Rangers v Battersea 2

PLAYED last night.

Carsten Pedersen (2214 ECF) - Spanton (2044 ECF)

Central London League

Board Three (of five)

Vienna Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4

Magnus Carlsen has preferred 3...Nc6!? or 3...Bc5!?

4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Qxe5+!?

The main line in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database runs 5.Bb3 Be7 (5...Nc6 is also popular but modern theory reckons the complications after 6.Nb5 favour White)) 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nxe5 g6 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.Qf3 0-0, when Black is at least equal, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1.

5...Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Bxe7 7.Bb3 Nf5 8.Nf3 c6

Preparing ...d5 as well as defending against Nb5 or Nd5.

9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1

How should Black proceed?

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10...Re8?

I missed that 10...d5 11.g4? can be met by 11...Nh4, when White can hardly prevent the loss of a pawn, or at least the contraction of a serious weakness, eg 12.Nxh4 Bxh4 13.h3 h5 or 12.Rxe7 Nxf3+ 13.Kg2 Bxg4. The text is a self-pin.

11.g4 Nh6

Worse is 11...Nd6? 12.d4 with Bf4 to come.

12.h3 Kf8 13.d4 d5 14.Ng5 Bxg5 15.Bxg5 f6 16.Rxe8+ Kxe8 17.Re1+ Kf8

Not 17...Kf7 18.Bxh6 gxh6 19.Ne4.

18.Bf4

The engines prefer 18.Bxh6, but it may be largely a matter of taste - White is on top.

18...Nf7 19.Ne2 h5 20.f3 Na6 21.Bd2 hxg4 22.hxg4 Nd6 23.Bf4 Nf7 24.Ng3 g5 25.Bd2 Nd6 26.Kf2 Bd7 27.c3 Kf7?!

Getting the offside knight into play by 27...Nc7 is probably better.

28.Rh1 Rg8 29.Bc2 Nc7 30.Rh7+ Rg7 31.Rh6 Nce8 32.Nh5 Rg8 33.Rh7+ Ng7 34.Ng3 Bc8 35.b3

Opening a new front to activate the dark-square bishop on the a3-f8 diagonal.

35...Rd8 36.Rh6 Nde8 37.Bc1 Nc7 38.Bg6+ Kg8 39.Ba3 Rd7 40.Nh5 Nxh5 41.Bxh5 Nb5 42.Bb4 b6 43.Rxf6

The first material gain, but White has enjoyed a winning advantage for many moves, according to the engines.

43...a5 44.Bf8 Bb7 45.Bh6 Nxc3 46.Bg6 Rd8 47.a4 b5 48.axb5 Nxb5 49.Ke3 Nd6 50.Bxg5 Kg7 51.Bh5 Ba6? 52.Rg6+ 1-0

*Rangers won the match 4-1.