Pau Marín Ferragut (1995) - Spanton (1829)
II Open Internacional de Ajedrez Dama NegraScotch
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qf6!?
This usually transposes to 4...Bc5 lines.
5.Nb3!?
But this gives the move-order independent meaning.
5...Qg6 6.f3!?
This is the main move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, and is the choice of Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1, ahead of 6.Nc3 (very narrowly ahead in the latter's case).
6...Bd6!?
Preventing the annoying Bf4 and containing a not-so-subtle threat.
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| How should White proceed? |
*****
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7.Be3!?
The main move in Mega22 is 7.Nc3!?, when 7...Bxh2?! has been played by a 2560, but after 8.Rxh2 Qg3+ 9.Ke2 Qxh2 10.Nd5 the threat of Bf4 means Black is in trouble. Adam Tukhaev (2552) - Nikita Maiorov (2560), Veronezh (Russia) 2015, continued 10...Qd6 11.Bf4 Ne5 12.Nd4 c6 13.Nf5 Qb8 14.Qd4 f6 15.Nxg7+ Kf7 16.Nxf6! d6 17.Nfe8 Ke7 18.Bg5+ Kd7 19.Qxe5! c5 1-0. Better, according to the engines, is 10...Kf8!? 11.Bf4 Qh4, but White has a strong attack starting with 12.Qd2.
7...Bxh2
This is much more playable than after 7.Nc3 as Black does not come under such an immediate attack.
8.Bf2!?
The engines prefer 8.Nc3, reckoning White has more-or-less sufficient compensation. But the same can almost certainly not be said after 8.Rxh2?! Qg3+ 9.Bf2 Qxh2.
8...Bg3 9.Nc3 Bxf2+ 10.Kxf2
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| How should Black proceed? |
*****
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10...Qf6?!
Played so as to be able to defend c7 without losing castling rights, but it is almost certainly too slow. The engines give 10...Nge7, meeting 11.Nb5 with 11...Kd8, when they reckon Black maybe has a slight edge.
11.Nd5 Qd8 12.Qd2
This may be enough for a tiny edge, according to the engines, but they reckon 12.Nd4 is even stronger.
12...Nf6 13.Qf4 d6
13...Nxd5?! 14.exd5 Ne7 15.d6!? cxd6 16.Re1 seems very good for White, although not completely clear-cut.
14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 15.Qxf6 gxf6 16.g4!?
This prevents undoubling with ...f5.
16...Be6 17.Bb5 Bxb3
I did not fancy defending against White's unchallengeable knight after 17...Ke7 18.Bxc6 bxc6 19.Nd4, although the knight does not immediately have a great outpost.
18.axb3 Ke7 19.Bxc6 bxc6
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| How would you assess this double-rook-and-pawn ending? |
*****
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Black is a pawn up but has two isolated pawns on half-open files and two pairs of doubled pawns, one pair of which is made up of two isolanis. White also has a pair of doubled pawns, but has only two pawn-islands against Black's four and can equalise the material at any convenient moment. However the drawing margin in rook-and-pawn endings tends to be quite wide, although having two pairs of rooks almost always favours the side pressing for a win. The engines reckon White has a slight edge.
20.Rh6 a5
Black cannot afford to be passive, which is why the engines reckon the best answer to 20.Ra6 is 20...h5!?, eg 21.gxh5 c5, when Komodo12.1.1 evaluates the position as equal, although Stockfish14.1. gives White a slight edge.
21.Ra4 c5 22.Ke3 Rhb8!? 23.Kf4 Rb4 24.Ra3
Almost certainly not 24.Rxb4 as the white queenside pawns are very vulnerable after 24...axb4.
24...c4 25.Rxh7 cxb3 26.cxb3 d5 27.Kf5?!
This seems a waste of time.
27...d4
The engines give Black a slight edge after 27...dxe4 28.fxe4 Rd8, eg 29.Rxa5 (probably not best - the engines prefer retreating the other rook to h3 or h2) Rd1 (threatens mate-in-one) 30.Kf4 Rxb3 (again mate-in-one is threatened) 31.g5 Rf1+ 32.Kg4 fxg5 33.Rxg5 Rxb2, when Black is a pawn up but White seems to have enough activity to hold.
28.Kf4 Rb5 29.Rh1 Rd8 30.Rh2 c5 31.Re2 Ke6 32.Ra4 Rdb8
Stockfish14.1 reckons 32...Kd6!? gives Black a large edge, but Komodo12.1.1 calls the position equal.
33.Rc4 Rxb3 34.Rxc5 Rxb2 35.Rxb2 Rxb2 36.Rxc5 Rb6 (½–½, 59 moves).
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