Colle system
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A characteristic position of the Colle system after 6. Nb1 – d2
The Colle system or Colle structure is an opening of the chess game , which is one of the sub-variants of the queen's pawn game . It is classified in the ECO codes under the keys D04 and D05.
The system is named after the Belgian chess player Edgard Colle , who achieved great success with it in the 1920s. Even George Koltanowski turned to the opening times.
White's characteristic moves are d2 – d4 , Ng1 – f3 , e2 – e3 , c2 – c3 , Nb1 – d2 and Bf1 – d3 as well as short castling and preparation for the advance e3 – e4 with Rf1 – e1, Qd1 – e2. When the black queen's knight is developed after c6, White usually inserts the interchange d4xc5 in order to prevent an Isolani on d4 after… d5xe4 and… c5xd4.
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Diagram 1: Position after 8.… Nd7xc5
In the case of 1. d2 – d4 d7 – d5 2. Ng1 – f3 Ng8 – f6 3. e2 – e3 e7 – e6 4. Bf1 – d3 c7 – c5 5. c2 – c3
(5. b2 – b3 is the Zukertort system, similar to the game Zukertort - Blackburne, London 1883 )
Nb8 – d7 6. Nb1 – d2 Bf8 – d6 7. 0–0 0–0 the preparation of e3 – e4 should do without the intermediate swap on c5, because the knight could take d7 again and on the one hand attack the important bishop on d3 from c5 and on the other hand, makes the advance e3 – e4 more difficult (see diagram 1). If White renounces the interchange and the knight remains on d7, however, he blocks bishop c8, whose development is made more difficult and does not exert any pressure on the center , especially on the e5 square.
The advance e3 – e4 is White's most important goal in the Colle system. This frees the women’s bishop who is initially locked in by move e2 – e3. In addition, there are two further intentions behind the move: Either to follow through with the advance e4 – e5 and stage an attack against the black king or to use e4xd5 to make an isolani on d5 for Black , who can then be attacked. If White succeeds in enforcing the move e4 – e5, he drives off the important defensive knight on f6. White has a clear space advantage on the kingside and can quickly take action against the black king while the defender's pieces gather on another section of the board. The bishop on d3 in particular often plays a prominent role in the attack on the king.
Black's logical countermeasure is to prevent the move e4 – e5. Since the black queen's knight covers the important e5 square from c6, the defense with… Nb8 – c6 is more common than the variant with… Nb8 – d7. One of the main variants of the Colle system is therefore:
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Diagram 2: Position after 10.… Bc5 – d6
1. d2 – d4 d7 – d5 2. Ng1 – f3 Ng8 – f6 3. e2 – e3 e7 – e6 4. Bf1 – d3 c7 – c5 5. c2 – c3 Nb8 – c6
6. Nb1 – d2 Bf8 – e7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. d4xc5 Be7xc5
9. e3 – e4 Qd8 – c7
10. Qd1 – e2 Bc5 – d6
and leads to the position of diagram 2. The entire further battle takes place around the e5 square. The procedure is quite simple and clear for both sides. White tries to push through the advance e4 – e5, Black will try to prevent this.
This simple and clear plan can be carried out against many of Schwarz's answers and can only be avoided by Schwarz through early deviation and the transition to other opening systems. The college structure is therefore particularly popular with amateurs who avoid time-consuming theoretical studies and want to achieve a solid position. It is also quite difficult to organize any counterplay against the collegiate structure, since White has a solid and weak line-up of his pieces.
The colle system is rarely found at a higher level, since the black plan is also simple and without great difficulty. Therefore, the white man at the grandmaster level rarely succeeds in gaining a greater advantage in the opening. An alternative to the Colle system, in which the black-squared white bishop is developed early after f4, is the London system .
literature
- Valeri Bronznik: The Colle-Koltanowski-System Schachverlag Kania, Schwieberdingen 2003, ISBN 3-931192-23-7 .
- Gary Lane : The Ultimate Colle . Sterling Pub Co Inc, 2001, ISBN 978-0-7134-8686-5 .
- Richard Palliser: Starting out: the Colle . Everyman Chess, 2007, ISBN 978-1-85744-527-5 .
- David Rudel: Koltanowski-Phoenix Attack Thinker Press, 2011, ISBN 188871056X .
- David Rudel: Zuke 'Em: The Colle – Zukertort Revolutionized . Thinkers Press, 2009, ISBN 1-888710-39-X .