Alicante Round Eight

PLAYED a Swede this morning.

Spanton (1829) - Matts Unander (2018)

II Open Internacional de Ajedrez Dama Negra

French Steinitz

1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5

This is Black's commonest response to White using 2.Nc3 to avoid mainline Alekhine Defence positions.

3.e5 Nfd7 4.d4

4.Nxd5 Nxe5 5.Ne3 is equal, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1, although Nimzowitsch used the line to beat Réti at Baden-Baden 1925. The most-popular alternatives to the text are 4.f4 and 4.e6!? fxe6 5.d4.

4...c5 5.Nf3

The main move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database is 5.f4, while a popular alternative is 5.dxc5!? Also played are 5.Nxd5?! (but 5...cxd4 seems a strong reply) and 5.e6!?

5...e6

By an unusual move-order the game has reached the starting position of a line Tarrasch recommended in the Steinitz Variation of the French Defence. An independent continuation is 5...cxd4, which is usually followed by 6.Qxd4 e6, whereupon Stockfish14.1 recommends 7.Qf4!?, a move not in Mega22.

After 5...e6 the game has transposed from an Alekhine to a French Steinitz

6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Bf4 Qb6!?

There are 469 examples of this tempting move in Mega22, but the main continuations are 8...f6 and 8...a6.

9.0-0

Not 9.Na4?? Qb4+ 10.c3 Qxf4.

9...Qxb2?!

There are 240 examples of this capture in Mega22, but it is almost certainly a mistake.

10.Nb5 Rb8!?

This is the engines' choice. Most popular in Mega22 is 10...0-0, but that fails to 11.Bxh7+! Kxh7 12.Ng5+ Kg6 13.Qd3+.

11.Bd2

If a draw is all that is needed, it is there for the asking with 11.Rb1 Qxa2 12.Ra1 Qb2 13.Rb1 etc.

11...d4

Not 11...Bb4? 12.Rb1 Qxa2 13.Bxb4 Nxb4 14.Rxb4.

12.Qe2 a6 13.Rfb1 Qxa1

Marginally better, but still losing, is 13...Qxb1+.

14.Nc7+ Kd8 15.Nxe6+ fxe6 16.Rxa1

Position after 16.Rxa1, when Black has rook and knight for queen but is also behind in development and has the less-safe king

16...Nb6

Black could save the h pawn by playing 16...h6, but that is not an improvement on the text, according to the engines.

17.Ng5 Kc7 18.Nxh7 Bd7 19.Ng5 Rbf8 20.Rb1 Nd5 21.Nf3 Be8 22.Ng5 Bd7 23.h3

Protecting the sensitive h2 square before planning to proceed with Ne4 and, possibly, Nd6, but the engines reckon Ne4 can be played immediately.

23...Ncb4 24.Ne4 Be7 25.Nd6

Cutting off one of the supporters of the b4 knight.

25...Nc6

Even worse is 25...Nxd3 26.Rxb7+, when 26...Kd8 allows a mate-in-two starting with 27.Ba5+, while 26...Kc6 only delays mate a few moves after 27.Qxd3.

26.Rxb7+ Kd8 27.Bxa6 Bxd6 28.cxd6 Nc3 29.Bg5+

Simple and strong is 29.Bxc3 dxc3 30.Bb5, but the text is fine too.

The game finished:

29...Ke8 30.Qd3 Rf5 31.f4 Rhf8 32.g4 Rxg5 33.fxg5 Kd8 34.Bb5 1-0