Double Check MAGIC in the Vienna Gambit!

Double Check MAGIC in the Vienna Gambit!

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In the Vienna Gambit, it is sometimes possible to rapidly launch an attack down the f-file - a strategy that create overwhelming pressure.  As an example, I won this game by checkmate in 11 moves!  This was a 10+5 rapid game on Lichess that started with the Vienna Gambit, declined by d6 (1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 d6).  I developed my other knight behind the f-pawn (4. Nf3) and Black immediately played the aggressive (4... Bg4), pinning my knight to the queen.

I decided to ignore the bishop for now and developed my light square bishop (5. Bc4).  Stockfish considered this an inaccuracy, but my goal was to set up an attack down the f-file.  Black plays a slow waiting move (5... c6) and this gives me the extra boost in tempo that I needed!  The final set up, short castles (6. O-O) and now I have the bishop, rook, and knight (after a forward jump), all targeting f7!

On move 7, I strike (7. Bxf7+)!  Stockfish calls this move a straight up blunder [-2.77], but I've put in the notation (!?) in the PGN.  Black is forced to capture the bishop, which now gives me the turn to open the f-file (7... Kxf7 8. fxe5) and now attacking the knight.  On move 8, Black had to find one of two moves where it retains its advantage, either (8... Bxf3) or (8... Qb6+) - all other moves are immediately excellent for White.  Black doesn't find these moves and instead moves their knight out of the attack (8... Nh5).  This seemingly harmless move was a catastrophic blunder [+8.16] due to the magic of double check!

Checks are normally considered the most forcing moves.  The king cannot stay in check, and so the response must be to block the check with a piece, move the king out of check, or the capture the checking piece.  Double check is even MORE forcing as it is not possible to block the check, nor escape check through capture.  Usually, a king move is the only option.

So in this game, the seemingly impossible becomes possible through double check.  My knight which was pinned to the queen, was able to SAFELY escape that pin by landing on a square that is defended by enemy pieces (9. Ng5+)!  The king must move out of double check (9... Kg8) and my queen now springs off its starting square, activating by capturing the light square bishop (10. Qxg4).

Black, flustered by unexpected turn of events captures my seemingly hanging knight and hangs a mate in 1.  GG!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/3RUH13KBXL 

Hi!  I'm vitualis, the chess noob, and I run the "Adventures of a Chess Noob" YouTube channel and blog.  I'm learning and having fun with chess! 

I restarted playing chess recently after my interest was rekindled by the release of "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix.  I mostly play 1 or 2 games a day, and am trying to improve (slowly!).  I document some of my games and learning experiences on my blog and YouTube channel from the perspective of a beginner-intermediate player!


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