Miniatures 18

IN this occasional series I am going through my decisive games of 20 moves or fewer.

G Wagner (145 BCF) - Spanton (151 BCF)

Hastings Main A 1989-90

Scotch Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5

This is the main alternative to the more popular 4...Nf6. The latter scores a healthy 49% in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, while the text scores 45%. Worth serious consideration is 4...Bb4+!?, which scores a miserable 32%, but is the top choice of Stockfish17 and Dragon1.

5.0-0!?

Most popular in Mega25 is 5.c3 Nf6, which is a transposition to the main line of the Giuoco Piano.

5...d6 6.c3

Offering to make the gambit permanent - how should Black respond?

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6...dxc3

There are 247 examples of the text, and of 6...Bg4!?, in Mega25, but there the similarity ends as the latter scores a magnificent 64%, while the text scores 'only' 49%.

7.Qb3!?

The engines find it hard to decide between this and the more popular 7.Nxc3.

7...Qd7!?

Probably not 7...Qe7?! 8.Nxc3 as the engines reckon the threat of Nd5 means Black has nothing better than 8...Qd7, eg 8...Nf6?! 9.Bg5 renews the threat of Nd5.

8.Qxc3!?

This is overwhelmingly the chief continuation in Mega25, but the engines prefer 8.Nxc3 or 8.Re1.

8...Nf6 9.e5

The engines suggest 9.Bg5, but reckon Black is better after 9...Qe7!?

9...Nxe5 10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.Qxe5+

Gergely-Andras-Gyula Szabó (2518) - Dirk Sebastian (2445), European Club Cup (Kemer, Turkey) 2007, went 11.Bxf7+!? Kxf7 12.Qxc5 Re8 13.Qc4+ Kf8 14.Re1, with a slight edge for Black, according to the engines (½–½, 31 moves).

11...Qe7 12.Re1?

After 12.Qxe7+ Kxe7 Black is a pawn up, but the game continues.

12...Bxf2+! 13.Kf1

Even worse is 13.Kxf2? Ng4+ and 14...Nxe5.

13...Bxe1 14.Qxe1 Qxe1+ 15.Kxe1 0-0 0-1

LESSON: as is well-known, but easily forgotten in the heat of battle, the most vulnerable squares in the opening, especially in double-e pawn games, are f7 and f2.