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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 from my mate @benhunt72 who played a beautiful game with the Black pieces using an “f-pawn” gambit. Now, both Ben and I love these gambits – the most famous of which is probably the Vienna Gambit with the White pieces. I’ve recently gone through the entire list of named chess openings and identified all named opening positions defined by an f-pawn push, that is, f4 for White and f5 for Black. As a sneak peak, there’s NINETY-NINE openings and this will be the subject of a future article by me, and a further collab project between me and Ben!

In this game, White played the Italian Game, and Black plays the immediate f5, the Rousseau Gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5). This does immediately cede some objective advantage to White according to the engine [+1.4], but it’s very tricky and the Lichess community database identifies that Black has a win ratio advantage for both lower- and higher-rated players!

White doesn’t give into the gambit provocation and plays a solid (4. d3) and Black develops a bishop to the normal square (4… Bc5). This transposes into another f5 gambit, the Lucchini Gambit in the Giuoco Pianissimo line; imagine the Giuoco Pianissimo was played first and then, bam, f5!

This was a game of blitz and White now launches the knight attack with (5. Ng5) with the tactical pattern of the Fried Liver. However, after (5… f4), known as the Dubois Variation of the Lucchini Gambit, continuing down the Fried Liver Attack is a mistake as White has all the ingredients for a strong and credible kingside attack.

White leaps boldly forwards with (6. Nf7) and perhaps only now realises their relative mistake after (6… Qh4). Suddenly, the Black queen and bishop on c5 are staring at the weak f-pawn on f2 – an immediate mate threat! The pawn on f4, seemingly oddly placed only a couple of moves ago, appears like genius as White responding with g3 looks wrong (even though that is technically the best move). White castles short to get out of the immediate check and give the f-pawn the rook as a defender. Logical. Black brings in another attacker (7… Nf6).

Now, White makes a critical blunder with (8. g3) – they probably lost sight of continuity that the f-pawn is pinned to the king and so there aren’t two defenders to the g-pawn on g3. On high depth, Stockfish identifies a forced checkmate in 16-moves. However, this involves a pretty obvious requirement that White will need to sacrifice their queen for Black’s knight to avoid an immediate mate. White realises that it’s hopeless and resigns defeated on move 8. GG!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/97525170645

[Event "Live Chess"]

[Site "Chess.com"]

[Date "2023.12.28"]

[Round "-"]

[White "Begamot"]

[Black "benhunt72"]

[Result "0-1"]

[Timezone "UTC"]

[ECO "C50"]

[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Giuoco-Piano-Game-Giuoco-Pianissimo-Lucchini-Dubois-Variation"]

[UTCDate "2023.12.28"]

[UTCTime "17:53:24"]

[WhiteElo "1484"]

[BlackElo "1548"]

[TimeControl "300"]

[Termination "benhunt72 won by resignation"]

[StartTime "17:53:24"]

[EndDate "2023.12.28"]

[EndTime "17:55:57"]

[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/97525170645"]

[WhiteUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/51109184.608ef1e5.50x50o.e4463a7cff50.jpeg"]

[WhiteCountry "2"]

[WhiteTitle ""]

[BlackUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/37392096.ee41e75f.50x50o.d2f92453760f.png"]

[BlackCountry "164"]

[BlackTitle ""]



1. e4 {[%clk 0:04:58.2]} 1... e5 {[%clk 0:04:59.6]} 2. Nf3 {[%clk 0:04:57.2]}

2... Nc6 {[%clk 0:04:59.2]} 3. Bc4 {[%clk 0:04:56]} 3... f5 $5 {[%clk

0:04:58.6][%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;Interesting;persistent;true] A very

tricky \"f5\" gambit immediately against the Italian Game, the Rousseau Gambit

[+1.4]} 4. d3 {[%clk 0:04:49.8] Not giving in to the provocation and defending

with d3 is White's best response $1} 4... Bc5 {[%clk 0:04:55.7] This now

transposes into the Lucchini Gambit (another \"f5\" gambit) - imagine the game

going down the Giuoco Pianissimo line first, and then f5 $1} 5. Ng5 {[%clk

0:04:40.4][%c_arrow

b1c3;keyPressed;none;from;b1;opacity;0.8;to;c3;persistent;false][%c_highlight

c3;keyPressed;shift;opacity;0.8;square;c3;persistent;false] White pushes a

knight attack - in a similar style to the Fried Liver. This is intemperate and

White's best move was to simply play solid by developing their other knight...

[+1.4 $37 +0.6]} 5... f4 {[%clk 0:04:52.6] A potentially unexpected move, but it

is the best move for Black - this is the Dubois Variation in the Lucchini

Gambit} 6. Nf7 $6 {[%clk 0:04:09.2][%c_effect

f7;square;f7;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] This is an inaccuracy/mistake.

Curiously, low depth Stockfish thinks that White still has an advantage, but at

higher depth, realises that Black has now taken the evaluation lead [-0.2].}

6... Qh4 $1 {[%clk 0:04:51][%c_effect h4;square;h4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]

Great move, and notice how the f-pawn on f4 now seriously threatens White's

kingside in the attack with the Black queen and bishop $1} 7. O-O $6 {[%clk

0:04:07][%c_effect g1;square;g1;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow

g2g3;keyPressed;none;from;g2;opacity;0.8;to;g3;persistent;false][%c_highlight

g3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g3;persistent;false] Inaccurate [-0.4]}

7... Nf6 {[%clk 0:04:47.4]} 8. g3 $4 {[%clk 0:03:07.6][%c_effect

g3;square;g3;type;Blunder;persistent;true] A blunder $1 White didn't notice that

their f-pawn is pinned. At high depth there is a long line of checkmate [-M16],

but this involves White trading their queen away for Black's knight to delay

mate.} 8... fxg3 {[%clk 0:04:45.6][%c_effect

e8;square;e8;type;Winner,g1;square;g1;type;ResignWhite] White realises that it's

hopeless and resigns. GG $1} 0-1