(ebook) starting out: the c3 sicilian by john emms isbn 9781857445701, 1857445708 - The ebook is ava

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-outthe-c3-sicilian-53477760

Instant digital products (PDF, ePub, MOBI) ready for you Download now and discover formats that fit your needs...

Start reading on any device today!

(Ebook) Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian by John Emms ISBN 9781857445701, 1857445708

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-out-the-c3-sicilian-53477760

ebooknice.com

(Ebook) Starting out : the Sicilian by John Emms ISBN 9781857442496, 1857442490

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-out-the-sicilian-4121480

ebooknice.com

(Ebook) Starting Out - The Scotch Game by John Emms ISBN 9781857443875, 185744387X

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-out-the-scotch-game-1305886

ebooknice.com

(Ebook) Starting Out: Minor Piece Endgames by John Emms ISBN 9781857443592, 1857443594

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-out-minor-piece-endgames-1635762

ebooknice.com

(Ebook) Starting Out: Sicilian Sveshnikov by John Cox ISBN 9781857444315, 1857444310

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-out-sicilian-sveshnikov-53511234

ebooknice.com

(Ebook) Sicilian Kan by John Emms ISBN 9781857443028, 1857443020

https://ebooknice.com/product/sicilian-kan-2495960

ebooknice.com

(Ebook) Starting Out Closed Sicilian by Richard Palliser ISBN 9781857444148, 1857444140

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-out-closed-sicilian-1296638

ebooknice.com

(Ebook) Starting Out: Sicilian Scheveningen by Craig Pritchett ISBN 9781857444131, 1857444132

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-out-sicilian-scheveningen-53488152

ebooknice.com

(Ebook) Starting Out: Sicilian Najdorf by Richard Palliser ISBN 9781857443929, 1857443926, B00N1T3NTC

https://ebooknice.com/product/starting-out-sicilian-najdorf-53511182

ebooknice.com

JOHN EMMS

First published in2008 by GloucesterPublishersplc(formerlyEveryman Publishersplc), Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EClV OAT

Copyright© 2008 John Emms

Theright ofJohn Emms to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance withthe Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publicationmaybe reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 9781 85744 570 1

Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O Box 480, 246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480.

Allother sales enquiries shouldbe directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House, 10 NorthburghStreet, London EClV OAT

tel: 020 7253 7887; fax: 020 7490 3708 email: info@everymanchess.com: website: www.everymanchess.com

Everymanis the registered trade mark ofRandom House Inc. and is used in this work under licence from Random House Inc.

EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES

Chief Advisor: ByronJacobs

Commissioning editor: JohnEmms

Assistant editor: Richard Palliser

Typeset and edited by First RankPublishing, Brighton. Cover designby Horatio Monteverde.

Printed andbound in GreatBritainby Clays, Bungay, Suffolk.

Bibliography

Books

Anti-Sicilians: A Guide for Black, Dorian Rogozenko (Gambit 2003)

Beating the Anti-Sicilians, Joe Gallagher (Batsford 1994)

c3 Sicilian, Joe Gallagher (Everyman Chess 1999)

Discovering Chess Openings, Jo hn Emms (Everyman Chess 2006)

Fighting the Anti-Sicilians, Richard Palliser (Everyman Chess 2007)

Play the c3 Sicilian, Eduardas Rozentalis and Andrew Harley (Gambit 2002)

Simple Chess, John Emms (Everyman Chess 2001)

The Complete c3 Sicilian, Murray Chandler (Batsford 1996)

Periodicals and Websites

Chess Informant

Chess Today

ChessBase Magazine

ChessPublishing.com

Databases

Mega Corr 4

Mega Database 2008

TheWeek in Chess

Introduction

What is the c3 Sici lian?

The c3 Sicilianis apopularway ofmeetingthe mostfamous openinginchesshistory, and it arises afterthemoves 1 e4 cS 2 c3 (Diagram 1).

Diagram 1 (B)

The c3 Sicilian

The ideabehind White's second moveiseasyunderstandbecause itfollows general guidelines concerning central control. White simply wishes to play d2-d4 and tobe able to recapture withapawn, thus creatingtwopawns abreastinthe centre.

Why play the c3 Sicilia n?

Ibeganplayingthe c3 Siciliannearly30years ago, and I'mjustashappyplayingit

Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian

now as I was back then. I've always been attracted by its solid positional foundation, and yet it's also an active opening. Furthermore, the positions that are reached are generally open rather than closed, and White's development is straightforward and easy to understand. There's also a practical advantage which may appeal to those who have only a finite amount of time to study chess: despite some development in the theory over the years, there's still far less for a White player to learn than in the Open Sicilian with 2 Nf3 and 3 d4.

A Brief History of the c3 Sicilian

The c3 Sicilian was initially championed in the late 19th century by the Lithuanian player Semyon Alapin, and for this reason it is sometimes referred to as the Alapin Variation of the Sicilian. It was used sporadically for a long time, but in the early 1970s it began to receive much more attention, thanks in no small part to the games and analysis of players such as Sveshnikov, Vasiukov and Dvoretsky. The c3 Sicilian steadily became more popular, and by the mid 1990s it was be i ng used by some of the World's greatest players, for example Karpov, Kramnik, Adams and Ivanchuk. In recentyears there have been quite a few grandmasterswho have specialized in the c3 Sicilian, enriching the theory of the opening with their creative ideas. A special mention goes to the efforts of players such as Tiviakov, Rozentalis, Pavasovic, Nisipeanu, Sermek, Smagin and Rausis (and many apologies to those I've forgotten ).

Black's Main Responses

Black has two main replies to White's second move: 2...d5 and 2...Nf6. Their popularity when compared to other replies is overwhelming and for this reason they occupy a vast majority of the space in this book. Both moves aim to exploit the factthatWhite's queen's knight can no longer reach c3.

Chapters 1-2 deal with 1 e4 c5 2 c3 d5 3 exd5 Qxd5 4 d4 (Diagram 2).

Black's early queen sortie into the centre is justified because White cannot attack it with Nc3. Having said that, Black cannot always rely upon this generalization. For a start he must always be wary ofthe possibility of c3-c4, while any pawn trade on d4 suddenly re-opens the possibility of Nc3.

2...Nf6 attacks the e4-pawn and encourages it to move forward. The basic position aft er 3 e5 Nd5 (Diagram 3) is covered in Chapters 3-4. The traditional main line is 4 d4 cxd4 5 cxd4, when White has successfully achieved his goal of placing two pawns in the centre. On the other hand Black can argue that because the e-pawn has advanced to the fifth ran k it canbe attacked more easily (...d6 is an obvious way to do this). As well as the traditional main line, in this book we also study

gambitideas(5Nf3 insteadof5 cxd4) andlines involvingdelayingoromittingthe advanceofWhite's d-pawn (4Nf3 instead of4d4).

Diagram 2 (B)

Basic position for 2 ...ds

Pawn Structures

Diagram 3 (W)

Basic position for 2... Nf6

The c3 Sicilian offers you considerableexperiencein dealingwithtypicalpawn structures, onesthatarenotonlyseeninthisopeningbutalso inmanyothers, and thisshouldcertainlyhelpyou to improveyouroverallunderstandingofthegame.

Given thatwhole middlegamebooks have been devoted tojustafewpawnstructures, it's impossibleinanopeningbooklikethis to givethemthefull attention theyreally deserve. Ihavetried, however, tohighlight important positional features ofthe pawn structures as they arise inthetheory sections and theillustrative games. Atthis stageIjustwantto classify andverybriefly describe someofthe mainones thatare seeninthebook.

1. The Isolated Queen's Pawn

Theisolated queen's pawn (IQP) is the most commonpawnstructure inthe c3 Sicilian. Infact, it's one ofthe most important pawn structures inchess, sinceit also arises fromvarious other openings, for exampletheCaro-Kann, theQueen's Gambit, theNimzo-Indianand theEnglishOpening.

Purelyfromastaticviewpointthed-pawnisaweakness, sincethereisno adjacent pawnthatcanprotect itanditlies ona half-open file. This weaknessbecomes more significantas pieces areexchangedandthegameheads towardstheending. Thed-pawn,however,alsohasmanystrengths: itpromisesWhitea space advantage,whichvirtuallyalways equates to activepieceplay; itcontrolstwokey

piece. The asymmetric structureprovides abasicimbalanceinthepositionand offers both sidesthe opportunityto utilize their pawn superiorities. WhenI first beganstudyingthe c3 Sicilian I remember readinga considerable amount about thelegendarypowerofWhite's queensidepawnmajority. I soonrealizedfrom experiencethatthisadvantagehadbeen somewhatexaggerated, andthatBlack's solid kingside structure andextracentral pawnalsodemandedrespect. But there'sno denyingthatintherightcircumstancesthequeensidepawnmajority canbecome apotent weapon (see thenotesto Game 17, forexample).

Diagram 6

The Majority Structure

4. The Tension Centre

Diagram 7

The Tension Centre

This structure arises from2 ... Nf63e5 Nd5 variations, forexample4 d4 cxd45 cxd4 e6 6Nf3 e6 (see ChapterThree). The mostimportant feature hereisWhite's pawnone5, whichacts as apowerful spearheadinanyattackthatWhite conducts onthekingside.Thevalue ofdenyingBlack'sknighttheuse ofitsnaturaldefensive square onf6 cannotbeunderestimated, andWhite's pieces cantakeup aggressivepositionsbyfloodingthespacebehindthepawn (forexample, e4is an excellent post for aknightorevena queen).

Blackneedsto keep pressuringWhite's pawns on d4 and e5, and both sidesneed tobe awarethatatanymomentthestructurecouldchangetoanIQPifWhite plays exd6. It'susuallyinBlack's interests to maintain the tension, andhewill normallyonlyexchangepawns one5ifhe gains somethingtangibleinreturn. Relievingthetensionis tempting, buta premature dxe5, dxe5 oftenonlyreduces Black's counterplay-there'snolongeranyconcernaboutthedefenceofthed4pawn-and leavesWhitewithafreehandto attackwithabandononthekingside.

About This Book

As part of the Everyman Chess Starting Out series, this book is aimed primarily at those players who have previously had little or no experience with the c3 Sicilian and who wish to learn the basics. In each section I've begunwith an introduction to the variation in question, studying the early moves of the main lines and highlighting the key alternatives for both sides. I've summarized the theory and have indicated places where I disagree with previous assessments.

The illustrative games havebeen chosen with instruction and entertainment value a slightly higher priority than theoretical relevance, which is sometimes left to the side notes. I've occasionally tweaked the move orders of the illustrative games in order to align them with those in the section introductions. I thought this would cause less confusion, and instead I've highlighted all transpositional possibilities in the section introductions.

The c3 Sicilian has alwaysbeen one of my favourite openings, and I readily admit a certain bias for theWhite side is expressed here. After all, I expect most people who read this book will be looking to play the c3 Sicilian ratherthandefend against it. On the otherhand, I've not restricted the coverage to a repertoire for White. I've dealt with all the main lines, pointed out what I believe to be the best choices for bothWhite and Black, and explained why I think some lines are ineffective. So I hope that those playing Black will also find the book to be useful.

I hope you enjoy the book, and good luck with your c3 Sicilian adventures!

Jo hn Emms Kent, UK August 2008

Introd uction

Inthis chapterwe dealwithBlack'smostaggressive tries after 1 e4

2

d5 3 exd5 Qxd5 4 d4 (Diagram 1).

Diagram 1 (B)

Main line after 2. . .ds

Diagram 2 (W) The d-pawn is under attack

AlloftheseinvolveexertingearlypressureonWhite's d4-pawn. Blackcaneither attackitwith ...Nc6 and (after Nf3) ...Bg4, or aimtoblast openthe centrewitha quick ...e5. Inboth casesBlack must decideifandwhentotrade pawns with ...cxd4.

Theseaggressivelinesarepopular, especially amongstclubplayers, becauseit's such anaturalreactionto attackWhite's centre as quickly as possible. Black's strategy, however, doesinvolve some risk:inmany lines helagsbehindinkingside developmentand opening up thepositionso early onis always dangerous forthesidewhichmoves second.

4...cxd4 with an ea rly ... Bg4

1 e4 cs 2 c3 dS 3 exds Qxds 4 d4 cxd4

4...cxd4is acommonreactionamongstthosewithlittle experienceoffacingthec3 Sicilian. There's clearly a strongtemptationtoisolatethe d4-pawnas soon aspossibleandthentoattackitfromall angles. Onthenegative side (fromBlack's point ofview), the c3-square instantly becomes available toWhite'squeen'sknight, and Nc3willinevitably gaintimeby attackingBlack's queen.

5 cxd4 Nc6 6 Nf3 Bg4 (Diagram 2)

Blackis turningup the pressure onthe d4-pawnanditlooks likeWhite must do something about this, butthe next moveis a surprise: 7 Nc3!

White does nothing atallto protect d4! Whenas ayoungsterIbeganlookinginto playingthe c3 Sicilian, this particularposition was one ofthe firstI came across. I remember atthe timebeing astonishedthatWhite couldplay 7Nc3, but after some convincing Irealized thatitwas actuallyBlackwho had tobereally carefut notWhite.

1...Bxf3

TIP: If for some reason you wish to shy away from the favourable complications arising after 7 Nc3, then 7 Be2 is a perfectly good option. This transposes to the line 4...Nc6 5 Nf3 Bg4 6 Be2 cxd4 7 cxd4, which is covered in the next section ofthis chapter.

Blackiswisetoentertheforced sequence,sinceretreatingthequeencanleadhim into all sorts oftrouble. For 7. . . Qa5? and other queen moves, see Game 1. 8 gxf3! (Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 (B)

Betterthan 8 Nxds

Diagram 4 (W)

Looks are deceptive!

WARNING: Don't be tempted into winning an exchange with 8 Nxds Bxd1 9 Nc7+. In many lines White's knight is not getting out of the corner alive, and then it's Black who is ahead on material with two pieces for a rook.

Forexample, 9...Kd7 (9 . . . Kd8!?is also good) 10 Nxa8Bh5! 11

13 Kd2Nxe3! (muchbetterthan 13...Nxal? 14Bb5+!) 14

16

Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian

Bc4 g6 17£3Bh6+ 18 Kf2gS 19Rhel Rxa8 andBlackwentontowininH.SchmidtJ.Marsalek, Zittau 1957. Theremaybe improvementsforWhitebutmyoverall impressionisthat8Nxd5 is simplynotworththerisk, especially since8gxf3is suchagood option.

8...Qxd4 9 Qxd4 Nxd4 {Diagram 4)

Amazing! Black is apawnahead, White's £-pawns are doubled and isolated, and Black threatensboth ...Nc2+and ...Nxf3+.Yetafter 10 NbS! it's Black whofaces all theproblems. Tofindoutwhy, see Game 2.

Theoretical?

Not especially, butthere are one ortwo forcing sequencesthatneed tobeknown.

Statistics

White's score of74% fromthepositionafter 10 Nb5 suggeststhatBlackhas a difficulttime ofthings inthisline, evenif, as Game 2 demonstrates, from atheoretical standpointhispositionisjust aboutplayable.

Illustrative Games

Game 1

D D.Pavasovic • R.Koemetter St Veit 2000

Diagram 5 {W)

Asking for trouble

Bg4 7 Nc3 Qas? (Diagram 5)

Diagram 6 {B) White's has a lethal attack

9 BbS+!

This checkis simple and very strong.

9...Nd7

9...Bd710Bxd7+Nxd7 11 0-0 is a dreampositionforWhite: he'swayaheadindevelopmentandBlackis clearlystrugglingtogetorganized.Arrangingkingside castlingislaborious, andafterll...Ngf6 12 Rel g6 13Bf4Bg7Whitecanifhe wishes just play 14 Bd6.

10 Qb3! Ngf6

I'm sureBlack was reluctant to allow NeS,but 10...Bxf3 losesto 11 Bxd7+! Kxd7 12 Qxb7+and Qxa8.

11 Nes! Rd8

1l...a6 12Bxd7+Bxd7 13 Qxb7wins apawn, andthingsgetevenworseforBlack after 13...Rd8? 14b4!.

12 o-o Qc7? (Diagram 8)

Diagram 7 (B)

Nowhere to hide

Diagram 8 (W)

White drags it out

Thisis suicidal, although even after 12...a6 13 Bxd7+Bxd7 14Qxb7Blackhas no realhope ofsurvivinginthelongrun.

13 Bf4

Whynot 13 d6! followedbyQxf7mate? I canonlythinkthat Pavasovic wasenjoyingthe game somuchhe didn'twantittofinishjustyet!

13...QcS 14 Rac1Qa8 15 Nxg4 Nxg4 16 Ne4 a617 Rfe1! 1-0

17...axbS 18 Nd6matewouldhavebeenafittingendto aratherone-sided game.

Game2

D V.Kirilov • F.Salata Riga 1964

1 e4 cs 2 c3 ds 3 exds Qxds 4 d4 cxd4 s cxd4 Nc6 6 Nf3 Bg4 7 Nc3! Bxf3 8 gxf3

Qxd4 9 Qxd4 Nxd4 10 Nbs! (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 (B)

The complications begin

Diagram 10 (B)

The knights need rescuing!

EventhoughBlackis apawnahead, and amove aheadifhedecidesto'trade' rooksonal and a8, heislumberedwithalltheproblemsinthisposition. The simplereason for thisis thatWhite's pieces are much freer-lookhow easily Whitewill develophisforces and comparethistoBlack's oneroustaskofactivatinghiskingside.

10...Ne6

GivenWhite'spotentialforactivity, tryingtokeepthingstightis anunderstandablereactionfrom Black. Butthisbackwards step actuallymakesthingseven worse, andtheknightone6 is doingitsfellowpiecesonthekingsideno favours at all.

Letstake abrieflook atBlack's otheroptionshere, ofwhich 10...Nc2+ (note 'c') is byfarthemostimportant:

a)After 10...0-0-0 11 Nxd4! Rxd4 12Be3White'spieces come alive andBlack's king suffers from alackofcover: forexample, 12...Rd7 13 Bb5 Rc7 14Bxa7e6 15 Bb6 Rc2 16 0-0 Ne7 17Rael Rxcl 18 Rxcl+Nc6 19a4with a clear advantagefor White,M.Rohde-R.Seltzer, Los Angeles 1991.

b) 10 eS!? 11 Nc7+ Kd7 12 Nxa8 Bb4+!? 13 Kdl Ne7 is anexchange sacrifice, but it

Ofcourse! The 'exchange' ofknights is only going to help White. 12...axbs 13 Bxbs+ Kd8 14 fxe6 fxe6 lS Be3 (Diagram 12)

Whitecouldn'thopeforabetterposition:hisbishops dominatetheboardandthe rooks will soon enterthe game withdevastatingforce. Somethingnastyis going to happentoBlack's king, andhisundevelopedpieces are powerless to do anything about it.

1s...Nf6 16 Bb6+ Kc8 17 Rel+ Kb8 18 0-0 NdS 19 Bd4 Rxa2 20 Bd7!

Threateningmateinone.

20...b6 21 Res+ Kb7 22 Bes! 1-0

ThereisabsolutelynohopeleftforBlack.Onepossiblefinishcouldbe 22Be5 Nb4 23 Rfcl (threatening24Rlc7+Ka625 Ra8 mate) 23...Na6 24 Re8b5 25 Bd4Nc7, andnowWhitehasmanyways to winbut26Bc8+! Kb8 27Ba6+! Nxe8 28 Rc8 mateisthemostpleasing.

4... Nc6 with an ea rly ... Bg4

1 e4 cs 2 c3 dS 3 exds Qxds 4 d4 Nc6

If Blackwishes to play ...Nc6 combined with ...Bg4, while avoidingthe dangerous line4 cxd45 cxd4Nc6 6Nf3Bg4 7Nc3! (seetheprevious section),thenthisis the correctmove ordertouse. Theonlypossibledrawbackis that White gains anextra optionofcapturing on c5, eitheronmove5 or6.WhetherBlackshouldbe afraid ofthispossibilityisanothermatter. OnreflectionIwould saytheanswertothis questionshouldprobablybe'no'.

S Nf3

Whitecancompletelychangethecharacterofthepositionbyplaying5 dxc5 See Game 7for coverage ofthismove.

5 Be3, avoidingthepin, is discussed inthenextsection.

s...Bg4 (Diagram 13) 6 Be2

6 Be2 isbyfarthemostpopularmovehere, andwithgood reason.Thatsaid, recently6 dxc5hasbeenplayedbysomestronggrandmasters, andthismoveis covered inGame 8.

Theidea ofNbd2planningBc4isseeninsomelines, butit'snotveryeffective here. After6Nbd2 cxd4! (this is logicalnowthattheknightcanno longer reach c3) 7cxd4 (Iprefer Black after 7Bc4Bxf3! 8Qb3 Qe5+9 Kfl Bxg2+ 10 Kxg2 0-0-0)

7.. .e6 8Bc4Qd7White's d2-knightisnotideallyplaced, Blackcancontinue developingwithoutproblems andthereare concerns overthedefence ofthe d4-pawn. 6...cxd4!

>rowthetimingisjustrightforthiscapture.Themainalternativehasbeen6...e6,

Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian

andthisis covered inGame 6.

TIP: I have seen many examples ofthe natural developing move 6...Nf6 (Diagram 14). Against this White should certainly take the opportunity to gain a space advantage by advancing in the centre. White should continue with 7h3! (thecorrectmove order, as 7c4?! Qf5! 8 d5 Bxf3! 9Bxf3 Nd4 is annoying for White) 7...Bh5 8 c4! Qd6 (now 8...Qf5? canbemetby9 g4!) 9 d5 Bxf3 (probablythebest) 10 Bxf3 Nd4 11 Nc3 andnow ll...g6 12Be3! Nxf3+ 13 Qxf3Bg7 14 0-0 0-0 15 Rfel was verypleasantforWhite inthe game M.Adams-C.Lutz, Dortmund 1994-there'stheeasyplanofplaying Radl, Bf4 and pilingonthepressure downthe central files. ll...e5 looks stronger, when 12 0-0 is possiblebutmoreambitiousis 12 dxe6!? Qxe6+ 13 Be3.

Diagram 13 (W)

The main line

Diagram 14 (W) White should punish 6...Nf6

6...0-0-0 (Diagram 15) is aggressive, but undoubtedly risky forthe reasons explained earlier. Whitehas good chances ofsuccess simplybycontinuingto developinnormalfashion. 70-0 Nf6 8h3Bh5 9 Be3hasbeenseeninahandfulof games,withencouragingresultsforWhite. Here'soneexample: 9...e5 10 c4 Qd7 11 d5! Bxf3 12Bxf3 Nd4 13 Nc3 Rg8 (preparing ...g5-g4,butWhitegetsmoving first) 14b4! g5 (14...cxb4 15 Nb5!) 15 bxc5 Bxc5 16 Na4! Nxf3+ 17Qxf3Bxe3 18 fxe3 andWhitewas doing well inH.Jonkman-Z.Kmic, WijkaanZee 1997; evenmore soafter 18...Nxd5? 19 Nc5!.

7 cxd4 e6 (Diagram 16)

We'vealreadyseenthatNc3 followedby d4-d5 canprovetroublesomeforBlackif hehastomovehis c6-knightagain.ThisiswhyBlack draws somestingoutofthis ideabyplaying ...e6.

Now, doesWhiteimmediately attack the queenwith Nc3 or play h2-h3first?Does itmatter?

8 Nc3!

WARNING: Leading c3 Sicilian sources claim either that 8 h3?! (my dubious mark) is the most accurate move, or that it matters little whether White plays h2-h3 or Nc3 first. But in my opinion 8 h3?! is at best a move order inaccuracy and at worst a clear mistake which hands the advantage over to Black!

Game 5 explainswhyIthinkthisisthe case. Itshouldbementioned that8 0-0 has also been played many times, andusuallythe continuationis8...Nf6 9Nc3 Qa5 10 h3Bh5 withatranspositionto Game4.

Diagram 15 (W)

Risky for Black

8.. .Qas

Diagram 16 (W) 8 Nc3 or 8 h3?

The a5-squareisthebestplace forthe queeninthisline:itisactivelyplaced and yetnotparticularly vulnerable to attack. Otherqueenretreats are perhaps playableifbackedupwithprecise defence, butWhite seems tobe ableto cause Black more problems. For example after8...Qd6 Blackhas tobe wary ofan attack with Nb5, and I like the approachshownby Mickey Adamswhenhe has reached this position: 9 d5 exd5 10 0-0! Nf6 11 Nb5! (Diagram 17) 11...Qd7 (11...Qb8 12 Nfd4!)

12Bf4Rc8 13 Ne5Bxe2 14 Nxd7Bxdl 15 Nxf6+gxf6 16 Raxdl leftBlackwitha horrificqueenless middlegame to defend inM.Adarns-N.McDonald, Hastings 1995. There's animprovementwith 13...Nxe5 14Bxe5Bxe2 15 Qxe2Be7 16 Bxf6 gxf6 (M.Adams-Z.Hracek, GermanLeague 1996), but overall thisisnota particularly appetizing linefor Black toplay.

Diagram 17 (B)

A promising gambit

Diagram 18 (B)

Watch out for Nf3-e5 ideas

IfBlack plays 8...Qd7White has some NeS possibilities, and following 9 0-0 Nf6 eventhe immediate 10 NeS!? (Diagram 18) mightbe enough to give White at least a small advantage. For example, 10...NxeS 11 dxeS Qxdl 12 Bxdl! (it's easy to miss this strongrecapture) 12...Bxdl 13 Rxdl Nd7 14 NbS Rc8 15 BgS!?, intending to meet 15...a6? with 16 Rxd7! Kxd7 17 Rdl+ Ke8 18 Nc7+! Rxc7 19 Rd8 mate! Or 10...Bxe2 11 Nxd7 (sacrificing a pawn with 11 Qxe2!? is an interesting alternative) 11...Bxdl 12 Nxf6+ gxf6 13 Rxdl with the plan of d4-d5.

If Black doesn't want to move his queen he has to play 8...Bb4 9 0-0 Bxc3?! 10 bxc3 (Diagram 19).

Diagram 19 (B)

Good for White

Diagram 20 (W)

A choice for White

h3 Bhs 10 ds!? (Diagram 21)

Diagram 21 (B) A dangerous gambit

Diagram 22 (B) Going on the attack

Ibelieve this pawn sacrificewas introducedbyJoelBenjaminovertwentyyears ago, and itstillremainsa dangerousweapon,especially againsttheunprepared.

10...exds

We've already seenthatcastling queenside canbehazardousforBlack, and 10...0-0-0 looks very risky here. For example, 11 Bd2!? exd5 12 0-0Nf6 13 Rel intending 13...KbS? 14Nb5 is aline givenbyDorianRogozenkoin ChessBase Magazine, whenWhite's compensationcan'tbe denied. Richard Palliser, who recommends4...Nc65Nf3Bg4 as one ofBlack's weapons in Fighting the Anti-Sicilians, tries toimprovewith 12...d4 13 Nb5Bb4 14Bxb4 Qxb4, butyouwouldneed nerves ofsteel toplaythisposition as Black and eventhatmightnotbeenough. Indeed,instead of 15 a3thetactic 15 Nfxd4! {Diagram 22) appearstobevery stronghere. Onepossiblelinewouldbe 15...Bxe2 (15...Nxd4 16 Qel+!) 16 Qxe2 Rxd4 (16...Nxd4 17 Rael+ Nc6 18 QeS!) 17Rael, andwithQe5 intheairWhiteenjoys averystrongattack.

11 Nd4!

The idea behind 10 d5 isnotto tamely recapture the pawnwith11 Qxd5?!, but insteadtotrytoexploitBlack'slackofkingsidedevelopmentandhiskingone8. 11 0-0!? is aninterestingalternative. IfBlackreplies ll...Nf6Whiteshouldprobablyplayina similarfashiontothemaingamewith 12 Nd4.

11...Bxe2

I'mnotconvincedby ll...Nxd4 12 Bxh5 Ne6 (or 12...Nc6 13 0-0Nf61-1 Bg5 Be715 Bxf6Bxf616 Nxd5Be5, andnowRichard Palliser's suggestionof17b-1'. looks promisingforWhite;his analysis continues 17...QdS 18 Rel 0-0 19 b5 Bxal 20bxc6

Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian

issue ofhis sleeping rook on h8. White attempts to use this 'power play' by focussing on Black's queenside pawns.

11...h6

17...Qd7 18 Qd3 Bd6 19 Bg5 Ne8 20 Na4 Nc7 21 Qc2 Ne6 22 Qxc6 Qxc6 23 Rxc6 Bb4 24 Re5, as played in L.Nisipeanu-A.Zapata, Juan Dolio 2003, is a typical scenario: Black has relieved some ofthe pressure by exchanging queens, but White has regained his pawn and his more active pieces promise him a slight advantage.

18 Bf4 Qd719 Qa6 gs?

Black wants to gain time for ...Kg7, but the pin on the long diagonal proves to be a real pain. It was time to evacuate with 19...Kg8!. Here 20 Na4 Kh7 21 Rxc6 Rhe8 22 Nc3, a line given by Kobalija in Chess Informant, offers White only a small advantage.

20 Bes Kg721 Nxds! (Diagram 26)

Diagram 2S (B)

Targeting the c6-pawn

This must have come as abit of a shock!

21...cxds 22 Rc6 Qd8

Diagram 26 (B)

A bolt from the blue

Against22...QfS White replies 23 Bd4!, threatening to capture one7 evenifBlack defends the bishop. Black's best is 23...Rhc8 but then 24 g4!? Rxc6 25 Qxc6 Qc8 26 Qxc8 Rxc8 27 Rxe7 (Kobalija) promises White an advantage similar to the one he gets in the game.

23 Bd4! Res

23...Re8 24 Rxe7! Rxe7 25 Rxf6 Kg8 26 Rxh6 would give White a winning attack. Instead Black returns the piece and seeks salvation in an inferior ending. where White has a stronger minor piece and better pawns.

Game4

D C.Cooley • J.Emms

British League 2007

1 e4 cs 2 c3 ds 3 exds Qxds 4 d4 Nc6 5 Nf3 Bg4 6 Be2 cxd4 7 cxd4 e6 8 Nc3 Qas 9 h3 BhS 10 o-o (Diagram 29)

Diagram 29 (B) The quiet approach

Diagram 30 (W) The equalizer

Itusedtobethoughtthatquietmethodswereenoughtoclaimanedge, butmore recentlyithasbeen discoveredthat,whileitisperfectlyacceptableforWhiteto playthisway, Black doesn'thave anything tofearfrom atheoreticalviewpointthe chances shouldbasicallybe assessed as equal.

10...Nf6 11 Be3

TIP: White's most aggressive posting for the queen is on b3, where it hits b7, supports a possible d4-d5 and vacates the d1-square for a rook. Whitejust has to decide what preparation, if any, is needed before playing this move.

Againsttheimmediate 11 Qb3Blackhas the standard response 11...Qb-±'., whichis almostalways agoodmovetoplayifpossible. Whitecaneliminate . .. Qb-1 ideasby playing 11 a3, butafter 11...Bd6! heisstillnotready, since12Qb3 Bxf3'. 13 Bxf3 Nxd4 is good forBlack, and 14 Qxb7? Rb8 evenbetter! Thuswe see the nlue of the seemingly passivebishop movetoe3: White cannow play Qb3 ,,-::_�o:.it worrying about his d4-pawn.

WARNING: It's worth remembering the trap 11 Nes? Bxe2 12

Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian

queenlessmiddlegamethatlooks roughlyequal-Blackisunderlesspressure herethaninthesimilarpositions arisingafterll...Be7.

12Nb5looksthreateningbutachieveslittle after 12...Bb8. Blackwillkickthe knightback with atimely ...a6, andfurther aggressioncouldeasilybackfire: for example, 13 Ne5!? Bxe2 14 Qxe2 0-0! 15Bg5?Nxd4! 16 Nxd4Qxe5.

12 ...0-0 13 Qb3

13b4Qd8 andonlythen 14Qb3has alsobeenplayed, mostnotablyby Sveshnikovinarecentgame: 14...h6 (Blackwantstoplay ...Ne7withoutallowing Bg5butthisisnotstrictlynecessary, and 14...Rc8 15 Rfdl Ne716 Bg5 Nfd5 17 Nxd5 exd5hasbeenshowntobeokayforBlack) 15 Rfdl Ne7! (otherwise d4-d5 wouldbe verystrong) 16 g4!?Bg6 17Ne5 Ned5 (17...Bh7!? 18 Bf3Qb8, asplayed inS.Zawadzki-K.Gratka,Straszecin1999, is alsopossible) 18 Nxd5 Nxd5 19 Bf3 Rc8? (19...Bc7!?) 20 Nxg6 fxg6 21 Bxd5 exd522Qxd5+Rf723Qe6! Rc6 24 d5!! (Diagram 33)

Diagram 33 (B)

Allowingthe discovered attack

Diagram 34 (W)

Which rook to dl?

24...Bh2+25 Kg2! Ra6 26b5 andBlackresigned inE.SveshnikoY-\-.Rojicek, Pardubice2007-after26...Rxe627dxe6 Qb828exf7+Kxf729f4! the bishop on h2 is trappedand29...Bxf430Bxf4Qxf4 losesto31 Rfl. Anicegame by Swshnikov,but itdoesn'treallyaltertheassessmentthatBlackisokayinthis line.

13...RabS (Diagram 34)

13...Ne7!? is alsopossible, since 14 Qxb7?! Rab8 15 Qa6 Qxa6 16 Bxa6 Bx£3 17gxf3 Rxb2 probablyfavoursBlack, N.Benrnesbah-ZhaoJun, Shenzhen 2005.

14 Radl

Itmakesmoresensetoplay14 Rfdl becausethe queen'srookusually belongs on cl here. Black normally repliesbypreventing d4-d5 with 14 . . RfdS or 14 ... Nd5.

Onelineworthmentioning after 14...Rfd8is15Bg5??Bxf3! 16 Bxf6Bxe2 17Bxd8 Bxdl 18 Bxa5Bxb3.Sevencapturesinarow, andBlackendsup apiece ahead!

14...RfdS 15 Rfel h6 16 Nb5 Nd5

There's alsonothingwrongwith 16...Be7,butIwas quitehappytoplonkaknight on d5.

17 g4?! (Diagram 35)

Diagram 35 (B)

Unjustified aggression

Diagram 36 (W) Black is winning

Ithinkthatthis aggressionisno longerjustified-White doesn'tget anywhere and theweakness onthe kingside is a deciding factor later on. ProbablyWhite should settle for 17 Nxd6Rxd6 18 Rel, althoughit'struethatBlackismorethancomfortablehere.

17...Bg6 18 Nxd6

18 Nd2 planningNc4is critical,butIwas intending 18...Nxe3 19 fxe3Bg320Nc4 Qa621 Rfl Rbc8 whenWhitehasnogoodwaytotake advantage ofBlack's slightlymisplacedqueenand Iwas confidentofexploitingthosekingsideweaknesseslateron.

18 .. . Rxd6 19 Ne5 Nxe5! 20 dxe5 Rc6 21 Rel

21 Rd2 canbemetbythesurprising21...Rb6!,whichleavesWhiteinbigtrouble (duringthegame I missed thisandwasintending21...bS).

21...RbcS 22 Kfl?

White had totry22QbS, although evenhere22...Qc7! 23 Rxc6 bxc6 24Qc5 Qxe5 is good forBlack.

22...Bc2! (Diagram 36)

Thisis decisive. The queen cannot stay protectingthebishop one3, soWhite's

Starting Out: The c3 Sicilian

whole kingside collapses.

23 Qxb7

23 Qb5 loses to 23...Nxe3+ 24 fxe3 Qxb5 25 Bxb5 Bd3+!.

23...Nxe3+ 24 fxe3 Qxes 2S Qxa7 Qg3

A double rook sacrifice with25...Be4! 26 Rxc6 Qg3!! is a pretty way to win: after 27 Rxc8+ Kh7 White has no way to prevent mate. I decided to go for the prosaic route - I didn't fancy the idea of missing a tactic and thenbeing two rooks down!

26 Rxc2 Qxh3+ 27 Kf2 Rxc2 28 Qd4 Qh2+ 29 Kf3 Qh4 30 Qb4 eS 0-1

Games D l.Ra usis • A.Miles

La s Pa lm as 1996

1 e4 cs 2 c3 dS 3 exds Qxds 4 d4 Nc6 s Nf3 Bg4 6 Be2 cxd4 7 cxd4 e6 8 h3?!

8...Bb4+ WARNING: This move has been recommended by experts and played by quite a few grandmasters, but there's a strong possibility that it is simply a mistake. White should instead choose 8 Nc3.

Most players retreat with 8...Bh5, butTony Miles was always an original thinker in the opening and here he comes up with something much more testing. 9 Nc3 Bxf3! 10 Bxf3 Qc4! (Diagram 37)

Diagram 37 (W) A powerful queen

Diagram 38 (W) Black is more than okay

White has some major issues to deal with. First of all there's the ?::-e:>:>me on c3

there's also some concernoverthe d4-pawn. ButthemainproblemisthatWhite cannot castle-this iswhy 10...Qc4 is such a strong move.

11 Qb3

Probablybest. 11 Bxc6+is atoothlesswayofdealingwiththethreattod4,andI prefer Blackafter ll...bxc6! 12 Qb3 Qxb3 13 axb3 Ne7-his weak pawns arenot as bad asWhite's weak pawns.

11 Be3 Bxc3+ 12 bxc3 Qxc3+ 13 Kfl Nge7leftWhitewithno compensationin R.Djurhuus-T.Bae, Roros 2002, chieflybecausehe still has to spend timeorganizinghisking.

Finally, against 11 Bd2 both 11...Qxd4 and ll...Nge7 are fineforBlack, while ll...Rd8 12 Qa4 (R.Rechel-A.Lisanti, Frankfurt 1998) 12...Rxd4mightwellbe stronger, intending 13 Bxc6+Qxc6 14 Qxa7Bc5 or 13 Be2Qc5.

11...Qxb3 12 axb3 Nge7

12...Nxd4is alsopossible, butI thinkthatWhitegainssome compensationforthe pawn after 13 Bxb7Nc2+ 14 Ke2 Nxal 15 Bxa8 Nxb3 16 Be3 a5.

13 Be3 Nds!? (Diagram 38) 14 Ke2

Blackis slightlybetterafter14Bxd5 exd5 15 Ke20-0-0, althoughthesmartmoney wouldbe onadraw.

14...Bxc3! 1s Bxds Nxd4+ 16 Bxd4

Or 16 Kd3Bxb2 17 Bxb7Rd8 18Ra2 Nf5+ 19 Ke2Bd4, andthistimeBlackhas somewinningchances.

16...Bxd4 17 Bxb7 Rb8 18 Rhdl! es

18...Rxb7! 19 Rxd4Rxb320Rxa7Rxb2+21 Rd2 doesn'treallygiveBlackanyrealisticwinningchanceswithbestplay, despitetheextrapawn. Miles triestokeep sometensioninthepositionbyretainingbishops,butRausisplays accuratelyand manages to securethedraw. Evenso, thisis obviouslynotagreatadvertfor8h3.

19 BdS Rd8 20 Ras 0-0 21 Bc4 g6 22 RbS Kg7 23 Rb7 Rd6 24 Rd3 Rf6 Yz-Yz

Game 6

D N.Vlassov • K.Landa

Pola n ica Zd roj 1993

1 e4 cs 2 c3 dS 3 exds Qxds 4 d4 Nc6 s Nf3 Bg4 6 Be2 e6

6...e6 is a common choice because manyplayers are reluctanttoexchange ond4 at anearlystage and thus allowWhitethechance toplayNc3. However,Whitenow hasthepossibilityofplaying c3-c4 followed by d4-d5, anopportunityhe shouldn't pass up.

7 h3!

WARNING: Move order is important! 7 c4? Qfs! 8 ds exds 9 cxds Bxf3! 10 Bxf3 Nd4 is certainly not what White wants. Compare the main game, where 8...Qfs is impossible due to 9 g4 forking the queen and bishop.

1 ... Bhs 8 c4 {Diagram 39)

Diagram 39 {B)

The way to punish Black

Diagram 40 {B)

Black encourages danger

8...Qd6!

This is stronger than 8...Qd7, which gives White extra possibilities based on the idea of a quick Ne5. The line 9 g4!? Bg6 10 d5 exd5 11 cxd5 Nb4 12 Ne5! Qxd5 13 Bb5+ Kd8 14 0-0 is known to give White a powerful initiative and has scored well for him.

9dS!

9 g4 is riskier without the possibility ofNe5as in the previous note, and indeed Black enjoyed good counterplay after 9...Bg6 10 d5 Nb4 11 0-0 exd5! 12 cxd5 0-0-0 13 Nc3 Nf6 in N.Short-J.Polgar, Isle of Lewis 1995. 9...Bxf3

Black will sink a knight into d4 and then try to keep the position as clo sed as possible to disguise his development lag. Alternatives are not particularl y appetizing: for example, 9...Ne5 10 Nxe5 Qxe5 11 g4 Bg6 12 Qa4+whenBlack is forced to move his king or 9...exd5 10 cxd5 Bxf3 11 Bxf3 Nd4 12 Be3! Nxf3+ 13 Qxf3 Nf6 14 Nc3 andWhitehas an easyplanof 0-0 and Bf4.

10 Bxf3 Nd4 11 0-0

White can also consider 11 dxe6!? Qxe6+ 12 Be3. In L.Keitl ingh aus-T.Fogarasi, Buda pest 1996, Black grabbed on c4 with the queen, and after 12 Qx.:4 13 Bxd4 cxd4