August Update: - What's New
|
Sorry about the lateness of this update, but disaster struck while I was playing the 'Accession' tournament at the French Championships. French IM Jean-Pierre Boudre accidentally spilled a glass of beer over my portable computer - which proved to be particularly averse to alcohol! Needless to say all the games I was analysing for this update were lost. I have since bought a new computer, but whilst training at the European Junior Championships at Montenegro I found little time to work on this update, and then great difficulty in sending it by email! GM Eric Prié, eric@chesspublishing.com
|
Anyway, I have finally managed to finish it, and by way of compensation it is a bumper one - 13 games!
You can download the August '03 d-pawn specials games directly in PGN form here: 
This month I decided to look at the interesting line 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d6!?:
            
|
Complete systems initiated by the move 2...d6 naturally exist after 3.c4 like the Old Indian with 3...Nbd7 or 3...Bg4 and even 3...Bf5 (we shall briefly examine them, as likely transpositions, only within the scope of our subject, ie 3. g3) but its pertinence may also affect the immense majority of King's Indian players who would reply 3...g6 on 3.c4.
In fact, I see only two cases where it can be a drawback: it is no longer possible to play the somewhat passive but solid Grünfeld type set-up with ...c6 and ...d5 against the Fianchetto Variation with g3, or the side line in the Classical Variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e4 c6 with the idea of ...d5 but allowing 6.e5 Ne8.
On the other hand, this move-order prevents the Barry attack, yet without transposing into King's Pawn defences, which is the whole idea of the Barry after 2...g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 (3...d5, which gives up the e5 square, 4.Bf4 is the Barry) 4.e4. As well as that, it forces White to go off the beaten track of standard, easy, indeed often "mechanical" d-Pawn Specials development, if he intends to play his pet 3.Bg5, say.
So, first up we look at the 'Barry' move 3 Nc3, intending e4, when Black replies 3...Bf5:
|
|
In Game 1 White continues with a kingside fianchetto, whilst in Game 2, Game 3, and Game 4 he prefers to play as in a Torre with 4 Bg5 when Black avoids doubled pawns by 4...Nbd7.
Next, an immediate kingside fianchetto with 3 g3 is very logical:
|
|
And this is considered in Game 5, Game 6, and Game 7. Hebden's idea for Black in the second of these is particularly noteworthy.
Finally, the 'pure' Torre move, 3 Bg5 is analysed in the remaining games:
|
|
Black replies 3...Nbd7, of course, when in Game 8 White continues 4 c4 which seems to be weak.
The main continuation is 4 Nbd2 (although 4 c3 might be stronger) when Black grabs the bishop pair by 4...h6 5 Bh4 g5 6 Bg3 Nh5
|
|
with reasonable prospects for Black, see Game 9 and Game 10 for 7 e4, and Game 11, Game 12 and Game 13 for the stronger 7 e3.
Till next time! Eric Prié.