For more on this see sawyerbdg.
See Queens Knight Defence games.
Also see Queens Knight Attack.
Tim Sawyer
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Where in the Book?
Sometimes it can be difficult to find the actual position you play in a book about the opening you played. This is especially difficult when positions are reached by different move orders than the book gives.
In today's game we have another English line. As I was looking it up, at first I had a hard time finding it in Wisnewski's "Play 1...Nc6!" book. Eventually I found it by transposition in Chapter 13, in a note to Game 66.
Our game begins 1.c4 Nc6 2.Nc3 e5 3.d3 (This is a waiting move. White is likely a Dragon Sicilian player who wants to get a Reversed Dragon with an extra move.) 3...Nf6 4.g3 Bc5 (At first I was confused in the book by Chapter 14 which is really the English Four Knights directly without the early d3) 5.Bg2 0-0 (The book gives 5...a6 first here with a move order that has d3 coming on move 5. Apparently he doesn't like to castle this just yet. After 6.Nf3 d6 7.0-0 he plays 7...h6. 7...0-0 would transpose to my game.) 6.Nf3 d6 7.0-0 a6 (Better late than never.) 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bd2?! (This has got to be a waste of time. 9...Bg4 10.a3 Qd7 and Black has a good position.
In today's game we have another English line. As I was looking it up, at first I had a hard time finding it in Wisnewski's "Play 1...Nc6!" book. Eventually I found it by transposition in Chapter 13, in a note to Game 66.
Our game begins 1.c4 Nc6 2.Nc3 e5 3.d3 (This is a waiting move. White is likely a Dragon Sicilian player who wants to get a Reversed Dragon with an extra move.) 3...Nf6 4.g3 Bc5 (At first I was confused in the book by Chapter 14 which is really the English Four Knights directly without the early d3) 5.Bg2 0-0 (The book gives 5...a6 first here with a move order that has d3 coming on move 5. Apparently he doesn't like to castle this just yet. After 6.Nf3 d6 7.0-0 he plays 7...h6. 7...0-0 would transpose to my game.) 6.Nf3 d6 7.0-0 a6 (Better late than never.) 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bd2?! (This has got to be a waste of time. 9...Bg4 10.a3 Qd7 and Black has a good position.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Elijah Williams
One of the leading players in England during the mid-1800s, the Staunton era, was Elijah Williams. Opening theory was not well developed and many players went their own way. Almost everyone played 1.e4 e5. Williams was known to play strategically sound openings that were what we might call offbeat.
Long before Aron Nimzowitsch would play 1.e4 Nc6, Williams tried it in the earliest record game of the Nimzowitsch Defence. His handling of it was amazingly modern. Masters will often play 2.Nf3 fully willing to allow Black to transpose into the Open Games with 2...e5.
The Williams idea is to play ...Bg4 combined with Nf6, e6 and Be7. Black's central pawns will likely advance to d5 and/or e5 depending on later developments. It's easy to set-up, but Black must push back as soon as he is ready to avoid just playing passively, and thus poorly. Many other players would add this variation to their repertoire. Some of the more notable were Rainer Knaak, Hugh Myers and Tony Miles.
Long before Aron Nimzowitsch would play 1.e4 Nc6, Williams tried it in the earliest record game of the Nimzowitsch Defence. His handling of it was amazingly modern. Masters will often play 2.Nf3 fully willing to allow Black to transpose into the Open Games with 2...e5.
The Williams idea is to play ...Bg4 combined with Nf6, e6 and Be7. Black's central pawns will likely advance to d5 and/or e5 depending on later developments. It's easy to set-up, but Black must push back as soon as he is ready to avoid just playing passively, and thus poorly. Many other players would add this variation to their repertoire. Some of the more notable were Rainer Knaak, Hugh Myers and Tony Miles.
Danger Is My Business
1.d4 is one of the best possible first moves. I play it often myself. As Black we have to choose a playable defence. Traditionally I have played either 1.d4 d5 or 1...Nf6 or 1...f5. Wisnewski recommends 1.d4 d5 followed by 2...Nc6. My choice of 1...Nc6 is very provocative. Avrukh considers one line I play "dangerous".
Danger brings its own level of excitement which makes chess fun! We don't want to be too risky. The Englund Gambit 1.d4 e5?! takes on more danger than I usually feel comfortable playing; but I have played 1...e5?! 150 times as Black, most in blitz games vs weaker opponents. My performance rating with the Englund is much lower than with other variations.
The naming of 1.d4 Nc6 is difficult. Generally it goes by Queen's Knight Defence when Black plays 2.d5, but specific lines have specific names. 2.e4 transposes to the Nimzowitsch Defence. 2.c4 d5 is the Chigorin; while 2.c4 e5 is the Mikenas.
The time wasted by Black moving the same piece over and over is balanced by White pushing pawns instead of developing. The danger is on both sides of the board. If you frequently play 1.d4 Nc6 as Black, you will come to know the typical positions much better than those who play White. The danger cuts both ways and the fight is on!
Danger brings its own level of excitement which makes chess fun! We don't want to be too risky. The Englund Gambit 1.d4 e5?! takes on more danger than I usually feel comfortable playing; but I have played 1...e5?! 150 times as Black, most in blitz games vs weaker opponents. My performance rating with the Englund is much lower than with other variations.
The naming of 1.d4 Nc6 is difficult. Generally it goes by Queen's Knight Defence when Black plays 2.d5, but specific lines have specific names. 2.e4 transposes to the Nimzowitsch Defence. 2.c4 d5 is the Chigorin; while 2.c4 e5 is the Mikenas.
The time wasted by Black moving the same piece over and over is balanced by White pushing pawns instead of developing. The danger is on both sides of the board. If you frequently play 1.d4 Nc6 as Black, you will come to know the typical positions much better than those who play White. The danger cuts both ways and the fight is on!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Mating Patterns
Over the past decade I have played 1...Nc6 over 2000 times, trying almost everything typcial set-up for Black. My second move is usually some push of my e-pawn or d-pawn. You never know what kind of game will result.
One good this is that White rarely spends time preparing for 1...Nc6; Black is comfortable playing familiar lines. I like to head toward patterns that make sense to me and watch for combinations. In this game the center becomes closed. Black gets to finish with a nice mating pattern.
One good this is that White rarely spends time preparing for 1...Nc6; Black is comfortable playing familiar lines. I like to head toward patterns that make sense to me and watch for combinations. In this game the center becomes closed. Black gets to finish with a nice mating pattern.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
In the Beginning
The defense 1...Nc6 can be played vs anything when you have the Black pieces in chess. I have basically been a univeral player as Black, trying almost everything defence. A few years ago I expanded my choices even further to include 1...Nc6. I bought every book and CD ever written about it. Here is an example of playing Nc6 vs the Grob, but it transposes to a common central set-up.
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