The full game can be seen at S6 but here I want to look at a key point in the opening.
The game began 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5!? 5.cxd5 cxd4!?, which is the Dutch Gambit, although some people confuse it with the von Hennig-Schara Gambit: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4!?
The main continuation after ...cxd4 is 6.Qxd4, but a popular alternative is 6.Qa4+!?, when 6...Bd7? loses a pawn, so I played 6...Qd7.
Now 7.dxe6? loses a piece after 7...Qxa4 8.exf7+ Kxf7 9.Nxa4 b5, so the game saw 7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Qd1 Nxd5 9.Nxd5, bringing the position I want to discuss.
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| How should Black capture on d5? |
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The position occurs 10 times in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, including a game of mine from the Isle of Man Monarch Assurance in 1999.
Then, as at South Wales, I played 9...Qxd5. After the further moves 10.Qxd5 exd5 Black has an isolated queen's pawn but easy development for the pieces. Queens are off, which greatly reduces mating possibilities, but Black should have no particular difficulties, and Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 rate the position as equal, but favouring Black if anyone.
Six of the 10 games in Mega22, including two featuring blacks rated over 2400, saw 9...exd5!?, which is slightly preferred by the engines. This may seem strange at first, especially with the awkward placing of the black queen, but White has problems restraining the black isolani.
All six games continued 10.Nf3 (10.e3? Bb4+), when 10...d4!? gives Black a slight edge, according to the engines. They give best-play from there as 11.g3 h6 12.Bd2 Bc5 13.Bg2 0-0, all of which occurred in a 2002 game from the semi-finals of the Russian Championship.
Stockfish15 suggests as a possible improvement 10.g3!?, eg 10...h6 11.Bd2 Bc5 12.Bg2, but Black again is comfortable.
CONCLUSION: as a general principle, the player with an IQP wants to keep queens on as the isolani gives space and/or supports possible outposts, with consequent attacking chances. Although the black queen looks awkwardly placed on d7, it seems White has no way of exploiting this factor.
A 1914 writes
ReplyDeleteThere's a tactical possibility at move 11. White played 11. 0-0-0 which Black met with.11. .. Be6 playing a move which Nimzo recommended as part of his system. There is however also the sacrifice 11. .. Bf5, the point being that after 12. Rxd5, there's 12. .. Be4 when both the Rook and the White King can find themseleves emabarrased for squares.
In the game, we reached what I think of as the French Defence player's' nightmare ending with just the blockading Knight on d4 against the white square Bishop and pawn on d5. Still as the game showed an active King is adequate compensation and the Bishop can give winning chances if it can break free.
The annoying thing is I've reached the position after 11.0-0-0 twice before, and missed 11...Bf5 those times too; all three games were drawn.
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