Marshall Attack, Modern Variation

With 11...c6, Black spends a tempo to secure the knight on d5 rather than retreating it with Marshall's original 11...Nf6. The knight stays centralized, eyeing f4 and c3, and the queen and bishops remain free for the kingside attack. The move also makes 12. Bxd5 less attractive. After 12...cxd5, Black has the two bishops in an open position, and the three queenside pawns hold back White's four. That capture is still played and can lead to the Re3 Variation after 13. d4 Bd6 14. Re3.

The most common reply is 12. d4, the Main Line, which normally continues 12...Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3. In that line Black's queen and bishop press against the light squares around White's king. Alexey Shirov has favored 12. d3, a less analyzed sideline. With the pawn on d3, White's center is somewhat weaker, but a later c4 can quickly turn the extra queenside pawn into a passed pawn. At master level, 12. d3 scores slightly better than 12. d4. Engines rate the position as roughly balanced, and Black scores well in online games.