New & Improved Milner-Barry Gambit (part four)

AT high levels Black usually meets 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? with 7...Bd7.

But what happens if Black makes the white pawn-sac permanent by immediately capturing on c3?

There are seven games in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database that reach the position after 7...dxc3.

The bad news is White scores a pitiful +1=0-6, but the situation is not as bad as that implies - five of the whites were unrated and the other two were 1775 and 1638.

Further, two of the whites replied to 7...dxc3 with 8.Be3??, which loses on the spot to 8...cxb2.

To slightly redress the balance I want to start by looking at the one game in Mega20 that White won.

Veronika Buchkovska - Dariy Koval

Lviv (Ukraine) Winter Cup 2016

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? dxc3 8.Nxc3

The natural move, giving what John Watson at chesspublishing.com calls "obvious compensation."

Position after 8.Nc3

8...Bb4?!
Five games reach the position after 8.Nxc3 in Mega20, and Black has replied with five different moves (I will look at the alternatives below). The text develops the black dark-square bishop so it will not be shut in by ...Nge7, but the bishop invites harassment on b4.

9.Re1 Bc5?

Seeking to take advantage of White unprotecting f2, but the idea is flawed both positionally and tactically.

10.Qe2

Even stronger is 10.Na4! as 10...Bxf2+?? drops a piece to 11.Kf1.

10...Nd4?

The analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 show 10...Bd7! gives Black a reasonable game as 11.Na4 can be met by 11...Nd4 12.Nxd4 Bxa4.

11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Nb5 Bd7

Black can hardly defend the d6 square with 12...Bc5 as then 13.b4! Be7 (13...Bxb4 14.Rb1 etc) 14.Be3 Qd8 15.Rac1 is horrific.

13.Nd6+ Ke7 14.Qd2?!

Hardly subtle. The engines much prefer offering a rook with 14.b3!?, one point being that accepting the sacrifice with 14...Bxa1?! runs into 15.Ba3 with what seems a winning attack.

14...Bc5?!

Seeking to evict the troublesome knight, but apparently missing the main point of White's last move. Better is 14...f6, when 15.exf6+ Bxf6 (not 15...Kxd6? 16.Qf4+ e5 17.fxg7! exf4 18.Bxf4+ Kc5 19.Rac1+ Kb4 20.Bd2+ Ka4 21.Bc2+ Kb5 22.a4+ Kc6 23.Bd3+ Qc5 24.Rxc5+ Kxc5 25.b4+ Kc6 26.Bb5+ winning - a long but largely forced line) 16.Nb5 Bxb5 17.Qb4+ Kf7 18.Bxb5 leaves White with sufficient compensation for her pawn deficit.

15.Qg5+ f6??

Black had to play 15...Kf8, although the engines reckon White is better.

16.Qxg7+ (1-0, 23 moves).

That game was full of mistakes, but it does illustrate how play can get very tactical very quickly after 7...dxc3. Now here is the first game in Mega20 to feature 7...dxc3.

Carlos Utman - Luis Rojas Keim (2310)

Chilean Championship (Santiago) 1993

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? dxc3 8.Nxc3 a6?!

This protects the b5 square, which proved a major factor in Black's undoing in the last game, but it does nothing about Black's lag in development.

9.a3!?

White replies with equal slowness. Probably better is 9.Na4. Also possible is 9.Be3!? as 9...Qxb2 10.Na4 Qa3 11.Nb6 Rb8 12.Qc2 gives White great compensation for two pawns, according to the engines. A sample line continues 12...Nh6 (12...Qe7 13.Bxa6!) 13.Rab1 Be7 14.Rb3 Qa5 15.Rc1, when the engines cannot find a decent move for Black.

9...Nge7 10.h4!?

As a rule, h4 in this sort of position is less effective when Black can immediately reply ...Ng6 without fearing h5.

10...Ng6 11.Qe2 Nd4 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.h5 Nf4

Black can probably also get away with 13...Nxe5!?

14.Bb5+??

White had to play 14.Bxf4 Qxf4 15.Rac1 or 14.Qg4 Qxd3 13.Qxf4, with just-about enough compensation for a pawn in both cases, according to the engines.

14...axb5 15.Qxb5+ Bd7 (0-1, 33 moves).

Utman-Rojas Keim illustrates that both players need to develop quickly, ideally with threats. Black's probable minor-slip at move eight could have caused big problems. As it was, despite White playing seemingly sub-optimal moves, White still had a lot of compensation for being a pawn down.

In the next game Black gets on with development.

Oswaldo Caminos - Mario Guevara (2260)

San Salvador Championship 1995

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? dxc3 8.Nxc3 Bd7

This looks a sensible move.

9.Qe2

Preparing Be3. But the engines like an immediate 9.Be3!?, when 9...Qxb2?! 10.Nb5 Rc8 11.Re1 a6 (11..Nxe5 12.Rb1 Nxf3+ 13.Qxf3 with  a huge lead in development that is worth much more, according to the engines, than Black's extra pawns) 12.Rb1 Qxa2 13.Re2 Qa5 14.Bb6! wins the black queen. If 10...Kd8? then 11.Bc1 (11.Rb1 is also strong) Qb4 (11...Qxa1 12.Bg5+)  12.Rb1 with a huge attack.

Black should probably meet 9.Be3!?, according to the engines, with 9...Qd8, but White's compensation for a pawn is obvious.

9...Bc5?!

Probably better is 9...Nge7 or 9...Rc8.

10.Bf4?!

As in Buchkovska - Koval, White misses the chance to play 10.Na4!?, when 10...Qb4 11.Nxc5 Qxc5 12.Be3 gives White great compensation for a pawn, including the bishop-pair and Black being left with a bad bishop. Perhaps Caminos was put off by 10...Nd4 11.Nxd4 Bxa4, but the engines reckon 12.Qg4! Ne7 13.Nf3 gives White a very good game.

10...Nb4 11.Bb1?!

White probably should have settled for 11.Bb5 Bxb5 12.Nxb5 a6 13.Nd6+ Bxd6 14.exd6, which is a little unclear but probably better for Black.

11...d4!

Caminos must have missed the strength of this move.

12.a3

Or 12.Ne4 bb5.

12...dxc3 13.axb4 cxb2 14.Qxb2 Qxb4 15.Qxb4 Bxb4 16.Be4 Bc6 17.Bxc6+ bxc6 18.Rfb1 c5 19.Nd4?

The engines reckon White should have played 19.Bd2 Bxd2 20.Nxd2 with good chances of getting one pawn back, after which he will have some drawing chances.

19...Ne7 20.Nb5 Nd5 (0-1, 23 moves).

Caminos - Guevara again shows how the game can quickly get tactical after 7...dxc3. It also illustrates, in the notes rather than the game, White's thematic shots Be3!? and Na4.

The next game is another example of missed tactical opportunities in the New Milner-Barry Gambit.

Ole Overmark (1775) - Arun Vijay Cithu (1501)

Xtracon (Helsingør, Denmark) 2016

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? dxc3 8.Nxc3 f6?!

Again a non-developing move by Black, and again it is probably too slow, but White must react energetically.

9.exf6

The engines again like 9.Be3!?, when 9...Qxb2? 10.Nb5 is immediately winning, they reckon, eg 10...Kd8 11.Rb1 Qxa2 12.Ra1 Qb2 13.Bd2!? Nxe5 14.Bc3 Nxf3+ 15.Qxf3 Qb3 16.Rfb1, trapping the black queen.

So Black should probably retreat the queen with 9...Qd8, when best may be 10.Bb5!? (10.Qc2 also seems good) Bd7 11.Re1 Bb4 12.a3 Bxc3 13.bxc3 with what the engines reckon is more than enough compensation for a pawn. Note that 13...Nxe5? 14.Nxe5 Bxb5 fails to 15.Qh5+ etc.

9...Nxf6 10.Ng5?!

The engines reckon White is at least slightly better after 10.Bf4.

10...Be7?!

Probably better is 10...Bd6.

11.Re1

The engines give 11.Bxh7!, eg 11...Nxh7 12.Qh5+ Kd7 13.Nxe6!, when 13...Kxe6? 14.Qxd5+ is good for White, but even stronger seem to be 14.Re1+ and 14.Nxd5. Black could try 13...Nb4, to cover d5, but 14.Re1 and 14.Nxg7 seem good, eg 14.Re1 Ng5 (14...Nc2 15.Nxd5) 15.Qxh8 Nxe6, when material is approximately equal but White's attack continues.

11...e5?!

Black should return the pawn with 11...0-0 12.Nxe6 Bxe6 13.Rxe6 with a roughly equal game, according to the engines.

12.a3?

Capturing on h7 again works. The text is too slow.

12...0-0!?

This may be best, but it should lead to sharp play.

13.Na4?

The knight has no real follow-up, and in fact the move drives the black queen where it wants to go.

White could still play Bxh7+, eg 13.Bxh7+ Nxh7 14.Qxd5+ Kh8 15.Nf7+ Rxf7 16.Qxf7, when material is again roughly equal, but this time Black's king is much safer and the black pieces are much better coordinated. Stockfish12 gives Black the upper hand although Komodo11.01 reckons the black edge is a lot smaller.

13...Qc7?!

Almost certainly better is 13...Qd8, when Black is a pawn up, controls the centre and has no problems with king safety.

14.h3??

Again Bxh7+ was White's best chance.

14...h6 15.Nf3 e4 (0-1, 52 moves).

Overmark - Cithu once again shows the tactical nature of the New Milner-Barry Gambit. White must be alert for combinations, especially when Black fails to catch up in development.

The next game is a rating mis-match, but the 525-point underdog is not the first to make a dubious move.

Jordi Caixal Piqué (1638) - Sergio Romero Calduch (2163)

Salou (Spain) U2300 2018

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? dxc3 8.Nxc3 f5?!

Again a non-developing move, and again probably wrong.

9.Bxf5?!

9.exf6 would transpose to the previous game, while once again the engines like Be3.

The text is not as ridiculous as it may look at first sight, but it is almost certainly not best.

9...exf5 10.Nxd5 Qd8 11.Bg5?

Stockfish12 gives 11.Ng5 Nb4!? 12.Qa4+ Bd7 13.Qb3 Nxd5 14.Qxd5 Nh6 15.Qxb7 Qc8 16.Qf3 Bc6 17.Qh5+ g6 18.Qh3 f4 19.e6 with an unclear position but one that probably favours Black (Komodo11.01 is less sure).

Komodo11.01 gives 11.Qb3 Be6 12.Nf6+ gxf6 13.Qxe6+ Qe7 14.Qxf5 fxe5, but prefers Black.

After the text, White is busted.

11...Nge7 12.Bxe7

There is nothing better.

12...Nxe7!? 13.Nf4 Qxd1 14.Rfxd1 g6

Black has two bishops for knight and pawn, and no real worries about king safety (0-1, 27moves).

There are no games with 8...Nge7 in Mega20, but it is worth taking a quick look at it as ...Nge7 often features in games between strong players covered earlier in this series.

The engines like 9.Re1 and, once again, 9.Be3.

As usual, 9...Qxb2? fails to 10.Nb5.

So  the engines prefer 9...Qd8 10.Bg5 a6 with a sample line continuing 11.Rc1 h6 12.Be3, when White has more than enough for a pawn, according to Stcokfish12, but Komodo11.01 reckons the chances are equal.

The engines also quite like 9...Qa5!? 10.Rc1 Ng6, when Komodo11.01 reckons 11.Nb5 gives White a slight edge although Stockfish12 calls it even. Note that the e5 pawn is almost certainly poisoned, for example 11.h4 Ngxe5?! 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Nb5 Bc6 14.Bf4 e5 15.Re1 f6 16.Qh5+ with a very strong attack.