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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
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
27...Re6!!
The key move in
Black’s counter-attack. By sacrificing rook for bishop, Black gains
control of the f-file as a future avenue of aggression and simultaneously
annihilates White’s command of the kingside light squares, which derives
solely from the existence of his light squared bishop.
28 Bxe6 fxe6
White now tries to
reduce Black’s attacking force - shooting down one of the vultures hovering
ominously around his king.
29 Bxf4 exf4 30
Nh1 Bh5 31 f3 Rf8 32 Rf1 Rf6
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
However, the
concentration of Black’s energy now proves too powerful. White’s defences
crumble.
33 Rf2 Rh6
Lining up for the
sacrificial kill. White overlooks the finish, but by now there was
little he could do.
34 Qe2
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
And Black
announced mate in three.
34 ... Qxh1+ 35
Kxh1 Bxf3+ 36 Kg1 Rh1 checkmate
I revert now to a
highly critical line of the Bronstein-Larsen Caro-Kann with further
discussion of my all-purpose defence to any White opening based on the black
move ... c6.
The critical
line-INDEED OFTEN THOUGHT TO BE A REFUTATION- has long been considered the
semi-waiting move 6.c3 that avoids the pin ... Bg4 and prepares to
fianchetto White’s king’s bishop. This manoeuvre strengthens White’s
kingside and aims the white bishop at Black’s queenside, discouraging
...0-0-0 – an integral part of Black’s plan. However, a new finesse
(revealed in the note to move nine of this game) breathes fresh energy into
the black position.
Nigel Short vs Yasser
Seirawan
Monte Carlo Rapidplay 1993
1 e4 c6 2 Nc3
d5 3 Nf3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Nxf6+ gxf6 6 d4 Bf5 7 c3 Nd7 8 g3 Qa5 9 Bg2
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
The critical
variation here is 9 Qe2 Bg4! 10 Bg2 0-0-0 11 h3 Bh5 12 0-0 e5 when Black
plans ... Bd6. This way I believe Black can fight for the initiative
and can obtain a fully viable middlegame. Without this resource I
think Black faces a possibly insurmountable uphill task!
9 ... Qb5
Now Black has easy
play. His control of the key f1-a6 diagonal is very annoying for White
- he cannot castle and by offering the exchange of queens all attacking
possibilities are drained from his position.
10 a4 Qd3 11
Qxd3 Bxd3 12 Be3 a5 13 0-0-0 Be4 14 Nh4 Bxg2 15 Nxg2 Nb6 16 b3 Nd5 17 Bd2 e6
18 Kc2 0-0-0
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
Black stands
perfectly well in this endgame.
19 Ne1 h5 20 h4
Bh6 21 Nd3 Bxd2 22 Rxd2 Kc7 23 Rhd1 Ne7 24 Ne1 Nf5 25 Ng2 e5 26 dxe5 Rxd2+
27 Rxd2 fxe5 28 Rd3 Nd6 29 Re3 Re8 30 Ne1 f6 31 Nd3 b6 32 Re2 Kd7 33 Nb2 Ke6
34 Nd3 Kf5
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
The king is a
strong piece in the endgame. Here, the black king has spotted a
weakness in White’s kingside pawn structure.
35 Re3 Kg4 36
Kd1 e4 37 Nf4 Nf5 38 Re2 Nxh4
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
Thanks to his
active king, Black has won a pawn and the rest of the game is a mopping-up
operation.
39 Rd2 Nf5 40
Ng2 e3 41 Re2 exf2 42 Rxf2 Re5 43 Ne1 Kxg3 44 Rg2+ Kf4 45 Rg6 Re6 46 Kd2 h4
47 Nd3+ Kf3 48 Ne1+ Kf2 49 Nd3+ Kf1 50 Nf4 Rd6+ 51 Kc1 Kf2 52 Nh3+ Kf3 53
Rg1 Ng3 54 Kc2 f5 55 Re1 Ne4 56 Ng1+ White resigns
The Slav Defence I
have been suggesting in this column was put to a severe but instructive test
recently in the M-Tel Masters in Sofia, Bulgaria – one of the strongest
tournaments of the year. Here is a key game between the FIDE world
champion and the resurgent Gata Kamsky – the American grandmaster who has
come back to chess after an extensive sabbatical.
Veselin Topalov vs Gata
Kamsky
M-Tel Masters, Sofia 2006
 |
 |
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6
3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
As recommended
above.
5 c5
This blockade is
one of the most ambitious continuations. After 5.c5 the queen side
position usually remains blocked for a long while, since the pawn break ...
b6 would leave the c5-square weak.
5...Nbd7
Nowadays, this is
considered to be the most flexible move, but I would recommend the immediate
5 … g6. For example: 6 Bf4 Bg7 7 h3 0-0 8 e3 Nbd7 9 Bd3 Ne8 10 Rc1 f6
11 e4 e5 12 dxe5 Nxc5 13 exd5 fxe5 14 Be3 Nxd3+ 15 Qxd3 e4 16 Qxe4 Nf6 17
Qc4 Nxd5 18 Nxd5 Be6 19 0-0 Bxd5 with a huge advantage for Black, Kasparov -
Comp Chess Genius 3.0, Cologne 1995.
6 Bf4 Nh5 7 Bd2
Nhf6 8 Rc1 g6 9 h3 Qc7 10 g3 Bg7
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
Topalov knew from
his own experience that 10 ... e5 is risky, e.g. 11 Nxe5 Nxe5 12 Bf4!? Nfd7
13 e4 g5 14 Bxg5 Ng6 15 exd5 Bg7 16 Qe2+ Kf8 17 d6 Qa5 18 Be3 with three
pawns for the sacrificed knight and considerable spatial advantage for
White, Vallejo - Topalov, Monte Carlo 2006.
11 Bf4 Qd8 12
Bg2 Nh5 13 Bg5 h6 14 Bd2 0-0 15 e4 dxe4 16 Nxe4 Nhf6 17 Nc3 Re8 18 0-0 Nf8
19 Qb3! Ne6 20 Be3 Nc7 21 Ne5 Nfd5 22 Nxd5 Nxd5 23 Bd2
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
In spite of
Black’s control of d5, White exerts strong pressure and Black cannot easily
develop his queenside.
23 ... Bxe5
This is an obvious
concession, but the generally desirable 23 ...Rb8? – preparing ...Be6 – is
impossible in view of 24.Nxc6.
24 dxe5 h5 25
Rfe1 Qc7 26 e6!
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
White gives up
material to split Black’s defensive resources and isolate his king.
This type of sacrifice has been known since Benko-Keres, Piatigorsky Cup
1963, in which it was carried out by Black.
26 ... Bxe6 27
Rxe6 fxe6 28 Re1
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
The lack of
communication between Black’s wings leaves the king in a dangerous
situation.
28 ... Qd7 29
Qd3 Kh7 30 Re5 Nf6 31 Qe3 Kg7 32 Be4 Kf7 33 Bc2 Rad8
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
Kamsky intends to
solve his problems by centralising his major pieces. However, the
weakness of his kingside means this does not help. A computer might
have played something ugly such as 33 ... Rg8 followed by ... Rg7, although
White’s compensation remains apparent.
34 Qh6 Rg8 35
Ba5 Qd4 36 Bc3 Qc4 37 Bb3 Qd3 38 Bxe6+ Ke8 39 Kg2 Rf8 40 Qg7 Rd5 41 Bf5 Rf7
42 Rxe7+! Black resigns
A spectacular
coup, utterly dislocating Black’s rickety defences. Black is soon
mated and therefore resigned. A highly typical White game by the
energetic Topalov. Although his treatment tests the ... a6 Slav, it by
no means refutes it.
My conclusion is
that the Slav, the Caro Kann and anti flank openings systems based on ...c6
are fully viable, strategically reliable and easy to learn the key sharp
variations for White. As shown in Short v Seirawan and Topalov v
Kamsky, both offer Black plenty of counterplay! I would be interested
to hear of viewers games and experiences with these lines.
-
Ray Keene
Keene On Chess Index
Gothic Chess
As we sit down
to play chess, probably very few of you, if any at all, reflect on the fact
that chess was not always the "packaged game" that it is today. Chess
has already undergone many changes over the centuries!
Literature often ascribes the game’s origin to a man named Sissa, a Brahman
Indian in the court of Rajah Balhait. Sissa called the game
chaturanga meaning “army composed of four members”. When Alexander
the Great invaded India in 326 b.c.,
the Indian Army featured the same four components that had already appeared
in the game of chaturanga, namely: chariots, foot soldiers, horses,
and elephants. These early incarnations of the game (with two-player
and four-player variations, each with or without dice) bore little
resemblance to the 64-square board of recent times.
Many cultures have their own preferred board game, which can trace its
origins back to either chataranga or one of its very
early offshoots. In essence, what becomes ‘the variant’ or what
remains the mainstream game over the course of time is highly subjective and
varies from culture to culture. Given that this is the case, there is
no harm in at least asking the question: “Is the current configuration
of the chessboard
the one that
results in the most satisfying game?”
This must have been on the mind of the
great José Capablanca. With his astonishing tournament record you have to wonder: "Why
would he want to change the game?" He foresaw that draws among
the chess elite would become very commonplace...Read
More!
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