Steinitz Attack: A Commanding Beginner's Opening
Recently I have become fascinated with the Petrov's Defense, a seemingly uncommon chess opening that is as dominant as it is unique. In fact, according to Chess.com's opening database, the Petrov's Defense has been played just 16,323 times, which may seem like a large number until you realize over 100 million games have been played on chess.com. So, it's fair to say the Petrov Defense is already a unique variation that your opponent won't necessarily be familiar with.
Then, in comes the Steinitz Attack, a variation of the Petrov's Defense that's bound to blow your socks off. After 1. e4, e5 2. f3, f6, white may be inclined to take the pawn on e5, which is known as the Petrov's Defense: Classical Variation. In fact, this is without the most overwhelming next move for white, as it's been played almost 16,000 times after the Petrov Defense opening.
It's safe to say if you get in the Petrov's Defense opening, odds are your opponent's expecting e5x next, so why not mix it up?
Instead of e5x, white can play d4 with the queen's pawn, seemingly giving black a free pawn. Played just over 3,000 times in a database of over 100 million games, 3. d4 starts the Steinitz Attack of the Petrov's Defense, a dubious variation of an already uncommon opening.
Take a look:
Of course, a free pawn is a free pawn. Why would black not take on d4? If white snaps back and takes with nd4x, black can just take yet another pawn on e4, with ne4x. If white takes with Qd4, black is still up a pawn with better development.
So how can this be theory?
Because white doesn't take back on d4, rather, delivering the vicious e5.
The pressure e5 puts on black's knight forces a decision; does black move his knight back or forward? Any decent chess theory will teach you ng8 would be a poor move, so ultimately ne4 is black's best theoretical move, putting the knight back in the center and avoiding a disastrously blunder from f7x.
So far so good for black, right?
Think again. Now is the chance for white to win back that pawn we lost earlier, and take a commanding control over the crucial center of the board. With Qd4x, we take back the pawn, take control of the center, and attack black's knight on e4. Once again, black is forced to move his knight. In just 5 moves, white has taken full control of the center and effectively bullied black's knight around the board.
In this position, chess.com has categorized just 464 games, yet if played correctly, black's moves are almost entirely forced by white, ultimately evening the score and taking the center with momentum and superior tempo.
In this position, black's best and book move is d5, defending the knight on e4 and taking a center square.
AND HERE WHERE IT GETS FUN.
The crushing d4x en passant wins the pawn and stops black's push for the center.
What other opening do you get to do en passant?
Now, right now, we can all just put our pen's and paper's down and bow down to the superior Petrov's Defense: Steinitz Attack, an opening that let's white take control of the center and use en passant to stop black dead in their tracks.
Of course, black's best and still book move is Nxd6, taking back the pawn, but also retreating the knight once again and having absolutely no development six moves in. From here, white can continue their development with Nc3, finishing their command of the center and walking away with the joy of knowing they've bullied black's knight around the board.
The Petrov's Defense, an already rarely played opening reimagined by Wilhem Steinitz uniquely takes control of the center and leave's black thinking; "what the heck just happened?"
Thank you for reading my blog entry on the Steinitz Attack, I truly hope you enjoyed it. I want to give a special thank you to my friends over at Beginners & Masters, my teaching club where over 100 members gather together daily to talk and improve their chess. A special thank you to @DaBabyBurner and @icyboyyy for helping me learn and understand the Steinitz Attack!
If you'd like to take a look at our Opening Theory Database, you can check it out here.
