Openings
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Lasker Simul Special
A rim pawn answers the fianchetto
- Offbeat
After 1.g3 Black replies 1…h5 and plans to push on to h4 to shake White's kingside. The move is unusual but not mad. It costs Black time and weakens the queenside, so it is more a weapon for a simultaneous display or for surprise than a serious answer to 1.g3.
3.Bg2
Moves
(5 plies • 3 moves)- 1–3moves
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
Defining move
1…h5 — the rim pawn advances
The move that gives the reply its character
Black wants …h4 and a trade on g3 to open the h-file. If White castles short, that file can become dangerous. But …h5 develops nothing, and White can simply develop and keep an eye on the h-file.
Tabiya
White's fianchetto against the extra …h5
White has a knight on f3 and a bishop on g2, as in ordinary g3 openings. Black has pawns on d5 and h5, and the h5 move is an extra one. Black can go for …h4, but White only needs to watch the h-file until castling. If White plays calmly, there is no reason for worry.
White’s plan
- Develop: Nf3, Bg2, castling.
- Watch the h-file and stop Black from opening it with profit.
- Play in the centre with d4 and c4, using the queenside weaknesses.
Black’s plan
- Play …h4 and trade on g3 to open the h-file.
- Take the centre with …d5 and develop.
- Not waste more time on further rim-pawn moves.
Legends who played it
Emanuel Laskeras Black · Named after the player
Games in the Atlas
No games in the Atlas yet