Doncaster Round Five

PLAYED on Sunday afternoon.

Nathan Gittens (1960) - Spanton (2042)

Chigorin

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.cxd5 Bxf3 5.gxf3 Qxd5 6.e3 e5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.bxc3 Nf6 10.Rb1!?

An interesting alternative to the usual 10.c4.

How should Black respond?

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10...exd4

Stockfish14.1's top choice, 10...Qxa2!?, does not appear in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database. Best-play then, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1, goes 11.Rxb7 0-0 12.Qb3!?, when they reckon White is better after both 12...Qxb3 and 12...Qa1+.

11.cxd4 0-0 12.Bd3!?

Possibly a novelty. Most strong players have preferred 12.Bg2.

12...Rfe8 13.Kf1!?

The engines slightly prefer 13.0-0.

13...Rad8 14.Rb5

Not 14.Rxb7?? Nxd4.

14...Qe6 15.Rg5

The engines like 15.Kg2, possibly with Rg1 and Kh1 to come.

15...Qh3+ 16.Kg1 Qh4!?

The queen can turn out to be awkwardly placed on the kingside. Possibly better is the engines' 16...Qd7.

17.f4 Ne4 18.Bxe4 Rxe4 19.Qf3 Rde8?

Pressure down the e file proves illusory. Better is 19...Re6, and if, as in the game, 20.d5, then 20...Rf6 seems to equalise as 21.Bc3?? fails to 21...Qxg5, while 21.Rg4 Qxg4+ 22.Qxg4 Rg6 is fine for Black.

20.d5!

Not so much hitting the knight as opening the a1-h8 diagonal for the bishop.

20...Nb4 21.Bc3 g6 22.Bf6 Qh6 23.h4

Suddenly the white king's rook gets into play, and Black's position collapses.

The game finished:

23...Qf8 24.h5 Qd6 25.hxg6! Qxf6 26.gxf7+ Kh8 27.Qxe4! Qxf7 28.Rxh7+ 1-0