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You learn from your opponents all the time, especially from those more experienced than you. This was the first time I saw 6...c4 in this position, later it became one of my favorite lines in Benko Gambit (since I also play the opening from Black's side). Some research after the game revealed that 6...c4 wasn't an entirely new move. Tate had crushed a GM with it (I wish I could recall the name) in the candidates tournament, where he was the only IM competing with over 100 GMs! Nowadays you will find 6...c4 in various top level games, just search any large game database. So, what's the idea behind this crazy looking move anyway? The immediate threat is to take on b5, recovering the pawn. The long term idea is the clearance of the square c5 (for ...Bc5) and the whole g1-a7 diagonal (well exploited by ...Qb6). Later, as you see in the game, White experiences series difficulties castling. He can choose to go up two pawns at the cost of a fashionable risk. 7.dxe6 fxe6 At the time it seemed necessary to me to swap on e6 and remove some of the central tension. However, better is to take c4 directly. 8.Bxc4 Qc7!?N The actual "theoretical novelty", a trappy move. Black attacks the bishop on c4 and at the same time eyes up the h2-pawn. 9.Bb3 [9.Qe2?? This terrible blunder would have cost White a piece: 9...axb5 and the bishops find themselves pinned.] 9...Bc5 Now the threat is 10...Bxg1 and 11...Qxh2. However, after the natural 10.Nh3! it turns out that Black needs to lose a tempo by redeploying the queen to b6 (which is where the queen really belongs). With his last move White protected f4 for the development of his QB there. 10...0-0 11.Bf4 Qb6 12.Nc3 [12.Bg3? Tempting is to try the Bf4-g3-f2 maneuver, to regain control of the diagonal and finally castle. But Black had yet another trap waiting... 12...Bb4+ 13.Nd2? Qe3+ 14.Qe2 Bxd2+-+] 12...d5! The move I was afraid of. Tate is just crazy enough to play it. Taking on b5 also gave Black a decent position, probably dynamically equal. [12...axb5!?] 13.e5! White cannot afford to allow Black open the center. The king is stuck in the center and the last thing he needs is checks along the e-file. 13...Nfd7? The only mistake in the game! The knight was forced to h5 (which isn't all that bad) as described in the line below. On d7 that knight cramps Black's queenside development and now White uses this opportunity to charge in a counterattack. [13...Nh5™ 14.Bd2 (14.Bg5?! axb5 15.f4 g6³) 14...Nd7 (14...axb5) 15.f4 g6÷] |
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