MNb wrote on 12/18/24 at 07:21:02:

Thanks for letting me know! That is encouraging.

MNb wrote on 12/17/24 at 17:18:41:

I'm considering that also. 

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 Nf6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bd7 Qd7 8.O-O cd4. This is shown in the first diagram of post 15. 

I only found 10 games. It led to a draw in two computer games. White won all the human games! However, I don't think that properly reflects the strength of the line. I went over all games. While the play seems so natural that one might just want to wing it, there are some pitfalls.

In two games, Black played ...Be7-c5 before developing his knight with ...Nc6. There was no overriding reason to move the same piece twice so early in the game. Two of the games featured Ne5 Qc8. While not bad, Miedema's suggestion Ne5 Qc7 is probably better. Computer evaluations were always below .2 until an imprecise move was played. In one game, Black was doing fine until he made a mistake on the 32nd move.

As always, caveat emptor.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 leads to the universal system. Someone wishing to avoid it should prefer 4...Nc6 or 4...cxd4.

5. ed5 Nd5 (post 14 below) is a sideline, as the  main move is 5... ed5. 5...Nd5 avoids a lot of theory. However, the knight recapture is not available if White had played 4ed5. 5...ed5 also provides an answer to 4. ed5 (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. ed5 ed5 5. Ngf3 Nf6).

After 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. ed5 ed5 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bd7,  the main recapture is 7...Nbd7. Miedema also covers an alternative recapture 7...Qd7.


Black intends to play ...Nc6 at some point. I don't see any way for White to punish Black for his ambitious plan. For example after (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. ed5 ed5 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bd7 Qd7) 8. O-O cd4 9. Ne5 Qc7 10. Re1 Be7 11. Ndf3 O-O 12. Nd4 Re8 13. Bf4 Qb6 14. Nb3 Nc6, with a reasonable game.

dom, 

Thanks for sharing that openings repertoire section.  I hadn't noticed it before.  GM Davies prefers White after 3...Nf6.  I may start a new thread about it since it's one of my favorite positions to play as Black.  (I don't score as well with it as I would like though.)  It seems most of the old threads here are cold.

Cheers!

Klick wrote on 05/08/07 at 07:36:25:


Another interesting book on the IQP is the Chess Academy publication ISOLATED PAWN by GM Mikhalchishin et al. The book has 22 un-numbered SUBJECTS, not numbered chapters. It also lacks a player index. However, the 201 positions are the meat. Positions that are introduced are the best. Those that are not inherit the SUBJECT heading. I suspect the unintroduced positions are an artifact of classroom instruction. The last SUBJECT is titled "The isolated black d-pawn emerging from the Frech Defence." Check it out. /frank

Klick wrote on 05/08/07 at 07:36:25:


I have a good book : "Winning pawn structures" - Alexander Baburin - Batsford Ed. - 1998 - ISBN 0 7134 8009 2 ... but (as I already said for other Batsford books) maybe no more available. Better is to send an email to A.Baburin first (www.gmsquare.com or web site of Chess Today).

A.Baburin is a russian GM. He moved to Ireland some years ago. His book "Winning pawn structures" is excellent for the subject of isolated pawn games. Great value for players playing the queen gambit.

As given above, position after 11.a3 Re1 is a classical position for isolated pawn game in queen gambit, and now the plan of overfianchetto doesn't work: 12...a5 13.Bg5 Ba6? 14.Bxa6 Bxa6 15.Rc1 Ra8 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.d5! the main point of many variations as explained by Baburin in Introduction of the book.

After a5, you can sum White plan as follow: Black looses time to manage his plan and weakened greatly his queenside, White doesn't need anymore an attack on kingside because he has advantage of c-file and can exchange his isolated pawn.

The "normal" continuation for Black is 12...Bb7 13.Bc2 where Re8 transposes to Yusupov-Lobron,Nussloch 1996 game given by the book. I add it is better for White to wait Black plan before moving the c1-bishop (can go to e3,f4,g5 or h6).

More information, maybe on other chesspublishing forums

Hello,

The position arrive at with 11a3, occurs from a Nimzo-Indian line where white plays Bc4-Bd3, see Nadjorf v Polugaevsky 71 for example. Don't think it is theortically the most promising line for white, but plenty of play so a typical choice for Nadjorf. 
  For me 5c3 looks suspicous and usually something that a white player plays when mixed up 3.Nd2 Nf6 systems with 3Nd2 c5 ones, and 5Bb5 looks better. Interesting that Dom likes 5...a6 here,  because I like 5...pxp better, so something for me to check out. ( Also I can tranpose to that position from Taimanov lines).

Bye John 5

The white-squared bishop is way too important for white's attacking aspirations to allow an easy exchange. Try to provoke black into playing g7-g6 (with queen/bishop battery) and then switch it to the a2-g8 diagonal. Here it will help sacs on f7 and e6 become a real possibility.

By the way, anyone know of any good books dedicated to the treatment of the d-pawn isolani?

It's playable (I recall the English GM James Plaskett playing it a few times) but tends to lead to a standard IQP position where White is a tempo down compared to the normal case.

Welcome on French forum  
As you found it, no way exists to "force" a Korchnoi gambit position as White after c5 (the "open" main line)...and Bb5 is often the better move for White. Another point is Black or White often looses a tempo.
After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3  Black need an useful move:
A) 4...Nf6 5.e5 Nfd7 run to Korchnoi's gambit where White as space advantage
B) 4..cxd4 5.exd5 Qxd5 (5...exd5 6.Nxd4 and White has already his pieces on good squares) 6.Bc4 is the main line .. and you 'll note White castles quickly. The pawn less (d4) is quickly recovered (usually Nb3-Nxd4)
C) 4..Qb6 5.c3 Nc6 (5...Nf6 6.e5 see A) 6.exd5! (and not 6.e5?! cxd4!  or Bd7 with transposition to Nun's gambit) exd5 7.Bd3 (better to castle and threaten Re1 early) cxd4 (7...c4 Bc2 and an easy game for White with b3 in some moves) 8.cxd4 Nxd4 9.oo! a gambit will Black has many problems (king safety, d5 isolated pawn)
D) 4...Nc6 5.c3 if you want to transpose to C but 5.Bb5 a6! 6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.c3!? is interesting too, with play for White on dark squares. Rohde-Gulko
or 5.exd5 leading to lines with the isolated pawn
E) 4...a6 (I noticed Korchnoi,Gurevich like to play this move which is start of system where Black plays a6-b5-c4-d5 pawn structure) 5.dxc5! Bxc5 and now White has two plans

E1) 6. Nb3 Bb6 7.exd5 exd5 8.Bg5 Nf6 and now 9.Qe2+ Socko-Kiriakov,Saint Vincent 2005 with a sharp game. In the position with isolated pawn on d5, it's important not to give Black active play (for example: Bb6 and Nf6-Ne4) and sometimes Bb5 is used to entice g8 knight moving on e7 instead of good f6 square)

E2) 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.oo (7.c3 Nf6 8.Qe2 Qc7 9.oo Popovic-Kiriakov,Internet playchess.com 2006 and 10.Nb3 Litwak-Kiriakov,Internet playchess.com 2004 ) Nf6 8.Qe2 Qc7 9.h3 Renet-Gallagher,Clichy 1989 or 8...Nb4 9.e5 Nd7 10.Nb3 and small advantage to White