Download PGN of December ’19 d-Pawn Specials games
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The Trompowsky: 2...d5 3 Nd2 e6 4 e3 [D00]
Meeting 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 d5 with 3 Nd2 has enjoyed a small burst of popularity of late, in part due to the patronage of Vladislav Artemiev, as we’ll see. After 3...e6 4 e3 Be7 5 c3 0-0 6 Bd3 b6 White doesn’t have to consent to a transposition to a Torre and can reveal one of the main points behind his move order with 7 f4!:
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I’ve long felt this is a position Black should look to avoid and after 7...Bb7?! 8 Bxf6! Bxf6 9 Ngf3 c5 10 h4! h6? 11 g4 he was already lost against White’s route-one approach in Carlsen, M - Cuenca Jimenez, J.
The Trompowsky: 2...Ne4 3 h4 c5 [A45]
After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 Ne4 3 h4 I was delighted to see four black players in a row on the database opting for 3...c5 over the super-solid 3...d5. Following 4 d5 Qb6 5 Nd2 an important tabiya is reached:
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Black’s main move is 5...Nxd2, but perhaps this should even be considered inaccurate, as after 6 Bxd2 both taking on b2 and 6...e5, as in our main game, Aravindh, C - Ciocan, M-A, don’t appear to equalise. As 5...Nxg5 6 hxg5 Qxb2 7 g6 is likely also best avoided, the critical line may well be 5...h6!? 6 Bf4 Qxb2.
The Torre Attack: 3...d5 4 e3 c5 5 Nbd2 Be7 6 Bd3 Nbd7 7 c3 0-0 [D03]
After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Bg5 Be7 4 Nbd2 d5 5 e3 0-0 6 Bd3 Nbd7 7 0-0 c5 8 c3 b6 9 Qe2 (the immediate 9 Ne5 is an important alternative) 9...Bb7 10 Ne5 Nxe5 11 dxe5 Nd7 12 Bxe7 Qxe7 13 f4 an important, fairly old line of the Torre arises:
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Black really needs to react with 13...f6 when 14 exf6 gxf6?! probably can’t be recommended, although it wasn’t such a bad choice for the rapid encounter that was Nihal, S-Sarana, A.
The Torre Attack: 2...g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2 0-0 5 c3 d6 [A48]
Elisabeth Paehtz has been wheeling out 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Bg5 on several occasions of late, as we’ll see this month. The strong German IM likes to meet 3...Bg7 4 Nbd2 0-0 5 c3 d6 with the modest 6 e3. Black has a few approaches after this, but 6...b6 7 Bc4 Bb7 8 0-0 Nbd7 9 a4! most likely gives White slightly the easier position to handle:
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In Paehtz, E - Amin, B, White was content to pretty much mark time, which caused her much higher-rated opponent to badly overestimate his position.
The major alternative as White is, of course, 6 e4 when 6...c5 7 dxc5 dxc5 8 Bc4 Qc7 9 0-0 Nc6 10 Qe2 h6!? is quite a controversial as well as critical choice:
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The point is that Black must continue 11 Bxf6 exf6 when 12 Nh4 Kh7 seemed quite playable for him in Harikrishna, P - Nepomniachtchi, I.
The Barry Attack: 4...Bg7 5 e3 a6 [D00]
Unsurprisingly we initially begin with a discussion of that important line of the modern London, 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bf4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 e3 Bg7 5 h4, taking in 3...Bg7 as well as here 5...h5. Our main game sees 5...a6?!, which just looks like of a waste of a move to me. Not only is 6 h5! quite effective, but the Barry transposition 6 Nf3 worked out well in Nihal, S - Martinez Alcantara, J.
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White met 6...Bg4 with the Navaraesque 7 Qd2 Bxf3 8 gxf3 ahead of breaking down Black’s seemingly solid position in instructive fashion.
The London: 3...c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 [D02]
It would have been interesting to know what Magnus Carlsen had in store after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 for 5...Qb6, but at the London Chess Classic Levon Aronian was twice to prefer the less common and likely less critical 5...cxd4 6 exd4 Qb6 against him:
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After 7 Nb3 and then 7...Bg4 8 a4 a6 9 a5 Qa7?! Carlsen won their first game in classic fashion and 7...a6 8 Be2 Bg4 9 a4 e6 10 a5!? also saw White continue in AlphaZero fashion in the rematch Carlsen, M - Aronian, L.
Enjoy any Christmas festivities or break you may have ahead!
Until next month, Richard
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