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Posted by lapsekili
goclub.org

8/15/2008
12:45:55

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Subject: The Philidor's Defence

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I could not understand what its purpose is.Why do you play d6 and close the bishop's great diagonal?

Posted by gt2win
goclub.org

8/15/2008
13:05:26

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I've no idea, and no-one else seems to either. It can be seen as an anti-Ruy Lopez opening compared to 2. Nc6 (meaning 3. Bb5 is good against 2. Nc6, but not against 2.d6.) Other than that, it's difficult to see what benefits it brings.

Posted by ganstaman
goclub.org

8/15/2008
14:25:02

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The Philidor most certainly makes sense, it's just a question of whether the plan involved is actually good enough.

The whole idea is to build a very solid position. The pawn on d6 supports the e5 pawn and allows black to maintain a pawn in the center following dxe5 ...dxe5. Black develops his pieces into a cramped position, but this almost dares white to try to tear it all down, if he can. The bishop is ok on e7, where it serves some defensive roles and can relocate when necessary.

Also, black gets some initiative on the queenside sometimes. Other times, black will play 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 g6 -- ceding the center but opening up for a fianchettoed bishop.

There's also another plan for black given on this site: www.vanrekom.nl (it's easier to just look at the diagrams and variations there then for me to repeat it all here). It's more aggressive, pushing forward on the kingside while hoping that the center and queenside hold strongly enough to keep black from collapsing.
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Chess: Ulf Andersson, positional master — Andersson rarely makes a direct attack: he wins by subtle improvements in position. DK: I've been wanting to tackle positional play in this column for some time, but couldn't think of a good way into a topic that is just too vast – until inspiration came with the arrival of Grandmaster Chess Strategy, by Jurgen Kaufeld and Guido Kern (New In Chess, £19.95). The title is bland, but the strapline reveals the content: "What amateurs can learn from Ulf Andersson's positional masterpieces". Andersson is, for me, an enigmatic chess player: he rarely makes a direct attack on his opponent's king, preferring to exchange pieces and gently improve his position – and against strong chess players this frequently leads to ...
Posted by ketchuplover
goclub.org

8/17/2008
11:08:04

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What does the Lion have to do with the Philidor?
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Bobby Fischer Against the World (movie review) — A riveting documentary about the troubled US chess champion and his battle with Boris Spassky. Liz Garbus's gripping documentary about the life and times of the troubled American chess genius Bobby Fischer asks a number of questions. Did Bobby's missing dad create an emotional void which was neurotically filled with chess? Is there something in the game that encourages immersive obsession and ultimate madness? Would Fischer have gone the same way if he had been a plumber or a welder? And why is it that antisemitism is the bigotry of choice for mentally ill people? Non-chessers like me are already basically aware of the second and third acts of this American life. The middle act was ...
Posted by ganstaman
goclub.org

8/17/2008
16:31:19

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Message:
"What does the Lion have to do with the Philidor? "

The Lion is a variation of the Philidor. You can reach the Philidor via the Pirc move order, and then go for the whole Lion thing.

In any event, after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 you have the Philidor, and then you could continue with 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O (still all Philidor territory) and now 6...h6, preparing the whole Lion thing with ...c6, ...Qc7, ...g4, etc.
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On Chess: Game wading into waves of change — Like so much in contemporary life, chess - like an onrushing river - is characterized by constant change. Bobby Fischer had the equivalent of a dozen or more doctorates in chess. He studied and assimilated - like no one else before him - what seemed at the time to be a massive classical chess heritage. Grandmasters today have access to a minimum database of more than 4 million games, far eclipsing the chess legacy that Fischer inherited - and that database is increasing at an accelerating rate. Setting up the pieces, playing through a game or games and reviewing relevant positions are painfully time-consuming. Fortunately, chess software and the computer screen speed ...