Tarrasch Defense (1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5)

[TexAg06]

Do many 2500+ guys play the Tarrasch defense anymore? I've been looking through Chessbase and it doesn't seem to occur too frequently in the past few years. From what I gather going over GM games, it looks like if white can nullify black's piece activity (easier said than done) then white has a good endgame. Even if the big boys aren't playing it much anymore, it seems like it would be a blast to try at the club level. Black has a ton of piece play.

[DiggertheDog]

You are probably a much better player than me.

But in looking at the position it occurred to me that you are likely to be dealing with an isolated pawn.
Now clearly black has to have a proficiency in dealing with an isolated pawn.

So I had in my memory that Gary never seemed to mind playing with isolated pawn and I googled Kasparov isolated pawn and came up with this site on Botnivik theory on isolated pawn - bearing in mind that most of these positions occur when playing white - I thought you might gain some thematic or tacitical motifs to help from this site.
http://www.chess.com/article/view/bo...acy-part-three

fwiw - main line theory appears to suggest that
4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7

Thanks for asking I learnt stuff in my search.

[mightytiny]

This is from a patzer (me). If white plays the g3 main line, he can isolate against the isolated d pawn. Its not that black doesnt have a bad game but its a passive game. I think GM's generally like more active def. positions.

[Fistdantilus]

I've played it for awhile, and eventually abandoned it.

If white skips the main (g3) line, it's fantastic. I frequently try to transpose into it by avoiding an early c6 in the QGD. But with the g3 line, white just doesn't have a lot of targets to hit and/or blacks' play isn't that straightforward. On the other side, whites' play is to just park a knight on d4 and trade down. =\

[Montrealcorp]

If i remember correctly, kaspy just gave it up cause vs competent plsuer, this opening has to many hole.

Someone said to be a worldchampion u need a stronger opening with black, so if u dont plan to be wc, go for it

Imo thats why he switch to kid d

[Do it Right]

Kasparov still maintains that the Tarrasch is a very underrated opening, it just needs a champion. Hopefully it will one day get that champion because I can't even imagine it.

[airwave16]

it seems to be getting the **** kicked out of it at gibralter.

[Noir_Desir]

There's a new grandmaster repertoire book on it by Aagard and Ntirlis, they seem to make a case for the 9. ...c4 line against white's main approach. I didn't looked at their lines in detail but to me it seems that this is a fairly thankless line for black.

[DiggertheDog]

But if Kramnik can resurrect the berlin after being dormant - there is at least some possibility of reviving this defense?