Hikaru's Blitz Repertoire 2023

@Gordima

I agree with most of what you said, though I am quite sure that the engine evaluation is actually the probability of winning the game, at least on average.

However, I am thankful that you even listened to me, being the 3000 chess god that you are.

@quanhoang said in #33:
> Great article! Not only do you analyze Hikaru's Blitz play style, but you even propose some lines to go against him.
>
> One minor suggestion, the hyperlink "www.openingtree.com" does not function properly. It brings me to "lichess.org/@/Gordima/blog/hikarus-blitz-repertoire-2023/www.openingtree.com", which is obviously not what you intended.

Thanks a lot! I just fixed that

@TeshyChess22 said in #38:
> what about the bongcloud?

Maybe I will make a special "disrespect" series someday and add a bongcloud there XD

@FischyVishy said in #12:
> Nice blog post! The system Hikaru plays against g3/Nf3 is really smart; I call it the "Nakamura Opening." Quite fun to learn all those systems in the post. I wonder if I'll be able to make them work. BTW, what do you think about 150 Attack-ish setups against the Modern?
>
> Thanks again for the blog and looking forward to reading more instructive posts from you in the future!

Hello! Thanks for the kind words. But could you please tell me what are 150 Attack-ish setups against the modern? That's the first time I heard that

I meant setups where White goes for Be3-Qd2-f3 and O-O-O, similar to the 150 Attack against the Pirc Defense. Sorry if that was unclear!

@FischyVishy said in #45:
> I meant setups where White goes for Be3-Qd2-f3 and O-O-O, similar to the 150 Attack against the Pirc Defense. Sorry if that was unclear!

No, I just happen to know the names of openings pretty badly. Regarding your question, when the knight stays on f6 - Qd2 becomes more effective because you can go Bh6 quite quickly. While if the knight is on g8, white mostly prefers to be more tricky with the move orders and not only target the King side but also keep the option of pushing e5. That's why against Modern you can see the setup Be3-Nc3-Nf3-h4 more often - white don't rush with castle and potentially can play something like Bd3-e5-Qe2 and so on. Also, keeping the king on e1 for some time can be useful, so that black don't get a clear target on the Queen side

Loved this post, it would be fun to see Danya or Magnus.

no nf3 b3? surprised

@Gordima said in #46:
> No, I just happen to know the names of openings pretty badly. Regarding your question, when the knight stays on f6 - Qd2 becomes more effective because you can go Bh6 quite quickly. While if the knight is on g8, white mostly prefers to be more tricky with the move orders and not only target the King side but also keep the option of pushing e5. That's why against Modern you can see the setup Be3-Nc3-Nf3-h4 more often - white don't rush with castle and potentially can play something like Bd3-e5-Qe2 and so on. Also, keeping the king on e1 for some time can be useful, so that black don't get a clear target on the Queen side

Very insightful, thank you!

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