Svitlana's Smart Moves - The Anti-Bird: Nh6!? against 1.f4

by Arne Kaehler
4/12/2024 – Arne recently played in a chess tournament, and one of his opponents played the unusual 1.f4, which was quite a surprise. Sadly, he didn't film this Smart Moves episode before the tournament, to get to know the surprising answer Nh6!? The so called - Horsefly Defence in the Bird Opening. Even the engines think that this counter is absolutely legit, and the Mega Database shows excellent results as well. Svitlana shows, why it is a powerful move!
The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.

Svitlana's Smart Moves - Episode 94

With Svitlana Demchenko and Arne Kaehler

Svitlana Demchenko is an 18-year-old, Canadian WIM and chess coach. Here and now, she will teach us plenty of smart moves on the board, ranging from tactics, strategies, openings, and anything else chess related. In the process, I'm happy to be available as a student at club player level, and pester the Women's International Master with questions. Anyone who wants to strengthen their chess skills is welcome to watch, and actively replay the positions from the video, on our chessboard.

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,197,86754%2421---
1.d4967,89255%2433---
1.Nf3289,60156%2440---
1.c4186,88356%2443---
1.g319,99256%2427---
1.b314,73254%2428---
1.f46,00848%2376---
1.Nc33,96251%2383---
1.b41,80048%2378---
1.a31,26954%2406---
1.e31,09649%2409---
1.d398350%2380---
1.g467446%2360---
1.h446954%2381---
1.c344652%2424---
1.h329456%2418---
1.a412060%2461---
1.f310247%2429---
1.Nh39366%2506---
1.Na34861%2472---
1.f4 Nh6!? 2.Nf3 2.e4 d5 3.e5?! 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Nc3 Qe6+ 5.Qe2 Nc6= 3.d3 dxe4 4.dxe4 Qxd1+ 3...c5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.e3 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.Qb3 # d4 8.exd4 cxd4 9.Ne4 Be7 9...Qe7 10.Bd3 f5-+ 10.Bb5 0-0 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.d3 Nf5 13.0-0 Be6 14.Qc2 Bd5 15.Bd2 a5 16.b3 f6 17.Rae1 Qb6 0-1 (42) Vachier Lagrave,M (2758)-Kovalev,V (2648) Tornelo INT 2021 2.d4 d5 2...d5 3.d3 3.d4 c5 3.g3 Bg4 4.Bg2 e6 5.h3? 5.Ne5 Bh5 6.d3 f6 7.Nf3 Bc5 8.e3 Nf5 9.d4 Bb6 5...Bxf3 6.Bxf3 Nf5 7.Rg1 Bd6 8.d3 Bc5 9.Rg2 h5 3...Nc6 4.g3 4.e4 dxe4 5.dxe4 Qxd1+ 6.Kxd1 Bd7 7.Nc3 0-0-0 8.Bd3 f6 9.Ke2 Nf7 4.h3 Nf5 5.g4 Ng3 6.Rg1 Nxf1 7.Kxf1 4...Bg4 5.Bg2 5.h3? Bxf3 6.exf3 Nf5 7.g4 Ng3 8.Rg1 Nxf1 9.Kxf1 e6 10.Nc3 Bc5 11.Rg2 Qh4-+ 5.e3 Nf5 6.Be2 h5 7.Ne5 Qd6! 8.Nxg4 hxg4 9.Kf2 9.Bxg4 Nxg3 10.Rg1 Rxh2 9...d4 5...Nf5 6.c3 h5! 6...e6 7.Ne5 7.Qb3?! 7.Ne5 Nxe5 8.fxe5 Qd7 9.d4 9.h3 Nxg3 10.hxg4 Nxh1 11.Bxh1 hxg4 9...0-0-0 7.0-0? h4 7...Rb8 7...Qd7 8.Qxb7 Rb8 9.Qa6 h4 8.e4 dxe4 9.dxe4 Qd3! 9...Nd6 10.e5 Nf5 11.e6 9...Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Qd3 11.Qd1 10.Qd5 Nfd4! 10...Qc2 11.0-0 e6 12.Qc4 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 Nfd4-+ 10...Ncd4? 11.Qxf7+ Kxf7 12.Ne5+ Kg8 13.Nxd3 Nc2+ 14.Kf2 Nxa1 15.exf5 11.cxd4 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 Qxf3 13.Rf1 Qd3 14.Nc3 Nxd4-+ 15.Kf2 h4 16.Kg2 hxg3 17.hxg3 Qc2+ 18.Rf2 Rh2+ 19.Kxh2 Qxf2+ 20.Kh3 e6 20...Qf1+ 21.Kg4 Qf3+ 22.Kh3 Qh1+ 23.Kg4 g6 21.Qc4 Bc5 22.Be3 Qxe3 23.Qxc5 Kd7 24.Qh5 Rf8 25.Qh7 g5 26.f5 exf5 27.Rd1 g4+ 28.Kh4 Kc6 29.exf5 f6? 30.Qxc7+ Kxc7 31.Nd5+ Kc6 32.Nxe3 Ne2 33.Kxg4 Re8 34.Kf3 Nxg3 35.Rc1+ Kb5 36.Nd5 Ne2 37.Nc7+ Kb6 38.Nxe8 Nxc1 39.Nxf6 Kc6 40.a3 Kd6 1-0 (40) Marin,M (2524) -Doncea,V (2341) Romania ChT 2019
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
1.f4 Nh6!--2024A02

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If you like Svitlana's Smart moves, you will certainly enjoy her video lectures about "Surprising your opponents with the Lazy Sicilian", her first Fritztrainer "Understanding Material Imbalances", and her brand new Fritztrainer "The Scotch Game". Her newest Entry is the "Leningrad Dutch Defence"!

In just 60 minutes, you will be well-equipped with a surprise weapon, which will take most of your opponents out of book right from the start.

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.

Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.

The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.

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Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.
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