French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Bd6!?
Most popular in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database is breaking the pin with 6...Be7, although it is not much-liked by Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02.
7.Nc3 c6 8.Bd3 0-0 9.Qd2?!
Part of a plan to aggressively castle on opposite sides, but it is risky.
9...Re8+ 10.Ne2 Be6 11.0-0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you judge the position? |
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White has more pieces developed and has a target for a pawn-storm in that Black has played ...h6. However the engines reckon Black is at least slightly better. I do not dispute this, but I do not understand how the evaluation has been arrived at. Perhaps Black's pieces are better coordinated?
11...Nbd7 12.h3
12.g4?! seems inadvisable in that the white king's knight is hanging after 12...Bxg4.
12...Qc7 13.g4
The engines prefer 13.Bg3!?, but that puts paid to any idea of a quick kingside attack.
13...Ne4 14.Qe3
The queen does not have a good square. Even worse, according to the engines, is 14.Bxe4 as 14...dxe4 wins a pawn one way or another.
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| How can Black exploit the position of the white queen? |
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14...f5!
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14...f5!
This is best, according to the engines, which also like 14...Nb6. The text threatens to win the white queen with ...f4, and so brings about an immediate crisis.
15.gxf5
15.gxf5
Komodo13.02 prefers 15.Bxe4, but 15...dxe4 leaves Black well on top.
15...Bxf5 16.Rdg1 Ng3!?
Not 16...Nc3? 17.Qxh6.
17.Qd2?!
Probably better is 17.Ne5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Nxe2+ 19.Qe2, but both 19...Bxe5 and 19...Rxe5 leave Black in command, according to the engines.
17...Nxe2+ 18.Kb1
This is best, according to the engines, but that only shows how hopeless White's position is.
18...Nxg1 19.Rxg1 Bf4 20.Qd1 Be4 21.Rg4? Bxf3 0-1
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