BtM 29A: Opening study

July 1988, Position J

Black to play

Pekarek - Mozny, Prague 1987

Contributions to the comments box are welcome. I’ll reply with what the Masters have to say about their choice to anybody who suggests a move.

Scroll down to see some commentary from me and the Masters’ feedback.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Today, for all the Queen’s Gambit fans out there, we have an opening position. Actually, no. It’s for everyone.

I’m a big believer in playing through all kinds of master games. Different players, different eras and, yes, different openings. It’s a fundamental mistake to only look at games which begin with the openings you play.

Today’s position also gives a clue as to how to move beyond 'opening study' as mere rote learning of lines to actually understanding why moves are played.

LEVITT: "1 … Nxc3. This is a Capablanca variation of the Queen’s Gambit, where White has played h4 instead of the normal Bxe7. Black’s main choice is between 1 … f6 and 1 … Nxc3 …."

CONQUEST: "After 1 … h6, 2 Bxe7 Qxe7 I prefer Black and bishop sacrifices by White look dubious."

BOTTERILL: "1 … f6. Surely this must be the reason why White has to play 10 Bxe7 in the Orthodox Casablanca QGD."

Know the line; play through games which start from your opening, even if - or especially if - it’s not a variation you know; consider alternative moves; think about what this other move allows you to do that you couldn’t before and what it rules out; don’t ignore older source material and get used to descrpitive notation if you’re not already familiar with it.

And if you don’t play the QGD with either colour, how does this help? Well, if you never play positions in which either you or your opponent tries to open a file to get an attack, say, it probably doesn’t. For everyone else, chess is chess. All work is good work (BtM 17).

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

POINTS

10: … Nxc3

9:  … h6

8:  … f6

5:  … b6, … N5f6, … N7f6

2:  … Re8, … N7f6, … b5

MASTERS

… Nxc3: Flear, P. Littlewood, Levitt, Martin

… h6:   Plaskett, Conquest, Howell, Horner

… f6:   Pein, Botterill, S. Arkell, NOVAG Super Expert

… b6:   Norwood

… N5f6: J. Littlewood

SOURCE

… Nxc3 Pekarek - Mozny, Prague 1987