Black does not have to be so cooperative. 1.h4 e5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 Bc5 is a good setup. Black's plan is ...f7-f5, ...Ng8-f6, ...O-O, ...d7-d6 (or ...d7-d5 if it's good), then break on the kingside. Meanwhile it's harder for white to find a coherent developing setup. If white plays e2-e3 and Ng1-e2 (typical in such scenarios to shut down the c5-bishop) then the kingside starts to look distinctly cheesy -- as in, full of holes. If white omits e2-e3, where should the g1-knight go?
Desprez Theory
Sort:
@1
White can afford to play 1 h4.
@3
1. h4 e5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 Bc5
Black takes the dark squares, so white takes the light squares: 4 c4 and 5 Nc3.
Yes if black controls d4, then white cannot play d4 and Nf4, so white must settle for e3 and Nge2.
When is h4 seen as pointless? It's among the favorite moves of many grandmasters - Alekhine, Kasparov, Simon Williams to name a few.
This must be in amateur circles because in hypermodern chess circles, h4 is one of the prime new moves to kick off a kingside attack!
Stockfish also, rather than sheepishly keeping the king castled, aims to launch the king's pawns forward at the earliest opportunity. The mastership becomes knowing when you can get away with it and keep everything connected.
Also, as Magnus and Jobava have demonstrated, h4 can be a powerful variant of the London (Barry Attack).
So yes, use those pawns!
Sep 19, 2022
0
#5
zone_chess wrote:
When is h4 seen as pointless? It's among the favorite moves of many grandmasters - Alekhine, Kasparov, Simon Williams to name a few.
This must be in amateur circles because in hypermodern chess circles, h4 is one of the prime new moves to kick off a kingside attack!
Stockfish also, rather than sheepishly keeping the king castled, aims to launch the king's pawns forward at the earliest opportunity. The mastership becomes knowing when you can get away with it and keep everything connected.
Also, as Magnus and Jobava have demonstrated, h4 can be a powerful variant of the London (Barry Attack).
So yes, use those pawns!
I don't think you understand, H4 can be good in certain situations, but we are specifically talking about playing h4 as a first move.
Although h4 is often seen as a pointless move, I've found a line mentioned by GM Bronstein that shows the meaning of h4.
White has a somewhat active position, and h4 prevents any attempt at kicking the knight. Black doesn't have to cooperate, but it's still a cool idea.