Do NOT Exchange Pieces when you have a Space Advantage

Sultankam, playing at ICC out of the Island Nation named the Philippines, has a space advantage on the White Side of this French Defense. Why? Because Black elected to give up the center by capturing White's proud e pawn with his d pawn.

How does this confer a space advantage for White? White possesses a center pawn at d4, whereas Black has no center pawn. This gives White more space in the center and more maneuverability with his pieces.

This does not sound like much of an advantage, but very view Grand Master strength players give up the center in this fashion with the Black pieces. The attractive and strong female player Anna Zatonskih does not mind playing the Black side of this type of French Defense as established by her willingness to annotate a win of hers in the Berry brother's Oklahoma Chess Bulletin.

In the diagrammed position, the Filipino chess player retreated his Horse to g3 avoiding exchanges at e4 proving he understood his more than minute advantage. Something similar to this happens in Sicilian Defenses when White has a somewhat cramping e pawn and will retreat his Knight from d4 to b3.

Black can have problems finding a safe square for his Queen here. He also looks for the opportunity to play c5 to challenge White's central supremacy. GM Sergey Kudrin is an absolute maestro playing the White side of this position.

I remember witnessing a tense game between Anna Zatonskih and Irina Krush where Anna outblitzed Krush inducing an angry reaction by Irina. I admired Anna for not reacting to the outburst where Krush knocked her pieces over and exited the playing hall furiously. Still not sure what her grievance was? She lost by the smallest of margins, but lost nonetheless.

Tangentially, would like to point out that, The Berry Brothers of Stillwater, Oklahoma can lay claim to being most munificent benefactors to women's chess in the United States. Just ask WGM Camilla Baginskaite, WIM Nadia Ortiz, WIM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs, WIM Alexey Root, WFM Bayaraa Zorigt, WFM Tatev Abrahamyan, WFM Iryna Zenyuk, WFM Lilia Doibani, WCM Judit Simo, Tatiana Vayserberg, Vanessa West, Simone Sobel, Becky Huang, Stephanie Ballom, Sarah Chiang, Courtney Jamison, Stephanie Pitcher, Helen Jamison, Sylvia Yang, and Alexa Zolman.

These women all converged in Stillwater back around 2004 for chess Olympiad training and tournaments for any FIDE rated woman waiving transportation costs, lodging costs, and offering a $500 appearance fee. Those old Berry brother wool hounds know how to get a bunch of women assembled in one place and make it look legal now!! :)

Getting away from the joy of playing chess and the struggle of improving, all this proves that lots and lots of CASH makes the decision making for poor chess players infinitely easier, Money talks bullshit walks.