French Defense Repertoire, Part Two
Winawer - Petrosian Variation
The Petrosian Variation of the French Winawer
is typically characterized by 4....Qd7 followed by...Bxc3+, ...b6, and ...Ba6,
but there are actually a number of ways that Black can achieve the same closed
system of play, including with the immediate 4...b6 with the idea of answering
5.Qg4 with 5....Bf8! (since the apparent loss of time in the Bishop's retreat
is hard for White to exploit in such a closed position). The chief point
of 4...Qd7 is that Black can now answer 5.Qg4 (or more commonly 5.a3 Bxc3+
6.bxc3 b6 7.Qg4) by ...f5! and the Black Queen protects the vulnerable g7
square along the rank. Since the Bishop does not need to retreat in this
line, Black will typically exchange it for the Knight at c3 to double White's
pawns and isolate the a-pawn, which often proves a long-term structural weakness.
Black will usually then play to exchange the other Bishop by ...b6 and ...Ba6
(to eliminate the "bad bishop" while depriving White of the Bishop pair),
though Black can also keep his light-squared Bishop "at home" by playing
...b6 and ...Bb7!? followed by queenside castling. This is exactly how Petrosian
himself plays in the game below against Olafsson from Bled 1961, where he
keeps the Bishop to help protect his king and potentially to support an eventual
kingside initiative. Our French Repertoire Group looked at Petrosian's game
by way of an introduction to the system and will probably return to consider
this line in greater depth, especially since we are now convinced that Black
can sidestep the supposed "refutation" of this system by 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3
b6 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qg3 Ba6 9. Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Ne2 Nb8 11. Nf4 Nc6? 12. Nxe6! Qxe6
13. Qxg7 with a huge advantage for White once he extracts his Queen (which
analysis by Neil McDonald suggests he can do).
Fridrik Olafsson - Tigran V. Petrosian [C16]
Bled (11) 1961
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Qd7 5. Qg4
There is a supposed "refutation" of this line, but Black appears to have several sidesteps (as indicated): 5. a3 Bxc3+ (5... Bf8!?)
6. bxc3 b6 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qg3 Ba6 (8... Nc6!? 9. Nh3 Bb7 10. Nf4 O-O-O is similar in character to the main game)
9. Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Ne2 Nb8 11. Nf4 Nc6? (11... Kf7!? 12. Qf3 Ne7 13. Qh5+ Kg8
has been tried)
12. Nxe6! Qxe6 13. Qxg7 Qg6 14. Qxh8 O-O-O 15. Bd2! McDonald(15. Be3?! Rd7! Watson 16. O-O-O (16. f4! Nd8 17. g4 Nf7 18. gxf5 Qg2 19. Rg1 Qxg1+ 20. Bxg1 Nxh8 21. f6
Valvo)
16... f4! 17. Bxf4 (17. e6? Schiller 17... Rd8!
Valvo)
17... h6 18. Rd3! Watson(18. g4? Rh7 19. Qxh7 Qxh7 20. Bd2 Na5!
Valvo)
(18. Bxh6 Rh7 19. Qxh7 Qxh7
)
18... Rh7 19. Rg3 Qxg3 20. Qxh7 Qxf4+ 21. Kb1
)
15... Rd7 16. O-O-O Nd8 (16... h6 17. g4! f4 18. h4 Rh7 19. h5 Qf7 20. e6
)
17. h4 Nf7 (17... h5 18. e6)
18. h5 Qg4 19. f3 Qxg2 20. Qxh7
5... f5 6. Qg3
6. exf6?! Nxf6 7. Qh4 c5
6... b6 7. h4
7. a3 Bf8! (7... Bxc3+ 8. Qxc3!)
7... Bb7!?
7... Ba6 8. Bxa6 Nxa6 9. Nh3 O-O-O (9... c5!?)
10. Nf4 Kb7 11. a3?! (11. Bd2)
11... Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 (12. Qxc3 c5)
12... Nb8 Zatulovskaya-Javanovic/Vrnjacka Banja/1965/
8. Bd3!?
8. Bd2 Nc6 9. Nf3 O-O-O 10. O-O-O to be followed by 11.Ne2, 12.Nf4 Clarke
8... Nc6 9. Nge2
9. Nf3 O-O-O 10. Bd2 intending Ne2, c2-c3, Nf4, Ng5 with advantage says Keres
9... O-O-O 10. Bd2 Nh6!?
"Relying on the fact that White will be unlikely to part with a Bishop and present him with an open line for his Rooks merely to double his pawns" writes Clarke. But, according to Keres, that's precisely what White should do.
11. a3?!
a) 11. Bxh6! gxh6 12. Qe3 intending g3 and Nf4, Keres
b) 11. O-O-O!? Clarke
11... Be7! 12. Bb5
12. Qxg7?! Ng4! and "the White Queen would be in altogether too perlious a position" writes Clarke. But no annotator has examined the complexities of 13. Bg5! (13. Bb5?! Nxf2!
)
13... a6!? (13... Rdg8 14. Qf7 h5 15. Bb5! Bxg5 16. Qxd7+ Kxd7 17. hxg5 Rxg5)
14. Bxe7 (14. Qf7 h5!? 15. Bxe7 Rde8 16. Nxd5 Qxd5 17. Bf6 Nxf6)
(14. f3 Ne3 15. Bxe7 Rhg8 16. Qxh7 Nxg2+)
14... Rdg8 15. Qf7 Nd8 (15... h5!? 16. f3 Nd8 17. Qxg8 Rxg8 18. Bxd8 Qxd8 19. fxg4 Rxg4 20. O-O-O)
16. Qh5 Qxe7
12... Rdg8
a) 12... Kb8?! 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. Qxg7 Ng4 15. Bg5!
b) 12... a6?! 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. Qxg7 Ng4 15. Bg5
Clarke
13. Qd3 Nf7 14. O-O-O Kb8!
Clarke notes that "Petrosian here reveals his profound understanding of postional play. Instead of getting on with an advance on the K side, as many players would have done, he devotes his attention to the other wing -- because on that part of the board there is still room for improvement.... Thus he makes doubly sure of the initiative."
15. Nf4 Qc8! 16. Nce2 Ncd8!
17. Qb3?
"Losing a pawn by force" notes Clarke.
Better , though still worse for White, was 17. c3 c5 18. Kb1 Clarke and Keres
17... c6!
Forcing the Bishop back in order to prevent a later Nd3.
18. Bd3 c5 19. dxc5 Bxc5
19... bxc5?! 20. c4
20. Nh3 Nxe5 21. Bf4 Ndf7 22. Bb5
The pin is easily broken after either 22. Ng5 Bd6
or 22. Qc3 Bd6
22... Ka8 23. Nd4 Ng6 24. Qa4 Bxd4 25. Bd7 Qf8 26. Rxd4
26. Bxe6!? Be5! 27. Bxd5 (27. Rxd5 Bxf4+ 28. Nxf4 Nxf4 29. Qxf4 Qe7!)
27... Bxd5 28. Rxd5 Qb8! 29. Qc6+ (29. Rd7 Bxf4+ 30. Kb1 Rc8)
29... Qb7 30. Qxb7+ Kxb7 31. Rd7+ Kc6 32. Rxf7 Bxf4+ Clarke
26... e5! 27. Rb4
No better are 27. Rxd5 Nxf4!
or 27. Bc6 Qc8!
27... exf4 28. Rxb6 Nfe5 29. Rxb7
"White's last defiant gesture" notes Clarke.
29... Kxb7 30. h5 Qd6 31. hxg6 Qxd7 32. Qxf4 Nxg6 0-1
