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Hi! This is a very interesting game between two strong amateur chess players in 1951. Many of you have heard of Humphrey Bogart, a famous American actor. Together with his wife Lauren Bacall (a beautiful actress), they were the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of their time. He plays Black in this game against Paul Limbos, one of Belgium's best players at the time. |
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1. e4
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But, for a moment, just forget about Hollywood and follow my analysis. What makes e4 special as the 1st move: it opens the diagonals of both the White bishop (f1-a6) and the White queen (d1-h5). The five most popular moves in chess history are (in this order): e4, d4, Nf3, c4, and g3. |
 
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1... e6
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The French Defence (e6). Grand Masters nowadays tend to prefer c5 and e5. However e6 is quite popular at all levels, and I personally play it often as Black (but not always). Mikhail Botvinnik, a former world champion, played both c5 and e6 as Black against e4. He was successful with both because he studied the openings deeply, and was a great strategist. |
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2. d4
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An alternative to the normal d4 is to play 2. Nf3 if White is not familiar with the French Defense. If Black plays c5 against Nf3, the game switches to the Sicilian Defense. If Black answers with Nf3 with d5, the game may continue 3. exd5 exd5. This would result in a similar initial position as what will happen in this game. This is known as the Exchange Variation. |
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2... d5
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It does not make sense to play anything other than d5 except in order to surprise the opponent, and to hope that he will make errors. It is still possible to transpose to other openings. If Black decides to play the Owen's Defense, he would play 2. ... b6 instead of d5. Then White will usually play 3. Nc3, Bd3, or Nf3, after which Black would continue 3. ... Bb7. |
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3. exd5
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White chooses the Exchange Variation, usually for two reasons. First, to prevent semi-closed French Defense positions with counter-attacks and to reach a simpler position, especially if his opponent may know a lot about French positions. The second reason is because White gets to be on the move in a symmetrical position and may have a good attack if he plays well. |
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3... exd5
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The natural move opens up the c8-h3 diagonal for the bishop. If Black takes the pawn with the queen, he will have to either lose a tempo by moving the queen again because she will be targeted, or lose the bishop pair by pinning the knight with his bishop and then exchanging. 3. ... Qxd5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Nf3 ... White would easily develop, castle, and refute the pin. |
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4. Nc3
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Limbos played Nc3. The alternatives are more popular (Nf3, Bd3, and c4). Nc3, Nf3, and Bd3 do not preclude each other; it is possible to play these in a different order on the 4th, 5th, and 6th moves. c4 is also strong but leads to different positions: (A) 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 ... or (B) 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 c6 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. c5 ... |
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4... Bb4
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The main alternative is Nf6. Bogart was a strong player - he played optimal moves until his 9th move as we will see. Bogart played Bb4 before playing Nf6. This way he still reserved the option to play Ne7 instead of Nf6 depending on White's next move. |
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5. Bd3
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With this move (Bd3), we know that Limbos was thinking of a kingside attack. The target (focal point) is the h7 square. 5. ... Nc6 is a popular response to Bd3 because it gains a tempo by attacking the pawn on d4. However, against Nc6, White can play: 6. a3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 ... and the d4 pawn becomes safe so Black would need a new plan such as Nc6-Na5-Nc4. |
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5... Nf6
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Between Nf6 or Ne7, Bogart had to choose Nf6 because it protects the h7 square better. There are other White moves against which Ne7 would be a good response: (A) 5. Qe2 Ne7!, (B) 5. Qf3 Ne7 or (C) 5. Bd2 Ne7. Either way, in this opening, Black is able to develop just as quickly and will castle soon. |
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6. Nge2
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The main objective of this move is for the knight to facilitate a kingside attack after Black castles: Ne2-Ng3-Nf4 or Ne2-Ng3-Nh4. By going to g3, the knight will open the queen's diagonal and the queen will also attack the Black kingside. If White played Nf3, then after both sides castle, Bg4 can pin the knight and it would be more difficult to create a kingside attack. |
2 comments
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6... O-O
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0-0 is theoretically good. If Black is a good defender, it is OK to castle short in this opening. If you do not trust your defensive skills, playing h6 before you castle is an alternative because it prevents White from playing Bg5. |
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7. O-O
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After Black castles, it is quite normal for him to play Re8 later in this opening to control the e-file. Obviously, the White king would not stay in this open file, and tie the knight on e2 for the defense. The White king goes to safety by castling. |
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7... c6
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With this move, Black may organize his own attack against h2 if he can manage to put his bishop and queen on c7 and d6. Many modern-day French Defense players (including myself) make this move (c6) earlier on the 4th, 5th, or 6th move. Then Black can develop the bishop to d6 in one move instead of going to b4 first and then back to d6. |
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8. Bg5
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Bg5 pins the defending knight. This pin is unpleasent because if White can double the f-pawns by capturing the knight, this would weaken Black's kingside. This limits the current mobility of Black's pieces because he may have to protect the knight with another piece (queen, bishop, or knight). |
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8... Nbd7
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This move protects the knight once more, and frees the queen to move out of the pin. Its disadvantage is that it blocks the bishop on c8. On the other hand, the bishop can become normally free if Bogart plays consistently and moves h6 at the right time: 9. Ng3 h6! 10. Bf4 Nb6 |
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9. Ng3
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As I explained earlier, the White queen's diagonal is now open for the kingside attack. The knight is ready to go to either f4 or h4. |
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9... Qc7
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h6 would have been better here. With the knight on g3, White would no longer be able to play Bh4 after h6 (because of g5 trapping the bishop) and would have to retreat to f4 or e3. Another possibility would be Re8, putting the rook on an open file before White does that with Re1. |
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10. Nh5
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Threatening to weaken the Black kingside: Nxf6 Nxf6 Bxf6 gxf6 doubling the pawns... Black must be careful here and defend well. |
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10... Nxh5
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This move will allow White to bring the queen to h5. 10. ... Nxh5 is a normal move as long as Bogart can play the correct continuation next. 10. ... Be7 is too passive because of 11. Re1 will attack the bishop forcing Black to play Qd8 or Bd8. |
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