(2) Mangion,Ian (1953) - Moldovan,John (1824) [C06]
20th Kenilworth CC Championship Kenilworth, NJ (2), 21.01.2010
[Moldovan & Deep Rybka 3]

G/85 + :05 delay C06 French Defense Tarrasch Variation

1.e4 e6 Early in the week, I toyed /\ playing a Sicilian or Modern, to avoid my opponent's usual, drawish Exchange Variation, but decided against them, because the event is rated.

2.d4 d5 3.Nd2! A pleasant surprise, even if it is White's best. Now we'll have unbalanced P structure, instead of symmetry.

3...Nf6!? This doesn't really suit me... [...But I thought Ian would be booked-up on 3...c5 , which I easily drew FM Tom Bartell with in 2008.; Would the Guimard, 3...Nc6 , have been a better choice?]

4.e5 [4.Bd3 c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.Nxe4 ; & 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.c4 Nf6 are =.]

4...Nfd7 [Unfortunately 4...Ne4?! 5.Nxe4! (‹5.Bd3 Nxd2 6.Bxd2 c5= ) 5...dxe4 6.Be3+/= is bad for Black.]

5.Bd3 [A relief. I was more worried about the space-grabbing 5.f4! , which we saw in the January 7th GSCL battle between Simon Thomson & Steve Stoyko.]

5...c5 6.c3 Qb6 The Q may be somewhat misplaced here. [For 6...Nc6 see Grasso - Stoyko ; Roselle - Kenilworth match 2005; For 6...cxd4 see Alvarez - Stoyko : Las Vegas 2006. Both are in the French Lectures file on my Chess Coroner blog's sidebar.; 6...b6 , looking to trade-off the bad, light-squared B with ...B a6, was a 4th possibility.]

7.Ne2 [7.Ngf3!? Nc6 8.0-0 cxd4 9.cxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Qxd4 11.Nf3© is an improved, Milner-Barry-type gambit. The Nd7 hinders Black's development.]

7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Nc6 9.Nf3 f6 ! Gligoric

10.exf6 [‹10.Nf4 fxe5! 11.dxe5 (11.Nxe6? Nf6-/+ ) 11...Ndxe5 ]

10...Nxf6 11.0-0 Bd6 Diagram