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Classical Variation with 4 Bg5 Be7 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bxe7 Qxe7 7 Nb5 [C14]
After 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Be7 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bxe7 Qxe7, we have seen many games with 7 f4, but no main game with 7 Nb5:
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This has been played a fair amount over the years, with some success. In Vachier Lagrave, M - Erigaisi, A, Titled Tue 11th Mar 2025, Black tried 7...Qd8!? 8 f4 a6 9 Na3 c5 10 c3 and although the second player had a reasonable game, he stood slightly worse for some time.
Arguably easier and equal is 7...Nb6.
Classical Variation 4 Bg5 Be7 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bxe7 Qxe7 7 f4 0-0 8 Nf3 [C14]
In G Sai, K - Erigaisi, A, Titled Tue 4th Mar 2025, White played into the normal main line 7 f4 0-0 8 Nf3 c5:
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A traditional and much-explored position, where 9 Qd2, 9 Nb5, and 9 dxc5 (as played in the game) are all double-edged; see the Archives. After 9 dxc5, Erigaisi played 9...Nxc5 10 Bd3 h6!? (10....Nc6=) 11 Qd2 Nc6, and here 12 Qf2?! proved inaccurate,
Classical 4 Bg5 dxe4 5 Nxe4 Be7 6 Nxf6+ Bxf6 7 Bxf6 Qxf6 [C11]
After years of relative neglect, the variation 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 dxe4 5 Nxe4 Be7 6 Nxf6+ Bxf6 7 Bxf6 Qxf6 8 Nf3 0-0 has been resuscitated by the move 9 Qd3:
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It’s not clear that White has much, but the play has proven flexible and interesting for both sides. Souleidis, G - Urazayev, A, Titled Tue 25th Mar 2025, continued 9...Rd8 10 0-0-0 Bd7; the notes supplement our previous examples in the Archives.
Classical Alekhine-Chatard Attack 6 h4 a6 [C13]
The Alekhine-Chatard Attack with 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Be7 5 e5 Nfd7 6 h4 continues to score well. Bortnyk, O - Erigaisi, A, Titled Tue 11th Mar 2025, tested the flexible-looking 6...a6, which has been played in thousands of games over the years:
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This scores reasonably well after 7 Bxe7 (see the notes), but I’m skeptical whether Black has a satisfactory path after 7 Qg4. See what you think.
Alekhine-Chatard Attack 6 h4 Bxg5 7 hxg5 Qxg5 8 Nh3 Qh4 [C13]
Acceptance of the gambit is still a critical option: 6...Bxg5 7 hxg5 Qxg5:
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After all these years I don’t think that theory is fully settled here. In Bortnyk, O - Bournel, A, Titled Tue 4th Mar 2025, I look at Hector’s 8 Qd3, which has been quite successful but whose theory is unclear. The game went 8 Nh3 (Alekhine’s original move) 8...Qh4 9 g3 Qe7 10 Qg4, and here 10...f5?! led to great complications in the game, but I feel that it should fall short, whereas 10...g6! Seems to lead to a balanced contest.
Classical 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bd3 [C11]
A game Vakhlamov, I - Blomqvist, E, Titled Tuesday 11th Mar 2025, caught my eye. I don’t think I had ever considered the order 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bd3 to have much importance, but in fact it has a lengthy history going back to most of the world champions and strong players in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Black has a number of sound moves here, such as 4...dxe4 and 4...Bb4, but by far the most popular is 4...c5, as played in the game. Then 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 exd5 exd5 7 0-0! c4?! allowed the surprising 8 Bxc4! dxc4 9 d5 with a powerful attack. Fun stuff.
Tarrasch 3...c5 4 Ngf3 Nc6 5 exd5 exd5 6 Bb5 Qe7+ 7 Be2 Qc7 8 0-0 [C09]
After 3 Nd2 c5 4 exd5, we’ve covered both 4...Qxd5 and 4...exd5 a fair amount, but it’s worth pointing out how established the latter move has become by showing an overview of relatively recent games. The line that elevated ....exd5 to respectability among top players is 5 Ngf3 Nc6 6 Bb5 Qe7+, which very often arises via 4 Ngf3 Nc6 5 exd5 exd5 6 Bb5 Qe7+. Now 7 Qe2 has proven harmless at best (see the notes to Jakubowska-Heberla in the Archives, along with earlier games), so 7 Be2 Qc7 8 0-0 Nf6 has become the main line:
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In Antipov, M - Injac, T, Titled Tuesday 14th Jan 2025, there followed 9 Re1 cxd4 10 Nb3 (10 Bb5+ is analysed in the notes) 10...Bb4 11 Bd2 Bxd2 12 Qxd2 0-0, a very common position in this variation, which produces a high frequency of draws.
Black can also play the immediate 8...cxd4, which excludes the dxc5 ideas for White. In Ermitsch, M - Glek, I, Berlin 2025, there followed 9 Nb3 Nf6 10 Nbxd4 Be7 (10...Bc5 is an option).
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This is a very solid position with equal chances in practice.
Till next month, John
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