Mira Martin: Level 52 Chess Rival (2066 ELO)

Rook tier · Solid Slav · plays the Italian Game

How Mira plays

Mira learned chess in the Slav school of thought: protect the centre, develop every piece, and only then start asking questions. At 37 she has carried that patience into her Black repertoire against 1.e4, where the Giuoco Piano suits her well. The bishop goes to c5, the d-pawn stops on d6, and the a-pawn spends a move on a6 so the bishop always has a home on a7.

She is comfortable in manoeuvring positions where the pawn structure stays intact for twenty moves and the better-placed knight decides the game. Sudden sacrifices and tactical chaos are less her territory; she prefers to trade a little activity for a sound structure. The way to unsettle Mira is to ask a concrete question she cannot answer with another quiet move, such as a timely pawn lever or a pin that forces her to commit her pieces before she is ready.

At 2066 ELO, Mira rarely gives material away for nothing. She is held to that rating by the engine, so you will see the occasional inaccuracy in quiet positions, but tactics are usually spotted. Games are won by building a better position over many moves and converting it carefully.

Italian Game: the line Mira plays

In the Italian Game Mira meets 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 with ...Bc5, the classical Giuoco Piano. The book continues with ...Nf6, ...d6, ...a6 and short castling: quiet, symmetrical development where both sides manoeuvre before anything breaks open.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6 7.Re1 O-O

Learn it move by move: Italian Game walkthrough

How to beat Mira

  1. Play h3 early to take g4 away from her knight and bishop. Without ...Bg4 pinning your f3 knight, her slow setup has fewer active ideas and your manoeuvres become easier.
  2. When she offers ...Be6 to trade off your Italian bishop, retreat to b3 rather than exchanging. Keeping the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal ties her to the defence of f7.
  3. Gain queenside space with a4 before she gets ...b5 in. Fixing her pawns on a6 and b7 leaves her with fewer pawn breaks and less room for her pieces.
  4. The slow Giuoco Piano rewards patience. Prepare d4 with c3, reroute the queen's knight via d2 and f1 to g3, and only open the centre once your pieces are ready. Avoid trading your light-squared bishop cheaply on f7: the cheap check rarely wins anything.
  5. Their book answers 1.e4 only (with lines for the Italian, Two Knights, Spanish and Scotch). Open 1.d4 or 1.c4 and she is out of book at once.

What beating Mira teaches you

Mira's games train long-range manoeuvring in symmetrical positions: improving your worst piece and choosing the right moment to change the structure.

Neighbours on the ladder