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An Opening Repertoire for the
Positional
Player
by S. Evan Kreider
The purpose of this article is not to teach any openings
(though our site will include such content in the near future), but rather
to help the positional player decide upon a set of openings which form a
consistent and efficient repertoire, as well as to direct the player to
resources from which to learn these openings. I have selected this
particular repertoire based on the following criteria: a) it is suitable for
the positional player (i.e., it avoids sharp tactical struggles in favor of
more strategic battles); b) it is suitable for the amateur player with a
reasonable but limited amount of time and energy to devote to study (i.e.,
most if not all amateur players); c) it results in positions which are good
(or at least equal) for White; d) it results in positions which are equal
(or only minimally and reasonably disadvantageous) for Black; e) it contains
various structurally and strategically similar lines, when possible; and f)
it is relatively natural and intuitive to play.
[N.B.: I have linked relevant opening lines to an
interactive board which will open in a new window for you to follow along
with the move list in each description. Simply click on the relevant link,
follow along using the VCR style buttons or by clicking on the moves in the
move list, and then close the window when you are through.]
Although 1.d4 is the usual recommendation for the
positional player, I suggest 1.c4 instead. It can be just as sound and positional
as many 1.d4 lines while still providing ample opportunity to secure an advantage. It
also avoids the immense theory and diversity of the 1.d4 openings.
More specifically, I recommend the accelerated fianchetto
variation of the English opening (1.c4, usually followed by 2.g3, 3.Bg2, and
4.Nc3). There’s less theory involved with this variation than others in the
English family. It also has the advantage of being a bit less well-know than
other openings – below Expert level, relatively few players use the English,
much less the accelerated fianchetto variation, so most of your opponents
probably won’t be too familiar with it. It’s a solid yet active opening and
it’s also very flexible, allowing a wide variety of plans for White
including central expansion, queenside play, or a King-side attack.
There are two excellent books available which cover this
opening. The first is GM Tony Kosten’s The Dynamic English (Gambit
Publications, 1999). It has received good reviews from Silman and Bauer,
among others, and I myself have read it and think it is excellent. Kosten
makes a serious effort to communicate not just brute variations, but also
the important concepts, plans, and strategies behind the opening. He teaches
you to play the opening by understanding it, and not simply by memorizing
tons of abstract variations. This is especially important since most of your
opponents (other amateurs, presumably) are likely to go “out of book” rather
early.
The second is GM Andrew Soltis’ Winning with the English
Opening, revised third edition (Chess Digest, 1997). Soltis has a reputation
for turning out some poor opening books, but this one is a well-recognized
exception, as long as you get the third edition and stay away from the
earlier two.
Both of these are repertoire books, and so provide you
with everything you’ll need to know to face Black’s wide variety of replies
to the English. The primary difference between the two is that Kosten
chooses more “dynamic” lines (though they are still quite positional – after
all, this ain’t 1. e4!), while Soltis chooses somewhat quieter lines. I
highly recommend buying both if you can afford to do so. That way, you can
pick and choose among different lines that you find work best for you or
that you’re most comfortable playing. If you're a die-hard positional
player, you'll probably lean towards Soltis' approach more than Kosten's;
and among Soltis' lines, you may favor those involving central expansion or
queenside play over those involving the kingside pawn-storm (especially
those which can arise from the Botvinnik variation).
For the most part, I approve of their repertoire
suggestions. In my experience, the vast majority of amateur players respond
to 1.c4 with 1…e5, against which I have found that the accelerated
fianchetto English practically plays itself. However, I’m not quite as fond
of this variation against 1.c4 c5. It’s certainly playable, but it’s easy
for Black to maintain symmetry safely for a long time, and it’s not always
obvious when and how White should break the symmetry. As an alterative line,
you might consider 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4. Theoretically, it probably
doesn’t contain much advantage for White, but it does at least provide a way
to break the symmetry early on in a safe but active manner.
Now for a Black repertoire: Against 1.e4, the
French Defense
is an excellent choice. It’s a sound, positional system with plenty of scope
for counter-play. It avoids the dense theory of the Sicilian or Spanish
while still containing enough variety to hold interest after years of play.
It’s also a very flexible system which provides Black with several
variations from which to choose. Among these, the Winawer tends to involve
some of the most tactical lines of the French (for example, the Poisoned
Pawn variation of the Winawer), so you may want to avoid it in favor of
something like the Rubinstein, which is probably Black's most solid
approach. The Classical is balanced option, but can still become somewhat
tactical depending on the particular lines White and Black might choose.
To begin with, I'd recommend the Rubinstein, with the possibility of
expanding to the Classical someday if you deem it appropriate.
Of course, White has other options besides the main line.
You’ll also have to be prepared to face the Tarrasch (unless you avoid it
with the Rubinstein), the Advance, and a few
other minor variations (for example, the Exchange and the King’s Indian
Attack). The only book you’ll need to learn the fundamentals of all of the
above is Neil McDonald’s & Andrew Harley’s Mastering the French with the
Read and Play Method (Batsford, 1997). For those of you not familiar with
Batsford’s Mastering series, each book teaches you how to play the
respective opening by analyzing the typical pawn structures of each
variation and examining their typical plans, tactics, and strategies. It
also provides a fair amount of theory via example games. I highly recommend
this book.
If and when you’re ready for more intense theory, you’ll
want to check out Stephen Pedersen’s two volume work on the French; namely,
The Main Line French: 3. Nc3 (Gambit, 2001) and The French: Tarrasch and
Other Lines (Gambit, forthcoming). These two books comprise a thorough and
current survey of French theory, and will probably be the only other books
you’ll ever need on the French. (At least, unless later updated editions
come out!)
[Chessville’s very own David Surratt is also in the midst
of writing an excellent series of instructional articles on the French which
you can check out here.]
Against 1.d4, I recommend playing 1…e6. Don’t be
surprised if your opponent transposes to the French after 2.e4 – that’s what
you want! This will occur in about a quarter of your games. Just follow up
with 2…d5. It’ll put you back on familiar territory, and probably not be
what your opponent expected.
If your opponent responds with 2.c4, then play 2…d5 and enter the
Queen’s
Gambit Declined. The QGD has a bit of a bad reputation among amateurs, but I
think this is because they are mostly familiar with those old, drawish
Classical Orthodox variation games. However, there are plenty of other
approaches to the QGD which give Black more opportunity for counter-play
while still maintaining a positional character.
Furthermore, it’s always important to remember that classifications such as
“drawish” or “lacking counter-play for Black” are usually by and for GMs. At
the amateur level, there are going to be so many tactical and positional
mistakes by both players that there will always be winning chances for both
sides. The important thing is to play an opening which you like, and that
suits your style. So if you like to play a solid, positional game, then the
QGD is for you.
An excellent book to learn the QGD is Matthew Sadler’s Queen’s Gambit
Declined (Everyman, 2000). Sadler is (in my humble opinion . . .) one of the
best writers of instructional chess books today. He goes to great lengths to
explain the important plans, tactics, and strategies behind the opening
moves, while still providing enough theory to keep you happy for a long
time. Furthermore, he covers a variety of approaches to the QGD, including
the Lasker, Orthodox, and Tartakower variations of the main line, as well as
the Exchange variation and Bf4 lines. He doesn’t cover the solid-but-active Cambridge Springs
defense, so if that particular line interests you, you’ll have to look
elsewhere – I believe Gambit will be publishing a book on this variation
sometime soon.
Another good thing about the QGD is that you can play a QGD-type set-up
against many of White’s non-1.e4 and non-QGD openings, such as the Catalan,
the London System, the Colle, the English, the Reti, and most others as
well. This requires some critical thinking about the best move order in each
case, but most of the time you will be able to create a solid and familiar
QGD-like position. This may not always be the theoretically best approach,
but 9 times out of 10 you’ll take your opponents out of book early and play
the resulting positions better due to your greater familiarity with the pawn
structures and typical attacks & plans springing from them. Later on, if and
when you decide to, you can learn some of the “real” responses against these
lines. Among them, you may want to look at some of White’s Bg5 systems first
– they’re the least friendly to the QGD-type set-up.
These lines should provide the positional chess player
with plenty of opportunities for sound and active play. Enjoy!
Copyright 2002 S. Evan Kreider. Used with
permission.
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