https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?board=marsh Marshall - ChessPub Forum en-us ChessPub Forum Tue, 18 Aug 2026 20:23:25 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 30 https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1765226168 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1765226168 Tue, 9 Dec 2025 13:37:58 GMT 9c3 is the 4th most common move according to Chess Assistant 24 (CA 24). Moving the d pawn dominates. 948 games for 9d3 and 818 games for 9d4. Then 333 games for 9a5 and 226 games for 9c3. 9d3 and 9a5 can transpose into one another.<br /><br />9c3 looks reasonable and but is not favored by theory. For example ChessPublishing annotates 16 games on 9d4, 7 each for 9d3 and 9a5, but no games for 9c3.<br /><br />If white's aim is to discourage ...d5, he does better to play 9d4 or 9d3. https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1201158132 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1201158132 Thu, 6 Nov 2025 12:48:10 GMT Looks *easily* holdable for White, especially in centaur chess, i.e. 24. Qxd7 Bf4 25. Qb7 Bxd2 26. Bd4 and an eventual Qd5 and White's centralization seems sufficient https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1743856859 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1743856859 Wed, 9 Apr 2025 20:04:42 GMT <b>Quote:</b><br /><div>During Karjakin's match preparations, he must not have been able to find anything new for White in the Marshall, or else he was not looking in that direction. So, he decided to play the most fashionable anti-Marshall lines, such as 6.d3 in game two, and 8.h3 followed by 9.d3 in (game four). ... <br /><br />The position (after 13...h6 in game four) is a typical Ruy Lopez. For centuries, the classical way of playing the Ruy Lopez is for White to try to play c3 and d4, but now Black, with the Marshall pawn sacrifice ...d5, seems to be doing well. At least nobody has been able to break it down over many years. So lately White has started playing d3, a slower method with many different variations. It's clear that the lines with d3 should be less dangerous for Black, but it's a long game and White can still apply some pressure.<br />--Vladimir Kramnik in Alburt/Crumiller (2017) <i>Carlsen vs Karjakin</i>, pg.68-69 </div><br />As Kramnik well knows, the rest of us are not playing for the World Championship, and can often win with something old.<br /><br />I think what you are doing now is about optimal: play <b>both</b> an anti-Marshall as well as some true Marshall line. The anti-Marshall option is practical for white, while the true Marshall option keeps black honest. I remember a long ago game Benjamin - Kamsky which began <b>1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O</b>. Benjamin annotated this with "Surely he's not going to play the Marshall?" <b>8.c3 d5</b> "He's not bluffing!" For white, being ready to play a true Marshall means being able to call any such bluff.<br /><br />But the Marshall is highly impractical for black, who has to be ready to play a lot of sharp variations which rarely appear on the board. The true Marshall option forces black to keep doing this work, and you might catch out some players who haven't done it, or who have done it but can't remember it. https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1678282201 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1678282201 Wed, 8 Mar 2023 20:20:01 GMT Also of interest are Gustafsson's work on Chessable. The Short and Sweet version has lines that are new to me. The full course promises to be good. His course provides a full repertoire against 1.e4.<br /><br />Nowadays authors provide their current repertoire. This will differ in line selection from other authors, or themselves at earlier times. By way of example, Fighting the Ruy Lopez by Pavlovic followed 8.a4 b4. The same for Gustafsson for Chess24. However his Chessable work goes with 8.a4 Bb7.<br /><br />One can easily be caught out with a book that has a repertoire choice that differs from your own. Sometimes I miss encyclopedic coverage of an opening. For that one still has ChessPublishing! https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1654997975 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1654997975 Sun, 28 Aug 2022 17:17:29 GMT I think this has to be recast as the Marshall attack provides Black with full compensation for the pawn.<br /><br />While the likelihood of a draw may be great at the professional level, anything can happen at lower levels. If anyone should revise their repertoire to avoid the Marshall, perhaps it is White. https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1565047869 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1565047869 Wed, 7 Aug 2019 19:13:47 GMT Hi all, I did some quick analysis of this 21... Bf4. Interested to hear any thoughts.<br /><div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://chessflash.com/releases/latest/ChessFlash.swf" width="100%" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://chessflash.com/releases/latest/ChessFlash.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value='orientation=H&tabmode=true&light=FFE7AC&dark=0072b9&bordertext=494949&headerforeground=ffffff&mtforeground=666666&mtvariations=FF0000&mtmainline=000000&mtbackground=ffffff&dark=AF7A53&background=ffffff&pgndata= 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Qe2!? Bg4 16. Qf1 Qh5 17. Nd2 Rae8 18. f3 Bh3 (18... Rxe1 { This is the mainline in correspondence chess, but over the board maybe gives white some decent practical chances in an endgame with the bishop pair against black’s bishop and knight. } 19. Qxe1 Bxf3 20. Nxf3 Qxf3 21. Bd2 Qg4 22. Qd1 Qd7 23. Qf3 Re8 24. a4 $14 { Maybe calling this ’+=’ is unfair to black, but this is the kind of position black is trying to avoid with 18... Bh3. }) 19. Qf2 Rxe1+ { This is an important move to prepare black’s stunning follow up. The point is to deflect the queen from the defence of g2. } 20. Qxe1 Bf4!? { Black threatens 21... Be3+ 22. Kh1 Bxd2 23. Qxd3 Qxf3+ with a decisive advantage, so white’s options are limited here. } 21. gxf4 { This is of course the critical move for black to study, but it turns out that correctly navigating the complications will get white only a draw. It is therefore unsurprising that no white players have chosen it. } (21. Bxd5 { This has been white’s choice in four of the five games to have reached the position after 20... Bf4. } 21... Bxd2 22. Bxd2 Qxd5 23. Qe4 Qd7 24. Re1 Be6 25. Bf4 $10 { This was the move Karjakin chose when Aronian debuted this line against him back in 2012. } (25. a3 $10 { With white’s pawn majority fixed on dark-squares in this opposite coloured bishop position white’s advantage is purely symbolic. The games that have reached this position have all quickly been agreed drawn. }) 25... Bxa2 { Aronian instead played 25... Re8, but just taking the pawn seems like a simpler solution to me. } 26. Qe7 Qxe7 27. Rxe7 Bd5 28. Kf2 a5 29. Ra7 a4 $10 { There is no reason for either side to prolong this. })  (21. Qe2 { This was played by Wesley So in a 2016 blitz game against Aronian, and looks like a decent practical try for white. } 21... Be3+ 22. Kh1 Re8 23. Nf1 Bxf1 24. Qxf1 Kf8! { This seems like an improvement over Aronian’s 24... Bxc1, which led him to a tenable but unenviable pawn down endgame. Black has enough activity for the pawn here. For example: } 25. Bc2 (25. Bxe3 Rxe3 26. Bd1 Qf5 { With the idea of playing ...g5-g4. }) 25... f5 26. a4 Bxc1 27. Rxc1 Qh6 $10 { With the threat of 28... Re8 29. Qxe2 Qxc1+ 30. Kg2 Qxc2. }) 21... Nxf4 { Threatening 22... Qg5/g6+ 23. Qg3 Ne2+. The fact that 23. Kh1 is impossible on account of 23... Qg2# reveals the purpose of the rook exchange. } 22. Bd1 { Stopping black’s threat by overprotecting e2. This is white’s only way to equalise. } (22. Kh1? Bg2+ 23. Kg1 { Obviously black could now take an immediate repetition with 23... Bh3, but even stronger is to just take the f3-pawn. } 23... Bxf3 24. Nxf3 Qg4+) 22... Nd3! { Trying to deflect the queen from defence of g3, which would turn Qg5/g6+ into an immediate forced mate. } 23. f4 { This is the slightly more critical move, but still no problem for black. } (23. Qg3 { This is the only safe square for the queen, and black regains the piece by simply exploiting the fact that the queen cannot move from here. } 23... f5! 24. Bb3+ { White can throw in this check, but it makes no difference. } 24... Kh8 25. Nf1 f4 26. Bxf4 { Forced, since the queen cannot move. } 26... Nxf4 { Threatening 27... Ne2+. } 27. Re1 { White’s only good way to meet that threat. } 27... Nd3 { This is an immediate equaliser, but black has plenty of perfectly fine alternatives. Here black threatens both 28... Nxb2 and 28... Rxf3. } 28. Re7 Qh6 $10 { And the b2-pawn will fall. }) 23... Bg4 24. Qg3 (24. Qe3 { This just leads to the same thing. } 24... Bxd1 25. Qxd3 Re8) 24... Bxd1 25. Qxd3 Re8 { From this position it turns out that white can’t really unravel. Black simply intends to swing the rook to the g-file via e6 once the reply f4-f5 is rendered either impossible or non-threatening. } 26. Qg3 (26. Nf1 Bf3 { This looks like the most natural move to me. Black intends moves like ...Qh3 or ...Re2. } (26... Be2 { This leads to another of those queen versus rook and two minor pieces endgames. It is also equal. } 27. Ng3 Qh3 28. Qxe2 Rxe2 29. Nxe2 $10) 27. Ne3 { This is the only move to retain equality. } (27. Be3? { This might look like a natural regrouping, but in fact black has a very impressive attacking response. } 27... Qh3 28. Qd2 h5! 29. b3 h4 { Depriving the f1-knight of access to g3, making attacking ideas like Re6-g6 even more dangerous. If white tries to just run away with Kf2 then Bg2 will be a strong reply. }) 27... Re6 { With the bishop on f3 overprotecting e4, white’s next move is nothing to fear. (It is also the only move that equalises). } 28. f5 Re4 { Threatening 28... Qg5+. White’s reply is forced. } 29. Qf1 Qg5+ 30. Kf2 Qh4+ 31. Kg1 Qg5+ $10 { With a repetition. }) 26... f5! { Necessary in order to prepare ...Re6. } 27. Nf1 Re6 28. Qf2 Re2 29. Ng3 (29. Qg3 { This allows a repetition, and unfortunately black has nothing better. } 29... Re6 $10) 29... Qg4 30. Qf1 h5 31. Qxd1 Rg2+ 32. Kxg2 Qxd1 { I assume this is the position RdC was referring to. White is more than fine materially but seriously uncoordinated. It is worth noting that white apparently has only one move to maintain equality. } 33. Nh1 $10 { And here black has a pleasant choice between five moves to maintain 0.00, which allow black to either force an immediate draw or keep the game going depending on circumstances. } *'/></object><a 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xf4%20%26%23123;%20Forced,%20since%20the%20queen%20cannot%20move.%20%26%23125;%2026...%20Nxf4%20%26%23123;%20Threatening%2027...%20Ne2+.%20%26%23125;%2027.%20Re1%20%26%23123;%20White%27s%20only%20good%20way%20to%20meet%20that%20threat.%20%26%23125;%2027...%20Nd3%20%26%23123;%20This%20is%20an%20immediate%20equaliser,%20but%20black%20has%20plenty%20of%20perfectly%20fine%20alternatives.%20Here%20black%20threatens%20both%2028...%20Nxb2%20and%2028...%20Rxf3.%20%26%23125;%2028.%20Re7%20Qh6%20$10%20%26%23123;%20And%20the%20b2-pawn%20will%20fall.%20%26%23125;)%2023...%20Bg4%2024.%20Qg3%20(24.%20Qe3%20%26%23123;%20This%20just%20leads%20to%20the%20same%20thing.%20%26%23125;%2024...%20Bxd1%2025.%20Qxd3%20Re8)%2024...%20Bxd1%2025.%20Qxd3%20Re8%20%26%23123;%20From%20this%20position%20it%20turns%20out%20that%20white%20can%27t%20really%20unravel.%20Black%20simply%20intends%20to%20swing%20the%20rook%20to%20the%20g-file%20via%20e6%20once%20the%20reply%20f4-f5%20is%20rendered%20either%20impossible%20or%20non-threatening.%20%26%23125;%2026.%20Qg3%20(26.%20Nf1%20Bf3%20%26%23123;%20This%20looks%20like%20the%20most%20natural%20move%20to%20me.%20Black%20intends%20moves%20like%20...Qh3%20or%20...Re2.%20%26%23125;%20(26...%20Be2%20%26%23123;%20This%20leads%20to%20another%20of%20those%20queen%20versus%20rook%20and%20two%20minor%20pieces%20endgames.%20It%20is%20also%20equal.%20%26%23125;%2027.%20Ng3%20Qh3%2028.%20Qxe2%20Rxe2%2029.%20Nxe2%20$10)%2027.%20Ne3%20%26%23123;%20This%20is%20the%20only%20move%20to%20retain%20equality.%20%26%23125;%20(27.%20Be3?%20%26%23123;%20This%20might%20look%20like%20a%20natural%20regrouping,%20but%20in%20fact%20black%20has%20a%20very%20impressive%20attacking%20response.%20%26%23125;%2027...%20Qh3%2028.%20Qd2%20h5!%2029.%20b3%20h4%20%26%23123;%20Depriving%20the%20f1-knight%20of%20access%20to%20g3,%20making%20attacking%20ideas%20like%20Re6-g6%20even%20more%20dangerous.%20If%20white%20tries%20to%20just%20run%20away%20with%20Kf2%20then%20Bg2%20will%20be%20a%20strong%20reply.%20%26%23125;)%2027...%20Re6%20%26%23123;%20With%20the%20bishop%20on%20f3%20overprotecting%20e4,%20white%27s%20next%20move%20is%20nothing%20to%20fear.%20(It%20is%20also%20the%20only%20move%20that%20equalises).%20%26%23125;%2028.%20f5%20Re4%20%26%23123;%20Threatening%2028...%20Qg5+.%20White%27s%20reply%20is%20forced.%20%26%23125;%2029.%20Qf1%20Qg5+%2030.%20Kf2%20Qh4+%2031.%20Kg1%20Qg5+%20$10%20%26%23123;%20With%20a%20repetition.%20%26%23125;)%2026...%20f5!%20%26%23123;%20Necessary%20in%20order%20to%20prepare%20...Re6.%20%26%23125;%2027.%20Nf1%20Re6%2028.%20Qf2%20Re2%2029.%20Ng3%20(29.%20Qg3%20%26%23123;%20This%20allows%20a%20repetition,%20and%20unfortunately%20black%20has%20nothing%20better.%20%26%23125;%2029...%20Re6%20$10)%2029...%20Qg4%2030.%20Qf1%20h5%2031.%20Qxd1%20Rg2+%2032.%20Kxg2%20Qxd1%20%26%23123;%20I%20assume%20this%20is%20the%20position%20RdC%20was%20referring%20to.%20White%20is%20more%20than%20fine%20materially%20but%20seriously%20uncoordinated.%20It%20is%20worth%20noting%20that%20white%20apparently%20has%20only%20one%20move%20to%20maintain%20equality.%20%26%23125;%2033.%20Nh1%20$10%20%26%23123;%20And%20here%20black%20has%20a%20pleasant%20choice%20between%20five%20moves%20to%20maintain%200.00,%20which%20allow%20black%20to%20either%20force%20an%20immediate%20draw%20or%20keep%20the%20game%20going%20depending%20on%20circumstances.%20%26%23125;%20*">Download game in pgn format</a></div> https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1363903452 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1363903452 Tue, 28 May 2019 13:07:54 GMT <a href="https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1363903452/6#6">RdC wrote</a> on 10/27/15 at 14:34:37:<br /><div id="0137105301">The sequence runs<br /><br />1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 b4 9. d4  </div><!--0137105301--><br /><br />The May 2019 update in chesspublishing.com features this line.<br /><br />I was musing about whether the moves d4 and a4 can be interchanged.<br /><br />1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d4 d6 9. a4 <br /><br />The "normal" move against 9. c3 of 9. .. Bg4 is still very playable and after 10. c3 either .. Bxf3 or .. Qd7 . <br /><br />So just an attempt to confuse Black with a transposition. https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1216153394 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1216153394 Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:25:09 GMT <a href="https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1216153394/1#1">ANDREW BRETT wrote</a> on 07/17/08 at 08:22:49:<br /><div id="434C465047555D40504756560202">Nigel Short and Kamsky have played this line i think at Montreal earlier this year.I am sure Nigel drew with Anand a long time ago in this as well </div><!--434C465047555D40504756560202--><br /><br />Yes, I remember reading in the Montreal Chess Fest 2007... GM Short say of this Kamsky match that it was "one of the most unpleasant experiences of his career".<br /> https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1404743473 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1404743473 Thu, 10 Jul 2014 12:44:11 GMT <b>Quote:</b><br /><div>Apart from 8...Bg4, 8...Bd7 is a common and decent move; in fact, in the similar line with 6.d3 instead of 6.Re1 it is the most common reply. </div><br /><br />The closed positions with d3 are all inter-related with the advantages and disadvantages of particular piece configurations only showing up later. The same can also apply to transpositions to the more forcing lines where White plays a later c3 and the d3-d4. Conventional opening theory has the habit of dividing things up into named systems, rather neglecting the transpositional possibilities and that ideas are similar across all of them. The suggested move of 8. .. Bd7 presumably takes you into Steinitz deferred territory, assuming playing Bd7 first and then following up with .. b5 is a known plan.<br /> https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1351245225 ChessPub Forum/Marshall https://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1351245225 Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:49:16 GMT 11.....Nf6 is a great move for tournament play.  Especially against g3, which it just flatly wins against.  Once you get past the moves of the Capa-Marshall game you can get in a quick Nf2 and if they take with the King it is also a won game.  After Qf3 the best white has is a draw with black often stripping away all the K-side pawn cover and playing on the open e file.  <br /><br />Its an opening of plans and tactics, not cheap tricks.  The only "trick" that it does is removing white from his opening preparation.  <br /><br />Also the game mentioned was played at a 3 minute time control.  And in those games after they play g3, the game is over for me because i know in a tournament setting they cant win.