PLAYED this afternoon.
Spanton (1825) - Jiří Štoček (1263)
Mariánské Lázně Seniors 50+
Vienna Gambit
1.Nc3 Nf6 2.e4 e5 3.f4 exf4!?
Normal is 3...d5, while grandmasters have also played 3...d6. Even so there are 969 examples of the text in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.
4.d4?!
Almost certainly better is 4.e5 Ng8 6.Nf3. Black can avoid retreating the knight on move four by playing 4...Qe7?!, but 5.Qe2 forces ...Ng8 anyway.
4....Bb4 5.Bd3 Bxc3+?!
Surrendering the bishop-pair for what seems insufficient compensation. Gioachino Greco in 1620 gave a 'game' of his in which an unnamed opponent played 5...Qe7. Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 like 5...d5, claiming Black is better.6.bxc3 g5?!
Probably too greedy. The engines reckon 6...d5 keeps White's advantage to a minimum.
7.Nf3
I rejected the engines' top choice, 7.e5, because of 7...Nd5, but the engines sacrifice a second pawn with 8.Qf3!?, intending to meet 8...Nxc3 with 9.Bc4 or 9.Bd2, in both cases seriously embarrassing the advanced black knight. Black could instead offer back the pawn he has won by playing 8...Ne3, but after 9.Bxe3 fxe3 10.Qxe3 Black has no compensation for being behind in development, lacking space in the centre and having kingside weaknesses.
7...h6 8.h4
Again e5 is probably better, this time meeting 8...Nd5 with 9.0-0, and if 9...Nxc3 the engines give 10.Qe1 Nd5 11.c4 with a strong initiative.
8...g4
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| How should White proceed? |
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9.Ne5?
This may look aggressive but the knight is easily kicked away with tempo. Sensible is 9.Nh2, while Stockfish14.1 also likes 9.Bxf4!?, meeting 9...gxf3 with 10.Qxf3, when the engines reckon White has more than enough for a piece, one plausible continuation being 10...d6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Bxe5 Nbd7 13.0-0 Nxe5 14.dxe5, after which White recovers the piece and emerges a pawn up while still having a strong attack.
9...d6 10.Nc4 Nh5
Suddenly the white king looks vulnerable.
11.Ba3?!
Probably better is the engines' 11.Qd2, intending to meet 11...Ng3 with 12.Rg1!?, the point being 12...Qxh4?! runs into 13.Qf2. Better, according to the engines, is 11...b5!? with an unclear position that the engines reckon favours Black.
11...Ng3 12.Rh2
The rook is badly out of play.
12...Qf6?!
Probably better is 12...b5, the idea of the engines being to meet 13.Na5 with 13...c5!? 14.Bxb5+ Bd7 15.Bxd7+ Qxd7, when Black is better coordinated.
13.Qd2 Nc6 14.0-0-0
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| How would you assess the position now White has safeguarded the king? |
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White has the centre, a lead in development, and the bishop-pair on a board with unfixed pawn-chains. But the white king's rook remains out of play and Black is still a pawn up. Stockfish14.1 reckons Black is winning but Komodo12.1.1.1 only gives Black a slight edge.
14...Bd7
Stockfish14.1 much prefers 14...0-0!? but Komodo12.1.1 reckons castling and the text are of roughly equal value.
15.e5!?
Opening lines.
15...dxe5 16.d5?
Too fancy. After 16.dxe5 Black cannot recapture on e5 because he would lose down the e file, so has to play 16...Qe6, when 17.Qxf4 Nh5 18.Qe3 is unclear, although the engines reckon castling long gives Black a slight edge.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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16...Ne7?!
I thought Black could not play 16...e4!? because of 17.dxc6, but after 17...Bxc6 Black has three pawns and an attack for a bishop. The engines reckon best-play goes 18.Be2 Rg8, when the black avalanche of pawns is very strong.
But even better is the engines' 16...0-0-0!, when 17.dxc6 Bxc6 again gives Black three pawns for a bishop only this time with an even stronger attack.
17.Nxe5! 0-0-0
Not 17...Qxe5? 18.Re1 Qf6 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Rxe7+ Kxe7 21.Qxf4, eg 21...Nh5 22.Qe5+ etc.
18.Nxd7?
Correct is 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Qxf4 with chances for both sides.
18...Rxd7 19.Bb2
Not 19.c4?? Qa1#.
19...Qd6
Probably best is the engines' 19...Rxd5!? 20.c4 Re5 21.Bxe5 Qxe5, when Black has two pawns and promising play for an exchange. Also interesting is 19...Ng6, when 20.c4 Ne5 leaves Black a pawn up.
20.c4 Rhd8 21.Re1 c6!?
Safe would seem to be 21...Kb8, while the engines suggest the wild-looking 21...b5!?
22.Qa5!?
Keeping the game going.
The continuation 22.Be5 Qa3+ 23.Bb2 Qd6 24.Be5 could be seen as an invitation to a draw, the point being White cannot play 23.Kb1? as 23...cxd5 opens the centre to Black's advantage.
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| What should Black play? |
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22...b6?!
Both 22...Kb8?? and 22...a6?? lose the black queen to 23.Be5. But probably better than the text is 22...cxd5, when 23.Qxa7? loses to 23...Nc6 while 23.Ba3?! runs into 23...Qf6! 24.Bb2 d4 25.Qxa7 Nc6 with strong play for Black. Much less clear are 23.c5, eg 23...Qc7 24.Qxc7+ Rxc7 25.Be5 followed by 26.Bxf4, and 23.Be5, eg 23...Nc6 24.Bxd6 Nxa5 25.Bxf4 dxc4 26.Bh7!?
23.Qa6+ Rb7 24.Be5
Also interesting is 24.c5!? Komodo12.1.1 reckons the game is equal after both moves, but Stockfish14.1 agrees with me that the text is stronger (Komodo12.1.1 eventually comes to the same conclusion if given enough time).
24...Qb4?!
Komodo12.1.1 for a long while reckons 24...Qc5 25.Bxf4 Nh5 26.Be5 cxd5 is equal, but comes to like Stockfish14.1's quiet move 27.g3!, when the engines agree best-play runs 27...f6 28.Bd4 Qa5 (28...Qxd4? 29.Rxe7) 29.Qxa5 bxa5 30.Bc3!?, claiming a large advantage for White despite Black being a pawn up.
Best may be 24...Qd7!?, when the engines have a hard time deciding how White should proceed. Stockfish14.1. comes to like 25.Bxf4 Nh5 26.Bxh6, when White is a pawn up, but Komodo12.1.1 reckons 26...Kb8 leaves Black with more-or-less sufficient compensation.
25.c3 Qa5
Or 25...Qc5 26.Bf6, eg 26...Re8 27.Bxe7 Rxe7 28.Rxe7 Qxe7 29.dxc6 Kb8 30.Qxb7+ Qxb7 31.cxb7.
26.Qxa5 bxa5 27.Bxf4 Ngf5
A little better may be 27...Nh5 but the engines agree White is winning after the simple 28.Bxh6.
28.g3 cxd5
This is best, according to the engines, but after ...
29.cxd5
... White threatens to win the exchange with ...Ba6.
29...Rb6 30.d6!?
Black has to lose the exchange anyway, or give up a knight.
30...Nxd6?! 31.Rxe7
The game finished:
31...Rc6 32.Kc2 a4 33.Rxa7 Kb8 34.Rxa4 Rdc8 35.Rb4+ Ka8 36.Bxd6 Rxc3+ 37.Kd2 1-0
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