Exeter Chess Club

Black's minority attack

vogt - andersson (STEAN) [B84] minority attack in the Sicilian, 1996

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 This is nearly always Black's fourth move in the Sicilian, to force the N on b1 in front of the c-pawn. Left alone, White may play c2-c4, stopping counterplay with d7-d5 or b7-b5, and removing danger on the c-file. 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be2 a6 7. f4 Qc7 8. O-O Be7 9. Kh1 Nc6 10. Be3 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. Rad1 b5 Already making use of the minority. The move b7-b5 is sometimes a way of threatening the e-pawn, but more often keeps the c-pawn backward on an open file. 13. e5 !? 13... dxe5 14. Qxe5 Qb8 ! 15. Qxb8 Rxb8 16. Ba7 Ra8 17. Bb6 Bb7 18. a3 Rfc8
t+t+-+j+
+l+-LxXx
xB-+xS-+
+x+-+-+-
-+-+-P-+
P-N-+-+-
-Pp+b+pP
+-+r+r+k

! Chess magazines are full of quick White kills against the Sicilian. Why do players bother with it, then? Because the longer games where the attack founders and Black wins the endgame are too long for magazines. Watch... 19. Ba5 g6 20. h3 ? 20... h5 21. Bf3 Bxf3 22. Rxf3 h4
t+t+-+j+
+-+-Lx+-
x+-+xSx+
Bx+-+-+-
-+-+-P-X
P-N-+r+p
-Pp+-+p+
+-+r+-+k

Now White has a weakness on g2 as well as c2. 23. Rd2 Rc4 24. b3 Rc6 25. a4 b4 26. Ne2 Rac8 27. c4 bxc3 28. Rxc3 The weakness has been replaced by one on b3. 28... Nd5 29. Rxc6 Rxc6 30. Rb2 Bf6 31. Ra2 Rc8 32. Bd2 [32. b4 Rb8] 32... Rb8 33. Nc1 Nb4 34. Bxb4 Rxb4 35. Rf2 The risks of the h2-h3 move is now clear. 35... Be7 36. Rf3
-+-+-+j+
+-+-Lx+-
x+-+x+x+
+-+-+-+-
pT-+-P-X
+p+-+r+p
-+-+-+p+
+-N-+-+k

36... Bd6 37. Ne2 Re4 38. Rd3 [38. Rf2 Bc5] 38... Bc5 39. Rc3 Bf2 40. Rc2 Kg7 41. Ng1 Rxf4 ....0-1 vogt-andersson 1978
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This document (sic1.html) was last modified on 15 Sep 96 by

Dr. Dave