Spanton (1912) - Johann Loibl (1762)
Senioren Cup
Veresov
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 Bf5 4.e3 e6 5.Bd3 Bxd3 6.cxd3!?
More popular is 6.Qxd3, but the text scores much better percentagewise.
6...Be7 7.Nf3 0-0 8.0-0 h6 9.Bh4 c6!?
This may seem slow but it is liked by Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.,1 along with 9...Nbd7.
10.Ne5 Nbd7 11.f4 c5 12.dxc5 Bxc5?!
Almost certainly better is 12...Nxc5.
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| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
13.d4
The engines give 13.Nxd7!, the point being 13...Bxe3+?! 14.Kh1 Qxd7 15.Bxf6 gxf6 runs into 16.d4!, trapping the black dark-square bishop, eg 16...Qc7 17.Qg4+ Kh7 18.Qg3 Bxd4 19.Qd3+ etc. So Black has to play 13...Qxd7, when 14.Bxf6 gxf6 (14...Bxe3+?! runs into the same problem as in the previous line) 15.d4 is good for White.
13...Be7 14.Qf3 Nh7 15.Bg3 Nxe5 16.fxe5 f6 17.exf6 Bxf6!?
17...Nxf6 looks more natural and is slightly preferred by the engines.
18.Qg4 Qe8 19.Rf2 h5!? 20.Qe2 h4 21.Bd6 Be7 22.Rxf8+ Nxf8 23.Bxe7 Qxe7 24.Rf1
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| How would you assess this late-middlegame position? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
White has a lead in development and the black h pawn looks vulnerable, but otherwise the pawn-structure is symmetrical and there are no immediate threats. The engines reckon White has at best a tiny edge.
24...Nh7 25.Qg4 Rf8 26.Rf4 g5!?
Stockfish14 reckons the text and 26...Rxf4 are equally good, but Komodo12.1.1 prefers the rook capture.
27.Rf3 Rxf3 28.gxf3
Introducing a little imbalance into the game, but the engines reckon the position is dead-equal.
28...Qf6 29.Nb5 Qg6 30.e4 dxe4 31.fxe4 a6 32.Nd6 Qf6?
The engines prefer 32...b5 or 32...Kf8!? If, after 32...Kf8!?, White plays 33.Nxb7, then 33...Qg7 34.Qf3+ Kg8 35.e5 g4 36.Qc6 Qh6 gives Black sufficient counterplay, according to the engines.
33.e5 Qe7 34.Qe4 Kg7 35.Qxb7
After 35.Nxb7?! Black gets good counterplay with 35...Qb4.
35...Qxb7 36.Nxb7 g5 37.Nc5 Ng5 38.a4?!
Almost certainly better is the engines' 38.Kg2, meeting 38...Nf3 with 39.h3!
38...Nf3+ 39.Kg2 Nxd4 40.Nxa6 Nb3 41.Nc7?
Much better is 41.Nb4 (covering c6), and if, as in the game, 41...Kf7 then simply 42.Kf2, eg 42...Ke7 43.Ke3 etc.
41...Kf7 42.Nb5 Ke7 43.Kf2 Kd7
Black is equal, according to the engines.
44.Ke3 Kc6
This would not have been possible after 41.Nb4.
45.Kf4 g3 46.hxg3 hxg3
Not 46...h3? 47.Kf3.
47.Kxg3 Nc5 48.Nc3 Nd3 49.Kf3 Nxb2 50.Ke3 Kc5
JL offered a draw (in my time). I played on, but conceded the half-point nine moves later.
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