Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

122 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SlAV
130-0-0!
Strangely enough, the safest place
for White's king is actually on the
queenside. Others:
a) 13 a3?! is an inferior version of
Stefansson's idea (12 a3!?) above:
13 ... i.xc3 14 bxc3liJc6 IS dxcS i.b7
(lS ... 'iie4+!?) 16 i.e2liJxeS 17 'ii'd4
'ii'f6 180-0-0 'ii'xh8 19 i.xc4?! bxc4
20 l:1he1 liJf7 + Buturin-Mikhalchishin,
USSR 1977.
b) 13 dxcS liJd7 and now White's
best is probably 140-0-0 liJxeS transposing
to the note to White's 14th
move, while there are also two inferior
options:
b1) 14 i.e2?! liJxeS IS 0-0 (IS
0-0-0 is better, transposing to note 'a'
to White's 14th move) IS ... i.b7 16 a3
i.xc3 (16 ... i.xcS also seems to give
Black a promising attacking position,
but the text-move is the simplest) 17
bxc3, S.Gillam-Botterill, England 1979,
and now 17 ... liJf4 18 %:tfe1 'ii'gS 19
i.hS+ ~f8 20 'ii'd6+? ~g8 wins for
Black (Botterill).
b2) 14 g3 'ii'hS IS i.g2 i.b7 160-0
O-O-O! and then:
b21) 17 'ii'e2 'iixe2 18liJxe2 %:txh8
19 liJd4 liJxeS 20 liJxe6 (20 liJxbS!
i.xcs 21 l:1ae1 a6 22 %:txeS axbS 23
%:txe6 reaches a rather level endgame)
20 ... liJd3 favours Black, Timman-Henley,
Surakarta/Denpasaar 1983.
b22) 17 'ii'c2 %:txh8 (17 ... i.xc3 18
bxc3 %:txh8 19 a4 b4 20 cxb4liJxeS 21
'ii'e4! also favours White) 18 liJxb5
i.xcS 19 'ii'xc4 'ifi>b8, Finegold-Waddingham,
Oakham 1986, and now
White should play 20 liJd6 i.xd6 21
exd6 with the better game; for example,
21...%:tc8 22 'ii'e4liJcS 23 'iid4 eS
24 'ii'd 1 'ii'f7 2S 'ii'd2.
Returning to the position after 13
0-0-0 (D):
B
13 ... liJc6
This is a difficult choice, as there is
a serious alternative, viz. 13 ... cxd4, although
this might appear rather shaky
after 14 'ii'xd4:
a) Then after 14 ... 'iigS+ IS f4!
liJxf4 16liJe4! liJe2+ 17 ~b1 liJxd4
18liJxgS, Shashin-Monin, Leningrad
1980, 18 ... hxgS 191hd4liJc620l:1e4!,
followed by 21 h4, White has much
the better game.
b) However, Black can try playing
14 ... 'ii'xd4!? IS l:1xd4liJxc3 16 bxc3
i.xc3, when the attempt to hang on to
the e-pawn with 17 l:1e4 i.b7 18 %:te3
i.d4 19 l:1e2 liJc6 gives Black a very
active position well worth the material
sacrificed. Hence White should play
17 %:tdl!, when unfortunately there
does not seem to be time to grab the