The Santa Claus Opening

Adding to post #64

Yeah the idea for white would be to pressure the e5 pawn/square.

If you chose the move 4.f4

You will want to have a plan of moves such as:

Nf3 attacking more pressure on e5 + Bb5 with idea of taking the knight on c6 to remove a defender from e5 square.

If you chose the move 4.Nf3

You will have to tackle the e5 beast another way.

Obviously by playing Nf3 your f4 is not contributing into the e5 battle so you will need the fire power of another pawn.

Which in this situation can come from your D pawn.

Getting the move d4 to help in the fight.

d4 + Bb5 with idea of taking the knight on c6 to remove a defender from e5 square.

Whites plan in this line is not that bad to be completely honest.

We can even be creative!

This line we are playing with white gives us a chance to even consider castling queenside!

If opposite side castling happens than we can become savages!

Throwing up our King side pawn's in an effort to check mate the black king!

HA HA

I have never thought of that!

Well you bring a very interesting question here!

If all they do is copy your moves than I think you should feel happy.

It is obvious they have no idea what they are doing so they are trying to mirror you lol.

The funny thing is in this line they can not mirror you forever!

HA HA

For example:

You see how it is impossible for them to mirror you HA HA!

Notice the moves I played as white!

They are very normal moves.

Some moves in chess are hard to remember.

However, in this situation all your moves are like normal

You put your dark square bishop on b2.

You put both knights on best square c3 and f3.

You put your light square bishop on c4 hitting the f7 pawn.

You castled!

The only move you have to remember is the move a3 at move 8!

Black has to play a5 to stop your b4 move!

So they have to break from copying you.

In some lines they can copy you forever it seems like.

However, not in this line you can punish them if they do!

You see how you get the last laugh!

Or just take the pawn on move 2.

I like that! What shall we call that? Santa Claus Opening, King's Gambit variation?

Why in the world wouldn't you play 5. Bxh8!

Sod safety, a rook's a rook and there's no way Black's got enough for it. 

@Prologue1

Very nice options you are given.

After the move 4.f4

Some novice players or rival opponents may try the move

4...Qh5+

I do not believe this check is good for black.

However, There is an old saying in chess which states:

"A patzer see's a check so the patzer does the check."

In this position it is not great.

However, you will have to be prepared for it.

I think the move g3 is the most efficient way of dealing with it.

By playing g3 you hit the black queen and you defend the f4 pawn with your g3 pawn all at the same time.

Your king on the kingside is a little open which could be a little scary.

However, I think your development will make up for the airy nature of your king.

Another move which might be played by some players is the move 4...exf4.

Now the players who play this move are not beginners or patzers!

They are more seasoned beginners or lower tier intermediate player.

The reason why is because they know the move 4...Qh5+ is not good right away.

So instead they try to play 4...exf4 with the idea of making Qh5+ come stronger.

Which is to say it can be dangerious if white does not play right!

After the move 4...exf4 the critical test for black will come when white accepts the gambit rook 5.Bxh8.

At this point the critical continue I think which will happen will be 5...Qh5+.

After the move 5...Qh5+ I think the key move or best move is 6.Ke2!

I looked over this position for some time and I even used an engine to see if I was missing any tactical shots.

It is safe to say the move 6.g3 is not that great in this position.

White is up 1 rook.

A rook is 5 points yet this position is not evaluating as +5.0 for white.

My engine believes the move 6.g3 makes the position seem close to equal!

= 0.29

After the moves 6.g3 fxg3.

I let the engine take a long think and it gave the evaluation at that point +/= 0.65

I looked at this position for a while myself because I was fascinated by all the little threats black has with only 1 pawn + 1 queen lol.

I took a screen shot of it so you can see all the little threats.

1- In this position black is threating to play Qxe4+ which wins the rook on h1.

2- In this position black is threating to play g2+ which threatens a fork on the bishop on f1 and rook on h1 after the king moves than black can regain the piece while queening!

3- In this position black is threating to play gxh2+ which threatens to win the knight on g1!

If black wins the knight on g1 than black would have won 1 knight + 3 pawns in exchange for 1 rook which is plenty of compensation.

I saw a funny line which can happen if white plays a dumb move.

It is hilarous underpromote for the win!

Nevertheless, We should not play 6.g3 here!

It is far to dangerious.

6.Ke2 is the key move!

For all those reasons the moves 4...Qh5+ and 4...exf4  are not that great.

However, You may or may not see them.

When ever you move your F pawn you have to be prepared for some tactics to happen with crazy checks by your opponents.

If you are not comfortable with these type of position's than don't play 4.f4.

Instead consider the other option I gave out which was 4.Nf3.

I think one of black's best responses after 4.f4 is the move 4...Bg7.

I showed how if black plays 4...exf4 white can wiggle out being ahead a full rook.

Ke2 + Nf3 + Nc3 idea's.

Developing the rest of the army and than trying to hide the white king.

Well after the move 4...Bg7 which is I think a far better move.

White has to be extremely careful.

I believe white should play the move 5.Nf3.

If you start to get greedy with white.

You could find yourself in huge trouble!

What ever you do. Do not play 5.fxe5.

Don't do it!

If you do!

Than this is what will happen to you!

See how that rythmes?

This is not Burger King you can not "have it your way".

If you play 5.fxe5 you are getting crushed!

Obviously the correct move is the move 5.Nf3 adding more pressure to the e5 square.

By playing Nf3 you develop another minor piece!

After we reach this position.

We can see that white has 3 pieces bishop + knight + f4 pawn attacking the e5 square.

As black I believe they only have 2 ways of proceeding.

I think any other way is terrible.

If black choses another way white has an advantage or is better!

It is that simple.

The 2 ways I will break down into 2 different categories.

Defensive players

and

Attack players

At the present moment at move 5 white has the e5 pawn attacked 3 times.

So the Defensive player will play a move to defend the e5 pawn.

One solid choice to defend the e5 pawn is the move 5...d6.

The defensive player believes they are Tigran Petrosian.

They want you to do your little unsound ugly Santa Attack.

They laugh in your face!

Do your worse they say!

They find it amusing you think Santa is real.

Once your attack comes up short like your little Santa elf helpers.

They will mop up and sweep up the rest of the game.

Yeah that is what the defensive players will do.

The attacking players don't even care about the e5 pawn.

The e5 pawn is holding them back from checking mating you.

They believe they are Mikhail Tal.

They will not defend the e5 pawn.

They will set up an attack on your e4 pawn.

The move 5...Nf6 attacks the white undefended e4 pawn.

Mikhail Tal has been in the snow for years he has never seen a Santa.

Do you think he cares about the e5 pawn?

He doesn't care!

The only thing that is going to happen during this Christmas is a huge disappointment!

You Ho Ho Ho!

Yeah that is pretty much how they are going to play from the black side.

Well at least that is what I think they will do.

If they don't do those moves than what exactly are they doing?

The white side has pretty straight forward plan.

In this position it is not even a plan it is a threat.

Black has to respond to the threat by either defending against it or setting up a counter threat.

Oh indeed. The main objection is that 4. ... fxe4 is inane, flying in the face of Black's previous move. 4. ... d6, protecting the e-pawn, is much more consistent.

As played, I'd cheerfully accept the Christmas present and let Black demonstrate that this position offers him better chances than the Steinitz Gambit - and it will need to if that Rook's not gone for nothing. 

No computer here either.

After 2.b3 ...

I would play the reindeer defense.

2... c6

HAHAHAAHAHA

The Double Santa Claus Opening!

Yeah I like that name

or

should we call it The Bad Santa Claus Defense!

Yes, These are wonderful names for lines!

What about the Claus attack?

*Claus variation

Well the name is already taken at move 2 lol.

It is called the Santa Claus Opening or Santa Claus Attack.

Thus, we would need different names for the other variation's.

Tree attack?

Well I like the name!

The Christmas Tree Attack!

However, we got to fix the variation though.

Well it is good that you are at least giving out idea's.

We could try and improve on this line for sure.

Which is why I created this forum!

@finn416

Since you are trying to introduce a new line.

We should start off at the begin!

So what do you think finn?

Do you like the move d3?

Maybe we can play d3 and later on f3 and create a christmas tree pyramid?

We can't follow up d3 with f3 because that would create too many dark squared weakensses.

Maybe this: