Fancy Fianchetto!!!

Is Fianchetto really a hindrance to the game?!

I read somewhere (in a book by one of the GMs) that Fianchetto makes the Bishop idle (though it gets to control the longest diagonal) and should be not be opted more often...

I don't remember playing a Fianchetto in my games but I would want to try...

Originally posted by ram1977
Is Fianchetto really a hindrance to the game?!

I read somewhere (in a book by one of the GMs) that Fianchetto makes the Bishop idle (though it gets to control the longest diagonal) and should be not be opted more often...

I don't remember playing a Fianchetto in my games but I would want to try...

I fianchetto my bishop in all of my games where I'm white, and I love it 🙂. I don't agree that it "makes the bishop idle", but of course it all depends on the opening.

The fianchetto is a perfectly fine move for both sides of the board. As stated above it must be tied to your opening plan, a Bishop on g2 facing black pawns on d5-c6-b7 is "biting on granite". The lose of that same g2 Bishop (often by an exchange from a battery of enemy Q+B) leaves weak squares at f3/h3. The whole group of Indian defenses/attacks are built around the fianchetto Bishop plus the famous Dragon. Inexperienced players may be lulled into board blindness to the presence of the Bishop on the side. They quickly wake up when you snap off their Rook! 🙂

Originally posted by ram1977
Is Fianchetto really a hindrance to the game?!

I read somewhere (in a book by one of the GMs) that Fianchetto makes the Bishop idle (though it gets to control the longest diagonal) and should be not be opted more often...

I don't remember playing a Fianchetto in my games but I would want to try...

I don't know what GM would say a fianchetto makes a Bishop idle.

Perhaps he was talking about an opening saying perhaps the Bishop
is better placed on e3 because if you finachetto it, it would be idle.

You have never fianchettoed a Bishop?

Gosh. it's where the Black King's Bishop belongs....on g7.

Try it.

Advice:

Never no not never ever play Bxc3 (bishop takes Knight on c3)
to win the e-pawn. And never ever give up your g7 Bishop for a naff
Rook on a1 whilst the Queens are still on and your opponent still
has his black squared Bishop.

Now get out there and play Pircs, Moderns, King Indians, Grunfelds and Dragons,
a whole new world is waiting for you on the chessboard.

Good Luck.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
I don't know what GM would say a fianchetto makes a Bishop idle.

Perhaps he was talking about an opening saying perhaps the Bishop
is better placed on e3 because if you finachetto it, it would be idle.

You have never fianchettoed a Bishop?

Gosh. it's where the Black King's Bishop belongs....on g7.

Try it.

Advice:

Never no not never eve ...[text shortened]... g Indians and Dragons,
a whole new world is waiting for you on the chessboard.

Good Luck.

Karpov played a Bxc3 several times after fianchetto-ing and it's a common idea in certain positions of the Benko without even trying to win an e-pawn.

Well I rarely fianchetto my bishops. But I can't agree with that GM's comments. The fiachetto can be lethel at times.

However I think that at times certain players overvalue their "Dragon bishop" and let it cloud their judgement in ceratin variations.

My mate who taught me how to play chess (A Dragon & KID player) springs to mind.

Originally posted by greenpawn34

Advice:
Never no not never ever play Bxc3 (bishop takes Knight on c3)
to win the e-pawn. And never ever give up your g7 Bishop for a naff
Rook on a1 whilst the Queens are still on and your opponent still
has his black squared Bishop.

Thanks for your reply GP!!!

BTW, That was quite an advice... It took a long time for me to understand what exactly you were saying🙂 Thanks once again for your advice and will try to implement it in my games...

Originally posted by demonseed
Karpov played a Bxc3 several times after fianchetto-ing and it's a common idea in certain positions of the Benko without even trying to win an e-pawn.

Never mind what Karpov does.
He has years and years of exeperiance and is a brilliant and
gifted chess player.

What I said was good off the cuff advice to a player who has never
fianchettoed a King's Bishop before.

Everybody on the site knows the Ram is going to getting stomped
when he faces his first h4-h5 attacks. This is something he mus go
through - I'm a great believer in lessons from losses.
You have to get the fingers burnt a few times before you find
out how hot the fire is.
He will emerge from other side of these losses a much better player.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Everybody on the site knows the Ram is going to getting stomped
when he faces his first h4-h5 attacks. This is something he mus go
through - I'm a great believer in lessons from losses.
You have to get the fingers burnt a few times before you find
out how hot the fire is.
He will emerge from other side of these losses a much better player.

Ahem... 🙂 That does feel good, doesn't it?! 😉

You will be OK - your grade may take a wee dip
but then it will climb up was passed to what you are now.

You cannot make a omelette without cracking a few eggs.
You cannot become good until you rack up a few instructive losses.
All you have to do is remember the burn, remember the lesson.
It's an investement - you lose 5 games to win 50. That's a deal.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Never mind what Karpov does.
He has years and years of exeperiance and is a brilliant and
gifted chess player.

What I said was good off the cuff advice to a player who has never
fianchettoed a King's Bishop before.

Everybody on the site knows the Ram is going to getting stomped
when he faces his first h4-h5 attacks. This is something he mus go ...[text shortened]... out how hot the fire is.
He will emerge from other side of these losses a much better player.

That's strange because when I play fianchetto systems, like the King's Indian it's me that starts flinging the k-side pawns at my opponent.

Originally posted by demonseed
That's strange because when I play fianchetto systems, like the King's Indian it's me that starts flinging the k-side pawns at my opponent.

KID..pppfftttt...if you like flinging pawns take a free tempo and play the Dutch Leningrad

Originally posted by greenpawn34
And never ever give up your g7 Bishop for a naff
Rook on a1 whilst the Queens are still on and your opponent still
has his black squared Bishop.

With all due respect, I think that is a careless advice. I would advise taking the rook in almost all of such situations.

Originally posted by diskamyl
With all due respect, I think that is a careless advice. I would advise taking the rook in almost all of such situations.

Aaron Nimzowitsch disagrees with you in the book "My System"
He makes it rather clear that king side fianchettoed bishops are favored very heavily. Especially if their is sufficient material on the board to mate with (Queens+).

Originally posted by diskamyl
With all due respect, I think that is a careless advice. I would advise taking the rook in almost all of such situations.

You have to be careful nicking the a1 Rook with the g7 Bishop.
You must be sure the holes at f6 and h6 cannot be exploited thus.



The battlefield is littered with corpses who have a Queen's
Rook in their back pocket.

Four short games which I found very quickly.
Theme: The Queen and Bishop battery hitting g7 and mating
after the g7 Bishop has been lured by the a1 Rook.

N.Popovic - R.Frekot, Germany, 2004