Current position:



Looks good so far!

(We have a training session coming-up in a couple of hours, I'll Let GM Akobian know that we played Nc3.)

Thank you planetchess.org, for posting the position. It's kind of a pain to switch between threads to see the position! (even though we're not very far along. But it'll really help later)

I hope during the middlegame this doesn't turn into the chessgames.com challenges, both sides just putting the position into Rybka and let it run for a day or two, and then vote for the computer's move.

[Event "National Open"]
[Site "Las Vegas USA"]
[Date "2007.06.09"]
[EventDate "2007.06.08"]
[Round "3"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Joshua E Friedel"]
[Black "Varuzhan Akobian"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2474"]
[BlackElo "2574"]
[PlyCount "159"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3 c5 8. Ne5 a6 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Qd5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Nc4 Bd7 13. Nb6 Qe4+ 14. Be2 Rd8 15. O-O cxd4 16. Bf3 Qf5 17. cxd4 Bb5 18. Re1 Bb4 19. Re3 O-O 20. Rc1 Qf4 21. d5 f5 22. g3 Qd6 23. Nc4 Bxc4 24. Rxc4 Bc5 25. Rec3 Bb6 26. Rf4 Rc8 27. Rd3 Rfd8 28. Bh5 Qe5 29. Kg2 Rxd5 30. Rxd5 Qxd5+ 31. Qxd5 exd5 32. Rxf5 Rc7 33. Rxd5 Bc5 34. h4 b6 35. b3 a5 36. Be2 Kg7 37. Bc4 Re7 38. a4 Kg6 39. f4 Kg7 40. Kf3 Kg6 41. Kg4 Re3 42. Rd7 h5+ 43. Kh3 Re7 44. Rd5 f5 45. Bd3 Rf7 46. Rd8 Rf8 47. Rd7 Rf6 48. Bc4 Rd6 49. Bf7+ Kh6 50. Re7 Rc6 51. Re8 Rf6 52. Bc4 Rf8 53. Re6+ Kg7 54. Be2 Rh8 55. Bd3 Rf8 56. Bb5 Rh8 57. Re5 Rf8 58. Bd7 Kg6 59. Re6+ Kg7 60. Be8 Rh8 61. Bg6 Rh6 62. Bxf5 Rxe6 63. Bxe6 Bf2 64. Kg2 Be1 65. Bd7 Kf7 66. Bb5 Bb4 67. Kf2 Bc3 68. f5 Kg7 69. Be8 Kh6 70. Kf3 Be5 71. Bf7 Bd6 72. Be8 Be5 73. g4 hxg4+ 74. Kxg4 Bf6 75. h5 Be5 76. Bg6 Bh8 77. Kf4 Bb2 78. Ke4 Kg5 79. Kd5 Bg7 80. Ke6 1-0

[Event "US Championships"]
[Site "Stillwater USA"]
[Date "2007.05.19"]
[EventDate "2007.05.15"]
[Round "5"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Julio Becerra-Rivero"]
[Black "Varuzhan Akobian"]
[ECO "C12"]
[WhiteElo "2544"]
[BlackElo "2574"]
[PlyCount "95"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. bxc3 Ne4 8. Qg4 g6 9. Bd3 Nxd2 10. Kxd2 c5 11. h4 Nd7 12. Bxg6 fxg6 13. Qxg6+ Kf8 14. Ne2 Qe8 15. Nf4 Qxg6 16. Nxg6+ Kg7 17. Nxh8 Nb6 18. h5 Kxh8 19. Rh4 Bd7 20. Rf4 Nc4+ 21. Ke2 Bb5 22. a4 Bd7 23. Rf7 Rd8 24. g4 a5 25. f4 cxd4 26. cxd4 b5 27. Rf6 Kg7 28. g5 Be8 29. gxh6+ Kh7 30. Rg1 Bxh5+ 31. Kd3 bxa4 32. Rg7+ Kh8 33. f5 Rg8 34. Rxg8+ Kxg8 35. Kc3 exf5 36. e6 a3 37. Kb3 Kh7 38. e7 a4+ 39. Ka2 f4 40. Rxf4 Kxh6 41. Rf5 Be8 42. Rf8 Bb5 43. e8=Q Bxe8 44. Rxe8 Kg6 45. Rc8 Kf5 46. Rxc4 dxc4 47. c3 Kf4 48. Kxa3 1-0

You are very welcome GT4.


Excellent job of researching the opponent! (Glad to have you on the team. )

Hmm... we should look at how he plays against 3. ... Nf6 4. e5, too. I think that's the other big possibility after Nf6 that we might play instead of Bg5.

--Fromper

I'm thinking 4. e5..Nd7, then a "Wing" Attack by GM Akobian. Some more research data would be helpful.

Ah so we're playing the win-a-war!

Here is a e5 game, where white wins!

[Event "Manila GMA Cup 1st"]
[Site "Manila"]
[Date "2006.11.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Belov, Vladimir"]
[Black "Akobian, Varuzhan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2589"]
[BlackElo "2598"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2006.11.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "PHI"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.01.10"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4
Bc5 9. Qd2 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Bxd4 11. Qxd4 Qb6 12. Nb5 Qxd4 13. Nxd4 Ke7 14. h4 h5
15. Rh3 Nb8 16. Rc3 Bd7 17. Rc7 Nc6 18. O-O-O Rhb8 19. Bb5 Kd8 20. Rxc6 a6 21.
Rc3 axb5 22. a3 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Rxc8 24. Rd3 Rc4 25. b3 Rc5 26. Rg3 g6 27. Kb2
Rc8 28. Rc3 Ra8 29. Rc5 1-0

I guess my Preference is: If he plays Nf6, then e5! (because it reserves the Bishop move, i'm indecisive about Bd2 or Bg5) and then followed up by the plan in the last game, I posted. And then, We need to re-protect the e5 pawn, if pushed, with f4 because the d4 pawn is a "weak defender", and c5 is likely to be played. And then Protect, Protect, Protect our Space advantadge, hopeing that Black won't open up and take advantadge of his extra move, we did for the Space Advantadge on his king-side. Also, Qg4 becomes possible after he develops his king-side Bishop attacking the weak g7 pawn. This plan, while not perfect, I find reasonable, and does have winning chances!!!! (After we survive the opening and middle game) And then when development is complete, then Attack, Attack, Attack! This is what I call the "insaine strategy" because it goes against intuition of keeping the tension in the center, instead grabbing Space.