From the Semi-Slav defense:

1 d4 d5
2 c4 c6
3 Nf3 Nf6
4 Nc3 e6
5 e3 Nbd7
6 Bd3 dxc4
7 Bxc4 b5
8 Bd3 a6
9 e4 c5
10 e5 cxd4
11 Nxb5 Nxe5
12 Nxe5 axb5
13 Qf3 Qa5+
14 Ke2 Bd6
15 Bd2 Qa6
16 a4 0-0
17 Bxb5 Bxe5
18 Bxa6 Bxa6+
19 Kd1



After 19 Kd1, Viktor Korchnoi evaluated the position as better for White. Ludek Pachman said Black is better here!

What do you think?

White has more material (a queen for two minor pieces) and two passed pawns on adjacent files, while black has the bishop pair and one passed pawn. Given the material advantage by white, I'd say the real question is whether black can work up an attack on the exposed white king.

You're right about one thing, though. It's interesting!

--Fromper

19…. Rfb8 20.Re1 Bb7 21.Qd3 Ng4 22.Qe2 h5 23.h3 Ba6 24.Qf3 Bb7 25.Qe2 Ba6= Analysis by IM John Donaldson in MCO-14

Is your signature another way of saying play 1.e4(or something like that)? tia

Franklin Young was a US master at the turn of the century (the last one, not this one) and tried to explain chess in terms of military science. His writing was simply awful and worse than useless.

He also wrote this endgame rule: "Whenever a pawn altitude is intersected by the periphery of an adverse Knight's octagon, then, if the pawn has not crossed the point intersection, the adverse Knight wins the given pawn."

A download of one of his books, The Grand Tactics of Chess, can be obtained here.
Chessville - Free Downloadable eBooks - electronic chess books

Read at your own risk…reading it could cost you several hundred rating points. As for what he meant by it. Who knows? I’m hoping somebody can tell me.

Chernev's book has that exact Young quote in the beginning of one of the games he is discussing and talks briefly about the terrible level of the writing and then says "In short, he means play 1. e4" (paraphrasing)

So ketchuplover figured it out. The guy must be a genius.

The Meran Variation goes back to the 40's. There have been famous games with the variation.
Kan- Botvinnik 1953 & 1954.
Reshevsky-Botvinnik 1955.
Reinfeld would have called it going back to the drawing board.
Each time Botvinnik, and others would look for improvements.
In effect if the moves are in print, they are obsolete.
The variation above probably came out of game between
Khamishov-Khasin, 1949 1/2-1/2 up to White's 17 & Black retreated the Queen. The variation above could have been from an analysis in a magazine.

MCO-15 has the same analysis.

As for my opinion, White is superior is he can protect his king and get his queenside pawns in motion. If Black can use his d-pawn as a support point for his knight and actively place his rooks, then king safety may outweigh White's material advantage. Trading material would be beneficial to White as well.

In the initial position I’d trust Korchnoi’s evaluation but I’d still rather play Black. In Donaldson’s analysis I don’t see what’s wrong with 22.Re2 instead of 22.Qe2 nor do I see what’s wrong with 25…d3 24.Qf1 Bxb2, but then I’m rated a few hundred points below Donaldson so may not understand something.