Lessons From Bischofsgrün VIII

I HAVE been asked why, if I dislike draws so much, did I acquiesce to an exchange of queens in the following position in round eight, where I was White against Udo Waltenberger (2033).

Black has just played 21...e7-e5!, and, after 22.Qxd8 Rbxd8, offered a draw, which I accepted

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The main, purely chess arguments, for White playing on are that White has the bishop-pair and more space in the centre.

But, apart from the fact that Black's knight has a strong outpost, and the bishops do not have great diagonals to work on, there is another major consideration.

This is that to avoid a draw by by keeping queens on would mean play remains very much in the middlegame, and in the middlegame a kingside majority (assuming both sides have castled short) is a potent force.

So. in the diagram, 22.Qf2, for example, could be answered by 22...f5, when Black is already better, both in engine terms and in practical human play.

LESSON: to paraphrase Cecil Purdy, taking risks to avoid a sterile draw against a higher-rated opponent is not a paying proposition.