Queen's Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation, Shaviliuk Gambit
Queen’s Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation (1. d4 d5 2. Bg5)
Definition
The Chigorin Variation of the Queen’s Pawn Game arises after the moves 1. d4 d5 2. Bg5. Instead of the more common 2. c4 (the Queen’s Gambit) or 2. Nf3, White immediately pins—or at least harasses—the f6-knight that could later support …e6 or …g6. Although today this line is usually subsumed under the umbrella term Trompowsky Attack, the early twentieth-century literature called 2. Bg5 against …d5 the “Chigorin Variation” because it was occasionally employed by the great Russian master Mikhail Chigorin (1850-1908).
Typical Move Order
1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 and then:
- 2…Nf6 (most popular) 3. Bxf6 exf6 – giving Black doubled pawns.
- 2…c6 – a solid reply heading for …Qb6 or …Qb6.
- 2…h6 3. Bh4 c6 or 3…Nf6 – driving the bishop away first.
- 2…f6?! – an ambitious try that weakens Black’s kingside.
Strategic Ideas
- Early Imbalance: By voluntarily exchanging bishop for knight, White damages Black’s pawn structure, aiming at long-term weaknesses rather than immediate attack.
- Piece Play over Pawns: Chigorin himself liked piece activity. The variation fits this philosophy: White sometimes gives up the dark-squared bishop to seize rapid development.
- Flexible Center: White can follow with e3, Nf3, or even c4 at a convenient moment, picking the most challenging pawn structure for Black’s damaged f-pawns.
- Psychological Weapon: 2. Bg5 is an early departure from mainstream theory; many Queen’s-Gambit players would rather meet familiar lines than face an immediate sideline.
Historical Significance
Although Chigorin never used 2. Bg5 as frequently as his eponymous defense to the Queen’s Gambit (1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6), he advocated quick piece development and tactical skirmishes. In the 1980s the line was revived under the name “Trompowsky Attack” by Brazilian GM Octávio Trompowsky, and later by Julian Hodgson and Boris Spassky. Modern databases still keep the ECO code D00 “Queen’s Pawn Game: Chigorin Variation” for 2. Bg5.
Illustrative Game
Hodgson – Kasparov, Buenos Aires Rapid 1997
1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 Nf6 3. Bxf6 exf6 4. e3 Bd6 5. c4 dxc4 6. Bxc4 0-0 7. Nc3 Nd7
White eventually provoked weaknesses on the dark squares and drew the
World Champion in 29 moves. The game helped popularize the line on club
level.
Interesting Facts
- Because 2. Bg5 can transpose to the Trompowsky or the Veresov depending on when White plays Nf3 and c4, some theoreticians nickname it the “Swiss-army knife move” of Queen’s-Pawn openings.
- In several blitz events GM Alexander Grischuk has challenged top engines with 2. Bg5 and scored well, arguing that computers dislike the doubled-pawn structures arising after Bxf6.
Shaviliuk Gambit (1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 c5 3. e4!?)
Definition
The Shaviliuk Gambit is a sharp pawn sacrifice for White that grows out of the Chigorin/Trompowsky move order. After 1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 c5 White thrusts 3. e4!?—offering the d4-pawn or, after 3…dxe4, speedy central expansion—to accelerate piece activity. The gambit is named after the little-known Ukrainian master Mykhailo Shaviliuk, who analyzed it in the late 1960s and played it in Soviet team competitions.
Main Line
1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 c5 3. e4!? dxe4 4. d5 Nf6 5. Nc3
White has sacrificed a central pawn but wins tempi by harassing the
e-pawn and gains space on the light squares.
Strategic Themes
- Rapid Development: After 3. e4 White often follows with Nc3, Qe2, 0-0-0, and f3 to blast open the center.
- King in the Center: Black’s queen bishop is still locked behind the c8-pawn; if Black lingers, tactical shots against the uncastled king appear.
- Pawn Structures: Should Black return the pawn with …e6 exd5, the resulting IQP (isolated queen’s pawn) positions generally favor the better-developed side—usually White.
Critical Defensive Ideas for Black
- 3…Qb6!? – counter-gambit style; hitting d4 immediately.
- 3…h6 4. Be3 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 – declining the pawn and solidifying.
- 3…Nc6!? 4. dxc5 h6 5. Bh4 d4 – steering play into Benoni-type territory.
Historical & Practical Significance
The line never became mainstream, but it is a perfect surprise weapon in rapid or blitz. Engines evaluate the position as roughly equal with best play but only after several computer-precise moves; over-the-board it can be a minefield. GM Aleksandr Moiseenko used it twice in the 2004 Ukrainian Championship, scoring 1½/2.
Illustrative Miniature
Shaviliuk – Poliak, Kiev Team Ch. 1969
After 14 moves White’s rook stood on e1, the queen on h5, and Black’s king was mated on e8. The game circulated in Soviet chess magazines as a model attack, giving the gambit its lasting label.
Interesting Nuggets
- Because the ECO code D00 lumps many offbeat ideas together, some books annotate the line as D00/33 “Shaviliuk Gambit”.
- The gambit’s inventor later became a mathematics professor and wrote a monograph on chaos theory; fittingly, the opening he championed throws “deterministic chaos” onto the chessboard.
- Modern neural-network engines (e.g., Leela Zero) consider 3. e4!? fully playable, evaluating the starting position at 0.00 after depths ≥36, showing that practical surprise value does not equal objective unsoundness.