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CHESS UNPLUGGED | Sometimes, I just like to unwind by not thinking too hard, play a couple of quick casual unrated games, while listening to some slow jazz! 😌♟️🎵

I haven’t been playing much chess recently as I’ve been quite busy with work. However, this morning, a cloudy and somewhat drizzly day in Sydney, was the perfect setting for a quick game before beginning the rest of the weekend!

And I had a lovely game indeed! I had the White pieces and managed to get the Vienna Game with (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3), thank you Caïssa, and Black responded with the very natural Falkbeer Variation (2… Nf6) which allows my favourite, the Vienna Gambit (3. f4). 🤩

Now, the single good response to the Vienna Gambit is to enter the Vienna Game Main Line with (3… d5). And here, we can immediately make an educated guess about our opponent. The very fact that they don’t quickly play (3… d5) implies that they’re not familiar with the Vienna Gambit. Which means that even if they find the correct response and enter the Main Line, they won’t know how to play it. The Main Line is relatively complicated.

My opponent found the Main Line, but then immediately blundered the next move, hanging their knight (3… d5 4. fxe5 dxe4??) by making a symmetric pawn exchange. Pretty much, the game was over on turn 5 as Black had lost a knight for no compensation. That said, Black was a good sport and played on, and I need to prove the advantage!

You’d notice that on turn 7 after (6… Qf5), with Black attacking my e4-knight, that I spent almost twenty seconds considering my next move. I was deciding between the more passive d3, which I thought was better from a development perspective, to the more threatening Bd3. As I was making a video (and didn’t want to have to reshoot because I did something dumb), I ended up playing the more passive move, but (7. Bd3) was the better move!

This sets up a potential trap, and it probably would have worked on my opponent. If they played (7… Be7) down this line (like they did in the real game), then (8. Nd6+) with check is a devastating blow, as the knight’s leap forward reveals an attack on Black’s queen with my d3-bishop! I saw this but chickened out! 😅

Nonetheless, the basic strategy of the Vienna Gambit bore fruit, which is rapid development and then a powerful attack on Black’s kingside in the early middlegame. At the end of turn 19, I had a forced checkmate-in-five moves, though I didn’t see the sequence until analysis (see the PGN and board below).

Nonetheless, the tactically logical deflection of Black’s queen’s defence of their f8-rook proved efficient, revealing a much easier to find checkmate-in-two moves. Good game, GG!

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Game: https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/wUCVMfbUa

[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2025.03.08"]
[Round "?"]
[White "vitualis"]
[Black "Random Noob"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "600"]
[WhiteElo ""]
[BlackElo ""]
[Termination "vitualis won by checkmate"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/wUCVMfbUa"]
[WhiteUrl "https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/3711094.f52a0759.100x100o.671ef4f371ed@3x.png"]
[WhiteCountry "17"]
[WhiteTitle ""]
[BlackUrl ""]
[BlackCountry "225"]
[BlackTitle ""]

1. e4 {[%clk 0:09:58.7][%timestamp 13]} 1... e5 {[%clk 0:09:51.5][%timestamp
85]} 2. Nc3 {[%clk 0:09:54.4][%timestamp 43]} 2... Nf6 {[%clk
0:09:47.3][%timestamp 42]} 3. f4 {[%clk 0:09:52.5][%timestamp 19]} 3... d5
{[%clk 0:09:27.1][%timestamp 202] Vienna Game: Main Line. Let's go  $1} 4. fxe5
{[%clk 0:09:50][%timestamp 25]} 4... dxe4 $4 {[%clk 0:09:24.2][%timestamp
29][%c_effect
e4;square;e4;type;Blunder;size;100%25;animated;false;persistent;true][%c_highlight
e4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e4;persistent;false] Even if the beginner
opponent finds the Main Line, it doesn't mean they know how to play it  $1} 5.
exf6 {[%clk 0:09:41.8][%timestamp 82]} 5... Qxf6 {[%clk 0:09:19][%timestamp 52]}
6. Nxe4 {[%clk 0:09:34.8][%timestamp 70]} 6... Qf5 {[%clk 0:09:06][%timestamp
130]} 7. d3 {[%clk 0:09:17.1][%timestamp 177]} 7... Be7 {[%clk
0:08:53.3][%timestamp 127]} 8. Nf3 {[%clk 0:09:15.6][%timestamp 15]} 8... Bb4+
{[%clk 0:08:17.5][%timestamp 358]} 9. c3 {[%clk 0:09:13.8][%timestamp 18]} 9...
Ba5 {[%clk 0:08:03.7][%timestamp 138]} 10. Be2 {[%clk 0:09:09.1][%timestamp 47]}
10... Nc6 {[%clk 0:07:53.3][%timestamp 104]} 11. O-O {[%clk
0:09:06.9][%timestamp 22]} 11... O-O {[%clk 0:07:51.7][%timestamp 16]} 12. Nd4
{[%clk 0:08:43.7][%timestamp 232]} 12... Qe5 {[%clk 0:07:26.3][%timestamp 254]}
13. Nxc6 {[%clk 0:08:40.5][%timestamp 32]} 13... bxc6 {[%clk
0:07:03.1][%timestamp 232]} 14. Bf4 {[%clk 0:08:38.4][%timestamp 21]} 14... Qe7
{[%clk 0:06:37.2][%timestamp 259]} 15. Bh5 {[%clk 0:08:08.2][%timestamp 302]}
15... f5 {[%clk 0:06:16][%timestamp 212]} 16. Ng5 {[%clk 0:07:47.9][%timestamp
203]} 16... Bb6+ {[%clk 0:05:46.5][%timestamp 295]} 17. Kh1 {[%clk
0:07:46.2][%timestamp 17]} 17... Rf6 {[%clk 0:05:27][%timestamp 195]} 18. Re1
{[%clk 0:07:36.3][%timestamp 99][%c_arrow
e1e8;keyPressed;none;from;e1;opacity;0.8;to;e8;persistent;false,h5e8;keyPressed;none;from;h5;opacity;0.8;to;e8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
e8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e8;persistent;false] Back rank winning
tactic  $1} 18... Qc5 {[%clk 0:04:50.9][%timestamp 361]} 19. Re8+ {[%clk
0:07:23.2][%timestamp 131]} 19... Rf8 {[%clk 0:04:22.3][%timestamp 286]
Checkmate-in-5 from this position} 20. d4 $6 {[%clk 0:06:52][%timestamp
312][%c_effect
d4;square;d4;type;Inaccuracy;size;100%25;animated;false;persistent;true] I
didn't see Bf7+ as a forced checkmate yet, so opted to dislodge Black's queen
from c5} (20. Bf7+ {[%c_arrow
f7g8;keyPressed;none;from;f7;opacity;0.8;to;g8;persistent;false,g5f7;keyPressed;none;from;g5;opacity;0.8;to;f7;persistent;false,e8f8;keyPressed;none;from;e8;opacity;0.8;to;f8;persistent;false,f8g8;keyPressed;none;from;f8;opacity;0.8;to;g8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g8;persistent;false,f7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f7;persistent;false]
This is the checkmate line. I didn't see it in the game as I thought that
Black's queen defending f8 would prevent it.} 20... Kh8 {Forced move} 21. Qh5
{[%c_arrow
h5h7;keyPressed;none;from;h5;opacity;0.8;to;h7;persistent;false,g5h7;keyPressed;none;from;g5;opacity;0.8;to;h7;persistent;false,f7g8;keyPressed;none;from;f7;opacity;0.8;to;g8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
h7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;h7;persistent;false,g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g8;persistent;false]}
21... h6 22. Qg6 {[%c_arrow
g6h7;keyPressed;none;from;g6;opacity;0.8;to;h7;persistent;false,g5h7;keyPressed;none;from;g5;opacity;0.8;to;h7;persistent;false,f7g8;keyPressed;none;from;f7;opacity;0.8;to;g8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
h7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;h7;persistent;false,g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g8;persistent;false]
There are now multiple checkmate threats.} 22... hxg5 {Black can't capture
as...} 23. Qh5# {[%c_arrow
h5h8;keyPressed;none;from;h5;opacity;0.8;to;h8;persistent;false,f7g8;keyPressed;none;from;f7;opacity;0.8;to;g8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
h8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;h8;persistent;false,h7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;h7;persistent;false,g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g8;persistent;false]})
20... Qb5 $4 {[%clk 0:04:13.3][%timestamp 90][%c_arrow
c5c4;keyPressed;none;from;c5;opacity;0.8;to;c4;persistent;false][%c_highlight
c4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c4;persistent;false,b5;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b5;persistent;false][%c_effect
b5;square;b5;type;Blunder;size;100%2525;animated;false;persistent;true] It
worked, and this blunders checkmate-in-2} 21. Bf7+ {[%clk 0:06:09][%timestamp
430][%c_arrow
g5f7;keyPressed;none;from;g5;opacity;0.8;to;f7;persistent;false,f7g8;keyPressed;none;from;f7;opacity;0.8;to;g8;persistent;false,e8g8;keyPressed;none;from;e8;opacity;0.8;to;g8;persistent;false][%c_highlight
f7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;f7;persistent;false,g8;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;g8;persistent;false]
Black's rook is pinned in place} 21... Kh8 {[%clk 0:03:32.5][%timestamp 408]
Forced move} 22. Rxf8# {[%clk 0:06:06.9][%timestamp 21][%c_effect
h1;square;h1;type;Winner;animated;true,h8;square;h8;type;CheckmateBlack;animated;true]
Love checkmate on the back rank  $1} 1-0