Download PGN of June ’25 d-Pawn Specials games
The Trompowsky: 2...Ne4 3 Bf4 c5 4 f3 Qa5+ 5 c3 Nf6 6 Nd2 [A45]
It’s been a while since we examined 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 Ne4 3 Bf4 c5 4 f3 Qa5+ 5 c3 Nf6 6 Nd2 which was once quite an important line, but is now seen relatively little. After 6...cxd4 7 Nb3 the critical line remains 7...Qb6 8 Qxd4 Nc6! 9 Qxb6 axb6, but the solid 7...Qd8 8 cxd4 d5 still has its adherents too:
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This is an Exchange Slav, where f2-f3 cannot be too bad an extra move, but it’s not so clear what the knight is doing on b3. White was too quick to advance the kingside pawns in Kostov, D - Bernadskiy, V, where the Ukrainian Grandmaster won a very instructive game as Black.
The Torre: 2...e6 3 Bg5 c5 4 e3 h6 5 Bh4 cxd4 6 exd4 Be7 7 Nbd2 [A46]
Via a 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 beginning, 2...e6 3 Nd2 c5 4 e3 cxd4 5 exd4 h6 6 Bh4 Be7 7 Ngf3 leads into a Torre, where 7...Nc6 8 c3 0-0 9 Bd3 Nh5! is a thematic way for Black to equalise:
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I’d be tempted to try 10 Bg3 here, but 10 Bxe7 Qxe7 11 g3 followed by a queenside advance was seen in Aravindh, C - Bjerre, J, where White would get in a pretty powerful central breakthrough.
The Torre: 2...g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2 h6 5 Bh4 0-0 6 c3 d6 7 e4 c5 8 d5 [A48]
1 d4 Nf6 2 Bg5 is also how Carlsen, M - Stribuk, A, began, where 2...g6 3 Nd2 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Ngf3 h6 6 Bh4 0-0 7 c3 c5 wasn’t followed up by the main line, 8 dxc5, but rather 8 d5. After 8...e6 9 dxe6 Bxe6 10 Be2 Nc6 11 0-0 Re8 Black’s pieces were on decent squares:
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Starting with 12 Re1, Carlsen gradually took control, going on to comprehensively outplay Black in model Torre fashion.
The London, Jobava-Prié Attack: 2...g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 e3 Bg7 5 h4 [D00]
We’ve three encounters with the still trendy 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bf4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 e3 Bg7 5 h4 to enjoy this month, beginning by looking at 5...h6 6 Nf3, which is now technically a Barry Attack:
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Here 6...c6 is probably best or at least 6...Bg4?! 7 Qd2 quickly turned out well for White in Erigaisi, A - Kawuma, P.
A more critical response to 5 h4 is 5...h5 6 Nf3 0-0, after which 7 Ne5 c5 8 Qd2 reaches something of a tabiya:
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Wei Yi continues to fly the flag for 8...Bf5!? and largely outplayed Carlsen no less in Carlsen, M - Wei Yi.
A somewhat more common choice has been 8...cxd4 9 exd4 Nc6 10 f3 Nd7!?, fighting hard for control of e5:
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Here 11 Nxd5 doesn’t lead to an advantage for White, but might still be best or at least 11 0-0-0?! is pretty risky, as we’ll see in Naroditsky, D - Ragger, M.
The Colle-Zukertort Attack: 3...e6 4 Bd3 c5 5 b3 Nc6 6 Bb2 cxd4 7 exd4 [D05]
Vincent Keymer was most impressive at the recent German Championship, including when wheeling out 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 e3 e6 4 b3!? c5 5 Bb2 Nc6 6 Nbd2:
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One point of this move order could be to meet 6...Bd6 with 7 dxc5!? Bxc5 8 a3. Instead, 6...cxd4 7 exd4 Bd6 8 Bd3 0-0 9 0-0 b6 10 a3 Bb7 11 Ne5 led to something of a tabiya in Keymer, V - Costa, L:
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Here 11...Ne7! is still Black’s best defence from what I can see and 12 Qe2 a5 13 h4 may well have been too ambitious from Keymer, well though he won in the end.
Let’s hope we see more moves as good as Naroditsky’s 25 Rxd4 next month!
Until then, Richard
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