Botvinnik Semi-Slav, The (Pedersen)

72 THE BOTVINNIK SEMI-SlAV
(Shirov considers this inadequate and
thinks Black should play 21...'iih8+,
but it is not clear what he has in mind
after 22 ~gl; White even seems able
to avoid the repetition after 22 ... 'iid4+
23 :'f2) 22 i.h3 :'xh3+! (Burgess).
Strangely, Shirov misses this move,
which forces mate after 23 ~xh3 'iih8+
24 ~g4 'iig7+ 25 ~h5 'iig6+ 26 ~h4
f5 27 'ii'e2 'ii'f6+ 28 'itih5 i.c6, etc.
0221)
16 ttJe4
This is the direct attempt to refute
15 ... 'i!ixf6.
16 ... li'f3
16 ... 'ii'e5 is probably wrong due to
17 O-O-O! 'i!ixe4 18 'i!ixh6 exd5 19
i.d3 cxd3 (19 .. :.f3 20 .l::.he1+ ~d8
21 i.e4! 'i!if6 22 'i!ixf6+ ttJxf6 23 i.f5
wins for White) 20 .:the1 0-0-0 21
%lxe4 dxe4 22 'i!id6 l:te8 23 h4 l:te6 24
'i!if4 %lf6 25 'i!ig5 and Black does not
have enough compensation. Black's
centre pawns are well blockaded and it
will be difficult to stop the h-pawn
without losing too much control.
17 ttJd6+ rJ;;e7 18 ttJxb7
Or:
a) 18 'i!ixh6 rJ;;xd6 19 %lgl ttJe5
(19 ... c3? 20 dxe6 cxb2 21 'ii'd2+ +-;
19 ... i.xd5!?) 20 i.e2 (20 dxe6? 'ii'e4+
21 ..t>d1 'i!id4+ 22 'i!id2 'ii'xd2+ 23
rJ;;xd2 ttJf3+ 24 ~e3 ttJxg 1 25 exf7
l:tf8 -+) 20 ... ttJd3+ (20 ... 'ii'e4!? 21 ~f1
i.xd5 with compensation) 21 i.xd3
cxd3 22 'ii'e3 i.xd5 23 'i!ixf3 i.xf3 24
~d2 c4 25 ~e3 i.e2 = Buj-Borwell,
COIT 1992.
b) 18 l:tg1 'ii'xd5 (18 ... i.xd5 19
'ii'xh6 ~xd6 20 i.g2 'ii'f6 21 'ii'xf6
ttJxf6 leads to another unclear endgame)
19 'ii'xh6 'ii'xd6 with reasonable
compensation.
18 ... l:thS! (D)
This is Yusupov's improvement on
18 ... 'ii'xh1? 19 d6+ ~e8 20 'ii'xh6
'ii'xb7, Shirov-Kamsky, USSR jr Ch
(Kapsukas) 1987, 21 'ii'h4 ttJb6 22
i.g2 ttJd5 23 l:td1 +-.
w
19d6+
The alternative for White is 19 %lgl,
and then:
a) 19 ... c3 20 'ii'c2! (20 bxc3 %le5+
21 i.e2 .:txe2+ 22 'ii'xe2 'ii'xc3+ 23
'itif1 'ii'xa1 + 24 rJ;;g2 'i!ie5 25 'ii'xe5
ttJxe5 26 ttJxc5 %lc8 27 .:tel %lxc5 28
l:txe5 ~d6 is only equal) 20 ... l:te5+ 21
i.e2 cxb2 (21.. . .:th8 22 h4 'ir'xd5 23
ttJa5) 22 :d1 +- Van Wely-Moll, Amsterdam
sim 1994.
b) 19 .. J:te5+ 20 i.e2 exd5 21 ~f1
±.
c) 19 ... l:txd5!? 20 i.g2 l:txd2 21
i.xf3 .:txb2 22 ttJa5 ttJe5 23 ttJc6+ (23