With 3.exd5 exd5, White releases the central tension at once — symmetrical pawns, an open e-file, and a reputation for dryness that keeps many players from preparing it seriously. That is exactly why it is dangerous: Black reaches a balanced position, develops reasonably, and then finds there is nothing obvious to do, while White chose the variation knowing precisely what he wants. GM Grigor Grigorov covers where the pieces belong once the e-file opens, the moment to break the symmetry, and the plans available to each side once the position has been unbalanced — including the c2-c4 lines that lead straight into the isolated-pawn structures of October’s session.