Greek Gift Sacrifice | Scandinavian Defense, Modern Variation ⚡ Quick Wins #95
#scandinavian #greekgift #quickwins
Today’s chess noob Quick Wins game is a demonstration of keeping an eye out for the possibility of tactical attack patterns and being willing to follow a plan and strike! 🤩
This was a game of 15+10 rapid but ended quite quickly on move 12. I had the White pieces and my opponent responded to my usual King’s Pawn Opening with the Modern Variation of the Scandinavian (1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6), which then naturally transposes into Alekhine’s Defense: Scandinavian Variation (3. Nc3). This classical to hypermodern-ish transposition line is a rather successful way to play the Scandinavian, with the Lichess community database revealing a decent win ratio advantage for Black (50%) vs White (46%). Not bad at the end of move 2/beginning of move 3!
Historical note:
The Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation was well known to the 19th century romantic chess masters, though the Scandinavian would have been known as the Center Counter Defense. In the massive LumbrasGigabase there are games of this line played by luminaries including Howard Staunton, Adolf Anderssen, Emanuel Lasker, and especially Joseph Blackburne – the same “The Black Death” Blackburne of the Blackburne Shilling Gambit – who seemed to have some success with this line! For instance, in the 6th master’s tournament organised by the DSB (Deutscher Schachbund, English: German Chess Federation), Blackburne crushed Alapin in twenty moves! (Alapin — Blackburne, 1889, Breslau, Germany)
As per the game played by Blackburne, the advantage with the Modern Variation of the Scandinavian is that Black gets to recapture the pawn with a knight rather than the early movement of the queen into the centre of the board. However, in my game, Black opted to play aggressively with (3… Bg4?!), opting for activity and potentially gambit the lost pawn. In the position, I had an opportunity to hold onto the won pawn with a line starting with (4. Bb5+). However, against the Scandinavian, I usually take the approach that I’ll give back the pawn, and to prioritise developing first.
Stockfish doesn’t think that this is the most accurate way, preferring a sharper approach, but I find that this keeps me solid in unfamiliar lines and helps avoid traps. Black made some trades in the centre, and after move 6, their initiative was gone. Black had won a concession in my doubled c-pawns, but this was hardly problematic, and I had gained an advantage in development, arguably more impactful in the opening and early middlegame!
This called for some immediate tactical play and looking for attacks! First, I played (7. Bc4) – together with my king’s knight already developed (on f3), there is a potential attack on Black’s weak f7-pawn. Black responded with (7… e6), a good move, blocking that line of attack. However, it seemed that they were setting up for kingside castling and their next move suggested the same, (8… Bd6).
I saw the possibility for a Greek Gift Sacrifice pattern! Rather than castling myself, I kept my king in the centre and pulled my light square bishop back (9. Bd3) ready to strike if Black castled! 😈
Black castled and I immediately hit with (10. Bxh7+!?). Stockfish labels this move a mistake as the evaluation changes from [+1 → 0.00]. However, my view is that this is still a great tactical move! The position is equal at best if Black plays the most accurate line, which isn’t easy to do! They capture the bishop (correct) with Kxh7 and then we have the next step with (11. Ng5+!). Black here needs to find the critical move (11… Kg6), walking their king forward, seemingly exposing it to the attack! This is not intuitive, and Black played the natural retreating (11… Kg8??), a blunder as (12. Qh5!), threatening checkmate next turn!
Indeed, in this position, Black’s only move that avoids forced checkmate is to trade their queen for my knight (12… Qxg5 13. Qxg5), which is an emotionally damaging concession to make. Instead, Black wisely opted to resign, good game, GG!
