5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nf3 (6.Ne2 will likely transpose to the Modern Variation) <6...Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 d6> is the Hübner Variation, popularized by GM Robert Hübner in the late 1960s and '70s and utilised by Bobby Fischer in his world championship match with Boris Spassky in 1972 with great effect in Game 5. It is slightly unusual in that Black captures on c3 without waiting for White to play a3, but this is because Black intends to immediately set up a blockade on the dark squares with ...d6 and ...e5. This is feasible because White's knight is on f3; if it were on e2 (as in some lines of the Sämisch), White could quickly advance his kingside pawns, but in the current line the knight must be moved away first. By closing the position, Black is able to make his knights superior to White's bishops, and the doubled c-pawns deprive White of any pawn breaks on the queenside. It was the success of this variation that motivated the current tendency for White players to choose lines where the doubled pawns are avoided. When he does play into this line, White has two main setups to choose from: he may immediately close the centre by playing <8.e4 e5 9.d5 Ne7>, or play more flexibly with <8.0-0 e5 9.Nd2 0-0>, but Black has full equality in both lines.

Wikipedia article: Nimzo-Indian Defence#4...c5

♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙

ECO E41: Nimzo-Indian, e3, Huebner variation
<1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d6>

E41 Sub-variants:

Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 c5
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5

Nimzo-Indian, e3, Huebner variation
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d6

http://www.365chess.com/eco/E41_Nim...

♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙

intro: http://www.chess.com/video/player/t... - nerviges Werbe-Video, check comments...

by John-Paul Wallace

In this month's survey I shall be taking a look at the Hübner variation, a super solid line that has easily stood the test of time. It was very popular in the 80s but is now seen less often because White players generally seek to avoid it altogether! However, there is something interesting about the move order needed to play the Hübner that needs to be pointed out, which also explains why it is seen less often nowadays. In order to play the Hübner one must begin with 4...c5 (rather than the main line 4...0-0) but then White can play 5 Ne2! which avoids the Hübner and, worse still, offers quite good chances for the advantage. Thus it is not only White who avoids the Hübner, but also Black because they realise that they probably won't get to play it anyway! The other issue is that 4...c5 5 Bd3 Nc6 6 Ne2 is also a popular system, and incidentally it too avoids the Hübner. I have noticed, however, that at lower levels (non-GM) there are quite a few White players out there that allow it, and out of the 3 Nimzo games I played so far this year 2 of these games were Hübners.

In our two games we take a look at the system with 4 e3 c5 5 Bd3 Nc6 6 Nf3 Bxc3 7 bxc3 d6 8 e4 e5 9 h3 h6:

Graeme Buckley now continued with the standard 10 Be3 b6 11 d5 Ne7 12 Nd2 against me when I employed the interesting 12...Nh7 (Buckley -Wallace, Brentwood Open, 2007). In the other game in this variation Richardson tried the rare 10 0-0 against Greet, provoking 10...g5! which seems to give Black an excellent game (Richardson-Greet, 4NCL 2007).

Instead, in the game Cooper-Gordon, 4NCL 2007, White resurrected an old line, 9 d5 Ne7 10 Nd2:

and gained an advantage although later he lost. However, I have pointed out how Black could have improved his play in the opening stage.

Finally, the creative Russian GM Aleksandrov has been successful a few times now with his pet system 9 0-0 e5 9 Nd2 0-0 10 Re1!?:

In this system's most recent test GM Parligras responded with 10...cxd4 11 exd4 exd4 12 exd4 and now 12...Nxd4 would have been critical (Aleksandrov-Parligras, Dresden 2007).

http://www.chesspublishing.com/cont...

♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙ - ♙

xx = 19<yy>
1xx = 20<yy>