Ponziani Opening

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Ponziani Opening
Moves	1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3
ECO	C44
Origin	c. 1490
Named after	Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani
Parent	King's Knight Opening
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The Ponziani Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves

1. e4 e5

2. Nf3 Nc6

3. c3

Contents 1 Origins 2 Modern perspective 3 Main variations 4 Illustrative games 5 References

[edit] Origins

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 is one of the oldest known openings, having been discussed in chess literature by no later than 1497. It was mentioned in both of the earliest chess treatises: the Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con ci Iuegos de Partido by Lucena^[1] and the Göttingen manuscript.^[2] Today the opening bears the surname of Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani. Although Ponziani did analyze the opening in 1769, his principal contribution was the introduction of the countergambit 3...f5!?^[3] Later the opening was favored by Howard Staunton, who in The Chess-Player's Handbook, first published in 1847, called it "so full of interest and variety, that its omission in many of the leading works on the game is truly unaccountable. ... it deserves, and, if we mistake not, will yet attain a higher place in the category of legitimate openings than has hitherto been assigned to it."^[4]

Staunton cumbersomely referred to the opening as "The Queen's Bishop's Pawn Game in the King's Knight's Opening,"^[5] as did George H.D. Gossip in The Chess Player's Manual (1888, American edition 1902).^[6] Napoleon Marache, one of the leading American players, similarly called it the "Queen's Bishop's Pawn Game" in his 1866 manual.^[7] In their treatise Chess Openings Ancient and Modern (Third Edition 1896), E. Freeborough and the Reverend C.E. Ranken called it "Staunton's Opening."^[8] In an appendix to later editions of Staunton's work, R.F. Green, editor of the British Chess Magazine, called it "Staunton's Opening," directing those seeking a definition of "Ponziani's Game" to the former name.^[9] Green referred to 3...f5 as "Ponziani's Counter Gambit."^[10] Chess historian H.J.R. Murray in his celebrated 1913 work A History of Chess called the opening simply the "Staunton,"^[11] explaining that he was using "the ordinary names of the Openings as used by English players of the present day."^[12] James Mason in his treatise The Art of Chess (Fourth Edition c. 1910?) referred to the opening as the "Ponziani-Staunton Attack."^[13] The famous German Handbuch des Schachspiels, which went through eight editions between 1843 and 1916, called it the "Englisches Springerspiel" (English Knight's Game).^[14] The Reverend E.E. Cunnington in The Modern Chess Primer (Thirteenth Edition 1933) referred to it as the "Ponziani Opening (sometimes called Staunton's)."^[15]

Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Champion, in his 1895 treatise The Modern Chess Instructor (Part II),^[16] inaccurately called the opening the "Ponziani Opening," as did his successor, Emanuel Lasker, in Lasker's Manual of Chess.^[17] Similarly, the authors of Modern Chess Openings (Second Edition 1913)^[18] and Siegbert Tarrasch in The Game of Chess (1931, English translation 1938)^[19] called it "Ponziani's Opening," and William Cook in The Chess Players' Compendium (Fifth Edition 1910) called it "Ponziani's Game."^[20] Contemporary authors likewise call it the "Ponziani Opening,"^[21][22] "Ponziani's Opening,"^[23] or simply "the Ponziani."^[24]

[edit] Modern perspective

The Ponziani is rarely played today except as a surprise weapon, because Black has the pleasant choice between equalizing easily and attempting to obtain an advantage with sharper play. White's third move prepares to build a powerful center with 4.d4. This is a logical objective, also seen in the Giuoco Piano and Ruy Lopez. However, 3.c3 is somewhat premature because (1) it takes away the most natural square for White's queen knight^[25] and (2) White, being uncastled, is not well placed to meet a counterattack in the center. Moreover, unlike in the Giuoco Piano, where White's d4 advance attacks Black's king's bishop on c5, in the Ponziani d4 will not gain a tempo. International Master Larry Kaufman has observed that it is not clear to whom the opening should appeal, since White must be prepared for both "boring drawish play" after 3...Nf6 and "spectacularly exciting lines" after 3...d5.^[26]

[edit] Main variations

• 3...d5 4.Qa4
  • 4...Bd7 (Caro Variation)
  • 4...f6 (Steinitz Variation)
  • 4...Nf6 (Leonhardt Variation)
• 3...d5 4.Bb5
• 3...f5 (Ponziani Countergambit)
• 3...Nf6 (Jaenisch Counterattack)
• 3...Nge7 (Kmoch Variation)

Black's most aggressive response is 3...d5, striking back in the center. Black players unfamiliar with these lines should be careful as after 4.Qa4 Black must either reinforce the center with 4...f6 (Steinitz Variation) or be prepared to sacrifice a pawn with either 4...Bd7 (Caro Variation) or 4...Nf6 (Leonhardt Variation). If White instead plays 4.Bb5 the game becomes sharp with chances for both sides.

The Ponziani Countergambit (3...f5) is another aggressive Black response. Positions somewhat resemble those seen in the Latvian Gambit, but in a more favorable incarnation for Black, since 3.c3 does not aids White's development and blocks his queen knight from developing to that square.

Black's safest course is 3...Nf6 (Jaenisch Variation). Play often continues 4.d4 Nxe4 5.d5 Ne7 (5...Nb8 is also playable) 6.Nxe5 Ng6, and now either 7.Qd4 Qf6 8.Qxe4 Qxe5 or 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qe2 Qe7 9.Bf4 d6 10.Na3 Rh5 11.0-0-0 Rf5 leads to equality according to MCO-15.^[27]

The unusual 3...Nge7 was advocated by International Master Hans Kmoch. According to Reuben Fine, citing analysis by Kmoch, Black equalizes after 4.d4 exd4 5.Bc4 d5 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.0-0 Be7 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 9.cxd4 Be6.^[28]

[edit] Illustrative games

V. Medvedev (2365)-Charles Milgram (2375), ICCF 1991^[29] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4.d4 Nxe4 5.d5 Ne7 6.Nxe5 Ng6 7.Qd4 Qf6 8.Qxe4 Qxe5 9.Qxe5+ Nxe5 10.Nd2 d6 11.Nc4 Nxc4 12.Bxc4 Be7 13.O-O O-O 14. Re1 Bf6 15.Be3 Bd7 1/2-1/2

Hikaru Nakamura-Julio Becerra-Rivero, U.S. Championship 2007^[30] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 f5 4.d4 fxe4 5.Nxe5 Nf6 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.Nc4 Be7 8.Ba4 d5 9.Ne5 O-O 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.Nxc6 Qe8 12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.O-O Ng4 14.h3 e3 15.Bxe3 Nxe3 16.fxe3 Bxh3 17.Rf3 Bg4 18.Rxf8+ Rxf8 19.Qe1 Rf6 20.Nd2 Rg6 21.Qg3 Qe6 22.Qf4 Bh3 23.g3 h5 24.e4 Rg4 25.Qxc7 h4 26.Kh2 hxg3+ 27.Kxh3 Rxe4+ 28.Kg2 Re2+ 29.Kxg3 Qe3+ 30.Kh4 Qh6+ 31.Kg3 Qg5+ 32.Kh3 Rxd2 33.Qc8+ Kh7 0-1

[edit] References

1. ^ Beauty and the Beast by Gary Lane. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-30.
2. ^ Brace, Edward R. (1977), An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess, Hamlyn Publishing Group, p. 225, ISBN 1-55521-394-4 
3. ^ Howard Staunton, The Chess-Player's Handbook, George Bell & Sons, 1893, p. 182.
4. ^ Staunton, p. 182.
5. ^ Staunton, p. 182.
6. ^ G.H.D. Gossip and S. Lipschütz, The Chess Player's Manual, David McKay, 1902, p. 237.
7. ^ N. Marache, Marache's Manual of Chess, Dick & Fitzgerald, 1866, p. 78.
8. ^ E. Freeborough and C.E. Ranken, Chess Openings Ancient and Modern, Third Edition, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Co., 1896, p. 45.
9. ^ Staunton, pp. 534, 537. In his own treatise Chess, Green only used the term "Staunton's Opening." R.F. Green, Chess, George Bell & Sons, 1908 (reprint of 1889 1st ed.), p. 56.
10. ^ Staunton, p. 534.
11. ^ H.J.R. Murray, A History of Chess, Oxford University Press, 1913, p. 784. ISBN 0-19-827403-3.
12. ^ Murray, p. 784 n. 10.
13. ^ James Mason, The Art of Chess, Fourth Edition, David McKay, c. 1910?, p. 359.
14. ^ Paul Rudolf von Bilguer, Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa, and Carl Schlechter, Handbuch des Schachspiels, Walter de Gruyter & Co., 1916, p. 581.
15. ^ Rev. E.E. Cunnington, The Modern Chess Primer, David McKay, 13th ed. 1933, p. 181.
16. ^ Wilhelm Steinitz, The Modern Chess Instructor, Edition Olms AG, Zürich, 1990 (reprint), Part II (originally published in 1895), p. 1. ISBN 3-283-00111-1.
17. ^ Dr. Emanuel Lasker, Lasker's Manual of Chess, Dover Publications, 1960, p. 53.
18. ^ R.C. Griffith and J.H. White, Modern Chess Openings, Second Edition, Longmans, Green and Co., 1913, p. 81.
19. ^ Siegbert Tarrasch, The Game of Chess, David McKay, 1938, p. 299.
20. ^ William Cook, The Chess Players' Compendium, David McKay, 1910, p. 87.
21. ^ John Nunn, Graham Burgess, John Emms, and Joe Gallagher, Nunn's Chess Openings, Everyman Publishers, 1999, p. 306. ISBN 1-85744-221-0.
22. ^ Larry Kaufman, The Chess Advantage in Black and White, David McKay, 2004, p. 342. ISBN 0-8129-3571-3.
23. ^ Nick de Firmian, Modern Chess Openings, 15th Edition (commonly referred to as MCO-15), McKay Chess Library, 2008, p. 135. ISBN 978-0-8129-3682-7.
24. ^ Garry Kasparov and Raymond Keene, Batsford Chess Openings 2, Collier Books, 1989, pp. 366-67. ISBN 0-02-033991-7.
25. ^ Tarrasch, p. 299.
26. ^ Kaufman, p. 342.
27. ^ MCO-15, p. 136.
28. ^ Reuben Fine, Practical Chess Openings, David McKay, 1948, p. 141.
29. ^ Valery Vladimirovich Medvedev vs Charles Milgram, 1991ChessGames.com
30. ^ Hikaru Nakamura vs Julio J Becerra-Rivero,US Championships 2007ChessGames.com