Reimagining 1.e4

Similar

Opening repertoire 1 e4

Smyslov's 125 Selected Games

How to Study Chess on Your Own. Creating a Plan that Works... and Sticking to it!

Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov. Part 1: 1973-1985

Text

Contents
Foreword by GM Anish Giri
Bibliography
Preface
Part I - Reimagining the Spanish
Chapter 1 - Steinitz Defence
Chapter 2 - Berlin Defence
Chapter 3 - Archangel System
Chapter 4 - Open Spanish
Chapter 5 - Closed Spanish
Chapter 6 - Anti-Marshall
Chapter 7 - Other Spanish Lines
Chapter 8 - Reimagining the Petroff
Chapter 9 - Reimagining the Philidor
Part II - Reimagining the Sicilian
Chapter 10 - Kan, Taimanov & Scheveningen
Chapter 11 - Lowenthal, Kalashnikov & Sveshnikov
Chapter 12 - Classical
Chapter 13 - Dragon
Chapter 14 - Najdorf
Chapter 15 - Other Sicilian Lines
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Chapter 16 - Reimagining the French
Chapter 17 - Reimagining the Caro-Kann
Chapter 18 - Reimagining the Scandinavian
Chapter 19 - Reimagining the Pirc & the Modern
Chapter 20 - Reimagining the Alekhine & Others

Foreword by GM
Anish Giri
They say that scrolling Twitter (now X) is not good for your chess.
They are probably right, but scrolling is how I first came across
what must have been the inspiration behind the book you are
currently holding in your hands. Nikolaos (Nikos) Ntirlis has been
consistently posting Twitter threads with interesting, often entirely
new opening ideas. Some I liked more than others, but I soon
realized that it was definitely worth keeping an eye out for his posts.
Others have also recognized the value of Nikos’s ideas, as some of
them have leaked through and been used in games at the highest
levels.
As for me, I didn’t stop at merely peeking at the free opening ideas.
When I looked at Nikos’s recommendation against the Sveshnikov,
I liked it so much that I was happy to steal it for my 1.e4 Chessable
course! What can I do? The idea he found was fresh, interesting and
tricky for Black to meet, while the alternative of covering 200 lines
of the Rossolimo seemed a lot less appealing for author and readers
alike. I credited Nikos for the idea, of course, but some guilt
remained, and I am glad for the opportunity to write a short
foreword to his excellent book.
The story comes full circle, as Nikos has rightfully taken back what
was once his, and the anti-Sveshnikov idea is now just one of many
potent weapons in the book you are holding, encompassing the
entire spectrum of openings stemming from 1.e4. The style of the
book is to-the-point and compact. The lines are poisonous, yet clean.
An occasional "²" evaluation might ultimately prove to be
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overoptimistic, but such is the nature of the game, where Black
should of course be okay at the end of the day.
As for you, dear reader, I can assure you that getting hold of this
book was a good idea. Enjoy your reimagined 1.e4 repertoire!
Anish Giri
The Hague, October 2024

Bibliography
Aagaard & Ntirlis: Playing the French, Quality Chess 2013
Aagaard & Shaw: Experts vs the Sicilian, Quality Chess 2006
Berg: Grandmaster Repertoire 14 – The French Defence 1, Quality
Chess 2013
Brunello: Attacking the Spanish, Quality Chess 2009
Bronznik & Giddins: The Lazy Man’s Sicilian, New in Chess 2015
Caruana: Caruana’s Ruy Lopez, New in Chess 2021
Dhopade: Playing the Petroff, Quality Chess 2020
Jones: Grandmaster Repertoire – The Dragon Volume Two, Quality
Chess 2015
Kasparov: My Great PredecessorsParts I, II & III, Everyman Chess
2003 & 2004
Marin: Grandmaster Repertoire – The Pirc Defence, Quality Chess
2015
Mikhalevski: Grandmaster Repertoire 13 – The Open Spanish,
Quality Chess 2013
Ntirlis: Playing 1.e4 e5– A Classical Repertoire, Quality Chess
2016
Ntirlis: Playing the English, Quality Chess 2023
Pavlovic: Playing the Sveshnikov,Quality Chess 2023
Schandorff: Playing the Caro-Kann, Quality Chess 2021
Ward: Winning with the Sicilian Dragon II, Batsford 2001
Yermolinsky: Chess Explained: The Classical Sicilian, Gambit
2006

Electronic/Internet resources
Avrukh: O’Kelly Sicilian, ask-avrukh.com 2023
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Cheparinov: 1.e4 e5 – Top-Level Repertoire for Black, Modern
Chess 2024
Cuenca: Lifetime Repertoires: Philidor Defense, Chessable 2021
Caruana: Caruana’s Ruy Lopez: Dark Archangel, Chessable 2023
S. Demchenko: Surprising Your Opponents with the Lazy Sicilian,
ChessBase 2021
Giri: Lifetime Repertoires: Dragon Sicilian, Chessable 2021
Giri: Lifetime Repertoires: Giri’s French Defense, Chessable 2020
Giri: Lifetime Repertoires: Giri’s Najdorf Sicilian, Chessable 2020
Gustafsson: Lifetime Repertoires: Gustafsson’s 1.e4 e5, Chessable
2019
Jones: Lifetime Repertoires: Jones’ 1.e4 e5, Chessable 2023
Kasimdzhanov: Top Choice Repertoire: Play the French Defence
Vol.1, ChessBase 2022
L’Ami: Erwin’s Opening Lab: The Cozio Defense, Chessable 2021
Neiksans & Kovalenko: Lifetime Repertoires: Kan Sicilian,
Chessable 2022
Papaioannou: 1.e4 e5 for Black – Repertoire against the Ruy Lopez,
Modern Chess 2023
Papaioannou: Understand the Najdorf – Aggressive Systems,
Modern Chess 2023
Shankland: Lifetime Repertoires: Berlin Defense, Chessable 2021
Shankland: Lifetime Repertoires: Classical Sicilian, Chessable 2021
Sielecki: 100 Repertoires: Sicilian O’Kelly, Chessable 2022
Sielecki & Gorny: Lifetime Repertoires: Pirc Defense, Chessable
2021
Werle: Lifetime Repertoires: Werle’s 1.e4 e5, Chessable 2023

Preface
Most opening books are born from tournament practice and/or
dedicated chess research. This one has a rather unusual origin story.
A couple of years ago, at the company I work for, Databox, I was
challenged by the CEO, Pete Caputa, to explore new ways of
building a professional presence on social media. After coming up
with a relevant plan for LinkedIn, I asked Pete if he wanted
something similar on Twitter. He said, "Hey, it seems that you have
people from chess that follow you there. Why not leverage your
chess background on Twitter (now X) as a learning experiment?"
This seed of an idea blossomed into something far greater than
either of us could have anticipated.
The threads I posted started getting some attention. Once I figured
out the correct structure, they really caught fire, amassing millions
of views in total. Top grandmasters started using my ideas in their
games. Nakamura, in one of his YouTube videos, mentioned that he
played a certain anti-Catalan line because he saw it on Twitter. He
tried to recall my name, but couldn’t remember it. I know, my name
is difficult to pronounce. I forgive him.
Carlsen played plenty of my ideas, including one in a tense game
against the rising Indian star Erigaisi. When I asked my followers on
X how to name a new line I’d come up with, Aronian made a
brilliant suggestion. I started to wonder if I was dreaming all this.
Some elite players even contacted me privately, encouraging me to
keep posting new ideas, or asking me if I had anything to share
against an opening that bothered them. What started as a social
media experiment had become a laboratory for fresh chess opening
ideas and concepts.

***
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These days, I am mainly a correspondence chess player. The
relentless strengthening of chess engines has transformed the way
correspondence chess is played. As recently as ten years ago,
humans, using our strengths, were still guiding engines – but now
the opposite happens. Correspondence chess is challenged by this.
Still, the fact that I have advanced to the World Championship finals
gives me enough motivation to keep analysing new ideas for my
games up to a serious depth. If I ever become a correspondence
champion, I assure you that it will be with the help of several of the
ideas contained in this book.
I am also helping many ambitious over-the-board players to do well
in tournament chess. Openings were always important, but these
days their influence seems greater than ever. Not just because you
hope to get an edge in the opening – but in some cases, it can be a
challenge merely to survive this part of the game. How can you
hope to do well if your opponent comes armed with 500 opening
lines memorized inside out? Learn 600 lines yourself? It’s hardly a
practical solution for most players.
All these experiences have shaped my approach to chess
preparation, along with how I worked on this book. I do believe in
memorizing opening variations, contrary to what some chess
coaches will tell you. I just think that memorization needs to be
performed in a smart and practical way. I believe you should focus
on memorizing key positions and lines only. And ultimately,
understanding the direction in which you should steer the game.
That’s exactly what this book offers.
For main lines, such as the Berlin, Marshall and Najdorf, you will
see the most thorough analysis in the book. These are positions
you’ll encounter frequently. You’ll remember them naturally
through practice, as you will not only be playing them, but also
preparing these lines for many opponents. Every tournament player
is familiar with this experience: you prepare your Najdorf lines
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against a particular opponent, who surprises you with something
completely different. Then a few rounds later, you face another
opponent who surprises you with the Najdorf, so you play your prep
from the earlier round which is still fresh enough in your memory.
That’s the nature of main lines. If you have good files on them, you
tend to learn these lines through regularly revising and playing
them.
What about less common defences such as the Scandinavian,
Alekhine, Pirc or Modern? You don’t meet them as often, so you
only sporadically prepare against and play against them. This makes
them dangerous. Against these openings, I give you weapons. Not
hundreds of variations, but practical ideas that have a high chance of
sticking in your memory. Ideas that you can use even months after
you last studied them. Your opponents won’t expect to face fresh
and challenging concepts in their pet sidelines. That’s how you
punish them – with a dose of their own medicine.
When Andrew Greet, now the Chief Editor at Quality Chess, saw
the first draft of this book, he immediately saw what makes this
repertoire different. Reimagining 1.e4 is exactly what we’re doing
here. Taking main lines into new territory, presented in a fresh way.
Finding surprising paths in side variations, which contain enough
venom to hurt our opponents. Clear, Cunning & Concise is the
style. Andrew and the rest of the Quality Chess team deserve credit
for the title of this book. I had in mind something much more
boring! With the help of my editors, Andrew and Kostis, I managed
to present a 1.e4 repertoire in 304 pages. As should be obvious from
the size of the book, I have focused on the most popular and
important options that will be relevant in most of your games,
offering maximum bang for your buck, rather than trying to cover
every variation in detail.
Although top grandmasters have used my ideas, this book will also
serve club players who want to do well in openings without
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memorizing excessive lines. I claim that 1.e4 isn’t difficult to learn,
if it’s done smartly. In every section of this book, you will be
presented with clear ideas and plans to give you control of the game.
That’s what playing White is all about: controlling where the game
goes. Whether you’re navigating a complex anti-Berlin or springing
a surprise against the Scandinavian, you’ll know exactly what
you’re doing.
My thanks go to Pete Caputa for pushing me into chess content
creation, and to Quality Chess for believing in this project. Special
thanks to the chess community on social media – your feedback
helped to shape and refine many of the ideas in this book.
Nikos Ntirlis
Maribor, October 2024

Part I
Reimagining the
Spanish

Spanish Repertoire Overview
1.e4 e5 2. f3

White wants to castle as soon as possible. It is logical to consider
moving the bishop to do so. But where to?
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3. b5!

Of course, the Italian is also a respectable choice, but it is no
accident that the Spanish has always been regarded as White’s main
option. From b5 the bishop puts pressure on the knight on c6 which
defends the e5-pawn and controls the d4-square. In doing so, White
is trying to challenge Black’s ability to fight for the centre.
3...a6
The main move. Black urges us to take on c6 and give up our
powerful bishop, exploiting the fact that the e5-pawn isn’t hanging
just yet. With ...a7-a6 and a4 included, Black will always have
available the option of ...b7-b5.
We’ll also briefly cover some more rare lines like 3... d4, 3...f5,
3... ge7 and so on.
3...d6?! is the old-fashioned and passive "Steinitz Defence". White
can immediately get a better game with 4.d4!.
The most important of Black’s alternatives to 3...a6 is:
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3... f6!
The famous Berlin Defence; one of the best defences for Black
against 1.e4. This line already had a solid reputation, but it became
much more famous when Kramnik used it to neutralize Kasparov’s
1.e4 in their legendary World Championship match in London in
2000. If you happen to be playing a match like that soon, then you
would hardly have a better option than to study the Berlin
thoroughly. If you have to face it with White, then... ouch – it’s
tough to find a good suggestion. Nevertheless, I think our repertoire
choice can yield us good chances in a practical setting.
4.0-0
This is the well-tested main line.
4.d3!? is what many cool super-GMs play these days. A good (and
more complex ) alternative that you can later add to your repertoire.
4... xe4

5. e1!?
Many people associate this move with boring draws, but we won’t
be going for any of that.
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5.d4 d6 is the start of the infamous Berlin Endgame variation,
where engines keep coming up with more and more good ways for
Black to play. This doesn’t seem like a promising direction at this
point in time.
5... d6 6.a4!?
It’s taking on e5 and then retreating the bishop to f1 that has led to a
ton of draws in top level chess, even though those positions also can
be played for a win. For a more practical repertoire, I like this new
and trendy approach for White, which used to be part of some
"secret preparation" I did for the Danish National Team a few years
ago. As this line has been played a lot since then, there is no reason
to keep my secret files hidden!
4. a4!
As we said, White wasn’t really threatening to take the e5-pawn yet:
4. xc6 dxc6 5. xe5?! (5.0-0! is much better and was tried
extensively by top players especially in the past, notable examples
including Lasker and Fischer. Nonetheless, today it is considered to
be rather harmless.) 5... d4! Black will regain the pawn on e4 on
the next move and keep an advantage due to the pair of bishops.
4... f6
If Black immediately hits our bishop with 4...b5, then after 5. b3
our bishop is in a perfect place. It is active, safe, targeting f7 and
discouraging Black from ...d7-d5. Furthermore, the a6- and b5pawns can be hit with a2-a4, which manages to activate the a1-rook
without needing to move it and simultaneously chips away at the
black queenside. This is one of the core ideas of the Spanish. If
5... a5?!, then we can calmly reply with 6. c3! and after 6... xb3
7.axb3 White is far ahead in development, and Black may face
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problems in the centre and on the queenside. By the way, as almost
all opening variations do these days, this line has a name: the
Norwegian Defence. But Magnus Carlsen has nothing to do with it!
4...d6 is the so-called "Steinitz Deferred".
Black is hoping for 5.d4?!, when the inclusion of ...a7-a6 and b5a4 proves to be to Black’s advantage after: 5...b5 6. b3 xd4
7. xd4 exd4 8. xd4?? (Other moves like 8. d5 and 8.c3 are still
playable.) 8...c5 White cannot stop the trap of the b3-bishop by
...c5-c4. This is called the "Noah’s Ark trap", possibly because it is
as ancient. But please don’t worry; I’ve got you covered!
We’ll play a new and trendy idea with 5.c4!?, grabbing space,
stopping ...b7-b5, and preparing d2-d4.

5.0-0!
Some players that don’t want to deal with the Open Spanish and a
few other lines opt for 5.d3, which has its practical virtues but is less
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principled. White’s main plan in the Spanish is to grab the centre
with pawns on c3 and d4, so stopping with the d-pawn on d3 is a
small concession. Instead, we plan on protecting our e4-pawn with
the rook and moving our d-pawn immediately to d4.
5... e7!
Black’s main approach, developing the bishop on a safe square. At
this point, Black is actually threatening ...b7-b5 followed by
grabbing the pawn on e4.
The aforementioned "Open Spanish" is entered when Black opts for
5... xe4. We will reply with 6.d4!, hoping to open the e-file for our
rook and pin the knight that dared to take our valuable central pawn.
Please note that in the Berlin, the same idea doesn’t work so well, as
there the move ... d6 comes with gain of tempo on the bishop that
is still on b5.
Another important line is:
5...b5 6. b3 c5!
We have a very complex system, today often called the "Archangel"
although the original name is slightly different, as it comes from the
Russian city of Archangelsk.
Black shouldn’t play6... e7?! trying to transpose to the main line, as
now 7.d4! is strong.
If you don’t dare to play7.d4, you can always transpose to the main
line with 7. e1 and leave Black’s move order unpunished.
7.a4!
This is the strongest move, trying to exploit Black’s early queenside
expansion to activate our rook on a1.
7... b8!
Against7... b7, we play 8.d3!, which can be generalized to a
guideline: whenever in the Spanish we see a bishop on b7, we put a
17

pawn on d3 to safeguard the pawn on e4 and make the b7-bishop
look stupid.

This is the starting position of one of the most rich, tactical and
sound openings for Black. I propose a system which I find more
pleasant to play as White and quite safe at the same time:
8.axb5 axb5 9. xe5! xe5 10.d4
As we will see, White will get chances to put Black under pressure
while also not risking too much.
6. e1!
As mentioned above, after covering the e-file with the bishop, Black
threatens to take our e4-pawn, so we defend it with our rook. We are
now the ones threatening to take Black’s pawn on e5 after xc6, so
Black would be advised to play:
6...b5 7. b3 d6
This is the classical move order. Black protects the e5-pawn and
wants to go after our wonderful bishop with ... a5.
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Of course, we will also study:
7...0-0!

One of the toughest defences to crack in modern chess, the
"Marshall Attack". Black intends to sacrifice a pawn after8.c3 d5!,
entering huge complications that have been analysed exhaustively
for decades. The current status is pretty favourable for Black, as
they have managed to refute one by one every possible try for a
white advantage and prove equality everywhere. No wonder that
this is the favourite defence of many top GMs, including Carlsen
and Ding.
8.h3!
Today, this is White’s biggest bet for an advantage, together with
another, so-called
"Anti-Marshall" system,8.a4. Nevertheless, I personally tend to
favour the text move, which has the practical benefit that after
8...d6, we are happy to transpose to the classical main lines with
9.c3!. That’s why Black’s main try is:
8... b7
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And let me again remind you one of the modern Ruy Lopez
strategic guidelines:
9.d3!
A bishop on b7 is almost always a sign for White to change tack and
put the pawn on d3. This line does present some problems to Black,
which they try nowadays to solve by insisting on sacrificing a pawn:
9...d5!?
We’ll gladly accept the pawn, as in this version, Black’s counterplay
isn’t that scary, and we’ll try to develop naturally. According to the
engines, Black is almost equal, but even the top Marshall experts
sometimes fail to prove that over the board.

8.c3
We make room for our bishop to retreat to c2 if attacked by the
knight from a5, and we prepare to take over the centre with d2-d4.
8...0-0
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A typical inaccuracy is 8... g4?!. Yes, the knight is pinned, but if
you think about what Black’s threat is, you may not find one. The
only reason this move could seem attractive at first sight, is that
Black makes it hard for White to grab the centre with d2-d4.
However, after 9.h3 h5 10.d3! , White’s centre is secure, and after
the typical Spanish manoeuvre d2-f1-g3, the knight from g3 will
win another tempo on the bishop and push it to an unfortunate and
passive square on g6.
For example: 10...0-0 11. bd2 a5 12. c2 c5 13. f1 c6 14. g3
g6 The bishop is useless on g6, and White can exploit that in a few
different ways. It wouldn’t be crazy to just play on the queenside
with a2-a4, highlighting the bishop’s absence from that area of the
board, but it also makes a ton of sense to opt for 15. h4 followed
up by planting a knight on f5, or even simply grabbing the bishop on
g6, and obtaining a pleasant advantage due to the bishop pair. The
bishop on g6 might be useless, but it is a bishop nonetheless, and
White needs to somehow make progress.
9.h3!
Patience!
After 9.d4 g4! Black manages to put our centre under a lot of
pressure. That’s why we calmly defend against this with our hpawn.

This is a huge branching point, where Black can choose between
numerous playable continuations. The three main ones are:
9... a5
This is the classical way to play for Black and it is still the most
popular. Black wins a tempo on the b3-bishop and clears the way for
the c7-pawn to advance to c5 and fight for the centre.
9... b8!? is a sophisticated retreat, signalling the start of the Breyer
Variation. Black’s aim is to improve the placement of the c6-knight
which was dominated by a pawn on c3, and instead put it on d7,
simultaneously clearing the long diagonal for the bishop that’s about
to appear on b7 and the way for the c7-pawn to challenge the white
centre. I chose this defence as my main recommendation in my own
book Playing 1.e4 e5 . After 10.d4 bd7! Black is ready to
harmoniously rearrange the pieces to fight for the centre with ... b7,
... e8, ... f8 and so on. My recommendation for this repertoire is
11.c4!?, a move I think that I underestimated a lot when I was
writing my book in 2015. A large portion of the reasoning behind
22

choosing this line is that White can fight for an advantage without
having to know a lot of theory.
Another important line is 9... b7 10.d4 e8, called the Zaitsev
Variation. This was famously employed by Karpov against
Kasparov in their titanic battles for the World Championship in the
80s and 90s. Today, a little, innocent-looking move seems to be
giving Black some problems: 11.a3! White simply wants to play
a2 and follow it up with d4-d5 without fearing that Black is going
to hit this bishop with tempo.
10. c2 c5 11.d4
After careful preparation, White finally manages to grab the centre.

11... c7
The e5-pawn was under fire, and that’s the most natural way to
defend it for Black. This is the mainline of the Chigorin Variation,
which is technically entered with 9... a5.

11... d7 is another big variation, often referred as the Keres
Defence. We meet this with 12.d5!, which is our usual approach.
For many years, the way that I have recommended to my less
experienced students to play here as Black is 11...exd4!? 12.cxd4
cxd4, which is known as the Romanishin System. Black has easy
play with moves like ... b7, ... e8, ... c8, and then rerouting the e7bishop to g7. Peter Leko famously lost a game against Fritz 6 in this
position in 1999, a time when the top GMs could actually beat the
best engines! We’ll cover this position in detail (also, to help you if
you want to study this as Black!), but let me briefly show you
already here how White gets an advantage: 13. xd4 b7!

14.a4! Such sophistication is not expected from a White player if
they haven’t studied the position deeply, as our last move at first
looks a bit counterintuitive, inviting the black pawn to b4 from
where it stops the b1-knight’s access to c3. That’s why I liked
recommending this line for Black. However, we shall be excellently
prepared against it.

12.d5!
This is the modern method, which has completely overtaken the old
main line with 12. bd2, as engines helped us understand the
strength of the approach that involves closing the centre.
White wants to play b2-b3, restricting Black’s queenside
counterplay and methodically starting to build pressure on the other
side of the board. When the position becomes stabilized, or even
blocked on the queenside, White can focus completely on the
kingside attack and, as we will see, it is pretty scary for Black to
face. This might sound far-fetched at this point, but we’ll see
examples which followed the above scenario, and those examples
weren’t played by amateurs, but by top GMs! Do you feel excited?
Let’s get into the details!

Chapter 1
Steinitz Defence
The first Spanish we examine will be the Steinitz, in all its versions.
We will thus explore 3...d6, 4...d6 and 5...d6. The three lines share
some similarities, but they are also quite different. Let’s start with
the least challenging of the three:

The rusty 3...d6?!
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 d6?!

As I mentioned already, this is a passive approach.
4.d4!
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From a philosophical standpoint, this is a quintessential position that
justifies the placement of the bishop on b5. Our main goal in the
Ruy Lopez is to grab the centre by putting a pawn on d4, and
Black’s last move allowed us to do just that.
4... d7
This is in the spirit of the Steinitz Defence. It might be a bit passive,
but Black tries to hold on to the centre for as long as possible.
In practice, many players will go for 4...exd4 5. xd4 d7. To keep
things simple for our repertoire, I recommend playing 6. xc6! bxc6
7. c3 followed by 0-0 and d3, with similar play to the main line.
5. xc6!
This is not only the simplest way to play, but it is also the best!
5... xc6 6. c3

7. d3!

The originator of this idea was Jackson Showalter, one of the
leading US players of the 19th century, flourishing just after
Morphy’s time and just before Pillsbury. Showalter deserves a bit
more recognition than he currently gets, partly because he had a few
opening ideas that were well ahead of his time. On a side note, his
wife, Nellie, was one of the best US female players of that period,
famously winning a match against Emanuel Lasker. Lasker gave her
knight odds, but her victory was a great accomplishment
nonetheless.
Steinitz himself was beaten on multiple occasions by Showalter with
his invention of 5. xc6 and 7. d3, and this is today the top choice
of modern engines. The most famous game played in this line is
Nimzowitsch – Capablanca, St Petersburg 1914, which we will
follow for a few more moves.
7...exd4 8. xd4 g6
Capablanca’s invention. Kasparov awarded this move a "?!" in the
first volume of My Great Predecessors , but modern engines
confirm that it is best.
The alternative is 8... d7, but Black is already far behind in
development, and this loses yet more time. After 9. g5!? followed
by castling long, White had a lovely position and went on to win in
Showalter – Steinitz, London 1899.
9. xc6
Another good option is 9. g5!? followed by long castling, which
was later played by Alekhine (another great Ruy Lopez expert)
against Brinckmann in 1927.
9...bxc6

Nimzowitsch played 10. a6 d7 11. b7 c8 12. xa7 which was
logical. What could be wrong with in winning a pawn and getting a
passed pawn on the a-file? But this game proved that Black has
fantastic compensation, with all the pieces aiming at White’s
queenside. This game enriched our chess understanding, and later
Pal Benko invented his famous gambit, capitalizing on the same
middlegame themes that appeared in this game. The game soon
reached the position below:
Aaron Nimzowitsch - Jose Raul Capablanca
St Petersburg 1914

A perfect "Benko Gambit" position for Black!
But there is a much better way to play with White instead of going
pawn hunting with 10. a6:
10.e5!N
This fantastic pawn sacrifice is Stockfish’s contribution to this
classic line.
10...dxe5
10... g4 loses to 11. e4!, and 10... e7 seems smart, but it isn’t.
After 11. f4! followed by castling long, White gets a great lead in
development. For example: 11...dxe5 12.0-0-0, and Black cannot
take the bishop, as he1 comes.
11. c4

Black has to defend the c6-pawn.
Another move is 11... d7, but it is met in the same way as the text
move.
30

12. g5
Up next is d1, after which Black will likely have to move the
queen to e6, accepting a truly horrendous structure. A sample
variation would be:
12... e7 13. d1

It is admittedly sad to play like this, but anything else loses by force.
14. xe6 fxe6 15. xf6! xf6 16. e4
Followed by e2 and d3. Black’s extra pawn cannot provide any
sort of consolation for the ruined structure, and White’s position is
on the cusp of being technically winning.
Let’s now see two different versions of the Steinitz Deferred, which
is a far more respectable approach.

The old 4...d6
31

1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 a6

Black first includes this.
4. a4 d6
And only now puts the pawn on d6, protecting e5 and preparing
... d7.
4... f6 5.0-0 d6 is seen next.

5.c4!
A trendy continuation. We want to play d2-d4, without worrying
about ...b7-b5.
In the introduction we mentioned how 5.d4?! b5! is playing into
Black’s opening trap. Don’t fall for this!
However, there are interesting alternatives to the text move. For
example: 5. xc6+!? bxc6 6.d4 In a recent commentary during a
high-level event, GM Robert Hess said: "I have been playing these
positions since my childhood, and I can tell you one thing: they are
32

very unpleasant!" So, if you want a good alternative to our main
idea, this could be your choice.
5.0-0!? is another good approach for White, as 5... f6 transposes to
the 5... d6 segment.
Moreover, 5... d7 can be met by the smart 6.c4! when there is no
better move than 6... g4, essentially winning a full tempo for
White.
However, you need to be ready for 5... g4 6.h3 h5!, which can lead
to some crazy complications. Still, White objectively has at least a
slight edge in these complications, so I’ll leave this as an interesting
direction for you to investigate further should you wish to.
5... g4!
Black wants to keep control over d4.
Many Black players will fall for 5... f6?!, when 6.d4! yields White
a nice initiative.
5... d7 is a more logical approach, unpinning the c6-knight and
reintroducing ...b7-b5 as an idea in some lines. We should start with
6. c3, establishing further control over b5 and again threatening
d2-d4. A sample line is: 6... ge7 7.0-0 g6 8.d4 e7

This has been seen quite a few times in GM games. White can take
on e5 or keep the tension, but possibly the best of all would be to go
for a great version of the King’s Indian structure with: 9.d5! b8
10. e3! 0-0 11.b4 White will strike with c4-c5 soon, and Black’s
counterplay on the kingside doesn’t seem all that threatening. As is
common in these structures, a trade of light-squared bishops greatly
benefits White.
6.h3 xf3 7. xf3

White has the two bishops and good control of the centre. We can
develop and then later either fight for control of the d4-square or
expand on the queenside with moves like b1 and b2-b4.
7... f6
GM Papaioannou recommends 7...g6 in his Modern Chess Ruy
Lopez course. This is met concretely by 8. b3!N The queen moves
away from a potential attack by Black with ...f5 and wins a tempo
by attacking b7.
Defending b7 with the queen, for instance, with 8... b8, can be
answered with: 9.d3 g7 10. c3 ge7 11. d5 White will continue
with e3 and c4-c5. Note that for Black it is hard to create
counterplay with ...0-0 and ...f7-f5 due to the X-ray pressure created
by the queen along the a2-g8 diagonal. For example: 11...0-0
12. xc6 xc6 13. e3 h8 Trying to prepare counterplay with ...f7f5. 14.c5 d8 15. c1 Black is under pressure on the queenside and,
apart from castling kingside, White can think about advancing on
35

the kingside with h3-h4-h5, using the h1-rook on its starting square
to attack the black king. The white king anyway looks safe on e1.
8... c8 can be met in similar fashion.
Hence, it might be safest to defend the b7-pawn with the rook with
8... b8. But after 9. xc6+ bxc6 10. a4 e7 11. c3 g7 12.d3
White is again slightly for choice. Black is best advised to go for
12... c8, as otherwise White will start seriously considering taking
on a6. Anyway after 13.b4 White is better and will continue with 00 and b1, planning a timely b4-b5.
8.d3

d7!?

This manoeuvre has been seen a lot in practice. Black wants at some
point to go ... c5/f8 and ... e6, controlling d4. Let’s see how to
counter this idea.
9. e3!
This move anticipates the knight arriving on c5.
9... e7 10. g4!
36

An important move that is good to remember. It accomplishes many
things. The queen moves away from possible attacks with ... d4
and away from the influence of the black rook about to appear on f8.
Furthermore, it clears the way for the white f-pawn, so we can go
f2-f4. And it does these things while winning a tempo against g7. A
move that does so many things is usually best.
10...0-0
If 10...g6 11.0-0
11.0-0

f8 12.f4! White has a huge initiative.

After 11... b6 12. xc6 bxc6 13.c5!? White will use the semi-open
c-file to harass the black queenside.

If Black got to retreat the knight on e6 and prevent d3-d4, then we
would have nothing. But there is a somewhat obvious positional
transformation that guarantees our advantage:
12. xc5 dxc5 13. xc6 bxc6 14. e2
37

In Zeghachov – Jonckheere, corr. 2021, Black had a terrible
structure, and White could slowly improve the position with fd1,
g2-g3, g2, and then start thinking about how to pressure the black
weaknesses or make a pawn break to create more confrontation. If
we fail to make progress another way, then f2-f4 or even b2-b4 can
be used. For the moment Black’s pawns seem away from danger,
but they are a long-term liability, making Black’s position quite
miserable, especially in a practical setting.

The new 5...d6
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5! a6 4. a4!

f6 5.0-0 d6

This is a trendy line, advocated among others by Gawain Jones in
his Chessable course Lifetime Repertoires: Jones’ 1.e4 e5 .
6.c4!
38

We keep it simple and stay consistent. The fact that the e4-pawn is
hanging changes nothing, as Black is too far behind in development
to take that pawn.
6... g4
Jones’ suggestion.
6... xe4? 7.d4 lands Black in a pickle. One line suggested by the
engine is: 7... d7 8. e1 f6 9. g5 e7 10. c3 h6 11. h4 0-0
12. xc6 xc6 13.dxe5 dxe5 14. xe5 Not only is White better, as
Black’s best bet is to allow the doubling of pawns on c6, but White
also had numerous alternatives along the way here, while Black’s
moves were pretty much forced.
Once again 6... d7 7. c3 followed by d4 gives White a safe and
stable edge.
7.d3!
It’s most flexible to start with this move. Up next is h2-h3.
The immediate 7.h3 isn’t bad, but 7... xf3 8. xf3
response, intending ... d4.

d7 is a decent

7...g6
Trying to put the bishop on g7 and fight for control over the d4square.
A logical alternative is:
7... d7
Unpinning the c6-knight and intending ... d4.
8. e3!
This strong reply shows one of the advantages of the 7.d3 move
order. At this point, Black’s best move is not an easy one:

8...f5!N
It is extremely counterintuitive for humans to strike in the centre
with the king still on e8.
The more normal8... c5 is met by 9. xc5 dxc5, and now 10. b3!N
is most unpleasant for Black. (We can also get a good position with
the more "human" 10.h3 xf3 11. xc6+ bxc6 12. xf3 as played
in Kiolbasa – Daulyte-Cornette, Bydgoszcz 2023. Kiolbasa is a
promising Polish player who tends to be excellently prepared. Her
playing this line is a good sign for us.
9.exf5 e7
At this point, most normal moves will keep a small edge for White,
but the engines suggest we should play:
10.c5!
This is not essential, but it’s undeniably pretty. The main idea is to
make it harder for Black to castle. To illustrate:
10...0-0? 11. b3+ h8 12. xb7!
It’s not the pawn that White wants. Too many black pieces are
hanging.
40

8.h3 xf3 9. xf3

We’ve seen this idea a few times already in the Steinitz Deferred.
9... g7 "Black is fine" – Jones.
I disagree. After 10. xc6+ (10.b4!? is a good alternative) 10...bxc6
11.b4 White has easy play with a clear plan: c3, e3, a2-a4 and
b4-b5, with or without an inclusion of preparatory rook moves.
10. e3 g7
This was Ochsner – Mikkelsen, Denmark 2024. White’s best
continuation is:
11. d2N 0-0

12.c5!
With a lot of pressure on the queenside. One of the main ideas is:
12... xc5 13. xc6 bxc6 14. xc5 dxc5 15. c4
White has a dominant position despite the minimal material deficit.
41

Conclusion
The Steinitz is an old system after 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5, and the
name usually refers to the old-fashioned 3...d6, a passive approach
regularly employed by the first World Champion, who was a firm
believer in the soundness of a position that held solid structural
foundations. In the modern era, when everyone knows that dynamic
factors matter far more than anything static, this approach is
somewhat ill-advised. Against that "rusty" approach, Stockfish’s
suggestion of 10. e5!N yields White a large advantage.
However, as we saw, Steinitz’s early ...d7-d6 approach has been
adapted, and appears in two distinct modern flavours. After the
inclusion of 3...a6 4. a4, going for 4...d6 is not half as bad as it was
on the previous turn. There is also 4... f6 5.0-0 d6, as
recommended by Gawain Jones. Fortunately for us, both approaches
can be nicely met by an approach in the style of a Maroczy Bind,
where White plays c2-c4 and gets easy play. If White plays
accurately, the weakness of the d4-square never really becomes
relevant.

Chapter 2
Berlin Defence
The cunning 6.a4!?
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5

f6 4.0-0

xe4

4... c5 transposes to a position examined through a different move
order on page 101 after 5.c3.
5. e1

d6 6.a4!?

And here we are, in one of the most critical lines in our repertoire.
So, why is this move any good? What are we playing for? Our
pursuit of an advantage is based on a couple of points. The first one
is our lead in development. Thus, in a few lines, we won’t even take
43

back the pawn on e5, and instead focus on developing as quickly as
possible. However, probably the more important aspect of our
approach is different and somewhat more sophisticated. Our bishop
on b5 is irritating for Black, who is almost always tempted to kick it
away with ...a7-a6. When that happens, the bishop will retreat to f1,
and we will get one of the modern main lines of the Berlin, with the
addition of a2-a4 and ...a7-a6. As you might already expect from
this build-up, there are some variations inside that huge complex
where that inclusion favours White, and that’s where we’re going to
try and steer the game towards. In order to grasp what is happening,
we will briefly study some branches of the main line in which a2-a4
and ...a6 are omitted, so that we can appreciate the differences when
they are included.

Comparing 6. xe5
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5

f6 4.0-0

xe4 5. e1

d6 6. xe5

This is by far the most common.
6... e7 7. f1
Some might find this slightly surprising, but this is the best place for
the bishop, as anywhere else it would either be vulnerable or
obstructing the rest of the pieces.
7... xe5
Another line goes 7... f5 8. f3! followed by d2-d4. Black is left
with a somewhat awkward pair of knights, especially the one on f5.
8. xe5 0-0 9.d4
The most popular.
9. c3!? is the other main line, planning to play d5, capture one of
the black bishops and enjoy a minuscule edge due to the bishop pair,
which is better than nothing.
9... f6
Another idea is 9... e8, when White can gain a bit of extra space
with 10.d5. The current thinking on this position is that White has a
small edge.
10. e1 e8
After 10... f5 White can again seize space with 11.d5!? and stop
...d7-d5, even though keeping the pawn on d4 also makes some
sense, as it restricts the black minor pieces. In any case, after the
text move the engines claim a small edge for White. For example, a
nice game went: 11...d6 12. d2 g5

13.a4! a5 Black felt compelled to stop a4-a5. I think you already
understand what I’m getting at, but I’ll say it anyway: in our version
the pawn goes to a4 on move 6, and Black needs to play ...a7-a6 for
the bishop to retreat to f1. So, in a similar situation Black would be
worse off having spent a tempo on ...a6. Even in the present case,
after 14. b5! White had a small advantage in Carlsen – Gukesh,
Internet (blitz) 2022. On b5 the bishop is really annoying, as it
clamps down on the black queenside and controls the e8-square,
which Black needs in order to access the e-file. In that regard, Black
should feel obliged to trade off that bishop. Apart from possibly
running into concrete problems while trying to make that trade
happen with ... d7, Black is slightly weak on the light squares, and
the trade of light-squared bishops would extenuate that problem.
Carlsen eventually won a nice game against the Indian star.

11. f4!
This is currently considered to be White’s most dangerous line.
You may ask, why don’t we again go 11.d5, grabbing some space?
In this particular position, Black is doing well after 11... xe1
12. xe1 b6.
11... xe1 12. xe1 e8
Allowing the capture on d6 leaves Black with an ugly structure.
13. c3!
White continues trying to play in the most pressing manner and
wants to jump with the knight to d5.
13... xd4!
This brave move is the only one that can give Black full equality.
14. d5 d6

15. g5!
White builds up a nice initiative, but Black can still hold with
accurate play.
15...f6! 16. e3
We are following a very trendy line. One of the most recent games
continued:
16... e5! 17.f4
Also possible is 17. c4.
17... xb2 18. b1 a3 19. a5 e6 20. c4 c6 21. xd8 xd8
22. xf6+ f7 23. xe6+ xf6 24. g8 c5 25. xc5 dxc5 26. xh7
d6 27.g4 g6
In A. Muzychuk – Goryachkina, Toronto 2024, Black had avoided
the dozens of pitfalls in her path and even emerged with slightly
better chances in the endgame. If that’s your cup of tea, you could
study this line and hope that Black will not remember the details.
48

However, the exact same position with the moves a2-a4 and ...a7-a6
inserted is totally lost for Black. Why? Let me show you:

Including a2-a4 & ...a7-a6 Illustrative Example

This is the position after 13. c3 in the game above, but with pawns
on a4 and a6 instead of a2 and a7. Let’s check the same line:
1... xd4 2. d5 d6 3. g5 f6 4. e3! e5? 5.f4 xb2 6. a2!+– Oops!
The a3-square isn’t available for the bishop, and Black loses. Of
course, that is a bit too hopeful, but I think we’ve already seen
enough illustrative examples to catch the drift. Let’s move on to an
actual practical one:

The hasty 6...a6?!
Hans Niemann - Levon Aronian
St Louis 2022

1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5

f6 4.0-0
49

xe4 5. e1

d6 6.a4 a6?!

This is suboptimal for Black, as it gives us an excellent chance to
perfectly illustrate the point behind our system:
7. xe5 e7 8. f1

xe5 9. xe5 0-0 10.d4

What do we have? It’s like the main line which we examined before,
but with the pawns on a4 and a6 instead of a2 and a7. We’ve already
laid out the main plans.
10... e8!?
Aronian knows not to go for the main line when the pawn moves are
inserted. Instead he goes for something more solid, but also more
passive.
As we saw earlier, 10... f6 is met by 11. e1 and now:
a) 11... e8?! would backfire for Black after 12. f4! as in
Garifullina – Goltsev, Novokuznetsk 2023.
b) 11... f5 is a better try, but this allows a small advantage for
White with 12.d5 and play similar to the Carlsen – Gukesh game
50

mentioned previously, or 12.c3 d5 13.a5!, which is similar to
Niemann’s play in this game.
11. c3!
As is common in these structures, White plays for

d5.

11.d5!? is also a good move.
11... f6 12. e1 d5

13.a5!
Mission accomplished for the hero of our position, the pawn on a4.
White has a long-term positional advantage.
13...c6 14. f4 g5
Aronian offers a trade of bishops before

d2 prevents it.

15. e5!?
Stockfish says that White can do even better with 15. xg5N xg5
16. e5 followed by some combination of d2, d3, a4, b2-b4
51

and ae1. It’s clear that there is a large disparity in activity between
the two sides.
15... f6 16. d2 xe5 17. xe5

18.f3!
A typical move, dominating the knight on f6 and, in some scenarios,
getting ready for f2 and/or g2-g4.
18... e6 19. a4!
White has played excellently and achieved exactly what we want in
this line. Aronian put up incredibly tenacious defence and managed
to hold a draw, but I hope not all our opponents will possess
Aronian’s defensive skills.
...½–½

The greedy 6...f6?!
Deimante Daulyte-Cornette - Irina Utiatskaja
52

Prague 2022

I found the following game a pure joy to play through.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.0-0 xe4 5. e1 d6 6.a4 f6?
Since attacking the irritating bishop with 6...a6 isn’t great, one
might wonder: what about trying to keep the pawn?

7.d4!
Of course, we open the centre.
7...e4?
This only makes matters worse.
7... f7! is Black’s best try, but after 8.dxe5N fxe5 9. c4! d6
10. c3! we’ll continue with d5 and a3, and Black will have a
tough time defending against an attack in which all our pieces are
participating.
8. f4!
53

Beautiful! White simply develops.
8...f5 9.d5!?

This makes it easy.
9... e7! is best, but White can keep a big advantage in multiple
ways. The engine’s favourite is instructive: 10. fd2 b4 11. xd6
xd6 12. xe4! With such a big lead in development, the attack is
bound to succeed.

10. xd6! cxd6 11. d4 g6 12. e6!

a5 13. a3

And Black, a 2150-rated player, had to resign, as

c4 comes next.

1-0

Attacking after 6... e7!
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5

f6 4.0-0

xe4 5. e1

d6 6.a4!?

OK, so as 6...a6?! and 6...f6? land Black in some trouble, as the
previous two games showed, then what?
54

Think about this: White is massively ahead in development! White
has three pieces out: the bishop, the knight and the rook. We have
castled, and even our a2-a4 move may allow our a1-rook to get into
the game. What does Black have? Two knights out, one of them in
an awkward position, blocking the d7-pawn. Black would be happy
to trade that awkward knight for White’s light-squared bishop, but
taking on b5 isn’t an option, as that would kick away the knight
from c6, open the a1-rook, drop the e5-pawn and leave White too
far ahead in development. Moreover, Black is two moves away from
castling. The only redeeming factor is the extra pawn on e5, but it
will soon fall, unless Black plays the super-ugly ...f7-f6, which we
already saw isn’t good on move 6. In situations like this, classical
wisdom dictates that White has excellent chances to develop a
strong initiative. Let us see how the narrative explained above
guides both sides to their best available options.
6... e7!
55

The principles regarding defence are a mirrored version of those
regarding attack. When you are defending, try to develop and castle.
Black needs to catch up in development, and this is the only way to
do so.
7. c3!
An important move. White plays for an attack, refraining from
taking back the pawn on e5 which is doomed anyway. Up next is
d5 and d2-d4, aiming to open the e-file.
7...0-0
This is logical and sound, but is not the safest.
7...f6? is again met by 8.d4!.
The safest option I was talking about is 7...a6! 8. f1 and now
8...e4!, returning the pawn. We will analyse this a bit later.
Black also has a quirky alternative: 7... xb5 8.axb5 b4

This is playing with fire, but it is not as stupid as it looks – the
knight on b4 is indeed in danger, but the engine shows it’s not easy
to trap it. Best play continues: 9.d4 d6! 10. a4! a5! 11.bxa6 xa6
12.dxe5 dxe5 This was Kevlishvili – L. van Foreest, St Louis 2024.
White is the one attacking, so it was best to keep queens on the
board with 13. e2!N, when White has the easier game. Allow me to
mention two possible tricks: 13...0-0 The only move. (13...f6?
14. xe5! fxe5 15. h5+ is catastrophic for Black.) 14. xe5 e6
Everything looks nice and solid for Black, right? 15. xf7! White
wins a pawn.

8.d4!
As always in this line, we don’t rush to take on e5 and instead go for
active play in the centre. The immediate threat is dxe5.
8... xd4

If Black is to take this pawn on d4, exchanging a pair of knights
seems logical.
Taking with the pawn instead gives White a terrific initiative:
8...exd4 9. d5! e8 10. f4!
Stockfish being Stockfish claims that this is only about +0.20.
That’s OK; your opponents aren’t as good as Stockfish.

10... f8?
This seems like a logical approach, but in reality it is the decisive
mistake.
Here’s an example of a perfect game by Black:10...b6! 11. xd4
xd4 12. xd4 f8 13. xe8 xe8 14. e4 b7 15. d3 g6 16. xe8
xd5 17. xd8 xd8 18. xc7 c8 19. e5 Both players had played
the best moves in Huang Renjie – Bai Jinshi, Fuling 2024. This is
0.00 for engines, but for humans White is no doubt better due to the
healthier structure. The rook on a1 will soon get activated with a4a5.
11. xe8 xe8 12. g5!
58

Black is under tremendous pressure on the c7-, f7- and h7-squares.
12...g6
Predictably,12...h6 is routed by 13. xf7!. The queen comes to f3
and the bishop to c4, and Black is unable to survive the onslaught.
13. f3!
Black had no satisfactory defence against xf7, which is exactly
what happened on the next move in Osmanodja – Vrolijk, Internet
(rapid) 2019.
Not taking on d4 altogether with 8...e4 is the safer choice. We’ll
examine this concept next.
9. xd4 exd4 10. d5

I find it a bit surprising, but some GMs have actually chosen to
defend this position as Black, and it is true that with good
preparation and memorization Black can survive. Nevertheless,
White’s position is extremely easy to play: g4, d3 and even a3
are on the cards.
59

10... e8?!
This looks normal and was David Howell’s choice, but it’s already
not great.
10... h4! is the engine recommendation, threatening ...c7-c6. White
can walk away from the threat with 11. d3!, forcing Black to find
yet another counterintuitive and only move: 11...b6! Preparing
... b7 and keeping the knight on d6 protected. But to a human, this
looks terribly slow. (Much more normal-looking is 11...c6?, but it
runs into the cute 12. c7!, immediately exploiting the loosened
Black pieces. Taking on c7 runs into h5, and 12... b8 13. f4! was
already lost for Black in F. Svane – Doluhanova, Internet (blitz)
2020.) 12. g4 f5 13. xd4 b7 14. f4 This was Sherwood –
Deskin, corr. 2022. Black’s position is ugly and difficult to handle,
although objectively close to equal, if you are capable of playing
like Stockfish.
11. g4!
White is starting to mount a serious attack. More pieces will soon
come in with moves like h6, d3 and, in some cases, even a3.
11...f5?
The engine claims that this is the decisive mistake – and it is indeed
ugly – but there’s no fully satisfactory defence for Black anyway.
11...c6 is the only move, but after 12. h6 Black is in heaps of
trouble.
12. xd4 f6 13. xf6+ xf6 14. c4+ h8 15. xe8+ xe8
We’ve been following Grandelius – Howell, London 2022. The best
continuation is:
60

16. e3!N
An incredible move, keeping White’s advantage at "objectively
decisive" levels. It turns out that White’s initiative can carry over to
the endgame.
16... xd4 17. xd4
Black does not have a satisfactory defence against e1 followed by
e7.

Giving back the pawn – 7...0-0 & 8...e4!
Let’s briefly return to move 8:
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5
7. c3 0-0 8.d4!

f6 4.0-0

xe4 5. e1

d6 6.a4!? e7!

We have seen that taking on d4 with either the pawn or the knight
lands Black in some trouble, at least in a practical sense. We’ve
already mentioned that the safest approach is to just abandon this
pawn with:
8...e4! 9. xe4

xe4 10. xe4 d5

Returning the pawn was at least partly successful, as it enabled
Black to establish a pawn on d5 and fight for a fair share in the
centre. However, White keeps a slight edge after:
11. e3!
As seen in Yoo – Erigaisi, Internet (rapid) 2022. One of White’s
main ideas is to play xc6 followed by b2-b3 and a3, with a clear
positional advantage. With this in mind, we are ready to understand
why the following approach is Black’s best.

Giving back the pawn 7...a6! & 8...e4!
62

1.e4 e5 2. f3
7. c3 a6!

c6 3. b5

f6 4.0-0

xe4 5. e1

d6 6.a4!? e7!

This is the exact moment when it is beneficial for Black to oust the
bishop from b5.
8. f1

8...e4!
The pawn is returned before White has time to play d2-d4.
We should also briefly examine: 8...f6 This might be the best among
all the versions of Black trying to hang on to the e5-pawn with ...f7f6. Still, White has easy play, starting with two relatively obvious
moves: 9.d4 f7 10. d5 d6 Now we have a choice:
a) 11. c4 is the most natural approach, aiming for a direct attack on
the kingside. 11...0-0 Now an idea worth remembering is:

12. a3! Bringing the worst-placed piece into the attack. This looks
terrifying for Black, with h4 and h5 up next. Another idea is to
retreat the bishop to a2 and play ae3 to increase the pressure
against Black’s centre. 12... h8! Black played this good defensive
move in Wei Yi – Wen Yang, China 2022. A subtle improvement is:
13.h3!N It might seem like this is played to stop ... g4, but there is
a more important point hidden underneath. We want to go h4; but
if we did so immediately, Black could go ...g7-g5 and then meet
f3 with ...g5-g4, gaining valuable space and time. After the text
move, the position is objectively balanced but easier to handle with
White.
b) Playing more positionally with 11.b4!? 0-0 12.c4 is an intriguing
alternative:

It is not easy for Black to come up with a plan. The pawn on b4 is
generally useful for grabbing space, and also prevents Black from
going ...f6-f5, since then b4-b5 would oust the c6–knight and win
the e5-pawn. After 12... e6 13. d2 d7 14. d3 g6 15. c2 the
pressure was mounting in Rogule – Szczepanski, corr. 2021.
9. xe4

xe4 10. xe4 d5! 11. e1

11...d4!?
This is Black’s most solid choice, and it is not a coincidence that
Sam Shankland recommended this in his course Lifetime
Repertoires: The Berlin Defence . This is the point behind Black’s
exact timing of ...a7-a6 and ...e5-e4: instead of castling and allowing
White d2-d4, Black uses the opportunity to occupy the d4-square
with a pawn.
To illustrate, 11...0-0?! allows 12.d4!, after which the inclusion of
a2-a4 and ...a7-a6, combined with the misplaced knight on c6, gives
White a small plus. The dream for White would be to get in a4-a5 as
well, with play similar to Niemann – Aronian. Another idea would
be to go h2-h3 and d3 and leave the c8-bishop without a home.
Hence, a normal move for Black would be 12... g4, trying to use
the bishop before it becomes useless. Anyway, after 13.c3 d6
14.h3 h5 15.g4! g6 16. e5 White starts developing an annoying
initiative.
66

11... g4!? is a decent alternative way of stopping d2-d4, and we
shall examine it next.
12. d3!
Highlighting the disadvantage of pushing the pawn to d4: our bishop
heads for the strong e4-square.
12... e6!
Black gets ready to challenge our bishop with ... d5.
White has the more pleasant game after something like: 12...0-0
13. e4 e8 14.d3

Look at our beautiful bishop! It attacks both sides of the board and it
will be a constant source of annoyance for Black. 14...h6 Stopping
the g5 tricks that were in the air. So far, this position has arisen
only in engine games in my database. I propose a new idea:
15. f4!N Planning to go d2 and xh6 if allowed. If Black defends
against that, we can double on the e-file with e2 and ae1, or play
67

c2-c3 to get rid of the d4-pawn and enjoy an open position with the
more active pieces.

13. e4
If you are brave enough, you can play Nihal Sarin’s idea of
13. xe6!? fxe6 14. e4 where he has scored 1½/2 against strong
opposition.
13... d5 14.d3 0-0 15. f4 xe4
The engine move is 15... b4, and that’s why we have seen a lot of
GM games here lately. I don’t think that this is best for Black
though, especially in practical terms.

16. d2! A simple solution. (The funkier 16. xh7+!? xh7
17. g5+ g6 18. g4 was seen in Grandelius – Gukesh, Malmo
2023. Despite Stockfish’s evaluation of 0.00, I think most players
would be terribly scared of having to defend this with Black.)
16... xd2 17. xd2 White had a small but clear advantage in
Pavlidis – D. Horvath, Neuwied 2023. White’s game is simple: we
will play f4, double rooks on the e-file, and then expand on the
kingside with h2-h4-h5. Black is clearly under some pressure.
16. xe4

d7!N

This is solid and good.
16...f5 was nicely met by 17. e2! in Fedorov – Papayan, St
Petersburg 2023. The push of the f-pawn only really serves to
weaken the black kingside, the a2-g8 diagonal, and the e6- and e5squares. White will soon double rooks on the e-file, after either
putting the queen on d2 or transferring her to the a2-g8 diagonal via
b1. Another possible idea is c2-c3 followed by b3+.

17. e5!
In my old analysis, I had noted the idea of 17. b1!?, intending to
put the queen on a2. The text move is slightly stronger though.
17... xe5 18. xe5
Black needs to make a decision regarding the defence of the d4pawn. Neither 18...c5 nor 18... c5 is pleasant: the former weakens
some squares and fixes another pawn on a dark square, while the
latter binds the bishop to a passive defence of the d4-pawn. White
has many ways to continue in both cases, a natural one being to put
the queen on f3 and start threatening a few tricks on the kingside
like xg7. All in all, Black can claim a solid position, but it isn’t
pleasant to defend.

The latest trend – 11... g4!?
Let’s check one more final try for Black before moving on.
Anish Giri - Wesley So
70

Zagreb (rapid) 2024

1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6 4.0-0 xe4 5. e1 d6 6.a4 e7
7. c3 a6 8. f1 e4 9. xe4 xe4 10. xe4 d5 11. e1 g4!?

This is Wesley So’s preferred method of defence. He first employed
it in an important setting, against Harikrishna in the Berlin Grand
Prix in 2022. Black fights against d2-d4, but starts by pinning the
knight instead of pushing the d-pawn.
12.h3 h5
Always a good inclusion for White.
13.c3!
Trying to go d2-d4.

13...d4!
Only now. So pushes the pawn to d4, claiming that the inclusion of
the past few moves is beneficial for Black. Truth be told, the tension
between the c3- and d4-pawns does benefit Black, and White won’t
be able to get the lovely bishop on e4 we saw previously. On the
other hand, White can claim that the bishop on h5 committed itself
to a direction too early, and can try to hunt down and capture that
bishop.
13...0-0?! 14.d4 transposes to the note regarding 11...0-0?! on page
37.
14.d3
This needs to be included sooner or later to stop Black from pushing
the pawn to d3.
After the naive 14. d3? 0-0 15. e4 Black has 15... f6! and White
is struggling to develop since d2-d3 would drop the pawn on c3.
72

14...0-0

15. d2!?
This is a good move by Giri, who knew this position well as will
soon become clear. That being said, I think that there are other
directions to be investigated as well.
For example, 15. e2 threatens xd4, so 15... g6 is best. After
winning the fight for the d1-h5 diagonal it makes sense for White to
fight for the h2-b8 diagonal with 16. f4 and then:
a) The normal 16... e8 17. f1 d7 18. b3 was seen in Andersen
– Howell, Budapest (ol) 2024. Mads was following our preparation
and got a nice edge.
b) Another logical way for Black to play would be 16... f6N, when
17. b3 is possibly even more logical, as it defends the pawn on c3.
After 17... b8 Stockfish proposes 18. ac1! which makes a lot of
sense, getting ready to open the c-file with cxd4. Then a normal
continuation would be 18... e8 19. f1, with the threat to take on e8
and then on c7. After 19... xe1 20. xe1 White seems to have the
73

more promising position for practical purposes, despite the engine’s
claim for full equality. For example, c4 would be annoying to face
on the next move.
15... xf3
This is a welcome sight on our part, as we’re given free reign on the
light squares. But Black doesn’t have anything better.
A recent high-level game saw 15... f6?!, which isn’t great. White
played 16.c4, threatening b2-b4, so Black replied naturally with
16...a5.

And now White highlighted in excellent fashion the downsides of
the black setup: 17.g4! g6 18. b3! With the light-squared bishop
stranded on g6, the light squares on the queenside prove to be fertile
ground for White to develop an initiative. 18... b8 19. b5! White
was already winning material in Narva – Injac, Xi’an (rapid) 2024.
15... c5 is a better choice, but after 16.g4 g6 17. g2 White
retains some pressure.
74

Again, ideas like c1 and b3 are what we are looking for. Black
can opt for a forcing solution with 17...dxc3 18. xc3 xd3, but the
resulting endgame remains somewhat unpleasant for Black after:
19. xd3 xd3 20. e5! xe5 21. xe5 d6 22. e3 c4 23. xb7
Soon, White will play a4-a5, and the a6-pawn will be a permanent
weakness in Black’s camp. It might not look like much, but that’s a
dangerous weakness to have; if the pawn is lost, it’s essentially
game over.
16. xf3 g5 17. ad1
A nice idea by Giri. White invites Black to take on d2 and help with
the doubling of rooks on the e-file.
Another area which White could investigate further is 17. xg5!?N
xg5 18. d1!?, planning b3 and possibly c4.

17... xd2
Against 17...g6 White can continue in similar fashion to the game
with 18.g4 and g2 next. If Black doesn’t take on d2, White can
consider playing f4 and taking back with the queen, controlling
some dark squares and annoying the c7-pawn.
18. xd2

Naturally, Black aims for a bit of play on the dark squares.
The alternative is to keep contact with the e8-square and try to
challenge White for the e-file with 18... d7, but it lands Black in a
bit of trouble: 19. de2 ae8 20. xe8 xe8 21. xe8+ (21. d5!? is a
cool alternative.) 21... xe8 22.cxd4 The engine claims this is
holdable, but White is up a pawn, and Black has no clear draw in
sight. A small mistake could mean a disaster.
19. de2 ad8 20.c4!?

This is the fighting option, keeping pawns on the board and thus
retaining the underlying tension. Black was threatening to take on
d3 and c3, which would give the position a more forcing character.
20... b4
This was So’s logical idea, but Giri sacrifices a pawn on the
queenside to develop an initiative on the other side:
21.h4!?
Also interesting was 21.g4

xa4 22. g3 .

21... xa4

22.g4!
A lovely concept! Whatever White attempts to do on the kingside
looks extremely slow, but it is dangerous nonetheless. In the
meantime, Black’s extra pawn on the queenside is the one on a6,
which is far from proving its worth in any capacity. The extra
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pawn’s presence being inconsequential is always a good sign for a
pawn sacrifice.
22... b4 23. g2

d6 24.g5 d7?!

The rook turns out to be vulnerable on d7, but it wasn’t easy to
come up with something constructive for Black.
25.h5 h6
This weakens the light squares, but allowing h5-h6 would also be
bad.

26. f5!
The obvious threat is e4, playing for h7#, but White is also
threatening c4-c5 due to the loose rook on d7.
26... e7 27.gxh6
The engine suggests 27. e4! g6 28. g4 as even better.
27... xe2 28.h7+

h8 29. xe2
78

White had a small but pleasant edge due to the more active pieces
and safer king, an advantage that soon increased. After more ups
and downs, the game eventually ended in a draw. As far as the
opening goes, I think it would only be fair to judge it as a huge
success for White, especially considering the task in hand which is
to poke a hole in the huge solid rock that is the Berlin.
...½–½

Conclusion
Against the Berlin Defence after 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f6, I’ve
shared a line that I proudly discovered in my home laboratory a few
years ago. Since then, as everyone these days uses the same tools
and shares the same desperation to find anything remotely
interesting against the Berlin, others have discovered the same
approach – namely 4.0-0 xe4 5. e1 d6 6.a4!?. Compared to the
main line of 6. xe5, our choice is fresher, less explored, and tricky
to meet. If Black kicks the bishop with ...a6, we’ll get an improved
version of the normal lines. In most other variations, we go for the
throat: we stay a pawn down, not rushing to regain the pawn on e5,
and in many cases we can develop a strong attack. Black’s best bet
is to know the exact moment when the extra pawn should be
returned, and opt for 6... e7, 7...a6 and 8...e4!. Nevertheless, as the
Giri – So game illustrates, we might develop a strong attack even if
Black defends perfectly.

Chapter 3
Archangel System
The related 5... c5
It is time to examine the Archangel, or more correctly, the
Arkhangelsk, as this system got its name from the Russian city.
Naming chess opening lines isn’t an exact science though, and
people didn’t stop at commonly referring to this opening as simply
"the Archangel". They’ve also muddied the waters regarding which
position we’re actually referring to, calling "Archangels" pretty
much anything that involves putting the black bishop on c5.
Abstractly speaking, c5 is a more active square for the bishop than
e7, but also a more exposed one. On c5 the bishop is vulnerable to
attack and will often have to move again when White breaks in the
centre with d2(d3)-d4. When on c5 the bishop is also unable to offer
its services to the defence of the kingside, making an attack with
g5 a greater possibility, and thus often forcing Black to go ...h7h6.
Let’s stop debating and start exploring:
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4

f6 5.0-0

The main line (and what Wikipedia classifies as the Arkhangelsk
Defence) starts with 5...b5 and only then developing the bishop to
c5. However, Black can also put the bishop on c5 immediately:
5... c5
80

This is technically called the Moller Defence, but it makes sense to
examine this together with the Arkhangelsk, as they’re closely
related. Black’s setup holds some merit, and this line has been tried
by many top players, including Magnus Carlsen. The main point for
Black is that by refraining from the immediate ...b7-b5, White is
deprived of some quick a2-a4 possibilities. However, there is one
serious theoretical downside to this move order that we’re going to
try to exploit:
6.c3! b5
Some Black players have also tried 6...0-0 7.d4 a7!. but despite
this being playable, it depends on Black holding an unpleasant
endgame:

8.dxe5!? (8. g5 is the more ambitious approach.) 8... xe4 9. d5
c5 10. c2 e7 11. d1 d5 12.exd6 xd6 13. xd6 cxd6 14. e1
We just bring out our pieces, and next comes a3. Engine-wise,
Black is OK; just slightly worse. But Black has a weakness which
will be there for ever, while White has a weakness-free and easy
position to play.
7. c2!
In lines where the black bishop is on c5, c2 is simply a better square
for the bishop than b3, and this is an option given to us by Black
going for ...b5 on move 6 instead of on move 5. Black needs to
show a concrete justification for the move order chosen, and that’s
why the main line is:
7...d5!
But we’ll see how to handle this in a simple way.
As we hinted above, it is too late for Black to go back to the typical
Archangelsk setups with 7...d6?! 8.d4 b6, as they are pretty much
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a move down compared to the main lines where the bishop retreats
to c2 in two tempos. For example: 9.a4! b8 (Alternatively, 9... b7
10.d5 e7 11. g5 left White with a large initiative in Castellanos
Hernandez – Gongora-Montes, corr. 2022.)

Defending the b5-pawn with the rook on b8 is a common motif in
the 5... b5 and 6... c5 version. 10.axb5!N axb5 11. a3!? 0-0
12. xb5 g4 This is a position commonly reached through the 5...
b5 and 6... c5 lines and was at some point considered the absolute
main line of the whole system. But in those lines it is Black to play
here. Understandably, with White to play, it’s a disaster for Black.
For example: 13.d5! e7 14. a3! Followed by c4, with a huge
advantage.

8.d4!
It makes sense to strike in the centre when ahead in development.
The following line is forced:
8...dxe4
8...exd4?! is met by 9.e5! e4 10.cxd4 b6 11. c3 with a large
advantage for White, as occurred as far back as Berger –
Glantschnigg, corr. 1870, as well as some rather more recent games.
9.dxe5!?
Our move, going for something simple.
The best-scoring move here is the super-cool 9. bd2!, but chaos
may arise soon. Feel free to check this out on your own!
Let’s check an important theoretical game from the early days of the
development of this line:
Peter Svidler - Antoaneta Stefanova
Gibraltar 2009

9...exf3? 10.exf6

xf6 11. d2! 0-0 12. e4!

White’s plan is to eliminate the strong bishop on c5 and later play to
exploit Black’s weaknesses on the queenside. Svidler brings home
the full point with incredible precision:
12... g6 13. g3

13... g4?!N is met by the nice double attack 14. d5 which forces
14... c4 15. xf3 . Black’s pieces are awkward and loose.

14. d3! g6?
Black’s only hope was 14... g6! 15. xf3 g4!, but White could
anyway keep a large advantage with 16. d5!.
15. e4!

f5 16. xc5 fxg2 17. e1!

Of course, development is more important than taking the pawn on
g2.
17... xc5

18. f3

g7 19. e3

Black struggles to defend the c6-knight.
19... c4 20. b3

e5 21. g3

Black simply loses material and resigned after trying a final cheapo.
21... h4 22. xe5+
Not 22. xh4??

f3+.

1-0

Moller Defence with 9... xd1!
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
d5! 8.d4! dxe4 9.dxe5!?

f6 5.0-0 c5 6.c3! b5 7. c2!

After the game we just saw, Black players realized that they need to
enter the following line:
9... xd1! 10. xd1 exf3 11.exf6 gxf6
87

Already you can see that Black’s position isn’t positionally healthy,
with these tripled pawns on the f-file.
12. e4!
Posing Black a few concrete problems as well.
12... d7 13. d2!
An important move to remember.
After the natural but hasty 13. xf3, Black has an easy answer in
13...0-0-0 followed by ... e5, with an annoying initiative due to the
undeveloped white queenside.
13...fxg2!
In contrast to the note above, after 13...0-0-0?! 14. xf3 the white
pieces are harmoniously placed and there is no ... e5 to harass the
bishop. In Bychek – Lanin, email 2018, Black’s position was full of
weaknesses.
88

Black is technically two pawns up for the moment, but we needn’t
be afraid of that useless clump. At any point we can capture the
pawn on g2, leaving Black with a rather unimpressive extra pawn on
f6. Instead of bothering to regain pawns that will remain for a long
time well within our reach, we should try to play actively:

14. b3! b6
14... d6? would allow 15. a5.
15. d4 xd4 16.cxd4 0-0-0 17. f4

Next comes the rook to c1 and, as I promised, White has easy play.
Moreover, from f4 the bishop can retreat to g3 and parry any threats
faced down the g-file.
17... he8
17... hg8 can be met by 18. g3 followed by ac1. White had the
easier game in Lavrencic – Ohanyan, Rhodes 2024.
Apart from White’s initiative on the queenside, the pawn on h7 is
now hanging.
18. xg2
Since the bishop was forced to move anyway, it make sense to
remove the pawn from g2.
18... e7!
A logical approach, trying to get the knight out of harm’s way on
the c-file.
90

18... e2? allows 19. ac1! b7 20. c5! with the simple idea of
bringing the other rook to c1. Black is practically busted already.
18... g8?! is again easily met by 19. g3 followed by ac1. The
bishop is stable on g3, so it is unclear what the rook is trying to do
on g8.

We have been following Nakamura – Caruana, St Louis (rapid)
2021; a game wonderfully won by White. At this point though, as
the last move released the pressure from the d4-pawn, White can
play:
19. dc1!N c6 20.a4!
The black king comes under serious fire, as every white piece is
participating in the attack.

Old Archangel – 6... b7 & 7... e7
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
91

f6 5.0-0 b5

So, we move on to this. Black strikes out at our bishop when it still
has only the b3-square available. By doing so, Black removes the
threat of xc6, gains space on the queenside, and facilitates a better
version of 5... c5, one where the white bishop was forced to go to
b3 instead of c2. But there’s one more idea introduced by Black’s
last move.
6. b3 b7

This is, technically speaking, the Arkhangelsk Defence – the
modern main line with 6... c5 is the "Modern Arkhangelsk
Defence".
7.d3!
We know this rule already from our coverage of the Steinitz; a
bishop on b7 means a pawn on d3. This move killed the enthusiasm
of Black players for this line: White restricts the bishop on b7, as

now the e4-pawn is well defended. Moreover, the b5-pawn is more
vulnerable to a2-a4, as there is neither ... d7 nor ... b8 to protect it.
7. c3!? is a sharper alternative. White wants to immediately jump
with the knight to d5, not fearing Black’s threat to the e4-pawn
which would be too risky to grab considering the current state of
both sides’ development.
The usually typical 7.a4?! comes without a threat and thus allows
7... xe4.
7... e7
This has gone out of fashion, mostly due to the following idea:
8.c4! 0-0
8...b4?! was nicely met by 9. a4 followed by putting the knight on
b3 in Bragesjo – Marturano, corr. 2023. Black’s position was
passive, and there was no chance to break free with a break on d5.
Furthermore, the bishop on b7 still looks a bit silly.
9. c3
Putting pressure on the b5-pawn forces Black to take on c4.
9...bxc4 10. xc4 d6

Black is ready to play ... a5. The main line, which scores great for
White, is 11.a3, defending against ... a5 by creating an evacuation
square on a2. But I suggest a quirkier alternative:
11. b1!
Threatening b2-b4, which would stop ... a5 altogether. But what
about Black going for it immediately?
11... a5 12.b3!
This is one of the rare cases where parting with the Spanish bishop
makes sense, as shown in Panitevsky – Johnson, corr. 2018. We will
take back on c4 with the b-pawn, and continue with h2-h3, e3,
c2 and so on. White has more space, better pieces and the easier
moves. Then again, this was an Archangel with the bishop on e7 – a
rare breed indeed.
A more common way to play the Old Archangel is:
94

Old Archangel – 6... b7 & 7... c5
1.e4 e5 2. f3
c5

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4

f6 5.0-0 b5 6. b3 b7 7.d3!

Placing the bishop on its more active square. One could argue that
this is one of the main points behind Black’s move order anyway.
Moreover, when White has already played d2-d3, the plans with c2c3 and a quick break on d4 aren’t as scary, so placing the bishop to
c5 is logical. However, beware: this is not the same as 6... c5 and
7... b7 examined on page 51.
8.c4!?
An extremely rare line. It was while I was preparing this chapter that
I discovered we can play the same way regardless of the placement
of the black dark-squared bishop.
Before I discovered the text move, the main line of my
recommendation was the more natural-looking 8.a4. However, I was
95

slightly bothered by 8...0-0 9.c3 d5!, when the bishop on b7 turns
useful. If you want to take this direction, then I suggest you look at
9. g5! instead of 9.c3 at this junction. Then again, the move order
nuances might cause slight confusion.
8...0-0 N
So rare is 8.c4!?, that there are no games played with this most
natural reply.
The weakening 8...b4 has been played, and after 9. a4! e7
White’s best is 10. bd2! followed by b3, as seen in Sax – Nelli,
Montecatini Terme 2000. This is similar to the strategy we already
described when discussing 7... e7.
9. c3 bxc4
9...b4?! invites 10. d5 h6 11. e3 with a comfortable advantage for
White. The only suboptimally placed piece, the b3-bishop, can soon
be improved with a4.
10. xc4 d6

In this position, which is the likeliest to happen after you play
8.c4!?, there is a very cool idea:
11.b4!
This is a highly positionally desirable move, and it is made possible
by the unfortunate placement of the bishop on b7.
If you don’t like sacrificing a pawn, you can play 11. b1 a5 12.a3,
which the engines still consider to be a tad better for White.
11... xb4
11... xb4?! allows 12. d5! , when the black pieces come under a
lot of pressure, and there is no easy way to untangle them.
12. b1!
White has a fantastic initiative. Apart from the more direct threats of
g5 and a2-a3, there is also a small positional threat of a4,
grabbing the bishop on c5.
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The immediate 12. a4!? is also nice.

Modern Archangel – 6... c5 & 7... b7
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4

f6 5.0-0 b5 6. b3 c5

This is the modern way of playing this position, not rushing to put
the bishop on b7, where it could in certain cases be misplaced.
7.a4!
The sooner we start annoying Black on the queenside, the better.
If we were to give Black a tempo with a different move, let’s say
7.c3, then after 7...d6 there already exist more ways to meet a2-a4,
as Black can answer that by going with the bishop to d7 or g4. By
starting with the immediate 7.a4, we restrict these options.
Moreover, against Black’s main response which is 7... b8, we’re
not even going to play with c2-c3 and d2-d4 – we’re going to go for
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something altogether different. But first, let’s examine the only real
alternative to protecting b5 with the rook:
7... b7
This looks similar to the line we examined previously with 6... b7
and 7... c5, but it’s not the same. The different move order chosen
by Black means that we’ve played 7.a4 instead of 7.d3, and our
approach with 8.c4!? shown on page 50 would be nonsensical here.
So, we need to come up with a different way of meeting Black’s
setup.
7...b4? was played once by Caruana, but it isn’t a serious option.
After 8. xe5! xe5 9.d4! xd4 10. xd4 c6 11. c5 Black
cannot castle, cannot play ...d7-d6, and g5 comes next. White was
dominating in Sanchez Rodenas – Schmid, corr. 2015.
8.c3!
This is a small exception to the rule that dictates meeting a bishop
on b7 with a pawn on d3. However, in essence, it’s just a smart
move order.
Already on page 50 we mentioned that in the position occurring
after 8.d3 0-0 9.c3 Black has 9...d5„.
8...d6!
This is practically forced. The pawn on e5 needs protection, so that
d2-d4 can be met with ... b6.
8...0-0?! runs into 9.d4 and Black is in trouble. Best play continues:
9... b6 10.dxe5! xe4 11. d5! c5 In Voronina – Degtyaryov,
corr. 2016, White should have chosen 12. bd2!N, threatening b2b4 and e4 with a powerful attack on the kingside.

9.d3!
Now that Black has spent a tempo putting the pawn on d6, we can
place our pawn on d3 without worrying about ...d7-d5. This might
seem a bit quiet, but it is a tricky line, not easy to handle as Black.
The main problem is the misplaced bishop on b7, which isn’t
covering the f5-square. Hence, White’s most typical Ruy Lopez plan
of bd2, e1, f1, g3 and h4 comes with an extra bit of
poison; what’s going to stop White’s knights from reaching f5?
9...h6!
This makes the outpost on f5 even more pronounced, but it is
essential for Black to stop g5 before castling.
9...0-0? 10. g5 is already a large issue for Black, as this pin cannot
be broken. For example, 10...h6 11. h4 occurred in Carlsen – Ju
Wenjun, Internet (rapid) 2022, and White already had a substantial
advantage. The plan of e1, bd2, f1 and d3-d4 is quite simple to
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understand and execute, and if Black tries ...g7-g5 then the sacrifice
on g5 will be strong.
9... b6 can be met by 10.axb5 axb5 11. xa8 xa8 12. a3, which
exploits Black’s somewhat passive play during the last few moves
and highlights the weakness of the pawn on b5. A recent high-level
game saw: 12...b4 13. c4 a7 14. g5 h6 15. h4

White’s army is fully mobilized, and Black has a similar problem to
the one described in the note above. With the black king on e8
instead of g8, it seems more reasonable for Black to examine
15...g5, which was seen in S. Narayanan – Gukesh, Baku 2023.
However, White can even here go for: 16. xg5!N hxg5 17. xg5
g8 18.h4 Up next are f3 and e3- d5, which means that Black
should just take on g5, leaving White with a strong initiative for no
material cost.
10. bd2
The more restrained approach.
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The eager 10. h4!? has also been tried a few times, for example in
Carlsen – Aronian, Internet (rapid) 2021. Apart from quickly
planting the knight on f5, White also plans h1 and f2-f4.

10...0-0 11. e1
Look at the f5-square! Black needs to cover it somehow, as White
plans d2-f1-g3-f5.
11... e7
This is the typical way to cover f5, as the knight on c6 is dominated
by the pawn on c3 and needs to be improved anyway. Thus, apart
from covering f5, the knight is itself headed towards g6 and then f4,
hoping that Black will one day be the one to start attacking on the
kingside. In this case, White has an effective way to meet Black’s
plan:
12. h4!

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The black knight is stopped from reaching g6, and the white knight
on h4 isn’t bad either, as it will help its counterpart to enter f5 after
f1 and g3.
12... b8
Black removes the rook from a8 and protects the b5-pawn, trying to
facilitate ... b7-c8-e6, which is another way of relieving the
pressure exerted against the black kingside. In So – Anand,
Stavanger 2019, White should have continued:
13. f1N
13.axb5 was the game continuation, but White needs the pawn on
a4, as it can go to a5 in some lines after d3-d4. Moreover, if Black
pushes ...b5-b4, then the a6-pawn will remain on the board as a
weakness. In general, the tension between the a4- and b5-pawns is
in White’s favour.
After the text move, a normal continuation would be:
13... c8 14.h3 e6 15. g3
White is ready for c2 and then d3-d4.

103

15... xb3 16. xb3
Black is solid, but White will continue with d1, reintroduce the
threat of d3-d4, and keep the more active knights on the kingside. It
might not be much according to the engines, but White has the
easier moves.

Modern Archangel – 6... c5 & 7... b8
1.e4 e5 2. f3
b8

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4

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f6 5.0-0 b5 6. b3 c5 7.a4

The main move. Black keeps the bishop on c8, from where it can
either go to g4 or e6, while also keeping an eye on the f5-square.
This is a sound way of playing for Black, but the last move is a bit
passive and surrenders the a-file, allowing us to go for something
direct:
8.axb5 axb5 9. xe5!
This has always been around, with or without the inclusion of the
captures on b5, but neither of the two versions ever became as
popular as the main lines involving c2-c3 and d2-d4. However, in
my opinion, this line is regularly underestimated, by both White and
Black players alike. I guess they might be looking at the engine
evaluation and not really thinking about the practical elements of the
position: what I like most in this system is how easy and safe it is
for White.
9... xe5 10.d4 xd4! 11. xd4 d6 12.f4!
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Otherwise, Black might find the time to go ...c7-c5 and ...c5-c4,
blocking our bishop on b3.
12... c6
After the naively optimistic 12...c5? we can just reply 13. d1, and
e4-e5 comes next, no matter whether the knight chooses c6 or g6.
The opening of the position can be calamitous for Black, whose
king is still in the centre.

13. d3!
Other squares for the queen are also possible here, but it would be
good to remember this, as well as the next queen retreat. If you’re
not 100% sure during a game, all the squares will look similar.
Nevertheless, d3 looks like the most natural square to me, leaving c3
vacant for the b1-knight, supporting the e4-pawn and targeting the
one on b5.
13...0-0 14. c3
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White develops in the most natural way available. Black needs to
play actively to maintain the balance.
14... b4
Against 14... e8 we can go 15.e5!, which is another version of the
promising pawn sacrifice examined below. The opening of the
position clearly favours White due to the far more active pieces, the
two bishops, and pressure against f7. Furthermore, after the captures
on e5, the c1-bishop will come to life on f4, putting c7 under
tremendous pressure as well.
15. d2!
Another move that would be good to remember, for reasons already
explained in the note above regarding 13. d3!. The point behind
choosing this square will be illustrated on move 18.
15... e7
This is Caruana’s suggestion in his Chessable course Caruana’s Ruy
Lopez: Dark Archangel .
Black has also tried relieving the pressure along the a2-g8 diagonal
with 15... e6 16. xe6 fxe6, but this position is slightly better for
White in a few ways.

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For example: 17. e2!? e8 18. e3 h5 19. f3! Black was
objectively well within the drawing range, but also under serious
pressure in Agopov – Lenic, Terme Catez 2021. White had many
easy improving moves available, such as f2, h2-h3, b2-b3, and
possibly a7. In contrast, it is unclear how Black should have gone
about improving his position.
16.e5!
This is a pawn sacrifice, but White most certainly will gain the pawn
back. The open nature of the resulting position will greatly benefit
the bishops.
16...dxe5 17.fxe5

xe5

108

18. f2!?
The white queen uses the dark squares, the colour complex where
White is clearly superior due to the unopposed bishop, to create
threats against the black camp. White threatens f4, and the queen
can also enter the picture through c5.
18... bd5
Offering trades is Black’s best bet.
18... g4? anyway runs into 19. f4.
19. xd5 xd5 20. c5 e6 21. f4

109

h5 22. g3

Next comes a5 and xb5. It isn’t easy for Black to get rid of all
this pressure. In practice, we have seen:
22... f6
If Black tries 22... b7?N to get out of the scope of the g3-bishop
and play ...c7-c6, White wins with 23. ae1, threatening both xe6
and e5.
23. xh5

xh5 24. xc7 b7 25. xe6 xc7 26. b3

This was all seen in Suleymanli – Malek, Dubai 2024. White has an
enormous bishop on b3 and a weakness on b5 to play against.
Furthermore, the two-on-one pawn majority could prove to be an
asset in the endgame.

Conclusion
"Are we done with the Archangel?", you might be wondering. And,
somewhat surprisingly, the answer is "yes". I’m quite happy with
the solutions proposed in this chapter, especially considering how
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short they were while dealing with one of Black’s main weapons
against the Spanish.
There is a way to explain why that happened: the Archangel is the
modern "engine defence". Black just places the pieces as actively as
possible and allows the engines to work out the exact lines that
allow Black to hold. If we were facing Stockfish, I am sure it would
be able to comfortably draw the slightly worse endgames. Honestly,
it would likely trick us and win, no matter the position we get.
Thankfully, we’re only going to be playing against other humans.
And in human chess, there exist such things such as pleasant and
unpleasant sides of equality; a language foreign to silicon monsters,
who evaluate on the assumption of perfect play.
In the variations covered in this chapter, we consistently obtain the
more pleasant game. As a bonus, the lines suggested are extremely
easy to learn from White’s side, as Black’s hand is forced. In stark
contrast, we have many alternatives along the way, and Black’s
memorization task is monumentally harder.

111

Chapter 4
Open Spanish
The speculative 6... exd4?!
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4

f6 5.0-0

We’ve already examined 5...d6, 5... c5 and 5...b5. The main move
is 5... e7. But before going there, we need to also examine Black’s
final attempt to deviate: the Open Spanish.
5... xe4

Unprepared players should generally refrain from grabbing such
pawns. However, after a close-up and thorough inspection, this bold
pawn grab has withstood the test of time.
112

6.d4!
We already explained in the Repertoire Overview, that this is better
here when compared to the Berlin, where the moves ...a7-a6 and
b5-a4 aren’t included. In that case, Black has ... d6, which does
not exist in this one. However, the inclusion allows Black to go for
...b7-b5 and relieve the pressure from the knight on c6 before trying
for a claim in the centre with ...d7-d5, which is the main line of the
Open Spanish. But before delving into that, let’s examine a minor
alternative:
6...exd4?!
When one is behind in development, grabbing such pawns is a risky
business.
7. e1 d5 8. xd4

I have won a few games like this against less experienced
opponents. White has a double threat: to play f2-f3 and win the
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knight, and to take on c6 twice. Luckily for Black, a decent option
exists.
8... d6! 9. xc6
9.f3??

h4 is actually winning for Black.

9... xh2+
That’s the idea – anything else would be equivalent to resignation.
10. h1!
10. xh2

h4+ allows a draw by perpetual check on f2 and h4.

10... h4
And now, the key sequence starts:

11. xe4+! dxe4 12. d8+!

xd8 13. xd8+

xd8 14. xh2

Black has a rook and two pawns for two pieces, but the rooks lack
prospects, while all White’s pieces will soon be active. A classic
game went:
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14... e6 15. e3 f5 16. c3!?
Modern engines prefer 16. d2, but the plan of the great Cuban
champion is still strong and beautiful.
16... e7 17.g4!
Followed by g3. Black’s majority won’t be able to advance on the
kingside, while the entirety of the white army will soon be fully
activated. White went on to win in Capablanca – Ed. Lasker, New
York 1915.

Trickery with 6... e7
So, taking on d4 is bad, but Black has also tried another idea than
6...b5 on move 6:
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.0-0 xe4 6.d4 e7

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Objectively, this is a better move than the one we have just seen, but
I still strongly dislike it. The move itself is old, but its introduction
to top-level chess came when Radjabov used it to hold two
comfortable draws against Negi and Morozevich, in 2011 and 2012
respectively. At some point afterwards it became somewhat trendy
but, understandably, there are few players willing to defend the
black position as presented below:
7. e1 b5 8. xe4!
The principled attempt.
The point behind Black’s move order is nicely illustrated after
8. b3 d5 9.dxe5 e6, which is a position similar to the ones that are
reached in the main lines after 6...b5. However, in this version,
White was forced to choose the slightly sub-optimal developing
scheme with the rook on e1. As we shall see, against this black setup
we will play with the queen on e2 and rook on d1 instead. Other
setups are also possible, but in general moving the rook to e1 so
quickly serves little purpose.
8...d5 9. xe5! xe5 10. xe5 bxa4

116

This is better for Black than it looks, but it looks horrendous. Black
players tried to defend this miserable position and sometimes
succeeded, but it is certainly White that will have all the fun. My
advice is to play:
11.b3!? 0-0 12. a3
After the exchange of these bishops, White will enjoy a ‘good
knight versus bad bishop’ middlegame, as the d5-pawn severely
restricts the mobility of the light-squared bishop. For example:
12... xa3 13. xa3 e8 14. xe8+

117

xe8

15. b1!
The knight is heading towards c3, a4 and c5, and White was the one
pressing in Balogh – Radjabov, Warsaw 2013. The Azeri superstar
held the endgame without much trouble, but I wouldn’t trust many
players under 2700 to demonstrate that sort of skill.

The reliable 6...b5!
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4

f6 5.0-0

xe4 6.d4!

So, let’s now turn to the main line with:
6...b5! 7. b3 d5
7... e7 allows 8.dxe5, when Black cannot grab a piece of the centre
with ...d7-d5 and will struggle to equalize.
8.dxe5 e6
The d5-pawn was under threat and had to be protected.
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Strategically speaking, White is better, due to the strong e5-pawn
and Black’s weaknesses on the c-file. There are a few good options
available. We choose one that has a rich history and still remains
popular:
9.c3!?
White fights for the d4-square while simultaneously opening a
square for the b3-bishop to escape any threat by a knight on c5. In
an ideal world, we would want to continue with bd2 and c2,
trading off Black’s best piece, the strong knight on e4. At this
moment Black usually chooses between c5 and e7 for the darksquared bishop, as the following old move only helps White:
9... c5?! 10. c2
The bishop wanted to go to c2 anyway. Now
positional threats, so Black is forced to go:
10... g4 11. bd2
119

g5 and

d4 are both

We will play h2-h3 and e1, followed by f1-g3 if the black bishop
retreats to h5. White’s space advantage in the centre and kingside is
stabilized, with Black having little to no dynamic compensation for
the positional defects. A nice model game for White was Svidler –
Ivanchuk, Astana (blitz) 2012.

The old-school 9... c5
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
d5 8.dxe5 e6 9.c3 c5

f6 5.0-0

xe4 6.d4 b5 7. b3

This active deployment of the bishop, sometimes connected with a
sacrifice on f2, is Black’s most popular choice. In recent years
however, the trend has shifted towards the more modest
development of the bishop to e7.
10. e2!?
120

A nice little idea that leads to a safe game for White. Up next is
e3.
10...0-0 11. e3
This comes with the positional threat of d4, against which Black
currently has no good replies. If Black protects against that, then we
can simply develop with bd2. Hence, most popular is:
11... xe3
11...f6 has also been tried, but after 12.exf6 xf6 13. bd2 Black
has nothing better than 13... xe3 14. xe3 xd2 15. xd2 ad8,
when 16. fe1 transposes to our main line below.
12. xe3

We have a typical scenario for the Open Spanish. White has the
better structure, and Black should try to minimize the danger with
active play:
12...f5!? 13.exf6!?
121

To keep things simple, remember that in these lines, if Black plays
...f7-f5 or ...f7-f6, we almost always take on f6.
13... xf6 14. e1!
This is a relatively new idea in a position that has been seen a lot in
practice. Next comes bd2.
14... ad8 15. bd2

xd2 16. xd2! g4

17. e3!
This was the idea behind 14. e1!. As often happens, engines
evaluate this position with "0.00". Let’s see why and, more
importantly, why we shouldn’t care:
17... a5!
The engine claims this is an important move to keep the balance, but
I don’t think that would be obvious to humans.
18.h3!
122

18. e5 is the only move considered by Mikhalevski in his excellent
book Grandmaster Repertoire 13 – The Open Spanish . The text
move has since taken over as White’s best try.
18... c4 19. xc4 dxc4 20. e2 xf3 21. xf3 fe8

22. xe8+
A draw was agreed in Popov – Lukyanenko, corr. 2021. But this is
not a repertoire for correspondence players!
22... xe8 23. xf6 gxf6 24. f1
For an engine, this position is equal, but for a human it isn’t. White
has the better structure, and if Black allows a1-d1-d7, the situation
will quickly become untenable. Moreover, with the current
structure, Black also faces the problem that most pawn endgames
would be lost. Everyone would take White in practice, who I think
has legitimate chances to win.

123

The trendy 9... e7
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
d5 8.dxe5 e6 9.c3 e7

f6 5.0-0

xe4 6.d4 b5 7. b3

Even though placing the bishop on c5 isn’t bad and still has its
followers, the text move would be considered the more popular
approach in the current climate. We choose an approach recently
adopted by Aronian.
10. e2!?
Apart from being a good move that prepares d1, this has the added
benefit of being the same move that we play against 9... c5, which I
think helps tremendously with the memorization of these lines.
White wants to play d1 and meet any ... c5 ideas with e3.
Moreover, this is only the fifth-most-popular move in games played
in my database, so your opponents are unlikely to be as well
prepared against it compared to the most popular lines.
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10. bd2 is the main move, when it has been established that
10... c5! 11. c2 d4! is decent for Black, with thousands of
practical examples supporting that statement.
10... c5
A logical approach, trying to drive the b3-bishop away from its
current diagonal, where it puts pressure against the pawn on d4. The
more concrete point behind this move becomes clear when you
notice Black’s next.
Black can also play in slightly slower fashion:
10...0-0 11. d1

11... d7
Black plays another relatively quiet developing move.
As explained earlier,11...f5 is answered with 12.exf6 and after
12... xf6 13. e3 , followed by bd2, White has a good game.
Black’s centre is a bit loose, and our moves are easier.
12. e3!?
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But now it makes little sense for Black to do anything other than
move the f-pawn. All the black pieces are developed apart from the
rook on a8, which doesn’t have a clearly optimal square for the
moment. Hence:
12...f5 13.exf6 xf6 14. bd2
White was super-solid and planning either a2-a4 or g5 in Churkin
– Anderson, corr. 2016. We shouldn’t worry about the engine
evaluation which is always near "0.00", as Black’s position is much
more sensitive than ours. With one small inaccuracy, the advantage
could shoot up in White’s favour.
11. c2

11...d4!
A similar approach to the one shown in the note above regarding
10. bd2. Any other move will be met by d1 and this option would
be lost. With the text move, Black tries to use the already developed
minor pieces in an active fashion and radically change the structure,
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solving almost all the long-term problems. However, this opens the
game with the black king still on e8 and exposes the black queen,
granting White a bit of an initiative:
12.cxd4

xd4 13. xd4

xd4 14. d1

c4 15. c3!

Black is facing some issues, despite the ongoing simplifications.
This is an extremely rare position, so far only seen in an old
correspondence game.
15...0-0N
After 15... xe2 16. xe2 the knight was coming to d4, and White
had a small but pleasant edge in Dickson – Peim, email 1997.
16. xc4 bxc4!
This seems a bit unnatural, but it is Black’s best.
After 16... xc4 17.b3 e6 18. e3 followed by c1 and
d4, White gets the upper hand.
17. d5
127

c3-e2-

White obtains the advantage of the bishop pair and remains with the
better structure. Let’s see what the engines say:
17... xd5 18. xd5 fd8 19. xd8+ xd8 20. e3
cxd3 22. f1!?

d3 21. xd3

Followed by e1 and c1. Engines say that this position is equal,
and they are of course correct in assuming the game should end in a
draw. However, once again the position is much easier to play as
White, who has a considerably wider margin for error. If you
analyse with an engine, you’ll immediately realize that after a single
inaccuracy Black’s position can become critical. This is not too
surprising, considering that for the moment White plays with three
pieces, while Black is only using two. And it is unimaginable to
think that the d3-pawn would promote, so it cannot be considered a
strength.

Conclusion
The Open Spanish is, as usual in this book, met by a sideline, but
not one without venom. Playing with c2-c3 is common, as is the
idea of e2, followed by d1. However, in our line, we combine
both, which is actually quite rare.
Admittedly, this is a safety-first approach. We don’t try to play for a
big edge, but we do challenge Black’s approach, and we threaten to
gain a long-term edge. This usually forces Black to hunt for activity,
but the rock-solid nature of our setup always ensures our safety. In
that regard, I love our system. Even if Black finds the exact way to
reach the engine’s "0.00", human players will always get chances.

128

Chapter 5
Closed Spanish
Introduction
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4

f6 5.0-0

So, the time has come to finally study:
5... e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3 d6
7...0-0 will be covered in the next chapter, which deals with the
Marshall Attack.
8.c3 0-0 9.h3

129

That’s the subject of this chapter – the gateway to the classical main
lines of the Ruy Lopez (or Spanish, as I generally refer to it in this
book). The reasoning behind the last few moves was detailed in the
Spanish Repertoire Overview. At this point, White is ready for d2d4, and Black has a problematic knight on c6 that is dominated by
the pawn on c3 and blocking the pawn on c7. Hence, Black has
three distinct approaches, depending on what happens with the
knight on c6: it can to go a5, or to b8; or it can remain in place for
the moment. We’ll start by dealing with the first and most popular
of the three options:
9... a5 10. c2
Before delving into the logical follow-up that is 10...c5, let’s briefly
discuss an enterprising alternative.

Gajewski’s 10...d5!?
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 a5 10. c2 d5!?

130

f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3

This created a shockwave at top-level chess fifteen years ago, due to
an amazing game played by the up-and-coming Polish GM
Grzegorz Gajewski. Since then, this system has borne his name.
Sadly for Black, a solution was found, and this system went out of
fashion.
11.d4!
We fight fire with fire. Instead of trying to grab any pawns, we opt
for active play in the centre.
Gajewski’s aforementioned game went 11.exd5 e4!, and Black won
beautifully in Kuznetsov – Gajewski, Pardubice 2007.
11...dxe4
11...exd4?! allows the typical 12.e5! e4 13.cxd4, with a clear
advantage for White due to the better structure. Up next is c3.
11... xe4?! is no better for Black after 12. xe5 intending bd2.
Interestingly, my friend Sabino Brunello analysed the Gajewski (in
131

addition to the Marshall and Schliemann) from Black’s perspective
in his 2009 book Attacking the Spanish . His work was excellent at
the time but, as with any theoretical work of a certain age, modern
engines will find holes in it. Sabino goes on to recommend 12...f6
13. d3 d6 14. d2 e8 for Black, but the latest Stockfish is quick
to point out the flaw in Black’s scheme:

15. c5! Black cannot take twice on c5 because b2-b4 will win
material. 15...f5 is the only way to bolster the knight on e4, but then
16.a4! leaves Black’s queenside – and indeed Black’s entire position
– on the brink of collapse, as was first demonstrated in Zemlyanov –
Tosi, corr. 2011.
12. xe5
White threatens to continue with d2 and then grab the weak pawn
on e4. Black’s only chance is to play actively and try to create
counterplay. Hence, the main line goes:
12...c5! 13. e3! b7 14. d2
132

It was in the Greek GM and renowned theoretician Vassilios
Kotronias who discovered this antidote for White. The c5-pawn is
threatened, and White even has a few easy improving moves
available, such as e2 and possibly ad1. Another typical idea is
g4, removing the defender of the pawn on e4 while trading off our
knight from e5 which would be hanging if we were to take on c5.
14... c7
Brunello gives this as Black’s best chance.
14... d5?! 15. g4! was close to winning for White in the stem
game Kotronias – A. Mastrovasilis, Igoumenitsa 2007. There is no
way for Black to protect the pawn on e4.
15. f4!
Menacing both the black queen and the e4-pawn.
15...cxd4 16. xe4

d5 17. g3 f5
133

All this happened in Z. Almasi – Stevic, Plovdiv 2008. Brunello
follows the game a little further before mentioning an improvement
for White. Today’s Stockfish instantly points out the way to prove
White’s superiority:

18.b4!!N
Not an easy move to find at the board. But conceptually, we can
make sense of it when we appreciate that White’s bishop will be
incredibly powerful on b3. The engine’s top line continues:
18...fxe4 19.bxa5
b7 23. xd4

xc3 20. b3+ d5 21. xd5+

134

xd5 22. c1

And by now it’s obvious that White is close to winning.

Romanishin’s double capture – 11...cxd4!?
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 a5 10. c2

f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3

Despite Gajewski’s entertaining sideline, the main idea behind
Black’s previous move is to enable the c7-pawn to advance as
follows.
10...c5 11.d4

135

But of course, we grab the centre anyway; that’s what we were
preparing for all along. Black has to make a choice at this point
regarding the tension. We’re threatening the pawn on e5, so that
pawn either has to be protected, or Black needs to take on d4. Much
more popular is to hold on to e5, but we’ll start by checking what
happens if the tension is resolved:
11...cxd4!?
This is the third most popular move in the position, after 11... c7
and 11... d7.
Black can also try 11...exd4 12.cxd4 when taking on d4 again would
transpose to the main line examined in this segment. Apart from
that, one could also try 12... b7, since there is no pawn hanging on
e5 anymore. Black’s last move is an invitation to a Benoni, which
we could deny with something like 13. f4, but I wouldn’t be able to
resist 13.d5! . The bishop on b7 is terrible in this structure, which is

136

usually good for White anyway. It is telling that one of the top
choices of the engine is 13... c8.
Similarly, 11... b7?! has gone out of fashion because of 12.d5. This
is similar to positions we will examine after 11... c7, but the bishop
on b7 is terrible, and Black will need to lose time to reroute it to the
normal d7-square.
12.cxd4 exd4 13. xd4

13... b7!
This is the best move order for Black.
If 13... e8, planning to move the bishop to f8 after f5, White can
play 14.b4!? c4 15. c6 and take the e7-bishop anyway, as
shown in Uifelean – Lukasevicius, corr. 2023. Then d2 would
challenge the knight on c4 and fight to gain the b2-square for the
dark-squared bishop.
13... d7 has been played by Nisipeanu but doesn’t change much for
us, as we can play 14.a4. If Black’s idea is to hold on to the b5pawn with 14... e8, then we can opt for: 15.axb5 axb5 16. c3 b4
137

17. ce2 f8 18. g3 White had the more active pieces and the
easier game in Cernovsky – Miettinen, corr. 2018. A nice idea
would be to deploy the dark-squared bishop on the long diagonal
with b2-b3 and b2, getting all the pieces ready for a kingside
attack.
These positions are commonly misevaluated as structurally bad for
Black. And it is true that the e4-pawn is better than the one on d6,
but it would be much closer to the truth to say that it all depends on
tempos and the activity of the pieces. If we imagine black rooks on
c8 and e8, and the e7-bishop actively fianchettoed on g7, the whole
black position radiates with energy, and White’s "structural
advantage" is nought but a fairy tale. In this particular case White
does have a way to gain an advantage, but I feel like it’s crucial to
convey that this is due to Black being a tempo short – slow play
wouldn’t have cut it.
14.a4!
After recommending this line for Black to many club-level players I
have worked with as a coach, I have found this rare idea for White
to be the most annoying.
14. f4!? is a good line, but the inclusion of a2-a4 and ...b5-b4
makes it even better.
After 14. c3 e8 engines may claim a small advantage for White,
but Black has easy moves to play in ... f8, ... c8, ...g7-g6 and
... g7, while the break with ...d6-d5 is always in the air.
If 14. f5 e8! 15. xe7+?! xe7, then Black has fantastic active
play with ... ac8 up next.
Trying to play with a knight on d2 is also not that threatening:
14. d2 e8 15.b3 (Against Romanishin himself, Kotronias tried:
15.b4 c6 16. xc6 xc6 17. b2 This was Kotronias –
Romanishin, Moscow 1989, when Black should have played
17... d7! followed by ... f6, with splendid play after the exchange
138

of bishops, as shown in Polgar – Grischuk, Linares 2001.) 15... f8
16. b2 g6 17. e2 g7 18. e1 c8 19. d1

19... h5! See what I was talking about? No one cares about the
pawn on d6, similarly to some lines of the King’s Indian. This was
seen in the famous game Leko – Fritz, Frankfurt 1999, when Black
was better after only playing the obvious moves. The computer
continued with ... f4 and ... f6, with an ongoing initiative. I think
I’ve conveyed my message by now: we need to respect the longterm potential of the black position and fight it concretely. The
weakness of the d6-pawn can be outweighed by Black’s activity if
our play doesn’t develop quickly.
14...b4
There is no other move, as the pawn was hanging on b5.
14... c6 15. f5 was great for White in Quintin Navarro – Garcia
Salamero, Linares 2007.

139

15. f4!N
This is an excellent square for the bishop. It doesn’t block the rook
(so the e4-pawn is safe), it supports e4-e5 as an answer to ...d6-d5, it
cannot easily be harassed, and it gets out before the knight heads to
d2.
15... e8
Although our previous move was a novelty, this natural reply
transposes to a few existing games.
16. d2!
All our pieces are active. Apart from the most common plan in these
positions, involving f5 and active play on the kingside, we can
consider 4b3, trading off the black knight on a5 and thus gaining
the c4-square for our knight on d2. That is one of the benefits of
including of a2-a4 and ...b5-b4.

140

16... f8
16...g6 denies us access to the f5-square but invites us to fully
illustrate our second idea: 17. 4b3! xb3 18. xb3 f8 19. f3!
Followed by ad1 and g5. White’s pieces come into play with
great effect, and Black is struggling to show any signs of activity to
compensate for the damaged structure.
16... c8 was seen in Efimov – Popenkov, corr. 2014. This invites
17. d3!?N, getting the bishop away from the influence of the rook
on c8, and highlighting a defect of Black’s last move – the a6-pawn
is weak. Up next is e2.
17. f5!
A strong move, stopping ...g7-g6 as it is met by

h6+.

Black’s last move increased the pressure against e4, discouraging
17. 4b3!?N. It remains playable nonetheless, but it involves some
tactics which we don’t need to bother with.
141

If you want to insist on carrying out the 4b3 idea but want to
avoid tactics, then you could try 17. f3!?N protecting e4.
17... c8
White has tried a few moves from here, but the most accurate is:

18. d3!
We follow the same reasoning we already explained in the note to
16... c8 17. d3!?N. White can continue with e2, targeting the a6pawn, or with f3 and ad1, with a dominant position in the centre.
As you have probably understood already, I was quite invested in
making this line work for Black. But quite handily for the sake of
this White repertoire, the precise sequence of 14.a4! b4 15. f4!N
creates a lot of problems for Black.

Chigorin Variation with 11... d7
142

1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 a5 10. c2 c5 11.d4
So, since taking on d4 isn’t that great, Black generally opts for
holding on to the pawn on e5. The most common way is to protect
the pawn with the queen, but it can also be done with the knight
from f6.
11... d7

Even though this never reached the popularity of the main line, it
has thousands of games in the database featuring players from the
whole spectrum of strength.
12.d5!
As Caruana notes in his book Caruana’s Ruy Lopez , this "is similar
to the lines after 11... c7". In fact, this is only half-true; in practice,
Black players have tried to use the difference between the two lines
in their favour and open the position with ...f7-f5. The truth in
143

Caruana’s statement stems from the assumption that they won’t go
for that, because it’s bad. And indeed, if they don’t, play is similar
to the 11... c7 lines.
12... b6
The main line.
GM Papaioannou recommends 12... c7 13.b3 b6 in his twopronged Ruy Lopez course for Modern Chess, where he
recommends this variation along with the Steinitz Deferred. This
line closely resembles (and could actually transpose to) our main
line after 11... c7. There, we play: 14. e3 d7 15. h2! White is
planning g2-g4. This particular idea isn’t mentioned by
Papaioannou, so I think you’ll get a practical edge against those
following his course.

13. bd2!
If Black is playing for ...f7-f5, then we should be ready to plant our
knight on e4 after taking on f5. Against slow play we will continue
144

with b2-b3, f1, and so on, with play similar to what we’ll examine
next via 11... c7.
13...f5?!
This is consistent, but it is also inaccurate.
13...c4 is the recommendation of GM Werle in his Lifetime
Repertoires: Werle’s1.e4 e5 course on Chessable. We always meet
this move with the typical 14.b4!, planning to meet the retreat of the
knight with a2-a4. Werle recommends 14...cxb3 15.axb3 b7,
planning to put the knight on c5. We stop this with 16.b4!, and after
16... d7 I like the following idea, which is easy to remember in
these situations and is always hard for Black to meet. We need to
find a way for the e1-rook to come to a2.

So, we start with 17. b1!N, and we follow up with e2, d3 and
finally ea2. This idea is more than enough to secure a healthy
advantage for White and an easy position to play. Werle doesn’t
consider this idea.
145

Before moving on, let’s quickly explain something crucial: if Black
doesn’t take en passant on b3 when we go b2-b4 (in this case with
14.b4! ), and allows us to advance on the queenside with a2-a4 as
well, the pressure White exerts down the a-file is tremendous.
Famously, Fischer used that structure with White to defeat Spassky
in the first game of their 1992 rematch. He first doubled rooks with
a1-a3 and bringing his other rook to a1, and then even tripled his
major pieces by lifting the a1-rook to a2 and bringing his queen to
a1. That game is a true Ruy Lopez gem, which any aspiring player
should study. They reached that structure through the Breyer, but
the concept is relevant to all lines of the Closed Spanish.

14.exf5!
This might seem obvious, but it is important nevertheless. We
shouldn’t allow Black to go ...f5-f4 and attack us on the kingside in
the style of the King’s Indian.
14... xf5 15. xf5 xf5 16. e4!

146

Our knight is wonderful on the e4-square. The only problem may be
Black’s pressure down the f-file. Let’s see how one of the best
female players of all time solved this problem:
16... d7

17. fg5!? xg5 18. xg5
White held a clear advantage in Hou Yifan – Obregon, Internet
(rapid) 2018, as well as a few other games. The black knights on the
queenside will be restricted further with b2-b3, and any pressure
currently felt down the f-file can be extinguished completely with
f2-f3 followed by g5-h4-f2. It turns out that Black’s attempt to
create counterplay only managed to help White to achieve some
beneficial trades and end up with a monster knight on e4.

The "Main Line of Chess" – 11... c7
147

1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 a5 10. c2 c5 11.d4 c7

Black holds on to the pawn on e5 and asks us how we want to go
about improving our position. This is the main line of the Chigorin,
and thus the historical main line of the Ruy Lopez in general. With
the status the Ruy Lopez has held through the years, one could even
claim that this is the main line of all of chess! However, somewhat
sadly for Black’s cause, its popularity has greatly diminished in the
modern era – and not without reason.
12.d5!
This has way fewer games in the database compared to 12. bd2.
However, modern engines have taught us that humanity wrongly
underestimated the strength of closing the centre.
12... d7

148

This move was often assigned a question mark in the past, but it is
unclear anymore if it constitutes a mistake. Funnily enough, that’s
not because there arose any improvement upon Black’s play from
now onwards; it’s just that the prescribed method (with 12... c4,
which we will analyse in a later segment) has also been deemed
inadequate.
12...c4?! is definitely bad in view of: 13.b4! cxb3 14.axb3 d7

This has been debated a few times in grandmaster practice, but with
terrible results for Black. I suggest 15. d3! , followed by the
simple yet effective e1-e2-a2. Please note that although our cpawn is on an open file and might appear to be weak, it is
impossible for Black to attack. We can defend the pawn with minor
pieces: the b1-knight already does so, and the bishop can go to d2 if
further protection is needed – and Black can only attack it with
heavy pieces. A good example continued: 15... fc8 16. e3! e8
17. e2! b7 18.b4! d8 This was seen in M. Andersen –
149

Pancevski, Budva 2023. Mads is one of the grandmasters I have
worked the longest with, and he was following an early draft of the
notes that became the book you have in your hands. At this point, he
wanted to play for a quick c3-c4 and thus went for 19. c2!?. Even
better was:

19. ea2!N b7 20. fd2! With the same idea of playing c3-c4.
Black’s position is on the verge of collapse.

150

13.b3!
That’s the reason why 12... d7 has been classically considered a
mistake. There is no queenside counterplay for Black, and the
knight on a5 is terrible. So, White can safely concentrate on building
an attack on the kingside. At any point, we can play a2-a4 and open
a second front on the queenside.
Let’s briefly illustrate a few of the main themes:
13... fe8
Clearing the f8-square for the bishop. 13...c4 is as always met by
14.b4!.
A normal and usual approach for Black is 13... b7, planning the
oft-called "Rubinstein manoeuvre", which is: ... d8, ... e8/h5,
...f7-f6, ...g7-g6, ... g7 and ... f7. It looks terribly slow, but it’s
one of the few ways for Black to find a purpose for the knight that
was stranded on a5. Moreover, with this setup Black has at least a
151

decent number of pieces on the kingside, gaining some hope that
White’s attack won’t prove to be so devastating. However, Black’s
scheme is both time-consuming and passive, and it doesn’t really
affect our play – the build-up operation on the kingside remains the
same. For example, 14. e3 g6 15. h2, with play similar to the
main line below.
14. e3 g6
At some point or another the f5-square needs to be covered, and this
also facilitates ... h5.

15. h2!?
White will create play down the g-file, so the king needs to step
aside.
15... h5
Black gets ready to meet g2-g4 with ... f4.
16.g3! f8
152

No better for Black was 16... f6 17. bd2 g7 18. h4 f6 19.g4,
as in Rotelli – Lew, corr. 2022; a game White went on to win.
17. bd2

This knight is always in desperate need of improvement.

18.c4
Going for this push whenever the black knight leaves a5 is a good
rule of thumb, as now it would need to waste a tempo to come back
to a5 and put pressure on the pawn on c4 – and that pressure would
anyway be quite frail. White will slowly but surely build up an
attack, for example with g1, e2, h4, df3, and at the right
moment g3-g4, g3 and ag1. Let’s see an example of what can
happen then...
Stockfish - Koivisto
Engine Game 2023

153

This is one of the games from Season 24 from TCEC, which is
unofficially known today at the World Championship for computer
engines.
18... d8 19. g1 g7 20. h4 f6 21. e2 f8 22. df3
g8 24. g3 bxc4 25.bxc4 f6 26. ag1 e8 27. g2 d7

154

h8 23.g4

28.g5!
After careful preparation, White breaks through on the kingside,
opening lines against the black king. It is clear that any opening of
the game would benefit the white pieces, as they are simply more
active; just look at the black rook on a8 and especially the knight on
b7.
28... e7
No better for Black would have been: 28...f5 29.exf5 xf5 30. xf5
gxf5 (30... xf5 31. d2 followed by e4 and h4-h5 is dead lost for
Black.) 31. d2 Despite Black’s impressive pawns on e5 and f5,
White just has too many pieces on the kingside. Apart from pushing
the h-pawn, White could opt for fh4 if needed, clearing the
diagonal for the queen to join from h5, the way for the f-pawn to
advance, and the third rank to evacuate the g3-rook.
29. fh4!
155

Ready to blow up the position with f2-f4.
29...fxg5 30. xg5 f6

31.f4!
The kingside explodes, and it starts becoming obvious to us humans
as well that Black is completely busted.
31... xg5 32. xg5

And now it comes...
33. xg6+!! hxg6 34. d2!!+–
A brilliant sacrifice. Nothing can stop f4-f5 and
over soon.

h4, and it was all

...1-0
The way Stockfish conducted the attack was indeed magnificent, but
it also faced a 3500-strength defence, which you’re unlikely to face
in a practical setting. In that regard, and considering how in chess it
is easier to attack than defend, Black’s chances are even worse than
156

an "objective" evaluation of the position might indicate. But at this
point, we might also start to question the philosophical validity of
that statement; what is "objective", if not a game from the engine
World Championship?
Back to reality, the main reason this attack was so strong was that
Black remained effectively down a piece on the kingside, with a
terrible knight stranded on b7. That’s why, in our main line, Black
rushes to improve the placement of that knight as soon as possible.

The "Main Line of Chess" continued – 12... c4
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 a5 10. c2 c5 11.d4 c7 12.d5 c4

Before we get to trap the knight on a bad circuit with b2-b3, Black
manages to transfer it to a square where it appears to be slightly
more relevant.
13.b3

b6
157

This square seems far more normal.
14.a4!
But Black has lost some time, and the knight on b6 is vulnerable to
a4-a5! Moreover, there is no knight on a5 to stop the a-pawn in its
tracks or exploit the weakened squares on b3 and c4.
14... d7
This is logical, but it leads to positions similar to the ones examined
previously via 12... d7.
14...c4 can be met by the usual 15.b4, and if 15... xa4 16. xa4
bxa4 17. xa4 White had two weak pawns at a6 and c4 to play
against in Holland – Krzyzanowski, corr. 2021.
Another possibility examined by Caruana is: 14...bxa4 15.bxa4 a5 If
Black played anything else, then a4-a5 would push the knight away
from b6 and yield White control of the c4-square. In any case, after
16. a3! White can put a knight on b5 and take over the b-file.
Black is facing some truly unpleasant pressure.
15.a5 c8 16.c4
Once again, we see White stopping any possible queenside
counterplay before building an attack on the kingside. Let’s briefly
see another model game:
Veselin Topalov - Alexei Shirov
Linares 2004

158

16...g6 17. c3

h5 18. e2 e8 19. a2!?

This rook will enter the kingside attack later, when the second rank
is cleared of minor pieces and pawns.
19... f8 20.g4!
With such dominant control of the centre, advancing on the flank
doesn’t hold any risk. It is essential that White prefaced this with
18. e2, as the black knight shouldn’t be allowed to jump to f4.
20... g7 21. g3 f6 22. h2

159

White was ready to start pushing pawns on the kingside and,
according to the engine, was already winning. Topalov handily
dispatched his renowned opponent:
22... e7 23.h4 f7 24.f4 exf4 25. xf4

160

d8 26. f1

27.h5!
When making such a move, one needs to consider the possible
attempt to block the position completely with ...g5. In this case,
Black is terribly uncoordinated, with neither of the knights able to
reach the desired e5-square, so it’s no problem.
27... e8 28. d3 g7 29. g2

f8 30. c1 bxc4 31.bxc4 b8

32. af2
Now 19. a2!? seems like a move made by an actual prophet.
32... b3 33. f3
37. xh5 g6

e7 34. d2 c8 35. c2 b8 36. h1 gxh5

161

38.e5!
Not a difficult move, but still a pleasing culmination of White’s
strategy.
38...dxe5 39. xg6 hxg6 40. xg6 e4 41. h3 fb7 42. f4 b1

162

43. h7+ f7 44. h5+ g8 45. g6
1-0
A splendid win by Topalov, showing how Black’s attempt at setting
up a fortress doesn’t work with the knight on c8, just as it didn’t
work with the knight on a5 and b7. I think this game, along with the
one by Stockfish against Koivisto shown previously, aptly illustrates
the sad current state of affairs in the Chigorin with 11... c7; a line
that used to be one of the most popular in all of chess but has now
faded into obscurity.

Breyer Variation
If the lines with the knight on a5 don’t work that well anymore,
what about going with the knight to b8?
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 b8
Introducing the Breyer Variation – a favourite of Spassky back in
the day, while Carlsen is among the modern greats to have used it
successfully.
10.d4

bd7

Black needed to protect the pawn on e5.

163

11.c4!?
This is one of the first ways that White players chose to combat the
Breyer System, with then young stars Tal and Geller playing it in
the 1950s. In general, the Breyer usually leads to complex closed
positions, with both sides manoeuvring for a long time with all the
pieces on the board. The text move alters the character of the
position completely, circumventing tons of theory and offering
White a relatively easy way to play.
11...c6!
Black wants to be able to meet
a d5 jump.

c3 with ...b5-b4, without allowing

11... b7?! is inaccurate due to 12. c3, when the knight cannot be
hit away from c3 as it would simply jump to d5. If 12...c6, then after
13.a3 White scores almost 70% in my database. All the white
pieces are better than their counterparts, and Black doesn’t have any
164

easy moves. The short-term plan is to simply finish development
with e3 and c1.
In My Great Predecessors , Kasparov gives the following line as
good for White: 11...b4 12.c5! b7 13. c2 exd4 14.c6 d3 15. c4
b6 16.cxb7 Black had given up too many pieces to get the white
queen in Geller – Filip, Netherlands 1956, and other games after
that.

12. c2!?
The move itself isn’t new, but it was only recently that White
players started reevaluating the power of this concept. White tries to
stabilize the central situation, aiming to slowly develop with a2-a3,
c3, e3 and bringing the a1-rook to the centre.
In my Playing1.e4 e5 book, I concentrated on 12. c3!?, which was
the main line at that time. Black plays 12...b4 and now 13. a4 c5
14.d5 led to a double-edged battle in Nakamura – Carlsen, Medias
2011.
165

But nowadays White plays 13. e2! xe4 14. c2, with excellent
compensation for the pawn. This is a great choice for those that like
dynamic play and don’t mind giving up a pawn. A nice example
continued: 14...f5 15.c5+ d5 16. e3 f4

17. xf4! xf2 18.dxe5 It was a huge mess, with the engine slightly
preferring White in Bartel – Kamsky, Dortmund 2021. I felt that
only suggesting a line as murky as this one wasn’t a good fit for this
book.
12... b7 13.a3

166

White is ready to play c3 and e3 and claim a considerable
advantage in the centre. Hence, Black needs to act fast:
13...d5!N
The only move that leads to something resembling equality. But
Black will anyway have to suffer a bit to get there.
Another logical sequence is 13...exd4 14. xd4 bxc4 15. xc4 d5,
but White should be happy to meet this: 16.exd5 cxd5 17. f1 c8
18. d1 This was Santos Latasa – Visakh, Castelldefels 2021. It’s
not catastrophic for Black or anything like that, but it’s clear that
White has the easier game playing against the isolated pawn on d5.
14.cxd5 cxd5 15.exd5 c8 16. c3

167

xd5

17. xd5!?
The alternative is 17. xe5 xc3 18.bxc3 xe5 19.dxe5 which is
still evaluated as a bit better for White according to our silicon
friends, but I would prefer to suggest a position without weaknesses.
17... xd5 18. xe5

xe5 19.dxe5

White is a pawn up, but Black has the bishop pair. The engine says
this is nothing special, but I much prefer White. That’s not because I
think that the advantage is big; it’s because White’s moves are so
much simpler to come up with. We will continue with f5, e3 and
ac1/d1. If Black plays perfectly and holds a draw, then that’s fine.
It’s a danger we accept every time we sit at the chess board.

Keeping the knight on c6

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We have examined Black’s two main methods of rerouting the
problematic knight on c6. Finally, we should examine what happens
if Black tries to play without manoeuvring around with that knight.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3

f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3

9... b7
Of all tries with the knight on c6, this one, the Zaitsev, is by far the
most serious.
Sometimes, Black starts with 9... e8 and after 10.d4 transposes to
the main line with 10... b7. But there is also 10...h6, which is called
the Smyslov Variation. Even though that allows other plans to be
more effective as well, we can simply play 11.a3!?, avoiding lots of
theory and almost certainly transposing to the main line when Black
develops the c8-bishop to b7.
Another old line that retains the knight on c6 is:
9... d7 10.d4 f6
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Karpov played this a few times against Kasparov, and the variation
was subsequently named after him. Black firmly holds on to the e5pawn and improves the often neglected dark-squared bishop. The
pressure on d4 means that it is a bit harder for White to develop the
knight to d2. I like that we can be consistent across the board and
also meet this with:
11.a3!? b6 12. a2

We’ve safely tucked away our strong bishop, and we’re asking
Black to make a decision. In this case, it is slightly more difficult to
play the d4-d5 and c3-c4 idea we’ll see against the Zaitsev, because
there is a knight on b6. On the other hand, we can put our bishop on
e3 and always threaten to open up the position and capture the b6knight, giving Black a bad structure. The following game illustrates
this well:
12... b7
12... b8 was seen in Hübner – Spassky, Germany 1982 and now
13.b4!N keeps a nice space advantage for White, with e3 coming
next.
170

13. e3!?
Next comes bd2, after which the white centre will be stabilized,
and Black will struggle to create counterplay. As usual in these
lines, the c6-knight is the main culprit behind Black’s problems, and
it would have been better to try and improve it with13... a5. But
the top-level game we’re following instead saw a hasty reaction:
13...d5?!

14. bd2!
By keeping the tension White underlines the disparity between the
activity of the pieces. It is hard to come up with good moves for
Black, as any capture opens lines and invites the white pieces
forward. (14. xe5 led to a position with an extra pawn for White in
Short – Adams, Groningen 1997.)
10.d4
We occupy the centre.

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You might recall that we want to meet a bishop on b7 with d2-d3,
but in this case that doesn’t lead to anything special for White: 10.d3
a5 11. c2 c5 12. bd2 e8 13. f1 h6

Black continues with ... f8 and ...g7-g6, and is ready to take twice
on d4 if White ever plays d3-d4, getting a superb version of the
Romanishin line we examined before. But if White doesn’t break on
d4, then it will be Black after some preparations that will break on
d5, which will mean that the b7-bishop suddenly becomes useful.
This is not to say that this isn’t playable with White, but Black has a
fully satisfactory game as well.
10... e8
Black develops the rook and prepares ... f8.
After 10... a5 11. c2 c4 12.a4!? Black’s setup was in a
precarious state in Cuijpers – Ibragimov, London 1996. The e5pawn is hanging in some lines after b2-b3, as is the one on b5 if
White were to precede b2-b3 with d3.
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11.a3!
This is a new twist that puts Black’s concept under some pressure. It
was first played by the Hungarian grandmaster Peter Dely in 1975
and against none other than Igor Zaitsev himself. But it wasn’t until
recently that it started being considered critical. With this little move
White creates a square to tuck the bishop away if it gets hit by
... a5. Such a square already existed on c2, but on a2 the bishop is
much better placed in some of the ensuing structures.
Sadly, countless games of chess have ended with a repetition in this
rich position after 11. g5 f8 12. f3 e8. With that being said,
there is nothing to stop you from repeating the position once as a
bluff, in order to check your opponent’s intentions and possibly
provoke them into choosing a backup system.
11... f8
This was Black’s plan when the rook came to e8.
But there is an interesting alternative:
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11...h6 12. a2!
We should steer clear of12.d5?! a5 13. a2 c6! 14.dxc6 xc6,
when Black achieves comfortable equality. We will examine a
similar position below, but with Black having played ... f8 instead
of ...h7-h6. In such cases the pawn on h6 is extremely useful, as it
stops White from playing g5.
12... f8

But now White can execute the main plan:
13.d5! e7
13... a5? runs into 14. fd2!N with b2-b4 next and almost
insurmountable problems for Black already.
13... b8 was nicely met with 14.c4 in Shirov – Erdos, Terme Catez
2021. White will continue with c3, with a small but pleasant
advantage that reminds as of our line against the Breyer.
14.c4!
That is the main idea of our setup with a2-a3 and a2.
14...bxc4
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In Paravyan – Kovalev, Internet rapid 2023, White’s most accurate
continuation would have been:

15. c3!N
The c4-pawn is going nowhere; we’ll take it next with xc4.
15...c6
There is no other way for Black to create any counterplay.
16.dxc6 xc6 17. e2!?
This is why we didn’t immediately take back on c4 on move 15.
Depending on what Black does on this move, we can choose
between taking on c4 with the queen or the bishop. Against most of
Black’s options, it would be extremely tempting to take with the
queen.

175

12.d5!

12... b8 13.c4 is similar to what we saw above;, as is 12... e7
13.c4 .
13. a2 c6!
Black has to play this, as the knight on a5 is precariously placed and
evacuation squares need to be created sooner rather than later.
14.dxc6 xc6
After 14... xc6 the knight is a bit misplaced on c6, and the game
could continue: 15. g5 h6 16. xf6! xf6 17. d5!? White has the
easier game. For example, 17... a5 18.a4!, as in Kong Xiangrui –
Lu Shanglei, Xinghua 2024, a game that White went on to win
despite the 200-point rating disparity.

176

15. g5!
White will take on f6, getting control over the important, central
light squares, especially the one on d5. This is an idea which we’ll
see a lot in our Sicilian chapters as well.
15...h6
Black asks us to resolve the tension between the bishop and knight
instead of enduring the pin.
Another example saw: 15... c4!? 16. bd2 b6! The knight is
excellently placed on b6, fighting for the d5-square. (16... xb2??
leaves Black in a disastrous state after 17. b3. 16... xd2?!
17. xd2!? leaves White with a large advantage due to the clear plan
of transferring the knight to d5, via f1 and e3.)
17. h2! A great idea we should do well to remember, seen in Tari –
Shirov, Toledo 2021, and other high-level games. The f3-knight,
which was the one furthest away from d5, joins the struggle for that

177

square and gets ready to transfer itself to g4 and e3. White’s ideas
also include f3/b3 and, in some cases, c3-c4.
16. xf6

xf6

17. bd2
Similarly to what we saw above, White wants to play
reroute the f3-knight towards d5.

h2 next and

17. fd2!? is a funny-looking alternative, clearing the f3-square and
sneakily thinking about e3-f3. More to the point though, after c3c4 and trades on c4, the b1-knight can immediately hop towards d5
via c3.
17... d7?!
The only move seen in practice.
Better is 17... b7N, but White has a comfortable position in many
ways, for example with 18.b4!?, playing against the black knight.
18... d8 can be answered with 19. d5!?.
18.b4! c6 19. f1! e7 20. e3 ec8 21. c1
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Black was solid, but White was clearly better in Sethuraman –
Visakh, Biel 2022. At any point, White can play c3-c4, while d5 is
also on the cards.

Conclusion
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3
d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 leads to the old main lines of the Ruy Lopez,
resulting from Black’s classical approach of starting with 7...d6.
They are the lines that have at times been referred to as the "Spanish
torture". Black always has a super-solid game and a relatively safe
king, but White’s better control of the centre and slightly more
active pieces are usually enough to ensure an advantage, even if
small.
We saw two more concrete attempts by Black, Gajewski’s 10...d5
and Romanishin’s double capture on d4. But with a bit of
knowledge on our part, these lines prove to be inadequate for Black
for equality.
We then moved on to the Chigorin, first with 11... d7 and then
with 11... c7. But we easily proved that the modern approach of
closing the centre with 12.d5! and then attacking on the kingside
leaves Black in a terribly unpleasant situation. I would once again
urge you to pay special attention to the model games provided, as
both Stockfish – Koivisto and Topalov – Shirov are extremely
instructive in showcasing the way to attack on the kingside.
Then there is the Breyer. There was a time, around ten years ago,
when I was excited, analysing the Breyer for my correspondence
games. This opening gave me many wins, the title of the
International Master in correspondence chess, and allowed me to
publish the well-received Playing 1.e4 e5 . I still think that the
system is fully playable, but I also came to appreciate just how
179

strong 11.c4!? is in OTB chess. We don’t need to learn much, apart
from White’s main plan, and we’ll almost always get a safe position
with some extra space.
The story about the Zaitsev (and other systems that keep the knight
on c6) is similar. After 11.a3! White’s plan is easy to understand
and implement, and will always lead to an easy-to-handle and
fighting position. The engine might insist on giving 0.00 if Black
plays perfectly, but I think White always keeps a small practical
edge due to the easy plan of trying to conquer the d5-square.
These closed lines with 7...d6, despite their historical significance
and theoretical value, are I think one of the main reasons why White
players tend to gravitate towards the Ruy Lopez. Up next is
something much harder to gain an advantage against.

180

Chapter 6
Anti-Marshall
Introduction & 8...d5?!
1.e4 e5 2. f3
0-0

c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4

f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3

Black threatens the Marshall Attack, bullying White away from
playing c2-c3.
8.h3!
This is my suggestion. But is this better than putting a pawn on c3?
Why can’t Black strike with ...d7-d5 even here? Let’s briefly
explain things by looking at the main line, the Marshall proper:
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After 8.c3 d5! 9.exd5 xd5 10. xe5 xe5 11. xe5 c6! , which is
the main line of the Marshall Attack, one of White’s main problems
is that the b1-knight is thwarted by the presence of a pawn on c3. In
such a position, having a pawn on h3 instead of c3 would greatly
benefit us. (11... b7 is another trendy line, which is actually simpler
and recent practice has proved its soundness.)
By the way, starting with 7...0-0 is not a superior move order
compared to 7...d6 – it’s just different. For example, after 7...d6 8.a4
Black can reply with the natural 8... d7. In contrast, if we were now
to go for 8.a4, there is no 8... d7, and Black would have to make a
small concession in order to protect the pawn on b5. This is one of
the main reasons that people not aiming to play the Marshall start
with 7...d6, and almost only those willing to answer 8.c3 with 8...d5
start by castling.
This a2-a4 idea is also a good direction for White – but while
working on this book, I discovered that Black can play 8... b7 9.d3
d5!?, which is a similar idea to the one examined in the main line of
this chapter, where we go for 8.h3. Despite its rarity, it seems to me
that this line would leave Black with a fully satisfactory position.
Before looking at lines that have any actual theoretical relevance,
let’s briefly illustrate what happens if Black does insist on playing in
the style of the Marshall Attack, despite us having the pawn on h3
instead of c3:
8...d5?! 9.exd5

xd5 10. xe5

The h2-h3 move is much more useful than c2-c3, if we compare this
with the Marshall main line.
10... xe5 11. xe5

182

11...c6?!
This is Black’s main option in the true Marshall, so it makes sense
to examine it also here. It is the most popular option for Black in
this case as well.
11... b7? runs into 12. f3! , when Black either loses material or is
forced into playing ...c7-c6 anyway.
Better than supporting the knight in this version is to remove it from
d5, for example with 11... f6!?, but a good answer is: 12.a4 b7

183

13. e1! Followed by d2-d3 and c3, White will be able to complete
development in natural fashion, and Black doesn’t have enough for
the pawn.
Also inadequate is: 11... b6!? 12.d3 c5

184

13. c3! Not fearing ...c5-c4, when White is left with a small
advantage after all the forced moves: 13...c4 14.dxc4 bxc4 15. xd8!
xd8 16. a4 As seen in Dushin – Lyukmanov, corr. 2003. Black
has nothing better than exchanging on a4 and trying to hold the
endgame down a pawn.
12. e1!
Protecting the queen on d1 means that, after a capture on c3, we can
recapture with the d-pawn.
12... d6

13. c3!
Since the knight cannot be maintained on d5, there was no reason
for Black to try and do so on move 11. Black has no compensation
for the pawn at this point. All the difference with the standard
Marshall Attack is made by the c3-square being vacant for the
knight on b1.
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The modern 8... a5!?
If 8...d5?! is bad, then what should Black do? 8...d6 would defeat
the purpose of starting with 7...0-0, as it would allow us to simply
play 9.c3! and transpose to the classical main lines examined in the
previous chapter. So, Black tries to look in a different direction, and
by far the most logical move that remains is to develop the final
minor piece with 8... b7!.
However, the nerds among us will already be thinking: "But what
about Carlsen’s 8... a5?". Indeed, the first game of the 2021 World
Championship match began with:
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
0-0 8.h3 a5!?

f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3

Black boldly abandons the pawn on e5, but gets to capture the
powerful Ruy Lopez bishop on b3. In the game, this worked well for
Carlsen, but there are two important points to be made regarding the
validity of this line. Firstly, Carlsen did not repeat it in any of the
186

later games and, secondly, not all lines that are a good fit for a
World Championship match are also suitable for normal players. If
Black is aiming to hold a pawn-down endgame, we can trust Carlsen
to succeed. But most of the opponents we mortals meet over the
board don’t possess Carlsen’s skillset.
Returning to matters on the chessboard, we are left with no choice
but to grab the pawn on offer:
9. xe5

xb3 10.axb3 b7 11.d3 d5 12.exd5

xd5 13. f3!

We are a pawn up, so a queen swap is welcome.
13... d6!
Black removes the dark-squared bishop from its precarious spot on
e7, threatens the knight on e5 (with ... xe5!), and tries to claim
good compensation for the missing pawn due to the pair of bishops.
Soon, the queens will be traded, and this type of endgame, with one
side having an extra pawn and the other side having the pair of
bishops, is commonly referred to in modern chess as "Marshall
Endgames", even if they don’t arise directly from the Marshall
Attack.
This is actually one of the common high-level ways to draw a game
in correspondence chess: if your opponent has you under positional
pressure, the two bishops have fantastic drawing potential. On the
other hand, we shouldn’t be unhappy as White with this. I remind
you: this is a repertoire to serve a practical player. In practice, Black
is the one that needs to prove equality.

187

14. xd5!?
Possibly best is 14. f1!, using the king to protect the rook on e1
and inviting Black to take on f3. Before the match, all this was
known theory and supposed to be better for White. But Carlsen’s
team came up with a new idea: 14... fb8! According to statements
by Carlsen’s seconds after the match, they were aware that White is
a bit better, but they still thought that this positional sacrifice suited
Carlsen’s style. After 15. xd5 xd5 16. d2! c5 White remained a
bit better in Nepomniachtchi – Carlsen, Dubai (1) 2021, but Carlsen
comfortably held a draw and even put White under a bit of pressure
later in the game.
My suggestion has the benefit of being a bit simpler.
14... xd5

188

The earliest grandmaster game I could find in my database was
Korneev – Nataf, Evora 2006. More games were played after that,
but none saw the following move:
15. a3!N
Usually the knight isn’t great on the rim, but this knight performs
two important tasks: it defends c2 (which is relevant as at any point
Black might play ... b4), and it allows us to play d3-d4 and c2-c4
followed by c2, when the knight helps every stage of the plan by
supporting c4 and then protecting the weakness created on b4. I
think that White is slightly but clearly better, as Black is the one
trying to hold, and we are the ones trying to push. In the absence of
practical examples, let’s briefly mention what the engines suggest as
best:
15...f6 16. f3 fd8

189

16... b4 doesn’t change anything for White. We play 17. d1 and
plan to continue with c2-c3.

17. d1!
Followed by slowly but surely pushing the queenside majority.
White has a small but safe edge, and Black needs to play well to
prove full compensation.

The quiet 8... b7! & 9...d6
So, 8... a5!? isn’t bad, but it’s not 100% reliable, and it’s not for
everyone. Hence, the main line and Black’s best direction is:
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3
0-0 8.h3 b7!

190

Black is hoping for 9.c3?! d5!, getting an even better version of the
Marshall Attack, as having the bishop on b7 is clearly more useful
than having a pawn on h3. However, we know already that when
this bishop goes to b7, White’s best strategy is:
9.d3!
Typical stuff. We solidify the pawn on e4, trying to claim that the
bishop on b7 is misplaced and biting on granite. Black is at a
crossroads: the Marshall spirit suggests 9...d5, but playing quietly
also doesn’t seem so terrible. After all, in the end it might look like
a good Zaitsev; that’s a nice narrative for Black. In that spirit, many
players have opted for:
9...d6
Black is threatening ... a5.
10.a3!
191

White preserves the all-important bishop and plans to continue with
c3-e2-g3 (or d2-f1-g3). With the black bishop on b7 not
covering the f5-square, White’s knight on g3 will be strong – that’s
not the first time we’ve mentioned this concept.
We already discussed the position after 10.c3 on page 82, via a
different move order. It’s playable for White, but not all that
promising. The difference here is that our bishop will be much more
active on a2 than on c2.

At this point Black can choose between a few different moves. They
all look similar, and some thought might be required on our part to
understand how to meet all of them effectively. However, they all
share one common theme, as Black should try to either make use of,
or somehow justify, the placement of the bishop on b7.
10... d7
This is one of the popular ways to play with Black, and what I
consider the most logical and the most challenging of all Black’s
192

various options. Black’s plan is to follow up with ... d8 and ... e6,
fixing the problem of the c6-knight and connecting the rooks, and
hoping to use the b7-bishop effectively on the square where it
currently stands.
10...h6 is generally useful but looks quite slow. We stick to the plan
with 11. c3 e8 12. d5, and Black is under some pressure, as all
of our pieces are better than their counterparts. For example,
12... f8 13.c3 , as in Eschert – Gromotka, corr. 2017. We want to
attack on the kingside, exploiting the current disparity in the activity
of the pieces. One interesting way to do that would be h2 followed
by e3, sometimes even combined with taking on f6. Our lightsquared bishop targeting f7 is especially powerful, while the black
bishop on b7 is notably useless where it currently stands.
10... e8 11. c3 doesn’t have any independent value, as typically
Black will follow up with either ... d7, ...h6 or ... b8.
10... b8 is the typical Breyer manoeuvre, but I don’t like it in this
particular case. Even though it doesn’t make a huge difference,
partly as a matter of principle I suggest we go for 11. bd2!, since
the plan with c3-d5 doesn’t make so much sense against this black
setup. Now a normal line would be: 11... bd7 12. f1 e8 13. g3

193

Our knight reaches f5. Top players – including Magnus Carlsen –
have regularly defended this position as Black, relying on a timely
central counterpunch. However, I firmly believe that the practical
aspects of the position seriously favour White, who has a much
easier task, and even top players have often failed to parry the
upcoming attack. Let’s see one example: 13...c6 14. f5 f8 15. h2
d5 16. f3 Using textbook Ruy Lopez manoeuvres, White has
managed to gather an impressive number of pieces around the black
king.

194

16... c7 17. g5 e6 18. g3 The threat of h6+ isn’t easy to
defend against without making further concessions, and Black was
under tremendous pressure in Kramnik – Almasi, Belfort 2004.
The old-fashioned main line that still has the most games in the
database is: 10... a5 The classic Chigorin manoeuvre, hitting the
bishop and clearing the way for the pawn to come to c5. 11. a2 c5
White has a pleasant choice:

195

a) The plan with 12. c3!? c6 13. d2 followed by d5 and b2b4 was seen in Erigaisi – Azarov, Baku 2023, and is more than
playable. White has the more active pieces and will get good play in
the centre and on the queenside.
b) But the classic plan of attacking on the kingside is also quite
promising. After 12. bd2!? c6 13. f1 the knight is ready to
appear on g3 and f5, and it is crucial for Black to play 13... c8!.
Indeed, that’s how most games have continued. The light-squared
bishop will return to action on e6, neutralizing some of the pressure
exerted against the black kingside. Still, after 14.c3 e6 15. xe6
fxe6 16.b4! White has scored an impressive 66.7% in a position that
features a structure nowadays commonly reached through the
Italian. Black’s centre is under pressure, and the pressure will
increase if we’re allowed to continue improving our pieces. Thus it
becomes logical for Black to consider immediate action in the centre
with ...d6-d5, but that weakens the e5-square even further.
Both plans are good for White, so I will leave choosing one of them
to you and your style. Now let’s return to the more challenging
black approach starting with 10... d7:
196

11. c3!
This knight can either go to g3 via e2 or to d5, depending on how
Black plays.
11... fe8
The immediate 11... d8 allows 12.d4 .

12. d2!
A useful semi-waiting move. We develop our final minor piece,
waiting for the knight to retreat to d8.
12... d8
If Black joins in on the waiting game with 12...h6, then we can insist
that we’re better at this game and go 13. a2!?. This is not the only
good move, but it makes sense. The bishop moves away from any
possible attacks by ... a5 or ... d4. All plans remain on the table,
d5 possibly being the main one, followed by c2-c4 and b2-b4. But
nothing stops us from also reconsidering e2-g3 as well.
197

Apart from those ideas, I like how 13... f8 can also be met by
14. h4! , which might come as a slight shock to Black, as it is
quite hard to stop g6 and xf8, grabbing the bishop pair. By the
way, going for this earlier would have invited ... d4, threatening
the bishop on b3, which is now safely tucked away on a2. After
14... h7 in Nenneman – Parushev, corr. 2019, White’s simplest
approach would have been:

15.f4!N Followed by f1, with excellent play for White. One might
wonder what would happen after 15...exf4 16. xf4 g5?, but
17. xg5! hxg5 18. f1! gives White a winning attack.
13. d5!
This comes at exactly the right moment. White wants to take on e7
and grab the bishop pair, and the bishop cannot move away and
allow us to ruin the black structure by taking on f6.
13... xd5
This is what Black would like to play.
198

14.exd5

The pawn on d5 makes the knight on d8 look extremely silly. Up
next is c2-c4, with a queenside initiative. Let’s follow a model
game:
14...f6
A logical move, trying to improve the knight by bringing it to f7.
14...f5? runs into 15. xe5! dxe5 16.d6+ with a large positional
advantage for White.
Ding tried to prelude ...f7-f5 with 14...c5 in a famous game, but after
15.a4! f5? it turned out that White anyway gets a great advantage
with: 16.axb5 axb5 17. xa8 xa8 18.c4! f7 19.cxb5 The extra
pawn is actually quite significant, and Black doesn’t have enough
activity to justify the material deficit. White ultimately won in
spectacular fashion in Vachier-Lagrave – Ding Liren, Ekaterinburg
2020.
15.c4 f7 16. c1 f8 17. a5
199

The clouds start gathering over the black queenside.
17...c5 18.dxc6 xc6

19.d4!
The game explodes, and the side with the more active pieces will
come out on top.
19... ec8 20.dxe5 dxe5 21.c5
White had managed to obtain a fantastic position against one of the
all-time great Marshall experts in F. Svane – Adams, Germany
2022.

The critical 9...d5!
As we saw, 9...d6 is playable for Black, but it allows White good
chances to gain a small advantage in typical "Closed Spanish"
fashion. Hence, it comes as no surprise that many Marshall players
want to refrain from this Spanish Torture they were anyway trying
200

to avoid when choosing 7...0-0, and they looked for a different
direction:
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4
0-0 8.h3 b7 9.d3 d5!

f6 5.0-0 e7 6. e1 b5 7. b3

The critical line against our approach with 8.h3. Black claims that
the inclusion of the last two moves (8... b7 and 9.d3 ) makes the
sacrifice sound once again. And, indeed, it works, but White has
sound development and much better chances to fight for an edge
when compared to the actual Marshall Attack.
White’s best is to take the pawn on offer, after which Black hopes
that the active black pieces will guarantee enough counterplay. In
most cases, Black will gain the bishop pair and often aim for an
endgame with a pawn down, hoping to hold a "Marshall Endgame".
One of the reasons these endgames can be OK for the defender is
because bishops are excellent at hunting down knights. Black, the
side with the bishop pair, will constantly threaten to transform the
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endgame into one with opposite-coloured bishops, where the extra
pawn wouldn’t amount too much.
This seems like a philosophical discussion at this point, with the
endgame so far away, but it is important to understand why in many
cases simply trading pieces wouldn’t fit the bill.
Let’s now return to reality:
10.exd5

xd5 11. xe5!

White has some more nuanced approaches like 11.a4!?, but simply
taking the pawn is at least as strong and definitely simpler.
11... xe5
The trendier of the two approaches for Black.
Another extensively tested possibility is:
11... d4
This isn’t as active as the text move, and Black surrenders a portion
of the initiative. Nevertheless, eliminating the strong bishop on b3
and gaining the pair of bishops is a fully sound, positional approach.
12. d2!
The knight directs itself towards f3.
12. c3!? is another idea, which also happens to illuminate an
important difference between 8.h3 and 8.a4. If we had our pawn on
a4, Black would now be able to ruin our structure by taking on b3.
Anyway, I’ll let you examine this on your own; I have enough faith
in my main suggestion.
12...c5 13. df3 xb3 14.axb3

202

Black indeed has enough positional compensation to hold, but
White has a safe position with an extra pawn. Apart from playing it
slowly with d2 and g4-e3, White could also aim for d3-d4. We
don’t need to remember anything beyond this point, but let me
briefly illustrate some of the main themes:
14...f6
14... e8 can be met by 15.c3!?, waiting for ...f6 to continue as our
main line. (If you want to keep the queenside solid with 15. d2,
that’s also an option.) But the text move is better at moving forward.
After 15... d6 16.d4! the line may continue: 16...cxd4 17. xd4 c7
18. d3 xe1+ 19. fxe1 Followed by d2 and c3-c4 or b3-b4. We
are already almost on move 20, and the evaluation is similar: Black
is super-solid but slightly suffering, with no clear way to reach full
equality. Top Marshall players have mastered the skill of playing
these positions confidently, not caring about the extra pawn. Apart
from it being irrelevant for most of us who are not competing
against these superstars, even at their level pushing an extra pawn
without any risk sometimes pays off.
15. g4 d7 16.d4!?
203

16.c3, 16. d2 and 16. e3 are also good, more patient choices.
16...cxd4 17. xd4 ad8 18. e3 b4 19. xd7 xd7 20. e2!
White won in 69 moves in Clover – Velvet, engine game 2023. If
you’re wondering, the engines were of a similar strength. In these
positions it will take patience to convert the extra pawn but, as we
said many times already, Black’s task is much tougher.
12. xe5

12... d6!
The prescribed method. Black wins a tempo against White’s loose
rook on e5 and gets ready to fight for the e-file.
In a high-level encounter, Black played 12... f6 13. e1 c5, but after
14. d2! c7 15. e4 White was threatening xd5 and xf6+, and
had a typical small advantage in Maghsoodloo – Nepomniachtchi,
Internet (rapid) 2022.
13. e1 ae8 14. d2!
204

One way to counter the bishop pair is to put our pieces on nice,
stable central squares. In this case, White wants to put the knight on
e4. At this stage of the game, we need to be a bit careful, as Black’s
pieces are active, and it isn’t hard to imagine that ... f4, ... g6 and
... d6 could occur, creating a dangerous attack.
14...c5
For now, 14... f4? 15. e4
15. e4

e5 16. g4+– doesn’t work for Black.

c6!

If the queen went to most other squares, a small improving move
(let’s say d2, or even c2-c3) would keep an edge for White – and if
15... g6?, we have: 16. g4!

With the queen on c6, Black has annoying ideas involving ...c5-c4,
and the possible checkmate threat on g2 is somewhat disconcerting.
That’s why we need to remember the next two moves:
16.c4!

b6
205

This is the only challenging square for the knight, because from here
it creates the threat of ...bxc4 without allowing our bishop to take
back on c4.
17.f3!
We can stop here. The are many games in my database where Black
got into some trouble. One notable example is Maghsoodloo – Ding
Liren, Internet (rapid) 2021, and another one is Cheparinov –
Vitiugov, Isle of Man 2023. Currently, White’s main threat is to
simply develop the bishop on e3 or f4, stabilizing our position. But
Black will not idly sit and wait, and, amidst the complications, one
of White’s main ideas is to take on b5 followed by a2-a4. For the
most diligent of readers out there, the key game continued:

17... h4 18. f1

Black has prevented both e3 and f4.

206

19.cxb5! axb5 20.a4! c4 21.dxc4 bxa4 22. xa4
c6 24. a1 xe4 25.fxe4 xc4

26.b3!

xa4 23. xa4

26... xe4?! 27. a4! e7 28. a3 e3+ 29. h1 e7 30. e1 forces
Black to give up the queen, with a defensible but unpleasant
position.
27. a3 e7 28. xe7 xe7 29. d5

b6+ 30. h1

This was the aforementioned game between Cheparinov and
Vitiugov. We are on move 30, and White remains a pawn up. Black
has decent counterplay and should objectively hold, but even
Vitiugov got into some trouble later in the game. All in all, I find
this a promising direction for White.

Conclusion
Contrary to our approach in the majority of this book, in this chapter
we went down one of the huge main lines. We allowed Black to
207

carry out the typical Marshall-style pawn sacrifice with ...d5, but, as
we discussed, that is almost impossible to prevent anyway, since it
can happen even against 8.a4.
After 8... b7 9.d3 the quieter lines with 9...d6 are a viable
alternative for Black, but always offer White the slightly easier
game. We reply with 10. a3!, creating a square for our bishop on a2
and getting ready to transfer our b1-knight to the kingside. The most
challenging black approach in my view is 10... d7, followed by
getting the knight to e6, but our nuanced approach that waits for
... d8 before jumping with the knight to d5 gives us a nice small
plus.
Hence, Black’s 9...d5! is critical, but the game Cheparinov –
Vitiugov nicely illustrates White’s chances. We’ll remain a pawn up
for a long time, possibly for the whole game. Black will always hold
with perfect play, but we’ll be the ones pressing, and it won’t be
easy for Black to always play accurately. There is not much more
we could hope for against the main opening of the modern era
World Championship matches.

208

Chapter 7
Other Spanish Lines
Introduction
In this final chapter of the Ruy Lopez portion of the book, we’ll
examine a few less common continuations. Despite them not being
the most theoretically challenging, they should be studied and
respected, as they’re quite likely to be encountered at the board –
many people like to experiment with offbeat options against the
Spanish! What you can remember is that, in general, against most
rare moves we play a quick d2-d4 whenever possible.
Most of these rare systems can be tried in two versions: with or
without the inclusion of 3...a6 and 4. a4. Thus, to avoid any
confusion, we shall examine them in pairs. We’ll start with the one
that simply doesn’t work when 3...a6 and 4. a4 are included.

Bird’s Defence – 3... d4?!
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5

d4?!

3...a6 4. a4 d4? is just nonsense when the bishop on b5 isn’t at
least vulnerable to ...c7-c6.

209

Black hits the bishop on b5 and invites the trade of knights. But this
moves the same piece twice and accepts a weakening of the
structure, so it’s not very impressive.
4. xd4 exd4 5. c4!?
I really like this. The idea is that our bishop on b5 would be hit with
...c7-c6 anyway, so it makes sense to move it. More importantly,
we’re at the same time stopping the natural idea of ... c5.
5... f6
This is the most logical.
5... c5?? loses to 6. xf7+ xf7 7. h5+ followed by 8. xc5.
But Black can also play 5...d5!? 6.exd5 f6 7.0-0, transposing to
the main line.
6.0-0!

210

6...d5!
This counterintuitive solution is by far Black’s best.
6... xe4? runs into 7. xf7+! xf7 8. h5+ g6 9. d5+, when the
black king remains in some danger and White has chances to win a
pawn on d4.
6...d6?! allows 7.d3, when White stabilizes the superior structure
and holds a safe positional advantage. Up next is b1-d2-f3.
7.exd5 e7
7... xd5 is risky after 8. h5!? followed by e1+.
8. e1
This was Kastner – Bruno, corr. 2019. White will continue with d2d3, h2-h3, bd2 and so on, with a small but stable advantage.

Classical – 3... c5 & 4... c5
211

Moving on to more sensible stuff, there are systems with an early
... c5. Those resemble the Archangel, but aren’t as good, as we’re
faster at accomplishing c2-c3 and d2-d4, claiming the centre and
winning a tempo against the bishop on c5.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6
Of the two versions, the one with the inclusion of 3...a6 and 4. a4 is
much better.
Against 3... c5 we play 4.c3! followed by d2-d4, building a strong
centre. By the way, we only gain a small edge after this – don’t
expect us to be winning in every line that isn’t a main one. We can’t
outright refute Black’s position when a developing move is played
on every turn. (4.0-0 allows 4... d4! which in this case doesn’t
damage the black structure. This is an important idea that we
shouldn’t allow.) The game could continue: 4... f6 5.0-0

This position can also arise via a Berlin move order. 5...0-0
(5... xe4? is an ancient continuation that loses to 6. e2! xf2+
7. h1!. It wouldn’t hurt to remember this; the first game that
212

featured 5... xe4? in my database was played in 1850, and the first
one to feature the refutation was played in 1993!) 6.d4 b6 Now a
nice move is 7.a4!, threatening xc6 followed by a4-a5.
4. a4 c5
This is a far trendier and likelier-to-encounter continuation.
5.c3

ge7!?

5... f6?! 6.d4 is excellent for White once again.

This is a well-known sideline regularly employed by Nakamura
among other notable names. So, it isn’t unreasonable to expect to
face it once in a while.
6.0-0!
Aiming for d2-d4 without allowing a check on b4.
6.d4 allows 6...exd4 7.cxd4 b4+ followed by ...d7-d5, when Black
gains decent chances to equalize.
213

6... g6 7.d4 a7
Black has held on to the e5-pawn. But the good thing with the Ruy
Lopez is that we can usually make natural moves and end up in a
good position. This is exactly one of these cases.
8. e1 0-0

9. e3!
Some people like to include g5 and ...f7-f6, but I prefer going
immediately to e3. We will continue with bd2 next, with an easy
game. The most reasonable way to proceed for Black was shown by
the main advocate of the cause.
9...d6 10. bd2

214

10...h6
10...exd4!? is a common motif when g5 and ...f7-f6 are included;
in the structure after 11.cxd4 a pawn on f6 would have been useful
in helping Black play for ...d6-d5.
In this case, the immediate 11...d5?!N would run into 12. xc6!?
bxc6 13.e5 followed by ac1. Black doesn’t have enough dynamic
counterplay to justify the weaknesses.
And trying to prepare ...d6-d5 with 11... ce7 can nicely be
answered with 12.d5!? stopping ...d6-d5, fixing a weakness on c7,
and ensuring a small but stable advantage for White in Andreikin –
Petrov, Sochi 2021.
11.h3

A less concrete approach such us 11... ce7 leaves White with a
small advantage after 12. f1 followed by g3, c2, d2 and so
on, just bringing all the pieces into play and supporting the centre.
215

We have been following Firouzja – Nakamura, Internet (blitz) 2024.
White should play:

12. f1!N
It must have been due to the short time control that Firouzja
refrained from this most natural continuation.
12... ce7 13. g3
The centre is stabilized, and White enjoys a sizeable advantage.
There is already a large threat of h5, winning material.
In conclusion, these tries to develop the bishop on c5 on move 3 or 4
are just about playable, but not fully satisfactory for Black.

Jaenisch – 3...f5!? & 4...f5?!
Let’s move on to one of the more extravagant tries in Black’s
arsenal:
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 f5!?
216

The always fighting and always annoying, semi-sound Jaenisch (or
Schliemann) Gambit. This time, not including 3...a6 and 4. a4 is
the more serious of the two versions.
However, Praggnanandhaa stunned the world by playing a line with
a terrible reputation and winning against Vidit an important game in
the Toronto Candidates:
3...a6 4. a4 f5?!
Now, White is supposed to go:
5.d4! exd4
5...fxe4?! 6. xe5 is highly problematic for Black. Via the 3...f5!?
move order examined in the main line below, Black would have
been able here to take on e5, play ...c7-c6 hitting the bishop on b5,
and then pick up the pawn on e5 with ... a5+. But here
...c7-c6 wouldn’t come with a tempo, and Black is simply out of
good moves.
6.e5
It was common theoretical knowledge that White has a great
position here. But the aforementioned game continued with Pragg
blitzing out his moves:
6...b5 7. b3 a5!

217

At this point, Vidit being unprepared didn’t manage to get the most
out of his position. Best is:
8. xd4! b7
Also excellent for White is8... xb3 9.axb3 b7 10. c3 , when
Black has no good way to complete development.
9. d5! c6 10. xg8! xg8 11. c3 c5 12. d3
White was dominating in Ragger – Dionisi, Chartres 2024. Black’s
position is loose and hard to handle.
Now let’s return to the Jaenisch Gambit:

218

4.d4!
A practical way to meet the gambit, nicely fitting in with the
approach shown in the note above.
4...fxe4!
4...exd4? 5.e5! should transpose to the note above after 5...a6 6. a4.
5. xc6!
An important move, without which Black would have an advantage.
White will take on e5 with the knight, and Black will have to live
with a weak pawn on e4 for the rest of the game. Engines think
Black is OK, but I have found out that in practice, it is a much
simpler position to play for White. The Iranian star Parham
Maghsoodloo seems to also believe that, as the following game
demonstrates:
5...dxc6
219

Also somewhat uncomfortable for Black is 5...bxc6 6. xe5
7.0-0 followed by c3.
6. xe5

f6 7.0-0

White will play
heat.

c3 next, and the e4-pawn will start feeling the

7... d6
It is normal for a Jaenisch player to want to play actively, but this
move is a bit questionable, since g5 will pin the knight on f6 and
undermine the defence of the pawn on e4.
Another high-level example saw: 7... e7 8. c3 0-0 In Bharath –
Pranav, La Plagne 2023, White could have chosen the simple
9. e1N f5 10. e2! followed by g3. White has a pleasant edge.
Granted, with perfect play Black should stay close to equality, but
we are lucky we don’t often face Stockfish in our tournament
games.
8. c3
220

Brunello only considers 8. f4 in his coverage of this sideline in
Attacking the Spanish .
8... e7 9. g5!
Black was already under pressure in Maghsoodloo – Timmermans,
Internet (blitz) 2021. An important line is:
9... xe5N 10.dxe5

xe5 11. xf6

xf6 12. h5+!

12...g6? runs into 13. xe4! with a winning advantage for White.

13. e5+

e7 14. xe7+

xe7 15. ae1!

White’s initiative has carried over to the endgame. The a1-rook
went to e1 so that if Black’s king tries to hide on the f-file we could
blast the centre open with f2-f3 instead of simply taking back on e4.
If you want a larger advantage against the Jaenisch you could
potentially look elsewhere, but I like the simplicity and clarity of
this approach.
221

Smyslov – 3...g6 & 4...g6?!
Another way to play for Black is to try and fianchetto the darksquared bishop with ...g7-g6 and ... g7.
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5 g6

The Smyslov Variation.
As far as ...g7-g6 systems are concerned, not including 3...a6 is
better for Black. By the way, these systems with a quick ...g7-g6
have been employed by many strong players and should be treated
with respect. Black’s positional concept is quite sound, as the darksquared bishop will be excellently placed on g7. It would protect the
king that usually castles kingside, support the centre, and fight
against White’s efforts to build a large pawn centre with d2-d4.
Black anyway often reroutes the bishop to g7 at a later stage of the
game in the classical main lines of the Closed Spanish.
Nevertheless, starting with the fianchetto has a clear drawback: it
momentarily neglects Black’s development, and we can try to
punish that approach by immediately creating confrontation in the
centre.
Let’s start by examining the worse of the two lines for Black:
3...a6 4. a4 g6?!

222

With the bishop on a4 instead of b5, it is strong for White to play
5.d4!, followed by simply taking back on d4 with the knight.
Black’s best way of avoiding disaster is: 5...b5! (The problem with
Black’s move order is illustrated after: 5...exd4 6. xd4 g7 7. xc6
bxc6 Sadly for Black, this move doesn’t come with tempo. In open,
sharp positions like this one, one tempo is enough to alter the
evaluation completely. We will simply develop with 8. c3, and
Black is already in a pickle, with no good developing move
available. The most natural 8... e7?! is too passive, and after 9. e3
followed by d2 and 0-0-0 White is almost winning already.) 6. b3
exd4

223

7.a4! This is a nice move whenever Black is too hasty with pushing
the queenside pawns. I already prefer White, and a recent game
continued: 7...b4 8. xd4 a5 9. a2 g7 10.c3 c5 11.cxb4! White
was slightly but clearly better due to the weakened state of the black
camp in Kollars – Chigaev, Karlsruhe 2024.
4.d4!
Again we chose the approach of breaking in the centre immediately,
without any c2-c3 preparations. We already said in the introduction
to this chapter that this would be our approach whenever possible.
4...exd4

224

5. g5!
But now we change tack, since xd4 and xc6 would allow Black
to win a tempo against the b5-bishop after ...bxc6. As mentioned in
the note above, that tempo makes a huge difference.
5... e7
Black wasn’t hoping for this when playing 3...g6, but it’s the only
move.
5... ge7? allows 6. f6 .
6. xe7 xe7
Against 6... gxe7 we will simply play 7. xd4 followed by
Black’s position looks weird without a bishop on g7.
7.0-0!
This is not a new move, but its venom has been significantly
underestimated.
225

c3.

The main line is 7. xc6 dxc6 8. xd4 which isn’t bad, but I believe
that the text move is far more threatening.
7... f6
7... b4!? invites White to take on c6 and d4 and get a good version
of the 7. xc6 line mentioned above, but I would also be tempted by
8.c4!? and trying to outright punish Black’s principle-bending
approach.

8.e5!
I like this direct way of playing. White tries to highlight Black’s
slow development and dark-square weaknesses.
8... d5
8... h5 is met by 9.c3!, when Black really shouldn’t take on c3 and
invite the knight forward.
9. bd2!
226

We play around the pawn on d4, prioritizing development. We can
always regain the pawn with xc6.
9...0-0 10. e1

Now e4 is a big threat. When the knight arrives at e4, White can
continue with d1-d2-h6, or with c2-c4, kicking the knight out of
d5, and then f6+. Black has a difficult practical task up ahead.
We’ll follow a game, where an experienced IM with Black did a
good job of trying to "become annoying". This is what you should
expect from strong opponents.
10... b4?!
This is frowned upon by the engine, but it’s hard to suggest anything
that keeps Black’s position under control.
11. c4!

b6 12. b3 d5!

Black needed to stop
13.exd6

xd6 14. e4

e4.
d8 15. d2!
227

Defending against

h6.

16. ad1?
Spoiling all the advantage.
Both 16.h3! and 16.c3! were strong.
16... g4!
Black had just enough counterplay in Brodsky – Ippolito, Charlotte
2023.
I don’t believe that our line refutes the 3...g6 Spanish, but that
wasn’t the goal. There are a few more ambitious lines, which
present Black with a tougher theoretical task. However, I’m quite
confident that we’re going to catch most Black players off guard.
Moreover, our approach is quite forcing, it’s easy to understand and
easy to remember. That’s exactly what we need when facing a
sideline.

Cozio Defence–3... ge7
228

The final type of sidelines we shall examine will see the black g8knight quickly go to e7. Let’s start by checking what happens
without 3...a6 and 4. a4 included.
1.e4 e5 2. f3

c6 3. b5

ge7

The Cozio Defence. This line became quite popular lately, with
modern engines breathing new life into the opening. The knight
looks a bit weird on e7, but it does serve a few purposes. It protects
its counterpart on c6, and it is ready to go to g6 if needed, from
where it will defend the pawn on e5 and clear the way for the f8bishop. Another development scheme for Black would be to return
to an approach with a kingside fianchetto with ...g7-g6 and ... g7.
4.d4!
This is the simplest way to get an easy advantage.
Against 4.c3 Black can play 4...d5! 5. xe5 dxe4, with a good
position. It is important that 6.0-0? runs into 6... d5!, with a double
229

attack. This is important, because Black wouldn’t have this resource
if the white bishop was on a4 instead of b5.
4...exd4 5. xd4

xd4

There is nothing better for Black.
GM Erwin L’Ami, in his Chessable course Erwin’s Opening Lab:
The Cozio Defense shows what’s wrong with 5...g6 while explaining
why Black needs to take on d4 instead: 6. xc6 xc6 7. d2!
Followed by c3, trading the dark-squared bishops. Other ways
exist, but this is just miserable for Black.
6. xd4 c6

7. e3!
The queen is safe on e3, and it stops Black from developing the f8bishop actively with ... c5.
7... e7 8.0-0!?

230

We could also try 8. c3 0-0 9. d2 planning to castle long, but after
9... b4! followed by ...c7-c6 Black gains annoying counterplay.
8...0-0 9. c3
This position has been seen quite a lot. White scores a healthy 60%
after putting the rook on d1, followed by d5. In general, these
positions with a stable pawn on e4 against a black one (about to be)
on d6, usually yield White at least a small edge due to the extra
space. One interesting example featuring top players was Giri –
Mamedyarov, Stavanger 2023.

Cozio Deferred – 4... ge7
Now let’s see what happens when 3...a6 and 4. a4 are included:
1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3. b5 a6 4. a4 ge7

A different approach is now best:
5.c3!
231

If White plays 5.d4, as when the bishop is still on b5, then Black has
5...exd4 6. xd4 xd4 7. xd4 c6 8. e3 b5!? 9. b3 d6! as seen
in Shirov – Grischuk, Internet (rapid) 2024. Black has much better
chances to obtain active counterplay, due to the extra space on the
queenside and more active placement of the dark-squared bishop.
5... g6
As we hinted while covering 3... ge7, 5...d5? is now bad for Black
after 6. xe5! . For example, after 6...dxe4 (6...b5 is more sensible
but anyway terrible) 7.0-0!? d5?! 8.d4 exd3 9. f4 White is
practically winning already due to the lead in development.
It is important to also mention:
5...g6 6.d4!
Slowing down to castle kingside would allow Black an acceptable
version of the
3...g6 Spanish which is outside the scope of this repertoire. But this
exact version is an unfortunate one for Black. Let’s briefly illustrate
the main concepts:
6...exd4 7.cxd4

232

White is already threatening d4-d5, against which the c6-knight
traditionally wants to go to a5.
7...b5!?
A decent try to trick us.
As promised,7... g7 is met with 8.d5 and after 8... a5 9. d2!
Black is positionally busted, as c3 comes next, trading the g7bishop. Predictably, taking on b2 is too dangerous. For example:
9... xb2 10. xa5 xa1 11. c3 b2 12. b3 White has a crushing
initiative.
8. c2!
It is important to choose c2, as going to b3 would leave the bishop
vulnerable to capture by a knight on a5.
8...d5!
Otherwise d4-d5 happens, so this is Black’s only viable option. We
can choose between taking on d5 or pushing the pawn to e5, with a
good advantage in both cases. It is mostly a matter of taste.
Let’s return to positions with a knight on g6 instead of a pawn.
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6.d4! exd4
I can’t think of any sensible alternatives.

7. xd4!?
The simplest and the most annoying for Black.
7.cxd4 allows 7... b4+ followed by ...d7-d5, with decent chances
for Black to equalize.
But adventurous spirits might want to examine 7.h4!?.
7... c5
It is instructive to note that 7... xd4?! 8.cxd4 b4+ 9. c3 has been
played a few times, but it is terrible for Black. The engines already
evaluate the position as +1.2. Why is it that with the knights on f3
and c6 Black has a reasonable position (as mentioned in the note to
7.cxd4), but without them it’s a large advantage for White?
For one, the knight’s absence from c6 means that the d7-pawn is
pinned for an extra move, not allowing Black to play ...d7-d5. More
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importantly, the knight on f3 was blocking the f2-pawn and could
have been a target of counterplay by Black who could pin that
knight with ... g4. In this version, Black has no counterplay, and
White is free to push the f-pawn and either support the centre or
even just run over Black on the kingside.
8. e3

Suddenly, the position resembles a Scotch. Such structures
commonly arise after 1.e4 e5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 exd4 4. xd4 c5
5. e3. But this is a nice version for us, due to the weird knight on
g6 and the nice, safe bishop on a4.
8... ce5
This is by far Black’s best way of defending against
was winning a piece.
9. f5!?

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xc6, which

There are other ways to play the position, like the ambitious
9. e2!?, keeping the option to castle long. But the text move is my
personal favourite.
9... xe3 10. xe3
White has more space and a safe, small advantage. We have many
easy moves available, and Black is the one burdened by the need to
create counterplay.
As these lines showed, both 3... ge7 and 4... ge7 have a right to
exist, and their rise in popularity is somewhat understandable, with
more and more players trying to think outside the box and come up
with more fighting solutions compared to the main ones we see at
the top. However, I’m more than happy with the simple and easy to
remember lines we have chosen.

Conclusion
In conclusion, these less often employed approaches for Black have
a reason behind their seldom and sporadic appearances. However,
we did not refute any of them – that’s just not the point. These lines
are less popular because they do not give Black either comfortable
or full equality, they’re not outright losing or anything of the sort.
After all, in most cases, Black’s moves are at least partly following
the general opening principles.
Hence, instead of trying too hard for large objective advantages that
are anyway impossible to accomplish, I opted for suggesting the
simplest and quickest solution I could find, always trying to keep a
consistent attitude. When preparing against lines that you’re not
going to meet often, picking an easy to remember and understand
approach is almost more important than being objective.

236

So that’s our coverage of the Ruy Lopez – and what a journey it
was! This is the opening of the World Championships, the "Spanish
Torture", the "Rolls Royce of Chess". White follows a simple
narrative: take advantage of the first move by creating threats,
develop, gain space, put the pieces on good squares. I tried to
always opt for fresh, simple, and easy approaches.
However, both against the Marshall and against the Berlin, we need
to remember some stuff. I am sorry for that, but there is no other
way: these are the toughest openings to crack in all of chess. At
least, in my defence, the moves proposed aren’t all that crazy and
mostly follow a common narrative.
Finally, I hold the strong opinion (and I am not alone), that a good
study of the Ruy Lopez tends to raise a player’s overall chess level.
The sheer volume of different patterns, structures, and skills
required to successfully employ it, make this opening a microcosm
of our game. Hopefully, this chapter will have helped you along the
endless and lifelong journey that is understanding the Ruy Lopez.

237

Chapter 8
Reimagining the
Petroff

238

1.e4 e5 2. f3

239

The Petroff Defence is a favourite of modern greats like Caruana,
Nepo and Kramnik. I know a few things about it myself, as it is one
of my primary defences in correspondence chess.
3.d4!
Some sources (such as Wikipedia on "Petrov’s Defence") attribute
this move to Steinitz. It has been giving Black some headaches
lately, and as a bonus, it leads to lines which are easy to remember
and play for White.
After 3. xe5 d6 (even 3... xe4!? isn’t stupid) 4. f3 xe4 White
has tried a zillion ideas, without proving a definite edge.
The great Russian teacher Petroff and his student Jaenisch were the
first ones that put the spotlight on 2... f6. But when Petroff wrote
his first book in 1824, he actually dismissed Black’s defence
because of 3. c4 – a move which is considered less than threatening
nowadays after 3... xe4!:

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a) Petroff proposed 4. e2 in his book, but his analysis didn’t stand
the test of time, and was later improved upon by himself and
Jaenisch. This is just one of many thousands of stories of White
players thinking they have discovered something great against the
solid Petroff, only to admit later that they underestimated Black’s
position in some way.
b) 4. c3 is another idea, hoping for interesting gambit play, but
Black obtains good chances after accepting the offer – and there is
also 4... c6!? with a transposition to the well-known ‘fork trick’ in
the Italian Game.
3... xe4!
3...exd4?! is not considered nowadays to be adequate for Black.
White gets a nice initiative after 4.e5.
3...d6 will be covered in the next chapter via the Philidor move
order.
4. d3 d5
4... c6!? was the shocking discovery of the Israeli GM Murey,
which is today considered almost as solid as the main line. 5. xe5!
will be our choice against it. (5. xe4?! d5 6. d3 e4 sees Black
regain the piece with a good game.)
5. xe5

This is the most popular move.
In my correspondence games, I have played 5... d6, but I have to
admit that 6. d2!? offers White an edge.
6. xd7 xd7 7.0-0 d6

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This position has been tested in thousands of games. I propose a
move which is particularly annoying for Black to face.

8. h5!
Black now has three main ideas:
8... f6 defends the pawn but invites 9. e1+; the young Carlsen won
a brilliant model game from here, which we’ll see soon.
8... f6 counterattacks against d4. This has gone out of fashion, as
White players discovered a reliable pathway leading to a better
endgame.
Most modern courses and books recommend sacrificing the d5pawn with 8...0-0. While this is theoretically okay, I think it’s a
terrible practical choice for Black! With minimal memorization,
we’ll reach a position where we’ll preserve our extra pawn and keep
Black under pressure.
What else is there? Karpov, one of the all-time Petroff legends, once
played 8...c6?, but after 9. xe4 dxe4 10. d2!N White will win a
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pawn for questionable compensation, since 10...g6?! 11. h6 f5?
12. g7 would be awful for Black.
8... e6?! 9. xe4 dxe4 10. c3 leads to a similar situation.

Sidelines
1.e4 e5 2. f3

f6 3.d4

xe4

3...exd4?! 4.e5 e4 5. xd4 gives White a sizeable development
advantage. The main continuation runs 5...d5 6.exd6 xd6 7. c3
c6 8. f4 followed by d2 and 0-0-0, with the better prospects
for White.
4. d3

c6!?

Rather a cool idea! If White captures the hanging knight, Black will
quickly regain the material. A better response is:

5. xe5!
Practically forcing Black’s reply.
243

5... xe5 6.dxe5

6...d5 gives us a few decent options, my favourite being: 7.exd6
xd6 8.0-0 e7 9. c3! White wants to play d5 and obtain the
advantage of the bishop pair. If Black responds with 9... e6 then
10. f3! is a good move, as demonstrated in Fier – D.
Mastrovasilis, Montesilvano 2022. White’s game is easy, with f4
and ad1 on the way.
7. c4
White has a small edge, with
7...d6 8. f3

f3 coming next.

e6!

After 8... e6?! 9. xe6 Black must recapture with the f-pawn, giving
White a nice plus. 9... xe6?! 10. xb7 only makes matters worse
for Black.
Retreating the knight to e6 was practically forced, but it leaves
Black’s position looking a bit clumsy. We can already claim an
advantage for White, but let me show you a few more moves:

244

9.exd6 xd6 10. c3 0-0 11. e3! e5
Otherwise White will castle long, with an easy initiative.
12. d3!
All this happened in Predke – Bai Jinshi, Moscow 2019, and a few
other games. White threatens to win a pawn with xh7+, while
secondary ideas include d1 and various possible queen moves.

Introduction to 5... d6 6. d2!?
1.e4 e5 2. f3

f6 3.d4

xe4 4. d3 d5 5. xe5 d6

245

6. d2!?
This move is something of a rarity, but I predict it will become more
popular.
6.0-0 0-0 7.c4 is the main line, but recent years have seen 7...c5!
established as a good answer. I have used this successfully with
Black in my own correspondence games.
6... xd2?!
This will be the intuitive reaction of many Petroff players, which is
good news for us.
6... xe5! is more accurate, and we will analyse it next.
7. xd2 0-0 8.0-0
We have a clear lead in development, with several natural ideas
available, such as a rook coming to the e-file and the queen to f3 or
h5.
246

8...c5?!
This ‘dynamic’ move only makes Black’s situation worse.
8... d7 9. e1! is clearly better for us, as we will easily continue
building up on the kingside.
8... c6 might be Black’s best try, although 9. h5 g6 10. xc6 bxc6
11. h6 gives us an edge in activity, as well as the better structure
on the queenside.
9. h5! g6
9...h6? 10. xh6! gxh6 11. xh6 f5 12. g6+
curtains, with e3 coming next.

247

h8 13. ae1+– is

10. h6N
We can end our analysis after this simple improvement. Black faces
a difficult defensive task, while White has several attractive ideas
including ae1-e3, g5 and f3-g5.
10. xg6?! has been played, but the sacrifice gives White no more
than a draw if Black wants it.

The resilient 6... xe5!
Let’s see how to fight for an advantage against Black’s best
continuation.
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3.d4 xe4 4. d3 d5 5. xe5 d6 6. d2!?
xe5! 7.dxe5 c5 8. e2
We will not give up the bishop pair! Still, we need to be aware that
this retreat allows Black to obtain counterplay against the e5-pawn.
8... c6 9. f3 g4!
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If White is allowed to castle and play h2-h3, followed by c2-c3, e3
and d2, Black will suffer. So, we’ll focus on the critical main line
where Black tries to make life harder for us.
9...0-0 gives us the useful extra option of 10. g5, when 10... d7
makes Black’s bishop look silly.
10.0-0 0-0
I know first-hand that this position is not easy for Black to play in
practice. I am ready to defend it against anyone in correspondence
chess; but when I get in an online game, I suffer. The fact that I have
spent hundreds of hours scrutinizing it with the help of engines
doesn’t help much. The main practical point is that the position will
open up sooner or later, at which point White’s bishop pair will
become a major asset.

11. f4!?

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This is the simplest. We put the bishop on a good central square,
from where it covers our important e5-pawn.
11... e8 12. e1
White kept the easier position in Mateu Palau – Yusupov, Skien
1979. Our plan for the next few moves is h2-h3 and c2-c3, followed
by completing development with d2 and ad1.

Introduction to 5... d7
1.e4 e5 2. f3

f6 3.d4

xe4 4. d3 d5 5. xe5

6. xd7 xd7
6... xd7?! is extremely unnatural. 7.0-0 followed by c2-c4 is the
most active way to get a healthy advantage.
7.0-0 d6
At some point 7... h4?! was considered a decent alternative, until
correspondence players proved otherwise. Here’s the key line: 8.c4
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0-0-0 9.c5! g5 With ... g7 coming next, this looks active and
generally promising for Black, right?

10. d2! g7 11. b3! Wrong! In Huzita – Cross, corr. 2021,
White was ready to drive away the strong knight with f2-f3,
alongside attacking ideas involving a timely c5-c6 with pieces
swarming towards the black king. Meanwhile Black has no real
counterplay on the opposite flank.
This is one of many examples in chess theory where correspondence
players have been responsible for burying a formerly respectable
opening variation.
8. h5!
As prescribed in the chapter introduction, where we identified three
main pathways for Black. Let’s investigate the first of them.
8... f6

251

I guess this is the move you are most likely to face in your games.
The drawback is that it enables us to effortlessly take control of the
open e-file.
9. e1+

f8!

Black’s best option is to forgo castling and strive for kingside
counterplay.
9... e7 10. e2 leaves Black still unable to castle for the moment.
We will easily build an initiative with d2-f3-e5, without allowing
a trace of counterplay for Black.
10. e2!
Other queen retreats are possible, but let’s cut to the chase: this one
is best.
10... g4!
This is the only move we really need to concern ourselves with. If
Black plays more slowly, the simple plan of h2-h3 and d2-f3-e5
252

will give White an easy advantage, and Black will have big practical
problems getting organized on the kingside.

11.h3

h4! 12. f3!

12... h2+?! is an inaccurate but tricky move which will be featured
in the next illustrative game.
Black seems to have done well from the last few moves. The queen
has taken up an active post and the h3-pawn might be targeted by
...g5-g4 in the future. Chess is a concrete game though, and it turns
out that Black has no time to create serious threats.
13. c3!
It’s important to appreciate that there is no need to defend the d4pawn.
13...h5!
Threatening ... g4 – I must admit that this is a nice trick!
253

13...c6? has been played by a few GMs but is too slow. 14. e2
followed by f4 sees White neutralizing any counterplay, while
leaving Black with the worse remaining bishop and a misplaced
king.
13... xd4?! cannot be instantly refuted, but I consider it excessively
risky. 14.a4!!N is the fancy engine suggestion, preparing b5.
(14. g5!? is a simple alternative which should enable White to
regain the pawn while keeping some initiative, as seen in De Bari –
Romano, corr. 2012.) If 14...a6?! then 15. e2! is the most
accurate, when each of Black’s queen moves has a drawback and
White obtains more than enough play for the sacrificed pawn.

14. f5!
This last move prevented ... g4 in Emourlov – Deforel, corr. 2019,
and that’s the last detail you need to know. White has a safe, easy
advantage. Correspondence players might be okay defending such
positions with engine assistance, but in a practical game Black will
need to make difficult decisions to get coordinated on the kingside.
254

Let’s go back to Black’s 12th move and see what Wang Yue once
tried against Carlsen.
Magnus Carlsen - Wang Yue
Nanjing 2010

12... h2+?!
This should lead by force to a favourable endgame for White. Let’s
allow Carlsen to teach us how to play beautiful, simple and precise
technical chess.
13. f1

xf2

This is the only serious attempt to justify Black’s play.
13... d6? 14. f4! is winning for White.
14. xf2 g3
White is winning, but accuracy is needed. Can you find the right
moves?
15. d2
255

OK, that one was easy.
15... f6+ 16. g1 xe1 17. xe1

xd4+ 18. h2

Black has a rook and two pawns versus two minor pieces. The
pieces should be stronger – especially the unopposed dark-squared
bishop. However, we need to prevent the black rooks from
becoming too active.

18... e8 19. g3!
Essentially forcing a queen exchange.
19... e5 20. xe5 xe5 21. f4 e1
With the c7-pawn about to fall, Black’s only hope is to create
trouble with his only developed rook.
22. xc7

256

Another good option was 22. d2!? to drive the rook back, followed
by c3. The game continuation is a good choice though, as Carlsen
has correctly assessed that Black’s counterplay can be repelled.
22...a6!
Elite players don’t go down easily. This move threatens ... b5, to
exchange the d3-bishop and weaken White’s light squares.
23. a5 d1

24.a4!
An essential move, stopping ... b5.
24... e7
Black wants to play ... e8 and bring the other rook into the game.
25. d2!
Threatening to catch the rook with e2.
25... c8 26.c3!
257

Avoiding 26. e2? xd2 27. xd2 xc2 28. d1 xb2 when Black is
more than okay.
26...d4 27.c4!
With simple prophylactic chess, Carlsen prevails.
27...g6 28. e2 xa4 29. b4+

e6 30. xd1 xd1

31. d2! e2 32.b3
Black’s two pawns are ineffective against White’s extra knight, and
Black soon resigned.
...1-0

Meeting 8... f6
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3.d4 xe4 4. d3 d5 5. xe5
xd7 7.0-0 d6 8. h5! f6

258

d7 6. xd7

This move is playable, but it went out of fashion after White
discovered the line that we are about to see. You need to memorize
it, but that’s not a difficult task, as the moves are natural and many
of them are forced captures and recaptures.

9. c3!

xd4

What else?
10. e3!

e5 11. xe5+ xe5 12. xd5

Black has not had much of a choice so far.

259

13. ae1!
That’s one key move.
13... xd5 14. d4 0-0-0
14...f6 15. xe5 fxe5? 16. xe5+ e7 17. fe1 is the basic tactical
point, when White regains the piece with a winning position.
15. xe5
White has the two bishops in an open position. Black needs to play
accurately to avoid falling into a depressing endgame.
15... b4!
15...f6 16. g3 b4 17. c4! is a useful detail to preserve the
bishop pair, as seen in Vachier-Lagrave – Fridman, Isle of Man
2014. The point is that 17... xc2? 18. e7 leaves Black in trouble.
Now we have a choice of promising lines.

260

16. c4!?
This is my personal preference.
The engines recommend: 16. xg7 xd3 17.cxd3 hg8 18. e5! c6
19. g3 That’s why the bishop went to e5 on the previous move.
19... xd3 20. e7 White kept a slight plus in Anderskewitz – Owen,
corr. 2017. (20.f3!? is of roughly equal merit.)
16... xc2 17. e2 f6!
Against anything else, White can take on g7.

261

18. xf6
18. c3!? is a decent alternative, with full compensation for the
pawn.
18...gxf6 19. xc2
All this happened in Vivante Sowter – Dudeney, corr. 2017. Engines
call it 0.00, but I think the split kingside pawns make the endgame
practically tricky for Black. Whether you choose this or the
alternative endgame with rooks and opposite-coloured bishops, as
shown in the note to move 16, is a matter of taste.
Swapnil Dhopade calls both lines equal in Playing the Petroff , but it
seems to me that White should be able to exert some pressure with
minimal risk.

The engine-approved 8...0-0
1.e4 e5 2. f3 f6 3.d4 xe4 4. d3 d5 5. xe5
xd7 7.0-0 d6 8. h5! 0-0
262

d7 6. xd7

If we were to look solely at the engine evaluation at a high search
depth, we would have to call this Black’s best choice. But from a
practical perspective, we should be happy to meet it.

9. xd5 c6
Black’s alternatives are less reliable:
After 9... f6? it would be a bit too greedy to take on b7, but
10. g5! h6 11. h4 is a simple route to an advantage with our
extra pawn.
9... h4 10.g3 f6 is not completely stupid, but 11. xf7+!? xf7
12.gxh4 leaves Black with less than full compensation for the twopawn deficit.
10. h5 g6
Black needs to keep attacking, otherwise we’ll play f2-f3 and enjoy
having an extra central pawn for nothing.
11. h3

g5
263

11... e8?! 12. c3 makes life tougher for Black.
12. xg5

xg5 13. c3

Black’s position looks harmonious enough, and the engine continues
to spit zeroes. However, this technically correct verdict belies the
fact that it only takes one inaccuracy to Black to plunge into a
technically lost position with no compensation for the pawn. We are
threatening to consolidate with e4, while another worthy idea is
a2-a4 intending b5.

13... ae8 14. ae1
Renewing the threat of e4. Black has played all the obvious
developing moves, so this is the moment of truth where
compensation must be proved.
14.a4!? is a reasonable alternative which leads to more complicated
play.
14... xe1
264

After 14... f4 15. b5! we’ll lose the extra pawn, but obtain a
structural advantage. 15... xd4 16. xc6 bxc6 17. f3 We intend
g2-g3 followed by gradually improving our position. Black can
remain close to equal with perfect play, but human opponents are
unlikely to defend as well as Stockfish. (17. d3!? might also be
annoying for Black.)
15. xe1

g7!?

This clever move has only been tested in correspondence and engine
games so far.
16. f1!
16. e4? e8! immediately puts White on the defensive, the key
point being 17. d3? xe4 18. xe4 f5 when the knight is unable to
deliver a check, and Black wins.
16. d1!? is a decent alternative though.
16... d2
The chances of reaching this position over the board are not so high.
But just in case, I recommend making a mental note of the following
key move:

265

17. e3!
This accurate move ensures that White will remain a pawn up.
17... xc2 18. e2!

f5 19.d5 d7

19... xd5?? 20. d4+ wins the bishop of course.

266

20. d4+!N
We’ll take on a7 soon enough, but it’s worth including the check to
provoke a minor concession.
20. xa7 b6 21. a6 c5 22. c4 e8 was fine for Black in Hofer –
Cipka, corr. 2007.
20... g8
20...f6 21. xa7 also gives White a slightly improved version of the
above game. Black should be OK of course, but the weakening of
the e6-square counts for something.
21. xa7 b6 22. a6!
The last key move. Don’t leave your queen too far away from the
action!

267

White remains a pawn up and Black will be under pressure to prove
compensation. The engines, being engines, still call it equal. Fair
enough – we cannot refute the Petroff. But overall, I remain
optimistic about White’s practical chances in this variation.
Let’s quickly see what happens if Black plays in the same manner as
the correspondence game above:
22... c5?! 23. e4!
Black will have to admit to the error on the previous move, since
23... xd5?? 24. f6+ exploits the placement of the king on g8.

Conclusion
The Petroff is the same calibre of opening as the Berlin and the
Marshall. Refuting it is impossible, so what we need is a practical
approach which contains venom but is not too difficult to learn. The
recommended approach with 3.d4! and later 8. h5! is just such a
weapon.
268

Similarly to the Marshall, if our opponents consult their engines and
memorize the best moves, they will end up in a holdable but slightly
unpleasant endgame, either a pawn down or with a worse pawn
structure. If Black wants a fight, then things become more
interesting! Safety-first is our approach, but we have still seen
plenty of ways to hit Black with strong moves.

269

Chapter 9
Reimagining the
Philidor

270

Introduction
1.e4 e5
The other main route to the Philidor is 1...d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 bd7
(or 3...e5 4. f3 bd7 ) 4. f3 e5, reaching the main tabiya for this
opening. White has different options against each of Black’s move
orders, but let’s be practical about things. The Philidor won’t be a
271

frequent guest in our games, so it makes sense to choose one main
system against the Philidor and stick with it.
2. f3 d6

The Philidor is a flexible and somewhat underrated defence. You
won’t face it too often in your games – which makes it dangerous!
You need a reliable way of meeting it, which you can learn and
recall easily.
3.d4
We start with this move, of course.
3... f6
Black can also play 3...exd4 4. xd4, when White benefits from the
central space and easy development. We’ll see some concrete ways
to obtain a comfortable edge.
3... d7?! is such a dubious move that I’m willing to break our usual
rule about aiming for the same set-up against all of Black’s move
272

orders. 4. c4! is the way to play, when any attempt by Black to
develop the g8-knight or f8-bishop will lead to a tactical problem
involving dxe5 and attacking f7. (4. c3 gf6 leads to normal
pathways.) 4...c6 (4...exd4 5. xd4! is great for White.) The text
move is Black’s best try, but we’ll gain a positional advantage using
a small tactical trick. 5.0-0 e7 6.dxe5 dxe5

7. g5! xg5 8. h5 e7 9. xg5! After a queen exchange, the
bishop pair will be of great benefit.
4. c3
4.dxe5 xe4 5. d5 would be the maximalist attempt to punish
Black’s move order, but we’ll keep things simple by aiming for the
same set-up against each of Black’s move orders (except the
3... d7?! line noted above).
4... bd7

273

This version of the Philidor is often referred to as the Hanham
Variation. Black maintains the pawn on e5 for the time being, and
generally follows up with ... e7 and short castling.
5. e2!?
I remember learning this underrated system a few years ago, and it
has served me well ever since.
5. c4 is the main line by far, but there is much to be said for
keeping the bishop back and out of harm’s way.

5... e7 6.0-0 0-0 7.a4 c6 8.a5
This is a quality system that requires the bare minimum of
memorization from our side. We will see that if Black continues in a
slow fashion, we will get a great position with d4-d5. Black can
avoid this by exchanging on d4, but that brings its own set of
difficulties.

...exd4 lines
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1.e4 e5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 exd4
3... f6 Some Philidor players avoid this move order because of the
dxe5 option, but we’ll keep our lives simple with 4. c3. Then
4...exd4 5. xd4 reaches a line covered in this segment, while
4... bd7 leads to the Hanham Variation which we’ll cover next.
4... c6 is the only other option that makes sense, but then 5. b5
will take us back to the Steinitz Variation of the Spanish.
4. xd4 g6
4... f6 5. c3 e7
In the event of 5...g6?! we can transpose to the main line below, but
it’s worth mentioning 6. e2! as a cool idea when Black opts for this
specific move order. After 6... c6 (6... bd7 stops the e4-e5 threat
but 7. g5 followed by 0–0–0 is great for White) 7. xc6 bxc6 8.e5
White has an effortless advantage.

6. f3!?
A simple yet effective idea, with virtually no theory attached to it.
White wants to play f5 and trade the knight for whichever bishop
Black is willing to give up. A likely continuation is:
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6...0-0 7. f5 xf5
7... e8 8. xe7+ xe7 9. g5
8. xf5

bd7 10.0-0-0 is excellent for White.

White will soon catch up in development, and Black will face the
challenge of playing against the strong bishop pair.

5.h4!?
5. c3 followed by e3, d2 and 0-0-0 is recommended by almost
every White repertoire guide. In a correspondence game, this would
be the way to play, as White can indeed press for a big advantage.
But for a practical player to succeed in these positions, it’s
necessary to memorize various theoretical nuances and navigate
complex tactics – against an opponent who might have vast
experience in their pet opening.

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The text move is a great practical choice, as it offers a simpler route
to an advantage while also creating fresh and unfamiliar problems
for our opponents.
5... f6
5...h5?! 6. g5 clearly favours White.
6. c3 g7 7. e2
Renewing the threat of h4-h5, which might be followed by either
hxg6 or h5-h6, depending partly on Black’s response and partly on
one’s personal preference. Either way, it’s obvious that advancing
the h-pawn so quickly would be a useful achievement, so we’ll
focus on Black’s attempts to either prevent it or render it less
effective.
7... c6
7...h5 8. g5 would be an annoying pin for Black.
8. xc6 bxc6
This position has been reached in a handful of games. An important
improvement is:

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9.e5!N
9.h5 0-0 is not so clear, as Black is ready to hit back with ... e8 and
possibly ...d5.
9...dxe5 10. xd8+

xd8 11. g5

e7 12.0-0-0 e6

12...h6 13. e3! threatens a nasty check on c5.

278

13.h5!
With a huge threat of h5-h6.
13...h6
13... hd8?! 14.h6 h8 15. f3 d6 16. b5!? practically forces
Black to give up the exchange for insufficient compensation. (The
simple 16. he1 is an excellent alternative.)
14. e3
White’s initiative and superior structure provide more than enough
compensation for the sacrificed pawn.

Hanham Variation – 4... bd7
1.e4 e5
Let me remind you that 1...d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 e5 (or 3... bd7
4. f3 e5 ) 4. f3 bd7 is another route to the same position.
2. f3 d6 3.d4

f6 4. c3

bd7
279

5. e2!
Having learned a bit about this move in the chapter introduction,
let’s see some of the details that make it so effective.
5... e7 6.0-0 0-0
Some players like to postpone castling and prepare ...g5 with
attacking chances. Let’s see how we can meet that plan.
6...c6 7.a4 c7
Black’s attacking scheme involves ...h6, ...g5 and ... f8-g6, so the
queen needs to go to c7 at some point to bolster the e5-pawn.
7...h6 8.a5 leaves Black with nothing better than 8... c7,
transposing below.
8.a5
Advancing the pawn to a5 is always useful. It also fits in with our
normal plan, in the event that Black changes tack and castles next.
And if Black persists with the kingside ambitions, we will look to
seize the initiative with a timely h4.
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8... f8
In the event of8...h6 9. h4!
on the kingside.
9. h4

f8 10.f4 it is White who takes charge

9... xe4?
This is the only critical move to check. Against anything else, we
will develop an easy initiative with f2-f4 or f5.
10. xe4 d5
10... xh4 11.dxe5 dxe5 12. d6+ e7 13. xc8+ xc8 14. c4
gives White an overwhelming initiative.
11. g5 h6 12. xf7 xf7 13. f3
Black’s vulnerable king should have been the deciding factor in
Buscara – Sitnikov, Tiruppur 2024.

281

7.a4 c6
If 7...a5, 8.b3!N, followed by a3 is mostly strong, although b2
also can’t be bad. If Black subsequently plays ...c6, we will have the
option of taking on e5 and trading the dark-squared bishops,
followed by d2-c4 to exploit the weak dark squares in Black’s
camp.
8.a5 exd4!?
Exchanging these pawns seems like Black’s best bet.
8... e8?! is the kind of move that Philidor players might play on
autopilot. We have an excellent way to meet it: 9.d5! cxd5 If Black
maintains the tension, we will continue with d2-c4 regardless.
10.exd5

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10...a6 11. d2 b5 12.axb6 xb6 13. b3 With a5 coming next,
White was dominating in Ziatdinov – Bocharov, Moscow 2011.
9. xd4
Pepe Cuenca does not cover this exact line in his Lifetime
Repertoires: The Philidor course on Chessable, but he does
recommend ...exd4 followed by ... e8 and ... c5 in similar lines;
for example, when White plays h2-h3 instead of a4-a5.
9... c5
9... e8 was slightly less accurate in Kiwitter – Hoehn, Germany
2006, due to White’s additional possibility of: 10. f5!?N Black
must either lose the d6-pawn or allow the exchange of the e7bishop, which means a future filled with suffering.
This position was reached in Hase – Torres, Buenos Aires 2003,
where White took the odd decision to place his bishop on f3. An
obvious improvement is:
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10.f3!N e8 11. h1!
White stands clearly better and has a multitude of attractive options
in the middlegame. One nice plan is to play g2-g4 and f5. You
may wish to include b2-b4 to drive the knight back to e6 first, so
that Black won’t even have the option of ... xf5. You can also
simply develop with e3, or with b2-b3 and b2, waiting for the
right moment to advance the b- and/or g-pawns.

Conclusion
When facing the Philidor, be careful! My experience tells me that
those who favour this opening usually see themselves outplaying
their opponents in a complex middlegame. Our preparation here is
short and sweet.
If Black plays the less ambitious ...exd4, we will either secure the
advantage of the bishop pair (against ... e7) or prod Black’s
kingside with a quick h2-h4 (against ...g6). If Black goes for the
more strategically complex Hanham Variation, we will respond with
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a rare but beautifully effective set-up with e2 and a4-a5. This is
easy to learn and play, but incredibly difficult to meet as Black.

285

Part II
Reimagining the
Sicilian

286

Sicilian Repertoire Overview
1.e4 c5

287

2. f3
If there’s one opening that strikes fear into the heart of the 1.e4
player, it’s the Sicilian Defence. In this book we’ll consider
something like fifteen different Sicilian systems Black might play –
and that’s after I made the decision to be concise and not consider
every weird sideline!
The sheer number of possibilities alone can make the Sicilian seem
daunting, and explains why many players look for "safer harbours",
such as the Alapin with 2.c3, the Closed Sicilian with 2. c3 and 3.
g3, or systems with b5. It feels overwhelming, like there’s simply
too much to learn.
Nevertheless, I believe the above type of reasoning to be misguided,
so I’ll be recommending the Open Sicilian for our repertoire.
Despite the great multitude of possible Sicilian systems, you’ll
mostly encounter the five most popular ones – the Najdorf, Dragon,
Taimanov, Sveshnikov, and Kan – in roughly 75% of your games in
this opening. Moreover, you should feel excited to face the Sicilian!
288

After all, we play chess for rich positions and good winning
chances. Systems such as the Najdorf and Dragon offer a world of
dynamic possibilities – exactly what makes chess fun.
Finally, we live during an era that feels like an excellent time to play
as White against the Sicilian! The latest engines have deepened our
understanding of these positions; and over the past few years, fresh
ideas have favoured White more often than Black. It’s no
coincidence that the Sicilian was the dominant reply to 1.e4 at the
top level fifteen to twenty years ago, whereas today, 1...e5 has taken
centre stage. In this book, we will tackle Black’s main systems in a
straightforward but ambitious way. Here’s a brief summary of some
of the main paths we will explore in the coming chapters.
We’ll start with three systems after 2...e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4:

4...a6 is the Kan, which we’ll meet with 5. c3 in conjunction with a
practical, easy-to-learn yet challenging set-up, involving fast
development and playing for a2-a4 at the right moment.;
4... c6 is the Taimanov, which we’ll meet with 5. c3 c7 (5...a6
6. xc6 is another direction which we’ll cover) 6. cb5!, a recently
trendy idea which really puts Black’s opening concept to the test.
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As for the Scheveningen, 4... f6 5. c3 d6 (along with other
variants involving an early ...e6 and ...d6), its glory days are behind
it. Our ideas involving g2-g4 appear dangerous to humans, and
engine evaluations back this up. By combining g2-g4 with a timely
xc6 exchange, we have powerful concepts that work well in other
variations, such as the Classical.
Next we’ll look at some 2... c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 systems
involving an early ...e5, with Black gaining time and seizing space
at the expense of weakening the d5-square.

I After 4...e5 5. b5 there’s the slightly dubious Lowenthal with
5...a6; and the quite respectable Kalashnikov with 5...d6.
Then we’ll turn our attention to the Sveshnikov, 4... f6 5. c3 e5,
which is both entertaining and an objectively top-tier defence. After
the usual continuation of 6. db5 d6 7. g5 a6 8. a3 b5, my "pet
idea" of 9. ab1!? is so practical and effective that Anish Giri
couldn’t resist "borrowing" it for his own course on Chessable. This
is the kind of chess we want: effective and stylish, the sort of play
that makes even super-GMs want to imitate us.
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Next up will be 2... c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4
Classical Sicilian.

f6 5. c3 d6, the

We will meet this with 6. g5, a traditional approach with some
modern twists to spice things up.
2...d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
gives rise to two of the most important Sicilian battlegrounds.
5...g6 is the Dragon.

291

Black’s system cannot be refuted, but it does seem a little shaky at
the moment. I offer some simple, practical advice against it, though
practical doesn’t mean giving up an edge. Today, you can fight for
an advantage against the Dragon without memorizing a massive
amount of theory.
Next we have 5...a6, the Najdorf: the favourite of Fischer and
Kasparov, and still the crown jewel of the Sicilian to this day.

292

Our approach with 6. e3 e5 7. f3 is annoyingly effective though!
It’s almost like cheating, in the sense of creating the theoretical
challenges of a critical main line while avoiding the need to learn
tons of theory. Black can hold equality with perfect defence, but
that’s chess. I’m confident that you can use this system to frustrate
plenty of Najdorf players and win a lot of games.
Our final Sicilian chapter will discuss a variety of sidelines, ranging
from solid and dependable to borderline unplayable. Among the
systems covered in this chapter, I would like to draw attention to the
Four Knights, which arises after 2...e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3
c6. This is a modern, engine-approved defence, which we might
think of as something like a dynamic version of the Berlin.

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Black may be relying on computer-generated moves, but we don’t
let that dictate the game – we’re happy to head into endgames with a
slight edge and practical pressure.
For any one of these Sicilian variations, it should be feasible for
most readers to learn what we’re doing in five to ten minutes, and be
ready to face most opponents. The time and effort will vary a bit,
depending on the variation in question and your own ability, but you
get the idea: these are genuinely practical recommendations which
will cause real problems to Sicilian players.
Let’s get started!

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Chapter 10
Kan, Taimanov &
Scheveningen
Introduction
1.e4 c5
And the world lies at our feet. How much blood has been spilt on
these Holy Lands that make up the Sicilian? Black fights for the
centre with the c-pawn, stopping us from building our beloved
centre with d2-d4. The decision is already double-edged, as in return
for achieving the admittedly important goal of controlling the
centre, Black has made a move that does not serve the purpose of
development. In this day and age, with all the Anti-Sicilians
trending at incremental rates, it would have been tempting to
explore that direction. But years and computers couldn’t stop the
Open Sicilians from being a fertile ground for intriguing
discoveries; and that’s the path we shall follow. We will develop our
knight to f3, and against all the main second moves by Black, we
will pick up the gauntlet and push our pawn to d4. In this first
chapter, we will examine the three major members of the Sicilian
family that can arise after:
2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4
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There seems to be some confusion about the names of these Sicilian
lines. I’ll follow the naming convention that the community seems
to have come to these days:
When ...e6 and ...a6 is played, then we have a Sicilian Kan.
When ...e6 and ... c6 is played, then we have a Sicilian Taimanov.
When ...e6 and ...d6 is played, then we have a Sicilian
Scheveningen.
Sometimes, you may find "Sicilian Paulsen" mentioned as well,
interchangeably with the Kan. Other times, Paulsen’s name is given
only when the queen goes to c7. To keep things simple, we’ll keep
the names as seen in the list above. Black can also play in different,
more concrete styles, but those less common lines are covered in
Chapter 15. So, let’s start with the first one on the list.

Kan – The old 5... c7
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6

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The Kan Variation remains a popular choice among Black players
that like the Hedgehog-style structures and don’t mind too much
playing lines that are frowned upon by an engine. By placing the
pawn on a6, Black stops any possibilities of White jumping with the
knight to b5 and prepares to go ...b7-b5 in the near future. There are
multiple promising ways to deal with this with White. I suggest we
go for a simple and classical one:
5. c3!?
It is one of the most basic chess principles in existence which
dictates that knights should be developed before bishops.
Starting with 5. d3 is the modern main line.

5... c7
I still remember the time when this was incredibly popular, but it’s
not anymore. Sune Berg Hansen calls this "The old main line of the
Kan" in the legendary book Experts vs the Sicilian .
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5...b5 is the modern main line and will be examined next.
5... c6 leads us to the Taimanov and is covered on page 147.
5...d6!? is a version of the Scheveningen that will be covered on
page 153.
6. d3! f6
6... c6?! is nicely met with 7. xc6! followed by e2, d2 (or e3
if Black recaptures on c6 with the queen) and f2-f4.

7. e2!
This is Black’s biggest cause for concern. White is already
threatening e4-e5, and the position becomes concrete.
7... b4!
The only acceptable solution.
7... d6? runs into 8. db5 axb5 9. xb5 followed by xd6+ and
e4-e5, leaving White with a large advantage. The only way to try
and fight against that for Black is 9... a5+ 10. d2 b4, but after
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11. xb4 xb4+ 12.c3 c5 13.e5 Black’s best is to go 13... g4,
returning the extra piece. This should tell us all we need to know.
The Scheveningen-style 7...d6? allows a Scheveningen-style
response in 8.g4!, when Black is passive and facing a dangerous
attack on the kingside. The following game nicely illustrates an
instructive attacking concept for White: 8... fd7 9. d2 e7 10.0-00 e5?! 11.f4 xd3+ 12. xd3 d7

13. f5! exf5 14. d5 d8 15.exf5 White had a winning attack in
Nunn – Antunac, Terme Catez 2024. There were many moments
when play for both sides could have been improved according to the
engine, but that doesn’t alter the fact that 8.g4! grants White easy
play and dangerous attacking chances.
8. d2 d6 9.0-0!?
With the black bishop on b4 instead of f8, there are more chances
for active counterplay, so let’s not get too aggressive but opt for
something quieter.

299

9... c5!?
This is possibly Black’s best practical approach, safeguarding the
valuable dark-squared bishop.
9...e5? is one of Black’s main ideas in this line, but here it fails to
10. cb5!, with a nearly decisive advantage for White.
Of course, quiet moves such us 9...0-0? would also run into
10. cb5!+–, which this time is not even a piece sacrifice.
Eager to solve that problem, the engine also suggests 9... xc3
10. xc3 e5, but White can keep a small edge in multiple ways due
to the pair of bishops. At least the text move will ask more of us,
since we need to prove our advantage in dynamic fashion.
10. b3 a7 11. h1!
Up next are f2-f4 and ae1, and White had a promising lead in
development in Ciemniak – Brekke, Gausdal 1994, as well as three
other games.

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The modern 5...b5
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 5. c3 b5

Nowadays, Black players have shifted their efforts towards trying to
make this work instead. The b-pawn gains important space on the
queenside and is ready to annoy the c3-knight if needed.
Furthermore, the b7-square is cleared for the bishop.
6. d3!
We protect e4 to be able to play a2-a4 and meet ..b5-b4 with
without leaving the e4-pawn hanging.

6... b7
The other line goes:
6... b6 7. f3!? c7
On b6 the queen would be vulnerable to
a2-a4-a5, as well as e3. Moreover, the h2-b8 diagonal is important,
as is fighting against e4-e5.
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8.0-0 b7 9. e1

White gets ready for e4-e5 and introduces ideas of d5 sacrifices.
Black is already in a tough spot.
9... e7
9... f6?! invites 10.e5 d5, when White can gain an advantage
both by taking on d5 and by 11. e4!?, as in Movsesian – Andreikin,
Tallinn (blitz) 2016. Black needs to go 11... c6 to develop, but that
closes the c-file momentarily and allows 12.c4!N.
9...d6? takes the game into Scheveningen territory, when White
hasn’t gone for the most aggressive of setups, but Black has
neglected kingside development and rushed with ...b7-b5. That is
typically punished with: 10.a4! b4 11. a2 This highlights one of the
problems with putting the pawn on d6: the b4-pawn is hanging.
11... c6 12. d2 a5 13.c3! The position was inevitably about to
explode, and White was thus practically winning in Makropoulou –
Sharevich, Turin (ol 2006. Black’s queenside expansion has served
as nothing more than an opportunity for White to open the game. In
general, an early ...b7-b5 doesn’t combine well with a pawn on d6.
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9... c5 can be met with 10. e3!? and a2-a4 next. Black’s position
isn’t terrible, but there will be multiple weaknesses which will need
covering after a trade of dark-squared bishops.
10.a4!?
Keeping things simple.
Perfectionists might go for10.e5! f5! 11. d4! threatening xf5,
which is the start of a highly complex line which was first seen in
Hracek – Werle, Germany 2007. This is more ambitious, but it is
also much riskier.
10...b4 11. a2
This is massively better for Black than the line shown in the note
regarding 9....d6?. But White should anyway get the better game
after typically opening the c-file next with c2-c3, bringing the knight
back into the game and exploiting the placement of the black queen
on c7.
7.0-0
White is far ahead in development, and few moves work out well for
Black.

303

7... c6!
This is the recommendation from Neiksans and Kovalenko in their
Lifetime Repertoires: Kan Sicilian course for Chessable. But before
examining that, let’s see how brutally Black was demolished in a
game that saw something different.
Roberto Garcia Pantoja - Martha Mateus
Huila 2023

1.e4 c5 2. f3 a6 3. c3 b5 4.d4 cxd4 5. xd4 e6 6. d3 b7 7.0-0
d6?
As I said earlier, a pawn on d6 doesn’t combine well with an early
...b7-b5.
7... c7?! 8. e1 is a better version for White of the lines examined
in the note to 6... b6, as this is the same position, but with the
knight on d4 instead of f3, and the knight is better placed on d4. We
even saw a critical line (the one in which we mentioned the game
Hracek – Werle), where the knight accepted the loss of a tempo and
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returned to d4. There is no logic that would explain why including
the moves ... c7 and e1 could favour Black, so it’s surprising that
many strong players have played this way with Black. One way for
Black to try and justify the decision could be to aim to trade off the
knight in question with 8... c6, but that should have been done on
the previous move. Almost unanimously, White players have agreed
upon taking on c6, which is indeed enough for an advantage, but the
tempting 9. d5! turns out to be even better.
7...b4 is an improvement, but it’s still bad for Black after: 8. a4
c6

9. f3!? I really like this. The knight on c6 is in the way of the b7bishop, and having a space advantage, one should try to keep pieces
on the board. 9... f6 was Kalegin – Khamrakulov, Salou 2009, and
now 10. e1!N followed by d2 and c2-c3 is depressing for Black.
8. e1!?
Finishing development is rarely a bad idea.
The immediate 8.a4 would have been equally strong.
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8... f6?!
This makes matters worse for Black and gives White the chance to
justify placing the rook on e1.
More normal would have been 8... e7 9.a4! b4 10. a2 .

9.a4! b4 10. d5!
When this is possible, it should of course be chosen.
10. a2?! is also good for White, but after 10...d5 proving an
advantage becomes much more complicated.
10... xd5
Best would have been 10... bd7, but this allows 11. xb4 and
leaves Black down a clean pawn for no compensation.
11.exd5 xd5 12. h5!?
12.c4!N is also incredibly strong. If the bishop moves, White will
take on e6, and after 12...bxc3 13.bxc3+– White has ideas of c3-c4
as well as a3.
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12...e5 13. xe5+! dxe5 14. xe5+ e7 15. f5+–
Black resigned after a few more moves.
...1-0

5...b5 continued
Anything other than 7... c6! is bad for Black, so let’s return to that
critical line:
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 5. c3 b5 6. d3 b7 7.0-0
c6!

8. xc6 xc6
8...dxc6? doesn’t make sense in this case and allows White to gain a
large advantage in many ways, for example: 9.a4!? b4 10. b1!
Followed by d2, f3, c4 and so on.
9. e1!
This facilitates

d5, which means that a2-a4 has become a threat.
307

9... b8!
This is the main line offered by Neiksans and Kovalenko.
In the database, the most popular move is 9... e7, but this is a small
concession, as the bishop is blocked in on f8, which means that
Black is now three moves away from castling while we’re almost
fully mobilized. One way to treat this is: 10.a4!? b4 11. e2! There
is a nice square for the knight on d4, so there is no need to go to an
awkward square like a2. 11... g6 12. d4 b7 This was Pranav –
Predke, Internet (blitz) 2023. The typical 13. d2!?N preparing c2c3, would leave White with the more pleasant game.

Black’s idea is smart. Instead of blocking the f8-bishop with ... e7,
the bishop prepares to come out to d6, creating annoying threats
against our kingside. Moreover, this is done without the queen going
to c7 and inviting d5 with gain of tempo.
10.h3!N
308

We can also be clever. This pre-emptively removes the pawn from
h2, which means that ... d6 will no longer win a tempo.
10.a4 is possible but highly double-edged: 10...bxa4 11. xa4 d6
12.g3 h5! 13. e3 h4 14. b6 hxg3! 15.hxg3 xg3! 16. xa8 xa8
17. xa6 c7 Neiksans and Kovalenko stop here, claiming great
compensation, and I think they are correct in their assessment.
Engines think that White is a bit better, but the few engine games in
my database ended up in a draw. I don’t think we want this kind of
mess, especially with Black having the easier moves in a practical
setting.
10... d6
This is the only consistent follow-up to Black’s previous play.
10... c5?! allows both 11. h5!? and 11.a4 b4 12. d5 .
Possible, but also slightly better for White is 10... e7 11.a4!? b4
12. e2 g6 13. d4, which reminds us greatly of the Pranav –
Predke game we mentioned above. The inclusion of ... b8 and h2h3 doesn’t alter the character of the game.
11. g4!

309

This is the tactical point of our previous move. Of course, it
wouldn’t have made any sense to go for this when the bishop was
still on f8, and our queen could get hit by ... f6.
11... e5
The only viable way to defend g7.
11... f6?? loses to 12. xg7 e7 13. g5 e5 14. d5+!.
11...g6? weakens the kingside dark squares and Black will find it
hard to complete development after 12.a4!.
12. d5!
The knight has started running out of reasons to exist on c3, so we
might as well trade it for the one on g8.
12... f6 13. e2
Another nice trick. Our next move is a2-a4, and castling by Black
would allow e7+ followed by taking on c6. One important tactical
detail is:
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13... xd5 14.exd5 h2+ 15. h1 xd5 16. g4! e5

17. g5!
Without our last two moves Black would have had a relatively
healthy extra pawn. Now it’s hard to find, but there is a way not to
lose immediately:
17...f5!! 18. xf5 0-0 19. xe5
White will have an extra pawn, but will still need to develop the
queenside. Black is granted some drawing chances by the presence
of opposite-coloured bishops, but I think in practice it would be
quite unpleasant to try and hold. I think we’ve seen more than
enough of this line.

Taimanov – Rublevsky System
Let’s now move on to a cousin of the Kan, one that is nowadays
considered a better weapon for Black.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6
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The Taimanov. Instead of rushing to put a pawn on a6, Black
develops a piece and challenges White’s strong knight on d4.
5. c3
This is the most flexible developing move we have at our disposal.
Anything else would commit a piece too early. Now Black has a
choice:
5...a6
5... c7 is the main move, and 5...d6 is a version of the
Scheveningen covered on page 152.

This is sometimes called the "Rublevsky System", and it is a natural
alternative for many Taimanov players. Against many of our moves
Black could just put the queen on c7 and return to the main lines
usually reached via 5... c7. However, we shall meet that with
6. cb5, a move that has now become impossible. Hence, we need
to come up with a different setup – but it is not that hard:
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6. xc6! bxc6 7. d3
Now the tempo spent on 5...a6 seems wasted, and White gets a good
game with natural moves.
7...d5
Trying to put the pawns on dark squares with 7...d6?! can be met
from our point of view with the same setup we go for in the main
line. However, we could also give it a small tweak with: 8. e2! e7
9.b3 f6 10. b2 We’re delaying castling kingside because we
might want to choose the other side of the board. Black is in big
trouble already.
8.0-0

9. e2!
One central idea for Black is to later play ...a6-a5 and ... a6. Our
last move addresses that while continuing to develop naturally.
9... e7 10.b3
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Our plan is to improve our central presence with b2,
c4.
10...0-0 11. b2 b7 12. a4

a4 and c2-

Also excellent for White is: 12...c5 13. ad1 c7 14.exd5! (Now
14.e5?! only helps Black after: 14... d7 15.c4 d4! ) 14... xd5
15.c4 White had both the more active pieces and the healthier
structure in Vachier-Lagrave – Lautier, Besancon 2006.

13.e5!
Black was ready to take on e4 twice and then activate the b7-bishop
with ...c6-c5.
13... d7 14.c4
Now White is ready to take on d5 whenever Black goes ...c6-c5.
This was seen in Akopian – Laznicka, Karlsbad 2007, and a few
other games. It is a nice, easy-to-follow line. We don’t need to know
any more to face this system. This line with 6. xc6! is one of the
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main reasons why Black players usually choose a different move
order.

Taimanov with 5... c7
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

c6 5. c3

This is the main line. In the Toronto Candidates, Praggnanandhaa
faced Firouzja, and chose a system that has slowly become more
and more popular.
6. cb5!
The move itself isn’t technically new, and I can see a few old games
in the database. But a true realization of its strength came only
recently, with a few Grandmasters trying it out in the early 2020s,
and Erigaisi being the first to use it in top-level chess against
Carlsen in an online rapid game in 2023. It looks a bit dumb to go
with the knight to b5 when Black can simply kick us back with ...a7a6. In that regard, it’s more than understandable that for decades this
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was considered almost unplayable. But White has in mind a
positional trick that makes the operation viable.
6... b8
Staying in contact with the d6-square and keeping the queen safely
tucked away.
6... b6? runs headfirst into 7. e3.
6... d8? allows a few different punishments, one of them being:
7. xc6 dxc6 8. xd8+ xd8 9. f4!? Playing the move we wanted
to but which seemed impossible always has an aesthetically pleasing
effect. The point is revealed after 9...cxb5 10.0-0-0+ d7 11. xb5
f6, when White has the Opera Game-style 12. xd7+! xd7
13. d1, with more than enough compensation for the sacrificed
exchange.
Better than those two, but also questionable is: 6... e5?! 7. f3!
b8! (7... xe4+?? 8. e3+– is hopeless for Black.) 8. d3 a6
9. bd4

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This looks similar to the main line, with White stealing a tempo
because the queen stopped on e5 before retreating to b8. One could
try to claim that 9... xd4 10. xd4 is a slightly different structure
that might work better for Black, but White castles next and is far
ahead in development. A sample line would be: 10... f6 11.0-0 e7
12. e2 d6 13.f4 0-0 14.e5 e8 15. f3 We’ve played natural moves
for both sides, and Black is already facing checkmating threats
starting with xh7+.
7. d3 a6
The most popular approach for Black and the simplest to handle,
asking us to clarify the situation before choosing a further course of
action.
Sometimes Black tries to delay ...a7-a6, but I don’t think that’s a
good idea: 7... f6 8.0-0 e7

This was seen in a few different games, among them Vidit – Bacrot,
Baku 2023. However, in none of those games did White play:
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9.b3!?N The bishop is often best placed on b2, so this shouldn’t
come as that much of a surprise. 9...0-0 (9...a6 can be met in typical
fashion with 10. xc6 bxc6 11. d4 , reaching a position that can be
viewed as a good version of our line against the Rublevsky System.)
10. b2 a6? Oops! Suddenly, this is a mistake. As we said, delaying
it only makes the situation riskier for Black: 11. xc6 bxc6 12.e5!
Black’s best is to retreat the knight to e8, which is so sad it almost
makes White sad too.
8. xc6 bxc6 9. d4!
This is the positional trick that makes this whole line viable. The
knight that was previously on c3 now appears on d4. It will probably
get hit again soon, but it will stay on a better circuit than it usually
does. Moreover, it’s not as Black has used the time we spent
manoeuvring the knight to develop.

9...e5!
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Black’s best hope by a large margin.
After 9... d6?! 10. f3! the bishop was simply awkward on d6, and
White was clearly for choice in Dragnev – Bosiocic, Terme Catez
2021. From what we can see in the database, Dragnev was one of
the first to realize the potential of this system and has an excellent
score playing it with White.
Another relatively logical path for Black is: 9...c5 10. f3 e7
which was Praggnanandhaa – Firouzja, Toronto 2024.

We can slightly improve upon the play of the Indian star with:
11.b3!N g6 12. b2 The threat against the g7-pawn makes it hard
for Black to finish development. We could either castle or start
expanding on the kingside with g2-g3 and/or h2-h4, or we could do
a bit of both. In any case, we have a clear advantage.
Engines suggest another course of action as viable for Black:
9... f6 10.0-0 c5 11. f3 c4! 12. xc4 xe4

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But this seems extremely risky for Black to rely on in a game
between humans:
13. d4 b7 14. e1 f6 15. e5! e7
15... c7 was Bolhari – Dedina, corr. 2017. I suggest 16. f1!?N,
tucking the bishop out of harm’s way, safeguarding our kingside and
planning g5 next. If 16... xc2?, then 17. c4! is terrible for
Black. One of our immediate threats is d3, trapping the queen.
16. g5 c7 17. ad1 d8
This was Antipov – Zhou Jianchao, Charlotte 2023. The white army
is fully developed, but it’s not obvious how to increase the pressure.
A nice plan would have been:

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18. f1!N
We make sure that Black doesn’t have any counterplay. Up next is
d3. Black still cannot castle, as that would walk into a decisive
attack. For example:
18...0-0? 19. h4! h6 20. xh6! gxh6 21. g3++–
The black queen will drop after a subsequent

g6/f7+.

10. e2!
With the black pawn committed to e5, this becomes the best circuit
for the knight. In some cases, it could go to g3, in others to c3 after
c2-c4. Furthermore, the f-pawn is left free to advance.

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10... f6
An alternative development scheme with 10... c5 11.0-0 e7 was
seen in Lobanov – Sankalp, Yerevan 2022, and now I would suggest
exploiting the placement of the bishop on c5 with 12. b1!N,
planning b2-b4 followed by c2-c4. After 12...a5 13.c3! c7 14.b4
b6 15.a4 next comes b4-b5 and White continues advancing on the
queenside.
11.0-0 e7
This is the safe square.
11... c5 was Pranav – Rosen, Internet (blitz) 2024. Black’s last
move left the f6-knight slightly exposed, inviting 12. g5!N e7
13. g3 , leaving White with some pressure on the kingside.

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12.c4N
Controlling the situation in the centre and on the queenside seems to
be the wisest approach.
The more straightforward 12. h1 0-0 13.f4 d5 14. g3 was seen
in Alekseenko – Alexakis, Ciutadella de Menorca 2024. With the
centre opening up, Black gets enough active counterplay to be
relatively safe against the kingside attack.
12...0-0 13. b1!?
This is our easiest plan to follow. White wants to gain space with
b2-b4.
13...a5 14.a3 a4
14...h6, planning ... c5 and ... d4, allows 15. c3 followed by
when White will threaten the annoying xh6.
15. c3
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f3,

Black’s decision to put the pawn on a4 was double-edged, as now
the idea of c2 and taking on a4 is in the air. All in all, this line is
much easier to play for White, and an easy-to-learn weapon against
one of the most popular Sicilians out there.

Introduction to the Scheveningen
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 d6

This is the famous Scheveningen, the Sicilian which merely
pronouncing correctly shows the extent of one’s chess culture. The
variation got its name from a tournament in the homonymous Dutch
village in 1923. Kasparov famously studied this opening with his
coach Nikitin in his youth, and played it multiple times against
Karpov in their World Championship matches, as well as against
other top GMs in the 80s and the 90s. A particular system made
Kasparov quit the Scheveningen and prefer the Najdorf instead, and
that is:
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6.g4!
The famous Keres Attack! I was never a huge fan of the Keres,
mainly because of the huge body of theory one needed to study
before approaching it. But recently something interesting happened:
engines started suggesting an idea which nobody thought was that
strong before, but which makes the Keres a strong practical choice
as well. But before showing you what I’m referring to, allow me a
brief digression.

Scheveningen meets the Taimanov
Technically, the term "Scheveningen" is accompanied by the word
"variation", and those two together refer to the exact position shown
in the diagram above. But chess players are practical beings, not
exact scientists, and have commonly used "Scheveningen" to refer
to the structure with the pawns on d6 and e6, rather than the exact
position. That way of studying these positions makes sense,
especially if you consider how many move orders can be used to
reach the structure. One such move order to reach a Scheveningen
Structure (but not the Variation!) is:
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c6 5. c3 d6

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And this is obviously similar, but it is not the same. Black’s knight
is on c6 instead of f6, which means that our g-pawn doesn’t have a
target on f6 to hunt down. Nevertheless....
6.g4!
This is anyway strong. There might not be a knight on f6 to win a
tempo against, but Black doesn’t have many natural ways to develop
the kingside that don’t include going with the knight to f6. A
possible continuation would be:
6...a6
6...h6 7. g1 will soon transpose to our main line examined on page
158 when Black develops the knight to f6.
7. xc6!
This capture is our main idea.
7...bxc6 8. f3 b8
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After 8...d5 9. f4 followed by 0-0-0 White had an easy game and a
decent advantage in Hoagland – Wood, corr. 2023.
9.b3
This was Ivanovic – Z. Arsovic, Belgrade 2023. White was ready to
develop the bishop on b2 and castle long, while Black was
struggling both to justify keeping the knight on g8 and to find any
source of counterplay.

Scheveningen meets the Kan
OK, so it’s nothing special for Black to get the Scheveningen
Structure via the Taimanov – but what about the Kan?
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 a6 5. c3 d6!?

This experimental move order is sort of a "Jospem" specialty, as it
has been used extensively by the strong Mexican-Peruvian GM Jose
Martinez Alcantara on the online tournament circuit. However, it
doesn’t affect our approach too much:
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6.g4!
Our claim is the same. There might not be a knight on f6 just yet,
but how is Black going to develop without using the f6-square?
Grabbing space on the kingside is also far from useless.
6...b5
Black tries to make do without developing either of the knights,
prioritizing queenside expansion.
6...h6 7.h4 is similar to 7... h6 examined below, and 6... e7 7. e3!?
should usually transpose to the main line.
7.a3!
Stopping ...b5-b4 largely stabilizes our entire setup.

7... b7
7...h6 was seen in Short – Kasparov, Amsterdam 1994. In general, I
like meeting this with 8.h4!?N which apart from continuing the
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kingside expansion is a move that allows us to go h3 if needed.
The rook is excellent on the third rank: it is protected, facilitating
g4-g5, it is away from the long diagonal and the pressure felt by a
bishop on b7, and it protects the c3–knight, making Black’s ideas of
an exchange sacrifice on c3 seem much less promising.
8.h4

8... d7 9. e2 c8 10. h3 is similar.

This was K. Popov – Martinez Alcantara, Internet (blitz) 2023, and
a bunch more games by the same grandmaster have continued in
similar fashion. It is understandable that White players don’t
approach the attack with the utmost precision, since we’re talking
about online blitz games. White has two excellent approaches here,
but neither of them has yet been tried:
9. e3!?N

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9. h3!?N ec6 10. g5! is another nice way to play suggested by
Stockfish. White will castle queenside as soon as possible, with
good chances in the ensuing complications. Black would like to
respond to this with 10... e7 as far as development is concerned,
but trading the dark-squared bishops will leave the d6-pawn
permanently weakened.
9... ec6 10.f4!
White will soon castle queenside, and Black is in heaps of trouble.
We’re just more active and better prepared for battle.
It is understandable for our hands to be tempted by 10. d2, but after
10... xd4 followed by ... c6, Black will have won a tempo
compared to a situation where our queen took on d4 from d1 instead
of stopping on d2 first.
Now let’s start dealing with the proper stuff by studying an engine
game:
AllieStein - Ethereal
Engine Game

1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4

f6 4. c3 cxd4 5. xd4 a6

Wait a minute – you just said the "proper stuff"! Is this a joke?
I know it might seem confusing at first, but the Najdorf can also
sometimes transpose to a Scheveningen, and that’s exactly what
happens in this game. A true Scheveningen move-order to reach the
game continuation would have been: 5...e6 6.g4 h6 7. g1 c6
8. e3 a6 9. xc6 bxc6 10. f3 And we’re back to the game, in a
position reached below after 10. g1.

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6. e3
One of the main reasons the Najdorf is considered a better Sicilian
compared to the Scheveningen is that Black can always choose to
put the pawn on e6 and return to a Scheveningen structure. In
contrast, keeping the pawn on e7 for an extra move means that on
move 6 the g4-square is controlled twice by black pieces. Thus, the
Keres Attack with 6.g4 is impossible against the Najdorf.
6...e6 7.g4!? h6
Black treats the position as a true Scheveningen instead of a
Najdorf.
Theoretically, 7.g4!? isn’t as good as the Keres, but that’s because
of 7...e5! 8. f5 g6.
8. f3

c6 9. xc6! bxc6 10. g1

And we’re back in actual Scheveningen territory.
10... b8 11.0-0-0
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This is a structure that in the 80s and 90s wasn’t considered
anything special for White. Black has a strong pawn centre and the
open b-file; what’s not to like? But modern engines offer a
completely different take, claiming a large long-term advantage for
White. We will strengthen our king position with f1-c4-b3 and
expand on the kingside. With White being so much more active in
the centre, Black’s ...d6-d5 break will only serve to create
weaknesses on the dark squares.
11... c7 12.h4
Starting with 12. c4 doesn’t spoil anything, but after 12... b7 we
should refrain from 13. b3? c5! and instead opt for 13.b3! . But
this makes 12. c4 look a bit daft and explains why the engine
preferred to focus on the kingside attack.
12...h5
This is a typical way to fight against our kingside advance.
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13.gxh5!
After 13.g5?! g4 the knight is a bit annoying on g4, and Black
benefits from the relative stability achieved on the kingside.
13... xh5

14. c4!
The bishop would be an excellent piece on b3, simultaneously
aiding both attack and defence.
14...g6
14... b7 can now be effectively met both with 15.b3! and with
15. b3!?, since 15...c5 allows 16. a4+.
15. e2
Preparing f2-f4.
15... e7 16. b3

f8 17.f4

f6 18. df1!?

333

White doesn’t need to rush, as there is no attack on the queenside
for Black.

18...d5
We talked about this. It weakens the dark squares, but Black had
nothing better. Staying still and allowing White to prepare a good
version of f4-f5 would have been even worse.
19. d4 b7 20. b1!
Before starting the final assault, White will spend a few tempos on
putting the king on a2.
20... h5 21.a3

a5 22. e5

d8 23. g5 h7 24. a2

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There is nothing for Black. There is not a single target in the white
camp.
24...a5 25.h5!!

xh5 26. g2!

The h-pawn was given up only to use the h-file as an extra avenue
for the rooks.
26... d6 27. a4!

g8 28. e3+–

Up next is c5, with complete domination. It took AllieStein
another 40 moves, but it managed to win.
...1-0

Scheveningen – Theory Section
Philosophy and general remarks are nice and all that, but let’s see
what all our preceding remarks mean about the line in question.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 d6 6.g4!

335

6...h6
Everything else is even worse.
6...d5? is known to leave Black in a terrible state after 7.exd5 xd5
8. b5+! followed by taking on d5 and then giving a massively
disruptive check with e2+.
If Black allows White to simply advance on the kingside, the
situation gets really bad, really fast: 6...a6?! 7.g5 fd7 8. e3 b5
9.a3! Stopping ...b5-b4 stabilizes our entire setup. 9... b7

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10. g1! An important move. This is the best square for the rook in
the modern Keres Attack. The rook even goes to g3 quite often,
from where it can assist both the defence and the attack. After
10... c6 11.f4 White scores 100% in engine and correspondence
games in my database from this position! The main ideas are g3
and f4-f5.
A similar line to the one we just saw is:
6... c6?! 7.g5 d7 8. e3 e7 9. g1 0-0

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10. g3!
This is another position where White scores 85% in my database.
The threat is h5 followed by h3.
10... e8
This is a typical attempt to construct a defence for Black. The f8square is useful for both a knight and a bishop.
11. h5 g6
11... f8 leaves Black already objectively lost after 12.0-0-0+–
followed by f2-f4-f5.
12. h4 xd4
12...h5 might seem like an achievement at
first, but after13.0-0-0 one might realize that Black is still without
counterplay and White can crash through either with f2-f4-f5 or, in
some cases, with e2 and xh5.
13. xd4 e5 14. e3 f8 15. d5+–
Followed by
2023.

f6+ and 0-0-0 as in Stockfish – Fire, engine game

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Black’s best alternative to the main line is: 6...e5 7. f5 h5 (We’ve
already mentioned that 7...g6 works nicely for Black via a Najdorf
move order when ...a7-a6 and e3 are included. But in this case,
White has 8. e3! , getting the knight closer to d5.)

Black has tried this quite a lot, but White can get a large advantage
by playing for the d5-square: 8. g5! hxg4 9. d5! xf5 10. xf6!
gxf6 11.exf5 White scores more than 65% from this position in my
database. The knight on d5 and the bishop on g2 will both be beasts.
7. g1!
7.h4 is more popular, but I much prefer the text move, which
focuses on development before pushing pawns. Concretely
speaking, I wanted to avoid 7... c6 8. g1 d5!, when Black has
decent chances to equalize.
7... c6
This is by far the most popular move.
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7...g5 could be the only argument against our move order. But
modern engines give White a huge advantage after: 8.h4! g8
9.hxg5 hxg5

10. e3 We will continue with d2 and 0-0-0, and Black will have
to keep an eye on the g5-pawn in addition to everything else. This
stuff with ...g7-g5 can sometimes work in the Najdorf, but in those
positions Black is up at least a few tempos compared to this one.
7... e7 doesn’t have any independent value, as after 8. e3 it’s hard
for Black to come up with anything other than developing the knight
to c6 anyway.

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8. e3!
Black was hoping for 8.h4 d5!, transposing to the line mentioned
above in the note to 7.h4.
Please, try to not get confused and start with 8. xc6?, as after
8...bxc6 9. e3?! b8µ we’re one move too late for f3 and 0-0-0.
8...d5?!
This is much worse compared to the theoretical line we mentioned
above. The bishop on e3 is much more useful than a pawn on h4 in
an open position.
After 8... e7! Black may be thinking about ... xd4 and ...e6-e5. So,
it makes sense for us to choose 9. xc6!? bxc6 10. f3, followed by
0-0-0. Even with Black not wasting a tempo on ...a7-a6, these
positions are great for White.
8...a6?! 9. xc6! bxc6 10. f3 is the AllieStein – Ethereal game we
studied before this theory section.
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9. b5!
Developing with gain of tempo is rarely a bad idea.
9... d7
And now we should choose a concrete route, similar to the one
described in the note to 6...d5?.

10.exd5! exd5 11. e2!
Black is in huge trouble. The engine finds a solution to barely stay
in the game, but it’s quite inhuman:
11... b4!!
Who in their right mind would stay under the threat of discovered
check?
11... e7 is – quite predictably – winning for White after 12.0-0-0.

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It’s crazy that we’re not winning outright, but we have a few ways
of keeping a large advantage. For example:
12. xc6 xc6 13.0-0-0!
13. c5+?

d7! is one of the reasons we’re not completely winning.

13...0-0 14.g5!
White is clearly better, and there’s obviously no reason to continue
studying this as if it’s theory. Let’s just briefly show a nice
correspondence game:
14...hxg5 15. xg5 xc3

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16. d3!
That’s really pretty. The threat is xg7+.
16... xb2+ 17. xb2 e8 18. dg1 d4 19. xg7+ f8 20. xf7+!
xf7 21. g6+ e7 22. xd4+ d7 23. xe8++–
White went on to win in Trasciatti – Benedettini, corr. 2022.

Conclusion
"Why did you group these three Sicilians together?", you might be
wondering. For one, they all same the common theme of Black
putting the e-pawn on e6. For another, they can all transpose to each
other, so I thought that witnessing how a subtle difference in move
order might fully alter our approach would be quite instructive.
Against the Kan, we opted for 4...a6 5. c3, usually followed by
d3 and castling short. The popularity of this system has decreased
for Black in the modern era, since engines tend to give White a
substantial advantage. But Neiksans’ and Kovalenko’s suggestion of
5...b5 6. d3 b7 7.0-0 c6 8. xc6 xc6 9. e1 b8! gives Black a
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reasonable fighting chance. Nevertheless, I believe that our smart
10.h3!N leaves us with the more pleasant game.
Against the Taimanov, we chose 4... c6 5. c3 c7 6. cb5!?, a
hypermodern approach that, despite quickly increasing in
popularity, remains relatively fresh. We are not hunting for a huge
advantage, but we cut down tons of theory by choosing this simpler,
more practical approach. Our moves are easy to understand and
memorize, and there is still a lot of venom packed within the
outwardly tame appearance of our positional approach.
The Scheveningen, while not unplayable, is something of a relic, a
long-forgotten noble house of the past, now washed away by the
waves of the "new". Almost everyone knows that the problem with
4... f6 5. c3 d6 is 6.g4, the Keres Attack, but also many carry the
misconception that after 6...h6 White needs to play 7.h4. As
extensively explained, focusing on development with 7. g1! before
going all-in on the kingside is a much more promising approach for
White. The new concept with a timely capture on c6 places Black’s
concept under tremendous pressure, truly questioning the objective
soundness of the opening as a whole. In that regard, Black’s best
hope of reaching the Scheveningen structure is not through the
Scheveningen Variation. Instead, the Kan, Taimanov, and Najdorf
move orders are all a much better fit. The first two were covered
here in this chapter, seeing as we anyway chose the path of the
Keres Attack-style g2-g4. The Najdorf move order will be covered
separately, on page 205, as we will meet it in a somewhat more
Najdorf-like fashion.

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Chapter 11
Lowenthal,
Kalashnikov &
Sveshnikov
Introduction
1.e4 c5 2. f3

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

In this chapter, we will focus on Sicilians that are defined by two
distinct characteristics. The first one is the knight on c6, and the
second one is Black putting the pawn on e5, not caring about the
creation of a huge hole on d5. That pawn often goes to e5 in the
Najdorf as well, but those positions are vastly different in character.
In the Najdorf, Black tries to fight for the control of the d5-square,
defending it multiple times. In the Sicilians examined here, d5 is
simply abandoned, with Black hoping to gain enough dynamic
counterplay to counterbalance that weakness. The three Sicilians
that see Black employing such an approach are:
I The Lowenthal, reached after 4...e5 5. b5 a6?!.
I The Kalashnikov, which also starts with 4...e5 5. b5 but now sees
Black playing 5...d6.
I And then the most professional of them all, one of the toughest
Sicilians to crack, and the choice of Magnus Carlsen for his match
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against Fabiano Caruana: the Sveshnikov, reached after 4... f6
5. c3 e5.

Why

b5?

1.e4 c5 2. f3

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e5

5. b5!
"Every school boy knows that 5. b5 should be played" – Kasparov.
Let’s take a second to appreciate this, as it is crucial to understand
the reasoning behind it. If White were to choose any other square for
the knight, then Black would almost certainly manage to go ... f6
followed by ...d7-d5, striking in the centre and solving all opening
problems immediately.
For example, after 5. f3?! f6 Black is threatening the e4-pawn
and ...d7-d5. 6. c3 makes matters worse after 6... b4, renewing the
threats, and 6. g5 can be nicely met with 6... a5+!.
But this method doesn’t work against 5. b5!:
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5... f6?! 6. g5!

Black is in some trouble.
In contrast with the line above, when the knight was on f3,
6... a5+? can be met with 7. d2!, and the threat of a fork on c7
prohibits Black from capturing the e4-pawn.
And the alternative 6...d6 is a worse version of a Sveshnikov, as the
b1-knight didn’t have to go to c3, so our knights aren’t stepping on
each other’s toes. 7. xf6! gxf6 8. d2 leaves White with a large
positional advantage.

Lowenthal
Now let’s move on to studying the easiest of the three Sicilians at
hand:
1.e4 c5 2. f3

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e5!? 5. b5! a6?!

This line became popular in the 1950s and could be tricky to face,
especially at faster time controls.
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6. d6+ xd6 7. xd6

Our queen is really annoying on d6, stopping Black from castling as
well as from playing ...d7-d6 and developing the c8-bishop. It needs
to be kicked away immediately.
7... f6
That’s the main way to do it.
If 7... e7, then we can play in the same fashion: 8. d2! f6 9. c3
d6 10.b3 Followed by b2 and 0-0-0, or even a3 as in Aldokhin
– Postny, Internet (blitz) 2023.
8. d2!
I like this simple idea which takes away all of Black’s counterplay.
We want to play c3, b2-b3 and castle long.
8... g6
8... ge7 is possibly a better move, but letting us complete
development undisturbed is a dangerous business. 9. c3 0-0 10.b3
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10...d5!? A typical idea for Black. Slow play would have simply led
to a position where White has the two bishops, some extra space and
the safer king. At least this complicates matters a bit. But it’s still
unimpressive: 11. xd5 xd5 12.exd5 d4 13. b2 f5 14. d3 e4
15. xe4! xe4 16.0-0-0!? White was dominating in AllieStein –
Stoofvlees, engine game 2019.
9. c3

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Our plan is simple, and it would lead to a positional catastrophe for
Black if we’re left alone to execute it. Black has three ways to try
and annoy us, the most creative of which is:
9...d5!?
9... f6 can be met with simply protecting the pawn on e4 with
10.f3; but even better is 10. d6! , returning to the scene of the
crime. Black needs to move the knight from f6 to oust our queen
from her outpost, but then we would take on g6, with a huge
advantage in the ensuing endgame. One might wonder: why we
didn’t take on f6 immediately then, on move 8? Well, this operation
of going back and forth will win us an important tempo if you count
them carefully.
9... ge7 prepares ...d7-d5, which is now sort of a positional threat.
One way to contain Black’s counterplay is: 10.h4!? h5 11. g5!
Black’s dynamic counter-chances are diminished if the queens leave
the board.
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10.f3!
But this determines Black’s attempts as unfruitful. It would be nice
to remember this move, as it wouldn’t be anyone’s most intuitive
option, since it comes as a surprise. What can Black do now?
Pushing the pawn to d4 would stabilize the situation and invite the
knight to d5. Taking on e4 would invite the knight to e4, from where
it’s threatening d6+. So, the only option is to keep the tension:

10... ge7
10... f6 would transpose to the same thing after 11. xd5.
11. xd5

xd5 12.exd5

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13. d1!
The final important detail. One relevant tactical point is:
13... f5? 14.c3

c2 15.g4!+–

Black loses material. That’s more than enough about this line. Let’s
move on to a far more serious Sicilian.

Kalashnikov
1.e4 c5 2. f3

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 e5 5. b5 d6!

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This system started becoming popular in the 1980s. It is a close
relative of the Sveshnikov, but it has always been plagued by a
somewhat shady reputation. It might not be World Championship
material, but it is playable, as proven by the numerous grandmasters
that have dabbled in it. We shall meet both this and the Sveshnikov
with a solid and relatively rare idea which gained some popularity
after, well... a thread of mine on Twitter.
6. 1c3
6.c4 is another good approach.
6...a6
We were threatening
immediately.

d5, so the b5-knight had to be pushed back

The only alternative is 6... f6, but that’s a transposition straight
into the Sveshnikov.
7. a3
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7... e7!?
This is Black’s best idea if the goal is to stay away from the
Sveshnikov.
If not, then 7... f6 8. g5 is another transposition.
7... e6 can be nicely met with 8. c4!, getting the knight away from
its horrible place on a3 and towards the centre. If Black tries to win
another tempo against this knight with 8...b5, then after 9. e3 the
knight is just thankful to be urged towards squares it wanted to go to
anyway.
7...b5 can be met with 8. ab1!? with the idea of d5 and bringing
the b1-knight to c3. Black’s best move is 8... f6, but after 9. g5 we
transpose to our coverage of the Sveshnikov.
8. d5!
8. c4 is the main line, but I like the simplicity of the text move.
8... f6
We were threatening e3, so our knight on d5 had to be challenged.
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9. xf6+!
Trading off one protector of the d5-square.
9... xf6

10. c4!
We will play 0-0, e3, c2-c3, develop our queen and bring the rooks
to the centre. When Black puts the bishop on e6, we have the option
to take on e6 or put our bishop on d5. White has a safe, small edge
and the easier moves. For example:
10...0-0 11.0-0 e6 12. e3 b5
This was Erdogan – Cuenca Jimenez, Internet (blitz) 2023. White
put the bishop on d5 which wasn’t bad, but another good option is:
13. xe6N fxe6 14.c4!
Opening the game would expose the weaknesses in the black
structure. It’s not much, but White’s moves remain easier and there
is indeed a tiny edge to work with as well.
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Sveshnikov – on the way to the main line
1.e4 c5 2. f3

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 e5

Black’s system is so sound that the mere existence of the
Sveshnikov has forced some White players to turn their attention to
the Rossolimo with 3. b5 instead of the Open Sicilian with 3.d4.
However, I believe that our approach shown below gives White
playable positions with some chances of an advantage, which is
obviously the maximum one could expect from the Rossolimo as
well. Anyway, as noted already multiple times in this book, this
concept of something being bulletproof doesn’t really apply to
levels outside the elite. It’s one thing to face Magnus Carlsen’s
Sveshnikov in a World Championship match – indeed, there might
not be a solution against that. It’s an entirely different thing facing
anyone else in a normal tournament game. After all, Black’s
position will be full of weaknesses, and not everyone is able to feel
comfortable justifying that.
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6. db5
We already explained at the start of this chapter why our knight
needs to choose b5. When we gave that explanation the c3- and f6knights were still on their starting squares, but the rational is exactly
the same here.
6...d6 7. g5
We’re threatening d5, possibly preluded by taking on f6. Hence,
Black’s next move is forced:
7...a6 8. a3

Now the absolute main line is for Black to go 8...b5. But that wasn’t
the case in the early days of these systems. The occasional sideline
still pops up once in a while, the more popular being:
8... e6?!

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8... e7?! is another sensible-looking move. We can play: 9. xf6!
The fate of this bishop is to sacrifice itself for a bigger cause:
controlling the d5-square. 9... xf6 10. c4

White has managed to bring the usually misplaced a3-knight closer
to the centre and the d5-square, and is even ready to stabilize the
situation on the queenside with a2-a4. Not only that, but the d6pawn is also under threat. Black’s best practical bet would be to just
abandon that pawn with 10... e6!, but after 11. xd6 e7 12. xd8+
xd8 13.a3! White has an extra pawn and Black’s counterplay is
abstract to say the least. White scores more than 70% in my
database, and many of the games there are from correspondence
chess. In general in the Sveshnikov, "sensible" doesn’t cut it for
Black, who needs to be active, accurate and concrete. That’s why
for Black this opening is better suited to experienced players.

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9. xf6!
Typical. Once again, the bishop gives itself up for the greater good.
Much more popular is 9. c4, which is also good, but the text move
is simpler.
9... xf6 10. d5 d8 11. c4

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This is just great for White. It’s the same type of position that we’ll
be going for in the main line, but a massively improved version.
11...b5
Trying to develop the f8-bishop actively on h6 with 11...g6?! is
logical, since in the Sveshnikov it often goes there by following the
path e7-g5-h6, but it also doesn’t work well for Black concretely
after 12. cb6 b8 13. d2! , stopping ... h6 and threatening to
castle long, as in Lagno – Dzagnidze, Internet (blitz) 2021.
12. ce3 e7 13.a4!
White scores 90% from here in my database.

Sveshnikov main line
Now let’s move on to the actual thing people are worried about.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 e5 6. db5 d6
7. g5 a6 8. a3 b5
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Black’s last move prevents our a3-knight from jumping towards the
centre and threatens a fork with ...b5-b4. Here I came up with a
fresh idea, one which Anish Giri has already mentioned in his kind
foreword. It’s not a novelty, but it was severely underestimated, and
most Black players wouldn’t even have considered it as part of their
preparation in the past.
9. ab1!?
The idea is simple: we want to play a2-a4 next and then try to take
advantage of Black’s weaknesses on the queenside.
The two huge main lines are the more positional 9. d5 and the
razor-sharp 9. xf6.
9... e7
This is by far the most natural, unpinning the f6-knight.
9... e6 can lead to the same thing: 10.a4 (10. xf6!? is an interesting
extra option made possible by Black’s slightly inaccurate move
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order.) 10...b4 11. d5 e7 (11... xd5? runs into 12. xf6!
followed by xd5.) 12. xf6 xf6 13. c4 0-0 We have transposed
to the main line examined below.
9... e7!? is a recent trend. Best is: 10. d2! b7 (Better is 10...d5,
but it can still be met with 11.exd5 exd5 12. de4!N and White
retains a small but pleasant advantage. Black’s position is loose, and
thus not easy to handle.) 11. d3! Black was left struggling to find
counterplay in De Boer – Caruana, Internet (blitz) 2024. Despite the
short time control and the rating disparity, White even managed to
win against his star opponent.
10. xf6! xf6 11.a4 b4
11... d4 is a rare trick, hoping for 12.axb5 g4; so it is better just to
go 12. d3 .
12. d5

By luring the pawn to b4, White has accomplished two things:

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1) We have gained the c4-square for our bishop and generally
weakened Black’s control over the queenside light squares.
2) The pawn on b4 can be attacked with c2-c3.
And that’s what we’ll do for the next few moves. We’ll put our
bishop on c4 and go c2-c3.
12...0-0 13. c4 e6
Starting with 13... g5 is also sensible, but it doesn’t have any
independent value.
13...a5 is recommended by GM Pavlovic in Playing the Sveshnikov .
After the further 14.0-0 g5 15.c3 e6 the Serbian grandmaster
evaluates the position as balanced, but 16. d3 transposes to our
main line below, where I’ll explain why I think White stands better.
One line that wouldn’t include developing the bishop to e6 is:
13... h8 14.0-0 g5
Black is planning ...f7-f5 next.

15.c3!
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We remain undeterred, and continue playing according to the plan.
We’re threatening to take on b4.
15...a5
15...bxc3 16. bxc3! b8 (16... d4? allows 17.f4! ) 17. b1 a5
18. b5 left White with beautiful pieces and an enduring edge in
Ponkratov – Samusenko, Ufa 2024.
16. b5!
Black was under severe positional and tactical pressure in Karsay –
Halkias, Maia 2023.
14.0-0 g5
What else?
14...a5 can be met with 15.c3 .
14... a5 puts the knight on the rim without gaining anything after
15. a2 .

15. d3!

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15.c3 is possible, but the text move is a bit more accurate. The big
idea for Black here is 15... a5!N forcing our bishop to leave the a2g8 diagonal, as after 16. a2? Black has 16...b3! 17. xb3 b8µ.
15...a5
I think most people wouldn’t want to leave their a-pawn en prise.
Nevertheless, we should also study Black’s dynamic approach:
15... h8!?
This was played in a recent game between two of the world’s best
players.
16. d2!
White doesn’t grab the poisoned pawn on a6 and acknowledges the
strength of Black’s potential counterplay on the kingside. From d2,
the knight is ready to come to f3 and aid the efforts of creating a
solid kingside construction.
16... xd2
After16...f5 17. ad1!N White’s position is nice and solid.
17. xd2 a5

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This was Giri – Nepomniachtchi, Bucharest 2023. The main idea
behind Black’s previous move is to bring the queen to c5,
consolidating Black’s centre. Giri played our typical main idea
of18.c3!? which isn’t bad, but the engines claim that even better
was:
18. d3!N
Reintroducing the pressure on the a6-pawn. Up next is either c2-c3
or even another preparatory move with the f1-rook and only then c2c3. Black isn’t in serious trouble just yet, but White is clearly the
one asking questions.
16.c3

We can stop our analysis here and confidently claim that White is a
bit better, as Black is lacking any source of serious counterplay. Our
next move could be b5, but developing the f1-rook would also
make sense. Before we leave this line, let us briefly see how a highlevel game continued.
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16... c8 17. d1
With the c6-knight already protected, 17. b5 loses a large chunk of
its meaning.
17... h8
Playing for ...f7-f5 is embedded deep inside the DNA of all
Sveshnikov players.
The more computerish 17...bxc3 18. bxc3 b4 19. e2 was tried in
Galiano Martinez – Rosch, corr. 2023. The engine claims this is
equal, but it would be clearly more pleasant for humans to play
White, due to the multiple easy improving moves available.
18. a6! b8 19. b5!
Nicely done. By including 18. a6! White made sure that the c6knight would be hanging.
19... a7 20.cxb4 axb4 21. d2! f5

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In Boyer – Vidit, Internet (blitz) 2023, White took on b4 and the
game became a huge mess. But a more controlled approach by
White would have been better:
22. c4!N
White is ready to push the a-pawn and has a clear edge.

Conclusion
In this chapter, we examined the three Sicilians that start with 1.e4
c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 and see the black e-pawn going to
e5:
First, we briefly examined the Lowenthal, which is characterized by
4...e5 5. b5 a6?!, inviting the knight to give the check on d6. This
line comes up every now and then in club-level circles, but our
simple approach with 6. d6+ xd6 7. xd6, followed by retreating
the queen to d2 and developing the queenside with c3, b2-b3 and
b2, gives us a good game without the need to remember much
theory.
Then we moved on to the Kalashnikov, where instead of allowing us
to give the check on d6 Black opts for 5...d6. Our approach is simple
yet annoying to face. We start with 6. 1c3, and after 6...a6 7. a3
e7 8. d5 f6 9. xf6+ xf6 10. c4 we get an easy-to-handle,
tiny but pleasant edge.
Against the Sveshnikov after 4... f6 5. c3 e5 6. db5 d6 7. g5 a6
8. a3 b5, we go for one of the boldest sidelines in this book, the
quirky 9. ab1!?, trying to reorganize our knights to better control
d5. After 9... e7 10. xf6 xf6 11.a4 b4 12. d5 our plan is to
continue with c4, castle, and attack the b4-pawn with c2-c3. Some
finesse wouldn’t hurt, but it isn’t essential either. We get a fighting
game with easy moves for White, which is what even the absolute
main lines hope to accomplish against the Sveshnikov.
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Chapter 12
Classical
Introduction
1.e4 c5 2. f3

People who play this Sicilian can also do it via the 2...d6 move
order. It depends on which Anti-Sicilians they prefer studying from
Black’s side.
3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 d6

This is starting position of the Classical Sicilian, one of the oldest
systems for Black, and thus one of more thoroughly explored.
Despite that, many new ideas have been discovered in the last few
years, and for both colours no less.

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6. g5!
And this is the Richter-Rauzer Attack. Quite often in this book we
have opted for sidelines, but I believe that in this case the main line
is simply superior to the alternatives. By placing our bishop on g5
we cut down Black’s options by quite a bit.
One of the main points behind putting the bishop on g5 is that now
6...e5? fails to 7. xf6! gxf6 8. f5! . Hence, there are no
transpositions or similarities between the Classical and the Sicilians
examined in the previous chapter. The knight might be on c6, but
Black’s concept is completely different.
Instead, Black usually opts for 6...e6, but first we need to briefly
mention two tricky alternatives.

Dodgy Dragon with 6...g6?!
1.e4 c5 2. f3

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

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f6 5. c3 d6 6. g5 g6?!

This is one of the moves that placing the bishop on g5 was supposed
to discourage, but some Black players decided to go for it anyway.
Daniil Dubov was one of the main proponents of this approach, as
there was a period when he was regularly employing it in online
rapid and blitz.
7. xf6!
Of course, we need to follow through and punish Black for allowing
us to capture on f6 in such fashion.
7...exf6

Granted, Black’s position is a bit ugly, but the simple plan of ... g7,
...0-0 and ...f6-f5 could solve almost all the problems if allowed to
be executed. That’s why we need to choose a concrete approach.
8. b5! d7 9. a4!?
A paradoxical but nice idea. White just wants to play
9... g7
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db5.

Stopping our idea with 9...a6N is nicely met with 10. d3 getting
ready to castle long. 10... g7 (If 10... h6, then the bishop is
anyway misplaced on h6, since it’s not helping to facilitate ...f6-f5.
White is spoilt for choice, as both attacking plans on the kingside
involving h2-h4 and simple quiet development with 11.0-0 are
strong.)

This is a position that has been reached a bunch of times but without
the moves 9. a4!? and 9...a6N included, by White going 9. d3.
That line is also fine, but this is a better version. For example: 11.00-0 0-0 12. xc6!? xc6 13. b3 The bishop is much better on b3
than it would be on c4, as it is protected instead of being vulnerable
to tricks down the c-file. On the other hand, the pawn being on a6
instead of a7 seems to be quite irrelevant.
10. db5 0-0 11. xd6

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White has stolen a pawn, and Black is burdened with the task of
proving enough compensation. Alas, such a thing does not exist in
this case. There is only one game in my database, which continued:
11...a6 12. c7 c8 13. 7d5 b5 14. b3 f5 15.0-0-0
White was dominating in Xu Yi – Vaishali, Internet (rapid) 2023.
There is no compensation for the missing pawn.

The tricky 6... d7
1.e4 c5 2. f3

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 d6 6. g5 d7

Even though 6...e6 is a clear and massive favourite in terms of
popularity, this line has also been tried a lot and by many strong
grandmasters no less. If we’re talking about the last few years, it is
sometimes associated with Richard Rapport. Black again dares us to
take on f6, since that would damage the structure. But when ...gxf6
is available, this damage is something often tolerated or even
welcomed by players used to playing the Classical Sicilian with
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Black. We are going to take on f6, but we’ll include another capture
first.

7. xc6!
We’ve chosen this capture already a few times in the Kan,
Taimanov and Scheveningen chapter. In the old days, it was
considered to be universally harmless, but modern engines have
started suggesting it left, right and centre!
Doing it the other way round with 7. xf6 gxf6 8. xc6 isn’t the
same as now Black can play 8...bxc6!.
7... xc6
Let’s elaborate on the note above by comparing the alternative:
7...bxc6 8. c4!

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This is the reason why we start by taking on c6. The capture on c6
with a pawn looks a bit dumb now, as the position retains its
dynamic character and 6... d7 seems like it was merely a waste of
time. Our plan is e2 and 0-0-0.
8...e6
8... a5 9. d2! was Sevian – Rapport, Internet (rapid 2022. White
stopped any tricks and can continue with the plan of e2 and
castling long.
9. e2 e7 10.e5!
Nice and clean.
10.0-0-0!? also works, but White would need to accurately calculate
the consequences of 10... xe4.
10... d5
Also nice for White is10...dxe5 11. xe5 .
11. xe7 xe7 12.exd6 xd6 13. e4
White had an obvious positional advantage in Shankland –
Gelashvili, Chennai (ol) 2022.
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8. xf6 gxf6

9. b5!
A key resource, which explains why we can comfortably take on f6
when Black has taken back on c6 with the bishop. We deprive Black
of the bishop pair and get closer to an endgame. The less dynamic
potential Black’s position has, the more pronounced our structural
advantage is going to become. For example:
9... g8 10.0-0

d7 11. d3!?

White had a comfortable edge in Dominguez – Rapport, Internet
(rapid) 2022. The bishop on b5 can be stabilized with a2-a4, or
simply capture on c6. The rooks can come into play through the
central files, and the knight can improve itself by either jumping to
d5 if possible or rerouting itself to d4 via e2. It is important to note
that the black king is stuck in the centre for pretty much the entire
rest of the game, as castling queenside would be tremendously
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dangerous, especially since the positionally desirable response to a
capture on c6 is ...bxc6.

The old main line
1.e4 c5 2. f3

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 d6 6. g5 e6

This is the main course. Black sets up a nice pawn centre which
controls multiple important squares and gets ready to recapture on
f6 with the queen if needed.
7. d2
We want to castle long. After that, we have three different plans to
choose from:
1) We can play for f2-f4 and e4-e5, or even the immediate e4-e5 to
open the d-file.
2) We can try to attack on the kingside with f2-f3, g2-g4, h2-h4, and
so on.
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3) We can retreat with the d4-knight to b3, keeping more pieces on
the board to highlight our space advantage while putting pressure on
the pawn on d6.
As we will see, even though we should remain flexible and always
consider all three plans, my favourite one, partly because of its
simplicity, is the one where we retreat the knight to b3.
7... e7
This is the old main line.
7...h6? leads to bad versions of typical positions after: 8. xf6 gxf6
(8... xf6?! 9. db5 d8 10.0-0-0 is a complete disaster for Black.)
9.0-0-0 The tempo spent on ...h7-h6 was simply wasted. We’ll
study this structure a lot in this chapter.
7... d7? 8. db5 wins the d6-pawn.
7... b6 8. b3 is examined in the notes to the model game that
follows.
7...a6 is the modern main line, which we’ll cover from page 184
onwards.
8.0-0-0
We want to play b3. Let’s examine an amazing game that
illustrates our main ideas.
Stockfish - Houdini
Engine Game 2020

If there was ever a list with the best engine games ever played, this
game would have made it into the top five for sure. For me, it is my
favourite engine game ever. It has a wild beauty. The way Stockfish
attacks Houdini’s king is brutal and crude, but also beautiful and
sophisticated.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 c6 6. g5 e6
379

We did not forget to study 6... b6. It just doesn’t have any
independent value, as after 7. b3 e6 8. d2 we will certainly
transpose to one of the lines examined below. By the way, this was
also the actual move order of the game we’re studying.
7. d2 e7
The third-most-popular move in my database, after the old and
modern main lines, is:
7... b6 8. b3
Black can transpose to our game with8... e7, but Gajewski
mentions that Black has another interesting way to play.
8...a6 9.0-0-0 c7
The plan is to go ...b7-b5 next. Another beautiful game by Stockfish
shows how to meet this effectively:

10. e2! b5 11. he1! h6
11...b4?! is begging for 12. d5! .

380

Trying to take back on f6 with a piece, and thus starting
with11... e7, has the small problem that after 12. xf6 xf6 Black
loses a clean pawn to 13. xd6.
12. xf6 gxf6 13. h5!
Everything makes perfect sense, and White is better. This bishop is
super-annoying on h5, as it keeps an eye on the f7-pawn while
stopping the f8-bishop from getting into the game with ...h6-h5 and
... h6. White’s plan is now f2-f4-f5, increasing the pressure on the
light squares.
8.0-0-0 0-0

9. b3!?
This is my favourite move. In the next game, we’ll see what
happens if Black exchanges on d4 earlier to prevent this retreat.
9... b6

381

This is Yermolinsky’s recommendation in Chess Explained: The
Classical Sicilian , one of the books that made me like this system
for Black.
Breaking in the centre is premature: 9...d5?! 10. xf6!? xf6
11.exd5 xc3 12. xc3 exd5 White can keep a small advantage in
multiple ways, a nice idea by Stockfish being 13. d2!N which is a
neat multifunctional move. White wants to go either g2-g3, g2 and
hd1, or simply b5 and hd1. The rook on d2 protects c2, clears
the d1-square and walks away from an annoying ... g4 which
would be Black’s response to the immediate 13.g3.
9...a5?! should be met with 10.a4!, gaining a nice outpost on b5 for
the f1-bishop.
9...a6 is a tiny bit slow, as after 10. xf6 xf6 11. xd6 White is up
a pawn for insufficient compensation once more.
So Black needs to refrain from taking with the bishop and instead
opt for 10...gxf6, which is actually much better than it looks and sort
of playable for Black, whose king can be tucked away in relative
safety with ... h8 and ... g8.

382

However, after the purposeful 11.f4! b5 12. e2!, followed by f4-f5,
White had the easier game and went on to win in Garcia – Smirin,
Manila (ol) 1992. One of the main ideas of putting our f-pawn on f5
is that the viability of the black structure relies upon the existence of
the e6-pawn. If that pawn moves or disappears, then the remaining
black pawns are a truly horrendous assortment of weaknesses.
That’s why one of White’s main ideas is to increase the pressure
against that very pawn, with moves like f4 and g2-g3 followed by
h3 coming to mind.
10. b1!
In this case, 10. xf6?! xf6 11. xd6? fails to 11... xf2µ.
10... d8
Black is ready to play ...d5.

383

11. e2!
A beautiful concept! White just ignores the fact that Black can
capture on f2!
11... xf2
Houdini accepts the challenge.
11...d5N isn’t enough for equality: 12. xf6 xf6 13.exd5 xc3
14. xc3 exd5 In such a position, a bishop on e2 is much more
useful than, let’s say, a pawn on h4. That is one of the reasons why
11. e2! is so strong: it focuses on development and central control
instead of hastily building a kingside attack. White can keep a small
advantage in a few different ways here, the best one being 15. c5!.
Slow play with 11...a6, as in Markzon – Pupo, Dos Hermanas 2004,
is also not that great for Black, whose last few moves were focused
on not losing the d6-pawn, not on developing a queenside attack. In
that regard, it is only natural that after either 12.g4!N or 12.h4!
White’s attack is faster. There is no need to worry about the pawn
384

on f2. If Black wants that pawn then it should be taken immediately,
since with every passing move White’s attack only grows stronger.
12. hf1!

12... xg2? is clearly suicidal, and 13. g1 grants White an
irresistible attack.
13. xf6 gxf6
Also terrifying for Black is 13... xf6 14. xf6! gxf6 15. h6 .
14. h6

Black’s knight controls d3 and f3, trying to stop the white rooks
from reaching g3. Yet...

15. d3!!

xd3 16. xd3

White is an exchange and a pawn down, but Black is in heaps of
trouble.
16... f8 17. xf6 d7
385

The attack is also going strong after 17... g7 18. xf7+
threatening h5.

h8 19.e5!,

18. f4 h5
There is no better way to stop g4+.
19. g5+ g7

20. f1!
We could fill multiple pages with analysis to explain all the nuances
behind this attack. This extremely computerish manoeuvre stops
... g1+, claiming that the rook only went to f4 and back to lure the
pawn to h5, and that with the pawn on h5 the attack doesn’t need the
rook to be lifted.
A much more human way of doing something similar would be
20.a3!?.
20...h4 21.g4!?
386

Stockfish concentrates only on giving checkmate. The g-pawn will
come to g5 and become another useful attacking unit.
21...a5 22.a4!
Of course, there’s no rush.
22... d8 23. h5
The new threat is e4-e5, introducing the d3-bishop to the attack.
23... e5 24.g5
This clears the g4-square, making room for the c3-knight to join in
the attack by means of c3-d1-e3-g4.
24... f8 25. f6!
Showing another virtue of having the pawn on g5.
25. d1!? is also good, but why not transfer the rook to h6 first since
it was made possible?
25... b8 26. h6!

387

It’s already clear that the attack has been successful. Black doesn’t
have ways to bring more defenders to the kingside, so a knight
manoeuvre is bound to decide. In a human game Black’s response
would seem equivalent to giving spite checks before resigning. But
of course, when playing against an engine, precision is required
until the very end.
26...b5 27.axb5 g7 28.g6! e7 29. xa5 d7 30. h7
g6 32. xg6 fxg6 33. h8+ xg7 34. xb8

f6 31.g7

White is up a piece.
34... xh2
But this looks terribly scary. Who’s going to stop the h-pawn?
Predictably, Stockfish has it under control:

35.b6! d5 36. d8 f7 37. e2
The bishop goes to g4 from where it will comfortably stop the hpawn.
388

37...d4 38. d1 g3 39. g4 b5 40. xd4 a6 41.c4 f4 42. h3
Black resigned after a few more moves. What a game! Apart from
the cute tactics, it is more important to take away the logic behind
our plan of retreating the d4-knight to b3:
1) We want to keep pieces on the board, highlighting our space
advantage.
2) We want to clear the d-file, opening a connection between our
major pieces and the d6-pawn. That connection means that in most
cases where we take on f6, Black won’t be able to take back with
the bishop, and will thus have to ruin the kingside structure with
...gxf6.
1-0
Let’s see what happens if Black trades knights on d4 before we get
the chance to play b3.
Jagadeesh Siddharth - Artiom Stribuk
Gandhinagar 2024

1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4
7. d2 e7 8.0-0-0 xd4
8...0-0 9. b3! is what we just saw.
9. xd4

389

f6 5. c3

c6 6. g5 e6

The simplest way to play this position is with a quick e4-e5, opening
the d-file. This might not be the best, engine-approved continuation,
but I do think that it leads to a small edge for White, and it is
difficult to play the resulting positions as Black. To illustrate:
9...a6
An interesting move order for Black that fares a bit better against
our main idea of e4-e5.
More usual is: 9...0-0 10.e5!? Other moves are more common, but
this is what we’ll be going for. 10...dxe5 11. xe5 d7 (11... e8?!
12. c7! is depressing for Black.)

390

12.h4! A nice idea. While supporting the bishop on g5, White also
prepares h3 and g3. Black is forced to try to exchange queens and
go for an endgame. 12... c8 13. h3 c7 14. xc7 xc7 15. b5! A
nice concrete detail that justifies our previous play. 15... xb5
16. xb5 White has a small but pleasant edge due to the pair of
bishops and active rooks.
10.h4!
One of the main points behind Black’s move order is seen after
10.e5 dxe5 11. xe5 d7 12.h4, when the king on e8 protects the
bishop on d7, which means that Black can play 12... b8!, with a
good position.
If you want to insist on the immediate 10.e5, then you could try
12. e2! followed by f3, which does give White decent chances to
fight for an advantage.
10...h6
Black dares us to take on f6.
391

10...b5? is the most popular move for Black, but it runs into 11.e5 .
10...0-0? 11.e5 isn’t any better.
10... c7 is one of the ways that Black can avoid the e4-e5 push. In
this case, both 11.f3, followed by g2-g4, and 11.f4!? are fine
choices.

11. e3!
White resists the temptation of grabbing a pawn. Now the threat of
e4-e5 is reintroduced.
11. xf6 xf6 12. xd6 is possible, but Black can hold the balance
with precise play.
11...b5
11...0-0?! is met with 12.f3! since there’s a hook on h6, and the
attack with g2-g4 is far stronger than it would’ve been without it.
(12.e5!? isn’t bad either.)
12.e5! dxe5 13. xe5 d7
392

14. e4!
Another strong move. The f6-knight is what holds the black position
together.
14... xe4 15. xe4
White threatens the brutal xd7, possibly in combination with
xb5.
15... c8
15...0-0?? 16. b7! is curtains.
16. f4!
White stops ... c7 and thus creates the threat of b7. This move
also clears the third rank. It sounds a bit random to mention this, but
White will soon use that feature to his advantage.
16... b6 17. e5! f6 18. xf6 gxf6

393

19. h3!
The white army is fully mobilized, and the black king is in
permanent danger.
19... e7?
An understandable mistake after all the pressure.
The engine indicates 19... xf2! 20. f3 f5! as a magical solution that
solves most of Black’s major problems, but it is far from easy to
come up with this, and far from obvious to calculate and understand
it. Anyway, White gets to keep a small advantage with 21. xf5!.
20. hd3

hd8 21. b4+

c5 22. d2

394

c7 23. a3!?

24. xa6?
One nice way to play was: 24. c3! b6 25. xc8 xc8 26. xd8+
xd8 27. xd8 xd8 28.b4 Followed by c2-c4.
Another one was to repeat with 24. d3!? and change tack after
24... c7.
24... c6! 25. e3 xd1+ 26. xd1 f3+!
This was possibly the move that White missed.
27. e1

xc2

Both sides now have to acquiesce to a draw.
28. a3+ c5! 29.gxf3
c2+ 33. e1

c1+ 30. e2

c2+ 31. e1

c1+ 32. e2

A fantastic game, despite the slight tarnish by the mistake on move
24. The gist of these lines would be: if Black takes on d4 before we
can retreat the knight to b3, then e4-e5 is a good idea. If Black goes
395

for the tricky 9...a6, then it’s better to insert 10.h4! before going e4e5.
½–½

The modern main line
1.e4 c5 2. f3
7. d2 a6

c6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 d6 6. g5 e6

This is the more modern way to treat this position, and the
suggestion of Sam Shankland in his Lifetime Repertoires: Classical
Sicilian Chessable course.
8. xc6!
And we immediately deliver a small surprise. It is far from the first
time in this book that we opt for this capture.
8...bxc6 9.0-0-0
396

Black’s structure is inflexible. The d-pawn is a target, and when
Black plays ...d5 new weaknesses will appear on the dark squares.
Of course, chess is a concrete game, so don’t write Black off just
yet!
9... e7
Black’s most natural move, breaking the pin.
Another possibility is:
9...h6 10. f4! d5

11. e3!
The queen is nicely placed on e3. This line was popular for some
time, but in the early 2020s a series of wins for White in
correspondence chess threw a spanner in the works for Black. The
main line continues:
11... b4 12. e2! 0-0 13.e5 d7
13... h7 safeguards the kingside but allows 14. e4!, when the
knight will occupy a nice outpost on c5. For example: 14... d7
397

15.a3 e7 16. c5 c7 17. c3 fb8 18.h4 Preparing h3-g3.
White went on to win in Mrkvickova – Ma. Adams, corr. 2022.
14. g3!
Black was threatening ...f7-f6, and it’s important to fight that
concretely. The queen is excellently placed on g3, and the threat is
xh6.
14... c7
Most games have continued14... h8 15. h3!, when I find it telling
that White has scored more than 80%.
15. he1!
If you were wondering,15. xh6 is playable, but this is one of the
cases when "the threat is stronger than the execution."
15...a5

16. d4!
Before putting the bishop on d3, let’s activate the rook.
16... c5 17. a4
Next comes d3, and this extravagant rook on a4 will enter the
attack with great effect through the fourth rank. This was seen in
398

Ramos – Guerra, corr. 2021, and a few other games. Of course, you
don’t really need to remember this rook manoeuvre, but it will likely
stick in your memory nonetheless.

10. xf6!
We opt to ruin the black structure.
10.h4!? is an alternative, striving for 10...h6 11. xf6.
10...gxf6
10... xf6 doesn’t make much sense for Black. The endgames
reached after 11. xd6 xd6 12. xd6 are sometimes viable for
Black when the c6-pawn is on b7. When it is weak on c6, it feels
like we just have a clean extra pawn.
11. c4!
This is an important idea that started appearing around 2013 for the
first time in correspondence games. It looks a bit silly to put the
bishop where it can later be attacked by ...d6-d5 and stares at well399

protected pawns on e6 and f7. But there are deeper points behind
this move. Firstly, when the bishop goes to b3, our king will be
safer. This is important, as Black can try to attack using the halfopen b-file. Secondly, White’s long-term plan is to play f4-f5, when
the bishop becomes a great attacking piece as well. In my database,
White scores 58% from this position. This is the largest winning
percentage in the Classical Sicilian main lines, showing that this line
is good not only because engines give +0.20 at a high depth, but
also because Black finds it hard to play the position in practice.
11... b7
The safer option for Black, aiming to castle long.
11...0-0 is risky: 12. h6
16. g3

h8 13. d3 g8 14. h3 g7 15.f4

White’s plan is d3 and h4, after which e4-e5 will be a big threat.
In the only GM game in my database, Black went for: 16...a5
17. d3 a6 18. xa6 xa6 In Oparin – Saric, Durres 2023, White
400

could have played: 19. xg7!? xg7 20. h3 With a clear
advantage. Black’s pieces are scattered around the board, the e7bishop is bad, and the white structure is the healthier.
12. b3

Shankland’s recommendation.
12... a5
This move has a hidden defect: the queen doesn’t keep in touch with
the e7-bishop.) This allows White to play:13.f4! 0-0-0 14.f5! exf5
A hard choice for Black to make, but there wasn’t anything better.
14...d5 is met by the annoying 15. h6! planning g7. Once again,
the queen should be on c7, guarding the bishop.

15. de1!
The key move. Funnily enough, the h1-rook will be best placed on
f1.
But don’t worry, if you go for15. he1 like a normal person, it
should still give you a tiny edge.
401

On the other hand,15.exf5?! d5 is OK for Black, because our minor
pieces are both terrible.
15...fxe4 16. xe4 xd2+ 17. xd2
This was Stockfish – Sugar, engine game 2021. Both the bishop and
the f7-pawn are hanging, so White will claim the material back with
a better position. The h1-rook that was wisely left in place will soon
appear on f1.

13. he1! 0-0-0 14. e2!
The plan with a quick f4-f5 is not as good when the queen is on c7,
so we need to play smartly. White’s last move directs the white
queen towards the irritating h5-square should the black rook move
from h8. Moreover, it stops ...d6-d5 as we can just take multiple
times on d5 and the e7-bishop is loose. White can also improve the
placement of the king while waiting for Black to either move the h8rook or push the pawn to d5. Let’s check out some illustrative lines:
14.f4?! d5! is good for Black.
402

14...h5?!
This is a typical reaction from Black. Our queen is denied access to
the h5-square, the pawn can advance even further to h4 and possibly
even h3, and the h6-square beckons the e7-bishop to use it to reroute
itself to greener pastures.
14... b8! should be met with: 15. b1! (15.f4 d5! is OK for Black.
With the king safe on b8 and the pawn on f4 hanging with check,
the tactics work out.) 15... f8 (15... he8 is nicely met with:
16. h5! ) 16.a3 White is still ready to meet 16...d5, this time with
17. a4! . A nice idea for White would be to continue with c2-c4.

15.f4!
In this exact moment, and after all our previous careful preparatory
moves, this is strong. The key idea when starting to push the f-pawn
is to be ready to meet ...d6-d5.
15. b1!? and playing more slowly isn’t bad at all.
15... f8
403

15...d5? doesn’t work: 16.exd5 cxd5 17. xd5 xd5 18. xd5 If the
black king was on b8, now Black would have 18... b4, with a fine
game. As things stand, that obviously loses to 19. xa6+. That’s one
line to showcase the nuances which play a part in a waiting game.
14...h5?! is what allowed White a direct approach such as this one.
16. b1 h6 17.f5!
The attack hits home.
17...exf5

18. f1!
It’s about the squares, not about the pawns. White wants to take on
f5 with the rook.
18.exf5? is fine for Black after 18... f4! followed by ... e5 and
...d6-d5.
18...f4 19. f3!N
404

The rook can use the third rank to attack the black king. The
immediate threat is d5.
19. xh5!? was also enough for a large advantage for White in
Mishra – Niemann, Karlsruhe 2024.
19... b8 20. c4!
Black’s king is in huge trouble.

Conclusion
The Classical Sicilian arises after 1.e4 c5 2. f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4
4. xd4 f6 5. c3 d6. It’s an immensely complex opening, and one
of those where I felt compelled to go for the main line, at least at
first.
After 6. g5 we briefly examined 6...g6?! and 6... d7. Both moves
have been tried by strong players, but both turn out to be
unimpressive, and they don’t even require much memorization on
our part.
We then moved on to the old main line after 6...e6 7. d2 e7,
where we showed the effectiveness of the plan with 8.0-0-0
followed by b3. Furthermore, we examined what happens if Black
tries to prevent this plan and opts for 8... xd4 9. xd4. In that case,
we’ll play for a quick e4-e5, with or without a bit of finesse.
Finally, we moved on to the modern main line with 7...a6, but then
again we had a simple solution in 8. xc6 bxc6 9.0-0-0, which is a
rare but dangerous line for Black to face. After 9... e7 it’s good to
remember 10. xf6! gxf6 11. c4!, as well as the general guidelines
that govern such positions. The most important one is that White
wants to play for f2-f4-f5, but needs to time it correctly so that
Black doesn’t get to reply with a good version of ...d6-d5. All in all,
I’m more than satisfied with the chances that this repertoire is able
to produce against an opening as sturdy as the Classical Sicilian.
405

Chapter 13
Dragon
Introduction
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 g6

Undoubtedly, the Dragon is one of the coolest – if not the coolest –
opening names in chess. We are still not exactly sure how this
variation got its name. The relevant Wikipedia page mentions the
hypothesis that it was coined as such by the amateur astronomer
Dus-Chotimirsky due to the resemblance between Black’s kingside
pawn structure and the Draco constellation. The chess historian
Edward Winter hasn’t confirmed this through his investigation on
the matter. I enjoyed playing the Dragon for Black in my youth after
406

I read Chris Ward’s Winning With the Dragon , which still remains
one of my favourite chess books. The star of the Dragon is the
bishop on g7. When White castles long, there are many wonderful
variations where Black sacrifices everything just to unleash this
beast and deliver a heavy blow on the queenside. The g7-bishop is
not only an amazing attacker, but also a faithful defender. It is not
unusual for that bishop to single-handedly save the black monarch.
In my view, learning how to play the Dragon is an essential part of
one’s chess education. But enough with my love for the Dragon. In
this chapter, our goal is to play against it.
6.f3!
If we want to challenge the Dragon, and I mean seriously
theoretically challenge it, there is no other way.
6. e3 is also fine, since 6... g4?? loses to 7. b5+, but White will
need to follow up with f2-f3 anyway.
6. c4 is a safe alternative. For example: 6... g7 (6... c6 7. xc6
bxc6 would transpose to our coverage of the Accelerated Dragon on
page 223.) 7.0-0 0-0 8. b3 c6 9. e1

407

White has decent chances to get a small edge. The plan is h2-h3 and
e3, so that we won’t have to recapture with the queen on d4 if
Black takes our knight. After we develop the c1-bishop, the next
order of business would be to start looking for a good chance to play
d5.
By the way, this is exactly how Black tries to neutralize the English
Opening these days. After 1.c4 e5 2. c3 f6 3. f3 c6 4.g3 d5
5.cxd5 xd5 6. g2 c5!? we have a "Reversed Dragon", an
opening I spent a lot of time analysing and writing about in Playing
the English . I called this system "Grischuk’s Dragon". The Russian
super-grandmaster claimed that he wanted play something which
would give him winning chances against the English. But if this
system with a full tempo down is good in giving "winning chances",
then isn’t the same system a full tempo up good as well?
There is this paradox in chess. Openings that equalize, or even offer
good winning chances with one colour, can be completely boring
and harmless with the reversed colour and an extra tempo, just
408

because the opponent’s perspective and goals are radically altered.
The White player tries to play for an advantage; the Black player is
trying to equalize. 6. c4 isn’t exactly boring and toothless, it would
be unfair to put it in this category, but it isn’t exciting either. So,
let’s get back to the exciting stuff after 6.f3:

The quirky 7...h5!?
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 g6 6.f3

Our plan is simple. We want to go e3, d2, castle long, and attack
ferociously on the kingside, where the black king will likely be
situated. Of course, Black’s main move at this point is to continue
with the almost automatic 6... g7. But there is one alternative:
6... c6 7. e3
Again, developing the bishop to g7 would now lead us back to
normal territory.
7...h5!?

409

A funny-looking move order, which would certainly be frowned
upon by masters of the past, and not without reason. Black delays
developing the bishop to g7, playing all other useful moves first,
waiting for our queen to be developed to d2. Among others, huge
names like Rapport, Andreikin and Dubov have dabbled in this line.
The point is revealed after:
8. d2

xd4 9. xd4 h6

That’s why ... g7 was delayed.
10. e3 xe3 11. xe3
Black feels happy to have exchanged two minor pieces. This has
solved any long-term issues related to space, and endgames are
often good for Black in the Dragon. But time has been lost for the
sake of this operation, depriving Black of counterplay. White has a
small advantage. For example:
11... e6 12.0-0-0

Black needed to stop e4-e5.

410

This has been seen plenty of times, but only one game featured the
move I believe is White’s best:
13. d4!
With the crude idea of playing a4 and taking on a7.
13...a6
This is practically forced. In Yoo – Dubov, Internet (blitz) 2024,
White should have now focused on getting fully mobilized with:
14. e2N
Up next is hd1. If the black king goes to the kingside, we play f3f4 and prepare f4-f5. If Black goes to the queenside, we can start
advancing our pawns with a2-a4 and b2-b4. Moreover, Black should
remain wary of allowing us a good opportunity for d5. Our
advantage is objectively small, but practically quite pleasant.

On the way to the main line
411

1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 g6 6.f3 g7 7. e3

We continue with our plan.
7...0-0
Black’s final chance to alter the character of the situation is: 7...a6

This weird mix of openings is often called the "Dragodorf" for
obvious reasons. But the name does no justice to either of the two
giants that gave birth to this weakling. A normal continuation is:
8. d2 h5 (8...b5?! is met by 9.a4! . ) 9.0-0-0 (Changing tack with
9. e2!? followed by castling short might be the strongest White has.
We instead go for something relatively easy and practical.) 9...b5
10. d5!? b7 This was seen in multiple high-level encounters, for
example, Najer – Shabalov, Philadelphia 2009. My suggestion is:
11.c4N Followed by b1, with at least a slightly better position for
White.
8. d2

c6 9.0-0-0!
412

The modern main line.
The Yugoslav Attack with 9. c4 is the huge old main line. White
stops ...d6-d5 and goes all out for checkmate after castling long
next. This is more ambitious in a sense, but it also allows Black
much livelier and pleasant counterplay. Moreover, modern engines
tend to clearly prefer the text move.

By castling long we’ve focused on development, and we’re ready to
start attacking Black on the kingside with moves like h2-h4, g2-g4,
h4-h5 and so on. The downside of our move is that we have allowed
Black to break in the centre with 9...d5!, which is the main line
we’re going to focus on next. Sadly for Black, even though breaking
in the centre is almost necessary for the opening to be viable, the
character of the position gets altered dramatically, and it becomes a
slightly one-sided affair, with White pushing and Black being
confined to a sort of passive defence. That’s why many players have
tried to stay away from the central break with:
413

9... d7
A move also analysed by Chris Ward in Winning with the Sicilian
Dragon II .
Another old line is 9... xd4 10. xd4 e6, but after 11.h4!? a quick
h4-h5 comes. Black is supposed to be able to play 11... a5, but
there is 12. g5!, being happy to head to a better endgame if the
queens get traded.
10.g4!?
One of the main ideas of this variation is shown in this line: 10. b1
c8 11.h4 e5 12.g4 a5 13.h5? Black would be pretty much
losing if it wasn’t for: 13... xf3!! 14. xf3 xc3! 15. xc3 xc3
16.bxc3 xg4 17. g2 xe4 Followed by taking on c3 as in Lagno –
Bu Xiangzhi, Moscow 2004, and many other games. Black will
have four pawns for a rook! One of the proudest moments of my
chess career was when I won a blitz game at a bar, late at night,
against the then Greek Champion GM Ioannis Papadopoulos with
this exact line. These Dragon positions are very addictive! You want
to get them in every game. But unfortunately for Black players, and
fortunately for us, this whole line with 9... d7 is objectively bad;
and there are even multiple good ways to play as White. Here, we’re
just choosing to show one.
10... c8 11.h4

414

12. e2!?
Two lessons should be learned from the line we saw above: e2 is
important, and there is no reason for b1 yet.
12... a5 13. b3

There are many old correspondence games here in my database, as
well as a few examples from practical play. But no one played:
14. d4!N e6
Otherwise, this bishop would be hanging in many lines.
15.h5
Modern engines evaluate this position as almost winning for White
already. For example:
15...a6 16.h6 h8 17.g5
xh8 21. he1

h5 18.f4

415

c4 19. xc4 xc4 20. xh8

White can play b1 and f4-f5, while always thinking about jumps
with the knights to d4 and d5. In general, this style of play for Black
is only good against the Yugoslav Attack. Then our bishop that went
to c4 to stop ...d6-d5 is hit once (either by a rook on c8 or by a
knight jumping to e5 or a5), and has to move again, effectively
losing us two tempos in the fight for the initiative. Those two
tempos lost on our part make the position balanced, despite being
razor-sharp. After 9.0-0-0 though, we’re just too fast on the
kingside. So, Black needs to break in the centre.

The critical 9...d5!
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4
0-0 8. d2 c6 9.0-0-0 d5!

416

f6 5. c3 g6 6.f3 g7 7. e3

The centre is blasted open, and with the centre wide open there is
rarely time for slow flank attacks involving several pawn moves. In
that regard, Black solves a large part of the problems regarding king
safety, but other problems emerge, mostly in the form of a broken
structure:
10.exd5

xd5 11. xc6 bxc6 12. d4!

We have the better pawn structure. If we exchange a few pieces,
we’ll have a risk-free advantage. This is what White is playing for.
Generations of players that tried to refute the Dragon understood
that it cannot be refuted. But you can get a better endgame, so they
changed tack. And that’s when most Black players – apart from a
loyal few – started migrating elsewhere.
Please, don’t be tempted by the pawn grab: 12. xd5 cxd5 13. xd5
c7 This is a good pawn sacrifice for Black who has good play
against our king. I even managed to win one of my earliest
417

correspondence games with Black from this position in Cuomo –
Ntirlis, corr. 2006.
Before moving on to Black’s two main options, let’s briefly
mention:
12... xc3 13. xc3!? xd2+ 14. xd2 e6 15. a5
This is the type of better endgame we are going for. With our last
move, we control the d-file. Our next move is likely a6, followed
by bringing the h1-rook into the game. The engine claims it’s not
much objectively, but it’s obvious that Black will have a bad time in
practice.

The traditional 12...e5
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 g6 6.f3 g7 7. e3
0-0 8. d2 c6 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 xd5 11. xc6 bxc6 12. d4
e5

418

This is the old main line, and the move that still has the most games
in the database. It fell out of fashion for a while, but has recently
experienced a resurgence after Anish Giri recommended it in his
Lifetime Repertoires: Dragon Sicilian Chessable course.
13. c5 e6
Another move order that leads to the same position is 13... e8
14. e4 c7 15. c4 e6.
14. e4
Taking away Black’s option of taking on c3.
Black is trying to tempt us into grabbing an exchange. Please don’t
fall for 14. xf8? xf8 , when ... h6 is a threat, as is ... b8
followed by ...e5-e4.
The immediate 14. c4?! shows why we need to start by going with
the knight to e4: 14... xc3 15. xc3 g5+ And Black is completely
fine.
14... e8
Sadly for Black, the exchange cannot be left en prise for too long:
14... c7? 15. xf8 xf8 16. c4+–White is simply winning. Black
needs to take back on f8 with the queen for the sacrifice to work out.
Hence, the rook moves from f8 to allow the queen to be developed.
The waiting 14... b8 is met by 15. c4 when Black is out of waiting
moves and needs to move the f8-rook.
15. c4

419

16.g4!
We’ve finished developing the minor pieces, so now we go about
implementing an actual plan. The pawn on g4 discourages ...f7-f5,
which is Black’s only way of dislodging the knight from e4 and then
pushing ...e5-e4 to activate the g7-bishop and attack us on the
queenside. If we’re allowed to do so in any sort of comfortable
fashion, we’ll even push the g-pawn further forward, to g5, freezing
the black kingside completely. In large part, White’s advantage is
already stabilized, and that’s why people started moving away from
12...e5 a few years back. But stubborn Black players insisted on
trying to make this line work somehow, as that is crucial for the
viability of Dragon as a whole. Let’s see why Giri insisted on
suggesting it (apart from probably not trusting the alternatives).
16... ed8 17. f2
This is a good square for our queen, as she’s away from danger and
influencing both flanks. We could continue with doubling rooks on
420

the d-file or improving the kingside structure. Black needs to act
fast, and engines suggest:
17... f4 18. xe6

xe6 19. e3

Of course, we keep our strong bishop.
19...h6

We have followed Giri’s recommendation, which means that Black
has played perfectly on every move. The last one has the obvious
aim of fighting against g4-g5 and preparing ...f7-f5.
20. xd8+!
This is a new idea, seen only in engine games.
20... xd8 21. g1!N
A fantastic little move, playing against ...f7-f5 and planning h2-h4
and g4-g5. If allowed, White would be positionally winning.
21.h4?! f5!_ XXX57367 is what we want to avoid.
421

21.a3!? was seen in Dragon – Stockfish, engine game 2024. The
idea is to take on a7 next.
21... f4
Black threatens the fork on h3, so we cannot play h2-h4.
21... c8 trying to push the c-pawn, is met by 22. d1! .

22. f1!
Not only do we stop ... h3, but also our queen directs herself
towards excellent squares like c4 or a6.
22... d5 23. f2

h7!

Black’s only source of counterplay is the ...f7-f5 push.
24.a3!
There is no way to outright stop the pawn from reaching f5
anymore, and this is our most useful waiting move, stopping ... b4
and making sure that there isn’t a pawn hanging on a2.
422

24...f5 25.gxf5 gxf5 26. c5
We need to halt at some point. We will play b1 and c4 next.
Even with perfect play by Black, there’s still a little something for
White at the end of the line.

The modern 12... xd4!
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 g6 6.f3 g7 7. e3
0-0 8. d2 c6 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 xd5 11. xc6 bxc6 12. d4
xd4 13. xd4

13... b6!
This was Jones’ suggestion in Grandmaster Repertoire – The
Dragon Volume Two .
Against 13... c7?! White manages to prove an advantage with:
14.h4! h5 (Also good for White is 14... d8 15. c4 e5 16. c5 , as
in Byrne – Kukla, corr. 2018.) 15. xd5! cxd5

423

In Sorcinelli – Blengino, Savigliano 2009, White should have
favoured: 16. d3!N We are ready to take on d5, and if 16... b7,
then 17. de1 stops ...e6-e5. Next comes g2-g4, with a strong
attack.
13... a5?! is tricky, because it forces us to go for something we
usually avoid. But this is a much better version compared to normal
lines (for example the one mentioned in the note to 12. xd5 on
page 195). Let’s see it: 14. xd5! cxd5 15. xd5 c7 16. xa8! f5
17. xf8+ xf8 18. d3 White was certainly the one pushing in
Tari – Jones, Internet (rapid) 2021. The absence of dark-squared
bishops makes the white king feel quite safe.
14. e5!
We avoid the queen trade as that would fix the black structure. Jones
underestimates this rare possibility and deals with it only in a brief
note.
14... xc3
424

Another idea would be to support the knight on d5 instead of
moving it: 14... e6 15.h4!? ab8 16.b3 White is ready to go h4-h5,
and the engine claims Black has nothing better than taking on c3.
The only game in the database saw 16... fd8. In Prraneeth –
Sanchez Saez, Alboraia 2023, White had a nice chance to go
17. xd5!N cxd5 18. d3!, with a dangerous initiative on the
kingside. The white king on c1 feels quite safe in comparison to his
counterpart.
14... d8 is nicely met with 15. c4!N, which is our most desirable
move and should almost always be our choice when there are no
tactical problems with it. Engines think Black is forced to go
15... e6, which gives the position a similar vibe to the line above,
but now our bishop has made it to its favourite c4-square.

On the other hand, Black is threatening to take on c3 and c4, and
have good chances in the simplified position that follows. Hence:
16. e4! But now our advantage is once again stabilized. Our plan is
to start advancing the h-pawn.
425

15. xc3 e6

16.h4! fd8
16...h5 makes the black kingside softer and thus invites 17. e1!?N,
introducing threats of xe6.
Jones suggests 16... ad8 which is similar to our main line, but a tiny
bit worse for Black, as the rook on f8 is less useful than a rook on a8
in the resulting endgames. Moreover, he does not mention 17. e1!.

426

17. e1!
Black has no entry squares on the d-file, while the rook on e1 is
quite strong.
17... d4
There is nothing better. If White is allowed to play e4 and h4-h5,
Black will be in trouble.
18. xd4 xd4 19. e5

427

The rook is heading for c5 or a5. That’s exactly the endgame we are
playing for. Black had a tough defensive task ahead in Gutierrez
Dopino – Cartaya Verdecia, corr. 2020.

Conclusion
The Dragon might be one of my favourite openings with Black, but
fate has cast a dark cloud over this once great and historic line. After
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6 5. c3 g6 6.f3 g7 7. e3
0-0 8. d2 c6, by moving away from the Yugoslav Attack with
9. c4 and towards the modern lines with 9.0-0-0!, White has
managed to squeeze the fun out of Black’s task, making it a rather
dull and lifeless mission of proving that a worse endgame can be
holdable.
Black should really opt for 9...d5, and after 10.exd5 xd5 11. xc6
bxc6 12. d4 there are two main options:
The first is the Giri-approved 12...e5, which is the old main line. As
we saw, the analysis had to go quite deep to prove any objective
advantage. But in practice, remembering 13. c5 e6 14. e4
428

followed by 15. c4 should be more than enough for us to get a
relatively easy game.
Jones’s recommendation of 12... xd4! 13. xd4 b6!, on the other
hand, is a harder nut to crack. Some memorization wouldn’t hurt at
this point, starting with 14. e5!. With perfect play, Black will
always stay close to equality, but that’s not an adequate definition
for a good opening outcome. We have more freedom and a larger
margin for error, which means that our position is usually the easier
to handle. In chess between humans, that also counts for something.

429

Chapter 14
Najdorf
Introduction
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 a6

The Najdorf is the Blue Chip of the chess opening market. It’s a
hugely popular, complicated, reliable and dynamic opening. The
theory in the Najdorf goes deeper than in any other system in chess
theory, by a large margin.
But what is so special about it? Well, many things. But the easiest
way to put it would be that putting the pawn on a6 prepares ...e7-e5.
Going for the immediate 5...e5?! allows 6. b5+ creating problems
for Black, who has no good way to stop the check, as against both
6... d7 and 6... bd7 the d4-knight gets to go to f5 and then e3,
quickly directing itself towards the d5-square. In the Sicilian in
general, Black shouldn’t push the pawn to e5 when the d4-knight
can comfortably go to f5.

430

6. e3!
It is difficult to say which of White’s almost countless alternatives is
the main line of the Najdorf, but this is one of the main candidates.
It is a flexible move, which allows us to meet ...e6 lines with
something similar to what we played against the Scheveningen.
Also, it gives White the option to continue with f2-f3, g2-g4, d2
and castle long, similarly to what we did against the Dragon. But
I’m going to advocate a different idea:
6...e5 7. f3!
This is an annoying line for Black.
Every Najdorf player hopes for 7. b3 e6 8.f3 and will then
employ their pet system and enter the chaos. Of course, White has
good chances for an objective advantage, but learning how to play
these positions with White is far from simple.
But before we get into this business, let’s first examine three
reasonable alternatives on move 6.
431

Classical meets the Najdorf
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 a6 6. e3

This is a rare move, but it isn’t terrible. It is thus seen from time to
time at the top level, mainly from Black players trying to take their
opponents out of book. And indeed, none of our usual approaches
work, so we change tack:
7.f4!?

This aggressive approach is quite effective in this case. Next comes
f3 and 0-0-0.
7...e5
7... g4?! isn’t something to be afraid of. After 8. g1 followed by
h2-h3 the knight sortie will have simply lost Black some time.
Trying to now change it into a Scheveningen doesn’t work well for
Black after 7...e6 8. f3 . Up next is 0-0-0 and g2-g4. One example
continued: 8... d7 9.0-0-0 c7 10.g4 h6 11. g1 e7 12.h4 White
432

had easy moves and a raging initiative in Nakamura – Firouzja,
Paris (blitz) 2024.
8. xc6 bxc6 9.h3
Our plan is the same:

f3 and 0-0-0.

9... a5
After 9... e7 10.fxe5! (10. f3!?N is also good) 10...dxe5 11. xd8+
xd8 12.0-0-0 White had a clear advantage that soon became
decisive in Dominguez – Shankland, St Louis 2023.
10. d2!

c5 11. f3

White had the easier moves and eventually won in Denton –
Wilkinson, corr. 2022.

The unfashionable 6... g4
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

433

f6 5. c3 a6 6. e3

This was quite popular at some time in the late 1990s and early
2000s, with Kasparov himself employing it a few times. Nowadays
it’s not that common, as White is deemed able to gain a small but
pleasant advantage. Moreover, it never really became a thing outside
the top level, as nobody on the lower circuits is really excited with
allowing a forced draw.
7. g5!
That’s the way to avoid the repetition.
7. c1 f6 is the draw I mentioned above. Black has no way to
avoid the repetition other than choosing a different line altogether
when the bishop comes back to e3.
7...h6 8. h4 g5 9. g3 g7

434

10.h3!
An important move, asking the knight a question.
10... e5
10... f6 is also possible. After 11. f3 White wants to castle long
and break through with e4-e5. The first engine line runs: 11...0-0
12.0-0-0 c6 13. xc6 bxc6 14.e5 d5 15. xd5 cxd5 16.h4!
White had a small but pleasant initiative in Dominguez – Caruana,
St Louis (rapid) 2024.
11. f5!
The simplest approach.
11... xf5 12.exf5
We have the two bishops, easy development and a small space
advantage. Black is weak on the light squares and will need to play
for active counterplay on the dark squares in order to keep the
balance.
435

12... bc6
After 12... bd7?! 13. e2 followed by 0-0, e1, f1, and so on,
White has a small but stable and pleasant advantage.

13. d5!
This is the final important move to remember to keep Black’s
counterplay to a minimum.
Black’s point is revealed after 13. e2?
13...e6

d4! .

Black cannot tolerate this knight on d5 for long.
After 13... d4?? 14.f6! the game was effectively over in Vehi Bach
– Bruned, Balaguer 2003.
14.fxe6 fxe6 15. e3 a5+

436

Playing quietly with 15...0-0?! allows White to also develop with
16. e2 followed by castling kingside. White has the bishop pair and
a healthier structure, and understandably scores more than 60%.
16.c3

16... f3+!
Revealing the point behind Black’s previous move as well. This is
famous line that was discovered twenty years ago and is supposed to
lead with perfect play to a drawish position. Let’s see it:
17.gxf3 xc3+ 18.bxc3

xc3+ 19. d2

xa1+ 20. d1

Granted, this looks chaotic, but the burden is mainly on Black to
show that our pieces won’t come out and start attacking the
numerous weaknesses in the black camp and the naked black
monarch.
20... d4! 21. d3
25.h4 f4

e5 22. xe5

xe5+ 23. f1 0-0 24. e2 ac8
437

26. d3 xh4 27. g6+

f8 28. xh4 gxh4 29. xh6+

This was Dominguez – Firouzja, St Louis 2022. Dominguez tortured
his opponent for 30 more moves, but Firouzja eventually got away
with a draw. The engine now shows 0.00, but in most of the game
that followed Dominguez had a considerable advantage. This
position in general after 16... f3+! is tougher to handle for Black,
and that’s why top-level players have no issue keeping playing it
with White. Black is running a much larger risk.

Scheveningen meets the Najdorf
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

438

f6 5. c3 a6 6. e3 e6

7. e2!
This rare move allows us to castle quickly and meet ... c6 with
taking on c6 and playing g2-g4.
The immediate 7.g4 would be similar to our Keres Attack lines, but
it is met by 7...e5! 8. f5 g6! .
The paradoxical 7.a3 has become extremely trendy, but what I don’t
like is that after 7... c6 our main idea to take on c6 and castle long
doesn’t seem that strong anymore.
7...b5
7... c6?! allows us to execute our main idea with 8. xc6!N bxc6
9.g4 , which indeed resembles a Keres Attack.
7... e7?! doesn’t have much independent value after 8.0-0-0. Black
needs to move the queen away from the d-file and start pushing the
b-pawn anyway. And as we shall see below, Black might need to be
fast with the queenside counterplay and delay developing the f8bishop.
439

8.0-0-0!
It’s nice to know that we don’t need to stop developing to play a
defensive move.
After 8.a3?! b7 9.f3 bd7 Black has a good position as the
queen isn’t particularly well-placed on e2.

8... c7
It’s logical for Black to get the queen off the d-file to fight against
e4-e5.
8...b4?! was Van der Nat – Zhao, Turin (ol) 2006, and White should
have met Black head-on with 9.e5!. It’s one of the basic principles
of the game that the side ahead in development should open the
position.
9.g4!?N

440

9.a3!?N is another legitimate option, as at least Black has committed
the queen to c7, which both costs a tempo and means that there
won’t be ... xc3 sacrifices coming anytime soon.
9...b4!
This is Black’s first and last chance to push the knight to the rim,
and the only reason this line is viable for Black. One slow move and
we might have obtained a winning attack.
For example, 9... e7? 10.g5
trouble.

10. a4

fd7 11. f5! and Black is in huge

bd7 11.f3

After Black has found all the correct moves, a tense situation is
reached with chances for both sides. A good idea now would be h2h4 and advancing on the kingside, as well as b1 and b2-b3,
stabilizing the queenside. Engines tend to slightly prefer White,
unless Black is super accurate. As one might have expected, this
version of the Scheveningen structure, coming from a Najdorf, is by
441

far the best version of these structures we’ve seen in this book. It
required us to go for something slightly different than our usual
Keres Attack style, even though the flavour is similar. And even this
version sees Black walking on thin ice.

Meeting 6...e5! with 7. f3!
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3 a6 6. e3 e5!

That’s the traditional Najdorf move. Black gains control over some
important central squares and kicks the d4-knight away from the
centre. I have used this move in my own correspondence games and
had a lot of fun analysing the positions after 7. b3 e6, where
White goes for queenside castling and Black castles kingside. These
positions are some of the richest in chess, with both sides trying to
balance attacking with positional ideas. However, I was always
annoyed with the possibility of White playing:
7. f3!?
Luckily, I can now be on the other side of this deal.

442

This line always had a sound reputation. There were even times
when it felt like Black players were panicking, not really knowing
how to meet White’s positional approach. New engines and
continued practice solved most of the objective issues for Black, but
practical problems remain. Honestly, I don’t know of any Najdorf
player that enjoys meeting 7. f3. It is a bit of a disappointment to
see it, when 7. b3 gives Black excellent counterattacking chances.
Our approach is slow and positional. We want to keep control, trade
the right pieces and play for control of the d5-square. Our next
moves include c4, 0-0, e2, putting a rook on the d-file and a
knight on d5. In some cases, g5 is a good idea, trying to take the
knight on f6. White has an easy plan for the next few moves. What
does Black have in return? It’s not so easy to say. Black’s two main
moves are 7... c7 and 7... e7, but before looking at those we
should briefly check the alternatives:
7... e6?
443

This is the third-most-played continuation after the two
aforementioned main lines. But it must be mainly due to a confusion
between this line and 7. b3, where this is Black’s main response.
7...b5? is met – as always when this move is premature – with 8.a4!,
and Black is in deep trouble after 8...b4 9. d5 .
7... bd7?! looks a bit weird, as it closes the diagonal of the c8bishop. Nevertheless, it might end up being a good move if White
allows ...b7-b5 and ... b7, but we will not. 8.a4! Now Black may go
8...b6 to be able to put the bishop on b7, but White can get a large
advantage anyway:

9. c4 e7 (9... b7? loses to 10. g5. ) 10. d2 Or 10.0-0 N first –
the move order now does not matter much. That’s because we have
a typical setup which is known to be horrible for Black. White
continues with e2 and g5 and brings the knight to e3, for
example via f1. Black’s position is full of weaknesses and offers no
counterplay.
7...h6 stops g5, but we weren’t going to play g5 for some time.
The most accurate way to exploit this is 8. d2!, threatening c4. If
444

Black tries to stop that with 8...b5?!, then we once again try to claim
it’s premature:

9.a4! b4 10. d5 xd5 11.exd5 d7 12.a5! White was better and
went on to win in Borisovs – Vecek, corr. 2020. After completing
kingside development and putting the knight on c4, White can start
attacking the b4-pawn, which currently feels weak and lonely.
Engines loathe this for Black, but at least in comparison to the other
lines mentioned here, in this one Black has some practical chances
based on a kingside pawn storm.
8. g5!
That’s the very simple problem with nonchalantly developing the
bishop to e6 when the knight has retreated to f3. Moving the bishop
allows c4, so it’s out of question, which means that the bishop is
simply lost. It’s a positional catastrophe.
8... c6 9. xe6 fxe6 10. c4!

445

You might think that Black’s centre is strong, but in fact it’s
vulnerable and immobile.
10... d7 11.a3!
A nice little move played in Ambartsumova – Bodnaruk, Sochi
2015, creating a2 as an evacuation square for the bishop. White can
just retreat the bishop, castle short, play d3 and bring a rook to d1.
Let’s move on to Black’s serious options.

The old-school 7... c7
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4
c7

f6 5. c3 a6 6. e3 e5 7. f3

Nowadays 7... e7 is all the rage, but there was a time not so long
ago when Black players were showing a preference for this little
move, stopping us from playing c4. Despite losing some
popularity, this move retains many faithful followers. This is also
446

the move GM Papaioannou proposes for Black in his Understand
the Najdorf lectures for Modern Chess.

8.a4!
We stop ...b7-b5, hoping to be able to use the c4-square in the near
future. In some cases, we might start thinking about a4-a5, fixing a
weakness on b7 and controlling the b6-square. But we must be
careful not to delay our development too much or to lose that pawn
on a5.
8... e7
It’s not a rare sight to see even experienced grandmasters opting for
8...b6?!, which would be nice for Black if given a few tempos. But
as things stand, it’s a disaster: 9. d5! xd5 10. xd5 White has a
huge initiative. The b6-pawn is a huge weakness, as is f7. It’s almost
impossible for Black to keep everything protected.
9. e2
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Getting developed quickly is the most important. We can afterwards
correct the small deficiencies in our setup.
9...0-0 10.0-0!
Again prioritizing development.
10.a5!? is one of the top engine choices, but the weird-looking
10... d8! is surprisingly hard to play against.

10... bd7
This is the natural square for this knight in the Najdorf.
10... c6?! allows 11. d5! xd5 12.exd5 b8 13.a5!, followed by
pushing the queenside pawns. It’s an excellent version of these
structures. (If you’re too afraid for this, then 11. d2!? can also be
tried.)
10... e6 is logical, as the text move locks the bishop in on c8.
However, after 11.a5 bd7 12. g5! we can understand why there
might be merit to keeping the bishop on c8. A normal continuation
448

is: 12... c4 13. xc4 xc4 14. a4 c6 15. d3 The trade of lightsquared bishops is a large positional achievement for White who
had a pleasant edge in Ernst – Hedman, Ronneby 1998.
11. d2
White wants a4-a5 and

c4.

11... c5
Black tries to stop

c4 by attacking the pawn on e4.

12.a5!
This is a good moment to put the pawn on a5 without facing any
dangerous consequences.
12. c4!? is actually possible tactically, and you can explore that on
your own.
12... e6 13. f3!
We should try to prevent ...d6-d5.
449

13... ac8 14. e2
This is an unpleasant position for Black. Our main plan is to put the
f1-rook on d1, and then either put the other rook on a3 and go for
b2-b4 or start rerouting the d2-knight towards greener pastures. The
following lines illustrate some of the main ideas:
14...h6 15. fd1 fe8 16.h3

16... cd7
Similar is 16... c6 17. e1! f8 18. a3! , as in Schulz –
Jarabinsky, email 2019. White’s plan is to either go b2-b4 or slowly
reroute the d2-knight towards d5 with f1, c1 and e3.
17. f1!N
Since the black knight has already retreated to d7, playing for b2-b4
doesn’t make much sense. Instead, immediately improving the
knight becomes the most logical.
450

After 17. a4?! f8! 18. f1 g6 Black had excellent play on the
kingside in Yoo – Woodward, Internet (rapid) 2024. Up next is
... h4. Moreover, the rook on a4 is loose and Black can attack it
with ... d7, directing yet more pieces towards the white kingside.
Despite the quiet appearance of the position, things can heat up
quite quickly.
17... f8

18. b6!?
This is a natural human solution, clearing the e3-square for the
knight.
18. g3!? is also sensible and slightly preferred by the engines. The
knight could potentially make itself useful by jumping to f5. After
18... g6 Black gets the setup that was deemed great in the note
above, but White hasn’t spent a tempo to bring the rook to a4, where
the rook is hanging. Instead, we can play 19. d2 h4 20. g4!,
possibly followed by d1. White has a sizeable advantage.
18... d7 19. e3
451

We have finally managed to reroute the knight to e3, and we can
continue by slowly preparing a jump into d5. It’s not exactly clear
where Black’s counterplay stems from.

Main line with 7... e7
The time has come to deal with the modern main line, which is
7... e7. Instead of delving immediately into the theory, let’s first
examine an important illustrative encounter, which is one of my
favourite games. The way that Polgar handled the position somehow
stuck in my mind from the first time I saw it.
Judit Polgar - Viswanathan Anand
Wijk aan Zee 1998

1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4
e7 8. c4 0-0 9.0-0 e6

f6 5. c3 a6 6. e3 e5 7. f3

As we’ll see after this game, 9... c6! is more challenging.

10. e2!?
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White could also opt for a more concrete approach with:
10. xe6! fxe6 11. a4!
This is generally considered to be a bit better for White.
11... g4!
11... bd7? 12. g5 is an important tactical point.
That’s why many Black players have opted for11... fd7 12.c4 c6,
when White can play slowly and remain a bit better, but Stockfish’s
suggestion is also fun: 13.b4!? Preparing b3, and aiming to answer
13... xb4 with 14. b1 c6 15. xb7 White had a pleasant initiative
in Fedorchuk – Borovikov, Evpatoria 2007.

12. d3 xe3
12...b5 13. b6 a7 14. d5 leads to the same thing.
13. xe3 b5 14. b6 a7 15. d5! b7 16. d2!
White was slightly for choice in Ivanchuk – Topalov, Morelia 2007,
and won an exemplary game from this position. After xe7+, ad1,
c3 and doubling on the d-file, Black’s d-pawn became a constant
source of trouble.
453

10...b5 11. b3

11... xb3?!
This is too big a concession.
Black’s problem is that 11... bd7? runs into 12. xe6 fxe6
13. g5+–.
The bishop should stay on e6, so a better approach than the text
move would have been 11...h6!. That’s why I awarded 10. xe6! an
exclamation mark, because this line is acceptable for Black.
Nevertheless, if you prefer this direction, you could explore
different paths such as 12. h4!? on your own.
12.axb3

bd7 13. fd1

13...h6 14. h4! is also terrible for Black.
14. g5 fc8

454

This is a dream position for White. Let’s briefly examine how
Polgar took advantage of the square on d5.
15. e1!
A deep move. This knight will later go to c2-e3-d5. For now it
defends c2.
15... b7 16. xf6
xd5 20. xd5

xf6 17. d5!

xd5 18. xd5 c5 19. ad1

All positional textbooks will tell you that White is positionally
winning. Since it’s extremely relevant to our repertoire to
understand such positions, we’ll continue watching.
20... c8
20...b4 weakens the c4-square, so White goes 21.g3! followed by
g2-e3-c4.
21.c3!
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Making room for the knight to go to c2 and from there to e3.
21...b4
Black tries to start some confrontation while the knight is still on e1.
22.c4
But the position gets fully stabilized.
22...g6 23.g3 c5

24. d1!
The engine claims that a trade of rooks would have been just as
good, but that makes no sense for us humans. Our rook puts
pressure on the pawn on d6 or the pawn on a6, and could even be
used to attack on the kingside after another pawn break. Black’s
rook, on the other hand, cannot create a single threat. So, from a
logical standpoint, the trade doesn’t make much sense. Maybe there
is a concrete way to play that supports going for it, but playing
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concretely in positions where the advantage is 100% permanent
again doesn’t sound like a good idea.
24...a5 25. c2
d8 30. d5

g7 26. d3 c6 27. e3

c8 28. g2

e6 29. e2

Our strategic dream was completed, but Black’s position is sort of a
fortress. To break it, Polgar pokes and prods every possible
weakness.
30... c5 31. e3 e7 32. d3 d8 33. d2 c6 34. d1
g7

g8 35.h4

35...h5! was better and possibly holds with an engine, but Black
would still have had a horrendous task up ahead.
36.h5!
Now a second front is opened on the kingside.
36... g5 37. f3 c8 38. d1!
457

Getting ready to switch to the h-file, fully justifying the decision to
keep the rooks on.
38... c6 39. e2! c8 40. h1

41.f3!
Next comes f2, showing another avenue through which White can
infiltrate the black camp. Black’s defences couldn’t hold out for
much longer, and Polgar went on to win.
...1-0

The modern 9... c6!
1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4
e7 8. c4 0-0 9.0-0 c6!

458

f6 5. c3 a6 6. e3 e5 7. f3

The move itself is not new, but it wasn’t until recently that its
strength was fully appreciated. It probably helped the line quite a bit
that this was Giri’s suggestion in Lifetime Repertoires: Giri’s
Najdorf Sicilian , a course already published in 2020. This is usually
not an ideal square for the queen’s knight in the Najdorf, but that’s
often because it would get hit by a pawn after an operation
involving d5, ... xd5 and exd5. In this position however, it’s not
easy for White to manage playing d5 without dropping the e4pawn. Moreover, from c6 the knight has some ideas of ... a5 to hit
the c4-bishop and oust it from the a2-g8 diagonal or capture it.
Finally, if Black is allowed another move to play ... e6, then the
idea we saw from the Ivanchuk – Topalov game involving xe6 and
a4 is no longer valid.
10. e1!?

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We develop the rook, giving X-ray protection to the e4-pawn and
thus preparing to jump in with d5. We can then recapture on d5
with either a piece or a pawn, depending on the situation.
Also logical is 10. g5!?, trying to fight for the d5-square, but Black
has 10... e6 11. b3 d7!, offering a trade of dark-squared bishops
instead of allowing us to capture the important knight on f6. Still,
White has many easy moves in the resulting position, but Black is
objectively fine. You can explore this direction on your own if you
like.
Another direction you could go is: 10. e2!? a5 11. d3 e6
12. a4 b5 13. b6 With a bit of a mess.
10... e6!
It looks as though this walks straight into a more powerful version
of our main idea which was d5 anyway, but Black has it all
covered.
10...b5?! gives us an improved version of the main line after
11. f1 . Apart from g5, we can undermine the black structure on
the queenside in typical fashion with a2-a4.
10...h6 allows us to execute our idea with: 11. d5! xd5 12. xd5!
(12.exd5? b8 is a good version of these structures for Black.)
12... b4 13. b3 e6 14.c3 White had a large positional advantage
in Vachier-Lagrave – Areshchenko, Heraklion 2007.
11. f1!
Getting ready to jump with the knight to d5, this time obviously
aiming to take back with a pawn.
Black’s point is that the immediate 11. d5 is met by 11... xd5
12.exd5 b5! 13. f1 b4 and the d5-pawn is in trouble. That’s why
we need to take time and play a prophylactic move with 11. f1. By
the way, it’s always amusing for Greeks when English-speaking
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chess players feel a bit confused with either pronouncing or
understanding the concept of prophylaxis. Prophylaxis is a Greek
word that blends the preposition "pro", which in Greek means
before, with the Greek word for protecting. It literally means to
protect against something pre-emptively (see what I did there?),
before it happens. We remove things from future danger, before
danger comes.
The only problem with our prophylactic move is that it allows:
11...d5!
The saying goes that Black is always OK in the Sicilian after
achieving this break. Engines in modern chess have often disputed
this point, but indeed this time it is true. However, I still believe we
can fish for some practical chances:

12.exd5

xd5 13. xd5 xd5

The alternative capture has also been tried: 13... xd5 14. xd5
xd5
461

In Dominguez – Giri, Internet (rapid) 2021, White would have
gained better chances to exert some pressure by going for: 15.c3!
Controlling the d4-square and aiming to slowly develop an initiative
on the queenside and in the centre. For example: 15... ac8 16. ed1
e6 17. g5 f5 18.f3 White had some small pressure in Ginkgo
Valencia – Ethereal, engine game 2023.

462

14.c3!
Nicely for us, the same move is best with or without the queen trade.
White still has some potential, despite the position’s quiet
appearance. If a few pieces get traded, Black could easily end up in
trouble. For example, b6 could claim the d-file. Let’s see an
example:
14... c8 15. d2!
White isn’t afraid of ... xf3. The last move clears the d1-square for
the rook and introduces ideas of g5, leaving the d5-bishop without
escape squares before attacking it.
15... e6
15...h6?! 16. ed1 is a nice advantage for White.
16. xd8 fxd8

463

17. b6
Holding this wouldn’t be a walk in the park for any human. White is
clearly the one asking questions. A correspondence game continued:
17... d5! 18. c4 d6 19. xe6 xe6 20. ad1
Threatening d7.
20...e4! 21. d4

xd4 22. xd4 d8 23.g3 h5

This was Millstone – Zubac, corr. 2023. Even after Black’s perfect
defence the game isn’t over. For example:

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24. f1!?N
There is still some play left. White will play a4 and at the right time
e3 and try to head into an endgame with better prospects due to the
mobile queenside majority and better king. It’s the Najdorf; we
cannot expect an advantage with best play. But I am not that
worried. Even this position we could sometimes win without being
in much danger of losing. You can always mix it up a bit with
10. e2!? and 10. g5!? which also put Black under a bit of pressure.
All three lines are reasonable for White and equally annoying for
Black.

Conclusion
After the opening moves 1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 f6
5. c3 a6, our choice against the Najdorf is at first the absolute main
one. There is no more popular move than 6. e3.
We first focused on Black’s less common responses to our
approach, starting with 6... c6, which was nicely met with 7.f4!?, a
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strong move that is unique for this repertoire. We usually take the
knight on c6 in such cases, but with our bishop committed to e3 it’s
not that good a version for us.
We then briefly covered 6... g4, a huge line in the past that has
faded over time, but still should be given a proper amount of
respect, as well as 6...e6 which we meet with the rare but strong
7. e2! followed by castling long. If Black replies perfectly we will
reach a razor-sharp but balanced position, and any small inaccuracy
could grant us a tremendous initiative. As we have already noted,
this is the best version of the Scheveningen examined in this book,
and it still being dangerous shows why people have started losing
trust in the practical value of playing this ancient structure with
Black.
Finally, we focused on 6...e5. Our choice of 7. f3 may not be the
most overtly aggressive, but it contains no shortage of venom.
That’s why it has often been the choice of many top players that
wanted to try for a small but safe and pleasant advantage. Of course,
the Najdorf cannot be refuted, and after the modern 7... e7 8. c4 00 9.0-0 c6! Black can eventually equalize. Nevertheless, we get a
good, easy, playable position in multiple ways. Few Black players
would be confident with navigating these lines and being able to
equalize against all our tries.

466

Chapter 15
Other Sicilian Lines
O’Kelly
In this chapter, we’ll study all those Sicilians that are worthy enough
for a mention, but not worthy or "pure" enough to belong in a
different chapter. We’ll start with the O’Kelly.
1.e4 c5 2. f3 a6

This is the O’Kelly Sicilian. It is the kind of move that if you are
seeing it for the first time, you can fall into the trap of
underestimating it. And in fact, theoreticians have underestimated
this system for decades. Modern authors like Christof Sielecki and
Boris Avrukh have done an excellent job of showing that it is not
467

that easy to gain an edge against this system. Nevertheless, it gives
us a broad spectrum of choices which can lead to an interesting and
comfortable game for White.
3.d4!?
Traditionally, White goes for 3.c3, 3.c4 or 3.g3, in all cases aiming
for an Anti-Sicilian of sorts, in which ...a7-a6 isn’t Black’s most
useful move. All three lines are good, principled options you might
want to investigate. However, they have been covered extensively in
chess literature, and I thought there is more value in suggesting
something fresher.
3...cxd4 4. e2!
Black’s main hope when playing the O’Kelly is that after 4. xd4
f6 5. c3 e5! the d4-knight doesn’t have a great square to go, since
jumping to f5 would allow ...d7-d5. Against all other retreating
squares, the f8-bishop will develop itself actively on either c5 or b4,
giving Black something akin to an improved Najdorf. In the actual
Najdorf, the dark-squared bishop is often the piece that’s struggling
a bit, being stuck on e7 and inside the pawn chain.

468

Our rare move isn’t mentioned by Avrukh or Sielecki, even though
it is Stockfish’s first choice. We ask Black to play another move and
clarify the situation before we choose how to regain the pawn on d4.
In fact, starting with 3. e2 and following it up with 4.d4 should lead
to the same thing, but shocking your opponent has some value. The
downside of playing like this is that we allow Black a bit of freedom
to choose between different Sicilian setups, claiming that against all
of them we’ll have a way to exploit the different move instead of
simply transposing to a normal e2 line against, let’s say, the
Taimanov or the Najdorf (both of which are Sicilians where the
pawn goes to a6). We actually do have tricks to accomplish that goal
in almost all cases, but it does burden us with knowing all these
tricks, if we’re seeing things through a theoretical lens. However, as
we’ve mentioned plenty of times already, chess is a practical game.
Let’s see a few examples of how to exploit the move order to our
advantage:
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4... c6
I’d love to face the greedy 4...e5?!, which uses the possible ... a5+
trick to leave Black with an extra pawn, because 5.c3! dxc3 6. xc3
gives White a superb version of the Morra Gambit.
What about Black trying to transpose to a Najdorf?
4...d6 5. xd4! c6 6. d3!?
We get a particular version of1.e4 c5 2. f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4,
when 4...a6 5. e2 c6 6. d3 would lead to exactly the same
position. I like this for White, as the pawn on a6 is not greatly useful
for Black. This is a modern way to treat the Sicilian in general.
Against ...e6 setups we play with c2-c4, but against ...g6 setups we
play with b1-c3-d5
and put the c-pawn on c3 to blunt the
g7-bishop. For example:

6...g6
The other setup would see:6... f6 7.0-0 e6 8.c4 e7 9. c3 0-0
10. d1 Black is gasping for air.
470

7.0-0 g7 8. c3!

f6 9. d5! 0-0 10.c3

All had gone according to the plan for White in So – Carlsen,
Toronto (rapid) 2023. This is the setup we need to have in mind.
White can continue improving and increasing the pressure with d1
and g5.
4...e6!? is another logical attempt for Black, aiming to play in the
style of the Kan or the Taimanov Sicilians. After 5.0-0! we reach an
interesting situation. Black has many moves that could make some
sense, but none of those is too threatening or leading to a good
version of the aforementioned Sicilians. To illustrate:
a) 5... f6 allows 6.e5 d5 7. xd4!N c6 8. g4 and c2-c4 next,
with a large advantage for White.
b) 5... c6 6. xd4 c7 looks like a Taimanov, but isn’t really a true
one. In the e2 lines of the Taimanov Black plays a quick ... f6
and our b1-knight is forced to c3. In this case, we can opt for 7.c4!
followed by c3, with a nice version of a Maroczy bind.
c) 5... c7! is one line where it’s hard not to transpose to a normal
Sicilian. We could contemplate taking on d4 with the queen or
going for a Morra-style gambit with c2-c3. but objectively best is
6. xd4, when 6... f6 should take the game into a Sicilian Kan,
were we to develop our knight to c3. However, we have an
interesting alternative in 7. d3!?, trying to play for c2-c4. This is
not bad for Black, but it isn’t harmless either.
5. xd4! f6
Also possible is 5...e5!? 6. b3 f6 7. g5! e7 8. c3, with a
unique version of a Sicilian. I’m not sure if it more resembles a
Najdorf or a Sveshnikov. In any case, White has good chances to
occupy the d5-square with a knight and fight for an advantage.
6. xc6 bxc6
471

7. d4!
The normal 7. c3!? is also decent, but there are cases where we
might want to push the c-pawn or develop the knight to a different
circuit.
7...d6
Anything else allows e4-e5.
8.0-0 e5
This was Korcatov – Tutinas, Vilnius 2021. Against quieter
responses White would have likely developed with d2, b2-b3 and
b2.
9. c3!N
Winning a tempo against the pawn on c6. Up next comes d2,
followed by b2-b3 and b2. Then we could either engineer play
against Black’s weak pawns on c6 and d6, or try to combine that
with a kingside attack starting with f2-f4.
472

The lines presented above do not constitute a comprehensive
analysis of 4. e2!. As explained in the note to it, Black has tons of
different approaches that could make some sense. Our focus here
was to illustrate the main ideas and give you a starting point from
where you can explore on your own if you think that this line could
work for you. If not, 3.c3, 3.c4 and 3.g3 are all good alternatives. As
a final note before leaving this subject, I’d like to add that this line
would work better against some opponents compared to others. For
example, if you’re playing against a seasoned Hedgehog structure
expert, then they will likely find a way to transpose to a somewhat
acceptable version of that structure. Of course, White is almost
always better against the Hedgehog according to engines, but that’s
a different story. On the other hand, if your opponent is not a wellrounded Sicilian expert, but merely trying out the O’Kelly, hoping
to stay in independent territory, then this line might throw them
completely off balance. Let’s now move on to another slightly
disreputable Sicilian.

Nimzowitsch
1.e4 c5 2. f3

f6?!

473

This is often called the Nimzowitsch Variation. It is one of these
little systems that Black players sometimes use as a surprise
weapon.
3.e5!
This is the principled response, trying to punish Black for the odd
opening choice.
3. c3!? tries to circumvent the need to study this line and transpose
to normal Sicilians by going d2-d4 next. We’re letting Black a bit
off the hook, but it’s possible to play this way. However, if you
want to do so, you’d need to study 3...d5, which keeps the game in
theoretically independent waters. In my view, if we anyway need to
study something about this line, we might as well study the most
principled 3.e5!, not giving Black the chance to correct the mistake
of 2... f6?!.
3... d5 4. e2!?

474

I love the fact that we can meet the O’Kelly and the Nimzowitsch in
similar ways. Our plan is to quickly castle and then open the centre
with d2-d4.

4... c6
4...d6 allows: 5.d4! cxd4 6. xd4! e6 7.c4 White has easy, freeflowing development and a small space advantage.
Even better for White is 4...g6?! 5.d4 .
Black can eliminate our light-squared bishop with 4... f4?!, but
after 5.0-0 xe2+ 6. xe2 the price proves too high. White is
seriously ahead in development, and after 6... c6 Stockfish wants
us to capitalize on our development lead with 7.d4! cxd4 8. f4
followed by d1. Indeed, Black faces severe difficulties in the task
of completing development.
5.0-0
Our next move will likely be

c3.

5...d6
475

5...e6 was Markus – Martynov, corr. 2020, when I would suggest
6. c3!N, aiming for xd5 followed by d2-d4. 6... xc3 7.dxc3
leaves White with a typical small advantage. Up next is f4
followed by lifting the queen and ad1, and Black faces some
problems down the d-file. The pawn on d7 is backward, and the d6square is a glorious outpost for our knight.
5...g6 is also met with 6. c3!, when an important line is: 6... f4
7.d4 xe2+ 8. xe2! cxd4 9. b5 Once again, Black is far behind
in development.

At this point, all the games in my database continued with 6.exd6,
which is logical. But modern engines suggest a different idea:
6. b5!N
The bishop moves for a second time, but Black has committed to a
setup that fully justifies the bishop’s placement on b5.
6.exd6 e5! is what we want to avoid. That’s why we start with the
bishop move.
476

6... d7
Trying to withstand the pin is dangerous for Black, who needs the
tension to be resolved in the centre before it’s too late.
7.exd6
And now ...e7-e5 is impossible for many reasons, the simplest being
that we could take on c6 and e5.
7...e6!
After 7...exd6 8.c4!, followed by e1+ and d2-d4, White develops a
strong initiative.
8. c3!
We use the momentum to challenge Black’s strong knight on d5,
exploiting how it is currently impossible for Black to take on c3.
Our easy development gives us a good game. Let’s examine one
instructive continuation:

477

8... xd6 9. xd5 exd5 10.d4 c4 11.b3!
It seems we want to get a better structure – and we do – but we also
have another idea.
11...cxb3 12. xc6! xc6 13. e1+!

13... e7? runs into 14. a3!.
14.axb3 f6
Anything else would allow

e5.

15. a3
White trades off Black’s good bishop and leaves Black with the
worse pawn structure, worse king, and worse minor piece. All in all,
it turns out that the Nimzowitsch, although by no means senseless, is
a variation we should be more than happy to face.

Accelerated Dragon
Now we’ll focus our attention on a relatively serious Sicilian. As the
name implies, there’s a similarity to the Dragon Sicilian we
examined in Chapter 13. The similarity lies in the f8-bishop getting
fianchettoed with ...g7-g6 and ... g7. The "Accelerated" refers to
this fianchetto happening even earlier:
1.e4 c5 2. f3

That’s the main move order.
2...g6 is what sometimes people refer to as the Hyper Accelerated
Dragon – for obvious reasons. But it changes nothing in our
approach: 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 g7 5. c3 Now Black needs to choose
between 5... c6 and 5...d6, which will transpose to the Accelerated
Dragon and the Dragon respectively.
3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 g6 5. c3!?
478

5.c4 is the famous Maroczy. A great system for White. But I’d like
to offer you something new!
5... g7
5... f6?! is known to allow: 6. xc6! bxc6 (6...dxc6 is similar to
6...dxc6?! examined below.) 7.e5 White has a strong initiative with
c4 next and pressure against f7.

This is the Accelerated Dragon. A favourite weapon of many
players, as Black’s pieces are active, and the main plans are easy to
understand. This resembles a type of position I examined in Playing
the English , but with colours reversed and – of course – an extra
tempo for White. In those lines, I had some trouble proving an
advantage for White when Black played ideas involving ... xc3 and
... c5. Not only that, but Black even got some winning chances if
White wasn’t careful. It was thus natural for me to explore the same
setup with colours reversed:
479

6. xc6!? bxc6
The endgame after 6...dxc6?! 7. xd8+ xd8 8. c4 e8 9.a4 is
typically assessed as a pleasant advantage for White. Our next
moves include f2-f3 and e3, and at some point soon we should
improve the c3-knight. Black’s task of finding normal squares to
develop the pieces to is not an easy one.
7. c4!
That’s the point of our setup. We just develop and make it hard for
Black to do the same. We’re waiting for the knight to appear on f6
to strike with e4-e5.

7...d6
The main move, fighting for control over the e5-square.
The second-most-played move is 7...e6?!, but after 8.0-0 Black
might come to the sad realization that 8...d5? loses to the crude
9.exd5 cxd5 10. xd5! and White’s initiative is way too big.
480

That’s why most people opt for 8... e7, but then 9. d6! is
depressing for Black anyway.
8.0-0

This is by far the most popular, and it is indeed best.
Trying to fight against our idea by preparing ... f6 with 8... c7
makes sense, but after 9. f4 f6 10. d2 the position is anyway
extremely easy for White. We’ll simply put the rooks on e1 and d1,
looking for the right opportunity to play e4-e5.

9.e5!
Changing the character of the game and entering an endgame that is
quite unpleasant for Black to defend in practice.
9...dxe5 10. xd8+

xd8 11. e1 f5!

Getting the bishop outside the pawn chain is Black’s best chance.

481

The alternative 11...e6 12. xe5 d5 13. e2 has done excellently for
White in practice. For example, White won in the high-level
encounter J. van Foreest – Mamedov, Warsaw (blitz) 2021. Our next
move is likely to be e4.

You might be wondering what happens after 13... xc3?!, but the
knight on d5 was extremely valuable in providing some shelter to
the black king: 14.bxc3 xc3 15. b1 Black is in trouble. For
example: 15... e8 16. e3 g7 17. d3+ c7 18. d2 a5 19. f4+ e5
20. e3 Black soon collapsed in Joeres – Boder, Internet (blitz)
2020.
12. xe5

d5 13. e2 e6

Similarly problematic for Black is 13... xc3 14.bxc3 xc3 15. b1,
and White has a huge attack.

482

14.h3!
We shouldn’t be afraid of the capture on c3, which almost always
lands Black in trouble. The threat is obviously g2-g4.
14...h5
This is forced. The inclusion of the h-pawn moves clearly favours
White, since now the g5-square is weakened, and our king has luft
on h2.
15. g5+!N
15. e4 was Afraoui – Amdouni, Lyon 2023, but it is a bit slow. The
more aggressive text move is a much better direction.
15... c7
15...f6? leaves White with an obvious positional plus after 16. d2 .

483

16. d1!
Our army is now fully mobilized.
16... he8!
A slow move like 16...a5 allows us to demonstrate our idea:
17. xd5! cxd5 18. b5+ c6 19. d4+ xd4 20. xd4 We can
either break with b2-b3 and c2-c4 or with f2-f3 and g2-g4. In any
case, we’re clearly the ones pressing.
17. a4!
The knight isn’t bad on a4. It directs itself towards c5 while for the
moment protecting the b2-pawn. One normal plan to improve our
position is f2-f3, creating the f2-square for the king and hinting at
g2-g4. The g5-bishop can also try to manoeuvre itself towards better
circuits, possibly by retreating to d2 and threatening a5+. Then it
can safely be tucked away on e1. Another idea would be to try and
dislodge the knight from d5 with b3 and c2-c4. This is a tense
484

position which is much easier to handle with the white pieces. My
engine claims that it is 0.00, but immediately jumps to a White
advantage anytime Black doesn’t play the optimal move. The white
moves on the other hand are quite easy.

Lazy
Let’s now check a few Sicilians stemming from 2...e6, but not
covered in our Kan, Taimanov and Scheveningen chapter:
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4 c5?!
This is bad, but people have tried crazier-looking stuff in an attempt
to trick their opponents and get them out of book.
Similarly bad is 4... b6?! 5. e3, when Black has nothing better
than going 5... c5 and transposing to the main line examined below.
The greedy 5... xb2?! is met by 6. d2 , and White has a
tremendous lead in development.
5. e3!
This is a natural reaction to a black bishop appearing on c5. We’re
already threatening xe6.
5... b6
What else?

485

This is called the "Lazy Sicilian" or the "Lazy Man’s Sicilian" and
was featured in a book by Bronznik (translated and edited by
Giddins), and a ChessBase DVD by Svitlana Demchenko. An easy
way to meet it is:
6. a3!
Planning

c4 next.

6... a5+
I believe one of Black’s main tricks is that some White players
would be afraid of 6... xb2? 7. ab5! b4+, but after the
coolheaded 8. e2! Black is totally busted.
6...d5 can be nicely met with 7. b5+ shortly followed by castling
short, with a large lead in development.
7. d2

486

It’s really weird what Black is doing, but our pieces are a bit weirdly
placed also.
8. b3 xa3 9.bxa3
White had a clear advantage in Dragnev – Zarubitski, Belgrade
2021. One way to continue would be g4 followed by castling long.
We shouldn’t feel bad about our king’s position on the queenside, as
we have enough pieces to cover it adequately.

Pin
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

In contrast with the two lines we just mentioned, this is a popular
and respectable move.
5. c3 b4?
But this isn’t.
487

It’s a bad variation, but one that you’ll occasionally meet, especially
online. As you can see from the title above, the naming committee
was in a rush when deciding how to call this line. Few openings in
chess have a name as literal as the Pin Variation.
6.e5
Accepting the challenge is the best way forward.
6... d5
6... e4?! can be met by 7. g4!+– or the most solid 7. d3!? ,
which avoids a lot of sharp lines and also maintains a large
advantage for White.
6... a5? loses to 7.exf6 xc3+ 8.bxc3 xc3+ 9. d2!
g8 11.c3 and the queen gets trapped on a1.
7. d2!

xa1 10.fxg7

xc3

7... xc3!? 8.bxc3 0-0 is one of Baadur Jobava’s pet lines.
488

Black’s position is more than dubious, but few people went to the
trouble of looking up what’s the accurate way to demonstrate it:
9.c4! e7 10. b5! Stopping ...d7-d6. This is already extremely
rare. 10... bc6 11. c3 a6 12. d6 xe5!? This was Giri – Jobava,
Internet (blitz) 2021, and now White should have gone 13.f4!N
5g6 14. d4 f6 15.0-0-0, with a nearly decisive advantage.
8.bxc3 e7

489

9. g4

This line is terrible, but there are some players ready to defend this,
albeit mainly in online blitz. Again, Jobava is one of the main names
that pops up. Let’s see one example:
10. d3!?

a6 11.0-0

c5 12.f4 d6

490

13.f5?
Objectively a bad move, but it led to an impressive win against a
famous GM. So, maybe not bad?
The engine suggests 13. f3!? , but also has no problem with White
playing like a human with 13. ae1, as in Najer – Jobava,
Samarkand (blitz) 2023.
13...dxe5?
Making a losing mistake when the king is in danger isn’t rare, even
for a player of Jobava’s calibre.
13...h5! is "equal" according to the ruthless engines, but I’d still be
scared to death playing Black.
14.fxe6! f6?! 15. xf6!

xf6 16. g5

Black had to resign in Perossa – Jobava, Grado 2023.

Four Knights – Introduction
491

1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3

Now this is actually more than respectable. The Four Knights
Sicilian is quite the modern and trendy line.
6. db5!
This is the easiest way for White, aiming for a small, safe and longterm edge. The obvious idea is d6+.
6. xc6!? is also quite interesting, but a different direction entirely.

One of the main reasons why this Sicilian is popular is because
people want to play the Sveshnikov but start with 2...e6 to avoid the
Rossolimo. Such people here play 6...d6, which we answer with
7. f4, and after 7...e5 (7... e5? loses to 8. d4 followed by 0-0-0)
8. g5 we have suddenly transposed to the Sveshnikov.
The true way to play the Four Knights in independent fashion would
be 6... b4, which is actually quite trendy. But before looking into
that, let’s check out one alternative.
492

Cobra
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

f6 5. c3

c6 6. db5 c5

This is sometimes called the Cobra Variation. Even though it has
always carried a bit of a shady reputation, it retains many faithful
followers. Strong players have occasionally given it a go, I believe
often hoping that White won’t know how to properly react.
7. f4!
Instead of rushing to give the check on d6, we improve our control
over these crucial dark squares.
7. d6+ e7! is Black’s point.
7...0-0 8. c7! e7 9. d6 xd6 10. xd6
This is the simple and effective way to meet this line. By including
8. c7! before going to d6 we essentially win a full tempo, since the
queen trade would leave Black in a terrible endgame.
493

10... d8
This is essentially a position reached by force after Black chooses
6... c5. It looks amazing for White, and it is indeed good. But
Black’s defence is more resilient than appearances might indicate.
11.0-0-0 a6
11... e8 is nicely met by 12. g3! .
12. d4

e7!

Black wants to play ...b7-b5 and ... e8. Now comes a key moment
for White’s cause:

494

13.a4!
A rare but rather simple idea – at least after an engine suggests it.
We want to stop Black’s counterplay on the queenside, and then
proceed with the normal kingside pawn storm.
13... e8
13...b6 14.f3!? was seen in Sousa – Guseinov, Casablanca 2023.
White is ready to start pushing the pawns on the kingside.
But many humans would immediately wonder: so what happens if
Black anyway goes for it? And indeed, that’s what one grandmaster
went for: 13...b5!? 14.axb5 axb5 15. xb5 b7 16.f3 But Black
didn’t have enough compensation for the pawn in Georgiadis –
Asadli, Mayrhofen 2022. White’s main plan now would be to
consolidate the queenside with b2-b3 and b2, and possibly even
try to fight for the a-file with a1.
14. b4!
495

The queen controls a lot of important dark squares and is relatively
safe on b4. Black doesn’t have any obvious tempo-gaining moves.
14... b8 15.h4 b5
Black manages to break on the queenside, but it doesn’t amount to
much.

16.axb5 axb5 17.b3!
Followed by b2. White had a clear advantage in Jouk – J.
Andersen, corr. 2024. The pawn on b5 is weak, and the black pieces
are still a bit passive and awkward.

The solid 6... b4
1.e4 c5 2. f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. xd4

496

f6 5. c3

c6 6. db5 b4

This is a far more challenging approach by Black. The bishop on b4
pins the knight on c3, so Black is currently threatening the pawn on
e4, as well as hinting at grabbing the centre with ...d7-d5.
7.a3!
It’s important to start with this, bagging the bishop pair.
7... xc3+ 8. xc3 d5
Starting with 8...0-0?! allows 9. d6!
advantage for White.

497

e8 10. g3, with a nice

We have arrived at a major crossroads in modern Sicilian theory.
9. d3!
In the past, it was recommended for White to enter the position after
9.exd5 exd5 10. d3, and it is easy to understand why. But modern
engines have found new and good ways to play these positions with
Black.
9...dxe4
The alternative is rather depressing and has become less popular
over the years: 9...d4 10. e2 e5 11.0-0 0-0

498

White is ready to go h2-h3, g3, f2-f4 and e1-g3, with a strong
attack. But, I like starting with a preparatory move, playing for full
domination: 12.b4!? Playing on both sides. The queenside space is
useful in many ways, such as we could drive the knight on c6 away
from the centre with b4-b5 at an opportune moment. For example:
12... e6 13. d2 a6 14.a4 d6 15. e1! White had done a really
nice job in Caruana – Zontakh, Olginka 2011. From e1 the queen
protects b4 and hints at b4-b5 followed by b4, while also getting
ready to jump to the kingside after f2-f4.
10. xe4

xe4 11. xe4

xd1+ 12. xd1 d7

499

White has the bishop pair. Black’s plan is to castle long, play ...e6e5, put a knight on d4 and the bishop on c6. If all of this is allowed
then Black’s activity would likely force us to part with one of our
bishops, bringing the game closer to equality.
13.b3!?
There is an old strategic maxim that says: if you have an unopposed
bishop, a good idea is to put this bishop on the long diagonal.
13...0-0-0 14. b2

500

14... d4!
This pretty move appears to be Black’s best.
Another normal line is: 14...e5 15. c1 f6 16. c3 White had a
typical small advantage because of the bishop pair in Alonso –
Triunfetti, Buenos Aires 2004. Of course, patience will be
important. We’ll play b2, a2-a4, ae1, and maybe g2-g3, hf1 and
f2-f4. Of course, Black won’t sit and wait; but you get the idea.
More weakening for Black is the hasty 14...f5?!, which puts the
black pawns on the wrong colour, creating weaknesses on the dark
squares. After 15. f3!? e8+ 16. c1 d4 17. d1!? White had kept
the two bishops in textbook fashion and went on to win in: Maurizzi
– Krastev, Corte 2022.
15. xd4!?
This leads us to a slightly better rook endgame.
Also possible is 15. c1!?N c6 16. e1 , but we anyway don’t get
to keep the bishops.
501

15... c6 16. xc6 xd4+ 17. e2 bxc6

Your engine will tell you that this is equal. Yes, objectively it is, but
White holds a nice practical edge. The only practical example
available continued:
18. hd1 d5 19. d3!?
One could also possibly try: 19. xd5!? cxd5 (19...exd5 might be
safer, but Black should feel confident that the pawn endgame after
20. d2 e8 21. e1 is still a draw.) 20.c4!? (20. d1 followed by
d4 is another idea.) 20...dxc4 21. c1 White will soon get the
more active rook and the more active king.
19... hd8 20. ad1

502

21.f4?!
21.c4! was a much better try. After 21... xd3 22. xd3 xd3
23. xd3 White will go b2-b4 next and Black is the one playing for
a draw.
21...a5! 22.c4??
Oops.
22... xd3 23. xd3
This was Shevchenko – Xu Xiangyu, Jerusalem (rapid) 2022. Both
players are strong grandmasters, yet they missed:
23... xd3! 24. xd3 c5
This pawn endgame appears to be lost for White! Of course, this has
nothing to do with our opening, but I wanted this to serve as a
reminder that opening study means nothing if we cannot
complement it with good middlegame and endgame play. And even
then, chess is hard... This drawing line is one of the toughest nuts to
503

crack. However, I do believe that we can play for an edge. Firstly,
we could try 15. c1!?. Secondly, we could go for 19. xd5!?.
Finally, even as late as 21.c4!, some chances still existed. But
maybe even more important is that Black needs to be in the correct
"draw at all costs" mindset to play like this. And few people far
from the top play like that. Oh, and I almost forgot: this was just one
way to play this endgame with White. We could look for
alternatives on move 13, and there are indeed many of them. Sadly
for the black cause, we can pick and choose. Black, on the other
hand, needs to be extremely well-prepared and ready to defend
against all our various possible tries.

Conclusion
In this chapter, we examined some lines after 1.e4 c5 2. f3 that
aren’t big enough to require a chapter of their own and don’t fall
into a clear group either. Some of them are truly bad, but they still
had to be mentioned, as they have some proponents and the way to
meet them wouldn’t be obvious in practice. But we also saw some
that are almost sound, like the O’Kelly and the "Cobra". Against the
first one our suggestion is radical, and some might call it
unnecessary. But it’s fun, fresh, interesting and surprising, and a
good direction to explore on your own if you so wish. Against the
Cobra, on the other hand, we chose the traditional main line (please
remember to include 8. c7!), but then again we applied our own
twist with 13.a4!. All in all, I’m really happy with how we meet
these just-about-playable systems.
This chapter also included two Sicilians that are quite serious, the
first being the Accelerated Dragon. Our line against it isn’t the most
challenging (that would likely be the Maroczy Bind), but it’s a
simple, straightforward, quick and easy solution. The endgames that
result from 6. xc6!? are always a bit more pleasant for White. We
504

also examined the Four Knights, which is indeed a tough nut to
crack. However, we showed that Black needs to be ready to defend
a slightly worse endgame, and that’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Pressing in one, on the other hand, should definitely be part of our
arsenal.

505

Chapter 16
Reimagining the
French

506

Introduction
1.e4 e6
That’s my favourite opening! Back in 2013 I wrote Playing the
French , with GM Jacob Aagaard as my co-author. In the days of
Steinitz and Lasker, long before detailed opening books – never
mind analysis engines! – the French was the second-most-popular
defence to 1.e4.
507

2.d4 d5

3. c3!
We develop our knight to the most influential central square.
Those who follow me on Twitter might be aware that one of my
most popular posts was about 3.exd5 exd5 4.h3!?. Soon after my
post, Magnus Carlsen played like this. Although I cannot prove it, I
suspect that either he or his opening coach, Peter Heine Nielsen,
were inspired by this weird-looking (but deceptively good) idea.
Offbeat ideas certainly have their place – but when you study an
opening with such a rich history as the French Defence, you lose the
opportunity to gain exposure to many incredible games and ideas if
you don’t pay attention to the main lines. Obviously we want to
study such lines without losing our minds in all the analytical
details. Believe me, even GMs tend not to remember much more
than you’ll study in the following pages, and these
recommendations will all be relatively easy to learn and play.
508

At this point, Black has three main systems to choose from:
I 3...dxe4 aims for solidity. After 4. xe4 we will consider three
main options:
a) 4... f6?! is slightly inaccurate, because after 5. xf6+ Black will
have to either accept a structural weakening or expose the queen
with 5... xf6, as will be discussed in the first game of this chapter.
b) 4... d7 followed by ... c6 is known as the Fort Knox Variation,
but I don’t consider it as impenetrable as the name suggests.
c) 4... d7 is known as the Rubinstein Variation, and is the most
reliable of the bunch, but I’ll show a nice way of dealing with it.)
I 3... f6 is the Classical Variation, which I recommended in my
2013 book. We will opt for the Steinitz System with 4.e5 fd7 5.f4
c5 6. f3, intending e3 and kingside castling, followed by enjoying
our strong centre.
I 3... b4 is the Winawer, which I regard as the most combative and
challenging option for Black. 4. ge2!? This is Alekhine’s line, a
system that has become fashionable lately, but it was always
considered solid and sound. Our main line runs: 4...dxe4 5.a3 xc3+
6. xc3 c6

509

7.d5!? (7. f4!? has started gaining more attention lately. And there
is also 7. b5!?. When White has this number of tempting options,
it’s always a good sign! We’ll focus on the text move, but you can
easily add the other lines to your repertoire later.) 7...exd5 8. xd5
e6 9. xd8+!? I love this idea of David Bronstein, a legend of our
game, which has recently been played by rising star Abdusattorov.
(9. xe4 f6 10. a4 is the other big main line. White intends b5
next, and often reaches a slightly better endgame.) 9... xd8

510

10. f4! We’ll take on c7 next. We want to reach a position where
our 3–2 majority and the bishop pair will be assets in the endgame.
This concept seems pretty promising to me, although Black’s
position is also rich in possibilities, with some interesting deviations
along the way.
Let’s get started!
Pablo Schmid - Clovis Vernay
Geneva 2019

In this game, we will see a grandmaster falling into a century-old
trap. If it can happen to a GM, then it can definitely happen to your
opponents!
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4

f6?!

The actual move order of the game was 4... d7 5. f3 c6 6. d3
f6 (6... d7 will be covered in the upcoming Fort Knox segment)
7. xf6+ xf6?.
5. xf6+

xf6 6. f3
511

As you may be suspecting already, the black queen on f6 is
vulnerable to a g5 attack. At this point, it has the f5- and g6squares to go to if attacked, but after we play d3, those squares
won’t be available anymore.

6... d7
This move was played by Lasker, the reigning World Champion at
the time, in a match against Tarrasch for the 1908 World
Championship.
6...b6 has the same idea, and can be met in exactly the same way as
in the game. Indeed, the same trap has occurred in several games
after 6...b6 too.
6...h6 safeguards the black queen, but costs some time. After 7. d3
d6 8.0-0 0-0 9. e2! White can create problems with a timely
e4, as first seen in Burn – Delmar, New York 1889. In these
positions, Black needs a knight on f6!
7. d3 c6?
512

7...h6 was essential. Black clearly had an idea ready, but failed to
appreciate an important detail.

8. g5! xf3
This was Black’s idea of course. But now, the shock comes.
9. d2!
The black queen is trapped! A well-known theme, which can occur
in a few different opening variations.
9... xg2 10. xf6 xh1
Black has a rook, knight and pawn for the queen, but the engines
already evaluate Black’s position as completely lost. I can’t imagine
that a GM would intentionally go in for this position with Black, so
my guess is that he completely overlooked 9. d2.

513

11. e5!?
11. h4! was the most clinical, intending 0-0-0, c2-c4 and d4-d5,
when Black has little hope of surviving.
11... c6 12. xc7 c8 13. g3

xd4

514

We will cut the game off here, as White gradually went astray and
eventually suffered a tragic defeat.
The simple 14.0-0-0 should be easily winning.
...0-1

Penetrating the Fort Knox
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. f3 c6
Black’s idea is to exchange the bishop for one of our knights, then
play ...c6 and challenge White to break this formation. Challenge
accepted!

6. d3

6... f6?! 7. xf6+! xf6? converts to the previous segment, where
8. g5! xf3 9. d2! was shown as the refutation of Black’s play.
7. f4!?
We’ll see the idea of this move shortly.
515

7... gf6 8. xf6+

xf6 9.0-0 xf3

This is practically forced, as otherwise Black may lose the chance to
exchange the bishop.
For instance, 9... d6?! 10. e5! is excellent for White.
10. xf3 c6

11. e5!
Here it is! This bishop is powerful on e5; and if Black exchanges it,
our pawn will take its place with good effect.
11... e7
This was played in the only GM-level game I found in my database.
11... d6 is a natural alternative, when 12. ae1N makes a lot of
sense, followed by g3 or h3. We welcome the exchange on e5, if
Black opts for it.
12. h3!
516

This strong move was played in Carrier – Audet Bouchard, Quebec
2005. White intends ae1 and f4-f5, and Black will have a hard time
withstanding the attack.
12. fe1 d5 13. g3 was slightly less powerful, although White
still kept a pleasant advantage in the aforementioned GM game,
Lampert – Kunin, Schwaebisch Gmuend 2018.

An easy anti-Rubinstein
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4

Black’s concept is similar to the 4... d7 Caro-Kann. This one is
also sound, and has passed the test of time.
5. f3

gf6

6. xf6+!?
We can also start with 6. d3 and take on f6 next move.
6... xf6 7. d3
517

Generations of grandmasters have tried in vain to refute the French
Rubinstein. Black’s position is way too solid! Instead of banging our
heads against a brick wall, we’ll go for an easy but ambitious set-up.
Our plan is to play e3 followed by e2 and long castling. This is
surprisingly difficult for Black to counter.
7...c5
This is the most logical and by far the most popular move.
In the event of 7... e7 8. e3 White will castle long and generate a
strong attack, while it’s not obvious where Black’s counterplay will
come from.
8. e3

8... c7
This is Black’s most popular choice.
8... d5 is covered in our next illustrative game.

518

8...cxd4 9. xd4 e7 10. e2 is another option. White will castle
long and enjoy a fantastic position.
9. e2 a6!
9... e7 is the move most GMs play. We can answer it with: 10.dxc5
xc5 (10...0-0 11.0-0-0 d5 12. d2 transposes to Leko – Van
Wely, as covered in the next segment.) 11. xc5 (11.0-0-0!? is also
good.) 11... xc5 12.0-0-0 d7 13. e5 White has a pleasant edge
and has achieved a healthy plus score from here.
The text move is the most challenging option, as favoured by theory
nerds. Let’s surprise them with a rare but strikingly powerful idea:

10.h4!!
This move doesn’t just exude AlphaZero-style coolness; it is also
logical and strong. Advancing the h-pawn is always useful, and
there are certain benefits to delaying castling.
10.0-0-0 isn’t bad, but it leads to an objectively balanced game.
519

10... d7!
That’s the less-than-obvious move that an extremely booked-up
opponent will play.
10...b5?! looks the most natural, but we’re ready to meet it with:
11.dxc5 xc5

12.a4! In Vanttaja – Miettinen, corr. 2024, Black took on a4 and
was able to hold, but the weakness of the a6-pawn would make life
difficult for Black in a practical game. 12...b4 is the move Black
would like to play, but then 13.h5 h6 14. h4! gives White a great
deal of activity.
10...b6? avoids the above difficulties, but objectively leads to even
worse problems after 11.0-0-0!, when Black’s counterplay is too
slow.
11.0-0-0 c8!
11...b5N is a natural alternative, when 12.dxc5 xc5 13. xc5
14. e5! is pleasant for White.
520

xc5

12.c4!N
12. e5 looks natural, but 12... a4! has proven to be an adequate
reply in a bunch of correspondence games. See, for instance, Hynes
– Owens, corr. 2022, where Black soon managed to play ... d5 and
obtain enough counterplay.
12...b5!
12... a4?! is ineffective here for more than one reason. 13.b3 is
simple and strong. (White can even go for the cool 13.d5! xd1
14. xd1 followed by dxe6 and g5, with a huge initiative for the
sacrificed exchange.)
12... e7?! is well met by: 13. e5 0-0 14. c2! The last move
opens the d-file while shutting down certain tactical ideas along the
c-file. Next comes g2-g4, and White has a tremendous attack.
13. b1! cxd4 14. xd4 bxc4 15. c2

521

We are way too deep into analysing a rare line here, but it is
instructive to stop and ponder this position, and understand White’s
ideas and assets. e5, h4-h5-h6 and h3 are typical ideas, which
you can expect to have at your disposal when playing this line. We
have seen that, even after the best, engine-approved moves, Black
does not fully escape from danger.
Let us see now a high-level game from human praxis.
Peter Leko - Loek van Wely
Monte Carlo (rapid) 2007

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4
xf6 7. d3 c5 8. e3 d5

d7 5. f3

gf6 6. xf6+

This is the instinct of many Rubinstein players, especially when
meeting our set-up for the first time. The temptation to strike at the
e3-bishop is too big.

522

9. e2!?
9.0-0 is a good alternative, but it’s more ambitious to castle on the
queenside.
9... e7 10.0-0-0 0-0 11. d2!?
White is not exactly worried about the exchange on e3, but Leko
decides to preserve the bishop anyway.
11.h4!? is a logical alternative.
11.dxc5 is also strong, for instance: 11... a5 (11... xe3? loses the
queen to 12. xh7+ and 11... c7 12. d2 transposes to the game
continuation below.) 12. b1 xe3 13. xe3 xc5

523

This position was reached in Navara – Shirov, Prague 2005, when
14. f4!N would have been strong. White intends to attack by
launching the g- and h-pawns, and 14... xf2? 15. xh7+! is a nice
trick to ensure that Black can’t grab a pawn.
11... c7
11...cxd4 was best, but 12. xd4 keeps an edge. If needed, the
knight will drop back to f3, and we’ll reach a similar situation to the
main game.
12.dxc5

xc5

524

13.h4!
White has a simple plan of pushing the g- and h-pawns, and Black
cannot do the same on the queenside.
13... b4 14. xb4

xb4 15.c3

f4+ 16. b1 h6

525

17. c2!
A pleasing move, preparing d4 and g2-g4. Leko’s attack is not
only objectively strong, but also has a pleasantly natural flow about
it, which is why I chose this as a model game for our arsenal.
17... c5 18.g3

g4 19.h5

Now h4 is a huge threat.
19...b6 20. e4 a6 21. c2 ad8

22. h4
In trying to hold up White’s attack, Van Wely has allowed his queen
to get trapped. Black could have resigned already, but he chose to
play on a bit longer. The remaining moves can pass without
comment.
22... xh4 23.gxh4 xd1+ 24. xd1 xf2 25. d7 e2 26. d2
xf3 27. xf3 xh4 28. d7 a5 29. c2 f2 30.b4 axb4 31.cxb4
1-0
526

Introduction to the Steinitz Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3

This is the first of Black’s two big options.
Black has of course tried all kinds of sidelines. I will just mention
3... c6 as the most noteworthy of them. I recommend meeting this
with: 4.e5!? f6 With ...c7-c5 unavailable, this pawn break is Black’s
main idea. (4... ge7 5.h4! prepares to gain further space on the
kingside, with good prospects for us.) 5. b5! d7 (5...fxe5 6. h5+!
g6 7. xe5 leaves Black with nasty dark-square weaknesses.) 6. f3
e7 7. xc6!? xc6 8.a4 f7 9. e2 I really like the clarity of
White’s dark-square strategy. 9... e7 10. f4 g6 11. d3 White
had a nice positional bind in Berserk – Seer, engine game 2022,
with h4-h5 coming next.
4.e5 fd7
4... e4 is known to be a bit dubious. 5. xe4 dxe4 6. c4 is a good
response, getting ready to meet ...c5 with d4-d5, while preparing
harmonious development with e2.
4... g8 is legal but White should keep a slight advantage after any
sensible continuation. 5.a3!? is an engine-approved idea, preparing a
timely b2-b4 while keeping all options open on the kingside.
5.f4 c5 6. f3 c6

527

Other lines do exist, but Black’s last two moves are by far the most
popular and logical options, which you can expect to encounter in
the vast majority of your games in the Steinitz.
7. e3
This is the main branching point of the Steinitz. Theory-wise, we
need to study four key variations:
7...a6 is a popular continuation, preparing ...b5.
7... e7 is a flexible choice, which is often connected with ...b6.
7...cxd4 8. xd4 and now 8... c5 is the old main line, while 8... b6
can be considered the modern main line.
In all these cases, we will follow one dominant guiding principle:
controlling the d4-square. Let’s see two classic examples to get an
idea of what we wish to accomplish.
William Steinitz - Alexander Sellman
Baltimore 1885

528

What better place to begin than with the game that gave the entire
variation its name?
17. d4
It doesn’t get any better than this! White has a dream position, with
an unassailable knight on d4. Black’s light-squared bishop is locked
behind the French pawn chain, and Black has no counterplay in
sight.
17... f8 18.0-0 h5?!
Kasparov criticizes this move, which was directed against g2-g4.
Although the game is largely decided on the queenside, we will see
how Steinitz takes advantage of the kingside weaknesses as well. As
Kasparov notes: "Never push your pawns without real necessity –
one of Steinitz’s central rules!"
19. c3

f7
529

20. b1! g6 21. d2

d7 22. 2b3

If the d3-pawn was nudged across to c3, Black would leap at the
chance to jump the knight via b6 to c4. As things stand, the d3-pawn
prevents this, and the open c-file helps White to invade. This is all
because of an important moment much earlier in the game, when
Black traded his knight for the d3-bishop, and Steinitz recaptured
with the c-pawn. As Kasparov points out, the cxd3 move would be
an automatic choice for any decent player in the modern era, but
that’s only because we have the benefit of learning from classic
games like this.
22... c8 23. a5 a8 24. xc8

xc8

530

25. c1

b8 26. c2

White has full domination of the only open file. Notice that the d4knight has not moved since move 17, as it would be a mercy to
allow Black to sacrifice his d-pawn and give the light-squared
bishop a clear view.
26... d8 27. ac6

b7 28. xd8+ xd8 29. c7

It seems that Black has done a good job defending everything.
However, White’s next move leaves it in no doubt that the defence
is about to collapse.

531

30. f2!
Threatening h4.
30... b6 31. f3
35. d6

xc7 32. xc7

e8 33. g5

f8 34. c5

Black resigned. These days, you are unlikely to play quite such a
one-sided game – but still it’s useful to see an idealized version of
White’s positional domination with an unchallenged knight on d4.
1-0
Siegbert Tarrasch - Richard Teichmann
San Sebastian 1912

532

Here we have another classic model game, which shows us how
White can play with secure control over the d4-square, when Black
has created queenside weaknesses with ...a6 and ...b5. This scenario
frequently occurs in practice, so it’s worth studying this example as
a blueprint of what to aim for as White.
16. e2!
First, the knight goes to d4. That’s easy to understand.
16... d7 17. d4 ac8 18. f2!
It is generally a good idea to centralize one’s king in the endgame.
Moreover, it brings a special benefit to White in this type of
position, which will become clear by move 25 in this game.
18... c7 19. e3 e8
Kasparov recommends 19...a5, intending ... b8 and ...b4. While this
is indeed an improvement, White still keeps a pleasant advantage
533

with: 20. f2 b8 21. f1 b4 22. d3 Followed by advancing the
kingside pawns.
20. f2

21. f1!
The bishop will be ideally placed on d3, where it monitors the c4square and supports White’s future kingside activity.
21... a5 22.b3 h6?
An unforced weakening of Black’s position, which only makes
things easier for White.
23. d3

c6 24. xc6 xc6 25. d4

Now we can see why White’s king is so great in the centre.
Following the exchange of knights, Black will constantly need to
worry about the king invading via c5. This practically forces Black
to keep one rook tied up on the c-file.
534

25... d7 26.g4 c8 27.h4
The pawn on h6 makes it easier for White to open the kingside –
although even if the pawn were on h7, White would still be
dominating.
27...g6 28. h1

g7 29.h5 h8 30. fh2 d7

535

31.g5!
Tarrasch successfully broke open the kingside and soon won the
game.
...1-0

7...a6!?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3
a6!?

f6 4.e5

fd7 5.f4 c5 6. f3

536

c6 7. e3

Jacob Aagaard and I recommended this variation in Playing the
French back in 2013. Its appeal is obvious, as Black strives for
queenside counterplay as quickly as possible. But the landscape is
always changing, and recently I saw an extremely pretty idea which
gives White excellent chances.
8. e2
The bishop will eventually move to a better square, but in the short
term we just want to castle.
8...b5 9.a3
It’s worth investing a tempo to hold up Black’s queenside play.
9... b6
This is by far the most popular and logical move.
10. f2!

537

According to my database, this move was first played in 2011 by
Mariola Wozniak, who today is a WIM, but was then rated 1819 in
an under-13 girls event. Did you think that only GMs can introduce
great ideas?
10.0-0 is worth checking for comparison:
a) 10...cxd4 11. f2! transposes to our main line below. (11. xd4??
c5 is what we’re avoiding.)
b) 10... xd4!? 11. xd4 cxd4 12. xd4 (12. f2!? is more ambitious
– but if that’s the best we can do, it makes sense to retreat the bishop
sooner.) 12... c5 13. xc5 White has chances for an edge after
either recapture, but Black has a reasonable position and White is
still some way from securing control over the d4-square.
10...cxd4
10... xd4 11. xd4 cxd4 is well met by 12.b4! followed by xd4,
with an excellent game for White.

11.0-0!
538

The d4-pawn will not run away! Given the chance, we will play b2b4 to prevent the annoying ... c5 move, then recapture on d4 in an
ideal situation.
11.b4 was played in Nemsadze – Jannatul, Nakhchivan 2022, when
11... c7!N 12. a2 f6 would have given Black decent counterplay.
11... c5
If 11... b7? 12.b4! c7 13. xd4 was great for White in the stem
game, Wozniak – Dadello, Krakow 2011. A sample continuation is:
13... c8N 14. d3 g6 Otherwise f4-f5 comes. 15. ce2! Black’s
position is in terrible shape. A natural plan is xc6 followed by
putting the other knight on d4 and then attacking on the kingside,
either with a quick g2-g4 and f4-f5, or with a preliminary g4-h3.
12. a2!
Renewing the positional threat of b2-b4.
12...d3
12...a5 can be met by 13.b4! axb4 14.axb4 xb4 15. xb4 xa1
16. xa1 xb4 as in Koszta – B. Papp, Hungary 2016. A simple
improvement is:

539

17. b1!N c3 (17... c5 18. xb5 c7 19. xd4 also gives White a
nice initiative.) 18. xc3 dxc3 19. xb6 xb6 20. xb5 d7 21. b3
White has a risk-free edge in the ensuing endgame.
13.cxd3!
This is the most challenging, although the alternative captures are
nor bad either.
13... xf2+ 14. xf2

540

14...d4!?
Against other moves, White could either play d3-d4 or proceed in a
less committal fashion with something like c1.
15. d2
White kept some advantage in Hinrichs – McCartney, corr. 2021.
Ideas for the next few moves include e4-d6, f3 and bringing the
rooks to the c-file.

7... e7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3
e7

f6 4.e5

fd7 5.f4 c5 6. f3

c6 7. e3

This is a modern and somewhat sophisticated set-up. One idea to be
aware of is ...0-0 followed by ...b6 and ...f6, with pressure against
our centre.

541

8.dxc5!?
This is the simplest antidote, releasing the tension before Black can
carry out the aforementioned plan.
In the event of 8. e2 0-0 9.0-0 Black can strike immediately with
9...f6!, obtaining sufficient counterplay. (The preparatory 9...b6 is
also reasonable.)
8... xc5
8... xc5 9. e2 0-0 10.0-0 gives us a pleasant position:

542

The typical ideas are to play a2-a3 to stop any ... b4 dreams,
followed by e1, d1 and g3-h3, with good attacking chances.
According to my database, White scores almost 70% from this
position.
9. d2!
9. xc5 xc5 10. d2 is less accurate in view of 10...0-0 11.0-0-0
a5! with ideas of ... b8 and ...b5.
9... b6 10. xc5

xc5

10... xc5?! 11.0-0-0 gives White a better version of the main line
below.
11.0-0-0
Compare this position to the 9. xc5 line noted above. With the
queen standing on b6, Black is much slower to create counterplay
against our king.
543

11...0-0 12. d4 d7 13.h4!
This is the typical idea which we need to remember in these
positions. White wants to play h4-h5-h6 as well as h3, as the rook
has many functions on the third rank. This position used to be
popular around a decade ago, but these days most experts avoid it
with Black. High-level correspondence games like Lecroq –
Galanov, corr. 2015, ended in wins for White, and the position is
certainly more pleasant for White in human practice as well.

7...cxd4 8. xd4 c5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3
cxd4 8. xd4 c5

f6 4.e5

fd7 5.f4 c5 6. f3

c6 7. e3

This used to be considered the ultimate main line of the Steinitz, but
it’s not so popular for Black these days.

544

9. d2 0-0
9... xd4 10. xd4 xd4 11. xd4 b6 is an old line, where Black
aims for simplification but accepts a worse endgame with little
chance of counterplay. 12. b5 offers White a pleasant advantage,
and you don’t really need to know any more.
10.0-0-0 a6 11. b3!
This is the key move that Black has had problems dealing with.
11... xe3
11... b4 used to be popular. Black hopes to provoke a2-a3, then
retreat the bishop and open up the queenside with ...b5-b4. 12. d3 is
a better move though. 12...b6!? has the idea to put the knight on c5,
but modern engines laugh at such ideas today. 13. hf1! was clearly
better for White in Hernandez Fernandez – Alfaro de Hombre, corr.
2020. White’s last move prepares f3-h3, provoking a serious
weakening of Black’s kingside.
545

11...b6 is a logical try, but 12.h4! turns out well for White. One
critical line continues: 12... b7 13.h5 xe3 14. xe3 f6 15.h6! g6
16.exf6 xf6

17.g3! d4 Otherwise Black clearly stands much worse. 18. xd4
xd4 19. xd4 xh1 20. xd7 ad8 21. xd8! xd8 22. xb6 A
player named Gaujens reached this position in five correspondence
games with Black, and was unable to avoid defeat in any of them.
12. xe3 b5

546

13. b1!

The value of White’s last move becomes clear after: 13...b4 14. a4
a5 Thematic play from Black, who wants to play ... a6 to swap off
the bad ‘French bishop’. 15.c4! bxc3 16. xc3 White was
dominating on the queenside in Szerlak – Gaujens, corr. 2022. Black
does not have time to carry out the ... a6 plan, and White can easily
step up the pressure with moves like c1 and b5.
14.h4
Again we have the idea of marching the pawn to h6. You don’t need
to remember anything further, but I’ll include some additional
moves from an instructive game to enhance your understanding of
these positions.
14... b8
Black has nothing better.
15.h5

c4 16. c5

b6 17.h6 g6
547

This time White isn’t playing for a direct attack, but the pawn on h6
is still a great asset in future endgames.

18.g3!
This excellent move defends the f4-pawn in advance, while also
preparing h3 and/or h2 to centralize the rook at some point.
18... xc5 19. xc5

b6 20.a3!

Another nice prophylactic move.
20... d7 21. xd7 xd7 22. e4! f5
Otherwise

f6+ will be horrible.

23.exf6!?
23. f6+ xf6 24.exf6 is also good of course, but Black may have
some saving chances after picking up the f6-pawn.

548

23... f7 24. g5 xf6 25. h3
White went on to win in Leela – Stockfish, engine game 2020.

7...cxd4 8. xd4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3
cxd4

b6
f6 4.e5

fd7 5.f4 c5 6. f3

c6 7. e3

7... b6 is a related but inferior concept. You have two good options
against it:
a) 8. a4! is the maximalist choice. After 8... a5+ 9.c3 , both 9...c4
and 9...cxd4 should be met by 10.b4!. There are some details worth
knowing in the event that Black goes for a ... xb4 sacrifice, but
White should be clearly better after accurate play.
b) Alternatively, in the event that someone surprises you with this
line and you don’t feel confident entering the advantageous but
sharp variations above, then 8.a3!? is a good choice. The b2-pawn is
549

indirectly defended, and Black has nothing better than 8...cxd4,
when 9. xd4 transposes to our main line.
8. xd4

This is the modern main line of the Steinitz. We will meet it with a
move which crops up time and time again in this chapter.
9.a3!
This is the trendy move, with good reason.
The main line goes 9. d2 xb2 10. b1 a3 11. b5 xd4 12. xd4
a6!, when White has a good initiative for the pawn, but Black
should be able to hold with accurate defence. Correspondence
players have analysed the resulting positions to death. Fortunately,
we have ways of avoiding the heavy theory while still fighting for
the advantage.
Before we go any further, let me show you a secondary weapon:
9. e2!? c5
9... xb2?? loses to 10. db5 or 10. cb5.
10. a4 a5+ 11.c3 xd4!
The inaccurate11... xd4?! has been Black’s most popular choice.
Play continues 12. xd4 xd4 13.b4! and White will get a useful
queenside initiative.
12. xc5! xe2! 13. xe2 xc5 14.b4

550

14... a6
14... a4 15. xc5 leads to a similar type of situation. (15.bxc5!? is
also worth considering.
15. xc5 xe2+ 16. xe2
The position is essentially equal, and Stockfish calls it 0.00, but it
seems to me that White has slightly the easier position, with more
space and a slightly more influential bishop. If you fancy a technical
grind with no risk, then this could be worth considering.
9... c5
9... xb2?? 10. a4 traps the queen.

551

10. cb5!
White’s main idea is that b2-b4 will come soon, and we will remain
with control over d4.
10... xd4
This is the least risky of Black’s options.
The most logical alternative is 10...a6 11.b4! axb5 12.bxc5 xc5
(12... xc5 13. b3! forces 13...d4, when 14. xd4 xd4 15. xd4
favours White) and now the key move is:

552

13. d3! As played in So – Erigaisi, Kolkata (rapid) 2022. White’s
last move threatens xe6, as well as to take on b5. We also have the
bishop pair and control over d4.
11. xd4 0-0 12.b4 xd4 13. xd4
One of the greatest theorists of our times, Rustam Kasimdzhanov –
who has seconded Anand, Caruana and Abdusattorov, among others
– claims that White has a small edge here. Black has some ideas for
counterplay with ...f6 and ...a5, but in all cases White can take on b6
and enjoy the slightly better prospects in a position that is easier to
mess up as Black.

553

13...f6
13...a5 14. b1! axb4 15.axb4 keeps some edge for White and may
transpose below after a subsequent ...f6.
14.exf6 xf6 15.g3 a5!
If Black plays more slowly, we will play
better position.

xb6 and 0-0-0 with the

16. xb6
16.0-0-0!? threatens b2, when White is on the verge of
consolidating with a huge advantage. Black should respond with
16...axb4 17.axb4 xd4 18. xd4, when Black should be able to
hold with active and accurate play. This isn’t a pleasant task though,
and White is not risking much.
16... xb6

554

17. b1!?
We have been following Macieja – Luther, Germany 2009. Deep
engine analysis is likely to show that Black can hold, but White’s
position is the easier to play in practice.

Introduction to the Winawer Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4

555

4. ge2!?
As stated in the chapter introduction, we will opt for this move
which avoids the main theoretical pathways, while still packing a
punch.
4...dxe4
This is by far the most popular response, for good reasons. Let’s
consider two alternatives:
4... f6 5.e5 fd7 (5... e4 6.a3 xc3 7. xc3 xc3+ 8.bxc3 gives
White a pleasant version of a normal Winawer, with g4 likely to
come next.) 6.f4! c5

556

7.a3 xc3+ (7... a5? 8.dxc5! is unpleasant for Black.) 8. xc3
White has the bishop pair and is ready for e3, when dxc5 will
become a serious threat. If 8...cxd4 then 9. b5! is a good move.
4... c6 was recommended by Emanuel Berg in Grandmaster
Repertoire 14 – The French Defence 1 . It’s worth considering two
move orders against it:
a) 5.exd5 exd5 6.a3 a5 7.b4 b6 Berg thinks Black is fine here,
but I like White’s prospects after 8. a4 followed by c2-c3, g3,
e2 and 0-0. The a4-knight may swap off the enemy bishop or jump
to c5.
b) 5.a3 a5 (5... xc3+ 6. xc3 dxe4 converts to the main line,
which we’ll analyse in the next segment.) 6.b4 b6

557

Berg is happy with Black’s prospects, but after 7. b2 the engines
evaluate White’s advantage as being in the region of half a pawn, so
you may wish to investigate this further. (7.exd5 exd5 is a simple
alternative, converting to the 5.exd5 line above.)
5.a3
One of the things I like about our system is that Black can play
natural moves, but still get into an unpleasant position. For example,
at this point Black should give up the bishop pair by taking on c3 to
have the best chance of equalizing. We will deal with that in the
next segment – but for now, let’s see Black’s other tries.

558

5... e7
5... a5?! 6.b4 b6 7. xe4 gives us a pleasant game with a big
positional threat of c2-c4, and 7... f6?! 8. g5! only makes matters
worse for Black.
6. xe4

A typical idea, preparing ... gf6 followed by recapturing with the
knight.
6... f6 is met by 7. xf6+ xf6 8. e3 planning
0-0-0.

d2 (or

d3) and

7. 2c3
7.g4!? is a promising alternative which may appeal to adventurous
spirits.
7... gf6

559

8. d3
White has the more pleasant position. Soon we’ll castle and place
the queen on f3. After that, we might conclude development with
e1, e3 (or f4) and ad1.

Winawer – main line with 5... xc3+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 b4 4. ge2 dxe4 5.a3 xc3+ 6. xc3

560

6... c6!
You should expect to get this position in more than half of your
games against the Winawer. This is the best defence, and it is
recommended in every modern course and book for Black.
6...f5? was played in a famous Alekhine – Nimzowitsch game, in
which the former sacrificed a second pawn for the initiative. We
don’t need to resort to that kind of measure though. Instead, the
simple 7. f4! f6 8. d2 0-0 9.0-0-0 gives White a fantastic
position, with f2-f3 the next step to open attacking channels.
6... f6?! also isn’t a great move in view of 7. g5, followed by
regaining the pawn and castling long, with an easy initiative for
White.
7.d5!?
This continuation appeals to me a lot, as it’s easy to learn and offers
us chances of a lasting advantage, without much downside or risk.
7. b5 has been the most popular choice, by some margin.
561

7...exd5
7... ce7?! 8. g4!

f8 9.dxe6 makes life tougher for Black.

8. xd5 e6!

Other moves do exist, but they generally enable us to regain the
missing pawn and keep a small advantage with the bishop pair. So
let’s focus on the most challenging move, which you will encounter
most often.
9. xd8+!?
The super-GM writer of this book’s foreword did not consider this
move in Lifetime Repertoires: Giri’s French Defense .
9. xe4 has been White’s most common choice, when best play
continues: 9... f6 10. a4 d4! This is what the opening nerds have
prepared for Black. 11. b5 xa4 12. xa4 0-0-0 13. xc6 bxc6
Despite the simplification, White has scored around 70% from this
position. Let’s follow a game of my good friend, GM Antonios
Pavlidis:
562

14.0-0!? f5 15. e3
g6 19. d4 f6

d5 16. xd5 cxd5 17. xa7 xc2 18. fc1

20.a4 In Pavlidis – Livaic, Chania 2019, Black remained under a
modest amount of pressure.
9... xd8 10. f4!
563

Black does not have a good way to defend c7, as we can easily
switch plans with xe4 if needed.
10... f6
This is Black’s usual choice.
10...f5 11. xc7 d7 12. f4 f6 13. b5 was seen in Rozen –
Postny, Jerusalem 2021. White intends xc6 followed by d1, with
a stable, small edge.
11. xc7 d7
The natural-looking 11... c8? leaves Black in a bad position after
12. d6 followed by 0-0-0.

12. f4!
The bishop is better here than on g3, as it can drop back to e3, or d2
if needed. As we saw in the note to move 10 above, White’s plan is
to play b5 and d1 with a small edge.
12...0-0 13. b5 c8 14. g5
564

Another idea is 14. d2!?N followed by 0-0-0.
14... e8 15. d1 xd1+ 16. xd1

d6 17. xc6 xc6

18. c1 f5 19. d1
White had the more pleasant endgame in Bronstein – Vaganian,
Tilburg 1993, and indeed soon obtained a winning position,
although the game ended in a draw. White’s plan involves f4 and
h2-h4, shutting down any ideas Black may have about expanding on
the kingside. The knight may go via e2 to d4. Once the pieces have
been suitably improved, White can start mobilizing the queenside
pawns.

Conclusion
After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 I am recommending 3. c3! followed by a
selection of weapons tailored against each of Black’s options.
3...dxe4 4. xe4 d7 is the Rubinstein Variation, where I’m proud
to show you the remarkable concept involving 10.h4!!. That’s a
565

typical aspect of chess these days: figuring out when advancing a
rook’s pawn is a good idea.
3... f6 was my recommendation just over a decade ago in Playing
the French . 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 is our choice, with much of the
coverage based around fresh ideas which have emerged since that
book was published.
Finally, 3... b4 can lead to mind-bending complications if both
sides head for the traditional main lines. My decision to veer offtrack with 4. ge2 was not taken lightly; but the more I looked at
these lines, the more I realized this is a genuine try for an advantage
with minimal risk for White. Even in the lines that represent best
play for Black, we retain some pressure. So, I came to love this
proposal, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

566

Chapter 17
Reimagining the
Caro-Kann

567

Introduction
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5
The Caro-Kann is an annoyingly solid and effective defence. With
its popularity having been boosted by a spate of modern repertoire
books and courses, you should expect to face it regularly. The most
ambitious move is 3.e5, but I have found that there is a wealth of
new ideas in the Classical Variation with:
568

3. c3!
Black typically plays:
3...dxe4 4. xe4
And now there are three main branches.
4... f6
The trendiest option, recommended by Schandorff, and around half
a dozen other recent books and courses.
4... d7 is usually called the Smyslov System. Karpov also used to
play it, including a few times against Kasparov in their World
Championship duels. Black wants to play ... gf6 and take back
with the knight.
White’s main line is 5. g5 with a lot of sharp theory. It was played,
among other famous games, in Deep Blue – Kasparov, New York
(6) 1997, the first match in which a computer defeated a reigning
World Champion.
Instead I will recommend: 5. e2!? What? Nikos, are you serious?
Yes, I am! When we study this position, we’ll see that White’s last
move is much more than a cheap mate threat.
4... f5 has traditionally been considered the main line, before
4... f6 became more popular. 5. g3 g6 6.h4 h6 7. e3! A really
nice idea which Kramnik has played in some Titled Tuesday games.
White intends d3 and 1e2.
5. xf6+ exf6
Against 5...gxf6 we’ll continue: 6. e3 f5 7. d3 d7 8. e2 There
are other good options for White, but I like that we can play the
same set-up and still be better.

569

6. e3!
A new, trendy continuation. White intends a simple development
scheme with d3, e2, 0-0 and c2-c4.

4... d7
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4

570

5. e2!?
Some books mock this move, and typically present it as a one-trick
idea, but that’s not the case!
5... df6
5... gf6?? 6. d6# is one of the points of White’s last move!
6. f3

xe4 7. xe4

f6 8. f4!?

571

Modern engines still think White stands a tiny bit better. Let’s see
how the game may develop.
8... d5
8...g6 9. c4 g7 10.0-0 0-0 11. e1 is solid for Black, but still a bit
more comfortable for White.
9. d2

572

9... f5
The German superstar Keymer has played 9... g4 10. e5 f5,
which is a clever idea, as luring the knight to e5 makes White’s
centre a bit less stable. 11.c4 seems like the best way to maintain a
slight edge. (We can also play 11. d3 like the main line, when the
placement of our knight should not make much of a difference.)
10. d3 xd3 11. xd3
White plans to continue with 0-0 and c2-c4. We are following a blitz
game between Nakamura and Caruana. It feels as though Black
should be OK; and with accurate play, that may well be the case.
Still, the first time I saw this position, I remembered an older game,
which made a great impression on me the first time I saw it...
Yasser Seirawan - Viktor Korchnoi
Monte Carlo (rapid) 1993

573

Black seems solid enough; so how could the mighty Korchnoi
quickly fall into trouble, with White apparently not doing anything
special?
12. d2!
It all starts with this move.
12...0-0 13.b4

f6 14. e2

This is the best place for the queen, as we will see.
14... e8
A typical Caro-Kann break is 14...b5, but here it doesn’t do any
good. 15. fc1 White stands better and can play a2-a4 next.
15.a4!

This was probably played with the intention of putting the bishop on
the long diagonal.

574

16.c5!
The engines suggest other ideas, but I like this straightforward plan.
16... f6
With the d5-square now available, it makes sense for the knight to
return to its previous square.
17.b5

Black’s problem is that while the knight looks powerful, and indeed
cannot be bad, it doesn’t coordinate with any other piece for a
purpose. And without a purpose, it merely obstructs Black’s
pressure down the d-file towards the d4-pawn.
18.bxc6 bxc6 19. a6
White threatens the c6-pawn and sets up a future invasion on b7.
19... c8 20. xc8 exc8

575

21. fb1 f6
21... ab8 is met by 22. e5.
22. b7
Seirawan succeeded in placing Korchnoi under a lot of pressure and
went on to win. What an instructive game!
...1-0

Applying Seirawan’s plan
Let’s resume our study of the 4... d7 line and see how we can
implement the plan we have just seen.
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 d7 5. e2!? df6 6. f3
xe4 7. xe4 f6 8. f4!? d5 9. d2 f5 10. d3 xd3 11. xd3
This is where we left things in the introductory segment.

576

11...e6 12.0-0 d6 13.c4
The knight may retreat to e7 or f6. Our general plan will be the same
in both cases, but there will be a minor change in the details.
13... e7
Caruana’s choice.
After 13... f6 14. d2 0-0 it’s worth spending a tempo to improve
White’s queen:

577

15. e2!N Followed by b2-b4, as in Seirawan – Korchnoi. (15.b4
gives Black the option of 15...c5!? as after 16.bxc5 xc5 we cannot
capture the bishop.)

14. d2!N
578

14.b3 0-0 15. b2 was seen in Nakamura – Caruana, St. Louis (blitz)
2021. I much prefer our thematic plan.
14...0-0 15.b4!?
Objectively Black’s position is okay, but I believe White has the
easier game thanks to the simple plan of advancing on the
queenside.
Please note that 15...c5? is not viable with the knight on e7 rather
than f6, as after 16.bxc5 xc5 17. e4! the queen unpins herself
while attacking the b7-pawn.

4... f5 – Main Ideas
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 f5 5. g3 g6
Black occasionally leaves the bishop on f5, having in mind the
... a5+ trick, but in that case we will claim an effortless advantage
thanks to the bishop pair.
6.h4 h6
After 6...h5? 7. h3! White scores 80% in my database. The threat is
of course to go f4 next. If 7...e5 8. e3! is favoured by Stockfish,
with the plan of d2 and 0-0-0.
The moves so far have all been normal. However, our next move is
highly unusual.

579

7. e3!
The main line goes 7. f3 d7 8.h5 h7 9. d3 xd3 10. xd3 e6
11. d2 (or 11. f4 ) followed by long castling. This is in the range
of +0.20 according to modern engines, and it has been tested in tens
of thousands of games. This means that the position is healthy for
both sides; and if you take the time to study it, you won’t regret it.
Nevertheless, I cannot hide my enthusiasm for the fresh new
continuation, which I saw for the first time in Kramnik’s Titled
Tuesday games.
7...e6 8. d3!
Kramnik has always included 8.h5 h7 before 9. d3, but I have
some specific reasons for leaving the h5-square available for the g3knight.
8... xd3 9. xd3

f6 10.0-0-0

bd7

580

This is how we should expect a typical Caro-Kann player to react.
Engines prefer a different path for Black, which we will discuss
shortly. One of the things I like so much about White’s set-up is that
Caro-Kann players can easily fall into trouble by following the
muscle memory they have built up by playing these positions.
11. b1
By waiting with this always-useful move, we get to see how Black
intends to develop.
11. 1e2 is also fine, and transpositions are likely.
11... d6N
This is Black’s most natural move. The downside is that a timely
e4 will hit the bishop.
The alternative is 11... e7 12. 1e2 when Black must decide where
to castle:
581

a) 12...0-0N would be a solid option in the analogous situation with
h4-h5 included, but here we can play:

13. f4! Planning gh5 and g4-g5, with good attacking chances.
b) 12... c7 13. e4 0-0-0 seems safer, but we can obtain some
pressure with: 14. f4 b6 15.f3 he8

582

16. h2!
As seen in Ottesen – Andersen, corr. 2022 – a rare case in which
White played 7. e3 and refrained from h4-h5. White eventually
won, showing that even in correspondence chess, where the players
can consult engines, Black’s defence is far from easy.
12. 1e2

13. e4!
This is a standard idea in the main lines, and here it works even
better than normal.
13... xe4 14. xe4

f6 15. f3!

We see another great point in having the knight on e2 instead of f3.
The queen sits nicely on this square, while the knight is heading for
c3!
15...0-0-0 16.c4
583

16.g4!? is an interesting alternative, made possible by the placement
of the queen on f3. After 16... d5 17. c1 White kept some edge in
Demchenko – Arnold, Internet (blitz) 2023.
16...c5 17. c3 a6 18. a4!?
White keeps at least a slight advantage.
Kramnik reached an almost-identical position with h4-h5 included
in one of his online blitz games. The placement of the pawn does
not really alter the evaluation here: on h5 it cramps Black’s
kingside, while on h4 it supports a possible g4-g5 in the future. In
any case, we can see that when Black follows the regular Caro-Kann
patterns, White stands comfortably better.

Meeting the engine’s choice
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 f5 5. g3 g6 6.h4 h6
7. e3!
If the typical Caro-Kann moves fail to equalize, then what should
Black do instead? In this segment, we’ll look at some ideas that
Stockfish and other engines suggest against White’s set-up.
The main concept suggested by the engines is to bring the queen to
a5 at some point – perhaps with check, but possibly after we have
castled. At the time of writing, there are hardly any games in the
database featuring this idea, as White’s set-up is so new and rare.
However once the secret gets out, we should be ready to face
opponents who will prepare with their pet engines.
So let’s see the various ... a5 ideas and how we should counter
them.
7...e6
584

The first try is:
7... a5+N 8. d2 b6
8... a4 9.c4! xd1+ 10. xd1 is a good version of a queenless
Caro-Kann middlegame for White. Moves like f3 (threatening
e5 and c3 come fast. Also, White might think of d4-d5 to open
the position while being ahead in development. This is far from
pleasant for Black.

9. f3 d7
Otherwise e5 comes.
9... xb2? is terrible due to 10. b1 followed by xb7 when Black’s
position is collapsing.
10. c4! e6 11. e2 gf6 12.0-0-0
White has an easy position to play, with ideas including
and e5.

b1, c1

7... f6 8. d3 xd3 9. xd3 a5+ was the move order of the Svane
– Samunenkov game noted below, but to me it feels more natural for
585

Black to play ...e6 before ... f6, so we will focus on that move
order.
8. d3!
Let us recall that it’s best to keep our pawn on h4, rather than
inserting 8.h5 h7 before 9. d3.
8... xd3 9. xd3

9... a5+N is another of the engine’s top choices. 10. d2 a6 (After
10... b4 11.c3 e7 12.b4 c7 we can annoy Black with 13. h5!,
which would not have been possible if our pawn was on h5!) 11.c4!
f6 We have transposed to Svane – Samunenkov, Dortmund 2023,
in which Black played ... f6 before ...e7-e6. My improvement is:

12.b4!N A nice idea! We want to play a2-a4 next and take away all
the possible space from the black queen. If 12... a4 13.a3! our g1knight will go via e2 to c3.
10.0-0-0
586

10... a5!N
This might be Black’s objectively best choice against our system.
We have already seen that 10... bd7 11. b1 gives White excellent
prospects.
11. b1 a6
From here, you have two options. Would you like things to be
positional and calm? Or more complicated, with many pieces on the
board?
12. e4
12.c4!? is the more complex path. 12... bd7 is natural, and now I
love the following sophisticated idea:

587

13. e2! The queen moves away from the upcoming arrival of an
enemy rook on the d-file. At the same time, White prepares f2-f4
and f3 while stopping any disruptive ... g4 ideas. The position is
highly complicated, but the engines assess it as modestly favourable
for White, much like the main lines of the traditional Caro-Kann
positions.
12... xd3 13. xf6+ gxf6 14. xd3

588

The engines are not too worried about Black’s doubled pawns, but
they do think White keeps an edge in the region of +0.15, which is
roughly consistent with the right to move first in the game. Still, I
tend to think that in a practical game, White’s edge could well be
perceived by both players as being greater than the above figure.

The trendy 4... f6
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4

As stated earlier, this is the most fashionable move these days.
5. xf6+ exf6
The alternative is playable, but not too difficult to meet:
5...gxf6 6. e3
It makes for a cohesive repertoire when we can play this move early
against several of Black’s Caro-Kann systems.
6... f5
6... b6 7. c1 f5 8. e2! is similar to the main line.
589

7. e2!
This is the most problematic continuation for Black.
7. d3 d7!? defends the bishop indirectly with the ... a5+
resource, but 8. e2 keeps an edge for White.
7...e6 8. g3 g6

9.h4! h5 10. d3!
We intend to exchange on g6, when ...fxg6 will leave Black’s
kingside structure extremely loose. If Black exchanges on d3, the
h5-pawn will be weak and White will have a pleasant position with
easy play ahead.
Let’s return to 5...exf6, which has undergone a major resurgence in
recent years.
6. e3!
Yet again we start with this move! White intends a simple
development scheme with d3, e2, 0-0 and c2-c4. Around the
year 2020, I collaborated with GM Lars Schandorff to research ideas
590

for his book Playing the Caro-Kann . I love working with Lars! If
you love chess, you should get his books. He has a unique talent to
tackle the complexity of chess and present it in such a way that is
fun to read, without sacrificing the essence of the topic. Also, if you
find him at a chess tournament, go and talk to him! He is a
wonderful company, cultured and with a great sense of humour.
Anyway, back then, when we considered White’s possibilities, we
completely under-estimated the move I am recommending now. It’s
not that this concept refutes the ...exf6 Caro-Kann, but it’s easy to
play for White, and much more challenging for Black than we
realized at that time.
The main line is 6.c3 d6 7. d3 0-0 8. c2 e8+ 9. e2, at which
point 9...h5! is the big idea which revitalized Black’s system.

6... d6

591

This is the normal continuation. Black typically castles, places the
rook on e8 and manoeuvres the knight to f8, then looks to advance
on the kingside in some way.
6... f5 7. d3! sees us continue with our normal plan. 7... d6 8. e2
(8. xf5 a5+ doesn’t really help White.) 8...0-0 9.0-0 g6 10.c4
e8 11. c2 a6 12.a3 c8 White opted to centralize the queen’s
rook in So – Caruana, Internet (blitz) 2021, but a slight
improvement is:

13. fd1!N The other rook can play a useful role on the queenside. A
logical continuation is 13... c7 14.b4!? f8 15. c3 intending h2h3 and ac1, with d4-d5 coming soon.
6... b6!?
This was given by Schandorff as a secondary suggestion in the
aforementioned book.
We pointed out White’s best response:
7. e2!
Indirectly defending b2 and planning to castle next. This move was
tested by some strong players after the book was published.
592

7... d6
In case you’re not paying much attention,7... xb2?? 8. c1+ is the
basic idea.
7... e6 was played in Grandelius – Dreev, Riga 2021, and a bunch
of other games. No one on White’s side appreciated that 8.0-0-0! N
is a good choice, based on the following justification: 8... xa2?
(Black should settle for 8... a5, although 9.a3 still favours White.)
9.d5! a6 10. e1! b5 11. c5++– Black’s position collapses.
8.d5 c7
Lars and I ended the analysis with an "unclear" sign attached. Since
then, the position has been tested in a handful of games and White
has made a healthy plus score. Best play continues:
9. c5+ f8 10. xd6+ xd6 11.0-0-0 cxd5 12. d2
White will regain the loose d5-pawn and emerge with a modest
edge, and you don’t need to remember any more than this. You may
wish to check the game Nepomniachtchi – Xue Haowen, Samarkand
(blitz) 2023, in which Nepo systematically exchanged pieces and
successfully pushed his queenside pawn majority. Nothing is
guaranteed of course, and you need to have a good degree of
technical skill, but Black’s task is not easy either.

593

7. d3 0-0
Black has also tried 7... a6 8.a3 c7 9.c4 b5 as in Piorun – R. Pert,
Isle of Man 2021, when 10. e4!N would have been extremely
strong.
8. e2 e8 9.0-0
This is exactly the set-up that Lars and I underestimated. Modern
engines think White is slightly better, but this doesn’t mean a lot,
unless we understand White’s main idea. The key plan is to push the
pawns on the queenside and in the centre. Typically, we will aim for
a timely c4-c5 and b2-b4, followed by d4-d5. Be sure to remember
this plan!

594

9... d7 10.c4

f8 11. c2!?

There’s no need to rush! We have time to complete development
and centralize the rooks. Let us see a few more moves of a model
game.
Rasmus Svane - Jonas Rosner
Magdeburg 2022

595

11...h5
Advancing this pawn is a typical plan for Black in these lines. If
Black tries something different, White’s general plan remains the
same.
12. ad1 h4
Black plans ...h3 to create weaknesses around our king.
13.h3
So we stop it. Obviously we must consider the possibility of a future
sacrifice on h3 – but such ideas can hardly work if the opponent
dominates the centre and there are no supporting pieces to continue
the attack. So, Black is still a long way from threatening anything
real on the kingside.
13... c7

596

Black prepares ... d6, intending to meet f4 with ... xe2. That’s
not a random idea; virtually all strong players handle such positions
this way.

14. fe1! d7
Black is thinking about ... c8 and ... xh3.
14... d6 is met comfortably by 15. f4, and if 15... xe2?? 16. xd6
xc2 17. xc7 xb2 18. e8 White wins.
15. c3

c8 16. e4

The bishop looks back towards the kingside, safeguarding against
Black’s sacrificial ideas.
16.c5!? was also strong. White intends b2-b4 followed by d4-d5,
and if 16... xh3 17.gxh3 xh3 18. f5 h2+ 19. f1 Black does not
have enough for the sacrificed piece.

597

16... e6?
16...f5 was better, but 17. f3 sees White keep a comfortable edge.
The c- and d-pawns will soon be mobile.
17.d5!
White has a large advantage and soon won – we don’t need to see
any more of the game.
...1-0

Conclusion
The topic of 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3. c3 dxe4 4. xe4 provided me with
one of the most enjoyable chapters to write! Not least because the
4... d7 5. e2!? line gave me a chance to talk about the wonderful
Seirawan – Korchnoi game. Understanding the ideas shown in that
game unlocks so many positions which we no longer consider "just
equal", but instead regard as desirable.

598

Against 4... f5 I went for an almost totally new idea after seeing it
used by Kramnik in his Titled Tuesday games. The former World
Champion won two of those games but reacted bitterly after being
held to a draw in another game. It appears that Kramnik’s reaction
to that game, and the wider stories of Kramnik’s online presence,
seems to have diverted attention from 7. e3! and allowed the idea
to pass unnoticed. After analysing it carefully, I believe that it gives
White excellent chances for an advantage.
Finally, we looked at the most fashionable 4... f6 5. xf6+ exf6
variation, which I previously worked on with Lars Schandorff. Now
that I am on the opposite side, I feel satisfied that the concept of
6. e3!, followed by d3, e2, 0-0 and c2-c4, will present fresh
challenges to Black. It isn’t a short-term trick, but rather a mid-term
plan for the middlegame, which is easy to follow and fits perfectly
with the demands of the position.

599

Chapter 18
Reimagining the
Scandinavian

600

Introduction
1.e4 d5
I have a soft spot for the Scandinavian, as I love the simplicity and
practicality of it. After the exchange of Black’s d-pawn for White’s
e-pawn, Black will have a 4–3 majority of pawns on the kingside. If
you’ve read my book Playing the English , you will know why I’m
a fan of that pawn structure. Simply put, a Scandinavian player is
601

hoping for a better endgame. It’s like the Caro-Kann, except that
here Black virtually forces the desired structure, rather than
allowing the option of e4-e5, which is legal but totally ineffective
here. The assurance of reaching the desired pawn structure is what
makes the Scandinavian such a practical opening choice.

2.exd5
Naturally, the benefits of Black’s opening come at a cost. Unlike the
Caro-Kann, Black does not have the option of recapturing with a
pawn on d5, and will have to lose time using either the queen or the
g8-knight for that purpose.
2... xd5
Now it’s time to showcase one the moves that set Twitter crazy
when I published it.
We will meet 2... f6 in exactly the same way.
3.h3!
602

I open my database, and I see a huge wave of support for this idea,
with super-GM Bacrot, and the famous streamer Levy Rozman
playing this move (as well as hundreds of online games at all
levels), after the publication of my Twitter thread. But what made
me propose this seemingly stupid move? I actually was inspired by
an engine game! Let me show you.
Uralochka - Superultra
Engine Game 2023

Engine games allow us to see how a position might get played out
when both sides are playing near-perfect chess. That’s why every
top player uses engine games for their preparation, and why opening
geeks like me download the latest engine games every month. The
names of these two engines might not be familiar to you, but they
are both rated over 3350. That’s around 200 points below the toprated Stockfish, but still stratospherically strong by human
standards.
1.e4 d5 2.exd5

xd5 3. c3

3.h3! is my recommended move order, which we’ll analyse next.
3. f3 is another serious move, when 3... g4 is Black’s best. One of
the points of 3.h3 is to play f3 without allowing this pin.
3... a5 4. f3 f6
Everything looks normal so far, but White’s next move made quite
an impression on me.
5.h3!

603

Here’s when I paused to try and understand White’s idea. It’s
obvious that ... g4 won’t be an option, but the bishop usually
doesn’t go there anyway, with f5 generally being the preferred
square.
5... f5
As expected.
6.g4!
White actually has a second promising idea: 6.b4! b6 (6... xb4
would be met by 7. b1 followed by xb7.) 7.a3 White may follow
up with some combination of a4, d2-d4 and c2-c4.
6... g6 7. g2 e6

604

8.d3!
Look at the bishop on g6: it is severely restricted by White’s pawns.
The last move also prepares d2, which will make the black queen
feel uncomfortable.
8... e7 9. d2

bd7 10. h4

The time has come to secure the advantage of the bishop pair.
10... e5+ 11. e2

xe2+ 12. xe2

d5 13. xg6 hxg6 14.0-0-0

The opening has been a great success for White. The bishop pair is
powerful and it’s worth seeing how White exploited it in the next
phase of the game.

605

14...c6 15. b1 0-0-0 16.f4 e5!?
If you spend time going through engine games, you’ll notice that
they value activity a lot. Many humans will resort to passive defence
in such positions. In that case, you can build up with moves like
hf1 and a2-a3, before seizing some space with c2-c4. The f4-f5
break would be another idea to keep in mind, but there’s no need to
rush with it.
17.fxe5

xe5

606

18.b3!
By overprotecting the c4-square, White hints at d3-d4 to drive away
Black’s well-placed knight.
18... he8 19.g5!
Taking more space and making sure that f7 will be a weakness.
19... d6 20. de1!
The other rook will go to f1.
20...f5
As stated previously, engines don’t like passive defence.
21.gxf6 gxf6 22. hf1

607

23. e4!
Provoking a further weakness.
23...g5
23...f5 24. xd5 cxd5 25. g5 is also unpleasant for Black.
24. c1!
The machine plays in the style of an old-school grandmaster,
walking the king towards the centre in preparation for attacking the
kingside weaknesses, without permitting any counterplay along the
e-file. A few moves later, Black lost the f6-pawn and White
eventually converted the ensuing rook endgame. We don’t need to
see any more of the game, as it has already provided a great display
of technique and an example of what we can aim for with our early
h2-h3.
...1-0
608

3.h3! – Meeting Black’s natural moves
1.e4 d5 2.exd5

xd5 3.h3!

Hardly anyone paid attention to this move before I promoted it on
Twitter. Although some games have since been played with it, there
is no established theory, meaning that much of the analysis in these
pages is original.
3... f6
This seems the most natural choice. What about Black’s other
candidate moves?
3...c5! is Black’s best continuation, so we’ll examine it separately in
the next segment.
3... f5?!
This natural-looking move is already a slight inaccuracy because of:
4. c3!
Black must worry about f3, hitting f5 and b7.
4... d6
4... d8 5. f3 gives us an easy initiative.
4... a5?! can be met by the thematic 5.b4! and if 5... xb4? 6. b1
White takes on b7.
5. f3 e6+ 6. ge2

609

6... c6
This is the only good move, developing the knight while guarding
b7.
7.d3 0-0-0 8. e3
Black’s pieces are awkwardly placed, while White has the simple
plan of 0-0-0 and g2-g4.
3... c6 4. f3 f5
Black often plays like this against 3. f3, except that here the bishop
chooses f5 because g4 is unavailable.
4...e5 is covered below under 3...e5.
5. c3! d6
5... d8?! is met by 6. b5! intending to take on c6, either directly or
after e5. We’ll follow up with d2-d3 and enjoy a much better
structure.
5... a5 6. b5! is similar.
6. c4! e6 7.0-0
610

7... f6
7...0-0-0 8.d3 gives us easy play with moves like a2-a3, b2-b4 and
e2 coming up.
8.d4 e7
Here I suggest:
9. e2!
White has good central control and will continue improving with c2c3, a2-a4, f4 and so on.
9.d5!? is a reasonable alternative which gave White a small edge in
Akimbo – Stockfish, engine game 2023.
3...e5
This move is sometimes the antidote in other sidelines of the
Scandinavian, so some players will instinctively favour this. Notice
that we are playing a Centre Game1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3. xd4 with
reversed colours, and with the extra move h2-h3 included.
4. f3!?
4. c3 will almost certainly transpose.
611

4... c6
On the Twitter thread where I presented this idea for the first time, I
made a case for4... d7!N as a way of preparing ... c6 without
allowing the b5 pin. Play continues 5. e2 (5. c3 e6 6. e2 c6
transposes) 5... c6 6. c3 e6 (6... d6?? 7. b5 would be
unfortunate for Black) 7.d4 and White has just a slight edge.
5. c3 d6!?
Black’s best chance is to deviate from the usual Centre Game
continuation with colours reversed.
5... d8? isn’t the way to do it, and the simple 6. b5 d6 7.d4 was
unpleasant for Black in Rozman – Tahbaz, Internet (blitz 2024.
5... e6 6. b5 d7 7.0-0 0-0-0 8. e1 is the usual line from the
Centre Game, when the pressure along the e-file practically forces
Black to sacrifice a pawn. 8... g6 9. xe5! a6 10. d3 f5 11. e1 d6
12. f1 f6 13.d4 The h2-h3 move is helpful in preventing ... g4
ideas in some variations, and White stands clearly better. A likely
follow-up is e2, followed by a knight or bishop to f4, and/or
mobilizing the c- and d-pawns.
6. c4 f5 7.0-0 0-0-0 8. e1 f6

612

9.d4!
The ensuing complications favour White. For example:
9...exd4 10. b5 c5 11.b3! ge7 12.a4
Threatening a3.
12... d5 13. b2 c3 14. d2!
White keeps the upper hand.

613

4. f3 f5
This has been Black’s most popular continuation, and it seems the
most natural choice for a Scandinavian player.
4...e6 5.d4 gives us an easy slight advantage, with c2-c4 and
likely to follow.
5. c3

If the queen goes to a5, it will transpose to the engine game that we
looked at previously. Where else might the queen go?
5... d6!?
This may well be the objectively best option.
5... d7?! makes the queen a target after 6.d4 followed by e5, as
6... c6? 7. b5 only makes matters worse.
5... d8 6.g4 g6 7. e5 leads to a typical situation where White
will enjoy the advantage of the bishop pair.
614

6.g4 g6 7. g2 e6 8.0-0

In the event of 8... bd7 9.d4 c6, a good continuation is 10. e2!
intending c2-c4, and possibly f4 in the near future.
9.d4! 0-0-0

615

10. b5!
This is a common problem in lines where the queen goes to d6.
10... d7 11.c4
White has excellent attacking chances, since 11...a6?! 12.a4! does
not help Black at all.

Black’s best response – 3...c5!
1.e4 d5 2.exd5

xd5 3.h3 c5!

This is the recommendation of Stockfish, at least after being given
time to reach a high search depth. It has been tested in some
correspondence games, but it goes against both the instincts and the
usual development patterns of Scandinavian players, so you are
unlikely to face it in many games. However, once you have played
3.h3 a few times and your opponents start to prepare for it, you
might start facing it a bit more often.
4. f3

c6 5. c3

d8!

Other moves would leave the queen more susceptible to being
attacked.
6. b5!
6.b3 a6! was decent enough for Black in Koops – Bragesjo, corr.
2021.
6... d7 7.0-0 e6

616

8.b3!

8...a6 9. xc6 xc6 10. e5 is similar to our main line.
9. b2 e7
9... d6 prevents the idea of xc6 followed by e5, but allows
10.d4! cxd4 11. xc6 xc6 12. xd4 with ideas of e2 and ad1,
in addition to a timely exchange on c6.
10. xc6 xc6 11. e5 c8
White was threatening to ruin Black’s queenside structure by
exchanging on c6.

617

12.d3
12.a4!? is another idea. If 12...0-0 then 13. b5! creates some
problems, as the knight may go to a7 and force a doubling of
Black’s pawns.
12...0-0 13.a4
This is White’s basic set-up in this variation. We might follow up
with e2, one or both rooks to the central files, or b5. Let’s see a
sample continuation where Black keeps hold of the bishop pair.
13... e8 14. e1

d7 15. c4!

618

Avoiding simplification and intending f3. We have gone quite
deep in a totally new variation, but I wanted to show the possibilities
of this position when our only guide is the engine. Even when Black
plays the best moves, White keeps a slight initiative.

2... f6
1.e4 d5 2.exd5
Let’s wrap up the chapter by considering Black’s alternative on
move 2:
2... f6
Black’s idea is to recapture on d5 with the knight instead of the
queen.

619

3.h3!?
Why not? Once again, this move has the clear purpose of making
life difficult for the c8-bishop.
3... xd5 4.d4 f5
This is one of the two most natural and obvious tries.
4...g6 is the other, when 5. f3 g7 6.c4 b6 7. c3 is at least
slightly favourable for White.
4...c5!? is the extremely rare engine suggestion, which was tested in
Toth – Chernov, Internet (blitz) 2024.

620

5.dxc5!?N is a simple and promising reply, when play might
continue: 5...e6 (5... a5+ 6. d2 xc5 gives us some initiative after
7.a3 or 7.c4!?, with the choice depending on how ambitious we
want to be.) 6.a3! xc5 7.c4 White should have the slightly more
pleasant game.
After the text move, I like the idea of investing a tempo with:

621

5.a3!?
Stopping any ... b4 nonsense and preparing the simple plan of f3,
c2-c4 and c3. White would love to reach such a set-up in the
2... xd5 Scandinavian, but never manages it. After we have made
the natural developing moves, we should keep in mind the
possibility of hunting down the light-squared bishop with h4, if
Black allows it.

Conclusion
Although 3.h3! is not totally new, it has been widely overlooked by
players and theoreticians. Thus, we have a real possibility of
dragging our opponents into unfamiliar territory as early as move 3.
Our choice is not only unusual, but part of a well-founded strategy
of obstructing the development of the c8-bishop, and possibly
hunting it down with g2-g4 in the event that it moves to f5. The fact
that we can play this way against both 2... xd5 and 2... f6 only
enhances its appeal.
622

623

Chapter 19
Reimagining the Pirc
& the Modern

624

Introduction
Although there are many ways to put the Pirc and Modern Defences
under some pressure, neither of them can be refuted. I tried many
times in my correspondence games and, having failed to do so, I
even played the Pirc as Black in some games! Wouldn’t it be great if
we could meet these systems in a way that combines surprise value
with easy-to-learn ideas and practical effectiveness? Read on...
1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6
625

We’ll play the same way against the Modern after 2...g6 3. c3 g7
4. g5!?, which we’ll discuss at the end of the chapter.
3. c3 g6
3...c6 is the Czech Pirc. The active 4.f4! will be our choice against
it.

4. g5!?
This move is usually referred as the Byrne System – but as you’ll
soon see, I have in mind something different from the normal
theoretical recommendation.
4... g7
4...c6 is another option, which we’ll discuss in due course.
The text move is Black’s most common reply. White usually
proceeds with 5. d2, but instead I am recommending:
5.e5!
626

We are setting a trap – and in my experience, many Pirc players fall
directly into it!

5...dxe5?! – falling for the trap
1.e4 d6 2.d4

f6 3. c3 g6 4. g5 g7 5.e5! dxe5?!

5... fd7! is best and examined next.
6.dxe5

6... xd1+?!
This is the most popular choice, but it only makes matters worse.
6... fd7 7.e6! fxe6 has occurred in several games, with generally
great results for White. I believe the rare 8.h4! to be the most
accurate continuation, but White has an excellent position after any
sensible move.
6... g4 is Black’s best, although 7. xd8+ xd8 8.0-0-0 gives
White an easy initiative. For example, 8... d7 9.e6! fxe6 10. h3
627

saw White conveniently defending f2 while preparing
– Stein, Willingen 2022.
7. xd1

e4 in Tietz

fd7

I faced this recently when playing for my club in the Slovenian
League.
7... g4? gives Black an even worse version of the same type of
problem after:

8.h3! xe5 (8...h6 9. c1! xe5 10. d5+– is virtually the same
thing.) 9. d5 Black is already losing, as there is no good way to
defend c7.

628

8. d5! xe5
8...h6? 9. f4 wins for White. (9. xc7+ is also good enough.)
9. f3 d6
9...e6! is Black’s last chance to avoid the worst. Then after 10. xe5
exd5 11. xd5 White had the bishop pair and an easy initiative in
Pawelec – Hagner, Wagrowiec 2016, but Black still has reasonable
defensive chances.
After the text move, Black is a pawn up and seems to have
everything protected, but the illusion is shattered by our next move.

629

10. xe7! xe7 11. xc7+
Black does not have an effective way to collect the knight after it
takes on a8, and I soon won in Ntirlis – Selisek, Slovenia 2024.

5... fd7!
1.e4 d6 2.d4

f6 3. c3 g6 4. g5 g7 5.e5!

fd7!

This is Black’s only decent reply to our last move, and is
recommended by Sielecki and Gorny in their Chessable course on
the Pirc.

630

6.exd6! cxd6 7. d2
The aforementioned authors don’t rate this line as dangerous, but I
find Black’s position difficult to play. Practical statistics and my
engine analysis support this view.
7...h6
Correspondence players usually prefer 7... f6, intending to meet
8. h6 with 8... xh6 9. xh6 a5! 10.0-0-0 a6! as seen in Faber –
Szerlak, corr. 2022. My improvement is 11. d3!N followed by
ge2 (or perhaps f3) and he1, with the more pleasant play for
White.
8. e3

631

9.h3!
We simply intend to complete development with f3, e2 and
kingside castling. How will Black solve the problem of ...0-0
leaving the h6-pawn hanging?
9...e6!?N
This new idea was offered by Sielecki and Gorny. It’s not easy to
suggest a good plan for Black, so the idea of ... c6-e7 at least gives
Black something to play for.
The immediate 9... c6?! is well met by 10.d5.
9... bd7 prepares to put the knight on b6, so 10.a4! suggests itself.
Black’s position remains problematic.
9...a6 has been tried by a few strong players, but the simple 10.a4
kept Black under pressure in Martinez Ramirez – Almeida
Quintana, La Vega 2019.
10.d5!?
632

This is not mentioned by Sielecki and Gorny, but it seems like a
logical retort to their suggestion.

10... xd5
10...e5? looks natural, but we will obtain a great position after
11.g4 intending ge2, g3 and 0-0-0.
10...exd5 can be met by 11.0-0-0 followed by
heading for d4 or f4.
11. xd5 exd5 12.c3

ge2, with the knight

Black has no real counterplay, and it’s likely that we will regain the
d5-pawn while keeping a structural advantage. In the meantime,
Black still finds it hard to arrange castling.

4...c6
1.e4 d6 2.d4

f6 3. c3 g6 4. g5 c6

633

This is a typical idea in lines with an early g5 or e3. Black
discourages the idea of d2 followed by h6, which would allow
... xh6 with no loss of tempo.

5. d2

bd7

Marin recommends this move in Grandmaster Repertoire – The
Pirc .
5... g7 6. h6 is generally avoided by Pirc players these days. Play
could continue: 6... xh6 7. xh6 a5 8. d3 c5

634

This formerly popular variation contains more than one flaw from
Black’s perspective. The simplest route to an advantage is 9. f3,
leading to an advantageous version of a Dragon for us. (9.d5!? may
be objectively even stronger, but the variations are more
complicated.)
5...b5 can be met by: 6.e5!? (6. d3 g7 7.f4 0-0 8. f3 is the most
popular direction, which also offers reasonable chances for an edge.)
6...b4 7.exf6 bxc3 8. xc3 exf6 9. f4 g7 In Fuller – Pein, London
1979, White should have played:

635

10.0-0-0 N 10...0-0 And now White has a choice of good
continuations:
a) 11. g3 is analysed by Marin. The general evaluation is that
Black will need to give up the d6-pawn for inadequate
compensation – although the position remains somewhat
complicated and tricky for both sides.
b) 11.h4!? h5 12. h3 is also well worth considering. We will
follow up with f2-f3, when attacking ideas with g2-g4 are on the
cards – either with or without a preliminary f2. We might also
arrange our pieces harmoniously with d3, d2 and f4.

636

6.0-0-0
White is poised to attack, not only on the kingside but also in the
centre, with e4-e5. Thus, Black’s next move is practically forced.
6... a5
Preventing e4-e5 for now, while preparing to launch the b-pawn.
Marin recommends exactly this path for Black. Here’s where
modern engines suggest a remarkable idea which seems to defy
human logic.
7.a3!!
The first part of an amazing scheme to prevent Black’s counterplay.
7...b5 8. e1!
Whenever Black plays ...b4, we’ll reply with a2 when there is no
attack on the queenside. The rook move is essential to protect the
e4-pawn.
637

8...h6
8... b8 is met by 9. f3, planning e4-e5, and if 9...b4 10. a2
Black lacks a good move.
9. xf6!

xf6

9...exf6 10.d5! destroys Black’s queenside structure.

10.e5 b4 11. a2
Black was in considerable trouble in Noble – Goffin, corr. 2016.

Czech Pirc – 3...c6
1.e4 d6 2.d4

f6 3. c3 c6

This is a fairly respectable sideline, but I’ll show you a great way to
put Black under pressure.

638

4.f4!

4... bd7?! 5.e5! is awkward for Black.
4...g6 5. f3 g7 6. d3 0-0 7. e2 leaves Black in a passive version
of a Pirc.
5.e5!
5. d3 is the most popular choice by far.
5... e4 6. f3!

639

This wonderful idea has still not been played in many games. We
simply intend to develop with d3 and sacrifice a pawn on the
queenside.
6... xc3
This is the critical continuation to check, but it only leads to trouble
for Black.
6...d5 is Black’s best try. Then 7. d3 xc3 8.bxc3 c5 was played in
Ozates – Akobian, Internet (blitz) 2022, when 9.dxc5!N would have
opened the game for White’s better-developed pieces.
7.bxc3

xc3+

7... g4 8. d2 e6 9. b1 gave White a sizeable initiative in Narva –
Danielian, Samarkand (blitz) 2023.
8. d2

a3 9. d3+–

640

White had an overwhelming lead in development for the pawn in
Szczepanek – Zarnicki, Internet (blitz) 2024. Stockfish assesses it in
the region of +2.5 after thinking for a while.

Modern Defence
1.e4 g6 2.d4 g7 3. c3 d6 4. g5!?

641

Another advantage of our approach is that it works equally well
against the Modern Defence.
4...a6
4...c6 5. d2 b5 6. f3 is similar to the main line below. Most
Modern specialists prefer to prepare ...b5 with ...a6 rather than ...c6,
so that a subsequent ... b7 will put pressure on the e4-pawn, while
Black keeps the possibility of playing ...c7-c5 in one move.
5. f3!
Our plan is to transfer the c3-knight to g3, evading Black’s
counterplay with ...b5-b4 and preparing to solidify our centre with
c2-c3. Later we can attack with h4-h5, even after we have castled
short.
5... d7
Black may also try:
642

5... f6 is well met by 6.e5! fd7 7. e2 followed by 0-0-0. We
have an improved version of a Pirc, as Black has wasted time with
...a6.
5...b5 6. d3 b7 7.a4! It’s worth softening up Black’s queenside
structure before rerouting the knight. 7...b4 8. e2 d7 9.0-0 gf6
10. g3 0-0 11. e1

We have a good position and can continue building up with moves
like d2 and e4-e5. Black opted for the logical but slightly risky
11...c5 in the game we are following, prompting White to go on the
offensive immediately with 12.e5! . In Magem Badals – Tkachiev,
Las Vegas 1999, White seized the initiative and never let it go.
Once Black’s knight has moved to d7, it’s often the cue for us to
play:

643

6.a4!
Had the knight been on b8, Black might have been tempted to
respond to this move with ... c6, meeting d4-d5 with ... b4.
6...h6 7. e3 e6
After 7...b6 White can develop as below, or take the opportunity for
8.d5!? b7 9. d4 gf6 10.f3 with a good positional clamp.
8. d2
8.a5 offers some advantage, but I want to show how we can allow
the so-called Hippo formation and still create problems for Black.
8...b6 9. d3

e7 10.0-0 b7 11. fe1

644

11...g5
Some Hippo players like the idea of 11... f8!?, intending to castle
artificially by walking the king to h7. We simply play 12. e2 g8
13. g3 h7 14.c3, when we are ready for h4-h5.
12.h3

g6 13. e2!

f6 14. g3

Again we reach our standard set-up.
14...0-0 15.b4!
Since Black has avoided taking action on the queenside, we don’t
need a pawn on c3 and can instead seize space with c2-c4 next, as
seen in Kotrc – Ducci, corr. 2012.

Conclusion
After 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f6 3. c3 g6, our system with 4. g5!? is both
venomous and easy to learn. Especially after 4... g7 5.e5!, it’s quite
telling that such a high volume of Black players have exchanged on
e5 and fallen into difficulties. And even after the superior 5... fd7,
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we will simply play 6.exd6 cxd6 7. d2 when Black’s position is by
no means easy to handle.
4...c6 is another popular direction, when 5. d2 gives us good
chances. The real highlight here is 5... bd7 6.0-0-0 a5 7.a3!!,
which is almost impossible to find over the board, but so simple and
effective once you know the idea behind it.
We then moved on to the Czech Pirc, where the direct plan of f2-f4,
e4-e5 and sacrificing a queenside pawn works wonders. Finally, we
looked at the Modern Defence, finding that our 4. g5 set-up also
works nicely when Black postpones the development of the g8knight. In most variations, simple development and a timely e2-g3
manoeuvre will serve us well.

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Chapter 20
Reimagining the
Alekhine & Others

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Introduction
1.e4

A provocative, deeply positional defence. It is rarely ever mentioned
in the plethora of books I have gathered over the years on this
defence that the earliest recorded game with it wasn’t by Alekhine,
but by another rather famous individual – see the note to White’s
next move below.
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1... c6 and 1...b6 are the other sidelines that we’ll cover in this
final chapter. - True, moves like 1...a6, 1...h6 and 1...g5 do exist, but
you’ll face them exceedingly rarely, so we’ll keep things concise
and make 1...b6 the outer limit of the fringe defences.
2.e5

d5 3.d4 d6

In the era of online chess, the Alekhine has found its new heroes.
One of them is GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, who has no problem
employing the Alekhine against the best players of the online
sphere, having solid and interesting ideas against anything they can
throw at his beloved defence. Another notable name with regular
contributions to the black cause is Daniel Naroditsky, although he
has admittedly worked together with Bortnyk, so seeing both their
names regularly popping up isn’t that surprising.
It seems though that the online community recently discovered a
new way to deal with Bortnyk’s Alekhine. This is the system we’ll
study. And it starts with:
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4.exd6!?
Typically, White plays first 4.c4 and only then takes on d6, but there
is a specific idea behind our sophisticated move order. Instead of
treating the d5-knight as a target for our pawns, we’ll try to claim
that the knight can also be a tactical target for our pieces, and there’s
no need to drive it away from a square where it’s anyway
vulnerable.
Now all three recaptures are playable to some extent, but modern
practice heavily favours:
4...exd6!
However, the main narrative behind the Alekhine is that Black is
trying to provoke us into overextending and to unbalance the
position to gain winning chances. So, let’s first examine the moves
that do just that:

Breaking the symmetry
1.e4

f6 2.e5

2.d3 was played in the historic game Madame de Remusat –
Napoleon, Paris 1802!
2... d5 3.d4 d6 4.exd6 cxd6
This used to be Black’s most popular approach, as in Black players
liked to keep an extra pawn in the centre. However, with engines
improving and starting to suggest more and more ways for White to
gain a small edge, this way of playing started to slowly fade out of
fashion.
4... xd6?! also breaks the symmetry, but it is just a bad
Scandinavian. White is spoilt for choice, so just to give an example:
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5.c4 f6 6. f3 g4 7. e2 e6 8. c3 e7 9.0-0 White has scored
quite heavily from this position, which is unsurprising – we have
been gifted the centre for no compensation.
5. f3 g6
Instead of playing c2-c4 and entering the well-studied main lines, I
like a nice little idea from GM Vojtech Plat:
6.a4!?
Other ways exist, but I’m somehow drawn to this generally useful
positional move that has a few tactical points hidden within.
For example, 6. c4 is similar.
6... g7 7. c4
As promised, we’re targeting the d5-knight with a piece instead of a
pawn.
7... f6
After 7... b6 8. e2 the knight on b6 will soon be attacked again
with a4-a5. This is one of the main points behind a2-a4.

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Now Plat – Mulenko, Teplice 2019, saw 8. c3. Instead, I suggest
the simpler:
8.0-0N 0-0 9. e1
White keeps the queenside flexible, improving the situation, but
without committing the b1-knight, c1-bishop and c2-pawn. We wait
to see what Black’s going to do before choosing a square for those.
9... g4
It’s a bit sad for Black to admit it, but this is the engine’s top choice.
9... c6?! simply invites 10.d5! , gaining space and fixing the pawn
on e7.
The bishop on c4 taunts the pawn on d6 and tries to provoke Black
into playing 9...d5, but after 10. f1 White is left with a good
version of an Exchange Caro-Kann.

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Black has rather mistakenly opted for a kingside fianchetto. The
bishop on g7 will be biting on granite against the pawn on d4 once
we stabilize it with c2-c3. For example: 10... c6 11.c3 f5 12.h3
c8 13. f4 Followed by bd2. Black’s setup looks better than it is.
Most of the pieces are out, but it is unclear what they’re actually
doing.
10. bd2
After h2-h3 followed by taking back on f3 with the knight, our
advantage will be undeniable.

Symmetry
1.e4

f6 2.e5

d5 3.d4 d6 4.exd6 exd6

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Taking back with the e-pawn on d6 used to be considered a bit too
vanilla by most Alekhine players. However, the increasingly
deteriorating reputation of the ...cxd6 structure, combined with a
new appreciation of Black’s dynamic potential in the symmetrical
structures, has forced Alekhine players to reconsider.
On the other hand, most players studying this line have focused on
the positions with c2-c4 and ... b6 included. As we have said
already, we’re not going to hit the knight on d5 with a pawn. We’ll
be using it as a tactical target for our pieces instead. And we’ll do
that by starting with the trendy:
5. d3!
Masters Yates and Grob were the first to play like this, nearly a
hundred years ago. In modern chess, it became popular only
recently. The practical examples are mostly from online chess,
which is where most of the high-level games in the Alekhine are
played today. White’s idea is simple: we want to just develop our
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kingside, treating the position like some sort of Petroff, but one
where Black has a silly knight on d5 instead of a normal one on f6.
5... e7
Black also needs to develop the kingside.
5... b4 is a rare move, once tried by Nimzowitsch. Nobody with
White has responded with the provocative: 6. c4!N

Now 6... f5?! 7. b3 leaves both black minor pieces exposed to
attacks, and 6...d5 7. b3 is also good for White. Other plans can be
tried as well, but the simple approach of kicking the b4-knight away
with c2-c3, and then developing the knights with e2 and d2-f3,
will give White a more harmonious setup. The black knights will be
misplaced and stepping on each other’s toes.
6. f3 0-0
The normal approach is to continue developing.
Again, 6... b4 is met with 7. c4 .
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One high-level blitz game saw: 6... c6 7.c3 g4 8.0-0 d7 In
Nakamura – Bortnyk, Internet (blitz) 2022, Black’s hints at castling
long were merely a bluff. Nakamura started with 9. bd2 and won in
exemplary fashion anyway, but it makes more sense to start with
9. e1!N, not allowing ... f4 for an extra move.

White’s plan is to continue with h2-h3 and bd2-f1-g3, breaking
the pin on the f3-knight and leaving Black with two silly-looking
knights on c6 and d5. For example: 9...0-0 (9...0-0-0? is horrendous
for Black, who’s only making our task easier by providing a target
in the shape of the king on c8. There are many ways to punish this, a
safe and simple one being: 10.h3 h5 11. e4! f6 12. xc6 bxc6
13. bd2 Followed by a4.) 10.h3 h5 11. bd2 The knight will
come to g3 next, breaking the irritating pin.
7.0-0

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All the automatic moves have been made, and Black needs to
choose a course of action.
7... b4
Hitting our bishop and trying to drive it away from its active
diagonal is a natural attempt.
7... b6?! was nicely met with 8.h3! in Gadimbayli – Bortnyk,
Internet (blitz) 2022, and it is a nice idea to remember. The c8bishop is nicely restricted, and the knight on b6 is misplaced. White
has many easy improving moves, while Black will struggle to
complete development in any sort of constructive manner.
The other proponent of the black cause once tried 7... g4?!, but the
pin turned out to be a paper tiger: 8.h3 h5?! This is the only
consistent follow-up, but it makes matters worse:

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9. e4! Once again, the d5-knight is exploited as a tactical target.
9...c6 10. xd5 cxd5 This was Chyngyz – Naroditsky, Internet (blitz)
2024, and the simple 11. c3N would have won the d5-pawn and
yielded White a decisive advantage. It’s important to note that
11... a5 runs into 12.b4!.
7... e6?!N paints the bishop on e6 as a target, and an instructive
way to respond is 8.a3! , controlling the b4-square and threatening
c2-c4 followed by d4-d5, grabbing space.
Possibly more reasonable than the committal options above is
7... e8!?N, which seems like a universally useful developing move.
However, we could use language from the opposite end of the
spectrum and call this nonchalant or purposeless, and we still
wouldn’t be far off from the truth. White can maintain a small but
pleasant edge with both 8.h3, restricting the c8-bishop, and with
8.a3, preparing c2-c4. Another normal move would be 8.c3,
preparing h2-h3, as would be, of course, 8. e1. You’re free to
choose a direction depending on your taste.
8. c4!
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This is always our response when Black threatens our bishop.
8... f5
The situation after 8...d5 9. b3 has been already explained in the
note to 5... b4. The black knights are stepping on each other’s toes.
9. b3

We are following the top engine recommendation.

10.c3!N
The most natural approach is best in this case.
10. c3 was Narva – Bortnyk, Internet (blitz) 2024, but after
10...c6N it is our knight on c3 that gets dominated by a pawn on c6.
We want exactly the opposite.
10... a6
This looks weird, but it’s still Black’s best.
Of course, 10... d3?? loses to 11. c2.
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After 10... c6 Black wants to go ... a5, so best is 11.a4! . White
gains a bit of space while creating the a2-square for the bishop. Now
the plan is to start improving the b1-knight, for which a nice path is
a3-c4-e3, hitting the f5-bishop and getting ready to jump to d5.
11.c4!

With the knight on the rim and unable to attack our centre, it makes
sense to start building it. Our plan is to continue with c3, h2-h3,
e1, f4, and so on. Meanwhile, Black’s position is passive and
lacking space. A possible continuation would be:
11...c6 12. c3

c7 13.h3 e8 14. f4 f8 15. c1!?

White is toying with the idea of d4-d5, but there’s no rush. Black is
solid, but without any counterplay, and counterplay was the reason
the game started with the Alekhine, inviting our pawns forward.

Nimzowitsch – 1... c6
1.e4

c6
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Black dares us to grab the centre.

2. f3!
And mainly in favour of simplicity, I suggest we don’t go for it.
2...d6!?
Trying to keep the game in independent territory.
The only downside to our approach is that we have allowed Black
the chance to correct the "mistake" on the previous move and go
2...e5, but we had anyway allowed that when we opened with 1.e4.
2...d5 transposes to our coverage of the Scandinavian after 3.exd5
xd5 4.h3.
3.d4

This is a line often employed by Carlsen in online rapid and blitz.
3... g4?! is nicely met with 4.d5!, as 4... e5?! runs into 5. xe5!.
White should emerge from the relatively simple tactical melee with
an extra pawn and a winning position.
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4.d5!
Gaining space while kicking the knight backwards is a good idea.
4... b8
4... e5 allows us some pressure after 5. xe5 dxe5 6. b5+!? d7
7. e2, with easy play due to the superior structure.
5. d3!?
5. c3 is also interesting but leads to a more double-edged structure
after Black plays ...c6 and takes on d5. The text move leaves our cpawn to free to advance and support our centre, giving the situation
a one-sided character.
5...g6

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6.h3!
Since we got the chance, let’s not allow Black to trade off the
problematic light-squared bishop sitting on c8. A normal
continuation would be:
6... g7 7.0-0 0-0 8. e1 c6 9.c4
Grischuk is one of the players to have reached this position with
White, and he has done so twice, winning both of his games against
Petrosian and Caruana respectively. Yes, it looks like a King’s
Indian, but this shouldn’t bother us. White’s game is easy. We have
good pieces, and we don’t need to rush. We’ll just develop and wait
for Black to give us a target. Carlsen has played this line a lot
online, but never faced 5. d3!?.

1...b6
1.e4 b6 2.d4 b7
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This is Owen’s Defence – a dubious cousin of the more respectable
English Defence, which arises after 1.c4 b6 2.d4 b7. In the latter
case, Black can fight for control over the e4-square, whereas in our
version, with our perfect pawn centre already in place, we stand
clearly better.
3. d3 e6
3... f6 4. e2 will almost certainly transpose below.
3...f5?? is virtually never played, but here’s the refutation just in
case you are lucky enough to encounter it: 4.exf5 xg2 5. h5+ g6
6.fxg6 g7 7.gxh7+ f8

8. h3! is the strongest continuation, and I’ll leave it for you to dig
into the further details if you are really keen. (If you prefer to keep
things straightforward, 8.hxg8= + should also lead to a decisive
advantage.)
4. h3!

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This move is simple and strong, and also carries great surprise
value, having only been played in a tiny percentage of games in this
opening.

4... f6
Against 4...c5 we can of course play solidly with 5.c3, but I prefer
the dynamic 5.d5!? exd5 6.exd5 xd5 7. f4 followed by 0-0, with a
big initiative for the sacrificed pawn.
5. e2
We intend to castle next. The advantage of having the knight on h3
then becomes clear, as we can launch a dangerous attack by
advancing the f-pawn.

Conclusion
In this final chapter, we looked at three relatively rare responses to
1.e4.
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1... f6 is the most important of the three, but the recommended
approach with 2.e5 d5 3.d4 d6 4.exd6!? is one of my favourite
suggestions in this book. The point of this newly trendy approach is
to leave the d5-knight as a tactical target, rather than chasing it
away. We’re not trying to gain a huge advantage or outright punish
Black for choosing the Alekhine, but we take all the fun away from
Black’s scheme, while still gaining a small edge to work with.
Against 1... c6 we try to sidestep the challenge with 2. f3, when
Black’s only serious way to keep things in independent waters is
2...d6, but then 3.d4 gives us a comfortable space advantage. After
3... f6 4.d5 b8 an important detail is 5. d3!, keeping the c2pawn free to advance and support our centre.
Finally we considered 1...b6 2.d4 b7 3. d3, when our key idea is
to follow up with h3; and if Black counters with ...c5 in the next
few moves, we will be well placed to meet it with d4-d5, sacrificing
a pawn if necessary.

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