Download PGN of May '14 d-Pawn Specials games
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The Trompowsky 2...g6 3 Bxf6 [A45]
If Black has to win, he generally counters 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 with 2...c5 or 2...Ne4 3 Bf4 c5, but in Andreikin - Aronian he preferred 2...g6 3 Bxf6 exf6 and then the extremely rare 4 c4 Bb4+:
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It's hard to believe, though, that this is anything for the Trompowsky aficionado to burn the midnight oil worrying over. After 5 Nd2 Andreikin soon emerged with a pleasant edge and later won an instructive encounter.
Tromp 2...Ne4 3 Bf4 d5 4 f3 Nf6 [A45]
I haven't covered the Jobava-Prié Attack this month, but 2...Ne4 3 Bf4 d5 4 f3 Nf6 5 Nc3 Bf5 did catch my eye:
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After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bf4 Bf5 4 f3 it would be Black's move, whereas in the Trompowsky version it's White's. That extra tempo gives him a small pull and soon somewhat more after a dubious gambit from Black in Miladinovic - Cabarkapa.
The Torre Attack ...e6, ...d5 & ...c5 [D03]
It always feels natural to move from the Trompowsky to 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Bg5. After 3...c5 4 e3 d5 5 c3 Nc6 6 Bd3 Be7 7 Nbd2 it's high time we considered 7...Qc7:
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This is quite rare, but fighting for the key e5-square and to push through ...e5 must be quite critical. However, White is for choice after 8 0-0 0-0 9 Rc1!, as we'll see in Levin - Usmanov.
The Colle mainline - reversed Meran 9 b4 [D05]
We begin our long-awaited coverage with a look at an important reversed Semi-Slav line, namely 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 e3 e6 4 Bd3 c5 5 c3 Nc6 6 Nbd2 Bd6 7 0-0 0-0 8 dxc5 Bxc5. In recent years 9 e4 Qc7 10 Qe2 h6 has become something of a problem for White, so 9 b4!? continues to attract adherents, reaching something of a tabiya after 9...Bd6 10 Bb2 e5 11 e4:
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We take a look in Godart - Ringoir, where Black isn't quite able to equalise with 11...Bg4.
The Colle-Zukertort mainline [D05]
Another important line is, of course, 5 b3 Nc6 6 Bb2 and a couple of Colle-Zukertort lines have caught my eye, as we'll see in Justo - Cornette. White's opening may be system-based, but he should watch his move order.
The Colle 3...c5 [D04]
With the standard Colle move order (as above), 3...c5 is quite a critical test:
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Here I've played 4 dxc5 and Lakdawala quite likes 4 c3, partly hoping for 4...Nc6 5 dxc5, whereas 4 Nbd2 cxd4 5 exd4 Nc6 is rather unimpressive for the first player. Indeed, Black goes on to win with a model minority attack in Andersen - Aagaard.
The Colle ...g6 & ...c5 [A48]
Finally, I've forced myself to return to a move I can never fully fathom, namely 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 c5 3 e3. After 3...g6 the critical test is 4 dxc5! when 4...Bg7 5 c3 a5 6 Na3!? was a recent novelty:
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The move makes a lot of sense, although Black still emerges from the opening with full compensation in Richter - Tregubov, going on to win after various adventures in a rather original middlegame.
Will there be more Colles next month? Until then, Richard
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