Strategy of 'My System', Lesson 4
We're learning chess strategy from the classic My System by Aaron Nimzovich. I'm your guide, likesforests. Grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and enjoy. :)
§1.6 - How to Manage the Center
Today I'm trying something interesting. I'm blending concepts from Fine's Ideas Behind the Chess Openings and Nimzovich's My System... I think they work well together.
Pawn Formations
According to Fine, White's ideal pawn structure in e-pawn openings is:
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Ruy Lopez Formation
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After 1.e4 e5, White achieves this by playing d2-d4 to eliminate Black's center pawn. Black then plays ...d7-d6 to restrain White's central pawn.
In contrast, Black ideal pawn structure in e-pawn openings is:
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Vanished Center
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Black achieves this by playing a timely ...d5 to execute White's center pawn.
Handling a Mobile Center Pawn
According to Nimzovich, there are three ways to handle a mobile central pawn:
- Execute it - This is the ideal. It corresponds to ...d5 and a Vanished Center.
- Ignore it - Pushing ahead with development in spite of your opponent's mobile central pawn requires you to calculate a possible advance every move.
- Restrain it - This is the simplest. It corresponds to ...d6 and a Ruy Lopez Formation.
Often all three will occur in a game. We ignore it at first, we restrain it when we have to, and we execute it as soon as we have the opportunity.
The Center Game
The Center Game (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4) is one of the purest expressions of opening strategy. Let's walk through that example in detail with both authors in mind...
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Extra Credit: This position arose in tbonius-likesforests, chess.com 20-Aug-2008:
On the surface, this position may look very different than the ones we discussed earlier in this article, but there are definite similarities. Questions: 1. How does today's discussion apply to this position? 2. What candidate move does it suggest? 3. Does that move work? |
