English Opening: Fortified Fortress

Position after 39 Bd7

With this move, the bishop cuts off the King.
Black now has only ... Bd5 and ... Kb8 at his
disposal. Nonetheless, his position isn't so
easy to breach. The push a4-a5 is still distant,
and the attempt to enter enemy grounds (Kg4)
can always be spoiled (... Bd1+).

Comments:



Position after 39 Bd7

Anonymous said...

At first, I thought 40 Kc3 was White's best
play, planning 41 Kb4...but what then? You
are correct, the Black position, though stifled,
is still deceptively strong. And 39 ... a5 seems
to lock out any attempt to penetrate with White's
a4 pawn or his king. Even White bishop sacrifices
against the pawns on the queenside don't seem to
achieve any goal.

Chris Cannon:

Oh perception and reality! If only the two were
normally alike.

SYMMETRICAL ENGLISH

1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5
5 g3 Line



What's the game plan for Black?

Black initially aims to secure d5 from
pressurization (... e6, ... exd5, ... Be6),
and then, when the time is ripe, he plans to
relieve the tension through ... d5-d4.

1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5
5 g3 Line



What's the game plan for White?

White intends to concentrate his firepower on
the d5 square. The key maneuvers are:
(i) King's bishop fianchetto (g2-g3/Bf1-g2)
(ii) A delayed d2-d4 pawn advance in conjunction
with Nxd5 and dxc5. Nxd5 creates a more manage-
able target following Black's ... exd5 response,
and dxc5 isolates that mark and exposes it
to additional pressure from the Queen.