Pattern against knights on g3 and g6 - Chess Forums

Poweranony

Sep 3, 2023

0

#1

I started noticing that in the opening part and in some middlegames, when a knight is on g3/g6, given the pawn has enough protection the engine almost always suggests playing the moves h4/h5. For example, in the kennedy variation of the nimzowitsch:

This h4 push seems to be quite strong. If black doesn’t prevent the pawn from pushing, white can get a position like this:

Where white can expand on the center safely as the DSB is blocked

if black prevents h4-h5 with the move h5, the g5 square is very weak and white can get a very annoying bishop that can not be kicked out

Something similar happens in this line but for black:

But this time something is different. If black in the first line had played the move bc5 for example, after h5 the knight would have to move and the pawn on e5 would be lost, so black had to play d6 blocking the DSB . In this line there is no pressure in the e4 pawn so if white decides to ignore h5 by playing bc4 as intended, black comes up with:

Where white gets a very unpleasant position. If gxh3 there is Qf6 threatening the knight on f3.
it seems to be that h-pawn pushes against knights on g3/g6 are quite strong for the side that plays it. In pretty much every situation where the push is possible, it gives the opposite side pretty unpleasant positions and is almost always the top engine move.
What do you think of this pattern?

And is there any kind of situation where this kind of h-pawn push is not the best move in the position (given the h-pawn has enough protection and doesn’t lose a pawn like this:

?

xxKaiju08xx

Sep 3, 2023

0

#2

Err

Captain2basilisx

Sep 4, 2023

0

#3

There is a line in the napoleon attack where that h5 push, even though is one of the top engine recommendations for black, doesn’t give white an uncomfortable position and trying to play h4-h3 actually gives black a bad position.

Nh5! Strong move by white putting pressure on the bishop

shimmy777

Nov 27, 2023

0

#4

Thanks for setting this out. I was also curious about the engine recommending h4 quite frequently in these kind of situations - on the face of it, it seems like an unnecessary pawn move in the opening - but I see the usual benefits now.