The Scotch Four Knights (The Duck's Back)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 {Annotators always stop here to tell what the opening is. I am going to be different and I am not going to tell you that this is The Scotch Variation of the Four Knights. (I think I'll use that as the title of this Blog.)} 4... exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 {Developing with a threat, the c3 Knight is pinned the White e-pawn is under attack.} 6. Nxc6 {White trades Knights because he wants to play Bd3 and if he did so right away the d4 Knight would drop. There are 33 examples of players on RHP dropping their Knights in the exact same position. I'll give one later.} 6... bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 c6 {So far all easy to see and play moves, develop and castle. Now how am I going to explain White's next move?} 11. Na4 {If White had lost this then the screams about 'Knights on the rim being dim' would have been heard all the way to Moscow. 11.Ne2 is playable but this way White avoids Bxc3 and holds up Black Queenside play. (added bonus it protects the b2 pawn should a Black Rook stray to b8.)} 11... Qd6 {Breaks the pin on the f6 Knight and with no f3 Knight protecting the castled White King Bc7 is coming forcing a weakening in the White fort with a pawn move.} 12. c3 {Holds up a d4 from Black and possibly planning possibly b2-b4 and Nc5 which is another idea in the 11.Na4 move.} 12... Ba5 13. Bh4 {An excellent move. This unforced retreat anticipates Black Bc7 and White will answer it with Bg3 thus keeping his castled pawns intact.} 13... Bg4 {Trying to tempt the f-pawn forward. But White will have none of that.} 14. Qc2 {White is threatening Bxf6 and Bxh7+. So far a known position to theory with 14...g6 being played. Black comes up with the cunning....} 14... Kh8 {...a wee trap. if 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Bxh7 (not a check) 16...g6 wins the Bishop. White most likely saw through it in seconds and ignores the h7 pawn.} 15. b4 Bb6 {Black does not like the idea of a White Knight settling on c5 so holds c5 and offers a Bishop for Knight trade.} 16. Bg3 Qd8 17. Rfe1 {A nice clean move. Options open. White has not decided yet if he wants the two Bishops with Nxb6 as axb6 repairs the Queenside pawns and the half open a-file is Black's.} 17... Re8 18. Rxe8+ {I see the idea. Good.} 18... Qxe8 {Now I thought the plan was Nxb6 then f3 which keeps a Knight out of e4 and allows White to play Re1 with a gain of tempo.} 19. Kf1 {Ahh... I did not see that one. I don't like it. Maybe White was not too fond of my 19.f3 , but it looks OK. The g3 Bishop can play the role of the wee Dutch boy and plug the gap on f2.} 19... Qf8 {Black sees the coming Re1 But it's another move I don't like. 19..Qd7 (centralise) . Black is angling for c5. Full credit if it was part of the coming trap.} 20. Nxb6 {White at last trades on b6 and now Black will not be sure if he wants his Rook on a8 or e8.} 20... axb6 21. Bc7 {Now that the Black Queen is out of it and sitting on f8 White has a wee poke at the b-pawn. But he cannot take it.} 21... h6 {Black slips in a waiting move. He is waiting for White to blunder with 22. Bxb6 Qb8! hitting the Bishop and the h2 pawn and if the Black Queen gets onto h2 then White is in trouble.} 22. Kg1 {If you take anything from this game take this move. White admits to himself that perhaps his 19. Kf1 was wrong so corrects it. Weaker Chess players rarely admit they have played a blunder OTB and try to make it work.} 22... Nd7 {The Qxh2 trick has gone so Black defends the b-pawn.} 23. h3 {The game will be played for now on the Queenside. Files will be opened, this move rules out any future back-rank tricks from Black.} 23... Be6 24. a4 Ra7 25. Bg3 c5 26. bxc5 {Now I was expecting 26....Nxc5 then Nb7-Na5-Nc4. but....} 26... bxc5 {....Black has his pawns intact and given White a passed a-pawn. White says it's strong, Black says it's weak.} 27. Bb5 Qd8 28. Rb1 {The Rook is looking at the b8 square protected by the g3 Bishop.} 28... Nb6 29. Bc6 g6 {A cheeky wee skewer threat (Bf5) which also gives the Black King h7 to take the sting out of a Rb8 but that new hole at f6 will need watching.} 30. Qd2 Kh7 31. Qf4 {Rxb6 deflecting the Black Queen away from covering f6 then Qf6 and Be5 ideas are in the pot....} 31... Nc8 {...and that is what prompted this baddie. See the next game fragment for an explanation.} 32. Qb8 {I thought it would be 32.Rb8 but we are at the splitting hairs stage. Both moves look good.} 32... Qf6 {Unpinning the Knight (which still cannot move due to Qxa7) and trying to distract White with an attack on c3.} 33. Rb7 {Again I was outdone. I thought 33.Be5 was coming (and I bet so did Black. White is saving that move up.) 33.Bb7 forces Black to give up the exchange with 33...Rxb7 but again we are splitting hairs.} 33... Ra6 {33....Rxb7 34. Bxb7 and the a-pawn is guided home. But it seems like it was the way to go. White now shuts down the game in style.} 34. Bb5 Ra5 35. Bd7 Bxd7 36. Rxd7 Ne7 37. Be5 {I told you he was saving that move up.} 37... Nc6 {And Black was saving that move up. Now 38.Bxf6 Nxb8 39.Rd8 wins the b8 Knight due to the mate threat with Rh8 but is there a 'Lasker moment' sit on your hands and look for a better move. (check all checks!).} 38. Rxf7+ {That's it. 38...Qxf7 39.Qh8 mate. Black Resigned. Good Game.}

[FEN "3q4/r4p1k/1nB1b1pp/2pp4/P4Q2/2P3BP/5PPK/1R6 w - - 0 31"]

31. Rxb6 {This is the idea I was talking about. I'm pretty sure both players saw it.} 31... Qxb6 32. Qf6 {And Black can do nothing but give up his Queen to stop the threat of Be5 and Qg7 or Qh8 mate. (If the King was still on g1 then Qb1+ and Qf5 would work.)} 32... Qc7 {Only move to stop the mate.} 33. Bxc7 Rxc7 {And let's wrap it up with....} 34. Bxd5 Bxd5 35. Qd8

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 c6 11. Na4 {So far as in the previous game now we diverge.} 11... h6 12. Bh4 Re8 13. c4 {White sets about giving Black an IQP (an Isolated Queen's Pawn.). Black accepts the challenge.} 13... Bd6 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 {White would have been expecting 15..Bb7 here. Why not it's OK. The trouble is after White's next move he forgot all about it.} 15... Be5 {Black sets a good player's trap. Only a reasonable player would fall for it.} 16. Nxd5 {The Black Queen is lured onto d5.} 16... Qxd5 {I wonder what Black was thinking here...I wonder what his poker face looked like.} 17. Bxf6 {And White is thinking he has won back his sacced piece with a pawn in the bank. If 17....Bxf6 18.Bh7+ wins the undefended Black Queen.} 17... Bb7 {OOPS!. The Queen is defended and White has no time to save the f6 Bishop due to mate on g2. White resigned. (18. Qg4 Bxf6)}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bc5 {Playable, it develops with a threat.} 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O d5 9. Bg5 Rb8 10. exd5 cxd5 {Now can White nick the d-pawn as Peter Svidler did?} 11. Nxd5 {Yes. We know the refutation but there is a slight difference.} 11... Qxd5 12. Bxf6 {Black spots the idea. 12...gxf6 13. Bxh7+ wins the Black Queen. So 12...Bb7 should be played but then White can play 13.Qg4, an option not open to Svidler in the above game. after 13. Qg4 Qxg2+ the game dissolves into an opposite coloured Bishop ending.} 12... Bd4 {No because you will fall for the same trick you spotted when your Queen was on d5.} 13. Bxd4 Qxd4 14. Bxh7+ {That's trick I was talking about.} 14... Kxh7 15. Qxd4 {White strolled home 1-0.}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 {The Scotch Four Knights. We have seen the good guys in action, let's see what these two do with it.} 5... Bb4 6. Bd3 {White neatly protects the e-pawn with a developing move. The fact it hangs the d4 Knight is nothing more than a superficial cut.} 6... Nxd4 7. Be3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Nc6 9. O-O d6 10. Qd2 O-O 11. f4 Ng4 {Of course being a piece up Black trades everything off the first chance he gets.} 12. Rf3 Nxe3 13. Qxe3 Qf6 14. Bc4 Be6 15. Bb3 Bxb3 16. cxb3 Rfe8 17. Raf1 Qe7 18. e5 dxe5 19. f5 f6 20. Rg3 b6 {A wee devious move from Black. He was intending Qc5 and Queens off.} 21. Qh6 {Now a wee nervous jitter from Black. There is no threat so 21….Rad8. You are a piece up use it.} 21... Kh8 22. Qh5 Qc5+ 23. Kh1 e4 24. Rh3 h6 {Me here? I would have tried 25.Rg3 praying to be allowed to play Rxg7 and drawing with a perpetual. But what do I know, I would have lost it as White from here. I very rarely take my opponent resigning in a won position into consideration. Maybe I should.} 25. Rf4 Qd6 26. Rfh4 {It looks fearsome but here White is threatening nothing.} 26... Qd2 {Black's turn to threaten mate in one.} 27. g4 e3 28. Qxh6+ gxh6 29. Rxh6+ {And Black Resigned! 1-0. There is no checkmate, the Black King can run away. If he plays 29...Kg8 yes he is mated in two with 30. Rh8+ and R3h7 mate but...} 29... Kg7 30. Rh7+ Kf8 {There is no checkmate here. A beautifully awful game of Chess}