Ulf Andersson's Opening Repertoire – Introduction

Ulf Andersson’s opening repertoire – introduction The Anti-Repertoire yet it may take you your entire The most delusional of beliefs is lifetime to master its subtleties. that we are able to control the When we are young, we are anxious outcome arising from chaos. Yet to discover our chess identity. It’s this repertoire attempts to do just a special time in our lives when we that, and weirdly enough, it seems connect with a pursuit of the heart. to work. For me it was the discovery of Ulf Ever since computers inserted Andersson’s style and opening themselves into our chess lives, repertoire. When I first became two generations of chess players aware of the Swedish GM and his suffered the oppression of having to white repertoire in the early 1980’s, be on high alert for comp-generated I desperately sought out his games tactical landmine preparation from from magazines (it’s hard to believe our more comped up opponents. but there were no chess databases Then there is the danger of rote in those days), the way an adopted memorization without actually child craves a meeting with his understanding, where sometimes birth-parent. we ‘remember’ more than we Normally I’m a capricious flirt actually study and bang out a when it comes to openings, fictional ‘book’ move. switching to a new partner every The Ulf Andersson repertoire six months. One thing I’ve never insulates you from such dangers, abandoned is Ulf’s repertoire. since the lines are heavily Is it possible to proceed with flair strategic/conceptual, rather than and ingenuity in outwardly barren mathematical/memory-dependent. positions? The answer is yes, if Today, dependency on a comp’s you’ve discovered Ulf Andersson’s assessment and analytical power are games. His completely original an addiction for many in the chess opening choices veer from the world. I promise you that with this well worn grooves of the ordinary, repertoire, your comp’s assessment with what can only be accurately will not play a domineering role. described as an anti-repertoire. When we take up a new opening Of all the white opening system, sometimes we wish FIDE repertoires you can pick, at first would issue learner’s permits, impression it feels as if Ulf’s is the since our alien, tangled lines are so one with the slimmest prospects to difficult to navigate. Andersson’s even extract our natural birthright repertoire won’t feel this way, and ‘䩲’ edge. Whenever possible he 7 How Ulf Beats Black removes the queens from the board though not to allow this to morph to enter instant endings, where our to paranoia. Sometimes when our resources feel scant, to the point of tendency is to play ultra-safely, we non-existent. His lines operate in are like a child whose mouth is a kind of parasitic fashion, sucking scalded by too-hot pizza and now the vitality out of the game, where blows on a cold, refrigerated slice only strategic considerations and the next day. endgame skills count. 8. You are willing to win your games in 80 moves, rather The principal requirements for than in 20. Just remember: in success with Ulf’s anti-repertoire complications, naturally aggressive are: tactical players have the ability to 1. You are essentially a strategist, see in the dark. Yet in simplified/ rather than a natural attacker/ logic-based positions, many of tactician/open game/initiative them are blind to the ordinary, based player. unaware of the details and slight 2. You score well in controlled, strategic shifts, if initiative, attack quiet maneuvering games. and tactics are removed from the 3. You possess enhanced late equation. middlegame and endgame skills for 9. Your inability/incompetence in your rating level. open/initiative-based positions is a 4. You have a sharp eye for the source of periodic depression. potential for weak squares in the 10. Your prime directives in the enemy camp. opening phase are simplicity and 5. You are skilled in reaching clarity, as opposed to the tactician/ favorable minor piece versus anarchist who lives life in eternal the opponent’s bad minor piece rebellion against order on the situations. chessboard. 6. Do you hate opening lines where if you forget the book move, you For most of us the opening phase are as good as dead? No worries represents a repetition of ideas about that in this one, since this which were played over and over repertoire is completely conceptual, by others before us. Andersson’s based on understanding, rather repertoire never wears thin, since than forcing tactical variations. its subtleties are endless. As a chess Some of us go through the opening antique I prefer to surround myself to escape something: knotted with simple, vanilla, easy to play theory or tactically tangled lines. opening lines. While memorization of complex I once read that ancient sea captains opening lines torments others, we had to judge the benefits of the of the fortunate Ulf Clan escape extra firepower of more cannons, without a scratch. with the slowing displacement of 7. Are you genetically predisposed the added weight. Some captains to caution? We must be careful armed their ships lightly, hoping 8 Ulf Andersson’s opening repertoire – introduction that the increase in speed and TsLdMl.t nimble ability to shift directions would compensate for the jJj.jJ_J enemy’s extra cannonballs. In this ._._._J_ repertoire we choose speed over _._._._. armament, throwing the weight of ._._I_._ most mainstream theory overboard _.i._N_. and drawing our opponents into a Ii._.iIi fight in our specialty positions, and r.bQkB_R therefore our realms. You may find it odd when I declare Just as a sampler, here are a few to you that I love White’s position tabiya positions from the book, here. On his last move, Ulf played which give the impression of a 6 dxc3!?, capturing away from the strangely frictionless quality: centre, while allowing Black to TsLt._M_ wreck his castling on the next move with a queen swap – and there lies jJj._JlJ his weapon. Ulf understands the ._._.sJ_ sub-details of this position better _._.j.b. than anyone in the world and keeps ._I_I_._ winning with this line. He has _.n._N_. been known to drive some of his Ii._BiIi opponents to the brink of madness r._.k._R via carefully applied tedium. At first sight it feels as if one cannot Well, what did you expect from Ulf? accurately describe White’s position Zeus hurling thunderbolts? White’s as one heavy in natural reserves. Yet chances feel as empty as the wind in my database Ulf keeps scoring and many games in the book feel wins from this position, and so do like almost-battles, which look like I. they will take place, but never do. T_L_Ml.t Where queens are removed as early as possible. j._.jJjJ Keep in mind: just because a ._J_._._ position is simplified doesn’t _._._._. mean the battle lacks intensity. ._._._._ Ulf is a master of this position and _.n._.i. understands every detail of this Ii._Ii.i ending, and so will you when you r.bK_._R study it deeply. This repertoire can be described as eliministic, in Once again Ulf dials back the that we strive for clarity, as well as intensity level from a normal eight seeking to suck the dynamism from to about a three! In our present age our opponent’s position. we tend to conflate theory with 9 How Ulf Beats Black entertainment, as if the latter is Remember this: the court of public somehow a necessary element, opinion means little in chess. In and it is un-sportsman-like to play the 1980’s, the London System and chess in any other way. the Italian Game were considered This is another of Andersson’s a waste of the white pieces. Today specialty openings/instant endings, they are all the rage. Do the London where he has given up castling System and the Italian Game offer rights to swap queens and then White an edge if Black knows follows by handing over his theory? The answer is ‘no’! Yet precious light-squared bishop on c6 most of the world’s top 10 players, for a knight to inflict damage upon including World Champion Carlsen, Black’s structure. I can tell you eagerly continue to play them. from experience, it isn’t so easy to Andersson’s repertoire has never play Black here, since many of the been considered an ‘optimal’ way lines are phantoms, devoid of form to use the white pieces either. The or substance, which fail to offer the bottom line is, can you win with it? adventure-loving opponent targets You can and you will, if your style is of opportunity of any kind. in harmony with it. The repertoire resembles movies in slow motion. The optimal white repertoire? But are these lines really as Mirror, mirror on the wall, what characterless as they appear? When is the best opening repertoire of you study them you realize the them all? Before ladling out advice answer is ‘no,’ since vague strategic to my students, I try and make unease tends to flow through certain that I am acquainted with Black’s positions like unseen ocean their stylistic dispositions and currents. We see Ulf’s opponents aptitudes. Many of us pick our throw punches, which only connect repertoires based on which line with empty air.

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