Alekine’s Defence, Haakert Variation with 16…g4 and a New Method of Attack involving 18. c5.
Introduction:
The Haakert Variation was previously discussed in the October 2009 Chess
Publishing Post 1.e4. The variation involving 16…g4 was mentioned.
Some relevant comments have been put forward in this article. An attack involving
18.c5 has been proposed by the author and black is presented
with a different set of problems, which include monitoring of the pawn structure if white
chooses to quickly enter into an end game situation. Black is sound in the middle game
and may need to utilize the g file and the 5th rank in order to adequately counter white’s
build up through the centre.
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c4 Nb6 6.e6 fxe6 7.Nc3 g6 8.h4 Bg7
9.Be3 0–0 10.h5 e5 11.d5 Nd4 12.Nxd4 exd4 13.Bxd4 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 e5
15.Qe3 g5 16.h6 g4 Such an expansion of the king side was suggested by Juergen Fleck's article in
Kaissiber 19. The black light square bishop has a stable outpost at f5 or g6 and it
cannot be harassed by advancing white king side pawns. [16...Rf4 was suggested
by Buecker in the above mentioned Oct 09
1. e4....updates. After 17.c5 Nc4, Watson mentions 18.Qc1!. Black desperately needs
an improvement to the text and I can’t find one. A strong continuation for white is
18… dxc5 19.Ne2 Qe7 20.Nxf4 exf4+ 21.Be2 Nd6 22.Qxc5 Bd7 23.Kf1 Re8
24.Bd3 g4 25.Qc3! Black is the exchange down and the white queen dominates the
long diagonal. The black queen has limited attacking power due to the committed guarding
of the g7 square. White can casually progress on the queen side while black is committed
to advancing the king side pawns. When black’s attack becomes too threatening, white
can bail out and force the exchange of queens and attain a winning end game position.
25… g3 26.Re1 Qg5 27.Qg7+ Qxg7 (inevitable as previously indicated) 28.hxg7 Rxe1+
29.Kxe1 Bf5 30.Bxf5 Nxf5 31.fxg3 fxg3 32.Ke2 Kxg7 +-]
17.Be2 Suggested by Raj
Tischbierek.
17...Bf5 18.c5! The g4 pawn cannot be easily rounded up by white
eg. 18.Qg3 Qg5 19.Rh4 Kh8 20.c5 Nd7 21.cxd6 cxd8 22.Bxg4 Rg8 23.Bxf5 Qxf5
24.Qh3 Qxh3 25. Rxh3 Rxg2 = This multidimensional approach 18.c5 forces 18….dxc5,
which leaves black’s centre in temporary disarray and weakens the e5 pawn. The white
d pawn is unblocked and it becomes a passed pawn threat, while white can attack on the
king side.
[Tischbierek mentions 18.Rh5 and Watson mentions the continuation.. 18...Bg6
19.Rg5 Rf4 20.Rxg6+ ! 20...hxg6 21.g3 Rd4 22.Nb5 Qf6 23.Nxd4 exd4 24.Qe4
(24.Qe6+ Qxe6 25.dxe6 Re8 26.Bxg4 Nxc4 =) 24...Rf8 (24...Na4 !
My proposed improvement over the Watson text. The knight
seems to have galloped and almost stumbled out of the board, but in fact this
curious manoeuvre enables the centralizing Nc5 option and prevents white
from conveniently castling queenside, with 25. O-O-O due to d3! =/Ŧ, which springs
an undiscovered attack on the unsuspecting b2 pawn and unexpected check on the
king. Eg. 26. Rxd3 Qxb2+ 27.Kd1 Kh7 28.Qe7+ Kh6 29.Bxg4 Qxf2 30.Re3 Rf8 =/Ŧ .
The pedestrian 25 b3? also runs into 25…. d3 and white’s queen rook is under
attack. White has two good continuations. 25.Bxg4 [25.Qxg4 Re8 26.Rd1 Nxb2
27.Qxd4 Qxd4 28.Rxd4 Kh7 29.Kd2 Kxh6 30.Bd3 Nxd3 31.Rxd3 Re4
32.Rb3 Rxc4 33.Rxb7 Rd4+ 34.Ke3 Rxd5 35.Rxa7 Rc5 36.a4 =] 25...Nc5! How cool
is that! The knight makes an entrance from positional obscurity, fends off Be6+, attack
the white queen and sets up d3!
26.Qf3 Qxf3 27.Bxf3 Rf8 28.Ke2 Re8+ 29.Kf1 a5 30.Rd1 d3 31.Re1 Re5
32.a3 a4 33.Bd1 Ne4=)
25.0–0–0 Qg5+ 26.Kb1 Qf5 Black's position may be okay.]
18...dxc5 19.Rh5 Of course white could try the direct raid through the centre approach, but black is in
a good position to counter this strategy. Eg. 19.Qxe5 Rf7 20.Rh5 Qf6
21.Qxf6 Rxf6 22.Rg5+ Kh8 23.Bxg4 Re8+ 24.Be2 Bd3 25.Rc1 Rd6 26.f4 Bxe2
27.Nxe2 Nxd5 28.Re5 Rxe5 29.fxe5 Re6 30.Rxc5 Rxe5 31.Kd2 b6 32.Rc6 Rg5
33.Nc3 Rxg2+ 34.Ke1 Nxc3 35.bxc3 Rg6 36.Rxc7 Rxh6 37.Rxa7 Rc6 38.Ra3 Kg7 =
Qf6 20.Bxg4 Bxg4 21.Rg5+ Kh8 22.Rxg4 Rg8 23.Rxg8+ Rxg8 24.g3 Rg4 ! [24...Nc4 25.Qxc5 Rg4 26.0–0–0 Qxh6+ 27.Kc2 Qg6+ 28.Kb3 Qb6+ 29.Qxb6 Nxb6
30.d6 cxd6 (30...Rg7 31.Nb5 cxd6 32.Rxd6 Nd7 33.Nxa7 Nc5+ 34.Kc4 Ne4
35.Rd8+ Rg8 36.Rxg8+ Kxg8 ±) 31.Rxd6 Kg7 32.Nb5 Rg6 33.Rd2 Re6
34.Nxa7 e4±]
25.0–0–0 ! The low risk approach. [25.Ne4 The knight move is
more flashy and there is interesting play. Objectively castling queenside is slightly
better. 25…Qg6 26.Nxc5 Nd7 27.Qf3 Nf6 28.Nxb7 Qxh6 29.d6 ! (29.Nd8 Kg8
30.Nc6 (30.Rd1 Qh5 !) 30...Rg5 31.Qb3 Kg7 32.Rd1 Rf5 33.Ne7 Qh1+
34.Kd2 Rxf2+ 35.Kc1 Qf3 36.Qxf3 Rxf3 37.Nc6 Rxg3 38.Nxa7 Rg4 =)
29...Rg7 30.b3 (30.Rd1 e4 31.Qf5 e3
Black attempts to undermine the white g3 pawn and unleash the patient black rook.
White is beginning to feel the downside of an exposed centralized king in a middle
game situation.
32.Kf1 exf2 33.dxc7 Rxc7 34.Nd6 Kg7 35.Kxf2 Qh2+ 36.Kf3 Qxb2 37.Qg5+ Kf8
38.Rd2 Qc3+ 39.Kg2 Rg7 40.Ne4 Rxg5 41.Nxc3 Ke7 =) 30...e4 !
Black can now take advantage of white’s underdeveloped rook and exposed king in
the centre.
31.Qc3 cxd6 32.Nxd6 e3 33.Qd4 exf2+ 34.Kxf2 Qh2+ 35.Kf1 Qh1+ 36.Ke2 Qg2+
37.Kd1 Qf3+ 38.Kc2 Rg4 39.Qe5 Qf2+ 40.Kc3 Qxg3+ 41.Qxg3 Nd5+
42.Kd3 Nb4+ 43.Ke3 Rxg3+ 44.Kf4 Rg6 =
25...Nc4 [25...Rd4 26.f4 Nc4 27.fxe5 Qxe5 28.Qxe5+ Nxe5 29.Rxd4 cxd4
30.Nb5 c6 31.dxc6 Nxc6 32.Kd2 Kg8 33.Nd6 b6 Adv W]
26.Qe2 Rd4 [26...Qxh6+ ? 27.f4 +- Black is unable to defend both the rook and knight.]
27.Rxd4 Black has achieved a key positional objective. White must think of a way
to exchange rooks without improving black’s pawn structure.
[27.Qh5 Qg6 28.Rh1 Rd2 29.Qxg6 hxg6 30.Rh4 Rd4 31.Re4 (31.Nb5 Rxh4
32.gxh4 =) 31...Kh7 32.b3
32...Rxe4 (Black must involve the nicely centralized room in a piece trade off in order
to save the isolated e5 pawn.
Avoiding the exchange is unfavourable for black, ie 32...Nb6 33.Rxe5 Kxh6 The white
rook is very domineering because it also restricts the movements of the black
knight. 34.Kc2 a5 35.f4 c4 36.Nb5 Rxd5 37.Nxc7 cxb3+ 38.axb3 Rxe5 39.fxe5 Kg5
40.Kd3 Kf5 41.Kd4±) 33.Nxe4 Nb6 34.d6 cxd6 35.Nxd6 Kxh6 36.Kd2 Kh5
37.Nxb7 c4 38.Nd6 cxb3 39.axb3 White has a slight advantage, due to the
connected kingside pawns. Black should be able to defend the position.]
27...cxd4 Black was able to undouble the c pawns, but the “rehabilitated” d pawn
is now forced to recapture the c3 knight.
28.Qxc4 Qxh6+ 29.Kc2 dxc3
30.bxc3 Qd6 Equal material, but white's pawn at d5 is a problem. The position should be defendable
for black, who must decide how to build his fortress, prepare against a queen
exchange, optimize the position of the queen and king, and decide how to best protect
the isolated e pawn. Black should not underrate the three connected queen side
pawns and at the right moment an a6, b6, c7 pawn set up will be effective.
31.Qb5 (31.Qe4 Kg7 32.c4 h6 33.a4 c6 34.Kd3 cxd5 35.cxd5 Qa3+
36.Kd2 Kf6 37.Ke2 Qd6 38.Kf3 h5 39.Qh4+ Kg6 40.Ke4 b6 41.f3 a6)
31...b6 (31...Qf6 32.Kb3 Qf5 33.Kc4 Qg4+ 34.Kc5 Qc8 35.Kb4 Kg7)
32.Qe8+ (32.Kd3 a5)
32...Kg7 33.c4 a6 34.a4 Qf6 35.Qd7+ Kg6
36.Qg4+ Kf7 37.Kd3 Qg6+ 38.Qxg6+ hxg6 39.Ke4 Kf6 40.f3 g5 = Conclusions:
The variations involving 16…g4 seems to be solid and dynamic against continuations involving
18.Rh5. The improvement 24… Na4! further consolidates
the robustness of this line.
An attack involving 18.c5 has been proposed and it provides black with a
different set of challenges.
White can pursue a relatively safe approach, which is centered on 25.
O-O-O, but the middle game has less pitfalls for black. The alternative 25.Ne4,
provides very exciting prospects for both sides. Independent of what white plays,
the second player is able to respond with a sound end game situation.
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Main Line Alekhine with 4...Nc6 (Read 59709 times)
