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Some ideas are just taken from the air.  You know the feeling... walking around, relaxing and then an idea just pops into the head !

I never really analyzed it but I think that a lot of the best chess thoughts come this way.

Lightly browsing through chess books is also a very good way to stimulate the brain. Occasionally one can come across a real gem.

The subject for this column is a little-known backwater of the Vienna, so unusual that it is not even mentioned in the latest edition of the chess encyclopedia.  I believe it is an original thought of Anthony Santasiere.

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.d4!?

Normal and very well scrutinized is 6.Nb5, leading to the so-called Frankenstein-Dracula variation.  For lovers of head-spinning complications, this is the line for you.

But 6.d4 is another game altogether.  White gives up a pawn very aggressively indeed and plays for outright attack.  Nc3-d5 combined with a Qxe5 is a much more dangerous idea now that the Bishop on c1 has been set free.

Black players are going to feel very uncomfortable indeed when faced with this unknown line for the first, second or even third time.  There is little or nothing to go on.

6...g6

Well, we are on our own already.  Let's consider the alternatives:

I)  6...Nxd4  Tseitlin thinks this best.  7.Nd5!

With nasty threats.  Black must defend himself against Qxe5 and Bg5 etc.  7...Ne6

7...Be7 8.Qxe5 Ne6 9.Bh6!

...was the game Santasiere-Pekhneck USA 1955.  Many a Black player would crumble from the shock effect alone.  Objectively it may be that White is not winning but he certainly holds the psychological initiative.

If you are not happy with 9 Bh6 how about 9.Nf3! It seems to me that after 9...0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.Re1 Bb7 12.Qh5 White has a tremendous Kingside initiative. Black has problems getting his pieces out. Good compensation for the pawn is not an understatement;

8.Qxe5 c6 9.Nc3  We are going to be treated to a rare Fischer loss after this.  Tseitlin mentions 9 Ne3!? but I think 9.Nf4! is best e.g. 9...Qe7 10.Be3 f6 (10...Nxf4 11.Qxf4 and Black's pieces are very awkward. Just Nf3 0-0-0 and Rhe1 is the upcoming plan.) 11.Qh5+ Nf7 12.Nxe6 dxe6 13.0-0-0 g6 14.Qh4! e5 15.Nf3 Bf5 16.Rhe1 g5 17.Qc4 with compensation for the material.

White has superior mobility and ideas of g4 and h4 at his disposal.  His pieces are very well centralized and he has good compensation for the pawn.  A talented attacker would enjoy this position.  9...Qf6 10.Qxf6 gxf6 11.Nge2 Nf5 12.g4 Nfd4 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Be3 Nxb3 15.axb3 d5 16.Rxa7 (16.f3 f5!) 16...Rxa7 17.Bxa7 Bxg4µ 18.Bd4 Be7 19.Kd2 c5 0-1 Fischer,R-Dondis,H/Fitchburg 1964.

II)  6...exd4 Very risky. 7.Nd5! Be7 (7...b5 8.Bg5 Ne7 9.0-0-0 c5 10.c3) 8.Bf4 0-0 9.0-0-0 Ne8 10.Nf3 Nf6 11.Nxf6+ Bxf6 12.Ng5 Bxg5 13.Bxg5 Qe8 14.Rhe1+-

White is just too fast after 6...exd4. Opening up the game cannot be good chess by Black.

7.Qe2 Nxd4

Black's choice is limited.  7...Bg7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Bg5 with initiative; 7...e4 leads to a messy situation. 8.Nf3 Bg7 9.Bg5 Nxd4!? 10.Nxe4! Nxe2 11.Nxd6+ cxd6 12.Bxd8 Kxd8 (12...Bxb2 13.Rb1 Bc3+ 14.Kxe2 Kxd8 15.Kd3 Bf6 16.Bxf7 with compensation for the material) 13.Kxe2 Bxb2 14.Rab1 Bf6 15.Bxf7 (15.Bd5! Re8+ 16.Kd3 Rb8 17.Bxf7 Re7 18.Bd5 with compensation for the material) 15...b6 16.Rhd1 Ba6+ 17.c4 Rc8 18.Rb4 Bb7 unclear.  White's compensation in all these lines comes from the better pawn structure and very active pieces.  Added to which Black must navigate his way through considerable complications even to reach this far.

8.Qxe5+ Qe7

The only move.

9.Bf4

Presumably castling long will come next or possibly Nd5.

9...Nxb3 10.axb3 f6 11.Qxe7+ Bxe7 12.Nd5

Whilst Valvo's centralizing move cannot possibly be bad, I think 15.Rhe1! is even better.  Black is in trouble: 15...Re8 (15...g5 16.Rxe7 gxf4 17.Rde1 Nf5 18.Rf7 with initiative) 16.Nd4 g5 17.Bg3 Bf8 18.Nxc7! Rxe1 19.Rxe1 Kxc7 20.Re8!!

Crunch!

It's a question of development, as simple as that.

15...Ne8

15...c6 16.Nxe7 Kxe7 17.Rhe1++-;  Fritz indicates 15...g5 16.Rhe1 gxf4 17.Nxe7 b5 18.Nd5 Bb7 19.Nxf4

as equal.  The ugliness of the computer evaluation!  I prefer White!

16.Nxe7 Kxe7 17.Rhe1+ Kf7 18.Nb5 Rc6?? (18...d6 is a better move. 19.Rxe8 (19.h4 with compensation for the material) 19...Rxe8 20.Nxc7 Re4! 21.Be3 Rc6 22.Nb5 d5 23.Rxd5) 19.Na7 Ng7 20.Nxc6 dxc6 21.Bxc7 Bf5 22.Rd8 Rxd8 23.Bxd8+- Ne6 24.Bxa5 Nf4 25.g3 Nh3 26.Bb6 Ng5 27.h4 1-0 Valvo,M-Gilstring,K/Krakow 1964.

13.Nf3 Kf7

Giving White the chance to play a very attractive move which might not however be best.  13...b5!?

14.Nb6?!

He couldn't resist and most of us with the artist in our blood would probably do the same. Yet staring at the position for some time I have come to the conclusion that 14.Bxd6 cxd6 15.Nd4! is more powerful. The Bishops are hamstrung and there's the chance that White might sweep away virtually the whole of the Black queenside before the bishops get going.

23.c4 Rh5 24.Nb5 d6 25.Nc7 Bg4+ 26.Kd2 Rc8 27.h3 Bd7 28.g4 Rh6

A most peculiar situation for the Rook.  But Black is now over the worst and holds whatever edge there is due to the Bishops and his slightly safer King.

29.b3 f5 30.g5 Rh5 31.h4 h6

The Rook may also be liberated by 31...Bc6 32.Nd5 Bg7 33.Ra5 h6 I like this line very much for Black as both Bishops appear to be very active too!

32.Nd5 hxg5 33.hxg5 Rxh1 34.Rxh1 Bg7 35.Rh7

White claws his way back in.

35...Kf8 36.Bd4! Bxd4 37.Rxd7 b5 38.Kd3

Swings and roundabouts.  White is now better again!

38...Bb2 39.Rxd6 bxc4+ 40.bxc4 a5 41.Ra6+-

And it is now very bad indeed for Black.

41...Rd8 42.Rxg6 a4 43.Ra6 a3 44.Ra7 Rd6 45.Kc2 Rc6 46.Kb3 Re6 47.c5 Bc1 48.Kc4 Re2 49.g6 a2 50.g7+ Kg8 51.Nf6 mate. 1-0

A game which to my mind is typical of the average/good player.  Lots of ingenious ideas and passages of fine play.  Lots of mistakes too!  Something of a roller coaster.

Consistency is the key to winning chess.  Quite often all that is necessary to win is not to make big mistakes.  Brilliance is a luxury.  It's worth keeping that in mind at the board.

Returning to the opening idea 6.d4, I think that this is certainly worth further examination.  Why not try it yourself ?

[Index of IM Andrew Martin's columns]