I won the game, which can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/08/northumbria-round-one.html, but I was lost out of the opening, which I take to be over once one side has connected rooks.
So the question I want to try to answer here is, how should White meet Black's provocative second move?
I played 3.c4, which is second-most popular in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database with 154 games, but scores a disappointing 50%.
Most popular is 3.Nf3, with 519 games that score a very respectable 57%, but the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer 3.Bd3, which has 152 games and scores a very good 61%.
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| Position after 3.Bd3 - Black has three main replies |
A) 3...b5
The engines reckon this is dubious, ie they flash yellow, but disagree as to White's best continuation.
Sensible seems to be Stockfish14's choice of 4.Nf3, which has also been the commonest choice of grandmasters, at which point the line splits.
A1 4...Bb7
5.0-0, and now 5...c5 has been played by Magnus Carlsen, Nigel Short and many others.
At this point Komodo12.1.1 likes 6.dxc5, which gives the game a Sicilian feel, but much more popular is Stockfish14's choice 6.c3, which has been played by Garry Kasparov.
After 6...Nf6 7.Re1 Be7, White gets the upper hand, according to the engines, with the little-played 8.e5!?, after which their main line runs 8...Nd5 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Nbd2 f5 11.exf6 Nxf6, when both Stockfish14's 12.Ne4 and Komodo12.1.1's 12.Nb3 seem to give White an initiative.
A2 4...c5
This was 2...a6!? pioneer Michael Basman's choice in all 11 games in which he reached this position in Mega21.
Again the engines differ in their response, with Komodo12.1.1 liking 5.dxc5 while Stockfish14 prefers the much-more popular 5.c3.
Then the overwhelming choice of blacks is 5...Bb7, when 6.0-0 transposes to A1.
B) 3...d5
This is less-popular than 3...b5 but is preferred by the engines, who like the little-known reply 4.Nc3!?
One point is that if Black continues with 4...b5, the response 5.exd5 exd5 gives White a positionally won game, according to Stockfish14, after 6.Qe2+ Be6 7.a4 bxa4 (7...b4?! 8.Nxd5!) 8.Nh3!? And if Black tries to interject 5...b4?! then White has 6.dxe6! as 6...bxc3 7.exf7+ Kxf7 8.Qf3+ Nf6 9.Qxa8 leaves White the exchange and two pawns up.
The position after 4.Nc3!? has actually transposed to a fashionable modern line of the French that is normally reached by the move-order 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 a6!? 4.Bd3. There are three main continuations:
B1 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 Nb4 6.Be2 Nf6 7.e5 Ne4, when the engines reckon White is better after both 8.0-0 and 8.a3.
B2 4...Nf6, when the engines like 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Nce2 c5 7.c3, again claiming White is better.
B3 4...c5!? 5.dxc5 Bxc5 6.exd5 exd5 7.Nxd5!, after which White is a pawn up. Black can get it back with 7...Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qxd5, but White's bishop-pair on an open board is the key factor in the position.
C) 3...c5
The engines like what would appear to be a novelty, 4.d5!?, with two main continuations:
C1 4...b5 5.c4!? Nf6, when both Stockfish14's 6.Nd2 and Komodo12.1.1's 6.Nc3 seem to leave White well-placed.
C2 4...Nf6 5.c4 b5, which is a transposition to C1.
CONCLUSION: 2...a6!? is positionally tricky in that anyone playing it is likely to have a better feel for the resulting positions than their opponents. But the move temporarily neglects the centre, and my response in the tournament of 3.c4 sought to solidify White's advantage there. But I suspect 3.c4 is exactly the type of move blacks are hoping for, and the engines' more modest, but also centrally focussed, 3.Bd3 is a better practical choice for club players.
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