(UTC)
  ChessPub Forum › Chess Publishing Openings › French › Winawer › C18: The nameless 7...Qa4 variation of the Winawer
(Moderators: proustiskeen, Smyslov_Fan)
‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 [2] 
Topic Tools
Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) C18: The nameless 7...Qa4 variation of the Winawer (Read 33012 times)
MNb
God Member
*****
Offline


Rudolf Spielmann forever

Posts: 10777
Location: Moengo
Joined: 01/05/04
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #13 - 04/01/10 at 12:35:53
Post Tools
Psachis doesn't mention 6...Bd7. Both 7.a4 and 7.Qg4 look good.
  
The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.
GC Lichtenberg
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
gewgaw
God Member
*****
Offline


I love ChessPublishing.com!

Posts: 687
Location: europe
Joined: 09/09/04
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #12 - 04/01/10 at 11:57:37
Post Tools
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
  
The older, the better - over 2200 and still rising.
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
ghenghisclown
God Member
*****
Offline


Pedicare Vestri Latin

Posts: 1022
Location: HollyWeird
Joined: 07/19/06
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #11 - 04/01/10 at 11:11:33
Post Tools
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?
  
"Experience is a dim lamp, which only lights the one who bears it."
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
dom
God Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 908
Location: Toulouse
Joined: 01/11/03
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #10 - 01/03/10 at 10:40:19
Post Tools
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 -/+
  
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.”  - Groucho Marx
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
dom
God Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 908
Location: Toulouse
Joined: 01/11/03
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #9 - 01/03/10 at 10:16:27
Post Tools
"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)
  
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.”  - Groucho Marx
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
BPaulsen
God Member
*****
Offline


I Love Light Squares!

Posts: 1702
Location: Anaheim, CA, USA
Joined: 11/02/08
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #8 - 01/03/10 at 03:29:17
Post Tools
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.
  
2288 USCF, 2186 FIDE.

FIDE based on just 27 games.
Back to top
YIMAIM  
IP Logged
 
MNb
God Member
*****
Offline


Rudolf Spielmann forever

Posts: 10777
Location: Moengo
Joined: 01/05/04
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #7 - 01/03/10 at 03:26:20
Post Tools
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?
  
The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.
GC Lichtenberg
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Schaakhamster
God Member
*****
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 650
Joined: 05/13/08
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #6 - 09/28/09 at 11:14:38
Post Tools
a very interesting variation. A bit offbeat but fully playable. I think I will take a closer look.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
TN
God Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 3420
Joined: 11/07/08
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #5 - 09/23/09 at 06:24:29
Post Tools
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.
  
All our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
MNb
God Member
*****
Offline


Rudolf Spielmann forever

Posts: 10777
Location: Moengo
Joined: 01/05/04
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #4 - 09/23/09 at 04:52:23
Post Tools
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.
  
The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.
GC Lichtenberg
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
kylemeister
God Member
*****
Offline



Posts: 4989
Location: USA
Joined: 10/24/05
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #3 - 09/23/09 at 03:58:15
Post Tools
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.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
MNb
God Member
*****
Offline


Rudolf Spielmann forever

Posts: 10777
Location: Moengo
Joined: 01/05/04
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #2 - 09/23/09 at 03:20:59
Post Tools
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 ?
  
The book had the effect good books usually have: it made the stupids more stupid, the intelligent more intelligent and the other thousands of readers remained unchanged.
GC Lichtenberg
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
JEH
God Member
*****
Offline


"Football is like Chess,
only without the dice."

Posts: 1456
Location: Reading
Joined: 09/22/05
Gender: Male
Re: The nameless ...7. Qa4 variation of the Winawer
Reply #1 - 09/22/09 at 18:20:07
Post Tools
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

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, stuck in the middlegame with you
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Buford
YaBB Newbies
*
Offline


I Love ChessPublishing!

Posts: 5
Joined: 09/06/09
C18: The nameless 7...Qa4 variation of the Winawer
09/22/09 at 16:09:50
Post Tools
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 »  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 [2] 
Topic Tools
‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›
Bookmarks: del.icio.us Digg Facebook Google Google+ Linked in reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Yahoo
 
  « Board Index ‹ Board Top  

ChessPub Forum » Powered by YaBB 2.6.12!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2026. All Rights Reserved.

Valid RSS Valid XHTML Valid CSS Powered by Perl Source Forge