By Andrew Martin

Kruppa,Y (2547) - Slizhevsky,A (2407) [D85]

St Petersburg, 2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bg5!?

A new one on me and I’ve been around. No Grunfeld textbook anywhere, anytime mentions this interesting move, and so this month we will subject 7.Bg5 to a strict examination. It’s an idea of Yuri Kruppa. If White’s center doesn’t fall apart it has to be said that g5 is a good square for the Bishop. Black’s e-pawn gets nailed down and there are the usual attacking opportunities based on Qd2, Bh6 h4-h5, etc. Slow play by Black will obviously give White an excellent Exchange Variation in an improved setting. Thus the critical line is obviously

7...c5! 8.Rc1!?

And this is White's point. c8 hangs after a capture on d4. It’s easy to see why this idea hasn’t been considered before. The d4-square looks very compromised and a move such as ...Qd8-a5 will surely break the back of White’s center. Not so clear I think, as you will see.

8...Qa5

I think this is what most Grunfeld players would do, whether surprised or not. It’s just so logical to hit c3. Yet after the coming exchange, White benefits in the ending by having his Bishop on g5. This may have prompted 8...h6!? in the most recent example I could find. Ganguly jabs the Bishop back to e3 and it’s a question of whether ...h7-h6 is weakening or not: 9.Be3 Qa5 10.Qd2 cxd4 11.cxd4 Qxd2+ 12.Bxd2!? (I’m not sure I understand why 12.Kxd2 0–0 13.Nf3 was rejected.) 12...0–0 13.Nf3 Rd8 14.Bb5 (14.Rc7 e6) 14...e6 15.0–0 (15.Ne5!? Nd7 16.Ba5 Nb6 17.Rd1 Bxe5 18.dxe5 Rxd1+ 19.Kxd1 Bd7 20.Bd3 Na4, +=, Kruppa /Komarov. I’m not sure what to believe about that last variation.) 15...Nc6 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Rfd1 Ba6 18.Be3, 1/2-1/2, Kruppa-Ganguly, Dubai 2004.

Either 18...Be2 or 18...Rab8 are satisfactory for Black in this final position.

Meanwhile Kruppa and Komarov mention the crazy variation 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 Bxd4 10.Rxc8 Bxf2+ 11.Kxf2 Qxc8 12.Nf3

They assess this position as clearly better for White. Black is unlikely to go in for this over the board, but if he does I append some extra analysis now: 12...0–0 (Both 12...h6 13.Bb5+ Nc6 14.Be3 and 12...Nc6 13.Bc4 0–0 [13...Qg4 14.Qb3! 0–0 15.Bh6 Qxe4 16.Bxf7+ Rxf7 17.Qxf7+ Kxf7 18.Ng5+] 14.Bh6 Rd8 15.Qa1 are also more than nice for White) 13.Qb3! Nc6 14.Bh6 Rd8 15.Qb2 f6 16.Bc4+ Kh8 17.Rc1. The dark squares are simply too weak. Perhaps this last variation is the best that Black has, but he would surely only stumble here rather than come voluntarily.

Of course, after 8…cxd4 9.cxd4 Black doesn’t have to go crazy (with 9…Bxd4). Instead, 9...0–0 allows Black to pretend that he’s playing a normal line: 10.Nf3 Bg4 (Keeping the Queen on d8 let’s it hit d4 and gives added firepower to his counterplay.) 11.d5! (Once again this seems to be the way to put the pressure on.) 11...h6 (11...Bxf3 12.gxf3 Nd7 13.Qb3, +=, is on the face of it okay for Black but long term I really trust in those White Bishops; 11...Nd7 12.Be2 Nb6 13.0–0, +=, is a relatively simplistic way to handle the Black pieces and he has not equalized yet. White could play Qb3, Rfd1, h3, etc. Easy moves, and White holds at least a slight edge.) 12.Bf4 f5?!

Black wants to say that he is not afraid to duck a challenge, but ...f7-f5 looks positionally poor. There’s no going back, that’s the problem. 13.Bc7! (I’m sure Black missed this move.) 13...Qd7 14.e5 (Already clearly better for White.) 14…Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Nc6 16.Qb3! (16.dxc6 Qxc7 17.Bc4+ Kh8 18.cxb7 Qxe5+ 19.Qe3 Qa5+ 20.Ke2 Rab8 21.Rb1 f4, unclear) 16...e6 (16...Nd4 17.Qc4 Rac8 18.e6 Qe8 19.Qb4!) 17.Bd6 exd5 18.f4! (White insists on dominating the center.) 18...Rfe8 19.Qxd5+ Kh8 20.Bc4 g5 21.g3 Ne7 22.Qb5 Nc6 23.0–0 gxf4 24.gxf4 Bf8 25.Rcd1 a6 26.Qb2 Bg7 27.Qf2 Rac8 28.Bd5 Ne7 29.Bf7 Red8 30.Bb3 Qe8 31.Rd3 Ng6 32.Rfd1 a5 33.Kh1 a4 34.Bd5 Kh7 35.Bxb7 Rc4 36.Rf3 a3 37.Bd5 Qa4 38.Bxc4 Qxd1+ 39.Qf1 Qa4 40.h3 Nh4 41.Rxa3 Qc2 42.Bd5 Rc8 43.Rd3 Qb2 44.Ba3 Qb5 45.Rd1 Qa4 46.Rc1 Rb8 47.Bd6 Rb2 48.Qc4 Qa5 49.Rd1 Rd2 50.Rxd2 Qxd2 51.Bc5 Ng6 52.e6 Nxf4 53.e7 Qe1+ 54.Bg1, 1–0, Kruppa - Danin, St Petersburg, 2004.

9.Qd2 cxd4 10.cxd4 Qxd2+ 11.Kxd2

The aforementioned ending. Grunfeld players will know that the King on d2 gives them attacking opportunities, but that if they don’t get it exactly right White's central majority and pressure on the c-file may well carry the day. Kruppa has added some interesting nuances to the usual ending scenario by putting the bishop on g5.

11...0–0

Also possible is 11...Nc6, but then 12.d5 Ne5 13.Rc7!

gives the Bishop on g5 a reason to be and subjects Black to uncomfortable pressure. White has a definite advantage here: 13...Nd7 14.Bb5 (14.Nf3! is less committal at this stage and probably better: 14...h6 [14...Kd8 15.Bf4 Nf6 16.Ng5! Rf8 17.Rc4 h6 18.Nf3 is better for White] 15.Bf4 Kd8 16.Bd3 g5 17.Bg3 with a clear advantage for White) 14...Kd8 15.d6 f6 16.Bf4 e5 (16...exd6 17.Bxd6 Bf8 18.Bg3 Ne5 19.Rc2

Whose position is the more disorganized? Seeing the extra Rook in play, I think I would prefer to be White.) 17.Be3 Bf8 18.Bxd7 Bxd7 19.Rxb7 Bxd6 20.Ne2 (20.Rb1! Bc6 21.f3 Ke7 22.Ne2 Rhd8, =+) 20...Bc6 21.Rg7 Bb4+ 22.Nc3 Bxe4 (Now it is White who will have to scrape a draw.) 23.a3 Bf8 24.Rf7 Bxg2 25.Rg1 Bf3 26.Rxf6 Bb7 27.Rf7 Be7 28.Bg5 Re8 29.Rxh7 Bxg5+ 30.Rxg5 Re7 31.Rxe7 Kxe7 32.Rxg6 Bh1 33.Rg1 Bc6 34.Rg6 Bh1 35.Ra6 Rh8 36.Rxa7+ Kd6 37.Ra6+ Kd7 38.Na4 Rxh2 39.Nc5+ Kc7 40.Rf6 Rh3 41.a4 Ra3 42.Kc2 Bd5 43.Kb2 Rh3 44.a5 e4 45.a6 e3 46.fxe3 Rxe3 47.a7 Re8 48.Kc3 Ra8 49.Kd4 Bc6 50.Na6+ Kb7 51.Nc5+ Kc7 52.Na6+ Kb7 53.Nb4 Be8 54.Rh6 Rd8+ 55.Kc5 Kxa7 56.Nc6+, 1/2-1/2, Taborov,B-Troshohenko,P/Kiev 2004.

12.Nf3

12.d5! was mentioned in Informator 90 as an interesting alternative to the text.

It is extremely logical to assist the Bishop on g5 in this way. I analyze further:

A) 12...f5 13.exf5 (13.Bc4!? Kh8 14.Bxe7 seems very nice for White) 13...Bxf5 14.Bxe7 Bh6+ 15.Kd1! Bxc1 16.Bxf8 Kxf8 17.Kxc1 Nd7 is unclear.

B) 12...Nd7 13.Nf3 Nf6 14.Bd3 h6 15.Bxf6! Bxf6 16.e5 Bg7 17.Rc7 Rd8 18.Be4 Be6 19.Rxe7 Bxd5 20.Bxd5 Rxd5+ 21.Ke3, +=;

C) 12…e6 13.Nf3 exd5 14.exd5 h6 (14...Bg4 15.Rc7! Bxf3 16.gxf3 f6 17.Bf4 Rd8 18.Bc4 with a clear advantage) 15.Be7 Re8 16.Rc7 Nd7 17.d6 a6 18.Bc4. In each case White managed to use the more attacking position of his Bishop on g5 to gain the advantage. Or am I being optimistic? Instinct says yes, but the computer no. The eternal dilemma of modern chess.

12...e6 13.Rc7 Nc6 14.d5

I guess this is similar, although ...Nc6 didn’t help much.

14...exd5 15.exd5 Nb4 16.Bc4 b5 17.Bb3 Na6 18.Rcc1 Bf5 19.Rhe1

White has a superior Exchnage Variation on all counts. He holds the usual passed d-pawn, the c6-square and his pieces are extremely active. Black faces a tough defense.

19...Rfc8 20.d6 Bf8 21.Be7 Rxc1 22.Rxc1 Bxe7 23.dxe7 Re8 24.Rc6! Nb8 25.Rc7 Kg7

25...Nd7 26.Nd4! Rxe7 27.Rxa7 Kf8 28.Nxf5 gxf5 29.Rb7 wins for White.

26.Ne5 Nd7 27.f4

27.Nc6 a5 28.Ke3! a4 29.Bd5 Nf6 30.Kd4 wins.

27...Nxe5 28.fxe5 Be4 29.g4 f6 30.Ke3 Bg2 31.exf6+ Kxf6 32.g5+ Kg7 33.Rxa7 Bh1 34.Kf4 Bf3 35.Ke5 Bg2 36.Kd6

A rather triumphant King march.

36...Bh3 37.Bd5, 1-0.

New ideas don’t crop up every day of the chess year, so if you are looking for something against the Grunfeld I think it’s well worth taking a closer look at 7.Bg5!?. It will certainly set your opponent thinking.