Mr. Joseph Thomas writes:

Mr. Silman,

I was reading some of the original analysis on your website, and I thought that I would share some of my own analysis. My friends and I like to play around with the openings, and I like to use the following line against the Trompowsky. I checked this with the only database I have available to me, which is chessgames.com.

Here is what I play....

1.d4 Nf6

2.Bg5 Ne4

3.Bf4 g5

I have found this line through my own experimentation to become very complicated, but I haven't found it to be easy to refute either. Is there any precedent for this? And do you find this line to be playable?

HOW DO YOU SPELL U-G-L-Y?

SILMAN REPLIES:

Before we delve too deeply, let's first see what Trompowsky guru Julian Hodgson had to say about 3.g5 in his book, SECRETS OF THE TROMPOWSKY Volume 1: "It is clear that this move has no redeeming features apart from attacking the Bishop on f4. After either 4.Be5 or even 4.Bc1 Black's position looks pointless."

Well, that certainly doesn't seem very positive! But, in this age of openings like the Vulture, not to mention Miles' successful adoption (against Karpov) of 1.e4 a6 and Basman's love affair with the lovely 1.e4 g5, we should give 3.g5 a fair shake.

Since  4.Bc1 Bg7 5.f3 (or 5.Qd3 d5 6.f3 Nd6 7.Bxg5 c5) 5.Nd6 6.e4 (6.Bxg5 c5) 6.c5 7.dxc5 Qa5+ isn't convincing to me, I'll devote my attention to the straightforward attack on Black's Rook:

4.Be5

Now we look at A) 4.f6 and B) 4.Rg8.

A) 4.f6

AM I REALLY LOOKING AT THIS?

5.e3 Bg7 6.Bg3

Yes, 6.Qh5+ is tempting, but 6.Kf8 7.Bg3 d5 8.Bd3 Bf5 is perfectly playable for Black. Can this be proof of the upcoming Apocalypse?

6.d5 7.Bd3 Bf5 8.Nc3 h5

This doesn't inspire confidence, and 8.Nxc3? 9.Qh5+ is even worse for Black. Nevertheless, I'll continue to play Devil's advocate and refuse to give up on Black's cause, since he has 8.Nxg3 9.hxg3 (9.fxg3!?)  9.Qd7.

BLACK'S LAST HOPE

Any comments from outraged readers who wish to return our beloved game to its previous pure state?

9.Bxe4 dxe4 10.h4

UGLY, UGLY, UGLY

Do I need to say that this looks horrible for Black? Well, I'm sure there's someone out there who feels a need to defend this position.

I'll end our glimpse at the glorious mysteries of 4.f6 by saying that, in my view, Black has to make 8.Nxg3 work or suffer eternal damnation for hoisting such horrors upon us.

B) 4.Rg8

 LOVELY, JUST LOVELY

I'm not buying it!

5.Qd3 d5 6.f3 Nf6 7.Bxf6 exf6 8.Qxh7

Instead of this display of righteous greed, White can also consider the simple 8.e4.

8.Rg6

CHESS FROM MARS

White's up a pawn, but dark-square weaknesses and a trapped Queen force the first player to tread carefully.

9.Nc3 Nc6!?

9.c6!?.

10.0-0-0 Ne7 11.g4

A line like 11.e4?? Rh6 can only be termed "unfortunate" for White. 11.g4 prevents .Bf5 and let's the White Queen run for its life.

11.f5 12.Qh3 f4 13.Qg2 f5 14.h4 and things have gone badly wrong for Black. Perhaps he can improve on this, but it's hard to take 4.Rg8 seriously. Of course, I can't say that I'm high on 4.f6 either! Overall, I can't believe that 3.g5 is playable, but perhaps I'm just a traditionalist and those with more open chess minds will prove me wrong.

[Click to see PART TWO of this study on the Martian Tromp]