Knight v Bishop (part 39)

White has just captured on c5 in Thomas Bergmann (1796) - Spanton (1890), Bad Wörishofen (Bavaria) U2000 2019. Who stands better, and by how much?

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White has the better piece for working with rival pawn-majorities, but Black has more space and the more-active king. The analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 reckon Black is very slightly better.

31...Kd5 32.Bb6 e4 33.Bc7

Not 33.fxe4+? Kxe4, when the black king is even more active.

33...Ne5

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34.Bxe5?

Swopping off into a pawn-ending may be the best plan, but this is the wrong way to do it. Better is 34.fxe4+ Kxe4 35.Bxe5 Kxe5, when 36.Ke3 equalises, according to Stockfish12 although Komodo11.01 reckons 36...g5 gives Black a winning advantage.

Note that 34.Ke3? loses to 34...Nc4+, but perhaps White can let the knight into d3 by playing 34.b3!? Then 34...Nd3+ 35.Ke3 Nc1 runs into 36.fxe4+ fxe4 37.c4+. The engines suggest 34...g5 or 34...f4, when Black may be slightly better.

34...Kxe5 35.fxe4?

White's game is difficult, but this makes matters worse as it improves the position of the black king.

35...Kxe4 36.Ke2 f4!?

This is strongly disliked by Stockfish12. Komodo11.01 at first is none too keen either but comes to make ...f4!? its top choice, at least for a while. Generally speaking, the engines prefer the less-committal 36...g5.

37.b4??

But this is definitely horrible. Sensible is 37.a4, keeping the white pawn-majority mobile.

37...b5 38.Kd2 g5 39.c4!?

Desperation, but White is lost anyway.

39...bxc4 40.Kc3 Kd5 41.a4 h5 42.b5 axb5 43.axb5 g4 44.hxg4 hxg4 45.b6 Kc6 46.b7 Kxb7 47.Kxc4 f3 48.gxf3 g3 0-1