Rublevsky, considered one of the leading experts
on the 3 Bb5+ variation of the Sicilian Defense,
encountered some difficulties in the following games.

(The Rublevsky games have now been put up at the GM Chess School with a clickable board.

[Event "Rubinstein mem 35th"] [Site "Polanica Zdroj"] [EventDate "1998.08.17"] [White "Rublevsky, Sergei"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2685"] [BlackElo "2675"] [Source "ChessBase"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nc6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. O-O g6 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bg7 10. Nde2 O-O 11. f3 a6 12. a4 Qd8 13. Be3 Qa5 14. Kh1 Rfd8 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Ne5 17. b3 Nd7 18. Bd4 Nf6 19. Qd3 Re8 20. Nc3 (Bc3!?) e6 21. dxe6 fxe6 22. Rad1 Rad8 23. Qe3 Qb4 24. Na2 Qa3 25. Qc3 Qxa2 26. Rd2 Qa3 27. Ra1 Nd5 28. Qd3 Nf4 29. Rxa3 Nxd3 30. Rxd3 d5 31. Bxg7 Kxg7 32. g3 a5 33. Kg2 Kf6 34. cxd5 Rxd5 35. Rc3 Rd2+ 36. Kh3 Red8 37. Ra1 R8d5 38. g4 Rb2 39. Re3 Rdd2 40. Rae1 Rxh2+ 41. Kg3 Rbg2+ 42. Kf4 g5+ 43. Ke4 Rd2 44. Rd3 Rxd3 45. Kxd3 h5 46. gxh5 Rxh5 47. Kc4 Rh4+ 48. Kc5 Rb4 49. Re3 Kf5 50. Kd6 Kf4 51. Rc3 e5 52. Kd5 e4 53. fxe4 Rxe4 54. Rc7 Rb4 0-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[Event "JUG-chT"] [Site "Niksic"] [EventDate "1997.08.27"] [White "Rublevsky, Sergei"] [Black "Georgiev, Kiril"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2650"] [BlackElo "2670"] [Source "ChessBase"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nc6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. O-O g6 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bg7 10. Nde2 O-O 11. f3 a6 12. a4 e6 13. Bg5 Qc7 14. Kh1 Nd7 15. b3 Nc5 16. Rb1 Rfe8 17. Qd2 Nb4 18. Rfd1 Ncd3 19. Bh4 Qb6 20. Na2 d5 21. Nxb4 Nxb4 22. exd5 exd5 23. Nc3 d4 24. Ne4 a5 25. Qf4 f5 26. Qd6 Ra6 27. c5 Qc6 28. Qxc6 Rxc6 29. Nd6 Ra8 30. Nxb7 Nd5 31. Re1 d3 32. Rbd1 Bc3 33. Rxd3 Bxe1 34. Bxe1 Rc7 35. Nxa5 Rxc5 36. Nc4 Nf4 37. Re3 Rd8 38. h3 Rcc8 39. Ba5 Rd3 40. Rxd3 Nxd3 41. Bb6 Nc1 42. a5 Nxb3 43. Nd6 Rc1+ 44. Kh2 Ra1 45. Nb7 Kf7 46. Kg3 Ra4 47. h4 Ke6 48. Nd8+ Kd5 49. Nb7 Ra2 50. Kh3 Nd2 51. Nc5 Kd6 52. Nb7+ Kd7 53. Nc5+ Ke7 54. Nb7 Nc4 55. Bc5+ Kd7 56. Bd4 Nxa5 57. Nxa5 Rxa5 58. Be3 Ra2 59. Bh6 Ke6 60. g4 Ra4 61. Kg3 Rc4 62. Bf4 h5 63. gxh5 gxh5 64. Bb8 Kd5 65. Bf4 Kd4 66. Bb8 Kd3 67. Bf4 Ke2 68. Bb8 Rd4 69. Be5 Rd3 70. Kf4 Rxf3+ 71. Kg5 Ke3 72. Kxh5 Ke4 73. Bb8 Rb3 74. Bd6 f4 75. Kg5 Rg3+ 76. Kf6 Rd3 77. Bb8 Rd8 78. Ba7 Kf3 79. h5 Kg4 80. Ke5 Re8+ 81. Kf6 Kxh5 82. Kf5 Rf8+ 0-1

[Event "Zurich"] [Date "1959"] [White "Blau, Max"] [Black "Fischer, Robert J."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nc6 6. O-O g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 Nf6 10. f3 O-O 11. Nc3 Rac8 12. b3 e6 13. Rc1 Rfd8 14. Qd2 d5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Rfd1 Qe7 18. exd5 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 Rxd5 20. Qf2 Qd7 21. Rxd5 cxd5 22. Rxc8+ Qxc8 23. Qd2 1/2-1/2

KvW