I’m going to share with you, in my opinion, the strongest opening for Black against White’s move 1.e4 ―a deadly opening against e4!

And we’re going to see a couple of very interesting examples about how a strong grandmaster was defeated in just several moves playing e4. That’s amazing!

☉ You can also learn here The BEST Chess Opening for Black Against 1.e4

Deadly Opening against e4

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4

We’re talking about this opening variation which seems like the Scandinavian Defense, but instead we’re going to play Nf6, followed by Bg4.

Portuguese Variation, Scandinavian Defense

Bg4 is a move that your opponents don’t expect!

They instead expect you to recapture on d5 and they know something about this line. But you don’t!

You just play Bg4, hitting the queen. And even though there are a number of ways for White to stop the immediate threat, overall you have an easy attack here, very simple, very aggressive and difficult for White to hold.

That is why we’re going to see how even world class players struggled handling this early attack of Black.

First Example

Viktor Bologan vs Belurkar Nitish

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4

We’ve got Bologan playing White, against Nitish, who is an Indian FIDE Master.

Bologan was one of the world’s top players for some time, so normally we would expect White to win easily. But let’s see what’s going on here.

4. f3 Bf5 5. g4 Bg6 6. h4

In this game, Bologan played pawn to f3, attacking the bishop. It went back and he kept chasing the bishop by playing g4 and h4.

An interesting thing about this opening is that very often your opponents are unprepared against it. Therefore, they think that you’re playing weird moves and they want to punish you and they want to win quickly.

But that’s not the case! These are not weird moves, they are just moves unknown by your opponent!

6…h5 7. g5 Nxd5 8. c4

Now, the material balance is equal once again and White played c4.

White keeps playing aggressively, trying to gain as much space as they can and establish control over the central squares.

But after 8…Nb4, all of a sudden, White gets in a big trouble. Black is threatening Nc2, but that’s not the only problem that White has!

-4.0 evaluation in just the 8th move

Here, overall Black has so many attacking opportunities that White just cannot handle them. Stockfish gives a huge advantage for Black and it is just move eight!

Think about this: One of the world class players, playing White, got in a totally losing position against a FIDE Master, as early as move eight. It’s not bad for an opening, right? 🙂

Can you find the checkmate?

You’re preparing a checkmating threat that White just cannot stop. If they play something like Be2, there’s a move that wins the game.

Think about this and write it down in the comments below. Train your tactical version simultaneously!

Second Example

Hou Yifan vs Anna Muzychuk

In the second example, the white player is a former woman world chess champion and the second strongest female chess player of all times.

☉ Hou Yifan: The Current Best Female Chess Player in the World

Black’s player is also an elite player, grandmaster and recently world champion in women’s rapid chess.

After 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4, here White decided to cover her queen by playing 4. Nf3.

Black recaptured with the queen on d5, putting some pressure onto the knight.

4…Qxd5 5. Be2 Nc6

All of a sudden, Black is ready to castle queenside and to put strong pressure along the d-file against the pawn on d4.

6. c4 Qh5

White played pawn to c4, to kick the queen away.

7. Be3 O-O-O 8. O-O

Now we have an unpleasant (for White) opposition of the rook against the queen.

8…e5 9. d5 e4

And once again, believe it or not, after e5, Black is winning!

Again, as early as move 8, playing very simple attacking moves, Black just obtained a completely winning position.

The white pawn is pinned down to the queen; therefore, the pawn cannot move away. In addition to that, Black is also putting strong pressure along the h5-d1 diagonal with the battery of bishop and queen; so, White’s minor pieces can’t really move. All in all, White can’t cope with that!

Watch the full video lesson below to see how Black finally wins this game, by using this deadly opening against e4.

☉ You can also learn here An Aggressive Opening For Black Against e4 which includes traps to win fast!

Third Example

Peter Svidler vs Alexei Shirov

Now we have Svidler, playing White, against Shirov, playing Black ―both of them are top level grandmasters.

Here Svidler decided to cover the queen, by playing his bishop to e2, a move which seems one of the most natural ones to play for White.

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. Be2 Bxe2 5. Qxe2 Qxd5 6. Nf3

Black captured on e2 and then took on d5. The queen, from here, attacks the d4-pawn as well as the g2-pawn. Therefore, Nf3 is forced.

6…Nc6

Putting more pressure to the central pawn on d4, actually threatening to capture it.

7. Nc3 Qh5

Attacking the queen, so the queen went to the kingside.

Black is still going to castle queenside and keep threatening this pawn on d4, which is weak in many lines of this Portuguese Variation.

Svidler played Bg5, again trying to play actively, but he overlooked a nice little combo by Black!

8. Bg5 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxg5

This nice little tactics involves a temporary sacrifice of the knight. But in fact, it deflects the white knight from f3, where it defended the bishop.

Once again, within just eight moves, Black got a completely winning position. They won a pawn and there is no compensation for White.

Of course, it’s just a pawn; it’s not a checkmate. But on such level of top grandmasters, that’s basically already a won game. Black indeed won the game later on in the endgame.

Fourth Example

Chanda Sandipan vs Dolf Meijer

It may seem like the previous game was just a sudden blunder by a strong player. But now let me show you another line which is so common.

It’s something that you’re highly likely to play yourself.

Here, the white player is Sandipan, a strong Indian grandmaster. In fact, I once played against him over the board and lost. So, I know he’s a strong grandmaster.

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. Be2 Bxe2 5. Qxe2 Qxd5 6. Nf3

So far, it’s all the same as in the third game. But here Black played e6, which is in fact a more precise move, compared to the immediate Nc6.

6…e6 7. O-O Nc6

And here White made a super popular blunder!

☉ Learn from the World Championship Match, how to make less blunders. Look at 10 Useful Tips to Avoid Blunders in Chess

8.c4

Pawn to c4 is in fact one of the most played moves here by White. And it fails to Nxd4!

But Black didn’t play Nxd4 in the game. He played Qh5. Strangely enough, both players overlooked the move!

It was not a blitz game. It was a classical over-the-board game. Both strong players overlooked the move Nxd4.

After c4, any player definitely expects your queen to move. Nobody really thinks that you can do anything else. But there’s the move Nxd4 which wins the game on the spot, as early as move eight!

8… Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4

White attacks your queen, but you counter attack there. When they take on d4, you just recapture and you win a pawn with no compensation for White.

You are ahead in development and you’re having a great game.

In all the four examples we analyzed today, just by move eight, Black got a winning position playing against a strong grandmaster, who was playing White. If that is not a deadly chess opening against e4, you tell me what it is! ☺

Deadly Chess Opening against 1.e4 (Video Lesson)

Watch the full video lesson to learn everything about this deadly opening against e4.

Below you can find the PGN of these games, to learn in depth this deadly opening against e4: