[Event "Opening ideas: Gunsberg's 4 Knights Game"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/9zO1bACz/6iyhgWZq"] [Result "*"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C47"] [Opening "Four Knights Game: Gunsberg Variation"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/JoaBN"] [UTCDate "2021.03.12"] [UTCTime "16:24:21"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/9zO1bACz/6iyhgWZq"] [Orientation "black"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 { [%cal Gf1c4,Gc4b5] } 4. a3 { Previously played by GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen. } { [%csl Gb4][%cal Ga3b4] } (4. Bc4) (4. Bb5 d5 5. Nxe5) 4... d5 (4... Bc5 5. Nxe5! { This is the point. } 5... Nxe5 6. d4 Bd6 7. f4 Nc6 8. e5 Be7 9. exf6 (9. d5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 (10. Qxd5 O-O 11. Bd2 d6 12. exd6 Bh4+ 13. g3 Re8+ 14. Be2 Bf6 15. dxc7 (15. O-O-O Nd4 16. Rhe1 c6 17. Qg2 Qxd6 18. Bd3 Bg4 19. Ne4 Qd7 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Re1 Rxe1+ 23. Bxe1 Kg7 24. Bc3 Nb3+ 25. Kb1 Nc5 26. Bf1) 15... Qxc7) 10... d6) 9... Bxf6 10. d5 Qe7+ 11. Kf2 Qc5+ 12. Be3 Bd4 13. Qd2 Bxe3+ 14. Qxe3+ Qxe3+ 15. Kxe3 Ne7 16. Kd2) (4... g6 { [%csl Gg7][%cal Gf8g7] } 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Nc6 7. d5 Nb8 (7... Bg7 8. dxc6 bxc6 9. Bc4 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. h3 Nxe4) 8. e5 Ng8 9. d6 cxd6 10. exd6 Bg7 11. Nd5 Na6 12. Bxa6 bxa6 13. Nc7+ Kf8 14. Nxa8) 5. exd5 (5. Bb5!? Nxe4! (5... dxe4 6. Nxe5 { Black has no counterplay here. } { [%csl Gc6,Gg5][%cal Ge5c6,Gd8g5] }) (5... d4 6. Ne2 { White would welcome this since the light-squared bishop is already developed. } { [%csl Gg3][%cal Ge2g3] }) 6. Qe2! (6. Nxe5 Qg5! 7. Nxc6 Qxg2 8. Rf1 a6!? 9. Nxd5 (9. Ba4 Nxc3 10. dxc3 Qe4+! { This is why it is good to insert the ..a6 move. } 11. Qe2 Qxe2+ 12. Kxe2 Bd7 13. Bf4 bxc6 14. Bxc7 c5 15. Bxd7+ Kxd7 16. Bg3 Re8+ 17. Kf3 Be7 $10 { [%cal Ge7f6,Gd7c6,Ye8e6] }) 9... axb5 10. Nxc7+ { [%cal Gc7a8,Gc7e8] } 10... Kd7 11. Nxa8 Kxc6! $17 { The knight on a8 is struggling. However, that's not White's only problem. The king on e1 is a bit airy and White scores miserably from this position - there is a lot of play left, though. } { [%csl Gc6] }) (6. Nxe4?! dxe4 7. Nxe5 Qg5! { This is called Dixon's Counterattack. } 8. d4 { [%csl Ge5,Gg5][%cal Gd2d4,Gc1g5] } (8. Nxc6 Qxb5) 8... Qxg2 9. Rf1 Bd6! 10. Nxc6 a6!? (10... Bd7) 11. Ba4 Bd7 12. Qe2 (12. Qh5 bxc6) 12... b5 13. Bb3 Bxc6 $15 { [%cal Ye8g8,Bg2f3] }) 6... Qd6! (6... Nxc3 7. Qxe5+ Be7 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. Qxc3 O-O 10. d4 Ba6 (10... Bd6 11. O-O { [%csl Gc6,Gc7][%cal Gc1g5,Gg5h4,Gh4g3] } 11... Bd7 12. Bg5 f6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 f5 15. Be5 g4 16. Ne1 { [%cal Ge1d3] } 16... f4 17. f3 (17. Nd3 f3 18. g3 Qe8 19. Rae1 Qh5 20. h4 gxh3 21. Kh2))) 7. Nxe4 (7. Nxd5 Qxd5 8. c4 (8. Bc4 Qd6 9. Qxe4 f5 10. Qe2 Be6 11. Bxe6 Qxe6 12. O-O O-O-O $36) 8... Qe6 9. Qxe4 Bd7 10. O-O O-O-O 11. d3 f6 12. b4 g5 $132 { Sharp position. }) 7... dxe4 8. Qxe4 Bd7 9. O-O (9. d4 O-O-O (9... f5 10. Qe2 e4 $13)) 9... O-O-O 10. d3 (10. Bxc6 Bxc6 11. Qf5+ (11. Qxe5 Qg6! 12. Qg3 Bd6 13. Qxg6 (13. Qh3+ Bd7 14. Qh4 Qxc2 15. d4 f6 { [%cal Gg7g5] } 16. Bd2 h5 17. Rfc1 Qf5 $36 { [%cal Gg7g5] }) 13... hxg6 { [%csl Rg1] }) 11... Rd7! { [%csl Gf7] } 12. Qxe5 Qg6!? { Black controls the game. Remember to keep the queens on the board if you are looking to exploit an initiative or play for the attack. }) 10... f6!? 11. b4 Kb8 12. Re1 g5 13. Be3 h5 14. Rad1 Qe7 $132 { [%cal Yf8h6,Ge7g7,Gf8d6,Yg5g4] }) 5... Nxd5 6. Bb5 (6. Bc4 Be6 { [%cal Gd5c3] } 7. Bxd5 Bxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 9. d3 O-O-O $15) 6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 (7. dxc3 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 { [%csl Rd1] }) (7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. bxc3 Bd6 { [%csl Gc6,Gc7,Gc2,Gc3,Ga3] } 9. O-O O-O 10. d3 Bg4 $10 { [%csl Gc6,Gc7] }) 7... Bd6 { [%cal Gh2h3,Gd2d3,Gd2d4] } 8. d4 (8. d3 O-O 9. Bc4 (9. h3 Na5 { [%csl Rb5] }) (9. O-O)) (8. h3) 8... exd4 9. cxd4 (9. Qe2+ { Harmless. } 9... Qe7) 9... O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. Be2 { [%cal Gg4d1] } (11. c3 { [%csl Gd4] }) 11... Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Qh4 { [%csl Rh2,Rd4] } (12... Nxd4) 13. g3 Qxd4 14. Qxd4 Nxd4 15. Bxb7 Rab8 { [%csl Gd4] } 16. Ba6 (16. Be4 Ne2+ 17. Kg2 Be5 18. c3 (18. Ra2 Nc3 { [%csl Ga2,Ge4][%cal Gc3e4] }) 18... Nxc3) 16... Nxc2 17. Ra2 Nd4 18. Be3 Nf5 19. Bd2 Rb6 20. Bc4 $10 { Black is up a pawn, but White does have compensation with the two bishops. } *