Meanwhile the black king cowers on 0-0 behind a paper-thin screen of pawns.

Get it right (with a bit of help from your opponent) and it can feel like an assassination. A relatively risk-free kill at distance from a sniper rifle.

But then white often does have to find stunning moves like 32. Qxf6+ to keep the attack going. And black gets to play an attack of his own, with moves like b5-b4 and Rc8-Rxc3. And then it's a straight mano-a-mano knife fight where the outcome is uncertain but you know both players are going to end up bloodied.

Don't get me started! Hopefully he's found some other occupation to study where simple "bean counting" works.

I find that approach works well in many lines of the French too. Some opponents - indeed some openings like the KIA - seem to be determined to attack a king that has been castled on the kingside. If the king ain't there, there's nothing to attack.

<Once: When you see a game like this, it makes you wonder why anyone would play the black side of a sicilian.>

I love to play the Black side of the sicilian because of the counter attacking possibilities. While it's true that White has a strong attack and accuracy to the nth degree is required if your opponent knows his theory, Blacks' position is very resilient and solid. If he can weather the storm so to speak he has punches of his own to throw.

That being said I love the White side as well. Castling long and throwing the Kingside pawns forward allows the attack to almost play itself.

That reminds me of one of my games. (Don't feel bad; everything reminds me of one of my games.) This is from the period when I always played for a kingside mating attack. This period has lasted from approximately 1957 to the present day.

David Moody - NN
Motor City Open,1984

<1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c4 7.Qg4 g6 8.h4 h5 9.Qg3 Bd7 10.Nh3 Ba4 11.Bg5 Qb6>

click for larger view

<12.0-0-0>

Of course; other moves slow down the kingside attack. Besides, I might never have another excuse to castle queenside against a Winawer French.

<12...Nc6 13.Nf4 Nge7 14.Be2 0-0-0>

This does not discourage White from continuing to play for a kingside mating attack.

<15.Qh3 Rd7 16.g4 hxg4 17.Bxg4 Qa5 18.Qf3 Nf5 19.h5 Nce7 20.hxg6 Nxg6 21.Bxf5 Rxh1 22.Rxh1 exf5 23.Nxg6 fxg6 24.Rh8+ Kc7>

click for larger view

<25.e6>

Kind of winning, since an attempt to extricate the rook by 25...Rg7 allows 26.Bd8+. The rest is noteworthy only because White does manage to make a move on the queenside, his only one after 12.0-0-0.

See that 33. Rg6+! to force the inevitable checkmate and open the a2-g8 diagonal for the White Bishop if Black's move is 33...fxg6. Quite a mating combination!!

We've gotta tip our hats off to Christopher Lutz!!

Well-played by Lutz!

Trolley dolly bishop lambast cut price paid e5.