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Caroline Zhu vs Mariano Sana
US Open (2008), Dallas, rd 3, Aug-06
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense. Polerio Defense Suhle Defense (C59)  ·  0-1

8
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4
3
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a
1
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h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
0-1

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jan-23-12  Knight13: She never had a chance.

Also the reason I stopped playing 4. Ng5 long ago.

Mar-11-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <K13> I think what has fell out of favor is 8.Be2. 10...Qd4 is a lesser known but very poisonous move. I had the chance to play it once more in a different tournament and I also won (game not in this database).
Jun-11-20  Predrag3141: <Fusilli> It's so nice to have you annotating your own games for us! I'm going through some of them after it was in today's POTD.
Jun-11-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <Predrag3141> I appreciate your interest in my games! I am only a national master, but I enjoy this site a lot. I like the opportunity to share and post, and the generally friendly vibe.
Jun-11-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: If 19.cxBb4 Rxd3 threatening the White queen and arranging a discovered check.
Dec-27-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Teyss: That wasn't very galant ;) Love the final quiet move, worthy of a POTD. 18...Qxd3+ 19.Qxd3 Rxd3 20.Nd2 (preventing Rd1+) is not as strong.

Pun submitted: "Al Dente" (only understandable by seasoned CG users).

Dec-28-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <Teyss: That wasn't very galant ;) Love the final quiet move, worthy of a POTD.>

As I was about to play the last move, Shabalov, who was walking by the boards, stopped to look. I'm sure he saw it in a nanosecond!

Not sure it would qualify for a POTD because black would keep a crushing advantage with other moves too. But it is the best move, and quite elegant, no? Poor white pieces, all of them on the first rank...

Dec-28-24  stone free or die: As far as White's development goes:

<Use it or Zhu it>

(he said, somewhat guiltily)

Dec-29-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Teyss: <Fusilli: But it is the best move, and quite elegant, no?> It is very elegant, that's why it could qualify as POTD: best move indeed, not obvious, BQ still en prise, small step which makes it very original.

<Shabalov, who was walking by the boards, stopped to look. I'm sure he saw it in a nanosecond!> I'm sure he was also impressed by the position you reached in just 18 moves.

Dec-29-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: Amazing!

In the 19th century they would play 11.f4 followed by c3 and b4. Not sure if that is good or bad (but surely better than what White played).

Dec-30-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <keypusher: ... In the 19th century they would play 11.f4 followed by c3 and b4.>

That's the right way to play this line with white, I think. An example is: N Kopilov vs Bondarevsky, 1951.

Perhaps surprisingly, some folks that get into this line with white are not familiar with the tricky 10...Qd4.

Dec-30-24  areknames: Very nice game and final move! The Two Knights Defense was always annoying to meet which is pretty much the reason I never deviated from 3.Bb5 during my career.

<Teyss> delightful pun submission, hope this makes it to GOTD soon.

Dec-30-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Is the TN 13....Nxg4 an improvement over the previously played 13....h5?

Games Like C Zhu vs M Sana, 2008

Dec-30-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <perf> I think so. A Robbins vs Showalter, 1890 is spectacular, but white blundered with 14.Bh3. Correct is 14.Bf5, as in E Maratkanov vs V Salenko, 2000, where white's plan is to wait until black forgets about the knight on a5.

(I didn't know any of this when I played the game, though. My opening prep would be something like, yeah, Qd4 looks nice, let's play it.)

Dec-30-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <arek> Nowadays, when I play the two knights in blitz, 3/4 of the time I get 4.d3. Although I got lucky in K Gulamali vs M Sana, 2014 (not blitz) with 4...d5, that move is inferior and I have been beaten so many times that now I play 4...Bc5 or 4...Be7, like normal, prudent people.
Dec-30-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Fusilli>, I seldom faced 3.Bc4 and used to play 3....Nf6 4.d3 h6, a line which was quite popular in the 1980s; believe the last time was in my only encounter with Ron Burnett, in the 1999 Vermont championship.
Jan-05-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: Nowadays, when white does go for 4.Ng5, I find (based on blitz games on chess.com) that the preferred retreat for the bishop on move 8 is to d3:


click for larger view

The common response from black is 8...Nd5, but I play 8...Ng4, attacking the N on g5, which seems to take many by surprise. I have had success with white falling into this trap: 9.Ne4 f5 10.Ng3 Bc5:


click for larger view

And now, if 11.O-O Qh4 and black wins material. Or even plays 11...O-O and has enormous advantage anyway.

Seeing this, a 12-year old Alekseenko went for 11.f3 and got creamed anyway: K Alekseenko vs A Burtasova, 2009.

Jan-05-25  Cassandro: After <8...h6>, shouldn't <9.Nh3> be considered instead of <9.Nf3>, I wonder? After all, I guess at this point White's overall strategy must be to desperately try to develop the pieces as quickly as possible, since White is severely lagging behind in development. And <9.Nh3> ensures that in his/her next move another piece can be developed instead of moving the knight once again, as Zhu had to do in this game after <9...e4> (in fact, she ended up having to move it in move 11 as well before it was traded off). In any case, what a fine game by our friend <Fusilli>.
Jan-06-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <Cassandro> Definitely. In this database, 9.Nh3 has a better record than 9.Nf3, even though it is played less often:

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