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PERGAMON CHESS OPENINGS General Editor: Craig Pritchett Executive Editor: Martin J. Richardson
ESTRIN, Y. B. & GLASKOV, I. B. Play the King's Gambit Volume 1 - King's Gambit Accepted Volume 2 - King's Gambit Declined VARNUSZ, E. Play the Caro-Kann Defence
Play the
St. George MICHAEL BASMAN International Master
PERGAMON PRESS OXFORD • NEW YORK • TORONTO • SYDNEY • PARIS • FRANKFURT
Contents PART I - THE ST. GEORGE'S OPENING 1. Introduction 2. Theory of the System 3. The Quieter Attempt at Refutation
3 8 14
PART II - THE ST. GEORGE IN TOURNAMENT PLAY 4. The Three Pawns Attack 5. The Main Line 6. Main Line with White Be3 7. Polish and French Formations 8. Sicilian Close Formations as White
25 36 57 67 80
Appendix I. Baker's Defence
98
Appendix II. Owen's Defence. Rehabilitating 1 ... b6
107
Further Reading and Listening
121
Index of Games
122
PART I
The St. George's Opening
1 Introduction The St. George's Opening begins with the moves 1 e4 e6 2 d4 a6 3 Nf3 b5 or 1 e4 a6 2 d4 b5. I prefer to play it the first way for aesthetic reasons, but in the game KarpovMiles, from Skara 1980, Miles played it the second way. However, in both cases the overall strategy is the same Black develops his queen's bishop on the long diagonal, and reinforces his white square control by the moves ... a6, ... b5. He gains space on the queenside and his pieces develop to natural squares. His king remains behind a central fortress of pawns at d7, e6 and f7 and only according to need decides to castle kingside or queenside. According to the diligent researches of Myers and Frank Skoff, the opening was played 100 years ago by an English player named Baker, and he succeeded in defeating both Steinitz and Blackburne with it in simultaneous
displays. But more of that in Appendix I. The first time the 'New St. George' was played appears to have been in the fourth (Saturday evening) round of the Islington weekend tournament, 1978, when under the appreciative eyes of Robert Bellin, the game Lexton - Basman began 1 e4 e6 2 d4 a6 3 Nf3 b5 4 Bd3 Bb7 5 Be3 Nf6 6 Nbd2 c5 7 dxc5 Ng4 8 Bg5 f6. Unfortunately, Black lost this game, but the result of a game is never a good indication of its quality and in fact I think looking at results is just another example of human laziness which prevents them from learning to analyse games properly. After this game I played the opening at least forty times in 1979 and was in the middle of recording the magnum 4 tape opus on ... e6, ... a6, ...b5! when news of the following occurrence broke upon a stunned British Isles.
English player beats world chess champion By Leonard Harden. Chess Correspondent Tony Miles got England off to a flying start in the European chess finals in Skara. Sweden, yesterday when he beat the world champion, Anatoly Karpov, in a remarkable 46-move game where Karpov never recovered from a shock on move one. England tied 4-4 with the Soviet team, who have won all six previous European competitions. Miles met Karpov's regular 1 P-K4 by 1 ... P-QR3, a move so rare in chess theory that it has no recognised name. Karpov floundered for a plan, lost first the initiative and then a pawn within 25 moves. Miles got the pair of bishops on an open board and punched home his advantage with powerful play until the pressure forced the world champion to concede a second pawn just before a d j o u r n m e n t . Overnight analysis convinced Karpov that he was helpless against the advance to queen of Miles' extra pawns and he conceded without resumption. Miles's win was only the second this century by a British player against a reigning world champion and the first since Penrose beat Tal at the
1960 Leipzig Olympics. Britain's No. 1 has met Karpov seven times previo