Instead of aiming to blast the centre open straightaway following 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5, Black can play to round up the e5-pawn with 2...Nc6 intending 3.Nf3 Qe7 or 3...Nge7. Both offer Black practical chances and have the merit of leading to highly unusual positions in many variations, but 3...Qe7 has a serious theoretical flaw and 3...Nge7, though probably Black's objectively best bet following 1.d4 e5, should concede a larger-than-normal advantage for White out of the opening.
3...Qe7
Black violates traditional opening principles by developing the queen early and threatening to cause disruption in White's queenside with ...Qb4+. However, Black's queen proves to have nuisance value in many variations and as Stefan Bucker has noted, "blowing Black off the board isn't easy". White often reacts with tame replies such as 4.g3 or 4.e3, and comes out of the opening with little or no advantage. However, White can get a larger-than-normal advantage out of the opening with 4.Nc3 Nxe5 5.e4, transposing into a dodgy line of the Nimzowitsch Defence for Black, 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 Nxe5 4.Nf3 Qe7 (more reliable are 4...Bb4+ and 4...Qf6) 5.Nc3. Black's game is playable, but quite difficult.
White can hold onto the extra pawn with 4.Qd5, but this allows Black to get some compensation because it leaves White's queen exposed. 4...f6 has become established as Black's most reliable reply, aiming to open lines and gain time on White's queen immediately. Following 5.exf6 Nxf6 6.Qb3, Black usually strikes out in the centre with 6...d5 (the fianchetto with 6...b6 is too slow) and then 7.Nc3 is dubious as it leaves White's queen short of squares, so White should thus play 7.Bf4 or 7.Bg5 instead, envisaging rapid queenside castling, whereupon Black has some, but not full, compensation for the pawn due to the slightly better development and central control.
Most critical, however, is 4.Bf4, challenging Black to create disruption in the white queenside with 4...Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2. White must avoid the trap 6.Bc3?? Bb4 7.Qd2 Bxc3 8.Qxc3 Qc1#, and should instead play 6.Nc3. Then the old main line 6...Bb4 7.Rb1 Qa3 8.Rb3 is fully playable for Black, but the strong 8.Nd5 is close to a theoretical refutation. White attacks c7, and can force Black to play ...Kd8 in order to defend that square, thus giving up castling rights and leaving White with excellent attacking chances. Black can try to duck out of this line with 4...d6 5.exd6 Qf6, or 5...Qe7 6.Bc3 f6, but neither of these deviations give Black much compensation for a pawn.
3...Nge7
This is generally known as the Zilbermints Gambit, as Lev Zilbermints has analysed the line extensively and established many of the key ideas. In many cases Black's idea is simply to play ...Ng6 and win the pawn back, and if White just develops quietly then White typically gets a small edge but Black can get counterplay.
4.Bf4 is one of the two most critical responses. Then some very complicated lines arise after 4...Ng6 5.Bg3 Qe7 6.Nc3 Qb4, but White should be able to get the upper hand. 7.Qd2 is probably the most critical response, inviting Black to take on b2. Instead White can play 5.e3, whereupon Black can get partial compensation for a pawn starting with 5...d6, with a typical continuation running 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Bg5 Qc8 8.exd6 Bxd6.
4.Nc3 is perhaps the biggest problem for the 3...Nge7 line, as White develops with purpose. One key idea is that 4...Ng6 is ineffective because of the continuation 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Nd5. Black can thus try 4...h6 instead, with ideas of ...Ng6xe5 and also ...g5 and ...Bg7, and Black's game is playable but White can accumulate a significant lead in development while Black spends time regaining the e5-pawn, giving White a greater-than-normal advantage out of the opening.
Games and analysis
The coverage is divided as follows: 1. 3...Qe7 4th-move alternatives 2. 3...Qe7 4.Qd5 3. 3...Qe7 4.Bf4 4. 3...Nge7 4.Bf4 (and 4th-move alternatives) 5. 3...Nge7 4.Nc3
Games
[Event "St Petersburg Botvinnik Memorial op"]
[Site "St Petersburg"]
[Date "2012.09.02"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Toivonen, Alexander"]
[Black "Poltoratsky, Daniil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2250"]
[BlackElo "2109"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2012.08.25"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.10.19"]
{My coverage of 3...Qe7 is divided up into three parts: Game 1 deals with
White's alternatives to 4.Qd5 and 4.Bf4, Game 2 deals with 4.Qd5 and Game 3
deals with 4.Bf4.} 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 {Black develops the queen,
putting more pressure on White's e5-pawn and threatening to play the
disruptive ...Qb4+ in some variations. The downside of this move is that the
black queen can end up misplaced, blocking in the bishop on f8.} 4. Nc3 {This
is a sensible move, concentrating on development and letting Black regain the
pawn on e4, which should give White a slightly larger-than-normal advantage
with best play, but is not a refutation of Black's concept.. Instead, White's
two main attempts at refutation are 4.Qd5 and 4.Bf4, which feature in the next
two games.} ({White often reacts to 3. . .Qe7 with harmless replies, and one
good example is} 4. e3 {which allows Black to equalise after, say,} Nxe5 5. Be2
Nf6 6. O-O Nxf3+ 7. Bxf3 Qe5 {with a reasonable position for Black. The black
queen is quite well-placed in the centre here, and both sides have easy
development. One game continued from here:} 8. Nd2 d5 9. e4 Bd6 10. g3 Bh3 11.
Re1 O-O-O 12. exd5 Qf5 {and Black has sacrificed the pawn back but enjoys good
kingside attacking chances, Delbecq,J (2010)-Wallerand,K (1970) Bethune 2004})
(4. g3 {is popular and might suffice for a slight edge, but it isn't too
concerning for Black. White intends a kingside fianchetto, but Black can block
out the g2-bishop with ... c6 and ...d5. Stefan Bücker faced this line five
times out of six when giving the gambit a go in 1991.} Nxe5 5. Nxe5 {White
exchanges knights and brings the black queen into the open to help uncover the
h1-a8 diagonal for the light-squared bishop.} (5. Bg2 Nf6 6. O-O {is also
slightly better for White.}) 5... Qxe5 6. Bg2 h5 $5 {Black goes on the
offensive immediately, with the idea of prising open White's kingside with ...
h5-h4 at a good moment.} (6... Nf6 7. O-O Bc5 8. Nc3 $14 {is a reasonable
alternative for Black, with both sides concentrating on development.}) 7. Nd2
Nf6 {Diagram [#] and one game continued from here:} 8. Nf3 Qa5+ 9. Bd2 Qb6 10.
Bc3 $6 (10. O-O {looks good, since it is rather risky for Black to grab the
pawn on b2.}) 10... Ne4 11. Bd4 Qb4+ 12. Kf1 d5 {with a good position for
Black, Kaminik,A (2164)-Bojarinov,V (2343) Plovdiv 2013}) (4. e4 Nxe5 5. Nxe5
$6 (5. Nc3 {transposes to 4.Nc3 Nxe5 5.e4}) 5... Qxe5 6. Bd3 (6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bd2
{is an interesting pawn sacrifice although Black can decline this and reach a
good position with} Nf6 8. Bd3 d6) 6... d5 $1 {is probably good enough for
dynamic equality- suggested to Stefan Bücker by Holger Riedel. #[Position
after 6...d5]} 7. O-O dxe4 8. Bxe4 {Black cannot capture the bishop on e4
because of the pin down the e-file with Re1, but can hold the balance by
generating counterplay against the white king.} Bd6 9. g3 Nf6 10. Bf3 O-O $11 {
and Black went on to win with a kingside attack, Warnest,S-Bruneau, M ICCF
email 2001}) 4... Nxe5 {There is nothing better (or anywhere near as good, for
that matter) since White's e5-pawn cramps the black position and Black's queen
on e7 doesn't fit well with gambit responses based on ...d6 or .. .f6.} 5. e4
$1 {White insists on focusing on development, and aiming to show that Black's
queen is misplaced on e7. This line can also arise from the Nimzowitsch
Defence: 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.dxe5 Nxe5 4.Nf3 Qe7 5.Nc3, where 4... Qf6 is an
improved version of the same idea for Black as it doesn't block in the
f8-bishop. Black can still get a playable game in this variation but has to
play precisely for a few moves.} (5. Nd5 {This move is probably premature,
though it may give White a slight edge.} Nxf3+ 6. gxf3 Qd8 {This is Black's
only way to counter the threat to c7.} 7. Qd4 {#[Position after 7.Qd4] This
was Korchnoi's attempt to refute the Englund Gambit, but Black has two routes
to a playable game from here.} (7. Bf4 {is blocked by} d6) 7... Ne7 $5 (7... d6
8. Bg5 f6 9. Bf4 c6 {is also alright for Black, despite the lagging
development, since White is about to be driven back.}) 8. Rg1 Nxd5 9. Qxd5 c6
10. Qd4 d6 $14 {Mandel,A (2367)-Vogel,R (2310) Germany 2003}) 5... Nf6 {This
is Black's best answer, suggested by Joachim Schmidt-Brauns, which gets on
with development and guards against Nc3-d5.} (5... c6 6. Be2 Nf6 ({Or} 6...
Nxf3+ 7. Bxf3 d6 8. O-O {with the idea} Nf6 9. Bf4 $16 {where Black is too far
behind in development and is struggling to survive.}) 7. Nd4 $16 {with the
idea of f2-f4.}) 6. Bg5 {White renews the threat of Nc3-d5 by pinning the
c6-knight, thus encouraging ...c7-c6, but now White is in less of a good
position to get in Nd4 and f4.} (6. Be2 {is another idea for White but Black
gets a playable game with} Nxf3+ 7. Bxf3 Qe5) 6... c6 7. Be2 (7. Nxe5 Qxe5 8.
f4 {is a reasonable alternative, bringing Black's queen out into the open and
then aiming to push the central pawns.} Qc5 (8... Qe6 {is also playable-
Stefan Bücker- e.g.} 9. Qd4 b6 10. Bc4 Bc5) 9. Qf3 d6 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. O-O-O
$14 {Sullivan, D (1970)-Linford,C (2142) Telford 2005}) 7... d6 8. O-O (8. Nd4
{intends f2-f4, but with the white bishop committed to g5, Black can respond
with} h6 {and if the bishop retreats, Black starts advancing the kingside
pawns, for the black king can escape to relative safety on the queenside.})
8... h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Bd7 {Diagram [#] Preparing to castle queenside.
Although White has some advantage in this position due to being a couple of
tempi ahead in development, Black can be reassonably satisfied with the
outcome, for after castling queenside, Black can set about attacking White's
king, in the sort of double-edged game that a typical Englund-er will enjoy.
However, in this game, Black soon erred and lost.} 11. Qd4 c5 12. Qe3 Nfg4 $2 {
This is tempting as it adds to Black's growing initiative on the kingside and
attacks the white queen, but it neglects the d5-square.} (12... O-O-O {is just
slightly better for White.}) 13. Qd2 O-O-O $6 (13... Bc6 {was Black's only way
to survive, with the idea of meeting Nd5 with ...Bxd5.}) 14. Nd5 {I think
Black's resignation may be premature here, but after the black queen retreats,
White gets a dangerous queenside attack with Qd2-a5, while Black's kingside
attack is still a couple of tempi short of worrying White too much.} 1-0
[Event "W-ch25 sf16 email"]
[Site "ICCF email"]
[Date "2001.08.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Salcedo Mederos, Pablo"]
[Black "Lykke, Hans Christian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2402"]
[BlackElo "2477"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2001.08.01"]
[EventType "corr"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.10.19"]
{If White wishes to hold onto an extra pawn against 3...Qe7, then the only way
is with 4.Qd5, protecting the e5-pawn with the queen.} 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3.
Nf3 Qe7 4. Qd5 {This is one of White's two main attempts to refute the 3...Qe7
line, although I think that 4.Bf4 is more critical. White insists on holding
onto the extra pawn, but at the cost of leaving the white queen exposed to
attack.} f6 {This is the most usual response and has consistently been
recommended by Stefan Bücker. Black challenges the e5-pawn and if White takes
on f6, Black will gain some time on the white queen by playing ...Nxf6 and can
then gain some central control by playing ...d7-d5. Black has a few
alternatives here, but all of them have significant drawbacks.} (4... h6 {was
the original intention of most early advocates of the 3...Qe7 line, intending
to regain the e5-pawn with ...g5 and . ..Bg7, but is refuted by} 5. Nc3 g5 6.
Qe4 $1 {intending Nc3-d5.}) (4... b6 {was recommended by Andrew Martin in
Chess Monthly in 2000, with the idea of ... Bb7, ...0-0-0 and ...f6, but
Stefan Bücker identified the main problem with it back in 1988. Black is
waiting for a better moment to play ...f7-f6, but White is given a free hand
and, with the right developing moves, can force Black into playing it under
less favourable circumstances.} 5. Nc3 Bb7 6. Bg5 f6 7. exf6 Nxf6 8. Qf5 {
Diagram [#] and White is putting considerable pressure on the f6-knight and
also threatens Nc3-d5. Black must either accept a queen trade or lose time
defending against White's threats, both of which are to White's advantage.} (8.
Bxf6 $6 Qxf6 9. Qe4+ Be7 10. O-O-O O-O-O {leaves Black with about half a
pawn's worth of compensation.}) 8... Qf7 (8... Qc5 9. Qxc5 Bxc5 10. e3) 9. e4
O-O-O 10. O-O-O h6 11. Be3 {and I don't think Black has much to show for the
pawn.}) 5. exf6 Nxf6 6. Qb3 d5 {'Black takes some control of the centre and
prepares to play ...d5-d4 in some lines.'} (6... b6 {guards the b-pawn and
prepares to fianchetto, but costs Black too much time.} 7. Bf4 {is probably
the best response, attacking c7 and keeping the bishop out of the way of any
ideas based on ...h6 and ...g5.} Bb7 (7... d5 8. e3) 8. Nc3 (8. Bxc7 $6 d6 {
traps the bishop- Stefan Bücker}) 8... O-O-O 9. O-O-O {and I don't see much
compensation for the pawn.}) 7. Bf4 {White concentrates on development and
prepares queenside castling. It is much easier for Black to engineer queenside
castling than kingside castling, and castling to the same side of the board as
Black reduces Black's scope to unbalance the position.} (7. Bg5 {is also good,
pinning the f6-knight to the queen and preparing queenside castling.} Bd7 (7...
h6 {is met by quite a forcing line:} 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Nc3 Bb4 10. O-O-O Bxc3 11.
Qxc3 Qxc3 12. bxc3 {with some advantage for White, although the shattered
queenside pawn structure devalues White's pawn plus.}) 8. e3 $1 {Diagram [#]
Suggested by Joachim Schmidt-Brauns. White avoids the complications of 8.Nc3?!
Na5.} ({Stronger than} 8. Nbd2 O-O-O 9. O-O-O {which allows Black to gain some
kingside space with} h6 10. Bh4 (10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. e4 Be6) 10... g5 11. Bg3 Bg7
) 8... d4 (8... O-O-O 9. Nc3 {is now fine for White, because if 9...Na5 then
10.Bxf6 Nxb3 11.Bxe7 attacks the rook on d8.} Be6 10. Nd4 Nxd4 11. exd4 $14) 9.
Bb5 O-O-O 10. O-O dxe3 11. Bxe3 {with some advantage for White, Donskikh,Y
(2497)-Lykke,H (2477) ICCF email 2001}) (7. Nc3 $6 {takes some flight squares
away from the white queen, and is well met by} Bd7 $1 8. Qxb7 (8. Bg5 Na5 {
leads to considerable complications.}) 8... Rb8 9. Qxc7 Qc5 {Diagram [#] White
is three pawns up, but facing a very dangerous attack, and has to be careful
not to drop the queen, since Black threatens ...Bd6.} 10. Qf4 Bd6 $6 (10... d4
{is the most accurate reply, preventing Qe3+, and Black retains very dangerous
attacking chances.}) 11. Qg5 $6 (11. Qe3+ {forces off the queens.}) 11... Nb4
12. Kd1 Ne4 13. Be3 Nxc3+ 14. bxc3 Qxc3 15. Rc1 Nxa2 16. Bd4 Qa3 17. Bxg7 Nxc1
18. Qxc1 Qa2 19. Nd2 Rf8 20. f3 Ba4 21. Bxf8 Rb2 22. Bxd6 Rxc2 23. Qxc2 Qa1+
24. Nb1 Qxb1+ 25. Kd2 Qxc2+ 26. Ke3 Qb2 27. Bg3 d4+ {0-1 (27) Fuhrwerk,K (2438)
-Lykke,H (2439) ICCF email 2000}) 7... Bd7 {Developing and preparing queenside
castling. In the 7.Nc3 line, taking on b7 turns out to be risky, but here, it
is simply bad for White to take the pawn.} 8. e3 {White prepares to develop
the f1-bishop and hinders any ideas for Black based on ... Qe7-c5, hitting the
pawns on c2 and f2.} (8. Qxb7 $2 Rb8 9. Qxc7 {is met by the disruptive} Qb4+ {
and White is in serious trouble.}) 8... O-O-O 9. Nbd2 h6 {Black prepares to
hit out at the f4-bishop and develop the f8-bishop to g7.} 10. O-O-O {One
advantage of putting the bishop on f4 is that White gains an extra tempo over
lines with Bg5, ...h6, Bh4, ...g5.} g5 11. Bg3 $14 {#[Position after 11.Bg3]
Black has some, but not quite enough, compensation for the pawn.} a6 (11... Bg7
{makes sense, and has been played in one game in the database. Black had a
chance to generate some good play early in the game, but missed it, and White
went on to consolidate the extra pawn:} 12. Bb5 Nh5 13. c3 ({I think White can
get away with the pawn grab} 13. Qxd5) 13... Rhf8 14. Rhf1 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Qe6 (
15... a6 16. Bd3 Kb8 {with the idea of ...Na5 and ...c5 gives Black reasonable
compensation for the pawn here, as White's forces are rather passive.}) 16. Nd4
Nxd4 17. Bxd7+ Qxd7 18. exd4 $16 {Abbott, P-Felber,R (1930) email 1997}) 12.
Nd4 Bg7 13. N2f3 Ne4 {This leaves the d5-pawn unprotected, but there was
probably nothing better in this position as White has threats on the queenside.
} (13... Nxd4 14. Rxd4 Rhf8 15. Rb4 $16) 14. Qxd5 Nxg3 ({Probably superior is}
14... Nxd4 15. Nxd4 c6 $14 {Black has a fair amount of piece activity for two
pawns.}) 15. hxg3 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 c6 17. Qc4 Rhf8 18. Rd2 Bxd4 (18... Kb8 19. Qb3
{threatens Bxa6 and Qb6.}) 19. Qxd4 Be6 20. Qc3 Rxd2 21. Qxd2 Qf6 22. f3 Bxa2
23. Qd4 Bg8 24. Qxf6 Rxf6 {In this position Black has nothing for a pawn
(White's doubled b-pawns are offset by the half-open a-file) and White went on
to win with the extra pawn.} 25. Bd3 Kd7 26. e4 Kd6 27. Kd2 c5 28. Ke3 Ke7 29.
f4 Rb6 30. b3 Bf7 31. e5 Re6 32. Bc4 gxf4+ 33. gxf4 Rg6 34. Bxf7 Kxf7 35. f5
Rg3+ 36. Ke4 Rxg2 37. Rxh6 Re2+ 38. Kd5 Rd2+ 39. Kxc5 Rxc2+ 40. Kb6 Re2 41. e6+
Kg7 42. Rg6+ Kf8 43. Kxb7 1-0
[Event "Passau op 7th"]
[Site "Passau"]
[Date "1999.04.03"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kampmann, Lutz"]
[Black "Vogel, Robert"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2098"]
[BlackElo "2290"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1999.04.02"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.10.19"]
{The most critical response to the 3...Qe7 line is 4.Bf4, challenging Black to
cause disruption with 4...Qb4+ and aiming to show that Black loses too much
time with the queen. This line should be very good for White with best play,
but there is plenty of scope for White to go wrong, and there is a notorious
eight-move checkmate for Black in one of the sidelines, so in practice White
often prefers to avoid this line.} 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. Bf4 $1 {
White challenges Black to carry out the plan of ...Qb4+ and focuses on
securing a lead in development, hoping to use this to counter the nuisance
value caused by the black queen penetrating the white queenside.} Qb4+ {Black
takes up the opportunity to cause problems in the white queenside. The bishop
on f4 and the pawn on b2 are both attacked.} (4... d6 5. exd6 Qf6 {does not
give Black much compensation for a pawn after} 6. Qc1 Bxd6 7. Bxd6 Qxd6 8. Qd2
Qe7 {where Black is a tempo down on one of the sidelines of the
Blackburne-Hartlaub Gambit (1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 d6 3. Bf4 Nc6 4. exd6 Qf6 5. Qc1
Bxd6 6.Bxd6 Qxd6 7.Qd2 Qe7), having played ...Qe7 and then ... Qf6 instead of .
..Qf6 in one move.}) 5. Bd2 {White challenges Black to take on b2 and gets the
bishop out of the way of the attack from the queen.} (5. Nc3 $5 {is
interesting, with the idea} Qxf4 6. Nd5 Qe4 7. Nxc7+ Kd8 8. Nxa8 {Diagram [#]
but it seems that Black is able to obtain enough counterplay to get a playable
game. For example,} Nb4 (8... Nxe5 {is also playable}) 9. Rc1 Nxa2 10. Rb1 Nb4
11. c3 b6 12. cxb4 Bxb4+ 13. Nd2 Bb7 14. Nxb6 axb6 $14 {Hruby,T (2022)
-Nicholls,M (2198) ICCF email 2010}) (5. Qd2 $4 {intends to further
development while guarding the bishop on f4, but it leaves White without any
way of guarding the rook on a1 after Black takes on b2.} Qxb2 {is dead lost
for White because if} 6. Qc3 Bb4 7. Bd2 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 Qc1#) 5... Qxb2 {Black
grabs the b2-pawn and attacks the rook on a1.} (5... Qe7 {ducks out of
capturing on b2, hoping to show that White's bishop is misplaced on d2.} 6. Bc3
{White defends the e5-pawn and encourages Black to play a gambit in order to
get developed.} (6. Nc3 Nxe5 {is just about acceptable for Black, e. g.} 7. e4
d6 8. Nd5 Qd8 9. Bc3 c6 10. Ne3 $14 {Joie,S (2216) -Robin, S (2320) France 2010
}) 6... f6 {is a suggestion of Stefan Bücker, in case Black wants to avoid the
main line.} 7. exf6 Nxf6 8. e3 b6 9. Bc4 Bb7 {Diagram [#] gives Black a slight
lead in development for the pawn, but nothing substantial.}) 6. Nc3 {Necessary,
in order to defend the rook on a1. Black is now quite a long way behind in
development, but White still has to be careful.} (6. Bc3 $4 Bb4 {is a trap
that White sometimes falls for. White must either concede material, or fall
into a quick checkmate:} 7. Qd2 Bxc3 8. Qxc3 Qc1# {Diagram [#] Some players
use this line with Black primarily in the hope of pulling off this checkmate})
6... Bb4 {Black develops a piece and puts more pressure on the c3-knight.} (
6... Nb4 $6 {is tempting, launching an attack on c2, but this is easily
thwarted by} 7. Nd4 {whereupon Black is falling too far behind in development.}
c6 {(to prevent Nc3-d5 and Nc3-b5)} 8. a4 {(Stefan Bücker)- this move leaves
the black queen short of escape squares.} Nd5 9. Nxd5 cxd5 10. e3 {Diagram [#]
leaves White with a large positional advantage.}) 7. Rb1 {Attacking the black
queen and thus denying Black the time to capture on c3.} (7. Nd5 $6 Bxd2+ 8.
Kxd2 (8. Nxd2 Nb4 $1 {gives Black sufficient counterplay on the queenside.})
8... Kd8 {is fine for Black, since White's king is badly misplaced on d2.})
7... Qa3 8. Rb3 {This is the traditional main line, but not the strongest move.
White continues to harass the black queen.} (8. Rxb4 {is an interesting
exchange sacrifice, which is probably sound, but it gives Black the option of
forcing a draw.} Nxb4 9. Nb5 {This is the main idea, forking the queen on a3
and the c7-pawn and discovering an attack on the knight on b4, but Black has a
couple of ways to defend everything.} Qa5 (9... Qb2 {is the "drawing line", e.
g.} 10. Nxc7+ Kd8 11. Bg5+ f6 12. Qd6 {and play should end in a draw by
perpetual check for one side or the other.}) 10. e4 a6 11. Nxc7+ {A tactic
which enables White to win back a pawn.} Qxc7 12. Bxb4 $44) (8. Nb5 {also
attacks the pawn on c7 and the queen on a3 and discovers an attack on the
bishop on b4. However, Black has a way of defending against all three threats.}
Qa5 {covers everything and gives White slightly the better of a murky position.
For example,} 9. e4 (9. Nxc7+ Qxc7 10. Bxb4 Nxb4 11. Rxb4 Qc3+ 12. Qd2 Qa1+ 13.
Qd1 {and Black can try to play on by taking on a2, after which White is
slightly better due to the development advantage, but objectively Black should
take the draw with ...Qc3+.}) 9... Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Kd8) (8. Nd5
$1 {is the main problem, which is close to an outright refutation of Black's
idea. Stefan Bücker pointed out the strength of this move in his 2006
Chesscafe.com article. White uncovers a triple attack on the bishop on b4 and
thus forces Black to either retreat the bishop to a5 or exchange it off on d2.
The aim in most cases is to catch the black king in the centre by forcing
Black to play ...Kd8 to defend c7.} Ba5 {This move was recommended by Henry
Grob back in the 1960s. Black keeps everything covered by retreating the
bishop.} (8... Bxd2+ 9. Qxd2 Qxa2 10. Rd1 {forces Black to defend c7 with} Kd8
{and then} 11. Ng5 {gives White a very strong attack.}) 9. Rb5 {White forces
Black to exchange the bishop on a5 off after all. This leaves the white rook
misplaced on b5, but Black's resulting loss of castling rights is a more
important factor here.} (9. e4 $5 {is also very good for White, with the idea}
Nge7 10. Rb5 {encouraging Black to exchange knights on d5 and iron out White's
pawn structure.}) 9... Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 {Now Black must guard the pawn on c7 by
moving the king to d8.} Kd8 {Diagram [#] Although White's pawn structure is a
mess, White has a large advantage due to Black's lagging development and
misplaced king. Mervyn Nicholls suffered badly as Black in a few
correspondence games from this position.} 11. Ng5 (11. e4 {is the "book" move
but it may well not be White's strongest because of} a6 {Nonetheless, White
should get some advantage here by temporarily sacrificing a pawn.} (11... h6
12. Bc4 $16) 12. Rb3 Qxa2 13. Be2 Qa1+ 14. Bd1 Qa5 15. Qxa5 Nxa5 16. Ng5 Nh6
17. Rh3 Rf8 18. Nxh7 Re8 19. Ng5 $14 {Ivanov,V (2342)-Nicholls,M (2237) ICCF
email 2011}) (11. Qg5+ $6 {is premature, however.} Nge7 {This is one line
which illustrates that White still has to take some care in this variation,
because now if the white queen vacates g5 then Black plays ...Qc1 mate. Black
has reasonable chances here, e. g.} 12. Nxe7 Nxe7 13. e4 Qxa2 14. Qxg7 Rg8 15.
Qxh7 Qxc2 $13) 11... Nh6 12. f4 $5 {(suggested by Boris Avrukh) Black can win
a pawn in this variation but White gets tremendous compensation.} Qxa2 13. e3
Qa1+ 14. Kf2 Ng4+ 15. Kg1 Nh6 16. h3 $16 {and Black, in spite of the extra
pawn, is struggling to survive, Cottegnie,F (2424)-Nicholls,M (2237) ICCF
email 2011}) 8... Qa5 9. a3 {White forces Black to give up the bishop-pair,
since otherwise Black concedes too much of an initiative to White.} (9. e4 Nge7
{will generally transpose into the line 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 Qc5 11. e4 Nge7,
since} 10. Bb5 a6 11. Bxc6 Nxc6 {isn't too bad for Black.}) 9... Bxc3 {Black
cannot take on a3 instead because Nc3-b5 is a major threat. Instead, Black
eliminates the troublesome knight.} 10. Bxc3 (10. Rxc3 {has been advocated by
Lev Zilbermints, but it can be met by} Qa4 (10... Qd5 11. e4 $5 Qxe4+ 12. Be2
Nge7 13. O-O {is a dangerous pawn sacrifice, Zielinski,P (2242) -Pokojski,P
(2098) Bartkowa 2002}) 11. e4 Nge7 {(Black probably shouldn't grab the e4-pawn,
transposing into the aforementioned game)} 12. Bd3 O-O $14) 10... Qc5 11. e3 {
A restrained-looking move, but the idea is to leave the d3-h7 diagonal free
for when White develops the f1-bishop to d3.} (11. e4 Nge7 {leaves White with
slightly the better of a murky position.} (11... a6 $6 12. Qd5 $16 {forces
Black to either retreat the queen, falling further behind in development, or
trade queens on d5, improving White's pawn structure.}) 12. Qa1 {White intends
to play e5-e6 and then take Black's g7-pawn.} (12. Be2 Ng6 13. Qd5 {is now met
by} Qe7 $14 {where Black's queen doesn't get in the way of development.}) 12...
Ng6 13. e6 f6 ({Perhaps more reliable is} 13... fxe6 14. Bxg7 Rg8 $14) 14.
exd7+ Bxd7 15. Rxb7 O-O 16. Bd3 Nf4 {leaves Black with some kingside attacking
chances for the pawn, though probably not enough. Koteski,L (2050) -Parisi,C
(2143) SEMI email 2003}) 11... Nge7 {Black is behind in development and so
needs to get some pieces out. One idea behind this move is . ..Ng6, putting
extra pressure on the e5-pawn.} 12. Bd3 {This placement of the bishop makes
sense after having played e2-e3. White wants to take aim at Black's kingside.}
Ng6 13. Qa1 {As in the aforementioned line with 11.e4, a key idea for White is
to build up veiled pressure against g7 and then play e5-e6, and for this
reason, Black should not be too hasty to castle kingside.} Qe7 {Black gets the
queen out of the way of any imminent danger.} 14. h4 (14. e6 {is the critical
test of Black's play.} f6 (14... fxe6 15. Bxg7 Rg8 {doesn't work so well for
Black in this position because of White's d3-bishop pointing at g6 and h7
which rather ties Black up.} 16. Bf6 Qf7 17. O-O $16) 15. exd7+ Qxd7 16. a4 Rb8
17. O-O O-O 18. Bc4+ Kh8 {and White has a slight advantage, Diaz,S (2428)
-Lykke,H (2428) Chessfriend.com 2003}) 14... Nf8 {Black prepares ...Ne6, and
gets out of the way of White's idea of h4-h5.} 15. Nd4 Ne6 16. Nf5 Qf8 17. Bb4
Qg8 {Diagram [#] Black's queen is in a ridiculous position, so White must be
better here, but it's remarkable how a couple of slightly inaccurate moves
completely wipe out White's advantage.} 18. Be4 (18. O-O a5 19. Bc3 {would
have kept some advantage although Black can set about unravelling with .. .b6
and ...Bb7.} Nc5 $2 20. e6 $1) 18... a5 {This move is an important part of
Black's plan, driving White back.} 19. Bxc6 (19. Bc3 Nc5 20. e6 $6 {now runs
into} Nxe4) 19... axb4 20. Bf3 Qf8 {After that exchange of blows, remarkably,
if anything it's Black who has the edge. White's pawn structure is a mess and
White's piece activity barely compensates.} 21. O-O Rxa3 22. Rxa3 bxa3 23. Qc3
{The Chesslive.de version of the game gives 23.Qa3??, which must surely be a
misprint as it's hard to see how both players would have overlooked the simple
win following 23...Qxa3. Instead, White puts pressure on the black queenside.
Black has an extra pawn but with accurate play White can round it up, but
still stands worse due to the poor pawn structure.} g6 24. Ng3 Qc5 25. Qxc5
Nxc5 26. Ra1 Kd8 27. Bd5 Rf8 28. Rxa3 {White has got the pawn back, but the
poor white pawn structure counts for more than the superior activity of the
white pieces.} f6 29. exf6 (29. Ra8 $6 {is met by} c6 {followed by ...fxe5 and
...Kc7 and Black gets out.}) 29... Rxf6 30. Rc3 d6 31. f3 Be6 {A good
practical decision. Black appears to fall for a tactic, but it turns out that
it's Black who is laying a trap here.} 32. Rxc5 dxc5 33. Ne4 {This looks like
it should win two pieces for a rook, but...} Rxf3 $1 34. Bxe6 (34. gxf3 Bxd5
35. Nxc5 Bxf3 {and Black should be winning in this pawn-up ending.}) 34... Rxe3
35. Ng5 $2 (35. Bd5 Re2 36. Nxc5 b6 {and Black is better due to the strength
of the rook on the seventh rank, but White's cause is not yet hopeless here.
After the move played in the game, though, White is lost.}) 35... h6 36. Kf2
Rc3 37. Ne4 Rxc2+ 38. Kf3 Ke7 39. Bg8 b5 40. g3 c4 41. Bh7 b4 42. Bxg6 b3 43.
Ke3 b2 44. Nd2 Rc1 0-1
[Event "Dos Hermanas Internet qual-B 10th"]
[Site "ICC INT"]
[Date "2009.03.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sorkin, Igor"]
[Black "Zilbermintz, Lev"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2346"]
[BlackElo "2014"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2009.03.13"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.10.19"]
{I have devoted two games to the Zilbermints Gambit. Here I cover 4.Bf4 and
White's other fourth-move altenratives, while Game 2 focuses on 4.Nc3 which is
probably the most troublesome response for Black.} 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3
Nge7 {This is the Zilbermints Gambit. Black intends ...Ng6 rounding up the
e5-pawn in most cases, but in some lines can also consider ...Nf5.} 4. Bf4 {
This is one of the two most critical responses to 3...Nge7. White holds onto
the e5-pawn and generally intends to meet ...Ng6 with Bg3.} (4. Bg5 {White
temporarily pins the knight on e7, preventing ...Ng6, but this is not one of
White's better responses to 3... Nge7, because Black kicks the bishop back by
advancing the kingside pawns.} h6 5. Bh4 g5 {The key part of the plan. Black
breaks the pin on the knight on e7 and so leaves the knight free to go to g6
or f5.} 6. Bg3 Nf5 {#[Position after 6...Nf5] The knight is better-placed here
than on g6 because it threatens to swap off the bishop on g3, securing the
bishop-pair. The e5-pawn can be rounded up later with ...Bg7.} 7. e4 Nxg3 8.
hxg3 g4 ({or} 8... Bg7 9. Nc3 Nxe5 {with a slight edge for White.}) 9. Nd4 Nxe5
10. Rh5 $5 {A creative way of putting pressure on Black's position, bringing
the white rook into an advanced position.} d6 {The opening phase is over and
White has a small edge, but Black can be satisfied with the outcome. Although
White went on to win the following game, Black got the upper hand for a time,}
11. f4 $6 (11. Qd2 $14) 11... gxf3 12. gxf3 c6 13. c3 Rg8 14. Qe2 Rxg3 {with
advantage for Black, Bespalova, E-Balahchin,V Abakan 2013}) (4. b3 $5 {White
intends to protect e5 by fianchettoing on b2, but this is probably not one of
the most critical tests of Black's idea.} Ng6 5. Bb2 Bb4+ (5... Bc5 {is an
equally reasonable alternative. For example,} 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Ne4 Bb6 8. Qd5 Qe7
9. O-O-O Re8 {whereupon Black will regain the pawn on e5, with just a slight
advantage for White.}) 6. Nbd2 Qe7 (6... O-O {is a good alternative, e.g.} 7.
e3 Re8 8. Bd3 Bxd2+ 9. Kxd2 $5 d6 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. Kc1 {with a slight
advantage for White, Reuter,A-Grott,P DESC email 2000}) 7. a3 Bxd2+ 8. Qxd2 {
#[Positon after 8.Qxd2]} O-O {Black should castle before capturing on e5
because of White's threats from the bishop on b2 against g7, which is now
guarded by the king.} (8... Ngxe5 {is premature in view of} 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10.
Qc3 $16) 9. O-O-O Re8 {is slightly better for White, but Black can regain the
pawn on e5 and has decent chances.}) (4. e4 {is quite a sensible alternative,
though again not as critical as Bf4 or Nc3.} Ng6 5. Nc3 {White just
concentrates on development, which is a sound policy but not a strong attempt
to refute Black's opening.} (5. Qd5 Qe7 6. Nc3 Ncxe5 $14) 5... Ncxe5 6. Nxe5
Nxe5 7. Bf4 Nc6 8. Bb5 Be7 9. O-O O-O {gives White a slight advantage due to
the superior development, Batezel, C-Zilbermintz,L Parsippany 1999}) 4... Ng6 {
There is nothing better, since 4... h6 would leave Black a tempo down on the 4.
Bg5 lines.} 5. Bg3 (5. e3 {is an interesting alternative. Black's best is
probably then to sacrifice a pawn with} d6 (5... Nxf4 6. exf4 {leaves Black
with trouble dealing with the pawn on e5.}) 6. Bb5 (6. exd6 $6 Nxf4 7. exf4
Bxd6 $44 {as Black has a lead in development and White's pawn structure is
shattered, which devalues the pawn plus.}) 6... Bd7 7. Bg5 (7. exd6 Nxf4 8.
exf4 Bxd6 9. Qe2+ Kf8 10. g3 Qf6 {Diagram [#] This line offers roughly equal
chances. Plaskett,J (2491)-Zilbermintz,L (2014) ICC INT 2009}) 7... Qc8 {An
unfortunate placement for the queen, but this is better than blocking the
bishop with a piece on e7 and consequently being forced to meet e5xd6 with ...
c7xd6, breaking up Black's pawn structure and hindering Black's development.}
8. exd6 Bxd6 9. e4 $14 {Diagram [#] White is better, but must still take some
care, and actually lost quite quickly in Garmatz,W-Costa,A Brazil CXEB 1995})
5... Qe7 {Black aims to cause trouble in the white queenside, like in the 3...
Qe7 line of the gambit.} (5... d6 6. exd6 Bxd6 7. Bxd6 cxd6 {doesn't give
White much for the pawn.}) 6. e3 (6. Nc3 {threatening Nd5 is the most critical
response, and it leads to considerable complications which should favour White,
but White has to take some care.} Qb4 {This is a variation that Lev
Zilbermints has analysed in some depth. I'll restrict myself to some of the
main possibilities:} (6... Ngxe5 $6 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. Nd5 {is not what Black
wants.}) 7. Qd2 {is probably the most critical response, though it is also the
most complicated.} (7. Rb1 Qa5 8. Qd5 Bb4 9. Qxa5 Bxa5 {leaves White unable to
prevent further damage to the white pawn structure which gives Black
reasonable compensation for the pawn (regardless of what your computer might
say), e.g.} 10. e3 O-O 11. Bd3 Re8 12. Bxg6 hxg6 13. O-O Bxc3 14. bxc3 b6 $44)
(7. a3 Qxb2 8. Nd5 Kd8 9. e4 Bc5 10. Be2 {White's lead in development and
Black's misplaced king more than offset White's poor pawn structure.}) 7...
Qxb2 8. Rb1 Qa3 9. Rb3 Qa5 10. Rb5 Qa6 11. Nd5 Qxa2 (11... Kd8 12. c4 $16) 12.
Nxc7+ Kd8 13. Nxa8 Bb4 14. Rxb4 Qa1+ 15. Qd1 Qc3+ 16. Nd2 Nxb4 {and Black has
some, but probably insufficient, attacking chances in return for the material.}
) 6... Ncxe5 (6... Qb4+ {is again a decent alternative, though it involves a
fair amount of risk.} 7. Nbd2 (7. Nc3 $6 Qxb2 8. Nd5 Bb4+) 7... Qxb2 (7... Be7
8. Rb1) 8. Rb1 Qxa2 (8... Qa3 9. Bc4 Be7 10. O-O $14) 9. Bc4 Qa3 10. O-O {
gives White very dangerous compensation for a pawn.}) 7. Nc3 c6 {Preventing
Nc3-b5 and Nc3-d5.} (7... Nxf3+ 8. Qxf3 c6 9. O-O-O Ne5 {is another idea,
though still with advantage for White.}) 8. Be2 {White prepares to meet ...
Nxf3+ with Bxf3, but this is quite a restrained development plan.} (8. Nxe5
Nxe5 9. Qd4 {is probably stronger.}) 8... d5 {Gaining some control of the
centre.} (8... Nxf3+ 9. Bxf3 Qb4 {may be the most reliable option for Black
here, intending ...Be7 and ... 0-0 with just a modest disadvantage.}) 9. O-O
Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 Ne5 (10... Be6 {reinforcing d5 and intending to castle
queenside may have been better.}) 11. e4 {Thus White's apparently quiet plan
with Be2 has been justified. White strikes out in the centre and Black is now
in serious trouble.} Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 d4 {Probably necessary, since White had
dangerous threats down the e-file, but the advanced d-pawn is vulnerable and I
don't think that Black can prevent it from dropping off in the long run.} 13.
Ne2 c5 (13... g6 14. Nxd4 Bg7 {may have been a better way to let the pawn drop,
though Black doesn't have much to show for it.}) 14. c3 {This wins a pawn, due
to the fact that it is too risky for Black to take on c3.} d3 (14... dxc3 $6
15. Nxc3 {gives White too many threats- Nc3-d5 and Nc3-b5 are both dangerous
and Black cannot prevent both of them.}) 15. Qxd3 {Black is now a pawn down
for nothing.} g6 $6 (15... Bd7 {intending ...0-0-0 is better.}) 16. Nf4 Bg7 $2
(16... Be6) 17. Nd5 {Now Black is completely lost.} Qd7 18. Nc7+ Ke7 19. Qc4 b5
20. Qxc5+ Kd8 21. Rad1 Bf8 22. Qxb5 a6 23. Qb6 Ke7 24. Bh4+ f6 25. Qxf6# 1-0
[Event "Moscow-ch"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kachar, Vladimir"]
[Black "Gansvind, Valeriya I"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2383"]
[BlackElo "2238"]
[PlyCount "35"]
[EventDate "2000.05.??"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.10.19"]
{The main problem with the Zilbermints Gambit is probably the response used in
this game, 4.Nc3.} 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nge7 4. Nc3 {This is the other
main line against 3. ..Nge7, and is probably the most problematic from Black's
perspective. White concentrates on developing and lets Black regain the pawn
on e5, and has ideas of Nd5 and/or Ne4 in various lines.} Ng6 {This is not
very effective here because of White's next move, which initiates quite a
forcing sequence of moves.} (4... h6 {intends ...g5, ...Bg7 and rounding up e5
that way, but this leaves Black somewhat short on development, and so White
should again be able to get a significant advantage. Some sample lines:} 5. e3
{The idea of advancing to e3 rather than e4 is that in some lines, if Black
plays ...Ng6 then White can play Bf1-d3 with the idea of chopping off the
knight, and White can also consider Nc3-e4.} (5. Bf4 g5 6. Bg3 Bg7 7. Qd2 g4 8.
Nd4 Nxe5 9. O-O-O {and White has some advantage due to the better development.}
) (5. e4 Ng6 6. Bb5 {is perhaps not quite as strong due to} (6. Be2 Bb4 {is
similar}) 6... Bb4) (5. a3 $5 {is a suggestion of Valeri Bronznik, which has
similar ideas to 5.e3. White doesn't prepare to develop the f1-bishop, but
prevents any ideas based on ...Nb4 or ...Bb4.}) 5... g5 (5... Ng6 {is
ineffective here:} 6. Qd5 Qe7 (6... Bb4 7. Bd2) 7. Nb5) 6. Ne4 Bg7 7. Nf6+ Bxf6
8. exf6 {Diagram [#] and although Black will round up the pawn on f6, White
will keep some advantage due to the superior development and Black's weakened
kingside.}) 5. Bg5 {This disrupts Black's plan considerably since Black now
has to block the attack on the queen.} Be7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 (6... Ngxe7 {leaves
Black a couple of tempi down regarding the ...Ng6xe5 plan. One sample line:} 7.
h4 $5 Ng6 8. h5 Ngxe5 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. Qd4 {with a large advantage for White.})
7. Nd5 {An important part of the plan. White attacks the queen and also
attacks c7.} Qd8 {The only way to defend against the threat to c7.} 8. Qd2 {#
[Positon after 8.Qd2] This move has the idea of Qg5, encouraging an exchange
of queens, while preparing queenside castling.} b6 {'Black plans to fianchetto
the queen's bishop, but this is quite slow.'} (8... O-O $6 9. Qg5 {is
difficult for Black to meet adequately, e. g.} Nce7 (9... Qxg5 10. Nxg5 Ngxe5
11. Nxc7 $16) 10. Nxe7+ Nxe7 11. O-O-O $16) (8... h6 {is probably best,
preventing Qg5, but White retains an advantage due to the better development.}
9. O-O-O O-O 10. Qc3 Re8 {is a plausible continuation. #[Positon after 10...
Re8] Now one good idea for White is} 11. g4 {aiming to take advantage of the
weakness on the kingside created by 8...h6. White plans g4-g5 prising open the
black kingside.} ({White can't afford to be too complacent though, e.g.} 11. h4
a5 12. a3 $6 b5 {gives Black good queenside counterplay.})) 9. O-O-O Bb7 10. h4
{Threatening to dislodge the knight on g6 and prise open Black's kingside,
since it is difficult for Black to organise queenside castling in this
position with the black queen unable to shift from the back rank.} Nce7 (10...
h5 {stops White's threat, but} 11. e4 {is then strong, threatening to play Bb5
and if} O-O 12. Qg5) 11. e4 c6 $2 (11... h5 {was probably the best option here,
but Black's game is very difficult.} 12. Ne3 {(probably not best here) would
then be met by} Bxe4 {although even here, White has a plus after} 13. Ng5) 12.
Ne3 {Now Black cannot take on e4 and so Ne3-f5 is unstoppable.} b5 13. Nf5 Nxf5
14. exf5 Nf8 15. Ng5 Qe7 16. f6 gxf6 17. exf6 Qxf6 18. Ne4 1-0