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A few weeks ago, I realized that ChessPublishing.com had nothing on the so-called Harry Attack, with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.h4. At first sight this looks like a kind of joke, can it possibly be any good? As I investigated it, I realized it was a serious move that produced new and little explored positions.
In reply it makes sense for Black to counterattack with 3...c5 4.d5, and then either break in the centre with a timely ...e7-e6 or play in Benko Gambit style with 4...b5. Although the Benko itself has gone under a cloud, here White has played the questionable h2-h4. Let's deal with these two plans in turn.

Download PGN of February ’25 KID games

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Old Benoni Style 3.h4 c5 4.d5 d6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.e4 e6 [E60]

Mihail Marin is known for his excellent and deep opening ideas, so I was immediately drawn to the game Ashwath, R - Marin, M. After 7.Be2 exd5 8.exd5 Marin played the flexible 8...Nbd7:

and after 9.h5 went for the forcing line 9...Nxh5 10.Bxh5 Bxc3+. Black had a rather dubious position within a few moves, instead, just 10...gxh5 might have been preferable.

White is not forced to play the immediate 9.h5 and in Maghsoodloo, P - Abdusattorov, N he went 9.Bf4 instead:

This was probably about equal after 9...Ne5, but White ended up winning in the chaos that followed.

Another possibility for Black is 8...h5, ruling out White's h4-h5 once and for all:

But this gives White the g5 square, and White would have been better in Basso, P - Omorjan, D had he played 11.Bf4.

In Rapport, R - Grandelius, N, Black played 8...0-0, instead, which seems to make perfect sense:

What surprised me about this game was the realization that White can also adopt a cramping strategy by pushing his h-pawn on to h6.

This strategy was used in Basso, P - Bettalli, F, the game going 8...Qe7 9.Kf1 0-0 10.h5 Nbd7 11.h6!:

The problem for Black is that when a White bishop arrives on g5, Black will struggle to kick it away.


Benko Style 3.h4 c5 4.d5 b5 [E60]

Having found the Old Benoni treatment unappealing, I looked at the Benko style 4...b5. Wesley So played a high level game in this against Javkkhir Sindarov (So, W - Sindarov, J), revealing in his notes that 6.e3 is an important finesse:

Instead of Sindarov's 6...axb5, Black should probably play 6...Bg7 as in Dardha, D - Givon, A. This was rather murky throughout and may well represent Black's best way of meeting the Harry.

Finally, I've included a game with 5.h5:

as this may be the kind of thing White will play at club level. In Brazdzionis, A - Malisauskas, V Black did well with his 8...h5, though White should find a better move than 9.f3.


See you next month! Nigel

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Don't hesitate to share your thoughts and suggestions. Any queries or comments to the KID Forum, or to me directly at support@chesspublishing.com (subscribers only) would be welcome.