Henry Bird - George Medley
Match (London) 1849
French 2.f4
1.e4 e6 2.f4!?
This may look quaint but it has been played by Carlsen and Nakamura. The main idea is to gain space on the kingside without having to gambit a pawn as would be the case with 1.e4 e5 2.f4.
2...d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bb5
Carlsen and Nakamura preferred 5.c3. After the text the position has similarities to the Rossolimo Variation of the Sicilian.
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| Position after 5.Bb5 |
5...Qb6
Medley later preferred 5...Bd7, meeting 6.Bxc6!? with 6...Bxc6.
6.Bxc6+ bxc6!?
Opening a diagonal for the black light-square bishop and reinforcing the black centre, factors that should prove more important than the disruption of Black's queenside pawn-formation. The black queen also gets to continue its pressure against b2. However Black also more-or-less loses the option of castling long.
7.0-0 Nh6 8.Kh1 Be7 9.Nc3 0-0 10.d3 a5!?
Medley judges he is safe enough on the kingside and can get on with queenside play.
11.b3 f6?!
Medley seems to have missed the secondary point of 11.b3, which is not just to prevent Black gaining more space with ...a4. Better is 11...c4!?, preventing 12.Ba3, or 11...Qa7 so 12.Ba3 does not pin the c5 pawn.
12.Ba3 Nf5
Threatens an exchange-winning fork at e3 as well as a defence of the c5 pawn by ...Nd7.
13.Qd2 Ba6 14.exf6 Rxf6 15.Ne5
Now White threatens an exchange-winning fork.
15...Qc7 16.Rae1 Rd8 17.Qf2 Nd4?
Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01 reckon Black's best is 17...c4!? 18.Bxe7 Nxe7, but prefer White after 19.dxc4 or 19.bxc4.
18.Na4 Bb5 19.Bxc5 Bxa4 20.Bxd4 Bb5?
Black had to try 20...c5, but then the engines give 21.Ng4 Rg6 22.Be5, eg 22...Qd7 23.bxa4 Rxg4 24.Rb1 with what they reckon is a winning advantage for White, although there is a lot of play left.
21.Bb6 1-0
Opening a diagonal for the black light-square bishop and reinforcing the black centre, factors that should prove more important than the disruption of Black's queenside pawn-formation. The black queen also gets to continue its pressure against b2. However Black also more-or-less loses the option of castling long.
7.0-0 Nh6 8.Kh1 Be7 9.Nc3 0-0 10.d3 a5!?
Medley judges he is safe enough on the kingside and can get on with queenside play.
11.b3 f6?!
Medley seems to have missed the secondary point of 11.b3, which is not just to prevent Black gaining more space with ...a4. Better is 11...c4!?, preventing 12.Ba3, or 11...Qa7 so 12.Ba3 does not pin the c5 pawn.
12.Ba3 Nf5
Threatens an exchange-winning fork at e3 as well as a defence of the c5 pawn by ...Nd7.
13.Qd2 Ba6 14.exf6 Rxf6 15.Ne5
Now White threatens an exchange-winning fork.
15...Qc7 16.Rae1 Rd8 17.Qf2 Nd4?
Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01 reckon Black's best is 17...c4!? 18.Bxe7 Nxe7, but prefer White after 19.dxc4 or 19.bxc4.
18.Na4 Bb5 19.Bxc5 Bxa4 20.Bxd4 Bb5?
Black had to try 20...c5, but then the engines give 21.Ng4 Rg6 22.Be5, eg 22...Qd7 23.bxa4 Rxg4 24.Rb1 with what they reckon is a winning advantage for White, although there is a lot of play left.
21.Bb6 1-0
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