---

Sometimes after some complicated games, it’s meditative to play and win a nice smooth game of the Vienna Game. I imagine that this is like a Viennese Coffee, strong black espresso with cream!

The game begins with the black coffee of chess, e4-e5, and we enter a Vienna Gambit Declined with d6 (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d6). The usual opening tactic here is to try to take the full centre with Black’s conservative move, so develop the other knight and aim for d4 if possible.

As Black decided to try a four knights approach to the position this made it possible… (5. d4), and after the central trades (5… exd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4), I have very nice central control, okay development, with an okay advantage [+0.5].

We enter the middlegame on move 10 with both of us having castled kingside. The strategy for me is quite simple, attack Black’s kingside position! I played (11. f5) to draw a fence of pawns, closing off the access of Black’s pieces from the kingside. Stockfish thinks that this is inaccurate [0.00] as with perfect play, Black is just fast enough, but they need to play very accurately for that to be the case.

Black expands and attacks down the queenside, but it’s the wrong side. With (12… b4) they attack my knight on c3, but I just one tempo too quick with (13. Bh6). I now have an immediate checkmate threat on g7! Black had to find a difficult to backwards knight move (Ne8) in this position, and they didn’t. They played the otherwise seemingly forced (13. g6) which was a blunder [+4.3] demonstrating that my simple tactical approach worked. I’m even gifted with a brilliancy with (14. fxg6), ostensibly sacrificing my knight on c3. Admittedly, this was an easy move to see as if Black greedily captured the hanging knight, there would be [+M2].

Although they saw this, Black’s king is now hunted, and their defenders are stumbling over themselves. I trade my bishop for Black’s defensive rook. The queen captures back, but this results in their knight being pinned. On move 19, Black makes a terminal mistake. They didn’t appreciate that the f-file was fully open and controlled by my rook. Black, down on material, greedily captures my b-pawn with their bishop, emboldened by the queen-bishop battery down that diagonal. They probably thought that this would win tempo as it chains an attack on my rook on a1. However, this blunders a back rank mate-in-2! I now had (20. Rf8+) and Black immediately resigned. Their only legal move is to sacrifice their queen, with mate the next turn. GG!

The big takeaway from this game is that the simple strategic approach of launching a big attack on Black’s king in the middlegame typically works well in the Vienna Gambit!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/88560736813

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2023.09.15"]
[Round "-"]
[White "vitualis"]
[Black "robmcintosh"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "C28"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Vienna-Game-Falkbeer-Vienna-Gambit-3...d6-4.Nf3"]
[UTCDate "2023.09.15"]
[UTCTime "23:53:06"]
[WhiteElo "1352"]
[BlackElo "1302"]
[TimeControl "900+10"]
[Termination "vitualis won by resignation"]
[StartTime "23:53:06"]
[EndDate "2023.09.16"]
[EndTime "00:04:46"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/88560736813"]
[WhiteUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/3711094.f52a0759.50x50o.ab18600a8723.png"]
[WhiteCountry "17"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/2512028.eb075d7d.50x50o.bcbc031e32ef.jpeg"]
[BlackCountry "2"]
[BlackTitle ""]

1. e4 {[%clk 0:15:10]} 1... e5 {[%clk 0:15:06.9]} 2. Nc3 {[%clk 0:15:16.8]} 2...
Nf6 {[%clk 0:15:13.2]} 3. f4 {[%clk 0:15:25.4] Vienna Gambit} 3... d6 {[%clk
0:15:14.7] Gambit Declined} 4. Nf3 {[%clk 0:15:31]} 4... Nc6 {[%clk 0:15:17.9]}
5. d4 {[%clk 0:15:35.6]} 5... exd4 {[%clk 0:15:23.7]} 6. Nxd4 {[%clk 0:15:42.7]}
6... Nxd4 {[%clk 0:15:31.7]} 7. Qxd4 {[%clk 0:15:51.2] And we end up in a nice
position [+0.5]} 7... c5 $6 {[%clk 0:15:39.3][%c_effect
c5;square;c5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
f8e7;keyPressed;none;from;f8;opacity;0.8;to;e7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false] An inaccuracy that
weakens the light squares around the king} 8. Qd3 {[%clk 0:14:22.7]} 8... Be7
{[%clk 0:15:34.5]} 9. Be2 {[%clk 0:13:59.8]} 9... O-O {[%clk 0:15:41.6]} 10. O-O
{[%clk 0:14:08.8]} 10... a6 {[%clk 0:15:47.1]} 11. f5 $6 {[%clk
0:13:35.5][%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
d3g3;keyPressed;none;from;d3;opacity;0.8;to;g3;persistent;false][%c_highlight
g3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g3;persistent;false] Stockfish calls this
an inaccuracy [0.00] as with perfect play, Black is just quick enough} 11... b5
{[%clk 0:15:51.7]} 12. Qg3 {[%clk 0:13:44.2]} 12... b4 {[%clk
0:15:45.6][%c_arrow
c8b7;keyPressed;none;from;c8;opacity;0.8;to;b7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
b7;keyPressed;shift;opacity;0.8;square;b7;persistent;false]} 13. Bh6 {[%clk
0:13:28.4][%c_arrow
g3g7;keyPressed;none;from;g3;opacity;0.8;to;g7;persistent;false,h6g7;keyPressed;none;from;h6;opacity;0.8;to;g7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
g7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g7;persistent;false] The knight isn't
hanging as there is an immediate checkmate threat} 13... g6 $4 {[%clk
0:15:23.3][%c_arrow
f6e8;keyPressed;none;from;f6;opacity;0.8;to;e8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e8;persistent;false][%c_effect
g6;square;g6;type;Blunder;persistent;true] A blunder [+4.3] $1 The only good move
was the backwards knight move Ne8, which is difficult to see and find.} 14.
fxg6 $3 {[%clk 0:12:35.5][%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]
Stockfish calls this a brilliant move as I'm sacrificing the knight on c3 $1
Admittedly, it wasn't hard to find. The knight still can't be taken as there is
another checkmate threat} 14... fxg6 {[%clk 0:15:26.6]} 15. Bc4+ {[%clk
0:12:25.1]} 15... Kh8 {[%clk 0:15:26.6]} 16. Bxf8 {[%clk 0:12:05.3]} 16... Qxf8 $2
{[%clk 0:15:20.4][%c_arrow
e7f8;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;f8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
f8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f8;persistent;false][%c_effect
f8;square;f8;type;Mistake;persistent;true] An inaccuracy, as this pins the black
knight on f6 to the queen [+5.6]} 17. Nd5 {[%clk 0:12:00.5]} 17... Qg7 $6 {[%clk
0:15:07.5][%c_arrow
c8b7;keyPressed;none;from;c8;opacity;0.8;to;b7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
b7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b7;persistent;false][%c_effect
g7;square;g7;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] An inaccuracy [+6.4]} 18. Nxf6
{[%clk 0:11:03.4]} 18... Bxf6 {[%clk 0:15:13.7]} 19. Qxd6 {[%clk 0:10:05.1]}
19... Bxb2 $4 {[%clk 0:15:08.7][%c_effect
b2;square;b2;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_arrow
f6d4;keyPressed;none;from;f6;opacity;0.8;to;d4;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d4;persistent;false] This blunders [+M2]}
20. Rf8+ {[%clk 0:09:57.4][%c_effect
g1;square;g1;type;Winner,h8;square;h8;type;ResignBlack] GG $1} 1-0