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It has been said of the United States that “anyone can be President, but not everyone can.”  Frankly, I’ve never understood what that meant, but I’d like to borrow it to describe Alexander Morozevich’s The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich: just about anyone can benefit from this book, but it’s not for everyone.  Or something like that.  Let me explain.

A quick trip along my bookshelves will help.  For a while, there is mostly dust.

Andrew Soltis’ Queen’s Gambit Declined: Tchigorin Defense (1972), thirty five years ago, was my first introduction to 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6.  A 42-page booklet, it gave an optimistic overview and introduction, including:

The defense is based on a few irregular ideas. Tchigorin believed, to begin with, that a N was almost always superior to a B. The opening that bears his name often requires Black to play –B-KN5 and –B-QN5 to maintain the balance. Often Black doubles White’s KBPs with –BxKN and develops strong pressure against the weakened defense of the QP.  Often Black doubles the QBPs temporarily with –BxQN and follows this with active exploitation of White’s weak white squares on the queenside.

I think that at-that-time USCF Senior Master (now International Grandmaster) Soltis would today point out that Chigorin’s preference for a Knight over a Bishop was related to the kind of position he reached in this defense – but that in positions arising in other openings, say in the Evans Gambit, Chigorin was very much at home handling the Bishops.

Next, from about a decade later, I have John Watson’s Queen’s Gambit: Chigorin Defence (1981).  Watson updated theory, noting that while the defense was still not popular in the 1970s, GMs Mariotti, Planinc, Sahovic and Subic had played it.  He laid out six “fundamental strategic motifs”: Light-square Control, Dark-square Control, Knights versus Bishops, Doubled Pawn Themes, Play Versus the Broad Centre, and Play Versus the Advanced Centre.  While showing the development of a deeper understanding of the Chigorin Defense among players, Watson pointed out that many lines still needed more play to be clearly evaluated.  His assessment of lines sometimes end in equality for Black, but comments on others like “the move order is very delicate,” “an exercise in brinkmanship,” and “defending in most lines, with hopes for equality” showed that play was not simple for either side.

Ten years further down the road, Eric Schiller’s How to Play the Chigorin Defense in the Queen’s Gambit Declined (1991) appeared.  It had plenty of games – the largest number by Chigorin, the next largest by Schiller – and new theory, including ideas from the author’s play.

Then, suddenly, there came a relative avalanche of attention: Soltis came out with a larger look, with The Tchigorin Defense (1995). Angus Dunnington wrote The Chigorin Queen’s Gambit (1996). Nigel Davies came out with a video, The Untamed Tchigorin (1996). Raymond Keene and Byron Jacobs wrote A Complete Defense for Black (1996) which included coverage of the Chigorin.

After a short breather, Martin Breutigam came out with the Die Tschigorin- Verteidigung (2000) CD. Valeri Bronznik wowed club player and master player alike with his comprehensive Die Tschigorin-Verteidigung, Bronznik (2001) – which was fully revised and translated into English in 2005.

The Chigorin Defense was popping up everywhere, even in side discussions of what to play or what to tackle: in Chris Ward’s Unusual Queen’s Gambit Declined (2002), Dunnington’s Attacking with 1.d4 (2002), Gary Lane’s Ideas Behind Modern Chess Openings: Black (2005), Ward’s Play the Queen’s Gambit (2006) and Christoph Wisnewski’s Play 1...Nc6!: A complete chess opening repertoire for Black (2007).

Throughout this period the New in Chess magazine and Yearbooks took notice: Paul Van der Steren, "Chigorin Defense" New in Chess Yearbook 34 (1994); Adrian Mikhalchishin, "Chigorin Defense" New in Chess Yearbook 39 (1996); Reynaldo Vera, "The Incisive 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.d5" New in Chess Yearbook 42 (1997); Jeroen Bosch, "Is the Chigorin Playable?" New in Chess Yearbook 58 (2001); Tibor Fograss, "Morozevich's Favorite!" New in Chess Yearbook 66 (2003).  (Thanks to Michael Goeller for these NIC references from his The Kenilworthian website.)

Back in 1972 Soltis had written "The opening, of course, horrified the neo-classicists and even some hypermoderns who equated blocking Black’s QBP with cursing in church."  Now it seemed that Morozevich was mugging the choir.

In The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich the author explains that in the fall of 1992 he was studying the games of Mikhail Chigorin, and:

…I discovered with astonishment that for many variations of the Chigorin Defence which were evaluated by MDE [Malaya Debyutnaya Entsiklopedia – Small Openings Encyclopedia] in favour of White, often altogether the opposite was true. A critical analysis could completely turn an evaluation around, and in general nowhere was Black worse than equal.

For about a decade Morozevich wielded the Chigorin Defense, eventually switching to the Slav and saving the Chigorin for the occasional bout, often (but not always) against weaker players.  The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich presents 50 of his games, for example – unpublished until now – including those from a training blitz match in 2001-2002 with current World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik, and blitz games with past World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov.

Although Morozevich is not playing the Chigorin these days, the book is not a plate of cold leftovers.  In fact, the opposite is true.

A new stage in the study of the Chigorin Defence began when International Master and journalist Vladimir Barsky and I began preparing the book which you now have before you.  Analytical work with the help of modern analysis programs showed that many games played by me in the mid-1990s were not altogether accurate performances, and this included the opening stage.  Therefore it was necessary to repair even those variations which had earlier seemed quite satisfactory for Black…

In this book not all the variations of this opening are analyzed; this, as it follows from the title, is my ‘pet’ version of the Chigorin Defence.  We have placed the accent on my games and analyses, and have showed how, with the passage of time, I have arrived at evaluations of different variations: what I played and analyzed earlier, and what now.  Over the course of 16 years my perception of this opening has changed significantly.  During the preparation of the manuscript, old analyses were checked on the computer, and the machines suggested many new and interesting ideas.

The book does not make clear how the tasks of writing The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich, were split up, but co-author Barsky (International Master, journalist) seems to be a good choice to assist Morozevich.  The two analyzed the Chigorin Defense back in 1992, along with Sergey Zhurov and Maria Manakova.  Barsky plays the opening, one of his games is given in the book as an annotated example, and others are referred to in the analyses.

I will refer to “the authors” in my references, unless the book makes clear whose writing is whose.  The title seems to be a semantic shift, being about how the Chigorin Defence is/was played (“according to”) by Morozevich, rather than precisely being a book about the Chigorin written by Morozevich alone.  The Foreword bears his name, as do three part-column sections in Chapter Two; these are the only places the pronoun “I” appears, other than when quoting another player, like Chigorin.

The rest of The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich, is likely collaboration – perhaps Barsky dug up, organized, researched and analyzed the games, and then passed it all on to Morozevich for review, comment and correction.  (As the “junior” author of The Marshall Gambit in the French and Sicilian Defenses, I did this repeatedly with my co-author, until the book was well-kneaded by our efforts.)

The main format of The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich is 75 annotated games.  Having not just the opening but the middle game, and often the end game as well, is crucial to understanding the play of the Chigorin.

After an informative 7-page Foreword, Chapter One is “A Straight Fight The Variation 3.cxd5 Qxd5” which is divided into three sections: Defending and Developing: 4.Nf3; Quietly Reinforcing: 4.e3; and The Immediate 3.e3 e5.

The early pawn exchange 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.cxd Qxd5 was described by Soltis (1972) “The variation has few teeth”; by Watson (1981) “offers Black equal play in all lines”; and by Schiller (1991) “A harmless variation.”  However, in the following years more attention to the Chigorin by masters and grandmasters (especially Morozevich) has meant a deeper understanding of the resources available, for both Black and White.

The solid 4.e3 and 3.e3 have become annoying for the second player.  (In fact, reading over The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich it seems that the more solid the approach, the more likely that White will have a small, if persistent, edge.)

The authors have a lot of sharp ideas, and they quote from many interesting games from the online chess-playing site the Internet Chess Club (ICC) – where Morozevich and other grandmasters played.  In the end, Black escapes the chapter with what seems to me to be a “glass half empty, glass half full” evaluation.  There is enough dynamic play against White’s early pawn exchange (3.cxd) but as for the immediate 3.e3:

Conclusion: In the variation 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.e3 e5 4.dxe5 d4 White has some initiative. With accurate play Black can gradually equalize, but to achieve this he often has to enter a somewhat inferior ending first.

The lines are not all endgame technique, of course.  Black often needs to play à la Morozevich and sharpen the game, relying upon an initiative to offset his material sacrifice.  Here is Rychagov – Morozevich, Moscow 2001 (blitz): 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.e3 e5 4.cxd5 Qxd5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Nf6 8.f3 0–0 9.Bd3 exd4 10.cxd4 (note Black’s thematic exchange of his Bishops for White’s Knights, White’s large pawn center, and Black’s delay of …exd4)

Black to Move

Black’s best here is 10…Nxd4 12.exd4 Qxd4. Morozevich likes Black after the slam-bang follow-up:  13.Ne2 Ng4 14.Rf1 Rxe2+ 15.Kxe2 Bf5 16.fxg4 Re8+ 17.Kf3 Bxg4+ 18.Kg3 Bxd1 19.Raxd1

Here is a position from Karpov – Morozevich, Moscow 2001 (blitz):

Black to Move

Morozevich sacrificed a Knight with 16…Nxe4 and won 20 moves later.  In the book he analyzes sacrificing a Rook instead (16…Rxe4) with “excellent compensation.”

In the first chapter the venerable game Steinitz – Chigorin, Vienna 1898 is analyzed, and then, because Black lost, there is a section titled “A Closer Look” where a new analysis suggests a much better direction of play for the second player. (A few more “Closer Looks” pop up in the rest of the book.)

There is also analysis of the game Ljubojevic – Ree Amsterdam 1972, which reached this position:

White to Move

You say you didn’t know that Hans Ree played the Chigorin Defense??  Well, maybe he didn’t.  “Chigorin positions” can arise out of a number of openings, including the Queen’s Gambit Declined, the French Exchange, the Petroff – and the Goring Gambit Declined, as is the case here.  Modern masters need to know their transpositions, as the authors point out.  (Andrew Soltis had just written a book about this, Transpo Tricks in Chess.  [Editor: This title will be reviewed in a week or so, also by Rick Kennedy.])

Chapter Two, “From Steinitz To Kramnik: 3.Nf3 Bg4” has four sections: Bishop outside the Chain: 4.Nc3, e6 5.Bf4/Bg5; Bishop inside the chain: 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3; The Queen Sortie: 4 or 5.Qa4; and The exchange 4.cxd5.

In many Queen’s Gambit formations, Black gets counterplay with a timely …c7-c5.  As the Queen’s Knight blocks this move in the Chigorin Defense, Black often gets his counterplay there from …e7-e5.  This makes 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 a logical move-order for White.  The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich notes that now 3…dxc4 and 3…Nf6 are not good, and therefore covers 3…Bg4 in response.

It is interesting that the alternative 3…e5 – played as early as Boyarkov - Lebedev, Moscow 1901, and given a “!?” by Dunnington (1996) and “(!??)” by Bronznik (2001) – is not covered by Morozevich and Barsky, even though the Albin Counter Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5) has shown up in the games of the GM.  (Three games of Morozevich and one of Barsky with the related 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e3 e5 are annotated in Chapter Three, however.)

Since “the Chigorin Defence cannot be refuted by an impulsive attack” these positional approaches for White are important to look at.  For example, after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bf4:

Black to Move

All in the same unpretentious, but highly venomous style.  If White can calmly complete his development roughly along the lines of e3, Be2, cxd5, 0-0, Rc1 and Qb3, he will create strong pressure on the queenside with Black having no counterplay at all. If events develop relatively calmly, the drawbacks of the knight’s position at c6 will tell: it is hard for the c- and d-pawns to link up, and as a result they both turn out to be vulnerable.

In the first section of the chapter we see Black making use of properly-timed …Bxf3 and …dxc4 to keep the game under control and even (or even-able).  White’s plan of cxd4 (reaching a sort of Queen’s Gambit Exchange Variation) in these situations does not seem to improve his prospects.

In the second section, White’s play (4.Nc3 e6 5.e3) is even “calmer” as if to ask, the authors note, “well now, where are you intending to find complications here?!”  Here, as well as in the next section (4.Qa4 and 5.Qa4) Black is shown to have adequate resources.

Finally, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.cxd5 – exchanging at d5 before Black can reinforce it with …e6 – has its own logic, as play must continue 4…Bxf3 5.dxc6 Bxc6.  Again, we can see one of the great strengths of The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich – it’s ability to explain what’s going on:

White to Move

Why, one wonders, did this variation so appeal to Mikhail Ivanovich?  Perhaps because in many branches of his defence Black has to play without his bishops and without a centre, and here he is only without a centre?

But seriously, in thematic content the given set-up can be called the forerunner of such modern openings as the Grünfeld Indian Defence or the Nimzo-Indian Defence.  Yes, White succeds in setting up a fine-looking pawn centre, but in return Black exerts strong piece pressure on it.  And not only piece pressure – a the first convenient opportunity the f7-pawn is thrown into the battle.

This is a complicated section but in the end the line 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.cxd5 Bxf3 5.dxc6 Bxc6 is sharp, double-edged, and playable for Black.  The alternative capture 5.gxf3 gives a whole new set of challenges to the second player, but Morozevich has suggestions, and after 5…Qxd5 6.e3 e5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.bc Nf6!?  “Black is quite successfully solving his opening problems, so the ball is now back in White’s court.”

Chapter Three is “Infanty Against Cavalry: 3.Nc3 dxc4” in two sections: The Advance 4.d5 and Defending and Developing 4.Nf3. Recommended is 3…dxc4 instead of 3…Nf6 or 3…e5, and against White’s subsequent advance of the Queen pawn 4…Ne5, not 4…Na5, is recommended. White’s choices of 5.e3 5.Bf4, 5.Qd4 and 5.f4 are evaluated, with the latter two giving Black the hardest time.

On 4.Nf3, the game reaches a position from the Queen’s Gambit Accepted.  In some lines “it can be concluded that the struggle is very sharp and tense, and that Black’s chances are quite good.”  In other lines though, positions are reached such as this one from Kramnik – Morozevich, Moscow Region 2002 (blitz):

Black to Move

The authors note “At blitz tempo Black was unable to solve this problem.  Perhaps in home analysis the readers may improve his play?”

Likewise, the following, “One of the most critical positions in the Chigorin Defence,” is a cause for concern for Black, although the team of Morozevich, Barsky and Rybka have burned the midnight oil to give the second player his best chances.

White to Move

Chapter Four “Chigorin Motifs: Without c2-c4” is a smorgasbord with four sections – The Fianchetto: 3.g3; The Bishop Sortie: 3.Bf4; Quietly reinforcing : 3.e3; and Other Third Moves. There are 3, 1, 1, and 4 annotated games, respectively.

This is followed by a page explaining the New In Chess Code System, and a Games Index.

This, then, is The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich.  The play within calls to mind Iossif Dorfman’s The Method in Chess (2001):

If for one of the players the static balance is negative, he must without hesitation employ dynamic means, and be ready to go in for extreme measures.

Or, as Morozevich and Barsky write at one point,

If Black plays in an excessively academic style, he will face a lengthy struggle for equality.

Make no mistake: this is an awesome book.  The New In Chess folks have done their usual fine job in production, from an attractive and glossy front cover through well laid out and readable pages (1-2 diagrams per column, as needed) to the attractive photo of Morozevich on the back cover.  If you have trouble reading in any place, chances are it’s the complexity of the analysis, not the design of the book.  For that matter, Morozevich and Barsky are to be commended for their writing which is both accessible and engaging, reflecting the spirit of the Chigorin Defense.

Who is The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich for?  Masters and grandmasters, of course, who are interested in or who play the Chigorin, will definitely want this book – if they don’t already have it.  Experts aspiring and progressing upwards might want to give it a go, too.  After all, at least for now, Morozevich is the Chigorin, and, like the old Smith Barney commercial, when Morozevich-Barsky speak, people listen…

For strong club players, though, it must first be admitted that their success with or against 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 will not hinge upon the latest nuances in play that have been unearthed (or buried).  They’re going to be out of the book in 6-10 moves anyway, and their games are most likely to be dependent upon who understands (at their own level) more of what actually is going on, both strategically and tactically.

Unless their shelf already contains a well-used copy of Bronznik’s Die Tschigorin-Verteidigung – preferably the revised, English 2005 edition, although the German language 2001 edition is still a treasure trove – I would suggest that they start there.

For average and not-quite average club players, I’m tempted to suggest one of the repertoire or collection-of-variations books above might suit them best, as they will get the playable basics of the defense, plus information on other lines as well, all in one tidy package.  Beginners are likely to simply be befuddled by The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich as an over-their-head look at a defense that seems to break the “rules” about openings.

Here’s another, informal (and tongue-in-cheek) way of assessing if The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich is for you.  Check out the following game, which has Chigorin elements in it.  If it causes you to laugh hysterically, you’re probably strong enough to handle Morozevich and Barsky.  Or you’re a newbie who shouldn’t bother – you should know which one.  If the game gives you a case of the chuckles, if you automatically conjure up improvements in strategy and tactics for Black – you’re strong enough to handle the Chigorin Defense; the only question is if you’ve digested Bronznik yet.  Here goes:

Archambault - Kennedy
Capital City #1, 30/60 15/30, 08.08.1984

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bf4 Bg4 4.e3 e6 5.c4 dxc4 6.Qa4 Bxf3 7.gxf3 a6 8.Qxc4 Bb4+ 9.Nc3 Nge7 10.0–0–0 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Qd5 12.e4 Qxc4 13.Bxc4 0–0–0 14.Kc2 Ng6 15.Be3 Rd7 16.f4 Rhd8 17.Rhg1 Na5 18.Be2 f5 19.f3 Nf8 20.Rb1 g6 21.a4 Rd6 22.Rb2 c5?! 23.dxc5 Rc6 24.c4?! Nd7 25.Bd2 Rxc5 26.Rb4?! Nc6 27.Rb2 Nd4+ 28.Kd1 Nxe2 29.Kxe2 Rxc4 30.Ba5 b6?! 31.Bxb6 Nxb6 32.Rxb6 fxe4 33.Rxa6 exf3+ 34.Kxf3 Rdd4 35.Rxe6 Rxf4+ 36.Ke3 Rxa4 37.Re7 Rh4 38.Rc1+ Rac4 39.Rf1?! Rh3+ 40.Kd2?! Rxh2+ 41.Kd3 Rc7 42.Re8+ ½–½ (?!)

I’d like nothing better than to see Morozevich unveil his latest understanding of the Chigorin Defense in the upcoming World Championship in Mexico City.  We will have to see.
 

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