You’re White in this position. What would you do?
Position after 12. … Bf5. White to move.
FEN:rn3rk1/ppp2ppp/8/3q1b2/1b3B2/2NP1NR1/PPP1Q2P/R3K3 w Q – 0 13
This wasn’t an actual game, but if I were playing White I would first look at 13. Bxc7, winning back my pawn. I would realize that doesn’t work because of 13. … Na6, both threatening the bishop and threatening a pin on the e-file. Then I would start looking at 13. O-O-O, offering a second pawn sacrifice for some unclear attacking chances on the kingside. If this were a blitz game, that’s probably what I would play.
The one move I think I would never even look at (certainly not in blitz) is 13. Qe7! That’s the “computer move” that Rybka comes up with.
Why do I have a blind spot for this move? I think it’s because I’m just not accustomed to looking at moves that simply put my queen en prise. The queen seems to be on a suicide mission on e7. But in fact, it’s completely safe. It’s just a simple deflection sacrifice; if Black takes with 13. … Bxe7, then he unpins the knight and I can play 14. Nxd5 Bd8 15. Bxc7 winning back the pawn with, I think, a comfortable advantage for White.
The queen move nicely solves White’s problems in other ways, too. If 13. … Qa5 then I have time for 14. Qxc7, which wins back the pawn and defends c3 and gains a tempo with the threat (if it is a threat) to exchange queens. At least White is out of trouble here, though probably not better.
Likewise if 13. … Qe6+ 14. Qxe6 Bxe6? would be met by 15. Bh6. So Black is forced into the inferior 14. … fe, and again 15. Bxc7 wins the pawn back with a better position for White because of Black’s fractured pawn formation.
The really cool thing is what happens after the seemingly logical 13. … Bxc3+ 14. bc Nc6, attacking the queen and getting ready to bring a rook to the e-file. How does White continue?
Position after 14. … Nc6. White to move.
FEN: r4rk1/ppp1Qppp/2n5/3q1b2/5B2/2PP1NR1/P1P4P/R3K3 w Q – 0 15
Hint 1: Think aggressively!
Hint 2: What would Wei Yi do in this position?
If you remember Wei Yi’s “immortal game” against Bruzon from earlier this year, you’ll probably have no trouble spotting the rook sacrifice 15. Rxg7+!! Kxg7. Then, because a rook is hardly enough to give away, you’ll follow it with a piece sacrifice 16. Bh6+! Capturing leads to mate in one, so Black has to give up his queen 16. … Kg8 17. Qg5+ Bg6 18. Qxd5, and it’s an easy win for White.
Well, that was fun! A (pseudo-) queen sac, a rook sac, and a bishop sac, all in the space of four moves.
Postscript: If you’re wondering where this position came from, it’s not an actual game. I was fiddling around last night with the idea or question of whether White has an alternate route into the King’s Bishop’s Gambit with 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. f4 (instead of 2. f4 first and then 3. Bc4). At first I thought this was a terrible idea because Black can take with the knight instead: 3. … Nxe4. I played around with the idea of 4. Qh5?, which does win back the pawn, but I had to admit that after 4. … d5 5. Qxe5+ Be6 Black is having all the fun. He is already ahead in development and is going to gain some more tempi by kicking around White’s queen.
Out of curiosity, I put the position on Rybka this morning and was surprised to see that it didn’t think White’s position was all that bad after 3. … Nxe4. It gives Black an advantage of 0.3 to 0.4 pawns, but that’s not unusual. The computer often gives Black a 0.3-pawn advantage in the King’s Gambit, but that’s because White is a pawn down with some compensation.
Instead of 4. Qh5?, Rybka says that White should play 4. d3! Then a few moves of “best play for both sides” went as follows: 4. … Qh4+ 5. g3 Nxg3 6. Nf3! (a known trick in the Vienna, so it’s not surprising to see it here) 6. … Qh5 7. Rg1 d5! (if not for this resource, the position would just be winning for White) 8. Bxd5 ef 9. Nc3 Bb4 10. Bxf4 Qxd5 11. Rxg3 O-O 12. Qe2 Bf5?! and we arrive at the first diagrammed position. The move 12. … Bd7 would probably have been safer, but at least initially 12. … Bf5 was Rybka’s top choice.
My conclusion is that 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. f4 is definitely good enough for blitz, and maybe even good enough for a tournament game.
