26 December, 2010

Open Sicilian ( Scheveningen )

I am deliberately playing far less blitz than I used to.

I play every now and again, and have had far more consistent wins than previously.

Here's a win in an Open Sicilian, Scheveningen.

I haven't played against a Sicilian for a while so forgot my exact theory, but so, it seems, did Black.

9...Bg4


Here he has played Bg4 attacking the Queen, but is it a premature attack ? Better moves would be b5, or exf, as Bg4 just gives White an easy response  ( not always helpful in blitz :).

It gives me an obvious attack... f5 ( to attempt the trap the Bishop ), Qg3, ( opposite the King ) , Bxh6 ( winning a pawn )...especially when helped by h6.

More thought  would probably not favour Qg3, maybe h3, g4 instead, but in blitz,  direct attack is always good as it can provoke mistakes.

12...g5 ??
Much better was to play the King to h8 or h7, as after the en passant capture, the king's protection disappears and Black resigns, having lost the exchange at the minimum.

In blitz, meeting the Sicilian head-on with the Open game instead of an anti-Sicilian doesn't always play into Black hands. He needs to know his theory, or else a mis-timed move can be just as bad for him !



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