Spanton (1855) - Marcellus Geiser (1628)
Sicilian Hungarian
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4
The key move of the Hungarian Variation, one of the ideas of which is to emphasise speedy development, often at the cost of giving up the bishop-pair.
4...Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Nc3 e6
Normal is 7...Nf6 but the text is also popular.
8.Bg5 Nf6 9.0-0-0
Via a minor transposition we have reached a mainline position of the variation with more than 4,800 games in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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9...e5?
This loses a clear tempo over those lines where Black plays ...e5 in one move. Perfectly fine is 9...Be7 as 10.Bxf6 Bxf6! 11.Qxd6 Qxd6 12.Rxd6 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Bxe4 is at best equal for White, although it has been played by grandmasters.
10.Qd3?!
Almost certainly stronger is 10.Qc4 as it creates the threat Nxe5.
10...Be7
This is Komodo11.01's choice, although Stockfish11 prefers 10...h6.
11.Bxf6 gxf6
Giving up the d pawn by 11...Bxf6!? is the lesser evil, according to the analysis engines.
12.Nh4 Rg8 13.Nf5 Qc7
13...Rxg2 14.Qh3 is not an improvement for Black.
14.g3 0-0-0 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.Qxd5 Bf8 17.Rd3 Kb8 18.Rhd1 Qc6
Black has been positionally lost since move 11, according to the engines, but now falls behind on material as well.
19.Qxf7 Qxe4 20.Qxg8 Qxf5
Even worse, according to the engines, is 20...Bh6+ 21.Nxh6 Rxg8 22.Nxg8.
21.Qf7 Qxf2 22.Rc3 Bh6+ 23.Kb1 Qb6 24.Qxf6 Bd2
Objectively best is the depressing 24...Bf8, but White is massively on top after 25.Rf1.
25.Rd3 Bb4 26.Rb3 Rc8 27.c3 Qc6 28.Rxb4 1-0
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