Lessons From Cap Negret IV

MY round-four game, where I had white against Luis Vicente Martín Martín (2000), was a Scandinavian that reached the following fairly common position after five moves.

It occurs 484 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, with the vast majority of games continuing 6.Nf3 or 6.Bc4

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

I tried 6.g4!?, which is obviously double-edged, but also much liked by Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1. I had not prepared the move, but had seen it the previous evening in passing, either in the diagram position or in one much like it.

My opponent replied 6...Be6!?, of which there are two examples in Mega26, compared with 17 for 6...Bg6 (and two for 6...Bc8?!).

The engines come to like the text best, and the game continued 7.Bg2 Qd8!?, which is also how the two games in Mega26 went.

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Jean-Baptiste Mullon (2445) - Martin Herndlbauer (2125), EU Team Cup (Rhodes) 2013, went 8.f4!? Qxd4 9.Nf3 Qb6 10.f5 Bd7 11.Qd2, with what the engines reckon is a game-winning initiative for White (1-0,  23 moves).

Stefan Voigt (1745) - Andreas Fischer (1917), Münster Team Tournament 2019, saw 8.g5!?, which the engines agree is the strongest move in the position. After 8...g6, White got cold feet and somewhat spoilt his position by defending d4 with 9.Nge2!?, whereas the engines reckon White can continue offering the pawn with 9.Qe2, or defend it with the more-active 9.Nf3. Nevertheless, White was considerably better for much of the game, until blundering a piece (and even then he should not have resigned, as Stockfish17.1 shows White still had plenty of resources).

I played 8.Be3, easily the least-dynamic of the three moves. After 8...Nf6 9.h3 Nd5 10.Nxd5 Bxd5 Black was close to equalising.

Going back to the diagram, the main feature of the position is the difference in development. White has developed three pieces, and is two moves away from being able to castle on either flank. Not only that, but if White castles long, the queen's rook will be on the half-open d file, currently occupied by the black queen. Black has developed one piece, and will require at least six moves to connect rooks.

In addition, it is White to move, so all in all the position is crying out for dynamic play, not stodgy consolidation. But playing Be3 moves an already developed piece, and puts it on a square where it can be attacked by a black knight on d5.

LESSON: when your advantages are dynamic, the position almost certainly calls for dynamic play - otherwise your advantages will wither away as the opponent catches up in development and/or coordination.