Aggressive Chess Opening Discussion #23: King's Gambit Series: King's Gambit Accepted

As mentioned in my last post, today I'll be going over theory: short and long-term ideas for white and black (after move 20 for both players), the engine's best choice for both sides, and last but not least, some games played by masters! Today I'll be going over the move 3...Nf6, which is the so called "King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Cozio Defense". The opening moves begin with: 1.e4 ...e5 2.f4 ...exf4 3.Bc4 ...Nf6. Just to show you all what it looks on board for those who can't picture what the opening looks like, here is it:

*Theory: This is the mainline of the Cozio Defense in the King's Gambit. 3...Nf6 main purpose is to keep pressure on white with the extra pawn advantage and just continue with development. It also helps prepare the moved d5 in some lines. White can't really ignore this pawn, since they already gave up another pawn, so 4.Nc3 is the move to be played. Other moves such as 4.d3 opens up a possibility for the bishop to recapture the f4 pawn, but this is just being passive and lacks control of the center and simply allows black to counter attack in the center. 4.Qe2 develops the queen too early and doesn't prevent black's immediate d5. Black doesn't even have to play d5 now, since it's a bit too slow, but instead black can play the immediate crushing developing move 4...Bc5 This move stops d4 and keeps white stuck in the center for just a bit longer. Now white will have a lot of problems playing d4 since that bishop on c5 is really an annoying piece. 4.e5 again just wasting time, it does gain a tempo on the knight, but black doesn't have to move the knight, but instead again play d5, countering white's bishop and again, black will have a better game. Nc3 Simply just defending the pawn and helping control d5 ideas from black.  The position is known as Bogoljubov Variation. Black will have to allow white a strong center at the moment, but in the meantime, black has time to strike at white's center with this prep moves. After 4...c6 the book moves have ended. Again black continues with their plan of expanding in the center and attacking at white's center. 2 main moves for white (in theory): 5.Bb3 or d4. Both of these are equally fine to play. Let's look at the move 5.Bb3.

5.Bb3 anticipates the move d4, so white decides to move the bishop to avoid any tempo lost. 5...d5 as planned, black strikes in the center and now will have a nice central pawn. White should take the pawn unless the player wants to have a bad bishop. 6.exd5 6...cxd5 7.d4, with this move, white has their own space in the center and opens up an attack on the f4 pawn. As you can see in this position, white is still down a pawn, but they will eventually get the pawn back. Both players have central space with their d5 pawns. White is putting pressure on both d5 and f4. It isn't possible to defend both of those pawns. So Black needs to continue to develop and can place the dark square bishop on 2 possible squares: b4 and d6. Both of these squares are active places for the bishop and it's all up to preference for the player. Let's take a look at Bb4 first.

After 7...Bb4, this move pins the c3 knight and relieves the pressure on d5, but allows white to regain their pawn. I mean, there is nothing better for white to do but to regain their pawn. 8.Bxf4, just regains the pawn and pretty much gains equality. Black is slightly better in this position, but I believe that this position will inevitably be a draw. Now from here, I'll let the engines evaluate since Ne4 is the most popular move played by humans and is considered a slow move by the engines, which I can agree it is a slow move, because black needs to castle to avoid any complications from white. So from here on, these moves are recommended by the engine.

*Engines Recommendation: 8...O-O is logical move, putting the king on a safer square to avoid any complications from white. 9.Nf3, with this move, white is close to castling, finishing development, and having a pleasant position to play, since black has more weaknesses: is behind in development and has their d5 weakness, Black has to prevent white from castling by complicating matters, starting with the move 9...a5. Which comes with an obvious threat of trapping the light squared bishop, so 10.a4 is best. Now comes 10...Re8+ again black has to complicate matters to prevent white from castling. 11.Be5, both Be5 and Ne5 are both fine, but I prefer just playing Be5. Again, black complicates matters by preventing white from castling again with the move 11...Ng4. You might be thinking "Actually I can castle, how is Ng4 such a big threat that prevents me from castling?" Well, if white castles here, then you lose the exchange, for example, (12.O-O ...Bxc3 13.bxc3 ...Ne3) losing the exchange and the game. The knight is a huge problem in this position, so it has to be kicked away. 12.h3 forcing the knight to capture the bishop. 12...Nxe5 13.dxe5. Again, white is close to castling, so black complicates matters even further with 13...Qb6 just preventing black from castling. 14.Qd3, it doesn't take the pawn immediately since white would allow black to continue development with a tempo on the queen. White just wants to castle and brings the queen to a good central square. Black again complicates matters even further with a calm developing move 14...Nd7, with the idea that the queen is on d3 and black would like to get a tempo on the queen from c5.  15.Qxd5 Now white takes the d5 pawn since it doesn't come with tempo anymore and with the huge threat of Qxf7. Black plays a tricky move 15...Nxe5!. The idea? Using the fact that white is still in the center. So that knight is poisonous piece. If white takes the piece, well here is how the line is forced (16.Nxe5?! 16...Bd6! 17.Qe4 17...Bxb3 18.cxb3 18...Rac8) with white being unable to castle, black has a better. White has to castle now to avoid any complications. 16.O-O-O. 16...Be6! Again black complicates matters even further by getting rid of the light squared bishop 17.Qxe5, there is no better square for the queen. 17...Bxb3 18.Qd4, hoping for a queen exchange, because now that black has the bishop pair in an open position, white needs to exchange queens. The queens will come off the board but on black's terms. 18...Qh6+. Kd1 is playable, but it leads into too much complications from black, so white has to play 19.Qd2 again just hoping for an exchange. Now here comes a tactical sequence 19...Re2!, using the fact that pins are displayed everywhere on the queen and the rook can never be captured by the knight because the queen is under attack. The queen is still pinned to black's queen on h6. White hopes to win the exchange with 20.Qxh6, but before black recaptures, comes an intermezzo move with 20...Rxc2 Black regains their pawn, but at a cause of the king side weakness.

My Positional View: Black has a better position to play, because 1, the position has opened up for the bishops to target white's king on the queen side and rook is already on the second rank having targets. White has 2 knights and less active rooks. This will be a hard position to play for white.

This position will hard to play with 2 knights against a bishop pair.

*Theory: Black doesn't have to play Bb4, but instead can play 7...Bd6, just trying to hold to the f4 pawn. White plays 8.Nge2 just putting more attackers on the f4. There is no point in trying to protect the pawn any further, so black castles. I honestly don't like the main move castles for white because it allows black to hold on to the f4 pawn. So my preference would be to play 9.Bxf4, just regaining the pawn and holding a playable position.

*Engines Recommendation: Now after taking the pawn, black might try to complicate things, but in the end white will hold the position and have an equal if not better position. 9...Bxf4 is best. Just trying to keep white in the center. 10.Nxf4 10...Re8+ trying to use the fact that white is still stuck in the center. 11.Nfe2, just blocking rook. 11...Bg4, putting more pressure on the e2 knight. 12.O-O, you don't want to be stuck in the center when more pressure occurs on the knight. 12...a5 with a huge threat of a4 trapping the bishop, so 13.a4 is played. 13...Qe7, puts more pressure on the knight, but it doesn't lose a piece because of this forced line. 14.Qd2, just getting out of the pin. 14...Bxe2 seemingly winning a piece, but 15.Rae1 just simply wins it back. 15...Qb4 gets out of the pin with the threat of taking the rook, so 16.Rxe2 16...Rxe2 17.Qxe2, because the knight was pinned. 17...Qxd4+ just winning a pawn. 18.Qf2, white wants a queen trade because their pieces are more active than black pieces. 18...Qxf2 19.Rxf2 19...d4, preventing white from grabbing a pawn. 20.Nd5, with the threat of ruining black's pawn structure and black takes the knight, well bishop takes is forced, but white will have better active pieces than black. 20...Nbd7 has to be played to protect the knight guarding f7.

*My Positional View: So this is the other line that can be played after 7...Bd6, but I honestly prefer 7.Bb4. This gives black better chances in my opinion. In this position after Nbd7, even though white is down a pawn, black's position is a bit cramped and hard to play. Black still needs to get the rook into the game and black has a second rank knight with an isolated pawn that will soon drop, but in the end, this position is a dead draw. Even white has better piece activity, this position will soon be a draw.

Theory: Now white doesn't have to play the move Bb3, but instead white can play the engine's favorite 5.d4, which finished white's plan of controlling the center, but now that white has control over the center, black has a different plan. Black plays 5...Bb4, it comes with a basic idea that the e4 pawn is hanging. White should just continue developing their pieces with

Engines Recommendation: 6.Nge2. Simply developing the knight and adding more pressure on f4. 6....Nxe4, black takes another pawn, since there isn't too many issues with taking. 7.O-O, since white is ahead in development, white will pretty much just bust open the position and try to attack. 7...Nf6, moving the knight back is the engine's top choice, since d5 will lead to white having a better position. A weird move, but it works. 8.d5, white pushes d5 themselves. I don't really understand this move. My only understand of this move is that is tries to bust open the position towards the king. Black will simply castle since black is behind in development and had a less safer king than white. So 8...O-O is best. 9.Bxf4, simply just winning a pawn back and developing a piece. 9...d6, black needs to develop the bishop and needed to gain their own space since white was threatening d6 themselves. 10.a3, chasing away the dark sqaured bishop. 10...Bc5+ avoiding a tempo lost. 11.Kh1. 11...Re8, placing the rook on an open file. 12.dxc6, trying to create some weaknesses for black. Such as isolate the a pawn. 12...bxc6 is best since taking with the knight will force a king side weakness for black. 13.b4, main purpose is to expand on the queen side and win the d6 pawn. 13...Bb6 is best. 14.Bxd6, regaining the pawn back. 14...a5, striking at white's queen side pawn majority. 15.Rb1, in case of axb4, white doesn't have to trade rooks. Also developing a piece. 15...Be6 countering white's bishop and developing the bishop. White has to take or else they lose a piece. 16.Bxe6 16...Rxe6 attacking white's dark squared bishop, so the bishop retreats to g3. Now the queens come off, since both white and black have nothing to do in the position. 17...Qxd1 18.Rbxd1, putting the rook on an open file. 18...Nbd7, just developing a piece. 19.Nd4, the knight on d4 is a strong piece and the dark squared bishop won't be useful anytime soon, so just take the powerful d4 knight with the bishop. 19...Bxd4 20.Rxd4 20...axb4. Obviously the pawn will be recaptured.

My Positional View: At this point this position should be a draw. There isn't much going on for both players.

Alright since we went over the theory and the engines best choice, I'll pick a game for you all to look at and evaluate

*Games by Masters: I really like this game from Anand and Morosevich. A brilliant move by Anand that made me enjoy this game. https://www.chess.com/games/view/722184.

Here is another game between Anish Giri and Vassily Ivanchuk (A.K.A Chucky)

*Engine Analysis: https://www.chess.com/a/38gAkTtRUAQ7Q 

Anyways, that's all for today. Let me know what you guys thought about this and hope that this will prove useful for the future.