French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.c4!?
Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 slightly prefer this over the more popular 5.Bd3, and the text scores 14 percentage points higher in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.
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| How should Black respond? |
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5...c6
This is Dragon1's top choice, but Stockfish17.1 favours 5...Nf6.
6.Nc3 Ne7!?
The idea of this passive-looking placement of the king's knight is to meet Bd3 with ...Bf5, in order to swop light-square bishops, which generally speaking should benefit Black when pawns are fixed on d4 and d5, as in the diagram.
7.Bd3 0-0!?
The main move is 7...dxc4, giving White an IQP with tempo.
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| How should White proceed? |
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8.0-0
Not 8.Bxh7+?? Kxh7 9.Ng5+ Kg8 10.Qh5 as Black has the winning 10...Bf5.
8...Bf5!?
Thematic, and it has been tried by players rated over 2400, but there is a problem with the move on this occasion.
9.Bxf5 Nxf5 10.Qd3
This is the engines' second choice, but it seems to be a novelty, probably because most players have preferred 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Qb3.
This is the engines' second choice, but it seems to be a novelty, probably because most players have preferred 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Qb3.
10...g6
The engines suggest 10...Qd7 or 10...Ne7.
11.c5
Swoping on d5 is still the way to go, followed by 12.Qb5.
11...Be7 12.Bf4 Na6 13.h3 Nc7 14.b4 Ne6 15.Be5 Bf6 16.a4?
Better is 16.Rfe1.
16...Bxe5 17.Nxe5
If 17.dxe5, then 17...a5!
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| How should Black proceed? |
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17...f6?
Black wins an important pawn with 17...Nfxd4, as attempting to trap the knight with 18.g4? only leaves matters worse after 18...f6.
18.Nf3 Qd7 19.b5 Rab8
The engines reckon Black, rather than defend the queenside, should go for counterplay on the kingside with 19...Nf4 or 19...Rae8.
20.Rfb1 Qc7 21.Rb4
The engines prefer 21.a5, and if 21...Qf4, then 22.Rd1 or 22.Kf1. The point about 22.Kf1 is that 22...Nfxd4?? fails to 23.Rb4 as ...Nxf3 does not come with check.
21...Qf4?!
This threatens 22...Nxc5, but that is easily countered.
It seems Black can more-or-less equalise by instead playing 21...a5!, coming at a time when White cannot gain advantage from opening the b file, eg 22.bxa6 bxa6 23.Rab1 Rxb4 24.Rxb4, and now 24...Re8!? or 24...Ng5!?, with serious kingside counterplay, one point being 24...Re8!? cannot be met by 25.Qxa6? as Black has 25...Nexd4!, when 26.Nxd4?? runs into 26...Re1+. After 24...Ng5!? 25.Nxg5 fxg5, the engines reckon White can play 26.Qxa6, but 26...Qf4 draws, eg 27.Qd3 Qc1+ 28.Kh2 Qf4+ etc, or 28.Nd1 Re8, with strong play for Black.
22.Rab1 a5
This comes to be Dragon1's top choice, at least for a while, but 22...Qc7 may be better.
23.bxa6 bxa6 24.Ne2!?
The key move, protecting d4 with tempo, leaving the white queen free to capture on a6.
24...Qc7 25.Qxa6 Ra8 26.Qd3 Rfb8 27.Rxb8+ Rxb8 28.Rab8+ Qxb8 29.a5 Nc7 30.Nd2
The engines prefer kingside play, eg 30.g4!? Ng7 31.g5!?, when Black has to worry about the king as well as about the a pawn queening.
30...Qb5 31.Qxb5
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| How should Black recapture? |
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31...Nxb5?!
The engines strongly prefer creating a rival passed pawn with 31...cxb5.
32.Nb3 Nc7 33.Kf1 Ne7 34.Nc3 Nc8
The engines prefer activating the king.
35.Ke2 Kf7 36.Kd3 Ke6 37.Na2 Na6 38.Nd2 Na7 39.Nb1 Kd7 40.Na3 Kc7 41.Kc3 Kb7 42.Nb4 Nc7
The engines agree this is much better than swoping a pair of knights.
43.Nbc2?!
It seems this knight should have been left where it was to keep the black king out of a6.
43...Ka6
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| Now the black king is blockading the passed pawn, how would you assess the position? |
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Completely equal, according to Stockfish17.1, although Dragon1 gives White a token edge of about 0.1.
44.Kb4 Ncb5?!
Now White is back in business. Instead 44...Ne6 maintains equality, according to the engines.
Now White is back in business. Instead 44...Ne6 maintains equality, according to the engines.
45.Nb1 Kb7 46.Nd2 Nc8 47.Nf3 Ka6 48.Ne3
The engines reckon 48.g4!? gives at least a slight edge.
48...Ne7 49.g4
A move too late, apparently, as Black can now gain complete equality, according to the engines, although their assessment of other moves fluctuates. However it is possible 49.Ng4 or 49.Nc2!? is better.
49...h6
This may be enough for a draw, but the engines reckon 49...g5 virtually guarantees it.
50.Nc2 Nc7
Temporising with the king may be better.
51.Nfe1
51.Ka4 gives at least a slight edge, according to the engines.
51...Ne6 52.Nd3 g5!?
Dargon1 prefers temporising with the king, or pushing the h pawn, but Stockfish17.1, although at first sceptical, comes to be fine with the text..
53.Ka4 Nc7?
But this is a mistake. Instead 53...Kb7 seems to hold, although Dragon1 is less sure than Stockfish17.1.
54.f4
This seems enough for at least the upper hand, and is probably winning, but 54.Ndb4+ Ka7 55.Ne3 Kb7 56.f3!? Ka7 57.a6! definitely wins, according to the engines, eg 57...Nxa6 58.Nf5! Nxb4 (58...Nxf5 59.Nxc6+) 59.Nxe7 Nc2 60.Nxc6+ etc.
54...Nb5?
This makes it relatively easy. 54...Ng6 is trickier, but Stockfish17.1's 55.f5!? seems to win, although Dragon1 for quite some time disagrees, the main line running 55...Nf4 56.Nxf4 gxf4 57.Ne1 (Dragon1 now agrees White is winning) Nb5 58.Nf3 Nc3+ 59.Kb4 Ne4 60.h4 Ka7 61.Kb3 Ka6 62.Kc2! Kxa5 63.Nd2 Ng3 64.Kd3 Kb4 65.g5! hxg5 66.hxg5 Nxf5 67.gxf6 Nh6 68.Nf3 Nf7 69.Ne5 etc.
55.fxg5 fxg5 56.Ndb4+ Ka7
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| White to play and win |
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57.Nxc6+! Nxc6 58.Kxb5 1-0
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