(23) Steve Mann - Kevin Walters
BCC July-Aug Marathon Berkeley (3), 23.07.2004

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Nf3 [ 4.d4] 4...Bg4 [ 4...Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.0-0 a6 7.Bc4 e6 8.d4 0-0-0=] 5.Bc4 Diagram

I have pulled some games with the following record from this position: white wins 1 black wins 8 with one draw. Granted, this is far from complete, and I don't have my center counter book. I decided to pull a few from the 19th century. I remember that my book is a proponent for developing this bishop on g2 after playing h3 and g4. In the game, white will play the pawn moves but with this Bc4 move. I remember it covering a game like this and claiming that this is a bad weakening of the light squares. I think personally I sort of ignore this "problem" because I like to castle queenside anyway. At one point, I remember reading that the center counter is sort of unique in that both sides are very free to castle either way. [ 5.h3 Bh5 6.d4 Nf6 ( 6...e6 7.Be2 c6 8.0-0 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qc7 10.Qe2 Be7 11.g3 Nf6 12.Nd1 0-0 13.b3 Bd6 14.c4 Qe7 15.Bb2 Re8 16.Ne3 Nbd7 17.Bg2 g6 18.f4 Nh5 19.Qf3 Ndf6 20.Rae1 Qd8 21.Ng4 Nxg4 22.hxg4 Ng7 23.Bh3 Bf8 24.Re2 Qc7 25.Rh2 Rad8 26.f5 exf5 27.gxf5 Nh5 28.Rg2 Bh6 29.fxg6 hxg6 30.Kh2 Re3 31.Qg4 Bg7 32.Rd1 c5 33.Bc1 Rc3 34.Bb2 Re3 35.Bc1 Nxg3 36.Bxe3 Ne2+ 37.Kh1 Nc3 0-1 Von Gottschall,H-Noa,J/Dresden 1892/EXT 98 (37); 6...c6 7.Bd3 Nf6 8.0-0 e6 9.Qe2 Nbd7 10.Bd2 Qc7 11.Ne4 Nxe4 12.Bxe4 Bd6 13.Rae1 Nf6 14.c4 0-0 15.Bb1 Bf4 16.Bc3 Rad8 17.Kh1 Rfe8 18.g3 Bd6 19.g4 Bg6 20.Bxg6 hxg6 21.Ne5 c5 22.f4 cxd4 23.Bxd4 Bc5 24.Bc3 Bd4 25.Bxd4 Rxd4 26.b3 Red8 27.Rd1 Ne4 28.Qc2 Rxd1 29.Qxe4 Rxf1+ 30.Kg2 Rdd1 31.Nxg6 Qc5 0-1 Thompson,H-Baird,D/New York 1880/EXT 99 (31)) 7.g4 Diagram

7...Bg6 8.Ne5 Nbd7 9.Nc4 Qa6[] ( 9...Qb4? 10.a3) 10.Bf4 Qe6+ 11.Ne3 0-0-0 ( 11...c6; 11...Nb6) 12.d5 Qb6 13.Nc4 Qb4 14.a3 Qc5 15.Be3 1-0 Alekhine,A-Schroeder,A/New York 1929/EXT 99/[ChessBase] (15); 5.Be2 e6 6.0-0 Nf6 7.d4 c6 8.Ne5 Bxe2 9.Nxe2 Bd6 10.f4 Nbd7 11.Kh1 Rd8 12.Bd2 Qc7 13.Qe1 0-0 14.Qh4 Ne4 15.Be3 Ndf6 16.Nd3 Nd5 17.Rf3 f5 18.Rg1 Be7 19.Qh3 c5 20.Bc1 c4 21.Ne5 c3 22.b3 Nb4 23.Ng3 Nxg3+ 24.Rxg3 Nd5 25.Rf3 Rf6 26.g4 Rh6 27.Qxh6 gxh6 28.gxf5+ Kf8 29.Rfg3 Nf6 30.fxe6 Rxd4 31.Rg7 Ke8 32.Ba3 Rd6 33.f5 b5 34.Bxd6 Qxd6 35.Nf7 Qd5+ 36.R7g2 Ng4 37.h3 Ne3 38.Kh2 Nxg2 39.Rxg2 Bd6+ 40.Nxd6+ Qxd6+ 41.Kh1 Qd1+ 42.Kh2 Qf1 43.Rg8+ Ke7 44.Rg7+ Kd6 45.e7 Kd7 46.Rf7 a5 47.f6 Qf4+ 48.Kg2 Qe4+ 49.Kf1 Qf4+ 0-1 Lasker,E-Breckenridge,R/New York 1894/EXT 99 (49)] 5...e6 6.0-0 Bd6 [ 6...c6 7.d4 ( 7.d3 Qc7 8.Re1 Bd6 9.h3 Bh5 10.Kh1 Nd7 11.Ne4 Ngf6 12.Nxd6+ Qxd6 13.Bg5 0-0-0 14.Qd2 Bxf3 15.gxf3 h6 16.Bf4 e5 17.Be3 a6 18.Bxf7 Rhf8 19.Bc4 Nd5 20.Ba7 Rxf3 21.Bxd5 Qxd5 22.Kh2 Qe6 23.Rh1 Rxh3+ 24.Kg2 Qg4+ 25.Kf1 Rxh1# 0-1 Krifa,N-Al Jihani,A/Tunis 2001/CBM 85 ext (25)) 7...Nf6 8.Bf4 Nbd7 9.h3 Bh5 10.Re1 Bb4 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.Rxe6+ Kf7 13.Ng5+ Qxg5 14.Qd2 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Qb5 16.Rae1 Rhe8 17.Qe3 Nd5 18.Qe4 N7f6 19.Qe5 Nxf4 20.Qc7+ Kg8 21.Qxf4 Rxe6 22.Rxe6 Re8 23.Rd6 Qb1+ 24.Kh2 Qxa2 25.Qg5 Qf7 26.Rxf6 Qxf6 27.Qxh5 Qf4+ 0-1 Pade,J-Ries,B/Griesheim 2000/EXT 2001 (27); 6...Nf6 7.d3 ( 7.Re1 Be7 8.d4 c6 9.Bg5 0-0 10.Ne4 Nbd7 11.c3 Qd8 12.Qd3 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Bxg5 15.Bd3 Qf6 16.Qh3 Qh6 17.Qxh6 Bxh6 18.Re2 Nf6 19.h3 Nd5 20.Re5 Bf4 21.Rh5 h6 22.g3 Bd6 23.Re1 Rfe8 24.c4 Nf6 25.Rh4 Re7 26.c5 Bc7 27.Re3 Rae8 28.Rf3 e5 29.dxe5 Rxe5 30.Rxf6 gxf6 31.Rxh6 Rxc5 32.Bh7+ Kf8 33.Bd3 Rd8 34.Rh8+ Ke7 35.Rxd8 Bxd8 36.f4 Rd5 37.Bf1 f5 38.h4 b5 39.h5 Rd6 40.g4 fxg4 41.b4 a5 42.bxa5 Bxa5 43.f5 Rf6 44.Kg2 Rxf5 45.h6 Rh5 46.Kg3 Rxh6 47.Kxg4 Rh2 48.Kf3 Rxa2 49.Ke3 Kd6 50.Kd4 c5+ 51.Ke3 Kd5 52.Bxb5 c4 53.Bxc4+ Kxc4 54.Kf4 Rf2+ 55.Kg3 Rf1 56.Kg2 Rf4 57.Kg3 Re4 58.Kf3 Kd4 59.Kg2 Rf4 60.Kg3 Ke3 61.Kh3 Kf2 62.Kh2 Rh4# 0-1 Dajlidenok,V-Bazhanova,O/Serpukhov 2001/EXT 2002 (62)) 7...c6 8.Re1 Nbd7 9.h3 Bh5 10.Bd2 Qc7 11.Ne4 Be7 12.c3 0-0 13.Qc2 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Rad8 15.Rad1 Ne5 16.Re3 Nh5 17.Bb3 Nf4 18.d4 Neg6 19.Nc5 Bxc5 20.dxc5 Nxh3+ 21.Kg2 Nhf4+ 22.Kh1 Qe7 23.Be1 Qh4+ 24.Kg1 Qh3 0-1 Patsourakis,A-Meszaros,M/Rimavska Sobota 1996/EXT 97 (24)] 7.h3 Bh5 8.d4 Nf6 9.d5 below, a player moved the rook first, to attempt to pin the pawn. Fritz likes that better than the text. [ 9.Re1 c6 10.Bd2 Qc7 11.Bg5 Nbd7 12.a3 0-0 13.Bd3 Rac8 14.g4 Bg6 15.Bxg6 hxg6 16.Qd3 Nd5 17.Nxd5 cxd5 18.c3 a6 19.Qf1 Nb6 20.h4 Bf4 21.Qh3 Bxg5 22.Nxg5 Qf4 23.Qf3 Qf6 24.Kg2 Qxf3+ 25.Nxf3 Nc4 26.Re2 b5 27.Ne5 Nxe5 28.Rxe5 Rfe8 29.Rae1 Kf8 30.h5 gxh5 31.Rxh5 g6 32.Rh8+ Kg7 33.Rxe8 Rxe8 34.f4 Rh8 35.Re3 Kf6 36.Rh3 Rxh3 37.Kxh3 Kg7 38.Kg3 f6 39.g5 f5 40.Kf3 Kf7 41.Ke3 Ke7 42.Kd3 a5 43.b3 Kd7 44.a4 bxa4 45.bxa4 Kd6 46.c4 Kc6 1/2-1/2 Morgen,R-Loesch,P/Passau 1999/EXT 2000 (46)] 9...e5 [ 9...0-0 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.Bxe6+ Kh8 12.Re1 Nc6 13.Bd2 Nd4 14.g4 Nxf3+ 15.Qxf3 Nxg4 16.Ne4 Qe5 17.Ng5 Qh2+ 18.Kf1 Rxf3 19.Nxf3 Qxf2# 0-1 De Casteja,E-Flinois,P/Le Touquet 2003/EXT 2004 (19)] 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.Re1 0-0-0 12.g4? Diagram

weakens the White kingside [ 12.a3! followed by b4] 12...Bg6 13.Bb5 [ 13.a3 still seems best] 13...h5 [ 13...Bb4! 14.Bxd7+ Rxd7 15.Bd2 a) Fritz claims 15.Rxe5 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Ne4 (a) 16...Qxc3 17.Re3) ; b) 15.Nxe5 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Rxd5; 15...e4 and White's d-pawn soon falls] 14.Bxd7+ [ 14.a3!? now tries to trap the Black queen, but it's not clear if this is good or bad! 14...hxg4 15.b4 Qb6 16.Be3 gxf3 17.Bxd7+ Nxd7 18.Bxb6 and Fritz gives White a small edge!; After some thought, Fritz ranks 14.Nh4 equal to the main line. 14...Bb4 ( 14...hxg4 15.Nxg6 fxg6 16.hxg4 Nb6) 15.Nxg6 fxg6 16.Qd3 e4] 14...Rxd7 15.gxh5 Rxh5 16.h4 Qb4?! 17.Bxf6?! [ 17.Nxe5! (a david) but then 17...Bxe5 18.Rxe5 Qxb2 19.Re3 Bxc2 20.Qc1 Qxc1+ 21.Rxc1 Bg6 Diagram

and white still has issues. True, though, this is better than the main line. (kayvey)] 17...gxf6 [ 17...Qg4+ 18.Kf1 gxf6] 18.Rb1?! [ 18.Ne2 would have held out longer 18...e4 19.a3 Qxb2 20.Qd4 Qxd4 21.Nfxd4 Rxh4] 18...Qg4+ 19.Kh1 [ 19.Kf1 Qh3+ 20.Kg1] 19...e4! 20.Re3 [ 20.Nh2 Qxh4 leads to mate also] 20...exf3 0-1