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This next game, "round two" of my discussion with Browne on this particular Slav line, was something I was really looking forward to. You have to believe in your openings, and knowing that the 6-time U.S. Champion would come to this contest fully prepared meant that the whole system would undergo a test of fire. Would it hold up?

Browne-Silman
Koltanowski International, 1999
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qe2 (The main alternative is 9.Nh4 with the idea of answering 9...Bg6 with 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Qc2 with some advantage for White. However, Black does better with 9...Nbd7 when 10.Nxf5 exf5 has proved a tough nut for White to crack.) 9...Bg6 (I played this in my last game against Browne (at the American Open) and drew comfortably. Naturally, I was keen on continuing our discussion of this variation. Would he find something new, or would he be forced to admit that White has very little in this line?) 10.Ne5 Nbd7 11.Nxg6 (Last time he played 11.Rd1 but after 11...Nxe5 12.dxe5 Nd7 Black had no problems.) 11...hxg6 12.Rd1 Qa5 13.e4! (In Karpov-Kramnik, Monte Carlo [blindfold] 1995, White played 13.Bd2 but Black soon achieved a superior position after 13...e5 14.d5 Rad8 15.dxc6 bxc6 16.Be1 e4! 17.Bb3 Qe5. Browne's dynamic choice is much more to the point.) 13...e5 (Not falling for 13...Bxc3? 14.bxc3 Nxe4 15.Qxe4 Qxc3 16.Qd3! Qxa1 17.Ba3.) 14.d5 (Also deserving of attention is 14.Na2!?.) 14...Nb6 (I was tempted to try 14...Nc5!? but after lots of thought I finally decided to place the Knight on b6. I couldn't find anything wrong with 14...Nc5, though, and it deserves to be given a try in a future game.) 15.dxc6 (Once again, 15.Nxa2!? is worthy of a serious look. Inferior is 15.Bb3?!, when Black can try 15...Bxc3 16.bxc3 Qxc3 or 15...Bxc3 16.bxc3 cxd5.) 15...bxc6 (Black avoids 15...Nxc4? 16.cxb7 Rad8 17.Rxd8 Rxd8 18.b8=Q! Rxb8 19.Qxc4 with an extra pawn for White. After 15...bxc6 it might seem like Black's pawn structure has been damaged, but this is not quite so. The pawn on c6 guards the sensitive squares on d5 and b5. The b-file has also been opened, highlighting White's own shortcomings on b4 and b2.) 16.Na2 (Best. White would have liked to retain his two Bishops with 16.Bb3 but that lets Black grub a pawn by 16...Bxc3 17.bxc3 Qxc3.) 16...Nxc4 17.Qxc4 Rab8! (Taking immediate aim at White's b-file weaknesses. Naturally, 18.Qxc6 isn't good due to 18...Rfc8. Now Black threatens to retreat his Bishop to the active c5-square.) 18.Nxb4 Qxb4 (The only way to play the position. It may seem to be more dynamic to try 18...Rxb4 19.Qxc6 Nxe4, but 20.Be3 leaves Black in search of a good move.) 19.Qxb4 Rxb4 20.f3 (Several moves earlier I had thought that this position might favor White [Black's Knight is a poor piece]. However, a long think on the 17th move convinced me that Black's queenside bind, in conjunction with his 20th move, was something to be reckoned with.) 20...c5! (Suddenly this "weak" pawn takes a dynamic stance. Now ...Rfb8 followed by ...Rd4 is in the air.) 21.Be3 Rxb2 22.Bxc5 Rc8 23.Bxa7 (Lame is 23.Rac1 Ra2, but 23.Rdc1 was a serious consideration. I intended to answer this by 23...Rd8.) 23...Rcc2 24.Kh1 Rxg2 25.Bg1

(Having defended h2, Browne now intends to rush his a-pawn to a8.) 25...Nh5 (This Knight, once lacking a useful purpose, now comes to Black's rescue.) 26.a5 Ng3+! (A pretty way to force a draw. I wanted to have fun with 26...Nf4 27.a6 Nh3 28.a7 Nxg1 29.a8=Q+ Kh7 when the double threats of 30...Rxh2+ and 30...Nxf3 seem to grant Black a happy end. Unfortunately, 30.Rd8! threatens mate and clears away the d1-square for White's King [as a result, White wins]. Another attractive but inferior idea is 26...Rg3 with the idea of 27...Rh3 and 28...Ng3 mate. This fails to 27.Rd8+ Kh7 28.Bd4! when White wins material. The simplest solution to Black's problems was 26...Rg5 27.Bb6 [Black threatened ...Ng3+] 27...Rgg2 with an immediate draw. This was pointed out by J Donaldson after the game. Nevertheless, my 26...Ng3+ paints a vivid illustration of the power of the seventh rank.) 27.hxg3 Rxg3 28.Bc5 Rh3+ 29.Kg1 Rg3+ 30.Kf1 Rxf3+ 31.Ke1 Rh3 32.Bg1 Rg3 33.Bf2 Rh3! (The final point. Black saw [back on the 26th move] that he couldn't play 33...Rf3?? due to 34.Rd2! Rxd2 35.Kxd2 Rxf2+ 36.Kc3 when the a-pawn is supreme.) 34.Bg1 (Now 34.Kf1 allows 34...Rf3.) 34...Rg3 35.Bf2 and the game was agreed drawn. An interesting battle that will also offer Slav theoreticians something to chew on.

I retired from active play in 2000, deciding to devote myself to the study of cheesecake, ice-cream, and other delights of the tongue. I am presently taking lessons in Sumo and, if the calorie gods are willing, hope to begin my new wrestling career once I build up enough girth.

IN A NUTSHELL:

The things discussed in these pages are very important for any serious player wishing to improve his/her game. Here are a few final thoughts about stylistic balance and study:

• Decide what your chess goals are. If you love the rush of battle and don't really care about study or rating (in other words, you look at chess as a relaxing hobby), then you're probably blessed--you will get an incredible amount of pleasure from the game. However, if you want to see just how talented you really are, then stylistic balance is necessary. For example, Shirov, a calculating genius who also possesses an amazing imagination, says that he is strongest in the endgame.
• You must do your best to master every aspect of the game (this takes a lot of time, but why not start this change of chess perception right away?). I've known many promising players who were extremely good in only one phase of chess (most were excellent attackers or opening fanatics), and none of them was able to get beyond the 2350 mark (this might sound impressive, but they all dreamed of so much more).
• I see so many players that look at a positional middlegame or a subtle endgame and say, "Boring!" In my opinion, if you don't see intrigue and beauty in every logically created position then something is lacking in both your understanding of chess and/or in your mental makeup (this is fine, unless you have aspirations for a chess title). Great players have a burning need to find the truth in every situation (naturally, over the board practicality is quite another subject!). If you want to just toss out a move and get the game over with, then why are you playing at all?
• Find openings that suit your individual tastes. They should be sound (meaning that they can stand up to the harsh truth of analysis!), but also should mirror your own quirks and needs.
• Make a serious study of your losses. Don't attribute defeats to bad luck (I wasted many years doing this!).
• Study master games! If you look at a book of Keres' life and games, you will see that he started out as a crazed attacking genius, and slowly rounded out his skills until he was incredibly strong in any situation. A study of Alekhine's writings show that he was well aware that he would never be World Champion (even though he was winning almost every tournament he played in!) unless he was able to equal Capablanca in technique and positional skill. Due to this realization, Alekhine constantly strove to "fill out" his style and make it more universal. As we know, he achieved this goal and won the title in 1927.

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