When Walter Browne faced off against Alexander Shabalov in the 1997 Chicago Open, Browne trotted out a very sharp sub-variation of the Najdorf (7 ... Nc6 in the 6 Bg5 line), with which he had defeated Shabalov in the 1994 U.S. Championship. Over the years Browne has fared very well in longstanding theoretical disputes with other players, justifying his stubbornness. This time Shabalov was able to cut through the complications by being first to vary, creating a situation where Black had temporary activity, but no cohesive long-term plan.

This discussion is far from over, however, as Browne was still testing out the line in the 1997 World Open ... 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 The reason this variation has lost some popularity for White is not that it isn't strong, but that Black has an incredible number of choices, and White must be heavily prepared for all of them. Now, aside from 6 ... e6, Black can steer the game into the Richter-Rauzer with 6 ... Nc6 7 Qd2 (White can vary with 7 Bxf6) e6, or play 6 ... Nbd7, but then 7 Bc4 has a good repuration. 6...e6 7.f4 Now the big choices for Black are 7... Be7 (the Main Line), 7 ... b5 (the Polugaevsky), 7 ... Qb6 (the Poisoned Pawn), 7 ... Qc7 (a Kasparov favorite which prepares ... b7-b5) and 7 ... Nbd7 (generally transposes to the Main Line). Lesser known are 7 ... Nc6 (as in this game), 7 ... h6 (which can transpose to the game or to the Goteborg Variation after 8 Bh4 Be7 9 Qf3 g5!?) and the highly unusual 7 ... Bd7. 7...Nc6 8.e5 Along with 8 Nxc6, the critical move. Generally White can insert Nd4xc6 at any point in this series of moves; Black is not about to help White develop by playing ... Nc6 xd4 himself. Other 8th move alternatives for White are 8 Qd2, transposing to the Richter-Rauzer, and the excessively quiet 8 Be2 h6 9 Bh4 Qb6 10 Nb3 Qe3 11 Bxf6 gxf6 12 g3 (better is 12 Rf1) Be7 13 Qd3 with equality in Ljubojevic - Andersson, Stockholm 1980. 8...h6 9.Bh4 g5 In Ljubojevic - Ivanchuk, Tilburg 1989, Ivanchuk played the different idea 9 ... dxe5 10 Nxc6 Qxd1 11 Rxd1 bxc6 12 fxe5 Nd5 (Weak is 12 ... Nd7 13 Ne4) 13 Ne4 and White stood better after 13 ... Be7 14 Bf2!? (steadier are 14 Bxe7 or 14 Nd6+) Rb8 15 Bd4. In Brodskij - Rechel, Groningen Open 1993, Rechel tried Ivanchuk's recommendation 13 ... Rb8; after 14 b3! (not 14 c4? Rxb2! with advantage) ANALYSIS DIAGRAM he followed it up with the wild 14 ... g5 - this enables Black to play Bf8-b4+ without allowing c2-c3 - 15 Bg3 Bb4+ 16 Ke2 f5?! 17 ef e5 18 Kf3! g4+ (18 ... Bg4+ 19 Kxg4 Ne3+ 20 Kf3 Nxd1 21 Bxe5 and White wins) 19 Kf2 Bf5 20 Bxe5 and White later consolidated and won. 10.fxg5 Nd5 11.Nxd5!

Shabalov makes sure that he is the first to vary from their game from the 1994 U.S. Championship. That game continued 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Ne4 (12 Nxd5?! cxd5 13 Qg4 and 13 ... dxe5 14 g6 f5 15 Bd8! fxg4 Bf6 was good for White in Panajotov - Sandler, Albena 1989, but Black could have played 13 ... Be7) Qb6 13. Bd3 hxg5 (not 13 ... Qe3+ as in Vitolins - Sandler, USSR 1989, which continued 14 Qe2 Qxe2+ 15 Bxe2 dxe5 16 g6! with a serious advantage. Also weak is 13 ... Qxb2 which lets White castle without first blocking the f-file with Bh4-f2: 14 O-O Qxe5 15 Qf3 is good),

and then White can try either 14 Bxg5 or 14 Bf2. In Shabalov - Bronwe, US Champ. 1994, Shabalov selected 14. Bf2 Qxb2 15. 0-0 Qxe5 16. Bg3 Qd4+ 17. Kh1 Now the game Vitolins - Shabalov(!), USSR 1990, continued 17 ... Ne3 18 Qf3 Nxf1 19 Rxf1 f5 20 c3! g4 21 Qe2 Qg7 22 Rxf5! with advantage. But Browne found 17 ... f5!! 18. c3 Nxc3 19. Nxc3 Qxc3 20. Rc1 Qa5 with an unclear position, as although Black is 3 pawns up, he is still completely undeveloped! Nevertheless, Browne later consolidated and won. But a less radical alternative on White's fourteenth is 14 Bxg5. Then, in Castaneda - Browne, World Open 1997, Walter immediately blundered with 14 ... Rxh2?? After 15 Rxh2 Qg1+ 16 Bf1 Qxh2, Black was hammered with 17 Qxd5!!, and White will recover the queen with a winning advantage - after 17 ... exd5 White mopped up with 18 Nf6+ Ke7 19. Ng4+ Ke6 20. Nxh2 dxe5 21. Be2 f6 22. Bd2 Bd6 23. O-O-O e4 24. Rh1 d4 25. Ng4 e3 26. Ba5 Bf4 27. Nxf6. The right way, after 14 Bxg5, is 14 ... Qxb2. Then Luther - Leyva, Havana 1992 continued sharply with 15. Nf6+ Nxf6 16. Bxf6 Qc3+ 17. Kf1 Rh6 18. Rb1 d5 (better than 18 ... dxe5? 19 Bg5 and White's threats, including Bf3-e4, are too strong) 19. Qf3 a5 20. h4 Be7 21. Qf4 Rh5 22. g4 and White seems to have the better chances. 11...exd5 12.exd6 Bxd6 13.Qe2+ Shabalov's idea is calm development, hoping to take advantage of Black's structural weaknesses later. For his part, Browne has decent control of space, and tactical chances based on White's relative lack of development. One wonders, however, whether Black's king will ever find a comfortable home. 13...Kf8 14.0-0-0 Nxd4 Better than 14 ... hxg5 15 Bf2 when the White bishop is ready to come to d4. 15.Rxd4 hxg5 16.Bf2 Be6 17.Qd2 Qf6 18.Bd3!

Very methodical. Once White gets his pieces out, Black's loose king position could begin to tell. Thus, Shabalov does not concern himself with defending the h-pawn. 18...Rxh2 Rejecting 18 ... Bc5 19 c3 Rh6 (preparing to win the Exchange) as White is in control after 20 Rf1! Bxd4 21 Bxd4 Qe7 22 Qe3 and Qe3-e5 is in the air. 19.Rxh2 Bxh2 20.Be3 Rc8 21.Rb4 Rc7 22.Bxg5 Qe5 23.Rh4 Bg3 24.Rh1 White has recovered his pawn and consolidated the initiative. 24...d4 25.b3!

It will be very difficult for Black's dark-squared bishop to reach this side of the board. 25...Ke8 26.Kb2 Rc5
27.Bh4 Bf4 28.Qb4

Finally, Shabalov makes an exploratory probe. 28...b5 29.Bf6 Virtually forcing Browne to sacrifice the Exchange. 29...Rxc2+ 30.Kxc2 Qxf6 31.Qc5 Be3 32.Kb1 Qg7 33.Be4 Kd7 34.Qa7+ Kd6 35.Qb8+ Sending the king on a trip. 35...Kc5 36.Qc7+ Kb4 37.a3+ Kxa3 38.Qc5+

If 38 ... Kxb3 39 Bc2 mate or 38 ... b4 39 Qa5+ Kxb3 40 Qa2+ Kc3 41 Qc2 mate.