English Opening: Multi-Purpose Move

Position after 22 ... Bf8:



Position after 23 Be3!:



A move that combines offense with prophylaxis.
It helps the e4 rook to relocate to the kingside
along the fourth rank, and, it prevents the c6 knight
from kingside defense since ... Ne7 causes Qxf7.

Position after 23 Be3!:



23 ... b5 24 g4 Qd5 25 Rf4 Qxf3 26 Rxf3 Kg8
27 g5.



23 ... Na5 24 g4 Nc4 25 g5 Nxe3 26 fxe3 hxg5
27 Rg4 c5 28 Rxg5 Qe7 29 Rg2.



23 ... Na5 24 g4 Nc4 25 g5 Nxe3 26 fxe3 hxg5
27 Rg4 Qe7 28 Qg3 f6 29 Rf1 c5 30 h6 a6
31 Rf2 Kg8 32 a3.

Comments:



Anonymous said...

"…it prevents the f6 knight from kingside defense
since ... Ne7 causes Qxf7." I think you mean the
c6 knight, because there is no knight on f6 in this
diagram, and a knight could not get from f6 to e7
in one move anyway.



Anonymous said...

Also, I think you should give Ne7 another look,
because 24 Qxf7 forces a queen trade, which I do
not think is good for White. 23 ...Ne7 24 Qxf7 Nd5
25 Qxd7 Rxd7 and White has traded his active queen
for Black's docile one (because 25 Qg6 or 25 Qf4 or
25 Qf3 leads to 25 ...Nxc3! winning back the pawn
and forking White's rooks). Or am I missing something?

Chris said...

Yes indeed Sir/Madam, I meant the c6 knight.
Thank you so much for pointing out that error.

23 ... Ne7? still looks unattractive because
after the Queen trade White is a full pawn
up:



24 Qxf7 Nd5 25 Qxd7 Rxd7 26 Bd2:



Lance said...

Ah, that is what I missed. Excellent riposte by White.
Bd2 simultaneously retreats it to safety and locks the
dark knight out of the forking Nxc3 and leaves the steed
no useful place to go for the time being, and with the
queens off the board, the trade doesn't look so bad for
White after all, thanks to the semi-open f file.



White will have to maintain that bishop on d2 only so
long as he leaves his rooks in their current position,
so at this point perhaps White should consider Rh4 with
the intention of pushing the g pawn, as f3 remains well
guarded by both the d3 knight and the d2 bishop…is that
what you would do? (My name is Lance, by the way, nice
to meet you Chris...I like your blog. I'm only anonymous
because I don't have a login.)

Chris said...

The pleasure is all mine Lance and thanks for the
kind remark.

I’m assuming your inquiry on the way forward for White
is based on the following position:



If that’s the case, I do agree with your kingside
objectives but not entirely with their means.
The doubly delicious delight gained from 23 Be3!
isn’t thoroughly enjoyed if the e4 rook is quickly
committed to the h-file. I think it’s better for it
to first aim for a timely occupation of the f-file.
That way, it will be able to pose genuine invasive
threats and also cut off the Black monarch from
his men.



Like you say, kingside pawn pushing complements well
the rook’s sideways motion, though I must add the
f-pawn doesn’t have to miss out on the action!



But that’s not all.

White can also play in the center (c3-c4) or
on the queenside, or, on all three fronts.

The evidence is thrown into relief by some
human-guided computer analysis:



26 ... b5 27 g4 Ba3 28 f4 Rf8
29 Kf2 Nb6 30 Re2 Nc4 31 Kf3 c5
32 Bc1 Bxc1 33 Rxc1 g5.



26 ... c5 27 c4 Nc7 28 Be3 b5
29 Rc1 cxd4 30 Rxd4 Rxd4
31 Bxd4 Rd8 32 Bc5 bxc4
33 Rxc4 Bxc5 34 Nxc5 Rd2.



26 ... c6 27 c4 Nc7 28 Be3 Kg8
29 f3 b5 30 Rc1 bxc4 31 Rxc4 Nd5
32 Rxc6 Nxe3 33 Rxe3 Rxd4 34 Nf4 Kf7
35 Kf2.



26 ... a5 27 c4 Nb4 28 Bxb4 Bxb4
29 Nf4 c6 30 Rb1 Kg8 31 Rb3 b5
32 cxb5 cxb5 33 a3 Bd2.



26 ... Ne7 27 Nf4 Nc6 28 Be3 b5
29 a4 bxa4 30 Ra1 a3 31 Bc1 Kg8
32 Bxa3.



26 ... a6 27 c4 Ne7 28 Nf4 Nc6
29 Bc3 Kg8 30 Rb1 Kf7 31 g4 a5
32 Ng6 Bb4 33 Rf4+ Kg8
34 Bxb4 axb4 35 Rd1.



26 ... Kg8 27 c4 Ne7 28 Nf4 Nc6
29 Bc3 a6 30 Rb1 Kf7 31 g4 a5
32 Ng6 Bb4 33 Rf4+ Kg8
34 Bxb4 axb4 35 Rd1.



26 ... Kh7 27 c4 Ne7 28 Nf4 Nc6
29 Bc3 Bc5 30 f3 a6 31 Rd2 Ba3
32 Rd3 Kg8.



26 ... b5 27 g4 a5 28 f4 b4
29 c4 Nb6 30 Nb2 a4 31 Rc1 b3
32 axb3 axb3 33 Ra1 Be7 34 Ra7.



26 ... c5 27 c4 Nc7 28 Be3 cxd4
29 Rxd4 Rxd4 30 Bxd4 Rd8
31 Bc3 Na6 32 Rd2 Kg8
33 Nf4 Rxd2 34 Bxd2 Kf7.



26 ... c6 27 c4 Nc7 28 Be3 Kg8
29 f3 b5 30 Rc1 bxc4 31 Rxc4 Nd5
32 Rxc6 Nxe3 33 Rxe3 Rxd4 34 Nf4 Kf7.



26 ... a5 27 c4 Nb4 28 Bxb4 Bxb4
29 Nf4 c6 30 Rb1 Kg8 31 Rb3 b5
32 cxb5 cxb5 33 a3 Bd2 34 Rxb5 Bxf4.



26 ... Ne7 27 Nf4 Nc6 28 Be3 Kg8
29 Kf1 a6 30 Ke2 Ba3 31 c4 b5
32 cxb5 axb5 33 Rb1.



26 ... a6 27 c4 Ne7 28 Nf4 Nc6
29 Bc3 Kg8 30 Rb1 Kf7 31 g4 a5
32 Ng6 Bb4 33 Rf4+ Kg8
34 Bxb4 axb4 35 Rd1.



26 ... Kg8 27 c4 Ne7 28 Nf4 Nc6
29 Bc3 a6 30 Rb1 Kf7 31 g4 a5
32 Ng6 Bb4 33 Rf4+ Kg8
34 Bxb4 axb4 35 Rd1.



26 ... Kh7 27 c4 Ne7 28 Nf4 Nc6
29 Bc3 Bc5 30 f3 a6 31 Rd2 Ba3
32 Rd3 Kg8.