French 3.Bd3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3!?
This almost-forgotten move was played by many of the old masters, including James Mason, Siegbert Tarrasch, Emanuel Lasker, Carl Schlechter, Szymon Winawer, Joseph Blackburne and Saviely Tartakower.
3...dxe4 4.Bxe4 Nf6 5.Bf3 c5 6.Ne2 Nc6 7.Be3 Be7!?
A positional pawn sacrifice that Stockfish17 and Dragon1 are fine with, although the main line in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database runs 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Ne5!? 9.Nc3 a6!? 10.Qe2 Nxf3+ 11.Qxf3 e5, with what the engines reckon is a game with equal chances.
 |
| How should White respond? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8.Bxc6+?!
Apparently a novelty, and probably not a good one. The main move in Mega25 is 8.Nbc3, when the engines give White at least the better part of equality. But if 8.dxc5, then 8...Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 0-0 gives Black enough compensation for a pawn, according to the engines.
8...bxc6 9.dxc5!? Qxd1+ 10.Kxd1
 |
| Black has two isolanis, as well as being a pawn down, but the bishop-pair, open lines and White's uncastled king combine to give more than enough compensation |
*****
*****
*****
*****
10...Rb8
The engines prefer 10...Ng4.
11.Bd4!?
The engines suggest 11.Nc1!?, the idea being 11...Rxb2? runs into 12.Nb3.
11...0-0 12.f3?!
Preventing ...Ng4, but there is almost certainly not time for this. Instead 12.Kc1 leaves White only slightly worse, according to the engines.
12...Rd8
The engines reckon 12...Ba6 is even stronger.
13.Kc1 Ba6 14.Nbc3 Rxb2?? 1-0
No comments:
Post a Comment