Creepy Openings 9 - Tortoise

Books tell us that the Bishop has the same value as the Knight, although most expert players agree that the Bishop is a bit better and emphasize the strength of the Bishop pair. But do you think that the King's Bishop has the same value as the Queen's Bishop? This question sounds bizarre, but if you study openings you will get the idea. The Queen's Bishop is usually worse in the opening phase, because most openings concentrate on kingside development. The reason for this is that short castle is easier and safer. But let's follow the Bishops for a moment. After 1. e4 e5 the Bf1 can go to b5 when it x-rays the King on e8, or to c4 when it hits the most vulnerable point on f7. The Bc1 can't do that much. After 1. d4 d5 the Bf1 can go to d3 and attack the short castle (h7). We see the same thing even with fianchettos: Bg2 is stronger than Bb2 because the break c4 that opens the diagonal is easier than the equivalent break f4 that "opens" the King.

A very rare opening that emphasizes the King's Bishop power is the "Tortoise" 1. e4 e5 2. Bd3. Well, White blocks the d Pawn slowing down development, but the idea is to play c3 and Bc2 with a Spanish-like game. The Bishop is very strong on c2 as it can switch to 3 diagonals that target the kingside , b1-h7, a2-g8 and a4-e8. Black may comply with this slow plan or try to disrupt it with a quick d5 when the game livens up. A more common appearance of the same idea is the Kopec Anti-Sicilian 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc2 with c3 and Bc2 to follow, along with the famous Spanish-like Knight manouvres Nb1-d2-f1(c4)-g3(e3)-f5(d5) and/or Ng1-f3-h2(h4)-g4(f5) to build up a kingside attack.

A tortoise-like overprotection of the Pawn on e4 with Pawn on d3 and Pieces, shown as early as the Steinitz days is very important in this plan so that the central situation is under control and slow manouvring is available. Possible breaks with the d Pawn that open the Center totally change the tactics and speed up the pace of the game. That is why sometimes White puts the Bishop on e2, Pawn d3 and Knight d2 with an Old Indian Attack. The Bishop may again find the desirable path with Bd1 at some point.

Let's have a look at a nice Kopec win.

Have a good day!