Interesting position from the newest Chessbase training on the French defense. Can you guess what the recommended move is in this position ? (black to move).
BTW, tournament #2 is dragging on quite a bit. I even won a game on time, which feels totally pointless in a correspondence gaem. Let's just change the time to the minimum of 1 day per move if we ever do that again.
Hm. I'm a poorer player than most, but I'll see what I can do with this position.
...f5?
Nope.
...f5
g4 g6
Ng5 and we have a problem. (and fxg4 Bxg4 doesn't yield much hope).
Bb4+ ends poorly against Bd2; it at least doesn't get anywhere, and likely leaves the white queen a little freer to cause mischief. I don't see any of the sacrifice lines against the d4 pawn coming out ahead.
Qa5+ does equally poorly (perhaps worse?) against Bd2: Bb4 surely follows.
Na5 is interesting, but slow. O-O removes any diagonal threats (although does make a line attacking d4 more promising?)
Nb4 threatens nothing.
a5 is equally slow, and b4 doesn't need protecting.
h6 is weak; it doesn't adequately prepare g5, and it's not like Ng5 is scary unless other things change.
I don't see any good moves.
g6 does nothing.
There may be a line that sets up 2-3 issues successively, but I don't have the skill to see them. Those knights are really frustrating (on both sides).
...Qb4+ perhaps? If the check is blocked with Bd2, ...Qxb2 wins that pawn. If blocked with Nd2, ...Nxd4 wins that pawn and threatens a fork at ...Nc2. White doesn't want to move his king and lose castling privilege. Qd2 blocking the check seems to be White's only decent response... is there any way for Black to punish that enough (somehow ...Bb4+ into a devastating royal pin?) to force White into one of the lines that loses a pawn or castling?
Square b4 certainly seems to be the key somehow. There's lots of attacks Black can launch from there and pretty much none anywhere else.
Looking at black's position, I see two problems - the d7 knight and c8 bishop are both doing nothing in this position. Additionally, we'd like to break up white's central pawn structure, while possibly opening a file for our f8 rook. So what about ...f6!? After Bxe6 Kh8 exf6 Nxf6 Bxc8 Raxc8 we've succeeded in solving all those problems at the cost of a pawn.
First of all, I am going to admit that I came not even close to finding the move because at first sight it looked rather crazy...
@Cyneheard:
Your strategical plan should be to attack the center.
@T-Hawk:
Qb4+ is a decent move which you could play wthout being much worse. White's best answer is probably Nc3. However, there is something more forcing available.
@GaiusMarius
Very good, f6 is correct. However I feel the critical line is Bxe6 Kh8 Bxd5, grabbing a second pawn. What did you have planned there?
@Novice
No, that's not it. What's you idea with the move Ndb8?
@Pindicator
That's the correct strategical idea, however preparing the break this way loses time which White can use to castle. Look for a more forceful approach.
(February 22nd, 2013, 14:44)Gustaran Wrote: BTW, tournament #2 is dragging on quite a bit. I even won a game on time, which feels totally pointless in a correspondence gaem. Let's just change the time to the minimum of 1 day per move if we ever do that again.
TBH I think some of these games could have been resigned earlier by the losing side due to being a rook+ down with no compensation.
If 3.Bxd5, then 3...fxe5. If:
- 4.fxe5? Then 4...Ncxe5! 5.dxe5 Nxe5. Although white ends a knight up, black's attack is surely worth at least that much.
- 4.dxe5? Similarly 4...Ndxe5 5.fxe5 Nxe5. We end in the same position.
- Any other move, then I'm not sure I see anything threatening
(black to move).
![[Image: 35mh3xu.jpg]](http://i50.tinypic.com/35mh3xu.jpg)
