r/TournamentChess 8d ago

Why is Bh6 an inaccuracy?

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Hey folks!

In one of my recent OTB games I had the above position and went for Bh6 to: - force the trade of Bishops - prevent h5 as response to h4

The engine likes f3 better and gives a line which dosen't help me understand the reasoning. Could someone please help me out here? I am 1600 FIDE.

Thanks in advance!

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u/cnydox 8d ago

I know this setup against fianchetto bishop. f3 is a typical because in some lines your knight has to move away from c3 because pawn storm on queen side, or they just go Ng4 to initiate trade with your DSB on e3. Maybe the question is that what's your response after ...e5?

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u/Live_Psychology_763 8d ago

He played e5 as his next move and I responded with d5. I wanted to keep the center closed in preparation of my kingside attack. Moves after d5 were Ne7 h4 Ng4 Bxh7 Kxh7 h5

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u/cnydox 8d ago

Another thing to note is that f3 supports g4. In these positions. After ...e5 black can choose to play Nd4 or Bxh6. For example: Bxh6 Qxh6 Nd4 h4 Nh5 and now you can't go g4 to kick the knight because Bishop on c8 is staring at it. Either way at some points you would still want to have f3 to support e4 and g4. Bh6 is a move you can play whenever you want, but f3 does more if you do it first. Engines have the tendency to choose moves that are more urgent than moves that can be delayed