From: DCBCS@CANAL.CRC.UNO.EDU (Dennis Baker)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Re: Goldman analysis
Date: 7 Apr 92 17:27:00 GMT

Louis Blair writes:
>How should black play after 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 de 4 Nxe4 Nd7
>5 Bc4 Ngf6 6 Qf3 ?
>
>My reason for being worried about this position
>
>r - b q k b - r
>p p - n p p p p
>- - p - - n - -
>- - - - - - - -
>- - B P N - - -
>- - - - - Q - -
>P P P - - P P P
>R - B - K - N R
>
>is that Warren Goldman wrote a book that devoted two
>pages to a discussion of this position, coming to the conclusion
>that it was good for white.  Now I realize that WG is not
>exactly a big name in the world of chess.  However, I
>am not a big name either, and I can't find anything
>wrong with his analysis.  Since 6 Qf3 is not normally
>played (or even mentioned in the books), I assume that
>WG either overlooked a possible move for black or in-
>correctly evaluated a position somewhere along the
>way.  I would like to know where.  6 ... e6 is certainly
>not a move that WG overlooked.  According to his book,
>white maintains the initiative with 7 Bg5.  What does
>black do now?

The problem after 6...e6 7 Bg5 Be7 8 O-O-O O-O 9 h4 is finding counter-
play for Black.  For example, 9...Nxe4 10 Qxe4 Nf6 (10...Bxg5+ 11 hxg5
Qxg5+ 12 f4 Qg6, and Black will be defending for a long time.  For
instance, after White retreats the queen -- say 13 Qe3 -- Black already
faces threats like Bd3 and Nf3-e5, to name just a few.) 11 Bxf6 Bxf6
12 Nf3...  Doesn't look like a lot of fun for Black.  Maybe he can defend
this, but it's not my idea of something to play for.

BTW, I'm a rather lazy analyst.  I'd rather just get things started and
throw stuff out, letting everyone else find the details.  Lazy person
that I am, I only worry about details when I have to.

So therefore I looked at 6...g6.  Here Allan Savage noted to me that after
7 Ng5 e6, the Black position looks rather ugly.  I have to agree.  But it
seems there are more possibilities for Black counterplay in this position.
For example, if now 8 Qe2, backtracking with the queen to threaten Nxf7,
then 8...Nb6.  This position looks like one of the main lines, with a ...g6
thrown in!  I'll let the "detail men" figure out the significance of this
for the moment.  Black's plan after 6...g6 is to play ...Bg7, ...O-O, and
...e5, if left alone.  So let's say White tries to hinder this plan by
rushing to castle long, putting a rook on the d-file.  The first problem is
where to develop the QB?  White would probably like it on g5, but his knight
is in the way.  If, after 6...g6 7 Bf4, Black will later gain a tempo on the
bishop with a ...Nd5.  Let's say 7 Be3.  Then 7...Bg7 8 O-O-O O-O.  Now 
what does White do?  I know Black's plan.  He's going to play ...Nd5.  This
will create a Nxe3, unguarding the Ng5 possibility.  Of course White can
capture with a Qxe3, but this stuff is in the air.  Also after ...Nd5, 
Black has ...b5.  This might force a capture on d5, because if Bb3, ...a5,
or Bd3, ...e5.  Counterplay city!  Let's go back.  After 6...g6, another
possibility for White is 7 h4.  This seems to force an ...h6, and Black
will probably have to meet a later h5, with ...g5, giving sac potential on
g5 for White.  But as weakening as this all looks, can White take advantage
of this.  Again, Black's plan is to play ...Bg7, ...O-O, and ...e5 if left
alone.

I don't know, but 6...g6 does seem interesting.

Dennis Baker
<DCBCS@uno.edu>