26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

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Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence (August

Not purchased
2019)
GM Alex Colovic (/en/authors/author=3375)

1.  Introduction and Free Preview (/en/chess- Free

databases/database=83&theme=1#article)

2.  Model Game 1 Closed

3.  Model Game 2 Closed

4.  Model Game 3 Closed

5.  Model Game 4 Closed

6.  Model Game 5 Closed

7.  Model Game 6 Closed

8.  Model Game 7 Closed

9.  Chapter 1 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nf6 Closed

10.  Chapter 3 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3
ClosedBe7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.a3

11.  Chapter 2 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3
ClosedBe7
8.Bc4!?

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

12.  Chapter 4 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3
ClosedBe7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.b3

13.  Chapter 5 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3
ClosedBe7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.h4!

14.  Chapter 6 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3
Closed0-0
8.Qd2 - 8th Move Alternatives

15.  Chapter 7. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0
Closed
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 - 9th Move Alternatives for Black

16.  Chapter 8 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3
Closed0-0
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nf6 10.Bd3 - 10th Move Alternatives for Black

17.  Chapter 9. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0
Closed
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nf6 10.Bd3 c5 - The Main Line

18.  Test Section Closed

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Complete Repertoire for White against Petro Defence

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

In his rst database for Modern Chess, GM Alexander Colovic has a hard task to provide a complete
repertoire against the super solid Petro Defence. Let's see what the author said about the best way
to challenge this reliable opening:
The Petro has always been one of the most annoying openings for the White player. Together with Berlin
Defence, nowadays it constitutes a major theoretical problem - not to obtain an advantage against it, but to
obtain a playable position! As modern theory has shown, the best method to approach it is to have a lot of
ideas. They may not always be of the highest quality, often they may be used only in one game, but the more
is de nitely the better in this case! The point is to be versatile and exible, to avoid being a sitting duck in the
opening and by being hard to pin down to pose practical problems in the opening. With these thoughts in
mind, let's see if we can nd a few promising ideas in the Petro !

White tried almost everything against Petro , but the system which has the reputation of the most
dangerous for Black appears after the moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 

This move was introduced at the top-level by GM Alexey Shirov. 

White's plan is simple. After 5...Nxc3 6.dxc3, he wants to continue with Be3, Qd2, 0-0-0 followed by a
pawn storm on the kingside or pressure along d and e les, depending on the position of Black's king. 
After 0-0-0, White's king feels quite safe on the queenside being protected by four pawns. 
The database starts with 7 model games followed by 9 theoretical chapters and 17 test positions. 

Model Games
In this section, GM Colovic provides 7 model games which show all typical middlegame ideas for White
in this structure

Theoretical Section

Chapter 1 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nf6 

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

The line with 5...Nf6 while playable does not solve Black's opening problems. Black manages to obtain
a solid position in all the lines but since most of the light pieces are still on the board his space
disadvantage is more clearly felt. Coupled with White's starting initiative and slight development
advantage the line is a di cult one to play for Black and White keeps a pull in all the lines.

Black Castles Long - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6

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This move is the beginning of Black's plan to castle long. He will play ...Be7, ...Be6, ...Qd7 and ...0-0-0.
For a long time, this plan was considered as the safest one and was very popular, even the main
proponent of the Petro Fabiano Caruana was using it on a regular basis. This, however, changed
when Caruana lost a key game to Karjakin in the Berlin Candidates in 2018 and since then the
fashion changed - in the match with Carlsen, Caruana already played the plan with a short castle. But
fashion is one thing and solid foundations another. So, this plan is still a very good option for the Black
player. In line with our general approach in the Petro , we will try to analyze several promising ideas
against it.

Chapter 2 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3 Be7
8.Bc4!?

8.Bc4 was the move Carlsen used against Caruana in their last game prior to the match in London. It
did manage to take Caruana by surprise and it still remains an interesting idea.
Black has several choices here:

8...Be6 which gives White a slight advantage after 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Nd4

8...Bf5 which looks suspicious, because White can gain some tempis by h2-h3 and g2-g4

8...0-0 9.Qd2 Ne5 which leads to an endgame with a small advantage for White

Chapter 3 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3 Be7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.a3 

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

The position after 9...Qd7 is the main tabya of this variation. White has several di erent options on
move 10. At this chapter, we will discuss the move 10.a3 which was played in the crucial game
Karjakin-Caruana in Berlin, so it deserves attention.
Black has a choice here: 10...0-0-0? is just losing due to 11.Nd4 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 and Black loses a pawn
(the pawn on a2 is not hanging). 
The other possibilities are 10...a6, 10...h6 and 10...Bf6. White's plan is similar against all of them: Nd4
at the appropriate moment followed by advancing the pawns on the kingside. GM Colovic analyzes
this position in-depth and it seems that Black needs to play very accurately to equalize.

Chapter 4 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3 Be7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.b3

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

The idea of this move is very similar to the idea of 10.a3 which we discussed in the previous chapters. 
The only di erence is that White now has the b2-square for his king. GM Colovic analyzes all main
games in this line and suggests several interesting novelties. 

Chapter 5 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3 Be7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.h4!

GM Colovic takes this as the main move as it is rather direct, introducing the threat of Ng5, but in fact,
the alternatives are of equal practical value. We are trying to come up with promising ideas, so take
your favourite according to your taste.
The main line continues with 10...h6 where White has a choice among 3 equally promising ideas
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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

11.b3, 11.Nd4, and 11.c4. Those moves pose di erent problems and Black needs to be quite careful
not to enter one of the many traps. 
GM Colovic analyzes all lines very deeply. Armed with his analysis, it is not gone a be easy for your
opponent to survive the opening duel.

Black Castles Short - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7

The move 6...Be7 is a markedly di erent approach. With both sides castling on the opposite wings, the
game becomes not only sharper but also much more concrete and it requires more memorization.
This line is the current trend in the Petro Defence.

Chapter 6 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0
8.Qd2 - 8th Move Alternatives

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

Black's main move in this position is 8...Nd7 and will be analyzed in the next 3 chapters. 
In this one, you will nd all alternatives for Black on move 8 as 8...Nc6, 8...b6, 8...c5, 8...Qe8
These lines do not o er Black full equality and most of them are rather risky as White manages to
develop a dangerous attack.

Chapter 7 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 - 9th Move Alternatives for Black

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

In this position, Black tried di erent plans. In this chapter we will take a look at the moves 9...Ne5,
9...Re8, 9...Nc5, and 9...c6. 
The rst 3 moves are not critical and White easily obtained better chances in those lines. 
The move 9...c6 is really problematic for White and played with success by Caruana and several
Chinese players. 
The idea is simple ...d6-d5 followed by ...Re8 and ...Bc5. 
The critical position arises after the moves 9...c6 10.Kb1 d5 11.h4 Re8 12.Bd3 Bc5 

This is one of the most solid lines in the whole Petro and it is not easy to come up with something
exciting. 
If Black exchanges the bishop the position is just equal so the most serious tries for White are 13.Bg5
and 13.Bf4
The author goes really deep in those lines and suggests many interesting novelties to liven up the
game. 

Chapter 8 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nf6 10.Bd3 - 10th Move Alternatives for Black

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

In this chapter, you will nd analyzed the moves 10...d5 and 10...Re8. 
Those two moves seem to be the main alternatives of the mainline (10...c5) and were tried by Wei Yi,
Yu Yangui and in several high-level correspondence games. 
GM Colovic shows the convincing way of obtaining an advantage for White.

Chapter 9 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nf6 10.Bd3 c5 - The Main Line

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

This is one of the critical positions in Petro Defence these days and it was subject of discussion of
many high-level games. GM Colovic suggests the rare continuation for White here: 11.Bg5 - the main
idea is to start an attack by Qf4-h4. The main line continues 11.Bg5 Be6 12.Qf4 

In these positions, Black can try the risky 12...h6 where 13.Bxh6 is critical and it was analyzed in-depth
by the author.
The other possibility is 12...d5 where both 13.Rhe1 and 13.c4 look quite promising. The conclusion is
that White's position is much easier to play and there is no clear path for equality. We should keep in
mind that the arising positions are really sharp and require some precise knowledge. 

Test Positions

The database ends with 17 interactive test positions.

Free Chapter

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( 15. h4 ♖ad8 16. ♔b1 ♗f8 17. ♗g5 ♔h8 is a complex middlegame

with equal chances )

Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence (August

Not purchased
2019)
GM Alex Colovic (/en/authors/author=3375)

1.  Introduction and Free Preview (/en/chess- Free

databases/database=83&theme=1#article)

2.  Model Game 1 Closed

3.  Model Game 2 Closed

4.  Model Game 3 Closed

5.  Model Game 4 Closed

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26-12-2019 Complete Repertoire for White Against Petroff Defence

6.  Model Game 5 Closed

7.  Model Game 6 Closed

8.  Model Game 7 Closed

9.  Chapter 1 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nf6 Closed

10.  Chapter 3 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3
ClosedBe7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.a3

11.  Chapter 2 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3
ClosedBe7
8.Bc4!?

12.  Chapter 4 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3
ClosedBe7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.b3

13.  Chapter 5 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Nc6 7.Be3
ClosedBe7
8.Qd2 Be6 9.0-0-0 Qd7 10.h4!

14.  Chapter 6 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3
Closed0-0
8.Qd2 - 8th Move Alternatives

15.  Chapter 7. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0
Closed
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 - 9th Move Alternatives for Black

16.  Chapter 8 - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3
Closed0-0
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nf6 10.Bd3 - 10th Move Alternatives for Black

17.  Chapter 9. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0-0
Closed
8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nf6 10.Bd3 c5 - The Main Line

18.  Test Section Closed

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