Lessons From The 4NCL III

Sean Gordon (1799 ECF) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)

26th 4NCL Weekend Congress (Woodland Grange, Warwickshire) U2000 Round 3

Albin Countergambit

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 5.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2

Quite a fashionable line, although the move dates back to Semyon Alapin - Frank Marshall, Monte Carlo 1901. My record against it before this game was +0=0-4.

5...Nge7

Marshall played 5...a5!?, which is Stockfish14's choice. The text was first played by Siegbert Tarrasch against William Napier at Monte Carlo 1902.

6.Nb3 Nf5 7.Bg5!?

More popular are 7.e4 and 7.a3.

7...Bb4+ 8.Bd2 Be7

Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer 8...a5!? or 8...Bxd2+.

9.g3 Be6

Stockfish14 suggests the aggressive 9...g5!?

10.Rc1 h5

How should White proceed?

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11.Na5!?

An interesting idea. If Black castles long, White will want to advance his queenside pawns, so exchanging the obstructing knight makes sense.

11...Nxa5 12.Bxa5 b6 13.Bd2 c5 14.h4 Qd7

The engines like attacking on the queenside with 14...b5!?, although they reckon White is better.

15.Bg2 Rd8

The airy queenside is no place for a black king.

16.0-0 0-0 17.Ne1?!

The engines strongly dislike this regrouping, preferring 17.Bf4 or the solidifying 17.b3.

17...Qc7

Missing a chance to more-or-less equalise with 17...Ne3!, when the engines' main line runs 18.Bxe3! (18.fxe3 dxe3 19.Nd3 exd2 20.Qxd2 Qd4+ leaves Black better) dxe3 19.Qxd7 exf2+ 20.Kxf2!? Rxd7.

18.Nd3 Bd7 19.Nf4!? Qxe5 20.Nd5

White has returned his extra pawn, but has an excellent outpost at d5.

20...Bd6 21.Bf4 Qe6 22.Bxd6 Nxd6 23.b4!? Bc6 24.b5?!

The engines prefer 24.Re1, giving White a tiny edge.

24...Bxd5!

Swopping off the strong white knight, and banking on the black knight being at least as strong as the white bishop.

25.Bxd5 Qe5 26.Bc6

Black threatened 26...Nxb5!

26...Ne4  27.Bxe4

The heavy-piece middlegame is better for Black, but Black is also better after the engines' 27.Qd3 or 27.Rc2.

27...Qxe4 28.Qd3 Rfe8 29.Rfe1 Rd6 30.Qxe4 Rxe4 31.Kf1 Rde6 32.Rcd1 Kh7

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 32...f5 with ...f4 to come.

33.Rd3 Kg6 34.f3?!

Creating a hole at e3 is unlikely to be correct. The engines suggest 34.a4 f6!? 35.e3!?, the point being to meet 35...dxe3 36.Rexe3 Rxe3 with 37.fxe3, when they reckon White holds.

34...Re3 35.Kf2 f5?!

The engines prefer 35...Kf5, eg 36.Kf1 g5.

36.f4!

Locking the kingside. Stockfish14 reckons Black is still winning after this, but Komodo12.1.1's verdict of a slight black edge is probably correct.

The game finished:

36...Kf7 37.Kf1 Ke7 38.Kf2 Kd6 39.Kf1 Kc7 40.Kf2 Kb7 41.Kf1 a6 42.a4 axb5 43.axb5 Kc7 44.Kf2 Re8 45.Kf1 Kb7 46.Kf2 R3e6 47.e3 Re4 48.Re2 Kc7 49.Kf3 Kc8 50.Kf2 g6 51.Kf3 Kc7 52.Kf2

I now apologised to SG for having played on so long, and we agreed a draw.