Progressive Italian chess: Italy-World 1995

by Jens Bæk Nielsen

It was challenging to participate in the match Italy versus the rest of the world. I had only played 2 games before this match (one of them progressive circe); my opponent had played almost 300 games.
I got a computerdatabase with 10.000 games and the matesearching-program ESAU before the match, but these programs are not easy to use. But an Italian-Danish wordbook and a week-end made me master the most important parts.

White: Jens Baek Nielsen, Black: Tiziano Sala
1.d4
2.c5, cxd4
The database shows, that about 80 games started like this in 1993.
I had prepared a move here. See note below. But my friend Torben Osted proposed a completely new move never played before, and I decided to try that.
3.e3, exd4, Bd3
It really looks good. All whites pieces are ready to attack, the king has some flightsquares, black has no development and no men in the centre yet. White already threats some mates in 4 or 5 moves. One special line is 4.Nc6,Nb4,Qa5,Nxd3++ 5.Kf1,Bh6,Qg4,Qxg7,Qxf8#
I really doubt black can play this 2.c5,cxd4 line...
4.Qb6, Qxd4, Qxd3, Qxd1+?
A pity for the game and for testing whites new move. Sala had too many games going on at one time.
5.Kxd1, a4, Ra3, Rc3, Rxc8 mate.
I hope to see more games with 3.e3,exd4,Bd3. Maybe this Osted-line is a new strong line?

White: Tiziano Sala, Black: Jens Baek Nielsen
1.e4
2.e6, Nh6
Choosing this move was purely based on the statistics from the database. In 1993 black won 6 out of 8 games with this opening (from 1990 to 1992 black won 4 out of 6 games).
After this game I know, that data from a database must be examined more carefully and not counted as wins and losses.
3.d4, Bg5, Bxd8
In this line black won 5 out of 6. After my experience in the previous game I was more anxious for 3.d4,Bxh6,Be3.
4.Ng4, Nxf2, Nxd1, Kxd8
It may be better not to capture f2 and go to e3 instead. Many of the following lines show, that the open f-file is an advantage for white.
5.Kxd1, Nf3, Nh4, Ng6, Nxh8

White follows the line in the only previous game where white won. That game continued 6.g6,c6,Lg7,Kc7,Lxh8,Lxd4 7.c3,cxd4,d5,dxc6,cxb7,bxa8Q,Qxa7+ and white mated black next turn. Nh8 is a threat in the rest of the game, and black must spend 3 silly moves if he will capture it. I spent many, many hours on the next move, because even white used 4 moves to capture the h8-rook, he seems to be ok.

First I tried to get a new queen:
6.c5,c4,c3,cxb2,bxa1Q,
- Qxb1+ 7.Kd2,Ba6,Ng6,Rxb1,Rxb7,Rc7,Rxc8#
White just blows blacks good position away with this mate. Qxd4# 7.Kc1,Nc3,Nd5,Bb5,Bxd7,Bb5,Nxf7#
- Bd6 7.Ba6,Bxb7,Ng6,h4,Rh3,Rc3,Rxc8#
- Kc7 7.Bb5,Nxf7,Kd2,Nc3,Na4,Nb6,Nxa8#
- Ke7 7.Kd2,Kd3,Kc4,Kb4,Nxf7,Nd6,Nxc8#
- Nc6/Bb4... 7.d5,d6,h4,h5,h6,hxg7,gxf8Q#/g8Q#
6.h5,h4,h3,hxg2,gxh1Q,
- Ke7 7.Kd2,Kc3,Kb4,Nxf7,Nd6,Nxc8#!
- Qxf1+ 7.Kd2,Nc3,Nd5,Rxf1,Rxf7,Rxf8#

It's getting difficult for black now.
6.b6,Ba6,Bxf1,Bxg2,Bxh1,d5 7.Ng6,Ne5,h4,h5,h6,hxg7,gxf8Q# 6.d5,dxe4,c5,cxd4,Bd7,Be7 7.Bb5,Bxd7,a4,Ra3,Rb3,Rxb7,Nxf7#
6.La3,Lxb2,Lxa1,c5,cxd4,Kc7 7.Bb5,Nxf7,Nc3,Na4,Nb6,Nxa8#
6.c5,cxd4,d3,Nc6,Nd4,dxc2+ 7.Kd2,Nc3,Nd5,Be2,Rf1,Rxf7,Rxf8#

For a long time I planned to play 6.d5,dxe4,c5,cxd4,Bd7,Bb4.
It sets up a strong position, and white must be carefull:
7.a4,a5,a6,axb7,bxa8Q,Ng6,Qxb8+ 8.Bc8,Kd7,Ba6,Bxf1,d3,e3,Bd2,Be2# - nice mate!
7.a3,axb4,Rxa7,Rxa8,Nc3,Nd5,Rxb8+ 8.Bc8,h5,h4,h3,hxg2,gxh1Q,e3,Qxf1#
But ESAU showed, that white - again - just had one good answer. Can you spot the mate? Solution at the end of the article.

I also considered to play 6.d5,dxe4,c5,cxd4,Bd7,Nc6. White could fail:
7.c3,cxd4,b4,b5,bxc6,cxb7,bxa8Q+ 8.Kc7,e5,exd4,d3,e3,Bb4,Bd2,Ba4# or 7.Bd3,Bxe4,b4,b5,bxc6,cxb7,bxa8Q+ 8.Kc7,Bb4,d3,d2,f5,fxe4,e5,Bg4#.
But white can simply play 7.Kd2,c3,cxd4,d5,dxc6,cxb7,bxa8Q+.
Placing the king on c8 could prevent white from getting a new queen on the queenside, but it is not easy.
6.d5,dxe4,Bd7,Kc8,a5,Bd6 7.Nxf7,Nd8,d5,dxe6,e7,Ba6,Bxb7# 6.d5,dxe4,Bd7,Kc8,c5,cxd4 7.Nxf7,Ne5,Ba6,Rf1,Rxf7,Rxd7,Bxb7# 6.d6,a5,Bd7,Kc8,c5,cxd4 7.Nxf7,Nd8,Nxe6,Nc3,Na4,Nb6# 6.b5,Bb7,Bxe4,Bxg2,Bxh1,Kc8 7.Ng6,Nf4,Nxe6,a4,Ra3,Rc3,Rxc7#
6.e5, d5, Bh3, Kd7, h5, Bg4+

This strange move is based on an idea by Torben Osted. It is really a trap hoping for 7.Be2,exd5,d6,dxc7,cxb8Q,Qxa8,Bxg4+? Black won't recapture with hxg4 as he may have indicated, but plays 8.f5,Ke7,Kf6,Bb4,f4,f3,f2,f1Q#!
Here I now expected 7.Ke1,Nd2,exd5,dxe5,h3,hxg4,Bb5+ 8.c6,a6,axb5,cxd5,hxg4,Bb4,Rxa2,Rxa1+
White cannot get a queen now, but after
9.Ke2,Rxa1,Ra8,Rxb8,Rc8,Rc4,Rxb4,c3,Ke3
is black lost. A new queen on g1 won't help him.
7.Be2, h3, hxg4, gxh5, c4, Kd2, Bg4+
Black has only 8 moves now, so a mate in 9 moves is not for any use: 8.f5,a5,a4,a3,axb2,bxa1Q,Qxb1,exd4 - and Rxa2#.
Black can probably avoid mate now (with c5 instead of Nc6), but is lost anyway. 8.f5,a5,a4,a3,axb2,bxa1Q,Qxb1,Qxh1 and black still needs a few moves to hang on.
8.f5, fxg4, g6, gxh5, exd4, dxe4, Nc6, Bb4+
9.Ke2, Nc3, c5, Raf1, Rf8, Re8, Nxe4, Nf6#
It is probably too much to say, that black in both games had a lost position after his first move! But I have a feeling like that...

NOTE:
The most recent games in my database were from 1993. I wanted to find a good, of course, but also a little seldom line. My eyes catched 3.Bd2, Na3, Nf3 with a score of 2-1 for white, and the only loss was caused by a bad continuation on white's move 5 (See also Eteroscacco 71/72 p. 17).
I checked the games from 1992 and was surprised: white had lost 3-9! I still didn't give up the line. An explanation of the black victory could be, that 7 out of the 9 black wins were by the two strong players Castelli and Salvadori.

I decided to take a closer look at the black wins.
3.Bd2,Na3,Nf3 4.e6,Bxa3,Ke7,Qf8 5.Nxd4,Nxe6,Nxf8,bxa3,Bb4+? was met by the spectacular mate 6.Kf6,Ke5,Ke4,Nc6,Ne5,Nf3#!
This game could be improved by 5.Nxd4,Nxe6,Nxf8,bxa3,e4.

Black continued 4.Nc6,d5,Bf5,Kd7 in 3 games and won all 3. In one of the games white went directly into a mate, and the other two continued 5.Ba5,Bxd8,e4,exf5,Bd3 6.Nh6,Nxf5,Ne3,Nxd1,Nxf2,Nxd3+! and black mated next move.
Here I found 5.Ba5,Bxd8,Nxd4,Nxf5,Qxd5+ or 5.Ba5,Bxd8,Qd3,Kd2,Qxf5+ as possible improvements.
Finally black continued 4.d5,Bg4,Nc6,Kd7 in 6 games and won 5-1. But this line was the same as in the 1993-games, and noone had tried the improvement 5.Nxd4,Nxc6,Nxd8,e3 or e4, Qxg4+ in the 1992-games, so this line with 2-0 to white should already be improved!
I have not checked the new lines with ESAU.

SOLUTION:
White mates with 7.Bb5,Bxd7,Rf1,Rxf7,Ng6,Nf8,Nxe6#! The only way to do it!

From ETEROSCACCO n. 73

Progressivi Italiani

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since 1 Mar. 1997; Last Updated: 25 Feb. 1998