Spanton (170) - Tashika Arora (145)
Barry Attack (aka Jobava-Prié)
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 g6
Not a popular choice, but it has been played by Shirov, Karjakin, Svidler and many other strong grandmasters.
4.f3
Also not a popular choice, and it has not been played by strong GMs, at least as far as I can discover. The main line runs 4.e3 Bg7 5.h4!?
4...Bg7 5.e4
This is consistent but 5.Qd2 is almost twice as popular in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, albeit from a small sample size.
5...dxe4 6.fxe4 0-0 7.Nf3 c5!?
Probably a novelty. Known is 7...Bg4, but the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 prefer the text.
8.d5 e6 9.Bc4 exd5 10.exd5?
I somehow talked myself out of the correct 10.Nxd5. I made the decision based on general fears of opening the position, but what is required is concrete analysis, which clearly shows the threat of Nc7xa8 prevents ...Nxe4. In any event, the text is a mistake.
10...Re8+ 11.Be2
If nothing else, White has lost a tempo over the line 9.Be2 exd5 10.exd5 Re8.
11...Ne4?!
The engines prefer 11...b5!? 12.Nxb5 Nxd5, giving White a large advantage.
12.0-0?
Missing Black's reply, which I saw almost immediately after playing the text.
I thought 12.Nxe4 Rxe4 was just horrible, but again concrete analysis shows White is holding on after 13.Qd2, eg 13...Bxb2 14.Rb1 Bf6 15.0-0, when White has a lot of development for a pawn.
12...Bxc3!
I expected 12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 Bxc3 14.Rb1, when White has reasonable compensation for a pawn. Rishi Patel (169) said afterwards Black should just play 12...Nxc3 and get on with development, leaving White with queenside weaknesses. This is certainly better for Black, but AT's choice is best.
13.Bb5
Much worse is 13.bxc3? Nxc3 and 14...Nxe2+.
13...Bd7?
Best, according to the engines, is 13...Bxb2 14.Bxe8 Qxe8 15.Re1 f5 16.Rb1 Bc3, when Black has bishop, knight and pawn for a rook.
14.Bxd7 Qxd7!?
Better, it seems, is 14...Nxd7 15.bxc3 Ndf6, when Black is not material up but has a powerful knight on e4 and the better pawn-structure (although the holes around the black king would worry many players, especially considering White has a dark-square bishop).
15.bxc3 Nxc3 16.Qd2 Ne2+ 17.Kh1 Nxf4 18.Qxf4 Qxd5
Black is two pawns up but White has an initiative that gives full compensation, according to the engines.
19.Ng5
The engines give 19.Rad1 Qf5 20.Qh4 Qh5 21.Qf4 Qf5 22.Qh4 etc, which I presume would not have pleased either player.
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| Can Black save her game? |
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19...Re7?
The passive 19...Rf8 runs into 20.Rad1, when best, according to the engines, is 20...Qxa2 21.Qh4 h5 22.Ne4 with a winning attack.
Too weakening is 19...f5?, eg 20.Rad1 Qe5 21.Qc4+ Kg7 22.g4 with a huge attack.
Second-best in the position, according to the engines, is 19...Re2!? 20.Qg4 Nc6!? (if 20...Rd2, then 21.Ne4 ) 21.Qxe2 Qxg5 22.Rad1, when White is better but the game goes on.
Also playable is 19...Nc6!?, when the engines continue 20.Rad1 Nd4!? 21.c3 h6 22.Nh3 Re4 23.Qc1 Kg7 24.cxd4. White is again better, but the position is hardly resignable.
Correct, according to the engines, is 19...f6!! with the idea of giving back both Black's extra pawns to reach a better ending. After 20.Qxf6, Black gets a tempo to develop his knight, viz 20...Nd7, then comes 21.Qf7+ Qxf7 22.Rxf7 Rad8, and now the engines reckon White should take back the second pawn by 23.Rxh7. But then 23...Re5 24.Rf1! Nf6! (24...Rxg5?! 25.Rff7 is a draw) 25.Nf3 Kxh7 26.Nxe5 Kg7 gives Black a slightly-better ending.
20.Rad1
This is much stronger than 20.Nxh7? Nd7.
20...Qe5 21.Qxe5 Rxe5 22.Rd8+ Kg7 23.Rxf7+ Kh6 24.h4 Kh5 25.Nf3 Re2 26.Rxh7+
This wins easily enough, but there is a forced mate by 26.Rd5+ Kh6 27.Ng5 Kh5 28.Rxh7+ Kg4 29.Nh3 Re1+ 30.Kh2 etc.
26...Kg4 27.Nh2+ Kg3
Now a forced mate is back on, but the engines' best-play line, 27...Kf5 28.g4+ Kf6, is hopeless after, for example, 29.Rf8+ Ke6 30.Re8+ Kd5 31.Rxe2.
28.Rd3+ Kf2
All other moves also lead to a quick mate.
29.Rf7+ Ke1 30.Rf1#
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