PCC October Quads

Gaikwad((1933)-chessart(1832), 10/17/15, Symmetical English
1 Nf3 c5 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cd Nxd5 5 g3 Nc6 6 Bg2 Nc7

Results from a database indicate that black already has an advantage from this position.

7 0-0 e5 8 d3 Be7

Black's advantage is now a healthy 14%.

9 Nd2

I must confess that this move, while quite popular, mystifies me. Why white wants to waste two tempos to reposition his knight to c4 is a mystery to me.

Bd7 10 Nc4 f6 11 f4 b5!

 This strong move forces white's knight on c4 to move, at a time when the knight has no good squares to go to. He is therefore forced to block the diagonal for his queen bishop.

12 Ne3 0-0?

Usual is 12...exf4. The main line then proceeds 13 gxf4 Rb8 14 Ned5 NxN 15 NxN 0-0 16 Be3 Nd4 17 Rc1 Be6=

13 Ncd5 NxN 14 NxN Bd6 15Be3 Nd4 16 Rc1 Bg4 17 Rf2 Rc8 18 h3 Be6 19 Kh2 Nf5 20 Bd2 Kh8 21 Nc3 b4 22 Ne4 Bxa2?

This is a case of the threat being stronger than the execution. Black should play 22...a5, and now white has to worry about his pawn on a2.

23 fe fe 24 Ra1 Bg8 25 Rxa7 Bb8 26 Ra6

Black had a healthy half-pawn advantage a few moves ago, but now white is ahead by .70.

26...Bd5 27 Rc1 Ba7 28 Qf1 BxN 29 BxB Nd4 30 Be3 RxR+ 31 QxR Qf6 32 BxN ed 33 QxQ PxQ 34 Rf1 Rf8 35 Qf5 Kg7 36 Rh5 h6 37 Rd5 Rf7 38 h4 Bb6 39 Rd6 Ba7 40 h5 Re7 41 Kg2 Rc7 42 b3 Re7 1-0

And here my time slipped below five minutes and I stopped keeping score. While material is even, white has a positionally won game, as his king can penetrate my position on the light-colored squares, while my king is stuck where he is. Beyond that, white's rook and bishop are actively placed, while their black counterparts are relegated to passive, defensive roles.