Trust No One! (Part 2)
The first part of this column ended with Bobby Fischer claiming that according to known theory of his time black was equal after 11…Rc8 So why did Fischer play an opening that he knew to lead to equality. Fischer’s answer is “I felt Reshevsky didn’t know the latest wrinkles in Alekhine’s attack… I was right” (My Sixty Memorable Games).
It is true that Reshevsky did not know his opening theory but if Fischer claims that 11…Rc8 is an equality why doesn’t he give the name of players who played this variation for the first time as he does in many other places in his book? As you read chess books you must be suspicious of such moments.
These great chess players are also great liars (and I mean it as a compliment).
So I was suspicious of Fischer but I had no proof. Still, I had a gut feeling that if I play this variation as Black I am heading for a disaster but I did not know why.
So I looked up my chess library again and found that this exact position occurred in the game Liberzon-Pavlenko 1968.
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In his book Amusing Chess, Liberzon gives 11…Rc8 a question mark and goes on to win quite comfortably with 12 f5! (The thematic breakout that we have already seen in the first part of this column) Bxb3 13 cxb3 Nb4 14 Bc4 Nd7 15 Qe2 Ne5 16 Bb5! (do not exchange this bishop!)
Black cannot find counter game and the closed center serves White’s intentions on the kin’s wing. 16…Na6 17 Nd5 Nc5 18 Bg5 f6 19 Be3 g5 20 Rac1 b6 21 Bd4 Kh8 22 Rc3! and Black was crushed by a direct attack on his king (See diagram below).
In preparation for this column I surfed to Chesslab, a cute free online chess database, and searched for games in which Black played 11… Rc8 I have found that in every game, where White was a player I have heard of before, White won. The latest game in the Chesslab where Black played his rook to c8 and white played f5 is from 1992 and Black actually won this game. The game Thannheiser –Korn continued 12…Bd7 (instead of Bxb3) 13 g4 Ne5 14 Nd2 Rxc3! 15 bxc3 Bc6 with pressure on the center by both Black bishops.
I still believe that by playing 16 Bf3 White can survive the pressure and retain an advantage with the plan of Qe2, Bd4 and Nc4 in order to force the knight on e5 to take a decision about its future. But this is a complicated and double edged position so do not take my word for it – check it for yourself.
Although 11…Rc8 may give Black good chances, I believe that when Bobby Fischer recommended it he knew that there is a better move for Black and that move is 11…Qc8. This is one of those moves that you just see and know it must be good. After moving to c8, the queen helps preventing the pawn breakthrough on f5. At the same time the queen gives room for the rook on d8 to support Black’s thematic breakthrough in the center – d5. Black has at least equality, as shown in many games since 1949(!) until 2004. Do you believe what I have just said? I hope not and not because it is not true that 11…Qc8 is a good move but because you should not take my word for it. Take out your board and pieces put the position and check it for yourself until you decide what is better for YOU, 11…Rc8 or 11…Qc8. In any case the plan with 7 Be2 is not dangerous for the Accelerated Dragon, trust me…