Willempie wrote on 06/27/09 at 00:04:54:
MNb wrote on 06/26/09 at 21:23:10:
TicklyTim wrote on 06/26/09 at 10:56:46:
I am trying to suggest a line for a novice player.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 is the best choice. It's easy to learn, the position is open and the IQP demands active play by White. Experiencing IQP-positions is something a novice should do as soon as possible, preferably at both sides of the board.
While I agree with all your statements, the combination is just bullocks
Imo you should just at least try to get an advantage.
Yes I know Kasparov played this, but he won because he is Kasparov.
We have discussed the "IQP Attack" vs the French several times on this forum, both here in the French section e.g. at
http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1151226305/17#17 where I would draw your attention to this opinion of GM and French defence expert Lev Psakhis:
"An interesting move which radically alters the pawn structure and considerably reduces the drawish factors that are so characteristic of this variation (the Exchange Variation). White can scarcely reckon on an advantage, especially against accurate play by Black, yet he does undoubtedly set his opponent some problems."
and also with reference to Avrukh's recommendation of 3 e3 vs the Queen's Gambit Accepted, where I wrote:
"In his recent White repertoire book (1 d4 Volume 1, published by Quality Chess), Avrukh recommends the move order 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 e3, allowing the line 3...e5 4 Bxc4 exd4 5 exd4. This variation is fine for White, who scores well. Ever since Razuvaev's article (reprinted in the Dvoretsky book that someone mentioned) it has been well known that White has chances for advantage in this line, with more space and excellent piece play. Also transpositions to favourable lines of the Petroff are possible.
IMHO the ONLY important difference between this QGA line and what I call the IQP Attack against the French (1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 exd5 4 c4) is that in the French line Black has the very useful extra option of delaying dxc4 and thus gaining a tempo in some lines; this has a constraining effect on White's early choice of moves. If this were not the case, I am sure this line would be much more popular against the French at pro level.
As it is, fans of the line have to make do with studying the games of GM Miezis, who has played the French line many times, V.Okhotnik, who has also played it a lot, and various American masters such as Ashley, Benjamin, Wolff and Waitzkin who used it a lot in the 1990s."
Incidentally, the structure is indeed a fairly common IQP one, arising mainly from the Petroff these days I guess, but also important in the QGA, QGD (even appearing in games of Karpov and Kasparov) and also the old Giuoco Piano with 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Bd2 Bxd2+ 8 Nbxd2 d5.
Michael Goeller has recently posted some very useful material on the IQP Attack against the French (which he calls the Monte Carlo Variation) at
This is one of the very best "serious amateur" chess websites around, with lots of interesting stuff, much of it offered in downloadable form by the kind host, whom we regulars here at the forum know as "Urusov".
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C00-C19: semi-open simple variation vs the French? (Read 20102 times)
