At the New Jersey Masters Invitational in 1986, international master Mike Valvo who was playing the White side of the Sozin Attack defeated me after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 Bb7 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Nd5 13.Nxd5 Bxd5 14.Bxd5 Qxd5 15.Nf5! Nc6 16.Qxd5 exd5 17.Rad1 Rad8 18.Nxe7+ Nxe7 19.Bc5 Rfe8 20.Bd6 with clear advantage for White.
In 1987, at the New Jersey International, Valvo beat Orest Popovych who varied from 10...Bb7 with 10...b4 11.Na4 Bb7 12.e5 dxe5 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.Bxe6+ Kh8 15.Qxd8! Although White has only two pawns for the sacrificed piece, the passed e-pawn after an eventual fxe5 is difficult to handle.
Ever since these two games, I have adopted Valvo's variation with much success as the following examples will show.
Game #1
Jim West (USCF 2262) - Yair Marcus (USCF 2213), Somerset NJ 6/4/1989
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 Bb7 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Nfd7 13.Qh5 Nc5
14.Rxf7! Nxb3 15.Nxe6 Rxf7 16.Nxd8 Bxd8 17.axb3 b4 18.e6 Re7 19.Nd5 Rxe6 20.Rf1 Rg6 21.Nf4 Rf6 22.Qe8+ Rf8 23.Qe6+ Rf7 24.Nh5 Bf6 25.Nxf6+ gxf6 26.Rxf6, 1-0.
Game #2
Jim West (USCF 2210) - Ionut Buzbuchi (USCF 2400), New York Open 4/14/90
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 Bb7 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Ne4 13.Nxe4 Bxe4 14.Qg4 Bg6 15.Rad1 Qc7
16.Nxe6! Qxe5 17.Bd4 Qh5 18.Qxh5 Bxh5 19.Nxf8 Nc6 20.Bd5 Rc8 21.g4 Bxg4 22.Bxf7+ Kh8 23.Be6 Nxd4 24.Bxg4, 1-0.
Game #3
Jim West (USCF 2283) - Leroy Dubeck (USCF 2373), Runnemede NJ 6/8/1997
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 b5 7.Bb3 e6 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 b4 11.Na4 Bb7 12.e5 Nd5 13.Bxd5 Bxd5 14.Nf5 Nd7 15.exd6 Bf6 16.Nd4 Qb8 17.c3 bxc3 18.Nxc3 Qxd6
19.Nf5! exf5 20.Nxd5 Rfd8 21.Nxf6+ Nxf6 22.Qxd6 Rxd6 23.Rfd1 Rad8 24.Rxd6 Rxd6 25.Kf1 Ng4 26.Bg1 Rd2 27.b4 h5 28.a4 Rb2 29.b5 axb5 30.a5! Rc2 31.a6 Rc8 32.a7 Ra8 33.Ra5 b4 34.Rb5 Nxh2+ 35.Ke2 Re8+ 36.Kd3, 1-0.
Game #4
Jim West (USCF 2299) - Yair Marcus (USCF 2276), Somerset NJ 12/2/1990
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 Qc7 11.a3 Bb7 12.f5 e5 13.Nde2 Nbd7 14.Ng3 Nb6 15.Bxb6 Qxb6+ 16.Kh1 Qe3 17.Nh5 Nxe4 18.Nd5 Qg5 19.Nxe7+ Qxe7 20.f6 Nxf6
21.Rxf6! g6 22.Rxd6 Rad8 23.Rd7! Qh4 24.Bxf7+ Kh8 25.Qe2 Bxg2+ 26.Kg1 Qg5 27.h4! Qxh5 28.Qxh5 gxh5 29.Rxd8 Rxd8 30.Kxg2 Rd2+ 31.Kf3 Rxc2 32.Rg1 h6 33.Rg8+ Kh7 34.Bg6+ Kxg8 35.Bxc2 Kf7 36.Ke4 Ke6 37.b4 Kd6 38.Bb3 Kd7 39.Kxe5 Ke7 40.Bd5 Kd7 41.Bb7, 1-0.
Game #5
Jim West (USCF 2276) - Orest Popovych (USCF 2316), New York Open 4/5/1997
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 Qc7 11.a3 Bb7 12.f5 e5 13.Nde2 Nbd7 14.Ng3 Bc6 15.Bg5 Rac8 16.Nh5 Rfe8 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 18.Bd5 Bxd5 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Qxd5 Qc5+ 21.Qxc5 Rxc5 22.Rad1 Be7 23.Rf2 Rec8 24.Nd5 Kf8 25.c3 R8c6 26.Re2 a5 27.b4 Rc4 28.a4 axb4 29.axb5 R6c5 30.cxb4 Rxb5 31.Ra1 Rb8 32.Ra7 Bd8 33.Ra6 Be7 34.Kf2 Bg5 35.b5 Rc5
36.b6 (36.Rb2!) Rb5 37.Rea2 Bd8 38.b7 R5xb7 39.Rxd6 Bb6+ 40.Nxb6 Rxb6 41.Rxb6 Rxb6 42.Ra5 f6 43.Ra8+ Kf7 44.Ra7+ Kf8 45.Ra8+, draw.
Besides 8...Be7, Black has tried 8...Bb7 without good results as the following game illustrates.
Game #6
Jim West (USCF 2295) - William Kelleher (USCF 2470), New York Open 4/9/1993
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Bb7 9.Re1 Nc6 10.a4 b4 11.Nxc6 Bxc6 12.Nd5 Bxd5 13.exd5 e5
14.a5! Be7 15.Ba4+ Nd7 16.Qg4 g6 17.Qxb4 O-O 18.Bh6 Re8 19.Bc6 Rb8 20.Qa4 Nc5 21.Qa3 Nd7 22.b4 Qc7 23.c4 Red8 24.Be3 Kg7 25.b5 Qc8 26.Ba7, 1-0.
As mentioned above, I also play the Sozin Attack against 5...Nc6. The next two games feature a knight sacrifice by White on e6.
Game #7
Jim West (USCF 2256) - Leslie Braun (USCF 2276), Marshall Chess Club 9/19/1993
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Be7 8.Be3 a6 9.f4 Qc7 10.Qf3 Bd7 11.O-O Rc8 12.f5 e5
13.Ne6! fxe6 14.fxe6 Na5 15.exd7+ Qxd7 16.Nd5 Bd8 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.Bd5 Rxc2 19.Qh5+ g6 20.Qd1, 1-0.
Game #8
Jim West (USCF 2228) - Carvas John (USCF 2058), Somerset NJ 5/5/1996
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Bc4 Be7 7.Bb3 Bd7 8.O-O Nc6 9.Be3 a6 10.f4 Qc7 11.f5 e5
12.Ne6! fxe6 13.fxe6 Bc8 14.Rxf6 Bxf6 15.Nd5 Qe7 16.Nxe7 Kxe7 17.Qd2 Bxe6 18.Bxe6 Kxe6 19.Qd5+ Ke7 20.Bb6 Rhe8 21.Bc7 Rad8 22.Rd1 Rd7 23.Bxd6+ Rxd6 24.Qxd6+ Kf7 25.Qc7+ Be7 26.Qxb7 Nd4 27.Rf1+ Kg8 28.Qd5+, 1-0.
In the next pair of games, Black trades knights on d4.
Game #9
Jim West (USCF 2302) - Nenad Vulicevic (USCF 2315), Marshall Chess Club 9/23/1989
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Be7 8.Be3 O-O 9.O-O a6 10.f4 Qc7 11.Qf3 Bd7 12.f5 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Kh8 14.g4 exf5 15.exf5 Bc6 16.Qh3 Ne4 17.Nxe4 Bxe4
18.f6! gxf6 19.Rxf6 Qc5 20.Rxd6+ Qxd4+ 21.Rxd4 Bc5 22.Qc3, 1-0.
Game #10
Jim West (USCF 2252) - Yuan Xu (USCF 2000), Manhattan Chess Club 8/17/1996
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Qc7 9.Be3 Nc6 10.f4 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bb7 12.f5 e5 13.Bf2 Nxe4 14.Nd5 Qc6 15.Bh4 Nc5 16.c4 Nxb3 17.axb3 bxc4
18.Ra5! Rc8 19.Rf3 Ba8 20.Rc3 Qb7 21.bxc4 Qxb2 22.Rxa6 Bxd5 23.cxd5! Qxc3 24.Qa4+ Rc6 25.Ra8+ Kd7 26.dxc6+, 1-0.
Finally, here are a couple of games where Black swaps his queen knight for the white bishop on b3.
Game #11
Jim West (USCF 2301) - Ed Formanek (USCF 2428), World Open 7/1/1990
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Be7 8.Be3 a6 9.f4 O-O 10.Qf3 Qc7 11.O-O Na5 12.f5 Nxb3 13.axb3 e5 14.Nde2 b5 15.g4 b4 16.g5 bxc3 17.gxf6 Bxf6 18.bxc3 Bb7
19.c4 Bd8 20.Nc3 f6 21.Rfd1 Qb8 22.Qf2 Bc7 23.Bb6 Bc6 24.Bxc7 Qxc7 25.Nd5 Qb7 26.Ra5 Rf7 27.Rd3 Ra7 28.Qd2 Ra8 29.Qf2 Rb8 30.Kf1 Kf8 31.Qh4 h6 32.Qg4 Qc8 33.Qg6 Bb7 34.Qh7, 1-0.
Game #12
Jim West (USCF 2257) - Stanislaw Garber (USCF 2403), Marshall Chess Club Championship 5/26/1991
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Bc4 Be7 7.Bb3 Na6 8.f4 Nc5 9.Qf3 O-O 10.f5 Nxb3 11.axb3 Bd7 12.Be3 a6 13.g4 exf5 14.gxf5 b5 15.Rg1 Kh8 16.Nce2 Qc7 17.O-O-O a5 18.Rg2 a4 19.Rdg1 Rg8 20.Nf4 a3 21.bxa3 Rxa3 22.Kd2 Bc6 23.Nd5 Bxd5 24.exd5 Raa8 25.Nc6 Rae8 26.Bd4 Ne4+ 27.Kd1 Bf6
28.Qxe4! Rxe4 29.Bxf6 h5 30.Rxg7 Rxg7 31.Rxg7 Qc8 32.Rg5+, 1-0.
{This article originally appeared in the July-August 1997 issue of Atlantic Chess News}
