Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Friday, 14 Aug 1992 10:42:37 CDT
From: <U55342@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Re: Alehin 4.-de!


 Here is analysis on the line 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 de!?
5.Ne5 g6!?

ECO B [1984] has 6.Bc4 (6.c4 also yields white a slight edge:
6. ... Nf6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.Nc3 00 9.Bf4 c6 10.00 Na6 11.Qd2 Bf5
12.Rad1 += Dolmatov-Kengis, USSR 1980; white's spacial edge is
comfortable and enduring) 6. ... c6 (6. ... Be6 leads to play similar
to the main line) 7.00 (more pushy is 7.Qf3 Be6 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.00 00
10.Ne4 Nd7 11.Nd7 Bd7 12.Rd1 += Zuravlev-Kengis, USSR 1979)7. ... Bg7
8.Re1 00 9.Bb3 Be6 10.c3 Nd7 11.Nf3 (11.Nd3 looks well-motivated but
is a bit artificial and brings white to a dead-end after 11. ... Bf5
12.Bg5 Re8 = Sideif-zade - Kengis, USSR 1979)11. ... Nc7 12.Be6 Ne6
and the game Cheshkovsky-Kengis, USSR 1981 continued 13.Qb3 Qb6
14.Qc4 c5 15.d5 Nc7 16.Re7 Qd6 17.Re1 Qd5 18.Na3 +=.

White's moves in the main line are clear and natural if you are
neo-classically-minded (or read, "Capablanca-minded").

The type of edge that white can get against 5. ... g6!?
is, I think, more annoying than what white can typically get in
the old main lines of the Classical variation of the Caro-Kann:
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 de 4.Ne4 Bf5 and a typical "long-line" goes
5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bd3 10.Qd3 e6 11.Bd2 Qc7
12.000 [kinda fun-looking is 12.Kf1!? 000 13.b4 Ngf6 14.Re1 Bd6
15.Qa3 Kb8 16.c4 Ka8 17.Ne2 Qc8 18.Nc3 Rhe8 19.Rh4 Bb8 unclear
E.Hector-Vladimirov, Gausdal 1990] 12. ... Ngf6 13.Ne4 000 14.g3 Ne4
15.Qe4 Bd6 16.c4 c5 et cetera.

My advice to those attracted to 5. ... g6!? :
  1) go nuts and play the more hard-core 5. ... Nd7, daring white
     to go for the sacrificial line 6.Nf7 Kf7 7.Qh5 Ke6 8.c4 N5f6
     et cetera. (By the way, this might be a fun topic of analysis
     in our newsgroup.) My idea in suggesting this is that if white
     whimps out from the sacrifice, then black has good equalizing
     chances, and if white goes into the line then s/he will have
     to deal with finding the book moves over-the-board and some sort
     of interesting innovation in the line. And yes, you will want
     to find something new because the line leads to a clear edge for
     for white *IF* white plays it just right.

  2) Play the Pirc/Modern, for, just as in the Alekhine, white has
     bountiful opportunities to become overextended. Anyway, I think
     that these days most tournament players are not, against your
     Alekhine, going to play that four-pawn attack that you are hoping
     and praying for! On the other hand, against the Pirc/Modern,
     players of the white pieces seem eager and confident about
     going into the gusto lines.

Human interest post-script: it seems that Kengis is a prominent sponser
                            of the 5. ... g6!? line; I saw him at a
                            1990 Biel tournament. He was a tall,
                            long-haired dud who could have passed as
                            as a heavy-metal band member.
                            ROCK AND ROLL GM!!!

.........................................................................
: Bertrand L. Wilson                : "Chess is a jealous mistress."    :
: Department of Linguistics         :                 Bert Wilson       :
: University of Illinois at Chicago :                                   :
:                                   : "How could I lose to this idiot!" :
: U55342@UICVM.UIC.EDU              :                 Aaron Nimzovich   :
:...................................:...................................: