Sam Shankland - Chessable Lifetime Repertoires: Sam Shanklands 1. d4 - Part1 merged

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1. d4 { Welcome to my Lifetime Repertoires series on playing 1.d4 from the white side! My goal with this series of 3 courses is within the title itself - I hope to present an opening repertoire that can last a lifetime. I have favored 1.d4 for most of my career, and I will be presenting a repertoire based on the attitude I take to my own games whenever I open with the queens pawn. I would consider this repertoire to be very strategically aggressive. It definitely has its dynamic moments and plenty of key lines to memorize, but for the most part, the goal is not to tear Blacks head off in the first 20 moves of the game, as one might see in some attacking repertoires. Rather, its goal is to fight for long term advantages right from the first move of the game, including but not limited to extra space, a better structure, the bishop pair, etc. This is not to say that I will not advocate launching an attack when I believe it is the best way-I certainly will. But all things being equal, the goal is to play strong, ambitious, strategic chess. A good way of thinking about it is to rate a repertoire based on its sharpness from 1 to 10. Super quiet lines like the Torre Attack would be a 1, and these are not particularly challenging. Black can play more or less any move and count on a fine position. But the other end of the spectrum is not that much better. The sharpest lines, such as the Bg5 Najdorf, often have a long string of forced moves for both sides with no room for innovation along the way without getting a disastrous position, and they often end in direct perpetual check or draws of some kind. Lines like these tend not to be too problematic for Black either. Memorize a few long lines, and youre good to go. I think the most challenging ways White can handle the opening tend to be in the 6-8 range on the 1 to 10 sharpness scale, and I think this repertoire fits nicely into said range. I am playing very strategically ambitious lines, often forcing Black into dynamic positions and making difficult decisions because simple moves will end up being worse for him. If Black does something noncritical against lines like these, he seldom dies on the spot, but often ends up in a seriously unpleasant position. Creating an entire opening repertoire within 1.d4 would produce an absolutely massive course, so I decided to break it into 3 parts. Part 1 is on all sidelines, which I define as anything other then 1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 or g6, and 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6, c6, and dxc4. Of course, some sidelines are more serious than others. The Dutch, Benko, and Benoni are surely more challenging than the Albin, Chigorin, and Budapest, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Part 2 will be on 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 and then covering Blacks 2 main moves in 2e6 and 2g6, while part 3 will be on 1.d4 d5 2.c4 and now the 3 main moves in c6, e6, and dxc4. I chose to do the sidelines part first for two main reasons. First off, I think it is the best way to learn any opening-one should always get the easy stuff out of the way first and have a clear plate ready for when the more challenging lines show up. Its always a shame to spend hours studying and learning all the mainlines, only to lose to some lazy loser who plays some nonsense that you werent ready for since you had only addressed the theoretically approved tries. The giddy happiness of such clowns (who profess the merits of playing stupid openings to try to catch someone off guard) when they succeed at their goal is like nails on a chalkboard to a serious chess player! The second reason is rather selfish. Im at the point where I am strong enough that I dont see sidelines too often in my own practice. As of the time of this writing, mid-July 2020, the world is still shut down from COVID. My hope is that as the world opens back up and tournaments come back, I will be able to use the analysis I do when covering the mainlines in my own games before it is published on Chessable! If its good enough for me, hopefully, it is good enough for you as well. A big part of making a repertoire is choosing your battles. The human brain can only retain so many lines and so much information, and wanting to know absolutely every best move at every juncture is clearly impossible. Those who studied my Semi-Slav course will remember that against noncritical lines, I often chose the easiest possible solution, contenting myself with comfortable equality with a few simple moves rather than fighting tooth and nail to be better with Black right away. I took the same attitude towards the sidelines in this course as well. If I believed there was an easy solution that gives a simple, pleasant advantage, I chose that line, no questions asked. But, for tougher sidelines, such as the aforementioned Dutch, Benoni, and Benko, I did not shy away from more theoretically demanding options, as I believe they are necessary to prove an advantage. I expect part 2 and part 3 to both be released before the end of 2020. This course is not a prerequisite per se, but I do think it will be a great place to get started, making sure that you have all of the minor lines covered before we hit the ground running. As usual, I have done my best to gather all of the relevant chess literature I could find recommending any of these lines from Blacks point of view, and cite exactly where I left their analysis or disagree with their conclusions. The following lines are all covered in the course. Happy studying! } 1 Nf6 { 1b6 1e6 1g6 1d6 1Na6 1f5 1a6 1c5 1d5 2.c4 Every move except for c6, e6, and dxc4 are covered here-those will be the subject of part III. 2Nc6 2Nf6 2Bf5 2e5 2c5 } 2. c4 { Every move except for g6 and e6 are covered here, as those will be the subject of part II. } 2 c5 { 2e5 2d6 2b6 2a6 2Nc6 2d5 } *

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1. d4 d5 ( 1 Nf6 2. c4 c5 ( 2 e5 { The Budapest Gambit does not enjoy the best reputation, and for good reason - Black certainly does not come close to equalizing. Still, he has some practical chances, and White should be sure he knows how to proceed. } 3. dxe5 Ng4 { Now White is undoubtedly better if he tries to hang onto the pawn on e5, but it requires a fair amount of analysis and memorization, and some risk that something could go wrong. I like handling the position in a different way, immediately giving back the pawn to claim a big space advantage. } ( 3 Ne4 { This ridiculous move is known as the Farajowicz variation, and as far as I can tell, White is already winning on the third move of the game. Unsurprisingly, no serious chess player has played it in a very long time, but White should still be ready. There are plenty of decent options, but my favorite is the rather simple } 4. Nd2 { When Blacks knight on e4 is challenged already. If Black takes on d2, White will develop the c1 bishop, and he will have a slight lead in development and an extra pawn for nothing. As such, Black is more or less forced to do something a bit more rash. } 4 Bb4 { This would be a typical response, trying to pin the knight. But after } 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Bxd2 { White is ready for Bf4, Nf3, and e3. As far as I can tell, Black has no compensation for the missing pawn whatsoever. The machine recommends the following sad line for Black: } 6 Nxd2 { In practice, this has been the most common move, and it does make some sense to snap off the bishop pair as well as get rid of the e4-knight that would be in danger of becoming trapped. Still, after } 7. Qxd2 O-O 8. f4 { White overprotects the e5 pawn, which will now never get taken. He is ready for Nf3, e3, Be2, and O-O with a simple extra pawn. The best I could come up with for Black was } 8 f6 9. exf6 Qxf6 10. e3 { Which disturbs Whites development a little, but still, after } 10 Re8 11. Kf2 { The king is safe as houses and White is ready for Ne2-c3 next. I see no compensation for the missing pawn. } ) 4. e4 Nxe5 5. f4 Ng6 { Historically, this has been the main move, but in recent days it has fallen out of favor for Nec6. } 6. Nc3 Bc5 { The bishop is quite annoying on c5 and now I would like to borrow a theme from the Scotch. } 7. Qh5 { White harasses the c5 bishop. It looks easy to protect with the natural move d6, but then we see the point. } 7 d6 8. f5 { White gets the bishop to g5 and will castle long, with perfect coordination. } 8 Ne5 9. Bg5 Qd7 10. Nf3 Nbc6 11. O-O-O O-O 12. Bf4 { Black is much worse. The extra space and potential for a kingside attack is glaringly obvious, and he even has some trouble defending against a very primitive threat like Nxe5. Taking on f3 would allow White to open the g-file. } 12 Nxf3 { What else? } 13. gxf3 ) ( 2 d6 { Of all of Blacks really offbeat second moves, the Old Indian may be his best bet. Still, White is pleasantly better. } 3. Nf3 { White should not allow e5 so easily. } 3 g6 4. Nc3 { Now Black, of course, could play Bg7, transposing to the Kings Indian, and part II of the course. But he does have one extraneous option here that has been tried now and then. } 4 Bf5 { Black prevents e2-e4 for the moment. But this is only a temporary solution. } 5. d5 { This strikes me as the simplest solution. White is ready for Nd4 next, kicking the f5 bishop away and then e4 will come next. The only key thing to remember that might not be super intuitive is that White more or less always wants to take on e6 if Black plays e6 or e5. } 5 Bg7 6. Nd4 Bd7 7. e4 O-O 8. Be2 e6 9. dxe6 { Once again, I like taking on e6. I am not convinced that White would be able to keep the position under control otherwise. } 9 fxe6 { White now needs to remember one last important move. } 10. Be3 { 10.O-O e5 11.Nc2 a5 This is less clear. Black will get Na6 and I dont see a great plan for White. The point is that if Black is able to play e5 , then a5 , then Na6 , he will have good play on the dark squares. Now, this proves to be impossible. After } 10 e5 11. Nc2 a5 { White need not allow Na6, and can immediately strike with } 12. c5 { And Blacks position is starting to crumble. } ) ( 2 Nc6 { The two knights tango. This is one of the very few chess openings I have never faced in a serious game, which is somewhat surprising as I have faced much worse lines in my youth. Black is looking to strike in the center very quickly, but as I have constantly said in all of my opening courses if either side develops their queens knight to c3 or c6 blocking their c-pawn, the only way to justify it is to advance the e-pawn two squares. I dont believe this will happen here, so Black must be worse. } 3. Nf3 { First things first-White should not allow Black to play e5. } 3 e6 { This is the only serious move Black can try. Now, I like a quite simple move for White. } 4. a3 { We have seen this idea before, in the Owens Defense. White is ready for Nc3 followed by e4 next. The only thing Black can realistically hope to try is to somehow get e5 in, but this will not work either. } 4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. e4 d6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O e5 9. d5 Ne7 { This leads to a normal mainline Kings Indian where White has a free tempo with a2-a3. This might seem inconsequential, but in fact, it matters quite a lot. After } 10. b4 { Blacks best option against the Bayonet is to play a5 and fight for control of the c5 square, and here this is a non-starter. After } 10 Nh5 { Even in the line where Black does not play a5, the move a3 turns out to be quite useful. } 11. g3 { White disallows any hope of Nh5-f4. } 11 f5 12. Ng5 Nf6 13. Bf3 c6 { This position with the pawn back on a2 is a serious theoretical battleground in the mainline Kings Indian, which I will not enter against a proper Kings Indian move order. But with a3 included, White has the very powerful move } 14. Ra2 { When the rook will come to d2 with devastating effect. Black is already almost lost! } ) ( 2 a6 { This move seems totally bizarre, but it is not as senseless as it looks. Black is hoping to play c5 next and force some kind of improved Benko Gambit with b5 to follow. White has more than one route to a nice advantage, but I like the following one. } 3. Nc3 c5 4. dxc5 { This is one of the rare cases in my repertoire where Black plays c5 and White does not push d5 in response. I quite like grabbing the pawn here, as Black will not be able to get it back without making some kind of serious concession. } 4 e6 5. e4 { Now Black cant take on c5 just yet, since e5 is a serious threat. } 5 Bxc5 6. e5 Ng8 7. Ne4 { Blacks position is a trainwreck. } ) 3. d5 b5 { In my opinion, the Benko Gambit is a somewhat underrated opening. I think anyone with half a brain knows that White is objectively better, but of all the lines that Black can choose where he accepts a worse position for practical chances in an unbalanced game, I think the Benko is one of his best options. Ive certainly managed to mess it up from the White side time and again, and I have never lost playing it with Black. I think the most important thing for White to do is to find a setup that promises him a safe position where he wont have to make a ton of difficult decisions or contain a lot of counterplay, and I am willing to accept a smaller objective advantage to reach this goal. } ( 3 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. Nd2 { I always liked this way of handling the White side of the Benoni. White does not want to allow the light-squared bishop to be exchanged by means of Bc8-g4, and rather than burning a tempo on h3, he instead brings his knight back to d2 preemptively. The knight obviously is not glorious on d2, but it is on the way to eventually c4. It should be noted that this move is also the recommendation of Daniel Barrish in his Queens Gambit course, and while my repertoire looks very different from his overall, this chapter has some similarities. Still, I have a somewhat different way of handling the resulting positions. } 7 Bg7 8. e4 O-O 9. Be2 { This is the main starting position of the Nd2 Benoni. White has managed to avoid burning a tempo on h3, and he will look to abuse the c4-square in the coming moves. Broadly speaking, Black has two ways of handling the position, and it all comes down to the b8-knight and whether Black wants to put it on a6 or d7. White must react somewhat differently in each case. } 9 Na6 { I believe this is Blacks most challenging move. The knight will come back to c7 and Black can try to fight for the b7-b5 advance. } ( 9 Nbd7 { Black can try to play without a6, but it doesnt work very well. } 10. O-O { Now at more or less any moment, Black can and probably should include a7-a6 and a2-a4, transposing to the mainline with 9a6. } 10 Re8 11. a4 { This is always a useful move. Now, if Black is abolutely hell-bent on not playing a6, he can try } 11 Ne5 { But white looks better to me after } 12. Ra3 { Which makes the rather subtle threat of f4 by overprotecting the e3 square. } 12 g5 { This seems absolutely forced, as no other move makes any sense at all, but after } ( 12 a6 13. f4 Neg4 14. Nc4 Nxe4 15. Bxg4 Bd4+ 16. Ne3 { Without the rook on a3, White would lose a piece after Nxc3. As is, he remains material up, and winning. } ) 13. Re1 { White has a very easy plan that leads to a clear advantage. He will go Nf1 winning a tempo by threatening the g5 pawn and then Ng3, Qc2, and Nc3-d1-e3-f5. } ) ( 9 a6 10. a4 Nbd7 11. O-O Re8 12. Re1 { Petrov does not consider this natural move. } 12 Rb8 { In recent years Black has mainly favored playing a Na6 plan, but if he does go for the Nbd7 plan, this position is likely to arise. Carl Boor even recommended it for Black in a course here on Chessable. I dont think much of Blacks position, and Boor does not mention my preferred move here. } ( 12 g5 { This is a typical idea, aiming to secure the e5 square for Blacks knight. It is important that White always is ready with Nc4, and this position is no exception. } 13. Nc4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Rxe4 15. Nxd6 Rd4 16. Qc2 Rxd5 17. Nf5 { White will take on g7 and has a vicious attack with Ra3-g3 on the way. } ) 13. a5 { I like this somewhat committal move. White forever nips any hopes of b7-b5 without allowing axb6 in the bud, and it is hard to find a satisfactory plan for Black. } 13 b5 { What else? He could not play g5, and he could not play Ne5. } 14. axb6 Nxb6 15. Ra3 { Black will struggle to defend the a6-pawn, and I dont see any real counterplay or a decent plan for him. } 15 Nbd7 16. b3 ) 10. O-O Nc7 11. a4 { Sooner or later, White will have to play this to prevent b5. I like taking control of the key square well in advance. } 11 b6 { This is the main move, and it has a few purposes. First off, Black is hoping to play a6 and b5 without allowing White to fix the queenside with a4-a5, and second, the bishop on c8 is now free to come to a6 to challenge the knight that will inevitably land on c4. } 12. Nc4 { Very direct, and seems very strong. } 12 Re8 { Black really should make sure to include Rf8-Re8 and f2-f3 while he can. White is not yet ready for Bg5. } 13. f3 Ba6 { Now and only now, Black goes for Bc8-a6. I still dont like his position, but he is not falling apart in the same way he was without Rf8-e8 and f2-f3 included. } 14. Rb1 { I quite like this rare move. White anticipates that Black will want to take on c4 and then play for a7-a6 and b6-b5, and his goal is to beat him to the punch by getting b2-b4 first. } 14 Bxc4 15. Bxc4 a6 16. b4 { Blacks position is not critical just yet, but he is obviously a bit worse as he failed to get anything going on the queenside. The computer finds a couple forced lines to try to get b6-b5 through, but they do not end in Blacks favor. } 16 Nd7 17. Bd2 Ne5 { The knight is only a target here. After } 18. Be2 { The machine is recommending that Black play cxb4 and then Ne5-d7 back. } ) ( 3 d6 4. Nc3 g6 { Black is trying to play a Benoni with delaying e6 and exd5. This is not such a stupid idea, because as soon as the moves exd5 and cxd5 are played, the c4 square becomes available for Whites knight. Black can delay this capture for a while, hoping that Whites inability to play Nc4 will run him out of useful moves, but it does contain one drawback that I am hoping to exploit. } 5. e4 Bg7 6. Nf3 { This is very simple and straightforward. White will develop with Be2 and O-O, and he will take back with the e-pawn on d5 to maintain a symmetrical structure with a pleasant space advantage. } 6 O-O 7. Be2 e6 8. O-O { 8.Nd2 This would be the consistent move with the Nd2 line of the Benoni, but its not as effective now since White cannot force Black to take on d5 and allow Nc4 . After 8Na6 9.O-O Nc7 We see that the generally desirable Nc4 is impossible and it feels like Black has more useful waiting moves than White Re8, Rb8, b6, a6, Bd7, etc and eventually, he will play exd5 when the time is right. Since White cannot play Nc4 at any moment, I do not trust this position for him. } 8 exd5 { Black didnt have much of a choice as White was threatening to take on e6 and play Bf4 next. } 9. exd5 { Easy does it. White accepts a simple position with some extra space. In general, I think Black would be more or less lost if he cannot exchange any minor pieces, and absolutely fine if he could exchange off two sets. As far as I can tell, he can only get one pair off the board. So he is not crushed, but white is definitely better. } 9 Bf5 { I believe this natural move is actually a serious mistake, as now Black gets no minor pieces off the board. } 10. Nh4 Bc8 11. h3 Re8 12. Bd3 { White is ready for Nf3 back next, and Black is in horrible shape. He has too many pieces and too few squares to put them on. } ) 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 { This is the modern main line, and surely the more challenging move. } ( 6 Bxa6 { For a long time, nearly every game in the Benko featured this move. But I think it is actually quite a bit worse than the Modern Mainline with Bg7. The reason is that it all comes down to the same key f1-a6 diagonal. White can play e4 to contest it, castle by hand, and then Black will not get his queen to a6 in time to make any trouble. } 7. e4 Bxf1 8. Kxf1 d6 { Otherwise, e5 was coming. } 9. Nf3 Bg7 10. g3 O-O 11. Kg2 { Now all White has to do to reach a more or less winning position is play a4, Ra3, and Nb5. This will block the b-file where Black is looking for counterplay, and then White can complete his development with b3 and Bb2, leaving Black with no compensation. Some care must be taken not to hang e4, but if White is precise, he should secure a big advantage. } 11 Nbd7 { This is the most common move by far, though it certainly does not equalize. } 12. a4 { This move was found as far back as 2012 when Larry Kaufman recommended it for White in his repertoire book for White and Black. Any book written that long ago will be mostly outdated, which it largely is, but it says a lot about the quality of Kaufmans work that even a single line has stood the test of time for 8 whole years. White is ready with the standard plan of preparing Nb5 to shut down the b-file and then gradually maneuver the b1-bishop to the long diagonal, leaving Black with no compensation. } 12 Ra6 { This is another coordination Black can consider, where he brings the queen to a8 to pressure the e4/d5 pawn chain with e6 and he clears the 8th rank to get the rook to b8. It makes quite a bit of sense, but White should be better if he knows what to do. } 13. Qe2 Qa8 14. Ra3 { b3 is coming next and White is good to go. A good rule of thumb for the Benko Gambit is that if Black ever plays e6 after already playing d6, White should take it and force Black to take with the f-pawn to mess up his structure. This position is no exception. } 14 Rb8 15. b3 { Black is not making any trouble on the queenside, and White is ready for the trademark Nb5 and Bb2 next. } ) 7. e4 O-O { The whole battle will revolve around the right for the a6-f1 diagonal. Black is planning Qa5 and Bxa6 to follow, and White should be careful not to let this happen. } 8. Bc4 { According to my database, this move has been played exactly once before, in a game from a u-10 youth championship. I believe White has other and possibly better options, but I quite like this one. The point becomes clear shortly. } 8 Qa5 { This has to be the most critical move. Black threatens Nxe4 and is also ready for Bxa6 next. But here we see my big point. } 9. a7 { White drags the rook to a7, where it will be vulnerable to various tactics. } 9 Qxa7 { This is a very difficult move, as Rxa7 feels like a much more natural capture and Nxe4 is tempting as well, so I would be surprised if it is what Black would play if caught unprepared, but it is definitely his best option. Now, much like I want to do after Rxa7, White will promptly overprotect the c4 bishop and use it as a glorified pawn to shut down any hope of counterplay along the a6-f1 diagonal. } 10. Nf3 Ba6 11. Nd2 { White has secured the bishop on c4, and he is always ready to take back with the knight and meet Qa6 with Qe2. Black will not take control of the key diagonal. Note that because the queen is on a7 instead of a5, Nxe4 is not a problematic move to deal with anymore. } 11 Bxc4 12. Nxc4 Qa6 13. Qe2 { White was able to contest the all-important diagonal without exchanging queens, and can shut down any further counterplay by setting up a4, Nb5, and Ra3. } ) ( 1 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 e6 ( 3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 d6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O { This is the starting position of the Leningrad Dutch, and now Black has to choose how he wants to develop his pieces. Whites most important goal by far is to prevent Black from making the space gaining advance e7-e5-e4, and the most common way of pulling this off is playing d4-d5 first, making sure that he is ready to take on e6 en passant. } 7 Qe8 { This is the old Mainline. Black is very direct and looking to play e7-e5 next, but White gets a good position if he is well prepared. The old mainline-not too impressive } ( 7 Nc6 { This is a very bold move, but not a scary one. Black is threatening to play e7-e5 right away, but he is really begging for d4-d5 to come. I will oblige. } 8. d5 Na5 { Nakamura has favored this move pretty heavily and showed some good results, and it must be considered the modern main line of the 7Nc6 variation. But still, White looks quite a bit better to me. } 9. Qa4 { I like this extremely direct move, forcing Black to immediately decide how he wants to handle the harassment of the a5 knight. I cant really imagine him playing anything other than c6 or c5. } 9 c5 10. dxc6 Nxc6 11. Rd1 { A natural prophylactic move. By pressuring the d6 pawn, White ensures that Black will not get e7-e5 under any circumstance. White looks quite a bit better to me due to his healthier structure and active pieces. A sample line might continue } 11 Qa5 { White now does not generally mind a queen exchange, but he should do it on his terms. If he were to take on a5 here, Black would get good pressure against the c4-pawn. } 12. Qb3 Qb6 13. Be3 Qxb3 14. axb3 { White is pleasantly better due to his extra space and active pieces. } ) ( 7 c6 { This is the modern mainline, and almost the only move ever chosen by top players including two of my own games from the Black side in recent years. Blacks point is that he is now ready to meet d4-d5 with e7-e5 and the long diagonal is blocked, but this will not equalize. White can walk into the trap. Interesting. White has a few options now, but I kind of like b3 } 8. d5 { This is a simple way to a nice edge. White has other good moves, but I believe this one is the easiest, and that White should take the easiest route possible when preparing against sidelines. } 8 e5 9. dxe6 Bxe6 10. b3 { Black is unable to make any trouble on the long diagonal. } 10 Ne4 { This may look tempting, but Black is asking for trouble. } 11. Nxe4 Bxa1 12. Nxd6 { Funnily enough, Black is already lost. White has one pawn for the exchange, will likely grab a second on b7, and his pieces are jumping to life alarmingly fast while Blacks rooks fail to impress. } 12 a5 13. Nxb7 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 a4 15. Ba3 { Black loses material. } ) 8. b3 { This move is not nearly as common as the main 8.d5, but it looks like a very convincing answer to me. White is ready to play Bc1-a3 next, which will make it all but impossible for Black to ever get e7-e5 through. So, I think Black more or less has to go for it right now. } 8 e5 { This has to be tried, but I dont think it works too well for Black. } 9. dxe5 dxe5 { Now if Black is able to get e5-e4 through, he will be in fantastic shape as his g7 bishop will wake up while Whites g2 bishop will become an idiot. But White beats him to the punch. } 10. e4 { Generally, Blacks hope is to meet e4 with f4, keeping the center closed and hoping to launch an attack with his extra space on the kingside, but as far as I can tell, he wont get away with it here. } 10 Nc6 { This has been the most common move in human practice, but it looks pretty soft to me. After } 11. Nd5 Rf7 { This has been seen from time to time, but I like a clever maneuver that disturbs Blacks coordination. } 12. Ng5 Rd7 13. exf5 { Now and only now White takes on f5. Black cannot take back with the bishop, and after } 13 gxf5 14. Bb2 { His position is falling apart. The bishop on c8 and the rook on a8 will have a very hard time ever doing anything useful, and White is ready to put further pressure on the center with Rf1-e1 next. } ) 4. Bg2 { Now Black has a choice to make-he can either go for the Classical Dutch with Be7 or into a stonewall with c6 followed by d5. } 4 Be7 { The Classical Dutch is almost completely unseen at top level, but it has some proponents. Simon Williams has done a course on it right here on Chessable, and he put his money where his mouth is when he beat Boris Gelfand. A single good game is not enough to change my mind about the opening being bad, but it definitely means that White should take it seriously and know what to do. } ( 4 c6 5. Nf3 d5 6. O-O Bd6 { This is the typical starting position of the Stonewall Dutch. It does not have the best reputation, for a few reasons. As I wrote about in my Semi-Slav course where I recommended a Stonewall setup against 4.e3, my contention was that if White can ever neutralize the d6 bishop with either Nf3-e5 or exchange it off with Bc1-a3, he will be clearly better as Black will be a bit worse on the queenside thanks to his lack of space and the passive bishop on b7. He really needs the d6 bishop to stay alive so that it can help launch a kingside attack. This position is a little different for a couple of reasons. First off, Whites king is much safer thanks to the fianchetto shutting down the d6 bishop, but also the bishop on g2 is quite passive, which gives Black an extra option of developing his queens bishop to b7 or a6 in a way that would be much harder to pull off if Whites bishop were on a square like d3. White has multiple routes to a nice edge, but I found one that I really like for its simplicity and clarity. } 7. b3 { This is the main move by far. White makes the strategic threat of Bc1-a3. } 7 Qe7 { Its hard for me to imagine any other move being played. Black stops Ba3 while developing a new piece. Historically, White has usually tried to get Bc1-a3 in at all costs, either with Bb2, Qc1, and Ba3 or with a4 and then Ba3. These are not such stupid plans, but I think they have some drawbacks and would prefer to play in another way that will attempt to prevent Black from completing his development. } 8. Ne5 { White immediately pounces on the weakened e5-square, another prescribed way of shutting down the bishop on d6. But the move has another purpose as well-White is trying to restrict the development of the c8-bishop. If Black ever plays Nbd7, the weakness of the c6 pawn means that b7-b6 will not be possible. So, his best plan is to play b6, Bb7, and then Nbd7. But I have a plan for that as well. } 8 O-O { Now White has a very clever idea. } 9. Qc2 { This is a very rare, but very clever move. I think Whites best plan with his minor pieces is to play Nd3 and Bf4, but it is important to wait for a move. Black now has to figure out what to do about the light-squared bishop. He can try either b6 or Bd7-e8. 9.Bb2 This is less effective after 9Bd7 When Black is ready for Be8 and Nbd7. The machine gives White some edge but I am not particularly convinced. 9.Nd3 Trying the right plan at the wrong moment fails to impress. After 9Nbd7 10.Bf4 Bxf4 11.Nxf4 Black has some counterplay with 11dxc4 Pointing out that since White has not yet placed his queen on c2, he must take back with the pawn. But after 12.bxc4 e5 White will be left with an isolani on c4 , and Black looks okay to me. 9.Bf4 Nh5 This is a bit annoying. } 9 a5 { Magnus has usually advanced the a-pawn in the few times he has played the Stonewall with Black, but I find it inoffensive. White can execute his main plan. } 10. Nd3 { Bf4 is on the way, and White should be better. Note that after } 10 Nbd7 11. Bf4 Bxf4 12. Nxf4 { White is very happy to already have his queen on c2, as otherwise Black could take on c4 and play e5, with some counterplay. As is, White can take back with the queen on c4. } ) 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nc3 { White has a very simple and very direct plan-he wants to fight for the e2-e4 advance. If he gets it in, Black will be left with long term problems with his king as well as a terrible backward pawn on e6, blunting his bishop. In general, I think if Black makes any move other than Ne4, Qc2 is really going to hurt. } 7 Ne4 { This has to be the most critical move. Black occupies the e4 square before White can control it and push e4 through, and at a moment with his queen back on d8 so that Nxe4 followed by Ng5 is not possible. It is also Williams recommendation in his course here on Chessable. } 8. Nxe4 { White can and should accept the challenge. Black will struggle to hold the center together. } 8 fxe4 9. Ne1 { This somewhat surprising move promises White a big advantage. It looks a little weird as the knight is a bit passive, but the main point is that it is out of the way of the bishop on c1. Whites main plan involves playing f2-f3, and the knight will recapture. 9.Nd2 Williams gives a lot of long lines after this move, ultimately claiming that Black is okay. I am very skeptical of this conclusion, but I also find it irrelevant as White has a better idea. } 9 d5 { And now Williams does not consider Whites best move. } 10. Be3 { White simply bolsters his center. His plan is to play Rc1 next, keeping c4 protected, and once everything is safe and secure, then and only then he will play f3. 10.f3 Williams only considers this move, which is a bit cooperative. I am not at all convinced that Black is equalizing after his intended Nc6 11.fxe4 Rxf1+ 12.Kxf1 dxc4 but once again, White has a better option. } 10 Nc6 11. Rc1 { White is now ready for f2-f3 next, and there is absolutely nothing Black can do about it. There is no counterplay or messy positions that one might see if Black were able to take c4 and hang onto it, and Black is in big trouble. } ) ( 1 c5 { This rare move has been seen from time to time, but Black has nothing better than transposing into a normal Benoni or Benko Gambit. } 2. d5 { Now Black really should play Nf6 in the next move or two to transpose into a normal Benoni, but he does have a couple of extraneous options. } 2 e5 { If Black is hell-bent on playing something out of the ordinary, this is his most common move. White has often gone for plans that omit c2-c4, but I think this is unnecessary and would rather take the whole center. } 3. c4 { Now, the only way I can find for Black to avoid transposing into the Czech Benoni with some combination of Nf6, d6, and Be7 in the next few moves is to try to play for f7-f5, taking advantage of the knight staying home until now. But, this will not work. } 3 d6 4. e4 { Now Blacks only extraneous tries that would avoid the Czech Benoni involve trying to exchange off the bad dark-squared bishop with either Bf8-e7-g5 or g6 followed by Bh6, both taking advantage of the knight still being home on g8. Neither one is particularly intimidating. } 4 Be7 5. Nf3 { this move looks a little paradoxical, as White should generally be trying to avoid a piece exchange. But it is justified because Black really wants to exchange off the dark-squared bishop, not the light-squared bishop. As such, he needs to lose more time on Bc8-g4 before he can try to get Be7-g5 in. } 5 Bg4 6. Qa4+ { An important and extremely annoying check for Black to deal with. The natural Nd7 would fail to Nfd2, so Black must mess up his coordination. } 6 Nd7 7. Nfd2 { White has managed to avoid exchanging any minor pieces and the g4 bishop is stuck in no mans land. If White is able to play f3 and force the bishop to h5, it will never do anything active for a very long time. } ) ( 1 g6 { The Modern Defense. This is a common weapon that higher rated players often use, hoping to get a weaker opponent out of their comfort zone, and retaining a reasonably solid position. White is obviously better but attempts to crush Black directly have serious potential to fall on their face. Some of the violent attacking plans that White has at his disposal are pretty reasonable, but I would prefer to remain consistent with the rest of the repertoire and look to play aggressive strategic chess, taking as much space in the center as possible. } 2. e4 Bg7 { This is Blacks most common move by far, and for obvious reasons. } ( 2 c5 { This move is rare, but possible. White has several promising options, but in general, I think the most consistent and strongest choice is to more or less always meet c7-c5 with d4-d5. } 3. d5 Bg7 4. c4 { Black will almost certainly transpose to the Reluctant Benoni, with d6 and Nf6 to follow. The only extraneous try he has here is to place his knight on e7 instead, something he cannot do in a normal Benoni move order, but its hardly anything to be concerned about. } 4 d6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Ne7 { This plan is not available to Black in a normal Benoni, as his knight would already be committed to f6 as early as move 1. I suppose it makes some degree of sense, as Black will be able to get the f7-f5 break through to challenge Whites center. Still, I find it entirely unconvincing. } 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O exd5 ( 8 f5 { This only makes some sense if Black has already taken on d5. } 9. dxe6 Bxe6 10. exf5 { Black is left with a miserable structure and a position full of weaknesses. White has an easy development scheme with Bc1-f4, Qd1-d2, rooks to e1 and d1, and a huge advantage. } ) 9. cxd5 f5 { This is the only way Black can really justify the way he has played. White has move than one good option, but I like the very direct } 10. e5 { First played in Naciri,Z (2170) -Gareyev,T (2525) Mallorca 2004. } 10 dxe5 11. Be3 { When Black has serious trouble keeping everything under control. The position is opening up very fast, and the c5-pawn is very hard to defend. White will easily restore material equality and have a lot of pressure with his lead in development. } 11 Nd7 12. Ng5 { Black will not be able to prevent Ne6. } ) ( 2 c6 { Black has also tried this move, aiming to play some kind of pseudo Caro-Kann Modern Hybrid. I find it unimpressive, and I see no reason not to take more space in the center, much as White does against more or less everything else Black can try. } 3. c4 d5 { Its hard to imagine Black playing anything else. } 4. cxd5 { The simplest solution } 4 cxd5 5. e5 { We have transposed to an obsolete line of the Hyper Accelerated Dragon that is well known to be good for White and has been almost completely forgotten. White develops easily with h2-h3 to prevent Bg4, and then Ng1-f3, Bf1-e2, and O-O. Blacks only plan to break down the center is f7-f6, but it will not equalize. For example, after } 5 Bg7 6. h3 Nh6 7. Nc3 { 7.Nf3 This move order is fine as well. } 7 O-O 8. Nf3 f6 9. exf6 { Now Black should try to maintain a symmetrical structure with } 9 Rxf6 10. Qb3 { Here Black is losing a pawn as well since e7-e6 can be met with Bc1-g5, and his structure is notably worse than it would be with the e-pawn on f6 instead. } ) 3. c4 d6 ( 3 e6 { This wacky move has seen some play in the last several years. Black plans to complete development with Ne7 and then fight for the center with d5. Its not too impressive, but White definitely should be ready. } 4. Nc3 Ne7 5. Nf3 d5 6. Bd3 { White has other moves, but I like this simple one the best. White bolsters his center and retains a clear edge due to his extra space. Black will struggle to make any kind of counterplay, as Nbc6 is always well met by Bc1-e3, and he cannot get c7-c5 in. The one important thing to remember is that White ALWAYS must take back on e4 with the bishop, not the knight. } 6 dxe4 7. Bxe4 Nbc6 8. Be3 { As usual, White meets Nbc6 with Be3. } 8 f5 { Black is a little too far behind in development to get away with this one. } 9. Bxc6+ Nxc6 10. O-O O-O { Now, if White is not careful, f5-f4 will come and his center will fall. But luckily, he can blow up the center while Black is underdeveloped. } 11. Bg5 Qd7 12. d5 exd5 13. cxd5 { Black is in really bad shape. The bishop on c8 will struggle to develop, and Whites rooks will soon land on c1 and e1. } ) 4. Nc3 { Now Blacks only real alternative to transposing to a Reluctant Benoni with 4 c5 or a Kings Indian with 4 Nf6 is to go for e7-e5, but I dont think it is too serious. } 4 e5 { If Black is hell-bent on playing the Modern, I think this is his best option. But I also think White is pleasantly better, and I think I found an easy solution. } 5. Nf3 { White can take on e5 at more or less any moment, with a slightly better endgame after Black takes back. But, I am quite particular about when I think it should be done, and White should wait for one more move. } 5 Bg4 6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 { White has to make something of his lead in development, as he has lost his space advantage and Black will be fine if he gets a few moves to consolidate his position. But I think White can make a lot of direct trouble for Black. } 8. Ng5 Nh6 { This sade move is actually forced. } 9. Be2 Bxe2 10. Kxe2 Nc6 { Its hard for me to imagine Black doing anything other than trying to abuse the d4 square. } 11. Rd1+ Nd4+ 12. Kf1 { It took me some time to warm up to this position, as at first glance it looks like Black must be fine. He is facing no major threats and has a fantastic knight on d4. But a closer examination reveals something very unpleasant for him: He will have a tremendously difficult time coordinating his kingside pieces. The knight on h6 cannot move due to the f7 pawn hanging. The f7 pawn cannot move due to the weakness of the e6 square. And the h8 rook cannot move without hanging h7. So How does Black complete his development and untangle his kingside? It seems impossible to me. The best I could find for him was } 12 Kc8 13. Nb5 a5 { Not an easy move. Black is hoping to develop with Ra6, securing the e6 square so that he can play f7-f6 afterwards. } 14. Nxd4 exd4 15. Bf4 { White is ready for e4-e5 next, with a pleasant edge, for instance after } 15 Ra6 16. e5 f6 17. exf6 Rxf6 18. Rxd4 ) ( 1 e6 { With this move, Black is hoping to open up the dark-squared bishop without yet committing to Ng8-f6. There is the obvious drawback that this requires that Black is willing to enter the French Defense. Of course, White could certainly play 2.e4 here, transposing into the French and basically entering an e4 opening without having to deal with the Open Games, the Sicilian, or the Caro-Kann. If you wish to play this way, by all means, go for it! I would recommend GM Harikrishnas repertoire as a good way to play. But, for our purposes, I will keep the game in d4 territory. } 2. c4 { Now, Black could of course play 2Nf6, transposing into the Nimzo Indian, which will be covered in part 2 of the repertoire series. 2f5 would transpose to the Dutch chapter, but Black does have a couple of independent tries that White should be aware of. } 2 b6 { This is a bit more serious than b6 on the first move, but its also pretty soft. White has several decent options, but in keeping in line with my general philosophy that we should prioritize ease over ambition in noncritical lines, I am happy to play a simple development scheme to get a nice advantage. } ( 2 Bb4+ { I have seen this move from time to time. It strikes me as a bad version of the Bogo Indian. For example, after } 3. Bd2 { Black has lost a lot of his best options within the Bogo. Normally, with Nf3 and Nf6 included, Black could consider c5, a5, or Qe7 here. As is, White is threatening to occupy the entire center with e4 next, which more or less forces Black to take on d2. } 3 Bxd2+ 4. Qxd2 Nf6 5. Nc3 { Black is now more or less forced to play d5-otherwise, White will play e4 with a massive center. But still, after } 5 d5 6. e3 O-O 7. Nf3 { White looks pleasantly better and can continue his development with Rc1, Be2, and O-O. And just like we saw in the same position with a5 and a3 included, White wants to only take on d5 once Black plays b7-b6. } ) 3. a3 { Whites plan is to play Nc3 without having to worry about Bb4, much like one would see in a Petrosian Queens Indian. But this is a better version, as White has not yet committed his knight to f3. } 3 Bb7 4. Nc3 { Now, if White is allowed to play e2-e4, he will have a very nice edge. Black should stop him, either with Nf6 or f5. But both moves are met with the same response. } 4 f5 { This strikes me as Blacks most challenging try. White is better, but he should be a bit careful. } ( 4 Nf6 5. d5 { White takes extra space in the center and blunts the b7-bishop. He looks pleasantly better to me, for example, after } 5 Bd6 6. Nf3 O-O 7. g3 { White is ready to complete his development with Bg2 and 0-0, and I cant really see anything fun for Black to do. He will suffer from having less space. Since he did not play f7-f5, he does not have any active plans connected with a knight jumping to e4. So, his position looks miserable. } 7 c6 { This looks like the most natural try, but it doesnt do much. After } 8. Bg2 { It turns out that Black cannot comfortably capture on d5. } 8 cxd5 9. cxd5 { And now Black could take exd5, but his extra pawn would be meaningless, likely to fall, and his coordination would be terrible. But he cannot take with pieces either. } 9 exd5 { This is the recommendation of Yuriy Krykun in his course here on Chessable. It may be the best move, but it definitely does not equalize. } 10. O-O Na6 { Black will make some attempt to hang onto this extra pawn. Now, Krykun only examines Nd4 and Nh4 - natural moves that attempt to win the pawn back. He does not mention the following powerful idea. } 11. Nb5 { White couldnt care less about the pawn down - the doubled isolanis on the d-file only hinder Blacks development and dont do anything useful for him. After } 11 Be7 12. b4 Nc7 13. Nxc7 Qxc7 14. Nd4 { The computer only gives White a small edge, but it looks like a miserable position for Black to my human eye. Bb2, Rc1, Qb3 - Whites position plays itself, and his coordination is perfect. Blacks bishop on b7 is extremely sad. } 14 Ne4 { Black should probably try to contest the long diagonal with Bf6, but now White changes gears. } 15. Bf4 Qd8 16. Rc1 { I cant imagine anyone wanting such a position with Black. } ) 5. d5 { Again, White takes the space in the center. But since Black has played f7-f5, the same development scheme of g3, Bg2, Nf3, and O-O is not as convincing-Black will play Na6-c5-e4 and then be able to take back with the pawn when the d5 pawn will come under fire. But White is better if he knows what to do. The key is to remember that if Black has played f7-f5, it is necessary to always meet Na6 with b4, stopping Nc5. This is because the plan of Na6-c5-e4 is much more annoying when fxe4 is available to Black after the inevitable knight exchange, and because f7-f5 is a slower move than Nf6, meaning White will have enough time to play b4 without anything horrible happening to him. } 5 Nf6 6. g3 Bd6 7. Nf3 { As a rule of thumb, it is a good idea to meet Bd6 with Nf3 to make sure Black cannot go Be5 next. } 7 Na6 8. b4 { White should always meet Na6 with b4 if Black has played f5. In a similar position with O-O included instead of f5, Black got good counterplay. but here, he is clearly worse, for example, after } 8 exd5 9. cxd5 c5 10. dxc6 dxc6 11. Qb3 { It is abundantly obvious that Black is not only down a tempo as he is not yet castled, but f7-f5 also is making a lot of weaknesses in his position. The machines claim he is already lost! } ) ( 1 d6 { With this move, Black is aiming to play into the Pirc Defense. White certainly could advance e2-e4 here, and I think he has every chance to fight for an advantage, but after Ng8-f6, White is forced to play Nb1-c3, blocking the c-pawn and making it hard to play a positionally challenging line, instead of having to look for more of an attacking position that we would associate more with e4 on the first move. I like remaining consistent with the repertoire and not giving up on c4 just yet, hoping to get a big pawn center with c4, d4, and e4. } 2. Nf3 { This prevents Black from playing e7-e5. Now, he has many transpositions available-f5 would promptly take us to a Leningrad or Classical Dutch, and both 2Nf6 and 2g6 are likely to end up in a Kings Indian. } 2 Bg4 { This is Black only extraneous try. } 3. e3 { White has a lot of other options, but I like this simple one the best. He nips any hopes of Bxf3, disturbing his structure, in the bud, and has a very straightforward plan involving c2-c4, Nb1-c3, Bf1-e2, and 0-0. Then, once he has completed development and kept everything nice and solid, he can eventually look to expand further in the center with e3-e4. I cant find a great way for Black to make any trouble for this plan. } 3 Nf6 ( 3 g6 { This move feels like Blacks best option to me. He will play some kind of Kings Indian setup and hope to put pressure on the d4 pawn by means of e7-e5 at the right moment, aiming to prevent White from advancing e3-e4. But still, I think White retains a nice edge. } 4. Be2 Bg7 5. c4 e5 ( 5 Nf6 { Playing like a traditional Kings Indian is possible as well, albeit unimpressive. } 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O { Now, White is ready for e3-e4 next, and Black is actually unable to play e5 just yet. Its hard to suggest a good move. } 7 Nbd7 8. e4 e5 9. Be3 { Again, White makes use of the awkward placement of the bishop on g4. He is ready for d5 next, and then Nd2 to follow, and he does not have to worry about Nf6-g4. } ) 6. Nc3 { White can simply wait with the pawn in the center, much like he would in a mainline Kings Indian. Black will need to add yet another attacker with Nc6 before White will have to touch his d-pawn. } 6 exd4 { This is the machines recommendation. It may well be best, but White is obviously a little better after } 7. Nxd4 Bxe2 8. Ndxe2 Nf6 9. O-O O-O 10. e4 { The space advantage plays itself. White will follow up with f3, b3, Be3,