New York 1857
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.Qb3
Unless I am being particularly dense, Botterill* does not seem to cover this move, but it is recommended by Harding.
7...Qf6!?
Garry Kasparov's choice in a 2011 blitz win over Nigel Short, and played the following year by Anatoly Karpov in beating a 2450.
Harding says: "It has the advantage of allowing a subsequent ...Nge7, but the queen is more exposed on f6 than e7, and White has very good chances."
Kaufman only covers, by transposition, Harding's preferred 7...Qe7.
Bologan does not cover this exact position as he recommends 6...b5!? against 6.d4.
8.0-0
 |
| Position after 8.0-0 |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8...d6!?
This is very much not liked by Stockfish10 and Komodo10, who prefer the most popular move in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, 8...Bb6, although Harding gives that a question mark. His analysis continues 9.e5 Qg6 10.cxd4 Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Nc3, which was played in Henry Bird - Mikhail Chigorin, Hastings 1895, and was repeated in Oliver Kurmann (2450) - Karpov (2616), Trans Europa Schach Express 2012. The Russian former world champion played what seems to have been a novelty, 12...b6!?, and got a good position after 13.Bd5 c6 14.Bf3 Qe6. However, a major improvement was played in Mark Lyell (2200) - Zoltan Hajnal (2364), Keckskemet 2013, which saw 13.Nb5! Bxa1 14.Nxc7+ Kd8, and now 15.Bxf7 would have given White a large advantage, according to the engines, eg 15...Qf5 (15...Qe4 16.Bg5+ Kxc7 17.Bd5 Qd4 18.Rc1+ Kb8 19.Bd8, with a winning attack) 16.Nxa8, when material is level but Black's king is very exposed.
9.e5!?
This seems to have been Thompson's invention, and is the only move mentioned by Harding. Normal, and much preferred by the engines, had been 9.cxd4, as twice played by Howard Staunton in a win and a draw against Johann Löwenthal.
9...dxe5 10.cxd4?
The game has transposed to a position which, as mentioned in part two of this series, was reached by Morphy twice as White in 1858. He played the stronger 10.Re1.
10...exd4 11.Nbd2?!
The engines give 11.Bg5 with a small edge to Black. The text seems too slow.
11...Nge7 12.Bb2 0-0 13.Ne4 Qg6 14.Bd3 Bf5 15.Nh4 Qh5 16.Nxf5 Nxf5
White's harassment of the black queen has netted him the bishop-pair, but he has precious little attack for his three-pawn deficit.
17.f4 Rfe8?!
Not the best. More convincing is the engines' 17...Nb4.
18.Rf3?!
Thompson could have created more problems with 18.Ng5, when the engines' 18...Re3 19.Qxb7 Rb8 20.Qa6 Rxd3!? 21.Qxd3 Ne3 may be good for Black, but is messy.
18...Nb4 19.Ng5!?
As in their previous game, Thompson hopes to conjure an attack, but Morphy has the defence well in hand.
19...Nxd3 20.Qxd3 Qg6 21.Rh3 Re3 22.Qb5 Rxh3 23.Qxb7 Re8 24.Nxh3 Bb6 25.Rf1 Ne3 26.f5 Qg4 27.Nf2 Qe2 28.Rb1 Nd1 0-1
*I am comparing play with two specialist books: Open Gambits: Italian And Scotch Gambit play by George Botterill (Batsford 1986) and Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights' Defense by Tim Harding (Chess Digest, 1991); and with two respected repertoire books: The Chess Advantage In Black And White by Larry Kaufman (McKay Chess Library, 2004) and Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez by Victor Bologan (New In Chess, 2014).
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