An Old Piece Sac Against the Evans

greenpawn34

Only Chess

29 May 11

greenpawn34

Joined: 06 May 08
Moves: 43363

29 May 11

Give this a bash. Become one of the Immortals.
Post here you efforts.

Plus Artowrk, Instructive moment No 412 and a Brillo Mungo Self Mate.

Blog 4

yashin

Delft, Netherlands

Joined: 17 Oct 03
Moves: 64193

30 May 11

1 edit

Looking for someone who wants to play this against me. Black and White. Please send me a message first.

Brilliant blog again GP, keep up the good work!

greenpawn34

Joined: 06 May 08
Moves: 43363

30 May 11

Blackburne says in his book:

"...at one time great things were expected from this Counter Gambit
to the Evans: An invention of Herr Osacar Cordell. It has been proved
unsound by subsequent analysis."

Ideal for here where unsound is sound, sound is unsound and the more
unsound it is the sounder it becomes.

Ragwort

Senecio Jacobaea

Yorkshire

Joined: 04 Jul 09
Moves: 189452

30 May 11

Originally posted by yashin
Looking for someone who wants to play this against me. Black and White. Please send me a message first.

Brilliant blog again GP, keep up the good work!

Mini Thematic under way:-

Both sides have agreed to play this with no further reference to theory than that given in GP's Blog:

Game 8456188 and Game 8456187

nimzo5

Ronin

Hereford Boathouse

Joined: 08 Oct 09
Moves: 29575

30 May 11

Will be following these games with interest.

yashin

Delft, Netherlands

Joined: 17 Oct 03
Moves: 64193

30 May 11

I am surprised to see it says: "Sorry, this game has no move history"
Is this because we started from an opening?

Ragwort

Senecio Jacobaea

Yorkshire

Joined: 04 Jul 09
Moves: 189452

30 May 11

Originally posted by yashin
I am surprised to see it says: "Sorry, this game has no move history"
Is this because we started from an opening?

Yes, that is annoying. Never mind, I'm writing the moves down so we can make a PGN at the finish.

greenpawn34

Joined: 06 May 08
Moves: 43363

31 May 11

Well done men.

Would have like to see an immediatte 6.cxb4 because I'm sure that
is what will get played by my -1400 crew if they saw it.
Post the results.

And don't anybody come on and say Rybka says this and Fritz says that
because we just don't want to know. This is chess and those electronic toys
won't understand what is going on.

And anyway, games in progress.

yashin

Delft, Netherlands

Joined: 17 Oct 03
Moves: 64193

02 Jun 11

Hi, since there is no game history I'd like to give an update for the ones interested.
REMEMBER THIS IS A GAME IN PROGRESS, so please keep yourself from posting ANY comments

savage4731

Joined: 27 Sep 06
Moves: 3441

02 Jun 11

2 edits

Edit: Analysis deleted.

savage4731

Joined: 27 Sep 06
Moves: 3441

02 Jun 11

That line isnt that unusual. Harding devotes about a page to it. I posted a quick refutation (just to piss off GP) but realized there were games in progress so I quickly deleted it. It wasnt up for more than 5 seconds (literally) so I doubt anyone saw it.

Its not really that complex of a line, I dont see what the big deal about it is.

Ragwort

Senecio Jacobaea

Yorkshire

Joined: 04 Jul 09
Moves: 189452

08 Jun 11

Well the first game has finished with a win for white. I have no idea where this stands theoretically as I haven't gone into it at all.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 f5 6. cxb4 {I played this because of the idea that the best way to refute a gambit is to accept it} fxe4 7. b5 {Armed with the info about the weak d4 from the blog I decided to attack the knight straight away. I also thought it better to keep the Queen at home until I decide whether it is better on the King side or the Queenside.}exf3 {Was a knight move necessary here?} 8. Qxf3 Nf6 9. bxc6 bxc6 {I had mainly looked at dxc6. If then 0-0 Qd4 forking B and Rook Qb3 Qxa8 Bb2}
10. Ba3 {At the time I liked this because the bishops stop Black castling whether he plays d6 or d5 and it will take him a long time to block both diagonals.However I wonder if castles was better as black now has a chance to stop me doing so} d5 11. Bb3  Ba6 {An irritating move. Black has created a central pawn roller that looks quite intimidating. I could visualize my King trying to fend off connected passed pawns on the c and d files backed up by Queen, Rooks and the a6 Bishop } 12. Nc3 e4 13. Qg3 Kf7 {Yashin gave this some thought but felt there he had little choice} 14. f3 {played after some analysis with a pocket set. The idea is to counter against blacks centre whilst his d pawn is pinned as well as providing an escape route for my king to allow the king's rook out, much as black is doing. After all it is difficult to demonstrate the advantage of an extra piece if it is not brought into play.} Re8 15. Kf2 {here I had to be careful about Black's knight ending up on e4 forking queen and king, but this is easily avoided provided I don't rush into exchanges on e4} Bd3 16. Rc1 {this threatens the pawn on c7 by Nxd5 Nxd5 Bxd5+ cxd5 Rxc7 which looked pretty strong} Rb8 {I thought he intended to answer Nxd5 with Rxb3} 17. Rhe1 {all my pieces are now in place and accidents on e4 are covered. Black has many pitfalls to avoid as the pin on d5 is quite limiting} Qd7 {I couldn't see what he was getting at with this move - perhaps he wanted to play to f5} 18. Nxd5 {I considered moving the king away to g1 first but came to the conclusion that I could play this now} Nxd5 {I had half expected Rxb3. Now the knight is pinned and if cxd5 Rxc7} 19. Bb2 {attacking g7, threatening Rxc6 followed by Rxc7 into the bargain} Kg8 {I had thought Kf8 unpinning was best. I had not made up my mind how to continue in that case as Rxc6, Bxd5 and fxe4 would all have to be looked into} 20. Bxd5+ {there are not many ways to stop the check and although the b2 bishop hangs moves like Bxc6 fxe4 Rxc7 acting against g7 are all in the air. Black resigned}

greenpawn34

Joined: 06 May 08
Moves: 43363

08 Jun 11

Good stuff Raggo.

Doubt it would stand up in C.C. play especially knowing what was coming,
but OTB it would have them shifting about in their seat.

Think here: Black to play.

He has to play 9...dxc6 or 9....d5 for OTB chances.
But going for the c6 Knight looks like the way to go.

Ragwort

Senecio Jacobaea

Yorkshire

Joined: 04 Jul 09
Moves: 189452

11 Jun 11

1 edit

So the second game has finished with a draw agreed. Yashin, as white, declined the offered piece for a number of moves but was unable to bring anymore pieces into his attack to support his Queen. Ragwort exchanged off the dangerous pieces and emerged a pawn up, but had skipped off to fairy land and was unable to convert.

[Event "RHP"]
[Site "Evans Thematic"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Yashin"]
[Black "Ragwort"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 f5 {The start position for the piece sac line.} 6.d4 {Played because I had got in first in the other game with cxb4. Yashin considered other typical Evans' Gambit moves such as Qb3 and 0-0} 6...fxe4 7.Bxg8 exf3 8.Qxf3 {Threatens mate at f7.} 8...Rxg8 {Preventing mate and if White should play cxb4 he will still be a pawn in arrears.} 9.Qh5+ {Yashin looks for more by threatening moves like Qxh7 and Bg5.} 9...Kf8 {As far as I was concerned this dealt with it all by protecting the rook in the event of Qxh7 and if he checked on the f file I would play Qf6. The c pawn is pinned so Nxd4 followed by Nc2+ with a fork is one of my threats.} 10.dxe5 {Prevents Qf6 as well as recovering the pawn. Yashin felt however that in my place he would now have retreated the Bishop and waltzed into the next phase of the game a clear piece up.} 10...Qe8 {But I thought that if the queens come off he has nothing and I can win either the e pawn or the c pawn or both. He has no pieces out and if he goes pawn grabbing on h7 Then my Q can take with check on e5 pinning the c pawn in another direction and I should be able to take over the initiative. } 11.Qxe8+ Kxe8 12.cxb4 {No choice he said, but to go into an ending a pawn down.} 12...Nxb4 {In retrospect I think I played the rest of this game very poorly. He made several moves that I had simply failed to take into account despite the fact they were obvious. I also should have taken the e pawn but I was absorbed by the prospect of several dangerous knight forks available to me if I took the b pawn that I lost objectivity. } 13.Kd2 {Forced but fine.} 13...Rf8 14.f3 {Did not account for this.} 14...Nc6 15.Re1 {I had only looked at Bb2 for no other reason than it was what I thought I would have played.} 15...Rf5 {This is to keep the rook active so that the king can go to f8 or f7 to unpin and then d6. If I had taken the e pawn this would have been an unnecessary concern.} 16.Bb2 Kf7 {Secures the g pawn if the Bishop discovers on it, and unpins the e pawn. d6 is now possible. I was relieved to see that he cannot play Nc3 without dropping the e pawn.} 17.Na3 d6 {I realized he could arrive on b5 and win the c pawn but I didn't like further delay with a6 when I thought Nc4 with further action on d6 looked annoying. At this stage I shut down and didn't consider the obvious follow up b5 at all.} 18.Nb5 Nxe5 19.Nxc7 Rb8 20.Bxe5 Rxe5 21.Rxe5 dxe5 22.Re1 Be6 {Here I analyzed that I could not hold the e pawn whether I played this threatening the a pawn, or Kf6. I thought about running the b pawn with b5 but in all honesty I felt I had squandered any winning chances. I offered the draw which Yashin agreed saying he felt he had no further prospects in the game either as well as a number of off the board activities to attend to. In neither game was either player able to produce the flowing attacks of GP's blog examples, but then both players were able to shut down many of these opportunites for their opponent, even with sub optimal play, certainly on my part.} 

Elmyr

Joined: 05 Jun 11
Moves: 521

11 Jun 11

Thanks for those annotations Ragwort, I found them very enjoyable.

Can't say I understand why anyone would decline such a absurd gambit though! If
you go in for the Evans in the first place, why shy away at the first opportunity?
Also in the second game, white gives away his light-squared bishop for no good
reason. Typically it's the most dangerous piece in the Evans, to give it away
without any compensation is really poor play. In fact, the method Lasker used to
defeat the Evans back in the 20s was the threat to remove said bishop with a
knight fork:

EVENT	RHP
SITE	Evans Thematic
DATE	????.??.??
ROUND	?
WHITE	Yashin
BLACK	Ragwort
RESULT	1/2-1/2