Thinking process around prophylaxis

[Dan O'Dowd]

Hi all,

Slightly obtuse question, hopefully someone positionally knowledgeable can help.

In the Bayonet Caro-Kann (the one with the g4 thrust), if Black plays ...Bb4, he may try to change the game into a French structure. There is an alternate way of playing, too slow, where Black ends up targeting against the pawn on h4. So in this other game, with the Bishop on b4, I decided that Bd2 as a move wasted time, simply on the basis that he could play Be7, and prevent h4.

So the question is, was this a piece of faulty thinking given that Black's subsequent Be7 would lose a tempo? Or is it the only correct plan to be playing and aiming to play h4 always with the g4 idea (barring obvious reasons not to)?

Sorry to be so confusing

[IM Jack Rudd]

I think I know the answer, but can you give a specific line so I can be sure?

[Dan O'Dowd]

Sure thing The line in question in this game, went:

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. Nge2 Bb4?! 7. Bg2 Nd7, where I played 8. h4 transposing to a position I've had before. Of course, the lack of direct pressure made Bd2 less important in a second way, I just wonder if I was putting the cart before the horse in saying I want to be able to play h4, and therefore might be compromising myself in some other positions too

[IM Jack Rudd]

8.h4 looks pretty good, but 8.Bd2 probably wouldn't be bad either.

I suspect it would probably come to much the same thing, because your bishop is going to have to leave d2 anyway to let the queen be developed.

[Dan O'Dowd]

Cool, so I need to be careful about misjudging moves or playing moves out of desire For reference, the full game went: 8. h4 f6? 9. exf6? (I should play Nf4 first) Ngxf6 10. Nf4 Bf7? (...e5) 11. Qe2 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 0-0? 13. g5 e5 14. dxe5 Ne4 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. e6 Qa5 17. Bd2 Ne5 18. exf7+ Rxf7 19. Qxe4 Re8 20. Kd1 Rc7 21. Nd3 c5 22. Nxe5 Qxc3 23. Qc4+ Qxc4 24. Nxc4 Red8 25. Rb1? a6? (...Rd4 though still losing) 26. Kc1 b5 27. Ba5 1-0