A LINE FOR BLACK

number

The French Winawer

1 e4 e6

2 d4 d5

ANDREW MARTIN
IM

Series E d i t o r :

Grandmaster Murray Chandler

Many club players would love to experiment with difficult

opening systems, but simply lack the time and resources to
delve through dozens of reference works. This Line for Black
and Line for White opening series aims to change that by
covering a variation from only one sides point of view.
Extraneous material is further eliminated by a strong player, in
this case IM Andrew Martin, recommending an exact
alternative at each major juncture. The result is a concise
booklet, similar to the files some Grandmasters maintain for
their own private use. With the minimum of home study, it is
possible to learn an entire system that can be used at the club
that same evening we hope with success!
Andrew Martin is an experienced author of opening books.

Published by:
T.U.I. Enterprises Ltd.,
Lower Ground Floor,
51 Eardley Crescent,
London
SW5 9JT
England

Andrew Martin 1988

A Line for Black

The French Winawer

(ECO code: C01, CI5, C17-19

1 e4 e6

2 d4 d5

NIC code FR 8-13)

JJb4

The Winawer is a real fighting opening. This new pioneering booklet

contains a mixture of old ideas and new analysis, specifically geared to
playing for a win with Black.
In the mainline of the Winawer (4 e5 c5 5 a3 .c3 6 bc3) Black exchanges
his dark-squared bishop to irrovacably shatter the White pawn formation.
This dynamic imbalance gives the better prepared player excellent chances to
seize an early initiative. With this in mind we recommend 6...Well in place of
the routine 6...)e7. This tricky alternative is seldom seen nowadays even
though Botvinnik, Petrosian and Portisch have all played it. Yet some new
analysis takes the sting out of 7 # g 4 , and it may well be due for a revival.
But first we deal comprehensively with all the sidelines one might meet at
club level.

A) 4 Wg4?!

o p p o r t u n i t y , but with his Queen

roaming a r o u n d snatching pawns
he is very vulnerable in the centre.
4
...
&f6!
5
Wg7
2g8
6
#h6
Sg6!
7
e3
7 # f 4 / h 4 2 g 4 T , 7 Wd2 e 4 T .

B) 4 d 2
C) 4 d 3
D) 4 ed
E) 4 <&ge2
F) 4 a3
G) 4 e5 c5
H) 4 e5 c5 5 a3 i . c 3 6 be # c 7 ! ?
Variation G deals with White
fifth move deviations,
and
Variation H is the main line. But at
club, county a n d congress level the
first six possibilities are also going
to occur fairly regularly. D o n ' t be
put off by the n u m b e r of options
open to White at this point. Reflect
on the fact that none of them have
become established as a lasting
main line and that in all the
variations we will examine, Black
obtains an excellent position, full of
winning possibilities.

Consider this position for a

m o m e n t . White is a pawn up at
p r e s e n t b u t he is w o e f u l l y
underdeveloped. The situation is
crying out for...
7
...
c5!
Virtually refuting the White setup. The evidence now points to
advantage for Black.
8
Ad2
8 a3 c 3 9 be cd 10 cd <e4+
8
...
&g4!
9
#d3
9 jLb5 &f8!
9
...
thc6
10 a3
10 <ge2?! cd 11 id4 ice5!
intending ... ji.b6 or l l . . . # b 6 and
10 h3 c4!T are both good for Black.

Our j o b now is to strip the

information available down to the
essentials needed and to learn the
positional themes running through
each ot the Black replies.

4
#g4?!
You won't meet this move too
muchit isn't very good. White
a t t a c k s g 7 at t h e
earliest

10 ...
c4!
11 # h 3
d4!
White's position is a wreck.
2

4
Ad2
A move with a double function.
Obviously White expects 4...de
after which he intends either to go
mad with 5 Wg4 Wd4 6 000 (or
similar) or to play in extremely
boring fashion with 6 if3 \h6 7
# f 4 e5 8 1 ^ 5 which is analysis as
old as the hills. We shall not be so
cooperative.
4

...

b) 5 <&ge2?! (Artificial) ige7!

intending 6 e5 if5
5
...
Ac3
6
.c3
If 6 be then 6...de
6
...
7
e5
^e4
8
i.d3
9
be
Well
Black will obtain counterplay by
means of f7-f6, e.g. 10 Wh5 4.d7 11
f3 000 12 a4 f6oo LjubojevicAndersson, Palma 1971 (but clearly
the final position offers chances to
both sides) or 10 &e2 f6 11 f4 00 12
00
intending ...c5.

)c6!

4
Ad3
Harmless, as Black catches up in
development immediately.
4
...
de!
5
e4
>f6
Black's aim is now to play c7-c5
and free his game completely, (i.e. 6
d 3 and 6 A f 3 are both met by
6...c5!=). After 6 g 5 Black
equalises with 6 . . . b d 7 planning
7...h6 and only then c7-c5!

Let us list the advantages of this

move.
#
Immediate pressure is put On
White's d-pawn.

Black develops a piece and

prepares for active play with e6-e5.

4... sc6 is very unusual. There

is virtually no theory on it and a
white player preparing to bash out
long strings of analysis might
become unsettled.
#
We are consistantly following
our strategy of playing for the win
on our terms.
5
a3
a) 5 # g 4 Qf6 6 Wg7 Sg8 7 f h 6
Sg6 8 # e 3 . Note the similarity to
Variation A. Black now breaks
things up with 8...de! and now d4en
prise has a good game after 9 ie4
d 2 10 id2 # d 4 .

4
ed
Unless a stronger opponent has a
specific idea in mind, it is unlikely
that you will face this exchange
variation too often. The positions
arising from this variation are
considered too arid for the average
taste.
However White's idea is not as
innocuous as it seems. Be careful
not to allow him a total grip on the
e-file and in particular look after
your bishop on c8. Remember that
3

I have always felt this to be very

logical but most recent theory has
concentrated on 8...>bd7. After
8...c5 the plan is Ad7-c6, )bd7 and
a deferred posting of the Queen.

a) 11 b5 & a 5 12 &2g3 e 6 13
Ad3 (13 f4) 000 14 <&e2 )g6!oo but
with either >g6-f4 or &a5-c4 on
the agenda Black is doing well.
b) 11 c4 f 5 ! 12 >2g3(12 &4g3
Af2) 000 13 <&cl d 4 and White
lacks a c o n c r e t e m e t h o d of
developing his forces.

9 Advantages: We don't weaken

the
Q u e e n s i d e with
b7-b6.
Eventually we want to castle long
a n d this will significantly improve
our defensive chances. Pressure is
b r o u g h t to bear immediately
against the White centre.

c) 11 &2g3 >g6! 12 e6 jLe61 13

Ag7 000 14 <&cl Sg8 15 Af6 jLd4oo
d)
e)

11 e6 f6
Disadvantages: Ad7-c6 might
waste time but this has not been
proven to date by analysis.

11 f4? &15 T

All in all the 7...e5!? line looks

playable.
9
ie2
Probably best. White has central
control and two active bishops in
the wings.
A round up of alternatives show
that Black has nothing to fear. e.g.
a) 9 g 5 ? ! # a 5 ! 10 d 2 Wa4 T

4
a3
C h a m p i o n e d by A l e k h i n e ,
Smyslov and Fischer at one time or
another and so deserves to be
treated with respect. We will keep
our play central and aggressive.
4
...
c3
5
be
de
6
#g4
)f6
7
Wg7
2g8
8
Wh6

...

b) 9 Wd2 ic6 10 dc Wa5\ intending

e5, Ae6, 2 d 8
c) 9 Ab2 (an ugly looking move.
White aims for 000 and perhaps to
unleash his bishop with c3-c4. Our
easy-to-learn plan remains the same)
9...Ad7! 10 f3 (10 000 c 6 ! 11 dc
ibd7 intending Wei, Wcl. Wa5 000+) 10... jLc6 11 f e ( l 1 000 )bd7
12 We3 Wei 13 c4 000 14 fe Ae4)
l l . . . A e 4 12 # d 2 a 5 13 000 >c6!
etc.
9
10

c5!
6

...
dc

d7!

4...)e7 is a decent enough move

and is also used to reach the
s t a n d a r d W i n a w e r m a i n line
position, but this would not allow
us to use ourspecial system. Besides
there is no reason to be afraid of
White fifth move alternatives to 5
a3 (examined in H). After 4...c5
White has to look after the d4square immediately.

a) 10 Ab2 c 6 11 000 ftbd7 12c4

#e7
13 h 3 0 0 0
RadulovSigurjonssen, Raach 1969. Black
has completed his plan successfully.
b) 10 &g3 c 6 11 Ab 2 )bd7 12
000 ig4! with advantage to Black.
c) 10 Ag5 Sg6 11 Af6 (11 Wh4
Ac6) W(6 12 # e 3 Ac6 13 g3 <hd7
14 Ag2 W(5 15 00 >f6! 16 O ef 17
A D Af3 18 2 D Wc2 19 t e 5 )d7
20 WhS >f8 21 >f4 2 h 6 T FichtlStulik, Prague 1953.
10
Ac6
11 2 b l
bd7
12 >d4
#a5
a6!
13
&e7
14 <kd6
Wc3
15 )c4
16 Ad2
is unclear but Black has as many
chances as White.
White's structure is restricting
the power of his bishops. After 9
<ie2 Black should remember:
To strengthen the e-pawn with
Ad7-c6.
To complete development with
>bd7 intending long castling
# To put pressure on White s
pawns, often with Wa.5.

Gl) 5 #g4
G2) 5 Ad2
G3) 5 dc (or 5 >f3)
Gl

5
#g4
I assure you that the opponents
who play this move will be
dangerous men. They are quite
willing to provoke an immediate
clash in the hope of a quick and
humiliating win. Black's move is
forced.
5
...
ie7

Note that White is falling behind

in development, thus 6 # g 7 is an
immediate disaster e.g. 6...2g8 7
# h 7 cd 8 a3 # a 5 T. Counterplay
against the centre will be Black's
theme in the 5 # g 4 line.
6
iO
7

should equip you to deal with 6 dc

quite nicely.

The English IM M a r k Hebden,

who popularised 5 Wg4 at a time
it w a s c o n s i d e r e d
almost
unplayable, always plays this move.
He has several disciples on the
tournament circuit so I will treat 6
lD as the main line.
a) 6 a3?! # a 5 ! 7 A d 2 cd! and
White is in trouble, e.g. 8 ab # a l 9
Q d l sf5! o r 9 . . . i b c 6 10 f 3 Ad7
11 # g 7 Eg 8 12 m i a6 intending
ldng castling. Please take careful
note of White's exchange sacrifice.
It can crop up regularly after 5 # g 4
but in general it is unsound when
White is not in an immediate
position to castle. Here 9 sdl was
obviously a wasted move and
Black's counterplay
came
immediately.

c) 6 d 2 ? cd 7 # d 4 )bc6 T
Back at the ranch after 6 >f3
Black should play...
6
...
cd!
7
>d4
) g 6!

In this way Black reaches a

satisfactory game. It wasn't for
some time that this method was
d i s c o v e r e d ; previously analysis
concentrated on 6...<>bc6.

b) 6 dc (attacking b4 and hoping to

occupy d4 with a piece in the not
too distant future). 6...c3!? 7 be
Wcl.
The drawback of this idea is
obvious. W h i t e ' s Bishop may
appear on a3 one day with
presumably disasterous consequences. But is this a realistic
assessment of the situation? White's
position is very shaky and maybe
Black can utilise this to his
advantage. E.g. 8 >f3 (8 # g 7 2g8 9
h 7 >d7 10 ie2 ie5+) >d7 9
Wgl 2g8 10 f h 7 >e5 11 & e 5 ( I l
A e 3 _ Q g 4 12 Ab5 Ad7 13 d 7
&d7+, 11 )d4 # c 5 12 d 2 d 7 j )
We5 12
2 h 8 ! 13 # d 3 2h2+.
We m u s t t h a n k
American
International-Master J o h n Watson
for the bulk of this analysis which

The theme is self evident. Black

forces White to defend his centre, at
the same time he prepares to castle
into safety, perhaps including c 3
on the way. Analysis illustrates our
plan:
a) 8 <f3 ic6 9 d 2 (9 ii.b5 Wa5)
d4! 10 >e4 A d 2 11 >ed2 # a 5
(black's wedge on d4 gives him a
good game) 12 000 # a 2 13 h4 h5 14
# g 5 f a i 15 >bl Ad7 16 Ab5?(16
Ad3) a6 17 Ac6 Ac6 18 & d 4 Ad5
19 e 2 Ac4 20 iec3 b5 21 Sh3 b4
22 &e4 00 23 f 6 gf 24 ef Bad8 25
Ehd3?? (25 Sdd3 ) A a 2 0:1
8

Ad7-b5 and Rooks to the c-file)

9...>e5 10 foe6 Ae6 11 A.e5 00
(despite the White Bishops, Black's
lead in development allows him to
play for the advantage) 12 A d 3
c6 13 Ac3 (13 Ag3 t f 6 ! 14 c3 a5
15 a4 d4!) 13...d4 14 Ad2 ie5 15
Ah7 & h 7 16 # h 5 &g8 17 # e 5 2e8
18 t g 3 Ac4 19 & d l Ae2 20 & c l
2c8 21 b3 d3 22 c3 A h 5 23 2 a 2 2 e 2
24 & b l 2 c 6 2 5 G A g 6 2 6 2 d l b5 27
a4 b4 28 c4 a5 29 h4 ce6 30 h3
Eel! 31 2 c 1 t d 4 32 Wh2 Wc3\ 33
m>8 2e8 34 2 e l 2b8 35 c 3 d 2 3 6
<&al be 0-1 Ljubojevic-Nogueiras,
Wijk aan Zee 1987.

b) 8 Ab5 Ad7 9 00 &c3 10 be t c 7

11 A d 2 00 with a ragged White
position.
c) 8 Ad2 00! 9 f4 (9 >e6? t a 5 )
sc6 10 >c6 be 11 h4 f5! with the
idea of ...d4 or ...Ac3 and d4 and
Black's centre more than offsets the
White 'attack'.
5 # g 4 therefore has a certain
shock value but a careful treatment
by Black ensures him a good game.
G2
5
Ad2
Frequently employed by White
players who prefer a solid game.
T h e immediate threat is '<\b5'
zeroing in on the d6-square.
Black's plan must be to castle
and to create action on the d4 and
e5 squares with associated counterplay. White can execute his 'threat'
if he so desires. The Knight cannot
stay on d6 for long.
5
...
se7!
6
ib5

Black uses the time White wastes

to develop.
6
...
Ad2
7
td2
00

Very natural. White is going

through with his plan but energetic
play can rid Black of his difficulties,
as the following examples show.
a) 8 )d6 (Premature) cd! 9 sf3
>bc6 10 >d4 f6! and Black goes
over to the attack, T.

6 a3 is rare. 6....4x3! (don't waste

time) 7 c 3 (7 be is inconsistent)
sbc6! 8 D cd 9 >d4 (or 9 Ad4
>f5 10 c3 Ad7 11 Ae2 & f d 4 12 cd
t b 6 13 b4 e7 14 00 00 planning

b) 8 c3 <>bc6! (Rapid development

and continual attack against the
centre is the idea) 9 f4 t b 6 (or 9...cd
9

1 0 c d f 5 11 >f3 f6). W i t h 9 . . . # b 6
Black is prepares his counterplay in
typical style. A further method is to
invite White's Knight in with
9...a6!?. Novak-Welin. Slupsk 1986
continued 10 >d6 cd 11 cd f6!7 12
000 (12 ^ O >g6 13 c 8 fe! T) fe
13 de and now 13...g5! would have
promoted a very unclear situation
which is probably OK e.g. 14 g3 (14
fg >e5) gf 15 gf g 6 16 >e2 WM.

6
...
&bc6
7
d3
d4!
Forcing White to declare his hand.
8
a3
ji.a5
9
b4
&b4
10 ab
b4
11 00

c) 8 >f3 (stupifyingly solid) 8...a6!

(drawing the knight away from d4)
9 &c3 cd 10 >d4 >bc6 11 f4 id4
12 Wd4 &c6 13 # d 2 f 6 = . Black can
think about bringing his bishop out
via e8 to g6.
So this was the idea. The young
British masters Joe Gallagher,
Julian Hodgson and Byron Jacobs
have researched this position
extensively, but to my knowledge
they haven't analysed the following
recommendation.

d) 8 dc (interesting, but overoptimistic. White hopes to use d4 as

a base.) 8...>d7! 9 f4 >c5 10 d 3
(10 <f3 >e4!) lO.-.^b! 11 000
c 6 with good play for Black.

11 ...
Ac3
12 Sbl
h6!
White depends very much on
playing <0f3-g5 for an attack. With
12...h6! Black prepares a powerful
centralisation with # d 8 - d 5 and
p r e v e n t s White's main threat.
Therefore I don't see why Black is
now not just a pawn up. An old,
f o r g o t t e n c o r r e s p o n d e n c e game
points the finger at the White
position. 13 >h4 # d 5 ! 14 f4 d 7
15 f5 ef 16 f 5 when 16...f5 17
>f5 >f5 18 3f5 000 19 # g 4 # e 6
leaves White struggling for
compensation. Zinser-Ackermann.
correspondence 1954.

Rapid development with chances

to attack. This is the theme versus 5
Ad2. Remember that the moves
>bc6, cd, # b 6 and f7-f6 are an
internal part of Black's plan.
G3) 5
dc
I would say this is a weird move.
But White's plan is straightforward
enough. He dispenses with forming
a centre and simply develops. If
Black can do the same, and there is
no reason why he cannot then he
reaches a good position with ease.
5
...
&e7!
6
>13
6 # g 4 transposes to variation G l .
10

H2

The Main Line

H

4
5
6

e5
a3
be

c5
c3

&D

HI
7
#g4
The biggest advantage of having
the queen at c7 is that the g7 pawn
can be defended along the second
r a n k . 7...f5 is Black's oldest
defence, but my recommendation is
a little known move, covered by
only a solitary footnote in the 487page Encylopedia
B of
Chess
Openings!
7
...
f6!

In the main line of the Winawer

White hopes to be the attacker. He
has the t w a bishops and Black has
the better pawn structure. The
natural imbalance leads to highly
interesting play.
Our recommended move is
6
...
Well
This is an older continuation and
hasn't been played much in recent
years. Everyone has p r e f e r r e d
6...>e7 when 7 Wg4?? is a
dangerous and extensively analysed
continuation.
Yet a major benefit of Black's
queen move is that it almost entirely
defuses 7 # g 4 . Our first task will be
to find out why. 6 . . . # c 7 also sets a
couple of cheap traps which
superficial White players can fall
into:
a) 7 a4? cd! =F threatening # c 3 .

Black attacks e5, defends g7 and

threatens a later King's side attack.
If necessary he will seal up the
Queen's side by means of c5-c4.
Hll

13

b) 7 h4? cd with the same idea. Thus

6 . . . # c 7 'threatens' 7...cd.

H12 8
Ab5
Instead 8 ef is harmless. 8...>f69
'#g3 (having helped Black to
develop with gain of tempo White
seeks relief in exchanges) 9...Wg3!
10 hg c 6 11 e 2 (11 f 3 e 4 )
ll...eS! It is obvious that Black has
no problems. Probably White can
scratch his way to equality with
very careful play.

HI

Hll

#g4
11

More of a challenge. But it is in

this variation that the depth of
Black's idea is best revealed.
8
...c4!
Not an automatic move. Black
wants to use the position of White's
queen to gain time for his kingside
attack. He can and should do this
before a White bishop appears on
the a3-fB diagonal. In the ensuing
play White has to look after the e5
pawn.
9
e2
9 ef if6 10 # h 4 ic6 is alright for
Black. The everpresent threat of
# c 7 - a 5 restricts White in the choice
of plans.
9
...
10 00
W7!

11 # h 3
,ge7
12 a4
d7
13 Aa3
W h i t e ' s b i s h o p r e a c h e s its
' o p t i m u m ' post. W h a t is it doing
there?
13 ...
000!
14 a5
h5! T
15 & d 2 fe (15...)f5! threatening
16...g5> 16 de # f 4 17 & f 3 >g6 18
A d 6 # e 4 (18...sge5!? wins a safe
pawn e.g. 19 <e5 >e5 20 & h l 1T6)
19 A d l >f420 g3 h4 21 # g 5 ie2
22 Ae2 We2 23 S f e l # c 2 24 # e 3
Wd3?7 (24...h3 25 S a b l # g 6 26 g3
# d 3 ) 25 Wc5 Wc3 26 Seel # d 3 27
S a b 1 c3 28 a6! # a 6 29 S a l b6 30
# c 3 # b 7 31 <d4 a5 32 S a b l 1-0
M a t u l o v i e - R . By r n e , S o u s s e
Interzonal 1967. An unfortunate
end to excellent Black opening play.

H12 8
Ab5
Not satisfied with the other
variations White aims to displace
the Black king. Again the threat can
be dealt with smoothly.
8
...
&f8!
Not mentioned by ECO at ail.
Black now threatens c5-c4, # c 7 - a 5
or cd, so the critical question is
whether White can successfully
attack the Black king.
9
#h5
The young London player Les
Smart has suggested a dangerous
piece sacrifice with 9 a4! c4 10 i a 3 .
Although Black will eventually win
the bishop on b5 White has a very
strong attack. Best is 9...fe! and
now if 10 a 3 then 10...lf6.

Black should not snatch the

pawn, e.g. 10.:.fe 11 de \e5 12 ie5
Hfe5 13 Af4 # f 6 14 t g 3 >h6 15
Ae5 with too much play for White.
The point of 10...HOT is simply to
prepare ll...ige7. In the medium
term Black's further plan is to castle
long and attack with h7-h5. But if
you can find the moves 8...c4 and
1 0 . . . t n , and understand the ideas
behind them, it is downhill all the
way from here.
12

9
...
Ad7
10 d 7
>d7
11 ef
White is being forced to make
horrible moves to avoid losing
material.
11 ...
&gf6 =F
Black has again managed to use the
White pieces as targets to further
his development. This indeed is the
theme of the whole of Black's play
against 7 # g 4 .
H2

a) 8 d 3 b6! 9 a4 (9 dc be 10 00 a 6
11 S e l d 3 12 cd d 7 ! = ) 9 . . . Aa6
10 a 6 a 6 11 00 b 8 ! (Black
retreats the knight to the defensive
square d7) 12 a5 ba! 13 Aa3 <&d7 14
t e 2 00 15 Sfel Sfc8 NeuwaldIvkov, Sao Paulo 1973.
b) 8 d 3 b6 9 00 Aa6 10 g 5 d 3
11 cd h5! establishing a post for the
knight at f5.
c) 8 Ae2 b6 (by now you should be
getting the idea) 9 a4 &a6 10a5(10
jLa6 transposes to Neuwald-Ivkov)
10...ba! 11 Aa6 a 6 12 Aa3 00 13
d3 Wc6 14 g 5 >g6 and White
has to prove that he has enough for
the pawn.

>f3

8
...
b6!
Reinforcing the c5 point against a
likely Black square attack and
preparing the familiar jLc8-a6.
9
Ab5
Alternatives are dealt with in the
usual way:
a) 9 # d 2 a 6 ! 10 .b5 Ab5 11 ab
a5.

More positional than 7 # g 4 .

White envisages a gradual opening
of the game with particular
emphasis on the dark squares. Thus
a3-a4 and ji.cl-a3 will figure very
highly on his list of priorities.
Black's main asset is his fireproof
s t r u c t u r e . T h e first task is
development.
7
...
&e7
8
a4
Consistent. 8 d 3 and 8 i.e2 are
rarely played mainly because of the
reply 8...b6 when Black threatens
9 . . . a 6 getting rid of his bad
bishop. Some sample ideas show
that Black is comfortable.

b) 9 Aa3 a 6 ! 10 a 6 &a6 11 Wd3

b 8 12 a5 d 7 with the solid
position we have come to expect.
Black seeks his play by means of f7f6.
The column move 9 Ab5 cuts
across Black's plan and forces his
bishop to d7. Now we have to look
for counterplay in a different
manner to the ...a6 routine.
9
...
d7
10 Ad3
13

A very combative idea a n d little

played since the early 1960's when
some brilliant Fischer games put it
right out of fashion.

Black's plan is to castle long and

attack on the kingside. Of course he
must proceed with great care now
that he has weakened his dark
squares, but if he does so, then I
believe that he emerges with an
excellent fighting game.
As so often in our repertoire, we are
forcing the o p p o n e n t to fight in
unexplored territory where our
hopefully superior knowledge will
give us the advantage.

10 00 is a very real alternative.

White is trying to save time on the
text move and plans 11 ig5 with a
kingside initiative! Black's response
must be accurate: 10...Ab5! 11 ab
a5 creating the permanent asset of a
passed 'a' pawn, (ba never leads to
anything for White). Black has a
good position, eg 12 <ig5 (12 dc be
13 c4 id7 14 c d . i d 5 ) 12...h6 13
>h3 <d7 14 >f4 cd! 15 cd Htc4 16
Aa3 >f5 17 c3 h5! 18 >h5 c3 19
g4 Wh3 or 18 # f 3 g6 intending
19... Sc8. Inferior is 17...g6?! 18
# 0 # b 5 19 g4! >e7 20 Sfcl Sc8
21 S a b l # c 4 22 ig2 Sc6 23 ie3
# a 4 24 S a l # b 5 25 c4!! 1-0 SteinR Byrne, Sousse Interzonal 1967.

12

Black seems to be able to give

himself time to reinforce the
position with moves like b7-b6 and
ib8-d7. If he beats off White's
initial attack he enters the middlegame with chances either on the 'c'
file (with a possible ...cd at some
point) or the 'P file, after 17-f6.
10 ...
>bc6
11 00
c4!?

jLel

000!?

You will notice that the move b7b6 is not a weakness in this position.
The pawn protects the c5 square,
dissuades a4-a5 and provides a bolt
hole on b7 for either the queen or
the king.
There are few game examples
now. Here is a short survey of
White's alternatives:
14

a) 13 Aa3 (logical enough. Black

should aim as quickly as possible
for f7-f6) 1 3 . . . f 5 ( p l a n n i n g
14...f6) 14 g4 h 6 15 i d 6 # b 7 16
)h4 f6! Having p r o v o k e d a
weakness on White's kingside
Black re-routes his knight to f7
expelling the dangerous bishop.
White need not have entered with
15 JLd6, preferring 15 h 4
(planning 16 f4) but then either
15... f6 16 f4 if7 or 15...f5 16 gf >f5
17 <>f5 ef (planning 18... Ae6) is OK
White plays obvious moves after
12...000!? but the &a3-d6 idea
didn't give him very much.

The analysis of this position

stems f r o m J o h n Moles. He
suggests that if Black is not happy
with the exchange sacrifice, he may
try 18... Ae8 preparing 19... h 5! with
a heavyweight game in progress.

b) 13 g 5 (another dangerous idea)

13...2df8 (from here the rook
supports f7-f6 or f7-f5) 14 &g4
(restraint, otherwise f7-f6 but...)
14...h6! 15 >h3 T5! 16 ef 2 f 6
(16...gf 17 Q f 4 e5 18 >e6 ) 17 f4
if5 18 f 2 d 6 19 A O (planning
% 4 - e 5 ) 19...h5! 20 h 5 (20
h 3 ! ? ) 20... 2 f h 6 21 .g4 2h2 22
h 3 (22 &h3 2 h 3 is unclear)
22... 2 2 h 3 23 gh >e4

c) 13 a5?!
An attempt to blast Black off the
board. At the cost of a pawn White
tries a combination of the previous
ideas but Black is very solid
13...a5! 14 a 3 a c 6 15 d 6
# b 7 16 g 5 Edf8 17 Ag4 h6 18
>h3 f5 19 ef 2 f 6 20 f4. After
2 0 . . . f 5 White does not have
enough.

15

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