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Black is obviously totally bemused by 3.g4. After 6…Nge7 the game Neulinger  - Seidl, Oberwart 2000 continued: 7.f4 Nd4 8.e5 Bb8 9.Nf3 Nec6 10.Ne4 b6 11.c3 Nxf3+ 12.Qxf3 Bb7 13.0–0 d5 14.Ng3 0–0 15.d4 Qe7 16.f5‚

A CLASSIC ROLL

If we could all get such a nice, aggressive position as this against 1...c5. The finish was short and sweet: 16...f6 17.fxe6 fxe5 18.Nf5 Qd8 19.Qxd5 Qxd5 20.Bxd5 Re8 21.e7+, 1–0. It's games like this one that give me the strong feeling that 3.g4 will be a fantastic idea below, say, 2300 level. The opening plan of campaign is easy to understand: White advances his pawns to cramp Black's development. The execution is none too difficult either!

5.gxh5

Hort could have avoided this one with a bit of care on the fourth move.

5...Nf6 6.d3 Rxh5 7.Nge2 d5 8.Ng3 Rh8 9.Bg5 Be7

Black's a little better now due to White's fractured pawn structure. Hort has to try and stay in the middle game and mix it up.

10.h4 g6!

Careful. Black prevents h4-h5.

11.Qd2 d4 12.Nce2 e5 13.a3

Glumly recognizing that 13.0–0–0 fails to 13...Ng4! 14.Bxe7 (14.Rdf1 f6) 14...Qxe7 15.Rdf1 Rxh4.

13...Ng4 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Qg5 Be6

Black is delighted if White exchanges on e7 when the pawn on h4 is just waiting to drop off.

16.Ng1 0–0–0 17.Qxe7 Nxe7 18.Nf3 f6 19.Ke2 c4

Black has a clear positional advantage and the initiative to boot. It's all about pawn weaknesses and pawn breaks. White has to commit forces to look after the weakling on h4 and meanwhile Black opens the c-file at his leisure. Hort has no counterplay; it's as simple as that.

20.Nf1 Kd7 21.N1d2 cxd3+ 22.cxd3 Rc8 23.Rac1 Rxc1 24.Rxc1 g5!

FREEING g6 FOR THE e7-KNIGHT

Spotting a neat,tactical finish.

25.hxg5 Ng6 26.Ne1 Nf4+ 27.Kf1 Nh2+

It's mate in five more horrendous moves. No doubt Kindermann was looking quite healthy so ... White Resigned.

We learn from this game that each pawn advance must be considered with care and followed up with precision. I still recommend 3.g4!?, but note that Hort went wrong as early as move four and there didn't seem to be any way back after that. An excellent performance by Kindermann.

Vokac (2525) - Jirovsky (2375) [B23]
Pribram Cup, 1998
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g4  

It seems to me that Black has to challenge White early after 3 g4. If he does not do so White has every chance to establish an unchallengeable grip on the game.

3...d6 4.h3

4.d3!? h5 5.g5 is also possible, with an unclear position.

4...Nd4 5.Bg2 e5 6.d3 Be7 7.Be3 Qa5

7...Bg5 8.Bxg5 Qxg5 9.Nd5 Qd8 10.c3 Nc6 11.Ne2 Nge7 12.Ng3 is very comfortable for White, although not necessarily better.

8.Nf3 Be6 9.Nd2! Qd8

Black seems “all at sea”.

10.Nd5 Nf6 11.c3 Nc6 12.g5

“CHUGGING ALONG”

The pawn advance chugs along and Black has nothing really to do. He must hang back as far as possible and prepare for the attack to arrive.Now this is quite common strategy in the Sicilian but one would expect Black to be mounting queenside counterplay at the same time.  No such mechanism is available here. 

12...Nd7 13.h4 f5!?

I am doubtful, advancing into the enemy stronghold. Clearly Black was not up to waiting fulltime.

14.exf5 Bxf5 15.Be4 0–0?

15...Bxe4 leads to a pretty disgusting position, but it has to be better than this: 16.dxe4 Nb6 17.Qh5+ g6 18.Qg4 Qd7 (18...Nxd5 19.exd5 Nd4 20.cxd4 cxd4 21.Bxd4 exd4 22.h5 Bxg5 23.Qe6+ Qe7 24.hxg6) 19.Qxd7+ Kxd7 20.h5.

16.Qb3! Kh8 17.Qxb7 Rc8 18.Nc4 Ndb8 19.0–0–0 Be6 20.Rdg1 Re8 21.h5

BLACK IS BUSTED

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