e2e4 wrote on 07/03/07 at 06:47:35:


I agree with Markovich that the Scotch 4N is a much better choice for young players than what I call the "Straight Scotch". It is very difficult for a coach to explain to a youngster the rationale behind the currently most "cutting edge" lines of the Straight Scotch:

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Bc5 5 Nxc6 Qf6 6 Qd2 and 6 Qf3.

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 e5 Qe7 7 Qe2.

It is hard to reconcile these with basic principles. Good pedagogy is surely to teach the rules before the exceptions!

e2e4 wrote on 07/03/07 at 06:47:35:


Which version of the Scotch is "pure?"  The Mieses Variation was once considered a weird sideline.  But more substantively, my own opinion is that the Scotch Four Knights embodies much simpler, and more classical, principles than the Mieses Variation.  The latter gives rise to positions that Grandmasters have struggled to understand.

But white wins it back later on or not ?    
The pawn on b7 is attacked.

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I discovered 10...f5 which might be a really good move (11.g3 g5).

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16.Qe4 was already played but 16...f5 is new according to my database. After 17.exf6 white might be slightly better due to pair of bishops in an open position.
12.Qc2 and 12.Qa4 are interesting too.

Sorry for being lazy Here is the game :

[Event "PAL/CSS Freestyle semifinals"]
[Site "playchess.com"]
[Date "2005.06.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Cramton, S & Stephen (=zacks)"]
[Black "Kosyrev, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2005.06.18"]
[SourceDate "2005.06.20"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. c3 Nf6 6. e5 d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4
Bb6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O!? [10.Nc3] Bg4 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qc1! f5 13. Nc3 f4 14. Bxf4 Bxf3
15. gxf3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Rf5 17. Be3 Qh4 18. Kh1 c5 19. Rg1 cxd4 20. Rg4 Qh3 21.
Rg3 Qh5 22. cxd4 Rxf3 23. Qc6 Rd8 24. Rg5 Qf7 25. Rag1 g6 26. e6 Qe7 27. Rxg6+
hxg6 28. Qc2 Rf6 29. Rxg6+ Rxg6 30. Qxg6+ Qg7 31. e7 Rb8 32. e8=Q+ Rxe8 33.
Qxe8+ Qf8 34. Qxf8+ Kxf8 35. Kg2 Kf7 36. Kf3 c6 37. Kg4 Kf6 38. h4 a6 39. h5
Ba7 40. f4 Bb6 41. f5 Kf7 42. h6 Bd8 43. Bf4 1-0

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12.Qc2 is better and more natural here. After 12...Qe8 white plays 13.Nc3. If black does not show something now he will later suffer from his inferior pawn structure.

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Indeed interesting ! If white wants to fight for an advantgae he has to play 12.Bxc6. Critical seems to be now 12...bxc6 13.gxf3 Qh4 Now 14.Bf4!? was the only way I could find to avoid perpetual check. Very difficult position of course... However, after I analysed this I think white can achieve a small advantage after some more precise moves.

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Your position can only be better if you play (later) f6 and force me to take there.
But 11...Ne7 is interesting, black can think about Nf5 and c7-c5 later. Your ideas are always welcome ! (c7-c6 is welcome, too, the best place for my white-colored bishop is d3 )

If you want to find something new and intersting in openings, I can just recommend to study Zacks games. He (or his team) is one of the very few freestyle players who play their own kind of chess instead of being just a slave of rybka.

Beside 10.0-0 the move 10.Nc3 is also an intersting option for white. Botterill suggested for black: 10...f6 . Now white should play 11.Qb3. Here "11...Ba5!?" was mentioned. However after 12.0-0 white's advantage is quite obvious in my view.
Botterill suggested too 10...Bg4. White has some possibilities now. One of them is 11.h3 Bh5 12.Qb3 and now 12...Bxf3 13.gxf3 Ng5 and - + according to Botterill, if I read this correctly.
 
14.0-0-0 is the natural move now and I thnik it gives white good chances.

I do not know who this Botterill is, but his analyses do not convince at all. He just suggests bad moves for white. Of course black gets an advantage then  

After 8...Bb6, white can try 9.Be3 0-0 10.0-0 Bg4 11.Qc1! ... not easy to prove equality here for black. Even GM Kosyrev failed to prove this in a freestyle game and lost (against Zacks).
This is just one of several intersting possibilities for white.

Maybe this time I should suggest something for white

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 [3...Nf6 4.d4 or 4.Ng5] 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4

And now, how to equalize with black ?  

Suggestions are welcome.

This line was played by Zacks (winner of the first freestyle tournament) who beated GM Kosyrev with it.