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Robert Ris’ Fast and Furious: Creative - The Norwegian Rat

by Robert Ris

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9/7/2023 – In the latest edition of his Fast & Furious series, Robert Ris takes a look at a double-edged opening that at first glance seems rather dubious: the Norwegian Rat (1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.e5 Nh5), which Carlsen and other strong players have tried with surprising success. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

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In recent years the Norwegian Rat (1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.e5 Nh5) has become increasingly popular due to the efforts of creative players such as Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi and Rapport to avoid a theoretical battle.

This provocative approach gives Black a chance to challenge White's overstretched centre. Last week Caruana was taken by surprise in the opening after 1.c4 g6 2.e4 Nf6 and soon lost his way by simply playing far too many pawn moves. In this episode of the Fast & Furious show you'll learn how to make the most of your development lead!

Exercise: What is the idea of Black's setup?

F. Caruana - M. Carlsen, Julius Baer Div-1 2023

Black to play

Feel free to move the pieces on the live diagram!

This week’s show

Watch previous shows

Strategy Training: How to Make a Plan

In every game of chess, there comes a moment when one is confronted with the question: what should I do now?

Many more Fast and Furious episodes are available in ChessBase Videos

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Books, boards, sets: Chess Niggemann

Books, boards, sets: Chess Niggemann

Robert Ris Robert is an International Master who mostly spends his time training and coaching talented youngsters. On the PlayChess server The Fast and the Furious is a popular show where he explains sharp opening lines for a wider audience. He is also a well-known ChessBase author who produced numerous DVDs and regularly contributes to ChessBase Magazine as well. Since 2015 he is the organizer of the Dutch Rapid Championships in his home town Amstelveen. He has started a YouTube channel with chess analysis as well.

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