What is in a Name?
Greek grandmaster, trainer and author Efstratios Grivas (born 1966) published an opening book in 2005 entitled ‘A Complete Guide to the Grivas Sicilian’ which dealt with a popular sideline of the Sicilian involving an early Qb6 by Black.
While I have some reservations about any famous player lending his name to any opening system, Grivas has probably played this system more times than any other grandmaster and his book remains one of the very best analytic treatments on the book market — even til this day.
Grivas painstakingly breaks down the strategies that both sides can employ and subjects each to a concrete and systematic study.
I myself have occasionally dabbled with this system during the past 45 years — before it even had a name — and as White I have encountered it even more often! The simple fact remains that it is an important opening system.
This past weekend at the German Bundesliga the Uzbekistani grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov played an important game against the Grivas System, crushing his opponent — Austrian IM Peter Schreiner (2445) in just 26 moves. Let’s take a closer look at this game.
(I use the RPB plugin for demonstrating this game. Just click on any move and a floating diagram will appear which is useful to follow the variations.)
gm Kasimdzhanov,R – im Schreiner,PBundesliga 23.11.2019 (1-0)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6{[#]} 5.Nb3 Nf6 6.Nc3 e6 7.Bd3
Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Be3 Qc7 10.f4 d6 11.Qf3 a6 12.Rae1{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The critical position with regards to the Kasimdzhanov game, and this can be found on page 105 of Grivas’ book. Of course, there are many alternate plans of play before this point for both sides (some involving White castling Queenside) but I leave it to the reader to buy Grivas’ book for more details.</strong>} b5$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Grivas gives this move a ‘?!’ and writes ”For many years this was considered the main line, but nowadays it has a dubious reputation.” I believe that the move is perfectly playable, though I am not sure if it is the best move. There are reasonable alternatives, as Grivas suggests.</strong>}
( 12...Rb8$5 {<strong style="color:black;">cautiously taking the Rook off of the long diagonal </strong> } )
( 12...Nd7$5 {<strong style="color:black;">anticipating a coming g4-g5 attack and preparing for it by reorganizing his pieces </strong> } )
( 12...Nb4$5 {<strong style="color:black;">eliminating the ‘attacking’ Bishop on d3 </strong> } )
({<strong style="color:black;">Grivas also mentions that inferior would be the immediate </strong> } 12...Re8$6 13.g4! )
13.e5$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Grivas gives this move an ‘!’ and remarks that it is the strongest move available. I am not sure.</strong>} Nd7$6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">This is a mistake that should give White an almost unstoppable attack. Grivas writes ”Black’s alternatives also look unattractive” He then goes on an analyses some of them, but I will concentrate on just one move:</strong>}
( 13...dxe5!{<strong style="color:black;">The best move, in my (Spraggett) opinion </strong> } 14.fxe5 Nd7!
15.Bf4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The exclamation mark is Grivas’</strong>} Bb7! 16.Qg3
({<strong style="color:black;">Grivas also mentions </strong> } 16.Qh3$5 g6 17.Be4{<strong style="color:black;"> Grivas gives this an exclamation mark and a clear advantage appraisal</strong> } Nb6! 18.Bh6 Nc4!$13
({<strong style="color:black;">Of course not </strong> } 18...Rfe8? 19.Rxf7$3 Kxf7 20.Rf1+ Kg8 21.Qxe6+ Kh8 22.Bg7+ Kxg7
23.Rf7+ Kh8 24.Rxh7+ Kxh7 25.Qxg6+ Kh8 26.Qh7# ) 19.Bxf8 Rxf8$13 )
g6 17.Bh6
( 17.a3$5 b4! 18.axb4 ( 18.Ne4 Ncxe5 19.Nf2 Bd6 ) Nxb4$13 )
( 17.Ne4 Ncxe5! )
( 17.Be4 b4 18.Nd1 a5$13 )
Ncxe5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Giving up the exchange for a centre pawn and the two Bishops is a common strategy in many other lines of the Sicilian and here it is no less effective. If anyone is better, it is Black! I think that Grivas must have overlooked this possibility when he wrote the book.</strong>} )
14.Qh3$6 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">It is strange that Kasimdzhanov overlooked a much stronger move here!</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">As Grivas right points out, crushing is the immediate </strong> } 14.exd6! Qxd6 ( 14...Bxd6 15.Bxb5!{<strong style="color:black;">simply wins a pawn </strong> } axb5 16.Nxb5 Qb8 17.Qxc6
Ra6 18.Qc4 ) 15.Be4! Bb7 16.f5!{<strong style="color:black;">and Grivas rightly points out that White has a clear advantage. </strong> } )
f5$6 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">This move meets with a clever refutation. </strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">As Grivas points out in his book, correct would be </strong> }14...g6! 15.exd6 Bxd6
16.f5 exf5 17.Nd5 Qd8 18.Rxf5 {<strong style="color:black;">Full of fire and fury, but we are not impressed! </strong> } f6$5$13 {<strong style="color:black;">Kofidis A – Grivas E , Ilioupolis 1995; infact, Grivas in his book describes Black’s chances as ‘excellent’!</strong> }
)
15.exf6 Nxf6 16.Nd4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">It is surprising how quickly Black’s game goes downhill now. All of White’s pieces are ‘looking’ at the Black Kingside.</strong>} Nxd4
({<strong style="color:black;">It is not easy to defend the e6-pawn </strong> } 16...Qd7$5 17.g4!$16 e5 ( 17...Nxd4 18.Bxd4
g6 19.g5 Nh5 20.Be4 d5$6 21.Nxd5 exd5 22.Qxd7 Bxd7 23.Bxd5+ ) 18.Nxc6!
Qxc6 19.fxe5 Bxg4 20.Qg3 dxe5 21.Rxf6! )
17.Bxd4 g6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Relatively best is </strong> } 17...Bd8$5 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.f5!$16{<strong style="color:black;">but White dominates the centre while Black’s pieces flounder. </strong> } )
18.Rxe6! d5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">There are only bad choices for the defence</strong>}
( 18...Bxe6 19.Qxe6+
Rf7 20.f5! g5 21.Ne4! )
( 18...Bd8 19.f5! )
19.Kh1{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Good enough to do the job, but perhaps not the most direct</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">More energetic would be </strong> }19.Rxe7! Qxe7
20.f5! ( 20.Qh4$5 ) )
b4
( {<strong style="color:black;">After </strong> }19...Bxe6 20.Qxe6+ Rf7 {<strong style="color:black;">White has a straight forward technical win </strong> } 21.Bxf6! Bxf6 22.Nxd5
Qd8 23.f5 g5 24.Be2 Kg7 25.Bf3 Rc8 26.c3{<strong style="color:black;"> and Black is busted</strong> } )
20.Qe3 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Missing IMMORTALITY </strong> } 20.Bxg6$3{[#]} hxg6
( 20...bxc3 21.Bxh7+ Nxh7 22.Rg6+ Kf7 23.Qh5 ) 21.Nxd5! Qd7 22.Nxe7+
Qxe7 23.Rxe7 Bxh3 24.gxh3 )
Bxe6 21.Qxe6+ Rf7 22.Bxf6 bxc3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">All Black needs is one move’s respite to consolidate, but Kasimdzhanov is relentless</strong>}
( 22...Bxf6 23.Nxd5 Qd8 24.f5! )
23.Be5! Qc5 24.f5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The end is mercifully near</strong>} gxf5 25.Rxf5
Raf8 26.Rf3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">It is forced mate. Black resigns</strong>} ( {<strong style="color:black;">Apparently </strong> } 26.Rh5 {<strong style="color:black;">would mate one move faster! </strong> } ) 1-0
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