New London
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.e3 Bd6 4.Bg3 Nf6 5.Nf3 b6
Castling is the main move by a huge margin in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database.
6.Bd3 Bb7
Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 prefer controlling e4 rather than aiming for an exchange of light-square bishops with 6...Ba6!?
7.Nbd2 Nbd7 8.Ne5!?
There are 15 games with this move in Mega23. It scores 53%, compared with 445 for the 25 examples of 8.c3.
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| How should Black respond? |
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8...Bxe5!?
A rule-of-thumb has it that when you have a bad bishop, in this case Black's light-squared one, you should not swop off the other bishop. The engines reckon the game is equal after 8...0-0 or 8...Ne4!?
9.dxe5 Ne4 10.Bxe4!?
9.dxe5 Ne4 10.Bxe4!?
This was played in both Mega23 games to reach the position. The engines marginally prefer 10.Nxe4.
10...dxe4 11.Qg4
This is why whites have captured with the bishop - two black pawns are en prise.
11....Qe7
The engines prefer 11...Rg8!?, and if 12.Nxe4 then 12...h5 13.Qf4 g5 14.Qf3 Kf8!?, claiming Black is at least equal.
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| After 11...Qe7, what should White play? |
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12.0-0-0?
Maximilian Berchtenbreiter (2384) - Alexander Bertagnolli (2343), Austrian Team Championship 2016, went 12.Bh4 f5 13.exf6 gxf6 14.0-0-0 with maybe a slight edge for White, according to the engines (1-0, 41 moves).The engines like 12.Qxg7!? 0-0-0 13.Qh6, claiming at least a slight edge for White, although I do not believe many human players would want to grab a pawn in such a way. However, it is certainly better than the text as after ...
12...h5 13.Qh3 0-0-0
... Black is winning (13...g5 was also strong).
14.f4 exf3 15.Nxf3 g5 16.Nd4
The engines prefer 16.Rd4!?, the point being 16...g4?! lets White avoid the worst with 17.Qh4. However the simple 16...Rde8 leaves Black well on top.
16...h4 17.Be1 Nxe5
Not only winning a pawn, but threatening the devastating ...g4.
18.e4 c5 19.Qa3
Pinning the c5 pawn, but the relief is only temporary.
19...Qc7 20.Ne2 Rxd1+ 21.Kxd1 Rd8+ 22.Kc1 Bxe4 23.Qe3
There is nothing better, according to the engines.
23...Bxg2 24.Rg1 Qd6
Extracting the bishop with 24...Bc6 is possible as 25.Rxg5?! runs into 25...Nf3.
25.Nc3
It only gets worse for White after 25.Bc3?! Nf3.
25...Bf3
Renewing the threat of a back-rank mate.
26.b3 f6 27.Rf1 Qc6 28.a4 Kb7 29.Kb2 a5 30.Nb1
Possibly not the best, but the state of White's position can be gauged from the fact Stockfish16, at least for a while, wants White to play 30.Bxh4!?
30...c4 31.Bc3 cxb3 32.cxb3 Rd3 33.Qc1
Not 33.Qf2? Rxc3! 34.Nxc3 Nd3+ etc.
33...Rd5 34.Qe3 g4!? 35.Qh6 Nd3+ 36.Ka1 e5 37.Qxh4 Rc5??
Both 37...Nc5 and 37...Rd7 leave Black the equivalent of being more than a rook up (more than two rooks, according to Komodo14.1).
38.Qh7+ Qc7 39.Qxd3
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| How would you assess this late-middlegame? |
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Black has two pawns for a knight, and the slightly safer king in a middlegame with opposite-coloured bishops, the latter usually favouring whoever can get the initiative. The engines give White a slight edge.
39...e4 40.Qd4!? f5
It may be better to throw caution to the winds and grab the h pawn, but best, according to the engines, is defending f6 with 40...Rc6, although they prefer White.
41.Bd2?!
The engines reckon White is much better after 41.Bb2, which unties the white queen and knight.
41...Qf7?
Black equalises with 41...f4, with ...e3 to come, according to the engines.
42.Nc3!?
The engines reckon 42.Rc3 is even stronger.
42...Qxb3
There is nothing better.
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| White to play and win |
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43.Nb5?
White wins with 43.Qxc5! bxc5 44.Rb1 etc. Also strong is 43.Rb1.
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| Black to play and draw |
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43...Qe6?
Better is 43...Ka6!?, but completely equalising, according to the engines, is 43...e3!, eg 44.Qd7+ Kb8, after which White has to take a draw by perpetual check, or 44.Bxe3 Rxb5!, after which again White has to take a draw by perpetual check as 45.axb5?? loses to 45...Qa3+ 46.Kb1 Be4+.
After the text the white bishop comes decisively into the attack.
44.Qg7+ Kc8 45.Bf4 Rc2 46.Nd6+ 1-0
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