Black to move
ECO gives the evaluation that White has a slight advantage. What is the nature of this advantage? What is the basis for the evaluation?
Black's light-squared bishop may have difficulty getting into the game. Nor is Black's knight particularly active. White's pawns and pieces occupy the center and appear slightly more mobile than Black's.
This position appeared once in over-the-board play, according to the ChessBase Online Database. This one occurance is referenced in ECO: Gyimesi -- Acs, 1996 in the championship of Hungary. White won in 72 moves. Did the result of the game affect the theoretica evaluation?
The space advantage might be worth something too.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the space advantage; semi-open "c" file might also be a factor.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the comments, especially because these two comments have led me to spend a fair amount of time mulling over their contribution. Having mentioned the mobility of White's pieces, and the inactivity of one of Black's, I must wonder what is added by observing space and a semi-open file.
ReplyDeleteGreater board room (i.e. space) is one of the notation figures in Chess Informant's system of codes. It is represented by a circle in their notation. I went through every single game in Informants 1-113 that had the opening code C53 looking for this symbol. It was nowhere to be found. Perhaps if I examined every Petroff and Benoni game, I would find it. But, that task would require months.
Then, I took another tack. I dug through my library looking for the most useful discussions of space and mobility. The consequence is today's post: Space.