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Posted by lapsekili
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8/15/2008
12:45:55

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Subject: The Philidor's Defence

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

Posted by gt2win
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8/15/2008
13:05:26

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

Posted by ganstaman
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8/15/2008
14:25:02

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

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

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

There's also another plan for black given on this site: www.vanrekom.nl (it's easier to just look at the diagrams and variations there then for me to repeat it all here). It's more aggressive, pushing forward on the kingside while hoping that the center and queenside hold strongly enough to keep black from collapsing.
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Viktor Laznicka seals runaway World Open victory — The World Open in Philadelphia has been staged annually since the early 1970s, and although it has never quite justified its grandiose title it is still a huge magnet for chess players from grandmasters to novices. It is a big money event, with high entry fees but first prizes of several thousand dollars even for weaker sections. Its continued success reflects a ruthless policy by the organisers towards rating cheats, coupled with a highly flexible schedule. The final rounds are on Independence Day, but it is possible to compete anywhere between three and seven days and to re-enter if you start badly. For GMs in the top section, it can be a vicious battle. They normally get a minimum ...
Posted by ketchuplover
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8/17/2008
11:08:04

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What does the Lion have to do with the Philidor?
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Endgames, part 1: Rook against Bishop — A superb lesson from Magnus Carlsen in endgame technique. It's been a while since we looked at the endgame, so this week we begin a short series on this often neglected area with a terrific demonstration of endgame technique from the ever-improving chess world No 1 Magnus Carlsen. Although White has the advantage of rook against bishop, Black has an extra pawn and a solid position on the chess board. How did Carlsen make progress? RB I'm pretty sure the answer lies in g4. The question is whether to nudge the pawn forward immediately or whether some preparation is needed first, perhaps exchanging on d5 or advancing the king to e3. The only way is concrete calculation, so let's see what ...
Posted by ganstaman
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8/17/2008
16:31:19

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

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

In any event, after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 you have the Philidor, and then you could continue with 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O (still all Philidor territory) and now 6...h6, preparing the whole Lion thing with ...c6, ...Qc7, ...g4, etc.
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Dortmund Begins — The Sparkassen Chess-Meeting (an odd name, to be sure) began Thursday in Dortmund. Though the chess tournament is not at the level of Linares or Corus, it still attracts top players, notably Vladimir Kramnik, the former world chess champion from Russia. Kramnik has been associated with Dortmund, as the chess event is often referred to, for many years because he has won the tournament nine times, far more than any other. He first won it in 1995 and is the defending champion this year. The tournament is a double-round robin this year, meaning each competitor plays all the others twice, once with each color. In addition to Kramnik, the No. 4 chess player in the world, the field includes ...