Sämisch Variation

The Sämisch Variation, named after Friedrich Sämisch, makes Black resolve the pin at once. White invests a tempo and accepts doubled c-pawns to secure the bishop pair and a solid central mass, usually intending f3 and e4. Because of this plan it often transposes to or from lines beginning 4. f3. Black almost always takes with 4...Bxc3+ 5. bxc3. The retreat 4...Be7 lets White play 5. e4 without hindrance, and 4...Ba5 loses the bishop to 5. b4 Bb6 6. c5.

After the exchange Black typically fixes the doubled pawns with ...c5 and then targets c4 with ...b6, ...Ba6, ...Nc6-a5 and ...Rc8. The O'Kelly Variation, 4...Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 c5 6. e3 b6, follows this scheme. White relies on the center and the hope of a fast kingside attack. Botvinnik chose the line five times against Tal in the 1960 World Championship, drawing all five, and won with it once in the 1961 return match. Later games suggested that White rarely generates enough kingside play to offset the weak c-pawns, and the variation is now uncommon. The engine considers the position balanced, and online results are almost even.