Opening Theory: Piece Sacrifice in the Velimirovic by Bruce Leverett and Ken Davenport We are going to discuss a line of the Velimirovic Attack of the Sicilian Defense. One sign of an opening line that is challenging is that one of the players of the game quoted here, IM Maurice Ashl ey, plays this line as both white and black. The Velimirovic Attack of the Sicilian Defense was described in a book by Bruce Leverett published by Chess Enterprises in 1983. Since then, many new ideas and lines have been tried. In the July 1994 issue of Chess Life IM Maurice Ashley played white in this opening against Deon Solomons. After 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Bc4 e6 7 Be3 Be7 8 Qe2 O-O 9 O-O-O Qc 7 10 Bb3 a6 11 g4 Nd7 the following position arose. r1b2rk1 1pqnbppp p1npp3 8 3np1p1 1BN1B3 PPP1QP1P 3KR3R The game continued 12 g5 Nc5 13 Kb1 (an uninspired move. Probably 13 h4 or 13 Rhg1 is better) ... Bd7 14 Rhg1 b5 15 Rg3. Solomons gives Rg3 a '?', noting that it is difficult to see how white should proceed after b5. White needs something better a little earlier. That something better may be the potential piece sacrifice 12 Nf5. Solomons calls this line highly speculative, giving 12 Nf5 Nc5 13 Nxg7 Nxb3+ 14 axb3 Kxg7 15 g5 Bd7 16 Qh5 Kg8 17 f4, and noting that white may not have enough compensation for the piece. Nick DeFirmian in MCO-13 (1990) doesn't mention 12 Nf5. Kasparov and Keene in BCO-2 (1989) give 12 Nf5 exf5 as a main varia tion, with 12 ... Nc5 in a footnote. The footnote continues 13 Nxe7+ Qxe7 14 Rd2 b5 15 f3 +/-. This evaluation seems rather optimistic, since Black can probably hold. An improvement is needed, so how about 13 Nxg7 ? Continuing with 13 Nxg7 Nxb3+ 14 axb3 Kxg7 15 g5 Bd7 16 Qh5 Kg8 17 f4 Rfc8 (threatens indirect mate on c2 and therefore pins white's c3 knight). r1r3k1 1pqbbp1p p1npp3 6PQ 4PP2 1PN1B3 1PP4P 2KR3R After 17 ... Rfc8 Note that 17 ... f5 allows 18 g6, and 17 ... Be8 allows 18 f5, in either case clearly winning for White. Then 18 Rhg1 Bf8. So far, logical play by both sides. The play so far, and some of the foll owing variations, were worked out by Ken Davenport with assistance from some other inmates of SCIP. One variation may now go 19 Rg3 Bg7 20 Rh3 Ne7 21 Qxh7+ Kf8 22 Bd4 Bxd4 (otherwise 22. ... Bxc3 23 bc Qxc3 etc) 23 Rxd4 e5 24 Qh6+ Ke8 (or 24 ... Kg8 25 Qh8) 25 Qh8+ Ng8 26 Qxg8+ Ke7 27 Nd5+ Ke6 28 f5 #. To avoid this debacle, Black must vary. 22 ... e5 suggests itself, but White can reply 23 f5! Now 23 ... f6 24 gxf6 Bxf6 25 Be3 looks pretty horrible, so instead Black accepts the sac with 23 ... e xd4, and White sacs some more with 24 f6! This is a crucial variation but there may be better for black earlier. Consider 19 ... Ne7 20 Rh3 h6 -- a familiar idea in the Velimirovic, but not good eno ugh here. After 21 gxh6 White threatens 22 Rg1+ Kh8 (or 22 ... Ng6 23 Rxg6+ fxg6 24 Qxg6+ Kh8 25 Rg3) 23 Qxf7. And 21 ... Ng6 and 21 ... Be8 both allow 22 f5. Black's best defense is 19 ... Bg7 20 Rh3 Nb4. Black appears to escape with at least a draw, but perhaps no more. A crucial variation is 21 Qxh7+ Kf8 22 Bd4 e5 23 f5 exd4 24 f6 Bxh3 25 Qxg7+ Ke8. Now on 26 Qg8+ Kd7 27 Qxf7+ Kc6 28 Qc4+ Kb6 29 Qxb4+ Ka7, or 29 Qxd4+ Ka5 (but not 29 ... Qc5 30 Na4+), Black wins. But on 26 Qh8+ Kd7 27 Qxh3+, it becomes very tricky. It's a draw by perpetual che ck after 27 ... Kd8. But if Black tries for more with 27 ... Kc6, he's taking chances. 28 Rxd4 threatens both 29 Rxb4 and 28 Rc4+, and 28 ... Qa5 doesn't help since 29 Rc4+ still wins a rook. 28 .. . Kb6 29 Rxb4+ Ka7 or 28 ... Rh8 29 Rc4+ Kb6 30 Rxb4+ Ka7 leaves Black up the exchange, but White has compensation, at least at first glance. Having seen these lines, we can go back and look at 20 ... Ne7. We don't think it's as good as 20 ... Nb4, but the reader can work out the details and maybe come up with some new ideas. 19 f5 is not an improvement. After 19 ... Ne5 Black is threatening 20 ... exf5 (because the knight on c3 is now pinned). So 20 f6 Ng6 21 Rg3 e5 and now 22 Rh3 drops the exchange. After 22 Rd2 Be6 23 Nd5 Bxd5 24 Rh3 h6 25 gxh6 Kh7 26 exd5 a5, Black is secure and his counterplay is starting. Many of the above lines were suggested by Bruce Leverett. But this was not the last word. Davenport and Leverett played a game at SCIP on May 7, starting from the diagram, at a time limit of game/25. This game continued 18 Rhg1 Bf8 19 f5!? Ne5 20 Kb1! Bc6! 21 Rd4 b5 (the start of a plan that is much too slow) 22 Rg3 a5 23 Rh3 h6 24 Rd2 b4 25 Rg2! bxc3 26 gxh6+ Kh8 27 h7 (inaccurate--Bl ack could fight now with 27 ... Ng6-- better was 27 Qg5) 27 ... Bg7 28 Rxg7! Kxg7 29 Qh6+ Kh8 30 Qf6 mate. Davenport's 19 f5 and 20 Kb1 add some life to the discussion. In the post-mortem, it see med that Black could refute it: 21 ... exf5 (instead of 21 ... b5) 22 exf5 Nf3, winning the exchange. But in this position Davenport suggests 23 g6! r1r2bk1 1pq2p1p p1bp2P1 5P1Q 3R4 1PN1Bn2 1PP4P 1K4R1 Now Davenport suggests the following variation (among others) as a sample of the strength of White's attack: 23 ... fxg6 24 fxg6 Nxg1 25 Rf4 (threatening 26 Rf7) 25 ... hxg6 26 Qxg6+ Bg7 (or Qg7) 27 Qe6+ Kh8 28 Rh4+, etc. It is possible to bypass this variation by declining to take the rook (22 ... Nf3 and 24 ... Nxg1). In this case Black would have to strengthen his play earlier; possibilities include 21 ... Qd7 (or 21 ... exf5 22 exf5 Qd7) or even 21 ... Bg7. Further analysis by SCIP inmates and visiting master Franc,ois Margot, however, seems to rehabilitate the acceptance of the rook. After 23 ... fxg6 24 fxg6 Nxg1 25 Rf4, Margot suggested 25 ... Bf3, and now if 26 Qf5 Bg7 27 Qe6+ Kh8 28 Rf7, Black repulses the attack by 28 ... Re8 (Robert Gandy). After the less forcing 26 Qg5, Davenport's 26 ... h6 is adequate to safeguard the king. These variations are important because the resulting positions seem substantially clearer than the variations in which Black declines the rook. At this point, the overall evaluation is favorable for Black; that is, it appears that it's up to White to find improvements to justify the piece sac 13 Nxg7. Readers are invited to try to find improvements for either side. It can be fun to make a creative contribution to the analysis of an exciting opening!