Dear Chess
Poster,
Ordinarily, one would expect theory done by the former
Correspondence World Champion, Dr. Hans Berliner, and a very
strong computer, Hitech, to produce reliable theory of
superior quality. However, at a critical juncture, the World
Champion missed two candidate moves, both of which are
superior to theory. The opening in question arises from the
main line of the 4.Ng5 variation of the Two Knights'
Defense. This variation is the main line of BCO 2.
Here are the opening moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6
4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nd4 6.c3 b5 7.Bf1 Nxd5 8.Ne4 Qh4 9.Ng3 Bg4
10.f3 e4 11.cxd4 Bd6 12.Qe2 (The Muir Variation) 12...Be6?
(According to Fritz 8, this is best. Only slightly better is
12...Bxg3ch 13.hxg3 Qxh1 14.Qxb5ch Bd7 15.Qxd5 +-
theoretically and +/- between average GM's).
Book according to Fritz 8 at this point is 13.fxe4?? There
are two better alternatives. If White had nothing better,
then 13.Qf2 holding the piece is a developing move instead
of a pawn move, but after 13...Nb4 14.Na3, Black has the
grotty Berliner compensation.
What cooks Berliner's analysis and the analysis of Hitech is
13.Nc3!! Now Black is busted. This move gains at least 7!!
tempos, because Black is trading a piece that has moved
several times whose capture frees White's Queen Bishop, the
Black Queen will be offside, and it will take Black forever
to connect his Rooks. First of all, 13...Nb4 is not playable because 14.Kd1 is
possible when 14...Bxg3 is no longer check i.e. 14...Bxg3
15.Qxb5ch/Qxb4+-.
Fritz 8 was required to analyze the position and report its
findings. It gave this move sequence after 10 minutes of
thought for each of Black's moves:13...Nxc3 14.dxc3 (Now
White's ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan) 14....Bxg3ch
15.hxg3 Qxh1 16.Qxb5ch Kf8 17.fxe4+- (White won easily by
creating three connected passed pawns in the center of the
board; Fritz 8 could find no defense).
First and foremost, the Berliner Variation is a gambit and
should be treated like a gambit i.e. the defender should
give back just enough material to squelch the attack and use
positional plusses to bring home the point. In this
position, White has a slight material edge of Bishop and two
pawns for a Rook (and is guaranteed to pick up a third) and
has a huge positional plus for the aforementioned reasons.
This, and other innovations in double King Pawn openings and
especially in the Two Knights' Defense, will appear in a
book the author has written called Magic. This will be
advertised in the January issue of Chess Life. Among other
innovations, the author presents a new opening system for
Black called the Universal Attack that can used against any
White opening.
The third part of the book is devoted to an
odds game called Magic where the author gave a stronger
computer 9 moves in a row at the start of the game and over
an extra hour for each move and still won using unique
opening and middlegame theories.
Richard Moody Jr.
