 |
| White has just played 11.Nd2-c4 |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
I replied with 11...cxd4, which is Dragon1's second choice, marginally behind 11...Be7, whereas Stockfish17.1 fluctuates between 11...Be7 and 11...Bc7. My choice is objectively not bad - the engines do not even flash yellow.
After 12.Nxd6 Qxd6 13.Qxd4 (the engines agree this is best) Qxd4 14.Nxd4 Rd8 Black has traded the bishop-pair for easy development.
White has a slight edge, but the simplified position should be easily held by Black - easily, that is, for an engine.
For a human, as I was to discover, it is another matter.
It took White a further 60+ moves to bring home the full point, but AH was in the pleasant situation of being able to play on 'for ever', safe in the knowledge that only two results (a white win or a draw) were at all likely.
In other words, 11...cxd4 was objectively sound, but practically an error.
It doesn't always apply, because of the impact of Rooks and Queens if present, but having a Bishop and Knight against two Bishops can be a struggle. Two Knights and a Bishop against two Bishops and a Knight is a little easier if rarer. The Knights can sometimes bounce around taking the initiative
ReplyDeleteOne point is that the player with the Bishops can often threaten to bail out into an opposite Bishops ending if things start to go badly.
RdC
Another point about two knights and a bishop against two bishops and a knight is that the player with the knights may get extra chances to swop one of them for one of the opponent's bishops, which is a reason why it is often reckoned advisable for the player with the bishops to try to swop off his knight.
Delete