JONNY Hector last played the New Milner-Barry Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!?) in 2015, according to ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
The reason it is again attracting attention is because Magnus Carlsen played it in September, and came up with a novelty on move eight.
Carlsen - Pentala Harikrishna
St Louis Rapid 2020
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? Bd7 8.Nbd2!?
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| Position after 8.Nbd2!? |
This looks really weird. John Watson at chesspublishing.com compares the text with Jonny Hector's favoured 8.Re1, saying: "This [Re1] does seem to give White better attacking chances, if only because the combination of ...dxc3 and Nxc3 gives White’s knight dangerous prospects so Black has to either allow that or commit to less promising moves."
But you may recall from part two of this series that the analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 quite often like an early Nbd2, even though it means White cannot recapture on c3 with the queen's knight. Indeed, give them a little time and they come to like it at move eight at least as much as Re1.
8...Rc8
Clearly 8...dxc3 is critical. After the just-about compulsory reply 9.bxc3 (9.Nb3?! cxb2 10.Bxb2 looks like a poor version of the Danish Gambit), the engines give 9...Nge7 10.Nb3 Ng6 (they also like 10...Qc7) 11.Qe2 Be7 12.Rb1 0-0 (again they also like ...Qc7) 13.Nbd4 (Stockfish12 also likes 13.h4) Qc7 14.Re1 Rfc8!? 15.h4 with a position where they reckon White has more-or-less full compensation for a pawn. This needs tests, as grandmasters like to say - but will it get any at a high level?
9.Nb3 dxc3
The engines reckon alternatives are good for White, eg Stockfish12's main alternative line runs 9...Qc7 10.Re1 (10.cxd4 is also good, according to the engine) dxc3 (Stockfish12 reckons this is practically forced) 11.bxc3 Nge7 12.Rb1 with a slight edge for White despite being a pawn down. Komodo11.01 comes to also rate 9...Qc7 as the main alternative, but for a while prefers 9...Nge7, continuing 10.Nbxd4 Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Nc6 12.Nf3 with a slight edge for White in a materially equal position.
10.bxc3 Qc7 11.Re1 Nge7 12.h4
This is the move we have seen Hector play after Black plays ...Nge7. The main idea seems to be to discourage ...Ng6 as the black king's knight will later be hit by h5.
12...Ng6
Harikrishna plays it anyway as here White has to first protect e5 before being able to push the h pawn.
13.Qe2 Be7 14.h5 Ngxe5?!
Black will get three pawns for a knight, but that is not usually enough in a middlegame.
The engines give 14...Nh4, when 15.Nxh4 Bxh4 16.h6 g6 17.Ba3 Be7 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Qe3 is unclear. Komodo11.01 wants for some time to continue with 19...Qxc3!?, but Stockfish12's 20.Rec1 Qb4 21.Rab1 gives White dangerous play, as Komodo11.01 comes to recognise.
15.Nxe5 Qxe5 16.Qxe5 Nxe5 17.Rxe5 Bf6 18.Re3 Rxc3 19.Rb1 d4 20.Rg3 0-0 21.Bb2 Rfc8!?
Now Harikrishna imaginatively offers the exchange. The engines agree this is Black's best shot, but they much prefer White.
22.Bxc3 dxc3
(The second time Black has played ...dxc3)
23.Rd1 Bc6 24.Bc2 Kf8
Black has just three pawns for a rook, but he has the bishop-pair on an open board and his material deficit is apparently not enough to resign at a rapid time-control even when facing the world champion.
25.Re3 b6 26.Nd4!?
Probably even stronger is 26.Bxh7 but Carlsen was presumably reluctant to risk unblockading the advanced c pawn in case he had missed something in his calculations.
26...Bd5 27.a4 g6 28.hxg6 hxg6 29.Nb5 Rc4?!
Seemingly stronger is the engines' 29...a6 30.Nd6 Rc6 31.Ne4 Bg7, albeit still much favouring White.
30.Nxa7 Rb4
Harikrishna is staking all on advancing the c pawn.
31.Nb5 Rb2 32.Rc1!?
Returning the exchange, but after ...
32...Bg5 33.Nxc3 Bxe3 34.fxe3
... White emerges up a knight for a pawn (1-0, 47 moves).
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