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Classical
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The Classical Variation of the Sicilian, 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6, is a favorite of many top Grandmasters, as the theory is more flexible than in the equally sharp Najdorf and Dragon. Note that the moves 2 ... d6 and 5 ... Nc6 in this line are interchangeable.
White's two main replies are (a) 6 Bg5, the Richter-Rauzer Attack, aiming for quick queenside castling and pressure on the half-open d-file, and
(b) 6 Bc4, which can develop either into a Sozin (where White castles kingside) or the amazing Velimirovic (White plays Be3, Qe2 and O-O-O.See the examples. |
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(7) Nigel Short - Anatoly Karpov [B63]
Candidates
[Rohde, M.: Classical]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 Resisting the temptation to play the "safe" 3 Bb5 which , for example, I used to secure a draw as White against Benjamin to make a GM norm in the 1987 New York Open. 3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 The signal move of the Richter-Rauzer, essentially committing White to an opposite sides castling situation. 6 Be2 would have led, after 6 ... g6 to the Classical Dragon, after 6 ... e6 to the Scheveningen, or 6 ... e5 to the Boleslavsky. 6...e6 7.Qd2 Be7 The leading American exponent of this system is D. Gurevich. The other main lines are 7 ... a6 8 O-O-O h6 (popularized by Dlugy), and 7 ... a6 8 O-O-O Bd7 (as played the Zaltzman variation). 8.0-0-0 0-0 9.Nb3 The main line is 9 f4 h6 10 Bh4 (Not 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 Nxc6 bxc6 12 Qxd6 Qb6 with good play) e5 with tremendous complications. The text 9 Nb3 is recommended by Nunn in his classic Beating the Sicilian, and was once played by Karpov against Kasparov! That game, from the ____ World Championship, continued with Kasparov innovating 9 ... a5 10 a4 d5, and after 11 exd5 Nxd5 Black soon equalized. Later, however, Vitolinsh and Tal discovered 11 Bb5! which has scored well for White. Note that after 9 ... a5, in contrast to the game, 10 Bxf6 would not be good because of 10 ... Bxf6! 11 Qxd6 Qxd6 12 Rxd6 a4. 9...a6 10.Bxf6 gxf6 Karpov has obtained a very double-edged position, where White can not play to keep the draw in hand for fear of simply losing the initiative. With his next move, Short commences a general and fearless kingside advance. A good alternative plan was demonstrated in Adams - Frias, London 1990: 11 Qh6 Kh8 12 Qh5! (to inhibit ... Rg8) Qe8 13 f4 Rg8 14 Bd3 Rg7 15 g4 b5 16 h4 b4 17 Ne2 e5 18 f5 and White has slightly better chances. And in Vitolinsh - Smirin, USSR championship 1989, wild complications ensued after 11 f4 b5 12 Bd3 Kh8 13 Rhe1 Rg8 14 Nd5!? exd5 15 exd5 Ne5!? 16 fxe5 fxe5 17 Kb1 Bg4 18 Be2, and though Black's position has some nice features, again White is more comfortable. 11.h4 Kh8 Black can also try dispensing with this standard precautionary move. In Jansa - Sax, Biel Interzonal 1985 play continued 11 ... b5 12 g4 b4 13 Ne2 a5 14 Nbd4 Ne5 15 g5 (a pawn sacrifice which Black ignores) a4 16 Ng3 b3. Black seems to have gotten there first but White took twice on b3 (17 axb3 axb3 18 Nxb3) and later prevailed. Sax was so impressed that he then tried the White side of this line, against Van der Wiel, in Brussels 1985. Van der Wiel diverged with 14 ... Nxd4 15 Nxd4 Bb7 16 g5 f5. After 17 Rg1 White was planning a vicious attack: for example 17 ... Bxe4 18 h5, etc. But Black found 17 ... f4! shutting off White's queen's access, and after 18 h5 e5 the players agreed to a draw, in view of 19 Nf5 Bxe4 20 Nxe7+ Qxe7 21 Qxd6, etc. 12.g4 b5 In several games Black has tried first 12 ... Rg8 here. Campora - Zueger, Dubai Olympiad 1986 continuted 13 g5 (White is always willing to sac a pawn to open the h-file) fxg5 14 hxg5 e5 15 f4 Rg7 (Not 15 ... exf4? 16 Rxh7+!) 16 Kb1 exf4 17 Qxf4 Ne5 18 Bh3 Bxg5 with an unclear position. In Judasin - Aseev, USSR 1987, after 12 ... Rg8 13 g5, Black played 13 ... b5 14 f4 Bb7 15 Kb1 b4 16 Ne2 a5 17 Bg2 a4 18 Nbd4 Na5, and White started munching with 19 Qxb4 d5 20 Qxa4 and somehow survived. 13.g5 b4 14.Na4 Although the knight is a potential target here, it is also quite annoying. Moreover, it stops the advance of the a-pawn. Karpov may have been surprised by this placement. 14...Rg8 15.f4 Only Black would be helped by 15 gxf6 Bf8! and if 16 Qf4 Rg6. 15...Rb8 16.Kb1 Now 16 gxf6 would lead to an unclear situation after 16 ... Bxf6 17 Qxd6 Qe8, as White's pieces seem disorganized. 16...Bf8 17.Be2 e5 It is easy to be suspicious about this move in light of what later transpired, but Black's position was already difficult. On 17 ... Bd7 18 Nac5 Be8! 19 Nxa6 Rb6 gives compensation, but instead White plays 18 gxf6! Qxf6 19 e5, or 18 ... Na5 19 Nac5. And 17 ... f5 18 exf5 exf5 19 h5 is dangerous. 18.f5 Short is willing to sacrifice a pawn to deny Karpov the use of the e5 square, open the h-file, and cut the board in half, so as to concentrate threats on one side or the other. 18...fxg5 19.hxg5 Rxg5 Black is too passive after 19 ... Qxg5 20 Qd5 Nd8 21 Na5! and 22 Nc4. 20.Qe3 Preparing the re-entry of the knight via b6. Since Be2-c4-d5 is in the air, Karpov allows Na4-b6 and hurries to prepare counterplay. 20...Qf6 21.Nb6 Ne7 Of course, Nb6-d5 had to be stopped also. 22.Nxc8 Rxc8 23.Bxa6 Rd8 24.Qb6 Ng8 Karpov must have had this position in mind when he played 20 ... Qf6. 25 ... d6-d5 is in the air. 25.Na5 Stalking the rook on d8 ... Simpler was 25 Qxb4. 25...d5 26.Nc6 Rd6 27.exd5 Ne7 28.Qxb4 Correct was 28 Qc5 untangling and keeping an eye on g1. Then 28 ... Nxf5 29 Bd3 and Black is in bad shape. But after the text Karpov embarks on a very unusual combination in which he sacs a piece and then converts his pinned rook into a battery: 28...Nxd5 29.Rxd5 Probably better, although very unclear, was 29 Qh4 h6 30 Bb5. 29...Qg7 Threatening 30 ... Rg1+ and 30 ... Rxd5. A pretty move, but as Seirawan points out, he should have played 29 ... Rxd5! Then after 30 Qxf8+ Rg8 31 Qe7 (to answer 31 ... Qxc6 with 32 Qxf7; if 31 Qb4 Qxc6 32 Qh4 h6 33 f6 Rg6 34 Bd3 Qxf6!) Black has the stunning 31 ... Qh6!! 32 Re1 Qxc6. 30.Rxd6 Rg1+ 31.Rd1 Rxd1+ 32.Rxd1 Bxb4 33.Nxb4 Qg4 The sting at the tail end of the combination, which, however, works only to the extent of picking up the pawn on f5, as Short scrambles away from the double attack on his rook and knight, and simultaneously makes luft, preserving his 3 pieces vs. the queen material edge. 34.Rd8+ Kg7 35.a3 Qxf5 36.Rd1 h5 37.Re1 Qe6 Time trouble becomes a factor. Short's last move was designed to control the e4 square next with 38 Bb7, and Karpov reacts to that. Although White was probably winning in any event, there was no excuse not to play 37 ... h4, just to see if the h-pawn can do any damage. 38.Bb7 f5 39.Bd5 Qf6 Better was 39 ... Qd6. 40.c4 e4 41.c5 Time pressure is over, and the c-pawn will score a touchdown after 41 ... h4 42 c6 Qd8 43 Be6 or 42 ... Qe7 43 Na6. 0 1-0
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(8) Emory Tate - Maurice Ashley
NY Open New York
[Rohde, M.: Classical]
Tate Ashley, NY Open Rd. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 h6 The popular "Dlugy Variation" of the Richter-Rauzer. 9.Be3 Qc7 Another line is the immediate 9 ... Nxd4 followed by 10 ... b5. 10.f3 Rb8 This unusual move reserves options, lends strength to ... b5-b4, and avoids problems concerning the sensitive b6 square. 11.g4 Ne5 A very provocative move. The centralized White knight on d4 is no longer "marked", and White is tempted by ideas of f3-f4 and e4-e5. On the other hand, the knight pressurizes the White pawns, and aims for c4. If White stops to defend the h-pawn with 12 h3, then 12 ... b5 13 f4 Nc4 14 Bxc4 bxc4 brings the rook on b8 to life. 12.f4 Sidetracking the Black knight and getting his own attack started. 12...Nexg4 13.Bg1 It seems that 13 e5 Nxe3 14 Qxe3 dxe5 15 fxe5 Nd7 is not good enough. Now 14 h3 is threatened. 13...e5 Of course not the passive 13 ... h5? 14 h3 Nh6 15 e5, etc. Very interesting was I. Gurevich's suggestion 13 ... b5! Then 14 h3 b4 is good for Black, so White probably has to stop for 14 a3. 14.Bb5+ Another wild line is 14 Nf3! exf4 15 e5 dxe5 16 Bb5+ with 16 ... Bd7 17 Bb6, or 16 ... axb5 17 Nxb5 Qd7 (not 17 ... Qe7 18 Bc5) Qa5 and continuing complications. 14...axb5 15.Ndxb5 Qd8 Better was 15 ... Qc6, but Ashley wanted to avoid the irritant 16 Na7. 16.Bc5 Not good enough was 16 h3 exf4 17 hxg4 Bxg4. 16...d5 This defuses the pressure on d6. 17.Ba7 Ra8 18.Nxd5 Tate finally overcombines. Later he recommended 18 Rhe1 to stop ... Rxa7 followed by ... Bc5, but Black can reply 18 ... Bb4! 19 h3 O-O! Instead, now was a good moment for 18 h3! Rxa7 19 Nxa7 Bc5 20 hxg4 Bxa7 21 g5 Ng4 22 Nxd5 and Black is in trouble. 18...Nxd5 19.Qxd5 Qxd5 20.Nc7+ Kd7 21.Nxa8 Qd6 Cleaner than the also possible 21 ... Qxd1+ 22 Rxd1+ Kc6 23 Rd8 b5! 24 Rxc8+ Kb7. 22.Bb8 Kc6 23.Bxd6 Bxd6 24.Rd3 A good way to create chances in this lost ending. 24...b5 25.Rhd1 Bc5 26.Rd8 Rxd8 27.Rxd8 Bb7 28.h3 Nf2 The crusher was 28 ... exf4! 29 hxg4 f3 30 Kd2 f2 31 Ke2 b4. 29.fxe5 Nxh3 30.c3 Nf2 31.b4 Be7 32.Rb8 Bg5+ 33.Kc2 h5 Overlooking White's threat. 33 ... Bxa8 was still convincing. After White's next, he is back in it, and we need Pal Benko to figure out what is going on. 34.a4 Bxa8 35.axb5+ Kd7 36.Rxa8 Bf4 37.Rf8 Ke7 38.Rh8 h4 39.Rxh4 g5 40.Rh8 Bxe5 41.Rg8 f6 42.b6 Kf7 43.Ra8 g4 44.Ra1 g3 45.Rg1 Nxe4 46.c4 Ke6 47.Kd3 f5 48.Ke3 Ng5 49.c5 f4+ 50.Kd3 f3 51.Re1 f2 52.Rxe5+ Kxe5 53.Ke2 Nf3 54.b7 Nd4+ 55.Kf1 Nc6 56.b5 Nb8 57.c6 Kd6 1/2-1/2
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(9) Sergei Fedorov - Rustam Kasimdhanov [B89]
Russia Cup Moscow, 1996
[Rohde, M.: Classical]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 The so-called "Classical Sicilian", for lack of a better name. 6.Bc4 The introduction to the Sozin / Velimirovic complex. Other White tries include: 6 Bg5, the Richter-Rauzer; 6 Be2, which can lead into the Boleslavsky after 6 ... e5, the Classical Dragon after 6 ... g6 or the Scheveningen after 6 ... e6; and the eclectic 6 Be3, which invites 6 ... Ng4, but otherwise prepares the move f2-f4. 6...e6 A popular method of sidestepping the Velimirovic is 6 ... Qb6, favored for many years by GM John Fedorowicz. Then White usually plays 7 Nde2, 7 Nb3 or GM Nick deFirmian's preference, 7 Ndb5. 7.Be3 a6 8.Qe2 The signal move of the Velimirovic attack. White aims to castle queenside and jumpstart his kingside attack with the spike g2-g4-g5. In the Sozin, which the young Bobby Fischer was partial to, White plays 8 O-O with f2-f4 in mind. 8...Qc7 The main line so far. An interesting attempt to dispense with the queen move, by creating d-file congestion, is the immediate 8 ... Na5 (in our game, Kasimdhanov will play this on move 9), as played in Yudasin - Garcia Ilundain, Pamplona 1992. Then 9.Bd3 Be7 (9...b5 10.b4! Nb7 11 O-O was very good for White in Mestrovic - Polugaevsky, Varna 1972; better in this line is the offering 10 ... Nc4, but after 11.Bxc4 bxc4 12.a3! Bb7 13.Bg5, White will again castle kingside with the more active game) 10.0-0-0 [ANALYSIS DIAGRAM 0-0?! (Yudasin gives 10...b5 11.g4 b4 12.Na4 [ perhaps better is 12 Nb1, analogous to the game Hernandez - Adla below] Bd7 13.g5 Ng8 14.b3 as nice for White, which is true, except that I do not see why Black cannot play 13 ... Bxa4 14 gxf6 Bxf6) 11.g4 b5 12.g5 Nd7 13.f4. By comparison to Fedorov - Kasimdhanov, this was good for White, as he has not needed to play the cautionary a2-a3. For example, here 13 ... b4 (Ilundain actually continued 13 ... Nc5!?) would be met by 14.Na4 Nc5 15.Nxc5 dxc5 16.Nb3 and White's kingside pawn storm will come with great effect. 9.0-0-0 White played the un-Velimirovic-like 9 f4 in Conquest - Tukmakov, Iraklion, 1992. After 9 ... Be7 (not so good is the fork trick 9...Nxe4 10.Nxe4 d5 11.Bd3 dxe4 12.Bxe4 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Qxf4 14.Be5!) 10.0-0 O-O 11.a4!? Nxd4 12.Bxd4 e5 13.Be3 Be6!, White's mix of systems has allowed Black to achieve easy equality. 9...Na5 The main line is 9 ... Be7 10 Bb3 (on 10 Rhg1 O-O 11 g4, the fork trick 11 ... Nxe4 12 Nxe4 d5 usefully disrupts White's attack) and only then 10 ... Na5, when the exchange of the knight is assured. One of the points of 9 ... Na5 instead, is that if White now plays 10 Bb3 looking to transpose to the usual lines, then Black has 10 ... b5 11 g4 Nxb3+ 12 cxb3 Bb7, and the quick hit on e4 forces White to waste time with 13 f3. 10.Bd3 b5 11.a3 Reasonable, although White has a couple of interesting alternatives here. 11 Bg5, a prelude to a piece sacrifice, was tried in Milu - Nevednichy, Bucharest 1994. Play continued 11 ... b4 (although in Rublevsky - Salov, Oviedo 1992, Black did not want any part of this and varied with 11 ... Be7 12.a3 Bd7 13.f4 Nc4 14.Rhf1 Rc8 with a complicated battle in store) 12.Nd5 exd5 13.exd5+ Be7 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Rhe1 Ra7 16.Qh5 Qc5 [ANALYSIS DIAGRAM] and now White took a misstep with 17.Qh6 (Stoica gives 17.Bf5! Rc7 18.Re2 (not 18 Bxc8? b3!) as good for White) and went down in flames after 17...Qxd5 18.Qxf6 Rg8 19.Bf5 Be6! 20.Nxe6 Qxd1+ 21.Kxd1 Bxf6 0-1. Less impressive in my view is to let Black get the move ... b5-b4 in unhindered. An example is Hernandez - Adla, Capablanca Mem B 1992 which saw 11 g4 b4 12.Nb1 Bb7 13.Nd2 d5 14.f3 Be7 15.Kb1 0-0 16.g5 Nd7 17.h4 Nc5 and Black seems to be ok. 11...Bb7 12.g4 Rc8 Very amusing was Nunn - Sosonko, Thessaloniki, 1984, wherein Sosonko reacted thematically to White's flank attack (g2-g4) with the central blow ... d6-d5, which also acts against g4-g5 because of the pressure applied to the e4 square. However, Black is not well enough developed for this action, and got blown away after 12 ... d5 13.exd5 Nxd5 14.Ndxb5! axb5 15.Bxb5+ Kd8 16.Nxd5 exd5 17.Rd3 Nc4 18.Rc3 Bb4 19.Rxc4 dxc4 20.Rd1+ Kc8 21.Rd4 Bd5 22.Rxd5 Bd6 23.Rd4. Judging when ... d6-d5 is good is one of the central questions in Sicilian middlegames. 13.g5 Nd7 14.Rhe1 14 f4 was first played in Hawelko - Inkiov, Warsaw 1987. The critical continuation was 14 ... Nc4! 15.Ndxb5 axb5 16.Nxb5 Qb8 17.Bxc4 Bxe4 18.Rhe1 d5 19.Bd3 Bxd3 20.Qxd3 Be7. After 21.f5 (here Wolff - Inkiov, Saint John, 1988 saw 21.Nd4 0-0 22.f5 Ne5 23.Qb5 Qc7 24.Bf4 with the better game for White, but an obvious improvement in this line is 22 ... Nc5 23 Qb5 Qa8 and Black may develop a strong counterattack) Ne5 22.Qb3 Nc4 23.fxe6 fxe6 24.Kb1 0-0 25.Bc1 Rc6 26.a4 Rf2 Black obtained a very serious initiative for the pawn, which he soon converted into a winning attack. Fedorov's move, on the other hand, requires Black to use his second knight if he wants to get a knight to c4, and this may cost valuable time. 14...Be7 The next test of this line for Black should certainly involve either 14 ... Ne5 or 14 ... Nb6. 15.Qh5 g6 White's fifteenth was an irritating exploratory mission. The threat was 16 Nxe6, and if 15 ... O-O?, then 16 Nxe6!! fxe6 17 e5 breaks open the path to h7. The conclusion could be 17 ... g6 18 Bxg6 hxg6 19 Qxg6+ Kh8 20 Rd4. 16.Qh6 Ne5 Quite double-edged, but worth considering, was 16 ... Bf8 17 Qh3 Nc5 18 Kb1, although Black has to watch out for potential sacrifices on both e6 and b5. The text move cedes kingside turf in order to generate queenside threats. 17.Qg7 Rf8 18.f4 I like the standard precautionary move 18 Kb1!, as it is hard for Black to strengthen his position. For example, he dare not play 18 ... Kd7?? because of 19 Ndxb5! axb5 20 Qxe5, because 20 ... dxe5 21 Bxb5 is mate! 18...Nec4 19.Bxc4 Nxc4 20.Rd3 e5 Kasimdhanov chooses an active defensive plan. It was possible to play positionally with 20 ... Nxe3 followed by 21 ... Qb6, to finally achieve the ... b5-b4 advance, although White's much greater activity and possibilities of mounting an attack on the central files outweigh Black's two bishops against two knights. 21.Nf3 f5 Trying to break down White's grip on the central light squares, while establishing a defensive link along the second rank. On 21 ... Nxe3 22 Rdxe3 exf4 23 R3e2, White stands ready to break open the king file with Nc3-d5. 22.Qxh7 Initiating wild complications. Fedorov was unable to admit that Black stands better by bailing out with 22 gxf6 (the only move to stop the cave-in on the light squares) Bxf6 23 Qxc7 Rxc7. 22...fxe4 23.Qxg6+ Kd8 24.Nxe4 Nxb2 It was time to be materialistic with 24 ... Nxe3! Then after 25 Rc3 Nc4 26 b3 (better than 26 fxe5? Rxf3! 27 Rxf3 Nxe5, or 26 Nxe5 Bxe4! followed by capturing on e5), the position is wildly unclear, although it seems that Black must be in the driver's seat. Temporarily a piece up, he can follow up with 26 ... Rxf4 or 26 ... d5. 25.Rxd6+ Now 25 Rc3 was impossible, as 25 ... Bxe4, chopping off its defence, would win. But with the text Fedorov enables his queen to finally cover the c2 square! 25...Bxd6 26.Nxd6 White is down the exchange, but Black must give it back, as now 26 ... Rb8 27 Nxe5 would be hopeless. 26...Bxf3 27.Nxc8 Kxc8 28.Kxb2 exf4 29.Bb6 Qd7 Material is almost even, but the deciding factor is the wide-open position of Black's king. There would be no point to 29 ... Qc6 30 Re6. 30.Bc5 Rf7 31.Qg8+ Kb7 32.Re8 Rg7 33.Qf8 Rf7 34.Qh8 Rg7 Or 34 ... Rh7 35 Rb8+ Kc6 36 Qe5. 35.g6 Bg4 36.Rb8+ Kc6 37.Qf8 There is nothing to be done about Rb8-b6+. 1-0
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