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Normal Topic Anti-anti Meran 5...a6 (Read 8342 times)
nocteus
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Re: Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
Reply #8 - 03/22/15 at 20:20:48
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ErictheRed wrote on 03/21/15 at 18:45:58:
Sorry for the thread derail, but do you know of any good sources for info on the 6...Bb4 line, Kylemeister? 


I don't mind at all. I find your line very interesting, but I am unable to find good sources about it, aswell.
  
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kylemeister
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Re: Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
Reply #7 - 03/21/15 at 20:49:52
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ErictheRed wrote on 03/21/15 at 18:45:58:
Sorry for the thread derail, but do you know of any good sources for info on the 6...Bb4 line, Kylemeister?  For some reason I've always associated the move with Tal, though I see that a ton of strong players gave it a whirl before him, i.e. Albin, Chigorin, Marshall, Abrahams, Winter, Alekhine, Panov, Romanovsky, Alatortsev, Bolbochan, Taimanov, Mikenas, Keres, Euwe, Pachman, Pilnik, Ragozin; quite an impressive list, really, even if it's always been thought of as inferior to the Meran.


MCO mentioned Larry Evans using it in the 1950s and '60s; I think my first awareness of it may have come from his books (I know he used part of his game against Bronstein in New Ideas in Chess).  Don't know of anything special, alas.
  
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ErictheRed
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Re: Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
Reply #6 - 03/21/15 at 18:45:58
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Sorry for the thread derail, but do you know of any good sources for info on the 6...Bb4 line, Kylemeister?  For some reason I've always associated the move with Tal, though I see that a ton of strong players gave it a whirl before him, i.e. Albin, Chigorin, Marshall, Abrahams, Winter, Alekhine, Panov, Romanovsky, Alatortsev, Bolbochan, Taimanov, Mikenas, Keres, Euwe, Pachman, Pilnik, Ragozin; quite an impressive list, really, even if it's always been thought of as inferior to the Meran.

I have no idea who Romi was, by the way, but I see some of his games in the database so I'll take a look.
  
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Re: Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
Reply #5 - 03/20/15 at 21:04:29
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ErictheRed wrote on 03/20/15 at 20:43:27:

A bit off-topic, but in the past year or two I've become a fan of another way of avoiding the Meran as Black (which seems kind of odd I admit, as the Meran is in incredible theoretical standing): Tal's old 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 Bb4!?.  It's something to take a look at if you're interested in something offbeat.


Ah, the Romih variation, as I recall it being called in books from some decades ago.  It reminds me of some stuff that's been happening in the 4. e3 Nimzo.
  
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ErictheRed
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Re: Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
Reply #4 - 03/20/15 at 20:43:27
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There was pretty good introductory coverage of this in Chess Explained: The Semi-Slav, I believe.

A bit off-topic, but in the past year or two I've become a fan of another way of avoiding the Meran as Black (which seems kind of odd I admit, as the Meran is in incredible theoretical standing): Tal's old 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 Bb4!?.  It's something to take a look at if you're interested in something offbeat.
  
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Re: Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
Reply #3 - 03/20/15 at 16:05:05
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TN wrote on 03/19/15 at 20:12:55:
Finally, you avoid the Meran as after 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 and 8...c5 you end up in a QGA with White committed to an early Nc3, which isn't anything special for the first player.

This is not entirely correct. 8.Bd3 c5 9.a4 b4 10.Ne4 Nbd7 and 9.O-O Nbd7 10.e4 (hoping for Bb7 11.d5, Reynolds Attack) cxd4 transpose back to the Meran. These sidelines are pretty good for Black though.
  

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nocteus
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Re: Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
Reply #2 - 03/20/15 at 14:45:03
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Thank you a lot!
  
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TN
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Re: Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
Reply #1 - 03/19/15 at 20:12:55
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The basic idea is that you are making a semi-useful waiting move to see what White's setup is before committing yourself - so you can meet 6.b3 with 6...Bb4 to provoke the White bishop to the bad d2 square, and after 6.Qc2 you can play 6...c5 to open the c-file where White's queen will be misplaced (especially if an IQP position arises). If White plays 6.c5, the pressure on Black's centre is released and therefore you can undermine White's structure with either 6...b6 or 6...Nbd7 intending ...e5. Finally, you avoid the Meran as after 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 and 8...c5 you end up in a QGA with White committed to an early Nc3, which isn't anything special for the first player. 

Scherbakov has covered this 5...a6 move quite thoroughly on ChessPublishing, but there have been enough recent games to possibly justify a brief update in the near future. Andreikin is the main exponent for Black of late, which isn't surprising given that the main aim of this variation is to gradually equalise.
  

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nocteus
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Anti-anti Meran 5...a6
03/19/15 at 13:42:35
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Hi, can anybody explain me the ideas of this variation, or point at articles or books? 
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Cc3 e6 4. e3 Cf6 5. Cf3 a6
I'd like to play the Noteboom, but I'am not that thrilling with the Meran and the Stonewall. Is black forced after 5...a6 to get back into some kind of a delayed Meran?

Thanks!
  
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