Typical Patterns Everyone Should Know : That vulnerable f7 pawn...
If you ask a chess player what opening is the most dangerous one in the sense that you can lose quickly if you don't know exact moves you are supposed to play, then most probably you'll hear the King's Gambit, the Sicilian Defense or some other notoriously sharp opening. My personal choice would be the Hanham variation of the Philidor defense (1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7). If you read 'My system' by Nimzowitch then you might be surprised by my choice, since the Hanham variation was Nimzowitch's favorite weapon to reach the positions where a long positional struggle ensued. Yet, this variation is a real minefield. We all learn pretty quickly that the f7 pawn is Black's weakest spot in the initial position. I don't know any chess player who hasn't succumbed to the Fool's Mate (Bc4, Qh5 and Qxf7 checkmate) or the Fried Liver Attack. But if you really want to see how the attacks against the f7 square go in the open games, look no further then the Hanham variation! So, today's typical pattern we are going to learn is "combinations and traps on the f7 square".
The first combination/trap happens as early as move four!
