Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

DEVIATIONS FROM THE MAIN LINE 211
A: 7g3
B: 7 'it'c2
C: 7 'it'b3
D: 7e3
211
213
216
219
7 e4 is the most direct attempt but
White does not seem to achieve anything
real to compensate for the displacement
of the king after 7 ... dxe4 8
~xe4 i.b4+ 9 ~e2. Black's best is
probably 9 .. :i'f4 10 'iVc2 i.e7 11 g3
(11 ~e5?! f5! 12 ~2 'iVxd4 13 ~df3
'i'c5 14 ~g6 ':g8 15 ~xe7 'i'xe7 16 g3
e5 =+= Lautier-Kramnik, Paris rpd 1995)
1l...'iVc7 12 i.g2 c!iJd7 13 .:the1 0-0 14
~f1, Teske-Kuczynski, Aschach 1997,
and now 14 ... b6100ks fine for Black.
7 a3 prepares e4 but avoids committing
the queen as in Line B or C.
Still, it seems too slow to cause any
real concern for Black. 7 ... dxc4
(7 ... ~d7 8 e4 dxe4 9 c!iJxe4 'iVf4 10
'i'e2!? promises White some advantage;
Black should probably reply
cautiously with 1O ... i.e7 11 g3 'i'c7
12 i.g2 0-0, since in Czebe-Pinski,
Budapest 1997, Black was punished
for an audacious opening experiment:
1O ... c5?! 11 g3 'iVc7 12 d5 f5 13 dxe6
~e5 14 c!iJxe5 'iVxe5 15 'iWh5+ ..t>d8 16
0-0-0+ ..t>c7 17 c!iJc3 i.xe6 18 i.g2
with a winning attack) 8 c!iJe5 (8 e3
and 8 e4 are both illogical since after
8 ... b5 White will need to play a4,
thereby losing a tempo, to break up the
queenside) 8 ... c5 9 'iVa4+ (9 c!iJxc4
cxd4 10 c!iJb5 'iVd8 11 'iVxd4 'iVxd4 12
c!iJxd4 i.d7 13 g3 i.c5 14 c!iJb3 i.e7 15
c!iJca5 i.c6 16 ~xc6 c!iJxc6 17 i.g2
':c8 was equal in Kasparov-Sveshnikov,
USSR Ch 1981) 9 ... c!iJc6 10 e3
(10 ~xc6 i.d7 11 d5 exd5 12 c!iJxd5
'iid6 13 0-0-0 i.xc6 14 'iVxc4, with
some initiative to White, is suggested
by Wells, but I doubt that this is really
sufficient to worry Black after the further
moves 14 ... .:td8 15 ~e3 'iVf6 16
.:txd8+ 'iVxd8) 1O ... cxd4 11 exd4 i.e7
12 tDxc6 i.d7 13 i..xc4 i.xc6 14 i.b5
0-0 15 i.xc6 bxc6 = Sulava-Guido,
Verona 1997.
A)
7g3
This resembles a Catalan Opening
to some extent and is a reasonably
popular set-up in various Semi-Slav
lines. The idea is that the appearance
of a bishop on the h1-a8 diagonal will
make it more difficult for Black to develop
his own light-squared bishop,
and discourages any possible ... c5
break.
7 ... ~d7 8 i.g2 dxc4
Others:
a) 8 ... i.b4 9 0-0 0-0 10 'iVc2 'iVe7
11 a3 i.d6 12 c5 i.c7 13 e4 dxe4 14
~xe4 ':d8 15 .:tad1 c!iJf8 16 .:tfe1 i.d7
17 ~e5 i.e8 = Christiansen-Yusupov,
Bundesliga 1992/3.
b) 8 ... 'iVd8 9 0-0 i.e7 10 e4 (10
~d2 0-011 .:tel b5!? 12 cxb5 cxb5 13
e4 b4 14 ~e2 c!iJf6 15 exd5 c!iJxd5 16
c!iJf4 i..b7 was fine for Black in Adorjan-Miles,
Szeged 1997) 10 ... dxe4 11
~xe4 0-0 and now Black has not been
able to solve his problems fully after
either of White's two options: