The Bird Defense (C61) of 40 Years Ago

I have been reading 40 Years of Friendship, 100 Games of Chess by Wayne Conover, Steve Pozarek, and Eugene Salomon (Smashwords eBook 2014), which I picked up mostly out of nostalgia for New Jersey chess: I knew all three players when I was a young member of the Westfield Chess Club from 1979-1984.  I also correctly predicted the book would contain some of former New Jersey champion Pozarek's games with the Bird Defense from the 1970s, which I have used to analyze the classic Bird line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.O-O c6 6.Bc4 Nf6 -- last popular about 40 years ago, but perhaps due for a revival.  It was Pozarek who introduced me to the Bird Defense in a series of articles on this specific variation.  That series began in the Westfield Chess Club Newsletter of March 1980 (edited by UNIX inventor Ken Thompson), in the same number that featured Wayne Conover's annotated victory over an IM and the crosstable of a 5-minute tournament where Gene Salomon finished second behind future IM Mike Valvo -- and a 14-year-old unrated kid named Mike Goeller finished in the middle of the strong field.  

In retrospect, I think it was also Pozarek who introduced me to the idea that amateurs can make useful contributions to chess theory.  I am a collector of amateur chess memoirs and game collections like this one, and I find that I have often discussed in this blog the important contributions they offer to theory: Sidney Bernstein's Combat: My 50 years at the Chessboard shows ways of playing a New York approach to 1...Nc6 and ...h5 in the Dragon (among numerous other interesting ideas); Dr. Philip Corbin's Calypso Chess features games with the Smith-Morra Gambit and the Elephant Gambit; Asa Hoffmann's Chess Gladiator offers a game with Janowski's Brother Indian (among many other original opening ideas); Ariel Mengarini's Predicament in Two Dimensions: The Thinking of a Chessplayer illustrates the Albin Counter Gambit with Nge7; and Billy Colias's posthumous Midwest Master offers insight into the Grand Prix Attack for Black and White.  The spirit of chess amateurism is alive and well, and the present volume does not hesitate to offer up some opening novelties and insights of its own.

In the middle section of the book, Conover, Pozarek, and Salomon offer contributions to theory in the Leningrad Dutch, the Caro Kann Defense, the Averbakh Variation of the King's Indian, and the Alekhine Defense.  Though there should be fewer games and a little more theory in this part, it is still more than most readers would expect to find.  This part of the book is made up mostly of games from Conover and Salomon, who studied together and played many of the same openings, but Pozarek tries his best with the Alekhine (using mostly his co-authors' games).  Too bad he didn't think to write about the Bird.  I would have liked to see more off-beat openings like that one.  After all, amateurs tend to experiment more than the pros.

Steve Goldberg's "Stories from Grandpa" at ChessCafe offers two useful critiques of the book.  I especially agree with his complaint about the number of diagrams, considering that, as an e-book, it would not have cost anything to add more.  I also agree with the implicit criticism in Goldberg's title, because the memoir part of the book seems less written for a general reader than, as Pozarek explicitly tell us, "first and foremost" for "families and friends."  However, there are definitely some very good games in these pages against a lot of quality opposition, including a whos-who of Northeast chess history: Pal Benko, Joel Benjamin, John Fedorowicz, Arnold Denker, William Lombardy, Steve Stoyko, Leroy Dubeck, Scott Massey, Mike Valvo, Orest Popovych, and Edgar McCormick. It even has some simultaneous games against such one-name luminaries as Korchnoi, Petrosian and Alekhine(!)  And practically none of these games will be found in the databases.  In fact, if it were not for this book, all of these games would vanish and remain unknown, like so many great master games.  

As with all amateur volumes, written as a "labor of love," it has something to offer those willing to take the time to look.  The following diagrams highlight some of the better moments enjoyed by these three players:

(1) Conover - Rozier
White to play and win.

(2) Zweibel - Pozarek (see game)
Black to play and win.

(3) Salomon - Watson
White to play and win.

Solutions: (1) 46.Nf5! (forcing mate in 9 moves or fewer); (2) 14....Bxf2+!; and (3) 61.Rc4!! (the only way to win)

Tricky Bishop in the Bird Defense (C61)

I have annotated the game Balakrishnan - Goeller, Garden State Chess League 2014, played last week at Rutgers University.  It features the Bird Variation of the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4), which has long been a favorite of mine. In fact, I have played the line that we reached in the game well over a hundred times in tournaments and online blitz: 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.O-O Bc5 6. d3 c6 7. Bc4 d5. So it was quite a surprise to see the tricky Bishop retreat 8.Bb3! which was completely new to me.

Position after 8.Bb3

As my analysis shows, this move poses some very difficult problems for Black in the 5...Bc5 line of the Bird.  For one thing, Black cannot get rid of his doubled pawns with 8...dxe4? due to 9.Bxf7+ or 9.Qh5 with a big edge for White.  And the natural 8...Ne7 (which I played without thinking) will directly transpose (after 8.Bb3! Ne7 9.f4! f5) to a line that usually arises by the move order 5.O-O Bc5 6.d3 c6 7.Ba4 Ne7 8.f4 f5 9.Bb3 d5.  This has long been known to give White a big edge.  

Despite my set-back in the opening, which eventually cost me a pawn, I managed to get some play on the king-side by opening up the h-file.  In fact, late in the game I had a chance to win with a surprising shot (see diagram).  I missed it, but I regained my pawn for a draw with 28....Qe7, threatening Qh7 and Qxb4.  What was the stronger move?

Black to play and win after 28.Qf2.

Praveen recently won the Kenillworth Chess Club Championship for the second time in a row (see 2013 and 2014). That is an impressive achievement for a sixth grader!  The game I've annotated was the third we have played in as many years. All three games have featured the Bird Variation of the Ruy Lopez and are included in my notes. 

Previous posts on the Bird Defense:

• Ruy Lopez Bird's Defense (C61) Update
• Bird's Defense Bibliography (C61)
• Bird Blitz

Ruy Lopez Bird's Defense (C61) Update

I published a Bird's Defense Bibliography (C61) back in 2008, but there have been a number of developments since, so it seemed time to post a supplement.  I think we are poised to see a revival in this interesting opening, which begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4!?  While theory's view of the Bird now treats 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.O-O Bc5 as the "main line," I think the biggest development from the Black perspective is the renewed interest in older ideas, especially 5...h5, 5...g6, and 5...c6 followed by 6...Nf6 -- the last of which does quite well in practice and was well-analyzed by Jonathan Tait (2005), as mentioned in my first bibliography.   As always, I welcome reader suggestions and additions.

Bibliography Supplement

Tim Harding (December 2012).  "Adventures in the Aviary: Bird's Defense." (PDF). Kibitzer #199 at ChessCafe.  Offers a very nice survey of the opening as seen mostly through the author's recent correspondence games.  Discusses 5...Bc5 but mostly focusing on older ideas, such as 5...h5, 5...g6, and 5...c6 followed by Nf6.  I especially like the idea of 5...c6 6.Bc4 g6!?  A useful addition to theory and a great place to start if you are looking for an overview.

Sam Shankland (June 2012).  C61 Ruy Lopez, Bird's Defence.  Chess Informant #114.  The author offers his own repertoire vs. the Bird's Defense, focused around 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.O-O Bc5 (other moves are also treated) 6.b4! which is a sharp gambit, used effectively by Naiditsch, which Shankland thinks must be accepted. This article can be purchased separately (including both PDF and PGN) direct from the Chess Informant Store for $6.59.

Mihail Marin (February 2012).  "Ruy Lopez, Bird's Defense." ChessBase Magazine #146.  Superb coverage of 5...Bc5 lines, offering a complete repertoire against the Ruy Lopez.  Main annotated games include Plachetka -Stoica, Stary Smokovec 1974; Lane - Gaprindashvili, Vrnjacka Banja 1961; Wang - Ioseliani, Shanghai 1992; Korneev - Llaneza Vega, San Sebastian 2010; Short - Ivanchuk, Linares 1989; Semeniuk - Malaniuk, Sverdlovsk 1987; Azarov - Jirka, Czechia 2009; Zagrebelny - Barle, Budapest 1989; Kamsky - Ivanchuk, Tilburg 1990; Szabo - Papp, Szombathely 2010; Kraemer - Hirneise, German qualifier 2008; Ljubojevic - Salov, World Cup 1989;  Anand - Tseshkovsky, Calcutta 1986;  Filipenko - Najer, Pardubice 1996; Beliavsky - Tseshkovsky, Kiev 1986; Jackson - Knox, BCF-ch 1988;  Kostin - Rodin, Voronezh 2008; Monn - Droz, Corr. 1993; Westerinen - Regan, Baerum 1980; Gavrilov - Jirka, Olomouc 2005; Dolmatov - Tukmakov, Minsk 1987; Brende - Binder, Germany 1994; Houssain - Abdulla, Dhaka 2006; Lanc - Vrana, Trnava 1990; Grodzensky - Skotorenko, Corr. 1976; Kasparov - Kupreichik, Daugavpils 1978.

Michael Goeller (2011).  "Bird Defense Fishing Pole."  Analyzes one of my games with ...h5 where the "fishing pole" sequence Ng4 hxg4 hxg4 led to a deadly attack along the opened h-file.

Chess OK (2011).  Bird's Defense.  A useful "book" look at 5...c6 6.Bc4 Nf6.

Glenn Flear (2010).  "The Bird's Defence According to Bird." Secrets of Opening Surprises #12.  Ed. Jeroen Bosch.  Examines Bird's own games with the Bird's Defense, especially those with an early ...h5 advance.  Discusses the games Noa - Bird, Vienna 1882; Winawer - Bird, Paris 1878; Judd - Bird, New York 1889; Marco - Bird, Hastings 1895; Ringoir - Flear, Chamalieres 2008; Romanov - Potapov, Moscow 2007; Rodriguez - Arencibia, Cienfuegos 1996; Timofeev - Jirka, Goa 2002; Morozevich - Najer, Moscow 1992; Leko - Morozevich, Moscow 2002 (where Black should have played 12...Ne4!).  This is less a systematic analysis of the 5...h5 idea than a general consideration of how this advance plays out in the Bird.  The game selection and analysis is quite useful.

Ivan Sokolov (2009).  The Ruy Lopez Revisted: Offbeat Weapons & Unexplored Resources.  New in Chess.  177-202.  Available at Abe Books and elsewhere, but becoming harder to find, so I recommend you get a copy of this excellent book soon.  Bird's Defense is covered in Chapters 10 (on 5.O-O Bc5 6.d3) and 11 (on 5.O-O Bc5 6.Bc4 -- with consideration of Black's move 5 alternatives).  If you play the 5...Bc5 lines, this book -- along with Marin's piece for ChessBase -- seems indispensable.

Dana Mackenzie (2008-2009).  Bird by Bird Series.  Dana Blogs Chess.  NM Mackenzie's series on the Bird Defense with 5...g6 offers an excellent demonstration of how old opening ideas are still relevant with the proper handling.  After his last post in July 2009, he created this web page so that the series is easy to look through.  He has also done a number of videos at ChessLecture.com (subscription only) on the subject.

John Watson (2004).  "Ruy Lopez, Bird Defense."  JeremySilman.com (archive)
I mentioned this site in my bibliography, but as the Silman site has mostly gone off-line I thought you might find the "Wayback" link useful.  Watson offers up a good collection of games with Bird's 5...h5 line and gives it his endorsement, which says a lot.

Menno Ploeger (1982).  "Spanish, Bird's Defence."  Ed. Raymond Keene.  Modern Chess Theory 4.3: 181-192.  This work only recently came to my attention.  Ploeger offers a great analytic survey of the Bird using all 33 games that Bird himself played with the line, and therefore focused mostly on Bird's experiments with ...h5.

Videos and Online Resources


Video treatments of Bird's Defense are surprisingly rare, and all that I have found discuss the beautiful if flawed game Anderssen - Lange, Breslau 1859, where Black should have played 7...Ne4 with a slight edge as White could have won in the game continuation with 10.Qe1!  The site 365chess has a good collection of games.