paultopia's Milner-Barry wins annotated

[Event Milner-Barry Gambit Thematic]
[Site www.redhotpawn.com]
[Date 2004.??.??]
[Round 1]
[White paultopia]
[Black jeffhowden]
[Result 1-0]
[ECO C02]
[Annotator Moldovan,John P.]
[PlyCount 37]
[EventDate 2004.06.??]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.O-O Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 Qxe5 {This is recommended by IM John Watson in his Play the French (original 1984 edition) but 10...a6 is safer.} 11.Re1 Qd6 12.Be3 {A new move.} 12...Nf6 13.Bd4 Be7 14.Re3 O-O?? {I warned about castling too soon in the Is the French Defense any good?” thread (See page 3 in the Only Chess forum). Fritz 5.32 says 14...Qb4 -+.} 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Bxh7+! Kxh7 17.Rh3+ Kg8 18.Qh5 g6 19.Qh7# {A typical MBG win by White.} 1-0


[Event Milner-Barry Gambit Thematic]
[Site www.redhotpawn.com]
[Date 2004.??.??]
[Round 1]
[White paultopia]
[Black gumbie]
[Result 1-0]
[ECO C02]
[Annotator Moldovan, John P.]
[PlyCount 39]
[EventDate 2004.06.??]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.O-O Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 Bb4? 11.Nb5 Bxb5?? (Overlooks a discovery & loses the Q. 11...Qxe5 12.Qg4 Ba5 13.Bf4 h5 14.Qh4, with a draw after Fritz 5.32’s 14...Qxb2 (14...Qf6 15.Bg5 Qe5 = 16.b4? Bd8 -/+ Voight – Schramm : Hamburg 1997) 15.Rab1 Qf6 16.Bg5 Qe5 17.Bf4 was proper.} 12.Bxb5+ Ke7 13.Qxd4 Ba5 14.Qc5+ Kd8 15.Qf8+ Kc7 16.Qxa8 Kb6 17.Qe8 a6 18.Be3+ d4 19.Bxd4+ Kc7 20.Rac1+ 1-0


[Event Milner-Barry Gambit Thematic]
[Site www.redhotpawn.com]
[Date 2004.??.??]
[Round 1]
[White paultopia]
[Black pineapple42]
[Result 1-0]
[ECO C02]
[Annotator Moldovan,John P.]
[PlyCount 35]
[EventDate 2004.06.??]

{* denotes comment based on analysis by Fritz 5.32} 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.O-O Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 Bc5? 11.Qe2? {* Unnecessary. 11.Be3 Qb4 12.a3 idea 12...Qxb2? (12... Qb6 13.Qg4, with full compensation for White, was right.) 13.Na4 ±, trapping Black's Q, was best.} 11...Ne7? {* 11...Qh4 -/+ would have extracted the Q & prevented x-ray attacks against the Bc5.} 12. Be3? {* 12.Nb5! Bxb5 13.Bxb5+ followed by Be3 would have won the Bc5.} 12...Qb4 13.a3? (13.Nb5 (Fritz) Rc8 14.a3 Qb4 15.Rac1 += was better.) 13...Qb6 14.Na4?? {Hangs the N but Black manages to miss 14...Bxa4 -+, too. 14.Bxc5 Qxc5 15.Rac1 idea 15...O-O!? 16.Qh5 g6?? (16... h6 =+ was correct.} 17.Qh4 +-, threatening Qxe7 & Ne4-f6+, should have been played.} 14...Qa5?? 15.Nxc5 O-O-O 16.Nxd7 Rxd7 17.b4 Qa4 18.Bb5 1-0

Originally posted by jpmoldovan
[Event Milner-Barry Gambit Thematic]
[Site www.redhotpawn.com]
[Date 2004.??.??]
[Round 1]
[White paultopia]
[Black jeffhowden]
[Result 1-0]
[ECO C02]
[Annotator Moldovan,John P.]
[PlyCount 37]
[EventDate 2004.06.??]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.O-O Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 Qxe5 {This is recommended by IM ...[text shortened]... Ne4-f6+, should have been played.} 14...Qa5?? 15.Nxc5 O-O-O 16.Nxd7 Rxd7 17.b4 Qa4 18.Bb5 1-0

Interesting, thank you.

#1:
12.Be3 {A new move.} -- but perfectly logical. Gets the only undeveloped piece going right into the center where it can blockade those nasty central pawns, and/or look at the king. Perfectly safe, fork-wise, because 12. ... d3 13. Nb5 and all the lines I can see avoid loss of material for white, as well as gaining more tempo. Too many to list, though, and it seems to get complicated. Have I mentioned that I like complicated?

That's the only game of the three I'm actually proud of. The old queen trap and the hanging of the knight in the other two make them rather sour wins. wins, all the same though 🙂

Oh, and someone wrote a FICS "lecture-bot" lecture describing what the author considers a refutation of the MGB, which goes as follows. I only have a couple comments (bracketed)


1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-O Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4 10. Nc3 Qxe5 11. Re1 Qb8 12. Nxd5 Bd6 13. Qg4 Kf8 14. Bd2 h5 15. Qh3 Nh6 16. Ne3 Kg8 17. Nc4 Bc7 18. Qxh5 {Why not bc3 to allow Ne5? Opening the h file for the sake of a lousy pawn seems highly foolish) Nf5 19. Qg5 Bxh2+ 20. Kf1 Bb5 21. b3 {I preferg3 to tie the h rook down to the defense of the bishop forever} Qd8 22. Bxf5 exf5 23. Qxd8+ Rxd8 24. Bc3 Ba6 25. a4 Bc7 26. Ke2 Rh4