Leela avoids taking a pawn early on

[smcracraft]

White: Leela
Black: Your 'Umble Narrator
Time Setting: 40 moves in an hour
Time: 1/10/2020 10pm Pacific Time

d2d4 d7d5
c2c4 c7c6
b1c3 c8f5
d1b3 b7b6
c4d5 c6d5
g1f3

[Tony P.]

6. Nf3! starts a strong attack that exploits Black's development lag and seems to win at least a piece in all the variations. They're indeed hard for a human to calculate, but modern engines find the move instantly (I've used a 1-year-old SF version on a slow laptop).

[pgn]1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Bf5?! (3. .. Nf6) 4. Qb3 b6? (4. .. Qb6 5. Qxb6
axb6 6. cxd5 Nf6 7. dxc6) 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nf3! e6 (6. .. Be4 7. Ne5 f6 8.
Nxe4 fxe5 9. Ng5 exd4 10. e4 Qd6 11. Bb5+ Nd7 12. f4 e6 13. e5 Qb4+ 14. Bd2
Qxb3 15. axb3 a6 16. Nxe6 Ke7 17. Nxd4) (6. .. f6 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nh4 Bd7 9.
Qd5 Nc6 10. Qh5+ g6 11. Nxg6 Bg4 12. Qxg4 hxg6 13. Qxg6+ Kd7 14. Bb5 a6 15.
d5 axb5 16. dxc6+ Kxc6 17. Qxe4+ Kc7 18. Be3 Rh5 19. Rc1 Rc8 20. Na4+ Kb8
21. Rxc8+ Qxc8 22. Nxb6 Qb7 23. Qe6 Nh6 24. O-O Qc7 (24. .. Bg7? 25. Rc1)
25. Nd7+ Kb7 26. Qe4+ Qc6 27. Qd4 Bg7? 28. Qa7+ Kc8 29. Nb6+) 7. e4! dxe4
8. Bb5+ Nd7 (8. .. Ke7 9. Ne5 f6 10. Qa3+ Qd6 11. Qxd6+ Kxd6 12. Nf7+) 9.
Ne5 Nf6 10. g4 Bg6 (10. .. Bxg4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxd7+ Ke7 13. f3) 11. d5
Qc7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Qxe6+ Be7 15. Bg5 Qd6 16. Qxd6 Bxd6 17.
Rd1 *[/pgn]

So Leela's Nf3 choice testifies for her decent tactical ability.

[smcracraft]

If people don't say the modern Leela and other programs can play like Tal did and more accurately, I've been sold by this one experience on the issue. Wild.