Read an Excerpt
It is time to examine the positions with the knight on c3: 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5 h5 [Diagram] With this move, Black wants to blockade the kingside. Then the only active counterplay he will have will be with ...c6-c5. 6.Nf3 The main move. White has also played 6.h3!? and 6.Be3: (a) In the event of 6.h3!? Nh6 7.Be3 (after 7.Nf3 Nf5 8.Ne2?! [8.Bd3! is best, transposing to 6.Nf3 Nh6 examined later] Black can fix White’s pawn structure with 8...h4t) the most logical move is 7...Nf5. Instead, Popov-Shvedchikov, Moscow 2012 saw 7...b6. This is the other idea in these positions: Black can in some lines develop his bishop to a6.When the second player cannot exchange this bishop for a white knight on f3 he must find some way to bring it to play and this is a logical one. The game continued 8.Bf2 Nf5 9.g3 e6 10.Bg2?! Bf8 11.Qd2 Be7 12.0-0-0 Nd7 13.g4 Ng7 14.Nf3 b5m, 1-0 (56). White may have a small edge, but such strategically complicated games can go either way. Back to 7...Nf5: 8.Bf2 e6 9.Nf3 Bf8 10.Bd3 h4 Fixing the pawn structure; once again the other plan is 10...b6!?: 11.Ne2 Ba6 12.0-0 Be7 13.b3 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 h4 15.c4 0-0 (Black king’s position is safe now.) 16.Kh2 Kg7=, ‘-‘ (46) Klinova-Petursson, Oslo 1994. Returning to 10...h4, there can follow 11.0-0 Be7 12.Qe2 Kf8 13.Nd1 Kg7 14.Ne3 Nd7 15.b3 and White has a space advantage, but Black is very solid, ‘-‘ (77) Korneev-Nurkic, Asti 1997. (b) 6.Be3 Nh6 7.Qd2. The idea is to avoid a pin with ...Bg4 without weakening the structure. If 7.Nf3, there follows 7...Bg4 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 h4 10.Bd3 e6 11.Bf2 Bf8! 12.Ne2 Be7 13.0-0 a5! 14.b3 Na6!q and Black has achieved a good version of the Botvinnik formation where it is very hard for White to advance on the queenside. 7...Ng4 8.Nf3 Nxe3 9.Qxe3 Bg4 10.Be2. Or 10.Nd2 e6 (More active is 10...c5!, attacking the center.)
