The whole game can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/06/crete-round-nine.html but here I want to join it with White to make his 23rd move.
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| Position after 22...Bxc8 in Schaefer - Spanton |
23.f3 Nd2
Care has to be taken, in making a move like this, that the knight will not get trapped behind enemy lines. But the knight is much more active on d2 than it would be after withdrawing to f6.
24.b3
Not 24.Nc6?? Bd7.
24...Bb7 25.Kf2
This looks natural, but stronger seems to be the engines' 25.Nc3!?, which puts the white knight on a more-central square and takes b1 away from the black knight. I intended 25...Bb4 26.Nb5 a6, when the engines give 27.Nd3! Be7 28.Nc3 b5 29.Kf2 b4 with what they reckon is an equal position.
25...Nb1 26.Ke3?!
The engines prefer 26.e3 (Stockfish13) or 26.e4 (Komodo12.1.1).
26...Kf8 27.f4!?
Stockfish13 likes this move, but creating a hole at e4 seems strange.
27...Ke7 28.h4
Without White doing anything dramatically wrong, the white position has deteriorated, according to the engines, to the point where Black has the upper hand.
28...h5?!
But this lets much of the advantage disappear as it will now be difficult to evict the white knight from its good square.
Generally speaking, the player with the bishops wants to gradually gain space, forcing the opponent's pieces backwards, so here 28...f6 is good.
29.Bf3 g6 30.g4?!
Exchanging pawns usually helps the weaker side in an ending, but the text creates weaknesses. The engines prefer more-or-less standing pat with 30.Kf2 or 30.Kd3.
30...hxg4 31.Bxg4 Na3?!
Almost certainly better is 31...Bb4, but I rejected it because after 32.h5 Bd2+ 36.Kf3 gxh5 37.Bxh5 f6 38.Ng6+ the d6 square, in my mind's eye, was still occupied by the dark-square bishop and so White would have a draw by repetition with 38...Kd7 39.Nf8+ Ke7 40.Ng6+ etc.
32.Kd2 Bb4+ 33.Kc1 Nb5
The knight has got out of the corner and is headed for the e4 hole.
34.e3 Nd6
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
35.h5?!
Getting rid of a weakness and putting pressure on f7, but it turns out White almost certainly does not have time for this. The engines give 35.Nd3 Ba3+ 36.Kc2 with what they reckon is at best a slight edge for Black.
35...gxh5 36.Bxh5
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
36...Ne4!
There is no need to defend f7.
37.Kd1
After 37.Bxf7 Bd2+ 38.Kc2 Bxe3, White goes a pawn down.
37...Bd2 38.Ke2 f6 39.Nd3
This is best, according to the engines, eg 39.Kf3? fails to 39...Ba6+ and 40...Bxe3.
39...Bc6
The engines reckon Black has a positionally won game after 39...Ba6!? 40.Nb2 f5, but there is a lot of play left.
40.Bf3 Ba5
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
41.b4?
Black wins a pawn, but is only slightly better, after 41.a3!? Bxa4 42.bxa4 Nc3+, according to the engines. Similarly they reckon Black's edge is small after 41.Kd1!? Bxa4 42.bxa4 Nc3+ etc. In both cases the key to White's defence is that a position has been reached with opposite-coloured bishops, although also with a pair of knights.
41...Bxa4 42.a3
If 42.bxa5 then 42...Bb5! is decisive, according to the engines, eg 43.a3 Kd6 44.axb6 axb6, when White is practically in zugzwang. However there is a trap in this line as 43.Bg2!? should not be met by 43...Nc2+?! 44.Kd2 Nxa2 45.axb6 axb6, as the engines reckon White has decent drawing chances after 46.Nf2 or 46.Nc1. Instead almost any other reply to 43.Bg2!?, eg 43...Kd6, 43...Bc4 or 43...bxa5, is winning
42...Nc3+
Other moves also win.
43.Kf2 Bb5 44.Nb2?!
Marginally better is 44.Nc1 but 44...Bxb4 45.axb4 leaves Black with a winning queenside pawn-majority.
44...Bxb4 45.axb4 Na2
White loses a second pawn.
The game finished:
46.f5 Nxb4 47.Nd1 exf5 48.Kg3 Ke6 49.Nc3 Bc4 50.Na4 Nd3 51.Be2 b5 52.Nc3 (52.Bxd3 bxa4) a5 0-1
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