French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bb5!?
This is easily the commonest continuation in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.
5...Bd6 6.0-0 Ne7 7.Re1 0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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The game looks fairly equal to the naked eye, and that is how Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 evaluate it.
8.Bg5 Bg4 9.c3 Qd7!?
This seems to be a novelty. The engines prefer the known 9...f6, but they also like another apparent-novelty in 9...Qc8!?
10.h3 Bh5
And here the engines reckon Black ought to play 10...Bxf3 or 10...Be6.
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| How should White proceed? |
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11.g4?
The engines give 11.Ne5!, eg 11...Bxd1? 12.Nxd7 Rfd8 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Bxe7. Better is 11...Bxe5, but then 12.Qxh5 Bd6 13.Bd3 g6 (13...h6 14.Nd2!?) 14.Qf3 is good for White.
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| How should Black meet the inferior g4? |
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11...Bxg4!?
Also possible is 11...Bg6, as long as 12.Ne5 is met by 12...Qc8 or 12...Bxe5, and not, for example, by 12...Qd8?, when 13.Bxc6 leaves Black with nothing better than 13...f6!? 14.Nxg6 hxg6 15.Ba4 fxg5.
However, the engines' 11...f6!? may be best, eg 12.Bh4 Be8!? 13.Bg3 f5, when the white king's position looks decidedly shaky.
12.hxg4 Qxg4+ 13.Kf1 Nf5
White's king escapes to the queenside after 13...Qh3+ 14.Ke2.
14.Nbd2 Qh3+!?
Stockfish17.1 is not keen on this, but it is Dragon1's equal-top choice at first. However, possibly ...R(either)e8 is best, eg 14...Rae8 15.Be3 Qg2 16.Kd3 Qg6 17.Ke2, when Black can settle for a repetition with 17...Qg2, or try for more with 17...Bf4. That is why the engines suggest 15.Bd3, when Black can take a draw with 15...Qh3+ 16.Kg1 Qg4+ etc, or again try for more, one line running 15...h6 16.Rxe8 Rxe8 17.Bxf5 Qxf5 18.Be3 Qh3+ 19.Ke2 (19.Kg1?? Re6 etc) Qe6, with equal chances, according to the engines.
15.Ke2 Ng3+?
This works in some lines, but not here. Instead, 15...Rae8+ 16.Kd3 leaves Black slightly worse, according to the engines, but enjoying much the safer king in continuing complications.
16.fxg3 Rfe8+ 17.Be3 Rxe3+!?
This may be best, but White is winning.
18.Kxe3 Re8+ 19.Ne5 Bxe5
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| What should White play? |
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20.dxe5?
Both 20.Bxc6 and 20.Qf3 leave White with a substantial advantage.
20...Rxe5+ 21.Kd3?
White still has an edge after 21.Ne4!, eg 21...Rxe4+? 22.Kd2. However 21...Qh6+! is much less clear, eg 22.Kd3 dxe4+ 23.Kc2 Rxb5.
21...Qf5+
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| Black is winning |
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22.Ne4 Rxe4?
The wrong way to capture. After 22...dxe4+ 23.Kc2 Rxb5 Black has three pawns for the exchange, and a continuing attack.
23.Rxe4?
23.Rxe4?
The engines agree White is winning after 23.Kd2! as Black does not have enough for a rook, even though the extra rook is out of play for the present.
23...dxe4+ 24.Kc2?!
Objectively bad, but 24.Kc4 concedes a draw after a series of only-moves, viz 24...Qe6+ 25.Qd5 Ne5+ 26.Kd4 Nf3+ 27.Kc4 and 27...Ne5+ or 27...Nd2+.
24...Qxb5
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| Black has emerged from the complications with three pawns for the exchange |
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25.Qf1!? Qg5
After 25...Qxf1 (Dragon1's second choice, at least for a while), Black is better, but much less so than after 25...Qc5, according to the engines. They reckon the text also keeps an advantage, but again less so than after 25...Qc5, when the knight threatens both ...Nb4+ and ...Nd4+.
26.Re1 Qg6?!
Black should probably settle for 26...Qxg3 27.Rxe4 Qg6! 28.Qd3 f6, with at least the upper hand, according to the engines.
27.Qb5?
As Dutch player Stef van Kesteren pointed out when we looked at the game later, 27.Qf4 is good, giving complete equality, according to the engines.
27...e3+?
27...Qxg3 28.Rxe4 Qg6! is very similar to the note at move 26, and transposes after 29.Qd3 (29.Qd5 may be a marginal improvement).
28.Qd3 Qxd3+
The engines fluctuate between this and 28...Qf6, but, either way, White wins the e pawn.
29.Kxd3
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| How would you assess this rook-v-knight ending? |
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Black, temporarily, has three pawns for the exchange, but that will soon be reduced to two. A knight and two pawns for a rook is not a material disadvantage by most -point-count systems. Indeed, since computer analysis seems to put a minor piece's average value at 3.25 points, Black could even be thought to have a slight material edge. But this is an ending, which is when rooks are usually strongest, so it is perhaps not surprising that the engines give White the upper hand.
29...Ne5+ 30.Kxe3 f6
The engines much prefer 30...Kf8!?
KW offered a draw.
31.Ke4
Even stronger is 31.Rd1, getting the rook into Black's position, and not worrying about 31...Nc4+ as the rook will wreak havoc against the black queenside.
31...Kf7 32.Rd1 Ke7
The king is in time to keep the rook out, but White can continue probing.
33.Rd5 Nd7 34.Rh5 h6 35.Rh2 c6 36.Rd2 g6 37.c4
The engines do not like this, suggesting 37.b4!?, 37.Re2 or 37.Kd4.
37...f5+
The engines suggest 37...a5 or 37...h5.
38.Kf4 Ke6?
They still prefer ...a5. After the text, which is Dragon1's second choice for a while, the rook can enter Black's position.
39.Re2+ Kf7
Or 39...Kf6 40.Re8.
40.Rh2 Kg7
40...h5 may be the lesser evil, but 41.Rd2, as in the game, is strong.
41.Rd2 Nf6 42.Rd8 b5
This does not help, but Black is lost anyway.
43.Ra8 bxc4 44.Rxa7+ Kg8 45.Ra6
Not 45.Rc7?? Nd5+.
45...Nd5+ 46.Ke5 Nb4 47.Rb6 Nd3+
After 47...Nxa2 48.Rxc6, the other c pawn also falls.
48.Kf6 f4!?
Perhaps the best try - White can still go wrong.
49.Rb8+Kh7 50.Rb7+ Kg8 51.gxf4
Not 51.Kxg6? as 51...Ne5+ draws, eg 52.Kf5 f3 53.Kf6 (53.Kxe5?? f2) f2 54.Rb8+ Kh7 55.Rb7+ Kg8 56.Rb8+ etc.
51...Nxf4 52.a4 g5 53.Kf5 Nd5 54.a5 Ne3+ 55.Kg6 1-0
