Spanton (1934) - Michael Frey (2115)
Malta Round 7
Sicilian Bb5(+)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.c3 Nf6 5.Qe2 Bg7 6.d4
6.0-0 is the normal move, but the text seems fine too.
6...cxd4 7.cxd4 0-0 8.Nc3 d6 9.0-0 Bg4 10.Rd1 Nd7 11.Be3 a6 12.Ba4?!
Black gets a queenside initiative after this. 12.Bxc6 was played in Nigel Davies (2450) - Goran Cabrilo (2505), Vrnjacka Banja 1988 (½–½, 22 moves).
12...b5 13.Bc2?!
Almost certainly better was 13.Bb3, and if 13...Na5, then 14.h3 ensures Black does not get the bishop-pair.
13...Nb6
13...e5! was strong as 14.d5? runs into 14...Nd4 15.Bxd4 exd4 16.Nb1 d3! White is more-or-less obliged to play 14.dxe5, when Black replies 14...Ndxe5 and can wreck White's kingside at will.
14.h3 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Rc8 16.Qe2 Nc4 17.Bb3 Nxe3 18.Qxe3
I was tempted by 18.fxe3!? but finally settled for the conventional.
18...Qb6 19.Ne2 Na5
19...e5 20.dxe5 Qxe3 21.fxe3 Bxe5 is also good for Black.
20.Rac1 Nxb3 21.axb3 e6 22.Rc3 Rxc3 23.bxc3 a5 24.Ra1 Ra8 25.Qd2 Qb7 26.Qc2 d5 27.e5
Black is better, but I hoped to erect a fortress on the dark squares to blunt the black bishop.
27...Qc6 28.Qd3 Bf8 29.h4 a4 30.b4 Rc8 31.Ra3 Bh6 32.f4!?
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 prefer Black, but it is hard to envisage a breakthrough without cooperation from White.
32...Bf8 33.Kh2 Be7 34.Kh3 h5?!
This may be wrong as it leaves Black's pawn-formation completely inflexible.
35.g3 Kf8
 |
| White to self-destruct |
*****
*****
*****
*****
Seeing the black king heading for the queenside, I decided to open the game on the kingside, hoping to infiltrate with my queen and knight. However, there is a serious flaw in this thinking.
36.g4?? hxg4+ 37.Kxg4 Kg7
The net result of 36.g4?? is that White, instead of having one defendable weakness on c3, now has two glaring weaknesses - c3 and h4. The general rule is that you need two weaknesses to win an ending, and indeed Stockfish10 reckons Black's advantage is worth more than two pawns. Komodo10 puts it at 1.25 pawns.
38.Ng1 Rh8 39.Nf3 Kf8
Now the black king resumes its journey to the queenside, with White unable to do little but await developments.
40.Ng5 Ke8 41.Nf3 Kd7 42.Ng5 Kc7 43.Kg3 Kb6 44.Kg4 Qe8 45.Qg3 Qf8 46.Kh3 Rh5 47.Qe3 Qc8 48.Qd3 Qc4 49.Qxc4?
I should have avoided this exchange, which opens a way into White's position for the black king. After, say 49.Qf3, it is still not clear to me how Black wins, although the engines are confident Black is well on top.
49...dxc4 50.Ra1 Kc6 51.Kg3 Kd5 52.Re1 Rh8 53.Re2 Ra8!?
The engines do not like this, but it seems to win - just.
54.Nxf7 a3 55.Ra2 Ke4 56.Nd6+ Bxd6 57.exd6 Kd3 58.d7 Rd8
On 58...Kxc3 I planned the surprise 59.Rxa3+!? Rxa3 60.d8Q, but Black still seems to be winning after 60...Kb2+ 61.Kg4 c3-+ etc.
59.Rxa3 Rxd7 60.Kf3 Kc2 61.Ke3 Kb2 62.Ra6
62.Ra5 Rd5 63.Kd2 Rh5 also seems to be winning for Black.
62...Kxc3 63.Rxe6 Rxd4 64.Rxg6
White is a pawn ahead, but Black's c pawn more than makes up for this.
64...Rd3+ 65.Ke4 Rh3 66.Rg4 Kb2!
66...Kxb4 67.f5 is drawn.
67.f5 c3 68.f6 c2 69.Rg1 Rxh4+ 70.Ke5 c1Q 71.Rxc1 Kxc1 72.f7 Rh8 73.Kd6 Kb2 74.Kc5 Rb8 75.f8Q Rxf8 76.Kxb5 Rb8+ 77.Kc5 Ka3 78.b5 Ka4 0-1
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