From D.Regis@exeter.ac.uk  Mon Dec  2 13:33:20 1996
Subject: Re: Guioco Piano notes
To: lorda@boat.bt.com (Andrew Lord)
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 1996 13:33:18 +0000 (GMT)


Hi Andrew


> I've just got addicted to chess 

Sympathy: there is no cure...


> I'm stuck on a problem with a Guiuco Piano line. I got as far 
> as:
> 
> 1. e4 e5
> 2. Nf3 Nc6
> 3. Bc4 Bc5
> 4. c3 Nf6
> 5. d4 exd4
> 6. cxd4 Bb4+
> 7. Nc3 Nxe4
> 8. 0-0 BxN
> 9. d5
> 
> Then you say some black options don't work, including 9...Ne5
> You cite a progression:
> 
> 9. ... Ne5
> 10. bxc3 NxB
> 11. Qd4
> 
> You then have black playing 11. ... f5 to protect one of the 
> attacked Knights, allowing the white Queen to take the other 
> one. Instead why can't black simply play 11. ... Ncd6? I can't 
> see a way after this for white to win the piece back. 


Interesting - the verdict on 11...f5 I think has stood for 100 years,
until now! - but the best move probably isn't 11...Ncd6, or 11...f5,
but 11...0-0. 

Let's see: after 

9...Ne5 10.bxc3 Nxc4 11.Qd4

 Black can play instead of 11...f5:

 [A] 11...Ncd6(?) 

  White doesn't get the piece back but seems to get a strong attack through

  12.Qxg7 Qf6 13.Qxf6 Nxf6 14.Re1+ Kf8 15.Bh6+ Kg8 16.Re5 Nfe4
  17.Re7 as in Durao-Ferrera, 1994;

 [B] 11...0-0(!) 

  12.Qxc4

 (12.Qxe4 b5 13.a4 c6 14.axb5 cxb5 15.Qd4 Nb6 16.Be3 d6
  and White has nothing, as in a Dzindzhikashvili-Karpov rapid game)

  12...Nd6 

  And maybe White's best try is now 13.Qd3,
  according to Gufeld and Stesko.

  I'll make a note on the page.

Thanks for your prompt: if nothing else, I've discovered that these
old lines are far from played out! 


May your pieces harmonise with your Pawn structure and
your sacrifices be sound in all variations

D  _       
 / "()/~   Dave Regis  &8^D*  WWW: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~dreg../chess.html
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