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Harald Keilhack Knight on the Left: 1.qc3 Studies of an Unorthodox Chess Opening Schachverlag Kania Contents 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents Contents ..................................................................................................3 Symbols ..................................................................................................4 Preface ..................................................................................................5 Acknowledgements.......................................................................................8 Chapter I 1.qc3 e5...................................................................................9 Chapter II The Van Geet Attack 1.qc3 d5 2.e4 d4 3.qce2.................... 44 Chapter III 1.qc3 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.qxe4.................................................131 Chapter IV The False Semi-Open Games – 1.qc3 d5 2.e4 c6, 2...e6 and 2...qf6 ...................................180 Chapter V Against the Sicilian – 1.qc3 c5 2.qf3 ..................................251 Chapter VI Alternative Systems after 1...e5/...d5/...c5............................304 Chapter VII Various Answers to 1.qc3 ...................................................338 Index of Players ........................................................................................ 379 Index of Variations ....................................................................................380 Sources ..............................................................................................383 Preface 5 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preface This book covers the opening 1.qc3. Or strive for the very tricky indepen- Opening? - Oh, yes! Many consider dent lines, keeping the option of e2-e4, 1.qc3 to be just a move, which might be transposing to some standard lines, playable, but “hardly has any indepen- as an “emergency exit” in reserve? dent value”, rather transposing to 1.e4 • After 1.qc3 g6, should he return to systems. 2.e4, should he go for the fierce 2.h4 In this context, Khalifman’s five volume or should he stay flexible by 2.qf3 and q opus 1. f3 - Opening for White accord- 2.g3, not yet revealing his intentions? ing to Kramnik springs to mind. In an odyssey of more than 1300 pages, the In fact, every leading 1.qc3 player has his former FIDE world champion proves that own answers to those questions. Trans- the “knight on the right” 1.qf3 is a good positions at a later stage are full of subtle- move, but not an opening in itself! He ties, which will be revealed in this work. If doesn’t at all cover the Reti (with which one wants to switch from 1.e4 to 1.qc3, 1.qf3 is usually connected), but a multi- this is even an advantage: you may start tude of openings including the King’s In- by playing 1.e4 e6/c6/qf6 2.qc3 (reach- dian, the Queen’s Gambit (Slav, Orthodox, ing some lines from Chapter IV), later on Accepted etc), the Dutch Defence, the you play 1.qc3, firstly transposing quite English Opening and even some lines of often to 1.e4 systems, then less and less. the Sicilian (namely the Maroczy setup This book covers every possibility after against the Accelerated Dragon); besides, 1.qc3 which at least has some indepen- some peculiarities like the Grünfeld q dent value. Additionally, some “secret” without d2-d4. Quintessentially, 1. f3 is lines which belong to 1.e4 openings but presented as a very subtle transposition in practice occur more often via 1.qc3, tool, by which - to simplify a bit - undesir- or which have some features of this able lines of the aforementioned openings opening. For example, such Anti-Caro- can be excluded. Kann lines as 1.e4 c6 2.qc3 d5 3.f4 or So, how are matters after 1.qc3? There’s 3.bf3!?. Typically such lines are neglected a bunch of established independent con- in opening manuals. cepts, e.g. after 1.qc3 e5 2.qf3 qc6 3.d4 A special focus is on late transpositions or 1.qc3 d5 2.e4 d4 3.qce2. It’s mostly (e.g., on move 6) to 1.e4 positions under possible, but not always advisable to stay favourable circumstances! clear of all transpositions. Typical ques- I have excluded only 1.qc3 d5 2.d4, which tions that a 1.qc3 practitioner will face are: leads to the Veresov Opening after 2... q j • After 1.qc3 d5 2.e4 e6, should he f6 3. g5, to the French after 2...e6 go for a French by 3.d4 or try some 3.e4 or the Caro-Kann after 2...c6 3.e4. independent setup? Besides transpositions from 1.qc3 to 1.e4 • After 1.qc3 c5, should he play 2.e4 im- openings, there are also some in the other mediately, possibly going for a Closed direction, e.g. 1.e4 e5 2.qf3 d5 3.qc3!?, Sicilian (3.g3) or for the Grand Prix 1.e4 d5 2.qc3!?, 1.d4 qf6 2.qc3 c5 Attack (3.f4)? Or transpose to a stan- 3.qf3 (a basic position from Chapter V); dard Sicilian by 2.qf3 qc6 (2...d6, one can argue that 1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 2...e6) 3.d4 cxd4 4.qxd4 and 5.e4 ? 3.qc3 is also truly a 1.qc3 position. 6 Preface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An unrecognised opening when one compares them carefully to related, but well-explored positions from Unlike unorthodox openings such as standard openings. Often enough, en- 1.b4 or 1.g4, 1.qc3 by no means com- thusiastic amateur authors of books promises White’s position, and at the about unorthodox or gambit openings same time it doesn’t limit the first player are lacking in general knowledge of to some extravagant strategy or other. standard positions, which results in On the contrary, this move is in perfect blatant misjudgements. In this book, I do harmony with classical principles of my best to transfer knowledge between opening play like development and these two, so different, worlds. This also gaining influence on the centre (keeping includes, by the way, comparisons to an eye on e4 and d5). Therefore, it positions with colours reversed, which sounds strange that 1.qc3 is not yet often allow striking insights. recognised as an opening in its own right. Admittedly, the c-pawn is blocked, Some methodological issues: but in every opening, every move kills I agree very much with the maxim that if off some option or other. a given position can occur in various places (via transposition), all relevant q Actually, 1. c3 offers exceptionally games and analysis have to be presented good possibilities of winning a miniature, together. This necessarily leads to a thanks to knight tactics and supported huge number of cross references. When- by the accelerated development of the ever various move orders can lead to q minor pieces. The older 1. c3 literature the same position, I have tried to figure almost reads like a collection of traps out which one is most precise for both and miniatures. However, the general parties - sometimes this wasn’t easy at level of chess is increasing, and one all (e.g. in Section 17). Unfortunately, for cannot expect that the average player of instance, Dunnington’s book is rather our day will repeat the errors that some sloppy in this respect. semi-celebrities of the past committed - not to mention modern computer-aided “Between Worlds” was also a maxim correspondence chess. when choosing games from corre- So, this book isn’t at all about cheap spondence as well from over-the-board traps but will establish a deep theoretical chess, from grandmaster as well as and strategic basis for the further ex- from amateur practice. This was the ploration of the Knight on the Left. case too in my methodological choice to keep the sample game approach (with Between Worlds deep strategic explanations), but at the same time to supply dense theoretical I was attracted by the unique hybrid stat- coverage. The fact that this book has us of a so-called “unorthodox” opening expanded to nearly 400 pages should which has nevertheless so many lines not distract from the fact that even with which connect to traditional openings. today’s knowledge some fundamental 1.qc3 is still labelled as an “unorthodox” issues around move 5 are still unresolved. opening and accordingly, it’s treated With regard to possible future discov- poorly in main-stream publications like eries I haven’t cut off lines that have to Encyclopedia or Chess Informant. On be regarded as unfavourable from the other hand, many positions which today’s point of view. arise can only be reliably assessed Preface 7 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------