Gambiteer II - Nigel Davies

Nigel Davies’s Gambiteer II covers a gambit approach for Black, which is far trickier than it is for White because of Black’s initial disadvantage of moving second. This makes a complete repertoire of gambits as Black impossible, but there are two major opening systems (the Ruy Lopez and Queen’s Gambit) where Black can take the initiative.

Its obvious from the detailed analysis of alternatives at every stage that Davies has done extensive research into the two systems, and aided by an engine (Shredder). He notes when variations are engine-like, for the player to beware. And there’s a health mix of correspondence games too, showing that the recommended lines do hold up to deep scrutiny, if only by human-pwered calculation engines.

Schliemann Gambit

The Schliemann Gambit is an ambitious counter to the Ruy Lopez (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5!?), there are many ways for Black to handle the critical line with 4. Nc3, and in practical play White is likely to cower with 4. d3. Bronstein, Spassky, Korchnoi, Speelman, and more recently Rajabov and Khalifman are practitioners of the Schliemann Gambit.

With the critical line 4. Nc3, from Black’s options Davies advocates 4… fxe4 5. Nxe4 Nf6, played by Khalifman and Rdjabov.

Chapter 1 covers White’s response 6. Qe2 following the main line of 6… d5 7. Nxf6+ Qxf6 8. d4 Bg7 9. dxe5 O-O. Davies covers White’s followup 10. e5 Ne5 through 4 annotated games. Game one is Popovic - Kurajica where Davies briefly covers other Black options as untapped resources in the Schliemann, as well as White’s more wimpy responses, such as 6. d3. Game 5 covers White exchaging off Black’s c6-knight with 10. Bxc6 prior to advancing his e-pawn, and Khalifman demonstrates Black’s key plan of mobilising his c- and d-pawn island and making use of the bishop pair. This game is packed with analysis covering plans for both sides, plus improvements on Khalifman’s finish. Next game covers responding to White’s ambitious 12. Be3 to hold back Black’s pawn phalanx. Game 7 covers White’s greedy 10. exf6 which results in engine like variations that Davies suggests won’t catch on amongst humans. The following games cover side-lines and alternatives, or dodgier options for White from the mainline.

Chapter 2 covers White’s main attempt of 6. Nxf6+ in the critical 4. Nc3 line. This line forces Black to sacrifice his e-pawn but he has compensation in his queenside pawn phalanx and the two bishops, themes that carry though to the endgame, if one side hasn’t been checkmated yet. Davies also covers Radjabov’s 10… Qe6! against Leko, suggesting it’s an engine discovery, and one missed by other humans. Another fascinating path is Davies advocating Ljublinksy’s 4… Bb4!? as a surprise weapon that looks to be quite playable despite being dismissed by theory.

Chapter 3 covers 4. d4 where White ratchets up the stakes by sacrificing material himself, sometimes a whole piece, for complications. Davies identifies the critical line 4. d4 fxe4 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 c6 7. Nc3 followed-up with 7… cxb5 8. Nxe4 d5 9. exd6 Nf6 where White has the choices of 10. Bg5, 10. Qd4, and 10. O-O, each handled in turn with an annotated game. This can be a scary system for a Gambiteer, and Black needs to know what he’s doing. Although Davies offers Noguieras’s 7… d5 which allows Black to bail out. Finally we look at Short - Piket testing 5. Bxc6 which leads to a different type of middlegame.

Chapter 4 covers the quiet 4. d3, a common reaction from White players knowing no theory on the Schliemann, and hoping to bypass the nastiness of the opening. Davies recommends not exchanging immediately on e4, but 4… Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. exf5 O-O to reach the critical position where the main line is 7. Nc3 Nd4 8. Ba4 d5. The annotated games cover the White responses 9. Bg5 resulting in a surprisingly quick loss for White and 9. Nxe5 offering Black good compensation. He also offers improvements for Black in lines advocated by Greet’s book “Play the Lopez”

Chapter 5 rounds off the Schliemann by investigating three less usual alternatives on the fourth move: 4. Bxc6, 4. Qe2, and 4. exf5. Each covered by model games by Tesitlin, and Bronstein demonstrating how to make a fight when White is hoping for a day-off with 4. exf5.

Albin Counter-Gambit

The Albin Counter Gambit (1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6) was in the unsound area of opening theory until it was dusted off and modernised by Morozevich and Kasimdzhanov and used on the GM circuit. It is well established that White’s attack on the king is quicker than Black’s. Morozevich successufully re-introduced the backwater idea of reclaiming the gambited pawn with the manoeuvre … Nge7-e6.

Chapter 6 looks at Morozevich’s system starting with 5. g3 Nge7 starting with the mainline 6. Bg5 Qd7 where White can choose 7. e6 where Black has a lot of space and active pieces, or 7. O-O where instead of 7… h6 7. Bf4 where Black is struggling to find compensation, Black should just recapture the e-pawn with 8… Ngxe5. White’s alternative tries 7. O-O and 7. Qa4 are covered too.

Chapter 7 investigates the alternatives to 5. g3, the main ones being 5. Nbd2 and 5. a3. 5. Nbd2 followed by 6. Nb3 is met by …Nf5 and the outworldly advance of both Black’s rook pawns. 5. a3 can transpose back into the 5. g3 systems, but the White plan of 6. b4 Davies concludes is a serious line to be tested in future Super-GM tournamnents. He covers this system with the game Topalov - Morozevich from the 2005 Melody Amber tournament. Other White sidelines covered are 5. Bf4 with Neumann-Porat and 5. Bg5 from Borisenko-Simagin. Davies cautions that Black should study the response to 5. e3, since its a common reaction at club level where White feels intimidated by Black’s strong pawn on d4, this starts with the unpleasant 5… Bb4+.

Chapter 8 covers White’s 4th move divergences, Spassky’s 4. e4, the Shereshevsky recommendation of 4. a3, and the d4-pawn fearing club-player’s 4. e3 which Davies considers dubious. Against 4. e4 Davies recommends 4… Nc6 5. f4 f6 of Pavlovic-Dakic as Black’s best choice. Against 4. a3 there’s Petrovic’s 4… Nc6 5. e3 Nge7 which Davies considers it a response well-met.

Chapter 9 considers White’s two primary ways to decline the Albin counter-gambit: 3. e3 which transposes into an exchange French after 3… exd4 4. exd4, and 3. cxd5 Qxd5 which is harmless for Black. The games here are from an earlier time, noticeably Weaver Adams on the Black side from the 1940s.

Chapter 10 considers what to do when White avoids the Albin with 2. Nf3 before 3. c4. Davies suggests 2… Nc6 so to meet 3. c4 with 3… e5 after which White’s best is to to back into the Albin with 4… dxe5. On 4. cxd5 Qxd5 the game transposes into a Chigorin Defence, which after 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. e3 transposes into A Göring Gambit! That’s a neat little shuffle into the Danish Gambit half of the previous Gambiteer, though the Gambiteer is on the other side of the board. Davies looks at alternatives to White’s less ambitious responses, basing Black’s play on early …Nc6 systems, e.g. against the London and Colle systems.

Against the English/Flank openings

Humourously titled “Fight the Stodge”, Chapter 11 explores various ways of dealing with English-type setups, aiming for more interesting gambit-like play. Davies leans towards Black setups that are effectively reversed Sicilian Grand Prix attacks. In the second half of this chapter Davies walks through playing against the Italian Game with the Two Knights Defence. This Chapter is more of a potpourri of various openings rather than a complete workable repertoire.

Title

Gambiteer II

ISBN

1857445367

Author(s)

Davies, Nigel

Publisher

Everyman Chess

Year

2007