CarriedbyGg wrote on 07/12/17 at 09:46:46:


It looks interesting to me, but the fact that ~20 GMs in my database passed on the opportunity is telling.

Even then - the machine won't tell you which plans to consider. They only prevent you from losing in one move (also called blunders).

fjd wrote on 07/11/17 at 19:11:04:

The Réti is not for me, but apparently your eyes don't work the same way as mine.
At move 15 I see that Bb2 is more active than Be7 and Ne3 is more active than Nd7. I also see that White has some pressure against g7. The game is an example of Black trading one weakness for another, each new one being worse than the previous one. I often wish I could play like that, because I know from experience how terrible it is to be at the receiving end.
Without any analysis (and certainly without turning the machine on) I wonder if 12...h6 wasn't a mistake; I think Black should have neutralized the pressure on the long diagonal by playing ...Bf6 or ...Bg7 one way or another and then ...h6 is a superfluous move at best.
Amet is completely right; in such positions silicon evaluation means zilch.

Fair enough - at a cursory glance it looked like Black had no problems and the engine agreed. That being said, looking at it in more depth I can appreciate that White has easy play on the Queenside, and Black doesn't have anything obvious to do in the meantime.

I've just had a look at the 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 dxc4 chapter, and am about to delve into the 2...e6 Pseudo-Catalan complex. I'm excited to see what Bologan thinks about the latter, because this is what I play myself from the Black side.

Regarding the Pseudo-QGA, the coverage of 3 Na3!? is pretty good, albeit nothing that makes me particularly want to switch away from my usual choice of 3 e3.

His main line is the following game, which, despite the result, to my eyes and the computer's, White didn't really have anything out of the opening.

I'm not a big fan of his approach after 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 d4 (although this may just be a matter of taste), which is essentially to play 3 b4 and play a Benoni or Benko position with an extra tempo. Personally I would've preferred coverage of the sharp stuff (3 b4 f6 4 e3 e5 5 c5 etc.), but alas.

Anyways, after 3 b4 f6 (on other moves, he tends to continue g2-g3 and claim some advantage), he suggests 4 Na3!?, which is admittedly scoring quite well in limited practical tests so far. He gives the game Aronian-Topalov, Paris Rapid 2016 as Black's current best try, assessing it as equal. He mentions that White can try to improve, but doesn't give anything specific.

It looks to me like decent coverage if you like playing these Reversed Benonis, although there are some gaps to fill (3...g6 and 3...g5, as mentioned above).

Anyways, that's just about all the time I have to waste on chess for now, perhaps I'll be able to peruse the DVD a bit more in the evening.

I haven't yet watched any more clips, but I've clicked through most of the analysis files. Here is my summary of lines that are missing:

• Everything after 1 Nf3 g6 2 e4 that isn't 2...c5 (Pirc, Modern etc.)
• The Classical Maroczy with ...Bd7-c6
• 1 Nf3 c5 2 c4 Nc6 3 Nc3 e5
• 1 Nf3 c5 2 c4 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nd4 (Admittedly Minor)
• The Four Knights English with 4...g6 (A huge omission - another file nobody remembered to attach)
• The Four Knights English with 4...e6 (i.e. Tarrasch, Semi-Tarrasch etc.)
• The Chigorin with 3...Bg4
• 1 Nf3 b6 2 e4 Bb7 3 Nc3 c5!? (Admittedly Minor)
• The Dutch via 1...d6 or 1...e6
• 1 Nf3 d6 2 d4 (Assuming this is what he'd choose) 2...Bg4
• He covers 1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 but not the King's Indian (starting with, e.g. 3...Bg7), but this is fair enough because he gives 3 b4 as an alternative and the KID is a huge subject.
• 1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 b6 3 g3 Bb7 4 Bg2 e6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Nc3 0-0 (instead of 6...c5 7 d4)
• 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 e6 3 b3 Be7-f6 and other deviations mentioned by Stigma earlier in the thread
• 1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 d4 3 b4 g6 and 3...g5
• Possibly others I've missed
  
  Yikes.