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Chessville
From the
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International Master Jan Pinski has written two well-received books on double king pawn openings: The Four Knights (2003) and The Two Knights Defence (2003). The former updated an opening that had seen a bit of a revival in the 1980s; the latter gave the latest on a defense that continues to see a lot of action as an answer to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. When the author recently came out with Italian Game and Evans Gambit, that set me to thinking – wasn’t the Giuoco Piano hammered to pieces in some book two decades ago? I thumbed through my bookshelf and pulled out George Botterill’s 1986 Open Gambits. His assessment after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4,...
...a line that he calls the Greco Gambit, is worth quoting at length:
Ouch. Still, for better or for worse, the Giuoco Piano has remained popular at the club level and is seen occasionally at the tables of the higher-ups. Since Botterill’s eulogy, we have seen Italian Game (1990) by Raj Tischerbierek, The Italian Game (c53-c54) (1994) from S1 Editrice, Italian Game C53-C54 I (1996) from Moravian Chess, Winning with the Giuoco Piano and Max Lange (1996) by Andy Soltis, and The Giuoco Piano (1996) by Gufeld & Stetsko. Chris Baker’s A Startling Opening Repertoire (1998) contains the Giuoco as part of its recommendations. Tim Harding, in his “Kibitzer” column at the internet ChessCafe, not only put the opening on trial in 2001 and 2002, but readers eventually acquitted it. Recently, Acers & Laven came out with the inclusive The Italian Gambit and a Guiding Repertoire for White (2004); and Ripperger and each Sawyer assembled CDs on the whole opening. There is additional recent coverage of the Giuoco Piano available from various sources if we include analysis of transpositions from the Bishop’s Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 and 3.d3) to the quieter form of the Italian game – what Pinski calls “the Italian Regretted,” but which others have called “the closed Giuoco Piano” or “Neo-Lopez.” In fact, the Giuoco Piano makes up only 1/3 of Pinski’s new book – the rest being largely dedicated to the Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4), with about 20 pages given over to the Hungarian Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7) and other sidelines. Even Botterill was able to remain optimistic about the venerable Evans:
This, of course, was well before Kasparov revived the Evans in the 1990s. Let’s see what Pinski has to say. His book has 58 annotated games to serve as frameworks for analysis, and to guide the reader through opening, middle and endgame. Five games are from the 1880s, one from 1914, four from the 1970s, four from the 1980s; and a full 25 are from the 1990s while 19 are from 2000 or later. Hmmmm. Somebody must still be playing these lines. Chapter One, “Introduction and the Italian Four Knights,” features two games that reach the following position:
Pinski notes: "In positions like these you can beat even grandmasters. Obviously before this can happen, they will have to die from boredom…" Since the games are Short - Aleksandrov, Ixmir 2004 (1-0, 43) and Larsen - Ochsner, Danish Championship 1997 (1-0, 54), Pinski’s comments (which reflect his view of the whole Italian game) about this “boring line” suggest that White has nothing special, but that Black’s game won’t play itself:
Club players familiar with Chris Baker’s A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire (1998) and Jude Acer and George Lavin’s The Italian Gambit (2004) may feel slighted. The main line of the latter (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4) is dismissed summarily by Pinski in a paragraph – “The 4.d4? gambit was refuted a long time ago…” with a reference to the first 10 moves of Fahrni - Spielmann, Baden Baden 1914 “and Black is much better.” A significant part of Baker’s repertoire (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0) is defanged with three paragraphs, starting with “4.0-0 is completely toothless, and Black can do as he pleases,” with further attention given to 4…Nf6 and the “silly gambit 5.d4?!” – “after this risky move White is likely to have to fight for equality…” Although the back cover blurb touts crucial coverage of offbeat variations, at least in this case Pinski is here to bury Caeser, not to praise him. (In reviewing Italian Game and Evans Gambit, John Elburg suggests 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d4 Bxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 6.0-0 giving it a “!!” instead of Fahrni’s 6.f4, which he queries.) In Chapter Two, “First Steps in the Italian Game,” Pinski first looks at the 4…Qe7 defense to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3, suggesting that White is better off then generally believed, then looks at a few games with 4…Nf6 5.d4 ed 6.e5, which should not pose Black problems if he knows what he is doing (“the absolutely essential 6…d5!… equalizes at once”). Or, if he is not playing GM Sveshnikov, who has had a long-running interest in the line. There are four illustrative games. This time an oversight by Pinski may not be an oversight at all. In his fourth “Kibitzer” column dealing with the Giuoco Piano (“Swansong of the Giuoco Piano Part 1,” “Giuoco Piano (Part 2) The Case for the Defence,” “The Giuoco Piano on Trial Part 3 The Summing-Up” and “The Giuoco Piano on Trial White Wins the Case!”), Tim Harding took a preliminary look at Oskam’s wild suggestion, 6.b4, which looks like a relative of the Evans Gambit Declined, but is actually an attempt to improve on the 6.e5 line. Harding never championed the move – which was a good thing, as some time later Jeremy Silman ball-batted the notion senseless. Pinski passes it all by unmentioned. Next comes Chapter Three, “The Möeller Attack and The Classical Italian Game,” with five annotated games. From 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 ed there is the gambit line 6.0-0 as well as the more popular 6.cd, which Black usually meets with 6…Bb4+, giving White three choices: 7.Kf1, 7.Bd2, or 7.Nc3. The gambit will run down to an even game, or worse, for White. The King move may have worked well for Frank Marshall a century ago, but Pinski believes that 7.Kf1 d5 8.ed Nxd5 already gives Black a small advantage. The Bishop block – at times the refuge of those who see other lines as favoring Black or at best giving White only chances for equality – is going to give the first player little, as well.
...which move is to be preferred by Black, 13…h6 or 13…0-0 ? Both are dizzying lines, Pinski confirms, but, indeed, the first ultimately leads to an advantage for Black, the second to a squeeked-out draw for White. However, anyone truly interested in getting closer to “the final word” on the Möeller must first check out the website http://sorrowdy.mysteria.cz, where tons of ideas new and old abound. (How about 14.Qb3!? in the Möeller Attack?) I think Pinski may have overlooked the site. Throughout the chapter, the author’s own analysis and final assessments are in agreement with contemporary sources such as Nunn’s Chess Openings:
Actually, the lines given, far from being a broad and peaceful romp, look more like the wandering yellow brick road to Oz – safe enough as long as you stay on the path, perhaps, but there are plenty of dangers if you wander off. Pinski shows enough witches, poppies, angry trees and flying monkeys in the sidelines to interest those whose level of play is below wizardry. Chapter Four, “The Italian Regretted: White Plays 5.d3”, uses seven example games to look at 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 and 5.b4 Bb6 6.d3.
Both 5…a6 and 5…d6 are examined (6…d6 7.a4 a6 and 7…a5 in the second case) and “Black should always equalize without any real effort.” However, this is not the whole story.
Kasparov would be one example. Chapters Five through Nine cover the Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4): Declined; and Accepted with 5…Be7, with 5…Bc4 and with 5…Ba5. Most of the thirty-one illustrative games are from 1990 or later – significant, in light of Pinski’s comment that in popularity “the Evans Gambit was the Ruy Lopez of the 19th century” – but the author can’t pass up the chance to discuss four of Chigorin’s games and Anderssen’s “Evergreen game” as well.
There is plenty of explanatory text and analysis. The author’s conclusions: * White has an edge in the Declined lines. Example games show 4…Bb6 (or 4.d5) 5.a4 (or 5.b5) a6 (or 5…a5) 6.Nc3 (or 6.Bb2 or 6.c3 Nf6 7.d3 d6) Nf6 7.Nd5 (or 7.d4) * The solid 4…Be7 (Anand’s choice when Kasparov dropped the Evans on him a decade ago) leads to a complex and balanced game – “it all depends on the White player’s style and mood on the day.” The games map out 5.c3 Be7 6.d4 (or 6.Qb3) Na5 7.Be2 (or 7.Nxe5) ed 8.Qxd4 (or 8…Nf6 or 8…d6 or 8…d5). * Black courts danger in the 4…Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 ed 7.0-0 d6 8.cd Bb6 line, where the six games show he “will always have to play very accurately to survive, while White’s initiative seems pretty natural.” * The 4…Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.0-0 lines are not dangerous for Black. The games cover 6…d6 (or 6…Qf6 or 6…Nf6) 7.d4 Bg4 (or 7…Bd7 or 7…Bd6) as well as the interesting 6.Qb3. * The main line 4…Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.0-0 “is the most dangerous line for Black, but it does not seem to generate enough pressure to guarantee White an advantage.” Pinski uses seven example games to back up this point, but then concludes:
By the way, readers interested in the early, “pre-Kasparov” era of the Evans Gambit would likely enjoy Tim Harding’s two-part look at the venerable opening, even if Harding is ultimately less optimistic about White’s chances: “The Evans Gambit (Part 1): The Search for Truth in the Evans Gambit” and The Evans Gambit (Part 2): Chigorin’s Experiences with the Evans Gambit”. The tenth and final chapter, “The Hungarian Defence and Other Sidelines” employs ten games to look at the afore-mentioned line, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7, as well as the off-beat 3…g6 and 3…h6, the flexible 3…d6 and the “stupid trap” 3…Nd4. Given the solidity of the Hungarian Defense, it is odd that it has not received the book-length coverage that the Philidor Defense has, for example. Perhaps, like the Philidor, it is considered two cramped or too drawish. Perhaps it is awaiting a “hero.”
In sum, Italian Game and Evans Gambit is an up-to-date look at the
life of “one of the oldest openings around.” As 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
Nc6 3.Bc4 is often recommended to those starting out in chess play (to learn
about the Open Game, development and tactics), knowledge of the Italian
lines will always be useful to the club and tournament player who will
either use or face them. Pinski’s book has much to offer those on
either side of the board (Black will love the roses, White will revel in the
thorns.) The text is at times clinical, if not downright discouraging,
towards the chances of the first player – so beginners looking for a bit
more encouragement and enthusiasm about playing the white pieces will have
to rely on their coaches or club-mates to provide the cheers.
Established players will either strap on Italian Game and Evans Gambit
as their chessic equivalent of a Kevlar vest, or immediately look for
ways (real and imagined) to subvert it…
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