Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

THE MAIN LINE: 17 a3 13
'ii'a8! e8 26 l:tc8l:tdS 27 'ilixa7l:thh5
(other defences have also been tried,
but without success) 28 tDb6 l:td2 29
l:t8c7! ~d6 30 l:te7+ ~f8 and now the
simplest way to win would have been
31l:txf7+!.
The outpost on d3
In many cases a passed d-pawn is
Black's main asset but one should not
ignore the possibility of creating an
outpost on d3. If a knight or rook lodged
on this square cannot be removed, it
will remain a thorn in White's side. I
will provide you with two examples:
one that went well for Black and one
that should not have done!
c3 24 tDxc3 bxc3 25 l:txc3+ as played,
for example, by Kasparov against Tal)
23 ... b7! 24 ~e3, 24 ... l:td3! contains
the annoying threat 25 .. .'tlr'c6. Following
25 f4 l:txh2!? 26 'it>xh2 l:txe3 27
'ilidl l:td3 28 'ilihl+ tDf3+ 29 'it>g2
"ir'f5, Black had a very strong attack.
w
B
Koopmans - Van der Muysenberg
corr. 1992
White has just played 22 l:tfc1,
threatening the c4-pawn. Black now
has a choice between defending it with
22 ... tDa5 or 22 ... tDe5; the latter is superior,
aiming also for the d3-square.
Then after 23 ~xa7?! (better is 23 b3
Maksimenko - Scherbakov
Berlin 1993
Black has just occupied the d3-
square and, as discussed, the assessment
depends on whether Black can
maintain the outpost. White logically
starts undermining the knight:
19 axb4 cxb4 20 b3! exd5 21 'ilig4+
'it>b8
N ow, rather than 22 ~e3? d4! 23
~xd4 ~xg2 24 ~xa7+ b7 25 ~xg2
'iVc6+! 26 f3 'it>xa7, which netted Black
a piece in the game, Mikhalchishin
showed that White should play 22
'iVd4!, forcing Black to block the gl-a7
diagonal with 22 ... ~c5, and thus allowing
23 tDxc5 'iVxc5 24 ~e3 'iVxd4