Meran Variation. 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 f3 f6 4 c3 e6 5 e3 bd7 6 d3. XIIIIIIIIY 9r+lwqkvl-tr0 9zpp+n+pzpp0 9-+p+psn p PzP-+-+0

Transcription

1 Meran Variation Written by GM Ruslan Scherbakov Last updated Sunday, June 5, d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 f3 f6 4 c3 e6 5 e3 bd7 6 d3 9r+lwqkvl-tr0 9zpp+n+pzpp0 9-+p+psn p PzP sNLzPN+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 This is one of the most popular systems not only in the Slav Defence but in the whole of opening theory. Black's early attack on the queenside compels White to play his forces there which should prevent or at least make less effective White's future attack in the centre and on the kingside. Quite often the black king stays uncastled for a long time but as compensation Black achieves some pluses, usually these include active and strong queenside pieces. Rehab Of course, the idea of playing a queenside attack in the opening is risky but Black develops his queenside very quickly and his long range pieces (especially the light squared bishop) also have great influence in the centre so the positions are usually very sharp and give much opportunity to a player good field to use his or her creativity and imagination. Some of the lines were thought to be unfavourable for Black for years, for example the positions with a weak pawn on e6, but in the early 80s these were almost rehabilitated

2 thanks to some young Russian players like Yusupov, Dolmatov and Panchenko. The theory of the Meran System is well developed now and is included in the opening repertoire of many top players such as Kramnik, Shirov, Dreev, Bareev. 2

3 Contents 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 f3 f6 4 c3 e6 5 e3 bd7 9r+lwqkvl-tr0 9zpp+n+pzpp0 9-+p+psn p PzP sN-zPN+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmKL+R0 6 d3 dxc4 7 xc4 b5 8 d3 a b (9 e4 D47 Meran/2, 3 & 4 Main lines 8... b7 9. e4 9 a3 D47 Meran/1 Various lines) 9...a6 10 e4 c5 11 d5 c7 (11...c4 12 c2 D48 Meran/ b a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 c4) 12 dxe6 fxe6 13 c2 D48 Meran/ b a6-10. e4 c5 11. d5 c7 9 e4 c5 9r+lwqkvl-tr0 9+-+n+pzpp0 9p+-+psn-+0 9+pzp zPP sNL+N+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 10 e5 10 d5 c4 11 dxe6 fxe6 12 c2 D48 Meran/5 8...a6 9. e4 c5 10. d5 various lines 10...cxd4 11 xb5 3

4 11...axb5 D49 Meran/9 main lines 8...a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11 Nxb5 axb xe5 12 xe5 axb5 D49 Meran/8 main lines 8...a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11 Nxb5 Nxe5 Press F5 to toggle the Navigation Pane, then click on the appropriate bookmark to go straight to that section. Ctrl + 2 resizes the page. All rights reserved Chess Publishing Ltd 4

5 Meran/1 Various lines [D47] Last updated: 19/11/08 by R.Scherbakov 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 f3 f6 4 c3 e6 5 e3 bd7 6 d3 9r+lwqkvl-tr0 9zpp+n+pzpp0 9-+p+psn p PzP sNLzPN+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 6...dxc4 The variation 6... d6 9r+lwqk+-tr0 9zpp+n+pzpp0 9-+pvlpsn p PzP sNLzPN+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 is not very popular as Black's counterplay is too limited here. However, it does not promise White more than small advantage and so Black keeps reasonable chances to equalise with careful play. 7 e4 This immediate pawn advance is known to be more precise. (after White should play something like 8 e1 (8 e4 gives Black a good option 8...dxc4!? 9 xc4 e5 10 g5 e7 11 e1 (White also tried other moves: 11 h3 5

6 d8 12 e2 h6 13 e3 exd4 14 xd4 e5 15 xe5 xe5 16 xe5 xe5 17 f4 c5+ 18 h2 d4 19 b3 e6!= with equality, in case of 11 d5 b6 12 b3 h6 13 xf6 xf6 14 dxc6 bxc6 15 c2 g4 Black also doesn't have any problems) d8 (11...exd4 is doubtful as after 12 e5!? xe5 13 e4ƒ White's initiative looks promising) A important position is arisen. In the game Lautier Anand/Monaco 2000 White tried a new idea: 12 b3 (There are a lot of continuations: 12 e2, 12 b3, and 12 d5 ) 12...exd4 13 e5 (13 xd4? c5 followed by Bh2+ is just bad for White.) xe5 14 e4 We already saw this idea, however, in this situation it seems to be less effective. (Interesting complications would arise after 14 xe5 xe5 15 f4 dxc3 but Black seems to be okay in all variations.) 14...b5! 15 xd6 (15 xf6 gxf6 was not dangerous for Black.) xf3+ 16 xf3 xd6 17 xb5 d7³ Black has successfully avoided direct danger and secured one extra pawn, though White has some compensation thanks to his active pieces.), after which Black might think about 8...dxc4 a) 8...e5!? is also worth considering b) while 8...h6?! is dubious: 9 c5! (not 9 e4, which would be met by 9...dxc4 10 xc4 e5 with acceptable play) 9... c7 10 e4 dxe4 11 xe4 e5 and here in the game Werle Michiels/Antwerp xf6+!? xf6 13 e3 (or 13 e2!? would have promised the better chances for White) 9 xc4 b5, playing in a typical Meran style.) 7...dxe4 (here 7...dxc4 8 xc4 e5 is bad due to 9 dxe5 xe5 10 xe5 xe5 11 xd8+ xd8 12 xf7 and to win the pawn back Black has to part with a bishop: f8 13 c4 xc3+ 14 bxc3 xe ± with a big advantage) 8 xe4 xe4 9 xe h6 11 c2 e5 9r+lwq-trk+0 9zpp+n+pzp-0 9-+pvl-+-zp zp PzP N+-0 9PzPL+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 An important of this system, which is quite solid but rather passive for Black, who can usually hope only on half a point. However, for White the task to get substantial advantage is not as easy as it might seem to be. 12 e1 The main continuation. (12 b4!? is also quite interesting. The idea is simple White is going to develop his other bishop on the long diagonal, after which he would be ready to build two batteries B+Q on the diagonals a1-h8 and b1-h7. Black king would face certain problems but first he has to do something with White's Q side pawns otherwise White will get positional advantage as well xb4!? A principled decision. a) e8 does not solve the problems: 13 c5 c7 14 e1 a5!? (14...exd4 15 xe8+ xe8 16 b2!ƒ) 15 b5! cxb5 16 d3 e4 17 xe4 xe4 18 xe4 f6 19 d3 b4 20 a3 6

7 bxa3 21 xa3² and White secured a small advantage but Black's position is quite playable b) An immediate 12...exd4!? is also worthy of consideration: 13 c5 c7 14 d3 f6 15 b2 d5 16 xd4 e8 17 fe1 d7 and here 18 h3² can probably secure a small advantage for White but perhaps he has to find something more convincing in this line. 13 dxe5 e8 (13... c5 fails to solve the problems: 14 e2 e7 15 b1 a5 16 d4 d8 17 b2 h4 18 bd1 g4 19 f3 e6 20 g3 h5 21 g4 g5 22 c1 e7 23 f4 c3 24 e3ƒ and White is ready to break Black's K side) 14 b1 c5 15 e6! A rather unexpected and strong advance f6! A good reaction. (15... xe6?! 16 d3 g6 17 xh6ƒ gave White a strong initiative, while after 15...fxe6 16 d3! f8 17 e4ƒ the e6 pawn limited Black's pieces very much so White can smoothly develop his initiative) 16 exf7+ xf7 17 e5+ g8 This position arose in the game Lputian Fontaine/Calvia (ol) White should have secured his advantage by playing 18 xd8! xd8 19 e1²) 12...exd4 (or b4 13 d2 xd2 14 xd2 exd4 15 xd4 b6 16 c3²) 13 xd4 c5 14 c3² White keeps a small but clear advantage. 7 xc4 b5 9r+lwqkvl-tr0 9zp-+n+pzpp0 9-+p+psn-+0 9+p LzP sN-zPN+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 8 d3 8 e2 7

8 9r+lwqkvl-tr0 9zp-+n+pzpp0 9-+p+psn-+0 9+p zP sN-zPN+-0 9PzP-+LzPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 is much less popular alternative but it is played from time to time b b4!? a) 9...a6 10 e4 c5 11 e5 d5 12 a4 b4 13 e4 c7!? is one of popular lines b) as well as 9... e7 10 e4 (10 a3 is a main alternative.) 10...b4 11 e5 bxc3 12 exf6 xf6 (A logical alternative xf6 leads to the position with small advantage for White after 13 bxc b1²) 13 bxc3 c5 14 dxc5 This position arose in the game Kramnik Topalov/WCh (tb/4) Elista After xc5!? This capture is actually a novelty. 15 b5+ f8 16 xd8+! Despite Black's king is not castled the swapping of queens is correct! (In case of 16 a3?! c7! White could slowly get worse. Black's pawn structure was better as well as his minor pieces while the temporary inconvenience with the king was not critical for Black) xd8 17 a3 c8 18 ab1! White could have maintained the pressure by e7 19 e5² and Black still had to defend accurately. 10 a4 c5!? A risky approach. (A common e7 is more reliable though the more passive option) 11 dxc5 xc5 (11... xc5 does not equalise: 12 xc5 (or 12 a3 e7 13 axb4 xb4 14 d2²) xc5 13 b5+ e7 14 d4² with better chances for White) 12 b5+ (12 a3!? cd7 13 d4 bxa3 14 b4 e7 15 xa fd1² might promise a small advantage for White) cd7 13 e5 c7 The game Kramnik Topalov/WCh (m/8) Elista 2006 continued 14 d4 (14 xd7 xd7 15 e4 with the idea c1-f4 deserved attention: d8! 16 g5 f6 17 e3 xe4! (17... e5? is dubious: 18 e2 d6 19 f4 xe4 20 ad1 a6 and here 21 d4! could have posed serious problems for Black) 18 e2 f7 19 ac1 b7 20 fd1 with excellent compensation for the pawn although Black is not bad at all after e7 ) d8 15 d2 a5! 16 c6 e7! 17 fc1 xc6 18 xc6 xa4 19 xd8 (19 b3!? b5 20 xa7 was maybe stronger) xd8 20 xb4 xb4 21 xb4 d5 22 d6 f5³ and White has eventually failed in defence. 8 b3 is played only occasionally b d6 is not very popular but perhaps it is a bit underestimated. Without invitation Black is changing his approach, transposing into Anti Meran type of position certainly not the way for true Meran players. Besides, White can save time for the Anti Meran move d1-c2. What can be attractive for Black in this system? The play is 8

9 not so sharp as in the main Meran lines since Black is not late with development of his K side and White anyway can hardly achieve more than a small advantage (White has tried many possibilities, among those Zdenko Kozul's approach 9 g5!? looks interesting but maybe not quite sufficient for White: 9... b7 10 f3 b6 (another way to prepare...c6 c5 is b h6 (11...c5!? 12 h3 a6 deserves attention) 12 ge4 e7 13 d g3 xe4 15 xe4 c5 16 dxc5 xc5 17 xc5 xc5 18 e4! (18 h7+ xh7 19 xd8 bxd8 looks acceptable for Black) b6 19 f4 bc8 20 ac1² with a certain advantage) 11 h3 e b4 13 e2 c5 and Black achieves a good play) r+lwq-trk+0 9zp-+n+pzpp0 9-+pvlpsn-+0 9+p zP sNLzPN+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 (9... b7?! can be strongly met by 10 e4 e5 11 dxe5! xe5 12 xe5 xe5 13 f4ƒ with a clear advantage) 10 a3 White is going to stop Black's typical...c6 c5. a) He has tried a huge number of moves. Let's take a brief look at some games: 10 d2 b7 11 c1 c8 12 g5 (12 e2 b4 13 e4 c5 14 e5!? xf3 15 exd6 also gives somewhat better chances for White) e7 13 a3 a5 14 f3 h6 15 ge4 a8 16 e2 b6 17 c2 xe4 18 xe4² with a small advantage b) an immediate 10 e4 is playable for White: 10...e5 11 e2 A typical manoeuvre, White is heading his knight towards the K side. (11 dxe5 is harmless for Black: xe5 12 xe5 xe5 13 h3 e8 with excellent play, 11 g5) 11...a6 (Both e8, and b7 are playable alternatives) 12 b3!? (As a rule, in such type of position White develops his bishop to g5 and, as a rule, it does not promise much! After 12 g5 h6 13 h4 c5! 14 d5 c4 15 c2 c5 Black achieves good play) e8 13 b2 b7 This position arose in the game Svidler Inarkiev/RUS ch Superfinal Moscow White came up with an interesting 14 c1!? exd4 15 exd4 c5 16 f5 and here Black should have played a principled f4! (after f8?! White's initiative escalated smoothly: 17 e5! g4 18 d6! xf3 19 xf3 and so on) after which White had no other choice than to give up the exchange by 17 g3! xc1 18 xc1, getting reasonable compensation. A possible play would be xe4 (18... xe4!? 19 g5 was also very unclear) 19 xe4 xe4 20 d1 h6 21 e5ƒ with initiative but Black's position seems defendable. c) 10 e4 xe4 11 xe4 b7 12 c2 f5 13 d3 c5 14 e2 c4 15 c2 f6 gives better chances for Black d) 10 e2!? deserves attention: e8 11 g3² with a small advantage e) 10 c2 b7 is a transposition to the Anti Meran. 9

10 f) 10 g5!? Contrary to the Anti Meran this typical manoeuvre can easily be played here the moves d1-c2 and... c8 b7 are not played so... d6xh2 and... f6 g4 is just impossible c7 11 f4 h6 This position arose in the game Kozul Graf/Calvia (ol) It seems that 12 ge4!?² could have secured a small advantage for White this position requires more analysis and practical tests a5!? Black prefers this active advance in order to stop b2 b4. Now the typical freeing...c6 c5 push looks problematic but otherwise he would never be able to play it anyway. Here he might still hope for it as the Q side is not sealed. (Black also tried other option. After b7 White can transpose into the pure Anti Meran by playing 11 c2 However, it is rather logical to treat the position without move d1-c2 such options as 11. h3 or 11. d2 and, of course, 11. b4 have been tested in practice as well.) 11 e4 White pushes his central pawn without any delay e5 12 g5 (The preliminary 12 e2!? deserves attention. After b7 13 g5 h6 14 h4 exd4 15 exd4 e8 16 f5 White's chances look preferable) b7 (12...exd4!? 13 xd4 e5 deserves serious attention. Black can achieve good play after 14 e2 c5 15 f3 e7) 13 e1 e8 14 e2 h6 15 h4 This position arose in the game Jakovenko Bologan/Poikovsky Here Black should have seriously thought about b6!? A possible continuation would have been 16 dxe5 (16 g3!? ) xe5 17 xf6 xf3+ 18 gxf3 gxf6 19 d2 (or 19 g3 c5 20 f5 f4) c5! 20 xh6 g5+ 21 xg5+ fxg5 with sufficient compensation for the pawn. 9 a3 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp0 9-+p+psn-+0 9+p zP zP-sNLzPN+-0 9-zP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 This move leads to a position with minimal risk for White, but gives him only a very small edge. Both 9 e4 and are the main lines. 9...b4 0

11 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp0 9-+p+psn zp-zP zP-sNLzPN+-0 9-zP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 10 e4 10 axb4 xb c5 is known to be acceptable for Black. The game Kozul Miroshnichenko/Bled 2000 continued by 12 e2!? (12 a2 was considered White's main attempt as Black cannot save the bishop from being exchanged. Yet, he can probably achieve a good play by 12...a5 ( is less precise: 13 xb4 cxb4 14 b3!? b6 15 b2 fc8 16 d2² with advantage) 13 xb4 axb4 14 xa8 xa8 15 e2 0-0= Black has completed his development and seems to be fine. White's bishop pair is not important here as his dark squared bishop is too passive.) d1 The position looks similar to a QGA and White treats the position the way he often does in that opening! (13 a6 could be met by b6 and here the inaccurate 14 d2? allows Black to obtain a tangible advantage by xf3! 15 xf3 cxd4 16 exd4 xd4 17 b7 e5! 18 f4 ad8 19 xd4 xd4 20 e3 d7 21 xa7 c4 ) e7 (Waiting moves such as 13...h6!? deserve attention. Now 14 a6 would be well met by b6 15 xb7 xb7 16 a6 fb8= with equal play.) 14 a6 b6 15 a2 xa6 16 xa6 cxd4 17 xb4 xb4 18 xd4 b3 19 d2! Taking the opportunity to develop the Bishop ac8 (The b2 pawn was poisoned: xb2?? 20 b4 c2 21 xb6+ winning) 20 b4!? (If 20 c3 bd5 Black has no problems at all.) fd8 21 c3 and here Black should have played bd5! 22 d3 b8!= not only protecting the Rook on d8 but keeping in mind the possibility of e6 e5 followed by e5 e xe4 The most precise approach Black arranges his pieces in the best way a5 has been played a couple of times by very good players but this approach looks suspicious to me. It does not help much to prepare the programmed advance...c6 c5 while sometimes it would be useful for Black to have the pawn on a7. His main idea is still...c6 c5 but he is wasting important time for preparations and it seems that White can prove better chances in this line. 11 xf6+ ( is another possibility but I like the text move more because the knight is forced to go to f6, while its best square is surely d7 in such kinds of position.) xf6 12 e4 e7 13 e2 1

12 9r+-wqk+-tr0 9+l+-vlpzpp0 9-+p+psn-+0 9zp zp-zPP+-+0 9zP-+L+N+-0 9-zP-+QzPPzP0 9tR-vL-mK-+R d7!? This knight retreat is in the spirit of position but it does not solve the problems completely. a) There are a lot of possible continuations but it looks like White keeps better chances c5!? 14 b5+ f8 15 dxc5 xc5 16 d3² with the upper hand b) 13...bxa3 14 bxa3 0-0 does not prevent White's play on the K side: 15 e5!? d5 16 h4! (in case of 16 e4 g6 17 h6 e8 18 h4 Black gets good counter chances by 18...c5! 19 b5 a6! 20 xa6 (20 xe8 xe8 ) xa6 ) and 16...c5?! does not seem to be possible because of 17 xh7+! h8 18 g5 g6 19 xe6!, destroying Black's position. c) b6?! was unsuccessfully tried in the game Bareev Dreev/chT RUS Azov This set up doesn't look very good. Black usually can play c6 c5 without spending so much time and without using his queen for this role c5 15 axb4! cxb4 (In case of 15...axb4 16 b5+ f8 17 xa8+ xa8 18 d5 exd5 (18... xe4 19 e5!) 19 exd5 xd5 (19... xd5 20 e1 ) 20 e1 b7 21 e5± with the idea of Ne5 d7 White's obtains a very strong initiative.) 16 d5 exd5 (Black has no time to castle since is bad because of 17 d6 d8 18 e5 d5 19 g5± with advantage) 17 e3 c5 (17... e6 18 d4 with attack) 18 xc5 xc5 19 ac1! b6 (After e7 20 e5 e4 21 b5+ f8 22 e3 Black was faced with the same problems.) 20 b5+ f8 21 e5 e8 (After e4 22 fd1 g6 23 d4± White is also much better) 22 fe1!ƒ White is going to play e5 e6 followed by f3 e5, his initiative is threatening d1 (after 15 e3 c5 16 axb4 cxd4 17 xd4 xb4 18 ac1 c8 Black has no problems: 19 xc8 xc8 20 e3 h6 21 c1 b8 22 b5 d8 23 a4 f8 24 b6 c8= with equal play) c7 (15... b8 does not help Black to solve the problems: 16 e3 d8 17 axb4 axb4 18 ac1 f8 19 h4± with a clear advantage) 16 e3 fd8 17 axb4 axb4 18 ac1 c5 If Black delays with this program advance White can simply improve his position on the K side, advancing his h pawn. This position arose in the game Pogorelov Korneev/Seville It looks like White should have simply taken the pawn: 19 dxc5!? (19 b1 a6!? 20 c2 c4 21 e5 f8 was fine for Black) xc5 and now 20 g5! could have secured the advantage: 20...h6 (20... xg5 21 xg5 xd3 22 xd3 xd3 23 xc7 xe4 24 f3±) 21 xf7! xf7 22 xc5 xc5 23 h5+ g8 24 xc5 f4 25 g3 f6 26 e2± with a healthy extra pawn. The line 10...c5!? 11 xf6+ gxf6 2

13 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+p+p pzp zp zp-zP zP-+LzPN+-0 9-zP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 looks dubious but in fact Black not only damages his pawn structure he also gets additional control over the important e5 square and the open g file for the rook. Yet, White can probably get better chances. (The last move was forced since other continuations were just bad. In case of xf6? the check 12 b5+ is very annoying, while xf6? is also unacceptable for Black due to 12 e5ƒ with strong initiative) Other continuations are harmless for Black. (12 axb4 cxd4 13 xd4 xb4+ 14 d2 b6 was tested many times and Black had no problems, while after 12 e4 cxd4 13 xd4 b6 14 e3 c5 15 b5 d8ƒ Black takes the initiative) 12...cxd4 Black had a big choice. a) b6 13 axb4 cxd4 14 xd4 (14 exd4 seems less promising: xb4 15 e2 a5 16 e3 d5 17 d2 b7 18 f3 f5! 19 c4 0-0! 20 h6 fc8 21 ac1 xc4! 22 xc4 f8 23 xf8 xf8= and Black almost equalises) xb4 15 d2 (15 f3 e7 16 f2 h5 17 d2 a5 18 xb4+ axb4 19 xa8 xa8 20 f1 h4 21 h3 e5 22 d2 d8 is acceptable for Black) g8 16 f3 g5 17 xb4 xb4 18 f2 c5 19 d2!? b6 20 b4ƒ and White takes the initiative b) g8 is interesting but it does not seem to be fully equalising as well: 13 e2 b6 14 axb4 cxd4 15 exd4 c6!? (after d6 16 e4 e7 17 d1 xe4 18 xe4 xb4 19 h4! White's initiative is fairly strong: c5 20 e2 b3 21 f5+ d7 22 xd6 xa1 23 e4 g6 24 d2 xb2 25 a6+ with decisive advantage) 16 h1 xb4 17 f4 g4!? 18 g3 xd4 Black is playing very actively but White can still prove the advantage of his solid position by 19 fc1 (19 b5!? e4 20 xe4 xe4 21 fc1 c8 22 xc8+ xc8 23 xa7 also gives White better chances ) d5 20 c4 xc4 21 xc4± and White can effectively use his rooks by, for example, Ra1-d1, Rc4 c7 with a certain initiative. c) 12...bxa3 13 bxa3 g7 looks suspicious. Then possible is 14 b1 xf3 15 xf3 cxd4 16 exd4± with a clear advantage. 13 xd4 g8 14 f3 d6 Black should play very actively to compensate drawbacks of his pawn structure and centralized position of his king. 15 e1!? A multipurpose move White is moving his queen to the K side, creating threat to the Black b4 pawn in passing. It is also important to protect g3 square to neutralise Black's possible threats by g2 g f5!? A good idea. White queen will be very useful on h4 so this manoeuvre should be prevented. (after b8? 16 h4 e5 17 e2 e7 18 d2± Black faces many problems after he has no real counter chances while his king 3

14 was rather vulnerable) 16 axb4 f6!? (16... g5 was a natural alternative but the problems still remained: 17 g3 h4!? 18 g2 f6 (18... e5 19 e2) 19 d2 h5 20 e2 and Black cannot create more threats so White's chances are preferable.) The queen looks better on f6 as it helps to advance f pawn and does not come under e3 e4. 17 a6!? (17 b5!? deserved attention: h6 18 g3 h3 19 e2 and White gets advantage.) d5 18 a5! Here a draw was agreed Moskalenko Lastin/Marganets 1999 but thorough analysis can still prove White's superiority. 11 xe4 bxa3 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp0 9-+p+p zPL+-+0 9zp-+-zPN+-0 9-zP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R !? 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp0 9-+p+p zPL+-+0 9zp-+-zPN+-0 9-zP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 This interesting sacrifice was introduced by Vassily Ivanchuk in the game against Vladimir Kramnik in After the common 12 bxa3 d6 Black is going to realise the program pawn advance...c6 c5 after some preparation as c7, b8 and so on. The tournament practice does not promise any advantage for White but Black should still play precisely. (12... e7?! looks passive. The idea is probably to make White's typical manoeuvre Nf3 d2 c4 useless but White has other ideas. For example, 13 b1 c7 14 c2 c f6 16 4

15 d3 c5 17 e4! c4 18 f4! and White has got the advantage) There are some other options. a) 13 d2!? is interesting White improves his knight first of all, at the same time securing the bishop's retreat over the important diagonal f3 a8. Yet, this approach looks a bit slow and Black gets time to prepare the program advance...c6 c5: c7 14 c4 e b1 This position arose in the game Beliavsky Galkin/FIDE WCh New Delhi Here it seemed quite natural to continue the preparations of the key idea the advance...c6 c5 by playing ab8 and 17 a4 could have been met by b6! 18 a5 c5!? (a solid a8 followed by...c6 c5 could also be not bad) 19 xa7 xc4 20 xb7 xb7 21 xb7 xb7 22 xb7 cxd4 and the endgame looks drawish as the White pieces are rather passive. b) An attempt to save one tempo for castling and so to quickly put problems for Black on the Q side by 13 b c1 c8 15 d2 looks interesting but it seems that Black has sufficient counter chances: f6 16 f3 (16 a4!? deserved attention but it could not prevent the program...c6 c5: xe4 17 xe4 c5! 18 dxc5 xe4 19 xe4 a5+ 20 b4 xc5 21 xc5 xc5 22 xc5 xc5 23 e2 b8 24 e5 d8 25 a4 f6 26 c1 b6= with drawish endgame) a6! 17 c4 b8! with excellent counterplay, Krasenkow Shirov/Reykjavik Edda Rapid c) Another bishop move 13 d2 was also tried but without much success: b (the alternative 14 a4 can be met by 14...c5 15 xb7 xb7 16 dxc5 xc5 17 a5 b8! 18 d1 0-0! and Black solves all the problems since the knight on d7 is untouchable: 19 xd7? e8! 20 e5 b1+ 21 e2 xh1-+) b4 c5 16 dxc5 xc5 17 xb7 xb7 18 d4 b6 19 xc5 xc5 with equal play b2 9r+-wq-trk+0 9zpl+n+pzpp0 9-+pvlp zPL+-+0 9zP-+-zPN+-0 9-vL-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+Q+RmK b8! (14...h6 is tempting but certainly less precise: 15 c1 c7 16 b1 fd8 17 c2 f8 (17... f6? 18 e4ƒ) and here White can secure the advantage by playing 18 c3!ƒ ) 15 c2 c5!? A very interesting idea, completely in the spirit of this position Black can continue his plans, ignoring White's threat! (15...f5!? was also quite possible: 16 d3 c5 with excellent counter chances) 16 xb7 (16 xh7+?! could bring White nothing but troubles: h8 17 d3 xf3 18 gxf3 cxd4 (Black also had two options to make perpetual check: xh2+ 19 g2 g5+ 20 xh2 h4+=, h4 19 f4 g4+ 20 h1 f3+=) 19 xd4 and it looks like Black should still agree to a draw by, for example, h4 20 f4 g4+=) xb7 17 dxc5 (In case of 17 ab1 Black 5

16 12...axb2 could simply continue by e7 (while 17...cxd4 18 e4!? followed by xd4 could promise White some initiative) ) xc5 18 fd1 e7 19 a4 Black has solved all the problems and here a draw was agreed in the game Karpov Anand/FIDE WCh (m/3) Lausanne A principled choice d6 allows White to secure a small advantage by playing 13 b3!? a) Another interesting option is 13 b4!? but Black can probably neutralise White's pressure with accurate play: f6 (13... xb4 is worse: 14 b3 a5 (14... b6?! 15 xa3 xa3 16 xa3ƒ) 15 xa3 b6 16 xb4 axb4 17 d2! c4 b5 19 d6 b6 20 ab1²) 14 d3 d5! 15 xa3 xb4 16 xb4 xb4 and Black is doing well. 17 e5 a5 18 h5 c7 19 fc1 g6 20 h6 f8 21 g5 e7 22 h6 and here a draw was agreed. b) 13 d2!? is a very rare but interesting option c7!? 9r+-+k+-tr0 9zplwqn+pzpp0 9-+pvlp zPL+-+0 9zp-+-zP zP-sN-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 ( b3 b8 15 h3 followed by Bc1xa3 gives a stable advantage for White) 14 c4! A wonderful idea! White leaves another pawn to the mercy of fate, counting on the control over dark squares and passivity of Black's light squared bishop xh2+ 15 h1 The game Kramnik Shirov/Tal Memorial Moscow 2008 continued b6!? (The bishop's retreat d6 wasn't satisfactory for Black: 16 xd6+ xd6 17 b3 c7 18 xa3 with a rather annoying initiative for the pawn) 16 xb6 axb6 17 g3 xg3 18 fxg3 and here Black could have achieved more counter chances by securing his passer: 18...a2! (after xg3?! 19 h5! White neutralized opponent's counterplay) 19 g2 (19 f3? failed to 19...f5, but 19 b3!? was possibly stronger) 19...c5 20 f3 xe4 21 xe dxc5 bxc5 23 b3 a6 24 f2 fa8 25 b2 f6 with unclear play f6 (In case of e7!? Here White can think about the typical manoeuvre 14 d2!? (14 c2 can be met by 14...f5!? 15 xc6 c8 16 xd7+ xd7 with good counter chances) b6 (14...f5 15 f3) 15 c4 xc4 16 bxc4 0-0 (16... xh2+? 17 xh2 h4+ 18 g1 xe4 19 f3! f5 20 xa3ƒ) 17 d3², maintaining somewhat the better chances.) 14 d2! A strong idea. (14 d3 does not promise much due to 14...c5! 15 xa3 (or 15 dxc5 xc5 16 b5+ e7 17 xa3 xa3 18 xd8+ hxd8 19 xa3 a6 20 c4 d6=) 6

17 15...cxd4 16 b5+ e7 17 xd4 a6 18 c4 xa3 19 xa3 xd4 20 xd4 hd8= with equal play.) c7 (14... xe4?! secures an extra pawn but the position Black is going to play is suspicious: 15 xe4 xh2+ 16 xh2 h4+ 17 g1 xe4 was too risky for Black since his king would face serious problems in center: 18 f3! (not 18 xa3? c5!) d5 19 xa3 Such positions with opposite coloured bishops are too risky for Black as his bishop is too passive and his king would face serious problems in the center, and in the game Bareev Bruzon/Havana 2006 White successfully converted his advantage.) 15 f3! White is doing everything in order to prevent the programmed...c6 c5. (15 xa3!? could be played with the same idea and perhaps the same position could be reached after xh2+ 16 h1 d6 17 xd6 xd6 18 c4 e7 19 f3 0-0) xh2+ 16 h1 d6 17 c4 e7 18 xa c5! This idea looks strong. White keeps more tension to make his opponent's defence more difficult. (In the game Topalov Kramnik/WCh (m/4) Elista 2006 White achieved excellent compensation for the pawn after 19 xe7 xe7 20 a5 but then he failed to get serious winning chances after fd8 21 g1 c5! 22 xc5 e4 23 xe4 xe4 with acceptable play.) fd8 20 b4! xc5 21 bxc5 Now the knight on the d6 square would not be supported along the d file but it is still very good for White, who has improved his pawn structure and got more space. The game Aronian Grischuk/FIDE GP Sochi 2008, continued 21...a5 22 e1 a6 23 b6 ab8 24 xa5 b5 25 a1 and White has regained the pawn and maintained a stable advantage. In case of e7 White can get small advantage by 13 b3!? f6 14 d3 By the way, this position may also arise via the move order b4 10.Ne4 Be7 11.a3 Nxe4 12.Bxe4 Nf6 13.Bd3 bxa3 14.b3. Perhaps b6 (14... a5 can be well met by 15 b4! xb4 16 xa3 0-0 (or xa3 17 b xa3 c7 19 c2² with certain pressure over Black's Q side) 17 xb4 xb4 18 e5² Black's defence is not easy. He is unable to advance his c pawn without concessions, and he might give the extra pawn back under unfavourable circumstances, P.H.Nielsen Baramidze/EU ch Plovdiv 2008) 15 xa3 xa3 16 xa3 c5 17 dxc5 xc5 18 b4!? b6 (the principled xb4!? was also worth considering: 19 b3 e7 (19... xf3? 20 xf3! xb3 21 xa8++ ) 20 b5+ f8 21 e5 g6 with reasonable chances to extinguish White's initiative) 19 a4+ c6 20 a d4 d5 22 fa1² and White has secured the edge f6 13 d3 axb2 14 xb2 is just a transposition to the line 12...axb2. 13 xb2 f6 After e7 14 c2 h6 15 xc6 c8 16 d5 exd5 17 xd7+ xd7 18 b3ƒ White takes the initiative. 14 d3 7

18 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+-+pzpp0 9-+p+psn zP LzPN+-0 9-vL-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+Q+RmK-0 White has achieved excellent compensation for the pawn but the question is if it would promise more than just the initiative a5! In the above mentioned game Ivanchuk Kramnik, New York 1994 Black played e7 15 b1 b8 16 xa7 b6 17 a2 (17 a1!?) b1 a8 19 xa8 xa8 20 c4 a6 21 c2 xd3 22 xd3 b5 and successfully equalised but White's play would certainly be improved. 15 d5!? 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9+l+-+pzpp0 9-+p+psn-+0 9zp-+P LzPN+-0 9-vL-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+Q+RmK-0 This very unexpected pawn push poses certain problems for Black. However, White already gives up a second pawn while his initiative does not look too dangerous at the moment... In case of 15 b3 b4 16 a3 Black would have thought about a typical 16...c5!? (a restrained e7 is also possible: 17 xb4 axb4 18 xa8+ xa8 19 b xb4 xb4 21 xb4 c5! 22 dxc5 d7 and Black equalises) 17 a4+!? d7 18 b5 xf3 19 gxf3 e7 20 dxc5 xc5 21 xb4 axb4 22 xb4 d5 and Black is fine 8

19 15 a4!? has been also tried in practice: b4 16 a3 d5 17 e4 b6 18 b3 e7 The game Gelfand Kramnik/WCh Mexico City 2007 continued 19 ab1 xa3 20 xb6 b4 and here White could have thought about 21 d5!, which would still promise the better chances for White: 21...exd5 (21...cxd5? was bad due to 22 fc1ƒ c8? 23 b5+ f8 24 xc8+ xc8 25 c1+ ) 22 exd dxc6 c8 24 fc1² and the strong c6 passer secures White's small advantage xd5 Black has a wide choice and it is really not easy to make a decision cxd5?? loses to 16 b5+ d7 17 e5+ while other captures deserves attention: 15...exd5!? 16 d4 b4! (16... e7 seems worse: 17 f5 and here ? is impossible because of 18 xg7! xg7 19 g4+ h8 20 xf6+ xf6 21 f5+ ) 17 f5 (in case of 17 f f5 e8 19 fc1 (19 h6+ f8 20 xh7 c8 is far form clear) 19...c5 20 g3 Black defended by h5 21 f3 f6 with repetition of moves) 17...g6!? 18 h6 f8 19 f3 with sufficient compensation for a couple of pawns or xd5!? 16 e4!? (16 e2 b4 17 e5 ) xe4 (16... h5!?) 17 b1 (17 xe4 xe4 18 e5 d8 19 h5 f5 20 xf5 exf5 21 fe1) c5 18 c2 with good compensation. 16 e5 This position arose in the game Carlsen Aronian/Bilbao 2008, which continued f6 17 a4 b4!? 18 xc6 xc6 19 xc6+ e7 20 fd1ƒ 9r+-wq-+-tr mkpzpp0 9-+Q+psn-+0 9zp vl LzP vL-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+R+-mK-0 with more than sufficient compensation for the pawn. 9

20 Meran/2 8...Bb7 9. e4... Various white 12th moves [D47] Last updated: 12/12/06 by R.Scherbakov 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 f3 f6 4 c3 e6 5 e3 bd7 6 d3 dxc4 7 xc4 b5 8 d3 b7 9 e4 b4 10 a4 c5 11 e5 d5 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp p zpnzP-+-0 9Nzp-zP L+N+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R0 12 dxc5 12 g5 is a rare option: 12...cxd4 (12... e7 has been also tested: 13 h5 xg5 (13...g6 is weaker: 14 h6 f8 15 xe6 xh6 16 xd8 xd8 17 xh6 cxd4 18 c1 c8 19 xc8+ xc8 20 e6 fxe6 21 g7 g8 22 xd4² with a clear advantage) 14 xg5 a5 15 xc5 xc5 16 dxc5 a6 17 xa6 xa6 18 e2 xe2+ 19 xe2 d7 20 hc1 c6 21 d2 a5² Black's position looks excellent but an extra pawn is an extra pawn he has to fight for a draw.) 13 xe6 e7 (13...fxe6!? looks risky but perhaps everything is not so clear and Black may seriously think about this brave capture. For example, 14 h5+ e7 15 g5+ 5f6 16 exf6+ gxf6 17 d2 a e5 with an excellent game) 14 xf8 xe5+ 15 e2 xf8 This is maybe more reliable. (15... xf8 is more risky alternative: ! Black has no other way to hide the king. Yet, it is not completely safe on the queenside but the activity of all his pieces would distract White's attention. 17 e1!? After (17 a3 b8 a draw was agreed in the game Volzhin Cs.Horvath/Gyula 2000.) f6 in case of (17... fe8 White has a nice move: 18 c5! e3 19 xe3 xc5 20 d2 d5 21 f3 xe1+ 22 xe1ƒ keeping the initiative) 18 a3 0

21 A logical continuation White opens lines against the rival's king. (18 d2 fe8 looks unclear) b8 19 axb4 xb4 20 b3ƒ and White seized a rather annoying initiative, Najer Shinkevich/Togliatty 2001.) e8 17 c4 e6 in case of (17... f4?! White has 18 d2! and the knight is forced to retreat back) 18 f4 d6 (18... f6 is more risky: 19 b3 d6 20 d2!? a5 21 a3ƒ with initiative) 19 xd4 5b6 20 xd6+ xd6 21 xb6 xb6 22 b3² Thanks to the pair of bishops White secured a small advantage in the ending. 12 xc5 often leads to the same position as 12. dxc5 since xc5 13 dxc5 xc5 14 b5+ f ² promises a small but stable advantage for White xc a5 is the alternative, which looks rather risky. However, a very strong knight on d5 and bishop on b7 secures Black from getting much worse: xc5 a) other possibilities do not solve the problems: c6 14 c2 xc5 (14...h6?! 15 d4±) 15 xc5 xc5 16 d4² b) c7 14 c2 d8 15 g5ƒ c) or xc5 14 xc5 xc5 15 g5ƒ 14 xc5 (by the way, this position can be also reached in the line 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. dxc5 Qa5) xc5 15 c2² with better chances for White, according to the tournament practice. 13 xc5 13 b5+ is not the most popular but quite a poisonous option d7 14 g5 a5 (Black is forced to play without castling as e7? can be strongly met by 15 c5! xg5 16 xd7+ f8 17 xe6!+ ) 15 xd7+ (15 d4 can be well by a6!? 16 c6 c8 17 c1 (17 b3 xc6! 18 xc6 c7 ) 17...b3+! 18 c3 (18 d2 b4!) 18...bxa2 19 xd7+ xd7 ) xd r+-+-vl-tr0 9zpl+k+pzpp p+-+0 9wq-+nzP-vL-0 9Nzp N+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+Q+RmK-0 (16 b3 a6 is fine for Black) According to the tournament practice, the immediate e7!? promises very good play for Black. a) Other options seem to be weaker: c6 17 b3 h6 (17... e7?! was strongly met by 18 b2! followed by Nb2 c4 with rather annoying initiative, Vladimirov 1

22 Ramesh/Dubai 2004) 18 d2!? (18 e3 is probably less promising but still better for White: xa4 19 bxa4 e7 20 d4 hc8 21 h5 g6 22 f3 e8 23 b5 xa4 24 d6+ xd6 25 exd6 with some initiative but Black can probably hold the position thanks to his strong knight on d5) xa4 19 bxa4² with a transposition to the line 16...h6. b) 16...h6 can help White to find some work for his bishop: 17 d2!? c6 18 b3 xa4 (18... b5?! can only promote the White rook: 19 e1 xa4 20 bxa4 c5 21 a3ƒ) 19 bxa4 c5 20 a3 hc8 21 b1 ab8 22 e1 e8 23 g4² with some initiative although Black should still play very precisely to keep things under control, Cvitan Kharlov, Bern b3 (17 a3 has been tried without much success: hc8 18 xe7 xe7 19 g5 f4! 20 d6+ e8 21 xh7 (21 axb4 d5 22 xd5 xd5³) g6 22 axb4 xe5 23 xe5 xe5 24 c5 (24 g5 c4) d5 25 g5 c6 26 ge4 e7 27 a4 cb8 28 c3 xb4 29 xd5+ exd5³) 17...h6 18 xe7 (18 d2 hc8 ) xe7 with a good play, according to the tournament practice xc r+-wqk+-tr0 9zpl+-+pzpp p vlnzP zp L+N+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 Recently this well developed line doesn't promise too much for White h c7!? is a rather fresh and interesting idea: 15 d2 h6 16 c1 (16 a4+?! only helps Black to develop his kingside: e7 17 ac1 hc8 18 e4 a5 with advantage) b6 17 c4 A typical manoeuvre. (17 e2 g6 18 c2 f8 19 fc1 c8 20 a3 a5 21 axb4 axb4 is harmless for Black) d8 18 g4 f8 As often happens in this line, Black is deprived of castling but this is the only drawback of his very solid position, V.Milov Khenkin/Bratto d2 2

23 9r+-wqk+-tr0 9zpl+-+pzp p+-zp0 9+-vlnzP zp L PzP-sN-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 The tournament practice does not promise very much for White after 15 e2 b c7!? 9r+-+k+-tr0 9zplwq-+pzp p+-zp0 9+-vlnzP zp L PzP-sN-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 A popular option Black is trying to disturb White's plans by attacking the e5 pawn and quickly getting his pieces into play. The line c3?! 16 c2 d5 17 f3 d8 18 e1! d4 19 d2!ƒ is out of fashion since Black has suffered some painful defeats an old line is still quite playable: 16 e4 (16 c4 can be met by 16...f5!? 17 exf6 xf6ƒ and Black takes the initiative) d4! (16... e7?! is too passive: 17 g4ƒ with initiative) 17 d6 c6 (An interesting xe5?! 18 xb7 b6 is not quite satisfactory for Black due to 19 h5! f4 20 c5! xc5 (or f6 21 f3 xc1 22 axc1+ ) 21 xf4 d4 22 d6 xd3 (22... fd8 23 ad1+ ) 23 xf8 xf8 24 e5± with good winning chances) 18 h7+! (A slow 18 e2?! favours Black: 18...f5 19 d1 h4!ƒ with initiative) xh7 19 xd4² 3

24 9r+-wq-tr-+0 9zp-+-+pzpk0 9-+lsNp+-zp0 9+-+nzP zp-wQ PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vL-+RmK-0 White's position looks preferable thanks to his strong knight on d6 which keeps the Black rooks passive. On the other hand, Black's minor pieces are quite good and if he gets the rooks into play everything will be fine for him. To solve this task he has to shake loose the knight on d f6! 20 d2 fxe5 (20... d7 21 ac1² was certainly better for White in the game Mamedyarov Topalov/Hoogeveen 2006) 21 e4+!? (after the immediate 21 xe5 d7 White should play 22 ac1! (22 fe1?! is just dubious, the game Lesiege Akopian/Bled (ol) 2002 continued ad8 23 e4 (23 c4 b6!) f5! 24 d4 f4! and Black has taken initiative.) ad8 23 c4² followed by Qe5 g3 and Nc4 e5 with a small advantage) g8 22 xe5 d7 23 ac1 (23 fe1 ad8 is fine for Black as after 24 c4 (24 e4 f5 is also good for Black) Black has a strong retreat b6! ) ad8 24 c4² White's knight has been pushed from d6 but there is another strong e5 square and so he is going to put it there after Qe5 g3, securing a small but stable advantage, which was proved in the game Vaganian Johannessen/GER cht However, Black's pieces are rather active and so he should be also satisfied with his counter chances. 16 e1 9r+-+k+-tr0 9zplwq-+pzp p+-zp0 9+-vlnzP zp L PzP-sN-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQtR-mK-0 White also tried some other options. 4

25 16 e4 does not bother Black very much as after a simple e7 White gets problems with e5 pawn: 17 e1 xe5 18 c5 c7 19 xb7 xb7 20 f3 f6 21 a e4 g6 23 xh6 xb2! 24 xf8 xa1 25 xb4 g7 and Black is completely OK After 16 c4 Black has a choice: !? a) after d2 f5!? deserves serious attention with good counterplay (while after fd8 18 g4 f8 19 ac1² White gets better chances) b) d8!? is interesting: 17 g4 e7!? 18 d6+!? xd6 19 exd6 xd6 20 d1 c6 21 e3 h5 22 g5 d5 23 xd5 xd5 24 xa7 h4 and Black is fine 17 e2 b8 18 d2 b6! and Black achieves very active play e7!? d8 which was played more often, is also not bad: 17 e4 (17 g4 can be met by e7!, transposing to 16...Ne7!?) e7 and White still failed to put real problems for Black. 17 g4 d8 9-+-trk+-tr0 9zplwq-snpzp p+-zp0 9+-vl-zP zp-+-+Q L PzP-sN-zPPzP0 9tR-vL-tR-mK-0 Typically for the Meran, Black brings all his available resources into play to compensate some inconvenience with the development of the K side and achieves good counter chances, A.Kuzmin Dreev/RUS ch Qualifier St. Petersburg

26 Meran/3 8...Bb7 9. e cxd4 13. Nxd4 sac [D47] Last updated: 05/08/04 by R.Scherbakov 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 f3 f6 4 c3 e6 5 e3 bd7 6 d3 dxc4 7 xc4 b5 8 d3 b7 9 e4 b4 10 a4 c5 11 e5 d5 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp p zpnzP-+-0 9Nzp-zP L+N+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQmK-+R This natural move gives Black the time to capture on d4 and so White's knight is getting out of work for a while cxd4 6

27 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp p nzP-+-0 9Nzp-zp L+N+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK h6 is not very popular but it is maybe not so bad idea to avoid complicated and very deep lines which may arise after cd4. Here White has a big choice, including a transposition to one of the main lines by 13 dxc5 xc5 14 xc5 xc5 refer to D47/2 12. dxc5. 13 xd4 A sharp continuation White sacrifices his central pawn xe5 14 b5+ d7 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp p L+n Nzp-sN PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQ+RmK-0 15 e1 A common option. 15 h5!? is rarely played but it is not without a poison. a) f6 is tempting but White keeps the initiative after a1) the stunning 16 xe6!? can put some problems for Black but they are quite solvable: xh5 17 xd8 xd8 18 e1+ e7 19 c5 c8 20 g5 hf6 (20...f6!? deserved serious attention) 21 ad1!? (in the game Piket Shirov/Monaco 2002 White played 7

28 the less precise 21 xf6 gxf6 22 ad1 g8 23 f4 f8 24 xd7+ xd7 25 xd7 c5+ 26 f1 xd7 27 xd7 g7 and Black held the position without much problems) 21...a6! An important advance. 22 a4 h6 Black is a piece up but he is tied hand and foot and can do nothing! There are no other useful moves so he clarifies situation, even losing a tempo. 23 xf6 gxf6 24 xd7 xd7 25 xd7! xd7 26 d xd7 White's initiative looks rather annoying but fortunately Black has a strong defensive idea c8! (27... c5? was just bad as after 28 b3 the Black rook got stuck to the f7 pawn) 28 g3 f8 29 b3 d8! 30 a7 d2 31 xa6 xb2 White has no real targets to attack. Nevertheless in the game Radjabov Shirov/Wijk aan Zee 2003 he has managed to create some problems but it hasn't changed the most likely outcome. a2) 16 e c8 (16...a6!? is worthy of consideration) 17 g5 e7 and here 18 xf6! xf6 19 xe6! breaks Black's position: e7 (19...fxe6 20 xe6+ e7 21 ad1 c7 22 xd7 xd7 23 d1 c8 24 c5+ ) 20 fd1 (20 xd7+!? xd7 21 d3+ e8 22 xg7+) c6 21 ac1 b8 and here White can simply play 22 xc6+ xc6 23 a6 xe6 24 e1 e5 25 xe5! xe5 26 xc8+ d8 27 c7 xc7 28 xc7+ with a decisive advantage. b) 15...g6 16 e2 An important position. Strangely enough, Black's best reply may be (16 e5!? f6 17 f3 is also worthy of consideration.) b1) 16...a6? lost by force after 17 xe6! fxe6 (17... e7 18 xd7+ xd7 19 ec5+ c8 20 c4 wasn't better.) 18 xe6+ e7 19 c5! axb5 20 xb7 b6 21 d6+ d8 22 e3 a6 23 ad1 g8 24 fe1+ and Black is just helpless, Piket,J Pelletier,Y/Korchnoi Birthday Gp A, Zurich SUI b2) c8!? The question is can White find something better than 17 e1 transposing to the main line, which is supposed to be quite acceptable for Black c8 16 h5 g6 Here White has a choice. 17 e2 9-+rwqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+p+p p+p+0 9+L+n Nzp-sN PzP-+QzPPzP0 9tR-vL-tR-mK-0 17 e5 is probably the more promising way. Possible play is f6 18 f3 g7 19 xd7+ xd7 20 e2 d8 with mutual chances. 8

29 17...a e7 is also known to be fine for Black. After 18 g5 xg5 19 xe6 he solves the problems by xg2+! and the ending after 20 xg2 f4+ 21 f1 xe2 22 ad1! (22 xe2 fxe6 ) 22...fxe6 (22... c6?! 23 xe2 xb5 24 c7+ d8 25 xb5± Shumiakina Semina, URS 1988) 23 xd7+ f7 24 xc8 xc8 25 xe2 (25 xe2 a6 26 d7+ f6 27 xa7 xe2+ 28 xe2 d6 29 h3 e7³) a6+ is good for him: a) 26 f3?! leads to troubles: b7+ 27 g3 d5! 28 b3 (28 a3? c6! 29 b3 bxa3-+) d6+ 29 h3 f8! 30 b2 g7 with a clear advantage for Black b) 26 e b5 27 b3 h6+ 28 f3 c8= with a good play. 18 xa6 A typical sacrifice 18 xe6?! is not dangerous for Black: 18...fxe6 19 xe6+ e7 20 xa6 xa6 21 xa6 and here the knight's retreat a) c7? and after 22 g5 c6 23 d3 in case of (23 e2? Black could simply castle: xe7 xe7 ) f7 the line ( f6? 24 ac1 b7 25 xc8+ xc8 26 xf6 xf6 27 d xe7 e8 was supposed to be "winning for Black" in some comments but in fact 29 xb4+ clears the situation in White's favour) 24 ac1ƒ and Black faced serious problems, Yevseev,D Dreev,A/Novgorod b) b8! After 22 e h6 f7 24 ad1 a5 White can only fight for a draw by 25 e6 b1) d8?? 26 b6! f8 (26... xb6 27 xb6 xb6 28 xd8+ xd8 29 e8+) 27 xf8 xb6 28 xb6 xb6 29 xd8 xf8 30 ee8 8d7 31 xf8+ xf8 32 b8 d5 33 b5+ b2) e8 not 26 xd5 xa4 27 d4!? c6 28 f4 d8 29 e5! xa2 30 b5 ef8 31 xf8 xf8 32 xf7 xf7 33 e2, keeping drawing chances thanks to slightly opened position of Black king and lack of material on the board xa6 19 xa6 g7! 20 g5 9-+rwqk+-tr0 9+-+n+pvlp0 9Q+-+p+p n+-vL-0 9Nzp-sN PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+-tR-mK-0 Here 20 xe6? is dubious: 20...fxe6 21 xe6+ (21 g5 can be strongly met by c7! 22 xe6+ f7 23 xd8 xa6! 24 e7+ f6 25 xd7+ hxd8-+) e7 9

30 20... c7! The only move! 21 a5 In case of 21 b7 Black continues to pursue the queen by b8! 22 xd8 xb7 23 xc7 xc7 24 b5 c2 25 ac1 xc1 26 xc1 0-0³ and Black is at least not worse a8! 22 xd8 xa5 23 xc7 xa4= 9-+-+k+-tr0 9+-vLn+pvlp p+p rzp-sN PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-+-tR-mK-0 In this ending Black can hardly face any problems. 0

31 Meran/4 8...Bb7 9. e cxd4 13. Re1 [D47] Last updated: 17/03/06 by R.Scherbakov 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 f3 f6 4 c3 e6 5 e3 bd7 6 d3 dxc4 7 xc4 b5 8 d3 b7 9 e4 b4 10 a4 c5 11 e5 d cxd4 13 e1 9r+-wqkvl-tr0 9zpl+n+pzpp p nzP-+-0 9Nzp-zp L+N+-0 9PzP-+-zPPzP0 9tR-vLQtR-mK g6 Black has a wide choice e7!? A rare continuation which is maybe underestimated. 14 xd4 0-0 a) a5 looks risky. For example: 15 d2 immediate (15 a3!? is also possible) d8 16 a3 5b6 17 b5 xa4 18 xb4!± xb4 19 axb4 b6 20 xd7+! (20 xa4? xd4 21 ad1 g4 22 xd7+ e7 ) xd7 21 xa4 and Black is in trouble b) 14...a6 gives White the initiative after 15 g4ƒ 15 h5 (15 g4!? is an alternative, a possible continuation being h8 (15... e8!? 16 h6 f8) 16 h3 g6 17 h6 g8 18 ac1 5b6 19 xb6 xb6 20 f3 gc8 21 g5 xg5 22 xg5 xc1 23 xc1 g8 and Black is okay) 15...g6 16 h6 xe5! Only this rather unexpected blow can justify Black's strategy. (16... e8? is losing by force: 17 xg6!! hxg6 18 xe6! fxe6 19 xg6+ h8 20 h6+ g8 21 xe6+ h8 22 h6+ g8 23 e4! with decisive attack) 17 xe5 f6 Now White cannot secure his extra piece because of the loose minor pieces on d file. 18 f4 (18 h4?! e4! is good for Black) d6 19 g3! (19 c5?! is much weaker due to d5) d7 20 f4 f6 21 1

32 e4! The logical (21 ae1? was actually a big mistake due to xe5 22 xe5 xe5 23 xe5 ad8 24 e3 xd4! 25 xd4 d8 followed by...rd3.) xe5 22 xe5 xe5 23 xb7 ad8 24 c6 xc6 25 xc6 f5! Intending Qc2. The position is quite good for Black. Having the knight cut from the center of the board White can hardly hope for any advantage and should play carefully not to become worse, Dyachkov Dreev/chT RUS Smolensk b6!? came as a big surprise in the game Volzhin M.Gurevich/Cappelle la Grande No one took this interesting move seriously probably because it looks to illogically swap the proud knight on d5 for the bad looking knight on a4. But actually Black has a lack of space to develop his pieces so some changes are desirable especially as this reduces White's attacking possibilities on the kingside. The game continued by 14 xd4 xa4 15 xa4 Gurevich suggests (15 xe6 as a better move but I don't see how White would maintain his attack after a5! since 16 b5 is not so strong because of ac5! and after 17 xc5 xb5 18 xb7 xb7 19 e6 White's attack does not look very dangerous.) c5 16 b5 (16 b3!? b5 deserved attention and led to unclear but more quiet play.) ! and Black has achieved an excellent play. 14 g5 14 d2!? is less popular but rather interesting option g7 a) The other possibilities are: e7 does not seem to be fully equalising. 15 h6 f8 16 d2 e7 17 xd h6 (18 g4 was met by b6 19 xb6 xb6 with a good play) e8 19 g4 f8 (Black already had to be careful: c8? 20 xe6!, b6? 20 b5!) 20 xf8 xf8 21 h4ƒ and White gets advantage b) 14...a6 is interesting but White can still hope for some advantage after 15 e4² 15 b5! A strong idea. The play is more or less forced now a6 a) The point of White's move is that ?! can be strongly met by 16 g5! e7 (16...f6 17 exf6 5xf6 18 xd7 xd7 19 c5±) 17 xd4 xf3 18 xd7 xd7 19 xd7 c6 20 xe7 xd7 21 xf8 xf8 22 b3± with extra exchange b) c8!? deserves serious attention although it has not been often tried: 16 g5 a5 17 xd4 (17 xd7+ xd7 18 xd4 h6 19 d2 hd8 20 a3 e8 is fine for Black) c7 and Black is ready to castle, getting quite acceptable position 16 c5! (16 g5?! axb5 17 xd8 xd8³ is just fine for Black, while 16 xd7+ xd7 17 c5 b5 18 c xd4 b6 promises nothing.) 16...axb5 17 xb7 b6 18 d6+ e7 (18... f8? is much worse: 19 g5 xe5 20 xe5 (20 dxf7!? xf7 21 f3 b7 22 xe6) xe5 (20... xd6? fails to 21 f3! f6 22 xd5! exd5 23 xb4! xb4 24 xf6+ ) 21 dxf7 f6 22 xh8 xg5 23 xg5 g7 24 e2 xh8 25 e5+ g8 26 h6 c7 27 xe6+ f7 28 e4± and Black is in trouble) 19 g5 (19 g5+ is another option which seems to be less promising. Then after f8 White has a choice. 20 c1!? a) 20 xd4 can be well met by xe5 (20... g8!?) 21 4xb5 h6 22 h4 c4!? b) 20 h4 was tried without much success: xe5 21 xe5 xd6 22 g3 e7 23 c1 g8 24 c6 d7 and White still has to prove his compensation 20...h6 21 h4 xe5! (21... g8 22 g3 h7 23 xf7 hf8 24 d6 is better for White) 22 xe5 xd6 23 g3 (the position after 23 c6 xe5 24 xe5 xe5 25 e2 g7 26 xb5 g8 is better for Black, as was proved in a few games) e7 and Black can be satisfied 2