Download PGN of November ’25 d-Pawn Specials games
The Trompowsky: 2...Ne4 3 Bf4 e5 [A45]
I can’t fully believe in 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 Ne4 3 Bf4 e5?!, but it’s as well Trompowsky players have some idea what to do about it. One good line is 4 dxe5 d5 5 Nd2! and 4 Bxe5 is also pretty decent, although after 4...d5 it’s surely better to go 5 f3 than 5 c3, which rather asks for 5...Nc6 6 Bg3 h5!:
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This already looks quite scary and yet the calm 7 Nd2! would still favour White, unlike 7 Nf3?, which led to an Argentinian IM suffering a rapid reverse in Barrionuevo, P - Graif, W.
The Trompowsky: 2...Ne4 3 Bh4 d5 4 f3 Nf6 5 Nc3 c5 [A45]
Returning to 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 Ne4, I’ve taken a quick look at 3 f4? to keep Matthew Sadler happy, while focussing somewhat more on 3 Bh4 d5 4 f3 Nf6 5 Nc3 c5!?, which is a fairly critical line, and if 6 e4! cxd4?! 7 Qxd4 Nc6 8 Bb5:
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White should be able to turn this useful lead in development into something permanent, but he picked the wrong path ahead of running into a brutal shot on move 15 in Hebden, M - Smirin, I.
The Trompowsky: 2...c5 3 Bxf6 gxf6 4 d5 d6 [A45]
Somewhat better news for Trompowsky aficionados occurs after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 c5 3 Bxf6 gxf6 4 d5 when we’ll look at developments after both Black’s main move, 4...Qb6, as recently played by Anish Giri, and 4...d6 5 c4 Bg7 6 Nc3 f5 7 Qc2:
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Here 7...e5! remains critical, whereas the 7...0-0 8 e3 e5!? of Martinovic, S - Dalaud, D, may allow White an edge so long as he’s precise here with 9 Nge2!.
The Torre Attack: 2...g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2 0-0 5 e4 [A48]
There’s been a reason why after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2 0-0 White has long settled for the restrained 5 c3. The problem with the obvious 5 e4 is 5...d5, and if 6 e5?! Ne4. This still seems to be at least equal for Black, who will be quick to undermine the centre with ...c5, not least in the case of 7 Bf4 c5:
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White tried the radical 8 Bd3!? in Rushbrooke, R - Hebden, M, but this time the popular veteran English Grandmaster produced a power-packed masterclass for Black.
An Anti-King’s Indian: 2...g6 3 Nbd2 d5 4 b3 [A49]
I’ve noticed that a number of grandmasters continue to dabble in 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Nbd2!?, which is a reasonable approach if you’re happy with a manoeuvring, fairly solid struggle. After 3...d5 White has a few options, including 4 b3 Bg7 5 Bb2 0-0 6 e3:
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Here 6...Nbd7 followed by ...c5 is one decent approach for Black, 6...b6 7 Be2 Bb7 8 0-0 Nbd7 another one, as we’ll see in Svane, R - Mamedov, R.
The London: 2...Nf6 3 e3 Bf5 4 Bd3 [D00]
After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bf4 d5 3 e3 Bf5 it used to be thought that 4 c4 was necessary if White wanted to fight for an advantage, but recently a decent case has been made for the simple 4 Bd3 Bxd3 5 cxd3! e6 6 Qb3:
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With the freer development and control of e4, White certainly has chances to emerge from the opening with an edge, as occurred in Wei Yi - Patrelakis, E.
The London: 2...Nf6 3 e3 e6 4 Nf3 Bd6 5 Ne5 [D02]
The line 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Bf4 e6 4 e3 Bd6 5 Ne5 remains fairly topical, especially then 5...0-0 6 Nd2 c5 7 c3 c4!? (7...Nc6 8 Bd3 Qc7 is a safer option for Black) 8 h4!? Qc7 9 h5!:
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Black has tried a few moves here, but White’s position looks the easier to play and in even the high-level encounter Eljanov, P - Adams, M, he was to be clearly better by move 17 before letting Black back into things, an opportunity which Adams seized with both hands.
Will we have more games from London and on the London to explore next month? Until then, Richard
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