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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 12 OF 14 ·
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| Jul-10-07 | | Themofro: Continued from before:
The Lasker From 1. f4 e5!? 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 g5!? After 3...Bxd6 black is threatening mate with Qh5+, so Nf3 is more or less forced (white can try 4. g3?! instead, but then 4...h5! is strong.) With 4...g5 black is going all out and intends to move away the white knight. There are now two good responses for white, the old 5. d4?! and the better 4. g3!. After 5. d4?! white can either enter a long line starting with 5...g4 Ng5? where he eventually sacrifices his knight (for decades this was considered a sound sacrifice, but was refuted a while back) which is refuted, but not very many people know it, or he can trade off his knight and queens in exchange for doubled pawns, in which case the endgame is very slight advantage white although probably drawn. The best response though is 5. g3! this bolsters the black-squares around the kingside, and gives the knight the square h4 to flee to. 1. f4 e5!? 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 g5!? 5. g3! g4 6. Nh4 black has several ways to continue, but the best is probably Ne7 aiming for Ng6 to trade off knights, although white is better if he keeps a level head. The game IM Timothy Taylor vs. GM Julio Becarra ( T Taylor vs J Becerra-Rivero, 2005 ) is a near perfect example of how black has a threat with every move for the next 5-10 moves or so, but if white keeps a level head should have a big plus. Overall the Lasker From will massacre unprepared players, but if white knows the moves and keeps a level head he should emerge with a big plus (around or so). The Mestrel From 1. f4 e5!? 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 Nf6 The Mestrel From looks a bit passive at first glance as black has sacrificed a pawn, and now doesn't seem to actively pursue the attack. This is slightly true and most Mestrel From's lead to a advantage for white after relatively quite opening play and their's not really any lines, just play logical developing moves, try to castle and white should be fine. The Full Mestrel will be thoroughly analysed seperately in my next post. |
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| Jul-10-07 | | Themofro: The Full Mestrel:
First of all let me just again emphasize how rare this line is, for example, two games played by Taylor in 1977 and 1978 respectively are still the cutting edge of theory on this variation as not a single GM has played either side of the Full Mestrel since those two games! The Mestrel From is 1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 bxd6 4. Nf3 Nf6, i meant to mention this earlier, but the moves d4 and Qd3 are very frequent in the From particularly against the Mestrel variations, it gets the queen to the defense of the kingside and the white queen can be considered the anti-from peice from whites perspective. So play continues 1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 bxd6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 Ng4 this is the Full Mestrel aguably the most crazy variation in all of chess. (5. d4 is white's best, as 5. g3 like in the Lasker isn't that good after 5...h5, in the Lasker black has already played up his g-pawn, so this isn't nearly as much of a threat if at all in those lines.) Play continues 6. Qd3 bringing the queen to the defense, this is crucial as Nxh2 or Bxh2 were threatened, now both fail, for example: 1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 bxd6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 Ng4 6. Qd3 Nxh2? 7. Nxh2 Qh4+ 8. Kd1 Bxh2 9. Nd2 and due to the nasty pin on the h-file white will win the bishop and be a peice up. 1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 bxd6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 Ng4 6. Qd3 Bxh2? 7. Nxh2 Qh4+ 8. g3 Qh5 9. Qe4+ (here the queen protects the rook, so the knight is no longer pinned) 9...Be6 10. Nxg4 and again white is a peice up. So black can't capture the h-pawn, so black should attack the center with 1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 bxd6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 Ng4 6. Qd3 c5 (if 6...Nc6 then 7. c3 O-O 8. e4 with a powerful white center) 7. Qe4+ (this sharpens the position, but if he plays 7. dxc5 and liquidates the queens black gets compensation in white's shattered and vulnearable king.) 7...Be6 and now white has several choices, 8. d5 is the best for those seeking a more controlled position, Qxb7 is also possible, in both lines black still has to demonstrate compensation for the pawn, but the funnest, wackiest, craziest and as such the one we'll continue to examine line is 8. Ng5, this position deserves a picture: and now black simple has to go for broke with 8...Bxh2, everything else loses (8...Nf6 is met by 9. Nxe6! liquifying and leaving black with no compensation for the pawn. Additionally 8...Qf6 is also met by 9. Nxe6 eventually leaving white developing and taking all of black's peices with an easy win.) So after 1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 bxd6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 Ng4 6. Qd3 c5 7. Qe4+ Be6 8. Ng5 Bxh2 9. Nex6 Qh4+ (again only move as 9...Bg3+ fails to 10. Kd2 etc.) 10. Kd2 fxe6 11. Rxh2 (if 11. Qxe6+ Kd8 black has good chances due to his threat of 12...Bf4+) 11...Qg5+ 12. e3 Nxh2 13. Qxe6+ Qe7 14. Qc8+ Qd8 all these moves are more or less forced after 8. Ng5, so in short white has several other good and promising alternatives at move 8. It is worth noting that white can force a draw if he wants here with a draw by repetition, so with best play in the 8. Ng5 subvariation white has a forced draw if he wants. If white doesn't want that play can continue 15. Bb5+ Nc6 16. Qxb7 O-O 17. Bxc6 (this gains an important tempo over the alternative) 17...Rb8 up until this point, with the possible exception of the other plausible white 8th moves which should lead to an advantage and the possible draw, this is all best play leading to this position: Sigh, again too long, overall on the full mestrel is in next post. |
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| Jul-10-07 | | Themofro: Full Mestrel overall:
So overall the moves 1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 bxd6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 Ng4 6. Qd3 c5 7. Qe4+ Be6 are more or less forced, and now white can choose between 8. d5, and 8. Qxb7 as moves which should give black not enough compensation for the pawn, alternatively he can play 8. Ng5 and either force a draw (means that in the opening overall white has a forced draw if he wants it) or play on and reach the second diagram, which should be advantage white, although noone knows for sure how to evaluate, after nearly 30 years of looking at that second diagram IM Taylor still doesn't know what to evaluate it as, and it's too complex for normal computer programs. So overall white has a forced draw or an unclear line, and two lines without black having enough compensation. Then again this is all with best play on both sides, and the position is wonderfully fun and crazy to play out, so overall it doesn't look that good for black with best play by white, but best play in such crazy, unknown lines is uncommon to say the least, and even if abstractly not the best, it's great fun! Note: diagrams at the original site, not here.
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| Jul-10-07 | | Themofro: Now, some lines other than the From...
The q-side fianchetto lines...
The white q-side fianchetto lines are very strong for white, but they cannot be forced if black doesn't want to as such they aren't the main line. In the old days (before the hypermodern school) most black players were more than happy to let white fianchetto queenside as they didn't respect it, but after the hypermodern's showed how strong fianchetto's could be, the plaer of the black side started adopting the move order 1...d5, 2...g6 to prevent the queenside fianchetto. There are really two types of queenside fianchetto lines in the Bird's, where white plays b3, and where white enters the Bird Orangutang with b4. Note, the Nimzo-Larsen Attack often transposes to the b3 line in the variation. White plays b3
The q-side fianchetto is desirable for several reasons, 1. it aims at the kingside, 2. in combination with the knight at f3, and pawns at f4+e3 white lays claim to the central dark squares (if possible white will often trade off his light squared bishop for the knight at c6 to even further enhance this dominanc). The central dark squares are key, as if white can lock down the center then he has a powerful bishop aimed at the k-side and can start a pawn storm confident that the ideal counterpunch in the center won't happen. These lines are a bit very good for white, normally white will castle kingside, solidfy the center dark sqaures as much as possible and then go for the jugular on the k-side. Also, if black tries to castle q-side, then white can attack immediatley with either c4 or a4 because of the pawn on b3. white plays the Bird Orangutang with b4
The Bird Orangutang is very different from the normal b3 lines and very interesting. With the move b4 white is laying claim to the squares c5 and a5. In these lines white does lock down the center, but generally doesn't go for the kingside as his pawns are slightly less compact, instead white aims at chipping aways at the q-side and undermining the center. White wants to trade off his q-side pawns for blacks d-pawn and b-c pawns leaving his with an isolated a-pawn, while white will be left with a compact and protectable pawn on the d-file. These lines often enter stonewall type positions (white pawns at d4+f4) to make this chipping away easier. It's a very interesting system which lacks the raw viciousness of the b3 lines, but instead aims to slowly weaken the black camp until he can pick off the a-pawn and go into a won ending. Of course if black isn't careful then white can also attack on the k-side. Larsen for example played a beautiful game (can't remember who it was against, but i'll try to find a link to it sometime) where he did just that, isolated the a-pawn, then won the endgame and this variation is one of his brainchildren. This is a very interesting variation, and quite strong as well, although completely different from the b3 lines. The queenside fianchetto lines are both very strong for white, as such if you are black, avoid them with the move order 1...d5, 2...g6 |
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| Jul-10-07 | | Themofro: White aims for an e4 push
In these lines white aims for an e4 push in order to set up a fine central pawn duo with pawns at f4+e4, this is a very strong pawn duo especially as there usually will not be a pawn at e5. Because the q-side fianchetto can't be forced, these variations are the main ones. There are 3 systems which aim to do this, the Cassical, the Leningrad (these are both also dutch systems but much improved here) and the Antoshin The Antoshin variation
In the Antoshin variation white aims for the e4 push as quickly as possible and avoids a possible queen exchange. White's move order is usually something to the effect of 1. f4, 2. Nf3, 3. d3, 4. c3, 5. Qc2 with e4 to come soon. White plays c3 and puts his queen on c2 to both avoid the exchange and prepare e4, also it is worth noting that contrary to the Classical white plays e4 in one move, thus saving a tempo. The Antoshin is extremely rare, even if black knows you play the Bird, they won't be expecting the Antoshin, so it makes a near perfect shock weapon. That being said there is one particular variation where black can shut down the e4 push and equilize, however no one knows it. It slips my mind at the moment, i'll try to dig it up later. Overall, the Antoshin is ideal for shock value, and relatively strong although you are gambling that black doesn't equilize with the right move order. (It is worth nothing that Timothy Taylor has used it against GM's who missed the right move order, and in his times with it he's only seen it once or twice). It's worth knowing, although it shouldn't be your main line. The Classical Variation
The Classical is a superb system, it's well-nigh unstoppable (black can't prevent it) and it's strong for white. The basic move order is 1. f4, 2. Nf3, 3. e3, 4 Be2, 5 O-O, 6. d3. Normally black will have his knight on f6, so you need one more peice on e4, there are several side variations (all are fine) although i personally prefer 7. Nc3 (in 7...d4 then you just play 8. Ne4 and trade off knights, you might get some doubled pawns, but you'll get rid of one of them before too long). Unlike the Antoshin there's no special move order for black that can prevent the Classical, and it establishes the desired e4+f4 pawn duo, also if black chooses to trade queens, you'll have an excellent endgame (although not quite as good as from the Leningrad) so there's no worries there. Overall, i would say this or the Leningrad should be the main line. The Leningrad line will be next post.
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| Jul-10-07 | | Themofro: The Leningrad Variation
The Leningrad Dutch is one of the most bloodthirsty openings out there, games are either usually over or in the endgame after 30 moves, in the Bird Leningrad it's similar although not nearly as risky, as you are in effect, 2 tempo up (minus one for the opponent, extra one for you). Basically in the Leningrad Bird you finachetto kingside and aim for the e4 push again, basic move order is something to the effect of 1. f4, 2. Nf3, 3. g3. 4. Bg2, 5. O-O, 6. d3 aiming for e4. Similar to the Antoshin you aim to acheive the e4 push in one move. The Leningrad Dutch is like the classical a superb system, unstoppable by black, and leading to a good position for white. also, if the queens are exchanged early, white has a terrific endgame with a monster bishop on g2, and space on the kingside in adddition to a rook on the open d-file (if black plays Qxd1 that is). In addition, in this variation white is often more than happy to left black get in e5 if white can answer with e4. Also it is worth noting, that there is a subvariations created by GM Henrik Danielsen (more about him in a moment) that he calls the polar bear system where white plays c3 and Na3 (ideally a4 before Na3) and then sometimes Qc2 to aim for the push. This is very strong system, the knight on a3 will aim for c4 and maybe d6 later, the q-bishop and q-rook are slow to develop but that's not the most important thing. GM Henrik Danielsen is the strongest (only GM) that currently plays the Bird's consistently, he has a free website http://www.videochess.net/ (terrrific website regardless, but required viewing for Bird's Opening players. highly reccomended whether you are interested in the opening or not.) where he gives lectures, live blitz games (with his thoughts on what is happening) and whatnot, but most importantly he has over 2 hours of instructional analysis and analysed games on the Polar Bear System (although he ha around 35 or so blitz games where he plays that system) it is a terrific website where you can learn a ton, especially about the Bird's Opening. In the Polar Bear System in particular (but in all Leningrad Bird's) a pawn sacrifice at f5 is usually devestating. Also, in the Leningrad Bird the king is very safe on h1 because of the bishop. Overall these are the main systems of the Bird's as they can be forced (well not really the Antoshin) and are quie strong. The Classical and Leningrad Bird in particular are both excellent openings. |
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| Jul-10-07 | | Themofro: The stonewall and recipe variations have nothing in common more or less, but are the last two systems and don't fit in any of the other categories
The Bird Stonewall
The Bird Stonewall is a fine system, more or less the solid Dutch Stonewall with reversed colors and two tempo up for white. It locks down the center, and play develops on the flanks, space is crucial in a stonewall, extending your pawns on the flanks ideally with moves like c4 or g4 etc. are a must. It's a fine system overall although not as strong as some of the other systems it does have some psychological advantages against either computers or 1. e4 only players. Computers have a hard time playing closed positions, and are particularly inept against stonewall positions (a beautiful example is Alterman vs. Fritz B Alterman vs Deep Fritz, 2000 a great game by white, and has a incredible position at one point where all eight white pawns are on the fourth rank, as such the game is known as the Alterman Wall ). Also players who only play e4 has quite possibly never seen a stonewall before, or at the least not that well versed in it, so it works admirably well against them as well. The Recipe Variation
This is really the only system by black in the Bird's Opening. It is called the recipe variation as the vast majority of opening books (f they even mention the Bird's at all) make a quick reference to this line saying it fixes all of blacks problems. This is entirely wrong. The Recipe variation involves an early Bg4 as black, aiming to eliminate the knight and play e5 quickly, normal move order is 1...d5, 2...Bg4, 3...Nd7 aiming for Bxf3 and e5. There are several ways to fight this (The leningrad Bird has one line where after you castle (if black gives you time) where you recapture with rook and get a huge advantage with some extremely irregular and amusing rook play (i can post a game like that if you want)) although the most important and best one is a variation createdby Danielsen, so i call it the Danielsen recipe (it's interesting to not that the main reason Larsen quit playing the Bird's (he had a excellent record with it) is because all the russians would play the recipe variation and not let him fianchetto q-side (as such he starting to play more often the Nimzovitch-Larsen attack 1. b3), well he saw a game by Danielsen where the Danielsen recipe was played and actually at a tournament told Danielsen that he had breathed new life into the system. Anyway, the Danielsen Recipe (warning: extremely irregular) goes 1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. e3 Nd7 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 and now (black can gambit the d-pawn with e5 if he wants although not all sound) play normally continues 5...Ngf6 6. g4! the bayonett thrust and Danielsen's invention. White basically prepares to steamroll black on the kingside and practically forces black to gambit a pawn to avoid losing immediately (for a example of that watch lesson 1 i beleive it is in the Polar Bear System section on his website, or visit Bird's Opening (A02) for my fusing of Danielsen's and Taylor's analysis of the game Danielsen vs. Luther (basically a GM vs. GM game where black is completely routed in 23 moves with only having made one slight mistake) black must either gambit the d pawn on move 5 with 5...e5 or he can play 1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. e3 Nd7 4. h4 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 Ngf6 6. g4! e5 7. g5 e4 8. Qe2! Ng8 9. Qb5 forking the d and b-pawns. Black gets some compensation for the pawn, but not enough and white should have an advantage. the Danielsen Recipe more or less refutes the Recipe by black. |
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| Jul-15-07 | | ganstaman: I just finally played the From's Gambit (from the white side) in a G/10 online game. Much easier than I always thought it was supposed to be, but that could very well be from various mistakes from both sides. 1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 g5 5. g3 g4 6. Nh4 Nf6 7. d4 O-O 8.
Bg5 Re8 9. Nc3 Kg7 10. Qd3 c6 11. O-O-O h6 12. Bxf6+ Qxf6 13. e4 Bb4 14. e5
Qg5+ 15. Kb1 Be6 16. Ne4 Qd8 17. Nf6 Rh8 18. Nf5+ Kf8 19. Be2 h5 20. h3
gxh3 21. Rxh3 Na6 22. Rxh5 Rxh5 23. Bxh5 Be7 24. Nh7+ Kg8 25. Nh6+ Kh8 26.
Bxf7 Nb4 27. Qg6 black resigns 1-0
I definitely see some questionable moves from black, and I'm sure I made mistakes too. But overall, I noticed that I had full control of the center and that it was black's king that was under attack, not mine. In the end, I'm up 3 clean pawns and probably threatening some mating type thing, though I didn't have any concrete plans when the resignation came in. I'm just glad my first experience with it after learning something about it was a good one. This'll get me to grab all pawns in the future... |
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| Jul-18-07 | | Skylark: In practise I have come up against 1. f4 only once. The first time I played the From's gambit and only managed to draw a painful endgame. The second I played in a more positional manner (aiming to prove the weakness of the e4 square more than the weakness of the kingside) by playing 1. ... d5 and in analysing the game with fritz 10, could not find an opportunity for white to equalise out of the opening. I don't think the stonewall formation, or 1. f4 at all for that matter, is a way for white to play for an advantage from the opening. This isn't an attack, it's my opinion. |
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| Jul-18-07 | | ganstaman: <Skylark> Could you post the second game (even though you have only faced it once...)? |
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| Jul-18-07 | | Skylark: Lol I meant to say twice. There's a player at my local club that often plays a stonewall system out of d4 (ie 1. d4 Nf6 2. c3 g6 3. f4) but the second game I've faced it in was otb against him. It went as follows: 1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 g6 4. d4 Bg7 5. Bd3 O-O 6. O-O c5 7. c3 Bf5!? (an interesting idea I had been preparing for against his stonewall) 8. Bxf5 gxf5 9. Nbd2 Qb6 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Nf3?! (Rf3 is better) 11. ... Rac8 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. fxe5 f6!? (Qe6 would have given my significantly more advantage) 15. exf6?! (... e6 should have been played) 15. .. Rxf6 and I converted my large advantage. |
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| Jul-18-07 | | ganstaman: <Skylark> This game may interest you: J Van Ruitenburg vs J Mellegers, 2001 (follows your game through move 7. I also find this interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonew.... As the wiki article says, the Stonewall really isn't an attempt for an advantage. It just gets white the position he's familiar with and provides some relatively easy-to-defend-against attacks. Also, once you play ...c5 as black, you begin to grab more space and really come into control. <Themofro> can probably find that game that GM Danielsen used as an example of how good that is for black. What I don't get though, is how the Stonewall Dutch can be ok if here white gets that plus a tempo. Anyway, other variations of the Bird are more ambitious and far better. I don't think you should underestimate the whole opening based on one variation (you don't want to end up surprised). Especially when white tries to get an e4 push in, his position can become much more aggressive with attacks that aren't as easy to defend against. |
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| Jul-18-07 | | Skylark: ganstaman: I don't think the stonewall dutch is ok :P I might do a little bit of research on the bird's opening but only from the point of view of black - I won't lie, I'm a proud e4 player. I don't regard the bird as being 'refutable' because no sound method has been put forward to refute it. However I believe that with correct play from both sides, it will be white trying to equalise, and not black. |
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| Jul-18-07 | | ganstaman: That's the problem with the argument: "The Bird is sound because it's a reversed Dutch." Too many people don't trust the Dutch! If you don't mind me asking, what's your name on gameknot? I think I tried 'skylark' once but it didn't work. Maybe we could have a try at the Bird sometime? I guess it's also hard to completely accurately evaluate these positions. It's too subjective -- you think black is better (which is why you wouldn't play 1.f4) and I think white is slightly better (which is why I'm ok with playing 1.f4). But you know, if you want to really learn how to play against it as black, you should play it as white :) Seriously though -- no better way to learn an opening than by experiencing from both sides of the board. I warn you though, most who try it can't turn back! |
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| Jul-22-07 | | WarmasterKron: Strange ideas in the Bird, part 2: Black plays 1...e5. An offbeat way to play against the From, inspired by Williams. 
click for larger view2.Nh3!?
Williams-Dettelis, Postal 1987
1.f4 e5 2.Nh3 d6 3.g3 Bxh3 4.Bxh3 exf4
5.O-O fxg3 6.hxg3 Nf6 7.e4 Be7 8.d3 Nbd7
9.Nc3 c6 10.d4 Qa5 11.Qf3 O-O 12.Bf5 Qb6
13.Be3 Qxb2 14.Bg5 Nb6 15.Rab1 Qa3 16.Rb3 Qa6
17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Nfd5 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Bxe7 Nxe7
21.Qh5+ Kg8 22.Ne4 Qc4 23.Rf4 Ng6 24.Nf6+ gxf6
25.Rxc4 Nxc4 26.exf6 Nd6 27.g4 Rfd8 28.Rh3 Ne8
29.Qh7+ Kf8 30.Qh8+ Nxh8 31.Rxh8#
click for larger viewHardly a masterpiece, but an interesting game and an interesting idea that may just be bad enough for blitz. Or Gerard Welling. |
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| Sep-04-07 | | Judah: Opening of the day...hasn't this been opening of the day before? So why play f4? Here's one advantage that no other move can get you: it holds open the a1-h8 diagonal (by discouraging e5). Makes a dark-bishop fianchetto a very attractive possibility. (I posted this in A03, but then I thought it fit better here.) |
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| Sep-04-07 | | WarmasterKron: <Judah> The Bird is a great opening, but I wouldn't say it discourages 1...e5, which is one of the most popular ways to meet it. Maybe it would be less popular if people knew about 2.Nh3! |
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| Sep-04-07 | | Judah: It discourages 1.e5 if Black is prudent. Anyway, after 1.e5, the a1-h8 diagonal is certainly open. As for 2.Nh3...are you sure you've got the right punctuation there? |
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| Sep-04-07 | | Resignation Trap: 1.f4 e5 2.Nh3 d5! practically forces White to play a gambit with 3.g3 Bxh3 4.Bxh3 exf4 5.0-0.
I once won a tournament game with this (as White!), but I doubt its soundness. |
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| Sep-05-07 | | WarmasterKron: I suspect that if White's prepared to play 2.Nh3, he'll be happy enough with the gambit 2...d5 3.g3 Bxh3 4.Bxh3 exf4 5.O-O. <Judah> Sorry, the exclamation mark was supposed to reflect the tone of the remark rather than a comment on the move itself. I reckon it's at best !?, but probably more like ?!. An interesting suprise weapon perhaps, but not one for repeated use. |
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| Apr-06-08 | | raskerino: ... so what is the refutation of the antoshin?
I just started playing the bird (though I'm not a convert, I'm going back to e4 after I work out a few rough patches in my repertiore), and I've played 3 tournament games with it, I drew an 1850 in a team tournament forgetting that Danielsen's move against the recipe was 6.g4, I thought I was supposed to play 6.d3 to stop Ne4 first and he played 6... e5. The second game was against a provisional 2180 and I killed him in a leningrad type line. And my most recent game was an abysmal (on both sides) draw against a 2050, but I can't figure out what I should have done. 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Bg4 3.e3 (I've been taken out of the leningrad lines) 3... g6 now I'm not sure if the recipe is applicable (given that there's not pressure on d5) and I can't even take a b3 fianchetto line. 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 Bg7 and I decided that I needed to play 6.d4 and go into a stonewall. I can't stand the stonewall and have been trying to work out ways to avoid it when playing the bird, but I couldn't spot anything better here, any advice? I like the leningrad lines, I don't like being drawn out of them. |
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| Jun-03-08 | | Alphastar: <raskerino> 3. Ne5 must be an improvement for sure. |
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| Jun-25-08 | | HannibalSchlecter: Themofro: Should you intend to write a book, I have the cover for it. It's a close up of you flipping the bird but with your middle finger covered by a white pawn. Anyway, great commments. Keep the Bird alive! |
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Jun-26-08
 | | An Englishman: Good Evening: <Alphastar>, 3.Ne5 might not be as good as it appears. Check out this game. R Van Kemenade vs G Barrenechea Bahamonde, 2007
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| Jul-24-08 | | parisattack: The Bird was the first opening I ever played, had great success with it and the corresponding good memories. But, alas, I think it is a genuinely bad first move. |
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