The Exchange French Comes to Life: Fresh Strategies to Play for a Win

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Roger de Coverly
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Re: The Exchange French Comes to Life: Fresh Strategies to Play for a Win

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:09 am

Graham Borrowdale wrote:
Mon Nov 29, 2021 9:32 pm
I have also been squashed a couple of times as black, by losing control of f5, or after an early c4 by white, against stronger players.
There's a trap that isn't a trap in one of the lines arising from c4. The specific move order that sets this up is 1.e4 e6 2, d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd3 0-0 leading to this position.



Most of my opponents have spotted the cheap trick and declined to castle, waiting until Nf3 has been played. Arguably it's a con as after 7. .. 0-0 8. Bxh7+ Kxh7 9. Qh5+ Kg8 10. Qxd5 Nc6, Black is at least equal with a bishop pair, the counter attack on d4 and .. Nb4 possibilities.


Bob Clark
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Re: The Exchange French Comes to Life: Fresh Strategies to Play for a Win

Post by Bob Clark » Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:42 am

My memory may be failing me, but didn’t Nigel win a crucial game as black, that enabled him to qualify for the candidates matches, which led to the world championship match.

Roger de Coverly
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Re: The Exchange French Comes to Life: Fresh Strategies to Play for a Win

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Nov 30, 2021 11:24 am

Bob Clark wrote:
Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:42 am
My memory may be failing me, but didn’t Nigel win a crucial game as black, that enabled him to qualify for the candidates matches, which led to the world championship match.
That was against Gurevich in the last round of the 1990 Manila Interzonal. Gurevich played 4. Nf3 which Nigel met with .. Bg4. It appears 4. Nf3 is advocated in the new Fishbein book so presumably he has come up with some improved ideas for White. As it was Nigel seemed to gain the initiative and grind his way to victory.

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JustinHorton
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Re: The Exchange French Comes to Life: Fresh Strategies to Play for a Win

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Nov 30, 2021 11:32 am

Bob Clark wrote:
Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:42 am
My memory may be failing me, but didn’t Nigel win a crucial game as black, that enabled him to qualify for the candidates matches, which led to the world championship match.
I seem to remember writing once that the game concerned was cited so often by writers explaining how you could beat the Exchange, it gave the unfortunate impression that there weren't too many alternative examples.

I believe Kasparov improved on Gurevich by playing h3 early doors. There's some analysis in Watson's third French Defence repertoire book: it's on the optimistic side for Black. (He basically admits this in his fourth edition, and recommends other lines for Black.)

This was a recent high-level French Exchange in which Black didn't really seem to get anywhere.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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John Clarke
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Re: The Exchange French Comes to Life: Fresh Strategies to Play for a Win

Post by John Clarke » Sun Dec 05, 2021 9:26 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:24 pm
Nick Ivell wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:03 pm
I blame it all on Simon Webb and that game he quoted of Eley's.

Was it against Uhlmann?
There's a game from Hastings starting 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bd3

That's strictly peaking an exchange Winawer. Without having seen the book, I get the impression that it suggests lines where c4 is either played or possible, thus ruling out systems with an early Nc3.
Here's another game from a few years earlier which started that way (Czerniak-Hartston, Hastings 1966/7). Wonder if Eley tried to take his cue from it?
"The chess-board is the world ..... the player on the other side is hidden from us ..... he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance."
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)

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