The Kaufman Repertoire For Black - Kaufman PDF [PDF]

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The Kaufman Repertoire for Black and White

Eight years after his acclaimed The Cl!ess Advantage in Black and White, grandmaster Larry Kaufman is back with a completely new repertoire book, covering the entire scope of chess openings for both White and Black, in one tome . Using the latest versions of top engines like Komodo and Houdini, the former Senior World Champion and computer expert has refined his analysis of ready-to-go and easy-to-digest lines almost to perfection. His main new co"nviction is that l.d4 gives White better chances of an advantage than l.e4, and he h�s changed his recommendations accord­ ingly. Larry Kaufman has based his repertoire on sound, practical lines that do not outdate rapidly and are suitable for masters while accessibl-e for amateurs. He regularly and successfully uses the openings he recom­ mends himsel£ The Kaufman Repertoire for Black and Wl1ite contains many improvements

on existing opening theory and offers a good balance between narra­ tive and variations.

Acclaim for The Chess Advantage in Black and White: "The author has done a very good job at presenting a playable and in­ teresting repertoire for both Black and White."

Carsten Hansen, ChessCafe "Simply the best comprehensive repertoire book that I have ever seen."

John Watson, The Week in Chess

Larry Kaufman

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

New In Chess 2012

The Repertoire for Black Black Introduction

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Chapter 1

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Chapter 2

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Chapter 3

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Chapter 4

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Chapter S

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Chapter 6

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Contents s

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Magnus Carlsen's defenses! •

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7

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Unusual Opening Moves •

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17

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25

English Opening •

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Queen's Indian versus Reti .

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37

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Anti-Griinfeld •

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53

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Queen's Pawn Openings •

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65

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Neo-Griinfeld

Chapter 7 ....................

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75

Griinfeld Defense- Non-Exchange lines

Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

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99

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Griinfeld Exchange •

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127

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Center Game and Ponziani

Chapter 10

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133

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Bishop's Opening and Vienna

Chapter 11

141

Gambits

Chapter 12 ..............

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157

Scotch and Four Knights Opening

Chapter 13

169

Italian Game

3

Chapter 14

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179

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Spanish Offshoots

Chapter IS

199

Breyer Defense

The Repertoire in Practice

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216

Index of Variations (Black)

223

Index of Players

228

4

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Black Introduction Magnus Carlsen's defenses! I recommended meeting l.e4 with l...e5, aiming for the Berlin De­ fense to the Spanish Opening, and meeting I.d4 with I...d5, aiming for the Semi-Slav. In the present volume I have kept the opening move l. ..e5 against l.e4, but this time aiming for the Breyer rather than the Berlin. The Berlin Defense remains quite respect­ able and is used fairly often by top players, but the Berlin endgame is now generally re­ garded as at least slightly better for White, and also the sidelines 4.d3 and 4.0-0 tl:lxe4 5.l:re I are both more promising than white sidelines on the way to the Breyer. Perhaps the best argument for switching to the Breyer is that it has been the primary choice in the past year or two of the top rated player in the world, Magnus Carlsen. It keeps all the pieces on the board, concedes very little to White ( just a slight central advantage of pawns on d4 and e4 vs. d6 and e5), and is in excellent shape theoretically. Against non-Spanish lines, I have kept some of my recommendations but changed many others, especially against the Scotch. In Chess Advantage

Against I.d4, I switched to the Griinfeld, both in my own play and for this book. The Semi-Slav is still a good alternative, but there are some problems in the 5.�g5 lines and also a big problem of reaching the Semi-Slav without allowing unpleasant options like the Catalan or the Slav Exchange.The Griinfeld is in much better shape than it was eight years ago, and it seems that finding an advantage against it is an extremely challenging task. My own experience is that since I have been aiming for the Griinfeld and for the Breyer, my results have improved noticeably. Here too we are following the recent pref­ erence of Carlsen. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the English Opening. l.c4, is not much of a problem for tl1e Griinfeld player, contrary to my opinion eight years ago. I show how the move l...g6! eitl1er transposes to the Griinfeld or leads to near-equality in all cases. for I.tLlf3 , we can play the Griinfeld anyway, covered in the Anti-Griinfeld chapter. In the Reti chapter I give some alternatives for Black. So my overall conclusion is that contrary to my belief eight years ago. the Griinfeld does not have major move-order problems. As

The section on l.e4 e5 is the only major part of this book that has much in common with my previous work. Even here, most of my recommendations have changed. I kept the same main lines against the King's Gambit and Goring Gambit, but against almost all other white tries I have made major changes. Many players are reluctant to meet l. e4 5

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

with J ..eS because there are so many ways White can vary before we get to play our own line ( in this case the Breyer, on move 9 of the Spanish). This is true, but almost all of them are inferior. In fact I would say that only the Italian, the Spanish with 6.d3, and the Spanish with 9.d4 lead to positions ( with best play) where I would rather play White than Black, and just marginally so. Quite a few of the white options that I actu­ ally face in tournaments fail even to equalize the game. When people try to take me out of book early, I am usually quite content! In this book I don't take the attitude that Black is always happy with a draw; once White makes one or two second-rate moves I start to look for a black advantage. .

6

Chapter 1

Unusual Opening Moves this chapter we'll cover less common but still moderately popular white first moves not covered elsewhere in this book. I leave out I. g3 , which after l ...g6 is extremely likely to transpose to the Neo-Griinfeld or English chapters, and also the opening J.lt:)c3 , which is also likely to transpose elsewhere after l ...lt:)f6, for example 2.e4 eS is lhe Vienna, while 2.d4 dS is the Veresov. First we consider the Polish Opening ( a.k.a. Orang-Utan or Sokolsky), I .b4. In

K�. .t if • .t � K •• A •·••••

Black can easily equalize in many ways, such as l . ..dS 2.i.b2 i.g4, but I recommend in Game 1.1 playing for the advantage with the pawn exchange l. .es 2-ltb2 hb4 3be5 f!J£6. Black ends up two tempi ahead. which easily trumps the slight profit White made from the pawn exchange. Simply put, if three tempi equal a pawn, surely two are worth more than the modest difference in value between these pawns. The important point to remember is not to play .. .lt:)c6 until after ...0-0, ... d7 -dS, and ... c7 -cS. Black's ultimate aim is ...d5-d4. Next we come to the similar but far more respectable Larsen's Opening, I .b3. .

K � .tif• .t � tK ••••• , ••

7

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

Aside from the late great Danish grandmaster, this was also played by Bobby Fischer and recently by the American star Hikaru Nakamura, who especially likes to play it in blitz chess. Its main drawback is that the knight on b I becomes a problem piece, as its natural development to c3 blocks the bishop. For this reason, l.b3 is an excellent first move when giving knight odds! In normal chess, Black can equalize by playing a re­ verse Queen's Indian with l ...dS 2..�b2 c5 3.e3 a6 4.t:Df3 t:Dc6, but I prefer to try for a small advantage by l . ..e S 2.�b2 tD c6 3.e 3 tD f6 4.�b5 �d6 , as recommended in Chess Advantage, but I now recommend answering the usual (but strange-looking) 5.lDa 3 by the equally strange-looking S ...lDa S . Black's main plan is ... 0-0, ...l:re8, and .....if8, or in the 5 ...t:DaS line ...c7-c6, .....ic7, and ...d7-dS. See Game I.2. Finally we look at Bird's Opening, l .f4, which could also be called a reversed Dutch.

E .t"ir� .t. � E ' .t. ' .t. .... .t. ' '

If White aims for a Leningrad by l tDf6 2 .tDf3 dS 3.g3 I recommend the rare 3 ...c6 4.�g2 'i¥b6! to provoke the undesirable move e2-e3, which permits .....ig4. Black aims to clear all the minor pieces off except his knight and one white bishop, on the grounds that knights are better than unpaired bishops on a crowded board. If White goes for a normal Dutch with 3.e 3 we pin immediately, with ideas of ...t:Dd7, .....txD, and ...e7-eS. All this is covered in Game 1.3. All in all, I prefer Black's chances by a smidgeon after I.f4. ..•

VO 10.4 (AOO) 0 •

Game 1.1

Bitoon,Richard So,Wesley Manila, 2008 (6)

1. b2-b4 The Orang-Utan or Polish or Sokolsky Opening. It is quite a weak opening in my opinion; White can't even equalize. 8

1 . ...

e7-e5

My second choice would be l ...dS 2...ib2 ..ig4. Such an early bishop development is logical when White can no longer attack the b7 pawn by 'ii'b3. But I still prefer the game move, as I did in Chess Advantage. 2. ..ic1 -b2 3. �b2xe5

�f8xb4

Chapter

lf 3.f4 d6 4.fxe5 dxeS S .heSlLJf6 6.lbf3 0-0 7.e3 lbc6 8.i..b2 l:Ie8 9.i..e2 l:Ixe3N 1 O.c3 l:Ixf3 l l.hf3 i..d6 I2.0-0 lbeS 13.d4 lbeg4, White must play 14.g3, when the knight fork will leave Black a pawn up with the better position as well. 3. ... 4. c2-c4

lbg8-f6

4.lbf3 0-0 S.e3 dS 6.i..e2 cS 7.0-0 lbc6 8.i..b2 i..aS! N, planning ...d5-d4, is better than the immediate 8...d4 given in Chess Advantage, which is answered by 9.c3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 1 0. 11.

... lLlg1 -f3 e2-e3 a2-a3 �f1-e2 c4xd5 0-0 �e5-g3

0-0 d7-d5 l:l.f8-e8 �b4-a5 c7-c5 lLlf6xd5 lLlb8-c6

I

-

Unusual Opening Moves

wins a pawn) 3S.i..fs lld8 36.a4 g6 37.i..e4 hd3 38.�d3 J:Ixd3 39.l:Icc l aS 40.llabI l:I8d6 4 1 .Wh2 l:If6 42.l:Ib2 gS 43.g4 'it>g7 44.llc4 J:Ifd6 4S.'it>g3 lld2 46..llcc2 .llxc2 47..llxc2 e4 48.llc4 .lle6 49..llc3 'it>f6 SO.f4 gxf4+ S I.'it>xf4 'it>e7 52.g5 hxgS+ 53.Wxg5 'it>d6 54.'it>f5 .lleS+ 5Hti>f6 .lldS 56..llc2 .lld3 57.lle2 c4 58.g4 c3 59.g5 .lld2 and White resigned. 1 2. 1 3. 14. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7.

lla 1 -a2 �g3xc7 lLlb1 -c3 l:ta2-a1 l:ta1 -c1 lLlf3xe5

�a5-c7 lLld5xc7 �c8-f5 lla8-d8 lbc6-e5 'iff6xe5

White has more center pawns, but they are under pressure and Black has far supe­ rior piece activity.

1 1 . ...

'ifd8-f61 N

The actual game continued I 1...�e6 12.i..h4 f6 13.�c2= l:Ic8 14.�d3 h6 IS.lbc3 'it>h8 16.�g6 l:Ie7 17.i..g3 �c7 18.llfc l �g3 19.hxg3 lbxc3 20.'ihc3 b6 2I.�b l lld7 22.�c2 �g8 23.'ifg6 l:ld6 24.�g4 llc7 2S.i..fs lbes 26.lLlxe5 fxeS 27.d3 'tli'f6 28.i..e4 �e6 29.'ifhS � 30.�g4l:kd7 3I.l:Ic3 �e6 32.�g6? 'tll'xg6 33.�g6 i..g4 34.i..e4 i..e2 (Black

VO 8.8 (AOI) 0 Kostic,Vladimir • Schlosser,Philipp

Game 1.2

Austria Bundesliga, 20 I 0/ I I (9)

1 . b2-b3 Larsen's Opening. 1 . ... 2. �c1 -b2 3. e2-e3

e7-e5 lLlb8-c6

9

The Kaufman Repenoire for Black

Or 3.c4 tlJf6 4.e3 d5 5.cxd5 tlJxd5 6.a3 �d6.

.i

.t'if�

'''

�.t �'J

.i

'''

Analysis diagram

White is playing the Kan Sicilian with colors reversed, but having played b2-b3 rather than b2-b4 is a concession. 7.'i!Vc2 (7.b4 would transpose directly to a main line of the Kan with reversed colors, where White has wasted his initial extra move by playing b3-b4 in two turns. Therefore Black has the normal white ad­ vantage in this opening) 7...0-0 8.tlJf3 'tie? 9.d3 f5 I O.tlJbd2 Wh8 I l.�e2 �d7 12.0-0 l:tae8. The move b3-b4 on any of the last several moves would still be the Kan witl1 reversed colors and no extra tempo for White. Refraining from b3-b4 doesn't change much. Black is fine. 3 . ... 4. .tf1 ·b5

I really like this move here. It answers the threat against e5 , and envisions castling, ....lle8. and ...�f8. In case of �xc6 at any time, after ... dxc6 the bishop will no longer be blocking a pawn and will be well­ placed on d6. 5. tt:lb1 ·a3 In case of 5 .�xc6 dxc6 6.d3 0-0 7.tlJd2 l:te8 8.e4 (so far Nakamura-Ponomariov, St Louis 20 1 1) 8... a5! N 9.a4 �g4 IO.tlJgf3 �b4 ll.h3 �h5 I prefer Black tl1anks to the bishop pair and the two pins. 5 .tlJe2 0-0 6.0-0 l:te8 (I think it's useful for Black to delay ...a? -a6 so that tlJa3 can still be met by ...tlJa5) 7.tlJg3 a6 8.�e2 �f8 (this is typical of this system. The bishop avoids blocking pawn, rook, or queen, and defends the king) 9.f4 d5 IO.fxe5 tlJxe5 ! ! .'tie l �d6! N 1 2.tlJf5 .ft.xf5 13.l:txf5 c5 14.'tifl d4! 15.exd4 tlJeg4 16.g3 (after 16.h3 �h2+ 17.Wh l 1l.c7 18.�xg4 'tid6 Black wins) 16...cxd4 - Black's superior development and much safer king give him the edge despite White's two bishops. 5. ...

tt:lc6-a5

tt:lg8-f6 .tf8-d6

I called this 'too weird' in Chess Advan­ tage, but I've changed my opinion. It can10

Chapter I

eels the threat of tL:\c4 and prepares ...c7-c6. The fact that Nakamura against Ponomariov refrained from S .tt:la3 in fa­ vor of S .�xc6 followed by 6.d3 and 7.tt:ld2 suggests that he feared S.tL:\a3 �aS. 6. ttJg1 -f3 ln case of 6.tL:\c4 tt:lxc4 7.�xc4 0-0 8.tLle2 c6 9.tL:\g3 �c7 I 0.0-0 dS l l.�e2 l::te8 12.c4 aS 13.a3 i.e6 Black has a nice pawn center without suffering too much pressure against it. Or 6.�e2 �e7N 7.tt:lf3 e4 8.tt:leS 0-0 9.0-0 a6 IO.d3 l:te8=.

6. ... 7. ttJa3-c4

'fVdB-e7

Or 7.'fVcI 0-0 8.�e2 cS 9.d3 tL:\c6 IO.tt:lbS �b8 ll.c4 dS 12.cxdSN tt:lxdS 13.0-0 �e6 - Black is playing the Maroczy Bind against the Scheveningen Sicilian, with colors reversed. In general the Bind is effective in this situation, more so than against the Dragon set-up. 7. ... B. �b5xc4

ttJa5xc4 0-0

- Unusual Opening Moves

14.d3 llad8, Black is already for choice here, with more space and ideas like ...eS-e4. 9. 1 0. 11. 1 2. 13 . 1 4. 1 5.

... 'fVd 1 -f3 'fVf3-g3 �g3-h3 g2-g4?1 �b2xa3 e3-e4

g7-g6 c7-c6 ttJf6-h5 ttJh5-g7 �d6-a3 'fVe7xa3 ruB-dB

Black already has a likely winning advan­ tage. He has the center, while White's pieces are randomly scattered. 1 6. 1 7. 1 B. 1 9. 20.

�h3-f3 ttJh4-g2 e4xd5 'fVf3-g3 �c4-e2

'fVa3-e7 d7-d5 e5-e4 c6xd5

.t. .t.

�

'� 'iY � ���!:::.Ci:J£3:. � � .ti 20. ...

d5-d4

20...b6!N 2 1.0-0 �b7 22. .1lfe l l:tac8 23.c3 d4 looks even stronger. 21 . 0-0 22. .llf1 -e1 23 . ..Q.e2-c4 9. ttJf3-h4?1 ln the event of 9.0-0 c6 IO.�e2 �c7 ll.c4 dS 12.'fVc2 �g4 13.h3 �hS

b7-b6 �cB-b7

23.�d3! �cS 24.he4 he4 2S.l:txe4 i¥xc2 favors Black only slightly. 23. ...

'fVe7-c5 II

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

23...'iVd7! 24.a4 a6 was better. 24. 'il'g3-f4? 25. �c4xe6 26. c2-c3?1

tl:lg7-e6 f7xe6 e6-e5

26... e3! 27.fxe3 dxc3 28.llf l .l::t.f8 29.'�'d4 "iVc6 30.e4 cxd2 3 l."iVxd2 "iVxe4 wins a clean pawn. 27. 28. 29. 30.

'iff4-g3?1 b3-b4 c3xd4 tl:lg2-f4

l:ta8-c8 'il'c5-d5 e5xd4 'il'd5-d6

.i � .t 'if* .t ,.i i i i i i i i � 8 ttJ ����� �� lattJ��� � 1:1 3. g2-g3 White seeks a Leningrad reversed. If 3.e3 �g4 4.�e2tt:\bd7 and now:

� l i ?tJ� � �- � �

1:[

w

Analysis diagram

31 . tl:lf4-h5?? White resigned after making this blun­ der, but his position is probably lost any­ way.

YO 8.8 (AOI) D Danielsen,Henrik • Lafuente,Pablo

Game 1.3

Odense, 20 I I (7)

1. f2-f4 Bird's Opening, a reversed Dutch once Black plays ...d7 -dS. In my opinion it's strictly 'for the birds' . 1 . ... 2. tl:lg1 -f3 12

tl:lg8-f6 d7-d5

A) S.d4 e6 6.0-0 cS 7 .lbc3 �d6 8.a4 0-0 9.h3 �xf3 IO.ihf3 a6 - although White has the bishops, his set-up calls for lbeS , which is impossible. Black has the initiative on the queenside and the right bishop; B) S .b3 hf3 6.�xf3 eS 7.fxe5 lbxeS 8.�b2 �d6 9.0-0 0-0 1 o.lbc3 c6 l l.lbe2 "iVe7 12.lbd4 g6 - White's king is weakened, e4 may be a home for a knight, and Black will regain the bishop pair since 13.�e2 is too passive; C) 5 .0-0 � 6.�xf3 eS 7.d4 e4 8.�e2 .id6. In such a very closed posi­ tion Black's good bishop plus knight may be nearly equal to White's two bishops, and Black has more space.

Chapter I

3. ...

c7-c6

This is rare but strong. Black takes advan­ tage of the fact that the pawn has not yet advanced to cS. as it might have already advanced to c4 if we were White against a Leningrad Dutch. 4. �f1 -g2

'iVd8-b6

I like this idea. It forces White to play e2-e3 soon in order to castle, which al­ lows the pin oo.�g4. The point is that the move f2-f4 makes the lLlf3 an important piece worth exchanging off. 5. b2-b3 S .e3 �g4 6.b3 lLlbd7 (6oo.g6N 7 .�b2 �g7 transposes to tl1e game) 7.�b2 e6 8.h3 �xf3 9 .1Wxf3 aS IO.a4 �b4=. 5. ...

g7-g6

Instead S .�fS is also satisfactory, but I like the game move because Black plans to give up the bishop pair with oo.�g4 and ..ixf3, so he will want to exchange bishops on the long diagonal to kill White's bishop pair. 00

00 •

6. �c1 -b2 7. e2-e3

�f8-g7 �c8-g4

More accurate is 7 00.0-0 8.0-0 �g4 9.h3 (9.lLlc3 lLle4 I O.lLla4 �aS favors Black

-

Unusual Opening Moves

slightly. Note that this doesn't work with­ out castling first to protect the bishop) 9oo.�xf3 IO.�xf3 lLlbd7, transposing to the game. 8. h2-h3 8.lLlc3=. 8. ... 9. tvd1 xf3 1 0. 0-0

�g4xf3 tLlb8-d7 0-0

1 1 . g3-g4?1 l l.�e2 lLlhS 12.�xg7 lLlxg7 13.g4 e6 in general knights are superior to un­ paired bishops when the board is full of pawns, so I slightly prefer Black. 11. 1 2. �b2xg7 1 3. d2-d3 1 4. tLlb1 -d2

tLlf6-e4 g8xg7 tLle4-d6 f7-f5

14oo.aSN I S .a3 fS is also good. Either way Black is already for choice. 1 5. d3-d4

tLld7-f6

I5 oo.fxg4N 16.hxg4 eS 17.dxeS lLlxeS I 8.�g3 lLlef7 I 9.llaeI llae8 favors Black due to the pressure on the backward e3 pawn. 1 6. c2-c3 13

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

�

I

j. j. j. ·� j. 'iV j. � � j. j. j. �. �� �� �� � � � t2J

�w

�

f5xg4?1

1 6 . ...

16...c5!N 17.llac l cxd4 18.exd4 e6 19.g5 tLlfe4 and Black's powerful knight outpost plus queenside play with ... aS and pres­ sure on c3 give him a clear advantage. 1 7. h3xg4 1 8. tLld2xe4 1 9. J:%f1 -c1 ?I

23 . ... 24. 'i'Vf3-g3

tLle4-g5 J:%f8xf4

24...tLle6! is winning. 25. llc2-f2 26. llf2xf4 27. Wg1 -g2

lle8-f8 l:tf8xf4 l:tf4-f7

27...liJe6! 28.l:te! llf6 29.�xc7+ ltJxc7 30.c4 l:te6 Black is a clean pawn up in the ending. 28. 29. 30. 31 .

l:tf1 xf7+ 't\Yg3-e5+ 'il'e5-c7+ Wg2-g3

'flic7xf7 'il'f7-f6 Wg7-g8 b7-b5

tLld6-e4 tLlf6xe4

19.�h3! tLlxc3 20.J:%f2 cS 2 1.l::tc l cxd4 22.exd4 ltJe4 23. .2.xe4 dxe4 24.llc5 llad8 25.�e3 �b4 26.Ilc4 �d6 27.f!Yxe4 bS=. 1 9. 20. 21 . 22.

... l:tc1-c2 e3xf4 l:ta1 -f1

e7-e5 e5xf4 �b6-c7 .l:la8-e8

� j. 'iV j. j. ���� �.8 � !::,

Jl

� nw

23. .2.g2-h1 ? In case of 23.c4 dxc4 24.bxc4 �d6 White has weak pawns all over the board. 14

32. c3-c4? Passive play gives White drawing chances. Whoever said that a bad plan was better than no plan at all was wrong! 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41 .

.. b3xc4 .2.h1 xc6?1 'it'c7-b7 Wg3-g2 Wg2-f1 Wf1 -f2 Wf2-f1 Wf1 -e1 We1 -d1 .

b5xc4 d5xc4 'ftif6xd4 �d4-e3+ �e3-d2+ �d2-d 1 + �d1 -d2+ �d2-f4+ �f4-e3+ c4-c3

Chapter I

42. f#'b7-d7 43. �d1 -c2

tLJg5-f7

45. 46. 47. 48. 49.

-

�c6-f3 wc2xd2 wd2-c3 �f3-e2 wc3-b4

Unusual Opening Moves

�g8-g7 �g7-f6 tLJf7-e5 Wf6-g5 tLJe5xg4

Black wins easily now. 50. 51 . 52. 53. 54. 55. 43 . . 44. 'it'd7xd2 ..

�e3-d2+ c3xd2

Wb4-a5 �a5-a6 wa6xa7 �e2-f3 �f3-b7 a2-a4

h7-h5 h5-h4 h4-h3 �g5-f4 lLJg4-f2 tLJf2-e4

White resigned.

IS

Chapter 2

English Opening used to regard the English Opening ( l .c4) as a major problem for a would-be Griinfeld player. The best move is supposed to be l. ..e S, but if I'm not keen to take on me Sicilian as White with l.e4 how happy can I be playing against it a tempo down? The Symmetrical Defense l. ..cS is a serious option but probably doesn't give full equal­ ity. Simply playing Griinfeld moves doesn't work as after l.c4 lbf6 2.lbc3 g6 3.e4 we are tricked into playing the King's Indian, while 2...d5 3.cxd5 lLlxdS 4.g3 g6 S.�g2 is probably a bit favorable to White. Over the past few years I have come to appreciate that l .c4 is very well met by l . ..g6! if y ou hope to reach the Griinfeld. I

The idea is this: Black meets lbc3 by ...cS , meets e4 by ...eS, and meets d4 by ...lbf6. Let's look at some possible move-orders after l.c4 g6: If2.d4 tLl f6 we are on track towards the Griinfeld. If2.tLlc3 cS ! it's a rather good version of the Symmetrical Defense. Now if 3 .tLlf3 �g7 4.d4 cxd4 S.tLlxd4 tLlc6 White cannot play e2-e4 to get the Maroczy Bind. Or if 3.g3 �g7 4.ll g2 tLlc6 S.tlJ£3 Black need not play S ...lbf6?!; instead I recommend S ...d6 , planning ...�fS and ...�d7. See Game 2. 1. If 2 .tLlf3 �g7 3 .tLlc3 cS! as above, or 3.d4 tLl f6 (see Griinfeld). or 3 .e4 e St 4.d4 exd4 S .tLlxd4 tLl f6 6.tLlc3 0-0 , Black will benefit from the omission of ... d7-d6 (compar­ ing to the King's Indian) by playing ...c7-c6 and ...d7-dS in most lines. Alternatively Black can play 2...tLlf6 transposing to the anti-Griinfeld chapter. If2.e4 e S ! 3 .d4 tLl f6 ! 4.tLlf3! exd4 S .e S tLle4 6.'ff xd4.ll b4+ •

17

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

This line is not thought to be good for Black, but extensive computer analysis seems to indicate that Black is fully equal. See Game 2.2. For the Reti ( I .tLlf3 tLl f6 2.g3 dS 3.�g2 g6 4.c4 dxc4) and the King's Indian Reversed (4.0-0 �g7 5.d3 0-0 6.tLlbd2 d4!?) see Game 2.3. Unfortunately this simple solution to the English problem does not work against I. tbf3 , because after I ...g6 White can play 2.e4!. However, after I.tbf3 the anti-Griinfeld is OK for Black. For alternative solutions to the I .tbf3 move order, see the Reti chapter. EO 49.4 (A30)

Game 2.1

Zhou }ianchao Malakhov, Vladimir

D •

Ningbo, 20 1 0 ( 1 4)

c7-c5

1 . c2-c4

We would play I.. g6 and only play ... cS after tbc3 or g3 has been played. .

2. tt:lg1 -f3 3. g2-g3 4. �f1 -g2

g7·g6 it.f8·g7 tLlb8-c6

5. 0·0 In the event of S .tbc3 d6 6.d3 l:tb8 7.0-0 a6 8.a4 tbf6, the insertion of a4 and a6 favors Black due to the holes on b4 and aS. 5 . ...

I have played S ...tLlh6 here, heading to­ wards d4, but I don't recommend it as 6.h4! is rather strong. 6. tt:lb1 -c3

:i

.l i

A'ii'* ,..i i .l i ..t i .l .. .l !J:,

18

d 7-d6

it.c8-f5

This system, played repeatedly by Vladi­ mir Malakhov, makes a lot of sense. Black aims to exchange the important bishop on g2. 6 ... tbh6 7.d4 cxd4 8...Q.xh6 ..Q.xh6 9. tbxd4 seems to be a bit better for White, so I have given up·on the ... tbh6 idea.

Chapter

••

:i

2

-

English Opening

i.� � .. . .a •

.. .. •

i

'ff�� �Cjjtj� j � �� 8 � n� � 1 5. .

7. d2-d3

..

In the event of 7.b3 �d7 8.�b2 tLlh6 9.d3 �h3 IO.�d2 ..Q.xg2 II.'i.t>xg2 0-0 12.e3 tLlfS 13.tLldS tLleS 14.tLlxeS dxeS= the weak white pawn on d3 offsets his su­ perior bishop. Should White play 7 .h3 �d7 8.'i.t>h2 t:L)f6 9.d3 0-0 I 0..2.e3 a6 I I.'+Wd2 llab8 12.g4 �e6 13.tLlgS hS 14.tLlxe6 �xe6 IS .gS tLle8 16.llab l '*'kd7=, then White's weakened king offsets the bishop pair. 7. 8. 9. 1 0. 11.

... lla1 -b1 �g2xh3 tt:lc3-d5 'iWd 1 -a4

'W'd8-d7 �f5-h3 1'Vd7xh3 1'Vh3-d7

�g7xb2

IS ... b6 directly may have been more precise, as Black's king will be perfectly happy on g7. Anyway, chances are even. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.

.Ub1 xb2 d3-d4 tt:lf3xd4 tt:ld4xc6 'ifa4xc6 llf1 -d 1 f2-f4 \t>g1 -f2 lld 1 -d3 b4xa5 llb2xb6 tt:le3xc4

b7-b6 c5xd4 llf8-d8 'iWd7xc6 tt:le7xc6 \t>g8-f8 \t>f8-e7 lld8-d7 a7-a5 tt:lc6xa5 tt:la5xc4 llc8xc4=

28. 29. 30. 31 .

lld3-b3?1 llb6-b4 llb4xa4 �f2-f3

llc4-a4 lld7-a7 lla7xa4 h7-h5

In G. Shahade-Kaufman, Crystal City 20II, II..2.d2 was played. Now, after I l ... tLlf6 12.tLlxf6+ .2.xf6 13 ...ih6 llb8 1 4.a3 aS Black's temporary inability to castle is offset by the plan of ...b7-bS and by the fact that the bishop on h6 does not support any positive plan. 11. 1 2. 1 3. 1 4. 1 5.

... a2-a3 tt:ld5-e3 b2-b4 �c1 -b2

lla8-c8 e7-e6 tt:lg8-e7 0-0

19

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

32. e2-e3 33. h2-h3 34. e3-e4?1

we7-f6 g6-g5

57. .U.c2-g2+ f3xg2 Stalemate. 34.

..

.

h5-h4

With 34...gxf4! 35.gxf4 QoJg6 36.l::td3 fS 37.exf5+ �xfS 38.l::txd6 llxa3+ 39.Wg2 lla4 Black wins a pawn, though not neeessarily the game. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41 . 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51 . 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 20

g3xh4 'it>f3xf4 llb3-b6 llb6xd6 �f4-g3 J:td6-d3 h4-h5 h5-h6 J:l.d3-d6 a3-a4 h3-h4+ a4-a5 a5-a6 'it>g3-f2 h4-h5 l:td6-d5 l:td5xe5+ l:te5-e2 l:te2-b2 l:tb2-c2 wf2-g2 �g2-g1

g5xf4 c.t;>f6-g6 f7-f5 lla4xe4+ c.t;>g6-f6 ::te4-a4 'it>f6-g5 g5xh6 ::ta4-e4 'it>h6-g5 g5-h5 e6-e5 f5-f4+ 'it>h5-g4 c.t;>g4xh5 l::te4-a4 'it>h5-g4 ::ta4xa6 J:ta6-a3 l:ta3-h3 f4-f3+ g4-g3

E062.4{AIO) 0 •

Game2.2

Tomashevsky,Evgeny Sutovsky,Emil Plovdiv Ech, 20 I 0 (3)

1. c2-c4 2. e2-e4

g7-g6

2.lllf3 �g7 3.e4 eS transposes to the next note. 2. ...

e7-e5

3. d2-d4 3.lllf3 �g7 4.d4 exd4 s .lllxd4 tllf6 6.lllc3 0-0 7 .�e2 lle8 8.f3 c6 (Black would transpose to a King's Indian line if he played ... d7 -d6 now or on the next move. In that line Black often plays

Chapter 2

...d7 -d5, but here he plans to play it in one go, thus saving a vital tempo. There­ fore this line should be fme for Black) 9 ..ig5 'irb6 I O.tbb3 d5 l l.cxd5 cxdS=. 3. ... 4. �g1 -f3

-

English Opening

9. ... 1 0. .te2xf3

�g5xf3+

10

0-0N

�g8-f61

4.dxe5 tbxe4 S..id3 tbcS 6.tbf3 d6 7 ..ie2 .ig7= is fine for Black. 4. ... 5. e4-e5

e5xd4 �f6-e4

Much more common is S....ib4+ but I think that the text is better. 6. 'ii'd 1 xd4

�f8-b4+

.

..

.

The actual game continued IO.. .'ii'e7 l l..�. xc6 dxc6 12.0-0 0-0 13.a3 .icS 14.'�'g3 with a modest white advantage, though Black still drew. Castling is a com­ puter improvement. 1 1 . 0-0 1 2. .tf3xc6 1 3. h2-h3

lUB-eS d7xc6

13.tbf3 .ig4=. 1 3. ...

7. �b1 -d2 7.tbc3 tbxc3 8.bxc3 tbc6 9.'ird3 (9.'ii'e3 .ie7=) 9....te7 1 o . .th6 .tfs 1 1..igs .ie7 leads to a draw by repetition. Black can avoid this by 9 ... .iaS!? IO..ih6 'ii'e7 1 1 . .ie2 tbxeS with balanced chances if he wants a real fight. 7 .�d 1 fs 8.exf6 tbxf6 9..tgs 0-0=. 7. ...

�e4-g5

7 ... tbxd2 8..txd2 tbc6 9.'ii'e3 .txd2+ is also about equal. 8. �f1 -e2 9. 'ii'd 4-e3

�b8-c6

9.'ti'f4 tbe6 IO.'ti'g3 tbg7 =.

.tcB-f5

Black's bishop pair more than offsets hjs crippled pawn majority.

RE

0 •

Game 2.3

2 3 .4 (A07)

Markowski, Tomasz Romanishin,Oleg Moscow, 2004 (6)

1 . g2-g3 2. �g1 -f3

d7-d5 �g8-f6

We would be more likely to reach this po­ sition by l.tbf3 tbf6 2.g3 dS. 3. .tf1 -g2

g7-g6 21

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

Black is aiming to transpose to the neo­ Gri.infeld lines in this book. He will take any time White plays c2-c4, unless a pawn can recapture. 4. c2-c4 4.0-0 ..tg7 S.d3 (the King's Indian Re­ versed) 5 ...0-0 6.ltJbd2 d4 - I like this rare move here. Black will take e4 or c4 en passant.

� �i.'if E�·1.l1 1.li..l �.l 1

5. t0b1 -a3 S.�a4+ c6 6.'i¥xc4 ..tg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.d4 ..tfs 9.lbc3 lLlbd7 1 O.e3 lLle4 II.'ilfe2 �aS=. 5 . ... 6. 0-0

�c8-e6

6.'ii'c2 ..tg7 7.�xc4 0-0 8.b3 (8.0-0 transposes to the game) 8...c5 9...tb2 lbc6 I 0.0-0 l:rc8 I I.l:rac l bSN l 2.lLlce5 lLlxeS 13 ...txe5 ..th6=. 6. ... 7. �d1 -c2 8. t0a3xc4

�f8-g7 0-0

8. ...

c7-c51

� Cjj� ���Cjj �� � � -

n

�'IV

nw

Analysis diagram

After 7.lLlb3 (7.e4 dxe3 8.fxe3 cS 9.�e2 �c6 I O.lLlb3 'ii'b6 and Black's position is more pleasant; 7 .lLlc4 �dS 8.e4 dxe3 9.fxe3 cS IO.e4 lLlb6=) 7...lbc6 8...td2 eS 9.c3 dxc3 IO...txc3 �dS II...td2 b6 12.l:rcl ..tb7 1 3.l:rc4 a5 14.a3 �d7 Black is already for choice, due mostly to the unfortunate position of the b3 knight. 4. ...

d5xc4

� �i.'if� i. �1.l1 1 1 .l .l �.l

The game actually went 8...lLlc6 9.d3 ..tdS IO.e4 and now Black needlessly gave up the bishop pair by IO.....txc4?! and went on to lose. IO...�e6 was still close to equal. 9. 1 0. 11. 1 2. 1 3.

d2-d3 �c1 -e3 �e3xc5 �c5-e3 t0c4-a3

t0b8-c6 l::!.a8-c81 b7-b6 b6-b5 t0f6-d5

Black has huge compensation for the pawn.

22

Chapter

.i'i¥ i

IJl

.i�

i iAi A i

-

English Opening

�g7-h6 �d7-e6

IJl

t2J

��CD� ��'V/jj ����

�

n�

1 4. �e3-c1 Else Black regains the pawn favorably. 1 4. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7.

1 8. �d2-c3 1 9. J:tc1 -d 1

2

... �c2-b1 �c1 -d2 llf1 -c1

a7-a6 tbd5-b4 �e6-g4 �d8-d7

i i

t2J

�

IJl

�� CD� ��Si� ��

� 'if

n

�

This was just a sample continuation of the gambit. White's shut-in rook and offside knight are good value for the pawn.

23

Chapter 3

Queen's Indian versus Reti This chapter covers a defense to l.lbf3. primarily either as an attempt to reach Queen's Gambit positions while avoiding the Griinfeld, or else intending the King's Indian At­ tack, where White just plays g3, �g2. 0-0, and d3 without looking at what Black is doing. The idea of J.lbf3 to avoid the Griinfeld is this: after l .lLlf3lLlf6 2.c4 g6 3.lLlc3

and now 3 ...d5 , White does not have to play 4.d4, transposing to the Griinfeld. He can instead play 4.cxd5 lLlxdS and then 5.'ii'a 4+ or 5.'ii'b 3 or 5.e4 or 5.g3 or 5.�c2, all of which pose some problems for Black. I think that Black should not fear these lines. and I give adequate responses in the anti-Griinfeld chapter. In this chapter I cover some al­ ternate solutions to this move-order, in case Black is not happy with one of the anti­ Griinfeld lines. Feel free to skip this chapter if you are following my primary recom­ mendation, although the first game can also be used as an alternative to playing the Neo-Griinfeld against an early g3. So what can Black do if he fears the anti-Griinfeld? One solution is to answer 3.lbc3 by 3 �g7 then when White plays 4.e4 (4.d4 dS is the Griinfeld), play 4 c5 (other­ wise you must play the King's Indian) . Now White's only try for advantage is 5.d4, hoping to get a variation of the Maroczy Bind vs. Accelerated Dragon after Black takes. But Black may surprise him with 5 'ii'a 5 , as I played in a World Senior Championship game against IM Rukavina in 2009, getting a winning game but only drawing it. This should lead to positions similar to the Accerated Dragon Maroczy Bind if White plays accurately; perhaps Black is a tad better off here than in the line with S...cxd4. Still, un­ less you are an Accelerated Dragon fan, these options leave something to be desired, and don't fit with the Breyer Defense to J.e4 given in this repertoire. ..•

,

.•.

•..

25

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

The next option is to play l ...g6,

.i � .t'iV� .t � K j. j. j. j., j. j. j.

hoping for 2.c4 ..ig7 3.e4 eSI as analyzed in the previous (English) chapter. Of course, if 2.d 4 we play 2 ...ttJf6 and we are back on track for the Griinfeld. This is a solution fa­ vored by Peter Svidler, perhaps the strongest consistent Griinfeld player in recent years. The only problem with l...g6 is 2.e4!, after which we either have to play a Pirc or Mod­ ern Defense with 2...d 6 or 2 .....ig7, or else play 2 ...cS when we are playing the Hyper­ Accelerated Dragon. So the choice of tltis line or l... t2Jf6 may come down to whether you prefer 2...t2Jc6 or 2..g6 in the Sicilian! Again, this won't work for our repertoire, only for those who don't fear the Maroczy Bind. However the option to play the Pirc or Modern makes some sense, as White has already played tt:lf3 so he cannot play the dan­ gerous lines with an early f4 or �e3 with f3 or �gS. This is often Svidler's preference. Perhaps the best practical option for most players is I.ltJf3 cS .

.i � .t 'iV � .t � .i l. j. j. j. j. j. j.

Here the idea is to meet 2.c4 by 2 ...ttJc6, and then answer 3.ttJc3 by 3 ... eS, as Grischuk played repeatedly against Gelfand in their 20II Candidates' Match. Tltis would be my main reconunendation, except that Wltite can play 2.e4 and we must play the Sicilian. At least this time Black can choose any Sicilian, not just the Accelerated Dragon. As a practical mat­ ter, few players open with l.t2Jf3 and then transpose to the Sicilian, since if they wanted to 26

Chapter

3

-

Queens Indian versus Reti

play against the Sicilian they would probably invite it by opening l.e4. So this can be your solution if you at least have the Sicilian as a second defense. But I can't make it my choice for this book as I can't assume a knowledge of the Sicilian by the reader. The solution I came up with is original, to my knowledge. I don't mean that the moves are original, just the concept of using the Queen's Indian as a companion to the Griinfeld. The idea is to meet I .t!Jf3 t!Jf6 2 .c4 by 2 ... b6.

E � i.'iV� i. E .l .l.l.l.l.l.l � .lj

Now if 3.d4 �b7 4.t!Jc3 e6 we are in the Queen's Indian, but not White's most recom­ mended option with 4.g3. So you might say why not 4.g3 e6, the main line Queen's In­ dian? My answer is that if White plays 4.g3 (or 3.g3 �b7 4.d4 or 4.�g2) we don't play 4...e6 but instead choose 4... g6. This double fianchetto against the white fianchetto was recently recommended in a Yearbook article by the very strong grandmaster Sergey Tiviakov, and I used his analysis as the starting point for my own in this book. I must ad­ mit that the computers are not too fond of this Tiviakov Variation, but as the positions are closed it is reasonable to question their judgment. I feel that this choice is the most in the spirit of the Griinfeld, as we do fianchetto the king's bishop in both lines, and it is not un­ usual in some Griinfeld lines to fianchetto the queen's bishop as well. So in this chapter you will find both the Tiviakov Variation and the regular Queen's Indian lines without g3. I hope you find this solution (or one of the above-mentioned ones) acceptable. But my preferred option is the Anti-Grunfeld. If you believe as I do (and also I think world # I Magnus Carlsen) that the Breyer and the Grlinfeld are the best answers to l.e4 and l.d4, then it follows from the above that White's optimum opening play, if he prefers the Anti-Griinfeld to the real one, might be l.tLlf3 dS 2.d4 or l...tl:Jf6 2.c4 or l ... g6 2.e4 or l ...cS 2.e4. But very few players are equally at home on the White side of the Sicilian, the Queen's Gambit, the Queen's In­ dian, and the Symmetrical English! If you are one of them, see the l.tL'lf3 chapter in the White side of this book! Now for the games. First we look at the Tiviakov Variation I .t!Jf3 t!Jf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 �b7 4-.�g2 g6 5.d 4 �g7. Note that this position can also be reached by I .d4 t!Jf6 2 .c4 g6 27

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

3.tLlf3 .2.g7 4.g3 b6 S..2.g2 .2.b7 (as actually played in Game 3. 1) if Black doesn't like the Neo-Griinfeld 4...d5 . However this is not so important because White can avoid it by playing 3.g3 first (before tLlf3), after which 3 ... b6? doesn't work. The resultant po­ sitions are similar to the King's Indian. The computer doesn't like Black either here or in the King's Indian, but it seems that the Tiviakov line is better than a normal King's Indian so it may be fme for Black even if the computer doesn't agree. Next we come to I.tl:lf3 tLl f6 2.c4 b6 3 .d4 �b7 4.tLlc 3 e6 5.�g5 h 6 6.�4 �e7 (Game 3.2). Black equalizes without much difficulty. The remainder of this chapter deals with the Petrosian/Kasparov Variation 5.a3 in the above sequence. It is the main line of the Queen's Indian excluding 4.g3 (which we meet with the Tiviakov line in Game 3.1 ). After 5 ...d5 6.cxd5 tl:lxd5 White has three se­ rious choices. The move 7.�d2 is met by 7 ...tl:ld7 in Game 3.3, when White can isolate the Black dS pawn but only at the cost of the bishop pair. In Game 3.4 we examine the traditional 7.e3, when I deviate from the recommendation of most books (7...g6) pre­ ferring 7 �e7, which appears to equalize comfortably thanks to a 20I0 novelty. Fi­ nally we cover the most popular 7.'ii'c 2 , which we meet by trading knights, playing 8 ...h6 next to prevent 9..2.gS if White takes with the queen, or 8 ...c5 if he takes with the pawn. See Game 3.5. In all cases it seems that Black can equalize the game. •..

K I 7 7.2 (E60) 0 •

Game 3.1

Martinovic,Sasa Kurnosov,Igor Aix-les-Bains Ech, 20 I I (7)

1. 2. 3. 4.

d2-d4 c2-c4 tl:lg1 -f3 g2-g3

tl:lg8-f6 g7-g6 �f8-g7 b7-b6

This move order shows how this system can be used instead of 4...d5 if you don't like the Neo-Griinfeld, but only if White plays tt:lf3 before g2-g3.

28

5. �f1 -g2

�c8·b7

We might reach this position by l.tLlf3 tLlf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 �b7 4..2.g2 g6 5 .d4 .2.g7. 6. 0·0

0·0

So it's a Queen's Indian with the bishop on g7 rather than e7. It seems to me that this difference is slightly in Black's favor. 7. d4·d5 8. tl:lb1 -c3

tl:lb8·a6 tl:la6-c5

Chapter

Black's light-squared bishop is restricted, but its companion is very active. 9. tt:Jf3-d4 If 9.�e3 e6 I O.�d4 aS l l.ltJeS exdS 12.cxdS lle8 13.llcI d6 14.ltJc6 �xc6 I S.dxc6 tlJe6 16.�e3 a4 17.ltJxa4 dS= Black's coming ...dS-d4 will leave the knight on a4 in enough trouble to guar­ antee the recapture of the lost pawn; 9.lle l d6 IO.e4 e6=; 9.'it'c2 c6 I O.e4 cxdS l l.exdS e6 12.lld l exdS 13.cxdS lle8 14.tlJd4 �a6=; 9.�f4 e6 I O.ltJd4 exdS li.cxdS aS 12.'it'c2 lle8 13.lladi d6=. 9 . ... 1 0. tt:Jd4-b3

e7-e5

I O.ltJc2 aS l l.e4 c6 1 2.lleI cxdS 13.exdS ( 1 3.cxdS �a6�) 13...ttJe8 though the computer says this is equal, I prefer Black, who has ideas of ...ltJd6, ...�a6, and ...f7-fS. 1 0. ... 1 1 . e2-e4 1 2. h2-h3

d7-d6 �b7-c8

3

-

Queen's Indian versus Reti

20.ltJd4 with a position typical of the King's Indian. White is probably a bit better here, though Black did win the game. But it seems wrong to waste time on ....liJhS and going back to f6, so the text is my proposed improvement. 1 3. �c1 -e3 13.ltJxcS bxcS 14.�d2 fS IS.exfS gxfS=. Although the computer slightly prefers White, I would rather play Black here. Usually in such positions White plays f2-f4 to induce ... eS-e4 so that he can use the d4-square, but here the cS pawn pre­ vents that plan. 1 3 . ... 1 4. e4xf5

f7-f5 g6xf5

Black has a pleasant King's Indian posi­ tion, and IS.f4? can be well-met by IS...�a6.

QI 2 . 1 6 (Ei2) 0 •

Game 3.2

Carlsen,Magnus Leko,Peter Miskolc match, 2008 (8)

1. d2-d4 i.ltJf3 ltJf6 2.c4 b6 3.d4 �b7 4.ltJc3 e6 would be the way we would reach this position.

1 2. ...

tt:Jf6-d7

The actual game went 12...ltJhS 13.�h2 �d7 14.�f3 �h8 IS.�e3 tlJf6 16.�g2 ltJg8 1 7.'it'd2 fS 1 8.exfS gxfS 1 9.f4 e4

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

... c2-c4 tt:lg1 -f3 tt:Jb1 -c3 �c1 -g5

tt:lg8-f6 e7-e6 b7-b6 �c8-b7

S.a3 transposes to 4.a3 games. 5. ...

h7-h6 29

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

9 . ...

c5xd4

6 . ..Q.g5-h4 6.�xf6 �xf6 7.e4 �b4 8.�d3 cS 9.0-0 cxd4 I O.tbbS �d8 l l.tbbxd4 0-0 12.'t1He2 tbc6 13.Ilad l tl:lxd4 l4.tbxd4 a6=; Black's bishop pair offsets White's spatial advantage. 6. ...

..Q.f8-e7

This gives comfortable equality, unlike the risky 6...�b4!?. 7. e2-e3 For 7.�c2 cS 8.dxcS bxcS 9.e3 0-0 see the next note. 7. ... 8. ..Q.f1 -d3

0-0

8.�c2 cS 9.d.xcS bxcS IO.�e2 tbc6 II.IldI d6 12.0-0 tbhS 13.he7 't!Hxe7=. White's pressure down the d-file just off­ sets Black's central pawn dominance. 8. ...

1 0. e3xd4 IO.tbxd4 tbc6 II.tbxc6 �xc6 I2.�e2 tbe4 13.he7 tbxc3 14.hd8 tbxe2+ IS.he2 Ilfxd8 I6.Ilfd I dS 17 ..Q.f3 llac8 I8.llacI �b7=. Black plans ...f8-e7. .

1 0. ... 1 1 . ..Q.d3-c2

tl:lb8-c6

I I.Ilci dS I2.cxdS tbxdS 13.�g3 llc8=; I l.�g3 dS 12.cxdS tbxdS=.

11. 1 2. 1 3. 14. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7.

... ..Q.h4xf6 c4xd5 d5xe6 g2xf3 �d1 xc2 l:ra 1 -d 1

d7-d5 ..Q.e7xf6 ttJc6-b4 ..Q.b7xf3 ttJb4xc2 'fHd8xd4

c7-c5

This is almost always a good move in the Queen's Indian when White cannot prof­ itably respond with d4-dS. 9. 0-0 9.d.xcS bxcS I0.0-0 d6 l l.�e2 tbbd7 12.Ilfd I 't1Hb6 13.b3 Ilfe8 14.llac I Ilad8=. Black's pawn superiority in the center offsets White's superior mobility. 30

1 7. ...

'fHd4-c41N

Chapter

The actual game continued 1 7... �h4 I8.'*Ye4 fxe6 I9.�xe6+ Wh8 20.'iYg4 llac8 2 1 .lld7 'tlfxg4+ 22.fxg4 �xc3 23.bxc3 llxc3 24.llxa7 llf4 25.f3 llcxf3 26.llxf3 llxf3 27.Wg2, draw agreed. 1 8. e6xf7+ 1 9. t2Jc3·d5 20. f3·f4

�c4xf7 �f6-e5 �e5xf4:f

White has little compensation for his broken kingside.

Game 3.3

QI 4. 1 9 (EI2) 0 •

Jobava,Baadur Almasi,Zoltan Rij eka Ech, 20 I 0 (8)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

d2-d4 c2·c4 tt:lg1 -f3 a2-a3 tLlb1 ·c3 c4xd5 �c1 ·d2

tLlg8-f6 e7-e6 b7·b6 �c8-b7 d7-d5 tLlf6xd5 tLlb8·d7

8. �d1 ·c2 8.lLlxd5 exdS 9.g3 (if 9.b4 �d6 I O.�gS f6 II.�h4 cS 12.�g3 �xg3 13.hxg3 c4 I4.e3 0-0 the protected passed pawn off­ sets the slightly weakened black kingside) 9 ... �d6 IO.�g5 lLlf6 J J. ..Q.g2 0-0 12.0-0 lle8 - chances are balanced.

3 - Queen's Indian versus Reti

8. ... 9. t2Jc3xd5

c7-c5

9.e4 cxd4 I O.lLlxdS exdS II.eS .tlc8N I2.�d I �e7 I3.�e2 0-0 I4.0-0 d3 IS.�xd3 d4!. After this move, activating his only bad piece, Black is at least equal. �

_

e6xd5

9... hd5 I O.e4 �b7 l l.dS exdS 12.exd5 �d6 13.0-0-0 0-0 I4.�b5 scores too well for White though the computer rates it as even. 1 0. d4xc5

..Q.f8xc5

I O ... bxcS Il .e3 �d6 1 2. b4 0-0 is also okay for Black, though in this case Black's compensation for his isolated queen pawn is superior development rather than the bishop pair as in the main line. 1 1 . e2·e3 1 2. �f1 -d3 1 3. 0·0

0·0 tLld7-f6

1 3 . ...

J:a8·c81

The text is a computer improvement over the actual game, which continued I3 ...lLle4? ! 14.�b4 'ti'e7 IS.hcs bxcS 16.b4! and with a great knight to be posted on d4 vs. a bad bishop White had full compensation for the pawn and won. 31

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

14. �c2-a4 1 5. �d2-b4

tbf6-e4

Not 15.f!Yxa7?? �c6 and the white queen is doomed. 1 5. ... 1 6. l:f.a1 -c1 1 7. �b4-c3

'ifd8-f6 a7-a5

After 17.�xc5 tbxcS 1 8.'t!Vc2 tbxd3 1 9."Wxd3 "Wxb2 20.l:f.bI "Wf6 2I.'ifd4 l:tc6 White's positional advantages are not quite worth a pawn. 1 7. ... 1 8. l:f.c1 xc3

tbe4xc3 �c5-d6

The move 7 ...g6 is also okay and is more in the Griinfeld spirit, but this game con­ vinced me that 7 ...�e7 solves all of Black's opening problems. 8. �f1 -b5+ Playing 8.�d3 should ultimately trans­ pose to the game, with each side saving one tempo. 8. ... 9. it.b5-d3 1 0. 0-0

Black is not worse, as the bishop pair eas­ ily offsets the isolated queen pawn.

I O.'t/Vc2 h6 l l .e4 tbxc3 12.bxc3 cS 1 3.0-0 tbc6 1 4.�e3 ticS Is .fge2 W/c7 1 6.d5 tbaS 17.c4 exdSN 18.exd5 bS 1 9.cxb5 �xdS=. The passed c-pawn off­ sets the split black queenside. 1 0. ...

Ql 4.7 (E 12)

Game 3.4

Danielian,Elina Parligras,Mircea

0 •

Halkis, 20 I 0 (8)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 32

d2-d4 tbg1-f3 c2-c4 a2-a3 tbb1 -c3 c4xd5 e2-e3

tbg8-f6 e7-e6 b7-b6 �c8-b7 d7-d5 tbf6xd5 �f8-e7

c7-c6 0-0

1 1 . e3-e4

c6-c5

Chapter

In the event of I l.'ii'e2 c..xd4 12.exd4 tt:lc6 13. .l::l d I tLlaS Black has a relatively good position compared to some other open­ ings with the isolated white d4 pawn, since his development has been smooth and his knight eyes the b3-square. After l l.tt:lxdS 'iWxdS 12.e4 'iWd7 13.�e3 cxd4 14.�.xd4 tLlc6 15.�c3 .l::lfd8 1 6.�c2 'ii'xdI 17..l::lfxd I tLlaS Black has the better side of equality due to the pressure on the e4 pawn. llJd5xc3 llJb8·c6

1 1 . ... 1 2 . b2xc3

12...tLld7 has been more often played , but the text seems to be stronger. 1 3. d4·d5

1 5. d5xe6 IS. .l::l bl bxc4 16.�xc4 tt:lxc4 1 7.l:txb7 exdS 18.exd5 �f6 19.�f4 �d4 20.tLlxd4 'iWxdS 2 1.'\Wf3 'ii'xd4 - chances are bal­ anced, with White's more active pieces offset by Black's extra pawn. 15 .�c2? bxc4 just wins a pawn for Black, as now there is no �xh7+!. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9.

.. e6xf7+ �d3·c2 llf1 xd1 lla 1 ·b1 .

�ii .t

1 3 . ...

�

� n� n

l2Jc6·a5

In previous games 13...exd5 was played , but the text move is a major improve­ ment, giving Black full equality. After the insertion of 13 ...exdS?! 14.exd5 tLlaS 15 .c4 bS 16.'ii'c2, the threat on h7 saves White a crudal tempo. b6·b5

1 4. c3·c4

'if

&�

.t i i i i

&ii� � �

� � 'if

ttJ 8��

n �.

i i

&

b5xc4 .l::lf8xf7 'i¥d8xd1 �e7·f6 lla8·e8

.i �

i .t

13.�e3 cxd4 1 4.cxd4 llc8 IS.'iWe2 tLlaS 16..l::lfdI l:tc3 17.a4 tLlb3 18.l:tabI 'iWc7N and although the computer rates the game even, Black's position is easier to play.

l:l

3 - Queen's Indian versus Reti

� ttJ ���

�

20. �c1 ·e3?! He should have played 20.l:tb5! tt:lb3 2 1.l: hb3! cxb3 22..�.xb3 .l::lxe4 23.�xf7+ t>fl l:Ixe 1 + 1 7 Jhe 1 l::le 8 1 8 . .!lxe8 '>t>xe8=; 8 .�e3 eS 9 .tLld2 tt:ld7 1 O .�c4 (1 O .tt::lb 3 aS 1 1 .a4 b6 1 2.f3 �b7 1 3 .�c4 0-0-0=; the b3 knight is purely defensive) 1 O . . . �cS 1 1 .�xcS tt:lxcS 1 2 .b4 tt::le 6 1 3 .Wc2 aS 1 4.a3 '>t>e7 1 S .tt:lb3 axb4 1 6.axb4 �d7 1 7 .�dS c6 1 8 .�xe6 �xe6 1 9 .tt:lcS b6 2 0 .tt::lx e6 '>t>xe6=. 8. ... 9. '.t>d1 -e2

.. �c1 -e3 l:lh1 -d 1 '.t>e2xe3 f8 2 3 .l:!.xe7 l:!.b8=. 9. ... 1 0. �c1 -e3

7. 0-0 In the event of 7 .�b3 c6 8 .0-0 'i¥b6N 9 .lLlxdS cxdS 1 O.�xdS lLlc6 White's de­ velopment problems and exposed queen insure Black adequate compensation for the pawn. 7. ... 8. tLlc3xd5

After 1 0.a3 �d6 1 1 .1lb l ?! c4! 1 2.b4 cxd3 1 3 .bS dxe2 1 4.�xe2 tLld4 1 S .tt:Jxd4 jLxd4 1 6.�h6 lld8 White has little for the pawn. 1 0. ...

�g7xb2

Declining the gambit gives White an edge.

c7-c5

8.�a4 lLlc6 9 .�c4 lLlxc3 1 0 .dxc3 �b6 1 1 .�h4 l:!.d8=. Black's control of the open file and the threat on b 2 if the c 1 bishop moves offset White's mild kingside pressure. 8 .�b3 e6 9 .d3 tLlc6 1 O .i.gS �d7 1 1 .l:tac l b6 1 2 .l:!.fe 1 �b7 =. Black is al­ most caught up in development and has a slight edge in space. 8. ...

tLlb8-c6

�d8xd5

1 1 . J:Xa1-b1 In case of l l .lLld4 �d7 1 2 .tLlxc6 �xa 1 1 3 .�xa 1 bxc6 1 4.�h6 �d4 1 S .i.xf8 49

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

�xf8 1 6 .'ifb l .tg4 1 7 . .txc6 llc8 1 8 .e3 �eS 19 . .te4N c4 20.dxc4 .llxc4 Black has the better of a probable draw. 1 1 . .. 1 2. 'iYd1 -a4 .

�b2-f6

After 1 2 . ttJd4 'i¥xa2 1 3 . tt:Jxc6 bxc.6 1 4.£.xc5 .tg4 I S .f3 £.e6 1 6 .d4 .ll f b8 1 7 . ll a l 'irc4N White doesn't have enough for the pawn. 1 2 . ... 1 3. 'iYa4-b5

'iYd5-d7

1 3 .Lc5 b6 1 4.hb6 ttJd4 1 5 .'iVd l axb6 1 6.tt:Jxd4 l!1xa2 1 7 .'i¥b3 .lld 2 1 8.'i¥b4 lla2 1 9 .'iVb3 .i':!.d2 with a draw by repetition.

At first I wanted to recommend this, be­ cause two bishops, a rook, and an extra pawn are virtually equal in strength to two rooks and a knight. However White seems to have the initiative here, so now I would make this only a second choice in case you don't like the game continua­ tion. 1 9 .e3 .tg7 2 0 . l:f.fb 1 l::!.c8 2 1 . lla3 .l::t c 7 2 2 .f4 eS 2 3 .ttJc4 exf4 24.gxf4 £.f8 2 5 . �f2 f6 2 6 .e4 �f7 - Black should be okay here, although he must be careful. White's active rooks give him the sunny side of a probable draw. 1 4. 'iYb5xc5

'iYe6xa2

Black is under pressure on the queenside, but his extra pawn offsets this. 1 5. .l:i.f1 -e1

1 3 . ...

'iYd7-e6

I analyzed the novelty 1 3 . . . b6 1 4.ttJd2 ttJd4 1 5 .£.xd4 'iVxbS 1 6..!'hb5 �xd4 1 7 . .txa8 £.d7 1 8 Jl:b3 llxa8.

Analysis diagram

50

1 5 .ttJd2N .l::i. d 8 1 6. :!lfe 1 .tfs 1 7 . .llx b7 ttJd4 1 8 .llc7 llac8 1 9 .'iYxa7 'irxa 7 2 0 .l:ha7 l:rc 1 2 l .�fl tt:Jxe2 2 2 .t2Je4 .llxe 1 + 2 3 .«t>xe 1 �xe4 24. dxe4 tt:Jd4 2 5 .Wfl .l:ib8 26 .�h3 hS=. The two bish­ ops are not much of a plus with all the pawns on one side, and Black's ideally posted knight gives him equality. 1 5. ... 1 6. 'iYc5xa5 1 7. tt:Jf3-d2

'iYa2-a5 tt:Jc6xa5

Chapter 4 - Anti-Griinfeld

�f6-c3

1 7. ...

If Black doesn't want a draw he could try 1 7 tLlc6 1 8 .tt:le4 aS 1 9 .tt:lxf6+ exf6, but I think White keeps an edge. ...

1 8. 1 9. 20. 21. 22. 23.

'

J::t e 1 -c1 �e3xd2 �g2xc6 �d2-a5 J::tc 1 xc6 J::tc6xc8+

I.

�c3xd2 tt:Ja5-c6 b7xc6 �c8-e6 J::tf8-c8 J::t a8xc8

�

' ' ' A i

White is 'better' according to the computers, but of course with equal material and bishops of opposite color it's almost sure to be a draw. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.

f2-f3 'lt>g1 -f2 g3-g4 h2-h4 ii.a5-d2 g4-g5 .l:ib1 -a1 J:!.a1 -a5 .l:!.a5-c5 �d2-b4 .l:!.c5-e5 e2-e4 �b4-c3 e4xf5 f5xg6+ �c3xe5

�e6-d5 �d5-c6 f7-f6 Wg8-f7 h7-h5 f6-f5 :r:i.c8-a8 a7-a6 J:!.a8-c8 kc6-d7 e7-e6 l:Ic8-b8 .l:ib8-b5 J::t b5xe5 Wf7xg6 a6-a5

Draw agreed. Black doesn't even need the a-pawn to draw here.

51

Chapter 5

Queen's Pawn Openings In this chapter we consider openings White may choose if he starts with l .d4 but re­ frains from an early c2-c4. These openings are not very popular at grandmaster level but are much more so at amateur level, because they can be played with relatively little study. As a general rule these lines don't promise White an advantage, but Black needs to know how to respond to each of them. First we look at the Veresov, l .d4 tt:lf6 2.tt:lc3 dS 3 .igS , .

which we meet by 3 h6 , welcoming the bishop for knight exchange. White has to make the trade or play a bad French Defense. I think that the exchange results in a very pleasant game for Brack, who can use his unopposed bishop to pin the c3 knight. See Game 5 . 1 . ...

Next comes the fairly popular Trompowsky, l .d4 tt:lf6 2 .igs , .

53

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

which we meet by 2 ... d5 . The exchange on f6 is not to be feared, as it would happen without loss of tempo by Black. Otherwise Black will probably continue with 3 . . . c5 and perhaps 4 .. .'tlr¥b6, targeting the b2 pawn. See Game 5 . 2 . The Barry Attack, l .d4 tLlf6 2.tLlf3 g6 3.tLlc3 dS 4.�f4,

i: � .t tv � .t 1: .t. & & & & & �· &

aims at �d2 and 0-0-0. The remedy seems to be a timely . . . tLle4. See Game 5 . 3 . After l .d4 tLlf6 2.tLlf3 g6 White has three popular options, all covered in Game 5 .4. He can choose the Colle 3 .e 3 , which is considered ineffective against the king's fianchetto, the Torre 3 .�g5 �g7 4.tLlbd2 and now 4. . . 0-0, ready to meet 5 .e4 or 5 .c3 by 5 . . . d 5 , or the London System 3 .�f4 �g7 4.e3 d6 S .h3 0-0 6.�e2 when I like 6 ...c5 7.c3 'ilr¥b6. So don't fear these systems, but be prepared! QP 1 1 . 1 (DO l )

Game 5.1

Pert,Nicholas Adams,Michael

0 •

Sheffield ch-GBR, 2 0 I I ( 1 0)

1. d2-d4 2. tLlb1 -c3 3. �c1 -g5

tLlg8-f6 d7-d5

The Veresov System. I don't think it's very good. The attempt to reach the Blackmar­ Diemer Gambit by 3 .e4?! fails here: 3 . . . tLlxe4! 4.tLlxe4 dxe4 5 . �c4 tLlc6 6.c3 eS 7 .d5 CiJe7 8. f3 (8.CiJe2 c6) 8 ... CiJg6 9 .�b5 + �d7 1 0 .�xd7+ �xd7 J l .fxe4 54

�c5 1 2.CiJf3 0 - 0 . Black has returned the pawn to achieve a nice lead in develop­ ment, and White cannot castle. Black plans . . . f7 -fS with a big advantage. 3. ...

h7-h6

Chapter 5 - Queen's Pawn Openings

This move is rare but good. It seems wrong to spend a tempo to force the ex­ change, but the point is that White's knight on c3 is then misplaced, because White would want to play c3 -c4 after the trade. More usual is 3 . . . tt:lbd 7 , but why guard against a bad trade?

cause the bishop pair is a bigger factor than the crippled majority) 6.exd5 "tifxdS 7 .tt:lf3 0-0 8.ile2 "tWaS 9."tifd2 tt:ld7 1 0 .a3 tt:'lb6 1 1 ..ld.b 1 �xc3 1 2 ."tifxc3 'ifxc3 + 1 3 .bxc3 Ue8N.

4. �g5xf6 Or 4.ilh4 e6 5 .e4.

Analysis diagram

Both sides have crippled majorities, but White has three weak pawns (a3 , c2, c3) while Black has none. Analysis diagram

Without the insertion of . . . h6 �h4 this would be a transposition to a mainline French Defense, where White should keep his normal edge. Here however, e2-e4 gives nothing. On the other hand, a quiet move like e2-e3 creates a position in which the move tt:lc3 just looks stupid, blocking the otherwise desirable c4) 5 . . . �b4 (after S . . . gS 6 .�g3 tt:lxe4 7 .tt:lxe4 dxe4 8 .h4 tt:lc6N 9 .c3 IIg8 1 O.hxgS hxgS White has yet to prove full compensation for the pawn) 6.e5 gS 7 .�g3 tt:le4 is an inferior line (for White) of the MacCutcheon French. Black is al­ ready equal. 4. ... 5. e2-e3

5 . ... 6. �f1 -d3

�f8-b4

If 6.tt:le2 c6N 7 .a3 �d6 it's hard to see much to offset Black's bishop pair here. 6. ... 7. d4xc5

c7-c5

7 ."tiff3 �xc3 + 8.bxc3 0-0 9 .tt:le2 tt:'lc6=. 7. ... 8. b2xc3 9. t2Jg1 -e2

�b4xc3+ 0-0

e7xf6

5 .e4 �b4 (5 . . . dxe4 6.tt:lxe4 fS 7 .tt:lg3 �d6 8 .'�e 2 + "tife7 9 ."tifxe 7 + �xe7 1 o . .td3 g6 is also pleasant for Black, be55

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

9. ...

�c8-e6

A good alternative was 9 . . . 4Jd7 I O .c4 �aS + I L'i¥d2 �xd2+ ! 2 . '.t>xd2 dxc4 I 3 .�xc4 tL:lxcS 1 4 . .ll hd I �e6. Black has a superior pawn structure on the queenside at no cost. His doubled pawns do not cripple a majority or fall in any 'bad' cate­ gory. 1 0. 11. 1 2. 1 3.

J:!.a1 -b1 0-0 J:!.b1 -b4 J:!.b4-h4?!

'i¥d8-c7 tt:Jb8-d7 tt:Jd7xc5

White is just 'passing', so Black is already better. He has only one bad pawn while White has three. 1 3. 1 4. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21 .

.. .ll h 4-d4 'i¥d1 -c1 .llf1 -d1 �c1 -a3 .lld 1 -b1 h2-h3 .l:!.b1 -b3 .l:!.b3-b1 .

counterplay with a2-a4. Black is obvi­ ously better. 22. .l:!.b 1 -d 1 23. c3-c4 24. �d3-f5

Certainly not 24 . . . ..txf5 + in view of 2 5 . .l:!.d8+ and 26.�f8 . 25. �f5xe6 26. e3-e4

27. �a3-g3 28. .ll d 1 -d2

tt:Ja4-b2

... tt:Je2xc3 .l:!.d2-d1 .U.d1 -d2 l:!.d2-d1 '>t>g1 -h2 tt:Jc3-e2

c4-c3 tLlb2-c4 tt:Jc4-b2 tLlb2-c4 tt:Jc4-e5 .l:!.e8-c8 .l:!.c7-e7

J:!.a8-c8 J:!.f8-d8 a7-a6 b7-b5 tt:Jc5-a4 'f!ic7-a7 .l:!.d8-d7 tt:Ja4-c5

.lld7-c7

2 L .tba4 2 2 .�b4 'i¥c7 2 3 .l:tf4 l:!.dd8 Black can win the pawn on c3 any time, though doing so will give White some 56

f7xe6 c;t>g8-h7?!

26 . . . 4Jc5 27 .�e3 J:::rf7 , and although White controls the open file and has a safer king, this does not nearly offset his pawn minus.

28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. 34.

21 . ...

tt:Jc5-a4 d5xc4 .l:!.c8-e8

34 .. ..ll xc2 3 5 .f4 l:!.xe2 3 6 . fxe5 l:!.cc2 3 7 . exf6 llxg2 + 3 8 .�xg2 �c7 + 3 9.-.t>h l I:!.xg2 40 .Wxg2 '.t>g6 4 1 .fxg7 �xg7 queen and pawn are in general a bit stronger than two rooks, although here I expect that White can draw.

Chapter 5

35. 36. 37. 38. 39.

c2-c3 c;t>h2-h1 'tWg3-g4 'tWg4-g3 'tWg3-g4

-

Queen's Pawn Openings

fxe6 1 2 .'iVh3 0-0 - the 'Stonewall' for­ mation is great for Black when his light-squared bishop has already been ex­ changed, as here.

Wia7-c7 t2Je5-c4 t2Jc4-e5 t2Je5-c4 t2Jc4-e5

3. ..

.

c7-c5

1f2-1f2

Game 5.2

QP 7.9 (A45) 0 •

Miladinovic,Igor Solak,Dragan Valjevo, 20 I I (7)

1. d2-d4 2. .fi.c1 -g5

t2Jg8-f6

This is the Trompowsky, which has a few exponents among grandmasters and quite a decent following among amateurs. I think it is fading now though. 2. ...

d7-d5

I like this reply, because I don't consider 3 .�xf6 . to be in White's favor, and other­ wise the move . . . d7 -dS is without draw­ backs. 3. e2-e3 3 .lLld2 cS 4.dxc5 e6 5 .lLlb3 lLlbd7 6.e3 lLlxcS 7 .tbxc5 i.xcS 8.�b5+ fs 9 .�d3 eS. 3 . tb c 3 transposes t o the Veresov. 3 .tbf3 transposes to the Torre. 3 .i.xf6 exf6 4.e3 �e6 (4 . . . c5 transposes to the note to move 4) S .�d3 fS (S . . . cS 6.dxc5 �xeS 7 .c3 tbc6 8 .lLld2 0-0 9 .tLlb3 kd6 1 O .tLle2 .!lc8 and Black's bishops more than offset his isolated d­ pawn) 6.�f3 g6 7 .tbe2 c6 8 . 0-0 tbd7 9.tLlf4 �d6 1 0 .tLld2N (not 1 0 .c4? kxf4 1 l .cxdS kxh2 + 1 2.< it>xh2 �h4+ and Black wins a pawn) 1 0 . . . �c7 I I .tbxe6

4. t2Jb1 -c3 4.c3 tbc6 s .tbf3 'iVb6 6.'ilic l (after 6 .�b3 c4 7 .�c2 �fs 8 .'iVc l tt:le4 9 .�f4 h6 1 O .tLlbd2 gS l l .�g3 tbxg3 1 2.hxg3 i.g7 1 3 .�e2 �d8 White has little for the bishop pair lost) 6 . . . tt:le4 7 . .if4 .ifS 8 .tbbd2 e6 9 .tbxe4 �xe4 1 O.�e2 �e7 1 1 . 0-0 0-0 and Black has more space at no cost. 4.tLld2 h6N S .�xf6 exf6 - although White will isolate Black's d-pawn to com­ pensate for Black's bishops, his knight on d2 is misplaced for putting pressure on dS. After 4.kxf6 exf6 S .tt:lc3 tbc6 6.tbge2 ke6 7 .g3 cxd4 8.exd4 �d6 9.�g2 tbe7 1 0.0-0 a6 I would count Black's bishop pair as slightly more important than White's superior pawn structure. 4. ... 5. d4xc5

t2Jb8-c6

S .�bS e6 6 .tbf3 �e7 7 .0-0 0-0 8 . dxc5 �xeS 9 .'ik'e2 �e7 1 0 . .!lfd 1 a6 1 I ..id3 tbd7 1 2.Le7 �xe7 1 3 .e4 d4 1 4.tLlb 1 57

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

eS - Black has more space, the better bishop, and a great square (cS) for his knight. 5. ... 6. tLlg1 -f3 7. �f1 -d3

e7-e6 �f8xc5

White is playing a slightly dubious varia­ tion of the Queen's Gambit Accepted with colors reversed and an extra tempo, which at best may give him equality. In case of 7 .a3 0-0 8.�d3 �e7 9 . 0-0 h6 1 O ..ih4 a6 l l .�e2 bS 1 2 .h3 �b7 Black has more space and an extra pawn in the center.

1 5. h4xg5?1 Better is 1 5 . .ie 2 �c7 1 6 .hxg 5 �xeS 1 7 .gxf6+ .ixf6 1 8 .�b4+ We8 1 9 . .l:td 1 .fl.d7 2 0 .e4 d4 2 1 ..l:txd4 .fl.xd4 2 2 .�xd4 We7 2 3 .e5 .ic6. White has a pawn and a safer king for the exchange. It's a close game but I'd rather play Black. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8.

7. ... 8. �g5-h4

... l:rh1 xh8 �b5-f1 0-0-0

h6xg5 �d8xh8 �c8-d7 J:[a8-c8

h7-h6

8 . .ixf6 �xf6 9 .0-0 0-0 1 0 .a3 .ib6 and Black is already better thanks to the bish­ ops and the extra center pawn. 8. ...

g7-g5

Also after 8 . . . 0-0 9 . 0-0 �e7Black is at least equal. 9. 1 0. 11. 1 2. 1 3. 14. 58

�h4-g3 �g3-e5 tt:lf3xe5 h2-h4 �d3-b5+ �d1 -d4

ttJf6-h5 ttJc6xe5 tt:lh5-f6 �c5-d6 \t>e8-e7 a7-a6

1 9. tt:le5xd7?! In the event of 1 9 .g3 .fl.cS 20 .�d2 �h2 2 1 .tLlxd7 '>t>xd7 22 .a3 Wc7 23 .Wb 1 Wb8 Black is better with an extra center pawn and better development. 1 9. ... 20. �d4xh8 21 . e3-e4

tt:lf6xd7 .l:!.c8xh8 d5xe4

Chapter 5

22. 23. 24. 25.

tLlc3xe4 'it>c1 -b1 tLle4-c3 tLlc3-e2

-

Queens Pawn Openings

..11l..d 6-f4+ f7-f5 ..11l.f. 4-e5 tLld7-f6

:1

Black is obviously better here. His bishop, knight, and king are each better positioned than their white counterparts. Moreover, his pawn majority is more ad­ vanced. 26. 27. . 28. 29. 30.

tLle2-c1 tLlc1 -d3 �f1 -e2 tLld3xf2 �e2-f3

tLlf6-g4 ..11l..e 5-d4 tLlg4xf2 �d4xf2 b7-b6

With rooks on the board and Black hav­ ing the hope of obtaining two connected passed pawns, the fact that there are bish­ ops of opposite color isn't likely to save White. 31 . 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.

b2-b4 �f3-c6 .l:Id 1 -d2 J::!. d 2-d3 Wb1 -b2 .l:ld3-d7 Wb2-b3 J::!. d 7-g7 J::!. g7-g6

g5-g4 f5-f4 �f2-e3 'it>e7-f6 Wf6-g5 Wg5-h4 Wh4-g3 �e3-d4

39. 40. 41 . 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47.

... b4-b5 �c6-d7 Wb3-b4 'it>b4xb5 �d7xe6 Wb5-c4 a2-a4 �e6-d5

J::!. h8-c8 a6xb5 J::!.c8-c3+ l:Ic3xc2 J::!.c2xg2 Wg3-h4 �d4-c5 f4-f3 J::!. g 2-g1

QP 3.5 (A48) D •

0-1

Game 5.3

Stefanova,Antoaneta Lahno,Katerina Rostov-on-Don, 2 0 1 1 ( 1 0)

1. 2. 3. 4.

d2-d4 tLlg1 -f3 tLlb1 -c3 �c1 -f4

tLlg8-f6 g7-g6 d7-d5

This is known as the 'Barry' Attack. 4. ...

�f8-g7

.i �..t 'iV � . .i ., , , i i ..t i �· i

ttJ £::, £::, £::,

:

.£::,

� � tij t::, t::, t::, t::,

. iV � �

: 59

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

5. �d1 -d2 This aims at i.h6 and at castling queen­ side, which seems logical given that the knight on c3 blocks the c2 pawn. 5 .e3 is probably the better move, but if White has to switch to castling kingside like this, the opening strikes me as illogical. The knight on c3 is merely in the way unless White castles queenside: 5 . . . 0-0 6 . ..Q.e2 c5 7 .tbe5 tbc6 8.0-0 cxd4 and now: A) 9.tL'lxc6 bxc6 1 0 .exd4 tLld7 1 1 .tLla4 e5 1 2. .�e3 l::t e 8 1 3 J:te 1 ? exd4 1 4 . ..Q.xd4 ..Q.xd4 1 5 ."tlfxd4 l:te4 1 6."tlfc3 l::txa4 1 7 ."tlfxc6 tL'lb6 and Black has won a piece for just a pawn. This was Hebden-Palliser Halifax 2 0 1 0 (rapid) . Since Hebden is perhaps the best known advocate of the Barry, this game has some significance; B) 9 . exd4 "t!Yb6 (after 9 . . . tbd7 1 o .tt:Jxd5 tt:Jdxe5 1 l .dxe5 ..Q.e6 1 2 .c4 tbxe5 1 3 .a4 (if 1 3 ."tlfb3 b5 1 4."t!Yxb5 .ll b 8 1 5 ."tlfc5 i.xd5 1 6. cxd5 l::t x b2 1 7 ."tlfe3 "tlfxd5 Black is up 'half a pawn') 1 3 ... llc8 1 4."tlfb3 tt:Jxc4 1 5 .i.xc4 l::txc4 1 6 .�xc4 ..Q.xd5 1 7 ."tlfb4 e6=. Although White is up '14 pawn by my count, Black's permanent bishop on d5 is enough to offset this) 1 o .tt:Jxc6 "tlfxc6 1 l .i.b5 'i¥b6 1 2 .a4 and White is a little better. 5. ... 6. �f4-h6

0-0

Logical but perhaps not good. But if he goes 6 . 0-0-0 tL'le4N 7.tt:'lxe4 dxe4 8 .tt'le5 (after 8.tt:'lg5 "tlfd5 9.'>t>b 1 h6 1 0 .c4 "tlff5 1 1 .tLlh3 e3+ 1 2.�d3 tt:'lc6 Black should win something due to the threat of . . . tt:'lb4) 8 . . . 'i¥d5 9 .c4 "tlfe6 1 0 .h3 (else . . . f7-f6) 1 0 . . . i.xe5 1 l . ..Q.xe5 tbc6 1 2 .i.h2 'i¥xc4+ 1 3 .'>t>b 1 e 3 ! 1 4.b3 tL'lxd4 1 5 .bxc4 exd2 1 6 .l::Ix d2 c5 1 7 .e3 tt:'lc6 60

White has only the bishop pair for the pawn, so he is just down half a pawn for nothing. 6. ... 7. tLlc3xe4

tLlf6-e4

7 ."tlfe3 N "tlfd6 8 .i.xg7 'lt>xg7 9 . 0-0-0 tbxc3 1 o ."tlfxc3 ..Q.f5 1 l .'>t>b 1 tt:'ld7 =. 7. ... 8. �h6xg7

d5xe4 g8xg7

9. tLlf3-g5 In case of 9 .tt:'le5 c5 1 0.e3 �c7 1 1 .0-0-0 l':td8 1 2 ."tlfc3 f6 1 3 .tt:'lc4 i.g4N 14 . .!:td2 tt:'la6 Black has better development and the initiative. 9. .. 1 0. 0-0-0 .

e7-e5

1 O.dxe5 "tlfxd2 + 1 1 . 'lt>xd2 l::t d 8+ 1 2.'>t>e3 tbc6 1 3 .tt:'lxe4 tt:'lxe5 Black's su­ perior development and threats, plus safer king, are surely worth a pawn. 10 11. 1 2. 1 3. 14. .

.. �d2xd4 l:td1 xd4 f2xe3 tLlg5-f3 .

�d8xd4 e5xd4 e4-e3 h7-h6 l:tf8-e8

White's bottled-up kingside and doubled isolated pawns on a half-open file are

Chapter 5 - Queen's Pawn Openings

more than enough compensation for a pawn.

1 5 . l:!.d4·d3

tt:Jb8·a6

Although White has two pawns for the exchange, he can't keep them and is clearly losing. 26 . ...

l:!.d7·c7

26 . . . b5 ! won more easily. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33.

.!::!. h 1 -g1 �f1 -g2 �g2·f3 tt:Jd2·b1 tt:Jb1 ·c3 h2·h4 tt:Jc3·e4

b7·b5 b5xc4 tt:Je3xd5 tt:Jd5·e3 h6·h5 l:!.c7·d7

1 6. g2-g3?1 case of 1 6.a3 b6 1 7 .g3 tLlcS 1 8 . .:t.c3 !&b7 1 9.�g2 lle7 Black is clearly for -ce despite his pawn minus. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

... tt:Ja6·b4 .:t.d3·b3 c7·c5 tt:Jb4·d5 a2·a3 e3·e4 c5·c4 tt:Jd5·e3 .:t.b3·b5 .:t.b5·c5? .:t.e8·d8 tt:lf3·d2 �c8·e6 l:!.d8·d7 b2·b3 b3xc4 l:!.a8·d8 l:!.c5·d5 �e6xd5 e4xd5

33 . ...

f7·f5

3 3 . . . c3 ! . 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41 . 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47.

tt:Je4·c5 l:!.g1 xd1 'i¥i>c1 ·b2 'i¥i>b2·c3 'i¥i>c3·d4 e2·e4 �f3xe4 tt:Jc5·e6+ tt:Je6·f4 �e4xg6 tt:Jf4xe2 tt:Je2·f4+ 'i¥i>d4xc4 'i¥i>c4·b5

l:!.d7·d 1 + l:!.d8xd1 + l:!.d1·d2 l:!.d2xc2+ tt:Je3·f1 f5xe4 l:!.c2·a2 'i¥i>g7·f6 tt:lf1 xg3 tt:lg3·e2+ 'i¥i>f6xg6 'i¥i>g6-h6 l:!.a2xa3 l:!.a3-g3

White resigned. 61

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black QP 3 . 1 4 (A48)

Game 5.4

Legky,Nikolay Istratescu,Andrei Malakoff, 20 I I (6)

D •

1 . d2-d4 2. tt:lg1 -f3 3. �c1 -f4

tt:lg8-f6 g7-g6

3 .�gS is the Torre Attack: 3 . . . �g7 4.tt:lbd2 0-0 and now:

.i ,�. i.'iV

'.l(j *

j. j. j. .i.· j. �' j.

j. j.

The London System. 3 .e3 , the Colle Sys­ tem, is not very effective against . . . �g7 : 3 . . . �g7 4.�e2 cS S .0-0 0-0 and now: Analysis diagram

S .c3 (after S .e4 dS 6.eS tt'le4 7 .�e3 cS 8.c3 cxd4 9.cxd4 tt:lc6 1 O .�e2 fS 1 1 .exf6 exf6N Black is already better with his outposted knight) S . . . dS 6.e3 cS 7 .�d3 'ti'b6 8 . .ll b 1 tt'lc6 9.0-0 !'i.e8 1 O.b4 cxb4 1 l .cxb4 aS=. 3. ...

�f8-g7

Analysis diagram

A) 6.c4 cxd4 7 . exd4 (after 7 .tt'lxd4 tt'lc6 8 .tt:lc3 dS 9.cxdS ti:lxdS 1 0 .tt'lxdS 'il'xdS 1 1 .�f3 'iV cS 1 2. tt'lxc6 bxc6 1 3 .'il'a4 �fSN 1 4.�xc6 �c2 1 S .'il'bs 'ti'xbS 1 6.�xbS a6 1 7 . .ie2 llfd8 White's development problem is quite serious, so despite White's extra pawn Black is for choice) 7 . . . dS 8.tt'lc3 tt'lc6 transposes to the Griinfeld system with e3 ; B) 6.b3 cxd4 7 .tt:lxd4 (in case of 7 .exd4 dS 8 .�b2 tt:lc6 9 .ttJbd2 �fs 1 O .tt'leS .!:!.c8 1 1 .c4 tUxeS 1 2 .dxeS ti:ld7 1 3 .f4 tt'lcS 1 4.tt:lf3 dxc4 1 S .�xc4 ti:ld3N 1 6 .�xd3 'i¥xd3 Black's bishop pair gives him the edge) 7 . .. dS 8 .�b2 .l:le8 9.c4 eS 1 O .ti:lf3 ti:lc6 1 1 .cxdS ti:lxdS 1 2 .�c4 �e6 and Black is more comfortable with better development and the option to play . . . eS -e4 or . . . f7-fS ; 62

4. e2-e3 Instead, 4.tt'lbd2 0-0 and now: A) S .c3 d6 6.e4 tt'lbd7 7 .h3 eS 8 .dxeS dxeS 9 .�e3 (9.tt'lxeS tUxeS 1 0 .�xeS tt:lxe4 1 l .�xg7 Ile8 1 2 .tt:lxe4 .!lxe4+ 1 3 .�e2 'ii'x d 1 + 1 4 . .!:!.xd 1 xg 7=) 9 . . . 'ti'e7 1 0.'ii'c 2 b6 l l .b4 �b7 1 2 .�c4 tt:le8N 1 3 .0-0 ti:ld6 and Black is for choice with possibilities like . . . c7 -cS or . . . a7-aS or. . . f7 -fS ;

Chapter 5

B) 5 .h3 c5 6.e3 cxd4 (6 . . . d6 7 .c3 b6 8 .�e2 �b7 9 . 0-0 tt:\bd7 transposes to the note to move 7) 7 .exd4 t2lc6 8 .c3 d6 9 .�e2 e5 1 O.dxeS dxeS 1 1 .tt:lxe5 tLldS ! 2 .tt:lxc6 bxc6 1 3 .�g3 .t:i.e8 1 4. 0-0 �xc3 1 5 .�c 1 llxe2 1 6 .bxc3 �fS 1 7 .lt:Jf3 I!.c2 1 8 .'ti'h6 'il'f8 1 9 .'ti'h4 l::!.xc3 and White has only partial compensation for the pawn; C) 5 .e4 dS! 6.�d3 (in case of 6.e5 tLlhS 7 .�e3 cS 8 .dxcS tt:lc6 9 .c3 lt:JxeS 1 0. tt:lxeS �xeS Black has more center pawns and the better pawn structure) 6 . . . c5 7 . dxc5 lt:Jbd7 8 . 0-0 dxe4 9.lt:Jxe4 lt:Jxe4 1 0 . .txe4 lt:JxcS and Black wins the bishop pair cleanly. 4. ... 5. h2-h3

d7-d6

5 .�e2 0-0 6.0-0 tLlhS 7 .�g5 h6 8 .�h4 gS 9 .tLlfd2 gxh4 1 0 .�xh5 cS 1 1 .c3 tt:lc6 ! 2 .f4 cxd4 1 3 .cxd4 lt:Jxd4N 1 4.exd4 �xd4+ 1 5 .�h 1 �xb2 1 6.lt:Jb3 �xa 1 1 7 .tt:lxa 1 �fS 1 8 .lt:Jb3 !lc8 and Black's damaged kingside is more than offset by his 1 '!. pawn lead. 5. ... 6. �f1 �e2 7. c2-c3

-

Queen's Pawn Openings

A decent alternative is 7 . . . b6 8 . 0-0 �b7 9 .tLlbd2 tt:lbd7 1 0.�h2 �c7 1 1 .a4 tLle4 1 2.tt:lxe4 �xe4 1 3 .lt:Jd2 �c6 1 4.�a6 �b7 1 S .'il'e2 �xa6 1 6.�xa6 .ll ab8 1 7 . .t!.fe 1 �b7 1 8.�xb7 l:Ixb7=. 8. �d1 -b3 In case of 8.'il'c1 tt:lc6 9 . 0-0 �e6 1 o .lt:Jbd2 cxd4 1 1 .exd4 llac8 1 2 . .t!.e 1 !Ife8 1 3 .�e3 'il'd8 1 4.lt:Jfl �ds I slightly prefer Black due to his extra center pawn and lead in development. �c8-e6 8. ... 9. 'll\V b3-a3?! 9.'il'xb6 axb6 1 0 .a3 .td7 1 1 .tLlbd2 �c6 1 2.0-0 tt:la6N 1 3 .I!.fe 1 lt:Jc7 1 4.�g3 .t!.fc8=; Black's active rook on a8 com­ pensates for his slightly inferior pawn structure. 9. ...

c5xd4

.! �

.t. .t.

'iV

0-0 c7-c5

1 0. c3xd4? Instead, after 1 O. exd4 'il'c6 1 l .tLlbd2 bS 1 2 .0-0 aS 1 3 . .te3 'il'b7 1 4Jhc l lt:Jc6 Black's minority attack and extra center pawn give him some advantage.

7. ...

�d8-b6

1 0. ... tt:Jf6-d5 1 1 . �f4-g3 tt:Jd5-b4 1 2. we1 -d2?! 63

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

1 2.'�a4 �fS 1 3 .tt:la3 tt:ld3 + 1 4.�xd3 i.xd3 1 S . .!ld 1 �e4 1 6 . .!ld2 .!lc8 1 7. 0-0 4:Ja6 - Black has both the open file and the bishop pair. 1 2. 1 3 . .!lh1 -c1 14. .!lc1 -c4?

15 .

..

.

d6-d5

�e6-f5 e7-e5

Also after 1 4.dxe5 dxeS 1 5 .i.xeS i.xeS 1 6.4:Jxe5 tt:ld7 1 7 .4:Jxd7 .!lfd8 1 8 .We 1 .!lxd 7 , Black's huge lead in development and safer king mean more than White's extra pawn. tt:lb8-a6 14. ... 1 5. �a3-a4? In the event of 1 S .tt:lc3 dS 1 6 .1lxb4 4:Jxb4 Black is up the exchange with a much safer king.

64

White resigned. Black will win the d­ pawn with a continued attack. A sample continuation is 1 6 . .ld.c3 exd4 1 7 .exd4 .!lfc8 1 8 .i.xa6 4:Jxa6 1 9 .'�b3 tt:Jb4 2 0 .tt:la3 �xd4 2 1 .4:Jxd4 'ifxd4+ 2 2 .We 1 i.d3 and Black wins more material.

Chapter 6

Neo-Griinfeld This name refers to lines in which Black plays the typical Griinfeld moves even though White has not played tLlc3 . Usually this means that White has chosen an early kingside fianchetto, although first in Game 6 . 1 we consider (after l .d4 tt:lf6 2.c4 g6) 3.f3 .

.! 'i\ .t '!¥ � •.t .! .l.l.l.l.l.l ... � ...

White aims for the Samisch Attack against the King's Indian or to exchange on dS (after 3 . . . d5) and then kick the knight when it has no opposing knight to capture. So I avoid the problem by playing 3 ... li:Jc6 (as also recommended by Delchev and Agrest) , which although it looks a bit cheeky has the virtue of making f2-f3 look silly. Its point was to cover e4, but if Black focuses on d4 that becomes irrelevant, even harmful as li:Jf3 is now illegal. The remainder of this .chapter deals with 3.g3 �g7 (3 . . . c6, as recommended by Avrukh, is much safer but basically it's playing for a draw) 4.�g2 dS .

65

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

The obvious try for an advantage is now S.cxdS lt:lxdS 6.e4 lt:lb6 7.lt:le2. We hit back at the center with 7 ...c5 S.dS 0-0 9.0-0 e6. Black should defer the exchange of pawns (which clears c4) until White has played either lt:lbc3 or a4. Normally Black develops his knight to a6. Computers tend to like White due to the advanced passed pawn but human experience suggests that Black has adequate piece play. See Game 6. 2. I n Game 6.3 White simply ignores . . . dS and just plays lt:lf3 and castles. Black should take on c4, and then when White plays tt:la3 to regain the pawn, give it back by . . . c3 ! followed by . . . cS , giving White the same weak pawns he gets in the Griinfeld Exchange variation but without the big center to compensate. This line is not very promising for White and not so popular any more. In Game 6.4 White exchanges on dS but refrains from e4, just developing his knight to f3 and castling. This is the main line now of the Neo-Griinfeld. Black should voluntarily retreat his knight to b6 before castling, so as to be able to play . . . tt::l c 6 next with attack on d4 to force the rather tame defense move e3. Then after both sides castle Black should refrain from . . . e7 -eS due to d4-d5 , instead playing the 'improving move' 9 . . . l:le8 and if 1 0 . .!le 1 , another improving move: 1 0 . . . aS . Black needs to play sharply and accurately in this position; one sloppy move can leave him with an awful game. As of now it seems that Black is fine, but this is cutting-edge theory so I would keep abreast of developments in this line. One of the key games in the notes was played just days before my deadline. KI 8 1 .2 (E60) D •

Game 6.1

Zhang Ziyang Ni Hua Xinghua }iangsu, 2 0 1 1 (3)

1 . d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. f2-f3

I

lt:lg8-f6 g7-g6 lt:lb8-c6

· .t � • .t.

I like this move, endorsed by Delchev and Agrest. f2 -f3 just begs for Black to attack the dark squares. Usually an early . . . tlJc6 can be well met by d4-d5 , e4�e4, and f3 -f4, but here this would lose a tempo. 4. lt:lb1 -c3 A) 4.e4 eS and now:

I

'� � � � � � ] � �· � �

I .t. 'if • .t. I � � ;� � � � � ·� � .l l �

£::, .� £::,

Analysis diagram

66

Chapter 6

A 1 ) In case of S .dS tt:ld4 6 .ttle2 cS I fa­ vor Black due to the monster knight; A2) S .tLle2 exd4 6.tt:lxd4 �g7 7.tt:lxc6 bxc6 and I like Black due to the possibil­ ity of getting in . . . d7 -dS in one go, which would be impossible if this arose from a King's Indian Defense; A3) S .dxeS tt:lxeS 6.�e3 �g7 7 .tt:lc3 0-0 8 .�d2 d6 9.b3 lle8 1 O .tLlge2 a6 1 l..l:i.d 1 ( 1 I .ttlf4 c6 1 2 .�e2 bS is simi­ lar) 1 l . . .bS 1 2.cxbS axbS 1 3 .tt:lxbS dS and White is in trouble; B) 4.dS ttJeS S .e4 d6 and now:

.i ..t 'if � ..t .i ii i ,i i i i ri � i �� .

-�

-

�

�

� � � 15,: J:t; tLJ �;'�i' w � l2S l:t Analysis diagram

B 1 ) 6.f4 tt:led7 7 .ttlc3 �g7 transposes to next note; B2) 6.tLlc3 �g7 7 .f4 tLled7 8 .ttlh3 (8.tt:lf3 0-0 9.�e2 tt:lcS =) 8 . . . 0-0 9 . .ie2 tt:lcS 1 O .tt:lf2 e6 1 1 .0-0 exdS 1 2.cxdS .Ue8N 1 3 .�f3 hS 1 4.h3 aS I S Jie l tLlfd7 1 6 .�e3 b6=. It is hard to see any good plan for White here; B3) 6.tt:le2 �g7 7 .tt:lbc3 0-0 8 .tt:ld4 c6 9.f4 tt:led7 ! O .dxc6 tt:lcS l l .�f3 .!le8 and due to the threat of .. . e7 -eS , White cannot keep his extra pawn so he stands worse. 4. ...

d7-d5

Black only plays this Griinfeld move when White has a knight on c3 to exchange. 5. c4xd5

-

Neo-Griinfeld

S .e4 dxe4 6.dS tt:leS 7 .fxe4 �g7 8 .tt:lf3 tt:lfd 7 9 .�e 2 0-0 I O .tLlxeS �xeS ( ! O . . . tLlxeS) I I ...th6 lle8 1 2 . 0-0 c6 1 3 .�d2 tLlf6 1 4.h3 ..td7 I S . .!lad l �c7 =. Black's powerful outpost bishop compensates for White's space edge. 5 . ... 6. e2-e4 7. b2xc3

tt:Jf6xd5 tt:Jd5xc3 e7-e5

.i ..t 'i¥ � 1: .i i i i i i i " � i � J:t

� � " � . � ' � -�

1t 'li' w � tD J:t

8. d4-d5 8 . ..tbS �d7 9.tt:le2 .2.g7 I O . ..te3 ( I O . .ti:b 1 tt:laS 1 1 .0-0 c6 1 2 .�d3 0-0 1 3 .�e3 �e6=) I 0 . . . 0-0 l l .dS tt:las 1 2 .�d3 ..th6 ! 1 3 . ..tf2 ( 1 3 . .2.xh6 �h4+) 1 3 . . . b6=. Black plans . . .�e7 and . . . tt:laS-b7 -cS . 8. ... 9. h2-h4

tt:Jc6-a5

9 .�e3 c6=. 9. ...

.if8-c5

9 . . . �e7 1 0 .g3 0-0=. Black intends to meet h4-hS by . . . g6-g S . 1 0. .ic1 -a3 I O .hS c6 1 1 .hxg6 fxg6=. 1 0. ... �d8-d6 1 1 . .ia3-b4 .ic5xb4 12. �d1 -a4+ �c8-d7 67

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

1 3. 'ifa4xb4 1 4. �f1 -a6

b7-b6 'it>e8-e7

After 1 4 . . . 0-0 1 5 .h5 c5 1 6.'it'a3 f5 Black has the initiative. 1 5. 0-0-0 1 6. ..ia6-b5 1 7. �b5-a4

�d7-c8 a7-a6 l:ra8-b8

Black is a clean pawn up. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37.

h4-h5 ld.f4xd4 h5xg6 :!lh1 -e1 + l:te1 -e4?! .!1e4-f4+ a2-a3 l:tf4-g4 .!:!:g4-g3 'it>b1-b2

GI 1 . 3 (D7 2) 0 •

1 8. f3-f4?1 1 8 .h5 jld7=. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.

... ltJg1 -f3 e4-e5?1 c3xb4 l:rd1 -d4 d5-d6+ e5xd6+ g2xf3 'lt>c1 -b1 l:rd4xf4

�c8-g4 e5xf4 'ird6xb4 ttJa5-c4 ..ig4xf3 c7xd6 ttJc4xd6 l:rb8-c8+ ttJd6-f5 l:rh8-d8

l:rd8-d4 ttJf5xd4 h7xg6 �e7-f6 l:rc8-c4 �f6-g7 g6-g5 ttJd4xf3 ttJf3-d2+ ttJd2-e4 0-1 Game 6.2

Bruzon Bautista,Lazaro Le Quang Liem Havana, 2 0 I I (3) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

d2-d4 c2-c4 g2-g3 �f1 -g2 c4xd5 e2-e4 ltJg1 -e2 d4-d5 0-0

ttJg8-f6 g7-g6 �f8-g7 d7-d5 ttJf6xd5 ltJd5-b6 c7-c5 0-0 e7-e6

1 0. ttJe2-c3 1 O.ltJbc3 exd5 1 1 .exd5 ..if5 1 2 .h3 (in case of 1 2.tLle4 �xe4 1 3 ...ixe4 l:re8N 68

Chapter 6

1 4.�g2 c4 1 5 .ltJc3 tba6 1 6.a4 tbcS the active black pieces and the weak squares b3 and d3 give Black ample compensa­ tion for the bishop pair) 1 2 . . . h5 1 3 .tbe4 tba6 1 4.tLl2c3 'ti'd7 1 5 .\t>h2 .l:!.fe8 and Black's piece activity easily offsets the passed pawn. 1 0. ...

e6xd5?!

It is more accurate to play 1 O . . . tba6 first, then 1 1 .a4 exdS 1 2 .exd5 transposes to the game. 1 1 . e4xd5 1 2. a2-a4?!

tt:lb8-a6

Better was 1 2 .ltJd2, which would not have much point had Black postponed the pawn exchange on dS. 1 2 . . ...

tt:lb6-c4

-

Neo-Griinfeld

1 6. 'i¥d1 -d2 1 6.�b3 b6 1 7 .�b5 ( 1 7 . .l:!.fd 1 ttJb4=) 1 7 . . . tt:Jb4 1 8 .'ilk'xd7 ..Q.xd7=. White has an advanced passer, but it is isolated, and Black's knight has a nice home; 1 6 .a5 llac8 1 7 .1'ia4 is a bit better for White, so I recommend . . . c4 on move 1 5 . 1 6. ... 1 7. �e3-h6 1 8. �h6xg7

b7-b6 tt:la6-b4 'it>g8xg7

Although the exchange of bishops weak­ ened Black's king, on balance I think it fa­ vored Black as his remaining bishop is su­ perior to White's. 1 9. 20. 21. 22.

b2-b3 'i¥d2-b2 .ld.a 1 -d 1 l:!.d1 -d2

l:Ia8-d8 f7-f6 l:If8-e8

1 3. tt:Jb1 -d2 1 3 .ltJa3 ltJeS 1 4.h3 tt:lb4 1 5 .�e3 ? ( 1 5 .ltJe4 b6=) 1 5 . . . b6 1 6.'ti'e2 �fs 1 7 ..l:Ifd 1 'lli'd 7 was Nakamura-Topalov, Monaco (blindfold) 2 0 1 1 . Black is clearly better, though White won. 1 3 . ... 1 4. �c1 xd2 1 5. �d2-e3

tt:lc4xd2 �c8-f5 'f¥d8-d7

1 5 . . . c4 was probably better and equal.

22 . ...

�f5-d3

22 . . . h5 ! 2 3 .h4 tt:ld3 24.'ti'a 1 lleS favors Black as now f2 -f4 would leave g3 too weak. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.

l:tf1 -d1 h2-h3 tt:Jc3-a2 lld1 -f1 l:rd2xc2

'tWd7-f5 h7-h5 �d3-c2 tt:lb4xa2 tt:la2-b4 69

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

28. l:rc2-d2 29. �g1 -h2

h5-h4 Wk'f5-g5

30. g3-g4? Apparently White had overlooked that this allows Black to transfer the knight to d4. 30. ... 31 . �h2-h1

Wk'g5-f4+ tt:lb4-c6!

It is headed for d4, where the knight will obviously be better than the White bishop. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41 . 42. 43. 44. 45. 46.

Wk'b2-c3 �d2-d3 l:rd3-e3 .l:te3xe8 Wk'c3-d3 �h1 -g1 g4xf5 �g1 -h 1 Wk'd3-c4 d5-d6 l:rf1 -g1 �g2-f3 �c4-c1 + Wk'c1 -c3 l:rg1 -g4

a7-a5 tt:lc6-d4 tt:ld4-e2 I:td8xe8 tt:le2-d4 f6-f5 g6xf5 �g7-h7 wh7-h6 �f4xd6 �d6-f6 l:!.e8-d8 f5-f4 l:!.d8-d7 l:!.d7-g7

With an extra pawn and a super knight vs. a bishop, Black is winning. 70

47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55.

l:rg4xg7 .§l.f3-g4 �h1 -h2 Wk'c3-d2 �h2-g1 Wg1 -h2 Wk'd2-c1 Wk'c1 -c4 �h2-h1

�h6xg7 Wk'f6-c6+ Wk'c6-e4 Wg7-g6 �g6-g5 wg5-g6 f4-f3 Wk'e4-e5+ Wk'e5-e1 +

GI 2 . 1 4 (D7 7) D •

0-1

Game 6.3

Maiorov,Nikita Gharamian,Tigran Lille, 20 I I (6) 1. 2. 3. 4.

d2-d4 c2-c4 tt:lg1 -f3 g2-g3

tt:lg8-f6 g7-g6 �f8-g7 0-0

I would play 4 . . . d5 first as explained in the notes to Carlsen-Giri. After 5 . .ig2 dxc4 6 .LLla3 c3 ! 7.bxc3 cS 8.0-0 0-0 we are back to the current game. 5. �f1-g2 6. 0-0 7. tt:lb1 -a3

d7-d5 d5xc4 c4-c31

It is wise to damage White's pawn struc­ ture this way. 8. b2xc3

c7-c5

Chapter 6 - Neo-Griinfeld

> ;,;,�i'-� ��

Ci5

�' .s:

l!'

't{

-� ""

l��

&.��

� . tb ��

� �' � . � �"� l:! FJt

9. e2-e3

1 6. g1 -h1 ??

After 9 .tLle5 tLlc6 l O .tLlxc6 bxc6 1 L �.xc6 �h3 1 2 . .!le i .ll c 8 1 3 .�f3 i:Yas 1 4.'i¥d2 .l:lfd8 Black's compensation for the pawn is obvious; 9 .tLlc4 tt:lc6 1 O.tLlfeS tLldS 1 1 .�b2 llb8 Black is doing fine here. 9. ... 1 0. �d1 -e2

tt:Jb8-c6

1 0 .�b2 'i¥b6 1 1 .'i¥e2 ( 1 1 .tLlc4 �a6 1 2 .tLlce5 �fS =) 1 1 . . . �f5 and now: A) 1 2 . .l:!.fc 1 .l:lfd8 1 3 .tLlc4 (in case of 1 3 .�fl tt:laS 1 4. tLleS .l:l:ac8 1 5 . tt:lac4 tt:lxc4 1 6 .tLlxc4 'i¥e6 Black's more active pieces more than offset White's extra cen­ ter pawn) 1 3 . . . 'i¥a6 1 4.�fl 'i¥a4=; B) 1 2 . .!lfd 1 l::rfd 8 1 3 . tLlc4 (after 1 3 .�fl tt:laS 1 4. tLleS .!lac8 Black has the initiative; White can do little) 1 3 . . . �a6 1 4.�fl 'i¥a4=. 1 0. ... 1 1 . J::if1 -d1 1 2. �c1 -d2

�c8-f5 �d8-b6

1 2 .�b2 transposes to the previous note. 1 2. 13. 1 4. 1 5.

.. �d2-e1 tt:Jf3-d2 f2-f3 .

l::tf8-d8 J::ia8-c8 �f5-g4 �g4-e6

1 6.tLlb3 ! �xb3 1 7 .axb3 'i¥xb3

1 8 .f4

'iiHe6 and White has the bishop pair and a

pawn center for the pawn. I would prefer Black's chances, but it's a game. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20.

... tt:Ja3-c4 �e2xc4 c3xd4 �c4-a4

20. ...

�b6-b2 �e6xc4 c5xd4 tt:Jc6xd4

�b2-c2!N

The game went 20 . . . 'i!Hb5 ? ! 2 1 .�xb5 tLlxbS . White has only the bishop pair for the pawn, which is not enough: 2 2 .tLlfl tt:le8 2 3 . .!lab 1 .l:!.xd 1 2 4 . .!lxd 1 tt:led6 2 5 .f4 tt:lc3 2 6.�xc3 l:Ixc3 2 7 .e4 f6 2 8 . .l:!.d5 '>itf7 29.e5 fxeS 3 0. fxe5 tt:lc8 3 1 .�h3 tLlb6 3 2 .e6+ Wf6 3 3 .l!b5 .Rh6 3 4.Ub2 �gS 3 5 .Wg2 ?! tt:lc4 3 6 . .!lf2+ 71

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

�e5 3 7 . .l:!.e2 + �d6 3 8.�f2 b5 3 9 . .ig2 aS 40.h4 .if6 4 1 ..ib7 a4 42 .tLlh2 �c5 43 .tt:lf3 h6 44.tLlh2 b4 45 ..ie4 g 5 46.hxg5 hxg5 47 .tt:Jg4 .i g 7 48.�g2 b 3 49.axb3 .l:!.xb3 s o .tt:Jf2. a3 5 1 ..ic2 lle3 5 2 .tLld3 + �b6 and White resigned. 21 . 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

�a4-a3 �g2-f1 �f1 xe2 .l:!.d1 xa1 .ie1 xd2 �a3-d3 �d3xd2 .ie2-f1

tt:Jd4-e2 tt:Jf6-e8 .ig7xa1 J:!.d8xd2 �c2xd2 llc8-c2 J:!.c2xd2 tt:Je8-d6

4. ... 5. c4xd5 6. ttlg1 -f3

d 7-d5 tt:Jf6xd5 tt:Jd5-b6!

It is best to play this before castling, as ex­ plained in the note to move 8 . 7. ttlb1 -c3 7 . 0-0 tbc6 8.e3 0-0 9 .tt:Jc3 transposes to the game, but gives Black the extra option of 8 . . . e5 which is said to be drawish, though the engine prefers White there. 7. ...

tt:lb8-c6

8. e2-e3 Black has a pawn plus the dominating rook on the seventh rank. He should win.

GI 1 . 1 0 (D7 1 ) D •

Game 6.4

Carlsen,Magnus Giri,Anish Wijk aan Zee, 20 I I (3) 1. 2. 3. 4.

d2-d4 c2-c4 g2-g3 �f1 -g2

tt:lg8-f6 g7-g6 .tf8-g7

4.tt:lc3 d5 5 .cxd5 tLlxdS 6 . .ig2 tLlb6 7 .e3 0-0 8 .tLlge2 (8 .tLlf3 transposes to the game) 8 ... e5 9 .0-0 exd4 I o.tt:Jxd4 'file?= 72

If both sides had already castled White could play 9 .d5 now and answer 9 . . . .ixc3 by I O.dxc6, but as it is 8 .d5 ? just loses a pawn to 8 . . . .ixc3 +. 8 .0-0 tt:Jxd4 9.tLlxd4 'f!ixd4 I O .tLlbS and now: A) I O . . . 'i¥e5 I l .a4 0-0 1 2 . .if4 'f!ixb2 1 3 .tt:Jxc7 ( 1 3 . .l:!.b l 'flia2 I 4.tt:Jxc7 l:Ib8 1 5 .tLld5 e5 1 6.tt:lxb6 axb6 I 7 . .id5 'i¥a3 I 8 . .ic i 'iYe7 I 9 .'f!ib3 l:Id8) I 3 .. Jib8 ( 1 3 . . . 'f!ixa I 1 4.'f!ixa 1 .ixa 1 1 5 . .l:!.xa I .l:!.b8 1 6 .tLld5 .l:!.a8 1 7 .tt:lc7 .l:!.b8 with a draw by repetition) I 4.a5 ; B) I O . . . ifc4 I I .'f!ib3 0-0 I 2 .'flixc4 tt:Jxc4 I 3 . tt:lxc7 .l:!.b8 I 4.tLld5 .ie6 I 5 .tt:Jxe 7 + �h8 I 6.tt:ld5 .

Chapter 6

8. ... 9. 0-0

0-0 l:[f8-e8

Black makes useful quiet moves rather than provoke d4-dS by . . . e7 -eS . 1 0. l:[f1 -e1 1 O.dS tt:laS 1 1 .tt:ld4 �d7 1 2 .e4 (in the event of 1 2 .tt:lb3 tt:lxb3 1 3 .axb3 c6 1 4.dxc6 hc6 1 S .e4 �d4 White's bad pawn structure offsets his modest mobility advantage) 1 2 . . . l:[c8 (postponing the choice between . . . c7 -c6 and . . . c7 -cS for one move) 1 3 . l:[e 1 c6 1 4.�f4 cS 1 S .tt:lf3 tbac4 1 6 .�c I e6 1 7 .dxe6 �xe6 and Black has the advantage, due to White's problem developing his dark-squared bishop; I O .'&'e2 eS 1 1 .dxeS tbxeS 1 2 .tt:lxeS �xeS 1 3 .lld l ( 1 3 . e4 �e6 1 4. l:::t d 1 '&'f6=) 1 3 . . .'&'e7 1 4.e4 c6 1 S .�e3 �e6 1 6.f4 �g7 1 7 .eS f6 1 8.exf6 '&'xf6 1 9 .�d4 '&'f7 2 0 .�xg7 'iYxg7 2 1 .'iYf2 �fS= . 1 0. ...

a7-a5

1 1 . '&'d1 -d2?! In case of l l .'&'c2 lbb4 (or 1 l . . .a4 1 2 .Ild l �g4N 1 3 .h3 �d7 1 4.'i!Ve2 'i!Vc8 1 S ."iH1 lbb4 1 6.a3 tbc6=; the weak squares b3 and c4 give Black ample com-

-

Neo-Griinfeld

pensation for White's extra center pawn) 1 2.'i1!Vb 1 tbc6 1 3 .'iYc2 Black can now re­ peat for a draw or play I 3 . . . a4 as in the last note; 1 l .'&'e2 and now: A) I would avoid 1 1 . . . �g4 1 2 .h3 �e6 1 3 .b3 a4 1 4.Ilb 1 axb3 1 S .axb 3 . This was Gelfand-Grischuk, Kazan Candidates' 2 0 1 1 , won nicely b y White. Now 1 S . . .�fS is not good due to 1 6.e4, but with the pawn still on h2 Black would have . . . �g4; B) 1 1 . . . �e6 and now:

Analysis diagram

B 1 ) 1 2 .tt:ld2 lbb4 1 3 .l:::td 1 ( 1 3 .tbde4? �c4 1 4.'&'d2 was seen in Tegshuren­ Kaufman, Rockville blitz 20 1 1 . After 1 4 . . . eS Black is much better) 1 3 . . . c6 1 4.a3 tt:l4dS 1 S .tbce4 '&'c8 1 6.tbcS �g4 and now: B 1 1 ) In case of 1 7 .f3 �h3 1 8 .�xh3 '&'xh3 1 9 .tt:lde4 ( 1 9 .tt:lxb 7 ? ! tbxe3 2 0 .'&'xe3 '&'d7 2 1 .tt:lcS '&'xd4 wins a pawn) 1 9 . . . '&'c8= Black's better bishop makes up for White's better knight on cS ; B 1 2) 1 7 .iH3 (Bacrot-Robson, Khanty­ Mansiysk 2 0 1 1 ) 1 7 . . . h S ! = 1 8 .tbde4 tt:lf6 1 9 .tt:lxf6 + ? ! exf6 ! 20 .e4 fS 2 l .eS tbd7 2 2 .tt:lxd7 '&'xd7 23 .�f4 a4 Black can de­ velop his rook to aS. After the bishops are traded he will retain the better bishop and pressure on d4; 73

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

B2) 1 2.b3N a4 1 3 .l:tb l axb3 1 4.axb3 ..ifs 1 S .l:tb2 eS 1 6.dxe5 �e7 = ; B 3 ) 1 2 .l:td l �c4 1 3 .�c2 lbb4 1 4.'iWb l eS 1 S .a3 exd4 1 6.axb4 dxc3 1 7 . llxd8 .ll a xd8 1 8 .�c2 axb4 and although Black has only rook and two pawns for the queen, the threat of . . . b3 is hard to meet. 11. 1 2. 1 3. 1 4. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7.

... d4-d5 e3-e4 a2-a3 a3xb4 .l:Ia1 xa8 b2xc3

e7-e5 tt:lc6-b4 c7-c6 c6xd5 a5xb4 b4xc3 tt:lb6xa8

1 9.c4 lbxc4 20 .�b4 tt:'ld6 2 l .�e3 �f8 White has some but not enough compen­ sation for the pawn. 1 9. ...

e5-e4

20. tt:lf3-g5?

After 2 0.lbd4 �xdS 2 1 .�e2 �d7 Black is just a pawn up. 20. ... e4-e3 21. �d2-b2?!

Better was 2 l .�d3 ..ifs 2 2 .�b5 �d7 2 3 .'ifd3 �xgS 24.�xe3 �f6 2 S .c4 tt:'la4, but White has way too little compensa­ tion for the lost knight. 21 . ... 22. �c1 xe3

1 8. e4xd5?!

Probably Carlsen was trying to avoid a draw against a lower-rated opponent: 1 8.'iWxdS tt:'lb6=. 1 8. ... 1 9. .l:Ie1 -d1 ?

74

tt:la8-b6

�d8xg5 �g5-g4

0-1

It's not often that Carlsen loses in 2 2 moves with White, but a poor opening followed by three consecutive bad moves will do the trick. I guess if you are going to make this many errors in a tournament, it's wise to get them all in in one game!

Chapter 7

Grunfeld Defense - Non-Exchange lines This chapter covers all the lines after l .d4 tt:lf6 2.c4 g6 3.tt:lc3 d5 in which White does not exchange pawns immediately on dS .

.i � .i. iV � .i. .i ' ' ' ' ' ' �' ' � � t2J � � � � � � .t[ .iil 'iY � .iil lLJ .tl This includes lines with an early e2-e3 , lines with kgS on move 4 or S , lines with �f4 on move 4 or S , the Russian System, based on �b3 to recapture on c4 with the queen, and miscellaneous white tries. The one common theme in all these lines is that Black almost never should play passively. That means no early ... c7 -c6 to defend dS. Usually Black will take on c4 (unless White can recapture with his fl bishop) and/or play an early . . . c7 -cS . This normally forces White to play concretely, meaning he cannot just make moves by general principles, he must calculate variations. In Game 7 . I we look at unusual white fourth moves, such as h2-h4, g2-g4, and �a4+. This last move intends to play the Russian System with Black's bishop on d7 rather than c8. This does spoil some of Black's options, but it creates a new one, namely a surprising . . . b7 -bS ! on move 8. The other moves aren't very good, as 4.h4 is met by fighting in the center with 4 . . . cS while 4.g4 is met by 4 . . . dxc4, clearing a square for the knight to move to if attacked. In Game 7 . 2 we look at lines with 4.e3. Lately White has been playing this with the idea of trading twice on dS and then playing ttJg l -e2-c3 to hit the queen, which we meet by . . . c7 -cS d4-dS e7 -e6 and isolating the queen's pawn. If White just develops and castles without trading on dS, Black plays a quick . . . c7 -cS and finds himself playing the Tarrasch Defense, where White's extra tempo is only enough to equalize. Against 4.�g5 tt:le4 5 .�h4, we trade knights and take on c4, meeting 7 .e3 by 7 . . . ke6 to guard the pawn. If we want equality we soon play . . . c7 -cS (Game 7 . 3 ) . If we want to go for the win, we defend the pawn by a quick . . . ttJd7 -b6 as in Game 7 .4. 75

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

When .tg5 is played on the fifth move (after 4.tLlf3 �g7) it is usually with the idea of meeting 5 ...tbe4 either by 6.cxd5 , sacrificing the bishop pair (Game 7 . 5 ) or by 6.�f4 (Game 7 . 6 ) . In the former case Black has a pleasant choice between trying to demon­ strate that the bishops make up for a possible white minority attack or offering a gam­ bit pawn, for which he receives rich compensation. I give both options. In case of 6.�f4 we trade knights and play . . . c7 -c5 , which usually leads to an early queen ex­ change. White retains central dominance, but in the endgame Black's queenside major­ ity should play a role so chances are close to even. Now we come to the lines involving 4.�f4 (or 4.tLlf3 .tg7 5.�f4, which may trans­ pose) . White can play either 5 .tbf3 or 5.e3 (we meet the rare 5 Jlc l by 5 ... tt:lh5) but in both cases I recommend castling on move 5 . Now if White plays whichever move he did not play on move 5 ,

we play 6 ...c5 7 .dxc5 tbe4 which equalizes; see Game 7 . 7 . I f White fails to defend his pawn on move 6, we take it (5.tbf3 0-0 6 . .l:!:cl dxc4) and meet 7 .e4 by ... �g4, . . . tbh5 , and ... �xf3 which sacrifices the bishop pair to inflict doubled backward pawns and an isolated pawn on White, a roughly even deal; see Game 7 . 8 . I f White accepts the gambit after 5.e3 0-0 by taking twice o n d 5 and then o n c 7 , the move 8 . . . tt:la6 ! regains the pawn and leaves Black with the bishop pair to offset his infe­ rior pawn structure and inferior center. A few accurate moves give Black full equality (Game 7 . 9 ) . Finally we come to 5.e3 0-0 6 ..l:!:cl , which I believed until recently to favor White. I t now seems that 6 ...�e6! 7.�3 c5 ! leaves White with n o advantage a t all, while 7.tLlf3 dxc4 is no better (Game 7 . 1 0) . I have often played �f4 lines as White, as they are quite tricky and promise an edge in most variations, but apparently they yield nothing against precise play. Finally we come to the Russian System (4.tbf3 �g7 5 .�3 dxc4 6.'i¥xc4 0-0 7.e4) , which is my recommended line for White.

76

Chapter 7 - Griinfeld Defense - Non-Exchange lines

.! � j_ if ,.! • � � j_ � � � � .- �

�

.._ ,

I conclude in the White portion of the book that only the Hungarian Variation (7 . . . a6) gives Black near-equality, so I must recommend it here. White has two main options against this. He can play the aggressive 8.e5 bS 9.�b3 tt:Jfd7 1 0.e6 ! fxe6 l l .�e3 , after which White attacks the queenside after the recommended l l tt:Jf6 or the kingside af­ ter the dubious I I .. .lLJb6. Black should return the pawn by 1 2.a4 b4! , after which his better development and piece activity compensate fully for his inferior pawn structure (Game 7 . 1 1 ) . Or White can play the positional 8.�e2 which we meet by 8 . .b5 9.'in>3 cS ! l O.dxcS �e6 l l .�c2 tt:Jbd7!. This leads to positions where White has won the bishop pair at the price of an isolated d-pawn and a slight inferiority in piece place­ ment. I won't claim that Black has 1 00% equality here (if I did I couldn't recommend this for White) , but I think he is closer to equality than in other major defenses to the Queen's Gambit. Moreover, the positions are rich enough that either side can reason­ ably play for a win. See Game 7. 1 2 . ..•

.

GI 3 . 1 (D80) D •

Game 7.1

Cebalo,Miso Riazantsev,Alexander Biel, 2009 (5)

1. d2-d4 2. c2-c4 3. tt:Jb1 -c3

9 .tt:lf3 tt:lc6 1 o.tt:lgs .l:ld8+ 1 1 ...t>c2 tt:ld4+ 1 2 . ..t>b 1 hS and White is suffering; B) 4.'i\Va4+ �d7 5 .'�"b3 dxc4 6.'ilk'xc4 �g7 and now:

tt:Jg8-f6 g7-g6 d7-d5

In this game we look at various rare lines White can try: 4. h2-h4?1

A) 4.g4?! dxc4 5 .h3 �g7 6.e4 cSN 7 .dxcS (after 7 .dS bS White is already in serious trouble) 7 .. .'itk'xd l + 8 . ..t>xd 1 �e6

Analysis diagram

77

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

B 1 ) 7 .�f4 tt:la6 8.e4 0-0 9 .tt:lf3 cS 1 0 .e5 (in case of 1 0 .d5 bS 1 1 .tLlxb5 tt:Jxe4 1 2 .ihe4 �xb S , Black's safer king and better development give him the edge) 1 O . . . �e6 1 1 .exf6 �xc4 1 2.fxg7 �xf1 1 3 .gxf8'iV+ 'iVxf8 1 4.Wxfl cxd4 1 5 .tLlxd4 ttJb4N 1 6 . .l:i.d 1 l'ld8 1 7 . a3 tt:ldS 1 8 . tt:lde2 tt:lxf4 1 9 .ti:Jxf4 .!:i:xd l + 2 0 .ti:Jxd 1 'i:Vd8 .

Three minor pieces are a match for queen and pawn, but here it is queen and two pawns so Black is better; B22) 8 .ti:Jf3 bS 9.ti:Jxb5 tt:lxe4 B 2 2 1 ) I O .tt:lxc7 tbc6 1 l .ti:Jxa8 'IiVaS + 1 2.�d2 ti:Jxd2 1 3 .ti:Jxd2 tt:lxd4 1 4.tt:lc7 �c6)

Analysis diagram

Analysis diagram

Rook and two knights are a tad better than queen and two pawns, so White is effectively a bit over a pawn ahead. How­ ever White has problems getting his rook out, which gives Black a nice initiative which should equalize the chances. B2) 7 .e4 0-0 and now: B 2 1 ) 8 .e5 �e6 9.exf6 �xc4 1 0 .fxg7 xd8 8.bxc3 .ig7 9 .\t>d2 li:Jd7 ! N 1 o . .Qa3 li:Jf6 l l .f3 lt:Jhs 1 2.li:Jh3 li:Jg3 1 3 .llg l g2-g3+

tt:Jh5xf6 l:re8-e5 Wg8-g7 J:te5-a5 l:ra3xa2 l:ta5xa2+

-

30. 31 . 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41 . 42. 43.

Griinfeld Defense - Non-Exchange lines

... JJ.c7-a7 e4-e5 e5-e6 .!:ra7xh7 J::t h 7-a7 e7-d7 �d7-e7 d2 �b7 1 6 .�e2 �a6+ draws by repetition. 1 3. ... 1 4. �e1 -e2

�c8-b7

GI 3. 1 1 (D8 3 ) 0 •

l:1f8-f7!

This is stronger than the game continua­ tion 1 4 .. J:hc8, although that drew fairly easily, as shown: 1 4 . . J::ac8 1 5 . .!lgd 1 llf7 1 6 .�a5 ld.ff8 1 7 . .!:tcS ( 1 7 .�c7 repeats) 1 7 . . . e5 1 8 . .Udc 1 exd4 1 9.tt:lxd4 .llx cS 92

Game 7.1.0

Nguyen,Ngoc Truongson Li Chao B China tt, 20 1 0 (4) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

14. ...

e7-e5 .!:Ia8-e8=

d2-d4 c2-c4 tt:lb1 -c3 �c1 -f4 e2-e3

tt:lg8-f6 g7-g6 d7-d5 �f8-g7

After S .ld.c 1 tLlhS 6 .�g5 (6 . .\td2 cS 7 .e3 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.d5 0-0 1 0 .�xc4 tt:ld7 1 1 .tt:lf3 a6 1 2 .a4 bS 1 3 . axb5 tt:lb6=) 6 . . . h6 7 ..\th4 cS 8 .e3 cxd4 9 .tLlxdS tt:lc6 1 0.exd4 ke6 Black will re­ gain the pawn with an advantage in de­ velopment or pawn structure. 5. ...

0-0!

5 . . . cS is often played and recom­ mended, but it is safer to play this only

Chapter 7

after White has played both e2-e3 and t2Jf3 , to avoid dangerous lines based on a later tt:Je 2 .

Griinfeld Defense - Non-Exchange lines

7. ... 8. ii>g 1 -h2 '>ii> h 2-g3 'iWb7-b3

�f8xb4 'iWa6xa2 g6xh5 h5-h4 J:la8-e8 'iWa2-b1 + 'iWb1 -e4 f7-f5 1f2-1f2

Chapter 8

Grunfeld Exchange In this chapter we look at lines where White exchanges pawns immediately ( 4.cxd5 tbxd5 ) , although 4.tbf3 kg? S . cxdS tbxdS will transpose to that chapter.

X � ..t � • .t � � � � �

X �

This usually leads to an exchange on c3 which brings White's b2 pawn to c3 , where it supports the center but is itself weak. These lines tend to be more double-edged than witQQJ1t this exchange. With the white pawn on c3 . Black always replies . . . cS right after . . . kg? . but is generally reluctant to exchange on d4 without a clear mo­ tivation because it exchanges off the weak White c-pawn. Black's goal is to force White into some concession, such as moving e4-e 5 . taking on c S . or getting an arti­ ficially isolated pawn on dS (for this Black must put his pawn on c4 before White does so) . Game 8 . 1 we look at alternatives to the obvious 5 .e4. The most important is 5 .kd2 , aiming to recapture on c3 with the bishop. Although it is okay to do this, I prefer to move the knight to b6 when it is attacked because then the move kd2 is simply a wasted tempo; it almost always goes to e3 anyway to defend d4. Without the extra tempo this line is simply bad for Black, but with it Black gets nearly equal chances. Just remember after 5 . . �g7 6.e4 lbb6 7.�e3 0-0 8.h3 (else . . . �g4 when White plays ttJf3) to play 8 ... e5 ! , and to meet the bizarre 8 .kb5 by . . . �e6. We also look at the equally bizarre 5 .tba4, which is better than it looks. I recommend S ...�g7 6.e4 lbb6. The basic rule is that it is okay for the knight to be driven to b6 if White has paid a price for this. In

.

Now we come to the real Exchange Griinfeld, 5 .e4 tbxc3 6.bxc3 �g7.

99

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

In Game 8.2 we consider all the infrequent seventh moves. The queen check is met by 7 ...tLld7 intending . . . 0-0, . c7-c5 , . . . a7-a6, . . . b 7 -b6, and . . . i.b7 . Although Black does not put heavy pressure on White's center, White pays a price for this with his wander­ ing queen. The move 7 .�a3 is similarly met by 7 ... tt:Jd7, intending . . . c7 -cS . Instead, 7.�gS is met by the immediate 7 ...cS, trying to provoke d4-d5 . The main move in the game, 7.�bS+, is met by 7 ... c6 8.�a4 0-0 9.tLle2 bS 1 0.�b3 aS with good counterplay: In all these sidelines Black is fine. In Game 8 . 3 we consider unusual eighth moves after 7.tt:Jf3 cS . Against 8.�e2 we pressure the center by 8 ...tt:Jc6 9.�e3 �g4. Against 8.h 3 , pressure on d4 won't work, but after 8 ... 0-0 9.�e2 tLlc6 1 0.�e3 we switch to an attack on e4 by 1 0 ...cxd4 1 1 .cxd4 fS ! . As for the game move 8.�bS + , we block with the knight on c6, castle and play . . . .ig4, leaving out the pawn exchange on d4. Again all the lines are harmless. Now we come to the important lines with i.e3 , meaning either 7.tLlf3 cS 8.�e3 �as 9.�d2 0-0 1 o..!:tc 1 or Kramnik's preferred order 7.�e3 cS 8J:k 1 �aS 9.�d2 0-0 1 o.tt:Jf3. .

.

I favor putting direct pressure on the center with 1 O .. l:!.d8 . If White just develops we force dS by 1 1 .�e2 �g4, and then play . . . c5-c4 before White can do so. If White ad­ vances l l .dS we play . . . e7 -e6. These lines are a bit complicated and must be studied .

1 00

Chapter 8

-

Griinfeld Exchange

carefully. Points to remember: . . . lt:Ja6 is often a good move, . . . c5-c4 as a pawn sacrifice is sometimes viable, and often the a2 pawn becomes a target. See Game 8 .4. I didn't fmd any advantage for White, but this is a critical line and White might yet find some­ thing. The next four games all feature the so-called 'Modern Exchange' variation, meaning 7.lt:Jf3 cS s.nb 1 0-0 9.�e2 . Games 8 . 5 , 8 . 6 , and 8 . 7 all feature the popular sequence 9 ...cxd4 1 O.cxd4 �aS+ 1 l .�d2 ( 1 1 .�d2 leads to an endgame which is covered in Game 5) 1 l ...�xa2 1 2.0-0. This is a rather dangerous (for Black) gambit by White, whose compensation for the pawn is rather obvious (several tempi and an extra pawn in the center) . The usual move here (recommended by Avrukh) is 1 2 . . .�g4, after which White generally regains his pawn and Black has to play precisely to reach an endgame that he can draw. Instead I go for the second-most popular move, 1 2 ...b6 , which intends to hold the pawn, at least for a while. After 1 3.�cl �b7 White can force an immediate repetition, but few players will choose a gambit as White just to force a quick draw at the first opportunity. In Games 8 . 5 and 8 . 6 I give two reasonable contin­ uations for Black which appear to equalize, though they are complex and tricky. In Game 8 . 7 I give the greedy 1 3 ...�e6 in case you can't allow the repetition draw. But my preferred option, given in Game 8 . 8 , is the same line as recommended by Delchev and Agrest, namely 9 ...ll:Jc6 1 O.dS ll:JeS 1 1 .ll:JxeS hes 1 2.�d2 e6 1 3.f4 �c7 ! , which pre­ vents the normally desirable 1 4.c4. There are some scary lines here, but it seems that Black can hold the balance. Now we come to the old way of playing the Exchange Variation, which has again become the main line. This is 7.�c4 cS 8.ll:Je2 lLlc6 9.�e3 0-0 1 0.0-0. In Game 8 . 9 I give my second-string defense, 1 O ... e6, which aims to restrain the White d-pawn, and also gives the queen the square e7 where it is less subject to attack than on c 7 . Still, I prefer 1 0 ... �c7 1 1 .l::t c 1 b 6 (Game 8 . 1 0) , primarily because we may want to play a later . . . e7 -e5 without the loss of a tempo. Some of the resultant positions (after . . . e 7 -e5 and d4-d5) are evaluated as good for White by the computers, but I don't trust computer evaluations much in highly blocked positions such as these. Comput­ ers love protected passed pawns, but when they are securely blockaded by a knight they aren't much of an asset. At the last moment I decided to include coverage of the 1 O ...b6 gambit line as a third black option. That was Griinfeld guru Peter Svidler's choice against World Number 1 Magnus Carlsen just days before finishing the book. At this writing, my analysis indi­ cates that it may be the best choice of all for Black, since the gambit seems quite sound if accepted, while if it is declined Black has the choice transposing to I 0 .. .'� c7 or aim­ ing instead for . . . e7 -e6 and . . .'�i:Ye7 , which is probably a bit better. See Game 8 . 1 1 .

101

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

GI 3.2 (D85) Game 8.1 D Evdokimov,Alexander •

Svidler,Peter Sochi tt, 2 0 1 0 (3)

1. 2. 3. 4.

d2-d4 c2-c4 tt:lb1 -c3 c4xd5

tt:lg8-f6 g7-g6 d7-d5 tt:lf6xd5

i. �� ..t 'iV �,_t

'i l l

�.�.

' l · ll

1 5 . 0 - 0 tLlxa6 1 6 .tbxa6 �c8 1 7 .�e2 l:hd4 is equal; both sides have bad pawns and the piece placement is about even; A2) 9 .�e2 ttJc6 1 0.d5 tbes l l .lL'lxeS �xe2 1 2 .�xe2 tLlxa4 1 3 .f4 e6 1 4.dxe6 �xeS 1 5 .exf7 + .lhf7 1 6.fxe5 �h4+ 1 7 . ..Q.f2 .!lx£'2 1 8 .�xf2 �xe4+ 1 9 .�e2 'i¥b4+ 2 0 .�d2 �h4+ 2 1 .g3 �e4+ 2 2 . Wf2 tLlxb2 23 .�xb2 .l:rf8+ 24.�g l 'i¥e3 + 2 S .'it>g2 �f3 + results in a draw by perpetual check. B) Or S .�b3 lL'lxc3 6 .bxc3 .ig7 7 .tLlf3 0-0 8 . .ia3 b6 9.e3 cS 1 0 . .ie2 tLlc6 1 1 . 0-0 tLlaS 1 2 .�c2 (after 1 2 .�b5 �d7 1 3 .�a6 �c7 White's pieces are a bit misplaced) 1 2 . . . �c7 1 3 . .ll ac l i.b 7 1 4.c4 e6 1 5 .dxcS bxcS with rough equality.

5. ilc1 -d2 A) S .lba4 (Ashot Nadanian's spectacu­ lar discovery) 5 . . . �g7 6.e4 lL'lb6 7 . .ie3 0-0 8 .tLlf3 �g4 and now:

Analysis diagram

White's knight is better placed than Black's, but Black's bishops are better placed than White's. Analysis diagram

A I ) 9 . tLlc5 tLlc6 l O .tLl xb 7 �b8 l l .�a6 tLlb4 1 2 .lL'lc5 ..Q.xf3 1 3 . gxf3 �xd4! 1 4 .�xd4 (after 1 4 . .ie2 lld8 1 5 .�b3 ..Q.xcS 1 6 .-ixcS lL'lc6 1 7 . .!lc l tLld4 1 8 .�e3 eS the outposted knight offsets the bishop pair) 1 4 . . . .l:!.d8 1 02

5 . ... 6. e2-e4

�f8-g7 tt:ld5-b6

A good alternative is 6 . . . ttJxc3 7 .�xc3 0-0 8.lL'lf3 (8 .�d2 cS 9.d5 e6 1 0 . ..Q.xg7 �xg 7 1 1 . .ic4 tLld7 1 2 .tLle2 tLlf6=, and if 1 2.d6 then 1 2 . . . �h4 is a good reply) 8 . . . �g4 9 . .ie2 cS I O .dS e6 1 1 .0-0 exdS

Chapter 8

-

Griinfeld Exchange

1 2 .exd5 'ifd6= . The white d-pawn is passed but isolated, and Black aims for a knight vs. bad bishop edge. 7. �d2-e3

0-0

.i � .t 'i¥ E � .t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .t .t. .t. � Analysis diagram

88 ttJ it. 88 l:t

888 'iY w it. tt:J l:t

8. h2-h3 A) 8 . .tbs (this bizarre but strong move aims to provoke 8 . . . a6 9.�e2 as in some variations the loss of protection for the knight by the a7 pawn is important) 8 . . .�e6 9 . tbge2 (9.tLlf3 �g4 I O .�e2 transposes to the 8 .tLlf3 line, with each side having lost a tempo) 9 . . . c6 I O .�d3 lt:lc4 I I .�xc4 1i..x c4 1 2 . 0-0 lt:ld7 1 3 .'iYd2 �aS 1 4. �fd 1 .!:!.fd8=. This is a computer improvement over I 4 . . . �ad8, which was equal in Wang Yue-Carlsen, Medias 2 0 1 0, won by Black. Presumably the idea is to retain the bishop pair if White plays �h6 now or later. Either way Black is fme; B) 8.lt:lf3 1i..g 4 9.1i..e 2 tbc6 1 O.dS i.xf3 1 1 .gxf3 ( 1 Ltxf3 tLleS 1 2 .�e2 tbec4 1 3 .1i..c i c6 1 4.dxc6 bxc6 I 5 .�c2 'ifd4 I 6 .0-0 �fd8 1 7 .a4 �cS+) 1 I . . .lt:la5 I 2 .1i..d4 'ifd6 1 3 .1i..x g7 Wxg7 I 4.�d2 'iff6 1 5 .b3 l:tad8 =; C) 8 .�e2 lt:lc6 9 .d5 (9 .lt:lf3 1i..g 4 trans­ poses to the 8 .tbf3 line) 9 . . . tbeS I O.�d4 c5 ! I I .1i..x c5 ( I I .dxc6 tbxc6 l 2 .�xg7 Wxg 7 +) 1 I . . . lt:lec4

I 2 .i.xc4 ( I 2 .�b3 lt:lxb2 ! = ; note that this would be bad with Black's a-pawn on a6. This shows the point of the 8 .�b5 move) 1 2 . . . tbxc4 I 3 .�b3 lt:lxb2 1 4.'ifxb2 flic7 I S .i.b4 a5 1 6.tbge2 axb4 1 7 .'ifxb4 fS ! N ( 1 7 . . . �d6=; 1 7 . . . 1i..g 4=; 1 7 . . . b6!N also favors Black) I 8.0-0 fxe4 1 9 . .ll ac i i.fs 20.a4 'ifes +. With two bishops for two knights in a very open position, Black can afford to lose his b7 or e4 pawn and still have enough compensa­ tion. White is unlikely to hang on to both of his isolated pawns for long; D) 8 . f4 lt:lc6 9.d5 lt:laS I O.�d4 e5 I I .i.xe5 i.xe5 l 2.fxe5 �h4+ 1 3 .g3 �e7 I 4.'i¥d4 .!:td 8 I S .b4 tbac4 with equality. 8. ...

e7-e5!

8 . . .f5 is often played (I played it once my­ self) but inferior.

.t. 88 ttJ it.

8

8 8 8 '8 ' 'i¥ it. ttJ � : 1 03

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

9. d4xe5 9 .tt:lf3 exd4 l O .i.xd4 lLlc6 or ( 1 0 .. .'i¥e7=) l l..�. x g 7 xg7 1 7 .h3 �e6 Black stands better due to the c4 outpost for bishop or knight and his much more mobile bishop. Also after 1 1 .a4 �a6 1 2 .axb5 cxbS 1 3 .0-0 tt:lc6 1 4.�e3 a4 Black is better, with ideas of . . . tt:lc6-a5-c4 or . . . b4. Analysis by Agrest. 11. 1 2. 1 3. 14. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8.

.. h2-h4 �b3-c2 'ird1 -c1 �e3-h6 �h6xg7 h4-h5 �c2-d3 .

tt:Jb8-d7 a5-a4 tt:Jd7-b6 tt:Jb6-c4 e7-e5 Wg8xg7 'ifd8-e7 �c8-e6

21. 22. e4xd5

..t>g7-g8

Here a draw was agreed, although Black is clearly better after 22 . . . �fS . White's at­ tack has failed, his king is in the center, and his queenside pawns are effectively all three isolated from each other. Curi­ ously, the two players in this game and I ended up tied for 1 st place (along with one other grandmaster) , with Vaisser tak­ ing first and Jansa second on tiebreak points. Perhaps Jansa would have won this World Senior Championship if he had not agreed to a draw here. GI 4.4 (D85 )

Game 8.3

D Xu Jun •

1 9. d4-d5?! 1 06

Wang Yue Ningbo, 20 1 1 (2) 1 . d2-d4 2. c2-c4

lt:Jg8-f6 g7-g6

Chapter 8

3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

ttJb1 -c3 c4xd5 e2-e4 b2xc3 ttJg1 -f3

d7-d5 ttJf6xd5 ttJd5xc3 �f8-g7 c7-c5

i. � .t 'i¥ � i. & & ,.t & & && & 15.� 8 15,: ttJ 15. i 8 £::, 15. .s: �·'if � � .s:

Griinfeld Exchange

from here in my database) 1 2.�c4+ (if 1 2 .exf5 'iVaS + 1 3 .�d2 'iVxfS , due to the pressure on d4, Black is better) 1 2 . . . �h8 1 3 .e5 b5 14 . .1b3 tt:la5 1 5 .0-0 lLlxb3 1 6 .axb3 .1b7 and White has little com­ pensation for the bishop pair. ttJb8-c6 0-0

8. ... 9. 0-0

9 . . .cxd4 first has been more popular, when White may have a microscopic edge. Now the text is catching on as Black need not fear the capture on c5 , as we shall see . 1 0. �c1 -e3

this game we look at White's unusual eighth moves.

'iV,

In

8. �f1 -b5+ This is not a promising line. White hasn't won a single grandmaster level game in this variation for twelve years! 8.�e2 ?! (already after this White has no chance for even the slightest edge) 8 ... lLlc6 and now: A) 9.d5 �xc 3 + 1 0 . �d2 �xa 1 1 l .'iVxa 1 ttJd4 1 2.g6 3 S .'>t>fl .l:Ie4 3 6.c4 aS 3 7 .a3 Wf6 3 8.l:td2 a4 3 9 .�a2 bS ? ! (3 9 . . . '1t>eS ! 40.cS b6 gives Black the better of a likely draw) 40.cS b4 4 l .�d4+ l:Ixd4 42.llxd4 bxa3 43.l:tb4 WeS 44.llb6 .ie4 4S .We l ?! (4S .c6 l::Ix d6 46.c7 lld i + 47.Wf2 .l:Ic l 48.l:te6+ Wf4 49.g3 + Wg4 s o .l::!. g 6+ Wh3 S 1 .l:txh6+

Chapter 8 - Griinfeld Exchange

..t>g4 5 2 . .l::th 7=) 45 . . . lla7 46.l::Ib 4?! �xg2 47 . .l:ic4?! i.c6 48 . .!::i: c 3 ..t>d4 49 . .!::i: c4+ ..t>d3 s o . .llb 4? llg7 5 1 .llb6 'it>e3 5 2 .'1t>fl �g2+ 5 3 .We 1 i.e4 and facing mate, White resigned.

25. 26. 27. 28.

�b6-c7 �d4-d2 �d 1 -b3 �c7xd6

\'Hd7-c6 l:rf8-d8 .!:te6xd6 Iid8xd6

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 1 0.

e2 .!lxd 1 2 1 .llxd 1 �xa2 22 . .!ld2 �c4+ 2 3 .�d3 �h4 - Black has four pawns for the knight and threats, analy­ sis by Kortchnoi) 2 0 .'ii' d 3 �aS + 2 1 .�c3 'ii'x c3 + 2 2 . 'it>xc3 .llx g2 and with five pawns for the knight, Black should win; B) 1 3 . . . ltJfS 1 4.�f3 l::t e 8 1 S .�g5 �eS 1 6.c3 �xc3 1 7.bxc3 �xc3 + 1 8 .�c2 'ii'a 1 + 1 9.Wd2 �xa2 20 . .llh e 1 i.d7 is another way to get four pawns for a piece with the better chances. 1 3. ... tbd4-e2 1 4. �g3-f3?1

1 29

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

22. .ld.d1 -d4

�f4-f6

2 2 . . .dS ! was a more convincing win.

1 4. ... 1 5. b2xa3?1

�b4-a3!

Black now wins by force. On 1 5 .c3 ?? tt:lxc3 + wins, and after 1 S .jLc 1 �xf3 1 6.gxf3 �e7 1 7 .tLlg5 tt:lxc 1 1 8 . .ld.xc l �cS 1 9.�ce 1 .ld.xe l + 2 0 . .ld.xe 1 jLd? 2 1 .l:re7 l:Ie8 2 2.jLxh7 + 'it>h8 23 . .ld.xe8+ �xe8 24.�e4 c6 Black has a winning endgame with the bishop pair, a much better pawn structure, and the threat on

23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. 34. 35. 36.

�g2xe4 .ld.h1 -e1 �e4-f4 �f4xd4 .ld.e1 -e7 a3-a4 �b2-b3 .ld.e7-c7 .l:!.c7xa7 .l:!.a7-b7 .ld.b7xb6 a4-a5 a5-a6 a6-a7

c7-c5 h7-h5 �f6xd4+ c5xd4 b7-b6 g7-g5 Wg8-g7 .ld.a8-e8 .ld.e8-e2 .ld.e2xf2 .ld.f2xh2 .ld.h2-e2 .ld.e2-e8 .ld.e8-a8

White resigned.

fl .

1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21 .

.. �b1 -c1 wc1 -b1 �b1 -c1 �d3xe4 �f3xg2 �c1 -b2 .

tt:le2-c3+ tt:lc3xa2+ tt:la2-c3+ �c8xh3 �h3xg2! �f6xf4+ tt:lc3xe4

KP 8. 1 6 (C44) D Savchenko,Boris

•

Game 9.2

Delorme,Axel Rijeka Ech, 2 0 I 0 (3)

1. e2-e4 2. tt:lg1 -f3 3. c2-c3

e7-e5 tt:lb8-c6

The Ponziani, which is quite rare in top level play but is seen sometimes at lower levels. 3. ... 4. �d1 -a4

With three pawns for the exchange and all of White's pawns isolated and his king exposed, Black is clearly winning. 1 30

d7-d5

In case of 4.exd5 �xdS 5 .d4 tt:lf6 6.jLe2 e4 7 .tLlfd2 e3 8.fxe3 �xg2 9.jLf3 �h3 1 O.'iVe2 �d6 1 1 .tLlc4 0-0 Black's safer king and better development will give him more than enough for the bishop pair. If 4.kb5 dxe4 S.tLlxeS �gS 6.�a4 (or 6.d4 �xg2 7 .lifl jLd6 8 .�h5 g6 9.�h4

Chapter 9

..Les 1 0.dxe5 �d7 1 l..�.f4 tt:lge7 and Black will castle queenside, with an extra pawn) 6 . . . �xg2 7 .�xc6+ bxc6 8 .�xc6+ 'd8 9 . .!:i:fl 9..h 3 1 0.�xa8+ �e7 1 1 . 'd 1 �xfl + 1 v;t>c2 �fs 1 3 .tt:la3 f6 1 4.tt:lc6+ �fl 1 5 .ttJd4 �d3 + 1 6.�b3 9..g 4 1 7 .tt:Jac2 cS, Black is clearly winning here. f7-f6

4. ...

In my earlier book I recommended the gambit line 4 . . . ..td7 ! ? here, which is quite popular and scores well. However the engines now don't consider it fully correct, whereas the text seems to give Black a good game without much risk.

.i

A 'tlV � .t � .i

���

�

��

�

��

5.�b5 tt:le7 6.exd5 �xdS 7 .d4 �g4 8 .c4 (or 8 . ..tc4 �e4+N 9 .�e3 9..xf3 I O .tt:Jd2 �d 1 l l .�xd l �xg2 1 2 .�c2 exd4 1 3 .cxd4 �g6+ 1 4 . ..td3 �hS I S . .!:tac l �aS and White has only the bishop pair for his pawn) 8 . . . �e4+ 9 .9..e 3 �xf3 I O.tt:ld2 �g6 l l .tt:lxf3 �xg2 1 2 .�e2 e4 1 3 .tLld2 �g4+ 1 4.�fl 't!Yh3 +N 1 5 .�e2 �hs + 1 6. �fl o - o - o 1 7 .ds tt:Jbs 1 8.�xa7 ttJfS - here Black's king is safer than White's; After 5 .exd5 �xdS 6 .d4 �d7 7 . ..Q.b5 a6 8.c4 �e4+ 9.9..e 3 .!:i:d8 ! Black wins ma­ terial.

�c8-e6

6.tt:lbd2 �d7 7 .9..e 2 9..d6 8.exd5 �xdS 9.tt:le4 tt:lge7=. White can gain the bishop pair, but Black will have better de­ velopment and central control to com­ pensate. .. b2-b4 tt:Jb1 -d2 b4-b5 d3-d4

6. 7. 8. 9. 1 0.

.

..tf8-d6 tt:Jg8-e7 0-0 tt:Jc6-b8

After I 0.0-0 tt:ld7 l l .�c2 c6 Black has better central control. His formation would have been considered ideal in the 1 800s .

.i �

.i � � � � .t .t �

'iV

���

��

8

5. d2-d3

Center Game and Pomiani

5. ... 6. ..Q.f1 -e2

8 ttJ 88 8 888 ��ttJ � w � �

-

88 8

8

� 1 0. ...

ttJ C!J � 8 8 8 � -� w e5xd4

Probably better than the game, which continued I O . . . tt:ld7 1 1 .c4 c6 (after 1 l . ..dxe4 1 2 . tt:Jxe4 exd4 1 3 .tt:lxd6 tt:lcS 1 4.�d 1 �xd6 1 5 .�xd4 tt:Jfs 1 6.�xd6 tt:lxd6 Black would still be for choice) 1 2.bxc6 bxc6 1 3 .0-0 9..f7 1 4.�b2 exd4 1 5 .cxdS cxdS 1 6.�xd4 tt:lcS 1 7 .9..x c5 9..x c5 1 8.e5 tt:lg6 1 9 . .llac l �b6 20.exf6 �xf6 2 1 . .!:i:c6 (Black is clearly better here, up the bishop pair with a good position) 2 1 . . .9..e 8 ?! 2 2 . .llxf6 �xa4 2 3 . .!:txf8 + llxf8 24.g3 llc8 2 5 .�d3 .!:i:e8 2 6.l:Ic 1 131

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

tbeS 2 7 .tbxe5 .llx eS 28 .�fl g6 29.tLlb3 £t.xb3 ?! (Black plays for a draw from a better position, probably due to the huge rating difference) 3 0 .axb3 .ll e 7 3 1. .�e2 llc7 3 2 .Ildl .llc 3 3 3 Jhd5 .llx b3 34.f4. Somehow White won this completely equal and drawish position. 1 1 . ttJf3xd4

132

Or l l .cxd4 tt::l g 6 1 2.g3 dxe4 1 3 .tt::lxe4 i.h3 , and White's castling problems give Black the edge. 11. 1 2. 0-0

�e6-f7 ttJb8-d7

White's pieces and pawns seem to be dis­ tributed rather randomly, while Black dominates the center.

Chapter 10

Bishop 's Opening and Vienna This chapter covers the Bishop's Opening ( l .e4 eS 2 .�c4) and the Vienna Game ( l .e4 eS 2 .tbc3) , because they are strategically similar and because they can easily transpose. In both cases we respond with 2 . .'�Jf6, after which if White plays 3 .tbc3 in the Bishop's Opening or 3 .�c4 in the Vienna we reach the same position. After l .e4 eS 2.�c4 tLlf6

and now 3.tLlc3 or 3.d3 , I recommend avoiding the move 3 . . . tLlc6 , instead planning to put a pawn on that square. There are two reasons for this. First of all, I don't favor plac­ ing the knight on c6 if White fails to attack the e5 pawn, because it's generally not ad­ visable to obstruct pawns which are not part of the castle. After all, I am recommending the Breyer Defense to the Spanish, in which Black actually retreats the knight volun­ tarily from c6 to b8 and then moves it to d7. Why go to c6 in the first place if you don't need to do so? The second reason is that the moves ..tc4 and tLlc3 both invite a black pawn to c6. In the former case it is because of the possibility of ... d7 -dS to chase the bishop, while after tbc3 the pawn move takes away the two most advanced squares to which the knight might otherwise later go. In general, it is advisable to place your pawns in front of the enemy knight with two squares in between for precisely this rea­ son. When White plays 3.d3 in the Bishop's Opening, I advocate the immediate 3 . c6, to achieve a quick ... d7 -dS. White has nothing better than 4.tt:Jf3 dS , when after 5.�b3 I fa­ vor the bishop check on b4. The idea is that after the obvious 6.c3 we can retreat to d6, no longer having to fear tLlc3 with pressure on our dS pawn. Assuming a later tt:Jbd2, we end up with a position somewhat similar to the Breyer, but this time we are playing against it! The Breyer is an excellent defense to the Spanish, but it is still not quite equal, ..

133

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

so if we can play against it when we are Black we should have no complaint! White can instead invite a bishop trade by 6.�d2, but the trade is fine for Black, as a recapture by the knight again forfeits the chance to pressure dS by lbc3 , while the queen recapture allows Black a very good pawn sacrifice option. See Game 1 0 . 1 for all of this. If White chooses 3.tbc3 (or reverses his second and third moves) , I favor 3 ...�c5 . With the knight on c3 the plan with . . . d7 -dS is not so inviting, as the pawn comes under heavy attack, so the move ... c7 -c6 is not urgent. After 4.d3 c6 S.lbf3 we typically play . . . d7 -d6, ... lbbd7, . . . �b6, ... h7 -h6, and . . . tbd7 -f8-g6, taking advantage of the delay in castling. This way we may be able to dispense with . . . . .ld.e8 later. This plan seems to give full equality. See Game 1 0 . 2 . I fWhite does not play �c4 i n the Vienna (after 2.tbc3 tbf6) ,

he can choose 3.f4, which is a kind of 'King's Gambit' which Black should not accept due to 4.e5 . Fortunately, the reply 3 ...d5 ! seems to solve all problems. After the usual 4.fxe5 tLlxe4 I don't even know how White can equalize. See Game 1 0 . 3 .

I G 4. 1 6 (C24) D •

Game 1.0.1.

Bologan,Viktor Vovk,Yury Warsaw rapid, 2 0 I 0 (8)

1. e2-e4 2. jLf1 -c4 3. d2-d3

e7-e5 tLlg8-f6

For 3 .d4 exd4 4.tLlf3 ..ib4+ see the game in the Gambits chapter. 3. ...

1 34

c7-c6

4. tLlg1 -f3

Chapter 1 0 - Bishop 's Opening and Vienna

4. ...

d7-d5

Also adequate and more consistent with our Breyer repertoire is 4 . . ...ie7 5. 0-0 d6 6.lle 1 0-0 7 . ..ib3 ttJbd7 .

1:

A 'if 1: � ,. A i i i

i i

' '

�

f'l:, f'l:, f'l:,

!'!,

i !'!,

..a: ttJ � � :s

..

5. ...

ttJ

f'l:, f'l:, f'l:,

\t>

Analysis diagram

We can compare this to our recom­ mended Breyer. White has saved a tempo in getting his bishop to b 3 , while Black has saved two tempi in getting his knight to d7 . White has not yet played h2-h3 or c2-c3 , but probably will. Black has not played ... a7 -a6 or . . . b7 -bS but may not need to do so. He has played the useful . . . c7 -c6 and has not committed his bishop to b 7 , which is often not a very good square against the d3 set-up. In short, Black is playing a much improved Breyer Defense. 8.c3 ttJcS 9 . ..ic2 ..ig4 (9 .. .'tWc7 is also okay. Black is playing the Hanham Defense with White having played the passive d3 instead of d4) 1 O .h3 ..ihS 1 1 .tLlbd2 tLle6 1 2 .tLlfl tiJd7 1 3 .tLlg3 ..ixf3 1 4.'ti'xf3 g6 1 S . ..th6 lle8 1 6.llad 1 �gS 1 7 .�xgS 't!VxgS 1 8.d4 tLlb6 1 9 .�b3 llad8=. With all the pawns on the board, a lone bishop is not better than a knight. Still , I prefer the text move 4 . . . d5 as it is more of a try for an advantage. 5. �c4-b3

S .exdS?! cxdS 6 . ..ib5 + ..id7 7 . ..ixd7+ (7 .a4 a6 helps Black as White no longer has the Benoni move c2-c4 later due to the weak square b4) 7 . . . tt:Jbxd7 8.0-0 ..id6 9 .c4 0-0 1 o.tt:Jc3 d4 1 1 .tLle2 't!Vc7 Black is for choice, thanks to his extra center pawn. White is playing a Benoni without the sting of the fianchettoed king's bishop. �f8-b4+!

think this is better than the usual S . . . �d6 when 6.tLlc3 is rather annoying. We just provoke 5 .c3 first to prevent this . 6. �c1 -d2

6.c3 �d6 (if Black plays S . . . �d6 , White has the better prospects after 6.tLlc3) 7 .tt:Jbd2 (7 .£.gs dxe4 8.dxe4 h6 9.£.h4 't/Ve7 I O .tiJbd2 tiJbd7 1 l .'t/Ve2 �c7 1 2.0-0 0-0 1 3 .h3 tLlcS and with ideas like ... b7 -b6 and . . . �a6 or . . . a7 -aS or . . . ttJxb3 or ... ttJc5-e6-f4 Black is for choice) 7 . . . 0-0 8 .0-0 tt:Jbd7 9.lle 1 lle8 1 o.ttJfl h6 1 t .t2lg3 tt:Jf8 1 2.h3 tt:Jg6

i. .i. 'i¥ 1: � i i i i i .i. ,. ,. , i i

.; � !'!,, !'!,

� :!'!,

:s

!'!,

'

� 'if �

/iJ Cfj !'!, !'!, !'!,

�

Analysis diagram

A) 1 3 .tiJh2 £.c5 1 4.tLlh5 (Sosa­ Kaufman, Washington 20 I I ) 1 4 . . . ttJxh5 1 5 ."iYxhS £.e6 and Black has better devel­ opment and pressure on f2 . White has no attack; 1 35

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

B) 1 3 .�e3 ..ie6 1 4.'ifc2 'ifd7 1 S .�ad 1 aSN 1 6.a4 J::!. ad8 - Black has a small edge due to his superior center pawns. This is the same small plus that White gets in the main lines of the Spanish due to this pawn formation. 6. ... 7. �d1 xd2

�b4xd2+

7 . tt::lbxd 2 ..ig4 8 .h3 ..ixf3 (since Black doesn't have two bishops he doesn't mind trading one for a knight to save a tempo) 9 .'ifxf3 0-0 1 0.0-0 'ifd6 1 l .J::!.fe l aS 1 2.a4 tt::lbd7 = . Black has more space and the white bishop is no better than a knight here. 7. ... 8. �d2-g5 9. e4xd5

i. � .t

.� �

B) 1 2.tt::l c 3 J::!. g 6N 1 3 .'ifh4 d4 1 4.lt:Je4 tt::l x e4 1 S .'ifxe4 tt::l c S 1 6 .'ifdS 'it'e7 1 7 .'ffxf7 + 'ff xf7 1 8.jt,xf7 + �xf7 1 9.tt::lxe5+ �f6 20.lt:Jxg6 hxg6=. With a pair of rooks added as they are here and only one open file, bishop and knight are not much weaker than rook and two pawns, and the split white kingside plus Black's better development and king posi­ tion favor him. 1 0. 11. 1 2. 1 3. 1 4.

... 0-0 �g5-g3 �g3-h4 laa1 -e1

�d8-d6 tt::l b 8-d7 c6xd5

.

•

� 'ill

��

i.

� �. �

�

'iV 1 4. ...

1 0. tt:Jb1 -c3

Or 1 0.'il'xg7 :tig8 l l .'ifh6 J::!.x g2 and now: A) 1 2.tt:Jbd2 aS= 1 3 . ..ia4 l::tg 6 1 4.'ife3 �f8 1 S .O-O-O tt::lg 4 1 6.'ffe 2 tt::l c s 1 7 .h3 tt::lxa4 1 8 .hxg4 tt::l c 3 1 9 .bxc3 'ff a 3+ 2 0.�b 1 l:rb6+ 2 1 .tLlb3 a4 2 2 .J::!.x h7 axb3 2 3 .J::!.h 8+ �g7 24.'ifxe S + llf6 2 S .cxb3 'ffxa2 + 2 6.�c 1 'ffxf2 2 7 .'ifgS+ l::!.g 6 2 8 .'iVeS+ J::!. f6 is a draw by perpetual check; 136

0-0 h7-h6 tt::lf6-h5 tt::l h 5-f4

a7-a51

Black actually played 1 4 ... gS and got into trouble but later won. The idea of the text is to provoke a2-a3 or a2-a4 so White won't have 'ifh4-a4-a3 when his queen gets into trouble. 1 5. a2-a3?!

1 S .'i!Yg3 tt::lh S 1 6.'ifg4 lt:Jhf6 1 7 .'ffg 3 lt:JhS was a draw b y repetition. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8.

... �h4-g3 �g3-g4 "ifg4-a4

g7-g5 tt::lf 4-h5 tt::l d7-f6 �c8-d7

Chapter I 0

1 9. 20. 21 . 22.

ttJc3-b5 c2-c4 d3xe4 ttJf3-d4

-

Bishops Opening and Vienna

�d6-b6 e5-e4 d5xe4 .l:!.f8-d8

5. t2Jg1 -f3

Black is winning due to the pin and the imprisoned white queen. VG 2.5 (C26) D Visser,Yge •

Game 1.0.2

Sokolov,Ivan London, 2006 (6)

1. e2-e4 2. �f1 -c4

e7-e5

2 .t2Jc3 ttJf6 3 .�c4 transposes. 2. ... 3. ttJb1 -c3

ttJg8-f6 jLf8-c5

In the l .e4 eS openings, if White doesn't attack eS by ttJf3 , I believe Black should not play . . . lt:Jc6. He is generally better off playing ... c7 -c6, ... d7 -d6 , and . . . tt:Jbd7 , playing a Philidor-like formation without White having played d2-d4, which is the only move that puts pressure on this formation.

S.f4 d6 6.tLlf3 bS 7.jLb3 aS 8.a4 b4 9.ttJe2 �c7 l O.fxeS dxeS and White's castling problems give Black equality. S .�f3 d6 6.h3 bS 7 .�b3 aS 8.a4 b4 9.ttJb i �e6 l O .tLld2 ttJbd7 l l .tLle2 dS ­ Black has more space and better develop­ ment. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 1 0.

... 0-0 a2-a3 �c4-a2 ttJc3-e2 ttJe2-g3

d7-d6 ttJb8-d7 �c5-b6 h7-h6 ttJd7-f8 ttJf8-g6=

I think that . . . c6 is more useful than a3 in this otherwise nearly symmetrical posi­ tion, so White has lost the advantage of moving first. 1 1 . d3-d4 1 2. ttJf3xd4

e5xd4 0-0

4. d2-d3

4.lt:Jf3 d6 S .d3 c6 transposes to the game. 4. ...

c7-c6

137

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

1 3. ttJd4-f5?1 �c8xf5 14. e4xf5 ttJg6-e5 1 5. �c1 -f4 l:H8-e8

Black's healthy vs. White's crippled ma­ jority compensates for the bishop pair. Once Black plays ... d6-d5 he should be better due to the sad bishop on a2. 1 6. �d1 -d2 1 7. l:ra1 -e1

The normal move order would be 1 .e4 e5 2.ttJc3 tbf6. I don't like to use bhtz games, but this one shows a World Champion playing my recommended hne. 3. f2-f4

3 .lt:Jf3 tbc6 see the chapter on the Four Knights Game. 3 . ... 4. f4xe5

d6-d5

d7-d5

4.exd5 exf4 5 .d4 (in the event of 5 .�c4 c6 6.d4 cxd5 7 .�b3 �d6 8 .lt:Jge2 0-0 9 .0-0 g5 1 0.tbxd5 tbxdS 1 l .�xd5 tbc6 1 2 .c3 �g4 Black's better development outweighs his doubled pawns; 5 .lt:Jf3 transposes to King's Gambit) 5 . . . tbxd5 6.lt:Jxd5 'i¥xd5 7 .�xf4 �d6 8.�xd6 'i¥xd6 9 .'i¥d2 0-0 1 0 . 0-0-0 �e6N 1 l .�b 1 tbd7=. 17. ...

�b6-c7

The game actually went 1 7 . . . ttJed7 1 8.c4 ttJc5 1 9 .cxd5 cxd5 2 0 . l:!.d l tbce4 2 1 .'i¥d3 .!:ic8= 2 2.'i¥f3 ?? ttJxf2 23 . .l::i.xf2 .l::i.c 2 24.tLlh 1 .l::i.e e2 2 5 .�g3 ltJe4 2 6 . .l::i.f l .l::i.x b2 2 7.�b 1 tbxf2 2 8 .�xf2 �xf2 + 2 9 . tbxf2 .ttxf2 and Black won. 1 8. l:!.e1 -e2 1 9. .l::i. e 2-e3 20. l:!.f1 -e1

VG 3 . 1 0 (C29)

Game 10.3

Andreikin,Dmitry Kramnik,Vladimir Moscow blitz, 20 1 0 (37)

1. ttJb1 -c3 2. e2-e4

138

ttJf6xe4

K .'ILt � � i. j. j. ·j. c

'.il

i. j. ,.

�d8-d6 lle8-e7 lla8-e8

The White bishop on a2 is shut out of the game, so Black is better.

0 •

4 . ...

ttJg8-f6 e7-e5

5. ttJg1 -f3

5 .d3 lt:Jxc3 6.bxc3 d4 7 .tbf3 tbc6 8 .�e2 �cS 9 .0-0 dxc3 + 1 0.�h1 0-0 1 1 .'i¥e l tbd4 1 2.�d 1 tbxf3 1 3 .�xf3 c6 1 4 . .l::i.b 1 aS 1 5 .'i¥xc3 �d4 1 6.'i¥e l .l::i.e 8 1 7 .�f4 'i¥e7 1 8.'i¥g3 g6 Black is for choice due to the artificial isolation of the e-pawn. 5 .'i¥f3 lt:Jc6 6.�b5 tbxc3 7 .dxc3 'i¥h4+ 8 .g3 'i¥e4+ 9 .�xe4 dxe4 1 0.�xc6+

Chapter I 0 - Bishop's Opening and Vienna

bxc6 1 1 .tt:le2 �cS Black has the bishop pair while his isolated pawns are all on closed files and not easily attacked. 5 . ... 6. d2-d4

�f8-c5

6."ife2 �f2+ 7 .Wd 1 tt:lxc3+ 8 .dxc3 (8 .bxc3 �cS 9.d4 �e7 1 0."iff2 0-0 I I .ii.d3 cSN Black has better pawn struc­ ture and a safer king) 8 ... �b6 9.�gS "ifd7 1 O.�d2 0-0 1 1 .l::!.d 1 �a4 1 2 .a3 �fS Black has better development and better pawn structure. 6. ... 7. �c1 -d2

After 8 .�b S + tt:lc6 9.0-0 0-0 1 0.a3 ii.xc3N 1 l .�xc3 �b6 1 2 .1txc6 bxc6 1 3 .dxcS �xeS+ 1 4.�d4 �e7 Black is again better due to the strong knight and the option of . . . c6-cS . 8. 9. 1 0. 11. 1 2. 1 3.

... �d2xb4 tt:Jf3-g1 �f1 -c4 c2-c3 b2xc3

d5xe4 c5xb4 0-0 tt:Jb8-c6 b4xc3

�c5-b4 c7-c5

� !JL � .l � � � .l � .i. � .. t2J t2J � � � !JL �� 'iV � !JL :g: :a: 8. tt:lc3xe4

In case of 8.a3 1txc3 9 .1txc3 tt:lc6 I O .�bS cxd4 l l .�xd4 0-0 1 2.1txc6 bxc6 1 3 .�b4 l::!. e 8 1 4. 0-0 �b6 I S .1td6 �g4N Black is better thanks to his strong outposted knight; If 8 .1td3 tt:lxd2 9 .�xd2 cxd4 1 0.tt:\xd4 tt:lc6 I l .tt:lxc6 bxc6 1 2 .0-0 0-0 1 3 .�hl �aS Black has the bishop pair, a pin, and White's eS pawn is weak;

:a:

- 'i¥ �

1 3 . ...

�� tt:J Z1

�d8-c71

Kramnik actually played 1 3 . . . � g S ? 1 4.�e2 ..tfs 1 S .tt:lh3 ..txh3 1 6.gxh3 . Now 1 6 . . . tt:laS would have kept the ad­ vantage. He played 1 6 ... e 3 ? and went on to lose. 1 4. 15. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8.

�c4-b3 d4xe5 �e1 -f2 l:Ia1 -c1 �f2-e1

tt:Jc6xe5 �c7xc3+ �c3xe5 �e5-f6+ �c8-e6

Black has three pawns for a knight, better development, and a much safer king. He should win.

1 39

Chapter 11

Gambits this chapter we consider all the lines in which White starts with 1 .e4 and subse­ quently sacrifices a pawn, usually for development. It is said that 'the only way to refute a gambit is to accept it', and this is in most cases my advice. It is also said that having ac­ cepted a gambit, you should look for a way to return the material to achieve a good po­ sition, and this too is often my preference. But it's not good to generalize too much; each gambit should be studied independently. These gambits are mostly pretty rare in rop level chess, but amateurs will often encounter them, and will be likely to fall into ..uious traps if they have not studied the gambit in question. fn

The King's Gambit was really popular in the 1 800s.

Black can accept (2 . . . exf4) and then return the pawn by 3 .tt:J f3 dS or try to hold on w it by 3 . . . g5 or by Bobby Fischer's recommended 3 . . . d6. Since I believe that Black has the better chances after returning the pawn, I see no real point in learning the lines where he tries to hang on to it. However I recommend the move-order l .e4 eS 2.f4 dS (!) 3 .exd5 exf4 4.tbf3 , which transposes to 2 . . . exf4 3 .lbf3 dS 4.exd 5 . The point is that with the normal move order White can play the Bishop's Gambit 3 .i.c4 when after 3 . . . dS he can choose either capture, with the bishop capture be­ ing generally considered the better one. However by playing . . . d7 -dS on move 2 we cut out that option; White can still choose 4 . .tc4 but he has already taken on dS with the pawn. Back to 4.tbf3 , Black should develop by 4 tbf6 rather than expose his queen by 4 . �xd5 . White has a couple ways to try to come out a pawn ahead, but they don't end well for him. If White plays normal moves he often has to surrender the bishop pair to �vin back his pawn on f4, which is the main reason I like this line for Black. ...

.

.

141

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

In Game 1 1 . 1 we look at 5 .�c4, the most popular move. In the game White manages to regain the pawn without losing the bishop pair, but he ends up with much worse pawn structure. In Game I 1 . 2 we consider all other fifth moves, where White's attempl to stay a pawn ahead is refuted by a novelty in the note to move 1 2. The Urusov Gambit ( 1 .e4 eS 2..�c4 ttJf6 3.d4 exd4 4.ttJf3)

is a rather dangerous one for Black to accept by 4 . . . xh2 'iYh4+ with an obvious advantage for Black. 1 5 . ... 1 6. 'iWb5-d3

a7-a6 tt:lb8-c6

Black's much better pawn structure and safer king give him the advantage.

After 5 . c4 c6 6.d4 �b4+ 7 .lt:Jc3 0-0 8 .�xf4 cxd5 9 .�e2 (9 .kd3 dxc4 1 0 .�xc4 transposes) 9 ... dxc4 I 0 .�xc4 tt:lc6 1 1 .0-0 kg4 Black is for choice due to the heavy pressure on the weak d4 pawn. Or 5 .lt:Jc3 lt:Jxd5 and now: A) 6.kc4 tt:lxc3 7 .bxc3 (after 7 .dxc3 'iWxd 1 + 8 . '0t>xd 1 kd6 9 . .ll e 1 + 'Ot>f8 White struggles to show compensation for the pawn) 7 ... �d6 8 .'iYe2 + 'iWe7 9.'iYxe7+ 'Ot>xe7 1 0.0-0 ke6 1 1 .l:!e 1 'Ot>d7 - again it is tough for White to prove compensation; B) 6 .lt:Jxd5 "ii'x d5 7 .d4 ke7 8 . c4 'iYd6N 9 .c5 'iYh6 1 0.g3 g5 1 l .gxf4 g4 1 2.lt:Je5 'iYh4+ 1 3 .'0t>e2 0-0 - White has 1 45

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

regained his pawn, but the price of hav­ ing to advance his king was too high. c7-c6 5. .. 6. d5xc6 tt:lb8xc6 �f8-d6 7. d2-d4 8. 'ifd1 -e2+ .

8 . 0-0 0-0 9 . tt:lbd2 �g4 1 O .c3 (or 1 0.tt:lc4 .Yl.c7 l l ..Yl.xc6 bxc6 1 2.lLlceS .Yl.xf3 1 3 .tt:lxf3 l:!.e8 1 4.�d3 aS 1 S .�d2 . tt:le4 1 6Jlae 1 fS and despite his inferior pawn structure, I prefer Black due to the powerful outposted knight) 1 O . . J:te8 1 1 .tLlc4 .Yl.c7 1 2 .�d2 �ds 1 3 .tt:la3 tt:le4 and again the powerful e4 knight out­ weighs the doubled pawns. 8. ... 9. tt:Jf3-g5 1 0. tt:Jg5xe6

�c8-e6 0-0

Not 1 0 . .Yl.xc6? �g4. 1 0. ... 1 1 . �b5xc6

f7xe6 b7xc6

1 2. 0-0

1 2 .'iixe6+ �h8 1 3 .0-0 .Yl.cS !N 1 4.dxcS ( 1 4.c3 .Yl.xd4+ is similar) 1 4 . . . �d4+ 1 S .�h1 tt:'le4 and Black's attack will win material. 1 2 . ...

1 46

�d8-c7

A greedy computer suggestion is 1 2 . . . .lle 8N 1 3 .tt:lc3 (in case of 1 3 .kxf4_ �xf4 1 4.l::!.xf4 �b8 1 S .�fl �xb2 Black will win a pawn) 1 3 . . . eS 1 4.�c4+ �h 1 S .dxeS .Yl.xeS 1 6.�xf4 �b6 + 1 7.�h l �xb2 1 8 . .Yl.xeS :!lxeS 1 9 .�xc6 llae8 2 0.h3 �xc2 . Here Black is for choice as his pieces are slightly better placed. 1 3. tt:Jb1 -d2

1 3 .�xe6+ �h8 1 4.�h3 ( 1 4.tt:'ld2 llae8 1 S .�h3 cS 1 6.tt:lc4 f3N 1 7 .tt:lxd6 �xd6 1 8 .�h 1 cxd4 1 9.�xf3 tt:Jds 20.�dr l:rxfl + 2 1 .'iix fl l:rf8 2 2 .�g 1 tt:'lb4 2 3 _jt,d2 tt:'lxc2 Black regains the pawn with advantage due to the advanced passer) 1 4 . . . .lla e8 1 S .tt:lc3 ttJdS 1 6 .kd2 tt:le3 1 7 .�xe3 llxe3 1 8 . .llf3 �b6 1 9.llxe3 fxe3 2 0.�xe3 �xb2 2 1 .l:lfl �xc2=. A draw is to be expected. 1 3 . ... 1 4. tt:Jd2-c4

J:!.a8-e8

1 4. ...

g7-g5

An alternative is 1 4 . . . cS 1 S .tt:lxd6 �xd6 1 6.jt,xf4 'iix d4+ 1 7 _jt,e3 �xb2 1 8.�c4 l:!.f7=. 1 5. �c1 -d2

1 S .b3 eS 1 6.dxeS jt,xeS 1 7 .tt:'lxeS �xeS 1 8 .�xeS .l:!.xeS 1 9.i.b2 l:!.e2 20.kxf6 .llxf6 2 1 Jl.f2 llfe6= A draw is likely.

Chapter 1 1

1 5. 16. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9.

e6-e5 �d6xe5 't:!Vc7xe5 l:te8xe5 l:tf8-e8

jt.b4-c3 �c3xf6 l:tf1 -e1 l:te1 xe6 'lt>g1 -f2 l:ta1 -e1 l:te1 -e5 Wf2-f3

l:te5-e6 l:te6xf6 l:tf6-e6 l:te8xe6 l:te6-d6 'lt>g8-f7 l:td6-d2+

4. ...

� t!J ;t!J t!J :i 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 .

... Wf3xf4 'lt>f4-g3 l:te5-a5 l:ta5xa 7

.l .l �

t!J t!J

g5-g4+ l:td 2xc2 l:tc2xb2 'lt>f7-g6 h7-h5

The game soon ended in a draw. IG 4.5 (C24) D Arbau,Eric •

Game 11.3

Malaniuk,Vladimir

�f8-b4+

:i :i � i. :if . .l .l .l .l .l .l .l �

.l

•

Gambits

This is the Urusov Gambit, a rather dan­ gerous one if accepted.

... d4xe5 tt:Jc4xe5 �e2xe5 �d2-b4

1 9 . . . c5!=. 20. 21 . 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.

-

5. c2-c3

If S .�d2 �xd2+ 6.'ihd2 (6.ttJbxd2 tbc6 7. 0-0 0-0 8 .�bS a6 9 .�xc6 dxc6 1 0 .eS tt:Jd7 1 1 .e6 tLlcS 1 2 .exf7 + .l:txf7 White has too little for the pawn) 6 . . /i:Jxe4 7.�xd4 tt:Jf6 8 .0-0 d S , here White has much less compensation for the pawn than in the accepted Gambit. The ex­ change of bishops has robbed White's at­ tack of any power. 5 . ... 6. b2xc3 7. e4xd5

d4xc3 d7-d5!

After 7.'ti'a4+ 'ti'd7N 8 . 'ti'xb4 dxc4 9 . 0-0 b6 1 o . .lle 1 tba6 1 1 .'ii'xc4 tt:Jcs Black is better du� to the weak white pawns and square d3 .

:i � i. � · :i .l .l .l .l .l .l �

Bastia, 20 1 0 (5)

1. 2. 3. 4.

e2-e4 �f1 -c4 d2-d4 tt:Jg1 -f3

e7-e5 tt:Jg8-f6 e5xd4

1 47

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

7. ...

�b4-c5

7 . . . fie? is the move to play if you want to keep queens on the board. Objectively both moves are fme. Play may continue 8 . 0 - 0 0-0 9 .�b3 l:te8 1 0 .c4 tt:'le4 1 l. .�b2 .ig4 1 2 .�a4 tt:'ld7 1 3 .h3 �xf3 1 4.'ifxf3 �d6 1 5 .'ifg4 tt:'ldf6 1 6.'iff3 l:teS= .

1 2. 1 3. 14. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7.

... �h4xf6+ 0-0 tDb1 -d2 l:!.f1 -e1 tDf3-d4

h7-h6 we7xf6 �c8-f5 tDb8-d7 l:td8-e8 �f5-h7

I

8 . �d1 -e2+ �d8-e7 9. �e2xe7+ e8xe7

Also after 9 . . .�xe7 1 0. 0-0 0-0 1 1 .l::t e 1 .id6 1 2 .tt:'la3 a6 1 3 .�b3 tt:'lbd7 1 4.tDc4 .icS 1 5.tt:'la5 �b6 1 6.tt:'lc4 �a7 Black is to be preferred due to the poor White pawn structure. 1 0. �c1 -f4

�c5-d6

White has no compensation for the bishop pair. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21 . 22.

�c4-b5?! l:te8xe1 + l:ta1 xe1 t2Jd7-b6 tDd2-e4+?1 ..th7xe4 .l:[e1 xe4 a7-a6 �b5-d3 tDb6xd5

Bishops of opposite color do not gener­ ally draw a pawn down with knights on the board. 1 1 . �f4-g3?

The computer calls the positiOn after 1 1 . .ixd6+ cxd6 equal, but I prefer Black as the c3 pawn is weaker than the d6 pawn. 1 1 . ... 1 2. �g3-h4

J::[ h 8-d8

This implies a willingness to part with the bishop pair, but other moves lose the d-pawn for too little.

1 48

23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33.

�d3-c4 �c4-b3 g2-g4 �b3-d1 h2-h4 g4-g5 h4xg5 l::!.e4-g4 �d1 -f3 wg1 -f1 'it>f1 -e2

t2Jd5-b6 g7-g6 t2Jb6-d7 l:ta8-d8 Wf6-g7 h6xg5 tDd7-c5 ..td6-e5 c7-c6 wg7-f8 �e5xd4

Chapter I I - Gambits

34. l:tg4xd4 ?I

Taking with the pawn was the last chance ro continue the fight for a draw, but Black should still win. 34. ... 35. c3xd4 36. d4-d5 KP

l:td8xd4 ttJc5-e6 ttJe6-d4+

2.3 (C2 1 )

0-1

Game 11.4

D Nogrady,Vilmos •

A) 4.i.d2 �cS S.�c4 lt:Jf6N 6.e5 tLle4 7 .0-0 0-0 S .l:te i dS 9 . exd6 lt:Jxd2 1 O.lt:Jbxd2 �xd6 - White cannot regain the pawn, and has only a mild lead in de­ velopment for it; B) 4.c3 dxc3 5 .lt:Jxc3 (with 5 . bxc3 �c5 6 .i.c4 d6 7 .0-0 tbc6 8.lt:Jbd2 tLlf6 9 .lt:Jb3 i.b6 White has a bad version of an Evans Gambit. He has only a tempo for the pawn) S . . . lt:Jf6 (or 5 ... lt:Jc6, transposing to the Goring Gambit) 6.e5 lt:Je4 7 Yilic2 d5 8.exd6 (in case of 8 .i.d3 tLlcS 9 .0-0 lt:Jxd3 I O . .igS 'ti'd7 l l .'i¥xd3 �xc3 1 2.'iYxc3 0-0 White has too little for the pawn) 8 . . . lt:Jxc3 9 .bxc3 �xd6 I O .�gS 'iYd7 I l...�.d 3 h6 1 2.�e3 tbc6 1 3 .0-0 0-0 I 4.l:tfe 1 l:te8 1 5 .l:tad 1 b6 - Black will fianchetto the bishop and be a safe pawn ahead. 3. ...

'iWd8-e71

Krivolapov,Konstantin Budapest, 1 99 6 1 . e2-e4 2. d2-d4 3. c2-c3

e7-e5 e5xd4

The Danish Gambit. 3 .tLlf3 ? ! i.b4+ (instead 3 . . . lt:Jc6 trans­ pos�s to the Scotch, but this is better) and now: This is quite likely to surprise your op­ ponent, and may very well be the best move objectively. White either loses a pawn for too little compensation or just gets an inferior game with equal mate­ rial. 4. c3xd4 Analysis diagram

In case of 4.tbf3 'iYxe4+ S .�e2 d3 6.'iYxd3 'iYxd3 7.�xd3 tbc6 8 . 0 - 0 tbf6 1 49

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

White has two tempi for the pawn, which with queens off is not enough; After 4.'iYxd4 tLlc6 S .'iYe3 tLlf6 6.�d3 dS 7 .tLld2 �g4 Black is better, because White cannot trade on dS without falling seriously behind in development. 4. ... 5. �c1 -e3

�e7xe4+

In the event of S .�e2 'i¥xg2 6.�f3 'iYg6 7 .tLle2 tt:lc6N 8 .tLlf4 'iYfs 9 .tt:lc3 tt:lf6 I O.'iYe2+ �d8 l l .�e3 �d6 1 2.tLlfdS b6 1 3 . 0-0-0 tt:lxdS 1 4.�xd5

1 0. ...

d7-d6?!

With 1 O ... c6!N Black plans ...d7 -dS , after which White will have little compensation. 11. 1 2. 1 3. 14. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7.

0-0 b2xc3 e3-e4 �c4-d3 e4-e5 .!:tf1 xf3 d4xe5?

�b4xc3 0-0 �c8-e6 �e6-g4 �g4xf3 d6xe5

1 7 Jhfl =. Analysis diagram

1 7. ...

�e7xe5?!

1 7 . . . tt:ld7 ! . 1 4 ... �a6 ! I S .'iYxa6 tt:lb4 1 6.�e4 'iYxe4 1 7 .tt:lxe4 tt:lxa6 White may have compen­ sation for a pawn, but he is down two! 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

... lLlb1 -c3 tLlg1 -f3 �d 1 -d2 �f1 -c4

tt:lg8-f6 �f8-b4 lLlf6-d5 �e4-e7

If 9 .�d3N tt:lxe3 I O.fxe3 d6 1 1 .0-0 tt:ld7 1 2.e4 tLlf6 1 3 .�h l 0-0 1 4.e5 dxeS I S .dxeS �xc3 ! 6.'iYxc3 tLlhS 1 7 .'iYd2 �g4 1 8.'iYe3 g6 White doesn't have enough for the pawn. 9 . ... 1 0. f2xe3

1 50

lLld5xe3

1 8. 1 9. 20. 21 . 22. 23.

.!:ta1 -e1 Wg1 -h1 .l:!.f3-f5 .!:tf5-d5 �d2-e2?! l::!.d5-f5

�e5-c5+ lLlb8-c6 �c5-d6 �d6-h6 �h6-f6

Chapter 1 1 - Gambits 'iff6-d6?!

23 . ...

23 .. .'�xc3N should win. When in doubt, ta.ke stufr. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33.

�d3-c4 !;If5-d5 !;Id5-d7 .l:Id7xc7 !;Ie1 -f1 �c4xf7 �e2-f2 �f2-h4 I;If1 -e1 ?? �h4xh7+

g7-g6 �d6-f6 �f6xc3 I;Ia8-d8 'it>g8-h8 '§'c3-e5 !;Id8-d2 �e5-f5 !;If8xf7 'it>h8xh7 0-1

so 6. 1 1 (C44) D •

Game 11. 5

Schmikli,Laszlo Meszaros,Tamas Budapest, 2006 (9)

1. 2. 3. 4.

e2-e4 tt:Jg1 -f3 d2-d4 c2-c3

e7-e5 tt:Jb8-c6 e5xd4

4.�c4 is the Scotch Gambit: 4. . . ..ic5 5 . 0-0 ( 5 .c3 tt:lf6 transposes to the Italian Game) 5 . . . d6 6.c3 �g4 7 .'�'b3 �xf3 8.-ix£7 + Wf8

Analysis diagram

9 . gxf3 (9.�xg 8 ? ! llxg8 1 0 . gxf3 g 5 l l .�e6 ll g 6 1 2 .'i¥f5 + � g 7 1 3 .�h l lWe7 Black has a winning attack) 9 . . . dxc3 1 0.�xg8 Ihg 8 l l .tt:lxc3 tt:Jd4 1 2 .�d l lWf6 1 3 .4Jd5 lW£7 1 4.g2 c6 1 5 .4Je3 �g6+ 1 6 .�h l �h5 1 7 .�g2 lld8 1 8 .b4 �b6 The threat of . . . tt:Jd4-e6-f4 gives Black the advantage. 4. ...

d4xc3

This is the Goring Gambit accepted. More popular is 4 . . . d5 , which equalizes, but I think Black should try for an advantage by accepting.

:i .t :if � .t � :i .t:: i i i ' i i i '� � t2J � !5, �. £3:, £3:, �' tb .�''iY w � :
b8 1 8 .1lh l tt:lg5 1 9.�xg5 'ifxg5 Black's safer king and better minor piece offset his crippled majority. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20.

... tt::ld 2-f3 �f5xb5 c2-c3 c3xb4 .l:!.e1 -e2

�e5-b5 g7-g6 a6xb5 b5-b4 �f8xb4 .l:!.a8-d8=

35. 36 . 37. 38. 39. 40.

tt::lg 4-h2 .t!.f2xf5+ tt::l h 2-f3 e4xf5+ g3-g4 'it>g2-g3

g6xf5 ..t>g5-g6 I:!.h5xf5 'it>g6-f6 tt:Jc5-d3 b7-b5

41 . 42 . 43 . 44.

g4-g5+ .l:!.e3-e7 .l:!.e7xc7 b2-b3

'lt>f6xf5 'it>f5-g6 .l:!.d1 -c1 1f2-1h

Black's more active pieces offset the crip­ pled majority. The doubled pawn may prove useful after ... c6-c5 and . . . tt:ld4. 21 . 22. 23. 24.

�c1 -e3 �e3xc5 .l:!.a1 -c1 .l:!.c1 -c2

�b4-c5 tt:Je6xc5 tt:Jc5-e6

RL 1 2. 3 (C7 7) D •

Game 14.3

Areschenko,Alexander Efimenko,Zahar -

Kiev ch-UKR, 2 0 1 1 (8)

24. ...

J:!.d8-d 1 +

2 4 . . We7 , planning . . . c6-c5 , looks fme. .

25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. 34.

1 84

�e2-e1 tt::lf3-e5 wg1 -g2 f2-f4 i:!c2-f2 l:[e1 -e3 f4-f5 tt:Je5-g4+ tt::lg 4-e5 tt:Je5-g4+

l:!.d 1 -d3 lid3-d8 we8-e7 l:!.h8-h5 tt::le 6-c5 I:!.d8-d1 we7-f6 'it>f6-g5 'it>g5-f6 'it>f6-g5

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e2-e4 tt:lg1 -f3 �f1 -b5 �b5-a4 d2-d3 c2-c3

e7-e5 tt:lb8-c6 a7-a6 tt:lg8-f6 d7-d6 g7-g6!

Chapter 1 4 -Spanish Offshoots

This shows the drawback to playing d2-d3 before Black plays . . . il.e7 . In the Breyer Black often plays . . . kte8 , . . .il.f8, .:.g7 -g6, and . . . iLg7 . Here Black gets to do this maneuver saving two or three tempi! 7. 0-0 '

7 .il.gs iLg7 s .tt:Jbd2 h6 9 .iLh4 o-o l O .tt:lfl dS (a good alternative is 1 0 . . . lt:Je7 l l .tt:le3 c6 1 2 .iLb3 lt:JhS=) l l .exdS 1iYxd5 1 2 .lt:Je3 'iYd6 1 3 .tt:lc4 'iYdS 1 4.tt:le3 'iYd6 leads to a draw by repetition, which Black can avoid by 1 4 . . . 'iYe6 or 1 2 . . . 'iYe6. 7. ... 8. J::f.f1 -e1 9. lt:Jb1 -d2

iLf8-g7 0-0

9.iLgS h6 I O.il.h4 bS l l. .�c2 'iYd7 1 2 .lt:Jbd2 lt:JhS 1 3 .lt:Jfl iLb7 1 4.tt:le3 llae8 1 5.a4 lt:Jf4=. 9. ...

b7-b5

1 0. iLa4-b3

I O .il.c2 il.b7 l l .lt:Jfl ( l l .a4 b4 1 2.a5 J::f.b 8 1 3 .lt:Jc4 dS 1 4.lt:Jcd2 il.a8 =) l l . . .lt:Jb8 1 2.tt:lg3 tt:lbd7 1 3 .d4 .!:le8=. Black has reached a main line position of our Breyer Defense two tempi up (he has already played . . .il.g 7 and White lacks h3) .

1 0. ... 1 1 . il.b3-c2 1 2. lt:Jd2-f1

lt:Jc6-a5 c7-c5

case of 1 2.d4 cxd4 1 3 .cxd4 exd4 1 4.lt:Jxd4 l::t e 8 I S .lt:Jfl iLb7 1 6.tt:lg3 'iYb6N I 7. lt:Jf3 lt:Jc4 Black is much better due to his superior development and pressure on e4. In

12. ... 13. �c1 -d2

h7-h6

1 3 .lt:Jg3 l::t e 8 1 4 .h3 il.e6 I S .il.e3 .Uc8 1 6.'iYd2 '>t>h7 = . 1 3. 14. 1 5. 16. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21.

... a2-a4 tt:lf1 -e3 .lkc2-b3 .lkb3xe6 h2-h3 "il'd1 -e2 a4xb5 l:ta1 -d 1 ?1

21 . ...

tt:Ja5-c6 �c8-e6 "il'd8-d7 l:If8-b8 "il'd7xe6 c5-c4 tt:lc6-a5 a6xb5=

c4xd3!

The game actually continued 2 1 . . . .l:tc8 2 2.iLc l Uab8= 2 3 .dxc4 bxc4 24.lt:Jd5 lt:Jd7 2 5 .lt:Jb4 lt:Jc6 2 6 .lt:Jd5 lt:Je7 27 .lt:Jxe 7 + "ifxe7 2 8 .il.e3 tt:lf6 29.'iYc2 .l:!.c6 3 0 . lle 2 ? ! "ifb7 3 L�c l "i¥b3 3 2 .'iVxb3 cxb3 3 3 .lt:J e l lt:Je8 34.lt:Jd3 fS 185

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

3 5 .lLlb4 ktcc8 3 6.f4 �fl 3 7 .fxe5 dxeS 3 8 .exf5 gxfS 3 9 . .l:rfi �g6 40.lLld5 .!lb7 4 I .tt:le3 tt:ld6 42 . .l:rdi llc6 43 .tt:lfl .l:ra6 44.tt:ld2 kf6 45.tt:lf3 e4 46.tt:ld4 .l:ra i 47 .tt:le6 tt:lc4 48.lLlf4+ �f7 49 . .l:rfl �gS S O J:i.ee 1 tt:lxb2 S I .g4 lLlc4 5 2 .gxf5 �xf4 and White resigned. 22. 23. 24. 25.

�e2xd3 �d3-c2 tt:Je3-d5 e4xd5

tt:la5-b3 tt:lb3-c5 tt:lf6xd5 �e6-c8

7 .eS tt:le4 8 . lLlxd4 0-0 9 .tt:lfS dS and now: A) I O . exd6 �xfS I I .dxe7 �xe7 1 2.kxc6 bxc6 I 3 .�f3 ; B) I O.tt:lxe7+ tt:lxe7 I l .c3 tt:lcS I 2.�c2 kfS = . No more bishop pair here means no advantage, as White's remaining bishop is not a good one; C) I O.i.xc6 bxc6 l i .lLlxe7 + �xe7 1 2 . .lle I .!le8 1 3 .f3

Black is better due to the artificially iso­ lated dS pawn. RL 1 5. 7 (C65) D •

Game 14.4

Ter Sahakyan,Samvel Akopian,Vladimir Aix-les-Bains Ech, 20 I I (8)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e2-e4 tt:lg1 -f3 �f1 -b5 d2-d4 0-0 �b5-a4

e7-e5 tt:lb8-c6 tt:lg8-f6 e5xd4 a7-a6 �f8-e7

We would reach this position by 3 .. a6 4.ka4 lLlf6 S .d4 exd4 6.0-0 �e7 or 5 .0-0 i.e? 6.d4 exd4. This line is called the Center Attack.

Analysis diagram

1 3 ... lLld6 (New York master Paul Brandts surprised me with this move back in the I 960s) 1 4.b3 ( 1 4.kf4 tt:lfS I S .�d2 aSN is pleasant for Black) 1 4 .. .f6 1 5 .�b2 lLlf7 1 6.f4 fxeS 1 7 .fxe5 kfs I 8 .tt:ld2 lLlg5 Black will be better once his knight blockades on e6, as his bishop is clearly more active than White's. 7. ... 8. �a4-b3

7. J::lf1 -e1

1 86

b7-b5

8.e5 tt:lxeS 9 . .!:!.xe5 (if 9.tt:lxe5 bxa4 1 O.�xd4 0-0 I I .�xa4 .l:rb8 Black's bishop pair compensates for his isolated pawn and White's space advantage) 9 . . . d6! I O . .l:re i bxa4 1 I .tt:lxd4 kd7 1 2.'iYf3 0-0 1 3 .tt:lc6 kxc6 1 4.�xc6 dS I S ."iha4 (after I S .i.f4 �d6 I 6.i.xd6 �xd6 I 7 .'iYxd6 Black is better. His extra pawn is almost worthless, but he will be

Chapter 1 4 -Spanish Offshoots

well ahead in development after the tempo-gaining . . . .ll a b8 and . . JHc8) 1 5 ... �c5N 1 6.tt::l c 3 l:ib8 1 7.a3 (else .. J:l:b4 and . . . tLlg4) 1 7 . . . �d6 and Black has superior development and more cen­ tral pawns. 8. 9. 1 0. 11. 1 2.

.. �b3-d5 e4xd5 tt:Jf3xd4 tt:Jb1 -c3 .

d7-d6 tt:Jf6xd5 tt:Jc6-e5 0-0

1 2 .a4 �g4 1 3 .�d2 (in case of 1 3 .f3 �d7 1 4.tt::l c 3 b4 1 S .tt::l e 4 r.i:e8 1 6.b3 �h4 1 7 .g3 fS 1 8 .tt::lf2 �f6 1 9 .�b2 �b8 White has a weakened king and is down the bishop pair) 1 3 . . . �d7 1 4.tt::l c 3 b4 1 5 .tt::l c e2 �b8 and White has no com­ pensation for the bishop pair. 1 2 . ... 1 3. f2-f3

�g4-d7

1 4.a4 b4 I S .tt::l e 4 transposes to the note to move 1 2 . 1 4. ... 1 5. l2Jc3-e2

l2Je5-c4

1 5 . . . c5 ! ? 1 6.dc6 �h4 1 7 .fe5 deS 1 8.h3 �e2 1 9.tLle2 'iVb6 20.'i.t>h2 �e 1 2 l .�e 1 'iYc6 2 2.tLlg3 .lla e8=. Although Black is down % of a pawn, his twin threats of . .. �xc2 and . . . fS plus his lead in develop­ ment and strong passed pawn give him equality. 1 6. b2-b3 1 7. l2Jd4-c6 1 8. �c1 -b2

l2Jc4-b6 'iVd8-d7

1 8. ...

l;!a8-e8

�c8-g4

1 3 .�d2 k're8 1 4.b3 'iVc8 1 5 .�b2 �d7= ; White's space advantage offsets Black's bishops. 1 3 . ... 1 4. f3-f4

1 5 . ...

�d7-g4

Better was 1 8 . . . �h4! 1 9.g3 �f3 2 0.'iVd3 �ds 2 I .tLlb4 �f6 2 2 .�f6 �b7 23 .c4 bc4 24.bc4 gf6 and White has insufficient compensation for the pawn. 1 9. 20. 21 . 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

h2-h3 l2Jc6xe7+ g2-g4 Wg1 -g2 Wg2-h2 g4xh5 l2Je2-g1 Wh2-h1 wh1 -h2 wh2-h1

�g4-h5 �d7xe7 �e7-e3+ �e3-e4+ �e4-f3 J::!.e8-e3 �f3xf4+ �f4-e4+ �e4-f4+ �f4-e4+

Draw agreed.

1 87

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

RL 1 3.2 (C86) D •

Game 14.5

Polzin,Rainer Efimenko,Zahar

.!.

Germany Bundesliga, 2009/ 1 0 (2)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

e2-e4 t2Jg1 -f3 �f1 -b5 �b5-a4 0-0

e7-e5 t2Jb8-c6 a7-a6 t2Jg8-f6

S .'�e2 (the Wormald Attack) S . . . bS 6 . .tb3 �e7 7 .c3 (for 7 .0-0 0-0 see the game) 7 . . . d5 8 .d3 (for 8.exd5 lt:JxdS 9.t2Jxe5 tbxeS 1 0.�xe5 lt:Jf6 1 1 .0-0 0-0 see the note to move 9) 8 ... 0-0 9 . 0-0 see the game. 5. ... 6. �d1 -e2

�f8-e7

9. d2-d3

9.exd5 tbxdS 1 0.lt:Jxe5 (after 1 0.d3 �b7 1 1 .lLlxe5 lt:JxeS 1 2.�xe5 �d7 1 3 .lLld2 �d6 1 4.�e4 c5 1 S .i.xd5 i.xdS Black has the bishops and a big lead in development for the pawn, more than enough. His pieces point menacingly towards White's king) 1 O . . . tt:JxeS 1 1 .�xe5 t2Jf6 1 2.d4 i.d6 (in the real Marshall White would re­ treat his rook to the first rank. But here a queen retreat will lose more time after 1 3 ... .!:!.e8) 1 3 .'iVg5 .!:!.e8 1 4.t2Ja3 i.b7N 1 5 .f3 cS 1 6.'iVh4 cxd4 1 7.cxd4 i.e? 1 8.i.d2 tL:ldS 1 9 .'iVf2 �h4 20.g3 �f6=. Black has full compensation for the pawn, which is isolated and under attack. Black has a safer king and a much better knight. 9. ... 1 0. t2Jb1 -d2

This is the Worrall Attack, favored by among others grandmaster Sergey Tiviakov. 6. ... 7. �a4-b3 8. c2-c3

b7-b5 0-0 d7-d5

This is the Marshall Gambit when White has played 6.!te 1 rather than 6 .'�'e2 , but in this position few players accept the gambit, as Black gets a better version of the Marshall. 1 88

�c8-b7

I O.l:Id 1 .!:!.e8 1 1 .tLlbd2 transposes to the next note; 1 0 .i.g5 dxe4 1 1 .dxe4 tL:lxe4! 1 2.�xe4 i.xgS 1 3 . .tdS i.e7N 1 4.c4 (if 1 4.i.xc6 fS 1 5 .�xe5 i.xc6 1 6.tL:ld4 i.d7 1 7.a4 i.d6 1 8.'�'d5+ Wh8 Black is better with the two bishops in an open position) 1 4 . . . �d6=. White should eventually re­ gain his lost pawn and equalize. 1 0. ... 1 1 . .U.f1 -e1

.I:!.f8-e8

Chapter 14 -Spanish Offshoots

1 I. .l:rd1 ..tf8 1 2.tt:Jfl tt:Jas 1 3 .�c2 cS 1 4.lbg3 h6 1 5 .h3 Wic7 1 6.lLJh2 llad8 1 7 .tt:Jg4 tt:Jxg4=. Black's queenside play should offset White's king side initiative. 1 1 . ...

'Wd8-d7

1 6. h2-h3?!

This gives Black a target. 1 6 .a4 b4=. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21 . 22. 23.

. a2-a3 Wie2-f1 tt:Je4-g3 h3-h4?1 tLlg3-e4 �b3-c2? Wif1 -e2 ..

'Wg4-g6 'it>g8-h8 f7-f5 �e7-f6 f5-f4 �b7-c8 �c8-g4

•• t i' 1 2. e4xd5

After 1 2.tbfl h6N 1 3 .lLJg3 l:tad8 1 4.h3 �f8 1 S . .ic2 g6 1 6.tbh2 d4N Black is do­ ing well as he should gain access to the key square d4 by . . . d4xc3 b2xc3 b5-b4; 1 2 .a3 ..tf8 1 3 .exd5 tt:JxdS 1 4.tbe4 fS 1 5 . .ia2 �h8 1 6.tt:Jfg5 h6 1 7.Wih5 fxe4 1 8 .dxe4 lLJf6 1 9 .tt:Jf7 + 'it>h7 20.lLJg5+ with a draw by perpetual check. 1 2 . ...

tt:Jf6xd5=

Says the computer - I even prefer Black. 1 3. tt:Jd2-e4 1 4. �c1 -d2 1 5. :aa1 -d1

h7-h6 l:ta8-d8 'Wd7-g4

23 . ...

tt:Jd5-e7

2 3 ... 'ti'hS wins the h-pawn for nothing. 24. d3-d4?!

24.lLJc5 aS 2 5 .l:tc l WihS favors Black but White still has chances to survive. 24. 25. 26. 27.

... jLd2xf4 �f4xc7 jLc7-b6?

e5xd4 tt:Je7-f5 l:td8-c8

After 2 7 . WI d3 .!:!:xc7 2 8 .hS .ixhS 29.lLJxf6 l:txe l + 3 0.lhe l gxf6 3 l .Wixf5 WixfS 3 2..�.xf5 ..txf3 3 3 . .Ue8+ Wg7 3 4.gxf3 tbeS Black should emerge a pawn ahead. 27. ... 28. Wie2-d3

d4xc3 tt:lc6-e5

1 89

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

29. tt:lf3xe5 30. f2-f3

�f6xe5 �g6xb6+

RL 1 3. 5 (C84) 0 •

0-1

Game 1.4.6

Durarbeyli,Vasil Nikolic,Predrag Sarajevo, 20 1 0 (5)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

e2-e4 tt:lg1 -f3 �f1 -b5 �b5-a4 0-0

If Black castles here he cannot answer 8.a4 by my recommended . . . !fi.d7 . If White had omitted castling he could play a4 on move 7 before Black has time to play . . . d6. 8. a2-a4

8 .c3 0-0 9 .lle 1 transposes to the game with 9 .d3 in the main line.

e7-e5 tt:lb8-c6 a7-a6 tt:lg8-f6

Note that S .d3 requires different han­ dling. as explained on move 7 . 5 . ... 6. d2-d3

�f8-e7

8. ...

�c8-d7!

This is a better square for the bishop than b7 when White has the d3-e4 pawn chain. If Black had castled instead of . . . d7 -d6 his best option would now be 8 . . . b4, but I think the developing . . . !fi.d7 is more useful here. 9. c2-c3

This is probably White's best option in the Spanish if he wants to avoid the main lines. It makes more sense here than after 6.l:i:e 1 , as with d2-d3 played that move is not urgent. 6. ...

b7-b5

Of course 6 . . . d6 is playable, but then after 7 .c3 White can answer a later . . . b7-b5 by !fi.c2 instead of �b3 . 7. �a4-b3

1 90

d7-d6

After 9 .!fi.d2 b4 1 0 .c3 0-0 1 1 .h3 .!:!.b8 1 2. .�c4 'i!Yc8 Black is doing well because the bishop on d2 impedes the develop­ ment of the knight; 9 .tt:lc3 tt:las 1 o . .ia2 b4 1 1 .tLle2 0-0 1 2.< 2lg3 cS=. Black may sacrifice a pawn by ... b4-b3 next against routine moves, or may simply bring his knight back to c6. The game Erenburg-Kaufman, US Chess League (internet game) 2 0 I 1 , continued 1 3 .ltJh4 b 3 ! (N) 1 4.cb3 lDc6 I S .b4 ltJb4 1 6 . .ic4 and now 1 6 . . . lDe4 would have

Chapter 1 4 -Spanish Offshoots

given me the advantage after 1 7 .de4 £i.h4 1 8 .'ii'd 6 tLlc2 followed by . . .£i.e6. 9 . ... 1 0. tt:lb1 -d2

0-0

1 O .lle 1 tt:JaS 1 1 .£i.c2 cS 1 2.tt:Jbd2 trans­ poses to the game. 1 0. ... 1 1 . �b3-c2

£i.e6= . With ideas of ... 'i:Wd7 or . . . tt:JaS or . .. £i.e? Black has adequate counterplay. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8.

... d3-d4 c3xd4 �c2-b3

�e7-f8 c5xd4 tt:lc6-b4

tt:lc6-a5

1 1 .£i.a2 cS 1 2 . .lle 1 'i:i'c7 1 3 .axbS axbS 1 4.tt:lfl c4 1 S .£i.gs £i.e6 1 6.tt:Je3 tt:Jg4=. The black knight on aS and the white bishop on a2 are both poorly placed. 1 1 . ... 1 2. .llf1 -e1

c7-c5 tt:la5-c6

I prefer this to a quick . . . bS-b4 as White may take advantageously on b4 if no piece guards that square.

Black now actually played 1 8 . . . aS? when 1 9.axbS £i.xbS 20.dxeS dxeS 2 l .'iVxd8 .llexd8 2 2.tLlxeS won a pawn and eventu­ ally the game. The text is much better. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21 .

... �b3xa4 tt:lf3xd4 J:ia1 xa4

b5xa4 e5xd4 �d7xa4 a6-a5=

Black's pressure on e4 and his strong knight on b4 offset the isolated d6 pawn.

1 3. tt:ld2-f1 1 4. h2-h3

.llf8-e8

1 4.tt::l e 3 b4 1 S .£i.b3 tt:Jas 1 6.£i.a2 .llb 8 1 7.d4?! exd4 1 8.cxd4 tLlxe4 1 9 .tiJdS £i.f8 is a dubious pawn sacrifice by White. 1 4. ... 1 5. tt:lf1 -g3

h7-h6

1 S .tt::l e 3 £i.f8 1 6.tLlh2 b4 1 7 .'i:i'f3 l:lb8 1 8.£i.d2 'i:Wc7 1 9 .tt::l hg4 tt:Jxg4 20.hxg4

RL 1 4. 1 4 (C6S) 0 •

Game 1.4.7

Milman,Lev Kaufman,Larry ICC, 2 0 1 0 (2)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e2-e4 tt:lg1 -f3 �f1 -b5 �b5-a4 0-0 �a4xc6

e7-e5 tt:lb8-c6 a7-a6 tt:lg8-f6 �f8-e7 d7xc6

191

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

1 1 . ... 1 2. �c1 -e3

tt:Jc5-e6

1 3 . tt::lx d4 tLJd4 1 2 .�f3 transposes to the last note.

7. d2-d3

A) 7 .�e 1 �e6 8 .b3 tt::l d 7 9 .�b2 f6 1 O.d4 �d6 1 1 .tt::l b d2 �e7 1 2.�e2 0-0-0 - with the bishop pair and a potential pawn storm Black has a slight edge; B) 7 .tt::l c 3 �g4 8 .h3 �hS 9.g4 t2Jxg4 1 O.hxg4 �xg4 l l .Wg2 �d6 - with two pawns, the bishop pair, better develop­ ment, and the enemy king exposed, Black clearly has enough for a knight; C) 7 .�e2 �g4 8 .h3 �hS 9 .d3 tbd7 1 0 .tt::l b d2 0-0 l l .tLJc4 f6= ; D) 7 . l:t e 1 �g4 8 .h3 �hS 9 . g 4 tt:Jxg4 1 0 .hxg4 �xg4 l l .d3 ( 1 1 .'i¥e2 �gS 1 2 . Wg2 �f6 1 3 .tt::l a 3 �f4 1 4. d4 �h3 + 1 5 . Wxh3 �e6+ 1 6.g2 �g4+ draw by perpetual check) l l . . . f6 1 2 .tLJbd2 �d7 1 3 .�e2 0-0-0 1 4.tt:Jfl hS 1 5 .tt::l e 3 gS 1 6 .�d2 �e6. A s i n the 7 . tt:J c 3 line, Black has two pawns, the bishop pair, and an attack for the knight. Komodo likes Black whereas Houdini likes White. 7. 8. 9. 1 0. 11.

... tt:Jb1 -d2 tt:Jd2-c4 tt:Jf3-h4 tt:Jh4-f5

tt:Jf6-d7 0-0 f7-f6 tt:Jd7-c5

l l .�f3 tt:Je6 n.tt:Jfs tt::l d4 1 3 .tLJxd4 �xd4=.

1 92

1 2. 1 3. 14. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9.

.. �d1 -d2 tt:Jf5xe7+ f2-f4 �e3xf4 tt:Jc4-e3 �d2-f2 �g1 -h1 .

�xd4=

c6-c5 tt:Je6-d4 �d8xe7 e5xf4 �c8-e6 l:ta8-d8 l:tf8-f7 �e7-d7

1 9 . . . f5 ! 2 0 . exf5 tUxfS=. 20. b2-b3 21 . a2-a4

b7-b6 �d7-c6

2 1 . . . 1::tdf8=. Black prepares ... f6-f5. 22. l:ta1 -e1

l:tf7-d7

23. e4-e5

I think this helps Black more than White. 23 . 24. 25. 26.

... �f2-g3 �f4-g5 l:tf1 -f4?!

f6-f5 l:td7-f7 l:td8-f8 �e6-c8

Now Black is better, with the long diago­ nal in his possession.

Chapter 1 4 -Spanish Offshoots

27. J::!.f4-h4?! 28. iLg5-f4?

4Jd4-e6 g7-g5

Black wins a piece. 29. iLf4xg5 30. J::!. h 4xh7

J:tf7-g7 .l:l:g7xh7 0-1 Analysis diagram

RL 1 9. 1 6 (C90) D •

Game 14.8

Nikolov,Sasho Delchev,Alexander Bankya, 20 1 1 (4)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

e2-e4 4Jg1 -f3 iLf1 - b5 iLb5-a4 0-0 J:tf1 -e1 �a4-b3

e7-e5 4Jb8-c6 a7-a6 4Jg8-f6 �f8-e7 b7-b5 d7-d6

B 1 ) 1 2 .h3 i.f8 1 3 .i.c2 exd4 1 4.tbxd4 tbe5 (I chose the inferior 1 4 . . . tbe7 against grandmaster Zapata at the 2 0 1 1 U.S. Open and I lost) 1 5 .ttJfl c5 1 6.ltJe2 i.c6 1 7 .ltJf4 c4=; B2) 1 2.ti:Jfl �f8 1 3 .ltJg3 ltJa5 1 4.i.c2 c5 1 5 .d5 c4 1 6.h3 �c7 1 7 .i.e3 Ileb8=. Black can aim for ... tba5-b7-c5 or per­ haps . . . ti:Jf6-h7, ... il.e7 , and ... ltJh7-g5, or simply . . . b4. C) 8.a3 0-0 9 .c3 (9 .h3 �e6 1 o.i.xe6 fxe6 l l .d3 'il'e8=) 9 . . . ltJa5 1 O.il.c2 c5 1 l .d4 cxd4 1 2 .cxd4 'il'c7 1 3 .h3 i.b7=. This is a normal Spanish position where White has played an inferior move (a2-a3) ; D) 8 .d4 0-0 9 .c3 il.g4 transposes to the 8 .c3 0-0 9 .d4 �g4 line. 8. ... 9. d2-d3

8. c2-c3

A) If White plays 8 .d3 (or 8.h3) first, then 8 ... 4Ja5 nets the bishop pair. B) An alternative is 8 .a4 �d7 (I like this move here more than the pinning move 8 ...i.g4, as then after c2-c3 , d2-d3 , and ttJbd2 White will gain time by h2-h3) 9.c3 0-0 1 0.d4 h6 1 1 .ltJbd2 Ile8 and now:

0-0

For 9 .a4 �d7 , see the note to move 8 . 9. 1 0. 11. 1 2. 1 3.

. iLb3-c2 4Jb1 -d2 4Jd2-f1 4Jf1 -g3 ..

4Jc6-a5 c7-c5 4Ja5-c6 .!:tt8-e8

1 3 .h3 h6 1 4.d4 cxd4 1 5 .cxd4 exd4 1 6.ltJxd4 tbxd4 1 7 .'il'xd4 i.e6 1 8.ltJe3 ( 1 8 .ltJg3 transposes to the game) 1 93

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

1 8 . . . llc8 1 9.�d2 tZ'lhS 2 0 Jhd 1 �f6 Black has the initiative with ... �e5 and . . . tt:Jf4 and . . . �gS or . . . �h4 in prospect; 1 3 .tt:Je3 �f8 - now the priority is to un­ cover the rook to deter d4. 1 3 . ...

h7-h6

This prepares . . . �e6 without allowing ltJgS in response. 1 4. h2-h3

�c8-e6!

This is better than the routine 1 4 . . . �f8 as it allows Black to attack the c2 bishop by . . . .ld.c8 after a mass exchange on d4 as in this game.

20. e4-e5 21 . �c1 -d2

tt:lf6-d7

After 2 1 .tiJh5 �f8 Black has a queenside initiative and a safe king. 21 . ... 22. �d4-d3

�e7-c5

2 2 .�f4 tiJf8 - with ideas like . . . d5-d4 or . .. tt:Jg6 Black is better. 22 . ...

�d8-h4

22 . . . �c7 wins the e-pawn for little com­ pensation. 23. l'i:a1 -d 1 24. �d3xd4 25. �d2xh6

'i!fh4-d4 �c5xd4 �d4xe5

25 . . . �xb2 was even better objectively, but the text sets a nice trap, which worked.

1 5. d3-d4

After 1 5 .a4 �f8 1 6.d4 cxd4 1 7 .cxd4 exd4 1 8.tiJxd4 tt:Jxd4 1 9.�xd4 .!lc8 20.�d 1 �c7 2 l..�d3 bxa4!N 22 .�xa4 tt:Jd7 , Black is doing great with . . . tt:JcS coming next. 1 5. 1 6. c3xd4 1 7. tt:lf3xd4 _

c5xd4 e5xd4

1 7 .tt:Je2 d3 1 8.�xd3 tt:Jes 1 9 .tt:Jed4 �d7 20.�c2 l:lc8= . 1 7. ... 1 8. �d1 xd4 1 9. �c2-b3

1 94

tt:lc6xd4 .!la8-c8 d6-d5

26. �b3xd5??

2 6 .�e3 �xb2 2 7 .�xd5 �xdS 28.l:lxd5 tZ'leS and with . . . tt:Jc4 coming Black has the better endgame. 26 . ...

g7xh6

White resigned, because he realized that after 2 7 .�xe6 llxe6 2 8 . 1hd7 �xg3 29 . .!lxe6 Black has 29 . . . 1lc l + with mate to follow.

Chapter 14 -Spanish Offshoots

RL 2 0.6 (C9 1 ) D Navara,David •

Game 14.9

Beliavsky,Alexander Vilnius, 2 0 1 0 ( I )

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 1 0. 11.

e2-e4 th1 -g2 �f2-h4+ 'ib'h4-g4 Wg2-f1 Wf1 -g2

Wg8-g7 �c3-g3 .l:!.b8-c8 l:!c8-c2 lac2xg2 �g3xe1 + �e1 xa5 wg7-h6 �a5-c7 a6-a5 Wh6-g7 'ib'c7-c2+ �c2-d3+ h7-h5

And White resigned. If he moves the queen forward, he will get mated.

215

The Repertoire in Practice I played in the 2 0 1 1 U.S. Open just as I was nearing completion of this book, and so I decided to play strictly according to the repertoire in every game. While my fmal result was nothing special, the openings were a smashing success. I got an advantage in every opening but one in which I 'only' equalized as Black against grandmaster Zapata. In most games I was nearly winning by move 1 2 . Let's look at the openings round by round. For comparison, my own (USCF) rating was 246 5 . I n the first round as White against an 1 8 7 8 rated player, the game went l .d4 f5 2.�g5 h6 3 .�h4 g5 4.�g3 �g7 5.e3 ttJf6 6.h4 d6?! 7.hxg5 hxg5 SJhhS+ �xhS

9.1Llc3 with advantage, though 9 .tLlh3 ! g4 1 O.tt:Jf4 tbe4 1 1 .�h4 would have given a big advantage. In the second round as Black against a 2 0 1 2 rated player, I played the N eo-Grlinfeld and he mixed up his move-order and just blundered a pawn on move 8 . I n the third round as White against a 2 2 0 0 rated player, play went l .d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3 .1Llc3 1le7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.�f4 1Llf6 6.e3 0-0 7.�d3 c6 8.�c2 1Llbd7 9.1Llf3 l:i:e8 1 0.0-0 lt:lfS l l .h3

216

The Repertoire in Practice

This position usually arises with White's bishop on g 5 . Even that position is a bit better for White, but the bishop is clearly better placed on f4. 1 1 . .. lLJg6 1 2 ...1:i.h2 .te6 1 3.l:l:fc 1 .l:lc8 1 4.l:l:ab 1 cS 1 5 .dxc5 iLxcS

Now 1 6 .b4! was best, with a clear advantage as Black has no compensation for his iso­ lated d-pawn here. In the fourth round as Black against a 2 2 7 2 rated opponent, the game went l .c4 g6 2.lLJc3 cS 3.t2Jf3 iLg7 4.e3 lLJf6 S.d4 0-0 6 ..te2 dS (transposing to an e3 Griinfeld) 7.0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 lLJc6 9.cxdS ttJxdS 1 0.h3 ..l:i.e6 .

This position is an exact transposition to the main line of the Tarrasch Defense t o the Queen's Gambit, but with colors reversed. However, although here I am Black, I am not a tempo down as in the Tarrasch line White plays �g5 and later �e3 , but here I played . . . il.e6 directly! So as Black I have achieved a position from the White repertoire against a second-rate defense, so of course this is a success for Black. Play continued 1 1 .l:l:e1 l:rc8 1 2.�gS h6 1 3.�e3 'iVaS 1 4.'iVd2 Wh7 (taking the bishop on e3 was also good now or on the last move) 1 S .a3 t2Jxc3 16.bxc3 .l:lfd8 1 7 .l:l:ab 1 and now I missed I 7 . . .ii.d 5 ! with a clear advantage. .

217

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

In round 5 as White against a 2 5 3 9 rated grandmaster the game went l .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.tt:Jf3 tt::lf6 4.tt::lc 3 dxc4 S.a4 �fs 6.tt::le 5 tt::lb d7 7.tt::lxc4 tt:lb6 s.tt:Jes aS 9.g3 e6 l O.jLg2 �b4 1 1 .0-0 0-0 1 2.e3 h6 1 33We2 �7 1 4J:tdl 'flfe7 1 5 .e4 l:tfd8 1 6.�f4 tt::lfd7 1 7.tt::ld 3 �d6 1 8.jLxd6 'flixd6

And now I missed 1 9.'i¥e 3 ! tt::lc4 2 0 .'i¥c l with advantage, as Black can neither take on d4 nor achieve the needed e5 break. In round 6 as Black against a 2 5 3 9 rated grandmaster play went l .e4 eS 2.tt::l f3 tt::lc6 3.�b5 a6 4.�a4 tt::lf6 5.0-0 �e7 6.l:re l bS 7.jLbJ d6 8.c3 0-0 9.a4 �d7 1 0.d4 h6 l l .h3 l:Ie8 1 2.tt::lbd2 �f8 l J.jLc2 exd4 1 4.tt::lxd4

And now i should have played 1 4 . ..lbe5 ! 1 5 .tt:lfl c5 1 6.tt:le2 �c6 with full equality. In round 7 as White against a 2 2 3 9 rated FIDE master it went l .d4 tt::lf6 2.c4 g6 3.tt::lc 3 dS 4.tt::lf3 jLg7 5.11Vb3 dxc4 6.'flfxc4 0-0 7.e4 tt::lc6 8.�e2 jLg4 9.d5 �xf3 1 0.gxf3 tt::le S l l .'flib3 c6 1 2.f4 tt::le d7 1 3.dxc6 bxc6 (see diagram next page) 218

The Repertoire in Practice

;8 .: 14.�e3?, which allowed Black the equalizing combination 14 .'�i'a5 1 5 .0-0 �ab8 1 6.'�'c2 �xb2 ! . Instead either 1 4.0-0 or 1 4.e5 gives a clear advantage; castling leaves White up the bishop pair in an open position, while 1 4.e5 provokes a dubious pawn sacrifice with 1 4 . ..ttJ dS . •.

In round 8 as Black against a 2 2 0 3 rated opponent, play went l .e4 eS 2.f4 dS 3.exd5 exf4 4.tt:lf3 t2Jf6 S ..tc4 tLlxdS 6.0-0 .te6 7.Wi/e2 �e7 8.d4 0-0 9 .tb3 �e8 1 0.c4 tt:le3 (the computer says 1 O tt:lf6 was a much bigger advantage for Black) l l ..txe3 fxe3 1 2.tt:lc3 •

...

And now I should have played 1 2 . . . �f6 with advantage. In round 9 as White against a 2 3 3 1 rated opponent the game went l .d4 e6 2.c4 fS 3 .tt:lf3 tt:lf6 4.l2Jc3 dS S.�gS (S . .tf4 is also strong) S c6 6.e3 .td6 7 . .td3 0-0 8.0-0 �e8 9.�f4! �e7 1 0.hd6 �xd6. •..

(see diagram next page)

219

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

White is obviously better as Black has traded his good bishop for White's weaker one, and Black also lags in development. Three weeks later I played in the Atlantic Open and again stuck strictly to the repertoire. I got five out of five favorable openings. All opponents were rated above 2 1 0 0 , one was IM and one was FM. In my three White games I won one in 1 7 moves and in the other two I was probably winning by about move 2 0 . In the Black games I was better by moves 7 and 1 4 respectively. Round 1 , White vs. 2 1 7 4: l .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.t2Jf3 t2Jf6 4.lLJc3 e6 s . .igs h6 6 ..itx.f6 �x.f6 7.e3 g6 8.�d3 i.g7 9.0-0 0-0 1 0.e4 dxc4 l l .eS �e7 1 2.�xc4 bS?! 1 3 ..id3 (computer says 1 3 .ile2 was even better) 1 3 ... l2Jd7 1 4.l:rc1 .itb7 1 S.lLJe4 l:!:ab8

Now 1 6. �e 1 keeps Black bottled up and his bishop pair is ineffective and does not compensate for his many problems. I actually played 1 6.lLJd6 , when 1 6 . . . c5 ! would have equalized. Black missed this and I won easily.

220

The Repertoire in Practice

Round 2 , Black vs. 2 2 6 3 (tournament co-winner) : l .e4 eS 2.�c4 tt:lf6 3.d3 c6 4.tt:lf3 dS S .exdS?! cxdS 6.i.b5+ �d7 7.a4 i.d6 (computer likes 7 . . . a6 even more) 8.d4 e4 9.tt:le5 0-0 1 0.0-0

And now 1 O . �e6 ! was best, with advantage to Black. I played 10 ...�c7 and still kept advantage until move 1 9 . ..

Round 3 , White vs. 2 1 7 2 : l .d4 ctJf6 2.c4 g6 3.ltJc3 �g7 4.e4 d6 S.ttJf3 0-0 6.ilLe2 eS 7.0-0 tt:lbd7 8.�e3 exd4?! 9.tt:lxd4 tt:lcS 1 0.f3 tt:le6 l l .ctJc2 a6 12.�d2 J:!.bS 1 3.l::la dl �d7

Now best was 1 4.c5 ! tt:le8 1 5 f4 ! with a probably winning advantage. I played 14.f4 di­ rectly and won a piece on move 1 8 . .

Round 4 White vs. FM, 2 246: l .d4 f5 2.i.gs tt:lf6?! 3.�xf6 exf6 4.e3 dS S.c4 i.b4+ 6.tt:lc3 �xc3+?! 7.bxc3 c6 8.�c2 �e6 9.cxd5 cxdS?! 1 0.�d3 �d7 l l .ltJe2 tt:lc6 1 2.J:!.b l .!lb8?! 1 3.tt:lf4 g6 ,

221

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black

1 4.c4 (computer says 1 4.h4 was objectively best and close to winning) 14 ... dxc4 1 5.�xc4 kxc4 1 6.'ifxc4 'iff7?? (Black should play 1 6 . . . llc8 with a bad but maybe not lost position) 1 7.'ifxc6 +! Resigned. Round 5 , Black vs. IM, 2 5 2 1 : l .e4 eS 2.�c4 tt:lf6 3.d3 c6 4/t:Jf3 dS 5.�b3 �b4+ 6.c3 �d6 7.tt:lbd2 0-0 8.0-0 tt:lbd7 9.llel l:!.e8 I O.tt:lfl h6 l l .tLlg3 ttJfS 1 2.h3 tt:lg6= 1 3.tt:lh2?! �cS (maybe 1 3 . . ..te6 was even better) 1 4.tLlh5

And now I should have traded knights and then played . . . ke6 , with advantage. I actu­ ally played 14 ...�e6 directly, which allowed 1 5.tt:lxf6+ 'ifxf6 1 6.d4, but after 1 6 ...�b6 I retained an edge. So as you can see, the repertoire worked very well, even against two grandmasters. In fourteen games, only one player, a GM playing White, managed to reach an equal ope­ ning against my repertoire! Now if only I could play the whole game as well as the ope­ ning. . ! .

222

Index of Variations ( Black) U n usual O pen ing M oves :i .. .t if � .t .. .i .t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .t.

I .b4 (Polish) l ...e5 2 ...1lb2 bb4 3 ..be5 lLlf6 (Game 1 . 1 ) . l .b3 (Larsen) l . . . e5 2 . .2.b2 lLlc6 3 .e3 lLlf6 4 ..2.b5 .2.d6 5 .lLla3 lLla5 (Game 1 .2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l .f4 (Bird) 1 ... lLlf6 2.lLlf3 d5 - 3 .e3 - 3.g3 c6 4 ...\lg2 'iWb6 (Game 1 . 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.8 .9 12 12

1 .c4 g 6 - English Opening 2.lLlf3 c5 3.g3 kg? 4.kg2 lLlc6 (Game 2 . 1 ) . . . . . . . . . . 2 .e4 e5 - 3 .lLlf3 ..llg 7 4.d4 exd4 5 .lLlxd4 lLlf6 6.lLlc3 0-0 . . . - 3 .d4 lLlf6 4.lLlf3 exd4 5 .e5 lLle4 6.'ilixd4 ..llb4+ (Game 2.2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l .lLlf3 lLlf6 2 .g3 d5 3 . .2.g2 g6 - 4.0-0 .2.g7 5 .d3 0-0 6.lLlbd2 d4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 4.c4 dxc4 (Reti) (Game 2.3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

!'!, £:, £:, !'!, £:, !'!, £:, .l:I tt:l �'if� � ltj �

18 20 20 22 22

1 .tt::lf 3 tt::lf6 2.c4 b6 - Queen's I ndian versus Reti 3 .g3 .2.b7 4.kg2 g6 5 .d4 .2.g7 (Game 3 . I ) . . . . . . . . 3 .d4 ..llb 7 4.lLlc3 e6 - 5 ...\lg5 h6 6 . ..\lh4 .2.e7 (Game 3.2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 5 .a3 d5 6.cxd5 lLlxd5 - 7 . ..lld2 lLld7 (Game 3 .3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 7.e3 ..lle 7 (Game 3 .4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 7 . 'iWc2 lLlxc3 - 8.'iWxc3 h6 - 8.bxc3 c5 (Game 3 . 5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

:i � .t � � .t :i .t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .t. .. .t. !'!,

.

.

28 29 3I 32

34

1 .tt::lf3 tt:Jf6 2.c4 g 6 3 .tt::l c 3 d5 - Anti -Grunfeld 4.'iWa4+ ..lld 7 5 .'iWb3 dxc4 6.'fkxc4 a6 - 7 .e4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 9 - 7 .g3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 . - 7 .d4 b5 8 .'iWb3 c5 (Game 4. 1 ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 4.cxd5 lLlxd5 - 5 .e4 lLlxc3 6.dxc3 'iWxd l + 7 .Wxd l (Game 4.2) . . . 4 1 - 5 .'iWb3 lLlb6 6.d4 ..llg 7 7 .e4 kg4 - 5 .'iWc2 lLlc6 6.d4 lLldb4 7 .'iWa4 kd7 (Game 4.3) . . 44 - 5 .'iWa4+ lLlc6 (Game 4.4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 - 5.g3 .2.g7 6.kg2 0-0 7.0-0 c5 (Game 4.5) . . . . . . . 49

223

The Kaufman Repertoire for Black 1 .d4 tt:Jf6 - Queen's Pawn O pen i ngs 2.