Jake M Sanger (*) - Spanton (2042)
Pseudo-Chigorin
1d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 Bf5!?
There is quite a debate among Chigorin afficionados of whether to meet 3.g3 with the text or 3...Bg4.
4.Bg2 e6 5.0-0 Be7 6.c4 dxc4!?
The main move is 6...Nf6, when Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon 7.Ne5 gives White a slight edge.
7.Qa4 Qd7 8.Nc3 Nf6 9.Bg4 0-0
The engines prefer a complicated line, namely 9...Nd5!? 10.Bxe7 Nb6! 11.Ne5 Nxa4 12.Nxd7 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Kxd7 14.Ba3, when Black is a (doubled) pawn up but White has the bishop-pair and possibly a slight edge, according to the engines.
10.Ne5!?
The engines like the straightforward 10.Qxc4, claiming an advantage for White.
10...Nxe5!?
Possibly better is 10...Qxd4 11.Nxc6 bxc6, when Stockfish14.1 reckons 12.Be3 Qd6 13.Bxc6 Rab8 14.Rfd1 Qb4 15.Bxa7 Qxa4 16.Nxa4 Rb4 17.Bc5 Bxc5 18.Nxc5 is equal, while Komodo12.1.1 gives 13.e4 Bg6 14.Be3 Qe5 15.Qxc6 Ng4 16.Bf4 Qc5 17.Qxc5 Bxc5 18.h3 Nf6 19.e5 Nd5 20.Nxd5 exd5 21.Bxd5 Rab8 22.Bxc4 Rxb2, again with an assessment of equality. Both of these lines are long with plenty of non-forcing moves, but they do suggest the position after 10...Qxd4 is roughly balanced.
11.dxe5 Qxa4 12.Nxa4 Nd5 13.Bxe7 Nxe7 14.Bxb7 Rab8 15.Nc5 Rfd8
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| How would you assess this position? |
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White has regained his pawn and has the better remaining pawn-structure, but Black's pieces are active. The engines reckon White possibly has a slight edge.
16.b3!?
The engines prefer 16.Rfd1, when they reckon 16...Bc2?! 17.Rxd8+ Rxd8 followed by 18.Rc1, or 18.Kf1 and then Rc1, is very good for White. However Black can keep White's advantage to a minimum with 16...g5!?, according to the engines.
16...cxb3!?
Perhaps 16...Rd2 is better.
17.axb3 Bc2?
Better is 17...Rd2. I played the text under the aberration that after ...
18.Rxa7
... I could play ...Bxb3, as the white knight and bishop would be on the same file after the reply Nxb3, but I somehow missed that the bishop is protected by a rook. After 18.Rxa7 White is only a doubled pawn up, materially, but the engines reckon White is winning.
18...Rd1?!
Almost certainly better is the engines' 18...Nc8, but after 19.Ra3 they still have White winning.
19.Ra2 Rxf1+ 20.Kxf1 Bf5 21.Rd2 Ng6 22.f4 Nf8
This prevents immediate loss of a second pawn, but the respite is temporary.
23.b4 h6 24.b5 g5 25.e3 Kg7 26.Bc6 Kg6 27.Kf2 h5 28.Na6 Rc8 29.Bb7 Re8 30.e4
Also winning is 30.Nxc7 Re7 31.b6 Nd7 32.Rxd7!? Rxd7 33.e4 Bh3 34.Bc6 Rd8 35.b7 with Na6 etc to come.
30...Bg4 31.Ke3
White had many winning moves but there was a surprising trap in 31.Kg2 h4 32.h3 hxg3, when 33.hxg4? gxf4 is only a draw, according to the engines. However other lines win, eg 33.f5+ exf5 34.hxg4.
The game finished:
31...gxf4+ 32.gxf4 Re7 33.Rc2 Bd1 34.Rxc7 Rxc7 35.Nxc7 Nd7 36.Bc6 Nb8 37.Na6 Nxc6 38.bxc6 Ba4 Nb8 1-0
*Sanger has no no ECF over-the-board standard rating but had an "F" rating of 2343 last month. He also has an ECF online standard rating of 2343, which is rather a coincidence.
Jake S appears to have a FIDE and Scottish rating (1903 and 1968 respectively). Could the ECF use either as a starting point or is that expecting too much?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what their policy is on unrated/formerly rated players. Naturally I'm hoping 2343 will prevail in calculating my performance.
ReplyDeleteI have numerous ratings on various websites, chess dot com, lichess etc. My aim is to get more ratings than my rating (which some may say should not be that difficult!).
DeleteI guess anyone who plays abroad may have different national ratings - I certainly used to have US and Swiss ones
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