Albeit I write little lately, it doesn't mean nothing is happening, chesswise. I play every week a long game at the club, and I'm working on my black repertoire, especially with the HAD. Or even simply the AD. Since the Rossolimo variation doesn't look too dangerous, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just too dumb to see its danger. I forgot which grandmaster said that, "if it wasn't for the Maroczy Bind, most grandmasters would have the Accelerated Dragon in their repertoire." He might be right. This means that learning to play the Maroczy right, is paramount. That is not so easy as it sounds. Especially if you are accustomed to throw the kitchen sink at your opponent from move three, like me. But I like the mental attitude you need to play the Maroczy. You need a decent amount of knowledge and technique to play it well. And I noticed that most higher rated white players have no clue as well. And if they have no clue, it is easy for them to go astray without even noticing it. The consequence is that I must learn to punish them when they go astray.
So I study the Maroczy with everything I can lay my hands on. If I learn to play the Maroczy well, a whole new area of chess will appear within my abilities. What's even more important, I enjoy it very much. New ideas, new techniques, application of new (or old) endgame knowledge. But in the mean time, it is difficult to write about it. Since my mental energy is slowly returning, I might find some interesting ways to write about the openings, though. Be patient.
I've been avoiding studying the Maroczy Bind position as White due to laziness, although it would be the best objective route to go with my repertoire in the Symmetrical English (reaching it by transposition). I look forward to your insights about it, and no doubt will find them inspiring.
ReplyDeleteFWIW:
ReplyDeleteZlotnik's Middlegame Manual: Typical Structures and Strategic Manoeuvres, Boris Zlotnik, © 2020, New In Chess, ISBN 978-90-5691-926-9 in Part II: Typical methods of play has an interesting Chapter 5: Should we exchange the fianchettoed bishop (EFB)?
The subchapters are:
5.1 Introduction
5.2 EFB in the King's Indian Defense
5.3 EFB in the Dragon Variation
5.4 EFB in the Accelerated Dragon
5.5 Positional methods of play with white
There are several uptodate games and commentary (including both human and Stockfish 11 evaluations) on the pros and cons of Black exchanging the BBg7 as part of a strategical plan against the typical Maroczy Bind pawn structure and White plans. It seems counter-intuitive, but sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. I'm not sure there are any definitive answers in such dynamic positions.
I also have (then IM) Andrew Soltis' Pawn Structure Chess, © 1976, which is quite dated in its treatment but it does address the typical (for that time) Maroczy Bind plans for White and Black.
Good luck and glad to hear you are improving health-wise!
I think it is a healthy approach to chess to work with plans in stead of moves. The reason I abandoned the sniper is that there is a lack of plans and an abundance of moves. The argument that there is little theory so you can surprise your opponent is simply not enough. With the HAD there is an abundance of plans, you only need to study them. Which is more time consuming than you realize at first.
DeleteIn the Maroczy, certain plans are based on the occupation of d4 with a knight, so it makes sense to view at the EFB in the light of removing the defenders of d4. Without the plan, the exchange makes no sense.
Lately I adopted the Leningrad Dutch in stead of the sniper and the dzindzi indian. There is an abundance of ideas too in the Leningrad, so I suspect it is a keeper.
At the same time I must admit that it is a bad idea to change your whole repertoire for both black and white at once by replacing them by three totally new openings. Especially if you drop two openings (the sniper and the dzindzi indian) after a considerable investment in time.
But continuing on the wrong foot makes no sense either. I learned a lot from studying the dzindzi and the sniper that is applicable in other contexts too. So it is not a total waste of time.
The most important thing is that I tend to trust the new openings more and more, and that I enjoy playing them. For the first time I start to get the feeling that I might have reached my final repertoire.
Chess Structures - A Grandmaster Guide
ReplyDeleteMauricio Flores Rios
Chapter 11 : The Maroczy