Based on lectures by FM Steve Stoyko
In the Summer and Fall of 2005, FM Steve Stoyko gave a series of lectures at the Kenilworth Chess Club on Lasker's Defense to the Queen's Gambit Declined. Since then, many players at our club have made the Lasker part of their repertoires and quite a few have developed interesting innovations with it. Steve's lectures presented a complete repertoire for Black after 1.d4 d5, and I think anyone who plays through the 23 games and notes that follow will feel very comfortable playing the defense against any level of opponent. A brief bibliography and a PGN file is appended below for those who want to modify the repertoire to fit their own style of play.
Lasker's Defense typically begins 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 h6 6.Bh4 O-O 7.Nf3 Ne4, offering the trade of two minor pieces to ease Black's defensive task. It is a very straight-forward system, though there are many opportunities for both players to vary from the main line. For one thing, Black can reach the main position by various move orders, most notably from a Nimzo-Indian beginning 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 where Black chooses to return to Queen's Gambit lines rather than try the Queen's Indian or Bogo-Indian set-up. That "transpo trick" can be especially useful for confronting players who use alternative d4 systems, against which Black may benefit from keeping the d-pawn back. Black can also leave out ...h6, as Lasker himself generally did, which actually makes for a slightly different system (where, for example, Black more typically plays an early ...f5 advance because he worries less about weakening the g6 square near his King), but the modern method is to include ...h6 so that White does not gain time by attacking h7 with a Qc2 and Bd3 battery. The repertoire that follows also includes some ideas on how to handle various White alternatives, including: the Exchange Variation (with an early cxd5 by White, where we recommend an early ...Ne4! whenever possible); various White Bishop developments (including an early Bxf6 or Bf4 to sidestep the Lasker); and various other White systems (including the Torre, Catalan, and Colle).
Part One: Main Line with 9.Rc1
Most GMs prefer the strong positional system with 9.Rc1, where White often gains lasting pressure along the c-file and on Black's queenside pawns. At the highest levels, both Yusupov and Kasparov have shown that Black can play an early Pc6, often accepting a safe but rather passive and cramped position, in order to secure a draw. While that method of playing the Lasker works well at the GM level, where having a safe way to gain a draw as Black can help win tournaments or matches, at the amateur level it is not especially attractive. But Black has alternatives, and former Kenilworth Champion Scott Massey demonstrated a more interesting method for Black against Stoyko himself in the 2006 Kenilworth Chess Club Championship.
Game One
Steve Stoyko (2350) - Scott Massey (2212) [D56]
Kenilworth CC Ch, Open/Kenilworth, NJ USA 2006
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5
4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 has often been Stoyko's preference, but likely he wanted to see what Scott had in mind.
4... Be7 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. Nf3 Ne4!
The Lasker Variation, which was the cornerstone of Steve's recommended 1.d4 d5 Black Repertoire lecture series this past summer at the club. Playing the Lasker against Steve, though, takes some guts.
8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1
The strongest move and preferred by GMs. Black has a very nice time generally against 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Nd2 f5= (10... e5!?), as we will see.
9... Nc6!
Though this move has been played before, it remains rather unknown to theory. It may well be Black's best. The idea is to play a more useful "temporizing" move than the more traditional pawn to c6 (which is the method preferred by the great Lasker champion Yusupov). The Knight will temporarily block White's pressure on the c-file while speeding Black's development so that he can deal with that pressure without creating pawn weaknesses. The Knight will then remaneuver to a more useful square. The Knight move also allows Black to play a quick ...e5 break in some lines without the time-wasting preparations of ... c6 and ...Nd7.
Also possible is the more direct method with 9... Nxc3 10. Rxc3 Nc6 11. a3!? (11. Bd3 Nb4!? 12. Bb1 dxc4 13. Rxc4 b6 14. a3 Nd5 15. Ne5 Ba6
)
11... Rd8 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Bb5 Nb8! 14. Qc2 c6 15. Bd3 a5 16. O-O Nd7 17. Rb1 a4 18. Qd1 Qf6 19. Bc2 Nb6 20. Ne5 Bf5 21. b3 axb3 22. Rcxb3 Nc4 23. Nxc4 dxc4 24. Rxb7 Rxa3 25. Qc1?? Rc3!
26. e4?! (26. R1b2 Qg6)
26... Bxe4 27. Bxe4 Rxc1+ 28. Rxc1 Qxd4 29. Bf3 c3 30. h3 Qd2 31. Rbb1 Ra8 32. Be4 g6 33. Rc2 Qd4 34. Bxc6 Qd3 35. Rcc1 c2 0-1 Winants,L-Rechmann,K/Ostend open 1990.
10. cxd5
White has several alternatives:
a) My notes on Steve's lecture give 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Nd2 f5 12. c5 as the reason 9...Nc6 is not his own recommendation, but I am hardly convinced and Steve clearly was not either during his game.
b) Black seems fine after 10. Qc2 Nxc3 11. Qxc3 Nb4!? (an alternate Chigorin-like plan is 11... Rd8 12. a3 a5 13. Be2 Bd7 14. O-O Be8 15. Rfd1 a4 16. Bd3 dxc4 17. Qxc4 Rdc8 18. Qc3 Na5 19. Bb1 Bb5 20. Qc2 g6 21. Ba2 Nb3 22. Bxb3 axb3 23. Qd2 Bc6 24. Ne1 Rd8 25. Rc3 e5 26. Rdc1 Qh4 27. Rxb3 exd4 28. Rb4 dxe3 29. Qxe3 Qg5= 30. f4 Qg4 31. f5 Qxf5 32. Qxh6 Qf6 33. Nc2 Ra5 34. Rf1 Qg5 35. Qxg5 Rxg5 36. g3 Rd2 37. Rf2 Rd1+ 38. Rf1 Rgd5 39. Ne3 Rxf1+ 40. Kxf1 Rd2 41. h4 Kg7 42. g4 1/2-1/2 Litinskaya Shul,M-Sikora Gizynska,B/Lubniewice tt 1994)
12. Qb3 (12. a3? Na2
)
12... dxc4 13. Bxc4 Rd8 14. O-O b6 15. e4 c5! 16. dxc5 bxc5 17. Ne5 Bb7 18. Qe3 Rd4!
19. f3 Qd6 20. Qf4 Rf8 21. Qg3 Rd2 22. Bb3?! Ba6! 23. Rfd1?! Nxa2! 24. Ra1 (24. Bxa2?? Rxd1+)
24... Qd4+ 25. Kh1 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Qxb2 27. Bxa2 Qxa2 28. Nd7 Rc8 29. Nf6+ Kh8 30. Nh5 Qb2 31. h3 g6 32. Qd6 Bb5 33. Ng3 Kg7 34. e5 c4 35. Ne4 c3 36. Qe7 c2 37. Qf6+ Kg8 38. Rd8+ Rxd8 39. Qxd8+ Kg7 40. Qf6+ Kf8 41. Qh8+ Ke7 42. Qf6+ Ke8 0-1 Kerssemakers,H-Phillips/Netherlands 1993 (42).
c) 10. Bd3 has brought White the most success in practice: 10... Nxc3 (10... f5?! 11. O-O Nb4!? 12. Bb1 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nc6 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Qb3 Qd6 16. Bd3 a6 17. c4 Na5 18. Qc3 Nxc4 19. Bxc4 dxc4 20. Qxc4+ Be6 21. Qxc7 Qxc7 22. Rxc7
1-0 Timar,Z-Hamory,J/Pest Megye Egyeni 1992 (51))
11. Rxc3 (11. bxc3!? is hardly a natural follow-up to 9.Rc1, but it is a logical response to Black's early Knight move, which puts pressure on d4 and supports an e5 advance. There might follow 11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. Bd5! exd4 (not 13... e4?! 14. Nd2 with pressure on the e4 pawn, but maybe best is 13... Qd6! 14. Bxc6 Qxc6 15. dxe5 Qg6
and Black seems to have sufficient compensation for a pawn with great play on the light squares)
after which Black has to accept a pawn weakness or take risks upon 14. Bxc6 dxe3!? 15. Bb5 and I'm not sure Black has enough for the piece)
11... e5! (This is one of Black's ideas behind ...Nc6. Also interesting is 11... Nb4!? 12. Bb1 dxc4 13. Rxc4 b6 14. a3 Nd5 15. Ne5 Ba6)
12. cxd5 Nxd4 13. O-O Nxf3+ 14. Qxf3 f5 15. Qg3 Qd6 16. Rfc1 c6 17. dxc6 bxc6 18. Bc4+ Kh8 19. Bb3 Bd7 20. Rd1 Qe7 21. f4 e4 22. Qe1 Rfd8 23. h3 Be8 24. Rdc1 Rd3 25. Bc4 Rd6 26. Be2 Rad8 27. R1c2 Rd5 28. Kh2 Qd6 29. Ra3 Rd2= and Black had equalized, but he soon began to go wrong and lost: 30. Qc1 Rxc2 31. Qxc2 Qd2 32. Qc4 a5 33. Rb3 Qd5?! (33... a4!)
34. Rb7! Qxc4 35. Bxc4 Kh7 36. g4 (36. Ra7)
36... Rd2+ 37. Kg3 fxg4 38. hxg4 h5? 39. Rb8 Bg6 40. Bg8+ 1-0 Flear,G-Chaplin,E/St Affrique 2001 (40).
10... Nxc3 11. Rxc3
Black seems fine after 11. bxc3 exd5 12. Qb3 Rd8=
11... exd5 12. Bb5
a) 12. Bd3! Bg4! 13. O-O Qf6?! (13... Nd8!? 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 is similar to the main game and seems a better idea)
14. Bb1 g6 15. h3! Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxf3 17. gxf3 Rad8 gave Black an overly passive endgame where White's doubled pawns were no liability: 18. Rfc1 Rd6 19. a3 f5 20. f4 g5 21. fxg5 hxg5 22. Rb3 b6 23. Rbc3 Rff6 24. b4 a6 25. Bd3 b5 26. Bxf5 Ne7 27. Bg4 c6 28. Kg2 Kg7 29. Kg3 Kg6 30. Rh1 Nf5+ 31. Bxf5+ Kxf5 32. h4 gxh4+ 33. Rxh4 Rg6+ 34. Kf3 Rdf6 35. Rf4+ Kg5 36. Rxf6 Rxf6+ 37. Ke2 Kg6 38. Rc1 Kf7 39. Rh1 Kg7 40. f4 Rf7 41. Kf3 Rf6 42. Rh5 Rd6 43. f5 Rd8 44. Kf4 Re8 45. Rg5+ Kf7 46. Rg6 Rc8 47. Ke5 Re8+ 48. Re6 Rc8 49. Kd6 a5 50. Kd7 Ra8 51. Kxc6 axb4 52. axb4 Rc8+ 53. Kxb5 Rc3 54. Kb6 Rc2 55. b5 Rf2 56. Re5 Re2 57. Kc6 1-0 Kopasov,E-Khatenever,F/St Petersburg 2002 (57)
b) 12. Be2?! Qd6 13. O-O Bf5! 14. a3 a5 (14... Rfc8!?)
15. Qb3 Rfb8! 16. Rfc1 a4 17. Qd1 Nd8 18. Bb5 Qb6 19. Bxa4 Qxb2 20. Rxc7 Qxa3 21. Bc2 Bxc2 22. Qxc2 Qd6 23. Ne5 Nc6 24. Rxf7 Nxe5 25. dxe5 Qxe5 26. Rc7 b5 27. g3 b4 28. Qb3 Kh8 29. R7c5 Ra1 30. Rxa1 Qxa1+ 31. Kg2 d4 32. exd4 Qxd4 33. Rc1 1/2-1/2 Naumkin,I-Caruso,A/Padova 2000
12... Nd8!
a) Also good seems to be 12... Nb8!? 13. Qc2 c6 14. Bd3 Nd7 15. O-O Nf6 16. Rb1 a5 (16... Ne4!?)
17. b3 Ne4= 18. Bxe4 Qxe4 19. Qxe4 dxe4 20. Nd2 Re8 21. a3 Be6 22. Nc4 Ra6 23. Nd6 Re7 24. b4 Ba2 25. Rbc1 axb4 26. axb4 Bd5 27. Rc5 b6 28. b5 Ra8 29. R5c2 Re6 30. bxc6 Rxd6 31. c7 Rc8 0-1 Holzapfel,D-Runau,R/Germany 1989 (31).
b) 12... Bd7?! This move seems a little too passive, but Black demonstrates an interesting tactic for dealing with White's pressure on the c-file: 13. O-O a6 14. Bxc6 Bxc6 15. Qc2 Bb5! 16. Rc1 (16. Rxc7 Qd6 17. Rc1 Bc6=)
16... Qd6 17. a4 (17. Rxc7 Bc6!=)
17... Bd7 18. Qb3 (18. Ne5 c6 19. Rb3
)
18... Qb6 (18... c6!? 19. Qxb7?? Rfb8)
19. Qxb6 (19. Qxd5 Bxa4 20. Qc4 Bd7 21. Qxc7
)
19... cxb6 20. Rb3 Bxa4 21. Rxb6 Rac8 22. Ra1 Rc7 23. h4 Bb5 24. Rd6 Rd7 (24... Rc2 25. b3 Rb2 26. Ra3 Rc8)
25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. Ne5 Be6 27. Rc1 Rc8 28. Rc5 b6 29. Rxc8+ Bxc8 30. Kf1 f6 31. Nd3 Kf7 32. Ke2 a5 33. Kd2 Ke6 34. Kc3 Kd6 35. b4 Ba6 36. Nb2 axb4+ 37. Kxb4 Bf1 38. g3 b5 39. Nd1 Kc6 40. Nc3 Bd3 41. Ka5 f5 42. Na2 Bc4 43. Nb4+ Kd6 44. Kb6 g6 45. f4 h5 46. Nc6 Ke6 47. Kc5 Be2 48. Na7 Bc4 1-0 GM Susan Polgar-Max Sherer/Simultaneous Exhibition 2007. Max was 9-years-old at the time of this game and held up well against the GM and former women's world champion. Maybe the opening had something to do with it?
13. Bd3
13. Qc2 c6 14. Bd3 leaves Black's knight not as well placed as in the example above, though the position hardly seems bad for Black long term.
13... Bg4! 14. h3 Bxf3! 15. Qxf3 c6 16. O-O
White gains nothing from 16. Qf5 g6 17. Qg4 Ne6 18. h4!? h5 19. Qg3 Nxd4! 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21. Qxg6+ Qg7 22. Qxg7+ Kxg7 23. exd4 Rf4 24. Rd3 Re8+.
16... Ne6 17. Rfc1 Ng5 18. Qh5 f5 19. h4 Ne4
Here Scott accepted a draw from Steve. After the game, Scott was very magnanimous and said, "You taught me well," referring to Steve's lectures. But I think that Scott's 9th move suggests that he was quite the active learner.
1/2-1/2
[Michael Goeller]
Part Two: Main Line with 9.cxd5
Another popular line is 9.cxd5, which forces Black to exchange Knights and strengthen White's center with 9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 exd5 when the eventual c4 advance for White will gain a preponderance of pawns in the center. However, Black's rapid development and piece play in the center and on the kingside more than compensate for White's slight structural plus. As Yusupov demonstrated in one of his games with Karpov, Black gets a lot of play in this line and can often damage White's castled position. The following game was featured in Steve Stoyko's first lecture on the Lasker.
Steve Stoyko Lectures on the Lasker
Game Two
Stoyko Lecture #1
Anatoly Karpov - Arthur Yusupov [D57]
Candidates Match /1989
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3
There are a number of possible move orders: 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 (6... Ne4!? was Lasker's own preference)
7. Bh4 (the alternatives 7. Bf4 or 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 will be considered below)
7... Ne4 transposes to the main line.
3... Nf6
The transpositional 3... Be7!? is sometimes played to discourage the Exchange Variation since after 4. cxd5 exd5, the White Bishop cannot go to its best square at g5 but instead must settle for 5. Bf4 Nf6=
4. Bg5
a) Later we will consider 4. cxd5 exd5 ( Steve does not recommend meeting the exchange with the Semi-Tarrasch 4... Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5) 5. Bg5 Be7 (the least commital and consistent with the Lasker set-up, though also played are 5... c6 or the trappy 5... Nbd7!? when 6. Nxd5?? Nxd5 7. Bxd8 Bb4+ 8. Qd2 Bxd2+ 9. Kxd2 Kxd8).
b) Also possible is 4. Bf4!? which had a lot of interest for several years until Black players figured out what to do, which will be covered later.
4... Be7
4... h6? 5. Bxf6 gxf6 (5... Qxf6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Nxd5)
6. cxd5 exd5
5. Nf3 O-O 6. e3 h6
For good coverage of 6... Ne4, which is not discussed here, I recommend the work of Soltis or Van der Sterren given in the annotated bibliography at the end of this article.
7. Bh4
a) After 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 there are pluses and minuses for both players--the chief minus being that White can attack on the kingside with g4-g5 attacking the h6 pawn and labelling that move a problem. However, Black has active counterplay in the center and the queenside with a speedy ...c5.
b) After 7. Bf4 Black can also play an early ...c5. This is discussed in more detail below.
7... Ne4
It's tactically advisable for the defense to exchange some pieces. By exchanging a piece or two, Black is able to mitigate White's initiative and pawn advantage in the center. Generally, two pieces will be traded, though white has some options to preserve his Bishop.
You can expand your repertoire to add 7... b6!? -- the Tartakower Variation -- for play against opponents you'd rather not simplify against.
8. Bxe7
Black does well if White tries to avoid this natural Bishop trade:
a) 8. Nxe4?! Bxh4! (8... dxe4 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nd2 transposes to a line in the Lasker bbut allows White 9.Bg3!?) 9. Nxh4?! dxe4! 10. Qg4 g5! 11. O-O-O Kh7! (not 11... f5?! 12. Qh5=)
b) 8. Bg3!? is problematic from a development standpoint, and Black gets a good game with 8... b6! developing his last piece, possibly with Ba6 or Bb7 depending on the position. Also possibble is 8... Nxc3!? 9. bxc3 when the c-file is shut down and Black has less to worry about with the Bishop pointing toward c7.
8... Qxe7
No good is 8... Nxc3? 9. Bxd8 Nxd1 10. Be7 Re8 11. Ba3
9. cxd5
This is the main line, though there are other moves including:
a) 9. Rc1 -- as discussedin Game 1 above -- when best may be 9...Nc6!
b) 9. Qc2
c) 9. Bd3 is covered below in Game 7.
d) 9. Nxe4 is discussed in several games below, including Game 5, which shows how Black gets a nice center and kingside initiative.
9... Nxc3
Not 9... exd5? 10. Nxd5
10. bxc3 exd5
Steve said, "The books often say that this position is drawish and boring, but I have won from this position 100% of the time in my 30 years experience playing this line."
11. Qb3!
This is the best move for White, putting pressure on Black right away.
a) 11. Bd3 c5! (also interesting is 11... Be6) and Black can easily get the edge, as we see in Game 6 below.
b) 11. Be2?! is a typical defensive move, trying to prevent the pin by Bg4. 11... Be6!? (11... Bf5?! 12. Qb3 c6 and Black has trouble developing his Knight.)
(11... b6!? with ideas like ...c5 and ...Ba6)
12. Rb1 b6 and Black is very comfortable with ideas like ...c5 and ...Nd7 or ...Nc6.
11... Rd8!
a) 11... Qd6!? was a second idea in the 50s of Guimard and Eliskases, with the idea of playing an early ...c5. But with the Queen at d6 you can run into ..c5 Qa3! which is a royal pain in the neck. 12. c4! c6 and we are passive again(12... dxc4 13. Bxc4 Nc6 (13... Bg4? 14. Ne5)
14. O-O Bg4 15. Nd2)
b) 11... c6?! is how the old timers would play it, rather passively 12. Rb1 b6 13. Bd3.
12. c4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Nc6!
This is the critical move that solves all of Black's development problems: it stops Ne5 and even threatens ...Nxd4 due to the pin on the e-file. White also has to deal with Na5 forking Queen and Bishop.
14. Qc3
a) White does no better with the natural 14. O-O Na5! 15. Qc3 Nxc4 16. Qxc4 Be6 17. Qc3 (17. Qc2 Rac8 followed by ...c5 (17... Bd5!? 18. Ne5)
)
17... Bd5 18. Ne5 Qg5 19. g3 Qh5!?
b) 14. Be2!? b6 is fine for Black who also has other options, as shown in Game 4 below.
14... Bg4!
And White is behind in development and under attack.
15. O-O
a) 15. Be2 Bxf3 16. gxf3 (16. Bxf3? Nxd4 17. Bxb7 Rab8)
16... Rac8 is safest and best, especially in discouraging Queenside castling.( Black has tons of good ideas: 16... Nb4 17. a3 Nd5)
(16... Qg5)
(16... Rd6!? 17. O-O? Nxd4!! 18. exd4 Qxe2 19. Qxc7 Rg6+ 20. Kh1 Qxf3#)
b) 15. Nd2? Nxd4
15... Bxf3 16. gxf3 Qf6 17. Be2!
17. f4!? Black has resouces such as Qh4, Ne7, Nd5 or other attacking ideas.
17... Rac8!
The old timers used to play 17... Rd7 with the idea of bringing the Knight over to h4 via Ne7-g6-h4 and White is in trouble.
18. Rab1 b6
Reveals one reason behind Qf6 which was dual action, defending the Knight and attacking f3.
19. Rfc1
19. Ba6 Ne7! Yusupov says this was his idea, which he says gives him at least a forced draw due to Black's attacking chances. The idea is to give up the exchange to get the defender of the White squares of the board.(19... Qxf3 20. Bxc8 Rxc8 (20... Rd6 21. Rfc1)
)
19... Ne7 20. Kh1 Rd5!
with ideas like ..c5 or ..Rh5 and ...Qh4
21. Qc2 Qh4 22. f4 Qxf2 23. Bg4 Qxc2 24. Rxc2 f5 25. Bf3 Rd7 26. Rbc1 Nd5?! 27. Bxd5+ Rxd5 28. Rxc7 Rxc7 29. Rxc7 Ra5 30. d5!
30. Rc2 Ra3 31. Re2 Kf7
30... Kf8 31. d6 Ke8 32. Rxg7 Rxa2 33. Kg1 a5?! 34. Re7+ Kd8 35. e4 fxe4 36. Rb7 e3 37. Kf1 a4?
37... Rxh2 38. Rxb6 Rf2+
38. Rxb6 a3 39. Ra6 Rf2+ 40. Ke1 a2 41. f5! Kd7
41... Rxh2? 42. f6! a1=Q+ 43. Rxa1 Rh1+ 44. Ke2 Rxa1 45. f7!
42. f6 Ke6 43. Ra8! Kxd6 44. f7 Rxf7 45. Rxa2 Kc5 46. Ra6=
Yusupov should have won this game, and the only reason he did not win was because his opponent was Karpov! But what did Black do that was so mysterious? Nothing. He developed logically and made simple moves. The only thing he did new was he found the idea ...Rc8, which is also perfectly logical. So it really doesn't matter who you are, you can play like this.
1/2-1/2
[Michael Goeller]
Game 3
Carlos E Guimard - Erich Gottlieb Eliskases [D57]
Mar del Plata (1) 1941
Game 4
Miguel Najdorf - Carlos E Guimard [D57]
ARG-ch/Buenos Aires (1) 1955
Part Three: White Exchanges Knights with 9.Nxe4
The most pleasant line for Black to play against is where White chooses to exchange both Bishop and Knight by 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Nxe4 dxe4 when Black gets great play in the center and on the kingside by either ...f5 or an immediate ...e5.
Game 5
Stoyko Lecture #2
Mark Kernighan - Steve Stoyko [D56]
Mt. Arlington, NJ USA (2) 2005
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 h6 7. Bh4 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Nd2
White threatens Nxe4. The only way for Black to defend the pawn directly is with ...f5, but that move has some drawbacks, including trapping Black's light squared Bishop.
10... e5!?
"I no longer believe the move is sound" says Steve. The only alternative is:
10... f5! "I think this is most correct. The idea is to first prepare the e-pawn advance by Nd7-f6 and c6 and only then push ...e5. White's only good counter to this plan is basically to play c5 and Nc4-d6 -- but Black's central play is too fast. 11. c5 e5 12. Bc4+ (12. d5!? Qxc5 13. Rc1 Qa5 14. b4 Qxb4 15. Rxc7 f4 16. Qb3)
12... Kh8 (12... Be6 13. Qb3)
13. O-O
11. d5
Practically forced.
11. Nxe4? exd4 12. Qxd4? Rd8
11... f5
"But isn't that just a transposition to ...f5 lines?" "No."
Protecting e4 with the Bishop is usually too passive: 11... Bf5?! 12. f3!? (12. Qc2)
12. Qc2 Nd7
This is the critical position.
13. Be2
"White's best is 13. O-O-O! Nf6 (13... Nc5)
14. Kb1! End of attack. White still has the 4-to-3 majority on the Queenside and if ...c6 White is happy to allow the exchange at d5 to give him a monster passed pawn. White should play tight - like Texas Hold 'em." That's why Steve doesn't like 10...e5, but many in the audience were not convinced. You be the judge.
13... Nf6 14. O-O-O
"Now this move is very combative. White gets away from the possible kingside pawn-storm by f4-f3 for example. Now White might open lines on the kingside -- if Black gives him time."
14... c6 15. dxc6
15. d6! Qxd6 16. Nxe4 "and it's a game."
15... bxc6
Stoyko says, "being completely objective, White is very slightly better, but it is very tricky to play."
16. c5
16. f3
16... Be6
"A natural move, pointing another piece at the King. Black will double Rooks on the b-file and get a ready made attack. So I give my opponent credit for originality here for preventing that plan."
17. Ba6?!
"This move gets five stars for originality but only one for soundness. This does help stop Black's plan -- but it moves the same piece twice and fails to get a counterattack going." Safe and sound is 17. Bc4 Bd5!? (17... Nd5 18. g4!? (18. Bxd5?! cxd5)
)
17... Rab8 18. a3
The logical follow-up. White's plan is to take away all of the doubling squares for the Rooks. While the White King looks airy, there is no way to get to it -- at least right away."
18... Nd5!?
"I don't think this is necessarily the best move, but I had correctly predicted my opponent's next logical move and planned a sharp retort."
19. b4?
As expected. Better is probably 19. g4.
19... Rxb4!!
Not as good is 19... Nxb4? 20. axb4 Rxb4
20. axb4? Nxb4
Gaining a tempo to get all the pieces into the attack. The Queen has to surrender the c-pawn with check and may lose the Bishop. So Black has plenty of compensation. So much for White's plan of keeping Black from using the b-file!"
21. Qa4 Qxc5+ 22. Kb1 Rb8
The King has nowhere to go. After you play over this game, I don't think you'll fear the 9.Nxe4 line as Black.
23. Nb3
23. Ka1 Qc3+
23... Qc2+ 24. Ka1 Qc3+ 25. Kb1 Bxb3 26. Bc4+ Bxc4 27. Qxa7 Ba2+
27... Qb3+ 28. Ka1 (28. Kc1 Qc2#)
28... Nc2#
28. Qxa2+ Nxa2+ 29. Kxa2 Qb2# 0-1
Part Four: Early Bd3 Development
White typically develops the light-squared Bishop to d3 in the Queen's Gambit Declined, so many players will develop the Bishop to that square in an almost unthinking way. In some lines, the move is quite appropriate. In others, it allows Black to quickly liberate his game with ...c5.
Game 6
Lubomir Ftacnik - Ventzislav Inkiov [D57]
Moscow 1983
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6
A classic game reached a position similar to that in the game, but without ...h6 (following Lasker's own preference): 6... Ne4 7. Bxe7 Qxe7 8. cxd5 Nxc3 9. bxc3 exd5 10. Qb3 Rd8 11. Bd3 c5 12. Qa3 b6 13. O-O Nc6 14. Bb5 c4 15. Qxe7 Nxe7 16. Ba4 Bf5 17. Rfc1 a6 18. Bc2 b5 Black's chances of creating an outside passed pawn on the queenside should give him a long-term edge. But he has to be careful that White does not organize at attack on the kingside. Exchanging Bishops must favor Black since it elminates a potential counter-attacker for White and a potential defender of the light squares. But Treybal must have assumed he should keep the piece to support the advance of his pawns. 19. Nd2 Be6?! Black should certainly trade or allow the trade of Bishops.(19... Rab8)
20. Rcb1 f5 21. a3 Ng6 22. f4!? Rdb8 23. Nf3 Rb7 24. Ne5 Nxe5 25. fxe5 Rab8 26. Rb2 a5 27. Rab1 Kf7?! (27... g6!)
28. Rf1! b4 29. axb4 axb4 30. g4! Kg8 (30... g6 31. e4!!)
31. gxf5 Bd7 32. e6 Bc6 33. cxb4 Rxb4 34. Rxb4 Rxb4 35. Ra1 Kf8 36. Ra6 Be8 37. e4 Rb5 38. Ra8 Ke7 39. Rxe8+ 1-0 Marshall,F-Treybal,K/Folkestone 1933.
7. Bh4 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. cxd5 Nxc3 10. bxc3 exd5 11. Qb3 Rd8 12. Bd3 c5!
12... Nc6!? 13. O-O b6 Black's idea is to use his pieces to control key squares. But I think the idea of ...c5 followed by creating a queenside majority is much more effective.(13... Rd6?! 14. Rae1 Bg4 15. Nd2 Qg5 16. f4! Qh5 17. e4 (17. Qxb7!?)
17... dxe4 18. Nxe4 Na5 19. Qc2 Bf5? (19... Rdd8 20. f5)
20. Nxd6 Bxd3 21. Qxd3 cxd6 22. Re3 Qd5 23. Rfe1 1-0 Granara Barreto,S-Rey,F/Villa Ballester ARG 2005)
(13... Bg4?! 14. Qxb7 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Qd6 16. Qa6)
(13... Rb8!? 14. Rfe1 Bg4)
14. Rac1 (14. Rfe1 Be6!? 15. Qc2 Na5 Black stops c4, but white has another break: 16. e4! Qa3!? 17. e5?! (17. Ne5!)
17... c5 18. Nd2 (18. Re3!?)
18... cxd4 19. cxd4 Rac8 20. Qb1 Rc3 21. Bh7+ Kh8 22. f4? Qa4! 23. f5 Bc8 (23... Qxd4+)
24. e6 Kxh7 25. Nf3 fxe6 26. fxe6+ g6 27. Kh1 Nc6 28. Nh4 Qc2 29. Qb4 Qd3 30. Qb2 Qxd4 31. Rad1 Rd3 32. Qc2 Qxh4 33. Qxd3 Qe7 34. Qb5 Qd6 35. Rc1 Nd4 36. Qa4 Nxe6 37. Qxa7+ Bd7 38. Rb1 b5 39. a4 b4 40. a5 d4 41. a6 Kg8 42. Qb7 Bc6 43. Qb6 Bxg2+ 0-1 Halldorsson,B-Arnason,A)
14... Bg4 15. Qb5 (15. Nd2)
15... Na5? (15... Bxf3! 16. Qxc6 (16. gxf3 Na5)
16... Qg5)
16. Ne5! Be6 17. Bb1? Qg5!? 18. f4! Qh4 19. Qd3 (19. f5!)
19... f5! 20. Rf3 c5 (20... Nc4)
21. Qb5 cxd4 22. exd4 Nb7 23. Qc6 Nd6 24. Bxf5? Bxf5 25. Qxd5+ Kf8? (25... Kh7!)
26. Nc6? (26. g4!! Bh7 (26... Be4 27. Qxe4!! Nxe4 28. Ng6+)
27. f5)
26... Be4! 27. Qe5 Bxc6! 28. Rg3 Qf6 29. Qh5 Qf5 30. Qh4 Kg8 31. Qxh6 Qf7 32. Qh4? Nf5 0-1 Tomkivich-Sherer/Blitz:5' 2007/[Sherer,Max]
13. Qa3 b6
13... Qc7 14. O-O c4 15. Bc2 Nc6 16. Rfe1 b5 By skipping ...b6, Black has managed to advance his Queenside majority more quickly than Inkiov did. 17. e4 Be6 18. Rab1 Rab8 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Be4 Qf4 21. Bxd5 Rxd5 22. Re3 (22. Qa6)
22... a5! 23. Rbe1 Qd6 (23... Rh5)
24. Qc1 (24. Qxd6 Rxd6 25. Nd2! Kf8=)
24... Rh5 25. g3 Qd5 26. Qc2 g6 (26... f5 27. Re8+)
27. g4! Rh3 28. Kg2 Rxf3 29. Rxf3 b4 30. Qe4 Qxe4 31. Rxe4 b3! 32. axb3 cxb3 33. d5 b2! 34. Re1 Ne5 35. Rfe3 f6 (35... Nc4!)
36. f4 Nc4 37. Re4 Nd2 38. Ra4 b1=Q 39. Rxb1 Nxb1 40. c4 Rb4 41. Rxa5 Rxc4 42. Ra8+ Kf7 43. Ra7+ Ke8 44. Ra8+ Ke7 45. Ra7+ Kd6 46. Ra6+ Ke7 (46... Kxd5 47. Rxf6 Rc6)
47. Ra7+ Kd6 1/2-1/2 Thorsteinsson,T-O'Connor,E/Panormo GRE 2001.
14. O-O Nd7
14... Nc6 15. Qb2 Be6 16. Bb5 Rac8 17. Bxc6?! Rxc6 18. a4 Bf5 19. Ne5 Re6 20. a5 Be4 21. axb6 Rxb6 22. Qe2 c4 23. Qg4 f6 24. Ng6 Qd7 25. Qg3 Kh7 26. Nh4 Rdb8 27. Nf3 Bd3 28. Rfc1 Rb1! Black clears off the Rooks so that his outside passed pawn can march forward to victory. 29. Rcxb1 Rxb1+ 30. Rxb1 Bxb1 31. h3 a5 32. Qb8 Bc2 33. Nd2 Qf5 34. Qb5 a4 35. e4 Qg5 36. f4 Qxf4 37. Qxd5 a3 38. Qa5 Qg5 39. Qxa3 Qxd2 0-1 Gagunashvili,M-Nigalidze,G/Tbilisi GEO 2007.
15. Rfe1 Bb7 16. Rab1
16. Bf5 Nf6 17. Ne5 Re8 18. Qa4 Ne4 19. Qc2 Qf6 20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. a4 1/2-1/2 Ljubojevic,L-Andersson,U
16... Qe6 17. Qb2 c4 18. Bc2 Re8 19. Nd2 Nf6 20. Re2 Ne4 21. Nf1 f5 22. Rbe1 Re7 23. f3 Nd6 24. Ng3 Rf8 25. Qb4
25. e4 fxe4 26. fxe4 dxe4 27. Nxe4 Nxe4 28. Bxe4 Bxe4 29. Rxe4 Qxe4! 30. Rxe4 Rxe4 Soltis
25... Kh8 26. h3 Qd7 27. h4 Qc7 28. Nh5 g5!? 29. Kf2 a5 30. Qb1 Rh7 31. Rh1 Bc6 32. Ree1 Be8 33. hxg5 hxg5 34. Ng3 Bg6 35. Rxh7+ Bxh7 36. Rh1 Ne4+ 37. Nxe4
37. fxe4? fxe4+ 38. Ke2 Qxg3
37... fxe4 38. Rh6 g4 39. Qxb6 g3+ 40. Kg1
40. Kf1 Qxb6 41. Rxb6 exf3
40... Qxb6 41. Rxb6 exf3 42. Rh6 f2+ 43. Kf1 Rf7 44. Rh3 Re7 45. e4
45. Bxh7 Rxe3!!
45... dxe4 46. d5 Re8 47. a3 Re5 48. d6 Re6 49. Rxg3 Rxd6 50. Re3 Rd8 51. Ba4 Rd2 52. Bc6 Ra2 53. Bxe4 Bg8
"With the elimination of the kingside pawns, Black's winning chances have sharply declined" - Soltis. Perhaps Black should consider one of the alternatives shown in the illustrative games above.
54. Re2 Rxa3 55. Kxf2 a4 56. Bc6 Ra1 57. Ke3 a3 58. Kd4 Rd1+ 59. Kc5 Rc1 60. Kb4 Rb1+ 61. Kxa3 1/2-1/2
Game 7
Vinny Puri (2246) - Steve Stoyko (2293) [D57]
Las Vegas Masters/Las Vegas, NV USA (7) 2006
The following game is from Steve Stoyko's games at the 2006 Las Vegas Masters. Black gains a clear advantage but misses some winning opportunities. The ending, where White's active Queen and Rook help hold a draw despite being a pawn down, is worth some attention.
1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4
White can sidestep QGD transpositions several ways, including by 3. b3.
3... Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5
Steve considers the Exchange Variation with 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 more of a challenge for Black.
5... O-O 6. e3 h6
Lasker used to play the Knight move immediately with 6... Ne4 possibly to avoid 6...h6 7.Bxf6 and White gains time in exchange for the Bishop pair.
7. Bh4 Ne4
The standard Lasker's Defense idea. Black seeks to exchange off pieces and reduce White's attacking force. He will then pursue a break by . ... c5 or ....e5 with equality.
8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Bd3
Steve considers this move the least challenging of White's choices at this point, mostly because Black has no problem now liberating his game after the trade of knights and of pawns (with tempo). To review White's alternatives:
a) 9. Rc1 is the most challenging move, but Black has a good antidote in 9...Nc6! as we saw in Game 1.
b) 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Nd2 f5 is good for Black, who has chances of developing a kingside initiative, as we saw most dramatically in Game 5.
c) 9. cxd5 Nxc3 10. bxc3 exd5 11. Qb3 Rd8 12. c4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Nc6!= as in Game 2.
9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 c5
I have also seen Steve try 11... b6 12. O-O Ba6!? 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. Qb3 c5 15. Ne5 Rac8 16. Rfe1 Rfd8= -- but the c5 break seems most natural.
12. O-O Nc6
"I generally prefer this Knight development" Steve says. The chief alternative idea is 12... b6 13. Qe2 Bb7 14. e4 Nc6 15. Rad1 Rad8 16. Rd2 e5 17. d5 Na5 18. Bd3 Bc8 19. Ne1 Rfe8 20. Bb5 Bd7 21. Bxd7 Qxd7 22. Nf3 Nb7 23. Rb2 Nd6 24. c4 Rb8 25. Nd2 1/2-1/2 Cramling,P-Krogius,N/Genova 1989 (25).
13. Bb5!?
To trade off the good Knight and make Ne5 possible.
13. Qe2 e5 14. d5 Na5 15. e4 Bg4 16. Bd3 Qf6 17. Qe3 Bxf3 18. gxf3 b6 19. Kh1 Nb7 20. Bb5 Nd6 21. Bc6 Rab8 22. Rg1 Kh8 23. Rg4 Nc4 24. Qe2 Nd6 1/2-1/2 Lugovoj,M-Gejko,V/Korolev 1999 (24).
13... Bd7 14. Qe2 Rac8 15. e4 cxd4 16. cxd4 a6 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Rfc1 Qa3!
