Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)
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178 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SLAV<br />
One of the greatest <strong>Semi</strong>-<strong>Slav</strong> experts,<br />
Alexei Dreev, has lately preferred<br />
this more flexible move over<br />
the more common 9 ... ~b7 and the increasingly<br />
popular 9 ... ~b4.<br />
lOdS!<br />
White immediately attempts to exploit<br />
his lead in development by utilizing<br />
the fact that Black has lessened his<br />
control of the d5-square. This energetic<br />
continuation requires extremely<br />
accurate play from Black if he wishes<br />
to survive the opening but is of course<br />
double-edged in the sense that if<br />
White's initiative slips then Black will<br />
inevitably come out with very good<br />
chances.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are several quieter, and less<br />
powerful, continuations:<br />
a) 10 0-0 b4 11 lDa4 lDxe4 12<br />
~xc4 ~g7 13 'it'e2lDxg3 14 fxg3 0-0<br />
15 :tadl ~b7 16 h4 with an unclear<br />
position, Namgilov-Ariskin, Moscow<br />
1999.<br />
b) 10 e5lDd5 11 h4 g4 12liJd2 h5<br />
13 lDde4 ~b7 140-0 a6 15 a4 'it'b6<br />
16 a5 (16 lDg5 c5 17 axb5 axb5 18<br />
:txa8+ ~xa8 19 lDxd5 ~xd5 20 dxc5<br />
~xc5 21 'it'd2 ~d4 + Forster-Dreev,<br />
Elista OL 1998) 16 ... 'it'a7 17 'it'd2,<br />
Se.lvanov-Dreev, Russian Ch 1998,<br />
and now Lutz suggests 17 ... c5 18<br />
lDxd5 ~xd5 19 lDd6+ ~xd6 20 exd6<br />
cxd4 21 'it'g5 f6 22 'it'g6+ 'ifi>d8 23 'it'g7<br />
:te8, when Black is clearly better.<br />
c) 10 h4 is not as dangerous as<br />
against 9 ... ~b7 but does nevertheless<br />
deserve attention. 1O ... b4!? 11 lDa4<br />
(11 hxg5 bxc3 12 gxf6 cxb2 13 11bl<br />
'it'a5+ 14 ~f1 c3 is very good for<br />
Black) ll...lDxe4 12 ~e5 11g8 13<br />
'it'c2!? lDef6 (13... lDxe5 14 dxe5lDc5<br />
15lDxc5 ~xc5 16 hxg5 hxg5 17 ~xc4<br />
with compensation - Mikhalevski) 14<br />
hxg5 hxg5 15 'it'xc4 ~b7 16 lDc5!?<br />
~xc5 17 dxc5 g4 18 ~xf6 'it'xf6 19<br />
lDd2 a5! and Black is doing well,<br />
Mikhalevski-Kaspi, Tel-Aviv 1999.<br />
d) 10 'it'c2 (D) and now:<br />
dl) 10 ... lDh5 11 a4!? lDxg3 12<br />
hxg3 'it'b6 13 d5 g4 14 lDd2lDe5 15<br />
dxc6 b4 16lDdi 'it'xc6 17lDxc4 ~a6<br />
18 l:tc1lDxc4 19 ~xc4 ~xc4 20 'it'xc4<br />
'it'xa4 21lDc3 'it'd7 22lDb5 ± R6tSagov-Karasev,<br />
St Petersburg 1998.<br />
d2) 10 ... ~b7 (it is worth noting<br />
that the following lines can arise from<br />
a number of transpositions) II 0-0 and<br />
then:<br />
d21) 11...a6 12 l:tadl ~e7 (alternatively,<br />
12 ... 'it'b6 13 lDe5 c5 14 d5<br />
~g7 15lDa4! bxa4 16lDxc4 'it'a7 17<br />
dxe60-0 18 exd7 ± Scherbakov-Beshukov,<br />
Krasnoiarsk 1998) 13 lDe5lDxe5<br />
14 ~xe5 :g8 15 ~xf6! ~xf6 16 e5
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