This is the kibitzer thread for the game Glee v R3d Anonymous.
All are welcome to post here, with analysis, comments, questions etc.
(Please don’t post in the game thread!)
I mentioned some openings - here are the variations.
Advanced French: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5
Sicilian, Morra: 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3
Evans Gambit: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4
Fried Liver: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 3. Ng5
Evans Gambit…man, does that ever take me back. A coupla guys in my HS chess club really liked it. Haven’t seen it since - hell, the phrase ‘Evans Gambit’ probably hasn’t flicked across my mind in 25-30 years.
Anyway, glee is white, and so far, the progress of the game is:
- e4
I’ve had really good results with the Evans - either the play gets very tactical or Black declines the gambit (presumably worried I know more than them.)
Now we’ve got
- e4 c6 . So silly an answer to e4.
I remember the Evans Gambit (from the Black side) as being kinda tricky until you saw it a few times, then it wasn’t a big deal.
Of course, we’re talking about high school kids rated in the 1400-1500 neighborhood playing against each other.
I’m playing the Advanced variation against the Caro-Kann defence.
It’s not the main line, but it suits me…
Well…I remember when Kasparov was reviving old lines left and right in the 90s and uncorked a surprise Evans Gambit against Anand, blowing him away in a miniature (just looked it up…25 moves). It has teeth!
I’m on board. Playing the advance variations against the French and Caro-Kann cuts out half the possible preparation.
Here’s one of my Evans Gambit efforts:
Glee v NN (Regional Club Championship)
- e4 e5
- Nf3 Nc6
- Bc4 Bc5
- b4 Bxb4
- c3 Ba5
- d4 d6
- Qb3 Qd7
- OO Bb6
- Bb5 a6
- Ba4 Ba7
- Na3 b5
- Nxb5 axb5
- Bxb5 Nge7
- d5 OO
- dxc6 Qg4
- Re1 Ng6
- h3 Qh5
- Qd1 h6
- Be3 Bxe3
- Rxe3 Nf4
- Bf1 f5
- exf5 Qxf5
- Kh1 Be6
- c4 g5
- c5 Nd5
- Bd3 Qf6
- Re1 Nc3
- Qc2 Bxh3
- Bc4+ d5
- Qxc3 dxc4
- Rxe5 g4
- Rg1 gxf3
- gxf3+ Kh8
- Re6! Resigns
(Bolding mine)
I’m no expert - as I hope I’ve mentioned before - but surely the Fried Liver is only one highly specific line in the Two Knights, and you’re by no means committed to it at this point?
(I post occasionally, and browse more but do not play, at chess.com and it seems like every third teenage wannabe blethers on about the Fried Liver, apparently just because they like the name.)
This is the problem with having grown up on traditional P-K4-style notation: I saw the c6, and visualized c5. Hence the silly ‘So silly’ joke: I was seeing the Sicilian in my mind.
Can’t believe I did that. :smack:
I’m looking forward to playing that game through over lunch. That last move, though, is a thing of beauty, totally catching the other guy’s Queen in the crossfire. He could take your unprotected Queen, but for the Rook, and he could take your unprotected Rook, but for the Queen. But taken together, he’s screwed. Sweet. 
From the game thread:
I’m looking forward to learning something about the Caro-Kann here. It was very much out of fashion back in my high school days; I think I may have played White against it once in a weekend Swiss, but that would be about it. (FWIW, my favorite response to e4 was the Pirc.)
No, you’re right!
The opening above is indeed the Two Knights Defence. I used the specific variation ‘Fried Liver’ because:
-
I was trying to describe the openings I would play, rather than the defences my opponents choose
-
it’s a cool name
The Caro-Kann is considered reliable and perhaps more active than the French (these two openings are trying to avoid the heavily analysed Ruy Lopez and the Sicilian.)
The line I’ve chosen is quite sharp (but I’m bluffing, because I prefer positional play. )
5. g4 is out of fashion - nowadays the preferred line in the Advanced is:
- e4 c6
- d4 d5
- e5 Bf5
- Nf3
Back when I was playing chess more actively, I wasn’t keen as Black on 1. d4 d5 or 1.e4 e5 because I figured the one advantage I had as Black was the ability to choose the battlefield, so to speak, and if I responded to d4 with d5, or to e4 with e5, I was throwing that advantage away. I eventually settled on the Pirc as my favorite response to e4, and the Grunfeld in response to d4.
One of the more offbeat responses to 1. e4 that I tried out was d5, the Center Counter. Gave it up after awhile though, because while it would get me through the opening in good shape, after 15-20 moves, I’d find myself in a middle game with a very directionless position, no natural opportunities to attack. Which would have been OK perhaps, if I’d been the sort of player who just wants to build a solid defense and repel the other player’s attacks, but that’s never been me.
This is all good stuff!
Yes, Black has to choose between playing the heavily-analysed main lines (e.g. Ruy Lopez / Sicilian / Queen’s Gambit) or something more flexible (as you say Pirc / Grunfeld) or finally risky gambits.
There are lines (e.g. Centre Counter / Rubinstein French) which get you safely through the opening, but tend to give you rather lifeless middle-game positions.
This all gets trickier when you are playing someone who knows your openings well - either:
- a local opponent you meet regularly
- you’re a strong player whose games are on chess databases