February 2004 Update
|
Neil McDonald |
Welcome to the French February Update, a little late, but full of interesting chess.To download the February '04 French games directly in PGN form, click here: 
French Exchange
A softly-softly approach is sometimes the best
What should you do as Black against a lower rated opponent determined to keep it dull?
Rather than trying active measures to create winning chances, the best psychological approach can be to wait patiently for the opponent to do something. There are very few players who can resist playing energetically, especially if they see a chance to get the advantage. In this month's game White seems determined to play solidly and avoid all risk, but he is tempted into playing to win- with fatal results. Check out Postny - Khenkin.
French Advance 3...Bd7
A way to avoid theory without taking any risks
            
|
Ivar A. Abusdal has sent me the following analysis on this off beat Advance line.
«Hi Neil,
Thanks for your excellent work. It's one variation in the French Advance I would be very happy to find some theory on (it was actually one of the reasons I signed up on the site :-). After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 I find 3...Bd7 quite interesting with the idea of a7-a6 and Bb5. It's of course also possible to transpose to more well known lines with a later c7-c5 and Nc6. The variation has been played by players like Benjamin, Firman, Bauer, Alekseev and Lein, so I feel it deserves some attention. Here are some of my own (short) notes:
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Ld7 4.Sf3
Seem like the most natural continuation. Other moves:
A) 4.c3 this can't be to bad, but it seems to suite blacks plan well 4...a6 5.Be3 (5.Bd3 Bb5 6.Lc2 a5 white keeps his bishop, but lose the a6-f1 diagonal. After 5.a4 c5 it seem like black gets an improved version of the mainlines, as white can't play the a2-a3 variations in addition to the weak b4 square) Now both 5...Ne7 and 5...Bb5 seem playable.
B) After 4.Bd3 a6 5.Qe2 black has to forget about Bb5, but now he can play 5...c5 when the d4 pawn may turn out weaker then normal (because of the placement of whites queen and bishop).
C) 4.Be3 a6 5.a4 is another idea. Here 5...Ne7 followed Nf5 seem natural.
D) 4.c4 dxc4 5.Bxc4 Bc6 and black has at least equalised.
4...a6 5.Bg5
This seems to be whites best try. Other possibilities are:
A) 5.c3 Bb5 6.Nbd2 (6.Bxb5 axb5 if this ain't good, then blacks whole plan is a blunder...) 6...Nc6!?
B) 5.Nc3 now both 5...Bb4 and 5...c5 seem good enough for black.
C) 5.c4 dxc4 6.Lxc4 Lc6 seem at least equal.
D) 5.a4 c5 must once again be OK for black, as white has weakened his b4-square and can't play variations with a2-a3 like in the mainlines.
5...Ne7
5...Qc8 has also been played.
6.Nc3
Other moves:
A) 6.h4 Bb5 7.Bxb5 axb5 8.g5 h6
B) 6.c4 dxc4 7.Lc6
6...c5
Now when white has placed his knight at c3, c7-c5 seem very natural.
7.dxc5
Another possibility is 7.Bd3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 9.Nb3 Nbc6, but black is doing all right.
7...Qa5
or 7...Qc7
8.a3 Qxc5 9.Bd3 Ng6 10.0-0 Qc7 can't be too bad.
Best regards,
Ivar A. Abusdal»
My thanks to Ivar for the email. Yes, 3...Bd7 is highly interesting and little known. One good feature is that Black can transpose to mainline theory if it is advantageous to do so- the bishop usually ends up on d7 in the Advance Variation, whether or not it is heading for b5.
I've had a look on my database and summarised the main examples I found. Here is Ginzburg - Firman.
Tarrasch: White plays Bd3 and Ngf3
The most important position in the modern Tarrasch
As long term subscribers will be aware, one of the most critical positions in the Tarrasch is that reached after 3...Be7 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 c5 6.e5 Nfd7 7.c3 Nc6 8.0-0. It can also arise from 3...Nf6 and 3...c5, so if White wants a universal panacea against the Tarrasch this is the place to look:
|
|
In this month's game Black plays in old fashioned style against a young Russian Grandmaster and is quickly punished: check out Timofeev - Arencibia.
Tarrasch 3...Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3
The Bunzmann System
In contrast to the heavily analysed line above, here we look at a sideline championed by the German GM Bunzmann, namely 5...c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 a5!?:
|
|
Black marches his pawn down the board as quickly as possible to a3- and in most cases wins! Or at least he wins when Bunzmann has Black- check out the analysis in Galdunts - Bunzmann.
Fort Knox
An attempt to escape from theory
Here in the mainline after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.0-0 the move 7...Ngf6 has become has annoyingly theoretical- Stuart Conquest even played 14 moves of theory against me at the Britsh Championship- so much for it being a secret weapon!
So I suggest that Black takes another path, as revealed in the game Geller - Vysochin.
Classical Variation 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6
The greatest enemy of the French
Last month I gave Bareev's superb win versus Topalov at Wijk. Here is his less successful encounter with Anand. Incidentally, Anand now has 12 wins from 12 games as White in the French on ChessPub- this makes him by far the greatest French killer of the modern age. His latest game features a nice attack after Bareev collapses in the theoretical duel- here is Anand - Bareev.
Also in the Classical, Duncan Burbidge sent me an email about an intriguing game he had in the Kilkenny Masters. I was wondering if you could possibly send the game? Thanks.
Winawer Mainline 7.Qg4 0-0 8.Bd3 Qa5
Two perpetual checks in the Rustemov System
The Rustemov System is alive and well, but like all opening lines is accumulating a mass of theory. I managed to find something different in a recent game, but whether it's good or not I'll leave you to decide by looking at Coleman - McDonald.
In the second game Nigel Short plays in energetic style as White, but he cannot quite finish off Black. So on the evidence of these two games the Rustemov leads to a forced draw by perpetual check on move 26. Here is Short - Kristjansson.
Winawer Mainline 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7
Black wiped out again
The so called 'Poisoned Pawn Variation' hasn't been popular at the top level for a long time. It doesn't help that GM Goloshchapov keeps destroying Black in the mainline. If you have any suggestions for Black let me know!
|
|
Here is Goloshchapov - Adrian.
Well that's all for this month. I hope some of the stuff is useful- good luck in your games!
Best Wishes,
Neil