Spanton (1855) - Leopold Adrian (2061)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bd3
The main move in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database is breaking the pin by 5.. Be2.
5...Nc6 6.c3
This is hardly emphasising development à la Morphy. Perhaps more in Morphy's style is 6.Be3, and if 6...Nb4 7.Be2 Bf5 then 8.Na3 with c3 to come with tempo.
6...Bd6 7.O-O Nge7 8.Re1 Qd7 9.Nbd2 O-O-O
The classic French Defence player's answer to the Exchange Variation - castle on opposite wings.
10.b4 Rde8 11.Nb3 Nf5
Several grandmaster games have seen 11...Ng6 12.Be3 Nh4 13.Be2 with equal chances, according to the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01.
12.Be3 f6 13.Nc5!?
The engines do not like this, preferring 13.b5 (and, come to that, 11.b5).
13...Bxc5 14.bxc5
I rejected 14.dxc5 because it surrenders control of the e5 square.
14...Na5!?
The engines reckon Black has a pleasant advantage after 14...Nh4 15.Be2 Bxf3 16.Bxf3 Nxf3+ 17.Qxf3. Certainly Black has the better minor piece and the better pawn structure.
15.h3 Nxe3 16.Rxe3 Rxe3 17.fxe3 Bf5 18.Nh4 Be4 19.Qf1 Re8 20.Bb5!?
Trying to induce ...c6 so as to weaken the d6 square.
20...c6 21 Bd3 Nc4
The engines prefer the initiative Black gets after 21...Bxd3!? 22.Qxd3 Re4.
22.Bxc4 dxc4 23.Re1
23.Qxc4?! g5 24.Nf3 Bxf3 25.gxf3 Qxh3 is not the end of the world for White, but is easier for Black to play.
23...Bd3 24.Qf2 b6!
Black gets rid of the potential White outpost at d6.
25.cxb6 axb6 26.Nf3 Kb7 27.Kh1?!
Played with the vague intention of letting the knight use g1. But the knight has no real future doing that as, for example, Ng1-e2-f4 can easily be stopped by, or met with, ...g5, which Black probably
wants to play anyway to open lines to the white king.
27...Qf5 28.Qg3 g5 29.Qd6 h5 30.d5?!
Offering a pawn in return for the d4 square, but it does not seem to work if Black refuses the offer.
30...Qxd5
White gets a dangerous initiative after 30...cxd5? 31.Nd4.
31.Qxf6
Unfortunately 31.Qxd5 cxd5 32.Nd4 does not give White enough compensation for a pawn now that queens are off.
31...g4!
Black's turn to offer a pawn for attacking chances.
32.hxg4 hxg4 33.Qg7+ Ka6 34.Qxg4 Be4 35.Ng5!
Offering the pawn back in return for breaking the attack. The main alternative, according to the engines, is 35.Qf4, but Black has lots of play after 35...Qd3 or 35...Qa5.
35... Bxg2+?
Taking the pawn the 'clever' way, but much stronger is 35...Qd2, when White has too much hanging, eg 36.Rd1 runs into 36...Rh8+ 37.Nh3 (not 37.Kg1?? 37...Qxe3+ 38.Kf1 Rh1#) Rxh3+ 38.Qxh3 Qxd1+.
36. Qxg2 Rh8+!
The engines reckon equally good is 36...Qxg2+ 37.Kxg2 Rg8, but then White has a passed pawn.
37.Kg1 Rg8
Whereas now White is obliged to undouble Black's c pawns.
38.Qxd5 cxd5 39.Kf2 Rxg5 40.e4 dxe4 41.Rxe4 b5 42.Re8 Rh5 43.Ke3 Rh3+ 44.Kd2
Rh1 45.Re1 Rh2+
45...Rxe1 46.Kxe1 Ka5 47.Kd2 Ka4 48.Kc2 Ka3 49.Kb1 is a simple draw.
46.Re2 Rh1 47.Re1 Rh5 48.Re2 Kb6 49.Kc2 Kc5 50.Rd2 Rh3 51.Kb2 Rh5 52.Kc2 Rg5 53.Kb2 Rd5 54.Kc2
I thought 54.Rxd5+ Kxd5 55.Kc2 Ke4 56.Kd2 Kf3 57.Kd1 Ke3 58.Kc2 Ke2 looked lost for White as the white king is getting shouldered out of the way, eg Black wins after 59.Kc1 Kd3 60.Kb2 b4 etc. What I missed is that White draws with stalemate after 59. Kb2! Kd3 60.Ka3 Kxc3.
54...Rf5 55.Kb2 b4
The only way to try to make progress.
56.cxb4+ Kxb4 57.a3+ Kc5 58.Rc2 Rf3 59.Rc3 Rf2+ 60.Rc2 Rf8 61.Rd2 Rf3 62.Rd8 Rh3 63.Rc8+ Kd4 64. Rd8+ Ke4 65.Rc8 Kd3 66.Rd8+ Ke2 67.Re8+ Kd2 68.Rc8 c3+ 69.Ka2 Rd3 70.Kb1 Rd7
 |
| Black has definitely made progress. Although the position is still drawn, White is faced with making a series of only-moves. |
*****
*****
*****
*****
71.a4 Rb7+
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
72.Ka2 c2
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
73.Rd8+ Kc1
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
74.Rc8 Rb1
After four only-moves, White now has two moves that draw - I failed to find either.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
75.Rc7?
According to the engines, 75.a5 and 75.Ka3 keep the position dead-equal, the point after 75.Ka3 being that 75...Kd2 76.a5 c1=Q+ 77.Rxc1 Kxc1 78.Ka4 is a draw as Black has to give up his rook to
stop the white pawn. I try the same idea in the game, but too late.
75...Kd2 76.a5
Black wins easily after 76.Rd7+ Ke3 77.Re7+ Kd4 78.Rd7+ Ke5.
76...c1=Q 77.Rxc1 Kxc1 78.Ka3 Kc2 79.Ka4 Kc3 80.a6 Kc4 81.Ka5 Kc5 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment