1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5
Steve often plays the Exchange Variation with 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5
4... Be7 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. Nf3 Ne4
The Lasker Variation, which was the cornerstone of Steve's recommended 1.d4 d5 Black Repertoire lecture series this past summer at the club.
8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1
The strongest move and preferred by GMs.
9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Nd2 f5=
9... Nc6!?
This appears to be a significant bid at improvement over the lines that Steve recommended.
9... Nxc3 10. Rxc3 dxc4 (10... Nc6!?)
11. Bxc4 (11. Rxc4!?)
11... Nd7 (11... b6)
12. O-O c5!?N which yielded White some advantage in a local game: 13. dxc5!? Nxc5 14. Qd4!? Rd8 15. Qf4 b6 16. b4+/= Kernighan-Tomkovich, Kenilworth Classic G/30 2005.
10. cxd5
a) My notes on Steve's lecture give 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Nd2 f5 12. c5 as the reason 9...Nc6 is not recommended, but I am hardly convinced and Steve clearly was not either.
b) Black seems fine after 10. Qc2 Nxc3 11. Qxc3 Nb4!? (an
alternate Chigorin-like plan is 11... Rd8 12. a3 a5 13. Be2 Bd7 14. O-O Be8 15. Rfd1 a4 16. Bd3 dxc4 17. Qxc4 Rdc8 18. Qc3 Na5 19. Bb1 Bb5 20. Qc2 g6 21. Ba2 Nb3 22. Bxb3 axb3 23. Qd2 Bc6 24. Ne1 Rd8 25. Rc3 e5 26. Rdc1 Qh4 27. Rxb3 exd4 28. Rb4 dxe3 29. Qxe3 Qg5=
1/2-1/2 Litinskaya,M-Sikora Gizynska,B/Lubniewice 1994 (42))
12. Qb3 (12. a3? Na2 
)
12... dxc4 13. Bxc4 Rd8 14. O-O b6 15. e4 c5! 16. dxc5 bxc5 17. Ne5 Bb7 18. Qe3 Rd4! 
19. f3 Qd6 20. Qf4 Rf8 21. Qg3 Rd2 22. Bb3?! Ba6! 23. Rfd1?! Nxa2! 24. Ra1 (24. Bxa2?? Rxd1+)
24... Qd4+ 25. Kh1 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Qxb2 27. Bxa2 Qxa2 28. Nd7 Rc8 29. Nf6+ Kh8 30. Nh5 Qb2 31. h3 g6 32. Qd6 Bb5 33. Ng3 Kg7 34. e5 c4 35. Ne4 c3 36. Qe7 c2 37. Qf6+ Kg8 38. Rd8+ Rxd8 39. Qxd8+ Kg7 40. Qf6+ Kf8 41. Qh8+ Ke7 42. Qf6+ Ke8 0-1
Kerssemakers,H-Phillips/Netherlands 1993 (42)
10. Bd3 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 e5 12. cxd5 Nxd4 13. O-O Nxf3+ 14. Qxf3 f5 15. Qg3 Qd6 16. Rfc1 c6 17. dxc6 bxc6 18. Bc4+ Kh8 19. Bb3 Bd7 20. Rd1 Qe7 21. f4 e4 22. Qe1 Rfd8 23. h3 Be8 24. Rdc1 Rd3 25. Bc4 Rd6 26. Be2 Rad8 27. R1c2 Rd5 28. Kh2 Qd6 29. Ra3 Rd2 30. Qc1 Rxc2 31. Qxc2 Qd2 32. Qc4 a5 33. Rb3 Qd5 34. Rb7 Qxc4 35. Bxc4 Kh7 36. g4 Rd2+ 37. Kg3 fxg4 38. hxg4 h5 39. Rb8 Bg6 40. Bg8+ 1-0
Flear,G-Chaplin,E/St Affrique 2001 (40)
10... Nxc3 11. Rxc3
11. bxc3 exd5 12. Qb3 Rd8=
11... exd5 12. Bb5
12. Bd3 Bg4! 13. O-O Qf6 (13... Nd8!? 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 is similar to the main game and seems a better idea)
14. Bb1 g6 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxf3 17. gxf3 Rad8 gave Black an overly passive endgame where White's doubled pawns were no liability: 18. Rfc1 Rd6 19. a3 f5 20. f4 g5 21. fxg5 hxg5 22. Rb3 b6 23. Rbc3 Rff6 24. b4 a6 25. Bd3 b5 26. Bxf5 Ne7 27. Bg4 c6 28. Kg2 Kg7 29. Kg3 Kg6 30. Rh1 Nf5+ 31. Bxf5+ Kxf5 32. h4 gxh4+ 33. Rxh4 Rg6+ 34. Kf3 Rdf6 35. Rf4+ Kg5 36. Rxf6 Rxf6+ 37. Ke2 Kg6 38. Rc1 Kf7 39. Rh1 Kg7 40. f4 Rf7 41. Kf3 Rf6 42. Rh5 Rd6 43. f5 Rd8 44. Kf4 Re8 45. Rg5+ Kf7 46. Rg6 Rc8 47. Ke5 Re8+ 48. Re6 Rc8 49. Kd6 a5 50. Kd7 Ra8 51. Kxc6 axb4 52. axb4 Rc8+ 53. Kxb5 Rc3 54. Kb6 Rc2 55. b5 Rf2 56. Re5 Re2 57. Kc6 1-0 Kopasov,E-Khatenever,F/St Petersburg 2002 (57)
12... Nd8!?N
Also good and possibly better seems to be 12... Nb8 13. Qc2 c6 14. Bd3 Nd7 15. O-O Nf6 16. Rb1 a5 (16... Ne4!?)
17. b3 Ne4=
18. Bxe4 Qxe4 19. Qxe4 dxe4 20. Nd2 Re8 21. a3 Be6 22. Nc4 Ra6 23. Nd6 Re7 24. b4 Ba2 25. Rbc1 axb4 26. axb4 Bd5 27. Rc5 b6 28. b5 Ra8 29. R5c2 Re6 30. bxc6 Rxd6 31. c7 Rc8 0-1
Holzapfel,D-Runau,R/Germany 1989 (31)
13. Bd3
13. Qc2 c6 14. Bd3 
leaves
Black's knight not as well placed as in the example above, though the position
hardly seems bad for Black long term.
13... Bg4! 14. h3 Bxf3! 15. Qxf3 c6 16. O-O
White
gains nothing from 16. Qf5 g6 17. Qg4 Ne6 18. h4!? h5 19. Qg3 Nxd4! 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21. Qxg6+ Qg7 22. Qxg7+ Kxg7 23. exd4 Rf4 24. Rd3 Re8+
16... Ne6 17. Rfc1 Ng5 18. Qh5 f5 19. h4 Ne4
After
the game, Scott said, "You taught me well...." referring to Steve's Lasker
lectures. But I think that Scott's 9th move suggests that he was quite
the active learner...
1/2-1/2
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5
My new anti-French weapon, now that I've given up on the Two Knights....
3... c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nge7
I am so new to playing the French Advance Variation that I thought this was an error, but it is one of the main lines. I am now basically out of book but I had absorbed the basic ideas.
6. Bd3
The sharpest line, with the idea of meeting Nf5 with Bxf5.
6... Ng6?!
Now this has to be a mistake. Black simply wishes
to develop without allowing the doubling of his pawns after Nf5. But the
Knight is exposes to attack here.
7. h4! Be7?!
7... cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ (8... Nb4 9. h5 Nxd3+ 10. Qxd3 Ne7 11. h6 g6 12. Bg5 )
9. Nc3
8. h5 Nh4?
Necessary was 8... Nf8 9. h6!? 
(9. Rh3!? )
9. Nxh4 Bxh4 10. Qg4 Be7
10... g5 11. g3+-
11. Qxg7 Kd7 12. Be3
I
figured development was important.
White can also exchange center pawns for Black's kingside pawns
with the idea of getting his passed pawn going:
a) 12. Qxf7 cxd4 13. cxd4 Nxd4 14. Be3
b) 12. Bxh7 cxd4 13. Qxf7 Nxe5 14. Qg7 dxc3 15. Nxc3 Qf8 16. h6!
12... cxd4 13. Bxd4 Nxd4 14. cxd4 Rg8
14... h6! 15. Bb5+ Kc7 16. Qxf7
15. Qxh7 Rxg2 16. Nc3 Qb6?
This
loses material, though I did not see the strongest line. Rather than try to calculate
anything deep, I chose the simpler move. The calculations, though, would have
sped things up considerably.
17. Kf1!?
A lazy move, though
far from bad. I simply wanted to cut out from my calculations all possibility
of Qxb2 with a double attack, figuring that once his Rook moved away the rest
was easy. But I should have spent a little more time calculating the more direct
methods since they would have ended the game much faster.
Better
a) 17. Bb5+ Kd8 18. Qh8+! (18. Qxf7 Bd7) 18... Kc7 19. Nxd5+!! exd5 20. Rc1++-
b) 17. Qxf7 a6 (17... Qxb2 18. Bb5+)
18. Nxd5!->
17... Rxf2+!
Absolute desperation,
but probably best.
17... Rg4 18. Bb5+ Kc7 19. Qxf7 etc.
18. Kxf2 Qxd4+
18... Qxb2+ 19. Ne2 Bh4+ 20. Rxh4! Qxa1 21. Qxf7+->
19. Ke2 Qxe5+ 20. Kd2 Qf4+
More
annoying is 20... d4 21. Ne2 Bg5+ 22. Kc2 Qc5+ 23. Kb1
21. Kc2 Qf2+ 22. Be2! f5 23. Qg7 b5 24. Raf1 Qc5 25. Bxb5+ Kc7 26. Kb1! d4 27. Nd5+!?
Stronger
is 27. Na4! Qxb5 28. Qxe7+ Kb8 29. Rc1->
27... Qxd5 27... exd5 28. Rc1+-
28. Qxe7+ Kb6 29. Ba4 Qc4
30. Rc1!
Fritz now says it is mate in 10 at most no matter
what Black does, but the game ended:
30... Qxa4 31. Qc7+ Ka6 32. Rc6+ Kb5 33. Rc5+ Ka6 34. Qd6+ Kb7 35. Rc7+ Kb8 36. Rd7# 1-0
