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Gioachino Greco vs NN
Paris (1625), Paris FRA
King Pawn Game: La Bourdonnais Gambit (C40)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jun-26-08  TommyC: Not quite <whiteshark> since Greco was born ten years later in 1600.
Jun-26-08  whiteshark: <TommyC> Holy smoke! Do you think that it's a <prenatal> game?
Jun-27-08  TommyC: Yes, <whiteshark>, yes I do.
Aug-10-08  just a kid: I think the losing move is 2...Qf6!
Oct-10-08  AhmetMTF: Let me leave my first, rather simple, comment on this game: If Kxg4 or Kh4: Qh3++ or if Kh6: Nf7++ (The second one is cooler.)
Oct-10-08  DarthStapler: Greco must have been the greatest player of all time - he never lost a game :p
Oct-11-08  GannonKnight: Greco really must have NN's number.
Feb-12-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  eternaloptimist: LOL! :D, :D ... :D The moral of this story is don't move out your Q too early in the game (unless there is a very good reason for doing so). <GannonKnight: Greco really must have NN's number.> LOL! Actually, it means: "Nescio Nomen, a Latin phrase meaning name unknown. It has been customary to use N.N. for the given name of an unknown person". I used chess.com's definition for NN.
Oct-22-09  Wayne Proudlove: I think I may have found what I'm looking for in these games of Greco's and plan to spend a week or so of serious analysis on them and will surely come out of the experience a much stronger player.
Jul-14-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Bishoprick: NN lived a really long time, possibly longer than Noah. Everyone had his number, and he may never have won a game. Very sad. :-(
Jul-14-10  zanshin: <Bishoprick> MM won quite a few games:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ches...

Jul-14-10  zanshin: <MM won quite a few games>

Make that NN.

Sep-05-10  gented87: there's nothing worse than 2...Qf6 !!
Nov-16-10  David2009: High-class defence by NN (5...Ke7 avoiding 5...Kxf7?). The ever-resilent EGT prefers 5...Kd8 6.Nxe5 Ne7 7.d4 Nbc6 8.Nxc6+ Qxc6 to reach


click for larger view

Against a human player I would play on, against the EGT I am happy to rest on my laurels - for now. Crafty End Game Trainer link to the earlier position (White to play move 5): http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t... Enjoy playing and beating the EGT - if you can!

Nov-15-11  AnalyzeThis: 2.... Qf6 isn't wonderful, but it might be a ballgame if you play 3... d6 and 4.... Be6, instead of moving your queen every change you get.
Jan-24-12  Knight13: The real mistake is 4. Qxe4??
Apr-06-12  kontoleon: he takes 4 opening move to hit a pawn! how deference chess is now...
Sep-15-14  Bronder: Black's third move betrays that we are looking at a game from about 400 years ago.
Sep-15-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Hard to believe that this trashy opening was repeated as late as S Sokolov vs I Semenov, 1987, in which White played 7.Nxe5 and racked up another speedy victory.
Sep-15-14  Mating Net: <Black's third move betrays that we are looking at a game from about 400 years ago> True, and I would sanction Black's second move in the same manner as well. We should be thankful to the pioneers of yesterday for showing us how not to play.
Oct-24-14  The17thPawn: So is this Greco's Father playing as he was not yet born or just a game falsely attributed to him?
Jul-15-15  Asabovsobelo: I've read that some people believe Greco composed all his games and that there is no No Name. If this is true I don't see it taking away from his accomplishments. His games are still a lot of fun to check out.
Jan-18-16  Christoforus Polacco: Another trap : 4.d3 Q:g2 ? 5.B:f7+ ... 90 % short games terminated by big error of one player which we can find in books for begginers THERE ARE games of brilliant Greco versus NN :) <whiteshark> original moves of Greco are better, more consequent. Bishop on 'f7' is decoy for black king. The white's attack is faster when black king goes to 'f7' - not go back 'd8'. Maybe this is almost the same after : Bc1-Bg5+ but I like elegance of Greco's moves.
Apr-09-17  Yigor: A terrible play by NN though 2...Qf6 is now called Greco defense. 4... Qxe4 is the critical mistake.
Jan-06-23  generror: Another nice early Greco study (and/or game, I don't really care), and again quite instructive in that it shows you how stupid moves can often be quickly punished in the opening.

The stupid move here isn't so much <2...Qf6?!> (which actually is far better than <2...f6?> or some other black openings in Greco's miniatures), but the pawn grab <4...Qxe4??> . After the Fried Liver-style <5.Bxf7+!>, Black at least doesn't lose his queen with <5...Kxf7? 6.Ng5+>, but his position is still utterly lost -- actually, after <6.Re1>, Stockfish indicates that Black's best moves are giving away his queen for one of the attacking pieces. NN of course doesn't do that, and so after <8...Kg6> it's a nice forced mate in 4.

Unlike most other Greco miniatures, I haven't found anything in the winner's play to nag about. But even so, modern chess was in its infancy back then, and I am very thankful to Greco that his miniatures refuted some of the more stupid openings, thus greatly improving the quality of chess. (Of course, I'm sure you'll find some dude on the internet with an "analysis" that "proves" that Black is "fine" after <2...Qf6>.)

This game is identical to Greco vs NN, 1620 except the last king's move.

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