Poisoning the Grunfeld with The London Part Three!
Hi London System fans! Welcome to my final blog in the series for how to Poison the Grunfeld in London style.
If you've recalled last time we were tackling the audacious response 5...0-0?! (Part 1) and the clumsy 5...h5 the gives white a lot of squares. https://www.chess.com/blog/2Bf41-0/poisoning-the-grunfeld-with-the-london-part-one and https://www.chess.com/blog/2Bf41-0/poisoning-the-grunfeld-with-the-london-part-two . In this blog we'll handle an elite choice 5...h6! As mentioned before, the likelihood facing this between the 1500-2200 level is minuscule. (Until after this blog 
)
- Ne5, the typical Barry leap, covered in my previous article.
- f3-g4-g5! This pawn storm is easier and more powerfully executed with a pawn on h6.
- f3-e4 central expansion is a recurrent theme.
Another bonus is that in an ending often times black would want his pawn on h5, not unprotected on h6, so black is to waste another move playing h5 later on. I provide 4 games where black's monarch decapitates in electrifying fashion.
Key ideas to remember, 7.Nb5! and 9.a4 gained control of the queenside. 13.Qd2 coerced black to make the undesirable advance h6-h5. Consequently, the resplendent 19.Rxe6! smashes through black's position as his pawn structure is disseminated. (note 19...Qxe6 falis to 20.Re1 and after the queen moves, 21.Bxe7 gobbles up the imprisoned rook on f8)
Black was doing alright in this game before allowing 14.Bxh5! (finally taking down that pesky steed that plagues us London fanatics.) when black's payed the price for the execrable kingside structure. Notable move is 20.Nd5! Exploiting the fabulous pin queen from h6 the black's queen on a6, (one usually doesn't see tactics like that everyday!)
6.Nb5! 9.Ne5! are out no-brainer Barry knight moves. 13.h5!? forced g5 and then 14.Bxg5! allowed for huge initiative on the now exposed black king. 24.Rxg7! concludes this brilliant attacking game.
Black goes for an early queenside assault. After 11.f3! though, he is worried at the prospects of g4 so h5 commits a weakening error that loses time as well: 11....h5. As usual, centralization with Ne5 has been thrown in the mix as well as a fantastic exploitation of tactics with 15.Nb5! by 20.e4! All of white's pieces are on optimal squares, and black can resign.
It's a truly heartwarming experience when I see the amalgamation of all of our themes, plans, pawn thrusts, knight centralizers and heterodox tactical motifs that are present this opening line.
This blog brings to an end our exploration of how to "poison the Grunfeld in London style" ... I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as I did, good luck in your games, bye for now!
