Lichess 45/45 Round 2

Analysis of my Second Round match , PGN included

http://jtchess.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/lichess-4545-league-round-two.html

[Event "Rated game"]
[Site "lichess.org/sMIMMVWa"]
[Date "2015.11.06"]
[White "C4_ExplosiveMove"]
[Black "JTate"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1815"]
[BlackElo "1832"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[TimeControl "2700+45"]
[ECO "C15"]
[Opening "French Defence, Winawer Variation, Fingerslip Variation"]
[Termination "Normal"]
[Annotator "lichess.org"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2 { French Defence, Winawer Variation, Fingerslip Variation } Ne7 5. e5 Nbc6 6. Qg4 O-O 7. h4 f6 8. exf6 Rxf6 9. Bg5 Rf7 10. Bd3 e5 11. Qg3 e4 12. Bb5 Nxd4 13. Ba4 c6 14. a3 Bd6 15. Qe3 Ndf5 16. Qd2 Qb6 17. Bb3 Nd4 18. Be3 Nef5 19. Na4 Nxb3 20. Nxb6 Nxd2 21. Nxa8 Nxe3 22. fxe3 Rf1+ 23. Kxd2 Rxa1 24. Ke2 b6 25. Kf2 Bb7 26. Nxb6 axb6 27. h5 Ba6 28. Rh4 Rf1# { White is checkmated } 0-1

"Fingerslip Variation" :)

Think it's named like that because some GM said that Bd2 obviously slipped, it was supposed to end up at b4. Bd2 does lose a pawn (after Bxc3 bxc3 dxe4), but that's not a very good line for black anyway. So despite the name it's not that bad. I've heard.

The 4.Bd2 line is a gambit line.
The following Bxc3 bxc3 dxe4 Qg4 is in my opinion pretty good for black, fast equalizing.

The 4.Nge2 gambit is a bit better in some line for white than the Bd2 gambit.

I've played both lines with white every now and then.

In the game annotation by JTate #1 I'm very surprised to read that the Scotch game often leads to attack for white.
I'd like to disagree with that.
Check the video about the Scotch by GM Seirawan where he talks about the Bb4+ line in a converation with GM Miles.
Also, Gary Kasparov has played the Scotch, but GM Anand showed that it was fairly easy to equalize.
And Jan Timman wrote years ago that the only way for white to play for an advantage is the e4e5 advance (The Mieses variation ?) in the Nc6 line of the Scotch. Other lines are drawish.

I've played the Scotch as white since years, and I realized that in some lines black quickly equalized, or even gets better when white overextends.

thanks for the comments achja, typically when I play against 3.d4 in the scotch white will sac the pan and go Bc5 which is what my opponent did last game and why I wanted to avoid it.
Perhaps at higher levels you are correct but at my rating I face alot of aggressive play in that line

#5
Aha ... you mean the Scotch gambit.
Well, that's a bit different.
With that you need to be prepared.

This is quite interesting blog post about the Scotch, including the Scotch gambit, by a NM, with puzzles, and from the side of the black pieces :
http://www.chess.com/blog/CraiggoryC/defending-against-the-scotch-and-a-simple-solution-for-white-against-1-e4-e5

#6
Yeh sorry I should have made that distinction clear.

Thanks for the blog link I will check it out at some point.