h3 after castling kingside

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Date: 16 Aug 2008 17:14:36
From: John Salerno
Subject: h3 after castling kingside

I was studying this case as an example of a kingside attack:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Qe7 5.O-O d6 6.d4 Bb6 7.a4 a6
8.a5 Ba7 9.h3 Nf6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Nd2 Bxh3
13.gxh3 Qg3+ 14.Kh1 Qxh3+ 15.Kg1 Ng4 16.Nf3 Qg3+ 17.Kh1 Bxf2
0-1

At 9 h3, the book I'm reading says "weak players make this move
instinctively in dire dread of having a piece pinned." But given the
moves that came before, I don't understand how 9 h3 really prevents a
pin at this point. What am I missing?

Thanks.

Date: 17 Aug 2008 02:01:16
From: John Salerno
Subject: Re: h3 after castling kingside

John Salerno wrote:
> I was studying this case as an example of a kingside attack:
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Qe7 5.O-O d6 6.d4 Bb6 7.a4 a6
> 8.a5 Ba7 9.h3 Nf6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Nd2 Bxh3
> 13.gxh3 Qg3+ 14.Kh1 Qxh3+ 15.Kg1 Ng4 16.Nf3 Qg3+ 17.Kh1 Bxf2
> 0-1
>
> At 9 h3, the book I'm reading says "weak players make this move
> instinctively in dire dread of having a piece pinned." But given the
> moves that came before, I don't understand how 9 h3 really prevents a
> pin at this point. What am I missing?
>
> Thanks.

One other question about this game. Why does Black play 7...a6 instead
of 7...a5? I know the move to a6 allows his bishop a way out of trouble,
but if he moves the pawn to a5 in the first place, won't that keep the
bishop safe where it is?

Date: 17 Aug 2008 23:11:37
From: help bot
Subject: Re: h3 after castling kingside

Andrew B. wrote:

> > > > 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Qe7 5.O-O d6 6.d4 Bb6 7.a4 a6
> > > > 8.a5 Ba7 9.h3 Nf6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Nd2 Bxh3
> > > > 13.gxh3 Qg3+ 14.Kh1 Qxh3+ 15.Kg1 Ng4 16.Nf3 Qg3+ 17.Kh1 Bxf2
> > > > 0-1
> >
> > =EF=BF=BDBut my
> > main nitpick is with the horrible ending
> > where Black failed to snatch the free pawn
> > on h3 with check, and he also failed to see
> > the obvious follow-on 15. ...Ng4,
>
> No he didn't.

You are right. I have no idea how I managed
to enter the moves wrong for such a short
game, but I somehow had it as 14. ... Bxf2 and
/White/ resigned, which made no sense. (Also
strange is the move 8. a5, which computers
just eat with the Knight, shrugging sheepishly.)

-- help bot

Date: 17 Aug 2008 14:16:48
From: Andrew B.
Subject: Re: h3 after castling kingside

On 17 Aug, 08:55, help bot <[email protected] > wrote:
> John Salerno wrote:
> > > 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Qe7 5.O-O d6 6.d4 Bb6 7.a4 a6
> > > 8.a5 Ba7 9.h3 Nf6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Nd2 Bxh3
> > > 13.gxh3 Qg3+ 14.Kh1 Qxh3+ 15.Kg1 Ng4 16.Nf3 Qg3+ 17.Kh1 Bxf2
> > > 0-1
>
> =A0But my
> main nitpick is with the horrible ending
> where Black failed to snatch the free pawn
> on h3 with check, and he also failed to see
> the obvious follow-on 15. ...Ng4,

No he didn't.

Date: 17 Aug 2008 10:43:27
From: Arfur Million
Subject: Re: h3 after castling kingside

"John Salerno" <[email protected] > wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> John Salerno wrote:
>> I was studying this case as an example of a kingside attack:
>>
>> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Qe7 5.O-O d6 6.d4 Bb6 7.a4 a6
>> 8.a5 Ba7 9.h3 Nf6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Nd2 Bxh3
>> 13.gxh3 Qg3+ 14.Kh1 Qxh3+ 15.Kg1 Ng4 16.Nf3 Qg3+ 17.Kh1 Bxf2
>> 0-1
>>
>> At 9 h3, the book I'm reading says "weak players make this move
>> instinctively in dire dread of having a piece pinned." But given the
>> moves that came before, I don't understand how 9 h3 really prevents a pin
>> at this point. What am I missing?
>>
>> Thanks.
>
> One other question about this game. Why does Black play 7...a6 instead of
> 7...a5? I know the move to a6 allows his bishop a way out of trouble, but
> if he moves the pawn to a5 in the first place, won't that keep the bishop
> safe where it is?

It is often a valid choice in similar positions between ...a6 and ...a5. The
advantages of a6 are that the b5 square is protected (a white N or B may
like to go there) and that if white does push a5, then that pawn may become
weak. The advantage of a5 is that it fights for space on the Q-side, making
it harder for W to push b4 (as you point out). I don't think there's a
Golden Rule about this, but when in doubt I would go for a6, since the
weakening of b5 can be very important in an open game.

Regards,
Arfur

Date: 17 Aug 2008 00:55:21
From: help bot
Subject: Re: h3 after castling kingside

John Salerno wrote:

> > 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Qe7 5.O-O d6 6.d4 Bb6 7.a4 a6
> > 8.a5 Ba7 9.h3 Nf6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Nd2 Bxh3
> > 13.gxh3 Qg3+ 14.Kh1 Qxh3+ 15.Kg1 Ng4 16.Nf3 Qg3+ 17.Kh1 Bxf2
> > 0-1

> One other question about this game. Why does Black play 7...a6 instead
> of 7...a5? I know the move to a6 allows his bishop a way out of trouble,
> but if he moves the pawn to a5 in the first place, won't that keep the
> bishop safe where it is?

Weak players think like this:

"I am worried that my opponent may chase
my Bishop, so I will make an escape square
by playing ...a6. Then, if the Bishop is
attacked, it can retreat inside the shelter of
my pawns."

The loss of time this entails is under-rated,
and the fact that ...a5 would accomplish the
same task while preventing the opponent
from gaining space is not noticed, as weak
players tend to value material above all else.

Another factor is that they know this Bishop
is the one so many "brilliant" games have as
a key player, because it looks toward the
key pawn on f2 -- the only one *not* defended
by any piece except the King itself. Hence
the powerful urge to develop it outside the
pawn chain, despite the clumsiness of such
followups as ...Qe7.

Another thing is that ...a6 prevents a pin via
B-b5, while ...a5 does not. Preventing pins
can allow the weak player a free hand to try
just about any crazy attack he wants, while
he knows from painful experience that such
pins have, in the past, often led him into
excruciating pain.

This game in general is far from the ideal
expression of how to play chess. First of
all, it fails to follow the mantra "Knights
before Bishops". Second, it has Black
moving his Queen very early on-- although
here, that opens up the possibility of
castling long, which is interesting. But my
main nitpick is with the horrible ending
where Black failed to snatch the free pawn
on h3 with check, and he also failed to see
the obvious follow-on 15. ...Ng4, while
White, in sum, failed to see anything
whatsoever.

I am reminded of a very recent post by
Sanny of GetClub fame, where he asks
where his program went wrong in a game
against the world's strongest chess engine,
Rybka. The obvious answer is that he first
went wrong when he sat down to play... .

-- help bot

Date: 16 Aug 2008 17:13:12
From: help bot
Subject: Re: h3 after castling kingside

On Aug 16, 5:14=A0pm, John Salerno <[email protected] > wrote:

> I was studying this case as an example of a kingside attack:
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Qe7 5.O-O d6 6.d4 Bb6 7.a4 a6
> 8.a5 Ba7 9.h3 Nf6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.Nd2 Bxh3
> 13.gxh3 Qg3+ 14.Kh1 Qxh3+ 15.Kg1 Ng4 16.Nf3 Qg3+ 17.Kh1 Bxf2
> 0-1
>
> At 9 h3, the book I'm reading says "weak players make this move
> instinctively in dire dread of having a piece pinned." But given the
> moves that came before, I don't understand how 9 h3 really prevents a
> pin at this point. What am I missing?

It prevents a pin by ...Bg4 at move nine, where
Black's QB would pin White's KN to his Queen.

Such a pin would be difficult to break since
White has already castled on that side and
cannot afford to play h3 and g4. Note that
Black, having not yet castled, could delay and
possibly castle on the opposite wing, using
White's weakening moves (h3, g4) against him.

In this opening, the pin with ...Bg4 applies
more pressure to the dark squares in the
center, d4 and e5, and unless White can
safely play Be3 -- leaving his e-pawn unguarded
-- White would have to surrender control of this
dark-square complex.

By the way, ...Bxf2 was awful; it was obvious
that Black could snatch the h-pawn with check,
then return to g3 with check, and only then
grab that pawn, supposing it was the best he
had. Like my friend always said, "if you ever
somehow manage to luck into seeing a good
move-- stop, there might be an even better
one!"

-- help bot

Date: 16 Aug 2008 21:15:16
From: help bot
Subject: Re: h3 after castling kingside

On Aug 16, 8:40=A0pm, John Salerno <[email protected] > wrote:

> > =A0 It prevents a pin by ...Bg4 at move nine, where
> > Black's QB would pin White's KN to his Queen.
>
> Ah, of course! Thanks, I didn't even notice that possibility. But still,
> h3 seems like a bad move.

It is interesting to note that Paul Morphy
darned near refuted the move h3 a half-
century earlier, beating people left and
right as Black in these double King-pawn
openings by exploiting tactics, time, and
the weakening of key squares that such
moves leave in their wake.

In this game it was even worse, since
Black retained the option of castling on
the opposite wing. The rule is not to
move what are called "home pawns" --
those pawns in front of your castled
King, and instead to advance what are
termed "rangers" -- those pawns in
front of your opponent's castled King
on the other wing. If you have already
castled but your opponent retains the
option of castling on either wing or
remaining in the center, things can
become quite difficult because you
have to allow for all these possibilities
and play moves that are good in any
of these possible scenarios. In
contrast, your opponent already has
the "home address" of your King.

-- help bot

Date: 16 Aug 2008 20:40:32
From: John Salerno
Subject: Re: h3 after castling kingside

help bot wrote:

> It prevents a pin by ...Bg4 at move nine, where
> Black's QB would pin White's KN to his Queen.

Ah, of course! Thanks, I didn't even notice that possibility. But still,
h3 seems like a bad move.