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Keene
On Chess
GM
Raymond Keene |
 Gothic Chess
is a chess variant that adds two new pieces to the traditional 16 in
each player's army:
a chancellor, moving like a Rook or a knight
(pictured), and an archbishop, moving like a bishop or a knight.
The board is necessarily expanded to 10x10 squares to accommodate the new
pieces. Learn more about
Gothic Chess here. |
An All-Purpose Black Defence
Starting this
month, I want to suggest an all-purpose Black defence to any White opening
move – and it won’t involve too much theory or the memorization of lengthy
variations. Prompted by new research that suggests a key line of the
Caro-Kann Defence has been revived with some fresh ideas for Black, the key
move of the system is ...c6 and the basic defences are the Bronstein Larsen
variation of the Caro-Kann and the Slav Defence with an early ... a6.
I kick off with an impressive Black win in the Caro-Kann by Bent Larsen
himself showing how to make maximum use of the open g-file that results from
the Bronstein-Larsen variation.
Boris Spassky vs Bent Larsen
Buenos Aires 1979
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5
3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Nxf6+
       
  
     
If 5 Ng3 then 5
... g6 is a good way for Black to proceed.
5 ... gxf6 6
Be2 Bf5
6 ... Rg8 7 Bf3 e5
was unclear in the game Timman – Bellon, Amsterdam 1978.
7 Nf3 Qc7 8 0-0
e6 9 c4 Nd7 10 d5
10 Be3 is worth
consideration.
10 ... 0-0-0 11
Be3
Here 11 Nd4 at
once is more testing for Black.
11 ... c5 12 b4
Rg8
Black prepares to
implement the g-file counterattack that is the hallmark of his counterplay
in this variation.
13 bxc5
13 Kh1 is a
possibility.
13 ... Bxc5 14
Nd4 Bh3 15 g3
If 15 Bf3 then 15
... Ne5. Instead Spassky commits himself to a sacrifice of rook for
bishop.
15 ... Bxf1 16
Bxf1
16 Qxf1 might be
better. Now Black’s attack moves quickly.
16 ... Ne5 17
Rb1 Ng4 18 Bc1 h5 19 Rb3 h4 20 Ba3 hxg3 21 hxg3 f5 22 Bxc5 Qxc5 23 Rb5 Qd6
24 Qb3 f4 25 Rxb7 fxg3 26 Rxa7 gxf2+ 27 Kg2 Qh2+ 28 Kf3 Qh1+
29 Kg3 Nf6+
Larsen has
conducted the attack with great élan but he now overlooks the most effective
continuation, which is: 29... Ne3+ 30.Kxf2 Qxf1+ 31.Kxe3 Rg3+ or 30.Kf4 Rg4+
and would prompt immediate resignation. [Editor: even stronger
still is Fritz's suggestion: 29...Nh2+ 30.Kf4 (30.Kxf2 Qxf1+ leads
directly to mate) 30...Rg4+ 31.Ke3 (31.Ke5 Qe4+ 32.Kf6 Rf4+ and
mate-in-two) 31...Nxf1+ and Black's position is overwhelming.]
30 Kxf2 Qh4+ 31
Ke2 Qe4+ 32 Qe3 Qxe3+ 33 Kxe3 Rg3+ 34 Kd2 exd5 35 Nf5 Kb8
Not 35 ... Rf3 36
Ne7+
36 Rxf7 dxc4+
37 Kc2 Rf3 38 Ng3 Rf2+ 39 Be2 Rg8 White resigns
One of the most
famous black victories in the Bronstein-Larsen variation. A great win
by Larsen against a great opponent, marred only slightly by the blind spot
on move 29.
Now lets take a
look at the fashionable line of the Slav defence involving ... c6 as being a
universal opening solution for Black. I will be taking a look at the
Slav Defence with ... a6, an old idea that has been revived recently and is
proving popular with today’s leading players.
The basic position
arises after:
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6
3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3
and now the key
move is...
4 ... a6!?
This prepares ...
b7-b5 while keeping other options open.
5 e3 g6 6 Be2
Bg7 7 0-0 0-0 8 b3 Bg4
This solves the
problem of the development of Black’s queen’s bishop. The following is
a typical game for the variation and we join it after Black’s 8th move:
Miso Cebalo vs Raymond Keene
World Student Team Championship
Harrachov 1967
9 h3 Bxf3 10
Bxf3 e6 11 Qc2 Nbd7 12 Ba3 Re8 13 Rad1 Qc7 14 Rc1 Rac8 15 Qb1 Qb8 16 e4
This is a thematic
break but in this case probably premature since Black can immediately strike
back.
16 ... e5 17
exd5 exd4 18 Ne4 Nxe4 19 Bxe4 c5 20 Rfe1 a5 21.Rcd1 Bh6 22 Bb2 Qd6 23 Bd3
Ne5 24 a3 Re7 25 Bf1 Rce8 26 b4 b6 27 bxc5 bxc5 28 a4 Qb8 29 Qa1
29...Qd6
29 ... Bd2 is a
remarkable possibility, as the following are feasible:
a) After 30 Rxd2
Black wins beautifully with 30 ... Nf3+ 31 gxf3 Rxe1 32 Qa2 Rxf1+ 33 Kxf1
Qh2 and mate follows on h1.
b) After 30 Rxe5
Black wins with 30 ... Rxe5 31 Bxd4 cxd4 32 Rxd2 Re1 33 Rd1 Qb4.
c) 30 Re2 Nf3+ 31
gxf3 Rxe2 is also very good for Black.
d) 30 Re4 is the
only move when White may be able to hang on.
30 Ba3 Qc7 31
Kh1 d3
Black’s passed
d-pawn now assumes major significance. White cannot now play 32 Bxd3
as after 32 ... Nxd3 33 Rxe7 Nxf2+ 34 Kg1 Nxh3+, his position falls apart.
32 Qc3 d2 33
Re2 Ng4 34 hxg4 Rxe2 35 Bb2 R2e5 36 g3 f6 37 Kg2 Qe7 38 Qxa5 Re1 39 Rxd2
Qe4+ 40 f3 Bxd2 White resigns
To my
astonishment, after resigning my opponent screwed up his scoresheet and
threw it on the floor.
Flank openings
also permit the use of ... c6 as a universal antidote. I have already
analysed the Bronstein-Larsen variation of the Caro-Kann as well as the
Modern Slav with an early ... a6. Now I give a model game where ... c6
is deployed against White’s use of the double-fianchetto:
Daniel King vs Ray Keene
London 1982
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 g3
d5 3 Bg2 c6 4 d3 Bg4
White is now often
tempted to chase the bishop, which is a double-edged weapon. White’s
kingside pawns may become a bludgeon or a weakness.
5 Nbd2 Nbd7 6
0-0 e5 7 e4 Bd6 8 Re1 0-0 9 h3 Bh5
White’s next
manoeuvre seeks also to mobilise his queen’s bishop in fianchetto, but it is
rather time consuming and Black seizes the opportunity to expand in the
centre and on the queen’s flank.
10 b3 Re8 11
Bb2 d4
Locks the white
queen’s bishop out of play for some time to come.
12 a3 c5 13 Nf1
b5
Black has won the
queenside skirmish, so White turns his attention to the other wing. He
seeks to regain the initiative by hounding the black queen’s bishop.
14 g4 Bg6 15
Ng3 Nf8 16 Bc1 Ne6
Black prepares to
fasten onto the debility of f4 in the wake of White’s bold advance.
17 Nf5 Bc7 18
Bd2 Nd7 19 h4 h5
A key move.
White’s pawns must not be allowed to become a mobile juggernaut.
20 Bh3 hxg4 21
Bxg4 Nf4 22 Ng5 Nf8
It appears that
White is massing his forces for a direct attack against the black king,
while Black is hoping to block the enemy efforts there, whilst expanding on
the queenside. Now, though, a sudden switch of fronts takes place.
23 a4 N8e6
White lunges at
Black’s queenside, but Black ignores it.
24 axb5 Nxg5 25
hxg5 Qxg5 26 Ng3 Qh4 27 Bd7
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