02-01-2012, 11:11 PM
In view of Hugh Brechin's interesting "take" on the 1-0 Hebden-McQueen game today, I think it might be useful to refer to ... Alekhine / Capablanca!! Mark Hebden has a subtle and extremely well researched opening repertoire and wins countless games going back decades with his "strange" 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 d5!? (after 3...d6, Black must be prepared for 4.e4!) 4.Bf4 system against the KID.
Some older players may recall that WA Fairhurst also often played this line. I'm willing to bet that both he and Hebden picked it up from the even more distant past ... and quite probably directly from Alekhine's justly famous book on the 1924 New York tournament, where Capa successfully played it.
Alekhine said of 3...d5!? that "it does not seem positionally opportune because (Black's black square) bishop thereafter may be given an outlet only by means of time-robbing efforts. More in the spirit of the fianchetto is ...d6". Of course, it's not at all that simple, but Mark (and Capa / Alekhine) knew that Black still had some work to do before counting on equality.
While I haven't looked at the Hebden-McQueen game carefully, Hebden may have managed to produce yet another finely played win on the variation of the ancient theme of becalming Black's B/g7 and developing play on both flanks while Black tries to find ways to re-activate it! Mark really does know an awful lot about how to play these positions for White ... with, I'm certain, a knowing and awfully big nod to the old guys!!
Some older players may recall that WA Fairhurst also often played this line. I'm willing to bet that both he and Hebden picked it up from the even more distant past ... and quite probably directly from Alekhine's justly famous book on the 1924 New York tournament, where Capa successfully played it.
Alekhine said of 3...d5!? that "it does not seem positionally opportune because (Black's black square) bishop thereafter may be given an outlet only by means of time-robbing efforts. More in the spirit of the fianchetto is ...d6". Of course, it's not at all that simple, but Mark (and Capa / Alekhine) knew that Black still had some work to do before counting on equality.
While I haven't looked at the Hebden-McQueen game carefully, Hebden may have managed to produce yet another finely played win on the variation of the ancient theme of becalming Black's B/g7 and developing play on both flanks while Black tries to find ways to re-activate it! Mark really does know an awful lot about how to play these positions for White ... with, I'm certain, a knowing and awfully big nod to the old guys!!