Francophilia

Any book by the erudite Steve Giddins is an event and he has now produced a valuable guide to the popular Winawer Variation of the French Defence, championed by the eponymous Simon Winawer, as well as  Nimzowitsch, Botvinnik, Petrosian and Korchnoi. The Winawer gives up the bishop pair early on in most lines, seeking to exploit the doubled white c-file pawns which frequently arise. It is a line for those who prefer the counter attack rather than equalising defence. Interestingly, the computer has proved a great friend to the Winawer, since Black’s strategy often hangs by a complex tactical thread, which computer analysis can justify. This theme comes across strongly in the book, Move by Move: The French Winawer (Everyman Chess).

This week’s game is a win with the Winawer by the hero of Gibraltar, Nikita Vitiugov, who defeated Nigel Short to take first prize in the Gibraltar Masters earlier this month.

Inarkiev-Vitiugov; Moscow 2008; French Defence 

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 c5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Ne7 7 Nf3 b6 Black intends … Ba6, exchanging off his bad bishop, that is restricted by its own central pawns. 8 Bb5+ Bd7 9 Bd3 Ba4 10 h4 h6 11 Bf4 Nbc6 12 h5 a6 Black now wants to exchange bishops on b5. 13 Qb1 Stopping the bishop exchange. The other way of trying to do so, 13 Qe2?? runs into 13 … c4. 13 … Qc7 14 0-0 Na5 15 Ra2 Rb8 16 Re1 Kd7 (see diagram 1) This is very adventurous play. 16 … 0‑0 is perfectly satisfactory. 17 Rb2 c4 18 Be2 Nac6 19 Qc1 b5 This is a typical part of the plan of pushing the queenside pawns, but it also shuts the bishop on a4 out of the game.