"If you overcome the relatively steep ascent of the hill, you will be rewarded with beautiful views of Mariánské Lázně," according to a brochure from the town's information office.
The description is right in every respect, apart from the promised beautiful views.
Since Friedrich August's time, when he visited the area in 1834 and 1835 to make botanical studies, trees have grown to obscure the views.
One can only hope global warming will give them their come-uppance in due course.
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| Friedrich August's lookout point beside the romantically named Shepherd's Rest, in what the tourist board calls, somewhat improbably, Little Switzerland |
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| Mariánské Lázně from above |
Spanton (1854) - Leonid Samarin (1635)
Sicilian Closed
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6
Most popular is 6...e6, but the text has been played by Garry Kasparov and many other strong players.
7.Qd2
First payed in 1905, this is by far the oldest known move in this position, at least according to ChessBase's 2020 Mega database. Normal today is 7.h3.
7...Qb6
On 7...Ng4 I intended 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bf4, when Stockfish10 and Komodo10 like 9...g5 10.Be3, with ...Nxe3 to follow at some point. They reckon Black is much better.
8.Nge2
Possibly a new move - it is not in Mega20.
8...Nd4 9.0-0 Qxb2
Black has a double-attack on c2.
10.Nxd4 cxd4 11.Bxd4 Qb4 12.Be3 Ng4 13.d4 Nxe3 14.fxe3
Black has the bishop-pair and better-looking pawn-structure, but White has a sizeable lead in development and more space in the centre. The engines reckon, if any player has an edge, it is Black.
14...e5!?
This looks dicey, at least to me. but seems playable.
15.Rab1 Qc4 16.Nb5 Qc6 17.Qb4 0-0
Black had to let the d6 pawn go as other moves are hopeless, eg 17...Bf8? 18.Qb3 Qd7 19.Bh3! Qxh3 (or 19...f5 20.exf5 Qc6 21.dxe5 with a very strong attack) 20.Qxf7+ Kd8 21.Qf6+ etc.
18.Nxd6 Qxc2 19.d5!
Keeping the centre closed, to restrict the black bishops, and creating a protected passed pawn.
19...Qxa2 20.Rb2?!
Almost certainly better is 20.Rf2 Qa6 21.Bf1 Qb6 22.Qxb6 axb6 23.Rxb6, getting the pawn back with an active position.
20...Qa6
Not 20...a5?? 21.Rxa2 axb4 22.Rxa8.
21.Nb5
I originally intended 21.Rbf2 but decided 21...f6 was a good-enough reply.
21...Qb6 22.Qc3 Qd8?!
Natural is 22...Bh6, highlighting the major weak point in White's camp. After 23.Re1 Rb8 24.Nc7 Qf6 25.Qa3 a6, Stockfish10 gives Black an edge, but Komodo10 reckons White has full compensation for his missing pawn.
23.Ra1 a6 24.Nc7 Rb8
Black's pieces are dangerously uncoordinated after 24...Ra7?! The engines continue 25.Rb6 h5 26.d6 with a difficult defence for Black.
25.Rxa6
Judging by his body language, LS had only seen 25.Nxa6?? Ra8.
25...b5!?
Stockfish10 comes to like this move, but Komodo10 very narrowly prefers 25...bxa6 26.Rxb8 Qd6.
26.Ra5?!
Probably better is 26.Ra7 as the text does not win the b pawn.
26...b4 27.Qc5
Not 27.Rxb4?? Rxb4 28.Qxb4 Qxc7.
27...Bh6 28.Ra7?
Stockfish10 suggests 28.h4, although still preferring Black. Komodo10 gives 28.Ra4 Qg5 29.Raxb4 Qxe3+ 30.Qxe3 Bxe3+ 31.Kh1 Rxb4 32.Rxb4 Kg7 with what it evaluates as a slight edge for Black.
28...Rb7?
White is thrown on the defensive after 28...Qg5 29.Rb3 Rd8.
29.Rxb7 Bxb7 30.d6
Probably better is 30.Rxb4!? Bxe3+ 31.Qxe3 Qxc7, when White's passed pawn seems to more than compensate for the bad bishop.
30...Bc8?!
Immediate counterplay with 30...Qg5 was probably better.
31.Rxb4
The engines like this at first but come to prefer 31.Nd5!? Be6 32.Ne7+ Kh8 33.Rxb4, giving White a slight edge.
31...Qg5 32.Nd5
I rejected the engines' 32.Kf2 because of 32...Qf6+ 33.Ke2 Bg4+, when White's king looks very vulnerable, but is maybe OK after 34.Ke1. However the engines point out 33.Ke1, when 33...Qg5 34.Rb8 seems to be holding, but no more, for White.
32...Be6 33.Ne7+?
Aggressive, at least on the surface, but now e3 cannot be defended by the white rook. I probably should have settled for protecting my back rank with 33.Rb1, when 33...Bxd5 34.Qxd5 (worse for White is 34.exd5 Qxe3+ 35.Qxe3 Bxe3+) Qxe3+ 35.Kh1 Qd2 looks very drawish.
33...Kg7?!
Missing a fine point in the position. Better is 33...Kh8!, as will soon become clear.
34.Nd5?
This loses. Correct is 34.Kh1, when 34...Qxe3 35.Qxe5+ f6 36.Qa1 Ra8! 37.Qf1 Ra7 gives Black enough compensation for his missing pawn, according to the engines. Note that if the Black king were on h8, this line would not work for White as 35.Qxe5+?? would run into 35...Bg7 with ...Qe1+ to come.
34...Bxd5 35.exd5
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| Black to play and win |
*****
*****
*****
*****
35...Qxe3+
35...Rc8!! is a killer blow. There are three main lines. The engines show White is mated after 36.Qxc8 Qxe3+ 37.Kf1 Qd3+ 38.Kf2 Be3+ 39.Kf3 Bd4+ 40.Kg4 Qe2+ 41.Bf3 Qxh2 etc. Also no good is, for example, 36.Qb6 Rc1+ 37.Bf1 Qf6. That leaves White's best try, 36.h4, but after Qxg3 37.Qxc8 Bxe3+ 38.Kh1 Qe1+ 39.Kh2 Qxb4 40.Qh3 (40.Kh3 f5) Qe1 41.Bf1 Qf2+ 42.Qg2 Qxh4+ 43.Qh3 Qg5, Black is two pawns up and with the much safer king.
36.Qxe3 Bxe3+ 37.Kf1 Bc5
Black still has winning chances as long as the rooks remain.
38.Rc4?
The engines give 38.Rb7 Rd8 39.d7, which certainly looks drawish to me. Better in this line, at first glance, seems to be 38...Bxd6, but the engines give 39.Rd7 Bc5 40.Rc7 Bb6 41.Rb7 Bd4 42.d6!? Bc5 43.Bd5 Bxd6. The point is that the black rook and king are tied to the defence of f7, so Black's two-pawn advantage is largely illusory.
38...Bxd6 39.Rc6 Rd8 40.Ke2 f5 41.Kd3 Kf7 42.Kc4?!
The king probably should not be straying from White's weak kingside, but I felt I needed to be active.
42...Ke7 43.Kb5 e4 44.Bf1 g5 45.Kc4 Ra8 46.Rb6 Kd7??
Throwing away the win, which is to be had after, for example, 46...Ra1 47.Be2 Rc1+ 48.Kb5 f4 49.gxf4 gxf4 50.Rb7+ Kf6 51.Rd7 Ke5, when the Black passers are too powerful.
The game finished:
47.Rb7+ Bc7 48.Kc5 Rb8 49.Bb5+ Kc8 50.Rxb8+ Bxb8 51.d6 e3 52.Kd5 f4 53.gxf4 gxf4 54.Be2 Kd7 55.Bg4+ Kd8 56.h4 Ba7 57.h5 h6 (LS offered a draw) 58.Ke5 Bb8 59.Ke6 Ke8 60.d7+ Kd8 61.Kf6 f3 62.Bxf3 Kxd7 63.Kf5 ½–½
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