Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

146 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SLAV
equal position, Chernin-Kramnik, Villarrobledo
rpd 1998.
1l ... g4
This is the safest approach. It is
generally agreed that White benefits
from the opening of the h-file. Both
11.. .':'xg7 12 hxgS and 11... ttJd7 12
hxgS are certainly good for White, but
things are less clear after 11...gxh4 12
':'xh4 'ir'f6, although when subjected
to close scrutiny, it seems to be in
White's favour:
a) 13 axbS cxbS 14 l:thS .td7 IS
ttJeS .tc6 16 ttJxc6 ttJxc6 17 l:txbS
'ir'xd4 18 fif3 l:tc8 19 l:tdl fixg7 20
':'b7 fieS+ 21 .te2 l:tg7 22 ~f1 l:th7
23 g3 fih8 24 ~gl ttJeS was fine for
Black in Skomorokhin-Belov, USSR
Ch 1987.
b) 13 ~c2!? .tb7 14 ~e4 a6 IS
axbS axbS 16 l:txa8 .txa8 17 ~eS!
fixeS+ 18 ttJxeS l:txg7 19 l:th8+ .tf8
20 ttJe4 and now rather than 20 ... cS,
which gives White the possibility of
21 ttJd6+