Thursday, August 5, 2021

London System 2.Bf4 Djordjevic

Vuk Djordjevic wins with the London System using a kingside attack. In the olden days, this opening helped White get an easy game with minimal danger. Most of the focus tends to be on the center and queenside, but aggressive-minded players like to work up a kingside assault. A typical such attack came in this blitz game between International Master Vuk Djordjevic of Serbia and Grandmaster Steven Zierk from the USA.

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Djordjevic – Zierk, Titled Tuesday chess.com INT, 25.05.2021 begins 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 e6 5.Nd2 Bd6 6.Bb5+ Nc6 7.Bg3 0–0 8.Ngf3 Qe7 9.0–0 [Another popular continuation is 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.Qa4 Bxg3 11.hxg3 cxd4 12.cxd4 with equal chances.] 9...Bd7 10.Qe2 a6 11.Bd3 Nh5 [11...Bxg3 12.hxg3 e5=+] 12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.Ne5 Nf6 [13...Nxe5 14.dxe5 Qxe5 15.f4 wins the Black knight.] 14.f4 b5 15.g4 Be8 16.g5 Nd7 17.Rf3 f6 [Black has a chance to hold the position with 17...g6=] 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7
19.Rh3+ Kg8 20.g6 fxe5 [20...Bxg6 21.Nxg6+-] 21.Rh8+ Kxh8 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Qh7# 1–0

Monday, August 2, 2021

Elephant Gambit by Skatchkov

The Elephant Gambit is a favorite among enterprising players who want to threaten White early in the game. This old chess opening was formerly called the Queen Pawn Countergambit. I played this gambit as Black in postal chess games in 1988 or 1989 with mixed success. Players I think of with the Elephant Gambit include Emil J. Diemer, Tom Purser, Jonathan Rogers, and Philip Corbin. With this chess opening the gambit player accepts some risk to activate all or most of the Black pieces for an attack. The game ends suddenly in this Elephant Gambit blitz game between Alvaro Donatti of Uruguay and Pavel Skatchkov of Russia.

Donatti – Skatchkov, Titled Tuesday chess.com INT, 29.06.2021 begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nxe5 Bd6 4.d4 dxe4 5.Bc4 Bxe5 6.dxe5 [Another common continuation is 6.Qh5 Qe7 7.Qxe5 Qxe5 8.dxe5 Nc6] 6...Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 Nc6 8.Bf4 Nge7 9.Bg3 Bf5 10.Nc3 Ng6 11.Re1 [11.e6 0–0–0+ 12.Kc1 fxe6 when White is down a pawn but has compensation due to doubled e-pawns.] 11...Ngxe5 12.Bb5 0–0–0+ 13.Kc1 a6 14.Ba4 [14.Bf1 Rhe8+=] 14...Rd4 15.Bb3 f6 [15...Rhd8-/+] 16.Nd5 [16.Bd5 Re8=+] 16...Re8 17.Ne3 Be6 [17...Bg6-/+] 18.Bxe6+ Rxe6 19.Nf5 Rc4 [19...Rd7=+] 20.Nxg7 Rd6 21.Rd1 Nd4 22.Bxe5? [22.c3=]
22...Ne2+ [Mate next move] 0–1

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