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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) C18: The nameless 7...Qa4 variation of the Winawer (Read 33020 times)
MNb
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #13 - 04/01/10 at 12:35:53
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Psachis doesn't mention 6...Bd7. Both 7.a4 and 7.Qg4 look good.
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #12 - 04/01/10 at 11:57:37
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What´s the refutation of 6...Bd7 actually?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Bd7 with the idea 7. ...Ba4
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #11 - 04/01/10 at 11:11:33
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http://www.newinchess.com/The_French_Defence_Reworked__Volume_1-p-2354.html


Looks like Andrew Martin finally got around to covering it. And as part of a series no less!!!

Is it really only 91 minutes?
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #10 - 01/03/10 at 10:40:19
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Move Bd7 can be one original idea in other lines of Winawer, for example, in the Geller variation:
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Bd3!? (Geller) Qa5 8.Bd2 c4 (8...Bd7 9.Qg4 c4 10.Be2 oo 11.Nf3 Qa4 12.Ra2 Nbc6 13.oo f6 14.exf6 Rxf6 +=) 9.Bf1 (9.Be2 oo=) and now 9...Bd7!? (instead of 9...Nd7 Glass-Golz 1956 (Watson) or 9...Qa4!?) with the idea, White has no better move than 10.Nf3 because if 10.Qg4 oo 11.Nf3 (11.Nh3 f6) Qa4 12.Ra2 Qb5 -/+
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #9 - 01/03/10 at 10:16:27
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"Portisch variation" seems fine name.
My current data gives advantage to White in following lines:
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Qa5 7.Bd2 Qa4 (in the "main line", 7....Ne7 8.Nf3 Bd7 the move a4 is played because of the positional threat of c4 and Ba4, blocking play for White dark squere bishop) 8.Qg4 Kf8 (8..g6 9.Nf3 Karjakin-Zhang Pengxiang,  FIDE World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2007 ; 8...Ne7 9.Qxg7 Rg8 10.Qxh7 cxd4 11.Ne2 Nbc6 12.f4 Bd7 13.Qd3 Nf5 14.g3 ooo 15.Kf2 f6 16.exf6 Rdf8 17.cxd4 Rxf6 18.Qb3 Qxb3 19.cxb3 Mitkov-Hernandez,Mexico City 2006 ) 9.c4!? (9.Qd1 Fischer Ne7 10.Nf3 b6 11.c4 Ba6 Ziatdinov-Levitt,Dublin 1991 (Psakhis)) Nc6 Vogt-Krivosheja,Leutersdorf 1998 (Jovicic)
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #8 - 01/03/10 at 03:29:17
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MNb wrote on 01/03/10 at 03:26:20:
I have another question. The positions after 6...Qa5 7.Bd2 Qa4 8.Qg4 Kf8 and after 6...Ne7 7.Qg4 Kf8 8.Bd2 Qc7 are quite similar. Is a4 really such a good square that Black can afford to spend a whole tempo?


Yes. He does it in a version of the classical main line of the Winawer as well (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a5 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 Bd7 8. Bd3/Be2 Ba4).

Both ideas prevents a4, and inhibits c4, in the case of Qa5-a4. There's also the awkward pressure on c2 that's created.
  
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MNb
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #7 - 01/03/10 at 03:26:20
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I have another question. The positions after 6...Qa5 7.Bd2 Qa4 8.Qg4 Kf8 and after 6...Ne7 7.Qg4 Kf8 8.Bd2 Qc7 are quite similar. Is a4 really such a good square that Black can afford to spend a whole tempo?
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #6 - 09/28/09 at 11:14:38
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a very interesting variation. A bit offbeat but fully playable. I think I will take a closer look.
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #5 - 09/23/09 at 06:24:29
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I agree that the name 'Portisch Winawer' would be the most appropriate name for the variation.

Interestingly, Moskalenko refers to this variation as the 'Black Queen Blues' although he himself states that Portisch was the first grandmaster to play this success.
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #4 - 09/23/09 at 04:52:23
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I am not sure if I am satisfied with the answer "the future of that bishop lies on d7." I have also looked at 8.Qg4 and Kf8 9.Qd1 (9.c4 is Psakhis' suggestion) b6 10.h4 Ba6 looked reasonable to me, of course because the question "what to do with Bc8" has been answered.
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #3 - 09/23/09 at 03:58:15
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Incidentally there is an article about this line in the current NIC yearbook, by the Spanish grandmaster Alexis Cabrera.  One thing he says is that after 8. Qb1 c4 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. Nf4 Bd7 11. g3 0-0-0 12. Bh3, the position is unclear.  He seems to think that 8. Qg4 should lead to a slight advantage for White with best play.
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #2 - 09/23/09 at 03:20:59
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I second this suggestion. The line 8.Qb1 c4 9.Ne2 Nc6 10.Nf4 worries me quite a lot though. The black queen may have found a nice square, but what about the infamous Bc8 ?
  
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Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #1 - 09/22/09 at 18:20:07
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Buford wrote on 09/22/09 at 16:09:50:

Lajos Portisch wrote Chapter 4, "Developing an Opening Repertoire," for the 1974 RHM Press book "How to Open a Chess Game".


Great book. I had a happy time playing the French based on his recommendations many years ago.
  
Those who want to go by my perverse footsteps play such pawn structure with fuzzy atypical still strategic orientations

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C18: The nameless 7...Qa4 variation of the Winawer
09/22/09 at 16:09:50
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I suggest this be called the Portisch variation.

Lajos Portisch wrote Chapter 4, "Developing an Opening Repertoire," for the 1974 RHM Press book "How to Open a Chess Game".

Portisch recommended solid defenses with the virtues of simplicity and economy. Of the ...7. Qa4 variation, Portisch said 

Quote:
As a young master I developed a system against White's early Queen maneuver (poisoned pawn) by playing my own Queen out first.   Thus White's Queenside is blockaded. Such blockading is the essence of this variation. The Black Queen is ideally posted on a4. its presence precluding White's often useful developing moves a4 and Ba3. The only question is: How dangerous will White's initiative on the Kingside  be?
"

Portisch then uses his games-Berger-Portisch 1956, Parma-Portisch 1961, Uusi-Portisch 1957 and Dely-Portisch 1957- to further illustrate the variation.

A very few played the variation before Portisch and many have played it more often. After all, Portisch usually defended e4 with e5 or the Sicilian. But recommending an almost unknown defense in a classic chess book, surely played a big part in influencing people to look at and perhaps try out the variation.

In case you are interested, Portisch also recommended the ...4. b6 variation against the Winawer. The Guimard was his choice against the Tarrasch. He gave no analysis for the Advance or Exchange variations. The chapter was just 40 pages long. His comments were:

Quote:
The Exchange Variation cannot pose any real problems for Black, who can adjust his play to his blood pressure....


and: 
Quote:
...after 1.e4 e6, 2. d4 d5, 3. e5 c5, 4. c3 nc6, 5. nf3 Qb6 Black already stands very well.


« Last Edit: 07/21/11 at 11:29:51 by dom »  
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