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Garry Kasparov vs Fabiano Caruana
Ultimate Blitz Challenge (2016) (blitz), St. Louis, MO USA, rd 9, Apr-28
Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid (C30)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-28-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: So far as I know, this is Kasparov's second recorded King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.d3 is another way to reach the above position), with Caruana's 6....exf4 being one of the rarest replies.

Opening Explorer

Apr-28-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  PawnSac: well, yes, it could be reached as a KG, but technically this is the Vienna Game. The patterns are closely related, just like the Pirc and Modern. I used to play this opening way back in the day when i explored the Bishops, Vienna, Danish, Giuoco & Evans Gambit.

There are some interesting "old" lines, and Kaspy chose this opening because he was avoiding the Berlin and other lines the young fellas are all booked up on.

Apr-29-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  PawnSac: but you are right about..
< 6...ef being one of the rarest replies >

I suspect Fab was trying to play this "normally" as a Giuoco, but after 6. ..0-0 7.f5 white would have a comfortable edge on the kingside. For example:

Garry Kasparov vs Oxford United Football
"Goooooal!" (game of the day Dec-06-10)
London Simpson's Simultaneous (1993) · Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid. Spielmann Attack (C26) · 1-0

Apr-29-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  PawnSac: If he did not see a clear way to answer the threat i can understand how he would feel pressured into exchanging on f4.

Hey, the Vienna was a good choice to get Fab out of his comfort zone!

Apr-29-16  SimplicityRichard: <Perfidious: ....second recorded King's Gambit...is another way to reach the above position.>

Indeed. I was shocked but very excited to see Kasparov essai this opening. And an endorsement from Kasparov speaks volumes. I play the King's Gambit and usually employ the Vienna as a way to conceal my true intentions of playing the King's Gambit. I have quite a few victims that have fallen prey to this sneaky transposition. And indeed with this Vienna Opening and the interrelated Bishop's Opening, I play the Giuoco Piano too according to Black's response.#

Apr-29-16  Gilmoy: <PawnSac: ... get Fab out of his comfort zone!>

At the end, his K is just a little bit behind ...

Apr-29-16  posoo: ok QUESTION, who is da player dat EVERYBODY likes no QUESTION!
Apr-29-16  guenther42: Garry Kasparov, the "old" fella played timelessly!
Apr-30-16  Hawkman: Who would have thought Garry would win a game with Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid (C28)?
May-01-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: This is not a bad way to avoid Berlin I guess. To give up the centre by 6...exf4 is a bit strange decision but in blitz almost anything can work, and in fact, Fabiano could have got quite good position playing 11...Bg4 instead of weak 11...Nxf3+, which gave white momentum and significant advantage. Btw, 15.Bxe6 fxe6 16.d4 wins the Bishop.
May-19-16  ajile: I'm not liking Black's decision to exchange queens in this game. This gives White everything he wants since now his king is safe in the center. If White is going to trade king safety for k-side pawn expansion there should be a downside that Black can use as a balance. That downside consists of not only lower White king safety and rook disconnection but also the long a7-g1 diagonal.
May-19-16  ajile: <Honza Cervenka: Btw, 15.Bxe6 fxe6 16.d4 wins the Bishop.>

Black has 16..g5 and after a few more moves Black is getting a couple of pawns in exchange. Probably still winning for White though.

Sample position and analysis:


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Analysis by Rybka 3 32-bit : 19 ply

1. (1.54): 19.Rxb7 Qc6 20.Rxf8+ Rxf8 21.Qb2 Nf6 22.Rb8 Qxg2 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.Qb8+ Ne8 25.Kd2 a5 26.Qd8 Qd5 27.a4 Qc4 28.h4 Qb4+ 29.Kc1 Qc4 30.Kd1 Qd5 31.Qd7 Qe4 32.Be1 Qf5 33.h5

2. (1.41): 19.Qd3 Qc6 20.Rf3 Kg7 21.Re3 Nf6 22.d5 Qxd5 23.Qxd5 Nxd5 24.Rxe6 b6 25.Nd4 Rfe8 26.Kd2 Rxe6 27.Nxe6+ Kf6 28.c4 Kxe6 29.Re1+ Kd7 30.cxd5 Rf8 31.Kd3 b5 32.Re2 Rf5 33.Kd4 a5 34.Rf2

May-19-16  sudoplatov: 6... a6 is also playable.
6....Bg4 is popular but I think a6 is a bit better.
6...Nd4 may be possible.
6...Na5 is possible too.

In practice, White keeps and edge in all these.

May-29-16  Albanius: 11..Nxf3 looks like a lemon, losing 2 tempi to develop Ws Q and intensify the pin on f6.
May-29-16  RookFile: The pin on the f6 knight is nasty. You don't want to play ...g5 because it would take Kasparov 2 seconds to play Nxg5 in a blitz game. Maybe instead of ...Nd4 in the opening black needed to play ...Ne5 with the idea of ....Ng6 so you can unpin. If black meets ...Ne5 with Nxe5, when black recaptures with the pawn, ...Be7 is possible then, to unpin.
Jun-19-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <PawnSac: well, yes, it could be reached as a KG, but technically this is the Vienna Game....>

Oh, so on <your> say-so, this is such-and-such; the fly is thereby brushed away.

<....The patterns are closely related, just like the Pirc and Modern....>

Yes, this weak player needed to receive a lecture on opening theory from you.

No more such lectures from you will be necessary, though: I was an experienced master long before CG was dreamt of and do not respect your attempts, presumptuous as they are, to swat my kibitzes aside. See ya.

Jul-10-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Maybe the omniscient poster above can explain, if my original kibitz is 'incorrect', why the majority of the more than 350 games with the position arising after White's sixth move are classified as being KGDs here:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

Jul-12-16  mandor: It reminds me an Steinitz 2.0 flavor! Amazing Kasparov!
Jan-03-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: <perf> Heh. You give good condescension. I'm just trotting in your superior footsteps.
Jan-03-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Dom>, this business is done with for me--on to woods and pastures new.
Jan-03-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: technically those are forests and meadows perf, but they are closely related.
Jan-03-17  ChessHigherCat: 13. Ne2 is a Who but Kasparov? move. I'd like to see the infinitesimal "guess the move" statistics for that one!
Jan-03-17  gokusano: 13. Ne2 and 15. Nf4 were pretty good maneuver by white even if he has to give up a pawn for the execution of these moves. Classic Kasparov.
Oct-08-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: Trivia tidbit: This seems the only Vienna game played by Kasparov

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