Uhlvestad Variation in Two Knights Defence - Full Repertoire Video Tutorial

To wrap up the year of 2016, I have completed the video series dedicated to a full defense for Black against White's 4.Ng5 in the Two Knights Defense. The video covers material similar to what I included into my e-book "How to Study Chess Openings", which now also has an experimental paperback (print on demand) version. I believe the actual demonstration of walking through a full opening repertoire should nicely complement the book's suggestions for how to build your opening files (also see these 3 videos for the related software/data organization guide.)

Finding the only path to victory

Leonidov – Jiganchine, 1997 (variation from the game)
 Black to move

If you guessed the first few moves correctly, then there is another sequence of “only moves” that needs to be found:
Black to move
There are plenty of candidate moves to consider – …Rf2, Bxh3, Ng3, Nf4, etc, but only one leads to the win. Can you find it?
Interestingly, when I made a video about this game – I had thought that Black only has a draw here.

Jonny Hector’s wins against 4.Ng5 in the Two Knights Defence

3 games with 5…b5, 3 combinations by Jonny Hector:

Bahram, Nihad - Hector, Jonny
   1998 , C57

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 b5 6. dxc6 bxc4 7. Nc3 h6 8. Nge4 Nxe4 9. Nxe4 Qd5 10. Qf3 Be6 11. O-O O-O-O 12. Re1 Qxc6 13. b3 f5 14. Nc3 e4 15. Qh5 Bc5 16. bxc4 g6 17. Qe2 Bxc4 18. d3 exd3 19. cxd3 Rxd3 20. Qc2 Ba6 21. Nd1 Bb7 22. Ne3

Black to move

 

 

Solution:

22. ... Rxe3 0-1

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Brokko, Margit - Hector, Jonny
   1994 , C57

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 b5 6. dxc6 bxc4 7. Nc3 h6 8. Nf3 Bd6 9. Qe2 O-O 10. Qxc4 Rb8 11. O-O Rb4 12. Qe2 e4 13. Ne1

Black to move

 

 

Solution:

13. ... Bxh2+ 14. Kh1 Bg4 15. f3 Bd6 16. fxg4 Nh5 17. Qe3 Qh4+ 18. Qh3 Ng3+ 0-1

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Schubert, Hans-Joachim - Hector, Jonny
   1990 , C57

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 b5 6. Bf1 h6 7. Bxb5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qxg2 9. Qf3 Qxf3 10. Nxf3 Bd7 11. d3 Bd6 12. Rg1 g5 13. h3 Rb8 14. Ba4 Kd8 15. Kd1 Nd4 16. Ne1 Bxh3 17. Rh1 Bg4+ 18. Kd2 Ke7 19. Nd1 e4 20. dxe4 Bf4+ 21. Kd3

Black to move

 

 

 

Solution:

21. ... Be2+ 22. Kxd4 Rhd8+ 0-1

Sacrifice on April Fool’s day

Black to move
r4rk1/pbq2pp1/7p/1B6/3pP3/6b1/PPP1Q1P1/R1B2R1K b - - 0 22

This game was a decisive one in a BC CYCC (Canadian youth championship) qualifier of 2000, played on April 1st. Playing with the Black pieces, I missed a very nice way to wrap up this game. What strikes you about this position? Material is even, but White’s queenside is still undeveloped. White’s king is weak, and those dark squares will be really hard to cover up. If only I could transfer a heavy piece to the kingside, that would be decisive, but the e4 pawn is on the way, and Rae8-e4-h4 also seems not possible yet because e8 is covered. If …a6, then Bd3 and e4 is better protected.

22… Rae8!! I really wish it had occurred to me to play this move, since if White accepts the sacrifice, he really has no chance of defending.
23. Bxe8?! Rxe8 Arguably – the bishop was a more valuable piece than any one Black’s rooks.

  White to  move. There is no defence: all Black pieces are in the game – he had no use for both rooks in this attack anyway.

23. Bd3 f5 is more resilient, but Black now Black is attacking for free, and also should win:

  White to move. Black wins here as well.

The blog is really turning into the listing of my missed opportunities in 10 year old games. A real sign that my playing strength has not changed much since then (but computers got a hell lot stronger and now show me all these tricks that I did not realize at the time …)

Game in the viewer: