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Rohde - Ashley
1 Nf3 c5 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e6 4 g3 b6 Entering the Hedgehog. The major alternative here was 4 ... d5, the Tarrasch. 5 Bg2 Bb7 6 O-O d6 7 d4 cxd4 8 Qxd4 a6 Black's wall of central
pawns may grow in strength later; his immediate concern is not to let d6 come under attack from a knight on b5. 9 Ng5 A well-known variation was 9 b3 Nbd7! 10 Ba3 Nc5 (shielding the d-pawn) 11 e4 Qc7 12 e5
dxe5 13 Qxe5 Rc8! and White does not have too much. The object of the text is to realight on e4, putting pressure on d6. 9 ... Bxg2 10 Kxg2 Be7 11 Rd1 Qc7 With this move Ashley begins to go down the wrong path. Correct
was 11 ... O-O because 12 Nge4 can be met comfortably with 12 ... Ne8! securely rooting the d6-pawn, and preparing to push White back with ... f7-f5. 12 Nge4 O-O 13 Nxf6+ This leads to a strong position. 13 ...
Bxf6 14 Qxd6 Qxc4 15 Qxb6 Nc6 Played quickly, looking for compensation for the pawn. Not good would be 15 ... Bxc3 16 bxc3 because of White's very strong bishop in variations like 16 ... Qxe2 17 Ba3 Re8 18 Qb7. 16
Qb3 Qxb3 17 axb3 Nd4 18 Ra3 Tempting was 18 Be3 as 18 ... Nxb3 19 Ra3 Rfb8 20 Na4 is juicy, but Black can instead play 18 ... Nc2! wrecking White's pawn structure, which would generate real counterplay. 18 ... Rb8
19 Ne4 Nc2 On 19 ... Nxb3 20 Bf4 is very strong. 20 Nf6+ gxf6 21 Ra4 Rxb3 22 Bh6! Nb4 Or 22 ... f5 23 Rxa6! 23 Rd4! With a big advantage |
