Petrov Defense, Karklins-Martinovsky (Magnus Carlsen’s Nd3)
The move Nd3 is very rare, but it has been made more popular since Magnus Carlsen played it in the world championship against Fabiano Caruana.
For an introduction to the Petrov Defense, watch this video on the basics: youtu.be/L8X6f8rBiVA
In the boring sea that is the Petrov Defense, there is still, it seems, room for surprise. That exactly is the case with the Karklins-Martinovsky Variation, a seldom used line which Magnus Carlsen played against Caruana in 2018 WCC.
By far the most popular retreat for the white knight after d6 is Nf3. That move makes perfect sense, as the knight is defended and it’s not blocking white’s development. The move Nd3, on the other hand, seems to do just that. It prevents the d pawn from moving, thus rendering the c1 bishop immobile for the moment, and it also seems to disrupt communication in the white center.
Why then would one play such unnatural looking move? Well, my first guess is because it’s rare and definitely unexpected. In the Petrov Defense, unless you go for something crazy like the Cochrane Gambit (youtu.be/2NaoyOCfkEg), most moves will be sort of equal. That means that choosing a slightly inferior move like Nd3 won’t make much of a difference.
The positions are definitely different (or at least can be) to the normal symmetrical Petrov setups. In many lines, white and black can choose to avoid the even pawn structure and equal piece activity.
That’s what makes the variation interesting. And if your opponent is unprepared for it, then he could very easily get in trouble. Albeit even with good play, imprecision can be punished in the Nd3 variation easily.
A good try for white. If it’s good enough for Magnus, it should be good enough for us mortals!
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