Coulsdon Late Summer U2000 Round 4
Queen's Gambit Accepted
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 Bb4+!?
This looks odd in that Black is apparently offering to trade off a white bishop hemmed in by white central pawns. However Gunsberg tried it in his 1890-1 world championship match with Steinitz. The main moves are 5...c5 and 5...a6.
6.Bd2
Despite what I stated earlier about an exchange of bishops, Steinitz against Gunsberg preferred 6.Nc3, which has also been played by Capablanca, Botvinnik and Fine. If then 6...Ne4, White has 7.Qc2, so Black usually castles, but that reaches a position in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database that is normally reached with Black to move.
6...Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2
More popular in Mega21 is 7.Nbxd2!?
7...0-0
Again ...Ne4 can be met by Qc2.
8.Nc3
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| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8...c6?!
This is almost certainly too passive, leaving White a free hand in the centre.
Generally speaking, Black should be looking to challenge White's centre by preparing ...e5 or, more commonly, ...c5. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 suggest 8...b6, while the most-popular move in Mega21, albeit from a small sample, is 8...Nc6.
9.0-0 b5!? 10.Bb3!?
The engines prefer 10.Bd3.
10...Na6 11.a4!?
The engines prefer 11.Rfd1.
11...b4
Forcing this was the point of my last move, but the text is why the engines were not keen on 11.a4!? They reckon that after 11...b4 White is only slightly better, whereas I was hopeful that long-term Black would have trouble with queenside weaknesses.
12.Na2 Rb8
The engines suggest 12...c5 13.Bc4 Bb7, but still prefer White.
13.Rac1 Bb7 14.Ne5 Rc8 15.Rfd1 Ne4?!
The knight will be something of a lone raider. The engines like 15...c5 16.Bc4 Qd6 with what they reckon is a slight edge to White.
16.Qe1 Qg5?!
The engines still prefer ...c5, but give White the upper hand.
17.f3 Nec5??
Black had to drop the knight back to the third rank, but is losing a pawn, eg 17...Nd6 18.Nxb4 Nxb4 19.f4 and 20.Qxb4.
18.f4 Qe7 19.dxc5 Nxc5?? 20.Qxb4 (1-0, 31 moves)
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