Annotated chess game

This was a great game. I wrote up my take on it over here: gameknot.com

Indeed

The British master Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander once said: "If God played God in a Ben-oni White would win, but at any other level Black has chances."

I'm not sure there's any fancy maneuvering White could do to take advantage of this transposition, though.

This is the main line.

@Jkarp in this case Black intentional develops his DSB to the wide open long diagonal.

The once feared 4 pawns attack is very aggressive and cut throat. White wishes to play e4-e5 which results in very complicated positions.

I think this is the best move available. 8...Nbd7 9.e5 dxe5 10.fxe5 Ng8 looks pretty questionable for Black, and 8...Bd7 9.e5! also looks like a weak continuation.

@Bwaa instead of 10...Ng8 10...Qh4+ is very sharp. the best reply even though d7 is not the best square for the knight. It does stop e4-e5 and in view of ...a6 followed by ...b5 white is forced to spend a tempo retreating the LSB Alternative variation: 8... Nbd7 [ is practically a forced draw] 9. e5 dxe5 10. fxe5 Nh5 11. e6 Qh4+ 12. g3 [alternative variation: 12. Kd2!? is still relatively unexplored] Nxg3 13. hxg3 Qxh1 14. Be3 Qg2 15. exd7+ Bxd7 16. Bxd7+ Kxd7 17. Qa4+ Kd8 18. Qh4+

Clearly not a mistake, this is the main line of the Taimanov Variation.

9...a6? is a mistake but not a blunder. However, black two good alternatives here Alternative variation: 9... O-O!? 10. Nf3 Na6 11. O-O Nc7 12. Bd3 a6 13. Re1 Re8 14. Be3 Rb8 Alternative variation: 9... Na6!? 10. Nf3 Nb4 11. O-O a6 12. Be2 O-O 13. Re1 Re8

As do I, in hindsight.

Gary Kasparov played this so it can not be bad. The problem of Bd3 is that it give black time to unravel with 11...0-0 12. Nf3 Nf6 followed by ...Bg4

Alternative variation: 10... Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Nf6 12. Qc2 Qe7 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Alternative variation: 10... Qh4+ 11. g3 Qd8 12. Nf3 0-0 13. 0-0 Re8 14. Kg2!? Nf6 is unclear

I spent a really long time on this move. I think it was a fair choice.

It really ennoyed me

I was mentally tied up in the crazy lines starting with 14...c4!? 15.Bxc4 Nxe4 16.Re1. This simple, solid move (14...Bg4) took me completely by surprise.

! key idea in the Modern Benoni is to try and exchange white's f3-knight for his LSB to undermine the support for e4-e5

Not at all. I was hoping to distract you from the center with queenside play, long enough to make a push from e4 to e5. In retrospect I think this move is too passive, but I think it would have been okay if I'd played my next move differently.

? Alternative variation: 15. Nd2 Bc8 16. h3 Nbd7 17. Nc4 Rb8 18. Be3 b5 19. axb5 axb5 [⩲ ][is slightly in whites favor]

! black always wants to this trade.

If I'd played 16.gxf3 here, I think I could have made play on the queenside and center like I'd planned.

if 16. gxf3 Nh5!? looks promising for black.

? Alternative variation: 16... c4 [!?] 17. Bxc4 Nxe4 [!][with the e-pawn gone white's wining chance go with it]