Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

18 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SLAV
c) 22 ... :d5 23 i.xa7 and now:
c1) 23 ... 'iIi'xb7?! 24lDb6 +-.
c2) 23 .. .'~xb7 24lZJb6 i.h6 (after
24 ... i.d6 25 l:tfd1! l:thh5 26 l:tdc1!
White picks up the c-pawn with a continuing
attack) 25lZJxd5 exdS 26 :fe1!
ltd8 27 i.d4 l:td7 28 :eS +- Meissner-Sinz,
Altensteig 1993.
c3) 23 ... i.d6 24 lZJb6 i.c5! 25
lZJxd5+ exd5 was for some time believed
to be Black's best saving try.
First of all, I am not sure whether
Krausser's assessment of the line 26
bS'iIi'+ :xbS 27 i.xbS+ 'ili'xbS 2S
i.xd5 i.xf2+ (;l;;) isn't too modest. I
have a feeling that White should be
able to get his rooks aimed against
Black's c-pawn. If that can be done
without allowing a perpetual check,
the endgame is won for White. However,
this is probably not even relevant
since White plays the much stronger
26 i.xc5! 'iWxc5 27 l:taS! l:tbS (forced)
2S l:td1 and now:
c31) 2S ... c3 29ltxd5 'iWb6 30 lhbS
'ili'xbS 31 bxc3 b3 (31...bxc3 32 i.e4)
32 :e5 'iWdS 33 i.e4 b2 34 ~g2, winning.
c32) Nor does 28 ... :'xb7 work for
Black: 29 l:txd5 'iWc6 (29 ... 'iWb6 30
l:tadS!) 30 :ddS 'iWxf6 31 l:tdc8+ 'ili'b6
32 i.xb7 'ili'xb7 33 l:tab8+ 'ili'a6 34
l:txb4 and White wins.
23lZJc3! (D)
23 b3 c3 is less clear. Then we have:
a) 24 l:tad1 was Krausser's initial
suggestion but this has been put seriously
into question: 24 ... l:txd1 25 l:txd1
i.h6! (note that this would not be
possible with Black's king on bS) 26
i.c5 c2 27 i.d6+ ~d7 2S i.h3+ ~eS
29 l:te1 'iWxb7 30 f4 'iWdS 31 i.xe5 'iWdl
0-1 Maiwald-Shabalov, Neu Isenburg
1992.
b) 24 :fcl! is Salov's improvement;
he analyses 24 ... i.c5! 25 lZJxc3
bxc3 26 l:txc3 :hdS 27 i.f3! l:tbS
(27 ... :Sd5 2S i.xd5 l:txd5 29 :ac1
~xb7 30 l:txc5 l:txc5 31 :xc5 'iWxb3
32 l:txe5 with a clear advantage to
White since Black cannot immediately
play 32 ... aS as there is no perpetual
check after 33 :'xaS 'iWbl + 34 'ili'g2
'iWe4+ 35 ~h3) 2S l:tac1 ~b6 29 :xc5
(since Black can hardly move a piece,
29 h4 deserves serious consideration)
29 ... 'iWxc5 30l:txc5 ~xc5 31 'ili'f1 'ili'b4
32 i.xd4 exd4 33 'ili'e2, and now after
33 ... 'iIi'c3! things would not be that
clear.
B
23 ..• bxc3
Black has to accept the sacrifice as
otherwise White would simply play
l:txa7.
24 bxc3 i.c5