Portuguese Gambit (or Jadoul Gambit)
After 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4, Black has traditionally recaptured on d5 with the knight, although 3...Qxd5 is also playable and can lead to combative positions with the kings castled on opposite wings. However, in the Portuguese/Jadoul Gambit, Black instead plays 3...Bg4.
According to Stefan Bücker, this line was first introduced into master play by Carl Göring, the man who also introduced the Göring Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3) into master play. It is less sound than 3.c4 e6, but often leads to similar play and is easily underestimated. Black will generally meet c2-c4 with ...e7-e6, aiming to blast open lines and then attack White down the central files, while if White plays Bb5+ early on, then Black also has the option of ...a7-a6, aiming to kick the white bishop back and expand on the queenside.
If White decides to decline the gambit, Black can generally get a combative game, albeit with a slight theoretical disadvantage, by recapturing on d5 with the queen, intending rapid queenside castling and kingside counterplay. The main exception is the annoying line 4.Bb5+ Nbd7 5.Be2, which leaves Black's queen's path to the d5-square obscured, and so Black must recapture on d5 with the f6-knight, which makes the more double-edged plans involving queenside castling somewhat less appealing.
If White decides to decline the gambit, Black can generally get a combative game, albeit with a slight theoretical disadvantage, by recapturing on d5 with the queen, intending rapid queenside castling and kingside counterplay. The main exception is the annoying line 4.Bb5+ Nbd7 5.Be2, which leaves Black's queen's path to the d5-square obscured, and so Black must recapture on d5 with the f6-knight, which makes the more double-edged plans involving queenside castling somewhat less appealing.
Games and analysis
The games and analysis section is divided up as follows:
1. 4.f3 Bf5 5.c4. A sample game in the line 5...e6 6.dxe6 Nc6 7.exf7+?! Kxf7, which often attracts players to this gambit with Black, so I think it makes a good introduction to the opening. I look at various alternatives for both sides after 5.c4, where 7.Be3 intending 7...Qe7 8.exf7+ is the most challenging line for White, but I think Black can get enough compensation for the sacrificed material there too.
2. 4.Bb5+ with a focus on 4...Nbd7 5.Be2. Also not theoretically worrying, but much harder for Black to generate good winning chances against.
3. 4.Nf3. Declines the gambit and leads to double-edged positions, often with the kings castled on opposite sides of the board, though with a slight advantage for White. The game, however, provides a good illustration of how Black's attack can break through.
4. 4.Be2. Similar to 4.Nf3, but there are some differences relating to the quick trade of light-squared bishops and the fact that after 4...Bxe2 5.Qxe2 White's queen is no longer on the d-file, which makes d4-d5 more of a threat if Black plays ...Nb8-c6 early on.
5. 4.f3 Bf5 5.g4. A very critical line, but White needs a lot of courage to play this effectively in over-the-board play as it results in White's king lacking pawn cover. In correspondence play, however, this is probably the strongest attempt to refute Black's gambit. In Kaissiber 32, Stefan Bücker made a very strong case for White's chances in this line.
6. 4.f3 Bf5 5.Bb5+. The main line, in which White generally intends to hold onto the extra pawn with 6.c4, although 6.Nc3 is also playable. Black's best response is probably 5...Nbd7 6.c4 e6 7.dxe6 fxe6, which leaves Black just a little short of full compensation for the pawn, and givers good practical chances, though 6...a6 and 7...Bxe6 are also playable.
1. 4.f3 Bf5 5.c4. A sample game in the line 5...e6 6.dxe6 Nc6 7.exf7+?! Kxf7, which often attracts players to this gambit with Black, so I think it makes a good introduction to the opening. I look at various alternatives for both sides after 5.c4, where 7.Be3 intending 7...Qe7 8.exf7+ is the most challenging line for White, but I think Black can get enough compensation for the sacrificed material there too.
2. 4.Bb5+ with a focus on 4...Nbd7 5.Be2. Also not theoretically worrying, but much harder for Black to generate good winning chances against.
3. 4.Nf3. Declines the gambit and leads to double-edged positions, often with the kings castled on opposite sides of the board, though with a slight advantage for White. The game, however, provides a good illustration of how Black's attack can break through.
4. 4.Be2. Similar to 4.Nf3, but there are some differences relating to the quick trade of light-squared bishops and the fact that after 4...Bxe2 5.Qxe2 White's queen is no longer on the d-file, which makes d4-d5 more of a threat if Black plays ...Nb8-c6 early on.
5. 4.f3 Bf5 5.g4. A very critical line, but White needs a lot of courage to play this effectively in over-the-board play as it results in White's king lacking pawn cover. In correspondence play, however, this is probably the strongest attempt to refute Black's gambit. In Kaissiber 32, Stefan Bücker made a very strong case for White's chances in this line.
6. 4.f3 Bf5 5.Bb5+. The main line, in which White generally intends to hold onto the extra pawn with 6.c4, although 6.Nc3 is also playable. Black's best response is probably 5...Nbd7 6.c4 e6 7.dxe6 fxe6, which leaves Black just a little short of full compensation for the pawn, and givers good practical chances, though 6...a6 and 7...Bxe6 are also playable.
[Event "Tula Afromeev Memorial"]
[Site "Tula"]
[Date "2005.07.27"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Sergeev, Gennady"]
[Black "Saulin, Dmitri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2451"]
[BlackElo "2446"]
[PlyCount "26"]
[EventDate "2005.07.20"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "6"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.11.24"]
{The first game illustrates the sort of attacking game that attracts many
players to the gambit line with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4, first introduced
into master play by Carl Göring (the man who also introduced the Göring
Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3, into master play) according to
Stefan Bucker.} 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 {This is known as the
Portuguese or Jadoul Gambit. Instead of recapturing on d5 with the queen or
knight, Black aims to sacrifice a pawn in return for rapid development.
Alternatively, 3...Qxd5 will normally transpose into lines that arise from 3...
Bg4 4.Nf3 Qxd5, although Black can also try meeting 4.Nf3 with 4...Nf6.} 4. f3
{This is the most critical response, forcing the g4-bishop to retreat onto a
different diagonal, with the aim of then holding onto the extra pawn with
c2-c4. White does, however, have various alternatives, with the most important
being 4.Bb5+, 4.Nf3 and 4.Be2, after which White is usually prepared to return
the extra pawn.} Bf5 {Other retreat squares for the bishop cannot be
recommended as they are more passive.} 5. c4 {Diagram [#] This is inferior to
the main line with 5.Bb5+, since White's f1-bishop is blocked in behind the
c4-pawn, and so White does not get as large a share of the piece activity.
Also critical is the daring 5.g4, preparing to cramp Black by pushing the
kingside pawns, but leaving the white king short of pawn cover.} e6 6. dxe6 (6.
Qb3 {is an alternative way of going a pawn ahead, hoping to cause disruption
in the black queenside, but with only the queen developed, Black can still
look forward to good compensation, e.g.} exd5 (6... c5 $5 {is also worth
considering.} 7. Qxb7 Nbd7 8. dxe6 fxe6 $44 {Solomon,S (2435)-Wohl,A (2440)
Gold Coast 1998}) 7. Qxb7 Nbd7 {Diagram [#]White's queen is rather offside on
the queenside, which gives Black a long lead in development in return for the
pawn.} 8. c5 (8. Nc3 Rb8 9. Qc6 Bb4 {gives Black excellent compensation,
Massoni, M (2308)-Batteux,M (2003) St Chely d'Aubrac 2010}) 8... Rb8 (8... Bxc5
$5 9. dxc5 O-O {is a strong piece sacrifice.}) 9. Qxa7 Be7 $44 {Makowski,T
(2493) -Popov, A (2461) ICCF email 2008, continued:} 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Qa3 Re8
12. Kf2 Ra8 13. Qb4 Rb8 14. Qa3 Ra8 15. Qb4 Rb8 16. Qa3 Ra8 {Black is prepared
to take a draw here by repetition of moves, but there is a way of playing for
more.} (16... Nxc5 $5 17. dxc5 d4 {is quite a powerful piece sacrifice.}) 17.
Qb4 Rb8 {½-½}) 6... Nc6 7. exf7+ $6 {This tempting move, bringing Black's
king out into the open, leaves White too far behind in development.} (7. Be3 {
is the way to go for White, whereupon Black has compensation for the pawn, but
White is still well in the game, following} Qe7 8. exf7+ {This move makes more
sense here because Black's queen on e7 gets in the way of the plan of ...Bb4+
and ...Re8xe3.} (8. Nc3 O-O-O $44 {Sudakova,I (2358)-Muzychuk,A (2456)
Zlatibor 2007, gives Black good chances.}) 8... Kxf7 9. Kf2 Re8 10. Qd2 Qd7 {
Black prepares to play ...Re8xe3 after all, but has lost some time in the
process, so White's chances are better than in the line starting with 7.exf7+.}
11. c5 (11. Nc3 $6 Rxe3 12. Kxe3 Bc5 {gives Black a very dangerous attack,
Dworakowski,L (2320)-Moll,A (2115) Groningen 1997}) 11... Rxe3 12. Qxe3 Nxd4
13. Bc4+ Be6 14. Bxe6+ Nxe6 {, threatening ...Bxc5, is one important line, in
which Black has enough attacking chances to compensate for being an exchange
and pawn down.}) 7... Kxf7 {Diagram [#] Although White has brought Black's
king out into the open, retained an extra pawn and has quite a strong centre,
White is in serious trouble, due to having no pieces developed.} 8. Be3 $6 {
This leaves White vulnerable to a strong exchange sacrifice with ...Rh8-e8xe3.}
({An alternative for White is} 8. Ne2 {which is met by} Nb4 {launching an
attack against c2, but with precise play White may be able to get close to
levelling the chances. White can counterattack against Black's f5-bishop with}
9. Ng3 Nc2+ 10. Kf2 Bg6 (10... Nxd4 {is also playable.}) 11. c5 Be7 12. Bc4+
Kf8 13. Be3 Nxa1 14. Na3 Nd5 15. Ne4 (15. Bxd5 Qxd5 16. Qxa1 {is probably best,
after which White has two pawns for the exchange.}) 15... Nxe3 16. Kxe3 Bg5+
17. Kf2 {and in the game Pelikan, K-Vesely,J (2125) Brno 2002, Black could
have stayed on top with} c6) 8... Bb4+ 9. Nc3 (9. Kf2 Re8 10. Ne2 Rxe3) 9...
Re8 {Black sets up the exchange sacrifice on e3, against which White has no
good defence.} 10. Kf2 {[%csl Ge3][%cal Ge8e3] Diagram [#]} Rxe3 $1 11. Kxe3
Bc2 12. Qd2 Ng4+ 13. fxg4 Qg5+ {Conclusion: White should avoid the whole line
with 5.c4, and particularly 7. exf7+, which opens up too many lines for Black.}
0-1
[Event "WS MN/015 email"]
[Site "ICCF email"]
[Date "2006.10.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nielsen, Peter"]
[Black "Corbat, Philippe"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2336"]
[BlackElo "2351"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]
[EventType "corr"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.11.24"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. Bb5+ {This is quite a common response, which
can transpose into the main accepted lines of the gambit if White follows up
with f2-f3 and c2-c4. However, White also has an irritating (from Black's
point of view) alternative way of following this up.} Nbd7 ({If Black is
determined to play a gambit then the risky} 4... c6 {, reminiscent of the
Göring Gambit, comes into consideration, but it is not particularly sound as
Black has a tempo less. A couple of practical examples continued:} 5. dxc6 Qa5+
(5... Nxc6 6. Nf3 e5 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. dxe5 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 O-O-O+ 10. Nbd2 $14 {
Volkov,A (2144)-Andreassen,E (2317) ICCF email 2009, White's discomfort with
the misplaced king does not give Black enough for two pawns.}) 6. Nc3 Nxc6 7.
Nge2 O-O-O 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. f3 Bf5 10. Bf4 Nd5 11. Bd2 $14 {Fressinet,L (2675)
-Sanchez,J (2471) Paris 2009}) 5. Be2 {This avoids being pinned against the
queen on d1, and lets Black regain the pawn on d5, with the idea of heading
for a risk-free edge in positions reminiscent of the Caro-Kann Defence.
Black's problem in this line is not getting a playable game, but rather how to
generate winning chances.} Bxe2 6. Qxe2 {This is usually played, since the
g1-knight is more actively placed on f3 than on e2, but the knight recapture
on e2 is also occasionally seen.} (6. Nxe2 Nxd5 7. c4 N5f6 8. O-O c6 ({Black
can also fianchetto on the kingside, e.g.} 8... g6 9. Nbc3 Bg7 10. Bf4 c6 {
with a slight advantage for White, Barabas,T (2090)-Petro,J (2103) Hungary 2009
}) 9. Nbc3 e6 10. Bf4 Be7 ({Black can also consider castling long in order to
unbalance the game, but this is risky, e.g.} 10... Qa5 11. Qb3 O-O-O 12. c5)
11. d5 {with a slightly preferable game for White. Rizzo,R (2404)-Strand,T
(2439) France AJEC 2002, continued from here:} cxd5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 exd5
14. Qxd5 Nc5 15. Qe5 O-O 16. Rad1 Qe8 17. Nd4 {with some advantage for White.})
6... Nxd5 (6... Nb6 7. c4 Qd7 8. Nf3 {(Giaccio,A (2470)-Barbosa,J (2009) Sao
Paulo 2004) does not give Black enough for the pawn. White threatens Nf3-e5.})
7. c4 {White attacks the d5-knight and gains space in the centre.} N5f6 {[%csl
Gb5,Gc5,Gd5,Ge5][%cal Gc4b5,Gd4e5,Gd4c5,Gc4d5] Diagram [#] This is the main
starting position for the 4.Bb5+, 5.Be2 variation, in which White enjoys
considerable central control but Black has a slight lead in development.
Black's main problem is how to generate winning chances, since Black's pieces
tend to be quite cramped as a result of White's centre.} 8. Nc3 (8. Nf3 {is
more often played, though it will often transpose into the game continuation.}
e6 9. O-O Be7 (9... c6 10. Nc3 {with the threat of d4-d5 scores quite heavily
for White.}) (9... Bd6 10. Nc3 O-O {transposes to the game continuation.}) 10.
Nc3 O-O 11. Bf4 {with a slight advantage for White in a quiet position,
although Black managed to win in Schon,E (2115)-West,G (2346) Queenstown 2009.}
) 8... e6 ({I have experimented with a more daring approach from Black
starting with} 8... c6 {intending to bring the black queen out to c7 or a5,
with queenside castling in some cases, to unbalance the position and generate
positive chances. However, this policy entails considerable risk.} 9. Nf3 Qc7 (
9... e6 10. d5) (9... Qa5 10. Bd2 e6 11. d5) 10. O-O e6 11. d5 O-O-O 12. dxc6
bxc6 13. Rd1 {and while Black has succeeded in creating an unbalanced game,
White has a substantial advantage, as Black's king lacks pawn cover and
Black's queenside pawns are weak.}) (8... g6 {is also playable, intending a
fianchetto, but has scored very well for White.} 9. Nf3 Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. Bf4
c6 12. Rfe1 $14 {Pichot,A (2400)-Benedetti,J (2200) Buenos Aires 2013}) 9. Nf3
Bd6 (9... Bb4 10. Bd2 O-O 11. a3 Bxc3 12. Bxc3 c6 13. O-O Qc7 14. Rfe1 {gives
White a slight advantage, Dolukhanova,E (2273)-Nikolaev,N (2356) Peterhof 2005,
although Black again ground out a win in the endgame.}) 10. O-O O-O 11. Bg5 ({
Or} 11. c5 Be7 12. Bf4 {with a slight advantage for White, Heimann,A (2459)
-Filipovic,B (2374) Basel 2012}) 11... c6 12. Ne4 Be7 13. Bf4 {[%csl Gd6][%cal
Re4d6] Diagram [#] White threatens to play Ne4-d6, putting the knight on a
strong outpost and encouraging the exchange of Black's e7-bishop for White's
knight, so Black swaps off the knights before White gets the chance.} Nxe4 14.
Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qd3 Nh5 16. Be5 {This allows Black to break through in the centre
and free the position, leaving the chances level.} (16. Bd2 {is probably best,
whereupon the bishop can come around to a more active square on c3, or maybe
a5 if the black queen shifts from its post on d8. White keeps a small
advantage.}) 16... f6 17. Bg3 Re8 18. Rfe1 e5 19. Rad1 Nxg3 20. hxg3 exd4 21.
Nxd4 Bc5 22. Rxe8+ Qxe8 23. Nb3 Bb6 {Black has equalised comfortably here,
enjoying the advantage of bishop against knight in an open position. The
players agreed to a draw in this position, but I think that at club level
there would still be plenty of scope for mistakes from either side.} 1/2-1/2
[Event "Wch Blitz final (Women)"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2010.09.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gaponenko, Inna"]
[Black "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2469"]
[BlackElo "2523"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2010.09.17"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[EventRounds "30"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.11.24"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. Nf3 {Diagram [#] This is a reasonable
alternative for White. White wishes to simply get on with development and,
anticipating rapid queenside castling and kingside counterplay from Black,
prepare to launch an attack against the black king.} Qxd5 {4...Nxd5 is also
playable, but this recapture is most in the spirit of Black's opening,
striving for attacking chances, with the kings typically castled on opposite
wings. Note that this game used a 2...Qxd5 move-order, and that this position
quite often arises after 2...Qxd5 or 3...Qxd5. I have stuck with the 2...Nf6 3.
d4 Bg4 4.Nf3 Qxd5 move-order to maintain consistent with the subject of this
article.} 5. Be2 {This is most often played, blocking the pin on the f3-knight.
White will generally follow up by kicking the black queen with c2-c4 (rather
than Nb1-c3), so as to gain a larger foothold in the centre, and support the
d4-d5 pawn push.} (5. Nc3 {is an interesting alternative, since it is not
clear where the black queen should go, and Black doesn't have time to take on
f3 because after taking the queen on d5 with the knight on c3, White threatens
Nxc7+.} Qd6 {is probably Black's most reliable counter to White's early knight
move.} (5... Qh5 {is another popular way for Black to avoid transposing into
the main lines with ...Qa5, but then White is doing well after} 6. Bf4 c6 7.
Be2 {whereupon White threatens to kick the g4-bishop with h2-h3 and discover
attacks against the black queen unless Black gives up bishop for knight on f3.}
Nbd7 8. h3 e6 9. Qd3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Qa5 11. O-O-O O-O-O 12. Kb1 $14 {is one
good practical example, which left White with an edge, Peters,J (2430)-Tanaka,
C (2040) Burbank 2006}) 6. h3 Bh5 7. g4 {This weakens the white kingside but
is a standard response, which should also be familiar to fans of the
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (in which White has an extra tempo but a missing f-pawn)
. White prepares to hassle the black light-squared bishop by pushing it back
to g6 and then playing Nf3-e5.} Bg6 8. Ne5 Nbd7 {Diagram [#]Black challenges
the knight on e5, and leaves White faced with an important decision.} 9. Nc4 (
9. Nxg6 {is probably best here, chopping off the bishop on g6 before the
knight on e5 is undermined.} hxg6 10. Bg2 {reminds me of certain lines of the
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, in which White generally has a full pawn's worth of
compensation, so it can't be bad with an extra pawn on f2 and just one tempo
less.} c6 11. g5 Nh5 ({I prefer} 11... Nd5 {, for example,} 12. O-O Nxc3 13.
bxc3 Nb6 14. Rb1 O-O-O {and in this fairly double-edged position, White has
slightly the better attacking chances, but Black has good prospects on the
kingside too thanks to the half-open h-file. Dolzhikova,K (2313)
-Rakhmangulova,A (2254) Kharkov 2012}) 12. d5 cxd5 13. Qxd5 Qxd5 14. Bxd5 {
with a slight pull for White, Geller,J (2544)-Kovalenko,I (2572) Sochi 2012})
9... Qe6+ 10. Ne3 h5 11. g5 Ne4 {led to a decent game for Black in Iordachescu,
V (2599)-Tiviakov,S (2650) Nakhchivan 2013, although White went on to win the
game.}) 5... Nc6 {Black aims for rapid queenside castling, putting White's
d4-pawn under some pressure, and anticipating kingside castling from White,
which may give Black scope to roll the kingside pawns forward towards White's
king during the middlegame. This is double-edged, of course, as White is
similarly free to push the queenside pawns.} (5... e6 {is the main alternative,
preparing to develop the f8-bishop and covering the d5-square, reducing the
threat of d4-d5 hitting a knight on c6 after the queen is chased away from d5.}
6. O-O Nc6 7. c4 {Attacking the black queen in this way is more likely to
yield an advantage for White than Nb1-c3, since the pawn on c4 adds to the
threat of d4-d5, and can add to White's queenside attacking potential.} Qd7 8.
Be3 O-O-O 9. Nbd2 {Diagram [#] This has scored heavily for White in my
database, although mostly in relatively low-level games. I think that White
has just a slight advantage, and that Black can generate kingside counterplay,
e.g.} Bb4 10. Nb3 Bd6 11. a3 h6 12. Nbd2 g5 13. b4 {with a slight advantage
for White, as White's queenside attack is the more potent, Illijin,N (2258)
-Stoecklin,C (2111) Biel 2000.}) 6. c4 {Once again, White's most promising
option is to kick the black queen by pushing the c-pawn first, rather than
bringing out the b1-knight to c3.} Qf5 {The queen is probably best placed here.
If White plays Be2-d3 then Black retreats the queen to d7 and the pin on the
f3-knight is awkward, so White cannot profit from attacking the black queen in
the short-term.} 7. Be3 O-O-O {[%csl Rd1,Gd4][%cal Rd8d1,Ge7e5] Diagram [#]
Black's plan is underway, and Black is threatening to play ...e7-e5 here,
undermining White's d4-pawn and taking advantage of the fact that the pawn is
pinned by the rook on d8 against the white queen on d1.} 8. O-O (8. Nc3 {is
probably best, as it prepares to play d4-d5.} e5 ({The more restrained} 8... e6
{is also playable but quite dicey. One high-level game soon reached a wild
position from here:} 9. Qa4 Bxf3 $6 {This starts a faulty combination which
results in Black's king becoming too exposed.} 10. Bxf3 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Rxd4 12.
Qxa7 Qe5+ 13. Ne2 Rxc4 14. Qxb7+ Kd7 15. Rd1+ Bd6 16. Rxd6+ Qxd6 17. Qb5+ Rc6
18. O-O $16 {Ziatdinov,R (2515)-Shabalov,A (2615) Toronto 1998}) 9. d5 e4 10.
Nd4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 {Diagram [#] with a combative game, and a
slight advantage for White, Drei,A (2260)-Barletta,M (2235) Cesenatico 2011.
Black played ...Bb4 here and soon got into problems, but I think that Black
has decent attacking chances by eyeing White's sensitive spot on h2 with} Bd6)
8... e5 9. d5 {White gets out of the problems with the d4-pawn, and opens up a
path to a7 for the e3-bishop. This continuation normally leads to the trade of
one or two pairs of minor pieces.} e4 {Black pushes forward, for otherwise
Black will be driven back and will come under considerable queenside pressure.}
10. Nd4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bd6 {Diagram [#] This is similar to a line considered
earlier. White's queenside attack is slightly more potent than Black's
kingside attack, but in this sort of double-edged position, there are good
winning chances for both sides. Note that White does not have time to grab the
pawn on a7 here.} 12. Bxf6 ({Black's play is justified tactically, in view of
the line} 12. Bxa7 $4 Bxh2+ 13. Kxh2 Qh5+ 14. Kg1 Bxe2) (12. Nc3 {is probably
best here, often yielding the same positions as in the lines stemming from 8.
Nc3, which should be slightly better for White but with counterplay for Black.}
Bxe2 13. Qxe2 Ng4 {then sees Black's kingside attack starting to gather pace,
Lazic,M (2474)-Sulava,N (2552) Saint Affrique 2002}) 12... Bxe2 13. Qxe2 Qxf6
14. Nc3 Qe5 15. g3 f5 16. Rad1 h5 {Black can be satisfied with the outcome of
the opening, since Black is already getting the kingside pawns moving forward,.
} 17. f4 $6 (17. Qe3 {attacking a7 should have been played, which gives White
a fair share of the attacking chances. Here are two sample lines illustrating
how White can keep the chances level:} h4 (17... b6 18. Nb5 Kb7 19. Nd4) 18. c5
hxg3 19. fxg3 (19. hxg3 $2 f4 {gives Black a winning attack.}) 19... Bf8 20. d6
) 17... Bc5+ 18. Kg2 Qf6 19. h4 {Slowing down Black's kingside build-up, since
the g5-square is now heavily protected, but on the other hand, White now has a
backward pawn on g3.} Rh6 20. a3 Rg6 {Black places a rook on the g-file,
immediately putting White's g3-pawn under some pressure.} 21. Rh1 (21. Qxh5 {
looks playable, and probably superior to the game continuation, but Black has
more than enough for the pawn deficit in this position. Rybka suggests} Rf8 {
here, adding more support to the f5-pawn.}) 21... Rg4 {Diagram [#]} 22. Qf1 $2
({It may have been best for White to try to get some queenside play going with
} 22. Na4) 22... Be3 23. Rh3 Bxf4 24. Qf2 e3 {White is now in serious trouble
and the white position crumbles:} 25. Qf3 Re8 26. Kf1 Bd6 27. Re1 f4 28. Re2
fxg3 29. Qxf6 gxf6 30. Kg2 f5 31. Nd1 Rxc4 32. Rxe3 Rce4 33. Rxe4 Rxe4 34. Nc3
Re3 35. Rh1 a6 36. Rf1 f4 37. Rf3 Re1 38. Rf1 Rxf1 39. Kxf1 f3 40. Ne4 g2+ 41.
Kg1 Be5 42. b3 Bd4+ 43. Nf2 Kd7 0-1
[Event "Voronezh op-A 17th"]
[Site "Voronezh"]
[Date "2013.06.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Semenova, Irina"]
[Black "Rodin, Dmitrij"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2240"]
[BlackElo "2348"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2013.06.12"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.11.24"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. Be2 {Diagram [#] A straightforward way of
avoiding being pinned, but unlike 4.Bb5+ Nbd7 5.Be2, this line does not
prevent Black from getting the sort of double-edged attacking game that he or
she typically strives for when playing 3.d4 Bg4. This leads to similar
positions to 4.Nf3, with attacking chances for both sides, but generally with
a slight advantage for White, as White's attack tends to be slightly faster.
The main difference is that the light-squared bishops are traded immediately.}
Bxe2 5. Qxe2 (5. Nxe2 {is probably less good here as the knight is more
passively placed on e2 than it is on f3, and White cannot easily kick the
black queen on d5 with c2-c4 first, before playing Nb1-c3. However, White's
game is fully playable. For example,} Qxd5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nbc3 Qf5 {Diagram [#]}
8. d5 (8. Ng3 Qg6 {is fine for Black, e.g.} 9. Nce2 h5 10. Nf4 Qh7 11. c4 O-O-O
{Linczer,J (2244)-Boguszlavszkij,J (2256) Hungary 2010, and Black's attacking
chances on the kingside are potent.}) 8... O-O-O 9. Nd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Nxd5 11.
Qxa7 {Diagram [#] This looks strong for White at first glance, but Black can
get sufficient counterplay to compensate for White's breakthrough on the
queenside.} Nxc3 12. bxc3 e6 13. Qa8+ Kd7 14. Qxb7 Bd6 {with a sharp position
offering equal chances, Arkhipov,V (2318)-Saulin,D (2438) Suvorov 2012}) 5...
Qxd5 {Again, it is possible to recapture with the knight, but I feel that
recapturing with the queen is most in the spirit of the Portuguese/Jadoul
Gambit.} 6. Nf3 Nc6 {Combative, but double-edged, since the knight becomes a
target for a d4-d5 push and the d5-pawn doesn't end up pinned against the
white queen by a rook on d8.} (6... e6 {is a reasonable alternative,
discouraging an early d4-d5 from White after kicking the black queen away.
Dave Smerdon then went for a relatively restrained approach with ...Be7 and ...
0-0 in the following game:} 7. c4 Qf5 (7... Qe4 8. Nc3 Qxe2+ 9. Kxe2 {leaves
White slightly better due to superior control of the centre.}) 8. O-O Be7 (8...
Nbd7 {is a good alternative to ...Nc6, which would most likely transpose to
the game, and prepares queenside castling, although White can quickly develop
a queenside offensive, e.g.} 9. Nc3 O-O-O 10. c5 Be7 11. a4 $14) 9. Nc3 O-O 10.
Ne5 h6 11. g4 Qh7 12. Bf4 {with a slight advantage for White, although Black
went on to win, Okkes,M (2355)-Smerdon,D (2473) Hoogeveen 2006}) 7. c4 {Again,
White benefits from pushing this pawn forward, increasing the control of the
centre and adding strength to the threat of d4-d5.} Qf5 (7... Qe4 {is also
playable, but scores well for White, and with an exchange of queens likely, it
lessens Black's ability to unbalance the game. It may well objectively be
better than 7...Qf5, though.} 8. Nc3 (8. Be3 e6 9. Nc3 Qf5 10. d5 {is another
idea for White.}) 8... Qxe2+ 9. Kxe2 e6 10. Bg5 O-O-O 11. Rhd1 {gives White a
slight advantage due to the strong centre on c4 and d4, Sutovsky,E (2639)
-Vlassov,N (2466) playchess.com INT 2003}) 8. O-O {[%csl Rc6,Gd5][%cal Rd4d5,
Rd5c6] Diagram [#]Here, since White's queen is not on the d-file, d4-d5 is
more of a threat, which is why 6...Nc6 may objectively be inferior to 6...e6.}
O-O-O (8... e6 {is played less often, and is probably inferior.} 9. d5 Nb4 10.
Nc3 (10. a3 Nc2 (10... Nd3 11. dxe6 {is the main reason why it is probably
better for Black to castle at move 8.}) 11. Ra2 Bc5 12. Nc3 {is probably the
critical test of Black's play, e.g.} Nd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4 14. Nb5 Be5 15. b4 $16)
10... O-O-O {transposes into the game continuation.}) 9. d5 {[%csl Rc6][%cal
Rd5c6] White kicks the c6-knight away from its defence of the a7-pawn.} Nb4 10.
Nc3 (10. a3 Nd3 (10... Nc2 11. Ra2) 11. Be3 {Diagram [#] and Black's queenside
is coming under fire, though this continuation may still be quite playable for
Black, for example,} e5 (11... Nf4 12. Bxf4 Qxf4 13. Nc3 e6 14. dxe6 Re8 15.
Nd5 $14 {with some advantage for White although Black went on to win in the
game Groetz,H (2319)-Sucher,J (2158) Feldkirch 2013}) 12. Nc3 (12. Bxa7 $6 b6
13. Nc3 Nf4 {and Black is threatening to round up the bishop on a7 with ...Kb7.
}) 12... Bd6 13. Ng5 Rd7 14. Qc2 h6 $14 {De los Reyes,A (1828)-Cross,A (1675)
IECC email 2002}) 10... e6 11. dxe6 fxe6 12. Be3 {Diagram [#] White has a
slight advantage here, but Black can be reasonably satisfied with a
double-edged position and some attacking chances on the kingside.} Be7 {I
don't like this response because White can respond with a strong centralising
move, but White missed it.} (12... Nc6 {defending a7 and discouraging Nc3-d4
is probably Black's best option here.} 13. Rfd1 Rxd1+ (13... Bd6 14. Nb5 {
gives White the option of grabbing the bishop-pair, though this still isn't
too bad for Black, e.g.} a6 15. Nxd6+ Rxd6 16. Rxd6 cxd6) 14. Rxd1 a6 {gives
White just a small edge, Yoshan,V (2422)-Kabanov,N (2517) Khanty-Mansiysk 2008}
) 13. Rad1 (13. Nd4 $16 {[%csl Re6][%cal Rd4f5,Rd4e6] leaves Black in some
trouble, due to the threats against e6.}) 13... Nc6 14. a3 Ne4 15. Nxe4 Qxe4
16. b4 Bf6 {Although White has quite a strong-looking build-up on the
queenside, Black has the more active pieces, and so White's advantage, if any,
is small.} 17. h3 Ne7 (17... e5 {is quite a tempting centralising alternative.}
) 18. Qa2 Nf5 (18... Nc6 {is safer, not allowing White to grab the pawn on a7.}
) 19. Bc1 (19. Bxa7 {may well be the most critical test for Black here, since
I am not convinced that Black has enough time to round up the bishop without
allowing a very dangerous queenside attack, for example,} b6 20. Rde1 Qd3 21.
c5) 19... Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Nd4 21. Nxd4 Bxd4 22. Qb3 {Here the game is looking
set to fizzle out to a draw after a series of exchanges on e3.} Qe2 $6 {
Exchanging bishops in this way leaves Black with the worse position.} (22...
Rf8 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 Qxe3 25. fxe3 {is very drawish.}) ({Or} 22... Rd8 23.
Be3 Bxe3 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Qxe3) 23. Rxd4 Qe1+ 24. Kh2 Qxc1 25. Qg3 Qh6 26.
Rf4 Rd8 27. Rf7 Rd7 28. Rf8+ Rd8 29. Rf7 Rd7 30. Rf8+ Rd8 {This should
objectively be a draw, but it seems to me that White has the more comfortable
ending, so Black can be happy that White agreed to a draw here.} 1/2-1/2
[Event "ESP-ch26 email"]
[Site "ICCF email"]
[Date "2009.12.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alonso Gonzalez, Carlos"]
[Black "Destruels Moreno, Francisco Ramon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2307"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]
[EventType "corr"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.11.24"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 {#[Position after 3...Bg4] This is known as the
Portuguese or Jadoul Gambit. Instead of recapturing on d5 with the queen or
knight, Black aims to sacrifice a pawn in return for rapid development.} 4. f3
{Now we return to the most critical continuation, in which White tries to hold
onto the gambit pawn, but White then goes for a more critical fifth move than
5.c4 as featured in the first game.} Bf5 5. g4 $5 {This appears to be the most
critical test, as Stefan Bucker demonstrated in Kaissiber 32. White aims to
cramp Black by pushing pawns forward, which is a risky strategy as it leaves
the white king without pawn cover, but White relies upon Black being unable to
take advantage of this, at least not without sacrificing further material.
Instead the main line runs 5.Bb5+, which will be covered next.} Bg6 {Other
retreat squares leave Black more passive.} 6. c4 {White plays to hold onto the
extra pawn.} e6 (6... c6 7. Nc3 cxd5 8. g5 {is a worse version of the main
line for Black.} Nh5 9. f4 e6 10. Be2 dxc4 11. Bxh5 Bxh5 12. Qxh5 $16 {was
much better for White in Kolker,V (2104)-Storch,D (1888) Bad Homburg 2010,
since Black soon got into trouble after} Qxd4 $6 13. Nge2 (13. Nf3 {is even
stronger, intending Nf3-e5 attacking f7.})) 7. Nc3 exd5 (7... Bd6 {appears to
be untested, but is a playable alternative for Black. There are many options
for both sides, although White generally gets the better of a murky position,
e.g.} 8. Nge2 O-O (8... Nxd5 9. cxd5 Qh4+ 10. Kd2 {forces White's king into
the open, but doesn't give enough compensation for the piece.}) 9. h4 h6 10.
dxe6 Nc6 11. Bh3 fxe6 12. g5 $14) 8. g5 {Continuing with the game plan of
cramping Black by pushing the kingside pawns.} Nfd7 (8... Nh5 {is the main
alternative, but then} 9. f4 {[%csl Rh5][%cal Rf1e2,Re2h5] leaves the knight
on h5 in danger of being trapped and chopped off.} (9. Nxd5 Bd6 10. Qe2+ Kf8
11. Nh3 Nc6 12. Be3 Qd7 $14 {was not too bad for Black in Kutuzov,D (2315)
-Laylo,D (2448) Calvia 2006, despite the misplaced black king.}) 9... Nc6 10.
Be2 Nb4 (10... dxc4 11. Bxh5 Bxh5 12. Qxh5 Nxd4 13. Kf2 Bc5 {gives Black some,
but not enough, compensation for the piece due to White's exposed king, De
Waele,W (1976)-Bukharin,A (1956) Lechenicher SchachServer 2010, where White
covers most of the threats with} 14. Be3) 11. Bxh5 Nc2+ 12. Kf2 Nxa1 13. Bxg6
hxg6 14. cxd5 {with advantage for White, Oreopoulos,K (2375)-Bensiek,N (2348)
ICCF email 2011}) 9. Nxd5 Nc6 10. h4 {White reinforces the g5-pawn and
threatens to play h4-h5.} (10. Ne2 Nb6 11. Nef4 {(Enchanter (2559)-WindPower
(2465) playchess.com INT 2008) is only a little better for White after} Bd6)
10... Nb6 {Rybka and Fritz initially assess this position as only slightly
worse for Black, but it leads to a rather grim endgame with best play, and for
this reason, Black needs to look for alternatives.} (10... Bd6 11. Ne2 {
Diagram [#] The analysis in Kaissiber 32 stops here, concluding, "with attack".
White is certainly better in this position, but must take some care due to the
lack of a safe home for the king. The only practical example that I can find is
} O-O (11... Ne7 {may be Black's best bet, although White's game remains
preferable, e.g.} 12. h5 Bf5 13. Ne3 c5 14. d5) 12. c5 Nxc5 {Sacrificing a
piece in this way is better than continuing to be pushed back, but it does not
give Black enough compensation.} 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Be3 Nb4 15. Nxb4 Bxe3 16.
Nd5 Bc2 (16... Bc5 {may be an improvement, although Black does not have enough
for the piece.}) 17. Nf6+ gxf6 18. Qxc2 {is better for White, Krakovsky,P
(2274)-Tleptsok,R ICCF email 2009}) 11. Qe2+ Be7 12. h5 $6 {This is not the
critical test of Black's opening, even though White goes on to win the game.} (
12. Nxe7 Nxd4 13. Nc6+ Nxe2 14. Nxd8 Nxg1 15. Nxb7 {Diagram [#] turns out to
be quite a grim endgame for Black, as discussed at length in Kaissiber 32. One
rather grisly example continued:} Nxf3+ 16. Kf2 Nd4 17. h5 Bf5 18. Bf4 Rb8 19.
Bg2 Ne6 20. Be3 O-O 21. b3 f6 22. gxf6 Rxf6 23. Kg3 g6 24. h6 g5 25. Raf1 Re8
26. Nc5 Nf4 27. Bxf4 gxf4+ 28. Rxf4 Re5 29. b4 Re3+ 30. Bf3 Ra3 31. Rf1 Rg6+
32. Kf2 Rxa2+ 33. Ke1 Ra1+ 34. Bd1 Nxc4 35. Rxf5 Rxd1+ 36. Kxd1 Ne3+ 37. Kd2
Nxf5 38. Rxf5 Rxh6 39. Nd3 {and the piece-for-two-pawn ending was winning for
White, Borstnik,A (2466) -Corbat,P (2439) ICCF email 2008}) 12... Bf5 13. Nxe7
Nxd4 14. Nxf5+ Nxe2 15. Nxe2 O-O {White has three pieces and a kingside
offensive in return for the queen, but probably cannot claim any advantage
here.} 16. Rh4 Re8 (16... Qd7 {may have been better. After the move played in
the game, White develops an initiative.}) 17. Rd4 Qc8 18. Bh3 Kf8 19. Bg4 Qe6
20. Nfg3 Qe7 21. b3 Rad8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Bf4 Qa3 24. Bxc7 Qb2 25. Rc1 {
Diagram [#]White's chances are preferable here, as White's three pieces are
well coordinated and Black's queen is struggling to create much trouble.} Rd3
26. Kf2 Nd7 27. Bf5 Nc5 28. Ne4 Nxe4+ 29. Bxe4 Rd2 30. Re1 Qxa2 31. Bf4 Rd8 32.
Bxh7 Qxb3 33. Rb1 Qxc4 34. Rxb7 Qa6 35. Rb2 Qe6 36. Be4 a6 (36... Qh3 {is most
likely an improvement, tying White up a little on the kingside, though White
stands better.}) 37. Ng3 g6 38. h6 a5 39. Kg2 a4 40. Bb1 Qe1 ({Black doesn't
get out of danger after} 40... a3 41. Re2 Qa6 42. Ba2) 41. Ba2 {Black does not
have an adequate defence against White's kingside threats, which include
Ng3-e4-f6 and h6-h7.} 1-0
[Event "Suvorov"]
[Site "Suvorov"]
[Date "2012.06.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Babayev, Talib"]
[Black "Kulicov, Oleg Anatolie"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2370"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2012.06.19"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "6"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.11.24"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. Bb5+ {Diagram [#] This is the most
popular continuation, usually intending to follow up with c2-c4. It should be
slightly better for White, although Black can get a fair amount of
compensation for the sacrificed pawn, which offers practical chances.} Nbd7 {
Developing and parrying the check. Black is also threatening to take on d5
under favourable circumstances, since . ..c7-c6 can then follow.} (5... c6 {,
in the style of the Göring Gambit, is not particularly sound, although it
does offer Black about half a pawn's worth of compensation, which may make it
a suitable option in blitz games. For example,} 6. dxc6 Nxc6 7. Ne2 Qb6 8. Nbc3
O-O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Na4 {with some advantage for White, although Black's
open lines and development offer partial compensation for the pawn, Dufour,M
(1950)-Khan,S (2016) IECC email 2009}) 6. c4 {White holds onto the extra pawn.}
(6. Nc3 {is a fairly unpopular, but good, alternative, which does not give
White as strong a guarantee of remaining a pawn ahead, but concentrates on
rapid development, and for the time being Black cannot take on d5.} a6 {is
Black's only way to maintain a decent share of the chances, kicking the bishop
away from its post on b5.} (6... e6 $6 7. dxe6 fxe6 8. Nge2 {does not give
Black much compensation for the pawn, Felgaer,R (2569)-Bennett,H (2093) Calvia
2004}) 7. Ba4 b5 8. Bb3 Nb6 {Diagram [#]This allows Black to round up the pawn
on d5. I would like to suggest alternatives, but this appears to be Black's
only secure way to complete development, since as we have just seen,
sacrificing the pawn with ... e6 is dubious in the line with 6.Nc3.} 9. Nge2
Nfxd5 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. Ng3 Bg6 12. O-O e6 13. f4 (13. c4 {is untested, but
looks good.}) 13... Qd7 (13... f5 {may look anti-positional, but it is
probably best here, intending ...Kf7 and preventing f4-f5, whereupon White has
just a small edge.}) 14. f5 exf5 15. Qf3 {with advantage for White, Pulito,A
(2222)-Corbin,P (2212) Turin 2006}) 6... e6 {Black aims to open lines in the
centre immediately.} (6... a6 {is the main alternative, hitting out at the
b5-bishop immediately.} 7. Bxd7+ {is probably White's most secure continuation,
denying Black the option of expanding on the queenside and gaining time on the
white bishop in the process.} (7. Ba4 {may also suffice for a slight advantage,
however. One popular continuation is then} b5 8. cxb5 {Diagram [#]} Nxd5 (8...
axb5 9. Bxb5 Nxd5 {is also playable, but White is probably a little better
after} 10. Ne2 Nb4 11. O-O {, Horchman,J (2369)-Hervet,G (2462) France 1999})
9. bxa6 Rxa6 10. Ne2 e6 11. O-O {and Black has some, though not full,
compensation for the pawn, Myakutin,V (2392)-Popov,A (2324) ICCF email 2010})
7... Qxd7 8. Ne2 e6 ({The main alternative for Black here runs} 8... b5 {but I
don't think this helps Black, for example,} 9. b3 bxc4 10. bxc4 e6 11. dxe6
Qxe6 {and now one plausible continuation runs} 12. Qa4+ Nd7 13. Nbc3 Bd3 14. c5
{and Black doesn't have enough for the pawn, Cuartas,J (2304)-Montenegro,R
(2203) Bucaramanga 2008}) 9. dxe6 Qxe6 10. d5 Qb6 11. Qd4 {Diagram [#] This
leaves Black without a good alternative to allowing the exchange of queens,
leaving White slightly better in view of the extra pawn, Womacka,M (2436)
-Buchenthal,D (2258) playchess.com INT 2005}) 7. dxe6 Bxe6 {Black keeps the
pawn structure intact, but the bishop gets hit by d4-d5 here. I prefer the
other recapture.} (7... fxe6 {avoids d4-d5 and prepares to strike out in the
centre with ...e6-e5, but at the cost of weakening the black pawn structure.
Black generally aims for queenside castling and kingside play, and this line
has scored quite well for Black in practice.} 8. Ne2 c6 9. Ba4 {#[Position
after 9.Ba4]} e5 (9... Qc7 {is also playable, preparing queenside castling and
waiting for a better moment to play ...e6-e5. One practical example continued:}
10. Bc2 Bxc2 11. Qxc2 c5 12. Bf4 Qb6 13. d5 $14 {Hofstetter,H (2533)-Spitz,P
(2555) ICCF email 2004}) 10. O-O Qc7 11. Be3 O-O-O 12. Nbc3 exd4 (12... Nb6 {
may be a better try, kicking the bishop away from a4 before taking on d4.}) 13.
Nxd4 {with advantage for White, although Black went on to win in 49 moves,
Dobrei,G (2491)-Spitz,P (2555) ICCF email 2005}) 8. d5 Bf5 9. Nc3 (9. Ne2 {is
a good alternative, with the idea of Nd4 or Ng3 attacking the bishop on f5.
Then} Bc5 10. Ng3 Bg6 11. Qe2+ {is quite an annoying check for Black to face,
and White has some advantage. Zaitsev,A (2382)-Saulin,D (2475) Tula 2004}) 9...
Bb4 10. Nge2 (10. Qe2+ {is again quite annoying for Black, who must either
swap queens, lose castling rights, or retreat the b4-bishop back to e7. Moving
the king probably gives Black the best practical chances, but is not ideal, e.
g.} Kf8 11. Be3 a6 12. Bxd7 Qxd7 13. g4 $14 {Agrest,I (2215)-Vasiliev,O (2235)
Dresden 2008}) 10... O-O 11. Bxd7 Nxd7 12. O-O {Diagram [#] Black has some,
but not full, compensation for the pawn here, so White has a slight advantage
in this position, but White later goes astray, highlighting Black's practical
chances in these lines.} Nc5 13. a3 (13. Bd2 {may be a slight improvement,
preparing to recapture on c3 with the bishop after a2-a3, ...Bb4xc3, Bd2xc3,
placing it on the long diagonal.}) 13... Bxc3 14. Nxc3 Re8 15. Bf4 Qh4 {
Starting an attack against the white king.} 16. g3 (16. g4 {may be more secure.
} Bd3 {is met by} 17. Rf2 {although Black retains attacking chances.}) 16...
Qf6 17. Bxc7 Nd3 {Diagram [#] Here White has to be very careful, and Black
already has full compensation for the material.} 18. d6 (18. Qd2 Qd4+ 19. Kg2 {
prevents ...Re3. Black can win the queen for rook and knight with} Ne1+ (19...
h5 {is a good way to continue the attack, however, leaving White in some
difficulties.}) 20. Qxe1 Rxe1 21. Rfxe1 Qxc4 {and with rook, knight and pawn
for the queen, and the prospect of putting a rook on the seventh rank, White
is probably no worse here.}) 18... Qd4+ 19. Kg2 Re3 20. Rc1 (20. Qb3 {may have
been a more resilient defence, attempting to counterattack on the queenside,
though Black is still better, e.g.} Rae8 21. Qxb7 Bc8 22. Qb8 Ba6 $17) 20...
Rae8 {White is now probably lost.} 21. b4 Bd7 22. c5 Re1 23. Rxe1 Qf2+ 24. Kh1
Nxe1 0-1