Download PGN of December ’25 d-Pawn Specials games
The Torre Attack: 2...g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2 0-0 5 c3 d5 6 e3 c5 [A48]
We begin with a 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 move order, but after 2...g6 3 Nd2 d5 4 e3 Bg7 5 Bd3 c5 6 c3 Nc6 with the prudent 7 Ngf3 play moves from Trompowsky into Torre waters. Here 7...0-0 8 0-0 Qb6 is a fairly critical choice:
             |
Should White go 9 Rb1 or is allowing 9 Qb3!? c4 OK? White did, and went on to score an important win en route to an IM norm at the London Chess Classic in Kazarian, A.M. - Wang Hao.
The London: 2...c5 3 e3 cxd4 4 exd4 Qb6 [A45]
Following 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bf4 c5 3 e3 it’s been thought for several years now that after 3...Qb6 4 Na3 Qxb2 5 Nb5 Nd5 6 Rb1 Qxa2 7 Ra1 Qb2 White has nothing better than to repeat moves:
Step forwards Stockfish, which now suggests that White should throw more wood on the fire with 8 Nf3!? cxd4 9 Bd3!? - definite food for thought.
Black can also insert 3...cxd4 4 exd4 before going 4...Qb6 when 5 Nf3!? Qxb2 6 Nbd2 is another gambit:
|
|
Here Black is advised to retreat the queen, with 6...Qb6 or after 6...d5 7 Rb1!, not then greedily go 7...Qxa2?, as in Sjugirov, S - Vlassov, N.
The London: 2...g6 3 Bf4 Bg7 4 c3 d6 5 Nbd2 [A48]
Meeting 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Bf4 Bg7 with 4 c3 d6 5 Nbd2 is a bit unusual, despite Kamsky and Abdusattorov having played this way. A critical response is 5...Nh5!:
|
|
Here 6 Be3?! was a typical case of early creativity from the Peruvian legend in Granda Zuniga, J - Flores, D, but I’m not convinced and White soon found himself facing an unpleasant initiative in the game.
The London: 2...Nf6 3 Nf3 e6 4 e3 c5 5 c3 Qb6 [D02]
We’ll have more on the move order 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 c3 below, but after 3...e6 4 Bf4 it is, of course, a London, although 4...c5 5 c3 Qb6 6 Qc2!? was then a little unusual in Bu Xiangzhi - Ding Liren.
|
|
Moreover, after 6....Bd6 White went 7 Nbd2!?, which is extremely rare. On the surface, a dull draw resulted, but the game is most certainly not without interest or instructive content if you study it properly.
The London: 2...Nf6 3 Nf3 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 Nh5 [D02]
Two fearless competitors clashed in the uncompromising line that is 1 Nf3 Nf6 2 d4 d5 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 Nbd2 Nh5!? 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4 g5 8 Ne5 Nxe5 9 dxe5 Ng7 10 Bg3 in the Global Chess League:
|
|
Here both 10...Qb6 and 10...Nf5 seem in decent health for Black, who won a miniature after White became too ambitious in Rapport, R - Sindarov, J.
The Reversed Slav 3...c5 4 dxc5 e6 5 Be3 [D02]
I’m still not completely sure what 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 c3!? should be known as, but Elisabeth Pähtz’s name ‘The Neo-London System’ is perhaps as good as anything. As we’ve seen, 3...e6 4 Bf4 would be a direct London transposition, but 3...c5 4 dxc5 e6 5 Be3 remains an important independent line:
|
|
Remember the Ding-Nepo match? After 5...Nc6 6 b4 Be7 7 g3 Ng4 a new, seemingly deeply-prepared, idea for us was 8 Bd4!? e5 9 h3, which quickly became very sharp and led to a convincing win for White in Giri, A - Wei Yi.
Colle-Zukertort 3...e6 4 Bd3 c5 5 b3 Nc6 6 Bb2 Bd6 7 0-0 b6 8 Nbd2 Bb7 [D05]
With The Killer Colle-Zukertort System having been published in recent weeks - an updated version of a Chessable course; in the interests of fairness, I should also point out that Robert Ris has a new ChessBase product out on the Colle - I could hardly resist including Nakamura, H - Bok, B, where 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 Nf6 3 e3 e6 4 Bd3 b6 5 0-0 Bb7 6 b3 c5 7 Bb2 Nc6 8 Nbd2 Bd6 9 a3 0-0 reached something of a tabiya:
|
|
Here 10 Ne5 and 10 Qe2 are important options, but Nakamura made a good case for 10 dxc5!? Bxc5 11 c4, going on to win a brutal attacking game.
Will we have some more fine attacks and perhaps Colles to explore again next month?
Happy Christmas! Richard
>> Previous Update >>