TL Chess Match 4 - Page 40

I considered Black will play this pawn exchange move, and pretty much I decided already e5 will be my move. Still kinda messed up from Barcraft, maybe I'll update some reason later. I have a feeling that e5 will win by a landslide...

this game is going to get good.

There are a few things I don't like about 6. Bxc6. It potentially opens the d file for black, and his queen will be eyeing the d4 square. There is a possibility it could open up completely, allowing black to exchange queens and rid our chance of castling. Also, the position will be opening up pretty soon here, and I think the bishops will be worth more.

But I haven't dug deep enough yet to confirm any of this, which I will do later today. For now, 6. e5 is the best move in my eyes.

6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. cxd4 Bb6 (not 7...Bb4+, which just simplifies the game, with an advantage for us, imo).

6. e5 addresses the weakness of our e-pawn with an aggressive counterattack, removing the threat to the e-pawn with tempo, as Black is forced to spend the next move removing his Knight to safety. Black's likely response to this will be 6...Nd5, moving his Knight to an active, central square whence it cannot easily be driven away. Another possible Black response that has been suggested is 6...Ne4, putting the Knight on a square more vulnerable in the long term, but putting more pressure on us in the short term.

One possibility for White is 7. PxP, recapturing the d-pawn, supporting our now-vulnerable e-pawn, and gaining a tempo by attacking Black's Bishop. This opens up the possibility of 7...Bb4+, which simplifies the game by force, if Black wants that. If Black has played 6...Ne4 (exerting pressure on d2), then 7... Bb4+ becomes a stronger move: for instance, 8. Bd2, previously a strong reply to 7...Bb4+, becomes far less attractive in light of 8...NxB.

Black can also play the quieter 7. ...Bb6, maintaining long-term pressure on our d-pawn, or the passive 7...Be7

For White, alternative 7th moves proposed include 7. 0-0, bringing our King to safety and continuing to develop. It must be noted that in the case where Black has played 6...Ne4 this move offers to sacrifice a pawn, in exchange for a lead in development. If we are willing to consider this move, then it's probably also worth making this offer immediately, with 6. 0-0.

In the case that Black plays 6...Ne4, another 7th move proposed for White is 7. Qe2, gaining time by attacking the Knight, and leading to a sharp and tactical game.

Although it is not without some complications of its own, the general idea of 6. Bxc6 is to maintain our central advantage without committing our e-pawn to the aggressive but long-term-weakening e5. The immediate point of 6. Bxc6 is to remove a defender from b4, allowing us to respond to ...Bb4+ by playing Bd2 with tempo (as it attacks the Bishop).

This move leads to at least some simplification of the board (the initial exchange of Bishop for Knight) and possibly more, especially if Black wants that. However, it offers a chance to preserve our edge without entering into unclear tactical lines.

sacrifice a pawn?