Making mistakes when under attack

People do make mistakes when under attack - guess it is one of the fundamental laws of chess. For example, the game I played yesterday evening. I threw in a knight on f7 and my opponent fell victim to this universal law.

After the game, we chitchatted and he voiced his frustration at me getting away so often with bad sacrifices - so I had to explain him that chess is also a game of psychology - a woodpusher always has a hard time switching from safe to wild mode, whilst the berserker thrives in the chaos.

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 e3 5.Bxe3 e6 6.Ne4

Setting up some difficulties from the very start as 6...Nxe4 7.fxe3 Qh4+ seems like a white disaster, but it isn;t

6...Be7 7.Bd3 b6 8.Qe2 Bb7 9.0-0-0 Nbd7 10.g4 (diagram)

10...h5 11.gxh5 Nxh5 12.Nh3 Playing a move like this really makes my day :-)

12...Ndf6 13.Rhg1 Qd7 14.Nhg5 Nd5 15.Nxf7 (diagram) 

Wow, what a blow - and what a mistake. Maybe I was hoping that the fundamental laws of chess still apply ?

15...Kxf7 16.Ng5+  Bxg5 17.Rxg5 Nhf4
Certain to exchange a few pieces and stay with the extra piece. Strange what an extra piece can do to a woodpusher.

18.Bxf4 Nxf4 19.Rxg7+ (diagram)

A second blow to the defender - well it is sort of the only move I had at this point - but it brought my woodpusher opponent back to reality. The game soon ended in a draw after 19...Kxg7 20.Qe5+ Kf7 21.Qxf4 Ke7 22.Qg5+ Kd6 draw agreed.

Bottomline - when in doubt, go for the attack - the laws of chess are always with you.

A simple theme to move the king to f2 in the Vienna

 Managed a nice win last weekend with a simple theme, which I have been able to repeat three times now in similar positions. The theme consists of stepping to f2 after the bishop check on b4 in the Vienna 

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 Bf5 5.g4 Bg6 6.g5 Nd5 7.Nxe4 e6 8.c4 Nb6 9.Be3 Bb4+ 10.Kf2

A surprising move, which should offguard many. STockfish evaluates as equal, but white surely has the surprise element on his side

The point of the move is that white hopes to capture the bishop after the pawn push c5 and a3, as illustrated in this game

10...Bxe4 11.fxe4 h6 12.c5

There it is, winning a piece with a simple theme. Black sees the mess he is in and tries to generate some counterplay

12...hxg5 13.cxb6 Qf6+ 14.Qf3 Qg6 15.Rc1

The remainer of the game looks like a slaughter

Remember this theme - it might come in handy

New option in the Ziegler.

I discovered a new option in the Ziegler - normally, white plays g4 and 0-0 in the Ziegler. However, this turns out to be quite bad as black quickly gets the better play.

A new idea is to refrain from castling - it seems this idea gives white a veru playable game in the Ziegler. Consider the below after 5...c6 6.Bc4 Bf5 7.Ne5 e6 8.g4

Blacks normal reply is 8...Bg6 ( 8...Nfd7 is much better, but impossible to find behind the board ) followed by yet another aggresive pawn move 9.h4. Black must play 9...Bb4 to open up the e4 square for his bishop. White only now throws in 10.0-0, with the below position

This complicated position is probably equal, but yields major complications after 10...Bxc2 11.Nxf7

Seems like a great alternative in the O'Kelly :-)