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chess noob Quick Wins! is a series of short videos, to demonstrate very quick wins! As a beginner, you become aware of the Scholar’s Mate and the Fool’s Mate, but neither of these show up in real games. However, there are tricky quick checkmates and wins that occur, even at the intermediate level of chess.

Today’s game is a beautiful 11-move example of how entering the Vienna Game Main Line for Black, can devastate an attempted Vienna Gambit by White! My subscriber @Oleg_Kovalcuk submitted this amazing game that is 100% accurate, and even has a brilliancy! Let’s go!

My subscriber had the Black pieces, enters the Vienna Game Main Line, and White attempts the Paulsen Attack (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5 4. fxe5 Nxe4 5. Qf3). Usually, I would play the Bardeleben Variation (5… f5) but the alternative move (5… Nc6) is also very very good. The engine gives a slight preference to the Bardeleben Variation, though at high depth, both seem to be equal at [0.00].

One of the possible advantages with (5… Nc6) is that White has only a single good response which is (6. Bb5), pinning the knight to the king. This isn’t entirely obvious, and nor is it obvious that all alternate moves are bad. White responds with a natural-looking (6. Nxe4?!), which is an inaccuracy. Black now plays a powerful tactic in these positions, the queen’s knight leaping to the centre of the board on d4 (6… Nd4). This gives an attack on White’s queen, and on White’s c2-pawn, which comes with an absolute fork of White’s king and a1-rook. As we shall see, this knight becomes the critical piece for the upcoming devastating attack!

White next played (7. Nf6+??), which makes sense from a certain point of view. They were mindful that they would need to give back a knight and playing it this way damages Black’s kingside structure. However, two moves later, we see that the position has transformed such that Black now controls the centre with pawns, is better developed, and White’s queen though developed, is awkwardly placed.

On move 9, White’s queen was about to trapped, but it wasn’t obvious that this were the case. To avoid this, White had to defend their c2-pawn with a piece other than their queen, with the engine finding that that Kd1 was the most accurate move! (though Bd3 is okay as well).

And now, an extremely beautiful move, a brilliant move, (9… Bb4!!); if the queen captures the bishop, then Nxc2+ royal fork! However, notice that the queen has no escape squares that aren’t covered by Black pieces other than e3 and d3. However, of Qe3, once again we have Nxc2+ royal fork! White’s queen escapes to d3, but now (10… Bf5) and the trap snaps shut! White lashes out with a check (11. Qb5+), perhaps hoping for a blunder, but Black doesn’t blunder (11… Nxb5). Emotional damage, GG!

Game: https://www.chess.com/game/live/106475825429

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2024.04.10"]
[Round "-"]
[White "GabTheKebab"]
[Black "Oleg_Kovalcuk"]
[Result "0-1"]
[CurrentPosition "r2qk2r/ppp2p1p/8/1n1ppb2/1b6/5N2/PPPP2PP/R1B1KB1R w KQkq -"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "C29"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Vienna-Game-Main-Line-Paulsen-Attack-5...Nc6"]
[UTCDate "2024.04.10"]
[UTCTime "08:13:55"]
[WhiteElo "1430"]
[BlackElo "1493"]
[TimeControl "600"]
[Termination "Oleg_Kovalcuk won by resignation"]
[StartTime "08:13:55"]
[EndDate "2024.04.10"]
[EndTime "08:17:17"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/106475825429"]
[WhiteUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/86819802.4d20d89c.50x50o.747584ef37ce.png"]
[WhiteCountry "17"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl "https://www.chess.com/bundles/web/images/noavatar_l.84a92436.gif"]
[BlackCountry "141"]
[BlackTitle ""]

1. e4 {[%clk 0:10:00]} 1... e5 {[%clk 0:09:47.4]} 2. Nc3 {[%clk 0:09:57.2]} 2...
Nf6 {[%clk 0:09:45.2]} 3. f4 {[%clk 0:09:55.1]} 3... d5 {[%clk 0:09:43.9]} 4.
fxe5 {[%clk 0:09:53.5]} 4... Nxe4 {[%clk 0:09:42.6]} 5. Qf3 {[%clk 0:09:52.5]
Vienna Game: Main Line, Paulsen Attack} 5... Nc6 {[%clk 0:09:40.9] This is a
very good response to the Paulsen Attack. Normally, I prefer the confrontational
Bardeleben Variation (5... f5), which might be slightly better according to the
engine (though at high depth, the position is likely equal for both lines) so it
was interesting seeing this line. [0.00]} 6. Nxe4 $6 {[%clk 0:09:47.5][%c_arrow
f1b5;keyPressed;none;from;f1;opacity;0.8;to;b5;persistent;false][%c_effect
e4;square;e4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_highlight
b5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b5;persistent;false] The potential
advantage in this line is that it isn't easy to play for White. There is a
single good move, which is Bb5. [-0.4]} 6... Nd4 {[%clk 0:09:28.2] The queen's
knight leaps to the powerful d4 square $1} 7. Nf6+ $4 {[%clk 0:09:18.5][%c_effect
f6;square;f6;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_highlight
f6;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f6;persistent;false,c3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c3;persistent;false][%c_arrow
f3c3;keyPressed;none;from;f3;opacity;0.8;to;c3;persistent;false] White spent 30
seconds calculating this move... I suspect that they were thinking of giving
back the knight, and damaging Black's kingside pawn structure while doing so.
However, this aggressive move was a blunder [-3]. The more prosaic Qc3 is best.}
7... gxf6 {[%clk 0:09:25]} 8. Qc3 $6 {[%clk 0:08:59.2][%c_arrow
f3d1;keyPressed;none;from;f3;opacity;0.8;to;d1;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d1;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d1;persistent;false][%c_effect
c3;square;c3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} 8... fxe5 {[%clk 0:09:19.9] And
Black gains the centre, and a lead in development. White's queen is awkwardly
placed. [-4]} 9. Nf3 $6 {[%clk 0:08:47.8][%c_effect
f3;square;f3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
e1d1;keyPressed;none;from;e1;opacity;0.8;to;d1;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d1;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d1;persistent;false] The tactic isn't
obvious, but White needed to defend the c2-pawn with a piece other than the
queen... [-5.7]} 9... Bb4 $3 {[%clk 0:09:07.3][%c_highlight
b4;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;b4;persistent;false][%c_effect
b4;square;b4;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] Brilliant move $1 Potential bishop
sac winning the queen; if Qxb4, then Nxc2+ royal fork $1 Hidden is that the queen
is trapped $1} 10. Qd3 {[%clk 0:07:57.5]} 10... Bf5 {[%clk 0:09:05.3] The trap now
closes, with Black's d4-knight the centrepiece $1} 11. Qb5+ {[%clk 0:07:42.9]}
11... Nxb5 {[%clk 0:09:03.1][%c_effect
e8;square;e8;type;Winner,e1;square;e1;type;ResignWhite] White's queen lashes out
with a check, perhaps to see whether Black will blunder. They don't. Emotional
damage, GG $1} 0-1