Sicilian Defense, Sozin Attack with 9.f4

After the opening moves 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.f4 Nxd4 10.Bxd4, ECO gives 10...e5 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Bxe5 Qa5 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Qf3 Be6 =/+ in a footnote, following analysis first published in Chess Archives in 1962.

But, better than 14.Qf3, is 14.O-O.

Now 14...Be6 can be met by 15.Rxf6!? gxf6 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 with an unclear position.

If instead Black tries to regain his pawn by 14...Bxc3 15.bxc3 Qxc3, he gets crushed after 16.Rxf7! Qc5+ 17.Kh1 Rxf7 (17...Kh8 18.Qd4!) 18.Qd8+ Qf8 19.Bxf7+ Kxf7 20.Rf1+.

After 14...Bxc3 15.bxc3, the move 15...Be6 is answered by 16.Bxe6 Qb6+ (16...fxe6 17.Qd7 Qb6+ 18.Qd4 Qa5 19.Rxf8+ Rxf8 20.Rf1 Rxf1+, draw, Jim West - Larry Epstein, Hamilton NJ Quad 1994) 17.Qd4 Qxe6 18.Rf5 Rae8 19.Qxa7 Qxe4 20.Raf1 Qxc2 21.Qxb7 Qxa2 22.R5f2 Qc4 23.Qb4 Qxb4 24.cxb4, and White's b-pawn gave him the better chances in Jim West - Yair Marcus, Somerset NJ Quad 1993 although the game was eventually drawn in 55 moves.

{This article originally appeared in Atlantic Chess News in 1994}