Philidor Defense, an epiphany

Today’s blog entry is from an online turn-based ladder game. Black takes timeout from development to capture a center pawn. The Philidor is a resurrected defense for me, as I could not find a reasonable gambit to play against 1.e4. The Philidor is a passive, but solid defense. White often moves to aggressively against it, giving Black the opportunity to counter-punch.

The variations and move symbols are Houdini’s (1.5 w32), diagnosed with ‘Scid vs PC’ at 10 seconds per ply. The opening book reference is Stockfish. The verbal comments are my thoughts during the game and my interpretations of the analysis provided by Houdini. The score chart is at the bottom of this entry.

This game features an epiphany for me: When pieces on both sides are being attacked, first look for a way to move out of danger while simultaneously attacking your opponent. See move 18...,Na3. This may not be the first time that I have executed an intermezzo / zwischenzug in a game, but is definitely the first time I have realized the power of this tactic.