Curtains vs PoG

[StregaChess]

I’m only a master (OLM even) who’s not played in at least an OLM (1996!) so take this with a grain of salt.

9. Qb3 and black plays?

So my gut tells me that knight out there in space is wasting time. Who told you people that you can move a knight twice in an opening before you move the kingside bishop, that’s a Bozo no-no right? I mean, don’t be so smart, with BLACK we are going to BUST the English by getting a knight at c2 with check, LOL….
Nb4 looks like the knight if fanning air, but what to do I know? If its theory and playable fine, it does not fit my style and I don’t see the point. Qc7 is stupid, Bf5 gets rebuked and the light squares on the queen side look silly.

... Nb4
Qb3 Bf5
Nd4 Be4

Yes let’s beat him with just a couple of pieces, that’s the ticket, we don’t even need our kingside.
Repeat after me, all of your pieces must play chess.

For lack of a real plan I’d develop, Be7 seems fine
Someone suggested Bd6 instead, the bishop would be biting on the granite at g3, but I play simpleton chess.
So maybe if we just play sound chess, we can bore him to death and win.

My vote... (admitting that Nb4 is dumb)

Be7

[pudley4]

[ QUOTE ]


If you didn't want to play Bf5 this move, the time to argue about it was last move. Nb4 was just silly if we didn't want to follow this plan.

[/ QUOTE ]

Be7 was winning in a landslide until the overnight revote was sprung on us. Now we're going to spend 3 moves to exchange white bishops, which will allow him time to: castle, blockade our d-pawn, and cover c2. Oh, and we'll still have the dark-squared bishop undeveloped and we'll still be uncastled [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[pudley4]

What about:

... Bf5
Nd4 Bg6
0-0 Be7

[pudley4]

Or:

... Bc5

followed by b6, and eventually Bb7. This prevents the immediate Nd4, and will help us when we attempt to advance d5-d4.

He's not going to immediately move Be3 and exchange, because it kills his kingside pawn structure. He may move e3, followed by Nd4 to blockade the pawn, but we could immediately move d4 and trade off the d-pawn

[shortline99]

i think the moves going into the next poll will be Bc5, Be7, and Bf5. Of those, I consider Be7 and Bc5 equal, and Bf5 makes me [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]. of course, Nb4 ALSO made me sad.

[dmk]

Nb4 was also my last choice. basically any B move was higher on my list

[StregaChess]

[ QUOTE ]
What about:

... Bf5
Nd4 Bg6
0-0 Be7

[/ QUOTE ]

You may find that after Bg6, white can play f4 instead of 0-0 and what do we do?
(not looking at the position, sort of doing it blindfolded so I am prone to stupid errors... )

I think its time to admit a mistake and play Be7, if we move the knight twice so what, he had to move his queen, could be worse...

[Stephen H]

What's the expected responses to Be7 and Bc5? I'm trying to work out various lines in my head (okay, on this little chess board at my desk) but I keep feeling like I'm wasting my time looking at things white will never do because for whatever reason I'm missing they suck.
Bc5, I see Be3, a3, O-O as viable responses.
Be7, I guess I expect O-O O-O, and then I have no idea what we face - Nd4 or a3, perhaps?

[xorbie]

all,

i don't see what's wrong with:

9. ..Bf5
10. Nd4 Be4

??

and pudley,

[ QUOTE ]

He's not going to immediately move Be3 and exchange

[/ QUOTE ]

of course he would, he captures at e3 with the Q and puts us in check, then moves back to threaten the knight, which we waste time moving back and lose our powerful bishop.

[NajdorfDefense]

[ QUOTE ]

The more aggressive option is to play Bc5 and other supporting moves and attempt to get in d4 as soon as possible to try and get some space edge. If we can maintain it (or better, force him to play e2-e3 to liquidate it), we may be able to get some decent chances.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bc5 currently is not that aggressive, really. He simply plays a3, forcing our knight back, and then castles into safety, followed by repositioning his Queen on d3 or somewhere better.

Better is Bf5, developing the Bishop and threatening c2, forcing Nd4, after our Be4 [a superior diagonal for us] he may still play o-o after which we then play Bc5. All of our minor pieces are developed and we can castle and/or retreat the b4 knight [or attack down the c/d file] depending on Curtains.
We can still then exchange off this g2 bishop if we so desire, leaving White with a weakened kingside.

if f3, then he's blocked in his bishop and seriously weakened his kingside protection, and made the e-pawn backwards [if he then e3 to e4, we exchange our isolani for an open game with superior file control and king safety]. We can then either retreat to Bg6 keeping pressure on the weak c2-square and strengthening our hold on the c-file, or we can play Qb6 threatening his d4-knight, and if he exchanges minor pieces following up with Rd8 winning the pawn back and controlling the center file with his king exposed, while we can still block with Be7 followed by o-o linking our rooks.
Or we can play Bxb1 followed by Qb6 and his best defense is the pawn-shield weakening e3.