This coincides with what was probably also the high-water mark of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and at that time the town went by its German name of Marienbad.
Most of the town-centre's buildings date from this period, including an impressive cast-iron colonnade.
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| Detail from the colonnade |
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| Franz Joseph and Edward |
Franz Joseph lived on to 1916, dying aged 86 at a point in the Great War when events were going well for his empire (Serbia conquered, Russia in retreat and the Italian front stabilised).
My game today, in round seven of the Seniors, was anything but stable and had more than its fair share of instructive moments.
Jan Lacha (1727) - Spanton (1943)
Sicilian Defence, Grand Prix Attack
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.f4 Bg7 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4
The main alternative to 5.Bb5. The text has been favoured by Anand and Aronian.
5...e6
I have a friend who has tendency to play ...d6 in these sort of positions, and it is fair to say 5...d6 has been the choice of many players. But it is certainly logical to blunt White's light-square bishop with the text, when the plan is to get in ...d5 without first spending a tempo on ...d6.
6.0-0
The speculative 6.f5!? is also popular, and considered more effective here than against 5...d6 - an argument in favour of the latter for players unsure of how to meet White's pawn sac.
6...Nge7 7.d3 d5
More popular is 7...0-0, but the text has been chosen by some strong players, and seems fine.
8.Bb3 0-0
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| The chief tabiya of the 5.Bc4 line |
The mainline goes 9.Qe1 Nd4 10.Nxd4 cxd4 11.Ne2 dxe4 12.dxe4 b6 with a position that Stockfish10 reckons favours White but that Komodo9 declares to be equal.
JL's choice appears in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database in the games of several players rated 2400+. White's main idea is to preserve his light-square bishop against the threat of ...Na5.
9...Nd4 10.Nxd4 cxd4 11.Ne2 dxe4!?
The analysis engines do no like this move. Stockfish10 prefers 11...Qb6 while Komodo9 suggests 11...Bd7. In both cases one possible reply is 12.f5!?
12.dxe4 Qb6 13.Kh1 Bd7 14.Be3?
This move works tactically, but JL failed to properly consider the position after the little combination is over.
14...dxe3 15.Qxd7 Nc6
Threatening to win White's queen by bringing a rook to the d file.
16.Qd1 Rad8
16...Rfd8 might seem more natural, saving the other rook for the c file, but I wanted to keep f7 well protected.
17.Qe1 Na5
Grabbing two pawns with 17...Bxb2 18.Rb1 Bxa3 looks risky but may be playable, while 18...Bg7 19.Bxe6 looks even more dangerous for Black.
18.f5!?
This may well not be the best move but it leads to complications and was probably White's best practical chance.
18...Nxb3 19.cxb3 Bxb2?!
More sensible was 19...exf5 (now Black has two pieces covering the f6 square) 20.exf5 Rd2 with a big advantage.
20.Rb1 Bf6 21.e5!?
Adding fuel to the fire - again a practical choice.
21...Bxe5 22.f6 Rd2 23.Ng1!
The best move in the position. Note that 23.Qh4? is hopeless in the face of 23...Rxe2 24.Qh6 Bxf6.
23...Qd6?
Throwing away nearly all of Black's advantage - I somehow missed that I was leaving the e pawn en prise. The engines give 23...Bc3, and if 24.Qh4, then 24...Rf2.
24.Qxe3 Rc8?
A deliberate piece sac, but there is no need for this. Simplest was 24...Rd8, giving the d2 rook extra protection so 25.Qh6 can be met by 25...Qf8.
25.Qh6 Bxf6 26.Rxf6 Rc2
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| Black is a piece down and will remain so for the rest of the game, but Black's very active pieces, and White's uncoordinated ones, mean the position is unclear |
*****
*****
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27.Qf4?
I thought this was White's best chance as 27.Qh3 (27.Qg5 comes to the same thing) runs into 27...Rxg2 28.Qxg2 Rxg2 29.Kxg2 Qd5+ 30.Rf3 g5, but this position, like the last diagram, is unclear - Stockfish10 reckons Black is winning while Komodo9 calls it equal.
27...Qxf4?
The engines point out a win by 27...Qd5 28.Nf3 Rxg2 when White cannot sensibly defend the h2 square.
28.Rxf4 Rxg2 29.Rh4
29.Nf3 does not seem to be an improvement after the reply 29...Rgf2.
29...g5
Black's initiative continues, giving White no time to get coordinated.
30.Rh5 Kg7 31.Nf3
Not 31.Rh3?? g4 32.Rh4 Kg6 as White will have to give up the knight to let his king's rook escape.
31...Kg6
Better, it seems, was 31...h6! as White is obliged to play the game continuation of 32.Ne1 because 32.Rh3??, which is possible in the game, loses trivially to 32...g4.
32.Ne1
But here White could have played 32.Rh3! as I had missed that 32...g4?! can be met by 33.Nh4+, when 33...Kg5 34.Nxg2 gxh3 gives White a better version of the game continuation, although the position is still not clear.
32...Rb2
The engines at first strongly prefer 32...Kxh5 33.Nxg2 f5, but their evaluation steadily goes down with more thinking time while their evaluation of my move goes up.
33.Rxb2 Rxb2 34.Rh3 Re2 35.Nd3 f5 36.Rg3!?
I thought this was just playing for a trap (White threatens 37.Nf4+), but JL seems to have had in mind going for a draw by repetition. The engines prefer 36.Kg1 but reckon Black is much better after 36...f4.
36...e5 37.Rg2 Re3 38.Rg3 Re2 39.Rg2
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| What should Black play? |
*****
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39...Rxg2!
I felt I was taking a huge risk as the resulting ending of knight-and-three-pawns versus six pawns was by no means clear to me.
40.Kxg2 e4 41.Nc5
The alternative try of 41.Ne5+ is met by 41...Kf6 42.Nd7+ Ke7! (42...Ke6 runs into 43.Nf8+! Ke5 44.Nh7 when the engines reckon neither player can make progress after 44...g4 or 44...Kf4) 43.Nc5 b6 44.Na4 Kf6 and White's knight cannot get at Black's queenside pawns quickly enough nor effectively interfere with the advance of Black's kingside pawns. In this latter line the attempt 43.Ne5 is answered by 43...Ke6 44.Nc4 f4 with similar results.
41...b6 42.Nb7 f4 43.Nd6 e3 44.Nc8 Kf5 45.Nxa7 Ke4 46.Nc6 f3+ 47.Kf1 g4 48.a4 h5 49.b4 h4 0-1
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