Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)
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126 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SlAV<br />
(14 ... ttJd7!?) 15 j.e2 j.b7 160-0 (16<br />
j.h5+!? 'iti>f8 17 ttJf7 'ii'xg2 18 j.f3<br />
'ii'g7 19 ttJd8! looks good, similarly to<br />
the main line) 16 ... ttJf4 17 j.f3 ttJc6<br />
18 h4! 'ii'xh4 19 g3 'ii'g5 20 ttJf7!<br />
'iti>xf7 21 'ii'd7+ ttJe7 22 'ii'xb7 l:.g8 23<br />
l:.cel h5 24 j.g2 +- P.Nikolic-Timman,<br />
Wijk aan Zee.<br />
c) 13 ... 'ii'e4+!? is the move I have<br />
spent most time on, besides 13 ... 'ii'g5,<br />
trying to rehabilitate the line for Black.<br />
It has a few advantages over the immediate<br />
12 .. .'ii'e4+, but, unfortunately,<br />
some disadvantages as well! After 14<br />
'ii'e2 (14 j.e2 j.xc3+ 15 bxc3 ttJf4 is<br />
worth exploring; now that c6 is available<br />
and the a8-hl diagonal is opened,<br />
Black some extra possibilities compared<br />
to 12 ... 'ii'e4+) Black can try:<br />
c1) 14 ... 'Wd4 15 'Wh5+ 'iti>d8 16<br />
'ii'xh6 ttJxc3 17 ttJf7+ 'iti>c7 18 bxc3<br />
j.xc3+ 19l:.xc3 'Wxc3+ 20 'Wd2 'ii'xd2+<br />
(20 ... 'ii'al + 21 'iti>e2 ttJc6 22 'iti>e3! +-)<br />
21 ~xd2 j.b7 22 h4 is very good for<br />
White.<br />
c2) 14 .. .'ii'f4 15 'ii'h5+ 'iti>d8 16<br />
'ii'xh6! ±.<br />
c3) 14 ... 'ii'f5!? is interesting, with<br />
the idea of simply developing with<br />
... ttJd7. White's queen is now misplaced<br />
on e2.<br />
14 j.e2 j.b7 (D)<br />
15 j.h5+!<br />
Now we see why White's queen has<br />
to stay on d 1. Other moves have caused<br />
Black fewer problems:<br />
a) 150-0 ttJxc3 16 j.h5+ 'iti>f8 17<br />
'ii'd6+ ~g8 18 'ii'xe6+ ~xh8 19 'ii'e8+<br />
'ii'g8 20 'ii'xg8+ 'iti>xg8 21 bxc3 j.xc5<br />
reached a far from clear ending, but<br />
one in which Black's minor pieces become<br />
very active, in Timoshchenko<br />
Kozlov, Tashkent 1982.<br />
b) 15 j.f3 ttJd7 16 0-0 j.xc3 17<br />
bxc3 'iti>e7 18 j.e4?! (18 a4!) 18 ... l:.xh8<br />
19 f4 ~ g7 20 'Wd4l:.c8! with a highly<br />
unclear position, Van Wely-Borst, Antwerp<br />
1995.<br />
15 ... 'iti>f8 16 ttJf7!<br />
Lanka gives the line 16 'ii'f3+ 'iti>g7<br />
170-0 'iti>xh8 18 ~f8+ 'ii'g8! (18 ... 'iti>h7<br />
19 j.f3!) 19 ~xh6+, when White<br />
probably has to take the perpetual after<br />
19 ... 'ii'h 7 20 'ii'f8+. Of course White<br />
can exchange queens and from a purely<br />
materialistic viewpoint this looks very<br />
good, but Black's pieces are active,<br />
and I have a feeling that in practice<br />
this would be a very risky decision.<br />
16 ... 'ifxg2 17 j.f3 'ifg7<br />
17 ... 'Wg6 is also met by 18 ttJd8.<br />
18 ttJd8!<br />
White has a clear, perhaps winning,<br />
advantage, e.g., 18 ... j.xc3+ 19 bxc3<br />
~xe5+ 20 'iti>f1 j.c8 21 'ii'd2 'ii'g5 22<br />
~xg5 hxg5 23 l:.el and White wins.
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