{"id":3308,"date":"2024-09-28T20:12:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-29T00:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/?page_id=3308"},"modified":"2026-04-03T11:12:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:12:25","slug":"blog-posts-test-page","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/blog-posts-test-page\/","title":{"rendered":"Chess Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"3308\" class=\"elementor elementor-3308\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2ce34e9f elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"2ce34e9f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3508b2e7\" data-id=\"3508b2e7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19ea95cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"19ea95cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"280\" height=\"283\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/citlLogo-1.png?fit=280%2C283&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-135\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d49f39b elementor-section-content-middle elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d49f39b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-94d343b\" data-id=\"94d343b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5609d22 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5609d22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-large\">Chess Blog<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-078c378 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"078c378\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-98955d9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"98955d9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Chess is all about tactics and strategies, or, more precisely, strategies <em>then<\/em> tactics. Careful positional play and well-planned strategies would accumulate tiny advantages move by move, providing significant spatial advantages and initiatives over time.\u00a0<\/p><p>This, however, does not mean playing passively; all positional maneuvers are employed to prepare for the ultimate strike \u2013 a deadly tactical aggression. This series of blogs aims to introduce various positional play ideas and interesting strategies through real games, as well as an analysis of positional mistakes in the gameplay.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-12fa751 elementor-sm-100\" data-id=\"12fa751\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-74230df elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"74230df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_8732-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3315\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_8732-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_8732-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_8732-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_8732-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_8732-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_8732-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/IMG_8732-scaled.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b236262 elementor-section-content-middle elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b236262\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a01aabc\" data-id=\"a01aabc\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aec5d61 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"aec5d61\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25f36f8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"25f36f8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Browse<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c39e423 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"c39e423\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ecf1ca premium-blog-align-left elementor-widget elementor-widget-premium-addon-blog\" data-id=\"1ecf1ca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"premium-addon-blog.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-wrap  premium-blog-list\" data-page=\"3308\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-outer-container\" data-total=\"1\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-container premium-blog-skin-classic\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-content-wrapper empty-thumb\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-inner-container\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"premium-blog-entry-title\">\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/09\/hello\/\" target=\"_blank\">\r\n\t\t\t\tPositional Play IN ACTION #2 &#8211; Queenside Pawn Storm\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-entry-meta\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-author premium-blog-meta-data\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-user fa-fw\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/author\/citladmin\/\" title=\"Posts by citladmin\" rel=\"author\"  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">citladmin<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"premium-blog-meta-separator\">\u2022<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-time premium-blog-meta-data\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-calendar-alt\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>September 9, 2018<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"premium-blog-meta-separator\">\u2022<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-categories premium-blog-meta-data\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-align-left fa-fw\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/category\/chess\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Chess<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-content-inner-wrapper\">\r\n\t\t<p class=\"premium-blog-post-content\">Written by Ryan Yao Game Analysis 1. d4 c6 2. Bf4 d5 3. e3 Bf5 This is a very common response from \u2026<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-outer-container\" data-total=\"1\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-container premium-blog-skin-classic\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-content-wrapper empty-thumb\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-inner-container\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"premium-blog-entry-title\">\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/26\/hello-world\/\" target=\"_blank\">\r\n\t\t\t\tPositional Play IN ACTION #1 &#8211; Restricting Your Opponents\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-entry-meta\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-author premium-blog-meta-data\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-user fa-fw\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/author\/citladmin\/\" title=\"Posts by citladmin\" rel=\"author\"  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">citladmin<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"premium-blog-meta-separator\">\u2022<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-time premium-blog-meta-data\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-calendar-alt\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>March 26, 2018<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"premium-blog-meta-separator\">\u2022<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-post-categories premium-blog-meta-data\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa-align-left fa-fw\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/category\/chess\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Chess<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"premium-blog-content-inner-wrapper\">\r\n\t\t<p class=\"premium-blog-post-content\">Written by Ryan Yao Game Analysis 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. \u2026<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5be6a1b elementor-widget elementor-widget-accordion\" data-id=\"5be6a1b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"accordion.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-9631\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-9631\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">March to Victory with the Advance French #1 - Key Ideas<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-9631\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-9631\"><h1>Introduction<\/h1><p>Hi everyone! Welcome back to another school year, and, much more importantly, another year of Chess in the Library\u2019s tournaments. As we advance through higher grades, take advanced classes, and advance in our careers, hopefully our chess skills will advance as well. That\u2019s why today\u2019s blog is on the Advance French.<\/p><p>Before we begin, I\u2019d like to apologize in advance for all the terrible puns incoming.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3505\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/advance-300x65.png?fit=1200%2C210&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"210\" \/><\/p><p>The French Defense first emerged in the early 1800s. Its earliest recorded game was in 1834, when the Paris Chess Club beat the London Chess Club using 1.e4 e6. Back then, clubs had to send each other every single move by mail, so you can imagine how excruciatingly slow the game was \u2013 not unlike some French Defense variations. Maybe if they had Chess.com in those times, the French would be more exciting, and the below quote wouldn\u2019t exist:<\/p><h2><strong>&#8220;I have never in my life played the French Defence, which is the dullest of all openings.&#8221;<\/strong><br \/>-Wilhelm Steinitz, World Chess Champion<\/h2><p>But to be fair, when Steinitz said this, the dreary Exchange Variation was the popular way to play. On the other hand, the Advance Variation was considered a bit of a mistake.<\/p><p>Elite players would write entire books to slam the Advance and any other chess ideas (or players!) they disliked. Then, a different chess master would fall for this archaic literary ragebait, and write another book to argue and over-praise the Advance. (<em>cough cough<\/em> Nimzowitsch and Tarrasch)<\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3544\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/tarrasch_nimzowitsch-300x150.png?resize=750%2C375&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/tarrasch_nimzowitsch.png?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/tarrasch_nimzowitsch.png?resize=1024%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/tarrasch_nimzowitsch.png?resize=768%2C384&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/tarrasch_nimzowitsch.png?w=1440&amp;ssl=1 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it\u2019s interesting how the Advance French was the battleground for these two titans of verbose chess instruction, our understanding of openings has <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">advanced <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">greatly since then. Today, we emphasize the nuance behind opening choices. There are many reasons for players of all levels to pick <\/span><b>3.e5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Why Play the Advance?<\/b><\/h2><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/QVrh0T9W\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Advance, <\/span><b>3.e5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is one of the three French mainlines (along with <\/span><b>3.Nc3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>3.Nd2<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). In general, playing mainline openings is a great idea because they\u2019re practically challenging, instructive, and have been favored by chess champions for decades. The Advance, for example, was a favourite of Sveshnikov, Shirov, and Grischuk, and has recently been tried by Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Advance French can exert a great cramping effect on the Black player, and teach you how to use a space advantage. You\u2019ll also learn about pawn chains, pawn breaks, and ways to find play when the position\u2019s closed. And, if you follow my favourite lines, you\u2019ll learn how to gambit a pawn and build up a crushing position!<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, I like how the Advance French is thematic. The recurring pawn structure means all the positions you get will be kind of similar, which makes it easy to learn key patterns and see them in games. This isn\u2019t true of other lines like <\/span><b>3.Nc3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where you could face fiery Winawers or calm Rubinsteins, leading to vastly different play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But of course, you didn\u2019t need to read any of that, as my recommendation is enough to make you learn the key ideas of the Advance:<\/span><\/p><h1><b>Key Ideas<\/b><\/h1><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before learning concrete theory, it\u2019s important to familiarise yourself with general concepts. This is so you\u2019ll know what you\u2019re doing when your opponents inevitably play some goofy move, escaping your soon-to-be-vast theoretical knowledge. This section will go over four common ideas for both sides in the Advance French.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>1. The Pawn Chain<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A pawn chain is a series of pawns on a diagonal. These pawns protect each other, and can be very powerful by taking space, restricting your opponent, and setting up future pawn breaks. White\u2019s pawn chain in the Advance French is set up after <\/span><b>1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/Nmkfj95T\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This pawn chain can also be used for attack. Generally, pawn chains point <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">towards <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the area you want to play in, as the furthest advanced pawn shields and supports its neighbors. Here, our e5-pawn gives our f-pawn safe passage on the kingside. Black usually castles kingside too, so with the support of a d3-bishop, f1-rook, and other pawns, the kingside attack plan of f4-f5-f6 can actually be very strong. All thanks to our pawn chain!<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, we as chess players should remember that sometimes our opponents get to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chain <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">together a couple moves as well, and we should care about what they\u2019re doing. Black can set up his own pawn chain in the Advance Variation!<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/Nmkfj95T\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black\u2019s pawn chain, shown above, runs opposite to ours, forming both a closed position and a fierce cross-town rivalry. It points towards the queenside, so Black should try to play over there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usually Black plays <\/span><b>&#8230;b7-b5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, reinforcing the c4-pawn and gaining more queenside space. From there, he can follow up with the protective &#8230;a6 or the ambitious <\/span><b>&#8230;a5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, planning a <\/span><b>&#8230;b5-b4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> pawn break. That would rip open the queenside and let Black use his huge space advantage. We could face infiltrations and pressure on the base of our pawn chain.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The &#8230;c4 push also controls the d3-square, a common home for our bishop, and the b3-square. This can be a deadly outpost for the Black knight, which gets there by Nc6-a5-b3. We play Nbd2 to keep an eye on that square.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On a more positive note, notice how &#8230;c4 comes at a huge cost to Black. It releases all the pressure on our d4-pawn. As we\u2019ll see in Key Idea #2, pressuring and capturing the d4-pawn is a crucial plan for Black.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, in the above position, we have ideas of b3 and a4, attacking Black\u2019s pawn chain and limiting its influence. This could cause a huge <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chain <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reaction of pawn trades.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyway, as I wrote this bit, and typed the words \u201cpawn chain\u201d about 30 times, I realized that the word \u2018chain\u2019 sounds a bit&#8230; restrictive. Like us daring Advance French players are being chained down by horrible chess rules and generalizations. So, to end this section on a happier note, I want to suggest renaming the sad pawn chain to a happy pawn staircase. Let\u2019s climb up to chess mastery \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3545\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/pawnchain-300x150.png?resize=648%2C324&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"648\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/pawnchain.png?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/pawnchain.png?resize=1024%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/pawnchain.png?resize=768%2C384&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/pawnchain.png?w=1440&amp;ssl=1 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px\" \/><\/p><h2><b>2. Attack on the d4-pawn<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The move <\/span><b>3.e5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, leading us into the Advance, has one key drawback. It immediately invites the counterpunching <\/span><b>3&#8230;c5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, putting pressure on our d4-pawn from the early opening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black\u2019s most basic plan in the Advance French is to attack and eventually capture this pawn. Don\u2019t underestimate this idea! Entire middlegames can be centered around the d4-pawn, and giving it away will crumble your position.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After Black attacks our d4-pawn with <\/span><b>3&#8230;c5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We defend it with <\/span><b>4.c3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black attacks it with <\/span><b>4&#8230;Nc6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We defend it with <\/span><b>5.Nf3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here Black keeps pressuring with a knight maneuver starting from <\/span><b>5&#8230;Nge7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The knight wants to go to f5, where it can poke our d4-pawn. We can\u2019t dislodge this knight without weakening our position or giving up a bishop pair. But what we can do is a cool knight maneuver of our own!<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/V8667KKf\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea of <\/span><b>6.Na3!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is to bring this knight to c2, where it defends the key d4-pawn. It\u2019s only been six moves, and we already see how both sides are shuffling their pieces around, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">only <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">focusing on the d4-pawn. Bear in mind the Na3-c2 defense, as well as Be3 when possible, and your d4-pawn should stay rock-solid.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>3. Key Pawn Breaks<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A pawn break is a move that changes the position\u2019s pawn structure, ideally in a way that helps you. Usually, it causes a trade, opening up your position and activating your pieces. White\u2019s main pawn break is f2-f4-f5, and Black\u2019s main pawn break is f7-f6.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned earlier, our f5 pawn push can be a really powerful way to break out a kingside attack. Take the below position, which happened in a real online game between 2000-rated players.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/NbQKBdKx\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black has deployed too many pieces away from the kingside, and we can capitalize on this. The best way to start a kingside move is to push our f-pawn: first <\/span><b>f4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then we try to play f5. We\u2019ll use our queen, rook, and two bishops to ensure all hell breaks loose on the kingside.<\/span><\/p><p><b>1.f4 Qd7 2.f5!<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black plays Qd7 to defend f5, stopping us from pushing our pawn there, and we\u2019ll just\u2026 do it anyway! This pawn break wrecks Black\u2019s pawn structure and opens lines of attack.<\/span><\/p><p><b>2&#8230;exf5 3.Bd3 g6 4.Bh6 Re8<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With Bd3 and Bh6, we activated both our bishops for the attack. We also threatened to take the f5-pawn. Black defends it with another pawn, so we\u2019re unable to capture it. What do we do instead?<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/IMB587yE\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you thought the move was <\/span><b>5.Bxf5!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you&#8217;d be right! Our pawn break weakened Black\u2019s pawn structure, and gave our pieces avenues of attack. Now, this tactic exploits that. If Black captures this bishop, we win on the spot: <\/span><b>5&#8230;gxf5 6.Qg3+ Kh8 7.Qg7#<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Pretty cool that a pawn break can bring about a checkmate in seven moves.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All that being said, remember that king hunts are really rare and situational. You\u2019ll actually see Black\u2019s <\/span><b>f7-f6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> break in many more games.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The move &#8230;f6 tries to resolve Black\u2019s cramped position by getting rid of the imposing e5-pawn. It can open up lines for Black\u2019s pieces, like the f-file and the b8-h2 diagonal. It also lets Black access new squares like f6 and d6.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/645MJgCH\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This position came about after <\/span><b>1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.a3 c4 7.Be2 f6!?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Black\u2019s pawn break is well-timed. Most people just castle, but this allows <\/span><b>8.O-O fxe5 9.dxe5 Qc7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Black breaks the pawn chain (I mean, pawn <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">staircase<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and places a lot of pressure on a suddenly lonely e5-pawn. <\/span><b>10.Bf4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> comes too late, and after <\/span><b>10&#8230;Bc5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Black enjoys a comfortable position.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Playing as White, what\u2019s our approach? Well, let\u2019s go back a hundred years, or back to the start of this blog, to Aron Nimzowitsch. One of his greatest strategic<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> break<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">throughs was the concept of overprotection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overprotection is the proactive idea of defending a square or pawn with way more pieces than actually needed. Why <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">break <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">our backs like this? Well, we guard this key pawn because the opponent will surely try to trade it off. When that happens, all the overprotective pieces get unleashed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So to overprotect our e5-pawn, instead of 7.Be2, how about <\/span><b>7.Bf4!?<\/b><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/xRYaI90R\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After 7.Bf4, the e5-pawn being traded off would not only help our knight but also our bishop. This discourages &#8230;f6.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See that if Black plays &#8230;f6 anyway, we\u2019d get the position on the right. We\u2019d have a huge lead in development, much better pieces, and a strong threat of Qh5+ which would win on the spot. The d2-knight will soon come to f3 for support, and the pawn trade created more weaknesses for black (like the backwards e6-pawn) than open lines.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind the concept of overprotection, as it\u2019ll come in handy to prevent Black\u2019s pawn breaks. There\u2019s one more key idea to cover, and this one&#8217;s a little more off the chain&#8230;<\/span><\/p><h2><b>4. Crazy h4 and g4 Ideas<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This last concept is a bit more <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">advanced<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and quite interesting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usually (read: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hopefully<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) we\u2019re taught as new players not to randomly push wing pawns, especially on the side we want to castle. This is great for preventing beginner implosions, but sometimes we get to bend these rules to actually play good moves. Sometimes we get to play h4.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/rUugYO64\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><b>h4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">! The idea behind this move is <\/span><b>h5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, kicking the g6-knight back to e7. This seriously messes with Black\u2019s development scheme, because the knight on e7 blocks in its bishop teammate. We also take a lot of kingside space.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice how Black can\u2019t play<\/span><b> h5 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in response to h4 because it\u2019s extremely weakening. We can follow up with <\/span><b>Bxg6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, causing horrid doubled pawns. Also, even though h4 does weaken our kingside, Black has no way to make use of that. He\u2019s behind in development and has less space.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So keep in mind these ideas: h4 to target a g6-knight, and also g4 to attack an f5-knight.<\/span><b>Conclusion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Advance French is an instructive, thematic way to enliven your 1.e4 games. Remember the pawn chain principles, time your pawn breaks, push your h-pawn and guard your d-pawn.<\/span>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve survived my groaners this far, I applaud you! This blog will be the first link of a three-part chain, each building on the previous like a staircase. (Still alive?) In the next blog, we\u2019ll go over concrete Advance French theory, to help you build a repertoire, so stay tuned! And make sure you play the Advance at our next tournament this January, for all those juicy points against the sad French faithful.<\/span><br \/><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p><\/iframe><\/p><p><b>h4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">! The idea behind this move is <\/span><b>h5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, kicking the g6-knight back to e7. This seriously messes with Black\u2019s development scheme, because the knight on e7 blocks in its bishop teammate. We also take a lot of kingside space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice how Black can\u2019t play<\/span><b> h5 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in response to h4 because it\u2019s extremely weakening. We can follow up with <\/span><b>Bxg6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, causing horrid doubled pawns. Also, even though h4 does weaken our kingside, Black has no way to make use of that. He\u2019s behind in development and has less space.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So keep in mind these ideas: h4 to target a g6-knight, and also g4 to attack an f5-knight.<\/span><\/p><h1><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h1><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Advance French is an instructive, thematic way to enliven your 1.e4 games. Remember the pawn chain principles, time your pawn breaks, push your h-pawn and guard your d-pawn.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve survived my groaners this far, I applaud you! This blog will be the first link of a three-part chain, each building on the previous like a staircase. (Still alive?) In the next blog, we\u2019ll go over concrete Advance French theory, to help you build a repertoire, so stay tuned! And make sure you play the Advance at our next tournament this January, for all those juicy points against the sad French faithful.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-9632\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-9632\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">March to Victory with the Advance French #2 - Basic Theory<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-9632\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-9632\"><h1><b>Introduction<\/b><\/h1><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many chess players, Theory wears the costume of some kind of cartoon villain. Probably with a maniacal cackle, He steals our precious chess hours, reducing learning to memorization. But I don\u2019t think it should be this way! Like theories in science \u2013 the theory of gravity, for example \u2013 they should be a basis for our opening improvement. Something to keep us <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">grounded <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but still let us explore.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that we know some basic Advance French concepts, the theory is (ironically) where we\u2019ll see them in action. As you read and follow along on a board, don\u2019t commit everything to memory, but bring your magnifying glass to spot our key ideas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s get off the ground!<\/span><\/p><h1><b>Basic Theory<\/b><\/h1><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve already learned the first few moves of the Advance French. We open with <\/span><b>1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The battle turns to the d4-pawn after <\/span><b>3&#8230;c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Nothing groundbreaking yet, but now Black is at a tabiya \u2013 a position with a few different theoretical routes. We\u2019ll go over the three most common.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>The Slick 5&#8230;Nge7<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recall the key idea of the d4-pawn battle. Black plays <\/span><b>5&#8230;Nge7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to maneuver the knight to f5, with the end goal of pressuring d4 as usual. But now you\u2019ll learn how to hold your ground and stop this scheme forever. Just capture the knight on f5! That\u2019s why we play <\/span><b>6.Bd3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/X5ecmbYc\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black takes our pawn before playing the knight to f5: <\/span><b>6&#8230;cxd4 7.cxd4 Nf5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If Black forgets this move order and plays &#8230;Nf5 straightaway, dxc5 gives a comfortable position. See the diagram sideline.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See that 7&#8230;Nf5 here is nearly forced as the knight on e7 traps in its own bishop. It must move, and doesn\u2019t have anywhere better to go \u2013 remember &#8230;Ng6 almost always runs into an emboldened h4!. As planned, we immediately assassinate this knight by playing <\/span><b>8.Bxf5 exf5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This trade gives Black the bishop pair. In return, we get rid of the strong knight and wreck Black\u2019s pawn structure. As the dust settles, we just develop with <\/span><b>9.Nc3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/tDnoYQHU\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black has to defend his d5-pawn from our Nc3-Qb3 plan, so he follows up with <\/span><b>9&#8230;Be6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s a very effective idea \u2013 we\u2019re not getting that pawn anytime soon \u2013 but it leaves Black with a \u201ctall-pawn\u201d on e6. A tall-pawn is a rude nickname for a bishop so useless it may as well be a pawn. Make sure to unleash that obscenity on your opponents.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The line\u2019s final move prepares the ground for the middlegame: <\/span><b>10.h4!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few ideas behind this: we obviously want to take space on the kingside, and do so in a way that isn\u2019t significantly weakening. This pawn advance also stops the &#8230;h6-g5 plan for Black. Moreover, we unlock the surprising plan of Rh1-h3-g3. The rook lift pressures g7 \u2013 this hinders kingside castling and can tie down the f8-bishop to defense.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s the end of our theory. Later, we generally play the maneuver Ke1-f1-g1. The artificial castling safeguards our king while leaving us open to kingside rook lifts. We can play Nc3-e2-f4 to give this knight more influence over the game. Black usually castles queenside, but fret not because we can push our queenside pawns to attack over there too! And, too bad for us theory nerds, a chess game is played, albeit a chess game you have a ~60% chance of winning.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>The Quiet 5&#8230;Bd7<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another option for Black in the earlier tabiya is the simple developing move <\/span><b>5&#8230;Bd7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Black gets his infamous prisoner, the French bishop, off its starting square, and prepares Rc8. As before, we continue natural development with <\/span><b>6.Bd3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our dizzying development speed \u2013 we\u2019re about to castle as Black hasn\u2019t developed any kingside pieces \u2013 means this move hides a subtle threat. Black often continues with <\/span><b>6&#8230;Rc8<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not understanding the gravity of our reply: <\/span><b>7.dxc5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/2dUoj6Uj\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, with dxc5, we got rid of the constantly harassed d4-pawn. Also, after <\/span><b>7&#8230;Bxc5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we can just castle, <\/span><b>8.O-O<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while defending our f2-pawn. The Black bishop is poorly placed on c5 and invites the space-reaping b2-b4 and a2-a4 advances. Lastly, though our e5-pawn loses some defense, our light squared bishop being actively developed to d3 (and not the usual e2) allows us to defend it with a rook\/queen along the e-file.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since we have a comfortable position there, Black may choose to miraculously rewind time to play <\/span><b>6&#8230;cxd4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> instead \u2013 breaking our dxc5 utopia and spacetime causality. We\u2019ll recapture this pawn, <\/span><b>7.cxd4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Black\u2019s most natural response is <\/span><b>7&#8230;Qb6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, pressuring the d4-pawn and exploiting our light squared bishop\u2019s obstruction. This bishop must move, right?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wrong! We\u2019re just going to castle, and this gives up a pawn after <\/span><b>8.O-O Nxd4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/cuAGY7Pp\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re playing a gambit! Instead of capturing the knight, which activates Black\u2019s queen, we\u2019ll continue developing with <\/span><b>9.Nbd2<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Here, Black most commonly takes our knight, and though piece trades are bad for us gambiteers, <\/span><b>9&#8230;Nxf3 10.Nxf3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> does open up the position a lot.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black has many ideas now, the most precise of which is probably &#8230;Bb5, forcing a trade of the despised French bishop. But for most people, <\/span><b>10&#8230;Bc5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is more natural, to develop a piece that hasn\u2019t moved before. It doesn\u2019t seem like there\u2019s much left in this position for us. But think back to a few paragraphs ago, when we saw a bishop which was misplaced on c5 because it allowed a certain queenside pawn advance.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/cTNe9Y5q\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you found the move, congrats for so rapidly absorbing the barbaric spirit of this mini-repertoire. We\u2019re sending one more pawn through the shredder to open even more lines: <\/span><b>11.b4!?!<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea behind this is to open up the b-file for our queen\u2019s rook. <\/span><b>11&#8230;Bxb4?! 12.Rb1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (pinning the bishop to the queen) <\/span><b>Qa5 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(getting out of the pin) <\/span><b>13.a3!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. When the bombarded bishop gets out of the way, our rook will capture the b7-pawn, infiltrating deep into Black\u2019s position. The rook on b7 can also tie the Black king down to the d7-bishop\u2019s defense, preventing castling. Now just one pawn behind, our development and attacking avenues give us more than enough compensation.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, note that <\/span><b>13&#8230;Bxa3??<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> fails to <\/span><b>14.Ra1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> winning the bishop. Not that opponents at our exceptional skill level would fall into that, right?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyway, Black has an alternative move we should consider way back on move nine. Though 9&#8230;Nxf3 is a very popular try, I think the down-to-earth <\/span><b>9&#8230;Nc6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> line actually poses more problems for us.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/1wQmMXGy\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re in a more closed position \u2013 not what we want.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since Black didn\u2019t take our f3-knight, our d2-knight is stuck in an awkward space, blocking in our bishop, which in turn blocks in the rook. So we\u2019ll get this bumbling knight out of the way with <\/span><b>10.Nb3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where it eyes some key squares.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black\u2019s kingside pieces hesitantly emerge at last, starting after <\/span><b>10&#8230;Nge7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We continue developing too. Best is to get our bishop out with tempo: <\/span><b>11.Be3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hitting the Black queen, which retreats via <\/span><b>11&#8230;Qc7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. See how &#8230;Bc5 wasn\u2019t possible because of our b3-knight\u2019s influence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lining up the rook against this deserting queen, we largely complete our harmonious development, <\/span><b>12.Rc1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Finally, after <\/span><b>12&#8230;Ng6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> we play a powerful knight advance with several ideas behind it: <\/span><b>13.Nc5!<\/b><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/IrmXPQtP\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s all the theory I expect you guys to remember, but to illustrate our position\u2019s strength, here are some ways the game could go on:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>13&#8230;Be7 14.b4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, strong space advantage and queenside pressure for us<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>13&#8230;Ngxe5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.Nxb7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, sound according to the engine, but this exposes Black\u2019s position more, making it hard to defend in practice \u2013 we have a 65% winrate in the amateur database<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>13&#8230;Bxc5 14.Bxc5 Ngxe5 15.Nxe5 Qxe5 16.Re1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where Black can\u2019t castle, we have the bishop pair, better-placed pieces and long-term positional pressure that does compensate for 2-3 whole pawns<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black is going through some rough ground. Our brutish approach towards 5&#8230;Bd7 (and perhaps the French in general!) is satisfyingly opposite to what the Black player expects after playing such a quiet move. So aside from being sound and tricky, these lines give a psychological advantage too.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>The Rebellious 5&#8230;Qb6<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black\u2019s most popular fifth move, especially at amateur level. It\u2019s so mind-numblingly common, in fact, that sometimes we gloss over its sheer rebelliousness. In what other mainline does one bring out their queen as the second piece developed, as early as move five, to a fairly advanced square, breaking all your chess teacher\u2019s rules? (Don\u2019t answer that, there\u2019s definitely a few, but my mind\u2019s gone blank)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black\u2019s <\/span><b>5&#8230;Qb6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> attacks our d4-pawn, so we\u2019ll carefully <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">defend it with <\/span><b>6.Bd3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This follows our usual development scheme, the bishop a sniper behind the pawn chain\u2019s wall. But we do give up a pawn (is the wall crumbling?) after <\/span><b>6&#8230;cxd4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We commit to the bit by castling: <\/span><b>7.O-O<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/BP7Q5BgC#1\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re playing a gambit, but don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re on solid theoretical ground. Black can choose not to take our pawn here. <\/span><b>7&#8230;Bd7 8.cxd4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> transposes to the main line of the previous section.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But <\/span><b>7&#8230;dxc3 8.Nxc3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the real fun starts; only for us, though.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s often said (by miserable materialistic grinders) that a pawn is a pawn. But sometimes active pieces, rapid development, and king safety can be pawns too. We\u2019re going to use these fancy pawns to attack Black\u2019s king.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Soon, Be3 will come with tempo, and we can actively place our rooks on c1 and e1. Our d3-bishop can initiate Greek gift sacrifices, dying with honor. The headstrong e5-pawn controls d6 and f6. We get ideas of Bg5 (potential knight pins) and Nb5 (hopping into d6).<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One move Black can play, preventing the latter idea, is <\/span><b>8&#8230;a6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A good response is always <\/span><b>9.Be3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, developing actively with tempo. Here, our bishop importantly controls the c5- and b6-squares. Black\u2019s most popular retreat is <\/span><b>9&#8230;Qc7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, keeping the queen a bit involved, and eying our e5-pawn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many moves are fine here, but I prefer <\/span><b>10.Na4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/jDZxeEZA#1\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking on e5 here is remarkably common and remarkably horrible. After <\/span><b>10&#8230;Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Nb6 Rb8 13.Qa4+<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is crushing because the Black king is forced to move. Black loses castling rights and strands his king centrally where it\u2019ll be tormented for many moves to come.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Less intuitive is <\/span><b>10&#8230;Nge7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, calmly developing, realising that Nb6 isn\u2019t a huge threat because the rook can just move. This is Black\u2019s best approach. We continue with <\/span><b>11.Rc1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a common idea to line up the rook against the enemy queen, setting up future pin threats. Black usually continues developing with <\/span><b>11&#8230;Ng6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, opening up the bishop and also hitting our e5-pawn. To defend the e5-pawn, we\u2019ll first clear our bishop out of the way with tempo (<\/span><b>12.Bb6! Qb8<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and then guard it with the rook: <\/span><b>13.Re1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/pFInb41x#1\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A much better try for Black is <\/span><b>8&#8230;Bd7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Black doesn\u2019t create any unnecessary weaknesses, develops the bishop and prepares to activate the queenside rook. Again we play <\/span><b>9.Be3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but here Black\u2019s best move is fully retreating with <\/span><b>9&#8230;Qd8<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Without an early &#8230;a6, a queen on c7 would be too weak to future Nb5 ideas.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Note that 9&#8230;d4, a clever-looking fork, fails to 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.Qg4 picking the piece back up with advantage.)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll continue with <\/span><b>10.Re1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, developing the rook and preparing to defend the e5-pawn. To do that, we have to move our e3-bishop out of the way. One option is Bf4, but the overprotection is less effective when Black likely won\u2019t play the f6-break. The bishop can also be attacked by Ne7-Ng6.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Better is the very rare idea of Bd2!. This defends the c3-knight. Black would love to play Bb4 and Bxc3, getting development and mitigating his space disadvantage through trades. So putting the bishop on d2 prevents this idea. If &#8230;Bxc3, we\u2019d take back and get a nifty c3-bishop patrolling d4 and e5.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But after <\/span><b>10&#8230;Nge7<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we have an even better place to move this bishop, with the very tricky <\/span><b>11.Bg5!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The main point is that the most intuitive and common move, even in high-level slow games, is <\/span><b>11&#8230;h6??<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which loses on the spot!! <\/span><b>12.Nb5!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offers a bishop in exchange for a checkmate&#8230; and Black faces serious material loss and king safety issues.<\/span><\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/6YQWK46F#1\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The above position\u2019s gotten so bad for Black, the computer wants him to give up his queen to not get shortly checkmated. The top engine line goes 12&#8230;Qb8 13.Nd6+ Qxd6!<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly, 11&#8230;h6 was a bit of a mistake. The best move was actually <\/span><b>11&#8230;a6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which stops all the b5-nonsense forever, and only after <\/span><b>12.Rc1 h6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the offending g5-bishop kicked out. Now we play <\/span><b>13.Bd2<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with the same ideas as mentioned before.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&lt;iframe width=&#8221;600&#8243; height=&#8221;371&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/qCdmoOtT#1&#8243; frameborder=0&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Against 5&#8230;Qb6, we\u2019ve learned an interesting gambit line where White keeps up strong positional pressure that often leads to mating attacks. And that wraps up all our theory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h1><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h1><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Advance French, Black has three main theoretical options, 5&#8230;Nge7, 5&#8230;Bd7 and 5&#8230;Qb6. We play similarly against all three options, so hopefully all the chess notation didn\u2019t bog down your mind too much.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In part 3, we\u2019ll look at some model games involving our theory and key ideas. There\u2019s more ground to cover, so keep your ear to the\u2026 Chess In The Library website.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-9633\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-9633\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">March to Victory with the Advance French #3 - Model Games<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-9633\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-9633\"><h1><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h1><p>In his book <em>Dynamic Chess Strategy<\/em>, GM Mihai Suba writes about the Hedgehog structure, a compact, defensive opening setup for Black that gained popularity in the 80s. Playing the Hedgehog seems a passive endeavor, as you allow White to build up acres of space and maneuver his pieces to perfection. However, as Suba recounts, by definition, perfection has one fatal flaw: it cannot be improved.<\/p><p>So I feel, learning openings, we shouldn&#8217;t chase this perfection (remembering every line, following every engine suggestion) but, rather something that&#8217;s practically powerful, and prickly like a hedgehog. With this thought I chose the model games for us to learn the Advance French.<\/p><p>The huge drawback in studying Grandmaster games, correspondence games, or (even) engine games, is that you cannot substantially improve on their play as an amateur nerd. To me, applying learned theory to improve the ideas of model games is <em>the<\/em> most instructive aspect. Today, I only picked online rapid games, and if my blunderfests are anything to go by, be sure we&#8217;ll unearth errors from both sides along the way.<\/p><p>At the end, I&#8217;ll also suggest an overall method to continue your study of the Advance French, which will hopefully help as you get stronger and outgrow my unseasoned ideas.<\/p><h1>Model Game #1<\/h1><p>Our first game was an online rapid battle between an international master and strong club player. With a ~400 point gap, this was a lopsided contest from the beginning, made even more uneven after the second player opened 1.e4 e6 instead of 1&#8230;e5. Unfortunately, any hopes of the latter player to scalp a win were pricked by our repertoire&#8217;s lines.<\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/rQN8cjXt#19\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>This game is a good illustration of our typical plans after exchanging on f5: knight maneuver to f4, sliding the king to f1, the rook lift Rh3-g3. Black also deserves credit for bringing up interesting ideas like exchanging off the c3-knight and walking the king to long castle. What we learned:<\/p><ul><li>Grabbing kingside space with h-pawn pushes and piece maneuvers often makes it disadvantageous for Black to castle short.<\/li><li>Trading off the c3-knight is often good strategy for Black, since the knight is quite strong on f4, even though it strengthens White&#8217;s center.<\/li><li>Patience, methodically preventing counterplay, and greedily controlling both flanks of the board can create the sort of positional dominance that sets up a material-winning tactical shot.<\/li><li>When the center is closed enough, the kings can genuinely do whatever they want.<\/li><\/ul><h1>Model Game #2<\/h1><p>Though it&#8217;s sometimes difficult to count on 10-minute rapid players (15+10 will forever have my heart), these unnamed Lichess warriors were tapped in. They followed 13 moves of our theory including the modern shot 12.b4!?. The game swung wildly back and forth before (spoiler&#8230;) White emerged triumphant through my favorite winning method, flagging. A prickly finish for Black whose clock hit zero in a drawn position.<\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/jghIofYi#21\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>This game is an almost-ideal demonstration of gambiteering: drop a pawn for some open lines, launch some pieces towards the opponent king, randomly sacrifice the exchange for a bit of fun, and emerge winning into the middlegame because your sacrifice was actually the best continuation, as it always is. Here&#8217;s what we learned:<\/p><ul><li>Keep your pieces as active as possible after gambiting a pawn.<\/li><li>The dynamic advantage afforded by a gambit often retains influence deep into the middlegame, so don&#8217;t slow down.<\/li><li>When many of your pieces are active, ensure you calculate deeper into lines and take every piece into account.\u00a0<\/li><\/ul><h1>Model Game #3<\/h1><p>The protagonist of our third game is a mystery, the pseudonym a thorn sticking into any nosy Advance French enthusiasts. We only know he engages in Only Rapid Training and is fairly booked up. The second player sidesteps our immediate theoretical trap, but ultimately crumbled under White&#8217;s long-term pressure. No shame losing to a (probable) undercover super GM \ud83d\ude42<\/p><p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lichess.org\/study\/embed\/C3h75Q9f\/u2Oc378b#20\" width=\"600\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>White showed some excellent positional ideas, especially prophylaxis like 20.b3 restricting Black&#8217;s piece movements. Instructively, the first player quickly switched from slow positional grinding to full-on attack when the tactical break e6 presented itself. Here&#8217;s what we learned from that game:<\/p><ul><li>Don&#8217;t be hasty to commit to the pawn advance b2-b4, even to access a knight outpost on c5. Each pawn advance leaves behind potential weaknesses, which are magnified by Black&#8217;s light squared pawn structure in the Advance.<\/li><li>Don&#8217;t be afraid to retreat your pieces to the first rank (Bb1, Bf1, etc) if it improves overall piece coordination.<\/li><li>Moves like &#8230;g6 are pawn hooks which can be exploited by h2-h4-h5 to create weaknesses in Black&#8217;s kingside.<\/li><li>Look for tactical shots as the end node of positional domination.<\/li><li>Rapid is definitely the most tuff online time control, especially for improving tournament play.<\/li><\/ul><h1>Where to Go From Here<\/h1><p>Thanks for reading my blogs on the Advance French! To wrap up, I should note that reading blogs is no way to learn the Advance French.<\/p><p>Once you understand the theory and ideas behind an opening, maybe even put together a repertoire PGN, you can jump straight into testing it out in real games. Make sure to play rated games at your level to properly stress-test your conceptual understanding. As you play dozens of games, and lose dozens of games, you can expand your repertoire and knowledge with the ideas you analyze from your own play. That way, you get the perfect repertoire carved over time into your own style, fit perfectly to the types of moves you see in typical play.<\/p><p>I should add that another place you should go from here is one of CITL&#8217;s upcoming tournaments \ud83d\ude42 Once again, thanks for reading!<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-9634\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"4\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-9634\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Positional Play IN ACTION #1 - Restricting Your Opponents<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-9634\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"4\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-9634\"><p><em><b>Written by Ryan Yao<\/b><\/em><\/p><p><b>Game Analysis<\/b><\/p><ol><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Nxf6+ Bxf6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nf3 O-O<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3364\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1a-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1a.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1a.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The position here is very safe for both players. Black has already castled, but the queenside pieces are relatively inactive. One classical idea here for Black is to push b6 and then Bb7 in order to bring the light-square bishop to life. We will see that later in the game. White, on the other hand, has a great centre and fairly active pieces. The player can place its bishop on the d3 square to attack Black\u2019s kingside.<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"9\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bd3 c5 10. O-O cxd4 11. Nxd4 Rd8 12. Nf3<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3373\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1b-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1b.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1b.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, Black challenges White\u2019s centre with the move c5, which is crucial to prevent White from consolidating its spatial advantages. Note that 11&#8230; Qxd4 is a blunder because Bxh7+!! simply wins a queen for White.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12&#8230; b6! 13. b3 Bb7<\/span><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3371\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1c-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1c.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1c.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black starts to execute the plan. The light-square bishop effectively controls the h1-a8 diagonal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"4\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nd2 Na6 15. Qh5<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3366\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1d-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1d.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1d.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, Black has two choices to defend the h7 pawn, namely h6 and g6, but one is better than the other.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15&#8230; g6!<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a clever positional play. In most cases, it is not advisable to play g6 if Black does not have a bishop on g7. This is due to the fact that the h6 and f6 squares are left undefended, which may become potential outposts for White\u2019s knights. Additionally, Qh6 or Qf6 would also be scary, especially when White has a dark-square bishop. However, things are different in this particular position. The dark-square bishops are traded, meaning that the queen can hardly pose any threat to Black\u2019s king by herself. It is also nearly impossible for White to maneuver its knight back to kingside, as e4 and f3 squares are controlled by Black\u2019s bishop. More importantly, the move g6 greatly restricts White\u2019s light-square bishop, as it has nothing to attack.<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"16\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Qe2 Nc5 17. Ne4 Qd4 18. Nxc5 Qxc5<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3365\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1e-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1e.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1e.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black has a very good position to play with very active pieces.<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"19\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> c4?<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3374\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1f-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1f.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1f.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a positional mistake played by White. A much stronger move would be 19. Be4! to trade off Black\u2019s active bishop, thereby creating a decent position for White.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">19&#8230; Rd4! 20. Rad1 Rad8<\/span><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3372\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1g-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1g.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1g.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Black\u2019s rook on d4 prevents White from trading bishops in the future. Black has a great initiative here: the doubled rooks control the d-file, and the bishop targets the vulnerable g2 pawn. White has to play very carefully to prevent losing the game immediately.<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"21\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bc2 Qg5 22. f4 Qc5 23. Qf2??<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3367\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1h-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1h.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1h.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">White makes a blunder under tremendous pressure. It is the moment when strategic play turns into a tactical one; Black can now use the accumulated positional advantages to attack.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">23&#8230; Rd2!!<\/span><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3368\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1i-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1i.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1i.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The queen on f2 is pinned, so White cannot capture the \u201cfree\u201d rook on d2. If White captures the queen, the king\u2019s castle will be destroyed by the rook and the bishop, as Rxg2+ would be decisive.<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"24\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Qxc5 Rxg2+!! 25. Kh1 Rxc2+ 26. Kg1 Rg2+ 27. Kh1 Rg4+ 28. Qd5 exd5 0-1<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3369\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1j-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1j.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/blog1j.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><b>Summary<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A key takeaway from this game is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">restricting <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your opponents\u2019 pieces and trading off their powerful pieces whenever possible. For example, the move g6 essentially \u201ckills\u201d White\u2019s bishop in the middle game, and the knight trade prevents White from conquering the weaknesses in front of Black\u2019s king. A major positional mistake made by White is not trying to trade Black\u2019s aggressive bishop off the board, which eventually results in the loss.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-9635\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"5\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-9635\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Positional Play IN ACTION #2 -  Queenside Pawn Storm<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-9635\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"5\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-9635\"><p><em><b>Written by Ryan Yao<\/b><\/em><\/p><p><b>Game Analysis<\/b><\/p><ol><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> d4 c6 2. Bf4 d5 3. e3 Bf5<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3429\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP1-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP1.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP1.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a very common response from Black when facing the London System. The move Bf5 is very reasonable: it allows Black to develop the light-square bishop before playing e6, which liberates a usually inactive piece in such positions. In fact, Black will have a very successful opening if White plays 4. Bd3?! to trade off the bishop, as the position will be very symmetrical, and thereby equal, after Black playing e6 and Bd6.<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"4\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> c4!<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3430\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP2-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP2.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP2.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This move is a very accurate response. White has to maintain an unbalanced position to keep the advantage, so continuing to build the conventional London structure will be unhelpful. Additionally, c4 allows White to develop an attack on Black\u2019s queenside, particularly on the weak b7 pawn (which should be defended by the light-square bishop, which has moved to the f5 square).\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4\u2026 Qb6 5. Qb3 e6 6. c5! Qxb3 7. axb3 Nd7<\/span><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3431\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP3-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP3.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP3.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">White has a great initiative here. The move 6.c5! forces the queen trade, but more importantly, opens up the a-file for future attack. The b-file double pawns are also powerful: White can push them all across the board to destroy Black\u2019s queenside defence. Moreover, the deadly f4 dark-square bishop tightly controls the b8-h2 diagonal, which further supports White\u2019s action in the queenside.<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"8\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> b4 f6 9. Nf3 g5 10. Bg3 a6 11. b5!?<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3432\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP4-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP4.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP4.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The move 11. b5!? follows the queenside-pawn-storm plan, but it may be a little bit premature. Black has a forced sequence of moves (11\u2026 cxb5 12.Bxb5 Bxb1 13. Bxd7+ Kxd7 14. Rxb1), which trades many pieces off the board and reduces White\u2019s queenside pressure. A better move here would be 11. Nc3 to prepare for playing b5 next.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\u2026 Bxb1? 12. bxc6! bxc6 13. Rxb1<\/span><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3433\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP5-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP5.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP5.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11\u2026 Bxb1 is a significant positional mistake. It allows White to play bxc6 to create an isolated pawn in the a-file, as well as a vulnerable c6 pawn that is prone to White\u2019s aggression.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13\u2026 h5 14. h3 h4 15. Bh2 Be7 16. Ra1 a5 17. b4<\/span><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3434\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP6-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP6.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP6.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">White is winning right now. The a5 pawn is under tremendous pressure, and the even more horrifying move b5 is on its way. Black\u2019s pieces have little mobility, and White\u2019s highly active pieces and the crushing pawn storm has almost manifested the victory.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17\u2026 Bd8 18. b5 Ne7<\/span><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3435\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP7-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP7.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP7.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the moment when White can turn the positional advantage into a material advantage [it must be pointed out, however, that the positional move b6 will still be effective, but a tactic will end the game much sooner]. Can you find it? (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hint:<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the tactic is very \u201cquiet\u201d)<\/span><\/p><ol start=\"19\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> bxc6! Nxc6 20. Bb5! Rc8 21. Ba6! Rc7 22. Bxc7<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3436\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkslateblue-owl-931986.hostingersite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP8-300x300.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP8.gif?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chessinthelibrary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PP8.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">White wins an exchange with this quiet, yet fabulous, tactic. Although the game is not finished, it is clear that White can easily take the victory from here.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Summary<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For White, it is always important to maintain an unbalanced position, especially in the opening; if not, the game will soon become even, which is very undesirable for White. Additionally, White\u2019s queenside action is exemplary. By opening the a-file, activating pieces and steadily pushing up pawns, White successfully compresses Black\u2019s space.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Full Game PGN<\/b><\/p><ol><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> d4 c6 2. Bf4 d5 3. e3 Bf5 4. c4 Qb6 5. Qb3 e6 6. c5 Qxb3 7. axb3 Nd7 8. b4 f6 9. Nf3 g5 10. Bg3 a6 11. b5 Bxb1 12. bxc6 bxc6 13. Rxb1 h5 14. h3 h4 15. Bh2 Be7 16. Ra1 a5 17. b4 Bd8 18. b5 Ne7 19. bxc6 Nxc6 20. Bb5 Rc8 21. Ba6 Rc7 22. Bxc7 Bxc7 23. O-O Ke7 24. Rfb1 Nb4 25. Bb5 Rb8 26. Bxd7 Kxd7 27. Ra4 Kc6 28. Nd2 Rg8 29. Nb3 Kb5 30. Ra3 g4 31. hxg4 Rxg4 32. c6 a4 33. Nc5 1-0<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chess Blog Chess is all about tactics and strategies, or, more precisely, strategies then tactics. Careful positional play and well-planned strategies would accumulate tiny advantages move by move, providing significant spatial advantages and initiatives over time.\u00a0 This, however, does not mean playing passively; all positional maneuvers are employed to prepare for the ultimate strike \u2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"ocean_post_layout":"full-screen","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"off","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"on","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3308","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P2UzpQ-Rm","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3308"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3713,"href":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3308\/revisions\/3713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessinthelibrary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}