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Normal Topic Playing d4 (Read 3005 times)
TonyRo
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Re: Playing d4
Reply #3 - 01/31/20 at 20:31:57
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There's also this game, which I recall due to playing 10.Bg5!? myself, and also for the nice idea of 17.Qa4!? later: https://lichess.org/sHKdjElW

Larsen always had something of a tough time wrapping his head around the idea of trading a non-center pawn for a center one, e.g. his distaste of the Open Sicilian as well.

My understanding of these positions started with Kosten, who recommended the a3+Rb1 plan, but for a long time now I've thought Black is equal. In practice I haven't found these positions to be all that fun for White either. But then again, I think Black is equal in a lot of places in the Symmetrical English against a lot of different White tries, so it's really just a question of taste. Cheesy
  
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an ordinary chessplayer
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Re: Playing d4
Reply #2 - 01/31/20 at 14:19:26
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What then to make of this?

Larsen - Cuasnicu, Frydman Memorial, Buenos Aires 1983
1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.O-O O-O 6.d4 d6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.dxc5 dxc5
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1318678

Larsen favored this d4xc5 line in the Panno King's Indian and reached it from various move orders. You can't get there "faffing around with Nc3, a3 and Rb1".
  
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hicetnunc
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Re: Playing d4
Reply #1 - 01/30/20 at 23:16:19
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In the ChessTempo 2200+ database, 6.d4 scores much better than 6.Nc3 for white, so I don't know what Larsen had in mind. Maybe it was his personal preference ?!
  

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RdC
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Playing d4
08/31/16 at 00:22:41
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The sequence 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. c4 c5 leads to a position where White can play an immediate d4. For reasons I don't totally understand, the late Bent Larsen thought d4 (and .. d5) a mistake in such positions and hence suggested faffing around with Nc3, a3 and Rb1. Black might well play Nc6 and a6 himself or accept the provocation and play d5 anyway. I struggle to see anything wrong with the immediate d4 even if thirty years ago I avoided it.
« Last Edit: 08/31/16 at 08:59:27 by RdC »  
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