IMJohnCox wrote on 02/28/07 at 13:25:00:


Yeah.  I don't have that, but Zavanelli's annotations on the supplied link are pretty sparse.  1. e4 e5  2. Nf6 Nc6  3. Bc4 Nf6  4. d4 exd4  5. 0-0 Nxd4  6. Re1 d5  7. Bxd5 Qxd5  8. Nc3 Qd8  9. Rxe4+ Be7  10. Nxd4 f5  11. Bh6! fxe4  12. Bxg7 Rf8  13. Qh5+ Rf7  14. Rd1. 

Black has played optimally since 8...Qd8, but here I opine that 14...Bd7 as played was not the best move.  Rather I think 14...Qd6 was.  Zavanelli says this leads to a positional edge for White without offering any support.  I don't see how.  Thus 15. Ndb5 (15. Nd5 Nxd4  16. Rxd4 Bf5  17. Nf6+ Bxf6  18. Rxd6 Bxg7  19. Rd5 Bg6 and to me, Black's rook and two bishops look much better than White's queen) 15...Qf4 and now:

1.  16. Nd5 Qxf2+  17. Kh1 Bd7.  The Tactics Light is ON, as I sometimes say to my students.  18. Nf6+! (interferance; otherwise White is just dead) 18...Bxf6 19. Nxc7 and this knight checks perpetually because Black can't unguard his rook.

2.  16. Bh3 Qxf2+ 17. Kh1 Bd6  18. Nxe4 Bg4  19. Nbxd6+ cxd6  20. Nexd6+ Ke7

2a.  21. Bg5+ Kf8  22. Bh6+ Ke7  23. Bg5+ is a draw

2b.  21. Qg5+ Qf6  22. Rf1 Qxg5  23. Bxg5+ Kxd6  24. Rxf7 and White has a little something, but not enough for a lost piece.

Trying to dig up more information on 8...Qd8 9.Rxe4+, I ran across the following correspondence game featuring 11.Bh6:
Zavanelli-Canibal, Reg Gillman memorial 2000

Congratulations – what a great game!  After your strong novelty 12...g5! I think Black has a substantial advantage and may even be already winning.  So I think 12.Qd3 looks like a mistake and White probably needs to try 12.c3.  Although, as you point out, even after 12.c3 Black seems to be a least slightly better.

I used to play the black side of the Two Knights and I always chose either 8...Qa5 or 8...Qh5 in this line (more often 8...Qa5), as I had been under the impression that 8...Qd8 is strongly answered by 9.Rxe4+ (iirc, this impression is based mainly on what I read in Estrin's Two Knights Defense book).  Surely 9.Rxe4+ must be better than 9.Bg5, but maybe it's not as strong as I thought.

Thanks for sharing this game with us.

Malushko-Micawber, corr. , 2006

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 8……Qd8!? (diagram1)



r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2n5/8/3pn3/2N2N2/PPP2PPP/R1BQR1K1 w kq -


8…..Qa5 or 8…Qh5 are more usual, but 8...Qd8 has some surprise value

9. Bg5

_________________________________________________________
9. Rxe4+ Be7 10. Nxd4 f5 is the other main line (see diagram below)

(diagram 2)


{A}11. Rf4, O-O 12. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 13. Nxd1 bxc6 Two world champions have played this postion as black:
Rhode-Lasker, Breslau 1909, 0-1; Ragozin-Botwinnik, Moskou 1930,0-1.   
{B}11. Bh6!? fxe4 12. Bxg7 Kf7 13. Bxh8 Qxh8 14. Qh5+ Kf8 15. Nxc6 bxc6 0-1, Reich Thomas (GER) 2356 - Herbrechtsmeier Christof (GER) 2345, Germany 2001)
The 11.Bh6!? variation above has been discussed on the forum. I prepared some improvements to meet this option.
But I’ll wait to reveal them until I’ve had a chance to use them in my corr. games.

9. Nxe4 Be7 10. Bg5,f6 transposes to the game
__
9............  f6
10. Nxe4 Be7

(diagram 3)



11. Bf4.......
                 11. Nxf6?+ gxf6 12. Bxf6 O-O! 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 has made quite a number of victims
                  -  14. Ng5 Bf5 0-1, Keberl - Foltys Jan (CZE), Schiavno Zdroj (Poland) 1950;
                  -   14. c3 Ng6 0-1, Stein(GER) 2340 - Smejkal Jan (CZE) 2525, Germany 1987);
                  11. Bxf6? gxf6 12. Nxf6+ Kf7-+ whithout much compensation
                  11. Bh4!? O-O-+
                         12. c3 dxc3 (g5) 1/2-1/2, Cohn (GER) - Reggio (ITA), Barmen (Germany) 1905
                         12.Qd3 g5 13. Qc4+ (13. Bg3) 13... Kh8 =+ 1-0, Estrada (URU) - Emma (ARG) 1958 
11... ……O-O
12. Qd3
                        12. c3 g5 (12... Be6);
                        12. h3 Be6 13. Qe2 Qd5 (better 13... Re8!) 14. Bxc7 Rac8 =  1-0, Bletz  2284 -   
                       Herbrechtsmeier 2292,1991 
12... g5!N          NEW!
                       12... Kh8 13. Rad1 Bg4 (g5!?) =+ 0-1,
                       Obukhov  (RUS) 2475 - Glianietz(RUS) 2385, Cheliabinsk (Russia) 1990
13. Bc1             Compared to Obukhov-Glanietz white has to lock up his rook on a1
                        White has nothing better than the text move:
                        13. Bg3 g4-+;
                        13. Bd2 g4-+;
                        13. Nfxg5 fxg5 14. Bxg5 Bxg5 15. Qg3 Bf5 16. Nxg5 Kh8-+ 
                                              14. Nxg5 Bxg5 15. Qg3 Rxf4-+!
13... g4
14. Nfd2 f5
15. Ng3 f4
16. Qb3+?!
                          16. Ne2 f3 17. gxf3 Bh4 (or 17... Rf7) with a black attack;
                         16. Nge4!? Qd5 (or  16... Ne5 17. Qb3+ Kh8-+) 
16.........Kh8
17. Nge4
17. ...........  a5!!
                          Black decides to extract some concessions from white before starting
                          an attack with 18…..f3

18. f3

                          18.a4, Ra6! -+(as 19.f3 fails on 19…Rb6 20.Qa2/c4, Nb4  threatening 20….Be6)


18…….a4!
19. Qc4

Black seems to have violated some openings principles: he hasnt developed a piece since move 11!  But look what white has achieved in the meantime: the only positive feature of his position is that he has managed to bring a knight to e4. White’s kingside is rather undefended, while black is set for a pawn storm supported by heavy pieces on the f- and g-line.

(diagram 4)



19. ..........Bh4!


20. Rf1
                     20. Rd1 Qe7-+ 
20... …..Ne5
21. Qc5 Rf5
22. Qa3
22..........Be6! Prevents any freeing moves like b4 and
                     puts the queen out of play (… Be7 is threatened as well)
23. fxg4
                     Alternatives:
                     23. Nc5 Bd5;
                     23. b4 axb3--+ 
23.....Nxg4
                     Now Ng4-e3 looms up;black has the open g-file as well
24. Nf3
                     24. Nc5 Ne3 25. Nxe6 Qg8--+ 
24.......... Bc4
25. Rd1        a last attempt by white to free himself
25…….. c5!
                    Even better than 25…Be7 26.b4,axb3 27.Qb2
                    when white might prolong his resistance by attacking the d-pawn.

(diagram5)


White resigns, he has hardly a usefull move left :
26.c3, Bd5! 27,.Nxc5,Bxf3 28.gxf, Qg8!! --+
26.Nxh4,Qxh4 27.Qh3,Qxh3 28.gxh,Ne3 --+
26.Bd2,Be2 --+


[center] [img]http://www.france-echecs.com/diagramme/imgboard.php?fen=[/img [/center