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Balogh Counter Gambit - Part 1 by IM-CC Keith R Hayward
When it comes to chess openings, I prefer to play less popular, less traveled lines. For over two decades, I have mostly played the Bird’s Opening, the Dutch Defense, and the French Defense, which are all well known, solid openings. These are my more solid, sane opening choices. However, I must confess I have a passion for opening study and experimenting. Recently I have been experimenting (again) with the Balogh Counter Gambit against 1.e4. Did he say the Balogh Counter Gambit?? What is that? Well, play starts out like a Pirc Defense,
1.e4 d6 2.d4 and now instead of 2…Nf6, Black plays the shocking 2…f5!?, ECO code
B07.
I first saw the BCG mentioned in Richard Wincor’s book “Baroque Chess Openings”. A whimsical book on less traveled opening lines with the idea of engaging battle on one’s own terms. The book does make an interesting point. One can play less forceful openings that offer soundness and surprise value in return for more frequently getting known lines/positions. I have experimented with the BCG off and on for a couple decades. During that time, I have also made a hobby of collecting BCG games and analysis. Highlights of my collection is analysis done by US Correspondence Champion Jon Edwards, and a 1934 article written by Janos Balogh, himself, in “Wiener Schachzeitung”. I'll write more on Janos Balogh in the future. If you are lucky enough to find a BCG referenced in an opening book (not in MCO14 nor NCO) the analysis line usually runs 1.d4 f5 2.e4 d6 3.exf5 Bxf5 4.Qf3 Qc8 5.Bd3 Bxd3 (5…Bg4 is better) 6.Qxd3 with a clear plus for White.
Credit is usually given to Max Euwe. Some Dutch Defense books will go one step further and reference the game, M Euwe – H Weenink, Amsterdam 1923, as a confirmation of clear plus assessment. However, further play in that game (click here to follow this game on a javascript board): 6…Nc6 7.Nf3 e6 8.0–0 Qd7 9.c4 0–0–0 10.Re1 Nf6 11.Bd2 Re8 12.Na3 Be7 13.b4 (13.d5? Ne5 14.Nxe5 dxe5 15.Rxe5 exd5 16.cxd5 Bxa3 A. Gillam) 13…Rhf8 14.b5 Nd8 15.Nc2 Nh5 16.a4 g5 17.a5 g4 18.Ng5 d5 19.b6! cxb6 20.axb6 a6 21.c5! Bxg5! 22.Bxg5 Nc6 23.Reb1! Qg7? (23...e5!? 24.dxe5 unclear A. Gillam) 24.Be3 Kd7 25.Nb4 Nxb4 26.Rxb4 Rc8 27.Rxa6 bxa6 28.b7 Rb8 29.Qxa6 Qe7 30.Bg5 Qxg5 31.Qd6+ Ke8 32.Qxb8+ Kf7 33.Qxf8+ Kxf8 34.b8Q+ 1–0, shows Black was not without chances. In fact, White’s play was hardly impressive. If the BCG is so sound, why do most grandmasters shy away from playing it? Well, I did find one grandmaster that played the BCG from the Black side, by transposition (Click here to follow this game on a javascript board): E Bogoljubow – S Tartakower, Nottingham 1936 1.Nf3 f5 2.e4 d6 3.exf5 Bxf5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bd3 Qd7 6.c4 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Re1 Bg4 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Nc6 12.d5 Ne5 13.Qd1 Rae8 14.Be2 e6 15.f4 Nf7 16.Qb3 e5 17.Qxb7 exf4 18.Bxf4 Rb8 19.Qxa7 Rxb2 20.Qa3 Rbb8 21.Rf1 Ra8 22.Qb3 Qe7 23.Rae1 Ne5 24.Qc2 Rfe8 25.Nb5 Nf7 26.Kh2 Qd7 27.a4 Re7 28.Bd3 Rxe1 29.Rxe1 Nh5 30.g3 Nxf4 31.gxf4 Bh6 32.Re4 Qd8 33.Nd4 Qf6 34.Ne6 Rb8 35.Qg2 Rb2 36.Be2 Ra2 37.Qg4 Qf5 38.Qxf5 gxf5 39.Re3 Ne5 40.Rg3+ Ng6 41.Rg2 Rxa4 42.Bd3 Kf7 43.Bxf5 Nh4 44.Bc2 Rxc4 45.Rf2 Ng6 46.Kg3 ½–½ Playing the BCG is certainly living life on the edge and not for the faint of heart! I make no claim the BCG is fully sound. And maybe it is best used in speed chess or at least non-serious events. Nonetheless, the BCG is a lot of fun to play! Vanity requires me to show one of my own games. The following game is one of my favorites due to the unusual queen rook maneuver. Click here to follow this game on a javascript board. E Sawyer – K Hayward, 96K1 APCT, 1996 1.e4 d6 2.d4 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4!? Principled move attacking the weak white squares. Better is 4.Bd3, then 4...fxe4 5.Nxe4 Nxe4 6.Bxe4 g6!? is my current preference for Black. 4...fxe4 5.Bg5 d5 6.Bxf6 dxc4! 7.Be5 Bf5 8.Qe2 Nc6 9.0–0–0 e6 10.Nxe4 Qd5 11.f3 0–0–0 Black has emerged for the opening with a good position. 12.Nh3 Nb4!? [Safer for Black is 12...Bxh3 13.gxh3 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Qxe5 15.Rxd8+ Kxd8 16.Rd1+ Bd6 17.Qxc4 with a roughly even position. Instead Black looks to provoke weaknesses around White's king position.] 13.Nf4 Qc6 14.a3 Nd5 15.c3 Qa4 Going straight for the weak white squares. Now the sacrifice of ...Bxa3 is a serious threat. 16.g4 Nxf4 17.Bxf4 Bg6 18.Rhe1 Rd5! An interesting attacking idea. The rook heads to b5 so that after ...Bxa3 the White queen cannot block on b2 after a ...Qxa3+ follow-up. 19.h4 Bxa3 20.bxa3 Rb5! 21.Bd6 Desperation. 21.Qa2 holds out longer. 21...Rb3! An amazing journey for the rook. 22.Bb4 a5! 23.Nd6+ Kb8! 24.Nxc4 axb4 0–1 White loses material due to the threat of ...Rxc3+. One of my more interesting attacking games. Interested in seeing more? Next article we will look at some of Janos Balogh’s games.
Please provide me feedback on this article, and / or ideas for future opening article subjects. Remember, none of that main line theory! <smile> Good Chess!! Keith Hayward
Part 2 - Janos Balogh, the Man
and His Games Click here to
return to The Road Not Taken index. |
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