1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 This may well be Black's most accurate move taking the game into a Semi Slav. The move sets up a strong point at d5. White is unable to pin the King's knight with Bg5 as he can after 3....Nf6. He also does not have Qb3 tricks attacking b7 and d5 simultaneously as he has in the Nf6 line if Black tries an early Bf5. 3....Nf6 has scored 39% for Black (in nearly 10,000 games), 3....c6 has scored 48% for Black. It is also an attacking move as Black threatens dxc4 and b5 when White is hard put to regain his pawn or prove that he has sufficient compensation for it.

 

4. e4 !? This is the only move (Marshall Gambit) that really attempts to refute Black's move order (and omission of Nf6). However it is a pawn sacrifice and leads to very tricky positions that are not to everyone's taste - particularly if you are not clued up on the variation !  It is the most successful 4^th move having scored 59% in 1103 games.

 

4... de LINE ONE MAIN LINE

 

5. Nxe4 Bb4

(5... Nf6 6. Nxf6 Qxf6 Leo Keely - A.A. Gilpin 2004 7. Nf3 Bb4 8. Bd2 Bxd2 9. Qxd2 O-O 10. O-O-O ² has scored 93% in 7 games.;

 5... Nd7 6. Nf3 Ngf6 7. Bd3 Nxe4 8. Bxe4 Nf6 9. Bc2 Bb4 10. Bd2 Qa5 11. O-O Bxd2 12. Nxd2 O-O 13. c5 ² 94% White in 8 games Rd8 14. Nc4 Qc7 15. Nd6 b6 16. Qf3 Bb7 17. Rac1 b5 18. Rcd1 a5 19. Rfe1 Rd7 20. Re5 Rad8 21. Rg5 Rxd6 22. Qxf6

1-0, Aguiar Garcia Juan - Paul Jean Marie, Spain 1999)

6. Bd2 Qxd4 7. Bxb4 Qxe4 Black wins a pawn - and often gets another pawn ! but  White has the two bishops with dark square control, and can look to exploit the position of Black's Queen. Analysis can be found in Nunn's Chess Openings - Page 389 line 3.  8. Ne2 Canal's move has scored 63% (98 games) as opposed to Be2 57% (415 games)

 

a) 8... Nd7 9. Qd6 c5 10. Bc3 Ngf6 11. O-O-O Qc6 (11... Qxc4? 12. Nf4 Qxa2 13. Bxf6 gf 14. Bb5�) 12. Qxc6 (12. Qg3 Rg8 13. f3 Ke7 14. Nf4 b6 15. Nd3 Ba6 16. Ne5 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Rad8 18. Be2 Qa4 19. Kb1 Nd5 20. b3 Qa5 21. Bb2 Rd7 22. f4 f6 23. Bg4 Nb4 24. Rxd7 Kxd7 25. a3 Nc6 26. Qd3 Kc7 27. Qxh7 Rd8 28. Qxg7 Rd7 29. Qxf6 Nd4 30. Qe5 Kd8 31. Rd1 Bb7 32. Bxd4 Qxa3 33. Qh8 Kc7 34. Be5

1-0, Giorgadze Giorgi (GEO) 2470 - Matlak Marek (POL) 2410, Naleczow (Poland) 1989) 12... bc 13. f3 h5 14. h4 Rh6 15. Nf4 Ke7 16. Bd3 Ne8 17. Bc2 Ba6 18. b3 Rd8 19. Nd3 f6 20. Nxc5

1-0, Zude Arno 2382  - De Francesco Klaus 2209 , Bad Wiessee 2003 It (open) ;

 

b) 8... Na6 9. Bf8 Ne7 10. Bxg7 Nb4 ! (10... Rg8 11. Bc3 Bd7 (11... Qxc4 12. Ng3 Qg4 13. Qd6²) 12. b3 e5 13. Qd6²) 11. Qd6 (11. Bxh8 is too dangerous  e5 12. Rc1 Nd3 13. Kd2 Bf5 etc.) 11... Nd3 (11... Nc2 12. Kd2 Nxa1 13. Bxh8 Qc2 14. Ke1 Qb1 15. Qd1 Nc2 16. Kd2 Qxd1 17. Kxd1 Nb4 18. Nc3²) 12. Kd2 Nf5 13. Qxd3 Qxd3 14. Kxd3 Nxg7 15. Ng3²;

 

c) 8... Ne7 9. Qd2 Nd7 (9... f6 10. O-O-O Nd7 11. Nc3 Qg6 12. Qd6 Qf7 13. Ne4 Nf5 14. Qc7 h5 15. g3 g5 16. f3 g4 17. fg hg 18. Be2 Qg7 19. Bxg4 c5 20. Bxf5 ef 21. Nd6 Ke7 22. Rhe1 Kf8 23. Re8#

1-0, Canal Esteban (ITA) 2500 - Lokvenc Josef (AUT), Venice (Italy) 1948; 9... c5 10. O-O-O O-O 11. Bxc5 Nbc6 12. Nd4 Nxd4 13. Bxe7 e5 14. Bxf8 Kxf8 15. f3 Qc6 16. Bd3 Be6 17. Kb1 Kg8 18. Rhe1 f6 19. f4 b5 20. fe bc 21. Be4 c3 22. Qxd4

1-0, Giorgadze Giorgi (GEO) 2485 - Cruz-Lopez Claret Carlos (ESP) 2288, San Sebastian (Spain) 1991; 9... Nf5 10. O-O-O Qxc4 11. Nc3 Qh4 12. g3 Qh6 13. f4 Nd7 14. Nb5±) 10. O-O-O (10. f3 Qh4 11. g3 Qf6 12. Nc3 c5 13. Ne4 Qxf3 14. Bg2 ± NCO P.390 note 20 Ne5 ! 15. Rd1 Nd3 16. Qxd3 Qxd3 17. Rxd3 cb 18. Nd6 Kf8 19. O-O f6›) 10... f6 (10... Qxc4 11. Kb1 Qe4 12. Ka1 Qd5›) 11. Nc3 Qg6 12. Qd6 Qf7 13. Ne4 ± Canal- Lokvenc 1948;

 

d) 8... e5 9. Qd6 Nd7 10. Rd1 h5 11. f3 Qh4 12. Ng3 Rh6 13. Qd2 c5 14. Bc3 f5 15. Qf2 Ne7 16. Bd3 Rf6

1/2-1/2, Kniest Oliver (GER) 2300 - Skudnov Sergej (RUS) 2370, Bled (Slovenia) 1998 17. O-O± Chess Tiger.;

 

e) 8... c5 9. Bxc5 Nc6 10. Qd6 Nge7 11. Qf4 Qxf4 12. Nxf4 b6 13. Ba3 e5 14. Ne2 Be6 15. O-O-O Bxc4 16. Nc3 Bxf1 17. Rhxf1 Rd8 18. Nb5 f6 19. Rxd8 Kxd8 20. Rd1 Ke8 21. Nd6 Kf8 22. Nf5 Ke8 23. Bxe7 Nxe7 24. Nxg7 Kf7 25. Rd7 Rg8 26. Nf5 Ke6 27. Nxe7 Rxg2 28. Rxa7 Rxf2 29. Nc8 Rxh2 30. Nxb6 f5 31. Nc4 Kd5 32. Nd2 e4 33. Ra5 Ke6 34. Ra8 h5 35. a4 h4 36. a5 h3 37. Rh8 Rh1 38. Kc2 h2 39. a6 Kd5 40. Nb3 Rg1 41. a7

1-0, Bilinskas Raimundas 2250  - Linauskas Dainius 2300 , Vilnius 1996 Ch Lithuania ;

 

f) 8....Qxc4?! 9. Qd6 Nd7 10. Nc3 Qh4 (10... Qg4!? 11. Rd1 a5 12. Ba3 e5 13. g3 h5 14. Bg2 Rh6 15. Qc7 h4 16. h3 Qe6 17. Ne4± Threat Nd6) 11. O-O-O Qe7 12. Ne4±  Antoschin - Goldstein 1950]

 

(4... Bb4 LINE TWO Bb4 line

5. cd ed 6. e5 Ne7

(6... c5 7. a3 cd 8. ab dc 9. bc Nc6 10. f4 Nh6 11. Nf3 O-O 12. Be2 f6 13. b5 Ne7 14. O-O fe 15. fe a5 16. ba ba 17. Kh1 Nhf5 18. g4 Nh6 19. Bxh6 gh 20. Nd4 Ng6 21. Rxf8 Qxf8 22. Bf3 Rb8 23. Bxd5 Kh8 24. Qe2 Nf4 25. Qf3 Bxg4 26. Qxg4 Nxd5 27. e6 Ne7 28. Qe2 Qf4 29. Rf1 Qg5 30. Nf5 Rb5 31. Nxe7 Qxe7 32. Qe4

1-0, Lautier Joel 2658  - Zvjaginsev Vadim 2631 , Poikovsky 2003 It (cat.16) ;

6... Bf5 7. a3 Ba5 8. Nf3 Ne7 9. Bd3 O-O 10. O-O Na6 11. b4 Bb6 12. Bg5²) 7. Nf3 c5 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bc Nbc6 10. Be2 Bg4 11. O-O O-O 12. Rb1 Qc7 13. h3 Bh5 14. a4 Bg6 15. Bd3 Rfd8 16. Bg5 Rd7 17. Rb5 b6 18. Re1 a6 19. Rb1 c4 20. Bc2 Nd8 21. Nh4 Rb8 22. f4 Bxc2 23. Qxc2 b5 24. f5 Ndc6 25. f6 Ng6 26. Nf5 h6 27. e6 hg 28. ed Qxd7 29. ab ab 30. Nxg7 b4 31. Qd2 Nf4 32. cb Qa7 33. Nf5

1-0, Khalifman Alexander (RUS) 2667 - Galkin Alexander (RUS) 2587, Hoogeveen (Netherlands) 2000;

 

4... dc LINE THREE dxc4 line

5. Bxc4 Nf6

(5... b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. Bc2 Bb4 8. a3 Ba5 9. Be3 Bb6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. O-O Ngf6 12. h3 O-O 13. Qd3 g6 14. Bg5 Qc7 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. e5 Nd5 17. Ne4 f5 18. ef Nxf6 19. Nxf6 Rxf6 20. Bb3 Kg7 21. Rfe1 c5 22. dc Ba5 23. Rxe6 Raf8 24. Rd1 Bxf3 25. gf Rxf3 26. Qxb5 Rxf2 27. Rd7 R8f7 28. Rxc7 Bxc7

1-0, Paganetto Ivano - Malfettani Fabio, Genoa (Italy) 1998)

 6. Nf3 Be7 7. O-O 95% White in 19 games !;

 

4... Nf6 LINE FOUR Nf6 line

5. e5 Nfd7

(5... Ne4 6. Nxe4 de 7. Ne2 Bb4 8. Bd2 Na6 9. a3 Bxd2 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Nc3 f5 12. ef Qxf6 13. Nxe4 Qg6 14. Ng3 Qf7 15. Bd3 g6 16. O-O Qf4 17. Qxf4 Rxf4 18. Ne2 Rf6 19. b4 Nc7 20. f4 Bd7 21. Rad1 b5 22. cb cb 23. Be4 Rc8 24. Rc1 Ne8 25. Rc5 Nd6 26. Bd3 a6 27. g3 Nf5 28. Bxf5 Rxf5 29. Rxc8 Bxc8 30. Rc1 Rf8 31. Kf2 g5 32. Ke3 g4 33. Rc5 Rf5 34. Rxc8 Kf7 35. Rc5 Rxc5 36. dc Ke7 37. Ke4

1-0, Samuelsson Tomas - Ketola Jukka, Oulu (Finland) 2001)

 6. Nf3 Be7

(6... dc 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. O-O (9. Ng5 ! ± strong attack. Be7 10. Qh5 g6 11. Qh6 Bf8 12. Qh3 Be7 13. Nce4) 9... Bb7 10. Ne4 c5 11. Bg5 Qb6 12. Be3 Nc6 13. dc Qc7 14. Nd6 Bxd6 15. ed Qc8 16. Rc1 Nb4 17. Bb1 O-O 18. a3 Nd5 19. c6 Bxc6 20. Nd4 Ne5 21. Nxc6 Nxc6 22. Qc2

1-0, Heisch Juergen - Radinger Rudolf, Leipzig (Germany) 1996)

7. Bd3 dc 8. Bxc4 Nb6 9. Bd3 Nd5 10. O-O Nd7 11. Ne4 h6 12. a3 c5 13. dc Nxc5 14. Nxc5 Bxc5 15. b4 Be7 16. Bb2 Bd7 17. Nd4 O-O 18. Qg4 Be8 19. Rad1 Rc8 20. Be4 Rc4 21. Rd3 Qd7 22. Rg3 ± Golombek Harry (ENG) 2320 - Horowitz Israel A (USA), Warsaw (Poland) 1935)

 

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