Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

THE MAIN LINE: 7 e3 tiJd7 8 i.d3 dxc4 189
by preparing to clear the c-file, and
with the knight controlling the d6-
square it means that a future ... eS can
be met by dS threatening d6. Other
moves have promised very little:
a) The kind of position arising
from, for example, 11 e4 e5 12 dS
liJb6 13 dxc6 bxc6 (13 ... liJxc4? 14
cxb7 followed by 'ifa4+) 14 i.b3 i.g4
15 h3 i.h5 16 :cl 0-0 is generally accepted
as fine for Black, whose active
piece-play makes up for his inferior
pawn-structure.
b) 11 'iWd3 0-0 12 :adl :d8 13
i.b3 i.c7 14 i.c2liJf8 15 'ife2 cS 16
'ifc4 cxd4 17 exd4 i.aS + Ljubojevic­
I.Sokolov, Dutch Cht (Breda) 1997.
c) 11 'iWc20-0 12 a3 (12 :ac1 eS
13liJe4 exd4 14liJxd6 'ifxd6 15 :fdl
liJb6 16 :xd4 'iWe7 17 i.b3 i.e6 =
Stone-L.B.Hansen, Groningen 1992)
12 ... eS 13 i.a2 liJf6 (13 ... exd4 14
exd4! is better for White) 14 dxe5
i.xe5 IS liJxeS 'if xeS 16 :ae 1 i.e6 17
i.bl :ad8 18 f4 'ifd6 19 e4 'ifd4+ 20
'iff2 i.c4 21 'ifxd4 :xd4 22:f3 :d2
23 b4 :fd8 24 eS liJe8 2S fS liJc7 26
:g3 ~f8 with a roughly equal endgame,
I.Sokolov-Dreev, Biel IZ 1993.
1l ... i.c7 12 :cl
Shirov tried to leave out :c1 for a
few moves and was to some extent rewarded:
12 'ifc2 0-0 13 i.b3 :d8 14
:fdlliJf8 IS liJeS i.d7 16 f4 i.e8 17
liJc5 i.d6 18 :ac1 and after 18 .. .'~h8
19 liJe4 i.c7 (Shirov-Dreev, Linares
1995) White's best is 20 'ifc5 'ifxc5 21
liJxc5 :ab8 22 i.c4, intending 23 b4
with a comfortable game for White.
Dreev instead suggests that Black
should prefer 18 .. J%ac8, claiming 19 fS
was not a threat by analysing 19 ... i.xeS
20 dxeS :xd 1 + 211hd 1 exfS 22 'ifxf5
:c7 and now 23liJe4 i.d7 24 'ikh.s (24
'iff4liJg6) 24 ... i.e6 +, or 23 e6 b6! 24
liJa6 fxe6, but this allows 2S liJxc7.
Perhaps he meant 24 .. J:tb7 intending
... fxe6. The real point of 18 ... :ac8 is
that Black is ready to meet Shirov's
plan 19liJe4 with 19 ... i.b8, when 20
'ifcs is pointless as Black can simply
avoid the queen exchange by 20 ... 'ifc7.
12 ... 0-0 13 'ifc2 ( D)
A slightly different piece arrangement
is seen if White chooses 13 'ife2
but with White not controlling the c­
file as much as in the main line, Black
might take the opportunity to play
13 ... e5!? 14 dS cxdS IS i.xdSliJb6!?
Instead in Bareev-Anand, Linares 1992
Black chose 13 ... :d8 14 i. b3 as IS a3
liJf6?! (IS ... liJf8) 16liJxf6+ 'ifxf6 17
:fdl and White was better. It is interesting
that even though Black's knight
does not look at much it is best to keep
it in order to defend the kingside.
B