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comment by johnnyFive
johnnyFive  ·  1867 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: White to move. What do you do?

That I'm going against the consensus may say something, but I personally like Qg3 better than Qd2. It gives some wiggle room, but doesn't put you completely on the defensive.





Devac  ·  1867 days ago  ·  link  ·  

OK, so let's play it out from there:

  23. Qg3 f4

IMO, the best response for White is Qf3, but even then there's an immediate response:

  24. Qf3 Qg7

which puts pressure on king's line and gives two possible counter-moves:

  25. g4 fxg3

26. Qxg3

Which opens f-line Rook's mobility and allows you to threaten up to f4.

or

  25. e5 Rae8

26. Qe4 Qxe5

Which isn't bad, but essentially forces an exchange of queens while at disadvantage.

or

  26. Nxg4 Bxg4

and whatever happens, Black e-line Rook takes control of its line.

Overall, Qg3 isn't a bad move, but it leads to mobility at cost of position almost as my Qf3 did. It's still better than what I have chosen under pressure, so take it however you want. :)

johnnyFive  ·  1867 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Wait, am I missing something? Wouldn't the response be Black's, since White is the one doing Qg3 (i.e. move 23). If that's the case, the Black queen can't move to f3 directly.

Devac  ·  1867 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Maybe it should be "IMO, the best followup to Black's pawn to f4 response for White is Qf3, but even then there's an immediate response:" for clarity sake. Each numbered line is a pair of moves (first White, then space, then Black), but I should be more careful. Sorry!

johnnyFive  ·  1867 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Oh I see. If Black moved f4, I would've done Qg4. You'd lose the queen to the bishop, but if you're losing the queen anyway, this at least creates some coverage for what's left. Because then you could have the knight (on h2 in your original picture) take the bishop. The Black queen could take the knight, but the pawn at h3 would be covering, so that seems like an unlikely exchange.