Category Archives: Sicilian Defence

I played this blitz game on chess.com today. Each player had 5 minutes each on the clock to start with, for the whole game. The graphics below show the time left to each player after the game was finished.

1. e4

1. … c5

2. f4

Never know what is the best move for Black here. Has white played the Grand Prix attack? I think various players at my club play this in response to the Sicilian. I don’t understand it at all and often come unstuck. This is what I played:

2. … e6

Which leaves me feeling uneasy about Black’s white bishop. White responded with

3. Nf3

Which is what White always seems to play in this situation, so I guess this fellow knew what he was doing? I’ve got into all kinds of trouble in the past by trying to ignore the centre of the board, so I played:

3. … d5

The move I most fear from White here is 4.e5. Am I right to fear that? If so, why? Instead, White played:

4. exd5

and I did ‘the same’:

4. … exd5

Next Black decided to prepare for castling, with:

5. Be2

I developed a piece with:

5. … Nf6

because I wanted to castle on the same side of the board as white. White immediately castled, I got my Bishop in front of my King and prepared to castle:

6.0-0 Be7

Next white played:

7. d4

and I thought, if I don’t castle now, I never will, so that’s what I did:

7. … 0-0

White’s next move I thought was weak. It seemed to me that by playing

8. Be3

White messed up the chances of further developing its black bishop. Club players will be affronted at this point for me not using the phrase ‘dark squared bishop’ but that expression drives me potty so instead I prefer to talk about White’s black bishop. Is everyone following …? Yes, thought so.

I decided to capitalise on the situation by making, if possible, my black bishop good and his weak. Perhaps I should have developed a piece, perhaps with 8. … Nc6 instead? I played:

8. … c4

White played:

9. Nc3

I decided to continue the plan of making it a game about the black bishops, by developing my white bishop to a position from which it could go to an exchange:

9. … Bf5

In this position, I thought that I had overcome whatever the strengths of White’s opening might have been. Was I right? White played a bad move here:

10.Nh4

and, in my humble opinion this is where it began to go downhill for white. As already explained, I had more or less decided to let go of my white bishop, so I played

10. … Be4

which left White’s knight flailing on the board’s rim, with nowhere obvious to go.

11. Nxe4

Thus White captured Black’s white bishop, which was my bad bishop. I recaptured with my knight, leaving it in a tasty spot in the middle of the board.

11. … Nxe4

White’s knight on the edge of the board is now hanging under a threat of immediate capture, due to the discovered attack realised by my last move.

12. Nf5

White had to get its knight back into the game after all. I didn’t want my lovely black bishop taken out of the equation so I moved it to somewhere it had flight squares from:

12. … Bb4

White played into my hands with

13. c3

so naturally I just put my lovely black bishop on the aforementioned flight square:

13. … Ba5

White united its rooks with

14. Qc2

I decided I wanted to get my pawns onto white squares to let that lovely black bishop have maximum freedom, so I pushed the White knight away with

14. … g6

Predictably, white played:

15. Nh6+

and I attacked it again with

15. … Kg7

Then there was a flurry of swift moves, probably because my game was going to plan and White was short of time

16. Ng4 f5
17. Nf2 Re8
18. Nxe4 Rxe4
19. Rf3 Qe7
20. Kf2 Nd7

Leaving the position looking like this:

21. b3 b5
22. b4

Why my club opponents never play these helpful moves is a mystery to me. Perhaps it is because they decline to play the 5 minute game?

22. … Bc7
23. a4

Perhaps I was being hasty but by this time my opponent had insufficient time on his clock to play sensibly.

23. … Nf6

24. h3

White played that move to stop me checking its King with my knight on g4

24. Bb6

Obviously I was having doubts about the merits of the previous spot I’d placed my bishop.

25. a5

White seemed to be missing the point of my game?

25. … Bc7
26. Qd2 Re8
27. Bd1 a6

My bishop has now achieved potentially perfect mobility with all the pawns on squares of the opposite colour

28. Bc2

I’m not bothered by this, with a safe retreat lined up.

28. … Re6
29. Rg1

Now, this might get interesting I thought. Surely I’ve got to press my attack or sit around and wait to be attacked?

29. … Ne4+

with a nice little fork on the Queen, classic stuff.

30. Bxe4

What a busy square e4 has been! White couldn’t let the fork on the Queen proceed so it exchanges instead its good bishop and I get to put my rook back on that square.

30. … Rxe4
31. g4

Certainly I was concerned about this move, with the potential of creating a genuine attack on my King.

Time, as Mick Jagger once claimed with some justification, is on my side, I thought.

31. … Kh8
32. gxf5 gxf5
33. Rfg3

I was initially troubled by this but after a momenet’s reflection, I decided to play

33. … Qh4

preventing White’s forward rook from moving for the time being.

34. Kf3

White acts to unpin his King immediately. No doubt time pressure played a part in the decision where! I continue to play fast:

34. … Rxe3+
35. Qxe3 Rxe3+
36. Kxe3

White’s attack would be okay if it had the initiative but…

36. … Qe7+
37. Kf3 Qe4+
38. Kf2 Qxf4+

Perhaps that wasn’t the most elegant set of moves I have ever played but, hey, I’m trying to concentrate too.

39. Ke2 Qe4+

and it’s all over for White, with my Black’s lovely black bishop’s discovered attack revealed.

40. Kd2 Bxg3

and white resigned.

I’d be grateful for any comments you may wish to share on this game, especially in the opening, where I think I was lucky to survive.