Download PGN of July ’24 1 e4 e5 games
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Giuoco Piano: 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 a6 [C54]
This slightly rare move order just led to normal ...a6 Italian paths after 6.c3 Ba7 7.Nbd2 d6 8.b4!? 0-0 9.a4 Ne7 10.Bb3 Ng6 11.Nc4:
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The position is very normal at this stage but later in a Bxe6 fxe6 structure, unusually Black managed to use to semi-open f-file to whip up a devastating attack. The 22-move win in Kaasen, F - Kvaloy, A contributed to the 15 year old with the black pieces winning his first Norwegian Championship, at the same age as Magnus Carlsen no less!
Giuoco Piano 5.Nc3 [C50]
This trendy option for White most often sees the knight later heading to d5, but it had a different fate in Mitusov, S - Urkedal, F. Following 5...h6 6.a3!? d6 7.Na4:
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White secures the win of the bishop pair when he wants it, but somehow delaying the capture too long after 7...Bb6 led to Black having a combination with ...Bxf2+! and ...b5. The shock of this probably contributed to White then allowing a crushing attack on the kingside.
Two Knights 4.d3 h6 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 g5 [C55]
This fighting line led to a big win for an English talent at the Arona International in Tenerife. Following 7.Nbd2 Bg7 8.Bb3 a5 9.Nc4 0-0 10.Ne3 Be6:
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Perhaps 9...Be6 intending ...d5 should be preferred for Black, since here White unleashed 11.h4! g4 12.Nh2 in Pichot, A - Royal, S and opened up the f-file to devastating effect, but Black took over in the later complications to score a fine win.
Spanish: 5.Nc3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 [C77]
Onto the Spanish now, with one of these sidelines which seems completely harmless and yet White scores very heavily in some of the positions. After 7.a4!? b4 8.Nd5:
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8...0-0 would still be completely normal and fine, but things went downhill fast for Black after 8...Nxd5?! 9.Bxd5 in Fier, A - Palczert, M, where there already significant problems in developing the queenside.
Yurtaev Variation: 7.a4 Rb8 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.d4 Bxd4 10.Qxd4 d6 11.axb5 axb5 12.f4 [C78]
This sharp line will be the focus of the next two games. Following the further 12...Nc6 13.Qc3 Ne7:
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I tried 14.Ra7!? in Grieve, H - Balaji, A in an important last-round game, which definitely sets Black some problems although my young opponent managed to find accurate moves over-the-board to get close to equality.
The main move is 14.e5, when White has a wide choice of squares for the queen after 14...Ne4. Manish, A - Pham, T saw 15.Qe3!? when an interesting battle in a rook and opposite-colour bishop ending later ended in a draw, although Black faced no problems out of the opening. Perhaps 15.Qf3 is the most interesting direction for White.
Spanish 5.0-0 d6 6.Re1 Bd7 7.c3 g6 [C79]
An increasingly popular line for Black which I think would be fair to name after the player with the black pieces here, since he has written a Chessable course about it and isn’t afraid to use it in his own practice. White showed good preparation with 6.Re1 Bd7 7.c3 g6 8.d4 Bg7 9.h3 0-0 10.Bc2 Nh5 11.a4!:
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White’s next three moves of a5, Ra3 and b4 put serious pressure on the queenside and he soon had a significant advantage, but later succumbed to Black’s resourcefulness in a key game in the English Championships, Roberson, P - Jones, G.
Spanish, Chigorin Variation 9...Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 cxd4 [C84]
The Chigorin Variation perhaps has an unfairly poor reputation compared to the Breyer and Zaitsev, as I discovered several decent ideas for Black whilst analysing here. Black’s choice here is certainly one of them, with 12.cxd4 Nc6 (maybe 12...exd4 is more accurate) offering an open position where Black is solid despite the backward pawn on d6:
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In Adams, M - Wells, P, Black played a fine game against the English number one until allowing a decisive breakthrough on the kingside in time trouble.
Until next month, Harry
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