Quit Trashing The French Bishop!

A quick look at the first game of the 2024 World Chess Championship match

Since the current edition of the World Chess Championship resides in Singapore this year and the games start at an hour past midnight where I live, I’m not keeping up with the games live. However, I do want to point out an interesting thing or two from time to time, if they pop up. Since we got a very interesting game in the first round, let’s jump in.

Gukesh D (2783) - Ding, Liren (2728)

French Defense

Singapore, 2024 World Chess Championship

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5

While I don’t play the French Defense much these days, I really appreciate the uniqueness of the structure and Black’s counterplay on the queenside is both appreciable and under-estimated by people who think of this opening as either “drawish” or who avoid it out of an incessant need not to have a bad “French Bishop” sitting on c8.

6.Nce2 Nc6 7.c3 a5 8.Nf3 a4 9.Be3 Be7 10.g4?! Qa5

This is where Gukesh said that he was out of book. Taking stock of the position, I hope one can appreciate the difficulty White faces here. To start, Black has a clear plan to push on the queenside further with b5-b4, or to push a4-a3 to weaken White’s structure. White has no attack — the push to g4 feels premature, and instead trading on c5 (following up with Ned4, a la Nimzowitsch) or Ng3 seems more in line with the demands of the position. Another idea might be Qc2 simply to continue development without making a rash push on the kingside. While the position is probably equal, I think Black’s situation is preferable. g4 reveals too much about Gukesh’s ideas in the position, and now Ding doesn’t have to play into them.

11…a3!? 12.b3 cxd4 13.b4 Qc7 14.Nexd4 Nb6 15.O-O Nc4!

Another pretty position for Black — the knight is very strongly outposted on c4. Gukesh avoids the trade, but I think he should have probably allowed it. Qd3 seems like a good move. But instead Gukesh played

16.Bf2 Bd7!

Flexible. There’s no reason to castle into White’s attack, and now ideas of Ba4 (controlling d1 even further) or preparing Bb5 (eyeing f1 or a possible trade of the blockading knight on d4) come to mind. White has space on both wings — but also a certain inflexibility in his position due to not having a target for his developed pieces and advanced pawns. This is a textbook space disadvantage.

17.Qe2 Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Nb2 19.Qe3 Rc8 20.Rac1 Qc4 21.f5?!

It’s hard to suggest a move here — f5 is the natural idea, but White cannot hope to get to the Black king like this with most of his pieces so passively placed. Rfe1 or Bg3 (the rook and bishop step on each other’s toes here) seem like better ideas instead.

21…Qd3! 22.Qe1 Bg5! 23.Rc2 Rc4 24.h4 Bf4

This is an absolute dream position for French players: White’s space is a liability, and all that room behind those pawns is being appropriated by Black’s pieces. Black isn’t castled — and ostensibly has less developed material (the bishop on d7 strikes nothing, and the kingside rook is still sleeping) — nevertheless White is losing because Black’s pieces control the squares which matter: c1, d1, and e1.

25.Qb1 Rxc3! 26.Rxc3 Qxc3 27.fxe6 fxe6!?

Ding preserves his bad bishop, but I think that 27…Bxe6 was still better. If 28.Nxe6 fxe6, the f-file opens and Black can think of castling to bring the rook into the game.

28.Ne2 Qxe5 29.Nxf4 Qxf4 30.Qc2?

30.Bc5 Qxg4 would very much complicate the win for Black due to White’s control over the f8 square with rook and bishop.

30…Qc4! 31.Qd2 O-O!

Black’s two central passers make an oppressive impression upon the course of the game. White’s position is a disaster. Soon Black will open the center and that “bad bishop” begins to play an important role.

32.Bd4 Nd3 33.Qe3 Rxf1+ 34.Bxf1 e5! 35.Bxe5 Qxg4+ 36.Bg2 Bf5 37.Bg3 Be4

And the ugly duckling turns out not to be so bad after all.

38.Kh2 h6 39.Bh3 Qd1 40.Bd6 Qc2+

Both players reached time control, but it’s over for Gukesh. White’s weaknesses cannot be overcome and Black wins the a2-pawn and the game.

41.Kg3 Qxa2 42.Be6+ Kh8 0-1

An exciting result that proves we’re in the best possible timeline. Anything can happen. To start, Ding’s win is important because, despite most recent claims, he is anything but a pushover. Gukesh is good, but he cannot automatically cruise to victory. While I think this game is more of White losing than Black winning, it may be the beginning of a shift in momentum that will see Ding pressing Gukesh hard and continuing to fiercely defend the title. Besides that, it’s a model game that shows what can go wrong for White in the French if he over-extends — and look at how many times that c4-outpost was used to spring Black’s pieces into action!

And not to toot my horn but:

You love to see it.

(And quit talking crap about the French Bishop.)