 |
| White to move |
When do you play 1.dxc5 and when is it better to do not? On what parameters does that depend?
UPDATE
From the book page 156 game Nimzowitsch - Salwe:
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 Bd7 7.dxc5!!
 |
| Whit to move 7.dxc5 |
Sunday, December 08, 2019
Valueing the actions.
De actions that play a role in maintaining or attacking a center are finite. Blockade, restraint, encircle, annihilate, move forward. Or defend against those actions. But what are the parameters to value the actions. What to choose when?
When do you play 1.dxc5 and when is it better to do not? On what parameters does that depend?
UPDATE
From the book page 156 game Nimzowitsch - Salwe:
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 Bd7 7.dxc5!!
The exchange frees the d4 square. The question which is paramount is: "can white maintain a piece on the newly created outpost d4?" and furthermore: "can e5 be maintained despite giving up a defending pawn?"
When do you play 1.dxc5 and when is it better to do not? On what parameters does that depend?
UPDATE
From the book page 156 game Nimzowitsch - Salwe:
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 Bd7 7.dxc5!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
ReplyDeleteTempo asks:
When do you play 1.dxc5 (in the given position) and when is it better to do not? On what parameters does that depend?
The pawn skeleton arises directly from the French Defense, Advance Variation. The most common chess mistake, according to GM Igor Smirnov, is: “To take is a mistake.” Leaving aside any such “rule” dependence, the question becomes:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of White capturing on c5?
I cannot see any White advantage for taking in the current position, but (making very broad assumptions), if White and Black only had white-squared Bishops, then this capture might give White an advantage: he has a “good” Bishop versus “bad” Bishop AND an extra Pawn. Envision this Pawn position with White King at g1 and White Bishop at d3, with the Black King at g8 and Black Bishop at c6. (I have a hard time imagining how White could bring about this position by logical play.)
Another possible reason for capturing on c5 would be if Black has advanced his f-Pawn to try to capture on e5. Again, depending on respective piece positions, if White can control the d4-e5 squares via pieces, then it might be possible to blockade the resulting e6-d5 Pawns, gaining an advantage in the center and greater White mobility.
There are several disadvantages. The most obvious visual problem is that White’s extra c-Pawn is doubled, so (momentarily) gaining an extra Pawn (assuming Black cannot recapture immediately) does not count for much here (presuming there are pieces other than the King still on board). The most severe problem (IMHO) is voluntarily breaking the Pawn chain d4-e5 at the base (d4). Black can recapture with either a Bishop or Knight on c5, the c-file is now half-open for Black, the White e5-Pawn has now become an unprotected target/weakness (and advancing the f-Pawn to protect it could open up the White King position along the a7-g1 diagonal) and there is long-term potential for a minority attack on the queenside.
After 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nf6 5. dxc5 ranks very far down on the computer’s candidate move list. The idea is to lure the Black Bishop to c5 early on, with White tries to get his Queen into action on the kingside ASAP. Unfortunately, the White Queen by itself cannot create a winning attack. 5. … Bxc5 6. Qg4 Nxe5 7. Qxg7 Qf6 8. Qxf6 Nxf6 ends that adventure, with White behind in development and with no center Pawns, a very uninviting scenario to me. I like my center Pawns!
The idea of sacrificing the d4-Pawn for a kingside “attack” does seem to have validity in the Winawer Poisoned Pawn variation. White has more justification for the early Queen sortie because the Black Bishop is no longer on the board, the Black Knight is on e7 (and White has not captured on c5, giving up the center) and castling “into an attack” or tossing a Pawn on the woodpile to gain a lead in development may not appeal to Black.
At a much later stage of the game, a situation might arise in which capturing on c5 is tactically the right thing to do. “Seeing” that potentiality and figuring out a sequence of logical moves to bring it about from this early Pawn structure is virtually impossible.
I updated the post in blue.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to boil down to the following. A piece is at its best at a central square. Because it is in contact with hostile territory. The bishop in two directions, the knight in four directions, the queen in three directions. Multi functional by geometry, so to speak. The closest thing to a duplo attack.
ReplyDeleteBut since pieces can be easily driven away by pawns, it is better to put your pawns in the center and your pieces behind them.
When your pawns are attacked by a "freeing" pawn move, c5 or f6 in this position, you can hack those pawns off. This makes d4 or e5 an outpost for a piece.
Precondition: you must be able to maintain the pieces on their outposts as blockaders. That's where over protection comes in.
There is interesting analysis of the alternatives on pp 156-158 (as well as the editor's note at the bottom of pg. 156) of My System, Quality Chess edition.
ReplyDeleteJohn Watson gives the same game and similar commentary (with some interesting alternative approaches for Black) in Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances since Nimzowitsch, pp. 41-42.
The Chess Tempo database has 4 Nimzowitsch games in the French Defense Advance Variation. Perhaps surprisingly, he scored 3.5 out of 4 (1911: 1-0 against Salwe; 1/2-1/2 against Rubenstein; 1912: 1-0 against both Tarrasch and Duras). Not too bad for playing a "dubious" variation against some really strong players!
1.dxc5 saves a pawn
ReplyDeletehttps://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1000795
DeleteWell cxd4 fixes White's weakness on d4, and maybe even forcibly wins a pawn in certain positions. So dxc5 might in some positions be a forced move, otherwise cxd4 would be winning material basically.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFPk0ODe020