diff --git a/src/search.cpp b/src/search.cpp
index c33bc914392..b3bd2f0371f 100644
--- a/src/search.cpp
+++ b/src/search.cpp
@@ -616,6 +616,7 @@ namespace {
     moveCount = captureCount = quietCount = ss->moveCount = 0;
     bestValue = -VALUE_INFINITE;
     maxValue = VALUE_INFINITE;
+    ss->distanceFromPv = (PvNode ? 0 : ss->distanceFromPv);
 
     // Check for the available remaining time
     if (thisThread == Threads.main())
@@ -1175,8 +1176,12 @@ namespace {
       // Step 15. Make the move
       pos.do_move(move, st, givesCheck);
 
-      // Step 16. Reduced depth search (LMR, ~200 Elo). If the move fails high it will be
-      // re-searched at full depth.
+      (ss+1)->distanceFromPv = ss->distanceFromPv + moveCount - 1;
+
+      // Step 16. Late moves reduction / extension (LMR, ~200 Elo)
+      // We use various heuristics for the sons of a node after the first son has
+      // been searched. In general we would like to reduce them, but there are many
+      // cases where we extend a son if it has good chances to be "interesting".
       if (    depth >= 3
           &&  moveCount > 1 + 2 * rootNode
           && (  !captureOrPromotion
@@ -1258,8 +1263,8 @@ namespace {
                   r++;
 
               // Decrease/increase reduction for moves with a good/bad history (~30 Elo)
-              // If we are not in check use statScore, if we are in check
-              // use sum of main history and first continuation history with an offset
+              // If we are not in check use statScore, but if we are in check we use
+              // the sum of main history and first continuation history with an offset.
               if (ss->inCheck)
                   r -= (thisThread->mainHistory[us][from_to(move)]
                      + (*contHist[0])[movedPiece][to_sq(move)] - 3833) / 16384;
@@ -1267,18 +1272,20 @@ namespace {
                   r -= ss->statScore / 14790;
           }
 
-          Depth d = std::clamp(newDepth - r, 1, newDepth);
+          // In general we want to cap the LMR depth search at newDepth. But for nodes
+          // close to the principal variation the cap is at (newDepth + 1), which will
+          // allow these nodes to be searched deeper than the pv (up to 4 plies deeper).
+          Depth d = std::clamp(newDepth - r, 1, newDepth + ((ss+1)->distanceFromPv <= 4));
 
           value = -search<NonPV>(pos, ss+1, -(alpha+1), -alpha, d, true);
 
-          doFullDepthSearch = value > alpha && d != newDepth;
-
+          // If the son is reduced and fails high it will be re-searched at full depth
+          doFullDepthSearch = value > alpha && d < newDepth;
           didLMR = true;
       }
       else
       {
           doFullDepthSearch = !PvNode || moveCount > 1;
-
           didLMR = false;
       }
 
diff --git a/src/search.h b/src/search.h
index 3bf3e9ae605..5e51c18e043 100644
--- a/src/search.h
+++ b/src/search.h
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ struct Stack {
   Value staticEval;
   int statScore;
   int moveCount;
+  int distanceFromPv;
   bool inCheck;
   bool ttPv;
   bool ttHit;