Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

THE MAIN LINE: 7 e3 liJd7 8 ~d3 dxc4 191
example, 15 ... b6 White does not have
the usual 16 i.b5 (Black simply replies
16 ... i.xh2+ 17 ..txh2 cxb5 and
White can hardly increase the pressure).
15 i.b3 cuts across the ... b6
plan but White has also tried two other
moves that attempt to dissuade this:
a) After 15 ttJc5 I?, White can meet
15 ... b6 with 16 ttJa6. Chemin-Dreev,
Moscow 1989 therefore continued instead
15 ... i.d6!? 16 ttJe4 i.c7 17 ttJc5
i.d6 18 ttJd3 i.d7 19 e4 i.e8 20 'iWe2
i.c7 21 e5 i.b6 22 'iWe3 a5 with a
roughly equal position. White has
managed to get his pawn to e5 but it
has been at the cost of a not very optimal
piece placement.
b) 15 a3 a5 (15 ... b6 16 b4!?) 16
i.a2 i.d7 17 ttJc5 l:ta7 18 e4 (18 ttJe5
i.e8 19 f4 c;i;>h8 20 'fif2 f6 21 ttJf3 b6
22 ttJe4 a4 23 g4l:ta5 gave Black good
counterplay in Bellon-Dreev, Logrofio
tt 1991) 18 ... i.e8 19 e5 b6 (19 ... ttJg6?!
20 'iWe4 i.b6 21 ttJa4 i.c7 22 h4 'uaa8
23 'ii'g4 b6 24 h5 ttJf8 25 ttJc3 c;i;>h8 26
ttJe4 ± Ward-Ferguson, Hastings 1995
- see also the introduction to the chapter)
20 ttJa4 (20 ttJe4 is more ambitious;
then after 20 ... a4 White can try
to improve his position with ttJg3,
'fie4, etc.) 20 ... ,Uaa8 112-112 Sakaev­
Dreev, Bmo 1992. It is now more difficult
for White to achieve the attacking
formation with the queen on g4
and knight on e4 since White must
constantly watch out that Black is not
allowed to free his position by means
of ... c5.
15 ... i.d7
15 ... a5 16 a3 i.d7 17lbc5 reaches,
via a slightly different move-order, a
position from which Artur Yusupov
has been very successful as White:
a) 17 ... :'a7 18 e4 i.e8 19 e5 i.b6
is the same position as in Sakaev-Dreev
above, except that White's bishop is
here on b3, thus preventing Black from
playing ... a4. Yusupov-Dreev, Tilburg
1992 then continued 20 lbe4 'uaa8 21
i.a2 :'d7 22 'iWb3 i.a7 23 lbd6 ;1;.
b) 17 .. J::tab8 18 e4! i.c8 (18 ... i.e8
19 e5 ;1;) 19 ttJd3!? ttJg6 20 e5 ttJh4?!
(an instructive example of the defending
side not benefiting from exchanges;
20 ... i.d7 is better) 21 ttJdel !
lbxf3+ 22 ttJxf3 i.d7 23 'ife4! c5!?
(after 23 ... i.e8 24 h4 it becomes clear
why Black should not have exchanged
his knight; White is planning h5 and
i.c2 with a strong attack) 24 :xc5
i.c6 25 'iff4 i.xf3!? 26 gxf3!, Yusupov-M.Gurevich,
Munich 1993. Black
can claim some sort of compensation
due to the opposite-coloured bishops
but it is evidently not enough.
16 ttJc5 :ab817 a3
17 e4 looks more ambitious but I
cannot help feeling that Black is better
off with the pawn still being on a7
compared to some of the similar positions
examined above.
17 ... i.e8 18 i.a2 ~h8 19 ttJd3 b6
20 b4 l:tdc8 21 :d2 :a8 22 'i¥b2 a5
23 :dc2 axb4 24 axb4 f6!?
The position is more or less equal,
P.Cramling-Galliamova, Groningen
worn Ct 1997. White has maintained
her space advantage but the b4-pawn