Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

170 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SLAV
el)
100-0 (D)
B
This was for a long time White's
main option but is now eclipsed somewhat
by the alternatives. This is not
because it is a bad move, but simply
for the reason that it does not seem that
promising any more. There follows a
rather lengthy survey of the possibilities
(some of them might be irrelevant
for White, but I feel they have to go in
for the sake of thoroughness, and for
the black player who feels courageous
enough to try 9 ... ~b7).
10 ... lDbd7
This is Black's main option and the
most flexible. Others:
a) 10 ... ~e7 11 lDeS lDbd7 12 f4
(when White has castled this makes
more sense than breaking with h4)
12 ... lDxeS 13 fxeSlDh7 14 ~hS 0-0 IS
'ilf3! fS?! (too loosening; better is
IS ... 'ilxd4+ 16 ~hl 'ild7!? 17 ~xf7+
'ifilh8 18 l:ladl 'ilc7 19 'ilhS b4, but 20
lDe2 ~cS 21 ~xe6 looks good for
White) 16 exfS 'ilxd4+ 17 ~f2 'ilxeS
181hel 'ilxfS 19 'ilxfSlhfS 20 l:lxe6
± Kupreichik-Sveshnikov, USSR Ch
(Riga) 1985.
b) 1O ... 'ilb6 will, if White plays 11
'ilc2lDbd7 12 .:tad 1 , transpose to Line
D, note 'd21' to White's 10th move. In
Bosboom-Kruppa, Cappelle la Grande
1998 White instead tried to exploit
the early queen move with 11 l:lbl
lDbd7 12 'ilc2lDhS 13 b3!?, but after
13. .. lDxg3 14 hxg3 g4 ISlDh4 ~g7!
16 bxc4 'ilxd4 17 cxbS cS! Black was
doing well.
c) 1O ... ~b4 11 lDeS!? O-O?! (another
idea is ll...lDbd7!?) 12 ~hS!
lDbd7 13 ~xf7+ lhf7 14lDxf7 ~xf7
IS eS lDdS 16lDxdS cxdS 17 f4 'ifilg7
18 'ilg4lDf8 19 h4 1-0 Pavlovic-Blagojevic,
Yugoslav Ch (Niksic) 1997. I
fully agree that this is very good for
White but it seems rather early to resign.
d) 1O ... a6 and now:
dl) l1lDeS ~g7 (11...lDbd7!? 12
f4 gxf4 13 ~xf4 'ile7!?, Bosboom­
Riemersma, Dutch Ch 1996, and now
White should try 14 lDxd7 lDxd7 IS
dS!?; for example, IS ... 'ilcS+ 16 ~hl
cxdS 17 exdS eS 18 ~g3 b4 19lDe4
'ilxdS 20 ~g4 with an unclear position)
12 f4 0-0 13 fxgS hxgS 14 h4!?
cS IS dxcS 'ilxdl 16 l:laxdl gxh4 17
~xh4 lDxe4 18 lDxe4 ~xe4 19 ~f6
~xf6 20 l:xf6 lDc6 21 lDd7 with a
clear advantage for White, Ikonnikov-Kozirev,
Cheliabinsk 1990.
d2) 11 'ilc2 lDbd7 transposes to
note 'd21' to White's 10th move in
Line D.