For sure, it's better 10...a6 in the "classical Milner-Barry" (the var with not Nbd2) than grabbing the second pawn.

For example, for me in blitz games it's difficult for Black to survive if you pick up the second pawn, even if it's not clear how White can win, but the attack is tremendous. If you play a6 then it's White who has to prove something (and usually try to overextend).

My 2 cents.

RdC wrote on 06/25/14 at 13:26:19:

I am somewhat confused. In all big databases White has in the old 10.Nc3 variation a considerable lower winning percentage against the line 10...a6 compared to the line 10...Qxe5

Finally had a look at the Smerdon article.

As he says the engines tend to underestimate Whites play all the time, that Bishop on the a3-f8 diagonal is always incredibly annoying.

So 13...b6!! does seem an incredibly deep move, ignoring all engine suggestions and playing human chess.

All that said I really hope White can improve somewhere, the ideas behind this Nbd2 line are so natural and dangerous its hard to believe its finished yet.

For instance 10.b4!? maybe, although that doesnt convince me at the moment either 

RdC wrote on 06/25/14 at 13:26:19:



Very interesting. Its been well known for quite a few years by those in the know that 9.Nbd2 was the only dangerous move.

I actually experienced it first hand when I had to defend it as Black against an amateur player who came up with the move long before it got popular with GM's and IM's.

Will give this NIC article a look as soon as I can!

gewgaw wrote on 06/24/14 at 19:31:47:


the ...a6 stuff. Do not take the extra pawn Qxe5

OldGrizzly wrote on 06/21/14 at 14:11:05:


9.Nbd2  is not anything to look forward to at all.   PTF 4  covers 9... Bc5 which pretty much leads to the same thing:  "Why in the world would you want to play this gambit?" When you are end up trying desperately to find a draw ?   That line is no fun.


[Event "ch-USA w 2014"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2014.05.16"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Melekhina, A."]
[Black "Zatonskih, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2151"]
[BlackElo "2469"]
[PlyCount "144"]
[EventDate "2014.05.08"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-O
Nxd4 9. Nbd2 Bc5 10. Nxd4 Bxd4 11. Nf3 Ne7 12. Nxd4 Qxd4 13. Re1

This seems much better than anything suggested above -

13... Rc8 14. Be3 Qxe5 15. Bxa7 Qd6 16. Bd4 f6 17. Qh5+
Kf8  18.Rac1 (18. Rad1 e5) 18... e5 19. Rxc8+ Bxc8 20. Bc3 g6 21. Qh6+ Kf7

This just looks bad for White.

Apparently this was about seven weeks after Sadler played it.

For a good summary (my pov) of these lines....the not so much watched video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL2s4cfmE4s

For b6, I don't know about it ... some in-depth analysis is needed. Watching the game without memories of my recorded lines, I only thought that the b6 move is one natural gaunlet thrown to White in this variation (with Bc5), where usualy the b pawn is given also, and White taking back a pawn with Rb1 attackin b7.

Surely Nbd2 is known from long time. Other lines have been so much studied, that's why for me too, Nbd2 is maybe one the uptodate variation, if White wants some advantage.

Last year I watched that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGs7bmXSrSE ... I was not that much  convinced about the "newly" path for White to crush Black.

What is Matthew doing playing the French, has he not been told it is a second rate opening?

Does the Milner-Barry need a novelty to kill it? I thought it was pretty much dead from a theoretical perspective anyway.

This subject line is from an advetisement for the latest issue of New In Chess Yearbook, number 110, with Anish Giri on the cover.

Has anyone here seen this analysis yet? There is a kid at my club who kills French players with this BS and I would love to get the jump on him with some home prep. Thanks.

-- notyetagm



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