Coulsdon Late Summer U2000 Round 2
Ponziani
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 f5!?
Ponziani-devotee Ray Kearsley says this might be Black's best response to the opening. I rather doubt that, but the move dates back to at least 1844, and indeed takes precedence in terms of age over 3...Nf6 and 3...d5, at least in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database.
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| How should White proceed? |
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4.Bc4?
The main line in Mega21 runs 4.d4 fxe4 5.Nxe5 Nf6 6.Bg5 d6, when Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 give White a tiny pull. An interesting alternative, played in the 1844 game, is 4.exf5!?, when the engines prefer 4...Qf6!? to the normal 4...e4.
The text is poor as, even if White could meet Black's next move with 5.Ng5, Black would have a simple answer in 5...d5.
4...fxe4 5.Nxe5?
Somewhat surprisingly, the engines do not flash red at this move - I guess they believe the white position is already wrecked.
5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5
Probably objectively best is 7.Bxg8 Rxg8, but then 8.Qxh7 Kf7 leaves White down a bishop for a pawn, and with an awkwardly placed queen.
7...Qe7 8.0-0 Nf6 9.Qb5 c6 10.Qb3 d5 11.Be2 Bg4 12.Bxg4 Nxg4 13.d3 Qe5
Black is winning comfortably. I include the rest mainly because there is a pretty finish.
14.g3 Qh5 15.h4 0-0-0
I rejected 15...Bxh4!? 16.gxh4 Qxh4 because of 17.Bf4, but both 17...Bc5 and 17...0-0-0 win fairly easily.
16.Bg5 Nxh4!? 17.gxh4 Ne5 18.Nd2
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| Black to play and mate-in-seven |
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18...Qg4+
18...Qg4+
Also mating in seven is 18...Nf3+.
19.Kh2 Nf3+
And here an alternative solution starts 19...Bd6.
20.Nxf3 Bxd6+ 21.Ne5
21.Bf4 delays the mate by a move.
21...Bxf5+ 22.f4 exf3+ 0-1
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