Spanish Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 Bg4!?
This is very much second in popularity to 5...exd4, but there are 299 examples of the move in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database.
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| How should White respond? |
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6.dxe5
Playing to win a pawn like this is the commonest continuation, and is the top choice of Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, but they reckon Black gets sufficient compensation.
6...Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 0-0-0+ 8.Ke2 Bc5?!
Early games with this variation featured the out-and-out gambit line 8...f6!?, but then Siegbert Tarrasch introduced 8...Re8, which has become the main line, and is the engines' preference. The text is between the two moves in popularity, but is much inferior, according to the engines.
9.Be3 Bxe3 10.Kxe3
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| It is not often a king voluntarily goes to the third rank inside 10 moves, but with queens off the board, and no dark-square bishops, the white king looks safe on e3 |
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10...h6!? 11.Nbd2 Ne7 12.h3 Be6 13.Nd4 Bd7 14.f4 g6 15.g4 b6 16.Rae1!? c5 17.N4f3 Kb7 18.c3 Bb5 19.c4 Bd7 20.f5 Nc6 21.h4
The engines prefer 21.Ref1!?
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| How should Black proceed? |
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21...Rhe8
The engines' 21...h5!? leads to sharp play, when best may be 22.e6!? gxf5!? (if 22...hxg4, then 23.Ng5!? seems strong, while 22...fxe6!? 23.fxg6 hxg4 24.Reg1!? gxf3 25.g7 Rhg8 26.h4 etc also looks very good for White) 23.exd7 fxg4 24.Ng5 Rxd7 25.Rhf1, with only a slight edge for White (Dragon1) or at best the upper hand (Stockfish17.1).
22.Kf4 Nb4
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| Black threatens both 23...Nxa2 and the forking 23...Nd3+ |
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23.Re3 Reg8
If 23...Nxa2, then 24.e6!? fxe6 25.fxg6 looks strong.
24.a3 Nc6 25.Rd3 Kc8 26.Nb1!? Rde8 27.g5 Ne7?!
The engines suggest 27...Rh8, or capturing on either f5 or g5 and then ...Rh8.
28.Rhd1
Maybe even stronger is 28.Rxd7!? Kxd7 29.e6+ fxe6 30.Ne5+, with f6 to come.
28...Red8 29.e6!
Giving back the extra pawn, but preparing to crash through.
29...fxe6 30.Ne5
Also strong is 30.f6.
30...hxg5+
Not 30...Bc6 31.Rxd8+ Rxd8 32.Rxd8+ Kxd8 33.gxh6 and queens.
31.hxg5 Rh8
If 31...Bc6, then 32.Rxd8+ Rxd8 33.Rxd8+ Kxd8 f6.
32.Nxd7?!
Capturing with the rook is much simpler.
32...Rh4+ 33.Ke5 Nc6+ 34.Kf6 Nd4 35.Rxd4!?
Also strong is 35.fxe6 as 35...Rf4+ can be met by 36.Ke5 (and not, for instance, 36.Ke7?? as that allows 36...Nc6#).
35...cxd4 36.fxe6 Rxe4 37.Kf7 Rf4+ 38.Nf6 Rh8 39.Kxg6 c5 40.e7 Rxf6+!? 41.gxf6 Kd7 42.Nc3!? Ke8 43.f7+!? 1-0
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