Download PGN of January '15 1 d4 d5 2 c4 games
>> Previous Update >>
Orthodox QGD with ...h6 and ...Nbd7 [D56/D63]
Going on with actual games, Salem - Kramnik shows how Black can utilise the '...h6 Orthodox QGD' (if someone has a better name, let me know) to equalise the game if he wishes:
             |
On first seeing such a position you may wonder how on earth Black is supposed to win games with such a system, but there is scope to outplay a weaker player even from such symmetry and much can be learned from Kramnik's king march in the endgame, which posed his young opponent too many practical problems in the end.
It's true, in the basic position after 7...Nbd7, White has alternatives to 8.Rc1, and they'll often lead to a position like the one that arose in Gajewski - Naiditsch:
|
|
When first seeing this position I felt White had to be a bit better due to Black's IQP, but Black is extremely solid and again there's the potential for either side to outplay the opponent. In all honesty though, White would have drawn the game easily if he hadn't blundered in the endgame.
The ...h6 Orthodox lines could be compared to the Lasker in that Black is purely playing to neutralise White's first move initiative, and even if you're in love with the variation after studying my notes, I'd still have something else up your sleeve for when you need to win.
The 5...c5 Open Catalan 7 Qa4 [E04]
In my experience, most amateurs facing the Catalan are after a response where White doesn't get his usual positional pressure and Black can enjoy active play as he would in, for instance, the Ragozin. The 4...dxc4 5.Bg2 c5 6.0-0 Nc6 system certainly offers this, and while White's alternatives to 7.Qa4 have been addressed in the archives by Ruslan, it's time for a thorough examination of this old main line (it was recommended by Avrukh and Bologan, after all):
|
|
If you are happy with a draw, I would recommend following Vizbaras - Aberlanc, where with the pawn sacrifice 12...0-0! Black obtained excellent piece play and stopped White from completing his development (he has to return his extra pawn to do so). Avrukh already noted the strength of this possibility ages ago but a number of correspondence games have completely clarified this.
In the Australian Open I encountered the 8...b5 9.Qd3 c4 variation, which unbalances the pawn structure to produce a very dynamic position (perfect for the open tournament warrior who needs to win games with Black), but rather than emphasise my own game I've gone with the arguably more relevant Van Wely-Wojtaszek from Tata Steel:
|
|
In this position Van Wely went for central play with 11.Re1 followed by e4 and soon d5 and it was a good choice as Van Wely could have obtained an advantage with the incredible 16.a4! b4 17.Nd5!!, but my recommendation would go to 11.Bf4! in the above position, which should favour White slightly. If an objective small disadvantage or 10 page game analyses bother you, the safe and simple 9...Rc8 has you covered.
I apologise for this bad news if you subscribe to bury 1.d4 d5 rather than praise it, but hopefully I'll make it up to you with my next four games, all won by White!
The 5...c6 Open Catalan [E04]
I was originally going to present a Black repertoire with 5...c6 in the Open Catalan, but after a thorough analysis I realised that the 6.a4!? of Ganguly - Sethuraman was a rather pernicious retort:
|
|
Admittedly there's not so much point in playing ...c6 if he can't follow up with ...b5 to hang on to his extra pawn, but after 6...b5 we transpose to the 5...b5 sideline, and I've covered it thoroughly too for the club players reading this. In the game Black played 6...c5!? with the point that the Qa4 systems we saw before are out of the question, but a4 is a useful move in its own right and Ganguly played perfectly to reel in the win. I haven't held back any analysis so you can understand what type of advantage White is striving for in those positions - there's a big difference between a += endgame Black can defend with a few accurate moves and an enduring middlegame initiative.
The g3 Semi Slav [D43/E01/E04/E07]
Some will argue that this line should have been at the start of the update, but none will argue that it was high time that this now very trendy variation needed coverage on ChessPublishing! To avoid any confusion, here's the starting position:
|
|
Make no mistake, this is a gambit (perhaps 'Catalan Gambit' is a better name than 'g3 Semi Slav' but I'll let you be the judge of that), but if Black takes the pawn, White's g2-bishop will be a monster on the long diagonal and he'll get a strong centre and lead in development in return. As for when Black doesn't take on c4, that's where Grischuk - Fressinet comes in:
|
|
This position arose from White meeting 5...Nbd7 with 6.Qd3!? (as opposed to the normal 6.Bg2), but this position could also arise from the Nc3 Closed Catalan and I did promise I'd get back to that line in a later update! I don't pretend that my analysis is exhaustive but White seems a bit better in the above position after 10.Rd1! (defending the queen is a key preparation for e4 as 10.e4 dxc4 11.bxc4 e5! shows), but if Black deviates first with 7...a5!, he will have no problems. Fortunately most of your opponents won't know that and will get move ordered into a slightly inferior Catalan position.
Moving on to the Accepted lines, Nisipeanu - Van Wely addresses Black's alternatives to the 7...a6 main line (except 6...Nbd7, which I'll get to in a future update) plus some early White deviations.
|
|
In the above position Van Wely erred with 9...Be7, but I don't see any pull for White after the correct 9...Nbd7. There are plenty of fun lines in this variation that I had to resist diving into too deeply to make the notes readable for the majority of the readership, but you might like to explore the lines more deeply and get back to me with your ideas.
The final game of this update is one I've used with a few of my students and I hope you'll enjoy my analysis of Kramnik - Giri too:
|
|
This is the basic position, where White has typical Catalan compensation (central domination, pressure against the queenside, more active pieces). If White can get a pawn to c5, the b7-bishop will be trapped and Black will be very passive. Theoretically speaking, Black is fine after the accurate 11...Qc8! but I've suggested plenty of ways White can make use of his pleasant compensation in a practical game.
I realise I've been a bit neglectful of certain major variations such as the Queen's Gambit Accepted, Ragozin and 5.Bg5 Semi-Slav - I will make a concerted effort to balance my coverage with these lines! Are there any other missing variations you're longing for coverage on? Let me know via. a message or on the Forum and I'll do what I can for you!
Until the next update, Max
>> Previous Update >>
If you have any questions, then please post a message at the 1 d4 d5 Forum, or subscribers can email support@chesspublishing.com.