Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

152 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SLAV
spent two moves advancing the e­
pawn to e4.
6 ... b57 a4 i.b4 (D)
The most common but not necessarily
the best. Here are a few alternatives:
a) 7 ..... b6!? 8 i.e2 (8 i.xf6 gxf6 9
axb5 cxb5 10 b3 is a very direct attempt
to exploit Black's set-up but it
failed in Keck-Maksimenko, Bern
1994: 1O ... i.b4 11 'ii'c2 i.b7 12 bxc4
bxc4 13 i.xc4 tiJd7 14 ~e2 ':c8 15
tiJa4 "d6 and White was already in
trouble) 8 ... a6 9 0-0 i.b7 10 tiJe5
tiJbd7 11 b3 l:td8 12 tiJxd7 l:txd7 13
i.xf6 gxf6 14 bxc4 b4 15 tiJe4 'ii'd8 =
Mantovani-Nemeth, Budapest 1987.
b) 7 ... a6 8 axb5 cxb5 9 i.xf6 gxf6
10 tiJxb5 axb5!? 11 ':xa8 i.b4+ 12
tiJd2 i.b7 transposes to the note to
Black's 8th move.
w
8 tiJd2
White has tried a large number of
other moves here but this move, with
the idea of taking on b5, or simple development,
appears most logical.
8 i.e2 is slower. White intends simply
to complete his development, and
argues that his better control of the
centre is sufficient compensation for
the pawn. Black has then tried:
a) 8 ... h6 9 i.xf6 i.xc3+ 10 bxc3
gxf6 11 0-0 tiJd7 12 tiJd2 'ilic7 13 'ii'bl
a6 14 i.f3 i.b7 15 axb5 cxb5 16
i.xb7 'iixb7 17 tiJxc4 fIIc7 18 tiJaS
0-0 19 l:tc 1 tiJb6 with a roughly equal
position, P.Nikolic-Illescas, Dubai OL
1986.
b) 8 ... tiJbd7 9 0-0 'ii'b6 10 fIIc2
i.b7 11 e4 0-0 12 l:tadl a6 13 e5?!
(this is rarely a good idea in such positions
unless White is able to follow up
with a direct attack) 13 ... tiJd5 14 tiJe4
c5 15 tiJd6 cxd4 16 tiJxd4 tiJxe5 17
tiJxb7 'ii'xb7 18 'ii'e4 i.d6 and White's
compensation is obviously insufficient,
Seul-Dokhoian, Bonn 1993.
c) 8 ... i.b7 9 0-0 a6 10 tiJe5 tiJbd7
11 i.f3 tiJxe5 12 dxe5 'ii'xdI13l:tfxdl
i.xc3 14 axb5 axb5 15 l:txa8+ i.xa8
16 bxc3 tiJd7 + Geller-Sveshnikov,
USSR Ch (Moscow) 1976.
8 ... i.b7
I would very much advise against
an early exchange on c3. White is not
really threatening to take twice on b5
since axb5 can almost always be met
by ... i.xc3. Clearly, White has more
options available after, for example,
8 ... i.xc3?! 9 bxc3 than after 8 ... i.b7 9
axb5 i.xc3 10 bxc3 cxb5, as in the latter
case Black benefits from the a8-hl
diagonal being open. 8 ... a6 is, however,
also possible, and sometimes
transposes to the main line, e.g. after 9