REVERSE DRAGON?!
King's English, Reversed Dragon - Mainline questions about move 8. for White
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Jan 4, 2021
0
#3
A few things on 8.a3:
It’s not exactly a minority attack. The advance of the b-pawn is not intended to create a weak pawn in the Black camp, as it does in the QGD. Here the main idea is simple: to gain space on the queenside. In quite a few lines the pawn remain on b4 so as to control c5.
The “prospects for White” are not that obvious, as is in many English variations. They will revealed when Black makes committal moves. For example: 8.a3 O-O 9.b4 Be6 10.Rb1 f6 11.d3 a5 12.b5 Nd4 13.Nd2 Nd5?? (a natural reaction to block the long diagonal) 14.Bxd5 Bxd5 15.e3 and Black suddenly loses a piece.
It’s not exactly a minority attack. The advance of the b-pawn is not intended to create a weak pawn in the Black camp, as it does in the QGD. Here the main idea is simple: to gain space on the queenside. In quite a few lines the pawn remain on b4 so as to control c5.
The “prospects for White” are not that obvious, as is in many English variations. They will revealed when Black makes committal moves. For example: 8.a3 O-O 9.b4 Be6 10.Rb1 f6 11.d3 a5 12.b5 Nd4 13.Nd2 Nd5?? (a natural reaction to block the long diagonal) 14.Bxd5 Bxd5 15.e3 and Black suddenly loses a piece.
What happens in the middle game is more important. We see here Korchnoi playing very agressively in the "quiet" b3 line.
This looks like a good try for a small advantage. Rb1 prevents the bishop landing on b3 in some lines.
laladeer wrote:
A few things on 8.a3:
It’s not exactly a minority attack. The advance of the b-pawn is not intended to create a weak pawn in the Black camp, as it does in the QGD. Here the main idea is simple: to gain space on the queenside. In quite a few lines the pawn remain on b4 so as to control c5.
The “prospects for White” are not that obvious, as is in many English variations. They will revealed when Black makes committal moves. For example: 8.a3 O-O 9.b4 Be6 10.Rb1 f6 11.d3 a5 12.b5 Nd4 13.Nd2 Nd5?? (a natural reaction to block the long diagonal) 14.Bxd5 Bxd5 15.e3 and Black suddenly loses a piece.
It’s not exactly a minority attack. The advance of the b-pawn is not intended to create a weak pawn in the Black camp, as it does in the QGD. Here the main idea is simple: to gain space on the queenside. In quite a few lines the pawn remain on b4 so as to control c5.
The “prospects for White” are not that obvious, as is in many English variations. They will revealed when Black makes committal moves. For example: 8.a3 O-O 9.b4 Be6 10.Rb1 f6 11.d3 a5 12.b5 Nd4 13.Nd2 Nd5?? (a natural reaction to block the long diagonal) 14.Bxd5 Bxd5 15.e3 and Black suddenly loses a piece.
Thank you for your reply! I can certainly find truth in the statement "not too obvious prospects". But am I perhaps mistaken then in thinking that all that White does in the '8. a3' line is grab queenside space and make some (semi-)helpful manoeuvres in the middlegame untill Black errs?
And if that line of thought were to be true, are there then 'standard' manoeuvres that White wishes to accomplish? By that, I would mean ideas such as "The Rook always belongs on b1 or c1", "The dark-square Bishop always belongs on b2 where it pressures the centre" or even "The Knight on f3 will always jump to d2, where it can support the other Knight in the Nc3-Ne4-Nb5 manoeuvre". Or am I oversimplifying the Reversed Dragon by stating this?
Nerwal wrote:
What happens in the middle game is more important. We see here Korchnoi playing very agressively in the "quiet" b3 line.
This looks like a good try for a small advantage. Rb1 prevents the bishop landing on b3 in some lines.
Interesting games, and quite instructive, thanks for sharing those! I see that the '8. b3' line has more venom than I thought. Then again, I don't play at the level that Korchnoi played and I would far stray from such a daring rook lift!
Carlsen's game is quite instructive too, showing the '8. a3' line. Interesting to see that Carlsen chose to push b4-b5 before playing d2-d3. I am curious if the move e2-e3 doesn't create a lot of weak light squares around White's camp (not ideological I suppose), but then again it seems White retains the initiative throughout the game from move 12 onwards.
Jan 5, 2021
0
#7
From the move order of Carlsen's game 6...Bc5 instead of 6...Nb6, which used to be thought to be virtually forced, as become trendy.
In opening rep book's like Marin's think mostly cover 8a3 in the 6...Nb6 line.
TwoMove wrote:
From the move order of Carlsen's game 6...Bc5 instead of 6...Nb6, which used to be thought to be virtually forced, as become trendy.
In opening rep book's like Marin's think mostly cover 8a3 in the 6...Nb6 line.
Hello there!
Carlsen's game 'transposes' into a Reversed Dragon, originally starting with a Four Knights King's English. In that particular game, 6. ...Bc5 is indeed the more topical move it seems.
However, in the move order of the Reversed Dragon (which first employs g3 and Bg2), the Knight has to move (either to e7, f6 or b6), has to capture our own knight (with Nxc3) or has to be defended (with Be6).
Even then, if Black would still want to play Bc5 in the Reversed Dragon (instead of the typical Be7), the following example could happen:
I will check out Marin's book though, now you mention it...
Hello there,
I have some questions regarding the main line of the Reversed Dragon Sicilian in the English opening. I've found some free resources regarding this approach to the Reversed Sicilian. I understand that Nb6 is the main line approach in combatting the Dragon setup. See diagram below.
Now I am at a crossroad. I understand the basic concept behind each move, but fail to see which approach to take:
- 8. a3 seems to be a slow move in my mind. It prepares a minority attack, but I can't see the prospects for White after 8. ... 0-0 9. b4 Be6. White can't push b4-b5, or am I mistaken? It seems that after 10. b4 Nd4 Black retains a good position.
- 8. d3 seems to only temporarily stop e5-e4. After 8. ... 0-0 9. Bd2 Be6 10. Rc1 Black seems to stand equal after 10. ...f5!, which makes e4 a renewed threat.
- 8. b3 seems logical, in the sense that it prepares both Bb2 as Rc1, but I can't help but look at it and feel a sense of passive play. After 8. ... 0-0 9. Bb2 Re8 10. Rc1 Bf8 11. d3 Nd4 particularly.
- 8. Rb1 feels like the weakest choice, since the whole concept of b2-b4 is immediately stopped through 8. ...a5 9. d3 0-0, leading White back to one of the original three choices (a3, b3 or d3). Or, even more peculiar would be to follow up with 10. Be3 Be6 and having the choice of pushing d3-d4 or the choice of wrecking the pawn structure with 11. Bxb6?! cxb6.
So, with all that in mind: Could somebody advocate which approach to take? What are the imbalances following each approach? What are the positive and negative points to each approach?