1 Nf3 Nf6 overview

Posted on February 12, 2011 by James Mansson

White 1…d5 is the most straightforward reply to 1 Nf3, the most flexible has to be 1…Nf6. Black still has to be careful about transpositions; 2 d4 by White leads to the position usually classified under 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3, and Black should be happy to play one of the defences to 1 d4 that can be reached from there. However, the move I would recommend is the flexible 2 c4, which keeps Black guessing, and is most in the spirit of 1 Nf3. Continue reading →

Visit the Bibliography for recommended reading relating to the 1 Nf3 Repertoire.
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Main line Catalan: 6…dxc4 7 Qa4 Bd7 and related lines

Posted on February 5, 2011 by James Mansson

The traditional main line of the Catalan Opening arose in two of the games of the recent Horsham 1 – Eastbourne 1 match in the Mid-Sussex League. On board two, I was White against Oliver Froom, and the game started 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 g3 Be7 5 Bg2 O-O 6 O-O, reaching the basic position. My teammate Dix Roberts reached the same position via a different move order on board four, in his game against Andrew Fleming. Continue reading →

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1 Nf3 repertoire: Miscellaneous lines after 1…d5

Posted on February 3, 2011 by James Mansson

So far we have been covering Black’s mainstream defences based on …d5, and some of the most popular alternatives defences. In this post, we will look at Black’s less common options after 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4. Continue reading →

Visit the Bibliography for recommended reading relating to the 1 Nf3 Repertoire.
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1 Nf3 repertoire: The Stonewall Defence

Posted on January 30, 2011 by James Mansson

If Black is aiming for the Stonewall Formation (…d5 and …f5), he normally waits until White has committed himself to g3 or e3, because otherwise White has the option of playing a system based on Bf4, which is generally regarded as being excellent for him. Continue reading →

Visit the Bibliography for recommended reading relating to the 1 Nf3 Repertoire.
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1 Nf3 repertoire: The Triangle Defence

Posted on January 27, 2011 by James Mansson

The Triangle Defence is a name for the position than can arise after the following move orders:

  • 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 e6 3 c4 c6
  • 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 c6 3 c4 e6
  • 1 Nf3 e6 2 c4 d5 3 d4 c6

Black can aim for independent variations, or he can look to transpose into either the Semi-Slav Defence or a form of the Stonewall Defence. Continue reading →

Visit the Bibliography for recommended reading relating to the 1 Nf3 Repertoire.
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Mid-Sussex League Division 1 2010-11: Horsham 1 – Eastbourne 1

Posted on January 26, 2011 by James Mansson

The final result of the match between Horsham 1 and Eastbourne 1 in the Mid-Sussex League has not yet been decided. The score stands at 2.5 to 0.5 in Horsham’s favour, with two games unfinished. Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Mid-Sussex League, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Catalan Opening | 1 Comment

1 Nf3 repertoire: The Tarrasch Defence

Posted on January 22, 2011 by James Mansson

The Tarrasch Defence has rarely been a popular defence to the Queen’s Gambit. It rose briefly to prominence in 1969, when employed with success by Boris Spassky against Tigran Petrosian in their World Championship match; later Garry Kasparov used it in his Candidates Matches of 1983 and first World Championship encounter against Karpov in 1984. However, its popularity has never persisted; Kasparov did not fare well with it against Karpov, and it slipped out of his top level repertoire. Continue reading →

Visit the Bibliography for recommended reading relating to the 1 Nf3 Repertoire.
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1 Nf3 repertoire: The Queen’s Gambit Accepted

Posted on January 20, 2011 by James Mansson

After 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4, there are several instances of Black transposing to the Queen’s Gambit Accepted on move 3 by meeting 3 c4 with 3 …dxc4. The lines we need to be concerned about are:

  • 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 Nf6 3 c4 dxc4
  • 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 e6 3 c4 dxc4
  • 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 c6 3 c4 dxc4
  • 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 a6 3 c4 dxc4
  • 1 Nf3 d5 2 d4 c5 3 c4 dxc4

Continue reading →

Visit the Bibliography for recommended reading relating to the 1 Nf3 Repertoire.
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4NCL Division 3 2010-11: e2e4.org.uk 2 – UCL

Posted on January 18, 2011 by James Mansson

Following on from the disaster in round 3, the performance of e2e4.org.uk 2 in round 4 was much stronger. Mark Josse, David Coates and I all won, while Alan Byron, Philip Horspool and John Denton all drew, giving the team a 4.5-1.5 win over UCL. Continue reading →

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4NCL Division 3 2010-11: e2e4.org.uk 2 – KJCA Kings

Posted on January 17, 2011 by James Mansson

I play for e2e4.org.uk in the 4NCL. This last 4NCL weekend I was playing for the second team in division 3. In round 3 we were paired against KJCA Kings, and the match was frankly something of a disaster, both personally and also for the team. Continue reading →

Posted in 4NCL, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Symmetrical English | 1 Comment