Nimzowitsch Aaron - Alekhine Alexander A (RUS) [C48]

It St. Petersburg (Russia), 1914

1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 f6 4.b5 d4 5.c4 c5 6.xe5 e7 [!]

7.d3 d5 8.xd5 xd5 [8...g4? 9.f3 xd5 10.xd5+ (10.xc5? b4! 11.fxg4 f6+ Keely-Miles,
Staffordshire op 1969) ] 9.xd5 xe4+ [!]
10.e3 [The difference that in comparison to the 8. xd5 xe4 9. e3 line White has exchanged the
important attacking on f6.] 10...d6 [10...b6 11.00 00 Blatny]
11.00 e6 ['ChessBase: 'Black has a strong and a better development for the .'']
12.e1 [12.b3!? 000 13.b2 is a quicker way for developing the .]
12...000 ['ChessBase: 'Castling on opposite sides helps the attacking party.'']
13.c3 f5 14.c2 [14.d3 h4 15.f3 h5 Alekhine]
14...h4! 15.f3 [15.g3 h3] 15...f4 [15...h5 16.d4] 16.xf5 xf5 17.d3 g4 18.d4 [18.e3?? xd3
+] 18...h5 19.f4 [White has to defend his , but now the light squares become vulnerable, the dark-
squared remains passive. '']
19...he8 20.b4 [20.d2 c5 21.ae1 e2! 22.f3 xd4+ 23.cxd4 de8 24.c1 c6; 20.xf5 xf5] 20...c5!
21.xf5 xf5 22.d2 c7 23.f3 cxb4 24.cxb4 g5! 25.fxg5 [''?!'
[25.b2 %03'better is' 25...xf4 26.c3+ b8; 25.h3!? f6 (25...g4!? 26.hxg4 xg4 27.b2 g8 28.f2 b6
29.c1+ b8 30.e5+ a8 31.d4 xd4 32.xd4 xd4 33.c8+ xc8 34.xd4) 26.b1 d4+ 27.h1 (27.f1 b6)
27...d6 28.b2 gxf4 29.c1 b8]
25...e5 26.b2 xh2+ 27.f1 g3 [?]
[27...h1+ !? 28.f2 h4+ 29.f1 g3! 30.c3+ (30.xg3 xg3+) 30...b8 31.c5 b6 32.g1 xd3! 33.xd3
f4+ 34.f3 c4++ Alekhine]
28.d4 [!] 28...xd4! '!?' [28...b8 29.g1 h4] 29.c3+ [=] 29...b8 30.xd4 e5! 31.d7 c8 32.xf7!
h1+ 33.f2 h4+ 34.e2 h5+ 35.g4 [?] [35.f1=] 35...h2+ 36.f3? [36.e3 c7 (36...g3+ 37.f3 d4+
38.xd4 e8+ 39.e4 xe4+ 40.dxe4) 37.c1! b6+ 38.d4 g3+ 39.f3+]
36...g3+ 37.e4 c7! 38.c1 [38.af1 g2+ 39.1f3 e2+ 40.e3 g2+ 41.f5 f2+ 42.e4 g2+ 43.ff3
f8=]
38...g2+ 39.e3 b6+ 40.d4+ [40.c5 d8 41.f5 (41.b5 xa2 42.xh7 g8!?) 41...e8+ 42.d4 b2+
43.c4 xa2+ 44.c3 b7]
40...d8! 41.c7 [41.xb7+! xb7 42.xb7+ xb7 43.c4] 41...g3+ 42.f3 e1+! 43.d3 d1+ 44.e3
xc7 01

Shirov,Alexei (2710) - Kramnik,Vladimir (2790) [C48]

WCC cand Cazorla (6), 31.05.1998
[Tsesarsky]
[Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: 'Inf 72/305']

1.e4 e5 2.f3 f6 3.c3 c6 4.b5 d4 5.c4 c5 [5...xf3+!? 6.xf3 d6 7.d3 e7] 6.xe5 d5 ['!?'
Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. ]
[6...e7! is the theoretical main line. 7.f3 (7.d3 d5 8.xd5 xe4+ 9.e3 b6 10.f3 h4+ 11.f2 00 12.0
0?! xf3+! 13.xf3 xe3 14.xe3! xc4 Keitlinghaus,L-Blatny,P/Lazne Bohdanec 1995 (30)) 7...d5
8.xd5 g4 9.d3 c6 10.b3 d7 11.g5 Bernstein O-Rubinstein A/Vilna 1912 (22)]
7.xd5 ['N!?' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S.] [7.xd5 xd5 8.h5? - 72/(305)

a) 8.xd5 g5 9.xf7+ e7 10.h5 xe5 11.00 (11.c3 xe4++; 11.d3 xc2+! 12.xc2 xh5) 11...g6;

b) 8.c3!;

8...g6 (8...xc2+ 9.d1 (9.f1 g6+) 9...g6+) 9.xg6 xc2+ 10.f1 (10.d1 ce3+!! 11.fxe3 (11.e2 xc4
+ 12.xh8 f4+; 11.dxe3 f6++) 11...g4+! 12.xg4 xe3+ 13.e2 xg4 14.xh8 d4+) 10...f6! 11.f3

a) 11.e5+ xe5 12.xe5 xa1+;

b) 11.e2 f4+ (11...hxg6 12.exd5+ f8+) ;

11...hxg6 12.xd5 h5 01 Spangenberg,H-Tkachiev,V/Villa Martelli 1997; 7.exd5! e7? (7...00 8.00

d6 9.e1 e8 10.d3 g4 11.xe8+ xe8 12.f1 xc2 13.b1 b6) 8.00 f5 9.d3 (9.e1 xc2 10.xf7 xd1
11.xe7+ xe7 12.xh8 h5+) 9...000 10.e1 he8 11.f4; 7.d3 00]
7...xd5 8.xd5 [8.exd5 '?' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: 'Tsesarsky' 8...g5+]
8...00 [8...g5 Was recommended by Ilya Tsesarsky in CBM - 60 , but my analyse was wrong... '?!'
Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: ''?' ChessBase. ' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S:
'ChessBase: 'Black pushes it too hard.'' 9.xc7+ Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: ''!' ChessBase. ' (9.d3 xg2
10.xc7+ e7 11.d5+ f8 12.f1 h3 13.e3 xc2+ 14.xc2 xe3 15.e2 d4 16.f3 xf1+ 17.xf1 xf1
18.xf1 b6) 9...f8 (9...e7 10.f1 (10.00 h3 11.d5+ f8 12.e3 xe5 13.c3+ '+!' Kramnik,V;
Dolmatov,S. Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: ' d4 and Black collapses in the centre.' (13.gxh3 d6 14.f4 xe4
15.c3 e6 16.d3+) ) 10...xe5 11.xa8) 10.f1 '!' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S.

a) 10.00 '?' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. 10...h3 Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: ''+!' ChessBase. ' 11.d7+
(11.g3 xe5) 11...xd7 12.d3 g6 13.xa8 h3 14.g3 g4 15.f3 (15.e3 xd1 16.axd1 d6+) 15...xf3+
16.g2 (16.h1 xh2+) 16...h4+ 17.h1 xd1+;

b) 10.f3? xg2 11.xd4 xh1+ 12.e2 xe4+ 13.f1 h3++;

10...xe5 (10...b8 11.d3! (11.f3 f4 12.d5 xe4 13.xd4 xd5) 11...g4 12.f3 xf3 13.xc5 xc5
(13...xh2+? 14.xh2 f6+ 15.f3+ '+!' ChessBase. ) 14.gxf3 h3+ 15.e2 xc7 16.f2+ ' ' ChessBase.
ChessBase: 'Kramnik') 11.xa8 xe4 (11...b8 12.c3 c6 13.d4 d6 14.e5 e7 15.f4 (15.d5 xe5)
15...xa8 16.d5+) 12.d3 Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: 'If White finishes development, his material
advantage will be decisive.' 12...c6 13.e3 b6 14.b4 '!' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. (14.c3 b7 15.g1 f5
16.xc5+ bxc5 17.b3 g6 18.a3 g7) 14...b7 (14...h3 15.g1 f3 16.bxc5 xg1 17.gxh3 h1 (17...xh3
18.g4!+) 18.g4!+) 15.g1+ Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: 'winning the piece.']
9.c3 ['!' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. ]
[9.00?! e8 10.d3 d6 ChessBase: 'Kramnik']
9...e8 10.cxd4 [10.f4? loses to 10...xe5! 11.fxe5 h4+ 12.f1 g4+]
10...xd4 11.00! 'White cannot keep his extra piece, so he finishes his development.'']
[11.a4 xe5 12.d4 d6= (12...c6 13.dxe5 cxd5=) ; 11.f3 xd5 12.d3 g4 13.00 d6 14.h3 h5=; 11.f4 f6
12.b3 e6]
11...xe5 [11...xe5 12.d4 xh2+ (12...d6 13.c3 h4 14.e5) 13.xh2 xe4 14.e3 xd4 15.f3]
12.d3 [Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: ''!' [12.c3 g5 13.d3 g6]
12...c6 [Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: 'ChessBase: 'Black has a strong for the , and d3 is also a
strategical weakness. And still, he cannot win back the at all.'']
13.f4 ['!' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. ]
[13.c3 '?!' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. 13...b6 ' ' Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S. 14.f4 e6 15.d2 a6 16.ad1
d7; 13.a4 xf2+ 14.xf2 cxd5= ChessBase: 'Kramnik'; 13.e3 h4]
13...b6 [13...b5!? deserves attention according to Kritz.]
14.c2 [14.a4!? 'comes into consideration.' 14...b7 (14...b5 15.c2 c5 16.d5 b7 17.c3 (17.f4 xd5
18.exd5 xd5+) 17...a6 18.e2

a) 18.f4 e8 19.e2 c4 20.ad1 cxd3 21.xd3 (21.xd3 xb2 22.b3 e7 23.xb2 xe4 24.f3 xe2)
21...xe4 22.xd4 f6 23.g3 (23.e3 g6+) 23...xd4 24.xd4 xc2=;
b) 18.e3 c8 (18...c4 19.dxc4 xe3 20.fxe3 bxc4 21.ad1 g5 22.f2 f6 23.d4) 19.ad1 h4 20.e2 xe3
21.fxe3 c4 22.f4 e7 23.g3 cxd3 24.xd3; 18...c4 19.xd4 (19.dxc4 xe4 20.d1 c5) 19...xd4 20.f4
ee8 21.ad1 cxd3 22.xd3 xb2 23.f3 ac8= (23...xa2 24.d7) ) 15.e2 c5 16.f4 e8 17.ad1
Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: 'keeping the extra .'; 14.e2?! a6 15.e3? xe4 ChessBase: 'Kramnik']
14...c5 15.e2? [15.a4!? Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: was again interesting:'' 15...b5 (15...a5? 16.xc6
' ' ChessBase. ; 15...a5 16.e3) 16.b1 a5 17.e3]
15...a6 16.e3 d6 17.ac1?! Now finally Black equalizes the game.
[17.xd4! 17...xd4 18.ac1 18...d8; 17.ad1 d8]
17...xc1 18.xc1 e5 [18...e5 19.d2 Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: 'ChessBase: 'Kramnik'' (19.g3) 19...d8
(19...xf4 20.xf4 xd3 21.xd3 xd3 22.xc6 xe4=) 20.d1 (20.g3 xf4 21.xf4 xd3 22.xd3 xd3
23.xc6 xe4 24.d6 xd6 25.xd6=) 20...xf4 (20...g5 Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S: 'h2' 21.h3 xh2+
22.h1 g4 (22...h6 23.d4) 23.f4 h6 24.h3 g6 25.xh2 xd3 26.e2 gxh3 27.g1 d6+ 28.f4 f8
29.gxh3 e6) 21.xf4 xd3 22.xd3 xd3 23.xd3 xd3 24.f3=]

Acs,P - Karakechajov,S [C48]

World Junior Ch., Athens, Gree, 2001
[ChessPublishing]

[Paul Motwani: 'G11.17: "Acs drops the axe !"']

1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 f6 4.b5 d4 [Black has chosen the Rubinstein Variation in response to
White's Four Knights Opening.]

5.a4 [5.xe5 is playable and has captured the interest of some strong players, but 5... 5...e7 is
generally reckoned to be a very satisfactory answer for Black.]
5...c6 [The possible follow-up ideas behind this multi-purpose move include .. .b5/...d5/...Qa5, but of
course it does leave that e5pawn "en prise"...]

6.xe5 [The World Junior Champion from Hungary does not shy away from a challenge!]

[6.d3 is sometimes played, but White's chosen move in the actual game is much more ambitious.]
6...d6 ["Nunn's Chess Openings" (NCO) favours the ultra-energetic move]

[6...d5 , planning ...Bd6 next.]

7.f3 g4 8.d3 d7 9.e3 xf3+ 10.gxf3 h5 11.d4 [Preventing 11...Ne5.]

11...f6 12.g1 xf3?! [NCO mentions instead]

[Paul Motwani: NCO mentions instead 12...xf3 13.xf3 xf3 14.g3 and fairly assesses this line as
giving White a slight advantage.]

13.d3 [Menacing 14 Bg5.]

13...h4 14.g3 xh2 15.d2! [White avoids]

[Paul Motwani: White avoids 15.xf3 h1+]

15...h5 16.d5! [White is ahead in development, and so he plays to prise open lines in order to get at
Black's poorly-defended king.]

16...c5 [16...e5 is very powerfully met by 17.dxc6! , intending 17... 17...bxc6 (17...xd3 loses instantly
to 18.cxb7+) 18.a6]

17.ag1! [Threatening Bf4 then Rxf3.]

17...f6 18.xd7+ [18.f4 g5 was Black's desperate hope.]
18...xd7 19.b5+ d8 [After] [Paul Motwani: After 19...c8 20.xg7! Black's defences cave in along
the 7th rank.]
20.xb7 c8 21.xg7! [Echoing the theme of the previous note.] 21...e8 22.xa7 e7 23.b6+ d7
24.b5 [Black now resigned, facing overwhelming threats including 25 Qxd6#. Paul Motwani: 'Black
now resigned, facing overwhelming threats including 25 Qxd6.'] 10

Spielmann,Rudolf - Rubinstein,Akiba [C48]

San Sebastian 2 (21), 1912
[JvR]

1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 f6 4.b5 d4 [It is widely known that this is the first game in which
Rubinstein put his line to good use. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in his game against Tarrasch
(which was played five rounds prior to this game), Rubinstein adopted a similar idea, even though his
move order was far from ideal. That game went 4...c5 5.xe5 d4 and after 6.a4 00 play
transposed into the main line.]
5.c4!? [The exchanges by 5.xd4 exd4 6.e5 dxc3 7.exf6 xf6 8.dxc3 do not fit Spielmann's style.;
More popular is 5.a4.]
5...c5 [Whenever Rubinstein encountered 5 Bc4, he always used this line in which Black offers his e-
pawn.]
[5...xf3+ is an alternative with a solid reputation. It is true that after 6.xf3 (but 6.gxf3!? is a
potentially strong idea from the 1990s which has lately been used with some success by the Russian
grandmaster Evgeny Najer.]
6.xe5 e7 7.f3 [The black f-pawn is immune as both 7.xf7? d5; and 7.xf7+? d8 followed by ...d7
d6 are winning for Black. ; Note that 7.d3?! is also dubious. Following 7...d5! 8.xd5 (8.xd5 xe4+
9.e3 b6 10.f3 h4+ 11.f2 00 12.00?! (12.g3 h5 is unclear according to Emms) 12...xf3+ 13.xf3
xe3 14.xe3 xc4 15.c3 was played in L.Keitlinghaus-P.Blatny, Lazne Bohanec 1995, and now
15...xc3 16.bxc3 d7 , with the idea of hitting the white c-pawn with ...Ba4 with a better position for
Black, was suggested by Blatny) 8...xd5 9.xd5 xe4+ 10.e3 d6 11.00 e6 a position is reached in
which Black holds the better prospects, as occurred in A.Nimzowitsch-A.Alekhine, St Petersburg
1914.]
7...d5! [Rubinstein sacrifices another pawn for the attack in the centre.]
8.xd4?! [This cannot be a critical test for Rubinstein's 5...Bc5. If there is anything for White in this
line, it will be found after a capture on d5:]
[Better is 8.xd5 g4! 9.d3 c6 (9...d7! 10.e3 e5 11.xd4 xd1 12.f5 f6! White faces certain
difficulties. The theoretically important game E.Najer-A.Shirov, Poikovsky 2006, continued 13.xd1
(13.xc5 runs into 13...xc2! ,; and 13.d4 g4! 14.dxe5 b6 15.xc5 xc5 16.xg7+ f8 17.h3 xg7 18.hxg4
c6 19.b3 h5 is also better for Black, as analysed by Kavalek) 13...xe3 14.xe3 000! 15.00 h5 16.b3
g4 17.h3 f4!? 18.g3 (18.hxg4 fails to 18...hxg4 19.fe1 h1+! 20.xh1 xf2 21.xg4 h8+ 22.h2 g3
23.g1 xh2 and White cannot avoid being mated) , and now instead of 18...Qf6, Shirov could have
tried 18...f3!? : for example, 19.g2 h4! 20.e1 (20.hxg4 h3 leads to another quite amusing finish)
20...f6 21.hxg4 hxg3 22.g2 gxf2+ 23.xf2 h1+ 24.xh1 xf2 and Black has a winning advantage.)
10.b3 d7 (Bernstein-Rubinstein, Vilnius 1912).; 8.xd5 has been mainly played in correspondence
games (the only game from the 'Mega Database 2008' is D.Janowsky-F.Marshall, Paris 1905!), but it
seems that Black has compensation in any case: for example, 8...xe4+ 9.e3 g4 10.e2 xe2
11.xe2 000 12.d3 e6 13.00 d5 14.e1 f4 15.d1 h5 with excellent prospects for Black in
H.Schubert-A.Henriksen, correspondence 1958.]
8...dxc4 9.f3 xe4 10.00 00 11.d4 cxd3 12.cxd3 xc3 13.bxc3 g4 [Black has obtained an
excellent position: the two bishops, a better pawn structure and even a slight lead in development.
Rubinstein casi siempre logr convertir su advantage in the endgame.]
14.d4 d6 15.d3 ae8 16.h3 h5 17.a4 g6 18.c4 e2 19.xe2 xe2 [Black has advantages in the
endgame.]
20.a3 c2 21.xd6 cxd6 22.fe1!? xc3 23.e7 b8 24.a5?! [The tactics 24.d7! e4 25.xd6 xf3 26.gxf3
xf3 27.g2 leads to a drawn rook ending.]
24...f8 25.d7 f5 26.xd6 e6 27.b1 c7! 28.a6? [Spielmann misses his last chance in the
tournament, when the time control comes near. ] [Correct is 28.e1! e7 29.d5! h6 30.b5 d6 and
Black has a positional advantage.]
28...a8! [White loses the exchange.]
29.xe6 fxe6 30.g5 e7 31.e1 f6 32.f4 c6 33.xh7+ e7 34.g5 d7 35.e5 f8 36.d5 exd5 37.xd5+
d6 38.b5 c6 39.b4 f5 40.c4+ d7 41.e4 c6 42.a4 a6 43.g4 fxa5 44.d4+ c7 45.c3 d6
[Spielmann had lost to a main competitor for the third time in the second cycle. The standings were
Nimzowitsch 12/18, Spielmann 12/19 and Rubinstein 11/18 at the end of the penultimate round. ] 0
1
White,A - Black,A [C48]
Edinburgh 1996, 1996
[ChessPublishing]

[Paul Motwani: 'G11.6: "Bright shining light". Four Knights Game, Rubinstein Variation. The name
'Elaine' originates from Old French with the meaning 'bright shining light', and this is particularly
appropriate in the case of Edinburgh's 16year-old Women's World Amateur Chess Champion, Elaine
Rutherford, whose delightfully unassuming nature has not changed even after achieving enormous
academic and chess success so quickly. Elaine, the eldest of six children in the remarkable Rutherford
family, really is an inspiration to a great many people, including her brother, four sisters, and fellow-
pupils at James Gillespie High School. Through the magic combination of talent and hard work, Elaine
has consistently progressed very well since playing in her first-ever tournament almost ten years ago.
Three years later, she was representing her country in a Scotland vs. England match, and since then
Elaine has played 163 games for Scotland at nice locations in Austria, Estonia, Greece, Hungary,
Menorca, Slovakia, Spain, and France (six times!). When Elaine captured her world crown at Hastings
earlier this month, she also became a Woman F.I.D.E. Master, thereby adding another fine title to her
impressive list which already included multiple previous victories in Scottish Girls competitions, as
well as wins in Under11 and Under15 national events. Elaine rounded off the last millennium in
tremendous style by becoming the first-ever Scottish female to compete at the top level in the
Scottish Championship. She gained invaluable experience at that super-strong July 1999 tournament
in Edinburgh, and went on just three months later to win a Grand Prix Open in Perth with GM Dr Colin
McNab. Also last October, Elaine had the honour of attending an extra-special Masterclass given by
the world's top-rated player, Garry Kasparov, at Oakham School in Rutland. So much excitement
since Elaine's first chess event at the age of seven! Time-warping back to Sunday 15 December 1996, I
was at the Rutherford home enjoying discussing chess with another brilliant seven-year-old at that
time. Kathleen Rutherford thought up some very smart tactics when we talked about ideas in the
Four Knights Opening. Her 'game' is given now, with suitable imaginary names for the 'players'.']

[G11.6: "Bright shining light" A.White-A.Black, Edinburgh 1996. Four Knights Game, Rubinstein
Variation. The name 'Elaine' originates from Old French with the meaning 'bright shining light', and
this is particularly appropriate in the case of Edinburgh's 16year-old Women's World Amateur Chess
Champion, Elaine Rutherford, whose delightfully unassuming nature has not changed even after
achieving enormous academic and chess success so quickly. Elaine, the eldest of six children in the
remarkable Rutherford family, really is an inspiration to a great many people, including her brother,
four sisters, and fellow-pupils at James Gillespie High School. Through the magic combination of
talent and hard work, Elaine has consistently progressed very well since playing in her first-ever
tournament almost ten years ago. Three years later, she was representing her country in a Scotland
vs. England match, and since then Elaine has played 163 games for Scotland at nice locations in
Austria, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Menorca, Slovakia, Spain, and France (six times!).When Elaine
captured her world crown at Hastings earlier this month, she also became a Woman F.I.D.E. Master,
thereby adding another fine title to her impressive list which already included multiple previous
victories in Scottish Girls competitions, as well as wins in Under11 and Under15 national events.
Elaine rounded off the last millennium in tremendous style by becoming the first-ever Scottish female
to compete at the top level in the Scottish Championship. She gained invaluable experience at that
super-strong July 1999 tournament in Edinburgh, and went on just three months later to win a Grand
Prix Open in Perth with GM Dr Colin McNab. Also last October, Elaine had the honour of attending an
extra-special Masterclass given by the world's top-rated player, Garry Kasparov, at Oakham School in
Rutland. So much excitement since Elaine's first chess event at the age of seven! Time-warping back
to Sunday 15 December 1996, I was at the Rutherford home enjoying discussing chess with another
brilliant seven-year-old at that time. Kathleen Rutherford thought up some very smart tactics when
we talked about ideas in the Four Knights Opening. Her 'game' is given now, with suitable imaginary
names for the 'players'.]

1.e4 [Paul Motwani]

1...e5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 f6 [3...c5 4.xe5! xe5 after Paul Motwani: 'would favour White, after' (Paul
Motwani: as did 4...xf2+ 5.xf2 xe5 6.d4 in the game P.Motwani-N.Bathie at the 1999 Scottish
Championship (see game G10. 1).) 5.d4; 3...g6 is playable for Black, but in the case of 4.d4 exd4
5.d5!? g7 6.g5 one should play 6...ce7! instead of (Paul Motwani: instead of 6...ge7? because the
latter move allows 7.xd4!! xd4 8.xd4!! xd4 9.f6+ f8 10.h6# which is one of my favourite
opening traps.) ]
4.b5 d4 [G11.6.1: Probably less good is]
[Paul Motwani: This Rubinstein variation avoids the symmetry of 4...b4; Paul Motwani: G11.6.1:
Probably less good is 4...c5?! since 5.xe5! xe5 6.d4 b4?! (6...d6 is relatively best) 7.dxe5 xe4
8.d4 xc3 9.bxc3 e7 10.g4 g6 (10...00? 11.h6) 11.f3 00 12.h6 e8 13.00 left Black cramped in
the encounter P.Motwani-J.Hawksworth at the 1986 British Championship.]
5.xd4 [5.a4; and 5.c4 are common alternatives.] 5...exd4 6.e5! dxc3 [6...e7? 7.00! xe5?? 8.e1
is a disaster area for Black.] 7.exf6 cxd2+? [7...xf6 would be a sensible continuation now (although
White still won in game G11.2), but instead Black rapidly gets into a critical state after grabbing a hot
pawn...]
8.xd2 xf6 [I now asked Kathleen Rutherford to try to find a powerful way of utilising White's lead in
development, and she came up with the following cool moves.]
9.00! e7 [With the king sitting on a wide-open e-file, Black must at least attempt to soon get
castled to safety.]
10.c3 b6 11.g4!! xb5 12.xg7 f8 13.fe1 d6 [13...d8 14.xf8+! xf8 15.f6+ e7 16.xe7+ e8
17.g5+ f8 18.h6+ g8 19.e8# would be fun for White to play.]
14.f6 e6 [#]
15.xe6! fxe6 16.xe7# [Not bad for a seven-year-old! Many congratulations to Elaine, Kathleen, and
indeed all the Rutherford family.] 10

Yudasin,L (2635) - Mikhalevski,V (2500) [C48]

Beer-Sheva, 1996
[Yudasin,L] [Inf 66/275]

1.e4 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala']

1...e5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 f6 4.b5 d4 5.a4 c5 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'Once Black utters a
declaration of all-out war, it can't be retracted and unsaid. Again our opponent boldly nourishes us
with pawns and false promises.'']
6.xe5 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'And once again we brazenly pluck the ripe pawn, not fearing
Black's coming initiative/attack.'']

6...00 7.d3 b6 8.e5 e8 9.d5 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'QUESTION: I really don't get why
White moves his knight around a dozen times when he can just castle. Can I skip all the complications
of 9 Nd5 this way?'']

[ANSWER: If only it were that simple. After 9.00 Cyrus Lakdawala 9...d6 10.exd6 , I don't care for
White's game after 10...f6! , when White will be lucky to draw. His d3knight clogs up the works and
...Bg4 is in the air.]

9...d6 10.e3 dxe5 [10...g5 11.f4 g6 12.00 f6 13.h1 c6 14.b4; 10...c5!? 11.00!? (11.c3 - 65/(310))
]

11.xe5 g5 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'QUESTION: What are some of the differences between
playing the queen to g5 rather than to e7 as in the last game?ANSWER: From g5:1. Black's queen
attacks the loose e5knight and also sets her sights on g2.2. Black's queen is more vulnerable to
tempo loss with f4, h4 or simply a long-term problem of being on the c1h6 diagonal of White's
bishop.'']

12.5c4 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'Alternatives are inferior for White:'']

[12.xe8? xe8 13.f3 xg2; Yudasin,L: Cyrus Lakdawala: b) 12.f3? xf3+ 13.xf3 Yudasin,L: ''?' Cyrus
Lakdawala. ' (the hideous 13.gxf3 (Cyrus Lakdawala) must be played) 13...xe3! Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus
Lakdawala: ', L.Sieiro-M.Panelo, Potrero de los Funes 1995. Black wins no matter how White
responds:'' 14.xe3 (14.dxe3 a5++ Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: ',''; Yudasin,L: Cyrus Lakdawala:
alternatively, 14.fxe3 h4++ Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: ',''; or 14.xe8 Cyrus Lakdawala 14...g4!)
14...xg2+ 15.f1 Cyrus Lakdawala 15...d6 and White's position is a ruin.; Yudasin,L: Cyrus
Lakdawala: a) 12.d3 Yudasin,L: ''?!' Cyrus Lakdawala. Cyrus Lakdawala: '(why plug the d-pawn with a
self-block?)'' 12...f5! 13.00 (13.xf5 xg2+ ) 13...xd3 14.cxd3 (Cyrus Lakdawala) , I.Sokolov-
M.Chandler, Brussels 1992. White's extra pawn is meaningless and Black's pieces are out and active.]

12...f5 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'Here he comes again with the battering ram.'']

13.f4 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'Believe it or not, this move works out to a forced
draw.QUESTION: What is the purpose of this move? Doesn't White just lose a pawn?ANSWER: He
gives it back for something he desperately needs time. White lures Black's queen in front of the
surging f5pawn. This gives White the time he needs to unravel.'']

[Next game we look at 13.h4 (Cyrus Lakdawala) , a possible improvement.]

13...xf4 [13...h4+ 14.g3 h3 15.c3 g5 16.xb6 gxf4 17.cxd4]

14.c3 e6 [Yudasin,L: ''?!' Cyrus Lakdawala. Cyrus Lakdawala: 'I can't find a path for Black to equality
or full compensation for his lost pawn after this natural move.QUESTION: But his knight is attacked.
What else is there?'']
[14...h4+!? 15.g3 h3 16.cxd4! (16.xb6 Yudasin,L: ''?' Cyrus Lakdawala. ' 16...f4! fe3, g2+
Yudasin,L: ' fe3, g2+ Cyrus Lakdawala: 'gives Black a winning attack'') 16...f4! 17.gxf4! xd4!
(17...h4+ Cyrus Lakdawala 18.e2 . Now 18...xf4? (but 18...g4+! is a forced draw after 19.xg4 xg4+
20.d3 f5+ 21.e2! (only move) 21...g4+) 19.xb6 gave White the better chances in the
complications, B.Hatanbaatar-E.Handoko, Manila 2001.QUESTION: How am I supposed to play this
line if I have no hope of remembering this complex analysis?ANSWER: Experience in the line guides
you even if you forget the analysis. In the words of Kwai Chang Caine's Master Po, "That which you do
not know, the doing will quickly teach you.") ]

15.d4 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'For the pawn, White:1. Gave Black's d4knight the boot;2.
Blunted the bishop on b6;3. Took control over the centre; and4. Unleashed the c1bishop, which now
eyes Black's queen on f4. Conclusion: Quite a bargain for only a pawn and he isn't even down a
pawn! Remember, Black sac'ed a pawn first, so the material is even.'']

15...h4+ 16.g3 h3 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'QUESTION: How will White deal with this
intruder?ANSWER: Yudasin found a way to manoeuvre his bishop to g2 in the game. '']

[I'm also not so crazy about 16...d8 (Cyrus Lakdawala) . The move looks strangely passive given that
Black invested a pawn. After 17.00 f4 18.gxf4 xf4 19.e5 d6 20.b3+ h8 21.3g4 h3+ 22.g2 xf1
23.xf1 xg4 24.xg4 h4 25.f3 g5 26.g3 (A.Shirov-N.Short Novgorod 1994) White stands better
since his king is no longer troubled, he controls the centre and owns the bishop pair in an open
position.]

17.b3 [[ f3g2 ] Yudasin,L: '[ f3g2 ] '!' Cyrus Lakdawala. Cyrus Lakdawala: 'The
position is in White's favour no matter which path Black takes.'']

[Yudasin,L: Cyrus Lakdawala: EXERCISE (planning): After]

17...h8 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'In order to get his king off the long diagonal. Alternatively:'
Cyrus Lakdawala: 'how can White unravel and take control of the game?'']

[a) 17...f4?! (Cyrus Lakdawala) allows White a trick: 18.g4! xg4 (18...h6 19.xb6 axb6 20.g2 doesn't
help Black) 19.xg4 fxg3 20.hxg3 , H.Lueers-H.Arppi, correspondence 1999. White stands better: he
owns e5, the bishop is blunted on b6 and the open h-file may trouble Black.; b) 17...f6?! Cyrus
Lakdawala 18.f3 g6 19.g2 and once again White stands clearly better, D.Lozano Kafure-G.Peli,
correspondence 2005.]

[Yudasin,L: Cyrus Lakdawala: ANSWER: Step 1: Remove Black's bishop and clear the path for Bd5!
and Bg2.]

18.xb6 [Yudasin,L: ''!' Cyrus Lakdawala. ']

18...axb6 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'Step 2:'']

19.d5 [[c8, e8, f5] Yudasin,L: '[c8, e8, f5] '!' Cyrus Lakdawala. Cyrus Lakdawala: 'Destination
g2.'']

19...d6 [Yudasin,L: ''?!' Cyrus Lakdawala. ']

[19...f6 20.g2 h6 21.xf5; Yudasin,L: Cyrus Lakdawala: He should try to pry White's king open with
19...f4 Yudasin,L: ''!' Cyrus Lakdawala. Cyrus Lakdawala: '. After'' 20.g2 h6 21.g4 (21.d5 Cyrus
Lakdawala 21...g6 22.00 fxg3 23.xf8+ xf8 24.hxg3 xg3 25.f4 g6 26.xc7 xc7 27.xc7 h3 28.f3
xg2 29.xg2 White's superior structure and minor piece give him the edge.) 21...h5 22.e5 xd1+
23.xd1 ; 19...g5 20.g2 h6 21.00 f4 22.d5]

20.g2 h6 21.c4! [21.00 g6 g5e4 ]

21...f6 [21...f4 22.xd6 00, f4]

22.xd6 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'More pieces off the board.'']

22...cxd6 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'And damage to Black's structure to boot.'']

23.00 [[ e3, b3, d5 d6, b7, b6] Yudasin,L: '[ e3, b3, d5 d6, b7, b6] Cyrus Lakdawala:
'Those who hunger for attacks rarely enjoy the aftertaste when the counterattack is served as the
next course. Black finds himself in deep trouble without the bishop pair and with an inferior structure.
Still, it's possible to win the war and then lose the occupation. White's work is not done until he forces
resignation.'']

23...b5N [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'EXERCISE (planning): Maybe Black hopes to get some play
going on the light squares with a future...Nc7, protect b7, ...Be6 and ...Bd5. How should we
react?ANSWER: Play d5 and manoeuvre the dark-squared bishop to d4:'']

[23...c7 - 56/348]

24.e3 [#D2 Yudasin,L: '#D2 '!' Cyrus Lakdawala. ']

24...c7 25.d5! [[ d7 h8] Yudasin,L: '[ d7 h8] Cyrus Lakdawala: 'This pawn unilaterally
blocks Black's plan.'']

25...d7 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'This miserable bishop continues to pray for his more
fortunate counterparts. However, whether he prays for their long lives and happiness or their deaths
remains in question.'']

[25...b4 26.d4 f7 27.cxb4 xd5?? 28.xd5 xd5 29.xg7++]

26.d2 [[ d4, g5]]

26...e8 [[ g6, f6e4 ] Yudasin,L: '[ g6, f6e4 ] Cyrus Lakdawala: 'He hopes to head for
e4 some day but White never allows it.'']
[Perhaps a better way to implement this plan would be through 26...a6 (Cyrus Lakdawala) intending
...Nc5 and ...Ne4. Even if it costs him a pawn, at least he gets opposite-coloured bishops.]

27.d4 g6 [27...f7 28.f4]

28.f4! [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'White anticipates Black. Now the intended ...Nf6 and ...Ne4
drops the d6pawn.'']

28...g8 29.a3 [29.ae1 xa2 30.e7 f7 31.fe1 a8 ]

29...g4 30.e3! [[ f4, af1, g4] Yudasin,L: '[ f4, af1, g4] Cyrus Lakdawala: 'In this case,
keeping queens on is even stronger than swapping into a pawn-up ending.'']

30...f7 [30...f6? Cyrus Lakdawala 31.e7 drops d6.]

31.f3! g6 32.f4 [[ h4, h5] Yudasin,L: '[ h4, h5] Cyrus Lakdawala: 'Back again, but this
time Black is denied harassment rights via ...Qg4.EXERCISE (planning): Once again, Yudasin
frustrates his opponent's intention to transfer his knight to e4, or does he? How can Black implement
his plan?'']

[Yudasin,L: Cyrus Lakdawala: ANSWER: Cover d6:]

32...a6 [[ f6] Yudasin,L: '[ f6] '!' Cyrus Lakdawala. Cyrus Lakdawala: 'Black finds a way to play
...Nf6.'']

33.ae1 f6 34.e2 [[ fe1, e7 g6]]

34...e4?! 35.h4+ [[ 36. d8, 36. h5] Yudasin,L: '[ 36. d8, 36. h5] '!' Cyrus Lakdawala. Cyrus
Lakdawala: 'Threat: Qd8+.'']

[White isn't satisfied with a pawn-up ending of opposite-coloured bishops after 35.xe4 Cyrus
Lakdawala 35...fxe4 36.xf7+ xf7 37.xf7 xf7 38.xe4 .]

35...a8? [Yudasin,L: ''??' Cyrus Lakdawala. Cyrus Lakdawala: 'EXERCISE: Black just blundered. One
move ends all resistance. Which one?'']

[Retreat with 35...f6 (Cyrus Lakdawala) was forced. Psychologically, it's not such an easy move to
make since Black invested so much energy working to get his knight to e4.]

[Yudasin,L: Cyrus Lakdawala: ANSWER:]

36.h5 [Yudasin,L: 'Cyrus Lakdawala: 'This bishop, the hero of the game, finally displays his
claws.Summary:Your odds are good after 13 f4. Black has one and only one narrow and complex path
to a forced draw. If he doesn't know it or chooses not to take it, White stands better.''] 10
Baramidze,David - Babujian,Levon [C48]
WJGCC 2006j Erevan ARM (10), 13.10.2006
[www.chesstoday.net]

1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 f6 4.c3 d4 5.a4 [www.chesstoday.net: 'Christoph Scheerer: 'This move
constitutes the only winning try that White has in this whole variation.'']

5...c5 [www.chesstoday.net: 'Christoph Scheerer: 'Continuing in Rubinstein's spirit has been under a
cloud of late for reasons I will state further below. '']

[The alternative 5...c6 , an idea of the British grandmaster Mark Hebden, has gained considerable
popularity in recent years. As in this game I would like to show a rather interesting idea which might
turn the tables after 5...Bc5, I will confine myself to referring the interested reader to John Emms's
excellent 'Play the Open Games as Black' for further coverage of 5...c6.]

6.xe5 00 7.d3 b6 8.e5 [8.f4 , which is considered the 'old main line' by Nunn, is a try to untangle
White's position, but Black can react energetically with 8...d5! : 9.--

a) 9.fxd5 xd5 10.xd5 h4 11.e3 f5 12.exf5 xf5 was played in D.Navara-A.Shirov, Prague 2004.
(However, Black should prefer the stronger 12...xf5! 13.--

a1) , as 13.xf5 xf5 leaves White struggling to parry the threat of 14...Bg4. ;

a2) . Neither is 13.00 helpful because after 13...f3+! 14.gxf3 g5+ 15.g4 h3! the simple threat of
16...Bxg4 proves to be decisive. ;

a3) . Finally, 13.f1 was played in E.Voss-M.Geenen, correspondence 1990. The game continued
13...e5 14.h3 xh3! 15.gxh3 xh3 16.b3+ h8 17.d5 xd5! 18.xd5 f3+ 19.e2 d8! 20.e3 xe3
21.fxe3 g2+ 22.f2 d4+! 23.d3 (both 23.exd4 e4+ 24.f1 h1+ 25.e2 e8+; and 23.e1 g1+ 24.f1
g3+ 25.f2 f8 are equally insufficient) 23...xf2 and White resigned.; ) ;

b) 9.d3 g4 10.f3 h5 11.--

b1) , and now, ironically, White's best seems to be 11.fxg4 11...h4+ 12.g3 xg3 13.g2 h3 Christoph
Scheerer: 'with a draw by repetition. ' 14.f4 h4 15.g2 h3 with a draw by repetition. ;

b2) . Instead 11.xh5 xh5 is very risky for the first player: 12.--

b21) 12.xd5 f5 13.f4 (or 13.xb6 h4+ 14.f1 fxe4! 15.b3+ h8 16.e1 xf3+! 17.gxf3 h3+ 18.g1 xf3+
and Black went on to win in V.Gorelik-V.Chashichin, correspondence 1982) 13...fxe4 14.dxe4 xf3+!
more or less leads to a forced win. For example, 15.gxf3 xf4 16.f1 (16.xf4 h4+ 17.d2 xf4+ 18.c3
f6+ 19.b3 d8 also gives a crushing attack) 16...xe4+! 17.fxe4 h4+ 18.d2 xh2+ 19.d3 xd1
20.axd1 h8 and 01 was Fediashin-N.Poleshchuk, correspondence 1986.;

b22) 12.f4 c6 13.f1 (preparing Qd2, which if played immediately would have run into 13...Bxf3!)
13...dxe4 14.dxe4 (or 14.xe4 f5 15.g3 e7+! 16.d2 xf3+! 17.gxf3 b4+ and Black has a winning
advantage) 14...f6 15.c1 (15.d2 ad8 16.g5 fails to 16...xc2+) 15...e6 16.g3 d4 17.e5 xe5
18.e4 xg3+ 19.hxg3 e5 and with material equality restored and the white king still stuck in the
centre, Black was decisively better in R.Jongman-A.Di Buccianico, correspondence 1987.; ; ;

[www.chesstoday.net: Christoph Scheerer: We now return to 8 e5: ]

8...c6 [www.chesstoday.net: ''!?' Christoph Scheerer. Christoph Scheerer: 'This is the move that
might revive the whole 5...Bc5 variation! There are very few games in the databases which feature
this move, but given that Magnus Carlsen employed it in 2007 in Wijk aan Zee (against Alexander
Motylev) it has to have at least some merit.'']

[Instead 8...e8 is the move almost exclusively played, but 9.d5 d6 10.e3 --

a) 10...dxe5 11.xe5 g5 12.5c4 has turned out to be a massive point-scorer for White in practice. ;

b) . Thus 10...c5 is a solution offered by 'NCO', which claims equality after 11.c3 f5 12.00 xe3
13.dxe3 c4 14.b4 dxe5 15.h5 f5 . However, looking a little further, we find that things are not that
easy: for example, A.Shirov-J.Lautier, Monaco (rapid) 1995, continued 16.d1 f6 17.xd8 xh5 18.d5
e4 19.b5 a6 20.xc4 e6 and now instead of the game's 21.b3 , (21.e2! would have led to a decisive
advantage for White.) ;

9.00 [www.chesstoday.net: 'Christoph Scheerer: 'This has been played in all the games available,
thereby allowing Black to transpose to a lesser main line while side-stepping the nasty 8...Ne8 9 Nd5
variation discussed above. Nobody has dared to accept the piece sacrifice, which should be very
dangerous. '']

[Indeed, I would like to give you a sample of possible lines after 9.exf6 e8+ 10.f1 d5 , as worked out
by various members of the 'ChessPublishing.com' forum: 11.--

a) 11.fxg7? is a typical computer move which just opens another avenue for an additional attacking
piece: 11...h4! 12.xd5 (in order to prevent 12...Bg4) 12...cxd5! 13.xe8 g4 14.xf7+ xg7 15.e1
e2+ 16.xe2 (or 16.g1 f3+ 17.gxf3 g5#) 16...xe2 17.xe2 g4+ and Black wins.;

b) 11.f4 is a better try: 11...xf6 12.d3 (alternatively, 12.fxd5 cxd5 13.xd5 (White also has here
13.xe8 when 13...e6 14.a4 b3 is totally unclear) 13...h4 14.xe8 g4 leads to positions similar to
those in line 'a') 12...h4 13.d2 (or 13.e3 xe3! 14.fxe3 f5 and Black, despite being a whole rook
down, has a dangerous initiative) 13...g4 14.g3!? and even if White manages to avoid immediate
destruction, he is still a long way from fending off Black's attack.;]
9...e8 [www.chesstoday.net: 'Christoph Scheerer: 'The point of 8...c6!?. The game has now
transposed to a line usually reached via 8...Ne8 9 00 c6, which is rather harmless compared to the
lines with 9 Nd5.'']
10.e4 [10.e2 was Motylev's choice in his aforementioned game with Carlsen. After 10...h4 11.xd4
xd4 12.b3 d5 13.e2 f6 14.e6 c7 15.c3 h4 16.g3 h6 17.c5 xc5 18.d4 h3 19.dxc5 xe6 an equal
position was reached.]
10...d5 11.g3 h4 12.c3 f5 [Black probably should have inserted 12...g4 13.e1 f5 in order to
prevent White from playing Qh5 (see the next note).]

13.h1 [www.chesstoday.net: ''?!' Christoph Scheerer. ']

[13.h5 seems like a more natural move, seeking to reduce Black's attacking forces. After 13...xa4
14.xf5 e4 Black could try to exploit the position of White's d3knight, but after 15.e7+ h8 16.xc8
xc8 17.e1 White is not far away from consolidating. The text allows Black to get back on track.]
13...f6 14.c2 c7 15.e1 [www.chesstoday.net: ''?!' Christoph Scheerer. Christoph Scheerer: 'Black
has already obtained a promising position. The text move proves to be an unfortunate decision, but it
is hard to suggest alternatives.'']
15...fxe5 16.xe5 [

XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+ntrk+(
7zppvl-+-zpp'
6-+p+-+-+&
5+-+psNn+-%
4-+-+-+-wq$
3+-zP-+-sN-#
2PzPLzP-zPPzP"
1tR-vLQtR-+K!
xabcdefghy
Black has a forced win. Well, almost...]
16...xe5! 17.xe5 xg3+! 18.fxg3 f6! 19.e1? [19.xh7+? xh7 20.xe8 f1+; 19.xe8 xe8 20.xh7+
h8! with a big Black's advantage, for example: 21.d3 (21.c2 g4 22.g1 e2 23.d1 f2!) 21...g4
22.g1 e2 (or 22...f5) 23.xe2 xe2]
19...g4!+ [www.chesstoday.net: ''!' Christoph Scheerer. Christoph Scheerer: 'Oops!'']
[19...g4 20.xg4 f1+] 01

(5191355) Motylev,Alexander (2651) - Shirov,Alexei (2726) [C48]

Corsica Masters KO Bastia FRA (2.1), 02.11.2004
[Nikolai Vlassov (www.chesstoday.net)]

[Motylev,A: 'Inf 92/310 LesEchecs.com: 'C48: Partie des quatre Cavaliers (variante espagnole)'']

[Games between Shirov and Motylev are always interesting! You may remember their first match during the FIDE World
Championship in Moscow in 2001 where they had to play six games to identify the winner. That time Shirov was the hot
favourite - nobody had heard a lot of Motylev. At the Corsica Masters event Shirov was a favourite owing to the rapid
time control. Motylev does not play much rapid chess. ]
1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 f6 4.b5 d4 5.c4 c5 [

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwqk+-tr(
7zppzpp+pzpp'
6-+-+-sn-+&
5+-vl-zp-+-%
4-+LsnP+-+$
3+-sN-+N+-#
2PzPPzP-zPPzP"
1tR-vLQmK-+R!
xabcdefghy
This is an acute variation of the Four Knights' Game that has been known for more than a century. ]

6.xe5 e7 7.f3 d5 8.xd5 g4 [Besides the move played in the game 8...c6 had also been tested; as well as 8...xd5
9.xd4 f4 10.f3 xg2+ 11.xg2 xd4 12.d5 h4 13.d3 e5 14.g5 h5 15.f4 c6 16.fxe5 cxd5 17.exd5 Keitlinghaus,L-
Kuraszkiewicz,M/Allemagne Bundesliga (championnat) 2003/LesEchecs.com/10]

9.d3 c6 10.b3 d7 11.e3!?N ['N!' Motylev,A. I don't have this move in my database - this is a very interesting attempt to
play for a win with White!]

[11.g5 was previously played 11...xf3+ (11...d6 12.b1 g6 13.e3 xf3 14.gxf3 g2 15.d2 xf3+ 16.c1 d8 17.h3 xe3+
18.fxe3 de5 19.f1 g5 20.e2 d4 Motylev,A: ' Bernstein,O-Rubinstein,A/Vilnius LTU 1912/LesEchecs.com' 21.d2
df3 22.e2 d4 Bernstein-Rubinstein, Vilnius 1912) 12.gxf3 xg5 13.fxg4 e5 14.a4 xf2+ 15.xf2 xg4+ 16.e1
h4+ 17.d2 g5+ 18.e1 h4+ 19.d2 g5+ Drabke-Delchev, St Vincent 2004]

11...e5

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+k+-tr(
7zpp+-wqpzpp'
6-+p+-+-+&
5+-vl-sn-+-%
4-+-snP+l+$
3+LsNPvLN+-#
2PzPP+-zPPzP"
1tR-+QmK-+R!
xabcdefghy
[After 11...xf3 12.gxf3 h4 13.d2 e5 14.f4 ef3+ 15.c1 White is a pawn up and gets down to swapping the black knights
- Ne2 or Nb1d2.]

12.xd4! [The queen sacrifice is the reason for the white bishop to occupy the e3square. Otherwise, Black would have
gained an advantage. ]

[Pas 12.xd4 xd4 13.h3 xf3 14.gxf3 f6]

12...xd1 13.f5 f8 14.xc5 xc5 15.d4! b4 ['!' Motylev,A. ]

[Or 15...a5 16.d6+ e7 17.f5+ f8 18.xd1 g4 19.d6 h6 20.xb7 with a good compensation for his queen too.]

16.xd1 [16.dxe5 g4 17.d6+ e7 18.xf7 hf8 19.d6 d4!]

16...g6 ['?' Motylev,A. ]

[16...g6! 17.a3 f8 18.e3]

17.xg7+ f8 18.f5 [' ' Motylev,A.

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-mk-tr(
7zpp+-+p+p'
6-+p+-+n+&
5+-+-+N+-%
4-wq-zPP+-+$
3+LsN-+-+-#
2PzPP+-zPPzP"
1+-+RmK-+R!
xabcdefghy
Now we can sum up the opening. White has a bishop, a knight and three pawns as a compensation for his queen. Now
Black should find a job for his rooks. Otherwise, White's central pawns will carry everything before them.]

18...a5?! [is too optimistic. White seizes the initiative.]

[Much stronger is 18...g8 - a position of delicate equilibrium has arisen on the board, each player needs to be very
accurate. ]

19.a3 b6 20.00 d8?! [Again stronger is 20...g8 - successful defence is impossible without this rook.]

21.e5 [White might have been in a hurry moving his pawn here.]

[21.h6 deserves consideration.; 21.d3 with the idea of Rf3; or 21.a4 c7 22.h6]

21...g8 22.f4 [More careful is 22.g3]

22...e7 23.d6
 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-mkr+(
7+p+-snp+p'
6-wqpsN-+-+&
5zp-+-zP-+-%
4-+-zP-zP-+$
3zPLsN-+-+-#
2-zPP+-+PzP"
1+-+R+RmK-!
xabcdefghy
23...c8?! [The problem with this knight should have been solved radically: 23...xd6! 24.exd6 f5 25.fe1 (25.e4 looks
dangerous, but here the a5pawn comes in useful: 25...a4! 26.f6 d8 27.xg8 axb3 - the knight on g8 is lost - Black
obtains an edge.) 25...xd6]

24.xf7?! [And again White is in a hurry.]

[He should have involved his second knight, exchanged the first one and retained his central pawns: 24.a4 a7 25.xc8
xc8 26.c5 - now the e- and f-pawns are ready to move forward while Black faces serious difficulty in counterplay. ; Pas
24.xf7 xd6 25.a4 a7 26.exd6 xf7]

24...xd4 25.h1

XABCDEFGHY
8-+n+-mkr+(
7+p+-+N+p'
6-wqp+-+-+&
5zp-+-zP-+-%
4-+-tr-zP-+$
3zPLsN-+-+-#
2-zPP+-+PzP"
1+-+R+R+K!
xabcdefghy
[After 25.xd4 xd4+ 26.h1 a4! 27.xa4 g4 28.g5 e8 29.g3 xg5 30.fxg5 xe5 31.c3 xg5 a draw would have been the
most likely outcome.]

25...a4?! [Black decides to divert the enemy's pieces by sacrificing his outside pawn, which is clear from the psychological
point of view. However, he should have been more greedy:]
[25...xd1 26.xd1 f2 27.g5 g6! 28.g1 (after 28.xh7+ e7 29.g5 b6 - the presence of the a5pawn can be weighted in
favour of Black. ) 28...h6 it is not a problem for Black to equalize.]

26.xa4 xd1 27.xd1 f2 28.g5 g6 29.xh7+ e7 30.g5 xf4 31.f3 e3 32.c3 f2 33.g1

XABCDEFGHY
8-+n+-+-+(
7+p+-mk-+-'
6-+p+-+r+&
5+-+-zP-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3zPLsN-+N+-#
2-zPP+-wqPzP"
1+-+-+-tRK!
xabcdefghy
33...b6? [Black should not have let the white knight occupy the e4square - after 33...g4 Black is OK.]

34.e4! e2? [More intensive is 34...e3 35.e1 f4 36.d6 g4 37.g1 but here Black also stands a bit better.]

35.g3! [35.d6]

35...f2 ['?' Motylev,A. ]

[35...xg3 c'est le meilleur pari pour sauver la position 36.hxg3 c5=]

36.f1 ['+' Motylev,A. ]

36...c5 37.e6 [37.h4 ' ' Motylev,A. Motylev,A: 'quel dommage que les blancs n'aient pas essay a' deserves
consideration 37...g4 38.hf5+ (38.gf5+ d8 39.d6+) 38...d8 39.e6 (39.d6 c7) 39...c8 - Black is holding out owing to
the only possible moves. 40.f3]

37...d5

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+p+-mk-+-'
6-+p+P+r+&
5+-wqn+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3zPL+-+NsN-#
2-zPP+-+PzP"
 1+-+-+R+K!
xabcdefghy
38.d4! f6 [38...d8]

39.gf5+ [39.df5+ seems to be winning 39...xe6 40.e4! and here Black miraculously holds out: 40...b5! 41.c4 xf5!
42.xf5 b6! 43.g4 c7 44.c5+ e7 45.g5 a5! (45...a6 46.g6! xc5 47.g7 d8 48.f8 xf8 49.gxf8+ xf8 50.c2+) 46.e5+
f7 47.g6+ xg6 48.c2+ h6 49.f5 d2 50.d3 - looks like a draw.]

39...e8 [Better is 39...d8]

40.g7+ [40.c3 f8 41.g4 e7 ' ' Motylev,A. 42.g5 xf5 43.xf5 xf5 44.c2 d5+ 45.g1 xe6 46.xf5+ g7 Black's chances
for a draw are more preferable than White's chances for a win.]

40...f8 [After 40...d8! '!?' Motylev,A. Motylev,A: 'est une ide intressante' Black has almost beaten off. 41.df5 e3=]

41.xf6+ xf6 42.e7+? [

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-mk-+(
7+p+-zP-sN-'
6-+p+-sn-+&
5+-wq-+-+-%
4-+-sN-+-+$
3zPL+-+-+-#
2-zPP+-+PzP"
1+-+-+-+K!
xabcdefghy
This is the bad move by Black that brings White a victory. ]

[After 42.df5 ' ' Motylev,A. 42...g8 43.e7+ h8 44.h4 e8 45.xe8 xf5 46.f6 f1+ 47.h2 f4+ 48.g3 f2+ 49.h3 f1+
50.g4 e2+ 51.f5 xe7 52.h5 looks like a draw.]

42...xe7?? [Motylev,A: 'les noirs ont manqu le coche']

[After 42...xe7+ ' ' Motylev,A. Motylev,A: 'c'est la meilleure chance' Black is playing for a win - White does not have
ample compensation for his queen without his e-pawn. 43.gf5+ d7 44.e6+ e8]

43.de6+ ['+' Motylev,A. ]

43...g8 [43...f7 44.f5 xe6 45.d6+ e7 46.xe6 xd6+]

44.f5+ [
 XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7+p+-wq-+-'
6-+p+Nsn-+&
5+-+-+N+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3zPL+-+-+-#
2-zPP+-+PzP"
1+-+-+-+K!
xabcdefghy
Black's queen is unable to get away from the open check.]

44...c5 [44...d7 la seule chance pour avoir du contrejeu 45.c5+ h7 46.xd7 xd7+]

45.ed4+ [10 (45) Motylev,A (2651)-Shirov,A (2726) Bastia 2004 LesEchecs [LesEchecs.com]]

[45.ed4+ h8 46.g4+; 45.xc5+ et les blancs gagnent 45...h7 46.xb7+]

10

(7107631) Navara,D - Khamatgaleev,A [C48]

Decin Decin (11), 1998
[Goeller,Michael]

1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 f6 4.b5 d4 5.00 c6 6.a4 a5! [The best mov e in this position. Black's plan is to exchange off
the Bishop at b3 and force White to recapture with the c-pawn due to the pin on the a-pawn, damaging his structure and
gaining the two Bishops. But Black's plan costs time which White can use to gain the initiative. However, if White's attack
does not succeed, Black will have the two Bishops and the better structure for the ending.]

7.d3 [a) 7.b3 may be White's safest choice: 7...xb3 8.cxb3 d6 9.h3 (9.d4 g4= 1/21/2 Ionov,S-Khalifman,A/Seville 1993
(17)) 9...e7 10.d4 00 11.a3 exd4 12.xd4 h5 13.xh5 xh5 14.e1 e8 15.g4 f6 16.f4 e6 17.ad1 d5 18.exd5 xd5 19.xe6
fxe6 20.e5 ad8 21.e4 f6 22.d6 xd6 23.xd6 f7 24.b4 a6 25.e5 d5 26.c1 ed8 27.g2 d3 28.c4 d1?! 29.xd1 xd1
30.d4 xd4 31.xd4 d7 32.f4 g6 33.f3 e7 34.e4 d6 35.a4 b6 36.a5 bxa5 37.bxa5 e7 38.b4 e8 39.f2 f7 40.d4 e7
41.h4+ e8 42.g5 f8 Spassky,B-Kortschnoj,V/St Petersburg 1999 (42); b) 7.a3!? e7 8.b4 c7 9.b2 Shirov seems to
favor this development scheme for White, though it is not especially advantageous. 9...00 10.xd4 exd4 11.e2 xe4
12.xd4 d5 13.d3 d6 14.f3 g4 15.h3 xf3 16.xf3 fe8 17.c4?! dxc4 18.g3 c3! 19.xc3 f8 20.fe1 d7 21.g4 1/21/2
Shirov,A-Piket,J/Aruba 1995 (21); c) 7.e1 d6 (7...b4?! appears to force the issue, but Black's Bishop will have to retreat:
8.b3?! (More promising seems to be 8.xd4!! exd4 (8...xc3 9.dxc3 xa4 10.f5 00 11.d6!) 9.e5 g8 10.g4 (10.b3!? dxc3
11.dxc3 f8 12.f3) 10...dxc3 11.xg7 cxd2 12.xd2 xd2 13.xh8 xa4 14.xg8+ e7 15.e2 xc2 16.g3) 8...xb3 9.cxb3
e7 10.d4 d6 11.h3 00 12.d2 c7 13.c1 e6 14.d5 d7 15.dxc6 xc6 16.g5 d8! 17.d3 h5!= 18.xe7 (18.e3 f5)
18...xe7 19.d5 xd5 20.exd5 f4 21.f5 ae8 22.cd1 g6 23.g5 f6 24.h6 f7 25.g3 h5 (25...xd5 26.d2 e7 27.xd6
c6) 26.e4 c8 27.c4 b5 28.c6 d7 29.dc1 xh3?? A typical case of fatal greed. 30.c7! xc7 31.xc7 f7 32.xf7 xf7 33.xh7+
f8 34.xg6+ f4 35.gxf4 xf3 36.xf6+ g8 37.g6+ h8 38.h6+ g8 39.e6+ h7 40.fxe5 dxe5 41.e7+ g6 42.xe5 f7
43.e6+ f8 44.d6 f4 45.d7 c1+ 46.g2 g5+ 47.h3 h5+ 48.g3 g5+ 49.g4 d8 50.f5+ g7 51.g4 h6 52.h5+ 10
Karatekin,T-Ippolito,D/Calicut 1998 (52)) 8.h3 b5! (8...e7 9.a3!? 00 10.b4 c7 11.b2 a5 12.xd4 exd4 13.e2 axb4 14.axb4
b5 15.b3 xa1 16.xa1 (16.xa1 c5) 16...c5 17.d3 e6= 1/21/2 Shirov,A-Piket,J/Aruba 1995 (45)) 9.b3 (9.b4?! xb4 10.b1
xf3+ 11.xf3 d4 12.xb5 cxb5 13.xb5 c4+ 01 Hernandez,G-Miles,A/Matanzas 1994 (28)) 9...xb3 10.cxb3 b4! 11.e2 c5
12.d3 e7 13.d2 c7 14.c4 00 15.f4 d7 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.g3 ad8 18.f3 c8 19.d2 e6 20.f5 xf5 21.exf5 d5 22.e3 fd8
23.ae1 d6 24.1e2 d4 25.g4 e4 26.dxe4 f4 1/21/2 Shirov,A-Hansen,L/Moscow 1994 (26)]

7...d6 [a) 7...b4?! 8.b3?! (A very promising sacrifice appears to be 8.xd4! exd4 9.e5 dxc3 10.exf6 xa4 11.fxg7! g8
12.h5) 8...xb3 9.cxb3 e7 10.d2 c7 11.c1 00 12.h3 d6 13.d4 e8= 10 Gallagher,J-Mitkov,N/Pula 1997 (52); b) Best may
be 7...b5! 8.b3 xb3 9.cxb3 d6 10.h3 b4]

8.h3 [White can enable the a-pawn recapture by 8.d2!? b5 (8...a6 9.h3) 9.xd4 exd4 10.xb5 xa4 11.c7+ d8 12.b3 a3
13.xa8 b7 14.c3 dxc3 15.xc3 xa8 16.xf6+ gxf6 17.h5 with complex play.]

8...b5 9.b3 xb3 10.cxb3 e7 11.g5 00 12.e2!? [White embarks on a rather risky plan that takes no regard for
repairing his structure somewhat with d4. However, the attack he organizes would likely succeed against weaker
opposition.]

12...c5 13.g3 e6 14.h4 h6 15.d2 c7 16.hf5 fe8 17.f4 ad8 18.c1 h7 19.e1 b4 20.xe7+ xe7 21.f5 c8 22.h5
f6 23.f3 h8 24.g3 g8 25.c1 a6! 26.f2 f7 27.f3 d5! 28.e3 xd3 29.exd5 xd5 30.xd5 xd5 31.d1 c4 32.bxc4
xc4 33.c1 e2 34.xg7 g5 35.xg5 hxg5 36.e6 e4 37.h4 gxh4 38.xg8+ xg8 39.c8+ h7 40.c7+ h6 41.f7 xf5
42.d4 f1+ 43.h2 g4 44.xa7 f2 01

Abonyi,A - Hromadka,K [C48]

Prague 1908, 1908
[Paul Motwani]

[G11.10: "Black attacks give White a fright!" Four Knights Game, Code C48. Amongst the world's really top chess
competitors, there is currently a great choice of super-grandmasters whom one might consider as inspirational role-
models to emulate in terms of playing-style. For example, the games of Russia's 25year-old Vladimir Kramnik nearly
always contain the irresistible ingredients of power and control which recently bested Garry Kasparov in the Brain Games
Network World Championship match. So, it's well-worth studying precisely what Kramnik plays, right from the very first
move. At the moment, his favourite response to White's most popular 1 e4 is 1...e5, which also brought Black a beautiful
victory in today's main featured game from Prague back in 1908. In fact, Kramnik seems to have so much respect for the
move 1... e5, that as White he prefers to prevent it with 1 d4 or 1 Nf3! The latter option is the subject of a highly
informative new 240page Chess Stars book entitled "Opening for White according to Kramnik: 1 Nf3", written by super-
GM Alexander Khalifman, the 1999 FIDE World Champion. His and other fine publications from Chess Stars can be
ordered at the website www.gmchess.com, but now it's time for an action-packed encounter here.]

1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 f6 4.b5 d4 [Black chooses the Rubinstein Variation against White's Four Knights Opening.]

5.a4 [G11.10.1: 5.xe5 e7 6.f4 xb5 7.xb5 d6 is not terribly impressive for White, and 8.d3?? was absolutely disastrous
in a 1986 clash A.Mordue-J.Menadue, which ended abruptly after (Still 8.f3 xe4+ 9.f2 g4+ 10.g1 is the subject of an
article by A.C. van der Tak on pages 89-91 of "New In Chess Magazine" 2001/no.1.) 8...g4! 01]

5...c6 [G11.10.2: Black's follow-up possibilities include ...d5 or ... b5 and ...a5, but instead the most popular alternative,
5...c5 starred in the game I.Banas-P.Lukacs, Trnava 1986, where the continuation was 6.00 00 7.xe5? d6 8.c4 (8.f3
allows the pinning move 8...g4 planning 9...Qc8 followed by 10...Bxf3 11 gxf3 Qh3) 8...g4 9.e1 f3+! 10.gxf3 xf3 11.d4
(11.h3 g4! 12.e3 h4! 13.xg4 g3# makes a very pretty finish) 11...c8! 12.e3 h3 13.dxc5 g4 01, and White resigned
facing 14...Qxh2 or 14 Nxg4 Qg2.]

6.00 c5 7.xe5?! [This greedy capture lands White in hot water, as was also the case in the Banas-Lukacs game above.]

7...d6 8.d3? [8.f3 is relatively best, although 8...g4 is clearly a painful pin on White.]

8...g4 9.e1 f3+!! 10.gxf3 xf3 11.e5 [If 11.xc5 c8! wins instantly for Black.]
11...00! 12.exd6 [Black was happy to allow the capture 12.exf6 when it's wasn't check, since he would have won with
12...d7 13.e2 g5!! threatening 14...Qh3 15 Ndf4 gxf4 16 Nxf4 Qg4+ 17 Ng2 Qxg2.; White might have tried 12.xc5 hoping
for 12...c8 (but 12...d5! wins for Black because of his numerous threats including ...Qg5 and ... Nf4h3.) 13.e6]

12...g4 13.e7 [13.e5 is a more tenacious defence, but Black's attack still breaks through with 13...xh2! followed by
...Qg5+ or ...Qh4h3. Reader's Challenge P11.10. 1 How can Black win now? Look out...the answer is coming on the very
next move! Solution to puzzle P11.10.1]

13...xd6! [White resigned in view of 14 Qxd8 Bxh2.]

01