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| The wall-to-wall sunshine has ended |
Spanton (1912) - Helmut Reitz (1692)
U2000
Spanish Four Knights
1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e4
White can keep the game in independent 1.Nc3 lines by playing 3.d4!?, when the main line in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database runs 3...exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bg5, from which White scores 64%.
3...Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4
This, which is known as the Rubinstein Variation, is the top choice of Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1.
5.Bc4 Nxf3+
The main line runs 5...Bc5 6.d3 d6, which the engines reckon is equal.
6.Qxf3 c6!?
This slightly strange-looking move (...d5 is not going to be possible for some time) has been played by Boris Gelfand, and is the top choice of Stockfish14.1; Komodo12.1.1 narrowly prefers 6...Bc5.
7.0-0 d6 8.d3
The engines like 8.d4!? exd4 9.Ne2, and if 9...c5 then 10.c3!?
8...Be7 9.Be3 0-0 10.d4 Bg4
The engines suggest 10...Ng4!?
11.Qg3 exd4 12.Bxd4 Qd7 13.f3!?
The engines prefer the conventional 13.h3.
13...Be6 14.Bb3 Nh5 15.Qf2 Nf4 16.Ne2 Nxe2+
HR offered a draw.
17.Qxe2 c5!?
17...d5 18.Rad1 is slightly problematic for Black, but the text turns the semi-backward d pawn into a fully backward one.
18.Bc3 b5 19.Bd5?!
The engines much prefer 19.bxe6 fxe6 20.Rad1.
19...Rab8
Black is better, according to the engines, after 19...Bxd5 20.exd5 Rfe8.
20.Rad1 b4 21.Be1 Bf6 22.c4!? bxc3 23.Bxc3 Bxc3 24.bxc3
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| How would you assess this middlegame position? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
White has two isolanis, but Black has a backward d pawn and will have no useful entry squares on the b file. The engines reckon the position is equal.
24...Rb6 25.Rd2 Rfb8 26.Rfd1 Kf8 27.e5 dxe5 28.Qxe5
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| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
28...Qe7?
Best is 28...Qd6, according to the engines, eg 29.Qh5 Rb1! 30.Bxb3!? Qxd2 31.Qxc5+ Kg8 32.Rxb1 Bxb3, when the engines reckon Black's activity compensates for the pawn-minus. Also reasonable seems to be 28...Bxd5 29.Rxd5 Qe7 30.Rxc5, although this time the engines reckon Black does not have quite enough for the pawn.
29.Bxe6 fxe6?
Not 29...Rxe6?? 30.Qxb8+, nor 29...Qxe6? 30.Qxc5+. However the engines reckon best is 29...h6!, when 30.Rd7 Qxe6 31.Qxc5+ Kg8 leaves Black only slightly worse, thanks to the white pawn-weaknesses and partly exposed king.
30.Rd7 Qf6 31.Qxc5+ Ke8?!
Seemingly better is 31...Kg8
32.Rxa7 Rb1 33.Rd7 Rxd1+ 34.Rxd1 Rb2
The rest of the game is played with somewhat surprising accuracy by both players until the final denouement.
35.Qa3 Re2 36.Qa4+ Kf7 37.Rd7+ Kg6 38.Qg4+ Kh6 39.Qh3+ Kg6 40.Qg3+ Kh6 41.Rd4 Re5
Or 41...g6 42.Rh4+ Kg7 43.Qc7+ etc. Also no good for Black is 41...g5 42.h4 etc.
42.Rh4+ Rh5 43.Rxh5+ Kxh5 44.h4 h6? 45.Qg4#
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