Chapter 1 Why? - David Rudel

Chapter 1

Why?

The cover of this book may have invited certain questions into
your brain:

1. Why should I play the Colle-Zukertort?

2. Why on Earth do we need another book on the Colle?

3. Why should I get this book; I already have a Colle-
Zukertort book?

4. Why did Heather D. Carroll dump me for Stu Campbell
in 8th grade?

1  Why should I play the C-Z?

The Colle-Zukertort is everything you could ever want in
an opening!

• You have real attacking possibilities early on.
• You don’t have to sacrifice material or position to gain

initiative.
• You have excellent King safety.
• It helps you to lose weight.
• It increases your vertical leap.

Why?

AND Hold on a sec. I need some
• It makes young women clarification. Is the Colle-
Zukertort the same as the
(or men) of all ages and Colle?
nationalities go crazy for
you! Good question. The Colle
Okay, some of the state- has two flavors. The “normal”
ments above might not be branch is now known as the
completely accurate. How- Colle-Koltanowski and refers
ever, it is true that the Colle- to the setup below:
Zukertort:
• has a fair amount of poi- !@@@@@@@@#
son in it z$ xzxzxzx%
• follows sound opening x$ zxzxzxz%
principles z$ xzxzxzx%
• requires no long-term x$ zxzxzxz%
concessions z$ xzpzxzx%
• gives Black little early $xzp∫pñxz%
counterplay π$ pznzpπp%
Notice that I did not say r$ zbœx®kz%
anything about the Colle- &^ &&&&&&&*
Zukertort being a “thematic”
opening where you just have The Colle-Zukertort is
to “understand” the position considered the more ambi-
instead of learning a bunch of tious branch and has the
“theory.” While it is true that b‑pawn advanced instead of
the C-Z requires memoriza- the c-pawn.
tion of fewer lines than the
Semi-Slav, thinking of any !@@@@@@@@#
opening as a purely thematic $zxzxzxzx%
undertaking will get you $xzxzxzxz%
roasted! You cannot be lazy $zxzxzxzx%
in chess! $xzxzxzxz%
$zxzpzxzx%
10 x$ πx∫pñxz%
π$ xπnzpπp%
r$ zbœx®kz%
^&&&&&&&&*

Chapter One

Since I am coming from a 2  Why another Colle book?
Colle-Zukertort perspective, I
will use “Colle” to refer to the There are two answers—
Zukertort version. one concrete, the other
vague.
So if I play the Colle-
2.1  The concrete answer
Koltanowski, this book will
The concrete answer is
not be of any use to me? simple. The Colle-Zukertort
needs help! It suffers from
The greatest challenge two major problems:
faced by Colle System play-
ers has nothing to do with • There are many Anti-Col-
which variation they employ. les out there that Black
In particular, there are several can use to avoid the Zuker­
pet defenses that people use tort, and several of them
against both. The two open- appear to give Black a
ings do not branch from each good game.
other until move 5, so any de-
viation by Black prior to then • Even when Black does
is equally problematic to play- not play a pet defense
ers of both Colle variations. In against the C-Z, several
fact, the majority of this book of the standard setups
is as useful to Koltanowski White aims for have sim-
players as Zukertort players. ply not done that well in
practice!
Finally, you may decide to
change from the Koltanowski I know, I know, I just did
variation to the more high- the unthinkable… in Chapter
ly regarded C-Z, like I did. 1 I cast aspersions on the very
For many years the Colle- opening I am treating! I’m
Koltanowski was the only afraid you’ll just have to get
opening I would play. Then I used to this book’s not being
made the switch to the Zuker- the standard ilk.
tort line, and I never looked
back!

11

Why?

I wrote this book to ad- • The delayed Grünfeld: 1.
dress these two issues. I think d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3
the Colle is a fantastic open- g6
ing—why else would I have
played it exclusively for 15 • The QID
years!! But, it has some prob- • The Benoni
lems that simply must be ad-
dressed. Let’s take a look at I don’t list the KID or the
some of them. Dutch defense in the above
lines because they deviate be-
Anti-Colles fore White has locked in his
c-Bishop. Nor do they trans-
Many systems have anti- pose to a normal QP (Queen
systems devoted to them. The Pawn) game (as the QID and
normal reason for this is that Benoni can).
Black wants to avoid sharp
lines, even if it means using In addition to the above,
an opening that scores less there are even systems that
well. I wish I could say the books suggest as bad for Black
same thing about the C‑Z, but but actually are not! For ex-
the situation is the reverse. ample, consider the early
Black ’s deviations tend to Bishop check variation shown
sharpen play and increase his below:
chances.
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6
Some of these pet defenses 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 cxd4 6. exd4
are known thorns in the side Bb4+
of Zukertort players. Even
authors of opening books !@@@@@@@@#
(which typically tend to laud $‰NıQxzR%
an opening more than it de- P$ ∏xzx∏P∏%
serves) have admitted the fol- z$ xzx∏Nzx%
lowing are particularly chal- $xzx∏xzxz%
lenging responses: z$ Bzpzxzx%
$xπx∫xñxz%
12 $πxπxzpπp%
r$ ñbœkzx®%
&^ &&&&&&&*

Chapter One

Smith & Hall give Black’s Gary Lane, in The Ulti-
5th move a ?!, claim it leaves mate Colle, groups this with a
his position poor, and then couple other lines that he says
say his 6th was ineffective. are not played often “for good
reason.” The claim is “with
Other authors do not re- prior book knowledge, they
spect this line enough to even can be shown to be bad.”
discuss it. However, in my
3 million+ game database, I He (and everyone else)
find Black winning more of- then suggests the move 4. c4,
ten than White. It gets worse with the idea of getting the
if you only count games be- Queen out to attack the un-
tween 2000+ players; I found defended b7-pawn.
Black winning twice as often
as White! This includes mul- While that plan is certainly
tiple GM-level games from a reasonable one, Lane’s re-
just the past few years. marks on this defense are
rather unfounded. I found
Let’s look at another ex- over 200 games played be-
ample. Since Black’s problem tween strong players (2000+)
piece in this opening tends to in this line, with Black scor-
be his c-Bishop, developing ing nearly 50%. And it is not
this Bishop early via …Bf5 or a mere consequence of those
…Bg4 is a standard defense. A players lacking the basic book
basic example of this is: knowledge to play this open-
ing. In fact, the most common
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bg4 response to 4. c4 is 4… c6,
which NO ONE (not Lane,
!@@@@@@@@# not Summerscale, not Smith
‰$ NzQBzR% & Hall) even mentions! Is
P$ ∏PzP∏P∏% there some conspiracy here?
z$ xzxzNzx%
x$ zx∏xzxz% If this opening is so bad,
$zxzpzxıx% then there are some IM/GMs
$xzxzpñxz% who haven’t gotten that memo
$πpπxzpπp% yet, like Fridman (who used it
r$ ñbœk∫x®% in 2006 against Yusupov).
&^ &&&&&&&*
13

Why?

To reinforce my point, let’s White was looking for and 8.
look at one more example. Na3 a6! is even worse.

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 In the nearly 2000 games I
found with 3… Bf5, Black won
!@@@@@@@@# more games than White. So it
‰$ NzQBzR% appears this line is plagued by
P$ ∏PzP∏P∏% both theoretical and practical
z$ xzxzNzx% concerns. The practical con-
$xzx∏xıxz% cerns persist in all major lines:
$zxzpzxzx% 4. c4 e6, 4. c4 c6, and 4. Bd3.
x$ zxzpñxz% They also persist when con-
$πpπxzpπp% sidering only games between
r$ ñbœk∫x®% strong players (2000+).
&^ &&&&&&&*
Yet Smith & Hall say that
Oddly enough, this varia- in all …Bf5 lines Black “faces
tion occurs more frequently an uphill defensive task” and
in practice than the last, yet that “the middle game will
it has received less attention. favor White.” With regard to
Gary Lane does not mention it this particular line, they say
at all. Summerscale mentions “as analysis and games have
it in a note, saying it trans- shown, the development of the
poses to another line, but he c-Bishop is premature.”
assumes the continuation 4.
c4 c6 5. cxd5 cxd5 when in To his credit, Summerscale
reality Black does better with indicates that White’s advan-
4… e6, after which White can- tage in the line he mentions
not really hope to transpose is minimal. Also, Palliser
to the 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Bf5 line does not deal with either of
because the B/c1 is blocked these lines in his Zukertort
by the e3‑pawn, and after 5. book, but he does treat them
cxd5 exd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 White very honestly in his Colle-
does not appear to have any- Koltanowski book.
thing since 7. Qxb7 Nb4 8.
Bb5+ Nd7 is certainly not what

14

Chapter One

Mainline problems ter this deviation? I found
10 games with this variation
In addition to the known, between players 2000+, and
and unknown, Anti-Colle the results are 1:3:6! (1 win, 3
problems discussed above, draws, 6 losses)—not exactly
there are standard lines sug- inspiring. When searching all
gested to White that simply games, the only wins I can
have generated little success find in this line are the ones
in practice. everyone quotes (not counting
a game from a Juniors event).
Consider the position aris-
ing after the following moves: Let’s look at another stan-
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 dard position:
4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6
Be7 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Nbd2 b6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0
9. Ne5 Bb7 10. f4 Nb4 11. Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Nbd2 cxd4
Be2 9. exd4 b6 10. a3 Bb7

@! @@@@@@@# !@@@@@@@@#
‰$ xzQzRx% ‰$ xzQzRx%
$PıxzB∏P∏% P$ ıxzx∏P∏%
z$ Pzx∏Nzx% $zP˜B∏Nzx%
$xzP∏nzxz% $xzx∏xzxz%
$zNzpzpzx% z$ xzpzxzx%
$xπxzpzxz% p$ πx∫xñxz%
π$ bπn∫xπp% z$ bπnzpπp%
$rzxœx®kz% r$ zxœx®kz%
^&&&&&&&&* &^ &&&&&&&*

This is a standard line We have reached the end of
where Black has played …Be7, established theory for this line.
a move some writers (Smith & Palliser, Lane, and Summer-
Hall) explicitly say is bad for scale all give multiple possi-
Black while others implicitly bilities here. I found 20 games
indicate as not critical because with this position in OTB play.
it is not the “main” line. The aggregated results of those
games are 4:5:11! To make
How has White done af-

15

Why?

matters worse, this is not even avoid the mainline Colle setup
Black’s most cunning response (which should give us some
to the mainline, as we will see optimism!), using any of sev-
in chapter four. eral pet defenses instead. An-
other reason is strong players,
In fairness to the other as White, tend to use the C-Z
writers, the records in these setup against only certain lines
lines have really tanked in the or as a transpositional device,
past years. Most of the losses switching to a QGD later.
came after Summerscale’s
book, and about half of them For example, Yusupov has
post-date Lane’s. My point is used the C-Z setup in over 50
that even these standard posi- games… yet I cannot find a
tions need some work! single game of his that opened
in either of the so-called “nor-
One leveling remark bears mal” ways: 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6
mention. Black tends to be the 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 or 1. d4 Nf6
stronger player in these posi- 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 3. Bd3 c5.
tions… possibly through hap- This is due to both the factors
penstance, possibly through I mentioned above. He tends
White choosing a safer system to use the C-Z primarily after
against a stronger opponent. 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6, and those
However, the results suggest a few times where he has offered
reexamination of theory, that it in the more normal order,
caveat notwithstanding. his grandmaster opponents
have declined to follow suit!
2.2  The vague answer
Another example is Vlatko
In addition to the concrete Kovacevic, who has used the
problems described in the last C‑Z against all setups, but real-
section, there is also the more ly appears to like it against the
general point that the Colle is Benoni. Just as in Yusupov’s
still rather virgin territory and case, his opponents do not
deserves its own book. tend to play the “mainline.” In
16 games of his that began 1.
One reason is that strong d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 or 1. d4
players, as Black, will tend to

16

Chapter One

Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3, his oppo- we see quoted by theory ar-
nent played the “normal” 3… rived at positions through
e6 in only 1. some odd transposition of
moves, so a large percentage
Statistics validate my ob- of the games that opening
servations on a large scale. manuals quote are played by
I found the position after 1. high-level players who are
d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 in 244 looking at critical positions for
games where both players were the first time or simply happen
2400 or above. Among these to have a personal repertoire
high-level games, less than 23 that shares lines with a C-Z
percent continued with 3… e6, repertoire via transpositions.
the “mainline” move. Fewer It’s no wonder that the plans
than 10% continued 4. Bd3 c5. chosen by titled players with
Yes, this means that there exist a Frankensteinian repertoire
only about 20 GM-level games might differ from class players
with even the first 4 moves of using a thematic one.
the mainline!
For example, consider the
Compare the same statistics so-called mainline:
for lower-level games. I found 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6
over 2500 games after 1960 in 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0
which the 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Nbd2 Qe7
3. e3 position arose. The like- 9. Ne5 cxd4 10. exd4 Ba3
lihood of the Colle-Zukertort
continuation (at both stages) !@@@@@@@@#
in these games was 50% high- $‰xıxzRx%
er than at the GM-level. How- P$ ∏xzQ∏P∏%
ever, since these players tend z$ x˜x∏Nzx%
to follow blindly the sugges- x$ zx∏nzxz%
tions of the repertoire books z$ xzpzxzx%
they read, the level of experi- $Bπx∫xzxz%
mentation has been small. $πbπnzpπp%
$rzxœx®kz%
Interestingly enough, the &^ &&&&&&&*
converse of the above is also
true. Many, many of the games I found 55 games with this

17

Why?

position. Fully 2/3 of them lems Colle players face make
came from a non-standard this book required reading
move order (normally a trans- for all practition­ers, especially
position from a QID). those who play the Zukertort
version.
Another problem is that au-
thors of previous books on the If you have dabbled with
Colle-Zukertort have generally the Zukertort and are inter-
not been active practitioners ested in hearing a new view-
of the opening. Other than point/philosophy on the
Summerscale, none of the re- opening from someone who
cent authors (Palliser, Lane, has played it exclusively for
Schiller, Smith & Hall) used many years, this book is for
the Zukertort even semi-fre- you.
quently prior to the years im-
mediately before writing their If you face the Colle a lot
books. This has obvious disad- and want to see what surprises
vantages when writing a book lie in wait for Black in certain
on such a thematic opening. lines, or want some analysis
on your pet defense to the
For example, you’ll find opening, this book will serve
moves like Re1 or Qe2 de- as a foil.
scribed in almost every book
as “supporting a Knight on e5.” As a class-level player, I
Baloney! The N/e5 has plenty bring a different perspective to
of support. (To find out the the table. In addition to analy-
real reason for these moves, sis, I provide guidance in Eng-
see later chapters.) lish about ideas and pitfalls
to avoid. One of the most im-
3  Why should I buy this portant things to understand
book? is not just why a certain move
makes sense in a certain situ-
The answer to that depends ation, but why another “natu-
on who you are. My belief ral” move should be avoided.
is that the solutions I have
found to many of the prob- To put a sharper point on
how this book differs from a
typical opening manual:

18

Chapter One

• Typical books focus on 5  Final notes
showing what has been
done. This book focuses As I alluded earlier, this
on what might be bet- book is a bit different than
ter where new ideas are most opening manuals. The
needed. method I’ve used to familiar-
ize readers with the opening in
• Typical books use model the next two chapters is atypi-
games and trees, I fo- cal. Perhaps it will prove a suc-
cus on ideas coupled to cessful method for introducing
a­ nalysis. an opening system.

• Typical books expect you In an effort to make this
to be familiar and fluent book as valuable as possible,
with all types of advan- I’ve consigned certain chunks
tages and imbalances. of the least important analysis
I have tried, when pos- to a separate chapter so readers
sible, to focus on those do not lose the forest for the
advantages/imbalances trees. I’ve also added a quiz/
that tournament players training bonus chapter and a
can best use: Bishops in separate chapter giving a non-
open or tactically quiet comprehensive index of new
positions, an attack on ideas of mine and not-quite-
the opponent’s King new ideas that I have fleshed
when the opponent has out more than earlier books.
no counterplay, and the Thus, different people can ef-
endgame advantages of ficiently use this book in dif-
better pawn structure. ferent ways.

4  Why did Heather D. I often refer to previous
Carroll dump me for Stu books, and one could easily
Campbell in 8th grade? get the impression that I am
denigrating the work of earlier
Sorry, can’t help you with authors. I do not wish to sug-
that one. gest that earlier books are not
worthwhile.

19

Why?

Smith & Hall was the Colle me personally. For example,
book for many years, and I a line he recommends against
would never have become a the QID really saved my bacon
devotee were it not for their when preparing this book.
work.
Finally, Palliser’s book on
Summerscale’s book re- the Colle-Koltanowski is to
mains to this day a book I be praised for obsoleting the
would recommend to other Koltanowski half of Smith &
players, managing to pack an Hall, much as Summerscale
entire repertoire into 144 pag- did to the Zukertort half.
es. I have written nothing at Palliser’s book is notable for
all on the KID, Pirc, Modern, taking a stark departure from
Dutch, or “normal” Grünfeld conventional style by having a
defenses because I did not tone that, relative to the norm,
think I had anything to add comes across as abject pessi-
to Summerscale’s recommen- mism. His book is the chess
dations. Sadly, GM Summer- equivalent of Ecclesiastes.
scale’s original book is out of
print, but Sverre Johnsen is If you are under the impres-
doing an update of it due out sion that the Colle allows you
in February 2010. Palliser has to comfortably play the open-
also recently written a book ing without worrying about
treating the 150 and Barry at- the nitty-gritty realities of
tacks. I would highly recom- move-orders and tactics, then
mend C-Z players get one or allow me to disabuse you of
the other (or both) to fill out that illusion. The Colle is not
their repertoire. the sharpest of openings, but
trying to navigate the opening
While I have not found using vague ideas, no matter
Lane’s book to be an improve- what those ideas are, is a recipe
ment on Summerscale’s in for disaster!
terms of his coverage of the
Zukertort, I have found his The structure of this book
extensive discussion of the respects this admonition. The
Colle-Koltanow­ski helpful to sectioning of the chapters
is predominantly based on

20

Chapter One

a combination of plan and you think are nugator y, or
move-order options for Black. I anything else you think could
have tried to highlight exactly be improved, I welcome your
why different move-orders call suggestions and comments!
for different responses.
I post updates at:
Finally, I must ask future
readers to keep in mind that www.zukertort.com/CustomerSupport.html
I am essentially trying to fix a
raft of problems that previous and maintain a board dedicat-
writers have either ignored or ed to the Colle-Zukertort at:
been oblivious to. It should
not be a surprise if some of the www.zuke-dukes.com/forum
ideas and analysis I give prove
faulty under the magnifying If any of you Zuke Dukes
glass of time and practice. play the lines I introduce here
in tournaments, please feel
I’ve spent a good deal of free to send me your game
time over the last five years scores. I may include them in
writing this book on the a later book.
Zukertort, my adopted child.
If there is something you
don’t like about it, or lines

21