Chess Evolution: QGD Exchange (part eight)

THE success of 6.Qc2 in deterring a quick ...Bf5 after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 led to attempts by Black to exploit the early development of the white queen.

Bogdan Śliwa - Bobby Fischer

Poland v USA (Warsaw) 1962

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2 Na6!?

The knight could go to b4 to hit the white queen, or it might travel via c7 to e6 to hit the white dark-square bishop.

7.e3!?

Ignoring the threat of ...Nb4 was also Kasparov's choice the two times he faced 6...Na6!? Carlsen, on the other hand, preferred the preventative 7.a3 the one time he faced this line. The text is slightly less-popular in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, but White scores a healthy 58% with both moves.

7...Nc7!?

Fischer is the first person in Mega20 to play this move, but then the position after 7.e3!? only appears once before this game. After 7...Nb4, the two main lines in Mega20 run 8.Qd2 Bf5 9.Rc1 a5 10.a3 Na6, as seen in Spassky - Szabó, Candidates' 1956, Petrosian - Spassky, IBM Amsterdam 1973, and Kasparov - Ivanchuk, Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1999, all of which ended in draws, and 8.Qb1!? g6 9.Qd1 a5 10.a3 Na6, as seen in Dokhoian - Vaganian, Tilburg Rapid 1994, Dreev - Shanglei Lu, China Team Championship 2014, and Reinderman - Ernst, Netherlands Team Championship 2017, all of which also ended in draws.

8.Bd3 Be7 9.Nge2 Nh5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.0-0-0!?

Aggressive and very committal, especially as Black is not forced to castle short.

11...g6 12.h3 Bd7 13.Kb1 0-0-0!?

It is not often Black castles long in the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. However White's kingside play looks menacing after 13...0-0 14.g4.

14.Na4 Kb8 15.Nc5 Bc8 16.Nc1 Ng7 17.N1b3 b6 18.Na4 Bb7 19.Rhe1 Nge6 20.Rc1 Rhe8 21.a3 f5!?

After mutual manoeuvring, Fischer starts, or at least threatens, a kingside Minority Attack. This is nearly always available to Black in the QGD Exchange, but rarely works.

22.f4!?

Śliwa blockades the black f pawn but creates a weakness at e3.

22...Qh4 23.Re2

How should Black proceed?

*****

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23...g5!

Fischer grabs the initiative on the kingside.

24.Nd2?

Best, according to the analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01, is 24.fxg5, which Fischer probably intended meeting with 24...f4. The engines disagree on best play then, but a typical line runs 25.exf4 Nxf4 26.Rxe8 Rxe8 27.Bf5 Qxg5 28.g4 Re3 with a continuing initiative for Black.

If 24.Bxf5, the engines give 24...gxf4 25.exf4 Qxf4 26.Bxe6 Rxe6 with a sharp position, but one the engines reckons is much better for Black.

24...gxf4 25.Nf3

Not 25.exf4? Nxd4.

25...Qf6 26.Bxf5?!

Best, according to the engines, is 26.exf4 Nxd4 27.Qc3 Rxe2 28.Bxe2 Nce6, when Black is a clear pawn up.

26...fxe3 27.Bxe6 Nxe6 28.Qc3

Or 28.Rxe3 Nxd4 29.Qd2 Rxe3 30.Qxe3 Nxf3 31.Qxf3 Qxf3 32.gxf3 Rf8 with a large advantage for Black.

28...c5 29.Rd1

If 29.dxc5, then 29...d4 is very strong. After 29.Qxe3 Nxd4 30.Qxe8 Rxe8 31.Rxe8+ Kc7, White's pieces are too uncoordinated, eg 32.Rce1 (32.Nxd4 Qg6+ and 33...Qxe8) Nxf3 33.gxf3 Kd6 34.Nc3 Bc6 35.R8e3 Qf5+ etc.

29...cxd4 30.Nxd4 Nxd4 31.Qxd4 Qg6+ 32.Rc2 Re4 33.Qc3 Rc8 34.Qb3 Rxc2 0-1