Victor Durojaiye (1886) - Spanton (1979)
Giuoco Piano
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.c3 d5!?
An early ...d5 in the Giuoco Piano is controversial as Black's position cannot always stand the loosening. The main move here is 6...d6 but the text has been tried by players as diverse as Hikaru Nakamura and Vladimir Kramnik.
7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Re1
 |
| How should Black meet the threat to e5? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8...f6??
Stockfish14.1 gives 8...Bg4!?, and if 9.h3 then 9...Bh5 on the basis that 10.g4 Bg6 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Rxe5 c6, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Marshall Gambit in the Spanish, is good for Black. Komodo12.1.1 suggests 8...Be6!?, and if 9.Ng5 then 9...h6!?, claiming 10.Nce6 fxe6 is only slightly better for White.
9.Nbd2?
White is winning after 9.d4 exd4 10.Qb3!, according to the engines. Grzegorz Więch (2300) - Krzysztof Kopczyński (-), Polish U26 Championship 1998, continued 10...Nce7 11.cxd4 Bb6 12.Rxe7! with a large advantage for White (1-0, 32 moves).
9...Kh8 10.Nb3 Bb6 11.d4 exd4 12.Nbxd4 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Bxd4!?
The engines prefer 13...c6, which was played in a 1991 game between two unrateds.
14.Qxd4 Nb6 15.Qh4?!
White may have an edge after this but the bishop-pair surely gives White a bigger advantage after 15.Qxd8 Rxd8 16.Bb3.
15...Nxc4 16.Qxc4 Re8 17.Bf4 c6
The engines reckon better drawing chances are to be had by giving up the c7 pawn, eg 17...Bf5!? 18.Qxc7 Qxc7 19.Bxc7 Kg8.
18.Bc7?!
'Clever', but by no means best. After 18.Qf7 the engines reckon Black is more-or-less forced to play 18...Bf5, giving up the b7 pawn and leaving Black with two queenside isolanis.
18...Rxe1+ 19.Rxe1 Qg8 20.Qb4 Be6!?
Offering the b7 pawn anyway, for activity. The engines slightly prefer 20...b6.
21.Qxb7 Bd5?!
Probably better is the engines' 21...Re8!?, meeting 22.Qxa7 with 22...Bxa2!
22.b3 Re8 23.Rxe8!?
Komodo12.1.1 narrowly prefers the passive 23.Rf1!? Stockfish14.1 flits between the two moves, but mostly preferring the text.
23...Qxe8
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
24.Kf1
The engines give 24.Qb8! as very good (winning, according to Stockfish14.1). At first glance this may seem absurd, thanks to the opposite-coloured bishops, but after 24...Qxb8 25.Bxb8 a6 26.f3 Black has major defensive problems. One plausible line runs 26..Kg8 27.Kf2 Kf7 28.Ke3 Ke7 (not 28...Ke6?? 29.c4) 29.Kd4 Kd7 30.Kc5 Kc8 31.Ng3 Kb7, when Black has saved the queenside, but then comes 32.Kd6, which the engines agree is winning.
24...h6?!
Not 24...Bxg2+? 25.Kxg2 Qd5+ as the checks eventually run out, but, bearing in mind the previous note, better probably is 24...Qe4 (25.Qa8+ is met by 25...Bg8) with a perpetual.
25.Qxa7
Afterwards VD said he could not understand why he did not play 25.c4, which may indeed be a tad better than the text, but Black seems fine after 25...Be4. However 25.Qb8! gives good winning chances.
25...Qe4 26.Qe3?!
Acquiescing to a draw after 26.f3 is safer.
26...Qb1+ 27.Qe1?
White should play 27.Ke2 with good drawing chances.
27...Bxg2+ 28.Ke2 Qxa2+?
Black has serious winning chances after 28...Bf3+, eg 29.Kd2 Qxa2+ 30.Ke3 and 30...Bh5 or 30...Bd5.
29.Qd2 Qxb3 30.Qd8+ Kh7 31.Qd3+ Kg8 32.Qd8+ Kh7 33,Qd3+ ½–½
The match finished 2.5-2.5.
No comments:
Post a Comment