However, what if white had instead played 32. g3, and stopped the rook-doubling on the 7th rank that way? After 32. ... Rd2, then 33. Bb3, and sure, black is an exchange up and will probably win in the long run, but I can't see how Philidor's notation is true -- i.e. that black will either double on the seventh rank, OR win the bishop, OR queen the pawn -- unstoppably. How does black win immediately with any of those themes after 32. g3 ? I don't see it. If 32. ...Rd2, then 33. Bb3 e2, then just 34. Kf2 and the pawn seems stopped. Sure, black can rack up on the 7th, and has a winning endgame, but for the moment white holds material and doesn't get mated. Or am I missing something?

18...e4! is the star move, opening lines and creating an outpost for the knight. Reasonably obvious to anyone familiar with Nimzowitsch, but I'm amazed that Philidor was au fait with the concept.

And then we get a gem like this: "You must make yourself master of the openings, to bring the castles into play, especially at the latter end of the game." Brilliant stuff, and way ahead of his time.

You're correct that 32. g3 is a better move. I ran the position through <Crafty> and didn't find anything stronger than 32. ... Rd2; 33. Bb3, Rg5; 34. Rxe3, Rxc5; 35. Rc3, Rb5 with the threat of advancing the a-Pawn to drive away the White Bishop.

When the attacked white bishop moves , black will take g2 pawn with check , and then several more pawns, even threatening mates in some variations while already having decisive material advantage . No point in playing on , therefore white resigned.

Shams: <Knight13> I'll offer a thought. One answer to your question is that White didn't stake enough of a claim to the center.

Just look at the position after Black's 8...Bd6:

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White's game already stinks because Black can easily deal with White's only meaningful stab at the center, c2-c4. White's Knights are atrocious. If he drifts some more, White could be strategically lost in a few moves. How did this happen?

White didn't ask enough of his d- and e-pawns. He captured away from the center with exf5, but this is timid when combined with White's d2-d3. More typical and more effective is usually to capture away and then hit out with pawn to d4, in one go if possible.

Happily the only other game in the db in this line sees Anderssen handling the White pieces 129 years later, and he does what I just described. His opponent seems not to have been very strong, so White's play makes a strong first impression. Play through that game a few times.

Anderssen vs K Pitschel, 1878

~

<newzild><18...e4! is the star move, opening lines and creating an outpost for the knight. Reasonably obvious to anyone familiar with Nimzowitsch, but I'm amazed that Philidor was au fait with the concept.>

Is this the first known game with this canonical pawn sacrifice?

<Shams: Is the text to be preferred over 11...Be6 keeping the bishop?> 11... Be6 12. f4 and if 12... e4 then 13. dxe4 dxe4 14. Nxe4 and White wins a pawn. So 12. f4 exf4 13. Qxe7+ Bxe7 14. Bxf4 and White has succeeded in cracking the center. My answer would be that, yes, the text is to be preferred over 11... Be6.

Shams: <Knight13> Thanks, I appreciate that. <Are you implying that White's correct line of play would be 6. d4...> Not at all, just that if <exf5/d4> is how White wants to treat the center, he should plan his entire opening around those pawn moves, more or less. Whether he plays them at moves 5/6 or 10/11 depends.

Note the prep moves that Anderssen makes and the ones he doesn't. Why was Anderssen apparently unwilling to abide ...Bf5-g4? He played 8.h3/9.exf5/10.d4. If you want to play 6.d4 in the above position without Anderssen's prepatory h2-h3, can you justify it? These are the questions I ask myself.

On 11...Be6 12.f4 0-0-0 was the move I intended:

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Unless Black gets in trouble on the e-file he should be better.