Spanton (1998 ECF) - Curt Zimmermann (1891 Fide)
ACO World Senior Championship (Fodele Beach Resort, Crete)
Caro-Kann Fantasy
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3
I decided on giving the Fantasy Variation a whirl, having been impressed by its stats when writing https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/04/beat-caro-kann.html
3...Nf6
Five other moves occur more often in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, but I was half-expecting the text as it was CZ's choice in the only game of his I could find where he faced 3.f3.
4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 e6 6.Nf3 c5 7.c3!?
The game transposes into a mainline French Steinitz after 7.Nc3. The text is preferred by the analysis engines Stockfish13 and Komodo12.1.1.
7...Nc6 8.Be2 Qb6 9.0-0 f5!?
All 10 games in Mega21 saw 9...Be7.
Note that 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 Nxd4? 11.Nxd4 Bc5 12.Be3 Qxb2 runs into 13.Qd2!, when 13...Qxa1 14.Nc3 traps the black queen.
10.Kh1 cxd4?!
Komodo12.1.1 only narrowly prefers 10...Be7, but Stockfish13 strongly dislikes the text. One problem with the move is it lets White develop the queen's knight to its 'natural' square at c3.
11.cxd4 Be7 12.Nc3 0-0
The position looks like it arose from a French Defence, but one in which Black has not challenged White's centre with ...f6. Stockfish13 reckons White is already positionally won, but Komodo12.1.1 is less certain.
13.Be3!?
White's best plan, according to the engines, is to take advantage of his extra space and the blocked centre by going for it on the kingside, starting with 13.Rg1 with g4 to come.
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| Position after 13.Be3!? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
13...Nd8?!
Critical must be 13...Qxb2, when the engines' main line runs 14.Nb5 Nb6 15.a3!? a6 16.Rb1, with White being better whether Black tries 16...Qa2 17.Nc7 Ra7 18.Rxb6 Qxa3 or 16...Qxb1!? 17.Qxb1 axb5.
14.Qd2 Nf7 15.Rac1 a6
Consistent is 15...Nh6, but White can ignore the knight or simply stop it advancing with 15...h3.
16.Na4 Qb4 17.Qc2 b5
The lesser evil, according to the engines, is giving up a pawn by 17...Nb6!? 18.Nc5 Nc4 (forced as the black queen is trapped after 18...Bxc5 19.Bd2!) 19.Bxc4 Qxc4 20.Qxc4 dxc4 21.Rxc4.
18.Nc5 Nxc5 19.dxc5 Qa5 20.Nd4 Nd8 21.c6!?
Imprisoning Black's light-square bishop for the foreseeable future.
21...Qc7 22.Rf3 Rb8 23.Bd2 Nf7 24.b4 Kh8
Seeking kingside counterplay must be Black's best practical chance, but White has more freedom of action on that wing as well as on the queenside.
25.Rh3 g5 26.g4 gxf4 27.Bxf4 Ng5 28.Rh5 Ne4
This is a great outpost for the knight, but the knight is Black's only good piece.
29.gxf5 exf5 30.Bd3 Bxb4
Not so much winning a pawn, I presume, but allowing the black queen to laterally protect h7.
31.Rg1 Ra8
This hardly helps, but Black's position is so desperate that for a while Komodo12.1.1 reckons Black's best move is 31...Bb7!?
32.Bh6 Rg8
Or 32...Rf7 33.Qg2 etc.
33.Rxg8+ Kxg8 34.Qg2+ Kh8 35.Bxe4 dxe4 36.Rg5 1-0
If 36...Qf7, then one simple win goes 37.Rg7 Qf8 38.Rxh7+ Kxh7 39.Qg7#.
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