Main Line Question

[Fromper]

I tried the Zuke in a blitz game against someone at the local chess club last week, and we ended up in the main line. He responded to my Ne5 by playing Ne4 too early. I couldn't immediately remember from Zuke Em how to punish him for it, and being blitz, I didn't have time to work it out over the board. So I messed up the game and looked the line up in Zuke Em when I got home.

After 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Bb2 O-O 8. Ne5 Qc7 9. f4, page 67 of Zuke Em (expanded edition) states that it's too early for black to play Ne4 due to 9... Ne4 10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Nc3, threatening Nb5. Now, black's options are given as 11... Be7 or 11... cxd4, with lines given that show white winning a pawn.

But knowing this opponent, who I play often enough to know that he can be somewhat materialistic, I wondered about 11... f5, trying to lock up the center and maintain material equality. If 12. Nb5, the queen retreats, and I'm trying to determine white's best line from there.

And now that I'm looking at it again, I think I found the answer to my own question. 12... Qd8 (or Qb8 or Qe7 - I don't know if it matters, as long as the queen stays in contact with Bd6) 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. dxc5 Qxc5 (trading queens now lets white keep the extra pawn) 16. Qd4 and black has to play either 16... Qe7 or 16... Qxd4 17. Bxd4 to avoid checkmate on g7. Either way, material has remained even, but white has a better bishop, better pawn structure, and a better opportunity to take control of the only open file. I'd say white's winning.

What do you think?

--Fromper

[Rudel]

Fromper, your solution is a good one giving White a solid advantage.

A more concrete advantage can be obtained by 16.Ba3, making use of the pin on the c5-pawn.

[Fromper]

I think I found another typo. You mean 15. Ba3, right?

Good move. I'd think that in a slow game I would have spotted that one. It was late when I was analyzing last night, and I wasn't using a computer. One of these days, I need to get a newer version of Fritz to help with this sort of stuff.

--Fromper

[Rudel]

Right, 15. Ba3