Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

DEVIATIONS FROM THE MAIN LINE 213
pawn back, thereby allowing Black to
free his position comfortably: 12 f4
(12 a4 'iWa5 13 'iWc2 0-0 14liJxc4liJxc4
15 'iWxc4 e5 gives Black an edge according
to Sveshnikov) 12 ... 0-0 13
'iWc2.:td8 14 e3 c5 =+= Tisdall-I.Sokolov,
Torshavn 1997.
ll ... eS!
Black plays to free his position
rather than trying to hang on to the
pawn. For example, after 11 ... b5 12 a4
0-0 13 axb5 'ii'xb5 14 'ii'c2 .tb7 15
liJxc4 c5, Christiansen-M.Gurevich,
Antwerp 1993, White can, according
to M.Gurevich, keep an advantage
with 16liJa5! .txf3 17 .txf31:tac8 18
d5 exd5 19 .txd5.
12liJxc4
Black equalizes without too many
problems after this but neither does
the more dynamic 12 e4 cause much
trouble: 12 ... 'ii'e6 13 'ii'c2 (in Komarov-Renet,
French Cht 1996, White
chose 13 'iWe2; Renet replied 13 ... b5
14 a4.:tb8 15 d5 cxd5 16 exd5 'iWxd5
17 axb5 'ii'd3! with a roughly equal
game, but even here Savchenko's plan
13 ... exd4 14 liJxd4 'iWf6 looks perfectly
viable) 13 ... exd4 14liJxd4 'ii'f6
15 liJf5liJb6 16liJxe7 'iWxe7 17liJxc4
'iWc5 18 liJe3 'iWxc2 19 liJxc2 .te6 20
liJd4 .:td8 21 .:tfdl