how to beat 1e4

How to Beat d4 James Rizzitano [e3Ah~IBIIT First published in the UK by Gambit Publications Ltd 2005 Copyright © James Rizzitano 2005 The right of James Rizzitano to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication data is available from the British Library ISBN 904600 33 DISTRIBUTION: Worldwide (except USA): Central Books Ltd, 99 Wallis Rd, London E9 5LN Tel +44 (0)20 89864854 Fax +44 (0)20 8533 5821 E-mail: orders@Centralbooks.com USA: Continental Enterprises Group, Inc., 302 West North 2nd Street, Seneca, SC 29678, USA For all other enquiries (including a full list of all Gambit chess titles) please contact the publishers, Gambit Publications Ltd, Bradmore Park Rd, Hammersmith, London W6 ODS, England E-mail: info@gambitbooks.com Or visit the GAMBIT web site at http://www.gambitbooks.com Edited by Graham Burgess Typeset by John Nunn Cover image by Wolff Morrow Printed in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press, Trowbridge, Wilts 10 Gambit Publications Ltd Managing Director: GM Murray Chandler Chess Director: GM John Nunn Editorial Director: PM Graham Burgess German Editor: WPM Petra Nunn Contents Symbols Dedication Acknow ledgements Bibliography Introduction 4 Part 1: Queen's Gambit Accepted 10 11 White's Third Move Alternatives Central Variation Mannheim Variation Two Knights Variation Furman Variation Classical Variation: White's Seventh Move Alternatives Classical Variation: a4 Classical Variation: i.b3 Classical Variation: 'iVe2 b5 i.d3 Classical Variation: 'iVe2 b5 i.b3 i.b7 a4 Classical Variation: 'iVe2 b5 i.b3 i.b7 Mdl 10 14 24 28 38 43 60 72 80 85 94 Part 2: Queen's Pawn Games (White plays without c4) 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Hodgson Attack: d4 d5 i.g5 Veresov Opening: d4 d5 ct:Jc3 ct:Jf6 i.g5 London System: d4 d5 ct:Jf3 ct:Jf6 i.f4 King's Fianchetto: d4 d5 2ct:Jf3 ct:Jf6 g3 Torre Attack: d4 d5 ct:Jf3 ct:Jf6 i.g5 Colle System: d4 d5 ct:Jf3 ct:Jf6 e3 Stonewall Attack: d4 d5 e3 ct:Jf6 i.d3 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: d4 d5 e4 Index of Variations 103 112 125 132 136 141 152 155 158 Symbols + ++ check double check checkmate # !! brilliant move good move !? interesting move ?! dubious move ? bad move ?? blunder White is winning +± White is much better ;!; White is slightly better = equal position Black is slightly better =+= Black is much better + Black is winning -+ Ch championship Cht team championship Wch world championship Wcht world team championship Ech Echt ECC Ct IZ Z OL jr worn rpd tt sim corr qual 1-0 liz-liz 0-1 (n) (D) European championship European team championship European Clubs Cup candidates event interzonal event zonal event olympiad junior event women's event rapidplay game team tournament game from simultaneous display correspondence game qualifying event the game ends in a win for White the game ends in a draw the game ends in a win for Black nth match game see next diagram Dedication To my Dad Acknowledgements Thanks to Joe Fang for access to his outstanding chess library Special thanks to my wife Kim and to our children Jillian and Jay for their enthusiasm and support Bibliography Books Aagaard, J & Lund, E.: Meeting d4, Everyman 2002 Adams, 1.: Richter Veresov System, The Chess Player 1988 Baburin, A.: Winning Pawn Structures, Batsford 1999 Bellin, R.: Queen's Pawn: Veresov System, Batsford 1983 Bronznik, Y.: The Colle-Koltanowski System, Kania 2004 Buckley, G.: Easy Guide to the Queen's Gambit Accepted, Cadogan/Gambit 1998 Burgess, G.: 101 Chess Opening Surprises, Gambit 1998 Burgess, G.: The Gambit Guide to the Torre Attack, Gambit 1999 Davies, N.: The Veresov, Everyman 2003 Dunnington, A.: Attacking with d4, Everyman 2002 Flear, G.: New Ideas in the Queen's Gambit Accepted, Batsford 1994 Gallagher, J.: Beating the Anti-King's Indians, Batsford 1996 Harding, T.: Colle, London and Blackmar-Diemer Systems, Batsford 1979 Janjgava, L.: The Petroff, Gambit 2001 Khalifman, A.: Opening for White According to Kramnik 0.j3, Volume 4, Chess Stars 2002 Lane, G.: Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, Batsford 1995 Lane, G.: Ideas Behind the Modern Chess Openings, Batsford 2002 Lane, G.: The Ultimate Colle, Batsford 2001 Matanovi6, A ed.: Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings C ('ECO'), 4th ed., Sahovski Informator 2000 Matanovi6, A ed.: Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings D ('ECO'), 4th ed., 2004; 3rd ed., 1998; 2nd ed., 1987; 1st ed., 1976 (Sahovski Informator) Neishtadt, I.: Queen's Gambit Accepted, Cadogan 1996 Nunn, 1., Burgess, G., Emms, J & Gallagher, J.: Nunn's Chess Openings (,NCO'), GambitJEveryman 1999 Palliser, R.: Play d4!, Batsford 2003 Sakaev, K & Sernkov, S.: The Queen's Gambit Accepted, Chess Stars 2003 Sawyer, T.: Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Keybook, Thinker's Press 1992 Varnusz, E.: The Queen's Gambit Accepted, Schmidt Schach 1997 Ward, C.: The Queen's Gambit Accepted, Batsford 1999 Watson, J.: 40.c3 Gambit in the Queen's Gambit Accepted and Slav, Chess Enterprises 1986 Electron ie/Period ieals ChessBase Mega Database 2004 ChessBase Opening Encyclopaedia 2002 Chess Mail MegaCorr3 2003 Jeremy Silman's website New In Chess Magazine New In Chess Yearbook (up to No 74) Sahovski Informator (up to No 92) Schipkov, B.: Queen's Gambit Accepted (CD), ChessBase 2002 The Week In Chess (up to No 554 dated 20 June 2005) Introduction The goal of writing How to Beat d4 is to provide the reader with a solid, dynamic opening repertoire versus d4 There are no shortcuts or secret variations which enable Black magically to seize the initiative from White during the opening phase of the game - in order to beat d4 we must fIrst neutralize d4 Here are my criteria for selecting an opening: 1) The opening must be played with regularity by strong players 2) The opening must have a healthy theoretical reputation 3) The opening must be solid - the characteristic positions should not require the player to incur excessive risk (time loss, material defIcit, or space disadvantage) 4) The opening must be dynamic - the major variations should enable the player to develop active counterplay If an opening passes the fIrst criterion above, then the other criteria often fall into place strong players prefer to play openings in which they have a reasonable expectation of achieving success The highly-regarded Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) is the foundation of our opening repertoire versus d4 The QGA has been played by all of the fIrst 14 World Champions recent titleholders Kramnik, Kasparov and Karpov have contributed to the development of several critical lines Fischer and Spas sky had some topical QGA battles during their 1992 match Other modem players including Anand, Ponomariov, Shirov, Ivanchuk, Kariakin, Rublev sky, Sadler, Short, and Seirawan have contributed to the development of QGA opening theory The QGA is a suitable opening for all players, not just World Champions and worldclass grandmasters - one of the advantages for the club and tournament competitor is that the characteristic positions can be understood by players of widely varying ability Black's opening strategy conforms to classical development principles because he fIghts for his share of the centre and he can usually develop his pieces quickly and safeguard his king Black usually does not have to worry about being overrun by a central pawn steamroller, he does not have to struggle with a bad bishop, and he does not have to embark on any complicated knight tours to complete his development A classical opening can be a powerful and effective weapon in your opening arsenal, especially in view of today's increasingly faster time-limits The QGA is difficult for a d4 player to avoid if he wants to fight for an advantage because the opening arises after only two moves - you will be learning lines which you will actually have the opportunity to play! A black repertoire has also been provided to combat Queen's Pawn Games in which White plays without c4 - the result is a complete one-volume repertoire versus d4 How to Beat d4 is an opening repertoire book written from the perspective of the black player, though white players will benefIt from the objective coverage of topical lines and the numerous suggested improvements for both sides The recommended lines against White's various options have been developed by carefully analysing the games and opening preferences of the world's best players I have investigated all game sources at my disposal including correspondence and e-mail games Correspondence chess plays an important role in advancing the theoretical knowledge of many sharp variations, particularly in lines that tournament players may be reluctant to try over the board I have provided mUltiple solutions to combat White's main variations and within these lines some alternative options have also been examined Many players will be content with learning a single variation, but it is useful to have alternatives ready in the event a particular line runs into some difficulty - it doesn't hurt to keep your opponents guessing either! Let's explore the main line of the QGA and investigate the alternative moves for each player INTRODUCTION We shall also identify the specific variations which fonn the basis of our opening repertoire: d4 The Queen's Gambit Accepted can also be reached by some other common move-orders: • lLlf3 d5 d4lLlf6 c4 dxc4 • lLlf3 d5 c4 dxc4 e3 (3 lLla3 is a Reti Opening and is outside the scope of this book) lLlf6 txc4 e6 d4 c5 d5 This move is necessary if Black wishes to playa QGA - after lLlf6 c4, the opportunity has passed 2c4 White has several alternatives at this juncture; some may transpose into a QGA (for example, lLlf3 lLlf6 c4 dxc4), and some are truly independent openings if White decides to play without the c4 pawn advance (Part of this book - ECO code range DOO-D05): • tg5 is covered in Chapter 12: Hodgson Attack • 2lLlc3lLlf6 iog5 is covered in Chapter 13: Veresov Opening • 2lLlf3 lLlf6 tf4 is covered in Chapter 14: London System • lLlf3 lLlf6 g3 is covered in Chapter 15: King's Fianchetto • 2lLlf3 lLlf6 iog5 is covered in Chapter 16: Torre Attack • lLlf3 lLlf6 e3 is covered in Chapter 17: Colle System • e3 lLlf6 i.d3 is covered in Chapter 18: Stonewall Attack • e4 is covered in Chapter 19: BlackmarDiemer Gambit There are a couple of important points to remember about these openings: • Queen's Pawn Games in which White plays without c4 not give White a theoretical opening advantage • Queen's Pawn Games should be treated with the utmost respect Of course this last statement can be made about all openings, but one of the challenges in facing these aggressive attacking lines is that your opponent is likely to be more familiar with the thematic positions than you are - in the hands of an experienced attacking player, they are extremely dangerous With the exception of the Stonewall Attack and the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, these openings have frequently been employed by strong grandmasters with very good results - they can be used as an occasional surprise weapon or as part of an attacking repertoire Our repertoire includes a solid response to all of these aggressive lines dxc4 (D) w This is the characteristic move of the Queen's Gambit Accepted (Part of this book - ECO code range D20-D21 and D23-D29) Rather than bolster the centre by playing e6 (Queen's Gambit Declined) or c6 (Slav Defence), Black immediately exchanges his d5-pawn for White's c4-pawn What is the strategy behind this move? Shouldn't Black wait until White has moved his light-squared bishop before capturing the pawn so as to gain a tempo? If only chess were so simple! One of the ideas behind the immediate pawn capture is to retain the possibility of playing the e7-e5 pawn-break in a single move (not possible in the Queen's Gambit Declined, although Black frequently plays a later e6-e5 advance to free his game) and also to retain the possibility of playing the c7 -c5 pawn-break in one move (not possible in the Slav Defence, although Black sometimes plays a later c6-c5 advance to free his game) The dxc4 capture is flexible - White may lose some time recapturing the c4-pawn, and Black will gauge White's reply before deciding upon a response Of course we cannot conclude that anyone of these openings is superior to another - they are simply different methods of working toward the common goal of developing Black's pieces 3lLlf3 How TO BEAT d4 This is the most frequently played move here - White prevents Black from playing e5 White has several alternatives: • ~a4+, tDc3, and e3 are covered in Chapter 1: White's Third Move Alternatives The move e3 is the most important of these as it is sometimes used as a move-order finesse to bypass the i.g4 variations • e4 is covered in Chapter 2: Central Variation This is one of White's most popular and ambitious attempts to obtain an opening advantage because he immediately seizes the centre and prepares to recapture the c4pawn Our repertoire response is the traditional counterstroke e5, whereby Black immediately stakes his claim to the centre tDf6 Black continues his development and prevents White from playing e4 The minor alternative a6 (Alekhine Variation - ECO code D22) is not part of our repertoire 4e3 This is the most popular move here; White has a couple of alternatives: • 'iVa4+ is covered in Chapter 3: Mannheim Variation Our repertoire reply is the solid tDc6 • tDc3 is covered in Chapter 4: Two Knights Variation White continues developing and usually offers to make it a true gambit Our repertoire reply is the traditional a6 and includes both a solid and a sharp response to White's attacking ambitions There are several alternatives here: a) c5 is not part of our repertoire b) tDc6 transposes into the Queen's Gambit Chigorin Defence c) e6 usually transposes into the Queen's Gambit Vienna Variation after e4 i.b4 i.g5 d) c6 transposes into the Slav Defence see The Slav by Graham Burgess for coverage of this opening 4••• e6 Black opens the diagonal for his dark-squared bishop and prepares to challenge White's d4pawn by playing c5 The alternative i.g4 is not part of our repertoire 5.i.xc4 White recaptures his pawn ••c5 (D) W Black immediately challenges the white d4pawn - this is the starting position for the Classical Variation 0-0 White continues his development by safeguarding his king White has a popular alternative here: • ~e2 is covered in Chapter 5: Furman Variation White prepares to play dxc5 followed by a quick e4 pawn advance - the queen move avoids a potential exchange of queens This attacking variation has been very popular over the past several years •a6 Black prepares to win a tempo by playing b5, kicking the white bishop away and clearing the b7-square for his own bishop Many of the queen's pawn openings revolve around a battle for tempi involving the light-squared bishops The older cxd4 (Steinitz Variation) is not part of our repertoire 7~e2 This is the main line of the Classical Variation White has plenty of alternatives here: • tDbd2, tDc3, e4, dxc5, b3, a3, and i.d3 are all covered in Chapter 6: Classical Variation: White's Seventh Move Alternatives • a4 is covered in Chapter 7: Classical Variation: a4 • i.b3 is covered in Chapter 8: Classical Variation: 7.i.b3 b5 (D) Black follows through with the plan of queenside expansion The alternative tDc6 is also part of our repertoire and is covered in Chapter 5: Furman Variation - this position is frequently INTRODUCTION reached via the move-order 'i\Ve2 (instead of 0-0) a6 0-0 lLlc6 Now White has a choice between 10 e4 and 10 lLlc3 - these lines are covered in Chapter 11: Classical Variation: 'i\Ve2 b5 tb3 iLb7 %:tdl w tb3 White has another bishop retreat: • i d3 is covered in Chapter 9: Classical Variation: 'i\Ve2 b5 td3 •••i b7 The light-squared bishop takes up a strong position on the long diagonal 9.l:!.dl The rook slides over to control a central file White has a popular alternative here: • a4 is covered in Chapter 10: Classical Variation: 'i\Ve2 b5 i b3 tb7 a4 White immediately attacks the b5-pawn lLlbd7 I have spent the past year writing this book during the evening hours, and I want the reader to know that I have independently analysed every position in the book, and I have not quoted any author's analysis without independently verifying the variations on a board with my own eyes and with various chess engines I have also concentrated on identifying and extending the theory of critical opening positions because I believe this is the extra value that a good author brings to a book A detailed bibliography has also been provided to enable both the professional player and the ambitious amateur to keep the material current - as a long-time consumer of chess books, these are the things I look for in an opening book Finally, I would like to thank the Gambit Publications team of Graham Burgess, Murray Chandler, and John Nunn for their great enthusiasm, helpful suggestions, and tremendous support for this project I wish the reader luck in his or her own Queen's Gambit Accepted and Queen's Pawn Game adventures! James Rizzitano Southborough, Massachusetts 2005 146 How TO BEAT d4 l:i.acS with equal chances, Lein-Eingorn, Moscow GMA 19S9 d) 12 ~c2 and then: dl) 12 ~g4 13 ttJh4 was played in ColleTarrasch, Baden-Baden 1925, and now Black can equalize by 13 J1acS d2) 12 h6 13 l:i.el i.g4 14 ttJfd4 (El GindyHalkias, Linares open 2003) 14 i d7 = d3) 12 ttJeS!? 13 ttJxeS ~xeS gives Black a promising kingside attack e) 12 i.gS ttJe4 13 ~c1 i.g4 14 i.f4 ~e7 = Rygaard-Lugovoi, Kallithea ECC 2002 12 i.xh3!? This piece sacrifice introduces some fascinating complications Black has some safer alternatives which may appeal to more conservative players: a) 12 ttJe4 and now: al) 13 i c2? i.xh3! (this is even stronger now) 14 ttJbd4 (the bishop is immune - Black wins material after 14 gxh3 ~g3+ IS 'it'hl ~xh3+ 16 'it'gl ttJg3 17 ttJh2 {17 i.xh7+ WhS -+} 17 ~c7 IS f4 ~b6+ 19 ttJd4 ttJxd4 20 cxd4 ~xd4+ +) 14 i.g4 + N.Cooper-J.Myers, Mingara 1999 a2) 13 ttJbd4 ttJxd4 14 ttJxd4 :eS -12 :e8 13 ttJbd4 ttJxd4 14 ttJxd4 ttJe4 b) 12 l:IeS 13 ttJbd4 ttJxd4 14 ttJxd4 ttJe4 (14 i.xd4 IS cxd4 ~b6 16 b3 i.d7 17 i.e3 i.bS =) IS ~e3 ~d6 with equal chances Black will follow up with ~c7 13 gxh3 ~g3+ 14 'it'hl ~xh3+ 15 ttJh2 ttJe5 16 ~e2 ttJf3 Black should avoid the weaker alternatives: a) 16 ttJe4? (Savova-Wiese Jozwiak, Balatonfiired worn Z 1987) 17 ~xdS! ttJf3 IS i.xf3 i.c7 19 ~hS +- b) 16 hS? 17 ttJd4 (17 tf4? {G.SzaboDonka, Debrecen 1999} 17 ttJg6! is good for Black) 17 ttJeg4 IS i.f4 l:IfeS 19 ~f3 ttJxh2 20 i.g2 (20 ~xh2?? ~c71eads to mate) 20 ~g4 21 i.xh2 ± 17 i.f4 White must avoid 17 ~xf3?? ~c7 0-1 Woodhead-Down, COIT 19S0 17•.• ttJh418 i.f3 The only move as IS l:Igl? allows the crushing IS ttJe4 -+ 18 ttJh5 (D) Black has strong kingside threats, but White does have an extra piece The key defensive w idea for White is to keep his bishop on the h2bS diagonal to prevent Black from creating a mating-net involving ~c7 19.te5 This defensive resource was not mentioned by either Bronznik or Lane - I have been unable to find a clear win for Black Other moves: a) 19 i g3? gives Black a choice of strong replies: aI) 19 ttJxg3+ 20 fxg3 ttJfS 21 ttJd4 i.xd4 22 cxd4 CLlxg3+ 23 'it'gl ttJxfl 24 ~xfl ~fS -+ Black's rook and pawns are stronger than White's minor pieces a2) 19 ~xg3 20 ~xdS ~f4 21 ~xhS ~c7 22 ttJg4 l:i.adS 23 ~xb7 fS (Lane) is crushing for Black b) 19 itd6 l:IadS and then: bI) 20 i.xdS? ttJf6 21 i.xb7 ~feS + b2) 20 ~xdS? (Lane's analysis ends here with no evaluation, but I suspect this was an unfortunate typesetting issue) 20 J:!xd6 21 ~xhS (21 ~xd6 ttJxf3 22 :adl gS -+) 2l l:Ih6 22 ~g4 ttJxf3 23 ~xh3 Ihh3 24 'it'g2 :xh2+ 2S 'it'xf3 J:[dS + Black has a solid extra pawn b3) 20 ~eS! -19 ~e5 l:Iae8 20 i.d6 l:Id8 21 ~e5 Note that each side has played one extra move via this last move-order 19 Jlae8 Not 19 l:IfeS? 20 l:i.gl i.xf2 (20 l:IxeS 21 ~g4 +-) 21 ~xhS ~xgl (2l l:IxeS 22 ~g4 ~xg4 23 ttJxg4 l:i.xhS 24 ttJf6+ 'it'fS 2S ttJxhS ~xgl 26l:i.xgl ttJfS 27 ttJd4 ttJxd4 2S cxd4;\;) 22 txf7+! and then: a) 22 'it>xf7 23 'iWhS+ g6 24 'iWxh7+ 'it'e6 2S l:Ixgl 'it'xeS 26 l:Ig3! ~fS (26 ~xg3 27 ~c7+ +-) 27 ~c7+ 'it'f6 2S ttJg4+ 'it'gS 29 ttJe3+ +- COLLE SYSTEM: d4 d5 tDj3 tDf63 e3 147 b) 22 .';t>h8 23 ~g4 'iVxg4 24 tiJxg4l:te7 2S l:ld8 26 c4 ± 20 td6 (D) ~xdS B B221: 11 e5 B222: 11 h3 Now Black has two reasonable options: a) 20 J~d8 21 ~eS (the idea behind this move is to draw Black's king's rook away from the defence of his f-pawn; less effective is 21 ltxdS? tiJf6 22 ltxb7 l:[fe8 with a strong attack) and now: a1) 21 J:tde8 repeats the position a2) 21 l:tfe8 22 l:[gl! ~xf2 and then: a21) 23 txhS?! ~xg1 24 ~xf7+ 'it>f8 2S 'iVxg1 l:[xeS 26 l:i.fl tiJfS 27 'iVcS+ 'it>xf7 28 'iVc7+ 'it>g6 29 ~xeS tiJg3+ 30 'it>gl tiJxfl 31 tiJxfl ~g4+ 32 tiJg3 l:[f8 + Black's rook and pawns are more effective than White's knights a22) 23"iWfl "iWxfl 24.l:[gxfl tiJxf3 2S tiJxf3 ~g3 26 ~d4 :e2 27 l:[ab1 l:[d6 28 l:[fd1 tiJf429 l:[d2 l:[h6+ 30 'it>gl with roughly level chances in this complex piece versus three pawns endgame b) 20 l:te6 21 ~xdS tiJf6 (21 l:[xd6?? 22 i¥xhS +-) 22 ~xf8 tiJxdS 23 'iVg4 (23 wxdS?? tc7 24 f4 l:le2 -+) 23 wxg4 24 tiJxg4 'it>xf8 2S l::tadl tiJf4 26 tiJd4 l::tg6 27 liJh2 fS with a balanced position - Black has adequate compensation for his slight material deficit 822) 10 i¥e2 h6 (D) This cunning pawn move has been played by several strong grandmasters - one of the ideas is to eliminate any attacking ideas for White involving eS, txh7+, and tiJgS+ Now: 148 149 White has some less critical alternatives: a) 11 tc2 ~b6 and now: a1) 12 exdS exdS 13 tiJb3 ~g4 14 wd3l::tfe8 IS tiJbd4 (Srivachirawat-Papaioannou, Calvia OL 2004) lS l:re4 (1S thS!?) 16 ~d2 l::tae8 =t a2) 12 a4 a6 13 g3 (White should avoid 13 as? tiJxaS 14 eS tiJd7 IS l::ta4 tiJc6 16l::te fS 17 exf6 tiJxf6 =t Gomez-Bluvshtein, Havana 2004) 13 td7 14 'it>g2 l:!.ad8 gave Black a comfortable game in Mamedyarov-Volokitin, Calvia OL2004 a3) 12 h3 tiJhS 13 lld1 tiJf4 14 wfl ~d7 with equality, Roelvaag-Johannessen, Norwegian Cht (Oslo) 2000 a4) 12 Wh1!? (the idea behind this mysterious king move is to play h3 without worrying about the reply tiJhS-g3) 12 l:[d8 13 h3 dxe4 14 tiJxe4 tiJdS = b) 11 b4 td6 (D) and now: w 148 How TO BEAT d4 bl) 12 h3 and then: bll) 12 i.d7 13 i.b2 tDh5 14 11fel tDf4 15 ~e3 f5!? (15 tDxd3 16 ~xd3 dxe4 17 tDxe4 i.e7 with equal chances, Okuniewski-S.Ivanov, Polish Cht (Krynica) 1997) 16 exd5 (Black takes over control of the centre after 16 exf5? e5 +) 16 exd5 (16 tDxd5 17 ~e2 tDf4 =) 17 tDb3 ~ae8 18 ~d2 g5!? with sharp play ahead b12) 12 tDe5 13 tDxe5 i.xe5 14 i.b2 dxe4 15 tDxe4 tDd5 = Pecot-Bujisho, French Cht 1999 b2) 12 i.b2 (D) and here: W 13 tDbd4 White is pinned and spinned after 13 iLf4?! f6: b21) 12 e5 13 a3 :e8 14 c4 d4 15 c5 i.f8 16 tDel (16 ':ac1 i.g4 17 tDc4 tDh5 18 g3 ~d8 with a balanced game, Ree-Zso.Polgar, Amsterdam 1995) 16 i.g4 (16 a5!? {Bronznik} 17 tDc2 =) 17 f3 i.e6 = b22) 12 i.d7 13 ':fe dxe4 14 tDxe4 tDxe4 15 i.xe4 f5!? 16 i.xc6 i.xc6 17 ~xe6+ 'it>h7 was tried in Sosa Macho-Crosa, Uruguay Ch (Montevideo) 2003 Black's powerful bishops compensate for the pawn b23) 12 tDe5 13 tDxe5 i.xe5 and now: b231) 14 g3 i.d7 15l:tac1 l:tad8 (l5 dxe4!? was suggested by Bronznik - one possible continuation is 16 tDxe4 tDxe4 17 ~xe4 f5 18 ~e2 iLd6 =) 16 l:tfel (Maki Uuro-Puranen, Tampere 1996) 16 dxe4 17 tDxe4 i.c6 with equal chances b232) 14 tDf3 dxe4 15 tDxe5 exd3 16 tDxd3 tDd5 with an equal position, Markus-Filippov, Bad Worishofen 2001 8221) 11 e5 tDg4 12 tDb3 iLb6 (D) a) 14 ':ael fxe5! 15 i.g3 (not 15 tDxe5?? tDxf2 16 ~xf2 ':'xf4 17 tDf3 0-1 WaagenerAbuchamala, Thessaloniki OL 1988) 15 ~f7 (l5 :~e7!?) 16 tDh4 llVh5 (l6 tDf6 17 iLg6 {17 tDg6? loses to 17 e4} 17 Wb'd7 looks fine for Black) 17 h3 tDf6 18 tDg6 Wb'xe2 19 l:txe2 e4 20 i.b5 tDh5 is much better for Black, DannerNovikov, Graz 1996 b) 14 tDbd4 tDcxe5 and then: bl) 15 tDd2 (A.Zhuravlev-Snatenkov, Russian U-14 Ch (Nizhny Novgorod) 1999) 15 g5! 16 i.g3 f5 17 h3 f4 + b2) 15 h3 g5! 16 iLg3 tDxf3+ 17 gxf3 tDe5 + Callaway-R.Reynolds, COIT 1982 13 tDgxe5 Black should avoid 13 f6 14 tDxc6 bxc6 15 i.f4 fxe5: a) 16 i.xe5 tDxe5 17 tDxe5;t "White's game is very pleasant" - Silman b) 16 i g3!? (Silman) 16 ~f7 17 tDxe5 tDxe5 18 iLxe5 ;to Black's backward e-pawn is weak 14 tDxe5 tDxe5 15 iLf4 f616 11ael (D) 16 :iVf7 This is the sharp choice Two alternatives deserve serious attention: a) 16 g5 (the solid choice) 17 i.xe5 fxe5 18'!Wxe5 Wb'xe5 19 11xe5 l:tf6 (the complications have given way to a balanced endgame) 20 ~e2 iLd7 21 tDf311af8 22 tDe5 i.c8 23 tDg4 11f4 24 tDe5l:14f6 112_112 Pecot-Barlow, Argentina 1999 b) 16 i c5!? 17 i.xe5 fxe5 18 ~xe5 (the complications following 18 tDb5?! ~b6 19 b4 i.xf2+ 20 l:hf2 e4 favour Black) 18 ~xe5 19 COLLE SYSTEM: d4 d5 t'jjf3 t'jjf6 e3 149 8222} B l:txe5 i.d6 20 l::th5 i.d7 gives Black a comfortable endgame 17 i.xe5 fxe5 18 ~xe5 iLe7 19 tg6! ~e7 20 Ii'h5 Now: a) 20 ~f6!? and then: al) 21 l:.e3 begins the rook 'lift and shift' manoeuvre Here Black can try: all) 2l i.d7 22l:.B 'ike7 23l:.el l::txf3 24 lLlxB Ii'f6 with equal chances a12) 2l e5 22 1:.B ~e7 23 u.xf8+ c;t>xf8 24 ltel Ii'f6 25 l:!.e3 e4 26 B i.xh2+ 27 ~xh2 ~xg6 28 fxe4 dxe4 29 "iYf4+ c;t>g8 30 "iYxe4 'ikxe4 31 l:.xe4 i.d7 = a2) 21 f4!? iLb6 (21 i.xf4?! 22 g3 i.e3+ 23 Wg2 is favourable for White) nl:.d (so far this is analysis by Silman) 22 iLd7 (Black's first priority is to activate his light-squared bishop) 23 iLc2 (23 c;t>h i.a4 24 ~d2 lie8 25 i.xe8 l:.axe8 is fine for Black) 23 i.b5 24 l:If2 llac8 with equal chances b) 20 i.d7 and then: bi) 21 :te2?! e5 22 f4 ~f6 23l:.ff2 exd4 24 ~xd5+ c;t>h8 25 "iYxd7 i.b6 (Silman) 26 :e6 l:.fd8 27 l:.xf6 1:.xd7 28 l:.xb6 axb6 =1= White is struggling for a draw here b2) 21 Ii'xd5 i.xh2+ 22 c;t>hl (22 c;t>xh2?? 'ikh4+ 23 c;t>gl exd5 -+) 22 i.d6 23 'ikh5 "iYf6 24 "iYg4 e5 25 'ikxd7 exd4 26 'ike6+ Wh8 27 'ikxf6 l:.xf6 28 i.e4 dxc3 29 bxc3 ne8 with an equal endgame b3) 21lLlf3 'ikf6 22 i.d3 iLe8 23 'ikg4 i.f7 with equal chances b4) 21 g3 l:i.f6 (2l 'ikf6!?) 22 iLd3 ~c5 23 f4 b5 24 c;t>g2 b4 ("with mutual chances" according to Silman), Trapl-Orsag, Czech Cht 1997/8 11 h3 lLlh5! 12lLlb3 (D) White has some inferior alternatives: a) 12 exd5? loses material after 12 lLlg3 13 'ikdllLlxfl 14lLle4 iLb6 15 dxc6lLlg3 :t b) 12 ~el? lLlg3 13 ~dl 'ikb6 14 lLld4lLlxd4 15 cxd4 i.xd4 16 lli'f3 lLlxe4 17 lLlxe4 dxe4 18 i.xe4 l:i.d8 :t Black has a solid extra pawn c) 12 l:i.dllLlf4 13 ~fllLlxd3 14 W!Vxd3 lId8 15 exd5 l:[xd5 =1= Lisakowski-Grott, Germany e-mail 2001 B 12•.•lLlg3 12 i.b6 has scored well in a handful of games, but White's play can be improved Let's examine: a) 13 ~c2 lLlf4 14 i.xf4 'ikxf4 15 ~d2 'ikxd2 16lLlbxd2 ~d8 =Stierle-Sermek, Passau 1998 b) 13 i.e3lLlf4 14 ~d2 (14 iLxf4 ~xf4 15 l::tadl a5 16 exd5 exd5 17 i.c2 a4 18 ~d3 g6 19 lLlbd4 =) 14 txe3 (14 lLlxd3 15 i.xb6 ~xb6 161i'xd3 dxe4 17lli'xe4 e5 =) 15 W!Vxe3lLlxd3 16 ~xd3 dxe4 17lli'xe4 b6 18 l:i.adl i.b7 = c) 13lLlfd4lLlf4 14 i.xf4 ~xf4 15 exd5 (15 ~B Ii'g5 16 lLlxc6 bxc6 = Bachmann-Wells, Passau 1998) 15 exd5 16l:.adl lid7 = d) 13 exd5! and now: dl) 13 lLlg3 and then: dl1) 14lli'c2lLle5 (14 lLlxfl 15 dxc6lLlg3 16 c4! lLlf5 17 c5 i.a5 and after 18 ~c4! ± White is threatening to play ~e4 and Black's pieces are misplaced; 18 ~e2 transposing to line 'dI2' is also strong) 15 lLlxe5lli'xe5 16l:.dl (Black's advanced knight is suddenly vulnerable) 16 exd5 17lLld4lLle4 18 lie3 t 150 How TO BEAT d4 d12) 14 ~dl l2Jxfl (I4 l2JeS IS d6 +-) IS dxc6! (IS d6?? ~d8 16 i.xfl eS =1= Van Laatum-lonkman, Groningen open 1994) IS l2Jg3 16 c4! l2JfS 17 cS i.aS 18 ~e2 ± d2) 13 exdS 14 l:tel l2Jf4 IS i.xf4 (White must avoid IS ~dl?? l2Jxh3+ 16 gxh3 ~g3+ 17 c,t>hl ~xh3+ 18 c,t>gl i.g4 -+; this motif is known from certain variations of the French Defence) IS ~xf416 ~d2 'ifVf6 17l2Jbd4 i.d7 with equal chances 13 ~c2 dxe4 Black can also play 13 l2Jxe414 i.xe4 dxe4 IS ~xe4 -13 dxe4 14 i.xe4l2Jxe4 15 filxe4 However, he should avoid 13 l2Jxfl? 14 l2Jxcs dxe4 (I4 l2JeS? ISl2JxeS ~xeS 16 txfl +-) IS l2Jxe4 fS 16l2JcS l2JeS 17l2JxeS "iVxeS 18 l2Jb3 'tWh2+ 19 c,t>xfl 'ifVhl + 20 c,t>e2 'ifVxg2 21 l2Jd4 ± 14 i.xe4l2Jxe415 ~xe4 (D) a) 16 eS 17 tcS txcS 18 l2Jxcs b6 19 l2Jd3 i.b7 with equal chances, Biaggi-Valerga, Buenos Aires 1995 b) 16 b6 (Black pauses to control the cSsquare and prevent White from exchanging dark-squared bishops) and then: b 1) 17 l2Jbd4l2Jxd4 18 i.xd4 (after 18 l2Jxd4 i.b7 19 "iVg4 fS 20 "iVe2 eS! 21l2JbS filc6 22 f3 i.e7 Black has the bishop-pair and a strong kingside pawn duo) 18 i.b7 19 ~e2 l:tfe8 20 Ostrowski-S.lvanov, l:!fel f6 21 i.e3 ~c6 Polish Cht (Mikolajki) 1991 b2) 17 Itadl i.b7 (I7 eS 18l2Jh4 Itd8 19 l2JfS i.xfS 20 ~xfS l2Je7 21 ~f3 lbc8 =) 18 ~g4 fS 19 ~c41:tfe8 gives Black a slight pull because of the bishop-pair 16 l2Jxd4 (D) + + W B Lane wrote that White "has a space advantage to make up for conceding the bishop-pair" However, I disagree with his assessment There is no space advantage to speak of in a position in which neither player's pawns have advanced beyond the third rank, and any long-term advantage will belong to Black because he can utilize the bishop-pair to mobilize his extra centre pawn - White's knights have no central anchor points Black has a large plus-score from this position and in a well-played game the best result White can hope for is a draw with careful defence 15• i.d6 Black should avoid IS i.b6?! 16 i.f4 'tWe7 17 l:!fel ;\; 16l2Jbd4 16 i.e3 is also possible: 17 cxd4 White can avoid an isolated pawn by playing 17l2Jxd4: a) 17 i.d7 and then: al) 18 a4 a619 as fS +Marciniak-ROder, Le Touquet 2001 a2) 18 :tel l:!ae8 (I8 a6!?) 19 'ifVe2 a6 20 'ifVhS ~cS 21 ~f3 ~c7 22 l:tdl fS 23 'ifVd3 (112_112 Markus-Muhren, Dieren 2000) 23 :d8 + White will soon be driven back by a welltimed eS pawn advance - then Black's bishops will flourish a3) 18 i.d2 a6 (18 l:!.ad8!?) 19 l:tadl fS (19 l::tad8!? 20 l::tfel i.c8) 20 'ifVc2 l:!.ae8 with roughly level chances, Chernin-Coelho, Brasilia 2002 b) 17 a6 18 i.e3 (18 !::tdl!? fS 19 ~d3) 18 fS 19 ~h4 eS 20 l2Jb3 f4 21 i.d2 i.e6 + Kothe-W.Harris Jr, corr 1991-3 COLLE SYSTEM: d4 d5 liJj3 liJf6 e3 17 i.d7 18 tbeS i.bS19 ~el f6! (D) 151 321Ixb6 i.xb6 33 i.c3 'it>f7 with an equal endgame) 27 ~b3 ~d7 with equal chances a2) 20 fxe5! 21 axb5 (21 dxe5? loses to 21 i.c5) 21 exd4 (D) and then: w w Now: a) 20 a4? Lane wrote that this move "disrupts Black's set-up", but I think Black's play can be strengthened Let's examine: al) 20 i.a6 21 tbg4 ~c4 22 tbe3 ~b4 (D) (the position is unclear according to Sergei Ivanov's 1993 Infonnator notes) and then: w all) 23 tbxc4 i.xel 24 ~xe6+ 'it>h8 25 i.e3 :fe8 26 ~d5 i.b4 27 ~b5 i.f8 + Black's rook is stronger than White's knight and pawn a12) 23 l::!.dl f5 24 ~c2l:tac8 25 ~d2 i.d6 (25 i.xd2 26 ~xd2 i b3 27 l:1.dc1 ~d6 =) 26 I1dc1 i a6 (26 i.d5 27 ~xc7 :xc7 28 l::!.xc7 i.xc7 29 tbxd5 exd5 30 ~a3 i:!.f6 31 l:tb3 l:tb6 a2l) 22 b6 and here Black has two good options: a2ll) 22 ~f7 23 ~xd4 (23 ~xe6 a6 24 i.d2 l:tad8 +) 23 i.c5!! 24 ~xc5 axb6 25 ~xf8+ l::!.xf8 26 i.e3 e5 + White's rook and bishop are no match for Black's queen a2l2) 22 ~xb6 23 ~xe6+ 'it>h8 24 ~e4 (24 i.xh6? l:H6 -+) 24 ~b4 + Black has a solid extra pawn a22) 22 i.xh6 gxh6 23 ~g6+ (23 ~xe6+ l:tf7 -+) 23 'it>h8 24 'ilVxh6+ ~h7 25 l:txe6 i b4 + a23) 22 ~xe6+ 'WIf7 23 i d2 ~xe6 24l:txe6 i c5 25 b4 i.b6 + The endgame is advantageous for Black because of his strong d4-pawn combined with White's vulnerable b5-pawn b) 20 tbg6 l:lfe8 21 i.f4 i.c6 22 ~e3 ~ad8 + D.Muse-S.Ivanov, Berlin 1993 White's d4pawn is vulnerable c) 20 tbg4 'it>h8!?21 ~g6i.e822~d3~f7 (so far this is analysis by Sergei Ivanov) 23 ~b3 h5 24 tbe3 (after 24 l:txe6? i a4! Black wins material) 24 i.c6 and Black has a slight pull because of the strength of his bishop-pair combined with the weakness of White's d4pawn 18 Stonewall Attack: d4 dS e3 'iJf6 i.d3 d4 dS e3 ttJf6 1i.d3 Other moves usually transpose into lines covered in previous chapters: a) c4 dxc4 1i.xc4 c5 ttJf3 e6 transposes to the Queen's Gambit Accepted (Chapters 511) b) ttJf3 transposes into Chapter 17: Colle System • cS c3 ttJc6 f4 (D) White can still transpose into the Colle System with ttJf3 B White's potent set-up is fairly popular among low- to mid-level club players The Stonewall Attack scores many points at the club level by inflicting a withering kingside attack upon unprepared victims, but a well-prepared defender has nothing to fear from this opening S •.1i.g4 This sensible move is the most popular choice here - Black develops his light-squared bishop outside the pawn-chain before reinforcing the centre with e6 Black can also close the dangerous bl-h7 diagonal with g6 ttJf3 (6 dxc5!? e5 b4 1i.g7 gives Black compensation for the pawn) i.g7 0-0 0-0 ttJbd2 (D) (8 dxc5?! ttJd7 1i.c2 ttJxc5 gives Black a slight edge as White's f4-pawn is misplaced) and now: B This is the characteristic move of the Stonewall Attack - White's pawn-formation establishes a tight grip over the e5-square at the cost of creating a gaping hole on e4 White's aggressive set-up was fairly popular during the early 20th century - the American champion Frank Marshall won several fine attacking games with this opening The Stonewall Attack has a poor theoretical reputation because White's rigid pawn-structure restricts the scope of his darksquared bishop and enables Black to develop his pieces quickly to their optimal squares - the opening rarely makes an appearance in highlevel games Despite these facts, it would be a mistake to ignore this attacking scheme because a) 1i.f5?! i.xf5 gxf5 and then: al) 10 ~hl?! (this plan is too mechanical) 1O :~d6 11 ttJe51Hc8 12 ,Ugl 'iVe6 13 g4 fxg4 14 ttJxg4 ~h8 with equal chances a2) 10 dxc5! e6 11 ttJd4 'iVe7 12 b4 a5 13 'iVb3 and despite White's light-square weaknesses, Black doesn't quite have enough compensation for the pawn b) b6 ttJe5 'iVc7 and here: STONEWALL ATTACK: d4 d5 e3 0,f6 iLd3 bl) 10 'ilVf3 ~b7 11 llf2?! (11 g4 ttJe8 12 g5 ttJd6 =) 1l 11ad8 12 g4 (Giancotti-Ketzscher, Arco 2002) 12 ttJe8 13 g5 f6 14 ttJxc6 (14 ttJxg6? hxg6 15 ~xg6 fxg5 -+) 14 i.xc6 =/= White's dark-squared bishop will have difficulty developing b2) 10 'ilVel ttJd7 11 ttJxc6 'ilVxc6 12 ttJf3 ttJf6 (12 .f6? 13 e4! i.b7 {Dede-M.Braun, Hungarian Cht 2001l2} 14 f5 gives White a promising kingside attack) 13 ttJe5 'ilVd6 14 'ilVh4 ttJe4 with equal chances ttJf3 e6 0-0 i.d6 (D) This natural developing move also sets a positional trap 153 of Stonewall Attack position that White should be very careful to avoid because his powerful light-squared bishop has been exchanged and his dark-squared bishop is a miserable piece Black has a lead in development, a potential e4-outpost, and superior minor pieces 0-0 Black can also play the immediate i.f5: a) ~e2 0-0 10 'it'hl (10 ttJe5 - 0-0 ttJe5 if f51O~e2) 1O :~c7!? 11 ttJe5 i.xd312 ttJxd3 ttJe4 =/= Gatt-Beliavsky, Groningen jr Ech 1970/1 b) i xf5 exf5 10 ttJe5 0-0 - 0-0 ttJe5 i.f5 10 Lf5 exf5 c) if e2 ttJe4 10 ttJe5 0-0 - 0-0 ttJe5 i.f5 10 J.e2 ttJe4 ttJe5 i.f5 (D) W 'ilVel White should avoid the careless ttJbd2? cxd4! (this timely capture is an important motif to remember) Now: a) exd4 (a speculative pawn sacrifice) i.xf4 10 ttJb3 i.d6 (10 ixcl!? 11 'ilVxc1 i.h5 =/= gives White inadequate compensation for the pawn; Black will follow up with i.g6 in order to neutralize White's light-squared bishop) 11 'ilVe 'ilVc7 12 'ilVh4 h6 13 ~g5 (Black has a solid extra pawn, so White is compelled to play aggressively) 13 ~xf3 14 if xf6 (14 nxf3 ~xh2+ 15 ~h1 ttJh7 16 i.e3 {16 if xh7 hxg5} 16 i d6 17 :afl ttJf6 =t) 14 i.xg2 15 ~xg2 gxf6 16 llxf6 (16 'ilVxf6 :g8+ 17 ~f3 ~xh2 -+) 16 0-0-0 =t b) cxd4 (a positionally undesirable recapture) 0-0 10 'ilVel?! (relatively best is 10 a3 ~c8 11 ~e1 i.f5 12 'iVe2 ~b6 =/= BogachevSitnikov, Novokuznetsk 1999) 1O ttJb4 11 ~bl (Prystenski-Tener, ICCF COIT 1976) 1l l:.c8 12 ttJe5 ttJc2 13 i.xc2 llxc2 =t This is the type 10 J.e2 One of the important Stonewall Attack themes is the following: if the light-squared bishops are exchanged and White is unable to achieve the central e4 break, then White's darksquared bishop is a bad piece because its mobility is severely restricted by the stonewall pawn triangle (pawns on e3, f4, and d4) In accordance with this theme, the bishop retreat is relatively best Alternatives: a) 10 ttJd2 and now: a1) 1O if xd3 11 ttJxd3 (Le Nineze-Delrieu, COIT 1995) 11 :iVb6 =/= a2) 1O cxd4! 11 ttJxc6 (11 exd4 ~xe5 12 i.xf5 if xd4+ 13 cxd4 exf5 -+) 1l bxc6 12 i.xf5 dxc3 =t b) 10 'ilVe2 i.xd3 11 'iVxd3 (Da Silva-Maia, COIT 1998) 1l 'iVb6 12 'it'h11Hc8 is slightly better for Black 154 How TO BEAT c) 10 ~xf5 exf5 11 'ilVh4 (11 ttJd2 l:!.e8 '+ Larrea Poladura-Muniz Rubiera, Norena 2001) ll ttJe4 12 ~h3 i.xe5 (12 ttJe7 also gives Black a slight advantage) 13 fxe5 f6 '+ Zichichi-Volzhin, Saint Vincent 2002 10 Vi'b6 (D) Another reasonable idea is 1O ttJe4 11 g4 ~xe5 12 dxe5 (12 fxe5 ~g6 '+) 12 i.g6 13 h4 f5 14 exf6 'ilVxf6 15 h5 ~e8 '+ Quizon-Marrero, Calvia OL 2004 d4 fxe5 ttJxe5 15 'iitg2 ttJg6 16 h4 ttJe4 17 h5 ttJe7 18 i.d3 f5 =t White has inadequate compensation for the pawn 1l l:tfc812 ttJd2 a513 g4 (D) W ll~hl White's attack runs out of steam after the reckless 11 g4?! i.xbl 12 l:!.xbl cxd4 13 exd4 (13 cxd4l:!.fc8 is fine for Black) 13 ii.xe5 14 This is White's standard method for beginning a kingside attack Now: a) 13 i.c2 14 g5 ttJe4 ,+ b) 13 i.e4+!? (a finesse to nudge White's king to a more vulnerable square) 14 ttJxe4 (14 'iitgl i.c2 '+) 14 ttJxe4 15 ii.d3 a4 ,+ Black is developing some pressure on the queenside, whereas White's kingside attack has yet to materialize and his dark-squared bishop will have difficulty finding an active role 19 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: d4 d5 e4 d4 dS e4 dxe4 ttJc3 The immediate f3?! is inaccurate because of e5! dxe5 ~xdl + ~xdl ttJc6 if4 ttJge7 ttJc3 ie6 + ttJf6 f3 The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (BDG) is an opening enigma - Grandmasters and International Masters scoff at it, opening theoreticians ridicule it, and club players worship it The BDG is supposed to be bad for White, but few players seem to know exactly why Most of the published BDG games are of low quality because the opening has been played in just a handful of high-level games - the voluminous misinformation surrounding the BDG contributes to the confusion among club players • exf3 (D) w The queen recapture is known as the Ryder Gambit and this reckless sacrifice clearly violates the laws of chess physics A general rule of thumb applicable in many open games is that the attacker needs two or even three development tempi to justify the sacrifice of a pawn The Ryder Gambit doesn't even come close to meeting this benchmark S :~xd4 ie3 The alternative bishop development if4 with the idea of ttJb5 was suggested by Bagirov in ECO (lst ed.), but this move is refuted by e5! ttJge2 ~c5 ig5 i e7 0-0-0 ttJc6 -+, when Black has a decisive material advantage ~g4! Black must avoid the greedy ~b4? 0-0-0 ig4? ttJb5! ± This line is known as the Halosar Trap Games featuring this sort of elementary tactical blunder are prominently featured and fawned over in BDG-Iand, but the Ryder Gambit quickly loses its appeal if Black plays a couple of accurate moves iYVf2 eS! (D) w White has a choice of recaptures - Line B is the more important A: ~xf3? 155 B: ttJxf3 156 A) S~xf3? Black controls the important f4- and d4squares and prepares ib4 The problem for 156 How TO BEAT d4 White is that he has obtained only a single tempo in return for his double pawn sacrifice Black's advanced queen appears to be misplaced, but her majesty is often able to challenge White's queen or wreak havoc by shifting over to the queenside Now: a) i.e2 'ii'fS 'ii'g3 tb4 10 0-0-0 txc3 11 bxc3 0-0 -+ A.Lane-T.Sawyer, BDG thematic COIT 1997 b) td3 tb4 lbge2 e4 10 tc4 te6 11 txe6 'ii'xe6 12 h3 lbdS 13 0-0 txc3 14 bxc3 lbc6 -+ A.Prins-T.Schneider, COIT 1989 c) a3 lbc6 lbf3 i.d6 10 0-0-0 'ii'e6 11 lbgS Wie7 12 i.c4 (12 'ii'h4 tfS 13 i.c4 0-014 l:thfl i.g6 =t) 12 0-0 13 lbdS (13 lbce4 lbxe4 14 lbxe4 i.e6 -+ Vermaas-Palezkis, COIT 1983) 13 lbxdS 14 txdS h6 IS lbe4 (RebaudoSakai, Ryder Gambit e-mail 200 I) IS te6 16 'ii'g3 i.xdS 17 l:i.xdS fS 18 lbxd6 f4 19 'ii'g6 cxd6 -+ d) lbf3 i.b4 lbxeS (9 0-0-0 has been suggested as an improvement, but i.xc3 10 bxc3 'ii'a4 gives Black a decisive advantage) Wie4 10 lbc4 i.xc3+ (lO lbdS is also strong) 11 bxc3 te6 ("White has nothing for the pawn" - Gallagher) 12 i.d3 'ii'c6 13 'ii'e2 0-0 gives Black a decisive advantage The Ryder Gambit is unsound and the reader should be extremely sceptical of any claims to the contrary B) lbxf3 e6 This is our repertoire move - the solid Euwe Defence was analysed by the Sth World Champion and former FIDE President Max Euwe Black prepares to liquidate the centre with a timely cS pawn advance British GM Joe Gallagher recommended this line in Beating the Anti-King's Indians and he deserves full credit for developing several significant improvements for Black 6i.g5 White also has problems after: a) td3 cS (6 i.e7 i.gS - i.g5 i.e7 td3) 0-0 cxd4 lbe4 lbxe4 i.xe4 (Gramlich-Drabke, Internet rpd 200S) .fS =t b) lbeS lbbd7 ~f3 i e7 tgS 0-0 i.d3 (Decleir-Viaene, Belgium 1988) cS and now: bI) 10 lbxd7 lbxd7 11 'ii'e4 g6 12 txe7 'ii'xe7 13 0-0 cxd4 14 ~xd4 ~cS IS 'ii'xcs lbxcS 16 i.c4 b6 =t White is a pawn down in the endgame b2) 10 ~h3 g6 11 lbxd7 lbxd7 12 txe7 (12 i.h6 Ue8 =t) 12 'ii'xe7 13 dxcS lbxcs 140-0 eS + White has insufficient compensation for the pawn i.e7 (D) W 'ii'd2 White has also tried the immediate td3, when Black has two good options: a) cS dxcS 'ii'aS (8 txcS ~e2 lbbd7 100-0-0 0-0 11 lbe4 gives White compensation for the pawn) 90-0 'ii'xcS+ 10 'iti>hl lbbd7 11 'ii'el (the queen-lift is too ambitious - White should prefer the more restrained 11 'ii'e2!? 0-0 12 lbe4 'ii'c7 13 l:tadl, with marginal compensation for the pawn) l1 a6 12 'ii'h4 'ii'b4! (this is an important defensive technique - the lateral queen opposition compels White to sacrifice another pawn) 13 lbd4 'ii'xb2 14 lbce2 lbeS (14 lbcs is also strong) IS a4 ~b6 16 l:txf6 and then: al) 16 lbxd3? 17 1:[ffl f6 18 i.e3 lbeS (18 lbcS? 19 lbb3 'ii'c6 {19 eS 20 'ii'f2 costs Black a piece} 20 txcS txcS 21 'ii'hS+ 1-0 Sneiders-Breunig, BDG thematic COIT 1970-1) 19 lbfS ~c7 20 lbxg7+ h1 0-0 -+) 12 i.xbS 13 ttJxbS a6 14 ttJbd4 (ErtelSchuh, ICCF corr 1998) 14 'iVxb2 IS ttJfS i.f8 16 iLd4 'iWbS -+ 0-08 i.d3 c5 'iVf4 White's queen continues her journey to the optimal h4-square - the trip comes at the high cost of three tempi 9• cxd410'iWh4 (D) Weaker alternatives: a) 10 ttJxd4 ttJhS and now: a1) 11 i.xe7 ttJxf4 12 i.xd8 ~xd8 and Black wins a2) 11 iVh4 i.xgS 12 'iVxhS g6 13 iVg4 eS and Black wins - Gallagher a3) 11 'iVe4 fS 12 i.xe7 fxe4 13 i.xd8 exd3 14 i.gS dxc2 IS ttJxc2 ttJc6 + S.Gordon-Cody, corr 1992 Black has a solid extra pawn b) 10 0-0-0 dxc3 11 i.xh7+ ttJxh7 12 l:!.xd8 cxb2+ 13 'it>xb2 i.xd8 14 i.xd8 l:!.xd8 IS 'iVc7 (Brotherton-Barber, corr 1992) lS l:!.f8 is winning for Black as he has too many pieces for the queen c) 10 ttJe4 ttJdS! 11 1lVh4 fS (1l i.xgS 12 ttJexgS 'iVaS+ 13 'it>e2 h6 +Gallagher) 12 i.xe7 ttJxe7 13 ttJegS h6 14 ttJh3 ttJec6 is winning for Black B d4 d5 e4 157 Now: a) 1O h6?! (this is Black's least appealing option, but it is instructive to examine the move in order to gauge White's attacking chances) 11 txh6! and then: a1) 1l gxh6 12 ~xh6 ~a5 13 ttJgS dxc3 140-0 (14 i.h7+ 'it>h8 IS i.d3+ 'it>g8 is a draw) 14 ttJbd7 IS l:!.f3 cxb2 16 l:!.afl 'iVb6+ 17 'it>h1 b1'iW 18 l:!.h3! "and mate follows shortly" Gallagher a2) 1l dxc3 12 i.xg7! 'it>xg7 13 iVgS+'it>h8 14 'iVh6+ 'it>g8 IS 0-0-0 "White has at least a perpetual and probably more" - Gallagher b) 1O dxc3!? ("a little bit of fantasy" Gallagher) 11 i.xf6 'iVxd3 12 cxd3 i.xf6 13 'iVc4 cxb2 and here: b1) 14 l:!.d1l:.d8 IS 0-0 b6 16 'iVe4 l:!.dS 17 d4 ttJc6 18 ttJeS i.b7 19 ttJxc6 i.xc6 and Black had a slight edge in Van der Wijk-Sakai, IECC e-mail 2002 b2) 14 l:!.b1 ttJc6 IS 0-0 (1S d4 ~d8 16 l:!.xb2 ttJxd4 "is dangerous for White" - Gallagher) lS l1d8 gives Black compensation according to Gallagher c) 1O g6! was recommended by Gallagher Now White can try: c1) 11 ttJe4 ttJdS "when the possibilities of .f6 and fS should enable [Black] to defend his kingside with ease" - Gallagher c2) 11 ttJxd4 (I think this is relatively best) ll ttJdS (less effective is ll eS 12 ttJf3 l:i.e8 13 0-0-0 ttJbd7 14 l:!.he1, with compensation) 12 txe71lVxe7 13 'iWxe7 ttJxe7 't White has insufficient compensation for the pawn The widespread view among strong players is that any Grandmaster or International Master who even dreams about playing the white side of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit should wake up and apologize Despite its almost universal condemnation by titled players, the BDG continues to be strongly supported by a thriving community of Internet User Groups, magazine articles and e-mail theme tournaments don't know if these passionate gambiteers should be praised or condemned, but know they should be left alone Index of Variations Chapter Guide d4 c4 e4 - Chapter 19 e3 liJf6 i.d3 - Chapter 18 i.f4 - Chapter 14 2liJc3 liJf6 i.g5 - Chapter 13 i.g5 - Chapter 12 2liJf3 liJf6 and now: a) e3 - Chapter 17 b) i.g5 - Chapter 16 c) g3 - Chapter 15 d) tf4 - Chapter 14 liJf3 3 liJc3 - Chapter e3 - Chapter e4 - Chapter e3 ~a4+ - Chapter 4liJc3 - Chapter 4 txc4 0-0 'ilYe2 - Chapter ~e2 7 liJbd2 - Chapter liJc3 - Chapter a3 - Chapter b3 - Chapter e4 - Chapter i.d3 - Chapter dxc5 - Chapter a4 - Chapter 7 tb3 - Chapter S tb3 td3 - Chapter S Now: a4 - Chapter 10 9l::tdl - Chapter 11 B2: 10 a3 13 d5 dxc4 liJf6 e6 c5 2: Central Variation d4 d5 c4 dxc4 e4 14 • e5 liJf3 exd4 i.xc4 liJc6 0-0 i.e6 14 A: tb5157 tc515 Al:Sb415 A2: S~c216 A3: SliJbd2 16 S• liJe7 16 A31: 9liJb317 A32: 9liJg5 17 'ilVd7 10 liJxe6 ~xe6 11liJb3 'ilVd617 A321: 12 ~g4? 17 A322: 12 tf4 18 B: txe6 19 ••fxe6 S 'ilYb3 ~d7 ~xb7 IibS10 ~a6 liJf6 11 4Jbd2 i.d6 12 ~d3 0-0 20 Bl: 13liJc4 20 B2: 13 h3 20 13.••e5 14liJc4 20 B21: 14 liJb421 B22: 14 'it>h8 21 B3: 13 a3 22 13 liJg4 22 B31: 14 b3 22 B32: 14 h3 23 3: Mannheim Variation a6 b5 tb7 1: White's Third Move Alternatives d4 d5 c4 dxc4 10 A: 3liJc3 10 B: e3 11 e5 i.xc4 exd4 exd4 td6 6liJf3 liJf6 0-0 0-0 S liJc3 liJc6 h3 h6 12 Bl: 10 ~c2 13 d4 d5 c4 dxc4 liJf3 liJf6 'ii'a4+ 24 4•.• liJc6 liJc3 liJd5 24 A: 6~xc424 AI: liJdb4 24 A2: •.liJb6 25 'iYb3 i.g4 S d5 i.xf3 gxf3 liJd4 10 'ilYd1 e5 11 e3liJf5 12 f425 A21: 12 exf425 A22: 12 i.d6 26 B: e4 26 liJb6 'iVd1 tg4 S d5liJe5 26 Bl: 'ilYd4?! 26 B2: tf4 27 B21: liJg6 27 B22: txf3!? 27 4: Two Knights Variation d4 d5 c4 dxc4 liJf3 liJf6 4liJc3 28 •a6 e4 b5 e5 liJd5 a4 28 A: 7•• e6 29 S axb5liJb6 29 AI: bxa6 29 A2: i.e2 29 A3: te3 30 B: liJxc3 30 S bxc3 ~d5 g3 i.b7 10 i.g2 ~d7 30 Bl: 11liJh4 31 B2: 11 e6!? 31 INDEX OF VARIATIONS B3: 11 ~a3 32 11 g6 32 B31: 12h433 B311: 12 i.g7 33 B312: 12 ~d5!? 34 B32: 120-0 35 12 ~g7 13 l:!.e1 0-035 B32I: 14 e6 35 B322: 14 ~c5 36 14•.• ~d5 15 tbg5 36 B322I: 15 tbc6 36 B3222: 15 ~xg2 37 5: Furman Variation d4 d5 c4 dxc4 tbf3 tbf6 e3 e6 i.xc4 c5 38 ~e2 a6 dxc5 ~xc5 38 A: S e4 38 S•• b5 38 AI: i.d3 38 A2: ~b3 39 ~b7 10 tbbd2 tbc6 39 A21: 11 e5?! 39 A22: 11 0-0 40 B: S 0-0 39 S.• tbc6 e4 b5 40 Bl: 10 e5!? 40 B2: 10 ~b3 4110 tbd4! 11 tbxd4 ~xd4 41 B21: 12 tbc3 41 B22: 12 i.e3 42 6: Classical Variation: White's Seventh Move Alternatives d4 d5 c4 dxc4 tbf3 tbf6 e3 e6 ~xc4 c5 0-0 a6 43 A: tbbd243 B: tbc344 C: a3 45 • b5 S i.a2 i.b7 tbc3 tbbd7 10-Ue1 ~e711 e445 CI: Il b445 C2: ll cxd4 46 D: 7b346 Dl: cxd446 D2: tbbd7 47 E: e4 48 •• b5! S ~d3 i.b7 48 EI: ~g5 49 E2: e5 49 F: ~d3 51 tbbd7 Sl:te151 Fl: b6 52 F2: b5 52 G: dxc5 54 Gl: • i.xc5 55 G2: :iYxdl 56 Sl:txd1 i.xc5 56 G21: b3 57 9••• tbbd7 10 ~b2 57 G211: 1O b5 57 G212: 1O b657 G22: tbbd2 58 G221: tbbd7 58 G222: 0-059 7: Classical Variation: a4 d4 d5 c4 dxc4 tbf3 tbf6 e3 e6 i.xc4 c5 0-0 a6 a4 60 tbc6 S 'iYe2 cxd4 9l:td1 i.e7 10 159 exd4 0-0 11 tbc3 60 A: 11 tbb4 61 AI: 12 ~g5 61 All: 12••• ~d7 61 AlII: 13d561 A1l2: 13 tbe5 62 13 l:tcS 62 A1l21: 14 ~el 63 A1122: 14 ~b3 64 A 12: 12 tbfd5 64 AI3: 12 l::teS 65 A2: 12 tbe5 65 A2I: 12 tbfd5 65 A22: 12 ~d7 66 B: 11 tbd5 67 BI: 12 i.d3 67 B2: 12 ~e4 68 B3: 12 tbe5 69 B4: 12 i.b3 69 12 l:teS 69 B4I: 13 tbe5 69 B42: 13 h4!? 70 13.•• tbcb4 14 h5 b6 70 B421: 15 tbxd5 70 B422: 15 tbe5 71 8: Classical Variation: iLb3 d4 d5 c4 dxc4 tbf3 tbf6 e3 e6 i.xc4 c5 0-0 a67 i.b3 72 b5 S a4 b4 72 A: e4!? 73 B: tbbd2 75 9•.• ~b7 10 e4 75 B 1: 10 i.e7 75 B2: 10•.• cxd4 7611 e5 tbfd7 12 tbc4 76 B2I: 12 •tbc5 77 B22: 12 tbc6 78 13 i.g5 Wlic7 141:tc1 tbc5 15 ~a2h6 78 B22I: 16 ~f4 78 B222: 16 i.h4 79 9: Classical Variation: 'iVe2 b5 i d3 d4 d5 c4 dxc4 tbf3 tbf6 e3 e6 ~xc4 c5 0-0 a6 ~e2 b5 S ~d3 80 S••• cxd4 exd4 80 A: i.b7 80 B: ~e7 8110 a4 bxa411l:txa4 ~b7 12 tbc3 0-0 13 ~g5 tbc6 14 -Ud1 82 Bl: 14 tbd5 83 B2: 14 a5 84 10: Classical Variation: 'iVe2 b5 tb3 tb a4 d4 d5 c4 dxc4 tbf3 tbf6 e3 e6 i.xc4 c5 0-0 a6 ~e2 b5 S ~b3 ~b7 a4 85 A: 9•• tbbd7 85 AI: 10 J:!.d186 A2: 10 axb5 8610.••axb5 11 J:!.xaS ~xaS 12 tbc3 b413 tbb5 86 A21: 13•.• ~xf3!? 86 160 How TO BEAT A22: 13• :i!Vb888 14 e4 cxd4 IS tUbxd4 88 A221: IS iLcs 89 A222: Is iLd6 89 B: 9•.• b4 90 Bl: 10 tUbd2 90 B2: 10 !:.dl 91 11: Classical Variation: 'iUe2 bS ~b3 iLb7 liIdl d4 dS c4 dxc4 tUf3 tUf6 e3 e6 S iLxc4 cS 0-0 a6 'ilfe2 bS iLb3 iLb7 ~d1 949 tUbd7 10 tUc3 94 A: 10 fic7 95 AI: 11 e495 A2: II dS 96 B: 10 :iVb8 96 C: 10 fib698 C 1: 11 a4 99 11 c4 12 ii.c2 b4 13 as "Wic7 14 tUa4 l:tc899 Cll: IS e4 99 C12: IS tUb6!? 100 C2: 11 dS 101 12: Hodgson Attack: d4 dS iLgS I d4 dS iLgS 103 2•• h6 iLh4 c6103 A: tUf3 104 4•.•fib6 104 AI: S b3 104 A2:S'ilVcll05 B: e3 106 • ~b6 106 B1: S ~c1 106 Bll: S eS 107 B12: S iLfS 108 B2: S b3 109 B21: S eS 109 B22: S iLfS 110 13: Veresov Opening: d4 dS ct:Jc3 ct:Jf63 iLgS d4 dS tUc3 tUf6 iLgS 112 3•.• tUbd7 112 A: 4e3113 B: f3 114 •.c6 S e4 dxe4 fxe4 eS dxeS ~aS 115 Bl: exf6115 B2: iLxf6116 C: tUf3 117 •• h6 S iLh4 e6 e4 gS ii.g3 tUxe4 tUxe4 dxe4 119 Cl: tUeS 119 ii.g7 10 h4 tUxeS 11 ii.xeS ii.xeS 12 dxeS ii.d7 13 ~g4 119 Cll: 13 ~e7 120 C12: 13 ii.c6 120 C2: tUd2121 9• ii.g710 h4 ii.xd411 c3 iLeS 122 C21: 12 tUxe4 122 C22: 12 iLxeS 123 12 tUxeS 13 'ilfa4+ iLd7 123 d4 C221: 14 'iYxe4123 C222: 14 'ilVd4!? 123 14: London System: d4 dS ct:Jf3 ct:Jf63 i.f4 I d4 dS tUf3 (2 iLf4 125) tUf6 iLf4 125 •• cS e3 tUc6 S c3 ~b6 ~b3 c4 127 A: 7~xb6128 B: ~c2 129 •.• iLfS 'i/Vc1 e6 tUbd2129 Bl: h6129 B2: ~d8 130 B3: iLe7 130 15: King's Fianchetto: d4 dS ct:Jf3 ct:Jf6 g3 d4 dS tUf3 tUf6 g3 132 •c6 iLg2 iLg4 S 0-0 tUbd7 tUbd2 e6 l:te1 iLe7 e4 dxe4 tUxe4 0-0 10 c3 133 A: 1O l:!.e8133 B: 1O "Wib6134 16: Torre Attack: d4 dS ct:Jf3 ct:Jf6 iLgS I d4 dS tUf3 tUf6 iLgS 136 3•• tUe4 136 A: iLh4136 B: iLf4138 17: Colle System: d4 dS ct:Jf3 ct:Jf6 e3 d4 dS tUf3 tUf6 e3 141 3.• e6 iLd3 cS 141 A: S b3141 B: S c3 143 S.• tUc6 tUbd2 iLd6 0-0 0-0143 Bl: 8l:te1144 B2: dxcS 145 8•• ii.xcs e4 VJlic7 145 B21: 10 exdS 145 B22: 10 ~e2 14710.• h6 147 B221: 11 eS 148 B222: 11 h3 149 18: Stonewall Attack: d4 dS e3 ct:Jf63 i.d3 I d4 dS e3 tUf6 152 td3 152 cS c3 tUc6 S f4 152 tg4 tUf3 e6 0-0 td6 153 19: Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: d4 dS e4 d4 d5 e4 155 dxe4 tUc3 tUf6 f3 exf3 155 A: S "Wixf3? 155 B: S tUxf3 156 ... opportunity to play! A black repertoire has also been provided to combat Queen's Pawn Games in which White plays without c4 - the result is a complete one-volume repertoire versus d4 How to Beat d4... game see next diagram Dedication To my Dad Acknowledgements Thanks to Joe Fang for access to his outstanding chess library Special thanks to my wife Kim and to our children Jillian and Jay for... of writing How to Beat d4 is to provide the reader with a solid, dynamic opening repertoire versus d4 There are no shortcuts or secret variations which enable Black magically to seize the initiative