Lessons From Bischofsgrün: To Push Or Not To Push

IN round four I faced a dilemma common in queen's pawn openings - to push, or not to push, the c pawn.

The relevant position arose early in a London System.

White has just played 8.Bf1-d3 in Frank Wagner (1881) - Spanton (1954)

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Novices are often warned against playing ...c5-c4 (c4-c5 for White) on the ground that it relieves pressure on the opponent's centre.

But experience teaches there are many occasions when ...c5-c4 is good, eg in lines of the Winawer Variation of the French Defence.

Factors that favour pushing on include when it comes with tempo, usually, as in the diagram, by hitting the opponent's king's bishop.

Factors against pushing on include when it is relatively easy for the opponent to counter in the centre with e3-e4 (...e5-e6 for Black).

In the game I played 8...c4?! - after all, I thought, the move comes with tempo, and it will not be simple for White to respond with e4.

But I later discovered the move is unpopular - just two examples in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database out of 215 games to reach the position.

Not only that, but Stockfish17 and Dragon1 do not like the move, fluctuating between calling it dubious and just plain bad.

Black never did get in the move e4 - he did not need to, gaining a winning advantage on the kingside that lasted until he forced a perpetual when up the equivalent of about a queen (or even more).

LESSON: I am tempted to say the lesson here is not to play ...c4, even when it is good! More realistically, the lesson is to only push with the c pawn when sure, beyond a reasonable doubt, it is not a mistake.