French Winawer
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Nc6
The mainline in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database runs 5...Ne7 6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2+ 0-0 with an equal game, according to Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1.
6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 Nxd4
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| How should White proceed? |
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8.Nxd4
This is easily the most-popular choice in Mega23, and is recommended by the engines, but 8.Nd6+!? gives White decent compensation for a pawn. It arguably comes down to a matter of taste.
8...cxd4 9.Qxd4
This 'obvious' recapture is less-popular in Mega23 than 9.Nf3 and 9.f4. Meanwhile Stockfish15.1 suggests 9.h4!?, and both engines come to plump for 9.0-0-0.
9...Ne7 10.Nf3 Bd7
The immediate 10...Nc6 is possible, not least because 11.Bb5??, hoping to swop bishop for knight to produce a minor-piece clash of good knight versus bad bishop, loses to 11...Qa5+.
11.Bd3 Nc6 12.Qg4 g6
Not 12...0-0 13.Bxh7+ Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Ng5+ - a superior version of the Greek Gift sacrifice.
13.0-0 Qe7 14.Rfe1 0-0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Positions with opposite-side castling are among the hardest to judge in chess. Two things are, I believe, clear: White has the better bishop, and the black king looks less secure than its white counterpart. The engines give White the upper hand.
Positions with opposite-side castling are among the hardest to judge in chess. Two things are, I believe, clear: White has the better bishop, and the black king looks less secure than its white counterpart. The engines give White the upper hand.
15.a4 Rdg8 16.h4!?
Hoping, believe it or not, to keep lines on the kingside as closed as possible. The engines prefer 16.Nd4.
16...h6 17.c3 g5 18.h5 f5 19.exf6 Qxf6 20.Qg3 Re8?!
Probably better is 20...g4, followed by pressure against h5.
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| How should White continue? |
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21.Ne5?!
21.Ne5?!
Occupying the hole at e5 seemed so natural to me, but is strongly disliked by the engines, which give 21.Rad1 or 21.b4!?
21...Rhf8?
After 21...Nxe5 22.Rxe5 Qf4 White is only slightly better, according to the engines.
22.a5?
The engines reckon White is winning after 22.Ng6 Rf7 23,b4 e5 24.b5.
22...Nxe5 23.Rxe5 Qf4 24.Qxf4 Rxf4 25.g3 Rf6 26.Rae1 Rf3
Black's pressure against f2 compensates for White's pressure against e6.
27.Be2 Rf5 28.Bg4 Rxe5 29.Rxe5 Kc7 30.Kf1 Kd6 31.Re3 Rf8 32.Ke1 b6!? 33.axb6 axb6 34.Rf3 Rxf3 35.Bxf3 e5 36.Kd2 Kc5 37.Be2 Be8 38.b4+ Kd6
JJ offered a draw. I played on, but the position is completely equal.
39.Ke3 Ke6 40.Bg4+ Kf6 41.Be2 Kf5 42.f3 Ke6 43.f4 exf4+ 44.gxf4 Kf5 45.Bd3+ Kg4 46.Be2+ Kh4 47.fxg5 Kxg5 48.Bf3 Bxh5 49.Bxd5 Be8 50.c4 h5 51.Kf3 Kf5 52.Ke3 Ke5 53.Bf3 Bf7 54.c5 bxc5 55.b5?!
A last, somewhat-foolish, attempt to win.
55...Bd5
Komodo14.1 claims 55...Kd6 and 55...h4 win, but the Syzygy endgame tablebase shows the position is drawn.
56.Bxh5 Kd6 ½–½
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