Online Blitz

I have posted two of my best "Killer Games" from recent online play. They are really fun miniatures with the Tango and the Left Hook Grand Prix (respectively), which I have discussed here before.

Not finding time to visit the club or even do a lot of chess analysis, I have been able to find a few minutes here or there for online blitz play. I used to play mostly unrated games at ICC, but lately I have been trying out a bunch of different sites (where I feel less invested in my rating status) and am working up toward a review of the ones I have used and a survey of others. My current favorites are Buho21 (where I probably play the most and have broken through my 2200 ceiling on several occasions) and ChessCube (which has a very nice interface, if not the strongest competition). One side benefit of playing at Buho21 is that I am learning a lot of new Spanish curse words.... I welcome suggestions for sites I should try -- especially if I can try them for free.

More Left Hook Grand Prix Games

I have been analyzing More Games with the Left Hook Grand Prix (1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.a3!?), two of which cover the critical variations following 5...e6 6.b4!? (White's "left hook" punch -- though 6.d4 is also interesting): 6....d5 (hitting back immediately in the center) and 6...b6 (refusing to give up the center even to gain a pawn). I especially enjoyed looking at Igor Glek - Daniel Stellwagen, Wattenscheid GER 2007, which I had previously discounted but which I now consider one of the most important games for Left Hook theory. And I couldn't resist throwing in some of my own games, including a few I've played at my new favorite play site Buho21 (where I should soon break the 2200 barrier playing as "urusov").

Related articles include:

• Left Hook Grand Prix with a3
• The Left Hook Grand Prix Revisited
• Fun with the Left Hook Grand Prix
• The Grand Prix with a3
• Grand Prix Attack, Explained
• Grand Prix Attack Bibliography (Updated)

The Left Hook Grand Prix Revisited

I have posted The Left Hook Grand Prix Revisited, analyzing two critical games that appear in Gaiwain Jones's recent Starting Out: Sicilian Grand Prix Attack (Everyman 2008). The Left Hook can be reached by a number of transpositions, but typically begins with 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.a3!? My favorite lines follow the gambit 5...e6 6.b4! But more critical seems to be 5...d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.O-O Nge7 8.d3 O-O 9.Qe1 (see diagram). Black's best is to break in the center with 9...d5! when White must decide between 10.Ba2 and 10.Bb3, which is a much more important decision than it would at first appear (which Jones does not acknowledge).

I don't mean to fault Jones's book, which I think is a great addition to the Starting Out series. As you would expect of a survey text for Class players, the book does not offer deep analysis. And like most opening books these days, it is really a repertoire book, so you are not going to get a wide range of ideas. All lines begin 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3, so the author can skip the Tal Gambit, but there is some variety within that -- including treatment of both Bc4 and Bb5 lines. Probably the greatest added value of the book is its discussion of 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5!? but I was disappointed that after 3...Nd4 Jones only covers 4.Bc4 and not 4.Nf3!? (discussed by Chris Baker, following analysis by Paul Motwani). I did like some of his specific choices and think it is certainly a corrective (or important addition) to "Chess Openings for White, Explained," so it would be worth having if you have used that book previously to build your GP repertoire. I think that anyone below 2000 rating who is thinking of adding the GP to their repertoire would find it a useful starting point, so it is definitely well suited to the audience and purpose.

Fun with the Left Hook Grand Prix

I am back from vacation and thought I'd begin by posting some of the blitz games I've played lately with the Left Hook Grand Prix (1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.a3!?)  It's a fun line, especially in blitz.  I should be back to posting more regularly now.

The Left Hook Grand Prix with a3

The Left Hook Grand Prix with a3
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.a3

I have posted further analysis of The Left Hook Grand Prix with a3 (1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.a3), a subject I have written on before. I am surprised that this Left Hook Grand Prix is not covered in any book, especially now that various other Left Hook opening lines have been receiving positive attention (especially the Left Hook Austrian Attack with 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.a3!? designed to discourage 5...c5 due to 6.dxc5 Qa5 7.b4 etc., as analyzed in SOS #1, The Carpathian Warrior, Gambiteer I, and The Pirc in Black and White.)

I think of 5.a3 as a high-class waiting move that fits well with any of White's systems, which you can choose based on Black's next move. If Black plays now 5...d6, then White can play 6.Bc4! putting the Bishop on its strongest diagonal, where 5.a3 provides it a nice retreat when the Bishop is attacked by b5 or d5. Play then develops along classic Grand Prix Attack lines, with White typically playing d3, O-O, Qe1-h4 and either f5 or e5 depending on Black's set-up. I like to think of it as the Closed Sicilian with the Bishop on a better diagonal for attack -- and a nice square for the Queen.

After 5.a3 d6 6.Bc4

If Black plays the more common 5...e6, then White has a nice gambit in 6.b4!? challenging the dark squares. The move is actually more a trap than a gambit, because Black really should not take the pawn: 6...cxb4?! (already a mistake in my view, since it surrenders control over d4) 7.axb4 Nxb4?! 8.Ba3 Nc6 9.Nb5! causes Black no end of grief due to the dark square weaknesses. If then 9...Bxa1? White wins the Queen with 10.Nd6+ Kf8 11.Nxb7+ etc. Best is 9...Bf8 (already a giant concession) 10.Bd6! Bxd6 11.Nxd6+ and White obviously has too much compensation.

After 5.a3 e6 6.b4

As in the French Wing Gambit (discussed last month), Black's best way of meeting 6.b4 is probably by 6...b6! (a move you will likely encounter only from players rated 2000 and above). But White still has play on the dark squares by e5, Ne4, and Bb2 as shown in an illustrative game.

After 5.a3 e6 6.b4 b6!

Besides the 6.b4 gambit idea, White also has a good gambit in 6.d4!? which is basically a reversed version of a line in the English known to be quite good for Black. After 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nb5 White either regains his pawn with enhanced central control or gets great compensation with Nd6+ etc.

What I like best about the 5.a3 line is that it continues to be little known to theory despite having been adopted by some high-profile players. So there is a lot of room for improvisation and enterprising play, as the games and analysis demonstrate. It also fits very well with a number of other repertoire suggestions I've been exploring in these pages, including The Caveman Caro-Kann, French Wing Gambit, The Saemisch Surprise vs. the Alekhine, and the Two Knights with d4 for White.