Download PGN of February ’25 d-Pawn Specials games
The London: 2...c5 3 d5 Qb6 [A45]
Quite a critical response to 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bf4 is, of course, 2...c5 when 3 d5 counters in similarly critical fashion. Here 3...Qb6 is certainly principled, if a bit risky due to 4 Nc3!:
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White angles for 4...Qxb2 5 Bd2 Qb6 6 e4 with transposition to the dangerous Vaganian Gambit no less. Black can swerve that with 4...d6, but after 5 Qc1! seems to be worse, as confirmed by Suleymanli-Oro from Wijk, and there’s also 5 e4!?, as in Zlatin, A - Deutsch, E, where Black rejected 5...Nxe4! and went on to lose to White’s ambitious, board-wide play.
The London: 2...e6 3 e3 b6 4 Qf3 [A45]
One advantage of a 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bf4 move order is that after 2...e6 3 e3 White doesn’t have to follow up immediately with Nf3, especially in the event of 3...b6. Here I still really quite like 4 Qf3!? when play often runs 4...Nc6 5 Nc3 Bb7 6 0-0-0!:
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White’s set-up is certainly aggressive, but both e3-e4 and h2-h4 are imminent, and he was quickly a lot better in Melaa, S - Shubin, K.
The London: 2...e6 3 Nf3 h6 [A46]
An independent approach for Black after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Bf4 is 3...h6!?, intending a quick ...Nh5 to hunt down the London bishop. White can meet this with 4 h3, but then 4...d5 followed by ...Bd6 is slightly annoying. As such, 4 e3 Nh5 5 Bg3 d6 6 Bd3 Nd7 7 c3 was seen in Le Tuan Minh - Nepomniachtchi, I.
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The position resembles an important line of the Torre, except that Black hasn’t had to weaken his kingside with ...g5 and after 7...g6 Nepomniachtchi was very comfortable, before allowing White some play and then blundering.
The London: 2...e6 3 Nf3 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 c3 Be7 [A46]
After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Bf4 c5 4 e3 Nc6 5 c3 Be7 we again find Black menacing ...Nh5. You might expect 6 h3, but actually 6 h4!? is also possible:
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This certainly asks early questions and appears to be fully sound. It even led to a most brutal miniature in Duarte Fernandez, A - Moral Garcia, S.
The Barry Attack: 4...Bg7 5 Nb5 [D00]
The winner of Wijk aan Zee, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, twice wheeled out 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bf4 g6 3 Nc3 in his mini-match with Wei Yi at the Chessable Masters (now played with a 10-0 time control!). After 3...d5 4 e3 Bg7 Praggnanandhaa initially went 5 h4, but a well-prepared Wei Yi quickly secured decent counterplay after 5...h5 6 Nf3 0-0 7 Ne5 c5. As such, for his second game as White Praggnanandhaa preferred 5 Nb5!? Na6 6 Nf3, transposing back into Barry Attack waters (1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Bf4 Bg7 5 Nb5 Na6 6 e3 reaches the same position):
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After 6...0-0 White usually goes 7 h3 and I’m not totally sold on the 7 Be2 of Praggnanandhaa, R - Wei Yi, not so much due to the game’s 7...Ne4, but rather 7...Nh5!.
The London: 2...c5 3 Nc3 [D00]
We finish by returning to a sharp sideline which hasn’t been seen on here for a good decade, 1 d4 d5 2 Bf4 c5 3 Nc3!?:
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Eric even dabbled in it as White and Eric Rosen has made hay with the line of late. In Rosen, E - Annaberdiev, M, we examine Black’s alternatives to his main move which is 3...Nc6. That and then 4 e4!? is the subject of Rosen, E - Shankland, S, where the following position arose after 4...cxd4 5 exd5 dxc3 6 dxc6 Qxd1+ 7 Rxd1 bxc6 8 Bc7 Bb7 (by no means forced and I’ve also explored the alternatives) 9 h4!? Rc8?! 10 Ba5!
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Can you spot why 10...cxb2?? loses?
Will we see more such wicked traps next month?
Until then, Richard
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