The Jackal Attack
Adrian Skelton analyses a line in the French Two Knights
Updated 15 January 2010
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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 New in Chess Yearbook 61, amongst articles by such as
Vladimir Kramnik and Jan Timman there was a contribution by Ulster player
Adrian Skelton. His article was 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
has published on the French Two Knights. 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 has his own website www.jackalattack.com
where you can find out more about these variations and also order an e-book
from him.
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
Update:
Adrian’s latest e-book version [January
2010] can be ordered now from his website http://www.jackalattack.com
and you can still obtain "New
in Chess Yearbook 61" from the publisher by going to their website at http://www.newinchess.com.