Malta Round 4
London System
1.Nf3 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.Bf4 Bg4 4.e3 e6 5.c4 Bd6!?
The main line runs 5...Bb4+ 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Rc1 0-0 8.h3, but many strong players, including Mikhail Chigorin and Nigel Short, have favoured the text.
6.Bg3
This is the most popular move in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, and it scores well for White, but Stockfish10 and Komodo10 prefer 6.Bxd6.
6...Nf6
Chigorin and Short preferred 6...Nge7.
7.Nc3 0-0 8.Be2 dxc4 9.Bxc4 e5?!
This central break often turns out to be premature, and this seems to be no exception.
10.dxe5
10.d5 was played by Kateryna Lagno (2523) against a 2324 four years ago, but she could only draw.
10...Nxe5?
The engines prefer 10...Bxf3, for reasons that will become obvious, but after 11.gxf3 they like White whichever way Black captures on e5.
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| White to play and win material |
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11.Be2?
Correct is 11.Bxe5 Bxe5 12.Bxf7+!, winning a pawn, eg 12...Rxf7 13.Qxd8+ Rxd8 14.Nxe5.
11...Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 Bxg3 13.hxg3 Qxd1+ 14.Rxd1 Bxf3?!
This strengthens White's centre, which is going to be a factor even as the game enters an ending. Almost certainly better was Komdo10's 14...Rad8 or Stockfish10's 14...Be6.
15.gxf3 Rfd8 16.Ke2 Kf8 17.e4 Rxd1
17...h6 was played in Maksim Serov (2366) - Dmitry Verobjev (2225), St Petersburg championship semi-final 2013 (1-0, 51 moves). The engines slightly prefer the text, but reckon White is more than half a pawn better.
18.Rxd1 c6?!
Stockfish10 suggests 18...Re8 19.Nb5 c6 20.Nd6 Re7 21.Nc4, giving White the upper hand. Komodo10 prefers 18...Ke7 20.e5 Ne8 21.Nd5+ Ke6 22.f4, reckoning White has a slight edge.
19.f4?!
I was more concerned about 19.e5 Re8 20.f4, when the engines agree White is much better.
19...Ke7 20.e5 Ne8?
Too passive. The engines give 20...Nd7, and if 21.Ne4, then 21...f6, not fearing 22.exf6+ Nxf6 23.Nxf6 Kxf6 24.Rd7 as Black has 25...Re8+ followed by 26...Re7.
21.Ne4 b6
I rejected 21...Rd8 because of 22.Rxd8 Kxd8 23.Ng5, but the engines point out that 23...f6 24.Nxh7 can be met by 24...Ke7 25.exf6+ gxf6 26.g4 Kf7 27.g5 f5 28.Kd3 Kg7 29.g6 Kxg6, when they reckon 30.Ng5 is dead-equal despite Black's 3-2 queenside majority. However, this is somewhat academic as they give 23.f5 as very strong for White.
22.g4 h6?!
A better try may still have been ...Rd8, although now White does win a pawn after 23.Rxd8 Kxd8 24.Ng5 f6 25.Nxh7 Ke7 26.exf6+ gxf6 27.f5 Kf7 28.g5 Kg7 29.gxf6+ Nxf6 30.Ng5. However, in this line the engines reckon 27...c5 or 27...Nd6 gives drawing chances.
23.Ng3!
A strong move that is very hard to meet.
23...c5
As good as anything else, it seems.
24.Ke3 Rc8
Not 24...Rd8?? 25.Nf5+.
25.Ke4
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| Can you find a decent move for Black? |
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25...Rc7?
This loses quickly, but Black is almost in zugzwang. After the engines' 25...Ke6, White plays 26.Nf5, when Black cannot move a piece without catastrophe, eg 26...Rb8 27.Nxg7+ Nxg7 28.f5+ Ke7 (or 28...Nxf5 29.gxf5+ Ke7 30.f6+ Ke8 31.Rh1) 29.f6+ Kf8 30.fxg7+ Kxg7 31.Rd7. So eventually the engines more-or-less settle on 26...b5 27.Ne3 Ke7 28.f5 Rc6 29.Nd5+ Kf8 30.f4, when Black is still alive but it is hard to believe he can survive for long.
26.Nf5+ Ke6 27.Rd8 1-0
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