Lessons from Bad Herrenalb IV

THE lesson from my round-four game is the same as from round one.

Indeed, Black makes the identical dubious move, ...e5, albeit in a very different position.

In round one I here played 6...e5?!, and would have been at a disadvantage if my opponent had found, or had known, the clever reply 7.b4!?

In round four my opponent was Black, and here played 8...e5?!

That brings about a position occurring 77 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but in the vast majority of times it is Black to move.

In other words, Black has played ...e5 without spending a tempo on ...e6.

When that is the case, Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 still like White's space advantage, reckoning White has the upper hand, being the equivalent of just over a pawn ahead.

But when it is White to move, as in my game, Dragon1 at first awards White a positionally won game, but backs down a little, agreeing with Stockfish16.1 that White's advantage is worth almost 1.4 pawns.

LESSON: moving a pawn or a piece for the second time in the opening needs to be justified by something the opponent has done. The fact that the move is desirable does not make it sound.