[Event "McCutcheon Variation"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/study/ZkaQEUd4/HH2we96S"]
[Date "2022.11.02"]
[White "French Defence"]
[Black "3.Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Vjekoslav Nemec"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "C12"]
[Opening "French Defense: MacCutcheon Variation, Lasker Variation"]
[Source "https://lichess.org/study/ZkaQEUd4/HH2we96S"]
[Orientation "white"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 (3... Bb4) 4. Bg5 { With this bishop move, White
initiates a very popular variation of the French Defence that, surprisingly
enough, doesn't have a proper name (at least not at this point). The idea is
simple - White is violating the principle of developing the knights before the
bishops in order to put the pressure on the knight on f6 and - consequently -
the central pan on d5. -- According to my database, this is the most popular
move in this position and is definitely one that any 3...Nf6 French Defence
player has to prepare for. } 4... Bb4 { This sharp move, pinning the knight on c3 and
ignoring the threat to the f6 knight, leads to the so-called McCutcheon
variation. The general idea is to employ this "Winawer-like" move to create
the typical doubled c-pawns by taking on c3. At first glance it seems as if e5
wins for White on the spot, but Black is ready to meet it with h6 and g5. } 5. e5 { This is the only serious try for an advantage in this variation. Other
moves are possible here, but since they are very rare and not the most
ambitious, I have decided to exclude them from this short survey on the 4.Bg5
variation. Although, if you are planning on employing this line as Black, you
could give them at least a little check - although understanding that the
typical idea involves taking on e4 and/or breaking with c5 should make the
process of navigating this variation much easier anyway. } 5... h6 { Of course, Black
doesn't lose a piece due to this nice and creative move, kicking the enemy
bishop away and intending to play g5 next, breaking the pin. Now White is at a
crossroad - should they take the knight? Or should they retreat the bishop. If
so - where? } 6. Bd2 { Last but not least - let us check the most natural and
common move in the position. White defends the knight on c3 in anticipation of
the Ne4 jump. } (6. Bh4 { First of all, let us establish that White can't really
maintain the pin on the f6 knight as Black plays g5 next. } 6... g5 { And now
irrespective if White retreats the bishop or plays g5, Black obtains more than
reasonable position. } 7. Bg3 (7. exf6 gxh4 { Is also in Black's favour despite
the ugly pawn structure, as the pawn on f6 is also quite weak. }) 7... Ne4 { And Black has resolved the difficulties for now and will capture our g3 bishop.
It is true that their kingside is somewhat overextended and provides us with a
potential target and it is also true that this whole variation was tested
successfully on grandmaster level, but I wouldn't really recommend it as a
critical choice in this position for any White player. }) (6. exf6 { While
retreating the bishop to h4 is "obviously" not particularly good, capturing on
f6 is actually a very reasonable move, since White will also capture on g7
next. } 6... hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8 { The problem of this position is that the pawn on g7
will probably fall sooner or later, but on the other hand, Black has weakened
their kingside considerably and White can try to exploit it immediately with
the sharp advance of the h-pawn. } 8. h4 { Once again - this is not the only
move available to White in this position, but it is by far the main one. In
any case, White should go for this move sooner or later in this variation as
we have to play energetically and try to open up things on kingside before
Black completes the development and consolidates. } 8... gxh4 { Black's best move is
probably to capture the dangerous pawn on h4 and make it a bit more
problematic for White to utilize the open h-file. } (8... Rxg7 { Capturing on g7
and ignoring the h-pawn is probably inferior as White can open the h-file } 9. hxg5 Qxg5 10. Nf3 { And this position should be good for White despite the fact
that Black has two bishops, mainly because White has some lead in development
and the pieces are more active - it is not too easy to activate the
light-squared bishop for Black. }) 9. Qg4 { One of the possible lines, trying to
defend the g7 pawn or at least postpone its capture. } 9... Qf6 { Black, naturally,
rushes to regain the pesky pawn. } 10. Rxh4 { White now regains the h4 pawn and
is currently a pawn up. } 10... Qxg7 { Although that doesn't last too long as Black
regains the g7 pawn as well. } 11. Qxg7 Rxg7 12. Rh8+ Bf8 13. Nb5 Na6 { And in a
position like this, Black should be objectively fine as without the queens on
the board, White's lead in development is of less significance and Black
should be able to consolidate with Bd7 and O-O-O next. }) (6. Be3 { Let's start with the seemingly most active square. The problem here
is that the bishop is not defending the knight on c3, thus allowing the
following move. } 6... Ne4 { Black has to play actively and jump in the middle of the
board - this is their main point. } (6... Nfd7 { Is very passive and White has
numerous good moves available in this position, say } 7. Qg4 { The main point to
understand here is that White can utilize the space advantage to attack the
kingside, while Black's counterplay on the other side of the board is slow in
the making. }) 7. Qg4 { This is a very typical and
thematic move by White in this position (and in many other positions of the
French defence). The queen goes out to exploit the absence of the bishop on f8
and create some threats on the kingside. } { [%csl Gg7][%cal Ge8f8,Gg7g6] } (7. Ne2 c5) 7... g6 { A very common
way of dealing with the attack on the g7 pawn in these positions. } (7... Kf8 8. a3 { Leads to very similar play. }) (7... Nxc3 { Capturing on c3 doesn't quite
work due to the very typical trick } 8. Qxg7 Rf8 { There is no time to deliver
any useful discoveries as the rook is hanging. } (8... Ne4+ 9. c3) 9. Bd2 { And now the knight is pinned and White will regain the piece with good play. }) 8. a3 { In this variation with the bishop on e3, we don't benefit from trying
to defend the knight on c3 before the development of the other knight to e2
because Black has this annoying possibility of playing Qa5 at the right moment.
--- Thus, White is embarked to go for this pawn sacrifice. } (8. Ne2 c5 9. a3 { now - in contrast to variation where Black plays Bc1 - doesn't really work, as
after } 9... Qa5 { We don't have the thematic exchange sacrifice we have previously
seen available and Black has enough counterplay against the knight on c3. }) 8... Bxc3+ { Black has to accept the challenge, as retreating the bishop would
give White all we want in this variation - stability in the center and on the
queenside and prospects of attacking on the kingside. } (8... Ba5 { trying to
maintain the pin is also not ideal as after } 9. Ne2 c5 { We can simply take
with } 10. dxc5 { And now we have the b4 move ready, we are covering the d4
square and Black also doesn't have Qa5 to increase the pressure. }) 9. bxc3 Nxc3 { Accepting the challenge. } (9... c5 { It is also possible not to accept the
sacrifice for now, although sooner or later Black should do it as his knight
on e4 is a bit exposed after } 10. Bd3 { Here Black is in trouble - at least
practically speaking - as the knight is exposed, White has nice development
and White's play is more straightforward (play Nf3, play h4-h5, exploit the g5
square if required). }) 10. Bd3 { And White has the compensation for a pawn in
this position due to the lead in development and space advantage in the center,
but it is a very difficult and complicated position to handle. }) (6. Bc1 { Retreating the bishop to c1 instead of e3 is also very interesting. The main
difference lies in the fact that now the last rank is covered - so in a very
specific variation, the whole idea of Qa5 will now not work. Also, in some
cases, White maybe hopes to get the bishop to a3 - which is another lawful
square in the French defence complex. } 6... Ne4 { Once again - Black jumps to the
most active square. } 7. Qg4 { Once again we see this very active move,
pressuring the g7 pawn. Here White has a better version of events compared to
the line with 6.Be3, in my humble opinion. } 7... Kf8 { In this particular variation,
defending the pawn with the king on f8 is actually better than moving the
g-pawn. The main reason for this is that the advance of the g-pawn weakens the
long a1-h8 diagonal, although it is definitely not easy to see/understand how
that is relevant at this particular point! } (7... g6 { Moving the pawn forward
seems like a very reasonable idea, but the weakening of the long diagonal
actually has a very hidden drawback. You see, later down the road, Black will
go for the counterplay associated with c5, but White might meet it by taking
on c5, after which the e5 pawn will be weak. However, if the pawn on e5 gets
captured, it opens the long diagonal for White to use. } 8. Ne2 { For the
moment, White defends the knight on c3 and intends to play a3 next! } 8... c5 { Black has to try to strike in the center in this variation and fight against
White's space advantage. } (8... Nxc3 9. Nxc3 c5 10. a3 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 { A
position like this, where White has doubled pawns but retains the bishop pair,
is surprisingly in White's advantage. White will be able to keep the center
intact and then will try to target the kingside - most notably with the
advance of the h-pawn. }) (8... h5 9. Qf4 c5 10. a3 Ba5 11. dxc5 Nxc3 (11... Bxc3+ 12. Nxc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Qc7 14. Qf6 Rh7 15. Bg5)) 9. a3 { Now White takes a moment to chase the bishop
away. } 9... Bxc3+ { Black should probably agree to exchange everything, but after } (9... Qa5 { In this particular variation, this queen move doesn't really work
due to the following amazing sequence: } 10. axb4! { A very beautiful exchange
sacrifice - made possible by the fact that the bishop is now on c1 and not on
e3. } 10... Qxa1 { If the bishop were on e3, this move would be a check, but as it is,
it isn't a check. } 11. Nxe4 { Now White gets some time to eliminate the pesky
knight on e4. } 11... dxe4 12. bxc5 { And White has a very nice position despite being
an exchange down due to the impressive pawn mass in the center and the fact
that we will soon collect the e4 pawn. }) (9... Ba5 { Black can try to maintain
the pin here by retreating the bishop, but it isn't sufficient for equality as
now with the bishop on a5, the c5 pawn is exposed. } 10. dxc5 { This capture is
now very good for White as with a3 being played, b4 is on the table next. } 10... Nc6 { Attacking the e5 pawn and trying to win it is sensible, but doesn't quite
work out here as after } (10... Bxc3+ 11. Nxc3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Qc7 { White can simply give up one of the pawns, say the one on e5 with } 13. Be3 Qxe5 { And then there are many good moves, but the simplest one seems
to be } 14. Qd4 { When White is better due to Black's weak dark-squares, The
tripled pawns on the c-file are not at all weak as it is not super easy for
Black to attack them and White also has the bishop pair and lead in
development. }) 11. b4 Nxe5 12. Qh3 { Black does not dare to take on c3 due to } 12... Nxc3 (12... Bc7 { Retreating the bishop is probably smarter, but then White has
time to capture on e4: } 13. Nxe4 dxe4 { And then attack the e4 pawn: } 14. Nc3 { White should be clearly better in this position due to the nice pawn chain on
the queenside that secures us space, potential control over the long diagonal
after Bb2 is played and the weakness of the e4 pawn. } 14... f5 { Black should
probably give up the pawn, but just to illustrate what happens if they go full
greed mode. } 15. Nb5 { Hitting the bishop on c7 and preparing Bb2. } 15... Bb8 16. Bb2 { And Black is busted here due to the total lack of development, numerous
targets and pins, the fact Rd1 is coming, Nd6 is an idea, etc. }) 13. Qxc3 { And the weaknesses on the long diagonal are devastating. }) 10. Nxc3 Nxc3 (10... cxd4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4 { Is also pretty good for White as the d4 pawn is
very exposed. }) 11. bxc3 { And once again we have a typical French Defence
position where White has the doubled c-pawns, but where the center is stable
and secure and where White has some prospects of attacking on the queenside
and potentially utilizing the bishop pair. Also note that with the bishop on
c1, a4 and Ba3 are always possible. }) 8. Ne2 { White defends the knight on c3
and prepares a3. } (8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3) 8... c5 9. a3 { And this position is
practically difficult for Black as they have to find the best move here } 9... Ba5 { Retreating the bishop is once again not good. } (9... Bxc3+ { Black should
probably once again go for mass exchanges when after } 10. Nxc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 { We get the familiar position where White has a stable center and prospects of
a kingside attack. }) 10. dxc5 { This move really hurts Black in these
variations and is worth remembering as a conceptual idea. } 10... Nxc3 { As we have
seen in the g6 variation, trying to exchange everything and create tripled
pawns isn't particularly good for Black either. } (10... Nc6 11. b4 Nxe5 12. Qh3 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 Bc7 14. Bb2 { Black is still very much worse due to
White's space advantage on the queenside and the strong control on the a1-h8
diagonal. Let's not forget that Black can't castle in this position and that
it will take some time to unravel the kingside and bring the h8 rook into the
game. }) 11. Nxc3 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Qc7 { And now Black will regain one of the
pawns, but White can retain a reasonable position in a number of ways. In this
particular case, it is sensible to try to hold onto the e5 pawn, say with } 13. f4 Qxc5 14. Qg3 { And White has a nice center, the king is not happy on f8 and
we also have two bishops. Note that now with the bishop on c1 we have some
ideas of playing a4 and Ba3 which are very powerful due to the way Black's
pieces are aligned on the long diagonal - another drawback of Kf8. In any case,
White is very much better in this type of position! }) 6... Bxc3 { Now the pin
on the c3 knight is resolved so Black has to capture on c3 before jumping in
with the knight to e4. Anything else just leads to an inferior position. } 7. bxc3 { This is the main move in the position. White accepts the doubling on the
pawns, but protects the d4 pawn in anticipation of the move c5 and intends to
play a more standard Winawer-like game. } (7. Bxc3 { Taking with the bishop is
also a possibility, but the problem is that the bishop gets hit on c3 after } 7... Ne4 { Now Black wants to play c5 next, even if the bishop moves to b4 } 8. Bb4 { Trying to keep the bishop on the strong diagonal where it restricts the king
and controls the c5 square would be good were it not for the powerful reply by
Black: } (8. Bd2 { Trying to maintain the integrity of the pawn structure is too
slow as after } 8... c5 9. c3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc6 { Black obtains a lot of play against
the d4 and b2 pawn - Qb6 is coming next and the knight on e4 is a big
annoyance for White. }) 8... c5 { A nice temporary pawn sacrifice and a very
thematic French move. } 9. Bxc5 (9. dxc5 Nxf2 10. Kxf2 Qh4+ { Is a trick worth
knowing. }) 9... Nxc5 10. dxc5 { And here Black has a few ways of obtaining a
reasonable position, the simplest being. } 10... Qc7 { When one of the pawns will be
recaptured. Note that White doesn't have time here to establish the typical
a3-b4-c5 pawn chain and restrict Black's queenside. }) 7... Ne4 { As usual,
nothing else makes much sense. Now White has two options at their disposal. } 8. Qg4 { We have already seen this typical move in several instances and it is
also very good here. White attacks the g7 pawn and forces Black to defend it. } (8. Bc1 { This surprising move, moving the bishop away from the d2 square is
actually a very serious and arguably even more venomous try against the
McCutcheon variation. The idea is simply to preserve the bishop and
potentially bring it to the a3-f8 diagonal in the future. The drawback is,
obviously, that this move involves a pawn sacrifice as c3 is now left
unprotected. } 8... Nxc3 { Black should accept the sacrifice as otherwise White will
consolidate with Ne2 and have a perfectly nice and reasonable position. } 9. Qg4 { Hitting the pawn on g7 and activating the king is a standard and thematic
idea for White in these variations. } 9... g6 { In this particular position, it is
better to move the g-pawn and not to place the king on f8 as in many cases,
something will land on a3 with a check and Black would rather avoid it. } (9... Kf8 { which was played in some games, White can go } 10. Qg3 { Attacking the knight and also preparing for Qa3. } 10... Ne4 11. Qa3+ { A very
surprising move, but the idea is to bring the queen to a nice and active
diagonal and add as much control as possible to the c5 square, preventing one
of Black's main ideas in this entire opening. If Black is unable to undermine
the center with c5, we will be left with a space advantage and a stable center
which will provide us with more than sufficient compensation for an extra pawn. } 11... Qe7 { The most logical move in the position, dealing with the check. However,
now we see the advantage of having the bishop on c1 - our queen is protected. } (11... Kg8 { Is arguably a better move, but now we can play } 12. Ne2 b6 13. h4 { Creating some threats to the knight on e4. Black already has to find the only
moves such as } 13... Ba6 14. Rh3 { Covering the g3 square and threatening f3 again. } 14... Bxe2 15. Bxe2 Nc6 { Attacking d4. } 16. Bb2 g5 { And now we don't have time for
f3 due to g4, although we still retain the advantage with the two bishops and
Black's weird pieces. }) 12. Bd3 { Simply finishing the development as now the
idea of c5 is much less strong for Black. } 12... c5 13. c3 Nc6 14. Ne2 { And we have
managed to consolidate our big center and can face the future with optimism,
despite having one pawn less. The most notable plan is to try and capture the
knight on e4 with moves such as h4 and f3, ideas of playing on the kingside
are also present and Black is in big trouble - just look at that poor bishop
on c8. }) 10. Bd3 { Continuing the normal development and preparing Ne2. } 10... c5 { A thematic central break without which Black can't do in this variation. } 11. dxc5 { In this particular case, we don't have time to consolidate our center
with c3 given that Black's knight is there, but we can take a moment to
capture the pawn. Now Black has only one good move at their disposal. } 11... Qa5 { Threatening a nasty discovered check. } (11... Qc7 { regains one of the pawns,
but after } 12. Nf3 Qxc5 13. O-O { White has a massive lead in development,
Black's bishop on c8 is entombed and Black has potential dark-square
weaknesses on the kingside. White has more than sufficient compensation for
the pawn. }) 12. Bd2 { Dealing with this idea and creating an annoying pin on
the c3 knight. } 12... Qa4 { The best move in the position that basically keeps Black
in the game. With the help of a nice intermediate move, Black manages to avoid
trouble with the knight on c3 and hopes to extricate it via a4. } 13. Qf3 { Not wishing to allow Black a queen exchange - especially not on a4 as it would
allow the knight to get there with ease. } 13... Ne4 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Qb3 { But now
White does invite the queen exchange on their terms as it would allow us to
repair our pawn structure. This was seen in some games on the Grandmaster
level. The game remains complicated due to the very unconventional pawn
structure where both sides have weaknesses, although White probably retains
better chances as Black's dark-square weaknesses are potentially more relevant
and our bishop has more long-term potential. }) 8... g6 { As usual, there are
two ways for Black to deal with the attack - advance the g-pawn or move the
king. In this particular position, there aren't any major differences between
the two, as they lead to a roughly similar position, although from the
practical perspective it is probably better not to provide White with such a
clear target on the kingside for the subsequent h4-h5 advance. } (8... Kf8 { Nevertheless, even after the king move, the game follows a very similar path,
say } 9. h4 c5 10. Bd3 Nxd2 11. Kxd2 { And now White wants to bring in the rook
into the game via h3 and start attacking the kingside. At first glance it
looks as if the king in the center is vulnerable, but there aren't any good
ways of exploiting this due to the fact that it is protected by the big pawn
mass and that it is difficult for Black to open the center. }) 9. h4 { Now h5
will come at some point - and if Black plays h5 it will leave a hole on g5. } 9... c5 10. Bd3 { Now the knight on e4 is pressured so Black has to capture on d2. } 10... Nxd2 11. Kxd2 { In this variation, White doesn't mind having the king brought to the
center as the position is relatively closed and it is fairly secure behind the
bulwark of the pawns in the center. } 11... Nc6 { Black continues with the natural
development and tries pressuring the d4 pawn. } (11... h5 { Prevents White from
playing h5, but it weakens the g5 square. } 12. Qf4 Nc6 13. Nf3 { And now Ng5
will come with a great effect, while White can also sometimes capture on c5.
This is a lousy position for Black - the bishop on c8 is a particularly sad
piece. }) 12. h5 { Pressuring the g5 pawn. } 12... g5 13. f4 { Also blasting open the
position on the kingside leads to a very promising position for White. It is
not at all find the best reply for Black here - most likely they should give
up the g5 pawn, but it is not an easy decision for humans to make. White will
play Nf3 next and can always move the king to e2 or some other square if some
threats start appearing. } *