Andrew Boughen (1813 ECF/no Fide) - Spanton (2040 ECF/1901 Fide)
Surbiton - Wessex Some Stars B
Board Three (of six)
Chigorin
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.e3!?
This innocuous-looking move was used by Wilhelm Steinitz to score three wins in three attempts against Mikhail Chigorin in their 1889 world championship match. Today 4.Nc3 and especially 4.cxd5 are more popular.
4...e6
Chigorin preferred 4...e5 in match-games 10 and 14.
5.Nc3 Nf6
In match-game 12 Chigorin played 5...Bb4, and play continued 6.Bd2 Nge7 7.Bd3 Bf5!? 8.Bxf5 Nxf5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Qb3 Bxc3 11.Bxc3, which the analysis engines Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon slightly favours White (1-0, 61 moves).
6.Be2
Breaking the pin is the main continuation in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.
6...Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.a3 a5 9.Bd2 Re8 10.Rc1 Bf8 11.h3 Bf5!?
This keeps white pieces off the b1-h7 diagonal, but the achievement is strictly temporary.
12.Nh4 Ne7 13.Nxf5 Nxf5 14.cxd5 exd5
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| White has won the bishop-pair and exchanged into a pawn-structure very reminiscent of the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit, but with the white dark-square bishop passively placed inside the main white pawn-chain |
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15.Qc2 Nd6 16.Nb5?!
Inducing an exchange that probably helps Black more than White.
16...c6 17.Nxd6 Bxd6 18.b4 Qe7?!
The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 18...Ne4 or 19...Bc7. The problem with the text is that after ...
19.bxa5 Bxa3 20.Ra1
... Black's queenside pawns are a little awkward to defend.
20...Ne4
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| How should White proceed? |
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21.Bd3
I had spent quite a lot of my opponent's thinking time considering meeting 21.Be1!?, which preserves the bishop-pair, with 21...Ng3??, but the continuation 22.fxg3 Qxe3+ is hopeless for Black as White has several good replies, including the simple 23.Kh2 as 23...Qxe2 24.Qxe2 Rxe2 loses a piece to 25.Rxa3. However, Black does not need anything spectacular as 21.Be1!? shuts in the white king's rook, so a calm move such as 21...Bd6 is fine. The engines reckon best is 21.Rfb1, claiming a slight edge for White after 21...Nxd2 22.Qxd2 Bd6 23.Qc3.
21...Nxd2 22.Qxd2
This seems better than 22.Bxh7+?! Kh8 23.Qxd2 g6 (as AB pointed out in the postmortem, not 23...Kxh7?? 24.Qd3+, after which the black bishop falls) 24.Qxd3 Rxa5 25.Bxg6 fxg6 26.Qxg6, when the engines' 26...Qe4! looks strong.
22...Bb4 23.Qc2 Rxa5 24.Rxa5 Bxa5 25.Bxh7+ Kf8
The engines reckon the text and 25...Kh8 are of almost exactly equal value.
26.Bd3 Bc7 27.Be2!?
Possibly better is occupying the open file with 27.Ra1, or blunting threats along the b8-h2 diagonal with 27.g3.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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27...Ra8
This is OK, but Black had the interesting move 27...Qd6, meeting 28.g3 with 28...Rxe3!? White cannot reply 29.fxe3?? as that allows 29...Qxg3+ 30.Kh1 Qh2#, However White has 29.Rb1, which seems to give dead-eye equality. Instead of 28.g3 White can try 28.Qc5, but the engines reckon 28...Qxc5 29.bxc5 is maybe slightly better for Black after 29...Ra8.
28.Qh7 Qd6 29.g3 Ra2!?
I rejected 29...Qh6 as being too drawish after 30.Qxh6 gxh6 31.Rb1, but it was the safer option.
30.Qh8+ Ke7 31.Qh4+
Possibly even stronger is 31.Bg4!?, when the engines reckon best-play goes something like 31...g6 32.h4 b5!? 33.h5 gxh5 34.Qxh5 Qf6, when they give White a slight edge.
31...Qf6
Discretion overcoming valour.
32.Qxf6+
The engines suggest going for a draw by repetition, eg 32.Qg4 Qe6 33.Qg5 Qf6 34.Qg4 etc.
32...Kxf6 33.Bg4 Ke7 34.Rc1
34.Rb1 can be met by 34...b6 or 34...b5, and 34.Bc8 by, for example, 34...b6 or 34...Ra7, in each case with equality.
34...Kd6 35.Bf5 g6 36.Bd3 b6 37.Kg2 b5!?
The c pawn is backward but seemingly easily defendable; meanwhile White has to be a little wary Black's passed pawn.
38.Kf3 Ra3 39.Ke2 Ra2+ 40.Rc2 Ra1 41.h4 Ba5 42.Kf3 b4 43.Rb2 Ra3 44.Bc2 c5 45.dxc5+ Kxc5 46.Bb3
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| What should Black play? |
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46...Bxb3!?
A last throw of the dice - it was either this or accept a draw.
47.Rxb3 Kc4 48.Rb1
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| Black to play and avoid a quick defeat |
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48...b3
Not 48...Kc3? 49.Rc1+ (49.Ra1 also wins) Kb2 50.Rc5, eg 50...b3 51.Rxa5 Kc2 52.Rxd5 b2 53.Rb5 etc.
49.Kf4
49.Ke2 and 49.g4 also draw, according to the engines.
49...Bc3
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| White to play and draw |
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50.g4?
It is too late for this move.
Also possibly insufficient, but not absolutely clear, is 50.e4!?, eg 50...d4 51.e5 b2 52.Ke4 d3 53.f4 Bd4! 54.g4 d2 55.Rd1! (only move) Kc3 56.Kf3! Kd3 (56...Kc2 57.Ke2) 57.h5 Bc5 58.h6 Ba3 59.h7 b1=Q 60.Rxb1 Bc1 61.Rxc1 dxc1=Q 62.h8=Q Qe3+ 63.Kg2 Qxf4 64.Qc8, when Black has slightly the better of an ending with queen-and-two-pawns-aside. But in this engine-line it is fiendishly difficult to see many moves ahead, and there are probably more ways for White than for Black to go wrong.
However it seems a draw was to be had with the paradoxical retreat 50.Kf3!?, eg 50...b2 51.e4 dxe4+ 52.Kxe4 Kb3 53.Kd3, after which neither player can seem to make progress.
50...b2 51.h5 gxh5 52.gxh5 Kd3 53.Kf5 Kc2 54.Rxb2+ Bxb2 55.e4 d4 56.h6 d3 57.e5 d2 58.h7 Bxe5 0-1
A pretty finish, but the engines point out a rather-more prosaic win by 58...d1=Q 59.h8=Q+ Kg5 60.Bc1+ Kh4 61.Qh1+ etc.
Surbiton won the match 4-2.
Surbiton won the match 4-2.
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