Brendan O'Gorman (1843 ECF/1681 Fide) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)
Coulsdon Late Summer Round 5
Maróczy Bind1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6
This lets White set up a Maróczy Bind, something Sicilian players are often warned against allowing, but I do not recall similar warnings being issued to players who meet the English: 1.c4 with the Symmetrical variation: 1...c5.
Can Black smoothly prevent a Maróczy? Well, the most-popular move after 4.Nxd4 is 4...Nf6, when the main line continues 5.Nc3 e6, at which point White can set up a Maróczy with 6.e4.
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| Position after 6.e4 - White has a Maróczy Bind |
However that is not the end of the story because Black has 6...Bb4, when play usually continues 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3. White has maintained the bind but Black, thanks to having a new c pawn, is clearly well-placed to challenge the centre with ...d5. White can try to avoid this with 7.f3, which is the second-most popular continuation in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database. Black normally replies 7...0-0, but there seems no reason why Black cannot immediately challenge the White centre with 7...d5!?, as played by Tartakower at Hastings 1926-7. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 already slightly prefer Black.
5.e4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3
Not 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5? Qa5+.
7...d6 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 Nd7!?
The main moves are 9...Bd7, 9...Nxd4 and 9...a6, but the text has also been tried by grandmasters.
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| How should White proceed? |
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10.Rc1
This has been played by Tukmakov, Gulko and others, but slightly more popular in Mega21 is 10.Qd2. Both moves score 69%, as does 10.Nc2, which avoids the coming exchanges.
10...Nxd4!? 11.Bxd4 Bxd4!?
Giving up the fianchettoed bishop may look strange but, as I have explained before, the thinking is based on two considerations:
1. Exchanges normally favour the side with less space;
2. White is left with a light-square bishop hemmed in by its own pawns.
However these generalisations can be thrown out of the window if White succeeds in whipping up a kingside attack.
12.Qxd4
Note that if White had played 10.Qd2 the same position would be reached but with the white queen's rook still on a1. The rook is almost certainly better placed on c1, which is probably the reason most strong players have avoided the 10...Nxd4!? plan in response to 10.Rc1.
12...Qb6 13.Qd2
Exchanging queens is also good, according to the engines, but it brings the game closer to an ending in which White's light-square bishop may prove a liability.
13...Nc5 14.Kh1
Irina Krush (2500), in a 2004 game against an opponent rated 1774, played 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.Qe3 e6 16.Nc3, gaining the upper hand, according to the engines. I intended 15...Be6, planning to swop off the white knight. The engines give 16.a3!?, meeting 16...Bxd5 17.cxd5 a5 with 18.b3, again giving White the upper hand.
14...Be6 15.f4 f5!?
This is Komodo12.1.1's choice, along with 15...Bd7!?, but Stockfish14 prefers 15...f6. After the latter I felt 16.f5 would be very dangerous to play against. The text seeks to stop White's kingside expansion, but is loosening.
16.exf5 Bxf5
16...gxf5?! looks too weakening, but 16...Rxf5!? may be playable.
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| How should White proceed? |
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17.g4?!
17.g4?!
This is arguably thematic, or at least consistent, but the exposure of the white king seems too high a price to pay. Komodo12.1.1 gives 17.Nd5 Qd8 18.b4 Ne4 19.Qd4 e6 20.Bf3!? exd5 21.Qxd5+ Rf7 22.Bxe4, when White is a pawn up and has a target at d6. Stockfish14 prefers 17.Bf3 a5 18.g4!? Bd3 19.Rfe1 e6 20.b3, claiming White has a positionally won game.
17...Ne4
Not 17...Be4+?? 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Qd5+ etc.
18.Nxe4
18.Qe1 Nxc3 19.Rxc3 Bd7 seems fine for Black, and if White tries 19.gxf5? then 19...Nxe2 20.Qxe2 Qc6+ 21.Kg1 Rxf5 nets Black a pawn as 22.Qxe7? runs into 22...Re8 23.Qh4 Re2 with a huge attack.
18...Bxe4+ 19.Bf3 Bxf3+ 20.Rxf3 e5!? 21.Qd5+
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| How should Black proceed? |
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21...Kg7?
Necessary was 21...Kh8.
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22.fxe5?
Missing 22.Rb3, when White will capture on b7 with check, eg 22...Qf2 23.Qxb7+! Kh8 24.Rh3. The check makes all the difference as after 21...Kh8 22.Rb3 Qf2 White does not have time to capture on b7.
22...Rxf3 23.Qxf3 Rf8 24.Qc3 Qc6+ 25.Kg1 Qc5+ 26.Kh1 dxe5
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| How would you assess this late-middlegame? |
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Black has a passed pawn, while White has a queenside pawn-majority or, as I like to call it, a farside pawn-majority, ie a pawn-majority on the opposite flank to the kings. As I understand it, a passed pawn is the better asset to have in queen endings, while a farside pawn-majority is preferable in rook endings, and even more so in pawn endings, with the usual caveat about other things being equal. Here we are still in a heavy-piece middlegame where White's more-exposed king is an important factor. The engines reckon the position is equal.
27.Re1 Re8
27...Qd4 28.Rxe5? Rf1+ 29.Kg2 Rg1+! 30.Kf3 Qxg4+ is very good for Black, but 28.Qxd4 exd4 29.Kg2 is equal, according to the engines. Also possible is 27...Kg8!? as capturing on e5 is fatal for White, eg 28.Qxe5?? Rf1 29.Kg2 Qf2+ etc.
28.b4 Qd6 29.c5 Qd5+ 30.Kg1 Kg8
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| How should White proceed? |
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31.Qb3!?
I was very surprised after the game to find this is the engines' choice.
31...Qxb3 32.axb3 a6!?
Hoping to hold up the white pawn-majority, but more important, according to the engines, is activating the king with 32...Kf7.
33.Ra1
And here White gets a slight edge, according to the engines, by activating his king with 33.Kg2!?
33...Kf7 34.c6!? bxc6 35.Rxa6 Re6 36.Ra7+ Rf7
36...Kf6!? 37.Rxh7 e4 can be met by 38.Kf2.
37.Ra6 Rb7 38.Rxc6 Rxb4 39.Rc7+ Kf6 40.Rxh7 Rxg4+ 41.Kf2 Rb4 42.Rh3
The position is dead-equal, according to the engines, but a couple of observations are in order:
1. An exchange of rooks almost certainly wins for White, thanks to the outside passed pawn;
2. Black has the more-active pieces which, despite point one, usually makes for easier play.
42...Kf5 43.Rf3+ Ke4 44.Rg3 Rb6
BO'G offered a draw as he played ...
45.Ke2
... but I played on as I felt there was little danger of losing, and I still hoped point two above would be a factor.
45...Kd4 46.Rd3+ Kc5 47.Re3 Re6 48.Re4 Kd5 49.Ra4 Rb6 50.Rg4
Black wins a pawn with 50...Rxb3 51.Rxg6 Rb2+ etc but has virtually zero chances of winning.
50...e4 51.Rg3 Kd4 52.Kd2 Ra6 53.h4?
52.Ke2 maintains equality.
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| Black to play and win |
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53...Ra2+?
Winning is 53...e3+, as will be seen later.
54.Ke1 Ra6 55.Ke2 Rc6 56.Kd2 Rf6 57.Ke2 Ra6 58.Kd2?
Returning to the previous diagram; almost any other move draws.
58...e3+ 59.Ke1
If 59.Rxe3 then 59...Ra2+ wins.
59...Kd3 0-1
This was round 5.
ReplyDeleteCorrected - thanks
ReplyDelete