Monday, 23 December 2024

What Do The Engines Say? 4. New London

MODERN computer programs are revolutionising how we approach openings.
This first became noticeable when supposedly refuted moves started making a comeback as engines showed resources that had evaded the world's top players.
But more recently, as engines grow in strength, there has been a trend in the opposite direction, at least at the highest level.
Grandmaster Nigel Davies summed this up in a post at chesspublishing.com, where he recounted a conversation with Canadian GM Kevin Spraggett, who "opined to me that ancient openings are making a comeback because engines are finding flaws in the more risky ones."
Davies added: "I think there is a lot of truth in this, which is confirmed by the migration of top players to strictly classical openings."
Engines are still far from the stage of knowing all there is too known about openings.
Their play in that stage of the game is not on a par with their abilities in tactical middlegames.
We cannot expect engines to tell us move-by-move how to play our favourite opening variations,
But their opinions on what we should be looking at - the moves that show the most promise - are certainly well worth considering.
So in this series I will be looking at what the engines say about mainline opening positions.

After 1.d4 Nf6, and after 1.d4 d5, the London System, 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4, has been refined by the introduction of the New London, ie 2.Bf4.
This may be played with a mind to switching to the Jobava-Prié, which usually starts 1.d4, 2.Nc3 and then 3.Bf4, but more often the game stays within the bounds of a genuine London System.
After 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Stockfish17 and Dragon1 for a while fluctuate about how to respond, but come to settle on the aggressive 2...c5!?, marginally ahead of the conventional 2...Nf6.
After 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 the engines like both 2...e6 and 2...d5, perhaps very marginally preferring the latter. If then 3.e3, which the engines seem to think best, there is a divergence. Stockfish17 likes 3...e6 but Dragon1 suggests the aggressive 3...c5!?

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