Yes, I guess I was lucky there. My immediate instinct after black's weird 8...Qf6 is to establish what would be a double Knight outpost with 9.Nd5 though black could reply with g6
The two other moves I've in mind is to finish my (postponed) development with Bf4, which I'd prefer, or to castle, but that seems passive and needless at this time. As long as black is screwing around and I'm developing...
with black's queen retreating back to d8 I'm afforded a bit of breathing room and I'm thinking 10.Qe2 or Qd2, 0-0 or Bf4
6.Nc3 cxd4 is winning for Black, sir. How many times one must remind you that? Oh well...
I play this all the time as white.
with black's queen retreating back to d8 I'm afforded a bit of breathing room and I'm thinking 10.Qe2 or Qd2, 0-0 or Bf4
Hmm, maybe I'll try saying it this way...
This is an improvement for black from the line you posted, so I think white needs to find a different 6th move.
6.Nc3 cxd4 is winning for Black, sir. How many times one must remind you that? Oh well...
Yes, you're right, but that's not the move black made, and after 9. Nd5Qd8 I decided on 10.Qd2 to prevent a check on my king. Ooh why is it all highlighted.
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.
4...c5 is an obvious patzer's choice.
I'd say it's bizarre!
Actually I didn't in this game - there are still two knights. Irrelevant in what way?
No this is one I played last week but abandoned. I'm trying to establish what the line is and whether I did it right, because the ones Graham Burgess gives for the Philidor in his 'Mammoth Book of Chess' (Robinson, 2000) didn't tell me if my play was wrong...
You see I don't memorise openings, I don't have an eidetic memory- I just try and stick to opening principles, because if my opponent is going to use a particular opeening, I'll usually bugger it up by not playing along with the moves your 'supposed' to move like some chessic jigsaw.
look at database games with 4...c5 where weaker White players lost to strong Black players.
With 4...c5 and the odd moves I'd say black is weaker
i have got the mammoth book of chess too!
what about f6
I won a nice game recently as white in the exchange variation.
I have annotated the game, suggesting other lines. But black was completely lost after Qa5+
http://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=724187462
#42: Hope chess by definition.
After 11.Be3 Black is down a pawn for precisely nothing. Looks good only for bullet games.
1. d4 d6 2. e4 e5 3. Nf3 exd4 4.Nxd4 4...c5
I can not agree that 4...c5 is a bad move for black. If I remember correctly the move 4...c5 is the move Rybka 4.0 recommends playing as black's best choice.
Nevertheless, as black I would wait a bit with this c5-pawn push.
Estragon is right that white can play Bb5+ Bd7 6 Bxd7+ Qxd7 7 Nf5. (The point of this variation is, that black has not anymore BxNf5 at his disposal, and thus white can get a very firm grip on the e5 square with Nf5-e3-d5. I guess it is playable for black nevertheless, if black loves stubborn defense and no counterplay at all for a long time).
But if black castles first, then there is no check anymore.
The pawn push c7-c5 makes positionally sense, and I am astonished about the comments here. Actually, not playing c7-c5 usually means black has a bad game, whereas with this pawn push the black player gets some queenswing activity.
Of course black has then a hole on d5, and of course white will want to jump with a knight on this d5-square. Nevertheless, black can hardly do without playing c5 at some point. The backward pawn d6 isnt so weak as some people here might think. The black bishop on e7 (later often sitting on f8) is efficiently guarding it.
There may be some lines where white can win the d6 pawn - but black gets usually compensation for that pawn.
The engine recommends the exchange variation for white so I always go for it. It gives me good results
But it wasn't, it went 6. Nc3 a6
Pfren is right, you gave this line twice:
After 6.Nc3 there's no reason black can't take your knight on d4.