Alexander Alekhine's Forgotten Weapon Against The Italian Game

AFTER 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Black normally plays 3...Bc5 (more than 107,000 examples in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database) or 3...Nf6 (almost 80,000 examples).

Other moves seen reasonably often include 3...Be7 (more than 12,000 examples) and 3...h6!? (more than 5,000 examples).

What I am covering in this series is yet another continuation, called the Semi-Italian Opening by Wikipedia, starting with 3...d6!?

The position can also be reached via the Philidor, ie 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nc6.

The starting position of the Semi-Italian

Grandmaster Andrew Soltis in Winning With The Giuoco Piano And The Max Lange Attack (Chess Digest 1992) calls this line Alekhine's Variation.

He writes: "This early favourite of Alexander Alekhine's prepares to exert pressure on the centre with ...Bg4 in connection with either ...Qe7 and ...g6 or ...Qf6 and ...0-0-0."

Here is Alekhine playing the line after he had become world champion.

Henri Grob - Alekhine

Zürich 1934

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6!? 4.c3

Slightly more popular in Mega21 is 4.d4, but the text has also been played by grandmasters. For what it is worth, the analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 prefer the text.

4...Be6!?

The main move is 4...Bg4.

Soltis warns that "4...Nf6? walks into 5.Qb3 Qd7 6.Ng5." However this seems very good for Black after 6...Qg4, when White has problems defending the g2 and e4 pawns as well as his king's knight. However, 4...Nf6?! probably is bad, despite being the third-most popular move in Mega21, as White has 5.Ng5 d5 6.exd5, which is the same as a famous line in the Two Knights Defence except White has the extra move c3.

5.Bxe6 fxe6 6.Qb3 Qc8 7.Ng5 Nd8 8.d4 Nf6!?

This counterattack against e4 seems best.

9.dxe5 dxe5 10.0-0

10.Qb5+!? Nc6 11.Qc4 Nd8 12.f4 Bd6 13.0-0 was roughly equal, according to the engines, in Boris Kantsler (2491) - Yaacov Zilberman (2473), Israeli Team Championship 2003 (½–½, 23 moves).

10...h6 11.Nf3 Bd6 12.Nbd2 0-0 13.Qc2!?

The engines prefer the natural-looking 13.Nc4, although White is slightly better after the text too.

13...Nc6 14.b4 a6 15.a4 Qe8 16.Bb2 Ne7 17.Rad1 Ng6

Black's doubled central pawns look a liability, but they give him an extra half-open file and therefore kingside attacking chances.

18.g3 Qc6 19.Rfe1?

An extraordinary mistake for a top-class player to make. The engines give White a slight edge after 19.Ba3 or 19.Qb3!?

19...Bxb4 20.Kg2 Kh7 21.h3 Bd6 22.c4 Nd7 23.h4 b6 24.h5 Ne7 25.Re2 Qb7 26.Qc1 Nc6 27.Qa1 Rf7 28.Nh4 Ne7 29.Ndf3 Qc6 30.Nxe5 Nxe5 31.Bxe5 Qxc4 32.Rdd2 Bxe5 33.Qxe5 Nc6 34.Qa1 Rd8 35.Rc2 Qd4 36.Qc1?

White is still in the game, albeit a pawn down, after 36.Qxd4 Nxd4 37.Red2.

36...Ne5 37.Rxc7?

Better, according to the engines, is 37.Qb2 Qxb2 38.Rxb2, although Black is well on top.

37...Nd3

Grob must have missed this. It is fair to say this was not his day.

38.Qc3 Rxf2+ 39.Rxf2 Qxf2+ 40.Kh3 Qf1+ 41.Kh2 Qe2+ 42.Kg1

42.Kh3 Nf2+ leads to a quick mate.

42...Qf2+ 43.Kh1 Qxg3 0-1

To be continued

Filling Holes In A Repertoire

MOST players sit down at the board with a pretty good idea of how the first few moves will likely unfold.
Even when no preparation has been possible, which is common in league matches and in weekend tournaments with two or three rounds a day, we have usually decided beforehand what our first move will be as White.
Similarly, as Black, we normally know how we will respond to common moves such as 1.e4, 1.d4 and 1.c4.
But even quite strong players can find themselves out of their repertoires if the opponent opens with something relatively rare.
In this short series I want to look at two such moves, 1.g4 (the Grob) and 1.b4 (the Polish, aka the Orangutan or the Sokolsky).
At club level, Blacks often improvise against these openings, playing vaguely useful developing moves, and then spending the rest of the game wondering how they got into difficulties against such 'inferior' play by White.
For each opening I will be suggesting two radically different plans for Black - it being largely a matter of taste which to play.
I will start with the Grob
After 1.g4, the analysis engine Stockfish10 ludicrously claims White is lost; Komodo10's assessment of a slight edge for Black is much nearer the mark.
White's first move effectively commits to following up with Bg2, fighting for the central light squares.
Black's overwhelmingly most-popular reply is 1...d5, which is usually played as part of a plan to blunt the fianchettoed bishop.
The move also puts the white g pawn en prise, but White often ignores this, playing 2.Bg2!?
Grob pioneer Michael Basman preferred the 'natural' 2.h3, after which 2...h5 3.g5 e5 already looks good for Black, who has the f5 square for his queen's bishop or a knight.
After 2.Bg2!?, Black has a major decision to make, and there is no doubt the sensible thing is to make that decision before the game.
I am recommending the engines' choice, 2...Bxg4, but the conservative 2...c6 is certainly a valid alternative. Black can also, although it is not popular, grab more central squares with 2...e5, but many Grob players hope for this as they get an initiative attacking the black centre.
After Black grabs the pawn, White's logical attempt to justify the positional pawn-sac is by attacking on the queenside with 3.c4.
Unlike many lines in the Grob, this had a high-level try-out last year.

Position after 3.c4

Hikaru Nakamura (2749) - Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2817)
PRO League rapidplay (US internet) 2019
3...c6 4.Qb3!?
More common is 4.cxd5, but the two lines can easily transpose.
4...Qd7
The engines prefer 4...e6, continuing 5.Qxb7 Nd7 6.Nc3 (6.Qxc6?! is met by 6...Rc8), following up with the apparent-novelty 6...Ne7 when Black, if nothing else, has the safer king.
5.cxd5 Nf6 6.Nc3
6.dxc6?! Nxc6 helps Black's development.
6...cxd5 7.Nxd5 Nc6
White has won back his sacrificed pawn, but Black has an edge in development and should be able to get his king to safety on the kingside.
8.d3!?
This seems to be a novelty. Known is 8.Nxf6+?!, but after 8...exf6 Black's development advantage and safer king more than set off White's passed d pawn, which has a long way to go before it becomes dangerous.
8...Nxd5?!
Now the queens will likely come off, after which Black's advantage is minimal. Almost certainly better is the engines' 8...Be6, when 9.Nxf6+ (practically forced) 9...exf6 is nice for Black.
9.Qxd5 e5 10.Qxd7+ Kxd7!?
Black's fewer pawn-islands means he is slightly for preference (½–½, 43 moves).
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After 1.g4, Black can treat the position very differently by reasoning that, since White is fighting for the light squares (1.g4 with Bg2 to follow), Black should take over the dark squares.
This is most usually begun with 1...e5, although Nakamura is among those who have preferred 1...c5.
White normally continues 2.Bg2, and now Black can get greedy for central squares with 2...d5!?, but I am suggesting keeping with a dark-square strategy by playing 2...Nc6.
The continuation 3.c4 Bc5 4.Nc3 d6 sees both sides following their respective light/dark-square strategies.
White's g pawn is now hanging, so there is no time to win the bishop-pair with ...Na4.

Position after 4...d6

Louis Nieuwenhuijse* - Floris van Assendelft (2227)
Vlissingen (Netherlands) 2008
5.h3
The engines suggest 5.e3!?, when 5...h5 6.gxh5 Qh4 gives Black the upper hand, according to Stockfish10, although Komodo10 reckons White is close to equality.
5...h5 6.gxh5 Qh4
Continuing to play on the dark squares wherever possible.
7.Ne4 Bb6 8.d3 f5 9.Nf3 Qxh5 10.Neg5?!
The engines suggest 10.Nc3, but much prefer Black.
10...Nf6 11.e4 Qg6 12.Qe2 fxe4 13.dxe4 Nh7!? 14.h4?
This allows a strong pin, but the position is already difficult for White. The engines give best play as 13.Nh4 Qh6 14.Nf5 Qf6 15.h4, when Black has a choice of pleasant continuations, including 15...g6 16.Ne3 Nd4.
14...Bg4 15.a3?
Black has a strong attack in any event, but this move in such a sharp position is too slow.
15...Nxg5 16.Bxg5 0-0 17.Qd3 Qh5 (0-1, 22 moves).
*This is the highest-level game I could find in this line. Nieuwenhuijse joined the Fide rating list in September 2009 with a rating of 2109.