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| White has just captured on e6 in Spanton (165) - Angus French (162), Southern Counties Chess Union U175 2003. Who stands better, and by how much? |
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All the white pawns are on the same-coloured squares as the bishop, and White has two isolated pawns, including one on e6 that will be very hard to defend. But White has more space and the more-centralised king, and Black's f pawn is weak. Stockfish12 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon the position is equal.
43...Kf6
This is much better than 43...Ne7?!, according to the engines, who reckon White has a large advantage after 44.Bd3 or 44.Be2.
44.e7!?
Forcing one of the black pieces to drop back a rank.
44.Kd5 allows Black to force a repetition by 44...Ne7+ 45.Ke4 Ng6, or try for more with 44...f3!?, the position being equal in both cases, according to the engines.
44...Kxe7!?
I gave this a question mark in my original notes as I felt it was better to play 44...Nxe7, although after 45.Kxf4 I felt White would have "fair winning chances." My modern engines reckon the position is equal after either capture, although they do very marginally prefer 44...Nxe7.
45.Kf5 Kf7 46.Be2
Threatening to win with 47.Bh5.
46...Kg7 47.Kg5
Forcing the knight to give up protection of the f pawn as a sideways move by the black king allows a pin.
47...Ne7!?
The engines prefer 47...Ne5 48.Kxf4 Kf6.
48.Bf3!?
The immediate Kxf4 is probably better as after ...
48...Ng6 49.Be2
... Black can transpose to the engines' preferred ...Ne5.
49...Ne7!? 50.Kxf4 d5?!
It is natural to want to exchange pawns but pushing the d pawn allows the white king access to the e5 square.
51.Ke5 dxc4 52.Bxc4 Ng6+?
Black's queenside is too vulnerable to play this. Instead 52...c5 creates a passed pawn with the promise of counterplay. If White replies 53.bxc6, Black, after capturing on c6, has good drawing chances thanks to the fact that if he can give up the knight for the white a pawn, White has the wrong-coloured bishop for promoting the h pawn.
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53.Kf5?
I was reluctant to give up the h pawn, but Ke6, as we shall see later in the game, wins.
53...Ne7+
53...c5 transposes to the note at move after 52 after 54.bxc6 Ne7+ 55.Ke5 Nxc6+.
54.Ke6 Ng6
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55.Kd5?
Both 55.Bf1 and 55.Bb3 win easily.
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55...Ne7+?
55...Kf6 is only slightly better for White, according to the engines.
56.Ke5?!
This might be good enough, but 56.Ke6 is much clearer.
56...Ng6+
This was the last chance for ...c5.
57.Ke6 Nf8+
Or 57...Nf4+ 58.Kd7 Nxh3 59.Kxc7 with an easy win.
58.Ke7 Ng6+ 59.Kd8 Ne5 60.Bd5 Nd3 61.Kxc7 Nb4 62.Bc4 a6!? 63.bxa6 1-0
Note that 63.Kxb6? axb5 64.Kxb5 Nxa2 is a draw.
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