Paul McKeown wrote:Sounds great! What is this line? Is it 1. e4 Sf6 2. Lc4!? which deserves a few more outings!
I'm glad you were laughing, John, but no, 1. e4 Sf6 2. Lc4?! is not a move I have ever spent a lot of time considering: it's not really sound - and worse for White, the ideas behind it are rather transparent, so Black is not likely to fall for anything. At least I won't.
Actually, the Blackmar-Diemer, for instance, is more dangerous (if even less sound - I just loved Andy Martin describing it as "Shopping for a Tombstone"), because White just gets on with developing his pieces to good squares and just waits to see what mistakes Black will make, whereas this 2. Lc4 move just forces things too much.
No. Lluben Popov and some Bulgarians invented the idea of 1. e4 Sf6 2. e5 Sd5 3. d4 d6 4. Sf3 dxe5 5. Sxe5 Sd7in the early 60's, Larsen famously dared it against Tal', but it was England's very own Pete Sowray who did most of the theoretical groundwork which got people playing it from time to time. Sadly some careless Russian GM (with cybernetic assistance) has now comprehensively busted it. The article tells the story; the first serious article I have ever written about a chess opening - and how I now have had to give it up, never to play it again.
Regards,
Paul.
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