1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5

3... c5!? 4. dxc5 ( Richard Palliser makes a good case for the dynamic 4. c4!?) (or 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c4 in Dangerous Weapons: The Caro-Kann) 4... e6 (4... Nc6 5. Bb5 e6 6. Be3 Nge7 7. c3 Nf5 8. Bd4 1-0 Areshchenko,A-Khenkin,I/Eppingen GER (23)) 5. Be3 (Tal's 5. Qg4!? may be the better try according to Watson) 5... Nh6! (5... Ne7 6. c3 Nf5 7. Bd4 Qc7 (7... Nxd4!? 8. cxd4 b6 9. b4 a5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Qa4 Kotronius, e.g.: 11... Qg5 12. Ne2 Qxg2 13. Rg1 Qxh2 14. a3! threatening c6) 8. Bd3 Bxc5 9. Bxc5 Qxc5 10. Bxf5 exf5 11. Nf3 Boleslavsky) 6. c3 Nd7 7. Bb5 Nf5 8. Bd4 a6 9. Ba4 Be7 Houska.

 

4. h4 h5

a) 4... h6 5. g4! Bd7 (5... Be4? 6. f3 Bg6 7. h5 Bh7 8. e6! fxe6 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Qd6 11. f4 Nf6 12. Nf3 Nbd7 13. Qg6+ Kd8 14. Ne5 1-0 Gelashvili,T-Nauryzgaliev,A/Turin ITA 2006 (14)) and now 6. Nc3 with a dynamic game might be my current preference.

 

b) 4... Qb6 most logical if Black intends a French Advanced formation. 5. g4 Bd7 (5... Be4? 6. f3 Bg6 7. h5) 6. c4! (the best way to challenge Black's French set-up) 6... dxc4 (6... e6 7. c5! 1-0 Vasiukov,E-Deviatkin,A/Moscow 2002 (51) gives White a powerful bind.) 7. Bxc4 e6 8. Nc3 c5!? 9. d5! 1-0 Rodrigues,J-Morais,G/Portugal 2002 (31).

 

5. Bg5!?

The Caveman -- or, in this case, "Cavewoman" perhaps? The idea is to inhibit the natural e6, and to induce Black to blunder into a mastodon trap with Qb6 and Qxb2.

 

5... Qb6

5... f6!? suddenly strikes me as a try, when perhaps best is 6. Be3 and( though it is tempting to go full-bore caveman with 6. Bd3!? Bxd3 7. Qxd3 fxg5 8. Qg6+ Kd7 9. e6+ Kc7 10. hxg5 when Black is practically bound hand and foot) 6... Qb6 7. Bd3 would be similar to the main line.

 

6. Bd3 Bxd3

Perhaps the most principled response would be 6... Qxb2 7. Bxf5 Qxa1 (7... e6 8. Nd2 exf5 9. Ne2 Bb4 10. Rb1) 8. e6 and though White has compensation for the Exchange, the situation is unclear. I would have liked to have seen Lahno's preparation tested here just for my own knowledge!

 

7. Qxd3

7... e6

A safe and natural move which has been played before.

The mammoth trap occurs after 7... Qxb2? 8. e6! Qxa1 (8... fxe6 9. Nf3 Nd7 10. O-O Qxa1 11. Qb3 e5!? 12. Nc3 Qxf1+ 13. Kxf1 e4? (13... Rb8 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 e6 16. Ne2 is still a fight.) 14. Ne5! Nxe5 15. Qxb7! after 15. ..Rd8 16. dxe5 White wins the c-pawn and has a winning initiative. 1-0 Firman,N (2494) -Makarov,V (2172)/Alushta UKR2006) 9. Qb3 Qxd4 (9... b5 10. Nf3 (10. Ne2 a5 11. O-O a4 12. Qa3 fxe6 13. Nd2 Qxf1+ 14. Nxf1) 10... Nf6 11. O-O Ne4 12. exf7+ Kd8 13. c3 a5 14. Ne5 a4 15. Nxc6+ Nxc6 16. Qxd5+ Kc7 17. Na3!) 10. Be3 Qe5 (10... Qe4 11. Qxb7 Qxe6 12. Qxa8 Qe5 13. Nf3 Qb2 14. O-O) 11. Qxb7 fxe6 12. Nf3 Qd6 13. Ng5 Nh6 14. Bc5 Qd8 15. Qxa8 Nd7 16. Qxc6 Qa5+ 17. Nd2 Qxc5 18. Qa8+ Nb8 19. Qxb8+ Kd7 20. O-O Qc7 21. Qb5+ Qc6 22. Qa5 a6 23. Ndf3 Qb5 24. Ne5+ Kc8 25. Qc3+ Kb8 26. a4 Qb6 27. a5 1-0 Kaufeld,J-Gibbs,D/ Hastings ENG 2010.

 

8. Nd2 Qa6

8... Ne7 9. Ngf3 Qa6 10. c4 Nf5 11. O-O Bb4 12. a3!? (more similar to Lahno's game was 12. b3 Nd7 13. Rfd1 c5 14. a3 Bxd2 15. Qxd2 O-O 16. cxd5 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Nxe5 18. Nxf5 exf5 19. d6 f6 20. Qd5+ Rf7 21. Rac1 Nc6 22. Bf4 g6 23. b4 Qb6 24. b5 Ne5 25. Bxe5 fxe5 26. Rc7 Raf8 27. Qe6 1-0 Aveskulov, V-Morchiashvili,B/Istanbul Univers) 12... Bxd2 13. Nxd2 Nd7 14. b3 c5 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Qf3 Qc6 17. b4 Nd7 18. Rfe1 Nb6 19. cxd5 Nxd5 20. Ne4 b6 21. Rac1 Qd7 22. Red1 O-O 23. Qxh5 (23. Nc3) 23... Rfc8 24. Nc3 Rc4 25. Nxd5 Rxc1

26. Nf6+!! (but this may be even more like Lahno's win) 26... gxf6 27. Bxc1 Qe7 28. g4 Ng7 29. Qh6 Ne8 (29... fxe5 30. Bg5) 30. Bb2 Rd8 31. Re1 fxe5 32. Bxe5 f6 33. Bb2 e5 34. g5 Qe6 35. Qg6+ Kh8 36. gxf6 Nxf6? (36... Qg8 37. Qxg8+ Kxg8 38. Rxe5) 37. Rxe5 Rd1+ 38. Kg2 Qc6+ 39. Re4!! 1-0 Arzumanian,G-Vedmediuc,S/ Kharkiv.

 

9. c4 Bb4

9... c5 10. Ngf3 and White benefits from the opening of the position due to her lead in development.

 

10. b3 Ne7 11. Ne2!

A subtle improvement on Aveskulov -Morchiashvili, Istanbul 2006, cited above, which reached a similar position but with Nf3. Placing the Knight at e2 creates the interesting possibility of challenging Black's Knight at f5.

 

11... Nd7 12. O-O Bxd2

12... f6!? 13. a3! Bxd2 14. Bxd2 fxe5 15. dxe5 Nxe5? (15... dxc4 16. bxc4 Nxe5? 17. Qe4 Nxc4 18. Bg5) 16. Qe3 N5g6 17. Nd4!

 

13. Qxd2 Nf5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Ng3!

A fantastic resource, which makes it impossible for Black to castle safely.

 

15... Nxg3

Opening up the f-file for White's attack, but there was hardly anything better:

a) 15... g6? 16. Nxf5 gxf5 17. Qb4

b) 15... O-O 16. Nxh5

c) 15... Ne7 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Qg5+ Kf8 18. Nxh5

 

16. fxg3 O-O

17. Bf6!! gxf6

17... Qb6 18. Bxg7! Kxg7 19. Qg5+ Kh7 20. Qxh5+ Kg7 21. Qg5+ Kh8 22. Rf6 is given by Malcolm Pein

 

18. exf6 Rfc8 19. Qh6 Nxf6 20. Qg5+! Kf8 21. Qxf6

1-0

[Michael Goeller]