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Here is another great game from the blitz arena; it demonstrates how I like to treat the Sicilian Defense with white... I usually have good results with this sytem in blitz... My opponent - let's call him John Doe to protect his privacy - was rated 2000+, so I had it coming... |
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1. e4 c5 2. f4
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Another way to control the center; to me this system is the only way, to justify Nf3... I like to call this the Grand Prix attack, because it savours all the good things from several sytems for white... Of course, a prompt 2. ... d5 will be met with 3. e5... After 2. Nc3, I would play g6, and Bg7... Being black, of course... |
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2... d6 3. Nf3 e6 4. g3 Nf6 5. d3 Nc6 6. c3 Be7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O
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Let us not argue about the play so far. Both players have reached some form of development, white having slightly more space; black's action should lie on the queens wing, and try and disrupt the center from there... |
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8... e5
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It is true, that white might consider e5 in the near future... But this will not break up the center very soon... |
1 comment
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9. f5
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Opening a diagonal, whilst disrupting Bc8... It will take black some time to untangle this... |
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9... h6
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Of course, the best way to handle this is 9. ... d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Qe2 etc... Whites f-pawn, however, is invulnarable for now... |
1 comment
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10. h4
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Sheer bluff... The plan is, after Kf2, Be3, Rh1, fire up some attack against a cramped Kings wing, sac some piece, and break it open... |
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10... Qc7
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Black clearly doesn't know, what to think of it... But why still not d5, exd5, Nxd5 etc.? Or at least Qb6? |
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11. Nh2
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Opening up another diagonal, and cover g4 in the process... I've played this a million times... |
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11... Rd8
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Still struggling with d5... |
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12. g4 Nh7 13. g5
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This would have been a great time for white, to pause and take a look at things... My clock was at some seven minutes, my opponent was already some three minutes behind in time... Had I done so, I surely would have found 13. Qe1! Qb6 14. Kh1! followed by Qg3, and pick it up from there... But I wanted to beat him to g5... |
1 comment
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13... hxg5 14. hxg5 Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Nxg5 16. Qh5 Nh7
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All pretty much forced... |
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17. Ng4 Qe7
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The position is dead equal... Black is going for the exchange on g5... |
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18. Nd2 Qg5
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There we have it... After 19. Qxg5 Nxg5 20. Kf2 f6! white's attack grinds to a halt... We do not want that... |
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19. Nf6+
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Desperate situations call for desperate measures... Figuring, that four of black's pieces are idle, plus I was way ahead in time - black had some two minutes left - made me justify this sacrifice... Sadly, it is incorrect... But I can at least keep the Queens on the board... To me, this has Mikael Tal written all over it... |
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19... Qxf6
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Had he played 19. ... gxf6, I would have resigned, probably, or try 20. Qxg5 fxg5 21. Kf2, and attack along the h-file... |
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20. Nf3
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Blocking g5, step one... |
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20... g6
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Black starts wandering, 20. ... Qh6 is more then sufficient... But black was running out of time... |
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21. fxg6 Qxg6 22. Qh4
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So far, so good... We are attacking Rd8, and blocking Ne7... Now Kf2, Rh1... |
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22... Be6
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Connecting rooks, development done... After 22. ... Kg7! (threatens Rh8) white can stop hoping... |
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23. Kf2
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Forced, and what I wanted... |
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