British Chess Magazine

One B C M plan for this year to to make a special study of certain openings and defences, to feature systems that aren't exactly getting top marks in the popularity stakes. Last year, almost inadvertently, we featured a bunch of Evans Gambits. So for 2012 we are going one better and homing-in on two fields of interest: The Petroff's and the Queen's Gambit Accepted (others will follow, naturally). So in examining 'TN The Best Theoretical Novelties' (Chess Informant 2012) we begin with this solid and symetrical defence, beloved of Marshall, Alexander and, in our own time, Kramnik.

WS Browne-v-JF Acers. USA, 1971. Petroff's C43

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Bd6 6.0–0 0–0 7.c4 Bxe5 8.dxe5 Nc6 9.cxd5 Qxd5 10.Qc2 Nb4 11.Bxe4 Nxc2 12.Bxd5 Bf5!! TN 13.g4 Bg6 [13...Bxg4 14.Be4 Nxa1 15.Bf4 f6 16.Nc3 fxe5 17.Be3 Bf3 18.Rxa1 Bxe4 19.Nxe4 b6 20.b4 a5 21.b5 and White is a bit better Kasparov-Timman, Paris RP, 1991] 14.f4 Bd3 15.Rd1 Ba6 16.Nc3 Nxa1 17.b4 c6 18.Be4 Rad8[and Black has compensation for the sacrificed material] 19.Rd6 Rxd6 20.exd6 Rd8 21.Bb2 Nb3! 22.axb3 Rxd6 23.Ba3 Rd4 [23...Rd2!?] 24.Kf2 Rd2+ 25.Kg3 Bd3 26.Bf3 Bc2 27.Bc1 Rd3 28.Ne2 Bxb3–+ 29.Kf2 Bd5 30.Bxd5 cxd5 31.Be3 Rb3 32.Bxa7 Rxb4 33.Bd4 b5 34.Ke3 Rb3+ 35.Kd2 Rh3 36.Nc3 Rxh2+ 37.Kc1 Rh4 38.Nxd5 Rxg4 39.Kd2 h5 40.Ke2 h4 41.Kf1 h3 42.Bg1 b4! 0–1.

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