Ambitious Repertoire against the Italian Game

GM Kiril Georgiev June 15, 2021 chess_media

The Italian Game is nowadays as a good old wine, there is rarely a week with less than a new
hundred games in it. All the leading players are engaged in the heavy theoretical discussion, in a
recent match between MVL and Nakamura the real battle even started after move 21. The
purpose of this database is to highlight the latest tendencies. GM Kiril Georgiev provides a
repertoire that is both solid and ambitious.
Additionally, as all new Modern Chess products, this product comes with a Memory Booster.
The booster is designed to help you better remember the important points in each chapter. All
the testable lines have been carefully selected by our GM team.
Now, let's take a brief look at the different chapters of the database.
In Chapter 1, the readers will also find an effective antidote to the crafty 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4!?

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It is recommendable for them to pay attention to the subtleties behind Black’s choices on move 10
and, of course, the powerful march of the h-pawn, which is a promise for seizing the initiative.
Chapter 2 is dealing with positions of completely opposite character after 4/5.Nc3. After the
symmetrical 4….Nf6 5.d3 d6 GM Georgiev has taken a game of his for explaining the long-standing
as a main line 6.Bg5.

In the notes, the readers will find examples of how to play in the case of 6.Be3, as well as a
possible solid reaction against 6.Na4, which has recently gained in popularity.
The subject of the next 9 chapters are the variations after 4.c3, in which White does not push the
d-pawn to the 4th rank in one go and is initially limiting it to protect the central one. A queenside
expansion must always be considered and Chapter 3 and Chapter 5 are dedicated to 5/6.b4 and
5/6.a4 respectively.
Already here Black’s best bet seems to be an advance of the a-pawn to the a5-square. This thrust
has recently become a trendy reply and in the next chapters, it has come without a warning. The
line 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.0-0 h6 (Nakamura’s favourite) 7.Nbd2 0-0 8.Re1 a5 9.Nf1 has been
discussed in detail.

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Chapters 6 and 7 deal with 9…Be6, while Chapters 8 and 9 are delving into the more complicated
positions after the ambitious 9…a4!? and its tactical justification 10.Bb5 Ng4.
Even anticipating this march by 6.Bb3 does not discourage this idea.

Chapters 10 and 11 give a clue of both sides' plans and how this seemingly calm situation can
quickly sharpen before the opening exit.
The final third of this database is almost entirely concentrated on 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4

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First of all, the old tabiya after 6.cxd4 Bb4 comes into the limelight. The subject of Chapter
12 is 7.Bd2

GM Georgiev suggests 7...Nxe4 with the idea to liquidate to a safe ending after the forced
sequence 8.Bxb4 Nxb4 9.Bxf7 Kxf7 10.Qb3+ Kf8 11.Qxb4+ Qe7

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In this position, the d-pawn stays ready to take the e5-square under control and the bishop can
play a decisive role.
Chapter 13 demonstrates a solid answer to Greco’s 7.Nc3!? – after 7…Nxe4 8.0-0 Bxc3 9.d5 the
author does not stick to the common 9…Bf6 and analyses 9…Ne5 in detail.

In the ensuing positions, Black keeps an extra pawn, being ready to part with it in order to
complete the development or achieve a better endgame.
Then comes one of the blockbusters of 2020 – the exceptional game Dubov – Karjakin,
where 6.b4!? took place and is thoroughly analyzed in Chapter 14.

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The general conclusion after the textmoves 6…Bb6 7.e5 Ne4 8.Bd5! is that White’s initiative is
compensating the sacrificed pawns, even though Black has at least 4 possible improvements –
12…g5, the familiar a7-a5 push on moves 12th and 13th, as well as 14…Nf5. All of them seem
sufficient to keep the balance, but probably not more than that.
Nevertheless, the task in this work is not exactly to make corrections to Karjakin’s (who has
managed to find most of the best replies) play, but to neutralize this dangerous idea. The author is
coming up with two recommendations – 7…d5! instead of the risky 7…Ne4, and 6…Be7 on the
previous move.

The resulting positions are indeed complex. It should be noted that Black’s king is much safer than
the featured game, and his chances to take over the initiative are quite reasonable.
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The next two chapters are dealing with the fashionable 6.e5.

After 6…d5 7.Be2, using a game of his own, GM Georgiev is explaining the move order and the
meaning of each one in his careful preparation of the f7-f6 break. The main
continuation 7.Bb5 and the most critical position for its assessment after 7…Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3
0-0 10.Be3 Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.Qc2 is the subject of Chapter 16.

Black has tried many moves, some of them, including the strategically risky 12….f5, are given in the
notes. The recommended leading line is starting with 12…Ba5! and contains many tactical
finesses. The normal outcome is a draw by perpetual or repetition. The analysis of the fresh game
Grandelius – Tari from the last Wijk-aan-Zee tournament shows that this verdict should remain
unchanged.
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The final Chapter 17 is bringing us back to the romantic 19th century by covering the earliest
aggressive tries for White. GM Georgiev suggests a fresh approach for meeting the tricky Evans
gambit, based firstly on principally accepting the sacrificed pawn and retreating the bishop to the
a5-square, followed by reinforcing the central pawn, without fear of opening the a2-g8 diagonal.

Chapter 1 – 4. 0-0 Nf6 5.d4!?

2021.05.28 [GM Kiril Georgiev]

1. e4 e5 2. ♘f3 ♘c6 3. ♗c4 ♗c5Here, we are going to deal with White's earliest and
very ambitious tries to challenge the Italian game by immediate pawn sacrifices, thus4. O-Ois
not by far the first choice, but it contains an original idea, which will be examined a bit
later.4…♘f6 5. d4!?Yet another interesting pawn sacrifice from the 19th century with the
same aggressive intentions.5… ♗xd4! 6. ♘xd4 ♘xd4 7. f4

( 7. ♗g5!? is a worthy alternative, which is not transposing to the leading text after 7… h6
( questioning the bishop 7… ♘e6 deserves serious attention as well )
8. ♗h4 is the main reply and a considerable amount of games are still featuring the old trap
8....g5?! 9.f4! Instead of that automatical reaction to unpin, Black has:

( 8. f4!? is entertaining; Black may follow the course of the game G. Leacima - D.
Papakonstantinou, Tornelo INT, 2021 - 8… hxg5 9. fxe5 ♘c6 10. exf6 and
after 10… gxf6 Black is a pawn up, which, if necessary, will be protected by the rook, and
enjoys the excellent e5-square for his knight, so his king looks safe for the moment. This
position needs practical tests, the initial impression is that the first player cannot prove enough
compensation. )

( 8. ♗xf6 ♕xf6 9. ♘c3 ♘e6

( more natural is 9… c6 10. f4∆ O-O)

10. ♘b5 a6 11. ♗xe6 axb5 12. ♗b3 O-O 13. ♕d2 d6 14. f4 exf4 15. ♖xf4 and
Black is rock-solid after the correct 15… ♕e5!
( 15… ♕xb2+=3 16. ♖xf7 ♖xf7 17. ♖f1⇄ T. Koelle - H. Sorensen, chess.com INT
2021 )

16. ♖af1 ♗e6∓ /-+ )

8… d6
( a recommendation in Bologan's book
is 8… ♕e7 9. f4 ♕c5 10. fxe5 ♘f3+ 11. ♔h1 ♘xh4
( worth a try is 11… ♘xe5!? N )
12. exf6 ♕xc4 13. fxg7

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 ♘a3? ♕c5 14. ♕e1 g5 15. ♖f5 ♘xf5 16. exf5+ ♔d8 17. b4 ♕d6 18. ♕
( 13.
c3 ♖e8 19. ♘c4 ♕d5 20. ♖e1 ♖e4 21. ♘e5 d6 22. ♘xf7+ ♔e8 23. ♘h8
♗xf5 24. ♖f1 ♔d7 25. f7 ♕e5 26. ♕xe5 ♖xe5 0-1 L. Bergez - W. Taylor, Castell
de Sant Ferran, 2016 )

13… ♖g8 14. ♘c3 c6 , but after 15. ♕d2=∞ Black has to tread very carefully in order to
keep the balance, the first mine to be avoided is 15… ♕e6?
( better
♖ae1 ♗e6 17. ♘d5 ♖xg7 18. ♘f6+ ♔e7 19. ♕xh6 ♘xg2 20.
is 15… d6 16.

♕xg7 ♘xe1 21. ♖xe1 ♕c5 22. e5 ♗d5+ 23. ♘xd5+ ♕xd5+ 24. ♔g1 ♕d4+
25. ♔h1 ♕d5+= )

( or 15… ♘g6 16. e5 ♖xg7 17. ♖ae1 ♕b4 18. ♕xh6 ♕f8 19. ♕g5∆ ♕e7 20.
♕h6= )
16. ♘d5!! +- cxd5∆ 17. exd5 ♕g6 18. ♕e1+ ♔d8 19. ♕xh4+ ♕g5 20. ♕xg5+
hxg5 21. ♖xf7 ♔c7 22. c4 b6 23. ♖e1 with a firm grip )

9. f4 ♗g4! (the key move!) 10. ♗xf6

( 10.♕d2? ♘xe4! 11. ♕xd4 exd4 12. ♗xd8 ♖xd8 13. f5 d5 14. ♗d3 g6 15. fx
g6 fxg6 16. h3 ♗e6-+ 1/2. Stepanek - J. Tesar, Prague, 2018 )

10… ♗xd1 11. ♗xd8 ♖xd8 12. c3

( 12. ♖xd1 ♘xc2 was considered for long as the main line: 13. ♘c3
( 13. f5 ♘xa1 14. ♘a3 c6
( 14… d5)

15. ♖xa1 ♔e7 16. ♖d1 g6

( 16… b5)

17. f6+ ♔xf6 18. ♖f1+ ♔g5 19. ♖xf7 and here, instead of 19… ♖hf8 ,
Huschenbeth - Gledura, Greensboro, 2017, which freed the path to the center for the king at
the cost of the b-pawn and led to a draw on move 32, Black could preserve it by

( 19… b5 20. ♗b3 a5=+ )

)

13… ♘xa1 14. ♖xa1 exf4 15. ♘d5 Black has a rook and 3 pawns temporarily for the
minor pieces. The text is going to win back one of them, but White will still be the one, who has
to take care: 15… O-O
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( 15… ♔d7 16. ♘xf4 ♖he8 17. ♗d3 ♖e5 18. ♖f1 c6 19. g3 ♔c7 20. ♔g2
♖d7 21. h4 and here 21… g5? , Riehle - Vrolijk, chess.com INT 2020, allowed the knight
to invade on the f6-square.
( Black missed the
intermediate 21… d5! 22. exd5 g5 23. hxg5∆ hxg5 24. ♘h5 ♖exd5 25. ♗c4 ♖c5
26. ♗xf7 ♖d2+ 27. ♔h3 ♖xb2 with clear advantage )
)

16. ♘xf4 ♖fe8 17. ♖e1 c6 18. ♗b3

♔f2 ♖e5 19. ♘d3 ♖e7 20. ♔f3 ♖de8 21. ♘f2 d5 22. ♗d3 dxe4+ 23.
( 18.
♖xe4 ♖xe4 24. ♘xe4 ♖d8 25. ♔e3 b6=+ Akhrass - Kfoury, Beirut, 2016 )
18… d5 19. e5 ♖e7 20. ♔f2 ♖de8 21. ♘d3 f6
( 21… g6+=3 Riehle - Lysyj, chess.com INT 2020 )

22. exf6 ♖xe1 23. ♘xe1 g6 /\?f7-/+ )

12… ♗e2 13. cxd4 ♗xc4 14. ♖c1 ♗a6 15. ♖xc7 is a sort of critical position, which
has been tested in a couple of Abdusattorov's games: Black, in my opinion, can seize the
initiative by means of the sharp 15… O-O!? N

( 15… exf4 is the better way to take a pawn - 16. ♘c3 O-O
( Black has reasonably rejected the
repetition 16… ♖d7 17. ♖c8+ ♖d8 18. ♖c7 ♖d7= )
17. ♘d5 ♖fe8 18. ♖e1 ♗d3 19. ♖xb7

( perhaps 19. ♔f2! ♖xe4 20. ♖xe4 ♗xe4 21. ♘xf4 is a better way to use the active
Rc7 )

19… ♖xe4 20. ♖d1 ♗e2 21. ♘c3 ♖e3=+ and White failed to hold the ensuing rook
ending after 22. ♖e1 ♖de8 23. ♖xe2 ♖xe2 24. ♘xe2 ♖xe2 Abdusattorov - Ma
Qun, chess.com INT, 2020 )

( of course, Black, if he wishes so, can go for 15… ♖d7 16. ♖c8+ ♖d8= )
( 15… exd4 16. ♘d2 ♖d7 17. ♖ac1 (an optimistic attempt, which has been paid off in
the end, but, objectively speaking, White's best is to repeat) 17… ♔e7

( Black could get rid of the annoying rooks with the help of the
mysterious 17… ♖f8! 18. ♘f3∆ ♖xc7 19. ♖xc7 ♔d8)
18. ♔f2 ♖hd8?!
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( Black had promising options to fight for the initiative by preparing to trade a pair of rooks
while keeping an eye on the e4-pawn - 18… ♗b5! /\Bc6 )
( or 18… ♖e8 /\b6 )
19. ♘f3 d3

( 19… ♗d3! )
20. ♔e3 ♖xc7?
( 20… f5! ⇄ was the last opportunity for initiating active counterplay )

21. ♖xc7+ ♖d7 22. ♖c3! g6 23. ♘d4 ♔f6 24. b4 and Black could not compensate
the vulnerability of his queenside and the d5-square in particular, Abdusattorov - Grischuk,
chess.com INT 2020, and lost on the move 56. )

16. fxe5 dxe5 17. d5 f5! =+ , when, after the probable mass exchange of the central pawns,
the bishop may show its renowned supremacy over a knight in open positions. )

7… d6The most natural reply, which resumes the threat 8....Bg4 and does not , therefore,
leave to White time to attack the centralized knight. It is worth mentioning that the other
defenses of the e5-pawn fail to impress:

( 7… ♘c6?! runs into 8. ♗xf7+! ♔xf7 9. fxe5 , regaining the piece with interest )
( 7… ♕e7 8. fxe5 ♕xe5 is time-consuming, an exemplary line
is 9. ♗f4 ♕c5∆ 10. ♗xf7+! ♔xf7 11. ♗e3 d6 12. ♗xd4↑ )

8. fxe5 dxe5 9. ♗g5 ♕e7!

( 9… ♕d6 is the other way to create the threat of 10...Qc5, but holding the queen on the d-
file allows 10. ♗xf6

( this preliminary capture is necessary to avoid the resumed possibility

for 10. c3?! ♗g4! 11. ♗xf7+∆ ♔xf7 12. ♕xg4 ♘c2-+ , L. Busch - T. Schwenkreis,
Bad Homburg, 2016, and the knight is badly missing its usual c3-square, see the next note )

10… gxf6 and White can prepare to chase the knight and win the f6-pawn by 11. ♘a3!
( it should be noted that the direct 11. c3 does not reach this purpose because of the amusing
resource 11… ♘f5! )
)

( 9… ♗g4?! 10. ♗xf7+ ♔xf7∆ ?! 11. ♕xg4 ♘xc2? 12. ♕h5+ ♔e7 13. ♘c3→ )
10. ♘a3

( 10. ♘d2 Not the most popular continuation, but this move looks logical - once White is
planning to play against double pawns, his knight is getting closer to the center and protects
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the e-pawn. It is just because of the latter 10… ♘e6 is the best way to proceed
- 11. ♗xf6 gxf6 12. c3
( 12. ♕f3 ♘f4 13. g3 ♖g8 14. ♔h1 ♗g4 15. ♕f2 was so far in Just-Paetzold, E-
mail 2007, here Black could
play 15… ♘e6 16. ♕xf6 ♕xf6 17. ♖xf6 ♖d8 18. ♗xe6 ♗xe6 19. ♖f2 ♔e7=+
)

12… ♖g8 13. ♔h1 ♘f4 14. g3 ♗h3 15. ♖f2 ♗g4

( 15… ♘e6! /\Ng5 is sufficient to keep the extra pawn even in reply to 16.Qh5 )
16. ♕a4+

( 16. ♕f1 ♗h3 17. ♕d1 ♗g4= )

16… ♗d7 17. ♕b3 ♘h3∓ 18. ♖ff1 O-O-O 19. ♗xf7 ♖g4

( 19… ♖g7 20. ♗h5 ♗e8 21. ♕d1)

20. ♘c4? ♗c6 21. ♗e6+ ♕xe6 22. ♘b6+ ♔b8 0-1 J. Stearman - D. Wagner,
Chess.com INT, 2017 )

( the move order 10. c3 ♘e6 11. ♗xf6 provides Black with an additional opportunity
for 11… ♕c5+
( 11… gxf6 with a likely transposition to the stem-game )

12. ♔h1 ♕xc4 13. ♗xe5 , when he can choose between 13… ♕b5!?

( and castling at once or after 13… ♕xe4 14. ♗xc7 O-O Bakalchuk - Hracek, Jerusalem,
2015, with good prospects everywhere. )
)

10… ♗d7!Black is reacting accordingly to the different routes of Nb1 - from here, the bishop,
apart from its working c8-h3 diagonal, is ready to appear on the c6-square and press on the un-
defended e4- and, indirectly, the g2-pawn.11. c3

♕d2 ♘e6 12. ♗xf6 gxf6 13. ♕h6 ♘f4 14. ♔h1 O-O-
( 11.
O 15. g3 ♗c6 16. ♖ae1 ♖d4 17. ♕g7 ♕d8 18. ♕g4+ ♔b8 19. ♕f3 f5 20.
♗d3 fxe4 21. ♗xe4 ♖xe4 22. ♖xe4 f5 23. ♖xf4 exf4 0-1 S. Milson - A. Stefanova,
Telford, 2017, is a good example of the attacking potential of Black's spring. )

11… ♘e6 12. ♗xf6 gxf6 13. ♕f3

( 13. ♖f2 did not prevent a catastrophy on the g2-square in the following game 13…O-O-O

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14. ♕f3 ♘f4 15. ♕e3 ♔b8 16. b4 ♖hg8 17. ♔h1 f5 18. exf5 ♗c6 19. ♖g1
(a blunder in a difficult position) 19… ♘xg2 20. ♖fxg2 ♖xg2 0-1 H. Schulz - J. Bardorz,
Berlin, 2020. )

13… ♘f4! 14. g3A consequent move, the alternatives are not better:

( delaying the text with 14. ♔h1 is providing Black with the idea for 14… h5! 15. ♘c2
( if 15. g3 , then the simplest is 15… ♘h3 , transposing to the featured game )
15… h4 16. ♘e3 c6 17. b4 O-O-
O 18. a4 ♗e6 19. ♖ad1 ♔b8 20. a5 ♖hg8 21. ♖xd8+ ♕xd8 22. ♖d1 ♕e7 2
3. ♗f1 ♖d8 24. ♖xd8+ ♕xd8∓ Swayams - Pranav, Douglas, 2017 )

( 14. ♕e3 h5 15. ♔h1 h4 16. ♖ad1 a6 17. ♘c2 ♗e6∓ /-+ Here again Black
followed the advice to exchange pieces in situations with material advantage
♗xe6 fxe6 19. ♘e1 ♖d8 20. ♘d3 ♕d7 21. ♘f2 ♕g7 22. ♕f3 ♔e7 23.
- 18.

♘h3 ♘xh3 24. ♕xh3 ♕g5 25. ♕f3 ♖xd1 26. ♖xd1 ♖d8 27. ♖xd8 ♔xd8 an
d in Jacko - Berezjuk, Slovakia, 2015, he went on to convert on move 52. )

14… ♘h3+!In combination with the march of the rook's pawn this move is the best.
( As we are going to see, the rook is belonging to its initial square rather than entering a
position with unbalanced material
after 14… ♖g8 15. ♔h1 ♗g4 16. ♕f2 ♗h3 17. gxf4 ♗g2+ 18. ♕xg2 ♖xg2 1
9. ♔xg2 , when White is a few precise moves from consolidating. 19… exf4=+

( the immediate 19… O-O-O brought success after 20. ♖ad1? (the rook had to continue
to the next square) 20… ♖xd1 21. ♖xd1 exf4! and White had to play either 24.Rd4 or try
to build a fortress after 24.Be2 /\f5 25.e5, because the game
♔f3?! ♕c5 cost him a piece
continuation 22.
after 23. ♖d4?! ♕h5+ 24. ♔xf4 ♕xh2+ 25. ♔e3 ♕xb2 26. ♘b5 ♕c1+ 27. ♔
e2 a6-+ Keinanen - Abramciuc, Gyor, 2014 )

20. ♖xf4 O-O-O 21. ♖af1

( as just mentioned in the last note, 21. ♖e1+= is good enough )

21… ♖d2+ 22. ♖1f2 ♖xf2+ 23. ♔xf2 ♕c5+

( 23… ♕e5 24. ♔e3 ♕c5+)

24. ♔e2 ♕g5?

( 24… ♕h5+= )
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25. ♖f2± ♕c1 26. ♔d3 ♕d1+ 27. ♖d2 ♕f3+ 28. ♔c2 ♕xe4+ 29. ♗d3 and
the king is in safety, with centralization of the knight the three pieces will be superior to the
sole queen, so Black has decided to spend efforts and resigned, 1-0 S. Rodriguez - W. Schill,
chess.com INT 2020. )

15. ♔h1 h5!A recommendation of Boris Avrukh's in a material for Modern Chess Openings
and a reminder of the same attacking mechanism in Sousa -
Stefanova.16. ♕xf6 ♕xf6 17. ♖xf6 h4!Curiously enough, without the queens, Black's
attack is only gaining in strength. Note the remoted Na3, which is just witnessing the events on
the opposite wing.18. gxh4

( After 18. ♔g2 hxg3 19. hxg3 ♘g5 20. ♖h1 ♖xh1 21. ♔xh1 ♔e7 22. ♖f2 ♗
g4! White is still behind in the coordination of his army and faces an impossible mission of
♔g2 f6 is attacking the
defending all the weaknesses, including the king - thus, after 23.
central pawn and the efforts to save it by 24. ♗d3 ♖d8 25. ♗b1 is going to put him

almost to zugzwang after 25… ♘h3 26. ♖c2 ♖d1-+ )

18… ♖xh4 19. ♖xf7 ♗c6∓ 20. ♔g2 ♘f4+ 21. ♔g3 ♖h3+ 22. ♔g4?!

( 22.♔f2 is the lesser evil, but White is in critical situation

- 22… ♖xh2+ 23. ♔g3 ♖h3+

( possible is 23… ♖xb2 24. ♖xc7 ♗xe4∓ , but it is even better to threaten the king, as
that b-pawn is targetted all the time )

24. ♔f2 ♗xe4 25. ♖xc7

( 25. ♖d1 ♖f3+ 26. ♔g1 ♘h3+ 27. ♔h2 ♖xf7 28. ♗xf7+ ♔xf7 29. ♔xh3 ♔
e6-+ )

25… ♖f3+ 26. ♔e1 ♘g2+ 27. ♔e2 ♖d8 28. ♗b5+ ♔f8 29. ♖f1 ♘f4+ 30.
♔e1 ♖e3+ 31. ♔f2 ♖h3 with a penetration on the penultimate rank, which will
inevitably lead to a gain of material. )

22… ♗d7+ 23. ♔g5 O-O-O-

+ 24. ♖d1 ♖h5+ 25. ♔f6 ♖h6+ 26. ♔g7 ♖g6+ 27. ♔h7 ♖gg8! 28. ♖e7
♖fxd7 ♖h8+ 29. ♔g7 ♘h5+ (these checks are deciding the game
( in case of 28.

anyway) 30. ♔g6 ♖xd7 White is lost, as he cannot pin the rook - 31. ♖xd7 ♔xd7-+ )

28… ♖h8+ 29. ♔g7 ♘h5+ 30. ♔g6 ♗e8+ 31. ♖xe8 ♖dxe8 32. ♖d2 ♘f4
+ 33. ♔f6 ♖h6+ 34. ♔f5 ♖h5+ 35. ♔f6 ♖f8+ 36. ♔e7 ♘g6+ 37. ♔e6 ♖h
7 38. ♖c2 ♖d7 39. ♘b5*

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