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The Gold Rush

There is something quite annoying about losing a game just because

your opponent seems to have remembered a vast amount of opening
moves. One way to get around this is to play something that looks odd, but
Opening Lanes is based on a sound strategy and has not yet been extensively analysed
in standard theoretical books.
Gary Lane
Jay Pierce from the USA strikes gold when he writes, I am interested in a A Strategic Opening
line versus the Sicilian. 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bc4 This seems like a very
Repertoire
logical move to me, holding back on d4 so as not to transpose into a
mainline. I've noticed several 2600+ players have played it on occasion, but by John Donaldson &
I cannot find any information on it in Sicilian or anti-Sicilian literature. Carsten Hansen

Read an excerpt here.

It does look like the sort of opening that a beginner would play when
first coming across the Sicilian, but it has been used by a glittering list of
star chess players. Even the great Garry Kasparov has had to defend against it.
I think it is worth testing if only to avoid the well analysed lines of the
Dragon or Najdorf. After all, even the late Bobby Fischer announced at a
press conference in Iceland that he had no time to memorise umpteen
chess variations. You can understand what he means when you have to work
all week, entertain the family and learn 400 moves of the Sicilian main line
at the weekend just to equalise against the latest talented teenager. True,
with this positional system it might be more difficult to score a knockout
victory within a few moves, but, if you prefer to fight your battles in
the middlegame, it is a useful weapon. There are so many recent games in
the line, I have added more detailed variations than usual so that you can get
a realistic idea of the plans available to White and Black.

Play through and download the Goginenni Rohit-Steven Wagner Differdange 2007
games from ChessCafe.com in the 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bc4
DGT Game Viewer. The Fearsome Four
I think this is a great way to Pawns Attack
stifle Black's ambitions to play by Jerzy Konikowski &
The Complete
the main lines such as the Marek Soszynski
DGT Product Line
Najdorf and Dragon. It might
lead to level positions, but Read an excerpt here.
Black will not be able to play
the usual opening and White
will aim to seek an advantage
in the middlegame. The
argument for White is that after
2...d6 a bishop on c4 is
OK, because it takes Black time
to organize the reply ...e7-e6
and ...d6-d7 compared to
other lines, when if the pawn is
on d7, it will only use up one move to get it to d5 rather than two moves. 3...
Nf6 An obvious reply is 3...e6 to stunt the power of the bishop. For example:
4 00 Nc6 5 c3 and now: a) 5...a6?! 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 c4?! (this is rather
tame because the white pawn centre looks strong and the black queenside
pawns can be quickly undermined with a2-a4 or b2-b3) 8 Bc2 Be7 9 Qe2
Qc7 10 a4! (White aims to open the position to exploit Black's lack
of development) 10...Bb7 11 axb5 axb5 12 Rxa8+ Bxa8 13 Na3 favours The Modern Morra
White. b) 5...Nf6 6 d3 d5 7 Bb5 dxe4 8 dxe4 Qxd1 9 Rxd1 Bd7 10 Bd3 led
Gambit
to roughly equal play, S.Ansell -M.Tasker, Liverpool 2007. 4 d3 a) If you
want to play something different, then 4 e5!? is worth a go 4...dxe5 5 Nxe5 e6 by Hannes Langrock
6 Qe2 Bd6 (6...Nbd7? is a dream sequence, as White can win in style with
7 Nxf7! Kxf7 8 Qxe6+ Kg6 9 h4! (the black king is a sorry sight) 9...Qe7 10
h5+ Kh6 11 d4+ g5 12 hxg6+ Kxg6 (12...Kg7 13 Bh6+ Kxg6 14
Bd3 checkmate) 13 Bd3+ Kg7 14 Bh6 checkmate) 7 b3 00 (7...Nbd7??
loses instantly to 8 Nxf7! Kxf7 9 Qxe6+ wins) 8 Bb2 Nbd7 9 f4 Nd5 10 0
0 N7b6 11 Bd3 Qh4?! (this just wastes precious time) 12 g3 Qe7 13 c4 Nb4
14 Nc3 f6? 15 Bxh7+! (15 Ng6!? is also good because of 15...hxg6 16
Bxg6 Rf7 17 Qh5 Qe8 18 Ne4 Bc7 19 Nxf6+! gxf6 20 Bxf6
winning comfortably) 15...Kxh7 16 Qh5+ Kg8 17 Ng6 Qd8 18 Ne4!
Nd3 (White was planning something like 18...Re8 19 Qh8+ Kf7 20 Ng5
+! Kxg6 (or 20...fxg5 21 Qxg7 checkmate) 19 Ng5!! Black resigned because
of 19... fxg5 20 fxg5 (threatening 21 Qh8 checkmate) or 20 Qh8+ Kf7 21 fxg5
+, intending 21...Kxg6 22 Qxg7+ Kh5 23 Qh6+ Kg4 24 Qh4 checkmate, 10,
E.Shaposhnikov-S.Dvoiris, Russian Championship Samara 2000. b) 4 Qe2
this is another way to play c3-d4 by defending the e-pawn with the queen:
b1) 4...Bg4? is an obvious idea, but backfires because of 5 e5!, when 5...
dxe5? is hopeless in view of 6 Nxe5!

6...Bh5? 7 Qxh5 Nxh5 8

Bxf7 checkmate. b2) 4...Nc6 5
h3 e6 (5...d5!? is
worth investigating for Black)
6 Bb3 Be7 7 c3 b6 8 00 00
9 Rd1!? (with the queen on e2
it makes sense to involves
the king's rook in assisting
the advance of the d-pawn) 9...
a5!? (9...Bb7 10 d4 d5 11 e5
Nd7 12 Nbd2 is slightly better
for White) 10 d4 cxd4 11 cxd4
a4 (11...Ba6 is a better bet,
when 12 Qe1 d5 13 e5 Nd7
gives Black equal chances) 12
Bc4 (12 Bxa4? is reckless by White, because the forcing sequence fails to win
a pawn and merely encourages Black. For example: 12...Rxa4 13 Qb5 Ra7
14 Qxc6 Bb7 15 Qb5 Nxe4 with the superior position) 12...d5 (if 12...Nxe4? is
a nice idea, but 13 d5! makes Black look foolish as he will lose a piece) 13
exd5 Nxd5 14 Nc3 Ncb4 15 Ne5 Bb7 16 Ne4 Ba6!? (instead 16...Nf6 17 Nxf6
+ Bxf6 18 Be3 is equal) 17 a3! Bxc4 18 Qxc4 f5 19 Ng3 Rc8 20 Qb5 Nc2
21 Rb1 Bxa3!? (or 21...Qe8 22 Qd3! and the black knight cannot
escape, meaning it will soon leave the board) 22 bxa3 Nc3 23 Qd3 Nxb1
24 Bb2 Nbxa3 (or 24...Qd5 25 Rxb1 Qa2 26 Qd1 Rfd8 27 Ne2, intending
Nc3, is good for White) 25 Bxa3 Nxa3 26 Qxa3 b5 27 Ne2! P.Leko-A.
Romero Holmes, Leon 1994. 4...e6 Black wants to lessen the influence of
the bishop on c4, which is attacking the pawn on f7. Or a) 4...Nc6, when
White can continue: a1) 5 c3 5 00 Bg4 (5.g6 6 h3 Bg7 7 Nc3 led to
equal play in the heavyweight clash, L.McShane-B.Gelfand, Saint
Vincent 2005) 6 Nbd2 e6 7 h3 Bh5 8 c3 Be7 9 Bb3 d5 10 Re1 (10 Qe2 is
a decent alternative) 10...00 11 Qe2 b5 (maybe 11...Qc7!?) 12 Bc2 Rc8
(12...d4 is worth consideration) 13 g4 (13 e5 is met by 13...Nd7 14 Qe3 d4!
15 Qf4 Qc7 with an edge for Black) 13...Bg6 14 Nh4 d4 15 c4 Nd7 16
Ng2 bxc4 (16...a6!? is worth considering to maintain the tension, when 17
f4 looks challenging, but Black should be fine after 17...h6 18 f5 Bh7) 17
Nxc4 e5 (I quite like 17...Nb6!?) 18 f4 exf4!? (18...f6 seems to be passive
and White might build up his pieces behind his wall of pawns before finding
a breakthrough) 19 Nxf4 Nce5 20 Bb3 Nxc4 21 Bxc4 Nb6?! (21...Ne5!
looks positive because the knight cannot be easily dislodged from the
useful central square, leading to roughly equal chances) 22 b3!? Nxc4 23
bxc4 Rb8 24 Nd5 Bd6 25 e5 Re8 26 Bf4 Bf8 27 Bg3 Rb7 28 h4 h6 29 Rf1
Kh8 30 Rae1 Qc8 31 Qf3 Bh7 32 g5 gave White a promising attack in
L.McShane-K.Sasikiran, Hastings 2003. a2) In the top class encounter
M.Adams-A.Khalifman, Aarhus 1997, White tried 5 Nbd2!?, which is
an indication that White wants the critical battle to be in the middlegame: 5...
g6 6 a3!? Bg7 7 00 00 8 Ba2 (instead 8 Re1 Rb8 9 Nf1 b5 10 Ba2 Bb7
11 Ne3 is about equal) 8...b5 9 Re1 Rb8 10 c3 a5 11 d4?! (the problem with
this advance is that Black is well placed to try and attack the d-pawn; 11 Nf1
to delay the central pawn advance might be a better idea) 11...cxd4 12
cxd4 Qb6! 13 Nf1 Bg4 14 Be3 Bxf3 15 gxf3 Qb7 16 Ng3 (16 Qd3 a4 17 Bd2
e5 is slightly better for Black) 16...a4 17 f4 Na5 18 Bd2 (18 Rc1 to cover the
c4-square is worth a go, although 18...Rfc8 19 e5 Nd5 20 Ne4 Nxe3 21 Rxc8
+ Rxc8 22 Rxe3 leaves Black a bit better, but I still think it will end in a
draw) 18...Nc4 19 Bxc4 bxc4 20 Bb4 (20 Bc3 looks positive, but 20...h5 as
in the game is a strong way to help attack the e4-pawn, by attempting to
knock away the defending knight on g3 with ...h5-h4) 20...h5! 21 d5 h4 22
Nf1 Nh5 23 Qg4 Qc8! 24 f5 Bxb2 25 Qxh4 Bf6 26 Qg4 Bxa1 27 Rxa1 Nf6
28 Qg2 c3 29 Ne3 Kh8 30 Rc1 Rxb4 31 axb4 a3 32 Kh1 a2 33 f4 Qa6 34
Ra1 Qd3 35 fxg6 fxg6 36 Qh3+ Nh5 01. a3) 5 c3 and now: a31) 5...Bg4?
is obvious, but a poor choice. 6 Qb3!

(the queen is a monster on

b3, where it targets the b7- and
f7-pawns) 6...e6 7 Qxb7 Qc8
8 Ba6! Ne7 9 e5 (another top
move that secures victory in
the opening) 9...dxe5 10 Qb5
+! Qd7 11 Nxe5 10, L.
McShane-R.Molander,
Stockholm 2000. a32) 5...g6 6 0
0 Bg7 and now: 7 h3 (7 Bb3 00
8 Re1 b5 (8...e5 9 h3 a quiet
move to stop ...Bg4 as part of
the preparations for a future d3-
d4 9...d5 10 Nbd2 h6? 11
exd5 Nxd5 12 Ne4 Na5 13
Bxd5 Qxd5 14 Bxh6! wins a pawn because the bishop is immune, Pavasovic-
T.Hebesberger, St Veit 2000) 9 a3 a5 10 h3 Nd7 11 Be3 a4 12 Bc2 Nb6 is
about equal, but Black eventually won in A.Timofeev-G.Kasparov,
Moscow 2004) 7...00 8 Bb3 and now: a32a) 8...b5 9 Re1 a5 10 a3 e5 11
Bg5 a4 12 Ba2 h6 13 Bh4 Qe8 14 Nbd2 Be6 15 Nf1 Bxa2 16 Rxa2 Qe6 17
Ra1 Nd7 18 Ne3 with level play, P.Harikrishna-V.Topalov, Bilbao 2007.
a32b) 8...e5 9 Be3 h6 10 Nbd2 Ne8 11 Nh2 Na5 12 Ba4 Bd7 13 Bxd7 Qxd7
14 Nc4 Nc6 15 a4 d5 16 exd5 Qxd5 17 Qb3 Rb8 (this position is level,
but Black manages to increase the pressure) 18 a5 Nc7 19 Rfd1 Rfd8 20
Nd2 Qxb3 21 Nxb3 b6 22 axb6 axb6 23 Kf1 Rd7 24 Ke2 Rbd8 25 Nf3
f5! (Black is on the offensive, but White has limited play and the defensive
task is tough) 26 g3 Ne6 27 Ne1 f4 28 Bd2 e4 29 dxe4 c4 30 Nc1 fxg3 31
fxg3 Nc5 32 Nf3 Nxe4 33 g4 Re8 34 Kf1 Rf7 35 Kg2 Ref8 36 Rf1 Ne5! 01,
A.Timofeev-A.Morozevich, Moscow 2007. a4) 4...Bg4? allows White to
grab the advantage thanks to 5 e5!, when 5...dxe5 is hopeless upon 6 Bxf7+
(6 Nxe5 Be6 7 Bxe6 fxe6 8 00 also looks good) 6...Kxf7 7 Nxe5+ is good
for White. 5 00 The retreat of the bishop is interesting in order to facilitate
c2-c4 5 Bb3 d5 6 e5 Nfd7 7 c4!? (7 Qe2, intending 00, is fine for White) 7...
d4 8 Bf4 Be7 9 h4 (a clever move to put off ...g7-g5, while also keeping
the option of h4-h5-h6) 9...b6 10 Nbd2 Bb7 with roughly equal play,
D.Lobzhanidze-D.Solak, Batumi 1999. 5...Be7 A computer came up with
the move 5...a6, but the trend has not caught on, probably because White
was victorious in M.Adams-Pocket Fritz, Mainz 2001. That game continued:
6 Bb3 Be7 7 Re1 Nc6 8 c3 00 9 Nbd2 (the idea of slowing manoeuvring
the queenside knight to the kingside is familiar to Adams because it is similar
to a Closed Ruy Lopez) 9...Bd7 10 Nf1 Qb6 11 Rb1 Na5 12 Bc2 Rad8 13
Bg5 h6 14 Bh4 Nc6 15 Ne3 Qc7 16 Rc1 b5 17 Bb1 a5 18 d4 (White
eventually finds a way to safely advance the d-pawn) 18...Qb6 19 e5 dxe5
(19...Ne8 20 Qc2 g6 21 d5! is clearly winning) 20 dxe5 Nd5 21 Nxd5 exd5
22 Qc2 (it is always great to threaten checkmate) 22...g6 23 e6! (a nice
finish that the computer would have seen, but not until it was too late) 23...
Bxh4 24 Nxh4 Bxe6 25 Rxe6 10. 6 Bb3 00 Black can chase the bishop as
a ploy to gain space on the queenside: 6...b5 7 a4 c4 8 Ba2 cxd3 9 cxd3 (I like
9 Qxd3, when 9...bxa4 10 Nc3 is slightly better for White) 9...bxa4 10 Nc3
Nc6 11 d4 00 12 Qxa4 Bd7 13 Qd1 Nb4 14 Bb1 Bc6 15 Qe2 Qd7 16 Re1
Qb7 17 d5 exd5 18 exd5 Nbxd5 19 Nxd5 Nxd5 20 Nd4 Nf6! 21 Nf5 (21
Nxc6 Qxc6 22 Qxe7? (22 Bd3!? is fine for White) 22...Rae8 wins) 21...Bd8
22 Nxd6 Qb4 23 Qd2 Qg4 24 Qg5 Bb6 25 h3 Bxf2+ 26 Kxf2 Qd4+ 27
Be3 Qxd6 28 Rxa7 Rxa7 29 Bxa7 Qb4 30 Bc5? Qxb2+ 31 Re2 Qb5 32
Be3? Qxb1 01, S.Galdunts-G.Ginsburg, Darmstadt 2001. 7 c3 White can
also play 7 Re1 with ideas similar to the main game: 7...b5 8 c3 Bb7 9
Nbd2 Nc6 10 Nf1 b4 11 Ng3 bxc3 12 bxc3 Ba6 13 Bf4 Rc8 14 Ba4 Nd7 15
d4 cxd4 16 Bxc6 Rxc6 17 cxd4 Rc7 18 Qa4 Qc8 19 Qb4 Nb6 20 Bxd6 Rc4
21 Qa3 Ra4?! (the game should have ended with 21...Rc3 22 Qb4 Rc4 23
Qa3 Rc3 24 Qb4 Rc4 and will soon end in a draw by repetition, so Black
is daring and misguidedly goes for more) 22 Qc5 Bxd6 23 Qxd6 (White is
now just a pawn up) 23...Qb8 24 Qc5 Qf4 25 d5 (I prefer 25 Nh5! to stop
the black queen from being on a useful square, when 25...Qg4 26 h3 Qg6 27
g4 favours White) 25...exd5 26 exd5 Bb7 27 Rad1 g6 28 h3 Rc8 29 Qb5
Rxa2 30 Re4 Qh6 31 Qb3 Rac2 32 d6 R2c3 33 Re8+ Rxe8 34 Qxc3 Nd7
35 Qc7 10, M.Godena-Z.Kozul, Nova Gorica 2007. 7...Nc6 8 Nbd2

White is not looking to

win quickly, but is aiming for
a more sedate approach.
The queen's knight will
be transferred to the kingside
and the intention is to get
the pieces ready for the
critical stage of the
middlegame. The beauty of
this strategy is that White has
an obvious plan to put his
pieces on superior squares
before playing d3-d4, but it is
not obvious what Black should
do. 8 Re1 Nd7 (8...e5 9 Nbd2
Be6 10 Nc4 h6 11 a4 Re8 12 Ne3 with roughly equal chances, R.Milovanovic-
S.Shivaji, Dallas 1999) 9 d4 Bf6 10 Be3 Na5 11 Bc2 Nc4 12 Bc1 (an
idea borrowed from the Ruy Lopez, now the knight can be kicked away by
b2-b3) 12...e5 13 Qe2 Ncb6 14 a4 Rb8 15 a5 Na8 (this looks embarrassing)
16 dxc5 dxc5 17 Nbd2 Nc7 18 Nc4 Ne6 19 Rd1 Qc7 20 Nd6 a6 21 Bb3 Be7
22 Nxf7! c4 23 N7g5! (a clever continuation that wrecks Black's position)
23...Bxg5 24 Bxc4 Ndc5 25 Nxg5, when the time is right for Black to go
home, M.Godena-Z.Mestrovic, Nova Gorica 2007.8...d5 It is understandable
to challenge the centre. However, White can choose to ignore it and might
even claim that the d5-pawn is a target. However, I think the position
offers equal opportunities. Also possible: a) 8...b6 9 Re1 Ba6 10 Nf1 Re8
(10...d5 11 e5 Nd7 12 d4 this pawn formation is similar to a French
Advance variation 12...cxd4 13 cxd4 Qc7 14 Bf4 Nb4 15 Rc1 Qb7 16 Re3
Rfc8 17 Rcc3 Bc4 18 a3 Bxb3 19 Qxb3 Nc6 20 Qc2 Na5 21 Ng5, when
White has good prospects on the kingside, Lutz-Xue Kang, Oropesa del
Mar 2000) 11 Ng3 Ne5 12 Bc2 Qc7 13 h3 Ng6 14 Bg5 h6 15 Be3 Red8 16
Rc1 b5 17 d4 White has finally found the right time to advance the d-pawn,
but the chances are still level, Zhou Weiqi -R.Bancod, Cebu City 2007. b)
8...Qc7 9 Re1 Ne5 10 Bc2 Ng6 11 Nf1 (the great thing about this line is
that White can carry on with his standard opening plan of transferring
the queen's knight to the kingside. Add to that the delayed pawn advance of
d3-d4 and it is easier for White to play quickly in practical play) 11...Bd7
12 h4!? (it is rather daring to weaken your own kingside pawns, but
the motivation is the knight on g6 and the desire to play h4-h5 to knock it
away) 12...Rfe8 13 g3 Rad8 14 Qe2 Bc6 15 N3h2 e5 (or 15...b5 looks good
for Black) 16 Ne3 d5 17 Nf5 c4?! (17...dxe4 18 dxe4 h6 is about equal) 18
dxc4 dxe4 19 Ng4 Nf4? 20 gxf4 exf4 21 Nxe7+ Qxe7 22 Bxf4 maybe this
is what Black missed 22...Nh5 23 Nh6+ 10, I.Markovic-D.
Radovanovic, Herzeg Novi 2001. 9 Qe2 b5 10 d4 Or 10 Re1 Bb7 11 exd5
(11 Nf1 dxe4 12 dxe4 c4 13 Bc2 Qc7 14 Ng3 with a level position) 11...exd5
12 d4 c4 13 Bc2 Re8 14 Ne5 Bd6 15 f4 is roughly even. 10...b4 11 exd5
Nxd5 12 c4 Nf6 After 12...Nf4, then 13 Qe4 attacks both knights, but 13...
Qc7 14 g3 Nh5 15 dxc5 Bxc5 16 Bc2 Nf6 17 Qe2 is even. 13 dxc5 Bb7?!
13...Bxc5 is simple and good, when 14 Ne4 (14 Bc2 Qc7 15 Ne4 Nxe4 16
Bxe4 Bb7 17 Rd1 Rad8 18 Be3 with a tiny edge) 14...Nxe4 15 Qxe4 Bb7
16 Bc2 g6 17 Bh6 Re8 18 Rad1 gives White some activity, but Black should
be able to defend. 14 Bc2 Bxc5 15 Nb3 Be7 16 Bg5 The computer suggests
16 g3 to support a bishop on f4 in order to thwart Black safely placing his
king on c7. I would not have thought of that, but coupled with a rook to d1
the queen on d8 will soon be misplaced. 16...a5 Black should probably try
16...Qc7, when a sample line runs 17 Rad1 h6 18 Bh4 (the good thing about
the bishop retreating is that when the black queen ends up on b6, there is
no longer the option of Be3) 18...Rad8 19 Bg3 Qb6 with equal play. 17
Rad1 Qc7 18 Qe3 a4 If 18...Rad8 19 Bf4 Qc8 20 Qb6 gives White
the initiative. 19 Nc5 b3? 20 Bxf6! Bxc5

Instead 20...Bxf6 21 Rd7 Qc8

22 axb3 is very good for
White. The black kingside
pawn barrier is seriously
weakened upon 20...gxf6 21
Rd7! Qc8 22 Be4 Rb8 23 Qh6
f5 24 Ng5 Bxg5 25 Qxg5+ Kh8
26 Qf6+ Kg8 27 Nxe6
with checkmate to follow. 21
Qg5 White can now
force checkmate. 21...g6 22 Qh6
10

Mr. Glasscook from Denmark

e-mails I have a
question concerning a line in your book Ideas Behind the Modern
Chess Openings: Black, as I am trying to acquaint myself with
the Scandinavian. In the game Meszaros-Werner, 2003, the text move for
White is 9 Qe2. Yet I've been taken aback when White has instead played
9 Ne5!?. This seems to leave the d-pawn undefended, but if Black plays ...
Qxd4, then Bxb5+ wins the black queen. Obviously Black must not take on
d4, but other moves need a lot of care too, since Black is rather
undeveloped and the king is vulnerable. Is there an obvious weakness to 9.
Ne5 that I just can't see? I have replied with 9b4. Are there
better alternatives?

Tamas Meszaros-Dimo Werner Budapest 2003

1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qd6!?

This move tends to cause a

surprise at club level because
there is no obvious way to refute
it. Of course, White should be
able to create a space
advantage, but he will probably
be uncertain of what to do in
an unfamiliar position. In
contrast, Black will rely
on developing quickly and
gaining time on the clock.
The alternative 3...Qa5 is
the standard continuation. 4 d4
Nf6 5 Nf3 a6 The idea is to
prepare a queenside
fianchetto with ...b7-b5, but White is sometimes lured into a false sense
of security because it seems merely to stop Nb5. 6 Bc4 e6 7 00 b5 8 Bd3
Bb7 9 Qe2 The reader is worried about 9 Ne5!? and has failed to find a
decent reply.

The knight on e5 certainly

looks impressive and the bonus
is that it tempts Black to take
the pawn on d4. Now of course,
9...Qxd4?? is just a blunder
that will catch out a few on
the Internet, but as Mr
Glasscook indicates it loses
the queen to 10 Bxb5+ with
a discovered attack on the
black queen. 9...b4?! as played
by the reader encourages White
to seek an advantage because
10 Ne2 defends the d-pawn,
which means that 10...Nc6 can
be comfortably met by 11 Bf4 with the better opportunities. I propose a
couple of encouraging options and I think the current position offers
equal chances. For example: a) 9...Nc6 the point is that Black is threatening
to win a pawn with ...Nxd4 a1) 10 Nxc6 Qxc6 it is always good to
threaten checkmate in the opening 11 f3 Be7 (I am tempted by 11...000?!
to put immediate pressure on the d4-pawn, but after 12 Be3 Bd6 13 Qe2
with the idea of a4, it soon becomes clear the black defence will crumble.)
12 Be3 00 13 Qe2 h6 with roughly equal chances. a2) 10 Be3 to carry
on dreaming of 10...Nxd4 11 Bxd4 Qxd4 12 Bxb5+ winning, but 10...
Nxe5 when 11 Bf4? to avoid losing a pawn allows the star move 11...
Qc6!, threatening checkmate, when White has no time to take the piece back
on e5. a3) 10 Qf3 looks intimidating, but Black can get away with 10...
Qxd4!, because 11 Nxc6 is met by 11...Qb6, when 12 a4 Bxc6 slightly
favours Black.) 10 Bf4 Qxd4! 11 Nxc6 Qxf4 favours Black. b) 9...c5 also
looks promising for Black: 10 Be3?! (10 Nf3 is an admission that the
ninth move was a mistake, when 10...Nbd7, threatening cxd4, gives Black
a slight plus) 10...cxd4 11 Bxd4 Nc6! 12 Nf3 Nxd4 13 Nxd4 Rd8 14 Nf3
Qb4 15 Rb1 Bc5 with the better game. Just to be well prepared it is
worth noting that 9 Re1 is a similar idea to the main game because it aims
to reinforce control of the e5-square.

For example: 9...Nbd7 has

been tested: a) 10 Bd2 Be7 11
Qe2 00 the black system is
based on getting the pieces out
and castling. This is a recipe
for success when you need
an obvious plan in the
opening. This is in contrast to,
say, the main lines in the
Sicilian when one bad move
can lead to an instant calamity.
12 Ne4 Nxe4 13 Bxe4 Bxe4
14 Qxe4 Nf6 15 Qe2 Rfd8 16
a3 Qd5 17 Bf4 c5 18 dxc5 Qxc5
19 Be3 Qh5 20 Nd4 Qxe2
21 Nxe2?! (the knight is needed on d4 to protect the pawn on c2, so now
Black seizes the initiative) 21...Rac8 22 c3 (22 Nd4 Nd5 23 c3 g6,
intending ...e6-e5, is promising) 22...Nd5 23 Bd4 Rd7 24 Rad1 Rcd8 25
Rd2 Nf6 26 Red1 Ne4 27 Rd3 Nc5 28 Re3 Nb7 29 Re1 Nd6 30 Bb6 Rb8
31 Ba5? 01, J.McKenna-M.Young, Coulsdon 2002. b) 10 Ne5 Qxd4? (or
10...Be7 aiming to castle kingside looks sensible and the obvious 11 Bf4
runs into 11...Qxd4 12 Nxf7 Qxf4! 13 Nxh8 Ng4 and Black wins) 11 Nxf7!
Qh4 (11...Kxf7 12 Bg6+ hxg6 13 Qxd4 wins easily) 12 Bg5 Qb4 13 Nxh8
and White will win, D.Drezzadore- G.Dallaglio, Loreggia 2005. c) 10 Qe2
c5 11 Ne4 Qb6 12 c3 Be7 13 dxc5 Nxc5 14 Nxc5 Qxc5 15 Be3 Qh5 16
Nd4 Qd5 (16...Qxe2 17 Bxe2 Nd5 is an ending with equal opportunities) 17
f3 00 18 Bc2 Qh5 19 Rad1 Bd6 20 h3 Nd5 21 Bf2 Nf4 22 Qf1 Bd5 23
Bb3 Rac8 24 Bxd5 Nxd5 25 g3 Qg6 26 Kh2 h5 27 Re4 Rc4 28 Qd3 Rfc8
(28...Rd8! maintains Black's initiative) 29 Ne2? (29 Nxe6! is a
missed opportunity 29...fxe6 30 Rxc4! Qxd3 31 Rxc8+ Kh7 32 Rxd3 and
the game is over as a contest) 29...Qg5 30 h4 Qf6 31 Kg2 Bf8 32 Bd4 Qg6
33 Kh2? (33 Nf4 is equal) 33...f5! 34 Re5 Bd6 35 f4 Bxe5 36 Bxe5 Re4 37
Nd4 Re3 01, E.Beganovic-E.Dizdarevic, Bihac 1999. 9...Be7 10 Bg5 Nbd7
11 Rad1 00 Black has achieved the goal of developing his pieces and
castling. In this position the chances are even, so White has failed to make
the most of Black's unusual third move. 12 Rfe1 h6 The obvious move has to
be 12...c5, but White might be able to get away with the stunning pawn
sacrifice 13 d5!

13...Nxd5 (Black has to take

the pawn, otherwise White
will simply play dxe6 with
the advantage. And now: a)
13...exd5? 14 Qxe7 wins a
piece. b) 13...Bxd5 14 Nxd5
Nxd5 15 Bxh7+! Kxh7 16
Bxe7 Qxe7 17 Rxd5 gives
White the superior chances
because the black king is
exposed) 14 Qe4 (the queen
pins the knight on d5 and
handily threatens checkmate on
h7) 14...N7f6 (or 14...f5 15
Bxe7 fxe4 {15...Qxe7 16
Nxd5 wins} 16 Bxd6 exd3 17 Rxd3 c4 18 Rd2 with the slightly better
chances thanks to the weak e6-pawn) 15 Bxf6 Nxf6 16 Qxb7 Rfb8 and now
17 Be4 gives White the better chances. 13 Be3 b4 14 Nb1 Ng4 The chances
are even, but White has to be on his guard, especially because the current
threat is ...Bxf3, followed by ...Qxh2+. 15 Nbd2 Ndf6 16 h3 Nxe3 17
fxe3 White wants to support the d4-pawn and prepare the e3-e4
advance. However, 17 Qxe3 is also perfectly acceptable leading to a
level position. 17...c5 18 c3 a5 19 e4?! I prefer 19 Ne5, because the
move played in the game gives Black the straightforward plan of
undermining the central white pawns. 19...Qf4! 20 Ne5 cxd4 21 cxd4 Bc5!

A tricky move that gives White

a chance to go wrong. 22 Nef3
22 Ndf3? is met by 22...Bxd4+
23 Nxd4 Qxe5, when the
extra pawns swings the
game heavily in Black's
favour. 22...Ba7 23 Bb1?! White
is oblivious to the danger of the
pin on the d-pawn and is busy
with his own plan of Qd3,
followed by e4-e5. 23 Nb3
should be preferred, but 23...
Rfc8 maintains an edge. 23...e5!
24 Kh1 Of course, 24 Nxe5?
is useless in view of 24...
Qxe5, when the queen is immune because of the pin on the d-pawn. 24...
exd4 Black is a pawn up with an active position, which spells doom and
gloom for Black. 25 Qb5 Rfb8 26 Qd3? 26 Qxa5 is worth a try, when 26...
d3 looks good for Black. 26...Nh5 A powerful move that exploits the weak
dark squares around the white king. 27 e5 Ng3+ 28 Kg1 Ba6? Perhaps
28...Kf8! should be considered, because 29 Qh7? allows 29...d3+ with a
forced checkmate after 30 Kh2 Nf1+ 31 Kh1 Qh2+! 32 Nxh2 Ng3
checkmate. 29 Qh7+ Kf8 30 Bd3 Bxd3 31 Qxd3 Rc8 32 Ne4 Rc2!
 33 Nxg3 The point is that 33
Qxc2 allows 33...d3+, when
the white queen will soon leave
the board. In a difficult position
the best bet is to try 33
Rd2, although 33...Rac8
maintains Black's initiative.
33...Qxg3 34 Rd2 Rxd2 35
Qxd2 d3+ 36 Kh1 After 36
Kf1, then 36...Rc8 is very
strong, aiming to land a rook on
c2, when 37 Rc1 allows the
finish 37...Rxc1+ 38 Qxc1
Qf2 checkmate. 36...Rd8 37
Rf1 Kg8 38 a3 The problem
for White is that he is restricted to defending against the advance of the d-
pawn. It is a tough task and Black is well on top. 38...Bc5 39 axb4 Bxb4
40 Qd1 Qf4 41 Qb3 Qe4 42 Nh2 Rd5 43 Nf3 d2 44 Rd1 Rd3 45 Qc2 Qe2
46 e6 fxe6 47 Ne5 Rd8 It is more precise to continue 47...Qe1+ 48 Kh2 Qxe5
+ 49 Kh1 Qe1+ 50 Kh2 Bd6+ with checkmate to follow. 48 Nc6 Rf8 49
Nxb4 Rf1+ 01

Mrio Srgio Guimares from Brazil writes In the Berlin Defense of

the Ruy Lopez there is a tricky move played by LM Brian Wall, mainly in
blitz: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 O-O Ng4!?, with the idea 5 h3 h5,
and White cannot take the knight. The basic plan for Black is ...h5, ...
Bc5 (attacking f2), ...a6 and ...Ba7 (if necessary), ...d6 etc. What's the best
fifth move for White and the best plan of development?

This is an opening that is so bad, it is perfect for the Internet. I have noticed
a trend in books that try to convince the reader that a particular opening is
good based on statistics of results. Frankly, you can twist them to suit
your needs and in this spirit I can highly recommend 4Ng4, as statistically
it is one of the most successful openings ever played. There might be a
few spoilsports who point out that Black tends to have a much higher Elo
rating and it is based on six games in sixty years, but the facts are true. It is
time to see the brave new world of what is arguably the best chess opening
ever played.

Bernard Rigo-Alan Goldsmith Adelaide 2004

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 00 Ng4?!

Black is an Australian
who specializes in odd
openings and delights in
playing them. Of course,
moving the knight twice should
be frowned upon, but Black
is doing something rare in this
era of professional chess - he
is playing for fun. Incidentally,
he is responsible for the line in
the Trompovsky that goes 1 d4
Nf6 2 Bg5 Ne4 and now 3
h4, which he played in the
1980s. This was then picked up
on the international stage by
Chris Depasquale, who in turn influenced English grandmaster Julian
Hodgson, which led to worldwide popularity. 5 d4 The reader can happily
play a) 5 h3 and look forward to seeing 5...h5

White is likely to either be

shocked at facing a new move
or trying hard not to laugh. It is
a typical Internet move to gain
time on the clock and hope that
the opponent is greedy enough
to grab the piece. The drawback
is that if White ignores
the sacrifice, then Black's
kingside has a long-term
weakness and he can't safely
castle on that side 6 c3 a6 7
Ba4 Qf6 8 d4 d6 9 Re1 Be7
10 Bg5 Qg6 11 Bxe7 Kxe7
12 Bxc6 bxc6 13 dxe5 (or 13
Na3 is good news for White) 13...Nxe5! (the chances are now even,
although 13...dxe5? is no longer any good in view of 14 hxg4 hxg4 15
Nxe5 Qh6 16 Kf1 and the king will escape upon 16...Qh1+ 17 Ke2 Qxg2
18 Nxc6+ Kf6 19 Qd4+ Kg6 20 Ne7+ Kh7 21 Nd2 with a massive
advantage) 14 Nxe5 dxe5 15 Qf3 led to equal opportunities although
Black eventually won after sixty-two moves, L.Jiang-M.Barron,Ottawa 2007.
b) 5 Nc3 is also a sensible move to bring another piece into the action 5...Bc5
6 Na4 (6 h3 can still be met by the crowd favourite 6...h5, when acceptance
of the sacrifice directly leads to disaster after 7 hxg4? hxg4 8 Ne1 Qh4
followed by checkmate) 6...Bb6 (the solid approach is 6...Be7 7 h3 Nf6 8 Nc3
00, but if you play like that why bother with the extraordinary 4...Ng4) 7
Nxb6 axb6 8 c3 d5 9 d3 Ra5?! (9...00! 10 h3 Nf6 is the best
continuation, when the chances are roughly level) 10 a4 dxe4 11 dxe4 Qxd1
12 Rxd1 Bd7 13 b3 Nb8 14 Bxd7+ Nxd7 15 Ba3 with advantage to
White because Black's pieces lack coordination, J.Shulga -F.
Panchenko, Sevastopol 2000. 5...exd4 6 Bxc6 It might be worth testing 6
h3, because 6...h5? is no longer good now that the white d-pawn has
been moved, allowing the dark-squared bishop to help defend the kingside.
For instance: 7 hxg4 hxg4 8 Nh2 Qh4 9 Bf4 Bd6 10 e5 Bxe5 11 Re1 Kf8
12 Rxe5 Nxe5 13 Bxe5 winning. 6...bxc6 7 Nxd4 7 h3 h5 our old
favourite returns with 8 hxg4 (8 Qxd4 is excellent for White, but Black's
whole line is based on White being greedy) 8...hxg4 9 Nh2 Ba6! (9...Qh4 is
met by 10 Bf4 and Black's attack evaporates) 10 Re1 Bb4 11 c3 Qh4 12
Bf4 dxc3 13 Nxc3 Bc5 14 Qd2 g3 wins. 7...h5 This looks cheeky, but it
has some merit because the knight is supported, allowing the option of ...Qh4.
8 Nd2?! 8 h3 is an improvement. 8...Ba6 9 Re1?

9 c4 is essential and, after 9...

Bd6 10 h3, the chances are
level. 9...Qh4! The threats
against the f2- and h2-
pawns plunge White into
despair. 10 N2f3 10 h3 is
hopeless in view of 10...Qxf2+
11 Kh1 Qxd4 12 hxg4?
hxg4 checkmate. 10...Qxf2+
11 Kh1 Bc5 11...Rb8 also
looks good, when a sample
line runs 12 Qd2 Qxd2 13
Nxd2 Bc5 14 c3 Nf2+ 15 Kg1
Nd3 with a big advantage. 12 c3
12 Qd2 is the best bet, but 12...
Rb8 maintains the advantage for Black. 12...000 13 b4 h4

This is great fun because the

h-pawn is the star pawn on
the board, and all because of
the amusing 7...h5. 14 Qd2 Or
14 bxc5 h3! 15 gxh3 Rxh3 16
Qd2 Rg3! 17 hxg3 (17 Rb1 or
any other casual move is met
by 17...Bf1!, intending ...Bg2
+) 17...Rh8+ 18 Nh4
Qxg3 winning easily. 14...h3
15 gxh3 Bxd4 16 Nxd4 16
cxd4 Qxf3+ 17 Qg2 Nf2+ 18
Kg1 Nxh3+ 19 Kh1 Qh5
and White can resign. 16...Bd3
17 Qxf2 It is understandable
that White wants to exchange queens to lessen the onslaught, but Black is
still clearly on top. Of course, 17 hxg4?? allows 17...Rxh2 checkmate. 17...
Nxf2+ 18 Kg2 Nxe4 19 Re3 Bc4! 20 Nf3 Or 20 Rxe4 Bd5 21 Kg3 (21
Kf3 Rde8 wins) 21...Bxe4 and Black has a great ending. 20...f5 21 Ne5 Be6
22 a4 In the computer database 22 h4 is played, but I believe this is more
likely. 22...d6 23 Nxc6 Rde8 24 Nxa7+ Kb7 25 Nb5 f4 26 Rd3 26 Rf3 is
the best defence, although 26...g5 is still good for Black. Instead, 26
Rxe4? allows 26...Bd5 with a clear advantage. 26...g5 27 Nd4 Bc4

28 Rd1?! 28 Rf3 puts up

stiffer resistance because
it maintains the defence of the
c-pawn. 28...Nxc3 29 Rd2 Bd5
+ 30 Kg1 30 Nf3 Bxf3+ 31
Kxf3 Ne4 attacking the rook on
d2 and once it moves, then ...
Rxh3 is very good for Black.
30...Re1+ 31 Kf2 Rh1 32
Rc2 Rxh2+ 01

2008 Gary Lane. All Rights Reserved.

Gary wants your questions on openings!! Send it along and perhaps it

will be answered in an upcoming column. Please include your name
and country of residence. Yes, I have a question for Gary!
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