The game can be seen at M1 but here I want to focus in detail on the opening, which as a general rule I take to last until one side has connected rooks.
1.Nc3
I find this a useful weapon against opponents who have very few or no games in databases, and who may be relatively inexperienced.
In my games the reply ...
1...d5
.... is more than four times as popular as any other move.
The difference is less profound in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, but 1...d5 is still easily the commonest choice.
However the most successful move percentagewise among those appearing at least 100 times is 1...c5, which scores an excellent 54% compared with 49% for 1...d5 and 1...g6.
After the text White's most popular continuation by a huge margin is 2.e4!?, keeping the game in independent 1.Nc3 lines.
After 2...d4 3.Nce2 e5 White usually continues with the somewhat unexpected 4.Ng3!?, when the main line runs 4...Be6 5.Nf3 f6!? 6.Bb5+!? c6 7.Ba4.
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| Position after 7.Ba4 - Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon Black is slightly better |
2.d4
... which has been played by, among many others, Magnus Carlsen.
Black has many options here, including inviting a French Defence with 2...e6 and a Caro-Kann with 2...c6.
Fans of the Liberated Bishop can play 2...Bf5, especially now White's traditional response to early development of this bishop, ie a quick c4 and Qb3, has been ruled out.
But massively most popular is ...
2...Nf6
... reaching a position that is also commonly arrived at via the move-order 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5.
3.Bg5
For many decades this continuation, known as the Veresov or Richter Attack, was almost automatic, but in recent years 3.Bf4, known as the Jobava-Prié, has become very popular and is preferred by the engines.
The main line, in what is very much an evolving opening, runs 3...e6 4.e3 Bd6 (4...Bb4 is also popular) 5.Nf3!? 0-0 6.Bd3 c5 7.dxc5, when Stockfish14.1 reckons both 7...Bxc5 and 7...Bxf4!? give equality, but Komodo12.1.1 reckons the latter favours White.
After the text Black has three main ways to avoid doubled pawns (not that everyone agrees this is necessary):
A) 3...Nbd7 is the traditional continuation. It blocks the black light-square bishop, at least temporarily, and is less-active than organising ...Nc6. However Stockfish14.1, but not Komodo12.1.1, reckons it gives Black a tiny edge.
B) 3...Ne4!? has been played by grandmasters but seems to favour White after 4.Nxe4 dxe4, eg 5.e3 c6!? (threatening to win a piece!) 6.c3, when the engines agree White has at least a slight edge.
C) the game continuation:
3...e6
Dedicated Veresov players tend to keep the game in independent Veresov lines with 4.Nf3 or 4.e3, but most popular, and arguably most principled, is transposing to a French with:
4.e4
There are almost 45,000 games with this position in Mega22, with the commonest replies being 4...Bb4 (the McCutcheon), 4...dxe4 (the Burn) and the classical ...
4...Be7
... after which Adolf Anderssen's 5.Bxf6!? is still periodically seen, but normal is:
5.e5
Black can reply 5...Ne4!? but both 5.Bxe7 and 5.Nxe4 are believed to favour White, so normal is:
5...Nfd7
Here 6.Bxe7 is natural but Mega22 has almost 6,400 games with:
6.h4!?
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| Position after 6.h4!? |
The gambit is only accepted about one game in five, but acceptance clearly needs to be seriously considered by players on both sides of the variation.
After 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5, Albin continued in 1890 with 8.Nf3, but the gambit soared in popularity after Alekhine in 1914 played 8.Nh3!?
The main line continues 8...Qe7 9.Nf4 (9.Qg4!? is also popular) Nc6!? 10.Qg4!? g6!? 11.0-0-0 with an unclear position that the engines reckon is roughly balanced.
Both sides have important alternatives along the way.
Declining the gambit is much more popular, although the 'natural' French move 6...c5!? is frowned on by theory because of the continuation 7.Bxe7!? Qxe7 8.Nb5.
However this line is revived every so often with the idea of meeting 7.Bxe7!? with 7...Kxe7!?, when Nb5 is much less of a threat. Instead White usually reinforces the centre with 8.f4, when Stockfish14.1 gives White at least a slight edge but Komodo12.1.1 calls the position equal.
Black can also decline by 'castling into it' with 6...0-0, when both 7.Bd3 and 7.Qg4 favour White, according to Stockfish14.1, but not Komodo12.1.1, and 6...h6, when 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 8.f4 splits the engines as before.
The commonest method of declining is to take away the threat of Nb5 with the slow-looking:
6...a6!?
Then the aggressive ...
7.Qg4
... unites the engines in preferring White.
The 'consistent' follow-up to 6...a6!? of 7...c5?! looks decidedly dubious after 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Qxg7, while 7...0-0?? loses to 8.Bh6.
There are more than 200 examples of 7...Kf8!? in Mega22, but White must be better.
Possible is 7...f6, but 8.Qh5+! g6 9.exf6 favours White, according to the engines.
The second-most popular try is 7...f5!?, but it looks good for White after 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qh6.
By a process of elimination, almost, we arrive at the most-popular continuation:
7...Bxg5
After ....
8.hxg5
... Black can at last push the c pawn:
8...c5
 |
| Position after 8...c5 - how should White respond? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
Easily the most popular move in Mega22 is 9.g6!?, but it is not liked by the engines. Stockfish14.1 continues 9...f5 10.Qf4 cxd4!? (the engines much prefer this to the more popular 10...h6) 11.Rxh7, claiming a slight edge for White. Komodo12.1.1 agrees with 9...f5 but then gives 10.Qg3 h6 (not 10...cxd4? as 11.gxh7 is very unpleasant for Black) 11.Nce2!? cxd4 12.Nxd4 with equal chances.
The game continuation of 9.Bd3?! was met by the horrible 9...h6?, but 9...cxd4 would have caused me problems, eg 10.Qxd4?! Nc6 loses the e5 pawn. My opponent feared 10.g6, which the engines agree is best, but after 10...Ne5!? 11.gxf7+ Kf8 12.Qxd4 Nbc6 they reckon Black has a slight edge (Stockfish14.1) or at least is certainly not worse (Komodo12.1.1).
Best for White, according to the engines, is the semi-forcing 9.dxc5!? Nxe5 10.Qg3.
After 10...Nbc6 White scores 67% in Mega22 from 21 games by castling.
The continuation 11.0-0-0 Qa5 12.f4 Ng6 is the most popular in Mega22 and is also the choice of the engines.
After 10...Nbc6 White scores 67% in Mega22 from 21 games by castling.
The continuation 11.0-0-0 Qa5 12.f4 Ng6 is the most popular in Mega22 and is also the choice of the engines.
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| Position after 12...Ng6 |
The engines agree 13.Bd3 is strong, but even stronger are 13.f5, according to Stockfish14.1, and 13.Kb1, according to Komodo12.1.1.
In conclusion I think it is fair to say the Alekhine-Chatard Attack is rather dangerous for Black, which may well be a major reason why at grandmaster-level 4...Be7 has fallen out of favour compared with the Burn, ie 4...dxe4.
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