Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

27. 28. tt:Jg5xe6+ 29 . .l:tc1 xc3

'it'a2xe6 'it>g7-h6

After 2 9 .lt:JgS Black also defends with an only move : 29 . . . c8 ! 3 0 .lt:Jxf7 + 'it>g 7 3 l . .l:t c 7 as 3 2 . l:t e 7 b4 3 3 .l:tec 7 . 29. 30 . .!:tc3xc8 31 . .!:td7xf7 b7-c8! .l:th8xc8 .!:tc8-e8?1

Black doesn't withstand the tension de spite essentially having resolved all his problems. The simple 3 l . . . .l:t c 2 ! 3 2... d 3 .l:txb2 3 3 .lt:Jgs lt:Jg7 34. l:tf6 l::t c 8 3 5 Jh g 6 + 'it>hS 3 6 . l:txg 7 l:tc l + 3 7 .fl .l:tbb 1 guaranteed a draw from a position of strength. 32. tt:Je6-g5 33. c;t>g 1 -f2 tt:Jh5-g7 .!:te8-f8?

And this already loses - fatigue and time trouble clearly take their toll. A draw would have followed after 33 . . . .!:tad8 3 4.l:ta7 .l:td2 3 S .lt:Jf7 + Wh7 3 6 .lt:JgS + . 34 . .!:tf7-d71 Now 3S . . . .!:tad8 is impossible and the activity of the white rook becomes the decisive factor. Kasimdzhanov conducts the final attack with minimal forces brilliantly. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41 . 42. e2-d31 h2-h41 h4-h51 h5xg6 tt:Jg5-f7+ tt:Jf7-e5 d3xg6+ b2xa3 .l:tf8-f6 b5-b4 a6-a5 a5-a4 a4-a3 'it>h6-h5 .!:tf6xg6 'it>h5-h6
1-0

In terms of depth of immersion into the mysteries of a position this example re calls the Anand games we recently looked at. That's no coincidence if you recall that Rustam is part of the World Champion's coaching team. Here, how ever, for the first time we encountered one of the key problems of modern chess. No matter how deep and flawless your home analysis, sooner or later it'll come to an end, and the switch from autopilot to manual control can be dif ficult even for the strongest grand masters. Strangely enough, it can be easier to an extent for the player who ' gets caught out by a variation' : he 's balancing on the edge of the abyss and can save himself only at the cost of ex treme effort. He doesn't know at which point his opponent's home analysis will end, so whenever his opponent heads out onto the open seas he's already fully mobilised and ready to solve the most complex of puzzles. In contrast, the player who's 'leading' can't immedi ately adapt to the new mode, and dur ing the time taken for him to readjust the fruits of months of work are often ruined. For example, in the game we looked at Kasimdzhanov almost let the win slip away, but his tired opponent wasn't able to exploit his chances. It's always interesting to see encounters between researchers who take differing approaches to opening preparation . Boris Gelfand is one of the few mem bers of the elite to have been formed as a player in pre-computer times. There fore he still, in the old manner, takes re sponsibility for the conceptual side himself, allowing the MF to work out the details. Dmitry Yakovenko has much more trust in the machine - of course, when it's used properly. 1 49

Modern Chess Preparation

[E3 5] Dmitry Yakovenko Boris Gelfand

Jermuk 2 0 0 9 (4)

Game 48

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

d2-d4 c2-c4 t2Jb1 -c3 'ifd 1 -c2 c4xd5 c1 -g5 d4xc5

t2Jg8-f6 e7-e6 f8-b4 d7-d5 e6xd5 c7-c5

Of course no-one any longer repeats Keres' mistake of 7 . 0 - 0 - 0 ? which we've already seen. 7. 8. g5-h4 h 7-h6 g7-g5

Gelfand has also played this position as White : 8 . . . 0-0 9 .e3 gS 1 0 .g3 tLle4 1 1 .tLlf3 tLld7 1 2 .e2 tLldxcS with ap proximate equality, Gelfand-Karjakin, Sochi 2 0 0 8 . 9 . h4-g3 1 0. g3xb8 t2Jf6-e4

j, ttJ WI
1 0 . ...

.t

t[j l:f.
b4xc3+

Forced, due to the threat of 1 l .'i!fa4 + . O r rather, it's forced i f Black i s planning to take on b8 , but there's another much more interesting option: 1 0 . . . 'i!ff6 ! ? 1 l.. g3 (the most principled move. Both 1 I .tLlf3 and 1 l .a3 are totally I SO

harmless for Black) 1 1 . . . tLlxc3 1 2 .a3 fs 1 3 .'ifd2 aS : A) 1 4.b4? tLle4 1 S .'ifc 1 l:tc8 ! 1 6 . l:t.a2 l:txcS 1 7 .'if a 1 'i!fc6 1 8 .'i!fe S + d8 1 9 . 'ii' x h8 + d7 0 - 1 , I. Sokolov Aronian, Turin Olympiad 2 0 0 6 . It was actually Aronian who introduced 1 O . . . 'i!ff6 into practice ; B) 1 4.tLlf3 ! ? isn't so catastrophic for White, but it's certainly not a way of fighting for an edge : 1 4 . . . tLlb 1 1 S . 'i!fxaS 'i!Yxb2 1 6 . 'fWa4+ d7 1 7 .es tLlc3 : B 1 ) If you so desire it's also possible to lose here : 1 8 .'it'b4? 'ifxa 1 + 1 9 .d2 d4! 2 0 .'i!fxd4 ( 2 0 .xd4 tLle4+ 2 1 .c2 'ifa2 + 2 2 . c 1 0 - 0 ) 20 . . . 'i!f b 2 + 2 1 .e3 'i!fc 1 + 2 2 .tLld2 tLlbS ; B2) 1 8 .'i!Yd 1 ! tLlxd 1 1 9 .xb2 tLlxb2 2 0 J ib 1 tLla4 2 1. .Uxb7 tLlxcS ; C) 1 4.e3 ! 0-0-0 ! ? ( 1 4 . . . 0-0 1 S .b4! d8 1 6 . tLlf3 tLle4 1 7 . 'if c 1 is better for White) 1 S .d6 . Black has a choice in this extremely sharp position : C 1 ) 1 S . . . d4 ! ? 1 6 . tLle 2 ! g 6 ( 1 6 . . . g4 ! ?) 1 7 . tLlxd4 tLle4 1 8 .'i!fxaS 'ifxf2 + 1 9 . d 1 l:td 7 . After some thought the MF firmly gives zeros in all the main lines - don't ask me why; C2) 1 S . . . g4! ? 1 6 .f3 ! ? d4 1 7 .e4 .l:the8 1 8 .tLle2 ? ( 1 8 .d3 ! ) 1 8 . . . xf3 ! 1 9 .gxf3 'ifxf3 -+ Vavrak-V: Popov, Budva 2 0 0 9 . Rest assured, both players, theoretical experts and very hard workers, knew perfectly well what we also now know. Why didn't Gelfand play 1 O . . . 'i!ff6 and what did Yakovenko have in mind for that move ? That question and, above all, the answers to it, make up the main in ner content of this game. 1 1 . b2xc3 1 2. 'ifc2-a4+ 1 3. 'ifa4-d4 l:ta8xb8 c8-d7 0-0

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

1 4. f2-f3 1 5. g2-g4

tt:Je4-f6

chances , as the natural course of events, 2 3 .e3 .l:!.c8 2 4 . .i.d3 'ti'f6 ! 2 5 .'ifxf6 + xf6 , leads t o equality. 1 9. 'ifd8-d6

1 5 . ...

b7-b6! 20. tt:Jg 1 -e2 After this move the position becomes totally even. However, Black also didn't have any particular problems after other normal continuations : 2 0 . f2 ? .l:!.e4 ! ; o r 2 0 . d 2 ! ? l:. e 5 2 l.... d 3 .l:!.be8 2 2 . tLl h 3 .l:!.xe 3 2 3 . tLlx g 5 'iYg3 24.c2 = ; or 2 0 . 0-0-0 ! ?. 20. 21 . 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. e1 -f2 f1 xe2 e2-d3 .l:!.a1 -c1 .l:!.c1 -c2 a2-a4 .l:!.c2-e2 .l:!.e2-c2 .l:!.c2-e2 t!.e2-c2 c6-b5 .tb5xe2 l:[b8-c8 'ifd6-e5 g8-g 7 .l:!.e8-e7 .l:!.c8-e8 .l:!.e8-c8 .l:!.c8-e8 l:.e8-c8
1f2-112

Formally a novelty, but in reality acces sible to everyone. True, my MF only gives this move as its second line, but the first - 1 5 . . . tLlh7 - isn't even worth discussing. Weaker is 1 5 . . . .l:!.e8 1 6 .h4 'ife 7 1 7 .hxg 5 hxg 5 1 8 . tLlh3 'ife5 1 9 .lLJf2 with a small but persistent edge for White, Bocharov-Zhou Weiqi , Moscow 2 0 0 9 . 1 6. c5-c61 It's hard to say if this last move by Black came as a surprise to Yakovenko, but his reaction was perfectly predictable. It's extremely dangerous to open additional lines when you're poorly developed. 1 6 . ... 1 7. h2-h4 d 7xc6 .l:!.f8-e8

1 7 . . . tLld7 ! ? 1 8 . hxg5 'ifxg 5 . 1 8. h4xg5 1 9. e2-e3 h6xg5

A little conservative. The obvious move was 1 9 . .l:.h6 l:.e6 ( 1 9 . . . g 7 ? 2 0 . .l:!.h5 g6 2 l .'i:Vd3 +) 2 0 .tLlh3 tLlh7 2 1 . .l:!.xe6 fxe6 2 2 .'ife5 but after the forced 2 2 . . . fl only the far from obvious 23 .f4 ! promises White any winning

The above encounter wasn't distin guished by any particular external ef fects, and as often happens in encoun ters between top-class grandmasters a huge amount of the work remained outside the game played. But even the unspoken questions (some of which the author formulated) provoke curios15I

Modern Chess Preparation

ity among colleagues and stimulate further investigation. Vasily Ivanchuk, a representative of the same generation as Gelfand, also relies more on himself True, his opening rep ertoire is significantly wider than that of Boris, so it's very difficult for oppo nents to prepare to play against him. The game given below has a long pre history. Ivanchuk analysed the idea of 1 O . . . 'ii'f6 a long time ago, but never got the chance to use it in practice, and the variation was left in his home archive. It surfaced again from his memory when he prepared for the Capablanca Memo rial in 2 0 0 6 . The upcoming tournament was a double round-robin, so you had to prepare both colours for each player. One of the upcoming opponents , Evgeny Bareev, usually played 4.'ii'c 2 against the Nimzo-Indian Defence, and the half-forgotten novelty was just the thing. Fortunately, in the passing years no new games on this topic had ap peared in the database, so all that had to be done was to check and refresh the variations. The work didn't stop even during Vasily's wedding, which took place a few days before his trip to Cuba, as his second - Grandmaster Orest Gritsak - was also the groom's best man. So Ivanchuk can consider the win in this game his wedding present to himself

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

a2-a3 'iYc2xc3 'ifc3-c2 d4xc5 c4xd5 tLlg1 -f3

b4xc3+ tLlf6-e4 c7-c5 tLlb8-c6 e6xd5

.t. .t.

.i."if .

.t.

.t. ttJ J:r

1 0. ... 'ii' d 8-f6 It was this move that lay behind Black's idea. Usually Black would choose I O . . . fS The novelty worked excel lently, though subsequently it turned out that Ivanchuk had nevertheless been pre-empted. 1 1 . e2-e3 The most natural reaction. However, just recently White successfully tried the extravagant I I .h4 ! ? . Zhu Chen got nothing in particular after I 1 . . . fS 1 2... g S 'ii' e 6 1 3 .'ii' c l h6 1 4.e3 'ii' f6 ( 1 4 . . . 0-0) I S .gS 'ife6 1 6 .f4 d4 1 7 .e3 0 - 0 1 8 .c4 'iff6 but she won the game, Zhu Chen-Hou Yifan, World Championship 2 0 1 0 . If we recall that the Qatari player's second at this tour nament was Morozevich then it comes as no surprise. Moreover, the MF, hav ing thought a little, also rates this idea quite highly. Also worth considering was the solid 1 1 .g3 . 1 1 . . .. c8-g4

[E3 7] Evgeny Bareev Vasily Ivanchuk

Havana 2 0 0 6 {4)

Game 49

1. 2. 3. 4.
1 52

d2-d4 c2-c4 tLlb1 -c3 'iVd 1 -c2

tLlg8-f6 e7-e6 f8-b4 d7-d5

Chapter 2

The Computer Era

1 2. f1 -e2 1 2.<t:Jd4? : A ) 1 2 . . . tt:lxd4 ? ! 1 3 . exd4 d l ? ( 1 3 . . . 0-0) 1 4.b5 + e7 I S .xd l tt:lxf2 + 1 6 .e2 tt:lxh I 1 7 .ge3 ; B) 1 2 . . . ..id l ! 1 3 . xd l tt:lxf2 + 1 4.e l tt:lxh l I S .tt:lxc6 bxc6 1 6 .g3 0-0 with better chances for Black in the game Elianov-Cs. Balogh, Bosnian League, Teslic 2 0 0 6 . For some reason this game only made it into the data bases much later, so neither Ivanchuk nor Bareev were familiar with it. 1 2. 1 3. 0-0 1 4. c1 -d2 0-0 l::rt8 -e8 d5-d4!?

24 . ...

h 7-h61

Deciding not to force a draw with 24 . . . 'ii g 6 + 2 S . 'iil h l 'ife4+ Ivanchuk continues to look for winning chances against his extremely tired opponent, while not running any particular risks himself 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. l:f.f1 -e1 e3-e4 g 1 -f1 a3xb4 'iYd 1 -b1 ?! a7-a5!? 'iff5-g6+ a5xb4 l:f.e8xe4

Black continues to up the tension. Com fortable equality was guaranteed by 1 4 . . . tt:les . 1 5. l:f.a 1 -d 1 1 6. 'ifc2xd2 tt:le4xd2 l:ta8-d81

Equality was maintained by 2 9 . l:f.xe4 'ifxe4 3 0 .'ii d 8 + h7 3 1 .'i!fd 7 , but for that you needed to foresee that after 3 1 . . . f5 3 2 .b5 f4 there 's the far from ob vious 3 3 .'i!fg4 ! . 29. 30. <ofo>f1 -g2 31 . g2-h3?1 3 1 . f3 . 31 . l:f.g4-g6 'ifg6-a6+ l:t.e4-g4+

Black didn't get into all these complica tions in order to be satisfied with a slightly worse position after 1 6 . . . dxe3 1 7 .fxe3 'ii e 7 1 8 .h3 . 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 'ifd2-c1 l:f.d1 xd3 e2xd3 g2xf3 d4-d31 l:f.d8xd3 g4xf3 tt:lc6-e5

Again rej ecting simple equality : 2 0 . . . 'ifxf3 2 I .'ifd l 'ifh3 2 2 .h l l:f.eS 2 3 .e2 l:f.xcS . 21 . 22. 23. 24. d3-e4 e4xf3 'ifc1 -d 1 b2-b4 tt:le5xf3+ 'iff6xf3 'iff3-f5 32. 'ifb1 -f5? This loses the game. 3 2 .l:f.e3 was more stubborn , although after 3 2 . . . 'if c6 3 3 .l:f.g3 l:f.f6 White would be faced with a difficult defence. 32 . ... 'ifa6-c61
1 53

After 24.'iid 6 h6 2 S .b4 l:f.e6 2 6 .'ii b 8 + h 7 2 7 .'iixb7 'ii d 3 Black also has sufficient counterplay.

Modern Chess Preparation

33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38.

l:re1 -e4 'iff5-f3 <ot;h3-h4 'iff3-e3 l:re4-e8+ 'if e3-e4

l:rg6-g5! 'ifc6-d7+ l:rg5-g 1 'ii' d 7-f5 g8-h 7 g7-g5+

Without waiting for 3 9 . hS 'ii' g 6 + 40.'ii'xg6 + fxg6#, White resigned.

0-1

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

0-0 c2-c4 d3-e2 ttJb1 -c3 a2-a3 b2xc3 l:rf1 -e1 c4xd5 c1 -f4

f8-e7 ttJc6-b4 0-0 c8-f5 ttJe4xc3 ttJb4-c6 l:rf8-e8 'ifd8xd5 l:ra8-c8

The following three games were played in a topical variation of the Petroff, an opening without which not a single super-tournament now passes. More over, they all took place in one and the same tournament - Wijk aan Zee 20 I 0 . However, the parallel with the Gothen burg story mentioned before is purely superficial. All the participants in the current theoretical duel were perfectly informed about the state of affairs in the variation, while the games played in the tournament were undoubtedly sub jected to an immediate and exacting analysis. It appears no exhaustive an swers have yet been reached to all the questions, so a continuation of the the oretical dispute probably won't be long in coming. The first game to be played was :

All the games in question very quickly reached the diagram position. 1 6. g2-g3!? A novelty ! What move hasn't White tried in this most recent of 2 1 st-century tabiyas? l 6 .h3 (which we'll come back to later) , and l 6 .d3 and l 6 .c4 . . . Even l 6 .a4 was once played by Ivanchuk. Well, it's not that surprising - the posi tion is complex and interesting - so create, invent, have a go! Moreover, the MF also doesn't have a clear preference for any of the options listed. The curiosity is instead that the move in the game, which is evaluated quite positively by the machine, hadn't yet been played. It's also amazing that the move that's the first line and appears quite natural, l 6 .fl . has been used extremely rarely. 1 6 . ... b7-b5?1

(C42] Sergey Karjakin Jan Smeets

Wijk aan Zee 2 0 1 0 (6)

Game S O

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
1 54

e2-e4 ttJg1 -f3 ttJf3xe5 ttJe5-f3 d2-d4 .if1 -d3

e7-e5 ttJg8-f6 d 7-d6 ttJf6xe4 d6-d5 ttJb8-c6

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

Black's reaction is quite typical of mod ern chess. A novelty - particularly in fairly well-known positions - often causes such shock that it's met, almost immediately, with a mistake ! The logic is perfectly understandable : the given position has been played and analysed so much, and by top players, that a new move should either be very bad, or fan tastically good. As the first can almost be ruled out all that's left is the second, which often gives rise to uncertainty and panic - leading to mistakes. But let's leave the conj ectures and spec ulation and return to chess. What's the point of the move 1 6 . g 3 ? It's probably aimed at defending the bishop in ad vance. If 1 6 .c4 isn't dangerous because of 1 6 . . . 'ife4 with 'ifc2 to follow, then now 1 7 .c4 with 1 8 .d5 to follow is a se rious threat. Black does defend against it - purely mechanically - but the bS -pawn is now a weakness that gives Black serious problems. Much better was the calm and natural 1 6 . . . Af6 1 7 .tLld2 ( 1 7 .c4 'ifd7 ) 1 7 . . . 'ifd7 with an excellent position for Black, when the pawn on g 3 looks a little strange. 1 7. ttJf3-d2 ttJc6-a5?

resolved them - in White's favour! All that's left is to state that Karjakin's open ing bluff brilliantly justified itself! Black should have 'dug in' : 1 7 . . . a6 1 8 .tLlfl 'iYd7 with a slightly worse but perfectly playable position. 1 8. ttJd2-f1 ? Alas, White wasn't on the top of his game either. Instead of the standard knight switch it was practically win ning to play 1 8 .a4! b4 1 9 .a6 ! (most likely it was this less than obvious move that escaped Sergey 's attention) 1 9 . . . bxc3 2 0 . l:.e 5 'ifd7 2 1... xc8 l:txc8 2 2..l:. x a5 cxd2 2 3 .'ifxd2 . 1 8. ... 1 9. e2xc4 ?! ttJa5-c4

Here as well you can note how mistakes are paired. It was possible to pose his opponent problems with 1 9 .a4 ! ? al though now it's no longer as strong as on the previous move : 1 9 . . . Ad6 ! (the natural 1 9 . . . a6 would again have left Black on the edge of defeat: 2 0 . axb5 axbS 2 l ..ixc4 'ifxc4 2 2 .tLle3 'ife6 2 3 .d5 'ifd7 H.tLlxfS 'ifxfS 2 5 .xc7 ! .l:.xc7 2 6 .d6 l:td7 2 7 . l:r.xe 7 l:r.dxe 7 2 8 .dxe7 'ifeS 2 9 .'ild8) 2 0 . xd6 h3 ! 2 I ..if3 l:r.xe 1 2 2 . .ixdS l:r.xd 1 2 3 . l:r.xd 1 tLlxd6 and if Black plays accurately the game should end in a draw. 1 9. 20. ttJf1 -e3 21 . ttJe3xf5 'ifd5xc4 'ifc4-e6

Mistakes, as is well-known, come in pairs. If Black's previous move only cre ated problems, then this one essentially

The variation 2 l .d5 'iYd7 2 2 .tLlxf5 'ifxfS 2 3 . xc 7 l:r.xc 7 2 4 . d 6 l:r. d 7 2 5 .l:r.xe 7 l:r.dxe 7 2 6 .dxe 7 'if e S only un derlines the necessity of 1 9 .a4. With the a-file opened this position would be absolutely lost for Black, while now he holds.
1 55

Modern Chess Preparation

21 . 22. 23. 24. 25.

l:!.e1 -e5 'ifd 1 -e2 'ife2xb5 l:!.e5xe8+

'ife6xf5 'iff5-d7 .te7-d6 c7-c6

1 7. tt:lf3-d2!? The secret of this system's appeal is that on every move both sides have a few al most equivalent options, leaving broad horizons in which to search. All kinds of nuances and details have great signif icance, and not everyone is capable of remembering them all. So memory plays no small role when you adopt this variation. For example, other moves tried in this position include 1 7 .e 3 ; 1 7 .a4; and 1 7 .'ifa4, never mind the less popular options. The move in the game was considered harmless back then. 1 7. ... 1 8 . .te2-g4 e4xg2 .tg2-h1

After 2S . . . l:!.xe8 2 6 .'ifd3 xf4 2 7 . gxf4 'ii g 4+ 2 8 .'iig 3 'iffs Black isn't worse.

A short, but very dramatic , theoretical duel. The next instalment came towards the end of the tournament

[C42] Alexey Shirov Vladimir Kramnik

Wijk aan Zee 2 0 I O ( I I )

Game S 1

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

e2-e4 tt:lg 1 -f3 tt:lf3xe5 tt:le5-f3 d2-d4 f1 -d3 0-0 c2-c4 d3-e2 tt:lb1 -c3 a2-a3 b2xc3 l:!.f1 -e1 c4xd5 c1 -f4

e7-e5 tt:lg8-f6 d 7-d6 tt:lf6xe4 d6-d5 tt:l b8-c6 f8-e7 tt:lc6-b4 0-0 .tc8-f5 tt:le4xc3 tt:l b4-c6 l:!.f8-e8 'ifd8xd5 l:!.a8-c8

The best move. After 1 8 . . . fS 1 9 .e2 tt:laS ( 1 9 . . . bS 2 0 .a4! a6 2 l .axbS axbS 2 2 . l:!.b 1 also favours White) 2 0 .'ifa4! it's hard for Black to defend. 1 9. f2-f3 e7-h4

E j. j. if 8 Zl
8

j. j. j.
j_

'iV l:I

j_

20. l:!.e1 -e4! A novelty that was lying on the surface - or in any case, the MF gives this move as its first line without any hesitation. So the surprise factor can, essentially, be disregarded. Evaluating the more long range consequences is a different story. The source game went: 2 0 . l:!.fl ? ! fS 2 1 .hS g 6 2 2 . '0t>xh 1 gxhS 2 3 . l:f.g 1 +

And again the familiar tabiya. Up to a point Shirov follows the beaten path. 1 6. h2-h3 f5-e4

The most popular continuation at the time. Also seen more than once was 1 6 . . . h6 1 7 .tt:ld2 'i!fd7 1 8 .tt:lc4 d6 with a certain initiative for White.
1 56

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

'iir> h 8 24.'ii' f l ? ! Leko-Anand, San Luis 2 0 0 5 . Here White even ultimately won the game. Frankly, 2 0 . l:tfl looks a little strange. The MF has undoubtedly gained in skill in the intervening years. 20. ... 21 . 'it>g1 xh1 f7-f5 f5xg4

tion for the game (although nowadays anything 's possible) , but he might very well have glanced at something similar. Although objectively the position's still equal it's nevertheless more pleasant for White to play. Given the absence of risk that's not such a small achievement! 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. 34. f3-f4 a3-a4 l:rb1 -e1 f4-f5 h2xd6 l:te4-e6 f6-e5 e5-d6 h7-h6 tt:lg6-f8 tt:lf8-d7 c7xd6 tt:ld7-e5

Risky is 2 l . . .fxe4 2 2 .fxe4 lhe4 2 3 .'ii' f3 l:tce8 2 4 . tt:lxe4 'ii' x e4 ( 2 4 . . . l:txe4 2 S .xc7 ) 2 S .xc 7 ! and Black will have trouble in the endgame. 22. h3xg4 The first conclusions can be drawn. White 's novelty hasn't altered the evalu ation of the position as equal, but it's given it an original configuration. White has a certain space advantage, but his king is weak. 22 . ... 'ii' d 5-f7

It was perfectly solid to play 34 . . . tt:lcS 3 S . tt:l e4 tt:lxe4 3 6 . l:t l xe4 l:txe 6 3 7 .fxe6 + 'it>e8 but the move in the game doesn't look any worse.

Given that White was nevertheless al most forced to exchange queens it was a little more accurate to immediately play 2 2 . . . tt:le7 . 23. 'ii' d 1 -b3 24. 'ii' b 3xf7 + tt:Jc6-e7!?

Following the main line. The careless 2 4 . 'iWxb 7 tt:l d S 2 S . l:t xe 8 + l:txe 8 2 6 .e5 gS ( 2 6 . . . tt:lxc3 2 7 .l:tc 1 tt:ldS 2 8 .l:tcS l:td8= is also perfectly possible) 2 7 .c4 tt:le7 ! 2 8 . l:td l tt:lg6 might actu ally have led White into difficulties the king is naked ! 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. c3-c4 f4-h2 .l:.a1 -b1 d4-d5 'it>g8xf7 tt:le7-g6 h4-f6 b7-b6

35. c4-c5! It's hard to imagine you can find a spec tacular resource like this in such a calm position with very limited material. It probably came as a surprise to Kramnik. 35 . ... tt:Je5-d3?1

It's unlikely Shirov had this particular position on his board during prepara-

If we assume Black was shocked by the last move he faced a very tough choice. The variation 3 5 . . . l:txe6 3 6 .fxe6 + 'it>e 7 3 7 .tt:le4! bxcS ( 3 7 . . . dxc5 ? 3 8 .tt:l g 3 loses) 3 8 .l:tb l l:t c 7 3 9 .l:tb8 might seem dangerous to a human from a distance, 157

Modern Chess Preparation

but the MF is unmoved: 3 9 . . . lLlxg4 40J:[g8 gS 4 1 .l:lg7 + d8 4 2 . l:l g 8 + with a draw. 36. c5xd6?! An inaccuracy in response. Black faced much more tricky tasks after 3 6 .lLle4! lLlxe l 3 7 .lLlxd6 + f8 3 8 .lLlxe8 (it seems Black also holds after 3 8 .c6 l:lxe6 3 9 .fxe6 l:la8 40.c7 lLld3 4 l .c8'ii' + l:lxc8 42.lLlxc8 e8 43 .lLld6+ d8 44.lLlfS lLlf4 4S . e 7 + d7 46.d6 lLle6) 38 . . . bxcS ! (losing is 38 .. Jhe8 ? 3 9 .c 6 ! lLld3 4 0 . c 7 .l:lc8 4 l .d6 lLl c S 42 . l:le 7 ) 3 9 .lLlxg 7 xg 7 40.l:lxe l , although af ter 40 . . . c4 Black's drawing chances are perfectly realistic. 36 . 37. 38. 39. 40. 41 . ... d6-d7 d7xe8'if+ lLld2-c4 f5xe6+ lLlc4-e5 lLld3xe1 .l:.c8-d8 J.::f. d 8xe8 l:le8xe6 f7-e7 e7-d6

[C42] Vishwanathan Anand Vladimir Kramnik

Wijk aan Zee 2 0 1 0 ( 1 2)

Game 5 2

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

e2-e4 lLlg1 -f3 lLlf3xe5 l2Je5-f3 d2-d4 f1 -d3 0-0 c2-c4 d3-e2 lLlb1 -c3 a2-a3 b2xc3 l:lf1 -e1 c4xd5 c1 -f4 h2-h3

e7-e5 lLlg8-f6 d7-d6 lLlf6xe4 d6-d5 lLl b8-c6 f8-e7 lLlc6-b4 0-0 c8-f5 lLle4xc3 lLl b4-c6 llf8-e8 'ifd8xd5 l:la8-c8 f5-e4

Kramnik holds the ending with accu rate play. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51 . lLle5-c4+ lLlc4-e5 h1 -h2!? lLle5-c4+ h2-g3 lLlc4-e3 lLle3xd5+ lLld5-c3 g3-f4 a4xb5 d6-e7 e7-d6 lLle1 -c2 d6-e7 lLlc2-b4 lLlb4xd5! e7xe6 a7-a6 b6-b5
112-1!2

I hope the reader hasn't yet forgotten this position. In the previous game we mentioned White 's numerous options. It turns out there was yet another, and a very unpleasant one ! 1 7. 'ifd 1 -c1 ! The idea behind this move isn't new and is perfectly understandable : as l 7 .c4 will be met by l 7 . . . 'iffS , White defends his bishop in good time, pre paring the c3 -c4 advance in full com-

The final instalment took place in the last round, where old arch-rivals met face to face. Shirov's novelty hadn't shaken Kramnik at all, although some adjustments had probably been made. A familiar position soon arose on the board. 1 58

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

fort. But it turns out there's also an other, less obvious idea. 1 7.
000

20. tt::l f 3-e5 21 . 'ife3-c3

.ie4-f5

tt:Jc6-a5

A natural reaction, but Black soon en counters serious difficulties. It's possi ble the move in the game is already an inaccuracy. It was worth considering the composed 1 7 . . . h6 1 8 . c4 (in case of 1 8 .'it'e3 there's the strong 1 8 . . . .id6 ! ) 1 8 . . . 'iffs 1 9 . tt:J e s ( 1 9 . d s tt::l a s i s good for Black) 1 9 . . . tt::l xeS 20 . .ixeS 'it'g6 2 1 . .ig4 .ifS and Black has no prob lems. Vladimir Krarnnik said after the game that he'd forgotten his analysis perhaps he had this possibility in mind. But it's extremely difficult for your memory to retain a lot of similar posi tions differing only by nuances. If the world's best players complain about the problem it means it really does exist! 1 8. 'ii' c 1 -e3! Black had prepared both for 1 8 .tt::l d 2 , after which there's the equalising 1 8 . . . d6 ! 1 9 .xd6 cxd6 2 0 .tt::l x e4 xe4 2 I ...tf3 l:rxe 1 + 2 2 . if xe 1 'it'b3 , and 1 8 .c4 'iffs 1 9 .ife3 where there would follow 1 9 . . . .ixf3 2 0 . if xf3 .id6 ! = . However, it's possible he un derestimated the other, more veiled idea behind White's 1 7 th move. 1 8. ... e7-f8?1

:g
21 . ...

'iV

t[j _t 1t 1t
:g

b7-b6

Aesthetically unappealing are both 2 l . . .c6 and also 2 l . . .tt::l c 6 2 2 .tt::l x c6 bxc6 2 3 .cS . It's also hard to decide on 2 1 .. .f6 2 2 .ifxaS ( 2 2 .. h5) 22 . . . ifxd4 2 3 .f3 c6 24.tt::l x c6 ifxf4 2 S .tt::l xa7 . 22. l:a1 -d 1 There was also a radical solution t o the position: 2 2 .cS ! ?, but Anand prefers a more natural course of events. 22 . ... 2 2 . . . f6 was the lesser evil. 23. ifc3-g3 Following the same strict line. The vari ation 2 3 . c 5 xh3 2 4 . 'it' g 3 fs 2 s . .igs ife6 2 6 .-ths g6 2 7 .g4 fs 2 8 .dS is of course striking , but too co operative. Moreover, it reeks of machine oil. 23. 24. tt:Je5-g4 25. d4-d5 tt:Ja5-c6 'iff6-g6 tt:Jc6-a5 ifd8-f6

A natural move, but one leading to a difficult position. The problems also weren't solved by 1 8 . . . .id6 1 9 .tt::l e S cS 2 0 . .ihs .ig6 2 l... f3 ifb3 2 2... g 4 but it was worth considering 1 8 . . . .ifS . 1 9. c3-c4 'ifd5-d8

It's not possible to escape by giving up the exchange: 1 9 . . . .ixf3 2 0 . cxdS l:he3 2 l .fxe3 .ixdS 2 2 .. g4.

Another variation on this theme was the line 2 S . . . ..tc2 2 6 J i d 2 tt::l a S 2 7 J:lxc2 ! 'ifxc2 2 8 . tt::l h 6 + h 8 2 9 .tt::l x f7 + g8 3 0 .tt::l e s 'ife4 3 l .fl ! .
1 59

Modern Chess Preparation

26 . .if4xc7

f5-c2?!

26 . . . cS was a little more stubborn. 27. l:.d 1 -c1 tt:Ja5-b3?!

43.Wxh l 'iYxg3 44.tLlf7 + <.ti>g8 4S .d7 <>fi>xf7 46.d8'iY 'ife I + 47 .Wh2 'fi'xeS+ 48.g3 'iYb2 + 49.<.ti>g i . 41 . 42. 43. 44. 45. 'iYb3-e3! d5-d6 <>fi>h2-g3 'ife3-f4 g4-f3 'ifg6-b1 l:tc1 - h 1 + l:t h 1 -e1 l:.e1 -f1
1-0

It's already too late to admit the mis take : 27 . . . fs 2 8 .cS ! . 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. l:tc1 xc2! tt:Jg4-h6+ tt:Jh6xf7 + tt:Jf7-h6+ tt:Jh6-f7 + tt:Jf7-h6+ 'ifg6xc2 <.ti>g8-h8 <.ti>h8-g8 <.ti>g8-h8 <.ti>h8-g8 <.ti>g8-h8

So the overall outcome of the theoreti cal confrontation was clearly in White 's favour, although arithmetically speak ing it doesn't look so convincing. How ever, there 's no doubt we 'll very soon receive answers to the questions raised or left unspoken. The duel continues ! The two mind-boggling games given below were played in an opening which always had an entirely peaceful reputation. It's a paradox of modern tournament practice : the sharpest forced variations, which only recently held sway at the forefront of theory, have been overshadowed after being completely exhausted. In contrast, it's in serene and, it would seem, dull ope nings like the Petroff and the Queen's Indian Defence, that completely unex pected resources are being discovered. Game 5 3 [ EI S ] Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu Yannick Pelletier
Rijeka Ech 2 0 1 0 { 5 )

34. .ic7-e5! Avoiding the dubious temptation of re peating the position once more. 34. 35 . 36. 37. 38. 39. .ie2-g4 'fi'g3xb3 l:te1 xeS <.ti>g 1 -h2 f2-f4 'iYc2-g6 l:tc8xc4 l:te8xe5 l:.c4-c1 + .if8-d6

3 9 .'ir'e3 ! was even better. 39 . ... 40. f4xe5 .id6xe5 g7xh6

Amazingly enough, after the best move, 40 . . . 'iYe4 ! , White would still have some work to do: 4 l .d6 ! (4- I .tLlfS 'iYxeS+ 42 .'iYg3 'iYxdS 43 .'iYb8+ 'iYg8 44.'iYxa7 also isn't bad) 4 1 . . .'iYf4+ 42 .'iYg3 l:[h l + 1 60

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

d2-d4 c2-c4 tt:Jg1 -f3 g2-g3 'ifd 1 -c2

tt:Jg8-f6 e7-e6 b7-b6 c8-a6

This modest move has gradually squeezed out of modern practice both a variation that's almost been analysed to

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

bare kings : S .b3 b4+ 6 . d2 e7 , and s .ttJbd2 and the unpretentious s .'ifa4 and s .'ifb3 . 5. 6. 7. f1 -g2 d4-d5 a6-b7 c7-c5

1 2 . ...

d 7-d6!?

. .. 'if A 1: .t A .t .t .t .t .t .. .t .t

A move first played by Judit Polgar. Un til this it was considered obligatory to play 1 2 . . . g6 1 3 .'iff4 0 - 0 1 4.e5 ltJhS and now White has a choice : A) 1 S . 'ifc4 d S ! 1 6 . exd6 xd6 1 7 . tLlc3 lLlaS 1 8 .'ifd3 Jl.c7 1 9 .'ifc2 'ife7 2 0 .l:te 1 'ifd7 2 l.. g 5 Gelfand Leko, Jermuk 2 0 0 9 ; B ) Also tried was 1 S .'ifg4 d S 1 6 .exd6 xd6 ( 1 6 . . . f6 ? ! 1 7 . tLl c 3 ltJd4 1 8 . tLlxd4 xg2 1 9 . ltJfS c6 2 0 .d7 led to an edge for White, Carlsen-lvanchuk, Monaco rapid 2 0 0 7 ) 1 7 .lLlc3 with a verdict that's typical of the ensuing po sitions here : White has compensation for the sacrificed pawn. 1 3. e4-e5 'ifd8-d7 !

It's precisely this unexpected pawn sac rifice that has breathed new life into a variation that had been abandoned as absolutely unpromising. Since 2 0 0 6 the theory of this branch has developed rapidly, and the variation has entered the repertoire of many of the world's top players. 7. 8. 9. 1 0. 11. 1 2. c4xd5 0-0 l:U1 -d1 'ifc2-f5 e2-e4 e6xd5 ttJf6xd5 f8-e7 ttJb8-c6 ttJd5-f6

.i .t A 'iVA.t .t .t .t .. .t .. 'iY .i

This is Black's idea : returning the pawn, but at the cost of an exchange of queens. Good development should, in principle, compensate for the far advanced d6-pawn. However, limited practice hasn't yet confirmed that ver dict. 1 4. 'iff5-c2!? Nisipeanu nevertheless avoids an ex change of queens and chooses a move the MF doesn't approve of There's no doubt this choice was preceded by an enormous
161

Modern Chess Preparation

amonnt of research. 1 4.'ifxd7+ lt:Jxd7 1 S .exd6 f6 1 6J:[e i + 'iii> f8 1 7 .tt:lc3 tt:lb4 1 8.gS ! ? occurred in the source game: 1 8 . . . .LB ?! 1 9 . .LB l:ld8 2 0 .xf6 lt:Jxf6 2 l .l:l.e7 Bareev-J. Polgar, Candidates' Match 2 00 7 . However, Black has an obvi ous improvement: 1 8 . . . tt:lc2 ! 1 9 .hf6 tt:lxf6 2 0 .l:le7 xf3 2 1 .xf3 .Ue8 ! 22.l:lxe8+ Wxe8 2 3 .c6+ 'iti>d8 24.l:ld 1 tt:ld4, and Black has nothing to fear. That's how Pelletier played against Carlsen, Biel 2008. However, the nnexpected 1 9.l:le7 ! followed, and Black again enconntered difficulties: 1 9 . . . ?! (the capture on e7 is critical) 20 . .LB Lgs 2 1 . .Uxd7 .l:td8 22 .l:hd8+ hd8 2 3 .l:l.d 1 . Pelletier had most likely fonnd improvements on his play, but Nisipeanu preempted him . If you consider the need to also pay serious attention to 1 4.tt:lh4 ! ? and 1 4.'iff4 ! ? you can only imagine what a monntain of variations the Romanian grandmaster had to plough through during his prepara tion. But the effort wasn't in vain! 1 4. ... 1 5. 'ifc2-e2 tt:Jc6-b4

1 9 . . . 'iti>f8 2 0 .tt:le5 xeS 2 l .xa8 'ic8 2 2 .g2 hS and in both cases play is to tally unclear. It's not so easy to win the knight that's got stuck on a I , while dur ing that time Black will be able to or ganise counterplay. 20. lt:Jb1 -c3

Insufficient are 1 S . 'ib3 dS and 1 s .'ifc3 tt:le4. 1 5. ... 1 6. 'ife2-e1 b7-a6

After 1 6 .'ie3 White, besides the same 1 6 . . . tt:lc2 , also has to consider 1 6 . . . tt:lg4 or 1 6 . . . tt:lfdS . 1 6. 1 7. 'ife1 -d2 1 8. e5xf6 1 9. l:ld 1 -e1 + tt:J b4-c2 tt:Jc2xa1 e7xf6 f6-e7

The game's critical position. In Black's favour is a gigantic material edge, while no direct threats are visible for White. However, things aren't so simple. White also has his trumps: wonderfully mobi lised pieces and the a 1 -knight is doomed. The position on the board is most likely one of so-called dynamic equality, but how unequal the players' practical chances are ! Pelletier has al ready long since had to make difficult choices at the board, while even if Nisipeanu hadn't analysed all the nu ances in great detail he'd have had a glance at how the play might develop. For him the game had, essentially, only just begun , while Black has long since been working hard. His mistake there fore comes as no surprise. 20 . ... 0-0?

You can understand Black's desire to re tain the possibility of castling, but king moves also by no means lose : 1 9 . . . 'iti>d8 2 0 .tt:lc3 .Ue8 2 l ..Ud 1 b7 2 2 .'id3 h 6 ;
1 62

Castling had in fact been predetermined by Black's previous move, but the king should have been evacuated in the other direction! After 20 . . . 0-0-0 ! 2 1 .'ifdS ! ?

Chapter 2

The Computer Era

(weaker is 2 Lb3 f6 2 2 .b2 tLlxb3 2 3 .axb3 il.b7 ; Black also has a comfort able position after 2 I .tLldS l::rh e8 2 2 .b4 f6 2 3 .tt:Jxf6 gxf6 24.b2 l:.xe I + 2 S .tLlxe i l:te8 2 6 . .La i lle2) 2 l . . .b7 22 .'ifd3 f6 ! ? (22 . . . llhe8 2 3 .d2 f6 24.l:txa i is also interesting) 2 3 .tLldS (23 .d2 dS) 23 . . . .l:t.he8 24.e3 tLlc2 ! 2 S .tLlxe 7 + l:txe7 2 6.'ti'xc2 e4 the game could have ended in any way whatsoever. 21 . tt:Jf3-e5 'ifd7-c8?

[E 1 5] Alexander Riazantsev Sergey Karjakin

Poikovsky 2 0 I 0 (8)

Game 5 4

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

d 2-d4 c2-c4 tt:Jg1 -f3 g2-g3 'ifd 1 -c2

tt:Jg8-f6 e7-e6 b7-b6 c8-a6

The same fashionable line. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. f1 -g2 d4-d5 c4xd5 0-0 a6-b7 c7-c5 e6xd5 tt:Jf6xd5 f8-e7

Much more stubborn was 2 I . . .'it'fS ! 2 2...xa8 dxeS 2 3 .e4 'ife6 24.tLldS l:td8 2 S .tLlxe 7 + 'ifxe 7 2 6 .'it'c3 .l::t d4 2 7 .b3 . Although in the final position White's chances are undoubtedly better Black would definitely have been able to put up resistance. 22. tt:Je5-c6 23. tt:Jc3-d5 e7-d8

But now Black's position goes rapidly downhill. 23 . ... 'ifc8-g4

An aesthetically unappealing move, but the more natural 2 3 . . . 'ifd7 lost dramat ically and by force : 24.tLlce 7 + h8 2 S .b3 ! l:te8 2 6 .b2 ! xe7 2 7 .xg 7 + xg 7 2 8 .'it'c3 + f6 2 9 Jhe 7 + 'ifxe 7 3 0 .tLlxe 7 l:lad8 3 I .tt:Jds . 24. b2-b3 Also not bad is 24.b4. 24. 25. h2-h31 26. tt:Jc6-e 7 + 27. tt:Jd5-f4 a6-b7 'ifg4-h5 g8-h8
1-0

1 0. 'ifc2-e4 A relatively fresh idea. Much more common has been I O Jd i tLlc6, as in the Nisipeanu-Pelletier game looked at above, and also in Leko-Karjakin, Wijk aan Zee 2 0 I 0 . 1 0 . ... tt:Jb8-a6

In that game the gambler's risk and re searcher's inquisitiveness fully justified themselves. The pioneer was less suc cessful in the next encounter.

It's no good at all to play I O . . . 'ifc7 ? I I . tLlh4 ii.c6 I 2 .tt:Jfs g 6 I 3 . tt:Jc3 ! gxfS I 4.t2Jxd5 'tid6 I S .'ifxfS with a decisive advantage for White, Sakaev-Ekstrom, Budva 2 0 0 9 . I O . . . c6 I l .tLleS tLlf6 l 2 .tLlxc6 tLlxc6 I 3 . 'if d3 gives White the two bishops and, as a result, long-term compensation
I 63

Modern Chess Preparation

for the sacrificed pawn (the other queen retreat led to equality: I 3 .'ii'a4 0-0 I 4.l::t d i lLJd4 I S .lLJc3 bS I 6 .'ifa6 b4 Aronian-Anand, Morelia/Linares 2008) . 1 1 . tt:Jf3-h4 g 7-g 6

1 3. 'ff e 4-e5

0-01

Much worse for Black is I 3 .. .f6 I 4.'ifxfs . 1 4. 'i#'e5xf5 Now I S .e4 is threatened, so Black is forced to give back the knight. That means White was risking absolutely nothing when he went for the piece sacrifice, especially as the all-seeing MF very quickly indicates such a possibility. Karjakin also, by his own admission, knew about the possibility, but Riazantsev had gone much deeper into the mysteries of the position. 1 4. . 1 5. tt:Jb1 -c3!
..

l:tf8-e8

A natural reaction to the knight attack, although the threat of I 2 .lLJfS was far from fatal. For example : I I . . . 0 - 0 I 2 .lLlfS l:tb8 ! I 3 .'ifa4 lLJac7 (also inter esting is I 3 . . . b5 ! ? I 4.'ifxb5 lLJab4 with unclear complications) I 4.e4 lLJb4 and now the best move for White is proba bly I S .f4 as if I S . lLlc3 then I S . . . lLJd3 isn't bad. After I S . l:td i there's the strong I S . . . bS ! . No doubt the position after I I . . . 0-0 will soon become a testing ground for new theoretical experiments. 1 2. tt:Jh4-f51 Nevertheless ! The stunning knight sacrifice was of course prepared by Riazantsev at home, especially as it was quite straightforward to predict such a course of events. 1 2 .'ifeS ! ? f6 I 3 .'ife4 'ifc8 I 4 . l::t d I lLJac7 I S .tt:Jxg6 ? ! ( I S .lLla3 ! ?) I S . . . hxg 6 I 6 .'ifxg6 + 'itd8 was played in Karjakin-Svidler, Sochi 2 0 0 8 . Black managed to successfully parry the attack. 1 2.
I 64

The obvious I S .xdS ii.xdS I 6 .'ifxdS would lead to equality after I 6 . . . lLJb4 I 7 .'iffS dS . 1 5 . ..
.

tt:Ja6-c7

1 6. g2-e41 It's actually from this move on that man and machine begin to cooperate as equals. Initially the MF clearly underes timates this possibility, preferring I 6 . lLJxdS xdS I 7 .xdS lLJxdS I 8 .'ifxd5 f6 although here Black has absolutely nothing to fear. Karjakin ended his analysis at this point, but his opponent went significantly further.

g6xf5

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21 . 22. 23.

'iff5xh7+ e4xd5 tt:Jc3xd5 e2-e4 c1 -h6+ e4-e5! 'ifh7-e4!

e7-f6 g8-f8 b7xd5 tt:Jc7xd5 tt:Jd5-c7 f8-e7 f6xe5

It's essential to take Black's serious de fensive idea of 28 . . . l:te7 into consider ation. 28. d6-c6!?

It wasn't too late to be content with a beautiful draw: 2 3 .g 5 + f6 24 . .l:[fe l + tLle6 2 5 .l:txe6+ ! dxe6 2 6.hf6+ xf6 2 7 .'ifh 6 + e7 2 8 . 'ifh4+ 'itlf8 29 .'ifh8+ , but White had already taken his decision on the 1 6th move. 23 . ... f7-f6!

With the idea of involving the queen in play. Here 2 8 . . . l:te7 is no longer so strong due to 2 9 .g5 ! (much weaker is 2 9 . .tf8 ? 'if xf8 3 0 . l:txf8 l:txf8 ) 2 9 . . . l:txf7 3 0 .xd8 l:t g 7 3 l . c 7 + l:txc7 3 2 . l:tfl and White has better chances. There's an interesting try to seize the initiative with 2 8 . . . l:t g 8 2 9 . 'iYf5 tLld4 3 0 .l:tf6 + c 7 3 I .'ifxe5 + 'Ot>b7 3 2 . l:tafl l:te8 3 3 .'ifh5 but White also maintains an edge here. 29. l:ta1 -f1 d5-d4

An only move. Losing was 2 3 . . . f6 24.g 5 + ! xg 5 2 5 .f4+ h6 2 6 . fxe5 d5 (even worse is 2 6 . . . 'iYe7 2 7 J:I:f5 ! 'ife6 2 8 Jhfl ) 2 7 .'ifg4 l:tg8 2 8 .l:tf6 + l:tg6 2 9 . l:tafl with a triumphant white attack. 24. 25. 26, 27. f2-f4 'ife4-h7+ f4xe5+ l:tf1 -f7 d 7-d5 e7-d6 f6xe5 tt:Jc7-e6

The regrouping 29 . . . 'ii' d 6 3 0 . l:t l f6 .l:[g8 3 I .'it'f5 l:tae8 3 2 . l:txa7 doesn't bring any relief, as after 3 2 . . . c4 White has 3 3 .b4! with a winning attack. 30. l:tf1 -f6 'iYd8-d5

Of course Black's task is much more difficult at this stage: he needs to find only moves at the board and is literally on the edge of the abyss. At the same time, it's absolutely obvious that White still hasn't started playing independ ently - Riazantsev was making his moves quickly and confidently. You couldn't envy Sergey his mental state : after all, it might well turn out that Black's position is objectively lost and White knows about it. It's incredibly hard to maintain your composure in such a situation. 28. 'ifh7-g6 !

Black has activated his queen and the first impression is that he's resolved all his problems. However, the attacking resources are far from exhausted. 31 . l:tf7xa 71 l:ta8-d8

It's hard to say how far Riazantsev's analysis stretched, but it can't be ruled out that it also included the brilliant
1 65

Modern Chess Preparation

3 l .ltxa7 ! . In any case, up to this point White's play has been flawless - both from a computer and a human point of view. From this point on, however, White's moves lose their machine wrought quality and accuracy - excel lent ideas cease to be backed up by ac curate calculation. 32. a2-a4! A strong and absolutely human move, preventing the black king from escap ing via the b7 -square. However, there were also other options, including 3 2.. f8 ! with the idea of 3 4.e 7 3 2 . . . ltxf8 ( 3 2 . . . d3 3 3 .e 7 'ifd4+ 34.'fl bS 3 S .xd8 ltxd8 3 6 . ltxe6 l:.f8 + 3 7 .g2 'ifxb 2 + 3 8 .h3 lth8 + 3 9 . .l:t.h7) 3 3 . .l:t.xe6+ .l:t.d6 3 4 . .l:t.ae 7 .l:t.xe6 3 S .ltxe6+ d7 3 6 .l:.xb6 and Black is helpless; or 3 2 .'iff7 ! ? d3 3 3 .'ifb 7 + bS 3 4.'it'a6+ c6 3 S . l:.xe 6 + ! 'ifxe6 3 6 .'ifb7 + bS 3 7 .d2 ! with an irre sistible attack. 32 . ... c5-c4

33 . ... 34. h6-d2?!

c6-c5!

ltxe 7 3 4 . lt c 7 + ! b4 3 S . lt e 7 ! 3 6 . 'ii' x e 7 + 'ii' c s 3 7 . l:.xe 6 'i!fxe 7 3 8 . ltxe7 maintained serious winning chances for White. 34 . ... c4c3!

.i i:

'
'

'iV :g
---

. 'i ,

'

35. .l:t.a7-c7+? Over the course of the last few moves White, who had a tempting choice, has kept ' guessing wrong ' . However, it's only here that he exceeds the bounds of acceptable risk. 3 S . bxc3 ! c4 ! ( 3 S . . . dxc3 3 6 . xc3 c4 3 7 . ..te l clearly favours White) 3 6 .cxd4 would still have kept an edge. 35 . ... 36. b2xc3+ c5-b4 b4-b3?!

More serious problems were posed by 3 2 . . . d3 3 3 .'iff7 ! (it seems that was how White was intending to play) 33 . . . 'iYd4+ 3 4 . g 2 d6 3 S . h3 ! (prophylaxis! ) 3 S . . . d2 3 6 . .l:t.d7 + .l:t.xd7 3 7 .'ifxe8 'ifdS 3 8 .xd2 c7 3 9 .ltxe6 'ifxd2 40.l:.e7 with excellent winning chances. 33. 'ifg6-f7 In this form the move is no longer so strong. There was an easy win after 3 3 .f8 ! : A) 3 3 . . .d 3 34.'iYf7 ! and it's time for Black to resign. Also sufficient is the thematic 34.i.e 7 ; B ) 3 3 . . . ltxf8 3 4.l:.xe6 + .Ud6 3 S .'ifh7 'ifxe6 3 6 .'ifb7 + cS 3 7 .lta5 + .
166

Up until this point Black, by process of elimination, had been finding only moves. However, when at last a choice appeared he also went wrong. 3 6 . . . dxc3 ! 3 7 .bc3 + b3 ! gave better chances. 37. c3-c4! The tempting 3 7 .'ifg6 d3 3 8 . l:.cf7 would come up against the unexpected 3 8 . . . lt:Jf4 ! 3 9 .gxf4 ltg 8 . 37. ... 'ifd5-d6

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49.

l:tb6xe6 'iff7xe6 c4-c5 'ife6-g4 .l:rf6-f2+ 'ifg4-f3 'iff3-f7

0-1

rJ.r>c2xd2 .l:.e8xe6 rJ.r>d2-c2 'ife4-d5! 'ti'd5-d4+1 d3-d2 e5-e4 rJ.r>c2-c3

38. l:tc7-b7? In the heat of battle it's practically impossible to sense when the wind changes. The entirely logical move in the game turned out to be too slow. It was necessary to be decisive : 3 8 .:xe6 ! ? lhe 6 ! ( 3 8 . . . 'ifxe 6 ? 3 9 .'iff3 + rJ.r>c2 40 .'ife2 is too dangerous for Black) 3 9 .'iffl rJ.r>c2 40.'it'c l + rJ.r>d3 4 I ..l:rf7 l:tf6 4 2 .l:txf6 'ifxf6 43 .g5 'it'd6 led to a draw. There were unpredictable consequences after 3 8 .'it'g6 ! ? d3 3 9 . .l:rc7 'it'd4+ 40 . .l:rf2 'ifxc4. 38. 39. a4-a5 40. rJ.r>g 1 -f1 d4-d3! 'ifd6-d4+ 'it'd4-e4

40 . . . rJ.r>c2 4 1 ..l:rxb6 rJ.r>xd2 also wasn't bad. 41 . rJ.r>f1 -g1 4 1 . l:txb6+ rJ.r>c2 42.rJ.r>g l (42 . l:.bxe6 'it'h l + 43 .'itf2 'ifxh 2 + 44.'itfl 'ifh l + 45 .'itf2 l:.f8 ) 42 . . . rJ.r>xd2 4 3 . .l:rbxe6 .:l.xe6 44.'it'xe6 'itc2 45 .c5 'it'd5 ! led to the position in the game. 41 . ... 42 . .l:rb7xb6 rJ.r>b3-c2

Also hopeless for White is 42 .l:[e7 .l:rxe7 43 .'ifxe 7 rJ.r>xd2 44.l:.xe6 'it'd4+ 45 .rJ.r>fl rJ.r>c2 .

An amazing game ! Of course Riazantsev can curse his bad luck - he in no way deserved to lose the game. But you can't help but admire the self-possession and ingenuity of his opponent. Here we've once more encountered a curious phenomenon of modern chess. A player landing a surprise at the start of the game has an undoubted advan tage while he remains within his home analysis. His opponent risks tripping up at any moment and finds himself under colossal psychological pressure. How ever, if he nevertheless manages not to lose immediately and survives crossing that particular minefield, the balance of power alters dramatically. The hunter, prepared only to shoot his prey with impunity, often relaxes and himself falls victim to his desperately resisting and extremely focussed opponent. The above games clearly demonstrate the depths to which home analysis of popular opening variations can stretch. It's a different matter entirely to con struct your preparation ' for an oppo nent' during the course of an event. That has a specific , pinpoint character and is connected not only to the pecu liarities of the opponent, his opening and playing tastes, but often also to the tournament situation and the immedi ate sporting goals. As a rule, such prep aration takes place directly before a 1 67

Modern Chess Preparation

game, so time and effort must be spent rationally. It's tempting, of course, to find a weak point in the repertoire of your opponent and land a crushing blow, but when time is limited some thing like that is usually unrealistic. Therefore posing even small problems in the opening is already an achieve ment. The realistic task comes down to getting the most comfortable position for yourself while also one that's un pleasant for your opponent. Sometimes, however, even in the few hours that a chess player usually has available to him before a game, he manages to find an original idea. In such cases it's enough to convince yourself that the risk isn't too great. Even if the objective value of the novelty isn't so high the surprise factor is more important than the quality. Such an approach is particularly effective at accelerated time controls. The following game was played in rapid chess, which was undoubtedly some thing Ivanchuk took into account. Here it must be added that with his encyclo paedic erudition and extremely wide opening repertoire, Vasily is particularly strong when it comes to preparing for a specific opponent.

9. 1 0. 11. 1 2. 1 3.

d 1 -f3 e4-e5 e5xd6 f3-e3 0-0-0

d8-c7 c8-b7 e7xd6 d6-c5 tt:J b8-c6

Although the position that's arisen was not considered critical for the Sozin Attack, it was nevertheless encountered periodically, and was thought more than satisfactory for Black. That verdict was also backed up by a game played by Karjakin a few years earlier. 1 4. 'ife3xe6+11 Vasily had learned of this move not long before the tournament in Monaco. Analysis, in which the MF played no small role, confirmed that the sacrifice was perfectly correct. The time control should only increase its effect. In the game mentioned White's play was more restrained : 1 4.xf6 gxf6 : A) 1 5 . tLld5 ? ! 'it' d 8 1 6 . c 3 ttJxd4 1 7 .cxd4 a7 1 8 .tLlf4 d6 1 9 .ttJh5 ? (it was essential to switch to a miserable defence : 1 9 . .l:[d3 0 - 0 - 0 2 0 . .l:[hd 1 ) 1 9 . . . 0-0-0 2 0 .ttJxf6 i.xd4 0- 1 , Papa Karjakin, Lausanne 2 0 0 3 . Although the novelty Vasily played doesn't alter the evaluation of the position it totally al ters its character and forces Black to act extremely accurately. Moreover, Sergey was forced to act with extremely lim-

[B 8 7] Vasily Ivanchuk Sergey Karjakin

Nice rapid 2 0 0 8 (4)

Game 5 5

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 1 68

e2-e4 ttJg1 -f3 d2-d4 ttJf3xd4 ttJb1 -c3 ..tf1 -c4 ..tc4-b3 ..tc1 -g5

c7-c5 d7-d6 c5xd4 ttJg8-f6 a7-a6 e7-e6 b7-b5 ..tf8-e7

Chapter

The Com puter Era

ited time, which made his task even more difficult; B) 1 5 .lt:Je4 was better, and no doubt Karjakin would have taken this improve ment into account. 1 5 . . . Axd4 1 6 .l:hd4 lt:Jxd4 1 7 .lt:Jxf6 + '1tt f8 1 8 .'ifxd4 l:td8 1 9 .'iih4 h5 ( 1 9 . . . h6 ! ?) 2 0 .'it'g5 h4 with roughly equal chances. As for aesthetics, until very recently this find would have provoked a storm of delight among connoisseurs of chess beauty. Now the faithful MF finds 1 4.'ii xe6 + in seconds, and soon gives it as the first line. For me personally, that's unpleasant news 1 4. 1 5. tt:Jd4xe6 f7xe6

case. Black could apparently also have achieved a draw with the help of the ut terly composed 1 5 . . . b6 ! 1 6 . l:rhe 1 (White also isn't losing after 1 6 .lt:Jxc7 + xc7 1 7 .l:the 1 + lt:Je7 1 8 .d5 l:tb8 1 9 .xb7 l:rxb7 2 0 .xf6 gxf6 2 1 .l:te6 '1tt f7 2 2 .l:txa6) 1 6 . . . 'ifxh2 ! ! and White has nothing better than perpetual check: 1 7 .lt:Jc7 + ( 1 7 .lt:Jxg 7 + '1tt f8 1 8 .lt:Je6+ '1tt f7 1 9 .lt:Jf4+ '1tt f8) 1 7 . . . '1tt f8 1 8 .lt:Je6+ '1tt f7 1 9 .lt:Jf4+ '1tt f8 2 0 .lt:Je6+ . So it seems Ivanchuk's brilliant find was per fectly correct, and even if Black played correctly he was taking no risks. It's just a pity that the potential of this discovery was exhausted after only a few games. 1 6. tt:Je6xg7+1 White wouldn't have had this resource after 1 5 . . . 'ii e 7 ! . 1 6 . ... '1tt e8-f8

Losing was 1 6 . . . '1tt e 7 ? 1 7 . l:the 1 l:thf8 1 8 . lt:Jh5 . 1 7. tt:Jg7-e6+ '1ttf8-f7

Black was faced with an extremely tough choice, so it's no surprise Sergey didn't guess correctly. 1 5 . ... 'tWc7-e5?1

And this choice as well turned out to be less than optimal. Better was 1 7 . . . '1tt e 7 ! 1 8 . .l:r.he 1 ..txf2 ! 1 9 . :lxe 5 lt:Jxe 5 2 0 . lt:Jg 7 ! lt:Jc4! 2 1 .xc4 bxc4 2 2 . .l:r.fl '1tt f7 ! 2 3 . l:txf2 '1tt g 6 with an approxi mately equal position. 1 8. l:t h 1 -e1 'ii e 5xe1 ?

The best defence (undoubtedly due to the MF's efforts) was demonstrated very quickly : 1 5 . . . 'ii e 7 ! 1 6 . l:the 1 'ii xe6 ! 1 7 .l:txe6+ lt:Je7 1 8 .Lf6 gxf6 1 9 .d5 ! (in Andrews-Gopal, Philadelphia 2 0 0 8 , there followed 1 9 .l:tde 1 ? '1tt d 7 with better chances for Black) 1 9 . . . Axd5 20.lt:Jxd5 and the most likely outcome would have been a draw. It seems as though the move in the game is only a transposition of moves, but that's not the

The decisive mistake. Resistance could have been continued in two manners : 1 8 . . . 'ii x g 5 + ! ? 1 9 . lt:J xg 5 + '1tt g 6 2 0 . lt:Jce4! e 7 ! ( 2 0 . . . lt:Jxe4 2 I .li:Jxe4 e 7 2 2 .li:Jd6) although after 2 I .lt:Jf7 (or 2 1 . lt:J e 6 ) White 's chances are greater. Deserving of serious consideration is 1 8 . . . xf2 ! ? 1 9 . l:txe5 lt:Jxe5 2 0 .li:Jd8+ '1tt g 6 2 1 .xf6 '1tt xf6 2 2 . lt:Jxb7 l:thf8 ! .
1 69

Modern Chess Preparation

1 9. tt:Je6xc5+ 20. l::t d 1 xe1 21 . tt:Jc5xb 7

'ot>f7-g6 'ot>g6xg5

White has a sufficient advantage to win. However, in order to convert it you need the accuracy lvanchuk demon strates. That stage, though, is beyond the bounds of our topic. 21 . 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41 . 42. 43 . 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. tt:Jb7-d6 f2-f3 tt:Jc3-e4+ l::t e 1 xe4 a2xb3 l::t e4-g4+ tt:Jd6-e4+ l::t g 4-h4 b3xa4 tt:Je4-c5 'ot>c1 -d2 g2-g3 Wd2-e2 l::t h4xb4 tt:Jc5-e4 h2-h4 l::t b4-c4+ b2-b4 l::tc4-c5 c2-c3 e2-e3 ..t>e3-f4 l::t c5-h5 l::t h 5-h6+ tt:Je4-d6+ l::t h 6xh7 l::t h 7-c7 tt:Jd6-f5 tt:Jc6-d4 l::t h 8-f8 b5-b4 tt:Jf6xe4 tt:Jd4xb3+ a6-a5 'ot>g5-f6 'ft>f6-e5 a5-a4 l::t a8xa4 l::t a 4-a 1 + l::tf8-g8 l::t a 1 -f1 l::tf1 -b1 e5-d5 'ft>d5-c6 l::t b 1 -h1 'ft>c6-b6 l::t g 8-d8 l:Id8-a8 l::t a 8-a2+ l::t h 1 -e1 + l::t e 1 -f1 l::t a 2-a8 'ft>b6-b5 'ft>b5-a4 a4-b3 l::f. a 8-d8
1-0

The following game, on the contrary, is completely devoid of external effects. You can't help but admire, however, the depth of penetration into the position, especially as it's probably a strictly hu man achievement - the MF is a poor as sistant in such situations, at least for now.

[C6 7] Dmitry Ya.kovenk.o Wang Yue

Elista 2 0 0 8 ( I )

Game 5 6

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

e2-e4 tt:Jg 1 -f3 f1 -b5 0-0 d2-d4 b5xc6 d4xe5 'tWd 1 xd8+

e7-e5 tt:Jb8-c6 tt:Jg8-f6 tt:Jf6xe4 tt:Je4-d6 d 7xc6 tt:Jd6-f5 ..t>e8xd8

The Berlin Variation in general , and the given position in particular, were given a new lease of life after the Kasparov Kramnik match in 2 0 0 0 . It was largely due to the re-evaluation of a whole class of positions arising here that Kramnik managed to defeat his powerful oppo nent. Of course, the whole variation quickly became extremely popular, but almost exclusively at the top level - in order to grasp all the nuances memory alone isn't enough, and the MF, as al ready mentioned , is an ineffectual assistant in this type of position. 9. tt:Jb1 -c3 'ft>d8-e8

It's a shame, of course, that the practical effect of such a wonderful sacrifice was pitifully small - only a single point in a rapid game. But such is the reality of modern chess life.
170

Another possible plan is linked to evac uating the king to the queenside. 1 0. h2-h3 1 1 . g2-g4 1 2. tt:Jf3xh4 .2.f8-e7 tt:Jf5-h4 e7xh4

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

1 3 . .l::tf 1 -d1 1 4. wg1 -g2 1 5. f2-f3

h4-e7 h 7-h5 c8-e6

tion for Black, but it's well-known that there's no accounting for taste. 21 . 22. 23. 24. tt:Jf4xe6 f3-f4 b2-b3 e3-f2 f7xe6 b7-b5 l:th8-h7 h5xg4

It was better not to rush this exchange, but White could have gradually forced it with the following regrouping : g3 , l:th2 and then Wf3 -e4. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. h 3xg4 l:td 1 -h 1 Wg2xh 1 w h 1 -g2 g2-f3 .l::t h 7-h8 l:th8xh 1 wc8-d7 e7-b4 'it>d7-e8

This position is also far from new. Even at grandmaster level dozens of games have started from here. The theoretical dispute had added interest due to the fact that Wang Yue, an ardent devotee of the 'Berlin' , had recently defended this position against Almasi and Adams, while Yakovenko had beaten Alexeev with white. 1 6. tt:Jc3-e21 A plan introduced into practice by Karjakin. Previously White had usually chosen 1 6 .f4. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. c1 -e3 tt:Je2-f4 .l::t d 1 xd8+ .l::t a 1 -d 1 + .l::t a 8-d8 a7-a6 g7-g6 we8xd8 wd8-c8

After the loss in this game Wang Yue by no means lost faith in this position. Against Leko (Nice blind 2 0 0 9 ) he re treated the king to e8 (which looks sen sible as the main events are developing on the kingside) and held the position. True, that game took place blindfold. Of course, far from everyone is ready again and again to play this uninspiring posi-

Amazingly, exactly the same posmon arose in the previously mentioned Almasi-Wang Yue, Baku 2 0 0 8 . In that rapid game White automatically went for 3 0 .c4, but didn't manage to break through his opponent's fortress. During his preparation Yakovenko managed to go deeper into the nuances of the posi tion. 30. f3-e4! The exclamation mark isn't for the strength of this absolutely obvious move, but for the principled rejection of the c2 -c4 continuation. The point of this subtlety will be revealed later:
1 71

Modern Chess Preparation

30. 31 . 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38.

f2-h4+ f4-f5 g4xf5 e4xf5 h4-f2 e5-e6 f2-g3 g3-e5

e8-e7 e7-e8 g6xf5+ e6xf5+ b4-c3 e8-e7 e7-e8 c3-a5 a5-b6

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

e5-d6 Ad6xc5 c6-b6 b6xa5 a5-b5 a2-a4 c5-e3 e3-d2

Ae7-h4 d8-c8 a6-a5 '>t>c8-b7 h4-g3 b7-a8 g3-d6 '1t>a8-b7

As it's impossible to give up the bishop for the pawn, Wang Yue resigned
1-0

39. c2-c3! Here 's why the pawn had to remain on c2 ! 39 . ... c6-c5
Dmltry Yakovenko

Due to the threat of 40 .d4 there's no way of avoiding this undesirable ad vance, and after it Black's bishop be comes an invalid. 40. c3-c4! Ab6-a5?

Only this move is the decisive mistake. 40 . . . bxc4 ! 4 l .bxc4 c6 ! was the only chance for Black. He loses the cS -pawn, but not the game. The 'right' square a8 becomes the key factor. 41 . 42. 43. 44. 45. 46.
1 72

'1t>f5-f6 e6-e7 f6-e6 e6-d6 d6xc6 b3xc4

c7-c6 a5-e1 Ae1 -h4 h4xe7+ b5xc4 e8-d8

Superficially this was an amazingly easy victory for White, but you can only imagine how much serious analytical work it required : predicting the oppo nent's choice of opening, spotting the flaws in what had seemed to be an im pregnable fortress and then finding an elegant way of destroying it. Such achievements are rare, but that makes them all the more creatively satisfying. Even the lucky defensive resource on move 40 doesn't change this verdict. Yakovenko did his job perfectly and the full point was a well-deserved bonus for his hard work.

Chapter 2

The Computer Era

Grandmaster Morozevich is known for his original and sometimes even para doxical decisions. His opening reper toire also stands out for being uncon ventional. For years he successfully played the Chigorin Defence, which until he came along wasn't considered to be an entirely correct opening. His ideas also significantly revived the Slav Defence. On this occasion, he played a new move in a variation of the Nimzo Indian Defence that appeared to have been studied inside out. Game 5 7 [E39] Alexander Morozevich Ruslan Ponomariov
Moscow 2 0 0 8 {6)

obvious, but at the same time it's by no means bad. If you also take into account the surprise factor, the drastic alteration of the pawn structure and the ensuing novel problems that need to be solved at the board, then it's an interesting and promising approach to the opening. 7. d 7xc6

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

d2-d4 c2-c4 tt:Jb1 -c3 'ii' d 1 -c2 tt:Jg 1 -f3 d4xc5

tt:Jg8-f6 e7-e6 f8 b4 0-0 c7-c5 tt:J b8-a6

-

7.

c5-c61?N

What moves haven't been people played in this long-familiar and well-studied position! Among the most widespread are : 7 .a3 ; 7 . g 3 ; 7 .d2 ; 7 .e 3 , but the strange move made by Morozevich in this game hadn't occurred to anyone before him. Its objective virtues aren't

The other capture looks more natural we were all taught in our childhood to take with a pawn towards the centre. Immediately after the main tournament there was a blitz tournament, in which that line was also given an express check: 7 . . . bxc6 8 .a3 xc3 + (less logical is 8 . . . e 7 9 .e4 d6 I O .b4 ! ? tLlb8 I l.. e2 aS 1 2 J:tb I axb4 I 3 .axb4 tLla6 Malakhov-Fedorchuk , Budva 2 0 0 9 ) 9 .'ii' x c3 : A) 9 . . . d5 I O .e3 ( I O .b4 tLle4 I I .'fic2 cS I 2 .b5 tLlc7 I 3 .e3 a6 Carlsen-Leko) I O . . . tt:JcS I I .'iYc2 tt:Jce4 I 2 .e2 aS ( I 2 . . . b7 I 3 . 0-0 c5 I 4.b3 'ife7 Morozevich-Alexeev) I 3 .b3 'ii' b 6 I 4. 0 - 0 .l:. b 8 I S . l:.b I a 6 Morozevich-Leko; B) 9 . . . tt:Jcs I O .'ii' c 2 aS I l .e3 tt:Jce4 ( I I . . .'ii' e 7 1 2 . g 3 a4 I 3.. g 2 a6 Morozevich-Karpov) 1 2 .c5 a4 I 3 .tLld2 tt:Jxd2 I 4.xd2 a6 I S . g 3 tLldS Moro zevich-Ponomariov. Although these games finished in vari ous ways (blitz is blitz ! ) , Black had no need to complain about the outcome of the opening. If you add Ivanchuk's idea - 7 . . . d5 ! ? 8 .a3 ( 8 . cxd5 ! ?) 8 . . . xc 3 + 9 . 'ifxc3 tt:Je4 I O .'ifc2 bxc6 with fully fledged play for Black (Morozevich Ivanchuk, Leon rapid 2 0 0 9) , then you can consider the peak of the popularity of 7 .c6 ! ? to have passed. 8. 8 .g 3 ! ? . a2-a3

Modern Chess Preparation

8. 9.

'ifc2xc3

b4xc3+ tt:Ja6-c5

1 2. g2-g41

Excessive activity connected with 9 . . . tLle4? ! leads to difficulties : l O .'ifeS ! tLlacS l l .b4 f6 1 2 .'i:Yf4 tLlc3 1 3 .d2 tLl5e4 1 4 . .txc3 tt:Jxc3 1 5 .'i:Ye3 tLla4 1 6 .'i:Yb3 tLlb6 1 7 .l:!.d l ! ( 1 7 .c5 'i:Yd5 ! ) . 1 0. .tc1 -e3!

It's remarkable, but by the 1 2 th move, just five moves after 7 .c6 ! ? , it's time for Black to resign. 1 2 . ... c6-c5

1 0. ...

tt:Jc5-e4?

Relatively better was 1 2 . . . h6 1 3 .h4 tt:Jxfl 1 4.xf2 tLlxg4 but that's also bad. 1 3. g4-g5 1 4. b2-b4 1 5. g5xf6+'ifd8-a5+ c5xb4

The wrong knight! 1 O . . . tt:Jfe4! ? l l .'ii' c 2 'ifaS + 1 2 .b4 ( 1 2 .tLld2 tLlxd2 1 3 .jLxd2 'i:Ya4 1 4.'ifxa4 tLlxa4 1 5 . 0 - 0 - 0 l:!.d8 ! also promises White little) 1 2 . . . 'ifa4 1 3 .'ifb2 ! ? tLld7 1 4.g4! (the position af ter 1 4.g3 aS 1 5 .'ifd4 tt:Jdf6 favours Black) 1 4 . . . a5 1 5 .'i:Yd4 'i:Yb3 1 6 .'i!fd3 'ifxd3 1 7 .exd3 tLld6. Chances are about even in this sharp position. 1 1 . 'ifc3-e5! The e4-knight unexpectedly turns out to be in danger. 1 1 . . .. b7-b5?!

White doesn't just have an extra piece but also an attack. Sometimes that turns out to be too much, but not in this game. 1 5 . ... 1 6. e3-d2 c8-b7

1 6 .l:!.g 1 g 6 1 7 .'ifxb5 is simpler. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 21 . 22. 23. 24. 25. ... d2xb4 c4-c5 l:!.h 1 -g 1 l:!.a 1 -d 1 c5-c6 l:!.g1 -g4 tt:Jf3xe5 tt:Je5xc6 jLf1 -g2 l:!.f8-c8 'ifa5-b6 'i!Vb6-d8 g7-g6 'ifd8xf6 b7xc6 'iff6xe5 f7-f5 l:!.c8xc6

Strangely enough, there was no longer a satisfactory defence. Even after the more stubborn l l . . . 'ii' e 7 1 2 . 0 - 0 - 0 l:!.d8 1 3 .l:!.xd8 + 'ifxd8 1 4.g4 tLld6 1 5 .'iff4 b5 1 6.g5 tt:Jhs 1 7 .'i!Vg4 g6 1 8 .tLle5 White has an undoubted edge. Bad is l l . . . 'ifd6 1 2 .l:!.d l 'i!:Yxe5 1 3 .tLlxe5 or l l . . . c5 1 2 .g4.
1 74

Chapter 2

The Computer Era

.I '

The following example is, to my tastes, one of the most memorable in this selection.

[E94] Sebastien Feller Manuel Apicella

France tt 2 0 0 9 (9)

Game 5 8

25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37.

g2xe4 b4-d2 l:.g4-g5 l:lg5xb5 l:lb5-b7 d2-f4 l:lb7xb3 l:ld 1 -b1 f4xe3 we1 -d2 f2-f3 e3-f2

a7-a5 f5xe4 l:lc6-c4 l:lc4-a4 l:la4xa3 a5-a4 l:la3-b3 a4xb3 e4-e3 l:la8-b8 l:lb8-b4 e6-e5
1-0

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

d 2-d4 c2-c4 tt:Jb1 -c3 e2-e4 tLlg1 -f3 f1 -e2 c1 -e3 0-0 'ti'd 1 -c2 tt:Jf3xd4 l:I.a1 -d 1 f2-f3

tLlg8-f6 g7-g6 f8-g7 d 7-d6 0-0 e7-e5 tLlb8-d7 l:tf8-e8 e5xd4 c7-c6 a7-a6

The abrupt change of rhythm in a fairly hackneyed position knocked even as strong and experienced a player as Pono mariov off balance. However, Moro zevich's innovation is an artificial prod uct, and one hard to recommend as a method. What is possible when analys ing opening positions, though. is to try and deliberately disregard the first lines of the computer and concentrate on the less obvious continuations. Perhaps you'll manage to find a fresh idea that suits your style and mood. In modern chess, when everyone's studying the first three or four lines. such an approach might bring you decent practical results. The overwhelming majority of illustra tions in this chapter are taken from the games of elite grandmasters , but they're not the only people who work on chess.

This position, arising from various move orders, can't be considered one of the most topical. It's even more remarkable, then, what happened in this variation. It began with the game Feller-Bacrot in the 2 0 0 8 French Championship. Bacrot, af ter a long think, felt that something was up and rejected the most principled 1 2 . . . d5 . The neutral 1 2 . flic7 led to a slightly worse position for Black. But Feller's next opponent - Apicella - carne to the game fully-armed.
. .

1 75

Modern Chess Preparation

1 2 . ...

d6-d51?

1 9 .xf7 +) 1 6 .tLlc7 l:Ixe3 with an edge for White. 1 5. g2-g41

1 7 . tLlxa8

A natural desire to exploit the the oppo sition of the pieces on the e-file. 1 3. c4xd5 c6xd5

:i

j.

..t 'iVI

j.

j.
Cjj 'Jlil

j. _t j. j.

Rybka's first line, although up to a point the machine doesn't fully believe in the strength of White's idea, evaluating the position as equal. However, you've got to assume that Feller had enough pa tience during his preparation to convince the MF. 1 5 . ... h 7-h6

Cjj

1 4. f3-f411 A bolt from the blue ! The move itself and, above all, the idea behind it, make an enormous impression. It also defeats the MF, which doesn't include it in the first ten lines at a depth of 1 4. It recom mends the perfectly sensible and pre dictable 1 4 .b3 ttJ c S 1 5 .'ifa3 ( 1 5 .'tllf b4 f8 ! ) 1 5 ... ttJcd7 with a com plex position. We can assume this had been the subject of Black's preparation for the game. But what's most amazing (and galling, for me) is that after being given 1 4.f4 to look at the machine very quickly reassesses its values, fully ap preciating this amazing resource for White. 1 4 . ... d5xe4

Strangely enough, Bologan, an ac knowledged expert in the King's Indian Defence, also decided to test out the correctness of White's idea. However, after 1 5 . . . a5 1 6 . g 5 ttJhS 1 7 .xh5 gxhS 1 8 .b4! c7 (perhaps the lesser evil was 1 8 . . . xb4 1 9 .ttJdS 'ifcs 2 0 .tLlc7 xd4 2 1 .'ifxc5 xeS 2 2 .xc5 ttJxcS 2 3 .tLlxe8 h3 24.tLlf6+ g7 2 5 .l:!.fe 1 although it's also hard for Black to survive here) 1 9 .tLld5 ! xc2 2 0 . ttJxc2 ttJf8 2 l .f5 eS 2 2 .d4 he ended up in an extremely difficult situ ation , Gyimesi-Bologan , European Championship, Rijeka 2 0 1 0 . 1 6. g4-g5 1 7. f4xg5 1 8. .l:f.f1 xf7 1 h6xg5 ttJf6-h7 ttJh7xg5

This 'French' story was continued at the European Team Championship in Novi Sad, when Fressinet, with the help of his teammate Feller, defeated McShane after demonstrating the drawbacks of the other capture : 1 4 . . . ttJxe4 l S .tLlxdS ttJef6 ( 1 5 . . . ttJdcS is refuted by 1 6 .f5 ! xdS 1 7 .fxg6 hxg 6 1 8 .c4 'iVhS
1 76

At first the MF thinks 1 8 . . . xd4 leads to equality, but there's no need to argue with the mindless machine, as you just need to give it some time to think and then it comes up with the first line : 1 9 . xd4 'ifxg S + 2 0 . \t> h l xf7 2 1 .tLlxe4 .l:f.xe4 2 2 .'ifxe4 ttJdf6 2 3 . .l:f.fl d7 24.'ihb7 .l:f.d8 2 5 .b6 e7 2 6 .xd8+ 'it>xd8 27 .xa6 . 1 9. .l:f.f7-f1 20. g1 -h 1 .ll e 8-e5 g8-h7

Chapter 2

The Com puter Era

21 . e3-f4 ?I It seems it was only at this point that White began to create independently. The MF clearly prefers 2 l.... c 4 ! . It's hard to know what was behind that : in his home analysis did it seem to Feller that all roads lead to Rome? Or did his memory let him down? I'm inclined to wards the second version. 21 . ... 22. f4xe5 'ifd8-e7 1 'ife7xe5

3 I . tt:l d s d7 ! 3 2 . tt:l e 7 + 3 3 . tt:l g 6 + g 8 3 4 . tt:le 7 + 3 S J:1g l + f7 3 6 . .l:lfl + . 24. tt:lf5xg7

h8 g7

h7xg7

25 . .l:lf1 xf6 !? Remaining true to the method of brute force. White stood better after 2 S .'ifd2 ! ? h3 2 6 .'il"f4 ! . 25. 26. tt:lc3-d5 27. 'il"c2-d2 23. tt:ld4-f5?1 Passionate, beautiful and humanly un derstandable, but in a struggle against an iron intellect it would be insuffi cient. He should have calmly included the queen in the military actions : 2 3 .g4 ltJcS 24.'ifg2 or 2 3 .'ifc l (with the idea of 24.'ife 3 ) 2 3 . . . e3 24.tt:lf3 . 23. ... tt:ld7-f6? ! 'ti'e5xf6 'il"f6-c6 tt:lg5-e6?

Black's desire not to allow 2 8 .'ifd4+ is understandable. However, after 2 7 . . . tt:l f7 2 8 .'il"d4+ f8 2 9 .'il"b4+ g7 3 0 .'il"xe4 ..tfs 3 I .'it'd4+ f8 3 2 .f3 .l:ld8 White's slight edge isn't enough for victory. 28. 'il"d2-b4 2 8 .b4! . 28. ... 2 8 . . . tt:lgs . 29. 30. 31 . 32. 33 . 34. 35. 'it'b4-d4+ tt:ld5-e 7 .l:ld 1 -c1 'il"d4xa4 .l:lc1 -c7 'ifa4-e8 tt:le7xf5+ g7-h7 'il"c6-b6 tt:lc5-a4 'il" b6-e3 h7-h6 c8-f5
1-0

The M F indicates a path t o a forced draw : 2 3 . . . gxfS ! 2 4 . .l:l d S fi e ? 2 S . .l:ldxfS tt:lb6 ! 2 6 JhgS ( 2 6 . .l:f. S f4 e6 2 7 .tt:lxe4 g8 ! 2 8 . tt:lxgS 'ifxgS is weaker) 2 6 . . . 'ifxg S 2 7 .'ifxe4+ 'iYg6 2 8 . 'ifh4+ 'ifh6 2 9 . d 3 + g 8 3 0 .'ifd8 + f8 . Here a s well the M F in sists that all sensible moves lead to a peaceful outcome. I'll limit myself to showing the most picturesque path:

tt:le6-c5?

1 77

Modern Chess Preparation

You can only sympathise with Black he had to undergo too many trials in this game ! I 'd put 1 4.f4 ! ! on top of the hit parade of the most wonderful moves in this book. The recent scandal around the young French grandmaster has had no influence on my assessment. This game demonstrates Feller's great creative po tential: a paradoxical idea and deep and accurate analysis of all the ramifications - preparation of the very highest class. As for the inaccuracies in the middle of the game, that's a topic we've already touched upon. It's extremely tough to quickly switch from the comfortable mode of 'we had this at home' to the tense rhythm of taking decisions at the board. The following game is, in a sense, a prototype of the chess of the near fu ture. Or, to be more precise, of how this author sees it: an ideal marriage be tween the human's creative impulse and the accuracy and infallibility of the MF. The encounter could easily serve as a model of modern preparation. Of course, not all chess players possess the intuition and imagination of Magnus Carlsen. Given that, it would be appro priate to use the prompts of the failsafe MF. 'The realm of general knowledge' the top lines of the programs - is con sciously ignored, as your opponents also study that carefully. The search for new possibilities takes place at great depths and the attitude to the opening is somewhat altered: it's not about ob taining an advantage with white or clearly equalising with black, but about getting a playable position which you understand better than your opponent. Of course, achieving that requires enor1 78

mous work during preparation, self confidence and. . . greater class. All of that was demonstrated by the young Norwegian in this encounter. Game 5 9 [09 7 ] Magnus Carlsen Lenier Dominguez Perez
Wijk aan Zee 20 I 0 ( I I )

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

d2-d4 c2-c4 tt::l b 1 -c3 tt::l g 1 -f3 'ifd 1 -b3 'ii' b 3xc4 e2-e4 e4-e5 'ifc4-b3

tt::l g 8-f6 g7-g6 d 7-d5 f8-g7 d5xc4 0-0 a7-a6 b7-b5 tt::lf6-d7

A well-known position that's been tried more than once at the very highest level. 1 0. tt::lf3-g5!? A theoretical novelty. Its objective value isn't so obvious, but the fact that Rybka doesn't include this move in its top ten ( ! ) lines at a depth of 1 4 immediately dramatically increases both the psycho logical and practical effect of Carlsen's find. He could predict in advance that his opponent wouldn't have looked at this continuation in his preparation,

Chapter

The Com puter Era

which is already a great success in mod ern chess. Normal moves in this posi tion are 1 0 .e2 and 1 0 .e3 , while the move most often encountered in prac tice is the sharp 1 O . e 6 . However, in the opinion of the MF none of these moves alters the evaluation of the position as approximately equal. 1 0. 1 1 . c1 -e3 1 2 . .l:la1 -d 1 1 3. f1 -e21? tt:ld7-b6 tt:l b8-c6 ..tc8-f5

ral and understandable, but it has pure chess drawbacks : it opens up the d-file for White, and the main thing is that it provides him with the crucial d4square. 1 8. d4xe5 1 9. 'ifb4-c5 20. a2-a4 d8-e8 .l:la8-c8

Lines like 1 3 .e6 tt:lxd4 (or 1 3 . . . f6 1 4 . tt:l f7 'ilc8 1 5 . d5 tt:las 1 6 . 'ti'b4 tt:lac4) 1 4 . ..txd4 xd4 1 5 .tt:lxf7 xe6 1 6 . tt:'lxd8 xf2 + 1 7 . 'it>e2 xb 3 1 8 . axb3 .l:laxd8 1 9 . .l:lxd8 .l:i.xd8 2 0 . 'itxf2 .l:ld2 + are absolutely unclear, besides in no way corresponding to the Norwegian's style. 1 3. 1 4. b3-b4 1 5. 0-0 tt:Jc6-a5 tt:Ja5-c4 f7-f6

It looks more natural to play 2 0 .tt:ld4! but after the forced 2 0 . . . tt:ld7 2 1 .a3 tt:lxeS you have to find 2 2 .tt:ld5 ! , which is much stronger than the superficial 2 2 .'ifxa6 or 2 2 .tt:lxf5 . In that case White's chances would be preferable. 20 . ... tt:lb6xa4

After 20 . . . c2 ! ? White could sacrifice the exchange : 2 1 . axb 5 ! ? xd 1 2 2 . .l:lxd 1 with sufficient compensation. 21 . tt:Jc3xa4 22. tt:lf3-d4 b5xa4 .l:lc8-b8

'iV E
...
.--- --

Black has, up until now, resisted the ob vious attack on the g S -knight with . . . h7 -h6 , and now extracts certain divi dends from that : White's pawn centre has been attacked with tempo. 1 6. tt:Jg5-f3 1 7. f2xe3 tt:Jc4xe3 f6xe5?1

..t .t.
...

'li' ttJ
:

..t

1 7 . . . c6 1 8 .e4 e6 1 9 .d5 cxdS 2 0 . tt:ld4 looks very dangerou s , but after 2 0 . . . d7 Black holds. Also interesting is 1 7 . . . tt:ld5 1 8 . tt:lxd5 'i!VxdS 1 9 .xe 7 xa2 , although in both cases the posi tion is tactical, and up until this point the Cuban grandmaster had used up a lot of time and energy - which was the main consequence of Carlsen's opening find. Black's desire to stabilise the pawn situation in the centre is perfectly natu-

It seems as though Black has no prob lems : all his pieces are in play, and the extra pawn, although doubled, is also a serious factor. In order to maintain the flagging tension White has to come up with something. 23. g2-g41? An unexpected resource. The obvious 2 3 .tt:'lc6 achieved nothing because of
1 79