French Advance
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Bd7 5.Nf3 Qb6!?
The main idea behind this move is to bring about a swop of Black's bad light-square bishop for White's good light-square bishop.
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| How should White react? |
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6.Qb3!?
A rare response, but one that has been tried by grandmasters. The most-popular moves in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database are 6.Be2 and 6.a3, eg 6.Be2 Bb5 7.0-0 Bxe2 8.Qxe2 Qa6!? 9.Qd1!? with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1, or 6.a3 Bb5 7.c4!? Bxc4 8.Bxc4 dxc4 9.d5!? with an unclear position that the engines reckon is about equal.
6...Qxb3!?
Swopping queens in this type of position is often regarded as questionable as the opponent gets pressure down the a file, and the a pawn becomes a more-influential b pawn, these factors being regarded as of greater significance than the doubling of pawns. However, here it seems a reasonable move, although the engines prefer 6...Nc6 or 6...f6!?
7.axb3 cxd4 8.Nxd4
The engines reckon 8.cxd4!? leaves Black better.
8...Bc5 9.Be3
The engines reckon 9.Nb5!? Bxb5 10.Bxb5+ may give White a pull, despite allowing Black to exchange the bad light-square bishop.
9...Bxd4!?
Swopping off a good bishop when you have a bad one is often a bad idea, but White was threatening, among other things, 10.Nxe6!?
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| How should White recapture? |
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10.Bxd4
The engines reckon both recaptures give equality, although the resulting positions are somewhat different. After 10.cxd4, which is not in Mega23, one line runs 10...Nc6 11.Nc3 Nge7 12.Bd3 Nb4 13.Bb1 a6 14.0-0 Rc8 with a long manoeuvring game in prospect.
10...Bc6 11.f4
Austin Jacob Literatus (-) - Quang Long Le (2252), Association of Southeast Asian Nations U12 Championship (Huế, Vietnam) 2009, saw 11.b4 Nxd4 12.cxd4 Ne7 with maybe a slight edge for Black, according to the engines (but 1-0, 73 moves).
11...Nxd4 12.cxd4 Ne7 13.Nc3
The engines suggest 13.Na3, and if, as in the game, 13...Nf5, then 14.Nc2.
13...Nf5
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| What should White do about the awkward-to-defend d4 pawn? |
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14.Nb5?!
White should probably have chosen from the passive moves 14.Ne2 and 14.Rd1, or 14.0-0-0, although none is entirely satisfactory.
14...Bxb5 15.Bxb5+ Kd7 16.Rd1?!
Probably better is 16.0-0-0, but Black has the better (I think) minor piece, the better queenside pawn-structure and an initiative.
16...Rac8
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| Can you find a defence for White? |
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17.g3
The engines reckon best is 17.Kf2!?, but 17...Rc2+ is obviously strong. Note that 17.0-0?! will immediately lose the exchange after 17...Ne3.
17...Ne3 18.Kd2!?
Both 18.Ra1 and 18.Rb1 are met by 18...Nc2+.
18...Nxd1 19.Rxd1 Rc7 20.Bd3
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| White's position may look reasonably solid, but once Black opens files for the rooks the game will effectively be over |
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20...h5 21.h4 f6 22.f5?!
This allows lines to be opened quicker.
The game finished:
22...fxe5 23.dxe5 Rf8 24.fxe6 Kxe6 25.Bg6 Rf3 26.Bxh5 Rxg3 27.Rf1 Rxb3 28.Bg4+ Kxe5 29.Rf5+ Kd6 30.Rg5 Rxb2+ 31.Kd3 a5 32.Rg6+ Kc5 33.Bd1 b5 34.Bc2 a4 35.Ra6 Rf7 36.Kc3 Ra2 37.Bd3? b4#
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