QGD Chigorin Defense, a Bad B and the Minority Attack

     These were factors in this online G30 game played on Instant Chess. One of the most misunderstood pieces is the Bishop. Which piece is it better to have, Knights or Bishops? The answer is, of course, it depends. As a general rule, Bishops are good in open games while Knights are better in closed games, but not always. Then there is the ‘good’ Bishop vs. ‘bad’ Bishop concept. In the middle game, a player with only one bishop should generally place his pawns on squares of the color opposite the Bishop. A Bishop which is impeded by its own Pawns is referred to as a bad bishop, unless of course it is outside its own Pawn chain. Then again, even if the bad bishop is passively placed, it may serve a useful defensive function; GM Mihai Suba wrote "Bad bishops protect good pawns."
     In this game I played an old favorite against the Queen’s Gambit, The Chigorin Defense. As John W. Collins said of it, it is chancy, unorthodox and probably better than its reputation because it develops with a direct effect on the center. Indeed, Black usually gets good piece play, but he often has to be prepared to exchange a B for a N, but Chigorin had no prejudices against making such an exchange.
     With the Chigorin Black ignores fight for the d5-square and plays for a counterattack against the d4-pawn and seeks to play ...e7-e5. White's most reliable reaction is to cover the e5-square. I mention the Minority Attack which white failed to play here. Good explanations of this strategy can be found at Chess Café and Exeter Chess Club. As it was, white’s passive play allowed me to gradually get control of the center and his bad B ultimately resulted in his downfall.