Opening Lessons From Wrocław IX

IN round nine I had white against Kinga Marczyk (1271)

English Botvinnik

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.e4

More popular are 5.d3 and 5.e3, but there are 2,207 examples of the text in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database. It received a major boost with publication of The Dynamic English by Tony Kosten (Gambit 1999).

5...d6 6.Nge2

The game has reached the basic set-up recommended by Kosten. As he points out, the pawn-formation with a hole at d4 was pioneered by Aron Nimzowitsch and refined by Mikhail Botvinnik, who developed the king's knight to e2 rather than Nimzowitsch's preferred f3.

6...Nge7

Kosten says this is "considered Black's best," and it is the main move in Mega21.

7.0-0 0-0 8.f4!?

There are lines in the Botvinnik system where a quick f4 can inconvenience Black, but that is usually when White threatens to continue with an immediate f5. That is not the case here, so 8.d3 is more flexible, and is very much the main move in Mega21. Basically in the Botvinnik system of the English, White has three possible plans: break on the kingside with f4; break on the queenside by pushing the b pawn; advance in the centre with d4. The last is not often on as Black can drop a knight into d4 at will, and it is probably too early to decide whether to go for a kingside or queenside break, hence 8.d3 is probably better than my choice.

8...exf4!?

Probably a novelty. A 2527 in Mega21 played the standard-type move 8...Be6, while Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 like 8...Bg4. The text makes the f4 square a good post for a white knight, while it is not clear a black piece could remain for long on e5.

9.Nxf4

Stockfish14 narrowly prefers 9.gxf4. My other main analysis engine, Komodo12..1.1 prefers the text, which seems to fit in more with Kosten's general advice.

9...Nd4

Thanks to 8...exf4!?, Black has occupied d4 with  aknight at a moment when White cannot simply swop it off, and the knight is in White's half of the board. On the other hand the white knight is also well-posted, and the half-open f file looks more useful for White than the half-open e file is for Black.

10.d3 Bd7

This is an uninspiring post for the bishop, but the bishop will have to be developed somewhere at some point and it is far from obvious Black will find it a better square.

11.Be3 Nec6 12.Qd2

White has connected rooks in just 12 moves

Komodo12.1.1 at first assesses this position as slightly better for White, while Stockfish14 reckons the position is more-or-less equal. Given more time, the engines swop assessments, and generally fluctuate between having White slightly better or effectively equal. The full game can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/08/wrocaw-round-nine.html