Malcolm Pein on…Portuguese Prowess

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Malcolm Pein examines Portuguese prowess in today’s Daily Telegraph column, in terms of both the featured players and the chess opening they played.

Malcolm Pein on…Portuguese Prowess

Portugal have managed to run a few small over-the-board events, including the Portuguese Masters last month. FM Jose Francisco Veiga, 16, finished a point and a half clear, his 7/9 sufficient for an IM norm.

The tournament also witnessed, appropriately enough, a crazy encounter in the Portuguese variation of the Scandinavian Defence, 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 (savvy white players avoid what’s coming with 3.Nf3) 3…Bg4!?. This isn’t 100 per cent sound, but is a dangerous practical try that scores well at club level.

The Portuguese Variation in Action

P. Silva – L. Reis
Portuguese Masters 2021

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 4.f3 Bf5 5.g4!? (Dubbed the ‘correspondence refutation’ by leading authority on the Scandinavian, the Australian GM David Smerdon) 5….Bg6 6.c4 e6 7.dxe6? (To make sense of his ambitious fifth move, White should prefer 7.Nc3 exd5 8.g5) 7…Nxg4? (Very brave and tempting, but simply 7…Nc6 leaves Black with excellent compensation after 8.Be3 Qe7 or 8.exf7+ Bxf7) 8.fxg4 Qh4+ 9.Ke2 Nc6 10.Nf3 Qxg4 11.Rg1 (11.exf7+ Bxf7 12.Rg1 Qe6+ 13.Kf2 was an option) 11…Qxe6+ 12.Kf2 0-0-0

P. Silva – L. Reis Portuguese Masters 2021

(White is a piece for a pawn up, but it’s never easy when you’re behind in development with a weak king. Now 13.Qe2! or 13.Nc3 Bc5 14.Nd5!?) 13.Be3? Bc5! 14.Qe2? (Collapsing, 14.Rg5 was required) 14…Nxd4! 15.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 16.Nxd4 Qb6 (16…Qf6+! was strong, and if 17.Nf3? Rhe8) 17.Bh3+ Kb8 18.Rd1? (18.Kg2) 18…Rhe8? (Simply 18…Rxd4 19.Rxd4 Qxd4+ 20.Kg3 (20.Kg2 Be4+) 20…Qg1+ 21.Bg2 Rd8 cleans White up) 19.Qd2? Re4 20.Nc3 Rdxd4 21.c5 Qxc5 22.Nxe4 Rxd2+ 23.Kf1 Qc4+ 0-1

White frequently goes a pawn or two ahead in the Portuguese, but never lives to tell the tale, as happened to a rising star of Irish chess here.

T. Kanyamarala – N. Korkmaz
Titled Tuesday Blitz 2021

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 4.f3 Bf5 5.c4 e6 6.dxe6 Nc6! 7.d5? (7.exf7+ Kxf7 gives Black too great a lead in development, so 7.Be3 should be tried) 7…Nb4 8.Na3 Bc5 9.Be2 0-0 10.exf7+ Rxf7 11.Bg5 Qe7 12.Kf1 h6 13.Bh4 Re8 14.h3 g5! 15.Bf2

Test Your Strength

T. Kanyamarala – N. Korkmaz Titled Tuesday Blitz 2021

How did Black now finish off the vulnerable white king?

Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answer.

15…Bxf2 16.Kxf2 Qe3+ 17.Kf1 Nh5 0-1 17…Nd3 and 17…Ne4! also work.

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