---
title: You Won't Believe What The Best Move Here Is
description: Sometimes the strongest move isn't an attack, a sacrifice, or a tactical shot; sometimes it's a quiet move that solves a problem you didn't even know existed.
image: https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=webp&h=550&op=thumbnail&path=sp12lVy2aDAA.webp&w=880&sig=8e7329084e4492ba108f8e2488bf0a0d790051d1
---

This game began as a fairly normal Symmetrical English, but Black soon headed in a much less common direction.
Instead of calmly finishing development and castling, Black immediately began preparing an exchange of White's fianchettoed bishop.
It's an understandable plan. In many English Opening structures, White's light-squared bishop is one of their best pieces, so exchanging it makes positional sense. Some players even build entire opening systems around reaching this type of setup.
White reacted in a principled way by striking in the centre with **e3** followed by **d4**, and after Black completed the bishop exchange we reached the following position.
https://lichess.org/study/hzspGGJt/RevJGHXG#18

***

## The obvious move...

If I showed you this position over the board, I think most people would immediately look at one of two moves.
Either:

* **10.d5**, grabbing space and kicking away the knight.

or

* **10.dxc5**, releasing the central tension immediately.

Interestingly, the game continued with **10.dxc5**, and although it looks perfectly natural, it contains a hidden flaw.
https://lichess.org/study/hzspGGJt/Hws1Tll6#19

***

## So perhaps d5 instead?

After seeing why **dxc5** isn't ideal, surely the answer must be **10.d5**.
It looks incredibly logical.
White gains space.
Black's knight is driven away.
Everything seems to fit together.
Except...
It suffers from almost exactly the same underlying problem.
https://lichess.org/study/hzspGGJt/ZbV91CuD#19

***

## The hidden problem

Notice what both of those moves have in common.
The moment White resolves the central tension, Black suddenly gains the positional threat of **...Bxc3**.
At first this exchange looks bizarre.
Why would Black ever want to give up their beautiful fianchetto bishop?
The answer is simple.
Ruining White's queenside pawn structure is worth it.
Once you begin seeing **...Bxc3** as a genuine positional resource, the entire position suddenly changes.
And that's exactly why the engine's recommendation is so fascinating.

***

## The move that solves everything

The best move isn't an attack.
It isn't a pawn break.
It isn't even a move that improves White's centre.
Instead, it's this:
**10.Bd2!!**
https://lichess.org/study/hzspGGJt/i35WBQuz#19
At first glance this move almost looks wrong.
It blocks the queen from the d-file.
It appears to reduce coordination.
Some people might even think it simply hangs the pawn on d4.
Yet this quiet bishop move solves White's biggest positional problem before it can even appear.
Once **Bd2** has been played, White can later push **d5** without ever worrying about spending an extra tempo preventing **...Bxc3**.
That's the beauty of prophylaxis.
Instead of reacting to your opponent's idea, you eliminate it before it ever becomes dangerous.
There's another subtle point too.
**Bd2** is almost a waiting move.
Black now has to decide how to develop the kingside knight.
If it goes to **f6**, then after **d5** the knight can no longer jump to **e5**, because the bishop would be blocked.
If Black instead chooses **Nh6**, White still gets the desired space advantage after **d5**, except now **Bd2** has already been played, meaning White never loses a tempo dealing with **...Bxc3**.
So the move isn't merely useful.
It actually forces Black into slightly awkward development while quietly improving White's own position.
Finally, one last question remains.
Doesn't **Bd2** simply abandon the pawn on **d4**?
Surprisingly...
Not at all.
The engine is perfectly happy to allow Black to grab it, because White's activity and lead in development become overwhelming.
The resulting variation is spectacular and beautifully demonstrates why **Bd2** is much deeper than it first appears.
https://lichess.org/study/hzspGGJt/BXAJqRd1#20

***

## Final thoughts

I still just can't stress enough how ridiculous the move **10.Bd2** looks at first.
But if you dig deeper, you notice the recurring idea of **...Bxc3**.
Suddenly, the move starts making sense.
And once you've understood the underlying positional threat, it no longer feels like an engine move at all, it probably feels like the most natural move in the position.
To me, that's one of the most satisfying moments in chess: when a move goes from looking completely absurd to becoming the only move you actually want to play once you think about a position for long enough.