Italian Game

56. Calabrese Counter-Gambit 4...f5

After 3...Bc5 4.c3 f5 Black attacks e4. White answers with 5.d4: after 5...fxe4 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.dxe5 Qe7 8.Bf4 material is level, the black e4-pawn is isolated and the black king cannot castle short.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 f5 5.d4 fxe4 6.Nxe5 Nxe5 7.dxe5 Qe7 8.Bf4

Move by move

1. 1.e4 – Occupies the centre and frees the queen and the f1-bishop, which in the Italian Game goes to c4 to aim at the weak f7 point.
2. 1...e5 – Black contests the centre at once: the e5 pawn controls d4 and f4 and opens the diagonal for the f8-bishop and the queen.
3. 2.Nf3 – Development with an attack: the knight hits the e5 pawn, controls d4 and prepares quick kingside castling.
4. 2...Nc6 – Defends e5 while developing and adds control of d4, the square White wants for a pawn.
5. 3.Bc4 – The Italian Game move: the bishop aims at f7, defended only by the king, and controls d5, making ...d5 harder to achieve.
6. 3...Bc5 – The Giuoco Piano: Black replies symmetrically, aiming at f2 and controlling d4 to hinder the d2-d4 advance.
7. 4.c3 – Prepares d4: the c3 pawn takes d4 away from the c6-knight and will let White build an e4-d4 centre with tempo on the c5-bishop.
8. 4...f5 – Black attacks e4 with the f-pawn, as in a King's Gambit with colours reversed; however the move weakens the a2-g8 diagonal towards its own king.
9. 5.d4 – White answers in the centre: d4 attacks the c5-bishop and the e5-pawn, opening lines before Black completes development.
10. 5...fxe4 – Black takes e4, but leaves the c5-bishop and the e5-pawn under attack.
11. 6.Nxe5 – The knight takes e5 and opens the d1-h5 diagonal: it threatens Qh5+ and Bf7+ against the black king.
12. 6...Nxe5 – Black eliminates the e5-knight, which threatened Qh5+ and Bf7+; but now the white pawn arrives on e5 and the d-file opens for the queen.
13. 7.dxe5 – White recaptures: now Qd5 would threaten both Qf7#, with the c4-bishop in support, and the c5-bishop.
14. 7...Qe7 – The queen defends f7 against Qd5 and attacks the e5-pawn.
15. 8.Bf4 – The bishop defends e5 and completes development; White prepares Nd2 and Qd5 against the e4-pawn.

How to exploit the position

Equal material: the black e4-pawn is isolated and Black has developed only the queen and a bishop; the black king cannot castle short as long as the c4-bishop controls g8.

• Nd2 attacks the e4-pawn, which Black struggles to defend.
• Qd5 centralises the queen, attacks e4 and aims at f7 and g8.
• O-O and Re1: with the king safe, the e-file becomes a weapon against e4 and the black king.
• Black looks for ...Nh6 and ...c6 to cover the light squares: keep the queen and the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal.

Master tips

In the centre against the wing attack

Against 4...f5 do not defend e4 passively: 5.d4 attacks the c5-bishop and e5 and opens lines against the black king.