[Retros] Vowel Pawns

[Elkies, Noam]

I wrote:

< 1 c4 seems even stronger than 1 c3, because after b6 2 Qa4 Ba6
< is not a "cross-check" and White can keep attacking with 3 Qa3 and 4 Qe3.
< Note that White also has the option of continuing 2 Qb3, aiming for
< Qa3 or Qe3 attacking both vowels.  If 1 c4 e6 2 Qa4 Na6 3 c5

Eric Angelini <eric.angelini at skynet.be> replies:

> Ah ah, thanks Noam, I will look in that direction!

You're welcome.  An amusing line is 1 c4 e5!? 2 Nf3! which seems bad
because after the forced 2 . . . e4 Black is threatening to get rid of
the advanced vowel, but in fact White wins at once with 3 Ng5! Qxg5
4 Qc2(Nc3) -- the e-pawn is lost after the forced spite check Qxd2+ 5 K(B)xd2.
(If vowels were actually royal these spite checks wouldn't exist.)

NDE