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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7 (Read 14969 times)
HgMan
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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #10 - 09/29/17 at 21:13:49
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I've just been looking at ...Nc8 lines of the Caro-Kann Advance, and that got me to thinking about 5...Ndf6 in the Smyslov: rapidly making way for the bishop. Though it seems to have received less attention of late, nothing in the databases seems to point to any particular problem for Black. I note that Burmakin has played it a few times, though White has tended to avoid the "critical" lines...
  

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Michael Ayton
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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #9 - 09/29/17 at 19:21:50
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Is the 5 Ng5 Ndf6 line under a cloud too these days? (I should add: I got interested in the Caro-Kann as a result of the really inspiring Bronstein-Larsen thread!)
  
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ErictheRed
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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #8 - 09/08/17 at 05:04:09
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Hmm, I only see one recent Grandelius game, and the Yi game from 2017 that I see is a draw; nothing obviously jumps out at me, but I can look more deeply later, thanks.
  
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TN
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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #7 - 09/08/17 at 03:40:57
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ErictheRed wrote on 09/07/17 at 21:06:29:
I could be remembering incorrectly, but I believe that the new 1...c6 book by Lakdawala and Kiewra recommend 4...Nd7, so that might be a place to look.



TN wrote on 09/07/17 at 13:07:08:
I'm not sure how you feel about 4...Bf5, but I found some pretty serious improvements over Vidit's recommendations in his latest DVD...


Would you care to elaborate at all?  Improvements for White after snatching the pawn on h4?  I don't have the DVD, but I've seen the gist of his recommendation.


Check out two of Grandelius's recent games in the 7...e6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Nf6 11.Bd2 Be7 12.0-0-0 variation. I recall Wei Yi having a nice win lately in this line too. I've concluded Black's best move is to transpose back to 7...Nd7 with 12...Nbd7, but then you may as well play 7...Nd7 to begin with.
  

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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #6 - 09/08/17 at 00:46:00
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hmmm. interesting. but remain to be convinced.
  
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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #5 - 09/07/17 at 23:35:58
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TN wrote on 09/07/17 at 13:07:08:
I'm not sure how you feel about 4...Bf5, but I found some pretty serious improvements over Vidit's recommendations in his latest DVD, and would recommend Black opts for 7...Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6, intending 11.Bd2 Ngf6 12.0-0-0 Be7 13.Kb1 Qb6.


Good post TN - good advice!
I'd second that.
I played that Vidit stuff a bit online for a while. Taking that pawn really asks for it. Yes, stay with the solid stuff. White really appears to be nowhere in the 'old' main line, which is probably why everyone is 'taking the Short cut', as it were, with e5, Nf3, Be2 etc.

The DVDs are very good by the way, even noting that the main main line given there may possibly not be the way to go for those of us who cannot defend (and escape?!) like Houdini. Vidit is now 2700+, hardcore, and still rising and a DVD with some serious analysis by someone that strength is not to be sniffed at.
  
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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #4 - 09/07/17 at 22:01:50
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Lakdawala's older MBM book went 4...Nd7. The new one goes 4...Bf5.
  
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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #3 - 09/07/17 at 21:06:29
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I could be remembering incorrectly, but I believe that the new 1...c6 book by Lakdawala and Kiewra recommend 4...Nd7, so that might be a place to look.



TN wrote on 09/07/17 at 13:07:08:
I'm not sure how you feel about 4...Bf5, but I found some pretty serious improvements over Vidit's recommendations in his latest DVD...


Would you care to elaborate at all?  Improvements for White after snatching the pawn on h4?  I don't have the DVD, but I've seen the gist of his recommendation.
  
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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #2 - 09/07/17 at 13:07:08
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Pretty much everything h4rl3k1n said matches my own analytical conclusions. I would probably suggest 4...Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 g6 for practical play, but this gets very dangerous for Black if White is booked up with the h4-h5 approach. Fortunately, in online blitz no one seems to be ready for 4...Nd7 because it hasn't been played at a high level for a while, and I get a lot of 5.Nf3/5.Bc4.

I'm not sure how you feel about 4...Bf5, but I found some pretty serious improvements over Vidit's recommendations in his latest DVD, and would recommend Black opts for 7...Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6, intending 11.Bd2 Ngf6 12.0-0-0 Be7 13.Kb1 Qb6.
  

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Re: Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
Reply #1 - 09/07/17 at 09:07:24
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It seems to be out of fashion because black does far better in the Capablanca variation. Negi's book pretty much closed the case; all the important games had already been played until about 2013.
The critical continuation is the following line:


leading to two critical positions:

* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
*

In this position the assessment seems to be a slight advantage for white without any serious counterplay for black. Black did not win a single game in this variation in the last two years or so. I will not go into further detail; Negi's analysis seems convincing.

The other position is this one:
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * *
*

Here in the critical line white delays castling with Ne5 and Bd2 and usually even f4, waiting for black to show his cards. White will castle the other way and hack open the black king. This is pretty much what Negi recommends for white. White has a huge plus score with almost no losses.
I spent some IDeA time on a move order against this for black, delaying ... Qc7 by ... b6 und ...Bb7 first and gaining the option to play ... Bc7 if white sticks to his scheme. White still gets his usual slight edge I suspect, but it seems to me that black is holding his own here. I also found some other interesting practical ideas for black against this move order, so at least I am not scared to play this OTB with black.

Probably absolutely not because of this but rather for practical reasons, white players still use to opt for the old main line defined by castling long first and not necessarily playing Ne5. White still scores above 60% there, which is not bad at all for an easy-to-play second best line. It is, however, the way people played before Negi's book and nothing black players used to worry about. As far as I know there is no brand new theory on this; this is just a very classical position which has been played a lot.

So the variation starting with 10. ... Nf6 is the way I would go for black if you want to play the Karpov variation.
  
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HgMan
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Smyslov/Karpov Variation: 4...Nd7
09/03/17 at 14:06:21
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Inasmuch as there have been new repertoire books on the Caro Kann, the recommendations have leaned toward the Classical Variation (4...Bf5) with some new ideas. Is this just a shift in fashion? Or is Karpov's old favourite--4...Nd7--under a cloud? What is the critical line that Black has to reckon with in the Smyslov or Karpov variation?
  

"Luck favours the prepared mind."  --Louis Pasteur
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