Scarborough Round One
English
1.c4 e6 2.e4!?
There are 2,207 examples in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database of this move, which has been played by strong grandmasters.
2...d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.Bb5+
White usually does not try to hold the extra pawn, so the idea of the text is to make it awkward for Black to restore material equality.
5...Nbd7
Also popular, but scoring much less successfully percentagewise in Mega21, is 5...Bd7, which is normally met by 6.Bc4.
6.Nc3 Be7 7.d4 0-0 8.Nf3 a6
Just one of 32 games in Mega21 saw the text; in the rest 8...Nb6 was played.
9.Bd3 Nb6 10.h3 Nbxd5
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| Position after 10...Nbxd5 - material equality has been restored, but who stands better? |
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In many ways the diagram shows a classic IQP (isolated queen's pawn) position. Neither player can really complain about the set-up, and perhaps it is not surprising the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 rate it as even.
11.0-0 Re8 12.Re1 h6 13.Bd2 Be6
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| How should White proceed? |
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14.a3
14.a3
The engines like 14.Rxe6!? fxe6 15.Bg6 Rf8 16.Qe2, giving White a small edge.
14...Qc8!?
The engines reckon 14...Bd6 is dead-equal.
15.Ne5 Nxc3!?
Changing the pawn-structure like this is always very committal. The engines reckon that here it is Black's best choice, albeit they give White a small edge.
16.bxc3
The engines reckon the text and 16.Bxc3!? are of roughly equal value.
16...Bf5?
Better are 16...c5 and 16...b5!?
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| What is White's best continuation? |
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17.Bc4?
Very strong is 17.Bxf5 Qxf5 18.Qb3, hitting f7 and b7. I was thinking of replying 18...Ne4?!, but 19.Rxe4! Qxe4 20.Qxf7? Kh7 21.Re1 Qc2 22.Nf3 seems to leave Black in big trouble. The engines suggest 18...Qe6 19.Qxb7 Bd6, but White is on top.
17...Be6 18.Qb3 b5 19.Bxe6 Qxe6 20.Qxe6 fxe6 21.Nc6 Bd6 22.a4
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| How should Black proceed? |
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22...bxa4?
I thought 22...Nd5 23.axb5 axb5 was bad for Black, but White has to be careful not to be worse, eg 24.Rxa8 (24.Rab1 Ra2) Rxa8 25.Rb1 Ra3.
23.Rxa4 Nd5 24.Rea1 e5 25.Rxa6?!
Almost certainly better are 25.dxe5 and the engines' 25.Ra5!?
25...Rxa6 26.Rxa6 exd4 27.Nxd4 Rb8
White's back-rank weakness gives Black some counterplay.
28.Kf1 Rb2 29.Ke1?
White is still quite a bit better after 29.Nf3, according to the engines.
29...Bf4 30.Bxf4 Nxf4 31.Rc6 Nd3+
Also equal, according to the engines, is 31.Nxg2+ Kf1 32.Nf4.
32.Kf1 Rxf2+ 33.Kg1 Rf7!?
Dead-equal is 33...Rb2 34.Rxc7 Nf4, according to the engines.
34.Ne6!?
This allows a simple draw. More promising is 34.Nb5 Nf4 35.Nxc7 (35.Rxc7 Rxc7 36.Nxc7 Ne2+ etc), but 35...Re7 seems to hold, eg 36.Kf2 Nd3+ 37.Kg3 (37.Kf3?? Ne5+) Re3+.
34...Rf6 35.Nd4 ½–½
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