Greco on 2...Qf6

Gioachino Greco's explorations of an inaccuracy common among beginners deserve attention. This post does that, as promised in "How Bad is 2...Qf6?" Greco's games with 2...Qf6 all begin: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6 3.Bc4 Qg6 4.O-O Qxe4 5.Bxf7

Black to move

Greco's explorations of this queen foray appear in the Paris (1625) and Orléans (n.d.) manuscripts. Peter J. Monté notes in The Classical Era of Modern Chess (2014) that Orléans was likely copied from the Paris MS (339), although some errors were corrected. Part II of this book, "Openings and Games of the Classical Era of Modern Chess" (439-530), has been an indispensable resource.

I have contended that Greco's games are poorly known, even by those who think they have studied all of them. Most players access these games through ChessBase or websites such as chessgames.com (currently 90 games). The latter has more Greco games, but both offer shorter versions of what is available in such old books as "Professor Hoffmann" [Angelo Lewis], The Games of Greco (1900), and William Lewis, Gioachino Greco on the Game of Chess (1819). These shorter versions miss the best of Greco's analysis.

A couple of years before the earliest version of what eventually became ChessBase Mega, David Levy and Kevin O'Connell made an effort to record all known games up to 1866 in Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess Games, Volume 1 1485-1866 (1981). They offer 77 Greco games, many annotated. These are extracted from Hoffmann's text. As with Lewis before him, Hoffmann buried the best analysis in the variations, which sometimes are much longer than the main game. Levy and O'Connell continue this practice.

The games in ChessBase come close to representing these abbreviated "main games" sans the variations. If the longest variation of each game were the main game instead, what most chess players know of Greco would be substantially enriched. Here I offer improved versions with notes. The notes show other lines that appear in Greco's manuscripts and in Hoffmann.

Greco,Gioachino [C40]
Paris, 1625

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6 3.Bc4 Qg6

ChessBase Mega 2020 has four games with this move. Three are Greco's. The other was a fighting draw played in Germany in 2010. No rating is given for the player of Black, while White's is slightly over 2000.

4.0-0 Qxe4 5.Bxf7+

All of Greco's games reach this point. The analysis continues with lines that follow all three of Black's legal moves.

5...Kd8

5...Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Nxe4 matches a game in CB Mega 2020 and also appears in the Paris MS.

White to move

6.Nxe5 Nf6

6...Qxe5 7.Re1 Qf6 8.Re8# Orléans. Game XXI, var. A in Hoffmann. This line ends with the same checkmate that can be found in one of the Greco selections in CB Mega 2020.

7.Re1 Qf5 8.Bg6

Black to move

8...Qe6

8...hxg6 9.Nf7# Game XXI, var. B in Hoffmann; Paris and Orléans MSS.

9.Nf7+ Ke8 10.Nxh8+ hxg6 11.Rxe6+ dxe6 12.Nxg6 1-0

Black to move

This game and its variations appear in Paris MS (1625) XXXIII; Orléans MS XXII. The game is XXI, var. C in Hoffmann.

Greco,Gioachino [C40]
Paris, 1625 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6 3.Bc4 Qg6 4.0-0 Qxe4 5.Bxf7+ Ke7

White to move

Greco considers every legal move for Black after the bishop check.

6.Re1 Qf4 7.Rxe5+

Black to move

Here, also, Greco considers every legal move for Black.

7...Kxf7

7...Kd8 Paris MS (1625) XXXIV. 8.Re8# This game appears in ChessBase Mega 2020.
7...Kf6 8.d4 Qg4 9.Bh5 Paris MS XXXIV.
7...Kd6 8.Rd5+ Kc6 9.Nd4+ Paris MS (9.Ne5+ Orléans MS)

8.d4 Qf6 9.Ng5+ Kg6 10.Qd3+

Black to move

10...Kh5

10...Kh6 11.Nf7# is given as the main line in Levy and O'Connell. Hoffmann, game XXII.

An essential aspect of Greco's technique in dealing with the horrid positions for which he is well-known is to seek to improve the losing side's defenses. When only the shortest versions of these games are known, this technique is hidden. 

11.Nf7+

11.g4+ is not attested by Monte, but is found in CB Mega 2020.
11.Nf3+ Kg4 (11...g5 12.Rxg5+) 12.h3# Orléans MS.

11...Kg4

11...g5 12.Rxg5+ Game XXII, var. B in Hoffmann.

White to move

12.h3+

Hoffmann writes, "Greco gives this move as mate, but this is obviously a slip, Black still having one square available" (65). Monte notes this error in Paris XXXIII (477).

12.Qg3# Monte notes that Greco overlooks this mate.

12...Kh4 13.Qg3# 1-0

This game appears in the Paris MS (1625) XXXIII. Also as Game XXII, var. A in Hoffmann.

Greco,Gioachino [C40]
Orléans, 1625

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6 3.Bc4 Qg6 4.0-0 Qxe4 5.Bxf7+ Ke7

5...Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Nxe4 is found in CB Mega 2020

6.Re1

Black to move

6...Qf4 7.Rxe5+ Kd6

7...Kf6 8.d4 Qg4 9.Bh5 Game XXIII, var. A in Hoffmann.
7...Kd8 8.Re8# Paris MS (1625) XXXIV; Orléans MS. Game XXIII in Hoffmann. This version is in CB Mega 2020.

8.Rd5+ Ke7 9.Qe1+ Kxf7 10.d4 Qf6

White to move

11.Ng5+ Kg6 12.Qe8+

Paris MS has an error here, corrected in Orléans.

12...Kh6 13.Nf7+ Kg6

White to move

14.Nxh8# 1-0

This game appears in the Orléans MS. Also Game XXIII, var. B in Hoffmann.

My view is that Greco's attacking technique against the best defense he found for Black is quite instructive. Of course, 2...Qf6 is a bad move, and 3...Qg6 is worse. Nonetheless, the simple refutations offered in the sample of these games in ChessBase Mega and on database websites have unjustifiably tarnished Greco's reputation. Much more of value exists in his model games than is generally believed.

Monumental Scholarship

Notes Towards a Book Review

Peter J. Monté, The Classical Era of Modern Chess (McFarland 2014) is a work of monumental scholarship. It does not replace H. J. R. Murray, A History of Chess (Oxford 1913) because it is of more limited chronological scope. Rather, it summarizes in a few pages (1-24) a good portion of Murray's text and what scholarship has contributed in the century since Murray. Monté then expands Murray's 26 page chapter XII "From Lopez to Greco" to a full length work of over 400 pages. The second and third parts of The Classical Era of Modern Chess add more than one hundred pages of detailed documentation of the sources of games and problems from this era.

My first impression of the book was that it is impressive scholarship which will serve as a frequently consulted reference work sitting beside Murray; Hooper and Whyld, The Oxford Companion to Chess, 2nd ed.; and a few other texts on a shelf next to the desk in my office. Also, I might read it. Although documented at least as well as Murray (probably better), and often concerned with the minutia of manuscript details, it remains quite readable.

When the book arrived two days ago, I immediately opened it to the chapter on Greco and skimmed that 36 page chapter. It begins with a discussion of his life, including how much we think is known relies upon a short passage by Alessandro Salvio of dubious credibility. Monté presents the whole of Salvio's passage in Italian, followed by a clear English translation. A couple of weeks ago, I had been trying to make sense of this same passage using Google Translate.

Following three and one-half double-column pages on Greco's life, Monté turns to his manuscripts. These include not only those listed by Antonius van der Linde (1874), J. A. Leon (1900), Murray (1913), and J. G. White (1919); but the list is expanded through more recent work by Monté, assisted in great measure by Alessandro Sanvito, who published a list in Italian (2005). Monté includes a manuscript that is no longer known to exist, but that may have been a source for Francis Beale. Beyer's MS, as he names it, was described briefly by August Beyer in Memoriae historico-criticae librorum rariorum (1734); Beyer gave it a date of 1632. Scholars have long assumed that Beyer transposed two numbers and that the missing MS should be dated 1623. A critical point emphasized in The Classical Era of Modern Chess, however, is that Beyer mentions that the MS was presented to King Charles I, who ascended to the throne in 1625. Monté finds it quite plausible that Greco was back in London in 1632. If so, William Lewis's assertion (1819) that Greco died at an advanced age, and which has long been dismissed on the authority of Salvio's brief passage, might be correct. Monté does not overstate his case, rather suggesting ways that future scholarship might confirm (or deny) Salvio's assertion.

Following detailed discussion of Greco's MSS, which remain the best sources for information about his life, the book turns to a discussion of Greco's sources, greatly expanding Murray's claim that Greco learned chess from the works of Lopez and Salvio (the 1604 text, which is much more credible), and also extending Tassilo von der Lasa's remark that Greco also learned from Polerio.

Monté then turns to publications of Greco's work, which begins with Beale's The Royall Game of Chesse-Play (1656). The chapter concludes with discussion of Greco's lists of rules, his openings, and his problems and endings. I posted one of Greco's endgame compositions a week ago (see "A Greco Composition").

Other chapters follow a similar pattern, There are chapters on Lucena, Damiano, Ruy Lopez, Annibale Romei (see below), Polerio, Gianutio, Salvio, and Carrera, as well as chapters devoted to particular manuscripts. The end of Part I includes three chapters: "The Pawn's Leap", and "From the King's Leap to Castling", and "Epilogue". The Epilogue offers a nice summary of how Monté views the contributions of his this book.

Useful

After less than an hour with The Classical Era of Modern Chess in my possession, I put it to work. About a week ago, I discovered an apparent error in the Wikipedia article on Greco. The information was from a web source of dubious credibility. I removed the "error" and challenged the source. Discussion ensued. A better source was found (Murray), but I pointed out that Murray's phrasing was less than clear. The "error" was put back into the article, but in a better framework (paraphrasing Murray). It all hinged on whether Cusentino, which appears in the title of the Corsini MS, possibly Greco's first, is a surname in the modern sense of the word, as some read Murray.

Title page of Greco's first MS
 from Monté (2014), 324

Monté references work published in Italian by Alessandro Sanvito, noting, "[t]he adjective 'Cusentino' in the title refers to the Calabrian province Cosenza, and Celico (mentioned in the Libretto) belongs to it" (324). Hence it is a surname in the same sense that we might call Adelard of Bath, Mr. Bath (something I've never seen done). Bath was his hometown.

Further Wikipedia edits followed with information from the monumental text.

This morning I started another project--something I've poked at without substantially helpful resources for seven years--that is now made easy, albeit time consuming, with Part II. Openings and Games of the Classical Era of Modern Chess (439-530). This section documents the earliest known, as well as subsequent occurrences, of every move that can be found in manuscripts from this era. For instance, 1.e4 e5 was recorded by Damiano, who lauded the moves as "best" (439).

From this section, I now know that a well-known opening trap credited to Greco (and the notorious loser Nomen Nescio) in ChessBase Mega 2020 and nearly every other database on chess players' computers, as well as websites like Chessgames.com, was something that Greco copied into his manuscripts from the work of others.

Greco,Gioacchino -- NN [C54]
Greco Europe, 1620

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 Bb6 6.dxe5 Nxe4 7.Qd5

This game appears Levy and O'Connell, Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess Games, vol. 1 1485-1866 (1981) as G-5. Greco likely copied it from Polerio. It’s earliest known appearance is in a manuscript by Annibale Romei (c. 1565-1568). This MS was discovered in 1939 by the scholar Adriano Chicco. Romei offers the line 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qd5+ with the suggestion that 7.Qd5 is an improvement (460).

Likewise, the assertion found in many places that in London, Greco began extending what had been collections of openings or opening traps to the conclusions or near conclusions of games, can be understood in greater specificity.

Greco,Gioacchino - NN [C41]
Greco Europe, 1620

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 Nf6 6.Qb3

The opening to this point is recorded in several manuscripts by Polerio. The rest is Greco's contribution.

Black to move

6...Nxe4 7.Bxf7+ Kd7 8.Qxb7 Ng5 9.Bd5 Na6 10.Qc6+ Ke7 11.Qxa8 1-0

This game appears Levy and O'Connell, Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess Games, vol. 1 1485-1866 (1981) as G-17. The earliest known record of the moves from 6...Nxe4 is in the Mountstephen MS, which Monté dates to 1623 (447).

Gifford -- Ter Haar 1873

This game came to my attention during a search for examples of smother mate. In early July, I put together a worksheet for my students that featured smother checkmate threats, some of which could be prevented. Some of the source games offered additional interest.

The game was played in the first ever Dutch Championship, which was won after tiebreaks by Henry William Birkmyre Gifford. Little is known today about Gifford, although ChessBase has 39 of his games in their database. Even less is known about his opponent whose only games in the database are from this event.

Gifford,HWB -- Ter Haar,TC [B01]
DCA Congress 1st The Hague (1), 1873

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 d5

Rare move

More common is 3...exd4 4.Nxd4 then several branches.

4.exd5 Qxd5 5.c4 Qe4+ 6.Be3

6.Be2 seems sensible to me.

6...exd4

The pinned bishop is attacked.

White to move

7.Bd3??-+

This game is the only one with this move. 7.Nxd4 was necessary.

7...Qe7 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 9.0-0 Ne6 10.Nc3

Black to move

Does White have compensation for the  knight? His pieces are better placed and Black's king is in the center, but it is not so easy to mount an attack. Still, one gets the sense from the game as it subsequently developed that Gifford foresaw this position and estimated the loss of the knight to be a worthwhile sacrifice to bring it about.

10...c6 11.Re1 Bd7 12.Bf4 Nf6 13.Bg3 g6 14.f4 Bg7

White to move

15.Kh1

Gifford surely saw 15.f5 Qc5+ 16.Kh1 gxf5.

15...Nh5 16.Ne4 Nxg3+ 17.Nxg3 0-0-0

The g-file will open.

White to move

18.f5 gxf5 19.Nxf5 Qf6 20.Nd6+ Kb8 21.Rf1 Nf4

21...Qe7 22.Nxf7

22.c5 Qg5 23.Qd2

Black to move

The pinned knight is attacked.

23...Qd5?

23...Qxg2+ 24.Qxg2 Nxg2 25.Kxg2 Rdf8;
23...Ne6 24.Qb4 Bc8

24.Qxf4

Black is fine even yet.

24...Qxd3??+-

24...Ka8? 25.Qb4 Rb8 26.Be4 Qh5;
24...Be5 25.Qe3 Bd4 26.Qf3

White to move

This position was on my worksheet.

25.Ne8+ Ka8

Black can delay checkmate two moves longer with 25...Be5 26.Qxe5+ Qd6 27.Qxd6+ Ka8 28.Nc7+ Kb8 29.Na6+ Ka8 30.Qb8+ Rxb8 31.Nc7#.

26.Nc7+ Kb8 27.Na6+ Ka8 28.Qb8+ Rxb8 29.Nc7# 1-0

After a Long Drought ...

McDonnell Wins!

McDonnell -- La Bourdonnais 1834

Down eleven wins to two, Alexander McDonnell scored his third win in the match in game 19. McDonnell (1798-1835) agreed to play a match of twenty-one games, draws not counting, against Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais (1795-1840), the undisputed champion of France (and presumably of Europe). The match, the first of six between these two contestants, was played at the Westminister Chess Club in London. William Greenwood Walker, the club secretary, recorded the games as they were played.

I am going through all of the games in this match, annotating them for this blog. I am not checking my analysis with a chess engine, so errors should be expected. It is my belief that the games between these two players are a rich source of instructive positions for my teaching of youth players, and also offer plenty of material of value to an A Class player seeking to improve his skill. My peak USCF rating of 1982 was achieved two years ago, and is currently slightly more than 100 below that. I will rise again. When I do, I will credit my teachers McDonnell and La Bourdonnais.

My series on this match begins with "Three Fighting Draws". I discuss game 18 in "Attack and Counterattack".

De Labourdonnais,Louis Charles Mahe -- McDonnell,Alexander [C23]
London m1 London (19), 1834

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qe2 d6 4.d3 Nf6 5.h3

5.Nf3 seems better 5...Bg4?! 6.h3

5...Nc6 6.c3

Black to move

6...Ne7 

The knight heads to g6, where it asserts influence over f4. This move also prepares c7-c6 and d6-d5.

6...Be6 was played in the two other games that reached this position. Those games were among players whose rating place them in the weak expert category (or Candidate Master). Which move is best? The respective rating of the players does not answer this question. But, it does raise a question: If McDonnell and La Bourdonnais had chess ratings, how would these compare to today's players?

They were the best in their day, but they did not benefit from the established theory that is now the common possession even of most average club players. Rather, their match became one of the important foundations of that theory. Edo Historical Chess Ratings puts McDonnell at a little over 2500 and La Bourdonnais in the mid-2600s.

7.Bb3

A prophylactic retreat.

7...Ng6 8.g3

I don't like this move, and prefer 8.Nf3. Play might continue8...Nf4 9.Bxf4 exf4 10.d4 Bb6 with equal chances for both sides.

8...c6 9.f4?! exf4 10.gxf4

10.d4 Bb6 11.Bxf4
10.Bxf4

10...Bxg1!

McDonnell gets a clear adavantage for the first time in many games.

11.Rxg1 Bxh3 12.f5 Ne5

White to move

13.Rg3

13.Rxg7 seems more active 13...Bg4 14.Qe3 Nf3+ 15.Kf2 Bh5
(15...Rf8 16.Nd2)
16.Nd2 Nxd2
(16...Ng4+ 17.Rxg4 Bxg4 18.Nxf3 Bxf3 19.Qxf3 White is better)
17.Bxd2 Ng4+ 18.Rxg4 Bxg4.

13.d4 is not an improvement 13...Bg4
(13...Neg4 14.Rh1)
14.Qe3 Nf3+ 15.Kf2 Nxg1 16.Kxg1 Qe7 with clear superiority for Black.

13...Bg4 14.Qg2 h5 15.d4 Ned7 16.Bg5 Qb6 17.Nd2 0–0 18.Bf4

18.Nc4 Qc7 19.Ne3

18...d5 19.e5 Rfe8 20.Be3 [20.Nf3 Bxf3 21.Qxf3 Ne4 22.Rh3] 20...h4 21.Rxg4 Nxg4 22.Qxg4

Black to move

22...Nxe5! 23.dxe5 Qxe3+ 24.Kd1 Rxe5

Black has a technical win.

25.Kc2 Qg3

25...Qh6 26.Rg1 Rae8 White's minor pieces seem tied down.

26.Qd4

Black to move

26...Qe3

26...Rxf5 seems possible. 27.Rg1 Qe5 28.Qxh4 Rh5

27.Qxh4 Qh6 28.Qxh6 gxh6 29.Rf1 f6 30.c4

Perhaps White can play on with 30.Kd1 Rae8 31.Bc2 Kg7 32.Nf3 Re3 33.Nd4 h5 34.Ne6+ Kf7

30...Kf7 31.cxd5 cxd5

Black has two passed pawns.

32.Kd3 Rg8 

White to move

The rook occupies an open file, but there are dangers along the diagonal.

33.Rf4

With the idea to play 34.Ne4

33...Ke7

Stepping out of danger.

34.Nf3

34.Ne4?? dxe4+

34...Rg3 35.Kd4 Kd6 36.Bd1

36.Nxe5?? fxe5#

36...b5 37.b4 a6 38.a4 h5 39.axb5 axb5

White to move

White is nearly in zugzwang. The bishop is the only piece that can move. When was this concept first articulated by chess writers?

40.Bc2

40.Nh4 Ree3 41.Bc2 (41.Bxh5 Rd3#) 41...Re2 42.Bb1 Rd2+ 43.Bd3 Rdxd3#.

40...Re2 41.Bd3 Rb2 42.Ke3 Rg4

Black forces White's rook off the board, rendering the b-pawn vulnerable.

43.Nd4 Rxf4 44.Kxf4 Rxb4 45.Ke3 Kc5 46.Ne6+ Kb6 47.Nf4

Black to move

47...Rxf4!

McDonnell demonstrates his mastery of endgame principles. The bishop cannot stop three passed pawns.

48.Kxf4 Kc5 49.Be2 h4 50.Kg4 b4 51.Kxh4 Kd4 52.Kg3 b3 53.Bd1 b2 54.Bc2 Ke3 0–1

McDonnell's technique converting the advantage is worthy of emulation.

In game 20, McDonnell would lose quickly after chasing a material advantage (see "Materialism").

Lesson of the Week

There is no better way for the first player to begin a chess game than by advancing the pawn in front of the king two squares. Among Black's excellent choices in response, no move is clearly superior to the same. White's best second move is then to attack Black's central pawn with a knight.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3

Black to move

Black now has a problem to solve. A pawn is under attack. How will it be defended? Alternately, Black could attack White's central pawn. Every problem in chess is an opportunity. Black's decision presents an opportunity to steer the game.

There are poor ways to defend the pawn: 2...Qf6, 2...Bd6, and 2...f6. We looked at illustrative games with each of these moves in late September and early October. Black does well defending the pawn with 2...d6 or 2...Nc6. Throughout chess history, different analysts have favored one of these moves over the other. 2...Nc6 is more popular, but 2...d6 has always had its advocates. We looked at a few ideas with these moves earlier in October.

Black may counterattack with 2...Nf6.

The move initiates the Russian Defense (also called the Petroff Defense). It was popular for a while in the nineteenth century when some players in Russia, led by Alexander Petroff, studied it in detail and began playing it in tournaments. It has become popular again in our day. One of the leading advocates was World Chess Champion in the early part of our century, Vladimir Kramnik. He is Russian, too. Analysis of the opening, however, can be found even in the oldest chess books (see "Petroff Defense: Early History").

We looked at some lines that may occur in scholastic competition.

After 2...Nf6, White should capture the pawn. Black should then drive White's knight back, then capture the pawn on e4. Young players, however, are often prone to an immediate recapture.

3.Nxe5 Nxe4

White to move

How does White exploit Black's error?

4.Qe2! is best.

White's attack on the knight must be met. Retreating the knight loses the queen to a discovered check that also attacks the queen.

First Variation

4...d5 defends the knight. White then attacks the knight with a pawn: 5.d3. It seems that the Knight should retreat, but the same problem remains. 5...Nf6 6.Nc6+ and Black's queen is lost.

Black to move

Second Variation

After the initial moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nxe4 4.Qe2, Black should continue meeting attack with counterattack.

4...Qe7 is best.

White to move

I have often heard young players complain, "my opponent is copying my moves." I always want to laugh because such copying is not against the rules, and it always courts peril for the second player.

5.Qxe4

Every player should see that copying with 5...Qxe5 leads to disaster. Instead, Black attacks the knight because it is pinned.

5...d6

White defends the knight, or at least the square on which it stands.

6.d4

Now, Black could capture the knight with the pawn. That is probably the best move. Instead, we looked at an illustrative game from the works of Gioachino Greco because it offers some instructive tactics.

6...f6 7.f3 Nd7

White to move

Black has four attackers on the knight. White has three defenders. No additional White pieces can be brought up to add protection. However, White has another resource.

8.Nc3!

Black will capture the knight, but White will then harass Black's queen.

8...dxe5 9.Nd5 Qd6 10.dxe5 fxe5 11.fxe5

Black to move

Black's best move here is 11...Nxe5, but after 12.Bf4 White has pinned the knight two ways and will win it. Greco offered an alternative that maintains material equality a few moves longer, but ultimately loses more than a knight.

11...Qc6 12.Bb5

Is this bishop safe from recapture?

12...Qc5 13.Be3

Now capturing the bishop on b5 is the only way to avoid immediately losing the queen.

13...Qxb5

White to move

14.Nxc7+ Kd8 15.Nxb5

The moral of this story: Black must first drive away the knight on e5, and only then capture the pawn on e4. Failure to play the correct sequence often results in the loss of a queen, giving White excellent chances of victory.

Lesson of the Week

We have been looking at the King's Pawn Opening. I recommend that beginners start their games this way. White's first move seizes ground in the center of the board, opens a diagonal for the light-squared bishop, and increases the mobility of the queen. In the starting position, White has 20 legal moves. After 1.e4, White will have a minimum of 29 legal choices for the second move.

1...e5 is Black's second most popular response. It contests White's claim on the center and increases the mobility of Black's pieces.

2.Nf3 is White's best move in the position. It immediately presents Black with a problem: how to respond to the attack on the e-pawn.

Black has a choice after these opening moves.

For 2...Qf6 (not recommended), see "Lesson of the Week" (17 September).
For 2...Bd6 (not recommended), see "Lesson of the Week" (23 September).
For 2...f6 (not recommended), see "Lesson of the Week" (4 October).
For 2...d6 Philidor Defense, see "Lesson of the Week" (11 October).
For 2...Nc6 3.Bc4 Italian Opening, see "Lesson of the Week" (17 October).

The Spanish Opening

2...Nc6 is by far Black's most popular solution to the problem presented by White's second move. In the sixteenth century, a Spanish priest named Rodrigo (Ruy) López de Segura sought to demonstrate that 2...Nc6 was an error. He believed that 2...d6 was superior. His refutation began with the move 3.Bb5.

Because of López's effort to analyze this opening systematically, the name Spanish Opening or Ruy Lopez Opening is used by chess players to refer to the position after 3.Bb5.

Black to move

Black has several possible responses.

3...Nf6 is the Berlin Defense, which may be the topic of a future lesson.

3...f5 is the Schliemann Defense, against which I did badly in my last tournament game.

There are several other possibilities, but the most popular response is 3...a6. Today, the opening books call this response the Morphy Defense. Paul Morphy played this move twice against Adolf Anderssen, who had been considered the best player in the world until losing his match with Morphy.

Black's third move attacks the bishop that attacks the knight that defends the pawn that is attacked. White either captures the knight or retreats the bishop. We looked at both moves in this week's lesson.

a) 4.Bxc6 appears to win a pawn, but only when analysis is shallow.

4...dxc6 5.Nxe5 Qd4 forks knight and pawn, winning back the pawn. 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8.Kxe2

Black to move

White has given up chances for advantage in the opening. In fact, Black's pieces have greater mobility. See Hellbach -- Chigorin below.

Capturing the knight is not necessarily a bad idea. It does lead to doubling Black pawns on the c-file. But, this move does not win a pawn. After 4.Bxc6 dxc6, White should play 5.O-O.

b) 4.Ba4

Retreating the bishop while maintaining pressure on the knight is the most popular move, and offers the best prospects for continuing to apply pressure on Black's position.

4...Nf6 5.O-O

Does this move sacrifice a pawn? No. After 5...Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 White has won back the pawn. White also could try 6.Re1, which wins back the pawn in a couple of moves. However, driving the Black knight to c5 forces White to give up bishop for knight, and again White's initiative vanishes.

5...Be7 6.Re1

Now that White protects the e-pawn, the threat to win Black's e-pawn by removing the defender of c6 is a credible threat.

6...b5 7.Bb3 d6

White to move

Here White usually plays 8.c3. These are the most popular moves in the Spanish Opening, but there are dozens of alternatives along the way. One of Black's interesting alternatives is the Marshall Attack. The second reference game below was one of Frank Marshall's first efforts with the system that bears his name. Even though he lost that game, he won several other games with his system. It has become a potent weapon.


Reference Games

Hellbach -- Chigorin,Mikhail [C68]
St Petersburg, 25.01.1900

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nxe5 Qd4 6.Nf3 Qxe4+ 7.Qe2 Qxe2+ 8.Kxe2 Bg4 9.d3 Ne7 10.Be3 Nd5 11.Nbd2 0–0–0 12.a3 f5 13.Nb3 b6 14.h3 Bh5 15.c4 Nf6 16.Bd4 Be7 17.Rhd1 Rhe8 18.Kf1 Bxf3 19.gxf3 Nh5 20.Be3 a5 21.f4 c5 22.Nc1 g5 23.Ne2 h6 24.Rac1 Bd6 25.fxg5 f4 26.Bd2 hxg5 27.Rc2 Be5 28.Bc1 Ng7 29.Ng1 Nf5 30.Nf3 Bf6 31.Re2 Rxe2 32.Kxe2 Rh8 33.Rg1 Rxh3 34.Nxg5 Nd4+ 35.Kf1 Bxg5 0–1

Capablanca,Jose Raul -- Marshall,Frank James [C89]
New York Manhattan CC New York, 1918

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 Nf6 12.Re1 Bd6 13.h3 Ng4 14.Qf3 Qh4 15.d4 Nxf2 16.Re2 Bg4 17.hxg4 Bh2+ 18.Kf1 Bg3 19.Rxf2 Qh1+ 20.Ke2 Bxf2 21.Bd2 Bh4 22.Qh3 Rae8+ 23.Kd3 Qf1+ 24.Kc2 Bf2 25.Qf3 Qg1 26.Bd5 c5 27.dxc5 Bxc5 28.b4 Bd6 29.a4 a5 30.axb5 axb4 31.Ra6 bxc3 32.Nxc3 Bb4 33.b6 Bxc3 34.Bxc3 h6 35.b7 Re3 36.Bxf7+ 1–0

Lesson of the Week

We have looked at three poor responses by Black after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3.

2...Qf6 violates important principles, placing the queen on the knight's best square, and rendering the queen vulnerable to attack. White, by playing sensibly, can quickly build up a strong advantage.

2...Bd6 creates disharmony among Black's pieces.

2...f6 weakens the position of the Black king, and does not defend the e-pawn. After 3.Nxe5 fxe5, White is winning. Black can play 3...Qe7, however. White has a clear advantage.

This week we looked at the Philidor Defense, 2...d6. Ruy Lopez thought that this move was Black's best response. Andre Philidor also thought so. Philidor's Defense has been played by many strong players for several centuries. It is not Black's most popular response, but it is solid.

White to move

Black has secured the attacked e-pawn without committing any pieces. This move also opens a line for the light-squared bishop, but it blocks the dark-squared bishop.

White has several options:

3.d4 is most popular and probably best.

3.Nc3 is okay.

3.Bc4 is a strong move, and we explored it in more detail.

Black should play 3...Nc6 or Be7, but there are many moves worth considering.

We looked at 3...Bg4, which pins the knight.

White should then play 4.Nc3.

Black to move

One game from this position that is worth remembering continued with 4...g6?

The pin on the knight is an illusion. In Legall -- St. Brie, Paris 1750, White played 5.Nxe5. That game ended quickly. 5...Bxd1 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nd5#.

I have shown this game to hundreds of school children. Most beginners think of 6.Kxd1 as worthy because they have not yet learned to appreciate material value nor king vulnerability. White did not give up the queen so that he could capture a bishop. The queen was bait to set up checkmate.

We then looked at a better fourth move for Black: 4...Nc6.

5.Nxe5 is no longer a strong move, but the queen remains safe because 5...Bxd1 leads to 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nd5#.

White should play 5.h3.

After 5...Bh5 6.Nxe5, Black has a choice.

Black to move

6...Bxd1 loses to a checkmate that should be familiar by this point.

6...dxe5 leads to 7.Bxh5 when White is a pawn ahead and has an attack.

6...Nxe5 seems to be Black's best move.

After 7.Qxh5 Nxc4 8.Qb5 forking king and knight 8...Qd7 9.Qxc4, White is a pawn ahead and has a lead in development.

Going through these variations, students were introduced to pins, discovered attacks, forks, and piece coordination.

Lesson of the Week

Through the end of October, we are looking at ideas for Black in a common opening position. We started with ideas that Black should reject.

The common moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 reach a position where Black makes an important choice. Will Black defend the e-pawn or attack White's e-pawn. If Black chooses to defend the e-pawn, what defense will he or she adopt.

2...Qf6 is inadvisable. Our model game is Morphy -- McConnell 1849.
2...Bd6 is inadvisable. The model game comes from a correspondence game that I played in 2005.

This week we look at 2...f6, which may be the worst possible move. It is certainly the worst way to defend the pawn.

White to move

This manner of defense is shockingly common in scholastic tournaments. Consequently, a player who understands its pitfalls may find an opportunity to demonstrate this knowledge when it means an easy win in a tournament game.

This move is also a named opening: Damiano's Defense. Pedro Damiano (1480-1544) pointed out White's refutation of this error, and so it is a bit ironic to name the opening for him. During his life new chess rules were changing the nature of the game. Folks used the terms "new chess" and "old chess" to refer to the differences. The queen and bishop had become the pieces they are today. In the old chess, they were much weaker. 2...f6 was a strong move in the old chess. With bishops and a queen that could move all the way across the board, this move became terrible.

Our model game is the opening phase of a battle that took place in Rome in 1560. Ruy Lopez was a Spanish priest who had to be in Rome on church business. He also was one of the leading chess players in Spain. He spent his free time in Rome playing chess with the leading players of that city. His opponent in this game was Leonardo di Bona, who was nicknamed the kid.

3.Nxe5! fxe5??

2...f6 is an error, but not a game losing one. 3...fxe5 is a blunder. 3...Qe7 offers Black prospects for continuing the game.

4.Qh5+

While looking at the game Morphy -- McConnell, it was stressed that bringing out the queen early was usually an error. However, all strategy generalizations have exceptions. Clear analysis of the position on the board is more important than general strategy principles.

Black to move

Black has two legal moves. The better of the two loses a rook. White's third move looked like a knight sacrifice, but in fact it wins material. If Black tries to hang on to the extra piece, White can force checkmate or win a piece more valuable than the rook.

4...g6

The kid made the best move. He was prepared for this position, including the loss of his rook. He had a plan that he thought was better than the priest's plan.

5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxh8 Nf6

White to move

We see that Leonardo di Bona's idea was to trap the White queen. In this position, it has no safe move. However, Black still has some work to do before the queen can be captured. If Lopez succeeds in rescuing his queen, he will have a significant material advantage. If not, he should lose.

7.d4 Kf7 8.Bc4+ d5 9.Bxd5+ Nxd5

White to move

H.J.R. Murray, A History of Chess (1913) tells us that Lopez won this game, but the moves to this position appear to be all that have survived.

In Rome in 1560, Ruy Lopez proved that he was a better chess player than Leonardo di Bona. Fifteen years later, they played another series of games. The Kid had improved significantly. He traveled to Spain to prove his skills. He defeated Lopez and the other leading players of Spain.

Lesson of the Week

King's Pawn Opening

Black's second move in the King's Pawn Opening may dramatically influence the course of the game. After the common moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, Black must decide how to defend the e-pawn that is under attack. Alternately, Black might counter White's threat with an attack on e4. Some of the possible moves that Black might choose offer White the opportunity for immediate advantage.

Last week, we looked at a model game played by Paul Morphy when he was twelve years old in which his opponent defended the e5 pawn with 2...Qf6. Morphy's effective harassment of the Black queen well illustrates the pitfalls of that choice as Black's second move.

This week, we look at a game featuring another bad idea for Black: 2...Bd6.

White to move

I have seen this position quite a few times in youth tournaments. But, there are very few games in the databases with this position.

Why is Black's move bad? This move blocks the d-pawn, reducing the mobility and coordination of Black's pieces. But, if the bishop can safely redeploy to c7 before White mounts an attack, Black might avoid suffering too much.

Our model game for exploring how White might take advantage of this error was played in 2005 on www.ChessWorld.net. The time control was 10 moves in 50 days with a maximum of ten days for any one move. Both players had plenty of time to find good moves. Even so, the game ended quickly by correspondence standards, lasting one month, 9 Nov 2005 - 9 Dec 2005.

I had White.

3.Bc4 h6

A game between strong masters continued 3...Nc6 4.0–0 Nf6 5.Nc3 0–0 6.a3 h6 7.d3 Re8 8.Nh4?! loses time. White intends Nf5 to attack the bishop, but Black easily stops this plan with a natural move. (8.Be3 was better) 8...Nd4 9.Be3 c6 10.Ba2 Bc7 and Black is okay, although White eventually won. Strzemiecki,Z (2402) -- Kolosowski,M (2439) Warsaw 2012.

4.d3 c5

Black has made another poor move. Although it frees c7 for the bishop, preparing to get it out of the way of the d-pawn, this move both weakens d5 and renders the bishop on d6 vulnerable. 4...Nc6 was a better choice for Black.

5.Nc3 a6 6.a4

I was concerned to provide a square for the bishop to retreat should Black thrust forward the queenside pawns.

6.0–0 was better 6...b5 is not a threat 7.Bb3.

6...Nf6 7.Be3

7.g4! was worth considering 7...Nc6 (7...Nxg4 8.Rg1 Nf6 9.Rxg7) 8.g5 hxg5 9.Nxg5 Rf8± with clear advantage for White.

7...0–0 8.Qd2

Black to move

Every move has a purpose. Does this move create a problem for Black? Does it create an opportunity? What does it strengthen? What does it weaken? These questions may be asked after each and every move.

8.0–0 may have been better for White.

8...b6??

2...Bd6 was bad, but only now has Black made a move that gives White a clear and decisive advantage. What did Black overlook?

8...Ng4 allows Black to remove White's bishop.
8...Kh7 is the only other move that addresses White's threat.

9.Bxh6!+-

White has a strong attack against the king. How many of White's pieces are participating in this attack?

9...Re8

9...gxh6 loses quickly. 10.Qxh6 Nh7 11.Nd5 Re8
     (if 11...Bc7? 12.h4 Re8 13.Ng5 Nxg5 14.hxg5 f5 15.Nf6#)
12.Qxd6+-.

10.Bg5

10.Bxg7! was better 10...Kxg7 11.Qg5+ Kh8
     (if 11...Kf8 12.Qh6+ Ke7 13.Nh4 takes advantage of the misplaced bishop 13...Rg8 14.Nf5+ Ke8 15.Nxd6+ Ke7 16.Nf5+ Ke8 17.Nd5+-)
12.Qh6+ Nh7
     (12...Kg8 13.Bxf7+ Kxf7 14.Ng5+ Kg8 15.Qg6+ Kh8 16.Nf7#)
13.Qxd6

As the misplaced bishop falls, White regains the sacrificed material. Black's king has lost its pawn shield. His position is cramped. He is down two pawns. White has a decisive advantage.

10...Bb7 11.Bd5

11.h4! was better 11...b5 12.axb5 axb5 13.Rxa8 Bxa8 14.Bxb5+-.

11...Bxd5 12.Nxd5 Nc6

If 12...Be7 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.h4+-.

White to move

13.Bxf6

Capturing with the bishop forces recapture with the pawn, and leaves Black's king without protection. Black's second move hampered the mobility and coordination of his forces, and now that proves decisive. There is no way to protect the king.

13...gxf6 14.Qh6 Be7

The bishop finds its natural square, but Black is already lost.

14...Re6 15.c3+-.

15.Nh4 Nd4 16.Kd2

This move defends the c-pawn and prepares a rook lift: Re1–e3-g3.

The computer likes 16.c3.

16...d6

16...f5 was Black's last chance to make White work 17.Nxe7+ Qxe7 18.Nxf5 Nxf5 19.exf5+-.

17.Rae1 b5 18.Re3 f5 19.Nxe7+ Black resigned 1-0

Had Black played on with 19...Qxe7, the game would end with 20.Rg3+ Qg5+ 21.Rxg5#.

Remember

A bad move is not always a losing move.
Be aware of tactical threats.
Mobility and piece coordination are vital.

Lesson of the Week

The 2013-2014 School Year

School is back in session. Soon school chess clubs will begin anew. Some chess classes have resumed already. My activities with youth chess players during the 2013-2014 school year begins this week.

As a guest teacher this morning, I worked with a class of first graders on how to checkmate with a queen and a king against a lone king. Some had never played chess before. They did not master the skill, but they are on the path. In the next few days, I plan to post a YouTube video that offers elementary instruction concerning this vital skill. Next week I will be teaching these first graders how to promote a pawn. Imagine! A player who knows how to checkmate with a queen and who knows how to nurture a pawn's journey to the promotion square, may be able to convert a small advantage into victory.

Later this week, my chess classes for home schooled students begin. The after school chess clubs start in October. Each week during school year, I develop a lesson plan that forms the core of my teaching time in after school chess clubs, in-school chess clubs, and home school resource center classes. Some of those who have contracted me for individual tutoring also may get this lesson. The 2013-2014 school year is the third year in which each of these lessons is posted on this Chess Skills blog. All of these posts are tagged with "Problem of the Week." Clicking that tag at the bottom of this post or in the "Spokane Scholastics" sidebar will bring up all these lessons.

Suppose a parent and child check this blog on Monday evening and review the lesson of the week. Then, the next day or later in the week that child goes to chess club. He or she is already familiar with what I am teaching there. That lesson will sink deeper into that child's memory, and it may develop the skill that leads to victory in Saturday's tournament. The lesson of the week may not be posted always on Monday. Sometimes it is posted on Sunday, sometimes Thursday. It is posted every week.

All of the lessons through October will concern a decision that the player of the Black pieces must make on move two after some very common moves.

A Decision in the Opening

1.e4 e5

There are 400 possible positions after both players have completed the first move. The position after 1.e4 e5 is the second most popular.* White played the most popular first move, and Black opted for the second most popular response. Prior to the twentieth century, the position after 1.e4 e5 was the most popular.

2.Nf3 is White's most popular response in the position after the first move, and many masters have said that it is the best move.

Black to move

It is Black's second move, and already there is a problem to solve. White is attacking the pawn on e5. What should Black do about this threat? Black must either defend the pawn or attack White's pawn on e4. Nothing else makes sense. Black has at least six ways to defend the attacked pawn. In addition, there are several ways to launch a counter-attack against White's pawn.

We will be looking at several ideas for Black, and we will be looking at several ways that White continues after Black has made this important first choice.

The Lesson: An Instructive Game

This week's lesson concerns a choice by Black that is not recommended. We will see why Black's choice is not best through examination of a game played by one of the strongest players in New Orleans in the 1840s and a young boy. The boy was twelve. His opponent, James McConnell went on to play several of the top players in the world in the nineteenth century. In 1886, he won a game against World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz. McConnell gained a lesson from the boy in this game. Our illustrative game was played in 1849.

2...Qf6?!

The question mark followed by an exclamation mark means that I regard this move as dubious. It defends the pawn. What is wrong with Black's move?

This move appears several times in the games of Gioachino Greco. In those games, the move is preliminary to a more serious error that sets up an instructive tactic. If you ask, I can show you these illustrative games.

2...Qf6 is a serious positional error: it places the queen on the knight's natural square, creating disharmony among Black's forces; and, it places the queen where she might become a target. The young boy showed how the queen could be attacked to gain a huge advantage.

3.Nc3

The boy played White's strongest response. In the annals of chess history, this game is the earliest that I can find with 3.Nc3. Another strong move is 3.Bc4. It appears in the earliest studies and games, such as those of Greco. Note to new readers: moves in bold are the moves played in the game. Notation not in bold are analysis of those moves, or alternative moves that might have been played. A YouTube video explains how to read chess notation.

3...c6 4.d4!

The explanation mark means excellent move. The passive 4.d3 makes it easier for Black to equalize. Honesty compels me to confess that I have played the pawn to d3 in positions similar to this one when I have had opponents play 2...Qf6. I have lost a few of those games. Black's second move is bad, but it does not lose immediately. White must play actively in order to exploit Black's opening error.

4...exd4

White to move

White's knight is attacked by the pawn. How should White parry this threat?

5.e5

Defend the knight by attacking Black's queen.

5.Bg5! may be an improvement on the boy's play. It was played in a man vs. machine game in a chess tournament in Seattle. That game continued 5...Qg6 6.Qxd4 d5 7.exd5 Qxc2 8.Bd3 Qxb2 9.0–0 Be7 10.Rab1 Qa3 11.d6 c5 12.Qe3 (Nc6 13.Nb5 Qxa2+- 14.dxe7 Ngxe7 15.Nc7+ Kf8 16.Rfe1 Be6 17.Bxe7+ Nxe7 18.Nxa8 h6 19.Qxc5 b6 20.Qc7 Qd5 21.Qb8+ Bc8 22.Nc7 Qxd3 23.Qxc8+ Nxc8 24.Re8# 1–0 Dubisch,R (2270) -- Comp Chessmaster 2100 Seattle 1989.

5...Qg6 6.Bd3 Qxg2

6...Qg4 7.Ne4 Qxg2 8.Rg1 Qh3±.

7.Rg1

Note that White's knight on c3 remains under attack, but that White continues to attack Black's queen. Black will not capture the knight until his queen finds a safe square. Beginning players are often urged to keep their queen back in the early game. "Don't bring out your queen too early," is a rule or principle of strategy. This week's lesson illustrates why that principle exists.

Black to move

7...Qh3

7...Qxg1+ is better 8.Nxg1 dxc3 9.bxc3± with roughly material equality, but a substantial advantage for White in the mobility of his pieces.

8.Rg3 Qh5 9.Rg5 Qh3 10.Bf1

10.Bf5 is the computer's choice 10...Qh6 11.Rg3±.

10...Qe6

White to move

11.Nxd4

Finally, the boy addresses the threat to his knight, and again he attacks the Black queen.

11...Qe7

Black's eighth queen move. Bringing out the queen too early often results in such an excessive number of queen moves.

12.Ne4 h6?+-

McConnell threatens the boy's rook. How does the twelve year old chess prodigy address this threat? By furthering his attack's on the Judge's queen, of course.

12...f6 was better.

13.Nf5??

Black to move

The boy has played well, giving us a tremendous illustration of how to exploit the error of bringing a queen out too soon. However, this move loses if Black finds the best move. Had McConnell found the correct move here, this game might illustrate carelessness in attack. He did not, however. Perhaps you can.

Maybe the threat to the rook is something more dangerous than the boy thought.

13...Qe6 14.Nfd6+

The boy now begins his attack on Black's king. Meanwhile, the rook remains under attack.

14...Bxd6 15.Nxd6+ Kd8 16.Bc4 Qe7 17.Nxf7+ Kc7

White has a forced checkmate in six moves.

White to move

18.Qd6+

Black's queen, developed on the second move, was harrassed continually and now with the first move of White's queen, has no choice but to leave the chessboard.

18...Qxd6 19.exd6+ Kb6

White to move

20.Be3+

Black's only piece in the game is his king, and it is the target of a hunt by White's entire army.

20...c5 21.Bxc5+ Ka5

21...Kc6 22.Nd8#

22.Rg3

Ten moves after it was attacked, the rook moves to safety. But, there's something even more important than self-preservation in this rook's move.

22...b5 23.Ra3# 1–0

The boy in this game was Paul Morphy. As a child he defeated all the top players in his city, and a few visitors who were even stronger. He completed his schooling and passed the test to become an attorney. However, he could not work as an attorney until he was 21 years old. He played a lot of chess as he waited. He won the first American Chess Congress in 1856. Then, he went to Europe where he played several of the strongest players in the world in a series of matches. He defeated all of them.


Remember

Do not bring out your queen too early.
When your opponent violates this principle, drive it back as you bring your pieces into battle.
Be careful.


*1.e4 c5 is the beginning of the Sicilian Defense, and it is the most frequently occurring position after the first move.