Download PGN of March '13 French games
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Advance Variation 5...Bd7 6 Be2 [C02]
The move order 5...Bd7 6 Be2 Nge7 7 0-0 Nf5 isn't unusual, but it hasn't been one of Black's preferred selections for some time:
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Ambartsumova - Ulibin, Cappelle la Grande 2013, sees 8 dxc5 Bxc5 9 Bd3 and White gets a very small edge. The notes contain some other ideas.
5...Nh6 [C02]
Negi - Stella, Cappelle la Grande 2013, tested 5...Nh6 6 Bxh6 gxh6 7 Be2 Qb6, transposing into 5...Qb6 6 Be2 Nh6 7 Bxh6.
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We've seen this position several times before. White expands on the queenside and the advantage goes back and forth.
Tarrasch - Guimard Variation 3...Nc6, 6 Bb5 [C04]
The Guimard Variation is holding up well. In January we looked at 4 c3, 6 Bd3, and 6 Nb3. This month we'll start with 6 Bb5. Bacallao Alonso- Hernandez Carmenates, Santa Clara 2013, reached this early middlegame:
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Black already stands slightly better because his bishop is unopposed on the long diagonal and he has an extra centre pawn.
Guimard 6 c3 [C04]
6 c3 was played in a few games. In Kovacevic - Stella, Cappelle la Grande 2013, Black played 6...f6, the most dynamic move, reaching this position:
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With Black winning the e5 square, he can afford to keep his king in the centre, and here 9...e5! would have been more than equal.
Guimard 6 Nb3 [C04]
6 Nb3 has always been one of the most popular moves. In Daulyte - Stella, Cappelle la Grande 2013, White played a natural move which I accidentally omitted from my book, 9 Bd3:
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Placing White's bishop on d3 has the negative that Black can attack it with tempo after ...c5-c4, but White plays c4 to thwart that.
Guimard 6 Be2 [C04]
After 6 Be2, the main line involving 6...f6 7 exf6 Qxf6 8 Nf1 with the idea Ne3 has been played for many years and is well-established. See the Archives for many examples. Wegener - Graf, Salzburg 2013, tests one of the main positions:
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Over the years, both sides have won their share of games, but this has never been an existential threat to the Guimard.
Rubinstein 7 Be3 [C10]
The variation in Anand - Meier, Baden-Baden 2013, has been hovering between equality and a small White advantage.
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Meier has played this system a lot and comes out with full equality. The way he handles the Rubinstein is not ambitious, but it might be particularly suitable for situations in which a draw is acceptable.
Winawer Poisoned Pawn 8 Bd3 [C18]
The Winawer Poisoned Pawn receives multiple tests each month. White can delay capture on g7 with 8 Bd3, as in Willemze - Kuipers, Netherlands Team Ch 2013
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After over half a century of investigating this move, the complications have by no means been worked out. White, a regular on the Forum, finds a new move in a well-known position. A well-played game ensues, illustrating the positive features of White's position in these lines, and how they can be implemented.
12...d4 [C18]
Finally, an update on the main 8 Qxg7 lines, featuring the game Petr - Petrik, Czech Republic 2013.
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Although this position is objectively drawn, White demonstrates that with only a single misstep from Black, he can get a meaningful advantage. In the notes, I've inserted a couple of other routine games from this month which indicate that the theory of this variation is stabilizing.
Till next month, John
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