% BOOKTITLE = The Killer Sicilian: Fighting 1 e4 with the Kalashnikov
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "About this Publication"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "2"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]

{Are you searching for a new weapon against 1 e4? Look no further - choose the
Killer Sicilian! --- In this book, opening expert Tony Rotella presents a
Sicilian repertoire for Black, the backbone of which consists of the
Kalashnikov Variation. The Kalashnikov is an ideal choice for those looking to
take up the Sicilian. Black follows an easy-to-learn system of development,
with clear strategic aims. What's more, in many lines Black can choose between
aggressive and positional options. It's no coincidence that the Kalashnikov
has attracted such attacking talents as World Championship candidate Teimour
Radjabov and multi-time US Champion Alexander Shabalov. --- Rotella critically
examines the main lines and lucidly explains the key positional and tactical
ideas for both sides. He also shows what Black should do against White's
various Anti-Sicilian options. Read this book and unleash the Killer Sicilian!
} 1. e4 c5 {. Tony Rotella is an experienced correspondence player, teacher,
analyst and openings theoretician, from Ohio, USA.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Foreword"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Alex Shabalov"]
[PlyCount "2"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]

{What defines the relationship between a chess player and his pet opening? Is
it the number of hours that Kramnik has spent on the Berlin, the defence that
brought him the world championship title in 2000? Is it the enormous
confidence Svidler puts in his Grünfeld Defence, an opening that's allowed him
to stay in the world elite for more than two decades? How was it possible that
Kasparov and Gelfand defended the Najdorf for so long when the whole world was
preparing against them? --- I'm sure every story like this is a love story. It
usually starts with a spark of some kind, and then you have to live through it
when, inevitably, every good thing comes to an end. This is why I love opening
books with a personal touch - I never bother to read an opening monograph if
the author has not played the line himself. --- This book is dedicated to one
of the most controversial openings in chess history. Sveshnikov's discovery
was a revolution back in the late seventies when he started playing ...e5 in
the Sicilian Defence. It took the chess world nearly 20 years to fully embrace
his 'weakness for dynamic compensation' concept, and as such both the
Sveshnikov and Kalashnikov peaked in popularity from 1995 to 2010. Thousands
of chess players jumped on the 'Sveshnikov Express' during these years and I
was one of them (by the way, the line was never known as the Kalashnikov back
in Russia, it was always known as the Accelerated Sveshnikov). Here is my
story. --- Back in 1981, the inventor himself, Evgeny Sveshnikov, married a
girl from Latvia and started to spend more and more time in Riga. Of course,
on more than one occasion, I had to hear motivational talks about the
"objectively best" system for Black against} 1. e4 {. Everyone who was ever
subjected to these 'lectures' will never forget them: Evgeny Ellinovich was
never shy in defence of his brainchild, always ready to share new plans and
ideas. But you know how it works inside a teenager's head - the more something
is forced upon you, the more rejection it generates. And I was not an
exception. The first time I played the Accelerated Sveshnikov system was
fifteen years later. Needless to say, I regret that to this day. --- Most
Kalashnikov players graduate to 4...e5 after years of playing the Sveshnikov 
(which seems to be a necessary prerequisite), though it was the other way
around in my career. I started to look for ways to organize my cocktail of the
French/Alekhine/Pirc and ten different Sicilians into something more
predictable in the mid-nineties. My only condition was the possibility of an
early ...f5. That's how I came across the game Lutz-Kramnik from the
Bundesliga in 1996 (see Chapter 4, Line B2 to check out the game). This game
was a quick draw, but the concept was absolutely delightful and I was
instantly hooked. --- I worked out a few of the critical lines, which marked
the beginning of my ongoing love/hate relationship with the opening. It took
me about 5-6 years to become fully comfortable playing with the 'eternally'
weak d5-square, at which point I switched to the full-fledged Sveshnikov in
the mid 2000's as my main opening. The Classical Sveshnikov and Accelerated
Sveshnikov are psychologically different lines, and so when the Classical
Sveshnikov abruptly fell out of fashion around 2011 (11 c4 being the main
reason), the Kalashnikov did not suffer collateral damage. Everyone who played
it before kept on playing it. --- I did not know what to expect when Tony
asked me to look at his new book. The subject was still too touchy for me, a
super-nostalgic reminder of the glory days. All my doubts disappeared when I
first opened the book. First of all, this is an old world, classical chess
opening book - the kind no one does any more. And by that I mean there are
indeed words, and a lot of words, not just cold, obscure lines and computer
assessments. --- It's a delightful read, the kind of book you should study in
the comfort of your home with some warm tea and other extras. There's no
rating range for those who want to study this book, from a grandmaster down to
a beginner who is finally ready to answer 1 e4 with something other than 1...e5. A nice invention is the key takeaways at the end of each chapter, a real
treat for people with chess Alzheimer's like me. If you've decided to switch
to the Kalashnikov from a non-Sicilian opening, here again Tony takes care of
you, as all possible lines after 1 e4 c5 are covered. This is a gigantic work
packed into a very attractive form, encyclopedic in nature and practical in
use. --- This book is not a quick fix manual, but if you are ready to invest
some time into the legendary Kalashnikov, it will help you gain a friend for
life.} c5 {. Alex Shabalov} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Introduction"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "2"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]

{History:} 1. e4 c5 {The history of the Kalashnikov variation started off with
a bang. In the 64th game played between Frenchman Louis Charles Mahé de La
Bourdonnais and Irishman Alexander McDonnell during their famous 1834 match,
the following piece of art was created (see the following game).} *

[Event "London"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1834.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "McDonnell, A."]
[Black "De La Bourdonnais, L."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1834.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2015.02.28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Bg5 Be7 8.
Qe2 d5 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Bb3 O-O 11. O-O a5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Rd1 d4 14. c4 Qb6
15. Bc2 Bb7 16. Nd2 Rae8 17. Ne4 Bd8 18. c5 Qc6 19. f3 Be7 20. Rac1 f5 21. Qc4+
Kh8 22. Ba4 Qh6 23. Bxe8 fxe4 24. c6 exf3 25. Rc2 Qe3+ 26. Kh1 Bc8 27. Bd7 f2
28. Rf1 d3 29. Rc3 Bxd7 30. cxd7 e4 31. Qc8 Bd8 32. Qc4 Qe1 33. Rc1 d2 34. Qc5
Rg8 35. Rd1 e3 36. Qc3 Qxd1 37. Rxd1 e2 {. One of the most fantastic positions
in all of chess history, produced (roughly, as White's 5th isn't exactly the
main focus of the work you just purchased) by the very subject of this book by
two of the best players in the world over a century and a half ago.} 0-1

[Event "Soviet Team Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ulibin, M."]
[Black "Sveshnikov, E."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2015.02.28"]

{Sadly, Black's opening choice barely sparked a flame, only being essayed by
Staunton in three games during the period 1840-1851, and only then
sporadically all the way up until the 1980's, when the Kalashnikov's
popularity boomed under the wings of Russian legend and independent-minded
openings theoretician Evgeny Sveshnikov. Shunning the massive amount of theory
building up behind his namesake defence, Sveshnikov moved on to familiar but
fertile grounds, pushing forth the theory of the Kalashnikov with crisply
played and active games like the one below, typical of his style.} 1. e4 c5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Be7 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3 Be6 9. Be2
Nd4 10. Nc2 Nxe2 11. Qxe2 Nf6 12. O-O Rc8 13. Ne3 O-O 14. Rd1 Qc7 15. b3 b5 $1
16. Ned5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. cxd5 Qc2 19. Qg4 $4 f5 $1 20. exf5 h5 $1 21.
Qf3 e4 $1 22. Qxh5 Rxf5 $1 {. A well-played game by both sides up until
White's tragic 19th move. Others quickly followed the trails blazed by
Sveshnikov, most notably players like Nigel Short, Sergey Tiviakov, Dusko
Pavasovic, even Vladimir Kramnik and our last world champion Viswanathan Anand,
perhaps inspired by Tiviakov holding him to a draw three years earlier with
the Kalashnikov. --- Today, the line-up of Kalashnikov champions is no less
impressive - perennial Top-10 GM Teimour Radjabov, Radjabov's trainer and
attacking wizard Igor Nataf, the unpredictably brilliant Vassily Ivanchuk,
4-time U.S. Champion Alexander Shabalov, Alexei 'Fire on Board' Shirov, and
die-hards like Alexander Moiseenko and Vyacheslav Ikonnikov, whose games are
peppered throughout the entire book. Kalashnikov games of today are
complicated and hard-fought.} 0-1

[Event "Aeroflot Open, Moscow"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sebag, M."]
[Black "Shabalov, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2015.02.28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 Be7 8.
Nc4 Nf6 $6 9. Ne3 O-O 10. g3 Be6 11. Bg2 Rc8 12. O-O Na5 $5 13. Qd3 b5 14. b3
Nb7 15. a3 Qd7 16. Bb2 Bd8 $1 17. f4 Bh3 18. Nf5 $6 Bxf5 19. exf5 Bb6+ 20. Kh1
Bd4 21. Rab1 $2 Rxc3 $1 22. Bxc3 Nc5 23. Qf3 e4 24. Qe2 Bxc3 25. g4 d5 26. Rbd1
Qc6 27. g5 Ne8 28. Qg4 Kh8 {White's tricks ran out, and Shabalov easily cashed
out against the promising French GM after 23 more moves.} 29. Rg1 a5 30. h4 b4
31. a4 d4 32. Bf1 d3 33. cxd3 Nxd3 34. Rg2 Qd5 35. Kh2 Nd6 36. f6 Nf5 37. fxg7+
Bxg7 38. Qh3 Nd4 39. Bxd3 Nf3+ 40. Kg3 exd3 41. Rf2 Qxb3 42. Qf1 Nd4 43. Rxd3
Qxa4 44. Rfd2 b3 45. f5 Be5+ 46. Kh3 Qb4 47. Qf2 Nc6 48. Rd1 b2 49. Qf1 a4 50.
Qh1 Qc4 51. f6 b1=Q 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Why Play the Kalashnikov?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "10"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 {. It's becoming awfully
cliché to label Black defences 'flexible', but I'm going to jump on the
bandwagon and do it anyway, knowing that this time it's actually true. While
in variations of the Sicilian Defence like the Dragon, Najdorf, or Sveshnikov,
if White wants to have a go at a Shirov-like decimation of your position (e.g.
6 Bg5 against the Najdorf or the Yugoslav Attack against the Dragon), he can
do so. In the Kalashnikov, Black generally makes that choice. As an example,
in the four chapters focusing on 6 c4, I cover both the immediate and
aggressive ...f5 and the more usual, positional lines with ...Nf6, when the ...f5 break will come much later (if at all). --- The Sveshnikov and Kalashnikov
variations are also interesting in that it's common that play occurs in all
sectors of the board, a lot of times simultaneously. Black has a key pawn
break in each sector (...f5, ...d5, or ...b5) and plans surrounding all of
these, and White has similar (the a4 break, the d5-square and weak d6-pawn,
f4-f5 plans, and so on). All of the aforementioned factors give Kalashnikov
positions a very rich feel, something I'm sure will keep the reader interested
in the opening for a long time. I know that this richness has kept me
enthusiastic about a book that's taken me four years to finish. --- Nowadays,
White players are usually surprised to see 4...e5. It's rarity leads most
players to study this opening much less than the more popular variations of
the Sicilian Defence, if it all. Current coverage in white repertoire books is
also not particularly up to date or well researched - most were written before
our choice against 6 N1c3 even became popular. White's play in Chapter 1 is
probably the most theoretically critical in the whole book, and despite this,
95% of my games over the board don't fall into this chapter at all, or deviate
before I get to play my 10th or 11th move. Going even further, the critical
variation in this chapter (16 c3, though this is purely my opinion) has only
been tried in two games in my database. --- The Kalashnikov also gives players
new to the Sicilian Defence a safe and thematically oriented repertoire to get
their feet wet, one which allows them to transition quite easily into the
murky and complicated depths of the Sveshnikov should they desire to do so
later. The more balanced pawn structure and improved king safety tend to make
the Kalashnikov a little bit more positional than its more popular sibling 
(all bets are off if Black ventures an early ...f5 though), while still
maintaining similar elements. I myself have both in my repertoire, and find it
nice to be able to dodge preparation while maintaining a cohesive and thematic
repertoire; one that allows me to use the same choices against the
Anti-Sicilians as well. World-class GMs like Teimour Radjabov and Igor Nataf
use the same approach with their repertoires too, with great success.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "About This Book"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "4"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]

{I've tried to give the ambitious black player looking for a strong repertoire
in the Sicilian Defence everything he could want. I aimed to walk the
tightrope between giving strong players enough analysis to chew on and players
new to the Sicilian enough verbal explanations and strategic guidance to
succeed - I hope that every reader finds enough in this book to make them
happy. --- A suggestion - players new to the Sicilian Defence should read the
commentary and stick to the bold lines at first to become familiar with the
ideas and most popular variations. Players at club level should pay very
special attention to Chapter 2 - my experience wielding the 6 N1c3 a6 7 Na3
Be7 variation is that very few play the critical 8 Nc4, and that playing à la
the Sveshnikov with 8 Nd5 is overwhelmingly popular, even among the FM and IM
players that I've battled on many occasions over the internet. Special care
should also be given to handling the Rossolimo. I see this in around half of
my games that start with} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 {. Perhaps this is because a lot
of players are happy to play 3 Bb5 against 2...Nc6, but less happy to play 2...d6 3 Bb5+, as 3...Bd7 tends to be a bit dry. --- Readers will invariably
notice that I'm 110% biased towards the black side of the Kalashnikov. While
I'm rooting for the player wielding the black pieces every time, I've tried to
be as objective as possible in the final evaluations of positions. If it's
equal, I've tried to say so, while emphasizing Black's favourable imbalances
such that he can play with purpose later, even if best play fizzles out to a
split point. --- Due to the complex nature of the Sicilian Defence, I've
chosen a tree structure instead of the more reader-friendly and entertaining
'complete games' structure. I've always found it easier to assimilate all of
the relevant information and 'download' it into my biological hard-drive when
the material is well organized and systematic. I've typically found it
difficult to see the big picture of opening systems when I have to piece
together 15 complete games I'd just studied into a mental tree, instead of
seeing the material presented that way in the first place. And with all of
that said, I've tried to include game fragments and famous games in their
entirety anyway if I found them to be useful or interesting. --- I hope that
the reader finds my weapons against the Anti-Sicilians to be adequate and
exciting. It's a difficult challenge to deal with these lines for many reasons.
Firstly, internal consistency of the repertoire can be constricting - the
Kalashnikov is especially tricky in this regard, as White has a few annoying
opportunities to try and move order us right out of our boots. Secondly, I
feel a certain amount of responsibility towards breaking new ground in opening
coverage. There are a lot of books on the Sicilian Defence, and therefore a
lot of recommendations in this book have been covered elsewhere. I'd like to
think that where this is true, there's still a great deal of new material and
a fresh perspective. Lastly, there's a fine balance between extracting every
last drop of value present in Black's position against White's less dangerous
tries and constructing a repertoire that's easy to assimilate and learn. I
have used these systems extensively and feel that there's a lot of play
without being oppressive to learn and maintain - hopefully most readers feel
the same. --- Every variation in this book has been checked with one or more
modern chess engines (Houdini, Stockfish, Critter, and Komodo is my normal
suite), and sometimes by more than one human as well. I can't guarantee that
assessments won't be overturned and new moves won't be found (history has
shown that even in the best books by the best authors/players, they're going
to get embarrassed a few times), but I can guarantee that I put forth a lot of
time making sure that someone's going to have work hard to one-up the book
you're holding in your hands, especially if they're not privy to all of the
information inside.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Acknowledgements"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "2"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.02"]

{Many people have contributed to this book in their own special way. Thanks to
my dad Mike, an incredible father who continually shows me what someone can
achieve through smarts and hard work. Conversely, I can always count on my
selfless mother Pam to prop me up during my ever-increasing bouts of vacuity
and lethargy. Thanks to my big sister Heidi, who's been my best friend and a
magnificent second mother to me for as long as I can remember. To my wonderful
girlfriend Vickie, beautiful inside and out, and exceedingly supportive during
the copious, unreasonably late writing sessions and missed deadlines. Lastly,
the Stantons... where would the Rotella family be without you guys? I can't
think of people I'd rather surround myself with - love all of you guys. ---
Chess has given me the opportunity to cultivate a great group of friends.
Firstly, immeasurable gratitude goes out to Mike Joelson, who taught me to
love the game. Many thanks to friends Ananth Pappu, Paul Swaney, Phil Seitzer,
Peter June, Joe Fogarty, John Gray, and Greg Juneja - top notch guys and
formidable sparring partners. Cheers to virtual friends and fellow
'ChessPubbers' Nikos Ntirlis, Mark Morss, Simon Bibby, and Michael Ayton. Your
support and comments on my material were invaluable, and drinks are on me if
you ever have the misfortune of running into me face to face. A special
'thanks' goes out to my peers at work - without your relentless ridicule, I
would have no doubt forgotten that I'd traversed well past my deadline! ---
Thanks to all of the wonderfully thoughtful and talented chess authors and
journalists who've inspired me to do this. And finally, my sincerest gratitude
goes out to John Emms and Byron Jacobs for giving me the chance to chase a
dream. It took me a hell of a long time to catch it - patience of Job would be
an insult at this point. --- Lastly, I hope you like it and enjoy your games
with} 1. e4 c5 $1 {Happy hunting to all you 'Killers' out there!} (1... -- {
Tony Rotella, Cleveland, Ohio, October 2014}) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "1: 6 N1c3 – The Critical 8 Nc4"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "B32"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "19"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2015.02.28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 {The system
beginning with 6 N1c3 is in many ways the most natural way to tackle the
Kalashnikov. White develops quickly and in the most obvious way, controlling
the crucial d5-square while not incurring the lost time or dark-squared
weaknesses acquired by playing c4 (White can still control d4 via c3). On the
other hand, now ...a6 kicks White's b5-knight off to the poor a3-square, when
you can bet he'll have to move it at least two more times before it finds a
nice home somewhere, normally e3. This system has come to the foreground
within the last five years or so as the way to challenge the Kalashnikov both
in GM practice and in literature, being recommended by Pinski, Khalifman, and
De La Villa in their well received and popular repertoire books.} a6 {If
you're new to the ...e5 Sicilians, it's important to remember to play this
immediately, though allowing 7 Nd5 and 8 Nc7+ once will ensure you'll never
forget it again.} 7. Na3 Be7 $5 {This is my favourite way to meet White's
sixth. When I started writing this book, 7...Be7!? was a surprise weapon,
utilized by specialists 'in the know' and almost completely unknown to those
following popular theory and the above-mentioned repertoire books. Since then,
this move has surged to the forefront of Kalashnikov theory on the shoulders
of Kalashnikov experts like Alexander Moiseenko, Vyacheslav Ikonnikov, Teimour
Radjabov, and the versatile Vassily Ivanchuk. You'll find the next two
chapters littered with their games. --- The move itself is quite crafty -
Black delays the development of his g8-knight and also refrains from the
weakening ...b5 for the moment. Putting the bishop on e7 before the knight
hops to f6 prevents White from taking control of the critical d5-square even
further by Bg5 (which will bug quite a few white players who will want to
treat this exactly like a Sveshnikov), and also gives Black the possibility of
trading off his somewhat passive bishop on e7 for White's better bishop on c1.
This manoeuvre is so commonplace and central to the Kalashnikov paradigm that
by the end of the book, you'll likely be sick of even seeing it. --- The one
downside to 7...Be7!? is that it allows White's next, immediately fixing his
offside knight currently nestled into the awkward a3-square. This is in direct
contrast to the corresponding line in the Sveshnikov, which continues 4...Nf6
5 Nc3 e5 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Bg5 a6 8 Na3 b5, when White doesn't have this possibility.
} ({It's worth quickly touring the older main lines starting with} 7... b5 {to
justify my seventh move choice. Moving on, after 7...b5, the immediate threat
of ...b4 compels White to play} 8. Nd5 {. --- The positions tend to be less
rational and more concrete from here. Black has played all three of the
following knight moves extensively:} -- ({. If the reader has the Sveshnikov
in his repertoire,} 8... Nf6 {makes some sense, offering a transposition there
after 9 Bg5. Stronger is} 9. c4 {, forcing a concession from Black on the
queenside and securing d5. --- Play typically continues} b4 (9... Nd4 {has
scored poorly for Black after} 10. Bd3 ({or} 10. Bg5)) 10. Nxf6+ Qxf6 11. Nc2
Qg6 12. Ne3 (12. Qd5 Bd7 13. h4 $5 {has also been played frequently, but after
the} h5 14. g3 Rc8 15. Bg2 Be7 16. b3 O-O 17. O-O a5 {of O.Strengell-H.Ozmen,
correspondence 2008, Black had few problems}) 12... Be7 13. g3 (13. Bd3 $5 O-O
14. O-O Bg5 15. Nd5 a5 16. Be3 {of V.Grigoriev-L.Neagu, correspondence 2010,
looks slightly better for White to me, as Black's queen seems misplaced on g6})
13... Nd4 14. Bg2 Bb7 15. Nf5 {. This allows Black to uncork the fantastic}
Qxf5 $1 16. exf5 Bxg2 17. Rg1 Bf3 18. Qd3 Be2 ({Radjabov tried} 18... d5 $2 19.
cxd5 Rc8 {in V.Topalov-T.Radjabov, Sofia 2008, but after} 20. Be3 Nc2+ 21. Kf1
e4 22. Qxa6 O-O 23. Rb1 {I'm not sure his compensation was sufficient}) 19.
Qxd4 exd4 20. Kxe2 Rc8 21. b3 d5 $1 {of J.Schuller-N.Sukhov, correspondence
2010, after which Black was very active.}) (8... Nce7 {is a bit slower, but
has the benefit that after the exchange on d5, Black's other knight is well
positioned to attack the pawn there. --- White has two main tries for an
advantage:} 9. -- (9. Bg5 $5 {is incredibly sharp, White's point being that} h6
{can be met with} 10. Bxb5+ $5 axb5 11. Nxb5 {, threatening Nc7+. One fun
example was R.Fakhretdinov-E.Sveshnikov, USSR 1989, which continued} Ra7 12.
Ndc7+ Rxc7 13. Nxd6+ Qxd6 14. Qxd6 Rc6 15. Qxe5 hxg5 16. Qxg5 Nf6 17. O-O-O g6
18. Qa5 Bh6+ 19. Kb1 O-O {, with the ultra-rare and beyond unclear imbalance
of queen and five pawns vs. four pieces. --- Sveshnikov managed to mate White
in 32 moves - a game well worth tracking down!}) (9. c4 $1 {is White's usual
method, upping the queenside pressure. Now} Nxd5 10. exd5 $1 {is critical,
play typically continuing} bxc4 {this is practically forced,} ({as the} 10...
Nf6 11. cxb5 Be7 12. Bc4 O-O 13. O-O {of A.Shirov-O.Annageldyev, Istanbul
Olympiad 2000, is clearly better for White}) 11. Nxc4 Nf6 12. Be3 {(Black has
some problems with his queenside dark squares)} Rb8 13. Be2 {(White scores a
whopping 70% in my database after this move)} ({they also like the
lesser-played} 13. Rc1 $5 {, intending} Be7 14. Ba7 Rb7 15. Bb6 Qd7 16. Be2 O-O
17. O-O Qf5 18. a4 {, with an edge for White}) 13... Be7 14. O-O O-O 15. a4 Bb7
16. Nb6 Nd7 {when Cornette and Libiszewski think} 17. Nxd7 $1 Qxd7 18. b4 $1 f5
19. b5 {as in A.Brenke-V.Aleshnya, correspondence 2002, leads to an edge for
White.})) (8... Nge7 {is the main move, after which} 9. c4 $1 {is again the
only challenge. --- Play usually continues} Nd4 (9... Nxd5 10. exd5 Nd4 11.
cxb5 {generally transposes}) 10. cxb5 (10. Be3 Nxd5 11. cxd5 {is White's other
main try, after which Black must gambit a pawn with either} g6 $5 {; Cornette
and Libiszewski prefer the former, when play might continue} ({or} 11... Be7)
12. Bxd4 exd4 13. Qxd4 Qa5+ 14. Qd2 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Bg7 16. Kc2 f5 $1 17. Bd3
fxe4 18. Bxe4 O-O 19. f3 Bf5 {, with reasonable compensation for Black in G.Nagy-T.Koop, Pardubice 2010}) 10... Nxd5 11. exd5 {when Black has tried two
bishop moves:} -- ({. Following} 11... Be7 {, I was unable to find enough
compensation for Black after} 12. Bd3 (12. bxa6 $6 Qa5+ {followed by ...Qxd5
is fine for Black}) 12... O-O 13. O-O f5 14. bxa6 $1 {: for example,} f4 ({
Cornette and Libiszewski's} 14... e4 $5 15. Bc4 Bf6 16. Be3 Nf3+ 17. gxf3 Bxb2
18. f4) ({Bojkov instead prefers going into a pawn-down ending following} 14...
Qb6 15. Be3 Bxa6 16. Bxa6 Qxa6 17. Bxd4 exd4 18. Qxd4 Bf6 19. Qd2 Bxb2 20. Qxb2
Qxa3 21. Qb7 h6 {, but to me this is also uninspiring}) 15. Nc2 Qb6 16. Nxd4
Qxd4 17. a4 {, as in P.Cijs-P.Hans, correspondence 2007.}) ({. Cornette and
Libiszewski prefer the lesser-played} 11... Bd7 $5 {, which generally leads to
very irrational positions: for instance} 12. Be3 (12. bxa6 Qa5+ 13. Bd2 Qxd5
14. Be3 Qe4 $1 15. Qd3 d5 16. Qxe4 dxe4 {was H.Remus-G.Simms, correspondence
1998, when} 17. O-O-O $5 {is another critical try}) 12... axb5 $1 13. Bxd4 exd4
14. Bd3 Qa5+ 15. Kf1 b4 $5 16. Nc4 Qc5 17. Rc1 {was A.Bezemer-E.Wiersma,
Amsterdam 2011. --- Cornette and Libiszewski think the novelty} Rxa2 $5 {
equalizes after the wet and wild} 18. Qe1+ Be7 19. Ne5 $1 Qxc1 $1 20. Qxc1 dxe5
{. That very well may be, but I'd expect the queen to score well in practice
after} 21. f4 ({or} 21. g4 {. Regardless of the final evaluation, this line
isn't particularly well-suited to be a repertoire choice anyway. --- If the
reader wants to explore the older 7...b5 further, I highly recommend The
Complete Kalashnikov. It's a bit hard to navigate, but Cornette and
Libiszewski's analysis is top notch, as well as absurdly deep and
comprehensive.})))) 8. Nc4 $1 {Chapter 2 will cover White's other 8th move
options, but as stated above, this is critical. White has a small window to
fix the knight, and should jump on the chance now.} b5 {Black has little
choice here due to the pressure on b6 and d6.} ({Radjabov and Shabalov have
tried} 8... Nf6 {on more than one occasion, but I haven't found anything
satisfactory after} 9. Bg5 {, transposing to a dubious version of the
Sveshnikov. Practice has shown that the ending after} O-O ({there really isn't
anything else: for instance,} 9... Nd4 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Nd5 b5 12. Ncb6 Rb8
13. Nxc8 Rxc8 14. c3 Ne6 15. a4 $1 {with strong pressure}) 10. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 11.
Qxd6 Be6 (11... Nd4 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Bd3 {gives Black basically no
compensation}) ({and} 11... Qxd6 {seems like a worse version of the main line})
12. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nd4 14. Qxd8 Raxd8 15. O-O-O {followed by c3 is
unpleasant for Black.}) 9. Ne3 Nf6 {. It's time for White to decide where his
light-squared bishop belongs:} 10. -- ({A:} 10. Bd3) ({B:} 10. g3) ({It's
worth briefly discussing the rare} 10. Ned5 {. After} O-O {, it looks as
though White's tried nearly everything:} 11. -- (11. Be3 {looks strong and has
scored well, but after the principled} Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bg5 $1 13. Bb6 Qd7 {,
White has failed to prove anything. M.Susnik-M.Srebrnic, Slovenia 2007,
continued} 14. Be2 Ne7 $1 {(Black focuses on the central light squares, and
slowly wrestles control of d5 away from White)} 15. Nxe7+ Bxe7 16. O-O Bb7 17.
f3 Rac8 18. c3 Qc6 19. Bf2 Rfd8 20. Qb3 {, when Black finally broke out with}
d5 {.}) (11. Bd3 {will look very similar to lines considered after 10 Bd3,
except that White's committed to Ned5 instead of Ncd5 or a4. Black can play in
similar fashion with} Rb8 $5 12. O-O {, with the idea that} Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bg5
14. a4 {transposes.}) (11. a4 b4 12. Nxf6+ Bxf6 13. Nd5 Bg5 14. Bc4 Bxc1 15.
Qxc1 (15. Rxc1 a5 16. O-O Bb7 {followed by ...Ne7 also seems fine for Black})
15... Be6 16. O-O Nd4 {was roughly level in A.Haast-V.Ikonnikov, Utrecht 2009,}
({though Black could also consider} 16... a5 17. c3 bxc3 18. bxc3 Nb8 $5 {,
rerouting the knight to c5, which is compelling now that b3 is very weak.})) (
11. Be2 {seems harmless, the easiest equalizer being the} Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bg5 {
of D.Rogic-A.Jankovic, Stari Mikanovci (rapid) 2009, which continued} 13. O-O
Bxc1 14. Rxc1 Be6 15. c3 Ne7 $1 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 {, with easy equality.})) *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "6 N1c3 – The Critical 8 Nc4"]
[Black "A: 10 Bd3"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "B32"]
[Annotator "Tony Rotella"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[Source "Everyman Chess"]
[SourceDate "2015.02.28"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 Be7 $5 8.
Nc4 $1 b5 9. Ne3 Nf6 10. Bd3 {I must confess that when I first started
analysing 7...Be7 I underestimated this move - it seemed like developing just
to get it over with. But over time and with more analysis, this system's
validity slowly crept up on me. Compared to 10 g3, there's definitely value in
developing quickly and keeping an eye on Black's queenside pawns, which adds
some much needed 'oomph' to the a4 break.} O-O 11. O-O Rb8 $1 {This mysterious
rook jaunt looks best. The move has many points, the most relevant being that
Black takes prophylactic measures against White's a4 strike. Now any number of
Black's typical reactions like ...bxa4, ...b4, or simply leaving the pawn on
b5 protected (experience has taught that if you can get away with this one,
it's usually best) are appropriate and ready for launch depending on White's
choices. This move also protects the weak b6-square from intrusion, and
ensures that if Black's queen gets dragged off to g5 after an exchange of
dark-squared bishops, Nc7 doesn't come with a threat on the rook, allowing him
time to react to the new threat of Qxd6.} ({In addition, it's worth noting
that sometimes it's in Black's interest to delay ...Be6, as he's done here,
since after a knight lands on d5, Black is no longer able to trade knight for
knight, instead having to give up his light-squared bishop. As proof, consider
the consequences of} 11... Be6 12. Ncd5 $1 {- taking with the knight is now
impossible and} Bxd5 ({while} 12... Rb8 13. a4 $1 {leaves Black under a lot of
pressure on account of the a6-pawn hanging after} b4 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Bxa6)
13. Nxd5 Nxd5 $6 14. exd5 Nd4 $4 {loses to} 15. c3 {.}) ({In my first pass I
recommended} 11... Nb4 $5 {, looking to pinch the bishop on d3 as soon as
possible. --- Then some analysis was posted on the always-astute
ChessPublishing.com forums that reinvigorated this line for White. Since then,
that very line has been tested in a few games that continued} 12. Be2 $1 Be6
13. a3 $1 ({originally I only examined A.Naiditsch-Z.Hracek, European
Championship 2010, which continued} 13. Bf3 Rc8 14. g3 {, leaving Black a
tempo up on 10 g3}) 13... Nc6 {(Black has essentially played ...Be6 and
donated a3 and the retreat of the bishop to e2 to White for free; as we saw
above, an early ...Be6 is not the solution to Black's problems)} 14. Ned5 Nd4
15. Bd3 $1 {(again White chooses to save this bishop, as the knight is
vulnerable to things like Be3 and f4, or Ncd5 and c3)} Rb8 16. Be3 Re8 $5 {
(this chapter is filled with mysterious rook moves - this one ensures that the
rook is active after a later Bxd4)} 17. Qd2 h6 $5 {I'm not convinced this move
is any good,} ({and Cornette and Libiszewski prefer} 17... Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Qd7
19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Bxd4 ({the first player doesn't have to play 20 Bxd4 though,
and in fact, both} 20. f4) ({and} 20. b3 {, preparing a4, seem strong too})
20... exd4 {, though they admit this is a smidge better for White}) 18. f3 ({
gluing the b-pawn in place and preparing a4 with} 18. b4 $5 {is a good try for
White as well}) 18... Nxd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Bf6 {. This was Y.Butov-G.Perini, correspondence 2012, which was eventually drawn, but White looks
slightly for preference here. My computer is obsessed with the adorable} 21.
Qd1 $5 {the idea being to trap the knight after g4 and c3. Play continues} Qd7
(21... Bg5 {is also possible, though after} 22. Bf2 $1 Qd7 23. f4 $1 Bd8 24. c3
Nf5 25. Bxf5 Qxf5 26. fxe5 {Black loses material}) 22. g4 $5 Nxf3+ 23. Rxf3
Qxg4+ 24. Rg3 Qxd1+ 25. Rxd1 e4 26. Bf1 Bxb2 27. Bf4 {, when I doubt Black has
enough for the piece.}) 12. Ncd5 ({Parking the steed on d5 immediately is by
far the most popular, though the alternatives are definitely worth mentioning
as well:} 12. Ned5 {would transpose after} Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bg5 {.}) (12. a3 $5 {
has been played in a few games by strong players. Black loses the option to
grab the bishop with ...Nb4, but can try and capitalize on White's loss of
time by attacking the e-pawn with ...Nd4-e6-c5 and ...Bb7: for example,} Nd4
13. Ncd5 Ne6 $5 14. b4 $5 {(White stops this plan in its tracks, though Black
can return to what he knows best - exchanging off those dark-squared bishops)}
Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Bg5 $1 16. a4 (16. Bb2 Bb7 17. a4 Bxd5 18. exd5 Nf4 19. axb5 axb5
20. Ra5 Qd7 {is also rock-solid for the second player; in the Kalashnikov,
White frequently has the option to avoid the exchange of bishops with Bb2, but
in most cases I've noticed this fails to impress, as the bishop is never
well-placed with Black's solid central pawn structure staring it down}) 16...
Bxc1 17. Qxc1 {was M.Solleveld-J.Shaw, Cappelle la Grande 2002, and now
snapping off the knight with} Bb7 18. Rd1 Bxd5 19. exd5 Nf4 {reaches an equal
'Not Quite Ending'.}) ({The} 12. a4 {of D.Baramidze-J.Markos, Austrian League
2008, is as challenging for Black as the main line with 12 Ncd5. --- Black
should play the novelty} Nb4 $1 {now that White has lost the option to evict
the knight with a3, this move is enticing as Black defends the b-pawn with
tactical tricks against the e-pawn, a theme that will pop up many more times
as you skim this book;} ({the problem with the thematic choice is that after} 
12... b4 13. Ncd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Bg5 15. Bxg5 Qxg5 {Black has lost the
opportunity to take on a4, and now 16 a5! gives White annoying play}) 13. axb5
axb5 {:} 14. -- ({. Black's point is that} 14. Nxb5 Nxd3 ({Houdini thinks that
heading into the ugly looking ending after} 14... d5 $5 15. exd5 Nfxd5 16. Bc4
Nxe3 17. Qxd8 Rxd8 18. fxe3 Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 {is also fully playable}) 15.
Qxd3 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Rxb5 {gives good counterplay based on his open lines on the
queenside and the two bishops.}) (14. Bxb5 Nxe4 {is obviously nothing too.}) ({
. Cornette and Libiszewski (let's make it C&L hereafter) give} 14. Qe2 Nxd3 15.
Qxd3 Be6 (15... b4 16. Ncd5 Be6 {is similar, but ...b4 is not worth the tempo
spent on it, as White will be compelled to put a knight on d5 anyway}) 16. Ncd5
Bxd5 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Qxd5 Qc7 19. c3 Rfc8 {, when a later ...Qc4 will ensure
decent play for Black.}) ({. In my original manuscript I had} 14. Re1 {as
superior to the text, but after} Be6 15. Bf1 Qb6 16. Nf5 ({also possible here
is} 16. Bd2 Qc5 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. exf5 {and now both} Rfc8 ({and} 18... Nxc2 $5
19. Qxc2 b4 {followed by ...Bd8 promise Black good counterplay})) 16... Bxf5
17. exf5 Rfc8 {, Black has achieved a very reasonable position, with a solid
share of the centre and natural development.})) 12... Nxd5 13. Nxd5 (13. exd5 {
isn't totally silly, though Black has very few problems in practice: for
instance,} Na5 14. a4 b4 15. Nf5 ({Shirov avoided hopping into f5 with} 15. Bd2
{against Ivanchuk, the Ukrainian needing only that small window to burrow in
there himself with} f5 $1 {looking slightly for preference after} 16. c3 bxc3
17. Bxc3 e4 18. Bc2 Bf6 19. g3 Bd7 20. Rb1 Nb7 {, though here the players
agreed a draw in A.Shirov-V.Ivanchuk, Wijk aan Zee 2003}) 15... Bxf5 16. Bxf5
Nb7 $1 {(heading for the wonderful c5-square, of course)} 17. Be3 Bg5 $1 18.
Qh5 h6 {was S.Schubert-T.Tenev, correspondence 2006. Black has few problems
after the exchange of dark-squared bishops. Indeed, we'll see many times that
Black has few problems in these light-squared bishop vs. knight endings; he
has no weaknesses, and his knight has a variety of great squares to work with
on the queenside.}) 13... Bg5 14. a4 {Attacking Black's queenside is
definitely correct,} ({but White has gone about it in a few different ways:} 
14. Bxg5 {is frequently correct, as Black's queen is typically misplaced on
the g5-square. In this particular case, though, it's ill advised, as} Qxg5 15.
a4 {can be met by} bxa4 $1 16. Rxa4 Rxb2 17. Bxa6 {of P.Doggers-E.Wiersma,
Micha Leuw Memorial 2007, when} Be6 {seems completely fine for Black. The
liquidation of pawns on the queenside should ease his defensive task
considerably.}) (14. c3 Bxc1 15. Qxc1 (15. Rxc1 {was tried in the U.S. Women's
Championships this year - T.Abrahamyan-I.Krush continued} Be6 16. a4 Bxd5 17.
exd5 Ne7 18. axb5 axb5 19. f4 Qb6+ 20. Kh1 Nxd5 ({better is the thematic} 20...
exf4 $1 21. Rxf4 Ng6 {, with equality}) 21. Bxh7+ Kxh7 22. Qxd5 exf4 23. Rxf4 {
, when White was a little better based on Black's exposed king and pawn
weaknesses}) 15... Be6 16. Ne3 Qb6 17. b4 {was O.Boguslavsky-V.Ikonnikov,
French League 2005, and now my silicon partner-in-crime suggests that} a5 $5 {
is the cleanest way to equalize: for example,} 18. a3 Rfc8 19. Qd2 Ne7 20. Rfd1
Rc6 {, with a reasonable position for Black. As is typical, the weakness on c3
is offset by the one on d6, and it's difficult for either side to budge
profitably.}) 14... Bxc1 15. axb5 (15. Qxc1 Be6 {transposes to the main line.}
({Be careful though - Black should be keen to avoid something like} 15... b4
16. a5 {, with a nagging edge to White on account of the weak a6-pawn.})) 15...
axb5 16. Qxc1 (16. Rxc1 $6 {forfeits a perfectly functional open file for no
reason, and after the customary} Be6 {Black should have no problems.}) 16...
Be6 17. Qd2 {This straightforward regrouping is Houdini's preference,} ({
though other moves have been tried in practice:} 17. Ne3 Qb6 18. c3 Na5 (18...
Rfc8 {also looks sufficient}) 19. Nd5 $6 {(we already know these endings are
imminently playable for Black)} Bxd5 20. exd5 f5 21. Qe3 Qc7 22. b4 Nc4 23. Qe2
Rbc8 24. Ra6 Qb7 25. Rfa1 Ra8 {was agreed drawn in J.Havlik-P.Folk, Czech
League 2012,} ({though Black could have fought on with} 25... Qxd5 {instead.}))
(17. Qe3 g6 $5 {was J.Pierre-T.Tenev, correspondence 2007:} 18. c3 ({in the
stem game White admitted his inaccuracy with the lame} 18. Qd2 {, and Tenev
decided to roll the dice with} f5 {;} ({instead, I might prefer the main
line's formula with} 18... Bxd5 19. exd5 Ne7 20. Be4 Ra8 {, when Black has
wrapped up equality})) 18... Bxd5 19. exd5 Ne7 20. Be4 Ra8 21. Rxa8 (21. Ra7 f5
22. Bc2 f4 23. Rxa8 fxe3 {also liquidates into a level ending}) 21... Qxa8 22.
Qb6 Qb8 {with easy equality after the queens come off, Black following up with
...f5 and ...Kg7.}) 17... g6 $5 {Again, just as in the Tenev game above, Black
takes time out for this high-class waiting move, partially because it compels
White into Ra6 instead of Ra7.} 18. Ra6 Bxd5 19. exd5 Ne7 20. Rfa1 Qc7 (20...
Nxd5 $6 21. Bxg6 hxg6 22. Qxd5 Rb6 23. R1a5 {leaves Black under some pressure.}
) 21. Bf1 Rfc8 {. I see no problems for Black in this position - his rooks
will prevent intrusions from White's forces along the a-file and seventh rank,
while his other pieces will manoeuvre into more active and advantageous
positions. One strong plan is to gang up on the d-pawn, which has been
separated from the rest of the pack via the b5-pawn, with ...Kg7 and ...Ng8-f6,
followed by ...e4 and ...Qd7-f5. White may try and capitalize on the weak dark
squares surrounding our king with h4-h5-h6, but this can be stopped
immediately with ...h5.} *