In my last summer quad I was pleasantly congratulated by all chess students of ICA in connection with my August birthday which happened recently. It was nice to hear the famous song “Happy Birthday to you…”; I am thanking all the singers (frankly, I did not know that chess players could be good singers!).
I am always ready to give students my valuable chess knowledge, including some specific notions that they did not easily find in chess books and/or from their trainers.
In this report I want to explain the so-called d4-knight pattern (from the Black’s point of view) which often happens in my games (by the way, from the different openings). Thus, in a quad 08/03/2024 it could have happened in Kings-Indian opening (after the moves 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 Nc6 if White had played 5. d5 – I, as Black, would have penetrated my c6-knight to d4).
In my third game with Kevin, it resulted in the upper small position in the picture in the Pirc-opening. Firstly you have to know that there are two ways (called strategies) of supporting d4-knight – c5-strategy and e5-strategy given by the left and right small positions in the picture. Black has to support his d4-knight by c- or e-pawn, otherwise the d4-knight pattern does not make much sense since after Be3 an insolent d4-knight has to be traded for the white f3-bishop. By the way, the pattern d4-knight in Pirc-opening is riskier than in the Kings-Indian opening since Black must not allow a trap his d4-knight after c2-c3-move (when the white c3-knight is gone somewhere). That is why I do not recommend young students creating the d4-knight pattern in the Pirc-opening (there are some specific and complicated secrets in the move order which I am not discussing here).
So, after eight moves (1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 a6 5. a4 Bg4 6. Be2 Nc6 7. d5 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nd4 9. O-O – see PGN file below) I had to choose between c5 and e5-strategies. I called c5 and e5 pawn moves strategies because they define further plans of sides, especially for Black. The C5-strategy I chose has obvious plus – g7-bishop is not constrained in its big diagonal, but it has (and had in the game) a defect, consisting in the difficulty of the development of the g8-knight. On the contrary, e5-strategy has a plus of an ease development of my g8-knight (via e7-square) but has a defect of closing the big diagonal for my g7-bishop (there are other facts about these strategies, read further, especially the conclusions).
After I chose c5-move/strategy I was forced to develop my g8-knight via h6-square (for it I played h7-h5). Such a weird development of g8-knight is not attractive; moreover it has led to some problems for me. Position 1 (Black’s move is in it) proves it. In this position White is threatening to win my h6-knight by g4-g5 (yet in general this White’s plan of advancing g-pawn, by g2-g4-g5, contradicts with the usual plan by f2-f4 and e4-e5; that is one of other strategic ideas, see also some conclusions). Can Black parry this threat by playing Qd8-d7? (Answer to the questions in the picture, with the questions below every position in the lower part of the picture. By the way, after I had played Qd7 position 2 occurred).
I had calculated such a variant: 14… Nxf3 15. Qxf3 Qd7 16. g5 Qg4+ 17. Qxg4 Nxg4, and Black is OK. But then I decided to switch first two moves in this variant thinking that it did not matter. So in the game the variant 14… Qd7 15. g5 Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3 Qg4+ 17. Qxg4 Nxg4 had actually happened.
But let’s look closely at the position 2 (in it White is to move). Find the White winning move! It is the move 15. Bxd4 with an idea of winning either my h6-knight (after 15…Bxd4 and 16. g5) or the exchange (after 15…cxd4 16. Na4 with a double threat of Na4-b6 and g4-g5). So in the game if White had played 15. Bxd4, he would have gotten the winning position! My wrong order of moves mentioned above would have led to the lost position! Luckily for me, Kevin did not find it and in some time it resulted in position 3. In it Black is doing very well; in particular he is threatening Rh8 and Ne3. Still White has a defense; can you find only one good move in position 3? It is the move Nc3-d1 with the ideas to cover e3-square, to chase away (or even win) my d4-bishop by c2-c3. Strangely enough Kevin had not found this, but it was obvious to cover e3-square not to allow the black d4-knight to jump there. After 22. Rf3 I simply played 22. Rf3 Rh8+ 23. Kg2 Ne3+ 24. Kg3 Rh1 with numerous and powerful threats. Soon White had resigned.
So there are some conclusions from this game. A general conclusion lies in the following fact. Every time your opponent makes a move try to find out his main threat and find concrete ways to parry this threat. And there are two concrete conclusions concerning the strategic ideas from the d4-pattern in Pirc-opening.
If Black chooses c5-strategy of supporting his d4-knight then he plans to attack on the queen side, often by playing b7-b5. White, in its turn has to create an attack on the king’s flunk, often by f2-f4 and breakthrough e4-e5. If Black chooses e5-strategy of supporting his d4-knight, then Black attacks in the king’s flunk by playing f7-f5 (like the famous plans in Kings-Indian opening). When you read my comments in the PGN file (if they are available) have in mind these two strategies.
SECTION 2 REPORT: By Kian Zarineh
The Chess Quad 3 Round Tournament on Aug 24 was a highly anticipated event, the weekend before New York and New Jersey State Championships! My quad brought together four competitors: Arnav, Michael, Jack, and myself. This meant that every game held significant weight, as each competitor strived for the best possible outcome. I have played Arnav and Jack in the past but not Michael.
The first match I played was against Michael. From the outset, it was clear that this would be a challenging game.. He opened with the king's pawn opening. I responded with c5 the Sicilian Defense. Despite the difficulty of the match, I eventually secured a victory against Michael. The sense of accomplishment was profound, yet I knew I needed to maintain my focus as the tournament progressed.
My next opponent was Jack, another formidable player. This match was crucial, as both of us wanted to win. The game unfolded with a mistake from him at QB6 on move 17. He ended up making more mistakes and I took advantage of that and I ended up winning the game.
Reflecting on the tournament, I felt a surge of pride in my performance. Each game was an opportunity to learn and grow, which I appreciated immensely.
In conclusion, the Chess Quad 3 Round Tournament was not just a contest of skill but also a valuable experience in resilience. The thrill of chess, with its endless strategies and possibilities, ensures that each match is as captivating as it is revealing.
We thank all the entries for our Report Contest. Congratulations to Yefim Treger for winning our report contest, and a free entry to the tournament. If you want a chance to win a free entry into our Saturday Quads, email a report to icanewjersey@gmail.com, following these guidelines. We hope you guys have had a great summer and we hope to see you at our next Quad which is September 7. Enjoy Labor Day Weekend and we hope to see you next time.
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