Article: 14449 of rec.games.chess.misc
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess.misc
Path: info!dregis
From: dregis@exeter.ac.uk (D.Regis)
Subject: Re: Benoni question
Message-ID: <E2I7HI.E9v@exeter.ac.uk>
Organization: University of Exeter, UK.
References: <58odks$f1k@nexp.crl.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 11:20:06 GMT

In article <58odks$f1k@nexp.crl.com> someone@somewhere.com (Matador) writes:
>I was reading where the benoni after:
>
>1. d4 c5
>2. d5
>
>Is supposed to be especially favorable for White as long as he avoids playing 
>a pawn to c4. I would like to know why.  I have found very little in MCO and 
>nothing in my book on the modern benoni.

[The Modern Benoni involves 1...Ng8-f6 2. c2-c4 followed by ...e7-e6,
...e6xd5 and c4xd5, so it's not to be found there.  The line is the
Old (Schmidt) or Czech Benoni]. 

After 1. d4 c5 2. d5 how will the two sides continue?

If Black does not mean to open things up with ...e6 and ...e6xd5
(Modern Benoni) Black will usually either leave the e-Pawn at home, or
try to blockade with ...e5 and ...d6.  When the e-pawn comes to e5,
the Bf8 can be developed at e7 (Czech Benoni); otherwise it will go to
g7 (Old or Schmidt Benoni). 

Why might White prefer to do without c2-c4? In the more blocked
formations that arise in these lines, c2-c4 by White may block the
Bf1, but also the best square for the Ng1 is often c4, which it can
reach by Ng1-f3-d2-c4.  After a2-a4 the Knight cannot easily be
dislodged by the Black b-Pawn and it puts pressure on lots of
important squares like d6 and e5.  With the Black e-Pawn still at
home, the Nc4 supports the break e4-e5; with the Black e-Pawn on e5,
the Knight exerts some pressure on the backward d-Pawn which may
become very tangible after f2-f4. 

So, White might prefer to do without c2-c4. 

Botvinnik M - Schmid,L [A43/12]
Leipzig Olympiad Fin, 1960

1.d4 c5 2.d5 d6 3.e4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2 Nf6 6.Nc3! Na6 7.0-0 Nc7 8.a4
a6 9.Nd2 Bd7 10.Nc4 b5 11.e5! dxe5 12.axb5 axb5 13.Rxa8 Qxa8 14.Nxe5 b4
15.d6 bxc3 16.dxc7 Qc8 17.Bf4 cxb2 18.Nxd7 Nxd7 19.Bb5 Bd4 20.c3 e5
21.cxd4 exf4 22.Bxd7+ Qxd7 23.Qe2+ Kf8 24.Qe5 Kg8 25.Rb1 f6 26.Qxc5
Kg7 27.Rxb2 Re8 28.Rb1 f3 29.gxf3 Qh3 30.Qc6 1-0


[P.S. I know a couple of Petrosian games where TP didn't bother with
any finesses like this, whipped out c2-c4 and just applied the usual
boa constrictor treatment, and Black didn't look any comfier with the
Ng1 'only' having f3 available.]

-- 
May your pieces harmonise with your Pawn structure and
your sacrifices be sound in all variations

D  _       
 / "()/~   Dave Regis  &8^D*  WWW: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~dregis/DR/chess.html
|| \_/|    = DrDave on BICS 
~\   /                        "...what else exists in the world but chess?"
 _|||__SHEU: ~/sheu.html                                          -- NABOKOV


From info!dregis Tue Dec 17 09:22:45 GMT 1996