Download PGN of April ’21 d-Pawn Specials games
The London: 2...e6 3 Nf3 c5 4 e3 Qb6!? [A46]
As subscribers may be aware, 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 (2 Bf4 can easily lead to the same thing, but we’ll also take a quick look at 2...Nh5!?, which So has also had to face) 2...e6 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 Qb6!? hasn’t always enjoyed the best of reputations on these pages:
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I’ve quite liked 5 Nc3 for White, but have always accepted that a well-prepared black player should be OK after 5...Nc6!?. Instead, 5...cxd4 6 exd4 Qxb2? 7 Nb5 was quickly a disaster then rapid victory for Black in So, W - Duda, JK.
White’s alternatives are the Eric-approved 5 Na3 and 5 Qc1, with the solid latter seen in Firouzja, A - Duda, JK, where 5...Nc6 6 c3 Nh5! already appeared quite comfortable for Black, who went on to win a powerful and instructive game thanks to a white knight being stuck on h4.
The London: 2...d5 3 Nf3 c5 4 e3 Qb6 [D02]
A related but no less risky approach for Black is 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 Qb6. Here 5 Nc3! is worthy of its exclam in my opinion and Black must tread carefully:
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5...Bd7 had been thought to be one of the better defences, but after the outwardly calm 6 Rb1 e6 7 Be2 Nc6 8 0-0 White was ready to go Na4 and quickly obtained a Jobava-Prié style edge in Firouzja, A - Aronian, L.
The London: 2...d5 3 Nf3 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 Qb6 [D02]
We continue our tour of Black’s various ...Qb6 options with another Aronian game and 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 Qb6:
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This remains a critical test of White’s modern move order, but after 6 dxc5 Qxb2 7 Rb1 Qc3 8 Bb5 Black needs to know his stuff. 8...g6!? may well be quite viable, but after 9 e4! Black needs to do much better than he managed with 9...Bg7? in Aronian, L - So, W.
The London: 2...d5 3 Nf3 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 cxd4 6 exd4 [D02]
If Wesley So didn’t appear quite at his best in that game, it was likely because he was already 1-0 down in the first set of his quarter-final with Aronian - and in another London no less. This opening game began 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 cxd4 6 exd4 whereupon Aronian introduced 6...a6!? into top-level practice:
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Black gives up a tempo to prevent Bb5, which isn’t such a bad practical decision, but after the 7 c3 e6 8 Qb3 of So, W - Aronian, L I’m far from certain that he can claim equality.
The London: 2...d5 3 Nf3 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 e6 6 c3 cxd4 7 exd4 Nh5 [D02]
Wesley So was one of the first to deploy the line 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 e6 6 c3 cxd4 7 exd4 Nh5 and I’m not too sure why he isn’t still wheeling it out from time to time. An important line is the aggressive 8 Be3 Bd6 9 Ne5 g6 10 g4! Ng7! 11 h4!?:
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This has been known since the 2017 U.S. Championship encounter Kamsky, G - Nakamura, H, and it’s still not at all clear that Black can’t snaffle the pawn on e5, as Nakamura did. Instead, 11...h5 12 Bg5 Qb6 13 Bf6 was seen in Aronian, L - Duda, JK, when I don’t think that Black should put his rook on h7.
The London, Anti-Nimzo: 2...d5 3 Nf3 c5 4 e3 e6 5 c3 Bd6 [D02]
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 e6 5 c3 Bd6 usually just leads to the main line after 6 Bg3, but White can attempt to cut across Black’s move order with 6 Bb5+!? Nc6 7 Bxc6+ bxc6 8 Bxd6 Qxd6 9 Qa4:
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This is far from ridiculous, especially when compared with the 6 Bg3 Nc6 7 Nbd2 0-0 8 Bb5 variation, and White soon found himself with an ideal good knight against bad bishop endgame in Aronian, L - So, W.
Let’s hope we can feature more games from the ever creative Levon Aronian next month!
Until then, Richard
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