I am in love with the OWEN DEFENSE - yes, I am! 

Greetings to all OWEN-Fans,

SutterCane

Interesting remarks! -- thanks.

Stoll didn't in fact play 13 Rd1!, but 13 Ne4. I've only had the briefest look at this, but now I really do not like Black's position! 10 ...dc!? looks like an obvious improvement, and in Konikowski--Gewehns, correspondence 2000 Black seemed fine after getting in ...g7--g5 in wild circumstances: 11 Bc4 Nc6 12 dc bc 13 Rd1 Qc7 14 Bf4 g5! 15 Bg5 Nde5 (15 ...Rg8!? looks OK too). Maybe, then, White can get an advantage by preventing ...g7--g5, e.g. with 13 Nc3 Qb8 14 Bb5 or 13 Rd1 Qc7 14 Bb5 -- what do you reckon?

In this context, I can see that SutterCane's daring plan makes a lot of sense! But is it really sound? -- it doesn't seem to have done too well in practice (though I can only find four games). Could you give us a few guidelines for handling the position, SutterCane (and/or some games of yours!)? For example, when should Black play ...c5--c4 (and when ...g5--g4)? When should he castle? And should he go at White's King like a caveman, or think of taking some prophylactic measures first?

 

[quote author=Michael Ayton  link=1131997628/0#7 date=1132127694]Thanks very much for this, Soren -- very useful. The Stoll--Aschenbrenner game did indeed go as you quoted; Black won. I can't immediately see why this line should put the Owen's out of business, but has anyone else any views on this? It'd be great if SutterCane could give us his views on this variation!

10 ...dc has in fact been tried with success, by Gewehns -- see ChessLive for a wild game!

Does Khalifman comment on any other ninth moves for Black (chief of which, I guess, are 9 ...Nc6, permitting b2--b4, and 9 ...c4 as played by Bauer)?

[/quote]


The continuation given is 13.Rd1! cxd4 14.Nxd4 etc (should perhaps not copy too much text from the book ...). What was not clear to me is if 13.Rd1 was the move of this game or a suggested improvement.

Yes, there are comments on alternative ninth moves for Black.

9 ... c4, after which it is said that white has superior development and more space to maneuver, leading to a "stable advantage".

9 ... Nc6, and now 10.b4 after which white "preserves excellent chances to exert a powerful pressure on the kingside", citing several game fragments evaluated as +/- or +/= (the latter after 10...Nf8).

(I hope the good people of Chess Stars will not consider this excessive copying of their product, but rather see it as a form of advertisment ...)   

Well, since I'm a complete neophyte to this opening and furthermore sit here without any chessboard, I think its time to let those in the know take this further

sorry, in my previous post it should be 10 ... dxc4 which is offered as a better try

I first learnt my Owen’s from now-ancient sources such as Kapitaniak and Soltis! What really brought me up to speed, though, were the analysis and games here on ChessPublishing, and playing through the games on ChessLive. I’ve also found Herbrechtsmeier’s online database useful. Following these sources I constructed an Owen’s ‘tree’ (though I should say, only SutterCane -- whose variation-names I've quoted -- taught me about 5 d5!?). I’ve appended a basic version of this -- it’s based on 3 Bd3 e6 and thus omits a few independent lines like 3 Nc3 e6 4 a3 and 4 Nge2, but it might be of some use just as a very basic map!

I’d be really grateful if you could tell us in which of these lines Khalifman says White gets an advantage (and just briefly how!)!

*********


I   4 Ne2 c5 5 c3 Nf6 6 Nd2 (Soltis System)

(a) 6 …d5
(b) 6 …Nc6
(c) 6 …Qc7


II   4 Nf3 c5

(a) 5 Nc3 cd 6 Nd4 Nc6
(b) 5 0-0 cd 6 Nd4 Nc6
(c) 5 c3 Nf6 and now:
(i) 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bf6 Qf6
(ii) 6 e5 Nd5 and now:
     (*) 7 0-0 Be7
     (**) 7 dc Bc5 8 0-0
(iii) 6 Qe2 Be7 and now:
     (*) 7 0-0 d5 (Epishin System) and now:
         (+) 8 e5 Nfd7
         (++) 8 ed Bd5
     (**) 7 a3
     (***) 7 e5
(iv) 6 Nbd2 and now:
     (*) 6 …Nc6 7 0-0 Qc7
     (**) 6 …d5 7 e5 Nfd7
     (***) 6 …Be7 7 0-0 cd (also 7 …d5 8 e5 Nfd7) 8 cd Ba6
(d) 5 d5!?


III   4 Nc3 Bb4

(a) 5 Ne2 and now:
(i) 5 …Ne7 6 a3 Bc3 7 Nc3 d5
(ii) 5 …Nc6 6 Be3 e5
(b) 5 Nf3 Nf6 and now:
(i) 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bf6 Bc3 8 bc Qf6 (transposing to A46/47) 9 0-0 and now:
       (*) 9 …d6 10 Nd2 and now:
            (+) 10 …e5 11 f4 ed (also 11 …ef!?, 11 …Qe7!?)
            (++) 10 …g5!?
       (**) 9 …Nc6!?
       (***) 9 …c5!?
(ii) 6 e5 Ne4
(iii) 6 Nd2 d5 (Mestrovic System)
(iv) 6 Qe2 d5 and now:
       (*) 7 Bg5 de
       (**) 7 ed Bc3 (also 7 …Qd5!?) 8 bc Qd5
       (***) 7 e5 Ne4 8 Bd2 Nd2 (also 8 …Bc3!?)


IV   4 Qe2!? Nf6

(a) 5 Nf3 c5 6 c3 Be7 transposes to II(c)(iii)
(b) 5 Bg5 h6 6 Bh4 d6

Im with mike on this one check out the english defense. Its fun to play but i dont know if ya really want to learn another d pawn defense.

Hello, I like to use the Owen for fun in blitz from time to time, and I have studied the main theory of the Owen. But there is a difficult variation, not the most played line by White but a dangerous one : 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 e6 4.c4!? and now what? Black can choose 4..f5!?!, the critical move because it is the sharpest line, but it seems to me that the variation is tactically refuted in all lines after 5.exf5! Bxg2 give at least a +/- for White after a long tactical and forced line, as the actual GM's practice and Fritz showed to me. 

But Black can also play more positionnally with 4..Bb4 (the most played after 4..f5 I think), and 4..Nf6 , 4..Nc6 or even 4..Qh4, etc...

White have a nice score against about every defense here, but 4..Nc6 seems to have the best results.
Is the critical line : 4..f5(I think it have been the main line before) really refuted? (Let's say +/-) Or is there somes moves to save the whole line? What move would you choose after 4.c4 as Black and why? 

What does Bauer suggest against it in his book?