1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be3

There are several points to this move. If 6 ... e5, the knight retreats not to b3, as in the Boleslavsky 6 Be2 e5 7 Nb3, but to f3, as the White king bishop has not yet moved, and is headed to c4. If 6 ... e6, White can head for the Velimirovic with 7 Bc4, having avoided the variation 6 Bc4 Qb6!?. If Black heads for the dragon with 6 ... g6, White can still choose between the Yugoslav 7 f3 or the Classical 7 Be2. In the 1996 World Open, Zaitsev played the hybrid 6 ... a6 against me, and I chose 7 Qd2 heading for the English attack with f2-f3 and g2-g4.

Then I was surprised by 7 ... Nxd4, and after 8 Bxd4 (better is 8 Qxd4 and if 8 ... e5?! 9 Qb6!) e5 9 Be3 Be6 I settled for the meek 10 Rd1, as I did not like 10 O-O-O Rc8 11 f3 Qa5 12 a3 Rxc3! 13 Qxc3 Qxc3 14 bxc3 d5. 6...Ng4 7.Bg5 A much-analyzed older line is 7 Bb5 Nxe3 8 fxe3 Bd7 9 Bxc6 bxc6 10 O-O e6, with Black's two bishops and compact center fighting off White's lead in development and pending kingside attack. With the text White tries to prove that the knight on g4 is misplaced. 7...Qb6 I think that White is quite comfortable in the line 7 ... h6 8 Bh4 g5 9 Bg3 Bg7 10 Nb3 because of Black's weakened kingside. 8.Bb5 Bd7
9.0-0

A key move which defends the knight on d4 - 9 ... Qxd4 (not 9 ... Nxd4? 10 Bxd7+ Kxd7 11 Qxg4+) 10 Bxc6 Qxd1 11 Bxd7+ with a small endgame advantage. 9...h6 10.Be3 I introduced this move against Dmitry in a tournament in New York City in 1986. White reverts to the weak pawns for open f-file concept. The difference between this position and the one in the note to White's 7th is that Black has an extra two moves (the result of the maneuver Be3-g5-e3) - ... Qd8-b6 and ... h7-h6 - both moves which will make a successful kingside Defense harder.

10...Nxe3 11.fxe3 g6 Is this the big improvement on Rohde - Gurevich, NY 1986, which continued 11 ... e6 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Qf3 f6 14.Qh5+ Ke7 with an unclear position? 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Qf3 f6

Also very strange is 14 ... Rh7! 15 e5 (15 Nf4 e5 16 Nfe6 - not good enough is 16 Nxg6 exd4 17 Nxf8 Kxf8 - Bxe6 17 Nxe6 Qe7, and Black is out of trouble) cxd5 16 e6 Bxe6 17 Nxe6 fxe6 18 Qxf8+ Kd7. 15.Nf4 Kf7

This is what Gurevich has been playing for. Now, with the threat of ... e7-e5, he is hoping to make both knights back off. Of course, Lugo will have none of that. 16.Qe2 Qc8 Extra support for e6 is needed. 17.Rf3 It seems to me that 17 Qc4+ e6 18 Nd3! was strong, threatening the push e4-e5, and if 18 ... d5 19 Qc3 eyes all kinds of weak dark squares. 17...e5 18.Qc4+ d5 19.Nxd5 No good is 19 exd5 because Black will munch on a knight, after which 20 dxc6+ Be6 accomplishes nothing. 19...cxd5 20.Qxd5+ Ke8

One of Lugo's points is that White crashes through on 20 ... Kg7 21 Rxf6! But Gurevich's move forces White to toss another knight if he wants to break down the f-file. 21.Rxf6 exd4 22.Raf1 Be7 23.Rxg6 Kd8 It turns out that the only material White can garnish with his initiative is a couple of loose pawns. 24.exd4 Rb8 25.Qe5 Re8
26.Rxh6 Rb5 27.Qg3 Rg5 28.Qf4 Rg4 29.Qd2 Bg5 30.Qa5+ Qc7 31.Qxc7+ Kxc7 32.Rh3 Rgxe4 33.Rc3+ Kb8