Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Moving a piece twice in the opening

I have been looking at a curious line in the Bigoljubow lately :  1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 g6 6.Bc4 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Qe1 Nc6 9.Qh4 and now the move 9...Nb4 (diagram)

My engine does not find an immediate refutation as every white move seems to has some drawback. White seems to get away with taking the second pawn on c2 !!

Aftre long analysis, it seems to me 10.Bh6 is the right move here, with horrrible complications :

a/ 10...Bxh6 11.Qxh6 (diagram)
...a1/ 11....Nxc2 12.Ng5 (++)
...a2/ 11....Ng4 12.Qd2 (=)
...a3/ 11....Bf5 12.h3 (=)

b/ 10...Bg5 11.Rad1 (=)

c/ 10...Bf5 11.h3 (diagram)
...c1/ 11...Nxc2 12.Rad1 (=)
...c2/ 11...Bxc2 12.Ng5 (+=)
...c3/ 11...e6 12.Bg5 (=)
...c4/ 11...c5 12.dxc5 (=)
...c5/ 11...Rc8 12.Rf2 (=)

d/ 10...Nxc2 11.Rad1 (diagram)
...d1/ 11...Nh5 12.Bg5 (=)
...d2/ 11...Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Ng4 Qh4 (analysed further)
...d3/ 11...Bf5 12.h3 (=)
...d4/ 11...Bg4 12.Rd2 (=)


It seems that white has nothing to fear. The critical line is line d2 which will be analysed in next blog. Stay tuned !