King's Indian Attack
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nc6!? 3.Bg2
The commonest continuation in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database is 3.d4, preventing 3...e5, but then the opening is neither a King's Indian Attack nor a Réti.
3...e5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nbd2?!
This may be an inaccurate move-order, although it has been played by grandmasters, and it scores three percentage points better in Mega25 than the usual 5.0-0.
5...Be7
Transposing to normal lines, and so missing the chance to play 5...e4!? (5...Bc5!?, with ...e4 to come, is also liked by Stockfish17 and Dragon1) 6.dxe4 dxe4 7.Ng5 e3!? with good play for Black, eg Aron Nimzowitsch - Frank Marshall, Karlsbad 1907, continued 8.fxe3 h6!? 9.Nge4 Ng4 10.Nb3 Qxd1+ 11.Kxd1 Bf5 12.Ke1 Nb4 13.Nd4 0-0-0!?, when Black had full compensation for a pawn, according to the engines, and Marshall went on to win in 28 moves. There are several possible improvements for both sides in that sequence, but the key point is 5...e4!? gives Black a promising game.
6.e4 dxe4 7.dxe4 0-0 8.0-0
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| With both sides castling early, how would you assess the position? |
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The pawn-structure is almost symmetrical, but White will be able to easily prevent Black pieces using the d4 square, while Black will find it more difficult controlling d5. However, Black has a slight lead in development, and the black king's bishop should find a more active roll than is available to the white king's bishop, whose action on the long light diagonal is obstructed by a white pawn on e4. The game is equal (Stockfish17) or maybe slightly better for Black (Dragon1).
8...Bc5 9,c3 a5 10.Qe2
The engines prefer 10.Qc2 or 10.Qa4!?
10...Qe7
The main continuation, and the top choice of the engines, is 10...b6!?
11.a4
Here the engines like 11.Nb3, scuppering the idea of ...b6, which they reckon Black should now play.
11...Bg4 12.Nc4 Rad8 13.h3!?
This seems to be a novelty, and is preferred by the engines over the known 13.Bg5.
13...Bh5 14.g4!?
The engines like this too - there is no possibility of Black soundly sacrificing on g4.
14...Bg6 15.Nh4 Rd7 16.Nf5
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| How should Black react to this advanced knight? |
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16...Bxf5?!
The engines prefer 16...Qe6.
17.exf5 Rfd8?!
Almost certainly better is 17...Nd5, meeting 18.Rd1 with 18...Rfd8. However the engines reckon 18.g5 gives White the upper hand.
18.Bxc6!
Black, not having a light-square bishop, will have difficulty exploiting White's light-square weaknesses on the kingside.
18...bxc6 19.Nxa5
This seems stronger than 19.Qxe5.
19...Qd6?
Better is 19...Re8, although 19...b4! 20.Bb6 Nxc6 21.Qd6 b5 leaves White two pawns up.
20.Nb7 Qd5 21.Nxd8 Rxd8 22.Bg5 Ne4!? 23.Be3
Not 23.Bxd8?? as 23...Ng3 threatens both the white queen and 24...Qh1#.
23...Bd6 24.Rfd1 Qb3
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| White is up the exchange and a pawn, but White's advantage is worth more than a rook, according to the engines |
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25.f3 Nf6 26.Bg5?!
This loses the passed pawn, which could have been saved with 26.a5.
26...Ra8 27.a5
The engines fluctuate between the text and 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.a5.
27...Rxa5! 28.Be3 Ra2 29.Rxa2 Qxa2
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| White is now 'only' up rook for knight, but swopping a pair of rooks when the exchange up is nearly always advantageous |
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30.c4 Qa6 31.Qd3 c5 32.Bd2!? h6 33.Bc3 Qb7 34.Re1 Nd7 35.f4!? exf4 36.Re8+ Kh7?
Better is 36...Nf8, but White is well on top.
37.Qe4
White is still winning after this, but better is 37.f6+ g6 38.Re7! Bxe7 39.Qxd7, when there is no perpetual after 39...Qf3, so White wins.
37...Qb3?!
Exchanging queens is objectively much better, according to the engines, but Black's practical chances of saving the game would be low.
38.Qe2?
White mates after 38.f6+ g6 39.Qd5.
38...f3?!
Probably better is 38...Nf6!?, when White's only winning move, according to the engines, is 39.Rd8!, while other continuations, eg 39.Bxf6 gxf6, leave White fighting for a draw.
39.Qxf3 Qxc4?
...Nf6 is probably still Black's best chance.
40.Kg2?
White has several winning continuations, including 40.g5, 40.f6 and 40.Qa8.
40...f6?
Best is 40...Ng6!?, one point being 41.Bxf6?! gxf6 is completely equal, according to the engines.
41.Qe4 Qb3 42.Qe6 Qc2+ 43.Kf1?!
43.Qe2 allows a reset, and the engines reckon it maintains the win.
43...Qd3+ 44.Qe2?!
There seems to be no perpetual after 44.Kf2, but White is probably not winning.
44...Qxh3+ 45.Ke1 Qh1+ 46.Kd2 Bf4+ 47.Kc2
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| Black to play - should the result be a draw or a win, and if the later, a win for whom? |
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47...Qc1+
The engines show 47...Ne5! draws, eg 48.Bxe5 Bxe5 49.Qc4 Qh2+ 50.Kd3 Qh3+ etc.
48.Kb3 Be5?
Black had to play 48...Bd6 49.Qc4 Nf8, when the engines reckon White is better, but not winning.
49.Qc4
This forces mate.
49...Qd1+ 50.Ka2 h5 51.g5! 1-0
Looking at this from the next board at around move 8 or 9 I had assumed the opening had been one of the defences to the Kings Indian Attack against the French. A stem game for this had been Vasiukov-Tal from 1961 which had gone
ReplyDelete1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Nc6 5. g3 dxe4 6. dxe4 Bc5 7. Bg2 e5 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Qe2 Be6 10. c3 a5
Later games suggested that the Bishop on c8 could also emerge on a6 after .. b6
Tim has faced this system himself, against the late LA Edwards at Guernsey in 2005.
RdC
I felt Prince was more at home in the opening than I was, and I played too many moves automatically, not appreciating some of the subtleties (and not always subtleties) of the position.
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