The Chess Mind

I'm usually not interested in cult openings (e.g. the Blackmar-Diemer pawn loss) and go out of my way to discourage people from using them, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the Traxler/Wilkes-Barre variation of the Two Knights: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5!? (Threat? What threat?). I don't know if it's sound - it might be - but it's a lot of fun, and it seems a most fitting reply to the duffer's move.

At any rate, those who are interested in this crazy line should bookmark and utilize John L. Jerz's very useful page on this variation, as well as Stefan Bücker's July 2007 Chess Cafe column.

HT (of sorts): This month's Bücker's column.

As popular as the Marshall Gambit* is, the Chigorin Variation** of the Ruy Lopez is even more popular, at least historically. Despite sharing the first six and a half moves in common, the two lines continue in very different directions. The former is quite sharp and open, with Black frequently enjoying a space advantage and the initiative in exchange for a pawn. The latter, by contrast, often features turgid maneuvering, with White enjoying a slight space advantage in what is often a partially locked position. Or at least that's how things stood before the game Kuznetsov-Gajewski:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2



This position has appeared 8736 times in Mega2007, and countless more times in correspondence and amateur play. I've had this position with White dozens of times myself, and I've always seen 10...c5, the move that arose in 8703 of the 8736 games mentioned above. But what I've never seen, and had never been played in the Mega database, was Gajewski's choice in our main game: 10...d5!!?



This is a thematic break in the Ruy, even when we're not taking the Marshall into account, but here?! Black won the game and the computer approves, but we'll have to wait and see. If it's fully sound, it's truly significant, as White's play has long been seen as Black's most serious test. If Black can equalize this easily, then the Ruy as we know it is in trouble. (Actually, it's already in trouble thanks to the Marshall Gambit, but this would be a further nail in the coffin.)

Here's the full game.

* 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d5

** 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5

Nick De Firmian's tribulations in the Arctic Chess Challenge had been noted in some earlier posts (here and here), and now we'll conclude the sad summary with one final unfortunate report. In round 7, De Firmian was paired with the 17-year old, 2122-rated Norwegian player Johannes Kvisla, and the two debated a Najdorf line that was popular and extremely important in the 1980s, but which has large disappeared nowadays. Surprisingly, while this variation is right up De Firmian's alley, it was the youngster who bowled a strike.

Have a look here: it's a fascinating line and a nice accomplishment by the youngster.

In a post several days ago, I presented the following sequence of moves:

DM-Pocket "Fritz", g/10:

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.O-O c5 7.c4 Nd7 8.Nc3 dxc4 9.d5 exd5 (novelty) 10.Nxd5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxd5 12.Bxc4 Qxe5 13.Bb5+ Nc6 14.Re1 Be4 15.f3 Rd8 16.Bxc6+ bxc6 17.Qe2 (eventually 1/2-1/2)

and challenged readers to find improvements for White. During the game I felt sure after 9.d5 that I should have at least a small edge, and I felt happy about my moves when playing them. Despite that, I "awakened" around move 15 or 16 to realize that Black was slightly better, and it was time to earn the draw. (Which I did.)

Here are my findings; readers are encouraged to offer further improvements.

A week or two I was out for a walk and decided to renew my old "friendship" with my Pocket Fritz*. Here's how the opening went in this G/10 encounter:

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.O-O c5 7.c4 Nd7 8.Nc3 dxc4 9.d5 exd5 (novelty) 10.Nxd5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Qxd5 12.Bxc4 Qxe5 13.Bb5+ Nc6 14.Re1 Be4 15.f3 Rd8 16.Bxc6+ bxc6 17.Qe2 etc.

Black is slightly better here, but despite being a pawn down and short of time, I was able to hold the draw without too much trouble. (Black's lousy queenside pawn structure was what I counted on, rightly.) Nevertheless, I was a bit disgusted and certainly confused: I felt after 10.Nxd5 and my clever 12.Bxc4 that I simply must be better! Yet it's not at all obvious where White could have improved, especially without the assistance of a computer.

See what you can find (without using Fritz, Rybka, Shredder, etc.); I'll offer my thoughts in a few days.

*In fact it's a version of the Shredder program, written by Shredder's author, but is called "Fritz" for (presumably) marketing purposes.