{"id":7894,"date":"2017-04-14T07:45:47","date_gmt":"2017-04-14T13:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.richimages.net\/?p=7894"},"modified":"2017-06-24T17:23:48","modified_gmt":"2017-06-24T23:23:48","slug":"this-post-is-simply-a-test-for-troubleshooting-please-ignore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/richimages.net\/?p=7894","title":{"rendered":"This Post Is Simply A Test For Troubleshooting – Please Ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"

FM Alisa Melekhina discusses three of her favorite c2 Sicilian games that were all won within 21 moves. This post is a result of translating her YouTube video into an article to demonstrate the strategy of the games for further analysis, in a move-by-move<\/em> fashion. (She went really fast in her YouTube video … and even skipped over some of her moves.) I am thinking about turing this article into a series of c3 Sicilian game studies. Here, we look at game one. <\/p>\n

\n

Game 1<\/h1>\n

FM Alisa Melekhina vs Lauren Swelply ?? elo 2100
\n[pgn]
\n1.e4 c5
\n2.c3 <\/p>\n

{ The main ways to for Black to respond here would be either 2.Nf6 or 2.d5. My opponent chose Nf6. }<\/p>\n

2…Nf6<\/p>\n

{This move makes perfect sense – since White committed to 2.c3 vice 2.Nc3 (which would have defended the e4-pawn), the e4 is unprotected, and free to be attacked. Black attacks while simultaneously developing a piece. }<\/p>\n

3.e5<\/p>\n

{White just attacks the Knight again, forcing it to move, similar to the Alikine. }<\/p>\n

3…Nd5<\/p>\n

{ At this point, it’s possible for White to play 4.d4 immediately … But I personally prefers 4.Nf3.<\/p>\n

If you play 4.d4 now, it gives black too many options. They usually take 4…cxd4, and if you take back, 5.cxd4, then they have a nice 5…d6 move. This releases Black’s white Bishop; and I’ve found that Black’s light Bishop is extremely powerful in the c3-Silician. Usually: }<\/p>\n

4.Nf3<\/p>\n

{ Now, White could have played a popular variation here, and opted to go d2-d4 here:<\/p>\n

}
\n(4.d4 cxd4 5.Nf3 ({not} 5.cxd4 d6) 5…Nc6 6.Bc4 Nb6 7.Bb3 {<\/p>\n

The reason you do not want to take d4 on move 5 is that it give Black a nice chance to move d5-d6, which releases Black’s light-Bishop. Black’s light-Bishop is very powerful in the c3 Sicilion against White; we’d rather get them to move their e-pawn to e6.
} )<\/p>\n

4…Nc6
\n5.Bc4 <\/p>\n

{Now, some players will play e6. But, Black has opportunity to chase White’s Bishop around, thus he played:}
\n5…Nb6<\/p>\n

6.Bb3 <\/p>\n

{the typical way of playing from this position is: (6…c4 7.Bc2 Qc7 8.Qe2 g5) g5, is trying to deflect the Knight from protecting the e5-pawn … And White has good options for playing on: h3 or e6 are good options }<\/p>\n

6…d5<\/p>\n

(6…c4 7.Bc2 Qc7 8.Qe2 g5)<\/p>\n

7.exd6 Qxd6<\/p>\n

8.Na3<\/p>\n

{the other main move is Castle for White, but since Black decided to bring his Queen out early, it’s a wonderful opportunity to develop against threats to it … Planning to support an early d4 while simultaneously threading the Queen with a future Nb5.}<\/p>\n

8…a6<\/p>\n

( {Typically Black would have played 8…Be6 here, and normal play would have continued with:<\/p>\n

} 8…Be6 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nb5 {<\/p>\n

and now you can see the purpose behind the earlier move of Na3. I would prefer to take back with a piece instead of a pawn, so as to avoid an isolated pawn structure. So the game might have continued something like:<\/p>\n

} 10…Qd7 11.O-O Bxb3 12.axb3 e5 13.cxd4 a6 13.d5 {<\/p>\n

But instead of this typical play, my opponent chose to play a6.})<\/p>\n

9.O-O Bf5
\n10.d4 e6
\n11.Be3 cxd4
\n12.Nxd4 Nxd4
\n13.Bxd4<\/p>\n

{So, I do not have to end up taking with the pawn. I ended with the Bishop. Now both of my Bishops are very powerful – aimed against the King.}<\/p>\n

13…Be7<\/p>\n

{ This last move is actually laying a trap for me … tempting me to take the g7-pawn … But this is a trap}<\/p>\n

14.Qf3<\/p>\n

({This move reviews the threat to b7 – while simultaneously allowing (now) the Bishop to take on g2 … Since the trap is no longer effective. Now Black must choose which pawn to protect.<\/p>\n

The Trap:
Earlier, if I would have taken the pawn with the Bishop:<\/p>\n

}
\n14.Bg7 Rg8 15.Qxd6 Bxd6 16.Bd4 Bh3 17.Bxb6 Rg2+ 18.Kh1 Rh2+ 19.Kg1 Kd7 20.f4 Rxb2 {<\/p>\n

and my pawns are falling off the board})<\/p>\n

14…O-O<\/p>\n

{Black chose to castle kingside, perhaps queenside would have been better, but it looks scarey for Black to be a little open.}<\/p>\n

15.Qxb7 <\/p>\n

{It may look like my Queen is headed for a trap, but my pieces will soon be coming into the center and, as it turns out, it’s actually Black’s Queen that may be in trouble.}<\/p>\n

15…Nd5
\n16.Nc4 Qf4<\/p>\n

{Black is looking for possibilities to create a kingside attack, but it’s well defended, and an attack is just an illusion. }<\/p>\n

17.Ne3<\/p>\n

{A powerful move, serving multiple purposes: <\/p>\n