Download PGN of May ’22 1 e4 e5 games
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Vienna Game, Steinitz Gambit 3 f4 exf4 4 d4 [C25]
One of Jonathan's preferences is to answer 2 Nc3 with 2...Nc6, instead of the more common 2...Nf6, and he writes: 'With 2...Nf6, sure, 3 f4 d5! is a routine equalizer; but after 2...Nc6 3 f4 exf4! it's White who must think about equalizing.' Interesting, I'd never thought of it like that, but he is probably right.
After 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 f4 exf4 the move 4 d4 is the Steinitz Gambit, and as we have never considered this before here (only looking at the most popular 4 Nf3) except for a few lines in Micawber's K G Declined Forum Survey from 2008, and it is actually rather common (over 460 games according to ChessBase) I decided to have a look at a few games from this last month.
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Black's strongest is now 4...Qh4+, forcing 5 Ke2 when the white king will wander around a bit, see the analysis in Cherniaev, A - Naumkin, I.
King's Gambit Accepted, Bonsch-Osmolovsky Variation 3 Nf3 Ne7 4 d4 d5 5 Bd3 [C34]
I like to look at Nepomniachtchi's White games as it is intriguing to see how a really strong player approaches the King's Gambit, and I am rarely disappointed. Nepomniachtchi, I - Hansen, E started 3 Nf3 Ne7 4 d4 d5, and now 5 Bd3!?:
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We haven't looked at the Bonsch-Osmolovsky Variation for a long time, so it is interesting to see what Nepo had prepared for it.
Ponziani 3...Nf6 4 d4 Nxe4 5 d5 Bc5 [C44]
The piece sacrifice 5...Bc5! was played by Falkbeer in 1855 and by Chigorin in 1879, but I first became aware of it a long time ago when I saw it mentioned by Bronstein in his 200 Open Games!
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If White is really accurate he might be able to draw, but the practical problems are considerable - I have 100% with Black in quick games. This would be enough to put me off ever playing the Ponziani, see the analysis in Plotkin, M - Mista, A.
Giuoco Piano 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 e5 d5 [ C54]
Bizarrely, Robson, R - Aronian, L actually started life as a Berlin Spanish and then transposed directly into a Giuoco Mainline.
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Here Victor has already examined 15...Nf5 and 15...Ng3, but here Black played the most common 15...Nd2, instead, and followed-up with an interesting and relatively new setup.
Two Knights 4 d4 exd4 5 e5 d5 6 Bb5 Ne4 7 Nxd4 Bc5 8 Be3 0-0 [C56]
I decided to look at this line when I saw in Tait's work that my preferred system with 5...Ng4 was actually now looking a bit dubious.
Matlakov, M - Ohanyan, E features the line with 7...Bc5 8 Be3 0-0, offering White a pawn, or two, in return for development:
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We haven't really considered the critical 12 Qxd5, taking a 2nd pawn, before. Black normally regains both the pawns and objectively the line is very drawish, however, after the game's 16 Nd5 I did notice that there was always a point in the game where Black would have to find a far from obvious only move, so it looks like White can play to win while keeping a draw in hand.
Two Knights 4 d4 exd4 5 e5 d5 6 Bb5 Nd7 7 0-0 Be7 [C56]
I think that this 6...Nd7 line is a good alternative to the rather drawish mainline with 6...Ne4 we've just seen. Following 7 0-0 Be7 8 Bxc6 bxc6 9 Nxd4 Black plays the odd 9...Nb8!, 'undeveloping' one of his only two developed pieces:
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Black has the bishop pair and can often expand in the centre with ...c6-c5, when the knight can 'redevelop' to the more active c6-square. Have a look at the analysis in Najer, E - Robson, R.
Schliemann or Jaenisch Gambit 4 d3 Nf6 [C63]
Jonathan Tait recommends the Jaenisch Gambit against the Ruy Lopez. According to Tait, over the board a scan of the past ten years in the TWIC database puts 4 d3 on 53%, well ahead of the mainline 4 Nc3, no doubt because it is easier to play and avoids lots of memorisation.
As luck would have it I noticed a couple of games in the KomodoDragon - Stockfish dev15 computer match that featured 4 d3 Nf6!? (instead of the 'normal' 4...fxe4) deferring the exchange on e4, and this is also Jonathan Tait's recommendation:
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Both games were drawn which suggests that Black's play is perfectly viable.
Until next month, Tony.
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