The full game can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/06/crete-round-seven.html, but here I want to look in some depth at the opening.
Jhunjhnuwala - Spanton
Sicilian Maróczy Bind
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4
Setting up a Maróczy Bind is less popular than playing 5.Nc3 in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database but scores 57%, which is much better than Nc3's 50%.
5...Bg7
A fairly popular alternative is 5...Nf6, which usually leads to the Gurgenidze System in which Black plays an early knight swop on d4.
6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6
More popular are 7...0-0 and 7...Ng4!?, but all three moves score a disappointing 41% in Mega21.
8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 Bd7
The swop 9....Nxd4 has been recommended in repertoire publications to avoid White meeting the text with 10.Nc2!?, but the text is much more popular.
10.h3!?
More common are 10.Qd2, 10.Rc1, 10.f3 and 10.Nc2!?, but the text has been played by grandmasters. One point is to cover g4 while retaining the option of pushing the f pawn to f4 in one move.
10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
12.Qd3
The more popular 12.Qxc2!? scores a remarkable 72% in Mega21. The queen is more-centrally placed on d3, but is liable to being hit by the remaining black knight manoeuvring to c5 or e5. On the other hand, a queen on c2 can be awkwardly placed if Black manages to create pressure down the half-open c file.
Either way, White has connected rooks and so the opening can be thought of as over. White has more space, but Black has no weaknesses. I believe the theoretical verdict is a slight edge to White, and that is what the analysis engines Stockfish13 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon.
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