Garcia Palermo vs Cavicchi in Sicilian Najdorf

We enjoy the rare games where the little amateur rises up to smite the giant master. Here Francesco Cavicchi wins a Sicilian Najdorf vs GM Carlos Garcia Palermo:

"Hi Tim, I send you another "Amateur-David vs GM-Goliath" 3min.online match.
No strange stuff this time, but the good, old (and very well known)..Sicilian Najdorf, now part of my main repertoire against 1e4. And the "victim" is... GM Carlos Garcia Palermo (2398)"

3000 years ago, the little boy David was destined to be a famous king in Israel. The giant Goliath was a Philistine from Gath in between Jerusalem and the Gaza strip. People have been fighting over that area ever since. I care what happens; I have friends on both sides. But I cannot solve their problems, so I am just going to play chess.

Little David amateur chess players may be future masters. The giant GM Carlos Garcia Palermo is my age with a FIDE rating of 2449. He meets a Sicilian Defence 5...a6 with 6.g3. A key difference in this line is that after the standard Najdorf 6...e5, White retreats 7.Nde2. This knight supports f4, covers d4, protects c3 and is not in the way of 8.Bg2.

Curious, I wonder if Grandmaster Garcia Palermo is related to founders of the famous city Palermo, Sicily, Italy? Who knows. That city makes me think of George C. Scott in the 1970 movie "Patton". Sharp tactics mark today's game where the White king becomes vulnerable to a mating attack. Very nice!

Garcia Palermo (2398) - Cavicchi (1855), Fsi Arena online, 23.07.2014 begins 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.g3 e5 7.Nde2 Be7 8.Bg2 Be6 9.0-0 Qd7 [Another approach is 9...0-0 10.h3 Nbd7=] 10.f4 Bh3 11.f5 Bxg2 12.Kxg2 h5!? [12...Qc6=] 13.Bg5 Nc6 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nd5 Bd8 16.h4 Rc8 17.c3 Ne7 18.f6 Nxd5 19.Qxd5 [19.fxg7 Ne3+ 20.Kf3 Rg8 21.Kxe3 Bb6+ 22.Kd2=] 19...Bxf6 20.Rad1 Qg4 21.Rf3 [21.Ng1 0-0=/+] 21...0-0 22.Kf2 Rfd8 23.Qxb7 [23.Rd2 Rd7-/+] 23...Rb8 24.Qd5 [Multiple exchanges 24.Qxa6 Rxb2 25.Rxd6 Rxd6 26.Qxd6 Qxe4 27.Qd3 Qc6 28.Re3 Rxa2-+ still leave Black up a pawn.] 24...Rxb2 25.a4 Rxe2+ [25...Rc8!-+] 26.Kxe2 Rb8 27.Rd2 Rb1 28.Qxd6? [28.Qc4=] 28...Qxe4+ 29.Kf2 Qe1+ 30.Kg2 Qh1+ [White resigns due to 31.Kf2 Rf1+ 32.Kf3 Qf3 checkmate] 0-1

Copyright 2014 Tim Sawyer. Click here for my HOME PAGE. sawyerte@yahoo.com

Fries Nielsen in Irregular Veresov Opening

Veresov Opening involves playing 1.d4, 2.Nc3, 3.Bg5 to begin a chess game, but note how the subtle difference of 3.Bf4 allows White to expand the kingside with pawn pushes that resemble the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: 4.f3, 5.g4, 6.h4, 7.g5 and 8.e4. This is similar to the BDG Vienna Hara Kiri with 6.h4. White has the joy of attack without the danger of the gambit. Such a major pawn advance makes it difficult for Black to take aim at White's open king because of all White's space behind the advanced pawns.

Who plays like this? Try Stefanova, Jobava and Fries Nielsen. All played 3.Bf4 several times in the past year. Back in 2005, I played it myself several times in blitz. In the game below players have mutual assaults as they castle opposite sides. Fries Nielsen obtains the best of it as his bishops take aim at the Black monarch. I like the move 21.Qa5! The attack culminates in checkmate.

Fries Nielsen (2384) - De Blecourt (2121), Copenhagen CC 2014 Ballerup DEN (2.12), 15.05.2014 begins 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 Bf5 4.f3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h5 7.g5 Nh7 8.e4 Bb4 9.exd5 Qxd5 10.Qd2 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nc6 12.Be3 0-0-0 13.c4 Qd6 14.Ne2 Rhe8 15.Rb1 Nf8 [15...Qa3 16.Kf2 Qxa2 17.Rc1 Nf8 18.Nc3 Qa3=] 16.Bg2 [16.Kf2 Qa3 17.Nc3=] 16...e5 [16...Qa3 17.Kf2 Qxa2 18.Ra1 Qxc4=/+] 17.d5 Nd4 18.0-0 [18.Nxd4 exd4 19.Qxd4+/=] 18...Nxc2 [18...Nxe2+ 19.Qxe2=] 19.Bxa7 [19.Bf2+/=] 19...b6 20.Bh3+ Kb7 [20...Ne6=/+] 21.Qa5! Nd4 22.Bxb6 cxb6 23.c5 Bxb1 24.Rxb1 Nxe2+ 25.Kf2 Nc3 26.c6+ Kb8 27.Rxb6+ Kc7 28.Rb7# 1-0

Copyright 2014 Tim Sawyer. Click here for my HOME PAGE. sawyerte@yahoo.com