12. ♘e5 ♘xe5 13. ♗xa8 shows the tactical justification for 11...b6, as Black now has the incredibly strong move 13... ♗f5=/+ hitting the rook on b1 and threatening Qxa8 and then Bh3. Black regains material with interest and is already better.
12. ♘g5 ♗b7 13. d5 ♘a5 14. e4 h6 15. ♘f3 then either 15... e6 or the less concrete ( 15... ♖c8 lead to very double-edged positions which should be very playable for
Black. 16. ♗b2 ♗xb2 17. ♖xb2 ♕d6∞ ) 16.♗a3 ♖e8 17. d6 ♕d7∞ ( 17... ♘c4 18. d7 ♘xa3 19. dxe8=Q+
♕xe820. ♖b3 ♘c4=/∞ )
12. ♘d2 ♗b7 13. e3 ♘a5 14. ♗xb7 ♘xb7 15. ♗a3 ♕d7=
12. ♗a3 is a quiet move Black can meet with 12... ♗e6 because a pawn is no longer hanging on b7. He again wants to play something like Rc8 and Qd7, when Black should be very
comfortable. 13. ♖c1 ♖c8 ( 13... ♗d514. e3 ♕d7 15. ♖e1+/= ) 14. e3 ♗xa2 ( 14... ♕d7 15. ♘g5+/= ) 15.♘g5 ( 15. ♕e2 ♗e6 16. ♘g5 ♗d5 17. ♕b5 ♗xg2 18. ♔xg2 ♕e8= )15... ♘a5 16. ♖xc8 ♕xc8 17. ♗x e7 ♖e8 18. ♗b4 ♗c4 19. ♖e1 ♕f520. ♘f3 ♕b5∞
12. e3 gives Black additional possibilities, for instance playing 12... ♗f5first.
12... ♗f5 This is Black's point. You don't want to allow e2-e4 without putting up some resistance. The rook is now hanging so White has a choice.
13. ♖b5
13. ♖b2 This isn't an exchange sacrifice Black should even seriously contemplate. I personally prefer
a) 13... ♘e5 14. ♘xe5 ( 14. ♘d4 ♘d3 ) 14... ♗xe5 15. e4 ♗d7The machine insists Black is very much alive and well in the position after this additional trade, but I'm not sure Black needs to trade off the knights. 16. ♖b1 ♖c8∞
b) 13... ♘a5⁉ is what Ruslan played here. 14. ♘d4 ♗d7 15. ♕d3 (15. ♖b1 may be the best White has, which would transpose to the game between myself and
Ruslan.) 15... ♖c8 16. ♖b1 ( 16. ♖c2♖xc2 17. ♘xc2 ♕c7 18. ♗a3 ♖c8 ) 16... ♕c7 17. ♘b5
♗xb5 18.♕xb5 ♕c4=
13. ♖b3 ♘a5 14. ♖b4 White's plan here is to transfer the knight to c6. If he succeeds it would give him a big advantage, but I don't think it's very likely to happen. 14... ♖c8 15. ♘d4 ♕d6 Entering a forcing line. 16.♗a3 ♗xd4 ( 16... ♗d7 17. ♕d3 ♕c7 18. ♘c6 ♗xc6 19. dxc6+/= ) 17.♕xd4 ♘c4 Black successfully trades off a lot of material. 18. ♖xc4♖xc4 19. ♕xc4 ♕xa3 This position is equal. Black hangs on with forced lines, making this very playable for
Black. 20. e4 ♗d7 ( 20... ♖c8 21.♕b5 ♗g4 22. h3 a6 23. ♕xb6 ♗e2 24. ♖e1 ♕xa2 25. ♕b4+/= ) 21.♕c 7 ♕a4 22. e5 ♖c8 23. ♕b7 ♖c5=
13... ♘a5⁉
13... a6 is of course possible here, but I was worried White would play14. ♖b2⁉ and after 14... ♘e5 or ( 14... ♘a5 the pawn on b6 might be hanging in some lines. I didn't want to weaken my queenside for no particular reason.)
14. ♘d4 ♗d7 15. ♖b1
15. ♘c6 doesn't work here as the pawn will be surrounded and eaten.
15... ♖c8 Black has rich counterplay because it's difficult for White to come up with any concrete plans, while Black has a lot of squares along the c-file he can use as shuttle points for his pieces - c5, c4 and even c3 in some cases.
16. ♗b2
16. ♗f4 is natural, but I believe Black's play is somewhat easier after16... ♖c4 17. e3 ♕c8⇆ He has very clear and well-defined plans. Next move he'll probably continue with Qc5, the second rook will come to c8 and Black's occupation of the only open file gives him very comfortable play.
16... ♕c7 Planning to put the queen on c4 and apply some pressure on the queenside.
17. ♗a3 , and here I missed a very nice shot at an advantage.
17. ♖c1 is of course met by 17... ♕d6 and the queen is ready to come to b4, which is also unappealing for White.
17... ♕c3! would have given Black an excellent game.
17... ♕e5 is what I played, and after 18. ♘f3 the game was soon drawn. Ponomariov-Svidler, Rogaska Slatina 27th ECC 2011
18. ♘b3 I couldn't quite make this work for Black because White now wants to play either Rc1 or Bb2, leading to beneficial trades e.g. Black might even have to recapture on a5 with the pawn because the queen will be driven away from c3.
18. ♗b2 is of course met by 18... ♕c4 and it's just a waste of a tempo, which wasn't what Ruslan planned.
18... ♘c4 19. ♗xe7 ♘e3! This is the very beautiful shot I missed. Black wins back a lot of material with a fantastic position. I looked at the position after
19... ♖fe8 20. d6 for a while but couldn't find any direct counterplay. It's somewhat risky to give away the e7-pawn for absolutely nothing.
4.Bg2
1. d4 ♘f6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c6 4. ♗g2
4. ♘f3 d5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. ♘c3 ♗g7 7. ♘e5 , trying to save a tempo on Bg2, doesn't get White anywhere: 7... ♘fd7 8. f4 ♘xe5 9. fxe5
OO 10. ♗g2 ♗e6 11. OO ( 11. e4 dxe4 12. ♗xe4 ♕b6=/+ ) 11...♘c6 12. ♗e3 f6 13. exf6 exf6 , and Black is perfectly fine.
4... d5 5. b3 This is just a mistake, first of all because in this position with Bg7 and 0-0 Black can transpose to a line covered later where Black is doing quite well, but also because White is somewhat underdeveloped while Black still has all his options open.
5. ♕a4 A serious option, which Gabi Sargissian played against me in the same European Club Championship where the game against Ruslan Ponomariov was played.
a) 5... ♘fd7 is the best move in the position, which has been known about for quite a while, but slipped my mind. In this position Nb6 is a huge threat.
a1) 6. ♕c2 The main move, trying at least somehow to justify playing Qa4 on the previous move. Here the most precise way of playing is 6... dxc4 ( 6... ♗g7 could be played first, but then after7. ♘f3 dxc4 8. ♕xc4 ♘b6 White can play 9. ♕c2 because you really don't want to take on d4 and give up your pride and joy, the dark-squared bishop.) 7. ♕xc4 ♘b6 Now White pretty much has to play 8. ♕d3 as after 8. Qc2 Black will of course take on d4 and simply be a pawn up. But
after 8... ♗g7 9. ♘f3 OO 10. O-O♘a6 the queen is completely misplaced on d3. Black is ready to start counterplay with c5 here and, in general, I think Black stands very well.
a2) 6. cxd5 Black may even be able to claim a slight advantage here.
After 6... ♘b6 7. ♕b3 cxd5 8. ♘f3 ♗g7 9. O-O ♘c6 10.♖d1 O-O it's clear that Black is already better developed. The bishop will come to f5 and Black has a lot of very obvious strengthening moves like Qd7 and Rc8, whereas White is already somewhat pinned down to the defence of the d4-pawn. The position is probably still equal, but if anyone is better here it's Black.
b) 5... dxc4 is what actually happened in my game against Sargissian.6. ♕xc4 ♗e6 7. ♕a4 And only now 7... ♘bd7 8. ♘f3 ♘b6 9. ♕d1Unfortunately I really did go on to lose the game.
Sargissian-Svidler, Rogaska Slatina 27th ECC 2011.
c) 5... ♘bd7 is the move I showed immediately in the video, and after6. cxd5 ♘b6 7. ♕b3 I said that "the b8-knight is somewhat misplaced on b6 and in general belongs on c6, if at all possible.
I couldn't achieve full equality here and went on to lose the game."
5. ♘f3 ♗g7 6. O-O O-O Apart from the three main moves - 7. b3, 7.Qb3 and 7.cxd5 - White has the option of playing 7. ♘bd2 This has the advantage of not allowing any forced theory, but the knight is quite badly misplaced on d2 and has no particular future there. A very harmonious way for Black to develop was pointed out, no doubt correctly, by Boris Avrukh in his book. 7... ♗f5 ( 7... a5 is how many people immediately react to the knight coming to d2, with a4 to follow, but that's not really
necessary.) 8. b3 ♘e4 9. ♗b2 If you give White an additional move he'll play Nh4, forcing Nxd2 Qxd2, and White will at least have a harmonious position with some plans, although I wouldn't really term that an opening advantage. 9... ♕a5 A strong and important move, pinning White down. The knight on d2 is stuck. You don't want to play Nxd4 because after Bxd4 Black is very comfortable. The bishop shouldn't be allowed to come to e4 so cheaply in this kind of structure. One attempt by White to solve his problems is 10. a3 ♘d7 11. b4 but after 11... ♕d8 it becomes clear that although Black has seemingly wasted two tempi on Qa5 and Qd8 White's expansion on the queenside has only created potential problems. For instance, he almost never wants to take on d5 because the c4-square will be weak for the rest of the game. If White plays something like 12.♕b3 , which looks very natural, Black has a very nice idea. He can play12... ♘b6 creating the threat of dxc4 and Be6, winning material. White will feel very tempted to play 13. c5 and then just 13... ♘d7 Once again, Black has seemingly lost a couple of tempi but now that the centre has been stabilised he'll have very easy play connected with the e7-e5 break, whereas White's initiative on the queenside is still in its very early stages. I think Black is already very comfortable here.
5... dxc4 6. bxc4 e5 putting White's centre under immediate pressure. This really isn't advisable for White.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 c6 5.Bg2 d5 6.cxd5 6.Qb3 6.b3
6.cxd5
1. d4 ♘f6 2. c4 g6 3. ♘f3 ♗g7 4. g3 c6 5. ♗g2 d5 6. cxd5
6. ♘e5 ♘e4 7. O-O O-O 8. ♕b3 is too fancy to be
good: 8... dxc49. ♘xc4 ♘d6 10. ♘e5 ( 10. ♘xd6 exd6 11. d5 ♘d7 12. ♘c3c5⇆ ) 10... ♗e6 11. ♕c2
♘d7 12. f4 ♘xe5 13. dxe5 ♕b6+ 14.♔h1 ♘f5=/+ Inarkiev-Bosiocic, Rijeka 2010 6... cxd5 7.♘e5
7. ♘c3 ♘e4 A recurrent theme in these lines. Black aims to trade off the c3-knight as early as possible, preventing White from establishing knights on c3 and e5. The moment one of the knights moves you play Ne4 - which makes it very easy to memorise. 8. ♕b3 is a very important subline here. It featured in a number of interesting games recently, with Hikaru Nakamura using it to beat Vladimir Kramnik at the 2012 Olympiad in Istanbul. ( 8. ♘xe4 dxe4 9. ♘e5 should be met with 9... ♘d7which is followed by very typical annihilation in the centre: 10. ♘xd7♕xd7 11. ♗xe4 ♕xd4 12. ♕xd4 ♗xd4 leading to a position that Black will quite comfortably hold. For instance, after 13. O-O he might even consider
playing 13... ♗h3 and castling long in order to safeguard the only target for White's initiative, his weak b7-pawn.; 8. ♘e5♘xc3 9. bxc3 transposes.) 8... ♘xc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. ♘d2 e6 11.e4 Attempting to force some favourable exchanges in the centre, but Black replied 11... ♘c6
a) 12. ♗a3⁉ was played by Erwin L'ami in a recent game played in the final rounds of the Rilton Cup in Stockholm against Ilya Smirin. 12...♖e8 13. O-O ♘a5 14. ♕d1 dxe4⁉ Under favourable circumstances this exchange is something Black should actively encourage, and here it seems to refute L'Ami's idea.( 14... b6 allowed L'Ami to go on to win a fine attacking
game: 15. e5 ♗a6 16. ♖e1 ♖c8 17. ♖e3 ♕d718. h4⇆ L'Ami-Smirin, Stockholm XLII Rilton Cup 2013) 15. ♘xe4♘c4 It's very important the bishop is on a3 so Black gains this important tempo. 16. ♗c1 ♗d7 I think this is very comfortable for Black and he may easily go on to be better if White allows Bc6. 17.♕b3 ( 17. ♗g5 f6 18. ♗f4 ♗c6 ; 17. ♘c5 allows White to and try win the pawn on b7, but Black will have fantastic positional compensation based on the horrible bishop on c1.) 17... ♘a5 The easiest response. 18. ♕b4 Other moves are even
weaker. 18... ♗f819. ♕b1 ♗c6 20. ♗g5 ♗e7= Black is very comfortable here.
b) 12. exd5 ♘a5 It transpires that White can't keep the pawn.
c) 12. O-O 12... ♘a5 13. ♕d1 ♕c7 14. ♕f3 , and now I suggest14... ♗d7⁉ One point of this move is that Black aims in many cases to take on e4 and play Bc6. If Black manages to get his bishop to c6 while White has failed to accomplish anything in the meantime Black will be doing very well. The main point, however, is to play Rfc8 in one tempo. ( 14... b6 was played by Kramnik, and after 15. ♗a3 ♖d816. e5 Hikaru managed to win the game, though to claim he was better out of the opening would be a slight overstatement. He wasn't, but he still got a playable position. 16... ♗a6 17. ♖fe1 ♖ac8 18.♗b4 ♗h6 Nakamura-Kramnik, Istanbul 2012)
c1) 15. exd5 exd5 16. ♘b3 ( 16. ♕xd5 ♕xc3 is clearly
unattractive) 16... ♘xb3 17. axb3 ♖fc8 18. ♗d2 ♗e6= and Black is just fine.
c2) 15. ♗a3 15... ♖fc8 and it's important the rook attacks the c3-pawn in one tempo.
White already has to be slightly careful in this position and should probably
capture. 16. exd5 ( 16. ♕e3dxe4 17. ♗xe4 ♗c6=/+ ) 16... exd5 17. ♕xd5 Black has a choice. 17... ♕xc3 is perhaps simpler. ( 17... ♗c6 is the forcing
option: 18. ♕d6 ♕xd6 19. ♗xd6 ♗xg2 20. ♔xg2 ♖xc3 21.♗b4 ♖d3 22. ♗xa5 b6 , winning the piece back with an endgame that Black should
hold. 23. ♘f3 bxa5 24. ♖fd1 ♖xd125. ♖xd1 ) 18. ♕xd7 ♕xa3 19. ♗d5 ♕f8 Black's next move is Rd8, driving the pieces away, and I think it will very soon end in complete equality. 20. ♖ac1 ♖d8 21. ♕b5 ♘c6=
7. O-O O-O a) 8. ♘e5
a1) 8... ♘e4 After 9. ♘d2 the one thing you shouldn't do is play9... ♘xd2 ( 9... ♗f5 is fine for Black: 10. ♕b3 ♘c6 11.♘xc6 bxc6 12. ♘xe4 ♗xe4 13. ♗xe4 dxe4 and although the mass exchanges have left Black with a somewhat strange pawn structure his far superior bishop on g7 ensures that isn't really felt.; 9... ♘d7 is another
option.) 10. ♗xd2 ♘d7 because that allows 11. ♗c3 and this is the one position where White actually has some pull.
a2) ♘g4 is an additional option for Black in this move
order. 9. f4( 9. ♘xg4 ♗xg4 10. ♘c3 ♘c6 ) 9... ♘xe5 10. fxe5 ♘c6 11.♘c3 ♗e6 and Black is very comfortable.
a21) 12. ♔h1 ♕d7 13. e4 ♗g4 14. e6 ♗xd1 15. exd7♗g4 16. ♗g5 f6 17. ♗e3 e5⁉∞ ( 17... dxe4 18. ♘xe4♗xd7 19. ♘c5 ♗c8= )
a22) 12. ♗e3 12... f6=
b) 8. ♘c3 8... ♘e4 Once again very comfortable for Black. If White plays 9. ♘xe4 dxe4 10. ♘e5 Black has a
choice.( 10. ♘g5 ♕xd411. ♘xe4 ♘c6= ) 10... ♘d7 The simplest: ( 10... ♕d5 is a well-known and decent move
here.) 11. ♘xd7 ( 11. ♗xe4 ♘xe5 12.dxe5 ♗h3 13. ♖e1 ♕xd1 14. ♖xd1 ♗xe5= ) 11... ♕xd7 ( 11...♗xd7 12. ♗xe4 ♗h3 13. ♗xb7 ♖b8 14. ♗g2 ♗xg2 15. ♔xg2♗xd4 ) 12. ♗xe4 ♕xd4= B lack is fine.
7... ♘e4
7... O-O is somewhat naive. After 8. ♘c3 e6 9. O-O White gets the tabiya of the g3 cxd5 cxd5 variation.
This has been discussed in very high level games over a long period of time, including in a number of Kasparov-Karpov games. Generally speaking, Black is doing quite well here but the character of play isn't to everybody's taste. White gets quite a bit of pressure after 9... ♘fd7 10. f4 ( 10. ♘f3 is the latest trend in this position. It looks somewhat counterintuitive, but has a point. Black needs to be precise here.)
8. ♘c3
8. OO OO 9. ♘d2 ♗f5⁉ ( 9... ♘xd2 10. ♗xd2 ♘d7 11. ♗c3!+/=; 9... ♘d7⁉ ) 10. ♕b3 ♘c6 11. ♘xc6 bxc6 12. ♘xe4 ♗xe4 13.♗xe4 dxe4 14. ♖d1 ♖b8 15. ♕c2 ( 15. ♕a4 ♖b5 16. ♕xa7♖d5→ ) 15... ♖b5! 16. ♗e3 ♕d5=
8. ♘d2 ♘d7 9. ♘xe4 dxe4 10. ♘xd7 ♕xd7 11. ♗xe4 ♕xd4 12.♕xd4 ♗xd4 13. O-O ♗h3= 8... ♘xc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. O-O We've come to the central position of this whole line.
10... ♘c6 This is a move I've played on a number of occasions with very decent results, but I just thought it was kind of boring. I wanted to show you something else... but nothing else works!
10... ♘d7⁉ This is the move I wanted to recommend to you, but instead I'd like to share a slight
disappointment. This move isn't very well-known in this variation and I thought it was an improvement on all the theory starting with 10...Nc6, but with great regret I had to shelve the idea. 11.♘xd7 White should take, as allowing Nf6 just isn't a good idea.( 11.♘d3 ♘f6= ) 11... ♕xd7 If Black is allowed to play b6 and follow it up with Ba6 he may even be slightly better, so White
plays 12. ♕b3 ♖d813. e4 dxe4 ( 13... b6 14. ♕xd5 ♕xd5 15. exd5 ♗b7 16. ♖e1♖d7 17. a4+/= ) 14. ♗xe4
a) 14... ♕e6 15. ♗g2+/=
b) 14... e5 15. d5 ( 15. ♗g5 ♖e8 ; 15. ♖e1 exd4 16. ♗g5♖f8 17. ♖ad1 ♕e6 18. cxd4 ♕xb3 19. axb3 ) 15... ♕c7 ( 15...f5 16. ♗d3→ ; 15... b6 16. ♗g5 ♖e8 17. d6 ♖b8 18. ♗e7♗b7 19.
♗xb7 ♖xb7 20. f4 ; 15... ♗f8⁉ ) 16. ♗a3 ♗f8 17.♗xf8 ♔xf8 18. c4 ♔g7 19. ♖ab1 ♖b8 20. ♕c3+/=
c) ♕c7 I thought this just equalised, but then I discovered White has the very strong 15. ♗d5! This looks odd, but is quite unpleasant to meet. ( 15. ♗f4 e5= )
c1) 15... ♖xd5 16. ♕xd5 ♗h3 17. ♖e1 ♕xc3 18. ♗g5±
c2) 15... e6 16. ♗f4 Only now, and e5 is impossible as the pawn on f7 will be hanging after everything is exchanged. 16... ♕a5 17.♗g2 e5 18. ♗g5 I couldn't find equality for Black in this position.
c21) 18... ♖d6 19. ♗e7 ( 19. dxe5 ♗xe5 20. ♖ae1+/= ) c22) 18... ♖e8
c221) 19. ♗d5 ♗e6 20. ♗xe6 fxe6 21. ♗e3 b6 22.dxe5 ( 22. ♖ac1 exd4 23. cxd4 ♕d5 24. ♕xd5 exd525. ♖c7+/= ) 22... ♕xe5 23. ♖ac1+/=
c222) 19. ♖fe1 19... h6 20. ♗e3 exd4 21. ♗xd4 ♗e622. ♕xb7
♖ad8 23. ♗xg7 ♔xg7 24. ♕b4+/=
c3) 15... ♗h3 White even has a choice here.
c31) 16. ♖e1 e5 ( 16... e6 17. ♗f4± ) 17. c4 ( 17. dxe5♗xe5 18. ♗b2 ♖e8 19. c4 ♗xb2 20. ♕xb2 ♖ac8 21.♖xe8+ ♖xe8 22. ♕xb7 ♕e5 23. ♕xf7+ ♔h8 24. ♖f1♗xf1= ) 17... ♖e8 18. ♖b1 exd4 ( 18... ♖ab8 19. dxe5♗xe5 20. ♕e3!+/= ) 19. ♕d1! b6 20. ♗xa8 ♖xa8 21. ♕f3♕c8 22. ♖e7 ♗f5 23. ♖b5+/=
c32) 16. ♗xf7+ 16... ♔h8 17. ♗e6 ( 17. ♖e1 ♕c6 18. d5♕f6 19. ♗e6 ♗xe6 20. ♖xe6 ♕xc3= ) 17... ♗xe6 ( 17...♗xf1 18. ♗f4!± and there's no equality for
Black.) 18. ♕xe6♕xc3 19. ♖b1 b6 20. ♗b2 ♕c7 21. ♖fe1+/=
11. ♘xc6 bxc6 12. ♕a4 To my great surprise this was played against me in successive rounds of the 2011 World Cup, first by a young Vietnamese player and then by Fabiano Caruana, as a serious attempt to fight for an advantage.
12. ♗a3 ♗a6 13. ♖e1 ♖e8 14. e4 e6 is how the old theory starts. In most cases the bishops will summarily be exchanged in this position on the f8- and f1-squares. In general, only slight precision is required of Black to hold. It's somewhat unspectacular and less than adventurous, but very sound.
a) 15. h4 ♗c4 16. e5 ♖b8 17. ♕d2 ♗f8 18. ♗xf8 ♖xf8 19.♗f1 ♗xf1 20. ♔xf1 h5 ( 20... c5 21. h5→ Tregubov-Yandemirov, Maikop 1998)
b) 15. e5 15... ♗f8 16. ♗xf8 ♔xf8 17. h4 ♔g7 18. ♖b1 ♕e719. ♗f1 ♗xf1 20. ♖xf1 ♖eb8 21. ♕d2 ♖b6= Ragger-Miroshnichenko, Austria 2010
12... ♕b6 13. ♗f4 13. e4
a) 13... ♕a6 14. ♕b4 dxe4 15. ♗xe4 ♗e6 This isn't very precise because in the position after 16. ♗f4 ♖fe8 17. ♖fe1 ♖ac8 18.♗g2 ♕c4 19. ♕a3 c5 Fabiano was short of time and repeated moves. 20. ♗f1 ( 20. ♗b7⁉ If he's played this I'm not entirely sure Black has full equality.) 20... ♕d5 21. ♗g2 ♕c4 22. ♗f1 ♕d523. ♗g2 Caruana-Svidler, Khanty-Mansiysk 2011
b) ♗a6 14. ♖e1 e6 15. ♗f4 ♗d3!= An important move, preventing the rook from getting to b1.
Black is just fine here.
13... ♕a6 14. ♕b4 ♗f5 15. ♖fe1 ♖fe8 16. e4 ♗xe4 17. ♗xe4dxe4 18. ♖xe4 e6 19. a4 ♖ad8
19... ♕b6 After this move I was slightly worse, although the game was eventually
drawn. 20. ♖b1+/= Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son-Svidler, Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE World Cup 2011 20. ♖b1 ♗f8
20... ♖d5 is apparently sensible, but shows the slight danger in the position, since it runs into 21. ♕e7 and Black has serious problems to solve.
21. ♕b3 c5 22. dxc5 ♗xc5= Black should equalise without too much trouble as it's very difficult for me to believe that Black can be seriously worse in this position.
6.Qb3
1. d4 ♘f6 2. c4 g6 3. ♘f3 ♗g7 4. g3 c6 5. ♗g2 d5 6. ♕b3O-O 7. ♘c3 This is best met by
7... ♕b6 8. O-O ♖d8 , and now White has a very wide choice (at least seven reasonably good moves), but I believe Black is fine in every line:
9. c5
9. ♕xb6 isn't really a problem for Black, as after 9... axb6 10. cxd5♘xd5 11. ♘xd5 ♖xd5 12. ♖d1 his position is comfortable almost regardless of what he does, although I think
( 12. e3 ♖d8 13. ♗d2 c514. ♗c3 ♘c6 15. ♘e5 ♘xd4 16. exd4 cxd4 17. ♗b4 ♗xe5 18.♗xe7 ♖e8 19. ♗b4 ♗e6 20. ♖fe1 ♗f6 1/2 Kavalek-Ogaard, Manila 1975) 12... ♗f5⁉ is a very sensible move here, trying to stop e4. If I was Black in this position I'd already be wondering whether I was better.
( 12... ♖b5 13. e4 ♗e6 14. a3 ♗b3 15. ♖e1 ♖a4 16.♗f1 ♖ba5 17. ♗d2 ♖a8 18. ♗c3 c5 19. ♗b5
♖4a7 20.♖ac1+/= Rogozenko-Donche)
9. cxd5 ♕xb3 10. axb3 ♘xd5 11. ♗g5 ♔f8! Covering the only possible weakness - e7. Ever since the game between Peter Heine Nielsen and Teimour Radjabov it's been known that this is very nice for Black. 12.♖fc1 ♗e6 13. ♗d2 h6 14. e3 ♘d7 15. ♘e1 ♘xc3 16. ♖xc3 g517. ♘d3 ♗f5 18. ♘c5 ♘xc5 19. ♖xc5 ♗g6 20. ♗c3 e6 21. b4a6 22. ♖ca5 with a draw in Nielsen-Radjabov, Tripoli FIDE WCh KO 2004 9. ♗f4 dxc4 10. ♕xc4
a) 10... ♕xb2 is a possible but very dangerous move that I played in a blitz game against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. White gets a lot of
compensation. 11. ♖ab1 ♕a3 12. ♘g5 e6 13. ♗c7! ( 13. e4 is bad, and
after 13... b5 14. ♕d3 b4 15. ♖b3 ♕a6 I had a great game in Vachier Lagrave-Svidler, Moscow 5' 2010) 13... ♖e8 14.♘ce4 , and White has compensation for the pawn.
b) ♗e6 Black has simple equality
after 11. ♕d3 ♘a6 12. ♕c2 c513. ♘a4 ♕b5 14. ♘xc5 ♘xc5 15. dxc5 ♖ac8 , Alekseev-Radjabov, Astrakhan 2010
9. ♕a3 This would be a very interesting idea if Black allowed c4-c5, with a big spatial advantage for White, but he of course just plays 9... dxc4 10. ♕xe7
a) 10... ♖e8⁉ is a perfectly sensible move,
and 11. ♕d6 ( 11. ♕a3♘a6 ) 11... ♗f5 12. ♕f4 ♘a6 13. h3 ♘b4 14. g4 ♘bd5 15.♕d2 ♘e4 16.
♘xd5 cxd5 17. ♕f4 ♗e6 led to an edge for Black in Burmakin-Midoux, 2006 b) 10... ♗f5? 11. ♘a4
c) ♘a6 This is my idea here, and I'm keeping to the tradition of letting you know what I have written in my notes.
c1) 11. ♘e5 ♗e6 12. e3 ♖e8 13. ♕a3 ♕b4 is
fine: 14. ♕a4( 14. ♗d2 ♕xa3 15. bxa3 ♘d5 16. ♘e4 ♘b6 ) 14... ♕xa415. ♘xa4
♖ad8 16. ♗d2 ♗d5
c2) 11. ♘a4 ♕c7 12. ♕xc7 ♘xc7 13. ♗f4 ♘e6 14. ♗e5 b515. ♘c3 b4 , and Black gets a lot of counterplay on the queenside: the bishop will come to a6, the rook to c8 and Black will play c5. I'm not worried about Black's prospects at
all. 16. ♘b1♗b7 17. a3 c5 18. dxc5 b3 19. ♘bd2 ♖ac8
c3) 11. ♖d1 11... ♖e8 12. ♕a3 ♗f5 13. ♘e5 ♕b4 This is very strong.
After 14. ♕xb4 ♘xb4 the pawn on c4 will probably be lost, but at the very least Black will have a repetition with Nc2-b4 on every
move. 15. e3 ♘c2 16. ♖b1 ♖ad8 17. ♘xc4 , and Black has a choice between the immediate draw and the more
ambitious 17... b5 ( 17... ♘b4= ) 18. ♘a5 b4 19. ♘e2 ♘xd420. ♘xd4 ♗xb1 21. ♘axc6 ♖d7 22. ♘xb4 a5=/+
9. h3⁉ This is a useful pass move in this position, but Black has a very concrete way of replying. 9... dxc4 ( 9... ♕xb3 10. axb3 ♘a6 is also possible) 10. ♕xc4 ♗e6 11. ♕d3
a) 11... ♘a6⁉ I couldn't find complete equality
here. 12. e4 ♘e8 (12... ♘b4 13. ♕e2 ) 13. ♖d1 ♘d6 14. b3 c5 15. ♗e3 ♖ac8∞
b) 11... ♘d5⁈ looks sensible, but after 12. ♗g5! there are some questions to
answer. 12... ♘a6 ( 12... ♕a6 13. ♕d2 ♘d7 14. e4♘xc3 15. bxc3 f6 16. ♗h6 ♘b6∞ ) 13. e4+/=
c) ♕a6 is an idea I very much like here. 12. ♕c2 White needs to keep the queens on the board. 12... c5! 13. dxc5 ♘c6 I think you'll recognise this as a structure that's seen in a lot of positions in the Qb3 Grünfeld. Here, as there, Black has fantastic compensation. At the cost of a single pawn he's opened up the whole board for his bishops, while the c5-pawn will most likely drop off in the immediate
future. 14.♗e3 ( 14. ♗f4 ♘d5 15. ♘xd5 ♗xd5 16. e4 ♕c4 17. ♕xc4♗xc4 18. ♖fe1 ♘b4=/∞ ) 14... ♘d5 15. ♗d2 ♘xc3 16. ♗xc3♕c4 17. ♖ac1 ♕xc5 18. ♗xg7 ♕xc2 19. ♖xc2 ♔xg7 20. a3
♗d5= 9. ♖d1
a) 9... ♕xb3 10. axb3 ♗f5 11. ♘e1 ♘a6 ( 11... e6? 12. h3!± )12. ♖a4
a1) 12... h6 13. ♗f4 ♘e4 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. f3! ( 15. ♘b5?♗d7−+ ) 15... ♘xc3 16. bxc3 g5 17. ♗d2 e5 18. e3+/=Portisch-Hort, Tilburg 1979
a2) ♘e4⁉ 13. ♗e3+/=
b) 9... ♘a6 is a move it's important not to play. I once did against Ernesto Inarkiev, and White replies 10. ♕xb6 axb6 11. ♘a4 and suddenly Black has tactical problems.
c) ♗f5 is Black's normal response, threatening to take on b3 and play Bc2, winning a pawn.
c1) 10. ♕xb6 axb6 11. cxd5 ♘xd5 12. ♘xd5 ♖xd5 ( 12...cxd5 13. ♗f4 ♖c8 14. ♘e5 e6 15. f3 ♘c6 16. ♘xc6 bxc617. ♖d2 f6 18. e4 e5 19. ♗e3 Jankovic-Muslic, CRO 2001) 13.♘h4 ♖xd4 14. ♗e3 ♖d6∞
c2) 10. ♘e1 In a FIDE Grand Prix event, once more against Ernesto, I played 10... dxc4 which I think is a decent move.( 10...♗e6 is very solid and fine for
Black. 11. c5 ♕xb3 12. axb3♘bd7 13. b4 a6= Anic-Nataf, Vichy FRA-ch Pool A
2000) 11.♕xc4 ♘a6 12. e4 White's only logical continuation. 12... ♗e6! (12... ♗g4? was a serious mistake. I thought it was interesting to draw the bishop to f3 and only then play Be6. 13. ♗f3 ♗e6 14.d5! White was better in Inarkiev-Svidler, Astrakhan FIDE GP 2010, as it transpires that after 14... cxd5 15. exd5 Black seriously misses the tempo he would win by playing Bg4 and hitting the rook on d1.) 13. ♕a4 ( 13. d5 cxd5 14. exd5 ♗g4 , and as I
mentioned, the fact that White needs to take a tempo to deal with the threat to his rook leaves Black very comfortable.) 13... ♗g4There's a subtle difference between this position and the position with the queen on c4, but Black is fine here, as the following analysis shows:
c21) 14. f3 e5!
c22) 14. ♗f3 ♘c7 ( 14... ♗h3 15. e5 ♘g4 )
c221) 15. e5 ♗xf3 16. ♘xf3 ♘fd5 17. ♕c4 ♘e6 18.♘e4 ♕b4 19. ♕c2 ♖ac8 20. ♗e3 f5 21. ♘c3 ( 21.♘eg5 ♘xe3 22. fxe3 ♘xg5 23. ♘xg5 ♗h6 ) 21... f4⇆
c222) 15. ♗xg4 ♘xg4 16. ♘f3 ( 16. h3 ♖xd4 17.♖xd4 ♗xd4 18. hxg4 ♗xf2+
19. ♔f1 ♗xe1 20. ♔xe1♕g1+−+ ) 16... e5 17. ♗g5 ♕xb2!∓
c223) 15. ♕c4 ♘e6 16. ♗e3 ( 16. ♗xg4 ♘xg4 17.♕e2 ♘f6 18. e5 ♘d5= ) 16... ♗xf3 17. ♘xf3 ♘g4 18.♕e2 ♘xe3 19. fxe3 c5∞
c224) 15. ♕a3 15... ♗xf3 ( 15... ♖xd4 16. ♗e3 e5 17.♗xd4 exd4 18. ♘a4
♕a6 19. e5 ♗h3 20. ♗g2 ♗xg221. ♔xg2 ♘g4 22. ♘f3 ♗f8 23. ♕b3 c5⇆ ) 16. ♘xf3♘b5 17. ♘xb5 ♕xb5 18. ♖e1 e5! 19. ♗g5 ( 19. dxe5♖d3 ) 19... h6
♕a6 19. e5 ♗h3 20. ♗g2 ♗xg221. ♔xg2 ♘g4 22. ♘f3 ♗f8 23. ♕b3 c5⇆ ) 16. ♘xf3♘b5 17. ♘xb5 ♕xb5 18. ♖e1 e5! 19. ♗g5 ( 19. dxe5♖d3 ) 19... h6