Bregenz Round Two

Bregenz harbour early morning

FACED a Dutch Fide master this afternoon.

Arno Bezema (FM 2278) - Spanton (1860)

Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nbd2!?

This has become a fashionable alternative to the well-known 7.Nc3 and 7.Bd2, and is the top choice of the analysis engine Stockfish14.1.

How should Black respond?

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7...d5

The mainline in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database runs 7...Nxe4!? 8.d5 Ne7 9.0-0 Nxd2 10.Bxd2 Bxd2 11.d6!? cxd6 12.Qxd2, when White is two pawns down but has full compensation, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1.

8.exd5

Almost certainly not 8.e5?! dxc4 9.exf6 gxf6!?

8...Nxd5 9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 Be7

The engines slightly prefer giving up the bishop-pair with 10...Bxd2!? 11.Bxd2 Nb6, as long as Black does not meet 12.Ba2 with 12...Nxd4?? 13.Bb4 Nxf3+ 14.Qxf3, when Black cannot play 14...Re8 thanks to 15.Qxf7+ Kh8 16.Bc3.

11.Re1 Bg4 12.h3 Bh5

How should White proceed?

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13.Ne4

This may be a novelty. The main move in Mega22 is 13.Ba2!?, when 13...Nxd4? fails thanks to 14.g4 Nxf3+ 15.Qxf3. The engines reckon the best reply is 13...Qd7!?, which is not in Mega22. They continue 14.Qb3 Rad8 15.Ne5, preferring White.

13...Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Nxd4 15.Qd3 c5

Also satisfactory seems to be 15...Nb6.

16.b4 Nb6!?

Giving back the pawn. Black can hold on to the pawn, at least for a while, with 16...b6, but the engines reckon 17.Rb1 gives full compensation, eg 17...Rc8 18.bxc5 bxc5 19.Rb7.

17.bxc5 Nxc4 18.Qxc4 Ne6

White has more space and a lead in development, but the c pawn is vulnerable

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19.Be3 Rc8 20.Qb5

20.Rac1 and 20.Rec1 also give equality, according to the engines.

20...Qd5!?

Planning a queen sacrifice.

21.f3!?

If 21.Rad1?, then 21...Qxe4! 22.Bg5 Qxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Bxg5 24.Qxb7 Rc7, when Black has rook and two minors for queen and pawn, and will hoover up the white queenside pawns in due course. But possibly better than the text is 21.Nc3, when 21...Qc6 22.Qxc6 Rxc6 23.Rab1 is equal, according to the engines.

21...Bxc5

Black may have a small edge after 21...a6!? The text (temporarily) wins a pawn, but it proves meaningless.

22.Bxc5 Nxc5 23.Rad1 Qc6 24.Qxc6 Rxc6 25.Nxc5 Rxc5 26.Re7 Rc3 ½–½