) 11.Rxh4 Qxh4 12.Bg5 Qg3 13.Nh3 e5 (Following
13...0-0 14.Bf4 Qh4 15.Ng5+–, Black’s queen is doomed.) 14.Qb4 0-0 15.Qxb7 Nd7 16.Qxc7 Nf6
17.Qxd6± White will capture soon the e5-pawn.

8.h5 Bh7

This position was reached in the game Miladinovic – Tirard, Nancy 2005.
9.e4
White has occupied the centre, but it is still too early for a final evaluation of the opening battle, since
Black’s position is solid enough.
9...e6
He is preparing d6-d5.
Black’s other possible plans are clearly worse, for example after 9...Nd7 10.Qd2 e5 11.Be3 Be7
12.0-0-0 exd4 13.Qxd4 0-0 14.Nh3², White’s knight is ready to go to the d5-square and can also
support the direct pawn-advance g2-g4-g5.

10.Qd2 d5

10...Nc6 11.d5 exd5 12.exd5 Ne5 13.Bb5+ Nd7 14.0-0-0 Be7 15.Nh3 a6 16.Bd3 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 0-0
18.g4²

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 11.Bd3

11...Be7

It would be premature for Black to play here 11...c5, because of 12.Bxb8 Rxb8 13.Bb5+ Ke7 14.dxc5
a6 15.Bd3², after which Black will need plenty of time to regain his pawn and to ensure the safety of
his king.

12.0-0-0 0-0 13.Rh3

White plans to deploy his rook on g3 in order to create the threat Bh6, so Black must react rapidly
against this.
13...c5 14.dxc5

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 14...dxe4
His situation would be horrible after 14...Bxc5 15.Rg3 Bd6 16.e5 Bc7 17.Re1+–, while following
14...Nd7 15.Rg3 Nf6 16.Bxh6 Nxh5 17.Rg4 f5 18.exf5 exf5, Black ends up with extra material indeed,
but after White’s precise reaction 19.Rg5! Bxg5 20.Bxg5ƒ, Black is unlikely to manage to parry the
enemy pressure with so passive pieces placed at the edge of the board.

15.fxe4 Nd7 16.Rg3 Kh8 17.Qc3 Nf6 18.Be5ƒ Now, White has temporarily an extra pawn and a
strong attack. He can only dream about such results from the opening.

A3) 4...Nf6

This move might seem awkward, but still it is possible. Well, it provides immediately White with two
extra tempi, but it would be useful to understand in what set-up for him these tempi would be helpful.
5.e4 g6
It would be too optimistic for Black to choose here 5...c5 6.dxc5 dxc5 7.Ngf3 e6 8.e5 Nd5 9.Bg3²,
because White’s lead in development becomes quite obvious.

The fans of the King’s Indian Defence may try here the line5...Nc6 6.d5 e5 (The four lost tempi by
Black, after the move 6...Nb8, would hurt him too much after White’s simple reaction 7.Ngf3 g6 8.c3
Bg7 9.Bc4 0-0 10.0-0² and his edge is evident.) 7.Be3 Ne7 8.f3 g6, but even then White’s advantage is
doubtless: 9.c4 Bg7 10.Bd3 0-0 11.Ne2 Nd7 (After the standard move 11...c5, White can begin active
actions on the kingside with 12.g4!? Nd7 13.Rg1², making use of the fact that the enemy king is
stranded in the centre.) 12.0-0 f5 13.Nc3. Here, it is difficult for Black to find a good move, because for
example after the seemingly attractive reply 13...Nf6?!, White will have the resource 14.c5ƒ and Black
will hardly manage to hold his queenside.

6.Ngf3 Bg7 7.Bc4

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 7...0-0

The typical tactical strike 7...Nxe4 is obviously bad for Black here, because he lacks several tempi:
8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Nxe4 Rf8 10.Qd2 Kg8 11.Bh6², White exchanges the last defender of the enemy
king.

See now how one of the ideas for White in the Pirc Defence 7...Nbd7 8.Bxf7+ is even more effective
in this position: 8...Kxf7 9.Ng5+ Kg8 10.Ne6 Qe8 11.Nxc7 Qd8 12.Nxa8 Nf8, Richter – Albinus,
Berlin 2007, and now, the most effective way for White to maintain an advantage is to focus on rapid
development: 13.0-0 Be6 14.e5 Nd5 15.Bg3 dxe5 16.c4 Nf4 17.dxe5 Bh6 18.Ne4 Qxa8 19.Qf3±
Black fails to consolidate his position.

8.Qe2

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 8...c6

Black’s attempt to advance the already too late e7-e5 with 8...Nc6, Kanep – Seeman, Tallinn 2007,
can be parried by White with the line: 9.c3 Re8 10.e5 (His actions are already effective.) 10...Nh5
11.Bg5 h6 (After 11...d5 12.Bb5 f6 13.Be3 fxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.dxe5 a6 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.0-0²,
White has a much better pawn-structure.) 12.Be3 dxe5 13.Nxe5. Now, he has excellent attacking
prospects after 13...Nxe5 14.dxe5 Bxe5 15.Bxh6², as well as following 13...Bxe5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.0-
0-0‚

This position was reached in the game Stojanovski – Andonovski, Skopje 2016. 9.c3. This is White’s
most reliable plan. He has an opening edge and fortifies his centre to maintain it for long. 9...b5
(Without this move White will practically suffocate his opponent: 9...Nbd7 10.a4 Re8 11.0-0 e5

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12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Be3 a5 14.Rfd1²) 10.Bd3 a5 11.a4 b4 12.0-0 Ba6 13.Rfe1² Black has managed to
exchange the light-squared bishops, which is doubtlessly useful for him, but the position in the centre
has not been stabilised yet and White is the master of the further developments.

B) 3...e6
This is another useful move for Black. After it he has interesting possibilities, connected with the
development of his bishop to d6 and also he can continue in the spirit of the French Defence.
4.f3

We will analyse now: B1) 4...Nf6, B2) 4...Bb4+ and B3) 4...Bd6.

B1) 4...Nf6 5.e4 d5

Black has lost some tempi, but the transfer to French set-ups seems quite reasonable for him, since
White’s bishop on f4 is misplaced.

The move 5...c5, without advancing later d7-d5, does not look good for Black: 6.c3 Be7, Plaskett –
Bronstein, Hastings 1993 (Black should better prefer here 6...d5 7.e5 Nfd7 8.Be3 – see 5...d5.) 7.Be3
Qb6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bd3 Nc6 (Now, the move 9...d5 is already too later: 10.e5 Nfd7 11.f4²) 10.Ne2 d6
11.0-0 Bd7 12.Na3 d5 13.e5 Ne8 14.f4ƒ, followed later by the advance of White’s pawn-mass against
the enemy king.

6.e5 Nfd7 7.Be3

White is preparing f4, Nf3.
7...c5 8.c3

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 8...Nc6

About 8...Qb6 9.Qd2 Nc6 10.f4 – see 8...Nc6.

The plan with the trade of the light-squared bishops is too slow: 8...b6 9.f4 Ba6 10.Bxa6 Nxa6
11.Nf3 Be7 12.0-0 0-0, Hodgson – Benjamin, Las Vegas 1995, 13.a3², squeezing Black’s position.

9.f4 Qb6

Black can reduce the tension in the centre immediately with the move 9...cxd4, but he cannot equalise
like this: 10.cxd4 Bb4+ (Even after the complete stabilisation of the centre after 10...f5 11.Nf3 Be7
12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0 Nb6 14.Nbd2 Bd7 15.Ne1 Rc8 16.Rf3², White still has excellent attacking
prospects.) 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Nf3 Nb6 13.Bd3 Nc4 14.Bc1 f5 (Without this move Black’s king will be
endangered.) 15.0-0 Bd7 16.Ne2 Rc8 17.a3 Be7 18.b3 Nb6 19.Bd2² Black’s minor pieces have no
reliable squares and White can prepare calmly a breakthrough on the kingside.

10.Qd2

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 10...Be7

The reduction of the tension in the centre would lead to positions, similar to those we have already
analysed above: 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 Be7 12.Nf3 0-0 13.Nc3 f5 14.Be2 Qd8 15.0-0 Nb6 16.b3² and
White’s advantage will gradually increase.

Black should not play carelessly: 10...a5 11.Nf3 a4 12.Be2 Be7 13.0-0 0-0 14.Na3 c4 15.g4 Qa5
16.f5‚ White has already begun an attack.

Black can block here the position with 10...f5 11.Nf3 Be7 12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0 c4 14.Qc1 Qc7, but
even then after 15.Ng5 Nb6 (The capture 15...Bxg5 16.fxg5 b5 17.Nd2 b4 18.Nf3 g6 19.h4‚ will only
enhance White’s attack.) 16.Nd2² He is ready to counter Black’s queenside actions and plans to
increase his pressure on the kingside.

11.Nf3 0-0 12.Be2 cxd4

Black’s pawn-offensive on the queenside will not achieve much: 12...c4 13.0-0 Qc7 (about 13...f5 –
see 10...f5) 14.Qc2 b5 15.Ng5 Bxg5 16.fxg5 a5 17.Nd2 b4 18.Bg4ƒ White’s threats against the enemy
king are much more dangerous that Black’s advanced pawns on the queenside.

13.cxd4 Na5 14.b3

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 Naturally, Black’s knight will not be allowed to go to the c4-square. White’s plan is quite simple,
while Black must think seriously how to complete his development. 14...Nb8 15.Nc3 Bd7 16.0-0²
threatening f4-f5, Kasparov – Ribeiro, Lisbon 1999.

B2) 4...Bb4+

Many players prefer at first to force White to play c2-c3 and to trade the dark-squared bishops only
later. In this way Black prevents his opponent’s knight on b1 from occupying the more active c3-
square, but this does not change much the general situation on the board – White obtains easily the
advantage.
5.c3 Bd6 6.Bxd6 Nxd6 7.e4 f5

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 Following 7...0-0 8.Bd3 f5 9.Nd2 fxe4 (9...b6 10.Qe2 Bb7 11.0-0-0 – see 7...f5) 10.fxe4, the
maximum that Black can achieve is to give a check 10...Qh4+ and after 11.g3 Qh6 12.Ngf3² to remain
with a completely undeveloped kingside.

8.Nd2

8...b6

After 8...Qg5, I.Balog – Druska, Slovakia 2017, Black only helps his opponent to create a powerful
pawn-wedge: 9.e5 Nf7 10.g3 0-0 11.f4 Qe7 12.Bg2²

9.Bd3 Bb7 10.Qe2 0-0 11.0-0-0

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 11...a5, Kalinitschew – F.Fuchs, Luebeck 2016 (After the immediate line: 11...c5 12.dxc5 bxc5
13.Kb1 fxe4 14.fxe4 Nc6 15.Ngf3 Nf7, White manages to place a wedge inside the enemy camp
16.e5ƒ and thus he practically splits Black’s position into two flanks.) 12.e5 Nf7 13.f4. We have
already seen this pawn-formation. Now, Black must fight against it; otherwise, White’s brutal pawn-
break g2-g4 will settle the issue very quickly. 13...a4 14.a3 c5 (With the move 14...d6 Black fights
against his opponent’s powerful pawn-chain, but creates an “eternal” weakness on: 15.Ngf3 dxe5
16.dxe5 Nd7 17.Bc4 Nc5 18.Nd4 Bd5 19.Rhg1ƒ with powerful initiative for White.) 15.Ngf3 Nc6
16.dxc5 bxc5 17.Nc4² Black’s position is still quite solid, but he must play very carefully, because he
risks coming under a crushing attack.

B3) 4...Bd6
This is a natural and quite solid move.
5.Bxd6 Nxd6 6.e4

6...f5

Black should better refrain from the sacrifice 6...Nxe4 7.fxe4 Qh4+ 8.Kd2 Qxe4 9.c3 d5 10.Qf3+–,
with an easy realisation for White of the extra material.

Black should not be in a hurry to play here 6...Nc6, because after 7.c3 0-0 8.Nd2 f5 9.e5 Nf7 10.f4
d6 11.Ngf3², both his knights are practically isolated from the actions.

After 6...0-0 7.Nc3, there arise more favourable for White versions of the variations from the main
line.

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 7...f5 8.e5 Nf7 9.Qe2 (White is trying to castle as quickly as possible.) 9...d6 10.0-0-0 dxe5 11.dxe5
Qg5+ 12.Kb1², He will create the standard pawn-barrier – g3-f4-e5.
After 7...Qg5 8.Nge2 Nc6, Black’s pieces will be attacked by a series of pawn-advances: 9.h4 Qe7
10.d5 exd5 (10...Na5 11.Qd4 e5 12.Qf2 f5 13.exf5 Nxf5 14.0-0-0², followed by g4, or Ng3.) 11.Nxd5
Qe5 12.c3² All the vulnerable squares in White’s camp have been reliably covered and while Black
will have to solve the problem with the protection of his c7-pawn, White will complete calmly his
development and will begin his offensive.

7.e5 Nf7 8.f4 d6

About 8...0-0 9.Nf3 Nc6 10.c3 d6 11.Nbd2 – see 6...Nc6.

If Black refrains from advancing d7-d6, this would not end up well for him: 8...b6 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.Nf3
0-0 11.Qe2 Nc6 12.0-0-0 Ne7 13.g3 Nd5 14.Nxd5 Bxd5 15.Bg2² The difference in the power of the
knights is quite obvious even to the naked eye.

9.Nc3 0-0 10.Nf3

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 10...dxe5

The undermining line: 10...c5 11.dxc5 dxe5 12.Qxd8 Rxd8 13.Nxe5 Nxe5, would solve the problem
with Black’s knight on f7, but would not help him to come closer to equality after 14.fxe5 Nc6 15.Bb5
Nxe5 16.0-0², because his pawn on e6 is too vulnerable, Korobkov – Aggelis, Bansko 2010.

11.dxe5 Qe7 12.g3 Rd8 13.Qe2 b6 14.Bg2 Ba6 15.Qf2

Black is trying by all means to hamper his opponent’s harmonious development, but he fails to do
that. White will castle after some preparatory measures.
15...Qb4
After the immediate move 15...Nc6 16.Nd2, White will succeed in castling queenside: 16...Qe8 17.0-

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0-0²

16.Rb1 Nc6 17.Nd2 Bb7 18.0-0² If we assume that the position is approximately balanced, Black
plays without his knight on f7.

C) 3...g6

The last part of the variations we analyse is devoted to the fans of the king’s fianchetto. Despite the
fact that the Pirc Defence, the Gruenfeld Defence and the King’s Indian Defence are very dynamic
openings and every slow and indifferent action might cost the game, the arising positions are not so
simple as it might look at first sight.
4.f3 Nf6 5.e4

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 We will deal now with the flexible move C1) 5...d6 and the more concrete approach C2) 5...d5.

About 5...Bg7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Qd2 d6 8.0-0-0 – see variation C1b.

C1) 5...d6 6.Nc3

We will analyse now the immediate pawn-advance C1a) 6...c6 and the more elastic move C1b)
6...Bg7.

C1a) 6...c6 7.Qd2 b5

About 7...Bg7 8.0-0-0 – see variation C1b.

8.0-0-0

8...Nbd7

White should remember that he has managed to win a tempo in the opening and so does not need to
worry about anything. After Black’s straightforward reaction 8...b4 9.Na4 a5 10.g4 Nbd7 11.h4 Nb6
12.Nxb6 Qxb6 13.h5ƒ, White is much ahead with his kingside offensive.

9.g4 Qa5 10.Kb1 b4 11.Nce2 Ba6

The move 11...e5 achieves nothing in this particular case: 12.Be3 Be7 13.g5 Nh5 14.Ng3ƒ and
Black’s ideas fail.

It is not preferable for him to try to undermine the enemy position from the other flank: 11...c5
12.dxc5 Nxc5 13.Nd4 Ba6 (Black does not have the move 13...e5? here, because of 14.Bxe5 dxe5

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15.Nc6+– with the double attack against the enemy queen and a checkmate.) 14.Bxa6 Qxa6 15.e5ƒ
Now, White not only has attacking prospects, but he can simply have the opportunity to gobble the
pawn on b4 and to trade immediately the queens.

12.h4

12...c5

After 12...Nb6 13.a3!, Black’s pieces are horribly misplaced on the queenside, since if he plays
13...c5, White will counter that with 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.Bc7!+– and Black will hardly manage to parry
the numerous threats of his opponent on the h-file.

13.dxc5 Nxc5 14.h5. Now, White organises a dangerous attack, but Black’s pieces are also deployed
threateningly, so White should better combine his attack with some prophylactic. 14...gxh5 15.g5 Nfd7
16.Rxh5 Rb8 17.Bh3 Bg7 18.Nc1ƒ After this prophylactic move, White’s advantage becomes even
more obvious. Black’s hopes to use the b-file for his attack will be parried after the move Nb3 and his
minor pieces will not join easily into the attack, because of White’s powerful bishops.

C1b) 6...Bg7 7.Qd2

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 We can see on the diagram a typical King’s Indian set-up. With a white pawn on f2, this position can
be easily defended by Black, but White has an extra tempo, so the situation is quite different.
7...0-0

About 7...Nbd7 8.0-0-0 0-0 9.Bh6 – see 7... 0-0.

The move 7...Nc6 cannot be recommended, since it blocks Black’s c-pawn: 8.0-0-0 a6 9.Nge2 b5
10.Bh6±

The attempt 7...c6 is obviously weaker than the variation 6...c6 and this can be easily proved by the
lines: 8.0-0-0 b5 (8...Qa5 Kalmachevskikh – M.Kuznetsov, Perm 2006, 9.Kb1 b5 10.h4² White has a
very easy game.) 9.Kb1 Qa5 and here he can afford to play 10.a3!? Nbd7 (One of the ideas behind
White’s last move is that he can counter 10...b4 with 11.Na2!) 11.Nge2 Nb6 12.Nc1 Nc4 (Black does
not have any other reasonable plan.) 13.Bxc4 bxc4 14.N1e2 Rb8 15.Ka1 0-0 and now, after Black’s
queenside actions have reached their dead end, White can begin a crushing attack with the move
16.g4‚

8.0-0-0

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 It is not so easy for Black to find a good plan here. White is threatening the rather unpleasant
exchange of the dark-squared bishops and Black’s plan, connected with the pawn-advance b7-b5-b4,
cannot be justified, because White does not need to lose a tempo to protect his central pawn.
8...Nc6
In this moment Black still wishes to advance e7-e5 and to deploy his knight on the d4-square, but this
would take too much time.

After 8...Nbd7 9.Bh6 e5 10.Nge2 c6 11.h4‚, White’s attack is developing effortlessly, while
following 8...c6 9.Bh6 b5 10.h4 b4 11.Nce2 Qa5 12.Kb1 Be6 13.Nc1ƒ, his knight comes just in time
to accomplish its defensive function, Caselli – Ottolini, Vanzaghello 1998.

9.g4 Re8 10.Bh6

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 10...Bh8. Without this move Black’s king would remain without any defenders. 11.h4 e5 12.d5 Nd4
13.h5 c6 14.Qh2ƒ White does not have any concrete threats yet, but half of Black’s pieces are
completely squeezed, so a single mistake from him on the queenside might lead to an immediate
disaster for him.

C2) 5...d5 6.Nc3

6...dxe4
It is necessary for Black to capture here, because after 6...Bg7 7.e5 Nh5 8.Be3±, he will have to
retreat his dark-squared bishop to its initial place in order to save his knight.
7.fxe4 Bg7 8.Qd2 c5

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 About 8...0-0 9.Nf3 c5 10.d5 – see 8...c5.

9.d5 0-0 10.Nf3

10...Qb6
Black continues to play in the spirit of the Gruenfeld Defence.

He lags considerably in development, so entering an endgame would be hardly advisable for him
10...e6 11.0-0-0 Qa5 12.Kb1 exd5 13.Nxd5 Qxd2 14.Nxd2² White’s threat Nc7 is very unpleasant for
Black.

After 10...a6, Andreikin – Nechaev, Sochi 2017, White refrained, absolutely in vain though..., from
advancing his central pawn: 11.e5 Nh5 12.Bh6

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 12...Bg4 13.Bxg7 Nxg7 (Following 13...Kxg7 14.Be2±, Black’s knight on h5 remains misplaced at
the edge of the board.). Now, White has an attractive tactical trick 14.Ng5!? f6 15.h3 Bf5 16.Nf3ƒ,
preserving more pieces on the board. He will need his knight in the attack, while the enemy light-
squared bishop is very likely to remain idle.
12...b5 13.Bxg7 Nxg7 (Now, just like in the variation above, Black should better retreat his knight:
13...Kxg7 14.0-0-0ƒ) 14.0-0-0 Bg4 15.Be2 Nd7 16.Qf4± Bxf3 17.Bxf3± White is perfectly prepared
to begin an offensive against the enemy king under the cover of his powerful central pawns.

11.e5 Nh5 12.0-0-0

12...Bg4
White’s position is very good not so much because of his dark-squared bishop, but due to his mighty

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centre: 12...Nxf4 13.Qxf4 Nd7 14.h4±

13.Bh6 Bxf3
It might seem that Black is on the road of achieving equality, but he will face a nasty surprise at the
end of this variation.
14.Bxg7 Bxd1 15.Bxf8 Kxf8

16.Bb5!!
White is not even thinking about capturing the enemy bishop. He wishes to attack Black’s king.
16...Bg4
After 16...Bxc2 17.Kxc2 Ng7 18.Rf1‚, Black will again suffer a lot, but only for less extra material.

17.Qh6+ Kg8 18.Be8

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 18...Nd7

Following 18...Nf6, White does not need to be in a hurry to regain quickly the sacrificed material:
19.Na4 Qa6 20.Nxc5 Qxa2 and only now 21.exf6 exf6 22.Bxf7+ Kxf7 23.Qxh7+ Kf8 24.Re1+–,
bringing his last reserves closer to the enemy king.

After 18...f6 19.Bf7+ Kxf7 20.Qxh7+ Ng7, it might seem that Black has defended successfully, but
after White’s precise move 21.Na4!! everything becomes quite clear immediately: 21...Qb4 (After
21...Qd8, White’s simplest reaction would be 22.e6+ Bxe6 23.dxe6+ Kxe6 24.Qxg7+–, continuing
with his strong attack in a position with practically equal material.) 22.e6+ Bxe6 23.dxe6+ Kxe6
24.Qg8+ Ke5 25.Nc3‚ Black’s king is without protection, stranded at the middle of the board and is
not likely to survive for long.

19.Bxf7+ Kh8

After 19...Kxf7 20.Qxh7+ Ng7 21.Rf1+ Nf6, White must follow with the accurate move 22.Ne4!+–
and Black’s position would be hopeless.

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 20.d6!
This is the only move for White, but it is quite sufficient. Now, because of the threat Bxg6, Black is
forced to allow his opponent to create a powerful passed pawn.
20...Bf5 21.dxe7 Ng7

22.Re1

The computer likes here very much the move 22.h3!?, but the rook-move, we are suggesting, is much
more “human”. The rook is very well placed on this square and supports the passed pawns.

22...Qc6 23.g4 Be6 24.Bxg6 Bg8 25.e6+– It might seem that the position is with approximate
material equality (three pawns for a minor piece) but this would not be for long. Black will have to give

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plenty of material for the enemy passed pawns.

If Black does not have a clear-cut plan for his actions after the knight-sortie to the e4-square, the
move Ne4 will certainly backfire. After White exchanges the enemy knight with his queen’s knight from
d2, or if he ousts it with his f-pawn, he will obtain additional tempi for the development of his initiative.

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 Chapter 7
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3

Quick Repertoire

The sortie of the knight to e4 has provided Black with a tempo for his development, but its placement
in the centre is not stable and White will attack the knight with his next moves.
All this can be best illustrated in the variation C) 4...Bf5 5.f3 – Black is forced to clarify the future
placement of his knight. In the centre C1) 5...Nd6, it will stand in the development of his own pieces
and that would provide White with the possibility to begin a sudden attack with 6.h4!? h5 7.Nd2 c6
8.c4 e6. Now, again the deployment of the knight on d6 proves to be bad for Black. 9.c5 Nc8 10.e4
with initiative for White.
After the other retreat of the knight C2) 5...Nf6, Black’s bishop comes under an attack as well. 6.g4
Bg6 7.h4 h6 (Following 7...h5 8.g5 Nfd7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3, White is threatening g5-g6, a check
with the queen from the b5-square and simply to begin an offensive in the centre after castling at first.)
8.Nc3 e6 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 c6 11.0-0-0. White has a space advantage.
White’s bishop will create threats against the enemy knight in some other variations D) 4...e6 5.Bd3,

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 while the move 5...c5, can be parried by White with an exchange 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3 cxd4 8.Qxd4
Qxd4 9.exd4, with a very unpleasant endgame for Black. 9...Bb4 (He cannot protect comfortably his
central pawn: 9...f5?! 10.f3 exf3 11.Nxf3 and White seizes the vulnerable e5-square.) 10.Nge2 f5 11.0-
0-0 0-0 12.d5. White’s pieces have occupied the optimal possible placement and after the opening of
the game Black’s defence would be very difficult even in the endgame.
The line: E) 4...c6 5.Bd3 Qb6

enables White to realise one of the main ideas of this variation: 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nd2, and Black will
have to pay a very dear price if he goes after material gains. 7...Qxb2 8.Ne2 f5 9.0-0 Nd7 10.f3 exf3
11.Rxf3 Qb6 12.e4 with a very powerful attack for White. It is useful to notice that in the variations
with an exchange on e4, his bishop on f4 plays a key-role in the development of White’s initiative,
which Black’s knight, which was exchanged, only helped White to develop his pieces with tempo by

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attacking the pawn on e4.
Black can justify his knight-sortie only by an aggressive play F) 4...c5 5.Bd3, but even here, the
threat of an exchange on e4 is quite serious.

For example in the variation F1) 5...Nc6?! 6.Bxe4 dxe4 the second black knight comes under an
attack as well. 7.d5 Nb4 8.Nc3 e6 9.d6. White has managed to paralyse his opponent’s position.
It would be logical for Black to exchange at first F3) 5...cxd4 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.exd4 Nc6, since White
will have to continue with the more modest move – 8.Ne2.

Now, the line F3a) 8...Bg4 9.Nbc3 e6 10.Nxe4 Bxe2 11.Qxe2 Nxd4 12.Qd3 Nc6 13.0-0-0 Qxd3
14.Rxd3 promises White a more pleasant endgame, while Black’s more aggressive attempt F3b) 8...e5
9.dxe5 Qxd1+ 10.Kxd1 Bg4 11.Nbc3 0-0-0+ 12.Ke1 Bb4 13.a3 Bxc3+ 14.Nxc3 Rhe8, would not
work due to the concrete variation 15.h3 Bf5 16.Rd1 Rxd1+ 17.Kxd1 and after 17...Nxe5, White has a

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little combination winning a pawn 18.Nb5! Rd8+ 19.Ke2 Rd5 20.Nxa7+. It becomes clear now, that
after 20...Kb8, White has the powerful argument 21.c4! winning the game.
It is quite natural that the experts in this variation recommend to Black to play the accurate move F4)
5...Nf6, removing the knight from the attack. The only defect of this retreat of the knight is that Black
loses time, so White must play actively – 6.Nc3!?

6...a6 7.dxc5 Nc6 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.Qd2!? Bxf3 10.gxf3. White is opening the g-file in the attacking
style of Mikhail Tal.
6...e6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0 Nc6 10.e4, beginning a fight in the centre.
Now, Black must play very precisely; otherwise, a single mistake for him might lead quickly to his
demise: 10...b6? 11.e5 Nd7 12.Bxh7+! Kxh7 13.Ng5+ Kg6 14.Qd3+ f5 15.Qg3+–; 10...d4 11.Ne2
Nh5 12.e5! Nxf4 13.Nxf4 or 10...Nb4 11.e5 Nxd3 12.Qxd3 Nd7 13.Ng5 g6 14.Qh3 h5 15.Qg3 with
an attack for White.
Even Black’s classical reaction 10...dxe4 11.Nxe4 Be7 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.c3, would preserve better
prospects for White, because even the thematic move 13...e5 would not solve all the problems for Black
14.Bg3 Re8 15.Re1 Qc7 16.Be4 Bd7 17.Re3! and White exerts pressure against the enemy e5-pawn.
The patient move 3...d5, enables White to continue the game without the too controversial move f2-
f3 in numerous variations. He can simply exchange his bishop for the enemy knight after which he can
complete quickly his development and begin an offensive, supported by the “Trompowsky bishop” on
the h2-b8 diagonal.
Black’s knight on e4 is an excellent target for White in the Trompowsky Attack. The fact that Black
has won a tempo is just an illusion...In fact, White will soon win tempi due to the unstable placement of
the enemy pieces. In addition, he does not need to worry that Black might attack his bishop on f4 with a
knight-move from the h5-square as it happens in the London system.

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 Chapter 7
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3

Step by Step

We will analyse in details now: A) 4...g6, B) 4...Nd7, C) 4...Bf5, D) 4...e6, E) 4...c6 and F) 4...c5.

We cannot recommend to Black to play 4...g5?! 5.Be5 and White’s bishop occupies an excellent
position at the middle of the board.

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 Black’s attempt to oust immediately the enemy bishop is not good at all: 5...f6 6.Qh5+ Kd7 7.f3 and
here, he comes under a crushing attack after 7...Nd6 8.Bxd6 exd6 9.Nc3‚, as well as following
7...fxe5 8.fxe4 exd4 9.exd4 dxe4 10.Nc3‚
5...Rg8 6.f3 Nd6 7.Nc3 e6 8.Bd3 f6 9.Bg3 h5 (It is not preferable for Black to opt here for 9...f5
10.e4 Nc6 11.Nge2ƒ and White is much in front of his opponent.) 10.h4. Here, Black will be forced to
suffer for nothing after 10...g4 11.Nge2² and White exerts tremendous pressure against Black’s
kingside and it would be a catastrophe for him if he tries 10...gxh4 11.Bxh4 Rxg2 12.Nge2 Rg8
13.Nf4‚, Black will be soon crushed.

We will also have a look in short at the rather awkward line: 4...Nc6 5.Bd3

After the calm variation 5...Bf5 6.Ne2 e6 7.f3 Nd6 8.0-0 Be7 9.b3 0-0 10.c4 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 a5

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12.a3², White maintains an obvious space advantage.
Black’s attempt to obtain a good version of a “Stonewall” – 5...f5, Bauer – Le Roux, Belfort 2003,
would not end up well for him either: 6.Nf3 e6 7.Ne5 Nxe5 8.Bxe5 Qg5 9.0-0 Bd6 10.c4 Bxe5
11.dxe5 c6 12.Nd2 0-0 13.Nb3 b6 14.Rc1 Bd7 15.Qe2² The difference in the power of the light-
squared bishops is more than obvious.
5...g5. Black uses some radical measures. 6.Bg3 Nxg3. He must capture the bishop; otherwise, White
would weaken critically his opponent’s dark squares on the kingside. (See the following fragments of
games as excellent examples: 6...h5 7.Bxe4 dxe4 8.h4 g4 9.Ne2 Bg7 10.Nd2 f5 11.Nf4² Svensen –
Wilsbeck, Oslo 2001 and 6...Bf5 7.Nc3 Qd7 8.Bxe4 Bxe4 9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.h4 g4 11.Ne2 e6 12.Nc3 f5
13.d5 exd5 14.Qxd5 0-0-0 15.0-0-0 Qxd5 16.Rxd5 Rxd5 17.Nxd5 Bd6 18.Bxd6 cxd6 19.g3² Corrales
Jimenez – Margvelashvili, Philadelphia 2013.) 7.hxg3 h6 (It would be premature for Black to play here
7...e5, Chow – Bisby, Hinckley Island 2015, 8.Bb5! Bg7 9.dxe5 Bxe5 10.Nc3 Be6 11.Nf3 Bg7
12.Qd3² – his g5-pawn is isolated from the rest of his forces and precludes him from equalising.) 8.c4
dxc4 9.Bxc4 Bg7 10.Nc3. Here, in order for Black to obtain sufficient counterplay, he must choose
10...e5 and after 11.d5 Ne7 12.Qc2 0-0 13.0-0-0 Nf5 14.Bd3 Nd6 15.f3 f5 16.e4ƒ, the actions of his
powerful dark-squared bishop would be parried, while White’s kingside initiative has become much
more dangerous.

A) 4...g6
Now, just like in numerous other opening schemes, Black fails to fianchetto comfortably his bishop.
5.Bd3

5...Bg7
About 5...c5 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.Nge2 – see 5...Bg7.

After 5...Nf6, it would be most reliable for White to develop his pieces in the spirit of the London
system, having an extra tempo up his sleeve. 6.h3 Bg7 7.Nf3 0-0 8.0-0 c5 9.c3 Nc6 10.Nbd2. Now, as

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an example of how things might develop, we will see a grandmaster game from the World
Championship in rapid chess: 10...Nd7 11.Bb5 Qb6 12.Qb3 Re8 13.Ba4 c4, Vitiugov – Tari, Doha
2016, in which the grandmaster from Saint Petersburg could have maintained the advantage after
14.Qxb6 axb6 15.Bc2 e5 16.dxe5 Ndxe5 17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.Rfd1², exerting pressure on the d-file.

After the retreat of Black’s knight 5...Nd6, White can develop a very powerful attack with tempo.
6.Nc3 c6 7.h4 Bg7 (Following 7...h5 8.Be5!, Black cannot castle kingside and will be doomed to a
rather unpleasant defence after 8...Rg8 9.Qd2²) 8.h5 0-0 9.g4 Nd7 10.Nf3 Qe8 11.Ne5 (This is a
unusual prophylactic against e7-e5.) 11...Nxe5 12.dxe5 Nc4 13.Bxc4 dxc4 14.hxg6 fxg6 15.Qe2‚
Koneru – Batchimeg, Dilijan 2013. White’s attack is running effortlessly.

Black tried to fianchetto both his bishops in a game: 5...b6 6.c4 Bb7 7.f3 Nf6 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Nge2 0-0,
Perez de Miguel – Conquest, Bergara 2010. Naturally, he would be incapable of solving all his
problems, having lost so many tempi. 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Bxd5 12.0-0 Nd7 13.Bg3 c5 14.Nc3
Bb7 15.Be4 Bxe4 16.fxe4 cxd4 17.exd4 Nf6 18.Be5², with a clear advantage for White thanks to his
powerful centre.
6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3 c5

It would be too slow for Black to opt here for 7...f5 8.Qe2 c6 (The move 8...0-0? is a blunder of a
pawn: 9.Qc4+ e6 10.Qxc7±) 9.f3 exf3 10.Nxf3 0-0 11.h4 h6 12.0-0-0ƒ White’s attack will begin first.

8.Nge2

8...cxd4

Now, the move 8...f5, B.Schmidt – Mikhalchishin, Germany 2002, seems reasonable, but cannot
solve Black’s problems either. 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Qa5 (The reduction of the tension in the centre

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10...cxd4 11.exd4 Nc6 12.Qe3 Qb6 13.h4ƒ is in favour of White. He is ready to attack the enemy king,
while Black has no meaningful threats.) 11.Kb1 Nc6. Now, having in mind White’s lead in
development, the most reliable road to an advantage for him is the transfer into an endgame: 12.Nd5
Qxd2 13.Rxd2 cxd4 14.exd4 Bd7 15.h4 h6 16.f3 exf3 17.gxf3², exerting pressure against Black’s weak
kingside pawns.

9.exd4 Bf5

Following 9...0-0, Lobron – Visser, Antwerp 1996, White refrained in vain from capturing the pawn
10.Nxe4, for example: 10...Qb6 11.0-0 Qxb2 (Black would not achieve much if he plays for the
activation of his pieces – 11...Nc6 12.d5 Rd8 13.Qd2 Bf5 14.N4g3² and White parries all the threats.)
12.Qd2 Rd8 13.Rfb1 Rxd4 14.Qe3. Now, in order to avoid the worst, Black must sacrifice material
14....Rxe4 15.Qxe4 Qf6 16.Qe3 Nc6 17.c3², but he does not obtain sufficient compensation for it.

10.Qd2 Nc6
Black has managed to develop harmoniously all his minor pieces, but now must always worry about
the vulnerability of his e4-pawn.
11.0-0-0

11...h5
This prophylactic is forced.
Following 11...Qa5, Stefanova – Kouvatsou, Istanbul 2003, 12.Bh6! 0-0 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Qf4,
White can attack quite comfortably the weak enemy pawn: 14...e5 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Qxe5+ Nxe5
17.h3 h5 18.Ng3±

12.Qe3 Na5. Black relies on the activity of his pieces. 13.b3 Rc8 14.Nxe4 0-0 15.f3 Qb6 16.c3² It
might seem that Black has excellent compensation, but in fact White parries easily all the threats and

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can neutralise completely the activity of his opponent’s pieces.

B) 4...Nd7
Black is trying to preserve the flexibility of his pawn-structure by fortifying his knight on e4 with
another minor piece. White is not afraid of this, because his knight is still on g1, so he can prepare later
the important pawn-advance f2-f3.
5.Bd3

5...Ndf6
It is just a typical blunder for Black to play here 5...g5?! 6.Bxe4 gxf4 7.Bxd5 e6 8.Bf3 fxe3 9.fxe3
Qg5 10.Qd3 Bh6 11.Ke2 and he remains a pawn down for nothing. 11...Nf6 (White usually follows
the same set-up after 11...a6?! 12.Nc3 Nf6 13.Nh3 Qh4 14.Nf2± Torre – Vuong, Vietnam 2009)
12.Nh3 Qh4, Bui – Ilincic, Budapest 2008. Here, after the already familiar manoeuvre 13.Nf2 Nd5
14.g3 Qe7 15.Ng4±, White not only preserves his extra pawn, but has the initiative as well.

5...c5?! 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3 Qa5. This is the only way for Black to preserve his two hanging pawns at
the same time. (He would hardly manage to regain his pawn after 7...Nf6 8.dxc5±, while following
7...cxd4 8.Qxd4 f5 9.Nd5±, he would lose material anyway in view of the threat Nc7.) 8.Nge2 Nf6
9.0-0 Bg4 10.h3 cxd4, N.Nguyen – Ju.Polgar, Cap d’Agde 2010. In this position the Vietnamese
grandmaster captured with the wrong piece and lost the lion’s share of his advantage, but White still
has an edge: 11.exd4 Bh5 12.Qe1! After this move Black cannot preserve his pawn. 12...Qa6 (The
pawn is already hanging: 12...e6 13.Nxe4!, therefore Black’s queen must retreat, but very accurately;
otherwise, it may all end in a disaster for him 12...Qb6 13.g4 Bg6 14.g5 Nh5 15.Nd5+–) 13.Ng3 Bg6
14.Ncxe4± with a solid extra pawn for White.
6.f3 Nd6 7.Nc3
He is ready to advance his e-pawn emphasizing the misplacement of the enemy knights.

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 7...c6

Black’s active move 7...Bf5? can be refuted by White with the natural reaction 8.Bxd6 Bxd3 9.Bxe7
Bxe7 (9...Bxc2? 10.Bxd8 Bxd1 11.Bxf6+–) 10.Qxd3± After all these complications, Black has simply
remained a pawn down.

It is also bad for him to opt here for 7...e6?! 8.e4 Nh5 9.Be3 Be7, Hodgson – Paunovic, Cacak 1996,
because after 10.Nh3 0-0 11.0-0 g6 12.Qd2 c6 13.g4 Ng7 14.e5ƒ, Black’s knights remain horribly
isolated.

8.e4 Nc4
He continues to manoeuvre with his knights with the idea to have some chances of obtaining an
acceptable position.
9.Bxc4 dxc4 10.Nge2 e6 11.0-0 Be7 12.b3

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 Black’s isolated c4-pawn deprives White of the important d3-square and he plans to use it later.
12...cxb3 13.axb3 0-0 14.Qd2 b6 15.Rfd1 Bb7 16.Be3², followed by Nf4-d3.

C) 4...Bf5
This is a logical developing move, but it has some drawbacks. Now, White can seize additional space
on the kingside, creating problems for Black’s light-squared bishop.
5.f3

Now, Black has two reasonable retreats: C1) 5...Nd6 and C2) 5...Nf6.

C1) 5...Nd6 6.h4!?N

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 This is an interesting novelty, which is quite logical if we have in mind White’s next plans. Now,
Black is faced with a difficult decision – to leave his bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal, weakening his
kingside, or to retreat with his bishop to its initial position.
6...h5

Black cannot equalise after 6...c6 7.g4 Bc8 8.h5 e6 9.Nd2 Be7 10.Bd3² White has ousted the enemy
bishop and has advanced advantageously his pawns.

There would arise a more or less a similar situation after 6...h6, except that Black’s light-squared
bishop would remain on the kingside. 7.Nc3 e6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.0-0-0 Bh7 (The pawn-sacrifice 9...Bxh4 is
only temporary – 10.g3 Bg5 11.e4 Bh7 12.exd5 Bxf4+ 13.gxf4 0-0 14.dxe6 fxe6 15.Qxe6+ Kh8
16.Nh3ƒ and White has managed not only to regain the sacrificed material, but has ended up with an
extra pawn himself.) 10.e4 c6 11.Kb1 0-0 12.g4ƒ with excellent chances for White to destroy the
shelter of the enemy king.

7.Nd2

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 Now, the pawn-advance g2-g4 is senseless, so White changes his plan, deploying his knight more
flexibly. Now, his c-pawn is ready to enter the actions.

7...c6

It would be more or less the same after 7...e6 8.c4 dxc4 9.Nxc4 Be7 10.e4² and White enjoys an
overwhelming advantage in the centre.

8.c4 e6

We have already been convinced that Black cannot give up the centre: 8...dxc4 9.Nxc4 Nxc4
10.Bxc4 e6 11.Ne2 Nd7 12.e4²

9.c5 Nc8 10.e4

White does not give any respite to his opponent.

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 10...Bg6

Giving up the centre would not end up well for Black: 10...dxe4 11.fxe4 Bg4 (White’s pawn is
untouchable: 11...Qxd4? 12.Ngf3 Qxc5 13.Rc1 Qa5 14.exf5 Qxf5 15.Be3±) 12.Ngf3 Be7 13.Be2 0-0
14.Nc4± Black’s only active piece is his light-squared bishop, but it can be exchanged at any moment.

His bishop cannot avoid coming under attack with tempo even after 10...Bh7 11.g3 Be7 12.Nh3 Nd7
13.Ng5 Bg6 (13...Bxg5?! 14.hxg5 Bg6 15.exd5 exd5 16.Qe2± and Black is forced to enter a very
difficult endgame) 14.exd5 exd5 15.Nb3 0-0 and after the completion of White’s development 16.Kf2
Re8 17.Qd2 Bf6 18.Bh3ƒ, his initiative would be tremendously dangerous.

11.Ne2 Be7 12.Bg3 b6 13.Nf4

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 White does not react prematurely to the provocation.
13...Rh6

It would not be easy for Black to opt for 13...bxc5 14.Nxg6 fxg6 15.Qc2 0-0 16.e5ƒ and all his minor
pieces are isolated from the kingside.

14.Rc1 dxe4 15.Nxe4ƒ White’s initiative is quite obvious.

C2) 5...Nf6 6.g4

The situation in the centre is relatively stable, so White can continue with his pawn-offensive.
6...Bg6

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 The retreat of Black’s bishop to its initial position 6...Bc8, I.Popov – Bogdanovich, Moscow 2012,
cannot save him from his opponent’s pawn offensive. 7.Qd2 e6 8.Nc3 a6 (White will counter the
immediate move 8...c5 with the typical resource 9.Nb5 Na6 10.Ne2 Be7 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.0-0-0 0-0
13.Nec3 Bd7 14.Kb1 Qe7 15.h4ƒ White’s knight on b5 controls the entire queenside.) 9.0-0-0 c5 10.h4
Nc6 11.Nge2 b5 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Nd4 Bb7 14.Kb1 0-0 15.h5 Nd7 16.Nb3 Bb6 17.g5ƒ White is
much ahead of his opponent in the development of his initiative.

7.h4

7...h6

7...h5. Black should better not let the enemy pawn to the g5-square prematurely. 8.g5 Nfd7 9.Bd3
Bxd3 10.Qxd3

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 The lines: 10...c6 11.g6ƒ and 10...g6? 11.Qb5±, do not require any special comments.
10...Nc6 11.Nc3 e6 12.0-0-0 g6 13.Nge2 Bg7 14.e4 Nb6 15.Kb1 Qd7 16.b3² Now, White can close
the centre at any moment with the move e4-e5 and continue with comfortable actions on the kingside.
The rather quiet line: 10...e6 11.Nc3 g6 11...Nc6 12.0-0-0 – see 10...Nc6) provides White with a
clear edge after 12.e4 c6 13.exd5 (It would be too risky for Black to opt here for 13...exd5 14.0-0-0,
with a powerful attack for White on the open file and the dark squares, Gulko – Kudrin, Modesto
1995.) 13...cxd5 14.Nb5 Na6 15.c3² Black will have serious problems to complete his development.

8.Nc3 e6

After the year 2010, this position often arises after the move-order 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 Bf5 4.f3
e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.e3, moreover often in the games of very strong grandmasters like Nakamura,

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Rapport, Jobava, but with a very important difference – with Black to move. Now, it is White’s move
and thanks to the extra tempo he manages to trade advantageously the bishop and to fight for the
advantage.
9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3

White’s further plan is quite simple: Nge2, 0-0-0 and the preparation of the pawn-advances e3-e4, or
g4-g5 depending on Black’s actions. He has a great choice of possibilities, but neither of them would
be sufficient to equalise completely.
10...c6

Black cannot develop his knight to c5, via the d7-square: 10...a6 11.0-0-0 c5 12.dxc5 Nbd7,
Todorovic – Nestorovic, Nis 1994, because White can afford to follow with the aggressive line: 13.b4!
a5 14.a3±, ending up with an extra pawn.

Following 10...Bd6 11.Nge2 Nc6 12.0-0-0, it would be too risky for Black to castle kingside, so he
must play with his queen 12...Qd7, but after 13.Bxd6, he does not have a comfortable way of capturing:
13...cxd6 (after 13...Qxd6, Black’s queen will be attacked with tempi: 14.e4 dxe4 15.fxe4ƒ and he
cannot play 15...Nxg4?, due to 16.Nb5 Qd7 17.Qg3+– and he loses material.) 14.Nf4 g6 15.g5ƒ,
ousting the enemy knight to the edge of the board, Drazic – Bulajic, Zlatibor 2007.

If Black tries to castle without developing at first his dark-squared bishop 10...Nc6 11.Nge2 a6 12.0-
0-0 Qd7, V.Kovalev – Agrest, Berlin 2015, then between the ideas for White to advance e3-e4, or g4-
g5, he should better choose the first option: 13.Rhg1 0-0-0 14.e4 dxe4 15.fxe4 Bb4 16.Qe3 Qe7 17.e5
Nd7 (Following 17...Nd5 18.Nxd5 Rxd5 19.c3², Black’s bishop remains restricted inside his pawn-
chain.) 18.Ne4² and White is threatening c2-c3, trapping the enemy bishop inside something like a
cage.

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 After 10...c5, Miladinovic – Cabarkapa, Subotica 2014, the simplest way for White to obtain an
advantage would be 11.Nb5 Na6 12.c3 Be7 13.Ne2² White is ready to deploy his king comfortably on
the f2-square, while Black will have problems to find a safe haven for his king.

11.0-0-0

11...Na6

11...Nbd7. This is a more natural development of Black’s knight. 12.Nge2 Qa5, Bortnyk – Gunina,
Minsk 2015, 13.Kb1 0-0-0. White is not changing his plan. His knight is transferred to b3 and then he
breaks in the centre. 14.Nc1 Nb6 15.Nb3 Qb4 16.e4! Now, White has his initiative guaranteed after
16...dxe4?! 17.fxe4 Nxg4 18.Qg3 h5 19.d5! cxd5 20.Rd4 Nc4 21.a3 Qb6 22.exd5ƒ, as well as
following 16...Qc4 17.Qe3 dxe4 18.fxe4 Nxg4 19.Qg3 h5 20.Bb8 e5 21.Bxe5 Nxe5 22.Qxe5 Bb4
23.Rd3ƒ In both variations White’s king is quite safe contrary to the precarious situation with its
counterpart.

12.Nge2 Qa5

Following 12...Bd6, Rombaldoni – Al.Kharitonov, Paleochora 2014, in this game White was
reluctant to continue with the brave and quite justified line: 13.e4!? Bxf4+ 14.Nxf4 dxe4 15.fxe4 and
here, capturing of the pawn 15...Nxg4 16.Qg3 h5 17.Nxh5 Rxh5 18.Qxg4 g6 19.e5± would leave
Black with weaknesses on d6 and f6.

13.Kb1 0-0-0 14.Nc1² E.Romanov – Nurkiewicz, Graz 2017. White’s knight is on the road to fortify
his queenside, while his advantage on the kingside is doubtless.

D) 4...e6

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 This is a solid move, but after it, there arise numerous positions like variations from the London
system, but with an extra tempo for White. This helps him to rely on very positive results from the
opening battle.
5.Bd3

Black has a great choice here. He can retreat with his knight D1) 5...Nf6, or try to undermine the
enemy centre with D2) 5...c5, or continue with his development D3) 5...Bd6.

It is obviously bad for Black to play here 5...Nd6, because he would lag in development. 6.Nf3 Be7
7.0-0 0-0 8.Nbd2 Nd7 9.c4 dxc4 10.Nxc4 Nxc4 11.Bxc4 c5 12.dxc5 Nxc5 13.Qe2² Black’s bishop on
c8 has not been developed yet, while White only needs to deploy his rooks on the open files in order to
consolidate his advantage.

It is bad for Black to play here 5...Be7 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3 and he would have to sacrifice a pawn
7...b6 (After 7...f5 8.Qh5+ Kf8 9.0-0-0±, followed by f2-f3, White maintains an obvious advantage, Tu
Hoang Thong – Nguyen Thai Bing, Vietnam 2001.), but after White’s simple reaction 8.Nxe4 Bb7
9.f3², Black has no compensation for it at all.

Following 5...Nd7 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nd2, Black can hold on to his pawn in two different ways, but
neither of them would be sufficient for equality.

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 After 7...Nf6 8.Ne2 b6 9.c4 Bb7 10.Nc3, Black is incapable of protecting all his weak squares.
10...Be7 11.Nb5 Bd6 12.Nxd6+ cxd6 13.Qa4+ Qd7 14.Qa3² and Black’s king remains in the centre.
7...f5 8.f3 exf3 9.Ngxf3 Bd6, Rusev – Yanev, Plovdiv 2006. Here, the best for White would be to
trade the dark-squared bishops on e7 with 10.Bg5 Be7 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 and after 12.Qe2², to castle
queenside, followed by a break in the centre.

After 5...f5 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3, Black must develop his pieces and parry his opponent’s numerous
threats at the same time. He fails to do that. 7...Bd6 (7...Nd7 8.Nb5 Bb4+ 9.c3 Ba5 10.Qh5+ g6
11.Qh6² Black has great problems on the kingside.) 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qh6 Bxf4 10.Qxf4 Qd6 11.0-0-0²
Cordova – Tirado, San Cristobal 2012. White has the advantage due to his opponent’s bad light-
squared bishop and his numerous weak squares.

5...b6. Black wishes to develop immediately his light-squared bishop. 6.Ne2 Bb7 (After 6...Bb4+
7.c3 Bd6, A.Mirzoev – Anton Guijarro, Elgoibar 2011, White obtains an edge with quite natural
moves: 8.0-0 0-0 9.c4 Bb7 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Qc2 Na6 12.a3 c5 13.Nbc3² Black is not well prepared for
direct clashes in the centre.) 7.0-0 Nd7, Korobkov – Obukhov, Voronezh 2008.

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 Here, White had simply to oust the enemy knight 8.f3 Nef6 9.c4 and Black will fail to solve all his
problems. 9...Be7 10.Nbc3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Nh5 12.Qc2 0-0 13.Rad1 Nxf4 14.Nxf4 Bd6 15.d5 exd5
(Following 15...e5, White has the attractive resource 16.Ne6 fxe6 17.dxe6 Kh8 18.exd7 Qxd7
19.Bd5², neutralising Black’s bishop-pair.) 16.Nfxd5 Nf6 17.g3 Nxd5 18.Bxd5 Bxd5 19.Nxd5 Qd7
20.e4 c6 21.Ne3 Qc7 22.Kg2² White’s compact pawn-structure enables him to maintain long-term
pressure.

D1) 5...Nf6 6.Nf3

6...c5
This is Black’s most flexible move-order. His bishop on f8 might go to e7, as well as to the d6-
square.

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 The “London” set-ups after 6...Bd6 7.Bg3 0-0 8.Nbd2 c5 9.c3 Nc6 10.Qe2, are very advantageous
for White, because of his extra tempo. After 10...Re8, he will have the move 11.Ne5² and Black will
not be able to play b7-b6, Harika – Dzagnidze, Huaian 2016, while after the immediate reaction 10...b6
11.e4 Be7 12.Ne5 Bb7 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.e5ƒ, White exchanges a couple of knights and frees the way
forward of his f-pawn, Barbosa – Karavade, Vietnam 2015.

6...Be7 7.c4 0-0 (Black fails to complete his development after 7...c5 8.Nc3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 dxc4
10.Bxc4 0-0 11.0-0 Bd7 12.e4 Nc6 13.Nf3²) 8.Nc3. There has arisen a position from the Queen’s
Gambit, but without a tempo for Black and he cannot bring his pieces into the actions effectively.
8...dxc4 9.Bxc4 a6 10.Ne5 b5 (After 10...c5 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Be2 Nbd7 13.0-0 Nxe5 14.Bxe5 Bd7
15.Bf3², White’s bishop has occupied the right square just in time.) 11.Qf3 Ra7 12.Bd3 Bb7 13.Qh3ƒ
Black must take care about the development of his queenside pieces and must also ensure the safety of
his king.

7.c3 Nc6 8.Nbd2

8...Bd6
Black’s desire to trade his opponent’s active bishop is easily understandable.

After his passive reaction 8...Be7 9.h3 Qb6 (Or 9...0-0 10.0-0 a6, Gochelashvili – Frolyanov,
Krasnodar 2003, 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.e4², White is better prepared for the break in the centre.) 10.Qc2
Bd7 11.0-0 Rc8, Laznicka – Werle, Germany 2008, White has the concrete decision: 12.dxc5 Bxc5
13.b4 Be7 14.a3 0-0 15.c4², with powerful pressure on the queenside.

Black should better refrain from 8...Nh5 9.Bg5 Be7 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Ne5 Nf6 13.f4²
and White obtains a very good version of the “Stonewall”. Contrary to his opponent, he has managed to

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exchange his “bad” bishop.

8...Qb6. This is a more precise reaction of the idea, connected with the chase after the bishop on f4.
9.Rb1 Nh5 (Without this move White will preserve his bishop and will consolidate his advantage,
because then, Black’s queen on b6 will turn out to be misplaced, for example: 9...Be7 10.h3²
Kosanovic – Vajda, Eger 2002.) 10.Be5 Be7 (Black should better not be in a hurry to capture:
10...Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Nf6 12.Qa4+ Bd7 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.0-0 a6 15.e4ƒ and White has seized the
initiative.) 11.dxc5 Bxc5 (about 11...Qxc5 12.b4 Qb6 13.c4 – see 11...Bxc5) 12.b4 Be7 13.c4 Nxe5
14.Nxe5 Nf6 and here, after the precise check 15.Qa4+, White obtains a very good game against his
opponent’s isolated pawn after 15...Bd7 16.Nxd7 Nxd7 17.cxd5 exd5 18.0-0², as well as following
15...Nd7 16.cxd5 exd5 17.Bb5 Qc7 18.Ndf3 Bf6 19.Nxd7 Bxd7 20.Rd1² Black’s pawn will fall soon.

9.dxc5
White refrains from the humble move 9.Bg3 and begins concrete actions.
9...Bxc5

Black manages to regain the pawn after 9...Bxf4 10.exf4 Nd7 11.Nb3 Qe7 12.0-0 Nxc5, Moskalenko
– Quaranta, Padova 2013, but not without problems. Following 13.Nxc5 Qxc5 14.Qc2 h6 15.Rad1 0-0
16.Rfe1², White can either prepare the pawn-advance f4-f5, or build a battery on the b1-h7 diagonal.

10.0-0 Bd6

After 10...0-0, White will react immediately with 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4 Nd5 (Following 12...Nxe4
13.Bxe4 Bd7 14.Bc2ƒ, all White’s pieces will be ready to attack the enemy king.) 13.Nxc5 Nxf4
14.Be4 Qb6 15.Nd3 Rd8 16.Qc2 Nxd3 17.Bxd3 h6 18.Rad1 Bd7 and after the “geometrical” line:
19.Qe2 Be8 20.Qe4 g6 21.Rd2², White chooses the right moment to double his rooks and has clearly
better prospects due to Black’s compromised kingside pawns.

11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.e4

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 12...dxe4

It is not preferable for Black to choose here 12...0-0 13.Re1 Qc7 14.e5 Nd7 15.Qe2², obtaining a
“French” pawn-structure, but without the dark-squared bishops, which is definitely in favour of White.

13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4 Qxd1 15.Rfxd1 Bd7 16.Ng5 Nd8, Miles – Barlov, Las Palmas 1996 (Black
cannot play here 16...Rd8?!, because of the vulnerability of his f7-pawn: 17.Bxc6 bxc6 18.Rd6±)
17.Rd6² and White has reached an endgame in which he can play for a win without any risk of losing.

D2) 5...c5

This is an ambitious move. Black enters voluntarily a position in which he must support his pawn on

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e4 with the move f7-f5, weakening in this way the dark squares in his camp.
6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3 cxd4

It would be premature for Black to choose here 7...f5 8.Nge2 Nc6 9.d5 exd5 10.Nxd5 Bd6 11.Qd2
0-0 12.0-0-0ƒ and the pawn on c5 has only weakened his position.

8.Qxd4 Qxd4 9.exd4

9...Bb4
Now again, Black should not be in a hurry to play 9...f5?!, because White will have the powerful
undermining move 10.f3, for example: 10...exf3 11.Nxf3 Bb4 12.0-0-0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 0-0, Lawson –
Gonzalez Vidal, Havana 2006. Here, White has an obvious and quite logical plan to improve his
position with: 14.Rhe1 Nc6 15.c4 Na5 (He is perfectly prepared for the pawn-break: 15...Bd7 16.d5±)
16.Ne5 Nc6 17.Nxc6 bxc6 18.Kd2± White has excellent winning chances in this pawn-structure.

10.Nge2 f5

After 10...Nc6, the tournament practice has shown that Black has serious problems in this variation.
11.0-0-0 f5 12.Nb5 Ba5 13.Nd6+ Ke7 14.Nc4 h6 15.h4 Rd8? (This is a blunder, but even after 15...b5
16.Nxa5 Nxa5 17.d5±, Black’s position cannot be envied.) 16.Nxa5 Nxa5 17.Bc7 Rd5 18.Nc3+–
Timerkhanov – Lobanov, St Petersburg 2015.

10...Bd7 11.0-0-0 f5 12.d5 0-0 13.dxe6 Bxe6, Stefanova – Ballesteros Gonzalez, Benidorm 2005 and
here, the ex-World Champion refrained from exchanging her beautiful bishop: 14.Bd6 Bxd6 15.Rxd6
Bf7 16.Nd4±, squeezing completely the enemy pieces.

11.0-0-0

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 11...0-0

About 11...Nc6 12.Nb5 – see 10...Nc6.

If Black decides the develop his knight at the edge of the board 11...Na6, Poussier – Inkiov, Metz
1997, he should not forget that it might remain there for a long time: 12.a3 Ba5 13.b4 Bc7 (13...Bd8
14.d5ƒ) 14.Nb5 Bxf4+ 15.Nxf4 Ke7 16.d5ƒ The knight on a6 has remained isolated.

12.d5 Na6

It would be interesting for Black to try to develop his knight on b8 to a more active position:
12...Ba5!? 13.h4 exd5 14.Nxd5 Be6. But even then, after White’s precise reaction 15.Bc7 Bxd5
16.Bxa5 Bc4 17.Ng3 Nc6 18.Bc3², his dark-squared bishop is transferred to a longer and not less
dangerous diagonal.

13.dxe6 Bxe6 14.Nd4 Bc4 15.Ndb5 Bxb5. White is threatening a2-a3 and b2-b4, therefore, Black
must remove his bishop under the attack. 16.Nxb5 Bc5 17.Rd2 Rad8 18.Rhd1 Rxd2 19.Rxd2 Re8
20.a3. The move b2-b4 will isolate completely Black’s knight from the actions and he can only
postpone it, but not prevent it. 20...h6 21.h4 e3 22.fxe3 Bxe3 23.Bxe3 Rxe3 24.b4± Narciso Dublan –
Eizaguerri Floris, Donostia 2017.

D3) 5...Bd6
Black hopes to develop his kingside as quickly as possible.
6.Ne2

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 6...0-0

About 6...Nd7 7.c4 0-0 8.0-0 Bxf4 9.Nxf4 c6 10.Bxe4 – see 6...0-0.

Now, just like in some variations, we have already analysed, following 6...Nf6 7.c4 dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0
9.Nbc3, there arise on the board positions from the Queen’s Gambit in which Black fails to equalise
due to the loss of a tempo. 9...Nc6 10.Bg5 Be7 11.a3 e5 (This is a more principled move than 11...Nd5
12.Bxe7 Ncxe7 13.Rc1², after which White can prepare the pawn-advance e3-e4, or simply to exert
pressure against the pawn on c7, B.Socko – Vogt, Germany 2006.) 12.Qc2 exd4 13.Rd1! White should
better not open the e-file. 13...Bg4 14.f3 Bh5 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Rxd4 Qe8 17.e4² White cannot castle
at the moment, but still maintains an edge, because the pawn-barrier, consisting of the pawns on f3 and
e4, restricts reliably the enemy pieces.

6...b6. Black cannot develop harmoniously both his flanks. 7.c4 Bb7 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Qc2 Nd7
10.Nbc3 Ndf6?! (It is a bit better for him to choose here 10...Bxf4 11.Nxf4 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Nf6 13.a4
a5 14.0-0 0-0 15.c4², but even then White maintains an edge due to the potentially weak black pawn on
c7.) 11.Bb5+! Kf8 (The series of exchanges after 11...c6 12.Nxe4 Bb4+ 13.Kf1 cxb5 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6
15.Be5 Qh6 16.Qb3 a5 17.a3±, would lead to the loss of material for Black.) 12.Nxe4 dxe4, Shimanov
– Krejci, Katowice 2014 and here, the best for White would be to fix the enemy queenside with the
move 13.Bc6±, consolidating his advantage.

It would be too hasty for Black to choose here 6...Bxf4 7.Nxf4 and now, he would need to lose time
to retreat 7...Nf6 (7...Nd7? 8.Bxe4 dxe4 9.Nc3 and Black will fail to hold on to the pawn. 9...Nf6
10.Nh5!±; 9...b6 10.Nxe4 Bb7 11.f3 e5, Hoang – Ilincic, Budapest 2007, 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Qd4±,
White preserves the extra pawn.) 8.Nd2 b6, Nechaev – Chos, Sochi 2017, 9.c4 Bb7 (After 9...dxc4?!,
White has the powerful intermediate line: 10.Qf3! Nd5 11.Nxc4 Bb7 12.Ne5 0-0 13.0-0ƒ with

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initiative.) 10.cxd5 exd5 11.b4 0-0 12.0-0 Qd6 13.a3 Nbd7 14.Qb3², followed later by actions on the
c-file, or by advancing the a and b-pawns.

7.c4 Bxf4 8.Nxf4

8...Nf6
We have already seen numerous times in this variation that Black prefers to lose time to retreat with
his knight, instead of having problems after an eventual exchange on e4.

8...c6 9.0-0 Nd7 10.Bxe4 dxe4, Gonzalez Acosta – Pineda, Baku 2016. Here, after the simple attack
against the pawn 11.Nd2, Black will be forced to simplify the position with 11...e5 (The move
11...Nf6? 12.Qc2± is simply a blunder of a pawn, while the line: 11...g5 12.Nh5 f5 13.f3 exf3
14.Qxf3ƒ weakens Black’s king too much.) 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe4 Nxc4 14.Qc2 Ne5 15.Qc5 Nd3
16.Nxd3 Qxd3 17.Nd6² After all the exchanges White’s knight has occupied an excellent outpost,
while Black’s bishop on c8 is a pathetic sight...

9.Nc3

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 9...dxc4

After 9...c6 10.cxd5, Black will have to choose between two evils. He must either comply with
having a slightly inferior position in the spirit of the exchange variation of the Slav Defence after
10...cxd5 11.Rc1 Nc6 12.0-0 Bd7 13.Qf3², or after 10...exd5 11.b4 Nbd7 12.0-0², to come under the
pawn-minority attack. White will have a very comfortable game in both variations.

10.Bxc4 Nc6, Shimanov – Jerez Perez, Leon 2012.

Black may fortify his position with the line: 10...Nbd7 11.0-0 c6 12.Nd3 Qe7 13.Ne5², but after this
White would maintain a slight, but reliable advantage.

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 11.Nh5!
Now, after e6-e5, White will manage to advance his d-pawn.
11...Nd5

The evaluations in our notes can be confirmed by the variation 11...b6 12.0-0 Bb7 13.Rc1 e5 14.d5
Na5 15.Nxf6+ Qxf6 16.Be2 c5 17.Qa4² The pawn on d5 paralyses both Black’s minor pieces at the
same time.

12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Bd3. Now, after the pawn-structure has been defined, Black’s knight on c6 is
misplaced. During the time he will redeploy it and complete his development, White will place all his
pieces on fighting positions and will be perfectly prepared for active operations. 13...Qd6 14.0-0 g6
15.Ng3 Bd7 16.a3 Ne7 17.Rc1 Rac8 18.Re1² After a series of useful moves White is ready for actions
on the queenside as well as in the centre.

E) 4...c6
The main idea of this move for Black is to develop immediately the queen to b6 in order to attack the
defenceless b2-pawn.
5.Bd3

5...Qb6

Black has numerous alternatives here, but in connection with the threat of capturing on e4, they are
either dubious, or too passive.

The move 5...Bf5 loses a pawn. 6.f3 Qa5+ 7.c3 Nd6 8.Bxd6 Bxd3 9.Bxe7 Ba6 10.Bxf8 Rxf8
11.Ne2± Fang – Lin, Zhongshan 2014.

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 Black will have problems with the protection of his pawn on e4 after 5...Nd7 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3
Nf6 8.Nge2 Bf5 9.Ng3 e6 10.Bg5 Bb4 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 h6 (All his moves were forced until
now...) 13.Bxf6 Qxf6, Zaichik – V.Anand, Coimbatore 1987. Here, after the precise manoeuvre
14.Qb1 Qe7 15.Qb3 0-0 16.Rfb1 b6 17.a4², White will have a very comfortable game, because his
knight on g3 fortifies his entire kingside.

Black cannot equalise with 5...Nd6 6.Nd2 Nd7 7.Ngf3 g6 8.c4 dxc4 9.Nxc4 Nxc4 10.Bxc4 Qa5+
and here, White can even continue with the brave line: 11.Kf1 Nb6 12.Bb3 Bg7, Stefanova –
Istratescu, Aix en Provence 2004, having accomplished an artificial castling after 13.Ne5 Nd5 14.Bg3
0-0 15.Kg1 Be6 16.h4 h5 17.Kh2², White maintains a stable advantage thanks to his extra space.

Finally, Black can retreat his knight 5...Nf6, but after 6.c4, he has no satisfactory response in sight.

6...Na6?! 7.a3 Bg4 8.Nf3 e6, Carlsen – Jobava, Dubai 2004. Following 9.Nbd2 Bd6 10.Bxd6 Qxd6
11.cxd5 exd5 12.Bxa6 bxa6 13.Qa4 Rb8 14.b4±, Black ends up with a totally compromised pawn-
structure.
After 6...Be6?! E.Torre – Hort, Bad Homburg 1998, White can reply with 7.c5, preventing radically
all Black’s active ideas. There may arise the following developments: 7...b6 8.Qc2 bxc5 9.Qxc5 Qb6
10.Qc2 Nbd7 11.Ne2 c5 12.b3 Nh5 13.Nbc3 Rc8 14.0-0 cxd4 15.exd4 Nxf4 16.Nxf4 and Black will
not manage to develop his pieces without material losses. 16...g6 (16...Qxd4? 17.Nb5 Rxc2
18.Nxd4+–) 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Nxd5 Rxc2 19.Nxb6 Rd2 20.Nxd7 Kxd7 21.Bb5+ Kd6 22.Rfd1±,
White holds on to the d4-pawn.
6...e6 7.Nc3 Bd6 8.Bg3 0-0 9.Nf3 and here, after the risky line: 9...dxc4?! 10.Bxc4 b5 11.Bd3 Na6
12.0-0 Nb4 13.Bb1±, Black will have to worry about plenty of weaknesses in his position, Ipatov –
Zaitan, Rabat 2014, while his attempt to develop in a classical fashion 9...b6 10.Rc1 Bb7 11.cxd5 cxd5
12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.0-0 Nc6 14.a3², would lead to an edge for White thanks to his more powerful bishop
than its counterpart.

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 6.Bxe4 dxe4

About 6...Qxb2 7.Nd2 dxe4 8.Ne2 – see 6..dхe4.

7.Nd2
The rapid development is much more important than the b2-pawn, moreover that Black has a serious
problem, connected with the protection of his pawn on e4. If White manages to capture it, then his lead
in development might become a decisive factor, while if Black provides it with additional protection,
then his king might remain stranded in the centre for a long time.

7...Nd7

7...Qxb2 8.Ne2 f5 (about 8...Nd7 9.Nxe4 – see 7...Nd7). Black has preserved his pawn, but White’s
huge lead in development provides him with powerful initiative. 9.0-0 Nd7 10.f3 exf3 11.Rxf3 Qb6
12.e4 fxe4 (Black fails to inflict the counter strike 12...e5, because of 13.Nc4!) 13.Nxe4 Nf6 14.Rb1
Qa5 15.N2c3 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 Qd5 17.Re3‚ White is already threatening the rather unpleasant check
from the d6-square, while both Black’s bishops are still on their initial squares.

8.Ne2 Qxb2 9.Nxe4 Nf6

After the line: 9...g6 10.0-0 Bg7 11.Qd3 Qb6 12.a4 0-0 13.a5 Qd8, Hodgson – Smejkal, Germany
1996, 14.Qb3², White’s advantage is doubtless. Black’s pieces remain tremendously passive.

It would be much more interesting for Black to try a similar idea, beginning with a check 9...Qb4+
10.Nd2 g6 11.0-0 Bg7, Ernst – Kovchan, Groningen 2011. Now, White must play bravely in order to
obtain an advantage. 12.c3 Qa5 13.e4 0-0 14.a4 c5 (After 14...e5, it is again very strong for White to

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play 15.Nc4! Qc7 16.Bg3²) 15.Be3 cxd4 16.cxd4 b6 (Black plays in the spirit of the Gruenfeld
Defence.) 17.Nc4 Qh5 18.f3 Ba6 19.Nf4 Qh4 20.g3 Qf6 21.Rc1² White has fortified reliably the
centre and has obtained an edge out of the opening.

10.Nxf6+ exf6 11.0-0 Be6

This position was reached in the game Romero Holmes – Garcia Luque, Linares 1998.
12.e4
White must try to open maximally the position, while Black has not castled and his queen is rather
passive.
12...Qa3

Meanwhile, Black should not try to play too actively: 12...Bc4 13.Re1 Bb4 14.Rb1 Qa3 15.c3 Ba5
16.Ng3‚ and his king will be seriously endangered.

13.d5 Rd8

13...Bg4. This alternative for Black does not provide him with equality either. 14.h3 Bxe2 15.Qxe2
Bd6 16.Be3 0-0 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.Qc4² White’s queen is not only eyeing the enemy pawns on f7 and
c6, but also controls several important squares, so Black must still work hard in order to have a chance
of equalising.

14.Nd4

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 14...Bc8

We cannot recommend to Black to try here 14...cxd5 15.Nb5 Qa4 16.Nc7+ Kd7 17.Nxd5ƒ He does
not lose immediately, but White has powerful initiative against the bare enemy king, stranded in the
centre.

15.c4² White will occupy reliably the centre with his pawns and after that practically all kinds of
endgames would be in his favour. After the trade of the queens and the dark-squared bishops, White
will gradually increase his advantage under the cover of his powerful central pawns, while Black will
have problems to find free squares and files for his pieces.

F) 4...c5
This is Black’s most popular and principled move. With his pawn-advance two squares forward he
exerts pressure against the centre and frees the way to the b6-square for his queen. White should
continue in the standard fashion, developing his pieces.
5.Bd3

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 Black’s objectively best move against this attack is the retreat of his knight back to the f6-square, but
he has tested in practice many other moves. We will analyse: F1) 5...Nc6?!, F2) 5...Qb6?!, F3) 5...cxd4
and F4) 5...Nf6.

About 5...g6 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.Nge2 – see variation A.

5...e6 6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.Nc3 – see variation D2.

F1) 5...Nc6?!
This move looks logical, but is not good in this particular case, because Black’s knight will be
attacked with tempo after White advances his d-pawn.
6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.d5

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 7...Nb4

7...g5 – This is an interesting move, but it is not correct. 8.Bxg5 Bg7 9.Nc3 Nb4 10.Nge2 Bg4,
M.Bartel – Walkusz, Suwalki 2017 and White can simply capture a pawn here 11.Nxe4 Nxd5 12.c3±,
for which Black has no compensation at all.

Following 7...e5 8.Bg3 Ne7 9.Nc3, Black must play very accurately not to lose immediately his e4-
pawn. 9...f6 (9...Ng6? 10.h4 h5 11.Nxe4± Stefanova – Harika, Beijing 2014) 10.Qh5+! g6 (Here, the
move 10...Ng6 is also bad for Black: 11.0-0-0 Qd7 12.Nxe4 Qf5 13.Qxf5 Bxf5 14.Nd2± Laznicka –
Huzman, Eilat 2012.) 11.Qe2 Bf5. This is again the only move for Black (It is bad for him to play
11...Nf5 12.Nxe4 and White is protecting indirectly the d5-square: 12...Qxd5?? 13.Nxf6+–) 12.f3 exf3
13.Nxf3 Bh6 14.e4 Bd7 15.0-0ƒ Now, if Black castles, White has the queen-sortie Qc4 and Black will
have problems to complete his development.

8.Nc3 e6

Black allows the enemy pawn to come to the d6-square, but his last move is still much stronger than
8...Bf5 9.a3 Na6 10.f3 exf3 11.Nxf3 g6 12.e4 Bd7 13.Qd2 h6 14.e5‚, after which his strategy fails
altogether, Kornev – Prokopchuk, Nefteyugansk 2002.

9.d6

9...Qa5

Black loses immediately after 9...g5? 10.Be5 f6 11.Qh5+ Kd7 12.Qf7+ Kc6 13.Bxf6 Nxc2+ 14.Kd2
Qxd6+ 15.Kxc2 Qd3+ 16.Kc1 Qf1+ 17.Nd1+– Nakamura – Ju.Polgar, Dubai (blitz) 2014.

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 In response to the brave move 9...f5, Stefanova – Dzagnidze, Huaian 2016, White can reply in the
same fashion: 10.g4 Qf6 11.a3 Na6 12.gxf5 exf5 13.Qd5 Qe6 14.0-0-0 Qxd5 15.Nxd5 Be6 16.Nc7+
Nxc7 17.dxc7± and Black will have great problems to cope with the powerful enemy pawn on c7.

There arises a more or less similar position after 9...Nc6 10.Nge2 f5? (Following 10...e5 11.Nb5
exf4 12.Nc7+ Kd7, Sadkowsky – Lobzhanidze, Belgium 2006, Black comes under powerful pressure:
13.Qd5 Bxd6 14.Nb5 Ke7 15.0-0-0 Be6 16.Qh5‚, White regains his piece and his attack continues.)
11.Nb5 Kf7, Ivanchuk – Jobava, Havana 2005, 12.g4! g5 13.gxf5 gxf4 14.Nxf4 h5 15.Nc7 Bxd6
16.Nfxe6 Qe7 (After 16...Bxe6 17.Nxe6 Qe7 18.Qd5 Kf6 19.0-0-0 Rad8 20.Qxe4+–, Black has an
extra piece indeed, but he loses the game due to his vulnerable king...) 17.Rg1 Bxe6 18.fxe6+ Kf8
19.Nxa8 Qxe6. Now, after the precise move 20.f4!+–, Black has no chances of attacking and is
doomed to lose this position.

10.Nge2 Bd7

10...Nd5. Black refrains from developing and will have problems. 11.0-0 Nxf4 12.Nxf4 Bd7
13.Nxe4± Docx – Vajda, Brasschaat 2015. He has no compensation for the pawn.

11.0-0 f5

Now, Black is forced to support his pawn with his f-pawn, since it would be very bad for him to
choose 11...Bc6 12.a3 Na6 13.Ng3 f5 14.Ngxe4! fxe4? 15.Qh5+ g6 16.Qe5+–, with a crushing attack
for White.

12.a3 Nc6

13.b4!

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 Black lags considerably in development and White is trying to exploit this by opening the queenside.
13...cxb4 14.axb4 Qb6

In response to 14...Qxb4 15.Rb1 Qa5, White will not capture on b7, but will continue to increase the
positional pressure: 16.Nb5‚

15.b5 Nd8, Hodgson – Tseitlin, Ischia 1996.

Now, Black only needs to transfer his knight to the f7-square in order to consolidate his position, so
White must act resolutely now. 16.Na4. This move begins a long series of attacks against the enemy
queen. 16...Qxb5 17.Nd4 Qb4 18.c3 Qa5 19.Nb3 Qb5 20.c4 Qc6 (Naturally, White’s pawn is
untouchable: 20...Qxc4? 21.Nb6+–) 21.Qd4‚ Now, Black must not only solve the problems with his
development, but must also parry the direct threat Nb6, which is easier said than done...

F2) 5...Qb6?!
With a knight on e4 this move cannot be good for Black. Now, just like in line E, White will sacrifice
with pleasure his b2-pawn playing for the quickest possible development.
6.Bxe4

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 6...dxe4

After the immediate move 6...Qxb2, it seems very good for White to continue with 7.Bxd5 Qxa1
8.Nf3 e6 9.Bb3 Nd7 10.0-0ƒ, with excellent compensation for the exchange, which was confirmed in
the game Nakamura – Hawkins, London 2014: 10...cxd4 11.exd4 Bb4 12.Qd3 Qb2 13.c3 Be7 14.Bc1
Qa1 15.Qc2 1-0.

7.Nc3 Qxb2

If Black plans to capture the pawn on b2, he should better do this immediately.

It would be a loss of a tempo for him to choose instead 7...e6, Laznicka – Bakalar, Prague 2016,
8.Nxe4 Qxb2 9.Ne2ƒ and White maintains a great lead in development.

Black’s e4-pawn is weak, so the endgame, arising after 7...cxd4 8.Qxd4 Qxd4 9.exd4 Bf5 (Following
9...f5 10.f3 Nc6 11.0-0-0 exf3 12.Nxf3±, White is ready to attack the enemy king on the central files,
Hodgson – Jackson, London 1998.) 10.Nge2 e6 11.Nb5 Na6 12.Ng3 will be bad for him. Black is
clearly worse after 12...Bg6 13.0-0-0 Be7 14.d5 exd5 15.Rxd5 0-0 16.a3±, as well as following
12...Be7 13.0-0-0 0-0 14.Nxf5 exf5 15.d5± and in both variations his pieces are totally discoordinated.

8.Nge2

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 8...Bg4

8...Na6 9.0-0 g6 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.d5 Bg7 12.d6‚ Bocharov – Kabanov, Vladivostok 2014.

After 8...cxd4 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.exd4 Qa5 11.0-0 f5 12.f3 exf3 13.Rxf3‚, five of White’s pieces are
very active, while Black can only counter them with his lone queen. No matter what he would do, the
rest of his pieces would hardly manage to enter the actions.

9.Nxe4
White is not afraid of having his king on the e2-square. He leads in development, so his king is quite
comfortable there.
9...Bxe2 10.Kxe2

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 10...cxd4

The transfer into an endgame 10...Qb5+ 11.Qd3 Qxd3+ 12.cxd3 cxd4, would not provide Black with
any serious chances: 13.Rab1 b6 14.Rhc1 Na6 15.exd4 e6 16.Rc4ƒ and White has the rather unpleasant
threat Ra4, Grieve – Ojas, Dieren 2007.

11.Qd3
Now, White does not need to be in a hurry to capture the pawn, having in mind to try to capture the
enemy queen.
11...f5
Black wishes to free the c3-square for his queen.

The move 11...Qb6 only enhances White’s initiative. 12.Rhb1 Qc6 13.exd4 e6 14.c4 Nd7 15.d5 Qa6
16.dxe6 fxe6, Dishman – Matikozian, Las Vegas 2007. The aggressive line: 17.Rb5 Qc6 18.Rd1ƒ helps
White to increase his pressure in a position with equal material.

12.Ng5 Nc6

Black is still not ready to enter an endgame: 12...Qc3 13.Ne6 Qxd3+ 14.cxd3 Na6 15.Rab1 b6
16.exd4 Kf7 17.d5± and all his pieces would be practically stalemated.

13.Ne6 Rc8 14.Rhb1 Qc3 15.Qxc3 dxc3 16.Rxb7

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 White has already regained the sacrificed material, but he is even more ambitious. Black’s pieces are
not developed and White’s advantage increases. 16...Kf7 17.Nd4 Kf6 18.Bc7. This is a nice move and
after it White’s advantage becomes decisive. After the forced capture on d4, he takes the important e5-
square under control and his dark-squared bishop can occupy it at any moment with a decisive effect.
18...Nxd4+ 19.exd4 a6 20.Ra7 e6 21.Rb1 Be7 22.Be5 1-0 Adams – Xie Jun, Hastings 1996.

F3) 5...cxd4

The main idea behind this move is for Black to exert pressure against the centre, which often may
include the temporary pawn-sacrifice e7-e5, with the preliminary development of the knight to c6, or
even without it.
6.Bxe4 dxe4 7.exd4

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 7...Nc6

About 7...g6 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Nge2 – see variation A.

In all the variations, we have already analysed, the chase after the b2-pawn ended horribly for Black.
This line would be no exception. 7...Qb6 8.Nc3

8...Qxb2 9.Nge2 Bg4 10.0-0 Qxc3 (10...Bxe2?! 11.Nxe2 e6 12.Rb1 Qxa2 13.Rxb7ƒ) 11.Nxc3 Bxd1
12.Rfxd1 e6 13.Nxe4. White’s attack continues even in the endgame 13...Na6 14.c4 Be7 15.d5ƒ
Swapnil – Grover, chess.com 2017.
8...Nc6 9.Nge2 Bg4 10.0-0 Rd8, I.Schneider – Arnaudov, Austria 2014 (10...Qxb2? 11.d5 Nb4
12.Rb1 Qxc3 13.Nxc3 Bxd1 14.Rfxd1 a5 15.Nxe4±) 11.d5 e6 12.h3 Bхe2 (12...Bh5 13.Qd2 Bb4
14.Be3 Qc7 15.Ng3 Bg6 16.a3 Bхc3?! 17.Qхc3 Rхd5 18.Qхg7±; 16...Be7 17.Rfd1² White’s pawn on

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d5 will be replaced by his centralised knight.) 13.Qхe2 eхd5 14.Rad1 Qc5 15.Qd2 Bd6 16.Bхd6 Qхd6
17.Nхe4² White has captured his opponent’s more important pawn and now plans to exploit the
vulnerability of Black’s isolated pawn.

It deserves attention for Black to try here immediately 7...e5!? 8.Bxe5 Nc6 9.Nc3

After his attempt to play “beautifully” 9...Qa5 10.Bf4 Ba3, White should reply cold-bloodedly with
11.Bc1 Bb4, Stefanova – Kurajica, Solin 2006 and then should complete routinely his development.
12.Nge2 Bg4 13.0-0 Rd8 14.Be3 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Bxe2 16.Qxe2 Qxc3 17.Rad1 0-0 18.d5 Nb4 19.Qb5
Nxc2 20.Bxa7² White can rely on maintaining a serious advantage thanks to his d-pawn.
9...Bb4 10.Nge2 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Bg4 12.h3 Bxc3+ (Black must capture the knight; otherwise, after
the forced line: 12...Bh5 13.Qxd8+ Rxd8 14.Nf4 Bg6 15.Ke2 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Rc8 17.Rhb1 b6 18.Rb3±,
White will only need to realise accurately his advantage, Kryakvin – Triapishko, Voronezh 2018.)
13.bxc3 Bxe2 14.Qxd8+ Rxd8 15.Kxe2 Ke7 16.Rab1 b6 17.Rb4 Rc8 18.Ra4 Rc7 19.Rb1 Ke6
20.Rbb4² White’s pawn-structure has been disrupted, but Black has numerous weaknesses too. White’s
rooks are more active, so his prospects are obviously preferable.

8.Ne2

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 Now, Black has two main lines: F3a) 8...Bg4, with the idea to attack the enemy d4-pawn and the
gambit attempt F3b) 8...e5.

The non-standard line: 8...h6 9.Nbc3 g5, can only be tried in blitz games: 10.Be3 Bg7 11.h4 Bg4
12.hxg5 hxg5 13.Rxh8+ Bxh8 14.Qd2 Bxe2 15.Nxe2 Qd5 16.c3 Bf6, Rusanov – Khairullin, St
Petersburg (blitz) 2012, after the calm response 17.Ng3 0-0-0 18.b3 e6 19.Kf1 Kb8 20.Rd1±,
threatening c3-c4, White has a comfortable advantage.

F3a) 8...Bg4 9.Nbc3

9...e6
This is a calm move. Black is ready to exchange the central pawns and will be trying to reach

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equality in a complicated endgame.

The move 9...Bxe2 would not requite any particular analysis. 10.Qxe2 Nxd4 11.Qxe4 Nc6 12.Nd5
Rc8 13.0-0-0 Qa5 14.Qd3+– and the threat Nf6+ would be deadly for Black.

9...Qa5. He plans to castle queenside, with the idea to develop his kingside only later. 10.h3 Bh5
11.0-0 0-0-0, Gallagher – Rytshagov, Elista 1998, 12.Qe1. White’s queen runs away advantageously
from all the pins and he ignores the d4-pawn. In a position with opposite sides castling capturing a
pawn like this will only help White to develop a crushing attack.

After the capture 12...Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Rxd4, White will follow immediately with 14.Be3 Rd8 15.b4!,
after which Black can avoid the immediate loss only by playing only moves: 15...Qa6 (He loses
material after 15...Qxb4? 16.Rb1 Qc4 17.g4 Bg6 and following 18.Nb5 a6 19.Rb4 Qxc2 20.Na3 Qc6
21.Rc4+–, Black loses his queen.) 16.a4 Qc4, but even then after 17.Bxa7‚, he would hardly manage
to save the day in a practical game.
Black will fail to evacuate his bishop from the edge of the board with the line: 12...f5 13.Ng3 Bf7,
because of White’s nice resource 14.d5 Bxd5 15.Nxf5², leaving Black with isolated pawns.
12...e6 13.a3 Bxe2. His bishop is not useful at all, while White’s knight on e2 might help him to
develop his initiative. So, Black exchanges it. 14.b4 Qf5 15.Nxe2 Nxd4. Without this move White’s
advantage would be doubtless. 16.Qc3+

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 16...Qc5! Thanks to this beautiful trick, Black manages to capture the pawn on d4, but White’s
considerable lead in development still leads to an advantage for him. 17.Qe3 Nxe2+ 18.Qxe2 Qc6
19.Rad1. He is already planning to transfer his rook to the fourth rank. 19...Be7 20.b5 Qc5 21.Qxe4
Qxb5 22.Rd4 Rd5 (It would be too precarious for Black to try here 22...Rxd4 23.Qxd4 Rd8 24.Qxa7ƒ,
since he would need to parry a dangerous attack on the dark squares.) 23.Rfd1 Rhd8 24.Rxd5 Rxd5
25.Rxd5 Qxd5 26.Qxh7² The material equality has been restored, but White’s king is much better
placed than its counterpart and this provides him with an advantage.

10.Nxe4 Bxe2 11.Qxe2 Nxd4 12.Qd3

12...Nc6

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 If Black refrains from entering an endgame with 12...Qa5+, this would only be in favour of White:
13.Bd2 Qd5 14.c4 Qd7 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 16.Be3 e5 17.f4ƒ, with powerful pressure for him on the d-file,
Malek – Jahncke, Germany 2015.

13.0-0-0 Qxd3 14.Rxd3 Nb4

Black pushes carelessly pawns forward and this backfires for him 14...e5 15.Be3 f5, Vitiugov – Ding
Liren, St Petersburg 2012, 16.Nc3 Be7 17.Nd5 Rd8 18.Re1 and here, Black had to comply with a
slightly inferior endgame after 18...Bd6 19.Bg5 Rd7 20.f3², because the move 18...e4? would be
countered by White with 19.Nxe7! Nxe7 (Following 19...exd3 20.Nxc6 bxc6 21.Bg5+ Kf7 22.Bxd8
Rxd8 23.Re5±, one of the weak black pawns will fall soon.) 20.Ra3 a6 21.f3± and Black cannot save
his pawn.

15.Rb3 Nd5 16.Bg3 b6

This position was reached in the game Sengupta – Lobanov, St Petersburg 2016. Black has
redeployed his pieces successfully and has practically equalised. It is now essential for White to
understand profoundly what is happening on the board in order to have some chances of obtaining an
edge. 17.Nc3! Black’s rook on h8 has not entered the actions yet, so White begins operations with the
idea to occupy the c and d-files with his rooks. 17...Nxc3 (Black would not prevent the activation of his
opponent’s rooks with the line: 17...0-0-0 18.Nxd5 Rxd5 19.Rc3+ Rc5 20.Ra3ƒ, followed by Rd1.)
18.Rxc3 Bc5 19.Rd1 Ke7 20.b4! This is an important move and White had to have it in mind when he
exchanged the knight. Now, Black is forced to allow the enemy rooks to penetrate inside his camp.
20...Bxb4 21.Bh4+ Ke8 22.Rc7ƒ, White is threatening to capture immediately on a7 and also the rather
unpleasant doubling of his rooks on the penultimate rank.

F3b) 8...e5 9.dxe5 Qxd1+ 10.Kxd1

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 10...Bg4
Black is preparing castling queenside.

He has also tried in practice the more creative line: 10...g5 11.Bxg5 Rg8 12.h4 h6, Caruana –
Michalik, Dubai 2014. We would not agree with the American grandmaster and will retreat with the
bishop: 13.Bf4 (In the game Fabiano Caruana played 13.Bf6.) 13...Rxg2 14.Nbc3 Bg4 15.Ke1 Bf3
16.Rg1 Bg7 (Black should better not castle here: 16...0-0-0 17.Rxg2 Bxg2 18.Nb5² and White is
threatening Nd6+.) 17.Nb5 Ke7 18.Rxg2 Bxg2 19.Ned4 Bxe5 (He has very dangerous initiative after
19...Nxe5 20.Nf5+ Kf8 21.Nbd6 Nf3+ 22.Ke2ƒ – White’s pieces are tremendously active.) 20.Nxc6+
bxc6 21.Bxe5 cxb5 22.Kd2² This is a position with bishops of opposite colours with serious drawish
tendencies, but White can still play for a win thanks to his excellent pawn-structure.

11.Nbc3 0-0-0+ 12.Ke1 Bb4 13.a3 Bxc3+ 14.Nxc3 Rhe8

The move 14...Nd4 15.Rc1² is not effective for Black.

15.h3 Bf5 16.Rd1 Rxd1+

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 This position was reached in my game Kryakvin – Savitskiy, Sochi (blitz) 2017. 17.Kxd1. I failed to
play correctly in the game, but the home analysis showed that after the accurate capturing with the king,
White would win a pawn. 17...Nxe5 18.Nb5 Rd8+ 19.Ke2 Rd5 20.Nxa7+ Kd8 (White will counter
20...Kb8 with the move 21.c4!, winning and this is the essence of this variation.) 21.Rd1 Rxd1
22.Kxd1± with an extra pawn and excellent chances for White of realising it.

F4) 5...Nf6

Black is ready to enter variations from the London system, assuming correctly that he would not have
problems after the classical ways of development.
6.Nc3!?

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 Naturally, after 6.dxc5 Nc6 7.Bb5 there may arise transposition to lines reached after 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4
Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.dxc5 Nc6 5.Bb5, but about this variation we could have written a separate chapter. It
would hardly be useful however, because plenty of theory has been amassed in this line and White can
hardly rely on obtaining much anyway.

The move 6.c3 is also possible here, but Boris Avrukh and Alexei Kornev explain in details in their
books on this opening that White’s bishop on d3 is misplaced and Black equalises rather easily and
might even seize the initiative in some lines.

White’s knight-move is not so often played in practice and Black is often faced with serious
problems.

Here, he has two main possibilities: F4a) 6...a6 and F4b) 6...e6.

Following 6...g6 7.dxc5 Bg7, Fodor – Hebden, Southend 2016, White can temporarily preserve his
extra pawn under most favourable circumstances: 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Nd4 Nc6 (In response to 9...Nfd7,
White will play 10.Nb3.) 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Be5² and here, Black will have to lose several valuable
tempi in order to restore the material balance.

6...c4 7.Be2

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 7...Bf5, Foulds – Garus, ICCF 2015. Now, White must decide to play the aggressive move 8.g4!?, in
order to fight for the initiative, for example: 8...Bg6 9.g5 Ne4 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.Bf3 Bxf3 12.Nxf3
Nc6 13.b3 b5 14.h4 e6 15.h5 Bb4+ 16.Kf1ƒ, with a very complicated fight in the spirit of the French
Defence in which White has some extra tempi.
Following 7...Nc6, Chytilek – Sadilek, Austria 2014, it may be also interesting for White to try
8.g4!?, preventing the development of the enemy bishop on c8. 8...e6 9.Bf3 Bb4 10.Nge2 0-0 11.a3
Ba5 12.Kf1!?ƒ, White is planning to advance his g and h-pawns.

F4a) 6...a6 7.dxc5 Nc6

After 7...Qa5, White’s strategy triumphs. 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Nbd7 11.e4! dxe4
(Following 11...d4 12.e5 dxc3, White has a very interesting line at his disposal: 13.b4! Qxb4 14.c6
bxc6 15.exf6± with a clear advantage.) 12.Bxe4 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Nxc5 14.Qe5 f6 15.Qh5+ g6 16.Qf3
0-0-0 17.0-0 e5 18.Bh2 Bg7 19.Nd5ƒ with the threat b2-b4 and good prospects for White in the centre,
Bosiocic – Kragelj, Slovenia 2014.

8.Nf3 Bg4 9.Qd2!?N

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 White transfers the game into some irrational lines. He theoretical discussion is usually focused on
the line: 9.Be2 e6.
9...Bxf3

About 9...e6 10.Na4 Bxf3 11.gxf3 – see 9...Bxf3.

10.gxf3 e6

Following 10...e5, Black’s d5-pawn becomes vulnerable and White can exploit this immediately.
11.Bg5 Bxc5 12.0-0-0 Bb4 13.a3 h6 (After 13...Ba5 14.Kb1 h6 15.Bxf6 Bxc3 16.Bxd8 Bxd2 17.Bh4
Ba5 18.c4², there arises an endgame, which is very pleasant for White thanks to his two powerful
bishops.) 14.Bh4 Ba5 15.Bf5 d4 16.exd4 Qxd4 (After the rather risky line: 16...exd4 17.b4 Nxb4
18.Qe2+ Kf8 19.axb4 Bxb4 20.Nb1 Qd6 21.c3 Qf4+ 22.Qd2 Qxh4 23.cxb4±, White ends up with an
extra piece.) 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.b4 Bb6 19.Qxd4 Nxd4 20.Be4² White is threatening Bxb7 and Nd5 and
his c-pawn is also ready to join into the actions at an opportune moment.

11.Na4 Nd7 12.Rg1

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 White is still not threatening to take Rxg7, after a series of captures on c5, but Black must still
consider permanently that possibility.
12...Bxc5

In this pawn-structure Black does not need his dark-squared bishop: 12...Nxc5 13.Nxc5 Bxc5 14.0-0-
0 e5 15.Bg3 Qe7 16.c3² with a more pleasant game for White.

13.Nxc5 Nxc5 14.0-0-0 e5

With the move 14...g6 Black would have presented the initiative to his opponent: 15.Qc3 Nxd3+
16.Rxd3 f6 17.Qa3ƒ

15.Bg3 h5 16.h4 Qe7

After 16...Qf6 17.Qc3 Qe7 18.f4 d4 19.Qa3ƒ, White’s bishops join into the actions.

17.f4 e4 18.Be2 0-0-0 19.f5 d4

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 Black is also trying to play actively by advancing his d-pawn, but his counterplay reaches quickly its
dead end. 20.Kb1 d3 21.Bf1! dxc2+ 22.Qxc2 Rxd1+ 23.Qxd1 Rd8 24.Qc2±, with a considerable
advantage for White thanks to his two powerful bishops and the unsafe situation of Black’s king.

F4b) 6...e6
It is reasonable for Black to protect his pawn not ignoring the development.
7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0

9...Nc6

The move 9...a6, in fact provides White with an extra tempo in comparison to the position from the
main line 10.e4 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4 12.Bxe4²

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 9...Bd7. The transfer of Black’s bishop to c6 is useless. 10.e4 Bc6 (But not 10...dxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4
12.Bxe4 Bc6, because of 13.Bxh7 Kxh7 14.Ng5+ and White wins, Jobava – Sarana, Minsk 2015.)
11.e5 Ne4 12.Bxe4 dxe4 13.Ng5² Black will fail to hold on to the pawn.

9...Bb4. This prophylactic against the pawn-advance e3-e4 is in White’s favour. 10.Nb5 Na6 11.c3
Be7 12.b4² and Black’s knight remains isolated at the edge of the board.

10.e4
Without this move Black would be quite happy with the results of the opening battle and will manage
to develop effortlessly the rest of his pieces.
10...dxe4
The careless move 10...b6? might lead to an immediate catastrophe for Black after 11.e5 Nd7
12.Bxh7+! Kxh7 13.Ng5+ Kg6 14.Qd3+ f5 15.Qg3+–

He might exchange the dangerous enemy dark-squared bishop with the line: 10...d4 11.Ne2 Nh5, but
after the accurate move 12.e5!, closing the centre, White would maintain the initiative following
12...Nxf4 13.Nxf4ƒ Krzyzanowski – Manik, Katowice 2017.

The chase after the other bishop 10...Nb4, Vrolijk – Bezemer, Groningen 2015, is even more
favourable for White: 11.e5 Nxd3 12.Qxd3 Nd7 13.Ng5 g6 14.Qh3 h5 15.Qg3², followed by actions
on the weakened dark squares.

11.Nxe4

11...Be7

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 The reduction of the tension in the centre 11...Nxe4 would not help Black to equalise either. 12.Bxe4
Qf6 (Here, the tactical idea 12...e5?! would not work: 13.Bxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Qe7 15.Nd3± and
Black’s position is in ruins, Kryakvin – Yeritsyan, Voronezh 2018.) 13.Qc1 e5, Nabaty – Murtazin,
Palic 2016 (Black cannot diminish the tension with the line: 13...Nd4 14.Re1 Nxf3+ 15.Bxf3²). After
14.Bg3, he will fail to hold on to the e5-pawn: 14...Re8 15.Re1 Bf5 16.Bxc6 Qxc6 17.Nxe5 Qb6
18.Qf4 Be6 19.Nd3² and White preserves the extra material.

The move 11...Nd5, Jo.Horvath – Juhasz, Hungary 2017 is in fact in White’s favour. He has extra
space, so he would be happy to exchange less pieces, moreover that the enemy knight on d5 would be
attacked with tempi: 12.Bd2 Bb6 13.a3 e5 14.Bg5 f6 15.c4! Nde7 16.c5ƒ, White’s pieces develop
powerful initiative.

12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.c3 e5

Without this move, Black would not be able to develop his bishop on c8, since it would not be good
for him to try 13...b6?! 14.Qc2 g6 15.Rad1ƒ, with very powerful pressure for White. The placement of
Black’s pawn on e5 has its drawbacks however. White will concentrate all his forces on it.

Following 13...Qa5, Michna – Kololli, Germany 2014, 14.Be4 Rd8 15.Qb3, Black will have to play
15...e5 anyway and White will have the powerful argument 16.Bg5² against it, compromising the
pawn-structure around the enemy king.

This position was reached in the game Nabaty – Frick, Gjakova 2016. 14.Bg3 Re8 15.Re1 Qc7
16.Be4 Bd7 17.Re3!² After the inclusion in the actions of White’s rook on a1, Black will have serious
problems.

The line with the retreat of Black’s knight from f6 (variation F4) develops very rapidly and White

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demonstrates new ideas in it. We have already seen that it is opened to creative endeavour and as we
have seen in the analysed variations, White can create serious problems for his opponent.
After Black’s alternatives, White usually maintains the advantage after some typical resources for the
Trompowsky Attack – the pawn-advance f2-f3, or the exchange of the knight Bd3хe4, which provides
White with a considerable lead in development and a superior pawn-structure.

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 Chapter 8
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3

Quick Repertoire

Black’s knight-sortie to e4, followed by the advance of his c-pawn is his most principled reaction
against the move of White’s bishop. Black wishes to cause disharmony in his opponent’s camp and to
weaken the complex of squares in the vicinity of White’s monarch. Black also wishes to prevent his
opponent from accomplishing calmly the standard plans which we have already analysed in our
previous chapters.
White, in his turn, ousts the enemy knight, but there immediately arises a very important moment. It
is not good for Black to retreat the knight immediately, because White captures advantageously the c5-
pawn, forcing his opponent to regain it not without efforts. A) 4...Nf6 5.dxc5,

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 and here Black’s piece-moves, with the idea to restore the material balance, would lead to serious lag
in development for him, for example: A1) 5...Na6?! 6.e4 Nxc5 7.Nc3 d6 8.Qd2 Bd7 9.0-0-0. Black’s
knight is very unstable on the c5-square, while White is threatening to inflict a strike in the centre e4-e5
and can continue in the spirit of the standard English Attack, advancing his kingside pawns.
Black can also try a line, which involves some risk. A3) 5...Qa5+ 6.Qd2 Qxc5 7.e4 d6 8.Nc3 a6
(Black must avoid here the trap 8...g6? 9.Be3 and after every possible retreat of his queen, White has
the excellent resource 10.Nb5, winning the pawn on a7!) 9.0-0-0 Nbd7 10.g4 h6 (Here, there is
another tactical nuance: 10...Ne5 11.Bxe5 Qxe5 12.g5 Nd7 13.Nd5 and White wins.) 11.h4. Black’s
counterplay is too slow, while White is perfectly prepared to begin an offensive.
Black can try here an interesting and promising pawn-sacrifice A4) 5...b6,

but White should better not capture it, but should prefer instead to develop his pieces. 6.e4 bxc5

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7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Bb5 Bb7 (White is better after 8...Nd4 9.Nge2 Qb6 10.a4 a6 11.a5 Qb7 12.Ba4 Qxb2?!
13.Rb1 Qa3 14.Qd3 Nxe2 15.Kxe2. Black’s queen might get trapped, so he must give back the pawn
15...c4 16.Qxc4 e6 17.Rhd1 and White ends up with an advantage.) 9.Nge2 a6 10.Ba4. He controls the
centre and has restricted Black’s counterplay.

After the check B) 4...Qa5+, Black loses a tempo and his queen might even lose another one after
White’s knight comes to the c4-square. 5.c3 Nf6 6.d5

If now Black does not attack the b2-square, White will obtain an advantage practically effortlessly,
for example: B1) 6...e6 7.e4 exd5 8.exd5 d6 9.Qd2 and White has an advantage both with queens
present on the board, as well as without them; or B2) 6...d6 7.e4 g6 8.Na3 Bg7 9.Nc4 Qd8 10.a4, after
which White’s task would be even simpler.

So, the tournament practice has shown that Black must make another move with his queen B3)
6...Qb6, forcing the enemy bishop to come back to protect the pawn 7.Bc1 e6 8.e4 exd5 9.exd5

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 Now, Black’s attempt to organise actions on the b8-h2 diagonal would not be successful for him
9...Qc7?! 10.c4 Bd6 11.Bd3! and here, after the move 11...Bxh2?!, White has a crushing attack:
12.Nc3 Bxg1(After a check from the g3-square, White’s king will find a safe haven on f1.) 13.Qe2+
Kd8 14.Rxg1 Re8 15.Be3, followed by castling queenside.
After 9...Be7 10.c4 d6 11.Bd3 Nbd7 12.f4, in order to avoid coming under a horrible positional
bind, since he would not have space for his minor pieces, Black must give an insidious check
12...Qb4+! (He would have serious problems after 12...0-0?! 13.Nc3 Re8 14.Nge2 Bf8 15.0-0 Ng4?!
16.Ng3 and Black would not be able to play 16...Ne3?, because of 17.Bxh7+ Kxh7 18.Qd3.), after
which White can reply with the cold-blooded move 13.Kf1! There might follow 13...b5 14.Bd2 Qa4
(14...Qxb2?? 15.Bc3) 15.Qxa4 bxa4 16.Nc3 and Black will fail to equalise due to his numerous pawn-
weaknesses.
In all the variations, we have analysed above, Black has failed to exploit the open e-file, so the best
line for him is considered to be: 9...Bd6 10.Na3 0-0 11.Bd3 Re8+ 12.Ne2 Bf8 13.Nc4

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 13...Qa6! (The rather simple and routine line: 13...Qd8 14.Ne3 d6 15.0-0 Nbd7 16.Ng3 Qc7 17.c4
g6 18.a4 Ne5 19.Bb1 Bg7 20.h3 b6 21.f4 Ned7 22.Ra2, would enable White to begin without any
problems a powerful offensive against Black’s kingside.) 14.Ne3 b5 15.c4 bxc4 16.Bxc4 Qb6. Black
organises some counterplay on the queenside indeed, but White maintains an edge anyway after a series
of stabilising moves: 17.0-0 d6 18.Nc3 Nbd7 19.Rb1 g6 20.b3 a6 21.Qd2 Bg7 22.Bb2.

It is amazing, but in the main line White obtains an advantage after a modest retreat to its initial
position of his dark-squared bishop, playing a main role in this variation. There are some objective
prerequisites for this in the line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3. White has a space advantage and
controls the centre. After an accurate play, his pieces enter the actions easily and win several tempi in
the process by attacking Black’s pieces.

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 Chapter 8
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3

Step by Step

We will analyse now: A) 4...Nf6 and B) 4...Qa5+.

It would be hardly possible to offer any reasonable alternatives for Black here and the move 4...g5??
loses immediately after 5.Bxb8+–

A) 4...Nf6 5.dxc5
This is a principled move for White. Black has lost time for moves with his knight forward and
backward and now he must also lose valuable time in order to regain the c5- pawn.

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 We will analyse now: A1) 5...Na6, A2) 5...e5, A3) 5...Qa5+ and A4) 5...b6.
5...g6?! If Black refrains from regaining the pawn, it would not end up well for him. 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e4
0-0 8.Qd2 b6, Battey – L.Vajda, Budapest 2011. Here, White can simply preserve his extra material:
9.cxb6 Qxb6 10.Rb1 Nc6 11.Bc4±

5...Nh5?! This knight-sortie is rather dubious. 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Na6 8.Nc3 Nxc5 9.Bf2. White has
regrouped advantageously his forces and Black’s attempt to fight for the central squares with 9...f5
10.0-0-0 Nf6, can be countered by White with a pawn-offensive: 11.h3 Qa5 12.Kb1 Na4 13.Nxa4
Qxa4 14.g4ƒ Vestby-Ellingsen – Skytte, Oslo 2018. He is much ahead of Black in the development of
his initiative.

The move 5...e6 enables White to penetrate with his bishop 6.Bd6 b6 and here, it is essential for him
not to hold on to his extra material, but to develop his pieces, preserving the control over the d6-square
and the central file. 7.Nc3 bxc5 8.e4 Bxd6 9.Qxd6 Qb6 10.Nb5 Qxd6 11.Nxd6+ Ke7, Gallagher –
Zueger, Lenzerheide 2010. Now, Black begins the fight against the centralised enemy knight with all
his forces. 12.0-0-0 Nc6 13.f4 Ne8 14.e5 f6 15.Bb5 Nd4 16.Nxc8+ Rxc8 17.Ba4 d6 18.exd6+ Nxd6
19.c3² White is better in this position thanks to his superior pawn-structure and and better
development.

5...Nc6 6.e4

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 About 6...b6 7.Bb5 – see variation A4.
6...Qa5+ 7.Qd2 Qxc5 8.Nc3 – see variation A3.
After 6...e5 7.Be3 b6 (7...d5 8.cхd6 Bхd6 9.Nc3± Pomes Marcet – Olea Perez, Oviedo 1993. Black
has no compensation for the sacrificed pawn.) 8.Bb5 Bxc5, White compromises his opponent’s pawn-
structure and enters a very favourable endgame. 9.Bxc6 dxc6 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Bxc5 bxc5 12.Nc3
Kc7 13.Nge2 Rd8 14.Rd1 Rxd1+ 15.Nxd1 Be6 16.Nec3 Nd7 17.Kf2² Luzuriaga – Locio, ICCF 2012.

A1) 5...Na6?! 6.e4 Nxc5 7.Nc3

7...d6
Black’s knight is rather unstable on the c5-square and does not create any counter threats. On the
contrary, White has a reliable “Sicilian” plan, connected with an offensive on the kingside.

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 The move 7...g6 enables White to accomplish a dangerous break in the centre. 8.e5 Ne6 9.Be3 Ng8
10.Qd2 h5 11.Bd3 Nh6 12.0-0-0 Qa5, Alcaide Luque – Petkov, San Juan 2008, 13.f4 Ng4 14.Kb1
Bh6 15.Nge2 Nxe3 16.Qxe3‚, with a powerful pawn-offensive against the enemy king’s shelter.
The move 7...Ne6 enables Black to delay his opponent’s offensive, but his knight turns out to be
misplaced on this square. 8.Be3

After 8...d6, White forces a change of the pawn-structure followed by exerting pressure on the e-file.
9.Nd5 Bd7 10.Ne2 Nxd5 11.exd5 Nc5 12.Qd2 Rc8 13.Nc3. Now, in order to avoid having problems
in the future with his e7-pawn, Black opted for the line: 13...e5 14.dxe6 fxe6, but ended up with
horrible weaknesses after 15.Bd4ƒ Luzuriaga – Bericat, ICCF 2006.
8...Qa5 9.Qd2 g6 10.0-0-0 Bg7 11.Kb1 d6. This position resembles the Dragon variation in the
Sicilian Defence, but in a very advantageous version for White. 12.Nge2 Bd7 (Black’s attempt to
create counterplay 12...b5 13.Nd4 a6, Curien – Groszpeter, Geneve 2003, can be countered by White
by just following his plan. 14.g4 Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Be6 16.a3 Rb8 17.h4. After 17...b4, White has the
typical defensive resource 18.Na2! Bxa2+ 19.Kxa2 0-0 20.Bc4ƒ) 13.g4 h6 14.h3 Bc6 15.Bg2 Nd7
16.f4 Nb6 17.b3 Rc8 18.Nd5. It is not good for Black to trade the queens now, but his threats are easily
parried by White even with queens present on the board. 18...Qa3 19.c3 Nc5 20.Qc2 Bxd5 21.exd5 0-
0, Kryakvin – Lystsov, Taganrog 2018. Now, White can begin an offensive against the enemy king
with the move 22.h4‚

8.Qd2

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 8...Bd7

8...Ne6 9.Be3 g6 10.g4 Bg7 11.g5 Nh5 12.Nge2 Qa5, M.Gurevich – Yap, Yurmala 1985 13.0-0-0 0-
0 14.Kb1ƒ White is threatening Nd5.

The move 8...e5 provides White’s pieces with access to the central d5-outpost. 9.Bb5+ Ncd7 10.Bg5
a6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Qc3 Rb8 14.Nc7+ Ke7 15.Nd5+ Ke8, Hodgson – Reinderman,
Leeuwarden 1993, 16.Bxd7+ Bxd7 17.0-0-0± Black has lost his castling rights, so White has excellent
chances of finishing his attack victoriously.
8...Be6 9.Nge2 a6 10.Nd4 Bd7 11.Nb3 Na4 12.Nxa4 Bxa4, Hauchard – Bacrot, France 1998, 13.0-
0-0 Rc8 14.g4 g6 15.g5 Nh5 16.Be3 Bg7. Black’s knight on h5 prevents White’s pawn-offensive, but
comes under an attack itself. 17.Bh3 Rc4 18.Bg4ƒ

9.0-0-0

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 9...Rc8

After the other move 9...Rb8, Black’s rook will be attacked by White’s bishop. 10.e5 dxe5 11.Bxe5
Rc8 12.g4 h6, Korobkov – Stefanov, Bansko 2010, 13.Nge2 e6 14.h4‚

Black lost in a ridiculous fashion in the game Landenbergue – Roeder, Bern 1993: 9...Qa5 10.Kb1
Rd8?? 11.Nd5 1-0, but it would not be easy to suggest to him a good move ten, for example: 10...Rc8
11.g4ƒ

10.Kb1 h6 11.Nge2 e5 12.Be3 Be7, Yemelin – Dvoirys, St Petersburg 2011. Now, White can
consolidate his advantage forcing the exchange of the enemy light-squared bishop, which protects his
weak squares: 13.g4 b5 14.Ng3 a6 (14...b4 15.Nb5±) 15.Nf5 Bxf5 16.gxf5‚

A2) 5...e5?!

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 This gambit was analysed by grandmaster Zigurd Lanka and was often used by the Latvian players.
Still, White has an extra pawn and all the chances of maintaining an edge.
6.Bxe5 Bxc5 7.Bd4 Qb6

Following 7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 0-0 (8...d5 9.e3 0-0 10.Nc3 – see 8...0-0) 9.Nc3 d5 10.e3 Nc6, Mladenov
– Tulay Berkay, Aviles 2006, White’s queen squeezes his opponent’s forces after 11.Qc5!, for
example: 11...d4 12.exd4 Re8+ 13.Nge2 Nxd4 14.0-0-0±; or 11...Re8 12.0-0-0 Qe7 13.Qxe7 Rxe7
14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.Rxd5 Rxe3 16.a3 Re1+ 17.Rd1± Black’s activity has been parried and White has
kept his extra pawn.

8.Bxc5 Qxc5 9.Qd2

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 9...0-0

About 9...Nc6 10.Nc3 d5 11.e3 0-0 12.0-0-0 – see 9...0-0.

10.Nc3 d5 11.e3 Nc6 12.0-0-0

12...Re8

12...Be6. If Black does not capture the pawn on e3, he fails to organise meaningful counterplay
anyway. 13.Nge2 Rac8 14.Nd4 Ne5 (following 14...Rfe8 15.g4±, White can attack without any
preliminary prophylactic, Ortega – Berdayes Ason, Varadero 2016) 15.Kb1 a6 16.Bd3 b5 17.Nce2 Bd7
18.g4 Rfd8 19.Nf4 Nc4 20.Qf2± Kryakvin – Bernotas, Riga 2017. White begins an attack before his
opponent and has extra material as well...

13.Nge2 Rxe3 14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5 Qe7

15...Qb6 16.Nf4 Re5 17.Qb3± Ratsma – Reichardt, Vlissingen 2015.

Black cannot regain his pawn here: 15...Qxd5 16.Rxd5 Be6 17.Rd1 Bxa2, because of 18.Nc3 Be6
19.Ne4 and his rook gets trapped. 19...Bf5 20.Kd2 Rd8+ 21.Bd3 Rxe4 22.fxe4 Bxe4 23.Rhg1 Bxd3
24.cxd3±

16.Qd6 Qe8 17.Nc3 Bf5 18.Bb5± Lajthajm – Djukic, Pancevo 2006. White has preserved his extra
pawn and has completed the mobilisation of his forces.

A3) 5...Qa5+ 6.Qd2

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 6...Qxc5
Black cannot afford to exchange the queens while White’s c5-pawn is on the board. 6...Qxd2+?!
7.Nxd2 Nd5 (7...e6 8.Nb3 Na6 9.Bd6±) 8.Bg3 Ne3 9.Kf2 Nxc2. During the time Black’s knight will
need to return back to his camp, White will manage to develop his pieces and to acquire additional
space. 10.Rc1 Nd4 11.e3 Nf5 12.b4±

7.e4

7...d6

7...e6?! It would not be logical for Black to remain with a backward d-pawn. 8.c4 Nc6 9.Nc3 a6,
Nikolov – Balinov, Aschach 2006, 10.0-0-0 Qa5 (10...Be7? 11.Na4 Qa7 12.Be3+– and White’s knight

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will penetrate to the d6-square with a decisive effect.) 11.Nge2 Be7 12.Nd4 0-0 13.Kb1±

7...g6?! 8.Nc3 Bg7 (The author of this book fell into White’s main trap many years ago... 8...d6
9.Be3 Qa5 10.Nb5!± Rusanov – Kryakvin, Dagomys 2010 and it becomes clear that after the trade of
the queens, as well as even without it, Black would lose his a7-pawn. 9...Qc7 10.Nb5±; 9...Qb4
10.Nb5± Qxb2?? 11.Bd4+–) 9.Nb5 Na6 (9...0-0 10.Be3 Qc6 11.Nxa7±) 10.Be3 Qe5 11.Bd4 Qb8
12.0-0-0 0-0 13.h4‚ White begins a dangerous attack and Black’s pieces are horribly misplaced.

7...Nc6 8.Nc3

About 8...d6 9.Bb5 – see variation A3.

After 8...a6, White can emphasize immediately the vulnerability of the b6-square with the move
9.Na4, for example: 9...Qb4 (9...Qa7? 10.Be3+– Wirig – Labarthe, Francophone 2009) 10.Qхb4 Nхb4
11.0-0-0 d6 12.Nb6 Rb8 13.Bc4²
The move 8...e5 does not promise anything good to Black. 9.Be3 Qa5 10.Nb5 Qd8 (10...Qxd2+
11.Kxd2 Rb8 12.Rd1±) 11.0-0-0 b6 12.Ne2± Salov – Renet, Hilversum 1993. He will have a hard task
playing with a horrible weakness on the d5-square.
The move 7...e5 weakens chronically the d5-square. 8.Be3

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 8...Qc7 9.Nc3 Bb4 10.Nge2 0-0 11.a3 Ba5 12.0-0-0. Now, Black’s attempt to organise counterplay
12...b5?! would be too late after 13.b4 Bb6 14.Nxb5 Qc6 15.Nd6± Bauer – L.Gutman, Bad Zwesten
2006.
8...Qb4. Black’s queen begins a dangerous journey; otherwise, he would be simply clearly worse.
9.Nc3 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Nb5 Qxa2 12.Rb3 Na6 13.Ne2 Qa1+ 14.Kf2 Nc5 (After 14...Bc5
15.Nd6+ Kf8 16.Ng3‚, White’s pieces control reliably the centre, while Black’s king would remain
stranded in the centre.) 15.Ng3 Kd8 (15...Nxb3 16.cxb3 Kd8 17.Be2 Qa6 18.Rc1+–) 16.Nd6 Bxd6
17.Qxd6 Nxb3 18.Nf5 Qb2 (Black loses material after 18...Na5 19.Nxg7+–, while following 18...Ne8
19.Qe7+ Kc7 20.cxb3 b6 21.Bb5+–, White’s threats would be decisive.) 19.Qe7+ Kc7 20.Be2 Nd2
(20...Na5 21.Qd6+ Kd8 22.Nxg7+–) 21.Qc5+ Kd8 22.Bxd2 b6 23.Qc4 a5 24.Qxf7 Ne8 25.Rd1‚
Tosi – Stika, ICCF 2011.

8.Nc3

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 8...a6

About 8...g6 9.Be3 – see 7...g6.

8...Nbd7 9.Be3 Qc6 10.Nge2 e5, Vitiugov – Cheparinov, Dubai 2014 11.g4 h6 12.0-0-0 Be7
13.Ng3±

8...Be6 9.Be3. White’s plan is quite simple. He wishes to continue with a pawn-offensive on the
kingside and eventually to penetrate with his knight to the d5-square, forcing a favourable change of
the pawn-structure. 9...Qc8 10.g4 Nc6 11.h4 h5 12.g5 Nd7 13.g6 fxg6 14.Nh3 Nde5 15.Ng5 Nc4
16.Bxc4 Bxc4 17.Nd5 Nd8, M.Gurevich – Kharitonov, Sverdlovsk 1984. Here, the simplest way for
White to emphasize the vulnerability of the enemy g6-pawn, as well as of Black’s entire kingside is
with the move – 18.Nf4±

8...Nc6 9.Bb5 Bd7 10.Nge2

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 Following 10...a6 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.0-0-0 e5, White’s knights have excellent targets of weak squares
inside Black’s position. 13.Bg5 Be6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Kb1²
10...g6 11.Be3 Qb4 12.a3 Qa5, Hodgson – Henderson, East Kilbridge 1996 (12...Qxb2?? 13.Ra2+–)
13.Bg5 Bg7 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nd5 Bg5! (Black should better avoid here 15...Qxd2+?! 16.Kxd2 Rc8
17.Nxf6+ exf6 18.Nc3±) 16.f4 Bh6 17.Bxc6 Qxd2+ 18.Kxd2 Bxc6 19.Nc7+ Kd7 20.Nxa8 Bxe4
21.Rhg1 Rxa8 22.g4² Black has compensation for the exchange indeed, but White’s position is still
preferable.

9.0-0-0

9...Nbd7
The move 9...e5 has too many strategical defects. 10.Be3 Qc7 (10...Qa5, Bellini – Gross, Budapest

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1999, 11.Kb1 Be7 12.g4 Be6 13.Nge2 Nc6 14.Ng3‚) 11.g4

11...Be6 12.g5 Nfd7 13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.Qxd5. White has exchanged his opponent’s important bishop
and now he only needs to complete his development. 14...Be7 15.Ne2 Nc6, Zhang Zhong – Wang
Yaoyao, Jinan 2005, 16.Qd2 b5 17.Nc3±
11...h6 12.h4 Be6 (12...b5 13.Bh3 b4 14.Na4 Nfd7 15.g5 a5 16.g6 fxg6, Hoang – Ilincic, Budapest
2006, 17.Qg2‚ 17...Kf7? 18.Qg4+–) 13.Bh3 Nc6 14.g5 hxg5 (14...Nh5 15.Nge2‚) 15.hxg5 Nd7
16.g6 Nf6 (16...Bхh3 17.Nd5‚) 17.Bxe6 Rxh1 18.gxf7+– Landenbergue – Walther, Switzerland 1993.

After 9...Nc6 10.g4 Be6 11.Kb1 g6 12.Nd5, Black has a difficult position in the middlegame:
12...Bxd5 13.exd5 Ne5 14.Be3 Qc7 15.h4 Bg7 16.h5‚, as well as in the endgame: 12...Rc8 13.Be3
Qa5 14.Qxa5 Nxa5 15.Nb6 Rc6 16.b3±

10.g4 h6
The move 10...Ne5, Demidov – Kolmakov, Minsk 2015, loses immediately after: 11.Bxe5 Qxe5
12.g5 Nd7 13.Nd5+–

White’s attack develops without any problems after 10...g6 11.h4 h6 12.Nh3 Bg7 13.Be3 Qa5, Berg
– Z.Ilincic, Budapest 2006, 14.Nf4 Ne5 15.Be2 b5 16.Kb1 Rb8 17.g5‚

11.h4

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 11...b5

In the variation 11...Ne5 12.Be3 Qc7, Michaud – Gheorghiu, Crans Montana 2001, White’s pawn-
offensive on the kingside will be supported by the typically “Sicilian” transfer of his queen. 13.Qg2! b5
14.g5 hxg5 15.hxg5 Rxh1 16.gxf6 Rh7 17.Nd5 Qb7 18.f4 Ng4 19.Bb6‚

12.Kb1 Bb7 13.Nh3 b4 14.Na4 Qa5 15.b3 Nc5 16.Nxc5 Qxc5 17.Bc4 Nd7, Korobkov –
Kuderinov, Moscow 2015, 18.g5 Nb6 (18...h5? 19.g6+–) 19.Be2‚ Black has managed to avoid the
first attacking wave, but White’s pieces are much better mobilised and he is ready to organise another
attacking offensive.

A4) 5...b6

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 This is a gambit and if White accepts it Black would obtain promising counterplay. White is not
obliged to take the pawn, however.
6.e4 bxc5

About 6...Nc6 7.Bb5 Bb7 8.Nc3 bxc5 9.Nge2 – see 6...bxc5.

The move 6...e6, Knaak – Kempinski, Germany 1998, weakens the d6-square and White’s pieces can
exploit this immediately. 7.Nc3 Bxc5 8.Nb5 Na6 9.Bd6±

7.Nc3 Nc6

The young World Champion won a very instructive game in his favourite Trompowsky Attack
7...d6?! 8.e5 dxe5 9.Qxd8+ Kxd8 10.0-0-0+ Nbd7 11.Bxe5 Bb7 12.Nh3 Kc8 13.Bg3 h6 14.Bc4 e6
15.Nf4± Carlsen – Ganguly, Dubai 2004. White’s active pieces attack the weaknesses in Black’s
position.

8.Bb5

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 8...Bb7

It is an important nuance that Black’s move 8...Nd4 is not effective at all. 9.Nge2

9...Nxb5 10.Nxb5 d6 11.c4 a6 12.Nbc3 Be6 13.b3 g6 14.Qd2²

9...Nh5 10.Be3. White has excellent chances of developing further his initiative even if his bishop
does not attack the c7-square anymore. 10...Nxb5 11.Nxb5 Rb8, Tran – Szamoskozi, Budapest 2010,
12.Qd3 a6 (12...Qa5+ 13.Nec3 a6 14.Na3 and now, White’s knight on a3 is ready to join into the
actions with tempo, while Black cannot play 14...Rxb2?? 15.Nc4+–) 13.Nbc3 Rxb2 14.Bxc5ƒ
9...Qb6 10.a4 a6 (The move 10...g5, Pasman – Bitensky, Jerusalem 2017, can be parried by White
with 11.Be5±) 11.a5 Qb7 12.Ba4. It would be again rather risky for Black to play here 12...Qxb2?!
13.Rb1 Qa3 14.Qd3 Nxe2 15.Kxe2. Now, he must give back the pawn; otherwise, his queen might get

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trapped. 15...c4 16.Qxc4 e6 17.Rhd1ƒ

9.Nge2

9...a6

About 9...d6 10.0-0 a6 11.Ba4 – see 9...a6.

The move 9...e6 presents White with the control over the d6-square. 10.Bd6 a6 11.Bxc6 Bxc6
12.Qd3 Bxd6 13.Qxd6 Qe7 14.0-0-0 Qxd6 15.Rxd6 0-0-0 16.Rhd1² Costa Trillo – Herndez
Fernandez, ICCF 2015.

9...g6, Vavra – Babula, Teplice 2013, 10.0-0 Bg7 11.Qd2 0-0 12.Rad1 d6 13.b3 Nd4 14.Bc4 Nd7
15.Be3 Nxe2+ 16.Bxe2² White maintains an edge thanks to his active pieces in the centre.

10.Ba4

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 10...e6

10...d6, Sendur – Ilincic, Budapest 2006, 11.0-0 Nd7 12.Qd2 Nb6 13.b3 Nxa4 14.Nxa4 g6 15.Rad1
Bg7 16.Bh6² White’s knight is more active than Black’s bishop, which is restricted by his own pawn-
chain. In addition, White can choose in the future between numerous active plans.

11.Qd2 Be7 12.Rd1 0-0 13.0-0 Qb6 14.e5 Nd5 15.Nxd5 exd5. It would not be good for White to
capture immediately the enemy pawn on d5, but his pawn-structure is clearly better, so he does not
need to be in a hurry. 16.Rfe1 Bh4 17.Bg3 Bxg3 18.Nxg3² Pauwels – Serradimigni, ICCF 2011.

B) 4...Qa5+

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 This check with Black’s queen has numerous pluses in comparison to the immediate retreat of his
knight. Now, he does not need to think how to regain the c5-pawn and besides that, the move c2-c3
compromises a bit White’s position on the queenside. Still, Black’s queen might come under attack by
White’s developing pieces.
5.c3 Nf6

Following 5...Nd6?! 6.d5 g6 7.e4 Bg7 8.e5 Nf5 9.g4 Nh6 10.Qd2 Ng8 11.Na3±, Black’s knight
continues to roam over the board, A.Kovalchuk – Sedykh, Izhevsk 2014.

6.d5

We will deal now with: B1) 6...e6, B2) 6...d6 and B3) 6...Qb6.

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 About 6...b5 7.e4 d6 8.Nd2 – see variation B2.

6...g6 7.e4 Bg7 (7...d6 8.Na3 – see variation B2) 8.Na3 0-0?! This move enables White to inflict a
pawn-strike paralysing Black’s position (He should better play here 8...d6 9.Nc4 – see variation B2.)
9.Nc4 Qd8 10.d6± Ki.Georgiev – Cramling, Terrassa 1990.

Black’s attempt to chase after the Trompowsky bishop 6...Nh5 7.Bc1 e5, Roumegous – Mohebbi,
France 2005 can be countered by White with the interesting move 8.g4!?

If Black does not offer any direct resistance 8...Nf6 9.e4 d6 10.Ne2 Be7 11.Ng3 0-0 12.Be3ƒ, White
develops effortlessly a dangerous kingside offensive.
8...Nf4 9.e3 Ng6 10.h4. Now, Black cannot continue the game without the line: 10...h5 11.gxh5
Rxh5, but his rook comes under attack. 12.f4 Rxh4 13.Rxh4 Nxh4 14.fxe5 Qd8 (14...Ng6 15.Qh5ƒ)
15.e4 d6 (15...Ng6 16.Qh5ƒ) 16.Qh5 g6 (16...Ng6 17.e6 Qh4+ 18.Qxh4 Nxh4 19.Bb5+ Kd8
20.exf7±) 17.Qh8ƒ White’s queen is very active and creates numerous problems for Black.

B1) 6...e6 7.e4

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 7...exd5

7...Qb6? Now, Black’s queen-sortie is too slow. 8.Na3 exd5 (8...Qxb2? 9.Nb5 Na6 10.Rb1 Qxa2
11.Ra1 Qb2 12.Rxa6+–) 9.exd5 d6 (9...Nxd5 10.Qxd5 Qxb2 11.Rc1 Qxa3 12.Bc4+–) 10.Qe2+ Kd8 (It
becomes clear now that Black’s king must retreat 10...Be7? 11.Nc4+–) 11.0-0-0 Be7 and Black would
be incapable of parrying White’s attack 12.g4 Re8 13.h4 a6 14.Nc4 Qc7 15.Qh2+– Wang Jue –
Kashlinskaya, Moscow 2009.

After 7...Nh5?! 8.Be3 Qc7 9.c4 exd5 10.cxd5 a6 11.a4 d6, Wiley – Marzolo, Nancy 2010, there
arises a very advantageous version for White of the Modern Benoni. 12.g4! Nf6 13.Ne2 Nbd7 14.Nec3
Be7 15.Be2 0-0 16.Nd2ƒ

7...b5?! Black does not have sufficient resources for effective queenside actions. 8.a4 b4 (The line:
8...c4? 9.Nd2 exd5 10.exd5 Nxd5 loses for Black due to White’s surprising strike 11.Nb3! cxb3
12.Qxd5 Nc6 13.Bxb5+– Wang Chen – Yang Kaiqi, China 2014.) 9.Nd2 bxc3 10.Nc4 Qb4 11.bxc3
Qxc3+, Stefanova – Nadig, Gibraltar 2006, 12.Kf2 Qd4+. The exchange of the queens would not
facilitate Black’s defence (12...Ba6? 13.Be5 Qb4 14.Rb1+–). 13.Qxd4 cxd4 14.Rb1 Na6 15.Nd6+
Bxd6 16.Bxd6 exd5 17.e5±

After 7...d6, White will manage to exert pressure against the pawn on d6, with the idea to determine
the pawn-structure 8.dxe6 Bxe6 (8...fxe6? 9.Bxd6±) 9.Na3

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 The move 9...Be7? Rosenberg – Becerra Rivero, New York 2004, 10.Bxd6± loses a pawn for Black.
9...d5 10.Qb3 Qb6 11.Qxb6 axb6 12.Nb5 Na6 13.e5 Nd7 14.h4²
9...Nc6 10.Nc4 Bxc4 (10...Qd8 11.Nxd6+ Bxd6, Miladinovic – M.Pavlovic, Subotica 2008,
12.Qxd6 Qb6 13.Qd2² Black does not have full compensation for the sacrificed pawn.) 11.Bxc4 Be7
12.Ne2 0-0, Andreikin – Krylov, Sochi 2017, 13.Ng3 g6 14.0-0² White has the two-bishop advantage,
the control over the d5-square and excellent attacking prospects on the kingside.

8.exd5 d6

About 8...Qb6 9.Na3 – see 7...Qb6.

9.Qd2 Be7

9...Nbd7 10.c4 Qxd2+ 11.Kxd2. The endgame is better for White due to his space advantage, while
Black’s active attempt 11...b5, can be parried by White with 12.Na3 a6, Yu Yangyi – Zhou Jianchao,
Shenzhen 2016, 13.Bd3 Be7 14.Re1 Kd8 15.Nh3²

10.c4

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 10...Qd8

The retreat of Black’s queen to a not so advantageous position only frees White’s hands for effective
active actions: 10...Qc7 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Bd3 Re8 13.Nge2 Nbd7 14.0-0 a6 15.Ng3 Bf8 16.Rae1ƒ
Muzychuk – Cramling, Beijing 2014 and 10...Qb6 11.Nc3 Nbd7, Lahiri – Zakharevich, Voronezh
2005, 12.g4 0-0 13.0-0-0 Ne5 14.h4ƒ

Black does not have sufficient space with four minor pieces present on the board and he can hardly
create counterplay without queens on the board. 10...Qxd2+ 11.Nxd2 Na6 (11...Nh5 12.Be3 f5 13.0-0-
0 0-0 14.Re1 Nd7 15.Nh3 Bd8 16.Nf4 Nxf4 17.Bxf4 Bc7 18.Rg1 b6 19.Bd3²) 12.0-0-0 Nh5 13.Be3
f5, Bocharov – Kokarev, Novosibirsk 2016, 14.Nh3 Bd7 15.Re1 h6 16.Bd3²

11.Nc3 0-0

It would not be advisable for Black to try to play in the spirit of the Benko Gambit: 11...Nbd7 12.0-0-
0 a6 13.h4 b5 14.cxb5 Nb6 15.g4 0-0 16.h5 axb5 17.Bxb5 Rb8 18.h6 g6 19.Qe2 Bb7 20.Bc6ƒ Velilla
Velasco – Heise, ICCF 2008.

White is well prepared to counter his opponent’s aggression on the kingside. 11...Nh5 12.Be3 f5
13.f4 Nf6 14.Nf3 Ne4 15.Qc2 Nxc3 16.bxc3 Bf6 17.Bd3 Qa5. The doubled c-pawns are irrelevant in
this position, while White’s pieces are well prepared for the opening of the game. 18.Bd2 g6 19.0-0 0-
0, Rahman – Abdulla, Dhaka 2014, 20.g4! fxg4 21.Ng5 Qc7 22.f5‚

12.g4

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 12...Ne8

After 12...Re8, Saada – Briet, Belfort 2010, 13.0-0-0 a6 14.h4‚, Black’s counterplay is too slow,
because following 14...b5 15.cхb5, his rook will come under the attack of White’s bishop on f1.

13.0-0-0 a6 14.h4 b5 15.Kb1 Nd7, V.Popov – Nedilko, Plovdiv 2012 (15...bхc4 16.Bхc4 Nbd7
17.Nge2 Nb6 18.Bd3ƒ White will manage to begin first a pawn-offensive.) 16.cxb5 Nb6 17.bxa6 Bf6
18.Bg5 Bxa6 19.Bxa6 Rxa6 20.Qd3 Qc8 21.Nge2² The position remains very sharp and fighting, but
White is objectively better, since he has captured the “Benko” gambit pawn and has managed to
consolidate his position.

B2) 6...d6 7.e4

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 7...g6

About 7...e6 8.dxe6, or 7...e5 8.dxe6 – see variation B1.

The line: 7...b5?! 8.Nd2 Bd7 would lead to the appearance of weaknesses in Black’s pawn-chain
after the standard move 9.a4, for example: 9...bxa4, Ochoa de Echaguen – Lakunza Oyarbide, Spain
1991, 10.Bd3 g6 11.Nc4 Qd8 12.Ne2 Bg7 13.Bc2±

7...Nbd7 8.Na3 a6 (8...g6 9.Qd2 – see 7...g6) 9.Nc4 Qc7 10.a4 b6. White mobilises his forces
according to a scheme similar to the Saemisch variation in the King’s Indian Defence. 11.Nh3 g6
12.Be2 Bg7, Walker – Stimpson, England 2012, 13.0-0 0-0 14.Nf2 Rb8 15.Qd2² White is ready to
begin an offensive in the centre, while Black is doomed to remain passive: 15...b5?! 16.axb5 axb5
17.Na5±

8.Na3 Bg7

8...Nbd7 9.Qd2 h5?! (9...Bg7 10.Nc4 Qc7 11.a4 0-0 12.Ne2 – see 8...Bg7) 10.Nh3 Bg7 11.Nf2 a6
12.Nc4 Qc7 13.a4± Forster – Salomon, Warsaw 2013.

9.Nc4

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 9...Qd8

9...Qc7 10.a4 0-0 11.Qd2 Nbd7 12.Ne2 b6 (Following 12...Ne5 13.Nхe5 dхe5 14.Bg3 Nh5
15.Bf2², Black’s bishop on g7 is not so well placed in this position.) 13.Ng3 a6, Neven – Barber,
Edmonton 2005, 14.Be2 Rb8 15.0-0² White has squeezed his opponent on the queenside, but plans to
inflict the main strike in the centre and on the kingside.

10.a4 0-0

Black has tried in practice to fight immediately against the powerful enemy knight 10...Nbd7 11.Ne2
Nb6 12.Ne3 Nh5 13.Bg5 Bf6 14.Bh6 Bg7 15.Bxg7 Nxg7 16.f4 Nd7 17.g3² Hodgson – Groszpeter,
Clichy 1995, or 10...b6 11.Qd2 Ba6 12.Nh3 0-0 13.Be2 Bxc4 14.Bxc4 a6 15.0-0 Nbd7, A.Smirnov –
K.Maslak, Budva 2009. Now, Black intends to prepare b6-b5, but White can reduce the effect of this
break by a timely transfer of his rook. 16.Nf2 Qc8 17.Ra3 Qb7 18.Be2² After 18...b5, White will play
19.Rb3 Rfc8 20.axb5 c4 21.Rb4 axb5 22.b3 and following the exchange of the pawn on c4, its
neighbour on b5 will be attacked by White’s pieces.

11.Qd2

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 11...Nbd7
Black’s queenside counterplay often leads only to the appearance of additional weaknesses in his
position.

11...b6 12.Bd3 Ba6 (After 12...a6 13.Ne2 Bb7 14.0-0 Nh5 15.Bg5 b5 16.Ne3 c4 17.Bc2², White’s
knight will be headed to the d4-square.) 13.Ne2 Bхc4 14.Bхc4 Nbd7 15.0-0 Ne8, Piket – Sowray,
Wijk aan Zee 1985, 16.Bg5 Nc7 17.Ng3 a6 18.Be2 Re8 19.Ra2 b5 20.Rfa1² White is eyeing the
vulnerable squares in the enemy position.

11...Na6 12.Ne2 Nc7 13.Ng3 b6 Speelman – Bratovic, Bled 2002, 14.Bd3 Ba6 15.0-0 Bxc4 16.Bxc4
a6 17.Be2 b5 18.Ra2² Black has managed to advance b6-b5, but at the end it would be White who
would break on the queenside.

11...Re8 12.Ne2 Nbd7 13.Ng3 h5 14.Be2 Nb6, Miladinovic – Lie, Heraklio 2007, 15.0-0 Nxc4 (As
it often happens, following 15...h4?! 16.Nh1 Nh5 17.Bg5±, Black’s pawn would turn from a hunter
into the hunted.) 16.Bxc4 Bd7 17.Ra3 a6 18.Rfa1 Rb8 19.Bf1² Black’s queenside counterplay has been
stopped and White dominates all over the entire board.

12.Nh3 Nb6

Black’s straightforward attempt to prepare the pawn-break b6-b5 can be countered by White with an
attack on the kingside: 12...b6 13.Nf2 a6 14.Be2 14...Bb7 (14...Ne8 15.h4 h5 16.g4‚ Rowson –
Hadzimanolis, Birmingham 2001) 15.0-0² Erdos – Nestorovic, Hungary 2013. Black does not have the
undermining move e7-e6 here, while 15...b5? would cost him a pawn 16.aхb5 aхb5 17.Na3±

13.Nf2

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 13...Bd7

There was a game in which a not so perfect (as nowadays...) computer brain became a victim of
White’s plan – 13...Nxc4 14.Bxc4 Qc7 15.0-0 Bd7 16.Rfe1 Rfe8 17.h3 a6 18.a5 Bb5 19.Bb3 Nh5
20.Be3² After the move 20...Be5?, the grandmaster won a piece: 21.g4 Ng3 22.c4 Bd7 23.Kg2+–
Benjamin – Comp MChess Pro, Boston 1995.

14.a5 Nxc4 15.Bxc4 b5

15...b6, Wildi – Aranovitch, Switzerland 2017, 16.0-0 Qc7 17.Ra2² Black is reluctant to disrupt his
pawn-chain by capturing on a5, but doing nothing is also not enjoyable at all...

16.Be2 c4

He is trying to change the pawn-structure in order not to allow White to exert pressure without any
risk: 16...a6 17.0-0 Ne8 18.Bg5²

17.0-0 Qc7 18.Be3 e6 19.dxe6 Bxe6 20.f4 d5 21.e5 Nd7. White can emphasize the pluses of his
position by a transfer of his bishop in the spirit of the Ruy Lopez: 22.Bd1 Nc5 23.Bc2² Burghoff –
Marczell, ICCF 2007.

B3) 6...Qb6

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 7.Bc1!

In this position White has tried the gambit move 7.e4 as well as the calmer move 7.b3, weakening his
flank in order to preserve more pieces in action. Still, numerous correspondence games, as well as the
practice of the grandmasters at the top level, have proved that White’s best move here is the modest
retreat of the Trompowsky bishop. Now, Black has no targets for direct counterplay and his queen on
b6 is misplaced.

7...e6

About 7...g6 8.e4 d6 9.Na3 – see 7...d6.

7...d6 8.e4

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 About 8...e6 9.c4 – see 7...e6.
8...g6 9.Na3 Bg7 10.Nc4 Qd8 (10...Qc7 11.a4 0-0 12.Ne2 Nbd7 13.Ng3 Nb6 14.Na3² Duong –
Vakhidov, Brunei 2010. Black’s queen is placed even worse on c7 than on d8.) 11.a4 0-0 12.Ne2 b6
(He cannot equalise after an exchange of the enemy knight on c4: 12...Nbd7 13.Ng3 Nb6 14.Bf4 Nxc4
15.Bxc4 Nd7, Chuchelov – Glek, Germany 2001, 16.Be2 Ne5 17.Bg5!? h6 18.Be3² White’s offensive
in the centre is more dangerous than Black’s potential resource b7-b5.) 13.Nf4 Ba6 14.Bd3 Nbd7 15.0-
0 Bxc4 16.Bxc4 Ne8 17.Bb5 a6, Romanov – Gabrielian, Kolomna 2016. Here, White can emphasize
the absence of the light-squared bishop in the enemy position with the line: 18.Bc6 Rb8 19.Nd3²

8.e4

8...exd5

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 About 8...Bd6 9.Na3 exd5 10.exd5 – see 8...exd5.

8...d6 9.c4

About 9...Be7 10.Nc3 0-0 11.Bd3 eхd5 12.eхd5 – see variation B3b.
9...g6 10.Ne2 Bg7 11.Nec3 0-0 12.Be2 eхd5 13.cхd5 Nbd7 14.Na3² Andreikin – Kantans, Minsk
2017. Black’s queen on b6 only stands in the way of his other pieces.
9...exd5 10.cxd5 (Naturally, White can play here 10.exd5 – see 8...exd5, but in this particular case it
would be stronger for him to capture with the other pawn with the idea to attack Black’s queen with the
knight from the c4-square.) 10...g6 11.Nd2 (It is also possible for White to choose here 11.Ne2 Bg7
12.Nec3 0-0 13.Be2 – see 9...g6.) 11...Qc7 (11...Nbd7 12.Nc4 Qc7 13.a4 Nb6 14.Na3ƒ Black’s knight
will be soon ousted, while White’s knight will come back to the c4-square, followed by Bf4.) 12.Ne2
Bg7 13.Nc3 a6 14.a4 Nbd7 15.Nc4² White has regrouped successfully his forces, while Black does
not have sufficient space for manoeuvres.

9.exd5

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 Black has tried to attack the h2-square in several ways B3a) 9...Qc7, or just to continue his
development B3b) 9...Be7, or to try to bring into the action his king’s rook as quickly as possible with
B3c) 9...Bd6, followed by castling kingside.

The pawn-sacrifice 9...c4?!, with the idea to occupy the dark squares, would not be effective here.
10.Bxc4 Bc5 11.Ne2 d6 (11...0-0 12.Qb3 Qd8 13.Bg5±; 11...Bf2+ 12.Kf1 d6 13.Nd4±) 12.Nd4 Bxd4
13.Qxd4 Qxd4 14.cxd4. Instead of having an attack, Black has ended up in an inferior endgame.
14...Na6, Idani – Xu Yi, Al Ain 2015, 15.a3 Nc7 16.Nc3 b6 17.Bg5 Bb7 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Kf2±

After 9...g6 10.Bc4, Black fails to develop his knight to the g7-square. 10...Be7 (10...Bg7?! 11.Qe2+
Kf8 12.Bf4ƒ; 11...Kd8 12.Qd1 Re8+ 13.Ne2ƒ; 10...d6?! 11.Qe2+ Be7 12.Bh6ƒ White is ready to
attack the enemy king which is stranded in the centre.) 11.Nh3 d6 12.Nf2 Nbd7 13.0-0 0-0 14.Re1 Re8
15.Bf1 Bf8 16.Rxe8 Nxe8 17.a4 Ne5 18.Na3² Black has serious problems due to the lack of sufficient
space for his pieces.

9...d6 10.c4

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 About 10...Be7 11.Bd3 – see variation B3b.
After 10...g6, Black’s king will remain in the centre. 11.Qe2+ Kd8 (11...Be7 12.Bh6ƒ) 12.Qc2 Bg7
13.Bd3 Na6 14.a3 Re8+ 15.Ne2ƒ Movsesian – Kotronias, Moscow 2007.
Following 10...Bf5, Black’s bishop will be attacked by White’s pieces. 11.Nc3 Nbd7 (11...Be7
12.Nge2 Na6 13.Ng3 Bg6 14.f4 h5 15.Bd3 Bхd3 16.Qхd3 0-0-0 17.0-0ƒ Yudin – Nikolenko, Ulan-
Ude 2009. Black will be forced to comply with the presence of White’s knight on the f5-outpost.)
12.Nge2 h5 13.Ng3 Bg6, Pfrommer – Inkiov, Karlsruhe 2018, 14.h4 Be7 15.Bd3 Bxd3 16.Qxd3 g6
17.Bf4 0-0 (17...Qxb2?! 18.0-0 Qb6 19.Rae1‚) 18.0-0-0 Rfe8 19.Rhe1 Bf8 20.Re6!ƒ White’s rook is
untouchable: 20...fxe6? 21.Qxg6+ Kh8 22.Nxh5 and his attack is decisive.

B3a) 9...Qc7?! 10.c4

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 10...Bd6

It would not be logical for Black to continue here with 10...d6 11.Nc3 Be7 12.Bd3 a6 13.a4 0-0
14.Nge2 Nbd7 and White will continue with an offensive on the kingside. 15.f4 Re8 16.0-0 g6 17.h3
Nh5 18.g4 Ng7 19.Ng3 Bh4 20.Qf3ƒ Cruzado Duecas – Degerhammar, ICCF 2009.

11.Bd3!
White suddenly ignores the threat against his h2-pawn.
11...0-0

Following 11...Bxh2?!, White’s lead in development becomes really threatening: 12.Nc3 Bxg1
13.Qe2+ Kd8 14.Rxg1 Re8 15.Be3‚

11...b5!? 12.Nc3 bxc4 13.Bxc4 0-0 14.Nb5 Qb6 15.Ne2 Ba6 16.a4 Bxb5 17.axb5² Moskalenko –
Llaneza Vega, Barcelona 2008.

12.Nc3 a6 13.Nge2

13...Re8

13...b5 14.Bg5 Nh5 15.Ne4 Nf4 16.Nxd6 Nxd3+ 17.Qxd3 Qxd6 18.0-0 bxc4 19.Qd2 Bb7 20.Nc3ƒ
Rahman – Konguvel, Kolkata 2008. As a result of all this, Black has failed to capture the pawn on h2
and his move with the queen to c7 has turned out to be useless, not contributing to the mobilisation of
his forces.

14.Bg5 Be5

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 14...Nh5 15.Ne4ƒ I.Petrova – Tiba, Mukachevo 2016.

White should not be afraid of the tactical operation 14...Bg3+?! 15.Kf1 Be5 16.f4 Bxc3 17.Nxc3± It
is evident that Black’s queenside pieces are still on their initial positions. Now, White’s most
convincing move is castling kingside, since it is obvious that Black cannot capture the “poisoned pawn”
even with a check.

15.0-0!

15...d6

After 15...Bxh2+? 16.Kh1 Be5 17.f4 Bxc3, White has the important intermediate move 18.d6! Qd8
19.Nxc3‚
16.f4 Bxc3 17.Nxc3 Nbd7, Mendivil – Rodriguez Redondo, Tenerife 2015, 18.a4± White’s position
has numerous pluses and now he has added to that the two-bishop advantage.

B3b) 9...Be7 10.c4 d6

10...0-0 11.Bd3 Nh5 (11...d6 12.Nc3 – see 10...d6) 12.Ne2 f5, Pisk – Oral, Czech Republic 2013,
13.0-0 d6 14.Nbc3 Na6 15.a3 Bd7 16.Qc2²

11.Bd3

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 11...Nbd7

11...0-0 12.Nc3

About 12...Nbd7 13.f4 – see 11...Nbd7.

12...Re8 13.Nge2 Na6 (13...Nbd7 14.f4 – see 11...Nbd7) 14.0-0 Qd8 15.Ng3 Nc7 16.Qc2 Rb8,
Prosviriakov – Smith, Koge 2013, 17.b3 b5 18.Bb2ƒ
In the other variations with the move b7-b5, White also ignores his opponent’s pawn-break and just
brings into the actions the rest of his reserves. 12...Na6 13.Nge2 Nd7 14.f4 f5 15.0-0 Qd8 16.Kh1 Nf6
17.a3 Kh8 18.Qc2 Nc7, Osmak – Shuvalova, Tarvisio 2017, 19.b3 b5 20.Ng1! g6 21.Nf3² White’s
knight is eyeing the e6-square.
12...Ne8 13.Nge2 Nd7. Here, it is essential for White not to allow the exchange of the light-squared

377
bishops, since Black does not have sufficient space in his camp. 14.b3 Ne5 15.Bc2 Bh4+ 16.g3 Bf6
17.0-0 Bh3 18.Rf2 Bd7 19.Bf4 g6 20.h4² Barsov – Grigore, Sitges 2007

12.f4

12...Qb4+!
This witty check has been tested in correspondence games. If Black refrains from active actions with
the move b7-b5, he would end up in a passive position without any counterplay at all.

12...Qd8?! 13.Nc3 0-0 14.Nf3 Ne8 15.Qc2 g6, S.Martinovic – Dizdarevic, Sibenik 2009, 16.0-0±

12...0-0?! 13.Nc3 Re8 14.Nge2 Bf8 (14...Nf8 15.Qc2 Bg4 16.0-0 Bxe2. Here, Black exchanged a
couple of minor pieces, but White preserved his bishop-pair. 17.Bxe2 N6d7 18.Ne4 f5 19.Nf2 Bf6
20.Bd3± Mchedlishvili – Melkumyan, Batumi 2018 and after 20...g6, White will have the resource
21.g4‚) 15.0-0 Be7 (White would be very happy if Black plays 15...Ng4?! Barsov – Vakhidov,
Tashkent 2010, 16.Ng3 and he cannot continue with 16...Ne3?, because of 17.Bxh7+ Kxh7 18.Qd3+–;
16...Nh6 17.f5‚) 16.Ng3 Nf8 17.Bd2 Bd7 (In response to 17...Qxb2 18.Nb5 Bg4 19.Qe1, White will
be threatening to capture the enemy queen. 19...Bd8 20.Qc1 Qxc1 21.Raxc1± Now, White captures the
more important d6-pawn.) 18.Qc2±, with a space advantage for White and good attacking prospects on
the kingside, Pauwels – M.Horvat, ICCF 2012.

13.Kf1!
White is ready to lose his castling rights in order to preserve the favourable strategical situation for
him on the board.

After the routine reaction 13.Nc3?!, Black would have the powerful argument 13...b5! 14.a3 Qa5
15.cxb5 Bb7 and White would lose his central pawn. 16.Nf3 Nxd5 17.Bd2 Qb6 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Bc3

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Bf6 20.Qe2+ Kd8 21.0-0-0 Bxc3 22.bxc3 Re8÷ Cruzado Duecas – Sadowski, ICCF 2009.

13...b5

13...0-0?! 14.b3 Re8 15.Bd2 Qb6 16.Nc3 g6 17.g3 Bf8 18.Kg2± White has ensured the safety of his
king.

14.Bd2

14...Qa4 (14...Qxb2?? 15.Bc3+–) 15.Qxa4 bxa4 16.Nc3 Rb8 17.Rb1 Nb6 18.b3 0-0 19.Nge2²
White cannot checkmate his opponent with queens absent from the board, but he has a superior pawn-
structure and good prospects in the endgame.

B3c) 9...Bd6 10.Na3 0-0 11.Bd3

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 11...Re8+

Without the check with the rook, the development of Black’s bishop to d6 would not be justified.
11...a6 12.Nc4 Qc7 13.a4

13...Bxh2? 14.d6+–
13...Re8+ 14.Ne2 b6 15.Bg5‚
13...b6 14.Bg5 Nh5 15.Ne2 h6 16.Be3 Re8 17.Kf2 Bb7 18.Nxd6 Qxd6 19.c4. Black’s life will be
difficult without his important bishop and the move 19...Qf6? only speeded up his demise: 20.g4!
Qh4+ 21.Ng3 Nf6 22.Qd2 d6 23.Kg2 Bc8 24.Bf4+– Ivanisevic – Solak, Vrnjacka Banja 2005.

12.Ne2 Bf8 13.Nc4

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 13...Qa6!
This retreat of the queen to the edge of the board, from where Black’s strongest piece supports the
pawn-break b7-b5 is an invention of the German master Mathias Womacka. After the more natural
retreats of the queen, Black was often faced with problems.

13...Qd8 14.Ne3 d6 15.0-0

Now, if White manages to bring effortlessly his pieces to the kingside, then his initiative will quickly
turn into a powerful attack: 15...a6 16.a4 g6 17.Ng3 Nbd7 18.f4 Rb8 19.c4 Bg7 20.Qf3 h5 21.h3 h4
22.Ne2 Qe7 23.Ra3 Ne4 24.f5ƒ Beecham – Sadowski, ICCF 2009; or 15...g6 16.Ng3 h5 17.a4 h4?!
18.Ne4 Nh7 19.f4 f5 20.Ng5 Nxg5 21.fxg5 Qc7 (21...Qxg5? 22.Nxf5+–) 22.a5 Nd7 23.Ra4±
A.Smirnov – Gajewski, Plovdiv 2008.

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 15...Nbd7 16.Ng3

16...Ne5 17.Bc2 b5 18.a4 Bd7 (18...b4 19.c4 g6 20.h3 Bg7 21.f4²) 19.h3 c4?! 20.f4 Ng6 21.axb5
Qb6 22.Qf3 Bxb5 23.Ngf5ƒ A.Smirnov – Givon, Plovdiv 2012.
16...Qc7 17.c4 g6 18.a4 Ne5 19.Bb1 Bg7. Black has managed to complete his standard “King’s
Indian” set-up, but White follows here a very original plan. He redeploys his queen’s rook with the help
of the famous “Nimzowitsch” castling. 20.h3 b6 (20...a6 21.Ra2) 21.f4 Ned7 22.Ra2 Rb8 23.b3 a6
24.Bd3 b5 (The bishop is forced to preserve the control over the f5-square: 24...Bb7 25.Nef5! gxf5
26.Nxf5‚) 25.cxb5 Nb6 26.Qf3 Rxe3 27.Bxe3 Nbxd5 28.Bd2 Qa7. Black has not obtained sufficient
compensation for the exchange. 29.Bc4 Nc7 30.f5 axb5 31.Bh6! Nce8 (Following 31...bxc4 32.fxg6
Rxb3 33.gxf7+ Kxf7 34.Qh5+ Kg8 35.Raf2!‚, Black’s king would be beyond salvation.) 32.Bxg7
Kxg7 33.Bd5 bxa4 34.Rxa4 Qe7 35.Qc3+– Tochacek – Shulman, ICCF 2012.

14.Ne3 b5 15.c4 bxc4 16.Bxc4 Qb6 17.0-0

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 17...d6, Hopman – Womacka, Deutschlandsberg 201.

In his first game the German player chose here 17...Ba6 18.Qd3 d6 19.Nc3 Bxc4 20.Nxc4 Qa6,
Weiss – Womacka, St Veit 2016, 21.b3 Nbd7 22.Bg5², but failed to equalise. It would be more clever
for him not to determine yet the position of the bishop on c8.

18.Nc3 Nbd7 19.Rb1 g6 20.b3

20...a6

It is imprecise for Black to play here 20...Bg7 21.Bb5!ƒ

383
 We already know that White would be happy with the line: 20...Ba6 21.f4 Bg7 22.Qd3 Bxc4
23.Nxc4²

21.Qd2 Bg7 22.Bb2² All the minor pieces are present on the board and White controls the important
c4-square, so he is better.

The variation 3...c5 4.f3 Qa5 is a frequent guest in the tournaments played in the Swiss system. There
arise very sharp positions and the players with a dynamic style hope to outplay their opponents in the
complicated lines of the Trompowsky Attack. Still, the objective analysis of the move 7.Bc1 shows that
Black has serious problems, which are not to everybody’s liking. On the contrary, White has a solid,
consistent and not so complicated plan, which includes the transfer of his rook on the second rank. This
is maybe the reason that the top-level players prefer for Black the more solid lines, which we have
analysed in our previous chapters.

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 Chapter 9
1.d4 f5 2.Bg5

Quick Repertoire

With this move, just like in the main lines of the Trompowsky Attack, White’s bishop is developed to
g5 with the idea to exchange the enemy knight on g8 after it goes to f6. In this moment however, the
exchange operation not only compromises Black’s pawn-structure but also weakens the entire complex
of squares around Black’s king. The development of White’s bishop often enables him to castle
queenside very quickly and also to prepare a breaking pawn-advance h4-h5-h6 on the flank, or to
accomplish rapidly the pawn-break in the centre e2-e4.

The straightforward development of Black’s knight to f6 helps White to realise the main idea of his
strategy. After 2...Nf6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 d5 5.c4,

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 Black is faced with a rather unpleasant choice: to allow the exchange of his central pawn, followed
by further ousting of his pieces from the d5-square, or to comply with coming under a positional bind
after 5...c6 6.Nc3 Be6 7.c5!? Black cannot cope with the enemy pawn on c5 due to some tactical
details in this position, while following 7...Nd7 8.b4 g6 9.Nge2 Bh6 10.g3 0-0 11.Bg2 Re8 12.h4,
White, having extra space, can develop a successful offensive on both sides of the board.
It would be logical for Black to avoid this unpleasant exchange. Still, it would be too risky for him to
try here 2...c5?!, since this would lead to a critical lag in development. White can simply take on c5 and
develop his pieces in the centre, or opt for the much more ambitious line: 3.Nc3!? cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6
5.Qh4 with a strong attack.

The chase after the bishop 2...h6 3.Bh4 g5 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bg3 d6

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 would weaken Black’s kingside even more and the g5-pawn would be immediately attacked by
White 6.h4 Rg8 (It is not preferable for Black to choose here 6...g4 7.h5.) 7.hxg5 hxg5 8.Nc3! Having
placed his bishop on c4 and castled queenside, White seizes the strategical initiative for long.
In the contemporary tournament practice, Black most often ignores the placement of the enemy
bishop on g5 and is trying after 2...g6 3.Nc3 Bg7,

to transpose to the main lines of the Leningrad variation of the Dutch Defence. Now, however, it is
very strong for White to begin a flank attack 4.h4! h6 (It would be too risky for Black to play here
4...Nf6?! 5.h5.) 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.Qd3! d6 7.0-0-0 0-0 8.e4 fxe4 9.Nxe4 and White’s offensive develops
effortlessly.
It is quite deservedly that the move 2.Bg5 has occupied a basic place in the opening repertoire of
numerous famous grandmasters in the last years. It not only enables White to avoid the main lines of
the Dutch Defence set-ups, but also objectively promises an advantage for him in the arising
complicated positions.

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 Chapter 9
1.d4 f5 2.Bg5

Step by Step

The fans of the Dutch Defence are most often attracted by the universal move-order in the arising
positions. The Stonewall, the Leningrad variation, or even in the riskier tabii of the Ilyin-Genevsky
system, Black assumes that he would make numerous moves according to well-trodden paths.
Therefore, the development of the bishop on move 2 is not only objectively strong, but also has some
definite psychological value. It forces the opponent to solve immediately non-standard problems in his
main task – how to develop his pieces.

We will analyse in details now: A) 2...Nf6, B) 2...c5, C) 2...h6 and D) 2...g6.

Black has also tried in practice 2...d5 3.e3 c6 (3...Nf6 4.Bxf6 exf6 – see variation ”) 4.c4

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 About 4...Nf6 5.Bxf6 exf6 – see variation ”.
4...Qb6 5.Qc2 e6 6.Nc3 Nd7 7.Bd3 Ngf6 8.Nge2² Benjamin – De Fotis, USA 1990. White has
developed comfortably his pieces and plans to exploit the vulnerability of the dark squares in Black’s
camp.
After 4...Qa5+ 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.Bxf6 gxf6 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.Nd2! Bb4 10.Qh5‚, Black’s attempt
to hinder his opponent’s plans leads to a considerable lag in development for him.

The early development of White’s bishop might provoke Black to go hunting for the enemy pawn on
b2 with his queen. 2...c6 3.e3

3...Qb6 4.Nd2 Qxb2 5.Rb1 Qa3 (After 5...Qc3, Black’s queen will be attacked by White’s knight.
6.Bd3 d6 7.Ne2 Qa5 8.Nf4 g6 9.h4 e5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.h5 exf4, Hillarp Persson – Waddington, St

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Clement Bay 2017 and here, the simplest way for White to crush the enemy position would be the
penetration on the h-file: 12.hxg6 fxe3 13.fxe3 Bg7 (13...Qc7 14.Qh5+–) 14.Rxh7 Qc3 15.Qh5 Kf8
16.Ke2+–) 6.Bd3N (In Richard Pert’s book “Playing the Trompowsky”, Quality Chess 2013, a very
complicated line is recommended: 6.g4!? fxg4 7.Qxg4 Nf6 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Bd3 Qxa2 10.c4‚ Vaisser –
Narciso Dublan, Benasque 1997, or 8...exf6 9.Bd3 Kd8 10.Ne2 Qxa2 11.Qh5 b6, but White does not
need all these complications.) 6...d5 7.Nh3ƒ The appearance of White’s knight on f4 creates the
decisive threat of a check with the queen from the h5-square. Besides that, when the attacker has
protected his bishop on d3, he has the possibility to advance c2-c4. Black can defend with the help of
the move g7-g6, but then White organises a crushing attack by advancing his h-pawn.
Black will not live a calm life after the passive defence 3...g6 4.Nd2 Nh6 5.h4 Nf7 6.Bf4 d6 7.Bc4
d5 8.Bb3± Garcia Padron – Vallejo Pons, Oropesa del Mar 1996, or 4...Bg7 5.Ngf3 Nf6 6.Bd3 d5 7.c4
– in both lines White controls the dark squares in the centre and maintains a stable advantage.

The rather original, but seldom played move 2...Nc6 is tested regularly by grandmaster Alexander
Cherniaev. 3.e3 g6 4.Nd2 Bg7 5.c3 Nf6 6.h4 d6 7.Qb3 a6, Pert – Cherniaev, Hastings 2000

and here, it is very strong for White to continue with 8.h5! (Black made a horrible blunder in the
above-mentioned game 8.Bd3 e5 9.h5 h6?? 10.hxg6!+–, but naturally, he could have avoided that.)
8...Nxh5 9.Rxh5 gxh5 10.Nh3ƒ The standard exchange-sacrifice enabled White to seize firmly the
initiative. The h5-pawn will fall under the combined attack of his bishop and knight, while Black’s king
has been deprived of its castling rights.

2...d6 3.Nc3!? (Here, it is also very popular for White to play 3.e4!?, but why give up a pawn, if he
can prepare this central pawn-break?)

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 If Black does not counter his opponent’s plans 3...Nd7?! 4.e4 fxe4 5.Nxe4 Ngf6 6.Bd3 c6 (6...g6
7.h4ƒ Georghiou – T.Nielsen, Thessaloniki 1988) 7.Ng3 g6 8.h4±, he will soon face serious
difficulties.
After 3...Nf6 4.Bxf6 exf6 5.e3 d5 6.Bd3 g6 7.Qf3 c6 8.Nge2², White reaches a typical position,
moreover that with an extra tempo. He plans h2-h3 and g2-g4, breaking his opponent’s pawn-chain and
attacking his weaknesses.
It would be principled for Black to clarify immediately the intentions of the enemy bishop with the
move 3...h6, but White can counter that with the witty move 4.Bf4!? (The position would be
completely unclear after 4.Bd2 Nf6 5.e4 e5! 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.exf5 Nb4 9.Nf3 Nxd3+
10.cxd3 Qxd3 11.Nxe5 Qxf5 12.0-0 Be7 13.Re1 0-0÷) 4...g5 (4...Nf6 5.e4 e6 6.Bd3²), and only now,
after the weakening enemy pawn-move, the bishop retreats far back 5.Bd2N 5...Bg7 (Or 5...Nf6 6.e4
Bg7 7.e5 dxe5 8.dxe5 Ng4 9.Nf3 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 Bxe5 11.Bc4© and after White places his queen on e2
and castles queenside, he will organise a very strong attack.) 6.e4

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 White obtains excellent compensation after 6...Bxd4 7.Qh5+ Kf8 8.exf5. Now, Black would lose a
piece after 8...Bxf5? 9.Qf3 e6 10.g4, while following 8...Nf6 9.Qh3 g4 10.Qh4 Bxf5 11.0-0-0 Nc6
12.Nge2 Be5 13.Ng3 Bg6 14.f4 gxf3 15.gxf3ƒ, White will be threatening to advance his f-pawn,
followed by the joining into the attack of his bishop and rook. He can also restore the material balance
at some moment by capturing the enemy pawn on h6.
6...fxe4 7.Bc4 e6 (After 7...Nf6 8.Nxe4! e6 9.Nxf6+ Qxf6 10.c3², White maintains stable pressure
and has a clear-cut plan to attack the weak enemy e6-pawn.) 8.Nxe4

Here, Black should better refrain from 8...Nc6 9.Qh5+ Kf8 10.Qf3+ Nf6 11.c3² – his king has lost
its castling rights.
He has another more purposeful move – 8...Qe7, threatening to win a piece with d6-d5. There might
follow 9.Bd3 Bxd4 10.c3 Bg7 11.h4 gxh4!? (After 11...d5 12.Ng3, White’s knight is helped to occupy

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an attacking position, while the line:11...g4 12.Qxg4 Nc6 13.Nf3 Bd7 14.Qg6+ Qf7 15.Qxf7+ Kxf7
16.h5 Nf6 17.Ng3², provides a stable edge for White due to his control over the weak g6-square.)
12.Qh5+ Kd8 13.Nf3 Nf6 14.Nxf6 Qxf6 15.Nxh4 (The endgame after 15.Qxh4!?, seems better for
White, since after the inclusion of his rook on a1 into the actions Black’s h6-pawn will fall, but he will
develop in the meantime his pieces.) 15...Bd7 16.Ng6 Be8 17.Qg4 Bxg6 18.Bxg6 Nd7 19.Bc2 Ne5
20.Qe2 c6 21.0-0-0 Kc7 22.Rh5ƒ Here, White can combine the attack against the enemy king, stranded
in the centre, with threats against his weak h6-pawn. All this provides him with excellent compensation
for his minimal material deficit.

A) 2...Nf6 3.Bxf6

3...exf6

It is not good for Black to capture with the other pawn: 3...gxf6? 4.e4± Black’s knight-move has
enabled White to realise the main idea of the variation – Black’s pawn-structure is far from being ideal
and he will have great problems later to mobilise his forces. White, having parted with the
“Trompowsky bishop”, preserves excellent attacking prospects.

4.e3

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 4...d5

4...g6 5.c4!?

Here, it would be too late for Black to play 5...d5?! and White obtains an advantage: 6.Nc3 dxc4
(6...Be6 7.Qb3 dxc4 8.Qxb7 Nd7 9.Qc6 Bd6 10.Bxc4 Bxc4 11.Qxc4±) 7.Bxc4 Bd6 8.h4±
5...Bg7 6.h4 h5 (6...d6 7.h5±) 7.Ne2±
5...Bb4+ 6.Nd2 0-0 7.a3 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2 d5 9.cxd5 Nd7 10.Ne2 Nb6 11.Nf4 Nxd5 12.Bc4 c6
13.h4±
Now, in all the lines, White realises one and a same idea. He transfers his knight to the f4-square and
advances his h-pawn, beginning an attack against the enemy g6-pawn. This is why it is more popular
for Black to play 4...d5, after which he is trying to transfer his bishop to f7 in order to protect his pawns

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and his second bishop goes to d6 to exchange the annoying enemy knight.

5.c4

5...c6

Black has played only seldom in practice 5...Be6 6.cxd5 Bxd5 (After 6...Qxd5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Nge2
Bf7, Postny – Gershon, Israel 2000, he is forced to lose tempi for the retreat of his queen. 9.a3 Bxc3+
10.Nxc3 Qd7 11.Qc2 0-0 12.Bd3 g6 13.h4²) 7.Nc3

7...Bf7?! 8.Qf3! Qc8 9.Bd3 g6 10.Nge2± Danielian – Yilmaz, Moscow 1992 (It is also possible for
White to play here 10.h4!?, but after his move with the knight his rook-pawn goes forward anyway).
7...Bb4 8.Nge2 0-0 9.a3 Bxc3+ 10.Nxc3 f4!? (10...c6 11.Qc2 Qd7 12.Bd3 g6 13.h4± after the

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exchange of the bishop on f8, Black has nothing to protect his pawn-weaknesses with...). Here, White
must play the accurate move 11.Qc2, creating the threat to capture on d5. 11...c6 12.Bd3 h6 (It would
be too risky for Black to opt for 12...Bxg2?! 13.Rg1 f3 14.Bxh7+ Kh8 15.0-0-0‚) 13.0-0 fxe3 14.fxe3
Nd7 15.Nxd5 cxd5 16.Rae1ƒ White’s queen will soon join into the attack against the weakened shelter
of the enemy monarch.

It would be more logical for Black to continue with 5...Bb4+ 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Qb3 Bxc3+

8.bxc3 (It also seems good for White to capture here with his queen, but from the b3-square his
strongest piece attacks the pawns on b7 and d5.) 8...Nc6 (The straightforward approach 8...dxc4?!
9.Bxc4+ Kh8 10.Ne2 c5 11.h4 cxd4 12.cxd4 g6 13.Nf4 Nc6 14.Rc1±, cannot be recommended to
Black, Moskalenko – Karlsson, Sitges 2009.) 9.cxd5 Na5 10.Qb5 b6, Fominyh – Guliev, Kazan 1995,
11.Ne2! a6 (11...Bb7 12.Nf4±) 12.Qb4 Qxd5 13.Nf4 Qf7 14.Bd3 g5 15.Ne2 Bb7 16.0-0² Black
cannot equalise due to his weak pawns and the misplaced knight on a5.

6.Nc3 Be6

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 7.c5!?
White has played more often in practice 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.Nge2 (9.h4!?, followed by
10.Nh3²) 9...g5 10.g3 Nc6 11.Bg2 0-0-0÷, but after White’s move seven with his c-pawn, Black is
deprived of the possibility to develop comfortably his bishop on f8 and his knight on c6. Meanwhile,
White is threatening to continue with a pawn-offensive on both side of the board.

7...b6
Black’s desire to exchange the pawn on c5 is quite logical.

7...g6 8.Bd3 Nd7 9.Nge2 Bh6 10.h4±

7...Nd7 8.b4N 8...g6 (8...b6 9.Nge2 Bf7 10.Nf4±) 9.Nge2 Bh6 10.g3 0-0 11.Bg2 Re8 12.h4±
Black’s position is very difficult. His bishops are restricted by the pawn-chains and he has no active
counterplay, while White is preparing a pawn-offensive on the queenside.

8.b4 a5 9.Na4!

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 9...Nd7

It is not good for Black to play here 9...axb4 10.Nxb6 Ra7 11.Bd3±

Following 9...b5 10.Nb6 Ra6 11.bxa5 Rxa5 12.a4 Na6 13.Qd2, Black cannot save the day even after
the witty response 13...Qxb6!? 14.cxb6 Bb4 15.Bd3 Bxd2+ 16.Kxd2 bxa4 17.Ne2 Ke7 18.Rhb1
(White has an alternative here – 18.Nc1 Kd6 19.b7 Rb8 20.Bxa6 Rxa6 21.Nd3 – Black will have to
give up an exchange on the b7-square and in this endgame White has good chances of breaking Black’s
defensive fortress.) 18...Rb8 19.Ra3! Bd7 20.Nc3 c5 21.Nxd5+ Kd6 22.Nf4± White has managed to
attack the enemy weaknesses just in time.

10.b5! cxb5 (Black’s attempt to hold the last defence with: 10...Qc7 11.bxc6 Qxc6 12.Rb1 bxc5
13.Bb5 Qc7 14.Ne2 c4 15.Nf4±, fails, because White wins plenty of material, since after the trade of
the minor pieces on e6 and d7, his knight on a4 creates a double-attack on the b6-square.) 11.Bxb5
bxc5 12.dxc5 Kf7 (It is important that the move 12...Rb8 is parried with 13.Ne2! and after 13...Rxb5
14.Nd4 Nxc5 15.Nхc5!, Black ends up an exchange down under most favourable circumstances for
White.) 13.Rc1 Rc8 14.c6 Ne5 (14...Bb4+ 15.Kf1 Ne5 16.Ne2 – see 14...Ne5) 15.Ne2 Bb4+ 16.Kf1
Qd6 17.Nd4± Both kings have lost their castling rights, but White supports with his minor pieces his
powerful passed c6-pawn and this makes his prospects in the forthcoming fight much better.

B) 2...c5?!

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 This move with the c-pawn does not contribute to Black’s development and is more than risky for
him. White has a very pleasant alternative. He can choose a reliable approach, or can try to punish
immediately his opponent with an interesting queen-sortie.
3.Nc3!?
White obtains an edge too after 3.dxc5 Na6 (Black cannot solve his problems with 3...Qa5+ 4.Nc3
Qxc5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.e4! fxe4 7.Nxe4 Qb4+ 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.a3!, here, he cannot capture on b2 9...Qхb2?,
because of the immediate loss of his queen 10.Na4!, or 8...Qxb2 9.Nb5 Rb8 10.Bd3 a6 11.Nc7+ Kd8
12.Nd5‚, Black will hardly survive the pressure of his opponent’s pieces with a king on d8.) 4.e4 fxe4
5.Nc3 (White is better too after 5.Bxa6!? bxa6 6.Nc3, but he does not need to allow the enemy bishop
to occupy the b7-square.) 5...Nxc5 6.Be3 Ne6 7.Nxe4 Nf6 8.Bd3² Miles – Meulders, Amsterdam
1978. White has realised everything that he could have dreamt about...

We can recommend to the chess-romantics to place here the knight on the c3-square!

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 3...cxd4

Black can insist here with the line: 3...Qb6 4.d5 Qxb2, but the chase after the b2-pawn cannot end up
well for Black’s queen 5.Bd2 Qb6 6.Rb1 Qd8 (6...Qg6 7.g3 Nf6 8.Bg2‚) 7.e4! e6 8.Bd3 g6 9.exf5
exf5 10.Nf3 Qe7+ 11.Be2 d6 12.0-0 h6 13.Re1 Kf7 14.Bc4+– Cordova – Rojas Barrero, Bogota 2012,
White wins numerous tempi in all the lines due to the tortured roaming of Black’s strongest piece.

It would be purposeful for Black to try here 3...h6 4.Bf4 cxd4, forcing White to cover the fourth rank,
but there is a tactical nuance, connected with the vulnerability of the light squares in the closest vicinity
of Black’s monarch 5.e3! Nf6 6.Be2N 6...Kf7 (The endgame is in favour of White after 6...Qb6
7.Qxd4 d6 8.Qxb6 axb6 9.0-0-0²) 7.exd4 e6 8.Nf3ƒ and White’s king is much safer than its
counterpart.

4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qh4N

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 5...g6

The appearance of White’s queen on the h4-square paralyses Black’s entire kingside and he has no
good alternatives. 5...d6 6.e4! fxe4 (The move 6...g6 leads to transposition of moves.) 7.Qxe4 Nf6
8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.0-0-0±

It would be interesting for Black to try 5...Qa5!? 6.0-0-0 e6, but he would not have sufficient time to
consolidate his position. 7.e3 Bb4 8.Nge2 Nge7 (After 8...d5 9.Qg3!?, Black’s knight fails to occupy
the e7-square.) 9.a3 Bc5 10.Kb1 Ng6 11.Qg3 0-0 12.Nc1, and the following line would be in favour of
White: 12...Be7 13.h4‚, while 12...Bxa3? 13.Nb3 Qb4 14.Nb5, loses a piece for Black.

6.e4

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 6...Bg7

He could have protected his pawn on f5 in advance with the move 6...d6, but then White’s bishop
would enter the fight with a great effect 7.Bc4 Bg7 8.Nge2 h6 9.Bd2 Nf6 10.Qg3 g5 (Black cannot
defend his weakened complex of squares after the exchange of his light-squared bishop: 10...Ne5
11.Bb3 fxe4 12.Nf4 g5 13.Ne6 Bxe6 14.Bxe6±). Black has managed to parry temporarily the enemy
bishop and queen, but that was only White’s fist attacking wave. 11.f4! Nxe4 12.Nxe4 fxe4 13.0-0-0
Qb6 (After 13...Bf5 14.fxg5 Qb6 15.Bb3 0-0-0 16.Rhf1 Be5 17.Bf4ƒ, Black cannot protect
simultaneously his bishop on f5 and the pawn on h6.) 14.Bc3 Bxc3 15.Nxc3 Bd7 16.Nxe4 0-0-0
17.fxg5 hxg5 18.Qxg5± Black’s king has succeeded in leaving the danger zone, but only at the price of
a pawn.

7.exf5

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 7...Qa5

The “King’s Indian” type of line: 7...Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qa5 9.Ne2 Qxf5 10.Nd4 Qa5 11.Bd2±, cannot
be good for Black under the circumstances, because the protection of his king is very feeble, having
lost one more defender.

8.Bd2 Qxf5 9.Bd3

9...Qc5

Black has regained his pawn, but the manoeuvres of his queen have only helped White’s
development 9...Qe5+ 10.Nge2 Nf6 11.0-0-0 0-0 12.Rhe1±

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 After 9...Qf6 10.Bg5 Qd4 11.Qхd4 Nхd4 12.h4 b6 13.0-0-0 Bb7 14.f3 Nf6 15.Nge2ƒ, Black has
remained with an inferior pawn-structure, while White will exchange the knight on d4 and will prepare
h4-h5.

10.Nf3 Nf6 11.0-0-0 0-0 12.Ng5 Ne5 13.Be3 Qa5 14.Rhe1±, with a clear advantage for White.

C) 2...h6
Black reacts aggressively against his opponent’s bishop-sortie. He wishes to develop his bishop on g7
with tempo and to occupy space on the kingside. The point is that his pawns cannot come back and his
pawn-chain will be soon attacked.
3.Bh4

3...g5

The rather awkward attempt 3...c5?!, with the idea to activate quickly the queen and to free the d8-
square for Black’s king, can be countered by White with the resolute response 4.e4! Qb6 (4...Qa5+?!
5.Nd2 g5? 6.Qh5+ Kd8 7.Bxg5+–) 5.exf5 Qxb2 6.Nd2 Qxd4 (6...Nc6 7.Rb1 Qxd4 8.Ngf3 Qg4 9.Bd3
Nb4, Hodgson – White, Monmouth 2004, 10.Ne4!‚ The placement of the queen on the g4-square is
detrimental to Black’s prospects.) 7.Ngf3 Qc3 8.Rb1 Nc6 9.Rb3 Qa5 10.Bc4±, with a great lead in
development for White and a forthcoming powerful attack, J.Cobb – Zeidler, Cardiff 1998.

Black tried once in the blitz game Aronian/Danielian – Carlsen/Сmilite, Moscow 2011 the move
3...Nf6?!, but the experiment of the World champion would be hardly repeated by somebody else...
After 4.Bхf6 eхf6 5.e3, the squares in the vicinity of Black’s king were catastrophically weakened and
White obtained effortlessly an overwhelming advantage.

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 4.e3 Nf6
White is threatening a checkmate, so Black cannot trap the enterprising bishop.
5.Bg3

5...d6

Following 5...e6 6.h4 g4 (6...Rg8 7.hхg5 hхg5 8.Nc3 d6 – see 5...d6) 7.h5 Nc6 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Nge2²
Bauer – Cherniaev, Martigny 2014, White is better due to his control over the g6-square.

5...Bg7 6.h4 g4. Black’s attempt to prevent the opening of the h-file would not equalise for him either
7.h5! d6 (7...0-0 8.Ne2 d6 9.Nf4 Qe8 10.Bc4+ e6 11.Nc3 Nc6 12.a3²) 8.Nc3 Be6. This move is
played with the idea after Bf7 to attack the h5-pawn (8...c6 9.Bd3 Qa5 10.Nge2 e5, Bareev –
Malaniuk, Moscow 1990, 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Bc4±). Naturally, White protects his pawn 9.Nge2 Bf7
10.Nf4 Qd7 and does not allow his opponent’s king to run away comfortably to the queenside. 11.Bb5!
c6 12.Ba4 Na6 (12...e5? 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.Ng6 Qxd1+ 15.Rxd1 Bxg6 16.hxg6 Nbd7 17.Bb3±) 13.Bb3
Bxb3 14.axb3² After the trade of the light-squared bishops Black’s position seems considerably less
attractive and the vulnerability of the c6-square hurts him.

6.h4

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 6...Rg8

Black’s main alternative here is 6...g4, but White would continue with 7.h5, taking control over a
complex of squares on the enemy kingside.

7...Be6 8.Ne2 Bf7 9.Nf4 Nc6 10.Bb5 a6 11.Ba4 Bg7 12.Bb3 d5 13.Nc3² Seirawan – M.Gurevich,
Durango 1992
7...e6, Hillarp Persson – Kuzubov, Douglas 2015, 8.Nc3 Qe7 9.Nge2 e5 10.Qd3! White’s queen is
eyeing the enemy f5-pawn and on his next move he will pin the knight on f6 with his bishop, while
following e5-e4, his strongest piece will be deployed very effectively on b5, or c4. For example:
10...Bg7 11.Bh4 Be6 12.0-0-0± and Black will have problems to find a useful move.
Following 7...Nc6 8.Nc3 Bg7, White has a good choice between a line, which has been tested in

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practice: 9.Bc4 e5, Sadilek – Galyas, Budapest 2012, 10.Bh4 Qd7 11.a3² and a new idea – 9.Nge2N
9...e5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nf4 c6 12.Qd2²
White’s play was very instructive in the following game 7...Bg7 8.Ne2 Be6 (8...Ne4 9.Bh4 c5 10.c3
Qb6 11.Qc2 cxd4 12.exd4 e5 13.f3 gxf3 14.gxf3 Nf6 15.Na3±; 8...e6 9.Nf4± Frendzas – Mastoras,
Komotini 1993) 9.Nf4 Bf7 10.Bb5+ Nc6 (10...Nbd7 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Bd3 e5 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.Ng6 e4
15.Bb5! Re8 16.Bxd7 Nxd7 17.Nd5±) 11.Qd3 Qd7 12.Nc3 a6 13.Ba4 0-0 14.0-0-0² In all the
variations, even if Black manages to advance e7-e5 and to develop successfully his pieces, he will be in
trouble due to the chronic weakness of his g6-square.

7.hxg5 hxg5

8.Nc3!

It is essential for White to keep the a6-square under control; otherwise, after 8.c4!?, Black’s knight
will be deployed there 8...Na6! 9.Nc3 c5, Urkedal – A.Vovk, Fagernes 2016, 10.d5 Qb6 11.Qc2 Bg7÷

8...e6 9.Qd2 Qe7 10.0-0-0

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 10...Nc6

10...a6 11.f3 Nc6 12.e4 f4 13.Bf2 Bd7, Bluebaum – Vallejo Pons, Berlin 2015. Now, White obtains
an advantage by undermining immediately the enemy pawn on f4: 14.Nge2 Bg7 (Castling queenside
would be premature for Black 14...0-0-0 15.d5 Ne5 16.Qd4! b6 17.Qb4‚) 15.g3 fxg3 16.Nxg3±

11.Bc4 Bd7

Black should better refrain from active actions while his king remains stranded in the centre: 11...a6
12.f3!? b5 13.Bd3 Bb7 14.e4ƒ

12.d5 exd5

12...Na5 13.Be2 b6 14.Ba6±, or 12...Ne5 13.Bxe5 dxe5 14.Nf3 e4 15.Ne5±

13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Bxd5 Rg6, Volkov – Semsecen, Lund 2017.

Here, White could have obtained an edge ensuring the promising h4-square for his dark-squared
bishop with the move
15.f4!

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 15...Bg7
After 15...0-0-0, White wins the exchange 16.fxg5 Qxg5 17.Bh4 Qh6 18.Nf3 Re8 19.Bf7 Qg7
20.Bxe8 Bxe8 21.Qd5 Bd7 22.Be1!±, followed by Bc3.

Black will be punished if he is greedy 15...gxf4 16.Bh4 fxe3 17.Qe2 Qg7 (17...Qe5? 18.Nf3 Qf4
19.g3 Qh6 20.Bg5±) 18.Qxe3+. Here, the tactical trick 18...Be6 (hoping for 19.Bxe6?! Qh6!) can be
countered by White with 19.Nf3 Kd7 20.Bxc6+ bxc6 21.Ne5+ Kc8 22.Nxg6 Qxg6 23.Be1ƒ and
Black’s king would be endangered, while after 18...Ne5 19.Bxb7 Rb8 20.Qxa7 Nc6 21.Qa6, White
would already have a material advantage and Black would not be able to play 21...Nb4, in view of
22.Qa5 and White’s bishop on b7 would be untouchable. Therefore, Black should better develop his
bishop on the long diagonal.

16.fxg5 Qxg5 17.Bh4 Qh6. Black uses witty geometry to place his queen near his bishop (After
17...Qg4 18.Ne2 Rh6 19.g3 Ne5 20.Nf4ƒ, White’s play would be much easier.). 18.Ne2 Qh8 (The
premature move 18...Rg4? can be refuted by White in the following fashion: 19.Bd8! Bxb2+ 20.Kb1!
Qg7 21.Bxc7 Be5 22.Nf4 Rc8 23.Bxd6 Bxd6 24.Bf3 Bxf4? 25.Rh8+!; 24...Rxf4 25.exf4 Bf8 26.Rh8‚
with very serious threats.) 19.Nc3 Rh6 (White would be better after 19...Bxc3 20.bxc3 Be6 21.e4, but
if Black is stubborn, the consequences might be much more unpleasant for him.) 20.g3 Bf6 21.Nb5 0-
0-0 (The b2-pawn is poisoned: 21...Bxb2+? 22.Kb1 Rc8 23.c3+–) 22.Bxf6 Qxf6 23.Bxc6 bxc6 (In the
variation 23...Bxc6 24.Nxa7+ Kd7 25.Nxc6 Rxh1 26.Rxh1 Kxc6 27.Qg2±, White ends up with an
extra pawn.) 24.Nxa7+! Kb7 25.Qb4+ Ka8. Accepting the knight-sacrifice would lead to a checkmate
for Black, after White’s rook joins into the actions 25...Kxa7 26.Rd3+–, but even in this line Black’s
position could not be envied... 26.Rhe1 Rb8 27.Qa3+–

D) 2...g6
Black plans simply to develop his kingside ignoring the challenging placement of the enemy bishop,

409
but this is a hard task to accomplish.
3.Nc3

3...Bg7

About 3...Nh6 4.h4!? Nf7 5.Qd2 Bg7 6.Nf3 – see 3...Bg7.

It is bad for Black to play here 3...d5?!, setting White’s hands free for active operations 4.Qd2 Bg7
5.f3

5...c6 6.0-0-0 h6 (Without this move, White will continue in his standard way 6...Nf6 7.Nh3 0-0
8.Nf4 Qd6 9.h4 Nbd7 10.h5 e5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.hxg6 hxg6 13.Kb1 Bd7 14.e4 fxe4 15.fxe4ƒ) 7.Bf4
Nf6 8.h4! Nbd7 (8...Be6. The transfer of the bishop to the f7-square cannot solve all the problems for
Black. 9.e3 Nbd7 10.Nh3 Bf7 11.Nf2 b5 12.g4! fxg4 13.fxg4 Nb6 14.b3 Nfd7 15.Nd3²) 9.Nh3! a5

410
10.Bh2 a4 11.a3 b5 12.Nf4±, the appearance of White’s knight on f4 guarantees a clear advantage for
him.
After Black’s alternatives, White continues with his standard kingside offensive:
5...Nc6 6.e3 a6 (6...Be6 7.Bb5 Nf6 8.Nge2 Bf7 9.Na4 Nd7 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.Qc3± Sanikidze –
Bartel, Minsk 2017) 7.0-0-0 h6 8.Bf4 Nf6 9.h3 Be6 10.g4± Shishkin – Lannaioli, Email 2006;
Or 5...Nf6 6.Nh3 Be6 7.0-0-0 Nbd7 8.Bh6 0-0 9.Bxg7 Kxg7 10.Nf4 Bf7 11.h3! (The move 11.h4
Kempinski – Krasenkow, Warsaw 1997, can be countered by Black with 11...h5! and his position is
solid enough: 12.g4 fxg4 13.fxg4 Nxg4 14.e4 dxe4 15.Nxe4 e5÷ It deserves attention for White to
play here 12.e4!? fxe4 13.Qe3, but after 13...c5!?, there begin absolutely irrational complications,
which might not be to everybody’s liking.) 11...e5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.g4ƒ

4.h4!

4...h6

It is already impossible for Black not to pay attention to the advance of the enemy rook-pawn:
4...Nf6?! 5.h5!, with dangerous pressure for White.

411
 It is obviously bad for Black to play here 5...Nxh5, because of 6.Rxh5! gxh5 7.e3 0-0 8.Bc4+ Kh8
9.Qxh5±
5...d5 6.e3 Be6 7.h6 Bf8, Lysyj – P.Potapov, Minsk 2017. The bishop on f8 obviously does not
beautify Black’s position. 8.Qd2 Bf7 9.0-0-0 e6 10.f3 Be7 (The move 10...Bb4 would not slow down
White’s attack. 11.Nh3 Nbd7 12.a3 Be7 13.e4±) 11.Nh3 0-0 12.e4 fxe4 13.fxe4 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 dxe4
15.Bc4±
White has excellent possibilities to maintain his initiative against the enemy king after 5...d6 6.h6 Bf8
7.Qd2!? e6 8.e4 fxe4 9.Bxf6 Qxf6 10.Nxe4 Qd8 11.0-0-0 Be7 12.Nf3 0-0 13.Kb1±

The “Indian” knight-sortie does not enjoy good reputation 4...Nc6?! 5.d5 Ne5 6.e4!

6...fxe4 (6...d6 7.exf5 Bxf5 8.Nge2 c5 9.Ng3 Bd7 10.a4ƒ) 7.Nxe4 Nf6 (White’s attack runs easier

412
after 7...d6 8.Qd2 c6 9.0-0-0!? Qb6 10.Re1 Bf5 11.Be3 c5 12.Ng3 Bd7 13.c3ƒ) 8.d6! c6 (8...0-0
9.Nxf6+ Bxf6 10.Qd2! cxd6 11.f4 Nc6 12.c3ƒ White has sacrificed a pawn and will soon concentrate
all his forces against the enemy king shelter.) 9.Nxf6+ exf6 10.Be3 Qa5+ 11.c3‚ and White’s brave
d6-pawn paralyses Black’s entire flank.

4...Nh6?! The transfer of the knight to the f7-square enables White to advance easily e2-e4. 5.Qd2
Nf7 6.Nf3 d6 (6...Nxg5 7.hxg5±) 7.0-0-0 h6 8.Bf4 Nc6 9.e4 0-0 10.Bd3‚

The move 4...d5 is again very risky for Black. 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 Nd7 7.h5!

After 7...Qb6, Knezevic – Poluljahov, Anapa 1991, White has the powerful argument: 8.Na4 Qa5+
9.c3 b5 (9...e5 10.h6 Bf6 11.Bxf6 Ngxf6 12.dxe5 Ng4 13.Qd4±) 10.Nc5 Nxc5 11.dxc5 b4 12.h6! Bf6
(12...bxc3? 13.hxg7 cxb2+ 14.Nd2+–) 13.Bxf6 Nxf6 14.a3! bxc3 15.b4 Qc7 16.Qd4² He captures the
c3-pawn and obtains an edge thanks to his complete control over the dark squares.
Following 7...Nh6, White can accomplish an important transfer of his knight. 8.Ne2! Nf7 9.Nf4
Nxg5 (9...Nf8 10.Bh4 Bh6 11.Bg3 g5 12.Nd3²) 10.Nxg5 Nf8 11.Nf3 Qb6 12.Nd3 Be6 13.a4² His
knight is perfectly placed on d3 and is eyeing the c5 and e5-squares.
7...h6. Black’s attempt to oust the enemy bishop from the g5-square is refuted by White with a piece-
sacrifice. 8.hxg6 hxg5 9.Rxh8 Bxh8 10.Nxg5 Bf6 (10...Ndf6? 11.Nf7+–; 10...e5? 11.g7! Kindermann
– Thomann, Zuerich 1981) 11.Ne6 Qb6. Now, Black’s queen suddenly gets trapped: 12.a3! a6
(12...Nf8 13.Na4 Qa5+ 14.b4 Qxa4 15.Nc5+–) 13.Na4 Qa5+ 14.c3 Nf8 15.b4 Qxa4 16.Qxa4 Bxe6
17.b5± Black will have to capture the pawn on g6, but in the meantime White manages to break on the
queenside.

5.Bf4

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 We will analyse now: D1) 5...d6 and D2) 5...Nf6.

D1) 5...d6 6.e4 Nc6

6...fxe4. This is an attempt by Black to challenge the opponent with a counter strike in the centre
7.Nxe4 Nc6 8.c3 e5 9.dxe5 Qe7 (9...Nxe5 10.Bxe5 Bxe5 11.Nf3 Bf5 12.Bd3 Qe7 13.Qa4+ Bd7
14.Qa5!ƒ) 10.Nf3 Bd7 (10...Bf5?! 11.Qa4! 0-0-0 12.0-0-0 Nxe5 13.Ng3±) 11.Bb5 0-0-0 12.0-0 dxe5
(Black fails to avoid the appearance of an isolated pawn in his position: 12...Nxe5?! 13.Bxd7+ Rxd7
14.Bxe5 Bxe5 15.Re1±) 13.Be3²

6...Nf6 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.exf5 gxf5 (Following 8...Bxf5 9.Bxf5 gxf5, the e6-square is seriously weakened
and White’s knight is immediately headed there: 10.d5 Ne5 11.Nge2 Qd7 12.Nd4 c6 13.Ne6 Kf7
14.Nxg7 Kxg7 15.Qd4 c5 16.Qe3 Ng6 17.0-0-0ƒ) 9.Nf3 0-0 10.Qd2 Ng4 11.Bc4+ e6 12.0-0-0²

7.exf5!

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 7...gxf5

7...Nxd4 8.fxg6 e5 9.Be3 Ne7 10.h5!? c5 (10...c6 11.Qd2 d5 12.0-0-0 Ne6 13.Qe1 Qc7 14.Nf3. It
would be too risky for Black to try to win a piece here: 14...d4 15.Ne4 dxe3 16.Nd6+ Kf8 17.Qxe3
Nd5 18.Qa3 Qe7 19.c4 Ndc7 20.Qe3. White wishes to occupy the f7-square with one of his knights
and to capture on e5 with his other knight, so after 20...Ng5 21.Nxg5 Qxg5 22.Qxg5 hxg5 23.Nf7 Bg4
24.Nxh8 Bxd1 25.Nf7 Bg4 26.h6 Bf6 27.h7±, he regains the material with an interest.) 11.Qd2

After 11...d5 12.0-0-0 Bf5 13.Bd3 Be6 14.Nge2 Nec6 15.Rhe1 Qe7 16.Na4 0-0-0 (16...b5 17.Nxd4
Nxd4 18.Bxd4 cxd4 19.Bxb5+–) 17.c3±, White ousts the enemy knight away from the centre.
11...Be6 12.Bb5+ Nxb5 13.Nxb5 Nf5 14.0-0-0 Nd4 15.Nc3 Qa5 16.a3 0-0-0 17.Nge2 d5. White’s
advantage is so great that he can sacrifice his knight: 18.Nxd4 cxd4 19.Ne2 Qb6 (There can arise an

415
endgame with an equal number of pieces after 19...Qxd2+ 20.Bxd2 Rhf8 21.f3 Kd7 22.Bb4± and the
evaluation of the position is determined by White’s protected extra passed pawn on g6.) 20.Nxd4 exd4
21.Bxd4 Bxd4 22.Qxd4 Qxd4 23.Rxd4² White has three pawns for the piece and his kingside pawn-
mass is ready to advance, so Black must fight for a draw.

7...Bxf5 8.g4

The retreat of Black’s bishop 8...Bd7 9.Bd3 Nxd4 (9...Kf7 10.h5‚) enables White to capture an
important pawn and to continue his offensive 10.Bxg6+ Kf8 11.Be3 Nc6 (After 11...c5, it is essential
for White to play 12.Ne4!, preventing the advance of the enemy e-pawn.) 12.g5 Ne5 (12...hxg5
13.Qf3+ Nf6 14.hxg5 Ne5 15.Rxh8+ Bxh8 16.Qh1 Nxg6 17.gxf6 Bxf6 18.0-0-0 Bf5 19.Nge2‚, with
a powerful attack for the minimal material sacrifice.) 13.Be4 hxg5 14.hxg5 Rxh1 15.Bxh1 c6 16.Bd4ƒ
8...e5 9.gxf5 exf4 10.Qe2+ Nge7 (Trading the queens is also bad for Black: 10...Qe7 11.Nd5 Qxe2+
12.Nxe2 f3 13.Nef4 0-0-0 14.fxg6+–) 11.Nf3 Nxd4 (He should better refrain from 11...gxf5 12.0-0-0
Qd7 13.Rg1 Rg8 14.Nd5 0-0-0 15.Rxg7 Rxg7 16.Nf6+–) 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.fxg6 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 0-0
15.0-0-0 Nc6. Now, White must follow with several very precise moves: 16.Bg2 Ne5 17.Bxb7 Rb8
18.Bd5+ Kg7 19.h5 c6 20.Bb3 Qa5 21.Qd2 Qa3+ 22.Kb1 a5 and Black’s threats can be parried by the
accurate response 23.Qd4 Rb7 24.Ka1±

8.Nf3

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 8...Nf6

After 8...e6, White begins to exert pressure on the e-file. 9.Bc4 Nge7 (The move 9...Qf6 can be
countered by White with 10.Nb5 Qe7 11.0-0 Nf6 12.Re1ƒ) 10.Qd2 Na5 (Black fails to oust the enemy
pieces from their attacking positions: 10...Ng6 11.Bg3 0-0 12.h5 f4 13.hxg6 fxg3 14.fxg3 Qf6 15.Rh4
Qxg6 16.Ne2 Bd7 17.0-0-0‚ and White’s attack is runnung effortlessly.) 11.Bd3 a6 12.0-0-0 b5
13.Rde1 Qd7. Here, White has numerous attractive alternatives, but his most energetic line is: 14.d5! e5
15.Nxe5 dxe5 16.Bxe5 Bxe5 (After 16...0-0, Black’s king fails to run away 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.g4! fxg4
19.Re6!; 18...Nc4 19.Bxc4 bxc4 20.Re6 Ng8 21.Rg1 Kh7 22.gxf5 Qd8 23.Rxg8 Bxe6 24.Rxf8 Qxf8
25.fxe6± White has three pawns for the exchange and a safer king, so he preserves very good winning
chances.) 17.Rxe5 Qd6 18.Rhe1 Rh7 19.g4‚ and he collects a third pawn for the piece and continues
with his dangerous attack.

9.Bc4

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 9...a6
The inclusion of pawn-moves on the queenside forces White to castle queenside.

Black’s immediate attempt 9...e6 10.Qe2 Qe7 11.0-0-0 0-0 12.Rhe1, hoping for the tactical trick
12...Ne4!? 13.Nxe4? fxe4 14.Qxe4 d5, can be refuted by White with 13.Qe3 Qf6 14.g3 Bd7 15.Bb3
and Black’s knight fails to preserve his excellent position. 15...Nxc3 16.Qxc3±

10.a4 e6

It would be more or less the same after 10...Nh5 11.Bh2.

11.Qe2 Qe7 12.0-0 Nh5

The penetration of Black’s knight to e4 is again harmless for White: 12...0-0 13.Rfe1 Ne4 14.Rad1
Nb4 15.Bb3 Qf6 16.Bh2 and Black’s cavalry is ousted away from the centre.

13.Bh2 Bd7

13...Nxd4? 14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.Qxh5+–

13...0-0 14.Rfe1 Re8 15.d5ƒ

14.Rfe1 0-0-0

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 It is logical to try to remove Black’s king to the queenside, but a pawn-target would lead to its
demise. 15.Bxa6! Nxd4 (After 15...bxa6 16.Qxa6+ Kb8 17.Nd5 Qf7 18.Ra3+–, it is not preferable for
Black to choose here 15...Rdg8 16.Qb5 bxa6 17.Qxa6+ Kd8 18.Qa8+ Bc8 19.Qxc6+–) 16.Nxd4 Bxd4
17.Qf3 c6 18.Nb5 Be5 (White’s attack is successful in all the lines: 18...Bc5 19.b4 Bxb4 20.Reb1 bxa6
21.Rxb4 e5 22.Na7+ Kc7 23.Rab1 Rb8 24.Qc3+–) 19.Rxe5! dxe5 (Following 19...bxa6 20.Rxf5!,
Black is forced to part with his queen; otherwise, he would be checkmated: 20...axb5 21.Rf7 Qe8
22.axb5+–) 20.Bxe5 bxa6 21.Nd6+–

D2) 5...Nf6
Black defends against e2-e4.

6.Qd3!

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 This is a strong move. White’s queen not only prepares the pawn-advance e2-e4, but can also be
transferred to g3 in order to attack the weak enemy g6-pawn.
6...d6 7.0-0-0 0-0

In the variation 7...Nc6, the seemingly attractive move 8.Qg3?! can be countered by Black with 8...0-
0! 9.Qxg6 Ng4, but White can play much simpler 8.Nf3 0-0 9.e4 fхe4 10.Nхe4ƒ Now, in comparison
to the main line, the inclusion of the moves Nc6 and Nf3 should be in favour of White.

8.e4 fxe4 9.Nxe4

9...Ng4?!
This knight-sortie to the g4-square has been encountered in grandmaster games, but objectively it is
not good, although White must counter it with a precise play.
It is also not so good for Black to opt here for 9...Nh5 10.Be3 Bf5 11.Qb3+ Kh8 12.Nc3 Qc8
13.Be2ƒ, or 9...Qe8 10.Qc4+ Kh8 11.Nxf6 Rxf6 12.Bg3 c6 13.h5 g5 14.Bd3ƒ
White’s offensive develops effortlessly after 9...Bf5 10.Nxf6+ Rxf6 11.Qd2 Qf8 12.Bc4+ e6 13.Be3
and here, even the absolutely inhuman recommendation of the computer – 13...c5!? cannot change the
evaluation of the position: 14.dxc5 d5 15.Be2 h5!? 16.Nf3 Nd7 17.Kb1 Nхc5 18.Nd4², with an
excellent game on the weakened dark squares in Black’s camp.
9...Nc6 10.Nxf6+ Rxf6 11.Qd2 Qf8 12.Bc4+ Kh8 (12...e6?! 13.Ne2±) 13.Be3 e5 14.d5 Ne7 15.f3
Nf5 16.Bf2 Bd7 17.h5 g5 18.Ne2², with a stable edge for White.
It is possible that the best move for Black is one which has not been tried in practice yet 9...Nd5,
meanwhile after 10.Bd2 Nc6 (The pin of the knight is harmless for White: 10...Bf5 11.f3 Nc6 12.g4.)
11.c3 Qe8 (11...Bf5 12.f3) 12.Nf3 Bf5 13.Qc2 Qf7 14.Bd3², White maintains an edge anyway.

10.Qg3 Qe8 11.Bc4+ Kh8

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 This position was tested in the game Yu Yangui – Esserman, Gibraltar 2017 and it is quite easy to
find an important improvement in a careful home analysis.
12.f3 e5
After the retreat 12...Nf6, White’s attack develops effortlessly: 13.Nхf6 Rхf6 14.Ne2 Nc6 15.d5‚

13.Bg5! Bf5 14.Re1! Qc6

This is Black’s last practical chance – to create counter threats. He fails to trade the active enemy
pieces. 14...Bxe4 15.Rxe4 Nf6 16.Bxf6 Rxf6 (16...Bxf6 17.Rg4‚) 17.Nh3‚, or 14...exd4 15.Nxd6
Qc6 16.fxg4 cxd6 17.gxf5 Qxc4 18.f6 Bxf6 19.Bxh6 d3 20.Qxd3 Qxd3 21.cxd3±, with a solid extra
pawn for White.

15.Bb3 a5 16.a4 Bxe4 17.h5!

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 17...Bd5 (17...Bxc2 18.Bxc2 exd4 19.fxg4 Na6 20.Kb1 and Black cannot capture the enemy bishop,
because of 20...hxg5 21.hxg6+ Kg8 22.Rh8+! Bxh8 23.Qh3 with a checkmate; otherwise, White will
simply capture the pawn on g6.) 18.Bxd5 Qxd5 19.hxg6 Kg8 20.Qxg4 hxg5. Black has even won a
piece, but his rather brittle defensive construction crumbles after the transfer of White’s knight to the
f5-square. 21.Ne2 Re8 (21...Nc6 22.Nc3 Qxd4?? (22...Qc4 23.b3+–) 23.Qe6+ Rf7 24.Qxf7#) 22.Ng3
Qe6 23.Nf5 Qxg6 24.Rh5 Bf6 25.Reh1 Nd7 26.Rh6 Qf7 27.Kb1 (27.f4+–) 27...Nf8 28.Qxg5!+–

After 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5, White does not need to care what his opponent has in mind – the “Stonewall”,
the Leningrad variation, or some other seldom played lines like for example the Ilyin-Zhenevsky
variation. The Trompowsky bishop impedes Black’s harmonious development in the Dutch Defence as
well, which confirms once again the purposefulness of the move Bg5.

422
 Index of Variations

Chapter 1 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5

various 9
A) 2...b6 3.Nd2 12
B) 2...d6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 24
3.Bxf6 gxf6 4.e3 25
C) 2...c6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.c4 28
C1) 3.Bxf6 gxf6 4.e3 d5 5.c4 29
C2) 4.e3 Qb6 5.Qc1 32

Chapter 2 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3

A) 4...d5 5.c436
B) 4...f5 5.g3 40
C) 4...Bg7 5.g342

Chapter 3 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.Bxf6

A) 3...gxf6 4.d5 various 50
A1) 4.d5 f5 5.c4 51
A2) 4.d5 Qb6 5.Qc1 56
B1) 3...exf6 4.c3 68
B2) 4.e3 73

Chapter 4 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4

A) 3...Be7 4.e5 82
B) 3...d5 4.e5 85
C1) 3...d6 4.Nc3 h6 5.Be3 87
C2) 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Nf3 90
D) 3...c5 4.d5 various 92
D1) 4.d5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.Nc3 93
D2) 4.d5 d6 5.Nc3 96
D3) 4.d5 Qb6 5.Nc3 100
E1) 3...h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.c3 d6 6.Bc4 103
E2) 5.c3 c5 6.Nf3 105
E3) 5.c3 b6 6.Bd3 110
E4) 5.c3 e5 6.Bc4 112
E5) 5.c3 Nc6 6.Bc4 114
E6) 5.c3 Qd8 6.Bd3 114
E7) 5.c3 d5 6.Bd3 115

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Chapter 5 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6
A) 3...exf6 4.e3 various 122
A1) 4.e3 Bf5 5.Bd3 124
A2) 4.e3 c6 5.c4 126
A3) 4.e3 Be6 5.Nd2 128
A4) 4.e3 Bd6 5.c4 130
B1) 3...gxf6 4.e3 e6 5.c4 133
B2) 4.e3 e5 5.Nf3 135
B3) 4.e3 Bf5 5.Ne2 136
B4) 4.e3 c6 5.c4 137
B5) 4.e3 c5 5.dxc5 142

Chapter 6 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4

various 151
A) 3...d6 4.Nd2
A1) 4...Nxd2 5.Qxd2 155
A2) 4...Bf5 5.Nxe4 156
A3) 4...Nf6 5.e4 158
B1) 3...e6 4.f3 Nf6 5.e4 160
B2) 4.f3 Bb4+ 5.c3 162
B3) 4.f3 Bd6 5.Bxd6 Nxd6 6.e4 163
C1) 3...g6 4.f3 Nf6 5.e4 d6 6.Nc3 165
C2) 5.e4 d5 6.Nc3 167

Chapter 7 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3

various 174
A) 4...g6 5.Bd3 175
B) 4...Nd7 5.Bd3 177
C1) 4...Bf5 5.f3 Nd6 6.h4 179
C2) 5.f3 Nf6 6.g4 181
D) 4...e6 5.Bd3 various 184
D1) 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Nf3 185
D2) 5.Bd3 c5 6.Bxe4 188
D3) 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.Ne2 189
E) 4...c6 5.Bd3 192
F1) 4...c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Bxe4 195
F2) 5.Bd3 Qb6 6.Bxe4 198
F3) 5.Bd3 cxd4 6.Bxe4 200
F4) 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Nc3 205

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Chapter 8 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3
A) 4...Nf6 5.dxc5 various 213
A1) 5.dxc5 Na6 6.e4 214
A2) 5.dxc5 e5 6.Bxe5 216
A3) 5.dxc5 Qa5+ 6.Qd2 217
A4) 5.dxc5 b6 6.e4 221
B) 4...Qa5+ 5.c3 Nf6 6.d5 various 224
B1) 6.d5 e6 7.e4 224
B2) 6.d5 d6 7.e4 227
B3) 6.d5 Qb6 7.Bc1 229

Chapter 9 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5

various 240
A) 2...Nf6 3.Bxf6 243
B) 2...c5 3.Nc3 246
C) 2...h6 3.Bh4 249
D) 2...g6 3.Nc3 253

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Table of Contents
Key To Symbols Used 4
Preface 5
Chapter 1 - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 (Quick Repertoire) 7
Chapter 1 - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5(Step By Step) 10
Chapter 2 - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 (Quick Repertoire) 52
Chapter 2 - 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 g6 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 (Step By Step) 54
Chapter 3 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.Bxf6 (Quick Repertoire) 70
Chapter 3 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.Bxf6 (Step by Step) 77
Chapter 4 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 (Quick Repertoire) 127
Chapter 4 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 (Step By Step) 131
Chapter 5 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 (Quick Repertoire) 191
Chapter 5 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 (Step By Step) 195
Chapter 6 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 (Quick Repertoire) 239
Chapter 6 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 (Step By Step) 243
Chapter 7 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 (Quick Repertoire) 276
Chapter 7 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 (Step By Step) 280
Chapter 8 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3 (Quick Repertoire) 336
Chapter 8 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3 (Step By Step) 341
Chapter 9 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 (Quick Repertoire) 385
Chapter 9 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 (Step By Step) 388
Index Of Variations 423

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