[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2012.08.12"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Arkhangelsk 7 d3 Bd6!?, Ver.12.08.2012"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Paddy"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2012.08.12"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. d3 Bd6 8. a3 {
(Bologan)} (8. Bg5 {I think this is unlikely to pose a serious theoretical
challenge. In such positions the pin on the knigh's knight is ineffective,
since   a) Black can simply unpin with ...Be7, leaving the white bishop rather
misplaced on g5, with nothing to do except retreat or exchange itself for the
knight - the latter is rarely useful to White, since d5 is not a real hole (...
c6 is still available). This ...Be7 retreat is the key idea of the move order
ifor Black against the Italian Game recommended in the recent book "The Open
Games for Black" by Lysyj and Ovetchkin.  b) Black has not castled, so can
consider (after ...h6) playing ...g5.} h6 (8... Na5 $5 9. d4 {(Ametanoitos)}
Nxb3 10. axb3 h6 11. Bh4 (11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Nc3 b4
15. Na4 (15. Nd5 O-O $11) 15... O-O 16. f3 (16. Qxd7 Qxe4 17. f3 Qxc2 $15)
16... Bc6 $15) (11. dxe5 hxg5 12. exd6 Nxe4 13. Re1 Kf8 $132) 11... g5 12. Bg3
Nxe4 13. Bxe5 O-O $13) 9. Bh4 Be7 (9... O-O 10. a4 Be7 (10... Na5 11. Ba2) (
10... Qe7 $5 11. Nc3 ({í/\} 11. axb5 axb5 12. Rxa8 Rxa8 13. Nc3 g5 14. Nxg5
hxg5 15. Bxg5 Nd4 $17) 11... g5 (11... Nd4 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. Bxd5
c6 15. Bb3 $16) (11... Na5 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. Bxd5 c6 14. Ba2 Bc7 15. b4 Nb7 16.
d4 d6 17. Re1 $16) 12. Bg3 Na5 13. Ba2 b4 14. Ne2 Rab8 (14... Nh5) 15. h4 (15.
c3 b3 $1) 15... Nh5 16. hxg5 hxg5 17. Qd2 Nf4 18. Bh2 Nxe2+ 19. Qxe2 Kg7 20. d4
exd4 21. Bxd6 (21. e5 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 Bxe5 23. Bxe5+ Qxe5 24. Rfe1 Qf6 25. Qd5 b3
$15) 21... Qxd6 22. Nxg5 Qg6 $13) (10... Re8 11. axb5 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13.
Nc3 $16 {Ametanoitos}) 11. axb5 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13. Nc3 b4 14. Nd5 (14. Bxf6
Bxf6 15. Nd5 Na5 $11) (14. Ne2 Na5 15. Ba4 $5 (15. Nxe5 Nxb3 16. cxb3 Nxe4 $15)
(15. Ba2 d6 16. Qa1 c5 $11) 15... d6 16. Ng3 $5 c5 (16... g5 17. Nf5 gxh4 18.
Qd2 $44) (16... g6 17. Qd2 $14) 17. Nf5 Kh7 (17... Bc6 18. Bxc6 Nxc6 19. Qa1
Qd7 20. Qa4 $14) 18. Qd2 Ng8 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. N3h4 Ng8 21. f4 $5 g6 22. fxe5
dxe5 (22... gxf5 23. Qf2 fxe4 24. Qxf7+ Rxf7 25. Rxf7+ Kh8 26. Ng6#) 23. Qf2
Bc6 24. Ne3 Ne7 25. Bxc6 Naxc6 26. b3 f6 27. Nf3 $14) 14... Nxd5 15. exd5 Na5
16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Bc4 (17. Ba2 b3 $15) (17. c4 bxc3 18. bxc3 Qa3 $15) 17... c6
18. Re1 d6 19. dxc6 Bxc6 20. Ba2 Qb7 21. d4 b3 22. cxb3 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Qxf3 24.
gxf3 exd4 25. b4 Nc6 26. b5 Nb4 27. Bc4 d5 28. Bf1 d3 29. Rd1 Rb8 30. Bxd3 Nxd3
31. Rxd3 Rxb5 $11) (9... g5 $5 10. Bg3 Qe7 (10... Nh5 $2 11. Nxe5) (10... h5 $2
11. Nxg5) 11. a4 Na5 12. Ba2 b4 13. d4 (13. Nbd2) 13... Nxe4 14. Bxe5 f6 15.
Bxd6 Qxd6 $132) 10. a4 O-O 11. axb5 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13. Nc3 b4 14. Ne2 (14.
Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Na5 16. Ba2 (16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. Ba4 d5 18. Qe2 d4 {
1/2-1/2 Pejko,O (2228)-Sarkozy,L (2393)/Slovakia 2006}) 16... Bxd5 17. Bxd5 c6
18. Ba2 Qb6 19. d4 d6 (19... exd4 20. e5 Be7 21. Nxd4 $14) 20. dxe5 (20. c3 b3
21. Bb1 c5 $11) 20... dxe5 21. Qe2 (21. Qd6 $4 Rd8 $17) 21... b3 22. cxb3 Nxb3
23. Qc4 Nd4 24. Nxd4 exd4 25. b4 Qb5 $11) 14... Na5 15. Nxe5 (15. Ba2 d5 $5 16.
Nxe5 dxe4 17. dxe4 Bxe4 18. Qxd8 Bxd8 19. Rd1 Be7 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nd7 Bxc2
22. Rc1 Rd8 23. Nxf6+ gxf6 24. Ng3 b3 25. Bb1 Bxb1 26. Rxb1 Nc4 27. Ne4 Nd2 28.
Nxd2 Rxd2 29. Kf1 Kg7 30. Ke1 Rc2 $17) 15... Nxb3 16. cxb3 d5 $132) (8. a4 {
(Markovich) is a major option and needs more work. For now, some examples:} O-O
(8... h6 $5 9. Nc3 b4 10. Ne2 Na5 (10... O-O 11. Ng3 Re8 12. Be3 Na5 13. Ba2
Bf8 14. Nd2 d5 $132 {
Pavlov,S (2526)-Bartel,M (2638)/Aix-les-Bains 2011/ 0-1 (44)}) 11. Ba2 O-O 12.
Ng3 Re8 13. c3 c5 14. cxb4 cxb4 15. Re1 Rb8 16. d4 exd4 17. Nf5 Bf8 18. e5 b3
19. exf6 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Qxf6 21. Bb1 g6 22. Ng3 d5 23. Bd3 Nc4 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25.
f4 h5 26. f5 h4 27. fxg6 fxg6 28. Nf1 Bd6 29. Qxb3 Qe6 30. Qd1 Ne5 31. f4 Nxd3
32. Qxd3 Qg4+ 33. Kf2 Bxf4 34. Bxf4 Qxf4+ 35. Kg2 Qg4+ 36. Kf2 h3 37. Ng3 Re3
$19 {Hovhannisyan,R (2560)-Bartel,M (2638)/Aix-les-Bains 2011/ 0-1 (51)}) 9.
axb5 axb5 10. Rxa8 Bxa8 (10... Qxa8 11. Bg5 Be7 (11... Ne8 {Kuzmin,G (2525)
-Sepp,O (2390)/Rostov on Don 1993/ 1/2-1/2  (49) - a wild game in which White
was pressing, ending in what looks like a time scramble.}) 12. Nc3 {
"looks troublesome" (Markovic).}) 11. Nc3 b4 12. Ne2 h6 13. Ng3 Re8 14. Re1 Na5
(14... Bf8 15. d4 exd4 16. e5 Ng4 17. Bf4 g5 18. Nxg5 Ngxe5 19. Nxf7 {
1-0 Jacoby,F (2220)-Nogly,C (2255)/Hamburg 1992}) 15. Ba2 c5 16. Nd2 Bf8 17.
Nh5 Nxh5 18. Qxh5 Re7 19. Nf3 b3 20. cxb3 Qb6 21. b4 Qxb4 22. Bd2 Qxb2 23.
Bxf7+ Rxf7 24. Bxa5 d6 25. Qg4 Bc6 26. Qe6 Qa3 27. Bc7 Bd7 28. Qd5 Qa6 29. Rb1
Bc6 30. Qb3 c4 31. Qb8 c3 32. Bxd6 Qxd3 33. Nxe5 Qxd6 34. Qxd6 Bxd6 35. Nxf7
Kxf7 36. Rc1 Be5 37. f3 Bd4+ 38. Kf1 Bb5+ 39. Ke1 Bd3 40. Rd1 c2 41. Rc1 Be3
42. Rxc2 Bxc2 43. Ke2 Bg1 44. h3 Bh2 45. Ke3 g5 {
0-1 Matulovic,M (2470)-Malaniuk,V (2500)/Vrnjacka Banja 1991/CBM 023}) 8... O-O
9. Nc3 h6 (9... Ne7 10. Nh4 c6 11. Bg5 Ng6 12. Nf5 {Bologan}) ({Paddy:} 9...
Nd4 $5 10. Nxd4 (10. Ba2 h6) 10... exd4 11. Ne2 (11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Qf6 (
12... Qh4 $5) {í/\} 13. Qg4 $6 Bxd5 14. Bxd5 Qe5 15. Bxf7+ Rxf7 16. f4 Qc5 $17)
11... c5 12. f4 c4 13. Ba2 (13. dxc4 bxc4 14. Bxc4 Rc8 15. b3 Nxe4) 13... Bc5
$11) 10. h3 Re8 ({Houdini again wants to play} 10... Nd4 $5 11. Nxd4 (11. Ba2
c5) 11... exd4 12. Ne2 c5 13. c3 dxc3 14. Nxc3 (14. bxc3 c4 15. dxc4 Nxe4 (
15... Qc7 16. f3 bxc4 17. Ba2 Bc5+ 18. Kh1 d5 19. Bf4 Qe7 20. e5 Nd7 21. Nd4
Nxe5 22. Re1 f6 23. Bb1 Qf7 $11) 16. cxb5 axb5 (16... Qf6 17. bxa6 Bxa6 18. Be3
Be5 19. Bd4 (19. Qxd7 Bxe2) 19... Bxd4 20. cxd4 Rac8 $44) 17. Bd5 Bxd5 18. Qxd5
Re8 19. Qxb5 Ra5 20. Qd3 Qf6 21. Be3 Qh4 22. f3 Ng5 23. Qxd6 Rxe3 24. Nd4 Rxc3
(24... Nxh3+ 25. gxh3 Rg5+ 26. Kh2 Ree5 27. Rg1 Re2+ 28. Nxe2 Qf2+ 29. Kh1
Qxf3+ 30. Kh2 Qf2+ $11))) 11. Be3 Bf8 12. Re1 ({
Paddy: presumably Bologan's intended improvemnt on} 12. Nh2 Nd4 13. Ba2 d5 $132
{1-0 Bologan,V (2580)-Potapov,A (2475)/Moscow 1998/CBM 063 (65)}) 12... d6 13.
Nd5 Nd7 ({Paddy: To me this looks like a perfectly playable (if not very
exciting) position for Black. 13...Nd7 is surely not the only move. How about} 
13... Na5 14. Ba2 c5 ({But not} 14... c6 $2 15. Bb6 $18) {e.g.} 15. b4 Nc6 16.
c3 Nd7 17. a4 (17. d4 Ne7 18. dxc5 (18. bxc5 exd4 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. cxd6 Qxd6
21. Bxd4 Rxe4 $11) 18... dxc5 19. bxc5 Nxd5 20. Bxd5 (20. exd5 Nxc5 21. Bxc5
Bxc5 22. Nxe5 Qf6 (22... Bxf2+) 23. Nd3 Rxe1+ 24. Qxe1 Bxa3 $11) 20... Bxd5 21.
Qxd5 (21. exd5 Nxc5 22. Bxc5 Bxc5 23. Rxe5 Rxe5 24. Nxe5 Qf6 25. Nd3 Bd6 26.
Qb3 Rc8 27. Rc1 Rc4 $44)) 17... Ne7) 14. c4 {(Bologan)} *

