Developing your pieces

Next I want to show you what can happen when you violate the opening guidelines I described earlier. The game is between me (black) and a 1400 player (white).

The game started with:

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 This move is perfectly playable although Nf3 is more common.
2…Nf6 3.f4 An interesting choice by white. Often this opening is used as a surprise weapon. Black has to find the correct move here.
3…d5! Opening the center and for all the pieces to join and also threatening Nxe4.
3.Qe2?! (see diagram below)

Black to move

There are some reasons why you shouldn’t play this early queen sortie.  White violates the fifth opening rule in my article Opening rules to follow for players just starting out: Don’t develop your queen to early. And the reason for this is that the queen can come under attack. Sure, white’s queen maybe protecting e4 but that’s just short-term.

So, okay if we move back to the article I wrote about opening guidelines it says that you should develop your pieces quickly and knights before bishops. Therefore:
3…Nc6! Simply developing a piece and increasing my control over the central squares. Already I think black has at least equalized if he’s not even better.
4.fxe5? Now black’s simply better. It’s essential to develop your pieces as quickly as possible! One might argue that “a pawn is a pawn” but that dosen’t apply to this position as white is much worse now.
4…Nd4! And it’s clear why Qe2 wasn’t the best. Of course black shouldn’t take back the e5 pawn with: 4…Nxe5? Then follows 5.dxe with the idea to take on e5.
5.Qd3? The queen will become exposed here as well. At least after 5.Qe1 Nxe4 white's queen would be safe. But black would be much better because of the two centralized knights.
5…dxe Theartening the queen and protecting d4!
6.Nxe4 Nxe4 7.Qxe4 Bf5 (see diagram below)

White to move

If you compare white’s position to black's you can see some differences. Black has develop two pieces and white has develop just one. And the queen is the one piece that you shouldn’t move in the opening!

6.Qxb7 Taking a pawn but an lonesome queen on attack will not get far.
6…Qh4+! Bringing in another piece to the attack! There is a saying that says “It dosen’t matter what the material balance is when someone is attacking. All that matters is how many pieces are attacking vs defending”. Black has 3 pieces attacking and white hasn’t even one piece defending! All his pieces are on the first rank except of Qb7.
7.g3 Of course 7.Kd1?? is bad because of 7…Bxc2#
7…Qe4+! Swapping white’s only develop piece on the board!
8.Qxe4 Bxe4 (see diagram below)

White to move

Even though white has two more pawns black is wining. The game is practically over after 8 moves! That’s what happens when someone neglects this rules! And now white can’t meet both threats of Nxc2+ and Bxh1.

9.Ne2? Making things even worse. Better was 9.c3 when after 9…Nc2 10.Ke2 Nxa1 11.Nf3 white’s not okay but better than in the game continuation.

9…Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Nxa1 11.Rg1 Bc5! (see diagram below)

White to move

Developing the bishop in the best way possible threatening g1!

12.d4 An good idea trying to protect g1 and push the bishop away.
12…Rd8! Developing yet another piece at the same time as protecting the bishop.
13.Bg5 Developing a piece. But this should white had thought about 10 moves ago!
13…Rxd4+! Temporary giving away the rook for a knight + pawn but the benefits of this will be good!
14.Nxd4 Bxd4 15.Bb5+ An attempt to save the rook on g1
15…c6 16.Re1 Now after 16…cxb 17.Rxe4 white has some chances of surviving thanks to the bad knight on a1

16…Bc2+! Keeping the bishop pair
17.Kd2 cxb 18.Rxa1 Bxb2 0-1 (see diagram below)

White to move

And now we can clearly see that black has the better position. A bishop and a pawn more! That’s what happened when white didn’t develop his pieces quickly enough!