Author:
Grant Oen, CCCSA Assistant Director
Fans of modern chess have undoubtedly heard of the Berlin
Defense in the Ruy Lopez. Following today's super-tournaments, commentators and fans alike dread games that start with the
infamous Berlin endgame. Top players assert that it is a way for Black to avoid the theoretical
entanglements and risks associated with the proper Ruy Lopez or an ambitious
Sicilian Defense to earn a draw with Black.
I claim that the Berlin is an extremely solid option for
amateur players, filled with imbalances, dynamism, and winning chances despite an
early queen trade.
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| Magnus Carlsen excited by another Berlin Defense |
Kramnik-Kasparov
“The Berlin Wall” was thrust into prominence in the
Kasparov-Kramnik World Championship match in 2000. Kramnik had surprised Kasparov with the Berlin in game 1 of
the match, earning an easy draw with Black.
In a World Championship match, it is of paramount importance
to try to equalize and “hold a draw” with the Black pieces, and then take your
chances to win when you have White.
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| Kramnik vs Kasparov World Championship Match, London 2000 |
Kasparov, the most principled of World Champions, stuck to
testing Kramnik in the Berlin endgame in games 1, 3, 5, 13, to no avail - four
draws with White. Meanwhile, Kramnik was able to win two games when he had White to
pull the huge upset match victory. Here
is game 1 from that match – strong players may be able to understand the subtle
positional maneuvers that Black uses to neutralize White’s slight initiative
(…h6-h5 to restrict White’s g2-g4 pawn majority, …c6-c5 to control the dark
squares in light of a poor dark squared bishop, …Kd8-c8-b7 to connect the
rooks, and …Ne7-f5 to blockade White’s 4 vs 3 Kingside majority).
Kasparov’s failure to prove anything against the Berlin in
four White games at the World Championship level, despite having a Russian team
of trainers working day and night on his openings, propelled the Berlin Defense
to the forefront of elite chess.
Kasparov,
the most dangerous player in history when given the initiative and strong
opening preparation with white, was completely neutralized by Kramnik, who became World Champion after this match. Many Grandmasters have since
made a living out of drawing games with black in the Berlin and then winning games
with White, and as such, it has become the most common response at the elite level
against 1.e4.
Introduction
What is so special about the Berlin? It occurs after the following moves:
Unlike other options for Black, like the Sicilian
Najdorf, Grunfeld, Queen’s Gambit Declined, the Berlin does not feature a lot
of sharp theory, as it relies mainly on a long struggle with certain distinct
positional ideas for both sides. The
cost of an inaccurate move or plan in the Berlin is very small compared to, for
example, the King’s Indian Defense or English attack in the Najdorf.
Although it has not been “proven” to be a draw even at the
GM level, the Berlin has been a reliable, low-maintenance option against 1.e4 that
offers little risk of losing. With the
exception of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Boris Gelfand, both Sicilian fanatics,
every
other top player uses the Berlin as a mainstay of their Black repertoire.
Kramnik has played the Berlin religiously
since 2000, scoring one win against Grischuk (see below), 21 draws, and three
losses against Karjakin, So, and Kasparov (but not during the World
Championship) – a very strong statistic for Black at the 2800 level. An interesting anecdote was that before Kasparov-Kramnik, one of the only Grandmasters to play the Berlin on a consistent basis was the late
American GM Arthur Bisguier.
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| The late Arthur Bisguier was the first major proponent of the Berlin |
Besides the World Championship match between Kasparov and
Kramnik in 2000, the Berlin Defense or one of the sidelines against the Berlin
was featured in the Carlsen-Anand match in 2013, Carlsen-Anand rematch in 2014,
and Carlsen-Karjakin match in 2016.
Berlin Imbalances
The reason that I do not find the Berlin boring is that there is an asymmetrical pawn structure and many
other imbalances – the opening is dynamically equal, but not without
winning chances for both sides, especially at the amateur level. Of course, books can be written about
the positional imbalances and common maneuvers in the Berlin – I can recommend
John Cox’s “The Berlin Wall” (Quality Chess 2008) and Igor Lysyj & Roman
Ovetchkin’s “The Berlin Defence” (Chess Stars 2012). Both texts are quite worth the purchase, and
are still relevant, as the cutting-edge theory of the
Berlin is minimal. Meanwhile, let’s briefly
compare some of the imbalances for White and Black in the Berlin:
King Position/Safety
White’s king is castled kingside. Of course, this makes it near
impossible for the white monarch to be in any danger. Black’s king is in the center and cannot
castle. On d8 or e8, the king is clumsy and in the way of Black's development. It will be vulnerable to an eventual Rd1+, putting the rook on the only open file.
Then again, considering the “queenless
middlegame” that arises on move 8, kings can be quite strong in the center, so
there are advantages and disadvantages for both king positions. The black king can attack the overextended
e5-pawn via a frontal attack, although much more often it moves to e8 and
remains there, or goes to the kingside via …Bc8-d7 and …Kd8-c8-b7(-c6).
Minor Pieces
Black retains the bishop pair, as White captured the Nc6 on
move 6 with his precious Ruy Lopez bishop in order to damage Black’s
structure. Some common themes for White
include Nf3-g5 and e5-e6, further crippling the structure. Black sometimes plays …Bf8-b4 and captures a white’s
Nc3 in order to create an opposite color bishop position. Another common idea for Black is to trade
knights via …Bf8-e7 and …Nf5-h4 when the knight gets kicked out of f5 via
White’s eventual …g2-g4.
Rooks
White’s rooks usually find easier paths to activity than
their Black counterparts. White can put
their rooks on d1 and e1 quite easily, while Black will take some time to get
his a8-rook to d8. Meanwhile, the rook on h8 often struggles to get anywhere if
Black plays …Kd8-e8, since Black cannot castle kingside. This rook can find activity via …h7-h5 and …Rh8-h6
if White’s dark squared bishop is blocked or traded from controlling h6.
Pawn Structure
The advantages/disadvantages of the pawn structure for both
sides should be very apparent to players of any level. White has a 4 vs 3 kingside pawn majority,
while Black suffers from a “crippled” 4 vs 3 majority on the queenside. Black’s doubled c-pawns mean that he cannot
organically create a passed pawn on that side of the board, which means that
Black should almost never enter a king and pawn endgame. There is one example of White
“assuming” that he will win any king and pawn endgame in the Berlin. The game comes from a very important tournament,
the 2013 FIDE Candidates (in which Carlsen won, and qualified to play Vishy
Anand).
It is not all that easy for White early on, however. White’s pawn on e5 would much rather be in
its own territory on e4 where is would not be overextended. Also, knowledgeable Black players are aware
not to make too many trades in the Berlin, so the simple plan of trading down to a very
simplified endgame and push the kingside majority is often met with tough
resistance. Black’s king in the center
can be well-placed to meet any premature e-pawn marches, and Black very
often plays the multi-faceted move …h7-h5 to stop White’s g2-g4, in
addition to increasing the future of the h8 rook.
A common arrangement of Black’s pawns on the queenside is
a7, b6, c7, c5, to control the central dark squares, since his dark squared
bishop occasionally never leaves from f8 or e7, where it exerts little pressure
on the center.
Personal Experience
I personally added the Berlin Wall to my opening repertoire
around 2013, when I was a Class B player.
I have since complemented it with various Sicilians – it is nice to have
a few options against 1.e4 that I can depend on in certain circumstances. I have used it to achieve very solid results,
holding many draws against masters and winning plenty of games against experts
and class players. Unfortunately, my
highest rated opponent who I decided to reply 1.e4 with 1…e5 with was IM Ron
Burnett, who won a very nice one-sided game in a Berlin sideline at the 2015
Southeastern FIDE Championship here in Charlotte.
Here are a couple of my more memorable victories in the
Berlin endgame.
I hope that you have learned some new concepts in the Berlin
opening. Next time you observe a Berlin
endgame at the top level, I’m sure you will be more understanding of why the
Black player chose the Berlin, and be more enthusiastic about following the game, as you may be more knowledgeable of the interesting nuances in the position.
Grant
