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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) The 4.d3 anti-Berlin (Read 31756 times)
trw
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #9 - 05/12/11 at 19:46:21
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Keano wrote on 05/12/11 at 16:38:57:
And I could not disagree more.

you're the type of person I love to have black against. You make my day Smiley
  
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #8 - 05/12/11 at 16:38:57
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And I could not disagree more.
  
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #7 - 04/07/11 at 16:36:47
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GMTonyKosten wrote on 04/06/11 at 11:54:19:
ahammel wrote on 04/05/11 at 04:14:41:
I haven't been able to find much in the way of theory, though. Are there any important resources I should know about?

Well, there is plenty of material in the 1 e4 e5 section on the main site, of course, I'm surprised that no-one mentioned this! Roll Eyes
Actually, I play 3...Nf6 ONLY if I think my opponent plays 4 d3, as I consider it a mistake, allowing Black easy equality. Wink


I could not agree more.
  
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #6 - 04/07/11 at 14:58:45
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Volodya also said that if he knew he would face nothing but the Berlin, he would play nothing but 1. e4.
  
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #5 - 04/07/11 at 14:39:39
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GMTonyKosten wrote on 04/06/11 at 11:54:19:
Actually, I play 3...Nf6 ONLY if I think my opponent plays 4 d3, as I consider it a mistake, allowing Black easy equality. Wink


Yeah, I know it's probably equal, but Volodya Kramnik (for one) has spent a career proving that White doesn't get much out of the main line Berlin either. Given the choice between an equal position where I'm comfortable with the strategy and a position where I don't know what I'm doing but maybe have a minuscule theoretical advantage, I'll take the former every time.

Ametanoitos wrote on 04/06/11 at 12:17:56:
Actually i believe that the 5.Re1 variation is much more critical if you want to play for a slight advantage while avoiding the Berlin Endgame. White plays Bf1 and d4-d5 is he has the chance. These positions look a bit better for White at present.


Really? 5...Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 0-0 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 and I don't see that White has much of an edge. Black's N is awkwardly developed, I suppose, but it doesn't look like anything to write home about. Am I wrong about that, or maybe there's an improvement for White somewhere?
  
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #4 - 04/06/11 at 12:17:56
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Yes, Carlsen- Anand, Bilbao 2010 and Anand-Aronian, Amber 2011 are two examples where Black has easy equality. Actually i believe that the 5.Re1 variation is much more critical if you want to play for a slight advantage while avoiding the Berlin Endgame. White plays Bf1 and d4-d5 is he has the chance. These positions look a bit better for White at present.
  
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #3 - 04/06/11 at 11:54:19
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ahammel wrote on 04/05/11 at 04:14:41:
I haven't been able to find much in the way of theory, though. Are there any important resources I should know about?

Well, there is plenty of material in the 1 e4 e5 section on the main site, of course, I'm surprised that no-one mentioned this! Roll Eyes
Actually, I play 3...Nf6 ONLY if I think my opponent plays 4 d3, as I consider it a mistake, allowing Black easy equality. Wink
  
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ahammel
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #2 - 04/05/11 at 15:01:07
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TN wrote on 04/05/11 at 04:23:28:
John Cox's 'The Berlin Wall' and the recent Yearbook survey on 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 immediately spring to mind.

4.Nc3, transposing to the Four Knights, isn't a bad anti-Berlin either.


Cheers, I'll track those down.

I've considered 4.Nc3, but 4...Nd4 looks like a pretty strong disincentive to me. I find that I get more typically Spanish play out of 4. d3.
  
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Re: The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
Reply #1 - 04/05/11 at 04:23:28
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ahammel wrote on 04/05/11 at 04:14:41:
I've been using 4.d3 as a way of avoiding the main line Berlin theory (and boredom). It's been fairly popular among the elites lately (Carlsen, Anand, Akopian, Shirov, Svidler and Karjakin have all used it), so I figure it's probably pretty good. I haven't been able to find much in the way of theory, though. Are there any important resources I should know about?


John Cox's 'The Berlin Wall' and the recent Yearbook survey on 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 immediately spring to mind.

4.Nc3, transposing to the Four Knights, isn't a bad anti-Berlin either.
  
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The 4.d3 anti-Berlin
04/05/11 at 04:14:41
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I've been using 4.d3 as a way of avoiding the main line Berlin theory (and boredom). It's been fairly popular among the elites lately (Carlsen, Anand, Akopian, Shirov, Svidler and Karjakin have all used it), so I figure it's probably pretty good. I haven't been able to find much in the way of theory, though. Are there any important resources I should know about?
  
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