[Event "French Mac McCutcheon: 7... g6 with 9... h5"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/rZO3ab0D/sN3d6Boj"] [White "French MacCutcheon"] [Black "4....,Bb4"] [Result "*"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C12"] [Opening "French Defense: MacCutcheon Variation, Janowski Variation"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/SoftwareChess"] [StudyName "French Mac McCutcheon"] [ChapterName "7... g6 with 9... h5"] [UTCDate "2019.01.22"] [UTCTime "10:02:47"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/rZO3ab0D/sN3d6Boj"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 { This is a sharp variation that produces positions closer to the Winaver line. } 5. e5 { This is the main line: white accepts weak pawns in c2-c3 in order to weaken the dark squares on the kingside. } (5. exd5 Qxd5 6. Bxf6 gxf6) (5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 dxe4 7. Qe2 Qd5 8. Bxf6 gxf6) (5. Ne2 dxe4 6. a3 Be7 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 8. Nxe4 O-O 9. Qd3 b6) 5... h6 6. Be3!? { This is an interesting possibility. White's idea is to play against the knight e4 which lacks of square. The play is now characterized by a wild fight in the first moves. White will often ends up with weak pawns in c5 and e5, and will try to get the initiative while black tries to capture them. I decide to make it my favorite variation, because the lines with Bd2 often become too schematic, with fixed pawn structure and easy play for black. } (6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. bxc3 Ne4 8. Qg4 g6 { This looks like a further weakness, but black hopes to castle queenside and to have only f7 to defend. } (8... Kf8) 9. Bd3 (9. Bc1!? Nxc3 10. Bd3 c5 11. dxc5 Qa5 12. Bd2 Qa4 13. h3 h5 14. Qf3 Ne4) 9... Nxd2 10. Kxd2 { [%draw arrow,g1,g4] [%draw arrow,g4,f4] The main position of the variation. Ideally white would like to have the queen in f4 and the knight in g4, exploiting the dark squares. Black, on the other hand, has a very solid structure. } 10... c5 11. Nf3 (11. h4 { This move is possible, in connection with Nf3-Nh2-Ng4, but not with Rh3. } 11... Nc6 12. Rh3 (12. Nf3 c4 13. Be2 Bd7 14. Qf4 { [%draw arrow,f3,h2] is playable. }) 12... c4 $17 { [%draw arrow,f7,f5] and black is already better. White pieces are clusmy on the kingside, and black always has the threat of f5. } 13. Bf1 Bd7 14. h5 g5 15. f4 { This idea is wrong because of f5 } 15... f5 $17) 11... Nc6 { A critical position. Theory recommends to open the center by taking on c5. Indeed, if black is given the chance to close the position then he can quietely manouver in his field. } (11... c4 { If black's idea is to close the position it seems logic to do it now. } 12. Be2 (12. Bxg6 Rg8) 12... Bd7 { and this is another important position, let us say main one for the closed variation. Respect to the Winaver line, here white does not have the bad bishop, and the queen is already well located in g4. Black, however, has a more solid structure with no weak points. } 13. Qf4 { f4 is the best square for the queen. } 13... Nc6 (13... Ba4 { This seems too slow as white can immediately bring its knight in g4. } 14. h4 Qa5 (14... Nc6 15. Nh2 Qc7 16. Ng4 f5 (16... O-O-O 17. Nxh6 f6 $15) 17. Nf6+ Ke7) 15. Nh2 Nc6 16. Ng4 O-O-O 17. Nxh6 Rxh6 18. Qxh6 Nxd4 $17) 14. h4 Qe7 15. Nh2 O-O-O 16. Ng4 h5 (16... Qf8 17. a4 Ne7 { Very closed position in which finding a plan is not easy. } 18. a5 Nf5 19. a6 b6 20. Ne3 Ne7 21. g4 Kb8 22. h5 Bc8) 17. Nf6 Qa3 18. g4 hxg4 19. Bxg4 b5 20. h5 b4 21. Qe3 gxh5 22. Bxh5 $14) (11... Bd7 12. dxc5 Nc6 13. Qf4 { should transpose to the same kind of structure. }) 12. dxc5 (12. Qf4) (12. h4 Qa5 13. Qf4 cxd4 (13... c4) 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 Bd7 16. Rhb1 { is another typical line. } 16... Qc5) 12... Qa5 (12... Qe7 13. Qf4 Qxc5 { transposes }) 13. Qf4 { Always the best square for the queen. } 13... Qxc5 14. Nd4 { [%draw arrow,h1,b1] [%draw arrow,f4,f6] [%draw arrow,c6,a5] Against the appearance,white king is quite safe on d2. In this position white ideas are to develop an initiative on the queenside, along the b file (Rhb1 and doubling the rooks), in order to distract black from the already weakned kingside. Black often answer with Na5. } 14... Bd7 (14... Nxd4 15. Qxd4 (15. cxd4 { is not promising for white. } 15... Qa5+ 16. Ke2 $13) 15... Qc7! { of course exchanging queens is not in black's plan. } (15... Qxd4 16. cxd4 { This endgame should be slightly favourable for white, due to the bad black bishop. Nevertheless, black structure is very solid, while white has a weakness in c2. In practice, often white ends up winning. } 16... Bd7 17. a4 O-O-O 18. a5 Kb8 19. Rhb1 Rc8 20. Ra2 $14) 16. h4 Bd7 17. Rab1 $13) (14... a6 15. Rhb1) 15. Rhb1 (15. a4 Rc8 (15... Na5) 16. Rhb1 b6 17. Qf6 (17. Nb5 O-O 18. Qxh6 Nxe5 19. Rb4 Qxf2+) (17. Rb5 Qe7) 17... Rg8 (17... O-O 18. Nb3 (18. Bxg6? Nxe5 (18... Nxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4+ 20. Bd3 Bxa4 21. Rxa4 Qxa4 22. Qxh6 f5 23. Qxe6+ (23. exf6 Rf7 $10) 23... Kg7 24. Qe7+ Rf7 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. e6 $16) 19. Qxe5 Qxc3+ 20. Ke2 fxg6 $19) 18... Qe7 19. Qxe7 Nxe7 20. a5) 18. Nb5) 15... Na5 16. Nb3 Nxb3+ 17. axb3) (6. exf6 hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8 8. h4 gxh4 9. Qg4 Qf6 10. Nf3 Rxg7 11. Qxh4 Qxh4 12. Rxh4 $10) 6... Ne4 7. Qg4 (7. a3 Nxc3 8. Qg4 (8. Qd2?! Ba5! $17) 8... Bf8 9. bxc3 c5 10. dxc5 Nc6 11. Nf3 Qa5 12. Bd2 Bd7 13. Bd3 Qxc5 14. O-O Na5) 7... g6 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 { At this point black has several plans: to take c3 and try to defend the pawn passively; to strike in c5; to harrass the white queen (h5) } 9... h5 10. Qf4 (10. Qf3 { now white threatens c4 } 10... c5 (10... Nc6 11. c4) 11. Bd3 Nxc3 12. dxc5 Nd7 13. Qf4 Qc7 14. Qd4 Ne4 (14... Qxe5 15. Nf3 Qxd4 16. Bxd4) 15. Bb5 O-O 16. Bxd7 Bxd7 17. f3 Qa5+ 18. Qb4 Qxb4+ 19. axb4 Nc3 20. Ne2 $10) 10... g5 11. Qf3 c5 12. Bd3 Nxc3 13. dxc5 { transposes to the line that starts with 9... c5, where the surprising move 16. Bb5!! is played! } 13... Nc6 14. Bd2 Na4 (14... d4) (14... Nxe5) *