Awerbach system

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Position after 6. Bc1 – g5

The Awerbach system is a variant of the King's Indian Defense that arises when White attacks the black King's Jumper on move six with the queen's bishop. The system is named after the Russian chess master Yuri Lwowitsch Averbach . The individual sub-variants are classified with the ECO codes E73 , E74 or E75 . With his bishop move, White avoids the transition from 6. Ng1 – f3 e7 – e5 to the double-edged classic system and hopes for a small positional advantage.

Turn order

1. d2-d4 Ng8-f6

2. c2 – c4 g7 – g6 ( King's Indian Defense )

3. Nb1-c3 Bf8-g7

4. e2 – e4 d7 – d6

5. Bf1-e2 0-0

6. Bc1 – g5 (Awerbach system)

With the bishop move, White continues his development without defining the position of the pawns or the king knight g1, whereby White's position remains flexible. In contrast to the main variant 6. Ng1 – f3, the f2 and Be2 are not adjusted. If necessary, the f-pawn can cover pawns e4 from f3 or actively proceed with f2 – f4, and the bishop controls the squares g4 and h5. In the further course White often plays Qd1 – d2, which strives for complete control of the diagonals c1 – h6 and at the same time prepares long castling or rook centralization Ta1 – d1. White often attacks with the pawn advances g2 – g4 and h2 – h4. On the other hand, Bg5 has no direct control over the center squares and can be attacked immediately by Black's move h7 – h6. Therefore, the Awerbach system is not considered to be the sharpest but one of the most solid options available to White against the King's Indian defense.

ECO nomenclature

Games with the further course 6. Bc1 – g5 c7 – c5 7. d4 – d5 e7 – e6 are sorted under E75 . The games with 6. Bc1 – g5 c7 – c5 , but a different course on move seven belong to E74 . However, this nomenclature is not strictly kept, and you'll find games with the course 6. L c1-g5 c7-c5 7. d4 d5-h7-h6 8. Bg5-f4 e7 e6 in the literature under both E74 and under E75 again . Games in which Black has not answered 6. Bc1 – g5 with 6.… c7 – c5 are under E73 .

The move 6. Bc1 – e3 is called “Semi-Averbakh” in English. It leads to similar positional patterns as the Awerbach system and is also classified under E73 .

variants

Awerbach system

For a long time Black's main answers to 6. Bc1 – g5 were only 6… c7 – c5 and 6… h7 – h6, until the edge knight move 6.… Nb8 – a6 also turned out to be playable at the end of the 1980s.

The immediate advance 6.… e7 – e5 because of 7. d4xe5 d6xe5 8. Qd1xd8 Rf8xd8 9. Nc3 – d5 Nb8 – d7 10. Nd5xc7 with a pawn loss is unfavorable.
with 6.… Nb8 – a6 Black prepares the advance e7 – e5 in order to question d4 and fight for the c5-square for Na6, from where he increases the pressure on the e4 pawn. In contrast to 6.… Nb8 – d7, this sixth move does not change the Bc8 and the cover of the d6 pawn by the Qd8.
- 7. Qd1 – d2 e7 – e5 8. d4 – d5 and now Black has the choice between
  - 8.… Sa6 – c5
  - 8.… c7 – c6 ,
  - and 8.… Qd8 – e8 .
- 7. f2 – f4 is a sharp attempt in the style of the four pawn attack .
On 6.… h7 – h6 White mostly answers with the retreat 7. Bg5 – e3 .
- On 7.… e7 – e5 8. d4 – d5 White is ready to intercept a black counterplay f7 – f5 on the kingside with f2 – f3 and, in turn, proceed with c4 – c5 on the queenside.
- After 7.… c7 – c5 White can try in the position after 8. d4xc5 d6xc5 9. e4 – e5 (or by changing the move 8. e4 – e5 d6xe5 9. d4xe5) Qd8xd1 + 10. Ra1xd1 Nf6 – g4 11. Be3xc5 Ng4xe5 12 Nc3 – d5 Nb8 – c6 13. b2 – b3 or 13. f2 – f4 to prove a small advantage. Black can evade this intention with 8.… Qd8 – a5.
After 6.… c7 – c5 7. d4 – d5 Black can move the e or h pawn:
- 7.… h7 – h6 8. Bg5 – f4 e7 – e6 9. d5xe6 Bc8xe6 . Now White can capture the d6 pawn or increase the pressure on the h6 pawn:
  - 10. Bf4xd6 Rf8-e8 11. Ng1-f3 . Black can get involved
    - 11.… Nb8 – c6 with the almost forced sequence 12. 0–0 Nc6 – d4 13. e4 – e5 Nf6 – d7 14. Nf3xd4 c5xd4 15. Qd1xd4 Nd7xe5 16. Bd6xe5 Qd8xd4 17. Be5xd4 Bf8xd4 18. Ta1 – c1 Ra8– d8 19. b2 – b3 Bd4xc3 20. Rc1xc3 Rd8 – d2 21. Be2 – f3 Td2xa2 22. Bf3xb7 Rf8 – b8 23. Bb7 – e4 Ra2 – a3 24. Be4 – c2 a7 – a5. In this position, which first appeared in the draw game between Wolfgang Uhlmann and Włodzimierz Schmidt , Warsaw 1981, White has at most a small advantage.
    - The alternative is the sharp move 11.… Qd8 – b6 .
  - 10. Qd1 – d2 Qd8 – b6 and now
    - 11. Be3xh6 Bg7xh6 12. Qd1xh6 Qb6xb2 13. Ra1 – c1 with a confused position.

The defense 6.… Nb8 – d7 7. Qd1 – d2 c7 – c6 8. Ng1 – f3 e7 – e5 9. 0–0 e5xd4 10. Nf3xd4 Nd7 – c5 with figure pressure against the pawn e4 is named after Efim Geller . At first his opponents played 11. f2 – f3 ?, which resulted in the stroke of 11.… Nf6xe4! allowed and leads to a loss. In the 1970 tournament in Amsterdam, Lev Polugajewski brought an improvement against Geller, 11. Qd2 – f4! , which retains a white space advantage, and was able to win the game.

With the help of c7 – c6 Black can also prepare the advance d6 – d5, e.g. 6.… Nb8 – d7 7. Qd1 – d2 c7 – c6 8. Ng1 – f3 d6 – d5 9. e4xd5 c6xd5 . This plan against the Averbach system was tried out by Wiktar Kuprejtschyk at the USSR championship in 1980 against Naum Raschkowski , where Black lost, however, and later taken up again in several games by Peter Swidler, among others . With the maneuver 8. Ta1 – d1 , which evades these positional images, Gregory Kaidanov succeeded in 1993 in Tilburg to win against both Kuprejtschyk and Jeroen Piket .

Semi-Averbach

After 6. Bc1 – e3 e7 – e5 White has the choice,

to close the center with 7. d4 – d5 ,
or to continue the development with 7. Ng1 – f3 , which results in the Gligorić variant of the classical system .

literature

Jerzy Konikowski : The Awerbach System in the King's Indian Defense. Beyer, Hollfeld 1998, ISBN 3-88805-264-5 .
Margeir Pétursson : King's Indian Defense - Averbakh Variation. Cadogan Chess, London 1996, ISBN 1-85744-118-4 .
Mychajlo Holubjew : Understanding the King's Indian. Gambit, London 2006, ISBN 1-904600-31-X , pp. 107-123.
Joe Gallagher : King's Indian Secrets. Everyman, 2006, ISBN 978-3-932336-02-7 , pp. 152-163.
Viorel Bologan : The King's Indian. A Complete Black Repertoire. Chess Stars, 2009, ISBN 978-954-8782-71-5 , pp. 122-139.

Web links

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