Bregenz Round Six

FACED a junior (born 2010) this afternoon.

One of Bregenz's many bars and restaurants

Maryam Turdiyeva (1306) - Spanton (1860)

English

1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.g3 4...Nf6 5.Bg2 c6 6.0-0 Bd6!?

There are many lines in closed games, ie those starting 1.c4 or 1.d4, in which ...Bd6 makes the black dark-square bishop a target, so ...Be7 is better. The text is the most popular move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, but Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 prefer 6...Be7.

7.d3!?

Rightly or wrongly, I felt this was a rather sophisticated set-up for an 11/12-year-old rated 1306.

7...0-0 8.Nbd2 Re8 9.b3 Nbd7 10.e4?!

I thought I had prevented this central thrust. The text tries to take advantage of the fact 9...Nbd7 leaves the black dark-square bishop unprotected, but it is probably a mistake.

10...Ne5

Not 10...dxe4 11.dxe4 Nxe4?? 12.Nxe4 Rxe4 13.Qxd6.

11.Qc2?!

Probably best is 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.Rb1, albeit the engines give Black a slight edge.

How should Black proceed?

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11...Nxd3!

Winning a pawn.

12.Qxd3 dxe4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Bb2

White has some pressure, but it should not be enough for a pawn.

14...Nc5?!

Almost certainly better is the engines' 14...Bf8, which prevents White forming a menacing battery on the long dark diagonal.

15.Qd4?!

This loses a tempo over the immediate Qc3.

15...Ne6 16.Qc3 Bf8 17.Rfe1!?

More natural is 17.Rad1.

17...Qb6

Threatening ...Bb4.

18.a3

The threat could have been ignored, at least for the moment, eg 18.Rad1 cannot be met by 18...Bb4?? as 19.Rxe6 wins.

18...Bd7 19.Ne5 Rad8 20.Rad1 Bc8 21.Ng4!?

With the exception of the white light-square bishop (and the king), all White's pieces are helping create threats against the black kingside. After the text White threatens to win with 22.Nh6+! Kh8 23.Nxf7+ Kg8 24.Nxd8.

How should Black respond?

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21...f6!?

This looks loosening but the engines agree it is best, whereas covering f7 with 21...Qc7?! allows 22.Rxd8 Rxd8 23.Nh6+ Kh8 and 24.Bh3 or 24.Qc4, when the engines reckon White is at least equal.

22.Rxd8 Qxd8 23.Bf3?

Best seems to be 23.Ne3, albeit Black is better.

23...h5?

I looked at the much-stronger 23...Ng5 and 23...Nd4, but passed on them for reasons I can no longer recall.

24.Ne3 g6 25.Rd1

If 25.Qxf6?!, then 25...Qxf6 26.Bxf6 Bxa3.

25...Qe7 26.Nc4?

White has full compensation for a pawn after 16.Be4, according to the engines.

26..Ng5 27.Bg2 Nh3+ 28.Kh1??

Even worse is 28.Kf1?? Qe2#, but 28.Bxh3 keeps the game going, albeit Black is on top.

28..Nxf2+ 29.Kg1 Nxd1 0-1