Hi.
Michael Ayton wrote on 04/24/22 at 21:27:53:
Thanks for these! I look forward to seeing more corr. games, but just when you've got time of course.
We can do something there

. But I personally don't know where to find more good (corr) games when it comes to 6...Nbd7 KID. It seems not very hot at the moment. We are talking +21 =13 -4 after 8.Be3 for corr games played in 2021 and 2022. Looking at black's attempts you get an impression of the relatively small numbers of players still playing the line oftentimes just going in without much in terms of game plan as well. From having some of the wrong kind of experience here (to much

)... In correspondence the more strategically challenging the line appears to be, the clearer the plan going in to the game should be.
Michael Ayton wrote on 04/24/22 at 21:27:53:
As I see it, after Qd2/Qc1, ...h5 is thematic and nearly always better than ...Kh7. (...h5-h4 might even follow in some cases if White allows it.) I guess the skill for Black often lies in 'shuffling' as you say in a way that keeps as flexible as possible, potentially teeing up for ...f5 (even after ...h5) but only ever actually playing it if it's strong, or at least offering dynamic possibilities without being self-destructively weakening. White's opening the b-file after a3/b4 etc. might not be a great gain on its own -- I've seen games where Black just meets Rb1 with ...Rb8, or even doesn't bother if White has no entry squares. All in all, I reckon these positions are strategically very hard to call, which is precisely why they fascinate me!
12.a3!? and 12.Qc1 Kh7 13.a3!? were just some unplayed suggestions from me but I think they could work.
If:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 Nbd7 7.O-O e5 8.Be3 Qe7 9.Qc2 c6 10.Rad1 h6 11.d5 c5 12.Qc1 h5!? I guess you can argue the pawn somewhat mildly restrains white, who cannot use the g4 square and also constantly needs to consider the implications of Bh6 by black. In terms of downside, if black goes f5 at some point taking back with gxf5 becomes a lot harder though. Having a bishop on e2 lined up against the h5 pawn can be pretty restraining for black as well. In some sort dream future for white h5 would also be used as a hook when white finally manages to play g4.
The main problem I think is more direct however and that is the g5 square becomes more or less lost for the black cause. If there was still a pawn on h6 one could maybe dream about getting a piece there sometime as black. Now I think white can even immediately jump in and then work towards bringing pieces to the kingside for potential pushes e.g.
13.Ng5 13.Bg5!? Re8 14.Kh1 Nf8 15.h3 N8h7 16.Be3 Bd7 17.Qd2 Kh8!? 18.Nh2
13...Bh6 14.h4 Nh7 15.f3 Bxg5!? 16.hxg5 f6 17.gxf6 Ndxf6 18.Rf2! In both cases I think white has good chances due to black's lack of counterplay. Both in practice and correspondence. There should also be big allowance for playing with moves thrown in here and there or doing slightly different plans as white. Black has very little counterplay or obvious own plans (but is solid to some extent).
From these above lines it's almost possible to see how not spending time on a3+b4 for white can give some more time for other stuff. It does not automatically improve white's position. We can definitely agree here. Just if part of a broader successful strategy of pressure though. Then it can be really annoying for black to meet.
FreeRepublic wrote on 04/23/22 at 18:41:23:
I once thought that A should favor White moreso than B. A looked faster than B. The White fianchetto plus h3 had spent somewhat too many tempos on pawn moves. The implication was that Black should welcome seeing a fianchetto by white and that ...Nbd7 should be a good system vs. White's fianchetto.
As noted by others, White has significant 8th move alternatives under A: 8Be3 and 8Qc2. This increases the appeal of the classical (A) for White and the appeal of the ...Nbd7 vs. the fianchetto (B) for Black.
I now think my reasoning was overly simple. The position reached after A does indeed resemble the position reached after B. However there are so many nuances in the position, and prior and subsequent play, that there is nothing to be gained from comparing A to B. It's tempting to compare lines. However now I recommend considering each line in isolation from the other.
Yea the positions become so different with g3+Bg2 that it's not really the same as classical with Be2; even if most of the pieces are similarly placed.
Have a nice day.