Spanton (1951/168) - O'Gorman (1675/154)
Sicilian Closed
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nge2 Nc6 4.g3 d5
The main move in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, and clearly critical. From now on each move by both sides has the potential to be highly significant.
5.exd5 exd5 6.Bg2 Nf6!?
A popular alternative to the main line, but not liked by Stockfish10 or Komodo10. The main line goes 6...d4 7.Nd5!? Nf6 8.Nef4 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.d3 Be6, reaching a position Andrew Solits discusses in his Chess Digest book Beating The Sicilian Defence: Chamelon Variation (I have the 1990 revised and expanded edition).
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| Position after 11...Be6 |
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Soltis writes: "Black has more space but White has that great diagonal leading from g2, and the better squares for his other pieces. His queen can become quite active on the kingside at h5 or f3 and his knight is magnificent on d5. Unlike Black, he really doesn't have a bad bishop. Black, however, ha[s] good power lines for his rooks and the prospect of a queenside push (...b5/...c4) and no kingside weaknesses. Both players will want to mine the e file with rooks and both have an interest in advancing their f pawns. Two examples indicate that the position is not quite balanced and that White is always a little better."
Times have moved on - there are more than 50 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, including Fischer winning with the white pieces against Spassky in their 1992 match. However, it is fair to says results overall have not been good for White, and the engines reckon the position is equal.
7.d4 cxd4
Always tempting in this type of position, at least for club players, is 7...c4?, but Soltis calls it "a positional blunder which allows White a free hand in a semi-closed centre." The engines reckon White is winning (Stockfish10) or at least has the upper hand (Komodo10) after 8.Bg5 and the other known move 8.0-0.
8.Nxd4 Bc5!?
This aggressive bishop-move is not very popular, but has been played by Andrei Sokolov (2556).
9.Qe2+ Qe7 10.Qxe7+ Nxe7 11.Nb3 Bb4
Black seems to be in difficulties whatever he plays, eg 11...Bb6 12.Bg5 Be6 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 (13...Bxf2 14.Rhf1) 14.Na4 Bc7 (14...Bxf2 15.Rd2) 15.Nd4 with much the better position for White.
12.Bd2 0-0 13.0-0
I rejected the engines' choice 13.0-0-0 because of 13...Ng4?, missing the strength of 14.Nxd5, eg 14...Nxd5 15.Bxd5 Bxd2+ 16.Rxd2, when White has won a good pawn.
13...Bf5 14.Nd4 Bxc3?!
I expected 14...Bg6, when White has a pleasant edge.
15.Nxf5 Nxf5 16.Bxc3 Ne4
The engines suggest 16...d4, but after 17.Bb4 Rfe8 18.Rfe1 they reckon White is better.
17.Bb4 Rfe8 18.Rad1 Rad8
The engines give 18...Ne7 19.Bxe7 Rxe7, but White has the upper hand after 20.Rfe1 (or the simple 20.Rxd5).
19.Rfe1 h6 20.c4
Black is losing a pawn, and White will have a passed pawn that is already on the fifth rank (and so considerably stronger than Black's isolani on his fourth rank).
20...Nf6 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.cxd5 b6 23.Kf1
I was not certain 23.d6 or 23.Bh3 definitely won, but felt that centralising the king, while covering the e2 square, must be good.
23...a5 24.Bc3 Ne4?
This loses trivially, but the engines reckon Black is lost anyway.
25.Bxe4 Rxe4 26.d6 Re8 27.d7 Rd8 28.Be5 1-0
My final score of +3=1-1 saw me lose 16.4 Fide elo. It was an ECF grading performance of 159.6. I came equal-first with two others, winning £67.
Addendum 23/12/19: one of the juniors I beat does not have the rating he was credited with (the organisers used a converted ECF), which means my Fide elo loss rises to 18.
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