Question regarding a few moves in Giuoco Piano Main Line

This is a pretty common position to reach in the italian game. After studying it with databases i have 2 questions:

1. A common plan for black is to play a6 followed by Ba7. Why is this necessary? How can white punish black if he skips this maneuver? I don't see that blacks bishop is badly placed on c5.

2. A common plan for white is to reroute the b1 knight to the kingside by playing Nbd2 to start the journey. Should black play Bg5 first or is it better to leave the bishop undeveloped for now? What are the ups & downs with each idea?

I play this quite often, but usually 7.Nbd2 instead of 7.Bb3. There are a lot of subtleties in this system and I won't pretend to be an expert, but here is how I see it:

1. If the bishop remains on c5 there are sometimes tactics further down the line if white can play d4 safely eg. potential double attacks on Bc5 and a Ne5, or just the tempo of d4 Bb6 e5. Also a6 simply begins a claim for space on the queenside which white will probably try to do himself at some point with a4 or b4.

2. I personally don't like to play Bg5 and leave it on c1 until Nbd2, Nf1, Ng3 for example has been played. I feel that the bishop may be stuck out of play over on the kingside, or that black can go h6, g5 and suddenly my own kingside is getting twitchy (especially if black has not yet gone 0-0). I have noticed the Bg5 move in GM games though so obviously it is a move. As I say, just the way I see it. 

[1] As @Strangemover has mentioned, black wants to move his bishop away from c5.

The direct approach is ...Bb6, but the bishop is not entirely safe on b6 either. White can put a knight on c4 and then play a2-a4, threatening a4-a5. If black responds with ...a6(a5), white will exchange on b6 and enjoy a superior structure, in addition to his bishop pair.

Therefore black would rather “waste” a move (...a6) to protect his DSB.

If you’re wondering what will happen if black leaves the bishop on c5, here is an example: 7... h6 8. Re1 Ne7 (planning ...Ng6-f4) 9. d4! when black has to take on d4 and give up his center. Black has no time to play 9...Ng6 because his DSB is under attack.

[2]

Bg5 is usually not the best option for white. It’s more of a target for black than an achievement for white. Black can respond with ...h6 and ...g5, leading to a double-edged fight focused on the e5-pawn.

Moreover, black can opt for a safer approach, which is a well-known maneuver: ...Qe7 followed with ...Nd8-e6. The black knight will head to f4 at the right time.

Anyway, the pin will not create much trouble for black, so white would rather keep the bishop on c1 for a while.

Thank you both for your answers. I guess i will need some experience playing this position to really get the feeling for the ups & downs about the moves.

 

Strangemover:

How do you handle Na5 if you play 7.Nbd2 instead of 7.Bb3? A general rule i have learned is that you should either play Bb3 or a3/a4 after black plays d6 to prevent black from exchanging his less active knight for our active bishop. (if black tries Na5 before playing d6, his e5 pawn would be hanging)

 

philofrost:

I tried the line you mentioned and after 9. d4 i played the top moves suggested by stockfish and we end up in this position, which is evaluated as almost equal (+0,1). So it is not bad for black but it is true that white has both his central pawns on good squares.

 

Of course you wont allow your bishop being exchanged for the knight, so Bb5 should be played. If chased by pawns, the bishop will go to c2, and in case of ...Bd7 swap bishops, and the Na5 is temporarily misplaced.

 

And to add on to what pfren said, if you are worried about the case of swapping Bishops, you shouldn't be.  It's not that your Bishop is almighty and should be kept at all cost.  It simply shouldn't be swapped for that lousy Knight.  Also, it is not all kicks and giggles for Black.  If Black swaps off that Bishop, the f5-square, where that b1-Knight is trying to get to in the first place, is severely weakened since the Bishop is gone.

 

This is also why Black often plays ...Be6 with the Bishop on b3.  Black does not mind if YOU swap Bishops.  He will take with the f-pawn, which does two things.

1) It opens up the Rook on f8 to attack down the f-file

2) It puts a pawn on e6, taking away the f5-square from the White Knights.

 

Usually Black will have no interest in trading with you on b3 unless he is forced to do it.  By doing so, his pawn remains on f7, and the f5-square is weak.  Even if ...g6 is played, there can often be tactics around the Black King that still allow you to play Nf5.

I can see that the DSB stops white playing annoying pawn breaks like f4. What are some other reasons that black would not want to part with the DSB? What are some ways that it can be useful in these positions?

Thanks in advance

The Giuoco Pianissimo is a tricky opening. It is not all that simple. Here is the recent world championship game with it: 6...a5 and 7...Ba7 to save the bishop, 8 Na3 instead of 8 Nbd2, keeping open the option of 9 Bg5, 8...h6 to prevent 9 Bg5 or 9 Ng5.
Generally neither player wants to trade his bishop for a knight as it cedes the bishop's pair, unless it gains several tempi. That is why black often makes an escape hole with ...a6 or ...a5, and white often makes an escape hole with c3 and Bb3. Another point is to retreat the bishops Bc4 and Bc5 before the thematic pawn breaks ...d5 and d4 happen, so as to retain more options to respond to those pawn breaks.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2136417 

The ...a5 plan is rather new, and extremely trendy currently. Here is an ICCF game I played (the opponent is an OTB IM) and did not get anything real as white against it.

Actually everything up to move 23 has been played before at high CC level. The bishop pair and one pawn match perfectly white's rook and knight.

 

 

 

#14
So is a proficient player of it.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1990228