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I was looking forward for a chance to play this opening and when I got the challenge to an unrated game by jstevens1 I was very happy indeed, even more so when I realised the game was entering into the lines I had been so looking forward to playing.
I have supplied computer analysis for his game here. http://gameknot.com/analyze-board.pl?bd=16048785&rnd=0.527152650184396 |
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1. e4
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So it kicks off with e4... |
 
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1... c5
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I chose to respond with the Sicilian which isn't something I have not played much of at all! I have only just started looking into it and thought I would give it a shot here. |
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2. f4
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It's with this move the accelerated grand prix attack that I realised where the game was heading. |
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2... d5
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This is known to be the best reply for black. The Tal gambit I think it's called. |
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3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4
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Since the queen can't escape the only way to save it would be the passive Be2. I knew already however that Be2 wasn't going to happen. |
1 comment
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6. Qxg4
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The queen sacrifice! an entire mini tournament (infact two) was played with this opening a while back and it's through the annotations of those games that I came to find out about this magnificent line. |
2 comments
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6... Nxg4 7. Bxf7+ Kd7 8. Be6+ Kc6
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I prefer Kc6 to avoid the nasty family fork on e6. besides I have an experimental move I am looking to try out in this game that requires me to not have to waste time moving either my king or queen next move. |
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9. Bxg4
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The point of the opening. White now has two pieces, activity, position, manoeuvrability plus a whole range of compensation for the queen sacrifice. It's now up to white to prove weather it's enough though. |
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9... h5
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?! Now this is new! as far as I know this is the first time this has been used in these lines of the game or rather the first I have seen of this move being used. The move looked very good at the time with my analysis and infact it worked extraordinarily well in this particular game. I would have given this move a ! except the master easy19 has challenged me to a game to show me how white ought to play this position. I'm afraid to say this oh so fabulous move of mine wasn't so great after all. The idea behind it was to win tempo when white retreats the bishop the if the night is on e6 black can look to develop his rook to h6 in an effort to exchange the rook for the two active white pieces which could not afford to let happen. As you will see from this game the move can be very effective but only if your opponent makes the wrong moves. |
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10. Ne6
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This is pretty much what I expected and seems like a decent move but as a matter of fact is a mistake or aleast in accuracy. The only other move I thought white might play was Bh3. |
3 comments
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10... Qd6
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gets the queen out of danger and into a reasonably active spot. Black can now look to play Rh6. |
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11. Bh3 Na6
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It was a toss up here between this move and Rh6. although moving Rh6 straight away losses a piece it isn't actually that bad a move. after Rh6 then Nxf8 Na6! then white needs to save the knight Ne6 and black responds Nb4! and although material is back to even black has made up for it by having an easier time developing and has decent piece coordination and activity. The text move is just as good however as is a little less simple. |
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12. Na3
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I had only briefly looked at this move in my analyses. It looks to protect the c2 square and have control over c4 and the currently unimportant b5. The move I expected most was Nc3 where black has the option of either Rh6! or Nb4! however I realised when looking into the game that if Nc3 I could play Rh6! and not actually have to worry about Nxe4?? because black can just play Rxe6! and whites knight is pinned to the king so wouldn't be able to attack my queen at all. |
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12... b5
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I played this move to take some space and limit the white knights movement by cutting off the c4 square. It also gives my king some extra room to hide. |
1 comment
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13. Bf5
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I'm not sure what this move was all about, perhaps just an oversight if it is it's a costly one. White can not afford to lose tempo in this opening and although this move threatens Bxe4+ it is a severe wast of time because of my reply. |
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13... Qd5
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The bishop has no option but to move back to where it was. |
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14. Bh3 Rh6
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Blacks game is already starting to look good. most of the pieces are developed and black has plenty of piece activity, a sure sign that whites plan with the queen sacrifice is begging to fail. |
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15. Nxf8
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I didn't like this move very much, I thought it might have been better to play f5 as this move trades a very active powerfully placed knight for an inactive piece that can't even develop yet. I know one of whites goals in this opening is to trade knights for bishops but there are exceptions because this not only is a bad trade for those reasons but Black also gets to develop his rook onto the nice semiopen f file. |
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15... Rxf8
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I thought white was supposed to be the developed one and black was meant to be stuck for moves in this opening! instead it seems to be the other way around! |
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16. O-O
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perhaps white should have taken the chance to open squares for the LSB? this move seems sensible but my queen has the nice d4 square to take advantage of ;) |
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