The full game can be seen at B4 but here I want to concentrate on the sharp opening.
It began 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 c5!?
There are four more-popular moves in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database: 4...Nbd7, 4...Bb4, 4...c6 and especially 4....Be7, but the text has been played by Howard Staunton, Paul Morphy, Emanuel Lasker, Vladimir Kramnik and Magnus Carlsen.
After 5.cxd5 the main reply is 5...Nxd5, but 5...cxd4!? has been tried by Lasker, Kramnik and Carlsen.
The mainline in Mega22 continues 6.Qxd4 exd5 7.e4!? Nc6 8.Bb5 dxe4 9.Qxd8+ Kxd8 10.Ng5 Be6 11.0-0!? Bb4 12.Ncxe4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4, when Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon White is slightly better.
My opponent preferred to win a pawn by 6.Qa4+!? Bd7 7.Qxd4 exd5 8.Nxd5.
After the further moves 8...Qa5+ 9.Nc3 Nc6 Black has an initiative, but is it enough?
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| How should White proceed? |
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The mainline in Mega22 runs 10.Qd1 0-0-0 11. Bd2 Bg4 12.e3 Bb4, when the engines reckon Black does not have enough for a pawn. However there are alternatives along the way, eg Daire McMahon (191 BCF) - Spanton (163 BCF), International Students (London) 1995, saw 10...Ne4!? 11.Qc2? Bf5 12.Qb3 Bb4 13.Kxd2 (13.Nxd2?! Nd4 etc) 0-0, after which Black has a large advantage (0-1, 58 moves). White in turn can improve with 11.Bd2, when 11...Nxd2 12.Qxd2 0-0-0 goes back to Harry Golombek - Philip Stuart Milner-Barry, British Championship (Brighton) 1938 (1-0, 31 moves), and was repeated last year in Tiger Hillarp Persson (2543) - Platon Galperin (2498), Uppsala (Sweden), which was a 34-move draw.
My opponent chose 10.Qe3+ Be7 11.Qg5, after which I replied 11...Qxg5?, when 12.Bxg5 Nb4 13.Rc1 gave White the upper hand.
Black should avoid trading queens, probably with 11...Qb6. Since 12.Qxg7?? loses to 13...Rg8 14.Qh6 Ng4 etc the engines reckon White should prefer 12.e3, meeting 12...Nb4 with 13.Nd4. But then Stockfish15's 13...Ng4!? seems strong, eg 14.Qf4 (14.Qxg7?? Bf6) 0-0 15.Be2 Bd6 16.Qg5 Rae8, when the engines reckon Black is at least equal.
CONCLUSION: grabbing a pawn with 6.Qa4+ etc is playable but White faces a tricky defensive task against accurate play by Black.
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