"We're Easy" Glenn Budzinski "Easy Guide to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack" by Jacob Aargaard, 1998 Cadogan Chess, Figurine Algebraic Notation, Softcover,128pp., $18.95 We at The Chess Cafe have been previously encouraged by Cadogan Books' new series of "Easy Guides..." to opening theory. Claiming to offer "just enough detail and...explanation to enable readers to play an opening ...without months of memorising theory" sure sounds good to us. In fact, if Cadogan's "Easy Guide to the Reti Opening", recently reviewed (you may find it in The Chess Cafe Archives), is any indication of what's to come, this new series may prove to be a rousing success. The book at hand, however, for this week's review is the "Easy Guide to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack", by one Jacob Aagaard who is not exactly a household name, even to most chess aficionados. According to the book's back cover, Aagaard is a "young International Master from Denmark ... Although this is his first book on chess, away from the chessboard he is a novelist." So, we now know the author can play good chess and may write well, also. The question remains to be seen if he can do a proficient job writing about chess. "Easy Guide to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack" consists of 128 pages, including a Foreword, a 12-page Introduction, 11 chapters and an Index of Variations. Each of the chapters is segregated essentially two parts: an examination of various middle game positions considered to be common to the variation under discussion and a few pages of detailed opening theory. Although not directly stated as such in the book, the Panov-Botvinnik Attack comes about after 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed5 cd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3. (See Diagram) Each chapter looks at a variation of this basic set of moves. Thus, Chapters 1 through 4 examine 5...Nc6; Chapter 5 covers 5...g6 and the remainder of the book is devoted to 5...e6, with 6 Nf3 Bb4 in Chapters 6 through 9 and 6...Be7 in Chapters 10 and 11. That august publication that we are fond of using as our reference source, "Encyclopedia of Chess Openings" (ECO), includes the Panov-Botvinnik Attack proper under variations B13 and B14. There are many transpositional possibilities to and from other openings available to both sides, so this is hardly the end of the theoretical story, however. Let's take a look at what kind of a job Aagaard has done in terms of technical accuracy. Chapters 1 and 2 examine what the author considers to be the "Classical Endgame" and how to avoid it. Together, the two chapters are 32 pages in length, equal to about one-quarter of the entire book. There are two principal lines of theory, depending on whether Black chooses to play the "Classical Endgame". Playing into it means 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed5 cd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Nf3 Bg4 7 cd5 Nd5 8 Qb3 Bf3 9 gf3 (See Diagram) 9...e6 (Chapter 1); avoidance occurs after 9...Nb6 (Chapter 2). ECO covers both lines under B13. In reviewing his theoretical analysis of 9...e6, both sources mirror each other. Thus, after 10 Qxb7 Nxd4 11 Bb5+ Nxb5 12 Qc6+ Ke7 13 Qxb5 Qd7 14 Nxd5+ Qxd5 and now, 15 Qxd5, A. Ivanov Seirawan, 1992 U.S. Championship, is cited as the way to go by Aagaard and ECO. Equality was reached after 15...exd5 16 0-0 Ke6 17 Re1+ Kf5 18 Be3 Be7 19 Rad1 Rhd8 20 Rd4 g5, although Black eventually lost. Another try for White is Aagaard's preference, 15 Bg5+. His continuation of 15...f6 16 Qxd5 exd5 17 Be3 Ke6 18 0-0-0 Bb4 19 Kb1 rather than ECO's 19 a3, leads to 19.. .Rhd8 20 Rd3 Rd7 21 Rc1 Rad8 22 a3 Bf8 23 Rc6+ Kf5 24 Rd4 when "White is clearly better" (page 38). ECO's line 19 a3 Rhc8+ 20 Kb1 Bc5 21 Rhe1 Bxe3 22 Rxe3+ Kd6 23 Rde1 Rc4, assessed as equal, is not ignored by Aagaard. He suggests continuing as in the game A. Rotstein Neron de Surgy, 1996 French Championship, which resulted in a position where "White retains a certain amount of pressure" after 24 Re6+ Kc5 25 Ra6 Rf4 26 Rc1+ Kd4 27 Rc3 (page 37). Avoiding the ending leads to 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed5 cd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Nf3 Bg4 7 cd5 Nd5 8 Qb3 Bf3 9 gf3 and now, 9...Nb6 with two possibilities on move 10: d5 or Be3. Both lines also appear in ECO. After 10 d5, Aagaard recommends 10...Nd4 11 Qd1 e5 12 dxe6 fxe6 13 Be3 Bc5 14 b4 0-0 15 bxc5 Nxf3 16 Ke2 Qf6 17 cxb6 Qxc3 18 Bg2 Rad8 19 Rc1 Qb2 20 Qc2 Rd2+ 21 Qxd2 Nxd2 22 Bxd2 Qxb6 23 f4 and concludes "If this is a slight advantage to White, or just equal is not so easy to evaluate" (page 46). Instead of 17...Qxc3, ECO offers 17...Rad8 leading to a slight advantage for White or, in a similar position given by Aagaard, "where Black has excellent drawing chances." There are many similarities between positions that arise in the Panov-Botvinnik after 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Bb4 7 Bd3 dxc4 8 Bxc4 (See Diagram) and those common to the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Aagaard points this out in Chapter 9 after 8...0-0 9 0-0 a6 10 a4: "This is suggested in several places with a claim that White's game should be preferred. The position is the same as a harmless line of the Queen's Gambit Accepted, but with the difference that the bishop is on b4" (page 111). But, is this true? What do the infamous "other sources" really say about this position? One source of note that may not agree is Neishtadt, in his "The Queen's Gambit Accepted" (1997). For instance, the inevitable conflict among sources occurs after 5...e6 6 Nf3 Bb4 7 Bd3 dxc4 8 Bxc4 0-0 9 0-0 a6, considered by Aagaard to be "Black's best line in the Panov" (page 106). Aagaard and Neishtadt arrive at the same position after 10 a4 Nc6 11 Bg5 Be7, with the former suggesting following the game Zviagintsev Benjamin, 1997 Groningen FIDE World Championship Tournament, which led to an eventual draw after 12 Qd2 b6 13 Rad1 Bb7 14 Ne5 Nb4 15 f4 Ne4. Neishtadt reaches the position after 9...a6 one move earlier and recommends 11 Re1 (instead of Qd2), with White able to hold on to a small "plus" regardless if Black responds 11...Bd7, Nb4 Qa5 or b6. For example, after 11...Bd7, Neishtadt gives 12 Qe2 Rc8 13 Rad1 Nd5 14 Bxd5 Bxg5 15 Be4 Bf6 16 d5 exd5 17 Nxd5 Be6 18 Nf4 Qb6 19 Nxe6 fxe6 20 Qd3 and White was for choice in Chekhov Sveshnikov, 1983 Lvov. Aagaard, on the other hand, suggests 13...Re8 in lieu of Rc8, with the continuation 14 Bf4 Qa5 15 Red1 Nd5 16 Bd2 Bb4 with an equal position and a draw shortly thereafter in Ehlvest P. Schlosser, 1998 Calcutta. In Chapter 10, after 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed5 cd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Be7 7 cd5 Nd5 8 Bc4 0-0 9 0-0 Nc6 10 Re1 (See Diagram), Aagaard presents 7 Black options. Selecting the first, 10...Nf6 followed by 11 Bg5, leads to an identical position in the Queen's Gambit Accepted (albeit one move sooner), found in ECO under variation D26. "Easy Guide" now suggests two choices for Black hereabouts: 11...Na5 11...b6, each of which is illustrated by a 24 move Black victory. An obvious reply not covered and the recommendation of ECO is 11...a6 (or 10...a6, in ECO). It continues 11 Bb3 b5 12 d5 Nd5 13 Bd5 ed5 14 Qd5 Qd5 15 Nd5 Bg5 16 Ng5 when, according to Anand, White has the initiative and already stands better. Given the many transpositional possibilities from variation to variation, it seemed hard to believe that Aagaard would have omitted coverage of a6 for Black in the above line. Lo and behold, he didn't. Although not accorded top billing, in Chapter 10 after White's 10 Re1, if Black responds with 10...a6 rather than 10...Nf6, an analogous position is reached in the game Bruno Devcic, 1994 Buenos Aires, after 11 Bb3 Nf6 12 a3 Na5 13 Bc2 b5 14 Qd3 Bb7 15 Bg5 g6 16 Ne5 Rc8 17 Qh3 "with good chances for a successful attack" (page 121). For the record, Chapter 9 material (1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Bb4 7 Bd3 dxc4 8 Bxc4 0-0 9 0-0 a6) differs from the Chapter 10 line in that Black's bishop usually remains on b4 rather than e7, thereby giving Black additional counterplay. Transpositions to the Nimzo-Indian Defense are also possible. For instance, in Chapter 8, what Aagaard calls the "most popular line in the 6...Bb4 variation," 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Bb4 7 Bd3 dxc4 8 Bxc4 0-0 9 0-0 b6, a position in the Nimzo from ECO Volume E is reached. Fairly assessing a book such as "Easy Guide to the Panov- Botvinnik Attack" is what keeps reviewers up nights. Despite a few small blemishes and the omission of a more extensive discussion of the transpositional possibilities with other openings, Aagaard has compiled a comprehensive guide to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack in the Caro-Kann Defense. Whether it is the "first to give detailed, systematic coverage to this important opening", as claimed , is inconsequential. The fact that it DOES, is all that really matters. If there was nothing further to say about this publication, we would have long since returned his bottle of antacids to the medicine cabinet and tucked in for a good night's sleep. But, the trouble with this book is that it is labeled as an "Easy Guide", which means that it is supposed to have found that delicate balance between simplicity and detail which, as we all know, is often easier said than done. (Yet, this book is billed as offering the most "detailed, systematic coverage" ever of this opening.) We are also uneasy about the considerable attention devoted to middle game positions in a work supposed to be primarily an opening guide. As instructive and helpful as the positions can be, it is often unclear how they fit into the chapter's theory, since opening moves for these positions have been omitted. Nonetheless, Aagaard has put together a book that fills a rather large hole in chess libraries. "Easy Guide to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack" is easily one of best publications currently in print on this variation.