White usually continues 5.c3, which is a transposition to the already-covered line 4.c3 Bg4 5.d4.
The following game features 5.h3, a more-modern continuation that quickly became popular and today is second in popularity to 5.c3 in Mega21.
Marián Kantorík (2331) - Martin Mrva (2435)Slovakian Team Championship 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6 4.d4 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.d5!?
This is the main idea of pushing Black's light-square bishop to h5. Instead of relying on piece-play, which is White's usual general-plan in the Semi-Italian, White grabs space and is ready to meet ...Nd4 with g4.
6...Nb8
6...Nd4?! 7.g4 Nxf3+ 8.Qxf3 Bg6 seems very good for White after 9.Bb5+.
More plausible is 6...Nce7!?, intending to play on the kingside, but this probably does not fit well with having already developed the light-square bishop.
The idea of the text is to redeploy the queen's knight via d7 to c5.
 |
| Position after 6...Nb8 |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
7.Nc3
A major alternative is grabbing more space with 7.Bd3!? Nf6 8.c4, which seems to have first occurred in Viktor Pozharsky - Rashid Nezhmetdinov, Russian Spartakiad (Yoshkar-Ola, USSR) 1963. That game continued 8...Nbd7 9.Be3 Nc5 10.g4 Nxd3+ 11.Qxd3 Bg6 12.Nc3, when White is better, according to the engines (but 0-1, 71 moves). They reckon Black should play 10...Bg6!?, forcing 11.Bxc5 dxc5, when 12.Nxe5!? Bd6 13.Nxg6 fxg6!? gives Black great dark-square play for a pawn. White should probably avoid pawn-grabbing and instead develop with 12.Nc3.
7...Be7 8.g4 Bg6 9.Be3 Nf6 10.Qd3 c6 11.0-0-0?!
The engines do not like this as Black gets quick counterplay with ...b5. They suggest 11.dxc6 bxc6 and now 12.0-0-0, when 12...Nbd7 13.g5!? Nh5 14.Qd2 Rb8 15.Kb1!? is better for White, according to the engines, but looks a typically unclear opposite-side castling position.
11...b5 12.Bb3 b4 13.g5
13.Na4? Bxe4 is horrible for White.
13...bxc3 14.gxf6 cxb2+ 15.Kb1!?
15.Kxb2 Bxf6 is also slightly better for Black, according to the engines.
15...Bxf6 16.dxc6 0-0?!
There seems nothing wrong with 16...Nxc6 as 17.Qxd6? runs into 17...Qxd6 18.Rxd6 Bxe4.
17.Bd5
17.Qxd6 is now possible as 17...Qxd6 18.Rxd6 Bxe4 is not so strong for Black since White has 19.c7 (19.Rxf6!? gxf6 20.Bh6 is also interesting). However, the text seems to be also roughly equal.
17...Qc7 18.h4 Bh5 19.Bg5 Bd8!? 20.Bxd8
The engines' 20.Nxe5!? is sharp and, probably, better, eg 20...Bxd1? 21.Bxd8 Qxd8 22.Rxd1 Qc7 23.Bxf7+! Rxf7 24.Nxf7 Qxf7 (24...Kxf7? 25.Qb3+ and 26.Rd3) 25.c7! Nc6 (25...Qxc7 26.Qd5+) 26.Qxd6 Qe8 27.e5, when they reckon White is winning. So Black needs to play 20...Kh8 with an unclear position.
20...Rxd8 21.Rhg1
Nxe5!? is no longer so strong, but is better than the text, according to the engines.
21...Nxc6 22.Qe3?!
22.Bxc6 Qxc6 and now Nxe5 is easier to visualise than earlier, and its consequences are clearer, although after 23.Nxe5! Qc8 24.Qg3 g6 25.Ng4 Bxg4 26.Qxg4 Qc4 Black is a pawn up.
22...Nb4 23.Bb3 g6
Black is two pawns up. The b pawn will probably be lost in time, but Black will remain a pawn up with the safer king and sounder pawn-formation. Kantorik therefore goes in for a desperate combination.
24.Qh6? Bxf3 25.Rxg6+ hxg6 26.Qxg6+ Kf8 27.Qh6+ Ke8 28.Ba4+ Nc6 29.Rg1 Kd7 30.Qf6 Bxe4 31.Qxf7+ Kc8 32.Qc4 Nd4 33.Qa6+ Kb8 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment