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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 Team Australia clubmate @keitholynch who had the black pieces and pulled the game into a Vienna Game Main Line (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d5). Those of you who follow my channel will know that the Vienna Game is my favourite opening with White, but it does have a relative Achilles’ heel against a well-prepared opponent – the Main Line. The Main Line gives tactical chances and a small advantage to Black in the opening, and if White doesn’t learn how to play the Main Line, it can go very wrong very quickly!

This is what occurred in this game. After (4. fxe5 Nxe4), White only has three good options. The Classical (Nf3), the Modern (d3), or the Paulsen Attack (Qf3). In this game, White decided to trade everything away with (5. Nxe4). Curiously, the chess.com analytic engine calls this an “excellent” move, despite the evaluation falling from [-0.2 → -0.7]. My view is that trading everything away in this manner is almost always a mistake for White in the Vienna Game.

Already on move 6 it is difficult for White to find the only good move – d4. The heuristic to remember is that in the Main Line, White needs to try to hold onto their e5-pawn and control of the centre. If White loses control of the centre, their position often collapses. Instead, White plays an otherwise sensible looking (6. Bc4), but this is a mistake and with an evaluation of [-2.4]! This is the pattern we see in this game – White’s evaluation slips further and further behind with otherwise “okay” looking moves. As before, you must learn how to play the Main Line as a Vienna Game player!

The asymmetry that exists is that Black’s remaining knight can develop normally, and has an attack on White’s e5-pawn. While for White, their remaining knight has their develop square blocked by Black’s e4-pawn. This makes the position much easier for Black to play. White is caught on the defensive against Black’s initiative, with the correct moves very difficult to find.

Move 7, White hangs their e5-pawn [-3.6]. Move 8, White’s best move is to play a “wayward queen” and trade away their bishop for Black’s knight – very unintuitive! Instead, White moved their bishop out of danger and the evaluation slips further [-5]. Move 9, White responds to Black’s provocative bishop by blocking the attack by developing their knight (9. Ne2), but this too was a mistake [-7.3]!

Black then plays (9… exd3), creating semi-opened d-file and a fully-opened e-file. The position is extremely strong for Black and in most lines, White can be forced to trade away their queen to defend against a mating attack. White pushes a flank pawn (10. h3) trying to kick away Black’s light square g4-bishop, which is pinning their knight to the queen. However, this was mistake [-11] as it critically weakens White’s defence of the dark square diagonal to their king. Black strikes with (10… Bxe2), directly attacking White’s king to her face! In this position, White needed to give up the queen, a difficult prospect and so played the understandable (11. Qd2).

However, remember those weak dark squares? Black now has (11… Qh4+) and White resigns as checkmate can only be delayed a single turn with g3. GG!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/98300770991

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2024.01.06"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Jordy_Segers"]
[Black "keitholynch"]
[Result "0-1"]
[CurrentPosition "r3kb1r/ppp2ppp/8/4n3/7q/1B1p3P/PPPQb1P1/R1B1K2R w KQkq -"]
[Timezone "UTC"]
[ECO "C29"]
[ECOUrl "https://www.chess.com/openings/Vienna-Game-Main-Line-4.fxe5-Nxe4"]
[UTCDate "2024.01.06"]
[UTCTime "17:23:03"]
[WhiteElo "1253"]
[BlackElo "1271"]
[TimeControl "600"]
[Termination "keitholynch won by resignation"]
[StartTime "17:23:03"]
[EndDate "2024.01.06"]
[EndTime "17:27:25"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/game/live/98300770991"]
[WhiteUrl "https://www.chess.com/bundles/web/images/noavatar_l.84a92436.gif"]
[WhiteCountry "5"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/112408782.b1572d09.50x50o.fcf86a5507d3.png"]
[BlackCountry "73"]
[BlackTitle ""]

1. e4 {[%clk 0:10:00]} 1... e5 {[%clk 0:10:00]} 2. Nc3 {[%clk 0:09:57.9]} 2...
Nf6 {[%clk 0:09:59.1]} 3. f4 {[%clk 0:09:56.2]} 3... d5 {[%clk 0:09:49.8] Vienna
Game Main Line} 4. fxe5 {[%clk 0:09:54.9]} 4... Nxe4 {[%clk 0:09:48.9]} 5.
Nxe4 $6 {[%clk 0:09:50.9][%c_effect
e4;square;e4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
d1f3;keyPressed;none;from;d1;opacity;0.8;to;f3;persistent;false,g1f3;keyPressed;none;from;g1;opacity;0.8;to;f3;persistent;false,d2d3;keyPressed;none;from;d2;opacity;0.8;to;d3;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d3;keyPressed;shift;opacity;0.8;square;d3;persistent;false,f3;keyPressed;shift;opacity;0.8;square;f3;persistent;false]
The chess.com analytic engine says that this is \"excellent\", but my view is
that this is at least an inaccuracy [-0.2 $37 -0.7]. Trading everything away is
almost always a mistake for White in the Vienna Game.} 5... dxe4 {[%clk
0:09:48.1]} 6. Bc4 $2 {[%clk 0:09:47.2][%c_effect
c4;square;c4;type;Mistake;persistent;true][%c_arrow
d2d4;keyPressed;none;from;d2;opacity;0.8;to;d4;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d4;persistent;false] White needs to
control the centre in the Vienna Game Main Line - this is a mistake [-2.4]} 6...
Nc6 {[%clk 0:09:36.1]} 7. d3 $6 {[%clk 0:08:59.1][%c_effect
d3;square;d3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
d2d4;keyPressed;none;from;d2;opacity;0.8;to;d4;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d4;persistent;false] White needs to
control the centre... this hangs the e-pawn [-3.6]} 7... Nxe5 {[%clk 0:09:29.9]}
8. Bb3 $6 {[%clk 0:08:55.5][%c_effect
b3;square;b3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true][%c_arrow
d1h5;keyPressed;none;from;d1;opacity;0.8;to;h5;persistent;false][%c_highlight
h5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;h5;persistent;false] A very difficult
position for White to navigate. Bb3 seems to make sense, but is slow [-5]} 8...
Bg4 {[%clk 0:09:00.5]} 9. Ne2 $6 {[%clk 0:08:52.6][%c_arrow
d1d2;keyPressed;none;from;d1;opacity;0.8;to;d2;persistent;false][%c_highlight
d2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d2;persistent;false][%c_effect
e2;square;e2;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] Unfortunately, White drifts
further and further into disadvantage [-7.3]} 9... exd3 {[%clk 0:08:35.1]} 10.
h3 $6 {[%clk 0:07:50.3][%c_arrow
b3f7;keyPressed;none;from;b3;opacity;0.8;to;f7;persistent;false][%c_highlight
f7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f7;persistent;false][%c_effect
h3;square;h3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] White is tied up in knots [-11].
This critically weakens the dark squares diagonal to the king...} 10... Bxe2
{[%clk 0:08:27.1]} 11. Qd2 $4 {[%clk 0:07:44.7][%c_arrow
d1e2;keyPressed;none;from;d1;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false,d2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d2;persistent;false][%c_effect
d2;square;d2;type;Blunder;persistent;true] Understandable, but checkmate is now
unavoidable} 11... Qh4+ $1 {[%clk 0:08:11.6][%c_effect
h4;square;h4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true,e8;square;e8;type;Winner,e1;square;e1;type;ResignWhite][%c_highlight
h4;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;h4;persistent;false] White resigns as they
see the end in sight... GG $1} 0-1