New London
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.e3 Bd6 4.Nf3!?
More popular in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database are 4.Bxd6 and especially 4.Bg3, but the text is also played by grandmasters.
4...b6!?
Attempting to refute White's play with 4...Bxf4 leaves Black slightly worse, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02.
5.Nbd2 Bb7
The engines reckon White gets at least a slight edge after 5...Ba6?! 6.Bxa6 Nxa6 7.c4.
6.Bd3 Nf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Ne5!? Ne4 9.c3 Nd7 10.Qc2!?
This may be a novelty. Known moves are 10.Nxd7 and 10.f3.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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10...Nxd2!?
By no means the only move, but it effectively makes 10.Qc2 a loss of tempo.
11.Qxd2
11.Qxd2
Not 11.Bxh7+?? as White loses a piece after 11...Kh8.
11...Bxe5?!
The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 11...f6 (Komodo13.02) or 11...a5 (Stockfish15).
12.dxe5 f6 13.exf6 Nxf6
It is hard to say whether this or 13...gxf6!? is better.
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| How would you assess the position? |
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White has the bishop-pair, while Black has more space in the centre and a central pawn-majority. But there is a certain looseness about the black position, and the engines reckon White has the upper hand.
14.Qc2 Qe7 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bh4 e5 17.Be2?!
White has the bishop-pair, while Black has more space in the centre and a central pawn-majority. But there is a certain looseness about the black position, and the engines reckon White has the upper hand.
14.Qc2 Qe7 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bh4 e5 17.Be2?!
A puzzling retreat. The engines much prefer attacking the black centre with 17.c4.
17...g5!?
Double-edged (as this move almost always is). The engines like central play with 17...c5.
18.Qg6+!?
Getting queens off can enhance the power of the bishops, which become the only pieces that can move diagonally. Also, Black's space advantage could have led to an attack in which a queen might have played a prominent role. On the other hand the black king's position looks a lot less airy without queens. The engines prefer 18.Bg3, although by a small margin in Komodo13.02's case.
18...Qg7 19.Qxg7+ Kxg7 20.Bg3 Rae8!?
This may be the wrong rook in that it soon moves to d8.
21.Rad1!?
Perhaps White should preserve the bishop-pair by 21.f3 or 21.h3.
21...Ne4 22.f3 Nxg3 23.hxg3 Rd8 24.Rd2 Rf6 25.Rfd1 Rfd6 26.c4!?
The engines are OK with this move, partly, perhaps, because Black can anyway force through ...d4 after playing ...c5.
26...d4 27.exd4 exd4
The engines reckon Black is slightly better after 27...Rxd4 28.Rxd4 exd4.
28.Bd3 Re8 29.Re2?!
Probably better are 29.Kf2 and the engines' 29.c5!? bxc5 30.Rc1.
29...Rxe2 30.Bxe2 Re6 31.Kf2 c5 32.b4?!
Black is only slightly better after 32.g4, according to the engines.
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| How should Black respond? |
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32...Kf6?!
Almost certainly stronger is 32...Re3, eg 33.Rb1 Ba6 34.b5 Bc8, when the threat of 35.Ra3 Rb2 36.Be6 Rd2 37.Rc3 seemingly cannot be avoided.
33.Rd3 Ke5 34.b5 Bc8 35.Ra3
The engines suggest 35.g4, albeit preferring Black.
35...Re7 36.Bd3?!
Again the engines want to seize kingside space with g4.
36...a5
Winning, according to the engines, is 36...h5!?
37.bxa6 Ra7 38.Rb3?!
Again g4 was apparently necessary.
38...Rxa6 39.Rb2 Bf5 40.Re2+ Kf6 41.Bxf5 Kxf5 42.g4+ Kf6 43.Rb2 Ke5 44.Re2+ Kd6 45.Rb2 Ke5 ½–½
You might think a draw by repetition cannot be safely avoided, and you would be none the wiser if using an old engine such as Fritz5.32, which for quite some time reckons in the final position Black has a slight edge, but no more. However, given more time Fritz5.32 changes its assessment to Black having the upper hand. In other words it is dimly seeing what Stockfish15 sees instantly and Komodo13.02 almost as fast: Black is winning after 45.Rb2 (and after 43.Rb2 for that matter), eg 45...Ra4! 46.Rxb6+ Ke5 47.Rxh6 Rxa2+ 48.Ke1 d3 49.g3 Kd4 50.f4 Kc3 etc. Slightly better, perhaps, is 47.Rb2 but 47...Rxc4 wins, eg 48.g3 Ra4 49.Ke2 c4 50.Rb5+ Kd6 51.Rb2 Ra3 etc.
You might think a draw by repetition cannot be safely avoided, and you would be none the wiser if using an old engine such as Fritz5.32, which for quite some time reckons in the final position Black has a slight edge, but no more. However, given more time Fritz5.32 changes its assessment to Black having the upper hand. In other words it is dimly seeing what Stockfish15 sees instantly and Komodo13.02 almost as fast: Black is winning after 45.Rb2 (and after 43.Rb2 for that matter), eg 45...Ra4! 46.Rxb6+ Ke5 47.Rxh6 Rxa2+ 48.Ke1 d3 49.g3 Kd4 50.f4 Kc3 etc. Slightly better, perhaps, is 47.Rb2 but 47...Rxc4 wins, eg 48.g3 Ra4 49.Ke2 c4 50.Rb5+ Kd6 51.Rb2 Ra3 etc.
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