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White. Black (P to K's th P to K's th K's Kt) (VII)

1. P. to K's 4th. 1. P. to K's 4th. 2. K's Kt. to B's 3d. 2. Q's Kt. to B's 3d. 3. B. to Q. Kt.'s 5th. 3. K's Kt. to B's 3d.

By playing your Bishop thus, you again threaten to win his K's P. The move in the text, commonly known as the Berlin defence, is perhaps as good a reply as the position admits. He has, however, three other plausible moves; viz., B. to Q. B's 4th; B. to K's 2d; P. to Q's 3d, which will be touched upon hereafter. 4. P. to Q's 4th. 4. P. takes P.

This move (or perhaps still better, 4. Castles) appears to yield a far stronger attack than the old move of Q. K's 2d. Black, instead of P. takes P., might either reply with 4. K's Kt. takes K's P., or 4. Q's Kt. takes Q's P. If the former, perhaps castling at once is your best reply; if the latter, you take Kt. with K's Kt., and then play P. to K's 5th, as in the present variation. 5. P. to K's 5th. 5. Kt. to K's 5th. 6. Castles. 6. B. to K's 2d. (best.) 7. Kt. takes P. 7. Kt. takes Kt. (or Var. A.) 8. Q. takes Kt. 8. P. to K. B's 4th. 9. P. takes P. en passant. 9. Kt. takes P. 10. Q's Kt. to B's 3d. White has a very fine game.

We will now turn our attention to the other modes of play Black may adopt at his 3d move, instead of K's Kt. to B's 3d; viz., B. to Q. B's 4th; P. to Q's 3d; B. to K's 2d. (see Variations B. C.) Variation B. on Black's 3d Move. 1. P. to. K's 4th. 1. P. to K's 4th. 2. K's Kt. to B's 3d. 2. Q's Kt. to B's 3d. 3. B. to Q. Kt.'s 5th. 3. B. to Q. B's 4th. 4. P. to Q. B's 3d. 4. K's Kt. to K's 2d. (best.) 5. Castles. 5. Castles. 6. P. to Q's 4th. 6. P. takes P. 7. P. takes P. 7. B. to Q. Kt.'s 3d. 8. P. to Q's 5th. 8. Q's Kt. to his sq. White may also play 8. Q's Kt. to B's 3d with advantage. 9. P. to Q's 6th. 9. P. takes P. 10. Q. takes P. 10. B. to Q. B's 2d. 11. Q. to Q. R's 3d. 11. P. to Q's 4th. 12. K's R. to Q's sq. 12. B. to Q's 3d. The move 12. K. R. to Q's sq. is recommended in the Handbook as giving White an advantage of position. The reply, however, in the text, which occurred to the writer in actual play, seems calculated to free Black from his embarrassment.

Variation C. on Black's 3d Move. 3. P. to Q's 3d. 4. P. to Q's 4th. 4. B. to Q's 2d. 5. Castles. Black has a tolerably safe though constrained position. N.B.--For 3. B. to K's 2d, see the games illustrative of this opening.