Download PGN of July ’22 d-Pawn Specials games
The Trompowsky: 2...Ne4 3 Bf4 d5 4 e3 [A45]
There are developments after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 Ne4 3 Bf4 d5 4 e3 to discuss, not least the modern trend for answering 4...c5 with 5 Nd2!? and not 5 Bd3. All is revealed in the notes to Petrov, N - Stoyanov, T, where Black actually preferred 4...Bf5 5 f3 Nd6!?:
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White now made a decent case for 6 g4!? Bg6 7 h4, but the critical test remains 6 Nc3 e6 7 Qe2! from what I can see.
The Trompowsky: 2...e6 3 e4 h6 4 Bxf6 Qxf6 5 c3 d6 [A45]
Meeting 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 with 2...e6 3 e4 h6 4 Bxf6 Qxf6 5 c3 d6 6 Bd3 Nd7 very much still has its adherents, understandably so. However, after 7 Ne2 going 7...g5?! surely asks too much:
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White simply threatened f2-f4 with 8 0-0 in Wells, P - Rudd, J, where 8...e5 9 Na3 was already rather ugly for Black on account of that large gash on f5.
The Trompowsky: 2...c5 3 Bxf6 gxf6 4 dxc5 [A45]
After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 c5 3 Bxf6 gxf6 White usually goes 4 d5 when we’ll see that the gambit 4...Qb6 5 Nd2!? is still a decent enough shout. Our main coverage though is devoted to 4 dxc5!?, a speciality of the Serbian IM Vuk Djordjevic.
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This avoids theory and may well surprise your opponent, but objectively it does seem that Black is OK after 4...Na6, 4...e6 and even the 4...Qa5+ 5 Nc3 Qxc5 6 e4 h5!? of Dardha, D - Manukian, A.
The Torre Attack: 2...e6 3 Bg5 h6 4 Bh4 b6 [A46]
Dmitry Andreikin is the leading practitioner of 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Bg5, so attention should always be paid to his Torre games. He recently faced an opponent who held back on ...c5, with 3...h6 4 Bh4 b6 5 Nbd2 Bb7 6 e3 Be7 7 Bd3 d6 8 c3 Nbd7 (Eric understandably enough thought that 8...c5 was much more critical).
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Here 9 e4!? was logical and new for us in Andreikin, D - Zhigalko, S, where Black maintained the rough balance with 9...Nh5!.
The London, Jobava-Prié Attack: 2...g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 e3 Bg7 5 Be2 0-0 6 h4 h5 [A45]
Via a Jobava-Prié move order, 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bf4 g6 4 e3 Bg7 reached a fairly common position for this column, but here 5 Be2!? was slightly unusual in Tica, S - Oparin, G. However, after 5...0-0 6 h4 h5 7 Nf3 play had just transposed to a standard situation:
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As shown by the world champion no less, Black must now go 7...c5!, whereas 7...Bg4?! 8 Ne5 Bxe2 9 Qxe2 quickly left the strong Russian GM in trouble.
The Jobava-Prié Attack: 3...e6 4 Nb5 Na6 5 e3 c6 [D00]
As we’ll see in the notes to Korpa, B - Aczel, G, 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bf4 seemingly continues to catch out a number of opponents. The game itself does though see one of the main lines, 3...e6 4 Nb5 Na6 5 e3 c6 6 Nc3 Nb8:
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Here 7 g4!? was an aggressive recent idea and the game itself is a cracker, White sacrificing the exchange for superb positional compensation before mistreating his king position and having to bail out.
Jobava-Prié Attack: 3...a6 4 e3 e6 [D00]
Talking of early aggressive pawn advances and long-term compensation... After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bf4 a6 4 e3 e6 we’ve previously considered 5 g4!?, as well as simple development with 5 Bd3, but what other pawn might White push on move 5?
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Did you come up with 5 h4? Full marks for creativity and deep understanding if so! This enterprising novelty was essayed in Komodo Dragon - The Baron, where Black was comprehensively outplayed as White sacrificed a pawn then the exchange for near-decisive long-term compensation.
Will we have any more Jobava-Prié brilliancies to consider next month?
Until then, Richard
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