The latest Chess base magazine volume 166 contains an idea of GM l'Ami...Where he considers 9. Bg5! to be as a good move.He also brought the interesting idea of 14. f5 !!

I just thought about something after looking at the French update by Watson today. Why did Holt not try 13...b5 from Berg in the game against Sewian? How is this line going nowadays?

I am sure that it would have surprised his opponent, thinking not only that Holt could repeat the same line, but also 13...b5 has a lot of unexplored lines all over.

The problem is that he traded queens, which is much more difficult to win. Just looking efter promotion, and ...Qxb1, I am surprised if White can survive that infiltration on the queenside with the king so exposed.

But I think that there was also time trouble here probably. I know from experience that in this 13. Qg4 line, both sides spend a lot of time on each move between here and move 30, because one tempo is a lot. If you get it wrong, your king can get ripped open. If you get it right, chances are your time is burnt, so you usually have to blitz moves 30-40. But then of course if your opponent gets it wrong her or his king is also ripped open

I have a home analysis file on this line that I still have no idea what is going on, and I started it last summer. 15. Ng5 is Negi's move. I find it rare that Berg played it, perhaps he wanted to see how playing a novelty against his own system would be?

That's what they say happened! Maybe he expected more time at move 100 or some such.

Bit cheeky of Sjödahl that! These quality chess books are so thick that the authors clearly must spend a long, long time analysing the position

The 8.. f5 lines are the somewhat calmer option. A lot of the rest is very sharp, if also a very different character to the poisoned pawn.

I notice that there was another case of Berg vs. Berg (so to speak) some days ago.

I saw two key games in the US Championship, both played by Conrad Holt:



I have no engine running, but just by seeing, I think that 20...b4 was better instead of 20...Qg6, idea to open up the a-file and penetrate the queenside before letting White play g5 with effect.

Then he played it two rounds later:



I think that Black has a completely winning position for more than half of the second game, but somehow it ends abruptly with Black losing somehow. My only guess is that it was on time, because Black cannot possibly lose on position, draw at worst.

But how is this line with 13. Qg4, with 13...Qf7, 13...Bd7 and Berg's 13...b5 nowadays? This is the core of my French repertoire, but I have not seen any definite opinions lately. Last time I checked that Black is basically doing fine in 13...Qf7 and 13...b5. 13...Bd7 I am not sure. Does anyone here play this line regularly with Black? I do not play the Poisoned Pawn, always 7...0-0. It looked like Holt had a good position in the second game, and even the first game, but I think that somehow he messed up the middlegame.