[Next]
- A speed game between two Class A
- players.
[Next]
- The Sicillian Defense.
[Next]
- The Alapin Variation. Not only is it
- very popular, but it avoids many of
- the complex variations of the
- Sicillian that Black can play.
[Next]
- d5 seems logical because there is no
- immediate threat of White being able
- to play Nc3. In many respects this
- resembles the Center Counter
- Defense.
[Next]
- Trying to defend the pawn will cost
- time and possibly leave White
- cramped, so he takes it.
[Next]
- At first glance this queen capture
- appears to be "for free" since White
- had to waste a move playing exd5.
- But eventually White will gain back
- the loss of time by playing Nc3.
[Next]
- If White doesn't try to control the
- center then Black will. Black
- could take the pawn immediately here,
- but it is a mistake according to the
- opening books. He would prefer to
- pressure White into playing Be2
- first, because if he allows Nc3 and
- Bb5 and d5 then it is good for White,
- especially if Black continues with
- the normal plan of playing Nc6. So
- first get White to play Be2 and then
- if White wants to play Bb5 later it
- costs him a tempo by moving a piece
- twice in the opening.
[Next]
- Three pieces attacking d4. Not much
- good for White would be dxc5. In a
- game against a computer, I won after
- dxc5 Qxd1+, Kxd1 Bf5 and Black has
- compensation for the lost pawn
- because the White King is in such a
- bad position and will not be able to
- castle out of it.
[Next]
- Add a protector to d4.
[Next]
- Pin the knight that protects d4.
[Next]
- Break the pin.
[Next]
- Taking the pawn is one variation that
- can be found in the books. Another
- is to play e6.
[Next]
- White recaptures with the pawn so he
- can play Nc3 and gain a tempo by
- making the Queen move. Highly
- questionable for White would be Nxd4
- instead because the pawn on g2 is
- hanging.
[Next]
- Black wants to prevent d5 which would
- leave him weak on the a4 to e8
- diagonal.
[Next]
- Finally White gets to chase the
- Queen.
[Next]
- Black moves to a relatively safe
- square. He has to be careful that
- whatever place he moves to doesn't
- come under attack. ...As a general
- rule it is not a good idea to have
- the Queen so far out in the opening,
- but some openings like this one and
- the Center Counter Defense are an
- exception. His Queen will
- probably come under attack, but he
- has isolated the White queen pawn in
- the process. This makes for an
- unbalanced but interesting game.
[Next]
- Castling is important.
[Next]
- Developes.
[Next]
- White has plans to drive the bishop
- away so as to be able to move the
- knight safely.
[Next]
- Retreating is better than Bxf3, Bxf3
- which would put the White bishop on a
- great long diagonal.
[Next]
- This seems like a lot of pawn moves,
- but White wants to drive the Black
- pieces back.
[Next]
- Moving the rook here is a mistake.
- It looks like a natural developing
- move that attacks the isolated d4
- pawn, but Black's first priority
- should be to get castled before his
- king can come under attack. Black is
- also better off having rooks placed
- on c8 and d8 where the open files
- are, so it is more natural to play
- the Queen rook to c8. In addition,
- he might need d8 to retreat his Queen
- to. So the better move is to
- move the king bishop so as to prepare
- for castling.
[Next]
- This bishop is a nuisance to White,
- so he considers it better to get it
- out of the way, even if he does
- loosen the pawns on his kingside.
- Perhaps the reason he can get away
- with this is that most of Black's
- power is on the queenside.
[Next]
- Not much choice but to retreat.
[Next]
- Go away says White. It is worth
- noting that the Queen can't retreat
- to d8.
- In theory Black shouldn't try Bxb4, axb4 Qxa1,
- Qb3 where Black will have to give up
- pieces to allow his Queen to escape, but I have seen some computer analysis where it might work.
[Next]
- Black is getting pushed back.
[Next]
- White hopes to put pressure on the
- knight on c6 by playing Ne5 soon.
- Also the move b5 is a strong threat
- that could win material for White.
- i.e. Be7, b5 Nb8 , b6+ Qd7 (not Qc6,
- Bb5), bxa7 Qxa4, axb8=Q!!
[Next]
- Black tries to break the pin on his
- knight. This would not have been a
- problem if he had tried to castle
- earlier.
[Next]
- Increasing the pressure on the knight
- while also threatening Ne5.
[Next]
- Black sees Ne5 coming so decides to
- guard e5.
[Next]
- As expected.
[Next]
- Ditto.
[Next]
- This seems like a minor
- inconvenience. The knight must move.
- But now Black can be attacked along
- the h4 to d8 diagonal.
[Next]
- So the knight moves.
[Next]
- At the very least, White hopes to
- isolate the e6 pawn. Also he might
- try to gain a tempo by playing Bg5
- later.
[Next]
- Black should have taken with the
- pawn. By exposing his queen to
- attack, he turns a bad position into
- a lost one.
[Next]
- Attack a rook. Gain a tempo. Now
- the White rooks are connected thus
- allowing them to attack the Black
- Queen.
[Next]
- Rook must move.
[Next]
- Gain a tempo forcing the queen to
- move while developing a rook and
- attacking squaures around the enemy
- king. At this point Black probably
- wishes he was castled.
[Next]
- Black is running out of options.
[Next]
- White takes a piece. Maybe Black
- should play Kf8.
[Next]
- Black gets his piece back, but is
- about to lose a king.
[Next]
- Giving up the Queen for mate!
- If now Kf8 then Qxc8 mate.
[Next]
- Not much choice here.
[Next]
- A nice finish.
