Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

196 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SIA V
e2) 17 ~dl ':d6 (17 ... J-xf3 18
J-xf3 l:tac8 19 ~e3 hS 20 ':fd 1 ltd4
liz_liz Hillarp Persson-Stefansson, COpenhagen
1998) 18 ~e3 J-xf3 19
J-xf3 hS 20 a4 J-h6 21 as ~d7 22
l:tfdl J-xe3 23 fxe3 l::tc8 is roughly
equal, Vaganian-Akopian, Groningen
FIDE KO Wch 1997. White has a
small initiative but at the cost of a
compromised pawn-structure.
e3) 17 ~bl!? J-xf3 18 J-xf3 .l:.d6
19 ~d2 (19 a4!?) 19 ... hS 20 ~b3 as
21 .l:.fdl l:txdl+ 22 ltxdl 'iWe6 23 a3
(Kuijf and de Boer suggest 23 J-e2
with an edge for White) 23 ... 'iWc4 24
l::tc 1 'iWxc2 2S .l:.xc2 ~a4! and Black is
very near equality, Van der Sterren­
Kamsky, Wijk aan Zee Ct (7) 1994.
e4) 17 ~a4!? (White intends simply
to settle on the cS-square rather
than attempting to pressurize the c6-
pawn) 17 ... hS (17 ... J-xf3 18 J-xf3
.l:.d4 19 ~cS ':ad8 20 ~b3 .l:.4d6 21
.l:.fdl ;t Lutz) 18 ~cS J-h6 19 .l:.cdl
J-f8 20 ~b7! l:txdl 21 ':xdll::tc8 22
~aS J-b4 23 ~b3 J-f8 24 ~bd2 .l:.d8
2S h3 J-xf3 26 ~xf3 l:txd 1 + 27 J-xdl,
Dautov-I.Sokolov, Dresden 1998. The
ending is as usual slightly in White's
favour but I feel Black should be able
to hold it without too much trouble.
Returning to the position after 12
l::tel (D):
12 ... l:r.d813 'iWc2
Other moves do not promise White
any advantage:
a) 13 e4 eS 14 'iWb3 ~e7 IS dS
~b6 16 dxc6 bxc6 liz_liz P.H.Nielsen­
Schandorff, Copenhagen 1996.
B
b) 13 ~e2 'iWe7 and now:
bl) 14 e4 cS IS dS ~b6 16 b3 (16
h3 ~xc4 17 'iWxc4 b6 18 eS exdS 19
~xdS 'iWe6 20 ~c7 'iWxc4 21 ':xc4
l:tb8 22 e6 fxe6 23 ~xe6 lte8 24 ~xg7
l:r.xel+ 2S ~xel ~xg7 with a slight
advantage for Black, Hillarp Persson­
Stefansson, Reykjavik 1998) 16 ... exdS
17 ~xdS ~xdS 18 J-xdS ltb8 with
equality, Filippov-Supatashvili, Ekaterinburg
1997 .
b2) 14 ~e4 as IS J-b3 b6 16 ~c3
J-b7 liz-liz Timman-Gelfand, Erevan
OL 1996.
13 ... 'iWe714 a3 b61S e4 J-b716 eS
.l:.ab8 17 ':cdl
Korchnoi suggests 17 J-a2!? with
the idea of meeting 17 ... cS by 18 dS
exdS 19 ~xdS J-xdS 20 J-xdS ~f8 21
'iWe4, with an edge.
17 ... bS! 18 J-a2 cS19 dS c4
The position is unclear, Korchnoi­
Bareev, Ubeda 1997.
82)
11 e4 (D)
l1 ... eS!