Luke Leon Mendonca: The Keymer Variation – 1.♘f3 d5 2.e3
A poisonous weapon, easy to learn
People didn’t take 1.♘f3 d5 2.e3 too seriously until recently, when online chess started to become popular due to the pandemic, as this line was frequently used. I discovered how venomous this opening was when I tried to find a way to play against it with Black, and to my surprise, it wasn’t easy. Vincent Keymer uses it in a large percentage of his games and gets excellent positions and results. With this opening, White avoids the dominant theory and there is more than one possibility for each move. The opening is a mixture of positional and offensive elements, depending on the system chosen by Black. I don’t think most club-level players would know how to effectively counter this opening.
Arne Kähler interviews Luke Leon Mendonca
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This video course presents the ins and outs of possible Black configurations. You’ll learn the key concepts and strategies needed to add this fantastic opening to your repertoire. An easy-to-learn yet venomous weapon that will make your opening game more versatile. What’s more, this course lets you practice the repertoire with the ChessBase Opening Trainer. You’ll discover the ideas of the Keymer Variant by playing the opening moves, guessing how a position was formed or replaying the moves at the desired speed.
- Duration: 6h
- Interactive training with video feedback
- Model and database parts,
- Variant storage with ChessBase Apps
- Practical training with Fritz at different levels of play
- Includes a downloadable version and a streaming version for iPad, tablet, etc. To activate these versions, use the upgrade key you receive when you purchase the product (at the checkout or in your customer account in the ChessBase online store).
About the author
Luke Leon Mendonca (b. 2006) is one of the young Indian talents who achieved the GM title at the age of 14. During the pandemic, he won over 150 Elo points and 3 GM standards. His strong point is endurance. Recently, at the age of 17, he exceeded 2600 Elo. His opening ideas are not only theoretical, but he tests them in practice against the strongest opponents.
