TopNotch wrote on 04/17/09 at 02:42:55:
Inspired largely by the success of Radjabov and Bologan I recently decided to add this still relatively underrated but interesting line to my Black repertoire. An opportunity soon arose for me to give it a practical test in a Rapid tournament where the following position was quickly reached:
Fide Master vs Toppy - Rapid Tourney (E94) 12/04/09
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.Be3 Re8 9.d5 Nh5 10.g3 Bf8 11.Nd2 Ng7 12.b4 f5 13.Nb3 Be7
Incidentally and unbeknownst to both players at the time the above position was briefly outlined by Yelena Dembo in Dangerous Weapons: The KID, quite a useful book by the way, particularly if one is willing to put in the extra analytical work required. Here Dembo writes "Black prepares …Bg5 and later f4; it is clear that Black’s kingside play is well underway."
The mainline, TopNotch referred to, seems to be quite right in regard of Black's classical attacking patterns as this thread shows.
I'm more concerned with the simple
8.Qc2. Dembo has an overview on that, but I'm not really convinced (as in total her articles in the DW KI are a bit thin, to my feeling. In the main line she has not streched to far beyond that what Watson said on this special variation in "Mastering the Chess Openings vol. 2").
On 8.Qc2 she gives
8...Nh5 (otherwise White may follow up with Rd1 and Black has to pay attention not to drift into a passive position; e.g. 8...c6 9.Rd1 Qe7which is difficult after say 10.d5) but it is not easy to find something fluid against
9.Bg5 f6 10.Be3. Black's pieces are now a bit misplaced to my feeling.
Yes, with
10...Nf4 11.Bxf4 exf4 Black can snatch the pair of bishops. But what ist the price? White dominates in the center, while Black does not really has suitable levers. Yes, there is f7-f5, but this opens the position (exf5 Txf5) giving White posibilities on the e-file (X e6). The natural set-up will be Bd3, Rfe1 and Ne4 or Re2/Rae1 or both to come.
I have my doubts that Black is able to create an attack, because the pieces stumble over another.
Rybka sees White a clear bit better (up to +0,60 or 0,70).
Any ideas?
cheese