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Exchange Variation 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Bd3 c5 [C01]
Game 5 of Gukesh, D - Ding Liren, FIDE World Ch Singapore 2024, saw an Exchange Variaton with 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 exd5 4 Nf3 Nf6 5 Bd3 c5, reaching a position that can also come from the Petroff Defence and can still turn into a line from the 2 c3 Alapin Sicilian (these alternate orders are explained in the notes).
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6 c3 followed, when Black can keep developing, but he chose 6...c4 7 Bc2 Bd6, after White entered a fairly well-known ending with 8 Qe2+ Qe7.
Exchange Variation 4 Nf3 Bd6 5 c4 c6 6 Nc3 [C01]
Black can unbalance the position with 4...Nc6 or 4...Bd6. The latter move was seen in Ivanchuk, V - Cheng, B, FIDE Olympiad Budapest 2024, which continued 5 c4 c6 6 Nc3:
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Black played 6...Nf6 (6...Ne7 is also common; see the notes) 7 Bd3 0-0 8 0-0 h6!? 9 Re1 dxc4 10 Bxc4, and typical isolated queen’s pawn position arose. This tends to be a little bit easier to play for White than Black, but it’s not much of an advantage.
Exchange Variation 4 Nf3 Bd6 5 c4 Nf6 [C01]]
The more fashionable line after 5 c4, which we’ve seen numerous times in the Archives is 5...Nf6. White’s most popular attempt for advantage has been 6 c5 Be7 7 Bd3 0-0 8 0-0, when Kosteniuk, A - Kashlinskaya, A, Swiss Queens FIDE Online Arena 2024, continued down the main line with 8...b6 9 Be3 bxc5 10 dxc5:
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Now after 10...Ng4 (in the notes I give a recent game with 10...a5), White has normally played 11 Bf4, but Kosteniuk tried the tricky 11 Bd4!? . After 11...Nc6 12 h3, Black avoided the messy complications of 12...Nxd4 13 Nxd4 Ne5, but that would apparently have given her the advantage. In the game, 12...Nf6 13 Be3 soon led to a small White edge.
Instead of 6 c5, White can win the d-pawn with 6 Nc3 0-0 7 cxd5:
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We’ve seen this numerous times in the Archives. I like to get the moves ...Nbd7, ...h6, and ...Nb6 in as quickly as possible, but some strong players choose 7...Re8+ here. In Dreev,A - Artemiev, V, Region Group Cup Moscow 2024, 8 Be2 Nbd7 9 0-0 Nb6 10 Bg5 followed. After 10...h6, 11 Bxf6 led to a drawish position, but 11 Bh4 would have been more critical so I examine that. Playing ...Be7 proves safer than trying to win the pawn back with ...g5.
Exchange Variation 4 Nf3 Nc6 5 Bd3 Nb4 [C01]]
4...Nc6 is another unbalancing answer to 4 Nf3. A lot of time has passed since I recommended this in PTF4 (along with 4...Bd6), but most of the lines are still relevant and valid. I’ll start with two variations and update my coverage of others in future columns.
After the move 5 Bd3, 5...Bd6 and 5...Bg4 have been played for years and are reliable solutions, but recently 5...Nb4 has proven a direct way to resolve the position. Then 6 Bb5+ c6 7 Ba4 preserves the bishop:
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Here Pranav, V - Goryachkina, A, Titled Tue 26th Nov 2024, saw the natural move 7...Bd6, which prepares ...Ne7 and has equalized in various contests.
In Anand, V - Praggnanandhaa, A, London 2024, Black played the more lively 7...a5:
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This tries to exploit the position of the bishop in lines such as 8 c3 b5! 9 Bb3 a4. The game continuation was 8 a3 Na6 9 c3 Bd6 10 0-0 Ne7 with equal and interesting play, which turned sharply in Black’s favour but was eventually drawn. Here 8...b5 9 Bb3 Na6 10 Ne5 can turn tactical, but also looks okay for Black.
Exchange Variation 4 Nf3 Nc6 5 Bb5 Bd6 6 c4 [C01]]
The most aggressive line is arguably 5 Bb5, which we have seen a good deal of in the Archives. The critical continuation 5...Bd6 6 c4 dxc4 d5 a6 8 Ba4 b5 9 dxc6 bxa4 was tested in Asadli, V - Bournel, A, EU-ch Petrovac 2024.
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White played 10 Qxa4, when there are several good answers, including the game continuation 10...Qe7+. I’ve updated my analysis of the sharp and important line 10 0-0 Ne7 in the notes.
Steinitz Variation 4 e5 Nfd7 5 f4 c5 6 Nce2 Nc6 7 c3 a5 [C11]
The opening game of Gukesh, D - Ding Liren, FIDE World Ch Singapore 2024 saw the slightly unusual move order 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 f4 c5 6 Nce2 Nc6 7 c3, arriving at a popular main line with usually arises via 5 Nce2 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 f4 (Gukesh probably wanted to avoid 6...cxd4 7 cxd4 f6 in this order, which we’ve covered many times in the Archives).
Ding thought for a long time and played 7...a5:
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This standard move intends ...a4 to expand on the queenside. White achieved a very small advantage in the opening, but soon ran into some sharp play by Black and after some inaccuracies, lost and instructive game.
Steinitz Variation 4 e5 Nfd7 5 Nce2 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 f4 Be7 8 Nf3 0-0 [C11]
Xiao, T - Kong, X, China Rapid Ch 2024, saw the main line of this variation with 7...Be7 8 Nf3 0-0:
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White continued 9 Be3. Black has several responses here; the game continued 9...a5 10 a4 f6 11 h4! With mutual chances.
Instead of 9 Be3, 9 h4 has become more popular in the past few years:
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Persson, R - Belov, A, Titled Tue 12th Nov 2024, is not a very good game, since White blunders fairly early on, but I’ve inserted several complex games in the notes which serve to illustrate many of the key ideas behind White’s h-pawn push and Black’s counterplay.
Till next month, John
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