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| View from the rear of my hotel |
FACED my second German of the tournament.
Spanton (1736) - Thomas Müller (1925 - Fide ID: 4652401*)
French Exchange/Queen's Gambit Accepted
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6!?
This beats 4...Nf6 for popularity in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, and scores six percentage points more. One reason for not playing ...Nf6 quickly is that the black king's knight may go to e7 to support ...Bf5, the idea being to swop off White's good bishop (assuming it goes to its usual square of d3).
5.c4!?
More popular is 5.Bd3, but the text becomes attractive after Black spends a tempo on ...Bd6. The point is that after 4.c4 a fairly often recommended reply is 4...Bb4+!?
5...dxc4!?
This is third in popularity behind 5...Nf6!? and especially 5...c6.
6.Bxc4
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| What's in a name? ChessBase has been calling the opening "C01: French: Exchange Variation," but after 6.Bxc4 switches to labelling it "D20: Queen's Gambit Accepted: 3.e3 and 3.e4" |
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The diagrammed position dates back in Mega24 to the second Pierre de Saint-Amant - Howard Staunton match of 1843, appearing in game 19 after Staunton accepted Saint-Amant's Queen's Gambit. The Frenchman won in 79 moves, but went on to lose the match +6=4-11.
6...Nf6 7.0-0
Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 suggest 7.Qe2+, which has occurred at grandmaster level, although to me it seems strange to go for an exchange of queens after contracting an isolated queen's pawn. The engines continue 7...Qe7 8.Qxe7+ Bxe7 9.0-0, claiming an edge for White, an evaluation supported by White scoring 64% with the line in Mega24.
7...0-0 8.Bg5
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| This position goes back to the first Louis-Charles de La Bourdonnais - Alexander McDonnell match of 1834 |
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8...Nc6
McDonnell preferred 8...h6 9.Bh4 g5!? 10.Bg3 Bg4, but lost in 35 moves.
9.Nc3 Bg4 10.Nd5!? Be7 11.Nxe7+ Qxe7
White has won the bishop-pair, but the d pawn is weak.
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| How should White continue? |
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12.Re1
Hitting the black queen is reasonably popular, but the strongest players have tended to prefer 12.Bd5!? or 12.h3!? After the latter, which is the commonest continuation in Mega24, 12...Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Nxd4 looks tempting. White then has 13.Qxb7, when the engines give what appears to be a novelty, 13...Qc5!? After the forced 14.Bxf6, the engines reckon 14...Qxc4 15.b3!? Ne2+ 16.Kh1 leaves White slightly better, wherever the black queen goes.
12...Qd6
This is the only move in Mega24, and it gives complete equality, according to Stockfish16, which reckons 12...Qb4 does the same. Komodo14.1 prefers the text.
13.Rc1!?
This may be a novelty. The engines reckon it and the known 13.d5 maintain complete equality, albeit in a sharp position in which one slip is likely to be fatal.
13...Rae8
Black must avoid 13...Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Nxd4 15.Qxb7 Rfb8? as White has 16.Bxf7+ Kxf7 17.Rxc7+, eg 17...Kf8 18.Rf7+ Kg8 19.Rxg7+ Kh8 20.Qf7 with a winning position (Stockfish16), or at least the upper hand (Komodo14.1). However Black can improve with 15...Ng4 16.g3 Rab8 17.Qe4 Nf6 18.Qd3 Rxb2, although the engines reckon White has enough for a pawn.
14.Rxe8!? Rxe8
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| What should White play? |
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15.Bb5?
Moving the same piece twice! OK, we are in a middlegame, rather than the opening, at least in my opinion, but the position is sharp. I should have preferred the complications of 15.Qb3, when the engines reckon best play runs 15...Bxf3!? 16.Bxf7+ Kf8 17.Bxe8 Bd5 with ...Nxe8 to come, either before or after ...Be6. That is equal, according to the engines, which marginally prefer 15.h3!? Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Qxd4, after which they reckon White has enough for a pawn, eg 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Qxf6 gxf6 19.Bd5 Re2 20.Bxc6 bxc6 21.Rxc6 Rxb2 22.a4 Ra2 23.Ra6.
15...Bxf3 16.Qxf3?
15...Bxf3 16.Qxf3?
White is lost after this, although 16.gxf3 leaves White with a deeply unpleasant position.
16...Nxd4 17.Qxb7
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| Black to play and win |
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17...Ne2+?
I feared 17...Ng4, which is indeed strong as long as after 18.g3 Black finds 18...Qb4! The engines reckon even stronger is the immediate 17...Qb4!, after which White can only 'sensibly' defend against back-rank mate by giving up the light-square bishop. Other moves, eg pushing the h pawn one or two squares, give equality.
After the text White wins with a simple forcing sequence;
18.Bxe2 Rxe2 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Qc8+ 1-0
*Müller is the commonest family name in Germany.
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