Thread by @NikolaosNtirlis

♟️ New Ideas in the Opening

Do you want to smash 1.e4 e5 as White?

Let me show you how the cool kids do it these days!

An incredibly dangerous and easy-to-play attacking line that some White players recently discovered!

A thread 🧵👇

You can get this line in a couple of ways, but possibly the simplest way is from

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3!? Nf6 (by far the most popular) 3.d4!? exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd3!

(Another way is via 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qd3, although now Black has the extra option of 4...d5!?)

In the starting position (see diagram) White wants to play Bf4, O-O-O and start attacking at the kingside.

Yes, with good play, Black will equalise, but when I studied this I was surprised to realise that a slight mistake by Black gives a huge advantage for White!

For example: 5...d6 (5...Be7 leads to the same) 6.Bf4 Be7 7. O-O-O O-O 8.h4!

White wants to play h4-h5, Qg3 maybe, or even f3-g4 etc.

After 8...Be6 9.a3!? Ne5 10.Qe3! Black was already in trouble in Durarbayli-Shankland, Saint Louis 2023!

5...Bb4 is the most popular move. But again Black is worse!

6.Bd2 O-O 7.O-O-O Re8 8.Nge2! (D) White has a very simple plan of Bg5-Nd5.

This is exactly what happened in the game Kislinsky-Caruana, Titled Tuesday 2023 which Caruana end up much worse and lost!

If you ask your engine, it will tell you that best is 5...Bc5.

This might well be true, but after 6.Bf4 d6 White may need to lose a tempo to defend f2 if they want to castle long.

But, some White players have discovered that there is no need to do it! After

👇

7.O-O-O! Bxf2 8.Nf3! (D) White has a huge development advantage and the idea of Bg5-Nd5.

They can even clear out the d-file with the tempo-gaining Qe2!

For example, in the game Bodnaruk,-Shuvalova, Warsaw 2021: 8...Bb6!? 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4 g5 and now 11.Be1! would be +/=

Let's go to the "equalising" line:

5...d5! 6. Bf4 6.d4 7. Nb5 Bb4+ 8. c3 dxc3 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. bxc3 Ba5 11. O-O-O+ Bd7 12. f3 (D)

Black will suffer a worse endgame, unless they go for the forced:

12...a6 13. Nd4 Nxd4 14. cxd4 Ba4 15. Rd3 Bb5 with a repetition and a draw!

Anything else is worse for Black!

White can avoid the forced draw with 10. Bxc7+Ke7 11.bxc3 Bc5 12. f3 a6 13. Nd4 Nxd4 14. cxd4 Bxd4 15. Rd1 (D)

with a playable, but objectively equal complex endgame (or queenless middlegame if you prefer).

Are you convinced by now?

This White idea is incredibly practical. There is near to zero theory, it is sound and can have a big surprise value.

It might not be the best option for your main repertoire, but especially for blitz and rapid time controls, this idea seems to be worth a shot!

One issue is...

...that I am not aware of a name for this line.

What do you think X? Can we find a proper name for the line?

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