Chess forum by Grandmasters

Anti-Sicilian Part II Question - . e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. 0-0 e6 (Be7 Bf6 plan)

Hello, 

I was playing my IM friend today and he played the plan of Be7-Bf6 before developing the g8 Knight to e7.

 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 a6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. O-O e6 7. Re1 d6 8. b3 Be7 9. Bb2 Bf6

According to the theory Avetik gives https://chessmood.com/course/sicilian-defence-part-2/episode/342 I am supposed to play b3 before Re1 as I did in the game but I didn't see this plan mentioned elsewhere in the forum or the course so mentioning here. Even though my move order wasn't totally precise, I don't think that would change the outcome of the way Black played with d6 e6 Be7 Bf6. Please correct me if I am wrong :) 

Do you have any suggestions on how I can handle the position better?  Pasted game below. Having an issue pasting the screenshot sorry. 

FEN: 6k1/4b2p/p1r1p1p1/1pp1Pp2/5P2/PPPrNR2/4n2P/1R2B2K w - - 0 41

PGN: 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 a6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. O-O e6 7. Re1 d6 8. b3 Be7 9. Bb2 Bf6 10. Rb1 Nge7 11. Bf1 O-O 12. a3 b5 13. Qc1 Bb7 14. Nd1 Ng6 15. g3 Nd4 16. Bg2 Rc8 17. d3 Qb6 18. Ne3 Ne5 19. Nxe5 dxe5 20. Ng4 Qd8 21. Qd1 Rc7 22. Bc3 Rd7 23. Rf1 Qe7 24. Qd2 Bg5 25. f4 exf4 26. gxf4 Bh4 27. Ne5 Rdd8 28. Kh1 Qd6 29. Rg1 Be7 30. Qf2 f6 31. Ng4 f5 32. e5 Qd7 33. Ne3 Bxg2+ 34. Qxg2 g6 35. Ba5 Rc8 36. Be1 Qc6 37. Qxc6 Rxc6 38. Rg3 Rd8 39. c3 Ne2 40. Rf3 Rxd3

Replies

I believe that in this exact move order, general principles should apply, when they play Be7 and Nf6, we play e5. Here playing Be7 and then Bf6 should be similar, I would go for e5 on move 10. Not playing e5 allows Black to develop freely and Nge7 makes Black's position whole. That said, I will ask our GMs to take a look at it. But I like the line: 10. e5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. Rxe5 dxe5 13. Qh5 Ne7 14. Qxe5

Hello Vishnu,

I checked the line offered by @Chessmood_Odysseus and I really like that a lot. That exchange sacrifice seems to be very attractive and I can see good chances for white's advantage.

This plan by Black of getting the dark-squared Bishop to the long diagonal is quite challenging to our setup. Pentala Harikrishna presents a similar approach in his chessable repertoire, and I was unable to crack it. I will start a separate thread to discuss the Harikrishna line, although I think I may have already posed the question here inside another thread where it probably got buried and forgotten. 

Book Recommendation for studies

Anyone plz recommend a book on studies (or composition) ? i want to improve calculation

Replies

As for knowledge Jacob Aagaard's books - "Excelling at Chess Calculation" and "Grandmaster Preparation: Calculation" are probably best.

In case you just starting with chess (let's say if your FIDE rating is bellow 1800/2000), and above material maybe somewhat difficult to you, then maybe something simpler would help, on following book: "Chess Calculation Training For Kids And Club Players" by Romain Edouard

Hi,

I found this one very interesting:

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2020/10/13/episode-198-im-cyrus-lakdawala-returns

Rewire your chess brain by Cyrus Lakdawala.

And a quite old one that I bought many years ago (in German) - but still very good - is this

Karpov/Gik: KARPOV'S ENDGAME ARSENAL (I guess that this is the English edition of "Schach Studien - Schachstudien der Weltmeister").

Check out Yusupov series, 9 books in total, helped me improve calculation and strategy

As usual the question comes down to:

What is your rating?
Are your tactics good already?
Which part of calculation do you have problems with (e.g. visualisation, ideas, organising thoughts, knowing when to cut off and when to continue, diagnostic thinking vs checking...)?

If you're below 1700 (and it's fun if you're higher rated) and your tactics need a refresh, then take a look at the tactics ninja course (1 section a day).

Also this is a series on youtube about calculation from an IM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzzyR_YIZz0

My Year In Review

The year 2021 is hours away from ending. For some of us it has been a good year, and others may want to forget it. Whichever group you fall in, it is still a great idea to look back through the year for the lessons you can take into 2022!

My year started with the idea I can only control my own actions, since the year before was difficult for hitting my numerous number goals. ( You can read last years review here https://chessmood.com/forum/main-channel/review-your-year-like-you-review-your-games ). I had decided to restart all the ChessMood videos over as if I was brand new. It was an ambitious goal and started out great! Then my mindset shifted and I changed course (more on that shortly). Needless to say, I didn't re-watch all the courses again, though I did review all my opening files regularly.

I had found in 2020 that I get distracted very easily, so in January, I disabled all of my social media. No more Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media on my phone. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have recovered many hours a week that was just spent scrolling through things that didn't pertain to my goals, and now have been able to use that time on chess. 

I have also continued my health journey and have been able to maintain a healthy weight, and added 5 miles of walking to my routine every day. It is amazing how much clearer the mind is when the body is healthy, and I am now a firm believer in this as I have been able to personally witness my own change!

The year hasn't been all rainbows and unicorns though. My schedule changed during the early part of the year that has made it impossible to catch any ChessMood events live. I really miss interacting with the ChessMood family in real time. I also had a major family tragedy while I was away at the US Open in August, which forced me to withdraw and fly home immediately, and left me mentally  stressed for many weeks afterward. We all have had tragedy hit, as it is part of life, and I wont dwell on details here, just know we are well, and have moved on as we should.

Now that the heavy stuff is behind us, lets get back to chess! It has been both a great year for my game, and a poor year for my rating. How is this possible you ask? Well, let me explain!

In the early part of the year, I was struggling with time zones and schedules, and found it very difficult to meet with my coach (online) on a regular basis, and therefor didn't feel like it would be good for my game to continue trying to try to force myself to jam in a lesson somewhere in the cracks. Instead, I started looking for a coach that could meet on my schedule, who wouldn't want me to change all of my openings (I am quite comfortable with ChessMood openings and wasn't giving them up! haha), who would also genuinely want my success,  and believed in my ability to achieve my lofty goals. I was lucky that I already knew someone that fit all of this criteria, I just had to see if he had time to work with me! In late march, I contacted my friend, GM Rogelio Barcenilla Jr, and he agreed to start working with me starting in April!

GM Barcenilla immediately started giving me home work to fix the biggest holes in my game. (this is why I changed my mindset on my activities for the year, as openings were not my problem, they were actually already a strength! So I didn't need to review all of the videos again.) I have taken copious notes every time I get to sit and work with GM Barcenilla (once a week) and now have stacks of notes that I review regularly. The formula we are using is tried and true: Play tournament games against strong opponents, review these games together to identify areas of opportunity, and use study time between tournaments to address those areas. 

So this has been very good for my chess! I have learned so much more about chess, and new ways of thinking about the game, that it has formulated the way I am looking at next years goals!

But before I get to those goals, I need to answer your great question! I didn't forget that you wanted to know how my game can be improving but my rating isn't! (this isn't completely true, my online rating raised by about 200 points, but I am talking about OTB rating.) The answer to this is actually simple: I have only been playing open sections, where I am always one of the lowest rated there. My opponents average rating has been almost 400 ELO points higher then mine (I am about 1700 FIDE as I write this, but will go up slightly since I played well in Vegas and the results haven't posted yet), and a few of my opponents have been 700+ ELO more then me! These players are very good and have been hard to beat, so my rating hasn't moved much, but the experience has been priceless! So the bottom line is I am not frustrated with my rating not going up, as I know it is only a matter of time.

As I was going through my notes from the times I have spent with GM Barcenilla, I saw certain words repeated over and over. I realized that these words were actually key concepts to chess mastery and are the areas that need the most study. The other thing I realized from this review, is it takes improvement in ALL of these concepts before your game levels up, because it only takes one of them to continue to hold you back!

Here are the 5 concepts I will be working on this coming year, and you should know that these concepts apply to every stage of the game - opening, middlegame, as well as the endgame - and in this order.

I will be practicing applying these concepts to every game and every position I can.

1. Patterns - The entire game is centered around our ability to recognize patterns, and they are infinite. We must learn to recognize as many of them as we can. Checkmates, tactics, pawn breaks, and on and on and on. I will be working on mastering as many patterns as I can.

2. Principles - We all know the principles. We spout them off offhandedly all the time: Rooks on open files, knights before bishops, king safety, passed pawns must be pushed, etc. We must get better at recognizing which principle applies to the patterns we found in the current position. I will work on learning to apply principled moves in the games I play and the positions I study.

3. Pressure/Prophylaxis - These concepts are married. You must look at them together, as trying to separate them will make you forget either your plan or your opponents, and doing that will spell disaster! You must ask yourself after EVERY move, what is my opponent doing? Once you know their idea, then you can look for a move that recognizes the patterns in the position, is principled, and applies pressure to your opponent so he forgets his own ideas! Sounds easy, right? Of course not! Chess is hard! But we can do this, and we see it from the great masters all of the time! I will be working on applying pressure on every move!

4. Calculation - Lets be honest here. The best calculators become stronger players faster. The ability to calculate further then your opponent can win you many games. If we have recognized the patterns, and found a principled move that applies pressure but don't calculate it properly, then it could just as possibly be a bad move. What looks good 3 moves deep can actually be a blunder on the 4th move, and if we don't calculate it, it could be bad news for us! I will work on calculation by always trying to see just one move further. If I am seeing 3 moves clearly, I will work to see the 4th. If I am seeing 4 moves, I will work to see the 5th. 

5. Evaluation - Here is where the true champions are made. Most of us have become pretty good at looking at a position on the board and seeing that white is better, or black is better, or it is about equal, even with out the computer telling us. The hard part is evaluating the positions you have calculated 7 moves deep. If you are not evaluating positions at the end of your calculation as diligently as the position that is currently on the board, then you might as well not calculate at all. Those that can develop this skill the best are those that lose very few games, as they very seldom find themselves in lost positions. I will work on evaluating every position I calculate going forward, and hone this skill to the best of my ability!

Thank you to all of you who take the time to read through my ramblings! A wise man once told me you should share your goals with the world, as you will hold yourself more accountable. It is my sincere hope this helps others as much as it helps me!

Here is to another year together with all my ChessMood brothers and sisters!

GM Jay

Replies

Great post. Enjoyed it. Can relate to the part about calculation. I learnt (after a loss) I had to be concrete here, just because something 'looks' bad (e.g. enemy rook is lined up against my uncastled king) doesn't necessarily mean it is.

Hi Jay

Great to hear from you & that you are working well to overcome life & chess challenges! Best wishes to you for a happy New Year 2022. I wonder if we could collaborate a bit on chess improving this year?

We do have slightly different goals (if you do not know or remember, I am all-well mainly- about 5 minute blitz play, but I did jointly win the u1600 OTB tourney at my local chess club last October) but the same aim, to improve at chess. I had resigned myself to improving on my own due to previous attempts at collaborations with others at chess ending in failure & seriously, you were the main inspiration for me keeping my membership going here! Now you know ;-)

I have hesitated to ask you this before, but it feels like it is now or never, so, I would be honoured to work together & prove this buddy-buddy thing can work as described by our mentors here. Still, I perfectly understand if you do not want to try such a thing with me, but I sincerely hope you do & we can sort something out, so please let's discuss this soon to start this year.

Would Skype be a good way to contact (Messsenger or other) or whatever we could use? I am getting ahead, but look forward to your reply & will be happy whatever you like, so no pressure!

Again, many best wishes, Richard

When a 1550 player defeats a WIM

First defeat a player with 2421 rating, now a WIM! I'm a master capybara! rs
All thanks to GM Avetic and his insane attack lessons!
Opponents see my rating and ignore that my stinger is deadly!
https://lichess.org/rHYj1yxt8MbB 

Replies

Very Good Game

Yes, i am aware that i was lucky in this victory. I will follow your guidance!
Winnig is fun, but no ilusions!

NEW WAY TO WIN MOODCOINS

As I watched sections in many courses, I have a suggestion that I believe ChessMood administration takes into consideration as per the following:

1) The Test section in all courses shall be in such a way to enable the "student" to submit answers and win points.

2) Each quiz in the test shall have timing, let's say 1min or 30seconds, etc... in order to help the person taking the quiz to enhance and quicken his thinking.

3) After completing the test, the "student" shall receive a score; accordingly, this score shall be converted into Moodcoins.

Hence, this will make the courses more interesting and challenging and force the "students" to get encouraged to watch more courses.

The video of the solution of the quiz section shall be available to the "student" after he finishes the quiz.

What do you think?

Replies

Pretty Interesting Idea 

DAILY PUZZLE OF JANUARY 1, 2022

Dears;

I have tried to solve the daily puzzle of January 1, 2022 and the correct way to solve it is to promote the f-pawn to Knight. However, the system is giving "error - try again" when I promote the f-pawn to Bishop while I cannot see any error.

In both cases, the ending with a Knight and Bishop or double bishop will be won for the white; hence the system shall not give "error - try again" when the f-pawn is promoted to a bishop.

Do you second me?

Replies

If you had a light-squared B  a n d  a dark-squared B, then the ending would be won, but please look at the puzzle again and you will se why only promoting into a N is correct ... ;-)

Important missing line in 4...Bc5, 8...Nd4 Scotch

I just faced this line in an online game and would appreciate if it was covered.

Replies

https://chessmood.com/course/scotch-game/episode/1983

Scotch game question!!

sir i have a question about the scotch game...i find hard to react in 6th move Qf6 move..in section 2 of scoth game...1. e4-e5 2. Nf3-Nc6 3. d4-exd4 4. Nxd4-Bc5 5.Nb3-Bb6 6.Nc3-Qf6....

Replies

Hi Jay

I think Qe2 and then we just transpose into the other lines after d6 or Nge7... we also have Nd5 options,  along with h4, Bg5 ideas.

Hope this helps

Hello Jay, according to my analysis, Mik is right, but the whole line goes like this: 7. Qe2 Nge7   8. h4 h6  9. Be3 d6 10. 0-0-0 Bd7  11. g3 0-0-0  12. Bxb6 axb6  maintaining a slight +0,2 advantage and switching to the queenside. Hope this helps!

I just play Qe2, Be3 and long castle reaching normal positions. Remember that when the knight goes to e7 we use to play f4.

Na5 .v. Bb5 ? Sicilian

Hi -- Sure I saw some comments on this in another thread but cannot find it.  Just played a game where my opponent played this move. Hence  e4 c5: Nc3 Nc6 : Bb5 Na5 . Ideas ? 

Replies

Just be ready to enter a favorable Open Sicilian effectively a tempo up.

Also, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and the entire ChessMood family a happy and prosperous new year!! :-D

Few ways to Improve in chess.

I'm stuck in 1800 lichess rating. What should I do?

Replies

Work hard. No magic pill sorry 

I would recommend to read Chess Strategy for Club Players by Herman Grooten. I'm sure you will jump to 2000 after this read :-)

If you are a PRO Member, you should watch all the Commented Classical Games etc. If not, you should watch the videos available on the Chessmood's Youtube Channel.

There are also lots of interesting articles in the Blog section of the site, you should read some of them and apply the tips, make your daily chess routine etc.

Good luck & Happy holidays :-)

Below 2000 on lichess games are lost due to tactical ability.

https://chessmood.com/blog/which-chess-openings-books-courses-to-learn

GM Harikrishna's Antidote to our Anti-Sicilian Setup

The title of the thread says it all and I was unable to find any real White advantage after Harikrishna's idea of 9...g6!?, which I think is a novelty. Hopefully, the ChessMood team will be able to do better than I did:

Replies

How about 7.Nd5!? idea (instead of 7.b3) which was analysed in Gawain Jones book "Coffeehouse chess 2021"? Does Harikrishna mention it?

I played OTB classical game with 7.Nd5 this summer vs IM and got good position as white

After 9...g6 10.Nd5! 10...Bg7 11.Nf6 Bf6 12.e5 gives white easier game. 
I went deeper, but we didn't create this repertoire showing how to get advantage for White by playing 1.e4 :) :) 
If anyone could do so, would get a noble prize :) 
Our repertoire is super practical. Please don't forget it. 
Merry Christmas :) 

When a 1500 uses a Mortal Gambit!

https://lichess.org/sek7TZGP

é assim que eu trato caras com somente 2409 de rating!???? is how I treat guys with only 2409 rating!????
I ended my opponent's dream of becoming a GM! Thanks GM Avetik!

Replies

Nice one, it does not happen often that you can defeat a 2400 with such rating difference. Well done Irair!

excuse me

i am not a pro member but still i can see pro member forums

Replies

Thanks @Lebuta_Dampty for the info, but can I ask if you can see the contents of the posts? Because a normal user can see the titles of the posts but not the contents. Thanks in advance!

Looking for Training Partner

Good day! Hi, guys.I am Yong Zhun from Malaysia and my lichess blitz rating is 2334,rapid is 2266.     

I would like to find a traning partner. Pls help me thanks!

Replies

i am interested

Hello, my name is Jean-Pierre Singher.

If you are looking for a training partner, I might be available. I am from Canada eastern time zone.

My rating is close to 2100 in tournament games with 1 hour and 30 minutes + 30 seconds.

Let me know if ok for you.

I am interested as well. My blitz is well over 2200 and my rapid is 2300 on lichess. I am from US Central Time Zone.

Let me know if you are interested.

By the way, you can also post at what time can you train and time zone, what kind of training would you like to do in order to find someone, your age, availability, etc... The more detailed the information provided, the easier will be to find someone....

Hello guys, I am yongzhun and 15 years old from Malaysia and my time zone is GMT+8. I can train with you anytime if u re free. I will use zoom as our platform.And our training consist studies opening, middlegame and endgame together. Hope can find a suitable partner for me. Thanks!

Question about Daily Lesson with a GM 351

https://youtu.be/lHUnNYvvJEw

At 6:08, i.e. https://imgur.com/a/PFUrFfp, instead of the given 1...Kxg2, why not 1...Kf4 2.Kd5 (2.Bc2 Kg3) 2...Ba7 etc.? Black aims to swap g4 for e4, getting a passed pawn of their own, and White can't protect both pawns with the Bishop. 

I thought this also draws. Can someone tell me what am I missing?

Replies

You could enter the position on the lichess analysis board and click the book icon. This opens the tablebases. You can also turn on the engine and explore your idea to understand why it doesn't work.

This position as GM Hovhannes shows is just lost for Black, no matter if you play Bxg2 or Kf4 as you suggest. The extra pawn on the a file is decisive. For example you mentioned a possible variation: In case of 1...Kf4 White will play 2.Kd5 you said 2...Ba7 but this a big blunder due to Bxg4 and after Black takes the Bishop, Kxe5 will be impossible for White. Black can never get a passed pawn on their own if White plays correctly.

Is it a good idea to play more than one opening to improve?

Is it a good idea to play more than one opening to improve? This would expose oneself to different types of positions, different pawn structures, plans etc. (e.g. 1. ..c6 differs considerably from 1. c5).
Would this improve my middle games strength, or should I rather aim to stick with only one opening and become an expert in this one opening only, understanding the intricacies of this opening extremely well?

Replies

Hello :)

I've read some interesting posts about this subject a few weeks ago on another platform.

Here is the link: https://www.chessable.com/discussion/thread/507784/openings-span-classhighlightdepth-orspan-breadth-/

An interesting fact is that the interesting answers come from a strong player who is part of the Chessmood Family :D

Happy holidays!

imho. i myself like to change my opening after 50-60 rapid game, so i can get the "Feel" of some opening. and then focus to learn deeply to the opening that more "my style". So I  have a depth understanding for some opening  with Black or White, and some moderate knowledge to others opening.

Blocking tactic - 2 forms

The blocking tactic name is being reused for two different sorts of tactical operations.

The first is a block where a mobile unit, a pawn cannot advance because something is in the way and it captures a different way. There was a tactical book 'Alekhine's Block' which gave examples of of such tactics (whether Alekhine was the first remembered to play this, write about it, or the most famous who knows).

The second is preventing the escape of a piece, here the king (although encircling other pieces ought to be considered the same idea) which is a very different manoeuvre, and perhaps in warfare would be called pinning down (probably not a good name for chess because of the confusion), but I don't think blocking is good either. Encirclement or preventing escape is perhaps better.

Replies

Encirclement is being used at chess.com in the puzzles section, as well as in lichess.org. 

Scotch game continuation with c5 after Qd4 (knight exchange)

Hi All,

New member here, was just going through the scotch opening theory in detail and didn't find the continuation for the move c5 after Qd4 (exchange knight and queen occupy the centre). It appears a good move as its supported by bishop and the only continuations I could figure out are exchange queens after Qe5+ or move the Queen back to Qd1. Can someone please help me on this ?

Replies

Could you post the exact line? If its the one I think you mean, c5 is a awful move.

It chronically weakens d5 Square and leaves the d6 pawn on a half open file unsupported., why would your only options be to go Qe5+ or Qd1. Whats wrong with qd3, followed by be3, Nc3,0-0-0. Putting huge pressure on the d6 pawn and we just have much better version of the other passive lines. g4/h4/g5/h5 etc are all in our plans and we develop really quickly.

Scotch via 2.d4 / Danish ?!

1) Would it be a reasonable idea to try to play into the Scotch via 2.d4, exd4 3.Nf3, at least on a level under 2000 ELO?
An advantage would be to significally reduce the amount of opening theory one has to learn by avoiding openings like the Philidor, Petroff and the “abracadabra gambits”, the disadvantage that comes to mind is that Black cannot only reply with 3…Nc6 (transposing directly into Scotch), but Black could also play 3…Bb4+ or 3…Bc5 or 3…d6.

2) Or maybe only trying to play into the Scotch via 2.d4, exd4 3.Nf3,  i f  one knows that an opponent usually plays the Philidor, the Petroff or an “abracadabra gambit”?

3) Any suggestions on some lines and ideas against the above mentioned 3…Bb4+ or 3…Bc5 or 3…d6?

Replies

Thanks for your feedback, Akiba.
I think it would still be great to hear coach Avetik’s on this as the author of the “Scotch Opening” course, as the practical advantage of significally reducing the amount of opening theory one has to learn is clearly there, while still transposing into our loved Scotch opening most of the times. So valuable time could be freed up for spending even more wisely on e.g. middlegame courses.

Or what exactly would be the big disadvantage of having to deal with 3...Bc5 or 3...Bb4+ in my line given above that would negate this advantage ?
(3...d6 is no problem, as it directly transposes into a Philidor line)

Chessmood Odysseus, maybe you could ask coach Avetik for his thoughts?

The Trompowsky Coverage

I posted essentially the same below question sometime back on this forum but never received an answer, so I'm trying my luck once more. You can ignore the 2...g6 part of the below query if you wish, my question relates more specifically to the structure arising after b3 followed by c4.  :-)

Adapted from the chessable forum

Seasons Greetings Gawain,

I'm truly enjoying every minute of your fresh take on the 2...g6 Tromp, it seems like an extremely efficient way for KID and Grunfeld players alike to deal with this always annoying and popular White system.

I observed too that noted Tromp specialist himself Andreikin has also employed 2...g6 recently, which is a good theoretical sign. Be that as it may though, I was wondering how you propose we treat the structure when White prepares the c4 push with b3. Below are two illustrative examples of what White is trying to achieve, and this is the approach recommended by GM Antoaneta, Stefanova in her (Non-Chessable) Trompowsky course:

Georgiev,Ki (2680) - Horvath,Ad1 (2495) [D00]

22nd ECU Club Cup Feugen AUT (4), 11.10.2006

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 c6 5.g3 Bd6 6.Bg2 0-0 7.Ne2 Be6 8.0-0 Nd7 9.Qd3 f5 10.b3 Nf6 11.c4 Qd7 12.Nbc3 Rac8 13.c5 Bc7 14.b4 h5 15.h4 Rfe8 16.Nf4 Bxf4 17.exf4 Ne4 18.Ne2 b5 19.a4 a6 20.f3 Nf6 21.Ra3 Qb7 22.Qd2 Ra8 23.Rfa1 Reb8 24.Bf1 Ne8 25.Nc1 Nc7 26.Nd3 f6 27.Be2 Qc8 28.Nc1 Bd7 29.Bd3 Qf8 30.Ne2 Qe8 31.Kf2 g6 32.Nc3 Kg7 33.Nd1 Be6 34.Ne3 Qd7 35.Qc2 Rh8 36.axb5 axb5 37.Ra7 Rxa7 38.Rxa7 Ra8 39.Rxa8 Nxa8 40.g4 hxg4 41.fxg4 Qc7 42.Ng2 fxg4 43.Bxg6 Qa7 44.f5 Bf7 45.Qe2 Bxg6 46.Qxg4 Qa2+ 47.Kg3 1-0

Stefanova,Antoaneta (2478) - Peptan,Corina Isabela (2439) [D00]

EU-ch (Women) 5th Dresden (9), 30.03.2004

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 c6 5.g3 Bd6 6.Bg2 0-0 7.Ne2 f5 8.0-0 Nd7 9.b3 Nf6 10.c4 Be6 11.Qd3 a6 12.c5 Bc7 13.b4 b5 14.cxb6 Bd6 15.b7 Ra7 16.a3 Qb6 17.Nbc3 Rxb7 18.Rfc1 Rc8 19.Na4 Qa7 20.Nc5 Bxc5 21.Rxc5 Nd7 22.Rc3 Nb6 23.Rac1 Bd7 24.Qc2 Rbb8 25.Nf4 g6 26.Bf1 a5 27.Nd3 Nc4 28.Nc5 axb4 29.axb4 Rxb4 30.Bxc4 dxc4 31.Rxc4 Rxc4 32.Qxc4 Be8 33.Nd3 Kg7 34.Qc3 f6 35.d5 Bf7 36.dxc6 Bd5 37.Nb4 Bf3 38.Qd4 Qe7 39.h3 h5 40.Kh2 Rd8 41.Qc3 h4 42.c7 Rc8 43.Qc5 Qd7 44.gxh4 Qd2 45.Kg3 Bb7 46.Qe7+ Kh6 47.Qc5 Qd7 48.Qb6 Ba8 49.Qxf6 Qd2 50.Qg5+ Kg7 51.Qe7+ Kh6 52.Qc5 Qe2 53.Nd5 Qd3 54.Nb6 f4+ 55.Kh2 Qd2 56.Kg1 Re8 57.c8Q fxe3 58.Qg5+ 1-0

Any insights you can offer on how best to counter White's plan of gradual queenside expansion would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, Fantastic job on Part 2, and as expected it was certainly well worth the wait!

N.B. - I copied and pasted the above from the chessable forum rather than attempt to locate my original post here. Looking forward to a reply this time around.

Thanks in advance.

Replies

I don't have an answer of course, but I always enjoy your posts and I look forward to the GMs reply :) 

Hi @Kevin_D I will ask Avetik to be sure but in this variation we play h5 and we do not castle short, we delay castle, in the 2 games that you posted they all castled allowing b3, c4. In this case we start the attack sooner with h5, before the b3, c4 plan. Correct me if I am wrong but this is what I have in the Chessmood database of the course.

By the way, you posted your question regarding this 2 years ago, I found the thread, I was not here at the time to remind Avetik... (Last question of the post https://chessmood.com/forum/pro-members/thoughts-on-the-trompowsky)

Thanks Odysseus, I was thinking about the structure more in general terms but have come to the conclusion that if White plays this way it is best met by energetic play on the Kingside, still I would love to hear what the ChessMood team has to say about it. 

Happy holidays,

Kevin, D :-)