A36 Symmetrical English vs ...g6: 4.Bg2 Bg7 (1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.a3 e5 6.d3 Nge7 7.e4 O-O 8.Nge2 d6 9.O-O)

This was played on the first round of a five round tournament that was played at Turku in the early part of 2006. I think this was the fourth tournament I played that year and the similar progress I experienced in those three tournaments continued also on this one, with every tournament my rating dropped around 40 points. It was a disastrous start for the year and actually the whole year became very grim for me, as far as my chess results are concerned that is. I think I dropped my rating over 200 points in 2006, it is luckily something that I have not experienced any other year, so far anyway. This horrible chess year was followed by a long break from playing chess. I think I did not play the game in nine months or something like that.

The statistics for the moves that are considered to be part of this opening line are as follows: 1.c4 (4th most common move, 128254 games, result 56%, Elo-average 2440) 1...c5 (4th most popular move, 15758 games, result 56%, Elo-average 2426) 2.g3 (3rd most played move, 3604 games, result 54%, Elo-average 2424) 2...g6 (most often played reply, 1690 games, result 53%, Elo-average 2434) 3.Bg2 (most popular move, 1772 games, result 53%, Elo-average 2436) 3...Bg7 (most often played move, 2700 games, result 51%, Elo-average 2434) 4.Nc3 (most popular choice, 4082 games, result 50%, Elo-average 2422) 4...Nc6 (most often played reply, 6689 games, result 51%, Elo-average 2427) 5.a3 (2nd most popular alternative, 1589 games, result 53%, Elo-average 2435) 5...e5 (7th most common move, 60 games, result 68%, Elo-average 2362) 6.d3 (5th most often played move, 18 games, result 53%, Elo-average 2467), more often played moves are 6.Nf3 (403 games, result 59%, Elo-average 2465), 6.b4 (40 games, result 70%, Elo-average 2440), 6.e3 (35 games, result 53%, Elo-average 2425) and 6.Rb1 (22 games, result 61%, Elo-average 2428), 6...Nge7 (2nd most played move, 13 games, result 46%, Elo-average 2374), most popular move is 6...a5 (20 games, result 60%, Elo-average 2433), 7.e4 (3rd most played move, 1 game, result 50%, Elo-average 2244), more often seen moves are 7.Nf3 (36 games, result 54%, Elo-average 2438) and 7.Rb1 (12 games, result 50%, Elo-average 2439), 7...O-O (2nd most popular alternative, 1 game, result 50%, Elo-average 2368), more often played is the move 7...d6 (3 games, result 0%, Elo-average 2531), 8.Nge2 (the only move played in the position, 1 game, result 0%, Elo-average 2410) 8...d6 (most often played move, 10 games, result 40%, Elo-average 2407) 9.O-O (most popular choice, 38 games, result 42%, Elo-average 2381).

The statistics for the remainder of the moves that can be found in the LiveBook are as follows: 9...f5 (3rd most played move, 7 games, result 50%, Elo-average 2425), more often played moves are 9...a6 (11 games, result 45%, Elo-average 2386) and 9...Be6 (11 games, result 45%, Elo-average 2372). My opponent's next move 10.f4 is something that can't be found in the LiveBook. The only two moves that have been played in the position according to the LiveBook are 10.exf5 (4 games, result 63%, Elo-average 2385) and 10.Rb1 (4 games, result 25%, Elo-average 2388).

[Event "TSY"] [Site "?"] [Date "2006.03.31"] [Round "1"] [White "Raitanen, Pentti"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "1604"] [BlackElo "1644"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 2.10 (30s)"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2006.04.01"] 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. a3 e5 6. d3 Nge7 7. e4 O-O 8. Nge2 d6 9. O-O {A36 Symmetrical English vs ...g6: 4.Bg2 Bg7} f5 {LiveBook: 7 Games} 10. f4 {-0.15/22} (10. Rb1 $142 {0.27/25}) 10... Be6 (10... Bd7 11. Rb1 a5 12. Bd2 h6 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. cxd5 Ne7 15. b4 axb4 16. axb4 b6 17. bxc5 bxc5 18. Qc1 Kh7 19. fxe5 dxe5 20. Qxc5 Rc8 21. Qa3 Ra8 22. Qc1 Rc8 23. Qd1 g5 24. Bb4 f4 25. h3 {Zell,M (1519)-Von Pueckler,K (1327) Willingen 2016 1/2-1/2 (51)}) 11. Nd5 $146 (11. Rb1 a5 12. Be3 (12. b3 Rb8 13. Be3 Qd7 14. Qd2 Nd4 15. fxe5 Nxe2+ 16. Qxe2 Bxe5 17. Qd2 Nc6 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Be4 Bh3 20. Bg2 Bd4 21. Nd5 { 1/2-1/2 (21) Hurdzan,T (2024)-Miesbauer,J (2082) Kouty nad Desnou 2015}) 12... fxe4 13. Nxe4 Qd7 14. Qd2 Nf5 15. Bxc5 exf4 16. Nxf4 dxc5 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. Nxc5 Qe3+ 19. Qxe3 Nxe3 20. Rxf8+ Bxf8 21. Ne6 Nxg2 22. Kxg2 Re8 23. Nxf8 Kxf8 24. Rf1+ Kg7 25. Rf2 Rd8 {Bulakh,O-Rudovskya,R Kiev 2005 0-1 (31)}) 11... Qd7 { Black has an edge.} 12. Rb1 {-0.51/20} (12. fxe5 $11 {0.00/25} dxe5 13. Nec3) 12... Rf7 {0.00/25} (12... fxe4 $15 {-0.51/20} 13. dxe4 exf4 14. gxf4 Nd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 16. Kh1 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Bh3) 13. Be3 {-0.42/26} (13. fxe5 $11 {0.00/25 } Bxe5 14. Bh6) 13... b6 {0.42/24} ({Better is} 13... Raf8 $15 {-0.42/26}) 14. Nxe7+ {0.00/33} (14. fxe5 $1 $14 {0.42/24} Bxe5 15. b4 fxe4 16. Rxf7 (16. dxe4 Rxf1+ 17. Bxf1 Bg4 $11) 16... Bxf7 17. dxe4) 14... Rxe7 15. exf5 {-0.35/22} ( 15. fxe5 $11 {0.12/26} fxe4 16. exd6 (16. Bxe4 Bxe5 17. Nc3 Rf8 $11) 16... Qxd6 17. Bg5 (17. Bxe4 Bxc4 18. Bf4 Qe6 $11)) 15... Bxf5 $15 16. Qd2 {-0.63/26} (16. Nc3 $11 {-0.07/27}) 16... Rae8 {[#] White must now prevent ...exf4.} 17. Nc3 Nd4 {0.27/29} (17... h6 $15 {-0.50/24}) 18. Bxd4 exd4 {0.63/25} (18... cxd4 $11 {0.09/26} 19. Nd5 Rf7) 19. Ne4 {0.00/28} ({White should try} 19. Bd5+ $14 { 0.63/25} Kh8 20. Ne4) 19... h6 {0.42/23} (19... d5 $11 {0.00/28} 20. cxd5 c4) 20. b4 {-0.21/25} (20. Rbc1 $14 {0.42/23}) 20... Kh8 {0.51/23} (20... d5 $11 { -0.21/25} 21. cxd5 c4) 21. bxc5 dxc5 22. Qc2 $2 {-1.58/31 [#]} (22. Qd1 $14 { 0.35/26}) 22... Bh3 $2 {1.13/23} (22... Rxe4 $1 $17 {-1.58/31 keeps the pressure on.} 23. Bxe4 (23. dxe4 d3) 23... Bxe4 24. dxe4 d3) 23. Bxh3 $16 Qxh3 24. Rbe1 Qd7 {1.06/24} (24... Rf8 $14 {0.65/29}) 25. Rf2 {-0.36/27} (25. Qb3 $16 {1.06/24}) 25... Rf8 {0.80/24} (25... Rxe4 $1 $15 {-0.36/27 stays ahead.} 26. Rxe4 Rxe4 27. dxe4 d3) 26. Rfe2 Ref7 {1.11/27} (26... Qc6 $14 {0.67/27}) 27. Qc1 {0.67/29} (27. Qd1 $16 {1.11/27}) 27... Rb8 28. Rb2 {0.41/32 Precision: White = 14%, Black = 10%.} ({White should play} 28. a4 $16 {1.02/24}) 1/2-1/2

There were three games that I could find in my reference database that reached the position after 9.O-O and where both players had a rating of 2500 or above, but two of them were short draws, so I left them out.

[Event "Julian Borowski-A 2nd"] [Site "Essen"] [Date "2000.05.05"] [Round "8"] [White "Milov, Vadim"] [Black "Sutovsky, Emil"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2653"] [BlackElo "2597"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2000.04.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 077"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.07.27"] 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. e4 d6 6. Nge2 e5 7. d3 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 f5 10. exf5 Bxf5 11. h3 Be6 12. Ne4 h6 13. Rb1 Qd7 14. Kh2 a5 15. Bd2 b6 16. b4 axb4 17. axb4 cxb4 18. Bxb4 Nxb4 19. Rxb4 d5 20. N4c3 Rab8 21. cxd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Bxd5+ Qxd5 24. Nc3 Qf3 25. Ne4 b5 26. Qb3+ Kh7 27. Re1 Qf7 28. Qb1 Qd5 29. Rc1 Rf3 30. Rc3 Rbf8 31. Kg1 Rxf2 32. Nxf2 Qf3 33. Qf1 e4 34. Rc1 exd3 35. Qg2 Qe3 36. Rd1 Qe2 37. Rf4 Rd8 38. Qf3 g5 39. Rf5 1-0