As I mentioned in the thread about the Albin CounterGambit, I was looking for something new to play against 1. d4, so I bought the book "Unusual Queen's Gambit Declined" by Chris Ward for info on the Albin. But besides the Albin, that book also covers the Baltic and Chigorin, and in looking through it, I've decided that the Baltic (1. d4 d5 2. c4 Bf5) appeals to me the most of the three. I'm not really sure why - just a gut instinct.
The fact that 2. ... Bf5 messes up Colle players as well as working against the QGD is a plus. And people who delay c4 by playing 2. Nf3 first don't avoid it. Actually, the only way I can think of for white to really avoid it after 1. d4 d5 is if they go the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit route and play 2. e4. I've played the BDG enough as white to know how to deal with it, so that doesn't really worry me. Or I could always go with 2. ... e6 in that scenario and get the French, which is my usual response to 1. e4.
I've been mostly focused on endgame study lately, so I haven't had time to read the whole three chapters in the book on this opening, but I have skimmed them a bit and played over some of the games. I've also tried the opening twice myself so far in online games and enjoyed playing it, even though I didn't play it perfectly. At least I got interesting games.Does anyone here play the Baltic? Anyone have any recommendations or warnings for traps or lines I should know? Anyone know of any interesting games to look at in this opening? Any variations that white can use to avoid it besides 2. e4?
Besides that, is this opening considered sound? I know it's named after Keres, but I was wondering if any grandmasters play it today. Not that I would refuse to play an opening if it's unsound (I do play the Englund Gambit and Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, after all), but I'm just curious.
--Fromper
No grandmasters, and very few IMs play the Baltic these days. The refutation line is given in many popular books, including Modern Chess Openings, Nunn's Chess Openings, and Informator. Some of them call the opening the QG Refused. I haven't seen the book you are referring to, but I would be surprised if it has changed the evaluation of the opening.
It could have surprise value, but if your opponent knows the theory you are in for a very inferior position.
On the other hand, Morozevich has shown the Chigorin to be a playable modern opening.
The book gives some lines that are difficult to play, but nothing that seems to be an outright refutation. Apparently, Shirov has played the Baltic on occasion, and my book that covers it gives several games by GM Rausis, who seems to play it quite a bit.
You mentioned that MCO has the "refutation". Can you tell me where? I actually looked through my copy of MCO-14 to see what it had to say about the Baltic, but I couldn't find this opening mentioned anywhere. I tried the section on the QGD and misc double queen's pawn openings, as well of the index of openings by name. I haven't taken the time to search the Slav section yet, but I was thinking it might be hidden in a footnote as a sideline in there somewhere, since it can transpose to a Slav in some lines.
Reb, thanks for the comment on the specific move that white does best with.
After 3. cxd5, the usual move by black is 3. ... Bxb1. If white recaptures immediately with 4. Rxb1, black gets a decent position. Looking through the games in my book, that's actually the line I hope my opponents will play. After 4. ... Qxd5, black aims to play Nc6, 0-0-0, and e5 on the next few moves to try attacking up the d file. The strategy in that line is straightforward, but the tactics can get wild enough to be fun. That's why I want to play this opening.
4. Qa4+, delaying the recapture on b1, is the line that probably causes black the most problems. I'll have to look through the book more and play some more games to learn how to deal with that and other possible white moves.
I don't really care if an opening is objectively any good. I'm rated 1363 USCF, and most of my tournament opponents are in the 1300-1700 range. My opponents aren't going to clobber me just because I play an opening that seems reasonable, but isn't quite good enough to be popular among grandmasters. Once I get better, gain a few hundred rating points, and start trying to routinely defeat players above 1800, I'll worry about whether my opening choices are sound enough for opponents who are better at playing against them. But by then, if I'm still playing this opening, I'm likely to be bored with playing the same opening all the time and be ready for something new, anyway.
I just think the positions that come from this opening look interesting. It's a way to get an open, attacking game against Queen's Gambit players, without playing an extremely risky gambit. I might look at the Albin too, since I have the book that covers it. It's always good to have several openings to choose from, especially since the main club I play at is pretty small, so I face the same opponents over and over.
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