Spanton (1912) - Martin Launert (1786)
Senioren Cup
English
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 d6!?
This somewhat passive-looking defence of e5 is quite a popular alternative to 3...Nc6.
4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bd7 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 g6
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| How should White proceed? |
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8.Nxc6!? Bxc6 9.Bxc6 bxc6
White has smashed Black's queenside pawn-structure, which could be significant in an ending. But meanwhile Black has gained a half-open b file and now prevents white pieces using the d5 square. In addition White has exchanged a fourth-rank knight for a third-rank one and an active bishop for a passive one. Nevertheless 8.Nxc6!? is Komodo12.1.1's top choice, at least for a while, although Stockfish14 prefers development with 8.Bg5.
10.Bg5 h6?!
Aloyzas Kveinys (2517) - Artur Jakubiec (2524), Kraków (Poland) 2007, was agreed drawn after 10...Bg7 11.Qd2 Qe7 12.0-0 0-0 13.Rad1 Qe6. |
| What should White play? |
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11.Be3?!
Black faces a tricky middlegame after 11.Bxf6!? Qxf6 12.Qa4.
11...Bg7 12.Qd2 Qe7 13.0-0 Ne4 14.Nxe4 Qxe4 15.Rac1 0-0!? 16.b3
Black is fine after 16.Bxh6 Bxh6 17.Qxh6 Qxe2, according to the engines.
16...Kh7 17.Rfd1 a6 18.f3 Qe6 19.Bf2 Rfe8 20.e4 f5!?
The engines prefer 20...c5.
21.Re1 fxe4 22.Rxe4 Qd7 23.Rh4 Re6 24.Be3 h5
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| How should White continue? |
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25.g4?
White's pieces are dangerously uncoordinated after this. Better is 25.Qd3, but Black is fine, eg one reply given by the engines is 25...Qf7!?, the point being 26.Rxh5+? loses to 26...Kg8 followed by ...Qxf3.
25...Bf6
Even stronger may be 25...Rae8!?
26.g5?!
Almost certainly better is 26.Bg5.
26...Bg7 27.Qd3 Rae8! 28.Bd4?
Also bad is 28.Rxh5+? as the white bishop falls after 28...Kg8. The engines reckon White should play 28.Bd2 or 28.Re1, albeit giving White at least the upper hand.
28....Bxd4+
This is winning, but even stronger seems to be the engines' 28..Qe7!?
29.Qxd4 Qe7
There is no satisfactory answer to Black's twin threats of ...Qxg5+ and ...Re1+.
30.Qf4 Re5
Also strong is 30...Re1+, but there is no immediate knockout blow after 31.Kg2.
31.Rh3 Rxg5+?!
Here ...Re1+ is definitely stronger, eg 31...Re1+ 32.Kg2 Rxc1 33.Qxc1 Qe2+ 34.Kg1 Re3 35.Qf1 Qd2 with ...Re1 to come.
32.Rg3 Re5
Black is 'only' a pawn up but maintains a powerful attack.
33.Rf1 Rf8 34.Qd4 c5 35.Qd3 Rff5 36.Kh1 Re3 37.Qd1 Rfe5 38.Qc2 Rf5 39.Rfg1 Re2 40.Qd3 Re3
Strong is 40...Rxa2! as 41.Rxg6 can be met by 41...Rxh2+! 42.Kxh2 Qh4+ 43.Kg2 Kxg6.
41.Qc2 Qf7
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| Should White capture on g6? |
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42.Qg2
The engines prefer 42.Rxg6!? Qxg6 43.Rxg6 Kxg6 44.f4, but I felt that would make it relatively easy for Black to coordinate the rooks.
42...g5!?
Perhaps better is 42...Rf6 or 42...Re6.
43.h4
The engines prefer 43.Rxg5?!, which may be objectively better but for practical purposes is hopeless as 43...Rxg5 44.Qxg5 Qxf3+ 45.Qg2 Qxg2+ forces either a winning pawn-ending after 46.Rxg2 Re1+ etc or a winning rook-and-pawn ending after 46.Kxg2 Re2+ etc.
43...Rexf3 44.Rxf3 Rxf3 45.hxg5 Kg6 46.Re1 Qf5 47.Re6+!?
A queen-and-pawn ending is surely White's best hope of salvaging a draw.
47...Qxe6
Even stronger seems to be 47...Kg7, but to play it Black must see a defence to 48.Rf6.
48.Qxf3
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| How would you assess this ending? |
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Black is a pawn up, cannot be stopped from winning the g pawn and has the less-exposed king. The only flies in the ointment from Black's view are the weakness of a6 and the danger of falling into a perpetual. Stockfish14 reckons Black's advantage is worth more than 7.5 pawns; Komodo12.1.1 reckons just under 7.5.
48...Qe1+ 49.Kg2 Qd2+ 50.Kh3 Qd4 51.Qc6!?
The white king will have to look after itself.
51...Qg4+ 52.Kh2 Qh4+ 53.Kg2 Qxg5+ 54.Kf2 Qf4+ 55.Ke2 Qe5+ 56.Kd2 h4
56...Qb2+ 57.Ke3 Qxa2? wins the white a pawn and protects the black a pawn but the black king cannot escape checks after 58.Qe8+.
57.Qxa6
Now White has a passed pawn that can become a protected passed pawn, which would be a major asset in a pawn-ending.
57...Qd4+ 58.Ke2 Qe4+ 59.Kf2 h3 60.Qc8 Qg2+ 61.Ke3 Qg3+?!
This was a good time for ...Kg5, according to the engines. The text is Komodo12.1..1's second choice, but Stockfish14.1 reckons White now has a draw.
62.Ke2?!
Almost certainly better is 62.Ke4, when Komodo12.1.1's 62...Qe5+ 63.Kf3 Qf5+ would transpose to the game. Komodo12.1.1 reckons Black would be wining, but Stockfish14's verdict of equal is correct.
62...Qe5+?
62...Qg2+ 63.Ke3 allows 63...Kg5, which the engines agree is very strong.
63.Kf2?
The engines agree 63.Kf3 draws.
63...Qf5+?
63...Qf4+ allows transpositions into lines where ...Kg5 is powerful.
64.Qxf5 Kxf5
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| White to play and draw |
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65.Kg3!
Komodo12.1.1 reckons 65.a4 is better. However that seems to lose to 65...d5!, eg 66.cxd5 Kd5 67.Kg3 Kxd5 68.Kxh3 c4 69.a5 cxb3 70.a6 Kc6 etc. A better shot for White may be 66.a5, eg 66...d4 67.a6 h2 68.Kg2 d3 69.a7 d2 70.a8=Q d1=Q 71.Kxh2 Qc2+ 72.Kg1, but the tablebase Syzygy shows 72...Qxb3 wins for Black. Nevertheless it is possible there is a draw for White somewhere in these lines.
65...c6 66.a4 h2 67.Kxh2 Ke6
Not 67...d5? 68.a5 d4 69.Kg2 etc.
68.Kg3 d5 69.Kf4 Kd6 70.Ke3 Kc7 71.Kd3 Kb6 72.Kc3 Ka5 73.Kd3 Kb4 74.cxd5 cxd5 75.Kc2 c4 76.bxc4 dxc4 77.a5 Kxa5 78.Kc3 Kb5 79.Kc2 Kb4 80.Kb2 c3+ 81.Kc2 Kc4 82.Kc1 Kd3 83.Kd1 c2+ 84.Kc1 Kc3 ½–½
ML said he played on to the end because he wanted to find out what the English is for the German word "patt."
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