No Thanks Mate

This relates to Thread 150972

In RJ’ game. (A good OTB swindle by the way RJ)
After: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6


The move 4...Nf6 was rejected out of hand with the comment.

“black plays nf6 resulting in doubled pawns ? not sure about that mate”

5.Nxf6+ gxf6


How about a thank you mate for the ½ open g-file, the booster to e7-e5, giving Black
the option of developing the Bishop on g7 or h6 and for swapping off a developed piece
that has just made 3 of the opening 5 moves.

RJ also stated that he thought 5…exf6 was better but 5…gxf6 was all ther rage in
the late 70’s through to the mid 80’s for the dynamic reasons I stated above.

In the thread on the Ponziani which descended into name calling.
Somewhere in there you will find I listed the GM’s whose style indicated
a pref for 3…Nf6 instead of 3…d5.

After 5.Nxf6 gxf6


We find some of the same GM’s happily taking the Black side playing 5…gxf6.

Larsen, Hort, Tal, Bronstein, Miles (Miles beat Karpov as Black with it in 1983.)
Short, Speelman, Timman…All were very happy to take the Black side with the…
“Oh My God! he has doubled pawns.” position.

Good players look for exceptions to break the golden rules.
(that is why they are good players and do not dismiss any move at first glance based
on superficial principles.)

I don’t like to use GM games or names to make a point but here is a very good
instructive game with this line.

A. Mikhalchishin, - J. Speelman France 1979

Originally posted by greenpawn34
This relates to Thread 150972

In RJ’ game. (A good OTB swindle by the way RJ)
After: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6

[fen]rnbqkb1r/pp2pppp/2p2n2/8/3PN3/8/PPP2PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 0 5[/fen]
The move 4...Nf6 was rejected out of hand with the comment.

“black plays nf6 resulting in doubled pawns ? not sure about that mate”
3.Rxb6+ is a draw. We have all seen it happen.} 41... Rc3 42. Rf4 Rxc4+ {White resigned.}[/pgn]

As a Caro Kann player of only a few years standing, I've been playing the 4. ... Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 line for ages in online blitz, trying to get a handle on the sort of positions which occur and what Black should be doing, but without much success. I've only tried 4. ... Nf6 once in a serious (OTB) game and although I intended to play 5. ... gxf6, in the end I chickened out and played the wimpier 5. ... exf6. I won the game, but wasn't really happy with my position out of the opening:

Without knowing or checking I'd guess the gxf6 idea is under (at the moment)
some theoretical cloud.
Which is all the more reason to play it!

I am not keen on giving GM games to show a line in a good or bad light
because we are not GM's. Our games on the whole, as Fat Lady has just
proved are decided by tactical oversights.

Also that example went into an endgame where again at our level anything
can happen. Opening and middle game advantages can disappear at the flick
of a pawn.
(See RJ's game in the original thread for a good example.)

Originally posted by greenpawn34
This relates to Thread 150972

In RJ’ game. (A good OTB swindle by the way RJ)
After: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6

[fen]rnbqkb1r/pp2pppp/2p2n2/8/3PN3/8/PPP2PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 0 5[/fen]
The move 4...Nf6 was rejected out of hand with the comment.

“black plays nf6 resulting in doubled pawns ? not sure about that mate”
...[text shortened]... 3.Rxb6+ is a draw. We have all seen it happen.} 41... Rc3 42. Rf4 Rxc4+ {White resigned.}[/pgn]

In my ancient club-praxis (during that time I switched from Naidorf variation), 90 percent of my oponents played 6. Nf3 and the rest of them 6. g3. Almost universal answer on all attemts of the White was 6. ... Bf5.

I'm not too knowledgable about the gxf6 lines either. I've played it from both sides and had problems from both sides.

Theory wise (or somewhat)

Dynamics Of Chess Strategy by Jansa had a chapter or so that made black's life very rough in the variation. All I remember is that, it was a pretty convincing positional treatment that left black in bad shape.

Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromfics
I'm not too knowledgable about the gxf6 lines either. I've played it from both sides and had problems from both sides.

Theory wise (or somewhat)

Dynamics Of Chess Strategy by Jansa had a chapter or so that made black's life very rough in the variation. All I remember is that, it was a pretty convincing positional treatment that left black in bad shape.