Spanton (1855) - Philippe Emmenecker (2100)
Spanish Classical
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5
In effect we have a battle of the Mediterranean - Black plays an Italian set-up against White's Spanish opening.
4.c3 Nf6 5.d3
More popular are 5.0-0 and 5.d4, but the text has also been played by top grandmasters.
5...0-0 6.Be3!?
White can grab a pawn with 6.Bxc6 bxc6 7.Nxe5, but Black gets lots of counterplay with 7...d5, one point being that the greedy 8.Nxc6?! runs into 8...Qe8, as demonstrated by Adolf Anderssen in 1865. The main move is 6.0-0.
6...Bxe3 7.fxe3 d6 8.0-0 Ne7 9.Nbd2 c6 10.Ba4 Ng6
Black forks two pawns after 10...Qb6, but White can reply 11.Nc4 or, as suggested by Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01, 11.d4, the point being Black's queen gets trapped after 11...Qxb2? 12.Nc4 Qxc3 13.Rc1 Qb4 14.a3.
11.Qe1 b5 12.Bb3 Qb6 13.Kh1
Not 13.Qe2? Nf4.
13...a5 14.a3 Ng4 15.d4 a4 16.Ba2 c5 17.h3 Nf6
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
18.dxe5?!
Trying to keep my pieces active, but the engines prefer 18.Nh4, which I rejected because of 18...cxd4 19.Nxg6 hxg6 20.exd4 exd4 etc, but then White has 21.Qg3! with strong play. Note that Black cannot play 18...Nxh4 19.Qxh4 cxd4 20.exd4 exd4? as White replies 21.Rxf6! gxf6 22.Rf1! with what seems a winning attack.
18...dxe5 19.Nh4?!
During the game I regretted not playing 19.Rd1?!, but the engines reckon that is too slow, eg 19...Bb7 20.Bb1 c4, when White is very passive. Best is probably 19.Bd5.
19...Bb7 20.Nxg6 hxg6 21.Qg3 Rad8!
A strong move - both engines reckon Black is winning.
22.Qf2
I rejected 22.Rad1 because of 22...Rxd2!? 23.Rxd2 Nxe4, missing 24.Qxe5 Nxd2 25.Bxf7+ Kxf7 26.Qe8+ Kh7 27.Rxf7, which the engines reckon is equal after 27...Qc6 28.Qxc6 Bxc6 29.Rc7. However the engines also reckon the calm 22...Rd6 keeps a winning advantage for Black.
22...Rxd2?
This throws away most if not all of Black's advantage, which is maintained by a move such as 22...c4 followed by building up on the d file.
23.Qxd2 Nxe4
The engines find it difficult to decide if the text or 23...Bxe4 or 23...c4 is best. Given plenty of time, Stockfish11 settles on the text while Komodo11.01 prefers 23...c4.
24.Qe1 Qc6
And here they are hard-pressed to choose between the text and 24...c4.
25.Rf3?
The engines reckon the position is dead-equal after 25.Rg1 or 25.Rd1!? For some reason I did not consider the latter, and I do not think 25.Rd1!? seriously occurred to me as I feared 25...Nxc3?, missing that this loses to 26.Bxf7+! Rxf7 27.Rd8+.
25...g5
Not 25...Ng5 26.Rg3 Nxh3? as White simply replies with a move such as 27.Qf1, after which the knight is lost. But the engines' 25...c4!? seems strong, eg 26.Rd1 Nc5 27.Bb1 e4.
26.Rd1 c4 27.Bb1 g4 28.Bxe4
Komodo11.01 reckons 28.hxg4 Qh6+ 29.Kg1 (not 29.Rh3 Nf2+!) Ng5 30.Rg3 gives White a tiny edge, but Stockfish11.01 rates the position as exactly level.
28...Qxe4 29.hxg4 Qh7+ 30.Kg1 Bxf3 31.gxf3 e4!
The best try, putting pressure on the white position.
32.f4 Qh3 33.g5!?
This may be OK but simpler is 33.Qe2 Qg3+ 34.Kf1 (but not 34.Kh1?? as the h file is too dangerous for the white king after 34...g6 etc).
33...Qg4+ 34.Kh1??
Drawing is 34.Kf2 and probably 34.Kf1!?
34...Qh5+??
The engines give 34...Kh7, eg 35.Rd2 Kg6 36.Rg2 (if 36.Rh2 then 36...Rd8) Qf3 37.Kg1 Rd8 38.Qe2 Rd1+ 39.Kh2 Kf5 40.Qxf3 (otherwise Black plays ...Rd3 and ...Rxf3) exf3 41.Rf2 Kg4 and wins.
35.Kg1?
White is equal after 35.Kg2.
35...Qg4+?
Strong is 35...f6.
36.Kh1??
The same blunder as at move 34.
36...f6?
As already shown, ...Kh7 wins.
37.Rd5?
The engines give 37.g6!, which loses a pawn to 37...Qxg6, but after 38.Qh4 the danger to the white king is largely over, and White gets good counterplay thanks to controlling the open d file.
37...Qf3+ 38.Kg1 Qg4+ 39.Kf1
Or 39.Kh1 Kh7 etc.
39...fxg5
Black has won a pawn, and the white king is still exposed. The game finished:
40.Qe2 Qh4 41.Qf2 Qh3+ 42.Ke2 g4 43.Re5? (43.Qf1 puts up more resistance) g3 44.Qg1 Qg4+ 45.Kf1 Qf3+ 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment