Lessons From Fagernes IX

MY round-nine game featured an instructive moment in the opening after the moves 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Nc6 6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 cxd4.

How should White proceed?

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The game saw 9.Qxd4, which is OK and has been played by grandmasters, but may not be best. The point is the d4 square is probably best reserved for the knight, which is why the most-popular moves in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database are 9.Nf3 and 9.f4 (to be followed by Nf3).

The game continued 9...Ne7 10.Nf3, after which 10...Nc6 may be most exact, not least because 11.Bb5??, hoping to follow up with Bxc6(+), leaving Black with a bad bishop versus a good white knight, loses to 11...Qa5+ etc.

LESSON: 'obvious' recaptures my not be so obvious if sufficient thought is given to understanding a position.