Spanton (1829) - Luis Maria Campos Gambuti (IM 2306)
II Open Internacional de Ajedrez Dama NegraEnglish Opening
1.c4 b6 2.Nf3 Bb7 3.g3 Bxf3!?
This is the main move in the position.
4.exf3 e6!?
But here overwhelmingly more popular is 4...c5 to clamp down on the d4 square.
5.d4
Marginally more popular in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database is 5.Bg2. That gives Black another chance to play ...c5, but in practice Black has not, at least in Mega22.
5...c6
Having given up the light-square bishop to damage the white pawn-structure, Black wants to control light squares with pawns.
6.Nc3
Varuzhan Akobian (2625) - Hikaru Nakamura (2775), US Championship (St Louis) 2012, saw 6.d5!? Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Qe7 8.dxe6 Nf6 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Qe2 Re8!?, when the engines reckon White is better but the game was drawn in 30 moves.6...d5!?
This has been the choice of the strongest players to reach this position, but the engines give 6...Nf6 or 6...Bb4, albeit much preferring White.
7.cxd5 cxd5?
This, however, is definitely a mistake. Black had to play 7...exd5, although the engines still much prefer White.
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| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8.Bb5+?!
This is good enough for a sizeable advantage, but even stronger is 8.Qa4+ Nd7 (8...Qd7?? 9.Bb5) 9.Ba6!, when Black seems to have no answer to Nb5, eg the engines reckon best-play runs 9...Be7 10.Nb5 Nh6 and either 11.Bb7 Rb8 12.Qxa7 or 11.Bf4 0-0 12.Bc7 Qe8 13.Nd6.
8...Nd7 9.Bf4?!
And here probably better is the engines' 9.Ba6!? Bb4 10.Qb3.
9...a6 10.Bc6 Ra7 11.Qa4 Ne7 12.0-0 Qc8?!
The simple 12...Nxc6 is almost certainly best, although the engines give White at least a slight edge.
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| What should White play? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
13.Bxd7+?
The start of a fundamental misunderstanding of the position.
I rejected 13.Bb5 because it does not threaten to capture the a6 pawn, but it maintains pressure on the black position. Indeed the engines reckon Black's best chance lies with the reply 13...g5!?, but then 14.Rac1!? seems strong. Best play, they agree, continues 14...axb5 15.Qxa7 Nc6 (15...gxf4? 16.Nxb5) 16.Qc7 Qxc7 17.Bxc7 Nxd4 18.Kg2, when White is the exchange for a pawn up and Black does not have enough compensation, according to the engines. Alternatively Black could try 13...Ra8 to threaten to capture the white light-square bishop, but 14.Bd3 leaves White with a large lead in development.
But possibly even stronger is Stockfish14.1's 13.Bxd5!? exd5 14.Rac1 Qb7 15.Rfe1, when the Black king seems trapped in the centre and facing a powerful attack.
13...Qxd7 14.Qxd7+?
White probably still has a slight edge after 14.Qb3. The problem with the text is that the position switches from a queens-on middlegame in which Black has trouble completing development, to a queens-off late-middlegame in which the key factors are White's inferior pawn-structure and Black's better bishop (once it gets into play).
14...Kxd7
In two moves, according to the engines, the position has gone from White winning (Stockfish14.1), or at least having the upper hand (Komodo12.1.1), to Black having the upper hand (Stockfish14.1.1), or at least being slightly better (Komodo12.1.1).
15.Na4 Rb7 16.Rac1 Nc6 17.Rfd1 Be7 18.Kf1 Rc8 19.h4 h5 20.Be3
Not the plausible 20.Ke2 Bf6 21.Be3 as Black has 21...Nxd4+!
20...Bf6 21.Kg2 g6 22.Kf1 Re8 23.f4?!
The engines do not mind this, but if it is the best move in the position, White is in big trouble.
I wanted to play 23.Rc3 but was afraid of shadows. The engines agree it the best move, continuing 23...Be7 24.Rdc1 Rc8, when they reckon Black is still better, but at least White has some activity.
23...Nb4 24.a3?!
Probably too weakening. The engines' 24.Bd2 more-or-less drives the knight back, and after 24...Nc6 25.Be3 the engines reckon Black should continue with 25...Rc8 or 25...Be7, maintaining an edge.
24...Nc6 25.b4 Na7 26.Nc3?!
The engines prefer 26.Nb2 Nc6, and if repeating with 27.Na4, then 27...Ne7 and ...Nf5 with continued pressure.
26...Rc8 27.Ke2 Be7 28.Kd3 a5 29.Na2
The engines give 29.bxa5 bxa5 30.Rb1 Rxb1 31.Nxb1. One likely line continues 31...Rb8 32.Bd2 Bxa3!? 33.Bxa5 Rb3+ 34.Kc2 Rb2+ 35.Kc1 Ra2+ 36.Nxa3 Rxa3 37.Bb4 Ra1+ 38.Kd2 Rxd1+ 39.Kxd1, when White has an improved version of the minor-piece ending reached in the game, but Black is winning, according to the engines.
29...axb4 30.Rxc8!?
Maybe slightly better is 30.Nxb4.
30...Nxc8 31.Nxb4 Ra7 32.Bc1 Bxb4!?
Removing White's best-placed piece.
33.axb4 Ra2 34.Rd2!?
The engines agree this is best, but the minor-piece ending cannot be saved, as far as I can tell.
The game finished:
34...Rxd2+ 35.Bxd2 Nd6 36.f3 Kc6 37.Kc3 Kb5 38.Kb3 Nf5 0-1
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