After seven rounds his expected score (based on opponents' ratings) was a paltry 0.78, but he was actually on 4.0.
Vladimir Koci (1607) - Spanton (1854)
Réti System
1.Nf3 d5 2.e3!?
Believe it or not, this move has been frequently played by Nakamura, and also by Kramnik and So. I guess it is one way to avoid sharp theory, not that any of those players need to do that.
2...Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.d4
The position is now more reminiscent of a Tarrasch Defence in which White has not gone for the mainline kingside fianchetto, or the Normal Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined.
6...Nc6 7.Bb5!?
The main move is 7.Be2, but the text has been played by Carlsen, Kasparov and Kramnik.
7...a6!?
Not liked by Stockfish10 or Komodo10, but it has been tried by strong players.
8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Ne5
Kramnik here played 9.0-0, while Tal preferred 9.Qa4. The text was played by the Czechoslovakian Opočenský in a 1936 draw against Alekhine.
9...Bd7
Alekhine offered a pawn with 9...Bd6!?, and Opočenský declined it with 10.f4!? Critical is 10.Nxc6 Qb6 (or 10...Qc7 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Nd4) 11.dxc5 Qxc5 12.Nd4, when both players presumably felt the bishop-pair, combined with White having a slightly-bad remaining bishop, was reasonable compensation for a pawn.
10.Qa4 Bd6 11.Nxd7 Qxd7 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.0-0 0-0 14.Qc2 Bd6 15.Ne2 Ng4?!
More or less pointless as it encourages a response (15...h3) that will probably prove useful anyway.
16.Nf4?!
Simple and good was 16.h3 as 16...Nh2?? 17.Rd1 Nf3+ 18.gxf3 Qxh3 is easily met by 19.f4 or 19.Ng3.
16...f5!?
Still dreaming of a kingside attack, but maybe I should have got on with development.
Interesting is 16...g5!? 17.h3 Nxe3 18.fxe3 gxf4 19.exf4 with a position the engines evaluate as equal. If 17.Nh5?, then 17...Bxh2+ 18.Kh1 Bc7, and if 19.f3, then 19...Qd6. And if 17.Nh3?, then 17...Nxh2 18.Rd1 Nf3+ 19.Kh1 f6 is convincing enough.
17.h3 Nf6 18.Bd2
The engines give 18.b3 g5!? 19.Ne2 g4 with an unclear position.
18...Ne4
Again possible is ...g5!?, eg 19.Ne2 g4, and again it is not clear.
19.Rac1 Bxf4?!
Probably the wrong plan. Stockfish10 gives 19...Rac8 20.Bc3 Rfe8 21.Qd3 g5!? Komodo10 likes 19...Rab8 20.Rfd1 Rbc8!? 21.Ne2 Rfe8. But in each case the engines frequently change their move-choices and their evaluations.
20.exf4 Rfc8?!
The immediate 20...c5 looks better as then 21.Be3 can be met by 21...d4. True, this is not threatening to win the bishop after 22.Rfd1, but 22...Qe6 keeps the balance.
21.Be3 c5
Not 21...d4? 22.Qc4+.
22.f3 Ng3 23.Rfe1 d4 24.Qc4+ Qf7 25.Bf2
25.Bd2 was even stronger, according to the engines.
25...Nh5 26.g3 Rab8?
The engines prefer 26...Qxc4 27.Rxc4 Rab8, but White is still better after 28.b3.
27.b3
We both missed that White wins a pawn with 27.Qxa6! as 27...Ra8? runs into 28.Rxc5!
27...g6?
Again better was ...Qxc4 to stop White capturing on a6.
28.Re5
28.Qxa6!
28...Qxc4 29.Rxc4 d3 30.Rexc5 Rd8 31.Rc1 Rb7 32.Rc8 Rbd7 33.Rxd8+ Rxd8 34.Rd1 Ng7 35.Be1 Ne6 36.Kf2 Kf7 37.Ke3?
White needed to bring his bishop out first by, say, 37.Bc3, as the text allows a surprisingly effective reply.
37...Nd4 38.Kxd3!?
Not 38.Rxd3?? Nc2+ 39.Kd2 Rxd3+ 40.Kxd3 Nxe1+ as the pawn-ending after 41.Kd2 Nxf3+ 42.Ke3 Ng1 43.h4 Ke6 44.Kf2 Nh3+ 45.Kg2 Nxf4+ 46.gxf4 Kd5 wins for Black.
And not 38.Rd2?? Nc2+ 39.Kf2 Re8.
38.Kf2 Nc2 seems equal.
The engines suggest 38.Ba5, but after 38...Nc2+ 39.Kd2 Rd5 40.Bb6 Rd6 41.Bc7 Rd7 42.Be5 Nb4 43.Ra1 Nc2 44.Rc1 Ke6 it is not clear if White can make progress.
38...Nxb3+ 39.Ke2 Rxd1 40.Kxd1 Nd4
White is a pawn up, and the engines reckon he is better, but the position seemed drawn to me.
41.Bf2 Nb5 42.Kc2 Ke6 43.Kd3 Kd5 44.g4 Nc7 45.h4 h5 46.gxf5 gxf5 47.Kc3 Ne6 48.Kb4 Kc6
48...Nxf4 49.Ka5 Nd3 50.Bg3 Kc6 also draws.
49.Kc4 Nxf4 50.Kd4 Ng6 51.a3 Kd6 52.Bg3+ f4 53.Be1 Ne5
Somehow I thought this won the f3 pawn.
54.Ke4 Ke6 55.a4 Kd6?
55...Ng6 holds the draw.
56.Bc3 Ng6 57.Bf6 Ke6 58.Bg5 Kf7 59.Kd5 Kg7
A miserable move to have to make, but 59...Ke8 60.Ke6 Nf8+ 61.Kf5 is even simpler for White.
60.Kc5 Ne5 61.Bxf4??
Throwing away the win. 61.Kb6 wins easily, eg 61...Nxf3 62.Bxf4 Nxh4 63.Kxa6, when the bishop guards against the h pawn queening while the knight cannot stop the a pawn.
61...Nd3+ 62.Kb6 Nxf4 63.Kxa6
But White is not lost. The position is dead-equal, according to the engines.
63...Kf6 64.Kb5 Nd5 65.Kc5 Ke6 66.a5 Nc7 67.Kd4 Na6 68.Kc4 Kd6 69.f4 Nc7 70.Kd4 Nb5+ 71.Kc4 Kc6 72.Kb4 Nd6
So far, so good, but what next?
 |
| White to play and draw |
*****
*****
*****
*****
73.a6
73.Kc3! draws, according to the engines. Their main line runs 73...Nf5 74.Kd3 Nxh4 75.Ke4 Ng6 76.f5 Nh8 77.Kf4 Nf7 78.f6, when the h pawn falls.
73...Nf5 74.Kc4 Nxh4 75.Kd3 Nf5 76.Ke2
Losing in a similar way to the game is 76.Ke4 h4.
76...Kb6 77.Kf3 Kxa6 78.Ke4 h4 79.Kxf5 h3 80.Ke6 h2 81.f5 h1Q 82.f6 Qe4+ 83.Kd6
Or 83.Kf7 Qf5 84.Ke7 Qe5+ 85.Kf7 Kb6 etc.
83...Qb4+ 84.Ke6 Qf8 85.Ke5 Qf7 0-1
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