PLAYED this afternoon.
Spanton (1825) - Miroslav Pálek (2115)
Mariánské Lázně Seniors 50+Pirc
*****
*****
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*****
1.Nc3 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nf3 d6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 Qc7
The text, 7...Nbd7 and 7...a5 are about equally popular.
8.h3 Nbd7 9.Be3 b6 10.Qd2 Re8!?
The main move is 10...Bb7 but the text has also been tried by grandmasters.
11.Rfe1 a6 12.e5!?
This seems to be a novelty - it is not in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database - and seems to be a good one. It is easily the top choice of Stockfish14.1, and comes to be Komodo12.1.1's top choice ahead of 12.g4!?, which probably would also be a novelty.
12...Nd5!?
The engines prefer 12...dxe5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5, albeit liking White after 15.Bxb6.
13.exd6 Qxd6 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.bf4 Qc6 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 f6 18.Bg3
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| How should Black proceed? |
*****
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18...Be6?!
Consistent with previous play is 18...e5!?, but 19.c4 is hard to meet thanks to the black queen being on the same diagonal as the black queen's rook. Bad is 19...e4? as 20.cxd5 Qxd5 means the black queen is also on the same diagonal as the black king, so 21.Rac1 gives White a strong initiative. Instead the engines suggest 19...Bb7, but White has promising play after Stockfish14.1's 20.Rac1 and Komodo12.1.1's 20.dxe5 fxe5 21.Qxd5+ Qxd5 22.cxd5 Bxd5 23.Rad1.
Rather than 18...e5!? the engines give 18...Bb7, but prefer White after, for instance, 19.Ra3!?
The problem with the text is it gives White time to build pressure against the black queenside.
19.Bf3 Bf7 20.c4! Ra7!?
Black loses material after 20...Qxc4?? 21.Rac1, but the text is as awkward as it looks. The engines suggest something like 21...a5 or 21...Qd7, albeit with a large advantage for White.
21.Rec1 Qd7 22.a5 b5
This is almost certainly better than 22...bxa5?! 23.c5.
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| How should White proceed? |
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23.cxb5!
23.c5 creates a passed pawn and leaves White with an edge, but the queenside is blocked and so Black is largely let off the hook.
23...Qxb5
23...axb5 24.Rc5 appears even worse for Black.
23...axb5 24.Rc5 appears even worse for Black.
24.Rc5 Qd7
White has a backward b pawn but the activity of the white pieces more than makes up for this.
25.Rac1 e5!?
Trying to keep the white rooks off the seventh rank. The engines prefer 25...h5, but White remains well on top.
26.dxe5 Bf8
The engines reckon Black should give up a pawn by 26...fxe5 27.Bxd5, but agree White is winning.
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| White has three ways of sacrificing the exchange; which is best, or is another move better? |
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27.e6!?
Good enough for a large advantage, but not best, according to the engines, which prefer two of the three possible exchange sacrifices.
A) 27.Rxc7?? Rxc7 28.Rxc7 Qxc7 29.e6 is spectacular but good for Black after 29...Qc5 30.exf7+ Kxf7 31.Bxd5+ Kg7.
B) 27.exf6!? Bxc5 28.Rxc5 is very strong for White, but not best, according to the engines.
C) 27.Rxd5! gets the engines' verdict, and if 27...Bxd5 then 28.Bxd5+ Kh8 29.exf6 and Black is busted, eg 29...Rd8 30.Qe3 with three pawns and an attack for the exchange (note that 30...Qxd5? is met by 31.Qxa7).
27...Bxe6 28.Rc7 Rxc7 29.Rxc7 Qb5 30.Qd4 Bg7 31.Qa7 Bf8!?
The bishop has to move, even though that allows:
32.Rxh7
But even better is the engines' 32.Qb6!
32...Qxa5 33.Rc7
Not 33.Bd6?? Qe1+ 34.Kh2 Bxd6+.
33...Qa1+ 34.Kh2 Qxb2 35.Qxa6 Qa3
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| What should White play? |
*****
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*****
36.Qc6?!
Almost certainly better is the engines' 36.Qb6, eg 36...Qb4 37.Qc6 Re7 38.Bxd5 Bxd5 39.Qxd5+, when White has won a pawn and still has threats against the black king.
36...Qa8 37.Rb7?!
And here 37.Qc2, avoiding heavy-piece exchanges, is probably best.
37...Re7!
This gives up a pawn, but after ...
38.Bxd5 Qxb7 39.Qxb7 Rxb7 40.Bxb7 Bc5
... MP offered a draw as White has no realistic winning chances (as I was about to discover).
The game finished:
41.Be4 Kf7 42.Bd3 Bd5 43.Kg1 Kg7 44.Bc7 Kf7 45.h4 Kg7 46.g3 Bf3 47.Bf1 Kf7 48.Bg2 Be2 49.Bd5+ Kg7 50.Kg2 Bg4 51.f3 Bf5 52.g4 Bd3 53.Kg3 Be3 54.Bd6 Bd2 55.Bc5 Be1+ 56.Bf2 Bd2 57.f4 Be2 58.Be4 Kf7 59.f5 gxf5 (59...g5 60.h5 is also drawn) 60.Bxf5 Kg7 61.Be4 Kf7 62.h5 Kg7 63.Bf3 Bc4 64.Bd4 Be6 65.Be4 Bg5 66.Kf3 Bb3 67.Kg3 Kf7 68.Bg6+ Kg7 69.Bc5 Bd5 70.Bf5 Bc6 71.Be7 Kf7 72.Bd6 Ba4 73.Bf4 Kg7 74.Bxg5 fxg5 75.Kf3 Kh6 ½–½
The final position is evaluated by Komodo12.1.1 as giving White the upper hand; Stockfish14.1 correctly assesses it as dead-equal.
The final position is evaluated by Komodo12.1.1 as giving White the upper hand; Stockfish14.1 correctly assesses it as dead-equal.
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| The sign says chess sets can be hired for free from the Mariánské Lázně tourist office for playing outdoors |
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