Category Archives: Opening Analysis

Blast from the Past: Islington Tournaments

The first non-junior individual tournament I entered was the annual event at Islington in 1990. I returned there a couple more times, in 1992 and 1995. Playing in such adult events was an important part of my development as a … Continue reading

Posted in Blast from the Past, Games, Opening Analysis, The Gruenfeld Defence, The King's Indian Defence, The Pirc Defence, The Semi-Slav Defence, The Sicilian Defence | Leave a comment

Blast from the Past: Junior Tournaments

As mentioned in my previous post (and the first in this series) most of the opponents I faced when playing for my school were weak players. As a result, I didn’t learn a great deal from these games, as not … Continue reading

Posted in Blast from the Past, Games, Opening Analysis, The Blumenfeld Gambit, The Gruenfeld Defence, The Modern Defence, The Queen’s Gambit Declined, The Sicilian Defence | Leave a comment

Blast from the Past: School Team Games

This post is the first in a series where I look back over some of the 1000+ games I have played in competitive tournaments and matches over the years. I am going to start with a look at some of … Continue reading

Posted in Blast from the Past, Games, Opening Analysis, The King's Indian Defence, The Queen’s Gambit Declined | 2 Comments

Why 2 Nf3 and 3 d4 is White’s Main Line against the Sicilian

When I started playing chess seriously and studying the opening, the books I consulted were generally good at showing what were (or had been) the main lines of play. However, in a number of instances, they didn’t give any explanation … Continue reading

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1 Nf3 repertoire: Other Black Defences

In this post I intended to wrap up my series on constructing a repertoire based on 1 Nf3 by looking at the Black systems based on moves other than 1…d5, 1…Nf6 and 1…c5. Visit the Bibliography for recommended reading relating … Continue reading

Posted in 1 Nf3 Repertoire, Opening Analysis, The Dutch Defence, The Modern Defence | 2 Comments

1 Nf3 repertoire: The Maroczy Bind

The basic position of the Maroczy Bind arises after 1 Nf3 c5 2 c4 g6 3 e4 Nc6 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4, although there are other move orders that reach both this and later positions within the system. In … Continue reading

Posted in 1 Nf3 Repertoire, Opening Analysis, The Sicilian Defence, The Symmetrical English | 1 Comment

Horsham Club Championship 2010-11: Mansson – Harbott

The season ended on a disappointing note for me on Tuesday, as I lost my last game in the club championship from a winning position. Peter played the opening rather rashly, but I didn’t analyse the position carefully enough, and … Continue reading

Posted in Club Championship, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Petroff Defence | Leave a comment

1 Nf3 repertoire: The Double Fianchetto System

The Double Fianchetto System is similar to the Hedgehog System in its basic philosophy of establishing a solid set-up, with the potential to counter-attack should White over-extend. The basic position arises after 1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 b6 3 g3 … Continue reading

Posted in 1 Nf3 Repertoire, Opening Analysis, The Symmetrical English | 1 Comment

1 Nf3 repertoire: The Hedgehog System

While variations on the basic Hedgehog formation can arise from a range of different openings, here we are concerned with the position after 1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 b6 3 g3 Bb7 4 Bg2 c5 5 0-0 e6 6 Nc3, … Continue reading

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Horsham Club Championship 2010-11: Stimpson – Mansson

It doesn’t now like I shall be able to complete all my club championship games, although I did manage to play another just after the Quickplay Knockout Final last night.

Posted in Club Championship, Games, Opening Analysis, Reports, The Sicilian Defence | Leave a comment