A grandmaster opening idea in the Pirc / Modern

by Priyadharshan Kannappan
2/10/2018 – Priyadharshan Kannappan took a look through GM Victor Bologan's Fritztrainer "How to tame the Alekhine, Scandinavian and Pirc" and found an alternative to Bologan's suggestion for black in the line beginning 3...d5. With the aid of new analysis, he feels that Bologan's appraisal of the resulting positions is in need of an update.
On this DVD, Victor Bologan shows how to successfully combat the Pirc, Alekhine and Scandinavian Defences with a complete opening repertoire. As ever, Bologan recommends the main lines.

3...d5!?

I have been an aficionado of offbeat openings since my childhood, and that has motivated me to explore a lot of such lines. The first time I learned about the d5 idea in Pirc was in 2007, and I recently noticed an uptick in the popularity of this variation, so I decided to write about this idea, so that more players take this line seriously.

With the increasing popularity of rapid and blitz tournaments in recent years, it has become essential for players to have offbeat tries that surprise opponents and take them out of their preparation. I believe this opening is perfect for such situations, and the added plus is that you need very little time to remember all the analysis in this system.

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d5

 
Pirc / Modern with 3...d5
White to move

The first time, I came to know about this idea was in Secrets of Opening Surprises Volume 1. There are 836 games according to my database, which explains how much room there is to explore this line.

 
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1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d5!? 4.exd5 Taking the bull by the horns! 4.Nxd5 is absolutely harmless. c6 5.Nc3 5.Nf4!? I'm not sure what exactly the idea of this move is, but it was played once by GM Brkic Qxd4 6.Qxd4 Bxd4 7.Nf3 Bb6! The bishop is active on this diagonal, as it hits f2 8.Bc4 Nf6 9.e5 Ne4 10.0-0 g5! 11.Nd3 g4∞ A complex position, where black is most likely going to 0-0-0 5.Ne3 Qxd4 6.Bd3 6.Qxd4 Bxd4= 6...Nf6 7.Ne2 Qd8 8.0-0 0-0 9.f4 e5! 10.fxe5 Ng4 11.Nxg4 Bxg4= 5...Qxd4 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.Nf3 Qd6 8.0-0 Ngf6 9.a4 0-0 10.h3 Nh5∞ 4.e5 f6! challenging the center immediately 4...Nh6?! the traditional developing move fails to 5.Bf4 5.h4 c5 6.dxc5 Nc6 7.Nxd5 Be6 8.c4 Nxe5 9.Bf4 0-0 10.Qd2 Nf5 5...f6 6.exf6 exf6 7.Qe2+ Kf7 8.0-0-0± black has serious issues in placing his minor pieces on optimal squares 5.f4 5.Bf4 If white hopes to find play similar to the 4...Nh6 line! there is a surprise in the store c5! 6.exf6 Nxf6 7.dxc5 0-0 8.Nf3 Nc6 black will pick up the c5 pawn and also have control of the center 5...Nh6 6.Nf3 0-0 7.Be2 Bg4 It is critical to exchange the light squared bishop, as finding a good square for this isn't easy. 8.0-0 Nf5 Black should have no issues! 4.Nf3?! A move, played by Grandmasters Kamil Dragun and Milos Perunovic, which I believe poses no issues for black. Nf6 4...c6 Transposes to a popular variation that arises after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d5. I am not going to go into that variation in this article, as that is a whole story on its own. 5.e5 5.exd5 transposes to the note on move 5.Nf3 5...Ne4 6.Nxe4 dxe4 Black shouldn't have to despair about the weak pawn on e4, if he can generate quick counterplay in the center. 7.Ng5 c5! 8.Bc4 0-0 9.e6 f6 This move needs a precise follow up! If not, I recommend f5 here 9...f5!? 10.d5 b5 11.Be2 We have been following the game Azarov-Skytte, Wroclaw 2014, where Black could have improved upon his play by Bb7N 12.a4 Qxd5 13.Qxd5 Bxd5 14.axb5 a6!∞ freeing up the queenside. 10.Nxe4 b5!N Black increases his lead in development in this position, by offering another pawn 11.Nxc5 11.Bxb5? The natural move fails to Qa5+ 12.Nc3 f5! 11...bxc4 12.Qf3 Qb6 13.Qxa8 Nc6 14.0-0 Ba6 15.Nd7 Rxa8 16.Nxb6 axb6 Black is definitely preferable in this position, due to very active minor pieces 4...Nf6 5.Bc4 The most principled continuation, as white tries to hold onto his extra pawn. 5.Nf3 is not at all ambitious by white Nxd5 6.Nxd5 Qxd5 7.Be3 the most popular move in this position 7.Be2 c5 8.Be3 cxd4! 9.Bxd4 0-0 10.Bxg7 Qxd1+ 11.Rxd1 Kxg7= 7.c4 Qd6 We see once again that the queen does a good job on d6, and wants to provoke white to play c5, giving a solid outpost for the knight on d5. 8.Be2 c5 8...Qb4+!? if you are looking for some adventure! 9.Bd2 Qxb2 10.0-0 0-0 11.Rb1 Qxa2 12.Bf4 9.d5 0-0 10.0-0 e6 black is preferable due to the monster bishop on g7 7...0-0 8.c3 Nc6 9.Be2 e5 10.dxe5 Be6= 5.Bb5+ I believe this move helps black in developing his pieces, as black was anyway going to play Nbd7 and this move forces the knight to go there. Nbd7 6.Nf3 6.Nge2?! 0-0 7.Bxd7 Qxd7 8.Nf4 b5 9.a3 9.Qf3 Bb7 black is slightly better due to the bishop pair. 9...Bb7 and we win the pawn back which leads to very comfortable positions for black. 6.Bg5?! 0-0 Threatening Nb6. 7.Bxd7 7.Qf3 Nb6 8.Bxf6 exf6 9.Nge2 Qd6 10.Bd3 We were following Socko,B-Tomczak,J, Wroclaw 2011, where Black could have improved with Rd8 11.0-0-0 11.Nb5 Qe7 12.c4? Qb4+ 13.Nbc3 Nxc4 11...f5 7...Qxd7 8.Qf3 8.Bxf6?! giving up two bishops isn't going to help white in clinging on to the d5 pawn as there is b5-Bb7 maneuver. exf6 9.Nge2 b5 8...b5! A natural novelty. 9.Bxf6 9.d6? b4 10.Qxa8 bxc3 11.bxc3 cxd6 9...exf6 10.Nge2 Bb7 11.b4 a5 12.bxa5 Rxa5 6...0-0 7.0-0 Nb6 8.Re1 8.h3 Nbxd5 9.Nxd5 Qxd5 10.c4 Qd6 It's important to control the f4 square. 11.c5 Qd8 12.Re1 Bd7= Once a blockade is established on d5 black is doing very well. 8...Nbxd5 9.Nxd5 Qxd5 10.Bf1 Qd6 11.h3 c5 12.dxc5 Qxc5 13.Be3 Qc7 Black reached a very comfortable position in Sjugirov,S (2395)-Bezgodov,A (2561) Voronezh 2007 5...Nbd7 A prophylactic move by white, but it doesn't really change the evaluation of the position 6.Bb3 6.Nf3 Nb6 7.Bb3 a5 8.a3 8.a4 Nbxd5 9.Nxd5 Nxd5 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 11.h3 White intends to stop Bg4 b6 Finding the next best square for the c8 bishop. 12.Re1 Bb7 13.Bg5 Re8 14.Bh4 Rb8∞ 0-1 (27) Gopal,G (2526)-Sasikiran,K (2669) Manila 2013 11...Bg4 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 e6 14.Qg4 c6∞ White may have a tiny edge, due to the bishop pair, but black's position is very solid. 8...a4 9.Ba2 Nbxd5 10.Nxd5 Nxd5 11.0-0 0-0 12.h3 12.c4 Nf6 13.Re1 c5 14.d5 e6∞ 12.Bg5 c6 13.Re1 Bg4 14.h3 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Bf6 Black is doing very well. 12...c6 b5 and b6 are variations that are interesting, but have no practical tests. 12...b5!? 12...b6!? 13.Re1 13.Bg5 Be6 14.Re1 b5 15.Qd2 Nc7= 13...b5 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bxd5 Qxd5 16.Bxe7 Re8 17.Bc5 Bf5 18.c3 Be4 Even though black is a pawn down, the bishops give more than enough compensation 0-1 (60) Ankerst, M-Vokac,M (2450) Dortmund 1992 The most popular and most logical move by white, as he threatens to capture on f6, is when black plays Nb6...this is the move reccomended by Bologan in his DVD "1.e4 - How to tame the Alekhine, Scandinavian, and Pirc" 6.Bg5 0-0 7.Bb3 7.Bxf6 gives black additional options to capture with the knight exf6 7...Nxf6 8.Nge2 8.Qf3?! If white is overzealous in defending his pawn, then he runs into c6! 9.dxc6 Qxd4 10.cxb7 Bxb7 11.Bxf7+ Kxf7 12.Qxb7 Rab8 8...b6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Nf4 Bh6 11.Qf3 e6= 1/2-1/2 (14) Schoorl,R-Kowalczyk,S Hengelo 1999 8.Bb3 Nb6 transposes. 7.Nge2 Nb6 8.Bxf6 exf6 Equally playable is 8...Bxf6 9.Bb3 again transposes. 9.Bb3 a5 10.a4 c6 11.0-0 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.0-0 f5 13.Qd2 Ba6 14.Rfe1 Qd6 Black has definitely enough compensation for the pawn, due to his active pieces, and the clumsy white pieces. 11...f5 12.Re1 We were following the game Lomasov,S (2516)-Ponkratov,P (2613) Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2017, where black played 12...Nxd5, which is an inaccuracy. Qd6!N 13.Qd2 cxd5 14.Nb5 Qd8∞ 7...Nb6 8.Bxf6 8.Qf3?! a5 9.a4 Re8!N A deep prophylactic move. 9...Bg4 10.Qf4 Re8 11.h3 Bf5 12.Qf3 e6 13.dxe6 Bxe6 14.Bxe6 Rxe6+ 15.Nge2 Qxd4 10.Bxf6 10.h3 e6 11.0-0-0 exd5 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Bxd5 Qe7 10.Nge2 Bg4 11.Qf4 Bxe2 12.Nxe2 Nbxd5 13.Qh4 c6 14.0-0 Qb6= 10...exf6+ 11.Nge2 f5 12.0-0 Bd7 13.Rfd1 Qe7 White's minor pieces are literally stuck! The bishop has no scope to go anywhere, the knight on c3 is facing a similar situation and the knight on e2 is basically forced into a life of defending the d4 pawn 14.Rd3 Qd6 15.Re3 Bh6 16.Rxe8+ Rxe8 8...exf6 8...Bxf6 9.Nge2 a5 10.a4 c6 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.0-0 Ba6 13.Re1 Rb8!N A deep move, which is not analyzed in the DVD 13...Nc4 14.Bxc4 Bxc4 15.Qd2 14.Ne4 Bg7 15.c3 Nd7 16.Rb1 e5 17.dxe5 Nxe5 9.Nge2 transposes. 6.Qf3 Nb6 7.Bb3 transposes to the 6.Bb3 Nb6 7.Qf3 line 6...Nb6 7.Qf3 I believe this is the most challening continuation for black. a5 It is always useful to throw in this move! 8.a4 Bg4 8...0-0? 9.h3! Re8 10.Nge2 9.Qg3 9.Qd3 Nbxd5 10.Nxd5 Nxd5= 11.Qb5+? c6 12.Qxb7 0-0 13.Qxc6 Nb4 14.Qe4 Bf5 15.Qe2 Rc8 9...Bf5 10.Nf3 If white wants a draw, who are we to stop his wish? 10.Qf3 Bg4 11.Qg3 Bf5= 10...Nbxd5 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.0-0 e6!N I propose a novelty in this position, which brings black to the realm of complete equality. Here are few sample lines: This leads to very standard positions. 12...c6 13.Re1 0-0 14.Bg5 Re8 13.Bxd5 13.Ne5 White wants to move his queen, and trap the bishop on f5, by playing g4. 0-0 14.Qf3 h5 15.h3 Qh4 16.c3 Be4∞ 13...exd5 14.Re1+ Be4 15.Bg5 15.Ng5 0-0 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Rxe4 Bxd4= 15...f6 16.Bf4 0-0 17.Nd2 Rf7 17...Bxc2?! 18.Rec1 Bf5 19.Rxc7 Rf7 20.Rac1 18.Nxe4 dxe4 19.Rxe4 f5 20.Re2 Qxd4 21.c3 Qc4 White is slightly better due to his safe king.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Pirc / Modern 3...d5-Analysis-2018B06ECO B06

Postscript from Victor BologanVictor Bologan

I think 13...Rb8 is a good try for black.

Instead, in the line with
4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e5 Ne4 6.Ne4 de4 7.Ng5 c5 I would recommend for white the move 8.f4 [instead of 8.Bc4].

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Priyadharshan Kannappan is a 24-year-old grandmaster from India. He is one of the most highly qualified players from India, with an undergraduate degree in Marketing from Lindenwood University and will be graduating soon with a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership, with a certificate in Business Analytics from Webster University.

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