Giuoco Alfonso Piano, the man who invented the opening we know as the Giuoco Piano.
He was born in the small town of Corroma in Italy and played chess daily with
his friend Bernardo Da Vinci, the brother of Leonardo who dabbled in painting.
One day Giuoco sprang his opening on Bernardo and won a brilliant game
“That was quite a game.” said Bernardo and so the name ‘The Quiet Game’ stuck.
In the town square of Corroma there is a concrete chess table inscribed:
“Juventus Rules!” but if you peer through the graffiti you will see a plaque.
‘In Memory of Giuoco Alfonso Piano. Chess Player.’
This week Italy is celebrating the birth of Giuoco (though nobody knows when that was.)
So I thought we would join in by looking at some RHP games with the Giuoco Piano
VM - johnj RHP 2003
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 {Millions of games have began so, White now goes for centre building with....} 4. c3 Nf6 {This attack the on e-pawn does not stop White from playing d4 but this move....} 5. d3 {...is also playable. It's strength lay it in it's meek appearance.} 5... d5 {And this is a common lower level Black reply claiming he has equalised.} 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. Qb3 {A very awkward move to meet. This move scores very highly on RHP. 7...Na5 drops a piece to 8.Qb5+ that little trick has caught at least 6 lads on RHP. 7...Nce7 drops a piece again to 8.Qb5+. This too has RHP scalps.} 7... Be6 {The most popular reply but it leads to a bad position giving White a dozen wins. See next game for an idea of what to play.} 8. Qxb7 {And now a lemon. Black has to play 8....Nde7 here.} 8... Bd7 {OOPS!} 9. Bxd5 {White bags a piece and under normal circumstances I'd pull down the shade. But we continue and enjoy watching White torment his opponent with a bagful of tactical tricks.} 9... Rb8 {Black is trying the embarrass the White Queen.} 10. Qa6 Rb6 {STOP! Your opponent cannot move whilst it is your turn to move. Think! Is there a loose piece on the board? Yes the c5 Bishop. Is there a check in the position? Yes. Bxf7+....Check All Checks.} 11. Bxf7+ {Perfect.} 11... Kxf7 12. Qc4+ Be6 13. Qxc5 {White has won a pawn (to go with his piece) and exposed the Black King.} 13... Qxd3 {The Next lesson is pattern recognition. The King and Queen and Knight forkable. You must spot these things in your games. Can White take advantage of this?} 14. Qxc6 {Again perfect. If 14...Rxc6 then Nxe5+ and the Knight captures the Black Queen and White is looking good two pieces up.} 14... Kf6 15. Qxc7 Rd6 {Black is threatening mate on d1.} 16. Bg5+ {The Black King has to creep up the board. 16...Kg6 and the Knight Fork Pattern appears again. 17.Nxe5+} 16... Kf5 17. g4+ {17...Kxg4 and again Nxe5+ wins the Black Queen.} 17... Ke4 18. Nbd2+ {Stops the mate on d1, defends the f3 Knight and puts the Black into a mating net.} 18... Kd5 19. c4+ {Black resigned it's mate after....} 19... Qxc4 {Only move.} 20. Qxc4 {Checkmate. A charming game.}
So what is the best reply here with Black to play?
How should I know. I’m just chess bum like you lot. If had all the answers I
would not be hacking away on here, I’d have my picture on ChessBase endorsing
some piece of crap software and getting paid millions of squids. But since we are here….
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. Qb3 {Here we are at the diagram, now try this....} 7... O-O 8. Bxd5 Na5 {Thus Black wins backs his piece. Note White cannot try 9.Qb5 Qxd5 10.Qxa5 Bxf2+ wins the White Queen.} 9. Qd1 Qxd5 10. b4 {So Black losses a piece after all....Yes...but...} 10... Bf5 {Now grabbing the piece puts White in an awful blocked position and untangling is very tricky.} 11. bxc5 {Taking the dangerous Bishop leaving the Knight on the rim must be the best way to capture the piece. 11.0-0 looks safer, though even then Black gets some good play with 11...Bxd3.} 11... Bxd3 {Nobody has had this on RHP or in any OTB game I can find. This is a very unclear position . I'll throw out some moves to give you an idea.} 12. Nbd2 e4 13. Nd4 Qxc5 14. Bb2 Qg5 {Keep attacking things.} 15. g3 Rad8 {Black is a piece down off the board but a Rook up on the board. That h1 Rook is a tourist.} 16. Ne2 Rfe8 {White cannot castle due to Bxe2 and Rxd2.} 17. Nf4 e3 {And thanks to some good old fashioned slap-jack analysis White is in a mess and I've not yet brought that a5 Knight in from the cold. Good luck with that as Black. Give it a try see what happens. If you lose then it's your fault, if you win then I get the credit.}
OK a wee break to catch up on things chess wise from around the world.
World Champion Carl Magnuson was in Moscow last week and.....
(You have the name wrong..................Russ)
World Champion Carl Magnuson was in London last week and.....
(Forget it, just do the Championship advert......Russ)
The RHP 2014 Championship kicks off soon. Tournament 19582 if you are not
already in then jump into the pool with the rest of us. The water is lovely, we
splash about discovering that none of us can swim and I get loads of Blog ammo.
You can download all the 2013 RHP Championship games from here:
What other line is interesting in the Giuoco Piano….I know….The Canal Variation.
Black offers a whole Rook for a winning attack. Here is bones of the idea.
xxxxxxxx - geadon RHP 2009
No messing about by White when choosing his nik. He simply whacked the keyboard x eight times.
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. d3 {So far so quiet.} 5... Nf6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nd5 {Here it is. The Canal Variation. Does the Black Queen drop back to d8 or does she take one step to her left.} 8... Qg6 {One step to her left. Have the Rook.} 9. Nxc7+ Ke7 {9...Kd8 is far better keeping the Knight trapped after it has taken on a8.} 10. Nxa8 Qxg2 {The point. Half a dozen games on RHP have now gone 11.Rg1 Qxf2 mate.} 11. Rf1 Bg4 {White cannot save the pinned f3 Knight so should take advantage of Black's 9th move and bring the a8 Knight back into play. Instead....} 12. Nh4 {This plausible attempt at saving the Knight meets a grizzly end.} 12... Bxf2+ {The Check White thought he had prevented is now on again.} 13. Rxf2 Qg1+ 14. Rf1 Qe3+ {Mate next move.}
ChristianSalvador - simonpwhittaker RHP 2008
These two serve up a curious game. Black offers his up his a8 Rook, White
declines it and in turn offers his a1 Rook. Black takes it and then possibly
regretted it. In the end Black thinking he may be getting mated allows a perpetual.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Nd5 Qg6 9. Nh4 {This move is an interesting alternative to taking the Rook or the theoretical 9.Qe2.} 9... Qg5 10. g3 Qd8 11. Qf3 {11.Qh5 right away was a better choice, this just invites...} 11... Nd4 {We are getting the Canal idea in reverse} 12. Qh5 {White goes for it. It certainly looks like White must have something on.} 12... Nxc2+ 13. Kd1 Nxa1 14. Nb6 {Looks like the best way of clearing diagonal and threatening mate on f7.} 14... Bg4+ {Stops the mate on f7 and saves the a8 Rook.} 15. Qxg4 Bxb6 {Now 16.Qxg7 and Black is getting some play. But this is RHP, here we....} 16. Bxf7+ {....sacrifice things.} 16... Kxf7 17. Qg6+ {17...Ke7 18.Qxg7+ Black was having none of that and if 17...Kf8 18.Qe6 threatening Ng6 mate so we can understand Black's next move.} 17... Kg8 {White now has a perpetual.} 18. Qe6+ Kh7 19. Qg6+ Kg8 20. Qe6+ {20...Kf8 meets 21.Ng6 mate.} 20... Kh7 21. Qg6+ Kg8 {Draw agreed.}
I received a PM from Richius who said a recent blog featuring Bishop mates
had inspired him and he pulled off such a mate in a recent game v marikinaboy.
Good. I have helped one reader to win a game which makes up for the 3,079 PM’s I also
received last week telling me that just one look at this blog has lost them dozens of games.
marikinaboy - RHP 2014 Richius
FEN
1r3rk1/pppn1ppp/1n2p1b1/4P3/5PPq/1BN1BQ2/PPP4P/3RR1K1 w - - 0 17
[FEN "1r3rk1/pppn1ppp/1n2p1b1/4P3/5PPq/1BN1BQ2/PPP4P/3RR1K1 w - - 0 17"]
17. Bf2 Qe7 18. f5 exf5 19. gxf5 {The g6 Bishop looks in trouble but Black can save it with 3...Qg5+. Instead he slips in....} 19... Nxe5 {Leaving with White three attractive looking moves. 4.Rxe5 and 5. fxg6 or 4.Qf4. White finds another 4th move.} 20. Qe2 Qg5+ {5.Bg3 and White still has all the play but he sees a chance of getting a Rook to g1 aiming at g7.} 21. Kh1 Bh5 {Now 6.Rg1 or 6.Ne4 and the game goes on. White stumbles with.....} 22. Qxe5 {And that Bishop that looked in severe trouble a few moves ago has the last say.} 22... Bf3
Moments on RHP No.172
Where we take a peek into an RHP game, shudder, and tip-toe back out again.
Blanca - kenmc RHP.2006
We join the game long after White has won Black’s Queen for a Rook and Bishop.
FEN
r1b5/kpp1r1p1/p2p1p2/3B4/3P4/5N2/P4PPP/1Q4K1 w - - 0 24
[FEN "r1b5/kpp1r1p1/p2p1p2/3B4/3P4/5N2/P4PPP/1Q4K1 w - - 0 24"]
24. Nh4 c6 {Now White in his haste to close this down throws in....} 25. Ng6 {Can you see what is wrong with that? These clever moves must be looked at every carefully.} 25... Bf5 {Well spotted Black. Of course White cannot take the f5 Bishop his back rank is hanging.} 26. Qb4 {White moves his Queen and covers e1.} 26... Bxg6 {And Black is right back in it. White has blown it.} 27. Bf3 Rae8 28. h3 {The White King now has an air hole. Words like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted are springing to mind.} 28... Rd8 {Black's turn to drift. d5 was a good move here.} 29. a4 {Maybe White can get in a5 and Qb6+ blocking up the Black Queenside pawns.} 29... Bf5 {OOPS! The first time Black played Bf5 it was a good move, now it is bad. Too many undefended pieces in the Black camp. White played....} 30. Qa5 {And the hit on the d8 Rook and the f5 Bishop cost Black a piece and the game.}
