Maybe after move 7 you should try 8.Qb3 (instead of Nxe4) and if Nxc3 9.Qxb7.
Sicilian- moscow variation
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Estragon wrote:
7 0-0 Nxe4 8 Qa4+ Nc6 9 Nd5 looks strong - 9 ...Qd7 10 Nb6
mnag wrote:
Maybe after move 7 you should try 8.Qb3 (instead of Nxe4) and if Nxc3 9.Qxb7.
Right you are. After 8.Qb3 Black is lost.
1) 8...Nxc3 9.Qxb7;
2) 8...b6 9.h3! Qg6 10.Nh4 Qf6 11.Nxe4 Qxh4 12.Qf3 (with Nf6+ threat) d5 (what else?) 13.cxd5
Black is too far behind in development to survive.
Thanks to Estragon for his response. What is the best reply to 5..Qg4?
Pcgr wrote:
What is the best reply to 5..Qg4?
Probably 6.0-0 Qxe4 (6...Nf6 7.Nc3 transposes into 6...Qg4 line) 7.d4 and White should have more than sufficient compensation for a pawn due to lead in development.
Thank you pacifique for your replies.
The eraly Qg4 move can be trappy, although there are several wins with it for Black. Here is a game in which White won in 14 moves.
If 8.Qb3 Nxc3 Qxb7 then Qe4
pfren wrote:
Chucky's brilliant idea 10...Rc8! and 11...d5! has effectively archived this variation as a winning try. White can avoid it only by making certain positional concessions (like playing an early b3 or Bg5, but both have their weak spots).
5.0-0 Nf6 6.Qe2 is more topical, although there is a lot of theory here as well.
Why not 17 Qxd7 then?
chessmaster12344 wrote:
pfren wrote:
Chucky's brilliant idea 10...Rc8! and 11...d5! has effectively archived this variation as a winning try. White can avoid it only by making certain positional concessions (like playing an early b3 or Bg5, but both have their weak spots).
5.0-0 Nf6 6.Qe2 is more topical, although there is a lot of theory here as well.
Why not 17 Qxd7 then?
Didn't see knight.
Haha nice one hughston, commenting on a thread from three years back.
After looking at the position for a few minutes I came up with 6 Qb3. It looks very strong. Black cannot afford to win either pawn and has to either retreat the Q again or play b3. If b3 then 7 Qb5+ ... Nbd7, 8 0-0 and black cannot win the e4 pawn for obvious reasons. White is now threatening Ncb5. I think White has a won game but I don't have a board to check it on. This was just in my head. So all this makes Qg4 a bad move, misplacing the queen.
Oh now I see Pacifique suggested a similar move after castling. I didn't think white had to castle because if Qxg2 then Rg1 ... Q x f6, followed by Q b7 and white is threatening checkmate. ....Q h3 and white takes on a8, winning the exchange and with pressure.
I think.
Didn't realise this was 3 years old. How did I get into this?
Haha I'm not sure. I was just as surprised when I saw there were new comments. Thanks for your analysis anyway :)
It was because someone started a thread about changing from the French to the Sicilian and someone else mentioned the Moscow variation. I didn't know what that was and so I found this thread.
I played against a sicilian the other week and the opponent played a surprising move in the moscow variation:
The move: 6..Gg4 took my by surprise, during the game this was my response:
The opponent went on to win the game. Can you explain why 5..Qg4 or 6..Qg4 is bad move?