English Four Knights
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4!?
Nimzowitsch pioneered this move, and the associated pawn-formation with a grip over d5, but a hole at d4. Botvinnik is credited with refining the idea by playing e4 before developing the king's knight, which then went to e2, in conjunction with a kingside fianchetto.
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| How should Black respond? |
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4...Bb4
This was a popular reply from the beginning, along with 4...Bc5, and has today established itself as the main continuation.
5.d3 h6!?
Nakamura and other grandmasters have played this, but more popular are 5...0-0 and especially 5...d6.
6.Be2 d6 7.Bd2 Bc5!?
A known idea, but apparently a novelty in this exact position. The move is liked by Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, along with another apparent-novelty, 7...a5!?
8.0-0 0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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White has more space on the queenside and has a grip over d5, but a hole at d4. Both white bishops are passive, while Black's dark-square bishop is technically bad, in that Black's centre pawns are on dark squares, but is outside the pawn-chain and is the most active piece on the board. The engines reckon the game is completely equal.
9.Na4 Qe7 10.a3 a5 11.Rb1 Ba7 12.b4 axb4 13.axb4 Nd4 14.Nc3 Nxe2+!?
Black wins the bishop-pair, but swops off White's bad bishop.
15.Qxe2 Bg4 16.h3 Bh5 17.Be3 c6
Maintaining the bishop-pair with 17...Bb8!? does not look appealing, and 17...b6? is simply bad after 18.Ra1 or 18.b5!?
18.b5 Bxe3
Black is slightly better after this, according to the engines, but they reckon 18...Bd4!? is stronger.
19.fxe3!?
It is hard to say which recapture is better - the engines are split on the matter - but I thought this was the less-drawish choice.
19...c5?!
Black is slightly better after 19...Nd7 or 19...Qd8, according to the engines, but they reckon the text leaves White slightly better.
20.g4 Bg6 21.Nh4!?
Black cannot exploit this tactically, because White threatens Nxg6, which in turn threatens Nxe7+, but they reckon White should be playing on the queenside with 21.Ra1 or 21.Qb2.
21...Bh7 22.Nf5 Bxf5 23.Rxf5 Nh7 24.Qf2 Ra3!?
Counterplay, but the engines reckon 24...g6!? gives complete equality, despite the hole at f6.
25.Nd5 Qd7 26.Rd1
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| Black to play and lose |
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26...Rfa8??
Black is only slightly worse after 26...g6!? or 26...Qd8, according to Stockfish17.1, although Dragon1 awards White the upper hand.
27.Nb6 Qe7 28.Nxa8 Rxa8 29.Kh2 f6 30.Qf1 Nf8 31.Ra1 Rxa1!?
The engines are not overly critical of this, although swopping rooks when the exchange down is rarely a good idea.
32.Qxa1 Ne6 33.Qa8+ Kh7 34.Qc8
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| How should Black proceed? |
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34...Nf4?!
This 'clever' combination wins back the exchange, but at the cost of allowing White to swop off into an easily won pawn ending. However, Stockfish17.1 reckons White's advantage is anyway worth almost a rook, and Dragon1 is even more effusive.
35.exf4 g6 36.fxe5 gxf5 37.Qxf5+ Kg8 38.Qg6+ Qg7 39.Qxg7+
The game finished:
39...Kxg7 40.exd6 Kf7 41.Kg3 Ke6 42.Kf4 Kxd6 43.Kf5 Ke7 44.Kg6 b6 45.h4 1-0
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