Spanton (1825) - Josef Jiruše (1954)
Mariánské Lázně Seniors 50+*Veresov
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 Bf5
There are more than 4,000 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, but more popular are 3...e6 and especially 3...Nbd7.
4.e3 e6 5.Bd3
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| How should Black proceed? |
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5...Be7?
Played with a fairly well-known positional idea in mind, namely that 6.Bxf5 exf5 gives Black doubled pawns but firm control over e4. However here there is a tactical flaw. The commonest move in Mega22 is 5...Bxd3.
6.Bxf5 exf5 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.Qf3
White wins a pawn. Among those who have fallen into this trap are László Bárczay and William Lombardy, although the former went on to scramble a draw and the latter actually won. Today is the fourth time an opponent of mine has lost a pawn this way.
8...c6 9.Qxf5 0-0 10.Nf3 Re8 11.0-0 Nd7 12.Rfe1 g6 13.Qd3 Bg7
Black's only compensation for the missing pawn, and it is minor compensation indeed, is having the only remaining bishop. The other hope Black has is that the position is a long way from reaching an ending in which the extra pawn is likely to become dangerous.
14.e4 dxe4 15.Nxe4 Qc7 16.Re2 Red8
Avoiding mass rook-exchanges on the e file.
17.c3 Nf6 18.Nxf6+ Bxf6 19.Rae1 Qa5 20.Qc4 Rd5 21.g3
White has time to spend a tempo on guarding against back-rank mating threats.
21...Rad8 22.Re8+ Kg7 23.Rxd8 Qxd8 24.Kg2 h5 25.h4 Qd7 26.Qe2 Rf5 27.Qe4 Rd5 28.Qe8!?
Exchanging pieces is obviously a good thing in general for the player with the extra pawn, but here it has the disadvantage of swopping off into an ending in which a rook and knight are up against a rook and bishop, the latter usually being the stronger combination.
28...Qxe8 29.Rxe8 c5 30.dxc5
Stockfish14.1 slightly prefers giving back the pawn by 31.c4!? Rd7 32.d5 Bxb2, continuing 33.a4.
30...Rxc5 31.Re2 Ra5 32.a3 Rb5 33.a4!?
This is a little loosening and is not liked by Stockfish14.1 or Komodo12.1.1.
33...Rb6
The engines give 33...Ra5 34.Re4 b5 35.axb5 Rxb5 36.Re2, when Komodo12.1.1 reckons White 'only' has the upper hand, but I suspect Stockfish14.1's verdict of winning for White is correct.
34.Ne1 Rc6
There is nothing in 34...Ra6 35.Re4 Rb6 36.Nd3 Rd6 37.Re3 Ra6 as 38.Nc5 Rc6 39.Ne4 buys White time to organise the queenside.
35.Kf3 Kf8 36.Re4 Rd6 37.Ke2 Bd8 38.Nd3 Bf6 39.Kd2 Rc6 40.Kc2 Rc7 41.Nf4 Rc5 42.Kd3 Rf5
The white queenside pawns are just about ready to roll, so Black looks for tricks on the kingside.
43.b3 Be5
43...g5!? 44.Nxh5 gxh4 45.Nxf6 Rxf6 46.Rxh4 Rxf2 does not lose material, and gets down to a rook-and-pawn ending, but it is one that is very good for White.
44.b4 g5!? 45.hxg5?!
Almost certainly better, but tricky, is 45.Nxh5 gxh4 46.g4, when Black seems to have insufficient compensation after both 46...Rf3+ and 46...Rxf2.
45...Rxg5
The engines prefer 45...h4 but White appears to have little trouble holding on to a large advantage after both Komodo12.1.1's 46.Nh3 and Stockfish14.1's 46.Nh5.
46.Ne2 Bd6 47.Rh4 Rf5
There seems nothing better, but after ...
48.f4
... Black is threatened with losing either the rook or the h pawn.
48...Be7 49.Ke4
Black is forced to either give up the h pawn or allow rooks to come off.
49...Bxh4 50.Kxf5 Be7 51.Nd4 h4 52.gxh4 Bxh4 53.b5 Ke7 54.Ke5 Kd7 55.c4 a6!? 56.bxa6 bxa6 57.Kd5 Bg3 58.f5 Kc7 59.c5 Bf2 60.Nd6 Be1 61.Ne5 f6 62.Nc6 Bc3 63.Nd4 Bb4 64.Ne6+ Kd7 65.c6+ Kc8 66.Nc5 a5 67.Ne4 Be7 68.Ke6 Bd8
Not 68...Kd8? 69.c7+.
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| How should White proceed? |
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69.Kd6
69.Kd6
This is fine but the most-precise way to win is 69.Nxf6. I was worried about ...Kc7 followed by ...Kxc6, eg 69...Kc7 70.Nd5+ Kxc6 71.f6 (I missed that 71.Ne7+ allows the f pawn to queen easily) Bxf6 72.Nxf6 Kc5, when the engines show White wins but I did not want to risk it over-the-board.
69...Bc7+ 70.Kd5 Be5 71.Nd6+ Kc7 72.Ne8+ Kb6
This is Komodo12.1.1's choice; Stockfish14.1 prefers 72...Kd8, but that also loses.
73.Nd6 Kc7 74.Nb5+ Kb6
73.Nd6 Kc7 74.Nb5+ Kb6
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| Does 75.c7 win? |
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Yes.
75.c7 Kb7 76.Ke6 Kc8 77.Ke7
Black is in zugzwang.
77...Bb2 78.Kd6 Be5+ 79.Kc6 1-0
*JJ is 49 but qualifies for the tournament as the criterion is being 50 or older this year.
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| Mariánské Lázně small colonnade |
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