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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Is the Kan still in god shape? (Read 9515 times)
Michael Ayton
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Re: Is the Kan still in god shape?
Reply #8 - 06/24/20 at 09:27:10
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There's some encouraging 'Hedgehog' news in the latest ChessPub update ...

Meanwhile can anyone tell us the current status of 5 Nc3 b5, which hasn't had a ChessPub update for some time? Personally I'm more interested in more 'strategic' stuff like Kamsky's 6 Be2 Bb7 7 Bf3 Ne7 (which seems to score very well; 7 ...d6 may be interesting too?) or Smirin's 6 Bd3 Qb6 7 Nf3 Nc6 8 0-0/e5 Qb8 than in grabbing a hot pawn on e4, but that's just me ...
  
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MartinC
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Re: Is the Kan still in god shape?
Reply #7 - 05/29/20 at 08:15:09
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Not to 5 c4, no! I don't think he covers that at all. The whole set up in those books is much more thematic/plan based and 5 c4 goes outside it.

To all the more traditional Bd3 Hedgehogs and a huge variety of fast kingside attacks from white? Loads of coverage.

I do still think that it isn't so likely that 5 c4 will have caused a massive drop off in popularity. The more traditional 5 Bd3 hedgehog lines aren't something you can feasibly work out down to solid equality either.
  
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Stigma
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Re: Is the Kan still in god shape?
Reply #6 - 05/29/20 at 01:35:36
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MartinC wrote on 05/28/20 at 14:23:31:
Shipov has a load of coverage about the aggressive ideas in his epic tome. Seems to think they're mostly survivable but you do need to be precise early on.

So OK, yes Smiley

That tome is nine years old, isn't it? Granted, Shipov is an excellent and diligent analyst. But are you seriously arguing he was that far ahead of his time and had answers to all the problems in the 5.c4 lines that have appeared since then?
  

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LeeRoth
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Re: Is the Kan still in god shape?
Reply #5 - 05/28/20 at 15:02:34
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GM Roiz looked at the 5.c4 line in a couple of 2018 ChessPublishing updates and thought Black had problems.  In the July 2018 update, in particular, he wrote something to the effect that he didn’t see a good answer to the 8.Nc2 line.
  
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MartinC
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Re: Is the Kan still in god shape?
Reply #4 - 05/28/20 at 14:23:31
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Shipov has a load of coverage about the aggressive ideas in his epic tome. Seems to think they're mostly survivable but you do need to be precise early on.

So OK, yes Smiley
  
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Re: Is the Kan still in god shape?
Reply #3 - 05/28/20 at 14:17:02
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My Kan repertoire is certainly not the best worked out part of my repertoire, so I have no strong opinion about a lot of lines. It might be that 5.Bd3 is also a very critical try, but I never feared it as much, as black has a lot of different options to play against it and I only used it as a surprise weapon anyways.

I am not sure if I agree about your assessment on preparation against the hedgehog. I have the feeling, that Stockfish's way of treating the hedgehog with White includes a lot of aggressive ideas like g4-g5, which makes the character of the position quite forcing. Here a game with this kind of treatment https://share.chessbase.com/SharedGames/share/?p=yzfJ4K06xOD/syLEENbOkf16EqUvDVP...

My impression is, that 20 years ago a lot Grandmasters taught, that White should be patient as black is playing a counter opening and every hyperaggression might backfire, while modern engines just show, that it is indeed possible to just overrun your opponent's hedgehog with good preparation.
  
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MartinC
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Re: Is the Kan still in god shape?
Reply #2 - 05/28/20 at 12:13:57
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I'm not sure if that could be such a big factor. The 5 c4 Hedgehogs being annoying is a newish thing, yes, but you were allowing the 5 Bd3 ^ c4 lines anyway?

Hedgehogs are very difficult to bury with specific preparation with how they mostly run on feel/plans etc.
  
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halbstark
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Re: Is the Kan still in god shape?
Reply #1 - 05/28/20 at 11:07:35
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The last time I was looking at some lines in the Kan (two years ago I guess), I was surprised, how hard it is to equalise against the 5.c4 line.
I don't know much about Vishy´s 6...Bb4 line, although I heard more than once, that 7.Qd3 is indeed not super easy to meet. I was more of a 6...Qc7 player aiming for a hedgehog, but current engines do not make it easy for you to equalise therer:) Especially because even sidelines like 7.Be2 (instead of the old automatic move 7.a3) have more venom than people thought some years ago. You can still aim for a hedgehog with 7...b6, but this is obviously much better for white compared to the hedgehogs after 7.a3. And if you go 7...Bb4 there are some very annoying pawn sacrifices (e.g. the rarely played 8.Nc2), which look quite stupid, but are quite critical nevertheless.

I don't know, if these are the objective reasons, why the Kan is not as popular anymore, but at least that was one of the reasons, why I switched to other lines.
  
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Is the Kan still in god shape?
05/28/20 at 10:38:26
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After the 6th of the Carlsen-Anand match in 2014 I had the impression that the Kan was severly under a cloud. I believe it is not a coincidence that Smirin that was playing it mostly against 1.e4 has almost stopped using it.
I saw that Svidler has played it a couple of times. It the Kan still reliable? Or is it really under a cloud and considered somehow second rate/risky to play with Black?
  
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