The b5-pawn hangs with check, and castling is impossible.

Of course, the cautious 22...Qc4 was also possible, but the developing move chosen by Black is stronger, as it connects the rooks, and keeps the possibility of ...Qc7-c4 in reserve. Of course, Black did not forget about the question of his king’s safety in the centre – the move is possible because of the fixed pawn structure. In addition, Black has already exchanged White’s knights – with them still on the board, there would be tactical motifs.

Like Black, White also needs to refrain from castling, because of the loss of the h2-pawn. He has to go in for exchanges, which are unfavourable – after all, White has an isolated pawn, and his queenside pawns are fixed on dark squares.

An endgame cannot be avoided, so the king may as well stay in the centre, even though he could have castled. White is
concentrating on holding the draw.

It is useful to rule out Black’s knight exploiting the f4-square. In addition, the light-squared bishop is without an opponent, and his pawns therefore belong on dark squares.

White intends to jettison a pawn, but eliminate his weaknesses, and rely on his well-placed pieces to hold the draw. The position after 26.Kxd3 would be passive – defensible, but unpleasant.

When he gets his king to f3, White has the ideal defensive formation.

Draw.

White has the advantage of the two bishops, and if he succeeds in completing his development and evicting the knight from d4 with the move c2-c3, he will have a clear advantage. Black should play resolutely, trying to exploit the active position of his pieces.

The idea of this is simple – if the pawn gets to h4, it will weaken the dark squares on the white kingside. On the other hand, if White reacts with h3-h4, he gives Black the square g4. One should also not forget that Black still has queenside castling at his disposal.