FIDE Surveys – Andrew Martin

1

Andrew Martin:
Modern games

In the coming article I present some recent
games for use in training sessions. They
reflect the variety of modern chess.


Ghane Gardeh S. : Hou Yifan
Bangkok 2012

The first game features the Classical
Variation of the Nimzo-Indian. Black
successfully disturbs White's solid build-up
with an unusual idea of Raymond Keene.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0–0 5.a3
Bc3 6.Qc3 Qe8!?

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsnl+qtrk+0
9zppzpp+pzpp0
9-+-+psn-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9zP-wQ-+-+-0
9-zP-+PzPPzP0
9tR-vL-mKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy

The main ideas of 6...Qe8 can be stated:
1) Black keeps maximum flexibility with his
pawns.
2) He may play ...b6 and ...Bb7.
3) He may play ...d7–d6 and ...e6–e5!
4) He can activate his Queen via ...Ne4, ...f5
and ...Qh5 or ...Qg6. All these options
combine to make 6...Qe8 very playable,
although not especially fashionable.
7.Nf3
Hardly critical. White makes a rather routine
reply and Black, undisturbed, builds up a
very nice position.

7...b6 8.e3 Bb7 9.Be2 d6 10.0–0
10.b4 a5 11.Bb2 ab4 12.ab4 Ra1 13.Ba1
Ne4 (13...Qa4! 14.0–0 Ne4 was a more
accurate move-order) 14.Qc2 Nd7 15.0–0 f5
16.Ne1 Qg6 17.f3 Ra8 18.Bb2 Nef6 19.Nd3
Qh6 20.Qd2 Nf8 21.Bc1 Qg6˛ Buss R. :
Lossau S., Germany 2005.
10...Nbd7 11.b3 Ne4 12.Qc2 f5 13.Ne1
Rf6!?

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+q+k+0
9zplzpn+-zpp0
9-zp-zpptr-+0
9+-+-+p+-0
9-+PzPn+-+0
9zPP+-zP-+-0
9-+Q+LzPPzP0
9tR-vL-sNRmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

If Black wants to attack the White King,
then this is the move. The Rook may swing
to either g6 or h6 and the Queen is ready to
intensify the pressure at a moment's notice.
Either of 13...e5 or; 13...a5 maybe better
though.
14.f3
That's why White played Ne1.
14...Ng5 15.e4 f4 16.Nd3 e5 17.d5?
Closing the centre is classic mistake in a
position of this kind, giving Black a free
hand on the kingside.
To build any pressure at all, White has to try
17.c5! bc5 18.de5 (18.dc5 d5) 18...Ne5
19.Ne5 de5 20.Qc5 and he may stand better
here. This is why 13...e5 or 13...e5 might
have been superior.
17...Qh5 18.Nf2 Rg6 19.Qd3 Nf6 20.Rd1
Bc8!
All the Black pieces gravitate towards the
White King, making a sacrifice on h3
inevitable.

FIDE Surveys – Andrew Martin

2

21.Ra2 Rh6 22.h3 Bh3! 23.gh3 Nh3
24.Nh3 Qh3

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+-+k+0
9zp-zp-+-zpp0
9-zp-zp-sn-tr0
9+-+Pzp-+-0
9-+P+Pzp-+0
9zPP+Q+P+q0
9R+-+L+-+0
9+-vLR+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White has no comeback from here.
25.Bf1 Qh1 26.Kf2 Rh2 27.Ke1 Ra2
Would that all games against 4.Qc2 were so
simple! 0:1.

Gelashvili T. : Krishnan V.
Las Vegas 2012

2.b3 against the Sicilian is an excellent
surprise weapon. The so-called theoretical
test is supposed to come when Black plays
...e7–e5, attempting to shut the Bishop on b2
out of the game. This is a very double-edged
procedure as it encourages White to play the
move he wants to make anyway, f2–f4!
1.e4 c5 2.b3 Nc6 3.Bb2 e5 4.Bc4
4.Bb5 has been played many times and is
equally viable. If you are at all interested in
2.b3, I strongly recommend you keep up
with the games of Gelashvili, who is a
fountain of ideas as far as this variation is
concerned.
4...Nge7 5.Ne2 d6 6.0–0 g6 7.f4! Bg7 8.Ng3
0–0 9.f5
This seems like a very good version of the
2.f4 Sicilian.
9...gf5 10.Bc6 bc6 11.ef5 Nd5 12.Nc3 Nf6
13.Nce4 Qe7 14.Nf6 Bf6 15.Ne4 Kh8
16.Qh5 d5 17.Nf6 Qf6 18.Rae1 d4 19.Qe2

Re8 20.Ba3 a5 21.Bc5 Ba6 22.d3 Rad8
23.a3 Rd5 24.b4 Rg8 25.Rf3 Rg5 26.Qd2
Qg7 27.Bf8 Qf8 28.Qg5 f6 29.Qh4 a4
30.Re4 c5 31.bc5 Rc5 32.Rg4 Bb7 33.Rfg3
Bd5 34.Rg6 Rc6 35.Qh7 Kh7 36.Rh3, 1:0,
Gelashvili T. : L'Ami E., Dieren 2000.
Black's absence of the traditional Sicilian
queenside counterplay has been noticeable.
4...d6
4...Nf6 5.d3 Be7 6.Nc3 0–0 7.Nge2 d6 8.0–0
a6 9.a4 Rb8 10.Qd2 Nd4 11.a5 Nh5 12.f4
Again!
12...Ne2 13.Ne2 Bf6 14.fe5 Be5 15.Be5 de5
16.Rf2 Qe7 17.Raf1 Be6 18.h3 Bc4 19.bc4±,
Gelashvili T. : Ihsan J., Dubai 2006. White is
better all over the board.
5.f4 Nf6 6.Nf3!?

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwqkvl-tr0
9zpp+-+pzpp0
9-+nzp-sn-+0
9+-zp-zp-+-0
9-+L+PzP-+0
9+P+-+N+-0
9PvLPzP-+PzP0
9tRN+QmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

Giving the game a King's Gambit-like
flavour. There are other moves which are
perhaps less sharp: 6.fe5 Ne5 7.Bb5 Ned7
8.Nc3 Be7 9.Nf3 0–0 10.0–0 a6 11.Bd7 Bd7,
Velickovic S. : Paunovic D., Brezovica
1988, whereupon 12.d3 gives rough equality.
6.d3 a6 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.0–0 Be7 9.h3 Bf3
10.Qf3 0–0 11.Nd2 b5 12.Bd5 Nd5 13.ed5
Nd4 14.Bd4 cd4 15.Rae1 Rc8 16.fe5 de5
17.Re5 Rc2 18.Ne4 Ra2 19.d6 Bf6 20.Rf5+–
, Makropoulou M. : Jiretorn E., Istanbul
2003.
6...Bg4

FIDE Surveys – Andrew Martin

3

Extraordinarily 6...ef4 7.Ng5! Ne5 (7...Be6
may well be safer, as after 8.Be6 fe6 9.Ne6
Qe7 10.Nf4 Qe4 11.Qe2 Qe2 12.Ke2 Be7
13.Nc3 Kd7 White has only a fractional
edge.) 8.Be5 de5 9.Bf7 (9.Nf7 Dd4!) is not a
stone-cold win for White, but he should still
be a little better after, say 9...Ke7 10.Bc4
Bg4 11.Qc1 h6 12.Nf3 Qd6 13.Nc3, as
Black still has to contend with the position
of his own King.
7.fe5 de5 8.h3 Bh5 9.g4 Bg6 10.d3 Bd6
11.Nc3 a6 12.a4!
Correctly restraining counterplay, before
turning to the kingside.
12...Rb8 13.0–0 0–0 14.Qd2 Ne8 15.h4
It has been quite clear from the opening
moves that Gelashvili is happy to drag his
lower-rated opponent into a sharp, unclear
position from where he can simply outplay
him.
15...h5 16.gh5 Bh5 17.Ng5 Nf6 18.Qg2
White's plan is clear. He will now attempt to
place his major pieces on the open kingside
lines.
18...Nd4 19.a5 Be7 20.Rf2 Qd7 21.Nd5
Ng4 22.Bd4 cd4 23.Rf5 Ne3 24.Ne3 de3
25.Nf3 Bf3 26.Qf3 Bh4 27.Kg2 Qd6
28.Rh1

XIIIIIIIIY
9-tr-+-trk+0
9+p+-+pzp-0
9p+-wq-+-+0
9zP-+-zpR+-0
9-+L+P+-vl0
9+P+PzpQ+-0
9-+P+-+K+0
9+-+-+-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

Mission finally accomplished. Please note
the inhibting role of the pawn on a5.
restraining Black's queenside counterplay.

28...Qg6 29.Kf1 Qg3 30.Qg3 Bg3 31.Rfh5
g6 32.Rg5
Even with the queens off, White's attack is
crushing, as he now threatens both the
Bishop and Rg6 mate!
32...Kg7 33.Rg3 f5 34.ef5 Rf5 35.Ke2 Rf2
36.Ke3 Rc2 37.Rhg1 b5 38.Rg6 Kh7
39.Bg8
Blocking the long diagonal with ...e7–e5 and
holding with ...d7–d6 might well be a logical
defensive idea, but these positions are not at
all easy to handle. Importantly, the attack
after f4 comes quickly and requires Black to
show great care. 1:0.

Carlsen M. : Vallejo Pons F.
Sao Paulo/Bilbao 2012

Modern chess compels us to play with a
wide repertoire and Magnus Carlsen has one
of the widest of them all.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.ed5
Evgeny Alekseev has been playing this
variety of the exchange variation with
reasonable success in recent times. It gives
the game a more open quality than one is
used to in the French Winawer.
4...ed5 5.Bd3
Larsen was fond of 5.Qf3 here.
5...Nf6 6.Nge2 Bg4
Vallejo chooses a straightforward approach
with simple,quick development as his aim.
6...0–0 is, of course, a decent move, but
Black is outplayed in this recent game: 7.0–0
c6 8.a3 Bd6 9.Bf4 Re8 10.Qd2 Bg4 11.Bd6
Qd6 12.Qf4 Qf4 13.Nf4 Nbd7 14.f3 Be6
15.h4 h5 16.Rfe1 Nf8 17.b4 Bd7 18.Re8
Re8 19.a4 Ne6 20.Ne6 Be6 21.a5 a6 22.Re1
g6 23.Kf2 Kg7 24.Na4 Nd7 25.g4 hg4
26.fg4 Rh8 27.Kg3 Kf6 28.Nc3 Nf8 29.Re3
Ke7 30.Ne2 Kd6 31.Rf3 Ke7 32.Nf4 Bd7
33.Re3 Kd6 34.c4 dc4 35.Bc4 f6 36.Bb3
Rh6 37.Nd3 g5 38.hg5 fg5 39.Nc5 Rh4
40.Bd1 Kc7 41.Re7 Rh7 42.Re5 Rh1 43.Bf3
Rb1 44.Rg5 Rb4 45.Rg7 Rd4 46.Rf7 Rc4
47.Nd7 Nd7 48.g5 Rc5 49.Kh4 Kd6 50.g6

FIDE Surveys – Andrew Martin

4

Rc4 51.Kh3 Ne5 52.g7 Nf7, 1:0, Popov I. :
Vitiugov N., Tyumen 2012.
7.0–0 0–0 8.f3 Bh5 9.Nf4 Bg6 10.Ng6 hg6
11.Ne2

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-wq-trk+0
9zppzp-+pzp-0
9-+-+-snp+0
9+-+p+-+-0
9-vl-zP-+-+0
9+-+L+P+-0
9PzPP+N+PzP0
9tR-vLQ+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White has two Bishops and a small opening
edge as a result. Something to work with,
you would have thought. Importantly, Black
has been denied any active counterplay
whatsoever. 11.a3 is slightly more
ambitious, but Black should be able to get
into the game after 11...Bc3 (11...Bd6
12.Be3 c6 13.Qd2 Nbd7 14.Rfe1) 12.bc3 c5?
13.dc5 Nbd7 14.Rb1 Qc7.
11...Re8 12.Bg5 Be7 13.Ng3 Nbd7 14.f4!
If White can, he will play f4–f5!
14...Nh7! 15.Qf3
15.Be7 Qe7 16.c3 Qh4 17.Qf3 Nhf6 18.Rfe1
offered very little to White. Carlsen knows
he has to keep the pieces on for his
impending kingside attack.
15...c6
I think Black should take on g5 here:
15...Bg5 16.fg5 Ng5 17.Qd5. Now 17...Nb6!
is a good move, possibly underestimated by
Vallejo: 18.Qd8 (18.Qb7 Qd4) 18...Rad8
19.c3 Re3 20.Rad1 Rde8. In view of what
happens, this would have been much better
for Vallejo than the game.
16.h4 Ndf8
16...f6?

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-wqr+k+0
9zpp+nvl-zpn0
9-+p+-zpp+0
9+-+p+-vL-0
9-+-zP-zP-zP0
9+-+L+QsN-0
9PzPP+-+P+0
9tR-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

is just nonsensical here, inviting disaster on
the kingside: 17.Bg6! fg5 18.fg5 Rf8
(18...Ndf8 19.Qf7 Kh8 20.Nh5; 18...Ndf6
19.gf6 Nf6 20.Rae1+–) 19.Qh5 Rf1 20.Rf1
Ndf6 21.gf6 Nf6 22.Bf7 Kf8 23.Be6.
16...Qb6! has to be played if Black is just not
going to submit to being attacked. The move
was criticized as superficial on the
Chessbase website with the intimation that
Black was just going to be automatically
mated, but I just don't see this mate: 17.c3
(17.Qf2 Bd6 18.c3 Ndf6 19.f5 Ng4 20.Qf3
Ne5! 21.Qd1 Nd3 22.Qd3 Ng5 23.hg5 Qc7
24.fg6 fg6„) 17...Qb2 18.Rac1 (18.Rab1
Qc3) 18...Qa3 19.h5 gh5 20.Qh5 Ndf6
21.Qh4 Nf8.
17.Rae1 Qc7 18.Be7 Re7 19.Re5 f6?!
Vallejo plays too passively. Why not now
19...Rae8?
20.Re7+– Qe7 21.h5 gh5 22.Qh5
White now has the momentum he needs to
set the attack into serious motion . 22.Nf5
Qf7 23.Qg3 was a less obvious, but equally
effective method: 23...Kh8 24.Re1 Qg6
25.Re7 Qg3 26.Ng3 h4 27.Nf5±.
22...Qf7 23.Qg4 g6 24.Nf5 Kh8 25.Nh4 f5
26.Qh3 Qe6 27.Kf2!?
27.g4! seems very strong, the point of which
is 27...fg4 28.Qg3 with the idea of 28...Qf6
(28...Nf6 29.f5) 29.f5!±.

FIDE Surveys – Andrew Martin

5

27...Re8 28.Nf3 Re7
28...Qe3 achieves nothing: 29.Kg3 Qe7
30.Re1 Qd7 31.Ne5 Qg7 32.Kh2 with g2–g4
eventually to come. 32...Re6.
29.Ne5 Nd7 30.Rh1 Ne5 31.de5 c5 32.b3
OK, but 32 g4 looks better:
32.g4! fg4 33.Qh4 Rd7 (33...c4? 34.Bg6!
Qg6 35.Qe7) 34.Qg5 Rg7 (34...Kg8 35.Qg6
Qg6 36.Bg6 Nf8 37.Bf5 Rf7 38.Rh5+–)
35.Rh6 Kg8 36.Qg6!! Rg6 37.Rg6 and
Black is lost. Possibly by this stage the
players were getting short of time and
Carlsen wanted to defer any type of risk.
32...c4 33.bc4 dc4 34.Be2 g5 35.g3 Qb6
36.Kg2 Qe3?
36...Qc6 gave hope of a recovery: 37.Kf1
gf4 38.gf4 Qe4 39.Qf3 Qc2 40.Kf2 Qd2
41.Rd1 Qa5 42.Qe3 (42.Bc4 Qc5) 42...b5
43.Qd4 Qb6 44.Qb6 ab6 45.Rd5 Rc7.
37.Kf1+– Rf7 38.Qh5! Qg3?
He had to try 38...Re7 39.Rh3 g4 40.Rh4
Qg3 but even here the King is surprisingly
safe, allowing White to proceed with
41.Qg5! Rd7 42.e6+–.
39.Qf7+– Qf4 40.Kg2 Qe4 41.Bf3 Qc2
42.Kg3 f4
42...f4 43.Kg4 Black cannot prevent both
Qf8 mate and Rh7. 1:0.

Aronian L. : Anand V.
Wijk aan Zee 2013

The fourth round of Wijk aan Zee 2013
produced a spectacular game. There is ample
scope from just this one game for a whole
day of training!
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3
Nbd7 6.Bd3 dc4 7.Bc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bd6
A move with a similar motivation to 8...Bb7,
the Wade variation. Black tries to save a bit
of time by omitting or delaying ...a7–a6.
9.0–0 0–0 10.Qc2 Bb7 11.a3 Rc8
All well-known moves by now ...
12.Ng5
12.b4 attempts to cramp the Black queenside
but is very well met by 12...c5! 13.bc5 Bf3
14.gf3 Nc5 15.dc5 Rc5. Black has broken

the shackles and despite White's extra piece,
all he can do is return the material to save his
King: 16.f4 Nd5 17.Bb2 Nc3 18.Bc3 Qc7
19.Rfc1 Rc8! Regaining the piece. To be
honest, this all looks like prior preparation.
20.Bh7 Kh8 21.Bd3 Rc3 22.Qc3 Qc3 23.Rc3
Rc3 24.Bb5 Ba3 25.Kg2 g6 26.Rd1 Rc7
27.Rd7 Rd7 28.Bd7 Kg7 29.e4 Kf6 30.Kf3
a5 31.e5 Ke7 32.Ba4 Bc5 33.h3 Bb6 34.Bb5
Bc5 35.Ba4 Bb6 36.Bb5 Bc5 37.Ba4, draw,
Topalov V. : Kasimdzhanov R., London
2012.
12...c5!
Afterwards Anand mentioned that he had
prepared this classic, freeing break for the
2012 World Championship match against
Boris Gelfand. Black offers h7 and obtains a
strong initiative. It's also possible to take on
h2 though: 12...Bh2 13.Kh2 Ng4 14.Kg1
(14.Kg3? Qg5 15.f4 Qh5 16.Bh7 Kh8
17.Bd2 Qh2 18.Kf3 (18.Kg4 Qg2 19.Kh4
f5–+) 18...Qh4 19.Rh1 Nh2 20.Ke2 f5)
14...Qg5 15.f3 Ngf6 16.b4 Nh5 17.e4 Qe7
18.Ne2 e5 19.g4 Nhf6 20.Be3 h5 21.de5
Ne5 22.Bc5, Wojtaszek R. : Negi P.,
Germany 2012. Despite an eventual draw,
White has the advantage here.
13.Nh7
13.Bh7 is being suggested by my analysis
engine, but according to Anand Black has
compensation in all variations. Let us see if
this is true: 13...Kh8 14.f4
a) 14.h4 Bb8 15.Qd3 b4 16.ab4 cb4 17.Ne2
Bd5. White's position is difficult to organise;
b) 14.Bd3 Bh2 Black reverts to an earlier
variation, this time with interest! 15.Kh1
(15.Kh2 Ng4 16.Kg1 Qg5) 15...Bb8.
14...cd4 15.ed4 Qb6 16.Be3 Ng4 (16...Nd5
17.Qd3 N7f6 18.Be4) 17.Qd3 g6 18.Bg6 fg6
19.Qg6 Ndf6. White now forces a draw with
20.h3 Ne3 21.Qh6 Kg8 22.Qg6.
13...Ng4! 14.f4?!
Maybe 14.h3 but even then either 14...Bh2
(or 14...Qh4 15.f4 cd4 16.Nf8 Kf8 17.ed4
Qg3 18.hg4 Nf6 19.Qf2 Qd3÷) 15.Kh1 Qh4
16.Be4 Be4 17.Qe4 f5 18.Qe6 Kh7 19.Qd7
cd4 20.ed4 Bb8.

FIDE Surveys – Andrew Martin

6

14...cd4 15.ed4
White can take the exchange, but Black's
attack is very strong: 15.Nf8 Bf8 (15...Kf8
16.ed4 Qf6! 17.Qd2 Qd4 18.Kh1 Bc5
19.Be4 Be4 20.Qd4 Bd4 21.Ne4 f5 22.Nd6
Rb8 23.Bd2!) 16.ed4 Ndf6 17.h3 Qd4
18.Kh1 Bc5! 19.hg4 Ng4.
15...Bc5!
The fireworks commence. Black makes
room for his Queen to join the party.
16.Be2
Aronian is already feeling battered and
bruised. 16 Be2 runs into another spectacular
blow. Probably the only way is 16.dc5 Nc5
17.Nf8 (17.Qe2 Qd4 18.Kh1 Nd3) 17...Nd3
18.h3 Qd4 19.Kh1 Ndf2 20.Rf2 Nf2 21.Kh2
Kf8 22.Qe2!, with ideas of Be3 or Qxb5, but
intuitively one recoils from such a line, as
White's queenside is as yet, undeveloped.
16...Nde5!!
What a move! Smothered mate on f2 might
not be so far away.
17.Bg4
Two short variation see the mate graphically
displayed:
17.fe5 Qd4 18.Kh1 Qg1! 19.Rg1 Nf2#;
17.Nf8 Qd4 18.Kh1 Qg1 19.Rg1 Nf2#.
17...Bd4 18.Kh1 Ng4 19.Nf8
19.Ng5 f5 20.h3 Rf6! leaves White lost.
19...f5!
It is important for Black to be accurate.
19...Qh4? is surprisingly wrong: 20.Qh7!
Qh7 21.Nh7 Kh7 22.h3 22...Nf2 23.Kh2 a6
24.Ra2. A new game begins here.
20.Ng6 Qf6
White is so uncoordinated that he cannot
even begin to formulate a defence.
21.h3 Qg6 22.Qe2 Qh5 23.Qd3
23.Rf3 Nf2 24.Kh2 Bf3 25.Qf3 Qf3 26.gf3
Nd3 27.Kg3 a6 28.Ne2 Bb6 keeps the game
going for White, but it probably wouldn't
last very long anyway.
23...Be3!
Setting up the unstoppable threat of..,Qh3.
Superb! 0:1.

L'Ami E. : Wang Hao
Wijk aan Zee 2013

More from Wijk aan Zee, a game which
features one of the sharpest lines in the
Bogo-Indian complex.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4 4.Bd2 c5!
I have always had a liking for this variation.
Black entices White to take on b4, after the
which the black pawn will prevent the
Knight on b1 coming out to a good square.
5.Bb4
But this is what they almost always do.
5.g3 Qb6!? is another story entirely.
5...cb4 6.g3 0–0 7.Bg2 d6 8.0–0 a5
Black is fashioning the pawn structure to his
design. He almost always angles for dark-
squared control, with ...e6–e5 as the eventual
culmination of his opening plan.
9.a3 Na6 10.Nbd2 Qc7
10...Qe7 11.e4 e5 seems another very solid
way, possibly even preferable to our featured
game, although Wang had played 10...Qc7
before, with a positive result and that counts
for a lot. 12.Qe2 b6 13.Rfc1 Re8 14.Qe3
Sieciechowicz M. : Weichhold P., Rewal
2012, when 14...Qc7 is approximately equal.
11.Rc1
Previous Wang went 11.Qc2 Re8 12.Rfd1
Bd7 13.Rac1 Rac8 14.e3 e5 15.de5 de5
16.Ng5 Nc5 17.ab4 ab4 18.Bd5 Rf8 19.Qb1
Bg4 20.f3 Bh5 21.Nde4 Nfe4=, Zhou Weiqi
: Wang Hao, Xinghua 2010. Alternatively,
White managed a win with 11.h3 but this
does not look the sort of move to give Black
palpitations: 11...Rd8 12.e4 e5 13.Qe2 b6
14.a4 Bb7 15.b3 Re8 (15...ed4! 16.Nd4 Re8
17.Qd1 Nc5 is one obvious improvement)
16.Rad1 Rad8 17.Rfe1 ed4 18.Nd4 Nc5
19.f3 Nh5 20.Nf1 d5 21.cd5 Bd5 22.ed5
Re2! 23.Re2 g6 24.f4 Nf6 Black should be
winning this position 25.Nc6 Rd7 26.Ne5
Rd8 (Now, why not 26...Nb3! 27.Nd7 Qd7
28.d6 Nc5 29.Bf3 Qa4 when Black's pawn
armada is about to set sail.) 27.Nc6 Rd7
28.Ne5 Nb3 29.Nd7 Nd7 30.d6 Qc5 31.Kh2
Kg7? (31...Qc3! 32.Re8 Kg7 33.Re7 Nbc5

FIDE Surveys – Andrew Martin

7

34.Bd5 b3 35.Ne3 b2 36.Bf7 Kf8) 32.Re7
Qc8 33.Ne3 Nf6 34.d7 Qd8 35.Ng4 Kf8
36.Ne5 Nc5, 1:0, Karapanos N. : Zoler D.,
Chalkida 2009.
11...Rd8
11...b6 led to two recent short draws, which
tells us little other than the White players
were none too impressed with their chances:
12.e3 (12.Ne1 Bb7 13.Bb7 Qb7 14.ab4 Nb4
15.Nc2, draw, Nanu C. : Berescu A., Baile
Olanesti 2010) 12...Bb7 13.Ne1 Bg2, draw,
Jirovsky P. : Voloshin L., Czechia 1999.
12.Ne1
12.Ng5 h6 13.Nge4 Ne4 14.Ne4 Bd7.
12...e5
I would say the opening is now over and the
middlegame is about to begin. White has
very little to speak of and it is difficult for
him to create active chances. It's equal, but
my impression is that it is easier to play the
Black position.
13.Nd3 Bf5 14.e4 Bg4
Probing, to create weaknesses.
15.f3
After 15.Qc2 Black can successfully open up
the dark sqaures: 15...ed4 16.ab4 Be2
17.Rfe1 Bd3 18.Qd3 Qb6! 19.ba5 Nb4
20.Qb3 Qa5. I would say this is a very
thematic representation of what Black is
aiming for, where his dark-squared control is
strong and the proud white bishop on g2
ineffectual.
15...Bd7 16.ab4 Nb4 17.Nb4 ab4ł 18.Qb3
Qb6 19.c5!
Definitely the best try, although L'Ami
falters in the follow-up.
19...dc5 20.Nc4
But not 20.dc5 Qa5 21.Qe3 Qa2!, when
White's queenside is vulnerable.
20...Qa7 21.de5 Ne8 22.Qe3
22.Qc2 b5 23.Ne3 c4 24.Qf2 Be6 25.f4.
22...b5 23.Nd2?
It is hard to say why White didnt play
23.Nd6 as the position after 23...c4! 24.Qa7
Ra7 25.f4 Kf8 26.Rf2 Ke7 27.Nf5 Bf5
28.ef5 Nc7 is acceptable. White may be a bit

worse, but he has plenty of counterplay with
those advanced kingside pawns.
23...c4 24.Qa7 Ra7 25.Rfd1 Be6 26.Nf1
By contrast, White's passive knight is now a
liability and Wang even uses it to set up a
tactical winning trick.
26...Rd1 27.Rd1 c3 28.bc3 bc3 29.Ne3 b4
30.Bf1 b3 31.Rd8 g6
Yes,by now Black can even give away the
Knight.
32.Re8 Kg7 33.Bd3 Rd7 34.Bb1 Rd1!
35.Nd1 c2 0:1.
A very attractive finish.


Caruana F. : Svidler P.
Russia 2013

One of the greatest American chess thinkers
of the 20th century, Robert Byrne, passed
away in 2013. In our last game, Svidler
shows respect to Byrne by employing one of
his opening systems. This game was played
shortly after Byrne's death.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nc3
0–0 6.Nge2
6.Be3 is no longer automatic here, as White
players try to find a way around lines with a
quick ...c7–c5.
6...a6
I guess the idea is that 6...c5 7.d5 gives
White options based on Bg5. In our game
Caruana takes this opportunity immediately.
7.Bg5 c6 8.Qd2 b5
This method of counterplay gains in strength
when c4 is unprotected. Good timing by
Svidler.
9.h4 h5 10.0–0–0
10.e5 whilst the d file can be opened, looks
premature. Black acheived good prospects in
the following recent game: 10...de5 11.de5
Qd2 12.Bd2 Nfd7 13.f4 f6 (13...Nc5 14.Ng3
Bg4 also looks perfectly OK.) 14.ef6 Nf6
15.Ng3 e5! 16.fe5 Ng4 17.Nce4,
Harikrishna P. : WenY., Biel 2012, after
which 17...Be5! leads to a position which
can only be a bit better for Black 18.Bb4

FIDE Surveys – Andrew Martin

8

(18.0–0–0? Bg3 19.Ng3 Nf2) 18...Re8 19.0–
0–0 Bf4? 20.Kb1 Bg3 21.Ng3 Nf2.
10...Nbd7 11.g4!?
Really going for it, but White has burned his
bridges already by playing h4 and then
castling long. 11.e5 looks a bit more
dangerous now, but Black can lie on the
ropes with 11...Nh7! and soak up the
pressure: 12.Bh6 Nb6 13.Bg7 Kg7 14.Nf4
Psakhis L. : Gentilleau J., Andorra 1995 and
now 14...bc4! would have been best, with
plenty of counterplay.
11...b4 12.Na4 hg4 13.Ng3
If he moved on with 13.h5 we might have
seen an extraordinary sequence: 13...Nh5!?
14.fg4 Nhf6 15.Bh6 Ng4 16.Bg7 Kg7
17.Qf4 Rh8 18.Rh8 Qh8 19.Qg4 Nc5
20.Qg5 Na4 21.Qa5 Qh6 22.Kb1 Qe3
23.Qa4 Bg4.
White's Queen has enjoyed a world tour, but
I prefer Black in this final position.
13...Nh7 14.Bh6 gf3!
14...Qa5 was a serious alternative, but
Svidler cannot see a reason why he should
not capture on f3.
15.Bg7 Kg7 16.h5 g5!
Absolutely necessary, to block lines.
17.Qb4 Ndf6
17...Rb8! 18.h6 Kh8 19.Qd2 g4.
18.Rd3 g4
To the end White will be labouring to get rid
of the advanced Black pawns. This is classic
King's Indian play by Svidler, who first
drains all the life out of White's attack and
then completely takes over the position.
Caruana is already struggling to find a way
to revive his initiative.
19.Rg1?
19.e5! was the best try, initiating
complications and keeping Black's
advantage to a minimum: 19...Nd7 20.ed6
Rb8 21.de7 (21.Nf5 Kh8 22.Qd2 ed6 23.Nd6
Nb6 24.Nb6 Qd6 25.c5 Qf6; 21.Qd2 ed6
22.Nf5 Kh8 23.Nd6 Qg5! 24.c5 Ndf6)
21...Rb4 22.ed8Q Rd8.
19...Qc7 20.Qd2 Kh8 21.c5 Rb8 22.b3 Rg8
23.Rc3 e5!

Undermining what is left of the White
centre. What becomes clear is that the white
king is by far the more vulnerable of the two.
24.de5 de5 25.Qe3 a5 26.Nb6 Be6 27.Nc4
After 27.Bc4 Rbd8! Black can comfortably
allow his pawns to be doubled, as the d5
square is then covered and he can occupy d4.
28.Be6 fe6 29.Nc4 a4 30.ba4 Rd4.
27...a4
Another excellent move, opening lines.
28.ba4 Rb4 29.Nb6 Qa7 30.a5 Rd8 31.a6
Ba2
I think I prefer 31...Rbd4! 32.Bd3 Nd7
33.Nd7 Qd7, with total control, although as
Black wins quickly one can hardly be
critical.
32.Bd3 Bb3 33.Nf5 Be6 34.Kc2?
After this, White is swept away. 34.Ra3 put
up sterner resistance, but even there 34...Bf5
35.ef5 Rbd4 36.Bc2 e4 looks completely
winning for Black.
34...Bf5 35.ef5 e4 36.Bc4 Rc4 37.Rc4 Qa6
38.Qb3 Qa5 39.Rc3 f2 40.Rb1 e3 41.Nc4
e2

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-tr-+-mk0
9+-+-+p+n0
9-+p+-sn-+0
9wq-zP-+P+P0
9-+N+-+p+0
9+QtR-+-+-0
9-+K+pzp-+0
9+R+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

A very picturesque final position. 0:1.
Touchdown !I hope you have enjoyed this
series of games from the past year and that
you will able to use them profitably in your
teaching and training sessions.