celinat0r (928) vs SenseiDanya (1764)

1750Episode 17 · 0-1

During the gameIn the review

  1. Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, 6.O-O h6 7.h3
  2. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
  3. 3... Bc5 The safer reply to the Italian bishop Opening Of the two main replies to the Italian bishop, which is safer - not better, safer? This one, because the knight move allows the Fried Liver. That is fine for Black, but it takes a lot of theory, and the c3 line that follows is much easier to learn. The review spells out the Fried Liver: after the knight goes to g5 Black has to push the d-pawn, and taking back on d5 with the knight is a famous mistake because of the knight sacrifice on f7. The right move is the knight to a5, a sort of semi-gambit that costs a pawn - which is why he recommends the bishop move to students and beginners.
  4. 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3
  5. 5... O-O Why the pin from g5 is not scary Opening Nothing surprising: castle, and at some point a6 to make a little home for the bishop on a7. The pin from g5 is not actually scary, and he promises to show why. In the review: against the bishop on g5 Black simply puts his own bishop on e7, and the two stand off and cancel out. Black has spent a tempo, but the bishop on g5 is now awkward, and the knight can sidestep the whole operation via h5 to f4. That is the theory, and it is fine for Black.
  6. 6.O-O
  7. 6... h6 h6: a weakened square worth accepting Pawn structure Stop the bishop coming to g5 - it will not hurt. The d-pawn comes next, to open the light-squared bishop and perhaps bring it to g4. Asked later whether it is better not to push a pawn in front of the castled king: it is better to do it selectively, but stopping a pin from g5 or g4 is often more important than the weakened square. That weakness is a side effect to be dealt with when the time comes.
  8. 7.h3 d6
  9. 8. d4 Claiming the centre before developing Opening A sensible move that claims the centre. In the review, this is where the trouble starts: the move is tempting, but White's queenside bishop and knight are still at home, so it bites off more than she can chew, and the pawns end up too weak. The purest way to play is the knight to d2, then the rook to e1 to clear the path f1 for the knight, which heads for g3 and eventually perhaps f5. Black can do the same with the bishop on a7 and the knight via e7 to g6, and the position becomes very complicated.
  10. 8... Bb6 Do not take a pawn just because you can General The key question: take on d4, or drop the bishop back? Certainly not take. That would hand over the whole centre and let the knight develop to c3 - do not take a pawn just because you can. The retreat is much better, and it is why Black played those last two moves: the e5 pawn is safely defended.
  11. 9.d5
  12. 9... Ne7 Retreat the knight towards where it is going Piece play Move the knight already knowing where it is going to end up. e7 is the typical retreat, because the knight comes round to g6, where it buttresses the king and can jump to f4, a very strong defensive outpost. White has the mirror idea on the other side.
  13. 10. Na3 Ask what the threat is General She did not ask what the threat was; developing the knight to d2 was better. Not that the knight to a3 should be sneezed at - it is typical in these positions, because the knight can come to c4. The review calls this the decisive mistake, because after losing the pawn the position is incredibly hard to play. The knight to d2 would have developed and defended the pawn, and with the rook to e1 and the knight round to g3 White would still have been fine.
  14. 10...Nxe4 11.Qe2
  15. 11... Ng3 After h3, g3 is weak Tactics Who can spot the tactic? The bishop on b6 pins the f2 pawn, so it cannot move, and because White has played h3, g3 is undefended - so the knight lands there and forks rook and queen. The moment h3 is played, make a mental note that g3 is now weak. A huge number of games have been won on tactics around that square, especially in this opening, and around its mirror square g6. He promises a classic game on the theme. The game he finds is by Vallejo Pons, a very strong Spanish grandmaster, out of a French: the same weak g3 and the same pin by the bishop. Putting the queen on g3 straight away is not as strong as it looks, because White can block the pin with the bishop on e3. So, whenever there are two moves you want to play, check what happens if you swap their order. Take on h3 first, and if the pawn recaptures the queen arrives with check; the king going to f1 gets mated, and the king going to h1 runs into a devastating attack. His opponent did not take, and the queen went to g3 anyway and used it as a springboard. In many openings, g3 or g6 matters enormously when there is a pin along those diagonals.
  16. 12.Be3 Nxe2+ 13.Kh2 Nf4 14.Bxf4 exf4 15.g3 fxg3+ 16.fxg3 Nf5 17.Bd3 Ne3 18.Rfe1
  17. 18... Qf6 Bring every piece in, then mate Attack The queen comes out to f6 too, attacking the knight: bring all the pieces into the game and mate quickly.
  18. 19.Be4 Re8 20.Nd2
  19. 20... Qf2+ A simple train of logic to mate Tactics A simple train of logic: the queen to g2 would be mate but for the bishop. Blocking with the bishop only means it is taken, and if the king goes to h1 the bishop is taken anyway.
  20. 21.Bg2 Qxg2#
  21. White was checkmated
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