Annotated chess game

The Tarrasch Defense was popular with a Grandmaster called Siegbert Tarrasch. The move to signify this is white playing his queen knight to d2. Yes, dmaestro, indeed it will be the black d pawn which will become isolated after a knight exchange two moves later. You are right, black taking on d4 with the knight like he did played into your hands.

There is a good reason I think why many white players like the Tarrasch against the French. It seems to offer White a slight but lasting initiative while minimizing the kind of play most French players prefer.

See above note.

Black could move his king to e2 in response to the check but foregoing castling with queens on the board unless absolutely forced to is a real no no. Furthermore it would block in black's dsb. The black queen is of too high a value to block the bishop check. The best move therefore is Bd7. Unfortunately the bishop has moved twice. White has developed another piece and is ready to castle kingside. Black could play Qc7 and castle long, but his king will be very exposed and vulnerable to an enemy queen or castle on the open c file just for starties.

Due to the fact that the white queen is in line with the white king, do you think that blocking the check by Qe7 would be the safest course for black? I do understand him interposing with the dsb - he wants to get his pieces out, but with queens off the board it vastly reduces the defending side's risks of copping Old Matey.

If 9 ...Qe7 10 BxB+, KxB 11 QxQ+, BxQ Black has difficulty holding the d pawn in an ending.

It might still have been Black's best chance. White has no immediate attack on the d-pawn, so Black can call reinforcements e.g. 9...Qe7 10.Bxd7+ Kxd7 11.Qxe7+ Bxe7 (...Nxe7 is a reasonable alternative, moving straight on (...Nc6) to free the bishop and protect the d-pawn) 12.Nf3 Bf6 or 12...Bb4+ 13.Ke2 Bc5.

Yes, it gets out of any pins down the e file, especially if white plays Re1 increasing pressure on the e file - I wonder whether taking the bishop on b5 would be worth considering. I know it allows a queen check on b5 but surely black could safely block it with his queen.

If 10... BxB 11 QxB+, Qd2 12 QxQ+, KXQ 13 Nb3, Bf6 13 Rd1 piling up on the black d-pawn.

Ah, the exchange on b5 does take place but in more unfavourable circumstances as the black queen cannot move to d7 to protect the b pawn and still maintain guard over the d pawn so black has to push up his b pawn. His d pawn is vulnerable and next move white pins it to the black queen.

Nasty, nasty. Yes, it is always very sensible to look for ways of milking a pin - may yield big material.

Trying to put off losing a pawn methinks.

White queen eyes up f7 through the black dsb and white f pawn ready to spring into action at any moment. Black now develops his knight but cannot avoid the loss of the d pawn.

I debated several different queen moves, including exchanges, which leave White a pawn ahead Qe2 was probably slightly more precise but I wanted to consider using the f1 to h3 diagonal and to avoid queen exchanges until I got the rooks aligned.

Amen.

Yes, black does have the idea of a queenside pawn advance. I wonder whether he should consider g6 followed by Kg7, followed by moving the king rook to e8 or d8 would be a good idea first. At least black will have castled by hand.

Black presumably wants to move off the d-file and protect a6 so as to bring the rook out via a7. If Black moves g6, White plays Bh6+. If Black plays a6 followed by g6, they avoid that but fall dangerously behind in development.

16...Qc7 looks preferable, to keep an eye on the b6 pawn for the nonce, and freeing the a-rook to centralise.

And white has a 2:1 pawn majority on the queenside. Maybe black is trying for the Minority Attack.

I think Black has hopes of a minority attack as well as control of the black diagonal, but does not have the time to make it effective.

Ah, black follows my suggestion, but Bh6+ is really wicked. Black would like to block with the bishop but I agree, the knight drops as the black dsb is decoyed from the defence of the black knight.

White gains from the exchange of Black's active bishop, even if the knight was protected.

Terrible move, but how is Black to free his K-side? Probably the long process of ...h6 first, and then ...g6. Black has a miserable position already. One suspects that 10...Kf8 was wrong, but Black's game was already difficult (such a move is almost always a distress signal!).

And the black king and the black king rook are virtually entombed.

Black is not only a pawn behind but unable to connect the rooks. Black faces a dismal ending or a dismal midgame.

Black is in effect a rook down...

Preparing Bg7 perhaps.

Black does need to play Bg7, which required defending the knight given its limited mobility.

When the white rooks are doubled on the d file and the white knight on d5 moves away.

White is threatening to double rooks, not much choice.