That book is really good but outdated. Having spent over two years analysing 7. Dg4 0-0 8. Ad3 Cbc6 by myself, honestly I do not fear this as Black.

I still disagree on 9. Ag5 being +-. It is true that Berg's main line here and then White's 14. f5 is a killer. But you can deviate much earlier before that.

This month French update discusses 7. Dg4 0-0 game in USA Women Championchip, stating that Black players recently reluctant to enter main lines of this variation. But apparently letting White destroy kingside in PP is not so scary for Black ¿¡  Must be matter of taste.

Maybe I should write book for black on 7. Dg4 0-0

I spent almost one whole month on analysing 7. Dg4 0-0 8. Ad3 Cbc6 9. Ag5, sometimes checking each move by leaving on Stockfish for several hours on critical moments. I think that I found some new stuff for Black  If I ever get to play this in over the board on a classical game maybe it shows up on database

But I been tinking about 7...Dc7. Is true that Black is the one with initiative instead of White. After reading Miedema's book I probably would play both 7...0-0 and Poisoned Prawn. It is a ridiculous amount of theory for White to remember to play against both 7...0-0 and PP. 

I think that the only way that White can remember all of this is (besides correspondence chess, because no one can forget theory here  ) if he prepares right before the start of the round, or he simply is lunatic and spends all his time memorising this theory.

Bibs wrote on 03/31/19 at 12:42:30:


I don't think the variations are especially new (no books access at the moment so I cannot make sure, but they are definitely analysed in detail in Berg). The Kb8,Bc8,b6,Bb7 idea in particular is quite old. So in this case 19 moves deep should be ok.

What is his assessment of the alternative main line with 5a3 Bxc3+ 6bxc3 b6?

Appreciate any thoughts here please.

MW wrote on 03/29/19 at 00:22:07:


The main lines goes: 

12. h4 Ad7 13. Dd3 d4 14. h5 0-0-0 15. h6 Rb8 16. h7 Th8 17. Tb1 Ac8 

-18. Rf2 b6 19. a4 f6

-18. g4 b6 19. Th6 Ab7

Both of those lines go deep into crazy lunatic positions that are extremely tactical but at the very finish end in equality.

Since I am not a Poisoned Pawn player, this is new and a lot to remember for me. But the other side is that it would be a lot for White to remember too. 

All of the analyses must have been checked with computer, because a lot of lines are non-human type moves that must be found.

A little more detail:

Miedema chooses the alternative move order with 4. e5 Ce7 and going down the Winawer that way. On 5. Ad2 b6. 

On 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ad3 Cf6 keeping options open. 

For an alternative line, in 4. e5 Ce7 5. a3 Axc3+ 6. bxc3 b6 there is one chapter.

In the line with 7. Dg4 Dc7 8. Ad3 c4 is given, leading to blocked like positions. 

If I understand correctly when reading this part, on 12. Dd3 he feels that 12...Ad7 is very good to play for win because people spend much time on 12...d4, and he thinks that 12...Ad7 is older with ideas to uncover. But still he gives both choices in this chapter.

After all the years playing the French off and on, I am still not familiar with some of these lines. I would describe the book as quirky but very interesting and original. Is not like the previous more mainstream books that covered Winawer, it seems more out of the box to me. But in a good way 

Stigma wrote on 03/25/19 at 21:29:23:

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