Symmetrical King Pawn Games

Symmetrical King Pawn Openings.

I don’t have a favorite opening system against 1. …e5.

My King’s Gambit games are on another page. This page covers the non-king’s gambit lines I’ve tried.

I like to experiment with offbeat lines. I recently tried the Belgrade Gambit.

Mike Splane

Frisco Del Rosario (2016)

11-1-2001

Comments:

I first heard of the Belgrade gambit on a Monday. “The Belgrade gambit? What’s that?” I wondered, “a spy novel? “ I looked it up. “White can’t really give up two pawns for nothing can he?” I asked around, nobody had seen the opening before. “This opening has great shock value; nobody knows it,” I thought. “Maybe I’ll try it some day.”

The following Thursday I got my chance. As I confidently played my surprise move, my opponent took one look at the sacrifice, and exclaimed, “The Belgrade Gambit! I LOVE the Belgrade Gambit!”

It all turned out ok in the end, but I had a few minutes of great anxiety.

A couple of days later I showed the game to Richard Koepcke. He said, “You’ll NEVER play that again!” I laughed and said, “I might.” He laughed and said, “Yes, YOU might.” I just smiled.

PS. I’ve played it four times since then.

Nf3

Nc6

Nc3

Nf6

Nd5

Ne4

Qe2

Ng5

Nd4

Qh5+

Qh4

Nc2+

Kd1

Na1

Qd4

Qc7

Bd3

Rg8

Re1+

Be7

1-0

Analysis: a) 5. … Nb4 takes all the fun out of this line for White.

b) 10. … Nc2 is the losing move. The main line is 10. … c6 11. de cd 12. ed Bg7 with an unclear position.

c) After 15 Bd3 Frisco thought for over half an hour, but it is too late to save the game. As he was thinking, I was walking around the tournament room looking at other games, as I habitually do. My friend Chris Murphy asked how I was doing. “I’m a rook down,” I said with a big grin.

He saw my face and exclaimed. “All right! You’ve got him now!”

Mike Splane

Don Lieberman (1926)

11-26-1993

Comments:

When I was giving simultaneous exhibitions I wanted an offbeat line against 1. …e5. I knew I could win if my opponents played their own ideas instead of following grandmaster analysis. I came up with 2 c4 and it was quite effective. My only tournament game in this opening transposed into an Old Indian.

Nf6

Nc3

Be7

Nf3

Nc6

0-0

Be2

Be3

Nh7

Nb8

Qd2

Bf5

Bd3

Qd7

Rc1

Na6

Bd3

Qd3

Rf5

Ne4

Nc5

Bc5

Rf3

Qf3

Rf8

Qe3

Ng5

Nd2

Qg4

Bg5

Qg3

Bd2+

Kd2

e3+

Qe3

1-0

Analysis: a) A good plan is 3. … Bc5 followed by 4. … Nc6. Black’s king bishop exerts strong pressure on the a7-g1 diagonal, while White’s bishop is penned in. White has to meet this idea with an early Na4 to swap off the bishop.

b) I’ve noticed a trend in my class A opponents. If they get outplayed positionally they usually panic and sac something unsoundly.

Mike Splane

Lindell Brady (1965)

5-25-1982

Comments:

For a couple of years, during my “sacrificial period”, I was playing the Center Attack Ruy Lopez, with its early d2-d4. Eventually the line lost its effectiveness after the people who knew me stopped playing 3. … a6

Recently (July 2007) I’ve started taking another look at this line and may take it up again

When I first started playing in a chess club, Lindell Brady was the best player in town, and a true gentleman. Although I won other games from him, this was the only convincing win. The game was published in Michigan Chess magazine.

Nf3

Nc6

Bb5

Ba4

Nf6

Bb3

Ne4

Bd5

Bb4+

0-0

Bb2

Nc5

Nd4

0-0

Nf5

Ne6

Nc3

Qg5

Be4

Qd8

Qg4

Ne5

Nh6+

Kg7

Nf5+

Kh8

Nd5

Qh3

Bd6

Nd6

Nc4

Kg7

Qg3

Qe8

Nf6

Rf6

Bf6+

Kf6

Nd2

Qc3+

Ke7

Qd2

Ra7

Qg5+

Kd7

Bg6

Qh8

Rf7+

Kc6

Rc1+

Kb6

Qe3+

1-0

Analysis: a) It’s been over 20 years since I played this game, so I can’t fairly annotate it.

b) I remember that I concluded that I should’ve played 16. f4 instead of 16. h4.

c) 21. … Bd6 is the losing move. I was afraid of 21. … Bc5 during the game.

Mike Splane

Pranab Das (2066)

12-18-1982

Comments:

This game was played in my first tournament after moving to California. I was still an expert. Like many experts I had no idea how to play calm positional chess, so my games were filled with wild tactics. This time it worked.

Nf3

Nc6

Bb5

Bd7

0-0

Nge7

Re1

Bc4

Na5

Bf1

Ng6

Nc3

Bg4

Na2

Nc6

Bc4

Nd4

Nb4

Bf3

Nh4

Ra3

Bb4

Re5+

Kf8

Bg5

Qc7

Qd4

Ba3

Bh4

Bb2

Qb2

Qc4

Qb7

Qc8

Be7+

Kg8

Qc8+

Rc8

Rd8

Bd8

1-0

Analysis: a) 14 Bc4 is a mistake; I missed the obvious reply because I was moving too fast.

b) After 14. … Nd4 I thought for a long time My kingside is getting broken open and I have no counterplay. 15. Nb4 allows the a-rook to add reinforcement to the kingside. I thought the tactics after 17. … d5 would favor me due to the center opening up. Luckily I was right.

Mike Splane

Gina Finegold (2136)

5-28-1989

Comments:

I played this line with 5.c4 instead of 5. d4 against the Petroff Defense in two games. I stopped playing 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 shortly after this game, but I still like the idea of c4. I experimented with it a couple of times on move 3 in the King’s Gambit Accepted. I even played it on move 2 against Don Lieberman.

Nf3

Nf6

Ne5

Nf3

Ne4

Be7

Nc3

0-0

Bf5

Bd3

Qd3

Nc6

Rb1

Rb5

Rd5

Bf6

Re8+

Kd1

Ne7

Rg5

Qd7

Rg3

Qa4+

Qc2

Qc2+

Kc2

Nf5

Rgh3

Re2+

Kd3

Rf2

Ne7

Be3

Ra2

Bg5

Ng5

Kg7

Rh7+

Kf6

Ne4+

Ke6

d5+

Nd5

cd5+

Kd5

Rf7

Ra4

Rc7

Rf8

c4+

Rc4

Rf3+

Ke2

Rf4

Ke3

Kc4

Rc1+

Kd5

Kf4

1-0

Analysis:

16 Kd1 was a mistake allowing the check on a4.

When I offered the queen trade on move 20, I saw that 26 Bg5 was very strong. Amazingly, it wins a piece. The rest is mop up.