Opening Shock Value

Shock Value
Gary Lane
www.ChessCafe.com

It is possible to throw your opponent out of his comfort zone in the opening by playing something different and the search is always on for a new spectacular move.

Why not come up with an idea that would baffle your opponent on move 2?

Jack Collins from the USA has done just that, he writes “I play the Closed Sicilian and was wondering if I could get a similar set up against the Pirc Defense by playing 2 Nc3 instead of 2 d4?!”

I think you have spotted the perfect way to save time learning a new opening against the Pirc. I have looked through books on the Pirc and most don’t even mention the idea of 2 Nc3 and if they do they briefly say you have to challenge for the centre and play ….c7-c5. As an author they will not have room to mention how to deal with all the different Sicilians so understandably skip over such a difficult issue. Already one top player, Nigel Short, the former world title contender, has been cheekily meeting 1…d6 2 with Nc3. He has certainly transposed to the Closed Sicilian in the past but his aim tends to be for a Sicilian Grand Prix Attack which consists of a quick f2- f4 and the bishop being placed on c4 or b5. It is time to see how your plan works in tournaments:

Vitaly Bachin-Dmitry Dobrovlianskiy Vladivostok 2007

1 e4 d6 2 Nc3

Barely mentioned in books or on DVDs this move is perfect for those with limited time to study especially if you play the Closed Sicilian. 2…Nf6 It is all very well for star players to advance the e-pawn because they have knowledge of lots of opening but even they often can’t cope with the change in circumstances. For the casual player transposing into a completely different opening is a nightmare because they would not know what to do. For instance: 2…e5 and now: a) 3 f4 exf4 4 d4 Qh4+ 5 Ke2 (it looks crazy but this is a well known line in the King’s Gambit and White is an expert) 5…Nc6 6 Nf3 Bg4 7 Bxf4 0–0–0 8 Bg3 Qh5 9 Kf2 Nf6 10 Be2 d5 11 exd5 Nxd5 12 Nxd5 Qxd5 13 c3 with roughly equal chances, D.Reinderman-C. Matamoros Franco,Beijing 2008. b) 3 Bc4 Be6 4 Bb3 (or 4 Bxe6 fxe6 5 Nf3 Nf6 6 d4 with a slight edge) 4 ..Nc6 5 Nge2 g6 6 d4 Bxb3 7 axb3 Bg7 8 d5 Nce7 9 0–0 Nf6 10 Qd3 0–0 11 Ng3 a6 12 b4 led to equal chances in N.Short-M.Wahls, German Team Championship 1991. 3 f4 g6 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 g3 A clear sign that White is playing the Closed Sicilian because the kingside fianchetto is part of the strategy. Also possible: a) 5 d3 0–0 6 Be2 c5 7 0–0 Nc6 8 Kh1 the king goes into the corner so that he can play Be3 and meet …Ng4 with Bg1. 8 ..Bg4 9 Ng5 Bxe2 10 Nxe2 Qd7 when the chances are level, E.Schiller-D.Jackson,Los Angeles 1996.b) 5 Bc4 0–0 6 d3 c6 (6…c5 would transpose to a Sicilian Grand Prix Attack which is alien to Black who is an expert on the Pirc.) 7 0–0 d5 8 Bb3 Bg4 9 h3 Bxf3 10 Qxf3 e6 11 Bd2 Nbd7 12 e5 Ne8 13 Ne2 Nc7 14 c3 with a level position, N.Short-M.Gurevich, Paris 1991. 5…0–0 Or 5…c5 6 Bg2 Nc6 7 d3 Bg4!? in my experience it is a bit unusual to exchange the light-square bishop but there is nothing wrong with the idea 8 h3 Bxf3 9 Qxf3 0–0 10 0–0 Rc8 11 g4 led to the usual kingside pawn advance in the game N.Short-M.Narciso Dublan, Lanzarote 2003.] 6 Bg2 c5 Black has done the standard Pirc moves of a kingside fianchetto and kingside castling but then what? That is why the next stage has to be to contest the centre with …c5 or …e5. 7 0–0 Nc6 8 d3 Bd7 9 h3 The position is closed so White can get away with advancing his pawns on the kingside. I have played the Closed Sicilian all my life, along with other systems and know that it has a certain amount of venom. The other bonus is that you don’t have to worry about a junior playing a super, sharp line as Black like in the Dragon because nothing dramatically changes in the Closed Sicilian. 9…a6!? I think 9…Rb8 should be preferred because after 10 Be3 b5 11 a3 a5 it is clear that having played a pawn to a6 will lose time when you need it on a5 to help support …b4 having an impact. 10 a3 b5 11 Be3 Rb8 12 g4 b4 13 axb4 Rxb4 14 Bc1 It looks rather odd to retreat the bishop but then again if Black’s counterplay is based on attacking the pawn on b2 then at least that is put to a stop. The other problem for Black is the need to look after his pawn on a6 which is why the advance …b4 is usually supported by a pawn on a5 so that after exchanges on b4 then …axb4 can be played. I like 14 e5 Ne8 (14…dxe5 15 fxe5 Ne8 16 Qc1 intending Bxc5 is good for White) 15 b3 which leads to double-edged play. 14…Qb6?

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