Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

THE ANTI-MOSCOW VARIATION: 6 iLh4!? 163
a) 9 tDe5 h5!? 10 f3 (this looks too
slow; 10 h4 seems more in the spirit,
after which Black probably has to play
1O ... g4, since 1O ... b4 11 tDa4 tDxe4 is
way too risky in view of 12 tDxf7!
cJ;xf7 13 'iWf3+ ±) 1O ... h4 11 i.f2 i.b7
12 i.e3 tDfd7 13 tDxd7 tDxd7 14 ~d2
i.e7 (Manninen-L.B.Hansen, Ostersund
Z 1995). White has little to show
for his sacrificed pawn and now played
too passively. According to L.B.Hansen
White should have tried 15 d5!, even
though Black maintains the better
chances with the accurate 15 ... tDe5 16
i.d4 'iWc7! 17 'iWe3 a6!, intending ... c5.
b) 9 h4 (this is very similar to Line
C3, i.e. 9 i.e2 i.b7 10 h4, and might
indeed transpose) 9 ... g4 (9 ... b4!? 10
tDa4 tDxe4 is another idea and should
be compared with the note to Black's
10th move in Line C3) 10 tDe5 (D)
and now:
B
bl) 1O ... b4 11 tDa4 tDxe4 12 i.xc4
tDxg3 13 fxg3 and White is a tempo up
on the note to Black's 11th move in
Line C3, although this might actually
turn out to be to Black's advantage!
The reason is that the bishop might
stand better on c8 than it does on b7
since the e6-pawn is defended. Nevertheless,
I assume this should be much
better for White.
b2) 10 ... h5 and now:
b21) After 11 i.e2, 11...i.b7 transposes
directly to Line C3, but Black
might try ll...b4, when Epishin analyses
12 tDa4 tDxe4 13 0-0 i.g7 14 i.f4
'jj'xh4 15 'jj'c2 g3 16 fxg3 tDxg3 17
i.xg3 'iWxg3 18:0 'iWh4 19 ':'dl i.xe5
20 dxe5 tDd7 with the better game for
Black, but I am far from convinced
that this is best play from White.
b22) 11 f3 I:.g8 12 a4 b4 13 tDe2
gxf3 14 gxf3 i.a6 15 'iWet c3 16 i.f2
'iWa5 17 bxc3 bxc3 18 i.e3 i.b4 and
Black was better in the game Gofshtein-Zso.Polgar,
Tel-Aviv Czerniak
mem 1998.
b3) 1O ... i.b4!? 11 f3 and then:
b31) 1l...i.b7 12 a3 i.a5 13 tDxg4
tDxg4 14 fxg4 c5 15 dxc5 'iWxdl+ 16
cJ;xdl i.xc3 17 bxc3 tDd7 18 i.d6
':'c8 19 a4 tDxc5 is quite comfortable
for Black, Itkis-Dumitrache, Romanian
Ch 1998.
b32) ll...tDh5 12 i.f21Wa5 13 'iWd2
g3 14 i.e3 f6 15 tDg4? (15 tDg6 ':'g8
16 tDf4 is much better, although Black
has good counterplay after 16 ... tDxf4
17 i.xf4 h5 18 ':'h3 c5) 15 ... f5 16 tDe5
f4 17 i.gl i.b7 18 ':'c1 .:tg8 with a
clear advantage for Black, I.Sokolov­
Thorhallsson, Reykjavik 1998.
c) 9 'ii'c2. The main purpose of this
move is to protect the e4-pawn, and