The Petroff (Gambit Chess)

The Petroff has for a long time been regarded as a very solid defence. Black avoids the perils of the Scotch, the Italian Game and above all the dreaded Ruy Lopez, and instead opts to neutralize White's initiative with active piece-play. In the Petroff, it is quite common for Black to launch an early counterattack, often gambiting a pawn to do so. For many years, the Petroff enjoyed a steady following, with Karpov, Ivanchuk, Timman, Anand and in particular Yusupov among its supporters at the top level. Since 1998, however, the Petroff's popularity has soared, following its adoption by Vladimir Kramnik, who has played it regularly and considerably reinforced its theoretical standing. In this book, Janjgava gives a complete and detailed picture of the Petroff, taking recent developments fully into account. Readers will be fully equipped to take on either side of the Petroff with confidence in their own games. Contents......Page 4 Symbols......Page 5 Introduction......Page 6 1 - Unusual Third Moves for White......Page 7 2 - 3.d4 without 3...Nxe4......Page 18 3 - 3.d4 Nxe4: Sidelines for White and Black......Page 33 4 - 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7......Page 48 5 - 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Bd6......Page 81 6 - 3.Nxe5: Sidelines......Page 108 7 - 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4: Sidelines......Page 120 8 - 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6......Page 143 9 - 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6Bd3 Bd6......Page 156 10 - 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7......Page 189 11 - The Main Line: 7.0-0 Nc6 8.c4 Nb4......Page 223 Index of Variations......Page 239 A detailed account of the solid opening favoured by Vladimir Kramnik and other super-grandmasters Contents 4 Symbols 5 Introduction 6 1 - Unusual Third Moves for White 7 2 - 3.d4 without 3...Nxe4 18 3 - 3.d4 Nxe4: Sidelines for White and Black 33 4 - 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 48 5 - 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Bd6 81 6 - 3.Nxe5: Sidelines 108 7 - 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4: Sidelines 120 8 - 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 143 9 - 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6Bd3 Bd6 156 10 - 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 189 11 - The Main Line: 7.0-0 Nc6 8.c4 Nb4 223 Index of Variations 239