The Complete Chess Course From Beginning To Winning Chess! (2016)

Book Seven

How to Play the e-pawn Openings

Center Game

White’s game is discredited from the very start by his premature development of the queen. This enables Black to seize the initiative at move 3 by counterattacking against the white queen. Not recommended for White.

Center Game

White - Black

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 (D)

Position after 3…Nc6

Black’s gain of time enables him to take the lead in development.

4.Qe3 Nf6 5.Nc3

An amusing sample of White’s difficulties is 5.Bc4 Ne5 6.Bb3 Bb4+ 7.c3? Bc5! 8.Qg3?? Bxf2+!! and Black wins the queen by a knight fork.

5…Bb4

Another way is 5…Be7 6.Bd2 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Nxd5 Qxd5 and Black’s game is decidedly freer.

6.Bd2 0-0 7.0-0-0 Re8 (D)

Position after 7…Re8

White’s most likely moves are 8.Qg3 or 8.Bc4.

8.Qg3!?

If White tries 8.Bc4 now, Black can win a pawn with 8…Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Nxe4 (not 9…Rxe4?? 10.Bxf6! winning).

But then White has fairly good attacking prospects after 10.Qf4 Nf6 11.Nf3 d6 12.Ng5 Be6 13.Bd3.

Therefore Black answers 8.Bc4 by 8…Na5! 9.Bd3 d5! with a fine initiative. This explains White’s pawn sacrifice on the next move.

8…Nxe4 9.Nxe4 Rxe4 10.Bf4 Qf6! 11.Nh3

If 11.Bxc7? d6! 12.Bxd6 Qh6+! 13.Kb1 Bxd6 14.Qxd6 Qxd6 and wins.

11…d6 12.Bd3 Re8

Black is a pawn ahead with a perfectly safe game. (He can also try the more complicated 12…Nd4! 13.Be3 Rg4 14.Bxd4 Rxd4 15.c3 Bxc3! 16.bxc3 Rg4 17.Qe3 Qxc3+ 18.Bc2 Qxe3+ 19.fxe3 Rxg2 with a won ending thanks to his four pawns for the piece.)