Chess Improvement

For quite some time I have been analyzing the Fianchetto variant of the Morra gambit, because current theory offers no satisfying method for White.

But now I guess I found something, look at this sample analysis line:

[Event "Analysis"]
[Date "2006.07.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dc Gentle"]
[Black "Dc Gentle"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7
7. O-O d6 8. Ng5 Ne5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. f4 Nc6 11. Bc4 Nh6 12. Be3
O-O 13. h3 a6 14. f5 gxf5 15. Qh5 Nd4 16. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 17. Kh1 Bg7
18. exf5 Rc8 19. Bd5 b5 20. Rad1 b4 21. Nce4 Bb5 22. Rf4 Bc4 23.
Nxh7 Bxd5 24. f6 Bxe4 25. fxg7 Bxh7 26. Qxh6 f6 27. Rh4 Bf5 28.
Rf1 Re8 29. Rxf5 Kf7 30. Qh5+ Ke6 31. Re4+ Kd7 32. Qf7 Rc1+ 33.
Kh2 Rg8 34. Rxf6 a5 35. Rxd6+ Kxd6 36. Rd4+ Kc6 37. Rxd8 1-0

The early knight sortie to g5 (8. Ng5) together with the bishop on c4 exerts enough pressure on f7 in order to paralyze the black game.

For a better understanding you might try to answer the questions:

a) Why doesn’t Black try to save the bishop, for example by
27… Bc2 ?
b) Why doesn’t Black take the pawn with 30… Kxg7 ?
c) Can Black prevent the fatal 14. f5 starting the White kingside attack?

Maybe I’ll answer these questions later.
Comments are welcome.

Have fun…

DCGentle-analysis.pgn
——————————————————————–

As for the line you cite in the Smith-Morra Accepted vs Black’s fianchetto setup, in playing through the first few moves of the opening, I was struck by 8…Ne5?! as not being what I would have played “instinctively” to defend the attack on f7, because the Knight is not secure there and can be driven off by a subsequent f2-f4.

I would have preferred 8…Nh6 and after, say, 9.Be3 0-0, although this may simply transpose to a similar course as in the actual game after a few more moves.

My major observation is that Black could defend a bit better and should seek active counter play to “disturb” White’s intentions on the Kingside. The retort…b5!? on either move …14 or … 15 may very well thwart White’s attack. I include my analysis of the game as follows, which includes the answers to the questions you posed:

Dc Gentle – Dc Gentle
Analysis, 28.07.2006

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 g6 6.Bc4 Bg7 7.0-0 d6 8.Ng5 Ne5 [8...Nh6 9.Be3 (9.h3 Bd7 10.Be3 Rc8) 9...0-0 10.h3]

9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.f4 Nc6 11.Bc4 Nh6 12.Be3 0-0 13.h3 a6

14.f5 gxf5 [14...b5 15.Bd5 Rc8 16.fxg6 hxg6 17.Nf3 b4 18.Ne2 e6 19.Bc4 Nb8 20.Bb3 d5 21.exd5 Nf5=/+]

15.Qh5 Nd4?! [15...b5 16.Bd5 b4 17.Ne2 e6 18.Bxc6 Bxc6 19.exf5 exf5 20.Nd4 Bd7-/+ Black intends ...Qf6 and/or ...Re8]

16.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 17.Kh1 Bg7 18.exf5 Rc8 19.Bd5 b5 20.Rad1 b4
21.Nce4 Bb5 22.Rf4 Bc4 23.Nxh7 Bxd5 24.f6 Bxe4 25.fxg7 Bxh7 26.Qxh6 f6

27.Rh4 Bf5 [27...Bc2 28.Rc1(White wants to simply capture,followed by gxf8+ and Qh7#) Bf5 29.gxf8Q+ Qxf8 30.Rxc8 Qxc8 (30...Bxc8 31.Qh7#) 31.Qh8+ Kf7 32.Rh7+!( a lovely deflection) Bxh7 33.Qxc8+-]

28.Rf1 Re8 29.Rxf5 Kf7

30.Qh5+ Ke6 [30...Kxg7 31.Rg5+ fxg5 (31...Kf8 32.Rg8+ Kxg8 33.Qg6+ Kf8 34.Rh8#) 32.Qxg5+ Kf7 33.Rf4+ Ke6 34.Qf5#]

31.Re4+ Kd7 32.Qf7 Rc1+ 33.Kh2 Rg8 34.Rxf6 a5 35.Rxd6+ Kxd6
36.Rd4+ Kc6 37.Rxd8 1-0

———————————————————————-

Considering the Fianchetto line you wrote:

Well, generally I agree with your analysis (after 28. Rc1 White could even win a surplus rook) but I don’t think that 14… b5 can thwart 14. f5 and I don’t think that 15.. b5 is better either (16. Bb3 Sa5 17.exf5 Sxb3 18.axb3 +/-)

After the moves

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 g6 6. Bc4
Bg7 7. O-O d6 8. Ng5 Ne5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. f4 Nc6 11. Bc4
Nh6 12. Be3 O-O 13. h3 a6 14. f5 {and now}

14… b5 {would be countered by}
15. Bb3 Na5 16. Nd5 Nxb3
(16…Nc4 {blocking this bishop doesn’t help:}
17. Bxc4 bxc4 18. Bb6 Qe8 19. f6 {+/-})

17. Qxb3 Rc8 18. Bb6
{Main reason: Not to attack the black queen but to clear e3 with a tempo.}

18…Qe8 19. Qe3 e6
20. f6 exd5 21. fxg7 Kxg7
22. Bd4+ f6
23. Qf4 Kg8
{24. Qxd6 would be not so good.}
24. Bxf6
{threatening a devastating 25. Qh4.}
24…Nf5
{forced.}
25. exf5 Rxf6 26. Qh4 h5 27. Nh7 Qe3+ 28. Kh1 Rxf5
29. Nf6+ Rxf6 30. Qxf6
{winning.}

A good way to avoid 14. f4 would be 13… Na5 followed by 14. Be2 and the pawn push f5 is not on the schedule anymore. This shows that 13… a6 might be not so accurate, which brings us back to the start of the game. Why does Black play 8. Ng5 just delaying the more natural looking 8. Nh6? Well, two things:

First, bishop c4 is attacked and has to react which gains time to develop the black bishop to d7.

Second, on the one hand the provoked 10. f4 looks dangerous for Black but is also weakening the white kingside (For example by Qb6 Black has the chance to attack b2 with a check afterwards.) Furthermore Black has chances to prevent f5.

By the way, the idea of 14. f4 is not the only one at White’s disposal if Black chooses the fianchetto variant.

Look what could happen if Black plays 8. Nh6:

DCGentle-re-analysis.pgn

[Event "Analysis"]
[Date "2006.02.12"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dc Gentle"]
[Black "Dc Gentle"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7
7. O-O d6 8. Ng5 Nh6 9. Be3 Bd7 10. h3 O-O 11. Qd2 Kh8 12. a3 Ne5
13. Bd5 Rc8 14. Qe2 Qc7 15. Rac1 e6 16. Ba2 Nc4 17. Bf4 b5 18.
Rfd1 e5 19. Bg3 f5 20. a4 a6 21. b3 Na5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Qd2 Qb6
24. Qxd6 Qxd6 25. Rxd6 Nf7 26. Nxf7+ Rxf7 27. b4 Nc4 28. Rd5 Nb2
29. Rc2 Na4 30. Rdd2 Rff8 31. Rxd7 f4 32. Bh4 Nxc3 33. Be7 Nxa2
34. Bxf8 Rxc2 35. Bxg7+ Kg8 36. Bxe5 Nxb4 37. Bxf4 Na6 38. Ra7
Nc5 39. Bh6 Ne6 40. Rb7 Rc5 41. Kh2 Rc2 42. Kg3 Rc5 43. f3 Rh5
44. Be3 Nc5 45. Rb8+ Kf7 46. Kh2 Nd7 47. Rb7 Ke8 48. g4 Re5 49.
Kg3 Kd8 50. Bd4 Re6 51. Rxb5 {and Black could have resigned earlier}
1-0

As you can see the character of this line is more positional where Black gets more and more contained and has to resign finally. Black’s kingside bishop and knight haven’t got any influence on the game before they are eliminated in the end. This is the real reason why 8. Ng5 is so strong.

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