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Slav Meran (5. Qc2) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Qc2!
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Slav Meran (5.Qc2) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Qc2!

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Qc2

  • 5.Qc2! allows White if need be to castle Queenside. This lets white offer a gambit that may lay waste both kingside pawn structures
  • the name of this opening is the Latvian Bayonet Gambit or the Shabalov Attack
  • 6...Nbd7 7.g4

    • 6...Nbd7 7.g4

    Latvian Bayonet Gambit

  • Thier are lots of sound ways to decline this gambit 7...e5 7...Bb4 7...h6 7...dxc4
  • But lets handle it classically. The old adage the best way to refute a gambit it to accept the pawn and maybe give it back at the proper time.
  • 7...Nxg4 8.Rg1 f5
  • Here 8...f5 Black plans to obstruct Whites Queen then give back the pawn (8...Nxh2 does poor statistically )

    • 7...Nxg4 8.Rg1 f5

  • A little serpentine but the knight gets to e4
  • 9.h3 Ngf6 10.Rxg7 Ne4

    • 9.h3 Ngf6 10.Rxg7 Ne4

  • Black now chases the rook away 11...Qf6
  • The rook goes to g2 to protect the f2 pawn that would be unguarded if White castles
  • 11.Bd2 Qf6 12.Rg2

    • 11.Bd2 Qf6 12.Rg2

  • 12...Nf8 Black moves his knight around to protect his kingside and to prepare to castle Queenside
  • The knight gets to g6 (13...Ng6!!!). It allows a Kingside castle in special cases. The night at g6 would also threaten to take off whites knight if it gets to e5. It also might keep out the possible double rooks on the g file.
  • 12...Nf8 13.O-O-O Ng6!!
  • Their are so may GM games in proportion to other game here it is kind of surprising. About 70% of the games overall are draws.
  • 14.Qb3 !
  • White plans to give black a little more trouble by 14.Qb3! making it harder for black to castle Queenside or develope his Queenside bishop or even stay in the middle as in the game below
  • Black can then try 14...b6 but casleting Queenside after this might be a problem. The weakened pawns position on the queen side could be attacked by white with a move like c5. It attacks the b pawn and bishop and causes a file to be open

    • 12...Nf8 13.O-O-O Ng6 14.Qb3 !

    [Event "5th IECC"] [Site "Antalya TUR"] [Date "2004.??.??"] [White "Aronian,L"] [Black "Stefansson,H"] [Round "3"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2645"] [BlackElo "2567"] [ECO "D15"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 Nxg4 8. Rg1 f5 9. h3 Ngf6 10. Rxg7 Ne4 11. Bd2 Qf6 12. Rg2 Nf8 13. O-O-O Ng6 14. Qb3 b6 15. Kb1 Bd7 16. Be1 Ke7 17. cxd5 exd5 18. Ne2 a5 19. Nf4 a4 20. Qc2 Rhg8 21. a3 Kf7 22. Nd3 Ke7 23. Bb4 Bxb4 24. Nxb4 Kd6 25. Ka1 f4 26. Bd3 Rae8 27. Ne5 fxe3 28. fxe3 Qf5 29. Rg5 Qxh3 30. Bxe4 dxe4 31. Nexc6 Qxe3 32. Rd5+ Ke6 33. Rxd7 Kxd7 34. Ne5+ Nxe5 35. dxe5+ Ke6 36. Qc6+ Kxe5 37. Qd6+ Kf5 38. Nd5 Qg3 39. Rf1+ Kg4 40. Qd7+ 1-0

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  • Since 14.Qb3 presents problems on the queenside. Black might castle king side here.
  • 14...O-O!!! 15.c5 Bc7 16.Bd3 Kh8 Black may be a little better here.

    • 14.Qb3 O-O 15.c5 Bc7 16.Bd3 Kh8

  • Castleing Queenside can also lead to a visious attack
  • 5... Bd6 6.Nc3 Nbd7 7.Bd2 O-O 8.O-O-O

    • 5... Bd6 6.Nc3 Nbd7 7.Bd2 O-O 8.O-O-O

    [Event "2nd IECC"] [Site "Ohrid MKD"] [Date "2001.??.??"] [White "Huzman,A"] [Black "Ekstroem,R"] [Round "12"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2578"] [BlackElo "2492"] [ECO "D31"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Bd6 5. Bd2 Nf6 6. Qc2 O-O 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. O-O-O c5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Ng5 h6 11. h4 Re8 12. Bd3 Nf8 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nf3 Bg4 15. Kb1 a6 16. Ne2 Rc8 17. Bc3 b5 18. Bf5 Bxf5 19. Qxf5 Ne4 20. Rxd5 Qb6 21. Ne5 Nxc3+ 22. Nxc3 Rc7 23. Ne4 Qe6 24. Qxe6 Nxe6 25. Nxc5 Rxc5 26. Rhd1 Rc7 27. Rc1 Rxc1+ 28. Kxc1 Rc8+ 29. Kd2 Nc5 30. f3 Na4 31. Nd3 Nb6 32. Rc5 Rd8 33. Ke2 Rd6 34. b3 Kf8 35. e4 Nd7 36. Rc7 g5 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. Ke3 Ke8 39. Ra7 f6 40. Ra8+ Kf7 41. Nb4 Nc5 42. Ra7+ Kg6 43. Nd5 g4 44. b4 Nd7 45. Ne7+ Kh5 46. Nf5 Rd1 47. Ke2 Rg1 48. fxg4+ 1-0

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  • Black can get some activity by gambiting a pawn 8...b5
  • 8...b5 9.cxb5 c5

    • 8...b5 9.cxb5 c5

    Black gambits a pawn for activity

    [Event "Agency International"] [Site "London"] [Date "1998.??.??"] [White "McNab, Colin"] [Black "McDonald, Neil"] [Round "4"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2500"] [BlackElo "2485"] [ECO "A11"] 1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Qc2 Nbd7 6. d4 Bd6 7. Bd2 O-O 8. O-O-O b5 9. cxb5 c5 10. e4 Bb7 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Ne4 Be7 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Nxc5 Bxc5 15. Ng5 g6 16. Kb1 Bxf2 17. h4 Rc8 18. Qb3 Ne3 19. Bxe3 Bxe3 20. Bc4 Qb6 21. Nxf7 Rxc4 22. Nd6 Re4 23. Rhe1 Rf2 24. Nxb7 Rd4 25. Na5 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Bd4 27. Nc4 Qc5 28. a4 Kg7 29. a5 e5 30. b6 axb6 31. axb6 Rf8 32. Qa4 Rf7 33. Rd3 e4 34. Rb3 e3 35. b7 e2 36. b8=Q e1=Q+ 37. Ka2 Rf1 38. Rb7+ Kh6 39. Qba8 Qxc4+ 40. Qxc4 Qa1+ 0-1

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  • 5.Qc2! also fits in to the plan for castling Kingside it supports a e pawn push or or a fianchetto on the queenside
  • 6.... Bd6 7.Be2 O-O 8.O-O

    • 6.... Bd6 7.Be2 O-O 8.O-O

    [Event "36th Olympiad"] [Site "Calvia ESP"] [Date "2004.??.??"] [White "Harikrishna,P"] [Black "Shabalov,A"] [Round "4"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2612"] [BlackElo "2608"] [ECO "D11"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Qc7 11. e4 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. f4 Bxc3 15. bxc3 c5 16. c4 bxc4 17. Bxc4 Bb7 18. e5 Nd5 19. Qf2 Rfd8 20. Ba3 Rac8 21. e6 fxe6 22. Rae1 Qc6 23. f5 Nf4 24. Re3 Kh8 25. Bb2 Rd4 26. Bxe6 Nxg2 27. f6 g5 28. f7 Nf4 29. Bd5 Qxd5 30. Bxd4+ cxd4 31. Re8+ Kg7 32. f8=Q+ Kg6 33. Qf3 Qxf3 34. Qg8+ Kh6 35. Re6+ Kh5 36. Qxh7+ Kg4 37. Rxf3 Bxf3 38. Qd7 1-0

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