The full game can be seen at M2 but here I want to concentrate on the opening.
English Opening
After 1.c4 the most popular replies in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database are, in descending order, 1...Nf6, 1...e5 and 1...c5, but there are more than 72,000 examples of 1...e6.
Black is usually aiming for a QGD set-up, or a Dutch with ...f5.
The game saw 2.Nf3 d5, after which White kept the game in independent English lines by choosing 3.b3.
Some players would now classify the opening as a Réti, especially if the position had arisen from the move-order 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.b3, but ChessBase, for what it is worth, calls it an English.
I replied with the commonest continuation, 3...Nf6, but the top choice of Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 is the double-edged space-gaining 3...d4!? After the further (non-forced) moves 4.e3 c5 4.exd4 cxd4 they reckon Black is at least equal.
The game saw 4.g3!?, which seems to have been first played by Efim Bogoljubow at Moscow 1925. In many cases it and 4.Bb2 will transpose.
Now most popular is 4...Be7, but I played the more-active 4...Bd6!?
After 5.Bb2 0-0 6.Bg2 a crossroads of sorts is reached.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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The most popular continuation in Mega22 is 6...Nbd7 7.0-0 c6, when the engines reckon 8.d4!? gives White an edge.
The most popular continuation in Mega22 is 6...Nbd7 7.0-0 c6, when the engines reckon 8.d4!? gives White an edge.
I preferred the more-committal 6...c5, hoping to follow-up with ...d4. Indeed the most-popular response in Mega22, albeit from a small sample, is 7.0-0!?, when the engines agree 7...d4 gives Black at least the better side of equality.
Instead the game saw 7.cxd5 exd5 8.d4 with a position reminiscent of the Tarrasch.
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| Black is likely to end up with an IQP or hanging pawns at d5 and c5, but who will be better? |
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The engines reckon White has at best a tiny edge, but in any event the next few moves will be critical for the coming middlegame.
Black could avoid both an IQP and hanging pawns by playing 8...c4?!, but White's centre after 8.bxc4 dxc4 is far more important than the endgame potential of Black's queenside majority.
Also possible is 8...b6!?, intending to meet dxc5 with ...bxc5, but White seems well-placed to combat hanging pawns.
Leonid Starozhilov (2318) - Mariano Ortega Amarelle (2458), Chess.com blitz 2020, saw 8...cxd4!? 9.0-0 Re8 10.Nxd4 Nc6 with a position the engines reckon is level (but 1-0, 25 moves).
I played 8...Nc6. meeting 9.0-0 with 9...Re8. Almost as popular is 9...Be6!?, but the light-square bishop may turn out better placed on g4, whereas the king's rook almost certainly belongs on e8.
Now the engines reckon 10.dxc5!? Bxc5 11.Nc3 gives White a slight edge.
The game saw 10.e3?!, which takes pressure off the e pawn but generally does not fit in well with this type of position.
After 10...Bg4 Black is threatening to capture on d4, forcing White to sooner or later recapture with the e pawn as Bxd4?! Nxd4, Qxd4?? loses to ...Bxf3, Bxf3 Be5.
The engines reckon White should play 11.dxc5 Bxc5, and either 12.h3 or 12.Nc3 with a roughly equal game.
Instead White played 11.h3?!, when 11...Bxf3 12.Bxf3 cxd4 13.exd4 gave White the bishop-pair, but the white dark-square bishop is bad and Black's lead in development probably counts for more.
However this is probably academic from a theory viewpoint as the engines' 11...cxd4!? seems convincing, eg 12.hxg4 dxe3 13.fxe3 Nxg4 gives Black a strong attack. So probably best is 12.exd4, but then 12...Bf5 is at least slightly better for Black thanks to Black's lead in development and more-active pieces.
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