Way Too Much Prep Against The Czech-Pirc

Have you ever had the misfortune of walking into an opponent’s deep preparation? I recently was able to unleash a double piece sacrifice against an unsuspecting opponent, that I had prepared because of a memorable game I played in a tournament as a child nearly 25 years ago.

At the time of this game, my 1600-rated opponent was the highest-rated player I had ever beaten. I knew nothing about the opening after move three, but was able to find a nice tactic and win his queen.

I’ve faced this unusual opening only rarely in the decades since that game, so remembering that line hasn’t been very helpful. However, at some point I faced it in a blitz game and realized that if Black avoids the Nd6+ sacrifice, then White’s task isn’t so straightforward. That led to a bit more preparation, as I worked out how to refute a better defensive try. I was able to put that into practice against an unsuspecting opponent recently.

I assume most people who play d6, c6 and Qa5 in the opening are trying to avoid theory. Imagine his bad luck, running into some of the deepest preparation of my career.

Just for fun, here’s a quick analysis of Black’s best defense against my line in the Czech-Pirc. I think Black should be able to hold with best play, but the whole variation is so insane, I don’t really recommend anyone trying it.

Now you know all of my secrets in this variation. If you want to play it sometime, you know where to find me.