Thursday 8 November 2007

What happens when both players give up the f pawn?

In the grand old days of chess, "pawn and move" odds were quite common. To create a more even game, Black would start without the f pawn. White usually began the game with 1.e4 as the reflexive 1. ... e5 lead to catastrophe after 2.Qh5+
Well in one of my games last night I reached a position where both players gave up their f pawns. I started with a Kings Gambit and my opponent declined the offer with 2. ... Nc6 and 3. ... f6. I decided to swap on e5 (in part hoping for 4. ... Nxe5??) but after 4. ... fxe we reached a normal king pawn position with both players minus the f pawns. So I decided to play it just like a King Pawn opening, wondering what difference the missing f pawns would make.

Press,S - Shields,P [C30]
ANU Spring Rapid, 07.11.2007
[Press,Shaun]

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Nc6 3.Nf3 f6 4.fxe5 fxe5 5.Bc4 Nf6N 6.Ng5 d5 7.exd5 Bg4 (D) And this is what Black can play without the f pawns! 8.Nf3 e4 9.dxc6 bxc6 10.Ne5 Bxd1 11.Bf7+ Ke7 12.Nxc6+ Kxf7 13.Nxd8+ Rxd8 14.Kxd1 Bc5 15.Ke2 Rhe8 16.Rf1 Kg8 17.Nc3 c6 18.Rf5 Bd4 19.Nd1 Rd5 20.Ne3 g6 21.Rxd5 cxd5 22.h3 and Black overstepped the time limit 1-0

Although unfeeling computers would evaluate most of this game in White's favour, I pretty much hated my position all the way through. I was quite relieved when my opponent thought for too long in the final position and lost on time.

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