Author: Ferdinand S. Mosca
Date: 07:06:25 08/07/01
Go up one level in this thread
On August 06, 2001 at 13:05:36, Miguel A. Ballicora wrote: >On August 06, 2001 at 04:40:09, Ferdinand S. Mosca wrote: > >>On August 05, 2001 at 20:45:07, Stephen A. Boak wrote: >> >>>[D]r3kb1r/pp1bnppp/1qn1p3/3pP3/3p2Q1/3B1N2/PPP2PPP/RNB1R1K1 w kq - 0 1 >>> >>>In an OTB game yesterday, in a very interesting non-book position (see FEN >>>diagram) arising a couple moves after the novelty 6...Qb6!? (the known Qc7 is >>>likely better) in the French Advance Var, Black played 8...Bd7 and missed an >>>opportunity for Nb4!, winning the Bishop pair and removing the important >>>kingside attacker that covers h7-g6-f4. >>> >>>I had thought of the Nb4 idea, but discarded it in favor of Bd7, wanting to >>>continue with development (Rc8 when possible, etc). White replied 9. a3, >>>permanently preventing Nb4. >>> >>>Here's the early game score including the diagrammed position and a few >>>following moves: >>> >>>1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4 cxd4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bd3 Qb6 7.0–0 Nge7 8.Re1 Bd7 9.a3 >>>a5 10.Nbd2 Ng6 11.h4 Qc7 12.Qg3 Line >>> >>>This was my inaugural French Defense (I like to change my openings every now and >>>then, for variety and to learn something new), so I don't have much experience >>>or understanding of normal French lines. I'm getting that now, heh heh, from >>>the game lesson and post mortem analysis. >> >>Hello Stephen, >> >>I prefer Nb4 simply because the light Bishop of white has always been a factor >>on white's kingside attack, more when black castles there. >> >>The terrain will tell that black has difficulties developing his kingside pieces >>because of that strong e5-pawn. By the time you enter the middle game black will >>try to eliminate that thorny e5-pawn by the move f6 from black. >>Generally one should castle first before moving f6. But after the move f6, the >>Bishop at d3 will become too powerful, so the best plan is to eliminate the >>Bishop at d3 at all cost, go for it if you have the opportunity. If there is a3 >>by white as in the game then try to reconsider transfering your Bishop at d7 to >>a6-square. >> >>Nine years in French Defense, >>Dinan > >This is all true but I want to add something. There is another point here. The >knight in c6 is also a good piece because attacks the key of the position, which >is e5. Black is cramped it has to free some space, look at the knights crossing its other's squares. Attacking the e5-pawn by pieces is not enough here. A knight on g6 will not stay long it will be driven away by h4-h5, h6 or h5 by black is a disaster its squares around the kingside will become weak. >Getting rid of Bd3 is _GOOD_ but it has to be balanced with the fact the >you lose an attacker of e5. The point is that I do not like Qb6 at all because >it defend a pawn (d4) that you really wish that white takes it, and Qb6 does not >attack e5. Qc7 is much better in this respect. What I usually see here is, Qc7 allows white to play Bf4, actually the main idea of white's play here is to overprotect the e5-pawn, white is not even concern on regaining the pawn at d4. At least by Qb6 white has to protect temporarily the b2-pawn. There are typical variations I have encountered where white sacrifices readily the b2 pawn in exchange for rapid development. >In the Qc7 context maybe you do >not want to play Nb4 and you want to accelerate f6 as much as you can. I agree. Regards, Dinan >But, >after you played Qb6 maybe Nb4 is better since you already have other >intentions. >French is very tricky and very unbalanced... >Never trust what a computer tells you in this kind of position, they often are >clueless because there are a lot of long term plans here. They might give you a >good move, but many times not the best move. Compare similar positions played by >GMs, try the computers following the lines of those GMs to see if they >change their mind, gather all information and make your own conclusion. >You will be a stronger player next game! > >Regards, >Miguel
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