1.d4
Nf6
2.c4
g6
3.Nc3
d5
4.Nf3
Bg7
5.Qb3
dxc4
6.Qxc4
0-0
7.e4
In the Russian Variation White gets the ideal pawn center and Black must find some way to put pressure on the Black center. There are a number of ways in which this can be attempted. Smyslov likes 7.....Bg4, though he also played these positions as White. Black threatens to disrupt the kingside pawn structure by capturing on f3, so this places indirect pressure on the center. Alternatives for Black include the Hungarian Variation with 7....a6, the Korchnoi System with 7....Nc6 and the Najdorf-Prins Variation with 7....a6.