The Berlin Defence Unraveled by Luis Bernal

Author:Luis Bernal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New in Chess

analysis diagram

18.e6! ♗xe6 19.♘c5 Opens the game before the opponent consolidates his position. One careless move has been enough to make the opposite-coloured bishops a factor in favour of the attacker. 19…♖h5 It is important that after 19…b6 20.♘xe6 fxe6 21.♖d7 ♘e7 22.♖xc7 ♘d5 23.♖xc6, the bishop is indirectly defended. 20.♘xb7 ♖d5 21.b3 ♖b8 22.♖xd5 cxd5 23.♘c5 c6 24.♖d4!

Although Black has parried the immediate threats, his position is very bad, with ♖a4 and c2-c4 in the pipeline.

12…♗f5!?

Quite an original manoeuvre. The standard 12…♘g6 is also possible, as in Svetushkin-Kryvoruchko, Greece tt 2012, which continued 13.♗b2 ♗e7 14.♘e4 ♘f4 15.♘d4 (15.♖e1!? creates the threat 16.♘d6, which Black could prevent with 15…♘e6∞) 15…♗d7 16.♘g3 (16.♗c1!? ♘e6 17.♘f5) 16…c5 17.♘de2 (17.♘df5) 17…♘xe2+ 18.♘xe2 ♖d8∞.

13.♘d4 ♗h7 14.♗b2 ♖d8 15.♘ce2 a6

Preparing …c6-c5. In Caruana-Carlsen, Stavanger 2015, the champion preferred 15…♘d5?!, which doesn’t seem such a great idea without an enemy knight on c3. His opponent promptly got a significant advantage: 16.c4 ♘b4 17.♘f4 ♖g8 18.g4 ♘a6?! (somewhat better is 18…♘c2, but White has won several tempi to develop his initiative on the kingside, and he enjoys a typical advantage) 19.♘f5, and the black position is passive and unpleasant. You can find more detailed analyses in Game 15, in Chapter 20.

16.c4 c5 17.♘f3 ♘c6 18.♘f4 ♗c2!

A brilliant defensive move, alleviating the situation on the d-file. White was ready to play 19.e6 or 19.♘d5.

19.♖xd8+

Not better is 19.♖e1 ♘d4.

19…♘xd8 20.e6!?

Hits before Black consolidates the position with 20…♘e6.

20…f6

20…♘xe6 21.♖e1 ♖g8! is simpler. 22.♘xe6 fxe6 23.♖xe6+ ♔d7 24.♖e2 ♗h7 25.♘e5+ ♔c8, and Black shouldn’t have any serious problems to hold the game.

21.♖c1

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