03 Mar 20
@Eladar
I don't think 6.a3 is losing given that two out of the three black wins after 7... Ne4 in the RHP database were by timeout after only two or three more moves!
Furthermore I'm not convinced that Nxc3 is that much of a threat given that white can probably offer it with 8. Nf3 Nxc3 9. Qc2 Nd5 10. e4 with a development advantage and central control to compensate for the pawn.
a3 is a common move for white in QP openings like the Nimzo Indian where some of the narrative is about who controls e4.
For example after the moves
Were black now to give up the centre with dxc4 and white develop with the recapture 7. Bxc4 your position would arise. The fact that grandmasters play either 6... c5 or c6 or 0-0 rather than dxc4 here tells us that they don't believe white to be lost in the position at move 7.
04 Mar 20
@Ragwort
I agree that a3 is not automatically losing, I just think it is too passive, over reacting to the pin. I do not think the position achieved after Nxc3 is one I can make to justify the loss of the pawn. But the pawn can be protected easily enough with Qc2.
I think my greater weakness is failure to protect pawns at the base of a chain.
04 Mar 20
@eladar saidThere are just under three and a half million games on my database and the position after 6. a3 appears 4 times. In two games black played 6. ... Bxc3 - White won in Beyer, Nils (1,832) vs Dittrich, Hans-Juergen (1,284) Lichtenberger Sommer 2019, but black was outclassed. White also won in Rogule, Agnija (2099) vs Kannina, Krista (unrated), Lativian Womens Championship 2013 which was also a turkey shoot. In a game between a 1320 player and an unrated player in Brazil in 2013 black played 6. ... e5 and went on to lose. The other game was from 1959 before ratings were invented, black played 6. ... Be7 and lost:
@Paul-Leggett
What brought the topic to mind was this game. I was white.[pgn]1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nb1c3 dxc4 4. e3 Bf8b4 5. Bf1xc4 Ng8f6 6. a3 Bb4xc3 7. bxc3 a6 8. Ng1f3 O-O 9. O-O b5 10. Bc4d3 Bc8b7 11. Rf1e1 Nf6d5 12. Qd1c2 Nd5f6 13. e4 Qd8e7 14. a4 bxa4 15. Bc1a3 Qe7d7 16. Ba3xf8 Kg8xf8 17. Ra1xa4 Nb8c6 18. Ra4a1 Qd7d6 19. e5 Qd6e7 20. exf6 Qe7xf6 21. Qc2b1 Ra8b8 22. Nf3 ...[text shortened]... losing, just way too passive. 6.a3 is my least favorite move of the game, passive and seems losing.
So, with the caveat that there were strong players against beginners it's won every time it's been played over the board. 4. e3 is played about 1.7% of the time (818 times out of 46,201 games on my database), and 4. ... dxc4 in 1.2% of those games and ones that transposed to it (15 of 1,171). So it's just there isn't much evidence.
In your game, you had the option of 8. Qa5+ and if black replies 8. ... b5 you can just take the pawn due to 9. Bxb5+ axb5 10. Qxa8. I don't think you lose much relative to the game if black doesn't fall for it, e.g. 8. ... Bd7 9. Qb3 b5 10. Bd3.
If you want a more active position play 4. e4 instead of 4. e3.
The Rogule vs Kannina game was:
04 Mar 20
@eladar saidI see what you mean, and the rest of this thread has turned out to be awesome- context in abundance!
@Paul-Leggett
What brought the topic to mind was this game. I was white.[pgn]1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nb1c3 dxc4 4. e3 Bf8b4 5. Bf1xc4 Ng8f6 6. a3 Bb4xc3 7. bxc3 a6 8. Ng1f3 O-O 9. O-O b5 10. Bc4d3 Bc8b7 11. Rf1e1 Nf6d5 12. Qd1c2 Nd5f6 13. e4 Qd8e7 14. a4 bxa4 15. Bc1a3 Qe7d7 16. Ba3xf8 Kg8xf8 17. Ra1xa4 Nb8c6 18. Ra4a1 Qd7d6 19. e5 Qd6e7 20. exf6 Qe7xf6 21. Qc2b1 Ra8b8 22. Nf3 ...[text shortened]... losing, just way too passive. 6.a3 is my least favorite move of the game, passive and seems losing.
The rest of the thread seems to show that the database stats aren't really valuable due to other factors such as rating disparity between players, so I decided to peek at some engine results, and they agree with you.
I suppose a good related question is why the move seemed good to you when it was played, and what changed your mind to think it was bad?
I think we have all experienced this (at least those among us who look at our games after playing them), and in my own case that has occasionally led to an epiphany for me, in that I learned something that seemed profound to me, and it changed my perspective on the game.
Other times has just been a "what on earth was I thinking?" kind of thing. I recently resigned a game against BiggDoggProblem where I had messed up the opening, had struggled to find moves for a long time, and then just decided to throw in the towel, when I had a reasonable equalizing move available. He rightly questioned my judgment, and when I went back to look at it, he was right. I think I let game weariness and also tiredness from my work affect my judgment, but sometimes my judgment is bad without any external influences.
I suppose the line between "epiphany" and "epic fail" is closer than we would like!
05 Mar 20
1 edit
@paul-leggett saidHere is the game; I considered myself slightly better at the end, but not any more than that. There is lots of chess left to be played at the end position.
Other times has just been a "what on earth was I thinking?" kind of thing. I recently resigned a game against BiggDoggProblem where I had messed up the opening, had struggled to find moves for a long time, and then just decided to throw in the towel, when I had a reasonable equalizing move available. He rightly questioned my judgment, and when I went back to look at it, ...[text shortened]... s from my work affect my judgment, but sometimes my judgment is bad without any external influences.