Part 1 | Part 2

Four random, recent games fill out this article. At the end of each I give some ideas and a verdict. You may or may not agree, but you will surely enjoy the play.

Arp (2018) - Zomer (2167) [B71]

NED, 2004

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.f4

This is the Levenfish Attack, potentially lethal, as you are about to see. My own feeling is that Black should be able to cope comfortably with this early display of aggression, and we will see exactly how and why a little later on. For the time being, White threatens e4-e5!.

6...Nc6

6...Bg7 7.e5! obliges Black to play with extreme accuracy. First comes an accident: 7...Ng4? (7...Nh5! is the only way to survive: 8.Bb5+ [8.g4 Nxf4 9.Bxf4 dxe5] 8...Bd7 9.e6 fxe6 10.Nxe6 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qc8

Black is still on the board, but I like to keep my Bishop on g7 wherever possible.) 8.Bb5+! (The key disruptive move. Black must move his King.) 8...Kf8 (8...Bd7 9.Qxg4) 9.h3 Nh6 10.Be3 Nc6 11.exd6 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Qxd6 13.Bxg7+ Kxg7 14.Qxd6 exd6 15.0–0–0

A really rotten (lost) position for Black, who faces the loss of his d6-pawn and nothing to show for it.

7.Nxc6

Botvinnik recommended 7.Bb5.

7...bxc6 8.e5

The characteristic advance in the Levenfish.

8...Nd7 9.Bc4!?

Quite rare and it throws Black completely. Perhaps he was expecting a comfortable ride in his “book” variations after 9.exd6 or 9.Qf3.

9...dxe5 10.0–0

For his pawn White obtains a massive attack on the kingside. We can break down his compensation:

The f-file is about to open up with f7 as the focal point for an initial White attack.

The Bishop on c4 is very powerful.

White has the further idea of Qe1–h4, getting the Queen in to the “business zone.”

10...Bg7?

How natural and how sloppy! Black has to get rid of the Bishop on c4 if he wants to survive, thus 10...Ba6! would have been better. Black’s sense of danger lets him down completely. My analysis suggest that Black is surviving: 11.Bxa6 Qb6+ 12.Kh1 Qxa6 13.fxe5 Nxe5 14.Qe1 (14.Bf4 Bg7 15.Qe1 Nc4 16.b3 Na3 17.Bd6 0–0) 14...Bg7 15.Bh6!? Shocking, but on recovery Black is fine after 15...Bxh6 16.Qxe5 0–0 17.Qxe7 Bg7, =. The important thing is to reduce White’s attacking force and to get castled.

11.f5! 0–0 12.fxg6 hxg6 13.Be3 Qc7 14.Ne4

Black’s a pawn up but with his careless attitude to the position he will never get the chance to enjoy it. White has the game-winning idea of Ng5 and Qe1–h4, which can only be stopped in one way.

14...Nf6?

He HAD to play 14...Nb6 15.Bb3 Ba6 16.Rf2 Nc4, blocking out the Bishop on b3.

15.Ng5 a5 16.Qe1 e6 17.Qh4

Really this is not difficult to understand.

17...Re8 18.Rxf6! Bxf6 19.Qh7+ Kf8 20.Bc5+, 1-0.

It’s mate next move. I don’t know whether you can classify the White attack as “unsound.” He made a practical choice that put Black under pressure (who likes to defend?) and got away with it. By playing 6.f4 with a good feeling for the ideas that follow, he created a position which Black disliked. That is the art of Chess. The Levenfish is a variation for the right time against the right player.

VERDICT: Black underestimated his opponent and displayed little sense of danger.

SIMPLICITY. I’m a great believer in the simple approach to chess wherever and whenever possible. The Lopez “grip” allows White freedom other openings cannot provide. Observe here how Vishy Anand makes a mess of a very strong Grandmaster in a game from the recent Sao Paulo event.

Anand - Milos [C66]

Sao Paulo, 2004

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 d6?!

This is a passive, Steinitz-like approach; really it cannot be recommended to Black, even to very tough defenders. When Black plays this way he’s ceding the initiative and relying on a mistake, poor strategy. Anand lays out his pieces simply, accurately and forcefully, reducing Black to an inferior position.

5.d4 Bd7 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Bxc6! Bxc6 8.Re1

Simple chess. White takes the centre and obliges Black to look after e5.

8...exd4

What else?

9.Nxd4 Bd7 10.h3!

A nicety that many players would not observe. White prepares Qf3 without allowing ...Ng4 or ...Bg4.

10...0–0 11.Qf3!

Now Black has problems. White threatens further centralization with Bf4 and Rad1, in turn menacing e4-e5!. Nf5 or Nd5 is also on the menu. Black is completely passive.

11...Re8

11...c6 is similar, but doesn’t solve the problems: 12.Bf4 Qb6 13.Rad1 Rad8 (13...Qxb2 14.Rb1 Qa3 15.Nd5 is too strong for White) 14.b3 Rfe8 15.Re3 Bc8 16.Red3 h6 17.Nde2 Qc7 18.Ng3 Nd7 19.Qe3 Nf8, Lanka - Callergard, Jyvaskyla 1991, and now 21.Qxa7 is good as well as the game move 21 Nh5.

12.Bf4 c6 13.Rad1

An ideal piece deployment for White. Black struggles to create effective counterplay.

13...Qb6 14.Nb3 a5

14...d5 15.e5 Ne4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Qxe4 gives zero compensation for Black.

15.Bxd6 Bxd6

If 15...a4 16.Bxe7 Rxe7 17.Nd4 Qxb2 18.Rb1 Qa3 19.Nd5.

16.Rxd6 a4 17.Nd2 Qxb2

Black was clearly relying on this move but White’s next move is very strong indeed.

18.e5! Qxc2

18...Bc8 19.Rb1 Qa3 20.Qd3 Rxe5 21.Nc4.

19.Re2! Bf5

19...Qc1+ 20.Kh2.

20.exf6 Rxe2 21.Nxe2 Bg6 22.a3

Why not? White tidies up.

22...Re8 23.Qe3!, 1-0.

Many Lopez games see Black lashing out at an early stage trying to break White’s grip or hoping to weather the storm by playing safe, rather passive moves. Either way, the simple approach is best, with centralization, quick effective development and domination of the center high on the agenda. In our featured game, Anand got his pieces on to good squares early and won with ease.

VERDICT: A poor opening choice gave Black no chance.

Part 1 | Part 2