Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

BLACK'S 13TH MOVE ALTERNATIVES 67
c2) 20 b3 ttJf4! (after 20 .. J:tag8 21
l:te 1 l:tg5!, 22 l:tc 1 ?! ttJf4! was very
good for Black in Czerwonski-A.Sokolov,
Lublin 1993, but White has the
stronger 22 i.e4!, intending 'it'f3 with
an advantage - A.Sokolov) 21 i.xb7
(21 gxf4? 'it'xf4! 22 'it'd6+ 'it'xd6 23
ttJxd6 i.xg2 24 ~xg2 l1ag8+ 25 ~hl
'ittxd6 26 l:tad 1 + ~c6 +) 21 ... ttJh3+ 22
~g2 'it'xb7+ 23 f3. This is unclear according
to A.Sokolov, but I would
rather be Black after 23 ... 'it'd5 24 'it'c2
l:tag8.
c3) 20 bxc3 ttJxc3 21 'it'd2 i.xg2
22 ~xg2 ttJe4 23 'it'e3 ttJf6 24 'it'f3
gives White a slight advantage, Van
Wely-Dreev, Bern 1993.
19 'it'd2 (D)
19 gxh4 is too risky in view of
19 ... l:tg8! (19 ... ttJf4?! 20 i.xb7 'it'xb7
21 f3 'it'xb2 22 'it'd6+! +-) 20 ttJxc4
ttJf4 21 f3 l:txg2+ 22 'itthl 'it'c7, when
Black has excellent compensation.
B
19 ... ttJf4!?
This is for the moment Black's best
try. Other options are:
a) 19 ... l:td4?!. I am not sure whether
this was the product of Kramnik's
preparation but it is certainly not very
impressive. Indeed, the rook is well
centralized and reasonably secure but
more aggressive measures are required.
20 'it'g5+ ttJf6 (20 ... ~d7 is met
by 21 b3!) 21 i.xb7 :'g8 22 'it'e5 ttJd7
(Kramnik had apparently missed that
22 ... ttJg4 23 'it'h5 ttJf6 does not force a
repetition but rather loses a piece due
to 24 'it'f3) 23 'it'e2 'it'xb7 24 ttJxc4 ±
Van Wely-Kramnik, Biel IZ 1993.
b) 19 ... l:tg8? 20 f4! (I would rather
be Black after 20 gxh4 ttJf4 21 l1fdl
1Ii'c7) 20 ... ttJxf4 (this was praised in
many sources but is the only follow-up
to Black's previous move; the fact that
it leads to a rapid loss casts a shadow
over Black's 19th move) 21 l:txf4 (21
ttJxc4?! 'it'c7! is less clear) 21...l1xf4
22 'it'xf4 'it'xb2 " ... and surprisingly
White does not have more than perpetual
check. I advise adherents of the
Botvinnik line to study this line well,
as I suspect that White is able to improve"
- Van Wely in New in Chess
Magazine. Well, no need to do that.
White wins instantly, as pointed out by
Dautov, with 23 'it'd6+!! (later played
in J a. Gonzales-Villamayor, Greenhills
Open 1996). 23 ... ~xd6 walks into a
fork, 23 ... ~e8 permits 24 'it'b8+ followed
by 'it'xb7+, and 23 ... ~f6 is simply
met by 24 l1n + followed by
i.xb7, when White stays a piece up.
Also, White wins after 22 ... i.xg2 (instead
of 22 ... 'it'xb2) 23 ttJxc4 'it'c6 24
ttJe5.