A Familiar Line Off The Beaten Path

I recently received 3 interesting and original games from "shugart" who plays online at FICS. In return, I was able to send him the latest version of The Database, which has been updated with FICS games through February 2016.

The following game features a line that shugart has shown a liking for.

shugart - javannanda
FICS, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ 

"The nudge", a sign that the player may be familiar with the games and analysis of this blog.

7...Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qb5+ 

Varying from the mundane 9.Qe3. This is a line that shugart has a lot of experience with.

9...Qd7

A couple of other lines that show up in shugart's play:

9...c6 10.Qe2 (10.Qb3 Qe7 11.d3 Be6 [11...b5 12.O-O a5 13.a4 Be6 14.Qc3 Rc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qxa5 Nf6 17.Nc3 Bd7 18.Bg5 h6 19.Nd5 Qf7 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Nc7+ Kf8 22.Nd5 Kg7 23.Qd2 Bc6 24.Ne3 Ne5 25.Nf5+ Kh7 26.Qxh6+ Kg8 27.Qe3 Rd8 28.f4 Ng4 29.Qg3 Kf8 Black resigned, shugart - piqueres, FICS, 2013] 12.Qa3 Nf6 13.O-O Rf8 14.f4 Bd7 15.Nc3 h6 16.Bd2 Kd8 17.Rad1 Kc7 18.Qa5+ b6 19.Qa6 Bc8 20.Qa3 Bb7 21.Rde1 Nd7 22.d4 d5 23.exd5 Qxa3 24.bxa3 cxd5 25.Nb5+ Kc6 26.a4 a6 27.Re6 checkmate, shugart - CompareAlfio, FICS, 2014) 10...Nf6 (10...Nf4 11.Qf3 Qf6 12.d3 g5 13.O-O Nh6 14.g3 Bg4 15.Qe3 Nh3+ 16.Kg2 Rf8 17.f4 gxf4 18.gxf4 Qh4 19.f5 Bh5 20.Qxh6 Rg8+ 21.Kh1 Nf2+ 22.Rxf2 Qxf2 23.Qe6+ Kd8 24.Qxg8+ Kc7 25.Qxh7+ Kb6 26.Be3+ Black forfeited on time, shugart - qvenky, FICS, 2013) 11.O-O Bg4 (11...Qe7 12.d3 Kf7 13.Nc3 Rf8 14.f4 Kg8 15.Be3 a6 16.h3 b5 17.Rae1 Qc7 18.Qd2 Bd7 19.a3 Rae8 20.Kh2 h6 21.Kg1 Nh4 22.Qf2 Ng6 23.Qg3 Kh7 24.f5 Ne5 25.d4 Nc4 26.Qg6+ Kh8 27.Bc1 Re7 28.b3 Be8 29.Qg3 Nb6 30.Bf4 Nh5 31.Qg4 Nxf4 32.Qxf4 Nd7 33.f6 Rxf6 34.Qg3 Ref7 35.Rxf6 Nxf6 36.e5 dxe5 37.dxe5 Nd5 38.Nxd5 cxd5 39.Qd3 Qc5+ 40.Kh1 d4 41.e6 Re7 42.Qe4 Bf7 43.Rf1 Bxe6 44.Rf8+ Bg8 45.Qa8 Qd5 46.Qxd5 Black resigned, shugart - kisa, FICS, 2015; or 11...Kf7 12.d4 Re8 13.Nc3 b6 14.Bg5 h6 15.Be3 a5 16.f3 Ba6 17.Qf2 Bxf1 18.Rxf1 d5 19.e5 Nh5 20.f4 Qh4 21.g3 Qh3 22.f5 Nf8 23.Qf3 Kg8 24.Qe2 Nxg3 25.hxg3 Qxg3+ 26.Kh1 Nh7 27.Rg1 Qh3+ 28.Qh2 Black forfeited on time, shugart - tiotonho, FICS, 2013) 12.f3 Be6 (12...Qb6+ 13.Kh1 Bd7 14.Nc3 Kf7 15.Qc4+ Be6 16.Qe2 Rhe8 17.d3 Kg8 18.Na4 Qc7 19.Bf4 Nxf4 White resigned, shugart - ronaldomponte, FICS, 2015) 13.d4 Kf7 14.f4 Bg4 15.Qe3 Re8 16.e5 Nd5 17.Qb3 Kg8 18.Nc3 Nge7 19.h3 Be6 20.Qxb7 Nxc3 21.bxc3 dxe5 22.fxe5 Bd5 23.Qa6 Ng6 24.Ba3 Qg5 25.Rf2 Rf8 26.Bxf8 Rxf8 27.Rxf8+ Nxf8 28.Qe2 Ne6 29.Rf1 Nf4 30.Qf2 Bxg2 31.Qxf4 Qxf4 32.Rxf4 Bd5 33.a3 h6 34.Kf2 g5 35.Rf6 Kg7 36.Ke3 a6 37.Kd3 h5 38.c4 Bg2 39.Rf5 Kg6 40.Rf6+ Kg7 41.h4 g4 42.Ke3 Bf3 43.Rxf3 gxf3 44.Kxf3 Kg6 45.Kf4 a5 46.a4 Black resigned, shugart - kisa, FICS, 2015, and

9...Bd7 10.Qe2 Nf6 11.O-O Kf7 (11...h5 12.f4 h4 13.h3 Bc6 14.Nc3 Qe7 15.d3 Kd7 16.Bd2 Rae8 17.Rae1 Kc8 18.Qf2 Qd7 19.Qxa7 Qd8 20.Qa8+ Kd7 21.Qa5 Ne7 22.d4 b6 23.Qa3 Nh5 24.d5 Bb7 25.Qa7 Ba8 26.e5 Nxd5 27.Nxd5 Bxd5 28.Qa4+ Bc6 29.e6+ Rxe6 30.Qb3 Rxe1 31.Rxe1 Qf6 32.Bc3 Qxf4 33.Qe6+ Kd8 34.Rf1 Qg3 35.Rf2 Nf4 36.Qf5 Nxg2 White resigned, shugart - mozartain, FICS, 2013) 12.f4 Re8 13.d3 (13.Nc3 Kf8 14.d4 a6 15.e5 Bb5 16.Nxb5 axb5 17.Qxb5 dxe5 18.fxe5 Qxd4+ 19.Kh1 c6 20.Qxb7 Nxe5 21.Bg5 Ned7 22.Rad1 Qa7 23.Qxd7 Qxa2 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Rxf6+ Kg8 26.Qf7+ Qxf7 27.Rxf7 Kxf7 White resigned, shugart - fifthavenue, FICS, 2013) 13...Kg8 14.Nc3 d5 15.e5 Bg4 16.Qe1 Nh5 17.h3 Bd7 18.g4 Nhxf4 19.Bxf4 Nxf4 20.Rxf4 Qh4 21.Qxh4 Black resigned, shugart - pattyvanny, FICS, 2013. 

10.Qb3

He has also played 10.Qe2 Nf6 11.O-O Kf7 12.f4 Re8 13.Nc3 Qg4 14.Qc4+ Kf8 15.d3 Be6 16.Qxc7 Rac8 17.Qxb7 Kg8 18.f5 Nh4 19.e5 19...Bd5 20.Nxd5 Qxg2 checkmate, shugart - glemzy, FICS, 2013.

10...Qe6 11.Qe3 Nf6 12.Nc3 Kf7 13.O-O Re8

The game has reached the same position reached in shugart - transitman, lightning, FICS, 2013 (1-0, 29), and others, although in the earlier game Black's Queen was at e8.

14.f4 Qc4 15.d3 Qc5 16.d4 Qh5 17.e5 dxe5 18.fxe5 Kg8

White now puts a bit too much faith in his "Jerome pawns" with his next move - although things turn out fine in the end.

19.exf6 Rxe3 20.f7+ Kf8 21.Bxe3 c6 22.d5 Bg4

Not the best defense.

23.Bc5+ Ne7 24.Rae1 cxd5 25.Bxe7 checkmate

It happens.

White faced a tough opponent in the following game, and was not able to score the full point.

It happens.

Philidor 1792 - Arslanov,S
casual blitz game Moscow, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 

10.0-0

A slight improvement over 10.Nc3 c6 11.0-0 Kf7 12.f4 Re8 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qf3 Kg8 16.b3 Nb6 17.Bg5 Qe7 18.Rae1 Qf7 19.e5 dxe5 20.dxe5 Nfd5 21.e6 Qf8 22.Ne4 Bxe6 23.fxe6 Qxf3 24.Rxf3 Rxe6 25.c4 Rae8 26.cxd5 Rxe4 27.Rxe4 Rxe4 28.dxc6 bxc6 29.Rc3 Re6 30.Kf2 h6 31.Bh4 Nd5 32.Rc5 g5 33.Bg3 Ne3 34.Bb8 Ng4+ 35.Kf3 Nf6 36.Bxa7 Nd5 37.Rc2 Kf7 38.Bc5 Kg6 39.a4 h5 40.a5 g4+ 41.Kf2 Nf4 42.a6 Nd3+ 43.Kg3 Kg5 44.h4+ gxh3 45.Kxh3 Nxc5 46.Rxc5+ Black resigned, Philidor 1792- guest2498, www.bereg.ru, 2014.

10.d4 is Houdini's choice. 

10...Kf7 11.Nc3 Re8 

Or 1...c6 12.f4 Rf8 13.f5 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.Qd3 Nb6 16.Bg5 Kg8 17.g4 Nbd7 18.Rae1 Qb6 19.Na4 Qb4 20.b3 Nxg4 21.Bd2 Qa3 22.Bc3 b5 23.Bb2 Qb4 24.Bc3 Qa3 25.Bb2 Qb4 26.Bc3 Qa3 27.Bb2 drawn, perrypawnpusher - joejox, FICS, 2009.

12.f4 

Or 12.d3 Kg8 (12...d5 13.Qf3 Bg4 14.Qg3 dxe4 15.dxe4 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 Rxe4 17.f3 Qd4+ 18.Kh1 Bxf3 19.Qxf3+ Kg8 20.c3 Qe5 21.Qf7+ Kh8 22.Bd2 Rd8 23.Rae1 Rxe1 24.Bxe1 Qe7 25.Qxe7 Nxe7 26.Bh4 Rd7 27.Bxe7 Black resigned, mrjoker - vishal-here, Internet Chess Club, 2008) 13.f4 Bd7 (13...Ng4 14.Qf3 Nf6 15.Bd2 Bg4 16.Qf2 c6 17.h3 Bd7 18.Rae1 Rf8 19.Qd4 Be8 20.g4 Bf7 21.g5 Nd7 22.Qxd6 Nb6 23.Qc5 Nd7 24.Qe3 Re8 25.f5 Nge5 26.Qg3 g6 27.h4 b5 28.Bf4 b4 29.Ne2 c5 30.c3 bxc3 31.bxc3 c4 32.d4 Nd3 33.Rb1 Nxf4 34.Qxf4 Rb8 35.Rbe1 Rf8 36.Ng3 Rb2 37.e5 Bd5 38.Rf2 Rxf2 39.Kxf2 Qb8 40.Re2 Qb1 41.f6 Qd3 42.h5 gxh5 43.Nxh5 Bf7 44.Ng3 Bg6 45.e6 Qxc3 46.f7+ Bxf7 47.exf7+ Rxf7 48.Re8+ Kg7 49.Nf5+ Rxf5 50.Qxf5 Qxd4+ 51.Kg2 Qd2+ 52.Qf2 Qxf2+ 53.Kxf2 Black forfeited on time, Petasluk - bergsteiger, FICS, 2007) 14.Qg3 Kh8 15.b3 a6 16.Bb2 Rg8 17.Rae1 Bb5 18.a4 Bc6 19.e5 Nd5 20.Nxd5 Bxd5 21.f5 Nxe5 22.Bxe5 dxe5 23.Qxe5 Bf7 24.f6 g6 25.Qf4 Re8 26.Qh6 Rg8 27.Re7 Qf8 28.Rfe1 Qxh6 29.Rxf7 Black forfeited on time, shugart - transitman, FICS, 2013. 

12...d5 13.e5 

A last chance to mix it up 13.f5 Ne7 14.e5 Nxf5 15.Qf4 g5 16.Qxg5 Rxe5 17.d4 Re8. 

13...d4 White resigned