Adhiban Baskaran - Chessable Lifetime Repertoires 1. b3

[Event ?] [Site ?] [Date ????.??.??] [Round ?] [White Introduction] [Black Introduction] [Result *] { Why 1. b3? My very first task is to convince everyone why it is worth checking out this epic opening that had eluded me for my entire life until this month. To be honest, when I pitched my idea of doing a Lifetime Repertoire on the 1. b3 Nimzo-Larsen, I expected Geert to fall out of his chair laughing. I was quite grateful and surprised when he was actually intrigued and assured me to go ahead with it! He even told me that he is a big fan of this line! So without much further ado, I decided to jump into this line and the rest was history } 1. e4 and it suited my style very well due to my attacking ambitions. e4 and it suited my style very well due to my attacking ambitions.

Some years later my coach told me to add 1. d4 to improve my knowledge and versatility in different lines, My early games in 1. d4 were a lot of fun and slowly I started to master it But as human beings, we get bored very easily and too soon and after a while, life was following a similar pattern and I wanted something fresh and new!! Enter 1. b3 My first few games (October 2020 only if you are curious ) in the Nimzo-Larsen was complete bliss, I couldnt believe that I hadnt played this amazing line for such a long time in my life! Now, thanks to Chessable, I feel like a kid learning something new for the very first time in my life. If you are like me and have never played 1. b3 before, I advise you just play some games first before you check out this course! I want you guys to develop a feeling on your own before I get a chance to teach you the tricks of the trade in this line! Only once you have done that, It is time to go to the next step The sword is only as powerful as its masters! Take this line and forge it into a weapon which one day everyone will fear! Now on to The Second Step.

One of the first things I learned in chess was the golden principles: 1 Centre Capture 2 Piece Development 3 King Safety/Castling But in this line, we briefly give up objective No. 1 to make sure our bishop becomes a force to be reckoned with! Our tactics are very similar to Guerilla Warfare. Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which groups of combatants use tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility, to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military. This brings us to The Last Step - The Surprise Element. Nowadays, getting an advantage with the mainlines is the biggest obstacle since all the lines are so well researched and deeply explored. b3 { We just give Black the centre, and a false sense of security only to take all of it back with interest at the right time! } 1 e5 { After 1d6 2.Bb2 Black is well advised to transpose to 1e5 territory! } 2. b3 { We just give Black the centre, and a false sense of security only to take all of it back with interest at the right time! } 1 e5 { After 1d6 2.Bb2 Black is well advised to transpose to 1e5 territory! } 2.

Bb2 { The fight is already beginning. Black has to make a decision on how to defend the pawn. } 2 Nc6 3. c4 { Inspired by Fischers direction, we fight for the control of the central square on d5. } 3 f5 { Spassky has tried this move. } 4. e3 { One day Winter and d4 is coming! } 4 d6 5. d4 Nf6 6. d4 Nf6 6.

Be2 { It is not clear where to put the knights yet, but e2 is more or less the best place for the bishop Hence go ahead with it. } 6 Be7 7. Nh3 { This is just very creative! This knight manoeuvre is aimed against any e4 ideas. } 7 O-O 8. O-O { We are doing great and if Black tries to be very ambitious with } 8 f4 9. } 9 Nb8 10. exf4 Bxh3 { The only way, otherwise Black loses a pawn. } 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. gxh3 { We can actually use the g-file for our evil attacking intentions . } * [Event ?] [Site ?] [Date ????.??.??] [Round ?] [White Quickstarter Guide 1.b3] [Black The brave and the bold #2] [Result *] 1. b3 { We just give Black the centre, and a false sense of security only to take all of it back with interest at the right time! } 1 e5 { After 1d6 2.Bb2 Black is well advised to transpose to 1e5 territory! } 2. b3 { We just give Black the centre, and a false sense of security only to take all of it back with interest at the right time! } 1 e5 { After 1d6 2.Bb2 Black is well advised to transpose to 1e5 territory! } 2.

Bb2 { The fight is already beginning. Black has to make a decision on how to defend the pawn. } 2 Nc6 3. c4 { Inspired by Fischers direction, we fight for the control of the central square on d5. } 3 g6 { Black is getting ready to neutralize Whites pressure along the long diagonal with a warrior of his own! } 4. } 4 Bg7 5. } 4 Bg7 5.

Nf3 { Increasing the central control } 5 Nge7 6. d4 { It is time since we cant allow Black to achieve d5! During Dubovs banter blitz I chose 6.Nc3 against him 6O-O 7.Be2 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 I had managed to confuse my recommendation from @@StartFEN@@rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1@@EndFEN@@ 1.b3 e5 2.Bb2 d6 lines. @@StartFEN@@r1bq1rk1/ppp2pbp/2n3p1/3np3/8/1PN1PN2/PB1PBPPP/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 9@@EndFEN@@ 9.Nxd5 Qxd5 Black was already superior in AD - Dubov Banter Blitz 2020 10.d3 e4! a simple shot winning a piece! 11.Bxg7 exf3 12.Bxf8 @@StartBracket@@ 12.Bxf3 Qa5+ was the trick I had missed! Shameful @@EndBracket@@ @@StartFEN@@r1b2Bk1/ppp2p1p/2n3p1/3q4/8/1P1PPp2/P3BPPP/R2QK2R b KQ - 0 12@@EndFEN@@ 12fxe2 13.Qxe2 Qxg2 14.Qb2 ! Finding the only way to complicate the issues at least a bit! 14Kxf8 would have given a big advantage to him! } 6 exd4 7. Nxd4 O-O 8. Nxc6 { There are other ways to continue, but this looked the most challenging, asking Black to make a decision! } 8 Nxc6 9. } 10. } 10.

Nc3 { The knight has a nice outpost on d5. } 10 d6 11. Be2 { The bishop is better placed here as it is away from any attacks of the c6-knight and keeping the d-file open for the use of major pieces. } 11 Be6 12. O-O { Is clearly better for White due to the weak king and potential outpost on d5 with play for us on all fronts - the centre, queenside and kingside! } * [Event ?] [Site ?] [Date ????.??.??] [Round ?] [White Quickstarter Guide 1.b3] [Black The brave and the bold #3] [Result *] 1. b3 { We just give Black the centre, and a false sense of security only to take all of it back with interest at the right time! } 1 e5 { After 1d6 2.Bb2 Black is well advised to transpose to 1e5 territory! } 2.

Bb2 { The fight is already beginning. Black has to make a decision on how to defend the pawn. } 2 Nc6 3. c4 { Inspired by Fischers direction, we fight for the control of the central square on d5. } 3 g6 { Black is getting ready to neutralize Whites pressure along the long diagonal with a warrior of his own! } 4. } 4 Bg7 5. } 4 Bg7 5.

Nf3 { Increasing the central control } 5 d6 6. Nc3 { This is aimed against f5 ideas for Black, which we can meet with d4. } 6 Nf6 7. Be2 O-O 8. d3 { This is one of the few lines where we are satisfied with pushing the d-pawn just one squareWe do this in order to keep control of the light squares especially e4. cxd5 Nxd5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 10.

Nxd5 { For a change we are the ones who have less space and hence exchanges are favourable for us! } 10 Qxd5 11. O-O { Now we shift the fight to the queenside where we have the best chance of gaining something. } 11 a5 12. a3 { An useful move to prepare Qc2 and also avoid ideas like Nb4 which would threaten our d3-pawn. } 12 Be6 13. Nd2 { The journey of the knight to c5 is beginning } 13 Qd7 14.

Qc2 { We might reach this position very often in our lines. We have many plans here: two of which involve Ne4-c5 ideas or Bc3-b4 etc. } * [Event ?] [Site ?] [Date ????.??.??] [Round ?] [White Quickstarter Guide 1.b3] [Black The brave and the bold #4] [Result *] 1. b3 { We just give Black the centre, and a false sense of security only to take all of it back with interest at the right time! } 1 e5 { After 1d6 2.Bb2 Black is well advised to transpose to 1e5 territory! } 2. Bb2 { The fight is already beginning. Black has to make a decision on how to defend the pawn. c4 { Inspired by Fischers direction, we fight for the control of the central square on d5. } 3 d5 { Honestly I couldnt believe my eyes when even this was a decent option!! } 4. cxd5 Qxd5 5. Nc3 Qd6 6. Nc3 Qd6 6.