Adrian Skelton
Author of The Jackal Attack
(and other stories)
Adrian Skelton analyses a line in the French Two Knights
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Adrian Skelton |
The Dutch firm "New in Chess" publishes (in both English and Dutch) a considerable amount of high quality material on chess. There is a 96-page magazine which comes out 8 times a year (with excellent tournament reports, interviews and detailed analysis from just about all the leading Grandmasters), books, CD-ROMs and a Yearbook series. The latter, which in fact comes out quarterly, contains articles on opening theory. Most of these articles are written by Grandmasters and Masters. However in the recently published New in Chess Yearbook 61, amongst articles by such as Vladimir Kramnik and Jan Timman there is a contribution by Ulster player Adrian Skelton. His article is on a line in the French Two Knights Variation 1.e4 e6. 2.Nc3 d5. 3.Nf3 Nf6. 4.e5 Nfd7. 5.d4 c5. 6.Bg5 Qb6.
Adrian has made a lengthy study of the French Two Knights and in particular a line he calls THE JACKAL ATTACK which arises after 1.e4 e6. 2.Nc3 d5. 3.Nf3 Nf6. 4.e5 Nfd7. 5.d4 c5. 6.Bg5. The article in "New in Chess" is extracted from a larger work Adrian is publishing on the French Two Knights. Adrian has called it The Jackal Attack (and other stories) because he not only deals with the Jackal Attack after 6.Bg5 but also Black's ways of avoiding it, including 2 important variations: (a) the 'Lebel Variation' 1.e4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 d4 and (b) the 'Kowalski line' 1.e4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bb5+. The variations are named after characters in the Frederick Forsyth novel "The Day of the Jackal."
Adrian explains the reason for preferring 6. Bg5 over the book line (6.Bf4).
" So what is so good about 6.Bg5, as compared with 6.Bf4 (?). After all, at least 6.Bf4 helps control the 'e5' square, thematically as important in this branch of the French as in any other. The answer lies in the greater tactical possibilities afforded White after 6.Bg5.
After Black's previous move he appears to have what looks for all the world like a very typical position. Yet after 6.Bg5, within a few short moves, Black can easily find himself immersed in complex tactical evaluations he could well do without. A quick flick through the relevant section [of the book-Ed.] should bear this out.
Whereas the normal Two Knights French often dulls Black's 'book' preparation, the 6.Bg5 line threatens to throw the book straight out the window and leave Black playing to White's agenda."
Adrian gives a number of illustrative games. Here is one he has annotated for this website:
Adrian Skelton - Clarke McCombe 1994
1.e4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.d4 c5 6.Bg5 Qb6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qd2 Nc6
[If you think Black can gain an advantage with 8...Bxf2+ 9.Qxf2 Qxb2, Adrian has some lovely sacrificial variations planned - Ed.]
9.Bb5
Nowadays I play 9.0-0-0 offering Black either the 'e' or 'f' pawn. Either pawn can in fact be taken but it can be shown that White gains sustained attacking chances as a result. In an Internet game (5 mins.) Black opted to castle with the following result: 9...0-0. 10.Bf6?! gxf6 (another game went 10...Bxf2 11.Re1!? Bxe1?? 12.Qg5 and Black was lost) 11.exf6 Kh8 12.Qh6 Rg8 13.Bd3 Nf8 14.h4! (14.Ng5 is not good enough) 14...Nb4 15.Bxh7 and Black gets mated. The move 10.Bf6?! is unsound but good enough for five minute chess.
9...a6?
This justifies White's previous move. Better was 9..d4! with favourable complications for Black.
10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.0-0 Qc7 12.Bf4 a5 13.Bg3 Ba6 14.Rfe1 0-0 15.Qg5 Nb6 16.Ne2 Nc4 17.Nf4
Black should have exchanged this knight the moment it went to 'e2'. Now there is a worrying knot of white pieces close to the black King.
17...Be7 18.Qg4 Qd7 19.Nh5 g6 20.Nf6+ Bxf6 21.exf6 Nd6 22.Bxd6 Qxd6 23.Qg5 Rfb8 24.Ne5 Bb7
Shows how bad things really are. On 24...Rb6. 25.Nd7! wins material although 25.b3 also leaves Black impoverished.
25.Re3
25.Nd7 once again wins. I saw it at once - after the game!
25...Rd8 26.Rh3 Qf8 27.Rh6 Kh8 28.Qh4 Qg8 29.Nf3 1-0
You can order "The Jackal Attack (and other stories)" 90 pages, £5-00, including P&P if needed, as an e- book or on floppy disk from Adrian by contacting him at
adrianskelton@ntlworld.com (Quote "Jackal Attack" as subject) and you can obtain "New in Chess Yearbook 61" from the publisher by going to their website at www.newinchess.com.