Polosky Opening

B4. Can anyone offer advice on how to play 1. B4 ?

Thanks

Originally posted by jman566
B4. Can anyone offer advice on how to play 1. B4 ?

Thanks

Perhaps you are refering to A P Sokolsky's "Sokolsky's Opening. "

Use 1b4 to develop and keep an initiative on the Queenside.

Put (fianchetto) your Queen's Bishop on the long diagonal.

Prevent Black from forming a strong centre (in other words, prevent Black from taking advantage of your neglecting to advance your centre pawns in your first moves).

That's worth the sacrifice of your king's pawn.

Deploy your king's bishop to c4 to weaken Black's grip on the light-coloured squares.

Use your Queen to keep keep black's queen's bishop stuck on c8 and not able to deploy to e6.

If you sacked your king's pawn on the third move to get the initiative, ten moves later you should still have it.

Even when Black succeeds in castling kingside.

With the sac, you've bought a promising middlegame position. Black can play passively, or reluctantly swap pawns to relieve the tension in the centre.

By about move 23 to 25, d5 or g5 should be beckoning your knight to come attack Black's queen ( for example) .

Or, lots of other choice threats should be calling to you at this stage of the Sokolsky.

Above all, keep your pieces active.

Enjoy the fun.

This opening has two great names - the Orangutan (named by Tartakower after visiting the zoo during a tournament in New York) and Santasiere's Folly (which is actually 1.Nf3 ... 2.b4).

Has anyone got any suggestions for a decent way for White to play against 1. b4 c6 2. Bb2 Qb6 3.a3 a5 ?

@Fat Lady

4. c4 axb4
5. c5 Qc7 (5 ... Qxc5? 6. axb4 wins a rook)
6. axb4 Rxa1
7. Bxa1

..after which chances look fairly even. For this opening; not a bad outcome.

Originally posted by Fat Lady
This opening has two great names - the Orangutan (named by Tartakower after visiting the zoo during a tournament in New York) and Santasiere's Folly (which is actually 1.Nf3 ... 2.b4).

Has anyone got any suggestions for a decent way for White to play against 1. b4 c6 2. Bb2 Qb6 3.a3 a5 ?

Richard Palliser's' book "Beating Unusual Openings" offers the following line: (the text is abbreviated):

1.b4...c6, 2.Bb2...Qb6, 3.a3...a5, 4.c4 A key tactical trick to reduce the pressure against b4. If white had to defend instead with 4.c3 then possibly the Sokolosky would be rarer than it already is. (4.Nf3 ..is an alternative...some moves and more text is given in the book)

4...axb4, 5. c5!...Qc7, 6. axb4...Rxa1, 7. Bxa1 (Nunn assessed this as having an edge for white in NCO but whites trick is just the cleanest way to equalize)
7...d6, 8.Qa4...e5

Originally posted by jman566
B4. Can anyone offer advice on how to play 1. B4 ?

Thanks

"...how to play 1.b4?"

I grip the pawn between my thumb and forefinger and then slide
it forward two squares. I then release the pawn.

The position should look like this.



Hope this helps. 😉

Originally posted by greenpawn34
I grip the pawn between my thumb and forefinger and then slide
it forward two squares. I then release the pawn.

A popular variation to this is to use a mouse; click on b2, then b4, and finally hit the submit button.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
"...how to play 1.b4?"

I grip the pawn between my thumb and forefinger and then slide
it forward two squares. I then release the pawn.

The position should look like this.

[fen]rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/1P6/8/P1PPPPPP/RNBQKBNR[/fen]

Hope this helps. 😉

Woah Woah Woah Wooooah

Which hand do you use?😕

Originally posted by Diet Coke
Woah Woah Woah Wooooah

Which hand do you use?😕

If White is playing with the clock on his left hand side (which is usually the case) then he should move the b-pawn with his right hand whilst simultaneously pressing the clock with his left. This is guaranteed to make his opponent scamper off to complain to the controller, thus wrecking his concentration for those all-important opening moves.

Another method is to pop the pawn into your mouth and spit it at your opponent.

The say:

"Be a dear and put that on b4 for me, Thank You."

But serioulsy you could go to:

http://www.timeforchess.com/gamesexplorer/

There you will find the move 1.b4 has been played 2,700 times
by under 1400's the most common reply is 1...e4 (1,394 times)
So there is your field for research.

Do your sac the pawn or protect the pawn? Your Choice

936 playes played 2.Bb2 and 269 played 2.a3.

You take it up from there - see what positions evolve.
Do you like them, do think you could play them?

Look at any short games that may pop up, there may a trap or two
worth knowing. If it's on the database then some poor slob has
fallen for it. So it is a plausible game.

Now the DB has been updated and another update is happening
very soon. Send all these guys who come on here asking about an
opening to there.

They will see what their peers are playing against it.
Let them do the work, they will in the end benefit.

I mean it. There has been some good advice here but sometimes
an OP gets conflicting advice and can get all muddled.

Also, as is the case here, a player posts, numerous helpful posts follow
and the guy does not even come back.

Send them to the RHP database.
If they come back with a question about a position, then you know
he has done a bit of work, has a genuine interest and you will not
be wasting your time. THEN you advise him.

Greenpawn has spoken let it be so.

Originally posted by Fat Lady
This opening has two great names - the Orangutan (named by Tartakower after visiting the zoo during a tournament in New York) and Santasiere's Folly (which is actually 1.Nf3 ... 2.b4).

Has anyone got any suggestions for a decent way for White to play against 1. b4 c6 2. Bb2 Qb6 3.a3 a5 ?

HI Fat Lady.

Found a game on the RHP site with a game in this line in
the 1400-1900 section, but the White player is now 2000+
so you may get an idea or two what the sub-masters are playing.

I have recently started to practice and play 1.b4