By popular demand, I have started posting some tidbits
from my Secret Underground Chess Laboratory in my blog. Now the public is
demanding even more ... More accountability! More transparency! They want
"Dana's Secret Chess Files" in a nice downloadable format! Well, who am I to
deny the public?
Here are HTML files for the following blog posts:
The Homo Erectus Variation
of the Caro-Kann Defense, Part I (September 25, 2008). This post was
originally called "Grob it While You Kann." Analysis of the variation
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. g4!? Bg6.
The Homo Erectus Variation of the Caro-Kann
Defense, Part II (September 29, 2008). This post was originally called "More
Craziness in the Caro-Kann." Analysis of the variation 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3.
e5 Bf5 4. g4!? Be4.
The Homo Erectus Variation
of the Caro-Kann Defense, Part III (October 5, 2008). Analysis of the
variation 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. g4!? Bd7.
Bird by Bird, Part 1
(November 16, 2008). General thoughts on the Bird Variation of the Ruy Lopez, 1.
e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4.
Bird by Bird, Part 2 (November 21, 2008). Analysis of
the "Egg on Face Subvariation," 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nxd4 ed 5. c3?
Qg5.
Bird by Bird, Part 3A (November 25, 2008). Analysis
of the Blackburne (Sub)variation, 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nxd4 ed 5.
O-O g6, focusing on plans where White plays 6. f4 or 7. f4. I recommend replying
7. ... c6 right away, and then there is a further branching depending on what
White does next. In this file I look at the consequences of 8. Bc4 d5.
Bird by Bird, Part 3B. This continues where the last
post left off,
investigating the other branch of the f4 Variation, 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
Nd4 4. Nxd4 ed 5. O-O g6 6. d3 Bg7 7. f4 c6 8. Ba4. The big issue turns out to
be whether Black can still get away with 8. ... d5!? here. In this post I
reluctantly concluded that this was dubious, and recommended 8. ... d6 instead.
Bird by Bird, Part 3C. An unplanned installment of the series! Reader James
Burke sent in some computer-assisted analysis that "saves" 8. ... d5!? The idea
is to sacrifice a pawn with 9. ed Qxd5 10. Bb3 Qd6 (not 10. ... Qd8, as in Part
3B) 11. Qe2 h5! 12. h3 Be6! Extremely detailed analysis, but I think this is
important because it makes possible a unified approach to the defense. In the 7.
f4 variation, Black simply plays 7. ... c6 and 8. ... d5 no matter what.
Bird by Bird, Part 4. In his blog, IM Mark Ginsburg criticized the whole
Blackburne Variation and said that the refutation was 6. c3! (instead of d3).
This was a perfect setup for me, as I had intended to discuss this line all
along. The key thing for Black to realize is that recapturing on d4 is not
obligatory. The correct plan is (as usual) to play ... c6 and ... d5 first.
Blockade the pawn on d4 first, and then win it later!
Bird by Bird, the Final Chapter. Here I discuss the "Bashful Bishop
Variations" of the Bird, where White voluntarily retreats his bishop without
being forced to. The three lines are 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 and now (A)
4. Bc4; (B) 4. Ba4; or (C) 4. Nxd4 ed 5. Bc4.
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