Jaenisch Gambit | H-file Tactics!
#ruylopez #jaenischgambit #tactics
The Ruy Lopez Opening is a sharp and aggressive opening for White and I used to dislike playing against it with the Black pieces. However, a tactical idea is that aggressive attacking openings that seemingly run contrary to opening principles (e.g., Scotch Game, Fried Liver Attack) can be vulnerable to an aggressive counterattack. This isn't to say that these openings are bad or refuted. Far from it. The Ruy Lopez is a very good opening. Simply that a move order choice that prioritises attacking chances must have some trade-off, and that usually is in the robustness, or at least, the ease of defence.
For the Ruy Lopez Opening, the potential counterattack is one of my favourite lines, the Jaenisch Gambit. At the beginner-intermediate level few Ruy Lopez players will be familiar with the Jaenisch and gives Black a significant tactical advantage. In this game, my opponent accepted the gambit (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. exf5) which is arguably a mistake as it gives Black the initiative and an evaluation advantage [-0.4].
Consider the position at the end of move 6 after the opening salvos and trades had completed. All of White's remaining pieces are on their starting squares other than their knight, which is unsupported, undefended, and offside on e5. The knight was forced to move a couple of times in the opening. White's other developed pieces - a pawn and their bishop - have evaporated. There is material balance, Black's position is better, and Stockfish gives an evaluation at [-1.1]. This is very good! And on move 7, White has only two good moves, neither of which are especially obvious - d5 and Qe2!
White lashes out with (7. g4) to attack my bishop, but this was a mistake [-2.2]. I don't see the machine line though, but instead, use a tactical idea that is not uncommon in the Jaenisch lines. I dropped by bishop back to g6 and trade my bishop for the opponent's knight. Although this creates doubled pawns on the g-file, it creates a semi-open h-file commanded by my rook. The goal is usually to castle long anyway, so this becomes a long-term tactical resource.
On move 11 as planned, I castle queenside. There's some middlegame manoeuvring where my advantage in development allows me to win some material. White is forced to castle kingside, despite their damaged defences on that side. And then, on move 19, it became apparent that White had a lapse in continuity that the h-file was semi-open! It isn't expected! White defended their h3 pawn with their queen, I capture with the knight, and they recapture with their queen - a blunder! After my rook captures their hanging queen, White resigns having suffered emotional damage. GG!
Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/79678794295
