Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

THE MAIN LINE: 17 a3 35
counter-chances after, for example,
42 ... ig7!? followed by ... %:td8.
d322) 31...~c2!? may be Black's
best chance. Then after 32 %:tel!? Black
can perhaps play 32 ... itJxf6!? or even
32 ... ~b3!?, while 32 .. :i'b3? runs into
a mating-net following 33 'iii'e4+ ~b2
34 ii'bl + ~a3 35 'i'al + 'iii'a2 36
ii'xc3+ ~a4 37 ii'a5+ ~b3 38 l:te3+,
etc., and 32 ... ih6? 33 'i'xh8 id2 34
%:tf1 ~b3 (34 .. :WWb7? 35 'i'h7+ +-) 35
ii'e8! c2 36 'iii'xd7 clii' 37 l:txcl
ii'xcl + 38 ~g2 should win for White.
23 ii'xh5 cxb2 (D)
w
24:adl
24 bxc5+ ixc5, threatening to play
... ixf2+, and 24 :a5 'iii'xb4 do not
make much sense, so that leaves White
with a choice of the text-move and two
other rook moves. The text-move looks
like the most logical as it opposes
Black's rook on d8, thus making it
more difficult for Black to free the d7-
knight. The disadvantage is that Black
may eventually be able to get a pawn
to c2 and so attack the rook on dl.
a) 24 :ael (this has the advantage,
as just mentioned, that when a black
pawn eventually arrives at c2 it does
not attack the rook, but the disadvantage
of not attacking the d7-knight is
probably greater) 24 ... cxb4 25 'i'xf7
(25 ic7+ ~c6 26 ii'xb5+ ~xb5 27
.iixd8 c3 is an inferior version of the
main line) 25 ... c3 26 'iii'e6+ ~b7 27 f7
c2 28 'iii'e8 l:tc8 29 h4 'iii'd3 30 ~h2
liJf6 -+ Sakaev-Se.lvanov, St Petersburg
rpd 1997.
b) 24 l:tabl cxb4!? 25 ic7+ ~c6
26 'i'xb5+ ~xb5 27 ixd8 (27 .u.xb2
%:tc8 -+) 27 ... c3 wins for Black. Black
will simply play ...'iitc4-b3 followed
by ... c2 or run the a-pawn all the way
to a2, while White's kingside pawns
are obviously not fast enough.
24 ... cxb4!
As if one rook is not enough, Black
sacrifices a further rook and a knight,
leaving White with two rooks for only
a single pawn! However, White will
have to make use of his entire army to
stop the massive pawn-front on the
queenside.
25.iic7+
This is the most consistent approach;
White accepts all the material
Black offers. An interesting alternative,
however, is 25 ie3+!?, when
Black should probably refrain from
25 ....i.c5 26 l:td6+ ~c7 27 ixc5ltJxc5
(27... fixc5?? 28 l:txd7+! +-) 28 .u.xd8
~xd8 29 ii'xf7, which seems far from
clear, and instead play 25 ... ~c6! 26
ii'f3+ (26 ii'xf7 c3) 26 ... ~c7, and
now White has two possibilities: 27