“If you want to play for a draw, don’t leave anything to chance. Just force either a completely drawn ending or a perpetual.”
Magnus Carlsen
This variation allows for a deviation from the well known theory. It is considered drawish for White, reason why it is not very popular. Still, it could be used as a surprise weapon. It is highly unlikely your opponent is prepared against it and even if that is the case, you risk little. Black has the option to play aggressive, while White could engage in either wild play or a more carefully planned approach. Here is an example of wild play:
The second game shows a more carefully planned approach. I believe Black is more challenged to play correctly if it has not faced this variation before. You will see below that Black’s queen can become either useless or trapped on its own playing side of the board. Also, since the center gets open, the game becomes a battle of the minor pieces.
I hope these two examples have caught your attention, and you would use them as a starting point to study this line in more details.
Eugen Demian
