Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Re: The Non-London (Read 2289 times)
George Jempty
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #13 - 11/20/25 at 03:16:09
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Bibs wrote on 08/25/25 at 00:48:21:
For 3.f3 v 2...g6 you might do well with this text. Not so new, but it's a pretty good book:
https://www.newinchess.com/the-ultimate-anti-grunfeld

3.f3 is worthy as an anti-Grunfeld line

4.f3 is a tricky line against Nimzo. 

3.f3 v. Nf6/d5 or Nf6/e6 is typically not played. There must be some reasoning here.
Q. But why not?
A. The argument is likely that black hits with a straight ...c5. White likely wants the N on f3 there and may quickly fall behind with pieces on poor squares. But white is white, and nothing can be too bad yet. It's all still chess.

Useful to learn some theory. Start the game off well, and we fight from a solid base. 




Thanks for the detailed reply.  Interestingly without even seeing the above, I'd decided on 4.f3 vs. the Nimzo
  
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Bibs
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #12 - 08/25/25 at 00:48:21
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For 3.f3 v 2...g6 you might do well with this text. Not so new, but it's a pretty good book:
https://www.newinchess.com/the-ultimate-anti-grunfeld

3.f3 is worthy as an anti-Grunfeld line

4.f3 is a tricky line against Nimzo. 

3.f3 v. Nf6/d5 or Nf6/e6 is typically not played. There must be some reasoning here.
Q. But why not?
A. The argument is likely that black hits with a straight ...c5. White likely wants the N on f3 there and may quickly fall behind with pieces on poor squares. But white is white, and nothing can be too bad yet. It's all still chess.

Useful to learn some theory. Start the game off well, and we fight from a solid base. 


  
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George Jempty
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #11 - 08/24/25 at 12:02:58
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So I've come to my senses and am just going to play 3.f3!? to avoid lots of theory.  But that is one of my goals -- avoid as much theory as I can.  I *despise* memorizing long lines and/or having to be prepared for numerous (sub) variations.  And I probably would NOT have finally decided on the much more sensible 3.f3!? had I *not* tinkered with the 3.Bd2?! idea.   

BTW, to that end I have also begun playing 3.Bg5!? against 2...e6 in a number of centaur games on FICGS.  That line promises no more than equality, but the moves are so easy and natural that I can blast them out OTB in FIDE tournaments: 3...h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Rc1 etc.  6.Rc1 is IIRC also the response to a different 5th move by Black, so it's a sort of "system". 

So thanks everybody, I guess, sort of  Tongue
  
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George Jempty
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #10 - 08/16/25 at 12:55:32
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an ordinary chessplayer wrote on 07/28/25 at 15:39:43:
Quote:
The novelty can start accidentally or with long term preparation but as mentioned earlier it must have an IDEA. If the move is only an unplanned adventure without any deep thinking or IDEA if it just goes away from the trend without any deeper dynamics it very well falls into category of mistakes.
https://www.openingmaster.com/improve-chess/23-openings/56-chess-novelties

The acid test of the so-called novelty is simple. Will it help me win a game against a strong player?


1) I have clearly stated some of the ideas above
2) I don't want to win as White, I want to draw!  At the Reykjavik Open based on last year's entrant's ratings, I will be in the lowest 10%.  My strategy is going to be, play for a draw as White, which my repertoire should help, and play sharply with chances to win as Black (e.g. the QGA, or the Siesta variation of the Spanish).  I figure, as Black, I have nothing to lose.  Furthermore just this morning I got an email from my IM coach (with GM nor or two) in which he wrote "Opening repertoire to play with white solid and positional and with black sharp and active is strategy of some gm's likes Hungarian gm Zoltan Ribli, or Swedesh gm Ulf Anderson."


  
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an ordinary chessplayer
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #9 - 07/28/25 at 15:50:19
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And speaking of 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Bd2, I would be inclined to try a Benko Gambit with 3...c5 4.d5 b5. That the engine hates it is a bonus in my view.
  
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #8 - 07/28/25 at 15:39:43
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Quote:
The novelty can start accidentally or with long term preparation but as mentioned earlier it must have an IDEA. If the move is only an unplanned adventure without any deep thinking or IDEA if it just goes away from the trend without any deeper dynamics it very well falls into category of mistakes.
https://www.openingmaster.com/improve-chess/23-openings/56-chess-novelties

The acid test of the so-called novelty is simple. Will it help me win a game against a strong player?

Once upon a time the theoreticians (basically strong players who either knew a lot of openings, or had a really big card-file, or both) would attach the label Theoretical Novelty (TN) to a move that was not merely "new" as in not having been played before, but "better" as in white moving the needle towards += or black moving it back towards =. That was when data was scarce, engines didn't exist, and even professional players had to sift carefully through recent master games to find the best ideas. The theoreticians published some of their findings in magazines, but in many cases the hardest working masters already knew of these TNs long before they appeared in print.

The Informator series started out as a kind of super card-file service for professionals and enthusiastic amateurs. They awarded the Novelty (N) symbol to any move that had not been published before in their volumes. One can understand why they chose such a simplistic criterion. Firstly, the games they received and published were good games with mostly good Ns. Secondly, their main audience (the professionals) would look at the Ns critically anyway. Finally, if some enthusiastic amateurs were led astray by copying a flawed N, that mistake was on them, and so much the better for the professionals.

Today gigabases are readily available, everyone has a world-champion-beating engine, and enthusiastic amateurs still don't understand how to critically examine a "new" move. Like the Informator editors before them, they attach N to any move that doesn't appear in their database. Unlike the Informator editors, however, their source data is not a filtered selection of good and recent master games. The complete democratization of awarding the N symbol means it can be, and frequently is, applied to basically a random move. The amateurs use their engine to check their precious N, and think that's enough. Professionals of course can do the same thing with a database and engine, but still with the difference: they can discern whether their N has a point or not.
  
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #7 - 07/28/25 at 06:28:38
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White appears to be getting into a tangle v regular KID moves. ...0-0, ...e5.

The proposed Bd2-c3, e3 and presumably Nd2 (where else? Na3?) don't make a positive impression there. The bishop does not want to go to c3 v KID. Wasting time here to put pieces on unnatural (aka 'bad') squares. 
« Last Edit: 07/28/25 at 13:36:57 by Bibs »  
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #6 - 07/28/25 at 00:02:08
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George Jempty wrote on 07/27/25 at 23:37:26:
[quote author=644F4455260 link=1753547252/5#5 date=1753656321]2…g6
3.Bd2(?) leaves the d-pawn weaker than before. An odd response to black fianchettoing the dark squared bishop, which looks directly at that d-pawn, and through it at the now weaker pawn on b2.


White has Bc3 at this disposal, not to mention e3, and also not to mention an eventual 0-0-0, all of which bolster d4.  

3.Bd2 is a *completely viable* TN.  That's probably why SF17 does not disapprove. 
« Last Edit: 07/29/25 at 07:50:29 by GMTonyKosten »  
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #5 - 07/27/25 at 22:45:21
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2…g6
3.Bd2(?) leaves the d-pawn weaker than before. An odd response to black fianchettoing the dark squared bishop, which looks directly at that d-pawn, and through it at the now weaker pawn on b2.
« Last Edit: 07/29/25 at 07:47:28 by GMTonyKosten »  
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #4 - 07/27/25 at 18:24:18
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Bd2!? (SF17-NNUE does not disapprove; aganst 2...e6 3.Bd2 is ?!) and now if Black, a Gruenfeld player, reflexively responds 3...d5?! then 4.cxd5 Nxd5?! 5.e4 and there is no White knight on c3 to capture; better is 3...Bg7 after which 4.Nc3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 and we have transposed into an offshoot of the Exchange Gruenfeld, played in the first game of the Anand-Carlsen WC match.   

On 3...Ne4 White need not care if Black wants to capture his semi-bad Queen's bishop, and just replies e3 with Nc3, in whichever order.  This could constitute a good system for players who want to avoid a lot of theory.
  
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #3 - 07/27/25 at 18:05:02
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cathexis wrote on 07/27/25 at 13:01:58:
There is also the Chit-Chat board for "whatevers". That is where I've posted humor before. No 'dis.


ok thanks.  I will limit my posts to actually chess analysis, no joking around.  I've called out others on non-chess related things, so turnabout is fair play.  I will remove the joking around from my original post.
  
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #2 - 07/27/25 at 13:01:58
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There is also the Chit-Chat board for "whatevers". That is where I've posted humor before. No 'dis.
  
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George Jempty
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Re: The Non-London
Reply #1 - 07/27/25 at 11:57:03
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Bibs wrote on 07/26/25 at 22:04:09:
MOD hat on

Respectfully, not clear why these posts are separate or how they particularly relate to chess theory. 

George Jempty: perhaps this is more suitable for your own blog or YouTube channel or similar? 

***

Have a nice day George and all, and enjoy your chess!


You're right, I should have folded the comments into the original post, and I have done so now.  I was just very excited about what I'd found.  However, don't innovations fit into chess theory?  *And* what I've found is not unlike the Exchange Gruenfeld 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 line; in fact, it could possibly transpose, except that because White has not played Nc3 in my line, e4 might be particularly effective.
  
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Re: The Non-London
07/26/25 at 22:04:09
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MOD hat on

Respectfully, not clear why these posts are separate or how they particularly relate to chess theory. 

George Jempty: perhaps this is more suitable for your own blog or YouTube channel or similar? 

***

Have a nice day George and all, and enjoy your chess!
  
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