Petar Petrović (FM 1956) - Spanton (1831)
English Symmetrical
1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.e3!?
This move is very popular - there are more than 4,800 examples, including games by Kramnik, in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database. But grandmaster Nigel Davies on his English Opening DVD for ChessBase warns White against playing it. He says that after ...
5...Bxc6!?
... it is hard for White to make progress.
This might seem a rather sweeping statement at such an early stage, but this game illustrates some of Black's ideas.
6.bxc3
The analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 do not like Black's last move, and they agree this is the best reply.
6...f5!?
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| Position after 6...f5!?, another move not much liked by the engines. What is going on? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
Other moves have been tried here, but the point of the text is to inhibit e4. Black's plan is to play against White's dark-square bishop by restricting its access to much of the board. If the bishop cannot escape the queenside, Black will effectively be a piece up on the kingside.
7.d4
Edmar Mednis (2450) - Bent Larsen (2545), New York (Watson, Farley, Williams) 1990, saw 7.f4?!, which is almost certainly the wrong idea.
Perhaps best is a move that does not appear in Mega20, namely 7.e4!? After 7...fxe4 8.Bxe4 Nf6 9.Bg2 White has lost a lot of time, but has guaranteed that the dark-square bishop will play a full role in the game. I guess it depends on whether White really is seriously inconvenienced by the dark-square bishop being restricted, at least in the early stages.
7...Nf6 8.Ne2 b6 9.Rb1 Ba6
Komodo11.01 suggests 9...Bb7!?, meeting 10.dxc5 with 10...Qc7, and the further 11.cxb6 with 11.axb6, which both engines reckon is very good for Black despite the (temporary) pawn-minus.
10.Qa4 Qc8
Even stronger seems to be 10...Na5!? After 11.Bxa8?! Qxa8 12.0-0 Qf3 Black has huge compensation for the exchange. I was more concerned about 11.dxc5, but the engines reckon Black is much better after, among other moves, 11...Bxc4.
11.Ba3 Ne4 12.Bxe4?!
The engines strongly dislike this. Its only justification would be if White can follow up by winning a pawn by capturing on c5, but in the game that does not happen.
12...fxe4 13.0-0
Not 13.dxc5? Ne5.
13...0-0 14.Rfe1?!
White is already positionally lost, according to the engines, but it is hard to see how this helps. They give 14.Nf4, but reckon 14...d6 consolidates Black's advantage.
14...d6 15.Nf4 g5 16.Ng2
16.Nd5 is not catastrophic as 16...e6? runs into 17.Qxc6!, although after 17...Qxc6 18.Ne7+ Kf7 19.Nxc6 Rfc8 Black is slightly better, according to the engines. However 16...Rf7 17.Nc7 Qxc7 18.Qxa6 Raf8 leaves Black well on top.
16...Bb7!?
Freeing the queen for more important work than defending a bishop (and there is no rush to capture the weak c4 pawn).
17.Qc2 Rf6!
With a double-threat.
18.Qe2
Not 18.Qxe4? Nxd4. The engines suggest 18.h4 but agree 18...h6 keeps Black massively on top.
18...Qh3
White must lose at least a piece.
The game finished:
19.Qf1 Bc8 20.Nf4 gxf4 21.Qxh3 Bxh3 22.exf4 cxd4 23.Rbd1 Bg4 24.Rd2 dxc3 25.Rd5 Bf3 26.Re3 c2 27.Bb2 Nb4 28.Rd2 Rc8 29.Rc3 Nxa2 30.Rcxc2 Nb4 31.Rc3 Nd3 32.Ba1 Rf5 33.h4 Rfc5 34.Ra3 Rxc4 35.Kh2 Rc1 36.g4 Rh1+ 0-1
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| Monument to Prince Miloš Obrenović and the Second Serbian Uprising (against the Turks) of 1815 |
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