This forum is for giving examples of various unusual opening resources that are available in 960 games that are not seen in the standard chess position 518. Feel free to add to them!
The almost general rule in chess that you do not make more than two pawn moves in the opening does not always apply in many Chess960 positions. There are amazing ways to engineer the pawn placements that both block the opponents pieces and provide bullet proof defense for the king despite opening lines against him. Here is a simply great example (follow the many scratch pad lines computer cross checked):
Unfortunately black has not used a computer to cross check, however the basic ideas of this position remain intact. They are:
A) 3.f5!? It is ok to move this pawn twice! If black takes, white gets an isolated pawn and black must waste time developing his f8 knight into a deployment that is unclear. Can you see how even if pawns are exchanged, black's f8 knight remains trapped! There is a very beautiful idea available to black that can develop the knight quickly: 5...h6 followed by ...Bh7 and Ne3!? utilising the pin of the f-pawn against the king. However the truth is that this knight deployment to e3 is very unclear as to it's final worth.
B) 4.c4!? Yet another pawn move by white! Although it is totally unclear whether the move works, the discussion is about unusual resources that are available to 960 players. The point of c4!? is that there is simply no way for black to infiltrate white's king despite the huge hole in white's position at d4 and the open diagonal line against the king. White's idea is that Nc3 shields the king and that the d2 pawn will not be used for a long time (just to keep black's dark bishop locked in). It will also protect against an advancing e-pawn if the position opens. Black may take the outpost for his knights at c5 and d4, but those outposts have no attack targets that can cooperate with his other pieces, particularly the bishops. Black is faced with multiple developmental problems regarding his bishops. The very best idea that I could find in response is 4)c4...f6!? (see the move list).
The summary of this example is that multiple pawn moves are ok so long as the opponent's own development is hindered by them. In this example, there is a very deep discussion about how both the bishops and the knights get deployed and how they counter each other which allows these unusual pawn moves. The knights in particular are fascinating. I *think* that this position cancels out all activity of the knights producing perfect neutrality, despite the knight's concrete outposts. But I am not sure. I can feel it, but I cannot actually prove it even with a computer.
This forum is for giving examples of various unusual opening resources that are available in 960 games that are not seen in the standard chess position 518. Feel free to add to them!
The almost general rule in chess that you do not make more than two pawn moves in the opening does not always apply in many Chess960 positions. There are amazing ways to engineer the pawn placements that both block the opponents pieces and provide bullet proof defense for the king despite opening lines against him. Here is a simply great example (follow the many scratch pad lines computer cross checked):
Unfortunately black has not used a computer to cross check, however the basic ideas of this position remain intact. They are:
A) 3.f5!? It is ok to move this pawn twice! If black takes, white gets an isolated pawn and black must waste time developing his f8 knight into a deployment that is unclear. Can you see how even if pawns are exchanged, black's f8 knight remains trapped! There is a very beautiful idea available to black that can develop the knight quickly: 5...h6 followed by ...Bh7 and Ne3!? utilising the pin of the f-pawn against the king. However the truth is that this knight deployment to e3 is very unclear as to it's final worth.
B) 4.c4!? Yet another pawn move by white! Although it is totally unclear whether the move works, the discussion is about unusual resources that are available to 960 players. The point of c4!? is that there is simply no way for black to infiltrate white's king despite the huge hole in white's position at d4 and the open diagonal line against the king. White's idea is that Nc3 shields the king and that the d2 pawn will not be used for a long time (just to keep black's dark bishop locked in). It will also protect against an advancing e-pawn if the position opens. Black may take the outpost for his knights at c5 and d4, but those outposts have no attack targets that can cooperate with his other pieces, particularly the bishops. Black is faced with multiple developmental problems regarding his bishops. The very best idea that I could find in response is 4)c4...f6!? (see the move list).
The summary of this example is that multiple pawn moves are ok so long as the opponent's own development is hindered by them. In this example, there is a very deep discussion about how both the bishops and the knights get deployed and how they counter each other which allows these unusual pawn moves. The knights in particular are fascinating. I *think* that this position cancels out all activity of the knights producing perfect neutrality, despite the knight's concrete outposts. But I am not sure. I can feel it, but I cannot actually prove it even with a computer.
Cheers