Today I take a look at the B61 Rauzer line (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Bd7!?) and the critical position which arises after nine moves (diagram above).
I had been planning to write a theoretical article on this for some time now, but one thing lead to another and somehow all got delayed.
HOWEVER, given that today the Chinese superstar Wei Yi lost a game with the White pieces in this exact line against the Egyptian Adly, I have no more excuses but to publish.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Bd7 7.Qd2 Rc8 8.f4 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Qa5
This variation of the Rauzer is not really a main line but has attracted enough attention in the past 50 years or so from top grandmasters to merit being included in virtually every good theoretical text.
Opinions and evaluations on this line have changed over the years, as the game is very complex and difficult to play for either side.
I consider this line almost lost by force for Black, but only if White knows what he is doing and has a very good memory, as many of the variations are 20 to 25 moves long.
I was made aware of the win for White some years ago. Curiously, unknown to me, Negi , in one of his excellent books on the Sicilian (2015) presented a thorough coverage of this variation and arrived at the same conclusion. I checked this out just today!
gm Wei Yi – gm Adly,AhmedWorld Tch 11.3.2019 (0-1)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Bd7 7.Qd2
Rc8 8.f4 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Qa5 10.e5!{[#]<strong style="color:black;"> This line is not for the faint hearted! It is only with direct and aggressive play that White can count on any kind of advantage.</strong>} dxe5
({<strong style="color:black;">Popular at one point was the exchange sacrifice </strong>} 10...Rxc3$6 { <strong style="color:black;"> but it was found wanting and later given up.</strong>} 11.bxc3 Nd5 ( 11...Ne4 12.Qxe4 {!} Qxc3+ 13.Kf2 Qxa1 14.Bb5 Qb2 15.Qxb7 $18 ) 12.exd6 $16 f6 13.Bc4 )
( {<strong style="color:black;"> Ditto this line: </strong> } 10...h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.exf6 $16 )
11.fxe5 e6 {[#]}
({<strong style="color:black;">Not </strong> } 11...Bc6 12.b4 {!} )
12.O-O-O {[#]<strong style="color:black;"> Again, White must not fear the exchange sacrifice on c3. The variation favours white, but he must not back down and has to continue to play sharply</strong>} Bc6
( 12...Rxc3 {?!} 13.Bd2 Qxa2 ( 13...Bc5 14.Bxc3 Bxd4 15.Bxa5 Bxe5 16.Bb5 Nd5 17.Rhe1 Bxb5 18.Rxe5 O-O 19.b3 Bc6 20.c4 Nf4 21.g3 Ng6 22.Re3 e5 23.Red3 f5 24.Rd8 Rxd8 25.Rxd8+ Kf7 26.Rc8
f4 27.gxf4 Nxf4 28.Bc3 Ng6 29.b4 a6 30.a4 Ke6 31.b5 axb5 32.axb5
Bg2 33.Rc7 Kf6 34.c5 Nf4 35.c6 b6 36.Rd7 Ne6 37.c7 {<strong style="color:black;">1-0, Quesada Perez, Yuniesky 2604 – Real Pereyra, Diana Carime 2077 , Mexico City MEX 21-11-2012 2</strong>}
) 14.Bxc3 g6 15.b4!$18 Nd5 16.Bc4 )
13.Nb5! { [#] <strong style="color:black;"> Given the difficulty of playing this complex position, unless the student has studied this line at home it is virtually impossible to find all of White’s moves at the board. </strong>}
Bxb5 14.exf6 Bc6
{<strong style="color:black;">There is nothing better: </strong> }
( 14...Ba4 15.Bd2 Rxc2+ 16.Kb1 Rxd2 17.Qxd2
{!} Bb4 ( 17...Qxd2 18.Rxd2! {with the idea’ Be2,f3} gxf6
19.Be2 Ke7 20.Bf3 Bh6 21.Rd3 ) 18.Qc1 O-O 19.fxg7 Kxg7 20.Rd4 )
( 14...Bc5 15.Qe5! )
( 14...g6 15.Qe5 Bc5 {?} 16.Bd2 Qa4 17.Bxb5+
Qxb5 18.b4 $18 )
15.h4!
{<strong style="color:black;">This position has been reached in master and grandmaster praxis about 80 times over the years, with Dreev, Pinter and Dubov trying to champion the Black cause. [#] </strong> }
Bc5$2{<strong style="color:black;"> Amazing! This move is known to be immediately losing, but obviously not to Adly! Even more curious is that Wei Yi loses this game! </strong> [#] <strong style="color:black;"> The critical variation – as far as theory is concerned, as well as the way White could win, is as follows: </strong>}
( 15...g6!{[#]} 16.Bc4! Bc5
( 16...Qc5$6 17.Qd3 Qf5 ( 17...b5 18.Bb3 Qf5 ( 18...a5 19.Rhf1 Bd6 20.Qxd6 Qxd6 21.Rxd6 h6 22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.f7+ Kf8 24.Rd8+ {<strong style="color:black;">1-0, Grigoriadis,M – Lopatik,N, Batumi GEO 23-10-2014</strong>}
) 19.Qd2 {!} Qe4 ( 19...Bc5 20.Bxe6 fxe6 21.Rhf1 Kf7 22.Rxf5
exf5 23.Qc3 ) 20.Rhe1 Qxg2 21.Rxe6+ fxe6 22.f7+ Kxf7 23.Qf4+
Ke8 24.Bxe6 $18 ) 18.Qb3! {<strong style="color:black;">winning </strong> }
( 18.Bxe6 Qxd3 19.Bxc8 Qe4 )
( 18.Qd2 Qg4 19.Qc3 h6 20.Be3 $16 )
Rd8 ( 18...b5 19.Bxe6 fxe6 20.Rhf1 ) 19.Rdf1 Qg4 $8 20.Bxe6 {!} fxe6 21.Rf4 Qe2 22.f7+ Kd7 23.Rd4+ Bd6 24.Rhd1 $18 Bd5 ( 24...Kc7 25.Bxd8+ Rxd8 26.Rxd6 Rxd6 27.Rxd6 Qf1+ 28.Rd1 ) 25.Rxd5 exd5 26.Qxb7+ {<strong style="color:black;">1-0, Svidler, Peter – Sherbakov, Ruslan, 2003 Russia (ch) 88/185</strong>} )
( 16...Rd8$6 17.Qf4! )
17.Qe5! Bb6$5 {<strong style="color:black;">What else? </strong> }
( 17...Bb4 18.Qg3!{<strong style="color:black;">Not Negi’s preference (Qe2), but I think it is just as strong, if not more </strong> } Be4 ( 18...O-O 19.h5! )
19.Rd4 Bf5 20.Bh6 b5 21.Bb3 Bc5 22.Rd2 Bb4 23.Re2 Qc7 24.Qf3
Qc6 25.Bd5 {!} Qc7 26.c3 Qd6 27.Rd1 Bxc3 28.bxc3 Qa3+ 29.Kd2
Kd8 30.Ke1 Rxc3 31.Bb3+ {<strong style="color:black;">1-0, Lahno,K – Kovalevskaya,E , Jermuk ARM 18- 7-2012 FIDE WGP</strong>}
) 18.Qd6!{[#]} Bc5 ( 18...Qc5 19.Qe7+!{<strong style="color:black;"> is very unpleasant</strong> } ) 19.Qg3! {<strong style="color:black;"> One must memorize how the Queen navigates the maze of dark squares. It took years to find!</strong> } O-O
( 19...Be4 20.h5 Qb4 21.b3 $16 )
20.Bd2 {!} ( 20.h5 Bf2! ) Qa4
( 20...Qb6 {<strong style="color:black;">Is also insufficient: </strong> }
21.h5! Bd4 22.c3 Be4 ( 22...Bxf6 23.hxg6 hxg6 24.Qh3 ) 23.hxg6
Bxg6 24.Rxh7 Bxf6 25.Bd3 Kxh7 26.Rh1+ Kg8 27.Bxg6 fxg6 28.Qxg6+
Bg7 29.Qh7+ Kf7 30.Bh6 ( 30.Rf1+ Ke8 31.Qg6+ Kd8 32.Bg5+ Kc7
33.Qxg7+ Kc6 34.Rxf8 Qg1+ 35.Kd2 Qxg2+ 36.Kd3 Rxf8 37.Qxf8 Qxg5
38.Qc8+ ) Qd4 31.Rf1+ Ke8 32.Qg6+ Kd7 33.Rd1 Bxh6+ 34.Qxh6 Qxd1+
35.Kxd1 Rg8$6 ( 35...Rf7 {$13!} ) 36.Qh7+ Kc6 37.Qe4+ Kc7
38.Qe5+ Kd7 39.Qd4+ Kc6 40.Qc4+ Kd7 41.Qa4+ Kc7 42.Qf4+ Kc6 43.g4
Rcd8+ 44.Kc2 Rd5 45.Qe4 Kd6 46.c4 Rc8 47.b4 Ke7 $16 48.Qh7+ Kf6
49.Kb3 Rd4 50.g5+ Ke5 51.Qg7+ {<strong style="color:black;">1-0, Volokitin,A- Antoniewski,R , Jenbach AUT 21- 4-2012 TCh</strong>}
) 21.Bb3 Qe4 22.Qg5 {!} ( 22.h5 {?} Qxg2 23.Qf4 g5 24.Qe5 Bf3
25.Rde1 h6 26.Bxe6 Rfe8 27.Bxf7+ Kxf7 28.Qf5 Be4 29.Qd7+ Be7
30.Rhf1 Rxc2+ 31.Kd1 Rxd2+ {<strong style="color:black;">0-1, Lahno,K – Galliamova,A , Krasnoturinsk RUS 26/ 7/2007</strong>}
) Qf5 23.Qh6 Qxf6 24.Bc3 ( 24.h5 {?} Ba3 {!$17} ) e5 25.h5 Rce8
26.Rdf1 Qg7 27.Qd2 $16 {<strong style="color:black;">White has a winning game. He can build up pressure on the kingside, uncheck, while Black has no counterplay</strong>} )
( {<strong style="color:black;">Finally, these small details not be mentioned for the sake of completeness: </strong> }
15...Rg8 16.Bc4! )
( 15...gxf6 16.Bc4! )
( 15...Bc5$6 16.Qe5! )
16.Qe5! {<strong style="color:black;">NOW BACK TO THE WEI YI – ADLY GAME!: Adly’s imprecision allows White to do without Bc4 and thus gain an important tempo for his attack. It should prove immediately decisive. </strong> [#]}
g6 17.h5! Bb6 {<strong style="color:black;">There is nothing better, Black must try to exchange Queens before it is mate! </strong> } 18.Qxa5 Bxa5 19.hxg6 fxg6 {[#] <strong style="color:black;"> White has a huge positional advantage and a number of strong ways to proceed. Perhaps Wei Yi’s move is not objectively the strongest, though it should be good enough to win</strong> } 20.Bc4$5 {[#]}
({<strong style="color:black;"> My computer prefers</strong> } 20.Rd6! {<strong style="color:black;">which I have to agree with. It wins material immediately. </strong> })
({<strong style="color:black;">I could find one recent game here: </strong> } 20.Bd3$5 O-O 21.Bc4 Rce8 22.Rd6 Bxg2 23.Rh2 Bd5 24.Rd7
Bxc4 25.Rg7+ Kh8 26.Rhxh7# {<strong style="color:black;">1-0, Navara,D 2732 – Kraus,To 2427 , Czech Republic 11/ 2/2018 TCh</strong>})
Kf7 ( 20...Bxg2 21.Bxe6! )
21.Rh6$6 ({[#]<strong style="color:black;"> It is remarkable that Wei Yi does not play </strong> } 21.Rd6! {<strong style="color:black;">after which I do not see anything good: </strong> }
Rce8 22.Rhd1 Rhf8
23.Rd7+ Bxd7 24.Rxd7+ Kg8 25.Rg7+ Kh8 26.Rxb7 )
Be8 22.Bb3$6 {<strong style="color:black;"> Uncharacteristically playing a series of second best moves, Wei Yi soon finds himself with an inferior game </strong> }
( 22.Bd3! ) Rc5 23.Be3 Re5 24.Bd4 ( 24.Bxa7 Re2 ) Re4 25.Bxa7
Bc7 26.Rh3 ( 26.Kb1 Bc6 ) Bc6 27.Bc5 h5 28.Rhd3 Bf4+ 29.Kb1 h4 {<strong style="color:black;"> Now it is downhill all the way. Black is going to score a touch down on the Kingside </strong> [#]}
30.Be7 Be5 31.a3 g5 32.Bb4 g4 33.Rf1 Bb8 34.Bc3 h3 35.gxh3 gxh3
36.Rg1 Be5 37.Rh1 h2 38.Rd2 Bxc3 39.Rdxh2 Rxh2 40.Rxh2 Re1+ 41.Ka2
Bxf6 42.c3 Ke7 43.Bc4 Rh1 44.Rxh1 Bxh1 45.Kb1 Be4+ 46.Kc1 Bg5+
47.Kd1 Kd6 48.a4 Bd5 {<strong style="color:black;"> Adly deserves credit for pulling this game from the fire, but both players should be criticized. Adly for playing a losing variation. And Wei Yi for losing a won game! </strong> [#]} 0-1
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