The full game can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/06/morphing-french-xx.html but here I will concentrate in some depth on the opening.
Spanton - Menzinger
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
The Exchange Variation of the French Defence is routinely disparaged in opening books, although occasionally an author will say the lines are only drawish if both players have peaceful intentions.
I started playing it regularly after posting a series two years ago, starting with https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/07/morphy-v-french.html, on how Paul Morphy took on the French.
Since then I have played the French Exchange 20 times, including twice at correspondence chess, scoring +10=6-4, ie 65%. My average rating in those games was 1950, while my opponents averaged 1925. Overall I can say the French Exchange has been a successful addition to my repertoire.
3...exd5 4.Nf3
There are more than 23,000 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, but it is pipped by 4.Bd3, which has almost 26,000 games.
4...Nf6
And here 4...Bd6, which is slightly more popular than the text, leaves more room for creating asymmetry.
It may be PM started in the mood of being fully satisfied with a draw. After all, he had played in the morning, when I had a bye on what was a double-round day, and I was listed in the tournament as having a rating of 1998, which is my ECF, and he may well not have known my Fide is 1814 (the Amateur Chess Organization was using the higher of a player's national and international ratings).
5.Bd3 Bg4!?
But if PM had really been fully satisfied with a draw then he would probably have played 5...Bd6, which Morphy faced three times in 1858, winning all three games (he does not seem to have faced the text).
6.0-0
Garry Kasparov's choice when he reached this position. It isconsiderably more popular than immediately putting the question to the bishop with 6.h3.
6...Be7
Black's dark-square bishop is less active than White's; on the other hand the white king's knight is pinned, a fate unlikely to occur to its black counterpart.
7.Re1 0-0 8.h3
An alternative plan, as pointed out by someone in the postmortem, is to save this until the queen's knight has reached g3, eg 8.Nbd2 Nbd7 9.Nf1 Re8 10.Ng3. But then 10...Bd6!? throws a spanner in the works as 11.h3?! Rxe1+ 12.Qxe1 Bxf3 almost certainly favours Black, and if 11.Rxe8+ Qxe8 12.h3, the analysis engines Stockfish13 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon Black is at least equal after 12...Bxf3 13.Qxf3 Qe1+.
8...Bh5 9.Bg5
Mark Hebden has played this move, which is the choice of the engines.
9...Nbd7 10.Nc3!?
Hebden played 10.Nbd2 in a game that was agreed drawn one move later.
The engines do not like the text, although it has been played by a 2483.
10...c6
The white queen's knight now has few prospects for improvement. Indeed, Komodo12.1.1 reckons White should play 11.Nb1!?
11.g4!?
This was my plan in playing Nc3. There are seven examples of the move in Mega21 - White lost them all. However, once the move is inputted on the board, it becomes Komodo12.1.1's top choice, at least for a short while. Both engines come to prefer 11.Bf5, albeit giving a slight nod to Black.
11...Bg6 12.Ne5!?
The engines strongly dislike this logical-looking move, which has been played by a 2449. They suggest what appears to be a novelty in 12.Qd2!?, when one line runs 12...Re8 13.Re3 Qb6 14.Rae1 Bd6 15.Rxe8+ Nxe8!? 16.b3, when they reckon Black is slightly better.
12...Re8 13.f4 Bxd3 14.Qxd3
14.cxd3?! covers important central squares, but the white position looks very loose.
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| White has connected rooks, which is a good point to call the opening over |
I would rate the position as dynamically equal, but the engines reckon Black is slightly better.
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