Excerpt
from Hans Ree's "Dutch Treat" column at ChessCafe.com, April
2005.
http://www.chesscafe.com/hans/hans.htm
Apart from Timman's fine performance a highlight of the tournament, at least for me, was the game Nakamura -Sasikiran from the 7th round, which started 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5. At last a top player has dared to try this provocative but quite sensible move.
A few years ago I wrote an article for the Chesscafe, Jake, Joe and Garry, in which I quoted Nigel Short, who had written that Vladimir Kramnik had prepared the move 2. Qh5 to use against Kasparov, though only in blitz games.
I think it would have been quite effective, not because of the strength of the move, but because of its shock value. The cheek of it, trying to deliver a Scholar's Mate with a beginner's move to the greatest player of time. It would have been quite difficult for Kasparov to check his anger and regain his composure within the short time of a blitz game. But alas, it never happened.
Kramnik had told Short that in the main variation after 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 g6 4. Qf3 Nf6 5. Ne2 he considered the position to be equal.
At the time I thought that with Kramnik's sign of approval we would see this position more often, but it didn't happen, at least not in high-level chess. Now Nakamura has tried it.
Of course the shock value of 2. Qh5 is much less in a classical tournament game than in a blitz game. One cannot expect wonders from a surprise second move.
Nakamura got what he could have expected: an equal position with only a slight pull. He lost the game not because of the opening, but because he didn't want to resign himself to a dull draw.
Nakamura,H (2657) ‑ Sasikiran, 13th Sigeman & Co 2005
1. e2‑e4 e7‑e5 2. Qd1‑h5 Nb8‑c6 3. Bf1‑c4 g7‑g6 4. Qh5‑f3 Ng8‑f6 5. Ng1‑e2 Bf8‑g7 6. Nb1‑c3 d7‑d6 7. d2‑d3 Bc8‑g4 8. Qf3‑g3 Qd8‑d7 9. f2‑f3 Bg4‑e6 10. Bc1‑g5 Nf6‑h5 11. Qg3‑h4 h7‑h6 12. Bg5‑e3 Nc6‑a5 13. Bc4‑b3 Na5xb3 14. a2xb3 a7‑a6 15. d3‑d4 Qd7‑e7 16. Qh4‑f2 e5xd4 17. Be3xd4 Nh5‑f6 18. 0‑0‑0 0‑0‑0 19. Ne2‑f4 Rh8‑g8 20. Rh1‑e1 Kc8‑b8 21. Kc1‑b1 g6‑g5
22. Nf4‑e2 A sign of things to come. White could have forced a draw here easily, but he wants to keep some play in the position. Further in the game he disdained equality again, until his position deteriorated into a loss.