The French Exchange Variation

by kevinspraggettonchess · Published November 4, 2016 · Updated November 4, 2016

The game below was played in the 6th round of the Figueira da Foz International Chess Festival. It features my game with the young and talented Andreas Stella from Italy. I have decided to show this game because it is of theoretical importance.

All of my life I have had to encounter the French Defence, a most respected and feared counter-attacking defence. Even the great Bobby Fischer had his share of headaches and scorching losses against this line. In my career I have tried everything against he French: the Advance Line, the Tarrasch Line and the Classical Line (Winawer and Rubinstein sub-variations)

I have had excellent results and apparently little to complain about.. Especially in the Winawer, where in the past 15 years I have scored something like 23.5 points out of 25 or 26 games, many against grandmaster opposition.

HOWEVER, I am forced to admit that in every single of these games I NEVER stood better after the opening! That I won so many of the games must be attributed to my superior understanding of the middlegames that arose. And for such reason, a deep feeling of dis-satisfaction has caused me to search for better in the opening. Finally, at the ripe old age that I find myself, I can say that the circle is complete: the BEST line against the French is what Paul Morphy played in the middle of the 19th century: the EXCHANGE varation!

I kid you not! Having spent hundreds of hours of research, I have come to the conclusion that the theory of the Exchange Variation that my readers will find in just about any respectable opening text is all wrong. It is all Bull Shit! Based on prejudice and old wife’s tales dating back to the times of Alekhine.

In the past 2 years I have played, in serious tournament games, not less than 5 (five) games against strong opposition (grandmasters and international masters) and I have won not less than 5 points!

(For the readers to best appreciate the game below , I have used the RPB plugin. Just click on any move and a separate chessboard appears, which you can resize and/or drag over to the sidebar. Enjoy!)

gm Spraggett,K–im Stella,A

Figueira da Foz (3-11-2016)

[Annotator "Spraggett"] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3$1 {[#] This is how the great Paul Morphy played this variation back in the 19th century. In fact, Morphy only played this way against the French! Blackburne and a number of other strong grandmaster level players followed suit, winning many brilliant games. More recently, Kasparov and even Carlsen have experimented with it, though not in serious competition.} Bd6 {[#] The plan of castling Queenside is what Alekhine recommended, strongly influencing several generations of players. As well, most theoretical texts limit themselves to copying this point of view and ignore alternate points of view, or even the possibility that Alekhine exaggerated.} ( {More solid–and more reliable– is the plan to castle short: } 4...Nf6$5 5.Bd3 Be7 ( { One of the games that inspired me to play this variation is the oldie but goodie }5...Bd6 6.O-O (6.Qe2$5 {is annoying for Black}) O-O 7.Nc3 c5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Bg5 Be6 10.Qd2 Nc6 11.Rad1 Be7 12.Rfe1 a6 13.Qf4 Nh5 14.Qh4 g6 15.g4!$16 Nf6 16.h3 Rc8 17.a3 Re8 18.Ne2 h5 19.Nf4 Nh7 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxe6 Bxg5 22.Rxg6+ Kf8 23.Qxh5 Rc7 24.Nxg5 Ree7 25.Qh6+ Ke8 26.Rg8+ {1-0, Morphy P- Chamouillet, Versailles 1858 } ) 6.O-O O-O 7.h3 Ne4$6 8.c4 c6 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Nd7 12.Re1 Nb6 13.Bd3 Be6 14.Qc2 h6 15.c4 Bf6 16.Bb2 Re8 17.Rad1 Rc8 18.Ne5 Qc7 19.f4$16{ Spraggett K- Vanderbeek,M, Toulouse FTch 8-10-2016 }) 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.O-O Bg4 7.c3 Nge7 8.Nbd2 Qd7 9.Re1 {[#] A very important position in the theory of the Exchange French. I have spent many hours studying games of strong grandmasters who played the Black side, and have come to the conclusion that the theory of this line that one finds in most theoretical texts is all wrong. In a nutshell, the Black plan of castling Queenside is over optimistic.} f6$5 ( {My opponent told me after the game that he did not want to repeat what happened in one of my earlier games:}9...O-O-O$6 10.b4! Ng6 11.Qa4! Kb8 12.b5 Nce7 13.Ne5$14 Bxe5 14.dxe5 Bf5 15.Bf1 d4 16.cxd4 Qxd4 17.Qxd4 Rxd4 18.Nf3 Rd7 19.Bb2 Nf4 20.Nd4 Bg6 21.e6 fxe6 22.Nxe6 Nxe6 23.Rxe6 Nf5 24.Ree1 Rhd8 25.Be5 Nd4 26.Rac1 Nc2 27.Re2 Nb4 28.Bg3 Bd3 29.Rd2 b6 30.Bxd3 Nxd3 31.Rxd3 Rxd3 32.Bxc7+ Kb7 33.Bxd8 Rxd8 34.Re1 Rd7 35.g3 Kc7 36.Kg2 Kd8 37.Re4 Rd5 38.Ra4 Rd7 39.Kf3 Ke7 40.Ke4 Kf6 41.f4 h5 42.Rc4 Re7+ 43.Kf3 Rd7 44.Ke3 Kf5 45.h3 g6 46.a4 g5 47.Re4 gxf4+ 48.Rxf4+ Kg5 49.h4+ Kg6 50.g4 hxg4 51.Rxg4+ Kf6 52.Rd4 Rc7 53.h5 Rc5 54.Rd6+ Ke7 55.Rh6 Rg5 56.Rh8 a6 57.bxa6 Ra5 58.a7 Kf7 59.Ke4 {1-0, Spraggett K – Rivera,D, Lisbon POR 27-12-2014 } ) ( {It is still not too late to castle short, and White will only have a small edge: }9...O-O 10.Nf1 Bf5 11.Ng3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 Bxg3$6 13.hxg3 Ng6 14.Qb5! a6 15.Qb3 Na5 16.Qc2 f6 17.b3 Rfe8 18.Ba3 Nc6 19.Nd2 Kf7$6 20.Nf1 Rxe1 21.Rxe1 Re8 22.Rxe8 Qxe8 23.Qf5$18 Qe6 24.Qh5 Nd8 25.Ne3 c6 26.Qxh7 Qe4 27.g4 Ne6 28.Nf5 Qe1+ 29.Kh2 Ngf4 30.Nd6+ Ke7 31.Qg8 f5 32.Qf7+ Kd8 33.Qe8+ {1-0, Spraggett K- Rocha, Ponto Delgado 31- 3-2016 }) 10.Nf1 O-O-O {[#] The die is cast! The position is really a Sicilian type of game with opposite side castling. This kind of opening was not known in the time of Alekhine, so he did not fully appreciate the fine points of this kind of game that results. In essence, it is a pawn race, and the advantage goes to the swiftest.} 11.b4! {[#] Ofcourse! White is already ahead in the race. How could Black possibly be better in this position, as many theoretical texts assume?} Rde8 {making room for the Knight should White advance his b-pawn} 12.Ne3 h5 13.a4! {[#] Black now realizes that if he limits himself to pushing his Kingside pawns he will simply be rolled over on the Queenside because White is faster. Therefore, Stella decided to improve his Queenside defences. However, it costs an important tempo} Kb8$5 14.a5 Nf5 {[#] A critical position. Here I thought almost 20 minutes. White must choose how he wants to use his pawns on the Queenside. The plan of b5-b6 is obvious, but Black will be able to block the play with a timely a6. Therefore, White opts for a different concept} 15.a6! {[#] Very strong! I discovered over the board that Black will have a number of practical longterm difficulties defending his King because of White’s pawn on a6. Not just having to watch out about getting mated on b7, but back rank nightmares also} Nh4$5 16.Be2 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Nxf3+ 18.Qxf3 b6 19.Bd2 {[#] Finally connecting my Rooks and developing my last minor piece. Even the computer likes my position! Black must watch out for d5, or h5 hanging at some point, and especially watch out for mate on b7 or on the first rank. In essence, Black’s Kingside initiative has died, and now he must defend on the Queenside. Though I don’t yet consider Black lost, he may in fact be already lost.} Ne7 20.c4! c6 21.Rac1! {[#] Even better than playing c5 followed by doubling on the e-file. The game now enters a more tactical phase, and as we shall see, a typical motive is White trying to mate on b7!} dxc4 ( {If instead he tries to hold the centere with} 21...Bc7 {then follows} 22.cxd5 Nxd5 ( 22...cxd5 23.h4 Rc8 24.g3 ) 23.b5!$16 ) ( { Or is instead }21...h4!? 22.cxd5 cxd5 23.h3 Rc8 24.Rxc8+ Rxc8 25.Qh5$14 ) 22.Rxc4 b5 23.Rc2 Bc7 24.Rec1 {[#]} Qxd4!? {[#] Courageous, but the truth is that there is no ‘good’ move that keeps things together. Therefore the young Italian International Master takes his chances in the complications that now arise } ( {After} 24...Bb6!? { White strikes with }25.Rxc6!$16 Nxc6 26.Rxc6 Bxd4 ( 26...Qxd4 27.Re6! ) ( 26...Rc8 27.Rd6! Qc7 28.Nf1 g5 29.Rxf6 Bxd4 30.Bxg5 {etc} ) 27.Rd6 {and so on}) 25.g3?! ( {Now White can conclude the game with the precise} 25.Nf5! {when Black has no way of saving the game} Qe5 ( 25...Qg4!? 26.Nxe7 Qxf3 27.Nxc6+ Qxc6 28.Rxc6 {And Black is in a state a virtual zugzwang} Bb6 29.Bf4+ Ka8 30.g3 g5 31.Bd6 f5 32.Be7 g4 33.Bc5 {etc} ) ( 25...Nxf5$2 26.Qxc6 ) 26.Nxe7! {This move did not even cross my mind. I saw it only after I played my move} Qxh2+ ( 26...Rxe7 27.g3 ) 27.Kf1 Rxe7 28.Be3!$18 {when c6 will next follow and then it is virtually impossible to stop the mating attack against Black’s helpless King} ) h4! 26.Nf5 {Now this move is still strong, but it does not have the same force as the move before. What results now is a very pleasant ending for White, but it takes time to win. I have to admit that from this point on my young opponent played better than me, but it matters little: White must win in the end} Qd5 27.Qxd5 Nxd5 28.Nxg7 {[#] With c6, f6 and the h-pawn vulnerable, it is difficult to defend. Making matters worse, the situation of the Black King being vulnerable to attack only adds to Black’s woes. It is now only a question of time before White wins. I give the rest of the game to show how I won.} Re5 29.Rxc6 hxg3 30.hxg3 Rg8 31.Ne6 Bb6 32.Nc5 Re7 33.Kg2 Rd8 34.Kf3 Rde8 35.Rd6 Rd8 36.Rc6 Rde8 37.Rd1 Bc7 38.Be1 Ne3 39.Rd3 Nc4 40.Bc3 Be5 41.Kg2 Rc8 42.Bxe5+ fxe5 43.Rxc8+ Kxc8 44.Ne4 Kc7 45.f3 Kb6 46.Nc5 Rg7 47.g4 e4 48.Nxe4 Kxa6 49.g5 Rf7 50.Kg3 Kb6 51.f4 a5 52.bxa5+ Kxa5 53.Nd6 Nxd6 54.Rxd6 b4 55.g6 Rb7 56.f5 b3 57.Rd1 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

The French Exchange Variation

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The French Exchange Variation

The game below was played in the 6th round of the Figueira da Foz International Chess Festival. It features my game with the young and talented Andreas Stella from Italy. I have decided to show this game because it is of theoretical importance.

I have had excellent results and apparently little to complain about.. Especially in the Winawer, where in the past 15 years I have scored something like 23.5 points out of 25 or 26 games, many against grandmaster opposition.

In the past 2 years I have played, in serious tournament games, not less than 5 (five) games against strong opposition (grandmasters and international masters) and I have won not less than 5 points!

(For the readers to best appreciate the game below , I have used the RPB plugin. Just click on any move and a separate chessboard appears, which you can resize and/or drag over to the sidebar. Enjoy!)

You may also like...

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SELECTED LINKS