Thanks, X. I hadn't come across that one; I'll have a look.

LeeRoth wrote on 07/05/07 at 15:48:43:


One thing I would say about playing the Exchange at the amateur level is that I'm not sure it's advisable to let Black's c8 bishop come out.  With the possible exception of the 0-0-0 forms, the Exchange may be too sophisticated to use against someone rated under 2000, or maybe even under 2200.  Unless I wanted to play 0-0-0 and launch a banzai pawn storm against his king, I would rather not exchange on d5 and would rather just let my opponent figure out how to find good squares for his pieces.

So true.

You can find coverage of the main lines, but I don't know of any source that systematically examines the early deviations.  Everyone just sort of assumes that play will eventually reach a standard position, but at the amateur level this isn't such a sure thing.

I've been looking at a lot of these early deviations and, if there's interest, I'm happy to share some observations or help analyze.

Mark Taimanow
unter Mitarbeit von Jakow Neistadt, Jefim Stoljar und Pawel Kondratjew

Damengambit bis Holländisch
Sportverlag Berlin 1980

Page 202
after 8...h6 9.Bh4 0-0

Quote:


Page 206
after 8.Nge2 0-0 9.Qc2
Quote:


D = queen
T = Rook
L = Bishop
S = Knight

There is also a later edition of this book (1984 or so) and I am pretty sure, nothing has been changed.

I should make clear:

My objection wasn't really to Qc2 or even Bf2 in general.  It was an objection to automatically playing Bf2 when Black has played the position in a slightly eccentric way.

I haven't done much research on Black's moves, but I will.  Thanks to all for the impetus to find some semblance of truth here.  I'll get back to you when I've discovered the Fountain of Youth!

Thanks for all the comments. 

@MNB -- Thanks much for the game cite; this is the way some of my games go.  White can unravel but has to be careful, especially with the weak g3-square.  Still, I think this is probably the way to play it.

@Markovich -- Yes, the Botvinnik-style plan is 0-0 and central expansion, but -- as you no doubt know -- it is not so simple to realize.  First, e4 has to be timed correctly or the White center can be weak and vulnerable to a later ..c5.  Second, after 1.e4,dxe4, 2.fxe4, White has to watch the g4 square.  Here, maybe he plays h3 (which is one way to get castled vs the Qc7-Bd6 battery), but then he has to watch g3.  It is not so easy for White to prove an advantage/edge here.  Well, at least for me.  But since this defensive set-up is so rarely played, I can't help wonder if there's something wrong with it that I may be missing??

@SmyslovFan -- AFAIK, Qc2 is not only normal but helps to prevent Black from playing an early ...Ne4.  As Dji notes, the Bishop usually goes back to f2, where it protects the e3 and d4 pawns.  In similar QGD lines, you are right that the Bishop can sometimes stay on h4 longer, but here (after ..Bd6) Black is threatening ..Rxe3, so it's either Bf2 or something like Qd2.  The trick Rc1 is not so good.  Black can always play ..Qb8 if he needs to and, as Markovich noted, the Rook is in the wrong place.  It is better on d1 or e1, depending on circumstances.

@Dji -- Interesting idea; thanks.  I will look into it.

Best,
LeeRoth 

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 07/03/07 at 12:02:53:


That seems like a very odd point of view to me, since in my understanding, c2 is the normal place for the queen in the QG Exchange, both in its minority attack and pawn-roller forms.  (I should add, also in its opposite-side-castling form.) 

I opine with somewhat less certainty that here, since White's plan is to roll his e- and f-pawns, he would sooner have his a-rook on e1 than c1.  But there is no reason to put it there soon in case Black plays ...c5, particularly since it doesn't seem to be necessary to enforce e3-e4.

Edit: Funny, I thought White had 0-0 in here.  If 0-0-0 then the plan is, of course, a kingside pawn storm.

LeeRoth wrote on 07/02/07 at 23:13:40:


Well obviously, White's maximum goal is to play e3-e4, e4-e5, f3-f4, f4-f5, f5-f6 (or usually e5-e6 in case f4-f5 is met by f7-f6).  If Black instead exchanges on e4, then White recaptures with the f-pawn and plays with his mobile pawn center and the f-file.  To me, Black's early ...c5 looks like a good and possibly necessary way to inhibit this.