[Event "Opening Theory #8"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Anti-Catalan"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [ECO "E04"] [Annotator "KS"] [PlyCount "60"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.02"] {[%evp 0,28,19,31,19,-16,-3,-3,-10,-17,-14,-17,-2,-7,12,-14,26,21,39,19,35,38, 52,29,12,33,53,34,48,-12,-19]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nbd7 $5 {is considered second-rate by theory since the match Kasparov-Korchnoi, 1983. Black's main strategic challenge in the Catalan, is to put the Bc8 in the long diagonal. I claim that in this line, Black can do it rather easily.} 6. O-O $1 {is more critical} (6. a4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 a5 8. O-O O-O 9. Qc2 Nb6 $1 $146 {seems to be fine for Black according to the modern engines} (9... b6 $5 { Kramnik})) 6... Rb8 {[%CAl Gb7b5] Nikos Ntirlis} (6... c6 {is a new trend, analyzed by the Indian team}) 7. a4 a6 $1 (7... b6 8. Nfd2 $1 {Kasparov, -Kortschnoj,London 1983} e5 9. Nxc4 exd4 10. Qxd4 Bc5 11. Qd3 O-O 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. Bxb7 Rxb7 14. Qf3 Qa8 15. Bf4 a6 16. e4 Ra7 17. Nd5 b5 18. Na5 bxa4 19. Rfc1 Bd4 20. Rxa4 Bxb2 21. Ne7+ Kh8 22. Rc2 Qe8 23. Rxb2 Qxe7 24. Nc6 Qc5 25. Nxa7 Qxa7 26. e5 Ng8 27. Be3 Qa8 28. Qxa8 Rxa8 29. f4 Ne7 30. Rd2 {1-0 (30) Kasparov,G (2690)-Kortschnoj,V (2600) London 1983}) 8. a5 $1 {[%CAl Rb7b5]} Bd6 $1 {Now, no move stops ...b5 next The best line for both sides continues} (8... b5 9. axb6 Nxb6 (9... Bb7 {For blitz, the move 9...Bb7!? is cool}) 10. Ne5 $1 $16 {[%csl Rc6]}) 9. Nbd2 b5 10. axb6 Nxb6 {[%CAl Gf3e5,Rd6e5] and Black is ready to play ...O-O and ...Bb7! If the knight comes to e5, Black will exchange it with the d6-bishop.} 11. Nxc4 (11. Ne5 $1 Bxe5 12. dxe5 Nfd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Rd1 Qe7 15. b3 O-O 16. Qc3 Ned7 17. Nxc4 Nd5 $1 18. Qc2 Nb4 19. Qd2 Nb6 20. Ne5 c5 21. Ba3 Bb7 $11 {Jean-Deforel, ICCF 2021} 22. Bxb4 Bxg2 23. Qd6 Qxd6 24. Rxd6 cxb4 25. Kxg2 Rb7 26. Rxa6 Nd5 27. Rd7 Rxd7 28. Nxd7 Re8 29. Ra7 Nc3 30. e3 h5 31. h4 Rd8 32. Rb7 Kh7 33. Kf3 Kg8 34. e4 Na2 35. Ne5 f6 36. Nd7 Nc1 37. e5 f5 38. Kf4 Nxb3 39. Rxb4 Rxd7 40. Rxb3 Rd4+ 41. Kg5 Rg4+ 42. Kxh5 Kh7 43. Rb7 Rg6 {1/2-1/2 (43) Jean,P (2387)-Deforel,J (2344) ICCF 2021}) 11... Nxc4 12. Qa4+ Rb5 $1 13. Qxc4 O-O 14. Rd1 Bb7 {with equality as in Eljanov-Adly, Sharjah 2018} 15. Ne1 Qa8 16. Qxb5 axb5 17. Rxa8 Bxa8 18. Nd3 Bd5 19. Bxd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2 Ra8 21. e4 Nb6 22. Rc1 Ra4 23. Be3 Rc4 24. b3 Rxc1+ 25. Bxc1 Kf8 26. Kf1 Ke8 27. Ke2 Nd7 28. Be3 c6 29. f3 g6 30. Bd2 c5 {1/2-1/2 (30) Eljanov,P (2700)-Adly,A (2626) Sharjah 2018} *