English
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.e4!?
Aiming for a Botvinnik setup, as recommended in Tony Kosten's The Dynamic English.
5...d6 6.Nge2
Nimzowitsch pioneered the V formation (e4-d3-c4) in the English, but developed the king's knight to f3. Botvinnik played the same V formation as Black against the Closed Variation of the Sicilian, but refined it by developing the king's knight to e7 rather than f6.
6...Nge7 7.0-0 0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position, which occurs 779 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database? |
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White's grip on d5 is generally regarded as at least making up for the hole at d4, and Stockfish18 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge. Note that if the white c pawn were on c2, and White had instead played d3, the position would be symmetrical.
8.d3
Now we have reached a position occurring 2,035 times in Mega26, with White scoring 53%.
8...f5!?
The main line in Mega26 runs 8...Be6 9.Nd5 (Kosten recommends holding back on this move until Black has played ...Be6, after which Black can no longer reply ...Nxd5 - at least not while there is a knight on c6 as well as a bishop on e6) Qd7 10.Be3 f5 11.Qd2, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines.
9.Rb1 Be6
This is a little-more common in Mega26 than the restraining 9...a5.
10.Nd5 Qd7 11.b4 Nd8!?
Preparing to evict the d5 knight.
12.Bg5 Nc8!?
Spanton (2018) - Russell Finch (1650), Guernsey 2005, saw 12...Bxd5!? 13.cxd5 c6 14.d4!? cxd5 15.exd5 h6 16.Be3, after which the engines reckon 16...e4 would have kept Black's disadvantage to a minimum (1-0, 31 moves). The somewhat higher-level encounter, Normunds Miezis (2515) - Alberto Escobedo Tinajero (2370), Olympiad (Elista, Russia) 1998, went 12...Nxd5 13.cxd5 Bf7 14.d4!? fxe4 15.dxe5 Bxe5 16.Bxe4, with the upper hand for White, according to the engines (1-0, 40 moves).
13.Qd2?!
Probably better is 13.exf5!?, when the engines reckon White has at least a slight edge.
13...c6
Even stronger is first capturing on e4, and then evicting the knight, according to the engines.
14.Ndc3 Nf7 15.Be3 Ne7
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| How should White proceed? |
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16.a4!?
This apparent-novelty seems an improvement over Mária Machalová (2184) - Radomír Háčik (2158), Slovak Team Championship 2011, when 16.f4 could have been answered by 16...fxe4, with an edge for Black, according to the engines, although Black came out on top anyway in the complications following 16...d5 (0-1, 60 moves). However, possibly best is another apparent-novelty, suggested by engines, 16.b5!?
16...d5 17.cxd5
The engines give 17.exd5 cxd5 18.d4!?, claiming a slight edge for White.
17...exd5 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Nxd5 Bxd5 20.Bxd5 Qxd5
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| Following a flurry of exchanges, how would you assess the middlegame? |
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Black's position looks better, and indeed Stockfish18 gives Black a slight edge, but Dragon1 for a long time calls the game equal, before also settling on a slight edge for Black.
21.Nc3
The engines reckon White should take the open file with 21.Rbc1!?, or push on with 21.a5!?
21...Qd7
21...Qf3 22.Qd1 Qxd1 23.Rfxd1 helps White, as does 22...Qc6 23.Rc1.
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| After the text, Black threatens to win with 22...f4! 23.gxf4 Qg4+ 24.Kh1 exf4 25.Bxf4 (25.Bc5 Qf3+ 26.Kg1 Ng5 27.Rfe1 Qh3) Bxc3, so what should White play? |
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22.f3!?
This is Stockfish18's second choice, behind 22.Qa2!?, when 22...Qxd3? loses to 23.Nd5!, after which the threat of 24.Rbd1 cannot be successfully met. Instead, Black should play 22...b6 or 22...Rfd8, with at least a slight edge, according to the engines. Dragon1 suggests 22.Rbc1, but 22...f4!? is still interesting, eg 23.gxf4 exf4!? 24.Bxf4 g5! 25.Bg3 h5.
22...Rfd8 23.Rfd1?
The wrong rook.
23...Qc6
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| The f3 pawn cannot be reasonably saved, eg 24.Kf2?! runs into 24...e4 |
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24.Rbc1
Perhaps 24.b5 is a slightly better way to give up the f3 pawn, although after 24...Qxf3 the engines reckon that, as in the game, White's best is to play for a swop of queens (with 25.Qe2).
24...Qxf3 25.Qf2
The engines marginally prefer 25.Qe2, or 25.Rf1 Qc6 26.Nb5 Qd7 27.Rc7, but in that case agree 27...Qd5 is winning.
25...Qxf2+ 26.Kxf2 Rd7 27.Ne2
Perhaps hoping to eliminate the d3 weakness, but the engines prefer active play with 27.Nb5 or 27.a5.
27...b6 28.a5
Not 28.d4? exd4 as both 28.Nxd4 and 28.Bxd4 are met by 28...Rad8.
28...bxa5 29.bxa5 Rad8 30.a6 e4 31.d4 h6?
Preparing ...Ne5, but 31...Ne5!? can be played immediately as 32.Bg5? Nd3+ 33.Rxd3 exd3 34.Bxd8 can be simply met by 34...Rxd8!, eg 35.Nf4 Bxd4+ 36.Kf3 d2 37.Rd1 Bc3, after which White is helpless. The more-prosaic 31...Rd6 is also strong.
32.Rc6?
The engines give 32.Rd2, reckoning White is no more than slightly worse.
32...Ne5!
The only winning move, but, bearing the preamble, not difficult to find.
33.Rc2??
Better is 33.Rc3, but 33...Ng4+ 34.Kg2 Nxe3+ 35.Rxe3 Bxd4 gives Black an overwhelming position.
33...Ng4+ 0-1
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