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We have some fine technical chess to enjoy this month as both Gata Kamsky and Bu Xiangzhi supply instructive positional masterclasses. Look out too for some important theoretical developments, not least in the Jobava-Prié Attack.

Download PGN of March ’17 d-Pawn Specials games

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The Trompowsky: 2...e6 3 e4 h6 4 Bxf6 Qxf6 5 c3 d6 [A45]

Stefan Kindermann has established himself in recent months as a leading Trompowsky presence and against the solid 2...e6 3 e4 h6 4 Bxf6 Qxf6 5 c3 d6 he was initially well prepared with 6 Bd3 g6 7 Ne2 Bg7 8 0-0 e5 9 f4 Qe7 10 f5:











Aleksandr Fier and Richard Pert both did plenty to put this critical advance on the map, but after 10...Nd7 White should likely avoid the 11 Qb3 gxf5! of Kindermann, S - Eljanov, P.



The Torre Attack: 2...e6 3 Bg5 c5 4 e3 cxd4 5 exd4 b6 [A46]

After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Bg5 c5 4 e3 cxd4 5 exd4 b6 6 Bd3 Bb7 7 0-0 Be7 I continue to quite like 8 c4!?:











Is this a Queen’s Indian? Well, yes, technically it is, but the line arises much more often from a Torre than a QID move order. In Berkes, F - Narayanan, S, 8...d5 9 Bxf6!? Bxf6 10 cxd5 Bxd5 is new for us, as well as quite sharp.


The Torre Attack v KID: 2...g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2 0-0 5 e4 [A48]

For many years now White has met 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Bg5 Bg7 4 Nbd2 0-0 with 5 c3, but is allowing 5 e4 d5 really so bad?











Well, perhaps not. This month we’ll see developments after both 6 exd5 Nxd5 and 6 Bd3 dxe4 7 Nxe4 Nxe4 8 Bxe4, which is surely fine for Black, but he quickly concedes an edge and is outplayed in Bu Xiangzhi - Gupta, A.



The London System v KID: 2...g6 3 Bf4 Bg7 4 c3 d6 5 h3 0-0 6 Nbd2

Needless to say the London is still a pretty topical opening and we see some developments after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Bf4 Bg7 in Kamsky, G - Kulaots, K. There the leading London practitioner sticks to 4 c3 d6 5 h3 0-0 6 Nbd2:











I continue to have my doubts that 6...Nbd7 7 e4 e5! is anything for White, but after 6...Nc6 7 e4 Qe8 the Estonian Grandmaster is outplayed in textbook fashion.



The Jobava-Prié Attack v KID [D00]

The Jobava-Prié and London are, of course, closely related and, indeed, 1 d4 Nf6 2 Bf4 g6 continues to be met by 3 Nc3 in recent weeks and months. After 3...d5 4 Qd2 Bg7 White finds himself at a cross-roads:











5 0-0-0 eventually turns out well in Alekseev, E - Grigoriants, S, but Black was fine out of the opening, so it seems that the critical line is 5 Bh6 0-0 6 Bxg7 Kxg7 7 0-0-0.


The Jobava-Prié Attack: 3...e6 4 Nb5 Na6 [D00]

Via a 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bf4 move order Wesley So preferred 3...e6 4 Nb5 Na6 with 5 a3 c6 6 Nc3 Bd6 7 e3 b6 his idea:











This position should enable either side to outplay the other and it was initially the much lower-rated player who did the outplaying before being tricked at the death in the PRO League encounter Sheng, J - So, W..



The Barry Attack: 4...c6 5 e3 Nh5 [D00]

Even Magnus Carlsen has followed in Mark Hebden’s footsteps of late, although our main focus this month is the provocative 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Bf4 c6 5 e3 Nh5!? 6 Bg5 h6 7 Bh4:











White hopes for 7...g5 8 Ne5 and 7...Nd7 8 g4!? was a decent-enough novelty in Starostits, I - Efimenko, I, which was another game in which the higher-rated player was a little fortunate to survive.



Until next month, Richard

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