QGD Exchange
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 Bd6!?
This is a more-aggressive alternative to the standard 6...Be7 and the double-edged 6...Bf5. The downside is Black does not break the pin on the king's knight.
7.Bd3 0-0 8.Qc2 h6 9.Bh4 Re8 10.Nf3
Massively more popular in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database is 10.Nge2.
10...Be6 11.Ne5!?
Mikhail Botvinnik played this in 1946, but it has been overtaken in popularity by 11.0-0.
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| How should Black respond? |
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11...Be7?
It was only after moving (much too quickly) that I spotted the strength of 11...c5. White cannot capture the pawn as that drops the e5 knight, so the main move in Mega23 is 12.0-0, after which both 12...Nc6 and 12...cxd4 give equality, according to Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1. The text loses a tempo when compared to lines with 6...Be7.
12.0-0 Nh5
The engines prefer 12...Ng4 or 12...Nbd7.
13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.f4
Threatening, among other things, 15.Bh7+ Kh8 16.Bg6! Nf6 17.f5 etc.
14...Nf6 15.f5!? Bc8!? 16.e4
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| What should Black play? |
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16...dxe4?
Better is first 16...Qb4, and, after 17.Qf2 or 17.Nf3, then 17...dxe4.
17.Bc4 Rf8 18.Rad1
The immediate 18.Ng6 is also strong, eg 18...Qd6 19.Rad1 Ng4 20.g3 Ne3 21.Nxe4 Qd8 22.Qe2 Nxd1 23.Qxd1 with Nxf8 to come as 23...Re8? runs into 24.Ne5, eg 24...Rf8 25.f6 with a huge attack.
18...Nbd7 19.Ng6 Qb4
Or 19...Qd6 20.Nxe4 Nxe4 21.Nxf8 etc.
20.Nxf8 Qxc4 21.Nxd7 Bxd7 22.b3 Qa6 23.Nxe4 Nxe4 24.Qxe4 Re8
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| White is the exchange up but has to deal with a slight black initiative |
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25.Qd3?!
Almost certainly better is 25.Qc2, and if 25...Re2 then simply 26.Rd2.
25...Qxd3?
Missing the win of a pawn by 25...Qxa2, the point being 26.Ra1 Qb2 27.Rfb1 Qe2 28.Qxe2 Rxe2 cannot be met by 29.Rxa7? as after 29...Bxf5 the bishop gets a great outpost on d5 from where it will provide kingside pressure.
26.Rxd3 Re2 27.a4 Kf8 28.g4 Ke7 29.Rf2 Re4 30.h3 Kf6 31.Kg2 h5 32.Kf3 Re1 33.Kf4 g5+ 34.fxg6 fxg6 35.Re3
White is winning comfortably, but the game ended abruptly with:
35...g5+?? 36.Kg3+ 1-0
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