 |
| Black has just captured on e6 in Spanton (165) - Oliver Rosten (195), International Students House (London) 1996. Who stands better, and by how much? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
Rival pawn-majorities favour the bishop, but this is offset by White having two isolated pawns. Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 reckon the position is dead-equal.
33.c4!?
Ideally, White should put as many pawns on light squares as possible so the pawns control the light squares and the bishop can control the dark squares. But it is important such pawns are not vulnerable to a quick strike by the knight, or by the black king. And naturally at some point the kingside white pawns must cross dark squares so the white pawn-majority can advance.
33...Ne8 34.Ke3 Kd6 35.f4 g6 36.Bb2 Kc6 37.a4 Nd6 38.Kd3 a6
The engines prefer 38...f5!?, when White faces a tricky choice between 39.e5 (preferred by Komodo11.01), which creates a protected passed pawn but leaves a lot of white pawns obstructing the bishop, and 39.exf5 (preferred by Stockfish12), which gives the bishop more freedom but makes it difficult for White to activate his majority after 39...gxf5 and ...h5.
39.Be5 Nb7 40.g4 b5 41.axb5+ axb5 42.cxb5+ Kxb5
White's queenside weaknesses have gone but Black has the only passed pawn. The bishop is still better than the knight as it can support its own pawn-majority while at the same time help to slow the black passer. The engines reckon the position is equal.
43.f5!?
This seems the quickest way to create a white passer.
43...c4+?!
The engines do not like this, preferring 43...Kc6 or 43...gxf5, the former effectively accepting that it is too early to push the c pawn.
44.Kd4
This centralisation leaves the white king well-placed.
44...Kb4?!
The engines prefer 44...Nc5 but after, say, 45.Kd5 gxf5 46.gxf5 Na4, reckon White is winning with both 47.Kd6 and 47.Bf4.
45.fxg6?!
This seems to throw away much of White's advantage. The engines reckon White is winning after, for example, 45.Kd5 gxf5 46.gxf5 c3 47.Bf4.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
45...fxg6?
It seems 45...hxg6!? may gives good drawing chances. After 46.h4 Nd8 47.Ke3 Ne6 48.h5 Stockfish12 rates the position as at best just slightly better for White, although Komodo11.01 reckons White is winning. After the text White's passed e pawn is very strong.
46.Bf4 c3 47.e5 Nc5 48.Kd5 c2
OR offered a draw.
No better than the text is 48...Nd3 49.Bg5 c2 50.e6 c1=Q 51.Bxc1 Nxc1 52.e7 etc.
49.e6 Na6 50.Kc6 Kb3 51.e7 Nb4+ 52.Kd7 Nb5 53.Bc1 Nf6+ 54.Kd8 1-0
No comments:
Post a Comment