C01 French: Exchange Variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Be2 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.O-O O-O 7.Bg5)

Continuing the changes with my previously shared games and after they have all been changed, new chess games will appear. This will take a long time, unfortunately. This game was played in a team match called Match Name: TMCL 2016 Sub-Div. B4 R3. It was played on 203 boards between I like beer and Chess and Baker Street Irregulars. I played on board 19 for Baker Street Irregulars and in addition to this win, I lost my other game against jtibon. The final score in the match is 190.5 - 215.5 in favor of Baker Street Irregulars.

I have played this way with black up to the move 3...exd5 and one of my opponents continued with the move 4.Nf3. In this game I was controlling the white pieces and I chose to play 4.Be2. Both moves should be good enough to play in the future, but I would prefer to play 4.Nf3 in the future. I ended up on the slightly worse side of the board already with the move 11.Ng4, but it was on the position below that the game started to steer away from the draw that would have been likely, had the game been played accurately to the end. I played 19.f4, which could have cost me the game, had my opponent replied with 19...Re3.

Jtibon played 19...Be4 instead and the position was slightly better for me after the reply 20.Ng3. My opponent blundered a second time in a row and played 20...c5?? Jtibon's 20th move turned out to be the mistake that cost my opponent the game. The rest of the game was just a matter of technique.

[Event "Match Name: TMCL 2016 Sub-Div. B4 R3 -"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2016.03.15"] [Round "?"] [White "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Black "jtibon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C01"] [WhiteElo "1830"] [BlackElo "1797"] [Annotator "Stockfish 8 64 POPCNT (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 {French Defense: Exchange Variation} exd5 4. Be2 (4. c4 {French Defense: Exchange Variation, Monte Carlo Variation}) (4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bg5 {French Defense: Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation}) 4... Nf6 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. O-O O-O 7. Bg5 {C01 French: Exchange Variation} Re8 8. Nc3 (8. Nbd2 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. c4 c6 11. Rc1 Nbd7 12. Re1 Qc7 13. c5 Bf4 14. Bxf4 Qxf4 15. Qc2 Re6 16. Bd3 Rae8 17. Rxe6 Rxe6 18. b4 a6 19. a4 Ne4 20. b5 axb5 21. axb5 Ndf6 22. bxc6 bxc6 {Chauar, N-Leao,F (1801) Sao Paulo 2016 0-1 (46)}) 8... c6 9. h3 $146 {Consolidates g4} (9. Re1 Bf5 (9... h6 10. Bh4 Bf5 11. Qd2 Nbd7 12. a3 Qc7 13. Kh1 Ne4 14. Qd1 g5 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Bc4 exf3 17. Qxf3 Bg6 18. Bg3 Nb6 19. Ba2 Rad8 20. c4 Bxg3 21. fxg3 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Rxd4 23. Qf6 Qd8 {0-1 (23) Hebel, A-Szneider,K (2022) Wisla 2007}) 10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. Nh4 Bg6 12. Nxg6 fxg6 13. Bg4 Bxh2+ 14. Kh1 Bd6 15. Rxe8+ Qxe8 16. Re1 Qf8 17. Bxd7 Nxd7 18. Qe3 Nf6 19. Qe6+ Kh8 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qd7 Rd8 22. Qxb7 Qh6+ 23. Kg1 Qh2+ {Ulunque Villazon,S (1585)-Biehl,O (1669) Germany 2013 0-1}) (9. a3 Nbd7 10. Re1 Nf8 11. Bd3 Rxe1+ 12. Qxe1 Ne6 13. Bh4 Nf4 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qe8+ Bf8 16. Ne5 Nxg2 17. Nxf7 Nf4 18. Ne4 dxe4 19. Bxe4 Bf5 20. Qxa8 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Nh3+ {0-1 (21) Weller,T (1881) -Solomon,S (2378) Brisbane 2012}) (9. Qd2 Bf5 10. Bd3 Bg4 11. Be2 Nbd7 12. Rae1 Qc7 13. h3 Bh5 14. Nh4 Bxe2 15. Rxe2 Rxe2 16. Qxe2 Re8 17. Qd2 h6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Nf5 Bb4 20. f3 c5 21. Kh1 Qd7 22. g4 Qe6 23. Kg1 cxd4 {Merlini,L (1456) -Marrone,V (1838) Monza 2005 0-1}) 9... Be6 (9... h6 10. Be3 $15) 10. Ne5 $11 { White has an active position} Bf5 11. Ng4 Nbd7 12. Bf3 Qc7 (12... h6 13. Bh4 $15) 13. Nxf6+ $11 Nxf6 ({Instead of} 13... gxf6 14. Bh4 $14) 14. Bxf6 gxf6 { Black has the pair of bishops} 15. Bg4 {White threatens to win material: Bg4xf5 } Bg6 16. Ne2 Re7 17. c3 {Covers b4} Rae8 18. Qd2 Kg7 19. f4 $2 (19. b3 $142 $15) 19... Be4 $4 {letting the wind out of his own sails} (19... Re3 $142 $19 { Black had this great chance}) 20. Ng3 $14 c5 $4 (20... Bg6 $142 $14 {would save the game}) 21. Nh5+ $18 Kh8 22. Nxf6 (22. f5 $142 {and White has triumphed } Rd7 23. Nxf6 Bf8 24. Nxe8 Qd8 $18) 22... Rd8 (22... Rg8 23. Nxg8 Kxg8 24. dxc5 Bxc5+ 25. Kh2 $18) 23. Rae1 (23. f5 $142 {and White can already relax} Bh2+ 24. Kh1 $18) 23... Kg7 (23... Qb6 24. Qf2 Rg8 $18) 24. Nh5+ (24. f5 $142 { and White wins} Bh2+ 25. Kh1 $18) 24... Kh8 25. f5 Bh2+ $2 (25... f6 $142 $16) 26. Kh1 $18 Bg3 (26... f6 27. Nxf6 Bg3 $18) 27. Qh6 $1 {Mate threat} f6 (27... -- $140 28. Qg7# {Mate threat}) 28. Qxf6+ (28. Qxf6+ Kg8 29. Nxg3 $18) 1-0