Colle main line with Nbd7

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.c3 Nbd7 6.Nbd2

Bd6 7.0-0 0-0
This line was elaborated by World championship
challenger Bogoljubow, who founded a substantial
difference between the two ways (Nc6 and Nd7) of
developing the Nb8.
(By the way: Adam Harvey in his "Colle plays The Colle
System" noticed: "Reinfeld states that Bogoljubow
introduced this move at Berlin, 1926... but Shulz actually
played it few months before" . But really Bogoljubov was
the first, because he tried this system a year before, in
1925, in First Moscow International tournament - see
1925, in First Moscow International tournament - see
Dus Chotimirsky,F - Bogoljubow,E 0-1).
And what is the difference between Nc6 and Nd7 position?
After 7...Nbd7 the d4 point is not attack and Bc8
temporarily shut in, but e6-e5 still is on agenda and Nf6
(as we have seen before, an important defender of the
king side and especially of the h7 point) has a significant
supporter, who can take his place in case of exchanges
(see the diagram):

But the most important thing is that White can not carry
out his usual plan with dc and e3-e4 . If he plays 8.dxc5
the answer is 8...Nxc5!
the answer is 8...Nxc5!

and both Bd3 and e4 point

are attacked.

So White has to open center without preliminary pawn

exchange dc and that means, he has to accept an isolated
pawn d4. First experiments brought Black good results,
because for some time White could not discover new ways
of attack. The immediate as well as the slower 8.Qe2 with
a later e4 were quite acceptable for Black - see
Colle,E - Bogoljubow,E 0-1 and
Popchev,M - Sherbakov,R ½-½.
But by 1929 Colle elaborated a new way of preparing the
attack:
8.Re1
 8.Re1

This developing move kills Black's early attempt to open

the game with
8...e5
because of the counterstrike
9.e4!
leads to early opening the center and thanks to Re1 White
is better prepared for the open game:
See Colle,E - Thomas,G 1-0

Rook lift
But 8.Re1 contains another important attacking idea - the
possibility to quickly increase pressure on Black's king
side with rook lift Re1xe4-h4 or, sometimes, Re1-e3-h3 (or
g3).
g3).

In pure form this idea is clear in Instructive game 2 - +-

In practice this idea works in lines, where Black exchanges

pieces at e4: see (if you have not seen in "Inspirational
games") Landau,S - Book,E 1-0 and
Hansen,L - Vescovi,G 1-0
Another idea of the rook lift works even without Nxe4
exchange - see Koltanovski,G - Leu 1-0 and
Havasi,K - Gemzoe,J 1-0
So let's look at the

Main line
8.Re1 Qc7
9.e4 cxd4
10.cxd4 dxe4
11.Nxe4
11.Nxe4

Black must not hurry with Nxe4 exchange. He can choose

more solid and continuations approved by theory:
a) Blockade 11...Nd5 is considered the best by ECO,
Harding, Lane)
see Kelemen,J - Bet,C 1-0 and
Bennett,T - Vreugdenhil,F ½-½
b) Simpifying 11...Bf4 is also considered not bad (and
missed in NCO)
see Djuric,S - Zelcic,R 1-0
additional game De Santis,A - Zelcic,R 1-0
c) Developing 11...b6 also has its logic (development of
the Bc8), but is considered insufficient
see Przepiorka,D - Prokes,L 1-0
additional games Knezevic,M - Dizdar,G ½-½ and
Preinfalk,A - Milic,B 1-0
In all cases White has perfect attacking chances.
Black can vary his development after 8.Re1 playing 8...b6
or 8...Qb6 - see
additional games Franklin,M - Bird,A 1-0 and
Lakdawala,C - Akobian,V 1-0

Colle ending again

In some lines, like 8.Re1 b6, White has a possibility to
exchange his d pawn for Black's c pawn as in the Nc6
main line. Usually that happens after c5xd4 with following
Nxd4 or after d4xc5 made in the moment Nd7xc5 is not
dangerous (for example, when e3-e4 has already been
carried out). That leads sooner or later to the "Colle
ending" with characteristic pawn majority 3:2 on the
Queen side.

The important game Kashdan,I - Steiner,H 1-0 was

included by Irving Chernev in his book "The Most
Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played" .
 Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played" .
Also it is important to remember, that Black also has his
pawn majority and careless play will be punished - see
Slepoy,I - Klovans,J 0-1

Additional possibilities
For those who are not ready to play with an isolated pawn
we can recommend a quite playable possibility - an
attempt to erect a Stonewall with Ne5.

The best Black reply is take the Knight immediately, not

waiting forthcoming f2-f4. This exchange leads to a
complex, not well researched, but on the whole equal
positions, though Alekhine indicated that in such pawn
structures e5 pawn hampers his opponent's play and even
its exchange does not help a lot.
See Bisguier,A - Lombardy,W 1-0,
Mohamed,E - Andersson,U 0-1 and
Lombardy,W - Mestel,A 1-0
Lombardy,W - Mestel,A 1-0
If Black doesn't prevent a Stonewall, White gets a good
game: see Root,D - Rubin,S 1-0

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