I suppose it will have been pointed out to Staples that wherever white won in the games he demonstrated, black made bad moves. I wonder if he thinks that's significant or not.
A Bust to the Sicilian Defense
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Here's a fun game, recently played:
https://www.chess.com/daily/game/200928728
Oct 19, 2018
0
#384
littleLizz wrote:
staples13 wrote:
Littlelizz I see you’re an Alapin player as well!!! It’s good to see another practitioner of the Alapin!
Nice to meet you! The Alapin is my favorite opening as White. Very solid and fights very well in the center, which is the type of game I like. I play the Caro-Kann as Black for the very same reason as I play the Alapin as White - because they are both very strong!
Nice. The Alapin is my favorite opening too. Feel free to post any of your brilliant wins in the Alapin on this thread anytime!
Oct 19, 2018
0
#385
That’s an interesting game Optimissed. It’s not an Alapin game though. Perhaps your opponent would’ve done better if he had played the Alapin instead of the inaccurate 2. Nf3
staples13 wrote:
Well keep it up fine sir. Keep destroying people with the Alapin. Soon there will be no one left playing any other variation of the Sicilian
Yeah, the alapin is good and all, but you always say "2. Nf3 is inaccurate because it gives black drawing chances". I don't see the point of that. Nf3 is great (even though in OTB I play 2.Nc3). I just don't see the point of why an open center is bad. The alapin is in a way "ruining" sicilian as its supposed to be open, dynamic and aggressive but the Alapin just make is positional. My verdict would be that it is a useful, but unnecessary and harmless variation, and it is much upto the player on how its done. Also what GMs say that it is literally "harmless" because it literally is a Caro-Kann (which is also considered "harmless" but what makes it dangerous is that in Karpov's eyes, he does it really well), it makes no threats, and makes a "boring" and "obvious" game. Sure, you and Alapin have succeeds with it but that's because you pretty much know the opening like a brother, and you can seamlessly use it in all scenarios. Its kinda like how Steinitz is one of the only people who can effectively use the Steinitz gambit, and nobody else can figure out how its good
staples13 wrote:
That’s an interesting game Optimissed. It’s not an Alapin game though. Perhaps your opponent would’ve done better if he had played the Alapin instead of the inaccurate 2. Nf3
"... There is no doubt in my mind that if you really want to test the Sicilian then you have to play the main lines of the Open Sicilian. ..." - GM John Nunn (2005)
Yeah, I'm not sure how you can claim the sicilian isn't popular at the highest level lol. Easily the main line against e4
staples13 wrote:
That’s an interesting game Optimissed. It’s not an Alapin game though. Perhaps your opponent would’ve done better if he had played the Alapin instead of the inaccurate 2. Nf3>>>
Oh sorry. But the point of 2. Nf3 is that white is willing to give up a centre pawn for a c-pawn to create room in the centre and the process also centralises the f3 knight to d4 where it's potentially very active or black creates weaknesses by driving it off.
The fact remains that 2. Nf3 simply isn't to your taste. I'll try to find a game where I've defeated the Alapin and the Alapin player didn't make too many bad moves. But in my experience, although lots of people try to play the Alapin, they don't often play it all that strongly. I could probably find a game where I played it and you can see my interpretation of it, if you like.
Looks like I've forgotten how to post a GIF or they changed it again. But my opponent blundered on move 18.
Still no GIF. Pain in the neck, the way they constantly change it.
2...Qa5 is an interesting idea, which probably falls short, not because of all the nonsense posted in #481, but rather because white CAN play 3.d4! anyway: 3...cxd4 4.Bd2 is analysed by Esserman in "Mayhem in the Morra" as giving terrific compensation to white, and it seems to me that in this case his analysis is correct.
But Black does not need a third (...ooops... fourth) move to equalize... 2...Nf6, 2...d5 and 2...e6 are quite enough.
Oct 20, 2018
0
#395
BobbyPhisher960 wrote:
You mean fourth?
He doesn't need fourth, but 2... d6 is pretty good if Black wants to draw. Very solid.
d6 does not draw. In fact it loses pretty much immediately for the reasons that I posted last week. See my analysis there.
Anyhow, I score 72% wins 22% loss and 6 % draw against it in 149 blitz games. In fact d6 is the worst scoring common response to the Alapin.
Oct 20, 2018
0
#396
pfren wrote:
2...Qa5 is an interesting idea, which probably falls short, because white CAN play 3.d4! anyway: 3...cxd4 4.Bd2 is analysed by Esserman in "Mayhem in the Morra" as giving terrific compensation to white, and it seems to me that in this case his analysis is correct.
Good post! I think we can all agree 2. Qa5 is not a playable move
Oct 20, 2018
0
#397
Here is a beautiful trap shown to me by Sibi 90, another Alapin player. The Alapin is rich with these kinds of tactics, traps, and pitfalls.
Oct 20, 2018
0
#398
Here is Optimissed's crushing victory in the Alapin that he posted a link to. Notice how he played the move Na3! which I've been constantly stating is the key winning move in these 2. d5 lines. Here black can not handle white's rapid development and attack after Na3
staples13 έγραψε:
Here is Optimissed's crushing victory in the Alapin that he posted a link to. Notice how he played the move Na3! which I've been constantly stating is the key winning move in these 2. d5 lines. Here black can not handle white's rapid development and attack after Na3
8.Bf4 is pointless, and your much praised 9.Na3? a lemon.
What is white supposed to do after 9...cxd4? (which is the very first thing Black should consider after an eventual Na3).
10.Nb5 Qf5! shows why 8.Bf4 wasn't such a good move.
Littlelizz I see you’re an Alapin player as well!!! It’s good to see another practitioner of the Alapin!