 |
| White has just captured on d2 in Matias Ruiz Viñals (2038) - Spanton (2005), Linares (Spain) Open 2003. Who stands better, and by how much? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
Rival pawn-majorities usually favour the bishop, but here it is not easy for White to create a passer from his majority. Black has an isolated e pawn. Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 give a tiny edge to White.
23...Nc6 24.Bf4 e5!?
This makes the pawn a potential target for the bishop, but claims an equal share of space in the centre and supports the knight landing on d4.
25.Be3 Ke6 26.f4!?
This dissolves Black's isolated pawn while granting White a passed but isolated e pawn, and also takes away half of the support for a knight on d4.
26...exf4
My original notes call 26...Nd4!? "safer," but I am no longer so sure about this. My modern engines prefer the text.
27.Bxf4 a6 28.a3 b5 29.Be3 c4!?
29...Ke5 30.Bxc5 Kxe4 is dead-equal, according to the engines.
30.Bb6 g6 31.Ke3 h6 32.Bc7 Kd7 33.Bf4
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
33...g5!?
I found it tough choosing between this and 33...h5, but decided the key factor was keeping the white king out of the kingside. The engines agree with my choice.
34.Bg3 Ke6 35.Be1 Ne5 36.h3 Nd3
A great outpost for the knight, but the position is still equal, according to the engines.
37.Bc3 Nf4 38.Kf3 Nd3 39.Bd4 Ne1+ 40.Kf2 Nd3+ 41.Ke3 Nf4 42.Kf3 Nd3 43.g3
43.Kg4!? leads to sharp play but seems to give equal chances, eg 43...Nf4 44.Bg7 Nd3 45.Kh5 Nf2 46.Bxh6 Nxe4 47.Bxg5 Nxg5 48.Kxg5 a5 49.Kf4 b4 50.Ke4 (50.axb4? c3!) c3 51.Kd3 (51.bxc3?? bxa3) cxb2 52.Kc2 bxa3=. But the engines point out many plausible alternatives in this line, especially early on.
43...Ne5+
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
44.Ke3
Not 44.Bxe5? Kxe5, eg 45.Ke3 a5, after which the white king will eventually be distracted to the queenside, allowing Black to clean up on the kingside.
44...h5 45.Bc3 Nc6 46.Bg7 Ne5!?
This allows the white king to penetrate the queenside, and so leads to sharp play.
47.Kd4 Nf3+
47...Nd3 is met by 48.b3, also with equal play, according to the engines.
48.Kc5 Nd2
It was difficult choosing between this and 48...Ng1. Stockfish12 reckons both moves leave the position dead-equal, but Komodo11.01 marginally prefers 48...Ng1.
49.Kd4
A change of heart, but maintaining equality. Also equal is 49.Kb6 Nxe4 50.g4 hxg4 51.hxg4 Kd5 52.Kxa6 Kc5.
49...Nf1 50.g4 hxg4 51.hxg4 Nh2 52.Bh6 Kf6 53.e5+ Ke6
Also equal is 53...Kg6!?, eg 54.e6 Nxg4 55.Bxg5!? Kxg5 56.e7 Nf6 57.Kc5 etc.
54.Ke4?!
Drawing is 54.Kc5 Nxg4 55.Bxg5 Nxe5 56.Kb6 etc, and even 54.Bxg5!? Nf3+ 55.Kc5 Nxg5 56.Kb6 etc.
54...Nxg4 55.Bxg5 Nxe5
Stockfish12 reckons the position remains dead-equal, but Komodo11.01's assessment of a very small edge for Black, albeit one of less than a fifth of a pawn, must surely be closer to the truth, at least from a practical view.
56.Bd2!?
Komodo11.01 strongly dislikes this, preferring 56.a4 or 56.Be3, but Stockfish12 reckons the position is still equal.
56...Nd3 57.Bc3 Kd6 58.Kd4 Nc1 59.Ke3?!
Giving ground seems strange and is not liked by Komodo11.01, but Stockfish12 is OK with it.
59...Kd5 60.Kd2 Nb3+ 61.Kc2!?
This is Komodo11.01's choice. Stockfish12 likes the text and 61.Ke3 equally.
61...Ke4 62.Bf6 a5 63.Bd8 Nd4+ 64.Kc3 Nc6
By now the engines agree there is no way for Black to make progress.
65.Bc7
65.Bxa5!? Nxa5 66.Kb4 etc is one draw.
65...Kd5 66.Bg3
66.Bxa5!?=
66...b4+ 67.axb4 axb4+ 68.Kd2 Nd4 69.Bf4 Nf3+
The game should still be drawn, but now White has to find an only-move.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
70.Kc2
Not 70.Ke3 c3 71.bxc3 (71.b3 Nd4) b3 72.Kd3 Ne1+ 73.Kd2 b2.
But 70.Ke2!, eg 70...Nd4+ 71.Kd2 Ke4 72.Bd6.
70...Ne1+ 71.Kb1
Both 71.Kd2? and 71.Kc1? make it easy for Black after 71...Nd3(+). Even after the text, Black has two winning moves.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
71...Kd4?
But this is not one of them. 71...Nd3 and 71...b3 win, eg 71...Nd3 72.Bg5 b3!(only-move, although the engines mistakenly give 72...Ke4 as also winning) 73.Bd2 Ke4 74.Bg5 Kf3 75.Bh6 Ke2 76.Bg5 Kd1 77.Bf6 Nc5 78.Bd4 Ne4 79.Be5 Nd2+ 80.Ka1 Kc2 81.Bc3 Nb1 82.Ba5 c3 83.bxc3 b2+ 84.Ka2 Nxc3+ 85.Bxc3 b1=Q+ (but not 85...Kxc3?? 68.Kb1=) etc. Main analysis: Syzygy tablebase.
After the text, Komodo11.01 reckons Black is winning, but Syzygy shows White has two drawing moves.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
72.Bh6?
Both 72.b3!? and 72.Bd2 draw, eg 72.Bd2 Nd3 73.b3! c3 74.Bg5 Nc5 75.Kc2, or 73...cxb3 74.Bg5 Kc4 (74...b2 75.Bf6+ Kc4 76.Bxb2=) 75.Bd2 - in neither line can Black make progress.
72...b3
Also winning is 72...Kd3.
73.Bg7+ Kd3 74.Bc3 Nc2 75.Bg7 Nb4 76.Bf6 Na2 77.Bg7 Kd2 78.Bf6 Kd1 79.Bg7 Nc1 80.Bf6 Nd3 81.Bg7 Ne1 82.Bf6 Nf3 83.Bg7
Or 83.Bc3 Nd2+ 84.Bxd2 Kxd2 85.Ka1 c3 86.bxc3 Kc2 etc. In this line White can try 84.Ka1 Kc1 85.Bd4 Nf3 86.Be5!? Ne1 87.Bf4+ Kc2 88.Bh6 Nd3 89.Bg7, but then comes 89...Nxb2! 90.Bxb2 c3 91.Bxc3 Kxc3 92.Kb1 b2 etc.
83...Nd2+ 84.Ka1 Kc2 85.Bf6 Ne4 86.Be5 Nc5 87.Bf6 Na4 88.Bg7 Nc3 89.Bf6 Nxb2 90.Bg7 Na4 91.Bxc3 Kxc3 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment