English Symmetrical
1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 e6!?
Quite an unusual continuation, but it has the merit of enabling Black to fight with pawns for the centre at an early stage.
3.g3?!
The mainline in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database runs 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.Rd1, which Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon may give White a slight edge. The text is probably too slow.
3...d5
If Black plays this in response to 3.Nf3, then 4.cxd5 exd5 5.d4 has transposed to a Tarrasch Defence to the Queen's Gambit. However, after 3.g3?! d5 the continuation ...
4.cxd5 exd5 5.d4
... seems less promising for White, although it has been played by former Soviet grandmaster Oleg Romanishin.
5...cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nf6 7.Bg5 Nc6
Romanishin's opponent at the 1985 Interzonal in Taxco, Mexico, Norwegian grandmaster Simen Agdestein, played 7...Be6, but the engines prefer the text.
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8.Bxf6!?
The engines agree this exchange sacrifice is White's best try.
8...Nxd4 9.Bxd8 Nc2+ 10.Kd2 Nxa1 11.Bg5 h6?
This may be a novelty. Black has the upper hand, according to the engines, after 11...d4 or 11...f6.
12.Be3?
White is at least equal after 12.Bf4, according to the engines. One point being that if Black, as in the game, replies 12...Bf5, White has 13.e3, introducing the possibility of developing the white light-square bishop with check.
12...Bf5 13.Bh3 Bh7 14.Nb5?
Best, according to the engines, is 14.Bf4!? or 14.Nf3, although they reckon Black is winning.
14...Bb4+ 15.Nc3 Nc2
The knight escapes, meaning Black is the exchange up without White having any compensation.
16.Nf3 Nxe3 17.Kxe3 Bxc3 18.bxc3 0-0 19.Nd4
 |
| The knight is unassailable on d4, but Black will have no difficulty opening files for the rooks |
*****
*****
*****
*****
19...Rfe8+ 20.Kd2 Re7 21.Bf5!? Bxf5 22.Nxf5 Rc7 23.Rb1 b6 24.Ne3 Rd8 25.Kd3 Rc5 26.Rb3 Ra5 27.a3 Rd6 28.Kd4 Ra4+ 29.Ke5? Rf6 30.f3? 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment