Originally posted by Jakal
In the Ruy Lopez, if on move 4 the white Bishop takes Knight on c6, should black take back with the b7 or d7 pawn. The books say to capture toward the middle, but engines suggest to take with the d7 pawn (i.e., the Queen's pawn). What is better and why?
here is a very interesting game in which black plays fianchetto variation of 3...g6 and manages to put the former world champion Anatoly Karpov under some pressure. Not only that, but black has doubled c pawns from early on, but as greenpawn states in his recent book, Rampant chess, for every doubled c pawn, there is a half open file waiting for some Rook fun!
the game is between former world champion Anatoly Karpov and international master Mark Condie, played in a simultaneous exhibition, Glasgow, 1984
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[PlyCount "123"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 Ne7 8.O-O O-O 9.Nc3 Rb8 10.Re1 d6 11.Ne2 c5 12.c3 Nc6 13.Nf4 Ne5 14.Bc2 Re8 15.Rb1 Bb7 16.b3 Qh4 17.h3 Re7 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.Qxd5 g5 20.Qd2 Re6 21.Re3 Bh6 22.Rg3 Kh8 23.Qe2 Rg8 24.Bd1 Reg6 25.Rg4 Nxg4 26.Qxg4 Re6 27.Bc2 Qxg4 28.hxg4 Bg7 29.Bd2 c6 30.Kf1 Bf6 31. Rd1 Kg7 32.Bd3 Rh8 33.f3 h5 34.gxh5 Rxh5 35.Kf2 Be5 36.Ba6 d5 37.exd5 cxd5 38.Bb7 Rd6 39.Be1 d4 40.Be4 Ra6 41.a4 dxc3 42.Rc1 Bd4+ 43.Ke2 Rh2 44.Bxc3 Rxg2+ 45.Kd3 Rd6 46.Kc4 Re2 47.Rd1 g4 48.Rg1 Kf8 49.Rxg4 Bxc3 50.Kxc3 Rd4 51.a5 Ra2 52.Rg5 Rxa5 53.Rxc5 Rxc5+ 54.Kxd4 Rc7 55.b4 Ke7 56.Kd5 Kf6 57.Kd6 Rc4 58.b5 Kg5 59.Bc6 Kf4 60. Kc7 Rc1 61. Kb7 Ra1 62. Kb8
I provide the details to demonstrate that this opening variation variation is playable, certainly at my measly level and that doubled pawns , even against the best positional player in the world, are not necessarily a bad thing.