After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 Fischer played the mainline 5.Nb5, meeting the normal continuation 5...d6 with 6.N1c3, after which 6...Nf6 transposes to the Sveshnikov Variation (see part seven).
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| Position after 5.Nb5 |
However Black can avoid the transposition with 5...a6 (the Löwenthal Variation) and, after 5...d6 6.N1c3, with 6...a6 (the Kalashnikov Variation).
Löwenthal Variation 5...a6
6.Nd6+ Bxd6
7.Qxd6 Qf6
8.Qd1 Qg6
9.Nc3 Nge7
This is the main continuation in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, but also popular is 9...d5!?, although after the forcing 10.Nxd5 Qxe4+ 11.Be3 Nd4 12.Nc7+ Kde7 13.Rc1 Bg4 (13...Rb8? 14.c3 Ne6 15.Nd5+ is positionally winning for White, according to Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01) 14.Qd3 Qxd3 15.Bxd3 Rd8 16.f3 White's bishops seem to give him the better game.
10.h4
The engines' 10.Be3!? also looks good for White.
10...h5
11.Bg5 d5!?
This is easily the most-popular move, and is also best, according to the engines, but after ...
12.exd5!?
(Fischer beat Tal at the 1962 Candidates' tournament with 12.Bxe7, but the text seems stronger)
12...Nb4
13.Bxe7 Kxe7
14.Bd3 Nxd3+
15.Qxd3 Qxd3
16.cxd3
... Black has trouble equalising.
The main line continues:
16...b5
17.a3 Bb7
Now the engines give best-play as 18.0-0 Rad8 19.Rae1 Bxd5 (19...f6 20.f4) 20.Rxe5+ Be6, when Black remains a pawn down.
Kalashnikov Variation
Fischer's opponents met 5...d6 6.N1c3 with 6...Nf6, transposing to what is now called the Sveshnikov Variation.
Today the main point of this move-order is 6...a6 7.Na3 b5.
The main line continues 8.Ng5 Nge7 9.c4, which the engines like, but they prefer the much-less well-known 9.Bd3!?, when the main line in Mega20 runs 9...Nxd5 10.exd5 Ne7 10.c4 with what they reckon is a good position for White, eg 10...bxc4 11.Nxc4 Ng6 (11...Nxd5?! 12.Be4 Nc7 13.Bxa8 Nxa8 does not seem to give enough compensation for the exchange) 12.Bd2, when White has a healthy lead in development and is much better, according to the engines.
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