Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Why NOT to play 1. a4)
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Apr 23, 2008
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#2
your opponent misses many moves..........first off all he takes the Bishop with the wrong pawn which is standard knowledge of anyone who knows anything about the ruy lopez. ON move 13 he misses Pf3 which gains material for him.said that before looking at the next few moves. he made several big mistakes in the game especially the fatal last few moves and also giving away a free bishop.
How does 13. f3 benefit white? He would just end up losing his Queen...
Also, I know he made several mistakes, that is obvious (and the point of this post). My question is, how well did I capitalize on them?
in the game, you could have won a piece with 7... d6. If the N moves, then you play Nxc3+, winning the queen. Otherwise good game!
You're right Bishop, that was my goal and yet I missed it! Thank You...
apart from losing a tempo and not being able to play Morphy Defence to the Black Spanish Game, i don't see any benefit or problem with 1.a4 from this game. the a4 square doesn't do much (it certainly won't help a white b5 bishop which is the only piece that ever likes to sit on b5) and is hard to get at.
How about 7...d6 either winning the knight or driving it away and setting up 8...Nxc3+ winning the queen?
BattleBishop just covered that Grobe, but thank you.
a4 would have been justified in the variant 1. a4 e5, 2. e4 Nf6, 3. Nc3 Bb4, 4. Na2 ! , although it does not give white any advantage, either .
(That strange-looking retreat, has been tried in the Ruy Lopez, too:
1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 Nc6, 3. Bb5 a5, 4.0-0 Na7 .)
In the game, after 4. Nf3 B:c3, 5. bc (better dc) N:e4, 6. Qe2 was necessary, still with a reasonable game after 6. ... d5 , 7. d3 Nf6, 8. Q:e5+ .
Instead, white should have lost after 6. N:e5 ? Qe7! , 7. d4?? (loses a piece, better was d3, which only loses a pawn) d6! , (and not d5?, as in the game).
Also, white, in move 11, could have taken the pawn on d5:
11. B:d5 N:d5, 12. Q:d5 . I don't see a compensation for black.
Mandelshtam
Here is a game where White opened with 1. a4, and I chuckled softly. However, at several points (had I made a mistake) the game could have gone to White. Let me know what you think of my play.
Thank You!