Earlier today, as I was playing my Round 6 game at the Oceania Zonal, I was sitting beside a game between two strong club players (rated in the 1900-2100 range), watching events unfold with interest. The game started as follows:
At this point, White got scared of ...b5, creating a nice pawn chain to hang on to the c4-pawn. So, rather than the correct 5.e4 b5 6.e5 Nd5 7.a4, with good compensation for the pawn, he played 5.a4, preventing ...b5.
I find this to be a surprisingly common error, not just among club players, but even titled players.
What could be so bad about 5.a4, you say? Well, first of all, before preventing the opponent's idea, we should ask ourselves whether we can ignore it. Second, when we compare the position before ...a6/a4 and after 4...a6 5.a4, it is clear that the difference is in Black's favour, as 5.a4 weakens quite a few squares on the queenside.
These generalities are all well and good, but how do we exploit them concretely?
Well done! It's worth noting that the Black player, FM Shaun Press, had played 5...e6 in this position in his game yesterday. It's also a decent move, getting a Vienna Variation where ...a6 is a bit better than a4, but it doesn't punish White's move order the way 5...Nc6! does.
Now I want to test your imagination a bit, and see if you can find a string of great moves for Black!
Now let's see how the game transpired:
I'd like you to think about this position after 10...0-0, and come up with an idea for White! If you are too lazy to have a long think, ask yourself - what is White's most natural move?
In the game, White played 11.e4, which is quite common! Do you know how we should deal with this break?
In the game, White played 13.Be2 instead of 13.Qxd4, and Black was left with a technically winning position - not only is he up a pawn, but he also dominates the dark squares and has the more harmonious piece placement.
However, rather than consolidating his dark-squared control with a move like 13...e5 (and ...c6/...Bc5 to follow, say), he played 13...Nxe2, based on the concept of exchanging pieces when up in material. That principle works very well when you have a large material advantage, but has its limitations when your material advantage is smaller (e.g. a pawn up). Some moves later, White made the 'your position is much better but I am higher rated than you' draw offer, which was accepted.
After the game, Shaun told me that this wasn't the first time he had played this ...Bxf3/...Nxd4 tactic - he had been shown the idea by my friend GM Elshan Moradiabadi, when he was the captain/coach of the Papua New Guinea Open team at the 2018 Batumi Olympiad, and subsequently got to play it in several games - much like a one-trick pony that runs many laps, and wins many races in the same way!
Some of you may already have such a variation in your repertoire, which features a cunning trap that many of your opponents have fallen into! One of my friends, GM David Smerdon, based his opening repertoire around opening variations that gave his opponents a lot of chances to go wrong early, and this often allowed him to beat lower-rated players quickly and conserve energy for later rounds, while still reaching playable positions he knew well and was comfortable with against his fellow Grandmasters.
I find that many club players don't handle the Queen's Gambit Accepted very well in practice, and I see a few reasons for that:
1) It's not quite one of the 'main lines' against 1.d4, so players are often not as practised and prepared against it. If they did prepare some line, it was probably a while ago, and they may have forgotten the details.
2) The play in the Queen's Gambit Accepted is a bit more open and direct than most other 1.d4 openings, giving White chances to go wrong early if he doesn't play one of the solid lines with an early e3.
3) Black has a very solid position at the start, making it not so easy for White to find a plan or a target.
Even on an objective level, it's not clear that there's anything really wrong with the Queen's Gambit Accepted, with e.g. Caruana playing it frequently and successfully at the highest level.
For those wanting to play this one-trick pony in your own games, I would also recommend studying the following great game by the 2019 Australian Open Champion:
I find it generally better to wait with a4 until Black has played ...b5. Here are a few examples of this from opening theory:
However, a notable exception is the Main Line Slav, as mentioned before:
Back when I was an active tournament player, I played a fun game featuring this ...a6/a4 theme. Let's enjoy it together:
In the game, I missed my opportunity and played 7...f6, but nonetheless went on to win quite convincingly.
Having enjoyed the lesson, it's now time to turn our new knowledge into good thinking techniques and practical advice for our next games:
1) Play opening variations you are comfortable with, but it's a nice added bonus if they also have some traps that your opponents can fall into! Make sure to know these traps, so you can seize your opportunity.
2) As Magnus Carlsen mentioned last year in an interview with Inc., players often worry about moves that are objectively not such a problem in their games. By all means, consider what the opponent is trying to do, but start your calculations with whether you can ignore the opponent's idea, rather than automatically spending a tempo to stop their idea.
3) A lot of tactical traps can be avoided by considering all checks and captures on each move.
4) To make your opening study more efficient, focus on the moves you are most likely to face at your level. For example, the Catalan is quite a popular opening at Grandmaster level, but at club level, you'll see the Exchange Variation a lot more.
5) Don't reject an idea completely just because of one or two examples or negative experiences! As we saw, there was a notable exception (the Main Line Slav) where it was most prudent to play a4 before Black could get in ...b5. Chess principles are there to guide us, but they all have their exceptions!
6) When you see a good move, don't play it immediately. Instead, check if there is a better move!
There are many chess coaches, but you can't know how well they can coach without having a lesson first, right?
With this article, you have a great idea of how a lesson with me could go, and whether we'll make a great team working together to make your chess dreams your reality!
As you probably noticed, I like to focus on the chess themes that are most important for you, at your current level and involve you in my lessons, so you can better understand, retain and apply the key thinking techniques that will get you to the next level.
Whatever your challenges in chess are right now, I'll listen to you and, using my extensive experience as a chess coach and player, show you how to overcome it. My students have shown great results and been very successful in achieving their goals, and I want you to enjoy similar success in your games.
If you're ready to invest in your chess improvement and get the direction you need from a master to achieve your chess goals, message me on Chess.com, or email me at illingworthchess@gmail.com. I have a special gift for those who arrange training with me - you'll have to contact me to find out more!
Thank you for your attention, dear students! I hope you found this free chess lesson helpful!
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