Attacking the Hyper-Modern Defense

In an earlier post the Wayward Queen Attack was called a mini-boss (something you need to defeat in order to advance to the next level).  Continuing that analogy I believe Hyper-Modern Defense is the second mini-boss for beginning players.  At the beginning level a hyper-modern defense can be understood as allowing the Adversary a free hand in the center.  The defender then counter attacks or picks up material that has been ventured on a premature attack.  

In “The Minor Tactics of Chess”  by Franklin Knowles Young and Edwin C. Howell, a number of unique  ideas are presented.  For them minor tactics are what you use to establish the position of pawns and pieces during the opening. Their concept is that there is a best formation of pawns, and best squares for the pieces.  Instead of learning untold numbers of openings and their variations it is suggested that the beginner learn to establish a “Primary Base”.  “A complete and constant disposition of all the pieces in the opening of a game, preliminary to the play of the mid-game.”  In the construction of a primary base it is, “therefore necessary to effect the formation of a P integral,” (placing the pawns on the most advantages squared) “and to combine with it consistent units of all the superior pieces.”  Since what you can accomplish in the opening is a function of what your Adversary plays they have a few different primary basses, for both white and black, the primary basses are ranked form the strongest down.  There is a “perfect theoretical order of moves” suggested for each primary base.  However reaching the position is the key, not following the suggested move order.    

The suggested moves for the strongest primary base (1A) are: 1 e4 2 d4 3 c3 4 Bd3 5 Ne2 6 0-0 7 Be3 8 Nd2 9 f4 10 Nd f3 11 Qd2 12 Ra e1

The second strongest primary base (1B) has the following theoretical order of moves: 1 e4 2 d4 3 c3 4 Bc4 5 Ne2 6 0-0 7 Be3 8 Nd2 9 f4 10 Nd f3 11 Qd2 12 Ra e1

The the third strongest (1C) is constructed as follows: 1 e4 2 d4 3 c3 4 Bd3 5 Ne2 6 0-0 7 Bd3 8 Nd2 9 Qc2 10 Ra e2.  

Both base 1B and 1C are considered to be incomplete forms of Base 1A.  

At the beginner level it is almost impossible to set up any primary base except against a hyper-modern style defense, against which they do work very well.  

The P Integral for the above bases has pawns on c3, d4, e4, and f4.

The key concept is that these pawns act as a defensive permitter that protects the king and pieces while they establish the primary base. The pawn on c3 protects the king for attacks along the e1-a4 diagonal. The pawn on d4 protects the f2 pawn and the king after it has castled and the f pawn has been advanced.  The e4 pawn protects the king form attacks on the e file.  The pieces are developed to defend the pawns and to be in position to launch an attack.  They do not move to attack from the starting position.  

In practices I have never established Base 1A or 1B but I have established Base 1C: Which is the easiest of the top three basses to establish.  Attempting to set up a primary base helps beginning players to:

1. Take control of the center.
2. Complete development before attacking
3. Consider the defensive roles of pawns and pieces, which is a key step in improving.  
4. Not to provide easy targets.  
5. Play the same position over and over, so you are more familiar with the associated tactics etc.

The authors provide 15 example games.  The first of which is from the 1858 Paris Match between “Messrs. Paul Morphy and Adloph Anderssen.  In which the willy old man tries to lure the young tactical genus into a hyper-modern like quagmire. See inserted game below

1. e4,e6  2 d4,f6  3 Bd3,Bg7 4 Be3,c5 

The authors comment on Mr. Anderssen’s move as follows: The uncovered point at d6 and the separation of the queen’s wing pawns created by this premature advance ae as unscientific ads Black’s plan of posting the Bishop on g7 because, with the Bishop removed from its proper diagonal, the points d6 and c5 are left totally unguarded.  Furthermore, Black’s plan allows White unrestrainedly to establish a nearly perfect primary base, and, once established, this all-powerful formation is bound to win with the exercise of ordinary cary by the first player; and it is logically certain, therefore that, against proper play on the part of the adversary, Black has already a lost game.  The game continues:

5 c3,cxd4 6 cxd4,Nc6 7 Ne2,Ne7 8 0-0,0-0 9 Nc3, d5 10 e5,f6 11 f4,fxe5, 12 fxe5,a6 13Qd2

The comment on the last move: Completing the establishment of the essential units of the primary base with a winning position.  If is unnecessary to move the rook at a1 until it may advantageously be played to f1 to replace the king’s rook. The game continues 13….Nb5 14 Bg5.  This last move represents the initiation of the middle game.  Anderssen resigned after 23 more moves.