Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)
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Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

bernard.paul.guinto
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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

EARLY DEVIATIONS (6 e3 AND 6 a4) 153 J.e2. However, critical is 9 axb5 cxb5 (9 ... J.xc3 10 bxc3 cxb5 11 'it'f3 'it'd5 12 'it'g3 ltJbd7 13 J.e2 gives White B excellent compensation according to Korchnoi but 12 ... ltJbd7 is hardly the best move) 10 ltJxb5 axb5 11 ':'xa8 J.b7 12 J.xf6 gxf6 13 ':'al e5!? 14 'it'h5 ltJc6 15 l:1dl, Koerholz-Karsa, Luxembourg 1986, and now 15 ... exd4! 16 'it'xb5 dxe3 17 fxe3 'it'e7 would have given Black good attacking prospects - Karsa. 9J.e2 9 axb5 J.xc3 10 bxc3 cxb5 11 'it'bl 'it'b6 12 J.xf6 gxf6 13 ltJe4 ltJd7 += Blees-Lukacs, Budapest 1990. 9 ... ltJbd7 10 0-0 'it'b6 11 J.f3 0-0 12 'it'c2 a6 13 l:1adl l:1fe8 14 ltJde4 J.e71SltJxf6+ ltJxf616 l:1d2 l:1ac817 l:1fdl h6 18 J.h4 J.a8!? White hardly has enough for the pawn, but he eventually managed to draw in Gausel-Bryson, Novi Sad OL 1990. B) 6 a4 J.b4 7 e4 (D) 7 e3 transposes to Line A. 7 ... cS!? Note that this position is actually identical to the Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 ltJc31tJf6 41tJf3 dxc4 5 e4 J.b4 6 i.g5 c5) but with the difference that White has got the move a4 for free. Here Black argues that a4 is not very helpful for White, and actually gives Black an option that is not available in the Vienna. I will return to what exactly this option consists of, but first a few words on the alternatives. The point of playing a4 at move 6 is that White entices Black to playa marginally inferior line of the 7 a4 variation, i.e. if Black in this position plays 7 ... b5, we have reached Line C of Chapter 11. 7 ... J.xc3+ 8 bxc3 'it'a5 9 e5 ltJe4 is also possible, with two continuations for White: a) 10 l:1cl 'it'd5 11 J.e3 c5 12 J.e2 ltJc6 13 0-00-0 14 'it'c2 cxd4 15 cxd4 c3 16 i.d3 ltJb4 17 J.xe4 ltJxc2 18 i.xd5 ltJxe3 19 fxe3 exd5 20 ':'xc3 J.d7 21 ':'c7 J.xa4 22 ':'xb7 J.c6 23 l:1c7 i.b5 with a roughly equal endgame, Petursson-Kuijf, Wijk aan Zee 1990. b) 10 J.d2 c5 !? (this appears better than 10 ... 'it'd5 11 a5!, when White has chances of a small edge) 11 J.xc4 cxd4 12 cxd41tJxd2 13ltJxd21tJc6 14 J.b5 0-015 J.xc6 bxc6 160-0 'it'd5 = Lputian-Kaidanov, Lucerne W cht 1993. 8 i.xc4 8 e5 cxd4 (I remember during a game of mine, pondering over 8 ... h6!?

EARLY DEVIATIONS (6 e3 AND 6 a4) 153<br />

J.e2. However, critical is 9 axb5 cxb5<br />

(9 ... J.xc3 10 bxc3 cxb5 11 'it'f3 'it'd5<br />

12 'it'g3 ltJbd7 13 J.e2 gives White B<br />

excellent compensation according to<br />

Korchnoi but 12 ... ltJbd7 is hardly the<br />

best move) 10 ltJxb5 axb5 11 ':'xa8<br />

J.b7 12 J.xf6 gxf6 13 ':'al e5!? 14 'it'h5<br />

ltJc6 15 l:1dl, Koerholz-Karsa, Luxembourg<br />

1986, and now 15 ... exd4! 16<br />

'it'xb5 dxe3 17 fxe3 'it'e7 would have<br />

given Black good attacking prospects<br />

- Karsa.<br />

9J.e2<br />

9 axb5 J.xc3 10 bxc3 cxb5 11 'it'bl<br />

'it'b6 12 J.xf6 gxf6 13 ltJe4 ltJd7 +=<br />

Blees-Lukacs, Budapest 1990.<br />

9 ... ltJbd7 10 0-0 'it'b6 11 J.f3 0-0<br />

12 'it'c2 a6 13 l:1adl l:1fe8 14 ltJde4<br />

J.e71SltJxf6+ ltJxf616 l:1d2 l:1ac817<br />

l:1fdl h6 18 J.h4 J.a8!?<br />

White hardly has enough for the<br />

pawn, but he eventually managed to<br />

draw in Gausel-Bryson, Novi Sad OL<br />

1990.<br />

B)<br />

6 a4 J.b4 7 e4 (D)<br />

7 e3 transposes to Line A.<br />

7 ... cS!?<br />

Note that this position is actually<br />

identical to the Vienna Variation of the<br />

Queen's Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3<br />

ltJc31tJf6 41tJf3 dxc4 5 e4 J.b4 6 i.g5<br />

c5) but with the difference that White<br />

has got the move a4 for free. Here<br />

Black argues that a4 is not very helpful<br />

for White, and actually gives Black an<br />

option that is not available in the Vienna.<br />

I will return to what exactly this<br />

option consists of, but first a few<br />

words on the alternatives. <strong>The</strong> point of<br />

playing a4 at move 6 is that White entices<br />

Black to playa marginally inferior<br />

line of the 7 a4 variation, i.e. if<br />

Black in this position plays 7 ... b5, we<br />

have reached Line C of Chapter 11.<br />

7 ... J.xc3+ 8 bxc3 'it'a5 9 e5 ltJe4 is<br />

also possible, with two continuations<br />

for White:<br />

a) 10 l:1cl 'it'd5 11 J.e3 c5 12 J.e2<br />

ltJc6 13 0-00-0 14 'it'c2 cxd4 15 cxd4<br />

c3 16 i.d3 ltJb4 17 J.xe4 ltJxc2 18<br />

i.xd5 ltJxe3 19 fxe3 exd5 20 ':'xc3<br />

J.d7 21 ':'c7 J.xa4 22 ':'xb7 J.c6 23<br />

l:1c7 i.b5 with a roughly equal endgame,<br />

Petursson-Kuijf, Wijk aan Zee<br />

1990.<br />

b) 10 J.d2 c5 !? (this appears better<br />

than 10 ... 'it'd5 11 a5!, when White has<br />

chances of a small edge) 11 J.xc4<br />

cxd4 12 cxd41tJxd2 13ltJxd21tJc6 14<br />

J.b5 0-015 J.xc6 bxc6 160-0 'it'd5 =<br />

Lputian-Kaidanov, Lucerne W cht 1993.<br />

8 i.xc4<br />

8 e5 cxd4 (I remember during a<br />

game of mine, pondering over 8 ... h6!?

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