The full game can be seen at S2 but here I will concentrate on the early opening.
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The game began with 1.Nf3, and I replied 1...Nc6, one point of which is that 2.g3 is well-met by 2...e5.
Instead the commonest continuation is 2.d4, when 2...d5 prevents both 3.e4 and 3.d5.
Most popular now is 3.c4, bringing about a mainline of the Chigorin, but the game saw 3.g3, when my reply 3...Bg4 is in the spirit of the Chigorin, although 3...Bf5 and 3...Nf6 are popular alternatives.
After 4.Bg2 I played 4...Qd7, which is easily the commonest continuation in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database and strongly hints at opposite-side castling.
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| How should White proceed? |
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Normal is 5.h3, but the game's 5.0-0!? is also popular and is the choice of the analysis engines Stockfish15 and Komodo13,02.
Black usually responds by castling long, but I preferred 5...h5!?, which is rare but has been played by a 2653.
After 6.c4 the game Meri Arabidze (2438) - Aleksandr Rakhmanov (2653), Chess.com blitz 2021, saw 6...e6 7.Nc3 dxc4 8.Qa4 h4 9.Qxc4, when Black blundered with 9...hxg3?? Both players missed the winning 10.Ne5, eg 10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 gxh2+ 12.Kh1, when the black light-square bishop is hanging and White also threatens Bxb7 followed by Bc6. The engines give 9...Bxf3 10.Bxf3 0-0-0, claiming an advantage for White.
However 6...e6 is probably better than my 6...Bxf3?!
After 7.Bxf3 I should probably have continued with 7...dxc4, when 8.d5 Ne5 9.Bg2 allows 9...h4. The engines reckon White has the upper hand, but Black is a pawn up and the position is not completely clear.
Instead my 7...h4? was met b7 8.cxd5, when White is a pawn up and winning, according to the engines.
CONCLUSION: Chigorin set-ups are ambitious, but easier to play for White, many of whose moves are intuitive, as in this game, while Black often has to find unusual and accurate ideas.
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